Presented to the
LIBRARY of the
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
h
Mrs. Andrew Kello-gg
STANDARD
NOVELS.
N III.
THE SPY,
BY J. F. COOPER.
COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME.
LONDON:
HENRY COLBURN AND RICHARD BENTLEY,
NEW BURLINGTON STREET :
BELL AND BRADFUTE, EDINBURGH;
' AND GUMMING, DUBLIN.
183L
LONDON:
Printed by A. & R. Spottiswoode,
New-Street-Square.
m s IP IT
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A TAJL3S
TM3S 'If 3S UJ f SI A 3L
BY
J ,
(S) F H 3E'
. L O N D O N .
C (DULBUJIilf A^- .
NEW BURLINGTON STREET.
1831..
THE SPY;
A TALE OF
THE NEUTRAL GROUND.
: Breathes there a man, with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,
This is my own, my native land ! "
BY THE AUTHOR OF "THE PILOT."
REVISED, CORRECTED,
AND ILLUSTRATED WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION, NOTES, ETC.
BY THE AUTHOR.
LONDON:
HENRY COLBURN AND RICHARD BENTLEY,
NEW BURLINGTON STREET :
BELL AND BRAUFUTE, EDINBURGH j
AND CUMMING, DUBLIN.
1831.
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INTRODUCTION.
HAPPILY there is sympathy with virtue, as well as
contagion in vice. Without this relief to the down
ward tendency of human passions, there would be
little hope that the wishes of the wise and good, for
the gradual extension of the reign of justice and phi
lanthropy, would ever be realised.
Of all the generous sentiments, that of love of
country is the most universal. We uniformly admire
the man who sacrifices himself for the good of the
community to which he belongs ; and we unsparingly
condemn him who, under whatever plea of sophism or
necessity, raises his arm or directs his talents against
the land to which he owes a natural allegiance. The
proudest names and the fairest hopes have fallen under
the obloquy of treason. Men have admired the Roman
who could sacrifice the closer tie of blood to that of
country ; but we overlook the courage and success of
Coriolanus, in scorn of his disaffection. There is a
purity in real patriotism which elevates its subject
above all the grosser motives of selfishness, and which,
in the nature of things, can never distinguish services
to mere kindred and family. It has the beauty of
self-elevation, without the alloy of personal interest.
vi INTRODUCTION.
Many years since, the writer of these volumes was
at the residence of an illustrious man, who was re
markable for an exhibition of the quality just named
during the darkest days of the American revolution,
as well as for the high trusts he discharged throughout
that memorable period. The discourse turned upon
the effects which great political excitement produced
en character, and the purifying consequences of love
of country, when that sentiment is powerfully awakened
in a people. He, who from his years, his services, and
his knowledge of men, was best qualified to take the
lead in such a conversation, was the principal speaker.
After dwelling on the marked manner in which the
great struggle of the nation, during the war of 1776,
had given a new and honourable direction to the
thoughts and practices of multitudes whose time had
formerly been engrossed by the most vulgar concerns
of life, he illustrated his opinions by relating an anec
dote, the truth of which he could attest as a personal
actor.
The dispute between England and the United States
of America, though not strictly a family quarrel, had
many of the features of a civil war. Though the
people of the latter were never properly and con
stitutionally subject to the people of the former, the
inhabitants of both countries owed allegiance to a
common king. As the Americans, as a nation, dis
avowed this allegiance, and as the English chose to
support their sovereign in the attempt to regain his
power, most of the feelings of an internal struggle
were involved in the conflict. A large proportion of
the emigrants from Europe, then established in the
INTRODUCTION. Vll
colonies, took part with the crown ; and there were
many districts in which tKeir influence, united to that
of the Americans who refused to throw away their
allegiance, gave a decided preponderance to the royal
cause. America was then too young, and too much
in need of every heart and hand, to regard these partial
divisions, small as they were in actual amount, with
indifference. The evil was greatly increased by the
activity of the English in profiting by these internal
dissensions; and it became doubly serious when it
was found that attempts were made to raise corps of
provincial troops, who were to be banded with those
from Europe, to reduce the young republics to sub
jection. Congress named an especial and a secret
committee for the express purpose of defeating this
object. Of this committee Mr. , the narrator of
the anecdote, was the chairman.
In the discharge of the novel duties which had now
devolved on him, Mr. had occasion to employ
an agent whose services differed but little from those of
a common spy. This man, as will easily be understood,
belonged to a condition in life which rendered him the
least reluctant to appear in so equivocal a character. He-
was poor, ignorant, so far as the usual instruction was
concerned, but cool, shrewd, and fearless by nature. It
was his office to learn in what part of the country the
agents of the crown were making their secret efforts to
embody men, to repair to the place, enlist, appear
zealous in the cause he affected to serve, and otherwise
to get possession of as many of the secrets of the enemy
as possible. These he of course communicated to his
employers, who took all the means in their power to
v iii INTRODUCTION.
counteract the plans of the English, and frequently
with great success.
It will readily be conceived that a service like this
was attended with great personal hazard. In addition
to the danger of discovery, there was the daily risk of
falling into the hands of the Americans themselves,
who invariably visited sins of this nature more severely
on the natives of the country than on the Europeans
who fell into their hands. In fact, the agent of
Mr. was several times arrested by the local
authorities, and in one instance he was actually con
demned by his exasperated countrymen to the gallows.
Speedy and private orders to his gaoler alone saved
him from an ignominious death. He was permitted
to escape; and this seeming, and indeed actual, peril
was of great aid in supporting his assumed character
among the English. By the Americans, in his little
sphere, he was denounced as a bold and inveterate
Tory. In this manner he continued to serve his country
in secret during the early years of the struggle, hourly
environed by danger, and the constant subject of un
merited opprobrium.
In the year Mr. was named to a high
and honourable employment at an European court.
Before vacating his seat in congress, he reported to
that body an outline of the circumstances related, sup
pressing the name of his agent from policy, and de
manding an appropriation in behalf of a man who had
been of so much use at so great personal risk. A
suitable sum was voted, and its delivery was confided
to the chairman of the secret committee.
Mr took the necessary means to summon his
agent to a personal interview. They met in a wood at
INTRODUCTION. IX
midnight. Here Mr. complimented his compa
nion on his fidelity and adroitness ; explained the
necessity of their communications being closed ; and
finally tendered the money. The other drew back,
and declined receiving it. " The country has need of
all its means," he said ; " and as for myself, I can
work, or gain a livelihood in various ways." Per
suasion was useless, for patriotism was uppermost in
the heart of this remarkable individual ; and Mr.
departed, bearing with him the gold he had brought,
and a deep respect for the man who had so long ha
zarded his life, unrequited, for the cause they served
in common.
The writer is under an impression that, at a later
day, the agent of Mr. consented to receive a
remuneration for what he had done; but it was not
until his country was entirely in a condition to be
stow it.
It is scarcely necessary to add, that an anecdote like
this, simply but forcibly told by one of the principal
actors, made a deep impression on all who heard it.
Many years later, circumstances, which it is unneces
sary to relate, and of an entirely adventitious nature,
induced the writer 'to compose a novel, which proved
to be, what he little foresaw at the time, the first of
a tolerably long series. The same adventitious causes
which gave birth to the book, determined its scene
and its general character. The former was laid in a
foreign country ; and the latter embraced a crude effort
to despribe foreign manners. When this tale was pub
lished, it became matter of reproach among the author's
friends, that he, an American in heart as in birth,
should give to the world a work which aided perhaps,
x INTRODUCTION*
in some slight degree, to feed the imaginations of the
young and unpractised among his own countrymen,
by pictures drawn from a state of society so different
from that to which he belonged. The writer, while he
knew how much of what he had done was purely ac
cidental, felt the reproach to be one that he was
anxious to deprecate ; and, as the only atonement in
his power, he determined to inflict a second book, whose
subject should admit of no cavil, not only in the world,
but in himself. He chose patriotism for his theme ;
and to those who read this introduction and the book
itself it is scarcely necessary to add, that he took the
hero of the anecdote just related as his best illustration
of the quality in the abstract.
Since the original publication of " The Spy," there
have appeared several accounts of different persons
who are supposed to have been in the author's mind
while writing the book. As Mr did not mention
the name of his agent, the writer never knew any more .
of his identity with this or that individual than he has
here explained. Both Washington and Sir Henry
Clinton had an unusual number of secret emissaries ;
for in a war that partook so much of a domestic cha
racter, and in which the contending parties were
people of the same blood and language, it could scarcely
be otherwise.
The style of the book has been revised by the author
in this edition. In this respect, he has endeavoured to
make it more worthy of the favour with which it has
been received; though he is compelled to admit there
are faults so interwoven with the structure of the tale
that, as in the case of a decayed edifice, it would cost
perhaps less to reconstruct than to repair. Ten years
INTRODUCTION. XI
have been an age with most things that are connected
with America ; and, among other advances, that of her
literature has not been the least. So little was ex
pected from the publication of an original work of this
description, at the time it was written, that the first
volume of " The Spy" was printed several months
before the author felt a sufficient inducement to write
a line of the second. The efforts expended on a hope
less task are rarely worthy of him who makes them,
however low it may be necessary to rate the standard
of his general merit.
A brighter prospect is beginning to dawn on the re
public, which is about to assume that rank among the
nations of the earth which nature has designed her
to fill, and to which her institutions inevitably tend.
Should chance throw a copy of this prefatory notice
into the hands of an American twenty years hence, he
will smile to think that a countryman hesitated to
complete a work so far advanced, merely because the
disposition of the country to read a book that treated
of its own familiar interests was distrusted.
Paris, April 4. 1831.
THE SPY;
A TALE OF
THE NEUTRAL GROUND.
CHAPTER I.
And though amidst the calm of thought entire,
Some high and haughty features might betray
A soul impetuous once 'twas earthly fire
That fled composure's intellectual ray,
As Etna's fires grow dim before the rising day.
Gertrude of Wyoming.
IT was near the close of the year 1780, that a solitary
traveller was seen pursuing his way through one of the nu
merous little valleys of West- Chester.* The easterly wind,
with its chilling dampness and increasing violence, gave
unerring notice of the approach of a storm, which as usual
might be expected to continue for several days: and the
experienced eye of the traveller was turned in vain, through
the darkness of the evening, in quest of some convenient
shelter, in which, for the term of his confinement by the
rain that already began to mix with the atmosphere in a
thick mist, he might obtain such accommodations as his
purposes required. Nothing however offered but the small
and inconvenient tenements of the lower order of the
inhabitants, with whom, in that immediate neighbourhood,
he did not think it either safe or politic to trust himself.
The county of West-Chester, after the British had ob
tained possession of the island of New- York t, became com-
* As each state of the American Union has its own counties, it often happens
that there are several which bear the same name. The scene of this tale is in
New York, whose county of West-Chester is the nearest adjoining to the city.
f The city of New- York is situate on an island called Manhattan; but it is,
at one point, separated from the county of West-Chester by a creek of only a
few feet in width. The bridge at this spot is called King's Bridge. It was the
scene of many skirmishes during the war, and is alluded to in this tale.
