Ivanhoe and Miss Darlington (nicknamed Scottie) were as usual engaged in
an earnest conversation, the topic being a mixture of sentiment and
gossip.
“Now, sir knight,” observed Miss Darlington, as she led him to a seat,
“if you feel inclined to engage in a game of gossip on the old
threadbare topic, we will stop here, where we will be free from spies or
intruders. The fact of the business is, I believe, that another day of
such intolerable suspense will unsettle my mind.”
“Perhaps I can furnish you a little scrap of information that will
afford temporary relief.”
“Tell it then without preliminaries.”
“Have you noticed a little, pale-faced lad gliding about like a
half-grown ghost?”
“Indeed I have, and there is a peculiar expression on his countenance
that attracted my attention; but what about him?”
“He is the black domino’s courier, spy, agent, pilot, general
superintendent, or something of that sort.”
“By the by, I see that same little ghostly lad yonder leaning over the
banisters, just beyond the pilot house.”
“Yes, that is he; I happen to know that he is serving the lady in the
black domino in some of her mysterious schemes. Knowing, as I did, how
much it would relieve you to obtain any clew that would unravel the
unpleasant mystery by which we are surrounded, I took the liberty to
play the spy myself. If I have been guilty of a mean thing (and to be
candid, I think I have), you will have to answer for the sin of it, for
I was prompted to it by my anxiety to gratify the curiosity of some one
who was very dear to me.”
“Indeed I am very grateful; but pray tell me what you have discovered?”
“I heard a conversation between the little, pale-faced boy and the lady
in the black domino.”
“Well, what did it amount to?”
“The lad pointed toward Napoleon, and said, ‘There is your man.’
“‘How do you know that is he?’ inquired the black domino impatiently.
“‘I have seen him from where I was hidden under the bed in his
state-room!’ replied the lad promptly; ‘and,’ continued the little
fellow, ‘I can assure you, madame, beyond all question, he is the very
man you are after.’
“‘What is the number of his state-room?’ inquired the black domino.
“Then the boy made an answer which I did not distinctly hear, as they
both began to converse in a low, hurried tone. There is a stack of
mattresses on the larboard side, and I was leaning against it, and they
were on the other side. After a long, whispered conversation, they began
to talk a little louder, and then I heard the boy say:
“‘I have found out all you wish to know about Napoleon, and you had
better act promptly.’
“‘No, not yet,’ replied the black domino, ‘my plans are not ripe yet;
but you must keep your eye on him until I am ready.’
“‘You may depend on me to do that,’ replied the lad; ‘he never shall
leave this boat without your consent.’
“‘You are a splendid detective, and shall be abundantly rewarded for
your faithful services.’
“‘I have already been rewarded,’ said the boy, ‘ten times more than I
deserve. I would do anything to please you!’
“‘I thank my little friend, and mean to show my gratitude in a tangible
shape one of these days. I am going to purchase a nice cottage for your
mother if I ever get enough money.’
“‘You are too kind, miss; you have done more for me than I deserve; but
I will serve you as long as I live. I hope you will succeed in bringing
that bad man to punishment for his wicked crimes.’
“They then went away and I heard nothing more.”
“It seems she is shadowing Napoleon.”
“Yes, that is certain.”
“What does it all mean?”
“Ah! that is the question I should like to have explained.”
“Have you ever mentioned the subject to the little boy?”
“No.”
“Call him here and let us endeavor to pump the secret out of him.”
“Come here a moment, little man, if you please.”
The lad promptly approached and fixed his large, restless eyes on
Ivanhoe with a look of inquiry.
“What is your name, my little friend?”
“Spratt, sir.”
“Where do you reside?”
“I have no home at present, sir.”
“Did you get on board this boat at Memphis?”
“No, sir.”
“Where did you get on?”
“At Friar’s Point, sir.”
“Where are you going to get off?”
“I do not know what point I shall stop at--that depends on
circumstances.”
“What circumstances?”
“If you will excuse me, sir, I had rather not tell that.”
“Oh, certainly, my little friend, you need not tell anything unless it
suits you. Do you know the lady in the black domino?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Would you object to tell me who she is?”
“I could not do it without her consent; I think she does not want her
name known just now.”
“I will give you this twenty-dollar bill if you will tell me her name.”
