LANGDON'S LETTERS.
It had been no part of Somers's purpose to bear the whole responsibility
of the transactions in which he had so promptly engaged. Mr. Waldron
would return in a few days, and on his arrival, the overburdened young
officer intended to confide the momentous secret to him, receiving the
benefit of his advice and support in the great business he had
undertaken.
After the kind treatment he had received at the hands of Lieutenant
Pillgrim, he was rather disposed to make him a confidant; but he knew so
little about his travelling companion, that though he had no question
about his fidelity and honor, he was not quite willing to stake
everything on his judgment and discretion, as he must do, if he opened
the subject to him.
Somers was not a little surprised to see Mr. Pillgrim enter the parlor
in that unceremonious way. It indicated a degree of intimacy between the
two gentleman that gave him an unpleasant impression, which, however, he
had no time to follow out to its legitimate issue.
"Excuse me, Mr. Wynkoop," said Lieutenant Pillgrim, as he paused at the
side of the table, "for entering in this abrupt manner. I have been
knocking at your door for some time, without obtaining a response."
"You went to the wrong door. That's my bedroom."
"So I perceive, now."
"But there is no harm done; on the contrary, I am very glad to see you.
Sit down and take a glass of wine with me. Mr. Somers does not indulge."
"Mr. Somers is a very proper young man," said the lieutenant, with a
pleasant smile, as he glanced again at the papers which lay open on the
table. "I have been looking for you, Somers, but it was only to ask you
what the prospect is on board the Chatauqua. I have not been on board
to-day."
"I think we shall be wanted by to-morrow or next day," replied Somers,
who could not help seeing that the eye of his superior officer was fixed
on the commander's commission, which lay open before him.
"Indeed! I am glad to know this, for I had made up my mind to go to New
York in the morning. Of course I shall not go."
"Sit down, Mr.--Really, sir, you must excuse me, but I have forgotten
your name," said Mr. Wynkoop.
"Lieutenant Pillgrim--at your service. It is not very surprising that
you should forget it, since we have met but once; not half so
surprising as that I should force myself into your rooms, on so short an
acquaintance."
"Don't mention it, my dear fellow. We sailors are brothers all over the
world. Sit down, and take a glass of sherry with me. It's a capital
wine--made two voyages to India."
"Excuse me, Mr. Wynkoop; I merely called to invite you to spend the
evening with me. I have a plan that will use up two or three hours very
pleasantly."
"Thank you, Mr. Pillgrim. You are a friend in need, and a friend
indeed."
"I see that you and Mr. Somers have business, and I will take my leave."
"I should be happy to have you remain, but if you will not, I will join
you in half an hour in the reading-room. Better sit down, and wait
here."
"I will not interrupt your business with Mr. Somers," replied Lieutenant
Pillgrim, again glancing curiously at the documents on the table.
Greatly to the relief of Somers, his fellow-officer left the room. This
visit had been a most unfortunate one, for the lieutenant could not have
avoided seeing the nature of the papers on the table. But as Somers was
a true and loyal man, his conscience accused him of no wrong, and he had
no fears in regard to the result. This revelation simply imposed upon
him the necessity of making Mr. Pillgrim his confidant, which he
proposed to do at the first convenient opportunity.
"You think you will not sign the oath to-night, Mr. Somers?" said his
companion.
"It had better be deferred," replied Somers, as he folded up the
commission, and put it in his pocket, regarding it as the most important
evidence in his possession against Coles, and a sufficient confirmation
of the truth of the statement he had so carefully written out the night
before.
"Suit yourself, Somers. We shall not differ about these small matters,"
added Wynkoop, as he folded up the oath, and put it in his pocket. "By
the way, Somers, what do you think of our friend Pillgrim?"
"He is a fine fellow, and I am told he is a good officer. I was not
aware that you knew him."
"I have only met him once, just as I met you. How do you think he stands
affected towards our cause?"
"Not well."
"So I feared."
"He is a loyal man, though a Virginian."
"Do you think I could make anything of him?"
"I am satisfied you could not."
"I did not dare to try him. I gave him a chance to nibble at my bait,
but he wouldn't bite. Perhaps, when I know him better, he will come
round; for I don't think there are many of these Yankee officers that
have any real heart in their work."
"You are utterly mistaken," said Somers; but remembering that he was
hardly in a position to defend his loyal comrades in the navy, he did
not seriously combat the proposition of the rebel emissary.
As the business of the interview was now finished, Somers shook hands
with his agreeable host--though his heart repelled the act,--and took
leave of him. He hastened to his chamber, agitated and excited by the
strange and revolting scene through which he had just passed. It was
some time before he was calm enough to think coherently of what he had
done, and of the compact he had made. He wished very much to see Mr.
Waldron now; indeed, he felt the absolute necessity of confiding to some
trustworthy person the momentous secret he had obtained, which burned in
his soul like an evil deed.
If Lieutenant Pillgrim had not actually read his commission when it lay
on the table, he must, at least, have suspected that all was not right
with his shipmate. He must, therefore, confide in him, and without the
loss of another moment, he hastened to his room for this purpose; but
the lieutenant was not there. He searched for him in all the public
rooms of the hotel, but without success. Remembering that his
fellow-officer was to meet Mr. Wynkoop in the reading-room half an hour
from the time they parted, he waited there over an hour, but the
appointment evidently was not kept by either party.
Somers did not wish to sleep another night without sharing his great
secret with some one; for if anything should happen to him, he reasoned,
the commission and the orders might be found in his possession, and
subject him to very unpleasant suspicions, if they did not expose him to
the actual charge of complicity with the enemies of his country. He
waited in the vicinity of the office till midnight, hoping to see Mr.