B
g THE SPY.
mon ground, in which both parties continued to act for the
remainder of the war of the revolution. A large proportion
of its inhabitants, either restrained by their attachments, or
influenced by their fears, affected a neutrality they did not
feel. The lower towns were, of course, more particularly
under the dominion of the crown, while the upper, finding
a security from the vicinity of the continental troops, were
bold in asserting their revolutionary opinions, and their
right to govern themselves. Great numbers, however, wore
masks, which even to this day have not been thrown aside;
and many an individual has gone down to the tomb, stig
matised as a foe to the rights of his countrymen, while, in
secret, he has been the useful agent of the leaders of the
revolution ; and, on the other hand, could the hidden re
positories of divers flaming patriots have been opened to the
light of day, royal protections would have been discovered
concealed under piles of British gold.
At the sound of the tread of the noble horse ridden by
the traveller, the mistress of the farm-house he was passing
at the time might be seen cautiously opening the door of
the building to examine the stranger ; and perhaps, with
an averted face, communicating the result of her observ
ations to her husband, who, in the rear of the building,
was prepared to seek, if necessary, his ordinary place of
concealment in the adjacent woods. The valley was situ
ated about mid- way in the length of the county, and was
sufficiently near to both armies to make the restitution of
stolen goods no uncommon occurrence in that vicinity. It
is true, the same articles were not always regained;' but a
summary substitute was generally resorted to, in the ab
sence of legal justice, which restored to the loser the amount
of his loss, and frequently with no inconsiderable addition
for the temporary use of his property. In short, the law
was momentarily extinct in that particular district, and jus
tice was administered subject to the bias of personal interests,
and the passions of the strongest.
The passage of a stranger, with an appearance of some
what doubtful character, and mounted on an animal which,
although unfurnished with any of the ordinary trappings
of war, partook largely of the bold and upright carriage
that distinguished his rider, gave rise to many surmises
among the gazing inmates of the different habitations ; and
in some instances, where conscience was more than ordi
narily awake, to no little alarm.
Tired with the exercise of a day of unusual fatigue, and
anxious to obtain a speedy shelter from the increasing vio
lence of the storm, that now began to change its character
to large drops of driving rain, the traveller determined, as
a matter of necessity, to make an application for admission
to the next dwelling that offered. An opportunity was not
long wanting ; and, riding through a pair of neglected bars,
he knocked loudly at the outer door of a building, of a very
humble exterior, without quitting his saddle. A female of
middle age, with an outward bearing but little more pre
possessing than that of her dwelling, appeared to answer
the summons. The startled woman half closed her door
again in affright, as she saw, by the glare of a large wood
lire, a mounted man so unexpectedly near its threshold ;
arid an expression of terror mingled with her natural curi
osity, as she required his pleasure.
Although the door was too nearly closed to admit of a
minute scrutiny of the accommodations within, enough had
been seen to cause the horseman to endeavour, once more,
to penetrate the gloom, with longing eyes, in search of a
more promising roof, before, with an ill-concealed reluct
ance, he stated his necessities and wishes. His request was
listened to with evident unwillingness, and, while yet un
finished, it was eagerly interrupted by the reply
" I can't say I like to give lodgings to a stranger in these
ticklish times," said the female in a pert sharp key; " I'm
nothing but a forlorn lone body ; or, what's the same thing,
there's nobody but the old gentleman at home ; but a half
mile further up the road is a house where you can get en-
tejrtainment, and that for nothing. I am sure 'twill be
much convenienter to them, and more agreeable to me ;
because, as I said before, Harvey is away I wish he'd
take advice, and leave off wandering; he's well to do in
the world, by this time ; and he ought to leave off his un
certain courses, and settle himself, handsomely, in life, like
B 2
4 THE SPY.
other men of his years and property. But Harvey Birch
will have his own way, and die vagabond after all!"
The horseman did not wait to hear more than the advice
to pursue his course up the road ; hut he had slowly turned
his horse towards the bars, and was gathering the folds of
an ample cloak around his manly form, preparatory to facing
the storm again, when something in the speech of the female
suddenly arrested the movement.
Is this, then, the dwelling of Harvey Birch?" he
enquired, in an involuntary manner, apparently checking
himself, as he was about to utter more.
" Why, one can hardly say it is his dwelling," replied
the other, drawing a hurried breath, like one eager to an
swer ; te he is never in it, or so seldom, that I hardly re
member his face, when he does think it worth his while to
show it to his poor old father and me. But it matters little
to me, I'm sure, if he ever comes back again, or not;
turn in the first gate on your left; no, I care but little,
for my part, whether Harvey ever shows his face again or
not not I;" and she closed the door abruptly on the
horseman, who gladly extended his ride a half mile further,
to obtain lodgings which promised both more comfort and
greater security.
Sufficient light yet remained to enable the traveller to
distinguish the improvements* which had been made in the
cultivation, and in the general appearance of the grounds
around the building to which he was now approaching. The
house was of stone, long, low, and with a small wing at each
extremity. A piazza, extending along the front, with neatly
turned pillars of wood, together with the good order and
preservation of the fences and out-buildings, gave the
place an air altogether superior to the common farm houses
of tjtie country. After leading his horse behind an angle of
the wall, where it was in some degree protected from the
wind and rain, the traveller threw his vallise over his arm,
and knocked loudly at the entrance of the building for ad
mission. An aged black soon appeared ; and without seem-
* Improvements is used by the Americans to express every degree of change
in converting land from its state of wilderness to that of cultivation. In this
meaning of the word, it is an improvement to fell the trees : and it is valued
precisely by the supposed amount of the cost
ing to think it necessary, under the circumstances, to con
sult his superiors first taking one prying look at the
applicant, by the light of the candle in his hand he ac
ceded to the request for accommodations. The traveller was
shown into an extremely neat parlour, where a fire had been
lighted to cheer the dulness of an easterly storm, and an
October evening. After giving the vallise into the keeping
of his civil attendant, and politely repeating his request to
the old gentleman, who arose to receive him, and paying
his compliments to the three ladies who were seated at work
with their needles, the stranger commenced laying aside some
of the outer garments which he had worn in his ride.
On taking an extra handkerchief from his neck, and re
moving a cloak of blue cloth, with a surtout of the same
material, he exhibited to the scrutiny of the observant fa
mily party, a tall and extremely graceful person, of appa
rently fifty years of age. His countenance evinced a
settled composure and dignity ; his nose was straight, and
approaching to Grecian ; his eye, of a grey colour, was
quiet, thoughtful, and rather melancholy ; the mouth and
lower part of his face being expressive of decision and much
character. His dress, being suited to the road, was simple
and plain, but such as was worn by the higher class of his
countrymen ; he wore his own hair, dressed in a manner
that gave a military air to his appearance, and which was
rather heightened by his erect and conspicuously graceful
carriage. His whole appearance was so impressive and so
decidedly that of a gentleman, that as he finished laying
aside the garments, the ladies arose from their seats, and,
together with the master of the house, they received anew,
and returned the complimentary greetings which were again
offered.
The host was by several years the senior of the traveller,
and by his manner, dress, and every thing around him,
showed he had seen much of life and the best society.
The ladies were, a maiden of forty, and two much younger,
who did not seem, indeed, to have reached half those years.
The bloom of the elder of these ladies had vanished, but her
eyes and fine hair gave an extremely agreeable expression to
her countenance ; and there was a softness and an affability
B 3
O THE SPY.
in her deportment,, that added a charm many more juvenile
faces do not possess. The sisters, for such the resemblance
between the younger females denoted them to be, were in
all the pride of youth, and the roses, so eminently the pro
perty of the West-Chester fair, glowed on their cheeks, and
lighted their deep blue eyes with that lustre which gives so
much pleasure to the beholder, and which indicates so much
internal innocence and peace. There was much of that
feminine delicacy in the appearance of the three, which
distinguishes the sex in this country ; and, like the gentle
man, their demeanour proved them to be women of the
higher order of life.
After handing a glass of excellent Madeira to his guest,
Mr. Wharton, for so was the owner of this retired estate
called, resumed his seat by the fire, with another in his own
hand. For a moment he paused, as if debating with his
politeness, but at length threw an enquiring glance on the
stranger, as he enquired-
" To whose health am I to have the honour of drinking? "
The traveller had also seated himself, and he sat uncon
sciously gazing on the fire, while Mr. Wharton spoke;
turning his eyes slowly on his host with a look of close
observation, he replied, while a faint tinge gathered on his
features
" Mr. Harper."
"Mr. Harper," resumed the other, with the formal pre
cision of that day, "1 have the honour to drink your health,
and to hope you will sustain no injury from the rain to
which you have been exposed."
Mr. Harper bowed in silence to the compliment, and
he soon resumed the meditations from which he had been
interrupted, and for which the long ride he had that day
made, in the wind, might seem a very natural apology
The young ladies had again taken their seats beside the
work-stand, while their aunt, Miss Jeanette Peyton with
drew to superintend the preparations necessary to appease
the hunger of their unexpected visiter. A short silence
prevailed during which Mr. Harper was apparently enjoy!
mg the change m his situation, when Mr. Wharton again
broke it, by enquiring whether smoke was disagreeable to
his companion ; to which, receiving an answer in the nega
tive, he immediately resumed the pipe which had been
laid aside at the entrance of the traveller.
There was an evident desire on the part of the host to
enter into conversation, hut either from an apprehension of
treading on dangerous ground, or an unwillingness to in
trude upon the rather studied taciturnity of his guest, he
several times hesitated, before he could venture to make any
further remark. At length, a movement from Mr. Harper,
as he raised his eyes to the party in the room, encouraged
him to proceed.
ef I find it very difficult," said Mr. Wharton, cautiously
avoiding, at first, such subjects as he wished to introduce,
{C to procure that quality of tobacco for my evenings'
amusement, to which I have been accustomed."
" I should think the shops in New York might furnish
the best in the country," calmly rejoined the other.
(e Why yes," returned the host, in rather a hesitating
manner, lifting his eyes to the face of Harper, and lowering
them quickly under his steady look, " there must be plenty
in town; but the war has made communication with the city,
however innocent, too dangerous to be risked for so trifling
an article as tobacco."
The box from which Mr. Wharton had just taken a
supply for his pipe was lying open, within a few inches of
the elbow of Harper, who took a small quantity from its
contents, and applied it to his tongue, in a manner perfectly
natural, but one that filled his companion with alarm.
Without, however, observing that the quality was of the
most approved kind, the traveller relieved his host by re
lapsing again into his meditations. Mr. Wharton now
felt unwilling to lose the advantage he had gained, and,
making an effort of more than usual vigour, he continued
te I wish, from the bottom of my heart, this unnatural
struggle was over, that we might again meet our friends and
relatives in peace and love."
