University of Virginia Library

5. CHAPTER V.
THE CONFESSION.

`Tell him, Cesar,' said Blanche, in a
hurried under tone, to the negro, as she
was opening the outer door for him, `tell
him to come without any more delay
than he can help. Tell him we are going
on the river to-morrow early, and that if
he is near the half-way rock about noon,
he will be sure to see our boat.'

`Me sure to tell him, Misses. Bless
me how glad I be to see you and find
out you be sich a beautiful lady, misses.
I berry grad for massa Archy.'

`Don't linger? There, good night.
But I had forgotten! Take this!' and
with her scizzors as she stood in the
moonlit door, she clipped a tress from
her glorious auburn hair, and handed it
to him. `Give this to him, Cesar?'

`Lor a massy. How nigger car dis!
I guess I put him in de same ting I put
de letter in for bring you.' With this he
took from his pocket the piece of canvass
cloth to wrap up the shining tress in.
But she at once recovered the ringlet with
a laugh at her careless way of sending
the token her lover had asked for, and
folding it in her snowy white handkerchief,
she placed both in his hand. `There,
give it to him as it is.'

`Yis, missis,' but I'll jist, to make all
safe wrap em up again in dis ere rag.'
And Blanche beheld her cambric handkerchief
disappear within the folds of the
old canvass cloth, and then stowed away
in the top of Cesar's old tarpaulin.

The African then bade the fair girl
good night, and hurried away from the
door. She followed him with her eyes
across the green, and saw him pass the
old block-house, and disappear down the
bank, followed rapidly by a person whom
she saw come out from the shadow of the
dark wall of the block-house, after Cesar
had got by. She was about to remark
upon this, and wonder who it could be,
if not her lover `Archy,' himself, when
Aunt Sarah came out, saying—

`You will certainly get your death of
cold, child. `How can you be so imprudent!'

`I am coming right in, Aunt. I only
came out to see the negro-man nut.'

`He could open the door himself, I
dare say. I am beginning to mistrust
something. Indeed I am quite sure something
is going on that ought not to be the
case!' Brother thinks so too.

`No, Sally, no,' called out the captain,
in his bluff hearty tone; `I don't think
anything wrong is going on. It is true,
Blanche and the negro Africanus seemed
to hold a little confab at the door, as he
went out. But it was not half so long,
nor quarter, as you are in the habit of
holding in the entry with every lady that
calls, just as she is going away. Indeed
Indeed I sometimes think your tongue is
never fairly loosened for talking till your
lady visitors get up to go.'

`But I don't talk with negro people,
brother.'

`Well, well; let Blance defend herself
if she thinks she has need to. Perhaps
she wanted to send some word to
Archibald.'

`It would have been decidedly improper
for her to have done so, under the
circumstances,' exclaimed Aunt Sarah,

with some dignity. `She ought not to
show any favor to any of the young men
till you have decided for her and them,
brother!'

`Dear Aunt don't get displeased with
me,' said Blanche, who looked a little
perplexed, as if undecided how to act;
but feeling that she owed it to the two
best friends she had in the world, to clear
up what so much troubled her Aunt, she
resolved that she would at once unfold
some of the secrets of the past; but not
all of them as yet, for the time for the
full development was not yet arrived;
and another, not herself, then, was to be
the speaker.

`I am not displeased, dear. I only
am interested for your happiness.'

`I know it, Aunt. Therefore, I will
at once explain to you all that I have
done. If I have been guilty of wrong,
I hope you and my dear father will forgive
me.'

`I forgive you beforehand, child,' said
the captain, kindly, and decidedly, `for I
know you have done nothing I should disapprove.'

`I will then tell you what I have done,
my dear father,' she said, seating herself
by his side, and taking his hand, while
her Aunt closing the entry door, took her
chair a little nigher than usual to her
brother, as if she expected to hear some
great secret unfolded.

`Now, my dear aunt, and my dear father,
that I have resolved to tell you what
you do not know, I hardly know how to
begin,' she said, her cheeks blushing with
confusion.

`Begin where you please, dear,' said
the captain.

`Begin at the beginning, Blanche.'

`Well, then, at the beginning. You
know, my dear father, that when Archibald
Worthington and Nelson Osborne
were so fortunate as to rescue me from
the top of the carriage, and saved my
life just as I was about to be carried down
the rapid, you promised them—that—'

`That if they did anything in the war
then commencing, to render them worthy
of you, I would give you to him, who
most distinguished himself.'

`Yes, sir,' answeaed Blanche, with an
embarraed air.

`But brother, interposed Aunt Sarah,
`but you did not give them this promise
till they asked for Blanche. You did not
wish to force your daughter upon them.'