“I beg you will excuse me, sir.”
“I will give you a hundred dollars if you will tell me who she is.”
“I could not do it, sir, if you were to offer me a thousand dollars!”
“Does she reside in Memphis?”
“No, sir.”
“Where does she reside, then?”
“I had rather not tell you that, sir.”
“Do you know the man who personates Napoleon?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Will you tell me who he is?”
“That is also a secret which I am not at liberty to reveal.”
“Can you tell me whether or not he got on this boat at Memphis?”
“I could tell you, sir, but I must not talk about him. You will soon
know all about it.”
“What right had you to go into that gentleman’s state-room and conceal
yourself under his bed?”
“How did you know I did that, sir?”
“I heard you tell the lady in the black domino about it.”
“I hope, sir, you did not play the eavesdropper?”
“No; but you and the lady talked about the matter where I could not help
hearing it.”
“I hope, sir, that you will not say anything about what you heard,
because if you do you will be sorry for it when you know what caused me
to go into his room.”
“You have been watching Napoleon by the lady’s directions--is that not
the way of it?”
“Since you have made the discovery, it is useless for me to deny it;
but, sir, I beg you to say nothing about it.”
“How long do you want me to keep the secret?”
“But a very short time, sir. That man who represents the emperor is a
very grand villain, and if you were to reveal what you know, it might
upset all the plans we have been arranging to capture him.”
“Why not capture him now?”
“The lady in the black domino is waiting for something to happen which I
am not permitted to tell.”
“Very well, my little friend, I promise you I will not reveal your
secret.”
“I am very much obliged to you, sir, and you shall know all about the
matter very soon. I will go now, sir, if you have nothing more to say to
me.”
As the little fellow bowed politely and moved away, Scottie heaved a
sigh and said:
“Heigh ho! was anybody ever so inundated with mystery as we are?”
“If they were, I should pity them.”
“I must say that is a very polite, manly little fellow; and that head of
his is full of brains.”
“Yes, and he has been playing a very deep game, if I am not very much
mistaken.”
“What in Heaven’s name does it all mean?”
“I would give my bottom dollar to be able to answer the question.”
“Let us try and pump the secret out of Brazzleman--I dare say he knows
all about it.”
“I have been trying to get him to tell me who the lady is, but he
positively refuses to do it--in fact, I do not believe he, or the
captain either, knows who she is.”
“Look yonder, will you--that mysterious woman has been watching us all
the time. She is going to that boy to find out what we have been saying
to him. I declare, this is really provoking; and I am not willing to
submit to it any longer!”
“Can you suggest any plan to get rid of the nonsense?”
“Suppose we complain to Captain Quitman?”
“I should not like to do that, after making a promise to the lad to keep
his secret.”
“How would it do to cross-examine Napoleon on the subject?”
“That would be the most imprudent step we could take, for it appears
that the black domino has got him spotted. I think we should not say
anything to any one about what we know until something more is
developed.”
“See yonder; she is leading that boy to her state-room. Mischief is
brewing, and a culmination will be reached soon.”
“Well, let matters jog along; come down and dance a set--I hear the
music.”
“I have no objection--in fact, I am glad you proposed it, as I think the
dance will take my mind from this unpleasant subject. I have often heard
of people suffering with curiosity, but never till now did I know how
one could be so much excited.”
Ivanhoe then led Scottie down to the saloon, and soon was gliding round
in a lively waltz with her fair cheek resting on his shoulder. George
was looking supremely happy, as he waltzed with the queen of Sheba. A
dozen other couples were enjoying themselves, while keeping time to the
splendid music.
“Come,” said Ivanhoe, as soon as the waltz was ended, “let us go back on
deck, as I have thought of something else to tell you.”
“I hope you are not going to harp on the same string?”
“That is exactly what I am going to do; but I have something new to tell
you. Just a moment before we began to waltz, George told me that the
whole secret was divulged.”
“What secret?”
“The mystery about the black domino.”
“Well, what does it amount to?”
“She is a confidence woman--a female pickpocket--an expert thief, and
that lad is her pal.”
“Now, I do not believe a word of that story, for she has been weeping
frequently. Confidence women do not shed tears--pickpockets do not act
like that woman.”
