Lionel Lincoln ; or, The leaguer of Boston

IBRARY

NIVERSITY OF
CALIFORNIA .

LIONEL LINCOLN

fflabtn?t i&itimt

LIONEL LINCOLN

Or
The Leaguer of Boston

By

James Fenimore Cooper

Boston
Dana Estes & Company

Publishers

MOFFITT - UGL

1900

UNDERGRAO.
LIBRARY

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

LIONEL LINCOLN

PAGE

LIONEL THOUGHT HIMSELF A PRISONER . . Frontispiece
Photogravure from Darley steel plate

PORTRAIT OF GEORGE III . . . . ... . 133

Etched ~by Pailthorpe, from painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds

YE MONSTERS IN THE SHAPE OF MEN . • . . 356

Photogravure from Darley steel plate

TO

WILLIAM JAY,

OF

BEDFORD, WESTCHESTER,

ESQUIRE.

MY DEAR JAY,

An unbroken intimacy of four-and-twenty years may jus
tify the present use of your name. A man of readier wit
than myself might, on such a subject, find an opportunity of
saying something clever, concerning the exalted services of
your father. No weak testimony of mine, however, can add
to a fame that belongs already to posterity; and one like
myself, who has so long known the merits, and has so often
experienced the friendship, of the son, can find even better
reasons for offering these Legends to your notice.
Very truly and constantly,
Yours,

THE AUTHOR.

PREFACE.

THE manner in which the author became possessed of the
private incidents, the characters, and the descriptions con
tained in these tales, will, most probably, ever remain a
secret between himself and his publisher. That the lead
ing events are true, he presumes it is unnecessary to assert;
for should inherent testimony, to prove that important
point, be wanting, he is conscious that no anonymous dec
laration can establish its credibility.

But while he shrinks from directly yielding his authori
ties, the author has no hesitation in furnishing all the
negative testimony in his power.

In the first place, then, he solemnly declares that no un
known man, or woman, has ever died in his vicinity, of
whose effects he has become the possessor, by either fair
means or foul. No dark-looking stranger, of a morbid tem
perament, and of inflexible silence, has ever transmitted to
him a single page of illegible manuscript. Nor has any
landlord furnished him with materials to be worked up into
a book, in order that the profits might go to discharge the
arrearages of a certain consumptive lodger, who made his
exit so unceremoniously as to leave the last item in his ac
count, his funeral charges.

He is indebted to no garrulous tale-teller for beguiling
the long winter evenings; in ghosts he has no faith; he
never had a vision in his life; and he sleeps too soundly
to dream.

He is constrained to add, that in no "puff," "squib,"
" notice," " article," or " review," whether in daily, weekly,

8 PREFACE.

monthly, or quarterly publication, has he been able to find
a single hint that his humble powers could improve. No
one regrets this fatality more than himself; for these writ
ers generally bring a weight of imagination to their several
tasks, that, properly improved, might secure the immortal
ity of any book, by rendering it unintelligible.

He boldly asserts that he has derived no information
from any of the learned societies — and without fear of con
tradiction ; for why should one so obscure be the exclusive
object of their favors?

Notwithstanding he occasionally is seen in that erudite
and abstemious association, the " Bread-and-Cheese Lunch,"
where he is elbowed by lawyers, doctors, jurists, poets,
painters, editors, congressmen, and authors of every shade
and qualification, whether metaphysical, scientific, or imag
inative he avers that he esteems the lore which is there
culled as far too sacred to be used in any work less digni
fied than actual history.

Of the colleges it is necessary to speak with reverence;
though truth possesses claims even superior to gratitude.
He shall dispose of them by simply saying that they are
entirely innocent of all his blunders; the little they be
stowed having long since been forgotten.

He has stolen no images from the deep, natural poetry of
Bryant; no pungency from the wit of Halleck; no felicity
of expression from the richness of Percival; no satire from
the caustic pen of Paulding; no periods nor humor from
Irving; nor any high finish from the attainments exhibited
by Verplanck.

At the " soire'es " and " coteries des bas bleus " he did
think he had obtained a prize, in the dandies of literature
who haunt them. But experience and analysis detected his
error; as they proved these worthies unfit for any better
purpose than that which their own instinct had already dic
tated.

He has made no impious attempt to rob Joe Miller of his

PREFACE. 9

jokes; the sentimentalists of their pathos; or the newspa
per Homers of their lofty inspirations.

His presumption has not even imagined the vivacity of
the Eastern States; he has not analyzed the homogeneous
character of the Middle; and he has left the South in the
undisturbed possession of all their saturnine wit.

In short, he has pilfered from no black-letter book, or
sixpenny pamphlet; his grandmother unnaturally refused
her assistance to his labors; and, to speak affirmatively, for
once, he wishes to live in peace, and hopes to die in the
fear of God.

INTRODUCTION.

IN this tale there are one or two slight anachronisms;
which, if unnoticed, might, with literal readers, draw some
unpleasant imputations on its veracity. They relate rather
to persons than to things. As they are believed to be quite
in character, connected with circumstances much more prob
able than facts, and to possess all the harmony of poetic
coloring, the author is utterly unable to discover the reason
why they are not true.

He leaves the knotty point to the instinctive sagacity of
the critics.

The matter of this " Legend " may be pretty equally di
vided into that which is publicly, and that which is pri
vately certain. For the authorities of the latter, the author
refers to the foregoing preface; but he cannot dispose of
the sources whence he has derived the former, with so little
ceremony.

The good people of Boston are aware of the creditable
appearance they make in the early annals of the confedera
tion, and they neglect no commendable means to perpetuate
the glories of their ancestors. In consequence, the inquiry
after historical facts is answered, there, by an exhibition of
local publications, that no other town in the Union can
equal. Of these means the author has endeavored to avail
himself; collating with care, and selecting, as he trusts,
with some of that knowledge of men and things which is
necessary to present a faithful picture.

Wherever he may have failed, he has done it honestly.

12 INTRODUCTION.

He will not take leave of the " Cradle of Liberty " with
out expressing his thanks for the facilities which have been
so freely accorded to his undertaking. If he has not been
visited by aerial beings, and those fair visions that poets
best love to create, he is certain he will not be miscon
ceived when he says that he has been honored by the notice
of some resembling those who first inspired their fancies.

LIONEL LINCOLN.

CHAPTER I.

My weary soul they seem to soothe,
And, redolent of joy and youth,
To breathe a second spring.

GRAY.

No American can be ignorant of the principal events that
induced the Parliament of Great Britain, in 1774, to lay
those impolitic restrictions on the port of Boston which so
effectually destroyed the trade of the chief town in her
Western colonies. Nor should it be unknown to any Ameri
can, how nobly, and with what devotedness to the great
principles of the controversy, the inhabitants of the adja
cent town of Salem refused to profit by the situation of
their neighbors and fellow-subjects. In consequence of
these impolitic measures of the English government, and of
the laudable unanimity among the capitalists of the times,
it became a rare sight to see the canvas of any other vessels
than such as wore the pennants of the king, whitening the
forsaken waters of Massachusetts Bay.

Towards the decline of a day in April, 1775, however, the
eyes of hundreds had been fastened on a distant sail, which
was seen rising from the bosom of the waves, making her
way along the forbidden track, and steering directly for the
mouth of the proscribed haven. With that deep solicitude
in passing events which marked the period, a large group of
spectators was collected on Beacon Hill, spreading from its
conical summit far down the eastern declivity, all gazing

14 LIONEL LINCOLN.

intently on the object of their common interest. In so
large an assemblage, however, there were those who were
excited by very different feelings, and indulging in wishes
directly opposite to each other. While the decent, grave,
but wary citizen was endeavoring to conceal the bitterness
of the sensations which soured his mind, under the appear
ance of a cold indifference, a few gay young men who min
gled in the throng, bearing about their persons the trappings
of their martial profession, were loud in their exultations,
and hearty in their congratulations on the prospect of hear
ing from their distant homes and absent friends. But the
long, loud rolls of the drums, ascending on the evening air,
from the adjacent common, soon called these idle spectators,
in a body, from the spot, when the hill was left to the quiet
possession of those who claimed the strongest right to its
enjoyment. It was not, however, a period for open and un
reserved communications. Long before the mists of even
ing had succeeded the shadows thrown from the setting
sun, the hill was entirely deserted; the remainder of the
spectators having descended from the eminence, and held
their several courses, singly, silent, and thoughtful, towards
the rows of dusky roofs that covered the lowland, along the
eastern side of the peninsula. Notwithstanding this ap
pearance of apathy, rumor — which, in times of great excite
ment, ever finds means to convey its whisperings, when it
dare not bruit its information aloud — was busy in circulat
ing the unwelcome intelligence, that the stranger was the
first of a fleet, bringing stores and reinforcements to an
army already too numerous, and too confident of its power,
to respect the law. No tumult or noise succeeded this un
pleasant annunciation, but the doors of the houses were
sullenly closed, and the windows darkened, as if the people
intended to express their dissatisfaction, alone, by these
silent testimonials of their disgust.

In the mean time the ship had gained the rocky entrance
to the harbor, where, deserted by the breeze, and met by an

LIONEL LINCOLN. 15

adverse tide, she lay inactive, as if conscious of the unwel
come reception she must receive. The fears of the inhabi
tants of Boston had, however, exaggerated the danger; for
the vessel, instead of exhibiting the confused and disorderly
throng of licentious soldiery which would have crowded a
transport, was but thinly peopled, and her orderly decks
were cleared of every incumbrance that could interfere with
the comfort of those she did contain. There was an appear
ance in the arrangements of her external accommodations
which would have indicated to an observant eye that she
carried those who claimed the rank or possessed the means
of making others contribute largely to their comforts. The
few seamen who navigated the ship lay extended on differ
ent portions of the vessel, watching the lazy sails as they
flapped against the masts, or indolently bending their looks
on the placid waters of the bay; while several menials, in
livery, crowded around a young man who was putting his
eager inquiries to the pilot, that had just boarded the ves
sel off the Graves. The dress of this youth was studiously
neat, and from the excessive pains bestowed on its adjust
ment, it was obviously deemed, by its wearer, to be in the
height of the prevailing customs. From the place where
this inquisitive party stood, nigh the main-mast, a wide
sweep of the quarter-deck was untenanted; but nearer to
the spot where the listless seaman hung idly over the tiller
of the ship, stood a being of altogether different mould and
fashion. He was a man who would have seemed in the
very extremity of age, had not his quick, vigorous steps, and
the glowing, rapid glances from his eyes, as he occasionally
paced the deck, appeared to deny the usual indications of
many years. His form was bowed, and attenuated nearly
to emaciation. His hair, which fluttered a little wildly
around his temples, was thin, and silvered to the whiteness
of at least eighty winters. Deep furrows, like the lines of
great age and long endured cares united, wrinkled his hol
low cheeks, and rendered the bold haughty outline of his

l6 LIONEL LINCOLN.

prominent features still more remarkable. He was clad in
a simple and somewhat tarnished suit of modest gray, which
bore about it the ill-concealed marks of long and neglected
use. Whenever he turned his piercing look from the shores,
he moved swiftly along the deserted quarter-deck, and
seemed entirely engrossed with the force of his own
thoughts, his lips moving rapidly, though no sounds were
heard to issue from a mouth habitually silent. He was un
der the influence of one of those sudden impulses in which
the body, apparently, sympathized so keenly with the rest
less activity of the mind, when a young man ascended from
the cabin, and took his stand among the interested and ex
cited gazers at the land, on the upper deck. The age of
this gentleman might have been five-and-twenty. He wore
a military cloak, thrown carelessly across his form, which,
in addition to such parts of his dress as were visible
through its open folds, sufficiently announced that his
profession was that of arms. There was an air of ease and
high fashion gleaming about his person, though his speak
ing countenance at times seemed melancholy, if not sad.
On gaining the deck, this young officer, encountering the
eyes of the aged and restless being who trod its planks,
bowed courteously before he turned away to the view, and
in his turn became deeply absorbed in studying its fading
beauties.

The rounded heights of Dorchester were radiant with the
rays of the luminary that had just sunk behind their crest,
and streaks of paler light were playing along the waters,
and gilding the green summits of the islands which clus
tered across the mouth of the estuary. Far in the distance
were to be seen the tall spires of the churches, rising out of
the deep shadows of the town, with their vanes glittering in
the sunbeams, while a few rays of strong light were dancing
about the black beacon, which reared itself high above the
conical peak, that took its name from the circumstance of
supporting this instrument of alarms. Several large vessels

LIONEL LINCOLN. 1 7

were anchored among the islands and before the town, their
dark hulls at each moment becoming less distinct through
the haze of evening, while the summits of their long lines
of masts were yet glowing with the marks of day. From
each of these sullen ships, from the low fortification which
rose above a small island deep in the bay, and from various
elevations in the town itself, the broad silky folds of the
flag of England were yet waving in the currents of the pass
ing air. The young man was suddenly aroused from gazing
at this scene by the quick reports of the evening guns, and
while his eyes were yet tracing the descent of the proud
symbols of the British power from their respective places of
display, he felt his arm convulsively pressed by the hand
of his aged fellow-passenger.

" Will the day ever arrive," said a low, hollow voice at
his elbow, " when those flags shall be lowered, never to rise
again in this hemisphere? "

The young soldier turned his quick eyes to the counte
nance of the speaker, but bent them instantly in embarrass
ment on the deck, to avoid the keen, searching glance he
encountered in the looks of the other. A long, and, on the
part of the young man, a painful silence, succeeded this re
mark. At length the youth, pointing to the land, said :

"Tell me, you who are of Boston, and must have known
it so long, the names of all these beautiful places I see."

"And are you not of Boston, too? " asked his old com
panion.

" Certainly, by birth, but an Englishman by habit and
education."

"Accursed be the habits, and neglected the education,
which would teach a child to forget its parentage ! " mut
tered the old man, turning suddenly, and walking away so
rapidly as to be soon lost in the forward parts of the ship.

For several minutes longer the youth stood absorbed in
his own musings, when, as if recollecting his previous pur
poses, he called aloud: "Meriton!"

1 8 LIONEL LINCOLN.

At the sounds of his voice the curious group around the
pilot instantly separated, and the highly ornamented youth,
before mentioned, approached the officer with a manner in
which pert familiarity and fearful respect were peculiarly
blended. Without regarding the air of the other, however,
or indeed without even favoring him with a glance, the
young soldier continued :

" I desired you to detain the boat which boarded us, in
order to convey me to the town, Mr. Meriton ; see if it be
in readiness."

The valet flew to execute this commission, and in an in
stant returned with a reply in the affirmative.

"But, sir," he continued, "you will never think of going
in that boat, I feel very much assured, sir."

" Your assurance, Mr. Meriton, is not the least of your
recommendations; why should I not? "

" That disagreeable old stranger has taken possession of
it, with his mean, filthy bundle of rags; and — — "

"And what? you must name a greater evil, to detain me
here, than mentioning the fact that the only gentleman in
the ship is to be my companion."

"Lord, sir!" said Meriton, glancing his eye upward in
amazement: "but, sir, surely you know best as to gentility
of behavior; but as to gentility of dress — "

"Enough of this," interrupted his master, a little angrily;
" the company is such as I am content with : if you find it
unequal to your deserts, you have my permission to remain
in the ship until the morning — the presence of a coxcomb
is by no means necessary to my comfort for one night."

Without regarding the mortification of his disconcerted
valet, the young man passed along the deck to the place
where the boat was in waiting. By the general movement
among the indolent menials, and the profound respect with
which he was attended by the master of the ship to the gang
way, it was sufficiently apparent, that, notwithstanding his
youth, it was this gentleman whose presence had exacted

LIONEL LINCOLN. 19

those arrangements in the ship, which have been men
tioned. While all around him, however, were busy in
facilitating the entrance of the officer into the boat, the aged
stranger occupied its principal seat, with an air of deep ab
straction, if not of cool indifference. A hint from the
pliant Meriton, who had ventured to follow his master, that
it would be more agreeable if he would relinquish his place,
was disregarded, and the youth took a seat by the side of
the old man, with a simplicity of manner that his valet in
wardly pronounced abundantly degrading. As if this hu
miliation were not sufficient, the young man, perceiving
that a general pause had succeeded his own entrance, turned
to his companion, and courteously inquired if he were ready
to proceed. A silent wave of the hand was the reply, when
the boat shot away from the vessel, leaving the ship steering
for an anchorage in Nantasket.

The measured dash of the oars was uninterrupted by any
voice, while, stemming the tide, they pulled laboriously up
among the islands; but by the time they had reached the
castle, the twilight had melted into the softer beams from a
young moon, and the surrounding objects becoming more
distinct, the stranger commenced talking with that quick
and startling vehemence which seemed his natural manner.
He spoke of the localities with the vehemence and fondness
of an enthusiast, and with the familiarity of one who had
long known their beauties. His rapid utterance, however,
ceased as they approached the naked wharves, and he sunk
back gloomily in the boat, as if unwilling to trust his voice
on the subject of his country's wrongs. Thus left to his
own thoughts, the youth gazed with eager interest at the
long ranges of buildings, which were now clearly visible to
the eye, though with softer colors and more gloomy shadows.
A few neglected and dismantled ships were lying at differ
ent points; but the hum of business, the forests of masts,
and the rattling of wheels, which at that early hour should
have distinguished the great mart of the colonies, were

2O LIONEL LINCOLN.

wanting. In their places were to be heard, at intervals, the
sudden bursts of distant, martial music, the riotous merri
ment of the soldiery who frequented the taverns at the
water's edge, or the sullen challenges of the sentinels from
the vessels of war, as they vexed the progress of the few
boats which the inhabitants still used in their ordinary pur
suits.

" Here, indeed, is a change! " the young officer exclaimed,
as they glided swiftly along this desolate scene; "even my
recollections, young and fading as they are, recall the dif
ference."

The stranger made no reply, but a smile of singular mean
ing gleamed across his wan features, imparting, by the
moonlight, to their remarkable expression, a character of
additional wildness. The officer was again silent, nor did
either speak until the boat, having shot by the end of the
long wharf, across whose naked boundaries a sentinel was
pacing his measured path, inclined more to the shore, and
soon reached the place of its destination.

Whatever might have been the respective feelings of the
two passengers, at having thus reached in safety the object
of their tiresome and protracted voyage, they were not ex
pressed in language. The old man bared his silver locks,
and, concealing his face with his hat, stood as if in deep
mental thanksgiving at the termination of his toil, while
his more youthful companion trod the wharf on which they
landed with the air of a man whose emotions were too en
grossing for the ordinary use of words.

" Here we must part, sir," the officer at length said ; " but
I trust the acquaintance, which has been thus accidentally
formed between us, is not to be forgotten now there is an
end to our common privations."

" It is not in the power of a man whose days, like mine,
are numbered," returned the stranger, "to mock the liberal
ity of his God, by any vain promises that must depend on
time for their fulfilment. I am one, young gentleman, who

LIONEL LINCOLN. 21

has returned from a sad, sad pilgrimage, in the other hemi
sphere, to lay his bones in this, his native land; but should
many hours be granted me, you will hear further of the man
whom your courtesy and kindness have so greatly obliged."

The officer was sensibly affected by the softened but sol
emn manner of his companion, and pressed his wasted hand
fervently as he answered :

" Do ; I ask it as a singular favor : I know not why, but
you have obtained a command of my feelings that no other
being ever yet possessed; and yet — 'tis a mystery, 'tis like
a dream; I feel that I not only venerate, but love you! "

The old man stepped back, and held the youth at the
length of his arm for a moment, while he fastened on him
a look of glowing interest, and then, raising his hand slow
ly, he pointed impressively upward, and said:

"'Tis from heaven, and for God's own purposes: smother
not the sentiment, boy, but cherish it in your heart's core ! "

The reply of the youth was interrupted by sudden and
violent shrieks, that burst rudely on the stillness of the
place, chilling the very blood of those who heard them, with
their piteousness. The quick and severe blows of a lash
were blended with the exclamations of the sufferer; and
rude oaths, with hoarse execrations, from various voices,
were united in the uproar, which appeared to be at no great
distance. By a common impulse, the whole party broke
away from the spot, and moved rapidly up the wharf in the
direction of the sounds. As they approached the buildings,
a group was seen collected around the man, who thus broke
the charm of the evening by his cries, interrupting his wail
ing with their ribaldry, and encouraging his tormentors to
proceed.

" Mercy, mercy, for the sake of the blessed God, have
mercy, and don't kill Job!" again shrieked the sufferer;
"Job will run your a'r'nds! Job is half-witted! Mercy on
poor Job! Oh! you make his flesh creep! "

" I'll cut the heart from the mutinous knave," interrupted

22 LIONEL LINCOLN.

a hoarse, angry voice. " To refuse to drink the health of
his majesty! "

" Job does wish him good health — Job loves the king —
only Job don't love rum."

The officer had approached so nigh as to perceive that the
whole scene was one of disorder and abuse, and pushing
aside the crowd of excited and deriding soldiers, who com
posed the throng, he broke at once into the centre of the
circle.

CHAPTER II.

They'll have me whipped for speaking true ;

Thou'lt have me whipped for lying ;

And sometimes I'm whipped for holding my peace.

I had rather be any kind of a thing

Than a fool. Lear.

"WHAT means this outcry? " demanded the young man, ar
resting the arm of an infuriated soldier, who was inflicting
the blows; "by what authority is this man thus abused? "

" By what authority dare you to lay hands on a British
grenadier? " cried the fellow, turning in his fury, and raising
his lash against the supposed townsman. But when, as the
officer stepped aside to avoid the threatened indignity, the
light of the moon fell full upon his glittering dress, through
the opening folds of his cloak, the arm of the brutal soldier
was held suspended in air, with the surprise of the discov
ery.

"Answer, I bid you," continued the young officer, his
frame shaking with passion ; " why is this man tormented,
and of what regiment are ye ? "

"We belong to the grenadiers of the brave 47th, your
honor," returned one of the bystanders, in a humble, dep
recating tone, " and we was just polishing this 'ere natural,
because as he refuses to drink the health of his majesty."

" He's a scornful sinner, that don't fear his Maker," cried
the man in duresse, eagerly bending his face, down which

LIONEL LINCOLN. 2$

big tears were rolling, toward his protector. "Job loves
the king, but Job don't love rum ! "

The officer turned away from the cruel spectacle, as he
bid the men untie their prisoner. Knives and fingers were
instantly put in requisition, and the man was liberated, and
suffered to resume his clothes. During this operation, the
tumult and bustle, which had so recently distinguished the
riotous scene, were succeeded by a stillness that rendered
the hard breathing of the sufferer painfully audible.

"Now sirs, you heroes of the 47th! " said the young man
when the victim of their rage was again clad, " know you
this button?" The soldier, to whom this question was
more particularly addressed, gazed at the extended arm, and,
to his vast discomfiture, he beheld the magical number of his
own regiment reposing on the well-known white facings that
decorated the rich scarlet of the vestment. No one pre
sumed to answer this appeal, and after an impressive
silence of a few moments, he continued :

"Ye are noble supporters of the well-earned fame of
' Wolfe's own! ' fit successors to the gallant men who con
quered under the walls of Quebec! Away with ye! to-mor
row it shall be looked to."

"I hope your honor will remember he refused his maj
esty's health. I'm sure, sir, that if Colonel Nesbitt was
here himself "

"Dog! do you dare to hesitate! go, while you have per
mission to depart."

The disconcerted soldiery, whose turbulence had thus
vanished, as if by enchantment, before the frown of their
superior, slunk away in a body, a few of the older men
whispering to their comrades the name of the officer
who had thus unexpectedly appeared in the midst of them.
The angry eye of the young soldier followed their retir
ing forms, while a man of them was visible, after
which, turning to an elderly citizen, who, supported on a
crutch, had been a spectator of the scene, he asked:

24 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" Know you the cause of the cruel treatment this poor
man has received ; or what in any manner has led to the
violence? "

"The boy is weak," returned the cripple; "quite an in
nocent, who knows but little good, but does no harm. The
soldiers have been carousing in yonder dram-shop, and they
often get the poor lad in with them, and sport with his in
firmity. If these sorts of doings an't checked, I fear much
trouble will grow out of them! Hard laws from t'other side
of the water, and tarring and feathering on this, with gen
tlemen like Colonel Nesbitt at their head, will "

" It is wisest for us, my friend, to pursue this subject
no further," interrupted the officer. " I belong myself to
* Wolfe's own,' and will endeavor to see justice done in the
matter; as you will credit when I tell you that I am a Bos
ton boy. But, though a native, a long absence has obliter
ated the marks of the town from my memory; and I am at
a loss to thread these crooked streets. Know you the
dwelling of Mrs. Lechmere? "

" The house is well known to all in Boston," returned
the cripple, in a voice sensibly altered by the information
that he was speaking to a townsman. " Job, here, does but
little else than run of errands, and he will show you the way
out of gratitude ; won't you, Job ? "

The idiot, — for the vacant eye and unmeaning, boyish
countenance of the young man who had just been liberated,
but too plainly indicated that he was to be included in that
miserable class of human beings, — answered with a caution
and reluctance that were a little remarkable, considering the
recent circumstances.

" Ma'am Lechmere's ! Oh ! yes, Job knows the way, and
could go there blindfolded, if — if "

" If what, you simpleton ? " exclaimed the zealous cripple.

"Why, if 'twas daylight."

"Blindfolded, and daylight! do but hear the silly child!
Come, Job, you must take this gentleman to Tremont street,

LIONEL LINCOLN. 2$

without further words. 'Tis but just sundown, boy, and you
can go there and be home and in your bed before the Old
South strikes eight ! "

" Yes ; that all depends on which way you go," returned
the reluctant changeling. "Now, I know, neighbor Hop
per, you couldn't go to Ma'am Lechmere's in an hour, if you
went along Lynn street, and so along Prince street, and back
through Snow Hill ; and especially if you should stop any
time to look at the graves on Copps."

"Pshaw! the fool is in one of his sulks now, with his
Copps Hill, and the graves!" interrupted the cripple,
whose heart had warmed to his youthful townsman, and
who would have volunteered to show the way himself,
had his infirmities permitted the exertion. "The gentle
man must call the grenadiers back, to bring the child to
reason."

" 'Tis quite unnecessary to be harsh with the unfortunate
lad," said the young soldier; "my recollections will prob
ably aid me as I advance; and should they not, I can in
quire of any passenger I meet."

" If Boston was what Boston has been, you might ask
such a question of a civil inhabitant, at any corner," said
the cripple ; " but it's rare to see many of our people in the
streets at this hour, since the massacre. Besides, it is Sat
urday night, you know ; a fit time for these rioters to choose
for their revelries! For that matter, the soldiers have
grown more insolent than ever, since they have met that
disappointment about the cannon down at Salem; but I
needn't tell such as you what the soldiers are when they get
a little savage."

" I know my comrades but indifferently well, if their con
duct to-night be any specimen of their ordinary demeanor,
sir," returned the officer ; " but follow, Meriton ; I appre
hend no great difficulty in our path."

The pliant valet lifted the cloak-bag he carried, from the
ground, and they were about to proceed, when the natural

26 LIONEL LINCOLN.

edged himself in a sidelong, slovenly manner, nigher to the
gentleman, and looked earnestly up in his face for a moment,
where he seemed to be gathering confidence to say : " Job
will show the officer Ma'am Lechmere's, if the officer won't
let the grannies catch Job afore he gets off the North End
ag'in."

" Ah ! " said the young man, laughing, " there is some
thing of the cunning of a fool in that arrangement. Well,
I accept the conditions ; but beware how you take me to
contemplate the graves by moonlight, or I shall deliver you
not only to the grannies, but to the light infantry, artillery,
and all."

With this good-natured threat, the officer followed his
nimble conductor, after taking a friendly leave of the oblig
ing cripple, who continued his admonitions to the natural,
not to wander from the direct route, while the sounds of his
voice were audible to the retiring party. The progress of
his guide was so rapid as to require the young officer to con
fine his survey of the narrow and crooked streets through
which they passed, to extremely hasty and imperfect
glances. No very minute observation, however, was neces
sary to perceive that he was led along one of the most filthy
and inferior sections of the town ; and where, notwithstand
ing his efforts, he found it impossible to recall a single fea
ture of his native place to his remembrance. The com
plaints of Meriton, who followed close at the heels of his
master, were loud and frequent, until the gentleman, a little
doubting the sincerity of his intractable conductor, ex
claimed :

" Have you nothing better than this to show a townsman,
who has been absent seventeen years, on his return ? Pray
let us go through some better streets than this, if any there
are in Boston which can be called better."

The lad stopped short, and looked up in the face of the
speaker, for an instant, with an air of undisguised amaze
ment, and then, without replying, he changed the direction of

LIONEL LINCOLN. 2/

his route, and after one or two more deviations in his path,
suddenly turning again, he glided up an alley, so narrow
that the passenger might touch the buildings on either side
of him. The officer hesitated an instant to enter this dark
and crooked passage, but perceiving that his guide was
already hid by a bend in the houses, he quickened his
steps, and immediately regained the ground he had lost.
They soon emerged from the obscurity of the place, and is
sued on a street of greater width.

" There ! " said Job, triumphantly, when they had effected
this gloomy passage, " does the king live in so crooked and
narrow a street as that ? "

" His majesty must yield the point in your favor," returned
the officer.

" Ma'am Lechmere is a grand lady ! " continued the lad,
seemingly following the current of his own fanciful con
ceits, "and she wouldn't live in that alley for the world,
though it is narrow, like the road to heaven, as old Nab
says; I suppose they call it after the Methodies for that
reason."

"I have heard the road you mention termed narrow, cer
tainly, but it is also called strait" returned the officer, a
little amused with the humor of the lad ; " but forward, the
time is slipping away, and we loiter."

Again Job turned, and moving onward, he led the way,
with swift steps, along another narrow and crooked path,
which, however, better deserved the name of a street, under
the projecting stories of the wooden buildings, which lined
its sides. After following the irregular windings of their
route for some distance, they entered a triangular area, of
a few rods in extent, where Job, disregarding the use of
the narrow walk, advanced directly into the centre of the
open space. Here he stopped once more, and, turning his
vacant face with an air of much seriousness towards a build
ing which composed one side of the triangle, he said, with
& voice that expressed his own deep admiration :

28 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" There— that's the * Old North! ' did you ever see such a
meetin'us' afore? does the king worship God in such a
temple ? "

The officer did not chide the idle liberties of the fool, for
in the antiquated and quiet architecture of the wooden edi
fice, he recognized one of those early efforts of the simple,
Puritan builders, whose rude tastes have been transmitted to
their posterity with so many deviations on the style of the
same school, but so little of improvement. Blended with
these considerations, were the dawnings of revived recollec
tions; and he smiled, as he recalled the time when he also
used to look up at the building with feelings somewhat
allied to the profound admiration of the idiot. Job watched
his countenance narrowly, and easily mistaking its expres
sion, he extended his arm towards one of the narrowest of the
avenues that entered the area, where stood a few houses of
more than common pretension.

"And there ag'in!" he continued; "there's palaces for
you! stingy Tommy lived in the one with the pile-axters,
and the flowers hanging to their tops; and see the crowns
on them, too! stingy Tommy loved crowns, they say; but
Province'us' wasn't good enough for him, and he lived here
— now they say he lives in one of the king's cupboards! "

"And who was stingy Tommy? and what right had he to
dwell in Province House, if he would?"

"What right has any governor to live in Province'us'?
because it's the king's, though the people paid for it! "

"Pray, sir, excuse me," said Meriton, from behind; "but
do the Americans usually call all their governors stingy
Tommies?"

The officer turned his head at this vapid question from
his valet, and perceived that he had been accompanied thus
far by the aged stranger, who stood at his elbow, leaning on
his staff, studying with close attention the late dwelling of
Hutchinson, while the light of the moon fell, unobstructed,
on the deep lines of his haggard face. During the first sur-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 2Q

prise of this discovery he forgot to reply, and Job took the
vindication of his language into his own hands.

" To be sure they do — they call people by their right
names," he said. " Insygn Peck is called Insygn Peck, and
you call Deacon Winslow anything but Deacon Winslow,
and see what a look he'll give you! and I am Job Pray, so
called; and why shouldn't a governor be called stingy
Tommy, if he is a stingy Tommy? "

"Be careful how you speak lightly of the king's represen
tative," said the young officer, raising his light cane with
the affectation of correcting the changeling. "Forget you
that I am a soldier ? "

The idiot shrunk back a little, timidly, and then leering
from under his sunken brow, he answered :

" I heard you say you were a Boston boy."

The gentleman was about to make a playful reply, when
the aged stranger passed swiftly before him, and took his
stand at the side of the lad with a manner so remarkable for
its earnestness that it entirely changed the current of his
thoughts.

" The young man knows the ties of blood and country,"
the stranger muttered, " and I honor him ! "

It might have been the sudden recollection of the danger
of those allusions, which the officer so well understood, and
to which his accidental association with the singular being
who uttered them had begun to familiarize his ear, that in
duced the youth to resume his walk, silently, and in deep
thought, along the street. By this movement he escaped
observing the cordial grasp of the hand which the old
stranger bestowed on the idiot, while he muttered a few
more terms of commendation. Job soon took his station
in front, and the whole party moved on again, though with
less rapid strides. As the lad advanced deeper into the
town he evidently wavered once or twice in his choice of
streets, and the officer began to suspect that the changeling
contemplated one of his wild circuits, to avoid the direct

3O LIONEL LINCOLN.

route to a house that he manifestly approached with great
reluctance. Once or twice the young soldier looked about
him, intending to inquire the direction of the first passenger
he might see; but the quiet of deep night already pervaded
the place, and not an individual, but those who accompanied
him, appeared in the long ranges of streets they had passed.
The air of the guide was becoming so dogged and hesitating
that his follower had just determined to make an application
at one of the doors, when they emerged from a dark, dirty,
and gloomy street on an open space of much greater extent
than the one they had so recently left. Passing under the
walls of a blackened dwelling, Job led the way to the centre
of a swinging bridge, which was thrown across an inlet from
the harbor, that extended a short distance into the area, form
ing a shallow dock. Here he took his stand, and allowed
the view of the surrounding objects to work its own effect
on those he had conducted thither. The square was com
posed of rows of low, gloomy, and irregular houses, most of
which had the appearance of being but little used. Stretch
ing from the end of the basin, and a little on one side, a
long narrow edifice, ornamented with pilasters, perforated
with arched windows, and surmounted by a humble cupola,
reared its walls of brick under the light of the moon. The
story which held the rows of silent, glistening windows, was
supported on abutments and arches of the same material,
through the narrow vistas of which were to be seen the
shambles of the common market-place. Heavy cornices of
stone were laid above and beneath the pilasters, and some
thing more than the unskilful architecture of the dwelling-
houses they had passed was affected throughout the whole
structure. While the officer gazed at this scene the idiot
watched his countenance with a keenness exceeding his
usual observation, until, impatient at hearing no words of
pleasure or of recognition, he exclaimed:

"If you don't know Funnel Hall, you are no Boston
boy!"

LIONEL LINCOLN. 31

" But I do know Faneuil Hall, and I am a Boston boy,"
returned the amused gentleman. "The place begins to
freshen on my memory, and I now recall the scenes of my
childhood.'7

" This, then," said the aged stranger, " is the spot where
liberty has found so many bold advocates! "

" It would do the king's heart good to hear the people talk
in old Funnel, sometimes," said Job. " I was on the cor-
nishes, and looked into the winders, the last town-meetin-
da', and if there was soldiers on the common, there was
them in the hall that didn't care for them ! "

"All this is very amusing, no doubt," said the officer,
gravely, " but it does not advance me a foot on my way to
Mrs. Lechmere's."

"It is also instructing," exclaimed the stranger; "go on,
child: I love to hear his simple feelings thus expressed;
they indicate the state of the public mind."

"Why," said Job, "they were plain-spoken, that's all;
and it would be better for the king to come over and hear
them ; it would pull down his pride, and make him pity the
people, and then he wouldn't think of shutting up Boston
harbor. Suppose he should stop the water from coming in
by the Narrows, why, we should get it by Broad Sound ! and
if it didn't come by Broad Sound, it would by Nantasket !
He needn't think that the Boston folks are so dumb as to be
cheated out of God's water by acts of Parliament, while old
Funnel stands in the Dock Square ! "

" Sirrah ! " exclaimed the officer, a little angrily, " we have
already loitered until the clocks are striking eight."

The idiot lost his animation, and lowered in his looks
again, as he answered:

" Well, I told neighbor Hopper there was more ways to
Ma'am Lechmere's than straight forward; but everybody
knows Job's business better than Job himself. Now you
make me forget the road : let us go in and ask old Nab ; she
knows the way too well ! "

32 LIONEL LINCOLN.

"Old Nab! you wilful dolt! who is Nab, and what have
I to do with any but yourself ? "

" Everybody in Boston knows Abigail Pray."

" What of her? " asked the startling voice of the stranger;
"what of Abigail Pray, boy? is she not honest? "

"Yes, as poverty can make her," returned the natural,
gloomily; "now the king has said there shall be no goods
but tea sent to Boston, and the people won't have the bohea,
it's easy living rent free. Nab keeps her huckster stuff in
the old ware'us', and a good place it is, too. Job and his
mother have each a room to sleep in, and they say the king
and queen haven't more ! "

While he was speaking, the eyes of his listeners were
drawn by his gestures towards the singular edifice to which
he alluded. Like most of the others adjacent to the square,
it was low, old, dirty, and dark. Its shape was triangular,
a street bounding it on each side, and its extremities were
flanked by as many low hexagonal towers, which terminated,
like the main building itself, in high pointed roofs, tiled,
and capped with rude ornaments. Long ranges of small
windows were to be seen in the dusky walls, through one of
which the light of a solitary candle was glimmering, the
only indication of the presence of life about the silent and
gloomy building.

"Nab knows Ma'am Lechmere better than Job," con
tinued the idiot, after a moment's pause, "and she will
know whether Ma'am Lechmere will have Job whipped for
bringing company on Saturday night, though they say she's
so full of scoffery as to talk, drink tea, and laugh on that
night, just the same as any other time."

" I will pledge myself to her courteous treatment," the
officer replied, beginning to be weary of the fool's de
lay.

" Let us see this Abigail Pray," cried the aged stranger,
suddenly seizing Job by the arm, and leading him, with a
sort of irresistible power, towards the walls of the building,

LIONEL LINCOLN. 33

through one of the low doors of which they immediately
disappeared.

Thus left on the bridge, with his valet, the young officer
hesitated a single instant how to act; but yielding to the
secret and powerful interest which the stranger had suc
ceeded in throwing around all his movements and opinions,
he bade Meriton await his return, and followed his guide
and the old man into the cheerless habitation of the former.
On passing the outer door he found himself in a spacious
but rude apartment, which, from its appearance, as well as
from the few articles of heavy but valueless merchandise it
now contained, would seem to have been used once as a
storehouse. The light drew his steps towards a room in one
of the towers, where, as he approached its open door, he
heard the loud sharp tones of a woman's voice, exclaiming:

"Where have you been, graceless, this Saturday night
tagging at the heels of the soldiers, or gazing at the men-
of-war, with their ungodly fashions of music and revelry at
such a time, I dare to say ! and you knew that a ship was in
the bay, and that Madam Lechmere had desired me to send
her the first notice of its arrival. Here have I been waiting
for you to go up to Tremont street since sundown, with the
news, and you are out of call — you, that know so well who
it is she expects ! "

" Don't be cross to Job, mother, for the grannies have
been cutting his back with cords till the blood runs ! Ma'am
Lechmere! I do believe, mother, that Ma'am Lechmere has
moved; for I've been trying to find her house this hour, be
cause there's a gentleman who landed from the ship wanted
Job to show him the way."

"What means the ignorant boy? " exclaimed his mother.

"He alludes to me," said the officer, entering the apart
ment; "I am the person, if any, expected by Mrs. Lech
mere, and have just landed from Avon, of Bristol; but your
son has led me a circuitous path, indeed; at one time he
spoke of visiting the graves on Copp's Hill."
3

34 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" Excuse the ignorant and witless child, sir," exclaimed
the matron, eying the young man keenly through her spec
tacles; "he knows the way as well as to his own bed, but
he is wilful at times. This will be a joyful night in Tre-
mont street! So handsome, and so stately, too! Excuse me,
young gentleman," she added, raising the candle to his fea
tures with an evident unconsciousness of the act — " he has
the sweet smile of the mother, and the terrible eye of his
father! God forgive us all our sins, and make us happier
in another world than in this place of evil and wicked
ness!" As she muttered the latter words, the woman set
aside her candle with an air of singular agitation. Each
syllable, notwithstanding her secret intention, was heard by
the officer, across whose countenance there passed a sudden
gloom that doubled its sad expression. He, however, said:

"You know me and my family, then? "

" I was at your birth, young gentleman, and a joyful birth
it was! but Madam Lechmere waits for the news, and my
unfortunate child shall speedily conduct you to her door;
she will tell you all that it is proper to know. Job, you
Job, where are you getting to, in that corner? take your hat,
and show the gentleman to Tremont street directly: you
know, my son, you love to go to Madam Lechmere's."

"Job would never go, if Job could help it," muttered the
sullen boy; "and if Nab had never gone, 'twould have been
better for her soul."

"Do you dare, disrespectful viper! " exclaimed the angry
quean, seizing, in the violence of her fury, the tongs, and
threatening the head of her stubborn child.

"Woman, peace! " said a voice behind.

The dangerous weapon fell from the nerveless hand of
the vixen, and the hues of her yellow and withered counte
nance changed to the whiteness of death. She stood mo
tionless for near a minute, as if riveted to the spot by a su
perhuman power, before she succeeded in muttering, " Who
speaks to me ? "

LIONEL LINCOLN. 35

" It is I," returned the stranger, advancing from the shad
ow of the door into the dim light of the candle; "a man
who has numbered ages, and who knows, that as God loves
him, so is he bound to love the children of his loins."

The rigid limbs of the woman lost their stability in a
tremor that shook every fibre in her body ; she sunk in her
chair, and her eyes rolled from the face of one visitor to
that of the other, while her unsuccessful efforts to utter, de
noted that she had temporarily lost the command of speech.
Job stole to the side of the stranger, in this short interval,
and looking up in his face piteously, he said:

" Don't hurt old Nab — read that good saying to her out
of the Bible, and she'll never strike Job with the tongs
ag'in; will you, mother? See her cup, where she hid it
under the towel, when you came in! Ma'am Lechmere
gives her the p'ison tea to drink, and then Nab is never so
good to Job as Job would be to mother, if mother was half
witted, and Job was old Nab."

The stranger considered the moving countenance of the
boy, while he pleaded thus earnestly in behalf of his
mother, with marked attention, and when he had done, he
stroked the head of the natural compassionately, and said :

" Poor, imbecile child! God has denied the most pre
cious of his gifts, and yet his Spirit hovers around thee ; for
thou canst distinguish between austerity and kindness, and
thou hast learnt to know good from evil. Young man, see
you no moral in this dispensation? nothing which says that
Providence bestows no gift in vain ; while it points to the
difference between the duty that is fostered by indulgence,
and that which is extorted by power ? "

The officer avoided the ardent looks of the stranger, and
after an embarrassing pause of a moment, he expressed his
readiness, to the reviving woman, to depart on his way.
The matron whose eye had never ceased to dwell on the
features of the old man, since her faculties were restored,
arose slowly, and in a feeble voice directed her son to show

36 LIONEL LINCOLN.

the road to Tremont street. She had acquired, by long
practice, a manner that never failed to control, when neces
sary, the wayward humors of her child, and on the present
occasion, the unwonted solemnity imparted to her voice by
deep agitation, aided in effecting her object. Job quietly
arose and prepared himself to comply. The manners of the
whole party wore a restraint, which implied they had touched
on feelings that it would be wiser to smother, and the sepa
ration would have been silent, though courteous, on the part
of the youth, had he not perceived the passage still filled by
the motionless form of the stranger.

"You will precede me, sir," he said; "the hour grows
late, and you, too, may need a guide to find your dwell-
ing."

"To me the streets of Boston have long been familiar,"
returned the old man. " I have noted the increase of the
town as the parent notes the increasing stature of his child ;
nor is my love for it less than paternal. It is enough that
I am within its limits, where liberty is prized as the great
est good ; and it matters not under what roof I lay my head
— this will do as well as another."

"This!" echoed the other, glancing his eyes over the
miserable furniture, and scanning the air of poverty that
pervaded the place; "why, this house has even less of com
fort than the ship we have left! "

" It has enough for my wants," said the stranger, seating
himself with composure, and deliberately placing his bun
dle by his side. " Go you to your palace in Tremont
street : it shall be my care that we meet again."

The officer understood the character of his companion too
well to hesitate, and bending low, he quitted the apartment,
leaving the other leaning his head on his cane, in absent
musing, while the amazed matron was gazing at her unex
pected guest with a wonder that was not unmingled with
dread.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 37

CHAPTER III.

From silver spouts the grateful liquors glide,
While China's earth receives the smoking tide :
At once they gratify their scent and taste,
And frequent cups prolong the rich repast.

Rape of the Lock.

THE recollection of the repeated admonitions of his mother
served to keep Job to his purpose. The instant the officer
appeared, he held his way across the bridge, and after pro
ceeding for a short distance farther along the water's edge,
they entered a broad and well-built avenue, which led from
the principal wharf into the upper parts of the town.
Turning up this street, the lad was making his way, with
great earnestness, when sounds of high merriment and con
viviality, breaking from an opposite building, caught his
attention, and induced him to pause.

"Remember your mother's injunction," said the officer;
" what see you in that tavern to stare at ? "

' 'Tis the British Coffee House," said Job, shaking his
head; "yes, anybody might know that by the noise they
make in't on Saturday night! See! it's filled now with
Lord Boot's officers, flaring afore the windows, just like so
many red devils; but to-morrow, when the Old South bell
rings, they'll forget their Lord and Maker, every sinner
among them ! "

" Fellow! " exclaimed the officer, "this is trespassing too
far — proceed to Tremont street, or leave me, that I may, at
once, procure another guide."

The changeling cast a look aside at the angry eye of the
other, and then turned and proceeded, muttering so loud as
to be overheard :

" Every boy that's raised in Boston knows how to keep
Saturday night; and if you're a Boston boy you should love
Boston ways."

The officer did not reply, and as they now proceeded with

38 LIONEL LINCOLN.

great diligence, they soon passed through King and Queen
streets, and entered that of Tremont. At a little distance
from the turning, Job stopped, and pointing to a building
near them, he said :

" There ; that house with the courtyard afore it, and the
pilaxters, and the grand-looking door, that's Ma'am Lech-
mere's ; and everybody says she's a grand lady ; but I say it
is a pity she isn't a better woman."

" And who are you, that ventures thus boldly to speak of
a lady so much your superior? "

"I!" said the idiot, looking up simply into the face of
his interrogator, " I am Job Pray, so called."

" Well, Job Pray, here is a crown for you. The next time
you act as guide, keep more to your business. — I tell you,
lad, I offer a crown."

" Job don't love crowns — they say the king wears a crown,
and it makes him flaunty and proud like."

" The disaffection must have spread itself wide indeed, if
such as he refuse silver, rather than offend their princi
ples ! " muttered the officer to himself. " Here then is half
a guinea, if you like gold better."

The natural continued kicking a stone about with his toes,
without taking his hands from his pockets where he wore
them ordinarily, with a sort of idle air, as he peered from
under his slouched hat at this renewed offer, answering:

" You wouldn't let the grannies whip Job, and Job won't
take your money."

" Well, boy, there is more of gratitude in that than a
wiser man would always feel! Come, Meriton, I shall meet
the poor fellow again, and will not forget this. I commis
sion you to see the lad better dressed, in the beginning of the
week."

" Lord, sir," said the valet, " if it is your pleasure, most
certainly ; but I declare I don't know in what style I should
dress such a figure and countenance, to make anything of
them!"

LIONEL LINCOLN. 39

" Sir, sir," cried the lad, running a few steps after the
officer, who had already proceeded, " if you won't let the
grannies beat Job any more, Job will always show you the
way through Boston ; and run your a'r'nds too ! "

"Poor fellow! well, I promise that you shall not be again
abused by any of the soldiery. Good-night, my honest
friend — let me see you again."

The idiot appeared satisfied with this assurance, for he
immediately turned, and gliding along the street with a sort
of shuffling gait, he soon disappeared round the first cor
ner. In the mean time the young officer advanced to the
entrance which led into the courtyard of Mrs. Lechmere's
dwelling. The house was of bricks, and of an exterior al
together more pretending than most of those in the lower
parts of the town. It was heavily ornamented, in wood, ac
cording to the taste of a somewhat earlier day, and pre
sented a front of seven windows in its two upper stories,
those at the extremes being much narrower than the others.
The lower floor had the same arrangement, with the excep
tion of the principal door.

Strong lights were shining in many parts of the house,
which gave it, in comparison with the gloomy and darkened
edifices in its vicinity, an air of peculiar gayety and life.
The rap of the gentleman was answered instantly by an old
black, dressed in a becoming, and what, for the colonies,
was a rich livery. The inquiry for Mrs. Lechmere was suc
cessful, and the youth was conducted through a hall of some
dimensions, into an apartment which opened from one of its
sides. This room would be considered, at the present day,
much too small to contain the fashion of a country town ;
but what importance it wanted in size, was amply compen
sated for in the richness and labor of its decorations. The
walls were divided into compartments, by raised panel-
work, beautifully painted with imaginary landscapes and
ruins. The glittering, varnished surfaces of those pictures
were burdened with armorial bearings, which were intended

4O LIONEL LINCOLN.

to illustrate the alliances of the family. Beneath the sur-
base were smaller divisions of panels, painted with various
architectural devices; and above it rose, between the com
partments, fluted pilasters of wood, with gilded capitals.
A heavy wooden and highly ornamented cornice stretched
above the whole, furnishing an appropriate outline to the
walls. The use of carpets was, at that time, but little
known in the colonies, though the wealth and station of
Mrs. Lechmere would probably have introduced the luxury,
had not her age, and the nature of the building, tempted her
to adhere to ancient custom. The floor, which shone equally
with the furniture, was tessellated with small alternate
squares of red cedar and pine, and in the centre were the
" saliant lions " of Lechmere, attempted by the blazonry of
the joiner. On either side of the ponderous and labored
mantel were arched compartments, of plainer work, denot
ing use, the sliding panels of one of which, being raised,
displayed a buffet groaning with massive plate. The fur
niture was old, rich, and heavy, but in perfect preservation.
In the midst of this scene of colonial splendor, which was
rendered as impressive as possible by the presence of nu
merous waxen lights, a lady, far in the decline of life, sat,
in formal propriety, on a small settee. The officer had
thrown his cloak into the hands of Meriton, in the hall, and
as he advanced up the apartment, his form appeared in the
gay dress of a soldier, giving to its ease and fine propor
tions the additional charm of military garnish. The hard,
severe eye of the lady sensibly softened with pleased sur
prise, as it dwelt on his person for an instant after she
arose to receive her guest; but the momentary silence was
first broken by the youth, who said :

" I have entered unannounced, for my impatience has ex
ceeded my breeding, madam, while each step I have taken
in this house recalls the days of my boyhood, and of my
former freedom within its walls."

" My cousin Lincoln ! " interrupted the lady, who was

LIONEL LINCOLN. 4!

Mrs. Lechmere; "that dark eye, that smile, nay, your very
step, announces you! I must have forgotten my poor
brother, and one also who is still so dear to us, not to have
known you a true Lincoln."

There was a distance in the manner of both, at meeting,
which might easily have been imparted by the precise for
mula of the provincial school, of which the lady was so dis
tinguished a member, but which was not sufficient to explain
the sad expression that suddenly and powerfully blended
with the young man's smile, as she spoke. The change,
however, was but momentary, and he answered courteously
to her assurances of recognition —

" I have long been taught to expect a second home in
Tremont street, and I find by your flattering remembrance
of myself and parents, dear madam, that my expectations
are justified."

The lady was sensibly pleased at this remark, and she
suffered a smile to unbend her rigid brow, as she an
swered :

" A home, certainly, though it be not such a one as the
heir of the wealthy house of Lincoln may have been accus
tomed to dwell in. It would be strange, indeed, could any,
allied to that honorable family, forget to entertain its rep
resentative with due respect."

The youth seemed conscious that quite as much had now
been said as the occasion required, and he raised his head
from bowing respectfully on her hand, with the intention of
changing the subject to one less personal, when his eye
caught a glimpse of the figure of another, and more youth
ful female, who had been concealed, hitherto, by the dra
pery of a window-curtain. Advancing to this young lady, he
said, with a quickness that rather betrayed his willingness
to suspend further compliment:

" And here I see one also, to whom I have the honor of
being related — Miss Dynevor? "

" Though it be not my grandchild," said Mrs. Lechmere,

42 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" it is one who claims an equal affinity to you, Major
Lincoln; it is Agnes Danforth, the daughter of my late
niece."

" 'Twas my eye then, and not my feelings, that were mis
taken," returned the young soldier; "I hope this lady will
admit my claim to call her cousin? "

A simple inclination of the body was the only answer he
received, though she did not decline the hand which he of
fered with his salutations. After a few more of the usual
expressions of pleasure, and the ordinary inquiries that suc
ceed such meetings, the party became seated, and a more
regular discourse followed.

"I am pleased to find you remember us then, cousin
Lionel," said Mrs. Lechmere; "we have so little in this
remote province that will compare with the mother country,
I had feared no vestiges of the place of your birth could
remain on your mind."

" I find the town greatly altered, it is true, but there are
many places in it which I still remember, though certainly
their splendor is a little diminished, in my eyes, by absence
and a familiarity with other scenes."

" Doubtless, an acquaintance with the British court will
have no tendency to exalt our humble customs in your im
agination; neither do we possess many buildings to attract
the notice of a travelled stranger. There is a tradition in
our family, that your seat in Devonshire is as large as any
dozen edifices in Boston, public or private; nay, we are
proud of saying, that the king himself is lodged as well as
the head of the Lincoln family, only when at his castle of
Windsor!"

" Ravenscliffe is certainly a place of some magnitude,"
returned the young man, carelessly, "though you will re
member his majesty affects but little state at Kew. I have,
however, spent so little of my time in the country, that I
hardly know its conveniences or its extent."

The old lady bowed with that sort of complacency which

LIONEL LINCOLN. 43

the dwellers in the colonies were apt to betray, whenever an
allusion was made to the acknowledged importance of their
connections in that country, towards which they all looked
as to the fountain of honor; and then, as quickly as if the
change in her ideas was but a natural transition in the sub
ject, she observed —

" Surely Cecil cannot know of the arrival of our kins
man: she is not apt to be so remiss in paying attention to
our guests."

" She does me the more honor, that she considers me a
relative, and one who requires no formality in his recep
tion."

" You are but cousins twice removed," returned the old
lady, a little gravely; "and there is surely no affinity in
that degree which can justify any forgetfulness of the usual
courtesies. You see, cousin Lionel, how much we value the
consanguinity, when it is a subject of pride to the most re
mote branches of the family ! "

" I am but little of a genealogist, madam ; though, if I
retain a true impression of what I have heard, Miss Dyne-
vor is of too good blood, in the direct line, to value the col
lateral drops of an intermarriage."

" Pardon me, Major Lincoln ; her father, Colonel Dyne-
vor, was certainly an Englishman of an ancient and honor
able name, but no family in the realm need scorn an alli
ance with our own. I say our own, cousin Lionel, for I
would never have you forget that I am a Lincoln, and the
sister of your grandfather."

A little surprised at the seeming contradiction in the
language of the good lady, the young man bowed his head
to the compliment, and cast his eyes at his younger com
panion with a sort of longing to change the discourse, by
addressing the reserved young woman nigh him, that was
very excusable in one of his sex and years. He had not
time, however, to make more than one or two commonplace
remarks, and receive their answers, before Mrs. Lechmere

44 LIONEL LINCOLN.

said, with some exhibition of staid displeasure against her
grandchild —

"Go, Agnes, and acquaint your cousin of this happy
event. She has been sensibly alive to your safety during
the whole time consumed by your voyage. We have had
the prayers of the church, for a ' person gone to sea,' read
each Sunday since the receipt of your letters announcing
your intention to embark; and I have been exceedingly
pleased to observe the deep interest with which Cecil joined
in our petitions."

Lionel mumbled a few words of thanks, and leaning back
in his chair, threw his eyes upward, but whether in pious
gratitude or not, we conceive it is not our province to deter
mine. During the delivery of Mrs. Lechmere's last speech
and the expressive pantomime that succeeded it, Agnes
Danforth rose and left the room. The door had been some
little time closed before the silence was again broken, dur
ing which Mrs. Lechmere evidently assayed in vain, once
or twice, to speak. Her color, pale and immovable as usu
ally seemed her withered look, changed in its shades, and
her lip trembled involuntarily. She, however, soon found
her utterance, though the first tones of her voice were
choked and husky.

" I may have appeared remiss, cousin Lionel," she said,
" but there are subjects that can be discussed with propriety
only between the nearest relatives. Sir Lionel — you left
him in as good a state of bodily health, I hope, as his men
tal illness will allow?"

" It is so represented to me."

"You have seen him lately? "

" Not in fifteen years. My presence was said to increase
his disorder, and the physicians forbade any more inter
views. He continues at the private establishment near
town, and, as the lucid intervals are thought to increase,
both in frequency and duration, I often indulge in the
pleasing hope of being restored again to my father. The

LIONEL LINCOLN. 45

belief is justified by his years, which, you know, are yet
under fifty."

A long, and apparently a painful silence, succeeded this
interesting communication; at length the lady said, with a
tremor in her voice, for which the young man almost rever
enced her, as it so plainly bespoke her interest in her
nephew, as well as the goodness of her heart:

" I will thank you for a glass of that water in the buffet.
Pardon me, cousin Lionel, but this melancholy subject al
ways overcomes me. I will retire a few moments, with your
indulgence, and hasten the appearance of my grandchild.
I pine that you may meet."

Her absence, just at that moment, was too agreeable to
the feelings of Lionel for him to gainsay her intention;
though, instead of following Agnes Danforth, who had pre-r
ceded her on the same duty, the tottering steps of Mrs.
Lechmere conducted her to a door which communicated
with her own apartment. For several minutes the young
man trampled on the " saliant lions" of Lechmere with a
rapidity that seemed to emulate their own mimic speed, as
he paced to and fro across the narrow apartment, his eye
glancing vacantly along the labored wainscots, embracing
the argent, azure, and purpure fields of the different es
cutcheons, as heedlessly as if they were not charged with
the distinguishing symbols of so many honorable names.
This mental abstraction was, however, shortly dissipated
by the sudden appearance of one who had glided into the
room and advanced to its centre before he became conscious
of her presence. A light, rounded, and exquisitely propor
tioned female form, accompanied by a youthful and expres
sive countenance, with an air in which womanly grace
blended so nicely with feminine delicacy as to cause each
motion and gesture to command respect, at the same time
that it was singularly insinuating, was an object to suspend,
even at a first glance, provided that glance were by surprise,
the steps of a more absent and less courteous youth than the

46 LIONEL LINCOLN.

one we have attempted to describe. Major Lincoln knew
that this young lady could be no other than Cecil Dynevor,
the daughter of a British officer, long since deceased, by the
only child of Mrs. Lechmere, who was also in her grave;
and, consequently, that she was one to whom he was so well
known by character, and so nearly allied by blood, as to
render it an easy task for a man accustomed to the world, as
he had been, to remove any little embarrassments which
might have beset a less practised youth, by acting as his
own usher. This he certainly attempted, and at first with a
freedom which his affinity and the circumstances would
seem to allow, though it was chastened by easy politeness.
But the restraint visible in the manner of the lady was so
marked, that, by the time his salutations were ended and
he had handed her to a seat, the young man felt as much
embarrassment as if he had found himself alone, for the
first time, with the woman whom he had been pining, for
months, to favor with a very particular communication.
Whether it is that nature has provided the other sex with
a tact for these occasions, or that the young lady became
sensible that her deportment was not altogether such as was
worthy either of herself or the guest of her grandmother,
she was certainly the first to relieve the slight awkwardness
that was but too apparent in the commencement of the in
terview.

" My grandmother has long been expecting this pleasure,
Major Lincoln," she said, " and your arrival has been at a
most auspicious moment. The state of the country grows
each day so very alarming, that I have indeed long urged
her to visit our relatives in England, until the disputes shall
have terminated."

The tones of an extremely soft and melodious voice, and
a pronunciation quite as exact as if the speaker had ac
quired the sounds in the English court, and which was en
tirely free from the slight vernacular peculiarity which had
offended his ear in the few words that fell from Agnes

LIONEL LINCOLN. 4/

Danforth, certainly aided a native attraction of manner
which it seemed impossible for the young lady to cast en
tirely aside.

" You who are so much of an Englishwoman, would find
great pleasure in the exchange," he answered; "and if half
what I have heard from a fellow-passenger, of the state of
the country, be true, I shall be foremost in seconding your
request. Both Ravenscliffe and the house in Soho would
be greatly at the service of Mrs. Lechmere."

" It was my wish that she would accept the pressing invi
tations of my father's relative, Lord Cardonnel, who has
long urged me to pass a few years in his own family. A
separation would be painful to us both, but should my
grandmother, in such an event, determine to take her resi
dence in the dwellings of her ancestors, I could not be cen
sured for adopting a resolution to abide under the roofs of
mine."

The piercing eye of Major Lincoln fell full upon her
own, as she delivered this intention, and as it dropped on
the floor, the slight smile that played round his lip, was pro
duced by the passing thought, that the provincial beauty
had inherited so much of her grandmother's pride of geneal
ogy, as to be willing to impress on his mind, that the niece
of a viscount was superior to the heir of a baronetcy. But
the quick burning flush that instantly passed across the fea
tures of Cecil Dynevor, might have taught him that she was
acting under the impulse of much deeper feelings than such
an unworthy purpose would indicate. The effect, however,
was such as to make the young man glad to see Mrs. Lech-
mere re-enter the room, leaning on the arm of her niece.

" I perceive, my cousin Lionel," said the lady, as she
moved with a feeble step towards the settee, " that you and
Cecil have found each other out, without the necessity of
any other introduction than the affinity between you. I
surely do not mean the affinity of blood altogether, you
know, for that cannot be said to amount to anything; but

48 LIONEL LINCOLN.

I believe there existed certain features of the mind that are
transmitted through families quite as distinctly as any
which belong to the countenance."

" Could I flatter myself with possessing the slightest re
semblance to Miss Dynevor, in either of those particulars, I
should be doubly proud of the connection," returned Lio
nel, while he assisted the good lady to a seat, with a cool
ness that sufficiently denoted how little he cared about the
matter.

" But I am not disposed to have my right to claim near
kindred with cousin Lionel at all disputed," cried the young
lady, with sudden animation. "It has pleased our fore
fathers to order such "

"Nay, nay, my child," interrupted her grandmother,
"you forget that the term of cousin can only be used in
cases of near consanguinity, and where familiar situations
will excuse it. But Major Lincoln knows that we in the
colonies are apt to make the most of the language, and
count our cousins almost as far as if we were members of
the Scottish clans. Speaking of the clans reminds me of
the rebellion of '45. It is not thought, in England, that
our infatuated colonists will ever be so foolhardy as to as
sume their arms in earnest? "

" There are various opinions on that subject," said Lio
nel. "Most military men scout the idea; though I find,
occasionally, an officer that has served on this continent,
who thinks not only that the appeal will be made, but that
the struggle will be bloody."

"Why should they not? " said Agnes Danforth, abruptly;
"they are men, and the English are no more! "

Lionel turned his looks, in a little suprise, on the speaker,
to whose countenance an almost imperceptible cast in one
eye imparted a look of arch good-nature that her manner
would seem to contradict, and smiled as he repeated her
words :

" Why should they not, indeed! I know no other reasons

LIONEL LINCOLN. 49

than that it would be both a mad and an unlawful act. I
can assure you that I am not one of those who affect to un
dervalue my own countrymen ; for you will remember that
I, too, am an American."

" I have heard it said that such of our volunteers as wear
uniforms at all," said Agnes, " appear in blue, and not in
scarlet."

" 'Tis his Majesty's pleasure that his 47th foot should
wear this gaudy color," returned the young man, laughing;
"though, for myself, I am quite willing to resign it to the
use of you ladies, and to adopt another, could it well be."

" It might be done, sir."

"In what manner? "

" By resigning your commission with it."

Mrs. Lechmere had evidently permitted her niece to pro
ceed thus far, without interruption, to serve some purpose
of her own ; but perceiving that her guest by no means ex
hibited the air of pique, which the British officers were so
often weak enough to betray, when the women took into
their hands the defence of their country's honor, she rang
the bell, as she observed :

" Bold language, Major Lincoln ! bold language, for a
young lady under twenty. But Miss Danforth is privileged
to speak her mind freely, for some of her father's family are
but too deeply implicated in the unlawful proceedings of
these evil times. We have kept Cecil, however, more to
her allegiance."

" And yet even Cecil has been known to refuse the favor
of her countenance to the entertainments given by the Brit
ish officers! " said Agnes, a little piquantly.

"And would you have Cecil Dynevor frequent balls and
entertainments unaccompanied by a proper chaperon?" re
turned Mrs. Lechmere; "or is it expected that, at seventy,
I can venture in public to maintain the credit of our family?
But we keep Major Lincoln from his refreshments with our
idle disputes. Cato, we wait your movements."
4

5O LIONEL LINCOLN.

Mrs. Lechmere delivered her concluding intimation to
the black in attendance, with an air that partook somewhat
of mystery. The old domestic, who, probably from long
practice, understood, more by the expression of her eye than
by any words she had uttered, the wishes of his mistress,
proceeded to close the outer shutters of the windows and to
draw the curtains with the most exact care. When this
duty was performed, he raised a small oval table from its
regular position among the flowing folds of the drapery that
shrouded the deep apertures for light, and placed it in front
of Miss Dynevor. A salver of massive silver, containing
an equipage of the finest Dresden, followed, and in a few
minutes a hissing urn of the same precious metal garnished
the polished surface of the mahogany. During these ar
rangements, Mrs. Lechmere and her guest had maintained
a general discourse, touching chiefly on the welfare and
condition of certain individuals of their alliance in Eng
land. Notwithstanding the demand thus made on his atten
tion, Lionel was able to discover a certain appearance of
mystery and caution in each movement of the black, as he
proceeded leisurely in his duty. Miss Dynevor permitted
the disposition of the tea-table to be made before her, pas
sively, and her cousin, Agnes Danforth, threw herself back
on one of the settees, with a look that indicated cool dis
pleasure. When the usual compound was made in two lit
tle fluted cups, over whose pure white a few red and green
sprigs were sparingly scattered, the black presented one
containing the grateful beverage to his mistress, and the
other to the stranger.

" Pardon me, Miss Danforth," said Lionel, recollecting
himself after he had accepted the offering; "I have suffered
my sea-breeding to obtain the advantage."

" Enjoy your error, sir, if you can find any gratification
in the indulgence," returned the young lady.

" But I should enjoy it the more, could I see you partici
pating in the luxury."

LIONEL LINCOLN. $1

"You have termed the idle indulgence well; 'tis nothing
but a luxury, and such a one as can be easily dispensed
with: I thank you, sir, I do not drink tea."

" Surely no lady can forswear her bohea ! be persuaded."

" I know not how the subtle poison may operate on your
English ladies, Major Lincoln, but it is no difficult matter
for an American girl to decline the use of a detestable herb,
which is one, among many others, of the causes that is likely
to involve her country and kindred in danger and strife."

The young man, who had really intended no more than
the common civilities due from his sex to the other, bowed
in silence, though, as he turned from her, he could not for
bear looking towards the table to see whether the principles
of the other young American were quite as rigid. Cecil sat
bending over the salver, playing idly with a curiously
wrought spoon, made to represent a sprig of the plant
whose fragrance had been thus put in requisition to con
tribute to his indulgence, while the steam from the china
vessel before her was wreathing in a faint mist around her
polished brow.

"You, at least, Miss Dynevor," said Lionel, "appear to
have no dislike to the herb, you breathe its vapor so
freely."

Cecil cast a glance at him, which changed the demure
and somewhat proud composure of her countenance into a
look of sudden, joyous humor, that was infinitely more nat
ural, as she answered, laughingly:

"I own a woman's weakness. I must believe that it was
tea that tempted our common mother in Paradise! "

" I would show that the cunning of the serpent has been
transmitted to a later day, could that be proved," said Ag
nes, " though the instrument of temptation has lost some of
its virtue."

"How know you that?" said Lionel, anxious to pursue
the trifling, in order to remove the evident distance which
had existed between them ; " had Eve shut her ears as rig-

52 LIONEL LINCOLN.

idly as you close your mouth against the offering, we might
yet have enjoyed the first gift to our parents."

"Oh, sir, 'tis no such stranger to me as you may imagine
from the indifference I have assumed on the present occa
sion : as Job Pray says, Boston harbor is nothing but a t big
teapot ! ' "

" You know Job Pray, then, Miss Danforth ? " said Lio
nel, not a little amused by her spirit.

"Certainly; Boston is so small, and Job so useful, that
everybody knows the simpleton."

" He belongs to a distinguished family, then, for I have
his own assurance that everybody knows his perturbed
mother, Abigail."

"You!" exclaimed Cecil, again, in that sweet natural
voice that had before startled her auditor; "what can you
know of poor Job and his almost equally unfortunate
mother?"

"Now, young ladies, I have you in my snares!" cried
Lionel ; " you may possibly resist the steams of tea, but
what woman can withstand the impulse of her curiosity?
Not to be too cruel with my fair kinswomen on so short an
acquaintance, however, I will go so far as to acknowledge
that I have already had an interview with Mrs. Pray."

The reply which Agnes was about to deliver was inter
rupted by a slight crash, and on turning they beheld the
fragments of a piece of the splendid set of Dresden lying at
the feet of Mrs. Lechmere.

" My dear grandmamma is ill! " cried Cecil, springing to
the assistance of the old lady. " Hasten, Cato — Major Lin
coln, you are more active — for heaven's sake, a glass of
water — Agnes, your salts."

The amiable anxiety of her grandchild was not, however,
so necessary as first appearances would have indicated, and
Mrs. Lechmere gently put aside the salts, though she did
not decline the glass which Lionel offered for the second
time in so short a period.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 53

"I believe you will mistake me for a sad invalid, cousin
Lionel," said the old lady, when she had become a little
composed; "but I believe it is this very tea, of which so
much has been said, and which I drink to excess, from pure
loyalty, that unsettles my nerves; I must refrain, like the
girls, though from a very different motive. We are a peo
ple of early hours, Major Lincoln, but you are at home
here, and will pursue your pleasure. I must, however, claim
an indulgence for threescore-and-ten, and be permitted to
wish you a good rest after your voyage. Cato has his or
ders to contribute all he can to your comfort."

Leaning on her two assistants, the old lady withdrew,
leaving Lionel to the full possession of the apartment. As
the hour was getting late, and, from the compliments they
had exchanged, he did not expect the return of the younger
ladies, he called for a candle, and was shown to his own
room. As soon as the few indispensables which rendered
a valet necessary to a gentleman of that period were ob
served, he dismissed Meriton, and throwing himself in the
bed, courted the sweets of the pillow.

Many incidents, however, had occurred during the day,
that induced a train of thoughts which for a long time pre
vented his attaining the natural rest he sought. After in
dulging in long and uneasy reflections on certain events, too
closely connected with his personal feelings to be lightly
remembered, the young man began to muse on his reception
and on the individual who had been, as it were, for the first
time, introduced to him.

It was quite apparent, that both Mrs. Lechmere and her
granddaughter were acting their several parts, though
whether in concert or not, remained to be discovered. But
in Agnes Danforth, with all his subtlety, he could perceive
nothing but the plain and direct, though a little blunt, pe
culiarities of her nature and education. Like most very
young men, who had just been made acquainted with two
youthful females, both of them much superior to the gener-

54 LIONEL LINCOLN.

ality of their sex in personal charms, he fell asleep musing
on their characters. Nor, considering the circumstances,
will it be at all surprising, when we add, before morning,
he was dreaming of the Avon of Bristol, on board which
stout vessel he even thought that he was discussing a chow
der on the Banks of Newfoundland, which had been unac
countably prepared by the fair hands of Miss Danforth, and
which was strangely flavored with tea; while the Hebe-
looking countenance of Cecil Dynevor was laughing at his
perplexities with undisguised good-humor, and with all the
vivacity of girlish merriment.

CHAPTER IV.

A good portly man, i' faith, and a corpulent.

King Henry IV.

THE sun was just stirring the heavy bank of fog, which
had rested on the waters during the night, as Lionel toiled
his way up the side of Beacon-Hill, anxious to catch a
glimpse of his native scenery while it was yet glowing with
the first touch of day. The islands raised their green heads
above the mist, and the wide amphitheatre of hills that en
circled the bay was still visible, though the vapor was creep
ing in places along the valleys — now concealing the entrance
to some beautiful glen, and now wreathing itself fantasti
cally around a tall spire that told the site of a suburban
village. Though the people of the town were awake and
up, yet the sacred character of the day, and the state of the
times, contributed to suppress those sounds which usually
distinguish popular places. The cool nights and warm
days of April had generated a fog more than usually dense,
which was deserting its watery bed, and stealing insidi
ously along the land, to unite with the vapors of the rivers
and brooks, spreading a wider curtain before the placid
view. As Lionel stood on the brow of the platform that

LIONEL LINCOLN. 55

crowned the eminence, the glimpses of houses and hills, of
towers and ships, of places known and places forgotten,
passed before his vision, through the openings in the mist,
like phantoms of the imagination. The whole scene, ani
mated and in motion as it seemed by its changes, appeared
to his excited feelings like a fanciful panorama exhibited
for his eye alone, when his enjoyment was interrupted by a
voice apparently at no great distance. It was a man sing
ing to a common English air fragments of some ballad with
a peculiarly vile nasal cadency. Through the frequent
pauses he was enabled to comprehend a few words which
by their recurrence were evidently intended for a chorus to
the rest of the production. The reader will understand the
character of the whole from these lines which ran as fol
lows:

And they that would be free,

Out they go ;

While the slaves, as you may see,
Stay, to drink their p'ison tea,

Down below !

Lionel, after listening to this expressive ditty for a mo
ment, followed the direction of the sounds until he encoun
tered Job Pray, who was seated on one of the flights of
steps, which aided the ascent to the platform, cracking
a few walnuts on the boards, while he employed those inter
vals, when his mouth could find no better employment, in
uttering the above-mentioned strains.

" How now, master Pray ; do you come here to sing your
orisons to the goddess of liberty, on a Sunday morning? "
cried Lionel ; " or are you the town lark, and for want of
wings, take to this height to obtain an altitude for your
melody?"

" There's no harm in singing psalm tunes or continental
songs, any day in the week," said the lad, without raising
his eyes from his occupation ; " Job don't know what a lark
is, but if it belongs to the town, the soldiers are so thick,
they can't keep it on the common."

56 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" And what objection can you have to the soldiers possess
ing a corner of your common? "

"They starve the cows, and then they won't give milk;
grass is sweet to beasts in the spring of the year."

"But, my life for it, the soldiers don't eat grass; your
brindles and your blacks, your reds and your whites, may
have the first offering of the spring as usual."

" But Boston cows don't love grass that British soldiers
have trampled on," said the sullen lad.

"This is, indeed, carrying notions of liberty to refine
ment!" exclaimed Lionel, laughing.

Job shook his head threateningly, as he looked up and
said, " Don't you let Ralph hear you say anything ag'in'
liberty!"

"Ralph! who is he, lad? your genius! where do you
keep the invisible that there is danger of his overhearing
what I say ? "

" He's up there in the fog," said Job pointing signifi
cantly towards the foot of the beacon which a dense volume
of vapor was enwrapping, probably attracted up the tall post
that supported the grate.

Lionel gazed at the smoky column for a moment when
the mists began to dissolve and amid their evolutions he
beheld the dim figure of his aged fellow-passenger. The
old man was still clad in his simple tarnished vestments of
gray which harmonized so singularly with the mists as to
impart a look almost ethereal to his wasted form. As the
medium through which he was seen became less cloudy his
features grew visible, and Lionel could distinguish the un
easy rapid glances of his eyes which seemed to roam over
the distant objects with an earnestness that appeared to
mock the misty veil that was floating before so much of the
view. While Lionel stood fixed to the spot, gazing at this
irregular being with that secret awe which the other had
succeeded in inspiring, the old man waved his hand impa
tiently, as if he would cast aside his shroud. At that in-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 57

stant a bright sunbeam darted into the vapor, illuminating
his person, and melting the mist into the air. The anxious,
haggard, and severe expression of his countenance changed
at the touch of the ray, and he smiled with a softness and at
traction that thrilled the nerves of the other, as he called
aloud to the sensitive young soldier :

" Come hither, Lionel Lincoln, to the foot of this beacon,
where you may gather warnings, which, if properly heeded,
will guide you through many and great dangers unharmed."

" I am glad you have spoken," said Lionel, advancing to
his side; "you appeared like a being of another world,
wrapped in that mantle of fog, and I felt tempted to kneel,
and ask a benediction."

" And am I not a being of another world ! Most of my
interests are already in the grave, and I tarry here only for
a space, because there is a great work to be done, which can
not be performed without me. My view of the world of
spirits, young man, is much clearer and more distinct than
yours of this variable scene at your feet. There is no mist
to obstruct the eye, nor any doubts as to the colors it pre
sents."

" You are happy, sir, in the extremity of your age, to be
so assured. But I fear your sudden determination last
night subjected you to inconvenience in the tenement of
this changeling."

" The boy is a good boy," said the old man, stroking the
head of the natural complacently; "we understand each
other, Major Lincoln, and that shortens introductions, and
renders communion easy."

"That you feel alike on one subject, I have already dis
covered; but there, I should think, the resemblance and the
intelligence must end."

" The propensities of the mind, in its infancy and in its
maturity, are but a span apart," said the stranger; "the
amount of human knowledge is but to know how much we
are under the dominion of our passions; and he who has

58 LIONEL LINCOLN.

learned by experience how to smother the volcano, and he
who never felt its fires, are surely fit associates."

Lionel bowed in silence to an opinion so humbling to the
other, and, after a pause of a moment, adverted to their situ
ation :

" The sun begins to make himself felt, and when he has
driven away these ragged remnants of the fog, we shall see
those places each of us has frequented in his day."

" Shall we find them as we left them, think you? or will
you see the stranger in possession of the haunts of your
infancy? "

" Not the stranger, certainly, for we are the subjects of
one king : the children who own a common parent."

" I will not reply that he has proved himself an unnatural
father," said the old man, calmly ; " the gentleman who now
fills the British throne is less to be censured than his ad
visers, for the oppression of his reign."

" Sir," interrupted Lionel, " if such allusions are made to
the person of my sovereign, we must separate ; for it ill be
comes a British officer to hear his master mentioned with
levity."

" Levity ! " repeated the other, slowly. " It is a fault,
indeed, to accompany gray locks and wasted limbs! but
your jealous watchfulness betrays you into error. I have
breathed in the atmosphere of kings, young man, and know
how to separate the individual and his purpose from the
policy of his government. 'Tis the latter that will sever
this great empire, and deprive the third George of what has
so often and so well been termed * the brightest jewel in his
crown. ";

" I must leave you, sir," said Lionel ; " the opinions you
so freely expressed during our passage were on principles
which I can hardly call opposed to our own constitution,
and might be heard, not only without offence, but frequently
with admiration; but this language approaches to treason! "

"Go, then," returned the unmoved stranger; "descend to

LIONEL LINCOLN. 59

yon degraded common, and bid your mercenaries seize me
— 'twill be only the blood of an old man, but 'twill help to
fatten the land; or send your merciless grenadiers to tor
ment their victim before the axe shall do its work: a man
who has lived so long, can surely spare a little of his time
to the tormentors ! "

" I could have thought, sir, that you might spare such a
reproach to me," said Lionel.

" I do spare it, and I do more : I forget my years, and
solicit forgiveness. But had you known slavery, as I have
done, in its worst of forms, you would know how to prize
the inestimable blessing of freedom."

" Have you ever known slavery, in your travels, more
closely than in what you deem the violations of principle? "

"Have I not?" said the stranger, smiling bitterly. "I
have known it as man should never know it — in act and
will. I have lived days, months, and even years, to hear
others coldly declare my wants; to see others dole out their
meagre pittances to my necessities, and to hear others as
sume the right to express the sufferings and to control the
enjoyments of sensibilities that God has given to me
only!"

" To endure such thraldom, you must have fallen into the
power of the infidel barbarians."

" Ah ! boy, I thank you for the words ; they were indeed
worthy of the epithets : infidels, that denied the precepts of
our blessed Redeemer; and barbarians, that treated one hav
ing a soul, and possessing reason like themselves, as a
beast of the field."

" Why didn't you come to Boston, Ralph, and tell that to
the people in Funnel Hall ? " exclaimed Job : " there'd ha'
been a stir about it ! "

"Child, I did come to Boston, again and again, in
thought; and the appeals that I made to my townsmen
would have moved the very roof of old Faneuil, could they
have been uttered within her walls. But 'twas in vain!

6O LIONEL LINCOLN.

they had the power, and like demons — or, rather, like mis
erable men — they abused it."

Lionel, sensibly touched, was about to reply in a suitable
manner, when he heard a voice calling his own name aloud,
as if the speaker were ascending the opposite acclivity of the
hill. The instant the sounds reached his ears, the old man
rose from his seat, on the foundation of the beacon, and
gliding over the brow of the platform, followed by Job, they
descended into a volume of mist that was still clinging to
the side of the hill, with amazing swiftness.

"Why, Leo! thou lion in name, and deer in activity!"
exclaimed the intruder, as he surmounted the steep ascent,
" what can have brought you up into the clouds so early !
Whew ! a man needs a New Market training to scale such
a precipice. But, Leo, my dear fellow, I rejoice to see you
— we knew you were expected in the first ship, and as I was
coming from morning parade, I met a couple of grooms in
the 4 Lincoln Green/ you know, leading each a blooded
charger — faith, one of them would have been quite conve
nient to climb this accursed hill on — whew and whew-w,
again — well, I knew the liveries at a glance; as to the
horses, I hope to be better acquainted with them hereafter.
* Pray, sir,' said I, to one of the liveried scoundrels, ' whom
do you serve?' 'Major Lincoln, of Ravenscliffe,' said he,
with a look as impudent as if he could have said, like you
and I, his sacred majesty the king. That's the answer of
the servants of your ten-thousand-a-year men ! Now, if my
fool had been asked such a question, his answer would have
been, craven dog as he is, * Captain Polwarth, of the 47th';
leaving the inquirer, though it should even be some curi
ous maiden, who had taken a fancy to the tout ensemble of
my outline, in utter ignorance that there is such a place in
the world as Polwarth Hall! "

During this voluble speech, which was interrupted by
sundry efforts to regain the breath lost in the ascent, Lionel
shook his friend cordially by the hand, and attempted to

LIONEL LINCOLN. 6 1

express his own pleasure at the meeting. The failure of
wind, however, which was a sort of besetting sin with Cap
tain Polwarth, had now compelled him to pause, and gave
time to Lionel for a reply.

" This hill is the last place where I should have expected
to meet you," he said. " I took it for granted you would
not be stirring till nine or ten at least, when it was my in
tention to inquire you out, and to give you a call before I
paid my respects to the commander-in-chief."

"Ah! you may thank his excellency, the 4 Hon. Thomas
Gage, governor and commander-in-chief in and over the
Province of Massachusetts Bay, and vice-admiral of the
same,' as he styles himself in his proclamations, for this
especial favor; though, between ourselves, Leo, he is about
as much governor over the Province, as he is owner of those
hunters you have just landed."

" But why am I to thank him for this interview? "

"Why! look about you, and tell me what you behold —
nothing but fog — nay, I see there is a steeple, and yonder is
the smoking sea, and here are the chimneys of Hancock's
house beneath us, smoking, too, as if their rebellious mas
ter were at home, and preparing his feed ! but everything in
sight is essentially smoky, and there is a natural aversion,
in us epicures, to smoke. Nature dictates that a man who
has as much to do in a day, in carrying himself about, as
your humble servant, should not cut his rest too abruptly in
the morning. But the honorable Thomas, governor, and
vice-admiral, &c., has ordered us under arms with the sun
— officers as well as men! "

"Surely that is no great hardship to a soldier," returned
Lionel ; " and moreover, it seems to agree with you marvel
lously. Now I look again, Polwarth, I am amazed! Surely
you are not in a light-infantry jacket! "

" Cestes — what is there in that so wonderful?" returned
the other, with great gravity. "Don't I become the dress?
or is it the dress which does not adorn me, that you look

62 LIONEL LINCOLN.

ready to die with mirth? Laugh it out, Leo. I am used
to it these three days — but what is there, after all, so re
markable in Peter Polwarth's commanding a company of
light infantry? Am I not just five feet, six and one-eighth
of an inch? — the precise height! "

"You appear to have been so accurate in your longitudi
nal admeasurement, that you must carry one of Harrison's
time-pieces in your pocket : did it ever suggest itself to you
to use the quadrant also ? "

"For my latitude! I understand you, Leo: because I
am shaped a little like mother earth, does it argue that I
cannot command a light-infantry company? "

" Aye, even as Joshua commanded the sun. But the stop
ping of the planet itself is not a greater miracle, in my
eyes, than to see you in that attire."

"Well, then, the mystery shall be explained; but first let
us be seated on this beacon," said Captain Polwarth, estab
lishing himself with great method in the place so lately oc
cupied by the attenuated form of the stranger. " A true sol
dier husbands his resources for a time of need: that word,
husbands, brings me at once to the point — I am in love."

"That is surprising! "

" But what is much more so, I would fain be mar
ried."

" It must be a woman of no mean endowments that could
excite such desires in Captain Polwarth, of the 47th, and
of Polwarth Hall!"

"She is a woman of great qualifications, Major Lincoln,"
said the lover, with a sudden gravity that indicated his gay-
ety of manner was not entirely natural. " In figure she may
be said to be done to a turn. When she is grave, she walks
with the stateliness of a show-beef; when she runs, 'tis with
the activity of a turkey; and when at rest, I can only com
pare her to a dish of venison — savory, delicate, and what
one can never get enough of."

"You have, to adopt your own metaphors, given such a

LIONEL LINCOLN. 63

' rare ' sketch of her person, I am * burning ' to hear some
thing of her mental qualifications."

"My metaphors are not poetical, perhaps, but they are
the first that offer themselves to my mind, and they are nat
ural. Her accomplishments exceed her native gifts greatly.
In the first place, she is witty ; in the second, she is as im
pertinent as the devil ; and in the third, as inveterate a lit
tle traitor to King George as there is in all Boston."

"These are strange recommendations to your favor! "

"The most infallible of all recommendations. They are
piquant, like savory sauces, which excite the appetite, and
season the dish. Now her treason (for it amounts to that,
in fact) is like olives, and gives a gusto to the generous
port of my loyalty. Her impertinence is oil to the cold
salad of my modesty, and her acid wit mingles with the
sweetness of my temperament, in that sort of pleasant com
bination with which sweet and sour blend in sherbet."

" It would be idle for me to gainsay the charms of such
a woman," returned Lionel, a good deal amused with the
droll mixture of seriousness and humor in the other's man
ner; "now, for her connection with the light infantry — she
is not of the light corps of her own sex, Polwarth ? "

" Pardon me, Major Lincoln ; I cannot joke on this subject.
Miss Danforth is of one of the best families in Boston."

" Danforth ! not Agnes, surely ! "

"The very same!" exclaimed Polwarth, in surprise;
" what do you know of her ? "

" Only that she is a sort of cousin of my own, and that
we are inmates of the same house. We bear equal affinity
to Mrs. Lechmere, and the good lady has insisted that I
shall make my home in Tremont street."

"I rejoice to hear it! At all events, our intimacy may
now be improved to some better purpose than eating and
drinking. But to the point : there were certain damnable
inuendoes getting into circulation concerning my pro
portions, which I considered it prudent to look down at once."

64 LIONEL LINCOLN.

*

"In order to do which, you had only to look thinner."

" And do I not, in this appropriate dress ? To be per
fectly serious with you, Leo — for to you I can freely unbur
den myself — you know what a set we are in the 47th: let
them once fasten an opprobrious term or a nickname on you,
and you take it to the grave, be it ever so burdensome."

"There is a way, certainly, to check ungentleman-like
liberties/' said Lionel, gravely.

" Poh ! poh ! a man wouldn't wish to fight about a pound
more or a pound less of fat! still the name is a great deal,
and first impressions are everything. Now, whoever thinks
of Grand Cairo as a village? of the Grand Turk and Great
Mogul as little boys? or who would believe, by hearsay,
that Captain Polwarth, of the light infantry, could weigh
one hundred and eighty? "

" Add twenty to it."

" Not a pound more, as I am a sinner. I was weighed in
the presence of the whole mess no later than last week,
since when I have rather lost than gained an ounce, for this
early rising is no friend to a thriving condition. 'Twas in
my night-gown, you'll remember, Leo, for we, who tally so
often, can't afford to throw in boots, and buckles, and all
those sorts of things, like your feather-weights."

" But I marvel how Nesbitt was induced to consent to the
appointment," said Lionel; "he loves a little display."

" I am your man for that," interrupted the captain ; " we
are embodied, you know, and I make more display, if that
be what you require, than any captain in the corps. But I
will whisper a secret in your ear. There has been a nasty
business here, lately, in which the 47 th has gained no new
laurels — a matter of tarring and feathering, about an old
rusty musket."

" I have heard something of the affair already," returned
Lionel, " and was grieved to find the men justifying some
of their own brutal conduct last night by the example of
their commander."

LIONEL LINCOLN. 65

" Mum — 'tis a delicate matter — well, that tar has brought
the colonel into particularly bad odor in Boston, especially
among the women, in whose good graces we are all of us
lower than I have ever known scarlet coats to stand before.
Why, Leo, the Mohairs are altogether the better men here !
But there is not an officer in the whole army who has made
more friends in the place than your humble servant. I
have availed myself of my popularity, which just now is no
trifling thing, and partly by promises, and partly by secret
interest, I have the company; to which, you know, my rank
in the regiment gives me an undoubted title."

" A perfectly satisfactory explanation ; a most commend
able ambition on your part, and a certain symptom that the
peace is not to be disturbed; for Gage would never permit
such an arrangement, had he any active operations in his eye."

" Why, there I think you are more than half right : these
Yankees have been talking, and resolving, and approbating
their resolves, as they call it, these ten years past; and
what does it all amount to ? To be sure, things grow worse
and worse every day — but Jonathan is an enigma to me.
Now you know, when we were in the cavalry together — God
forgive me the suicide I committed in exchanging into the
foot, which I never should have done, could I have found
in all England such a thing as an easy goer or safe leaper —
but then, if the Commons took offence at a new tax, or a
stagnation in business, why, they got together in mobs, and
burnt a house or two, frightened a magistrate, and perhaps
hustled a constable ; then in we came at a hand gallop, you
know, flourished our swords, and scattered the ragged devils
to the four winds; when the courts did the rest, leaving us
a cheap victory at the expense of a little wind, which was
amply compensated by an increased appetite for dinner.
But here it is altogether a different sort of thing."

