University of Virginia Library

41. CHAPTER XLI.
AN INQUISITIVE MAN.

Within a few hours after her visit to Vrail, Gertrude was on
her way to Ogdensburgh, accompanied by her cousin, who was as
yet ignorant of the object of her journey, and who was contented
to be her escort and protector, without inquiring into any secrets
which she chose to withhold.

Leaving the gentle girl to pursue her heroic mission, let us return
to take a brief view of the doings of another actor in this
eventful drama.

During nearly two days after the rejection of the petition for
the pardon of Vrail, the governor's young guest remained at his
house and to the surprise of Sir George, he did not again allude to
a subject in which he had at first manifested so great an interest.
Nor was there any change in his usual deportment, excepting in
an increased vivacity of manner, and at times in even an extraordinary
hilarity of spirits. In truth, the young man, partly from
constitutional tendency, and partly from satiety of enjoyment, was
the frequent victim of ennui, that bane of the happiness of the
great; and it was only by some exciting occupation that this
evil spirit could be fully exorcised. The topic which now occupied
his mind was chiefly fascinating to him, because there were
obstacles to overcome, and triumphs to achieve; yet the gratification
of his naturally humane feelings was still a prominent element
in the motives which actuated him, as it had originally been

the only cause of his interference. But it would be useless to seek
to fully analyze the secret spring which move a heart like his,
accustomed to wild and irregular impulses, prone to strange and
daring deeds because they are strange and daring, and unaccustomed
to feel, although perhaps to acknowledge, any real fealty
or fear for governmental authority.

On the second morning after the departure of Gertrude and her
friends from the capital, Hadley announced his intention of immediately
visiting the Lower Province, which he had for some time
contemplated, and he would stop a few days at Kingston, he said,
to see that city and its military works, and to make the acquaintance
of some of the army officers to whom he had brought letters
of introduction from England.

“I shall want to see all the lions while I am there, and one of
them will doubtless be this young and handsome American lieutenant,
so soon to be executed,” he said, alluding for the first time
to Vrail since his signal discomfiture (as Sir George complacently
regarded it) in the argument about the propriety of his pardon.
“If you can give me a brief line to the sheriff, or to the keeper of
the prison, it will afford me an easy access to him, and save me
the necessity of any personal solicitation.”

Sir George was too polite to refuse so small a request, and being
in a very self-satisfied mood in regard to the final disposition of
this question, he wrote a very potent passport for his young friend,
requesting that every facility might be afforded him to view the
prison, and to see and converse, if he chose, with any of the inmates.

“I do not think it will be necessary,” he said, handing the
folded note to Hadley, “as your name itself would secure you admission,
which, indeed, is very freely granted to the friends of
prisoners under sentence of death. If you should have any curiosity
to witness his execution”—

“Not the least, I assure you,” replied B—, with an involuntary
shrug of the shoulders.

“I dare say the jailer could give you a private box,” said Sir
George, smiling, “and it might be worth while to see how these
men, who boast so much of their valor, can meet death.”

“It is not worth my while, nor would I jeopard my night's
sleep by such a sight,” replied Hadley, who immediately changed
the subject of conversation, lest some chance word or look of his
should betray to the astute governor, the strange, deep interest
which he felt in the fate of Vrail.

The next day he was in Kingston; but strange to say, he delivered
no letters of introduction and sought no acquaintances,
but entering his untitled name upon the register of the hotel at
which he stopped, he remained unrecognized as a traveller of
distinction, or as a man of noble family. He did not, indeed, expect
or desire to remain incognito during the whole of his stay at
Kingston, but he wished to avoid attracting any present attention
which might impede his actions in the project he had at heart.
His servant was dispatched to another inn, with instructions to
take no notice of him, and not to disclose his station; and although
the fellow entertained not the least suspicion of his master's design,
he was too well used to similar disguises, for less worthy objects,
to admit of much surprise or curiosity. At all events, he
was faithful and trustworthy, and B—'s secret, if known, would
have been inviolable with him.

Hadley did not deliver the governor's letter to the sheriff. He
chose, for obvious reasons, to present it to the keeper of the city
prison, on whom he correctly expected that both it and his own
rank, which the letter disclosed, would make a profounder impression.

Early in the evening of the day on which he arrived in the
city, he drove to the jail, and made known his errand to the
keeper, whom he transformed at once, by virtue of the governor's
note, and his own revealed rank, from a somewhat dignified official,
to a very obsequious attendant upon his requests.

