7. VII.
THE CAPTAIN RENEWS THE ATTACK.
CAPTAIN WAGNER entered the Ordinary shaking
his head mysteriously, but his reflections were
all at once banished by the sight of the fair Mrs.
Butterton, who was seated gracefully upon a
cane-bottomed chair, conversing. The Captain joined in the
conversation with an easy air, and soon the visit of the
lady to the Valley became the topic. The explanation was
simple. The settlers of the region, Lord Fairfax at the
head of them, had determined to organize a county government;
and the question at the moment was, the locality
of the county-seat. For this honor, the two microscopic villages
of Stephensburg and Winchester were candidates;
and as Mrs. Butterton chanced to possess a number of lots in
and about Winchester, she was naturally desirous that their
value should be enhanced by the selection of that place for
the seat of government.
The fair widow concluded her sensible explanation by
taking from a reticule, which hung jauntily upon her arm, a
number of documents, which she gracefully handed to the
Borderer.
Captain Wagner looked at the papers and pondered; then
pushing up his martial moustache, he said to the widow:
“I admire your business talent, my dear madam; what a
wife you would make! what an admirable wife! I shall recommend
my friends to come and make themselves agreeable.”
“La! Captain, you are jesting,” said the lady, covering
her face affectedly with her fan.
“Jesting? Jest on such a subject—never!”
“You are a sad joker!”
“Not with you.”
“Why not with me?”
“I know not, my dear madam, except it be on account of
that high respect I have for you.”
“Flatterer!”
“That friendship, that regard—that, I may say, hum—
that yes, that”—
Captain Wagner finished the sentence with a look which
spoke volumes. The widow fairly blushed.
“What are you talking about, daughter and Gaptain?”
said the old German, coming up, “not fell out, I hope.”
“Oh, far from it, father!” said Mrs. Butterton, laughing.
“She is a great rattle-drap at times, Gaptain,” continued
the landlord, “and full of all sorts of notions. Here is
Mounseer Jambo, for instance—come here to deach dancing.”
“He is a fine artist, father,” said Mrs. Butterton.
“Hum!” said Captain Wagner, “he seems to be your particular
friend.”
“Oh, yes—he is a very gallant gentleman.”
Captain Wagner scowled at Monsieur Auguste Hypolite
Jambot, and that gentleman chancing at the moment to
raise his eyes, was nearly struck motionless by the look.
Indeed, Captain Wagner was a disagreeable man to have
for an enemy, so large of limb, and terrible in arms was he;
and his scowl was one of horrible expressiveness. He
looked sword, pistol and blunderbuss at the very least.
“I have no doubt that Monsieur Jambot is gallant, madam,”
said he; “this he has proved by condescending to
accompany you hither.”
“Come, you look at Monsieur Auguste as if you did not
like him,” said Mrs. Butterton.
“Not like him, madam?” said Captain Wagner, bringing
down his great, gloved hand on the table; “that's true! I
do not like Frenchmen.”
“And I,” said Monsieur Jambot, rising and bristling up
at these words, “I do not like, no, I have no liking for
capitaines, begar!”
Captain Wagner touched his sword instinctively, but reflecting
that a quarrel, and combat with so diminutive a
gentleman, and on so slight a provocation, was out of the
question, withdrew his hand, and only scowled again on
Monsieur Jambot.
Having thus terminated the conversation as far as the
dancing-master was concerned, Captain Wagner turned,
with great good humor and cheerfulness, to Mrs. Butterton,
who had counterfeited excessive trepidation: but who, seeing
matters thus amicably arranged, was again all smiles.
“My dear madam,” said he, “the sight of you to-day has
rejoiced me—and you were right in telling me your business.
I shall assist you in that business: I will, madam!”
“La! thank you, Captain,” said the lady.
“I will, madam,” said Captain Wagner, solemnly. “I
pledge you my word that Winchester shall, on your account,
be the seat of Justice of the county of Frederick.”
The widow regarded Captain Wagner with a tender
glance;—not so much in return for his promised services—
to do her justice be it said,—as in requital of his devotedness.
“For your sake,” said the Captain, in a tone inaudible to
the rest of the company, “I would do far more.”
“You are very disinterested, Captain,” murmured the
lady.
“Disinterested? Not so, faith!” said the Borderer; “remember
what I say!”
And having overwhelmed the fair widow by this unmistakable
avowal, Captain Longknife directed another scowl,
far more terrible than the former ones, at Monsieur Jambot,
who was still tuning his fiddle; and turned the conversation
upon indifferent topics.
The lady smiled, the old German smoked, the dancing-master
meditated a solo, or frowned with lofty dignity at his
rival.
Thus some hours passed, and then the Captain, pleading
business with Lord Fairfax, took his departure.
It is unnecessary for us to say, that like a stalwart soldier,
the huge Enceladus had returned unterrified to the attack,
with better knowledge of the enemy he assaulted, and a
fixed determination to be victor in the struggle.