“I shall venture no opinion, so far as I am concerned. George says that
she has stolen a large sum of money from Napoleon, and that the boy
helped her do it.”
“If that is true, why do they not arrest her at once?”
“They have not got sufficient proof to justify that course yet, though
they think they will be able to do it very soon.”
“If I live a hundred years, I never will wear another mask, or associate
with others who do. I am very sure that we would have enjoyed our
excursion much better if we had not appeared in mask.”
“I agree with you there--these masquerades are only suited to furnish
opportunities for thieves to ply their trades.”
“As soon as Ingomar finishes his story (and I hope he will not stop a
moment until he is through with it), we will put an end to this
nonsense.”
“I will go and request the queen to re-assemble her party at once, so
that we may hear the remainder of the tale without further delay.”
“I wish you would.”
Ivanhoe then went to look for the queen, who issued her orders for the
party to meet immediately. A majority of the passengers came up with
Ingomar and the queen, as they were becoming deeply interested in the
story. The maskers all being seated, the queen directed Ingomar to
resume.
“I was very much disappointed when Mrs. Debar returned to my cell and
informed me that the civil authorities refused to believe her when she
informed them that I was not her husband--they thought it was a ruse
invented by her to get her husband out of prison; but she was kind
enough to bring a lawyer to see me on the subject. Mr. Deediddle was a
middle-aged man, with a very red nose and a ponderous stomach, evidently
a devout worshiper of Bacchus. I don’t think I ever before saw such a
red nose on a man’s face. He was a perfect talking machine; and I was
rather distrustful of him, but he assured me that there would be no
difficulty in securing my release.
“‘Fact is, Mr. Demar, I’m an old hand at the pump--no cure no pay, is my
motto,’ said Mr. Deediddle, as he wiped the perspiration from his brow
with a red handkerchief of enormous size. ‘Fact, Mr. Demar, I have
walked in the legal harness for twenty years; what I don’t know about
law ain’t printed yet. Fact, Mr. Demar--never lost half a dozen cases in
my life. Fact, sir, and when you get me on a _Habeas Corpus_, I can beat
the inventor of the writ. Ah, sir, that’s a glorious writ. Fact, sir,
it’s the paladium of liberty--it’s the Alpha and Omega of American
freedom. Fact, sir, I’ll pry you out of this horrible place, sir, with
this great lever of the law--this center pole of the prisoner’s castle
of hope. Fact is, Judge Flaxback always yields to me--he is very fond of
whist, and I always let him win, then he returns the favor when making
decisions. Fact, sir, he never decides against me--he always stops with
me during court--he loves good wine--I always keep the very best. Fact,
sir, I keep him full; but business is business, you know, Mr. Demar--no
cure no pay. I believe I told you that was my motto--yes, sure enough I
did; but a retainer, you know, is always customary--a small
retainer--say fifty dollars. Fact is, Mr. Demar, business is business,
you know.’
“I gave him fifty dollars as quickly as I could, and would have given
him double that sum, if he had demanded it.
“‘For Heaven’s sake, Mr. Deediddle,’ said I, ‘get me out of this
miserable place, and you shall be well paid.’
“‘Fact is, sir, you shall be out before to-morrow night. Judge Flaxback
is to be in town this very day, and I’ll have a _Habeas Corpus_ served
on the sheriff immediately.’
“I was glad when he went away; it was but a short while before he
returned, accompanied by the circuit court clerk, who came to administer
the oath, that I had to make in order to procure the writ. I made the
oath, and again was left alone, when bright rays of hope began to steal
in on me. I laid myself down on my hard bed, and began to gaze at
Lottie’s picture; my mind was so intensely fixed on the dear image that
I did not hear the jailer when he opened the door.
“‘Thanks be to Heaven, Eddie, I have found you at last!’ exclaimed Harry
Wallingford, as he sank down by my side and burst into tears. ‘I am the
vilest wretch that ever disgraced the face of this green earth. I have
spread misery and ruin around all who loved me. I have broken Lottie’s
heart, and she is dying. Doctor Dodson says she cannot live three days
longer. Why was I ever created? I dare not ask you to forgive me! If
remorse could kill, I would have been dead long ago--there is a flaming
fire consuming my vitals--yet it will not kill me. Lottie will die with
a curse on her lips against me, for she believes I have murdered you,
and it will be too late to undeceive her, for she is failing fast. I
have killed the sweetest sister that mortal man ever had. Eddie, I would
give the world, if it was all mine, to recall the past--if I could only
atone for the crimes that I have committed. Poor Viola has been tried
and convicted, while Lottie was too ill to know anything about it. They
have kept the awful news from her, but she soon will leave this wicked
world.’
