University of Virginia Library

11. CHAPTER XI.

The young naval officer's heart throbbed
with hope and joy. He felt that he would
have a warm advocate in the father, not only
for engaging the present aid of Jennette in
their plan, but in a nearer and dearer object
—his own happiness. That she still remembered
teaderly her interviews with him, he
was satisfied from her conscious looks when
her father alluded to the affair upon the
bridge.

`How little she suspects who is present
here in the same room with her,' he said, as
he gazed with deep admiration upon her intelligently
beautiful face. `Alas! perhaps if
she knew she would fear and fly from me.—
I am safest undiscovered. Cæsar!'

`Wat, massa—I means what, ship-mate!'
responded Cæsar, correcting himself with a
look of consternation that did not escape the
observation of the captain.

`Do you recollect being in Havana once,
on board the sloop-of-war Saratoga?'

`Bress you, yiss! How you know dat?'
demanded the astonished negro.

`Because, I saw you there. Do you recollect
when you were ascending the side-ladder
with a basket of lemons in your hand,
you lost your footing, and you and lemons
went into the water, the tide running out at
three knot?'

`Sure 'nuff! How you know dat? It am
six year ago. Was you dere?' asked Cæsar,
staring at Gordon with surprise.

`Yes, and saw how you came near being
drowned, for you couldn't swim, and, what with
throwing your arms into the air, and your
fear, you all but lost the number of your mess.'

`Dat true 'nuff, massa! I means mess-mate.
And if one midshipman hadn't jump
ober de starn, neber mindin' his new blue
coat and buttons, Cæsar would ha' drowned
forebber. But, Missy Jenney, jist as I was
disappearin' for de last time, I see him in de
air comin' down head fust, and struck in de
water close by me. He went under and come
up feet down, and cotcht me by de chin, and
tellin me keep quiet, held me up till boat
come and take me out; and he wouldn't let
'em take him out till dey had pulled me in all
safe. I nebber forget him. Was you dere,
ship-mate?'

`Yes. Did you ever learn his name?'—
asked Gordon.

`I dismembers as he belonged to anodder
ship, and was ony visitin' ours. But I sort
o' tinks it somethin' like Fodder!'

`Hay, you mean,' answered Gordon, laughing,
in which he was joined by Jennette and
the captain.

`Dat it massa, I berry sure.'

`And was it young Hay, the same officer
I like so much?' asked captain Alison, with
surprise.

`Yes, sir.'

`There's the very man, then, just as I
knew him,—always bold and quick to aid!
When was this?'

`At the same time his ship lay at Havana,
when you were there, captain.'

`Well, Cæsar, we both owe him one,' said
the captain; and stave my timbers, Jennette,
if I do not now begin to believe more strongly
than ever that it was nobody else but this
brave young officer who saved you from being
insulted by those ruffians, especially as I
know he is here. It is just like him, you
see. It would be surprising, after all, if all
three of us were bound to him by gratitude.
If it should turn out to be he, Jennette, you
would not object to seeing him?'

`Indeed, father, I should rather not. He
has no doubt forgotten the service he did me,
and the person whom he befriended,' she answered,
blushing—and, thought Gordon,
looking as if it made her unhappy to allude
to one whom she had made an effort to banish
from her heart. He could hardly restrain
the impulse to tell her at once that she was
not forgotten, but, on the contrary, remembered
and loved. But he feared that a premature
disclosure might destroy not only his
hopes with reference to Ogilvie's interests,
but his own dearer ones.

`I should be berry grad to see de ossifer
and tell him how mush Cæsar tank him,'
said the black. `When you go to tell him
de captain is here, ship-mate, Cæsar be too
mush happy to go wid you.'

`You shall see him, Cæsar,' answered
Gordon, `but I fear that when you hear
he is in need of the services of such
friends as you are, you may forget him.'

`I would do anything to serve the noble
young man,' cried the captain, warmly.

`I'll do ebbery ting and any ting,' exclaimed
Cæsar.

`You do us wrong, sir,' said Jennette, `in
supposing we would hesitate to serve one who
has done us such service—that is, my father
and Cæsar, for I do not know that (here she

looked sweetly confused) I owe to him personally
the gratitude due to the officer who
was so kind as to do me the service to which
my father has alluded. But I trust that he is
in no difficulty in which it would be necessary
for him to call for the aid of persons situated
as we are?'