“It was late,” the warder said, “and the halls were locked for the
night, but if Mr. B— wished to see any of the prisoners that
evening, he should be gratified, certainly.”

“You have an American officer here?”

“Oh, yes, quite a number of them, sir; they are thinning out,
however—three were turned off last week, and one more will go
soon.”

“What! released?”

“Oh, no, sir! Oh, bless you, no, sir!”

“Ah! yes, I understand. Do you witness the executions?”

“Always, sir—always. I usually stand very near, and”—

“Let me ask you how they deport themselves. My cousin, the
governor, is quite curious on this point.”

“Well, sir,” replied the officer, who hesitated between his regard
for truth and his desire to please his auditor and Sir George, “I
must say that they go through it very handsomely, sir—that is to
say, sir, they continue stubborn to the last; they don't flinch.”

“Yes, I understand; they conduct themselves in a way that
you would call courageous, if it were in a better cause.”

“They do, sir—they certainly do! They are really brave men
sir, whatever else they may be.”

“There is a young lieutenant here, by the name of Vrail, I
believe?”

“Yes, he is to be hung next Friday. He is a harmless-looking
fellow enough, though he is said to have been a desperate fellow
among those brigands, as we call them. I dare say he richly
deserves his fate.”

“Ah! indeed. Now, Mr. —, as I am an idle traveller in the
provinces, and curious to see and learn all that I can, I should
really like to converse a while with one of the leading men in this
strange invasion, which excites so much interest at home. It will
be something to tell of there, you know, when the Canadian
troubles are discussed.”

“Certainly, sir, certainly; you are, of course, quite welcome to
see any of the men, or all of them, as much as you please.”

“I think I should like to see this Mr. Vrail, of whom so much
is said.”

“Yes, sir. Do you wish to see him this evening?”

“Yes, at once, if he is disengaged,” replied Hadley.

“Oh, as to that, he has not many engagements,” replied the
turnkey, jocosely, “and he is pretty sure to be at home to visitors.”

“Of whom he has not many, I presume?”

“No, not many, sir. He has one friend, a sort of Dutch
Yankee, who comes every day to see him, and there is a negro
comes occasionally, who was his servant in the war, and who was
in prison here with him awhile, but who got clear by some hocus
pocus, I don't exactly know how—probably because he was not
considered worth hanging. We allow them each to come once a
day, if they choose.”

“Are these all the friends he sees?”

“No; there was a young woman here, day before yesterday,
quite a handsome girl, indeed, and very well-behaved, who talked
with him for half an hour or more, at the cell door. I quite
pitied the poor thing, who, I suppose, is his sweetheart; but she
did not look so very much distressed when she went out, either.
Probably she has other strings to her bow.”

“Probably she has,” replied Hadley, significantly.

“If you want to see Vrail, I will go with you to his cell
directly.”

“Ah! I do not like cells,” said the young man, drawing out a
scented handkerchief, and applying it to his face with a pretty air
of affection; “there is always a bad odor about them. As I
may want to converse with this—brigand for some time, and possibly
more than once, is there not some convenient room of your
own in which you could allow me to see him?”

“I should be really happy to accommodate you,” replied the
keeper, with rather a frightened air, “if it can be done safely—but
he is said to be a desperate fellow.”

“Is he very large and strong?”

“Oh, no, sir—quite slight and delicate like.”

“Is he not chained?”

“Yes, he has chains upon his ankles, but he can take very
short steps.”

“And do you really think there is danger of such a man, so
situated, getting away from us?”

“Well, I suppose not. I will tell you what I will do. Here is
a room,” he continued, leading the way to a good-sized apartment,
which opened into the main lower hall of the building, a
few feet from the front door; “here is a room which has sometimes
been occupied by prisoners whom we wished to deal lightly
with, a kind of gentlemen, you know, and which is tolerably safe.
It is used by my family now, and is, as you see, comfortably furnished;
but the windows are as strongly barred as any in the
building, and if you choose to see the prisoner here, I will have
him removed to this room for an hour or so, and will merely place
a man on guard at the door.”

“Outside?”

“Oh, yes, outside, of course.”

“Very well, I will be much obliged to you, and I will mention
your politeness to the governor.”

The gratified officer summoned some of his men, and in a short
time effected the desired change in Vrail's quarters, without at all
taking pains to explain to the prisoner the cause of his removal
or the exceedingly brief period which it was designed to permit
him to enjoy his new and comparatively comfortable apartment.