(( It is much to he desired," said Harper, emphatically,
again raising his eyes to the countenance of his host.
" I hear of no movements of consequence, since the arri
val of our new allies," said Mr. Wharton, shaking the
THE SPY.
ashes from his pipe, and turning his back to the other, under
the pretence of receiving a coal from his youngest daughter.
" None have yet reached the public, I believe."
"Is it thought any important steps are about to be
taken ? " continued Mr. Wharton, still occupied with his
daughter, yet unconsciously suspending his employment, in
expectation of a reply.
" Is it intimated any are in agitation ? "
" Oh ! nothing in particular ; but it is natural to expect
some new enterprise from so powerful a force as that under
Rochambeau."
Harper made an assenting inclination with his head, but
no other reply, to this remark ; while Mr. Wharton, after
lighting his pipe, resumed the subject.
1 ' They appear more active in the south ; Gates and
Cornwallis seem willing to bring the war to an issue, there."
The brow of Harper contracted, and a deeper shade of
melancholy crossed his features ; his eye kindled with a
transient beam of fire, that spoke a latent source of deep
feeling. The admiring gaze of the younger of the sisters
had barely time to read its expression, before it passed away,
leaving in its room the acquired composure which marked
the countenance of the stranger, and that impressive dignity
which so conspicuously denotes the empire of reason.
The elder sister made one or two movements in her chair,
before she ventured to say, in a tone which partook in no
small measure of triumph
' ' General Gates has been less fortunate with the Earl,
than with General Burgoyne."
" But General Gates is an Englishman, Sarah," cried the
younger lady, with quickness ; then, colouring to the eyes
at her own boldness, she employed herself in tumbling over
the contents of her work-basket, silently hoping the remark
would be unnoticed.
The traveller had turned his face from one sister to the
other, as they had spoken in succession, and an almost im
perceptible movement of the muscles of his mouth betrayed
a new emotion, as he playfully enquired of the younger.
" May I venture to ask, what inference you would draw
from that fact ? "
THE SPY. 9
Frances blushed yet deeper at this direct appeal to her
opinions upon a subject on which she had incautiously
spoken in the presence of a stranger; but,, rinding an answer
necessary, after some little hesitation, and with a good deal
of stammering in her manner, she replied
" Only only sir my sister and myself sometimes
differ in our opinions of the prowess of the British." A
smile of much meaning played on a face of infantile inno-
cency, as she concluded.
tc On what particular points of their prowess do you
differ ? " continued Harper, meeting her look of animation
with a smile of almost paternal softness.
" Sarah thinks the British are never beaten, while I do
not put so much faith in their invincibility."
The traveller listened to her with that pleased indulgence,
with which virtuous age loves to contemplate the ardour of
youthful innocence ; but making no reply, he turned to the
fire, and continued for some time gazing on its embers, in
silence.
Mr. Wharton had in vain endeavoured to pierce the dis
guise of his guest's political feelings ; but, while there was
nothing forbidding in his countenance, there was nothing
communicative; on the contrary, it was strikingly reserved;
and the master of the house arose, in profound ignorance of
what, in those days, was the most material point in the
character of his guest, to lead the way into another room,
and to the supper table. Mr. Harper offered his hand to
Sarah Wharton, and they entered the room together; while
Frances followed, greatly at a loss to know, whether she had
not wounded the feelings of her father's inmate.
The storm began to rage with great violence without;
and the dashing rain on the sides of the building awakened
that silent sense of enjoyment, which is excited by such
sounds in a room of quiet comfort and warmth, when a
loud summons at the outer door again called the faithful
black to the portal. In a minute the servant returned, and
informed his master that another traveller, overtaken by
the storm, desired to be admitted to the house for a shelter
through the night.
At the first sounds of the impatient summons of this
10 THE SPY.
new applicant, Mr. Wharton had risen from his seat in
evident uneasiness; and, with eyes glancing with quick
ness from his guest to the door of the room, he seemed to be
expecting something to proceed from this second interrup
tion, connected with the stranger who had occasioned the
first. He scarcely had time to bid the black, with a faint
voice, to show this second comer in, before the door was
thrown hastily open, and the stranger himself entered the
apartment. He paused a moment, as the person of Harper
met his view, and then, in a more formal manner, repeated
the request he had before made through the servant. Mr.
Wharton and his family disliked the appearance of this
hew visitor excessively ; but the inclemency of the weather,
and the uncertainty of the consequences, if he were re
fused the desired lodgings, compelled the old gentleman to
give a reluctant acquiescence.
Some of the dishes were replaced by the orders of Miss
Peyton, and the weather-beaten intruder was invited to
partake of the remains of the repast, from which the party
had just risen. Throwing aside a rough great coat, he
very composedly took the offered chair, and unceremoni
ously proceeded to aUay the cravings of an appetite, which
appeared by no means delicate. But at every mouthful he
would turn an unquiet eye on Harper, who studied his ap
pearance with a closeness of investigation, that was very
embarrassing to its subject. At length, pouring out a glass
of wine, the new comer nodded significantly to his examiner,
previously to swallowing the liquor, and said, with some
thing of bitterness in his manner
" I drink to our better acquaintance, sir ; I believe this
is the first time we have met, though your attention would
seem to say otherwise."
The quality of the wine seemed greatly to his fancy,
for, on replacing the glass upon the table, he gave his lips a
smack, that resounded through the room ; and, taking up
the bottle, he held it between himself and the light, for a
moment, m silent contemplation of its clear and brilliant
colour.
"I think we have never met before, sir," replied Harper,
with a slight smile on his features, as he observed the
THE SPY. 11
movements of the other ; but appearing satisfied with his
scrutiny, he turned to Sarah Wharton, who sat next him,
and carelessly remarked
<s You, doubtless, find your present abode solitary, after
being accustomed to the gaieties of the city."
<f Oh ! excessively so/' said Sarah, hastily. " I do wish,
with my father, that this cruel war was at an end, that we
might return to our friends once more."
(t And you, Miss Frances, do you long as ardently for
peace as your sister ?"
ec On many accounts I certainly do," returned the other,
venturing to steal a timid glance at her interrogator ; and,
meeting the same benevolent expression of feeling as before,
she continued, as her own face lighted into one of its ani
mated and bright smiles of intelligence, " but not at the
expense of the rights of my countrymen."
" Rights ! " repeated her sister, impatiently ; " whose
rights can be stronger than those of a sovereign ; and what
duty is clearer, than to obey those who have a natural right
to command ?*'
" None, certainly/' said Frances, laughing with great
pleasantry ; and, taking the hand of her sister affectionately
within both of her own, she added, with a smile directed to
wards Harper
" I gave you to understand, that my sister and myself
differed in our political opinions ; but we have an impartial
umpire in my father, who loves his own countrymen, and
he loves the British, so he takes sides with neither."
" Yes," said Mr. Wharton, in a little alarm, eyeing first
one guest, and then the other; " I have near friends in both
armies, and I dread a victory by either, as a source of cer
tain private misfortune."
" I take it, you have little reason to apprehend much
from the Yankees, in that way ;" interrupted the guest at
the table, coolly helping himself to another glass, from the
bottle he had admired.
" His Majesty may have more experienced troops than
the continentals/' answered the host fearfully, " but the
Americans have met with distinguished success."
Harper disregarded the observations of both; and, rising,
jo THE SPY.
he desired to be shown to his place of rest. A small boy was
directed to guide him to his room; and wishing a courteous
good-night to the whole party, the traveller withdrew. The
knife and fork fell from the hands of the unwelcome in
truder, as the door closed on the retiring figure of Harper ;
he arose slowly from his seat ; listening attentively,
he approached the door of the room opened it seemed
to attend to the retreating footsteps of the other and,
amidst the panic and astonishment of his companions, he
closed it again. In an instant, the red wig which con-
cealed his black locks, the large patch, which hid half his
face from observation, the stoop, that had made him appear
fifty years of age, disappeared.
" My father! my dear father!" cried the handsome
young man ; " and you, my dearest sisters and aunt !
have I at last met you, again ?"
" Heaven bless you, my Henry, my son ! " exclaimed the
astonished, but delighted parent ; while his sisters sunk on
his shoulders, dissolved in tears.
The faithful old black, who had been reared from infancy
in the house of his master, and who, as if in mockery of
his degraded state, had been complimented with the name
of Caesar, was the only other witness of this unexpected
discovery of the son of Mr. Wharton. After receiving
the extended hand of his young master, and imprinting on
it a fervent kiss, Caesar withdrew. The boy did not re-enter
the room ; and the black himself, after some time, returned,
just as the young British captain was exclaiming
" But who is this Mr. Harper ? is he likely to betray
me?"
" No no no Massa Harry," cried the negro,
shaking his grey head confidently; ei I been to see
Massa Harper on he knee pray to God no gemman
who pray to God, tell of good son, come to see old fader
Skinner do that no Christian ! "
This poor opinion of the Skinners was not confined to
Mr. Caesar Thompson as he called himself but Cassar
Wharton, as he was styled by the little world to which he
was known. The convenience, and perhaps the necessities,
of the leaders of the American arms,, in the neighbourhood
THE SPY. 13
of New-York,, had induced them to employ certain subor
dinate agents, of extremely irregular habits, in executing
their lesser plans of annoying the enemy. It was not a
moment for fastidious enquiries into abuses of any descrip
tion, and oppression and injustice were the natural conse
quences of the possession of a military power that was un
curbed by the restraints of civil authority. In time, a
distinct order of the community was formed, whose sole
occupation appears to have been that of relieving their fel
low-citizens from any little excess of temporal prosperity
they might be thought to enjoy, under the pretence of pa
triotism, and the love of liberty.
Occasionally, the aid of military authority was not want
ing, in enforcing these arbitrary distributions of worldly goods ;
and a petty holder of a commission in the state militia was
to be seen giving the sanction of something like legality to
acts of the most unlicensed robbery, and, not unfrequently,
of bloodshed.
On the part of the British, the stimulus of loyalty was
by no means suffered to sleep, where so fruitful a field
offered, on which- it might be expended. But their free
booters were enrolled, and their efforts more systematised.
Long experience had taught their leaders the efficacy of
concentrated force ; and, unless tradition does great injus
tice to their exploits, the result .did no little credit to their
foresight. The corps we presume, from their known
affection to that useful animal had received the quaint
appellation of ' Cow-Boys.'
Caesar was, however, far too loyal to associate men, who
held the commission of George III., with the irregular war
riors, whose excesses he had so of ten witnessed, and from whose
rapacity, neither his poverty nor his bondage had suffered
even him to escape uninjured. The Cow-Boys, therefore,
did not receive their proper portion of the black's censure,
when he said, no Christian, nothing but a t( Skinner," could
betray a pious child, while honouring his father with a visit
so full of peril.
J4, THE SPY.
CHAPTER II.