“He then sank helplessly on the floor and groaned aloud. I could only
stare at the unhappy boy whose rashness had caused all this misery. I
felt no enmity toward him. I pitied him from the very bottom of my
heart. I remembered how he had loved Viola, and how he must have
suffered on her account. Then I thought of his love for Lottie, and knew
that the errors he had committed were caused by his love for his sister.
As soon as I could sufficiently command my feelings to enable me to
talk, I began to do what I could to console him.
“‘There is no reason why you should feel remorse at all; grief comes
natural under such circumstances; remorse is the pain produced by a
consciousness of guilt; guilt cannot exist where there has been no
willful intent. The mistakes you have committed were errors of judgment,
not of the heart. It is the intent that constitutes the crime. You were
prompted to act by love for your sister, and I feel more inclined to
approve than to condemn you. I have always loved you--I love you yet;
and if Lottie could live, we would all be happy again. Rise up, I pray
you; let us forget the past, and work together to repair the errors
committed. I promise you that, so far as my feelings are concerned, no
ill-will ever shall find lodgment in my poor heart against you.’
“‘Eddie, you are different from all other men. Your heart is more noble,
more generous and more forgiving than others’, it is a knowledge of that
fact that makes my conscience condemn me. You should have cut my
unworthy head off when I gave you that insulting blow. If you knew how
my conscience gnaws and burns me for that mean, despicable act, you
would indeed pity me!’
“‘You should not feel so about that, because you thought I had betrayed
your sister, and it is a brother’s duty to protect the honor of his
sister. The truth is, I think under the same circumstances I should
have acted as you did. From what I heard, Mr. Debar resembles me so much
that it requires close inspection to tell one from the other. Now, you
saw Debar with his wife in Memphis, and mistook him for me. You
naturally concluded that I had deceived and betrayed your sister.
Believing that to be so, you determined to punish her betrayer. Harry, I
admire you for it; don’t ask me to forgive you, for there is nothing to
be forgiven.’
“‘Yes, but for my rashness, coupled with my unpleasant temper, all the
trouble might have been avoided. You could have explained everything,
but I did not give you a chance. There is where I committed the
unpardonable error that has ruined all of us.’
“‘I hope that things are not so bad as you seem to think. We must act
now, and that promptly. A dispatch must be sent to Doctor Dodson without
delay; and if you will go and procure a messenger to take it to the
nearest telegraph office, I will write the dispatch while you are
getting the messenger ready. See that he is well mounted, on a good
horse, for he must make at least eight miles per hour; it is twenty-four
miles from here to the nearest telegraph office. Tell the messenger that
he shall have as much money as he wants, if he will make speed. Go
quickly--make the necessary arrangements while I write the dispatch.’
“He hurried from the jail instantly, while I penned the following
message:
“‘DOCTOR DODSON--Tell dear Lottie I am well and safe; will be home
day after to-morrow. Harry is with me, and everything is explained.
A man resembling me very much killed Clanton; he was imprisoned to
await his trial--he escaped--I was arrested and detained, under a
mistaken belief that I was the criminal. It is a mere mistake of
personal identity. The real criminal was in Memphis. Harry saw him
there with his wife, and thought it was I--hence his enmity toward
me. It was all a mistake; everything is now understood. I will be
released to-morrow on habeas corpus. Save dear Lottie’s life. Tell
her to live for my sake. Send me a dispatch every ten minutes till
I come.’
“By the time the dispatch was ready Harry returned, accompanied by an
intelligent looking lad about eighteen years old, who promised to be at
the telegraph office with the dispatch inside of three hours. I handed
him fifty dollars, and directed him to wait at the office for an answer.
“‘Leave your horse at the station, and procure a fresh one, and when the
answer comes, bring it to me immediately. I shall want you to carry
another dispatch as soon as you bring the answer to this one. I will pay
all the expenses and remunerate you to your entire satisfaction; then I
will give you as a present this fine gold watch.’
