FATHER AND SON.
"When lovers meet in adverse hour,
'Tis like a sun-glimpse through a shower--
A watery ray, an instant seen,
Then darkly-closing clouds between."
--SCOTT.
Silently they confronted each other--those two, so nearly connected--so
long separated--so strangely encountered now. Did no "still, small,"
inward voice whisper to each that they were father and son? Was the
voice of Nature silent, that they should gaze upon each other as
strangers gaze?
Yes, even so; for although the outlaw chief started for a moment to see
before him the living embodiment of himself at the same age, the emotion
passed in a moment, and the strange resemblance was set down to one of
those accidental likenesses that so often surprise us, and which cannot
be accounted for. Ray, too, fancied this dark, daring, reckless-looking
chieftain resembled himself somewhat; but the passing thought had even
less effect upon him than it had on the other.
The men, still grasping their swords, had encircled Ray, and were
glaring upon him with darkly-threatening eyes, as he stood boldly erect,
and undauntedly confronting the smuggler-chief.
"Well," said that personage, at last, breaking the silence, and calmly
surveying the intruder from head to foot, "who the foul fiend are you,
young man, that you come tumbling from the clouds among us in this
fashion?"
"He is a revenue spy. Let us pitch him in the river, cap'n!" said Black
Bart.
"Silence, sir! Come, my good youth, answer: What is your business here?"
"My business is, to discover the young lady you have so basely abducted.
If you are the leader of this gang of cut-throats, I demand to be
instantly informed where she is!" said Ray, determined to put a bold
front on the matter since he was in for it.
"Whew-w!" whistled the captain, while the men set up an insolent laugh.
"For coolness and effrontery, that modest demand cannot be easily beat.
And what if we refuse, young sir?"
"Your refusal will not matter much, since to-morrow your retreat will
assuredly be discovered, and then you will every one meet the doom your
diabolical actions deserve!"
"And what may that be, most candid youth?" said the smuggler chief, with
a sneer.
"Hanging!" said Ray, boldly; "a fate too good for villains base enough
to forcibly carry off a helpless young girl!"
With low, but passionate imprecations of rage, the outlaws closed around
Ray; and his mortal career might have ended then and there, but that the
captain a second time interfered.
"Back, men!" he said, authoritatively. "Let there be no bloodshed
to-night. Do you not know there are two places where a man ought to
speak without interruption?--in the pulpit and on the gallows. This
foolhardy fellow is as completely in our power as though he were
swinging in mid-air, so he can speak with impunity. Pray proceed, my
dear sir. Your conversation is mighty edifying and interesting. So,
hanging is too good for some of us, eh? Now, what would you recommend
to be done with us supposing you were our judge?"
"Burning at the stake, perhaps!" suggested Black Bart; "and after that
to be hung, drawn and quartered!"
"This is no time for fooling!" exclaimed Ray, impetuously. "I demand to
be instantly led to Miss Lawless, wherever she may be!"
"A demand I am most happy to comply with," said Captain Reginald. "I
always do like to oblige my guests when I can. This way, my young sir.
But just keep your eye on him--will you?--and see that he does not give
you the slip."
"Ay, ay, cap'n," said Bart. "Hadn't I better bind and blindfold him?"
"No, it will be needless, as in all probability he will never set foot
on this shore again."
"I understand: 'Dead men tell no tales!' All right, cap'n," said Black
Bart with a demoniacal laugh, as the whole party, with their prisoner in
their midst, started along the beach after the captain.