"And what are the most alarming symptoms, just now,
in the colonies? " asked Major Lincoln, with a sensible in
terest in the subject.
5

66 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" They refuse their natural aliment to uphold what they
call their principles; the women abjure tea, and the men
abandon their fisheries ! There has been hardly such a thing
as even a wild duck brought into the market this spring, in
consequence of the Port Bill, and yet they grow more stub
born every day. If it should come to blows, however, thank
God we are strong enough to open a passage for ourselves to
any part of the continent where provisions may be plentier;
and I hear more troops are already on the way."

" If it should come to blows, which heaven forbid," said
Major Lincoln, "we shall be besieged where we now are."

"Besieged!" exclaimed Polwarth, in evident alarm; "if
I thought there was the least prospect of such a calamity, I
would sell out to-morrow. It is bad enough now; our
mess-table is never decently covered, but if there should
come a siege, 'twould be absolute starvation. No, no, Leo,
their minute-men, and their long-tailed rabble, would hard
ly think of besieging four thousand British soldiers with a
fleet to back them. Four thousand ! if the regiments I hear
named are actually on the way, there will be eight thousand
of us — as good men as ever wore "

" Light-infantry jackets," interrupted Lionel. " But the
regiments are certainly coming; Clinton, Burgoyne, and
Howe had an audience to take leave, on the same day with
myself. The service is exceedingly popular with the king,
and our reception, of course, was most gracious ; though I
thought the eye of royalty looked on me as if it remembered
one or two of my juvenile votes in the house, on the subject
of these unhappy dissensions."

" You voted against the Port Bill," said Polwarth, " out
of regard to me ? "

"No; there I joined the ministry. The conduct of the
people of Boston had provoked the measure, and there were
hardly two minds in Parliament on that question."

"Ah! Major Lincoln, you are a happy man," said the
captain; "a seat in Parliament at five-and-twenty! I must

LIONEL LINCOLN. 6/

think that I should prefer just such an occupation to all
others; the very name is taking — a seat! You have two
members for your borough: who fills the second now? "

" Say nothing on that subject, I entreat you," whispered
Lionel, pressing the arm of the other as he rose; "'tis not
filled by him who should occupy it, as you know. Shall
we descend to the common ? there are many friends that I
could wish to see before the bell calls us to church."

"Yes; this is a church-going, or rather, meeting-going
place ; for most of the good people forswear the use of the
word church, as we adjure the supremacy of the Pope," re
turned Polwarth, following in his companion's footsteps.
" I never think of attending any of their schism-shops, for
I would any day rather stand sentinel over a baggage-wagon
than stand up to hear one of their prayers. I can do very
well at the King's Chapel, as they call it; for when I am
once comfortably fixed on my knees, I make out as well as
my lord archbishop of Canterbury; though it has always
been a matter of surprise to me how any man can find breath
to go through their work of a morning."

They descended the hill, as Lionel replied, and their
forms were soon blended with those of twenty others, who
wore scarlet coats, on the common.

CHAPTER V.

For us, and for our tragedy,
Here stooping to your clemency,
We beg your hearing patiently.

Hamlet.

WE must now carry the reader back a century, in order to
clear our tale of every appearance of ambiguity. Reginald
Lincoln was a cadet of an extremely ancient and wealthy
family, whose possessions were suffered to continue as ap
pendages to a baronetcy, throughout all the changes which

68 LIONEL LINCOLN.

marked the eventful periods of the commonwealth and the
usurpation of Cromwell. He had himself, however, inher
ited little more than a morbid sensibility, which, even in
that age, appeared to be a sort of heirloom to his family.
While still a young man, he had married a woman to whom
he was much attached, who died in giving birth to her first
child. The grief of the husband took a direction towards
religion; but unhappily, instead of deriving from his re
searches that healing consolation with which our faith
abounds, his mind became soured by the prevalent but dis
cordant views of the attributes of the Deity; and the result
of his conversion was to leave him an ascetic Puritan and
an obstinate predestinarian. That such a man, finding but
little to connect him with his native country, should revolt
at the impure practices of the court of Charles, is not sur
prising; and accordingly, though not at all implicated in
the guilt of the regicides, he departed for the religious prov
ince of Massachusetts Bay, in the first years of the reign of
that merry prince.

It was not difficult for a man of the rank and reputed
sanctity of Reginald Lincoln to obtain both honorable and
lucrative employments in the plantations, and, after the first
glow of his awakened ardor in behalf of spiritual matters
had a little abated, he failed not to improve a due portion
of his time by a commendable attention to temporal things.
To the day of his death, however, he continued a gloomy,
austere, and bigoted religionist, seemingly too regardless of
the vanities of this world to permit his pure imagination to
mingle with its dross, even while he submitted to discharge
its visible duties. Notwithstanding this elevation of mind,
his son, at the decease of his father, found himself in the
possession of many goodly effects; which were, question
less, the accumulations of a neglected use, during the days
of his sublimated progenitor.

Young Lionel so far followed in the steps of his worthy
parent as to continue gathering honors and riches into his

LIONEL LINCOLN. 69

lap; though, owing to an early disappointment, and the in
heritance of the " heirloom " already mentioned, it was late
in life before he found a partner to share his happiness.
Contrary to all the usual calculations that are made on
the choice of a man of self-denial, he was then united to a
youthful and gay Episcopalian, who had little, besides her
exquisite beauty and good blood, to recommend her. By
this lady he had four children, three sons and a daughter,
when he also was laid in the vault by the side of his de
ceased parent. The eldest of these sons was yet a boy
when he was called to the mother country to inherit the
estates and honors of his family. The second, named Reg
inald, who was bred to arms, married, had a son, and lost
his life in the wilds where he was required to serve, before
he was five-and-twenty. The third was the grandfather of
Agnes Danforth, and the daughter was Mrs. Lechmere.

The family of Lincoln, considering the shortness of their
marriages, had been extremely prolific, while in the colo
nies, according to that wise allotment of Providence, which
ever seems to regulate the functions of our nature by our
wants; but the instant it was reconveyed to the populous
island of Britain, it entirely lost its reputation for fruitful-
ness. Sir Lionel lived to a good age, married, but died
childless; notwithstanding, when his body lay in state, it
was under a splendid roof, and in halls so capacious that
they would have afforded comfortable shelter to the whole
family of Priam.

By this fatality it became necessary to cross the Atlantic
once more to find an heir to the wide domains of Ravens-
cliffe, and to one of the oldest baronetcies in the kingdom.

We have planted and reared this genealogical tree to but
little purpose, if it be necessary to tell the reader that the
individual who had now become the head of his race was
the orphan son of the deceased officer. He was married,
and the father of one blooming boy, when this elevation,
which was not unlooked for, occurred. Leaving his wife

?0 LIONEL LINCOLN.

and child behind him, Sir Lionel immediately proceeded to
England to assert his rights and secure his possessions.
As he was the nephew and acknowledged heir of the late
incumbent he met with no opposition to the more important
parts of his claims. Across the character and fortunes of
this gentleman, however, a dark cloud had early passed,
which prevented the common eye from reading the events
of his life, like those of other men, in its open and intel
ligible movements. After his accession to fortune and
rank but little was known of him, even by his earliest and
most intimate associates. It was rumored, it is true, that
he had been detained in England for two years by a vexa
tious contention for a petty appendage to his large estates,
a controversy which was, however, known to have been de
cided in his favor, before he was recalled to Boston by the
sudden death of his wife. This calamity befell him during
the period when the war of '56 was raging in its greatest
violence: a time when the energies of the colonies were di
rected to the assistance of the mother country, who, accord
ing to the language of the day, was zealously endeavoring
to defeat the ambitious views of the French, in this hemi
sphere ; or, what amounted to the same thing in effect, in
struggling to advance her own.

It was an interesting period, when the mild and peaceful
colonists were seen to shake off their habits of forbearance,
and to enter into the strife with an alacrity and spirit that
soon emulated the utmost daring of their more practised
confederates. To the amazement of all who knew his for
tunes, Sir Lionel Lincoln was seen to embark in many of
the most desperate adventures that distinguished the war,
with a hardihood that rather sought death than courted
honor. He had been, like his father, trained to arms, but
the regiment in which he held the commission of lieutenant-
colonel was serving his master in the most eastern of his
dominions, while the uneasy soldier was thus rushing from
point to point, hazarding his life, and more than once

LIONEL LINCOLN. /I

shedding his blood, in the enterprises that signalized the
war in the most western.

This dangerous career, however, was at length suddenly
and mysteriously checked. By the influence of some
powerful agency, that was never explained, the baronet was
induced to take his son, and embark once more for the land
of their fathers, from which the former had never been
known to return. For many years, all those inquiries which
the laudable curiosity of the townsmen and townswomen of
Mrs. Lechmere prompted them to make, concerning the fate
of her nephew (and we leave each of our readers to deter
mine their numbers), were answered by that lady with the
most courteous reserve; and sometimes with such exhibi
tions of emotion, as we have already attempted to describe
in her first interview with his son. But constant dropping
will wear away a stone. At first there were rumors that the
baronet had committed treason, and had been compelled to
exchange Ravensclifre for a less comfortable dwelling in
the Tower of London. This report was succeeded by that
of an unfortunate private marriage with one of the prin
cesses of the house of Brunswick; but a reference to the
calendars of the day showed that there was no lady of a
suitable age disengaged; and this amour, so creditable to
the provinces, was necessarily abandoned. Finally, the
assertion was made, with much more of the confidence of
truth, that the unhappy Sir Lionel was the tenant of a pri
vate madhouse.

The instant this rumor was circulated, a film fell from
every eye, and none were so blind as not to have seen indi
cations of insanity in the baronet long before; and not a
few were enabled to trace his legitimate right to lunacy
through the hereditary bias of his race. To account for its
sudden exhibition was a more difficult task, and exercised
the ingenuity of an exceedingly ingenious people for a long
period.

The more sentimental part of the community, such as the

72 LIONEL LINCOLN.

maidens and bachelors, and those votaries of Hymen who
had twice and thrice proved the solacing power of the god,
did not fail to ascribe the misfortune of the baronet to the
unhappy loss of his wife; a lady to whom he was known to
be most passionately attached. A few, the relics of the
good old school, under whose intellectual sway the incar
nate persons of so many godless dealers in necromancy had
been made to expiate for their abominations, pointed to the
calamity as a merited punishment on the backslidings of a
family that had once known the true faith ; while a third,
and by no means a small class, composed of those worthies
who braved the elements in King street, in quest of filthy
lucre, did not hesitate to say that the sudden acquisition of
vast wealth had driven many a better man mad. But the
time was approaching when the apparently irresistible pro
pensity to speculate on the fortunes of a fellow-creature was
made to yield to more important considerations. The hour
soon arrived when the merchant forgot his momentary inter
ests to look keenly into the distant effects that were to suc
ceed the movements of the day; which taught the fanatic the
wholesome lesson that Providence smiled most beneficently
on those who most merited, by their own efforts, its favors;
and which even purged the breast of the sentimentalist of its
sickly tenant, to be succeeded by the healthy and ennobling
passion of love of country.

It was about this period that the contest for principle be
tween the Parliament of Great Britain and the colonies of
North America commenced, that in time led to those im
portant results which have established a new era in political
liberty, as well as a mighty empire. A brief glance at the
nature of this controversy may assist in rendering many of
the allusions in this legend more intelligible to some of
its readers.

The increasing wealth of the provinces had attracted the
notice of the English ministry so early as the year 1763. In
that year the first effort to raise a revenue, which was to meet

LIONEL LINCOLN. 73

the exigencies of the empire, was attempted by the passage
of a law to impose a duty on certain stamped paper, which
was made necessary to give validity to contracts. This
method of raising a revenue was not new in itself, nor was
the imposition heavy in amount. But the Americans, not
less sagacious than wary, perceived at a glance the impor
tance of the principles involved in the admission of a right
as belonging to any body to lay taxes, in which they were
not represented. The question was not without its diffi
culties, but the direct and plain argument was clearly on
the side of the colonists. Aware of the force of their rea
sons, and perhaps a little conscious of the strength of their
numbers, they approached the subject with a spirit which
betokened this consciousness, but with a coolness that de
noted the firmness of their purpose. After a struggle of
nearly two years, during which the law was rendered com
pletely profitless by the unanimity among the people, as
well as by a species of good-humored violence that rendered
it exceedingly inconvenient, and perhaps a little dangerous,
to the servants of the crown to exercise their obnoxious
functions, the ministry abandoned the measure. But, at the
same time that the law was repealed, the Parliament main
tained its right to bind the colonies in all cases whatsoever,
by recording a resolution to that effect in its journals.

That an empire, whose several parts were separated by
oceans, and whose interests were so often conflicting, should
become unwieldy, and fall, in time, by its own weight, was
an event that all wise men must have expected to arrive.
But that the Americans did not contemplate such a divi
sion at that early day, may be fairly inferred, if there were
no other testimony in the mattter, by the quiet and submis
sion that pervaded the colonies the instant that the repeal
of the Stamp Act was known. Had any desire for prema
ture independence existed, the Parliament had unwisely
furnished abundant fuel to feed the flame, in the very resolu
tion already mentioned. But, satisfied with the solid ad-

74 LIONEL LINCOLN.

vantages they had secured, peaceful in their habits, and
loyal in their feelings, the colonists laughed at the empty
dignity of their self-constituted rulers, while they congratu
lated each other on their own more substantial success. If
the besotted servants of the king had learned wisdom by the
past, the storm would have blown over, and another age
would have witnessed the events which we are about to re
late. Things were hardly suffered, however, to return to
their old channels again, before the ministry attempted to
revive their claims by new impositions. The design to
raise a revenue had been defeated in the case of the Stamp
Act, by the refusal of the colonists to use the paper; but in
the present instance, expedients were adopted, which, it was
thought, would be more effective — as in the case of tea,
where the duty was paid by the East India Company in the
first instance, and the exaction was to be made on the
Americans, through their appetites. These new innova
tions on their rights were met by the colonists with the
same promptitude, but with much more of seriousness, than
in the former instances. All the provinces south of the
Great Lakes acted in concert on this occasion; and prepa
rations were made to render not only their remonstrances
and petitions more impressive by a unity of action, but
their more serious struggles also, should an appeal to force
become necessary. The tea was stored or sent back to Eng
land, in most cases; though, in the town of Boston, a con
currence of circumstances led to the violent measure, on the
part of the people, of throwing a large quantity of the offen
sive article into the sea. To punish this act, which took
place in the early part of 1774, the port of Boston was
closed, and different laws were enacted in Parliament,
which were intended to bring the people back to a sense of
their dependence on the British power.

Although the complaints of the colonists were hushed
during the short interval that had succeeded the suspension
of the efforts of the ministry to tax them, the feelings of

LIONEL LINCOLN. 75

alienation which were engendered by the attempt had not
time to be lost before the obnoxious subject was revived in
its new shape. From 1763 to the period of our tale, all the
younger part of the population of the provinces had grown
into manhood, but they were no longer imbued with that
profound respect for the mother country which had been
transmitted from their ancestors, or with that deep loyalty
to the crown that usually characterizes a people who view
the pageant of royalty through the medium of distance.
Still, those who guided the feelings and controlled the judg
ments of the Americans were averse to a dismemberment of
the empire, a measure which they continued to believe both
impolitic and unnatural.

In the mean time, though equally reluctant to shed blood,
the adverse parties prepared for that final struggle which
seemed to be unavoidably approaching. The situation of
the colonies was now so peculiar, that it may be doubted
whether history furnishes a precise parallel. Their fealty
to the prince was everywhere acknowledged, while the laws
which emanated from his counsellors were sullenly disre
garded and set at naught. Each province possessed its
distinct government, and in most of them the political in
fluence of the crown was direct and great; but the time had
arrived when it was superseded by a moral feeling that de
fied the machinations and intrigues of the ministry. Such
of the provincial legislatures as possessed a majority of the
u Sons of Liberty," as they who resisted the unconstitutional
attempts of the ministry were termed, elected delegates to
meet in a general congress to consult on the ways and means
of effecting the common objects. In one or two provinces,
where the inequality of representation afforded a different
result, the people supplied the deficiencies by acting in
their original capacity. This body, meeting, unlike con
spirators, with the fearless confidence of integrity, and act
ing under the excitement of a revolution in sentiment, pos
sessed an influence which, at a later day, has been denied

76 LIONEL LINCOLN.

to their more legally constituted successors. Their recom
mendations possessed all the validity of laws, without incur
ring their odium. While, as the organ of their fellow-sub
jects, they still continued to petition and remonstrate, they
did not forget to oppose, by such means as were then
thought expedient, the oppressive measures of the ministry.

An association was recommended for the people, for those
purposes that are amply expressed in the three divisions
which were significantly given to the subjects, in calling
them by the several names of "non-importation," "non-
exportation/7 and "non-consumption resolutions." These
negative expedients were all that was constitutionally in
their power, and, throughout the whole controversy, there
had been guarded care not to exceed the limits which the
laws had affixed to the rights of the subject. Though no
overt act of resistance was committed, they did not, how
ever, neglect such means as were attainable, to be prepared
for the last evil, whenever it should arrive. In this man
ner, a feeling of resentment and disaffection was daily in
creasing throughout the provinces, while in Massachusetts
Bay, the more immediate scene of our story, the disorder in
the body politic seemed to be inevitably gathering to its
head.

The great principles of the controversy had been blended,
in different places, with various causes of local complaint,
and in none more than in the town of Boston. The inhab
itants of this place had been distinguished for an early,
open, and fearless resistance to the ministry. An armed
force had long been thought necessary to intimidate this
spirit, to effect which the troops were drawn from different
parts of the province, and concentrated in this devoted
town. Early in 1774 a military man was placed in the
executive chair of the province, and an attitude of more de
termination was assumed by the government. One of the
first acts of this gentleman, who held the high station of
lieutenant-general, and who commanded all the forces of

LIONEL LINCOLN. 77

the king in America, was to dissolve the colonial assembly.
About the same time a new charter was sent from England,
and a material change was contemplated in the polity of
the colonial government. From this moment the power of
the king, though it was not denied, became suspended in the
province. A provincial congress was elected, and assem
bled within seven leagues of the capital, where they con
tinued, from time to time, to adopt such measures as the
exigencies of the time were thought to render necessary.
Men were enrolled, disciplined, and armed, as well as the
imperfect means of the colony would allow. These troops,
who were no more than the elite of the inhabitants, had lit
tle else to recommend them besides their spirit, and their
manual dexterity with firearms. From the expected nature
of their service, they were not unaptly termed "minute-
men." The munitions of war were seized, and hoarded
with a care and diligence that showed the character of the
impending conflict.

On the other hand, General Gage adopted a similar course
of preparation and prevention, by fortifying himself in the
stronghold which he possessed, and by anticipating the in
tentions of the colonists, in their attempts to form maga
zines, whenever it was in his power. He had an easy task
in the former, both from the natural situation of the place
he occupied, and the species of force he commanded.

Surrounded by broad and chiefly by deep waters, except
at one extremely narrow point, and possessing its triple
hills, which are not commanded by any adjacent eminences,
the peninsula of Boston could, with a competent garrison,
easily be made impregnable, especially when aided by a
superior fleet. The works erected by the English general
were, however, by no means of magnitude; for it was well
known that the whole park of the colonists could not exceed
some half dozen pieces of field artillery, with a small bat
tering train that must be entirely composed of old and cum
brous ship-guns. Consequently, when Lionel arrived in

78 LIONEL LINCOLN.

Boston, he found a few batteries thrown up on the emi
nences, some of which were intended as much to control the
town, as to repel an enemy from without, while lines were
drawn across the neck which communicated with the main.
The garrison consisted of something less than five thousand
men, besides which there was a fluctuating force of seamen
and marines, as the vessels of war arrived and departed.

All this time, there was no other interruption to the in
tercourse between the town and the country, than such as
unavoidably succeeded the stagnation of trade, and the dis
trust engendered by the aspect of affairs. Though number
less families had deserted their homes, many known Whigs
continued to dwell in their habitations, where their ears
were deafened by the sounds of the British drums, and
where their spirits were but too often galled by the sneers
of the officers, on the uncouth military preparations of their
countrymen. Indeed, an impression had spread farther than
among the idle and thoughtless youths of the army, that the
colonists were but little gifted with martial qualities; and
many of their best friends in Europe were in dread, lest an
appeal to force should put the contested points forever at
rest, by proving the incompetency of the Americans to
maintain them to the last extremity.

In this manner, both parties stood at bay; the people
living in perfect order and quiet, without the administration
of law, sullen, vigilant, and, through their leaders, secretly
alert; and the army, gay, haughty, and careless of the con
sequences, though far from being oppressive or insolent,
until after the defeat of one or two abortive excursions into
the country in quest of arms. Each hour, however, was
rapidly adding to the disaffection on one side, and to the
contempt and resentment on the other, through numberless
public and private causes, that belong rather to history
than to a legend like this. All extraordinary occupations
were suspended, and men awaited the course of things in
anxious expectation. It was known that the Parliament,

LIONEL LINCOLN. 79

instead of retracing their political errors, had imposed new
restraints, and, as has been mentioned, it was also rumored
that regiments and fleets were on their way to enforce them.
How long a country could exist in such a primeval con
dition remained to be seen, though it was difficult to say
when or how it was to terminate. The people of the land
appeared to slumber; but, like vigilant and wary soldiers,
they might be said to sleep on their arms; while the troops
assumed, each day, more of that fearful preparation which
gives even to the trained warrior, a more martial aspect —
though both parties still continued to manifest a becoming
reluctance to shed blood.

CHAPTER VI.

Would he were fatter :— but I fear him not :—
Seldom he smiles ; and smiles in such a sort,
As if he mocked himself, and scorned his spirit
That could be moved to smile at anything.

Julius Casar.

IN the course of the succeeding week, Lionel acquired a
knowledge of many minor circumstances relating to the
condition of the colonies, which may be easily imagined as
incidental to the times, but which would greatly exceed our
limits to relate. He was received by his brethren in arms
with that sort of cordiality that a rich, high-spirited, and
free, if not a jovial comrade, was certain of meeting among
men who lived chiefly for pleasure and appearance. Cer
tain indications of more than usually important movements
were discovered among the troops the first day of the week,
and his own condition in the army was in some measure
affected by the changes. Instead of joining his particular
regiment, he was ordered to bold himself in readiness to
take a command in the ligKt corps, which had begun its
drill for the service that was peculiar to such troops. As
it was well known that Boston was Major Lincoln's place

8O LIONEL LINCOLN.

of nativity, the commander-in-chief, with the indulgence
and kindness of his character, granted to him, however, a
short respite from duty, in order that he might indulge in
the feelings natural to his situation. It was soon generally
understood that Major Lincoln, though intending to serve
with the army in America, should the sad alternative of an
appeal to arms become necessary, had permission to amuse
himself in such a manner as he saw fit, for two months from
the date of his arrival. Those who affected to be more wise
than common, saw, or thought they saw, in this arrangement,
a deep-laid plan on the part of Gage, to use the influence
and address of the young provincial among his connections
and natural friends, to draw them back to those sentiments
of loyalty which it was feared so many among them had
forgotten to entertain. But it was the characteristic of the
times to attach importance to trifling incidents, and to sus
pect a concealed policy in movements which emanated only
in inclination.

There was nothing, however, in the deportment, or man
ner of life adopted by Lionel, to justify any of these con
jectures. He continued to dwell in the house of Mrs.
Lechmere, in person, though, unwilling to burden the hos
pitality of his aunt too heavily, he had taken lodgings in a
dwelling at no great distance, where his servants resided,
and where it was generally understood that his visits of
ceremony and friendship were to be received. Captain
Polwarth did not fail to complain loudly of this arrange
ment, as paralyzing at once all the advantages he had antic
ipated from enjoying the entre to the dwelling of his mis
tress, in the right of his friend. But as the establishment
of Lionel was supported with much of that liberality which
was becoming in a youth of his large fortune, the exuberant
light-infantry officer found many sources of consolation in
the change, which could not have existed had the staid Mrs.
Lechmere presided over the domestic department. Lionel
and Polwarth had been boys together at the same school,

LIONEL LINCOLN. 8 1

members of the same college at Oxford, and subsequently,
for many years, comrades in the same corps. Though, per
haps, no two men in their regiment were more essentially
different in mental as well as physical constitution, yet, by
that unaccountable caprice which causes us to like our
opposites, it is certain that no two gentlemen in the service
were known to be on better terms, or to maintain a more
close and unreserved intimacy. It is unnecessary to dilate
here on this singular friendship; it occurs every day, be
tween men still more discordant, the result of accident and
habit, and is often, as in the present instance, cemented by
unconquerable good-nature in one of the parties. For this
latter qualification Captain Polwarth was eminent, if for no
other. It contributed quite as much as his science in the
art of living, to the thriving condition of the corporeal
moiety of the man, and it rendered a communion with the
less material part at all times inoffensive, if not agreeable.
On the present occasion, the captain took charge of the
internal economy of Lionel's lodgings, with a zeal which
he did not even pretend was disinterested. By the rules of
the regiment he was compelled to live nominally with the
mess, where he found his talents and his wishes fettered by
divers indispensable regulations, and economical practices,
that could not be easily overleaped; but with Lionel, just
such an opportunity offered for establishing rules of his
own, and disregarding expenditure, as he had been long
pining for in secret. Though the poor of the town were, in
the absence of employment, necessarily supported by large
contributions of money, clothing, and food, which were
transmitted to their aid from the furthermost parts of the
colonies, the markets were not yet wanting in all the neces
saries of life, to those who enjoyed the means of purchasing.
With this disposition of things, therefore, he became well
content, and within the first fortnight after the arrival of
Lionel, it became known to the mess, that Captain Polwarth
took his dinners regularly with his old friend, Major Lin-
6

82 LIONEL LINCOLN.

coin ; though in truth the latter was enjoying, more than
half the time, the hospitality of the respective tables of the
officers of the staff.

In the mean time Lionel cultivated his acquaintance in
Tremont street, where he still slept, with an interest and
assiduity that the awkwardness of his first interview would
not have taught us to expect. With Mrs. Lechmere, it is
true, he made but little progress in intimacy; for, equally
formal, though polite, she was at all times enshrouded in a
cloud of artificial, but cold management, that gave him lit
tle opportunity, had he possessed the desire, to break through
the reserve of her calculating temperament. With his more
youthful kinswomen, the case was, however, in a very few
days, entirely reversed. Agnes Danforth, who had nothing
to conceal, began insensibly to yield to the manliness and
grace of his manner, and before the end of the first week,
she maintained the rights of the colonists, laughed at the
follies of the officers, and then acknowledged her own prej
udices, with a familiarity and good-humor that soon made
her, in her turn, a favorite with her English cousin, as she
termed Lionel. But he found the demeanor of Cecil Dyne-
vor much more embarrassing, if not inexplicable. For days
she would be distant, silent, and haughty, and then again,
as it were by sudden impulses, she became easy and natu
ral; her whole soul beaming in her speaking eyes, or her
innocent and merry humor breaking through the bounds of
her restraint, and rendering not only herself, but all around
her, happy and delighted. Full many an hour did Lionel
ponder on this unaccountable difference in the manner of
this young lady, at different moments. There was a secret
excitement in the very caprices of her humors, that had a
piquant interest in his eyes, and which, aided by her ex
quisite form and intelligent face, gradually induced him to
become a more close observer of their waywardness, and
consequently a more assiduous attendant on her movements.
In consequence of this assiduity, the manner of Cecil grew,

LIONEL LINCOLN. 83

almost imperceptibly, less variable, and more uniformly
fascinating, while Lionel, by some unaccountable oversight,
soon forgot to notice its changes, or even to miss the excite
ment.

In a mixed society, where pleasure, company, and a mul
titude of objects, conspired to distract the attention, such
alterations would be the result of an intercourse for months,
if they ever occurred; but in a town like Boston, from
which most of those with whom Cecil had once mingled
were already fled, and where, consequently, those who re
mained behind lived chiefly for themselves and by them
selves, it was no more than the obvious effect of very ap
parent causes. In this manner something like good-will, if
not a deeper interest in each other, was happily effected
within that memorable fortnight, which was teeming with
events vastly more important in their results than any that
can appertain to the fortunes of a single family.

The winter of 1774-75 had been as remarkable for its
mildness, as the spring was cold and lingering. Like every
season in our changeable climate, however, the chilling
days of March and April were intermingled with some, when
a genial sun recalled the ideas of summer, which, in their
turn, were succeeded by others, when the torrents of cold
rain, that drove before the easterly gales, would seem to
fepel every advance towards a milder temperature. Many
of those stormy days occurred in the middle of April, and
during their continuance Lionel was necessarily compelled
to keep himself housed.

He had retired from the parlor of Mrs. Lechmere, one
evening, when the rain was beating against the windows of
the house, in nearly horizontal lines, to complete some let
ters which, before dining, he had commenced to the agent
of his family in England. On entering his own apartment
he was startled to find the room, which he had left vacant,
and which he expected to find in the same state, occupied
in a manner that he could not anticipate. The light of a

84 LIONEL LINCOLN.

strong wood fire was blazing on the hearth, and throwing
about, in playful changes, the flickering shadows of the
furniture, and magnifying each object into some strange
and fantastical figure. As he stepped within the door, his
eye fell upon one of these shadows, which extended along
the wall, and, bending against the ceiling, exhibited the
gigantic but certain outlines of the human form. Recol
lecting that he had left his letters open, and a little dis
trusting the discretion of Meriton, Lionel advanced lightly,
for a few feet, so far as to be able to look round the drapery
of his bed, and, to his amazement, perceived that the in
truder was not his valet, but the aged stranger. The old
man sat holding in his hand the open letter which Lionel
had been writing, and continued so deeply absorbed in its
contents that the footsteps of the other were still disre
garded. A large coarse overcoat, dripping with water, con
cealed most of his person, though the white hairs that
strayed about his face and the deep lines of his remarkable
countenance could not be mistaken.

" I was ignorant of this unexpected visit," said Lionel,
advancing quickly into the centre of the room, " or I should
not have been so tardy in returning to my apartment, where,
sir, I fear you must have found your time irksome, with
nothing but that scrawl to amuse you."

The old man dropped the paper from before his features,
and betrayed, by the action, the large drops that followed
each other down his hollow cheeks, until they fell even to
the floor. The haughty and displeased look disappeared
from the countenance of Lionel at this sight, and he was on
the point of speaking in a more conciliating manner, when
the stranger, whose eye had not quailed before the angry
frown it encountered, anticipated his intention.

"I comprehend you, Major Lincoln," he said, calmly;
"but there can exist justifiable reasons for a greater breach
of faith than this of which you accuse me. Accident, and
not intention, has put me in possession, here, of your most

LIONEL LINCOLN. 8$

secret thoughts on a subject that has deep interest for me.
You have urged me often, during our voyage, to make you
acquainted with all that you most desire to know; to which
request, as you may remember, I have ever been silent."

" You have said, sir, that you are master of a secret in
which my feelings, I will acknowledge, are deeply inter
ested, and I have urged you to remove my doubts by declar
ing the truth ; but I do not perceive—

" How a desire to possess my secret gives me a claim to
inquire into yours, you would say," interrupted the stranger;
" nor does it. But an interest in your affairs, that you can
not yet understand, and which is vouched for by these
scalding tears, the first that have fallen in years from a
fountain that I had thought dried, should and must satisfy
you."

" It does," said Lionel, deeply affected by the melancholy
tones of his voice; " it does, it does, and I will listen to no
farther explanation on the unpleasant subject. You see
nothing there, I am sure, of which a son can have reason to
be ashamed."

"I see much here, Lionel Lincoln, of which a father
would have reason to be proud," returned the old man.
" It was the filial love which you have displayed in this
paper which has drawn these drops from my eyes; for he
who has lived as I have done, beyond the age of man, with
out knowing the love that the parent feels for its offspring,
or which the child bears to the author of its being, must
have outlived his natural sympathies, not to be conscious
of his misfortune, when chance makes him sensible of affec
tions like these."

"You have never been a father, then?" said Lionel,
drawing a chair nigh to his aged companion, and seating
himself with an air of powerful interest that he could not
control.

"Have I not told you that I am alone?" returned the
old man, with a solemn manner. After an impressive

86 LIONEL LINCOLN.

pause, he continued, though his tones were husky and low,
" I have been both husband and parent in my day, but 'tis
so long since that no selfish tie remains to bind me to earth.
Old age is the neighbor of death, and the chill of the grave
is to be found in its warmest breathings."

" Say not so," interrupted Lionel, " for you do injustice
to your own warm nature — you forget your zeal in behalf of
what you deem these oppressed colonies."

"Tis no more than the flickering of the dying lamp,
which flares and dazzles most when its source of heat is
nighest to extinction. But though I may not infuse into
your bosom a warmth that I do not possess myself, I can
point out the dangers with which life abounds, and serve as
a beacon when no longer useful as a pilot. It is for such
a purpose, Major Lincoln, that I have braved the tempest
of to-night."

"Has anything occurred which, by rendering danger
pressing, can make such an exposure necessary ? "

" Look at me," said the old man, earnestly : " I have seen
most of this flourishing country a wilderness; my recollec
tion goes back into those periods when the savage and the
beast of the forest contended with our fathers for much of
that soil which now supports its hundreds of thousands in
plenty; and my time is to be numbered, not by years, but
by ages. For such a being, think you there can yet be
many months, or weeks, or even days in store ? "

Lionel dropped his eyes, in embarrassment, to the floor,
as he answered :

" You cannot have very many years, surely, to hope for ;
but with the activity and temperance you possess, days and
months confine you, I trust, in limits much too small."

" What ! " exclaimed the other, stretching forth a color
less hand, in which even the prominent veins partook in the
appearance of a general decay of nature; " with these wasted
limbs, these gray hairs, and this sunken and sepulchral
cheek, would you talk to me of years ! to me, who have not

LIONEL LINCOLN. 8?

the effrontery to petition for even minutes, were they worth
the prayer — so long already has been my probation ! "

" It is certainly time to think of the change, when it ap
proaches so very near."

"Well, then, Lionel Lincoln, old, feeble, and on the
threshold of eternity as I stand, yet am I not nearer to my
grave than that country, to which you have pledged your
blood, is to a mighty convulsion, which will shake her in
stitutions to their foundations."

" I cannot admit the signs of the times to be quite so
portentous as your fears would make them," said Lionel,
smiling a little proudly. "Though the worst that is appre
hended should arrive, England will feel the shock but as
the earth bears an eruption of one of its volcanoes! But
we talk in idle figures, sir; know you anything to justify
the apprehension of immediate danger?"

The face of the stranger lighted with a sudden and start
ling gleam of intelligence, and a sarcastic smile passed
across his wan features, as he answered slowly:

" They only have cause to fear, who will be the losers
by the change! A youth who casts off the trammels
of his guardians is not apt to doubt his ability to govern
himself. England has held these colonies so long in lead
ing-strings, that she forgets her offspring is able to go
alone."

" Now, sir, you exceed even the wild projects of the most
daring among those who call themselves the ' Sons of Lib
erty' — as if liberty existed in anyplace more favored or
more nurtured than under the blessed Constitution of Eng
land! The utmost required is what they term a redress of
grievances, many of which, I must think, exist only in im
agination."

" Was a stone ever known to roll upward ? Let there be
but one drop of American blood spilt in anger, and its stain
will become indelible."

"Unhappily, the experiment has been already tried; and

88 LIONEL LINCOLN.

yet years have rolled by, while England keeps her footing
and authority good."

" Her authority ! " repeated the old man : " see you not,
Major Lincoln, in the forbearance of this people, when they
felt themselves in the wrong, the existence of the very prin
ciples that will render them invincible and unyielding when
right? But we waste our time — I came to conduct you to a
place where, with your own ears, and with your own eyes,
you may hear and see a little of that spirit which pervades
the land. You will follow ? "

"Not, surely, in such a tempest! "

" This tempest is but a trifle to that which is about to
break upon you, unless you retrace your steps; but follow,
I repeat: if a man of my years disregards the night, ought
an English soldier to hesitate? "

The pride of Lionel was touched; and remembering an
engagement he had previously made with his aged friend
to accompany him to a scene like this, he made such changes
in his dress as would serve to conceal his profession, threw
on a large cloak to protect his person, and was about to lead
the way himself, when he was aroused by the voice of the
other.

" You mistake the route," he said; " this is to be a secret,
and I hope a profitable visit — none must know of your pres
ence; and if you are a worthy son of your honorable father,
I need hardly add that my faith is pledged for your discre
tion."

" The pledge will be respected, sir, " said Lionel, haugh
tily ; " but in order to see what you wish, we are not to re
main here? "

" Follow, then, and be silent," said the old man, turning
and opening the doors which led into a little apartment
lighted by one of those smaller windows already mentioned
in describing the exterior of the building. The passage
was dark and narrow; but, observing the warnings of his
companion, Lionel succeeded in descending, in safety, a

LIONEL LINCOLN. 89

flight of steps which formed a private communication be
tween the offices of the dwelling and its upper apartments.
They paused an instant at the bottom of the stairs, where
the youth expressed his amazement that a stranger should
be so much more familiar with the building than he who
had for so many days made it his home.

" Have I not often told you," returned the old man, with
a severity in his voice which was even apparent in its sup
pressed tones, " that I have known Boston for near a hun
dred years? How many edifices like this does it contain,
that I should not have noted its erection ! But follow in
silence, and be prudent."

He now opened a door which conducted them through
one end of the building, into the court-yard in which it was
situated. As they emerged into the open air, Lionel per
ceived the figure of a man crouching under the walls, as if
seeking a shelter from the driving rain. The moment they
appeared, this person arose, and followed as they moved
towards the street.

"Are we not watched? " said Lionel, stopping to face the
unknown. " Whom have we skulking in our footsteps? "

"Tis the boy," said the old man — for whom we must
adopt the name of Ralph, which it would appear was the
usual term used by Job when addressing his mother's guest
— " 'tis the boy, and he can do us no harm. God has granted
to him a knowledge between much of what is good and that
which is evil, though the mind of the child is at times sadly
weakened by his bodily ailings. His heart, however, is with
his country, at a moment when she needs all hearts to main
tain her rights."

The young British officer bowed his head to meet the
tempest, and smiled scornfully within the folds of his cloak,
which he drew more closely around his form, as they met
the gale in the open streets of the town. They had passed
swiftly through many narrow and crooked ways, before
another word was uttered between the adventurers. Lionel

9O LIONEL LINCOLN.

mused on the singular and indefinable interest that he took
in the movements of his companion, which could draw him
at a time like this from the shelter of Mrs. Lechmere's roof,
to wander he knew not whither, and on an errand which
might even be dangerous to his person. Still he followed,
unhesitatingly ; for with these passing thoughts were blended
the recollection of the many recent and interesting commu
nications he had held with the old man during their long
and close association in the ship; nor was he wanting in a
natural interest for all that involved the safety and happi
ness of the place of his birth. He kept the form of his
aged guide in his eye, as the other moved before him, care
less of the tempest which beat on his withered frame, and
he heard the heavy footsteps of Job in his rear, who had
closed so near his own person as to share, in some measure,
in the shelter of his ample cloak. But no other living being
seemed to have ventured abroad; and even the few senti
nels they passed, instead of pacing in front of those doors
which it was their duty to guard, were concealed behind the
angles of walls, or sought shelter under the projections of
some favoring roof. At moments the wind rushed into the
narrow avenues of the streets, along which it swept, with a
noise not unlike the hollow roaring of the sea, and with a
violence which was nearly irresistible. At such times,
Lionel was compelled to pause, and even frequently to re
cede a little from his path, while his guide, supported by
his high purpose, and but little obstructed by his garments,
seemed, to the bewildered imagination of his follower, to
glide through the night with a facility that was supernatu
ral. At length the old man, who had got some distance
ahead of his followers, suddenly paused, and allowed Lionel
to approach to his side. The latter observed, with surprise,
that he had stopped before the root and stump of a tree,
which had once grown on the borders of a street, and which
appeared to have been recently felled.

"Do you see this remnant of the Elm?" said Ralph,

LIONEL LINCOLN. 9!

when the others had stopped also. " Their axes have suc
ceeded in destroying the mother plant, but her scions are
flourishing throughout a continent! "

"I do not comprehend you," returned Lionel; "I see
here nothing but the stump of some tree; surely the min
isters of the king are not answerable that it stands no
longer!"

" The ministers of the king are answerable to their mas
ter, that it has ever become what it is : but speak to the boy
at your side; he will tell you of its virtues."

Lionel turned towards Job, and perceived, by the obscure
light of the moon, to his surprise, that the changeling stood
with his head bared to the storm, regarding the root with an
extraordinary degree of reverence.

" This is all a mystery to me," he said ; " what do you
know about this stump to stand in awe of, boy? "

" 'Tis the root of ' Liberty-tree,' " said Job, " and 'tis
wicked to pass it without making your manners! "

" And what has this tree done for liberty, that it has
merited so much respect? "

" What! why, did you ever see a tree afore this that could
write and give notices of town-meetin'-da's, or that could
tell the people what the king meant to do with the tea and
his stamps! "

" And could this marvellous tree work such miracles? "

"To be sure it could, and it did, too. You let stingy
Tommy think to get above the people with any of his cun
ning over night, and you might come here next morning,
and read a warning on the bark of this tree, that would tell
all about it, and how to put down his deviltries, written out
fair, in a hand as good as Master Lovell himself could put
on paper, the best day of his grand scholarship."

" And who put the paper there ? "

"Who!" exclaimed Job, a little positively; "why, Lib
erty came in the night, and pasted it up herself. When
Nab couldn't get a house to live in, Job used to sleep under

92 LIONEL LINCOLN.

the tree, sometimes; and many a night has he seen Liberty
with his own eyes come and put up the paper."

" And was it a woman? "

" Do you think Liberty was such a fool as to come every
time in woman's clothes, to be followed by the rake-helly
soldiers about the streets? " said Job, with great contempt
in his manner. " Sometimes she did, though, and some
times she didn't, just as it happened. And Job was in the
tree when old Noll had to give up his ungodly stamps;
though he didn't do it till the ' Sons of Liberty ' had chucked
his stamp-shop in the dock, and hung him and Lord Boot
together, on the branches of the old Elm ! "

" Hung! " said Lionel, unconsciously drawing back from
the spot; " was it ever a gallows? "

"Yes, for iffigies," said Job, laughing; "I wish you
could have been here to see how the old Boot, with Satan
sticking out on't, whirled about when they swung it off!
They give the old boy a big shoe to put his cloven huff in ! "

Lionel, who was familiar with the peculiar sound that
his townsmen gave to the letter u, now comprehended the
allusion to the Earl of Bute, and, beginning to understand
more clearly the nature of the transactions and the uses to
which that memorable tree had been applied, he expressed
his desire to proceed.

The old man had suffered Job to make his own explana
tions, though not without a curious interest in the effect
they would produce on Lionel ; but the instant the request
was made to advance, he turned, and once more led the way.
Their course was now directed more towards the wharves;
nor was it long before their conductor turned into a narrow
court, and entered a house of rather mean appearance, with
out even observing the formality of announcing his visit by
the ordinary summons of rapping at its door. A long, nar
row, and dimly-lighted passage conducted them to a spacious
apartment far in the court, which appeared to have been
fitted as a place for the reception of large assemblages of

LIONEL LINCOLN. 93

people. In this room were collected at least a hundred
men, seemingly intent on some object of more than usual
interest, by the gravity and seriousness of demeanor appar
ent in every countenance.

As it was Sunday, the first impression of Lionel, on en
tering the room, was, that his old friend, who often betrayed
a keen sensibility on subjects of religion, had brought him
therewith a design to listen to some favorite exhorter of his
own peculiar tenets, and as a tacit reproach for a neglect of
the usual ordinances of that holy day, of which the con
science of the young man suddenly accused him, on finding
himself unexpectedly mingled in such a throng. But after
he had forced his person among a dense body of men, who
stood at the lower end of the apartment, and became a silent
observer of the scene, he was soon made to perceive his
error. The weather had induced all present to appear in
such garments as were best adapted to protect them from its
fury; and their exteriors were rough, and perhaps a little
forbidding; but there was a composure and decency in the
air common to the whole assembly, which denoted that they
were men who possessed, in a high degree, the commanding
quality of self-respect. A very few minutes sufficed to
teach Lionel that he was in the midst of a meeting collected
to discuss questions connected with the political movements
of the times, though he felt himself a little at a loss to dis
cover the precise results it was intended to produce. To
every question there were one or two speakers — men who
expressed their ideas in a familiar manner, and with the
peculiar tones and pronunciation of the province, that left
no room to believe them to be orators of a higher character
than the mechanics and tradesmen of the town. Most, if
not all of them, wore an air of deliberation and coldness,
that would have rendered their sincerity in the cause they
had apparently espoused a little equivocal, but for occa
sional expressions of coarse, and sometimes biting invective,
that they expended on the ministers of the crown, and for

94 LIONEL LINCOLN.

the perfect and firm unanimity that was manifested, as each
expression of the common feeling was taken, after the man
ner of deliberative bodies. Certain resolutions, in which
the most respectful remonstrances were singularly blended
with the boldest assertions of constitutional principles, were
read, and passed without a dissenting voice, though with a
calmness that indicated no very strong excitement. Lionel
was peculiarly struck with the language of these written
opinions, which were expressed with a purity, and some
times with an elegance of style, which plainly showed that
the acquaintance of the sober artisan with the instrument
through whose periods he was blundering, was quite recent,
and far from being very intimate. The eyes of the young
soldier wandered from face to face with a strong desire to
detect the secret movers of the scene he was witnessing; nor
was he long without selecting one individual as an object
peculiarly deserving of his suspicions. It was a man ap
parently but just entering into middle age, of an appearance,
both in person and in such parts of his dress as escaped
from beneath his overcoat, that denoted him to be of a class
altogether superior to the mass of the assembly. A deep
but manly respect was evidently paid to this gentleman by
those who stood nearest to his person ; and once or twice
there were close and earnest communications passing be
tween him and the more ostensible leaders of the meeting,
which roused the suspicions of Lionel in the manner re
lated. Notwithstanding the secret dislike that the English
officer suddenly conceived against a man that he fancied
was thus abusing his powers, by urging others to acts of
insubordination, he could not conceal from himself the
favorable impression made by the open, fearless, and en
gaging countenance of the stranger. Lionel was so situated
as to be able to keep his person, which was partly con
cealed by the taller forms that surrounded him, in constant
view; nor was it long before his earnest and curious gaze
caught the attention of the other. Glances of marked

LIONEL LINCOLN. 9f

meaning were exchanged between them during the re
mainder of the evening, until the chairman announced that
the objects of the convocation were accomplished, and dis
solved the meeting.

Lionel raised himself from his reclining attitude against
the wall, and submitted to be carried by the current of
human bodies into the dark passage, through whch he had
entered the room. Here he lingered a moment, with a view
to recover his lost companion, and with a secret wish
to scan more narrowly the proceedings of the man whose
air and manner had so long chained his attention. The
crowd had sensibly diminished before he was aware that
few remained besides himself, nor would he then have
discovered he was likely to become an object of suspicion
to those few, had not a voice at his elbow recalled his
recollection.

" Does Major Lincoln meet his countrymen to-night as
one who sympathizes in their wrongs, or as the favored and
prosperous officer of the crown ? " asked the very man for
whose person he had so long been looking in vain.

" Is sympathy with the oppressed incompatible with loy
alty to my prince? " demanded Lionel.

" That it is not," said the stranger, in a friendly accent,
" is apparent from the conduct of many gallant Englishmen
among us, who espouse our cause — but we claim Major
Lincoln as a countryman."

" Perhaps, sir, it would be indiscreet just now to disavow
that title, let my dispositions be as they may," returned
Lionel, smiling a little haughtily; "this may not be as
secure a spot in which to avow one's sentiments, as the
town common, or the palace of St. James."

"Had the king been present to-night, Major Lincoln,
would he have heard a single sentence opposed to that con
stitution, which has declared him a member too sacred to
be offended?"

"Whatever may have been the legality of your senti-

96 LIONEL LINCOLN.

merits, sir, they surely have not been expressed in language
altogether fit for a royal ear."

" It may not have been adulation, or even flattery, but it
is truth — a quality no less sacred than the rights of kings."

" This is neither a place nor an occasion, sir," said the
young soldier, quickly, " to discuss the rights of our com
mon master; but if, as from your manner and your language
I think not improbable, we should meet hereafter in a
higher sphere, you will not find me at a loss to vindicate
his claims."

The stranger smiled with meaning, and, as he bowed be
fore he fell back and was lost in the darkness of the pas
sage, he replied :

"Our fathers have often met in such society, I believe;
God forbid that their sons should ever encounter in a less
friendly manner."

Lionel, now finding himself alone, groped his way into
the street, where he perceived Ralph and the changeling in
waiting for his appearance. Without demanding the cause
of the other's delay, the old man proceeded by the side of
his companions, with the same indifference to the tempest
as before, towards the residence of Mrs. Lechmere.

" You have now had some evidence of the spirit that per
vades this people," said Ralph, after a few moments of
silence; "think you still there is no danger that the volcano
will explode?"

" Surely everything I have heard and seen to-night con
firms such an opinion," returned Lionel. " Men on the
threshold of rebellion seldom reason so closely, and with
such moderation. Why, the very fuel for the combustion,
the rabble themselves, discuss their constitutional princi
ples, and keep under the mantle of law, as though they were
a club of learned Templars."

" Think you that the fire will burn less steadily, because
what you call the fuel has been prepared by the seasoning
of time?" returned Ralph. "But this comes from sending

LIONEL LINCOLN. 97

a youth into a foreign land for his education! The boy
rates his sober and earnest countrymen on a level with the
peasants of Europe/'

So much Lionel was able to comprehend; but notwith
standing the old man muttered vehemently to himself for
some time longer, it was in a tone too indistinct for his ear
to understand his meaning. When they arrived in a part
of the town with which Lionel was familiar, his aged guide
pointed out his way, and took his leave, saying :

" I see that nothing but the last, and dreadful argument
of force, will convince you of the purpose of the Americans
to resist their oppressors. God avert the evil hour! but
when it shall come, as come it must, you will learn your
error, young man, and, I trust, will not disregard the natu
ral ties of country and kindred."

Lionel would have spoken in reply, but the rapid steps
of Ralph rendered his wishes vain ; for, before he had time
for utterance, his emaciated form was seen gliding, like an
immaterial being, through the sheets of driving rain, and
was soon lost to the eye, as it vanished in the dim shades
of night, followed by the more substantial frame of the idiot.

CHAPTER VII.

Sergeant, you shall. Thus are poor servitors,
When others sleep upon their quiet beds.
Constrained to watch in darkness, rain, and cold.

King Henry VI.

Two or three days of fine, balmy, spring weather succeeded
to the storm, during which Lionel saw no more of his aged
fellow-voyager. Job, however, attached himself to the Brit
ish soldier with a confiding helplessness that touched the
heart of his young protector, who gathered from the circum
stance a just opinion of the nature of the abuses that the
unfortunate changeling was frequently compelled to endure
from the brutal soldiery. Meriton performed the functions
7

98 LIONEL LINCOLN.

of master of the wardrobe to the lad, by Lionel's express
commands, with evident disgust, but with manifest advan
tage to the external appearance, if with no very sensible
evidence of having added to the comfort of his charge.
During this short period, the slight impression made on
Lionel by the scene related in the preceding chapter, faded
before the cheerful changes of the season, and the increas
ing interest which he felt in the society of his youthful kins
women. Polwarth relieved him from all cares of a domestic
nature, and the peculiar shade of sadness, which at times
had been so very preceptible in his countenance, was
changed to a look of a more brightening and cheerful char
acter. Polwarth and Lionel had found an officer, who had
formerly served in the same regiment with them in the Brit
ish Islands, in command of a company of grenadiers, which
formed part of the garrison of Boston. This gentleman, an
Irishman, of the name of M'Fuse, was qualified to do great
honor to the culinary skill of the officer of light infantry, by
virtue of a keen natural gusto for whatever possessed the in
herent properties of a savory taste, though utterly destitute
of any of that remarkable scientific knowledge which might
be said to distinguish the other in the art. He was, in con
sequence of this double claim on the notice of Lionel, a
frequent guest at the nightly banquets prepared by Pol
warth. Accordingly, we find him, on the evening of the
third day in the week, seated with his two friends around a
board plentifully garnished by the care of that gentleman,
on the preparations for which more than usual skill had
been exerted, if the repeated declarations of the disciple of
Heliogabalus, to that effect, were entitled to ordinary credit.
"In short, Major Lincoln," said Polwarth, in continuance
of his favorite theme, while seated before the table, " a man
may live anywhere, provided he possesses food— in Eng
land, or out of England, it matters not. Raiment may be
necessary to appearance, but food is the only indispensable
that nature has imposed on the animal world; and, in my

LIONEL LINCOLN. 99

opinion, here is a sort of obligation on every man to be sat
isfied, who has wherewithal to appease the cravings of his
appetite. Captain M'Fuse, I will thank you to cut that sir
loin with the grain."

" What matters it, Polly," said the captain of grenadiers,
with a slight Irish accent, and with the humor of his coun
trymen strongly depicted in his fine, open, manly features,
" which way a bit of meat is divided, so there be enough to
allay the cravings of the appetite ? "

" It is a collateral assistance to nature that should never
be neglected," returned Polwarth, whose gravity and serious
ness at his banquets were not easily disturbed ; " it facilitates
mastication and aids digestion, two considerations of great
importance to military men, sir, who have frequently such
little time for the former, and no rest after their meals to
complete the latter."

" He reasons like an army contractor, who wishes to make
one ration do the work of two, when transportation is high,"
said M'Fuse, winking to Lionel. "According to your prin
ciples, then, Polly, a potato is your true campaigner, for that
is a cr'ature you may cut any way without disturbing the
grain, provided the article be a little m'aly."

"Pardon me, Captain M'Fuse," said Polwarth; "a potato
should be broken, and not cut at all — there is no vegetable
more used, and less understood, than the potato."

"And is it you, Pater Polwarth, of Nesbitt's light infan
try," interrupted the grenadier, laying down his knife and
fork with an air of infinite humor, "that will tell Dennis
M'Fuse how to carve a potato! I will yield to the right of
an Englishman over the chivalry of an ox, your sirloins, and
your lady-rumps, if you please ; but in my own country, one
end of every farm is a bog, and the other a potato-field — 'tis
an Irishman's patrimony that you are making so free with,
sir!"

" The possession of a thing, and the knowledge how to
use it, are two very different properties "

IOO LIONEL LINCOLN.

" Give me the property of possession, then," again inter
rupted the ardent grenadier, " especially when a morsel of
the green island is in dispute; and trust an old soldier of
the Royal Irish to carve his own enjoyments. Now, I'll
wager a month's pay — and that to me is as much as if the
major should say, * Done for a thousand ' — that you can't
tell how many dishes can be made, and are made every day
in Ireland, out of so simple a thing as a potato."

"You roast and boil; and use them in stuffing tame birds,
sometimes, and —

"All old woman's cookery!" interrupted M'Fuse, with
an affectation of great contempt in his manner. " Now, sir,
we have them with butter, and without butter — that counts
two; then we have the fruit p'aled; and "

"Impaled," said Lionel, laughing. "I believe this nice
controversy must be referred to Job, who is amusing himself
in the corner there, I see, with the very subject of the dis
pute transfixed on his fork in the latter condition."

"Or suppose, rather," said M'Fuse, "as it is a matter to
exercise the judgment of Solomon, we make a potato umpire
of Master Seth Sage, yonder, who should have some of the
wisdom of the royal Jew, by the sagacity of his countenance
as well as of his name."

"Don't you call Seth r'yal," said Job, suspending his
occupation on the vegetable. "The king is r'yal and
fla'nty, but neighbor Sage lets Job come in and eat, like a
Christian."

" That lad there is not altogether without reason, Major
Lincoln," said Polwarth ; " on the contrary, he discovers an
instinctive knowledge of good from evil, by favoring us with
his company at the hour of meals."

"The poor fellow finds but little at home to tempt him
to remain there, I fear," said Lionel ; " and as he was one
of the first acquaintances I made on returning to my
native land, I have desired Mr. Sage to admit him at all
proper hours; and especially, Polwarth, at those times

LIONEL LINCOLN. IOI

when he can have an opportunity of doing homage to your
skill."

"I am glad to see him," said Polwarth; "for I love an
uninstructed palate, as much as I admire naivete in a
woman. Be so good as to favor me with a cut from the
breast of that wild goose, M' Fuse — not quite so far forward,
if you please; your migratory birds are apt to be tough
about the wing — but simplicity in eating is, after all, the
great secret of life; that and a sufficiency of food."

" You may be right this time," replied the grenadier,
laughing; "for this fellow made one of the flankers of the
flock, and did double duty in wheeling, I believe, or I have
got him against the grain too! But, Polly, you have not
told us how you improve in your light-infantry exercises of
late."

By this time, Polwarth had made such progress in the
essential part of his meal, as to have recovered in some
measure his usual tone of good-nature, and he answered with
less gravity :

" If Gage does not work a reformation in our habits, he
will fag us all to death. I suppose you know, Leo, that all
the flank companies are relieved from the guards to learn a
new species of exercise. They call it relieving us, but the
only relief I find in the matter is when we lie down to fire
— there is a luxurious moment or two then, I must confess."

" I have known the fact, any time these ten days, by your
meanings," returned Lionel. " But what do you argue from
this particular exercise, Captain M'Fuse? Does Gage con
template more than the customary drills? "

" You question me now, sir, on a matter in which I am un
instructed," said the grenadier. " I am a soldier, and obey
my orders, without pretending to inquire into their objects
or merits: all I know is, that both grenadiers and light in
fantry are taken from the guards ; and that we travel over a
good deal of solid earth each day, in the way of marching
and countermarching, to the manifest discomfiture and re-

IO2 LIONEL LINCOLN.

duction of Polly, there, who loses flesh as fast as he gains
ground."

" Do you think so, Mac? " cried the delighted captain of
light infantry. "Then I have not all the detestable motion
in vain. They have given us little Harry Skip as a drill-
officer, who, I believe, has the most restless foot of any man
in his majesty's service. Do you join with me in opinion,
Master Sage? You seem to meditate on the subject as if it
had some secret charm."

The individual to whom Polwarth addressed this ques
tion, and who has been already named, was standing with a
plate in his hand, in an attitude that bespoke close attention,
with a sudden and deep interest in the discourse, though his
eyes were bent on the floor, and his face was averted as if,
while listening earnestly, he had a particular desire to be
unnoticed. He was the owner of the house in which Lionel
had taken his quarters. His family had been some time
before removed into the country, under the pretence of his
inability to maintain them in a place destitute of business
and resources, like Boston ; but he remained himself, for
the double purpose of protecting his property and serving
his guests. This man partook, in no small degree, of the
qualities, both of person and mind, which distinguish a
large class among his countrymen. In the former, he was
rather over than under the middle stature; was thin, angu
lar, and awkward, but possessing an unusual proportion of
sinew and bone. His eyes were small, black, scintillating,
and it was not easy to fancy that the intelligence they mani
fested was unmingled with a large proportion of shrewd
cunning. The rest of his countenance was meagre, sallow,
and rigidly demure. Thus called upon, on a sudden, by
Polwarth for an opinion, Seth answered, with the cautious
reserve with which he invariably delivered himself:

" The adjutant is an uneasy man ; but that, I suppose, is
so much the better for a light-infantry officer. Captain
Polwarth must find it considerable jading to keep the step,

LIONEL LINCOLN. 1 03

now the general has ordered these new doings with the sol
diers."

"And what may be your opinion of these doings, as you
call them, Mr. Sage?" asked M'Fuse. "You, who are a
man of observation, should understand your countrymen;
will they fight?"

"A rat will fight if the cats pen him," said Seth, without
raising his eyes from his occupation.

"But do the Americans conceive themselves to be
penned? "

" Why, that is pretty much as people think, captain. The
country was in a great touse about the stamps and the tea,
but I always said such folks as didn't give their notes-of-
hand, and had no great relish for anything more than country
food, wouldn't find themselves cramped by the laws, after all."

" Then you see no great oppression in being asked to pay
your bit of a tax, Master Sage," cried the grenadier, "to
maintain such a worthy fellow as myself in a dacent equi
page to fight your battles? "

"Why, as to that, captain, I suppose we can do pretty
much the whole of our own fighting, when occasion calls;
though I don't think there is much stomach for such doings
among the people, without need."

" But what do you think the * Committee of Safety,' and
your ' Sons of Liberty,' as they call themselves, really mean,
by their parades of ' minute-men,' their gathering of provi
sions, carrying off the cannon, and such other formidable and
appalling preparations — ah! honest Seth? Do they think
to frighten British soldiers with the roll of a drum, or are
they amusing themselves, like boys in the holidays, with
playing war? "

" I should conclude," said Seth, with undisturbed gravity
and caution, "that the people are pretty much engaged, and
in earnest."

"To do what?" demanded the Irishman. "To forge
their own chains, that we may fetter them in truth? "

IO4 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" Why, seeing that they have burnt the stamps, and thrown
the tea into the harbor," returned Seth, "and, since that,
have taken the management into their own hands, I should
rather conclude that they have pretty much determined to
do what they think best."

Lionel and Polwarth laughed aloud, and the former ob
served :

" You appear not to come to conclusions with our host,
Captain M'Fuse, notwithstanding so much is determined.
Is it well understood, Mr. Sage, that large reinforcements
are coming to the colonies, and to Boston in particular? "

" Why, yes," returned Seth ; " it seems to be pretty gen
erally contemplated on."

" And what is the result of these contemplations? "

Seth paused a moment, as if uncertain whether he was
master of the other's meaning, before he replied:

" Why, as the country is considerably engaged in the busi
ness, there are some who think, if the ministers don't open
the port, that it will be done without much further words
by the people."

"Do you know," said Lionel, gravely, "that such an at
tempt would lead directly to a civil war? "

" I suppose it is safe to calculate that such doings would
bring on disturbances," returned his phlegmatic host.

" And you speak of it, sir, as a thing not to be deprecated,
or averted by every possible means in the power of the na
tion!"

" If the port is opened, and the right to tax given up," said
Seth, calmly, " I can find a man in Boston who'll engage to
let them draw all the blood that will be spilt, from his own
veins, for nothing."

"And who may that redoubtable individual be, Master
Sage ? " cried M'Fuse. " Your own plethoric person ? How
now, Doyle — to what am I indebted for the honor of this
visit?"

This sudden question was put by the captain of grenadiers

LIONEL LINCOLN. IO5

to the orderly of his own company, who at that instant filled
the door of the apartment with his huge frame, in the atti
tude of military respect, as if about to address his officer.

" Orders have come down, sir, to parade the men at half
an hour after tattoo, and to be in readiness for active service."

The three gentlemen rose together from their chairs at
this intelligence, while M'Fuse exclaimed "A night-march!
Pooh! We are to be sent back to garrison duty, I suppose;
the companies in the line grow sleepy, and wish a relief.
Gage might have taken a more suitable time, than to put
gentlemen on their march so soon after such a feast as this
of yours, Polly."

"There is some deeper meaning to so extraordinary an
order," interrupted Lionel ; " there goes the tap of the tat
too, this instant! Are no other troops but your company
ordered to parade ? "

"The whole battalion is under the same orders, your
honor, and so is the battalion of light infantry; I was com
manded to report it so to Captain Polwarth, if I saw him."

"This bears some meaning, gentlemen," said Lionel,
" and it is necessary to be looked to. If either corps leaves
the town to-night, I will march with it as a volunteer; for
it is my business, just now, to examine into the state of the
country."

"That we shall march to-night, is sure, your honor,"
added the sergeant, with the confidence of an old soldier;
"but how far, or on what road, is known only to the officers
of the staff; though the men think we are to go out by the
colleges."

" And what has put so learned an opinion in their silly
heads? " demanded his captain.

" One of the men who has been on leave, has just got in,
and reports that a squad of gentlemen from the army dined
near them, your honor, and that as night set in they mounted,
and began to patrol the roads in that direction. He was
met and questioned by four of them as he crossed the flats."

IO6 LIONEL LINCOLN.

"All this confirms my conjectures," cried Lionel: "there
is a man who might now prove of important service — Job —
where is the simpleton, Meriton ? "

" He was called out, sir, a minute since, and has left the
house."

"Then send in Mr. Sage," continued the young man, mus
ing as he spoke. A moment after it was reported to him
that Seth had strangely disappeared also.

" Curiosity has led him to the barracks," said Lionel,
"where duty calls you, gentlemen. I will despatch a little
business, and join you there in an hour; you cannot march
short of that time."

The bustle of a general departure succeeded. Lionel
threw his cloak into the arms of Meriton, to whom he de
livered his orders, took his arms, and, making his apologies
to his guests, he left the house with the manner of one who
saw a pressing necessity to be prompt. M'Fuse proceeded
to equip himself with the deliberation of a soldier who was
too much practised to be easily disconcerted. Notwith
standing his great deliberation, the delay of Polwarth, how
ever, eventually vanquished the patience of the grenadier,
who exclaimed, on hearing the other repeat, for the fourth
time, an order concerning the preservation of certain viands,
to which he appeared to cling in spirit, after a carnal sepa
ration was directed by fortune.

"Poh! poh! man," exclaimed the Irishman; "why will
you bother yourself on the eve of a march with such epi
curean propensities! It's the soldier who should show your
hermits and anchorites an example of mortification; besides,
Polly, this affectation of care and provision is the less ex
cusable in yourself — you, who have been well aware that we
were to march on a secret expedition this very night on
which you seem so much troubled."

" I ! " exclaimed Polwarth ; "as I hope to eat another
meal, I am as ignorant as the meanest corporal in the army
of the whole transaction. Why do you suspect otherwise? "

LIONEL LINCOLN. IO/

" Trifles tell the old campaigner when and where the blow
is to be struck," returned M'Fuse, coolly drawing his mili
tary overcoat tighter to his large frame; "have I not, with
my own eyes, seen you, within the hour, provision a certain
captain of light infantry after a very heavy fashion ? Damn
it, man ! do you think I have served thee five-and-twenty
years, and do not know that when a garrison begins to fill
its granaries, it expects a siege ? "

" I have paid no more than a suitable compliment to the
entertainment of Major Lincoln," returned Polwarth ; " but
so far from having had any very extraordinary appetite, I
have not found myself in a condition to do all the justice I
could wish to several of the dishes. Mr. Meriton, I will
thank you to have the remainder of that bird sent down to
the barracks, where my man will receive it; and, as it may
be a long march and a hungry one, add the tongue, and a
fowl, and some of the ragout; we can warm it up at any
farm-house. We'll take the piece of beef, Mac — Leo has a
particular taste for a cold cut : and you might put up the
ham, also; it will keep better than anything else, if we
should be out long — and — and — I believe that will do,
Meriton."

" I am as much rejoiced to hear it as I should be to hear
a proclamation of war read at Charing Cross," cried
M'Fuse, "you should have been a commissary, Polly — na
ture meant you for an army sutler! "

"Laugh as you will, Mac," returned the good-humored
Polwarth ; " I shall hear your thanks when we halt for
breakfast; but I attend you now."

As they left the house, he continued, " I hope Gage means
no more than to push us a little in advance with a view to
protect the foragers and the supplies of the army. Such a
situation would have very pretty advantages; for a system
might be established that would give the mess of the light
corps the choice of the whole market."

"Tis a mighty preparation about some old iron gun,

IO8 LIONEL LINCOLN.

which would cost a man his life to put a match to," returned
M'Fuse, cavalierly ; " for my part, Captain Polwarth, if we
are to fight these colonists at all, I would do the thing like
a man, and allow the lads to gather together a suitable
arsenal, that when we come to blows, it may be a military
affair. As it now stands, I should be ashamed, as I am a
soldier and an Irishman, to bid my fellow pull a trigger or
make a charge on a set of peasants, whose firearms look
more like rusty water-pipes than muskets, and who have
half a dozen cannon with touch-holes that a man may put
his head in, with muzzles just large enough to throw mar
bles."

"I don't know, Mac," said Polwarth, while they diligent
ly pursued their way towards the quarters of their men;
" even a marble may destroy a man's appetite for his din
ner; and the countrymen possess a great advantage over us
in commanding the supplies; the difference in equipments
would not more than balance the odds."

" I wish to disturb no gentleman's opinion on matters of
military discretion, Captain Polwarth," said the grenadier,
with an air of high martial pride ; " but I take it there ex
ists a material difference between a soldier and a butcher,
though killing be a business common to both. I repeat,
sir, I hope that this secret expedition is for a more worthy
object than to deprive those poor devils, with whom we are
about to fight, of the means of making a good battle ; and I
add, sir, that such is sound military doctrine, without re
garding whom may choose to controvert it."

"\-our sentiments are generous and manly, Mac; but,
after all, there is both a physical and moral obligation on
every man to eat; and if starvation be the consequence of
permitting your enemies to bear arms, it becomes a solemn
duty to deprive them of their weapons. No, no; I will
support Gage in such a measure, at present, as highly mili
tary."

" And he is much obliged to you, sir, for your support," re-

LIONEL LINCOLN.

turned the other; "I apprehend, Captain Polwarth, when
ever the Lieutenant-General Gage finds it necessary to lean
on any one for extraordinary assistance, he will remember
that there is a regiment called the Royal Irish in the coun
try, and that he is not entirely ignorant of the qualities of
the people of his own nation. You have done well, Captain
Polwarth, to choose the light-infantry service; they are a
set of foragers, and can help themselves; but the grena
diers, thank God, love to encounter men, and not cattle, in
the field."

How long the good-nature of Polwarth would have en
dured the increasing taunts of the Irishman, who was exas
perating himself, gradually, by his own arguments, there is
no possibility of determining; for their arrival at the bar
racks put an end to the controversy and to the feeling it was
beginning to engender.

CHAPTER VIII.

" Preserve thy sighs, unthrifty girl !

To purify the air ;

Thy tears to thread, instead of pearl,
On bracelets of thy hair."

DEVENANT.

LIONEL might have blushed to acknowledge the secret and
inexplicable influence which his unknown and mysterious
friend Ralph had obtained over his feelings, but which
induced him, on leaving his own quarters thus hastily, to
take his way into the lower parts of the town, in quest of the
residence of Abigail Pray. He had not visited the sombre
tenement of this woman since the night of his arrival, but
its proximity to the well-known town-hall, as well as the
quaint architecture of the building itself, had frequently
brought its exterior under his observation in the course of
his rambles through the place of his nativity. A guide
being consequently unnecessary, he took the most direct

IIO LIONEL LINCOLN.

and frequented route to the Dock Square. When Lionel is
sued into the street, he found a deep darkness already en
veloping the peninsula of Boston, as if Nature had lent
herself to the secret designs of the British commandant.
The fine strain of a shrill fife was playing among the naked
hills of the place, accompanied by the occasional and meas
ured taps of the sullen drum ; and at moments, the full rich
notes of the horns would rise from the common, and, borne
on the night air, sweep along the narrow streets, causing
the nerves of the excited young soldier to thrill with a stern
pleasure, as he stepped proudly along. The practised ear,
however, detected no other sounds in the music than the
usual nightly signal of rest; and when the last melting
strains of the horns seemed to be lost in the clouds, a still
ness fell upon the town like the deep and slumbering quiet
of midnight. He paused a moment before the gates of Prov
ince House, and after examining, with an attentive eye, the
windows of the building, he spoke to the grenadier, who had
stopped in his short walk to note the curious stranger.

"You should have company within, sentinel/' he said,
"by the brilliant light from those windows."

The rattling of Lionel's side-arms, as he pointed with
his hand in the direction of the illuminated apartment,
taught the soldier that he was addressed by his superior,
and he answered respectfully :

" It does not become one such as I to pretend to know
much of what his betters do, your honor; but I stood before
the quarters of General Wolfe the very night we went up to
the Plains of Abram ; and I think an old soldier can tell
when a movement is at hand without asking his superior
any impertinent questions."

" I suppose, from your remark, the general holds a coun
cil to-night? " said Lionel.

" No one has gone in, sir, since I have been posted," re
turned the sentinel, "but the lieutenant-colonel of the loth,
that great Northumbrian lord, and the old major of marines.

LIONEL LINCOLN. Ill

A great war-dog is that old man, your honor, and it is not
often he comes to Province House for nothing."

" A good-night to you, my old comrade," said Lionel,
walking away; " 'tis probably some consultation concerning
the new exercises that you practise."

The grenadier shook his head, as if unconcerned, and re
sumed his march with his customary steadiness. A very
few minutes now brought Lionel before the low door of
Abigail Pray, where he again stopped, struck with the con
trast between the gloomy, dark, and unguarded threshold
over which he was about to pass, and the gay portal he had
just left. Urged, however, by his feelings, the young man
paused but a moment before he tapped lightly for admission.
After repeating his summons, and hearing no reply, he lifted
the latch and entered the building without further ceremony.
The large and vacant apartment in which he found himself
was silent and dreary as the still streets he had quitted.
Groping his way towards the little room in the tower, where
he had met the mother of Job, as before related, Lionel
found that apartment also tenantless and dark. He was
turning in disappointment to quit the place, when a feeble
ray fell from the loft of the building, and settled on the
foot of a rude ladder which formed the means of communi
cation with its upper apartments. Hesitating a single mo
ment how to decide, he then yielded to his anxiety, and as
cended to the floor above, with steps as light as extreme
caution could render them. Like the basement, the build
ing was subdivided here into a large open wareroom, and a
small rudely finished apartment in each of its towers. Fol
lowing the rays from a candle, he stood on the threshold of
one of these little rooms, in which he found the individual
of whom he was in quest. The old man was seated on the
only broken chair which the loft contained, and before him,
on the simple bundle of straw which would seem, by the
garments thrown loosely over the pile, to be intended as his
place of rest, lay a large map, spread for inspection, which

112 LIONEL LINCOLN.

his glazed and sunken eyes appeared to be intently engaged
in marking. Lionel hesitated again, while he remarked the
white hairs which fell across the temples of the stranger,
as he bowed his head in his employment, imparting a wild
and melancholy expression to his remarkable countenance,
and seeming to hallow their possessor by the air of great
age and attendant care that they imparted.

" I have come to seek you," the young man at length said,
" since you no longer deem me worthy of your care."

"You come too late," returned Ralph, without betraying
the least emotion at the suddenness of the interruption, or
even raising his eyes from the map he studied so intently;
"too late at least to avert calamity, if not to learn wisdom
from its lessons."

"You know, then, of the secret movements of the night? "

" Old age, like mine, seldom sleeps," returned Ralph, look
ing for the first. time at his visitor; "for the eternal night of
death promises a speedy repose. I, too, served an appren
ticeship in my youth to your trade of blood."

" Your watchfulness and experience have then detected
the signs of preparation in the garrison? Have they also
discovered the objects and probable consequences of the en
terprise? "

" Both. Gage weakly thinks to crush the germ of liberty,
which has already quickened in the land, by lopping its
feeble branches, when it is rooted in the hearts of the peo
ple. He thinks that bold thoughts can be humbled by the
destruction of magazines."

" It is then only a measure of precaution that he is about
to take? "

The old man shook his head mournfully as he answered :

" It will prove a measure of blood."

" I intend to accompany the detachment into the country,"
said Lionel — " it will probably take post at some little dis
tance in the interior, and it will afford me a fitting oppor
tunity to make those inquiries which you know are so near

LIONEL LINCOLN. 113

my heart, and in which you have promised to assist: it is
to consult on the means, that I have now sought you."

The countenance of the stranger seemed to lose its char
acter of melancholy reflection, as Lionel spoke, and his eyes
moved, vacant and unmeaning, over the naked rafters above
him, passing in their wanderings across the surface of the
unheeded map again, until they fell full upon the face of the
astonished youth, where they remained settled for more than
a minute, fized in the glazed, riveted look of death. The
lips of Lionel had already opened in anxious inquiry, when
the expression of life shot again into the features of Ralph,
with the suddenness, and with an appearance of the physi
cal reality with which light flashes from the sun when
emerging from a cloud.

"You are ill! " Lionel exclaimed.

" Leave me," said the old man, " leave me."

"Surely not at such a moment, and alone."

"I bid you leave me — we shall meet as you desire, in the
country."

" You would then have me accompany the troops, and ex
pect your coming? "

" Both."

" Pardon me," said Lionel, dropping his eyes in embar
rassment, and speaking with hesitation; "but your present
abode and the appearance of your attire, is an evidence that
old age has come upon you when you are not altogether pre
pared to meet its sufferings."

" You would offer me money ? "

" By accepting it, I shall become the obliged party."

"When my wants exceed my means, young man, your offer
shall be remembered. Go, now ; there is no time for delay."

" But I would not leave you alone ; the woman, the ter
magant, is better than none."

" She is absent."

"And Ihe boy — the changeling has the feelings of human
ity, and would aid you in extremity."

o

114 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" He is better employed than in propping the steps of a
useless old man. Go then, I entreat — I command, sir, that
you leave me."

The firm, if not haughty manner, in which the other re
peated his desire, taught Lionel that he had nothing more
to expect at present, and he obeyed reluctantly, by slowly
leaving the apartment; and as soon as he had descended the
ladder, he began to retrace his steps towards his own quar
ters. In crossing the light drawbridge thrown over the nar
row dock, already mentioned, his contemplations were first
disturbed by the sounds of voices, at no great distance, ap
parently conversing in tones that were not intended to be
heard by every ear. It was a moment when each unusual
incident was likely to induce inquiry, and Lionel stopped
to examine two men, who, at a little distance, held their
secret and suppressed communications. He had, however,
paused but an instant, when the whisperers separated; one
walking leisurely up the centre of the square, entering un
der one of the arches of the market-place, and the other
coming directly across the bridge on which he himself was
standing.

" What, Job, do I find you here, whispering and plotting
in the Dock Square ! " exclaimed Lionel ; " what secrets can
you have, that require the cover of night? "

"Job lives there, in the old ware'us'," said the lad sullen-
1'y — " Nab has plenty of house-room, now the king won't let
the people bring in their goods."

"But whither are you going? into the water? Surely the
road to your bed cannot be through the town dock."

" Nab wants fish to eat, as well as a ruff to keep off the
rain," said Job, dropping lightly from the bridge into a
small canoe, which was fastened to one of its posts, " and
now the king has closed the harbor, the fish have to come up
in the dark; for come they will; Boston fish an't to be shut
out by acts of Parliament! "

" Poor lad! " exclaimed Lionel, " return to your home and

LIONEL LINCOLN. II 5

your bed; here is money to buy food for your mother, if she
suffers: you will draw a shot from some of the sentinels by
going about the harbor thus at night."

" Job can see a ship farther than a ship can see Job," re
turned the other; "and if they should kill Job, they needn't
think to shoot a Boston boy without some stir."

Further dialogue was precluded; the canoe gliding along
the outer dock into the harbor, with a stillness and swiftness
that showed the idiot was not ignorant of the business
which he had undertaken. Lionel resumed his walk, and
was passing the head of the square, when he encountered,
face to face, under the light of a lamp, the man whose figure
he had seen but a minute before to issue from beneath the
town-hall. A mutual desire to ascertain the identity of
each other drew them together.

"We meet again, Major Lincoln!" said the interesting
stranger Lionel remembered to have seen at the political
meeting. " Our interviews appear ordained to occur in
secret places."

" And Job Pray would seem to be the presiding spirit,"
returned the young soldier. " You parted from him but
now?"

" I trust, sir," said the stranger gravely, " that this is not
a land, nor have we fallen on times, when and where an
honest man dare not say that he has spoken to whom he
pleases."

" Certainly, sir, it is not for me to prohibit the inter
course," returned Lionel. " You spoke of our fathers; mine
is well known to you, it would seem, though to me you are
a stranger."

"And may be so yet a little longer," said the other,
" though I think the time is at hand when men will be
known in their true characters; until then, Major Lincoln,
I bid you adieu."

Without waiting for any reply, the stranger took a differ
ent direction from that which Lionel was pursuing, and

Il6 LIONEL LINCOLN.

walked away with the swiftness of one who was pressed with
urgent business. Lionel soon ascended into the upper part
of the town, with the intention of going into Tremont street,
to communicate his design to accompany the expedition.
It was now apparent to the young man that a rumor of the
contemplated movement of the troops was spreading secretly,
but swiftly, among the people. He passed several groups
of earnest and excited townsmen, conferring together at the
corners of the streets, from some of whom he overheard the
startling intelligence that the neck, the only approach to the
place by land, was closed by a line of sentinels; and that
guard-boats from the vessels of war were encircling the
peninsula in a manner to intercept the communication with
the adjacent country. Still no indications of a military
alarm could be discovered, though, at times, a stifled hum,
like the notes of busy preparation, was borne along by the
damp breezes of the night, and mingled with those sounds
of a spring evening, which increased as he approached the
skirts of the dwellings. In Tremont street Lionel found
no appearance of that excitement, which was spreading so
rapidly in the old and lower parts of the town. He passed
into his own room without meeting any of the family, and
having completed his brief arrangements, he was descend
ing to inquire for his kinswomen, when the voice of Mrs.
Lechmere, proceeding from a small apartment appropriated
to her own use, arrested his steps. Anxious to take leave
in person, he approached the half-open door, and would
have asked permission to enter, had not his eye rested on
the person of Abigail Pray, who was in earnest conference
with the mistress of the mansion.

"A man aged, and poor, say you? " observed Mrs. Lech-
mere, at that instant.

"And one that seems to know all," interrupted Abigail,
glancing her eyes about with an expression of superstitious
terror.

" All !" echoed Mrs. Lechmere, her lip trembling more

LIONEL LINCOLN.

with apprehension than age ; " and he arrived with Major
Lincoln, say you? "

" In the same ship ; and it seems that heaven has ordained
that he shall dwell with me in my poverty, as a punishment
for my great sins! "

"But why do you tolerate his presence, if it be irksome? "
said Mrs. Lechmere ; " you are at least the mistress of your
own dwelling."

" It has pleased God that my home shall be the home of
any who are so miserable as to need one. He has the same
right to live in the warehouse that I have."

"You have the rights of a woman, and of first possession,"
said Mrs. Lechmere, with that unyielding severity of manner
that Lionel had often observed before; "I would turn him
into the street, like a dog."

"Into the street! " repeated Abigail, again looking about
her in secret terror; "speak lower, Madam Lechmere, for
the love of heaven. I dare not even look at him : he re
minds me of all I have ever known, and of all the evil I
have ever done, by his scorching eye — and yet I cannot tell
why; and then Job worships him as a god, and if I should
offend him, he could easily worm from the child all that you
and I wish so much—

" How! " exclaimed Mrs. Lechmere, in a voice husky with
horror; "have you been so base as to make a confidant of
that fool?"

"That fool is the child of my bosom," said Abigail, rais
ing her hands, as if imploring pardon for the indiscretion.
"Ah! Madam Lechmere, you, who are rich, and great, and
happy, and have such a sweet and sensible grandchild, can
not know how to love one like Job; but when the heart is
loaded and heavy, it throws its burden on any that will bear
it; and Job is my child, though he is but little better than
an idiot!"

It was by no trifling exertion of his breeding that Lionel
was enabled to profit by the inability of Mrs. Lechmere to

Il8 LIONEL LINCOLN.

reply, and to turn away from the spot, and cease to listen to
a conversation that was not intended for his ear. He
reached the parlor, and threw himself on one of its settees,
before he was conscious that he was no longer alone or un
observed.

"What! Major Lincoln returned from his revels thus
early, and armed like a bandit, to his teeth! " exclaimed the
playful voice of Cecil Dynevor, who, unheeded, was in pos
session of the opposite seat, when he entered the room.

Lionel started, and rubbed his forehead, like a man awak
ing from a dream, as he answered:

"Yes, a bandit, or any other opprobrious name you
please; I deserve them all."

"Surely," said Cecil, turning pale, "none other dare use
such language of Major Lincoln, and he does it unjustly/'

"What foolish nonsense have I uttered, Miss Dynevor? "
cried Lionel, recovering his recollection. " I was lost in
thought, and heard your language without comprehending its
meaning."

"Still, you are armed: a sword is not a usual instrument
at your side, and now you bear even pistols! "

" Yes," returned the young soldier, laying aside his dan
gerous implements; "yes, I am about to march as a volun
teer, with a party that go into the country to-night, and I take
these because I would affect something very warlike, though
you well know how peaceably I am disposed."

"March into the country — and in the dead of night!"
said Cecil, catching her breath, and turning pale. "And
does Lionel Lincoln volunteer on such a duty? "

" I volunteer to perform no other duty than to be a witness
of whatever may occur: you are not more ignorant yourself
of the nature of the expedition than I am at this moment."

"Then remain where you are," said Cecil, firmly, "and
enlist not in an enterprise that may be unholy in its pur
poses and disgraceful in its results."

" Of the former I am innocent, whatever they may be, nor

LIONEL LINCOLN. IIQ

will they be affected by my presence or absence. There is
little danger of disgrace in accompanying the grenadiers and
light infantry of this army, Miss Dynevor, though it should
be against treble their numbers of chosen troops."

" Then it would seem," said Agnes Danforth, speaking as
she entered the room, " that our friend Mercury, that feather
of a man, Captain Polwarth, is to be one of these night de
predators ! Heaven shield the hen-roosts ! "

"You have, then, heard the intelligence, Agnes?"

" I have heard that men are arming, and that boats are
rowing round the town in all directions, and that it is for
bidden to enter or quit Boston, as we were wont to do, Cecil,
at such hours and in such fashion as suited us plain Ameri
cans," said Agnes, endeavoring to conceal her deep vexation
in affected irony. "God only can tell in what all these op
pressive measures will end."

" If you go only as a curious spectator of the depredations
of the troops," continued Cecil, " are you not wrong to lend
them even the sanction of your name? "

" I have yet to learn that there will be depredations."

"You forget, Cecil," interrupted Agnes Danforth, scorn
fully, " that Major Lincoln did not arrive until after the
renowned march from Roxbury to Dorchester! Then the
troops gathered their laurels under the face of the sun; but
it is easy to conceive how much more glorious their achieve
ments will become when darkness shall conceal their
blushes!"

The blood rushed across the fine features of Lionel, but
he laughed as he arose to depart, saying :

" You compel me to beat the retreat, my spirited coz. If
I have my usual fortune in this forage, your larder, however,
shall be the better for it. I kiss my hand to you, for it
would be necessary to lay aside the scarlet, to dare to ap
proach with a more peaceable offering. But here I may
make an approach to something like amity."

He took the hand of Cecil, who frankly met his offer, and

I2O LIONEL LINCOLN.

insensibly suffered herself to be led to the door of the build
ing while he continued speaking.

" I would, Lincoln, that you were not to go," she said,
when they stopped on the threshold — " it is not required of
you as a soldier; and as a man, your own feelings should
teach you to be tender of your countrymen."

" It is as a man that I go, Cecil," he answered. " I have
motives that you cannot suspect."

"And is your absence to be long? "

" If not for days, my object will be unaccomplished " ; but
he added, pressing her hand gently, "you cannot doubt my
willingness to return when occasion may offer."

" Go, then," said Cecil, hastily, and perhaps unconscious
ly extricating herself — "go, if you have secret reasons for
your conduct; but remember that the acts of every officer of
your rank are keenly noted."

" Do you then distrust me, Cecil ? "

" No — no — I distrust no one, Major Lincoln ; go — go —
and — and — we shall see you, Lionel, the instant you re
turn."

He had not time to reply, for she glided into the building
so rapidly as to give the young man an opportunity only to
observe that, instead of rejoining her cousin, her light form
passed up the great stairs with the swiftness and grace of a
fairy.

CHAPTER IX.

Hang out our banners on the outward walls :
The cry is still. They come.

Macbeth.

LIONEL had walked from the dwelling of Mrs. Lechmere to
the foot of Beacon Hill, and had even toiled up some part
of the steep ascent, before he recollected why he was thus
wandering by himself at that unusual hour. Hearing, how
ever, no sounds that denoted an immediate movement of the

LIONEL LINCOLN. 121

troops, he then yielded, unconsciously, to the nature of his
sensations, which just at that moment rendered his feelings
jealous of communication with others, and continued to
ascend until he gained the summit of the eminence. From
this elevated stand he paused to contemplate the scene which
lay in the obscurity of night at his feet, while his thoughts
returned from the flattering anticipations in which he had
been indulging, to consider the more pressing business of
the hour. There arose from the town itself a distant buz
zing, like the hum of suppressed agitation, and lights were
seen to glide along the streets, or flit across the windows,
in a manner which denoted that a knowledge of the expedi
tion had become general within its dwellings. Lionel turned
his head towards the common, and listened long and anx
iously, but in vain, to detect a single sound that could be
tray any unusual stir among the soldiery. Towards the in
terior, the darkness of night had fallen heavily, dimming
the amphitheatre of hills that encircled the place, and en
shrouding the vales and lowlands between them and the
water with an impenetrable veil of gloom. There were
moments, indeed, when he imagined he overheard some
indications among the people of the opposite shore, that
they were apprised of the impending descent; but on lis
tening more attentively, the utmost of which his ear could
assure him, was the faint lowing of cattle from the meadows,
or the plash of oars from a line of boats, which, by stretch
ing far along the shores, told both the nature and the extent
of the watchfulness that was deemed necessary for the occa
sion.

While Lionel stood thus, on the margin of the little plat
form of earth that had been formed by levelling the apex of
the natural cone, musing on the probable results of the
measure his superiors had been resolving to undertake, a
dim light shed itself along the grass, and glancing upward,
danced upon the beacon with strong and playful rays.

" Scoundrel! " exclaimed a man, springing from his place

122 LIONEL LINCOLN.

of concealment, at the foot of the post, and encountering
him face to face, " do you dare to fire the beacon ? "

" I would answer by asking how you dare to apply so
rude an epithet to me, did I not see the cause of your
error," said Lionel. "The light is from yonder moon,
which is just emerging from the ocean."

" Ah ! I see my error," returned his rough assailant. " By
heavens, I would have sworn, at first, 'twas the beacon."

" You must, then, believe in the traditional witchcraft
of this country; for nothing short of necromancy could have
enabled me to light those combustibles at this distance."

" I don't know; 'tis a strange people we have got amongst
- — they stole the cannon from the gun-house, here, a short
time since, when I would have said the thing was impossi
ble. It was before your arrival, sir; for I now believe I
address myself to Major Lincoln, of the 47th."

" You are nearer the truth this time than in your first
conjecture as to my character," said Lionel ; " but have I
met one of the gentlemen of our mess? "

The stranger now explained that he was a subaltern in a
different regiment, but that he well knew the person of the
other. He added that he had been ordered to watch on the
hill to prevent any of the inhabitants lighting the beacon,
or making any other signal which might convey into the
country a knowledge of the contemplated inroad.

"This matter wears a more serious aspect than I had
supposed," returned Lionel, when the young man had ended
his apologies and explanation; "the commander-in-chief
must intend more than we are aware of, by employing offi
cers in this manner to do the duties of privates."

