"Dearest Euphrosyne,
"Do not be frightened. There is time, if you come directly. There is
no danger, if you come to us. The cultivators are marching hither over
the plain. It is with the whites that they are angry; so you had better
make yourselves secure with us. The soldier who brings this will escort
Monsieur Revel and you this little way through the streets: but you must
lose no time. We are sorry to hurry your grandfather; but it cannot be
helped. Come, my dearest, to your
"Afra Raymond."
Pierre saw his young lady's face turn as pale as any nun's, as she
glanced over this note.
"The carriage, Pierre! Have it to the door instantly."
"With your leave. Mademoiselle, the soldier says no French carriages
will be safe in the streets this morning."
"Oh, mercy! A chair, then. Send for a chair this moment. The soldier
will go for it--ask him as a favour. They will not dare to refuse one
to a governor's guard. Then come, and dress your master, and do not
look so grave, Pierre, before him."
Pierre went, and was met at the door by a servant with another note. It
was--
"Do not come by the street, dearest Euphrosyne. The nuns will let you
through their garden, into our garden alley, if you can only get your
grandfather over the balcony. My two messengers will help you; but they
are much wanted:--so make haste.
"A.E."
"Make the soldiers sling an arm-chair from the balcony, Pierre; and send
one of them round into the convent garden, to be ready to receive us
there. The abbess will have the gate open to the Government-house
alley. Then come, and dress your master; and leave it to me to tell him
everything."
"Likely enough," muttered Pierre; "for I know nothing of what is in
those notes myself."
"And I do not understand what it is all about," said Euphrosyne, as she
returned to her grandfather.
He had fallen into a light doze, lulled by the motion and sound of the
humming-birds. Euphrosyne kissed his forehead, to rouse him, and then
told him gaily that it was terribly late--he had no idea how late it
was--he must get up directly. The bath! no; there must be no bath
to-day. There was not time for it; or, at least, he must go a little
ride first. A new sort of carriage was getting ready--
She now looked graver, as Pierre entered. She said, that while Pierre
dressed him, she would put up some clothes for a short visit to
Government-house.
Monsieur Revel, being now alarmed, Euphrosyne admitted that some
confusion in the streets was expected, and that the Governor and Afra
thought that their friends would be most quiet at the back of
Government-house.
To her consternation, Monsieur Revel suddenly refused to stir a step
from his own dwelling. He would not be deceived into putting himself
and his child into the hands of any mulattoes upon earth, governors or
other. Not one of his old friends, in Blanchelande's time, would have
countenanced such an act; and he would not so betray his colour and his
child. He had rather die on his own threshold.
"You must do as you please about that, sir," said Pierre; "but, for
Mademoiselle Euphrosyne, I must say, that I think it is full early for
her to die--and when she might be safe too!"
"Oh, grandpapa! I cannot let you talk of our dying," cried Euphrosyne,
her cheeks bathed in tears. "Indeed I will not die--nor shall you
either. Besides, if that were all--"
The old man knew what was in her mind--that she was thinking of the
woods. He sank down on his knees by the bedside, and prayed that the
earth might gape and swallow them up--that the sea might rush in, and
overflow the hollow where the city had been, before he and his should
fall into the hands of the cursed blacks.
"Grandpapa," said Euphrosyne, gravely, "if you pray such a prayer as
that, do not pray aloud. I cannot hear such a prayer as that."
Struggling with her tears, she continued: "I know you are very much
frightened--and I do not wonder that you are: but I do wish you would
remember that we have very kind friends who will protect us, if we will
only make haste and go to them. And as for their being of a different
colour--I do wonder that you can ask God to cause the earth to swallow
us up, when you know (at least, you have taught me so) we must meet
people of all races before the throne of God. He has made of one blood
all the nations of the earth, you know."
Monsieur Revel shook his head impatiently, as if to show that she did
not understand his feelings. She went on, however:--
"If we so hate and distrust them at this moment, here, how can we pray
for death, so as to meet them at the next moment there? Oh, grandpapa!
let us know them a little better first. Let us go to them now."