The cheering assurance that his fate was sealed did not in the slightest
degree intimidate Ray as he walked along, with his fine form erect, his
princely head thrown back, his full, falcon eye, with its clear, steady
gaze, making the insolent stare of the outlaws fall. One thought was
uppermost in his heart, thrilling through every nerve, throbbing in
every pulse; he was drawing near Petronilla--would soon meet her, speak
to her, comfort her in her captivity. What pair of pantaloons over the
innocent and unsusceptible age of seven has not felt a decidedly queer
sensation under his left ribs when about to meet the woman he loves? And
if he fancied her pining away in "durance vile," how much his eagerness
to meet, to comfort, to console her would be increased! At least, it is
to be hoped it would; and it had at least that effect on Ray Germaine,
who, rapidly as they walked, in his burning impatience it seemed as
though they were going at a snail's pace. Even before him he beheld Pet,
locked up in some desolate prison, weeping as if her heart would break,
and calling on her friends to save her. Little did he dream that at that
very moment she was rolling over on the floor of her room, in
convulsions of laughter at the mistake Black Bart had made, and the
consequent rage its discovery had thrown that worthy into.
For upward of a quarter of a mile, they walked along the long, sandy,
slippery beach, and then they suddenly diverged, and turning an abrupt
angle among the rocks, they came to a part of the hill overgrown with
stunted spruce and cedar bushes. It was a bleak, lonely place, little
frequented and with no sign of anything like a hut, or cavern, or
habitation, far or near. But here the whole party came to a simultaneous
halt; and the smuggler-chief, putting his fingers to his lips, gave a
long, loud, sharp whistle. While Ray watched these proceedings with
intense interest, part of the thick underbrush seemed to move; a huge
rock was violently dislodged from its place, and a narrow, low opening,
that it seemed hardly possible to enter, save on one's hands and knees,
was revealed. The narrow chasm had evidently, at some remote period,
been made by a convulsion of Nature, but Art had since been employed to
widen, enlarge, and conceal it. The huge rock was made to fit securely,
and could only be opened from within, thus defying detection. Those in
search of Pet that day had passed over the spot a dozen times, without
dreaming in the most remote way that there could be an opening concealed
among the apparently-solid rocks.
Captain Reginald turned to the utterly-astonished Raymond, and gazed at
him for a moment, with a peculiar smile of sarcastic triumph. Then
stooping his tall body, he passed through the opening, and disappeared
in the seemingly interminable darkness beyond.
"You go next," said Black Bart, to Ray.
Without a moment's hesitation, the young man obeyed; and having entered
the aperture, found himself in the same long, narrow, dark passage into
which Garnet had borne Pet the evening before. Ray descended the narrow,
steep steps, faintly illuminated by the dim rays of a dark-lantern held
by the man who admitted them; and following the smuggler-captain through
the long, rocky passage, entered, at last, the large outer-room--the
rendezvous of the outlaws.
The roughly-dressed, rougher-looking men lay, or sat, scattered about in
every direction, some asleep on the floor, some talking in low tones,
and others amusing themselves as they pleased. In a remote corner sat
the woman Marguerite, her arms dropped on a little table, her head lying
on them, as if asleep. Her presence accounted for the unusual stillness
of the men.
She was not asleep, however. As the new-comers entered, she lifted her
head quickly, and after a fleeting glance at her husband, fixed her eyes
steadfastly on the stranger. His strange resemblance to her husband was
the first thing to strike her. She half-started up, dashed back her
wild, disheveled black hair, and gazed upon him with a sharp, suspicious
look. The men, too, stopped in their customary avocations to look at the
new-comer, and scan him from head to foot with inquiring eyes. Ray's
dark, flashing eyes fearlessly encountered theirs, as he glanced vainly
around the room in search of Pet.
"Another prisoner, my good lads," said Captain Reginald, as he entered.
"Who is he, captain? who is he?" chorused half a dozen voices together.
"His name I have not yet had the pleasure of hearing. Seeing us under
the rocks, and being of an inquiring spirit, he leaped down among us,
and without ceremony, presented himself. Wishing to indulge the said
spirit of inquiry, I persuaded him to accompany me here, and have much
pleasure in making you acquainted with him now. He is very urgent to
find out what has become of Miss Lawless: and as he is evidently a
friend, perhaps a lover of hers, I could do no less than promise to let
him see and console her in her captivity."
