XXXI.
_LYSANDER TAKES POSSESSION._
Gad the "Sleeper" (he had earned that title) had been himself placedunder guard for drinking too much of the prisoners' liquor, andsuffering them to escape. Miserable, sullen, thirsty, he languished inconfinement.
"Let 'em shoot me, and done with it, if that's the penalty," said thischivalrous son of the south; "only give a feller suthin' to drink!"
But that policy of the confederates, which opened the jails of thecountry, and put arms in the hands of the convicts, and pardoned everyfelon that would fight, might be expected to find a better use for anable-bodied fellow, like Gad, than to shoot him.
The use they found for him was this: He had been a mighty hunter beforethe Lord, ere he became too besotted and lazy for such sport; and heprofessed to know the mountains better than any other man. Accordingly,on the recommendation of his friend Lieutenant Ropes, it was resolved tosend him to spy out the position of the patriots. It was an enterpriseof some danger, and, to encourage him in it, he was promised twothings--pardon for his offence, and, what was of more importance to him,a bottle of old whiskey.
"I'll see that you have light enough," said Ropes, significantly.
It was the evening of the firing of the forests. How well the lieutenantfulfilled his part of the engagement, we have seen.
Gad put the bottle in his pocket, and set off at dark by routes obscureand circuitous to get upon the trail of the patriots. How well _he_succeeded will appear by and by.
The burning of the forests caused a great excitement in the valley,especially among those families whose husbands and fathers were known tohave taken refuge in them. Who had committed the barbarous act? Theconfederates denounced it with virtuous indignation, charging thepatriots with it, of course. There was in the village but one witnesswho could have disputed this charge, and he now occupied Gad's place inthe guard-house. It was the deserter Carl.
All the morning Gad's return was anxiously awaited. No doubt there weregood reasons why he did not come. So said his friend Silas; and hisfriend Silas was right: there were good reasons.
"Anyhow, I kep' my word--I giv him light enough, I reckon!" chuckledSilas.
That was true: Gad had had light enough, and to spare.
The rain continued all the morning. Perhaps that was what detained thescout; for it was known that he had a great aversion to water.
In the afternoon came one with tidings from the mountain. It was notGad. It was old Toby.
He was seized by some soldiers and taken before Captain Sprowl, at theschool-house.
"Toby, you black devil, where have you been?" This was Lysander'schivalrous way of addressing an inferior whom he wished to terrify.
Now, if there was a person in the world whom Toby detested, it was thisroving Lysander, who had disgraced the Villars family by marrying intoit. However, he concealed his contempt with a politic hypocrisy worthyof a whiter skin.
"Please, sar," said the old negro, cap in hand, "I'se been lookin' formy ol' massa and my young missis."
"Well, what luck, you lying scoundrel?"
"O, no luck 't all, I 'sure you, sar!"
"What! couldn't you find 'em? Don't you lie, you ----." (We may as wellomit the captain's energetic epithets.)
"O, sar!"--Toby looked up earnestly with counterfeit grief in hiswrinkled old face,--"dey ain't nowhars on de face ob de 'arth!"
"Not on the face of the earth!"
"If dey is, den de fire's done burnt 'em all up. I seen, down in a bigholler, a place whar somebody's been burnt, shore! Dar's a man, and ahoss on top on him, and de hoss's har am all burnt off, and de man'strouse's-legs am all burnt off too, and one foot's got a fried boot ontoit, and tudder han't got nuffin' on, but jes' de skin and bone allroasted to a crisp; and I 'specs dar's 'nuff sight more dead folks downin dar, on'y I didn't da's to look, it make me feel so skeerylike!"
All which, and much more, Toby related so circumstantially, that CaptainSprowl was strongly impressed with the truth of the story. Great,therefore, was the joy of the captain. Perhaps the patriots had beendestroyed: he hoped so! Still more ardently he hoped that Virginia hadperished with her father. For was he not the husband of Salina? and thesnug little Villars property, did he not covet it?
"Can you show me that spot, Toby?"
"'Don'o', sar: I specs I could, sar."
"Don't you forget about it! Now, Toby, go home to your mistress,--mywife's your mistress, you know,--and wait till you are wanted."
"Yes, sar,"--bowing, and pulling his foretop.
Captain Sprowl did not overhear the irrepressible chuckle ofsatisfaction in which the old negro indulged as he retired, or he wouldhave perceived that he had been trifled with. We are apt to be extremelycredulous when listening to what we wish to believe; and Lysander'sdelight left no room in his heart for suspicion. All he desired now wasthat Gad should appear and confirm Toby's report; for surely Gad mustknow something about the dead horse and the dead man under him; and whydid not the fellow return?
As for Toby, he hastened home as fast as his tired old legs could carryhim, chuckling all the way over his lucky escape, and the cunninganswers by which he had mystified the captain without telling adownright falsehood. "Ob course, dey ain't on de face ob de 'arth, longas dey's inside on't! Hi, hi, hi!"