“The lad’s bright black eyes fairly blazed with delight as I held up the
pretty prize before him.
“‘You may trust me, sir; I’ll deliver this dispatch in two hours and a
half from this moment.’
“Before the last word was out of his mouth, he was half way down-stairs,
and two seconds afterward I heard the clatter of his horse’s hoofs as he
dashed down the road. I stood and listened until the sound grew faint,
then died away.
“‘Eddie,’ said Harry, ‘if God only would let dear Lottie live, I would
spend the remainder of my life on my knees, pouring out earnest thanks
to Him. I would discard pride and self-love, and endeavor to control
this unfortunate temper of mine, and devote my days to His service.’
“‘I am so glad to hear you talk that way; maybe God will think of your
good resolve, and reward it by saving her life. Somehow, I have a hope
that we shall hear favorable news when our messenger returns--I cannot
think that I am never again to behold those beautiful blue eyes; I can’t
realize it. The ways of Providence are full of mystery, but we know they
are ever just; and knowing this to be so induces me to cling to the hope
that our Lottie will be spared. It is my candid opinion that if she had
been well Viola would have been cleared, because she was in possession
of strange facts, in connection with the case, which would have produced
a different verdict.’
“‘Ah! my poor sister may have believed in Viola’s innocence, in fact, I
know she did; but that belief was founded on friendship instead of
facts. No, the proof was full and complete, and Mr. Rockland told me
that during his thirty years’ practice he had never known the guilt of a
prisoner so fully established. You no doubt imagine that you have
suffered much, but your cause of sorrow is very slight when compared
with mine. If poor Lottie dies, the loss will be as much mine as yours;
for you cannot love her more than I do; and when she leaves us she will
go direct to Heaven, where you can go to meet her. But how different is
it with Viola; I loved her as well as you loved Lottie; no man ever
loved a woman more devotedly than I loved her. I might have borne to see
her die, if she was as well prepared to meet God as Lottie is; but when
I know that she is forever lost to me, and perhaps her soul is lost,
too, I feel and know that I cannot bear it!’
“‘The pardoning power of God is unlimited; Christ did not die for
righteous people alone, but to redeem sinners; and if you will have
faith in Him, and serve Him with all your heart, you may be permitted to
meet Viola in Heaven after all. But here comes Mr. Deediddle to talk
about the _habeas corpus_. Let us hear what he has to communicate.’
“Mr. Deediddle came blustering in, and it was with some difficulty that
he squeezed his ponderous body through the small door of my cell.
“‘Ah! confound such small doors!’ he muttered, as he began to brush the
dust off his coat with his red bandana. ‘I can’t see why people make
such small doors, anyway. Well, Demar, I dropped in merely to let you
know that we are all right--Judge Flaxback has made the habeas corpus
returnable at nine o’clock to-morrow morning; he is to spend the night
with me. Fact, sir, here’s his note accepting my invitation. I’ll wine
him, dine him, and card him to-night. I’ll play whist with him all
night, and let him win; that will settle our case all right; fact, sir,
trust me to manage his sort.’
“‘But, Mr. Deediddle, I would prefer that no underhand means should be
used in my case. I can prove my identity beyond all doubt.’
“‘Oh! no doubt you can, Mr. Demar, but what good will proof do when the
mind of the court is against you. Fact, sir, you had better let me
manage the case in my own way. Fact is, I am an old hand at the pump;
been in harness over a quarter of a century; I am the man to pry you
out--wine and whist are the great levers to pry with before Flaxback.
Fact is, he can’t get round ’em.’
“Mr. Deediddle rattled away for nearly an hour, and I was glad when he
took his departure. He had been gone but a few minutes when Mrs. Debar
came in. Harry gazed at her in great astonishment for several seconds,
then said:
“‘Eddie, this is the lady I saw in Memphis, in that old brick house, and
I thought I saw you there with her.’
“‘It was my husband, sir, and not Mr. Demar. We were stopping in an old
dilapidated brick house; my husband was waiting for some money to be
sent to him. He made his escape from this jail and went to Memphis; I
followed him, and one night we fled, as we learned that detectives were
following us. I have just received a letter from my husband; he is in
Matamoras, Mexico, and I am going to meet him as soon as Mr. Demar is
released.’