And many a halcyon day he liv'd to see
Unbroken, but by one misfortune dire,
When fate had reft his mutual heart but she
Was gone and Gertrude climbed a widow'd father's knee.
Gertrude of Wyoming.
THE father of Mr. Wharton was a native of England, and
of a family whose parliamentary interest had enabled them
to provide for a younger son in the colony of New- York.
The young man,, like hundreds of others in his situation,
had settled permanently in the country. He married ; and
the sole issue of his connection had been sent, early in life,
to receive the benefits of the English schools. After taking
his degrees at one of the universities of the mother-country,
the youth had been suffered to acquire a knowledge of life,
with the advantages of European society. But the death of
his father recalled him, after passing two years in this
manner, to the possession of an honourable name, and a
very ample estate.
. It was much the fashion of that day, to place the youth
of certain families in the army or navy of England, as the
regular stepping-stones to preferment. Most of the higher
offices in the colonies were filled by men who had made arms
their profession ; and it was even no uncommon sight to
see a veteran warrior laying aside the sword, to assume the
ermine on the benches of the highest judicial authority.
In conformity with this system, the senior Mr. Wharton
had intended his son fora soldier; but a natural imbecility
of character in his child interfered with his wishes.
A twelvemonth had been spent by the young man in
weighing the comparative advantages of the different classes
of troops, when the death of his father occurred. The ease
of his situation, and the attentions lavished upon a youth
in the actual enjoyment of one of the largest estates in the
colonies, interfered greatly with his ambitious projects. Love
decided the matter; and Mr. Wharton, in becoming a hus
band, ceased to think of becoming a soldier. For many
THE SPY. 15
years he continued happy in his family, and sufficiently re
spected by his countrymen, as a man of integrity and con
sequence, when all his enjoyments vanished, as it were, at
a blow. His only son, the youth introduced in the pre
ceding chapter, had entered the army, and had arrived in
his native country, but a short time before the commence
ment of hostilities, with the reinforcements the ministry
had thought it prudent to throw into the disaffected parts
of North America. His daughters were just growing into
life, and their education required all the advantages the city
could afford. His wife had been for some years in declin
ing health, and had barely time to fold her son to her
bosom, and rejoice in the re-union of her family, before the
revolution burst forth, in a continued blaze, from Georgia
to Massachusetts. The shock was too much for the feeble
condition of the mother, who saw her child called to the field
to combat against the members of her own family in the
South, and she sunk under the blow.
There was no part of the continent where the manners
of England, and its aristocratical notions of blood and alli
ances, prevailed with more force, than in a certain circle
immediately around the metropolis of New York. The
customs of the early Dutch inhabitants had, indeed, blended
in some measure with the English manners ; but still the
latter prevailed. This attachment to Great Britain was in>-
creased by the frequent intermarriages of the officers of the
mother-country with the wealthier and more powerful
families of the vicinity, until, at the commencement of
hostilities, their united influence had very nearly thrown
the colony into the scale on the side of the crown. A few,
however, of the leading families espoused the cause of the
people ; and a sufficient stand was made against the efforts
of the ministerial party, to organise, and, aided by the army
of the confederation, to maintain, an independent and re
publican form of government.
The city of New- York and the adjacent territory were
alone exempted from the rule of the new commonwealth ;
while the royal authority extended no further than its dig
nity could be supported by the presence of an army. In this
condition of things the loyalists of influence adopted such
THE SPY
measures as best accorded with their different characters
and situations. Many bore arms in support of the crown,
and, by their bravery and exertions, endeavoured to secure
what they deemed to be the rights of their prince, and their
own estates, from the effects of the law of attainder. Others
left the country ; seeking in that place they emphatically
called home, an asylum, as they fondly hoped, for a season
only, against the confusion and dangers of war. A third, and
a more wary portion, remained in the place of their nativity,
with a prudent regard to their ample possessions, and, per
haps, influenced by their attachments to the scenes of their
youth. Mr. Wharton was of this description. After
making a provision against future contingencies, by secretly
transmitting the whole of his money to the British funds,
this gentleman determined to continue in the theatre of
strife, and to maintain so strict a neutrality, as to ensure
the safety of his Targe estate, whichever party succeeded
He was apparently engrossed in the education of his daugh
ters, when a relation, high in office in the new state, inti
mated, that a residence in what was now a British camp
differed but little, in the eyes of his countrymen, from a
residence in the British capital. Mr. Wharton soon saw
this was an unpardonable offence in the existing state of
things, and he instantly determined to remove the difficulty,
by retiring to the country. He possessed a residence in
the county of West-Chester ; and having been for many
years in the habit of withdrawing thither during the heats
of the summer months, it was kept furnished, and ready
for his accommodation. His eldest daughter was already
admitted into the society of women; but Frances, the
younger, required a year or two more of the usual cultiva
tion, to appear with proper eclat : at least so thought Miss
Jeanette Peyton; and as this lady, a younger sister of their
deceased mother, had left her paternal home, in the colony
of Virginia, with the devotedness and affection peculiar to
her sex, to superintend the welfare of her orphan nieces,
Mr. Wharton felt that her opinions were entitled to respect.
In conformity to her advice, therefore, the feelings of the
parent were made to yield to the welfare of his children.
Mr. Wharton withdrew to the Locusts/' with a heart
THE SPY. 17
rent with the pain of separating from all that was left him
of a wife he had adored, but in obedience to a constitutional
prudence that pleaded loudly in behalf of his worldly goods.
His handsome town residence was inhabited, in the mean
while, by his daughters and their aunt. The regiment to
which Captain Wharton belonged formed part of the per
manent garrison of the city; and the knowledge of the
presence of his son was no little relief to the father, in his
unceasing meditations on his absent daughters. But Cap
tain Wharton was a young man and a soldier; his estimate
of character was not always the wisest; and his propensities
led him to imagine that a red coat never concealed a dis
honourable heart.
The house of Mr. Wharton became a fashionable lounge
to the officers of the royal army, as did that of every other
family that was thought worthy of their notice. The con
sequences of this association were, to some few of the
visited, fortunate ; to more, injurious, by exciting expecta
tions which were never to be realised, and, unhappily, to
no small number ruinous. The known wealth of the father,
and, possibly, the presence of a high-spirited brother, for
bade any apprehension of the latter danger to the young
ladies : but it was impossible that all the admiration be
stowed on the fine figure and lovely face of Sarah Wharton
should be thrown away. Her person was formed with the
early maturity of the climate, and a strict cultivation of the
graces had made her, decidedly, the belle of the city. No
one promised to dispute with her this female sovereignty,
unless it might be her younger sister. Frances, however,
wanted some months to the charmed age of sixteen ; and
the idea of competition was far from the minds of either of
the affectionate girls. Indeed, next to the conversation of
Colonel Wellmere, the greatest pleasure of Sarah was in
contemplating the budding beauties of the little Hebe, who
played around her with all the innocency of youth, with all
the enthusiasm of her ardent temper, and with no little of
the archness of her native humour. Whether or not it was
owing to the fact, that Frances received none of the com
pliments which fell to the lot of her elder sister, in the often
repeated discussions on the merits of the war, between the
c
18 THE SPY.
military beaus who frequented the house, it is certain their
effects on the sisters were exactly opposite. It was much
the fashion then for the British officers to speak slightingly
of their enemies ; and Sarah took all the idle vapouring of
her danglers to be truths. The first political opinions
which reached the ears of Frances were coupled with sneers
on the conduct of her countrymen. At first she believed
them ; but there was occasionally a general, who was
obliged to do justice to his enemy in order to obtain justice
for himself; and Frances became somewhat sceptical on the
subject of the inefficiency of her countrymen. Colonel
Wellmere was among those who delighted most in expend
ing his wit on the unfortunate Americans ; and, in time,
Frances began to listen to his eloquence with great suspicion,
and sometimes with resentment.
It was on a hot sultry day, that the three were in the
parlour of Mr. Wharton's house, the Colonel and Sarah
seated on a sofa, engaged in a combat of the eyes, aided by
the usual flow of small talk, and Frances was occupied at
her tambouring frame, in an opposite corner of the room,
when the gentleman suddenly exclaimed
" How gay the arrival of the army under General Bur-
goyne will make the city, Miss Wharton I"
" Oh ! how pleasant it must be/' said the thoughtless
Sarah, in reply ; I am told there are many charming
women with that army ; as you say, it will make us all life
and gaiety."
Frances shook back the abundance of her golden hair, and
raised her eyes, dancing with the ardour of national feel
ing ; then laughing, with a concealed humour, she asked
" Is it so certain, that General Burgoyne will be per
mitted to reach the city ?"
"Permitted!" echoed the Colonel, "who is there to
prevent it, my pretty Miss Fanny?"
Frances was precisely at that age, when young people
are most jealous of their station in society ; neither quite a
woman, nor yet a child. The pretty Miss Fanny " was
too familiar to be relished, and she dropped her eyes on
her work again, with cheeks that glowed like crimson.
General Stark took the Germans into custody," she
THE SPY. 19
answered, compressing her lip ; ( ' may not General Gates
think the British too dangerous to go at large ? "
" Oh ! they were Germans, as you say," cried the Colo
nel, excessively vexed at the necessity of explaining at all ;
" mere mercenary troops ; but when the really British
regiments come in question, you will see a very different
result."
" Of that there is no doubt," cried Sarah, without in
the least partaking of the resentment of the Colonel to her
sister, but hailing already in her heart, the triumph of the
British.
" Pray, Colonel Wellmere," said Frances, recovering her
good humour, and raising her joyous eyes once more to the
face of the gentleman, ' ' was the Lord Percy of Lexington,
a kinsman of him who fought at Chevy Chase ? "
" Why, Miss Fanny, you are becoming a rebel," said
the Colonel, endeavouring to laugh away the anger he felt ;
' ' what you are pleased to insinuate was a chase at Lexing
ton, was nothing more than a judicious retreat a kind
of "
" Running fight," interrupted the good-humoured girl,
laying great emphasis on the first word.
" Positively, young lady " Colonel Wellmere was in
terrupted by a laugh from a person who had hitherto been
unnoticed.
There was a small family apartment, adjoining the room
occupied by the trio, and the air had blown open the door
communicating between the two. A fine young man was
now seen sitting near the entrance, who, by his smiling
countenance, was evidently a pleased listener to the con
versation. He rose instantly, and coming through the
door, with his hat in his hand, appeared a tall graceful
youth, of dark complexion, and sparkling eyes of black,
from which the mirth had riot yet entirely vanished, as he
made his bow to the ladies.
" Mr. Dunwoodie ! " cried Sarah, in surprise ; " T was
ignorant of your being in the house ; you will find a cooler
seat in this room."
" I thank you," replied the young man, " but I must go
and seek your brother, who placed me there in ambuscade,
c 2
20 THE SPY.
as he called it, with a promise of returning an hour ago/*
Without making any further explanation, the youth bowed
politely to the young women, distantly and with hauteur to
the gentleman, and withdrew. Frances followed him into
the hall, and blushing richly, enquired, in a hurried voice
" But why why do you leave us, Mr. Dunwoodie ?