He did not greatly relish reporting himself to Salina: nevertheless, hehad been ordered to do so, not only by the captain, but by those whoseauthority he respected more.
Salina, though so bitter, was not without natural affection, and she hadsuffered much and waited anxiously ever since Toby, terrified into theavowal of his belief that Virginia was in the burning woods, had set outin search of her. She was not patient; she was wanting in religioustrust. She had not slept. All night and all day she had tortured herselfwith terrible fancies. Instead of calming her spirit with prayer, shehad kept it irritated with spiteful thoughts against what she deemed herevil destiny.
There are certain natures to which every misfortune brings a blessing;for, whatever it may take away, it is sure to leave that divineinfluence which comes from resignation and a deepened sense of relianceupon God. Such a nature was the old clergyman's. Every blow his hearthad received had softened it; and a softened heart is a well of interiorhappiness; it is more precious to its possessor than all outward giftsof friends and fortune. Such a nature, too, was Virginia's. She too,through all things, kept warm in her bosom that holy instinct of faith,that blessed babe named Love, ever humbly born, whose life within is alight that transfigures the world. To such, despair cannot come; forwhen the worst arrives, when all they cherished is gone, heaven is stillleft to them; and they look up and smile. To them sorrow is but apreparation for a diviner joy. All things indeed work together for theirgood; since, whether fair fortune comes, or ill, they possess thespiritual alchemy that transmutes it into blessing.
This love, this faith, Salina lacked. She fostered in their place thatselfishness and discontent which sour the soul. Every blow upon herheart had hardened it. Every trial embittered and angered her. Hence theswollen and flaming eyes, the impatient and scowling looks, with whichshe met the returning Toby.
"Where is Virginia?"
"Dat I can't bery well say, Miss Salina," replied Toby, scratching hiswoolly head. He would never sacrifice his family pride so far as to callher Mrs. Sprowl.
"How dare you come back without her?" And she heaped upon him thebitterest reproaches. It was he who, through his cowardice, had been thecause of Virginia's night adventure. It was he who had ruined everythingby concealing her departure until it was too late. Then he might havefound her, if he had so resolved. But if he could not, why had heremained absent all day?
Under this sharp fire of accusations Toby stood with ludicrousindifference, grinning, and scratching his head. At length he scratchedout of it a little roll of paper that had been confided to his wool forsafe keeping, in case he should be seized and searched. It fell upon thefloor. He hastily snatched it up, and gave it, with obse
quious alacrity,to Mrs. Sprowl. She took, unrolled it, and read. It was a pencilled notein the handwriting of Virginia.
* * * * *
"Dear Sister: Thanks to a kind Providence and to kind friends, we aresafe. I was rescued last night from the most frightful dangers in theburning woods. I had come, without your knowledge, to get news of ourdear father. I am now with him. He has excellent shelter, and devotedattendants; but the comforts of his home are wanting, and I have learnedhow much he is dependent upon us for his happiness. For this reason Ishall remain with him as long as I can. To relieve your mind we sendToby back to you. V."
* * * * *
That evening Captain Sprowl entered the house of the absent Mr. Villarswith the air of one who had just come into possession of that littlepiece of property. He nodded with satisfaction at the walls, glancedapprovingly at the furniture, curved his lip rather contemptuously atthe books (as much as to say, "I'll sell off all that sort of rubbish"),and expressed decided pleasure at sight of old Toby. "Worth eighthundred dollars, that nigger is!" He had either forgotten that Mr.Villars had given Toby his freedom, or he believed that, under the neworder of things, in a confederacy founded on slavery, such gifts wouldnot be held valid.
"Well, Sallie, my girl,"--throwing himself into the old clergyman's easychair,--"here we are at home! Bring me the bootjack, Toby."
"I don't know about your being at home!" said Salina, indignantly.
And it was evident that Toby did not know about bringing the bootjack.He looked as if he would have preferred to jerk the chair from beneaththe sprawling Lysander, and break it over him.
"I suppose Toby has told you the news? Awful news! a fearfuldispensation of Providence! Pepperill came in this afternoon andconfirmed it. We thought he had deserted, but it appears he had only gotlost in the woods. He reports some dead bodies in a ravine, and hisaccount tallies very well with Toby's. We'll wear mourning, of course,Sallie."
Lysander stroked his chin. Mrs. Lysander tapped the floor with herimpatient foot, gnawed her lip, and scowled.
"Come, my dear!" said the captain, coaxingly; "we may as well understandeach other. Times is changed. I tell ye, I'm going to be one of the bigmen under the new government. Now, Sal, see here. I'm your husband, andthere's no getting away from it. And what's the use of getting away fromit, even if we could? Let's settle down, and be respectable. We've hadquarrels enough, and I've got tired of 'em. Toby, why don't you bringthat bootjack?"
