And she made no effort to stay me, either by word or motion.
I had crept forward as far as the low fence before the numbness left me, before I came back to full comprehension of my situation, and the serious work confronting me.

Then the soldier spirit reawoke into alert action, my thought intent upon escape, my nerves steadying down for the coming trial.

I recall glancing back, imagining I saw the white glimmer of her dress against the dark shrubbery, and then I resolutely drove all memory of her from my mind, concentrating every instinct to the one immediate purpose of overcoming the stable guard.

This was not altogether new work to one inured as a scout, but sufficiently serious to call forth every precaution.

Cautiously I crept along the fence until I discovered an opening large enough to crawl through, scarcely rustling the concealing leaves, and resting flat on the opposite side while I surveyed the prospect.