"Don't waste time so, child; you hinder my dressing."
He allowed himself to be dressed, and made no further opposition till he
found himself at the balcony of the next room.
"Here is your new coach," said Euphrosyne, "and plenty of servants:"
showing him how one of the soldiers and old Raphael stood below to
receive the chair, and the abbess herself was in waiting in a distant
walk, beside the wicket they were to pass through.
Of course, the old gentleman said he could never get down that way; and
he said something about dying on his own threshold--this time, however,
in a very low voice. But, in the midst of his opposition, Euphrosyne
seated herself in the chair, and was let down. When she could no longer
hear his complaints, but was standing beckoning to him from the
grass-plat below, he gave up all resistance, was let down with perfect
ease, and carried in the chair, followed by all the white members of his
household, through the gardens, and up the alley where Afra was awaiting
them. There was a grey sister peeping from behind every blind as they
crossed the garden, and trembling with the revived fears of that
terrible night of ninety-one, when they had fled to the ships. It was
some comfort to them to see old Raphael busy with rake and knife,
repairing the damage done to the bed under the balcony--all trampled as
it was. Each nun said to herself that Raphael seemed to have no fears
but that the garden would go on as usual, whatever disturbance was
abroad.
"Have you seen him?" asked Euphrosyne eagerly of her friend, the moment
they met.
"Oh yes. You shall see him too, from my window, if they will but talk
on till we get there. He and the Commissary, and some of the
Commissary's officers, are in the rose-garden under my window. Make
haste, or they may be gone."
"We must see grandpapa settled first."
"Oh yes; but I am so afraid they may be gone! They have been pacing the
alley between the rose-trees this hour nearly--talking and arguing all
the time. I am sure they were arguing; for they stopped every now and
then, and the Commissary made such gestures! He looked so impatient and
so vexed!"
"And did _he_ look vexed, too?"
"Not in the least angry, but severe. So quiet, so majestic he looked,
as he listened to all they said! and when he answered them--Oh, I would
not, for all the island, have his eyes so set upon me!"
"Oh dear, let us make haste, or they will be gone!" cried Euphrosyne.
While Euphrosyne was endeavouring to make her grandfather feel himself
at home and comfortable in the apartment appointed for him by the
Governor, Afra ran to her window, to see if the potentates of the island
were still at their conference. The rose-garden was empty; and she came
back sorrowfully to say so. As she entered the apartment of her guests,
she heard Monsieur Revel sending a message of compliments to the
Commissary, with a request of an audience of a few minutes. The
servants gave as much intimation as they dared of the Commissary being
so particularly engaged, that they had rather be excused carrying this
message. The girls looked at one another, nodded agreement, and
Euphrosyne spoke.
"Suppose, grandpapa, you ask to see the Commander-in-chief. He never
refuses anything that is asked of him: and he can do everything he
wishes. I dare say he will come at once, if you desire it, and if we do
not detain him too long. If he had been in this room once with us, how
safe we should feel!"
"Oh, if we could see him once in this room!" cried Afra.
"Do you suppose I will beg a favour of that ambitious black?" cried
Monsieur Revel. "Do you think I will crave an audience of a fellow who,
for aught I know, may have driven his master's carriage to my door in
the old days?--no, if I cannot see Hedouville, I will take my chance.
Go, fellow! and carry my message," he cried to Pierre.
Pierre returned with the answer which might have been anticipated. The
Commissary was so engaged, there was so much bustle and confusion
throughout his establishment, that no one of his people would deliver
the message.
"That would not have been the answer if--" whispered Euphrosyne to her
friend.
"Shall I venture?--yes, I will--shall I? At least, I will keep upon the
watch," said Afra, as she withdrew.
She presently sent in, with the tray of fruit, a basket of flowers,
which Euphrosyne occupied herself in dressing, exactly as she did at
home, humming the while the airs her grandfather heard her sing every
day. Her devices answered very well. He presently occupied himself in
pointing out, exactly as he always did, that there was too much green in
this bouquet, and not enough in that.