"We poor subs know but little, and care less what he
means," cried the ensign ; " though I will acknowledge that
I can see no sufficient reason why British troops should put
on coats of darkness to march against a parcel of guessing,
canting countrymen, who would run at the sight of their
uniforms under a bright sun. Had I my will, the tar above

LIONEL LINCOLN. 123

us, there, should blaze a mile high, to bring down the
heroes from Connecticut River. The dogs would cow be
fore two full companies of grenadiers. Ha! listen, sir;
there they go, now ; the pride of our army ! I know them
by their heavy tread."

Lionel did listen attentively, and plainly distinguished
the measured step of a body of disciplined men, moving
rapidly across the common, as if marching towards the water
side. Hastily bidding his companion good-night, he threw
himself over the brow of the hill, and taking the direction
of the sounds, he arrived at the shore at the same instant
with the troops. Two dark masses of human bodies were
halted in order, and as Lionel skirted the columns, his ex
perienced eye judged that the force collected before him
could be but little short of a thousand men. A group of
officers was clustered on the beach, and he approached it,
rightly supposing that it was gathered about the leader of
the party. This officer proved to be the lieutenant-colonel
of the roth, who was in close conversation with the old
major of marines alluded to by the sentinel who stood be
fore the gates of Province House. To the former of these
the young soldier addressed himself, demanding leave to
accompany the detachment as a volunteer. After a few
words of explanation his request was granted, though each
forbore to touch in the slightest manner on the secret ob
jects of the expedition.

Lionel now found his groom, who had followed the troops
with his master's horses, and, after giving his orders to the
man, he proceeded in quest of his friend Polwarth, whom
he soon discovered, posted in all the stiffness of military
exactness, at the head of the leading platoon of the column
of light infantry. As it was apparent, both from the posi
tion they occupied, as well as by the boats that had been
collected at the point, that the detachment was not to leave
the peninsula by its ordinary channel of communication
with the country, there remained no alternative but to

124 LIONEL LINCOLN.

await patiently the order to embark. The delay was but
short, and, as the most perfect order was observed, the troops
were soon seated, and the boats pulled heavily from the
land just as the rays of the moon, which had been some
time playing among the hills and gilding the spires of the
town, diffused themselves softly over the bay, and lighted
the busy scene, with an effect not unlike the sudden rising
of the curtain at the opening of some interesting drama.
Polwarth had established himself by the side of Lionel,
much to the ease of his limbs, and as they moved slowly
into the light, all those misgivings which had so naturally
accompanied his musings on the difficulties of a partisan
irruption, vanished before the loveliness of the time, and
possibly before the quietude of the action.

"There are moments when I could fancy the life of a
sailor," he said, leaning indolently back, and playing with
one hand in the water. "This pulling about in boats is
easy work, and must be capital assistance for a heavy diges
tion, inasmuch as it furnishes air with as little violent exer
cise as may be. Your marine should lead a merry life of it ! "

" They are said to murmur at the clashing of their duties
with those of the sea-officers," said Lionel ; " and I have
often heard them complain of a want of room to make use
of their legs."

" Humph! " ejaculated Polwarth; "the leg is a part of a
man for which I see less actual necessity than for any other
portion of his frame. I often think there has been a sad
mistake in the formation of the animal ; as, for instance,
one can be a very good waterman, as you see, without legs —
a good fiddler, a first-rate tailor, a lawyer, a doctor, a par
son, a very tolerable cook, and, in short, anything but a
dancing-master. I see no use in a leg, unless it be to have
the gout; at any rate, a leg of twelve inches is as good as
one a mile long, and the saving might be appropriated to
the nobler parts of the animal, such as the brain and the
stomach."

LIONEL LINCOLN.

"You forget the officer of light infantry," said Lionel,
laughing.

"You might give him a couple of inches more; though,
as everything in this wicked world is excellent only by
comparison, it would amount to the same thing, and on my
system a man would be just as fit for the light infantry
without as with legs; and he would get rid of a good deal
of troublesome manoeuvring, especially of this new exercise.
It would then become a delightful service, Leo; for it may
be said to monopolize all the poetry of military life, as you
may see. Neither the imagination nor the body can require
more than we enjoy at this moment, and of what use, I
would ask, are our legs?— if anything, they are incum-
brances in this boat. Here we have a soft moon, and softer
seats — smooth water and a stimulating air; on one side a
fine country, which, though but faintly seen, is known to be
fertile and rich to abundance ; and on the other a pictur
esque town, stored with the condiments of every climate:
even those rascally privates look mellowed by the moon
beams, with their scarlet coats and glittering arms! Did
you meet Miss Danforth in your visit to Tremont street,
Major Lincoln? "

"That pleasure was not denied me."

"Knew she of these martial proceedings?"

"There was something exceedingly belligerent in her
humor."

" Spoke she of the light infantry, or of any who serve in
the light corps?"

" Your name was certainly mentioned," returned Lionel,
a little dryly; "she intimated that the hen-roosts were in
danger."

"Ah! she is a girl of a million! her very acids are
sweet! the spices were not forgotten when the dough of her
composition was mixed; would that she were here — five
minutes of moonshine to a man in love is worth a whole
summer of a broiling sun : 'twould be a master-stroke to

126 LIONEL LINCOLN.

entice her into one of our picturesque marches; your parti
san is the man to take everything by surprise — women and
fortifications! Where now are your companies of the line;
your artillery and dragoons; your engineers and staff? night-
capped and snoring to a man, while we enjoy here the very
dessert of existence — I wish I could hear a nightingale."

" You have a solitary whippowill whistling his notes, as
if in lamentation at our approach."

"Too dolorous, and by far too monotonous; 'tis like eat
ing pig for a month. But why are our fifes asleep? "

" The precautions of a whole day should hardly be de
feated by the tell-tale notes of our music," said Lionel;
"your spirits get the better of your discretion. I should
think the prospect of a fatiguing march would have lowered
your vein."

" A fico for fatigue ! " exclaimed Polwarth ; " we only go
out to take a position at the colleges to cover our supplies —
we are for school, Leo: only fancy the knapsacks of the
men to be satchels — humor my folly — and you may believe
yourself once more a boy."

The spirits of Polwarth had indeed undergone a sudden
change, when he found the sad anticipations which crossed
his mind on first hearing of a night inroad, so agreeably
disappointed by the comfortable situation he occupied; and
he continued conversing in the manner described, until the
boats reached an unfrequented point that projected a little
way into that part of the bay which washed the western side
of the peninsula of Boston. Here the troops landed, and
were again formed with all possible despatch. The com
pany of Polwarth was posted, as before, at the head of the
column of light infantry; and an officer of the staff riding
a short distance in front, it was directed to follow his move
ments. Lionel ordered his groom to take the route of the
troops with the horses, and placing himself once more by
the side of the captain, they proceeded at the appointed
signal.

LIONEL LINCOLN. I2/

" Now for the shades of old Harvard ! " said Polwarth,
pointing towards the humble buildings of the university;
"you shall feast this night on reason, while I will make a
more sub — Ha! what can that blind quartermaster mean by
taking this direction ? Does he not see that the meadows
are half covered with water? "

" Move on, move on with the light infantry," cried the
stern voice of the old major of marines, who rode but a
short distance in their rear. " Do you falter at the sight of
water?"

" We are not wharf -rats," said Polwarth.

Lionel seized him by the arm, and before the discon
certed captain had time to recollect himself, he was borne
through a wide pool of stagnant water, mid-leg deep.

"Do not let your romance cost your commission," said
the major, as Polwarth floundered out of his difficulties;
" here is an incident at once for your private narrative of
the campaign."

"Ah! Leo," said the captain, with a sort of comical
sorrow, " I fear we are not to court the muses by this hal
lowed moon to-night."

" You can assure yourself of that, by observing that we
leave the academical roofs on our left — our leaders take the
highway."

They had by this time extricated themselves from the
meadows, and were moving on a road which led into the
interior.

" You had better order up your groom, and mount, Major
Lincoln," said Polwarth, sullenly: "a man need husband
his strength, I see."

"'Twould be folly now; I am wet, and must walk for
safety."

With the departure of Polwarth's spirits the conversation
began to flag, and the gentlemen continued their march
with only such occasional communications as arose from
the passing incidents of their situation. It very soon be-

128 LIONEL LINCOLN.

came apparent, both by the direction given to the columns,
as well as by the hurried steps of their guide, that the march
was to be forced, as well as of some length. But as the
air was getting cool, even Polwarth was not reluctant to
warm his chilled blood by more than ordinary exertion.
The columns opened for the sake of ease, and each man
was permitted to consult his own convenience, provided he
preserved his appointed situation, and kept even pace with
his comrades. In this manner the detachment advanced
swiftly, a general silence pervading the whole, as the
spirits of the men settled into that deep sobriety which
denotes much earnestness of purpose. At first, the whole
country appeared buried in a general sleep; but as they
proceeded, the barking of the dogs, and the tread of the sol
diery, drew the inhabitants of the farm-houses to their win
dows, who gazed in mute wonder at the passing spectacle,
across which the mellow light of the moon cast a glow of
brilliancy. Lionel had turned his head from studying the
surprise depicted in the faces of the members of one of
these disturbed families, when the deep tones of a distant
church-bell came sweeping down the valley in which they
marched, ringing peal on peal, in the quick, spirit-stirring
sounds of an alarm. The men raised their heads in won
dering attention, as they advanced; but it was not long be
fore the reports of firearms were heard echoing among the
hills, and bell began to answer bell in every direction, until
the sounds blended with the murmurs of the night air, or
were lost in distance. The whole country was now filled
with every organ of sound that the means of the people
furnished, or their ingenuity could devise, to call the popu
lation to arms. Fires blazed along the heights, the bellow
ing of the conchs and horns mingled with the rattling of
the muskets and the varied tones of the bells, while the
swift clattering of horses' hoofs began to be heard, as if
their riders were dashing furiously along the flanks of the
party.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 129

" Push on, gentlemen, push on ! " shouted the old veteran
of marines, amid the din. "The Yankees have awoke, and
are stirring — we have yet a long road to journey. Push
on, light infantry, the grenadiers are on your heels! "

The advance quickened their steps, and the whole body
pushed for their unknown object with as much rapidity as
the steadiness of military array would admit. In this
manner the detachment continued to proceed for some
hours, without halting, and Lionel imagined that they had ad
vanced several leagues into the country. The sounds of the
alarm had now passed away, having swept far inland, until
the faintest evidence of its existence was lost to the ear,
though the noise of horsemen, riding furiously along the
by-ways, yet denoted that men were still hurrying past
them, to the scene of the expected strife. As the deceitful
light of the moon was blending with the truer colors of the
day, the welcome sound of "Halt! " was passed from the
rear up to the head of the column of light infantry.

"Halt!" repeated Pol warth, with instinctive readiness,
and with a voice that sent the order through the whole
length of their extended line; "halt, and let the rear close:
if my judgment in walking be worth so much as an an
chovy, they are some miles behind us, by this time. A
man needs to have crossed his race with the blood of Flying
Childers for this sort of work! The next command should
be to break our fasts. Tom, you brought the trifles I sent
you from Major Lincoln's quarters ? "

" Yes, sir," returned his man ; " they are on the major's
horses, in the rear, as "

"The major's horses in the rear, you ass, when food is in
such request in the front! I wonder, Leo, if a mouthful
couldn't be picked up in yon farmhouse? "

"Pick yourself off that stone, and make the men dress;
here is Pitcairn closing to the front with the whole bat
talion."

Lionel had hardly spoken before an order was passed to
o

I3O LIONEL LINCOLN.

the light infantry to look to their arms, and for the grena
diers to prime and load. The presence of the veteran who
rode in front of the column, and the hurry of the moment,
suppressed the complaints of Polwarth, who was in truth
an excellent officer, as it respected what he himself termed
the "quiescent details of service." Three or four com
panies of the light corps were detached from the main body,
and formed in the open marching order of their exercise,
when the old marine, placing himself at their head, gave
forth the order to advance again at a quick step. The road
now led into a vale, and at some distance a small hamlet of
houses was dimly seen through the morning haze, clustered
around one of the humble, but decent temples, so common
in Massachusetts. The halt, and the brief preparations
that succeeded, had excited a powerful interest in the whole
of the detachment, who pushed earnestly forward, keeping
on the heels of the charger of their veteran leader, as he
passed over the ground at a small trot. The air partook of
the scent of morning, and the eye was enabled to dwell dis
tinctly on surrounding objects, quickening, aided by the ex
citement of the action, the blood of the men who had been
toiling throughout the night in uncertain obscurity along an
unknown and, apparently, interminable road. Their object
now seemed before them and attainable, and they pressed
forward to achieve it in animated but silent earnestness.
The plain architecture of the church and of its humble
companions had just become distinct, when three or four
armed horsemen were seen attempting to anticipate their ar
rival, by crossing the head of the column, from a by-path.

" Come in," cried an officer of the staff in front, " come
in, or quit the place."

The men turned, and rode briskly off, one of their party
flashing his piece in a vain attempt to give the alarm. A
low mandate was now passed through the ranks to push on,
and in a few moments they entered on a full view of the
hamlet, the church, and the little green on which it stood.

LIONEL LINCOLN.

The forms of men were seen moving swiftly across the lat
ter, as a roll of a drum broke from the spot; and there were
glimpses of a small body of countrymen, drawn up in the
affectation of military parade.

"Push on, light infantry !" cried their leader, spurring
his horse, and advancing with the staff at so brisk a trot, as
to disappear round an angle of the church.

Lionel pressed forward with a beating heart, for a crowd
of horrors rushed across his imagination at the moment,
when the stern voice of the major of marines was again
heard, shouting:

" Disperse, ye rebels, disperse ! Throw down your arms,
and disperse! "

These memorable words were instantly followed by the
reports of pistols, and the fatal mandate of " Fire ! " when a
loud shout arose from the whole body of the soldiery, who
rushed upon the open green, and threw in a close discharge
on all before them.

"Great God! " exclaimed Lionel, "what is it ye do? Ye
fire at unoffending men! Is there no law but force? Beat
up their pieces, Polwarth— stop their fire."

"Halt! "cried Polwarth, brandishing his sword fiercely
among his men. " Come to an order, or I'll fell ye to the
earth ! "

But the excitement which had been gathering to a head
for so many hours, and the animosity which had so long
been growing between the troops and the people, were not
to be repressed at a word. It was only when Pitcairn him
self rode in among the soldiers, and, aided by his officers,
beat down their arms, that the uproar was gradually quelled,
and something like order was again restored. Before this
was effected, however, a few scattering shot were thrown
back from their flying adversaries, though without material
injury to the British.

When the firing had ceased, officers and men stood gazing
at each other for a few moments, as if even they could fore-

132 LIONEL LINCOLN.

see some of the mighty events which were to follow the
deeds of that hour. The smoke slowly arose, like a lifted
veil, from the green, and, mingling with the fogs of morn
ing, drove heavily across the country, as if to communicate
the fatal intelligence that the final appeal to arms had been
made. Every eye was bent inquiringly on the fatal green,
and Lionel beheld, with a feeling allied to anguish, a few
men at a distance, writhing and struggling in their wounds,
while some five or six bodies lay stretched upon the grass
in the appalling quiet of death. Sickening at the sight, he
turned, and walked away by himself, while the remainder
of the troops, alarmed by the reports of the arms, were
eagerly pressing up from the rear to join their comrades.
Unwittingly he approached the church, nor did he awake
from the deep abstraction into which he had fallen, until
he was aroused by the extraordinary spectacle of Job Pray,
issuing from the edifice with an air in which menace was
singularly blended with resentment and fear. The change
ling pointed earnestly to the body of a man, who, having
been wounded, had crept for refuge near to the door of the
temple, in which he had so often worshipped that Being to
whom he had been thus hurriedly sent to render his last and
great account, and said solemnly :

"You have killed one of God's creatures; and he'll re
member it! "

" I would it were one only/' said Lionel ; " but they are
many, and none can tell where the carnage is to cease."

" Do you think," said Job, looking furtively around to
assure himself that no other overheard him, "that the king
can kill men in the Bay Colony as he can in London?
They'll take this up in old Funnel, and 'twill ring again,
from the North-End to the Neck."

"What can they do, boy, after all? " said Lionel, forget
ting at the moment that he whom he addressed had been
denied the reason of his kind; "the power of Briton is too
mighty for these scattered and unprepared colonies to cope

LIONEL LINCOLN. 133

with, and prudence would tell the people to desist from re
sistance while yet they may."

" Does the king believe there is more prudence in Lon
don than there is in Boston ? " returned the simpleton ; " he
needn't think, because the people were quiet at the mas
sacre, there'll be no stir about this. You have killed one of
God's creatures," added the lad, "and he'll remember it!"

"How came you here, sirrah?" demanded Lionel, sud
denly recollecting himself; "did you not tell me that you
were going out to fish for your mother ? "

"And if I did," returned the other sullenly, " an't there
fish in the ponds as well as in the bay, and can't Nab have
a fresh taste ? Job don't know there is any act of Parlia
ment ag'in' taking brook trout."

"Fellow, you are attempting to deceive me! Some one
is practising on your ignorance, and knowing you to be a
fool, is employing you on errands that may one day cost
your life."

" The king can't send Job on a'r'nds," said the lad,
proudly; "for there is no law for it, and Job won't go."

" Your knowledge will undo you, simpleton. Who should
teach you these niceties of the law ? "

" Why, do you think the Boston people so dumb as not to
know the law? "asked Job, with unfeigned astonishment;
"and Ralph, too — he knows as much law as the king; he
told me it was ag'in all law to shoot at the minute-men, un
less they fired first, because the colony has a right to train
whenever it pleases."

" Ralph ! " said Lionel, eagerly ; " can Ralph be with you,
then! 'tis impossible; I left him ill, and at home — neither
would he mingle in such a business as this, at his years."

" I expect Ralph has seen bigger armies than the light
infantry, and grannies, and all the soldiers left in town put
together," said Job, evasively.

Lionel was far too generous to practise on the simplicity
of his companion, with a view to extract any secret which

134 LIONEL LINCOLN.

might endanger his liberty, but he felt a deep concern in
the welfare of a young man who had been thrown in his way
in the manner already related. He, therefore, pursued the
subject, with the double design to advise Job against any
dangerous connections, and to relieve his own anxiety on
the subject of the aged stranger. But to all his interroga
tories the lad answered guardedly, and with a discretion
which denoted that he possessed no small share of cunning,
though a higher order of intellect had been denied him.

" I repeat to you," said Lionel, losing his patience, " that
it is important for me to meet the man whom you call Ralph
in the country, and I wish to know if he is to be seen near
here."

" Ralph scorns a lie," returned Job ; " go where he prom
ised to meet you, and see if he don't come."

" But no place was named ; and this unhappy event may
embarrass him, or frighten him

" Frighten him ! " repeated Job, shaking his head with
solemn earnestness, "you can't frighten Ralph!"

" His daring may prove his misfortune. Boy, I ask you
for the last time whether the old man "

Perceiving Job to shrink back timidly, and lower in his
looks, Lionel paused, and, casting a glance behind him, be
held the captain of grenadiers standing with folded arms,
silently contemplating the body of the American.

" Will you have the goodness to explain to me, Major
Lincoln," said the captain, when he perceived himself ob
served, "why this man lies here dead? "

"You see the wound in his breast? "

" It is a palpable and baistly truth, that he has been shot
— but why, or with what design? "

" I must leave that question to be answered by our supe
riors, Captain M'Fuse," returned Lionel. "It is, however,
rumored that the expedition is out to seize certain magazines
of provisions and arms which the colonists have been col
lecting, it is feared, with hostile intentions."

LIONEL LINCOLN. 135

" I had my own sagacious thoughts that we were bent on
some such glorious errand," said M'Fuse, with strong con
tempt expressed in his hard features. "Tell me, Major
Lincoln — you are certainly but a young soldier, though
being of the staff, you should know — does Gage think we can
have a war with the arms and ammunition all on one side?
We have had a long p'ace, Major Lincoln, and now, when
there is a small prospect of some of the peculiarities of our
profession arising, we are commanded to do the very thing
which is most likely to def'ate the object of war."

" I do not know that I rightly understand you, sir," said
Lionel; "there can be but little glory gained by such troops
as we possess, in a contest with the unarmed and undiscip
lined inhabitants of any country."

"Exactly my maining, sir; it is quite obvious that we un
derstand each other thoroughly, without a word of circum
locution. The lads are doing very well at present, and if
left to themselves a few months longer, it may become a
creditable affair. You know as well as I do, Major Lincoln,
that time is necessary to make a soldier, and if they are hur
ried into the business, you might as well be chasing a
mob up Ludgate Hill, for the honor you will gain. A
discrate officer would nurse this little matter, instead of re
sorting to such precipitation. To my ida'a's, sir, the man
before us has been butchered, and not slain in honorable
battle!"

" There is much reason to fear that others may use the
same term in speaking of the affair," returned Lionel:
" God knows how much cause we may have to lament the
death of the poor man."

" On that topic, the man may be said to have gone through
a business that was to be done, and is not to be done over
again," said the captain, very coolly, " and, therefore, his
death can be no very great calamity to himself, whatever it
may be to us. If these minute-men — and, as they stand but
a minute, they 'arn their name like worthy fellows — if these

136 LIONEL LINCOLN.

minute-men, sir, stood in your way, you should have whipped
them from the green with your ramrods."

" Here is one who may tell you that they are not to be
treated like children either," said Lionel, turning to the
place which had been so recently occupied by Job Pray, but
which, to his surprise, he now found vacant. While he was
yet looking around him, wondering whither the lad could so
suddenly have withdrawn, the drums beat the signal to form,
and a general bustle among the soldiery showed them to be
on the eve of further movements. The two gentlemen in
stantly rejoined their companions, walking thoughtfully
towards the troops, though influenced by such totally differ
ent views of the recent transactions.

During the short halt of the advance, the whole detach
ment was again united, and a hasty meal had been taken.
The astonishment which succeeded the rencontre had given
place, among the officers, to a military pride, capable of
sustaining them in much more arduous circumstances.
Even the ardent looks of professional excitement were to
be seen in most of their countenances, as with glittering
arms, waving banners, and timing their march to the enliv
ening music of their band, they wheeled from the fatal spot,
and advanced again, with proud and measured steps, along
the highway. If such was the result of the first encounter
on the lofty and tempered spirits of the gentlemen of the
detachment, its effect on the common hirelings in the ranks
was still more palpable and revolting. Their coarse jests,
and taunting looks, as they moved by the despised victims
of their disciplined skill, together with the fierce and boast
ful expression of brutal triumph, which so many among
them betrayed, exhibited the infallible evidence, that, hav
ing tasted of blood, they were now ready, like tigers, to feed
on it till they were glutted.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 137

CHAPTER X.

*• There was mounting 'mong Graemes of the Netherby clan ;
Fosters, Fenwicks, and Musgraves, they rode as they ran ;
There was racing, and chasing, on Cannobie Lea — ''

Marmion.

THE pomp of military parade, with which the troops
marched from the village of Lexington, as the little hamlet
was called, where the foregoing events occurred, soon settled
again into the sober and business-like air of men earnestly
bent on the achievement of their object. It was no longer
a secret that they were to proceed two leagues farther into
the interior, to destroy the stores already mentioned, and
which were now known to be collected at Concord, the town
where the Congress of Provincial Delegates, who were sub
stituted by the colonists for the ancient legislatures of the
province, held their meetings. As the march could not now
be concealed, it became necessary to resort to expedition,
in order to insure its successful termination. The veteran
officer of marines, so often mentioned, resumed his post in
front, and at the head of the same companies of the light
corps, which he had before led, pushed in advance of the
heavier column of the grenadiers. Polwarth, by this
arrangement, perceived himself again included among those
on whose swiftness of foot so much depended. When
Lionel rejoined his friend, he found him at the head of his
men, marching with so grave an air, as at once induced the
major to give him credit for regrets much more commend
able than such as were connected with his physical distress.
The files were once more opened for room, as well as for air,
which was becoming necessary, as a hot sun began to dis
sipate the mists of the morning, and shed that enervating
influence on the men, so peculiar to the first warmth of an
American spring.

" This has been a hasty business altogether, Major Lin-

138 LIONEL LINCOLN.

coin," said Polwarth, as Lionel took his wonted station at
the side of the other, and dropped mechanically into the
regular step of the party — " I know not that it is quite as
lawful to knock a man in the head as a bullock."

" You then agree with me in thinking our attack hasty, if
not cruel?"

" Hasty ! most unequivocally. Haste may be called the
distinctive property of the expedition; and whatever de
stroys the appetite of an honest man, may be set down as
cruel. I have not been able to swallow a mouthful of
breakfast, Leo. A man must have the cravings of a hyena,
and the stomach of an ostrich, to eat and digest with such
work as this of ours before his eyes."

" And yet the men regard their acts with triumph ! "

" The dogs are drilled into it. But you saw how sober
the Provincials looked in the matter: we must endeavor to
sooth their feelings in the best manner we can."

" Will they not despise our consolation and apologies,
and look rather to themselves for redress and vengeance?"

Polwarth smiled contemptuously, and there was an air of
pride about him that gave an appearance of elasticity even
to his heavy tread, as he answered :

" The thing is a bad thing, Major Lincoln, and, if you
will, a wicked thing; but take the assurance of a man who
knows the country well, there will be no attempts at ven
geance; and as for redress, in a military way, the thing is
impossible."

"You speak with a confidence, sir, that should find its
warranty in an intimate acquaintance with the weakness of
the people."

" I have dwelt two years, Major Lincoln, in the very
heart of the country," said Polwarth, without turning his
eyes from the steady gaze he maintained on the long road
which lay before him, " even three hundred miles beyond
the inhabited districts; and I should know the character of
the nation, as well as its resources. In respect to the latter,

LIONEL LINCOLN. 139

there is no esculent thing within its borders, from a hum
ming-bird to a buffalo, or from an artichoke to a water
melon, that I have not, on some occasion or other, had
tossed up, in a certain way— therefore, I can speak with
confidence, and do not hesitate to say, that the colonists
will never fight; nor, if they had the disposition, do they
possess the means to maintain a war."

"Perhaps, sir," returned Lionel sharply, "you have con
sulted the animals of the country too closely to be acquainted
with its spirits."

" The relation between them is intimate — tell me what
food a man diets on, and I will furnish you with his char
acter. 'Tis morally impossible that a people who eat their
pudding before the meats, after the fashion of these colo
nists, can ever make good soldiers, because the appetite is
appeased before the introduction of the succulent nutriment
of the flesh into — "

"Enough! spare me the remainder," interrupted Lionel;
" too much has been said already to prove the inferiority
of the American to the European animal, and your reason
ing is conclusive."

" Parliament must do something for the families of the
sufferers."

"Parliament!" echoed Lionel, with bitter emphasis;
"yes, we shall be called on to pass resolutions to commend
the decision of the general, and the courage of the troops;
and then, after we have added every possible insult to the
injury, under the conviction of our imaginary supremacy,
we may hear of some paltry sum to the widows and orphans
cited as an evidence of the unbounded generosity of the
nation ! "

" The feeding of six or seven broods of young Yankees is
no such trifle, Major Lincoln," returned Polwarth; "and
there I trust the unhappy affair will end. We are now
marching on Concord, a place with a most auspicious name,
where we shall find repose under its shadow, as well as the

I4O LIONEL LINCOLN.

food of this home-made parliament, which they have gotten
together. These considerations alone support me under the
fatigue of this direful trot with which old Pitcairn goes over
the ground — does the man think he is hunting with a pack
of beagles at his heels? "

The opinion expressed by his companion, concerning the
martial propensities of the Americans, was one too common
among the troops to excite any surprise in Lionel ; but, dis
gusted with the illiberality of the sentiment, and secretly
offended at the supercilious manner with which the other
expressed these injurious opinions of his countrymen, he
continued his route in silence, while Polwarth speedily lost
his loquacious propensity in a sense of the fatigue that as
sailed every muscle and joint in his body.

That severe training of the corps, concerning which the
captain vented such frequent complaints, now stood the ad
vance in good service. It was apparent that the whole
country was in a state of high alarm, and small bodies of
armed men were occasionally seen on the heights that
flanked their route, though no attempts were made to re
venge the deaths of those who fell at Lexington. The
march of the troops was accelerated rather with a belief
that the colonists might remove, or otherwise secrete the
stores, than from any apprehension that they would dare
to oppose the progress of the chosen troops of the army.
The slight resistance of the Americans in the rencontre of
that morning, was already a jest among the soldiers, who
sneeringly remarked, that the term of " minute-men " was
deservedly applied to warriors who had proved themselves
so dexterous at flight. In short, every opprobrious and dis
respectful epithet that contempt and ignorance could invent,
were freely lavished on the forbearing mildness of the suf
fering colonists. In this temper the troops reached a point
whence the modest spire and roofs of Concord became visi
ble. A small body of the colonists retired through the
place as the English advanced, and the detachment entered

LIONEL LINCOLN. 14!

the town without the least resistance, and with the appear
ance of conquerors. Lionel was not long in discovering,
from such of the inhabitants as remained, that, notwith
standing their approach had been known for some time, the
events of that morning were yet a secret from the people of
the village. Detachments from the light corps were im
mediately sent in various directions; some to search for
the ammunition and provisions, and some to guard the ap
proaches to the place. . One, in particular, followed the re
treating footsteps of the Americans, and took post at a
bridge, at some little distance, which cut off the communi
cation with the country to the northward.

In the meantime, the work of destruction was commenced
in the town, chiefly under the superintendence of the veteran
officer of the marines. The few male inhabitants who re
mained in their dwellings were of necessity peaceable,
though Lionel could read, in their flushed cheeks and
gleaming eyes, the secret indignation of men, who, accus
tomed to the protection of the law, now found themselves
subjected to the insults and wanton abuses of a military in
road. Every door was flung open, and no place was held
sacred from the rude scrutiny of the licentious soldiery.
Taunts and execrations soon mingled with the seeming
moderation with which the search had commenced, and
loud exultation was betrayed, even among the officers, as
the scanty provisions of the colonists were gradually brought
to light. It was not a moment to respect private rights,
and the freedom and ribaldry of the men were on the point
of becoming something more serious, when the report of
firearms was heard suddenly to issue from the post held by
the light infantry, at the bridge. A few scattering shots
were succeeded by a volley, which was answered by another
with the quickness of lightning, and then the air became
filled with the incessant rattling of a sharp conflict. Every
arm was suspended, and each tongue became mute with as
tonishment, and the men abandoned their occupations as

142 LIONEL LINCOLN.

these unexpected sounds of war broke on their ears. The
chiefs of the party were seen in consultation, and horsemen
rode furiously into the place, to communicate the nature of
this new conflict. The rank of Major Lincoln soon ob
tained for him a knowledge that it was thought impolitic to
communicate to the whole detachment. Notwithstanding
it was apparent that they who brought the intelligence were
anxious to give it the most favorable aspect, he soon discov
ered that the same body of Americans, which had retired at
their approach, having attempted to return to their homes
in the town, had been fired on at the bridge, and in the
skirmish which succeeded, the troops had been compelled
to give way with loss. The effect of this prompt and
spirited conduct on the part of the provincials produced a
sudden alteration, not only in the aspect, but also in the
proceedings of the troops. The detachments were recalled,
and the drums beat to arms; and, for the first time, both
officers and men seemed to recollect that they had six leagues
to march through a country that hardly contained a friend.
Still few or no enemies were visible, with the exception of
those men of Concord, who had already drawn blood freely
from the invaders of their domestic sanctuaries. The dead,
and all the common wounded, were left where they had
fallen; and it was thought an unfavorable omen among the
observant of the detachment, that a wounded young subal
tern, of rank and fortune, was also abandoned to the mercy
of the exasperated Americans. The privates caught the in
fection from their officers, and Lionel saw, that in place of
the high and insulting confidence with which the troops had
wheeled into the streets of Concord, that they left them,
when the order was given to march, with faces bent anx
iously on the surrounding heights, and with looks that be
spoke a consciousness of the dangers that were likely to
beset the long road which lay before them.

Their apprehensions were not groundless. The troops
had hardly commenced their march before a volley was fired

LIONEL LINCOLN. 143

upon them from the protection of a barn, and as they ad
vanced, volley succeeded volley, and musket answered
musket from behind every cover that offered to their assail
ants. At first these desultory and feeble attacks were but
little regarded; a brisk charge, and a smart fire of a few
moments never failed to disperse their enemies, when the
troops again proceeded for a short distance unmolested.
But the alarm of the preceding night had gathered the peo
ple over an immense extent of country ; and, having waited
for information, those nearest to the scene of action were
already pressing forward to the assistance of their friends.
There was but little order, and no concert among the
Americans; but each party, as it arrived, pushed into the
fray, hanging on the skirts of their enemies, or making
spirited though ineffectual efforts to stop their progress.
While the men from the towns behind them pressed upon
their rear, the population in their front accumulated in
bodies, like a rolling ball of snow, and before half the dis
tance between Concord and Lexington was accomplished,
Lionel perceived that the safety of their boasted power was
in extreme jeopardy. During the first hour of these attacks,
while they were yet distant, desultory, and feeble, the young
soldier had marched by the side of M'Fuse, who shook his
head disdainfully whenever a shot whistled near him, and
did not fail to comment freely on the folly of commencing
a war thus prematurely, which, if properly nursed, might,
to use his own words, "be in time brought to something
pretty and interesting."

"You perceive, Major Lincoln," he added, "that these
provincials have got the first elements of the art, for the
rascals fire with exceeding accuracy, when the distance is
considered, and six months or a year of close drilling would
make them good for something in a regular charge. They
have got a smart crack to their paces, and a pretty whiz to
their lead already; if they could but learn to deliver their
fire in platoons, the lads might make some impression on

144 LIONEL LINCOLN.

the light infantry even now , and in a year or two, sir, they
would not be unworthy of the favors of the grenadiers.7'

Lionel listened to this, and much other similar discourse,
with a vacant ear; but as the combat thickened, the blood
of the young man began to course more swiftly through his
veins; and at length, excited by the noise and the danger
which was pressing more closely around them, he mounted,
and, riding to the commander of the detachment, tendered
his assistance as a volunteer aid, having lost every other
sensation in youthful blood and the pride of arms. He
was immediately charged with orders for the advance, and
driving his spurs into his steed, he dashed through the scat
tered line of fighting and jaded troops, and galloped to its
head. Here he found several companies, diligently em
ployed in clearing the way for their comrades, as new foes
appeared at every few rods that they advanced. Even as
Lionel approached, a heavy sheet of fire flashed from a close
barn-yard, full in the faces of the leading files, sending the
swift engines of death into the very centre of the party.

"Wheel a company of the light infantry, Captain Pol-
warth," cried the old major of marines, who battled stoutly
in the van, " and drive the skulking scoundrels from their
ambush."

"Oh! by the sweets of ease, and the hopes of a halt! but
here is another tribe of these white savages ! " responded the
unfortunate captain. " Look out, my brave men ! blaze away
over the walls on your left — give no quarter to the annoy
ing rascals — get the first shot — give them a foot of your
steel."

While venting such terrible denunciations and commands,
which were drawn from the peaceable captain by the force
of circumstances, Lionel beheld his friend disappear amid
the buildings of the farm-yard in a cloud of smoke, fol
lowed by his troops. In a few minutes afterwards, as the
line toiled its way up the hill on which this scene occurred,
Polwarth reappeared, issuing from the fray with his face

LIONEL LINCOLN. 145

blackened and grimmed with powder, while a sheet of flame
arose from the spot, which soon laid the devoted buildings
of the unfortunate husbandman in ruins.

"Ha! Major Lincoln," he cried, as he approached the
other, "do you call these light-infantry movements! to me
they are the torments of the damned! — Go, you who have
influence, and, what is better, a horse, go to Smith, and tell
him if he will call a halt, I will engage, with my single
company, to seat ourselves in any field he may select, and
keep these blood-suckers at bay for an hour, while the de
tachment can rest and satisfy their hunger — trusting that
he will then allow time for his defenders to perform the
same necessary operations. A night-march — no breakfast —
a burning sun — mile after mile — no halt, and nothing but
fire — fire — 'tis opposed to every principle in physics, and
even to the anatomy of man, to think he can endure it! "

Lionel endeavored to encourage his friend to new exer
tions, and, turning away from their leader, spoke cheer-
ingly, and with a martial tone, to his troops. The men
cheered as they passed, and dashed forward to new encoun
ters; the Americans yielding sullenly, but necessarily, to
the constant charges of the bayonet, to which the regulars
resorted to dislodge them. As the advance moved on again,
Lionel turned to contemplate the scene in the rear. They
had now been marching and fighting for two hours with
little or no cessation ; and it was but too evident that the
force of the assailants was increasing, both in numbers and
in daring, at each step they took. On either side of the
highway, along the skirts of every wood or orchard, in the
open fields, and from every house, barn, or cover in sight,
the flash of firearms was tc be seen, while the shouts of the
English grew, at each instant, feebler and less inspiriting.
Heavy clouds of smoke rose above the valley into which he
looked, and mingled with the dust of the march, drawing
an impenetrable veil before the view; but as the wind, at
moments, shoved it aside, he caught glimpses of the worried
10

146 LIONEL LINCOLN.

and faltering platoons of the party, sometimes breasting and
repulsing an attack with spirit, and at others shrinking from
the contest, with an ill-concealed desire to urge their retreat
to the verge of an absolute flight. Young as he was, Major
Lincoln knew enough of his profession to understand that
nothing but the want of concert, and of a unity of command
among the Americans, saved the detachment from total de
struction. The attacks were growing extremely spirited,
and not unfrequently close and bloody, though the discipline
of the troops enabled them still to bear up against this
desultory and divided warfare, when Lionel heard, with a
pleasure he could not conceal, the loud shouts that arose
from the van, as the cheering intelligence was proclaimed
through the ranks, that the cloud of dust in their front was
raised by a chosen brigade of their comrades, which had
come most timely to their succor, with the heir of North
umberland at its head. The Americans gave way as the
two detachments joined, and the artillery of the succors
opened upon their flying parties, giving a few minutes of
stolen rest to those who needed it so much. Polwarth threw
himself flat on the earth, as Lionel dismounted at his side,
and his example was followed by the whole party, who lay
panting, under the heat and fatigue, like worried deer, that
had succeeded in throwing the hounds from their scent.

"As I am a gentleman of simple habits, and a man in
nocent of all this bloodshed, Major Lincoln," said the cap
tain, " I pronounce this march to be a most unjust draft on
the resources of human nature. I have journeyed at least
five leagues between this spot and that place of discord that
they falsely call Concord, within two hours, amidst dust,
smoke, groans, and other infernal cries, that would cause the
best-trained racer in England to bolt; and breathing an air,
all the time, that would boil an egg in two minutes and a
quarter, if fairly exposed to it."

" You overrate the distance — 'tis but two leagues by the
stones "

LIONEL LINCOLN. 147

" Stones ! " interrupted Polwarth. " I scorn their lies : I
have a leg here that is a better index for miles, feet, or even
inches, than was ever chiselled in stone."

" We must not contest this idle point," returned Lionel,
" for I see the troops are about to dine ; and we have need
of every moment to reach Boston before the night closes
around us."

" Eat ! — Boston ! — night ! " slowly repeated Polwarth, rais
ing himself on one arm, and staring wildly about him.
" Surely no man among us is so mad as to talk of moving
from this spot short of a week: it would take half that time
to receive the internal refreshment necessary to our systems,
and the remainder to restore us healthy appetites."

" Such, however, are the orders of the Earl Percy, from
whom I learn that the whole country is rising in our front."

" Ay, but they are fellows who slept peacefully in their
beds the past night; and I dare say that every dog among
them ate his half pound of pork, together with additions
suitable for a breakfast, before he crossed his threshold this
morning. But with us the case is different. It is incum
bent on two thousand British troops to move with delibera
tion, if it should be only for the credit of his majesty's
arms. No, no — the gallant Percy too highly respects his
princely lineage and name, to assume the appearance of
flight before a mob of base-born hinds! "

The intelligence of Lionel was nevertheless true; for,
after a short halt, allowing barely time enough to the troops
to eat a hasty meal, the drums again beat the signal to
march, and Polwarth, as well as many hundred others, was
reluctantly compelled to resume his feet, under the penalty
of being abandoned to the fury of the exasperated Ameri
cans. While the troops were in a state of rest, the field-
pieces of the reinforcement kept their foes at a distance;
but the instant the guns were limbered, and the files had
once more opened for room, the attacks were renewed from
every quarter, with redoubled fury. The excesses of the

148 LIONEL LINCOLN.

troops, who had begun to vent their anger by plundering
and firing the dwellings that they passed, added to the bit
terness of the attacks; and the march had not been renewed
many minutes, before a fiercer conflict raged along its skirts
than had been before witnessed on that day.

" Would to God that the great Northumbrian would form
us in order of battle, and make a fair field with the Yan
kees!" groaned Polwarth, as he toiled his way once more*
with the advance. " Half an hour would settle the matter,
and a man would then possess the gratification of seeing
himself a victor, or at least of knowing that he was comfort
ably and quietly dead."

"Few of us would ever arrive in the morning, if we left
the Americans a night to gather in; and a halt of an hour
would lose us the advantages of the whole march," returned
Lionel. " Cheer up, my old comrade, and you will estab
lish your reputation for activity forever. Here comes a
party of the provincials over the crest of the hill to keep
you in employment."

Polwarth cast a look of despair at Lionel, as he muttered
in reply:

"Employment! God knows that there has not been a
single muscle, sinew, or joint in my body in a state of
wholesome rest for four-and-twenty hours! " Then turning
to his men, he cried, with tones so cheerful and animated,
that they seemed to proceed from a final and closing exer
tion, as he led them gallantly into the approaching fray :
" Scatter the dogs, my brave friends! Away with them like
gnats, like mosquitoes, like leeches, as they are! Give it
them — lead and steel by handsful '

" On — push on with the advance ! " shouted the old
major of marines, who observed the leading platoons to
stagger.

The voice of Polwarth was once more heard in the din, and
their irregular assailants sullenly yielded before the charge.

"On — on with the advance! " cried fifty voices out of a

LIONEL LINCOLN. 149

cloud of smoke and dust that was moving up the hill, on
whose side this encounter occurred.

In this manner the war continued to roll slowly onward,
following the weary and heavy footsteps of the soldiery,
who had now toiled for many miles, surrounded by the din
of battle, and leaving in their path the bloody impressions
of their footsteps. Lionel was enabled to trace their route,
far towards the north, by the bright red spot which lay
scattered in alarming numbers along the highway, and in
the fields, through which the troops occasionally moved.
He even found time, in the intervals of rest, to note the
difference in the characters of the combatants. Whenever
the ground or the circumstances admitted of a regular at
tack, the dying confidence of the troops would seem restored ;
and they moved up to the charge with the bold carriage
which high discipline inspires, rending the air with shouts,
while their enemies melted before their power in sullen
silence, never ceasing to use their weapons, however, with
an expertness that rendered them doubly dangerous. The
direction of the columns frequently brought the troops over
ground that had been sharply contested in front, and the
victims of these short struggles came under the eyes of the
detachment. It was necessary to turn a deaf ear to the cries
and prayers of many wounded soldiers, who, with horror and
abject fear written on every feature of their countenances,
were the helpless witnesses of the retreating files of their
comrades. On the other hand, the American lay in his
blood, regarding the passing detachment with a stern and
indignant eye, that appeared to look far beyond his indi
vidual suffering. Over one body, Lionel pulled the reins
of his horse, and he paused a moment to consider the spec
tacle. It was the lifeless form of a man, whose white locks,
hollow cheeks, and emaciated frame, denoted that the bullet
which had stricken him to the earth had anticipated the
irresistible decrees of time but a very few days. He had
fallen on his back, and his glazed eye expressed, even in

I5O LIONEL LINCOLN.

death, the honest resentment he had felt while living; and
his palsied hand continued to grasp the firelock, old and
time-worn, like its owner, with which he had taken the field
in behalf of his country.

" Where can a contest end which calls such champions to
its aid!" exclaimed Lionel, observing that the shadow of
another spectator fell across the wan features of the dead;
" who can tell where this torrent of blood can be stayed, or
how many are to be its victims ! "

Receiving no answer, he raised his eyes, and discovered
that he had unwittingly put this searching question to the
very man whose rashness had precipitated the war. It was
the major of marines, who sat looking at the sight, for a
minute, with an eye as vacant as the one that seemed to
throw back his wild gaze, and then, rousing from his trance,
he buried his rowels in the flanks of his horse, and disap
peared in the smoke that enveloped a body of the grena
diers, waving his sword on high, and shouting:

" On — push on with the advance ! "

Major Lincoln slowly followed, musing on the scene he
had witnessed, when, to his surprise, he encountered Pol-
warth, seated on a rock by the roadside, looking with a list
less and dull eye at the retreating columns. Checking his
charger, he inquired of his friend if he was hurt.

"Only melted," returned the captain: "I have outdone
the speed of man this day, Major Lincoln, and can do no
more. If you see any of my friends in dear England, tell
them that I met my fate as a soldier should, stationary;
though I am actually melting away in rivulets, like the snows
of April."

"Good God! you will not remain here to be slain by the
provincials, by whom you see we are completely enveloped ? "

" I am preparing a speech for the first Yankee who may
approach. If he be a true man, he will melt into tears at
my sufferings this day — if a savage, my heirs will be spared
the charges of my funeral ! "

LIONEL LINCOLN. 15!

Lionel would have continued his remonstrances, but a
fierce encounter between a flanking party of the troops and
a body of Americans, drove the former close upon him;
and, leaping the wall, he rallied his comrades, and turned
the tide of battle in their favor. He was drawn far from
the spot by the vicissitudes of the combat, and there was a
moment, while passing from one body of the troops to an
other, that he found himself unexpectedly alone, in a most
dangerous vicinity to a small wood. The hurried call of
"Pick off that officer!" first aroused him to his extreme
danger, and he had mechanically bowed himself on the
neck of his charger, in expectation of the fatal messengers,
when a voice was heard among the Americans, crying, in
tones that caused every nerve in his body to thrill:

" Spare him ! for the love of that God you worship, spare
him ! "

The overwhelming sensations of the moment prevented
flight, and the young man beheld Ralph, running with fran
tic gestures, along the skirts of the cover, beating up the
firearms of twenty Americans, and repeating his cries in a
voice that did not seem to belong to a human being: then,
in the confusion which whirled through his brain, Lionel
thought himself a prisoner, as a man, armed with a long
rifle, glided from the wood, and laid his hand on the rein
of his bridle, saying earnestly :

"'Tis a bloody day, and God will remember it; but if
Major Lincoln will ride straight down the hill, the people
won't fire for fear of hitting Job; and when Job fires, he'll
shoot that granny who's getting over the wall, and there'll
never be a stir about it in Funnel Hall."

Lionel wheeled away quicker than thought, and as his
charger took long and desperate leaps down the slight de
clivity, he heard the shouts of the Americans behind him,
the crack of Job's rifle, and the whizzing of the bullet which
the changeling sent, as he had promised, in a direction to
do him no harm. On gaining a place of comparative safety,

152 LIOJIEL LINCOLN.

he found Pitcairn in the act of abandoning his bleeding
horse, the close and bitter attacks of the provincials render
ing it no longer safe for an officer to be seen riding on the
flanks of the detachment. Lionel, though he valued his
steed highly, had also received so many intimations of the
dangerous notice he had attracted, that he was soon obliged
to follow this example; and he saw, with deep regret, the
noble animal scouring across the fields with a loose rein,
snorting and snuffing the tainted air. He now joined a
party of the combatants on foot, and continued to animate
them to new exertions during the remainder of the tedious
way.

From the moment the spires of Boston met the view of
the troops, the struggle became intensely interesting. New
vigor was imparted to their weary frames by the cheering
sight, and, assuming once more the air of high martial
training, they bore up against the assaults of their enemies
with renewed spirit. On the other hand, the Americans
seemed aware that the moments of vengeance were passing
swiftly away, and boys and gray-headed men, the wounded
and the active, crowded around their invaders, as if eager
to obtain a parting blow. Even the peaceful ministers of
God were known to take the field on that memorable occa
sion, and, mingling with their parishioners, to brave every
danger in a cause which they believed in consonance with
their holy calling. The sun was sinking over the land,
and the situation of the detachment had become nearly
desperate, when Peicy abandoned the idea of reaching the
Neck, across which he had proudly marched that morning
from Boston, and strained every nerve to get the remainder
of his command within the peninsula of Charlestown. The
crests and the sides of the heights were alive with men, and
as the shades of evening closed about the combatants, the
bosoms of the Americans beat high with hope, while they
witnessed the faltering steps and slackened fire of the troops.
But high discipline finally so far prevailed as to snatch the

LIONEL LINCOLN. 153

English from the very grasp of destruction, and enabled
them to gain the narrow entrance to the desired shelter just
as night had come apparently to seal their doom.

Lionel stood leaning against a fence, as this fine body
of men, which a few hours before had thought themselves
equal to a march through the colonies, defiled slowly and
heavily by him, dragging their weary and exhausted limbs
up the toilsome ascent of Bunker Hill. The haughty eyes
of most of the officers were bent to the earth in shame, and
the common herd, even in that place of security, cast many
an anxious glance behind them, to assure themselves that
the despised inhabitants of the province were no longer
pressing on their footsteps. Platoon after platoon passed,
each man compelled to depend on his own wearied limbs
for support, until Lionel at last saw a solitary horseman
slowly ascending among the crowd. To his utter amaze
ment and great joy, as this officer approached, he beheld
Polwarth, mounted on his own steed, riding towards him,
with a face of the utmost complacency and composure.
The dress of the captain was torn in many places, and the
housings of the saddle were cut into ribands, while here
and there a spot of clotted blood, on the sides of the beast,
served to announce the particular notice the rider had re
ceived from the Americans. The truth was soon extorted
from the honest soldier. The love of life had returned with
the sight of the abandoned charger. He acknowledged it
had cost him his watch to have the beast caught; but, once
established in the saddle, no danger, nor any remonstrances,
could induce him to relinquish a seat which he found so
consoling after all the fatigue and motion of that evil day,
in which he had been compelled to share in the calamities
of those who fought on the side of the crown, in the memor
able battle of Lexington.

154 LIONEL LINCOLN.

CHAPTER XI.

Ftuet.—Is it not lawful, an' please your majesty,
To tell how many is killed ?

King Henry V.

WHILE a strong party of the royal troops took post on the
height which commanded the approach to their position, the
remainder penetrated deeper into the peninsula, or were
transported by the boats of the fleet to the town of Boston.
Lionel and Polwarth passed the strait with the first division
of the wounded, the former having no duty to detain him
any longer with the detachment, and the latter stoutly main
taining that his corporeal sufferings gave him an undoubted
claim to include his case among the casualties of the day.
Perhaps no officer in the army of the king felt less chagrin
at the result of this inroad than Major Lincoln ; for, not
withstanding his attachment to his prince and adopted
country, he was keenly sensitive on the subject of the
reputation of his real countrymen : a sentiment that is hon
orable to our nature, and which never deserts any that do
not become disloyal to its purest and noblest impulses.
Even while he regretted the price at which his comrades
had been taught to appreciate the characters of those whose
long and mild forbearance had been misconstrued into
pusillanimity, he rejoiced that the eyes of the more aged
would now be opened to the truth, and that the mouths of
the young and thoughtless were to be forever closed in
shame. Although the actual losses of the two detachments
were probably concealed from motives of policy, it was
early acknowledged to amount to about one sixth of the
whole number employed.

On the wharf, Lionel and Polwarth separated; the latter
agreeing to repair speedily to the private quarters of his
friend, where he promised himself a solace for the compul
sory abstinence and privations of his long march, and the

LIONEL LINCOLN. 1 55

former taking his way towards Tremont street, with a view
to allay the uneasiness which the secret and flattering whis
perings of hope taught him to believe his fair young kins
women would feel in his behalf. At every corner he en
countered groups of earnest townsmen, listening with greedy
ears to the particulars of the contest, a few walking away
dejected at the spirit exhibited by that country they had
vilified to its oppressors; but most of them regarding the
passing form of one whose disordered dress announced his
participation in the affair, with glances of stern satisfaction.
As Lionel tapped at the door of Mrs. Lechmere, he forgot
his fatigue; and when it opened, and he beheld Cecil stand
ing in the hall, with every lineament of her fine countenance
expressing the power of her emotions, he no longer remem
bered those trying dangers he had so lately escaped.

" Lionel ! " exclaimed the young lady, clasping her hands
with joy — "himself, and unhurt! " The blood rushed from
her heart across her face to her forehead, and burying her
shame in her hands, she burst into a flood of tears, and fled
his presence.

Agnes Danforth received him with undisguised pleasure,
nor would she indulge in a single question to appease her
burning curiosity, until thoroughly assured of his perfect
safety. Then, indeed, she remarked, with a smile of triumph
seated on her arch features :

"Your march has been well attended, Major Lincoln;
from the upper windows I have seen some of the honors
which the good people of Massachusetts have paid to their
visitors."

" On my soul, if it were not for the dreadful consequences
which must follow, I rejoice, as well as yourself, in the
events of the day," said Lincoln ; " for a people are never
certain of their rights until they are respected."

"Tell me, then, all, cousin Lincoln, that I may know
how to boast of my parentage."

The young man gave her a short, but distinct and im-

LIONEL LINCOLN.

partial, account of all that had occurred, to which his fair
listener attended with undisguised interest.

"Now, then," she exclaimed, as he ended, "there is an
end forever of those biting taunts that have so long insulted
our ears! But you know/' she added, with a slight blush,
and a smile most comically arch, " I had a double stake in
the fortunes of the day — my country and my true love! "

"Oh! be at ease; your worshipper has returned, whole
in body, and suffering in mind only through your cruelty:
he performed the route with wonderful address, and really
showed himself a soldier in danger."

"Nay, Major Lincoln," returned Agnes, still blushing,
though she laughed; " you do not mean to insinuate that
Peter Polwarth has walked forty miles between the rising
and setting of the sun ? "

" Between two sunsets he has done the deed, if you except
a trifling promenade a cheval, on my own steed, whom Jona
than compelled me to abandon, and of whom he took, and
maintained the possession, too, in spite of dangers of every
kind."

" Really," exclaimed the wilful girl, clasping her hands
in affected astonishment, though Lionel thought he could
read inward satisfaction at his intelligence, "the prodigies
of the man exceed belief! One wants the faith of father
Abraham to credit such marvels! Though, after the repulse
of two thousand British soldiers by a body of husbandmen,
I am prepared for an exceeding use of my credulity."

" The moment is, then, auspicious for my friend," whis
pered Lionel, rising to follow the flitting form of Cecil
Dynevor, which he saw gliding into the opposite room, as
Polwarth himself entered the apartment. "Credulity is
said to be the great weakness of your sex, and I must leave
you a moment exposed to the failing, and that, too, in the
dangerous company of the subject of our discourse."

" Now would you give half your hopes of promotion, and
all your hopes of a war, Captain Polwarth, to know in what

LIONEL LINCOLN. 157

manner your character has been treated in your absence !"
cried Agnes, blushing slightly. "I shall not, however,
satisfy the cravings of your curiosity, but let it serve as a
stimulant to better deeds than have employed you since we
met last."

" I trust Lincoln has done justice to my service," returned
the good-humored captain, " and that he has not neglected
to mention the manner in which I rescued his steed from
the rebels?"

"The what, sir?" interrupted Agnes, with a frown.
" How did you style the good people of Massachusetts Bay?"

" I should have said the excited dwellers in the land, I
believe. Ah! Miss Agnes, I have suffered this day as man
never suffered before ; and all on your behalf "

"On my behalf! Your words require explanation, Cap
tain Polwarth."

" 'Tis impossible," returned the captain : " there are feel
ings and actions connected with the heart that will admit of
no explanation. All I know is, that I have suffered unutter
ably on your account, to-day ; and what is unutterable is in
a great degree inexplicable."

" I shall set this down for what I understand occurs regu
larly in a certain description of tete-a-tetes — the expression of
an unutterable thing! Surely, Major Lincoln had some
reason to believe he left me at the mercy of my credulity! "

" You slander your own character, fair Agnes," said Pol
warth, endeavoring to look piteously; "you are neither
merciful nor credulous, or you would long since have be
lieved my tale, and taken pity on my misery."

" Is not sympathy a sort — a kind — in short, is not sym
pathy a dreadful symptom in a certain disease?" asked
Agnes, resting her eyes on the floor, and affecting a girlish
embarrassment.

"Who can gainsay it? " cried the captain; "'tis the in
fallible way for a young lady to discover the bent of her in
clinations. Thousands have lived in ignorance of their

I 58 LIONEL LINCOLN.

own affections until their sympathies have been awakened.
But what means the question, my fair tormentor? May I
dare to flatter myself that you at length feel for my pains? "

" I am sadly afraid 'tis but too true, Polwarth," returned
Agnes, shaking her head, and continuing to look exceed
ingly grave.

Polwarth moved, with something like animation again,
nigher to the amused girl ; and attempted to take her hand,
as he said:

"You restore me to life with your sweet acknowledg
ments — I have lived for six months like a dog under your
frowns, but one kind word acts like a healing balm, and
restores me to myself again! "

" Then my sympathy is evaporated ! " returned Agnes.
" Throughout this long and anxious day have I fancied my
self older than my good, staid, great-aunt; and whenever
certain thoughts have crossed my mind, I have even im
agined a thousand of the ailings of age had encircled me —
rheumatisms, gouts, asthmas, and numberless other aches and
pains, exceedingly unbecoming to a young lady of nineteen.
But you have enlightened me, and given vast relief to my
apprehensions, by explaining it to be more than sympathy.
You see, Polwarth, what a wife you will obtain, should I
ever, in a weak moment, accept you; for I have already
sustained one half your burdens! "

" A man is not made to be in constant motion, like the
pendulum of that clock, Miss Danforth, and yet feel no
fatigue," said Polwarth, more vexed than he would permit
himself to betray; "yet I flatter myself there is no officer
in the light infantry — you understand me to say the light
infantry — who has passed over more ground, within four-
and-twenty hours, than the man who hastens, notwithstand
ing his exploits, to throw himself at your feet, even before
he thinks of his ordinary rest."

"Captain Polwarth," said Agnes, rising, "for the com
pliment, if compliment it be, I thank you; but," she added,

LIONEL LINCOLN. 159

losing her affected gravity in a strong natural feeling that
shone in her dark eye, and illuminated the whole of her
fine countenance, as she laid her hand impressively on her
heart — "the man who will supplant the feelings which na
ture has impressed here, must not come to my feet, as you
call it, from a field of battle, where he has been contending
with my kinsmen, and helping to enslave my country. You
will excuse me, sir, but as Major Lincoln is at home here,
permit me, for a few minutes, to leave you to his hospital
ity."

She withdrew as Lionel re-entered, passing him on the
threshold.

" I would rather be a leader in a stage-coach, or a run
ning footman, than in love ! " cried Polwarth — " 'tis a dog's
life, Leo, and this girl treats me like a cart-horse ! But
what an eye she has ! I could have lighted my cigar by it
— my heart is a heap of cinders. Why, Leo, what aileth
thee ? throughout the whole of this damnable day, I have
not before seen thee bear such a troubled look! "

" Let us withdraw to my private quarters," muttered the
young man, whose aspect and air expressed the marks of
extreme disturbance, " 'tis time to repair the disasters of our
march."

" All that has been already looked to," said Polwarth,
rising and limping, with sundry grimaces, in the best man
ner he was able, in a vain effort to equal the rapid strides
of his companion. " My first business on leaving you was
to borrow a conveyance of a friend, in which I rode to your
place; and my next was to write to little Jimmy Craig, to
offer an exchange of my company for his — for from this
hour henceforth I denounce all light-infantry movements,
and shall take the first opportunity to get back again into
the dragoons; as soon as I have effected which, Major Lin
coln, I propose to treat with you for the purchase of that
horse. After that duty was performed, — 'for, if self-preser
vation be commendable, it became a duty, — I made out a

l6O LIONEL LINCOLN.

bill of fare for Meriton, in order that nothing might be for
gotten ; after which, like yourself, Lionel, I hastened to the
feet of my mistress. Ah! Major Lincoln, you are a happy
man ; for you there is no reception but smiles — and charms
so "

" Talk not to me, sir, of smiles," interrupted Lionel, im
patiently, "nor of the charms of women. They are all
alike, capricious and unaccountable."

"Bless me!" exclaimed Polwarth, staring about him in
wonder; "there is then favor for none, in this place, who
battle for the king! There is a strange connection between
Cupid and Mars, love and war; for here did I, after fight
ing all day like a Saracen, a Turk, Jenghis Khan, or, in
short, anything but a good Christian, come with full intent
to make a serious offer of my hand, commission, and of Pol
warth Hall, to that treasonable vixen, when she repulses me
with a frown and a sarcasm as biting as the salutation of a
hungry man. But what an eye the girl has, and what a
bloom, when she is a little more seasoned than common!
Then you, too, Lionel, have been treated like a dog! "

"Like a fool, as I am," said Lionel, pacing haughtily
over the ground at a rate that soon threw his companion too
far in the rear to admit of further discourse until they
reached the place of their destination. Here, to the no
small surprise of both gentlemen, they found a company
collected that neither was prepared to meet. At a side-
table sat M'Fuse, discussing, with singular relish, some of
the cold viands of the previous night's repast, and washing
down his morsels with deep potations of the best wine of
his host. In one corner of the room Seth Sage was posted,
with the appearance of a man in duresse, his hands being
tied before him, from which depended a long cord, that
might, on emergency, be made to serve the purpose of a
halter. Opposite to the prisoner, for such in truth he was,
stood Job, imitating the example of the captain of grena
diers, who now and then tossed some fragment of his meal

LIONEL LINCOLN. l6l

into the hat of the simpleton. Meriton and several of the
menials of the establishment were in waiting.

" What have we here! " cried Lionel, regarding the scene
with a curious eye. " Of what offence has Mr. Sage been
guilty, that he bears those bonds? "

"Of the small crimes of tr'ason and homicide," returned
M'Fuse, " if shooting at a man, with a hearty mind to kill
him, can make a murder."

"It can't," said Seth, raising his eyes from the floor,
where he had hitherto kept them in demure silence; "a man
must kill with wicked intent to commit murder "

"Hear to the blackguard, detailing the law as if he were
my lord chief-justice of the King's Bench ! " interrupted the
grenadier; "and what was your own wicked intention, ye
skulking vagabond, but to kill me! I'll have you tried and
hung for the same act."

"It's ag'in reason to believe that any jury will convict
one man for the murder of another that an't dead," said
Seth; "there's no jury to be found in the Bay colony to do
it."

" Bay colony, ye murdering thief and rebel ! " cried the
captain; "I'll have ye transported to England; ye shall be
both transported and hung. By the Lord, I'll carry ye back
to Ireland with me, and I'll hang ye up in the green island
itself, and bury ye, in the heart of winter, in a bog "

" But what is the offence," demanded Lionel, " that calls
forth these severe threats ? "

" The scoundrel has been out "

"Out!"

" Ay, out ! Damn it, sir, has not the whole country been
like so many bees in search of a hive? Is your memory so
short that ye forget, already, Major Lincoln, the tramp the
blackguards have given you over hill and dale, through
thick and thin?"

" And was Mr. Sage, then, found among our enemies to
day?"

l62 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" Didn't I see him pull trigger on my own stature three
times within as many minutes?" returned the angry cap
tain; "and didn't he break the handle of my sword? And
have not I a bit of lead he calls a buckshot in my shoulder
as a present from the thief? "

"It's ag'in all law to call a man a thief," said Job, "un
less you can prove it upon him ; but it an't ag'in law to go
in and out of Boston as often as you choose."

" Do you hear the rascals ! They know every angle of
the law as well, or better than I do myself, who am the son
of a Cork counsellor. I dare to say, you were among
them too, and that ye deserve the gallows as well as your
commendable companion, there."

"How is this? " said Lionel, turning quickly away from
Job, with a view to prevent a reply that might endanger the
safety of the changeling. " Did you not only mingle in this
rebellion, Mr. Sage, but also attempt the life of a gentleman
who may be said, almost, to be an inmate of your own
house?"

" I conclude," returned Seth, " it's best not to talk too
much, seeing that no one can foretell what may happen."

"Hear to the cunning reprobate! he has not the grace
to acknowledge his own sins, like an honest man," inter
rupted M'Fuse; "but I can save him that small trouble. I
got tired, you must know, Major Lincoln, of being shot at
like noxious vermin, from morning till night, without mak
ing some return to the compliments of those gentlemen who
are out on the hills; and I took advantage of a turn, ye see,
to double on a party of the uncivilized demons. This lad,
here, got three good pulls at me, before we closed and made
an end of them with the steel, all but this fellow, who, hav
ing a becoming look for a gallows, I brought him in, as you
see, for an exchange, intending to hang him the first favor
able opportunity."

" If this be true, we must give him into the hands of the
proper authorities," said Lionel, smiling at the confused

LIONEL LINCOLN. 163

account of the angry captain ; " for it remains to be seen yet
what course will be adopted with the prisoners in this sin
gular contest."

" I should think nothing of the matter," returned M'Fuse,
" if the reprobate had not tr'ated me like a beast of the field,
with his buckshot, and taking his aim each time, as though
I had been a mad dog. Ye villain, do you call yourself a
man, and aim at a fellow-creature as you would at a brute? "

"Why," said Seth, sullenly, "when a man has pretty
much made up his mind to fight, I conclude it's best to take
aim, in order to save ammunition and time."

" You acknowledge the charge, then ? " demanded Lionel.

" As the major is a moderate man, and will hear to reason,
I will talk the matter over with him rationally," said Seth,
disposing himself to speak more to the purpose. " You see,
I had a small call to Concord early this morning "

"Concord!" exclaimed Lionel.

" Yes, Concord," returned Seth, laying great stress on the
first syllable, and speaking with an air of extreme inno
cence: "it lies here-away, say twenty or one-and-twenty
miles — — "

" Damn your Concords, and your miles, too!" cried Pol-
warth. " Is there a man in the army who can forget the
deceitful place? Go on with your defence, without talking
to us of the distance, who have measured the road by inches."

"The captain is hasty and rash!" said the deliberate
prisoner. " But being there, I went out of the town with
some company that I happened in with; and after a time,
we concluded to return; and so, as we came to a bridge
about a mile beyond the place, we received considerable
rough treatment from some of the king's troops, who were
standing there "

"What did they?"

" They fired at us, and killed two of our company, besides
other threatening doings. There were some among us that
took the matter up in considerable earnest, and there was a

164 LIONEL LINCOLN.

sharp toss about it for a few minutes; though finally the
law prevailed."

"The law!"

" Certain. 'Tis ag'in all law, I believe the major will
own, to shoot peaceable men on the public highway ! "

" Proceed with your tale in your own way."

" That is pretty much the whole of it," said Seth, warily.
" The people rather took that, and some other things that
happened at Lexington, to heart, and I suppose the major
knows the rest."

" But what has all this to do with your attempt to murder
me, you hypocrite?" demanded M'Fuse. "Confess the
whole, ye thief, that I may hang you with an aisy con
science."

" Enough," said Lionel : " the man has acknowledged
sufficient already to justify us in transferring him to the
custody of others. Let him be taken to the main guard, and
delivered as a prisoner of this day."

" I hope the major will look to the things," said Seth,
who instantly prepared to depart, but stopped on the thresh
old to speak. " I shall hold him accountable for all."

" Your property shall be protected, and I hope your life
may not be in jeopardy," returned Lionel, waving his hand
for those who guarded him to proceed. Seth turned, and
left his own dwelling with the same quiet air which had
distinguished him throughout the day; though there were
occasional flashes from his quick, dark eyes, that looked
like the glimmerings of a fading fire. Notwithstanding the
threatening denunciation he had encountered, he left the
house with a perfect conviction, that if his case were to be
tried by those principles of justice which every man in the
colony so well understood, it would be found that both he
and his fellows had kept thoroughly on the windy side of
the law.

During this singular and characteristic discourse, Pol-
warth, with the solitary exception we have recorded, had

LIONEL LINCOLN. 165

employed his time in forwarding the preparations for the
banquet.

As Seth and his train disappeared, Lionel cast a furtive
look at Job, who was a quiet, and apparently an undisturbed
spectator of the scene, and then turned his attention sud
denly to his guests, as if fearful the folly of the changeling
might betray his agency also in the deeds of the day. The
simplicity of the lad, however, defeated the kind intentions
of the major, for he immediately observed, without the least
indication of fear:

"The king can't hang Seth Sage for firing back, when
the rake-helly soldiers began first."

"Perhaps you were out too, Master Solomon," cried
M'Fuse, "amusing yourself at Concord, with a small party
of select friends ? "

" Job didn't go any further than Lexington," returned the
lad; "and he hasn't got any friend, except old Nab."

"The devil has possessed the minds of the people!"
continued the grenadier. "Lawyers and doctors, praists
and sinners, old and young, big and little, beset us in our
march, and here is a fool to be added to the number! I
dare say that fellow, now, has attempted murder in his day,
too."

"Job scorns such wickedness," returned the unmoved
simpleton : " he only shot one granny, and hit an officer in
the arm."

"D'ye hear that, Major Lincoln? " cried M'Fuse, jump
ing from the seat, which, notwithstanding the bitterness of
his language, he had hitherto perseveringly maintained;
" d'ye hear that shell of a man, that effigy, boasting of hav
ing killed a grenadier? "

" Hold ! " interrupted Lionel, arresting his excited com
panion by the arm : " remember we are soldiers, and that
the boy is not a responsible being. No tribunal would
ever sentence such an unfortunate creature to a gibbet; and
in general, he is as harmless as a babe "

l66 LIONEL LINCOLN.

"The devil burn such babes! A pretty fellow is he to
kill a man of six feet! and with a ducking gun, I'll engage.
I'll not hang the rascal, Major Lincoln, since it is your
particular wish — I'll only have him buried alive."

Job continued perfectly unmoved in his chair; and the
captain, ashamed of his resentment against such uncon
scious imbecility, was soon persuaded to abandon his inten
tions of revenge, though he continued muttering his threats
against the provincials, and his denunciations against such
" an unmanly spacies of warfare," until the much-needed
repast was ended.

Polwarth, having restored the equilibrium of his system
by a hearty meal, hobbled to his bed, and M'Fuse, without
any ceremony, took possession of another of the apartments
in the tenement of Mr. Sage. The servants withdrew to
their own entertainment; and Lionel, who had been sitting
for the last half hour in melancholy silence, now unexpect
edly found himself alone with the changeling. Job had
waited for this moment with exceeding patience; but when
the door closed on Meriton, who was the last to retire, he
made a movement that indicated some communication of
more than usual importance, and succeeded in attracting
the attention of his companion.

" Foolish boy ! " exclaimed Lionel, as he met the unmean
ing eye of the other, " did I not warn you that wicked men
might endanger your life? How was it that I saw you in
arms to-day against the troops? "

" How came the troops in arms ag'in Job? " returned the
changeling. "They needn't think to wheel about the Bay
province, clashing their godless drums and trumpets, burn
ing houses, and shooting people, and find no stir about it! "

" Do you know that your life has been twice forfeited
within twelve hours, by your own confession: once for
murder, and again for treason against your king? You
have acknowledged killing a man! "

"Yes," said the lad, with undisturbed simplicity, "Job

LIONEL LINCOLN. l6/

shot the granny; but he didn't let the people kill Major
Lincoln."

"True, true/*' said Lionel, hastily: "I owe my life to
you, and that debt shall be cancelled at every hazard. But
why have you put yourself into the hands of your enemies
so thoughtlessly? What brings you here to-night? "

"Ralph told me to come; and if Ralph told Job to go
into the king's parlor, he would go."

"Ralph!" exclaimed Lionel, stopping in his hurried
walk across the room; "and where is he? "

"In the old ware'us'; and he has sent me to tell you to
come to him; and what Ralph says must be done."

"He here, too! Is the man crazed? Would not his
fears teach him

"Fears!" interrupted Job, with singular disdain: "you
can't frighten Ralph. The grannies couldn't frighten him,
nor the light infantry couldn't hit him, though he eat noth
ing but their smoke the whole day. Ralph's a proper
warrior! "

"And he waits me, you say, in the tenement of your
mother?"

" Job don't know what tenement means, but he's in the
old ware'us'."

" Come, then," said Lionel, taking his hat, " let us go to
him : I must save him from the effects of his own rashness,
though it cost my commission! "

He left the room while speaking, and the simpleton fol
lowed close at his heels, well content with having executed
his mission without encountering any greater difficulties.

1 68 LIONEL LINCOLN.

CHAPTER XII.

This play is the image of a murder done in Vienna !
Gonzago is the duke's name ; his wife, Baptista :
You shall see, anon ; 'tis a knavish piece of work.

Hamlet.

THE agitation and deep excitement produced by the events
of the day had not yet subsided in the town, when Lionel
found himself again in its narrow streets. Men passed
swiftly by him, as if bent on some unusual and earnest busi
ness; and more than once the young soldier detected the
triumphant smiles of the women, as they looked curiously
out on the scene, from their half-open windows, and their
eyes detected the professional trappings of his dress.
Strong bodies of the troops were marching in different
directions, and in a manner which denoted that the guards
were strengthening, while the few solitary officers he met
watched his approaching figure with cautious jealousy, as if
they apprehended a dangerous enemy in every form they
encountered.

The gates of Province House were open, and, as usual,
guarded by armed men. As Lionel passed leisurely along,
he perceived that the grenadier to whom he had spoken on
the preceding evening, again held his watch before the
portal of the governor.

" Your experience did not deceive you, my old comrade,"
said Lionel, lingering a moment to address him ; " we have
had a warm day."

" So it is reported in the barracks, your honor," returned
the soldier; "our company was not ordered out, and we are
to stand double duty. I hope to God the next time there is

anything to do, the grenadiers of the th may not be left

behind — it would have been for the credit of the army had
they been in the field to-day."

" Why do you think so, my veteran ? The men who were

LIONEL LINCOLN. 169

out are thought to have behaved well; but it was impossi
ble to make head against a multitude in arms."

" It is not my place, your honor, to say this man did well,
and that man behaved amiss," returned the proud old sol
dier; "but when I hear of two thousand British troops turn
ing their backs, or quickening their march, before all the
rabble this country can muster, I want the flank companies

of the th to be at hand, if it should be only that I may

say I have witnessed the disgraceful sight with my own
eyes."

" There is no disgrace where there is no misconduct,"
said Lionel.

" There must have been misconduct somewhere, your honor,
or such a thing could not have happened ; consider, your
honor, the very flower of the army! Something must have
been wrong; and although I could see the latter part of the
business from the hills, I can hardly believe it to be true."
As he concluded, he shook his head, and continued his
steady pace along his allotted ground, as if unwilling to
pursue the humiliating subject any further. Lionel passed
slowly on, musing on that deep-rooted prejudice, which had
even taught this humble menial of the crown to regard with
contempt a whole nation, because they were believed to be
dependents.

The Dock Square was stiller than usual, and the sounds
of revelry, which it was usual to hear at that hour from the
adjacent drinking-houses, were no longer audible. The
moon had not yet risen, and Lionel passed under the dark
arches of the market with a quick step, as he now remem
bered that one in whom he felt so deep an interest awaited
his appearance. Job, who had followed in silence, glided
by him on the drawbridge, and stood holding the door of the
old building in his hand, when he reached its threshold.
Lionel found the large space in the centre of the warehouse,
as usual, dark and empty, though the dim light of a candle
glimmered through the fissures in a partition which sepa-

I/O LIONEL LINCOLN.

rated an apartment in one of the little towers that was occu
pied by Abigail Pray, from the ruder parts of the edifice.
Low voices were also heard issuing from this room, and
Major Lincoln, supposing he should find the old man and
the mother of Job in conference together, turned to request
the lad would precede him, and announce his name. But
the changeling had also detected the whispering sounds, and
it would seem with a more cunning ear, for he turned and
darted through the door of the building with a velocity that
did not abate until Lionel, who watched his movements
with amazement, saw his shuffling figure disappear among
the shambles of the market-place. Thus deserted by his
guide, Lionel groped his way towards the place where he
believed he should find the door which led into the tower.
The light deceived him; for, as he approached it, his eye
glanced through one of the crevices of the wall, and he
again became an unintentional witness of another of those
interviews, which evinced the singular and mysterious affin
ity between the fortunes of the affluent and respected Mrs.
Lechmere and the miserable tenant of the warehouse.
Until that moment, the hurry of events and the crowd of
reflections which had rushed over the mind of the young
man, throughout the busy time of the last twenty-four hours,
had prevented his recalling the hidden meaning of the sin
gular discourse of which he had already been an auditor.
But now, when he found his aunt led into these haunts of
beggary, by a feeling he was not weak enough to attribute
to her charity, he stood rooted to the spot by a curiosity
which, at the same time that he found it irresistible, he was
willing to excuse, under a strong impression that these pri
vate communications were in some way connected with
himself.

Mrs. Lechmere had evidently muffled her person in a
manner that was intended to conceal this mysterious visit
from any casual observer of her movements; but the hoops
of her large calash were now so far raised as to admit a

LIONEL LINCOLN.

distinct view of her withered features, and of the hard eye
which shot forth its selfish, worldly glances, from amid the
surrounding decay of nature. She was seated, both in in
dulgence to her infirmities, and from that assumption of
superiority she never neglected in the presence of her in
feriors, while her companion stood before her, in an attitude
that partook more of restraint than of respect.

" Your weakness, foolish woman," said Mrs. Lechmere, in
those stern, repulsive tones she so well knew how to use,
when she wished to intimidate, "will yet prove your ruin.
You owe it to respect for yourself, to your character, and
even to your safety, that you should exhibit more firmness,
and show yourself above this weak and idle superstition."

" My ruin ! and my character! " returned Abigail, look
ing about her with a haggard eye and a trembling lip;
"what is ruin, Madam Lechmere, if this poverty be not
called so? or what loss of character can bring upon me
more biting scorn than I am now ordained to suffer for my
sins? "

" Perhaps," said Mrs. Lechmere, endeavoring to affect a
kinder tone, though dislike was still too evident in her
manner, " in the hurry of my grand-nephew's reception, I
have forgotten my usual liberality."

The woman took the piece of silver which Mrs. Lechmere
slowly placed in her hand, and held it in her open palm for
several moments, regarding it with a vacant look, which the
other mistook for dissatisfaction.

" The troubles, and the decreasing value of property, have
sensibly affected my income," continued the richly clad and
luxurious Mrs. Lechmere; "but if that should be too little
for your immediate wants, I will add to it another crown."

"'Twill do— 'twill do," said Abigail, clenching her hand
over the money, with a grasp that was convulsive; "yes,
yes, 'twill do. Oh, Madam Lechmere, humbling and sinful
as that wicked passion is, would to God that no motive
worse than avarice had proved my ruin! "

LIONEL LINCOLN.

Lionel thought his aunt cast an uneasy and embarrassed
glance at her companion, which he construed into an expres
sion that betrayed there were secrets even between these
strange confidants; but the momentary surprise exhibited in
her features soon gave place to her habitual look of guarded
and severe formality; and she replied, with an air of cold
ness, as if she would repulse any approach to an acknowl
edgment of their common transgression :

"The woman talks like one who is beside herself! Of
what crime has she been guilty, but such as those to which
our nature is liable ! "

" True, true," said Abigail Pray, with a half -stifled, hys
terical laugh — " 'tis our guilty, guilty nature, as you say.
But I grow nervous, I believe, as I grow old and feeble,
Madam Lechmere ; and I often forget myself. The sight of
the grave, so very near, is apt to bring thoughts of repent
ance to such as are more hardened even than I.'"'

"Foolish girl!" said Mrs. Lechmere, endeavoring to
screen her pallid features, by drawing down her calash, with
a hand that trembled more with terror than with age; "why
should you speak thus freely of death, who are but a child?"

Lionel heard the faltering, husky tones of his aunt, as
they appeared to die in her throat, but nothing more was
distinctly audible, until, after a long pause, she raised her
face, and looked about her again with her severe, unbend
ing eye, and continued :

" Enough of this folly, Abigail Pray — I have come to
learn more of your strange inmate —

"Oh! 'tis not enough, Madam Lechmere," interrupted
the conscience-stricken woman ; " we have so little time left
us for penitence and prayer, that there never can be enough,
I fear, to answer our mighty transgressions. Let us speak
of the grave, Madam Lechmere, while we can yet do it on
this side of eternity."

"Ay! speak of the grave, while out of its damp cloisters;
'tis the home of the aged," said a third voice, whose hollow

LIONEL LINCOLN.

tones might well have issued from some tomb, "and I am
here to join in the wholesome theme."

"Who — who — in the name of God, who art thou?"
exclaimed Mrs. Lechmere, forgetting her infirmities, and
her secret compunctions, in new emotions, and rising invol
untarily from her seat; "tell me, I conjure thee, who thou
art?"

" One, aged like thyself, Priscilla Lechmere, and stand
ing on the threshold of that final home of which you would
discourse. Speak on, then, ye widowed women; for if ever
ye have done aught that calls for forgiveness, 'tis in the
grave ye shall find the heavenly gift of mercy offered to
your unworthiness."

By changing the position of his body a little, Lionel was
now enabled to command a view of the whole apartment.
In the doorway stood Ralph, immovable in his attitude,
with one hand raised high towards heaven, and the other
pointing impressively downward, as if about to lay bare the
secrets of that tomb, of which his wasted limbs, and faded
lineaments, marked him as a fit tenant, while his searching
eyeballs glared about him, from the face of one to the other,
with that look of quickness and penetration, that Abigail
Pray had so well described as "scorching." Within a few
feet of the old man, Mrs. Lechmere remained standing, rigid
and motionless as marble, her calash fallen back, and her
death-like features exposed, with horror and astonishment
rooted in every muscle, as, with open mouth, and eyes riv
eted on the intruder, she gazed as steadily as if placed in
that posture by the chisel of the statuary. Abigail shaded
her eyes with her hand, and buried her face in the folds of
her garments, while strong convulsive shudderings ran
through her frame, and betrayed the extent of the emotions
she endeavored to conceal. Amazed at what he had wit
nessed, and concerned for the apparent insensibility of his
aunt, whose great age rendered such scenes dangerous,
Lionel was about to rush into the apartment, when Mrs.

1/4 LIONEL LINCOLN.

Lechmere so far recovered her faculties as to speak, and
the young man lost every consideration in a burning curi
osity, which was powerfully justified by his situation.

" Who is it that calls me by the name of Priscilla? " said
Mrs. Lechmere; "none now live who can claim to be so
familiar."

"Priscilla — Priscilla," repeated the old man, looking
about him, as if he would require the presence of another;
" it is a soft and pleasant sound to my ears, and there is
one that owns it besides thee, as thou knowest."

" She is dead ; years have gone by since I saw her in her
coffin; and I would forget her, and all like her, who have
proved unworthy of my blood."

" She \snot dead! " — shouted the old man, in a voice that
rung through the naked rafters of the edifice like the un
earthly tones of some spirit of the air; "she lives — she
lives — ay! she yet lives! "

"Lives!" repeated Mrs. Lechmere, recoiling a step be
fore the forward movement of the other; "why am I so weak
as to listen ! 'tis impossible."

"Lives!" exclaimed Abigail Pray, clasping her hands
with agony. "Oh! would to God she did live! but did I
not see her a bloated, disfigured corpse? did I not with
these very hands place the grave-clothes about her once
lovely frame? Oh! no — she is dead — dead — and I am
a "

"Tis some madman that asserts these idle tales," ex
claimed Mrs. Lechmere, with a quickness that interrupted
the criminal epithet the other was about to apply to herself.
"The unfortunate girl is long since dead, as we know; why
should we reason with a maniac? "

"Maniac!" repeated Ralph, with an expression of the
most taunting irony; "no — no — no — such an one there is,
as you and I well know, but 'tis not I who am mad — thou
art rather crazed thyself, woman; thou hast made one
maniac already, wouldst thou make another? "

LIONEL LINCOLN. I/$

"I!" said Mrs. Lechmere, without quailing before the
ardent look she encountered ; " that God who bestows rea
son, recalls his gift at will; 'tis not I who exercise such
power."

"How sayest thou, Priscilla Lechmere?" cried Ralph,
stepping with an inaudible tread so nigh as to grasp, unper-
ceived, her motionless arm with his own wasted fingers;
"yes — I will call thee Priscilla, little as thou deservest such
a holy name : dost thou deny the power to craze — where,
then, is the head of thy boasted race? the proud baronet of
Devonshire, the wealthy, and respected, and once happy
companion of princes — thy nephew, Linonel Lincoln? Is
he in the halls of his fathers? — leading the armies of his
king? — ruling and protecting his household? — or is he the
tenant of a gloomy cell ? — thou knowest he is — thou knowest
he is — and, woman, thy vile machinations have placed him
there!"

"Who is it that dare thus speak to me? " demanded Mrs.
Lechmere, rallying her faculties with a mighty effort, to
look down this charge — " if my unhappy nephew is indeed
known to thee, thy own knowledge will refute this base ac
cusation •"

"Known to me! I would ask what is hid from me? I
have looked at thee, and observed thy conduct, woman, for
the life of man; and nothing that thou hast done is hid
from me. I tell thee, I know all. Of this sinful woman
here, also, I know all. Have I not told thee, Abigail
Pray, of thy most secret transgressions? "

"Oh! yes — yes; he is indeed acquainted with what I
had thought was now concealed from every eye but that of
God! " cried Abigail, with superstitious terror.

"Nor of thee am I ignorant, thou miserable widow of
John Lechmere; and of Priscilla, too, do I not know all? "

"All!" again exclaimed Abigail.

"All' " repeated Mrs. Lechmere, in a voice barely audi
ble; when she sunk back in her chair, in a state of total

1/6 LIONEL LINCOLN.

insensibility. The breathless interest he felt in all that
had passed, could detain Lionel no longer from rushing to
the assistance of his aunt. Abigail Pray, who, it would
seem, had been in some measure accustomed to such scenes
with her lodger, retained, however, sufficient self-command
to anticipate his motions; and, when he had gained the
door, he found her already supporting, and making the
usual applications to Mrs. Lechmere. It became necessary
to divest the sufferer of part of her attire, and Abigail, as
suring Lionel of her perfect competency to act by herself,
requested him to withdraw, not only on that account, but
because she felt assured that nothing could prove more
dangerous to her reviving patient, than his unexpected pres
ence. After lingering a moment, until he witnessed the
signs of returning life, Lionel complied with the earnest
entreaties of the woman; and, leaving the room, he groped
his way to the foot of the ladder, with a determination to
ascend to the apartment of Ralph, in order to demand at
once an explanation of what he had just seen and heard.
He found the old man seated in his little tower, his hand
shading his eyes from the feeble light of the miserable
candle, and his head drooping upon his bosom, like one in
pensive musing. Lionel approached him, without appearing
to attract his attention, and was compelled to speak, in order
to announce his presence.

" I have received your summons by Job," he said, " and
have obeyed it."

" 'Tis well," returned Ralph.

" Perhaps I should add, that I have been an astonished
witness of your interview with Mrs. Lechmere, and have
heard the bold and unaccountable language you have seen
proper to use to that lady."

The old man now raised his head, and Lionel saw the
bright rays from his eyes quicken, as he answered :

" You then heard the truth, and witnessed its effects on a
guilty conscience."

LIONEL LINCOLN. 1 77

" I also heard what you call the truth, in connection, as
you know, with the names most dear to me."

"Art certain of it, boy?" returned Ralph, looking the
other steadily in the face; "has no other become dearer to
you, of late, than the authors of your being? Speak, and
remember that you answer one of no common knowledge."

"What mean you, sir? is it in nature to love any as we
do a parent? "

"Away with this childish simplicity," continued the*
other, sternly; "the grandchild of that wretched woman be
low — do you not love her, and can I put trust in thee? "

"What trust is there incompatible with affection fora
being as pure as Cecil Dynevor? "

"Ay," murmured the old man in an undertone, "her
mother was pure, and why may not the child be worthy of
its parentage? " He paused, and a long, and, on the part
of Lionel, a painful and embarrassing silence succeeded,
which was at length broken by Ralph, who said, abruptly :
"You were in the field to-day, Major Lincoln. "

"Of that you must be certain, as I owe my life to your
kind interposition. But why have you braved the danger
of an arrest, by trusting your person in the power of the
troops? Your presence and activity among the Americans
must be known to many in the army besides myself."

" And would they think of searching for their enemies
within the streets of Boston, when the hills without are
filling with armed men? My residence in this building is
known only to the woman below, who dare not betray me,
her worthy son, and to you. My movements are secret and
sudden, when men least expect them. Danger cannot touch
such as I."

" But," said Lionel, hesitating with embarrassment,
" ought I to conceal the presence of one whom I know to be
inimical to my king? "

" Lionel Lincoln, you overrate your courage," interrupted
Ralph, smiling in scorn. " You dare not shed the blood of
12

LIONEL LINCOLN.

him who has spared your own. But enough of this: we
understand each other, and one old as I should be a stranger
to fear."

" No, no," said a low solemn voice, from a dark corner
of the apartment, where Job had stolen unseen, and was now
nestled in security: "you can't frighten Ralph."

" The boy is a worthy boy, and he knows good from evil ;
what more is necessary to man in this wicked world?"
muttered Ralph, in those quick and indistinct tones that
characterized his manner.

" Whence came you, fellow, and why did you abandon me
so abruptly? " demanded Lionel.

"Job has just been into the market, to see if he couldn't
find something that might be good for Nab," returned the lad.

" Think not to impose on me with this nonsense ! Is food
to be purchased at any hour of the night, though you had
the means? "

" Now that is convincing the king's officers don't know
everything," said the simpleton, laughing within himself.
" Here's as good a pound-bill, old tenor, as was ever granted
by the Bay colony ; and meat's no such rarity, that a man,
who has a pound-bill, old tenor, in his pocket, can't go
under old Funnel when he pleases, for all their acts of
Parliament."

"You have plundered the dead!" cried Lionel, observing
that Job exhibited in his hand several pieces of silver, be
sides the note he had mentioned.

"Don't call Job a thief! " said the lad, with a threatening
air : " there's law in the Bay yet, though the people don't
use it; and right will be done to all, when the time comes.
Job shot a granny, but he's no thief."

" You were, then, paid for your secret errand, last night,
foolish boy, and have been tempted to run into danger by
money. Let it be the last time. In future, when you want,
come to me for assistance."

"Job won't go of a'r'nds for the king, if he'd give him his

LIONEL LINCOLN. 1/9

golden crown, with all its di'monds and flauntiness, unless
Job pleases, for there's no law for it."

Lionel, with a view to appease the irritated lad, now made
a few kind and conciliating remarks, but the changeling did
not deign to reply, falling back in his corner in a sullen
manner, as if he would repair the fatigue of the day by a
few moments of sleep. In the mean time, Ralph had sunk
into a profound revery, when the young soldier remembered
that the hour was late, and he had yet obtained no explana
tion of the mysterious charges. He therefore alluded to
the subject in a manner which he thought best adapted to
obtain the desired intelligence. The instant Lionel men
tioned the agitation of his aunt, his companion raised his
head again, and a smile like that of fierce exultation lighted
the wan face of the old man, who answered, pointing with
an emphatic gesture to his own bosom :

"'Twas here, boy^ — 'twas here. Nothing short of the
power of conscience, and a knowledge like that of mine,
could strike that woman speechless in the presence of any
thing human."