This speech, which was delivered in his customary half-careless,
half-mocking tone, was received with a cheer and a laugh by the men.
Ray, flushed and irritated, turned to the speaker, and said,
passionately:
"Let me see her, then! Where is she?"
"Easy, my dear young friend--easy! Getting excited and fierce never pays
in this world. You will see the young lady time enough."
At this moment, the woman Marguerite approached, and laying her hand on
her husband's arm, and fixing her sharp black eyes on his face, pointed
to Ray, and said something in a low, rapid tone in French.
"Ya-as," drawled Captain Reginald, passing his hand carelessly over his
thick, black whiskers, and looking indifferently at the young man. "It
is rather strange. I noticed the resemblance myself. How is your
captive?"
Before she could reply, the curtain was pushed aside; and with wide-open
eyes, flushed cheeks, and wonder, delight and incredulity on every
feature, Pet stood before them. Ray's voice had reached her ear, and
half-inclined to doubt the evidence of her senses, she stood there,
literally rooted to the ground. Yes, there he was--his own proud, fiery,
handsome self, and forgetting everything in her delight, Pet uttered a
cry of joy, and sprung toward him. He took a step forward, his face
flushed with many feelings, and the next moment, for the first time, Pet
was held clasped in his arms.
"Oh, Ray! dear Ray! I am so glad!" exclaimed Pet, scarcely knowing what
she said, in her joy and amazement. "Dearest Ray--my gracious! I didn't
mean that; but, oh, Ray! I am so glad to see you again!"
"My own Petronilla! my dearest love!" he passionately exclaimed, bending
over her.
"How on earth did you ever find me out, Ray, stowed away here under the
earth?" asked Pet, whose utter amazement at seeing him here completely
overmastered every other feeling. "Who told you these fellows had
carried me off to this black hole?"
"No one--we only suspected it."
"And you know, Ray, it was the greatest mistake all through. They meant
to carry off Erminie--think of that!--and they took me in a mistake. I
expect they are making an awful time about it up in the upper
world--ain't they? I suppose papa's gone out of his head altogether."
"Your father is not at home, Petronilla. Ranty is nearly distracted."
"Ranty? Why, Ray--my goodness, Ray! is Ranty home?"
"Yes--arrived late last night."
"Did you ever! And they had to take and carry me off at such a contrary
time, and I wanted to see him so much. Well, if it's not the funniest,
most disagreeable affair, from beginning to end! I say, Ray, how did you
find me out, though?"
"It was all an accident. I will tell you another time. What was the
cause of your being abducted this way, Pet?"
"Why, if your coming was an accident, mine was a mistake--thought it was
your Erminie, you know, because I look so much like her, I expect. And
now, what's going to turn up next? Are you going to take me home?"
"Hardly, I fancy," said Captain Reginald, who, with the rest, had all
this time been watching them and listening, half-curious, half-amused.
"Mr. Ray, if that is his name, will hardly get back as easily as he
come."
"Why, you hateful old brigand! You wouldn't be so ugly as to keep him
whether he wanted to or not?" said Pet, with flashing eyes.
"Sorry to disoblige a lady, but in this case, I fear I must," he said
bowing sarcastically.
Pet, having by this time got over the first shock of her surprise, like
all the rest, was forcibly struck with the resemblance between the
smuggler-captain and her handsome lover. Her bright eyes danced, for a
few seconds, from one to another, and then she burst out with:
"Well, now, if you two don't look as much alike as two strung mackerels,
my name's not Pet. I said all along, Ray, you were his very image, and
I'll leave it to everybody in general if you ain't. If you were only
twenty years older, and had whiskers sticking out from under your chin
like a row of shaving-brushes, you would be as much alike as a couple of
peas."
"'Pon my soul, the likeness is stror'nary!" exclaimed Black Bart,
looking from one to another. "You look enough alike to be his mother,
cap'n."