`No, not a bit. They both seemed to
think, that as they had happened to save
the sweet child's life, (and they saved her
with gallant risks, too,) they ought to
have her to wife. So, when they both
came afterwards to see her, and like to
have quarreled with each other for her
smiles, I had to take the matter up to
prevent blood-shed, or they would have
been pistolling each other, no doubt; and
I said to them, `Now my brave young
men, your country is just entering upon
a just war with one of the most powerful
nations on the earth. England has been
insulting us for years, impressing our
seamen as if she could do it with impunity,
and otherwise invading our rights.
`Now,' said I to them, `you are both
young men; and of equal age and prospects.
One of you has been some little
time at sea, and the other has not done
much of anything, but amuse himself
with his gun and boat. Now hark ye,
my lads! If you love my daughter, you
can wait for her and serve your country
for her. If she is worth the having she
is worth the winning. Now you have
certainly done her a great service in rescuing
her from death. But you can't
regard this as a sufficient reason why a
young lady ought to marry either of you,
though it may lead you to feel kindly towards
her. Besides you can't both have
her. Now go to the wars. Enlist either
in the army or navy, and distinguish

yourselves. Keep Blanche in your eye,
if you love her, and for her sake and
your own, let me hear good news of you.
At the end of the war return, and he who
has shown himself most worthy of her,
shall have her in marriage with her
father's blessing.'

`I remember it perfectly, brother,' said
Aunt Sarah. `And so does Blanche,
though she wasn't in the room; and I
remember that Nelson Osborne said that
the war might last like the old one, seven
years and this would be a long while to
wait.'

`And I said to him that Jacob had
served seven years for Rebecca. And
Archibald said he would be willing to
serve twice as long for Blanche, so that
he would win her at last. But I told them
I would give them three years. So they
accepted my terms and started for the
wars. Worthington went to Boston and
joined some frigate there, and Osborne
enlisted and marched for Plattsburgh, I
believe. But nothing certain has been
known of either of them since. And it
is full three years since they went.'

`Three years, to-morrow, father answered
Blanche.

`So you have kept the reckoning, have
you, girl. I thought you was so engaged
in looking out of the window at the
moolight, you didn't hear a word I was
saying. But where is your secret you
was to tell.'

`Yes, instead of Blanche's talking,
brother, you have been talking.

`Well, I was only refreshing your memories.
Go on, Blanche; don't let your
Aunt's curiosity be kept long to leeward
of your secret.'

`Well, as I was saying, dear father,
when you promised me to one of these
young men, after they had saved my
life, if they would earn for themselves a
name in the war, of course, I had nothing
to do but to acquiesce. I was grate
ful to both of them when I recollected
how courageously they had ventured out
in the frail skiff, when no man dared
launch a boat, and at the imminent
hazard of being carried over the falls
with me, rescued me from the floating
carriage.'

`I shall never forget my sensations as
I found myself approaching the roaring
rapids, nor the joyful hope of yet being
saved, as the voices of the young men
reached my ears, encouraging me, and I
beheld their approach! Archibald was
the first to extend his hand, and when I
grasped it I felt that life was yet to be
mine again! Aided by Nelson, he lifted
me from the top of the carriage into
the skiff, and I still hear the shouts of
the people on the shore! And when
Archibald placed me in your arms, my
dear father, I felt that I could willingly
have given him myself if he had asked
me of you at that moment of happiness!'

`I shall never forget that moment,
child. But certainly Nelson did as much
as Worthington. Alone Archy could
have done nothing.'

`True, sir; but Archibald seemed so
superior to him throughout all. I hardly
thought of any one but him.'

`You should have been equally grateful,
child, to both!'

`I was so, sir, but—'

`But Nelson wasn't Archibald. I see
how it was. Go on, dear.'

`Well, sir,' answered Blanche, smiling
through the mantling roses upon her
cheeks, `I could not gainsay your words
when you told them that they must win
me. I consented; though, I confess, I
felt that I could never be the wife of
Nelson Osborne, though he came back
the greatest hero of the war. Still I consented,
because I well knew he would,
all he might do, still be inferior in honor
and name to Archibald! I felt no fears
that he would elipse Archibald, or ever
demand my hand!'

`By my faith! You had great confidence
both ways, Blanche! But what
do you say now? Neither of them have
distinguished themselves! So far as I
see, all Archibald has done is to come
back a sailor and bring a bag of oranges
with him. If Nelson returns, he will
hardly bring less. The way, therefore,
to settle it will be to give you to neither.'

`To neither, sir?' repeated Blanche
quickly.

`Yes; they don't either seem to have
done any thing to merit your hand!'

`Perhaps you may not think so always,
sir,' answered Blanche, smiling. `But
I promised to tell you all I know, at least
all that Archibald will not tell you.
I will now frankly say, therefore, that
from the first I liked Archibald best!'

`That was clearly seen!'

`And I still like him the best, and am
willing to have him as my—as my husband,
father, if I must have a husband!'

`We will see, first, what account he
gives of himself,' answered the captain.

`I am willing to abide by this, sir.—
But it is my duty to tell you that the
evening before Archibald left I had a
few minutes conversation with him, just
round there by the side of the old Block-house!'

`You did, hey?' exclaimed the captain
dryly.

`How imprudent,' ejaculated Aunt
Sarah.

`That was hardly fair in Archy. It
was stealing a march on his rival,' added
the captain.

`Well, sir, I had one with Nelson,
too!'

`Oh, you did! That alters the case.'