Henry must soon return." , '
The gentleman caught one of her hands in his own, and
the stern expression of his countenance gave place to a look
of admiration-, as he replied
" You managed him famously, my dear little kinswoman;
never no never, forget the land of your birth ; remember,
if you are the grand-daughter of an Englishman, you are,
also, the grand-daughter of a Peyton."
" Oh ! " returned the laughing girl, " it would be dif*
ficult to forget that, with the constant lectures on genealogy
before us, with which we are favoured by aunt Jeanette
but why do you go ? "
" I am on the wing for Virginia, and have much to do."
He pressed her hand as he spoke, and looking back, while
in the act of closing the door, exclaimed, " Be true to your
country be American." The ardent girl kissed her hand
to him as he retired, and then instantly applying it with its
beautiful fellow to her burning cheeks, ran into her own
apartment to hide her confusion.
' Between the open sarcasm of Frances, and the ill-con
cealed disdain of the young man, Colonel Wellmere had
felt himself placed in an awkward predicament; but ashamed
to resent such trifles in the presence of his mistress, he sa
tisfied himself with observing, superciliously, as Dunwoodie
left the room
" Quite a liberty for a youth in his situation ; a shop-
boy with a bundle, I fancy."
The idea of picturing the graceful Peyton Dunwoodie as
a shop-boy could never enter the mind of Sarah, and
she looked around her in surprise, when the Colonel con
tinued
" This Mr. Dun Dun ."
" Dunwoodie ! Oh no he is a relation of my aunt,"
cried the young lady, " and an intimate friend of my bro-
THE SPY. 21
ther; they were at school together, and only separated in
England, when one went into the army, arid the other to a
French military academy."
" His money appears to have been thrown away," ob
served the Colonel, betraying the spleen he was unsuccess
fully striving to conceal.
" We ought to hope so," added Sarah, with a smile ;
" for it is said he intends joining the rebel army. He was
brought in here, in a French ship, and has just been ex
changed ; you may soon meet him in arms."
(e Well, let him I wish Washington plenty of such
heroes ; " and he turned to a more pleasant subject, by
changing the discourse to themselves.
A few weeks after this scene occurred, the army of Bur-
goyne laid down their arms. Mr. Wharton, beginning to
think the result of the contest doubtful^ resolved to con
ciliate his countrymen, and gratify himself, by calling his
daughters into his own abode. Miss Peyton consented to
be their companion ; and from that time, until the period
at which we commenced our narrative, they had formed one
family.
Whenever the main army made any movements, Captain
Wharton had, of course, accompanied it ; and once or
twice, under the protection of strong parties, acting in the
neighbourhood of the Locusts, he had enjoyed rapid and
stolen interviews with his friends. A twelvemonth had,
however, passed without his seeing them ; and the impa
tient Henry had adopted the disguise we have mentioned,
and unfortunately arrived on the very evening that an un
known and rather suspicious guest was an inmate of the
house, which seldom contained any other than its regular
inhabitants.
" But, do you think he suspects me ? " asked the cap
tain, with anxiety, after pausing to listen to Caesar's opinion
of the Skinners.
" How should he ? " cried Sarah, " when your sisters
and father could not penetrate your disguise."
(e There is something mysterious in his manner ; his
looks are too prying for an indifferent observer," continued
young Wharton thoughtfully, ' ' and his face seems familiar
c 3 *
22 THE SPY.
to me. The recent fate of Andre has created much irrita
tion on both sides. Sir Henry threatens retaliation for his
death ; and Washington is as firm as if half the world were
at his command. The rebels would think me a fit subject
for their plans just now, should I be so unlucky as to fall
into their hands."
" But, my son," cried his father, in great alarm, " you
are not a spy ; you are not within the rebel that is, the
American lines ; there is nothing here to spy."
" That might be disputed," rejoined the young man^
musing : " their pickets were as low as the White Plains
when I passed through in disguise. It is true my purposes
are innocent ; but how is it to appear. My visit to you
would seem a cloak to other designs. Remember, sir,, the
treatment you received not a year since, for sending me a
supply of fruit for the winter."
" That proceeded from the misrepresentations of mv
kind neighbours," said Mr. Wharton, who hoped, by-
getting my estate confiscated, to purchase good farms, at
low prices. Peyton Dunwoodie, however, soon obtained
our discharge ; we were detained but a month."
" We ! " repeated the son, in amazement ; " did they
take my sisters, also ? Fanny, you wrote me nothing o f
this. '
" I believe," said Frances, colouring highly, I men
tioned the kind treatment we received from your old friend
feas J " Dunw0odie > and that he Procured my father's re-
!! X rue ,/~ but wer e you with him in the rebel camp ?"
Yes, said the father, kindly; Fanny would not
Wffer me to go alone. Jeanette and Sarah took charge of
^ Locusts, and this little girl was my companion, in cap-
1 tl* ?!S2 ~ d * 0in SUch a scene a Beater rebel
' ,' ngnant y ' " ne -uuhnk the
ips her father suffered would have cured her of such
hat say you to the charge, my pretty sister ? " cried
tain gaily; did Peyton strive to make you hate
your king, more than he does himself?"
THE SPY. 23
" Peyton Dunwoodie hates no one," said Frances, quickly;
then blushing at her own ardour, she added immediately,
" he loves you, Henry, I know ; for he has told me so again
and again."
Young Wharton tapped his sister on the cheek, with a
smile, as he asked her, in an affected whisper " Did he
tell you also that he loved my little sister Fanny ? "
" Nonsense," said Frances ; and the remnants of the
supper table soon disappeared under her superintendence.
CHAPTER III.
'Twas when the fields were swept of Autumn's store,
And growling winds the fading foliage tore,
Behind the Lowmon hill, the short-liv'd light,
Descending slowly, usher'd in the night ;
When from the noisy town, with mournful look,
His lonely way the meagre pedler took.
Wilson.
A STORM below the highlands of the Hudson, if it be
introduced with an easterly wind, seldom lasts less than
two days. Accordingly, as the inmates of the Locusts as
sembled, on the following morning, around their early
breakfast, the driving rain was seen to strike in nearly
horizontal lines against the windows of the building, and
forbade the idea of exposing either man or beast to the
tempest. Harper was the last to appear : after taking a
view of the state of the weather, he apologised to Mr.
Wharton for the necessity that existed for his trespassing
on his goodness for a longer time. To appearances, the
reply was as courteous as the excuse ; yet Harper wore a
resignation in his deportment that was widely different
from the uneasy manner of the father. Henry Wharton
had resumed his disguise with a reluctance amounting to
disgust, but in obedience to the commands of his parent.
No communications passed between him and the stranger,
after the first salutations of the morning had been paid by
Harper to him, in common with the rest of the family.
Frances had, indeed, thought there was something like a
smile passing over the features of the traveller, when, on
c 4
24, THE SPY.
entering the room, he first confronted her brother; but it
was confined to the eyes, seeming to want power to affect
the muscles of the face, and was soon lost in the settled
and benevolent expression which reigned in his counte
nance, with a sway but seldom interrupted. The eyes of
the affectionate sister were turned in anxiety, for a moment,
on her brother, and glancing again on their unknown
guest, met his look, as he offered her, with marked attention,
one of the little civilities of the table; and the heart of the
girl, which had begun to throb with violence, regained
a pulsation as tempered as youth, health, and buoyant spi
rits could allow. While yet seated at the table, Caesar
entered, and, laying a small parcel in silence by the side of
his master, modestly retired behind his chair, where,
placing one hand on its back, he continued in an attitude
half familiar, half respectful, a listener.
" What is this, Caesar ? " enquired Mr. Wharton, turn
ing the bundle over to examine its envelope, and eyeing
it rather suspiciously.
"The 'baccy, sir; Harvey Birch, he got home, and
he bring you a little good 'baccy from York."
" Harvey Birch!" rejoined the master with great deliber
ation, stealing a look at his guest. " I do not remember
desiring him to purchase any tobacco for me ; but as he has
brought it, he must be paid for his trouble."
For an instant only, as the negro spoke, did Harper sus
pend his silent meal; his eye moved slowly from the servant
to the master, and again all remained in its impenetrable
reserve.
To Sarah Wharton, this intelligence gave unexpected
pleasure ; rising from her seat, with impatience, she bade
the black show Birch into the apartment; when suddenly
recollecting herself, she turned to the traveller with an
apologising look, and added, "if Mr Harper will excuse
the presence of a pedler."
The indulgent benevolence expressed in the countenance
of the stranger, as he bowed a silent acquiescence, spoke
more eloquently than the nicest framed period, and the
young lady repeated her order, with a confidence in its
truth that removed all embarrassment.
THE SPY. 25
In the deep recesses of the windows of the cottage were
seats of panelled work ; and the rich damask curtains,, that
had ornamented the parlour in Queen Street*, had heen
transferred to the Locusts, and gave to the room that in
describable air of comfort, which so gratefully announces the
approach of a domestic winter. Into one of these recesses
Captain Wharton now threw himself, drawing the curtain
before him in such a manner as to conceal most of his per
son from observation ; while his younger sister, losing her
natural frankness of manner, in an air of artificial constraint,
silently took possession of the other.
Harvey Birch had been a pedler from his youth; at
least so he frequently asserted, and his skill in the occupa
tion went far to prove the truth of the declaration. He was
a native of one of the eastern colonies ; and, from some
thing of superior intelligence which belonged to his fa
ther, it was thought they had known better fortunes in
the land of their nativity. Harvey possessed, however,
the common manners of the country, and was in no way
distinguished from men of his class, but by his acuteness,
and the mystery which enveloped his movements. Ten
years before, they had arrived together in the vale, and,
purchasing the humble dweUing at which Harper had made
his unsuccessful application, continued ever since peaceful
inhabitants, but little noticed and but little known. Until
age and infirmities had prevented, the father devoted him
self to the cultivation of the small spot of ground belonging
to his purchase, while the son pursued with avidity his
humble barter. Their orderly quietude had soon given
them so much consideration in the neighbourhood, as to
induce a maiden of five-and-thirty to forget the punctilio of
her sex, and to accept the office of presiding over their
domestic comforts. The roses had long before vanished
from the cheeks of Katy Haynes, and she had seen in suc
cession, both her male and female acquaintances forming
the union so desirable to her sex, with but little or no hope
* The Americans changed the names of many towns and streets at the revo
lution, as has since been done in France. Thus, in the city of New. York,
Crown Street has become Liberty Street ; King Street, Pine Street ; and
Queen Street, then one of the most fashionable quarters of the town, Pearl
Street. Pearl Street is now chiefly occupied by the auction dealers, and the
wholesale dry good merchants, for warehouses and counting rooms.