"But what is this extraordinary knowledge? I am in
some degree the natural protector of Mrs. Lechmere; and,
independent of my individual interest in your secret, have
a right, in her behalf, to require an explanation of such
serious allegations."

"In her behalf!" repeated Ralph. "Wait, impetuous
young man, until she bids you push the inquiry: it shall
then be answered, in a voice of thunder."

" If not in justice to my aged aunt, at least remember
your repeated promises to unfold that sad tale of my own
domestic sorrows, of which you claim to be the master."

"Ay, of that, and much more, am I in possession,"
returned the old man, smiling, as if conscious of his knowl
edge and power. " If you doubt it, descend and ask the
miserable tenant of this warehouse, or the guilty widow of
John Lechmere."

l8O LIONEL LINCOLN.

"Nay, I doubt nothing but my own patience; the mo
ments fly swiftly, and I have yet to learn all I wish to know."

" This is neither the time, nor is it the place, where you
are to hear the tale," returned Ralph. " I have already said
that we shall meet beyond the colleges for that purpose."

" But after the events of this day, who can tell when it
will be in the power of an officer of the crown to visit the
colleges in safety? "

"What! " cried the old man, laughing aloud, in the bit
terness of his scorn, "has the boy found the strength and
the will of the despised colonists so soon ! But I pledge to
thee my word, that thou shalt yet see the place, and in
safety. Yes, yes, Priscilla Lechmere, thy hour is at hand,
and thy doom is sealed forever! "

Lionel again mentioned his aunt, and alluded to the ne
cessity of his soon rejoining her, as he already heard foot
steps below, which indicated that preparations were making
for her departure. But his petitions and remonstrances
were now totally unheeded : his aged companion was pacing
swiftly up and down his small apartment, muttering inco
herent sentences, in which the name of Priscilla was alone
audible, and his countenance betraying the inward workings
of absorbing and fierce passions. In a few moments more,
the shrill voice of Abigail was heard calling upon her son,
in a manner which plainly denoted her knowledge that the
changeling was concealed somewhere about the building.
Job heard her calls repeated, until the tones of her voice
became angry and threatening, when he stole slowly from
his corner, and moved towards the ladder, with a sunken
brow and lingering steps. Lionel now knew not how to
act. His aunt was still ignorant of his presence, and he
thought if Abigail Pray had wished him to appear, he would
in some manner be soon included in the summons. He
had also his own secret reasons for wishing his visits to
Ralph unknown. Accordingly, he determined to watch the
movements below, under the favor of the darkness, and to

LIONEL LINCOLN. l8l

be governed entirely by circumstances. He took no leave
of his companion on departing, for long use had so far ac
customed him to the eccentric manner of the old man, that
he well knew any attempt to divert his attention from his
burning thoughts would be futile at a moment of such in
tense excitement.

From the head of the ladder, where Lionel took his
stand, he saw Mrs. Lechmere, preceded by Job with a lan
tern, walking, with a firmer step than he could have hoped
for, towards the door, and he overheard Abigail cautioning
her wilful son to light her visitor to a neighboring corner,
where it appeared a conveyance was in waiting. On the
threshold, his aunt turned, and, the light from the candle
of Abigail falling on her features, Lionel caught a full view
of her cold, hard eye, which had regained all its worldly
expression, though softened a little by a deeper shade of
thought than usual.

"Let the scene of to-night be forgotten, my good Abigail,"
she said. " Your lodger is a nameless being, who has
gleaned some idle tale, and wishes to practise on our cred
ulity to enrich himself. I will consider more of it; but on
no account do you hold any further communion with him.
I must remove you, my trusty woman; this habitation is
unworthy of you, and of your dutiful son, too. I must see
you better lodged, my good Abigail — indeed, I must."

Lionel could distinguish the slight shudder that passed
through the frame of her companion, as she alluded to the
doubtful character of Ralph; but, without answering, Abi
gail held the door open for the departure of her guest. The
instant Mrs. Lechmere disappeared, Lionel glided down the
ladder, and stood before the astonished woman.

"When I tell you I have heard all that passed to-night,"
he abruptly said, "you will see the folly of any further
attempt at concealment. I now demand so much of your
secret as affects the happiness of me or mine."

" No — no — not of me, Major Lincoln," said the terrified

1 82 LIONEL LINCOLN.

female ; " not of me, for the love of God, not of me : I

have sworn to keep it, and one oath Her emotions

choked her, and her voice became indistinct.

Lionel regretted his vehemence, and, ashamed to extort
a confession from a woman, he attempted to pacify her feel
ings, promising to require no further communication at that
time.

" Go — go," she said, motioning him to depart, " and I
shall be well again. Leave me, and then I shall be alone
with that terrible old man, and my God ! "

Perceiving her earnestness, he reluctantly complied, and,
meeting Job on the threshold, he ceased to feel any further
uneasiness for her safety.

During his rapid walk to Tremont street, Major Lincoln
thought intently on all he had heard and witnessed. He
remembered the communications by which Ralph had at
tained such a powerful interest in his feelings, and he fan
cied he could discover a pledge of the truth of the old man's
knowledge in the guilt betrayed by the manner of his aunt.
From Mrs. Lechmere his thoughts recurred to her lovely
grandchild, and for a moment he was perplexed, by en
deavoring to explain her contradictory deportment towards
himself: at one time she was warm, frank, and even affec
tionate; and at another, as in the short and private inter
view of that very evening, cold, constrained, and repulsive.
Then, again, he recollected the object which had chiefly
induced him to follow his regiment to his native country;
and the recollection was attended by that shade of dejection
which such reflections never failed to cast across his intelli
gent features. On reaching the house, he ascertained the
safe return of Mrs. Lechmere, who had already retired to
her room, attended by her lovely relatives. Lionel imme
diately followed their example; and as the excitement of
that memorable and busy day subsided, it was succeeded by
a deep sleep, that fell on his senses like the forgetfulness
of the dead.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 183

CHAPTER XIII.

Now let it work : Mischief, thou art afoot :
Take thou what course thou wilt !

SHAKESPEARE.

THE alarm of the inroad passed swiftly by the low shores of
the Atlantic, and was heard echoing among the rugged
mountains west of the rivers, as if borne along on a whirl
wind. The male population, between the rolling waters of
Massachusetts Bay and the limpid stream of the Connecti
cut, rose as one man; and as the cry of blood was sounded
far inland, the hills and valleys, the highways and foot
paths, were seen covered with bands of armed husbandmen,
pressing eagerly towards the scene of the war. Within eight-
and-forty hours after the fatal meeting at Lexington, it was
calculated that more than a hundred thousand men were in
arms; and near one-fourth of that number was gathered be
fore the peninsulas of Boston and Charlestown. They who
were precluded by distance and a want of military provi
sions, to support such a concourse, from participating in the
more immediate contest, lay by in expectation of the ar
rival of that moment when their zeal might also be put to
severer trials. In short, the sullen quietude in which the
colonies had been slumbering for a year, was suddenly and
rudely broken by the events of that day; and the patriotic
among the people rose with such a cry of indignation on
their lips that the disaffected, who were no insignificant
class in the more southern provinces, were compelled to
silence, until the first burst of revolutionary excitement had
an opportunity to subside, under the never-failing influence
of time and suffering.

Gage, secure in his positions, and supported by a con
stantly increasing power, as well as the presence of a for
midable fleet, looked on the gathering storm with a steady
eye, and with that calmness which distinguished the mild

184 LIONEL LINCOLN.

benevolence of his private character. Though the attitude
and the intentions of the Americans could no longer be
mistaken, he listened with reluctant ears to the revengeful
advice of his counsellors, and rather strove to appease the
tumult than to attempt crushing it by a force which, though
a month before it had been thought equal to the united
power of the peaceful colonists, he now prudently deemed
no more than competent to protect itself within its wa
tery boundaries. Proclamations were, however, fulminated
against the rebels; and such other measures as were thought
indispensable to assert the dignity and authority of the
crown, were promptly adopted. Of course, these harmless
denunciations were disregarded, and all his exhortations to
return to an allegiance, which the people still denied had
ever been impaired, were lost amid the din of arms, and the
popular cries of the time. These appeals of the British
general, as well as sundry others made by the royal gov
ernors, who yet held their rule throughout all the provinces,
except the one in which the scene of our tale is laid, were
answered by the people in humble but manly petitions to
the throne for justice; and in loud remonstrances to the
Parliament, requiring to be restored to the possession of
those rights and immunities which should be secured to all
who enjoyed the protection of their common constitution.
Still the power and prerogatives of the prince were deeply
respected, and were alluded to in all public documents, with
the veneration which was thought due to the sacredness of
his character and station. But that biting, though grave
sarcasm, which the colonists knew so well how to use, was
freely expended on his ministers, who were accused of de
vising the measures so destructive to the peace of the em
pire. In this manner passed some weeks after the series of
skirmishes which were called the battle of Lexington, from
the circumstance of commencing at the hamlet of that name,
both parties continuing to prepare for a mightier exhibition
of their power and daring.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 185

Lionel had by no means been an unconcerned spectator
of these preparations. The morning after the return of the
detachment, he applied for a command, equal to his just
expectations. But while he was complimented on the spirit
and loyalty he had manifested on the late occasion, it was
intimated to the young man that he might be of more service
to the cause of his prince, by devoting his time to the culti
vation of his interest among those powerful colonists with
whom his family was allied by blood, or connected by long
and close intimacies. It was even submitted to his own
judgment whether it would not be well, at some auspicious
moment, to trust his person without the defences of the
army, in the prosecution of this commendable design.
There was so much that was flattering to the self-love, and
soothing to the pride of the young soldier, artfully mingled
with these ambiguous proposals, that he became content to
await the course of events, having, however, secured a
promise of obtaining a suitable military command in the
case of further hostilities. That such an event was at hand,
could not well be concealed from one much less observing
than Major Lincoln.

Gage had already abandoned his temporary position in
Charlestown, for the sake of procuring additional security
by concentrating his force. From the hills of the peninsula
of Boston, it was apparent that the colonists were fast assum
ing the front of men who were resolved to beleaguer the
army of the king. Many of the opposite heights were al
ready crowned with hastily-formed works of earth, and a
formidable body of these unpractised warriors had set them
selves boldly down before the entrance to the isthmus, cut
ting off all communication with the adjacent country, and
occupying the little village of Roxbury, directly before the
muzzles of the British guns, with a hardiness that would
not have disgraced men much longer tried in the field, and
more inured to its dangers.

The surprise created in the army by these appearances of

1 86 LIONEL LINCOLN.

skill and spirit among the hitherto despised Americans, in
some measure ceased when the rumor spread itself in their
camp, that many gentlemen of the provinces, who had served
with credit in the forces of the crown, at former periods,
were mingled with the people in stations of responsibility
and command. Among others Lionel heard the names of
Ward and Thomas; men of liberal attainments, and of some
experience in arms. Both were regularly commissioned by
the congress of the colony as leaders of their forces; and
under their orders were numerous regiments duly organized,
possessing all the necessary qualifications of soldiers, ex
cepting the two indispensable requisites of discipline and
arms. Lionel heard the name of Warren mentioned oftener
than any other in the circles of Province House, and with
that sort of bitterness, which, even while it bespoke their
animosity, betrayed the respect of his enemies. This gen
tleman, who until the last moment had braved the presence
of the royal troops, and fearlessly advocated his principles,
while encircled with their bayonets, was now known to have
suddenly disappeared from among them, abandoning home,
property, and a lucrative profession; and by sharing in the
closing scenes of the day of Lexington, to have fairly cast
his fortunes on the struggle. But the name which in secret
possessed the greatest charm for the ear of the young British
soldier, was that of Putnam, a yeoman of the neighboring
colony of Connecticut, who, as the uproar of the alarm
whirled by him, literally deserted his plough, and mounting
a beast from its team, made an early halt, after a forced
march of a hundred miles, in the foremost ranks of his
countrymen. While the name of this sturdy American was
passing in whispers among the veterans who crowded the
levees of Gage, a flood of melancholy and tender recollec
tions flashed through the brain of the young man. He re
membered the frequent and interesting communications
which, in his boyhood, he had held with his own father,
before the dark shade had passed across the reason of Sir

LIONEL LINCOLN. l8/

Lionel, and, in every tale of murderous combats with the
savage tenants of the wilds, in each scene of danger and of
daring that had distinguished the romantic warfare of the
wilderness, and even in strange and fearful encounters with
the beasts of the forest, the name of this man was blended
with a species of chivalrous fame that is seldom obtained
in an enlightened age, and never undeservedly. The great
wealth of the family of Lincoln, and the high expectations
of its heir, had obtained for the latter a military rank which
at that period was rarely enjoyed by any but such as had
bought the distinction by long and arduous services. Con
sequently, many of his equals had shared in those trials of
his father, in which the " Lion heart " of America had been
so conspicuous for his deeds. By these grave veterans, who
should know him best, the name of Putnam was always
mentioned with strong and romantic affection; and when
the notable scheme of detaching him, by the promise of
office and wealth, from the cause of the colonists was pro
posed by the cringing counsellors who surrounded the com-
mander-in-chief, it was listened to with a contemptuous
incredulity by the former associates of the old partisan,
that the result of the plan fully justified. Similar induce
ments were offered to others among the Americans, whose
talents were thought worthy of purchase ; but so deep root
had the principles of the day taken, that not a man of any
note was found to listen to the proposition.

While these subtle experiments were adopted in the room
of more energetic measures, troops continued to arrive from
England, and, before the end of May, many leaders of re
nown appeared in the councils of Gage, who now possessed
a disposable force of not less than eight thousand bayonets.
With the appearance of these reinforcements, the fallen
pride of the army began to revive; and the spirits of the
haughty young men, who had so recently left the gay parades
of their boasted island, were chafed by the reflection that
such an army should be cooped within the narrow limits of

I 88 LIONEL LINCOLN.

the peninsula by a band of half-armed husbandmen, desti
tute alike of the knowledge of war and of most of its muni
tions. This feeling was increased by the taunts of the
Americans themselves, who now turned the tables on their
adversaries, applying, among other sneers, the term of
" elbow-room " freely to Burgoyne, one of those chieftains
of the royal army who had boasted unwittingly of the in
tention of himself and his compeers to widen the limits of
the army immediately on their arrival at the scene of the
contest. The aspect of things within the British camp
began to indicate, however, that their leaders were serious
in the intention to extend their possessions, and all eyes
were again turned to the heights of Charlestown, the spot
most likely to be first occupied.

No military positions could be more happily situated, as
respects locality, to support each other, and to extend and
weaken the lines of their enemies, than the two opposite
peninsulas so often mentioned. The distance between them
was but six hundred yards, and the deep and navigable
waters, by which they were nearly surrounded, rendered it
easy for the royal general to command, at any time, the as
sistance of the heaviest vessels of the fleet, in defending
either place. With these advantages before them, the army
gladly heard those orders issued, which, it was well under
stood, indicated an approaching movement to the opposite
shores.

It was now eight weeks since the commencement of hos
tilities, and the war had been confined to the preparations
detailed, with the exception of one or two sharp skirmishes
on the islands of the harbor, between the foragers of the
army and small parties of the Americans, in which the
latter well maintained their newly acquired reputation for
spirit.

With the arrival of the regiments from England, gayety
had once more visited the town, though such of the inhabi
tants as were compelled to remain against their inclinations,

LIONEL LINCOLN. 189

continued to maintain that cold reserve, in their deport
ment, which effectually repelled all the efforts of the officers
to include them in the wanton festivities of the time.
There were a few, however, among the colonists, who had
been bribed, by officers and emoluments, to desert the good
cause of the land; and as some of these had already been
rewarded by offices which gave them access to the ear of
the royal governor, he was thought to be unduly and un
happily influenced by the pernicious counsels with which
they poisoned his mind, and prepared him for acts of injus
tice and harshness, that both his unbiased feelings and
ordinary opinions would have condemned. A few days suc
ceeding the affair of Lexington, a meeting of the inhabitants
had been convened, and a solemn compact was made be
tween them and the governor, that such as chose to deliver
up their arms might leave the place, while the remainder
were promised a suitable protection in their own dwellings.
The arms were delivered, but that part of the conditions
which related to the removal of the inhabitants was violated
under slight and insufficient pretexts. This, and various
other causes incidental to military rule, embittered the feel
ings of the people, and furnished new causes of complaint;
while, on the other hand, hatred was rapidly usurping the
place of contempt, in the breasts of those who had been
compelled to change their sentiments with respect to a peo
ple that they could never love. In this manner, resentment
and distrust existed, with all the violence of personality,
within the place itself, affording an additional reason to the
troops for wishing to extend their limits. Notwithstanding
these inauspicious omens of the character of the contest, the
native kindness of Gage, and perhaps a desire to rescue a
few of his own men from the hands of the colonists, induced
him to consent to an exchange of the prisoners made in the
inroad; thus establishing, in the outset, a precedent to dis
tinguish the controversy from an ordinary rebellion against
the loyal authority of the sovereign. A meeting was held,

LIONEL LINCOLN.

for this purpose, in the village of Charlestown, at that time
unoccupied by either army. At the head of the American
deputation appeared Warren, and the old partisan of the
wilderness already mentioned, who, by a happy, though not
uncommon constitution of temperament, was as forward in
deeds of charity as in those of daring. At this interview,
several of the veterans of the royal army were present, hav
ing passed the strait to hold a last, friendly converse with
their ancient comrade, who received them with the frank
ness of a soldier, while he rejected their subtle endeavors
to entice him from the banners under which he had enlisted,
with a sturdiness as unpretending as it was inflexible.

While these events were occurring at the great scene of
the contest, the hum of preparation was to be heard through
out the whole of the wide extent of the colonies. In vari
ous places slight acts of hostility were committed, the
Americans no longer waiting for the British to be the ag
gressors, and everywhere such military stores as could be
reached, were seized, peaceably or by violence, as the case
required. The concentration of most of the troops in Bos
ton had, however, left the other colonies comparatively but
little to achieve, though, while they still rested, nominally,
under the dominion of the crown, they neglected no means
within their power to assert their rights in the last extremity.

At Philadelphia, "the Congress of the Delegates from
the United Colonies," the body that controlled the great
movements of a people who now first began to act as a dis
tinct nation, issued their manifestoes, supporting, in a mas
terly manner, their principles, and proceeded to organize an
army that should be as competent to maintain them as cir
cumstances would allow. Gentlemen who had been trained
to arms in the service of the king, were invited to resort to
their banners, and the remainder of the vacancies were filled
by the names of the youthful, the bold, and adventurous,
who were willing to risk their lives in a cause where even
success promised so little personal advantage. At the head

LIONEL LINCOLN. IQI

of this list of untrained warriors, the congress placed one
of their own body, a man aready distinguished for his ser
vices in the field, and who has since bequeathed to his
country the glory of an untarnished name.

CHAPTER XIV.

Thou shalt meet me at Philippi.

Julius Ccesar.

DURING this period of feverish excitement, while the ap
pearance and privations of war existed with so little of its
danger or its action, Lionel had not altogether forgotten his
personal feelings, in the powerful interest created by the
state of public affairs. Early on the morning succeeding
the night of the scene between Mrs. Lechmere and the in
mates of the warehouse, he had repaired again to the spot,
to relieve the intense anxiety of his mind, by seeking a
complete explanation of all those mysteries which had been
the principal ligament that bound him to a man, little
known, except for his singularities.

The effects of the preceding day's battle were already
visible in the market-place, where, as Lionel passed, he saw
few or none of the countrymen who usually crowded the
square at that hour. In fact, the windows of the shops were
opened with caution, and men looked out upon the face of
the sun as if doubting of its appearance and warmth, as in
seasons of ordinary quiet; jealousy and distrust having
completely usurped the place of security within the streets
of the town. Notwithstanding the hour, few were in their
beds, and those who appeared betrayed by their looks that
they had passed the night in watchfulness. Among this
number was Abigail Pray, who received her guest in her
little tower, surrounded by everything as he had seen it on
the past evening, nothing altered, except her own dark eye,
which at times looked like a gem of price set in her squalid

1 92 LIONEL LINCOLN.

features, but which now appeared haggard and sunken, par
ticipating, more markedly than common, in the general air
of misery that pervaded the woman.

" I have intruded at a somewhat unusual hour, Mrs. Pray,"
said Lionel, as he entered; "but business of the last mo
ment requires that I should see your lodger. I suppose he
is above; it will be well to announce my visit."

Abigail shook her head with an air of solemn meaning,
as she answered, in a subdued voice, "He is gone! "

" Gone ! " exclaimed Lionel. " Whither, and when ? "

"The people seem visited by the wrath of God, sir,"
returned the woman. " Old and young, the sick and well,
are crazy about the shedding of blood; and it's beyond the
might of man to say where the torrent will be stayed."

"But what has this to do with Ralph? Where is he?
Woman, you are not playing me false? "

" I ! Heaven forbid that I should ever be false again !
and to you least of all God's creatures! No, no, Major
Lincoln; the wonderful man, who seems to have lived so
long that he can even read our secret thoughts, as I had
supposed man could never read them, has left me, and I
know not whether he will ever return."

" Ever ! You have not driven him by violence from under
your miserable roof? "

" My roof is like that of the fowls of the air — 'tis the roof
of any who are so unfortunate as to need it. There is no
spot on earth, Major Lincoln, that I can call mine; but one
day there will be one — yes, yes, there will be a narrow
house provided for us all ; and God grant that mine may
be as quiet as the coffin is said to be! I lie not, Major
Lincoln — no, this time I am innocent of deceit — Ralph and
Job have gone together, but whither I know not, unless it be
to join the people without the town. They left me as the
moon rose, and he gave me a parting and a warning voice
that will ring in my ears until they are deafened by the
damps of the grave! "

LIONEL LINCOLN. 1 93

"Gone to join the Americans, and with Job!" returned
Lionel, musing, and without attending to the closing words
of Abigail. " Your boy will purchase peril with this mad
ness, Mrs. Pray, and should be looked to."

" Job is not one of God's accountables, nor is he to be
treated like other children," returned the woman. "Ah!
Major Lincoln, a healthier, and a stouter, and a finer boy
was not to be seen in the Bay province, till the child had
reached his fifth year; then, then it was that the judgment
of Heaven fell on mother and son — sickness made him
what you see, a being with the form, but without the reason
of man, and I have grown the wretch I am. But it has all
been foretold, and warnings enough have I had of it all;
for is it not said, that He ' will visit the sins of the fathers
upon the children until the third and fourth generation'?
Thank God, my sorrows and sins will end with Job, for
there never can be a third to suffer! "

" If," said Lionel, " there be any sin which lies heavy at
your heart, every consideration, whether of justice or re
pentance, should induce you to confess your errors to those
whose happiness may be affected by the knowledge, if any
such there be."

The anxious eye of the woman raised itself to meet the
look of the young man ; but, quailing before the piercing
gaze it encountered, she quickly turned it upon the litter
and confusion of her disordered apartment. Lionel waited
some time for a reply ; but finding that she remained obsti
nately silent, he continued:

" From what has already passed, you must be conscious
that I have good reason to believe that my feelings are
deeply concerned in your secret; make, then, your confes
sion of the guilt which seems to bear you down so heavily;
and in return for the confidence, I promise you my forgive
ness and protection."

As Lionel pressed thus directly the point so near his
heart, the woman shrunk away from her situation near him,
'3

194 LIONEL LINCOLN.

and her countenance lost, as he proceeded, its remarkable ex
pression of compunction, in a forced look of deep surprise,
that showed she was no novice in dissimulation, whatever
might be the occasional warnings of her conscience.

"Guilt!" she repeated, in a slow and tremulous voice;
" we are all guilty, and would be lost creatures, but for the
blood of the Mediator."

" Most true. But you have spoken of crimes that infringe
the laws of man, as well as those of God."

" I ! Major Lincoln — I a disorderly law-breaker ! " ex
claimed Abigail, affecting to busy herself in arranging her
apartment. u It is not such as I that have leisure or cour
age to break the laws! Major Lincoln is trying a poor lone
woman, to make his jokes with the gentlemen of his mess
this evening; 'tis certain we all of us have our burdens of
guilt to answer for. Surely Major Lincoln couldn't have
heard Minister Hunt preach his sermon, the last Sabbath,
on the sins of the town ! "

Lionel colored highly at the artful imputation of the
woman, that he was practising on her sex and unprotected
situation; and greatly provoked, in secret, at her duplicity,
he became more guarded in his language, endeavoring to
lead her on, by kindness and soothing, to the desired com
munications. But all his ingenuity was met by more than
equal abilities on the part of Abigail, from whom he only
obtained expressions of surprise, that he could have mis
taken her language for more than the usual acknowledgment
of errors that are admitted to be common to our lost nature.
In this particular, the woman was in no respect singular;
the greater number of those who are loudest in their con
fessions and denunciations on the abandoned nature of our
hearts, commonly resenting, in the deepest manner, the im
putation of individual offences. The more earnest and
pressing his inquiries became, the more wary she grew,
until, disgusted with her pertinacity, and secretly suspect
ing her of foul play with her lodger, he left the house in

LIONEL LINCOLN. IQ5

anger, determining to keep a close eye on her movements,
and, at a suitable moment, to strike such a blow as should
bring her not only to confession, but to shame.

Under the influence of this momentary resentment, and
unable to avoid harboring the most unpleasant suspicions
of his aunt, the young man determined, that very morning,
to withdraw himself entirely, as a guest, from her dwelling.
Mrs. Lechmere, who, if she knew at all that Lionel had been
a witness of her intercourse with Ralph, must have received
the intelligence from Abigail, received him, at breakfast,
with a manner that betrayed no such consciousness. She
listened to his excuses for removing with evident concern ;
and more than once, as Lionel spoke of the probable nature
of his future life, now that hostilities had commenced — the
additional trouble his presence would occasion to one of
her habits and years — of his great concern in her behalf —
and, in short, of all that he would devise in the apology for
the step, he saw her eyes turned anxiously on Cecil with an
expression which, at another time, might have led him to
distrust the motives of her hospitality. The young lady
herself, however, evidently heard the proposal with great
satisfaction, and when her grandmother appealed to her
opinion, whether he had urged a single good reason for the
measure, she answered, with a vivacity that had been a
stranger to her manner of late :

" Certainly, my dear grandmamma — the best of all rea
sons: his inclinations. Major Lincoln tires of us, and of
our humdrum habits, and — and in my eyes, true politeness
requires that we should suffer him to leave us for his bar
racks, without a word of remonstrance."

"My motives must be greatly mistaken, if a desire to
leave you "

"Oh, sir, the explanation is not required. You have
urged so many reasons, cousin Lionel, that the true and
moving motive is yet kept behind the curtain. It must and
can be no other than ennui"

IQ LIONEL LINCOLN.

"Then I will remain," said Lionel; "for anything is
better than to be suspected of insensibility."

Cecil looked both gratified and disappointed; she played
with her spoon a moment in embarrassment, bit her beauti
ful lip with vexation, and then said, in a more friendly
tone:

" I must then exonerate you from the imputation. Go to
your own quarters, if it be agreeable, and we will believe
your incomprehensible reasons for the change; besides, as
a kinsman, we shall see you every day, you know."

Lionel had now no longer any excuse for not abiding by
his avowed determination; and, notwithstanding Mrs. Lech-
mere parted from her interesting nephew with an exhibition
of reluctance that was in singular contrast with her usually
cold and formal manner, the desired removal was made in
the course of that very morning.

When this change was accomplished, week after week
slipped by in the manner related in the preceding chapter,
during which the reinforcements continued to arrive, and
general after general appeared in the place to support the
unenterprising Gage in the conduct of the war. The timid
amongst the colonists were appalled as they heard the long
list of proud and boasted names recounted. There was
Howe, a man sprung from a noble race, long known for
their deeds in arms, and whose chief had already shed his
blood on the soil of America; Clinton, another cadet of an
illustrious house, better known for his personal intrepidity
and domestic kindness, than for the rough qualities of the
warrior; and the elegant and accomplished Burgoyne, who
had already purchased a name in the fields of Portugal and
Germany, which he was destined soon to lose in the wilds
of America. In addition to these might be mentioned
Pigot, Grant, Robertson, and the heir of Northumberland,
each of whom led a brigade in the cause of his prince;
besides a host of men of lesser note, who had passed their
youth in arms, and were now about to bring their experience

LIONEL LINCOLN. 197

to the field, in opposition to the untrained husbandmen of
the plains of New England. As if this list were not suffi
cient to overwhelm their inexperienced adversaries, the
pride of arms had gathered many of the young among the
noble and chivalric in the British empire, to the point on
which all eyes were turned; amongst whom, the one who
afterward added the fairest wreath to the laurels of his
ancestors, was the joint heir of Hastings and Moira, the
gallant, but, as yet, untried boy of Rawdon. Amongst such
companions, many of whom had been his associates in Eng
land, the hours of Lionel passed swiftly by, leaving him but
little leisure to meditate on those causes which had brought
him also to the scene of contention.

One warm evening, towards the middle of June, Lionel
became a witness of the following scene, through the open
doors which communicated between his private apartment
and the room which Polwarth had dedicated to what he
called "the knowing mess." M'Fuse was seated at a table,
with a ludicrous air of magisterial authority, while Pol
warth held a station at his side, which appeared to partake
of the double duties of a judge and a scribe. Before this
formidable tribunal Seth Sage was arraigned, as it would
seem, to answer for certain offences alleged to have been
committed in the field of battle. Ignorant that his landlord
had not received the benefit of the late exchange, and curi
ous to know what all the suppressed roguery he could detect
in the demure countenances of his friends might signify,
Lionel dropped his pen, and listened to the succeeding dia
logue.

" Now answer to your offences, thpu silly fellow, with a
wise name," M'Fuse commenced, in a voice that did not
fail, by its harsh cadences, to create some of that awe which,
by the expression of the speaker's eye, it would seem he
labored to produce; "speak out with the freedom of a man,
and the compunctions of a Christian, if you have them.
Why should I not send you at once to Ireland, that ye may

198 LIONEL LINCOLN.

get your deserts on three pieces of timber, the one being
laid crosswise for the sake of convenience? If you have a
contrary reason, bestow it without delay, for the love you
bear your own angular deformities."

The wags did not altogether fail in their object, Seth be
traying a good deal more uneasiness than it was usual for
the man to exhibit even in situations of uncommon peril.
After clearing his throat, and looking about him, to gather
from the eyes of the spectators, which way their sympathies
inclined, he answered with a very commendable fortitude:

" Because it's ag'in all law."

" Have done with your interminable perplexities of the
law," cried M'Fuse, "and do not bother honest gentlemen
with its knavery, as if they were no more than so many
proctors in bigwigs! 'Tis the Gospel you should be think
ing of, you godless reprobate, on account of that final end
you will yet make, one day, in a most indecent hurry."

" To your purpose, Mac," interrupted Polwarth, who per
ceived that the erratic feelings of his friend were beginning
already to lead him from the desired point; "or I will pro
pound the matter myself, in a style that would do credit to
a mandamus counsellor."

"The mandamuses are ag'in the charter, and the law
too," continued Seth, whose courage increased as the dia
logue bore more directly upon his political principles;
"and to my mind it's quite convincing, that if ministers
calculate largely on upholding them, there will be great
disturbances, if not a proper fight in the land; for the whole
country is in a blaze! "

"Disturbances, thou immovable iniquity! thou quiet as
sassin! " roared M'Fuse; "do ye not call a light of a day
a disturbance? or do ye tarm skulking behind fences, and
laying the muzzle of a musket on the head of Job Pray, and
the breech on a mullein-stalk, while ye draw upon a
fellow-creature, a commendable method of fighting? Now
answer me to the truth, and disdain all lying, as ye would

LIONEL LINCOLN. 199

Bating anything but cod on a Saturday, who were the two
men that fired into my very countenance, from the unfortu
nate situation among the mulleins that I have detailed to
you?"

"Pardon me, Captain M'Fuse," said Polwarth, "if I say
that your zeal and indignation run ahead of your discretion.
If we alarm the prisoner in this manner, we may defeat the
ends of justice. Besides, sir, there is a reflection contained
in your language, to which I must dissent. A real dumb is
not to be despised, especially when served up in wrapper,
and between two coarser fish, to preserve the steam. I have
had my private meditations on the subject of getting up a
Saturday's club, in order to enjoy the bounty of the Bay,
and for improving the cookery of the cod." *

"And let me tell you, Captain Polwarth," returned the
grenadier, cocking his eye fiercely at the other, " that your
epicurean propensities lead you to the verge of cannibal
ism; for sure it may be called that, when you speak of
'ating, while the life of a fellow-cr'ature is under discussion
for its termination

" I conclude," interrupted Seth, who was greatly averse
to all quarrelling, and who thought he saw the symptoms of
a breach between his judges, " the captain wishes to know
who the two men were that fired on him a short time before
he got the hit in the shoulder ? "

"A short time, ye marvellous hypocrite! — 'twas as quick
as pop and slap could make it."

"Perhaps there might be some mistake, for a great many
of the troops were much disguised "

" Do ye insinuate that I got drunk before the enemies
of my king?" roared the grenadier. "Hark ye, Mister

* It may be a fit matter of inquiry for the antiquarian to learn whether the captain
ever put his project in execution ; and if so, whether he has not the merit of founding
that famous association, which, to this hour, maintains the Catholic custom of the
East, by feasting on the last day of the week on the staple of New England ; and which
is said to assemble regularly, with much good-fellowship, around more good wine than
is ever encountered at any other board in the known world.

2OO LIONEL LINCOLN.

Sage; I ask you in a genteel way, who the two men were
that fired on me, in the manner detailed; and remember
that a man may tire of putting questions which are never
answered."

" Why," returned Seth, who, however expert at prevarica
tion, eschewed, with religious horror, a direct lie, "I pretty
much conclude that they — the captain is sure the place he
means was just beyond Menotomy? "

" As sure as men can be," said Polwarth, " who possess
the use of their eyes."

"Then Captain Polwarth can give testimony to the fact? "

" I believe Major Lincoln's horse carries a small bit of
your lead at this moment, Master Sage."

Seth yielded to this accumulation of evidence against
him; and knowing, moreover, that the grenadier had liter
ally made him a prisoner in the act of renewing his fire,
he sagaciously determined to make a merit of necessity,
and candidly to acknowledge his agency in inflicting the
wounds. The utmost, however, that his cautious habits
would permit him to say, was:

" Seeing there can't well be any mistake, I seem to think
the two men were chiefly Job and I."

"Chiefly, you lath of uncertainty!" exclaimed M'Fuse;
" if there was any chief in that cowardly assassination of
wounding a Christian, and of also hurting a horse — which,
though nothing but a dumb baste, has better blood than runs
in your own beggarly veins — 'twas your own ugly propor
tions. But I rejoice that you have come to the confes
sional ! I can now see you hung with felicity. If you
have anything to say, urge it at once why I should not em
bark you for Ireland by the first vessel, in a letter to my
lord-lieutenant, with a request that he'll give you an early
procession, and a dacent funeral."

Seth belonged to a class of his countrymen amongst
whom, while there was a superabundance of ingenuity, there
was literally no joke. Deceived by the appearance of

LIONEL LINCOLN. 2OI

anger, which had in reality blended with the assumed man
ner of the grenadier, as he dwelt upon the irritating subject
of his own injuries, the belief of the prisoner in the sacred
protection of the laws became much shaken, and he began
to reflect very seriously on the insecurity of the times, as
well as on the despotic nature of the military power. The
little humor he had inherited from his Puritan ancestors
was, though exceedingly quaint, altogether after a different
fashion from the off-hand, blundering wit of the Irishman;
and that manner which he did not possess, he could not en
tirely comprehend; so that, as far as a very visible alarm
furthered the views of the two conspirators, they were quite
successful. Polwarth now took pity on his evident embar
rassment, and observed, with a careless manner:

"Perhaps I can make a proposal, by which Mr. Sage
may redeem his neck from the halter, and at the same time
essentially serve an old friend."

"Hear ye that, thou confounder of men and bastes!"
cried M'Fuse. "Down on your knees, and thank Mr.
Paiter Polwarth for the charity of his insinuation."

Seth was not displeased to hear such amicable intentions
announced; but, habitually cautious in all bargaining, he
suppressed the exhibition of his satisfaction, and said, with
an air of deliberation that would have done credit to the
keenest trader in King street, that "he should like to hear
the terms of agreement, before he gave his conclusion."

"They are simply these," returned Polwarth: "you shall
receive your passports and freedom to-night, on condition
that you sign this bond, whereby you will become obliged
to supply our mess, as usual, during the time the place is
invested, with certain articles of food and nourishment, as
herein set forth, and according to the prices mentioned,
which the veriest Jew in Duke's Place would pronounce to
be liberal. Here, take the instrument, and * read and mark,'
in order that we may * inwardly digest.' "

Seth took the paper, and gave it that manner of investi-

2O2 LIONEL LINCOLN.

gation that he was wont to bestow on everything which
affected his pecuniary interests. He objected to the price
of every article, all of which were altered in compliance
with his obstinate resistance ; and he moreover insisted that
a clause should be inserted to exonerate him from the pen
alty, provided the intercourse should be prohibited by the
authorities of the colony; after which he continued:

" If the captain will agree to take charge of the things,
and become liable, I will conclude to make the trade."

" Here is a fellow who wants boot in a bargain for his
life! " cried the grenadier. "But we will humor his covet
ous inclinations, Polly, and take charge of the chattels.
Captain Polwarth and myself pledge our words to their safe
keeping. Let me run my eyes over the arti 'es," continued
the grenadier, looking very gravely at the several covenants
of the bond. " Faith, Paiter, you have bargained for a
goodly larder ! Baif, mutton, pigs, turnips, potatoes, melons,
and other fruits — there's a blunder, now, that would keep
an English mess on a grin for a month, if an Irishman had
made it! as if a melon was a fruit, and a potato was not!
The devil a word do I see that you have said about a
mouthful, except aitables, either! Here, fellow, clap your
learning to it, and I'll warrant you we yet get a meal out of
it, in some manner or other."

" Wouldn't it be as well to put the last agreement in the
writings, too," said Seth, "in case of accidents? "

"Hear how a knave halters himself!" cried M'Fuse:
" he has the individual honor of two captains of foot, and
is willing to exchange it for their joint bond! The request
is too raisonable to be denied, Polly, and we should be
guilty of pecuniary suicide to reject it; so place a small
article at the bottom, explanatory of the mistake the gentle
man has fallen into."

Polwarth did not hesitate to comply, and in a very few
minutes everything was arranged to the perfect satisfaction
of the parties; the two soldiers felicitating themselves on

LIONEL LINCOLN. 2O3

the success of a scheme which seemed to avert the principal
evils of the leaguer from their own mess; and Seth rinding
no difficulty in complying with an agreement which was
likely to prove so profitable, however much he doubted its
validity in a court of justice. The prisoner was now de
clared at liberty, and was advised to make his way out of
the place, with as little noise as possible, and under favor
of the pass he held. Seth gave the bond a last and most
attentive perusal, and then departed, well contented to abide
by its conditions, and not a little pleased to escape from
the grenadier, the expression of whose half-comic, half-
serious eye, occasioned him more perplexity than any other
subject which had ever before occupied his astuteness.
After the disappearance of the prisoner, the two worthies
repaired to their nightly banquet, laughing heartily at the
success of their notable invention.

Lionel suffered Seth to pass from the room, without
speaking; but, as the men left his own abode with a linger
ing and doubtful step, the young soldier followed him into
the street, without communicating to any one that he had
witnessed what had passed, with the laudable intention of
adding his own personal pledge for the security of the
household goods in question. He, however, found it no
easy achievement to equal the speed of a man who had
just escaped from a long confinement, and who now ap
peared inclined to indulge his limbs freely in the pleasure
of an unlimited exercise. The velocity of Seth continued
unabated, until he had conducted Lionel far into the lower
parts of the town, where the latter perceived him to en
counter a man, with wJiom he turned suddenly under an
arch which led into a dark and narrow court. Lionel in
stantly increased his speed, and as he entered beneath the
passage, he caught a glimpse of the lank figure of the object
of his pursuit, gliding through the opposite entrance to the
court; and, at the same moment, he encountered the man
who had apparently induced the deviation in his route. As

204 LIONEL LINCOLN.

Lionel stepped a little on one side, the light of a lamp fell
full on the form of the other, and he recognized the person
of the active leader of the caucus (as the political meeting
he had attended was called), though so disguised and muf
fled that, but for the accidental opening of the folds of his
cloak, the unknown might have passed his nearest friend
without discovery.

"We meet again!" exclaimed Lionel, in the quickness
of surprise; "though it would seem that the sun is never to
shine on our interviews."

The stranger started, and betrayed an evident wish to
continue his walk, as though the other had mistaken his
person; then, as if suddenly recollecting himself, he turned
and approached Lionel, with easy dignity, and answered:

"The third time is said to contain the charm! I am
happy to find that I meet Major Lincoln unharmed, after
the dangers he so lately encountered."

" The dangers have probably been exaggerated by those
who wish ill to the cause of our master," returned Lionel,
coldly.

There was a calm, but proud smile on the face of the
stranger, as he replied:

" I shall not dispute the information of one who bore so
conspicuous a part in the deeds of that day. Still you will
remember, though the march to Lexington was, like our own
accidental rencontres, in the dark, that a bright sun shone
upon the retreat, and nothing has been hid."

" Nothing need be concealed," replied Lionel, nettled by
the proud composure of the other, " unless, indeed, the man
I address is afraid to walk the streets of Boston in open
day."

" The man you address, Major Lincoln," said the stranger,
advancing in his warmth a step nearer to Lionel, " has dared
to walk the streets of Boston both by day and by night,
when the bullies of him you call your master have strutted
their hour in the security of peace; and, now a nation is up

LIONEL LINCOLN.

to humble their pretensions, shall he shrink from treading
his native soil when he will? "

"This is bold language from an enemy within a British
camp! Ask yourself what course my duty requires of me."

" That is a question which lies between Major Lincoln
and his conscience," returned the stranger; "though," he
added, after a momentary pause, and in a milder tone, as
if he recollected the danger of his situation, "the gentlemen
of his name and lineage were not apt to be informers, when
they dwelt in the land of their birth."

" Neither is their descendant. But let this be the last of
our interviews, until we can meet as friends, or, as enemies
should, where we may discuss these topics at the points of
our weapons."

" Amen," said the stranger, seizing the hand of the young
man, and pressing it with the warmth of a generous emula
tion : "that hour may not be far distant, and may God smile
only on the just cause! "

Without uttering more, he drew the folds of his dress
more closely around his form, and walked so swiftly away
that Lionel, had he possessed the inclination, could not
have found an opportunity to arrest his progress. As all
expectation of overtaking Seth was now lost, the young sol
dier returned slowly and thoughtfully towards his quarters.

The two or three succeeding days were distinguished by
an appearance of more than usual preparation among the
troops, and it became known that officers of rank had
closely reconnoitred the grounds of the opposite peninsula.
Lionel patiently awaited the progress of events ; but as the
probability of active service increased, his wishes to make
another effort to probe the secret of the tenant of the ware
house revived, and he took his way towards the Dock
Square, with that object, on the night of the fourth day
from the preceding interview with the stranger. It was
long after the tattoo had laid the town in the deep quiet
which follows the bustle of a garrison ; and, as he passed

2O6 LIONEL LINCOLN.

along, he saw none but the sentinels pacing their short
limits, or an occasional officer, returning at that late hour
from his revels or his duty. The windows of the warehouse
were dark, and its inhabitants, if any it had, were wrapped
in deep sleep. Restless and excited, Lionel pursued his
walk through the narrow and gloomy streets of the North-
End, until he unexpectedly found himself issuing upon the
open space that is tenanted by the dead, on Copp's Hill.
On this eminence the English general had caused a battery
of heavy cannon to be raised, and Lionel, unwilling to en
counter the challenge of the sentinels, inclining a little to
one side, proceeded to the brow of the hill, and, seating
himself on a stone, began to muse deeply on his own for
tunes, and the situation of the country.

The night was obscure, but the thin vapors which ap
peared to overhang the place opened at times, when a faint
starlight fell from the heavens, and rendered the black
hulls of the vessels of war, that lay moored before the town,
and the faint outlines of the opposite shores, dimly visible.
The stillness of midnight rested on the scene, and when the
loud calls of " All's well " ascended from the ships and
batteries, the momentary cry was succeeded by a quiet as
deep as if the universe slumbered under this assurance of
safety. At such an instant, when even the light breathings
of the night air were audible, the sound of rippling waters,
like that occasioned by raising a paddle with extreme cau
tion, was born to the ear of the young soldier. He listened
intently, and then, bending his eyes in the direction of the
faint sounds, he saw a small canoe gliding along the surface
of the water,' and soon shoot upon the gravelly shore, at the
foot of the hill, with a motion so easy and uniform as
scarcely to curl a wave on the land. Curious to know who
could be moving about the harbor at this hour, in such a
secret manner, Lionel was in the act of rising to descend,
when he saw the dim figure of a man land from the boat,
and climb the hill, directly in a line with his own position.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 2O/

Suppressing even the sounds of his breath, and drawing his
body back within the deep shadow cast from a point of the
hill, a little above him, Lionel waited until the figure had
approached within ten feet of him, when it stopped, and
appeared, like himself, to be endeavoring to suppress all
other sounds and feelings in the absorbing act of deep at
tention. The young soldier loosened his sword in its
sheath, before he said:

" We have chosen a private spot, and a secret hour, sir,
for our meditations! "

Had the figure possessed the impalpable nature of an
immaterial being, it could not have received this remark, so
startling from its suddenness, with greater apathy than did
the man to whom it was addressed. He turned slowly
towards the speaker, and seemed to look at him earnestly,
before he answered, in a low, menacing voice:

"There's a granny on the hill, with a gun and baggonet,
walking among the cannon, and if he hears people talking
down here, he'll make them prisoners, though one of them
should be Major Lincoln."

"Ha! Job," said Lionel; "and is it you I meet prowling
about like a thief at night? On what errand of mischief
have you been sent this time? "

" If Job's a thief for coming to see the graves on Copp's,"
returned the lad, sullenly, " there's two of them."

" Well answered, boy ! " said Lionel, with a smile. " But,
I repeat, on what errand have you returned to the town at
this unseasonable and suspicious hour? "

" Job loves to come up among the graves before the cocks
crow; they say the dead walk when living men sleep."

"And would you hold communion with the dead, then? "

"'Tis sinful to ask them many questions, and such as you
do put should be made in the Holy Name," returned the
lad, in a tone so solemn, that, connected with the place and
the scene, it caused the blood of Lionel to thrill. " Bu1 Job
loves to be near them, to use him to the damps, ag'in tfie

208 LIONEL LINCOLN.

time he shall be called to walk himself in a sheet at mid
night."

" Hush! " said Lionel. " What noise is that? "

Job stood a moment, listening as intently as his compan
ion, before he answered:

" There's no noise but the moaning of the wind in the
bay, or the sea tumbling on the beaches of the islands."

" Tis neither," said Lionel : " I heard the low hum of a
hundred voices, or my ears have played me falsely."

" May be the spirits speak to each other," said the lad :
" they say their voices are like the rushing winds."

Lionel passed his hand across his brow, and endeavored
to recover the tone of his mind, which had been strangely
disordered by the solemn manner of his companion, and
walked slowly from the spot, closely attended by the silent
changeling. He did not stop until he had reached the
inner angle of the wall that inclosed the field of the dead,
when he paused, and, leaning on the fence, again listened
intently.

" Boy, I know not how your silly conversation may have
warped my brain," he said, " but there are surely strange
and unearthly sounds lingering about this place, to-night!
By heavens! there is another rush of voices, as if the air
above the water were filled with living beings; and then,
again, I think I hear a noise as if heavy weights were fall
ing to the earth."

"Ay," said Job, "'tis the clods on the coffins: the dead
are going into their graves ag'in, and 'tis time that we
should leave them their own grounds."

Lionel hesitated no longer, but he rather run than walked
from the spot, with a secret horror that, at another moment,
he would have blushed to acknowledge; nor did he perceive
that he was still attended by Job, until he had descended
some distance down Lynn street. Here he was addressed
by his companion, in his usually quiet and unmeaning
tones:

LIONEL LINCOLN. 2OQ

"There's the house that the governor built, who went
down into the sea for money ! " he said. " He was a poor
boy once, like Job, and now they say his grandson is a
great lord and the king knighted the grand'ther, too. It's
pretty much the same thing whether a man gets his money
out of the sea or out of the earth; the king will make him
a lord for it."

" You hold the favors of royalty cheap, fellow," returned
Lionel, glancing his eye carelessly at the " Phipps' House,"
as he passed ; " you forget that I am to be some day one of
your despised knights ! "

"I know it," said Job; "and you come from America,
too. It seems to me that all the poor boys go from America
to the king to be great lords, and all the sons of the great
lords come to America to be made poor boys. Nab says
Job is the son of a great lord, too! "

"Then Nab is as great a fool as her child," said Lionel;
" but, boy, I would see your mother in the morning, and I
expect you to let me know at what hour I may visit her."

Job did not answer, and Lionel, on turning his head, per
ceived that he was suddenly deserted by the changeling,
who was already gliding back towards his favorite haunt
among the graves. Vexed at the wild humors of the lad,
Lionel hastened to his quarters, and threw himself in his
bed, though he heard the loud cries of "All's well," again
and again, before the strange phantasies, which continued
to cross his mind, would permit him to obtain the rest he
sought.

14

2IO LIONEL LINCOLN.

CHAPTER XV.

" We are finer gentlemen, no doubt, than the plain farmers we are about to encoun
ter. Our hats carry a smarter cock, our swords hang more gracefully by our sides,
and we make an easier figure in a ballroom ; but let it be remembered that the most
finished maccaroni amongst us, would pass for an arrant clown at Pekin."

LETTER FROM A VETERAN OFFICER, ETC.

WHEN the heavy sleep of morning fell upon his senses,
visions of the past and future mingled with wild confusion
in the dreams of the youthful soldier. The form of his
father stood before him, as he had known it in his child
hood, fair in the proportions and vigor of manhood, regard
ing him with those eyes of benignant, but melancholy affec
tion, which characterized their expression after he had
become the sole joy of his widowed parent. While his heart
was warming at the sight, the figure melted away, and was
succeeded by fantastic phantoms, which appeared to dance
among the graves on Copp's, led along in those gambols,
which partook of the ghastly horrors of the dead, by Job
Pray, who glided among the tombs like a being of another
world. Sudden and loud thunder then burst upon them,
and the shadows fled into their secret places, from whence
he could see, ever and anon, some glassy eyes and spectral
faces, peering out upon him as if conscious of the power
they possessed to chill the blood of the living. His visions
now became painfully distinct, and his sleep was oppressed
with their vividness, when his senses burst their unnatural
bonds, and he awoke. The air of morning was breathing
through his open curtains, and the light of day had already
shed itself upon the dusky roofs of the town. Lionel arose
from his bed, and had paced his chamber several times, in a
vain effort to shake off the images that had haunted his
slumbers, when the sounds which broke upon the stillness
of the air became too plain to be longer mistaken by a
practised ear.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 211

"Ha!" he muttered to himself, "I have been dreaming
but by halves : these are the sounds of no fancied tempest,
but cannon, speaking most plainly to the soldier! "

He opened his window, and looked out upon the sur
rounding scene. The roar of artillery was now quick and
heavy, and Lionel bent his eyes about him to discover the
cause of this unusual occurrence. It had been the policy of
Gage to await the arrival of his reinforcements before he
struck a blow which was intended to be decisive; and the
Americans were well known to be too scantily supplied with
the munitions of war to waste a single charge of powder in
any of the vain attacks of modern sieges. A knowledge of
these facts gave an additional interest to the curiosity with
which Major Lincoln endeavored to penetrate the mystery
of so singular a disturbance. Window after window in the
adjacent buildings soon exhibited, like his own, its won
dering and alarmed spectator. Here and there a half-dressed
soldier, or a busy townsman, was seen hurrying along the
silent streets, with steps that denoted the eagerness of his
curiosity. Women began to rush wildly from their dwell
ings, and then, as the sounds broke on their ears with ten
fold heaviness in the open air, they shrunk back into their
habitations in pallid dismay. Lionel called to three or
four of the men, as they hurried by; but, turning their eyes
wildly towards his window, they passed on without answer
ing, as if the emergency were too pressing to admit of speech.
Finding his repeated inquiries fruitless, he hastily dressed
himself, and descended to the street. As he left his own
door, a half-clad artillerist hurried past him, adjusting his
garments with one hand, and bearing in the other some of the
lesser implements of the particular corps in which he served.

"What means the firing, sergeant," demanded Lionel,
"and whither do you hasten with those fuses? "

" The rebels, your honor, the rebels ! " returned the sol
dier, looking back to speak, without ceasing his speed; "and
I go to my guns ! "

212 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" The rebels ! " repeated Lionel : " what can we have to
fear from a mob of countrymen, in such a position? That
fellow has slept from his post, and apprehensions for him
self mingle with this zeal for his king! "

The townspeople now began to pour from their dwellings
in scores; and Lionel imitated their example, and took his
course towards the adjacent height of Beacon Hill. He
toiled his way up the steep ascent, in company with twenty
more, without exchanging a syllable with men who appeared
as much astonished as himself at this early interruption of
their slumbers, and in a few minutes he stood on a little
grassy platform, surrounded by a hundred interested gazers.
The sun had just lifted the thin veil of mist from the bosom
of the waters, and the eye was permitted to range over a
wide field beneath the light vapor. Several vessels were
moored in the channels of the Charles and Mystic, to cover
the northern approaches to the place; and as he beheld the
column of white smoke that was wreathing about the masts
of a frigate among them, Lionel was no longer at a loss to
comprehend whence the firing proceeded. While he was
yet gazing, uncertain of the reasons which demanded this
show of war, immense fields of smoke burst from the side
of a ship of the line, who also opened her deep-mouthed
cannon, and presently her example was followed by several
floating batteries, and lighter vessels, until the wide amphi
theatre of hills that encircled Boston was filled with the
echoes of a hundred pieces of artillery.

"What can it mean, sir?" exclaimed a young officer of
his own regiment, addressing Major Lincoln; "the sailors
are in downright earnest, and they scale their guns with
shot, I know, by the rattling of the reports."

" I can boast of a vision no better than your own," re
turned Lionel ; " for no enemy can I see. As the guns seem
pointed at the opposite peninsula, it is probable a party of
the Americans are attempting to destroy the grass which
lies newly mown in the meadows."

LIONEL LINCOLN. 213

The young officer was in the act of assenting to this con
jecture, when a voice was heard above their heads, shouting:

"There goes a gun from Copp's! They needn't think to
frighten the people with their rake-helly noises; let them
blaze away till the dead get out of their graves — the Bay-
men will keep the hill ! "

Every eye was immediately turned upward, and the
wondering and amused spectators discovered Job Pray,
•eated in the grate of the beacon, his countenance, usually
»o vacant, gleaming with exultation, while he continued
waving his hat high in air, as gun after gun was added to
the uproar of the cannonade.

"How now, fellow!" exclaimed Lionel; "what see you,
and where are the Bay-men of whom you speak? "

"Where?" returned the simpleton, clapping his hands
with childish delight. "Why, where they came at dark
midnight, and where they'll stand at open noonday! The
Bay-men can look into the windows of old Funnel at last;
and now let the reg'lars come on, and they'll teach the god
less murderers the law ! "

Lionel, a little irritated with the bold language of Job,
called to him, in an angry voice:

"Come down from that perch, fellow, and explain your
self, or this grenadier shall lift you from your seat, and
transfer you to the post for a little of that wholesome cor
rection which you need."

"You promised that the grannies should never flog Job
ag'in," said the changeling, crouching down in the grate,
whence he looked out at his threatened chastiser with a
lowering and sullen eye; "and Job agreed to run your
a'r'nds, and not take any of the king's crowns in pay."

" Come down, then, this instant, and I will remember the
compact."

Comforted by this assurance, which was made in a more
friendly tone, Job threw himself carelessly from his iron
seat, and clinging to the post, he slid swiftly to the earth,

214 LIONEL LINCOLN.

where Major Lincoln immediately arrested him by the arm,
and demanded:

" Where are those Bay-men, I once more ask ? "
"There!" repeated Job, pointing over the low roofs of
the town, in the direction of the opposite peninsula. " They
dug their cellar on Breed's, and now they are fixing the
under-pinnin', and next you'll see what a raising they'll
invite the people to! "

The instant the spot was named, all those eyes, which had
hitherto gazed at the vessels themselves, instead of search
ing for the object of their hostility, were turned on the green
eminence which rose a little to the right of the village of
Charlestown, and every doubt was at once removed by the
discovery. The high, conical summit of Bunker Hill lay
naked and unoccupied, as on the preceding day; but on
the extremity of a more humble ridge, which extended
within a short distance of the water, a low bank of earth
had been thrown up, for purposes which no military eye
could mistake. This redoubt, small and inartificial as it
was, commanded by its position the whole of the inner
harbor of Boston, and even endangered, in some measure,
the occupants of the town itself. It was the sudden ap
pearance of this magical mound, as the mists of the morn
ing had dispersed, which roused the slumbering seamen;
and it had already become the target of all the guns of the
shipping in the bay. Amazement at the temerity of their
countrymen held the townsmen silent, while Major Lincoln,
and the few officers who stood nigh him, saw, at a glance, that
this step on the part of their adversaries would bring the
affairs of the leaguer to an instant crisis. In vain they
turned their wondering looks on the neighboring eminence,
and around the different points of the peninsula, in quest
of those places of support with which soldiers generally in
trench their defences. The husbandmen opposed to them
had seized upon the point best calculated to annoy their
foes, without regard to the consequences; and in a few short

LIONEL LINCOLN. 21 5

hours, favored by the mantle of night, had thrown up their
work with a dexterity that was only exceeded by their bold
ness. The truth flashed across the brain of Major Lincoln
with his first glance, and he felt his cheeks glow as he re
membered the low and indistinct murmurs which the night
air had wafted to his ears, and those inexplicable fancies,
which had even continued to haunt him till dispersed by
truth and the light of day. Motioning to Job to follow, he
left the hill with a hurried step; and when they gained the
common, he turned and said, sternly, to his companion:

" Fellow, you have been privy to this midnight work! "

"Job has enough to do in the day, without laboring in
the night, when none but the dead are out of their places of
rest," returned the lad, with a look of mental imbecility
which immediately disarmed the resentment of the other.

Lionel smiled as he again remembered his own weakness,
and repeated to himself:

"The dead! ay, these are the works of the living; and
bold men are they who have dared to do the deed. But tell
me, Job — for 'tis in vain to attempt deceiving me any longer
— what number of Americans did you leave on the hill,
when you crossed the Charles to visit the graves on Copp's,
the past night? "

" Both hills were crowded," returned the other ; " Breed's
with the people, and Copp's with the ghosts: Job believes
the dead rose to see their children digging so nigh them! "

" 'Tis probable," said Lionel, who believed it wise to
humor the wild conceits of the lad, in order to disarm his
cunning; "but, though the dead are invisible, the living
may be counted."

" Job did count five hundred men, marching over the nose
of Bunker, by starlight, with their picks and spades; and
then he stopped, for he forgot whether seven or eight hun
dred came next."

"And after you ceased to count, did many others
pass?"

2l6 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" The Bay colony isn't so poorly off for men, that it can'
muster a thousand at a raising.7'

" But you had a master workman on the occasion : was it
the wolf-hunter of Connecticut? "

" There is no occasion to go from the province to find a
workman to lay out a cellar! Dickey Gridley is a Boston
boy!"

"Ah! he is the chief! We can have nothing to fear,
then, since the Connecticut woodsman is not at their head! '"'

" Do you think old Prescott, of Pepperel, will quit the
hill while he has a kernel of powder to burn? No, no,
Major Lincoln, Ralph himself ain't a stouter warrior; and
you can't frighten Ralph ! "

" But if they fire their cannon often, their small stock of
ammunition will be soon consumed, and then they must un
avoidably run."

Job laughed tauntingly, and with an appearance of high
scorn, before he answered :

" Yes, if the Bay-men were as dumb as the king's troops,
and used such big guns! But the cannon of the colony
want but little brimstone, and there's but a few of them.
Let the rake-hellies go up to Breed's — the people will teach
them the law ! "

Lionel had now obtained all he expected to learn from
the simpleton concerning the force and condition of the
Americans; and as the moments were too precious to be
wasted in vain discourse, he bid the lad repair to his quar
ters that night, and left him. On entering his own lodg
ings, Major Lincoln shut himself up in his private apart
ment, and passed several hours in writing, and examining
important papers. One letter, in particular, was written,
read, torn, and rewritten, five or six times, until at length
he placed his seal, and directed the important paper with a
sort of carelessness that denoted his patience was exhausted
by repeated trials. These documents were intrusted to
Meriton, with orders to deliver them to their several ad-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 2 I/

dresses, unless countermanded before the following day;
and the young man hastily swallowed a late and light
breakfast. While shut up in his closet, Lionel had several
times thrown aside his pen to listen, as the hum of the place
penetrated to his retirement, and announced the excitement
and bustle which pervaded the streets of the town. Having
at length completed the task he had assigned himself, he
caught up his hat, and took his way, with hasty steps, into
the centre of the place.

Cannon were rattling over the rough pavements, followed
by ammunition-wagons, and officers and men of the artillery
were seen in swift pursuit of their pieces. Aide-de-camps
were riding furiously through the streets, charged with im
portant messages; and here and there an officer might be
seen issuing from his quarters, with a countenance in which
manly pride struggled powerfully with inward dejection, as
he caught the last glance of anguish, which followed his
retiring form, from eyes that had been used to meet his own
with looks of confidence and love. There was, however,
but little time to dwell on these flitting glimpses of domestic
woe, amid the general bustle and glitter of the scene. Now
and then the strains of martial music broke up through the
windings of the crooked avenues, and detachments of the
troops wheeled by, on their way to the appointed place of
embarkation. While Lionel stood a moment at the corner
of a street, admiring the firm movement of a body of grena
diers, his eye fell on the powerful frame and rigid features
of M'Fuse, marching at the head of his company with that
gravity which regarded the accuracy of the step amongst the
most important incidents of life. At a short distance from
him was Job Pray, timing his paces to the tread of the sol
diers, and regarding the gallant show with stupid admira
tion, while his ear unconsciously drank the inspiriting
music of their band. As this fine body of men passed on,
it was immediately succeeded by a battalion, in which
Lionel instantly recognized the facing of his own regiment.

2l8 LIONEL LINCOLN.

The warm-hearted Polwarth led his forward files, and, wav
ing his hand, he cried:

"God bless you, Leo! God bless you! we shall make a
fair stand-up fight of this; there is an end of all stag-hunt-
ing."

The notes of the horns rose above his voice, and Lionel
could do no more than return his cordial salute; when, re
called to his purpose by the sight of his comrades, he turned
and pursued his way to the quarters of the commander-in-
chief.

The gate of Province House was thronged with military
men ; some waiting for admittance, and others entering and
departing with the air of those who were charged with the
execution of matters of the deepest moment. The name of
Major Lincoln was hardly announced before an aid ap
peared to conduct him into the presence of the governor,
with a politeness and haste that several gentlemen, who had
been in waiting for hours, deemed in a trifling degree unjust.

Lionel, however, having little to do with murmurs which
he did not hear, followed his conductor, and was immedi
ately ushered into the apartment, where a council of war had
just closed its deliberations. On the threshold of its door
he was compelled to give way to an officer, who was depart
ing in haste, and whose powerful frame seemed bent a little
in the intensity of thought, as his dark, military counte
nance lighted for an instant with the salutation he returned
to the low bow of the young soldier. Around this chief a
group of younger men immediately clustered, and as they
departed in company, Lionel was enabled to gather, from
their conversation, that they took their way for the field of
battle. The room was filled with officers of high rank;
though here and there was to be seen a man in civil attire,
whose disappointed and bitter looks announced him to be
one of those mandamus counsellors whose evil advice had
hastened the mischief their wisdom could never repair.
From out a small circle of these mortified civilians, the un-

LIONEL LINCOLN.

pretending person of Gage advanced to meet Lionel, form
ing a marked contrast, by, the simplicity of its dress, to the
military splendor that was glittering around him.

"In what can I oblige Major Lincoln? " he said, taking
the young man by the hand cordially, as if glad to get rid
of the troublesome counsellors he had so unceremoniously
quitted.

'"Wolfe's own' has just passed me, on its way to the
boats, and I have ventured to intrude on your excellency to
inquire if it were not time its major had resumed his duty."

A shade of thought was seated for a moment on the placid
features of the general, and he then answered, with a
friendly smile:

" 'Twill be no more than an affair of outposts, and must
be quickly ended. But should I grant the request of every
brave young man whose spirit is up to-day, it might cost his
majesty's service the life of some officer that would make
the purchase of the pile of earth too dear."

" But may I not be permitted to say, that the family of
Lincoln is of the province, and its example should not be
lost on such an occasion ? "

"The loyalty of the colonies is too well represented here
to need the sacrifice," said Gage, glancing his eyes care
lessly at the expecting group behind him. "My council
have decided on the officers to be employed, and I regret
that Major Lincoln's name was omitted, since I know it
will give him pain; but valuable lives are not to be lightly
and unnecessarily exposed."

Lionel bowed in submission, and, after communicating
the little he had gathered from Job Pray, he turned away,
and found himself near another officer of high rank, who
smiled as he observed his disappointed countenance, and,
taking him by the arm, led him from the room, with a free
dom suited to his fine figure and easy air.

" Then, like myself, Lincoln, you are not to battle for the
king to-day," he said, on gaining the ante-chamber. " Howe

220 LIONEL LINCOLN.

has the luck of the occasion, if there can be luck in so vul
gar an affair. But allons ; accompany me to Copp's, as a
spectator, since they deny us parts in the drama; and per
haps we may pick up materials for a pasquinade, though
not for an epic."

"Pardon me, General Burgoyne," said Lionel, "if I
view the matter with more serious eyes than yourself."

"Ah! I had forgot that you were a follower of Percy in
the hunt of Lexington!" interrupted the other; "we will
call it a tragedy, then, if it better suits your humor. For
myself, Lincoln, I weary of these crooked streets and
gloomy houses, and, having some taste for the poetry of na
ture, would have long since looked out upon the deserted
fields of these husbandmen, had the authority, as well as the
inclination, rested with me. But Clinton is joining us; he,
too, is for Copp's, where we can all take a lesson in arms,
by studying the manner in which Howe wields his bat
talions."

A soldier of middle age now joined them, whose stout
frame, while it wanted the grace and ease of the gentleman
who still held Lionel by the arm, bore a martial character
to which the look of the quiet and domestic Gage was a
stranger; and, followed by their several attendants, the
whole party immediately left the government-house to take
their destined position on the eminence so often mentioned.

As they entered the street, Burgoyne relinquished the
arm of his companion, and moved with becoming dignity
by the side of his brother general. Lionel gladly availed
himself of this alteration, to withdraw a little from the
group, whose steps he followed at such a distance as per
mitted him to observe those exhibitions of feeling, on the
part of the inhabitants, which the pride of the others in
duced them to overlook. Pallid and anxious female faces
were gleaming out upon them from every window, while the
roofs of the houses, and the steeples of the churches, were
beginning to throng with more daring and equally inter-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 221

ested spectators. The drums no longer rolled along the
narrow streets, though, occasionally, the shrill strain of a
fife was heard from the water, announcing the movements
of the troops to the opposite peninsula. Over all was
heard the incessant roaring of the artillery, which, untired,
had not ceased to rumble in the air since the appearance of
light, until the ear, accustomed to its presence, had learnt
to distinguish the lesser sounds we have recorded.

As the party descended into the lower passages of the
town, it appeared deserted by everything having life ; the
open windows and neglected doors betraying the urgency
of the feelings which had called the population to situations
more favorable for observing the approaching contest. This
appearance of intense curiosity excited the sympathies of
even the old and practised soldiers; and, quickening their
paces, the whole soon rose from among the gloomy edifices
to the open and unobstructed view from the hill.

The whole scene now lay before them. Nearly in their
front was the village of Charlestown, with its deserted
streets, and silent roofs, looking like a place of the dead;
or, if the signs of life were visible within its open avenues,
'twas merely some figure moving swiftly in the solitude,
like one who hastened to quit the devoted spot. On the
opposite point of the southeastern face of the peninsula,
and at the distance of a thousand yards, the ground was al
ready covered by masses of human beings in scarlet, with
their arms glittering in a noonday sun. Between the two,
though in the more immediate vicinity of the silent town,
the rounded ridge already described rose abruptly from a
flat that was bounded by the water, until, having attained
an elevation of some fifty or sixty feet, it swelled gradually
to the little crest, where was planted the humble object that
had occasioned all this commotion. The meadows on the
right were still peaceful and smiling, as in the most quiet
days of the province, though the excited fancy of Lionel
imagined that a sullen stillness lingered about the neglected

222 LIONEL LINCOLN.

kilns in their front, and over the whole landscape, that was
in gloomy consonance with the approaching scene. Far on
the left, across the waters of the Charles, the American camp
had poured forth its thousands to the hills; and the whole
population of the country, for many miles inland, had
gathered to a point, to witness a struggle charged with the
fate of their nation. Beacon Hill rose from out the ap
palling silence of the town of Boston, like a pyramid of liv
ing faces, with every eye fixed on the fatal point; and men
hung along the yards of the shipping, or were suspended
on cornices, cupolas, and steeples, in thoughtless security,
while every other sense was lost in the absorbing interest
of the sight. The vessels of war had hauled deep into the
rivers, or, more properly, those narrow arms of the sea
which formed the peninsula, and sent their iron missiles
with unwearied industry across the low passage which alone
opened the means of communication between the self-de
voted yeomen on the hill and their distant countrymen.
While battalion landed after battalion on the point, cannon-
balls from the battery of Copp's and the vessels of war were
glancing up the natural glacis that surrounded the redoubt,
burying themselves in its earthen parapet, or plunging with
violence into the deserted sides of the loftier height which
lay a few hundred yards in its rear; and the black and
smoking bombs appeared to hover above the spot, as if
pausing to select the places in which to plant their deadly
combustibles.

Notwithstanding these appalling preparations and cease
less annoyances, throughout that long and anxious morning,
the stout husbandmen on the hill had never ceased their
steady efforts to maintain, to the uttermost extremity, the
post they had so daringly assumed. In vain the English
exhausted every means to disturb their stubborn foes; the
pick, the shovel, and the spade, continued to perform their
offices; and mound rose after mound, amidst the din and
danger of the cannonade, steadily, and as well as if the

LIONEL LINCOLN. 22 ^

fanciful conceits of Job Pray embraced their real objects,
and the laborers were employed in the peaceful pursuits of
their ordinary lives. This firmness, however, was not like
the proud front which high training can impart to the most
common mind; for, ignorant of the glare of military show;
in the simple and rude vestments of their calling; armed
with such weapons as they had seized from the hooks above
their own mantels; and without even a banner to wave its
cheering folds above their heads, they stood, sustained only
by the righteousness of their cause, and those deep moral
principles which they had received from their fathers, and
which they intended this day should show were to be trans
mitted untarnished to their children. It was afterwards
known that they endured their labors and their dangers
even in want of that sustenance which is so essential to
support animal spirits in moments of calmness and ease;
while their enemies, on the point, awaiting the arrival of
their latest bands, were securely devouring a meal, which
to hundreds amongst them proved to be their last. The
fatal instant now seemed approaching. A general move
ment was seen among the battalions of the British, who
began to spread along the shore, under cover of the brow of
the hill— the lingering boats having arrived with the rear
of their detachments — and officers hurried from regiment to
regiment with the final mandates of their chief. At this
moment a body of Americans appeared on the crown of
Bunker Hill, and descending swiftly by the road, disap
peared in the meadows to the left of their own redoubt.
This band was followed by others, who, like themselves,
had broken through the dangers of the narrow pass, by
braving the fire of the shipping, and who also hurried to
join their comrades on the lowland. The British general
determined at once to anticipate the arrival of further rein
forcements, and gave forth the long-expected order to pre
pare for the attack.

224 LIONEL LINCOLN.

CHAPTER XVI.

The imperious Briton, on the well-fought ground,
No cause for joy, or wanton triumph, found ;
But saw, with grief, their dreams of conquest vain,
Felt the deep wounds, and mourn'd their vet'rans slain.

HUMPHREYS.

THE Americans had made a show, in the course of that
fearful morning, of returning the fire of their enemies, by
throwing a few shot from their light field-pieces, as if in
mockery of the tremendous cannonade which they sustained.
But as the moment of severest trial approached, the same
awful stillness which had settled upon the deserted streets
of Charlestown hovered around the redoubt. On the
meadows, to its left, the recently arrived bands hastily threw
the rails of two fences into one, and, covering the whole
with the mown grass that surrounded them, they posted
themselves along the frail defence, which answered no better
purpose than to conceal their weakness from their adver
saries. Behind this characteristic rampart, several bodies
of husbandmen, from the neighboring provinces of New
Hampshire and Connecticut, lay on their arms, in sullen
expectation. Their line extended from the shore to the
base of the ridge, where it terminated several hundred feet
behind the works; leaving a wide opening, in a diagonal
direction, between the fence and an earthen breastwork,
which ran a short distance down the declivity of the hill,
from the northeastern angle of the redoubt. A few hun
dred yards in the rear of this rude disposition, the naked
crest of Bunker Hill rose, unoccupied and undefended;
and the streams of the Charles and Mystic, sweeping around
its base, approached so near each other as to blend the
sounds of their rippling. It was across this low and nar
row isthmus that the royal frigates poured a stream of fire
that never ceased, while around it hovered the numerous

LIONEL LINCOLN. 22 5

parties of the undisciplined Americans, hesitating to at
tempt the dangerous passage.

In this manner Gage had, in a great degree, surrounded
the devoted peninsula with his power; and the bold men
who had so daringly planted themselves under the muzzles
of his cannon, were left, as already stated, unsupported,
without nourishment, and with weapons from their own gun-
hooks, singly to maintain the honor of their nation. In
cluding men of all ages and conditions, there might have
been two thousand of them ; but, as the day advanced, small
bodies of their countrymen, taking counsel of their feelings,
and animated by the example of the old partisan of the
woods, who crossed and recrossed the neck, loudly scoffing
at the danger, broke through the fire of the shipping in time
to join in the closing and bloody business of the hour.

On the other hand, Howe led more than an equal number
of the chosen troops of his prince; and as boats continued
to ply between the two peninsulas throughout the afternoon,
the relative disparity continued undiminished to the end of
the struggle. It was at this point in our narrative that,
deeming himself sufficiently strong to force the defences of
his despised foes, the arrangements immediately preparatory
to such an undertaking were made in full view of the excited
spectators. Notwithstanding the security with which the
English general marshalled his warriors, he felt that the
approaching contest would be a battle of no common in
cidents. The eyes of tens of thousands were fastened on
his movements, and the occasion demanded the richest dis
play of the pageantry of war.

The troops formed with beautiful accuracy, and the col
umns moved steadily along the shore, and took their as
signed stations under cover of the brow of the eminence.
Their force was in some measure divided; one moiety at
tempting the toilsome ascent of the hill, and the other mov
ing along the beach, or in the orchards of the more level
ground, towards the husbandmen on the meadows. The
'5

226 LIONEL LINCOLN.

latter soon disappeared behind some fruit-trees and the
brick-kilns just mentioned. The advance of the royal col
umns up the ascent was slow and measured, giving time to
their field-guns to add their efforts to the uproar of the can
nonade, which broke out with new fury as the battalions
prepared to march. When each column arrived at the al
lotted point, it spread the gallant array of its glittering war
riors under a bright sun.

"It is a glorious spectacle!" murmured the graceful
chieftain by the side of Lionel, keenly alive to all the
poetry of his alluring profession. " How exceeding soldier
like ! and with what accuracy his * first-arm ascends the
hill/ towards his enemy! "

The intensity of his feelings prevented Major Lincoln
from replying, and the other soon forgot that he had spoken,
in the overwhelming anxiety of the moment. The advance
of the British line, so beautiful and slow, resembled rather
the ordered steadiness of a drill, than an approach to a
deadly struggle. Their standards fluttered proudly above
them ; and there were moments when the wild music of their
bands was heard rising on the air, and tempering the ruder
sounds of the artillery. The young and thoughtless in their
ranks turned their faces backward, and smiled exultingly,
as they beheld steeples, roofs, masts, and heights, teeming
with their thousands of eyes, bent on the show of their
bright array. As the British lines moved in open view of
the little redoubt, and began slowly to gather around its
different faces, gun after gun became silent, and the curious
artillerist, or tired seaman, lay extended on his heated
piece, gazing in mute wonder at the spectacle. There was
just then a minute when the roar of the cannonade seemed
passing away like the rumbling of distant thunder.

" They will not fight, Lincoln," said the animated leader
at the side of Lionel; "the military front of Howe has
chilled the hearts of the knaves, and our victory will be
bloodless!"

LIONEL LINCOLN. 22?

" We shall see, sir — we shall see ! "

These words were barely uttered, when platoon after
platoon, among the British, delivered its fire, the blaze of
musketry flashing swiftly around the brow of the hill, and
was immediately followed by heavy volleys that ascended
from the orchard. Still no answering sound was heard from
the Americans, and the royal troops were soon lost to the
eye, as they slowly marched into the white cloud which
their own fire had alone created.

" They are cowed, by heavens — the dogs are cowed ! "
once more cried the gay companion of Lionel, "and Howe
is within two hundred feet of them, unharmed ! "

At that instant a sheet of flame glanced through the
smoke, like lightning playing in a cloud, while at one re
port a thousand muskets were added to the uproar. It was
not altogether fancy which led Lionel to imagine that he
saw the smoky canopy of the hill to wave, as if the trained
warriors it enveloped faltered before this close and appalling
discharge; but, in another instant, the stimulating war-cry,
and the loud shouts of the combatants, were borne across
the strait to his ears, even amid the horrid din of the com
bat. Ten breathless minutes flew by like a moment of
time, and the bewildered spectators on Copp's were still
gazing intently on the scene, when a voice was raised
among them, shouting :

" Hurrah! let the rake-hellies go up to Breed's — the peo
ple will teach 'em the law ! "

" Throw the rebel scoundrel from the hill ! Blow him
from the muzzle of a gun ! " cried twenty soldiers in a
breath.

" Hold ! " exclaimed Lionel ; " 'tis a simpleton, an idiot,
a fool!7'

But the angry and savage murmurs as quickly subsided,
and were lost in other feelings, as the bright-red lines of
the royal troops were seen issuing from the smoke, wavering
and recoiling before the still vivid fire of their enemies.

228 LIONEL LINCOLN.

"Ha! " said Burgoyne; "'tis some feint to draw the reb
els from their hold!"

"Tisa palpable and disgraceful retreat!" muttered the
stern warrior nigh him, whose truer eye detected at a glance
the discomfiture of the assailants. " 'Tis another base re
treat before the rebels ! "

" Hurrah ! " shouted the reckless changeling again ;
"there come the reg'lars out of the orchard, too! See the
grannies skulking behind the kilns! Let them go on to
Breed's — the people will teach 'em the law ! "

No cry of vengeance preceded the act this time, but fifty
of the soldiery rushed, as by a common impulse, on their
prey. Lionel had not time to utter a word of remonstrance,
before Job appeared in the air, borne on the uplifted arms
of a dozen men, and at the next instant he was seen rolling
down the steep declivity, with a velocity that carried him
to the water's edge. Springing to his feet, the undaunted
changeling once more waved his hat in triumph, and shouted
forth again his offensive challenge. Then turning, he
launched his canoe from its hiding-place among the ad
jacent lumber, amid a shower of stones, and glided across
the strait; his little bark escaping unnoticed in the crowd
of boats that were rowing in all directions. But his prog
ress was watched by the uneasy eye of Lionel, who saw
him land and disappear, with hasty steps, in the silent
streets of the town.

While this trifling by-play was enacting, the great drama
of the day was not at a stand. The smoky veil, which clung
around the brow of the eminence, was lifted by the air, and
sailed heavily away to the southwest, leaving the scene of
the bloody struggle again open to the view. Lionel wit
nessed the grave and meaning glances which the two lieu
tenants of the king exchanged as they simultaneously turned
their glasses from the fatal spot, and, taking the one prof
fered by Burgoyne, he read their explanation in the num
bers of the dead that lay profusely scattered in front of the

LIONEL LINCOLN. 22Q

redoubt. At this instant, an officer from the field held an
earnest communication with the two leaders; when, having
delivered his orders, he hastened back to his boat, like one
who felt himself employed in matters of life and death.

" It shall be done, sir," repeated Clinton, as the other
departed, his own honest brow sternly knit under high mar
tial excitement. " The artillery have their orders, and the
work will be accomplished without delay."

"This, Major Lincoln," cried his more sophisticated
companion, "this is one of the trying duties of the soldier!
To fight, to bleed, or even to die, for his prince, is his
happy privilege; but it is sometimes his unfortunate lot to
become the instrument of vengeance."

Lionel waited but a moment for an explanation: the
flaming balls were soon seen taking their wide circuit in the
air, and carrying their desolation among the close and in
flammable roofs of the opposite town. In a very few min
utes, a dense, black smoke arose from the deserted build
ings, and forked flames played actively along the heated
shingles, as though rioting in their unmolested possession
of the place. He regarded the gathering destruction in
painful silence; and, on bending his looks towards his com
panions, he fancied, notwithstanding the language of the
other, that he read the deepest regret in the averted eye of
him who had so unhesitatingly uttered the fatal mandate to
destroy.

In scenes like these we are attempting to describe, hours
appear to be minutes, and time flies as imperceptibly as life
slides from beneath the feet of age. The disordered ranks
of the British had been arrested at the base of the hill, and
were again forming under the eyes of their leaders, with
admirable discipline and extraordinary care. Fresh bat
talions, from Boston, marched with high military pride into
the line, and everything betokened that a second assault
was at hand. When the moment of stupid amazement which
succeeded the retreat of the royal troops had passed, the troops

23O LIONEL LINCOLN.

and batteries poured out their wrath with tenfold fury on
their enemies. Shot were incessantly glancing up the gentle
acclivity, madly ploughing across its grassy surface, while
black and threatening shells appeared to hover above the
work, like the monsters of the air, about to stoop upon their
prey.

Still all lay quiet and immovable within the low mounds
of earth, as if none there had a stake in the issue of the
bloody day. For a few moments only, the tall figure of an
aged man was seen slowly moving along the summit of the
rampart, calmly regarding the dispositions of the English
general in the more distant part of his line, and after ex
changing a few words with a gentleman, who joined him in
his dangerous lookout, they disappeared together behind the
grassy banks. Lionel soon detected the name of Prescott
of Pepperel, passing through the crowd in low murmurs,
and his glass did not deceive him when he thought, in the
smaller of the two, he had himself descried the graceful
person of the unknown leader of the " caucus."

All eyes were now watching the advance of the battalions,
which once more drew nigh the point of contest. The
heads of the columns were already in view of their enemies,
when a man was seen swiftly ascending the hill from the
burning town : he paused amid the peril, on the natural
glacis, and swung his hat triumphantly, and Lionel even
fancied he heard the exulting cry, as he recognized the un
gainly form of the simpleton, before it plunged into the
work.

The right of the British once more disappeared in the
orchard, and the columns in front of the redoubt again
opened with all the imposing exactness of their high dis
cipline. Their arms were already glittering in a line with
the green faces of the mound, and Lionel heard the experi
enced warrior at his side murmuring to himself:

" Let him hold his fire, and he will go in at the point of
the bayonet ! "

LIONEL LINCOLN. 23!

But the trial was too great for even the practised courage
of the royal troops. Volley succeeded volley, and in a few
moments they had again curtained their ranks behind the
misty screen produced by their own fire. Then came the
terrible flash from the redoubt, and the eddying volumes
from the adverse hosts rolled into one cloud, enveloping
the combatants in its folds, as if to conceal their bloody
work from the spectators. Twenty times, in the short space
of as many minutes, Major Lincoln fancied he heard the
incessant roll of the American musketry die away before the
heavy and regular volleys of the troops; and then he thought
the sounds of the latter grew more faint, and were given at
longer intervals.

The result, however, was soon known. The heavy bank
of smoke, which now even clung along the ground, was
broken in fifty places; and the disordered masses of the
British were seen driven before their deliberate foes in wild
confusion. The flashing swords of the officers in vain at
tempted to arrest the torrent, nor did the flight cease, with
many of the regiments, until they had even reached their
boats. At this moment a hum was heard in Boston, like
the sudden rush of wind, and men gazed in each other's
faces with undisguised amazement. Here and there a low
sound of exultation escaped some unguarded lip, and many
an eye gleamed with a triumph that could no longer be sup
pressed. Until this moment the feelings of Lionel had
vacillated between the pride of country and his military
spirit; but, losing all other feelings in the latter sensation,
he now looked fiercely about him, as if he would seek the
man who dare exult in the repulse of his comrades. The
poetic chieftain was still at his side, biting his nether lip
in vexation; but his more tried companion had suddenly
disappeared. Another quick glance fell upon his missing
form in the act of entering a boat at the foot of the hill.
Quicker than thought Lionel was on the shore, crying, as
he flew to the water's edge :

232 LIONEL LINCOLN.

"Hold! for God's sake, hold! Remember the 47th is
in the field, and that I am its major! "

" Receive him," said Clinton, with that grim satisfaction
with which men acknowledge a valued friend in moments
of great trial; "and then row for your lives, or, what is of
more value, for the honor of the British name."

The brain of Lionel whirled as the boat shot along its
watery bed, but before it had gained the middle of the
stream he had time to consider the whole of the appalling
scene. The fire had spread from house to house, and the
whole village of Charlestown, with its four hundred build
ings, was just bursting into flames. The air seemed filled
with whistling balls, as they hurtled above his head, and
the black sides of the vessels of war were vomiting their
sheets of flame with unwearied industry. Amid this
tumult, the English general and his companions sprung to
land. The former rushed into the disordered ranks, and
by his presence and voice recalled the men of one regiment
to their duty. But long and loud appeals to their spirit and
their ancient fame were necessary to restore a moiety of
their former confidence to men who had been thus rudely
repulsed, and who now looked along their thinned and ex
hausted ranks, missing, in many instances, more than half
the well-known countenances of their fellows. In the midst
of the faltering troops stood their stern and unbending
chief ; but of all those gay and gallant youths, who followed
in his train as he had departed from Province House that
morning, not one remained, but in his blood. He alone
seemed undisturbed in that disordered crowd; and his man
dates went forth as usual, calm and determined. At length
the panic, in some degree, subsided, and order was once
more restored as the high-spirited and mortified gentlemen
of the detachment regained their lost authority.

The leaders consulted together, apart, and the disposi
tions were immediately renewed for the assault. Military
show was no longer affected, but the soldiers laid down all

LIONEL LINCOLN. 233

the useless implements of their trade, and many even cast
aside their outer garments, under the warmth of a broiling
sun, added to the heat of the conflagration, which began to
diffuse itself along the extremity of the peninsula. Fresh
companies were placed in the columns, and most of the
troops were withdrawn from the meadows, leaving merely a
few skirmishers to amuse the Americans who lay behind the
fence. When each disposition was completed, the final
signal was given to advance.

Lionel had taken post in his regiment, but marching on
the skirt of the column, he commanded a view of most of the
scene of battle. In his front moved a battalion, reduced to
a handful of men in the previous assaults. Behind these
came a party of the marine guards, from the shipping, led
by their own veteran major; and next followed the dejected
Nesbitt and his corps, among whom Lionel looked in vain
for the features of the good-natured Polwarth. Similar
columns marched on their right and left, encircling three
sides of the redoubt by their battalions.

A few minutes brought him in full view of that humble
and unfinished mound of earth, for the possession of which
so much blood had that day been spilt in vain. It lay, as
before, still as if none breathed within its bosom, though
a terrific row of dark tubes were arrayed along its top, fol
lowing the movements of the approaching columns, as the
eyes of the imaginary charmers of our own wilderness are
said to watch their victims. As the uproar of the artillery
again grew fainter, the crash of falling streets, and the ap
palling sounds of the conflagration on their left, became
more audible. Immense volumes of black smoke issued
from the smouldering ruins, and, bellying outward, fold
beyond fold, it overhung the work in a hideous cloud, cast
ing its gloomy shadow across the place of blood.

A strong column was now seen ascending, as if from out
the burning town, and the advance of the whole became
quick and spirited. A low call ran through the platoons,

234 LIONEL LINCOLN.

to note the naked weapons of their adversaries, and it was
followed by the cry of "To the bayonet! to the bayonet! "

"Hurrah! for the Royal Irish!" shouted M'Fuse, at the
head of the dark column from the conflagration.

" Hurrah ! " echoed a well-known voice from the silent
mound; "let them come on to Breed's; the people will
teach 'em the law! "

Men think at such moments with the rapidity of light
ning, and Lionel had even fancied his comrades in posses
sion of the work, when the terrible stream of fire flashed in
the faces of the men in front.

" Push on with the — th," cried the veteran major of ma
rines — " push on, or the i8th will get the honor of the day ! "

"We cannot," murmured the soldiers of the — th; "their
fire is too heavy ! "

" Then break, and let the marines pass through you ! "

The feeble battalion melted away, and the warriors of the
deep, trained to conflicts of hand to hand, sprang forward,
with a loud shout, in their places. The Americans, ex
hausted of their ammunition, now sunk sullenly back, a
few hurling stones at their foes in desperate indignation.
The cannon of the British had been brought to enfilade
their short breastwork, which was no longer tenable; and
as the columns approached closer to the low rampart, it be
came a mutual protection to the adverse parties.

"Hurrah! for the Royal Irish!" again shouted M'Fuse,
rushing up the trifling ascent, which was but of little more
than his own height.

" Hurrah! " repeated Pitcairn, waving his sword on an
other angle of the work — "the day's our own! "

One more sheet of flame issued out of the bosom of the
work, and all those brave men, who had emulated the ex
amples of their officers, were swept away, as though a whirl
wind had passed along. The grenadier gave his war-cry
once more, before he pitched headlong among his enemies;
while Pitcairn fell back into the arms of his own child.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 235

The cry of " Forward 47th," rung through their ranks,
and in their turn this veteran battalion gallantly mounted
the ramparts. In the shallow ditch Lionel passed the ex
piring marine, and caught the dying and despairing look
from his eyes, and in another instant he found himself in
the presence of his foes. As company followed company
into the defenceless redoubt, the Americans sullenly retired
by its rear, keeping the bayonets of the soldiers at bay with
clubbed muskets and sinewy arms. When the whole issued
upon the open ground, the husbandmen received a close
and fatal fire from the battalions, which were now gather
ing around them on three sides. A scene of wild and sav
age confusion then succeeded to the order of the fight, and
many fatal blows were given and taken, the melee rendering
the use of firearms nearly impossible for several minutes.