"Really, I feel flattered to resemble a young gentleman half so
handsome," said the captain, in his customary tone of careless mockery,
"The resemblance must be very striking, since it attracts the notice of
every one."
"I declare, it's real funny!" said Pet. "Maybe you will turn out to be
relatives, by-and-by--who knows? It always ends so in plays and novels,
where everybody discovers, at last, they are not themselves at all, but
somebody else."
"May I ask the name of the gentleman whom I have the honor to resemble?
I hardly think, Miss Lawless, we will turn out to be relatives, as I
have not one in the wide world," said Captain Reginald, with something
like a cloud settling on his dark face.
"My name is Raymond Germaine," said Ray, coldly.
"Germaine!" exclaimed the smuggler, starting suddenly and paling
slightly, "did you say Germaine?"
"Yes, sir; what is there extraordinary in that?" asked Ray, whose arm
still encircled Pet.
Captain Reginald did not reply, but paced abruptly up and down the floor
for a few moments. All were gazing at him in surprise; but there was
fierce suspicion in the dusky depths of Marguerite's black eyes.
He came back at last, and resuming his former posture, said, but no
longer in his cold, sarcastic tone:
"I once knew a person of that name, and its utterance recalled strange
memories. It is not a very common name here--may I ask if you belong to
this place?"
"No; I am English by birth, but I have lived here since a child."
"English!"
He started wildly again, and this time looked at the young man in a sort
of terror.
"Yes--or rather, no; for though born in England, I am not English. I
come of another race."
The fixed glance of the smuggler's eyes grew each moment more intense,
his dark face paled and paled, until, contrasting with his jet-black
hair and beard, it looked ghastly. His breath came quick and short as he
almost gasped:
"And that race is--"
"The gipsy! Yes, I am of the degraded gipsy race," exclaimed Ray, with a
sort of fierce pride, as though he dared and defied the world to despise
him for that.
The smuggler-captain reeled as though some one had struck him a blow,
and grasping Ray by the arm, he exclaimed, in a low, husky whisper:
"Tell me who brought you here. You were a child, you say, when you left
England--who had charge of you?"
"My grandmother--a gipsy! What in the name of heaven, sir, is all this
to you?" exclaimed Ray, like the rest completely astounded by this
strange emotion.
"Her name!" said the outlaw, hoarsely, unheeding his question and the
wonder of the rest.
"Among her tribe she was known as the gipsy queen, Ketura."
"Just God!" exclaimed the smuggler-chief, as his grasp relaxed and with
a face perfectly colorless, he stood like one suddenly turned to stone.
"Sir, what under heaven is the meaning of this?" said the bewildered
Ray, while the rest looked on almost speechless with astonishment.
There was no reply. The outlaw had leaned his arm on a sort of mantel,
and, with his head dropped upon it, stood like one stunned by some
mighty blow. All were white and mute with wonder.
He lifted his head at last, and they started to behold its dreadful
ghastliness. His eyes for some moments were fixed in a long,
inexplicable gaze on the surprised face of Ray, then, in the same low,
hoarse tone, he asked:
"And she, your grandmother--does she still live?"
"Yes."
"Where?"
"In Old Barrens Cottage; but she is a helpless paralytic."
"So near, so near! and I never knew it. Great Heaven! how wonderful is
thy dispensations!" he groaned.
"Is it possible you knew her?" asked the bewildered Ray.
"Yes, I knew her," he replied, slowly. "Tell me, did she ever speak to
you of your father?"
Ray's brow darkened, and his eyes filled with a dusky fire.
"She did--often. My father was drowned! He was branded, tried,
convicted, and condemned for the guilt of another. _His_ day of
retribution is to come yet! Enough of this--I cannot understand what
possible interest all this can have for you."
"You will soon learn. Come with me; Miss Lawless, remain with my wife
until my return. This way, young man," said the outlaw, turning to the
inner apartment and motioning the other to precede him.
The astonished Ray did so, and the curtain fell between the
wonder-struck assembly outside and the twain within.