Altsheler, Joseph - [Novel 09] Read online

  " You are overlooking the alcove, Lieutenant Melville."

  The others were at the far end of the cellar and could not hear her.

  " Miss Desmond," I said, " I have more regard than you for your father's safety." Her eyes flashed.

  " Lieutenant Melville," she said, " I demand that you search the alcove."

  I hesitated, murmuring that I did not think it worth while ; no one could lie concealed in such a small, close place.

  "I shall report you to the commander-in-chief himself unless you search it," she said, looking at me steadily.

  There could be no mistake ; her manner and her tone alike indicated decision, and that I must obey. Yet I did not withhold these words,

  " I know that you arc a Tory, Miss Desmond, but I did not think that you would go to such extremes." She made no reply, and surrendering all hope for Marcel and myself, 1 turned the bolt and threw open the little door of the alcove. 149

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  It was empty !

  I stood still, too much surprised to speak; relief, at that moment, not having any part in my emotions, although it came later.

  " You know now, Lieutenant Melville, that your belief is as false as it was unjust," said Miss Desmond, proudly. " You have wronged my father."

  " It is true," T confessed ; and I confessed too, though not aloud, that perhaps I had wronged some one else yet more. Then I called to Blathwayt and censured him for overlooking the alcove.

  " The fugitive might have lain there safely hidden from all of us," I said, " but I saw the place, and per- haps we may find others like it."

  He admitted his error humbly, and we passed to the other floors. Here the feeling of relief disap- peared from my mind, as we would surely find Allo- way near the roof since he was not in the cellar. We searched three rooms, and then I put my hand upon the bolt fastening the door of the third.

  " It is my bedroom," said Miss Desmond.

  " I regret to say that I am compelled to search it too," I replied.

  She bowed, making no further opposition, and, turning the key, I entered. It was a large, light apartment. In a corner the high bed stood within its white curtains, there were heavy rugs on the floor, a little round table of ebony, and at the far end of the room, tongs and shovel of brass hung beside the grate, in which two brazen fire dogs upheld haughty heads. It was a handsome room, worthy of its mis- tress, and yet I could not spare it. I looked every- 150

  A Delicate Search

  where, behind the curtains, under the bed, and in the clothes-closets, but I di d not find Alloway.

  When I finished Miss Desmond said to me,

  " I hope you believe that no man is concealed in my room."

  The color had risen in her cheeks, and I replied in great haste,

  " I have not believed it any time, Miss Desmond, and only my duty compelled me to look here."

  What a consoling word those four little letters, " d-u-t-y," sometimes spell ! Blatlnvayt came to me the next moment, and reported that he had searched the upper rooms and the garret without finding the lost soldier. " But what a house it would be to loot ! " he added in a whisper to me, showing, like his comrade, those predatory instincts which the British soldier often loves to indulge.

  I pretended to a belief that he had not searched well the top of the house, and to show my zeal in- sisted upon conducting a hunt in those regions my- self. But I thought, as I ascended the last stairway, that it would be rather a grim joke on me, if I found Alloway there after Blatlnvayt had failed to do so. But no such bad luck happened, and ten minutes later T announced with great but secret joy that his Bri- tannic Majesty's army in Philadelphia had done Mr. Desmond an injustice ; no soldier was concealed iij his house, and I was sure that none ever had been. But while I said this I was wondering what had be- come of Alloway; he had entered the Desmond house, I knew beyond a doubt, and he must be in it yet, hidden in some secret recess. Well, at any rate, 151

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  the luck which Marcel claimed was watching over us was still on guard.

  " I shall be pleased to tell your father how vain our search has been," I said to Miss Desmond. But Mr. Desmond was yet in his own room and would not come forth. The haughty old Quaker, as was evident to us all, considered this search of his house a piece of gross insolence.

  " I trust that I shall never again be sent on such an errand," I said to Miss Desmond as we prepared to go.

  She made the formal reply that she hoped so too, and I could read nothing in her eyes. 1 was sure now that she had never known of Alloway's presence in the house. Then I took my soldiers and went into the street.

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  CHAPTERTHIRTEEN Hessian Wrath

  THKUK was a narrow lawn in front of Mr. Desmond's house, and between that and the street an ornate iron fence. As I opened the gate that permitted egress, I saw Belfort and Schwarzfelder leaning upon the fence, while Waters hovered near. The two officers were twirling their mustaches after the most ap- proved style of Old World dandies, and were look- ing at me in a manner that I could interpret only as insolent. I inferred at once that they and the Frenchman Waters were responsible for the search, and had gone there to enjoy a triumph containing the sweetest of flavor, my exposure and disgrace compelled by my own act. I became sure of it when I saw the look of triumph on the faces of Belfort and Schwarzfelder give way to one of sur- prise and disappointment.

  " Where is your prisoner, Lieutenant Melville ? " exclaimed Belfort, unable to control himself.

  I gave him a stare as haughty as I knew how to make it.

  " Did I understand you to ask where my prisoner vas, Lieutenant Belfort ? " I asked.