Lionel continued in advance, pressing on the footsteps
of the retiring foe, stepping over many a lifeless body in his
difficult progress. Notwithstanding the hurry, and vast
disorder of the fray, his eye fell on the form of the graceful
stranger, stretched lifeless on the parched grass, which had
greedily drank his blood. Amid the ferocious cries, and
fiercer passions of the moment, the young man paused, and
glanced his eyes around him with an expression that said
he thought the work of death should cease. At this instant
the trappings of his attire caught the glaring eyeballs of a
dying yeoman, who exerted his wasting strength to sacrifice
one more worthy victim to the manes of his countrymen.
The whole of the tumultuous scene vanished from the senses
of Lionel at the flash of the musket of this man, and he
sunk beneath the feet of the combatants, insensible of
further triumph, and of every danger.

The fall of a single officer, in such a contest, was a cir
cumstance not to be regarded; and regiments passed over
him, without a single man stooping to inquire into his fate.
When the Americans had disengaged themselves from the
troops, they descended into the little hollow between the

236 LIONEL LINCOLN.

two hills, swiftly, and like a disordered crowd, bearing off
most of their wounded, and leaving but few prisoners in the
hands of their foes. The formation of the ground favored
their retreat, as hundreds of bullets whistled harmlessly
above their heads; and by the time they gained the acclivity
of Bunker, distance was added to their security. Finding
the field lost, the men at the fence broke away in a body
from their position, and abandoned the meadows; the whole
moving in confused masses behind the crest of the adjacent
height. The shouting soldiery followed in their footsteps,
pouring in fruitless and distant volleys; but on the summit
of Bunker their tired platoons were halted, and they beheld
the throng move fearlessly through the tremendous fire that
enfiladed the low pass, as little injured as though most of
them bore charmed lives.

The day was now drawing to a close. With the disap
pearance of their enemies, the ships and batteries ceased
their cannonade ; and presently not a musket was heard in
that place, where so fierce a contest had so long raged. The
troops commenced fortifying the outward eminence, on
which they rested, in order to maintain their barren con
quest; and nothing further remained for the achievement of
the royal lieutenants but to go and mourn over their victory.

CHAPTER XVII.

She speaks, yet she says nothing : what of that ?
Her eye discourses — I will answer it.

Romeo.

ALTHOUGH the battle of Bunker Hill was fought while
the grass yet lay on the meadows, the heats of summer had
been followed by the nipping frosts of November; the leaf
had fallen in its hour, and the tempests and biting colds of
February had succeeded, before Major Lincoln left that

LIONEL LINCOLN.

couch where he had been laid, when carried, in total help
lessness, from the fatal heights of the peninsula. Through
out the whole of that long period, the hidden bullet had
defied the utmost skill of the British surgeons; nor could
all their science and experience embolden them to risk cut
ting certain arteries and tendons in the body of the heir of
Lincoln, which were thought to obstruct the passage to that
obstinate lead, which, all agreed, alone impeded the re
covery of the unfortunate sufferer. This indecision was
one of the penalties that poor Lionel paid for his greatness;
for had it been Meriton who lingered, instead of his master,
it is quite probable the case would have been determined
at a much earlier hour. At length, a young and enterpris
ing leech, with the world before him, arrived from Europe,
who, possessing greater skill or more effrontery (the effects
are sometimes the same) than his fellows, did not hesitate
to decide at once on the expediency of an operation. The
medical staff of the army sneered at this bold innovator,
and at first were content with such silent testimonials of
their contempt. But when the friends of the patient, listen
ing, as usual, to the whisperings of hope, consented that the
confident man of probes should use his instruments, the
voices of his contemporaries became not only loud, but
clamorous. There was a day or two when even the watch-
worn and jaded subalterns of the army forgot the dangers
and hardships of the siege, to attend with demure and in
structed countenances to the unintelligible jargon of the
"Medici" of their camp; and men grew pale, as they lis
tened, who had never been known to exhibit any symptoms
of the disgraceful passion before their more acknowledged
enemies. But when it became known that the ball was
safely extracted, and the patient was pronounced convales
cent, a calm succeeded, that was much more portentous to
the human race than the preceding tempest; and in a short
time the daring practitioner was universally acknowledged
to be the founder of a new theory. The degrees of M.D.

238 LIONEL LINCOLN.

were showered upon his honored head from half the learned
bodies in Christendom, while many of his enthusiastic ad
mirers and imitators became justly entitled to the use of the
same magical symbols, as annexments to their patronymics,
with the addition of the first letter in the alphabet. The
ancient reasoning was altered to suit the modern facts, and
before the war was ended, some thousands of the servants
of the crown, and not a few of the patriotic colonists, were
thought to have died, scientifically, under the favor of this
important discovery.

We might devote a chapter to the minute promulgation of
such an event, had not more recent philosophers long since
upset the practice (in which case the theory seems to fall,
as a matter of course), by a renewal of those bold adven
tures, which teach us, occasionally, something new in the
anatomy of man ; as in the science of geography, the sealers
of New England have been able to discover Terra Australia,
where Cook saw nothing but water; or Parry finds veins and
arteries in that part of the American continent which had
so long been thought to consist of worthless cartilage.

Whatever may have been the effects of the operation on
the surgical science, it was healthful, in the first degree, to
its subject. For seven weary months Lionel lay in a state
in which he might be said to exist, instead of live, but little
conscious of surrounding occurrences; and, happily for
himself, nearly insensible to pain and anxiety. At moments
the flame of life would apparently glimmer like the dying
lamp, and then both the fears and hopes of his attendants
were disappointed, as the patient dropped again into that
state of apathy in which so much of his time was wasted.
From an erroneous opinion of his master's sufferings,
Meriton had been induced to make a free use of soporifics,
and no small part of Lionel's insensibility was produced by
an excessive use of that laudanum, for which he was in
debted to the mistaken humanity of his valet. At the
moment of the operation, the adventurous surgeon had

LIONEL LINCOLN. 239

availed himself of the same stupefying drug, and many
days of dull, heavy, and alarming apathy succeeded, before
his system, rinding itself relieved from its unnatural in
mate, resumed its healthful functions, and began to renew
its powers. By a singular good fortune, his leech was too
much occupied by his own novel honors, to follow up his
success, secundem artem, as a great general pushes a victory
to the utmost; and that matchless doctor, Nature, was per
mitted to complete the cure.

When the effects of the anodynes had subsided, the pa
tient found himself entirely free from uneasiness, and
dropped into a sweet and refreshing sleep, that lasted for
many hours without interruption. He awoke a new man;
with his body renovated, his head clear, and his recollec
tions, though a little confused and wandering, certainly
better than they had been since the moment *vhen he fell in
the melee on Breed's. This restoration to all the nobler
properties of life occurred about the tenth hour of the day;
and as Lionel opened his eyes, with understanding in their
expression, they fell upon a cheerfulness which a bright
sun, assisted by the dazzling light of the masses of snow
without, had lent to every object in his apartment. The
curtains of the windows had been opened, and every article
of the furniture was arranged with a neatness that mani
fested the studied care which presided over his illness. In
one corner, it is true, Meriton had established himself in an
easy-chair, with an arrangement of attitude which spoke
more in favor of his consideration for the valet than the
master, while he was comforting his faculties for a night of
watchfulness, by the sweet, because stolen, slumbers of the
morning.

A flood of recollections broke into the mind of Lionel to
gether, and it was some little time before he could so far
separate the true from the imaginary, as to attain a toler
ably clear comprehension of what had occurred in the little
age he had been dozing. Raising himself on one elbow,

240 LIONEL LINCOLN.

without difficulty, he passed his hand once or twice slowly
over his face, and then trusted his voice in a summons to
his man. Meriton started at the well-known sounds, and
after diligently rubbing his eyes, like one who awakes by
surprise, he arose and gave the customary reply.

" How now, Meriton ! " exclaimed Major Lincoln ; " you
sleep as sound as a recruit on post, and I suppose you have
been stationed like one, with twice-told orders to be vigilant."

The valet stood with open mouth, as if ready to devour
his master's words with more senses than one; and then, as
Lionel concluded, passed his hands in quick succession over
his eyes, as before, though with a very different object, ere
he answered:

"Thank God, sir, thank God! you look like yourself
once more, and we shall live again as we used to. Yes,
yes, sir — you'll do now — you'll do this time. That's a
miracle of a man, is the great Lon'non surgeon! and now
we shall go back to Soho, and live like civilizers. Thank
God, sir, thank God! you smile again; and I hope if any
thing should go wrong, you'll soon be able to give me one
of those awful looks that I am so used to, and which makes
my heart jump in my mouth, when I know I've been for
getful!"

The poor fellow, in whom long service had created a deep
attachment to his master, which had been greatly increased
by the solicitude of a nurse, was compelled to cease his
unconnected expressions of joy, while he actually wept.
Lionel was too much affected by this evidence of feeling,
to continue the dialogue, for several minutes; during which
time he employed himself in putting on part of his attire,
assisted by the gulping valet, when, drawing his robe-de-
chambre around his person, he leaned on the shoulder of
his man, and took the seat which the other had so recently
quitted.

"Well, well, Meriton, that will do," said Lionel, giving
a deep hem, as though his breathing was obstructed; "that

LIONEL LINCOLN. 24!

will do, silly fellow; I trust I shall live to give you many a
frown, and some few guineas, yet. I have been shot, I
know "

" Shot, sir ! " interrupted the valet — " you have been
downright and unlawfully murdered! you were first shot,
and then baggoneted, and after that a troop of horse rode
over you. I had it from one of the Royal Irish, who lay
by your side the whole time, and who now lives to tell of it;
a good honest fellow is Terence; and if such a thing was
possible that your honor was poor enough to need a pen
sion, he would cheerfully swear to your hurts at the King's
Bench, or War Office; Bridewell, or St. James's; it's all one
to the like of him."

"I dare say, I dare say," said Lionel, smiling, though he
mechanically passed his hand over his body, as his valet
spoke of the bayonet — " but the poor fellow must have
transferred some of his own wounds to my person : I own
the bullet, but object to the cavalry and the steel."

"No, sir, /own the bullet, and it shall be buried with
me in my dressing-box, at the head of my grave," said
Meriton, exhibiting the flattened bit of lead, exultingly, in
the palm of his hand; " it has been in my pocket these
thirteen days, after tormenting your honor for six long
months, hid in the what d'ye call 'em muscles, away behind
the thingumy artery. But snug as it was, we got it out!
He is a miracle, is the great Lon'non surgeon! "

Lionel reached over to his purse, which Meriton had
placed regularly on the table, each morning, in order to re
move it again at night, and, dropping several guineas in the
hand of his valet, said:

" So much lead must need some gold to sweeten it. Put
up the unseemly thing, and never let me see it again! "

Meriton coolly took the opposing metals, and after glanc
ing his eyes at the guineas, with a readiness that embraced
their amount in a single look, he dropped them carelessly
into one pocket, while he restored the lead to the other with
16

242 LIONEL LINCOLN.

an exceeding attention to its preservation. He then turned
his hand to the customary duties of his station.

" I remember well to have been in a fight on the heights
of Charlestown, even to the instant when I got my hurt,"
continued his master; "and I even recollect many things
that have occurred since; a period which appears like a
whole life to me. But after all, Meriton, I believe my ideas
have not been remarkable for their clearness."

" Lord, sir, you have talked to me, and scolded me, and
praised me, a hundred and a hundred times over again; but
you have never scolded as sharp like as you can, nor have
you ever spoken and looked as bright as you do this morn
ing!"

" I am in the house of Mrs. Lechmere," again continued
Lionel, examining the room; "I know this apartment and
those private doors too well to be mistaken."

"To be sure you are, sir; Madam Lechmere had you
brought here from the field to her own house, and one of the
best it is in Boston, too; and I expect that madam would
somehow lose her title to it, if anything serious should
happen to us! "

" Such as a bayonet, or a troop of horse ! but why do you
fancy any such thing? "

" Because, sir, when madam comes here of an afternoon,
which she did daily, before she sickened, I heard her very
often say to herself, if you should be so unfortunate as to
die, there would be an end to all her hopes of her house."

"Then it is Mrs. Lechmere who visits me daily," said
Lionel, thoughtfully; "I have recollections of a female
form hovering around my bed, though I had supposed it
more youthful and active than that of my aunt."

"And you are quite right, sir; you have had such a nurse
the whole time as is seldom to be met with. For making
a posset or a gruel, ITi match her with the oldest woman in
the wards of Guy's ; and, to my taste, the best bar-keeper
at the Lon'non is a fool to her at a negus."

LIONEL LINCOLN. 243

"These are high accomplishments indeed! and who may
be their mistress? "

"Miss Agnus, sir; a rare good nurse is Miss Agnus
Danforth! though in point of regard to the troops, I
shouldn't presume to call her at all distinguishable."

"Miss Danforth," repeated Lionel, dropping his expect
ing eyes, in disappointment, from the face of Meriton to the
floor; "I hope she has not sustained all this trouble on my
account alone? There are women enough in the establish
ment: one would think such offices might be borne by the
domestics; in short, Meriton, was she without an assistant
in all these little kindnesses? "

" 1 helped her, you know, sir, all I could ; though my
neguses never touch the right spot, like Miss Agnus's."

"One would think, by your account, that I have done
little else than guzzle port wine for six months," said
Lionel, pettishly.

" Lord, sir, you wouldn't drink a thimbleful from a glass,
often; which I always took for a bad symptom; for I'm
certain 'twas no fault of the liquor, if it wasn't drunk."

" Well, enough of your favorite beverage ! I sicken at the
name already. But, Meriton, have not others of my friends
called to inquire after my fate? "

"Certainly, sir: the commander-in-chief sends an aid or
a servant every day; and Lord Percy left his card more
than "

" Poh ! these are calls of courtesy. But I have relatives
in Boston — Miss Dynevor, has she left the town? "

" No, sir," said the valet, very coolly resuming the duty
of arranging the vials on the night-table ; " she is not much
of a moving body, is that Miss Cecil."

" She is not ill, I trust? " demanded Lionel.

"Lord, it goes through me, part joy and part fear, to hear
you speak again so quick and brisk, sir! No, she isn't
downright ailing, but she hasn't the life and knowledge of
things, as her cousin, Miss Agnus."

244 LIONEL LINCOLN.

"Why do you think so, fellow? "

" Because, sir, she is mopy, and don't turn her hand to
any of the light lady's work in the family. I have seen her
sit in that very chair, where you are now, sir, for hours to
gether, without moving; unless it was some nervous start
when you groaned, or breathed a little upward through your
honor's nose. I have taken it into my consideration, sir,
that she poetizes; at all events, she likes what I calls
quietude."

"Indeed!" said Lionel, pursuing the conversation with
an interest that would have struck a more observant man as
remarkable. " What reason have you for suspecting Miss
Dynevor of manufacturing rhymes? "

"Because, sir, she has often a bit of paper in her hand;
and I have seen her read the same thing over and over
again, till I'm sure she must know it by heart; which your
poetizers always do with what they writes."

"Perhaps it was a letter ?" cried Lionel, with a quick
ness that caused Meriton to drop a vial he was dusting, at
the expense of its contents.

" Bless me, Master Lionel, how strong, and like old times,
you speak ! "

" I believe I am amazed to find you know so much of the
divine art, Meriton."

" Practice makes perfect, you know, sir," said the simper
ing valet. " I can't say I ever did much in that way, though
I wrote some verses on a pet pig, as died down at Ravens-
cliffe, the last time we was there; and I got considerable
eclaw for a few lines on a vase which Lady Bab's woman
broke one day, in a scuffle, when the foolish creature said
as I wanted to kiss her; though all that knows me, knows,
that I needn't break vases to get kisses from the like of her ! "

" Very well," said Lionel : " some day, when I am stronger
I may like to be indulged with a perusal. Go now, Meri
ton, to the larder, and look about you : I feel the symptoms
of returning health grow strong upon me."

LIONEL LINCOLN. 245

The gratified valet instantly departed, leaving his master
to the musings of his own busy fancy.

Several minutes passe'd away before the young man raised
his head from the hand that supported it, and then it was
only done when he thought he heard a light footstep near
him. His ear had not deceived him, for Cecil Dynevor
herself stood within a few feet of the chair, which concealed,
in a great measure, his person from her view. It was ap
parent, by her attitude and her tread, that she expected to
find the sick where she had seen him last, and where, for so
many dreary months, his listless form had been stretched in
apathy. Lionel followed her graceful movements with his
eyes, and as the airy band of her morning-cap waved aside
at her own breathing, he discovered the unnatural paleness
that was seated on her speaking features. But when she
drew the folds of the bed-curtains, and missed the invalid,
thought is not quicker than the motion with which she turned
her light person towards the chair. Here she encountered
the eyes of the young man, beaming on her with delight,
and expressing all that animation and intelligence, to which
they had so long been strangers. Yielding to the surprise
and the gush of her feelings, Cecil flew to his feet, and
clasping one of his extended hands in both her own, she
cried :

"Lionel, dear Lionel, you are better! God be praised,
you look well again ! "

Lionel gently extricated his hand from the warm and un
guarded pressure of her soft fingers, and drew forth a paper
which she had unconsciously committed to his keeping.

"This, dearest Cecil," he whispered to the blushing
maiden, "this is my own letter, written when I knew my
life to be at imminent hazard, and speaking the purest
thoughts of my heart. Tell me, then, it has not been thus
kept for nothing? "

Cecil dropped her face between her hands for a moment,
in burning shame, and then, as all the emotions of the mo-

246 LIONEL LINCOLN.

ment crowded around her heart, she yielded to them as a
woman, and burst into a paroxysm of tears. It is needless
to dwell on those consoling and seducing speeches of the
young man, which soon succeeded in luring his companion
not only from her sobs, but even from her confusion, and
permitted her to raise her beautiful countenance to his
ardent gaze, bright and confiding as his fondest wishes
could have made it.

The letter of Lionel was too direct, not to save her pride,
and it had been too often perused for a single sentence to
be soon forgotten. Besides, Cecil had watched over his
couch too fondly and too long, to indulge in any of those
little coquetries which are sometimes met with in similar
scenes. She said all that an affectionate, generous, and
modest female would say on such an occasion ; and it is
certain that, well as Lionel looked on waking, the little
she uttered had the effect to improve his appearance ten
fold.

" And you received my letter on the morning after the
battle? " said Lionel, leaning fondly over her, as she still,
unconsciously, kneeled by his side.

"Yes — yes: it was your order that it should be sent to
me only in case of your death; but for more than a month
you were numbered as among the dead by us all. Oh!
what a month was that! "

" 'Tis past, my sweet friend, and, God be praised, I may
now look forward to health and happiness."

"God be praised, indeed!" murmured Cecil, the tears
again rushing to her eyes. " I would not live that month
over again, Lionel, for all that this world can offer! "

" Dearest Cecil," he replied, " I can only repay this kind
ness and suffering on my account, by shielding you from the
rude contact of the world, even as your father would protect
you, were he again in being."

She looked up in his face with all the soul of a woman's
confidence beaming in her eyes, as she answered:

LIONEL LINCOLN.

"You will, Lincoln, I know you will: you have sworn it,
and I should be a wretch to doubt you."

He drew her unresisting form into his arms, and folded
her to his bosom. In another moment, a noise, like one
ascending the stairs, was heard through the open door of
the room, when all the feelings of her sex rushed to the
breast of Cecil. She sprung on her feet, and, hardly al
lowing time to the delighted Lionel to note the burning
tints that suffused her whole face, she darted from the room
with the rapidity and lightness of an antelope.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Dead, for a ducat, dead.

Hamlet.

WHILE Lionel was in the confusion of feeling produced
by the foregoing scene, the intruder, after a prelude of
singularly heavy and loud steps, on the floor, as if some one
approached on crutches, entered by a door opposite to the
one through which Cecil had so suddenly vanished. At
the next moment the convalescent was saluted by the full,
cheerful voice of his visitor:

" God bless you, Leo, and bless the whole of us, for we
need it!" cried Polwarth, eagerly advancing to grasp the
extended hands of his friend. " Meriton has told me that
you have got the true mark of health— a good appetite — at
last. I should have broken my neck in hurrying up to wish
you joy on the moment, but I just stepped into the kitchen,
without Mrs. Lechmere's leave, to show her cook how to
broil the steak they are warming through for you — a capital
thing after a long nap, and full of nutriment — God bless
you, my dear Leo : the look of your bright eye is as stimu
lating to my spirits as a West India pepper is to the
stomach."

Polwarth ceased shaking the hands of his reanimated

248 LIONEL LINCOLN.

friend, as with a husky voice he concluded, and turning
aside under the pretence of reaching a chair, he dashed his
hand before his eyes, gave a loud hem, and took his seat in
silence. During the performance of this evolution, Lionel
had leisure to observe the altered person of the captain.
His form, though still rotund, and even corpulent, was
much reduced in dimensions, while, in the place of one of
those lower members, with which nature furnishes the hu
man race, he had been compelled to substitute a leg of
wood, somewhat inartificially made, and roughly shod with
iron. This last sad alteration, in particular, attracted the
look of Major Lincoln, who continued to gaze at it with
glistening eyes, for some time after the other had established
himself, to his entire satisfaction, in one of the cushioned
seats of the apartment.

" I see my framework has caught your eye, Leo," said
Polwarth, raising the wooden substitute with an air of
affected indifference, and tapping it lightly with his cane.
" 'Tis not as gracefully cut, perhaps, as if it had been turned
from the hands of Master Phidias; but in a place like
Boston, it is an invaluable member, inasmuch as it knows
neither hunger nor cold."

"The Americans, then, press the town,7' said Lionel, glad
to turn the subject, "and maintain the siege with vigor? "

"They have kept us in horrible bodily terror, ever since
the shallow waters towards the mainland have been frozen,
and opened a path directly into the heart of the place.
Their Virginian generalissimo, Washington, appeared a
short time after the affair over on the other peninsula (a
cursed business that, Leo!), and with him came all the
trimmings of a large army. Since that time they have worn
a more military front, though little else has been done, ex
cepting an occasional skirmish, but cooping us up, like so
many uneasy pigeons, in our cage."

" And Gage chafes not at the confinement? "

"Gage! — we sent him off like the soups, months ago.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 249

No, no — the moment the ministry discovered that we had
come to our forks, in good earnest, they chose Black Billy
to preside : and now we stand at bay with the rebels, who
have already learnt that our leader is not a child at the
grand entertainment of war. "

" Yes, seconded by such men as Clinton and Burgoyne,
and supported by the flower of our troops, 'the position can
be easily maintained."

" No position can be easily maintained, Major Lincoln,"
said Polwarth, promptly, " in the face of starvation, both
internal and external."

" And is the case so desperate ? "

"Of that you shall judge yourself, my friend. When
Parliament shut the port of Boston, the colonies were filled
with grumblers; and now we have opened it, and would be
glad to see their supplies, the devil a craft enters the harbor
willingly! Ah! Meriton, you have the steak, I see; put it
here, where your master can have it at his elbow, and bring
another plate — I breakfasted but indifferently well this
morning. So we are thrown completely on our own re
sources. But the rebels do not let us enjoy even them in
peace. This thing is done to a turn — how charmingly the
blood follows the knife! They have gone so far as to equip
privateers, who cut off our necessaries ; and he is a lucky
man who can get a meal like the one before us."

" I had not thought the power of the Americans could
have forced matters to such a pass."

" What I have mentioned, though of vital importance, is
not half. If a man is happy enough to obtain the materials
for a good dish — you should have rubbed an onion over
these plates, Mr. Meriton — he don't know where he is to
find fuel to cook it withal."

" Looking at the comforts with which I am surrounded,
my good friend, I cannot but fancy your imagination height
ens the distress."

"Fancy no such silly thing; for when you get abroad,

25O LIONEL LINCOLN.

you will find it but too exact. In the article of food, if we
are not reduced, like the men of Jerusalem, to eating one
another, we are, half the time, rather worse off, being en
tirely destitute of wholesome nutriment. Let but an un
lucky log float by the town among the ice, and go forth and
witness the struggling and skirmishing between the Yankees
and our frozen fingers for its possession, and you will become
a believer! 'Twill be lucky if the water-soaked relic of
some wharf should escape without a cannonade! I don't
tell you these things as a grumbler, Leo; for, thank God, I
have only half as many toes as other men, to keep warmth
in; and as for eating, a little will suffice for me, now my
corporeal establishment is so sadly reduced."

Lionel paused in melancholy, as his friend attempted to
jest at his misfortune, and then, by a very natural transition,
for a young man in his situation, he proudly exclaimed:

"But we gained the day, Polwarth! and drove the rebels
from their intrenchments, like chaff before a whirlwind! "

"Humph!" ejaculated the captain, laying his wooden
leg carefully over its more valuable fellow, and regarding
it ruefully, while he spoke — " had we made a suitable use
of the bounties of nature, and turned their position, instead
of running into the jaws of the beast, many might have left
the field better supplied with appurtenances than are some
among us at present. But dark William loves a brush,
they say, and he enjoyed it, on that occasion, to his heart's
content!"

" He must be grateful to Clinton for his timely presence!"

"Does the devil delight in martyrdom? The presence
of a thousand rebels would have been more welcome, even
at that moment; nor has he smiled once on his good-natured
assistant, since he thrust himself, in that unwelcome manner,
between him and his enemy. We had enough to think of,
with our dead and wounded, and in maintaining our con
quest, or something more than black looks and unkind eyes
would have followed the deed."

LIONEL LINCOLN. 25!

" I fear to inquire into the fortunes of the field, so many
names of worth must be numbered in the loss."

"Twelve or fifteen hundred men are not to be knocked on
the head out of such an army, and all the clever fellows
escape. Gage, I know, calls the loss something like
eleven hundred; but, after vaporing so much about the
Yankees, their prowess is not to be acknowledged in its
bloom at once. A man seldom goes on one leg, but he halts
a little at first, as I can say from experience — put down
thirteen, Leo, as a medium, and you'll not miscalculate
largely: yes, indeed, there were some brave young men
amongst them! Those rascally light-footed gentry, that I
gave up so opportunely, were finely peppered — and there
were the Fusileers had hardly men enough left to saddle
their goat!"*

"And the marines! they must have suffered heavily; I
saw Pitcairn fall before me," said Lionel, speaking with
hesitation : " I greatly fear our old comrade, the grenadier,
did not escape with better fortune."

"Mac! " exclaimed Polwarth, casting a furtive glance at
his companion. " Ay, Mac was not as lucky in that busi
ness as he was in Germany — he-em — Mac — had an obstinate
way with him, Leo; a damn'd obstinate fellow in all mili
tary matters; but as generous a heart, and as free in sharing
a mess-bill as any man in his majesty's service! I crossed
the river in the same boat with him, and he entertained us
with his queer thoughts on the art of war. According to
Mac's notions of things, the grenadiers were to do all the
fighting — a damn'd odd way with him had Mac! "

" There are few of us without peculiarities, and I could
wish that none of them were more offensive than the trifling
prejudices of poor Dennis M'Fuse."

" Yes, yes," added Polwarth, hemming violently, as if de-

* This regiment, in consequence of some tradition, kept a goat, with gilded horns
as a memorial. Once a year it celebrated a festival, in which the bearded quadruped
acted a conspicuous part. In the battle of Bunker Hill, the corps was distinguished
alike for its courage and its losses.

252 LIONEL LINCOLN.

termined to clear his throat at every hazard ; " he was a little
opinionated in trifles, such as a knowledge of war, and
matters of discipline; but in all important things as tract
able as a child. He loved his joke, but it was impossible
to have a less difficult or more unpretending palate in one's
mess! The greatest evil I can wish him is breath in his
body, to live and enjoy, in these hard times, when things
become excellent by comparison, the sagacious provision
which his own ingenuity contrived to secure out of the
cupidity of our ancient landlord, Mister Seth Sage."

" Then that notable scheme did not entirely fall to the
ground," said Lionel, with a feverish desire to change the
subject once more. "I had thought the Americans were
too vigilant to admit the intercourse."

" Seth has been too sagacious to permit them to obstruct
it. The prices acted like a soporific on his conscience, and
by using your name, I believe, he has formed some friend
of sufficient importance amongst the rebels to protect him
in his trade. His supplies make their appearance twice a
week as regularly as the meats follow the soups in a well-
ordered banquet."

"You then can communicate with the country, and the
country with the town! Although Washington may wink
at the proceeding, I should fear the scowl of Howe."

" Why, in order to prevent suspicions of unfair practices,
and at the same time to serve the cause of humanity, so the
explanation reads, you know, our sapient host has seen fit
to employ a fool as his agent in the intercourse — a fellow,
as you may remember, of some notoriety ; a certain simple
ton, who calls himself Job Pray."

Lionel continued silent for many moments, during which
time his recollections began to revive, and his thoughts
glanced over the scenes that occurred in the first months of
his residence in Boston. It is quite possible that a pain
ful, though still general and indefinite feeling mingled with
his musings; for he evidently strove to expel some such un-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 2$ 3

welcome intruder, as he resumed the discourse with a strong
appearance of forced gayety.

" Ay, ay, I well remember poor Job — a fellow once seen
and known, not easily to be forgotten. He used, of old, to
attach himself greatly to my person, but I suppose, like the
rest of the world, I am neglected when in retirement."

"You do the lad injustice; he not only makes frequent
inquiries, after his slovenly manner I acknowledge, con
cerning your condition, but sometimes he seems better in
formed in the matter than myself, and can requite my fre
quent answers to his questions, by imparting, instead of
receiving, intelligence of your improvement ; more especially
since the ball has been extracted.'7

"That should be very singular, too," said Lionel, with a
still more thoughtful brow.

"Not so very remarkable, Leo, as one would at first
imagine," interrupted his companion: "the lad is not want
ing in sagacity, as he manifested by his choice of dishes at
our old mess-table. Ah ! Leo, Leo, we may see many a
discriminating palate, but where shall we go to find another
such a friend! — one who could eat and joke — drink and
quarrel with a man, in a breath, like poor Dennis, who is
gone from among us forever! There was a piquancy about
poor Mac, that acted on the dulness of life like condiments
on the natural appetite! "

Meriton, who was diligently brushing his master's coat —
an office that he performed daily, though the garment had
not been worn in so long a period — stole a glance at the
averted eye of the major, and understanding its expression
to indicate a determined silence, he ventured to maintain
the discourse in his own unworthy person.

"Yes, sir, a nice gentleman was Captain M'Fuse, and one
as fought as stoutly for the king as any gentleman in the
army, all agrees. It was a thousand pities such a fine figure
of a man hadn't a better idea of dress: it isn't all, sir, as is
gifted in that way. But everybody says he's a detrimental

254 LIONEL LINCOLN.

loss, though there's some officers in town who considers
so little how to wear their ornaments, that if they were to
be shot, I am sure no one would miss them.7'

"Ah! Meriton," cried the full-hearted Polwarth, "I see
you are a youth of more observation than I had suspected.
Mac had all the seeds of a man in him, though some of
them might not have come to maturity. There was a flavor
in his humor, that served as a relish to every conversation
in which he mingled. Did you serve the poor fellow up in
handsome style, Meriton, for his last worldly exhibition? "

"Yes, indeed, sir: we gave him as ornamental a funeral
as can be seen out of Lon'non. Besides the Royal Irish,
all the grenadiers was out; that is, all as wasn't hurt, which
was near half of them. As I knowed the regard Master
Lionel had for the captain, I dressed him with my own
hands: I trimmed his whiskers, sir, and altered his hair
more in front; and seeing that his honor was getting a little
gray, I threw on a sprinkling of powder, and as handsome a
corpse was Captain M'Fuse as any gentleman in the army,
let the other be who he may ! "

The eyes of Polwarth twinkled, and he blew his nose
with a noise not unlike the sound of a clarion, ere he re
joined:

" Yes, yes, time and hardships had given a touch of frost
to the head of the poor fellow; but it is a consolation to
know that he died like a soldier, and not by the hands of
that vulgar butcher, Nature; and that, being dead, he was
removed according to his deserts ! "

"Indeed, sir," said Meriton, with a solemnity worthy of
the occasion, "we gave him a great procession: a great
deal can be made out of his majesty's uniform, on such
festivities, and it had a wonderful look about it! Did you
speak, sir? "

"Yes," added Lionel, impatiently: "remove the cloth;
and go, inquire if there be letters for me."

The valet submissively obeyed, and after a short pause

LIONEL LINCOLN. 255

the dialogue was resumed by the gentlemen on subjects of
a less painful nature.

As Polwarth was exceedingly communicative, Lionel soon
obtained a very general, and, to do the captain suitable
justice, an extremely impartial account of the situation of
the hostile forces, as well as of all the leading events that
had transpired since the day of Breed's. Once or twice the
invalid ventured an allusion to the spirit of the rebels, and
to the unexpected energy they had discovered ; but Polwarth
heard them all in silence, answering only by a melancholy
smile, and, in the last instance, by a significant gesture
toward his unnatural supporter. Of course, after this
touching acknowledgment of his former error, his friend
waived the subject for others less personal.

He learned that the royal general maintained his hardly-
earned conquest on the opposite peninsula, where he was
as effectually beleaguered, however, as in the town of Boston
itself. In the mean time, while the war was conducted in
earnest at the point where it commenced, hostilities had
broken out in every one of those colonies, south of the St.
Lawrence and the Great Lakes, where the presence of the
royal troops invited an appeal to force. At first, while the
colonists acted under the impulses of the high enthusiasm
of a sudden rising, they had been everywhere successful.
A general army had been organized, as already related, and
divisions were employed at different points to effect those
conquests which, in that early state of the struggle, were
thought to be important to the main result. But the effects
of their imperfect means and divided power were already
becoming visible. After a series of minor victories, Mont
gomery had fallen in a most desperate and unsuccessful at
tempt to carry the impregnable fortress of Quebec; and,
ceasing to be the assailants, the Americans were gradually
compelled to collect their resources to meet that mighty
effort of the crown, which was known to be not far distant.
As thousands of their fellow-subjects in the mother coun-

256 LIONEL LINCOLN.

try manifested a strong repugnance to the war, the ministry
so far submitted to the influence of that free spirit, which
first took deep root in Britain, as to turn their eyes to those
States of Europe, who made a trade in human life, in quest
of mercenaries to quell the temper of the colonists. In
consequence, the fears of the timid amongst the Americans
were excited by rumors of the vast hordes of Russians and
Germans, who were to be poured into their country, with the
fell intent to make them slaves. Perhaps no step of their
enemies had a greater tendency to render them odious in
the eyes of the Americans, than this measure of introducing
foreigners to decide a quarrel purely domestic. So long as
none but men who had been educated in those acknowledged
principles of justice and law, known to both people, were
admitted to the contest, there were visible points, common
to each, which might render the struggle less fierce, and in
time lead to a permanent reconciliation. But they reasoned
not inaptly, when they asserted that in a contest rendered
triumphant by slaves, nothing but abject submission could
ensue to the conquered. It was like throwing away the
scabbard, and, by abandoning reason, submitting the result
to the sword alone. In addition to the estrangement these
measures were gradually increasing between the people of
the mother country and the colonies, must be added the
change it produced amongst the latter in their habits of
regarding the person of their prince.

During the whole of the angry discussion, and the re
criminations, which preceded the drawing of blood, the
colonists had admitted, to the fullest extent, not only in
their language, but in their feelings, that fiction of the
British law which says "the king can do no wrong."
Throughout the wide extent of an empire, on which the sun
was never known to set, the English monarch could boast
of no subjects more devoted to his family and person, than
the men who now stood in arms against what they honestly
believed to be the unconstitutional encroachments of his

LIONEL LINCOLN.

power. Hitherto the whole weight of their resentment had
justly fallen on the advisers of the prince, who himself was
thought to be ignorant, as he was probably innocent, of the
abuses so generally practised in his name. But as the con
test thickened, the natural feelings of the man were thought
to savor of the political acts he was required to sanction
with his name. It was soon whispered, amongst those who
had the best means of intelligence, that the feelings of the
sovereign were deeply interested in the maintenance of what
he deemed his prerogative, and the ascendency of that body
of the representatives of his empire, which he met in person
and influenced by his presence. Ere long this opinion was
rumored abroad, and as the minds of men began to loosen
from their ancient attachments and prejudices, they con
founded, by a very natural feeling, the head with the mem
bers; forgetting that "Liberty and Equality" formed no
part of the trade of princes. The name of the monarch was
daily falling into disrepute; and as the colonial writers
ventured to allude more freely to his person and power, the
glimmerings of that light were seen, which was a precursor
of the rise of " the stars of the West " amongst the national
symbols of the earth. Until then, few had thought, and
none had ventured to speak openly, of independence, though
events had been silently preparing the colonists for such a
final measure.

Allegiance to the prince was the last and only tie to be
severed; for the colonies already governed themselves in
all matters, whether of internal or foreign policy, as effectu
ally as any people could, whose right to do so was not gen
erally acknowledged. But as the honest nature of George
III. admitted of no disguise, mutual disgust and alienation
were the natural consequences of the reaction of sentiment
between the prince and his western people.*

* The prejudices of the King of England were unavoidable in his insulated situation,
but his virtues and integrity were exclusively the property of the man. His speech to
our first minister after the peace cannot be too often recorded : " I was the last man in
my kingdom to acknowledge your independence, and I shall be the last to violate it ''

258 LIONEL LINCOLN.

All this, and much more of minute detail, was hastily
commented on by Polwarth, who possessed, in the midst of
his epicurean propensities, sterling good sense, and great
integrity of intention. Lionel was chiefly a listener, nor did
he cease the greedy and interesting employment until warned
by his weakness, and the stroke of a neighboring clock, that
he was trespassing too far on prudence. His friend then
assisted the exhausted invalid to his bed; and after giving
him a world of good advice, together with a warm pressure
of the hand, he stumped his way out of the room, with a
noise that brought, at every tread, an echo from the heart of
Major Lincoln.

CHAPTER XIX.

God never meant that man should scale the heavens
By strides of human wisdom.

COWPER.

A VERY few days of gentle exercise in the bracing air of the
season were sufficient to restore the strength of the invalid,
whose wounds had healed while he lay slumbering under
the influence of the anodynes prescribed by his leech. Pol
warth, in consideration of the dilapidated state of his own
limbs, together with the debility of Lionel, had so far braved
the ridicule of the army as to set up one of those comfort
able and easy conveyances, which, in the good old times of
colonial humility, were known by the quaint and unpretend
ing title of tom-pungs. To equip this establishment, he had
been compelled to impress one of the fine hunters of his
friend. The animal had been taught, by virtue of much
training from his groom, aided a little, perhaps, by the low
state of the garners of the place, to amble through the snow
as quietly as if he were conscious of the altered condition
of his master's health. In this safe vehicle the two gentle
men might be seen daily, gliding along the upper streets of
the town, and moving through the winding paths of the

LIONEL LINCOLN. 259

common, receiving the congratulations of their friends; or,
in their turn, visiting others, who, like themselves, had been
wounded in the murderous battle of the preceding summer,
but who, less fortunate than they, were still compelled to
submit to the lingering confinement of their quarters.

It was not difficult to persuade Cecil and Agnes to join
in many of their short excursions, though no temptation
could induce the latter to still the frown that habitually
settled on her beautiful brow, whenever chance or intention
brought them in contact with any of the gentlemen of the
army. Miss Dynevor was, however, much more conciliating
in her deportment, and even, at times, so gracious as to in
cur the private reproaches of her friend.

" Surely, Cecil, you forget how much our poor countrymen
are suffering in their miserable lodgings without the town,
or you would be less prodigal of your condescension to these
butterflies of the army," cried Agnes, pettishly, while they
were uncloaking after one of these rides, during which the
latter thought her cousin had lost sight of that tacit com
pact, by which most of the women of the colonies deemed
themselves bound to exhibit their feminine resentments to
their invaders. "Were a chief from our own army pre
sented to you, he could not have been received in a sweeter
manner than you bestowed your smiles to-day on that Sir
Digby Dent!"

"I can say nothing in favor of its sweetness, my acid
cousin, but that Sir Digby Dent is a gentleman "

"A gentleman! — yes — so is every Englishman who wears
a scarlet coat, and knows how to play off his airs in the colo
nies!"

"And as I hope I have some claims to be called a lady,"
continued Cecil, quietly, "I do not know why, in the little
intercourse we have, I should be rude to him."

" Cecil Dynevor! " exclaimed Agnes, with a sparkling eye,
and with a woman's intuitive perception of the other's mo
tives, "all Englishmen are not Lionel Lincolns."

26O LIONEL LINCOLN.

"Nor is Major Lincoln an Englishman," returned Cecil,
laughing, while she blushed; "though I have reason to
think that Captain Polwarth may be."

"Silly, child, silly; the poor man has paid the penalty of
his offence, and is to be regarded with pity."

" Have a care, my coz. Pity is one of a large connection
of gentle feelings; when you once admit the first-born, you
may leave open your doors to the whole family."

" Now, that is exactly the point in question, Cecil — be
cause you esteem Major Lincoln, you are willing to admire
Howe and all his myrmidons; but I can pity, and still be
firm."

" Le bon temps viendra /"

"Never," interrupted Agnes, with a warmth that pre
vented her perceiving how much she admitted; "never, at
least under the guise of a scarlet coat."

Cecil smiled, but having completed her toilet, she with
drew without making any reply.

Such little discussions, enlivened more or less by the
peculiar spirit of Agnes, were of frequent occurrence,
though the eye of her cousin became daily more thoughtful,
and the indifference with which she listened was more ap
parent in each succeeding dialogue.

In the mean time, the affairs of the siege, though conducted
with extreme caution, amounted only to a vigilant blockade.

The Americans lay by thousands in the surrounding vil
lages, or were hutted in strong bands nigh the batteries
which commanded the approaches to the place. Notwith
standing their means had been greatly increased by the cap
ture of several vessels, loaded with warlike stores, as well
as by the reduction of two important fortresses towards the
Canadian frontiers, they were still too scanty to admit of
that wasteful expenditure which is the usual accompani
ment of war. In addition to their necessities, as a reason
for forbearance, might also be mentioned the feelings of the
colonists, who were anxious, in mercy to themselves, to re-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 26 1

gain their town with as little injury as possible. On the
other hand, the impression made by the battle of Bunker
Hill was still so vivid as to curb the enterprise of the royal
commanders, and Washington had been permitted to hold
their powerful forces in check, by an untrained and half-
armed multitude, that was, at times, absolutely destitute of
the means of maintaining even a momentary conquest.

As, however, a show of hostilities was maintained, the
reports of cannon were frequently heard, and there were
days when skirmishes between the advanced parties of the
two hosts brought on more heavy firings, which continued
for longer periods. The ears of the ladies had been long
accustomed to these rude sounds, and as the trifling loss
which followed was altogether confined to the outworks,
they were listened to with but little or no terror.

In this manner a fortnight flew swiftly away, without an
incident to be related. One fine morning, at the end of
that period, Polwarth drove into the little courtyard of Mrs.
Lechmere's residence, with all those knowing flourishes he
could command, and which, in the year 1775, were thought
to indicate the greatest familiarity with the properties of a
tom-pung. In another minute his wooden member was
heard in the passage, timing his steps, as he approached the
room where the rest of the party were waiting his appear
ance. The two cousins stood wrapped in furs, with their
smiling faces blooming beneath double rows of lace to
soften the pictures, while Major Lincoln was in the act of
taking his cloak from Meriton, as the door opened for the
admission of the captain.

"What, already dished!" exclaimed the good-natured
Polwarth, glancing his eyes from one to the other: "so
much the better; punctuality is the true leaven of life— a
good watch is as necessary to the guest as the host, and to
the host as his cook. Miss Agnes, you are amazingly mur
derous to-day ! If Howe expects his subalterns to do their
duty, he should not suffer you to go at large in his camp."

262 LIONEL LINCOLN.

The fine eye of Miss Danforth sparkled as he proceeded,
but happening to fall on his mutilated person, its expression
softened, and she was content with answering with a smile:

"Let your general look to himself; I seldom go abroad
but to espy his weakness ! "

The captain gave an expressive shrug of his shoulder,
and turning aside to his friend, said in an undertone:

" You see how it is, Major Lincoln ; ever since I have
been compelled to serve myself up, like a turkey from yes
terday's dinner, with a single leg, I have not been able to
get a sharp reply from the young woman — she has grown an
even-tempered, tasteless morsel; and I am like a two-
pronged fork — only fit for carving: well, I care not how
soon they cut me up entirely, since she has lost her niquancy
— but shall we to the church ? "

Lionel looked a little embarrassed, and fingered a paper he
held in his hand, for a moment, before he handed it to the
other for his perusal.

"What have we here?7' continued Polwarth: "'Two
officers, wounded in the late battle, desire to return thanks
for their recovery ' — hum — hum — hum — two? — yourself, and
who is the other? "

" I had hoped it would be my old companion and school
fellow?"

"Ha! what, me!" exclaimed the captain, unconsciously
elevating his wooden leg, and examining it with a rueful
eye ; " umph ! Leo, do you think a man has a particular rea
son to be grateful for the loss of a leg ? "

" It might have been worse."

" I don't know," interrupted Polwarth, a little obstinate
ly ; " there would have been more symmetry in it, if it had
been both."

" You forget your mother," continued Lionel, as though
the other had not spoken; "I am very sure it will give her
heartfelt pleasure."

Polwarth gave a loud hem, rubbed his hand over his face

LIONEL LINCOLN. 263

once or twice, gave another furtive glance at his solitary
limb, and then answered with a little tremor in his voice:

"Yes, yes — I believe you are quite right — a mother can
love her child, though he should be chopped into mince
meat! The sex get that generous feeling after they are
turned of forty — it's your young woman that is particular
about proportions and correspondents."

" You consent, then, that Meriton shall hand in the re
quest, as it reads ? "

Polwarth hesitated a single instant longer, and then, as
he remembered his distant mother (for Lionel had touched
the right chord), his heart melted within him.

" Certainly, certainly — it might have been worse, as it
was with poor Dennis — ay, let it pass for two; it shall go
hard, but I find a knee to bend on the occasion. Perhaps,
Leo, when a certain young lady sees I can have a * Te
Deum ' for my adventure, she may cease to think me such
an object of pity as at present."

Lionel bowed in silence, and the captain, turning to Ag
nes, conducted her to the sleigh with a particularly lofty
air, that he intended should indicate his perfect superiority
to the casualties of war. Cecil took the arm of Major Lin
coln, and the whole party were soon seated in the vehicle
that was in waiting.

Until this day, which was the second Sunday since his
reappearance, and the first on which the weather permitted
him to go abroad, Lionel had no opportunity to observe the
altered population of the town. The inhabitants had grad
ually left the place, some clandestinely, and others under
favor of passes from the royal general, until those who re
mained were actually outnumbered by the army and its de
pendents. As the party approached the "King's Chapel,"
the street was crowded by military men, collected in groups,
who indulged in thoughtless merriment, reckless of the
wounds their light conversation inflicted on the few towns
men, who might be seen moving towards the church, with

264 LIONEL LINCOLN.

deportments suited to the solemnity of their purpose, and
countenances severely chastened by a remembrance of the
day, and its serious duties. Indeed, so completely had Bos
ton lost that distinctive appearance of sobriety, which had
ever been the care and pride of its people, in the levity of a
garrison, that even the immediate precincts of the temple
were not protected from the passing jest or rude mirth of
the gay and unreflecting at an hour when quiet was wont to
settle on the whole province, as deep as if Nature had ceased
her ordinary functions to unite in the worship of man.
Lionel observed the change with mortification; nor did it
escape his uneasy glances, that his two female companions
concealed their faces in their muffs, as if to exclude a view
that brought still more painful recollections to minds early
trained in the reflecting habits of the country.

When the sleigh drew up before the edifice, a dozen hands
were extended to assist the ladies in their short but difficult
passage into the heavy portico. Agnes coldly bowed her
acknowledgments, observing, with an extremely equivocal
smile, to one of the most assiduous of the young men :

"We, who are accustomed to the climate, find no difficulty
in walking on ice, though to you foreigners it may seem so
hazardous." She then bowed, and walked gravely into the
bosom of the church, without deigning to bestow another
glance to her right hand or her left.

The manner of Cecil, though more chastened and femi
nine, and consequently more impressive, was equally re
served. Like her cousin, she proceeded directly to her pew,
repulsing the attempts of those who wished to detain her a
moment in idle discourse, by a lady-like propriety that
checked the advance of all who approached her. In conse
quence of the rapid movement of their companions, Lionel
and Polwarth were left among the crowd of officers who
thronged the entrance of the church. The former moved up
within the colonnade, and passed from group to group, an
swering and making the customary inquiries of men engaged

LIONEL LINCOLN. 265

in the business of war. Here, three or four veterans were
clustered about one of those heavy columns, that were ar
ranged in formidable show on three faces of the building,
discussing, with becoming gravity, the political signs of the
times, or the military condition of their respective corps.
There, three or four unfledged boys, tricked in all the vain
emblems of their profession, impeded the entrance of the
few women who appeared, under the pretence of admiration
for the sex, while they secretly dwelt on the glitter of (their
own ornaments. Scattered along the whole extent of the
entrance were other little knots; some listening to the idle
tale of a professed jester, some abusing the land in which
it was their fate to serve, and others recounting the marvels
they had witnessed in distant climes, and in scenes of peril
which beggared their utmost powers of description.

Among such a collection it was not difficult, however, to
find a few whose views were more elevated, and whose de
portment might be termed less offensive, either to breeding
or principles. With one of the gentlemen of the latter class
Lionel was held for some time in discourse, in a distant part
of the portico. At length the sounds of the organ were
heard issuing from the church, and the gay parties began to
separate, like men suddenly reminded why they were col
lected in that unusual place. The companion of Major
Lincoln had left him, and he was himself following along
the colonnade, which was now but thinly peopled, when his
ear was saluted by a low voice, singing in a sort of nasal
chant at his very elbow :

" Woe unto you, Pharisees ! for ye love the uppermost seats
in the synagogues, and greetings in the market! "

Though Lionel had not heard the voice since the echoing
cry had issued out of the fatal redoubt, he knew its first tones
on the instant. Turning at this singular denunciation, he
beheld Job Pray, erect and immovable as a statue, in one of
the niches in front of the building, whence he gave forth his
warning voice, like some oracle speaking to its devotees.

266 LIONEL LINCOLN.

"Fellow, will no peril teach you wisdom?" demanded
Lionel ; " how dare you brave our resentment so wantonly ? "

But his questions were unheeded. The young man, whose
features looked pale and emaciated, as if he had endured
recent bodily disease, whose eye was glazed and vacant,
and whose whole appearance was more squalid and miser
able than usual, appeared perfectly indifferent to all around
him. Without even altering the riveted gaze of his unmean
ing eye, he continued:

"Woe unto you! for ye neither go in yourselves, neither
suffer ye them that are entering to go in ! "

"Art deaf, fool? " demanded Lionel.

In an instant the eye of the other was turned on his inter
rogator, and Major Lincoln felt a thrill pass through him,
when he met the wild gleam of intelligence that lighted the
countenance of the changeling, as he continued, in the same
ominous tones:

" Whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in
danger of the council; but whosoever shall say, Thou fool,
is in danger of hell-fire."

For a moment Lionel stood as if spell-bound by the man
ner of Job, while he uttered this dreadful anathema. But
the instant the secret influence ceased, he tapped the lad
lightly with his cane, and bid him descend from the
niche.

" Job's a prophet," returned the other, dishonoring his
declaration at the same time, by losing the singular air of
momentary intelligence, in his usual appearance of mental
imbecility — " it's wicked to strike a prophet. The Jews
stoned the prophets, and beat them, too."

" Do then as I bid you; would you stay here to be beaten
by the soldiers? Go now, away: after service come to me,
and I will furnish you with a better coat than the garment
you wear."

" Did you never read the good book," said Job, " where it
tells how you mus'n't take heed for food nor raiment? Nab

LIONEL LINCOLN. 26/

says when Job dies he'll go to heaven, for he gets nothing
to wear and but little to eat. Kings wear their di'mond
crowns and golden flauntiness; and kings always go to the
dark place."

The lad suddenly ceased, and crouching into the very bot
tom of his niche, he began to play with his fingers, like an
infant amused with the power of exercising its own members.
At the same moment Lionel turned from him, attracted by
the rattling of side-arms, and the tread of many feet behind
him. A large party of officers, belonging to the staff of the
army, had paused to listen to what was passing. Amongst
them Lionel recognized, at the first glance, two of the
chieftains, who, a little in advance of their attendants,
were keenly eying the singular being that was squatted
in the niche. Notwithstanding his surprise, Major Lin
coln detected the scowl that impended over the dark
brow of the commander-in-chief, while he bowed low, in
deference to his rank.

" Who is this fellow, that dare condemn the mighty of the
earth to such sweeping perdition? " demanded Howe — "his
own sovereign amongst the number? "

" 'Tis an unfortunate being, wanting in intellect, with
whom accident has made me acquainted," returned Major
Lincoln ; " who hardly knows what he utters, and least of
all in whose presence he has been speaking."

" It is to such idle opinions, which are conceived by the
designing, and circulated by the ignorant, that we may as
cribe the wavering allegiance of the colonies," said the
British general. "I hope you can answer for the loyalty of
your singular acquaintance, Major Lincoln? "

Lionel was about to reply, with some little spirit, when
the companion of the frowning chief suddenly exclaimed:

"By the feats of the feathered Hermes, but this is the
identical Merry-Andrew who took the flying leap from
Copp's, of which I have already spoken to you. Am I in
error, Lincoln ? Is not this the shouting philosopher, whose

268 LIONEL LINCOLN.

feelings were so elevated on the day of Breed's, that he could
not refrain from flying, but who, less fortunate than Icarus,
made his descent on terra firma? "

" I believe your memory is faithful, sir," said Lionel,
answering the smile of the other; "the lad is often brought
to trouble by his simplicity."

Burgoyne gave a gentle impulse to the arm he held, as if
he thought the wretched being before them unworthy of
further consideration; though secretly with a view to pre
vent an impolitic exhibition of the well-known propensity of
his senior to push his notions of military ascendency to the
extreme. Perceiving by the still darkening look of the
other that he hesitated, his ready lieutenant observed:

"Poor fellow! his treason was doubly punished, by a
flight of some fifty feet down the declivity of Copp's, and
the mortification of witnessing the glorious triumph of his
majesty's troops. To such a wretch we may well afford for
giveness."

Howe insensibly yielded to the continued pressure of the
other, and his hard features even relaxed into a scowling
smile, as he said, while turning away :

"Look to your acquaintance, Major Lincoln, or, bad as
his present condition seems, he may make it worse. Such
language cannot be tolerated in a place besieged. That is
the word, I believe — the rebels call their mob a besieging
army, do they not? "

"They do gather round our winter-quarters, and claim
some such distinction "

"It must be acknowledged they did well on Breed's, too!
The shabby rascals fought like true men."

" Desperately, and with some discretion," answered Bur
goyne; "but it was their fortune to meet those who fought
better, and with greater skill. Shall we enter? "

The frown was now entirely chased from the brow of the
chief, who said complacently :

" Come, gentlemen, we are tardy ; unless more industrious,

LIONEL LINCOLN. 269

we shall not be in season to pray for the king, much less
ourselves."

The whole party advanced a step, when a bustle in the
rear announced the approach of another officer of high rank,
and the second in command entered into the colonnade, fol
lowed also by the gentlemen of his family. The instant he
appeared, the self-contented look vanished from the features
of Howe, who returned his salute with cold civility, and
immediately entered the church. The quick-witted Bur-
goyne again interposed, and as he made way in his turn, he
found means to whisper into the ear of Clinton some well-
imagined allusion to the events of that very field, which had
given birth to the heart-burninjs between his brother gen
erals, and had caused the feelings of Howe to be estranged
from the man to whose assistance he owed so much. Clin
ton yielded to the subtle influence of the flattery, and fol
lowed his commander into the house of God, with a bland
contentment that he probably mistook for a feeling much
better suited to the place and the occasion. As the whole
group of spectators, consisting of aids, secretaries, and
idlers, without, immediately imitated the example of the
generals, Lionel found himself alone with the changeling.

From the moment that Job discovered the vicinity of the
English leader, to that of his disappearance, the lad re
mained literally immovable. His eye was fastened on va
cancy, his jaw had fallen in a manner to give a look of utter
mental alienation to his countenance; and, in short, he ex
hibited the degraded lineaments and figure of a man, with
out his animation or intelligence. But as the last footsteps
of the retiring party became inaudible, the fear, which had
put to flight the feeble intellects of the simpleton, slowly
left him, and raising his face, he said, in a low, growling
voice :

"Let him go out to Prospect; the people will teach him
the law!"

" Perverse and obstinate simpleton ! " cried Lionel, drag-

2/O LIONEL LINCOLN.

ging him, without further ceremony, from the niche; "will
you persevere in that foolish cry until you are whipped
from regiment to regiment for your pains! "

"You promised Job the grannies shouldn't beat him any
more, and Job promised to run your ar'n'ds."

"Ay! but unless you learn to keep silence, boy, I shall
forget my promise, and give you up to the anger of all the
grannies in town."

"Well," said Job, brightening in his look, like a fool in
his exultation, " they are half of them dead, at any rate : Job
heard the biggest man among 'em roar like a ravenous lion,
' Hurrah for the Royal Irish,' but he never spoke ag'in ;
though there wasn't any better rest for Job's gun than a
dead man's shoulder! "

"Wretch!" cried Lionel, recoiling from him in horror,
"are your hands then stained with the blood of M'Fuse? "

"Job didn't touch him with his hands," returned the un
disturbed simpleton; "for he died like a dog, where he
fell!"

Lionel stood a moment in utter confusion of thought; but
hearing the infallible evidence of the near approach of Pol-
warth in his tread, he said, in a hurried manner, and in a
voice half choked by his emotions:

" Go, fellow, go to Mrs. Lechmere's, as I bid you ; tell —
tell Meriton to look to my fire."

The lad made a motion towards obeying, but checking
himself, he looked up into the face of the other with a pit
eous and suffering look, and said :

"See, Job's numb with cold! Nab and Job can't get
wood now; the king keeps men to fight for it. Let Job
warm his flesh a little; his body is cold as the dead! "

Touched to the heart by the request, and the helpless
aspect of the lad, Lionel made a silent signal of assent, and
turned quickly to meet his friend. It was not necessary for
Polwarth to speak, in order to apprise Major Lincoln that
he had overheard part of the dialogue between him and Job.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 2/1

His countenance and attitude sufficiently betrayed his knowl
edge, as well as the effect it had produced on his feelings.
He kept his eyes on the form of the simpleton, as the lad
shuffled his way along the icy street, with an expression that
could not easily be mistaken.

" Did I not hear the name of poor Dennis? " at length he
asked.

" 'Twas some of the idle boasting of the fool. But why are
you not in the pew? "

"The fellow is a protege of yours, Major Lincoln; but
you may carry forbearance too far," returned Polwarth,
gravely. " I come for you, at the request of a pair of beau
tiful blue eyes, that have inquired of each one that has en
tered the church, this half hour, where and why Major
Lincoln has tarried."

Lionel bowed his thanks, and affected to laugh at the
humor of his friend, while they proceeded together to the
pew of Mrs. Lechmere without further delay.

The painful reflections excited by this interview with Job,
gradually vanished from the mind of Lionel, as he yielded
to the influence of the solemn service of the church. He
heard the difficult and suppressed breathing of the fair
being who kneeled by his side, while the minister read
those thanksgivings which personally concerned himself,
and no little of earthly gratitude mingled with the loftier
aspirations of the youth, as he listened. He caught the
timid glance of the soft eye from behind the folds of Cecil's
veil, as they rose, and he took his seat as happy as an ardent
young man might well be fancied, under the consciousness of
possessing the best affections of a female so youthful, so
lovely, and so pure.

Perhaps the service was not altogether so consoling to the
feelings of Polwarth. As he recovered his solitary foot
again, with some little difficulty, he cast a very equivocal
glance at his dismembered person, hemmed aloud, and fin
ished with a rattling of his wooden leg about the pew, that

2/2 LIONEL LINCOLN.

attracted the eyes of the whole congregation, as if he intended
the ears of all present should bear testimony in whose be
half their owners had uttered their extraordinary thanksgiv
ings.

The officiating minister was far too discreet to vex the at
tention of his superiors with any prolix and unwelcome
exhibitions of the Christian's duty. The impressive de
livery of his text required one minute. Four were con
sumed in the exordium. The argument was ingeniously
condensed into ten more; and the peroration of his essay
was happily concluded in four minutes and a half; leaving
him the satisfaction of knowing, as he was assured by fifty
watches, and twice that number of contented faces, that he
had accomplished his task by ha-lf a minute within the
orthodox period.

For this exactitude he doubtless had his reward. Among
other testimonials in his favor, when Polwarth shook his
hand to thank him for his kind offices in his own behalf, he
found room for a high compliment to the discourse, conclud
ing by assuring the flattered divine, " that, in addition to its
other great merits, it was done in beautiful time! "

CHAPTER XX.

Away ; let naught to love displeasing,

My Winifreda, move your care :
Let naught delay the heavenly blessing,

Nor squeamish pride, nor gloomy fear.

ANONYMOUS.

IT was perhaps fortunate for the tranquillity of all con
cerned, that, during this period of their opening confidence,
the person of Mrs. Lechmere came not between the bright
image of purity and happiness that Cecil presented in each
lineament and action, and the eyes of her lover. The sin
gular, and somewhat contradictory interests that lady had

LIONEL LINCOLN. 2/3

so often betrayed in the movements of her young kinsman,
were no longer visible to awaken his slumbering suspicions.
Even those inexplicable scenes, in which his aunt had so
strangely been an actor, were forgotten in the engrossing
feelings of the hour; or, if remembered at all, were only
suffered to dim the pleasing pictures of his imagination, as
an airy cloud throws its passing shadows across some cheer
ful and lovely landscape. In addition to those very natural
auxiliaries, love and hope, the cause of Mrs. Lechmere had
found a very powerful assistant, in the bosom of Lionel,
through an accident which had confined her, for a long pe
riod, not only to her apartment, but to her bed.

On that day, when the critical operation was performed
on the person of Major Lincoln, his aunt was known to have
awaited the result with intense anxiety. As soon as the
favorable temination was reported to her, she hastened tow
ards his room with an unguarded eagerness, which, added
to the general infirmities of her years, had nearly cost the
price of her life. Her foot became entangled in her train,
in ascending the stairs, but disregarding the warning cry of
Anges Danforth, with that sort of reckless vehemence that
sometimes broke through the formal decorum of her manners,
she sustained, in consequence, a fall that might well have
proved fatal to a much younger woman. The injury she re
ceived was severe and internal; and the inflammation,
though not high, was sufficiently protracted to arouse the
apprehension of her attendants. The symptoms were, how
ever, now abating, and her recovery no longer a matter of
question.

As Lionel heard this from the lips of Cecil, the reader
will not imagine the effect produced by the interest his aunt
took in his welfare was at all lessened by the source whence
he derived his knowledge. Notwithstanding Cecil dwelt on
such a particular evidence of Mrs. Lechmere's attachment
to her nephew with much earnestness, it had not escaped
Major Lincoln that her name was but seldom introduced in
18

2/4 LIONEL LINCOLN.

their frequent conversations, and never, on the part of his
companion, without a guarded delicacy that appeared sensi
tive in the extreme. As their confidence, however, increased
with their hourly communcations, he began gently to lift the
veil which female reserve had drawn before her inmost feel
ing, and to read a heart whose purity and truth would have
repaid a more difficult investigation.

When the party returned from the church, Cecil and
Agnes immediately hastened to the apartment of the invalid,
leaving Lionel in possession of the little wainscoted parlor
by himself ; Polwarth having proceeded to his own quarters,
with the assistance of the hunter. The young man passed
a few minutes in pacing the room, musing deeply on the
scene he had witnessed before the church; now and then
casting a vacant look on the fanciful ornaments of the
walls, among which the armorial bearings of his own name
were so frequent and in such honorable situations. At
length he heard that light footstep approach, whose sound
had now become too well known to be mistaken, and in an
other instant he was joined by Miss Dynevor.

" Mrs. Lechmere," he said, leading her to a settee, and
placing himself by her side — "you found her better, I
trust?"

" So well, that she intends adventuring, this morning, an
interview with your own formidable self. Indeed, Lionel,
you have every reason to be grateful for the deep interest
my grandmother takes in your welfare. Ill as she has been,
her inquiries in your behalf were ceaseless; and I have
known her refuse to answer any questions about her own
critical condition, until her physician had relieved her
anxiety concerning yours."

As Cecil spoke, the tears rushed into her eyes, and her
bloom deepened with the strength of her feelings.

" It is to you, then, that much of my gratitude is due," re
turned Lionel ; " for, by permitting me to blend my lot with
yours, I find new value in her eyes. Have you acquainted

LIONEL LINCOLN. 2/5

Mrs. Lechmere with the full extent of my presumption?
She knows of our engagement? "

"Could I do otherwise? While your life was in peril, I
confined the knowledge of my interest in your situation to
my own breast; but when we were flattered with the hopes
of a recovery, I placed your letter in the hands of my natural
adviser, and have the consolation of knowing that she ap
proves of my — what shall I call it, Lionel ? — would not folly
be the better word? "

" Call it what you will, so you do not disavow it. I have
hitherto forborne inquiring into the views of Mrs. Lech-
mere, in tenderness to her situation; but I may flatter my
self, Cecil, that she will not reject me? "

For a single instant the blood rushed tumultuously over
the fine countenance of Miss Dynevor, suffusing even her
temples and forehead with its healthful bloom ; but, as she
cast a reproachful glance at her lover, it deserted even her
cheeks, while she answered calmly, though with a slight ex
hibition of displeasure in her air:

"It may have been the misfortune of my grandmother to
view the head of her own family with too partial eyes; but,
if it be so, her reward should not be distrust. The weak
ness is, I dare say, very natural, though not less a weak
ness."

For the first time Lionel fully comprehended the cause of
that variable manner, with which Cecil had received his
attentions, until interest in his person had stilled her sensi
tive feelings. Without, however, betraying the least con
sciousness of his intelligence, he answered :

" Gratitude does not deserve so forbidding a name as dis
trust; nor will vanity permit me to call partiality in my
favor a weakness."

" The word is a good and a safe term, as applied to poor
human nature," said Cecil, smiling once more with all her
native sweetness, " and you may possibly overlook it when
you recollect that our foibles are sometimes hereditary."

2/6 LIONEL LINCOLN.

"I pardon your unkind suspicion for that gentle acknowl
edgment. But I may now, without hesitation, apply to your
grandmother for her consent to our immediate union? "

" You would not have your epithalamium sung, when, at
the next moment, you may be required to listen to the dirge
of some friend! "

" The very reason you urge against our marriage, induces
me to press it, Cecil. As the season advances, this play of
war must end. Howe will either break out of his bounds,
and drive the Americans from the hills, or seek some other
point for more active warfare. In either case you would be
left in a distracted and divided country, at an age too tender
for your own safety, rather the guardian than the ward of
your helpless parent. Surely, Cecil, you would not hesitate
to accept of my protection at such a crisis, I had almost
dared to say, in tenderness to yourself, as well as to my
feelings."

" Say on," she answered ; " I admire your ingenuity, if not
your argument. In the first place, however, I do not believe
your general can drive the Americans from their post so
easily; for, by a very simple process in figures that even I
understand, you may find, that if one hill cost so many hun
dred men, that the purchase of the whole would be too dear.
Nay, Lionel, do not look so grave, I implore you! Surely,
surely, you do not think I would speak idly of a battle that
had nearly cost your life, and — and— my happiness."

" Say on," said Lionel, instantly dismissing the momen
tary cloud from his brow, and smiling fondly in her anxious
face; "I admire your casuistry, and worship your feeling;
but can also deny your argument."

Reassured by his voice and manner, after a moment of
extreme agitation, she continued, in the same playful tones
as before :

"But we will suppose all the hills won, and the American
chief, Washington, who, though nothing but a rebel, is a
very respectable one, driven into the country with his army

LIONEL LINCOLN.

at his heels; I trust it is to be done without the assistance
of the women ! Or, should Howe remove his forces, as you
intimate, will he not leave the town behind him? In either
case, I should remain quietly where I am; safe in a British
garrison, or safer among my countrymen."

"Cecil, you are alike ignorant of the dangers and of the
rude lawlessness of war. Though Howe should abandon
the place, 'twould be only for a time : believe me, the min
istry will never yield the possession of a town like this,
which has so long dared their power, to men in arms against
their lawful prince."

"You have strangely forgotten the last six months, Lionel,
or you would not accuse me of ignorance of the misery that
war can inflict."

" A thousand thanks for the kind admission, dearest Cecil,
as well as for the hint," said the young man, shifting the
ground of his argument with the consistency, as well as the
readiness of a lover; "you have owned your sentiments to
me, and would not refuse to avow them again ? "

" Not to one whose self-esteem will induce him to forget
the weakness; but, perhaps, I might hesitate to do such a
silly thing before the world."

" I will then put it to your heart," he continued, without
regarding the smiling coquetry she had affected. " Believing
the best, you will admit that another battle would be no
strange occurrence ? "

She raised her anxious looks to his face, but remained
silent.

" We both know, at least I know, from sad experience,
that I am far from being invulnerable. Now answer me,
Cecil, — not as a female, struggling to support the false pride
of her sex, but as a woman, generous and full of heart, like
yourself, — were the events of the last six months to recur,
whether would you live them over affianced in secret, or as
an acknowledged wife, who might not blush to show her
tenderness to the world ? "

278 LIONEL LINCOLN.

It was not until the large drops, that glistened at his
words upon the dark lashes of Miss Dynevor, were shaken
from the tremulous fringes that concealed her eyes, that she
looked up, blushing, into his face, and said:

" Do you not, then, think that I endured enough, as one
who felt herself betrothed ; but that closer ties were neces
sary to fill the measure of my suffering? "

" I cannot even thank you as I would for those flattering
tears, until my question is plainly answered."

" Is this altogether generous, Lincoln? "

"Perhaps not in appearance, but sincerely so in truth.
By heaven, Cecil, I would shelter and protect you from a
rude contact with the world, even as I seek my own happi
ness!"

Miss Dynevor was not only confused, but distressed ; she,
however, said in a low voice:

" You forget, Major Lincoln, that I have one to consult,
without whose approbation I can promise nothing."

"Will you, then, refer the question to her wisdom?
Should Mrs. Lechmere approve of our immediate union,
may I say to her that you authorize me to ask it ? "

Cecil said nothing; but smiling through her tears, she
permitted Lionel to take her hand in a manner that a much
less sanguine man would have found no difficulty in con
struing into an assent.

" Come, then," he cried, " let us hasten to the apartment
of Mrs. Lechmere; did you not say she expected me? " She
suffered him to draw her arm through his own, and lead her
from the room. Notwithstanding the buoyant hopes with
which Lionel conducted his companion through the passage
of the house, he did not approach the chamber of Mrs. Lech
mere without some inward repugnance. It was not possible
to forget entirely all that had so recently passed, or to still,
effectually, those dark suspicions which had been once
awakened within his bosom. His purpose, however, bore
him onward, and a glance at the trembling being, who now

LIONEL LINCOLN. 2/9

absolutely leaned on him for support, drove every consider
ation, in which she did not form a most prominent part,
from his mind.

The enfeebled appearance of the invalid, with a sudden
recollection that she had sustained so much, in consequence
of her anxiety in his own behalf, so far aided the cause of
his aunt, that the young man not only met her with cordial
ity, but with a feeling akin to gratitude.

The indisposition of Mrs. Lechmere had now continued
for several weeks, and her features, aged and sunken as they
were, by the general decay of nature, afforded strong addi
tional testimony of the severity of her recent illness. Her
face, besides being paler and more emaciated than usual,
had caught that anxious expression which great and pro
tracted bodily ailing is apt to leave on the human counte
nance. Her brow was, however, smooth and satisfied, unless
at moments when a slight and involuntary play of the muscles
betrayed that fleeting pains continued, at short intervals, to
remind her of her illness. She received her visitors with a
smile that was softer and more conciliating than usual, and
which the pallid and careworn appearance of her feature
rendered deeply impressive.

"It is kind, cousin Lionel," she said, extending her
withered hand to her young kinsman, " in the sick to
come thus to visit the well. For after so long apprehend
ing the worst on your account, I cannot consent that my
trifling injury should be mentioned before your more
serious wounds."

" Would, madam, that you had as happily recovered from
their effects as myself," returned Lionel, taking her hand,
and pressing it with great sincerity. " I shall never forget
that you owe your illness to anxiety for me."

"Let it pass, sir; it is natural that we should feel strongly
in behalf of those we love. I have lived to see you well
again, and, God willing, I shall live to see this wicked re
bellion crushed." She paused; and smiling for a moment

28O LIONEL LINCOLN.

on the young pair who had approached her couch, she con
tinued, "Cecil has told me all, Major Lincoln."

" No, not all, dear madam," interrupted Lionel ; " I have
something yet to add; and in the commencement, I will own
that I depend altogether on your pity and judgment to sup
port my pretensions."

" Pretensions is an injudicious word, cousin Lionel ;
where there is a perfect equality of birth, education, and
virtues, and, I may say, considering the difference in the
sexes, of fortune, too, it may amount to claims , but preten
sions is an expression too ambiguous, Cecil, my child, go
to my library; in the small, secret drawer of my escritoire,
you will find a paper bearing your name; read it, my love,
and then bring it hither."

She motioned to Lionel to be seated, and when the door
had closed on the retiring form of Cecil, she resumed the
conversation.

" As we are about to speak of business, the confused girl
may as well be relieved, Major Lincoln. What is this par
ticular favor that I shall be required to yield? "

" Like any other sturdy mendicant, who may have already
partaken largely of your bounty, I come to beg the immediate
gift of the last and greatest boon you can bestow."

" My grandchild. There is no necessity for useless re
serves between us, cousin Lionel, for you will remember
that I, too, am a Lincoln. Let us then speak freely, like two
friends, who have met to determine on a matter equally near
to the heart of each."

" Such is my earnest wish, madam. I have been urging
on Miss Dynevor the peril of the times, and the critical
situation of the country, in both of which I have found the
strongest reasons for our immediate union."

" And Cecil ? "

" Has been like herself — kind, but dutiful. She refers
me entirely to your decision, by which alone she consents to
be guided."

LIONEL LINCOLN. 28 1

Mrs. Lechmere made no immediate reply, but her features
powerfully betrayed the inward workings of her mind. It
certainly was not displeasure that caused her to hesitate, her
hollow eye lighting with a gleam of satisfaction that could
not be mistaken ; neither was it uncertainty, for her whole
countenance seemed to express rather the uncontrollable
agitation which might accompany the sudden accomplish
ment of long-desired ends than any doubt as to their pru
dence. Gradually her agitation subsided; and as her
feelings became more natural, her hard eyes filled with
tears, and, when she spoke, there was a softness mingled with
the tremor of her voice that Lionel had never before wit
nessed.

" She is a good and a dutiful child, my own, my obedient
Cecil! She will bring you no wealth, Major Lincoln, that
will be esteemed among your hoards, nor any proud title to
add to the lustre of your honorable name; but she will bring
you what is as good, if not better — nay, I am sure it must
be better — a pure and virtuous heart, that knows no guile."

" A thousand and a thousand times more estimable in my
eyes, my worthy aunt!" cried Lionel, melting before the
touch of nature, which had so effectually softened the harsh
feelings of Mrs. Lechmere ; " let her come to my arms
penniless, and without a name; she will be no less my wife
— no less her own invaluable self."

" I spoke only by comparison, Major Lincoln : the child
of Colonel Dynevor, and the granddaughter of the Lord Vis
count Cardonnell, can have no cause to blush for her line
age; neither will the descendant of John Lechmere be a
dowerless bride. When Cecil shall become Lady Lincoln,
she need never wish to conceal the escutcheon of her own
ancestors under the bloody hand of her husband's."

" May heaven long avert the hour when either of us may
be required to use the symbol ! " exclaimed Lionel.

"Did I not understand aright? was not your request for
an instant marriage? "

282 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" Never less in error, my dear madam ; but you surely do
not forget that one lives so mutually dear to us, who has
every reason to hope for many years of life; and I trust,
too, of happiness and reason."

Mrs. Lechmere lookly wildly at her nephew, and then
passed her hand slowly before her eyes, from whence she
did not withdraw them until a universal shudder had shaken
the whole of her enfeebled frame.

" You are right, my young cousin," she said, smiling
faintly; "I believe my bodily weakness has impaired my
memory. I was, indeed, dreaming of days long since past.
You stood before me in the image of your desolate father,
while Cecil bore that of her mother — my own long-lost,
but wilful Agnes! Oh! she was my child! my child!
and God has forgotten her faults in mercy to a mother's
prayers."

Lionel recoiled a step before the wild energy of the in
valid's manner, in speechless amazement. A flush had
passed into her pallid cheeks, and as she concluded, she
clasped her hands before her, and sunk on the pillows
which supported her back. Large insulated tears fell from
her eyes, and, slowly moving over her wasted cheeks,
dropped singly upon the counterpane. Lionel laid his hand
upon the night-bell, but an expressive gesture from his aunt
prevented his ringing.

"I am well again," she said; "hand me the restorative by
your side."

Mrs. Lechmere drank freely from the glass, and in an
other minute her agitation subsided, her features settling
into their rigid composure, and her eye resuming its hard
expression, as though nothing had occurred to disturb her
usual cold and worldly look.

" You see how much better youth can endure the ravages
of disease than age, by my present weakness, Major Lin
coln," she continued ; " but let us return to other and more
agreeable subjects — you have not only my consent, but my

LIONEL LINCOLN. 283

wish, that you should wed my grandchild. It is a happi
ness that I have rather hoped for than dared to expect, and,
I will freely add, 'tis a consummation of my wishes that
will render the evening of my days not only happy, but
blessed."

"Then, dearest madam, why should it be delayed? — no
one can say what a day may bring forth, at such a time as
this, and the moment of bustle and action is not the hour to
register the marriage vows."

After musing a moment, Mrs. Lechmere replied :

"We have a good and holy custom in this religious prov
ince, of choosing the day which the Lord has set apart for
his own exclusive worship as that on which to enter into the4
honorable state of matrimony. Choose, then, between this
or the next Sabbath for your nuptials."

Whatever might be the ardor of the young man, he was a
little surprised at the shortness of the former period ; but
the pride of his sex would not admit of any hesitation.

" Let it be this day if Miss Dynevor can be brought freely
to consent."

" Here, then, she comes to tell you that, at my request, she
does. Cecil, my own sweet child, I have promised Major
Lincoln that you will become his wife this day."

Miss Dynevor, who had advanced into the centre of the
room, before she heard the purport of this speech, stopped
short, and stood like a beautiful statue, expressing astonish
ment and dismay. Her color went and came with alarming
quickness, and the paper fell from her trembling hands to
her feet, which appeared riveted to the floor.

" To-day ! " she repeated, in a voice barely audible — " did
you say to-day, my grandmother ? "

" Even to-day, my child."

"Why this reluctance, this alarm, Cecil?" said Lionel,
approaching, and leading her gently to a seat. " You know
the peril of the times — you have condescended to own your
sentiments — consider; the winter is breaking, and the first

284 LIONEL LINCOLN.

thaw can lead to events which may entirely alter our situ
ation."

" All these may have weight in your eyes, Major Lincoln,"
interrupted Mrs. Lechmere in a voice whose marked solem
nity drew the attention of her hearers ; " but I have other
and deeper motives. Have I not already proved the dangers
and the evils of delay? Ye are young, and ye are virtuous;
why should ye not be happy. Cecil, if you love and revere
me, as I think you do, you will become his wife this day."

" Let me have time to think, dearest grandmother. The
tie is so new and so solemn ! Major Lincoln, — dear Lionel,
— you are not wont to be ungenerous ; I throw myself on
your kindness! "

Lionel did not speak, and Mrs. Lechmere calmly an
swered :

" 'Tis not at his, but my request, that you will comply."

Miss Dynevor rose from her seat by the side of Lionel,
with an air of offended delicacy, and said, with a mournful
smile, to her lover:

"Illness has rendered my good mother timid and weak —
will you excuse my desire to be alone with her? "

" I leave you, Cecil," he said, " but if you ascribe my
silence to any other motive than tenderness to your feelings,
you are unjust both to yourself and me."

She expressed her gratitude only in her looks, and he im
mediately withdrew, to await the result of their conversation
in his own apartment. The half hour that Lionel passed in
his chamber seemed half a year; but at the expiration of
that short period of time, Meriton came to announce that
Mrs. Lechmere desired his presence again in her room.

The first glance of her eye assured Major Lincoln that his
cause had triumphed. His aunt had sunk back on her pil
lows, with her countenance set in a calculating and rigid
expression, which indicated a satisfaction so selfish that it
almost induced the young man to regret she had not failed.
But when his eyes met the tearful and timid glances of the

LIONEL LINCOLN. 28$

blushing Cecil, he felt that, provided she could be his with
out violence to her feelings, he cared but little at whose in
stigation she had consented.

" If I am to read my fate by your goodness, I know I may
hope," he said, advancing to her side — " if in my own de
serts, I am left to despair."

"Perhaps 'twas foolish, Lincoln," she said, smiling
through her tears, and frankly placing her hand in his, "to
hesitate about a few days, when I feel ready to devote my
life to your happinss. It is the wish of my grandmother
that I place myself under your protection."

"Then this evening unites us forever? "

"There is no obligation on your gallantry, that it should
positively take place this very evening, if any or the least
difficulties present."

" But none do, nor can," interrupted Lionel. " Happily
the marriage forms of the colony are simple, and we enjoy
the consent of all who have any right to interfere."

"Go, then, my children, and complete your brief arrange
ments," said Mrs. Lechmere : " 'tis a solemn knot that ye
tie! it must, it will be happy! "

Lionel pressed the hand of his intended bride, and with
drew; and Cecil, throwing herself into the arms of her
grandmother, gave vent to her feelings in a burst of tears.
Mrs. Lechmere did not repulse her child; on the contrary,
she pressed her once or twice to her heart; but still an ob
servant spectator might have seen that her looks betrayed
more of worldly pride, than of those natural emotions which
such a scene ought to have excited.

286 LIONEL LINCOLN.

CHAPTER XXI.

Come, friar Francis, be brief ; only to the plain form of marriage.

Much Ado About Nothing,

MAJOR LINCOLN had justly said, the laws regulating mar
riages in the Massachusetts, which were adapted to the in
fant state of the country, threw but few impediments in the
way of the indissoluble connection. Cecil had, however,
been educated in the bosom of the English Church, and she
clung to its forms and ceremonies with an affection that
may easily be accounted for in their solemnity and beauty.
Notwithstanding the colonists often chose the weekly festival
for their bridals, the rage of reform had excluded the altar
from most of their temples, and it was not usual with them
to celebrate their nuptials in the places of public worship.
But there appeared so much of unreasonable haste, and so
little of due preparation, in her own case, that Miss Dynevor,
anxious to give all solemnity to an act, to whose importance
she was sensibly alive, expressed her desire to pronounce
her vows at that altar where she had so long been used to
worship, and under that roof where she had already, since
the rising of the sun, poured out the thanksgivings of her
pure spirit in behalf of the man who was so soon to become
her husband.

As Mrs. Lechmere had declared that the agitation of the
day and her feeble condition must unavoidably prevent her
witnessing the ceremony, there existed no sufficient reason
for not indulging the request of her grandchild, notwith
standing it was not in strict accordance with the customs of
the place. But being married at the altar, and being mar
ried in public, were not similar duties; and in order to
effect the one and avoid the other, it was necessary to post
pone the ceremony until a late hour, and to clothe the whole
in a cloak of mystery, that the otherwise unembarrassed
state of the parties would not have required.

LIONEL LINCOLN.

Miss Dynevor made no other confidant than her cousin.
Her feelings being altogether elevated above the ordinarily
idle considerations which are induced by time and prepara
tions on such an occasion, her brief arrangements were soon
ended, and she awaited the appointed moment without alarm,
if not without emotion.

Lionel had much more to perform. He knew that the
least intimation of such a scene would collect a curious and
a disagreeable crowd around and in the church, and he
therefore determined that his plans should be arranged in
silence, and managed secretly. In order to prevent a sur
prise, Meriton was sent to the clergyman, requesting him to
appoint an hour in the evening when he could give an in
terview to Major Lincoln. He was answered that at any
moment after nine o'clock Dr. Liturgy would be released
from the duties of the day, and in readiness to receive him.
There was no alternative; and ten was the time mentioned
to Cecil when she was requested to meet him before the
altar. Major Lincoln distrusted a little the discretion of
Polwarth, and he contented himself with merely telling his
friend that he was to be married that evening, and that he
must be careful to repair to Tremont street in order to give
away the bride, appointing an hour sufficiently early for all
the subsequent movements. His groom and his valet had
their respective and separate orders, and long before the
important moment, he had everything arranged, as he be
lieved, beyond the possibility of a disappointment.

Perhaps there was something a little romantic, if not dis
eased, in the mind of Lionel that caused him to derive a
secret pleasure from the hidden movements he contemplated.
He was certainly not entirely free from a touch of that mel
ancholy and morbid humor which has been mentioned as
the characteristic of his race, nor did he always feel the less
happy because he was a little miserable. However, either
by his activity of intellect or that excellent training in life
he had undergone, by being required to act early for him-

288 LIONEL LINCOLN.

self, he had so far succeeded in quelling the evil spirit
within him, as to render its influence quite imperceptible
to others, and nearly so to himself. It had, in fine, left
him what we have endeavored to represent him in these
pages — not a man without faults, but certainly one of many
high and generous virtues.

As the day drew to a close, the small family party in
Tremont street collected, in their usual manner, to partake
of the evening's repast, which was common throughout the
colonies at that period. Cecil was pale, and at times a
slight tremor was perceptible in the little hand which did
the offices of the table; but there was a forced calmness
seated in her humid eyes that betokened the resolution she
had summoned to her assistance in order to comply with
the wishes of her grandmother. Agnes Danforth was silent
and observant, though an occasional look, of more than
usual meaning, betrayed what she thought of the mystery
and suddenness of the approaching nuptials. It would seem,
however, that the importance of the step she was about to
take had served to raise the bride above the little affectations
of her sex; for she spoke of the preparations like one who
owned her interest in their completion, and who even
dreaded that something might yet occur to mar them.

" If I were superstitious, and had faith in omens, Lin
coln," she said, "the hour and the weather might well in
timidate me from taking this step. See, the wind already
blows across the endless wastes of the ocean, and the snow
is driving through the streets in whirlwinds! "

" It is not yet too late to countermand my orders, Cecil,"
he said, regarding her anxiously; "I have made all my
movements so like a great commander, that it is as easy to
retrograde as to advance."

" Would you then retreat before one so little formidable
as I ? " she returned, smiling.

"You surely understand me as wishing only to change the
place of our marriage. I dread exposing you and our kind

LIONEL LINCOLN. 289

cousin to the tempest, which, as you say, after sweeping over
the ocean so long, appears rejoiced to find land on which
to expend its fury."

" I have not misconstrued your meaning, Lionel, nor must
you be mistaken in mine. I will become your wife to-night,
and cheerfully, too ; for what reason can I have to doubt you
now more than formerly? But my vows must be offered at
the altar."

Agnes, perceiving that her cousin spoke with a suppressed
emotion that made utterance difficult, gayly interrupted her :

" And as for the snow, you know little of Boston girls, if
you think an icicle has any terrors for them. I vow, Cecil,
I do think you and I have been guilty, when children, of
coasting in a hand-sled, down the side of Beacon, in a worse
flurry than this."

"We were guilty of many mad and silly things at ten
that might not grace twenty, Agnes."

"Lord, how like a matron she speaks already!" inter
rupted the other, throwing up her eyes and clasping her
hands in affected admiration: "nothing short of the church
will satisfy so discreet a dame, Major Lincoln! so dismiss
your cares on her account, and begin to enumerate the cloaks
and overcoats necessary to your own preservation."

Lionel made a lively reply, when a dialogue of some spirit
ensued between him and Agnes, to which even Cecil listened
with a beguiled ear. When the evening had advanced,
Polwarth made his appearance, suitably attired, and with a
face that was sufficiently knowing and important for the
occasion. The presence of the captain reminded Lionel of
the lateness of the hour, and without delay he hastened to
communicate his plans to his friend.

At a few minutes before ten, Polwarth was to accompany
the ladies in a covered sleigh to the chapel, which was not
a stone's throw from their residence, where the bridegroom
was to be in readiness to receive them, with the divine.
Referring the captain to Meriton for further instructions,

2QO LIONEL LINCOLN.

and without waiting to hear the other express his amaze
ment at the singularity of the plan, Major Lincoln said a
few words of tender encouragement to Cecil, looked at his
watch, and throwing his cloak around him, took his hat,
and departed.

We shall leave Polwarth endeavoring to extract the mean
ing of all these mysterious movements from the wilful and
amused Agnes (Cecil having retired also), and accompany
the bridegroom in his progress towards the residence of the
divine.

Major Lincoln found the streets entirely deserted. The
night was not dark, for a full moon was wading among the
volumes of clouds, which drove before the tempest in dark
and threatening masses, that contrasted singularly and
wildly to the light covering of the hills and buildings of
the town. Occasionally the gusts of the wind would lift
eddying wreaths of fine snow from some roof, and whole
squares were wrapt in mist as the frozen vapor whistled by.
At times, the gale howled among the chimneys and turrets,
in a steady, sullen roaring; and there were again moments
when the element appeared hushed, as if its fury were ex
pended, and winter, having worked its might, was yielding
to the steady, but insensible advances of spring. There
was something in the season and the hour peculiarly in
consonance with the excited temperament of the young
bridegroom. Even the solitude of the streets, and the hol
low rushing of the winds, the fleeting and dim light of the
moon, which afforded passing glimpses of surrounding ob
jects, and then was hid behind a dark veil of shifting vapor,
contributed to his pleasure. He made his way through the
snow, with that species of stern joy, to which all are in
debted, at times, for moments of wild and pleasing self-
abandonment. His thoughts vacillated between the pur
pose of the hour, and the unlooked-for coincidence of cir
cumstances that had clothed it in a dress of such romantic
mystery. Once or twice a painful and dark thought, con-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 2QI

nected with the secret of Mrs. Lechmere's life, found its way
among his more pleasing visions, but it was quickly chased
from his mind by the image of her who awaited his move
ments in such confiding faith, and with such secure and de
pendent affection.

As the residence of Dr. Liturgy was on the North-end,
which was then one of the fashionable quarters of the town,
the distance required that Lionel should be diligent, in
order to be punctual to his appointment. Young, active,
and full of hope, he passed along the unequal pavements
with great rapidity, and had the satisfaction of perceiving
by his watch, when admitted to the presence of the clergy
man, that his speed had even outstripped the proverbial
fleetness of time itself.