26 THE SPY.
left for herself, when, with views of her own, she entered
the family of the Birches. Necessity is a hard master,
and, for the want of a better companion, the father and son
were induced to accept her services ; but still Katy was not
wanting in some qualities, which made her a very tolerable
housekeeper. On the one hand, she was neat, industrious,
honest, and a good manager. On the other, she was talk
ative, selfish, superstitious, and inquisitive. By dint of
using the latter quality with consummate industry, she had
not lived in the family five years when she triumphantly
declared, that she had heard, or rather overheard, sufficient
to enable her to say what had been the former fate of her
associates. Could Katy have possessed enough of divina
tion to pronounce upon their future lot, her task would have
been accomplished. From the private conversations of the
parent and child, she learnt that a fire had reduced them
from competence to poverty, and at the same time dimi
nished the number of their family to two. There was a
tremulousness in the voice of the father, as he touched
lightly on the event, which affected even the heart of Katy ;
but no barrier is sufficient to repel vulgar curiosity. She
persevered, until a very direct intimation from Harvey, by
threatening to supply her place with a female a few years
younger than herself, gave her awful warning, that there
were bounds beyond which she was not to pass. From
that period the curiosity of the housekeeper had been held
in such salutary restraint, that, although no opportunity of
listening was ever neglected, she had been able to add but
little to her stock of knowledge. There was, however, one
piece of intelligence, and that of no little interest to her
self, which she had succeeded in obtaining ; and from the
moment of its acquisition, she directed her energies to the
accomplishment of one object, aided by the double stimulus
of love and avarice.
Harvey was in the frequent habit of paying mysterious
visits, in the depth of the night, to the fire-place of the
apartment, that served for both kitchen and parlour. Here
te was observed by Katy; and, availing herself of his ab
sence, and the occupations of the father, by removing one
of the hearth-stones, she discovered an iron pot, glittering
THE SPY. 27
with a metal that seldom fails to soften the hardest heart.
Katy succeeded in replacing the stone without discovery,
and never dared to trust herself with another visit. From
that moment, however, the heart of the virgin lost its ob
duracy ; and nothing interposed between Harvey and his
happiness, but his own want of observation.
The war did not interfere with the traffic of the pedler,
who seized on the golden opportunity, which the interrup
tion of the regular trade afforded, and appeared absorbed
in the one grand object of amassing money. For a year or
two, his employment was uninterrupted, and his success
proportionate ; but, at length, dark and threatening hints
began to throw suspicion around his movements, and the
civil authority thought it incumbent on them to examine
narrowly into his mode of life. His imprisonments, though
frequent, were not long ; and his escapes from the guard
ians of the law easy, compared to what he endured from
the persecution of the military. Still Birch survived, and
still he continued his trade, though compelled to be very
guarded in his movements, especially whenever he ap
proached the northern boundaries of the county ; or, in
other words, the neighbourhood of the American lines.
His visits to the Locusts had become less frequent, and his
appearance at his own abode so seldom, as to draw forth
from the disappointed Katy, in the fulness of her heart,
the complaint we have related, in her reply to Harper.
Nothing, however, seemed to interfere with the pursuits of
this indefatigable trader ; who, with a view to dispose of
certain articles for which he could only find purchasers in
the very wealthiest families of the county, had now braved
the fury of the tempest, and ventured to cross the half mile
between his own residence and the house of Mr. Wharton.
In a few minutes after receiving the commands of his
young mistress, Caesar re-appeared, ushering into the apart
ment the subject of the foregoing digression. In person,
the pedler was a man above the middle height, spare, but
full of bone and muscle. At first sight, his strength seemed
unequal to manage the unwieldy burden of his pack; yet
he threw it on and off with great dexterity, and with as
much apparent ease as if it had been filled with feathers.
28 THE SPY.
His eyes were grey, sunken, restless, and, for the flitting
moments that they dwelt on the countenances of those with
whom he conversed, they seemed to read the very soul.
They possessed, however, two distinct expressions, which,
in a great measure, characterised the whole man. When
engaged in traffic, the intelligence of his face appeared
lively, active, and flexible, though uncommonly acute ; if
the conversation turned on the ordinary transactions of
life, his air became abstracted and restless; but if, by
chance, the revolution and the country were the topic, his
whole system seemed altered all his faculties were con
centrated : he would listen for a great length of time, with
out speaking, and then would break silence by some light
and jocular remark, that was too much at variance with
his former manner, not to be affectation. But of the war,
and of his father, he seldom spoke, and always from some
very obvious necessity.
To a superficial observer, avarice would seem his ruling
passion and, all things considered, he was as unfit a sub
ject for the plans of Katy Haynes as can be readily ima
gined. On entering the room, the pedler relieved himself
from his burden, which, as it stood on the floor, reached
nearly to his shoulders, and saluted the family with modest
civility. To Harper he made a silent bow, without lifting
his eyes from the carpet ; but the curtain prevented any
notice of the presence of Captain Wharton. Sarah gave
but little time for the usual salutations, before she com
menced her survey of the contents of the pack ; and, for
several minutes, the two were engaged in bringing to light
the various articles it contained. The tables, chairs, and
floor, were soon covered with silks, crapes, gloves, muslins,
and all the stock of an itinerant trader. Caesar was em
ployed to hold open the mouth of the pack, as its hoards
were discharged, and occasionaUy he aided his young lady
by directing her admiration to some article of finery, which,
trom its deeper contrast in colours, he thought more
worthy of her notice. At length, Sarah, having selected
several articles, and satisfactorily arranged the prices, ob
served in a cheerful voice
THE SPY. 29
" But, Harvey, you have told us no news ? Has Lord
Cornwallis beaten the rebels again ? "
The question could not have been heard ; for the pedler,
burying his body in the pack, brought forth a quantity of
lace of exquisite fineness, and, holding it up to view, he
required the admiration of the young lady. Miss Peyton
dropped the cup she was engaged in washing, from her
hand ; and Frances exhibited the whole of that lovely face,
which had hitherto only suffered one of its joyous eyes to
be seen, beaming with a colour that shamed the damask
which enviously concealed her figure.
The aunt quitted her employment ; and Birch soon dis
posed of a large portion of this valuable article. The
praises of the ladies had drawn the whole person of the
younger sister into view ; and Frances was slowly rising
from the window, as Sarah repeated her question, with
an exultation in her voice, that proceeded more from plea
sure in her purchase, than her political feelings. The
younger sister resumed her seat, apparently examining the
state of the clouds, while the pedler, finding a reply was
expected, answered slowly
" There is some talk, below, about Tarleton having de
feated General Sumpter, on the Tiger river."
Captain Wharton now involuntarily thrust his head be
tween the opening of the curtains into the room ; and
Francest urning her ear in breathless silence, noticed the
quiet eyes of Harper looking at the pedler, over the book
he was affecting to read, with an expression that denoted
him to be a listener of no ordinary interest
" Indeed ! " cried the exulting Sarah ; " Sumpter
Sumpter who is he? I'll not buy even a pin, until you
tell me all the news," she continued, laughing, and throw
ing down a muslin she had been examining.
For a moment the pedler hesitated : his eye glanced to
wards Harper, who was yet gazing at him with settled
meaning, and the whole manner of Birch was altered.
Approaching the fire, he took from his mouth a large al
lowance of the Virginian weed, and depositing it, with the
superabundance of its juices, without mercy to Miss Pey
ton's shining andirons, he returned to his goods.
30 THE SPY.
He lives somewhere among the niggars to the south,
answered the pedler, abruptly.
No more niggar than be yourself, Mister Birch/* inter-
rupted Caesar tartly, dropping, at the same time, the cover
ing of the goods in high displeasure.
" Hush, Caesar hush never mind it now," said
Sarah Wharton soothingly, impatient to hear further.
" A black man so good as white, Miss Sally," conti
nued the offended negro, " so long as he behave heself."
" And frequently he is much better," rejoined his mis
tress : " but, Harvey, who is this Mr. Sumpter ?"
A slight indication of humour showed itself on the face
of the pedler but it disappeared, and he continued as
if the discourse had met with no interruption from the sen
sitiveness of the domestic.
" As I was saying, he lives among the coloured people
in the south" Caesar resumed his occupation f( and he
has lately had a skrimmage with this Colonel Tarleton "
" Who defeated him of course," cried Sarah, with con
fidence.
" So say the troops at Morrisania."
" But what do you say ? " Mr. Wharton ventured to
enquire, yet speaking in a low tone.
" I repeat but what I hear," said Birch, offering a piece
of cloth to the inspection of Sarah, who rejected it in si
lence, evidently determined to hear more before she made
another purchase.
" They say, however, at the Plains," the pedler conti
nued, first throwing his eyes again round the room, and
letting them rest for an instant on Harper, " that Sump
ter and one or two more were all that were hurt, and that
the rig'lars were all cut to pieces, for the militia were fixed
snugly in a log barn."
" Not very probable," said Sarah, contemptuously,
" though I make no doubt the rebels got behind the logs."
" I think," said the pedler, coolly, again offering the
silk, " it's quite ingenious to get a log between one and a
gun, instead of getting between a gun and a log."
The eyes of Harper dropped quietly on the pages of the
volume in his hand, while Frances, rising, came forward
THE SPY. 31
with a smile in her face, as she enquired, in a tone of affa
bility that the pedler had never before witnessed from the
younger sister
" Have you more of the lace, Mr. Birch ? "
The desired article was immediately produced, and
Frances became a purchaser also. By her order a glass of
liquor was offered to the trader, who took it with thanks,
and, having paid his compliments to the master of the
house and the ladies, drank the beverage.
" So, it is thought that Colonel Tarleton has worsted
General Sumpter ? " said Mr. Wharton, affecting to be
employed in mending the cup that was broken by the
eagerness of his sister-in-law.
" I believe they think so at Morrisania," said Birch,
dryly.
"Have you any other news, friend?" asked Captain
Wharton, venturing to thrust his face without the curtains
again.
" Have you heard that Major Andre has been hanged ? "*
Captain Wharton started, and for a moment glances of
great significance were exchanged between him and the
trader, when he observed, with affected indifference, " that
must have been some weeks ago."
" Does his execution make much noise ? " asked the
father, striving to make the broken china unite.
ft People will talk, you know, 'Squire."
"Is there any probability of movements below, my
friend, that will make travelling dangerous?" asked
Harper, looking steadily at the other, in expectation of
his reply.
Some bunches of ribands fell from the hands of Birch ;
his countenance changed instantly, losing its keen expres
sion in intent meaning, as he answered slowly (f It is
some time since the riglar cavalry were out, and I saw
some of De Lancey's men cleaning their arms, as I passed
their quarters ; it would be no wonder if they took the
scent soon, for the Virginia horse are low in the county."
fc Are they in much force ? " asked Mr. Wharton, sus
pending all employment in anxiety.
" I did not count them."
32 THE SPY.
Frances was the only observer of the change in the man
ner of Birch, and, on turning to Harper, he had resumed
his book in silence. She took some of the ribands in
her hand laid them down again and, bending over
the goods, so that her hair, falling in rich curls, shaded
her face, she observed, blushing with a colour that suffused
her neck
te I thought the southern horse had marched towards the
Delaware."