`You shall learn his position,' answered
Gordon; `but I don't know that I ought to
make it known, as it is a secret involving the
life and safety of others.'

`By all means let us hear it, if we can do
him a service!' cried the captain.

`Yes, massa—I mean ship-mate,' said the
unlucky and blundering Cæsar.

The captain, who was not by any means
deficient in discrimination, had before noticed
Cæsar's often-corrected phraseology; and, as
he could not but discover that the language
of the supposed ship-mate was above his condition,
he now looked steadily at him, as if
he had begun to suspect, taking the large
amount of gold he had given, and still had in
his possession, that he was more than he
seemed. The suspicions of Jennette were,
however, awakened even before her father's,
for the whiteness of his hand betrayed him:
and all at once he found them both regarding
him with close and inquiring looks. So soon
as he saw this, he said—

`Captain, if you and Cæsar will allow me
to speak with you alone, I shall be able to
make you acquainted with the facts touching
Lieutenant Hay.'

`I will leave you then, father,' said Jennettee,
rising and taking her work with her,
for she had already begun to sew upon a collar,
giving, unconsciously, Gordon a secret
opportunity of watching, though with sorrow
that they should have so long been condemned
to toil, the rapid and graceful motions of
her fair fingers.

As she spoke she left the room, and made
her way up the dilapidated stairs to a deserted
corner room of the old mansion, where,
upon an old bench drawn to the window, she
seated herself; but, instead of sewing, she
gazed upon the water, and thought within
herself whether the brave officer who had rescued
her father and saved the life of Cæsar,
were, indeed, the same whom she had thrice
met. The thought that it might be made
her young heart bound with hope and joy—
but only the next moment to sink again, as
she thought of her lowly condition, and his
high position in society.

`Little will it effect me,' she sighed, `whether
he be proved so or not. I have done
wrong to think of him so much, after having
told him not to think of me. Oh! what joy
filled my heart when I knew that he loved
me—for I cannot now doubt, though at the
moment I was alarmed and feared him, though
I feared most for myself. If I had not fled
from him out of the shop as I did, my poor
heart would have betrayed its secret. If I
had let him see how I loved him I should
have been humbled in my own eyes, and perhaps
in his. It was best as it was—best that
he should think I thought coldly of him.—
But in vain I try to forget him! His looks
of tender and respectful admiration—his
kindness of tone and manner! Ah, me! I
shall never cease to love him—never can I
forget him! I wonder who this sailor is, who
seems not to be what he seems?—who gives
my father gold—who knew both him and
Cæsar before, and of their escapes—and yet,
whom neither seem to know? And how often
Cæsar addressed as master, as if he were
not a ship-mate in truth, but only in guise.
There is a mystery about that man, with his
patched eye and his embarrassed manner.
He speaks thick, like one who is watched,
and fears to be heard! I wonder what he
can be about to reveal, touching this Lieutenant
Hay, who, he says, is in some trouble?
If he is, for my father's sake I would be
ready to serve him and aid him. I pray that
it will not prove to be he who is in trouble,'
she added with deep emotion. `How I wish
yet fear I shall meet him again, every time I
go out! I did violence to my own heart
when I told him no more to think upon me.
Yet, what could a friendless and poor girl

like me do? Maidenly dignity and propriety
demanded the sacrifice. But I will not
think of him.'

With this resolution she addressed herself
to her toil with the needle; but ere she had
taken seven stitches, she had paused in her
task unconsciously, and her mind was again
absent upon the interdicted thoughts. Tears,
too, came into her eyes, and her bosom heaved
as if her heart were breaking. Poor Jennettee!
Thou art thinking it is a hard lot
to be poor, so that thou canst not hope to be
loved and honored where thou lovest so well!

We will leave the lovely sewing-girl to her
sweetly sad meditations, and return to the
apartment where we left Gordon.