The reverend gentleman was in his study, consoling him
self for the arduous duties of the day, with the comforts of
a large easy-chair, a warm fire, and a pitcher filled with a
mixture of cider and ginger, together with other articles that
would have done credit to the knowledge of Polwarth in
spices. His full and decorous wig was replaced by a velvet
cap, his shoes were unbuckled, and his heels released from
confinement. In short, all his arrangements were those of
a man who, having endured a day of labor, was resolved to
prove the enjoyments of an evening of rest. His pipe,
though filled, and on the little table by his side, was not
lighted, in compliment to the guest he expected at that hour.
As he was slightly acquainted with Major Lincoln, no in
troduction was necessary, and the two gentlemen were soon
seated ; the one endeavoring to overcome the embarrassment
he felt on revealing his singular errand, and the other wait
ing, in no little curiosity, to learn the reason why a member
of Parliament, and the heir of ten thousand a year, should
come abroad on such an unpropitious night.

At length Lionel succeeded in making the astonished
priest understand his wishes, and paused to hear the ex
pected approbation of his proposal.

292 LIONEL LINCOLN.

Dr. Liturgy had listened with the most profound atten
tion, as if to catch some clue to explain the mystery of the
extraordinary proceeding, and when the young man con
cluded, he unconsciously lighted his pipe, and began to
throw out large clouds of smoke, like a man who felt there
was a design to abridge his pleasures, and who was con
sequently determined to make the most of his time.

" Married ! To be married in church ! and after the
night lecture?" he muttered in a low voice between his
long-drawn puffs. " 'Tis my duty — certainly — Major Lin
coln — to marry my parishioners "

"In the present instance, as I know my request to be
irregular, sir," interrupted the impatient Lionel, "I will
make it your interest also." While speaking, he took a
well-filled purse from his pocket, and, with an air of much
delicacy, laid a small pile of gold by the side of the silver
spectacle-case of the divine, as if to show him the difference
in the value of the two metals.

Dr. Liturgy bowed his acknowledgments, and insensibly
changed the stream of smoke to the opposite corner of his
mouth, so as to leave the view of the glittering boon unob
structed. At the same time he raised the heel of one shoe,
and threw an anxious glance at the curtained window, to
inquire into the state of the weather.

" Could not the ceremony be performed at the house of
Mrs. Lechmere?" he asked: "Miss Dynevor is a tender
child, and I fear the cold air of the chapel might do her no
service."

"It is her wish to go to the altar, and you are sensible
it is not my part to question her decision in such a mat
ter."

" 'Tis a pious inclination ; though I trust she knows the
distinction between the spiritual and the temporal church.
The laws of the colonies are too loose on the subject of
marriages, Major Lincoln; culpably and^ dangerously
loose!"

LIONEL LINCOLN. 2Q3

"But as it is not in our power to alter, my good sir,
you will permit me to profit by them, imperfect as they
are?"

" Undeniably — it is part of my office to christen, to marry
and to bury; a duty which, I often say, covers the beginning,
the middle, and the end of existence. But permit me to
help you to a little of my beverage, Major Lincoln — we call
it * Samson/ in Boston; you will find the * Danite' a warm
companion for a February night in this climate."

"The mixture is not inaptly named, sir," said Lionel,
after wetting his lips, " if strength be the quality most con
sidered."

"Ah! you have him from the lap of a Delilah; but it is
unbecoming in one of my cloth to meddle with aught of the
harlot."

He laughed at his own wit, and made a more spirituous
than spiritual addition to his glass, while he continued:

" We divide it into * Samson with his hair off,' and * Sam
son with his hair on '; and I believe myself the most ortho
dox in preferring the man of strength in his native comeli
ness. I pledge you, Major Lincoln: may the middle of
your days be as happy as the charming young lady you are
about to espouse may well render them ; and your end, sir,
that of a good churchman, and a faithful subject."

Lionel, who considered this compliment as an indication
of his success, now rose, and said a few words on the sub
ject of their meeting in the chapel. The divine, who mani
festly possessed no great relish for the duty, made sundry
slight objections to the whole proceeding, which were, how
ever, soon overcome by the arguments of the bridegroom.
At length, every difficulty was happily adjusted, save one,
and that the epicurean doctor stoutly declared to be a seri
ous objection to acting in the matter. The church fires
were suffered to go down, and his sexton had been taken
from the chapel, that very evening, with every symptom on
him of the terrible pestilence which then raged in the place,

2Q4 LIONEL LINCOLN.

adding, by its danger, to the horrors and the privations of
the siege.

" A clear case of the small-pox, I do assure you, Major
Lincoln," he continued, "and contracted, without doubt,
from some emissaries sent into the town for that purpose,
by the wicked devices of the rebels.7'

" I have heard that each party accuses the other of resort
ing to these unjustifiable means of annoyance," returned
Lionel ; " but, as I know our own leader to be above such
baseness, I will not suspect any other man of it without
proof."

" Too charitable by half, sir — much too charitable ! But
let the disease come whence it will, I fear my sexton will
prove its victim."

" I will take the charge on myself of having the fires re
newed," said Lionel : " the embers must yet be in the
stoves, and we have still an hour of time before us."

As the clergyman was much too conscientious to retain
possession of the gold without fully entitling himself to the
ownership, he had long before determined to comply, not
withstanding the secret yearnings of his flesh. Their plans
were now soon arranged, and Lionel, after receiving the key
of the chapel, took his leave for a time.

When Major Lincoln found himself in the street again,
he walked for some distance in the direction of the chapel,
anxiously looking along the deserted way, in order to dis
cover an unemployed soldier, who might serve to perform
the menial offices of the absent sexton. He proceeded for
some distance without success; for everything human
seemed housed, even the number of lights in the windows
beginning to decrease in a manner which denoted that the
usual hour of rest had arrived. He had paused in the en
trance of the Dock Square, uncertain where to apply for an
assistant, when he caught a glimpse of the figure of a man,
crouching under the walls of the old turreted warehouse, so
often mentioned. Without hesitating an instant, he ap-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 2Q5

preached the spot, from which the figure neither moved, nor
did it indeed betray any other eivdence of a consciousness
of his proximity. Notwithstanding the dimness of the
moon, there was light enough to detect the extreme misery
of the object before him. His tattered and thin attire suffi
ciently bespoke the motive of the stranger for seeking a
shelter from the cutting winds behind an angle of the wall,
while his physical wants were betrayed by the eager man
ner in which he gnawed at a bone that might well have
been rejected from the mess of the meanest private, not
withstanding the extreme scarcity that prevailed in the gar
rison. Lionel forgot for a moment his present object, at
this exhibition of human suffering, and with a kind voice
he addressed the wretched being.

" You have a cold spot to eat your supper in, my friend,"
he said; "and it would seem, too, but a scanty meal."

Without ceasing to masticate his miserable nutriment,
or even raising his eyes, the other said, in a growling
voice :

" The king could shut up the harbor, and keep out the
ships; but he hasn't the might to drive cold weather from
Boston, in the month of March ! "

"As I live, Job Pray! Come with me, boy, and I will
give you a better meal, and a warmer place to enjoy it in;
but first tell me, can you procure a lantern and a light from
your mother ? "

"You can't go in the ware'us' to-night," returned the lad,
positively.

" Is there no place at hand, then, where such things might
be purchased ? "

"They keep them there," said Job, pointing sullenly to a
low building on the opposite side of the square, through one
of the windows of which a faint light was glimmering.

" Then take this money, and go buy them for me, without
delay."

Job hesitated with ill-concealed reluctance.

296 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" Go, fellow, I have instant need of them, and you can
keep the change for your reward."

The young man no longer betrayed any indisposition to
go, but answered with great promptitude, for one of his im
becile mind:

" Job will go, if you will let him buy Nab some meat with
the change ? "

"Certainly, buy what you will with it; and furthermore,
I promise you, that neither your mother nor yourself shall
want again for food or clothing."

" Job's a-hungry," said the simpleton ; " but they say
hunger don't come as craving upon a young stomach as upon
an old one. Do you think the king knows what it is to be
a-cold and hungry? "

"I know not, boy — but I know full well that if one suffer
ing like you were before him, his heart would yearn to relieve
him. Go, go, and buy yourself food, too, if they have it."

In a very few minutes Lionel saw the simpleton issuing
from the house to which he had run at his bidding, with the
desired lantern.

"Did you get any food? " said Lionel, motioning to Job
to precede him with the light; "I trust you did not entirely
forget yourself in your haste to serve me."

"Job hopes he didn't catch the pestilence," returned the
lad, eating at the same time voraciously of a small roll of
bread.

"Catch what? what is it you hope you did not catch? "

" The pestilence — they are full of the foul disorder in
that house."

" Do you mean the small-pox, boy? "

"Yes; some call it small-pox, and some call it the foul
disorder, and other some the pestilence. The king can
keep out the trade, but he can't keep out the cold and the
pestilence from Boston ; but when the people get the town
back, they'll know what to do with it — they'll send it all to
the pest-housen ! "

LIONEL LINCOLN. . 2Q/

" I hope I have not exposed you unwittingly to danger,
Job — it would have been better had I gone myself; for I
was inoculated for the terrible disease in my infancy."

Job, who, in expressing his sense of the danger, had ex
hausted the stores of his feeble mind on the subject, made
no reply, but continued walking through the square, until
they reached its termination, when he turned, and inquired
which way he was to go.

" To the church," said Lionel, " and swiftly, lad."

As they entered Corn-hill, they encountered the fury of
the wind, when Major Lincoln, bowing his head, and
gathering his cloak about him, followed the light which
flitted along the pavement in his front. Shut out in a man
ner from the world by this covering, his thoughts returned
to their former channel, and in a few moments he forgot
where he was, or whom he was following. He was soon
awakened from his abstraction by perceiving that it was
necessary for him to ascend a few steps, when, supposing
he had reached the place of destination, he raised his head,
and unthinkingly followed his conductor into the tower of
a large edifice. Immediately perceiving his mistake, by
the difference of the architecture from that of the King's
Chapel, he reproved the lad for his folly, and demanded why
he had brought him thither.

" This is what you call a church," said Job, " though I
call it a meetin'us'. It's no wonder you don't know it — for
what the people built for a temple, the king has turned into
a stable!"

"A stable!" exclaimed Lionel. Perceiving a strong
smell of horses in the place, he advanced and threw open
the inner door, when, to his amazement, he perceived that
he stood in an area fitted for the exercises of the cavalry.
There was no mistaking the place, nor its uses. The naked
galleries, and many of the original ornaments, were stand
ing; but the accommodations below were destroyed, and in
their places the floor had been covered with earth, for horses

298 LIONEL LINCOLN.

and their riders to practise in the cavesson. The abomina
tions of the place even now offended his senses, as he stood
on that spot where he remembered so often to have seen the
grave and pious colonists assemble, in crowds, to worship.
Seizing the lantern from Job, he hurried out of the build
ing, with a disgust that even the unobservant simpleton had
no difficulty in discovering. On reaching the street, his
eyes fell upon the lights, and on the silent dignity of the
Province House, and he was compelled to recollect that
this wanton violation of the feelings of the colonists had
been practised directly under the windows of the royal gov
ernor.

" Fools, fools! " he muttered bitterly: "when ye should
have struck like men, ye have trifled as children ; and ye
have forgotten your manhood, and even your God, to indulge
your besotted spleen ! "

" And now these very horses are starving for want of hay,
as a judgment upon them! " said Job, who shuffled his way
industriously at the other's side. " They had better have
gone to meetin' themselves, and heard the expounding, than
to set dumb beasts a rioting in a place that the Lord used
to visit so often! "

"Tell me, boy, of what other act of folly and madness
has the army been guilty? "

"What! haven't you heard of the Old North! They've
made oven-wood of the grandest temple in the Bay! If they
dared, they'd lay their ungodly hands on old Funnel itself! "

Lionel made no reply. He then heard that the distresses
of the garrison, heightened as they were by the ceaseless
activity of the Americans, had compelled them to convert
many houses, as well as the church in question, into fuel.
But he saw in the act nothing more than the usual recourse
of a common military exigency. It was free from that reck
less contempt of a people's feelings, which was exhibited in
the prostitution of the ancient walls of the sister edifice,
which was known throughout New England, with a species

LIONEL LINCOLN. 2QQ

of veneration, as the " Old South.'7 He continued his way
gloomily along the silent streets, until he reached the more
favored temple, in which the ritual of the English church
was observed, and whose roof was rendered doubly sacred,
in the eyes of the garrison, by the accidental circumstance
of bearing the title of their earthly monarch.

CHAPTER XXII.

Thou art too like the spirit o f Banquo ; down !

Macbeth.

MAJOR LINCOLN found the King's Chapel differing in
every particular from the venerable, but prostituted build
ing he had just quitted. As he entered, the light of his
lantern played over the rich scarlet covering of many a pew,
and glanced upon the glittering ornaments of the polished
organ, which now slumbered in as chilled a silence as the
dead, which lay in such multitudes within and without the
massive walls. The labored columns, with their slender
shafts and fretted capitals, threw shapeless shadows across
the dim background, peopling the galleries and ceiling with
imaginary phantoms of thin air. As this slight delusion
passed away, he became sensible of the change in the tem
perature. The warmth was not yet dissipated, which had
been maintained during the different services of the day;
for, notwithstanding the wants of the town and garrison, the
favored temple, where the representative of the sovereign
was wont to worship, knew not the ordinary privations of
the place. Job was directed to supply the dying embers of
the stoves with fresh fuel, and as the simpleton well knew
where to find the stores of the church, his office was per
formed with an alacrity that was not a little increased by
his own sufferings.

When the bustle of preparation had subsided, Lionel drew

300 LIONEL LINCOLN.

a chair from the chancel, while Job crouched by the side of
the quivering iron he had heated, in that attitude he was
wont to assume, and which so touchingly expressed the
secret consciousness he felt of his own inferiority. As the
grateful warmth diffused itself over the half-naked frame of
the simpleton, his head sunk upon his bosom, and he was
fast falling into a slumber, like a worried hound that had at
length found ease and shelter. A more active mind would
have wished to learn the reasons that could induce his com
panion to seek such an asylum at that unseasonable hour.
But Job was a stranger to curiosity, nor did the occasional
glimmerings of his mind often extend beyond those holy
precepts which had been taught him with such care, before
disease had sapped his faculties, or those popular principles
of the time, that formed so essential a portion of the thoughts
of every New England man.

Not so with Major Lincoln. His watch told him that
many weary minutes must elapse before he could expect to
receive his bride, and he disposed himself to wait, with as
much patience as comported with five-and-twenty, and the
circumstances. In a short time the stillness of the chapel
was restored, interrupted only by the passing gusts of the
wind without, and the dull roaring of the furnace, by whose
side Job slumbered in a state of happy oblivion.

Lionel endeavored to still his truant thoughts, and bring
them in training for the solemn ceremony in which he was
soon to be an actor. Finding the task too difficult, he arose,
and approaching a window, looked out upon the solitude,
and the whirlwinds of snow that drifted through the streets,
eagerly listening for those sounds of approach, which his
reason told him he ought not yet to expect. Again he seated
himself, and turned his eyes inquiringly about him, with a
sort of inward apprehension that some one lay concealed, in
the surrounding gloom, with a secret desire to mar his ap
proaching happiness. There was so much of wild and fever
ish romance in the incidents of the day, that he found it

LIONEL LINCOLN. 30 1

difficult, at moments, to credit their reality, and had re
course to hasty glances at the altar, his attire, and even his
insensible companion, to remove the delusion from his
mind. Again he looked upward at the unsteady and huge
shadows which wavered along the ceiling of the walls, and
his former apprehensions of some hidden evil were revived,
with a vividness that amounted nearly to a presentiment.
So uneasy did he become at length, under this impression,
that he walked along the more distant aisles, scrupulously
looking into the dark pews, and throwing a scrutinizing
glance behind each column, and was rewarded for his
trouble by hearing the hollow echoes of his own footsteps.

In returning from this round, he approached the stove,
and yielded to a strong desire of listening to the voice of
even Job, in a moment of such morbid excitement. Touch
ing the simpleton lightly with his foot, the other awoke with
that readiness which denoted the sudden and disturbed na
ture of his ordinary rest.

"You are unusually dull to-night, Job," said Lionel, en
deavoring to hush his uneasiness in affected pleasantry, " or
you would inquire the reason why I pay my visit to the
church at this extraordinary hour."

" Boston folks love their meetin'us's," returned the obtuse
simpleton.

"Ay! but they love their beds, too, fellow; and one-half
of them are now enjoying what you seem to covet so much."

" Job loves to eat, and be warm ! "

" And to sleep, too, if one may judge by your drowsiness."

"Yes, sleep is sweet, Job don't feel a-hungered when he's
sleeping."

Lionel remained silent for several moments, under a keen
perception of the suffering exhibited in the touching help
lessness which marked the manner of the other, before he
continued-

" But I expect to be joined soon by the clergyman, and
some ladies, and Captain Polwarth."

302 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" Job likes Captain Polwarth — he keeps a grand sight of
provisions! "

"Enough of this! can you think of nothing but your
stomach, boy ? "

"God made hunger," said Job, gloomily, "and he made
food, too, but the king keeps it all for his rake-hellies! "

"Well, listen, and be attentive to what I tell you. One
of the ladies who will come here is Miss Dynevor; you
know Miss Dynevor. Job? the beautiful Miss Dynevor! "

The charms of Cecil had not, however, made their wonted
impression on the dull eye of the idiot, who still regarded
the speaker with his customary air of apathy.

" Surely, Job, you know Miss Dynevor! " repeated Lionel,
with an irritability that, at any other time, he would have
been the first to smile at — "she has often rgiven you money
and clothes."

"Yes, Ma'am Lechmere is her grandam ! "

This was certainly one of the least recommendations his
mistress possessed in the eyes of Lionel, who paused a mo
ment, with inward vexation, before he added :

"Let who will be her relatives, she is this night to be
come my wife. You will remain and witness the ceremony,
and then you will extinguish the lights, and return the key
of the church to Dr. Liturgy. In the morning, come to me
for your reward."

The changeling arose, with an air of singular importance,
and answered :

"To be sure. Major Lincoln is to be married, and he
asks Job to the wedding ! Now, Nab may preach her sar-
mons about pride and flaunty feelings as much as she will;
but blood is blood, and flesh is flesh, for all her sayings! "

Struck by the expression of wild meaning that gleamed in
the eyes of the simpleton, Major Lincoln demanded an ex
planation of his ambiguous language. But ere Job had
leisure to reply, though his vacant look again denoted that
his thoughts were already contracting themselves within

LIONEL LINCOLN. 303

their usually narrow limits, a sudden noise drew the atten
tion of both to the entrance of the chapel. The door opened
in the next instant, and the figure of the divine, powdered
with drifted snow, and encased in various defences against
the cold, was seen, moving with a becoming gravity, through
the principal aisle. Lionel hastened to receive him, and to
conduct him to the seat he had just occupied himself.

When Dr. Liturgy had uncloaked, and appeared in his
robes of office, the benevolence of his smile, and the whole
expression of his countenance, denoted that he was satisfied
with the condition in which he found the preparations.

" There is no reason why a church should not be as com
fortable as a man's library, Major Lincoln," he said, hitch
ing his seat a little nearer to the stove. " It is a puritanical
and a dissenting idea, that religion has anything forbidding
or gloomy in its nature; and wherefore should we assem
ble amid pains and inconvenience to discharge its sacred
offices?"

"Quite true, sir," returned Lionel, looking anxiously
through one of the windows; "I have not yet heard the hour
of ten strike, though my watch tells me it is time! "

"The weather renders the public clocks very irregular.
There are so many unavoidable evils to which flesh is heir,
that we should endeavor to be happy on all occasions — in
deed, it is a duty

"It's not in the natur of sin to make fallen man happy,"
said a low, growling voice from behind the stove.

"Ha! what! did you speak, Major Lincoln — a very
singular sentiment for a bridegroom! " muttered the divine.

" 'Tis that weak young man, whom I have brought hither
to assist with the fires, repeating some of the lore of his
mother; nothing else, sir."

By this time, Dr. Liturgy had caught a glimpse of the
crouching Job, and comprehending the interruption, he fell
back in his chair, smiling superciliously, as he continued:

" I know the lad, sir; I should know him. He is learned

304 LIONEL LINCOLN.

in the texts, and somewhat given to disputation in matters
of religion. 'Tis a pity the little intellect he has, had not
been better managed in his infancy ; but they have helped
to crush his feeble mind with their subtilties. We — I mean
we of the established church — often style him the Boston
Calvin — ha, ha, ha! Old Cotton was not his equal in
subtilty! But speaking of the establishment, do you not
fancy that one of the consequences of this rebellion will be
to extend its benefits to the colonies, and that we may look
forward to the period when the true church shall possess its
inheritance in these religious provinces? "

"Oh, most certainly! " said Lionel, again walking anx
iously to the window; "would to God they had come! "

The divine, with whom weddings were matters of too
frequent occurrence to awaken his sympathies, understood
the impatient bridegroom literally, and replied accord
ingly:

" I am glad to hear you say it, Major Lincoln, and I hope
when the act of amnesty shall be passed, to find your vote
on the side of such a condition."

At this instant Lionel caught a glimpse of the well-known
sleigh, moving slowly along the deserted street, and, utter
ing a cry of pleasure, he rushed to the door to receive his
bride. Dr. Liturgy finished his sentence to himself, and
rising from his comfortable position, he took the light, and
entered the chancel. The disposition of the candles hav
ing been previously made, when they were lighted, his book
opened, his robes adjusted, and his features settled into a
suitable degree of solemnity, he stood, waiting with becom
ing dignity the approach of those over whom he was to pro
nounce the nuptial benediction. Job placed himself within
the shadows of the building, and stood regarding the atti
tude and imposing aspect of the priest, with a species of
childish awe.

Then came a group, emerging from the obscurity of the
distant part of the church, and moving slowly towards the

LIONEL LINCOLN. 305

altar. Cecil was in front, leaning on that arm which Lionel
had given her, as much for support, as through courtesy.
She had removed her outer and warmer garments in the
vestibule of the sacred edifice, and now appeared, attired
in a manner as well suited to the suddenness and privacy,
as to the importance of the ceremony. A mantle of satin,
tirmmed with delicate furs, fell carelessly from her shoul
ders, partly concealing by its folds the exquisite proportions
of her slender form. Beneath was a vestment of the same
rich material, cut after the fashions of that period, in a
manner to give the exact outlines of the bust. Across the
stomacher were deep rows of fine lace, and wide borders of
the same valuable texture followed the retiring edges of her
robe, leaving the costly dress within partly exposed to the
eye. But the beauty and simplicity of her attire (it was
simple for that day) was lost, or, rather, it served to adorn,
unnoticed, the melancholy beauty of her countenance.

As they approached the expecting priest, Cecil threw, by
a gentle movement, her mantle on the rails of the chancel,
and accompanied Lionel with a firmer tread than before to
the foot of the altar. Her cheeks were pale; but it was
rather with a compelled resolution than dread, while her
eyes were full of tenderness and thought. Of the two devo
tees of Hymen, she exhibited, if not the most composure,
certainly the most singleness of purpose, and intentness on
the duty before them; for while the looks of Lionel were
stealing uneasily about the building, as if he expected some
hidden object to start up out of the darkness, hers were
riveted on the priest in sweet and earnest attention.

They paused in their allotted places; and after a moment
was allowed for Agnes and Polwarth, who alone followed,
to enter the chancel, the low but deep tones of the minister
were heard in the solemn stillness of the place.

Dr. Liturgy had borrowed a suitable degree of inspira
tion from the dreariness of the hour, and the solitude of the
building where he was required to discharge his sacred
20

3O6 LIONEL LINCOLN.

functions. As he delivered the opening exhortation of the
service, he made long and frequent pauses between the
members of the sentences, giving to each injunction a dis
tinct and impressive emphasis. But when he came to those
closing words:

" If any man can show just cause why they may not be law
fully joined together, let him now speak, or else, hereafter, for
ever hold his peace"

He lifted his voice, and raised his eyes to the more dis
tant parts of the chapel, as though he addressed a multitude
in the gloom. The faces of all present involuntarily fol
lowed the direction of his gaze, and a moment of deep ex
pectation, which can only be explained by the singularly
wild character of the scene, succeeded the reverberation of
his tones. At that moment, when each had taken breath,
and all were again turning to the altar, a huge shadow rose
upon the gallery, and extended itself along the ceiling, until
its gigantic proportions were seen hovering, like an evil
spectre, nearly above them.

The clergyman suspended the half-uttered sentence.
Cecil grasped the arm of Lionel convulsively, while a
shudder passed through her frame, that seemed about to
shake it to dissolution.

The shadowy image then slowly withdrew, not without,
however, throwing out a fantastic gesture, with an arm
which stretched itself across the vaulted roof, and down the
walls, as if about to clutch its victims beneath.

" If any man can show just cause why they may not be law
fully joined together, let him now speak, or else, hereafter, for
ever hold his peace" repeated the priest aloud, as if he would
summon the universe at the challenge.

Again the shadow rose, presenting this time the strong
and huge lineaments of a human face, which it was not
difficult, at such a moment, to fancy possessed even expres
sion and life. Its strongly marked features seemed to work
with powerful emotion, and the lips moved as if the airy

LIONEL LINCOLN. 3O/

being was speaking to unearthly ears. Next came two
arms raised above the gazing group, with clasped hands,
as in the act of benediction, after which the whole vanished,
leaving the ceiling in its own dull white, and the building
still as the graves which surrounded it.

Once more the excited minister uttered the summons;
and again every eye was drawn, as by a secret impulse, to
a spot which seemed to possess the form, without the sub
stance, of a human being. But the shadow was seen no
more. After waiting several moments in vain, Dr. Liturgy
proceeded, with a voice in which a growing tremor was very
perceptible ; but no further interruption was experienced to
the end of the service.

Cecil pronounced her vows, and plighted her troth, in
tones of holy emotion; while Lionel, who was prepared for
some strange calamity, went through the service to the end,
with a forced calmness. They were married ; and when the
blessing was uttered, not a sound nor a whispper was heard
in the party. Silently they all turned away from the spot,
and prepared to leave the place. Cecil stood passively,
and permitted Lionel to wrap her form in the folds of her
mantle with tender care ; and when she would have smiled
her thanks for the attention, she merely raised her anxious
eyes to the ceiling, with an expression that could not be
mistaken. Even Polwarth was mute; and Agnes forgot to
offer those congratulations and good wishes, with which her
heart had so recently been swelling.

The clergyman uttered a few words of caution to Job con
cerning the candles and the fire, and hurried after the retir
ing party with a quickness of step that he was willing to
ascribe to the lateness of the hour, and with a total disre
gard to the safety of the edifice; leaving the chapel to the
possession of the ill-gifted, but undisturbed son of Abigail
Pray.

3O8 LIONEL LINCOLN.

CHAPTER XXIII.

Forbear to judge, for we are sinners all ;
Close up his eyes, and draw the curtain close ;
And let us all to meditation.

King Henry VI.

THE bridal party entered their little vehicle silent and
thoughtful; the voice of Polwarth being alone audible, as
he gave a few low and hurried orders to the groom who was
in waiting. Dr. Liturgy approached for a moment, and
made his compliments, when the sleigh darted away from
before the building, as swiftly as if the horse that drew it
partook of the secret uneasiness of those it held. The
movements of the divine, though less rapid, were equally
diligent, and in less than a minute the winds whistled, and
clouds of snow were driven through a street which every
thing possessing life appeared once more to have abandoned.

The instant Polwarth had discharged his load at the door
of Mrs. Lechmere, he muttered something of " happiness
and to-morrow," which his friend did not understand, and
dashed through the gate of the court-yard, at the same mad
rate that he had driven from the church. On entering the
house, Agnes repaired to the room of her aunt, to report
that the marriage knot was tied, while Lionel led his silent
bride into the empty parlor.

Cecil stood, fixed and motionless as a statue, while her
husband removed her cloak and mantle; her cheeks pale,
her eyes riveted on the floor, and her whole attitude and
manner exhibiting the intensity of thought which had been
created by the scene in which she had just been an actor.
When he had relieved her light form from the load of gar
ments in which it had been enveloped by his care, he im
pelled her gently to a seat by his side, on the settee, and,
for the first time since she had uttered the final vow at the
altar, she spoke:

LIONEL LINCOLN. 309

"Was it a fearful omen? " she whispered, as he folded
her to his heart, " or was it no more than a horrid
fancy?"

" 'Twas nothing, love— 'twas a shadow— that of Job Pray,
who was with me to light the fires."

"No — no — no!" said Cecil, speaking with the rapidity
of high excitement, and in tones that gathered strength as
she proceeded : " those were never the unmeaning features
of the miserable simpleton! Know you, Lincoln, that in
the haughty, the terrific outlines of those dreadful lineaments
on the wall, I fancied a resemblance to the profile of our
great-uncle, your father's predecessor in the title — Dark Sir
Lionel, as he was called."

" It was easy to fancy anything, at such a time, and under
such circumstances. Do not cloud the happiness of our
bridal by these gloomy fancies."

" Am I gloomy or superstitious by habit, Lionel ? " she
asked, with a deprecating tenderness in her voice, that
touched his inmost heart. " But it came at such a moment,
and in such a shape, that I should be more than woman not
to tremble at its terrible import ! "

"What is it you dread, Cecil? Are we not married;
lawfully, solemnly united? " — the bride shuddered; but per
ceiving her unwilling, or unable to answer, he continued —
"beyond the power of man to sever; and with the con
sent, nay, by the earnest wish, the command, of the only
being who can have a right to express a wish, or have an
opinion on the subject? "

" I believe — that is, I think, it is all as you say, Lionel,"
returned Cecil, still looking about her with a vacant and
distressed air, that curdled his blood; "yes — yes, we are
certainly married; and oh! how ardently do I implore Him
who sees and governs all things, that our union may be
blessed! but "

"But what, Cecil? Will you let a thing of naught — a
shadow — affect you in this manner? "

3IO LIONEL LINCOLN.

" 'Twas a shadow, as you say, Lincoln ; but where was the
substance? "

" Cecil, my sensible, my good, my pious Cecil, why do
your faculties slumber in this unaccountable apathy? Ask
your own excellent reason : can there be a shade where
nothing obstructs the light? "

*' I know not. I cannot reason — I have not reason. All
things are possible to Him whose will is law, and whose
slightest wish shakes the universe. There was a shadow, a
dark, a speaking, and a terrible shadow; but who can say,
where was the reality? "

" I had almost answered, with the phantom, only in your
sensitive imagination, love. But arouse your slumbering
powers, Cecil, and reflect how possible it was for some
curious idler of the garrison to have watched my movements
and to have secreted himself in the chapel; perhaps from
wanton mischief — perhaps without motive of any kind."

" He then chose an awful moment in which to act his
gambols! "

" It may have been one whose knowledge was just equal
to giving a theatrical effect to his silly deception. But are
we to be cheated of our happiness by such weak devices;
or to be miserable because Boston contains a fool? "

"I may be weak, and silly, and even impious in this
terror, Lincoln," she said, turning her softened looks upon
his anxious face, and attempting to smile; "but it is assail
ing a woman in a point where she is most sensitive. — You
know that I have no reserve with you, now. Marriage with
us is the tie that * binds all charities in one,' and at the
moment when the heart is full of its own security, is it not
dreadful to have such mysterious presages, be they true, or
be they false, answering to the awful appeal of the church! "

" Nor is the tie less binding, less important, or less dear,
my own Cecil, to us. Believe me, whatever the pride of
manhood may say of high destinies, and glorious deeds, the
same affections are deeply seated in our nature, and must

LIONEL LINCOLN. 311

be soothed by those we love, and not by those who contribute
to our vanity. Why, then, permit this chill to blight your
best affections in their budding? "

There was so much that was soothing to the anxiety of a
bride, in his sentiments, and so much of tender interest in
his manner, that he at length succeeded, in a great degree,
in luring Cecil from her feverish apprehensions. As he
spoke a mantling bloom diffused itself over her cold and
pallid cheeks, and when he had done, her eyes lighted with
the glow of a woman's confidence, and were turned on his
own in bright, but blushing pleasure. She repeated his
word "chill," with an emphasis and a smile that could not
be misconstrued, and in a few minutes he entirely succeeded
in quelling the uneasy presentiments that had gained a mo
mentary ascendency over her clear and excellent faculties.

But notwithstanding Major Lincoln reasoned so well, and
with so much success, against the infirmity of his bride, he
was by no means equal to maintain as just an argument with
himself. The morbid sensibility of his mind had been
awakened in a most alarming manner by the occurrences of
the evening, though his warm interest in the happiness of
Cecil had enabled him to smother them, so long as he wit
nessed the extent and nature of her apprehensions. But,
exactly in the proportion as he persuaded her into forget-
fulness of the past, his recollections became more vivid
and keen; and, notwithstanding his art, he might not have
been able to conceal the workings of his troubled thoughts
from his companion, had not Agnes appeared, and an
nounced the desire of Mrs. Lechmere to receive the bride
and bridegroom in her sick-chamber.

"Come, Lincoln," said his lovely companion, rising at
the summons, " we have been selfish in forgetting how
strongly my grandmother sympathizes in our good or evil
fortunes. We should have discharged this duty without
waiting to be reminded of it."

Without making any other reply than a fond pressure of

312 LIONEL LINCOLN.

the hand he held, Lionel drew her arm through his own,
and followed Agnes into the little hall which conducted to
the upper part of the dwelling.

" You know the way, Major Lincoln," said Miss Danforth ;
" and should you not, my lady bride can show you. I must
go and cast a worldly eye on the little banquet I have
ordered, but which I fear will be labor thrown away, since
Captain Polwarth has disdained to exhibit his prowess at
the board. Truly, Major Lincoln, I marvel that a man of
so much substance as your friend, should be frightened from
his stomach by a shadow! "

Cecil even laughed, and in those sweet feminine tones
that are infectious, at the humor of her cousin; but the
dark and anxious expression that gathered round the brow
of her husband as suddenly checked her mirth.

" Let us ascend, Lincoln," she said, instantly, " and leave
mad Agnes to her household cares, and her folly."

" Ay, go," cried the other, turning away towards the sup
per-room — " eating and drinking is not ethereal enough for
your elevated happiness; would I had a repast worthy of
such sentimental enjoyment! Let me see — dew-drops and
lovers' tears, in equal quantities, sweetened by Cupid's
smiles, with a dish of sighs, drawn by moonlight, for piq
uancy, as Polwarth would say, would flavor a bowl to their
tastes. The dew-drops might be difficult to procure, at this
inclement season, and in such a night; but if sighs and
tears would serve alone, poor Boston is just now rich enough
in materials."

Lionel, and his half-blushing, half-smiling companion,
heard the dying sounds of her voice, as she entered the dis
tant apartment, expressing, by its tones, the mingled pleas
antry and spleen of its mistress, and in the next instant they
forgot both Agnes and her humor, as they found themselves
in the presence of Mrs. Lechmere.

The first glance of his eye at their expecting relative,
brought a painful throb to the heart of Major Lincoln.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 313

Mrs. Lechmere had caused herself to be raised in the bed,
in which she was seated nearly upright, supported by pil
lows. Her wrinkled and emaciated cheeks were flushed
with an unnatural color, that contrasted too violently with
the marks which age and strong passions had impressed,
with their indelible ringers, on the surrounding wreck of
those haughty features, which had once been distinguished
for great, if not attractive beauty. Her hard eyes had lost
their ordinary expression of worldly care, in a brightness
which caused them rather to glare than to beam with flashes
of unbridled satisfaction that could no longer be repressed.
In short, her whole appearance brought a startling convic
tion to the mind of the young man, that whatever might
have been the ardor of his own feelings in espousing her
grandchild, he had at length realized the fondest desires of
a being so worldly, so designing, and, as he was now made
keenly to remember, of one also, who, he had much reason
to apprehend, was so guilty. The invalid did not seem to
think a concealment of her exultation any longer necessary;
for, stretching out her arms, she called to her child, in a
voice raised above its natural tones, and which was dis
sonant and harsh from a sort of unholy triumph:

" Come to my arms, my pride, my hope, my dutiful, my
deserving daughter! Come and receive a parent's blessing
— that blessing which you so much deserve! "

Even Cecil, warm and consoling as was the language of
her grandmother, hesitated an instant at the unnatural voice
in which the summons was uttered, and advanced to meet
her embrace with a manner less warm than was usual to her
own ardent and unsuspecting nature. This secret restraint
existed, however, but for a moment; for when she felt the
encircling arms of Mrs. Lechmere pressing her warmly to
her aged bosom, she looked up into the face of her grand
mother, as if to thank her for so much affection, by her own
guileless smiles and tears.

"Here, then, Major Lincoln, you possess my greatest,

314 LIONEL LINCOLN.

I had almost said my only treasure!" added Mrs. Lech-
mere. "She is a good, a gentle, and dutiful child; and
Heaven will bless her for it, as I do." Leaning forward, she
continued, in a less excited voice: "Kiss me, my Cecil, my
bride, my Lady Lincoln! for by that loved title I may now
call you, as yours, in the course of nature, it soon will be."

Cecil, greatly shocked at the unguarded exultation of her
grandmother, gently withdrew herself from her arms, and
with eyes bent to the floor in shame, and burning cheeks,
she willingly moved aside, to allow Lionel to approach,
and receive his share of the congratulations. He stooped
to bestow the cold and reluctant kiss which the offered
cheek of Mrs. Lechmere invited, and muttered a few inco
herent words concerning his present happiness, and the
obligation she had conferred. Notwithstanding the high
and disgusting triumph which had broken through the usu
ally cold and cautious manner of the invalid, a powerful and
unbidden touch of nature mingled in her address to the
bridegroom. The fiery and unnatural glow of her eyes even
softened with a tear, as she spoke :

" Lionel, my nephew, my son," she said, " I have endeav
ored to receive you in a manner worthy of the head of an
ancient and honorable name; but were you a sovereign
prince, I have now done my last and best in your favor.
Cherish her — love her — be more than husband — be all of
kin to the precious child, for she merits all! Now is my
latest wish fulfilled! Now may I prepare myself for the
last great change, in the quiet of a long and tranquil even
ing to the weary and troublesome day of life! "

" Woman ! " said a tremulous voice in the background,
"thou deceivest thyself! "

"Who," exclaimed Mrs. Lechmere, raising her body with
a convulsive start, as if about to leap from the bed — " who
is it speaks ? "

" Tis I," returned the well-remembered tones of Ralph,
as he advanced from the door to the foot of her couch — " 'tis

LIONEL LINCOLN. 315

I, Priscilla Lechmere; one who knows thy merits and thy
doom ! "

The appalled woman fell back on her pillows, gasping
for breath, the flush of her cheeks giving place to their
former signs of age and disease, and her eye losing its high
exultation in the glazed look of sudden terror. It would
seem, however, that a single moment of reflection was suf
ficient to restore her spirit, and with it all her deep resent
ments. She motioned the intruder away, by a violent gest
ure of the hand, and after an effort to command her utter
ance, she said, in a voice rendered doubly strong by over
whelming passion:

" Why am I braved, at such a moment, in the privacy of
my sick-chamber? Have that madman, or impostor, which
ever he may be, removed from my presence! "

She uttered her request to deadened ears. Lionel neither
moved nor answered. His whole attention was given to
Ralph, across whose hollow features a smile of calm indif
ference passed, which denoted how little he regarded the
threatened violence. Even Cecil, who clung to the arm of
Lionel, with all a woman's dependence on him she loved,
was unnoticed by the latter, in the absorbing interest he
took in the sudden reappearance of one whose singular and
mysterious character had, long since, raised such hopes and
fears in his own bosom.

" Your doors will shortly be open to all who may choose
to visit here," the old man coldly answered. " Why should
I be driven from a dwelling where heartless crowds shall so
soon enter and depart at will? Am I not old enough ; or
do I not bear enough of the aspect of the grave, to become
your companion? Priscilla Lechmere, you have lived till
the bloom of your cheeks has given place to the color of the
dead; your dimples have become furrowed and wrinkled
lines; and the beams of your once bright eye have altered
to the dull look of care — but you have not yet lived for
repentance."

3l6 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" What manner of language is this?" cried his wonder
ing listener, inwardly shrinking before his steady, but glow
ing look. " Why am I singled from the world for this per
secution? Are my sins past bearing; or am I alone to be
reminded that sooner or later age and death will come? I
have long known the infirmities of life, and may truly say
that I am prepared for their final consequences."

" 'Tis well," returned the unmoved and apparently im
movable intruder. " Take, then, and read the solemn decree
of thy God; and may He grant thee firmness to justify so
much confidence."

As he spoke, he extended, in his withered hand, an open
letter towards Mrs. Lechmere, which the quick glance of
Lionel told him bore his own name in the superscription.
Notwithstanding the gross invasion of his rights, the young
man was passive under the detection of this second and
gross interference of the other in his most secret matters,
watching with eager interest the effect the strange communi
cation would produce on his aunt.

Mrs. Lechmere took the letter from the stranger with a
sort of charmed submission, which denoted how complete!)
his solemn manner had bent her to his will. The instant
ii<=r look fell on the contents, it became fixed and wild. The
note was, however, short, and the scrutiny was soon ended.
Still she grasped it with an extended arm, though the vacant
expression of her countenance betrayed that it was held be
fore an insensible eye. A moment of silent and breathless
wonder followed. It was succeeded by a shudder which
passed through the whole frame of the invalid, her limbs
shaking violently, until the rattling of the folds of the paper
was audible in the most distant corner of the apartment.

"This bears my name," cried Lionel, shocked at her
emotions, and taking the paper from her unresisting hands,
" and should first have met my eye."

" Aloud — aloud, dear Lionel ! " said a faint but earnest
whisper at his elbow: "aloud, I implore you, aloud! "

LIONEL LINCOLN. 317

It was not, perhaps, so much in compliance with this
affecting appeal, in which the whole soul of Cecil seemed
wrapped, as by yielding to the overwhelming flow of that
excitement to which he had been aroused, that Major Lin
coln was led to conform to her request. In a voice rendered
desperately calm by his emotions, he uttered the fatal con
tents of the note, in tones so distinct, that they sounded to
his wife, in the stillness of the place, like the prophetic
warnings of one from the dead :

" The state of the town has prevented that close attention
to the case of Mrs. Lechmere, which her injuries rendered
necessary. An inward mortification has taken place, and
her present ease is only the forerunner of her death. I feel
it my duty to say, that though she may live many hours, it
is not improbable that she will die to-night."

To this short, but terrible annunciation, was placed the
well-known signature of the attending physician. Here
was a sudden change, indeed! All had thought that the
disease had given way, when it seemed it had been preying
insidiously on the vitals of the sick. Dropping the note,
Lionel exclaimed aloud, in the suddenness of his surprise:

" Die to-night ! This is an unexpected summons, indeed ! "

The miserable woman, after the first nerveless moment of
her dismay, turned her looks anxiously from face to face,
and listened intently to the words of the note, as they fell
from the lips of Lionel, like one eager to detect the glim
merings of hope in the alarmed expression of their counte
nances. But the language of her physician was too plain,
direct, and positive, to be misunderstood or perverted. Its
very coldness gave it a terrific character of truth.

"Do you, then, credit it? " she asked, in a voice whose
husky tones betrayed but too plainly her abject unwilling
ness to be assured. "You! Lionel Lincoln, whom I had
thought my friend? "

Lionel turned away silently from the sad spectacle of her
misery; but Cecil dropped on her knees at the bedside, and

318 LIONEL LINCOLN.

clasping her hands, she elevated them, looking like a beau
tiful picture of pious hope, as she murmured:

" He is no friend, dearest grandmother, who would lay
flattery to a parting soul ! But there is a better and a safer
dependence than all this world can offer!"

" And you, too ! " cried the devoted woman, rousing her
self with a strength and energy that would seem to put the
professional knowledge of her medical attendant at defiance
— "do you also abandon me? you, whom I have watched in
infancy, nursed in suffering, fondled in happiness, ay! and
reared in virtue — yes, that I can say boldly in the face of
the universe! — you, whom I have brought to this honorable
marriage — would you repay me for all, by black ingrati
tude?"

"My grandmother! my grandmother! talk not thus
cruelly to your child! — but lean on the Rock of Ages for
support, even as I have leaned on thee ! "

"Away — away — weak, foolish child! Excess of happi
ness has maddened thee! Come hither, my son; let us
speak of Ravenscliffe, the proud seat of our ancestors; and
of those days we are yet to pass under its hospitable roofs.
The silly girl thou hast wived would wish to frighten me! "

Lionel shuddered with inward horror while he listened to
the forced and broken intonations of her voice, as she thus
uttered the lingering wishes of her nature. He turned
again from the view, and, for a moment, buried his face in
his hands, as if to exclude the world and its wickedness,
together, from his sight.

"My grandmother, look not so wildly at us! " continued
the gasping Cecil; "you may have yet hours, nay, days,
before you." She paused an instant to follow the unsettled
and hopeless gaze of an eye that gleamed despairingly on
the objects of the room, and then, with a meek dependence
on her own purity, dropping her face between her hands,
she cried aloud in her agony :

"My mother's mother! would that I could die for thee! "

LIONEL LINCOLN. 319

" Die ! " echoed the same dissonant voice as before, from
a throat that already began to rattle with the hastened ap
proaches of death — " who would die amid the festivities of
a bridal ! — Away — leave me. — To thy closet, and thy knees,
if thou wilt — but leave me ! "

She watched, with bitter resentment, the retiring form of
Cecil, who obeyed with the charitable and pious intention
of complying literally with her grandmother's order, before
she added:

"The girl is not equal to the task I had set her! All of
my race have been weak, but I — my daughter — my hus
band's niece "

" What of that niece? " said the startling voice of Ralph,
interrupting the diseased wanderings of her mind — " that
wife of thy nephew — the mother of this youth? Speak,
woman, while time and reason are granted thee."

Lionel now advanced to her bedside, under an impulse
that he could no longer subdue, and addressed her solemnly :

" If thou knowest aught of the dreadful calamity that has
befallen my family," he said, "or in any manner hast been
accessary to its cause, disburden thy soul, and die in peace.
Sister of my grandfather ! nay, more, mother of my wife!
I conjure thee, speak — what of my injured mother? "

" Sister of thy grandfather — mother of thy wife," repeated
Mrs. Lechmere, slowly, and in a manner that sufficiently
indicated the unsettled state of her thoughts — " Yes, both
are true ! "

" Speak to me, then, of my mother, if you acknowledge
the ties of blood — tell me of her dark fate ! "

" She is in her grave — dead — rotten — yes — yes — her
boasted beauty has been fed upon by beastly worms ! What
more would ye have, mad boy? Wouldst wish to see her
bones in their winding-sheet? "

"The truth!" cried Ralph; "declare the truth, and thy
own wicked agency in the deed ! "

" Who speaks ? " repeated Mrs. Lechmere, dropping her

32O LIONEL LINCOLN.

voice from its notes of high excitement again, to the tremu
lous cadency of debility and age, and looking about her at
the same time, as if a sudden remembrance had crossed her
brain ; " surely I heard sounds I should know ! "

" Here ; look on me — fix thy wandering eye, if it yet has
power to see, on me," cried Ralph, aloud, as though he
would command her attention at every hazard — " 'tis I that
speak to thee, Priscilla Lechmere."

"What wouldst thou have? My daughter? She is in
her grave! Her child? She is wedded to another. — Thou
art too late! Thou art too late! Would to God thou hadst
asked her of me in season — —

" The truth— the truth— the truth ! " continued the old
man, in a voice that rung through the apartment in wild and
startling echoes — "the holy and undefiled truth! Give us
that, and naught else."

This singular and solemn appeal awakened the latest
energies of the despairing woman, whose inmost soul ap
peared to recoil before his cries. She made an effort to
raise herself once more, and exclaimed:

"Who says that I am dying? I am but seventy! and 'tis
only yesterday I was a child — a pure, an uncontaminated
child! He lies — he lies! I have no mortification — I am
strong, and have years to live and repent in."

In the pauses of her utterance, the voice of the old man
was still heard shouting:

" The truth— the truth— the holy, undefiled truth ! "

"Let me rise and look upon the sun," continued the dying
woman. "Where are ye all? Cecil, Lionel — my children,
do ye desert me now? Why do ye darken the room? Give
me light — more light — more light! for the sake of all in
heaven and earth, abandon me not to this black and terrible
darkness ! "

Her aspect had become so hideously despairing, that the
voice of even Ralph was stilled, and she continued uninter
ruptedly to shriek out the ravings of her soul.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 321

" Why talk to such as 1 of death ? — My time has been
too short! — give me days — give me hours — give me mo
ments! Cecil — Agnes — Abigail: where are ye? — help me,
or I fall!"

She raised herself, by a desperate effort, from the pillows,
and clutched wildly at the empty air. Meeting the extended
hand of Lionel, she caught it with a dying grasp, gave a
ghastly smile, under the false security it imparted, and fall
ing backward again, her mortal part settled, with a universal
shudder, into a state of eternal rest.

As the horrid exclamations of the deceased ended, so
deep a stillness succeeded in the apartment, that the passing
gusts of the gale were heard sighing among the roofs of the
town, and might easily be mistaken, at such a moment, for
the meanings of unembodied spirits over so accursed an end.

CHAPTER XXIV.

I wonder, sir, since wives are monstrous to you,
And that you fly them, as you swear them, lordship,
Yet, you desire to marry.

Alfs Well that Ends Well,

CECIL had left the room of her grandmother, with the
consciousness of sustaining a load of anguish, to which her
young experience had hitherto left her a stranger. On her
knees, and in the privacy of her closet, she poured out the
aspirations of her pure spirit, in fervent petitions to that
Power, which she, who most needed its support, had so long
braved by the mockery of respect, and the seemliness of de
votion. With her soul elevated by its recent communion
with her God, and her feelings soothed even to calmness by
the sacred glow that was shed around them, the youthful
bride at length prepared to resume her post at the bedside
of her aged relative.

In passing from her own room to that of Mrs. Lechmere,

21

322 LIONEL LINCOLN.

she heard the busy voice of Agnes below, together with the
sounds of the preparations that were making to grace her
own hasty bridal, and for a moment she paused to assure
herself that all which had so recently passed, was more than
the workings of a disturbed fancy. She gazed at the un
usual, though modest ornaments of her attire ; shuddered as
she remembered the awful omen of the shadow; and then
came to the dreadful reality with an overwhelming convic
tion of its truth. After laying her hand on the door, she
paused, with secret terror, to catch the sounds that might
issue from the chamber of the sick. After listening a mo
ment, the bustle below was hushed, and she, too, heard the
whistling of the wind, as its echoes died away among the
chimneys and angles of the building. Encouraged by the
death-like stillness of those within her grandmother's room,
Cecil now opened the door, under the pleasing impression
that she should find the resignation of a Christian, where
she had so lately witnessed the incipient ravings of despair.
Her entrance was timid; for she dreaded to meet the hol
low, but glaring eye of the nameless being who had borne
the' message of the physician, and of whose mien and lan
guage she retained a confused but fearful recollection. Her
hesitation and her fears were, however, alike vain ; for the
room was silent and tenantless. Casting one wondering
look around, in quest of the form most dear to her, Cecil
advanced with a light step to the bed, and raising the
coverlet, discovered the fatal truth at a glance.

The lineaments of Mrs. Lechmere had already stiffened,
and assumed that cadaverous and ghastly expression, which
marks the touch of death. The parting soul had left the
impression of its agony on her features, exhibiting the
wreck of those passions which caused her, even in death, to
look backward on that world she was leaving forever, in
stead of forward to the unknown existence, towards which
she was hurried. Perhaps the suddenness, and the very
weight of the shock, sustained the cheerless bride in that

LIONEL LINCOLN. 323

moment of trial. She neither spoke nor moved for more
than a minute; but remained with her eyes riveted on the
desolation of that countenance she had revered from her
infancy, with a species of holy awe that was not entirely
free from horror. Then came the recollection of the porten
tous omens of her wedding, and with it a dread that the
heaviest of her misfortunes were yet in reserve. She
dropped the covering on the pallid features of the dead,
and quitted the apartment with a hurried step. The room
of Lionel was on the same floor with that which she had
just left, and before she had time for reflection, her hand
was on its lock. Her brain was bewildered with the rush
of circumstances. For a single instant she paused with
maiden bashfulness, even recoiling in sensitive shame from
the act she was about to commit, when all her fears, mingled
with glimmerings of the truth, flashed again across her
mind, and she burst into the room, uttering aloud the name
of him she sought.

The brands of a fallen fire had been carefully raked to
gether, and were burning with a feeble and wavering flame.
The room seemed filled with a cold air, which, as she en
countered it, chilled the delicate person of Cecil; and flick
ering shadows were playing on the walls, with the uncertain
movements imparted by the unsteady light. But, like the
apartment of the dead, the room was still and empty. Per
ceiving that the door of the little dressing-room was open,
she rushed to its threshold, and the mystery of the cold air,
and the wavering fire was explained, when she felt the gusts
of wind rush by her from the open door at the foot of the
narrow stairs. If Cecil had ever been required to explain
the feelings which induced her to descend, or the manner
in which it was effected, she would have been unable to
comply ; for, quick as thought, she stood on the threshold
of the outer door, nearly unconscious of her situation.

The moon was still wading among the driving clouds,
shedding just light enough to make the spectator sensible

324 LIONEL LINCOLN.

of the stillness of the camp and town. The easterly wind
yet howled along the streets, occasionally lifting whirlwinds
of snow, and wrapping whole squares in its dim wreaths.
But neither man nor beast was visible amid the dreariness.

The bewildered bride shrunk from the dismal view, with
a keen perception of its wild consonance with the death of
her grandmother. In another moment she was again in the
room above, each part of which was examined with madden
ing anxiety for the person of her husband. But her powers,
excited and unnatural as they had become, could support
her no longer.. She was forced to yield to the impression
that Lionel had deserted her in the most trying moment,
and it was not strange that she coupled the sinister omens
of the night with his mysterious absence. The heart-
stricken girl clasped her hands in anguish, and shrieking
the name of her cousin, sunk on the floor in total insensi
bility.

Agnes was busily and happily employed with her domestics
in preparing such a display of the wealth of the Lechmeres
as should not disgrace her cousin in the eyes of her more
wealthy lord and master. The piercing cry, however, not
withstanding the bustle of hurrying servants, and the clatter
of knives and plates, penetrated to the supper-room, stilling
each movement, and blanching every cheek.

" 'Tis my name! " said Agnes; "who is it calls?"

"If it was possible" returned Meriton, with a suitable
emphasis, " that Master Lionel's bride could scream so, I
should say it was my lady's voice! "

"'Tis Cecil — 'tis Cecil!" cried Agnes, darting from the
room. "Oh, I feared — I feared these hasty nuptials!"

There was a general rush of the menials into the cham
bers, when the fatal truth became immediately known to the
whole family. The lifeless clay of Mrs. Lechmere was
discovered in its ghastly deformity, and, to all but Agnes,
it afforded a sufficient solution of the situation of the bride.

More than an hour passed before the utmost care of her

LIONEL LINCOLN. 325

attendants succeeded in restoring Cecil to a state in which
questions might avail anything. Then her cousin took ad
vantage of the temporary absence of her women, to mention
the name of her husband. Cecil heard her with sudden joy;
but looking about the room wildly, as if seeking him with
her eyes, she pressed her hands upon her heart, and fell
backward in that state of insensibility, from which she had
just been roused. No part of this expressive evidence of
her grief was lost on the other, who left the room the instant
her care had succeeded in bringing the sufferer once more
to her recollection.

Agnes Danforth had never regarded her aunt with that
confiding veneration and love which purified the affections
of the granddaughter of the deceased. She had always
possessed her more immediate relatives, from whom she
derived her feelings and opinions, nor was she wanting in
sufficient discernment to distinguish the cold and selfish
traits that had so particularly marked the character of Mrs.
Lechmere. She had, therefore, consented to mortify her
own spirit, and submit to the privations and dangers of the
siege, entirely from a disinterested attachment to her cousin,
who, without her presence, would have found her solitude
and situation irksome.

In consequence of this disposition of her mind, Agnes
was more shocked than distressed by the unexpected death
that had occurred. Perhaps, if her anxiety had been less
roused in behalf of Cecil, she might have retired to weep
over the departure of one she had known so long, and of
one, also, that, in the sincerity of her heart, she believed
so little prepared for the mighty change. As it was, how
ever, she took her way calmly to the parlor, where she sum
moned Meriton to her presence.

When the valet made his entrance, she assumed the ap
pearance of a composure that was far from her feelings, and
desired him to seek his master, with a request that he would
give Miss Danforth a short interview, without delay. Dur-

326 LIONEL LINCOLN.

ing the time Meriton was absent on this errand, Agnes en
deavored to collect her thoughts for any emergency.

Minute passed after minute, however, and the valet did
not return. She arose, and stepping lightly to the door,
listened, and thought she heard his footsteps moving about
in the more distant parts of the building, with a quickness
that proved he conducted the search in good faith. At
length she heard them nigher, and it was soon certain he was
on his return. Agnes seated herself, as before, and with an
air that seemed as if she expected to receive the master in
stead of the man. Meriton, however, returned alone.

"Major Lincoln," she said, "you desired him to meet
me here?"

The whole countenance of Meriton expressed his amaze
ment, as he answered:

"Lord! Miss Agnus, Master Lionel has gone out! gone
out on such a night! and what is more remarkable, he has
gone out without his mourning; though the dead of his
own blood and connections lies unburied in the house! "

Agnes preserved her composure, and gladly led the valet
on in the path his thoughts had taken, in order to come at
the truth, without betraying her own apprehensions.

" How know you, Mr. Meriton, that your master has been
so far forgetful of appearances? "

" As certain, ma'am, as I know that he wore his parade
uniform this evening when he left the house the first time;
though little did I dream his honor was going to get mar
ried! If he hasn't gone out in the same dress, where is it?
Besides, ma'am, hisr last mourning is under lock, and here
is the key in my pocket."

"Tis singular he should choose such an hour, as well as
the time of his marriage, to absent himself! "

Meriton had long learned to identify all his interests
with those of his master, and he colored highly under the
oblique imputation that he thought was no less cast on
Lionel's gallantry, than on his sense of propriety in general.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 327

"Why, Miss Agnus, you will please remember, ma'am,"
he answered, " as this wedding hasn't been at all like an
English wedding — nor can I say that it is altogether usual
to die in England as suddenly as Ma'am Lechmere has been
pleased—

" Perhaps," interrupted Agnes, " some accident may have
happened to him. Surely no man of common humanity
would willingly be away at such a moment."

The feelings of Meriton now took another direction, and
he unhesitatingly adopted the worst apprehensions of the
young lady.

Agnes leaned her forehead on her hand for a minute in
deep reflection before she spoke again, then, raising her
eyes to the valet, she said :

" Mr. Meriton, know you where Captain Polwarth sleeps? "

"Certainly, ma'am! He's a gentleman as always sleeps
in his own bed, unless the king's service calls him else
where. A considerate gentleman is Captain Polwarth,
ma'am, in respect of himself."

Miss Danforth bit her lip, and her playful eye lighted for
an instant, with a ray that banished its look of sadness:
but in another moment her features became demure, if not
melancholy, and she continued:

" I believe, then — 'tis awkward and distressing, too, but
nothing better can be done."

" Did you please to give me any orders, Miss Agnus? "

"Yes, Meriton: you will go to the lodgings of Captain
Polwarth, and tell him Mrs. Lincoln desires his immediate
presence here, in Tremont street."

"My lady!" repeated the amazed valet: "why, Miss
Agnus, the women says as my lady is unconscionable, and
does not know what is doing, or who speaks to her! A
mournful wedding, ma'am, for the heir of our house! "

" Then tell him," said Agnes, as she arose to leave the
room, " that Miss Danforth would be glad to see him."

Meriton waited no longer than was necessary to mutter

328 LIONEL LINCOLN.

his approbation of this alteration in the message, when he
left the house, with a pace that was a good deal quickened
by his growing fears on the subject of his master's safety.
Notwithstanding his apprehensions, the valet was by no
means insensible to the severity of the climate he was in,
nor to the peculiar qualities of that night, in which he was
so unexpectedly thrust abroad to encounter its fury. He
soon succeeded, however, in making his way to the quarters
of Polwarth, in the midst of the driving snow, and in de
fiance of the cold that chilled his very bones. Happily for
the patience of the worthy valet, Shearflint, the semi-mili
tary attendant of the captain, was yet up, having just dis
charged his nightly duties about the person of his master,
who had not deemed it prudent to seek his pillow without
proving the consolations of the trencher. The door was
opened at the first tap of Meriton, and when the other had
expressed his surprise by the usual exclamations, the two
attendants adjourned to the sitting-room, where the embers
of a good wood-fire were yet shedding a grateful heat in the
apartment.

" What a shocking country is this America for cold, Mr.
Shearflint! " said Meriton, kicking the brands together with
his boots, and rubbing his hands over the coals. " I doesn't
think as our English cold is at all like it. It's a stronger
and a better cold, is ours, but it doesn't cut one like dull
razors, as this here of America."

Shearflint, who fancied himself particularly liberal, and
ever made it a point to show his magnanimity to his enemies,
never speaking of the colonists without a sort of protecting
air, that he intended should reflect largely on his own
candor, briskly replied :

" This is a new country, Mr. Meriton, and one shouldn't
be over-nice. When one goes abroad, one must learn to put
up with difficulties; especially in the colonies, where it
can't be expected all things should be as comfortable as we
has 'em at ;ome."

LIONEL LINCOLN. 329

"Well, now, I call myself a little particular in respect of
weather," returned Meriton, " as any going. But give me
England for climate, if for nothing else. The water comes
down in that blessed country in good, honest drops, and
not in little frozens bits, which prick one's face like so many
fine needles! "

"You do look, Mr. Meriton, a little as if you had been
shaking your master's powder-puff about your own ears.
But I was just finishing the heel-tap of the captain's hot
toddy; perhaps if you was to taste it, 'twould help to thaw
out the idears."

"God bless me, Shearflint!" said Meriton, relinquishing
his grasp of the tankard, to take breath after a most vigor
ous draught — "do you always stuff his night-cap so thick? "

"No — no: the captain can tell a mixture by his nose,
and it doesn't do to make partial alterations in his glass,"
returned Shearflint, giving the tankard a circular motion
to stir its contents, while he spoke, and swallowing the
trifle that remained, apparently at a gulp. "Then, as I
thinks it a pity that anything should be wasted in these
distressing times, I generally drinks what's left, after add
ing sum'at to the water, just to mellow it down. But what
brings you abroad such a foul night, Mr. Meriton ? "

" Sure enough, my idears wanted thawing, as you insti
gated, Shearflint! Here have I been sent on a message of
life and death, and I was forgetting my errand like a raw
boy just hired from the country! "

" Something is stirring, then ! " said the other, offering a
chair, which his companion received, without any words,
while Polwarth's man took another, with equal composure.
" I thought as much, from the captain's hungry appearance,
when he came home to-night; after dressing himself with
so much care, to take his supper in Tremont street."

"Something has been stirring, indeed! For one thing, it
is certain, Master Lionel was married to-night, in the King's
Chapel ! "

33O LIONEL LINCOLN.

"Married!" echoed the other. "Well, thank Heaven,
no such unavoidables has befallen us, though we have been
amputrated. I couldn't live with a married gentleman, no
how, Mr. Meriton. A master in breeches is enough for me,
without one in petticoats to set him on ! "

" That depends altogether on people's conditions, Shear-
flint," returned Meriton, with a sort of condescending air of
condolence, as though he pitied the other's poverty. " It
would be great folly for a captain of foot, that is nothing
but a captain of foot, to unite in Hymen. But, as we say
at Ravenscliffe and Soho, Cupid will listen to the siyths
of the heir of a Devonshire baronet, with fifteen thousand a
year."

" I never heard any one say it was more than ten," inter
rupted the other, with a strong taint of ill-humor in his
manner.

" Not more than ten ! I can count ten myself, and I am
sure there must be some that I doesn't know of."

" Well, if it be twenty," cried Shearflint, rising, and kick
ing the brands among the ashes, in a manner to destroy all
the cheerfulness of the little fire that remained, " it won't
help you to do your errand. You should remember that us
servants of poor captains have nobody to help us with our
work, and want our natural rest. What's your pleasure,
Mr. Meriton?"

" To see your master, Mister Shearflint."

"That's impossibility! he's under five blankets, and I
wouldn't lift the thinnest of them for a month's wages."

"Then I shall do it for you, because speak to him I must.
Is he in this room ? "

"Ay, you'll find him somewhere there, among the bed
clothes," returned Shearflint, throwing open the door of an
adjoining apartment, secretly hoping Meriton would get his
head broken for his trouble, as he removed himself out of
harm's way, by returning to the fireplace.

Meriton was compelled to give the captain several rough

LIONEL LINCOLN. 331

shakes before he succeeded in rousing him, in the least,
from his deep slumbers. Then, indeed, he overheard the
sleeper muttering:

"A damn'd foolish business, that! Had we made proper
use of our limbs, we might have kept them. You take this
man to be your husband — better for worse — richer or poorer
— ha! who are you rolling, dog? Have you no regard
to digestion, to shake a man in this manner, just after
eating?"

" It's I, sir— Meriton."

"And what the devil do you mean by this liberty, Mr. I,
or Meriton, or whatever you call yourself? "

" I am sent for you in a great hurry, sir — awful things
have happened to-night up in Tremont "

" Happened ! " repeated Polwarth, who by this time was
thoroughly awake. " I know, fellow, that your master is
married — I gave the bride away myself. I suppose nothing
else, that is particularly extraordinary, has happened ? "

"Oh! Lord, yes, sir: my lady is in fainting-fits, and
Master Lionel has gone, God knows whither, and Madam
Lechmere is dead ! "

Meriton had not concluded, before Polwarth sprang from
his bed in the best manner he was able, and began to dress
himself, by a sort of instinct, though without any definite
object. By the unfortunate arrangement of Meriton's in
telligence, he supposed the death of Mrs. Lechmere to be
in consequence of some strange and mysterious separation
of the bride from her husband, and his busy thoughts did
not fail to recall the singular interruption of the nuptials,
so often mentioned.

" And Miss Danforth," he asked — " how does she bear
it?"

"Like a woman, as she is, and a true lady. It is no
small thing as puts Miss Agnus beside herself, sir! "

"No, that it is not! she is much more apt to drive others
mad."

332 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" Twas she, sir, as sent me to desire you to come up to
Tremont street without any delay."

"The devil it was! Hand me that boot, my good fellow.
One boot, thank God, is sooner put on than two! The vest
and stock next. You, Shearflint! where have you got to,
sirrah? Bring me my leg, this instant! "

As soon as his own man heard this order, he made his
appearance ; and as he was much more conversant with the
mystery of his master's toilet than Meriton, the captain was
soon equipped for his sudden expedition.

During the time he was dressing, he continued to put
hasty questions to Meriton, concerning the cause of the dis
turbance in Tremont street, the answers to which only
served to throw him more upon the ocean of uncertainty
than ever. The instant he was clad, he wrapped himself
in his cloak, and, taking the arm of the valet, he essayed to
find his way through the tempest to the spot where he was
told Agnes Danforth awaited his appearance, with a chivalry
that, in another age, and under different circumstances,
would have made him a hero.

CHAPTER XXV.

Proud lineage !' now how little thou appearest

BLAIR.

NOTWITHSTANDING the unusual alacrity with which Polwarth
obeyed the unexpected summons of the capricious being
whose favor he had so long courted with so little apparent
success, he lingered in his steps as he approached near
enough to the house in Tremont street to witness the glanc
ing lights which flitted before the windows. On the thresh
old he stopped, and listened to the opening and shutting
of doors, and all those marked and yet stifled sounds, which
are wont to succeed a visit of the grim monarch to the

LIONEL LINCOLN. 333

dwellings of the sick. His rap was unanswered, and he
was compelled to order Meriton to show him into the little
parlor where he had so often been a guest, under more pro
pitious circumstances. Here he found Agnes, awaiting his
appearance with a gravity, if not sadness of demeanor, that
instantly put to flight certain complimentary effusions, with
which the captain had determined to open the interview, in
order to follow up, in the true temper of a soldier, the small
advantage he conceived he had obtained in the good opinion
of his mistress. Altering the exulting expression of his
features, with his first glance at the countenance of Miss
Danforth, Polwarth paid his compliments in a manner bet
ter suited to the state of the family, and desired to know if
in any manner he could contribute to their comfort or relief.

" Death has been among us, Captain Polwarth," said
Agnes, "and his visit has, indeed, been sudden and unex
pected. To add to our embarrassment, Major Lincoln is
missing! "

As she concluded, Agnes fastened her eyes on the face of
the other, as though she would require an explanation of the
unaccountable absence of the bridegroom.

" Lionel Lincoln is not a man to fly because death ap
proaches," returned the captain, musing; "and less should
I suspect him of deserting, in her distress, one like the love
ly creature he has married. Perhaps he has gone in quest
of medical aid? "

" It cannot be. I have gathered from the broken sen
tences of Cecil, that he, and some third person to me un
known, were last with my aunt, and must have been present
at her death ; for the face was covered. I found the bride
in the room which Lionel has lately occupied — the doors
open, and with indications that he and his unknown com
panion had left the house by the private stairs which com
municate with the western door. As my cousin speaks but
little, all other clue to the movements of her husband is
lost, unless this ornament, which I found glittering among

334 LIONEL LINCOLN.

the embers of the fire, may serve for such a purpose. It is,
I believe, a soldier's gorget."

"It is, indeed; and it would seem the wearer has been in
some jeopardy, by this bullet-hole through its centre. By
heavens! — 'tis that of M'Fuse! Here is the i8th engraved;
and I know these little marks, which the poor fellow was
accustomed to make on it at every battle; for he never
failed to wear the bauble. The last was the saddest record
of them all!"

" In what manner, then, could it be conveyed into the
apartment of Major Lincoln ? Is it possible that

"In what manner, truly ! " interrupted Polwarth, rising in
his agitation, and beginning to pace the room, in the best
manner his mutilated condition would allow — "Poor Den
nis! that I should find such a relic of thy end at last!
You did not know Dennis, I believe. He was a man, fair
Agnes, every way adapted by nature for a soldier. His was
the form of Hercules! the heart of a lion, and the digestion
of an ostrich! But he could not master this cruel lead!
He is dead, poor fellow, he is dead! "

" Still you find no clue in the gorget by which to trace
the living? " demanded Agnes.

"Ha!" exclaimed Polwarth, starting—"! think I begin
to see into the mystery! The fellow who could slay the
man with whom he had eaten and drunk, might easily rob
the dead ! You found the gorget near the fire of Major Lin
coln's room, say you, fair Agnes? "

"In the embers, as if cast there for concealment, or
dropped in some sudden strait."

"I have it — I have it!" returned Polwarth, striking his
hands together, and speaking through his teeth — "'twas
that dog who murdered him, and justice shall now take its
swing: fool or no fool, he shall be hung up like jerked beef,
to dry in the winds of heaven ! "

"Of whom speak you, Polwarth, with that threatening
air?" inquired Agnes, in a soothing voice, of which, like

LIONEL LINCOLN. 335

the rest of her sex, she well knew not only the power, but
when to exercise it.

" Of a canting, hypocritical miscreant, who is called Job
Pray — a fellow with no more conscience than brains, nor
any more brains than honesty. An ungainly villain ; who
will eat of your table to-day, and put the same knife that
administered to his hunger to your throat to-morrow! It
was such a dog that butchered the glory of Erin ! "

" It must have been in open battle, then," said Agnes,
" for though wanting in reason, Job has been reared in the
knowledge of good and evil. The child must be strongly
stamped with the wrath of God, indeed, for whom some
effort is not made by a Boston mother, to recover his part
in the great atonement."

"He, then, is an exception; for surely no Christian will
join you in the great natural pursuit of eating at one mo
ment, and turn his fangs on a comrade at the next."

" But what has all this to do with the absent bridegroom ? "

" It proves that Job Pray has been in his room since the
fire was replenished, or some other than you would have
found the gorget."

" It proves a singular association, truly, between Major
Lincoln and the simpleton," said Agnes, musing; "but
still it throws no light on his disappearance. 'Twas an old
man that my cousin mentioned in the unconnected sen
tences!"

" My life jn it, fair Agnes, that if Major Lincoln has left
the house mysteriously to-night, it is under the guidance of
that wretch — I have known them together in council more
than once, before this."

" Then, if he be weak enough to forsake such a woman as
my cousin, at the instigation of a fool, he is unworthy of
another thought."

Agnes colored as she spoke, and turned the conversation
with a manner that denoted how deeply she resented the
slight to Cecil.

33^ LIONEL LINCOLN.

The peculiar situation of the town, and the absence of all
her own male relatives, soon induced Miss Danforth to lis
ten to the reiterated offers of service from the captain, and
finally to accept them. Their conference was long and con
fidential; nor did Polwarth retire until his footsteps were
assisted by the dull light of the approaching day. When
he left the house to return to his own quarters, no tidings
had been heard of Lionel, whose intentional absence was
now so certain, that the captain proceeded to give his orders
for the funeral of the deceased, without any further delay.
He had canvassed with Agnes the propriety of every ar
rangement so fully, that he was at no loss how to conduct
himself. It had been determined between them that the
state of the siege, as well as certain indications of move
ments which were already making in the garrison, rendered
it inexpedient to delay the obsequies a moment longer than
was required by the unavoidable preparations.

Accordingly, the Lechmere vault, in the churchyard of
the " King's Chapel," was directed to be opened, and the
vain trappings, in which the dead are usually enshrouded,
were provided. The same clergyman, who had so lately
pronounced the nuptial benediction over the child, was now
required to perform the last melancholy offices of the church
over the parent, and the invitations to the few friends of the
family who remained in the place were duly issued in suit
able form.

By the time the sun had fallen near the amphitheatre of
hills, along whose crests were, here and there, to be seen the
works of the indefatigable men who held the place in leaguer,
the brief preparations for the interment of the deceased were
completed. The prophetical words of Ralph were now ful
filled, and, according to the custom of the province, the
doors of one of its proudest dwellings were thrown open for
all those who chose to enter and depart at will. The fu
neral train, though respectable, was far from extending to
that display of solemn countenances which Boston, in its

LIONEL LINCOLN. 337

peace and pride, would not have failed to exhibit on any
similar occasion. A few of the oldest and most respected
of the inhabitants, who were distantly connected by blood
or alliances with the deceased, attended; but there had been
nothing in the cold and selfish character of Mrs. Lechmere
to gather the poor and dependent in sorrowing groups around
her funeral rites. The passage of the body, from its late
dwelling to the tomb, was quiet, decent, and impressive,
but entirely without any demonstrations of grief. Cecil had
buried herself and her sorrows, together, in the privacy of
her own room, and none of the more distant relatives who
had collected, male or female, appeared to find it at all
difficult to restrain their feelings within the bounds of the
most rigid decorum.

Dr. Liturgy received the body, as usual, on the threshold
of the sacred edifice, and the same solemn and affecting
language was uttered over the dead, as if she had departed
soothed by the most cheerful visions of an assured faith.
As the service proceeded, the citizens clustered about the
coffin, in deep attention, in admiration of the unwonted tremor
and solemnity that had crept into the voice of the priest.

Among this little collection of the inhabitants of the
colony were interspersed a few men in the military dress,
who, having known the family of the deceased in more
settled times, had not forgotten to pay the last tribute to
the memory of one of its dead.

When the short service was ended, the body was raised on
the shoulders of the attendants, and borne into the yard, to
its place of final rest. At such a funeral, where few
mourned, and none wept, no unnecessary delay would be
made in disposing of the melancholy relics of mortality.
In a very few moments, the narrow tenement, which con
tained the festering remains of one who had so lately har
bored such floods of human passion, was lowered from the
light of day, and the body was left to moulder by the side
of those who had gone before to the darkness of the tomb.

22

LIONEL LINCOLN.

Perhaps, of all who witnessed the descent of the coffin, Pol-
warth alone, through that chain of sympathies which bound
him to the caprice of Agnes, felt any emotion at all in con
sonance with the solemn scene. The obsequies of the dead
were, like the living character of the woman, cold, formal,
and artificial. The sexton and his assistants had hardly
commenced replacing the stone which covered the entrance
of the vault, when a knot of elderly men set the example of
desertion, by moving away in a body from the spot. As
they picked their footsteps among the graves, and over the
frozen ground of the churchyard, they discoursed idly to
gether, of the fortunes and age of the woman of whom they
had now taken their leave forever. The curse ,f selfishness
appeared even to have fallen on the warning which so sud
den an end should have given to those who forgot they tot
tered on the brink of the grave. They spoke of the de
ceased as of one who had failed to awaken the charities of
our nature, and though several ventured their conjectures as
to the manner in which she had disposed of her worldly
possessions, not one remembered to lament that she had
continued no longer to enjoy them. From this theme they
soon wandered to themselves, and the whole party quitted
the churchyard joking each other on the inroads of time,
each man attempting to ape the elastic tread of youth, in
order not only to conceal from his companions the ravages
of age, but with a vain desire to extend the artifice so far,
if possible, as to deceive himself.

When the seniors of the party withdrew, the remainder of
the spectators did not hesitate to follow ; and in a few min
utes Polwarth found himself standing before the vault, with
only two others of all those who had attended the body.
The captain, who had been at no little expense of time and
trouble to maintain the decencies which became a near
friend of the family of the deceased, stood a minute longer,
to permit these lingering followers to retire also, before he
turned his own back on the place of the dead. But perceiv-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 339

ing they both maintained their posts, in silent attention, he
raised his eyes, more curiously, to examine who these loiter
ers might be.

The one nearest to himself was a man, whose dress and
air bespoke him to be of no very exalted rank in life, while
the other was a woman, of even an inferior condition, if an
opinion might be formed from the squalid misery that was
exhibited in her attire. A little fatigued with the arduous
labors of the day, and of the duties of the unusual office
he had assumed, the worthy captain touched his hat with
studied decorum, and said :

" I thank you, good people, for this mark of respect to the
memory of my deceased friend; but as we have performed all
that can now be done in her behalf, we will retire."

Apparently encouraged by the easy and courteous manner
of Polwarth, the man approached still nigher, and, after
bowing with much respect, ventured to say:

" They tell me 'tis the funeral of Madam Lechmere that I
have witnessed? "

" They tell you true, sir," returned the captain, beginning
slowly to pick his way towards the gate: "of Mrs. Priscilla,
the relict of Mr. John Lechmere — a lady of creditable de
scent, and I think it will not be deified that she has had
honorable interment."

"If it be the lady I suppose," continued the stranger,
"she is of an honorable descent, indeed. Her maiden
name was Lincoln, and she is aunt to the great Devonshire
baronet of that family."

"How! know you the Lincolns?" exclaimed Polwarth,
stopping short, and turning to examine the other with a
stricter eye. Perceiving, however, that the stranger was a
man of harsh and peculiarly forbidding features, in the vul
gar dress already mentioned, he muttered : " You may have
heard of them, friends, but I should doubt whether your
intimacy could amount to such wholesome familiarities as
eating and drinking."

34O LIONEL LINCOLN.

" Stronger intimacies than that, sir, are sometimes brought
about between men who were born to very different fortunes,"
returned the stranger, with a peculiarly sarcastic and am
biguous smile, which meant more than met the eye. " But
all who know the Lincolns, sir, will allow their claims to
distinction. If this lady was one of them, she had reason
to be proud of her blood."

" Ay, you are not tainted, I see, with these revolutionary
notions, my friend," returned Polwarth : " she was also con
nected with a very good sort of a family in this colony,
called the Danforths — you know the Danforths? "

"Not at all, sir: I—

"Not know the Danforths! " exclaimed Polwarth, once
more stopping to bestow. a freer scrutiny on his companion.
After a short pause, however, he nodded his head, in appro
bation of his own conclusions, and added: "No, no — I am
wrong — I see you could not have known much of the Dan
forths."

The stranger appeared quite willing to overlook the cava
lier treatment he received, for he continued to attend the
difficult footsteps of the maimed soldier, with the same re
spectful deference as before.

" I have no knowl«dge of the Danforths, it is true," he
answered; "but I may boast of some intimacy with the
family of Lincoln."

"Would to God, then," cried Polwarth, in a sort of
soliloquy, which escaped him in the fulness of his heart,
"you could tell us what has become of its heir! "

The stranger stopped short in his turn, and exclaimed:

" Is he not serving with the army of the king, against this
rebellion ? Is he not here? "

" He is here, or he is there, or he is anywhere : I tell you
he is lost."

"He is lost! " echoed the other.

"Lost!" repeated a humble female voice, at the very
elbow of the captain.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 34 X

This singular repetition of his own language aroused Pol-
warth from the abstraction into which he had suffered him
self to fall. In his course from the vault to the churchyard
gate, he had unconsciously approached the woman before
mentioned, and when he turned at the sounds of her voice,
his eyes fell full upon her anxious countenance. The very
first glance was enough to tell the observant captain that,
in the midst of her poverty and rags, he saw the broken re
mains of great female beauty. Her dark and intelligent
eyes, set as they were in a sallow and sunken countenance,
still retained much of the brightness, if not of the softness
and peace, of youth. The contour of her face was also
striking, though she might be said to resemble one whose
loveliness had long since departed with her innocence. But
the gallantry of Polwarth was proof even against the un
equivocal signs of misery, if not of guilt, which were so
easily to be traced in her appearance; and he too much re
spected even the remnants of female charms which were yet
visible amid such a mass of unseemliness, to regard them
with an unfriendly eye. Apparently encouraged by the
kind look of the captain, the woman ventured to add:

"Did I hear aright, sir? Said you that Major Lincoln
was lost? "

" I am afraid, good woman," returned the captain, leaning
on the iron-shod stick, with which he was wont to protect
his footsteps along the icy streets of Boston, "that this
siege has, in your case, proved unusually severe. If I am
not mistaken in a matter in which I profess to know much,
nature is not supported as nature should be. You would
ask for food, and God forbid that I should deny a fellow-
creature a morsel of that which constitutes both the seed
and the fruits of life. Here is money."

The muscles of the attenuated countenance of the woman
worked with a sudden convulsive motion, and for a moment,
she glanced her eyes wistfully towards his silver, but a slight
flush passing quickly over her pallid features, she answered:

342 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" Whatever may be my wants and my suffering, I thank
my God that he has not levelled me with the beggar of the
streets. Before that evil day shall come, may I find a place
amongst these frozen hillocks where we stand! But I beg
pardon, sir: I thought I heard you speak of Major Lincoln."

"I did; and what of him? I said he was lost; and it is
true, if that be lost which cannot be found."

" And did Madam Lechmere take her leave before he was
missing?" asked the woman, advancing a step nearer to
Polwarth, in her intense anxiety to be answered.

" Do you think, good woman, that a gentleman of Major
Lincoln's notion of things would disappear after the decease
of his relative, and leave a comparative stranger to fill the
office of principal mourner? "

"The Lord forgive us all our sins and wickedness!"
muttered the woman, drawing the shreds of her tattered
cloak about her shivering form, and hastening silently away
into the depths of the graveyard. Polwarth regarded her
unceremonious departure for a moment in surprise, and then
turning to his remaining companion, he remarked:

"That woman is unsettled in her reason, for the want of
wholesome nutriment. It is just as impossible to retain the
powers of the mind, and neglect the stomach, as it is to ex
pect a truant boy will make a learned man." By this time
the worthy captain had forgotten whom it was he addressed,
and he continued, in his usual philosophic strain, " Chil
dren are sent to school to learn all useful inventions but
that of eating; for to eat — that is, to eat with judgment — is
as much of an invention as any other discovery. Every
mouthful a man swallows has to undergo four important
operations, each of which may be called a crisis in the hu
man constitution."

" Suffer me to help you over this grave," said the other,
officiously offering his assistance.

" I thank you, sir, I thank you — 'tis a sad commentary
on my words ! " returned the captain, with a melancholy

LIONEL LINCOLN. 343

smile. "The time has been when I served in the light
corps, but your men in unequal quantities are good for little
else but garrisons! As I was saying, there is first, the
selection; second, mastication; third, deglutition; and
lastly, the digestion."

"Quite true, sir," said the stranger, a little abruptly:
"thin diet and light meals are best for the brain."

"Thin diet and light meals, sir, are good for nothing but
to rear dwarfs and idiots! " returned the captain, with some
heat. " I repeat to you, sir "

He was interrupted by the stranger, who suddenly smoth
ered a dissertation on the connection between the material
and immaterial, by asking:

" If the heir of such a family be lost, is there none to see
that he is found again? "

Polwarth, finding himself thus checked in the very open
ing of his theme, stopped again, and stared the other full
in the face for a moment, without making any reply. His
kind feeling, however, got the better of his displeasure, and
yielding to the interest he felt in the fate of Lionel, he
answered :

" I would go all lengths, and incur every hazard, to do
him service."

" Then, sir, accident has brought those together who are
willing to engage in the same undertaking. I, too, will do
my utmost to discover him. I have heard he has friends in
this province. Has he no connection to whom we may
apply for intelligence? "

" None nearer than a wife."

" A wife ! " repeated the other, in surprise. " Is he,
then, married? "

A long pause ensued, during which the stranger mused
deeply, and Polwarth bestowed a still more searching
scrutiny than ever on his companion. It would appear that
the result was not satisfactory to the captain ; for, shaking
his head, in no very equivocal manner, he resumed the task

344 LIONEL LINCOLN.

of picking his way among the graves, towards the gate, with
renewed diligence. He was in the act of seating himself
in the pung, when the stranger again stood at his elbow,
and said:

" If I knew where to find his wife, I would offer my ser
vices to the lady."

Polwarth pointed to the building of which Cecil was now
the mistress, and answered, somewhat superciliously, as he
drove away :

" She is there, my good friend, but your application will
be useless."

The stranger received the direction in an understanding
manner, and smiled with satisfied confidence, while he took
the opposite route from that by which the busy equipage of
the captain had already disappeared.

CHAPTER XXVI.

Up Fish. street ! down Saint Magnus' corner !
Kill and knock down ! Throw them into Thames ! —
What noise is this I hear ? Dare any be so bold to sound
Retreat or parley, when I command them kill ?

King Henry IV.

IT was rarely, indeed, that the equal-minded Polwarth
undertook an adventure with so fell an intent as was the
disposition with which he directed the head of the hunter
to be turned towards the Dock Square. He had long known
the residence of Job Pray, and often, in passing from his
lodgings, near the common, into the more fashionable
quarter of the town, the good-natured epicure had turned
his head to bestow a nod and a smile on the unsophisticated
admirer of his skill in the culinary art. But now, as the
pung whirled out of Corn Hill into the well-known area,
his eye fell on the low and gloomy walls of the warehouse,
with a far less amicable design.

From the time he was apprised of the disappearance of

LIONEL LINCOLN. 345

his friend, the captain had been industriously ruminating
on the subject, in a vain wish to discover any probable
reason that might induce a bridegroom to adopt so hasty,
and, apparently, so unjustifiable a step, as the desertion of
his bride, and that, too, under circumstances of such peculiar
distress. But the more he reasoned, the more he found him
self involved in the labyrinth of perplexity, until he was
glad to seize on the slightest clue which offered, to lead him
from his obscurity. It has already been seen in what man
ner he received the intelligence conveyed through the gorget
of M'Fuse, and it now remains for us to show with what
commendable ingenuity he improved the hint.

It had always been a matter of surprise to Polwarth that
a man like Lionel should tolerate so much of the society of
the simpleton; nor had it escaped his observations that the
communications between the two were a little concealed
under a shade of mystery. He had overheard the foolish
boast of the lad, the preceding day, relative to the death of
M'Fuse; and the battered ornament, in conjunction with
the place where it was found, which accorded so well with
his grovelling habits, had tended to confirm its truth. The
love of Polwarth for the grenadier was second only to his
attachment for his earlier friend. The one had avowedly
fallen, and he soon began to suspect that the other had been
strangely inveigled from his duty by the agency of this ill-
gifted changeling. To conceive an opinion, and to become
confirmed in its justice, were results generally produced by
the same operation of the mind, with this disciple of animal
philosophy. Whilst he stood near the tomb of the Lech-
meres, in the important character of chief mourner, he had
diligently revolved in his mind the brief arguments which
he found necessary to this conclusion. The arrangement
of his ideas might boast of the terseness of a syllogism.
His proposition and inference were something as follows:
— Job murdered M'Fuse; — some great evil has occurred to
Lionel ; — and therefore Job has been its author.

346 LIONEL LINCOLN.

It is true, there was a good deal of intermediate argument
to support this deduction, at which the captain cast an ex
tremely cursory glance, but which the reader may easily
conceive, if at all gifted in the way of imagination. It
would require no undue belief of the connection between
very natural effects and their causes, to show that Polwarth
was not entirely unreasonable in suspecting the agency of
the simpleton, nor in harboring the deep and bitter resent
ment that so much mischief, even though it were sustained
from the hands of a fool, was likely to awaken. Be that as
it may, by the time the pung had reached the point already
mentioned, its rapid motion, which accelerated the ordi
narily quiet circulation of his blood, together with the scene
through which he had just passed, and the recollections
which had been crowding on his mind, conspired to wind
up his resolution to a very obstinate pitch of determination.
Of all his schemes, embracing, as they did, compulsion,
confession, and punishment, Job Pray was, of course, des
tined to be both the subject and the victim.

The shadows of evening were already thrown upon the
town, and the cold had long before driven the few dealers
in meats and vegetables, who continued to find daily em
ployment around the ill-furnished shambles, to their several
homes. In their stead there was only to be seen a meagre
and impoverished follower of the camp, stealing along the
shadows of the building, with her half-famished child, as
they searched among the offals of the market for some
neglected morsel, to eke out the scanty meal of the night.
But while the common mart presented this appearance of
dulness and want, the lower part of the square exhibited a
very different aspect.

The warehouse was surrounded by a body of men in uni
form, whose disorderly and rapid movements proclaimed at
once, to the experienced eye of the captain, that they were
engaged in a scene of lawless violence. Some were rushing
furiously into the building, armed with such weapons as the

LIONEL LINCOLN. 347

streets first offered to their hands, while others returned,
filling the air with their threats and outcries. A constant
current of eager soldiers was setting out of the dark pas
sages in the neighborhood towards the place, and every
window of the building was crowded with excited witnesses,
who clung to the walls, apparently animating those within
by their cheers and applause.

When Polwarth bade Shearflint pull the reins, he caught
the quick, half-formed sentences that burst from the rioters,
and even before he was able, in the duskiness of the even
ing, to discover the facings of their uniform, his ear detected
the well-known dialect of the Royal Irish. The whole truth
now broke upon him at once, and throwing his obese person
from the sleigh, in the best manner he was able, he hobbled
into the throng, with a singular compound of feeling, which
owed its birth to the opposing impulses of a thirst for ven
geance, and the lingering influence of his natural kindness.
Better men than the captain have, however, lost sight of
their humanity, under those fierce sympathies that are awak
ened in moments of tumult and violence. By the time he
had forced his person into the large, dark apartment that
formed the main building, he had, in a great degree, suffered
himself to be worked into a sternness of purpose which
comported very ill with his intelligence and rank. He even
listened with unaccountable pleasure to the threats and de
nunciations which filled the building; until he foresaw,
from their savage nature, there was great danger that one
half of his object, the discovery of Lionel, was likely to be
frustrated by their fulfilment. Animated anew by this im
pression, he threw the rioters from him with prodigious
energy, and succeeded in gaining a position where he might
become a more efficient actor in the fray.

