"To fear them is often to bring them." he added.
"I do not think it will, in my case," I said. "But, if Dr. Sandford had known you were coming to see me, he might have carried me off from Washington, just as he did from West Point last year."
"From West Point?" said Mr. Thorold, his eyes making a brilliant commentary on my words; - "Did he carry you away from West Point for any such reason? Is he afraid of me?"
"He would be afraid of anybody," I said in some confusion, for Mr. Thorold's eyes were dancing with mischief and pleasure; - "I do not know - of course I do not know what he was afraid of; but I know how it _would_ be."
Mr. Thorold's answer was to take my hand and softly draw it through his own arm. I did not like it; I was fearful of being seen to walk so; yet the assuming of me was done in a manner that I could not resist nor contravene. I knew how Christian's eyes fell upon me; I dared not meet them.
"Is the doctor jealous of you, Daisy?" he whispered laughing. I did not find an answer immediately.
"Does he _dare?_" Mr. Thorold said in a different tone.
"No, no. Christian, how imperious you are!"
"Yes," he said; "I will be so where you are concerned. What do you mean, Daisy? or what does he mean?"
"He is my guardian, you know," I said; "and he has sharp eyes; and he is careful of me."
"_Very_ careful?" said Mr. Thorold, laughing and pressing my arm. "Daisy, _I_ am your guardian while you are in Washington. I wish I had a right to say that you shall have nothing more to do with Dr. Sandford. But for the present I must mind my duty."
"And I mine," - I added, with my heart beating. Now it seemed a good opening for some of the things I had to say; yet my heart beat and I was silent.
"Yours, Daisy?" he said very tenderly. "What is yours? What present pressure of conscience is giving you something hard to do? I know it will be done! What work is this little soldier on?"
I could not tell him. I could not. My answer diverged.
"The same thing. Rather preparing for work - preparing others. I am at that all day."
"And do you expect there will be real work, as you call it? Will it come to that?"
"Looks like it. What do you think of Fairfax Court-house? - and Great Bethel? - and Falling Waters, and so on?"