`Now, Captain Alison, that we are alone,'
said Gordon, after the last faint footstep of the
retiring Jennette had fallen on his listening
ear, `I will put an end to this seeming. I
am not a sailor, though I trust I am a seaman,
captain. I have come hither in this
disguise, not knowing I should find friends.
But I know that Lieutenant Hays can freely
trust himself in the presence of Captain Alison
and Cæsar.'

As he spoke, he removed the patch from
his eye, and showed it whole, as the other.—
He then removed his huge whiskers, and laid
them down, the captain surveying the proceedings
with astonishment. But Cæsar was,
so far, in the secret. Then taking off his
loose sailor's jacket and flowing duck over-alls,
he stood before them a gallant, fine-looking
naval officer!

`Lieutenant Hays! I need not be told who
you are now!' cried the captain. `I am
overjoyed! And all the while you have been
disguised, and I never suspected you; though
I questioned very much whether you were a
common sailor. To your generosity, then, I
owe this gift of gold?'

`I did not know to whom I was giving it,
captain. Cæsar told me of a captain who was
hard used by the world, I gave it to him for you,
little knowing who would be the recipient.'

`Bress my soul, massa!' cried Cæsar, who
at length found his tongue, and who was
staring at the brilliant uniform of the officer,
with his eyes wide open with surprise. `So
you no mate ob ship, after all? I nebber
guess you ossifer in de naby. I berry glad
see you, and I takes dis opportunity to tank
you for divin' ater me! I knows your face
now—you jist as young as ebber. Please,
massa Lieutenant, let poor Cæsar shake you
hand for savin' his life'

`Me too, lieutenant,' cried Captain Alison.

And for a moment Gordon stood with a
hand grasped by each of his grateful friends,
who looked overcome with joy and gratitude.

`Then all this while I have been talking to
Lieutenant Hays,' said the captain, smiling
through his tears. `Well, sir, you know
what we think of you. This is the happiest
day of my life! Now, sir, answer me one
question—did you rescue a young girl who
was insulted on the Charlestown bridge, three
weeks ago?

`I did—and, to my joyful surprise, I found
this morning that that lovely person was your
daughter,' said Gordon, with feeling

`Then give me one more grasp of your
hand, my noble friend. This is wonderful,
indeed, that we are all indebted to you—two
of us for our liberty and life, and my child for
her safety. God bless you, Lieutenant Hays!
And this gold too! Well, I am overloaded
with obligations and debts to you! Heaven
must repay you—I cannot!'

`Do not speak of the small sum of gold.—
It was fairly Cæsar's, but I knew he would
give it to you, and therefore placed it in his
hands, as I did; but it was ostensibly to pay
him for services to be rendered to me.—
Thank Cæsar, for it is his gift.'

`Then God bless Cæsar also.'

`Thankee, good massa Robert!'

`Now, Cæsar, will you tell me how you
come to bring the Lieutenant here, when it
seems he did not come to see me, not knowing
who lived here?'

`I will tell you, captain. I feel, as I said
a little while ago, that I can safely trust my

life in your hands, and also the lives of those
dear to me.'

`That you can, sir,' answered the captain.

`Now I knows who you is, massa, you can
do any ting wid Cæsar—drown him agen, if
you wishes to.'

`I don't want to drown you, Cæsar, but I
wish to have you faithful to me.'

`Dat I'll be, massa. And I nebber wants
no money.'

`I will then say plainly, as to two tried
friends, how I want you to aid me, captain;
for Cæsar already knows his duty. You have
heard of the arrest and conviction, as well as
sentence of Colonel Ogilvie?'

`Yes, I heard that he was sentenced to be
hanged, and I am sorry for him. He was a
noble gentleman, and once I knew him well,
for he came passenger from Havana with me,
some years ago.'

`Better still. Then you liked him?'

`Yes, I never saw a more gentlemanly and
courteous man; and though we were but
fourteen days on the passage, I never have
ceased to remember him with respect. He
made me a present of a silver mounted compass
when he left the vessel here. When I
heard that he had been convicted of robbing
the mail and shooting the driver, I was amazed,
and could hardly believe it; but a chair-maker
who lived next door to me, loaned me
the paper containing the trial, and so I had
not a doubt! But it has always been a surprise
to me. I never could understand it.—
But however it was, I am sorry for him, from
the bottom of my heart, poor gentleman!'