There was still light enough to discover Job Pray placed
in the centre of the warehouse, on his miserable bed, in an
attitude between lying and sitting. While his bodily con
dition seemed to require the former position, his fears had

348 LIONEL LINCOLN.

induced him to attempt the latter. The large, red blotches
which covered his unmeaning countenance, and his flushed
eyeballs, too plainly announced that the unfortunate young
man, in addition to having become the object of the wrath
of a lawless mob, was a prey to the ravages of that foul dis
order which had long before lighted on the town. Around
this squalid subject of poverty and disease, a few of the
hardiest of the rioters, chiefly the surviving grenadiers of
the i8th, had gathered; while the less excited, or more
timid among them, practised their means of annoyance at a
greater distance from the malign atmosphere of the dis
temper. The bruised and bloody person of the simpleton
manifested how much he had already suffered from the
hands of his tormentors, who happily possessed no very
fatal weapons, or the scene would have been much earlier
terminated. Notwithstanding his great bodily debility,
and the pressing dangers that beset him on every side, Job
continued to face his assailants, with a sort of stupid endur
ance of the pains they inflicted.

At the sight of this revolting spectacle, the heart of Pol-
warth began greatly to relent, and he endeavored to make
himself heard in the clamor of fifty voices. But his pres
ence was unheeded, for his remonstrances were uttered to
ignorant men, wildly bent on vengeance.

"Pul the baist from his rags!" cried one — "'tis no a
human man, but a divil's imp, in the shape of a fellow-
cratur ! "

" For such as him to murder the flower of the British
army! " said another — "his small-pox is nothing but a foul
invintion of the ould one, to save him from his daisarrev-
ings!"

"Would any but a divil invint such a disorder at all? "
interrupted a third, who, even in his anger, could not forget
his humor. " Have a care, b'ys, he may give it to the whole
family the naat'ral way, to save the charges of the inocula
tion ! "

LIONEL LINCOLN. 349

"Have done wid ye'r foolery, Terence," returned the
first; "would ye trifle about death, and his unrevenged?
Put a coal into his filth, b'ys, and burren it and him in the
same bonfire!"

"A coal! a coal! a brand for the divil's burning!"
echoed twenty soldiers, eagerly listening, in the madness of
their fury, to the barbarous advice.

Polwarth again exerted himself, though unsuccessfully, to
be heard; nor was it until a dozen voices proclaimed, in
disappointment, that the house contained neither fire nor
fuel, that the sudden commotion in the least subsided.

" Out of the way ! out of the way wid ye ! " roared one of
gigantic mould, whose heavy nature had, like an overcharged
volcano, been slowly wrought up to the eve of a fearful
eruption. "Here is fire to destroy a salamander! Be he
divil or be he saint, he has great need of his prayers!"

As he spoke, the fellow levelled a musket, and another
instant would have decided the fate of Job, who cowered
before the danger with instinctive dread, had not Polwarth
beat up the piece with his cane, and interposed his body
between them.

" Hold your fire, brave grenadier," he said, warily adopt
ing a middle course between the language of authority and
that of counsel. "This is hasty and unsoldier-like. I
knew, and loved your late commander well ; let us obtain
the confessions of the lad before we proceed to punishment
— there may be others more guilty than he."

The men regarded the unexpected intruder with such
furious aspects aj augured ill of their deference for his ad
vice and station. "Blood for blood! " passed from mouth
to mouth, in low, sullen mutterings; and the short pause
which had succeeded his appearance was already broken by
still less equivocal marks of hostility, when, happily for
Polwarth, he was recognized, through the twilight, by a
veteran of the grenadiers, as one of the former intimates of
M'Fuse. The instant the soldier communicated this dis-

350 LIONEL LINCOLN.

covery to his fellows, the growing uproar again subsided,
and the captain was relieved from no small bodily terror,
by hearing his own name passing among them, coupled with
such amicable additions as " his ould fri'nd ! " — " an offisher
of the light troops! " — "he that the ribbils massacred of a
leg! " &c. As soon as this explanation was generally un
derstood, his ears were greeted with a burst from every
mouth, of:

"Hurrah for Captain Polly warreth ! His fri'nd! the
brave Captain Pollywarreth! "

Pleased with his success, and secretly gratified by the
commendations that were now freely lavished on himself,
with characteristic liberality, the mediator improved the
slight advantage he had obtained, by again addressing
them.

"I thank you for your good opinion, my friends," he
added, " and must acknowledge it is entirely mutual. I
love the Royal Irish, on account of one that I well knew,
and greatly esteemed, and who, I fear, was murdered in de
fiance of all the rules of war."

" Hear ye that, Dennis ? murdered ! "

" Blood for blood ! " muttered three or four surly voices
at once.

" Let us be deliberate, that we may be just, and just that
our vengeance may be awful," Polwarth quickly answered,
fearful that if the torrent once more broke loose, it would
exceed his powers to stay it. "A true soldier always awaits
his orders ; and what regiment in the army can boast of its
discipline, if it be not the i8th? Form yourselves in a
circle around your prisoner, and listen, while I extract the
truth from him. After that, should he prove guilty, I will
consign him to your tenderest mercy."

The rioters, who only saw, in the delay, a more methodical
execution of their own violent purpose, received the proposi
tion with another shout, and the name of Polwarth> pro
nounced in all the varieties of their barbarous idioms, rung

LIONEL LINCOLN. 35 I

loudly through the naked rafters of the building, while they
disposed themselves to comply.

The captain, with a wish to gain time to command his
thoughts, required that a light should ,be struck, in order,
as he said, to study the workings of the countenance of the
accused. As the night had now gathered about them in
good earnest, the demand was too reasonable for objection,
and with the same headlong eagerness that they had mani
fested a few minutes before, to shed the blood of Job, they
turned their attention, with thoughtless versatility, to effect
this harmless object. A brand had been brought, for a very
different end, when the plan of burning was proposed, and
it had been cast aside again with the change of purpose.
A few of its sparks were now collected, and some bundles
of oakum, which lay in a corner of the warehouse, were
fired, and carefully fed in such a manner as to shed a strong
light through every cranny of the gloomy edifice.

By the aid of this fitful glare, the captain succeeded once
more in marshalling the rioters in such a manner that no
covert injury could be offered to Job. The whole affair
now assumed, in some measure, the character of a regular
investigation. The curiosity of the men without overcame
their fears of infection, and they crowded into the place, in
earnest attention, until, in a very few moments, no other
sound was audible but the difficult and oppressed respiration
of their victim. When all the other noises had ceased,
and Polwarth perceived by the eager and savage counte
nances, athwart which the bright glare of the burning hemp
was gleaming, that delay might yet be dangerous, he pro
ceeded at once in his inquiries.

" You may see, Job Pray, by the manner in which you
are surrounded," he said, "that judgment has at length
overtaken you, and that your only hope for mercy lies in
your truth. Answer, then, to such questions as I shall put,
and keep the fear of God before your eyes."

The captain paused to allow this exhortation to produce

352 LIONEL LINCOLN.

its desired effect. But Job, perceiving that his late tor-
mentors were quiet, and to all appearance bent on no im
mediate mischief, sunk his head languidly upon his blankets,
where he lay in silence, watching, with rolling and anxious
eyes, the smallest movements of his enemies. Polwarth
soon yielded to the impatience of his listeners, and con
tinued:

"You are acquainted with Major Lincoln? "

" Major Lincoln ! " grumbled three or four of the grena
diers; " is it of him that we want to hear? "

"One moment, my worthy iSths; I shall come at the
whole truth the sooner, by taking this indirect course."

"Hurrah for Captain Pollywarreth! " shouted the rioters,
"him that the ribbils massacred of a leg! "

" Thank you — thank you, my considerate friends : answer,
fellow, without prevarication; you dare not deny to me
your knowledge of Major Lincoln? "

After a momentary pause, a low voice was heard mutter
ing among the blankets:

" Job knows all the Boston people ; and Major Lincoln
is a Boston boy."

" But with Major Lincoln you had a more particular ac
quaintance. Restrain your impatience, men; these ques
tions lead directly to the facts you wish to know." The
rioters, who were profoundly ignorant of what sort of facts
they were to be made acquainted with by this examination,
looked at each other in uneasy doubt, but soon settled down
again into their former deep silence. "You know him
better than any other gentleman of the army ? "

"He promised Job to keep off the grannies, and Job
agreed to run his ar'n'ds."

" Such an arrangement betrays a greater intimacy than is
usual between a wise man and a fool ! If you are then so
close in league with him, I demand what has become of
your associate ? "

The young man made no reply.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 353

" You are thought to know the reasons why he has left
his friends," returned Polwarth, " and 1 now demand that
you declare them."

" Declare ! " repeated the simpleton, in his most unmean
ing and helpless manner: "Job was never good at his
schooling."

"Nay, then, if you are obstinate, and will not answer, I
must withdraw, and permit these brave grenadiers to work
their will on you."

This threat served to induce Job to raise his head, and
assume that attitude and look of instinctive watchfulness
that he had so recently abandoned. A slight movement of
the crowd followed, and the terrible words of " Blood for
blood ! " again passed among them in sullen murmurs.
The helpless youth, whom we have been obliged to call an
idiot, for want of a better term, and because his mental im
becility removed him without the pale of legal responsibil
ity, now stared wildly about him, with an increasing ex
pression of reason, that might be ascribed to the force of
that inward fire which preyed upon his vitals, and which
seemed to purify the spirit in proportion as it consumed the
material dross of his existence.

" It's ag'in the laws of the Bay to beat and torment a fel
low-creature," he said, with a solemn earnestness in his
voice, that would have melted hearts of ordinary softness ;
" and, what is more, it's ag'in His holy book ! If you hadn't
made oven-wood of the Old North, and a horse-stable of the
Old South, you might have gone to hear such expounding
as would have made the hair rise on your wicked heads! "

The cries of "Have done wid his foolery! " "The imp
is playing his games on us! " "As if his wooden mockery
was a church at all fit for a ra'al Christian ! " were heard on
every side, and they were succeeded by the often-repeated
and appalling threat of " Blood for blood! "

"Fall back, men, fall back! " cried Polwarth, flourishing
his walking-stick in such a manner as effectually to enforce

354 LIONEL LINCOLN.

his orders; miwait for his confession before you judge.
Fellow, this is the last and trying appeal to your truth —
your life most probably depends on the answer. You are
known to have been in arms against the crown. Nay, I
myself saw you in the field on that day when the troops
a-a-a countermarched from Lexington ; since when you are
known to have joined the rebels while the army went out to
storm the intrenchment on the heights of Charlestown."
At this point in the recapitulation of the offences of Job,
the captain was suddenly appalled by a glimpse at the dark
and threatening looks that encircled him, and he concluded
with a laudable readiness; "on that glorious day when his
majesty's troops scattered your provincial rabble like so
many sheep driven from their pastures by dogs ! "

The humane ingenuity of Polwarth was rewarded by a
burst of loud and savage laughter. Encouraged by this
evidence of his power over his auditors, the worthy captain
proceeded with an increased confidence in his own elo
quence.

"On that glorious day," he continued, gradually warm
ing with his subject, " many a gallant gentleman and hun
dreds of fearless privates met their fate. Some fell in open
and manly fight, and according to the chances of regular
warfare. Some — he-e-m — some have been mutilated; and
will carry the marks of their glory with them to the grave."
His voice grew a little thick and husky as he proceeded;
but, shaking off his weakness, he ended with an energy that
he intended should curdle the heart of the prisoner: " while,
fellow, some have been murdered! "

"Blood for blood! " was heard again passing its fearful
round. Without attempting any longer to repress the rising
spirit of the rioters, Polwarth continued his interrogatories,
entirely led away by the strength of his own feelings on
this sensitive subject.

"Remember you such a man as Dennis M'Fuse?" he
demanded in a voice of thunder ; " he that was treacherously

LIONEL LINCOLN. 355

slain in your inmost trenches, after the day was won ! An
swer me, knave, were you not among the rabble, and did not
your own vile hand the bloody deed? "

A few words were heard from Job, in a low, muttering
tone, of which only "the rake-hellies," and "the people
will teach 'em the law ! " were sufficiently distinct to be
understood.

" Murder him ! part him sowl from body ! " exclaimed
the fiercest of the grenadiers.

"Hold," cried Polwarth; "but one moment more — I
would relieve my mind from the debt I owe his memory.
Speak, fellow; what know you of the death of the com
mander of these brave grenadiers? "

Job, who had listened to his words attentively, though
his uneasy eyes still continued to watch the slightest move
ments of his foes, now turned to the speaker with a look of
foolish triumph, and answered:

"The i8th came up the hill, shouting like roaring lions!
but the Royal Irish had a death-howl, that evening, over
their tallest man ! "

Polwarth trembled with the violence of the passions that
beset him ; but, while with one hand he motioned to the
men to keep back, with the other he produced the battered
gorget from his pocket, and held it before the eyes of the
simpleton.

"Know you this? " he demanded; "who sent the bullet
through this fatal hole? "

Job took the ornament, and for a moment regarded it with
an unconscious look. But his countenance gradually light
ing with a ray of unusual meaning, he laughed in scornful
exultation, as he answered :

" Though Job is a fool, he can shoot! "

Polwarth started back aghast, while the fierce resentments
of his ruder listeners broke through all restraint. They
raised a loud and savage shout, as one man, filling the
building with hoarse execrations and cries for vengeance.

LIONEL LINCOLN.

Twenty expedients to destroy their captive were named in
a breath, and with all the characteristic vehemence of their
nation. Most of them would have been irregularly adopted,
had not the man who attended the burning hemp caught up
a bundle of the flaming combustible, and shouted aloud :

"Smodder him in the fiery flames! — he's an imp of
darkness; burren him in his rags from before the face of
man!"

The barbarous proposition was received with a sort of
frenzied joy, and in another moment a dozen handfuls of the
oakum were impending above the devoted head of the help
less lad. Job made a feeble attempt to avert the dreadful
fate that threatened him, but he could offer no other resist
ance than his own weakened arm, and the abject moanings
of his impotent mind. He was enveloped in a cloud of
black smoke, through which the forked flames had already
begun to play, when a woman burst into the throng, casting
the fiery combustibles from her, on either side, as she ad
vanced, with a strength that seemed supernatural. When
she had reached the bed, she tore aside the smoking pile
with hands that disregarded the heat, and placed herself
before the victim, like a fierce lioness at bay, in defence of
her whelps. In this attitude she stood an instant, regarding
the rioters with a breast that heaved with passions too strong
for utterance, when she found her tongue, and vented her
emotions with all the fearlessness of a woman's indignation.

" Ye monsters in the shape of men, what is't ye do ! " she
exclaimed in a voice that rose above the tumult, and had
the effect to hush every mouth. " Have ye bodies without
hearts! the forms without the bowels of. the creatures of
God ! Who made you judges and punishers of sins ! Is
there a father among you, let him come and view the an
guish of a dying child! Is there a son, let him draw near,
and look upon a mother's sorrow ! Oh ! ye savages, worse
than the beasts of the howling wilderness, who have mercy
on their kinds, what is't ye do — what is't ye do! "

LiONEL LINCOLN. 357

The air of maternal intrepidity with which this burst
from the heart was uttered, could not fail to awe the worst
passions of the rioters, who gazed on each other in stupid
wonder, as if uncertain how to act. The hushed and mo
mentary stillness was, however, soon broken once more by
the low, murmuring threat of " Blood for blood ! "

"Cowards! dastards! soldiers in name, and demons in
your deeds!" continued the undaunted Abigail; "come ye
here to taste of human blood? Go — away with you to the
hills! and face the men of the Bay, who stand ready to
meet you with arms in their hands, and come not hither to
bruise the broken reed! Poor, suffering, and stricken as
he is, by a hand far mightier than yours, my child will
meet you there, to your shame, in the cause of his country,
and the law ! "

This taunt was too bitter for the unnurtured tempers to
which she appealed, and the dying spark of their resentment
was at once kindled into a blaze by the galling gibe.

The rioters were again in motion, and the cry of " Burn
the hag and the imp together! " was fiercely raised, when a
man of a stout, muscular frame forced his way into the cen
tre of the crowd, making room for the passage of a female,
whose gait and attire, though her person was concealed by
her mantle, announced her to be of a rank altogether
superior to the usual guests of the warehouse. The unex
pected appearance, and lofty, though gentle bearing of this
unlooked-for visitor, served to quell the rising uproar
which was immediately succeeded by so deep a silence,
that a whisper could have been heard in that throng, which
so lately resounded with violent tumult and barbarous
execrations.

35? LTONEI, LINCOLN.

CHAPTER XXVII,

11 Ay, sir, you shall find me reasonable ; if it be so, I shall do that that is reason."

SLENDER.

DURING the close of the foregoing scene, Polwarth was in a
bewildered state, that rendered him utterly incapable of ex
ertion, either to prevent or to assist the evil intentions of
the soldiery. His discretion and all his better feelings
were certainly on the side of humanity, but the idle vaunt
of the simpleton had stirred anew the natural thirst for ven
geance. He recognized, at the first glance, in the wan but
speaking lineaments of the mother of Job, those faded rem
nants of beauty that he had traced, so lately, in the squalid
female attendant who was seen lingering near the grave of
Mrs. Lechmere. As she rushed before the men, with all the
fearlessness of a mother who stood in defence of her child,
the brightness of her dark eyes, aided as they were by the
strong glare from the scattered balls of fire, and the intense
expression of maternal horror that shone in every feature of
her countenance, had imparted to her appearance a dignity
and interest that greatly served to quell the unusual and
dangerous passions that beset him. He was on the point of
aiding her appeal by his authority and advice, when the sec
ond interruption to the brutal purpose of the men occurred,
as just related. The effect of this strange appearance, in
such a place, and at such a time, was not less instant on the
captain than on the vulgar throng who surrounded him. He
remained a silent and an attentive spectator.

The first sensation of the lady in finding herself in the
centre of such a confused and unexpected throng, was un
equivocally that of an alarmed and shrinking delicacy; but,
forgetting her womanish apprehensions in the next moment,
she collected the powers of her mind, like one sustained by
high and laudable intentions, and dropping the silken folds

LIONEL LINCOLN. 359

of her calash, exhibited the pale, but lovely countenance of
Cecil to the view of the wondering bystanders. After a
moment of profound silence, she spoke :

" I know not why I find this fierce collection of faces
around the sick-bed of that unfortunate young man," she
said ; " but if it be with evil purpose, I charge you to relent,
as you love the honor of your gallant profession, or fear the
power of your leaders. I boast myself a soldier's wife, and
promise you, in the name of one who has the ear of Howe,
pardon for what is past, or punishment for your violence, as
you conduct yourselves."

The rude listeners stared at each other in irresolute hesi
tation, seeming already to waver in their purpose, when the
old grenadier, whose fierceness had so nearly cost Job his
life, gruffly replied —

" If you're an officer's lady, madam, you'll be knowing
how to feel for the fri'nds of him that's dead and gone. I
put it to the face of your ladyship's reason, if it's not too
much for men to bear, — and they such men as the iSths, —
to hear a fool boasting on the highways and through the
streets of the town, that he has been the death of the like of
Captain M'Fuse, of the grenadiers of that same radg'ment! "

"I believe I understand you, friend/' returned Cecil,
" for I have heard it whispered that the young man was be
lieved to aid the Americans on the bloody day to which
you allude — but if it is not lawful to kill in battle, what are
you, whose whole trade is war ? n

She was interrupted by half-a-dozen eager, though re
spectful voices, muttering, in the incoherent and vehement
manner of their country, " It's all a difference, my lady ! "
— " Fair fighting isn't foul fighting, and foul fighting is
murder! " — with many other similar half -formed and equally
intelligible remonstrances. When this burst was ended, the
same grenadier, who had before spoken, took on himself the
office of explaining.

" If your ladyship spoke never a word again, ye've said

36O LIONEL LINCOLN.

the truth this time," he answered, " though it isn't exactly
the truth at all. When a man is kilFt in the fair war, it's
a godsend; and no true Irishman will gainsay the same;
but skulking behind a dead body, and taking aim into the
f'atures of a fellow-creature, is what we complain of against
the bloody-minded rascal. Besides, wasn't the day won?
and even his death couldn't give them the victory ! "

" I know not all these nice distinctions in your dreadful
calling, friend," Cecil replied, " but I have heard that many
fell after the troops mounted the works."

"That did they; sure your ladyship is knowing all about
it ! and it's the more need that some should be punished for
the murders! It's hard to tell when we've got the day with
men who make a fight of it after they are fairly baitin ! "

"That others suffered under similar circumstances," con
tinued Cecil, with a quivering lip, and a tremulous motion
of her eyelids, "I well know; but had never supposed it
more than the usual fortune of every war. But even if this
youth has erred — look at him! — is he an object for the re
sentment of men, who pride themselves on meeting their
enemies on equal terms? He has long been visited by a
blow from a hand far mightier than yours, and even now is
laboring, in addition to all other misfortunes, under that
dangerous distemper, whose violence seldom spares those it
seizes. Nay, you, in the blindness of your anger, expose
yourselves to its attacks; and when you think only of re
venge, may become its victims! "

The crowd insensilby fell back as she spoke, and a large
circle was left around the bed of Job, while many in the
rear stole silently from the building, with a haste that be
trayed how completely apprehension had got the better of
their more evil passions. Cecil paused but an instant, and
pursued her advantage.

"Go," she said; "leave this dangerous vicinity. I have
business with this young man, touching the interests, if not
the life of one dear, deservedly dear, to the whole army,

LIONEL LINCOLN. 361

and would be left alone with him and his mother. Here is
money — retire to your own quarters, and endeavor to avert
the danger you have so wantonly braved, by care and regi
men. Go; all shall be forgotten and pardoned."

The reluctant grenadier took her gold, and, perceiving
that he was already deserted by most of his companions, he
made an awkward obeisance to the fair being before him,
and withdrew, not without, however, casting many a savage
and sullen glance at the miserable wretch who had been
thus singularly rescued from his vengeance. Not a soldier
now remained in the building; and the noisy and rapid ut
terance of the retiring party, as each vehemently recounted
his deeds, soon became inaudible in the distance.

Cecil then turned to those who remained, and cast a rapid
glance at each individual of the party. The instant she
encountered the wondering look of Polwarth the blood man
tled her pale features once more, and her eyes fell, for an
instant, in embarrassment to the floor.

" I trust we have been drawn here for a similar purpose,
Captain Polwarth," she said, when the slight confusion had
passed away — " the welfare of a common friend ? "

"You have not done me injustice," he replied. "When
the sad office, which your fair cousin charged me with, was
ended, I hastened hither to follow a clue which, I have rea
son to believe, will conduct us to "

" What we most desire to find," said Cecil, involuntarily
glancing her anxious eyes towards the other spectators.
"But our first duty is humanity. Cannot this miserable
young man be reconveyed to his own apartment, and have
his hurts examined? "

" It may be done now, or after our examination," returned
the captain, with a cool indifference that caused Cecil to
look up at him in surprise. Perceiving the unfavorable im
pression his apathy had produced, Polwarth turned care
lessly to a couple of men who were still curious lookers-on,
at the outer door of the building, and called to them :

362 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" Here, Shearflint, Meriton, remove the fellow into yonder
room."

The servants in waiting, who had been hitherto wonder
ing witnesses of all that passed, received this mandate with
strong disgust. Meriton was loud in his murmurs, and ap
proached the verge of disobedience before he consented to
touch such an object of squalid misery. As Cecil, however,
enforced the order by her wishes, the disagreeable duty was
performed, and Job replaced on his pallet in the tower, from
which he had been rudely dragged, an hour before, by the
soldiers.

At the moment when all danger of further violence disap
peared, Abigail had sunk on some of the lumber of the
apartment, where she remained during the removal of her
child, in a sort of stupid apathy. When, however, she per
ceived that they were now surrounded by those who were
bent on deeds of mercy rather than of anger, she slowly fol
lowed into the little room, and became an anxious observer
of the succeeding events.

Polwarth seemed satisfied with what had been done for
Job, and now stood aloof, in sullen attendance on the pleas
ure of Cecil. The latter, who had directed every movement
with female tenderness and care, bade the servants retire
into the outer room, and wait her orders. When Abigail,
therefore, took her place, in silence, near the bed of her
child, there remained present, besides herself and the sick,
only Cecil, the captain, and the unknown man, who had ap
parently led the former to the warehouse. In addition to
the expiring flames of the oakum, the feeble light of a can
dle was shed through the room, merely rendering the gloomy
misery of its tenants more striking.

Notwithstanding the high but calm resolution which Cecil
had displayed in the foregoing scene with the rioters, and
which still manifested itself in the earnest brightness of her
intelligent eye, she appeared willing to profit by the duski
ness of the apartment, to conceal her expressive features

LIONEL LINCOLN. 363

from the gaze of even the forlorn female. She placed her
self in one of the shadows of the room, and partly raised the
calash, by a graceful movement of one of her hands, while
she addressed the simpleton.

"Though I have not come hither with any intent to pun
ish, nor in any manner to intimidate you with threats, Job
Pray," she said, with an earnestness that rendered the soft
tones of her voice doubly impressive — " yet have I come to
question you on matters that it would be wrong, as well as
cruel in you, to misrepresent, or in any manner to con
ceal "

"You have little cause to fear that anything but the truth
will be uttered by my child," interrupted Abigail. "The
same power that destroyed his reason, has dealt tenderly
with his heart — the boy knows no guile : would to God the
same could be said of the sinful woman who bore him! "

" I hope the character you give your son will be supported
by his conduct," replied Cecil : " with this assurance of his
integrity, I will directly question him. But that you may
see I take no idle liberty with the young man, let me explain
my motives." She hesitated a moment, and averted her face
unconsciously, as she continued — " I should think, Abigail
Pray, that my person must be known to you ? "

"It is — it is," returned the impatient woman, who ap
peared to feel the feminine and polished elegance of the
other a reproach to her own misery — " you are the happy
and wealthy heiress of her whom I have seen this day laid
in her vault. The grave will open for all alike — the rich
and the poor, the happy as well as the wretched! Yes — yes,
I know you ! you are the bride of a rich man's son ! "

Cecil shook back the dark tresses that had fallen about
her countenance, and raised her face, tinged with its richest
bloom, as she answered, with an air of matronly dignity:

" If you, then, know of my marriage, you will at once per
ceive that I have the interest of a wife in Major Lincoln — I
would wish to learn his movements of your son."

364 LIONEL LINCOLN.

"Of my boy! of Job! from the poor despised child of
poverty and disease, would you learn tidings of your hus
band? — no — no, young lady, you mock us; he is not worthy
to be in the secrets of one so great and happy ! "

" Yet am I deceived if he is not. Has there not been one
called Ralph, a frequent inmate of your dwelling, during the
past year; and has he not been concealed here within a very
few hours? "

Abigail started at this question, though she did not hesi
tate to answer without prevarication :

"It is true. If I am to be punished for harboring a be
ing that comes I know not whence, and goes I know not
whither, who can read the heart, and knows what man, by
his own limited powers, could never know, I must submit.
He was here yesterday; he may be here again to-night; for
he comes and goes at will. Your generals and army may
interfere, but such as I dare not forbid it."

"Who accompanied him when he departed last? " asked
Cecil, in a voice so low that, but for the profound stillness
of the place, it would have been inaudible.

"My child — my weak, unmeaning, miserable child!"
said Abigail, with a reckless promptitude that seemed to
court any termination to her misery, however sudden or ad
verse. " If it be treasonable to follow in the footsteps of
that nameless man, Job has much to answer for! "

"You mistake my purpose — good, rather than evil, will
attend your answers, should they be found true."

"True! " repeated the woman, ceasing the rocking motion
of her body, and looking proudly up into the anxious face
of Cecil — " but you are great and powerful, and are privi
leged to open the wounds of the unhappy ! "

" If I have said anything to hurt the feelings of a child,
I shall deeply regret the words," said Cecil, with gentle fer
vor. " I would rather be your friend than your oppressor, as
you will learn when occasion offers."

"No — no — you can never be a friend to me /" exclaimed

LIONEL LINCOLN. 365

the woman, shuddering; "the wife of Major Lincoln ought
never to serve the interests of Abigail Pray! "

The simpleton, who had apparently lain in dull indiffer
ence to what was passing, raised himself now from among
his rags, and said, with foolish pride:

" Major Lincoln's lady has come to see Job, because Job
is a gentleman's son ! "

"You are the child of sin and misery! " groaned Abigail,
burying her head in her cloak — •" would that you had never
seen the light of day! "

"Tell me, then, Job, whether Major Lincoln himself has
paid you this compliment, as well as I," said Cecil, without
regarding the conduct of the mother — " when did you see
him last?"

" Perhaps I can put these questions in a more intelligible
manner," said the stranger, with a meaning glance of his
eye towards Cecil, that she appeared instantly to compre
hend. He turned then to Job, whose countenance he stud
ied closely, for several moments, before he continued:
" Boston must be a fine place for parades and shows, young
man; do you ever go to see the soldiers exercise? "

" Job always keeps time in the marchings," returned the
simpleton ; " 'tis a grand sight to see the grannies treading
it off to the awful sound of drums and trumpets ! "

" And Ralph," said the other, soothingly — " does he march
in their company, too? "

" Ralph ! he's a great warrior ! he teaches the people their
trainings, out on the hills — Job sees him there every time
he goes for the major's provisions."

"This requires some explanation," said the stranger.

" Tis easily obtained," returned the observant Polwarth.
" The young man has been the bearer of certain articles,
periodically, from the country into the town, during the last
six months, under the favor of a flag."

The man mused a moment before he pursued the sub
ject.

366 LIONEL LINCOLN.

"When were you last among the rebels, Job?" he At
length asked.

" You had best not call the people rebels," muttered the
young man, sullenly, "for they won't put up with bitter
names."

" I was wrong, indeed," said the stranger. " But when
went you last for provisions? "

"Job got in last Sabba'day morning; and that's only yes
terday!"

" How happened it, fellow, that you did not bring the ar
ticles to me?" demanded Polwarth, with a good deal of
impatient heat.

" He has unquestionably a sufficient reason for the ap
parent neglect," said the cautious and soothing stranger.
" You brought them here, I suppose, for some good rea
son?"

" Ay ! to feed his own gluttony ! " muttered the irritated
captain.

The mother of the young man clasped her hands together
convulsively, and made an effort to rise and speak; but she
sunk again into her humble posture, as if choked by emo
tions that were too strong for utterance.

This short, but impressive pantomime was unnoticed by
the stranger, who continued his inquiries in the same cool
and easy manner as before.

" Are they yet here ? " he asked.

" Certain," said the unsuspecting simpleton; "Job has
hid them till Major Lincoln comes back. Both Ralph and
Major Lincoln forgot to tell Job what to do with the provi
sions."

" In that case I am surprised you did not pursue them with
your load."

"Everybody thinks Job's a fool," muttered the young
man; "but he knows too much to be lugging provisions
out ag'in among the people. Why ! " he continued, raising
himself, and speaking, with a bright glare dancing across

LIONEL LINCOLN. 367

his eyes, that betrayed how much he prized the envied ad
vantage — "the Bay-men come down with cart-loads of
things to eat, while the town is filled with hunger! "

" True ; I had forgotten they were gone out among the
Americans : of course they went under the flag that you bore
in?"

" Job didn't bring any flag — insygns carry the flags ! He
brought a turkey, a grand ham and a little sa'ce — there
wasn't any flag among them."

At the sound of these eatables, the captain pricked up his
ears, and he probably would have again violated the rigid
rules of decorum, had not the stranger continued his ques
tions.

"I see the truth of all you say, my sensible fellow," he
observed. " It was easy for Ralph and Major Lincoln to go
out by means of the same privilege that you used to enter."

" To be sure," muttered Job, who, tired of the questions,
had already dropped his head again among his blankets —
" Ralph knows the way — he's Boston born ! "

The stranger turned to the attentive bride, and bowed, as
if he were satisfied with the result of his examination.
Cecil understood the expression of his countenance, and
made a movement towards the place where Abigail Pray was
seated on a chest, betraying, by the renewed rocking of her
body, and the low groans that from time to time escaped
her, the agony of mind she endured.

" My first care," she said, speaking to the mother of Job,
"shall be to provide for your wants; after which I may
profit by what we have now gathered from your son."

" Care not for me and mine! " returned Abigail, in a tone
of bitter resignation. "The last blow is struck, and it be
hooves such as we to bow our heads to it in submission.
Riches and plenty could not save your grandmother from
the tomb, and perhaps Death may take pity, ere long, on
me. What do I say, sinner that I am! can I never bring
.my rebellious heart to wait his time? "

368 LIONEL LINCOLN.

Shocked at the miserable despair that the other exhibited,
and suddenly recollecting the similar evidences of a guilty
life that the end of Mrs. Lechmere had revealed, Cecil con
tinued silent, in sensitive distress. After a moment, to col
lect her thoughts, she said, with the meekness of a Chris
tian, united to the soothing gentleness of her sex:

" We are surely permitted to administer to our earthly
wants, whatever may have been our transgressions. At a
proper time I will not be denied in my wish to serve you.
Let us now go," she added, addressing her unknown com
panion. Then, observing Polwarth making an indication
to advance to her assistance, she gently motioned him back
and anticipated his offer, by saying, " I thank you, sir — but
I have Meriton, and this worthy man, besides my own maid
without — I will not further interfere with your particular
objects."

As she spoke, she bestowed a melancholy, though sweet
smile on the captain, and left the tower and the building,
before he could presume to dispute her pleasure. Notwith
standing Cecil and her companion had obtained from Job all
that they could expect, or in fact had desired to know, Pol
warth lingered in the room, making those preparations that
should indicate an intention to depart. He found, at
length, that his presence was entirely disregarded by both
mother and child. The one was still sitting, with her head
bowed to her bosom, abandoned to her own sorrows, while
the other had sunk into his customary dull lethargy, giving
no other signs of life than by his labored and audible
breathing. The captain, for a moment, looked upon the
misery of the apartment, which wore a still more dreary
aspect under the dull light of the paltry candle, as well as
at the disease and suffering which were too plainly exhibit
ed in the persons of its abject tenants; but the glance at
neither served to turn him from his purpose. Temptation
had beset the humble follower of Epicurus, in a form that
never failed to subdue his most philosophic resolutions;

LIONEL LINCOLN. 369

and, in this instance, it prevailed once more over his hu
manity. Approaching the pallet of the simpleton, he spoke
to him in a sharp voice, saying:

" You must reveal to me what you have done with the
provisions with which Mr. Seth Sage has intrusted you,
young man — I cannot overlook so gross a violation of duty,
in a matter of such singular importance. Unless you wish
to have the grannies of the i8th back upon you, speak at
once, and speak truly."

Job continued obstinately silent, but Aibgail raised her
head, and answered for her child :

"He has never failed to carry the things to the quarters
of the major, whenever he got back. No, no — if my boy
was so graceless as to steal, it would not be him that he
would rob ! "

" I hope so — I hope so, good woman ; but this is a sort of
temptation to which men yield easily in times of scarcity,"
returned the impatient captain, who probably felt some in
ward tokens of his own frailty in such matters. " If they had
been delivered, would not I have been consulted concerning
their disposition? The young man acknowledges that he
quitted the American camp yesterday at an early hour."

"No, no," said Job; "Ralph made him come away on
Saturda'-night. He left the people without his dinner."

"And repaid his loss by eating the stores! Is this your
honesty, fellow ? "

" Ralph was in such a hurry that he wouldn't stop to eat.
Ralph's a proper warrior, but he doesn't seem to know how
sweet it is to eat ! "

"Glutton! gormandizer! thou ostrich of a man!" ex
claimed the angry Polwarth — " is it not enough that you
have robbed me of my own, but you must make me more
conscious of my loss by thy silly prating! "

"If you really suspect my child of doing wrong to his
employers," said Abigail, " you know neither his temper nor
his breeding. I will answer for him, and with bitterness of
24

37O LIONEL LINCOLN.

heart do I say it, that nothing in the shape of food has en
tered his mouth for many long and weary hours. Hear you
not his piteous longings for nourishment? God, who
knows all hearts, will hear and believe his cry! "

"What say you, woman?" cried Polwarth, aghast with
horror, "not eaten, did you say? — Why hast thou not, un
natural mother, provided for his wants? — why has he not
shared in your meals?

Abigail looked up into his face with eyes that gleamed
with hopeless want, as she answered :

"Would I willingly see the child of my body perish of
hunger? The last crumb he had was all that was left me,
and that came from the hands of one, who, in better justice,
should have sent me poison! "

" Nab don't know of the bone that Job found before the
barracks," said the young man, feebly; "I wonder if the
king knows how sweet bones are? "

"And the provisions, the stores! " cried Polwarth, nearly
choking — "foolish boy, what hast thou done with the provi
sions?"

"Job knew the grannies couldn't find them under that
oakum," said the simpleton, raising himself to point out
their place of concealment, with silly exultation — "when
Major Lincoln comes back, maybe he'll give Nab and Job
the bones to pick ! "

Polwarth was no sooner made acquainted with the situa
tion of the precious stores, than he tore them from their
concealment, with the violence of a maniac. As he sepa
rated the articles with an unsteady hand, he rather panted
than breathed ; and during the short operation, every feature
in his honest face was working with extraordinary emotion.
Now and then he muttered in an undertone, — " No food ! "
— "Suffering of inanition!" or some such expressive ex
clamation, that sufficiently explained the current of his
thoughts. When all was fairly exposed, he shouted, in a
tremendous voice :

LIONEL LINCOLN.

"Shearflint! thou rascal! Shearflint — where have you
hidden yourself? "

The reluctant menial knew how dangerous it was to hesi
tate answering a summons uttered in such a voice, and
while his master was yet repeating his cries, he appeared at
the door of the little apartment, with a face expressive of
the deepest attention.

"Light up the fire, thou prince of idlers! " Polwarth con
tinued in the same high strain ; " here is food, and there is
hunger! God be praised that I am the man who is per
mitted to bring the two acquainted ! Here, throw on oakum
— light up, light up! "

As these rapid orders were accompanied by a correspond
ing earnestness of action, the servant, who knew his mas
ter's humor, set himself most diligently at work to comply.
A pile of the tarred combustible was placed on the dreary
and empty hearth, and by a touch of the candle, it was light
ed into a blaze. As the roar of the chimney and the bright
glare were heard and seen, the mother and child both turned
their longing eyes towards the busy actors in the scene. Pol
warth threw aside his cane, and commenced slicing the ham
with a dexterity that denoted great practice, as well as an
eagerness that renewed the credit of his disgraced humanity.

" Bring wood — hand down that apology for a gridiron —
make coals, make coals at once, rascal," he said, at short
intervals: "God forgive me, that I should ever have medi
tated evil to one suffering under the heaviest of curses!
D'ye hear, thou Shearflint! bring more wood; I shall be
ready for the fire in a minute."

"Tis impossible, sir," said the worried domestic; "I
have brought the smallest chip there is to be found — wood
is too precious in Boston to be lying in the streets."

" Where do you keep your fuel, woman ? " demanded the
captain, unconscious that he addressed her in the same
rough strain that he used to his menial — "I am ready to
put down."

372 LIONEL LINCOLN.

"You see it all! you see it all!" said Abigail, in the
submissive tones of a stricken conscience; "the judgment of
God has not fallen on me singly ! "

"No wood! no provisions!" exclaimed Polwarth, speak
ing with difficulty — then, dashing his hand across his eyes,
he continued to his man, in a voice whose hoarseness he in
tended should conceal his emotion — " thou villain, Shear-
flint, come hither — unstrap my leg."

The servant looked at him in wonder, but an impatient
gesture hastened his compliance.

"Split it into ten thousand fragments; 'tis seasoned and
ready for the fire. The best of them, they of flesh I mean,
are but useless incumbrances, after all! A cook wants
hands, eyes, nose, and palate, but I see no use for a
leg!"

While he was speaking, the philosophic captain seated
himself on the hearth with great indifference, and, by the
aid of Shearflint, the culinary process was soon in a state of
forwardness.

" There are people," resumed the diligent Polwarth, who
did not neglect his avocation while speaking, "that eat but
twice a day; and some who eat but once; though I never
knew any man thrive who did not supply nature in four sub
stantial and regular meals. These sieges are damnable vis
itations on humanity, and there should be plans invented to
conduct a war without them. The moment you begin to
starve a soldier, he grows tame and melancholy : feed him,
and defy the devil! How is it, my worthy fellow? do you
like your ham running or dry? "

The savory smell of the meat had caused the suffering
invalid to raise his feverish body, and he sat watching, with
greedy looks, every movement of his unexpected benefactor.
His parched lips were already working with impatience, and
every glance of his glassy eye betrayed the absolute domin
ion of physical want over his feeble mind. To this ques
tion he made the simple and touching reply of:

LIONEL LINCOLN. 3/3

"Job isn't particular in his eating."

"Neither am I," returned the methodical gourmand, re
turning a piece of the meat to the fire, that Job had already
devoured in imagination: "one would like to get it up well,
notwithstanding the hurry. A single turn more, and it will
be fit for the mouth of a prince. Bring hither that trench
er, Shearflint — it is idle to be particular about crockery in
so pressing a case. Greasy scoundrel, would you dish a
ham in its gravy? What a nosegay it is, after all! Come
hither; help me to the bed."

" May the Lord, who sees and notes each kind thought of
his creatures, bless and reward you for this care of my for
lorn boy!" exclaimed Abigail, in the fulness of her heart.
" But will it be prudent to give such strong nourishment to
one in a burning fever? "

" What else would you give, woman ? I doubt not he
owes his disease to his wants. An empty stomach is like an
empty pocket — a place for the devil to play his gambols in.
Tis your small doctor who prates of a meagre regimen.
Hunger is a distemper of itself, and no reasonable man,
who is above listening to quackery, will believe it can be a
remedy. Food is the prop of life; and eating, like a crutch
to a maimed man. Shearflint, examine the ashes for the
irons of my supporter, and then dish a bit of the meat for
the poor woman. Eat away, my charming boy, eat away! "
he continued, rubbing his hands in honest delight, to see the
avidity with which the famishing Job received his boon.
"The second pleasure in life is to see a hungry man enjoy
his meal; the first being more deeply seated in human na
ture. This ham has the true Virginia flavor! Have you
such a thing as a spare trencher, Shearflint? It is so near
the usual hour, I may as well sup. It is rare, indeed, that
a man enjoys two such luxuries at once! "

The tongue of Polwarth ceased the instant Shearflint ad
ministered to his wants; the warehouse, into which he had
so lately entered with such fell intent, exhibiting the

374 LIONEL LINCOLN.

strange spectacle of the captain, sharing, with social com
munion, in the humble repast of its hunted and miserable
tenants.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

Sir Thurio, give us leave, I pray, awhile •
We have some secrets to confer about.

Two Gentlemen of Verona.

DURING the preceding exhibition of riot and degradation in
the Dock Square, a very different state of things existed
beneath thereof of a proud edifice that stood in an adjacent
street. As was usual at that hour of the night, the windows
of Province House were brilliant with lights, as if in mock
ery of the naked dreariness of the neighboring church ; and
every approach to that privileged residence of the represen
tative of royalty was closely guarded by the vigilance of
armed men. Into this favored dwelling it now becomes
necessary to remove the scene, in order to pursue the thread
of our unpretending narrative.

Domestics, in rich military liveries, might be seen gliding
from room to room, in the hurry of a banquet — some bear
ing vessels of the most generous wines into the apartment
where Howe entertained the leaders of the royal army, and
others returning with the remnants of a feast, which, though
sumptuously served, having felt the scarcity of the times,
had offered more to the eyes than to the appetites of the
guests. Idlers, in the loose undress of their martial profes
sion, loitered through the halls; and many a wistful glance,
or lingering look followed the odorous scents, as humbler
menials received the viands to transport them into the more
secret recesses of the building. Notwithstanding the life
and activity which prevailed, every movement was conduct
ed in silence and regularity, the whole of the lively scene
affording a happy illustration of the virtues and harmony of
order.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 375

Within the walls of that apartment, to which every eye
seemed directed as to a common centre, in anticipation of
the slightest wish of those who revelled there, all was bright
and cheerful. The hearth knew no want of fuel ; the coarser
workmanship of the floor was hid beneath rich and ample
carpets, while the windows were nearly lost within the
sweeping folds of curtains of figured damask. Everything
wore an air of exquisite comfort, blended with a species of
careless elegance. Even the most minute article of the
furniture had been transported from that distant country,
which was then thought to monopolize all the cunning arts
of handicraft, to administer to the pleasures of those who,
however careless of themselves in moments of trial, courted
the most luxurious indulgences in their hours of ease.

Along the centre of this gay apartment was spread the
hospitable board of the entertainer. It was surrounded by
men in the trappings of high military rank, though here
and there might be seen a guest, whose plainer attire and
dejected countenance betrayed the presence of one or two
of those misjudging colonists, whose confidence in the re
sistless power of the crown began already to waver. The
lieutenant of the king held his wonted place at the banquet,
his dark visage expressing all the heartiness of a soldier's
welcome, while he pointed out this or that favorite amongst
an abundant collection of wines, that included the choicest
liquors of Europe.

" For those who share the mess of a British general, you
have encountered rude fare to-day, gentlemen," he cried;
"though, after all, 'tis such as a British soldier knows how
to fatten on, in the service of his master. Fill, gentlemen,
fill in loyal bumpers ; for we have neglected our allegiance."

Each glass now stood sparkling and overcharged with
wine, when, after a short and solemn pause, the host pro
nounced aloud the magical words — "The King." Every
voice echoed the name, after which there literally succeeded
a breathless pause; when an old man, in the uniform of an

3/6 LIONEL LINCOLN.

officer of the fleet, first proving his loyalty by flourishing
on high his inverted glass, added, with hearty will:

"God bless him!"

" God bless him ! " repeated the graceful leader, who has
already been more than once named in these pages; "and
grant him a long and glorious reign ! and, should there be
no treason in the wish, in death, a Grave like yourself,
worthy admiral — * Sepulcrum sine sordibus extrue.' "

" Like me ! " echoed the blunt seaman, whose learning
was somewhat impaired by hard and long service — " I am,
it is true, none of your cabin-window gentry, but his maj
esty might stoop lower than by favoring a faithful servant,
like me, with his gracious presence."

"Your pardon, sir; I should have included, * permissum
arbitrio.' "

The equivoque had barely excited a smile, when the
sedate countenance of the commander-in-chief indicated
that the subject was too serious for a jest. Nor did the
naval chieftain appear to relish the unknown tongue; for,
quite as much, if not a little more, offended with the liberty
taken with his own name, than with the privileged person
of the sovereign, he somewhat smartly retorted :

" Permitted or not permitted, I command the fleet of his
majesty in these waters, and it shall be noted as a cheerful
day in our log-books, when you gentlemen of the army dis
miss us to our duty again, on the high-seas. A sailor will
grow as tired of doing nothing, as ever a soldier did of
work, and I should like 4 elbow-room,'" even in my coffin —
ha, ha, ha — what d'ye think of that, master wit? — ha, ha,
ha — what d'ye say to that? "

" Quite fair, well deserved, and cuttingly severe, admiral,"
returned the undisturbed soldier, smiling with perfect self-
possession, as he sipped his wine. " But as you find con
finement and leisure so irksome, I will presume to advise
your seizing some of these impudent Yankees, who look
into the port so often, not only robbing us of our stores,

LIONEL LINCOLN. 377

but offending so many loyal eyes with their traitorous pres
ence."

" I command a parley to be beaten," interrupted the com-
mander-in-chief, " and a truce to further hostilities. Where
all have done their duty, and have done it so well, even wit
must respect their conduct. Let me advise you to sound
the contents of that dusty-looking bottle, Mr. Graves; I
think you will approve the situation as an anchorage for the
night."

The honest old seaman instantly drowned his displeasure
in a glass of the generous liquor, and, smacking his lips
after the potations, for he repeated the first on the moment,
he exclaimed :

" Ah ! you are too stationary, by half, to stir up the soul
of your liquors. Wine should never slumber on its lees
until it has been well rolled in the trough of a sea for a few
months; then, indeed, you may set it asleep, and yourself
by the side of it, if you like a cat's nap."

"As orthodox a direction for the ripening of wine as was
ever given by a bishop to his butler!" exclaimed his ad
versary. Another significant glance from his dark-looking
superior again checked his wilful playfulness, when Howe
profited by the silence, to say with the frank air of a liberal
host:

"As motion is, just now, denied us, the only means I can
devise, to prevent my wine from slumbering on its lees, is
to drink it."

" Besides which, we are threatened with a visit from Mr.
Washington, and his thirsty followers, who may save us all
trouble in the matter, unless we prove industrious. In such
a dilemma, Mr. Graves will not hesitate to pledge me in a
glass, though it should be only to disappoint the rebels! "
added Burgoyne, making a graceful inclination to the half-
offended seaman.

"Ay, ay, I would do much more disagreeable things to
cheat the rascals of their plunder," returned the mollified

LIONEL LINCOLN.

admiral, good-naturedly nodding his head before he swal
lowed his bumper. " If there be any real danger of the loss
of such liquid amber as this, 'twould be as well to send it
alongside my ship, and I will hoist it in, and find it a
berth, though it shares my own cot. I believe I command
a fortress which neither Yankee, Frenchman, nor Don,
would like to besiege, unless at a respectful distance."

The officers around him looked exceedingly grave, ex
changing glances of great meaning, though all continued
silent, as if the common subject of their meditations was
too delicate to be loudly uttered in such a presence. At
length the second in command, who still felt the coldness
of his superior, and who had, hitherto, said nothing during
the idle dialogue, ventured a remark, with the gravity and
distance of a man who was not certain of his welcome.

"Our enemies grow bold as the season advances," he
said, "and it is past a doubt that they will find us employ
ment in the coming summer. It cannot be denied but they
conduct themselves with great steadiness in all their batter
ies, especially in this last, at the water-side; nor am I with
out apprehension that they will yet get upon the islands,
and render the situation of the shipping hazardous."

"Get upon the islands! drive the fleet from their an
chors!" exclaimed the veteran sailor, in undisguised amaze
ment. "I shall account it a happy day for England, when
Washington and his rabble trust themselves within reach of
our shot! "

" God grant us a chance at the rascals with the bayonet
in the open field," cried Howe, " and an end of these winter-
quarters! I say winter-quarters, for I trust no gentleman
can consider this army as besieged by a mob of armed peas
ants! We hold the town, and they the country; but when
the proper time shall come — well, sir, your pleasure," he
continued, interrupting himself to speak to an upper servant
at his elbow.

The man, who had stood for more than a minute, in an

LIONEL LINCOLN. 3/9

attitude of respectful attention, anxious [to catch the eye of
his master, muttered his message in a low and hurried voice,
as if unwilling to be heard by others, and at the same time
conscious of the impropriety of whispering. Most of those
around him turned their heads in polite indifference ; but
the old sailor, who sat too near to be totally deaf, had
caught the words, " a lady," which was quite enough to
provoke all his merriment, after such a free indulgence of
the bottle. Striking his hand smartly on the table, he ex
claimed, with a freedom that no other present could have
presumed to use :

"A sail! a sail! by George, a sail! under what colors,
friend? king's or rebels'? Here has been a blunder, with
a vengeance! The cook has certainly been too late, or the
lady is too early! ha, ha, ha — oh! you are wicked, free
livers in the army! "

The tough old tar enjoyed his joke exceedingly, chuckling
with inward delight at his discovery. He was, however,
alone in his merriment, none of the soldiers venturing to
understand his allusions, any further than by exchanging
a few stolen looks of unusual archness. Howe bit his lips
with obvious vexation, and sternly ordered the man to re
peat his errand in a voice that was more audible.

"A lady," said the trembling menial, "wishes to see your
excellency, and she waits your pleasure, sir, in the library."

"Among his books, too!" shouted the admiral; "that
would have better become you, my joking friend! I say,
young man, is the girl young and handsome? "

" By the lightness of her step, sir, I should think her
young, but her face was concealed under a hood."

"Ay! ay! the jade comes hooded into the house of the
king! Damn me, Howe, but modesty is getting to be a rare
virtue amongst you gentlemen on shore! "

" 'Tis a plain case against you, sir, for even the servant,
as you find, has detected that she is light of carriage," said
the smiling Burgoyne, making half a motion towards rising.

380 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" It is probably some applicant for relief, or for permission
to depart the place. Suffer me to see her, and spare your
self the pain of a refusal."

" Not at all," said Howe, gaining his feet with an alacrity
that anticipated the more deliberate movement of the other:
" I should be unworthy of the trust I hold, could I not lend
an occasional ear to a petition. Gentlemen, as there is a
lady in the case, I presume to trespass on your indulgence.
Admiral, I commend you to my butler, who is a worthy fel
low, and can give you all the cruises of the bottle before
you, since it left the island of Madeira."

He inclined his head to his guests, and passed from the
room with a hurried step, that did not altogether consult
appearances. As he proceeded through the hall, his ears
were saluted by another burst from the hearty old seaman,
who, however, enjoyed his humor alone, the rest of the party
immediately turning to other subjects, with well-bred dul-
ness. On entering the room already mentioned, Howe
found himself in the presence of the female, who, notwith
standing their apparent indifference, was at that very mo
ment occupying the thoughts, and exercising the ingenuity
of every man he had left behind him. Advancing at once to
the centre of the apartment, with the ease and freedom of a
soldier who felt himself without a superior, he asked, with
a politeness somewhat equivocal :

"Why am I favored with this visit? and why has a lady,
whose appearance shows she might command friends at any
time, assumed this personal trouble? "

" Because I am a supplicant for a favor that might be
denied to one who petitioned coldly," returned a soft,
tremulous voice, deep within the covering of a silken calash.
" As time is wanting to observe the usual forms of appli
cations, I have presumed to come in person, to prevent
delay."

"And surely, one like you can have little reason to dread
a repulse," said Howe, with an attempt at gallantry, that

LIONEL LINCOLN. 381

would have better become the man who had offered to be
his substitute. While speaking, he advanced a step nigher
to the lady, and pointing to her hood, he continued:
" Would it not be wise to aid your request with a view of a
countenance that I am certain can speak better than any
words? — whom have I the honor to receive, and what may
be the nature of her business? "

" A wife, who seeks her husband," returned the female,
dropping the folds of her calash, and exposing to his steady
eyes the commanding loveliness of the chaste countenance
of Cecil. The sudden annunciation of her character was
forced from the lips of the unclaimed bride, by the freedom
of a gaze to which she was unused; but the instant she had
spoken, her eyes fell on the floor in embarrassment, and she
stood deeply blushing at the strength of her own lanugage,
though preserving all the apparent composure and dignity
of female pride. The English general regarded her beauty
for a moment, with a pleased, though doubting eye, before
he continued :

" Is he whom you seek within or without the town? "

" I much fear without ! "

"And you would follow him into the camp of the rebels?
This is a case that may require some deliberation. I feel
assured I entertain a lady of great beauty; might I, in ad
dition, know how to address her? "

" For my name I can have no reason to blush," said
Cecil, proudly; "'tis noble in the land of our common an
cestors, and may have reached the ears of Mr. Howe — I am
the child of the late Colonel Dynevor."

"The niece of Lord Cardonnel! " exclaimed her auditor,
in amazement, instantly losing the equivocal freedom of his
manner in an air of deep respect: "I have long known that
Boston contained such a lady; nor do I forget that she is
accused of concealing herself from the attentions of the
army, like one of the most obdurate of our foes --attentions
which every man in the garrison would be happy to show

382 LIONEL LINCOLN.

her, from myself down to the lowest ensign. Do me the
honor to be seated."

Cecil bowed her acknowledgments, but continued stand^
ing:

" I have neither time nor spirits to defend myself from
such an imputation," she answered; "though, should my
own name prove no passport to your favor, I must claim it
in behalf of him I seek."

" Should he be the veriest rebel in the train of Washing
ton, he has great reason to be proud of his fortune ! "

" So far from ranking among the enemies of the king, he
has already been lavish of his blood in behalf of the crown,"
returned Cecil, unconsciously raising the calash again, with
maiden bashfulness, as she felt the moment was approach
ing when she must declare the name of the man, whose in
fluence over her feelings she had already avowed.

"And he is called— ?"

The answer was given to this direct question in a low
but distinct voice. Howe started when he heard the well-
known name of an officer of so much consideration, though
a meaning smile lighted his dark features, as he repeated
her words in surprise :

" Major Lincoln ! his refusal to return to Europe, in
search of health, is then satisfactorily explained ! Without
the town, did you say? There must be some error."

" I fear it is too true."

The harsh features of the leader contracted again into
their sternest look, and it was apparent how much he was
disturbed by the intelligence.

"This is presuming too far on his privilege," he muttered
in an undertone. " Left the place, say you, without my
knowledge and approbation, young lady? "

"But on no unworthy errand! " cried the almost breath
less Cecil, instantly losing sight of herself in her anxiety for
Lionel. " Private sorrows have driven him to an act that, at
another time, he would be the first to condemn, as a soldier."

LIONEL LINCOLN. 383

Howe maintained a cool, but threatening silence, that
was far more appalling than any words could be. The
alarmed wife gazed at his lowering face for a minute, as if
to penetrate his secret thoughts; then yielding, with the
sensitiveness of a woman, to her worst apprehensions, she
cried :

"Oh! you would not avail yourself of this confession to
do him harm! Has he not bled for you — lingered for
months on the verge of the grave, in defence of your cause
— and will you now doubt him ? Nay, sir, though chance
and years may have subjected him, for a time, to your con
trol, he is every way your equal, and will confront each
charge before his royal master, let who may bring them
against his spotless name! "

" 'Twill be necessary," the other coldly replied.

"Nay, hearken not to my weak, unmeaning words," con
tinued Cecil, wringing her hands in doubting distress : " I
know not what I say. He has your permission to hold in
tercourse with the country weekly? "

" For the purpose of obtaining the supplies necessary to
his past condition."

"And may he not have gone on such an errand, and
under favor of the flag you yourself have cheerfully ac
corded?"

" In such a case, would I not have been spared the pain
of this interview ? "

Cecil paused a moment, and seemed collecting her scat
tered faculties, and preparing her mind for some serious
purpose. After a little time, she attempted a painful smile,
saying, more calmly :

"I had presumed too far on military indulgence, and was
even weak enough to believe the request would be granted
to my name and situation."

"No name, no situation, no circumstances, can ever
render "

" Speak not the cruel words, lest they once more drive

384 LIONEL LINCOLN.

me from my recollection," interrupted Cecil. " First hear
me, sir: listen to a wife and a daughter, and you will recall
the cruel sentence."

Without waiting for a reply, she advanced with a firm and
proud step to the door of the room, passing her astonished
companion with an eye and a face beaming with the fulness
of her object. In the outer passage, she beckoned from
among the loiterers in the hall, to the stranger who had ac
companied her in the visit to the warehouse; and when he
had approached, and entered the room, the door once more
closed, leaving the spectators without wondering whence
such a vision of purity could have made its way within the
sullied walls of Province House.

Many long and impatient minutes were passed by the
guests in the banqueting-room, during the continuance of
this mysterious interview. The jests of the admiral begah
to flag, just as his companions were inclined to think they
were most merited, and the conversation assumed that
broken and disjointed character which betrays the wandering
of the speakers' thoughts.

At length a bell rang, and orders came from the com-
mander-in-chief to clear the hall of its curious idlers.
When none were left but the regular domestics of the family,
Howe appeared, supporting Cecil, closely hooded, to the
Conveyance that awaited her presence at the gate. The air
of their master communicated a deep respect to the manners
of the observant menials, who crowded about their persons, to
aid the departure, with officious zeal. The amazed sentinels
dropped their arms, with the usual regularity, to their chief
tain, as he passed to the outer portal in honor of his un
known companion, and eyes met the expressive glances of
eyes, as all who witnessed the termination of this visit
sought, in the countenances of those around them, some
solution of its object.

When Howe resumed his seat at the table, another attempt
Was made by the admiral to renew the subject; but it was

LIONEL LINCOLN. 385

received with an air so cold, and a look so pointedly severe,
that even the careless son of the ocean forgot his humor
under the impression of so dark a frown.

CHAPTER XXIX.

Nor martial shout, nor minstrel tone,
Announced their march —

SCOTT.

CECIL suffered the night to advance a little, before she
left Tremont street, to profit by the permission to leave the
place her communication had obtained from the English
general. It was, however, far from late when she took leave
of Agnes, and commenced her expedition, still attended by
Meriton and the unknown man, with whom she has already,
more than once, made her appearance in our pages. At the
lower part of the town she left her vehicle, and pursuing
the route of several devious and retired streets, soon reached
the margin of the water. The wharves were deserted and
still. Indicating the course, by her own light and hurried
footsteps, to her companions, the youthful bride moved un
hesitatingly along the rough planks, until her progress was
checked by a large basin, between two of the ordinary
wooden piers which line the shores of the place. Here she
paused for a moment, in doubt, as if fearful there had been
some mistake, when the figure of a boy was seen advancing
out of the shadows of a neighboring storehouse.

" I fear you have lost your way," he said, when within a
few feet of her, where he stood, apparently examining the
party with rigid scrutiny. " May I venture to ask whom or
what you seek ? "

" One who is sent hither on private duty, by orders from
the commander-in-chief."

" I see but two," returned the lad, hesitating — " where is
the third?"

386 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" He lingers in the distance," said Cecil, pointing to
Meriton, whose footsteps were much more guarded than
those of his mistress. " Three is our number, and we are
all present."

" I beg a thousand pardons," returned the youth, dropping
the folds of a sailor's overcoat, under which he had con
cealed the distinguishing marks of a naval dress, and rais
ing his hat at the same moment, with great respect; "my
orders were to use the utmost precaution, ma'am, for, as you
hear, the rebels sleep but little to-night."

" Tis a dreadful scene I leave, truly, sir," returned Cecil
" and the sooner it will suit your convenience to transport
us from it, the greater will be the obligation you are about
to confer."

The youth once more bowed, in submission to her wishes,
and requested the whole party to follow whither he should
lead. A very few moments brought them to a pair of water-
stairs, where, under cover of the duskiness thrown upon the
basin from the wharf, a boat lay concealed, in perfect readi
ness to receive them.

" Be stirring, boys ! " cried the youth, in a tone of author
ity; "ship your oars as silently as if stealing away from an
enemy. Have the goodness, ma'am, to enter, and you shall
have a quick and safe landing on the other shore, whatever
may be the reception of the rebels."

Cecil and her two attendants complied without delay,
when the boat glided into the stream with a velocity that
promised a speedy verification of the words of the midship
man. The most profound stillness reigned among these
nocturnal adventurers, and by the time they had rowed a
short distance, the bride began to lose an immediate con
sciousness of her situation in contemplation of the scene.

The evening was already milder, and by one of those
sudden changes, peculiar to the climate, it was rapidly be
coming even bland and pleasant. The light of a clear moon
fell upon the town and harbor, rendering the objects of both

LIONEL LINCOLN. 387

visible, in mellowed softness. The huge black hulls of the
vessels of war rested sullenly on the waters, like slumbering
leviathans, without even a sail or a passing boat, except
their own, to enliven the view in the direction of the port.
On the other hand, the hills of the town rose, in beautiful
relief, against the clear sky, with here and there a roof or a
steeple reflecting the pale light of the moon. The bosom
of the place was as quiet as if its inhabitants were buried
in midnight sleep; but behind the hills, in a circuit extend
ing from the works on the heights of Charlestown, to the
neck, which lay in open view of the boat, there existed all
the evidences of furious warfare. During the few preceding
nights, the Americans had been more than commonly dili
gent in the use of their annoyances, but now they appeared
to expend their utmost energies upon their enemies. Still
they spared the town, directing the weight of their fire at
the different batteries which protected the approaches to the
place, as already described, along the western borders of
the peninsula.

The ears of Cecil had long been accustomed to the uproar
of arms, but this was the first occasion in which she was
ever a witness of the mingled beauties and terrors of a can
nonade at night. Suffering the calash to fall, she shook
back the dark tresses from her face, and, leaning over the
sides of the little vessel, listened to the bursts of the artil
lery, and gazed on the sudden flashes of vivid light that
mocked the dimmer illumination of the planet, with an
absorbed attention that momentarily lured her into forget-
fulness. The men pulled their light boat with muffled oars,
and so still was its progress, that there were instants when
even the shot might be heard rattling among the ruins they
had made.

"It's amazement to me, madam," said Meriton, "that so
many British generals, and brave gentlemen as there is in
Boston, should stay in such a little spot to be shot at by a
parcel of countrymen, when there is Lon'non, as still and as

388 LIONEL LINCOLN.

safe, at this blessed moment, as a parish churchyard at
midnight! "

Cecil raised her eyes at this interruption, and perceived
the youth gazing at her countenance in undisguised admira
tion of its beauty. Blushing, and once more concealing
her features beneath her calash, she turned away from the
view of the conflict, in silence.

"The rebels are free with their gunpowder to-night!"
said the midshipman. " Some of their cruisers have picked
up another of our storeships, I fancy, or Mr. Washington
would not make such a noisy time of it, when all honest
people should be thinking of their sleep. Don't you be
lieve, ma'am, if the admiral would warp three or four of
our heaviest ships up into the channel, back of the town, it
would be a short method of lowering the conceit of these
Yankees?"

"Really, sir, I am so little acquainted with military mat
ters," returned Cecil, suffering her anxious features to relax
into a smile, "that my opinion, should I venture to give
one, would be utterly worthless."

"Why, young gentleman," said Meriton, "the rebels
drove a galley out of the river, a night or two ago, as I can
testify myself, having stood behind a large brick store,
where I saw the whole affair, most beautifully conducted ! "

"A very fit place for one like you, no doubt, sir," returned
the midshipman, without attempting to conceal his disgust
at so impertinent an interruption. " Do you know what a
galley is, ma'am? nothing but a small vessel cut down, with
a few heavy guns, I do assure you. It would be a very dif
ferent affair with a frigate or a two-decker. Do but observe
what a charming thing our ship is, ma'am — I am sure so
beautiful a lady must know how to admire a handsome ship
— she lies hereaway, nearly in a range with the second isl
and."

To please the earnest youth, Cecil bent her head towards
the quarter he wished, and murmured a few words in appro-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 389

bation of his taste. But the impatient boy had narrowly
watched the direction of her eyes, and she was interrupted
by his exclaiming, in manifest disappointment:

"What! that shapeless hulk, just above the castle? She
is an old Dutch prize, en flute, ay, older than my grand
mother, good old soul; and it wouldn't matter the value of
a piece of junk, into which end you stepped her bowsprit!
One of my school-fellows, Jack Willoughby, is a reefer on
board her; and he says that they can just get six knots out
of her, on her course in smooth water with a fresh breeze,
allowing seven knots for leeway! Jack means to get rid of
her the moment he can catch the admiral .running large; for
the Graveses live near the Willoughbys In town, and he
knows all the soundings about the old man's humor. No,
no, ma'am; Jack would give every shot in his lockers to
swing a hammock between two of the beams of our ship.
Do excuse me, one moment " — presuming to take one of
the hands of Cecil, though with sufficient delicacy, as he
pointed out his favorite vessel — "There, ma'am, now you
have her! she that's so taut rigged, with a flying-jib-boom,
and all her top-gallant yards stopped to her lower rigging:
we send them down every night at gun-fire, and cross them
again next morning as regularly as the bell strikes eight.
Isn't she a sweet thing, ma'am? for I see she has caught
your eye at last, and I am sure you can't wish to look at
any other ship in port."

Cecil could not refuse her commendations to this eloquent
appeal, though at the next moment she would have been
utterly at a loss to distinguish the much-admired frigate
from the despised storeship.

" Ay, ay, madam, I knew you would like her when you
once got a fair glimpse at her proportions," continued the
delighted boy; "though she is not half so beautiful on her
broadside, as when you can catch her lasking, especially on
her larboard bow. — Pull, long and strong, men, and with a
light touch of the water : these Yankees have ears as long

390 LIONEL LINCOLN.

as borricoes, and we are getting in with the land. — This
set-down at Dorchester's neck will give you a long walk,
ma'am, to Cambridge; but there was no possibility of
touching the rebels anywhere else to-night, or, as you see,
we should have gone right into the face of their cannon."

" Is it not a little remarkable," said Cecil, willing to pay
the solicitude of the boy to amuse her, by some reply, " that
the colonists, while they invest the town so closely on the
north and west, should utterly neglect to assail it on the
south? for I believe they have never occupied the hills in
Dorchester at all; and yet it is one of the points nearest to
Boston."

" It is no mystery at all," returned the boy, shaking his
head with all the sagacity of a veteran — " it would bring
another Bunker Hill about their ears; for you see it is the
same thing at this end of the place that Charlestown neck
is at the other. — A light touch, men, a light touch!" he
continued, dropping his voice, as they approached the
shore. — " Besides, ma'am, a fort on that hill could throw
its shot directly on our decks, a thing the old man would
never submit to; and that would either bring on 'a regular
hammering match, or a general clearing out of the fleet;
and then what would become of the army? No, no — the
Yankees wouldn't risk driving the cod-fish out of their bay,
to try such an experiment. — Lay on your oars, boys, while
I take a squint along this shore, to see if there are any
Jonathans cooling themselves near the beach, by moonlight."

The obedient seamen rested from their labors, while their
youthful officer stood up in the boat, and directed a small
night-glass over the intended place of landing. The ex
amination proved entirely satisfactory, and, in a low, cau
tious voice, he ordered the men to pull into a place where the
shadow of the hills might render the landing still less likely
to be observed.

From this moment the most profound silence was ob
served, the boat advancing swiftly, though under perfect

LIONEL LINCOLN. 39!

command, to the desired spot, where it was soon heard graz
ing upon the bottom, as it gradually lost its motion, and
finally became stationary. Cecil was instantly assisted to
the land, whither she was followed by the midshipman, who
jumped upon the shore with great indifference, and ap
proached the passenger, from whom he was now about to
part.

" I only hope that those you next fall in with may know
how to treat you as well as those you leave," said the boy,
approaching, and offering his hand, with the frankness of
an older seaman, to Cecil. " God bless you, my dear
ma'am : I have two little sisters at home, nearly as hand
some as yourself; and I never see a woman in want of as
sistance, but I think of the poor girls I've left in old Eng
land. God bless you, once more — I hope when we meet
again, you will take a nearer view of the

" You are not likely to part so soon as you imagine," ex
claimed a man, springing on his feet, from his place of
concealment behind a rock, and advancing rapidly on the
party: "offer the least resistance, and you are all dead."

"Shove off, men, shove off, and don't mind me!" cried
the youth, with admirable presence of mind. " For God's
sake, save the boat, if you die for it! "

The seamen obeyed with practised alacrity, when the boy
darted after them with the lightness of his years, and, mak
ing a desperate leap, caught the gunwale of the barge, into
which he was instantly drawn by the sailors. A dozen
armed men had by this time reached the edge of the water,
and as many muskets were pointed at the retreating party,
when he who had first spoken, cried :

" Not a trigger! — the boy has escaped us, and he deserves
his fortune. Let us secure those who remain; but if a
single gun be fired, it will only draw the attention of the
fleet and castle."

His companions, who had acted with the hesitation of
men that were not assured the course they took was correct,

392 LIONEL LINCOLN.

willingly dropped the muzzles of their pieces, and in an
other instant the boat was ploughing its way towards the
much-admired frigate, at a distance which would probably
have rendered their fire quite harmless. Cecil had hardly
breathed during the short period of uncertainty ; but when
the sudden danger was passed, she prepared herself to re
ceive their captors with the perfect confidence which an
American woman seldom fails to feel in the mildness and
reason of her countrymen. The whole party who now ap
proached her, were dressed in the ordinary habiliments of
husbandmen, mingled, in a slight degree, with the more
martial accoutrements of soldiers. They were armed with
muskets only, which they wielded like men acquainted with
all the uses of the weapon, at the same time that they were
unaccustomed to the mere manual of the troops.

Every fibre of the body of Meriton, however, shook with
fear, as he found this unexpected guard encircling their
little party ; nor did the unknown man who had accompanied
them appear entirely free from apprehension. The bride
still maintained her self-possession, supported either by her
purpose, or her greater familiarity with the character of the
people into whose hands she had fallen.

When the whole party were posted within a few feet of
them, they dropped the butts of their muskets on the ground,
and stood patient listeners to the ensuing examination.
The leader of the party, who was only distinguished from
his companions by a green cockade in his hat, which Cecil
had heard was the symbol of a subaltern officer among the
American troops, addressed her in a calm, but steady tone :

" It is unpleasant to question a woman," he said, " and
especially one of your appearance; but duty requires it of
me. What brings you to this unfrequented point, in the
boat of a king's ship, and at this unusual hour of the night ? "

" I come with no intent to conceal my visit from any
eyes," returned Cecil ; " for my first wish is to be conducted
to some officer of rank, to whom I will explain my object.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 393

There are many that I should know, who will not hesitate
to believe my words."

" We none of us profess to doubt your truth ; we only act
with caution, because it is required by circumstances.
Cannot the explanation be made tome? for I dislike the
duty that causes trouble to a female."

"'Tis impossible!" said Cecil, involuntarily shrinking
within the folds of her mantle.

" You come at a most unfortunate moment," said the
other, musing; "and I fear you will pass an uneasy night,
in consequence. By your tongue, I think you are an
American ? "

" I was born among those roofs, which you may see on
the opposite peninsula."

" Then we are of the same town," returned the officer,
stepping back in a vain attempt to get a glimpse of those
features which were concealed beneath the hood. He made
no attempt, however, to remove the silk; nor did he in the
slightest manner convey any wish of a nature that might be
supposed to wound the delicacy of her sex; but finding
himself unsuccessful, he turned away, as he added, "And I
grow tired of remaining where I can see the smoke of my
own chimneys, at the same time I know that strangers are
seated around the hearths below ! "

" None wish more fervently than I, that the moment had
arrived when each might enjoy his own, in peace and quiet
ness."

"Let the Parliament repeal their laws, and the king re
call his troops," said one of the men, "and there will be an
end of the struggle at once. We don't fight because we love
to shed blood."

" He would do both, friend, if the counsel of one so in
significant as I could find weight in his royal mind."

" I believe there is not much difference between a royal
mind and that of any other man, when the devil gets hold
of it!" bluntly exclaimed another of the party. "I've a

394 LIONEL LINCOLN.

notion the imp is as mischievous with a king as with a
cobbler."

" Whatever I may think of the conduct of his ministers,"
said Cecil, coldly, " 'tis unpleasant to me to discuss the
personal qualities of my sovereign."

" Why, I meant no offence ; though, when the truth is up
permost in a man's thoughts, he is apt to let it out," returned
the soldier. After this uncouth apology, he continued
silent, turning away like one who felt dissatisfied with him
self for what he had done.

In the mean time, the leader had been consulting with
one or two of his men aside. He now advanced again, and
delivered the result of their united wisdom.

"Under all circumstances, I have concluded," he said)
speaking in the first person, in deference to his rank, though
in fact he had consented to change his own opinion at the
instigation of his advisers, "to refer you for information
to the nearest general officer, under the care of these two
men, who will show you the way. They both know the
country, and there is not the least danger of their mistaking
the road."

Cecil bowed in entire submission to this characteristic
intimation of his pleasure, and declared her anxiety to pro
ceed. The officer held another short consultation with the
two guides, which soon terminated by his issuing orders to
the rest of the detachment to prepare to depart. Before
they separated, one of the guides, or, more properly, guards,
approached Meriton, and said, with a deliberation that
might easily be mistaken for doubt:

" As we shall be only two to two, friend, will it not be as
well to see what you have got secreted about your person,
as it may prevent any hard words or difficulties hereafter?
You will see the reason of the thing, I trust, and make no
objection."

" Not at all, sir, not at all ! " returned the trembling valet,
producing his purse, without a moment's hesitation : " it is

LIONEL LINCOLN. 395

not heavy, but what there is in it, is of the best English gold,
which I expect is much regarded among you, who see noth
ing but rebel paper."

" Much as we set store by it, we do not choose to rob for
it," returned the soldier, with cool contempt. " I wish to
look for weapons, and not for money."

" But, sir, as I unluckily have no weapons, had you not
better take my money ? There are ten good guineas, I do
assure you; and not a light one among them all, 'pon honor!
besides several pieces of silver."

" Come, Allen," said the other soldier, laughing, " it's no
great matter whether that gentleman has arms or not, I be
lieve. His comrade, here, who seems to know rather better
what he is about, has none, at any rate; and for one of two
men, I am willing to trust the other."

" I do assure you," said Cecil, " that our intentions are
peaceable, and that your charge will prove in no manner
difficult."

The men listened to the earnest tones of her sweet voice
with much deference, and in a few moments the two parties
separated, to proceed on their several ways. While the
main body of the soldiers ascended the hill, the guides of
Cecil took a direction which led them around its base.
Their route lay towards the low neck which connected the
heights with the adjacent country, and their progress was
both diligent and rapid. Cecil was often consulted as to
her ability to endure the fatigue, and repeated offers were
made to accommodate their speed to her wishes. In every
other respect she was totally disregarded by the guides,
who, however, paid much closer attention to her compan
ions, each soldier attaching himself to one of her followers,
whom he constantly regarded with a watchful and wary eye.

" You seem cold, friend," said Allen to Meriton ; " though
I should call the night quite pleasant for the first week in
March."

"Indeed, I'm starved to the bones!" returned the valet,

3Q6 LIONEL LINCOLN.

with a shivering that would seem to verify his assertion.
" It's a very chilly climate is this of America, especially of
nights! I never really felt such a remarkable dampness
about the throat before, within memory, I do assure you."

" Here is another handkerchief," said the soldier, throw
ing him a common 'kerchief from his pocket : " wrap it
round your neck, for it gives me an ague to hear your teeth
knocking one another about so."

" I thank you, sir, a thousand times," said Meriton, pro
ducing his purse again, with an instinctive readiness : " what
may be the price? "

The man pricked up his ears, and dropping his musket
from the guarded position in which he had hitherto carried
it, he drew closer to the side of his prisoner, in a very com
panionable way, as he replied:

" I did not calculate on selling the article; but if you
have need of it, I wouldn't wish to be hard."

" Shall I give you one guinea, or two, Mr. Rebel? " asked
Meriton, whose faculties were utterly confounded by his
terror.

" My name is Allen, friend, and we like civil language
in the Bay," said the soldier. " Two guineas for a pocket-
handkerchief ! I couldn't think of imposing on any man so
much!"

" What shall it be, then — half a guinea, or four half-
crown pieces? "

" I didn't at all calculate to part with the handkerchief
when I left home : it's quite new, as you can see by hold
ing it up, in this manner, to the moon; besides, you know,
now there is no trade, these things come very high. Well,
if you are disposed to buy, I don't wish to crowd ; you may
take it, finally, for the two crowns."

Meriton dropped the money into his hands, without hesi
tation, and the soldier pocketed the price, perfectly satisfied
with his bargain and himself, since he had sold his goods
at a clear profit of about three hundred per cent. He soon

LIONEL LINCOLN. 397

took occasion to whisper to his comrade, that in his opinion
" he had made a good trade " ; and laying their heads to
gether, they determined that the bargain was by no means
a bad windfall. On the other hand, Meriton, who knew the
difference in value between cotton and silk quite as well as
his American protectors, was equally well satisfied with the
arrangement; though his contentment was derived from a
very different manner of reasoning. From early habit, he
had long been taught to believe that every civility, like
patriotism in the opinion of Sir Robert Walpole, had its
price; and his fears had rendered him somewhat careless
about the amount of the purchase-money. He now consid
ered himself as having a clear claim on the protection of
his guard, and his apprehensions gradually subsided into
security under the soothing impression.

By the time this satisfactory bargain was concluded, and
each party was lawfully put in possession of his own, they
had reached the low land already mentioned as the "neck."
Suddenly the guard stopped, and bending forward, in the
attitude of deep attention, they seemed to listen, intently, to
some faint and distant sounds, that were, for moments,
audible in the intervals of the cannonade.

"They are coming," said one to the other: "shall we go
on, or wait until they've passed? "

The question was answered in a whisper, and, after a
short consultation, they determined to proceed.

The attention of Cecil had been attracted by this confer
ence, and the few words which had escaped her guides; and
for the first time, she harbored some little dread as to her
final destination. Full of the importance of her errand, the
bride now devoted every faculty to detect the least circum
stance that might have a tendency to defeat it. She trod
so lightly on the faded herbage as to render her own foot
steps inaudible, and more than once she was about to re
quest the others to imitate her example, that no danger
might approach them unexpectedly. At length her doubts

LIONEL LINCOLN.

were relieved, though her wonder was increased, by dis
tinctly hearing the lumbering sounds of wheels on the frozen
earth, as if innumerable groaning vehicles were advancing
with slow and measured progress. In another instant her
eyes assisted the organs of hearing, and by the aid of the
moon her doubts, if not her apprehensions, were entirely
removed.

Her guards now determined on a change of purpose, and
withdrew with their prisoners within the shadow of an apple-
tree that stood on the low land, but a few paces from the
line of the route evidently taken by the approaching vehicles.
In this position they remained for several minutes, atten
tive observers of what was passing around them.

" Our men have woke up the British by their fire," said
one of the guards; "and all their eyes are turned to the
batteries!"

"Yes, it's very well as it is," returned his comrade; "but
if the old brass congress mortar hadn't gi'n way yesterday,
there would be a different sort of roaring. Did you ever
see the old congress? "

" I can't say I ever saw the cannon itself, but I have seen
the bombs fifty times; and pokerish-looking things they be,
especially in a dark night — but hush, here they come."

A large body of men now approached, and moved swiftly
past them, in deepest silence, defiling at the foot of the
hills, and marching towards the shores of the peninsula.
The whole of this party was attired and accoutred much in
the fashion of those who had received Cecil. One or two
who were mounted, and in more martial trappings, an
nounced the presence of some officers of higher rank. At
the very heels of this detachment of soldiers, came a great
number of carts, which took the route that led directly up
to the neighboring heights. After these came another, and
more numerous body of troops, who followed the teams, the
whole moving in the profoundest stillness, and with the
diligence of men who were engaged in the most important un-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 399

dertaking. In the rear of the whole, another collection of
carts appeared, groaning under the weight of large bundles
of hay, and other military preparations of defence. Before
this latter division left the low land, immense numbers of
the closely-packed bundles were tumbled to the ground, and
arranged with a quickness almost magical, in such a manner
as to form a light breastwork across the low ground, which
would otherwise have been completely exposed to be swept
by the shot of the royal batteries; a situation of things that
was believed to have led to the catastrophe of Breed's, the
preceding summer.

Among the last of those who crossed the neck was an
officer on horseback, whose eye was attracted by the group
who stood as idle spectators under the tree. Pointing out
the latter object to those around him, he rode nigher to the
party, and leaned forward in his saddle to examine their
persons.

"How's this?" he exclaimed; "a woman and two men
under the charge of sentinels! Have we then more spies
among us? Cut away the tree, men, we have need of it,
and let in the light of the moon upon them? "

The order was hardly given before it was executed, and
the tree felled with a dispatch that, to any but an Ameri
can, would appear incredible. Cecil stepped aside from
the impending branches, and by moving into the light, be
trayed the appearance of a gentlewoman by her mien and
apparel.

"Here must be some mistake!" continued the officer:
" why is the lady thus guarded ? "

One of the soldiers, in a few words, explained the nature
of her arrest, and in return received directions, anew, how
to proceed. The mounted officer now put spurs to his
horse, and galloped away, in eager pursuit of more pressing
duties, though he still looked behind him, so long as the
deceptive light enabled him to distinguish either form or
features.

4OO LIONEL LINCOLN.

" 'Tis advisable to go on the heights," said the soldier,
" where we may find the commanding general."

"Anywhere," returned Cecil, confused with the activity
and bustle that had passed before her eyes, " or anything,
to be relieved from this distressing delay."

In a very few moments they reached the summit of the
nearest of the two hills, where they paused just without the
busy circle of men who labored there, while one of the sol
diers went in quest of the officer in command. From the
point where she now stood, Cecil had an open view of the
port, the town, artd most of the adjacent country. The
vessels still reposed heavily on the waters, and she fancied
that the youthful midshipman was already nestling safe in
his own hammock, on board the frigate, whose tall and
tapering spars rose against the sky in such beautiful and
symmetrical lines. No evidences of alarm were manifested
in the town; but, on the contrary, the lights were gradually
disappearing, notwithstanding the heavy cannonade which
still roared along the western side of the peninsula; and it
was probable that Howe, and his unmoved companions, yet
continued their revels, with the same security in which they
had been left two short hours before. While, with the
exception of the batteries, everything in the distance was
still, and apparently slumbering, the near view was one of
life and activity. Mounds of earth were already rising on
the crest of the hill; laborers were filling barrels with earth
and sand; fascines were tumbling about from place to
place, as they were wanted; and yet the stillness was only
interrupted by the unremitting strokes of the pick, the low
and earnest hum of voices, or the crashing of branches, as
the pride of the neighboring orchards came crushing to the
earth. The novelty of the scene beguiled Cecil of her
anxiety, and many minutes passed by unheeded. Fifty
times parties, or individuals amongst the laborers, ap
proaching near her person, paused to gaze a moment at the
speaking and sweet features that the placid light of the

LIONEL LINCOLN. 40 1

moon rendered even more than usually soft, and then pushed
on in silence, endeavoring to repair, by renewed diligence,
the transient forgetfulness of their urgent duties. At length
the man returned, and announced the approach of the gen
eral who commanded on the hill. The latter was a soldier
of middle age, of calm and collected deportment, roughly
attired for the occasion, and bearing no other symbol of his
rank than the distinctive crimson cockade, in one of the
large military hats of the period.

"You find us in the midst of our labors," he pleasantly
observed, as he approached; "and will overlook the delay
I have given you. It is reported you left the town this
evening? "

"Within the hour."

" And Howe — dreams he of the manner in which we are
likely to amuse him in the morning?"

"It would be affectation in one like me," said Cecil,
modestly, "to decline answering questions concerning the
views of the royal general; but still you will pardon me if
I say, that in my present situation, I could wish to be
spared the pain of even confessing my ignorance."

" I acknowledge my error," the officer unhesitatingly an
swered. After a short pause, in which he seemed to muse,
he continued: "This is no ordinary night, young lady, and
it becomes my duty to refer you to the general commanding
this wing of the army. He possibly may think it necessary
to communicate your detention to the commander-in-chief."

" It is he I seek, sir, and would most wish to meet."

He bowed, and, giving his orders to a subaltern in a low
voice, walked away, and was soon lost in the busy crowd
that came and went in constant employment, around the sum
mit of the hill. Cecil lingered a single moment after her
new conductor had declared his readiness to proceed, to
cast another glance at the calm splendor of the sea and bay;
the distant and smoky roofs of the town ; the dim objects
that moved about the adjacent eminence, equally and simi-
26

4O2 LIONEL LINCOLN.

larly employed with those around her; and then raising her
calash, and tightening the folds of her mantle, she descend
ed the hill with the light and elastic steps of youth.

CHAPTER XXX.

The rebel vales, the rebel dales.

With rebel trees surrounded,
The distant woods, the hills and floods,

With rebel echoes sounded.

The Battle of the Kegs.

THE enormous white cockade that covered nearly one side
of the little hat of her present conductor, was the only sym
bol that told Cecil she was now committed to the care of
one who held the rank of captain, among those who battled
for the rights of the colonies. No other part of his attire
was military, though a cut-and-thrust was buckled to his
form, which, from its silver guard and formidable dimen
sions, had probably been borne by some of his ancestors, in
the former wars of the colonies. The disposition of its
present wearer was, however, far from that belligerent nature
that his weapon might be thought to indicate, for he ten
dered the nicest care and assiduity to the movements of his
prisoner.

At the foot of the hill, a wagon, returning from the field,
was put in requisition by this semi-military gallant; and,
after a little suitable preparation, Cecil found herself seated
on a rude bench by his side in the vehicle; while her own
attendants, and the two private men, occupied its bottom in
still more social affinity. At first their progress was slow
and difficult, return carts, literally by hundreds, impeding
the way ; but when they had once passed the heavy-footed
beasts who drew them, they proceeded in the direction of
Roxbury, with greater rapidity. During the first mile,
while they were extricating themselves from the apparently
interminable line of carts, the officer directed his whole at-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 403

tention to this important and difficult manoeuvre; but when
their uneasy vessel might be said to be fairly sailing before
the wind, he did not choose to neglect those services,
which, from time immemorial, beautiful women in distress
have had a right to claim of men in his profession.

" Now do not spare the whip," he said to the driver, at
the moment of their deliverance; "but push on, for the
credit of horseflesh, and to the disgrace of all horned cat
tle. This near beast of yours should be a tory, by his gait
and reluctance to pull in the traces for the common good —
treat him as such, friend, and, in turn, you shall receive the
treatment of a sound whig, when we make a halt. You
have spent the winter in Boston, madam ? "

Cecil bent her head in silent assent.

"The royal army will, doubtless, make a better figure in
the eyes of a lady, than the troops of the colonies; though
there are some among us who are thought not wholly want
ing in military knowledge, and the certain air of a soldier,"
he continued, extricating the silver-headed legacy of his
grandfather from its concealment under a fold of his com
panion's mantle: "you have balls and entertainments with
out number, I fancy, ma'am, from the gentlemen in the
king's service."

" I believe that few hearts are to be found amongst the
females in Boston, so light as to mingle in their amusements."

" God bless them for it!" exclaimed her escort; "I am
sure every shot we throw into the town is like drawing
blood from our own veins. I suppose the king's officers
don't hold the colonists so cheap, since the small affair on
Charlestown neck, as they did formerly? "

" None who had any interest at stake, in the events of
that fatal day, will easily forget the impression it has
made."

The young American was too much struck by the melan
choly pathos in the voice of Cecil, not to fancy he had, in
his own honest triumph, unwittingly probed a wound which

404 LIONEL LINCOLN.

time had not yet healed. They rode many minutes after this
unsuccessful effort on his part to converse, in profound
silence ; nor did he again speak until the trampling of horses'
4ioofs was borne along by the evening air, unaccompanied
by the lumbering sounds of wheels. At the next turn of the
road they met a small cavalcade of officers, riding at a rapid
rate in the direction of the place they had so recently quit
ted. The leader of this party drew up when he saw the
wagon, which was also stopped in deference to his obvious
wish to speak with them.

There was something in the haughty, and yet easy air of
the gentleman who addressed her companion, that induced
Cecil to attend to his remarks with more than the interest
that is usually excited by the commonplace dialogues of the
road. His dress was neither civil, nor wholly military,
though his bearing had much of a soldier's manner. As he
drew up, three or four dogs fawned upon him, or passed
with indulged impunity between the legs of his high-blooded
charger, apparently indifferent to the impatient repulses that
were freely bestowed on their troublesome familiarities.

"High discipline, by - — !" exclaimed this singular
specimen of the colonial chieftains — " I dare presume, gen
tlemen, you are from the heights of Dorchester; and having
walked the whole distance thither from camp, are disposed
to try the virtues of a four-wheeled conveyance over the
same ground, in a retreat! "

The young man rose in his place, and lifted his hat, with
marked respect, as he answered :

"We are returning from the hill, sir, it is true; but we
must see our enemy before we retreat! "

" A white cockade ! As you hold such rank, sir, I pre
sume you have authority for your movements? Down, Juno
— down, slut! "

" This lady was landed an hour since on the Point, from
the town, by a boat from a king's ship, sir; and I am or
dered to see her in safety to the general of the right wing."