  Both he and Schwarzfelder nodded 153

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  " Permit me to remark that this is very extra- ordinary," I said, continuing my haughty manner, which suited my state of rnind. "I am sent on a secret errand of great importance by Sir William Howe, and before I can report to him I am called to account concerning it in the streets of Phila- delphia by one of his Majesty's sub-lieutenants. Or perhaps I have made a mistake, and General Howe has resigned in your favor. Do I have the pleasure of addressing General Belfort, and not Lieutenant Belfort?"

  I gave him an extremely polite bow as I added the last sentence, and my tone grew most humble. But he did not seem to appreciate my homage. His face turned red.

  " Lieutenant Melville," he said, " I shall have sat- isfaction for this insolence."

  " Don't make a fuss about it," I said lightly. " I was merely speaking for your good, because if I had reported to you earlier than to Sir William he might have resented it. Still, I don't mind telling you, lieutenant, that we did not find the man, although we searched the house most thoroughly."

  I was now happy, feeling my triumph somewhat, which may account for my levity; but the mention of the prisoner again set Belfort on fire.

  "Did you look everywhere?" he asked eagerly. " It is certain that he took refuge there."

  " Oh yes, sir ! " interrupted Blathwayt, touching his cap, " we searched every square inch of the house, and it was impossible for a man to be hid there, and us not find him."

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  It was disrespectful of Blathwayt to interrupt when Iiis superiors were talking, but for obvious reasons I did not correct him.

  " He must have been there ! he must have been there ! " repeated Belfort, in disappointed tones. " Schwarzfelder says that he saw him dart among the shrubbery around the house, and he did not come out of it again last night."

  So it was Schwarzfelder who had played the spy ! But even so, he had not seen me give Alloway the warning or he would have betrayed me at once. I began to bear towards Schwarzfelder a feeling akin to that I felt for Belfort

  "I think that Colonel Schwarzfelder must have been mistaken," I said. " It is well known that our valiant Hessian officers often see double, especially when it is so late at night. Forward, march, men ! "

  I gave the order i
n a loud, peremptory tone, and my soldiers marched at once in their stiffest and most precise manner. Schwurzfelder was stand- ing in the middle of the pavement, and they would have walked into him had he not skipped to one side in the most undignified way. I think that they would have been glad to do it, as generally the Eng- lish soldiers hated the Hessians.

  Schwarzfelder glowered at me, first because I had taunted him with his German drunkenness and the memory of his ejection from Sir William's head- quarters, and secondly because in a metaphorical sense I had thrown him off the sidewalk. But he said nothing. He was choking too badly over tiis German wrath to enunciate words. I marched 155

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  on with my men, leaving him and Belfort to concoct whatever mischief they would.

  The man Waters, whom in truth I dreaded more than either Belfort or Schwarzfelder, had drawn somewhat nearer and was gazing steadily at me.

  " Are you too looking for this American soldier, Waters ? " I asked. " It seems that the commander- in-chief is receiving a great deal of voluntary assistance."

  "Your pardon, sir," said Waters, with respect, or the assumption of it, " but I could not help hearing what the search was about, and I was merely won- dering if that old rebel John Desmond was caught at last."

  " Mr. Desmond may be a rebel," I replied angrily, " but it is not for you to speak of him in such a manner."

  " I beg your pardon, sir, if I was presumptuous," he said meekly, dropping his eyes. Yet I was sure that he was deriding me, and I walked off, feeling an unpleasant chill again. I reported duly to Sir William that the search had brought forth nothing, juid he expressed disappointment.

  " I cannot understand how the man escaped," he said thoughtfully. " It was told to me that he was in the Desmond house, and I should have been glad to find him there, because it would give me a power over this rebellious old Quaker which I should be glad to use. I chose you for the task because I felt sure of your loyalty and devotion to the king, and also I know that you are a good friend of mine. There might have been promotion in it for you." 156

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  I thanked him humbly for his consideration, and I began to feel that the well-meant friendship of Sir William Howe would prove troublesome. Yet I was able to preserve a thankful countenance. Then he excused me, saying, as I departed, that I might look for further rewards at his hands, even in the short time left to him. Again I gave him thanks, and went out into the street, where I knew that I should find some of my new comrades ogling the pretty Philadelphia maids. The first that I beheld were Marcel and Vincent Moore, walking arm in arm. Marcel was in a splendid new uniform that fairly glittered with gold lace, where he got it he lias never told me, although I suppose that promptly after its arrival from England he won it at cards from some brother officer, perhaps from Harding, the new cousin, as they were about of a size and the uniform fitted Marcel beautifully. Moore also had achieved his utmost splendor, looking almost as fine as Marcel, and I saw clearly that the two were out to " kill " whatever beauty came their way.

  "And you did not find the man, Melville?" ex- claimed Marcel, seizing me by the arm ; I was sure that he had heard the vain result of the search.

  " If the bird was ever there, it had flown before our arrival," I replied, putting as much regret into my tones as I could.

  " Then let war go ! Come with us and look for the smiles of beauty," said Marcel, in his high flown manner. In truth, after inviting me, they gave me no choice, for Marcel took me by one arm and Moore by the other, and I could not escape swag- 157

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  gering on with them. I felt such relief from the situation of the morning, and the sunshine was so brilliant and inspiring, that I began to share their exultant views of life. We presently met Miss Rankin and another girl whom we knew, and, turning in our course, we walked beside them, exchanging the courtesies of the day, pouring out extravagant compliments, and otherwise behaving in a manner not unusual to masculine youth on such occasions.