" It may be so," said Birch ; f( I passed the troops at a
distance."
Caesar had now selected a piece of calico, in which the
gaudy colours of yellow and red were contrasted on a
white ground, and, after admiring it for several minutes,
he laid it down with a sigh, as he exclaimed., ' ' Berry pretty
calico."
" That," said Sarah ; " yes, that would make a proper
gown for your wife, Caesar."
"Yes, Miss Sally," cried the delighted black, "it make
old Dinah heart leap for joy so berry genteel."
"Yes," added the pedler, quaintly, "that is only
wanting to make Dinah look like a rainbow."
Caesar eyed his young mistress eagerly, until she en
quired the price of Harvey.
" Why, much as I light of chaps," said the pedler.
" How much ? " demanded Sarah in surprise.
" According to my luck in finding purchasers ; for my
friend Dinah, you may have it at four shillings."
" It is too much," said Sarah, turning to some goods
for herself.
" Monstrous price for coarse calico, Mister Birch," grum
bled Caesar, dropping the opening of the pack again.
" We will say three, then," adder the pedler, " if you
like that better."
" Be sure he like 'em better," said Caesar, smiling good-
humouredly, and re-opening the pack " Miss Sally like a
t'ree shilling when she give, and a four shilling when
she take."
The bargain was immediately concluded ; but in mea
suring, the cloth wanted a little of the well known ten
THE SPY. S3
yards required by the dimensions of Dinah. By dint of a
strong arm, however, it grew to the desired length, under
the experienced eye of the pedler, who conscientiously
added a riband of corresponding brilliancy with the calico ;
and Caesar hastily withdrew, to communicate the joyful
intelligence to his aged partner.
During the movements created by the conclusion of the
purchase, Captain Wharton had ventured to draw aside
the curtain, so as to admit a view of his person, and he
now enquired of the pedler, who had begun to collect his
scattered goods, at what time he had left the city.
" At early twilight," was the answer.
" So lately ! " cried the other in surprise ; and then
correcting his manner, by assuming a more guarded air,
he continued " Could you pass the pickets at so late an
hour ? "
" I did," was the laconic reply.
" You must be well known by this time, Harvey, to the
officers of the British army," cried Sarah, smiling know
ingly on the pedler.
" I know some of them by sight," said Birch, glancing
his eyes round the apartment, taking in their course Cap
tain Wharton, and resting for an instant on the counte
nance of Harper.
Mr. Wharton had listened intently to each speaker, in
succession, and had so far lost the affectation of indiffer
ence, as to be crushing in his hand the pieces of china on
which he had expended so much labour in endeavouring
to mend it ; when, observing the pedler tying the last knot
in his pack, he asked abruptly
" Are we about to be disturbed again with the enemy ? "
" Who do you call the enemy ? " said the pedler, raising
himself erect, and giving the other a look, before which
the eyes of Mr. Wharton sunk in instant confusion.
" All are enemies who disturb our peace," said Miss
Peyton, observing that her brother was unable to speak.
" But are the royal troops out from telow ? "
" 'Tis quite likely they soon may be," returned Birch,
raising his pack from the floor, and preparing to leave the
room.
THE SPY.
" And the continentals/' continue^ Miss Peyton mildly,,
are the continentals in the county ? "
Harvey was about to utter something in reply, when the
door opened, and Caesar made his appearance, attended by
his delighted spouse.
The race of blacks of which Caesar was a favourable spe
cimen is becoming very rare. The old family servant, who,
born and reared in the dwelling of his master, identified
himself with the welfare of those whom it was his lot to
serve, is giving place in every direction to that vagrant
class which has sprung up within the last thirty years, and
whose members roam through the country unfettered by
principles, or uninfluenced by attachments. For it is one
of the curses of slavery, that its victims become incom
petent to the attributes of a freeman. The short curly
hair of Caesar had acquired from age a colouring of grey,
that added greatly to the venerable cast of his appearance.
Long and indefatigable applications of the comb had
straightened the close curls of his forehead, until they
stood erect in a stiff and formal brush, that gave at least
two inches to his stature. The shining black of his youth
had lost its glistening hue, and it had been succeeded by a
dingy brown. His eyes, which stood at a most formidable
distance from each other, were small, and characterised by
an expression of good feeling, occasionally interrupted by
the petulance of an indulged servant ; they, however, now
danced with inward delight. His nose possessed, in an
eminent manner, all the requisites for smelling, but with
the most modest unobtrusiveness ; the nostrils being abun
dantly capacious, without thrusting themselves in the way
of their neighbours. His mouth was capacious to a fault,
and was only tolerated on account of the double row of
pearls it contained. In person Caesar was short, and we
should say square, had not all the angles and curves of his
figure bid defiance to any thing like mathematical sym
metry. His arms were long and muscular, and terminated
by two bony hands, that exhibited on one side, a colouring
of blackish grey, and on the other, a faded pink. But it
was in his legs that nature had indulged her most capri
cious humour. There was an abundance of material in-
THE SPY. 35
judiciously used. The calves were neither before nor
behind, but rather on the outer side of the limb, inclining
forward, and so close to the knee as to render the free use
of that joint a subject of doubt. In the foot, considering
it as a base on which the body was to rest, Caesar had no
cause of complaint, unless, indeed, it might be that the leg
was placed so near the centre, as to make it sometimes a
matter of dispute, whether he was not walking backwards.
But whatever might be the faults a statuary could discover
in his person, the heart of Csesar Thompson was in the
right place, and, we doubt not, of very just dimensions.
Accompanied by his ancient companion, Cssar now
advanced, and paid his tribute of gratitude in words.
Sarah received them with great complacency, and made a
Jew compliments to the taste of the husband, and the pro
bable appearance of the wife. Frances, with a face beam
ing with a look of pleasure that corresponded to the
smiling countenances of the blacks, offered the service of
her needle in fitting the admired calico to its future uses.
The offer was humbly and gratefully accepted.
As Csesar followed his wife and the pedler from the
apartment, and was in the act of closing the door, he in
dulged himself in a grateful soliloquy, by saying aloud
" Good little lady Miss Fanny take care of he fader
love to make a gown for old Dinah, too." What else
his feelings might have induced him to utter is unknown,
but the sound of his voice was heard some time after the
distance rendered his words indistinct.
Harper had dropped his book, and he sat an admiring
witness of the scene ; and Frances enjoyed a double satis
faction, as she received an approving smile from a face
which concealed, under the traces of deep thought and en
grossing care, the benevolent expression which characterises
all the Joest feelings of the human heart.
D 2
THE SPY.
CHAPTER IV.
" It is the form, the eye, the word,
The bearing of that stranger Lord ;
His stature, manly, bold, and tall,
Built like a castle's battled wall,
Yet moulded in such just degrees,
His giant strength seems lightsome ease.
Weather and war their rougher trace
Have left on that majestic face ;
But 'tis his dignity of eye !
There, if a suppliant, would I fly,
Secure, 'mid danger, wrongs, and grief,
Of sympathy, redress, relief
That glance, if guilty, would I dread
More than the doom that spoke me dead."
" Enough, enough ! " the princess cried,
" ! Tis Scotland's hope, her joy, her pride ! "
Walter Scott.
THE party sat in silence for many minutes after the pedler
had withdrawn. Mr. Wharton had heard enough to increase
his uneasiness, without in the least removing his apprehen
sions on behalf of his son^ The Captain was impatiently
wishing Harper in any other place than the one he occupied
with such apparent composure, while Miss Peyton com
pleted the disposal of her breakfast equipage, with the mild
complacency of her nature, aided a little by an inward
satisfaction at possessing so large a portion of the trader's
lace Sarah was busily occupied in arranging her pur
chases, and Frances was kindly assisting in the occupation,
disregarding her own neglected bargains, when the stranger
suddenly broke the silence by saying
" If any apprehensions of me induce Captain Wharton
to maintain his disguise, I wish him to be undeceived ;
had I motives for betraying him, they could not operate
under present circumstances."
The younger sister sunk into her seat colourless and
astonished. Miss Peyton dropped the tea-tray she was
lifting from the table, and Sarah sat with her purchases
unheeded in her lap, in speechless surprise. Mr. Wharton
was stupified ; but the Captain, hesitating a moment from
THE SP7. 37
astonishment, sprang into the middle of the room, and
exclaimed, as he tore off the instruments of his dis
guise
<e I believe you from my soul, and this tiresome impo
sition shall continue no longer. Yet I am at a loss to con
ceive in what manner you should know me."
ff You really look so much better in your proper person,
Captain Wharton," said Harper, with a slight smile, " I
would advise you never to conceal it in future. There, is
enough to betray you, if other sources of detection were
wanting : " as he spoke, he pointed to a picture suspended
over the mantel-piece, which exhibited the British officer
in his regimentals.
" I had flattered myself, " cried young Wharton, with a
laugh, " that I looked better on the canvass than in a mas
querade. You must be a close observer, sir."
" Necessity has made me one," said Harper, rising from
his seat.
Frances met him as he was about to withdraw, and,
taking his hand between both her own, said with earnest
ness, her cheeks mantling with their richest vermilion
" You cannot you will not betray my brother."
For an instant Harper paused in silent admiration of the
lovely pleader, and then, folding her hands on his breast, he
replied solemnly " I cannot, and I will not ;" he released
her hands, and laying his own on her head gently, con
tinued (( If the blessing of a stranger can profit you,
receive it." He turned, and bowing low, retired, with a
a delicacy that was duly appreciated by those he quitted, to
his own apartment.
The whole party were deeply impressed with the inge
nuous and solemn manner of the traveller, and all but the
father found immediate relief in his declaration. Some of
the cast-off clothes of the captain, which had been removed
with the goods from the city, were produced ; and young
Wharton, released from the uneasiness of his disguise, be
gan at last to enjoy a visit which had been undertaken
at so much personal risk to himself. Mr. Whartou,
retiring to his apartment, in pursuance of his regular en
gagements, the ladies, with the young man, were left to an
D 3
38 THE SPY,
uninterrupted communication on such subjects as were
most agreeable. Even Miss Peyton was affected with the
spirits of her young relatives; and they sat for an hour
enjoying, in heedless confidence,, the pleasures of an unre
strained conversation, without reflecting on any danger
which might be impending over them. The city and their
acquaintances were not long neglected ; for Miss Peyton,
who had never forgotten the many agreeable hours of her
residence within its boundaries, soon enquired, among others,
after their old acquaintance, Colonel Wellmere.
" Oh ! " cried the Captain, gaily, " he yet continues
there, as handsome and as gallant as ever."
Although a woman be not actually in love, she seldom
hears without a blush the name of a man whom she might
love, and who has been connected with herself, by idle
gossips, in the amatory rumour of the day. Such had
been the case with Sarah, and she dropped her eyes on the
carpet with a smile, that, aided by the blush which suffused
her cheek, in no degree detracted from her native charms.