LIONEL LINCOLN. 405

"A lady!" repeated the other, with singular emphasis,
slowly passing his hand over his remarkably aquiline and
prominent features; "if there be a lady in the case, ease
must be indulged. Will you down, Juno!" Turning his
head a little aside to his nearest aid, he added, in a voice
that was suppressed only by the action : " Some trull of
Howe's sent out as the newest specimen of loyal modesty !
In such a case, sir, you are quite right to use horses. I only
marvel that you did not take six instead of two. But how
come we on in the trenches? Down, you hussy, down!
Thou shouldst go to court, Juno, and fawn upon his majesty's
ministers, where thy sycophancy might purchase thee a rib
and! How come we on in the trenches? "

" We have broken ground, sir ; and as the eyes of the royal
troops are drawn upon the batteries, we shall make a work
of it before the day shows them our occupation."

" Ah ! we are certainly good at digging, if at no other part
of our exercises. Miss Juno, thou puttest thy precious life
in jeopardy! — you will? then take thy fate! " As he spoke,
the impatient chief drew a pistol from his holster, and
snapped it twice at the head of the dog, that still fawned
upon him in unwitting fondness. Angry with himself, his
weapon, and the animal at the same moment, he turned to
his attendants, and added, with bitter deliberation : " Gen
tlemen, if one of you will exterminate that quadruped, I
promise him an honorable place in my first dispatches to
congress, for the service! "

A groom in attendance whistled to the spaniel, and prob
ably saved the life of the disgraced favorite.

The officer now addressed himself to the party he had
detained, with a collected and dignified air, that showed he
had recovered his self-possession, by saying:

" I beg pardon, sir, for this trouble — let me not prevent
you from proceeding; there may be serious work on the
heights before morning, and you will doubtless wish to be
there." He bowed with perfect ease and politeness, and

406 LIONEL LINCOLN.

the two parties were slowly passing each other, when, as
if repenting of his condescension, he turned himself in his
saddle, adding, with those sarcastic tones so peculiarly his
own : " Captain, I beseech thee, have an especial care of the
lady!"

With these words in his mouth, he clapped spurs to his
horse, and galloped onward, followed by all his train, at the
same impetuous rate.

Cecil had heard each syllable that fell from the lips of
both in this short dialogue, and she felt a chill of disap
pointment gathering about her heart, as it proceeded. When
they had parted, drawing a long, tremulous breath, she asked,
in tones that betrayed all her feelings:

"And is this Washington? "

"That!" exclaimed her companion. " No, no, madam,
he is a very different sort of man ! That is the great Eng
lish officer, whom congress has made a general in our army.
He is thought to be as great in the field, as he is uncouth
in the drawing-room — yes, I will acknowledge that much
in his favor, though I never know how to understand him;
he is so proud — so supercilious — and yet, he is a great friend
of liberty!"

Cecil permitted the officer to reconcile the seeming con
tradictions in the character of his superior, in his own way,
feeling perfectly relieved, when she understood it was not
the man who could have any influence on her own destiny.
The driver now appeared anxious to recover the lost time,
and he urged his horses over the ground with increased ra
pidity. The remainder of their short drive to the vicinity
of Roxbury, passed in silence. As the cannonading was
still maintained with equal warmth by both parties, it was
hazarding too much to place themselves in the line of the
enemy's fire. The young man, therefore, after finding a
secure spot among the uneven ground of the vicinity, where
he might leave his charge in safety, proceeded by himself
to the point where he had reason to believe he should find

LIONEL LINCOLN. 407

the officer he was ordered to seek. During his short ab
sence, Cecil remained in the wagon, an appalled listener,
and a partial spectator of the neighboring contest.

The Americans had burst their only mortar of size, the
preceding night; but they applied their cannon with un
wearied diligence, not only in the face of the British in-
trenchments, but on the low land, across the estuary of the
Charles; and still farther to the north, in front of the posi
tion which their enemies held on the well-known heights of
Charlestown. In retaliation for this attack, the batteries
along the western side of the town were in a constant blaze
of fire, while those of the eastern continued to slumber in
total unconsciousness of the coming danger.

When the officer returned, he reported that his search had
been successful, and that he had been commanded to con
duct his charge into the presence of the American com-
mander-in-chief . This new arrangement imposed the neces
sity of driving a few miles farther; and as the youth began
to regard his new duty with some impatience, he was in no
humor for delay. The route was circuitous and safe, the
roads good, and the driver diligent. In consequence, with
in the hour they passed the river, and Cecil found herself,
after so long an absence, once more approaching the ancient
provincial seat of learning.

The little village, though in the hands of friends, exhib
ited the infallible evidences of the presence of an irregular
army. The buildings of the University were filled with
troops, and the doors of the different inns were thronged
with noisy soldiers, who were assembled for the inseparable
purposes of revelry and folly. The officer drove to one of
the most private of these haunts of the unthinking and idle,
and declared his intentions to deposit his charge under its
roof, until he could learn the pleasure of the American
leader. Cecil heard his arrangements with little satisfac
tion; but, yielding to the necessity of the case, when the
vehicle had stopped, she alighted, without remonstrance.

408 LIONEL LINCOLN.

With her two attendants in her train, and preceded by the
officer, she passed through the noisy crowd, not only without
insult, but without molestation. The different declaimers
in the throng, and they were many, even lowered their clam
orous voices as she approached, the men giving way, in def
erence for her sex; and she entered the building without
hearing but one remark applied to herself, though a low
and curious buzz of voices followed her footsteps to its
very threshold. That solitary remark was a sudden excla
mation, in admiration of the grace of her movements; and,
singular as it may seem, her companion thought it neces
sary to apologize for its rudeness, by whispering that it had
proceeded from the lips of " one of the southern riflemen ;
a corps as distinguished for its skill and bravery, as for its
want of breeding! "

The inside of this inn presented a very different aspect
from its exterior. The decent tradesman who kept it, had
so far yielded to the emergency of the times, and perhaps,
also, to a certain propensity towards gain, as temporarily to
adopt the profession he followed; but by a sort of implied
compact with the crowd without, while he administered to
their appetite for liquor, he preserved most of the privacy of
his domestic arrangements. He had, however, been com
pelled to relinquish one apartment entirely to the service of
the public, into which Cecil and her companions were shown,
as a matter of course, without the smallest apology for its
condition.

There might have been a dozen people in the common
room; some of whom were quietly seated before its large
fire, among whom were one or two females; some walking,
and others distributed on chairs, as accident or inclination
had placed them. A slight movement was made at the en
trance of Cecil, but it soon subsided; though her rich man
tle of fine cloth, and silken calash, did not fail to draw the
eyes of the women upon her, with a ruder gaze than she had
yet encountered from the other sex, during the hazardous

LIONEL LINCOLN. 409

adventures of the night. She took an offered seat near the
bright and, cheerful blaze on the hearth, which imparted all
the light the room contained, and disposed herself to wait
in patience the return of her conductor, who immediately
took his departure for the neighboring quarters of the Amer
ican chief.

"'Tisan awful time for women bodies to journey in!"
said a middle-aged woman near her, who was busily engaged
in knitting, though she also bore the marks of a traveller in
her dress. " I'm sure if I had thought there'd ha' been such
contentions, I would never have crossed the Connecticut;
though I have an only child in camp! "

" To a mother, the distress must be great, indeed," said
Cecil, " when she hears the report of a contest in which she
knows her children are engaged."

" Yes, Royal is engaged as a six-months'-man, and he is
partly agreed to stay till the king's troops conclude to give
up the town."

"It seems to me," said a grave-looking yeoman, who
occupied the -opposite corner of the firpelace, "your child
has an unfitting name for one who fights against the
crown ! "

" Ah, he was so called before the king wore his Scottish
Boot! and what has once been solemnly named, in holy
baptism, is not to be changed with the shift of the times!
They were twins, and I called one Prince and the other
Royal; for they were born the day his present majesty came
to man's estate. That, you know, was before his heart had
changed, and when the people of the Bay loved him little
less than they did their own flesh and blood."

" Why, Goody," said the yeoman, smiling good-humored-
ly, and rising to offer her a pinch of his real Scotch, in
token of amity, while he made so free with her domestic
matters — " you had then an heir to the throne in your own
family! The Prince Royal, they say, comes next to the
king; and by your tell, one of them, at least, is a worthy

4IO LIONEL LINCOLN.

fellow, who is not likely to sell his heritage for a mess of
pottage! If I understand you, Royal is here in service? "

" He's at this blessed moment in one of the battering-
rams in front of Boston neck," returned the woman ; " and
the Lord, he knows, 'tis an awful calling, to be beating down
the housen of people of the same religion and blood with
ourselves! but so it must be, to prevail over the wicked de
signs of such as would live in pomp and idleness, by the
sweat and labor of their fellow-creatures."

The honest yeoman, who was somewhat more familiar
with the terms of modern warfare than the woman, smiled
at her mistake, while he pursued the conversation with a
peculiar gravity, which rendered his humor doubly droll.

" Tis to be hoped the boy will not weary at the weapon
before the morning cometh. But why does Prince linger
behind, in such a moment? Tarries he with his father, on
the homestead, in safety, being the younger born ? "

"No, no," said the woman, shaking her head in sorrow;
" he dwells, I trust, with our common Father, in heaven !
Neither are you right in calling him the home-child. He
was my first-born, and a comely youth he grew to be!
When the cry that the reg'lars were out at Lexington, to kill
and destroy, passed through the country, he shouldered his
musket, and came down with the people, to know the reason
the land was stained with American blood. He was young,
and full of ambition to be foremost among them who were
willing to fight for their birthrights; and the last I ever
heard of him was in the midst of the king's troops on
Breed's. No, no; his body never came off the hill! The
neighbors sent me up the clothes he left in camp, and 'tis
one of his socks that I'm now footing for his twin-brother."

The woman delivered this simple explanation with per
fect calmness; though, as she advanced in the subject, large
tears started from her eyes, and, following each other down
her cheeks, fell unheeded upon the humble garment of her
dead son.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 411

"This is the way our bravest striplings are cut off, fight
ing with the scum of Europe ! " exclaimed the yeoman, with
a warmth that showed how powerfully his feelings were
touched. " I hope the boy who lives may find occasion to
revenge his brother's death."

"God forbid! God forbid!" exclaimed the weeping
mother — "revenge is an evil passion, and least of all would
I wish a child of mine to go into the field of blood with so
foul a breast. God has given us this land to dwell in, and
to rear up temples and worshippers of his holy name; and
in giving it, he bestowed the right to defend it against all
earthly oppression. If 'twas right for Prince to come, 'twas
right for Royal to follow ! "

"I believe I am reproved in justice," returned the man,
looking around at the spectators with an eye that no longer
teemed with a hidden meaning. "God bless you, my good
woman, and deliver you, with your remaining boy, and all
of us, from the scourge which has been inflicted on the
country for our sins. I go west, into the mountains, with
the sun ; and if I can carry any word of comfort from you to
the good man at home, it will not be a hill or two that shall
hinder it."

" The same thanks to you for the offer, as if you did it,
friend ; my man would be right glad to see you at his set
tlement; but I sicken already with the noises and awful
sights of warfare, and shall not tarry long after my son
comes forth from the battle. I shall go down to Cragie's
house in the morning, and look upon the blessed man whom
the people have chosen from among themselves as a leader,
and hurry back again ; for I plainly see that this is not an
abiding-place for such as I ! "

" You will then have to follow him into the line of dan
ger; for I saw him, within the hour, riding, with all his fol
lowers, towards the waterside; and I doubt not that this
unusual waste of ammunition is intended for more than we
of little wit can guess."

412 LIONEL LINCOLN.

"Of whom speak you? " Cecil involuntarily asked.

"Of whom should he speak, but of Washington?" re
turned a deep, low voice at her elbow, whose remarkable
sounds instantly recalled the tones of the aged messenger of
death, who had appeared at the bedside of her grandmother.
Cecil started from her chair, and recoiled several paces from
the person of Ralph, who stood regarding her with a steady
and searching look, heedless of the observation they attracted,
as well as of the number and quality of the spectators.

" We are not strangers, young lady," continued the old
man; "and you will excuse me if I add, that the face of an
acquaintance must be grateful to one of your gentle sex, in
a place so unsettled and disorderly as this."

"An acquaintance? " repeated the unprotected bride.

"I said an acquaintance; we know each other, surely,"
returned Ralph with marked emphasis; "you will believe
me when I add, that I have seen the two men in the guard
room, which is at hand."

Cecil cast a furtive glance behind her, and, with some
alarm, perceived that she was separated from Meriton and
the stranger. Before time was allowed for recollection, the
old man approached her with a courtly breeding, that was
rendered more striking by the coarseness as well as negli
gence of his attire.

"This is not a place for the niece of an English peer,"
he said; "but I have long been at home in this warlike vil
lage, and will conduct you to another residence, more suited
to your sex and condition."

For an instant Cecil hesitated; but observing the won
dering faces about her and the intense curiosity with
which all in the room suspended their several pursuits to
listen to each syllable, she timidly accepted his offered hand,
suffering him to lead her, not only from the room, but the
house, in profound silence. The door through which they
left the building was opposite to that by which she had
entered; and when they found themselves in the open air,

LIONEL LINCOLN. 413

it was in a different street, and a short distance removed
from the crowd of revellers already mentioned.

" I have left two attendants behind me," she said, " with
out whom 'tis impossible to proceed."

" As they are watched by armed men, you have no choice
but to share their confinement, or to submit to the temporary
separation," returned the other, calmly. " Should his keep
ers discover the character of him who led you hither, his
fate would be certain ! "

"His character!" repeated Cecil, again shrinking fiom
the touch of the old man.

" Surely my words are plain ! I said his character. Is
he not the deadly, obstinate enemy of liberty? And think
you these countrymen of ours so dull as to suffer one like
him to go at large in their very camp? No, no," he mut
tered, with a low, but exulting laugh; "like a fool has he
tempted his fate, and like a dog shall he meet it! Let us
proceed; the house is but a step from this, and you may
summon him to your presence if you will."

Cecil was rather impelled by her companion than induced
to proceed, when, as he had said, they soon stopped before
the door of a humble and retired building. An armed man
paced along its front, while the lengthened shadow of an
other sentinel in the rear was every half-minute thrown far
into the street, in confirmation of the watchfulness that was
kept over those who dwelt within.

"Proceed," said Ralph, throwing open the outer door,
without hesitation. Cecil complied, but started at encoun
tering another man, trailing a musket, as he paced to and
fro in the narrow passage that received her. Between this
sentinel and Ralph there seemed to exist a good understand
ing, for the latter addressed him with perfect freedom :

" Has no order been yet received from Washington ? " he
asked.

" None ; and I rather conclude, by the delay, that nothing
very favorable is to be expected."

414 LIONEL LINCOLN.

The old man muttered to himself, but passed on, and4
throwing open another door, said:

"Enter."

Again Cecil complied, the door closing on her at the in
stant; but before she had time to express either her wonder
or her alarm, she was folded in the arms of her husband.

CHAPTER XXXI.

Is she a Capulet ?
O dear account ! my life is my foe's debt.

Romeo.

"An! Lincoln! Lincoln! " cried the weeping bride, gently
extricating herself from the long embrace of Lionel, "at
what a moment did you desert me ! "

" And how have I been punished, love! a night of frenzy,
and a morrow of useless regrets! How early have I been
made to feel the strength of those ties which unite us! — un
less, indeed, my own folly may have already severed them
forever ! "

"Truant! I know you! and shall hereafter weave a web,
with woman's art, to keep you in my toils! If you love me,
Lionel, as I would fain believe, let all the past be forgot
ten. I ask — I wish no explanation. You have been de
ceived, and that repentant eye assures me of your returning
reason. Let us now speak only of yourself. Why do I find
you thus guarded, more like a criminal than an officer of
the crown ? "

" They have, indeed, bestowed especial watchfulness on
my safety."

"How came you in their power? and why do they abuse
their advantage ? "

" 'Tis easily explained. Presuming on the tempestuous-
ness of the night — what a bridal was ours, Cecil ! "

"'Twas terrible! " she anwsered, shuddering; then, with

LIONEL LINCOLN. 41 5

a bright and instant smile, as if sedulous to chase every ap
pearance of distrust or care from her countenance, she con
tinued—" but I have no longer faith in omens, Lincoln ! or,
if one has been given, is not the awful fulfilment already
come? I know not how you value the benedictions of a
parting soul, Lionel, but to me there is holy consolation in
knowing that my dying parent left her blessing on our sud
den union."

Disregarding the hand which, with gentle earnestness, she
had laid upon his shoulder, he walked gloomily away, into a
distant oorner of the apartment.

" Cecil, I do love you, as you would fain believe," he
said, " and I listen readily to your wish to bury the past in
oblivion. But I leave my tale unfinished. You know the
night was such that none would choose, uselessly, to brave
its fury : I attempted to profit by the storm, and availing
myself of a flag, which is regularly granted to the simpleton,
Job Pray, I left the town. Impatient — do I say impatient?
— borne along rather by a tempest of passions that mocked
the feebler elements, we ventured too much. Cecil, I was
not alone! "

" I know it — I know it," she said, hurriedly, though speak
ing barely above her breath : " you ventured too much "

"And encountered a piquet that would not mistake a
royal officer for an impoverished, though privileged idiot. In
our anxiety we overlooked — believe me, dearest Cecil, that
if you knew all — the scene I had witnessed — the motives
which urged — they, at least, would justify this strange and
seeming desertion."

" Did I doubt it, would I forget my condition, my recent
loss and my sex, to follow in the footsteps of one unworthy
of my solicitude!" returned the bride, coloring as much
with innate modesty, as with the power of her emotions.
" Think not I come, with girlish weakness, to reproach you
with any fancied wrongs. I am your wife, Major Lincoln ;
and as such would I serve you, at a moment when I know

416 LIONEL LINCOLN.

all the tenderness of the tie will most be needed. At the
altar, and in the presence of my God, have I acknowledged
the sacred duty; and shall I hesitate to discharge it be
cause the eyes of man are on me? "

"I shall go mad! — I shall go mad!" cried Lionel, in
ungovernable mental anguish, as he paced the floor, in vio
lent disorder. " There are moments when I think that the
curse, which destroyed the father, has already lighted on
the son ! "

" Lionel! " said the soft, soothing voice of his companion,
at his elbow, " is this to render me more happy — the wel
come you bestow on the confiding girl who has committed
her happiness to your keeping? I see you relent, and will
be more just to us both — more dutiful to your God! Now
let us speak of your confinement. Surely, you are not sus
pected of any criminal designs in this rash visit to the camp
of the Americans ! 'Twere easy to convince their leaders
that you are innocent of so base a purpose."

" 'Tis difficult to evade the vigilance of those who struggle
for liberty!" returned the low, calm voice of Ralph, who
stood before them, unexpectedly. " Major Lincoln has too
long listened to the counsels of tyrants and slaves, and for
gotten the land of his birth. If he would be safe, let him
retract the error, while yet he may, with honor."

"Honor!" repeated Lionel, with unconcealed disdain —
again pacing the room with swift and" uneasy steps, without
deigning any other notice of the unwelcome intruder. Ce
cil bowed her head, and, sinking in a chair, concealed her
face in her small muff, as if to exclude some horrid and
fearful sight from her view.

The momentary silence was broken by the sound of foot
steps and of voices in the passage, and at the next instant,
the door of the room opening, Meriton was seen on its
threshold. His appearance roused Cecil, who, springing on
her feet, beckoned him away, with a sort of frenzied ear
nestness, exclaiming:

LIONEL LINCOLN.

"Not here! — not here! For the love of Heaven, not
here!"

The valet hesitated, but, catching a glimpse of his mas
ter, his attachment got the ascendency of his respect.

" God be praised for this blessed sight, Master Lionel ! "
he cried : " 'tis the happiest hour I have seen since I lost
the look at the shores of old England! If 'twas only at
Ravenscliffe, or in Soho, I should be the most contented
fool in the three kingdoms! Ah, Master Lionel, let us get
out of this province, into the country, where there is no reb
els; or anything worse than King, Lords, and Commons! "

"Enough now; for this time, worthy Meriton, enough!"
interrupted Cecil, breathing with difficulty, in her eagerness
to be heard. " Go — return to the inn — the colleges — any
where—do but go! "

" Don't send a loyal subject, ma'am, again among the
rebels, I desire to entreat of you. Such awful blasphemies,
sir, as I heard while I was there! They spoke of his sacred
majesty just as freely, sir, as if he had been a gentleman
like yourself. Joyful was the news of my release ! "

" And had it been a guard-room on the opposite shore,7'
said Ralph, "the liberties they used with your earthly
monarch would have been as freely taken with the King of
kings!"

" You shall remain, then," said Cecil, probably mistaking
the look of high disdain which Meriton bestowed on his
aged fellow-voyager, for one of a very different meaning —
"but not here. You have other apartments, Major Lin
coln; let my attendants be received there — you surely
would not admit the menials to our interview! "

"Why this sudden terror, love? Here, if not happy, you
at least are safe. Go, Meriton, into the adjoining room; if
wanted, there is admission through this door of communica
tion."

The valet murmured some half-uttered sentences, of which
only the emphatic word "genteel" was audible; while the
27

41 8 LIONEL LINCOLN.

direction of his discontented eye sufficiently betrayed that
Ralph was the subject of his meditations. The old man fol
lowed his footsteps, and the door of the passage soon closed
on both, leaving Cecil standing, like a beautiful statue, in
an attitude of absorbed thought. When the noise of her
attendants, as they quietly entered the adjoining room, was
heard, she breathed again, with a tremulous sigh, that
seemed to raise a weight of apprehension from her heart.

" Fear not for me, Cecil, and least of all for yourself,"
said Lionel, drawing her to his bosom with fond solicitude:
" my headlong rashness, or rather that fatal bane to the hap
piness of my house, the distempered feeling which you must
have often seen and deplored, has indeed led me into a seem
ing danger. But I have a reason for my conduct, which,
avowed, shall lull the suspicions of even our enemies to
sleep."

" I have no suspicions — no knowledge of any imperfec
tions — no regrets, Lionel; — nothing but the most ardent
wishes for your peace of mind; and, if I might explain! —
yes, now is a time — Lionel, kind, but truant Lionel "

Her words were interrupted by Ralph, who appeared
again in the room, with that noiseless step, which, in con
junction with his great age and attenuated frame, some
times gave to his movements and aspect the character of a
being superior to the attributes of humanity. On his arm
he bore an overcoat and a hat, both of which Cecil recog
nized, at a glance, as the property of the unknown man who
had attended her person throughout all the vicissitudes of
that eventful night.

" See! " said Ralph, exhibiting his spoils with a ghastly,
but meaning smile, " see in how many forms Liberty ap
pears to aid her votaries! Here is the guise in which she
will now be courted ! Wear them, young man, and be free ! "

" Believe him not — listen not," whispered Cecil, while
she shrunk from his approach in undisguised terror: "nay,
do listen, but act with caution! "

LIONEL LINCOLN. 419

. " Dost thou delay to receive the blessed boon of freedom,
when offered? " demanded Ralph. " Wouldst thou remain
and brave the angry justice of the American chief, and
make thy wife of a day a widow for an age? "

"In what manner am I to profit by this dress?" said
Lionel. " To submit to the degradation of a disguise, suc
cess should be certain."

"Turn thy haughty eyes, young man, on the picture of
innocence and terror at thy side. For the sake of her whose
fate is wrapped in thine, if not for your own, consult thy
safety, and fly — another minute may be too late."

"O! hesitate not a moment longer, Lincoln," cried Cecil,
with a change of purpose as sudden as the impulse was pow
erful: "fly — leave me; my sex and station will be "

" Never," said Lionel, casting the garment from him, in
cool disdain. " Once, when Death was busy, did I abandon
thee; but, ere I do it again, his blow must fall on me! "

" I will follow — I will join you."

" You shall not part," said Ralph, once more raising the
rejected coat, and lending his aid to envelop the form of
Lionel, who stood passive under the united efforts of his
bride and her aged assistant. " Remain here," the latter
added, when their brief task was ended, "and await the
summons to freedom. And thou, sweet flower of innocence
and love, follow and share in the honor of liberating him
who has enslaved thee ! "

Cecil blushed with virgin shame, at the strength of his
expressions, but bowed her head in silent acquiescence to
his will. Proceeding to the door, he beckoned her to ap
proach, indicating, by an expressive gesture to Lionel, that
he was to remain stationary. When Cecil had complied,
and they were in the narrow passage of the building, Ralph,
instead of betraying any apprehension of the sentinel who
paced its length, fearlessly approached, and addressed him
with the confidence of a known friend •

" See! " he said, removing the calash from before the pale

42O LIONEL LINCOLN.

features of his companion, " how terror for the fate of her
husband has caused the good child to weep! She quits him
now, friend, with one of her attendants, while the other tar
ries to administer to his master's wants. Look at her; is't
not a sweet, though mourning partner, to smooth the path of
a soldier's life?"

The man seemed awkardly sensible of the unusual charms
that Ralph so unceremoniously exhibited to his view; and
while he stood in admiring embarrassment, ashamed to gaze,
and yet unwilling to retire, Cecil traced the light footsteps
of the old man entering the room occupied by Meriton and
the stranger. She was still in the act of veiling her fea
tures from the eyes of the sentinel, when Ralph reappeared,
attended by a figure muffled in the well-known overcoat.
Notwithstanding the flopped hat, and studied concealment
of his gait, the keen eyes of the wife penetrated the disguise
of her husband ; and recollecting, at the same instant, the
door of communication between the two apartments, the
whole artifice was at once revealed. With trembling eager
ness she glided past the sentinel, and pressed to the side of
Lionel, with a dependence that might have betrayed the de
ception to one more accustomed to the forms of life, than
was the honest countryman who had so recently thrown aside
the flail to carry a musket.

Ralph allowed the sentinel no time to deliberate; but
waving his hand in token of adieu, he led the way into the
street with his accustomed activity. Here they found
themselves in the presence of the other soldier, who moved
to and fro, along the allotted ground in front of the building,
rendering the watchfulness, by which they were environed,
doubly embarrassing. Following the example of their aged,
conductor, Lionel and his trembling companion walked with
apparent indifference towards this man, who, as it proved,
was better deserving of his trust than his fellow within
doors. Dropping his musket across their path, in a manner
which announced an intention to inquire into their move-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 421

ments, before he suffered them to proceed, he roughly de
manded — —

"How's this, old gentleman? you come out of the pris
oners' rooms by squads! one, two, three; our English gal
lant might be among you, and there would still be two left!
Come, come, old father, render some account of yourself,
and of your command. For, to be plain with you, there
are those who think you are no better than a spy of Howe's,
notwithstanding you are left to run up and down the camp,
as you please. In plain Yankee dialect, and that's intelli
gible English, you have been caught in bad company of late,
and there has been hard talk about shutting you up, as well
as your comrade."

"Hear ye that?" said Ralph, calmly smiling, and ad
dressing himself to his companions, instead of the man
whose interrogatories, he was expected to answer — " think
you the hirelings of the crown are thus alert? Would not
the slaves be sleeping the moment the eyes of their tyrants
are turned on their own lawless pleasures? Thus it is with
liberty. The sacred spirit hallows its meanest votaries, and
elevates the private to all the virtues of the proudest cap
tain!"

" Come, come," returned the flattered sentinel, throwing
his musket back to his shoulder again, " I believe a man
gains nothing by battling you with words. I should have
spent a year or two inside yonder colleges to dive at all
your meaning. Though I can guess you are more than half
right in one thing; for if a poor fellow, who loves his coun
try, and the good cause, finds it so hard to keep his eyes
open on post, what must it be to a half-starved devil on six
pence a-day ! Go along, go along, old father ; there is one
less of you than went in, and if there was anything wrong,
the man in the house should know it! "

As he concluded, the sentinel continued his walk, hum
ming a verse of Yankee-doodle, in excellent favor with him
self and all mankind, with the sweeping exception of his

422 LIONEL LINCOLN.

country's enemies. To say that this was not the first in
stance of well-meaning integrity being cajoled by the jargon
of liberty, might be an assertion too hazardous; but that it
has been the last, we conscientiously believe, though no
immediate example may present itself to quote in support
of such heretical credulity.

Ralph appeared, however, perfectly innocent of intending
to utter more than the spirit of the times justified; for,
when left to his own pleasure, he pursued his way, mutter
ing rapidly to himself, and with an earnestness that attested
his sincerity. When they had turned a corner, at a little
distance from any pressing danger, he relaxed in his move
ments, and, suffering his eager companions to approach, he
stole to the side of Lionel, and, clenching his hand fiercely,
he whispered, in a voice half choked by inward exulta
tion:

"I have him now; he is no longer dangerous! Ay — ay
— I have him closely watched by the vigilance of three in
corruptible patriots ! "

"Of whom speak you? " demanded Lionel — "what is his
offence, and where is your captive? "

"A dog! a man in form, but a tiger in heart! Ay! but
I have him! " the old man continued, with a hollow laugh,
that seemed to heave up from his inmost soul — "a dog; a
veritable dog! I have him, and God grant that he may
drink the cup of slavery to its dregs! "

"Old man," said Lionel, firmly, "that I have followed
you thus far on no unworthy errand, you best may testify —
I have forgotten the oath which, at the altar, I had sworn to,
to cherish this sweet and spotless being at my side, at your
instigation, aided by the maddening circumstances of a mo
ment; but the delusion has already passed away! Here we
part forever, unless your solemn and often-repeated promises
are, on the instant, redeemed."

The high exultation, which had so lately rendered the
emaciated countenance of Ralph hideously ghastly, disap-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 423

peared like a passing shadow; and he listened to the words
of Lionel with calm and settled attention. But when he
would have answered, he was interrupted by Cecil, who
uttered, in a voice nearly suppressed by her fears :

"Oh! delay not a moment! Let us proceed anywhere,
or anyhow : even now the pursuers may be on our track. I
am strong, dearest Lionel, and will follow to the ends of the
earth, so you but lead ! "

" Lionel Lincoln, I have not deceived thee! " said the old
man, solemnly. "Providence has already led us on our
way, and a few minutes will bring us to our goal — suffer,
then, that gentle trembler to return into the village, and fol
low! "

" Not an inch ! " returned Lionel, pressing Cecil still closer
to his side — "here we part, or your promises are fulfilled."

" Nay, go with him — go," again whispered the being who
clung to him in trembling dependence. "This very contro
versy may prove your ruin — did I not say I would accom
pany you, Lincoln? "

"Lead on, then," said her husband, motioning Ralph to
proceed — " once again will I confide in you ; but use the
trust with discretion, for my guardian spirit is at hand; and
remember, thou no longer leadest a lunatic! "

The moon fell upon the wan features of the old man, and
exhibited their contented smile, as he silently turned away,
and resumed his progress with his wonted rapid and noise
less tread. Their route still lay towards the skirts of the
village. While the buildings of the university were yet in
the near view, and the loud laugh of the idlers about the
inn, with the frequent challenges of the sentinels, were still
distinctly audible, their conductor bent his way beneath the
walls of a church, that rose in solemn solitude in the decep
tive light of the evening. Pointing upward at its somewhat
unusual, because regular architecture, Ralph muttered, as
he passed:

"Here, at least, God possesses his own, without insult! "

424 LIONEL LINCOLN.

Lionel and Cecil slightly glanced their eyes at the silent
walls, and followed into a small inclosure, through a gap in
its humble and dilapidated fence. Here the former again
paused, and spoke:

" I will go no further," he said, unconsciously strengthen
ing the declaration by placing his foot firmly on a mound
of frozen earth, in an attitude of resistance — " 'tis time to
cease thinking of self, and to listen to the weakness of her
whom I support ! "

" Think not of me, dearest Lincoln "

Cecil was interrupted by the voice of the old man, who
raising his hat, and baring his gray locks to the mild rays
of the planet, answered with tremulous emotion:

" Thy task is already ended ! Thou hast reached the spot,
where moulder the bones of one who long supported thee.
Unthinking boy, that sacrilegious foot treads on thy moth
er's grave ! "

CHAPTER XXXII.

Oh, age has weary days,

And nights o' sleepless pain !
Thou golden time o' youthful prime,

Why com'st thou not again ?

BURNS.

THE stillness that succeeded this unexpected annunciation
was like the cold silence of those who slumbered on every
side of them. Lionel recoiled a pace, in horror; then, imi
tating the action of the old man, he uncovered his head, in
pious reverence of the parent, whose form floated dimly in
his imagination, like the earliest recollections of infancy,
or the imperfect fancies of some dream. When time was
given for these sudden emotions to subside, he turned to
Ralph, and said:

" And was it here that you would bring me, to listen to
the sorrows of my family? "

An expression of piteous anguish crossed the features of

LIONEL LINCOLN. 425

the other, as he answered, in a voice which was subdued to
softness :

" Even here — here, in the presence of thy mother's grave,
shalt thou hear the tale ! "

"Then let it be here! " said Lionel, whose eye was already
kindling with a wild and disordered meaning, that curdled
the blood of the anxious Cecil, who watched its expression
with a woman's solicitude. " Here, on this hallowed spot,
will I listen, and swear the vengeance that is due, if all thy
previous intimations should be just "

"No, no, no — listen not — tarry not!" said Cecil, cling
ing to his side in undisguised alarm : " Lincoln, you are
not equal to the scene ! "

" I am equal to anything in such a cause."

"Nay, Lionel, you overrate your powers! Think only of
your safety, now ; at another, and happier moment you shall
know all — yes — I — Cecil — thy bride, thy wife, promise that
all shall be revealed "

" Thou ! "

" It is the descendant of the widow of John Lechmere who
speaks, and thy ears will not refuse the sounds," said Ralph,
with a smile that acted like a taunt on the awakened im
pulses of the young man. " Go — thou art fitter for a bridal
than a churchyard ! "

" I have told you that I am equal to anything," sternly
answered Lionel; " here will I sit, on this humble tablet,
to hear all that you can utter, though the rebel legions en
circle me to my death ! "

"What! dar'st brave the averted eye of one so dear to thy
heart?"

" All, or anything," exclaimed the excited youth, " with so
pious an object."

" Bravely answered ! and thy reward is nigh — nay, look
not on the siren, or thou wilt relent."

"My wife!" said Lionel, extending his hand, kindly,
towards the shrinking form of Cecil.

426 LIONEL LINCOLN.

"Thy mother!" interrupted Ralph, pointing with his
emaciated hand to the cold residence of the dead.

Lionel sunk on the dilapidated grave-stone to which he
had just alluded, and, gathering his coat about him, he
rested an arm upon his knee, while its hand supported his
quivering chin, as if he were desperately bent on his gloomy
purpose. The old man smiled with his usual ghastly ex
pression, as he witnessed this proof of his success, and he
took a similar seat on the opposite side of the grave, which
seemed the focus of their common interest. Here he
dropped his face between his hands, and appeared to muse,
like one who was collecting his thoughts for the coming
emergency. During this short and impressive pause, Lionel
felt the trembling form of Cecil drawing to his side; and
before his aged companion spoke, her unveiled and pallid
countenance was once more watching the changes of his
own features, in submissive but anxious attention.

"Thou knowest already, Lionel Lincoln," commenced
Ralph, slowly raising his body to an upright attitude,
" how, in past ages, thy family sought these colonies, to find
religious quiet, and the peace of the just. And thou also
knowest, — for often did we beguile the long watches of the
night in discoursing of these things, while the never-tiring
ocean was rolling its waters unheeded around, — how Death
came into its elder branch, which still dwelt amid the lux
ury and corruption of the English court, and left thy father
the heir of all its riches and honors."

" How much of this is unknown to the meanest gossip in
the province of Massachusetts Bay ? " interrupted the impa
tient Lionel.

" But they do not know, that, for years before this accu
mulation of fortune actually occurred, it was deemed to be
inevitable by the decrees of Providence; they do not know
how much more value the orphan son of the unprovided sol
dier found in the eyes of those even of his own blood, by
the expectation; nor do they know how the worldly-minded

LIONEL LINCOLN.

Priscilla Lechmere, thy father's aunt, would have compassed
heaven and earth, to have seen that wealth, and those hon
ors, to which it was her greatest boast to claim alliance,
descend in the line of her own body."

" But 'twas impossible ! She was of the female branch ;
neither had she a son! "

" Nothing seems impossible to those on whose peace of
mind the worm of ambition feeds — thou knowest well she
left a grandchild; had not that child a mother? "

Lionel felt a painful conviction of the connection, as the
trembling object of these remarks sunk her head in shame
and sorrow on his bosom, keenly alive to the justice of the
character drawn of her deceased relative, by the mysterious
being who had just spoken.

" God forbid, that I, a Christian, and a gentleman," con
tinued the old man, a little proudly, " should utter a sylla
ble to taint the spotless name of one so free from blemish
as she of whom I speak. The sweet child who clings to
thee, in dread, Lionel, was not more pure and innocent than
she who bore her. And long before ambition had wove its
toils for the miserable Priscilla, the heart of her daughter
was the property of the gallant and honorable Englishman,
to whom in later years she was wedded."

As Cecil heard this soothing commendation of her more
immediate parents, she again raised her face into the light
of the moon, and remained, where she was already kneeling,
at the side of Lionel, no longer an uneasy, but a deeply in
terested listener to what followed.

"As the wishes of my unhappy aunt were not realized,"
said Major Lincoln, " in what manner could they affect the
fortunes of my father? "

"Thou shalt hear. In the same dwelling lived another,
even fairer, and, to the eye, as pure as the daughter of Pris
cilla. She was the relative, the god-child, and the ward of
that miserable woman. The beauty, and seeming virtues of
this apparent angel in human form, caught the young eye of

428 LIONEL LINCOLN.

thy father, and, in defiance of arts and schemes, before the
long-expected title and fortune came, they were wedded,
and thou wert born, Lionel, to render the boon of Fate dou
bly welcome."

" And then "

" And then thy father hastened to the land of his ances
tors, to claim his own, and to prepare the way for the recep
tion of yourself, and his beloved Priscilla — for then there
were two Priscillas; and now both sleep with the dead! All
having life and nature can claim the quiet of the grave, but
I," continued the old man, glancing his hollow eye upward,
with a look of hopeless misery. " I, who have seen ages
pass since the blood of youth has been chilled, and genera
tion after generation swept away, must still linger in the
haunts of men ! but 'tis to aid in the great work which com
mences here, but which shall not end until a continent be
regenerated."

Lionel suffered a minute to pass without a question, in
deference to this burst of feeling; but soon, making an im
patient movement, it drew the eyes of Ralph once more
upon him, and the old man continued:

" Month after month, for two long and tedious years did
thy father linger in England, struggling for his own. At
length he prevailed. He then hastened hither; but there
was no wife — no fond and loving Priscilla, like that tender
flower that reposes in thy bosom, to welcome his return."

" I know it," said Lionel, nearly choked by his pious rec
ollections — " she was dead."

" She was more," returned Ralph, in a voice so deep,
that it sounded like one speaking from the grave: "she was
dishonored! "

"Tis false!"

" 'Tis true — true as that holy Gospel which comes to men
through the inspired ministers of God! "

"'Tis false!" repeated Lionel, fiercely — "blacker than
the darkest thoughts of the foul spirit of evil! "

LIONEL LINCOLN. 429

"I say, rash boy, 'tis true! She died in giving birth to
the fruits of her infamy. When Priscilla Lechmere met thy
heart-stricken parent with the damning tale, he read in her
exulting eye the treason of her mind, and, like thee, he
dared to call Heaven to witness that thy mother was de
famed. But there was one known to him, under circum
stances that forbade the thoughts of deceit, who swore — ay,
took the blessed name of Him who reads all hearts, for war
ranty of her truth! — and she confirmed it."

"The infamous seducer!" said Lionel, hoarsely, his
body turning unconsciously away from Cecil — " does he yet
live? Give him to my vengeance, old man, and I will yet
bless you for your accursed history ! "

" Lionel, Lionel," said the soothing voice of his bride,
"do you credit him? "

"Credit him! " said Ralph, with a horrid, inward laugh,
as if he would deride the idea of incredulity : " all this must
he believe, and more! Once again, weak girl, did thy
grandmother throw out her lures for the wealthy baronet,
and when he would not become her son, then did she league
with the spirits of hell to compass his ruin. Revenge took
place of ambition, and thy husband's father was the vic
tim!"

" Say on! " cried Lionel, nearly ceasing to breathe in the
intensity of his interest.

"The blow had cut him to the heart; and, for a time, his
reason was crushed beneath its weight. Yet 'twas but for
an hour, compared to the eternity a man is doomed to live)
They profited by the temporary derangement, and when his
wandering faculties were lulled to quiet, he found himself
the tenant of a madhouse, where, for twenty long years, was
he herded with the defaced images of his Maker, by the arts
of the base widow of John Lechmere."

"Can this be true? Can this be true?" cried Lionel,
clasping his hands wildly, and springing to his feet, with a
violence that cast the tender form that still clung to him,

430 LIONEL LINCOLN.

aside, like a worthless toy. " Can this be proved ? How
knowest thou these facts? "

The calm, but melancholy smile that was wont to light
the wan features of the old man, when he alluded to his own
existence, was once more visible, as he answered :

"There is but little hid from the knowledge acquired by
length of days. Besides, have I not secret means of intel
ligence that are unknown to thee? Remember what, in our
frequent interviews, I have revealed; recall the death-bed
scene of Priscilla Lechmere, and ask thyself if there be not
truth in thy aged friend."

" Give me all ! hold not back a tittle of thy accursed tale
— give me all — or take back each syllable thou hast ut
tered!"

"Thou shalt have all thou askest, Lionel Lincoln, and
more," returned Ralph, throwing into his manner and voice
its utmost powers of solemnity and persuasion — "provided
thou wilt swear eternal hatred to that country and those
laws, by which an innocent and unoffending man can be
levelled with the beasts of the field, and be made to rave
even at his Maker, in the bitterness of his sufferings."

" More than that — ten thousand times more than that, will
I swear: I will league with this rebellion — — "

"Lionel, Lionel, what is't you do? " interrupted the heart-
stricken Cecil.

But her voice was stilled by loud and busy cries, which
broke out of the village, above the hum of revelry, and was
instantly succeeded by the trampling of footsteps, as men
rushed over the frozen ground, apparently by hundreds, and
with headlong rapidity. Ralph, who was not less quick to
hear these sounds than the timid bride, glided from the grave,
and approached the highway, whither he was slowly followed
by his companions; Lionel utterly indifferent whither he
proceeded, and Cecil trembling in every limb with terror for
the safety of him who so little regarded his own danger.

"They are abroad, and think to find an enemy," said

LIONEL LINCOLN. 431

the old man, raising his hand with a gesture to command
attention; "but he has sworn to join their standards, and
gladly will they receive any of his name and family! "

" No, no — he has pledged himself to no dishonor/' cried
Cecil. " Fly, Lincoln, while you are free, and leave me to
meet the pursuers — they will respect my weakness."

Fortunately, the allusion to herself awakened Lionel
from the dull forgetfulness into which his faculties had
fallen. Encircling her slight figure with his arm, he turned
swiftly from the spot, saying, as he urged her forward:

" Old man, when this precious charge is in safety, thy
truth or falsehood shall be proved."

But Ralph, whose unencumbered person and iron frame,
which seemed to mock the ravages of time, gave a vast su
periority over the impeded progress of the other, moved
swiftly ahead, waving his hand on high, as if to indicate his
intention to join in the flight, while he led the way into the
fields adjacent to the churchyard they had quitted.

The noise of the pursuers soon became more distinct, and,
in the intervals of the distant cannonade, the cries and di
rections of those who conducted the chase were distinctly
audible. Notwithstanding the vigorous arm of her support
er, Cecil was soon sensible that her delicate frame was un
equal to continue the exertions necessary to insure their
safety. They had entered another road, which lay at no
great distance from the first, when she paused, and reluc
tantly declared her inability to proceed.

"Then, here will we await our captors," said Lionel, with
forced composure : " let the rebels beware how they abuse
their slight advantage! "

The words were scarcely uttered, when a cart, drawn by a
double team, turned an angle in the highway near them, and
its driver appeared within a few feet of the spot where they
stood. He was a man far advanced in years, but still
wielded his long goad with a dexterity which had been im
parted by the practice of more than half a century. The

432 LIONEL LINCOLN.

sight of this man, alone, and removed from immediate aid,
suggested a desperate thought for self-preservation to Lionel.
Quitting the side of his exhausted companion, he advanced
upon him with an air so fierce, that it might have created
alarm in one who had the smallest reason to apprehend any
danger.

"Whither go you with that cart? " sternly demanded the
young man on the instant.

" To the Point," was the ready answer. " Yes, yes — old
and young — big and little — men and cre'turs — four-wheels
and two-wheels — everything goes to the Point to-night, as
you can guess, fri'nd! Why," he continued, dropping one
end of his goad on the ground, and supporting himself by
grasping it with both his hands — " I was eighty-three the
fourteenth of the last March, and I hope, God willing, that
when the next birthday comes, there won't be a red coat left
in the town of Boston. To my notion, fri'nd, they have
held the place long enough, and it's time to quit. My boys
are in the camp, soldiering a turn — the old woman has been
as busy as a bee, sin' sundown, helping me to load up what
you see, and I am carrying it over to Dorchester, and not a
farthing shall it ever cost the congress! "

" And you are going to Dorchester neck with your bun
dles of hay? " said Lionel, eying both him and his passing
team, in hesitation whether to attempt violence on one so
infirm and helpless.

" Anan ! you must speak up, soldier-fashion, as you did
at first, for I am a little deaf," returned the carter. "Yes,
yes, they spared me in the press, for they said I had done
enough ; but I say a man has never done enough for his own
country, when anything is left to be done. I'm told they
are carrying over fashines, as they call 'em, and pressed-
hay, for their forts. As hay is more in my fashion than any
other fashion, I've bundled up a stout pile on't here; and
if that won't do, why, let Washington come; he is welcome
to the barn, stacks and all ! "

LIONEL LINCOLN. 433

"While you are so liberal to the congress, can you help
a female in distress, who would wish to go in the direction
of your route, but is too feeble to walk? "

" With all my heart," said the other, turning round in
quest of her whom he was desired to assist — " I hope she is
handy; for the night wears on, and I shouldn't like to have
the English send a bullet at our people on Dorchester hills,
before my hay gets there, to help stop it."

"She shall not detain you an instant," said Lionel,
springing to the place where Cecil stood, partly concealed
by the fence, and supporting her to the side of the rude ve
hicle — "you shall be amply rewarded for this service."

"Reward! Perhaps she is the wife or daughter of a sol
dier, in which case she should be drawn in her coach and
four, instead of a cart and double team."

"Yes, yes — you are right, she is both — the wife of one,
and the daughter of another soldier."

" Ay ! God bless her ! I warrant me old Put was more
than half right, when he said the women would stop the
two ridgements, that the proud parliamenter boasted could
march through the colonies, from Hampshire to Georgi'.
Well, fri'nds, are ye situated? "

" Perfectly," said Lionel, who had been preparing seats
for himself and Cecil, among the bundles of hay, and assist
ing his companion into her place during the dialogue — " we
will detain you no longer."

The carter, who was no less than the owner of a hundred
acres of good land in the vicinity, signified his readiness;
and sweeping through the air with his goad, he brought his
cattle to the proper direction, and slowly moved on. Dur
ing this hurried scene, Ralph had continued hid by the
shadows of the fence. When the cart proceeded, he waved
his hand, and gliding across the road, was soon lost to the
eye in the misty distance, with which his gray apparel
blended, like a spectre vanishing in air.

In the mean time the pursuers had not been idle. Voices
28

434 LIONEL LINCOLN.

were heard in different directions, and dim forms were to
be seen rushing through the fields, by the aid of the decep
tive light of the moon. To add to the embarrassment of
their situation Lionel found, when too late, that the route to
Dorchester lay directly through the village of Cambridge.
When he perceived they were approaching the streets, he
would have left the cart, had not the experiment been too
dangerous, in the midst of the disturbed soldiery, who now
flew by on every side of them. In such a strait, his safest
course was to continue motionless and silent, secreting his
own form, and that of Cecil, as much as possible, among
the bundles of hay. Contrary to all the just expectations,
which the impatient patriotism of the old yeoman had ex
cited, instead of driving steadily through the place, he
turned his cattle a little from the direct route, and stopped
in front of the very inn, where Cecil had so lately been con
ducted by her guide from the Point.

Here the same noisy and thoughtless revelry existed as
before. The arrival of such an equipage at once drew a
crowd to the spot, and the uneasy pair on the top of the
load became unwilling listeners to the conversation.

" What, old one, hard at it for congress ! " cried a man,
approaching with a mug in his hand; "come, wet your
throat, my venerable Father of Liberty, for you are too old
to be a son ! "

" Yes, yes," answered the exulting farmer, " I am father
and son, too! I have four boys in camp, and seven grand-
'uns in the bargain ; and that would be eleven good triggers
in one family, if five good muskets had so many locks — but
the youngest men have got a ducking-gun, and a double-
barrel atween them, howsomever; and Aaron the boy carries
as good a horse-pistol, I calculate, as any there is going in
the Bay! But what an uneasy time you have on't to-night!
There's more powder wasted in mocking thunder, than would
fight old Bunker over again, at * white o' the eye ' dis
tance!"

LIONEL LINCOLN. 435

" Tis the way of war, old man ; and we want to keep the
reg'lars from looking at Dorchester."

" If they did, they couldn't see far to-night. But, now,
do tell me; I am an old man, and have a grain of cur'osity
in the flesh; my woman says that Howe casts out his car
casses at you; which I hold to be an irreligious deception."

" As true as the Gospel."

" Well, there is no calculating on the wastefulness of an
ungodly spirit! " said the worthy yeoman, shaking his head.
"I could believe any wickedness of him but that! As
cre'turs must be getting scarce in the town, I conclude he
makes use of his own slain ? "

" Certain," answered the soldier, winking at his compan
ions: "Breed's hill has kept him in ammunition all winter."

" 'Tis awful, awful ! to see a fellow-cre'tur flying through
the air, after the sp:rit has departed to judgment! War is
a dreadful calling ; but, then, what is a man without liberty ! "

" Hark ye, old gentleman, talking of flying, have you
seen anything of two men and a woman, flying up the road
as you came in ? "

"Anan! I'm a little hard o' hearing — women, too! do
they shoot their Jezebels into our camp? There is no
wickedness the king's minister won't attempt to circumvent
our weak naturs ! "

" Did you see two men and a woman, running away as
you came down the road? " bawled the fellow in his ear.

"Two! did you say two? " asked the yeoman, turning his
head a little on one side, in an attitude of sagacious musing.

" Yes, two men."

"No, I didn't see two. Running out of town, did you
say?"

" Ay, running, as if the devil was after them."

"No; I didn't see two, nor anybody running away — it's
a sartain sign of guilt to run away — is there any reward
offered? " said the old man, suddenly interrupting himself,
and again communing with his own thoughts.

436 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" Not yet — they've just escaped."

" The surest way to catch a thief is to offer a smart re
ward ; no — I didn't see two men ; you are sartain there was
two?"

"Push on with that cart! drive on, drive on," cried a
mounted officer of the quartermaster's department, who came
scouring through the street at that moment, awakening all
the slumbering ideas of haste, which the old farmer had
suffered to lie dormant so long. Once more flourishing
his goad, he put his team in motion, wishing the revellers
good-night as he proceeded. It was, however, long after he
had left the village, and crossed the Charles, before he
ceased to make frequent and sudden halts in the highway,
as if doubtful whether to continue his route, or to return.
At length he stopped the cart, and, clambering up on the
hay, he took a seat, where with one eye he could regulate
his cattle, and with the other examine his companions.
This investigation continued another hour, neither party
uttering a syllable, when the teamster appeared satisfied
that his suspicions were unjust, and abandoned them. Per
haps the difficulties of the road assisted in dissipating his
doubts; for, as they proceeded, return carts were met, at
every few rods, rendering his undivided attention to his
own team indispensable.

Lionel, whose gloomy thoughts had been chased from his
mind by the constant excitement of the foregoing scenes,
now felt relieved from any immediate apprehensions. He
whispered his soothing hopes of a final escape to Cecil,
and, folding her in his coat, to shield her from the night
air, he was pleased to find, ere long, by her gentle breathing,
that, overcome by fatigue, she was slumbering in forgetful-
ness on his bosom.

Midnight had long passed when they came in sight of the
eminences beyond Dorchester neck. Cecil had awoke, and
Lionel was already devising some plausible excuse for
quitting the cart, without reviving the suspicions of the

LIONEL LINCOLN. 437

teamster. At length a favorable spot occurred, where they
were alone, and the formation of the ground was adapted to
such a purpose. Lionel was on the point of speaking, when
the cattle stopped, and Ralph suddenly appeared in the
highway, at their heads.

" Make room, fri'nd, for the oxen," said the farmer —
" dumb beasts won't pass in the face of man."

" Alight," said Ralph, seconding his words with a wide
sweep of his arm towards the fields.

Lionel quickly obeyed, and, by the time the driver had
descended also, the whole party stood together in the road.

"You have conferred a greater obligation than you are
aware of," said Lionel to the driver. " Here are five guineas."

"For what? for riding on a load of hay a few miles? —
no, no; kindness is no such boughten article in the Bay,
that a man need pay for it. But, fri'nd, money seems plenty
with you, for these difficult days! "

" Then thanks, a thousand times — I can stay to offer you
no more."

He was yet speaking, when, obedient to an impatient
gesture from Ralph, he lifted Cecil over the fence, and in
a moment they disappeared from the eyes of the astonished
farmer.

"Hallo, fri'nd! " cried the worthy advocate for his coun
try, running after them as fast as old age would allow —
"were there three of you, when I took ye up? "

The fugitives heard the call of the simple and garrulous
old man, but, as will easily be imagined, did not deem it
prudent to stop and discuss the point in question between
them. Before they had gone far, the furious cry of " Take
care of that team! " with the rattling of wheels, announced
that their pursuer was recalled to his duty, by an arrival of
empty wagons; and, before the distance rendered sounds
unintelligible, they heard the noisy explanation, which their
late companion was giving to the others, of the whole trans
action. They were not, however, pursued; the teamsters

438 LIONEL LINCOLN.

having more pressing objects in view than the detection of
thieves, or even of pocketing a reward.

Ralph led his companions, after a brief explanation, by
a long and circuitous path, to the shores of the bay. Here
they found, hid in the rushes of a shallow inlet, a small
boat, that Lionel recognized as the little vessel in which Job
Pray was wont to pursue his usual avocation of a fisherman.
Entering it without delay, he seized the oars, and, aided by
a flowing tide, he industriously urged it towards the distant
spires of Boston.

The parting shades of the night were yet struggling with
the advance of day, when a powerful flash of light illumi
nated the hazy horizon, and the roar of cannon, which had
ceased towards morning, was again heard. But this time the
sounds came from the water, and a cloud rose above the
smoking harbor, announcing that the ships were again en
listed in the contest. This sudden cannonade induced Lio
nel to steer his boat between the islands; for the castle/and
southern batteries of the town, were all soon united in pour
ing out their vengeance on the laborers, who still occupied
the heights of Dorchester. As the little vessel glided by a
tall frigate, Cecil saw the boy, who had been her first escort
in the wanderings of the preceding night, standing on its
taffrail, rubbing his eyes with wonder, and staring at those
hills, whose possession he had prophesied would lead to
such bloody results. In short, while he labored at the oars,
Lionel witnessed the opening scene of Breed's acted anew,
as battery after battery, and ship after ship, brought their
guns to bear on the hardy countrymen, who had once more
hastened a crisis by their daring enterprise. Their boat
passed unheeded, in the excitement and bustle of the mo
ment, and the mists of the morning had not yet dissipated,
when it shot by the wharves of Boston, and, turning into the
narrow entrance of the Town dock, it touched the land, near
the warehouse, where it had so often been moored, in more
peaceable times, by its simple master.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 439

CHAPTER XXXIII.

Now cracks a noble heart ;— good-night,
Sweet prince.

SHAKESPEARE.

LIONEL assisted Cecil to ascend the difficult water-stairs,
and, still attended by their aged companion, they soon stood
on the drawbridge that connected the piers which formed the
mouth of the narrow basin.

" Here we again part," he said, addressing himself to
Ralph; " at another opportunity let us resume your melan
choly tale."

"None so fitting as the present: the time, the place, and
the state of the town, are all favorable."

Lionel cast his eyes around on the dull misery which
pervaded the neglected area. A few half-dressed soldiers
and alarmed townsmen were seen, by the gray light of the
morning, rushing across the square towards the point whence
the sounds of cannon proceeded. In the hurry of the mo
ment, their own arrival was not noted.

"The place — the time! " he slowly repeated.

"Ay, both. At what moment can the friend of liberty
pass more unheeded amongst these miscreant hirelings than
now, when fear has broken their slumbers! Yon is the
place," he said, pointing to the warehouse, " where all that
I have uttered will find its confirmation."

Major Lincoln communed momentarily with his thoughts.
It is probable that, in the rapid glances of his mind, he
traced the mysterious connection between the abject tenant
of the adjacent building and the deceased grandmother of
his bride, whose active agency in producing the calamities
of his family had now been openly acknowledged. It was
soon apparent, that he wavered in his purpose; nor was he
slow to declare it.

" I will attend you," he said ; " for who can say what the

44O LIONEL LINCOLN.

hardihood of the rebels may next attempt; and future occa
sions may be wanting. I will first see this gentle charge of
mine

"Lincoln, I cannot — must not leave you," interrupted
Cecil, with earnest fervor; "go, listen, and learn all; surely
there can be nothing that a wife may not know! "

Without waiting for further objection, Ralph made a hur
ried gesture of compliance, and, turning, he led the way,
with his usual swift footsteps, into the low and dark tene
ment of Abigail Pray. The commotion of the town had not
yet reached this despised and neglected building, which was
even more than ordinarily gloomy and still. As they picked
their way, however, among the scattered hemp, across the
scene of the preceding night's riot, a few stifled groans pro
ceeded from one of the towers, and directed them where to
seek its abused and suffering inmates. On opening the
door of this little apartment, not only Lionel and Cecil
paused, but even the immovable old man appeared to hesi
tate, in wonder.

The heartstricken mother of the simpleton was seated on
her humble stool, busied in repairing some mean and worth
less garments which had, seemingly, been exposed to the
wasteful carelessness of her reckless child. But while her
ringers performed their functions with mechanical skill, her
contracted brow, working muscles, and hard, dry eyes, be
trayed the force of the mental suffering that she struggled to
conceal. Job still lay stretched on his abject pallet, though
his breathing was louder and more labored than when we
last left him, while his sunken features indicated the slow,
but encroaching advances of the disease. Polwarth was
seated at his side, holding a pulse, with an air of medical
deliberation ; and attempting, every few moments, to con
firm his hopes or fears, as each preponderated in turn, by
examining the glazed eyes of the subject of his care.

Upon a party thus occupied, and with feelings so much
engrossed, even the sudden entrance of the intruders was not

LIONEL LINCOLN. 44!

likely to make any very sensible impression. The languid
and unmeaning look of Job wandered momentarily towards
the door, and then became again fixed on vacancy. A gleam
of joy shot into the honest visage of the captain, when he first
beheld Lionel, accompanied by Cecil, but it was instantly
chased away by the settled meaning of care, which ha.d got
ten the mastery of his usually contented expression. The
greatest alteration was produced in the aspect of the woman,
who bowed her head to her bosom, with a universal shudder
of her frame, as Ralph stood unexpectedly before her. But
from her, also, the sudden emotion passed speedily away, her
hands resuming their humble occupation, with the same me
chanical and involuntary movements, as before.

" Explain this scene of silent sorrow! " said Lionel to his
friend — " how came you in this haunt of wretchedness? and
who has harmed the lad ? "

" Your question conveys its own answer, Major Lincoln,"
returned Polwarth, with a manner so deliberate that he re
fused to raise his steady look from the face of the sufferer.
" I am here, because they are wretched ! "

"The motive is commendable; but what aileth the
youth?"

" The functions of nature seem suspended by some re
markable calamity. I found him suffering from inanition,
and notwithstanding I applied as hearty and nutritious a
meal as the strongest man in the garrison could require, the
symptoms, as you see, are strangely threatening! "

" He has taken the contagion of the town, and you have fed
him, when his fever was at the highest! "

" Is small-pox to be considered more than a symptom,
when a man has the damnable disease of starvation ! Go to
— go to, Leo; you read the Latin poets so much at the
schools, that no leisure is left to bestow on the philosophy
of nature. There is an inward monitor, that teaches every
child the remedy for hunger."

Lionel felt no disposition to contend with his friend on a

442 LIONEL LINCOLN.

point where the other's opinions were so dogmatical, but,
turning to the woman, he said:

"The experience of a professional nurse should have
taught you, at least, more care."

" Can experience steel a mother to the yearnings of her
offspring for food? " returned the forlorn Abigail. " No, no
— the ear cannot be deaf to such a moaning, and wisdom is
as folly when the heart bleeds."

" Lincoln, you chide unkindly," said Cecil — " let us rather
attempt to avert the danger, than quarrel with its cause."

" It is too late — it is too late," returned the disconsolate
mother; "his hours are already numbered, and death is on
him. I can now only pray that God will lighten his curse,
and suffer the parting spirit to know his Almighty power."

"Throw aside these worthless rags, "said Cecil, gently at
tempting to take the clothes, " nor fatigue yourself longer,
at such a sacred moment, with unnecessary labor."

"Young lady, you little know a mother's longings; may
you never know her sorrows! I have been doing for the
child these seven-and-twenty years; rob me not of the pleas:
ure, now that so little remains to be done."

"Is he, then, so old! " exclaimed Lionel, in surprise.

"Old as he is, 'tis young for a child to die! He wants
the look of reason : Heaven, in its mercy, grant that he may
be found to have a face of innocence! "

Hitherto Ralph had remained where he first stood, as if
riveted to the floor, with his eyes fastened on the counte
nance of the sufferer. He now turned to Lionel, and, in a
voice rendered even plaintive by his deep emotion, he asked
the simple question :

"Will he die?"

" I fear it — that look is not easily to be mistaken."

With a step so light that it was inaudible, the old man
moved to the bed, and seated himself on the side opposite
to Polwarth. Without regarding the wondering look of the
captain, he waved his hand on high, as if to exhort to si-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 443

lence, and then gazing on the features of the sick, with
melancholy interest, he said :

" Here, then, is death again ! None are so young as to
be unheeded ; 'tis only the old that cannot die. Tell me,
Job, what seest thou in the visions of thy mind — the un
known places of the damned, or the brightness of such as
stand in presence of their God? "

At the well-known sound of his voice, the glazed eye of
the simpleton lighted with a ray of reason, and was turned
towards the speaker, once more, teeming with a look of meek
assurance. The rattling in his throat, for a moment, in
creased, and then ceased entirely; when a voice so deep,
that it appeared to issire from the depths of his chest, was
heard, saying:

" The Lord won't harm him who never harmed the crea
tures of the Lord ! "

" Emperors and kings, yea, the great of the earth, might
envy thee thy lot, thou unknown child of wretchedness!"
returned Ralph. " Not yet thirty years of probation, and
already thou throwest aside the clay! Like thee did I grow
to manhood, and learn how hard it is to live; but like thee
I cannot die! Tell me, boy, dost thou enjoy the freedom of
the spirit, or hast thou still pain and pleasure in the flesh?
Dost see beyond the tomb, and trace thy route through the
pathless air, or is all yet hid in the darkness of the grave? "

"Job is going where the Lord has hid his reason," an
swered the same hollow voice as before: "his prayers won't
be foolish any longer."

" Pray, then, for one aged and forlorn ; who has borne the
burden of life till Death has forgotten him, and who wearies
of the things of earth, where all is treachery and sin. But
stay; depart not till thy spirit can bear the signs of repent
ance from yon sinful woman into the regions of day."

Abigail groaned aloud ; her hands again refused their oc
cupation, and her head once more sunk on her bosom in ab
ject misery. From this posture of self-abasement and grief,

444 LIONEL LINCOLN.

the woman raised herself to her feet, and, putting aside the
careless tresses of dark hair, which, though here and there
streaked with gray, retained much of their youthful gloss,
she looked about her with a face so haggard, and yet so full
of meaning, that the common attention was instantly attracted
to her movements.

" The time has come, and neither fear nor shame shall
longer tie my tongue," she said. " The hand of Providence
is too manifest in this assemblage around the death-bed of
that boy, to be unheeded. Major Lincoln, in that stricken
and helpless child, you see one who shares your blood,
though he has ever been a stranger to your happiness. Job
is your brother!"

"Grief has maddened her! " exclaimed the anxious Cecil:
" she knows not what she utters."

" 'Tis true! " said the calm tones of Ralph.

"Listen," continued Abigail: "a terrible witness, sent
hither by Heaven, speaks to attest I tell no lie. The secret
of my transgression is known to him, when I had thought
it buried in the affection of one only who owed me every
thing."

" Woman ! " said Lincoln, " in attempting to deceive me,
you deceive yourself. Though a voice from heaven should
declare the truth of thy damnable tale, still would I deny
that foul object being the child of my beauteous mother."

" Foul and wretched as you see him, he is the offspring of
one not less fair, though far less fortunate, than thy own
boasted parent, proud child of prosperity ! Call on heaven
as thou wilt, with that blasphemous tongue, he is no less thy
brother, and the elder born."

"'Tis true — 'tis true— 'tis most solemnly a truth!" re
peated the unmoved and aged stranger.

" It cannot be ! " cried Cecil. " Lincoln, credit them not ;
they contradict themselves."

"Out of thy own mouth will I find reasons to convince
you," said Abigail. " Hast thou not owned the influence of

LIONEL LINCOLN. 445

the son at the altar? Why should one vain, ignorant, and
young as I was, be insensible to the seductions of the
father?'7

"The child is, then, thine! " exclaimed Lionel, once more
breathing with freedom. "Proceed with thy tale; you con
fide it to friends."

" Yes — yes," cried Abigail, clasping her hands, and speak
ing with bitter emphasis: "you have all the consolation of
proving the difference between the guilt of woman and that
of man ! Major Lincoln, accursed and polluted as you see
me, thy own mother was not more innocent nor fair, when
my youthful beauty caught, thy father's eye. He was great
and powerful, and I unknown and frail : yon miserable proof
of our transgression did not appear, until he had met your
happier mother."

"Can this be so?"

" The holy Gospels are not more true ! " murmured Ralph.

"And my father! did he — could he desert thee in thy
need?"

" Shame came when virtue and pride had been long for
gotten. I was a dependent of his own proud race, and op
portunities were not wanting to mark his wandering looks
and growing love for the chaste Priscilla. He never knew
my state. While I was stricken to the earth by the fruits of
guilt, he proved how easy it is for us to forget, in the days
of prosperity, the companions of our shame. At length, you
were born; and, unknown to him, I received his new-born
heir from the hands of his jealous aunt. What accursed
thoughts beset me at that bitter moment! But, praised be
God in heaven, they passed away, and I was spared the sin
of murder ! "

"Murder?"

" Even of murder. You know not the desperate thoughts
the wretched harbor for relief! But opportunity was not
long wanting, and I enjoyed the momentary, hellish pleasure
of revenge. Your father went in quest of his rights, and

446 LIONEL LINCOLN.

disease attacked his beloved wife. Yes, foul and unseemly
as is my wretched child, the beauty of thy mother was
changed to a look still more hideous! Such as Job now
seems, was the injured woman on her death-bed. I feel all
thy justice, Lord of power, and bow before thy will! "

"Injured woman! " repeated Lionel, "say on, and I will
bless thee!"

Abigail gave a groan, so deep and hollow, that, for a mo
ment, the listeners believed it was the parting struggle of
the spirit of her son, and she sunk, helplessly, into her seat,
again concealing her features in her dress.

"Injured woman! " slowly repeated Ralph, with the most
taunting contempt in his accents, " what punishment does
not a wanton merit? "

"Ay, injured! " cried the awakened son — "my life on it,
thy tale, at least, is false."

The old man was silent, but his lips moved rapidly, as if
he muttered an incredulous reply to himself, while a scorn
ful smile cast its bright and peculiar meaning across the
wasted lineaments of his face.

" I know not what you may have heard from others," con
tinued Abigail, speaking so low that her words were nearly
lost in the difficult and measured breathing of Job — " but I
call Heaven to witness, that you, now, shall hear no lie.
The laws of the province commanded that the victims of the
foul distemper should be kept apart, and your mother was
placed at the mercy of myself, and one other, who loved her
still less than I."

"Just Providence! you did no violence? "

" The disease spared us such a crime. She died in her
new deformity, while I remained a looker-on, if not in the
beauty of my innocence, still free from the withering touch
of scorn and want. Yes, I found a sinful but flattering con
solation in that thought! Vain, weak, and foolish as I had
been, never did I regard my own fresh beauty with half the
inward pleasure that I looked upon the foulness of my rival.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 447

Your aunt, too — she was not without the instigations of the
worker of mischief."

"Speak only of my mother," interrupted the impatient
Lionel — " of my aunt I already know the whole."

" Unmoved and calculating as she was, how little did she
understand good from evil ! She even thought to crack the
heart-strings, and render whole, by her weak inventions, that
which the power of God could only create. The gentle spirit
of thy mother had hardly departed, before a vile plot was
hatched to destroy the purity of her fame. Blinded fools
that we were ! She thought to lead by her soothing arts,
aided by his wounded affections, the husband to the feet of
her own daughter, the innocent mother of her who stands
beside thee; and I was so vain as to hope that, in time,
justice and my boy might plead with the father and se
ducer, and raise me to the envied station of her whom I
hated."

" And this foul calumny you repeated, with all its basest
coloring, to my abused father? "

"We did — we did; yes, God, he knows we did! and when
he hesitated to believe, I took the holy evangelists as wit
nesses of my truth ! "

" And he," said Lionel, nearly choked by his emotions —
"he believed it!"

" When he heard the solemn oath of one, whose whole
guilt, he thought, lay in her weakness to himself, he did.
As we listened to his terrible denunciations, and saw the
frown which darkened his manly beauty, we both thought
we had succeeded. But how little did we know the differ
ence between rooted passion and passing inclination ! The
heart we thought to alienate from its dead partner, we de
stroyed ; and the reason we conspired to deceive, was mad
dened!"

When her voice ceased, so profound a silence reigned in
the place, that the roar of the distant cannonade sounded
close at hand, and even the low murmurs of the excited town

44** LIONEL LINCOLN.

swept by like the whisperings of the wind. Job suddenly
ceased to breathe, as though his spirit had only lingered to
hear the confession of his mother; and Polwarth dropped
the arm of the dead simpleton, unconscious of the interest
he had so lately taken in his fate. In the midst of this
deathlike stillness, the old man stole from the side of the
body, and stood before the self-condemned Abigail, whose
form was writhing under her mental anguish. Crouching
more like a tiger than a man, he sprang upon her, with a cry
so sudden, so wild, and so horrid, that it caused all within
its hearing to shudder with instant dread.

" Beldame ! " he shouted, " I have thee now ! Bring hither
the book! the blessed, holy word of God! Let her swear,
let her swear! Let her damn her perjured soul, in impious
oaths!"

"Monster! release the woman! " cried Lionel, advancing
to the assistance of the struggling penitent ; " thou too, hoary-
headed wretch, hast deceived me! "

" Lincoln ! Lincoln ! " shrieked Cecil, " stay that unnatural
hand! you raise it on thy father! "

Lionel staggered back to the wall, where he stood motion
less, and gasping for breath. Left to work his own frantic
will, the maniac would speedily have terminated the sorrows
of the wretched woman, had not the door been burst open
with a crash, and the stranger, who was left, by the cunning
of the madman, in the custody of the Americans, rushed to
the rescue.

" I know your yell, my gentle baronet ! " cried the aroused
keeper, for such in truth he was, " and I have a mark for
your malice, which would have gladly had me hung! But
I have not followed you from kingdom to kingdom — from
Europe to America — to be cheated by a lunatic ! "

It was apparent, by the lowering look of the fellow, how
deeply he resented the danger he had just escaped, as he
sprang forward to seize his prisoner. Ralph abandoned his
hold the instant this hated object appeared, and he darted

LIONEL LINCOLN. 449

upon the breast of the other with the undaunted fury that a
lion, at bay, would turn upon its foe. The struggle was
fierce and obstinate. Hoarse oaths, and the most savage
execrations, burst from the incensed keeper, and were
blended with the wildest ravings of madness from Ralph.
The excited powers of the maniac at length prevailed, and
his antagonist fell under their irresistible impulse. Quicker
than thought, Ralph was seen hovering on the chest of his
victim, while he grasped his throat with fingers of iron.

" Vengeance is holy ! " cried the maniac, bursting into a
shout of horrid laughter, at his triumph, and shaking his
gray locks till they flowed in wild confusion around his
glowing eyeballs; "Urim and Thummim are the words of
glory! Liberty is the shout! Die, damned dog! die like
the fiends in darkness, and leave freedom to the air! "

By a mighty effort, the gasping man released his throat a
little from the gripe that nearly throttled him, and cried,
with difficulty :

"For the love of heavenly justice, come to my aid! — will
you see a man thus murdered ? "

But he addressed himself to the sympathies of the listen
ers in vain. The females had hid their faces, in natural
horror; the maimed Polwarth was yet without his artificial
limb; and Lionel still looked upon the savage fray with a
vacant eye. At this moment of despair, the hand of the
keeper was seen plunging with violence into the side of
Ralph, who sprang upon his feet at the third blow, laughing
immoderately, but with sounds so wild and deep, that they
seemed to shake his inmost soul. His antagonist profited
by the occasion, and darted from the room with the head
long precipitation of guilt.

The countenance of the maniac, as he now stood, strug
gling between life and death, changed with each fleeting
impulse. The blood flowed freely from the wounds in his
side, and, as the fatal tide ebbed away, a ray of passing rea
son lighted his pallid and ghastly features. His inward
29

45O LIONEL LINCOLN.

laugh entirely ceased. The glaring eyeballs became sta
tionary; and his look, gradually softening, settled on the
appalled pair, who took the deepest interest in his welfare.
A calm and decent expression possessed those lineaments
which had just exhibited the deepest marks of the wrath of
God. His lips moved in a vain effort to speak; and,
stretching forth his arms in the attitude of benediction, like
the mysterious shadow of the chapel, he fell backward on
the body of the lifeless and long-neglected Job, himself per
fectly dead.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

I saw an aged man upon his bier.

His hair was thin and white, and on his brow

A record of the cares of many a year ;

Cares that were ended and forgotten now,

And there was sadness round, and faces bow'd,

And woman's tears fell fast, and children wail'd aloud.

BRYANT.

As the day advanced, the garrison of Boston was put in mo
tion. The same bustle, the same activity, the same gallant
bearing in some, and dread reluctance in others were ex
hibited, as on the morning of the fight of the preceding
summer. The haughty temper of the royal commander
could ill brook the bold enterprise of the colonists; and, at
an early hour, orders were issued to prepare to dislodge
them. Every gun that could be brought to bear upon the
hills was employed to molest the Americans, who calmly
continued their labors, while shot were whistling around
them on every side. Towards evening a large force was em
barked, and conveyed to the castle. Washington appeared
on the heights, in person, and every military evidence of the
intention of a resolute attack on one part, and of a stout re
sistance on the other, became apparent.

But the fatal experience of Breed's had taught a lesson
that was still remembered. The same leaders were to be

LIONEL LINCOLN. 45 I

the principal actors in the coming scene, and it was neces
sary to use the remnants of many of the very regiments
which had bled so freely on the former occasion. The half-
trained husbandmen of the colonies were no longer despised;
and the bold operations of the past winter had taught the
English generals that, as subordination increased among
their foes, their movements were conducted with a more
vigorous direction of their numbers. The day was accord
ingly wasted in preparations. Thousands of men slept on
their arms that night, in either army, in the expectation of
rising, on the following morning, to be led to the field of
slaughter.

It is not improbable, from the tardiness of their move
ments, that a large majority of the royal forces did not re
gret the providential interposition, which certainly saved
them torrents of blood, and, not improbably, the ignominy
of a defeat. One of the sudden tempests of the climate
arose in the darkness, driving before it men and beasts, to
seek protection, in their imbecility, from the more powerful
warring of the elements. The golden moments were lost;
and, after enduring so many privations, and expending so
many lives in vain, Howe sullenly commenced his arrange
ments to abandon a town, on which the English ministry
had, for years, lavished their indignation, with all the
acrimony, and, as it now seemed, with the impotency of a
blind revenge.

To carry into effect this sudden and necessary determina
tion was not the work of an hour. As it was the desire of
the Americans, however, to receive their town back again as
little injured as possible, they forbore to push the advan
tage they possessed, by occupying those heights, which, in a
great measure, commanded the anchorage, as well as a new
and vulnerable face of the defences of the king's army.
While the semblance of hostilities was maintained by an
irregular and impotent cannonade, conducted with so little
spirit as to wear the appearance of being intended only to

452 LIONEL LINCOLN.

amuse, one side was diligently occupied in preparing to de
part, and the other was passively awaiting the moment when
they might peaceably repossess their own. It is unneces
sary to remind the reader that the entire command of the
sea, by the British, would have rendered any serious attempt
to arrest their movements, perfectly futile.

In this manner a week was passed after the tempest had
abated — the place exhibiting, throughout this period, all the
hurry and bustle, the joy and distress, that such an unlooked-
for event was likely to create.

Towards the close of one of those busy and stirring days,
a short funeral train was seen issuing from a building, which
had long been known as the residence of one of the proudest
families in the province. Above the outer door of the man
sion was suspended a gloomy hatchment, charged with the
" courant " deer of Lincoln, encircled by the usual memen
toes of mortality, and bearing the rare symbol of the
"bloody hand." This emblem of heraldic grief, which was
never adopted in the provinces, except at the death of one
of high importance, a custom that has long since disap
peared with the usages of the monarchy, had caught the
eyes of a few idle boys, who alone were sufficiently unoccu
pied, at that pressing moment, to note its exhibition. With
the addition of these truant urchins, the melancholy proces
sion took its way towards the neighboring churchyard of the
King's Chapel.

The large bier was covered by a pall so ample that it
swept the stones of the threshold, while entering into the
body of the church. Here it was met by the divine we have
had occasion to mention more than once, who gazed with a
look of strange interest at the solitary and youthful mourner
that closely followed in his dark weeds. The ceremony,
however, proceeded with the usual solemnity, and the at
tendants slowly moved deeper into the sacred edifice. Next
to the young man came the well-known persons of the Brit
ish commander-in-chief, and of his quick-witted and favorite

LIONEL LINCOLN. 453

lieutenant. Between them walked an officer of inferior rank,
who, notwithstanding his maimed condition, had been able,
by the deliberation of the march, to beguile the ears of his
companions, to the very moment of meeting the clergyman,
with some tale of no little interest, and great apparent mys
tery. The remainder of the train, which consisted only of
the family of the two generals and a few menials, came
last, if we except the idlers, who stole curiously in their
footsteps.

When the service was ended, the same private communi
cation was resumed between the two chieftains and their
companion, and continued until they arrived at the open
vault, in a distant corner of the inclosure. Here the low
conversation ended; and the eye of Howe, which had
hitherto been riveted in deep attention on the speaker, be
gan to wander in the direction of the dangerous hills occu
pied by his enemies. The interruption seemed to have
broken the charm of the secret conversation ; and the anx
ious countenances of both the leaders betrayed how soon
their thoughts had wandered from a tale of great private
distress, to their own heavier cares and duties.

The bier was placed before the opening, and the assistants
of the sexton advanced to perform their office. When the
pall was removed, to the evident amazement of most of the
spectators, two coffins were exposed to view. One was
clothed in black velvet, studded with silver nails, and orna
mented after the richest fashions of human pride, while the
other lay in the simple nakedness of the clouded wood. On
the breast of the first rose a heavy silver plate, bearing a
long inscription, and decorated with the usual devices of
heraldry ; and on the latter were simply carved on the lid the
two initial letters J. P.

The impatient looks of the English generals intimated to
Dr. Liturgy the value of every moment, and in less time
than we consume in relating it, the bodies of the high-de
scended man of wealth, and of his nameless companion, were

454 LIONEL LINCOLN.

lowered into the vault, and left to decay, in silent contact,
with that of the woman who, in life, had been so severe a
scourge to both. After a hesitation of a single moment, in
deference to the young mourner, the gentlemen present, per
ceiving that he manifested a wish to remain, quitted the
place in a body, with the exception of the maimed officer,
already mentioned, whom the reader has at once recognized
to be Polwarth. When the men had replaced the stone
above the mouth of the vault, securing it by a stout bar of
iron, and a heavy lock, they delivered the key to the prin
cipal actor in the scene. He received it in silence, and,
dropping gold into their hands, motioned to them to de
part.

In another instant, a careless observer would have thought
that Lionel and his friend were the only living possessors of
the churchyard. But under the adjoining wall, partly hid
from observation by the numerous headstones, was the form
of a woman, bowed to the earth, while her figure was con
cealed by the cloak she had gathered shapelessly about her.
As soon as the gentlemen perceived they were alone, they
slowly advanced to the side of this desolate being.

Their approaching footsteps were not unheeded, though,
instead of facing those who so evidently wished to address
her, she turned to the wall, and began to trace, with uncon
scious fingers, the letters of a tablet in slate, which was let
into the brickwork, to mark the position of the tomb of the
Lechmeres.

" We can do no more," said the young mourner: " all now
rests with a mightier hand than any of earth."

The squalid limb, that was thrust from beneath the red
garment, trembled, but it still continued its unmeaning em
ployment.

" Sir Lionel Lincoln speaks to you," said Polwarth, on
whose arm the youthful baronet leaned.

"Who? " shrieked Abigail Pray, casting aside her cover
ing, and baring those sunken features, on which misery had

LIONEL LINCOLN. 455

made terrible additional inroads within a few days : " I had
forgotten— I had forgotten! the son succeeds the father;
but the mother must follow her child to the grave! "

" He is honorably interred with those of his blood, and
by the side of one who loved his simple integrity."

" Yes, he is better lodged in death than he was in life !
Thank God ! he can never know cold nor hunger more."

" You will find that I have made a provision for your fu
ture comfort; and I trust that the close of your life will be
happier than its prime."

" I am alone," said the woman hoarsely. " The old will
avoid me, and the young will look upon me in scorn ! Per
jury and revenge lie heavy on my soul! "

The young baronet was silent, but Polwarth assumed the
right to reply :

" I will not pretend to assert," said the worthy captain,
" that these are not both wicked companions ; but I have no
doubt you will find, somewhere in the Bible, a suitable con
solation for each particular offence. Let me recommend to
you a hearty diet, and I'll answer for an easy conscience. I
never knew the prescription fail. Look about you in the
world — does your well-fed villain feel remorse? No; it's
only when his stomach is empty, that he begins to think of
his errors! I would also suggest the expediency of com
mencing soon, with something substantial, as you show, al
together, too much bone, at present, for a thriving condi
tion. I would not wish to say anything distressing, but we
both of us may remember a case, where the nourishment
came too late."

" Yes, yes, it came too late ! " murmured the conscience-
stricken woman; "all comes too late! even the penitence,
I fear!"

"Say not so," observed Lionel; "you do outrage to the
promises of one who never spoke false ! "

Abigail stole a fearful glance at him, which expressed all
the secret terror of her soul, as she half whispered :

LIONEL LINCOLN.

" Who witnessed the end of Madam Lechmere? did her
spirit pass in peace? "

Sir Lionel again remained profoundly silent.

" I thought it," she continued. " 'Tis not a sin to be for
gotten on a death-bed! To plot evil, and call on God,
aloud, to look upon it! Ay! and to madden a brain, and
strip a soul like his to nakedness! Go," she added, beck
oning them away with earnestness: "ye are young and
happy; why should ye linger near the grave! Leave me,
that I may pray among the tombs! If anything can smooth
the bitter moment, it is prayer."

Lionel dropped the key he held in his hand at her feet,
and said, before he left her :

" Yon vault is closed forever, unless, at your request, it
should be opened, at some future time, to place you by the
side of your son. The children of those who built it are
already gathered there with the exception of two, who go to
the other hemisphere to leave their bones. Take it, and
may heaven forgive you, as I do."

He let fall a heavy purse by the side of the key, and,
without uttering more, he again took the arm of Polwarth,
and together they left the place.

As they turned through the gateway into the street, each
stole a glance at the distant woman. She had risen to her
knees; her hands had grasped a headstone, and her face was
bowed nearly to the earth, while, by the writhing of her form,
and the humility of her attitude, it was apparent that her
spirit struggled powerfully with the Lord for mercy.

Three days afterwards, the Americans entered, triumphant
ly, on the retiring footsteps of the royal army. The first
among them who hastened to visit the graves of their fathers,
found the body of a woman, who had seemingly died under
the severity of the season. She had unlocked the vault, in
a vain effort to reach her child, and there her strength had
failed her. Her limbs were decently stretched on the faded
grass, while her features were composed, exhibiting in death

LIONEL LINCOLN. 457

the bland traces of that remarkable beauty, which had dis
tinguished and betrayed her youth. The gold still lay
neglected, where it had fallen.

The amazed townsmen avoided this spectacle with horror,
rushing into other places to gaze at the changes and the de
struction of their beloved birthplace. But a follower of the
royal army, who had lingered to plunder, and who had wit
nessed the interview between the officers and Abigail, short
ly succeeded them. He lifted the flag, and, lowering the
body, closed the vault ; then hurling away the key, he seized
the money, and departed.

The slate has long since mouldered from the wall; the
sod has covered the stone, and few are left who can desig
nate the spot where the proud families of Lechmere and
Lincoln were wont to inter their dead.

So Lionel and Polwarth proceeded, in the deepest silence,
to the Long Wharf, where a boat received them. They were
rowed to the much-admired frigate, that was standing off-
and-on, under easy sail, waiting their arrival. On her
decks they met Agnes Danforth, with her eyes softened by
tears, though a rich flush mantled on her cheeks, at witness
ing the compelled departure of those invaders she had never
loved.

" I have only remained to give you a parting kiss, cousin
Lionel," said the frank girl, affectionately saluting him,
"and now shall take my leave, without repeating those
wishes that you know are so often conveyed in my pray
ers."

"You will, then, leave us? " said the young baronet, smil
ing for the first time in many a day. " You know that this
cruelty "

He was interrupted by a loud hem from Polwarth, who
advanced, and, taking the hand of the lady, repeated his
wish to retain it forever, for at least the fiftieth time. She
heard him, in silence, and with much apparent respect,
though an arch smile stole upon her gravity, before he had

45$ LIONEL LINCOLN.

ended. She then thanked him with suitable grace, and
gave a final and decided refusal. The captain sustained the
repulse like one who had seen much similar service, and
politely lent his assistance to help the obdurate girl into
her boat. Here she was received by a young man, who was
apparelled like an American officer. Sir Lionel thought
the bloom on her cheek deepened, as her companion assid
uously drew a cloak around her form to protect her from the
chill of the water. Instead of returning to the town, the
boat, which bore a flag, pulled directly for the shore occu
pied by the Americans. The following week, Agnes was
united to this gentleman, in the bosom of her own family.
They soon after took quiet possession of the house in Tre-
mont street, and of all the large real estate left by Mrs.
Lechmere, which had been previously bestowed on her, by
Cecil, as a dowry.

As soon as his passengers appeared, the captain of the
frigate communicated with his admiral, by signal, and re
ceived, in return, the expected order to proceed in the exe
cution of his trust. In a few minutes the swift vessel was
gliding by the heights of Dorchester, training her guns on
the adverse hills, and hurriedly spreading her canvas as she
passed. The Americans, however, looked on in sullen si
lence, and she was suffered to gain the open ocean, unmo
lested, when she made the best of her way to England, with
the important intelligence of the intended evacuation.

She was speedily followed by the fleet, since which pe
riod, the long-oppressed and devoted town of Boston has
never been visited by an armed enemy.

During their passage to England, sufficient time was al
lowed Lionel and his gentle companion to reflect on all that
had occurred. Together, and in the fullest confidence, they
traced the wanderings of intellect which had so closely and
mysteriously connected the deranged father with his impo
tent child; and, as they reasoned, by descending to the
secret springs of his disordered impulses, they were easily

LIONEL LINCOLN. 459

enabled to divest the incidents we have endeavored to re
late, of all their obscurity and doubt.

The keeper, who had been sent in quest of the fugitive
madman, never returned to his native land. No offers of
forgiveness could induce the unwilling agent in the death
of the baronet to trust his person, again, within the influ
ence of the British laws. Perhaps he was conscious of a
motive, that none but an inward monitor might detect.
Lionel, tired at length with importunity without success,
commissioned the husband of Agnes to place him in a situ
ation where, by industry, his future comfort was amply
secured.

Polwarth died quite lately. Notwithstanding his maimed
limb, he contrived, by the assistance of his friend, to ascend
the ladder of promotion, by regular gradations, nearly to its
summit. At the close of his long life, he wrote Gen., Bart.,
and M.P. after his name. When England was threatened
with the French invasion, the garrison he commanded was
distinguished for being better provisioned than any other in
the realm, and no doubt it would have made a resistance
equal to its resources. In Parliament, where he sat for one
of the Lincoln boroughs, he was chiefly distinguished for
the patience with which he listened to the debates, and for
the remarkable cordiality of the "Ay" that he pronounced
on every vote for supplies. To the day of his death, he was
a strenuous advocate for the virtues of a rich diet, in all
cases of physical suffering, " especially," as he would add,
with an obstinacy that fed itself, " in instances of debility
from febrile symptoms."

Within a year of their arrival, the uncle of Cecil died,
having shortly before followed an only son to the grave.
By this unlooked-for event, Lady Lincoln became the pos
sessor of his large estates, as well as of an ancient
barony, that descended to the heirs general. From this
time until the eruption of the French Revolution, Sir Lio
nel Lincoln, and Lady Cardonnell, as Cecil was now styled,

460 LIONEL LINCOLN.

lived together in sweetest concord ; the gentle influence of
her affection moulding and bending the feverish temper
ament of her husband, at will. The heirloom of the family,
that distempered feeling so often mentioned, was forgotten,
in the even tenor of their happiness. When the heaviest
pressure on the British Constitution was apprehended, and
it became the policy of the minister to enlist the wealth and
talent of his nation in its support, by propping the existing
administration, the rich baronet received a peerage in his
own person. Before the end of the century, he was further
advanced to a dormant earldom, that had in former ages
been one of the honors of an elder branch of his family.

Of all the principal actors in the foregoing tale, not one
is now living. Even the roses of Cecil and Agnes have
long since ceased to bloom, and Death has gathered them,
in peace and innocence, with all that had gone before.
The historical facts of our legend are beginning to be ob
scured by time; and it is more than probable that the
prosperous and affluent English peer, who now enjoys the
honors of the house of Lincoln, never knew the secret his
tory of his family, while it sojourned in a remote province
of the British empire.

THE END.

S 1972

UNDERQRAD.
LIBRARY