  Marcel, with incredible effrontery, began to tell some of the latest news about people of fashion in London, speaking as if he knew them intimately. I supposed that he had picked up the gossip, like the uniform, from Harding. This lasted a full ten minutes, and then we met Miss Desmond and her father, also walking in the sunshine. We gave them most ornate salutations, but their reply was not in kind. Miss Desmond's slight bow was accom- panied by a look of surprise and disdain directed towards me. I know that I reddened under the glance, for, in truth, I became suddenly ashamed of myself, being fully aware that I had been behaving like a Jack o' dandy with more youth than brains. But there was no escape for me, and I walked on with my chattering companions, suddenly be- come silent, although they did not notice it, since they were making so much noise themselves. The ladies left us in another ten minutes, and then T would have excused myself from Marcel and Moore, but they would not hear of it.

  " If we don't keep you, you will get into mis- 158

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  chief," said Marcel, with a significance that Moore did not see, and they retained hold of my arms. Shortly after, our party was increased by Vivian and Catron, arid we filled the sidewalk from edge to edge, all talking in lively fashion except myself, Marcel being in his element. In truth, there was no need that I should talk, since Marcel and Moore were doing enough and to spare for us all. They continued to twirl their mustaches and look for the pretty maids, but our next acquaintances who approached us were men not maids, being, in truth, Bolfort, Schwarzfelder, and Graves, arm in arm, with ihe German in the centre. They walked straight towards us, and I saw that unless either they or we turned aside, a most unpleasant collision would occur, aa the sidewalk was narrow. I observed no evidence of an intent on the part of either my comrades or Bclfort and his friends to change their course, and 1 was annoyed excessively at the prospect of a collision and a quarrel. In fact, I have never felt any desire to be a swaggerer, and I began to wonder how I could get out of the difficulty. If the others insisted upon trouble for themselves, they might have it.

  I saw no solution of the difficulty ; but, to my great amazement, my friends suddenly stepped to one side when we were within a half-dozen paces of our an- tagonists, forming a line at the edge of the sidewalk, as if we were a guard of honor stationed there to give distinction to the passage of Belfort and his companions ; furthermore, they strengthened the idea by taking off their caps and giving the others a bow 159

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  of astonishing sweep and depth, which Graves re- turned in kind, Belfort slightly, and Schwarzfelder not at all. Not a word was said, the three stalking solemnly past us, and then disappearing down the street, while we returned to our natural place on the sidewalk, and walked on in the way that we had been going.

  " Gentlemen," I said gravely, when we had gone about twenty yards, " I did not think this of you."

  "And why not?" replied Marcel. "Could we have done otherwise after the delicate attentions that you have received from Colonel Schwarzfelder. We were the larger party, and therefore it was our duty, under the circumstances, to give way to the smaller. Is that not so, Moore ? "

  " Certainly," replied Moore. " We did our duty."

  I looked at them questioningly, and Marcel's eye began to twinkle.

  " Oh, you have not heard of the billet-doux that Schwarzfelder has written you ? " he asked.

  " What are you talking about ? " I replied.

  " It was done in the most perfect manner," said Moore ; " I wish that it had come for me."

  " I refuse to go a step farther unless you tell me what you are talking about," I said, and I stopped short. They could have carried me on only by drag- ging me, and that would have looked undignified.

  " Suppose we let him have the letter, Schwarz- felder's masterly production," said Marcel.

  " Yes, let him see it," said Vivian.

  Marcel accordingly took from his waistcoat pocket, an envelope with a broken seal, superscribed in a 160
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  large heavy hand, " To Captain, the Honorable Charles Montague." I put it to my nose, and it smelled of both tobacco and wine.

  " But think of its contents," said Marcel.

  I opened it, and stared at the writing, of which I could not read a word. It was in German. The others burst into laughter.

  " That billet-doux," said Marcel, " is a challenge from your dear friend, Schwarzfelder. It seems that you did him a wrong this morning, or at least he tiiinks so, and off he rushed to his headquarters so blindingly angry that he must challenge you at once. He thinks of me as your best friend, and, still mad with anger, he forgets himself so for as to write the body of the letter in German, and also to ignore the use of a second for himself. But Belfort has set all of that right. Now it seems that fate won't let you fight Belfort ; but I don't see how you can keep from meet- ing Schwarzfelder. Lieutenant Melville, if I had your quarrelsome disposition, I certainly should ex- pect to die on the field of honor before I was turned twenty-five."

  Then they laughed again, enjoying my plight and vexation.

  " Belfort is at any rate a gentleman," I said ; " but Schwarzfelder is at least three-fourths ruffian, and I think that it would be a disgrace to meet him."

  " But you cannot refuse on that account," said Catron, gravely, " these men seem bent upon perse- cuting you, Melville, and you will have to put a stop to it with either sword or pistol. Suppose that we go to your quarters and discuss it." 11 101