“‘I see through it all now--you and your husband left Memphis on the
very night when Demar was arrested at Horn Lake; this unlucky
coincidence led me to believe that he had eloped with you, and had been
false to my sister. Acting on this belief, I have committed an
unpardonable blunder, and caused my sister’s death and ruined all my
friends.’
“As Mrs. Debar wiped the fast falling tears from her eyes, she said: ‘I
am truly sorry to hear of your misfortunes, but hope things are not so
serious as you seem to think. I, too, have had my share of trouble; my
poor husband has been compelled to exile himself from his country when
he was innocent. I love him, and I mean to go where he goes; I will
share his sorrows, and do my best to make him happy. It is true that my
husband killed Mr. Clanton, but he did it in self-defense, and would
have been able to prove it, but unfortunately, the only witness who saw
the whole transaction died soon after the killing.’
“Mrs. Debar now went away, leaving me alone with Harry. She promised to
be present on the next morning at the trial, to give her evidence, which
would, of course, be greatly in my favor.
“It was after night, and just six hours from the time my messenger had
started with my dispatch, when he came dashing into my cell with an
answer. He had made the round trip, a distance of forty-eight miles, in
six hours. He informed me that he had to wait at the office just one
hour for the answer, so he had done the traveling in five hours.
“My hand trembled when I took the dispatch from the messenger, and well
it might, for I knew that little paper would tell a tale that would seal
my fate. It would tell me whether or not those charming blue eyes were
ever again to gaze on me. It would decide whether or not I was ever to
clasp dear Lottie to my heart again. I hesitated, and looked at Harry,
but saw no encouragement there. He was as pale as death, and trembling
from head to foot, and seemed to have ceased to breathe.
“‘Eddie,’ he gasped, ‘you may be prepared to hear the very worst, for
her case was hopeless when I left home. That telegram will either tell
you she is dead, or that she is dying.’
“‘Heaven have mercy!’ I exclaimed, as I glanced over the contents of the
dispatch. My worst fears were realized--my darling was dying.
“It is useless for me to try to describe how I felt when I read the
fatal news. No one can understand or appreciate it even if I could
select words to tell how great was my misery. It was over half an hour
before either of us spoke, and there is no telling when the silence
would have been broken, had it not been for the messenger.
“‘Will you wish to send another dispatch?’ inquired the lad, who had
been silently witnessing this painful scene. ‘If you do, sir, I can be
ready to go again as soon as I can eat a bite and procure a fresh
horse.’
“‘I shall want to send another dispatch at daylight in the morning.’
“My audience will readily understand what cause for grief I had when the
dispatch is read. Here it is,
“‘DEAR EDDIE--The welcome news of your safety received, would to
Heaven it had come a week sooner--it would have saved our dear
Lottie’s life; but, alas! It came too late. Put your trust in God,
my unfortunate boy, and bear your great sorrow as becomes a brave
man. Lottie cannot possibly live more than forty-eight hours
longer. She is sinking very fast. Her mind is perfectly clear, and
when your dispatch was read to her she smiled sweetly as her eyes
brightened up, then closing them, the tears began to stream from
them. She pressed your picture to her lips, and said:
“‘“Poor Eddie, how glad I would be to see him before I die! Then I
wish to see brother Harry, so he can forgive the wrong I have done
him. I thought he had killed Eddie, and refused to believe him when
he denied it.”
“‘She talks of you and Harry all the time. I wish it were so that
you could get here before she dies. You might do it, if you get
released in time for the up-train to-morrow evening. I will send
another dispatch early in the morning.
“‘DODSON.’
“I had sent up so many silent but earnest prayers to God, in which I had
implored and begged Him to let my dear Lottie live, that I was loth to
believe He would take her from me. I could not realize the fact that her
beautiful young person was to be consigned to the grave. When I had seen
her last she was the very picture of health and life, her fair cheeks
all aglow with vivacity, her large expressive eyes filled with evidences
of hope, and her elastic step indicating strength and vigor. Now how was
I to realize the fact that all this strength, health and vigor were
gone, while that fair form was struggling in the very arms of death? The
fact is, I was so bewildered with grief that I was unable to think
correctly on the subject.