`Did you ever! Who would have
thought it!' exclaimed Aunt Sarah,
amazed.

`Yes, with both of them. Nelson
came first and sent his little brother, saying
he wished to speak with me only for
a moment before he went away. So I
went to hear what he wanted to say.—
And he begged me to let him write to
me!'

`And what answer did you make him?'
asked the captain gravely.

`That when he distinguished himself
in any honorable manner he should have
the liberty of writing to me in an envelope
to you.'

`Well and discreetly answered, girl,'
said her father. `And what said Archibald
to you?'

`Nelson had hardly left me ten minutes,
and while I was still standing on
the bank looking at some fishermen
spearing salmon by torch-light, I heard
a step near me. I turned and saw Archibald.
He said he could not leave
without seeing me, and was just going to
the house to ask your permission, father,
to say a few words to me in private.'

`That speaks better for him than for
Nelson, who went clandestinely about it.'

`It shows, sir, the difference between
the two young men in every thing,' answered
Blanche with animation. `He
seemed very much pleased to find me
there alone, and said he had come to
take leave of me, and to ask me if I
would permit him to write me occasionolly
under cover to my aunt!'

`How very proper that was, brother!'
remarked Aunt Sarah, well gratified; `I
see he is a young man who knows propriety.
And what did you say to him,
Blanche? How odd both should ask
you the same thing!'

`I told him that when he had in any
honorable way distinguished himself he
might write to me; but not till then.'

`Very good, Blanche. I see you are
a sensible nice girl,' answered the cap
tain.

`And did you ever get any letters?'
eemanded Aunt Sarah looking at her
very closely.

`Not less than a dozen, aunt,' answered
Blanche, laughing.

`Mercy on me! Not less than a
dozen!' repeated her aunt, dropping her
knitting upon her lap and holding up both
hand in amazement and horror.

`A dozen letters! How the deuce
did you get them?' exclaimed the captain,
looking surprised.

`Not under cover to me, I am certain,'
added Aunt Sarah.

`Yes, aunt, under cover to you! But
as I knew the hand-writing, I always
took them out and paid for them myself,
to save you the expense; and, as only
the outsides were to you, I opened them
without showing them to you. If any
one is to blame, it is I.'

`You are very much to blame!' answered
Aunt Sarah; and she was the
more angry, because she saw a smile on
the captain's face. It, however, soon
passed off into a grave expression.

`How could you keep this secret from
me, Blanche, for so long a time?' he
asked.

`Because, father, I wished to surprise
you.'

`To surprise me! Well you have
succeeded! I was never more surprised
in my life.'

`Nor I either!'

`Then I am to suppose he has distinguished
himself, as he has written to
you, Blanche!' said the captain.

`Yes, sir. He has indeed done so.'

`And nothing in the papers!'

`How has he done so, Blanche?'

`You shall learn from his own lips to-morrow,
father.'

`Well, I will wait till to-morrow, if
you wish it; but it seems all very odd to
me!'

`Very odd, and very remarkable. I
don't like so much mystery!' ejaculated
Aunt Sarab. `I wish I could have got
hold of one of the letters. I can under
stand now why you would never let any
body go to the post-office but yourself.
Oh, Blanche, how very sly and naughty
you have been! I dare say he understood
you only were to take them out,
and wrote only for your eye to read!'

`Yes, aunt. After his first letter I
wrote to him that I would always take
them out, especially as he had a secret
he wished no body to know but myself.'

`A secret between you. How improper
all this has been. Who would
have thought it of you. Really I don't
know what to think of you after this,
Blanche.'

`Just as you have before, dear aunt.
When you see Archibald he will clear
all up to you, be assured.'

`I trust so, child, I trust so,' answered
the captain, `for I confess I don't like
the way you have been sailing under
false colours.'

`True colours they'll turn out to be,
dear father, when you see Arcnibald!'
she answered, warmly.

`Well, I hope so. When did you get
his first letter?'

`Eighteen months ago.'

`I'll never say again, Sarah, that a
woman can't keep a secret.'

`I am glad you are convinced for
once, brother.'

`Where was it written from?'

`Rio Janeiro, sir. It was written in
good faith, after he had distinguished
himself, and was enclosed to aunt, but
sealed, and with the request that I should
keep from her and you a certain secret
in it, letting you read all but the postscript.'

`And you did'nt even let us know of it
at all, Blanche.'

`No, aunt. I thought I would not,
but wait till the next. And so I waited
after each letter till the next come, and
so it has been until to-night. But I will
let you see the one I have received tonight
and the one I got last week.'

`You received one to-night!' exclaimed
both her father and aunt Sarah.

`Yes,' she answered,' taking the letter
Cæsar had given her from her bosom.
`The negro gave me this in the entry;
and I now have no objections to your
sceing and reading it.'

`I thought something was going on in
the entry,' said aunt Sarah, as if gratified
at her own sagacity. `So he gave you
a letter.'

`And the bag of oranges was only the
letter bag after all,' said the captain,
laughing. `Well, let us have it. I believe
all will yet clear up bright, Sarah,
though it has looked a little squally.'