Pillgrim; but he did not appear, and he reluctantly retired to his
chamber.
When he carried his key to the office in the morning, there was a note
in his box, addressed to him. The ink of the direction was hardly dry,
and the lap of the envelope was still wet where it had been moistened to
seal it. Somers opened it. He was surprised and startled at its
contents; but the writer had evidently made a mistake in the
superscription. It was as follows:--
"MY DEAR PILLGRIM: I have just sent a note to Somers, saying
that the Ben Nevis has sailed,--which is a fact,--and that he
must join her at Mobile, where she will run in a cargo of arms
and provisions. Act accordingly. How is this?
"LANGDON."
Both the name and the import of the letter implied that the note was not
intended for Somers, though it was directed to him. The writer had
evidently written two notes, and in his haste had misdirected the
envelopes.
"My dear Pillgrim!" The note was intended for his fellow-officer. Was
Pillgrim a confederate of Langdon? It looked so, incredible as it
seemed.
Somers was bewildered for a moment, but he was too good a strategist to
be overwhelmed. Restoring the note to its envelope, he readjusted the
lap, which was still wet, and the letter looked as though it had not
been opened. He returned it to the box under his key, and perceived that
there was also a note in Mr. Pillgrim's box. As soon as the mistake was
discovered, the letters would be changed. He returned to his room to
await the result.
Somers had made an astounding discovery by the merest accident in the
world. Things were not what they seemed. Mr. Pillgrim had relations of
some kind with Langdon, _alias_ Lieutenant Wynkoop. His entering the
parlor while they were at dinner was not so accidental a circumstance as
it had appeared. Who and what was Lieutenant Pillgrim? The belief that
he had met him somewhere before they came together at Newport, still
haunted Somers; but he was in no better condition now than then to solve
the mystery.
In half an hour he went down to the office again. The note to Mr.
Pillgrim was gone; but there was one for himself in the box. He took it
out; the direction was not in the same handwriting as before. Mr.
Pillgrim had probably discovered the mistake, and changed the letters,
without a suspicion that the one addressed to himself had been read.
Somers opened the note, which contained the information he expected to
find there in regard to the Ben Nevis, and was signed by Wynkoop.
Beyond the possibility of a doubt now, Lieutenant Pillgrim was a
confederate of Langdon. Of course, he knew Coles. He was a Virginian,
and it was now certain to Somers, if to no one else, that his loyalty
had been justly suspected. He had doubtless entered the navy again for a
purpose. What that purpose was, remained yet to be exposed. From the
depths of his heart, Somers thanked God that this discovery had been
made; and he determined to put it to good use. He was now more anxious
than before to meet his friend Mr. Waldron, and communicate the
startling information to him.
From the morning papers he saw that the Ben Nevis, whose name had been
changed to that of a famous Union general, had actually sailed, as
Langdon's note informed him. In the forenoon, he went to the navy yard,
expecting to find the ship ready to go into commission; but he learned
that the bed-plates of her pivot guns had to be recast, and that she
would not be ready for another week. He also learned that his friend Mr.
Waldron had been taken down with typhoid fever at his home, and was then
in a critical condition.
Somers was not only shocked, but disconcerted by this intelligence, for
it deprived him of the friend and counsellor whom he needed in this
emergency. After careful deliberation, he obtained a furlough of a week,
and went to the home of Mr. Waldron; but the sufferer could not even be
seen, much less consulted on a matter of business. Left to act for
himself, he hastened to New York, and then to Boston, to ascertain what
he could in regard to the Ben Nevis. So far as he could learn,
everything was all right in regard to her. After a short visit to
Pinchbrook, he hastened back to Philadelphia, and found the Chatauqua
hauled out into the stream, and ready to go into commission at once.
Lieutenant Pillgrim and the other officers had already gone on board.
Under these circumstances, Somers had not a moment to see Langdon. He
took possession of his state-room, and at once had all the work he could
do, in the discharge of his duty.
At meridian the ensign was run up, and the ship went into commission
under the command of Captain Cascabel. Mr. Pillgrim was doing duty as
executive officer, though a substitute for Mr. Waldron was expected
before the ship sailed. Somers was uneasy, and dissatisfied with
himself. He began to feel that he had left a duty unperformed. He had
intended to expose the conspiracy before the Chatauqua sailed, and thus
relieve himself from the heavy responsibility that rested upon him. Yet
to whom could he speak? Mr. Waldron was still dangerously ill. Mr.
Pillgrim was evidently a traitor himself.
He could give his information to the United States marshal at
Philadelphia; but how could he prove his allegations? Langdon and Coles
he had not seen since his return, and perhaps they were in another part
of the country by this time. He had the commander's commission and the
written orders, but in the absence of the principals, he feared these
would be better evidence against himself than against the conspirators.
The Ben Nevis had sailed, and the worst she could do at present would be
to run the blockade. The Chatauqua was generally understood to be
ordered to Mobile, where the Ben Nevis was to run in, and fit out for
her piratical cruise. After a great deal of serious reflection, Somers
came to the unsatisfactory conclusion that he must keep his secret. He
could not denounce Mr. Pillgrim as a rebel, with his present
information, without exposing himself to greater peril than the real
criminal. Besides, he was to be with the lieutenant, and he was going to
Mobile. He could watch the traitor, and await the appearance of the Ben
Nevis, when she arrived at the station.
Somers was not satisfied with this conclusion, but his judgment assured
him his intended course of action was the best the circumstances would
admit. Thus settling the question, he attended to his duty with his
usual zeal and energy.