“Harry spent the night in my cell, and I can assert truthfully that he
was more completely subdued by his deep grief than he ever had been
before. I think that a great change was wrought in him on that occasion,
which has since proved of no little benefit to him. His indomitable
pride was partially cured, and his haughty spirit completely humbled; he
threw himself prostrate on the floor, calling aloud to God for help. He
did not rise from the floor during the night, though he never closed his
eyes in sleep; sometimes he would remain silent for several
minutes--perhaps he was praying; then again he would seem to be
convulsed with his great sorrow. I paced the floor in silence, for I was
sunk so deep in despair that I was scarcely able to command my voice. My
heart yearned for freedom; my mind flew to Memphis and looked at my
darling as she was wrestling with death.
“The first gray streaks of approaching dawn that came stealing through
my small window were indeed a welcome sight to me. As soon as it was
light enough to enable me to see to write, I penned a message to be
immediately sent to Doctor Dodson. The messenger was promptly on hand at
six o’clock, ready with a fresh horse to start with my dispatch, and
long before the sun began to peep over the eastern hills he was dashing
with great speed toward the telegraph office. He would be back with
fresh news by eleven o’clock, by which time I had reason to believe I
would be restored to liberty, and then I would fly to my darling. After
the messenger was gone I instructed Harry to go out to the village and
secure two of the best horses that could be found, and to have them
ready saddled and hitched in the court-house yard, in order that we
might be off instantly after the trial should be over. I knew that the
trial would not consume much time, as the proof would be ample and
unquestionable, and I thought maybe we might be able to start by ten
o’clock.
“The rough blacksmith who had riveted the irons on my leg was employed
the evening before the trial to cut them off, and I was enabled to
secure a little exercise. In his rough, uncouth manner, the blacksmith
apologized for the unkindness he had shown toward me when fastening the
manacles on my limbs. As I was not in a mood to cherish ill-will, I
accepted the blunt apology and extended my hand to the honest mechanic,
who seized and gave it a hearty shake.
“‘Never saw two peas more alike than you and Debar! No wonder the
officer took you for Debar; I was ready to swear that you were the
identical man. It’s lucky they found out the blunder, ain’t it? They
might have hung you by mistake; that would have been rather awkward,
wouldn’t it?’
“I made no answer to this strange inquiry, for I was thinking about
other things.
“Harry returned soon, and informed me that he had been so fortunate as
to secure two splendid young horses, whose owner had informed him that
they could take us to the station in two hours and a half, without any
danger of hurting them. My dungeon door was now thrown open, and all
restraint on my movements withdrawn.
“‘I thought you were the same scamp who broke jail and left me with the
bag to hold,’ said the jailer. ‘Everybody was down on me for letting
Debar get away when I couldn’t help it--some rascal furnished him with
tools, and I knew nothing about it until he was gone; therefore, when
they brought you here I thought you were the same man, and I didn’t care
to be kind to the man who had acted so badly as Debar. You are the very
image of Debar, and then your name sounds so much like his. I can detect
a slight difference in the color of your hair and that of Debar; then he
had a small scar on his forehead, just above the left eye. It was very
slight, and quite small, not over half an inch long. I have his
photograph here, and if you will look close you can see the scar very
plain.’
“I looked at the picture, and sure enough the scar could be plainly
seen. This circumstance of itself would justify Judge Flaxback in
ordering my release; in fact, the trial would be a mere form to be
complied with, as everybody now admitted that a mistake had been
committed. The villagers discussed it on the street corners, and laughed
over it, cracking their jokes, little dreaming of the awful consequences
that had resulted to me by the mistake. I dare say that a vastly
different feeling would have permeated the breasts of those people if
they could have witnessed the dying agonies of poor Lottie Wallingford.
If they had known how my heart was broken by the sad mistake, they would
not have been laughing and joking about the matter as if it were a very
funny coincidence. I could not eat my breakfast--my appetite was gone,
but I drank a cup of warm tea, which the jailer’s wife was kind enough
to bring to me. She seemed to sympathize with me when she found out how
deeply I had been wronged. I looked at my watch every five minutes; I
was full of impatience. It seemed that nine o’clock would never
come--but nevertheless it did come at last. The town clock began to
strike, when the jailer said it was time to go.”