Lysander swung his chair around towards Salina. She turned hers awayfrom him, still knitting her brows and gnawing that disdainful lip.
"Now what's the use, Sal? Since the way is opened for us to livetogether again, why can't you make up your mind to it, let bygones bebygones, and begin life over again? When I was a poor devil, dodging theofficers, and never daring to see you except in the dark, I couldn'tblame you for feeling cross with me; for it was a cursed miserable stateof things. But you're a captain's wife now. You'll be a general's wifeby and by. I shall be off fighting the battles of my country, and you'llbe proud to hear of my exploits."
Salina was touched. Weary of the life she led, morbidly eager forchange, she was a secessionist from the first, and had welcomed the war.Moreover, strange as it may seem, she loved this worthless Lysander. Shehated him for the misery he had caused her; she was exceedingly bitteragainst him; yet love lurked under all. She was secretly proud to seehim a captain. It was hard to forgive him for all the wrongs she hadsuffered; but her heart was lonely, and it yearned for reconciliation.Her scornful lip quivered, and there was a convulsive movement in herthroat.
"Go away!" she exclaimed, violently, as he approached to caress her. "Iam as unhappy as I can be! O, if I had never seen you! Why do you cometo torture me now?"
This passion pleased Lysander: it was a sign that her spirit wasbreaking. He caught her in his arms, called her pet names, laughed, andkissed her. And this woman, after all, loved to be called pet names, andkissed.
"Toby! you devil!" roared Lysander, "why don't you bring that bootjack?"
The old negro stood behind the door, with the bootjack in his hand,furious, ready to hurl it at the captain's head. He hesitated a moment,then turned, discreetly, and flung it out of the kitchen window.
"Ain't a bootjack nowars in de house, sar!"
"Then come here yourself!"
And the gay captain made a bootjack of the old negro.
"Now shut up the house and go to bed!" he said, dismissing him with akick.
After Toby had retired, and Salina had wiped her eyes, and Lysander hadgot his feet comfortably installed in the old clergyman's slippers, thelong-estranged couple grew affectionate and confidential.
"Law, Sallie!" said the captain, caressingly, "we can be as happy as twopigs in clover!" And he proceeded to interpret, in plain prosaic detail,those blissful possibilities expressed by the choice poetic figure.
It was evident to Salina that all his domestic plans were founded on thesupposition that the slippers he had on were the dead man's shoes he hadbeen waiting for. Was she shocked by this cold, atrocious spirit ofcalculation? At first she was; but since she had begun to pardon hisfaults, she could easily overlook that. She, who had lately been sospiteful and bitter, was now all charity towards this man. Even theimage of her blind and aged father faded from her mind; even the pureand beautiful image of her sister grew dim; and the old, revivifiedattachment became supreme. Shall we condemn the weakness? Or shall wepity it, rather? So long her affections had been thwarted! So long shehad carried that lonely and hungry heart! So long, like a starved, sickchild, it had fretted and cried, till now, at last, nurture and warmthmade it grateful and glad! A babe is a sacred thing; and so is love. Butif you starve and beat them? Perhaps Salina's unhappiness of temper owedits development chiefly to this cause. No wonder, then, that we find hermelancholy, morbid, unreasonable, and now so ready to cling again tothis wretch, this scamp, her husband, forgiving all, forgetting all (forthe moment at least), in the wild flood of love and tears that drownedthe past.
"O, yes! I do think we can be happy!" she said--"if you will only bekind and good to me! If not here, why, then, somewhere else; for placeis of no consequence; all I want is love."
"Ah!" said Lysander, knocking the ashes from his cigar, "but I have afancy for this place! And what should we leave it for?"
"Because--you know--there is no certainty--I believe father is aliveyet, and well."
"Not unless Toby lied to me!--Did he?"
"Pshaw! you can't place any reliance on what Toby says!"--evasively.
"But I tell you Pepperill confirms his report about the dead bodies inthe ravine! Now, what do you know to the contrary?" Lysander appearedvery much excited, and a quarrel was imminent. Salina dreaded a quarrel.She broke into a laugh.
"The truth is, Toby did fool you. He couldn't help bragging to me aboutit."
O Toby, Toby! that little innocent vanity of yours is destined to costyou, and others besides you, very dear! Lysander sprang upon his feet;his eyes sparkled with rage. Salina saw that it was now too late to keepthe secret from him; there was no way but to tell him all. She showedVirginia's note. Virginia and her father alive and safe--that was whatmaddened Lysander!
But where were they?
Salina could not answer that question; for the most she had been able toget out of Toby was only a vague hint that they were hidden somewhere ina cave.
"No matter!" said Lysander, with a diabolical laugh showing his clinchedand tobacco-stained teeth. "I'll have the nigger licked! I'll have thetruth out of him, or I'll have his life?"