Captain Wharton, without heeding this display of in
terest in his sister, immediately continued " At times he
is melancholy we tell him it must be love." Sarah
raised her eyes to the face of her brother, and was con
sciously turning them on the rest of the party, when she
met those of her sister, laughing with good humour and
high spirits, as she cried, " Poor man, does he despair ? "
" Why, no one would think he could not ; the eldest
son of a man of wealth, so handsome, and a Colonel."
" Strong reasons, indeed, why he should prevail," said
Sarah, endeavouring to laugh ; " more particularly the
latter."
" Let me tell you," replied the Captain, gravely, " a
Lieutenant-Colonelcy in the Guards is a very pretty thing."
" And Colonel Wellmere a very pretty man," added
Frances.
" Nay, Frances," returned her sister, Colonel Well-
mere was never a favourite of yours; he is too loyal to his
king to be agreeable to your taste."
Frances quickly answered, And is not Henry loyal to
his king ? " J J
THE SPY. 39
" Come, come," said Miss Peyton, " no difference of
opinion about the Colonel he is a favourite of mine."
" Fanny likes Majors better," cried the brother, pulling
lier upon his knee.
" Nonsense," said the blushing girl, as she endeavoured
to extricate herself from the grasp of her laughing brother.
" It surprises me," continued the Captain, " that Peyton,
when he procured the release of my father, did not endea
vour to detain my sister in the rebel camp."
" That might have endangered his own liberty," said the
smiling girl, resuming her seat : " you know it is liberty
for which Major Dunwoodie is fighting."
<c Liberty ! " exclaimed Sarah ; " c very pretty liberty
which exchanges one master for fifty."
<e The privilege of changing masters at all is a liberty."
t( And one you ladies would sometimes be glad to exer
cise," cried the Captain.
" We like, I believe, to have the liberty of choosing who
they shall be in the first place," said the laughing girl ;
fc don't we, aunt Jeanette ? "
" Me ! " cried Miss Peyton, starting; " what do I know
of such things, child ? you must ask some one else, if you
wish to learn such matters."
( ' Ah ! you would have us think you were never young ;
but what am I to believe of all the tales I have heard about
the handsome Miss Jeanette Peyton ? "
(c Nonsense, my dear, nonsense," said the aunt, endea
vouring to suppress a smile ; " it is very silly to believe all
you hear."
" Nonsense, do you call it?" cried the Captain, gaily;
fc to this hour General Montrose toasts Miss Peyton; I
heard him within the week, at Sir Henry's table."
se Why, Henry, you are as saucy as your sister; and to
break in upon your folly, I must take you to see my new
home-made manufactures, which I will be bold enough to
put in contrast with the finery of Birch."
The young people rose to follow their aunt, in perfect
good humour with each other and the world. On ascend
ing the stairs to the place of deposit for Miss Peyton's articles
of domestic economy, she availed herself, however, of an
D 4
40 THE SPY.
opportunity to enquire of her nephew, whether General
Montrose suffered as much from the gout, as he had done
when she knew him.
It is a painful discovery that we make, as we advance in
life, that even those we most love are not exempt from its
frailties. When the heart is fresh, and the view of the future
unsullied by the blemishes which have been gathered from the
experience of the past, our feeh'ngs are most holy; we love to
identify with the persons of our natural friends all those
qualities to which WQ ourselves aspire, and all those virtues we
have been taught to revere. The confidence with which we
esteem seems a part of our nature ; and there is a purity
thrown around the affections which tie us to our kindred,
that after life can seldom hope to see uninjured. The family
of Mr. Wharton continued to enjoy, for the remainder of
the day, a happiness to which they had long been strangers ;
and one that sprung, in its younger members, from the
delights of the most confident affection, and the exchange of
the most disinterested endearments.
Harper appeared only at the dinner table, and he retired
with the cloth, under the pretence of some engagements in his
own room. Notwithstanding the confidence created by his
manner, the family felt his absence a relief; for the visit
of Captain Wharton was necessarily to be confined to a very
few days, both from the limitation of his leave of absence,
and the danger of a discovery.
All dread of consequences, however, was lost in the plea
sure of the meeting. Once or twice during the day, Mr.
Wharton had suggested a doubt as to the character of his
unknown guest, and the possibility of the detection of his
son proceeding in some manner from his information : but
the idea was earnestly opposed by all his children; even
Sarah uniting with her brother and sister in pleading warmly
in favour of the sincerity expressed in the outward appear
ance of the traveller.
" Such appearances, my children," replied the desponding .
parent, are but too often deceitful ; when men like Major
Andre lend themselves to the purposes of fraud, it is idle to
reason from qualities, much less externals."
" Fraud ! " cried his son quickly ; surely, sir, you for-
THE SPY. 41
get that Major Andre was serving his king, and that the
usages of war justified the measure."
" And did not the usages of war justify his death,
Henry?" enquired Frances, speaking in a low voice, un
willing to abandon what she thought the cause of her
country, and yet unable to suppress her feelings for the man.
' ' Never ! " exclaimed the young man, springing from
his seat, and pacing the floor rapidly " Frances, you
shock me ; suppose it should be my fate, even now, to fall
into the power of the rebels; you would vindicate my execu
tion perhaps exult in the cruelty of Washington."
" Henry !" said Frances, solemnly, quivering with emo
tion, and with a face pale as death, " you little know my
heart."
" Pardon me, my sister my little Fanny," cried the
repentant youth, pressing her to his bosom, and kissing off
the tears which had burst, spite of her resolution, from
her eyes.
" It is very foolish to regard your hasty words, I know,"
said Frances, extricating herself from his arms, and raising
her yet humid eyes to his face with a smile ; ' ' but reproach
from those we love is most severe, Henry ; particularly
where we we think we know" her paleness gradually
gave place to the colour of the rose, as she concluded in a
low voice, with her eyes directed to the carpet, " we are un
deserving of it."
Miss Peyton moved from her own seat to the one next
her niece, and, kindly taking her hand, observed, " You
should not suffer the impetuosity of your brother to affect
you so much ; boys, you know, are proverbially ungovern
able."
" And, from my conduct, you might add cruel," said
the captain, seating himself on the other side of his sister ;
(< but on the subject of the death of Andre we are all of us
uncommonly sensitive. You did not know him ; he was all
that was brave that was accomplished that was estima
ble." Frances smiled faintly, and shook her head, but
made no reply. Her brother, observing the marks of in
credulity in her countenance, continued " You doubt it,
and justify his death ? "
4C THE SPY.
<( I do not doubt his worth/' replied the maid, mildly,
" nor his being deserving of a more happy fate ; but I can
not doubt the propriety of Washington's conduct. I know
but little of the customs of war, and wish to know less ;
but with what hopes of success could the Americans con
tend, if they yielded all the principles which long usage
had established, to the exclusive purposes of the British ? "
" Why contend at all ? " cried Sarah, impatiently ; " be
sides, being rebels, all their acts are illegal."
" Women are but mirrors, which reflect the images be
fore them," cried the captain, good naturedly. " In Frances
I see the picture of Major Dunwoodie, and in Sarah "
" Colonel Wellmere," interrupted the younger sister,
laughing, and blushing crimson. fe I must confess I am
indebted to the Major for my reasoning am I not, aunt
Jeanette ? "
<f I believe it is something like his logic, indeed, child."
" I plead guilty ; and you, Sarah, have not forgotten the
/earned discussions of Colonel Wellmere."
(f I trust I never forget the right," said Sarah, emulating
her sister in colour, and rising, under the pretence of avoid
ing the heat of the fire.
Nothing occurred of any moment during the rest of the
day ; but in the evening Caesar reported that he had over
heard voices in the room of Harper conversing in a low
tone. The apartment occupied by the traveller was the
wing at the extremity of the building, opposite to the par
lour in which the family ordinarily assembled ; and it seems,
that Csesar had established a regular system of espionage,
with a view to the safety of his young master. This intel
ligence gave some uneasiness to all the members of the
family ; but the entrance of Harper himself, with the air
of benevolence and sincerity which shone through his re
serve, soon removed the doubts from the breast of all but
Mr. Wharton. His children and sister believed Caesar to
have been mistaken, and the evening passed off without any
additional alarm.
On the afternoon of the succeeding day, the party were
assembled in the parlour around the tea-table of Miss Pey
ton, when a change in the weather occurred. The thin
THE SPY 43
scud, that apparently floated but a short distance ahove the
tops of the hills,, began to drive from the west towards the
east in astonishing rapidity. The rain yet continued to beat
against the eastern windows of the house with fury ; in that
direction the heavens were dark and gloomy. Frances was
gazing at the scene with the desire of youth to escape from
the tedium of confinement, when as if by magic, all was still.
The rushing winds had ceased, the pelting of the storm was
over, and, springing to the window, with delight pictured
in her face, she saw a glorious ray of sunshine lighting the
opposite wood. The foliage glittered with the checkered
beauties of the October leaf, reflecting back from the moist
ened boughs the richest lustre of an American autumn. In
an instant, the piazza, which opened to the south, was
thronged with the inmates of the cottage. The air was
mild, balmy, and refreshing; in the east, clouds, which
might be likened to the retreating masses of a discomfited
army, hung around the horizon in awful and increasing
darkness. At a little elevation above the cottage, the thin
vapour was still rushing towards the east with amazing ve
locity ; while in the west the sun had broken forth and
shed his parting radiance on the scene below, aided by the
fullest richness of a clear atmosphere and a freshened herb
age. Such moments belong only to the climate of America,
and are enjoyed in a degree proportioned to the suddenness
of the contrast, and the pleasure we experience in escaping
from the turbulence of the elements to the quiet of a peace
ful evening, and an air still as the softest mornings in June.
" What a magnificent scene ! " said Harper, in a low
tone ; " how grand ! how awfully sublime ! may such a
quiet speedily await the struggle in which my country is
engaged, and such a glorious evening follow the day of her
adversity."
Frances, who stood next to him, alone heard the voice.
Turning in amazement from the view to the speaker, she
saw him standing bare headed, erect, and with his eyes
lifted to Heaven. There was no longer the quiet which had
seemed their characteristic, but they were lighted into some
thing like enthusiasm, and a slight flush passed over his
features.
44 THE SPY.
There can be no danger apprehended from such a man,
thought Frances j such feelings belong only to the virtuous.
The musings of the party were now interrupted by the
sudden appearance of the pedler. He had taken advantage
of the first gleam of sunshine to hasten to the cottage.
Heedless of wet or dry as it lay in his path, with arms
swinging to and fro, and with his head bent forward of his
body several inches, Harvey Birch approached the piazza,
with a gait peculiarly his own. It was the quick, lengthened
pace of an itinerant vender of goods.
" Fine evening," said the pedler, saluting the party
without raising his eyes ; " quite warm and agreeable for the
Mr. Wharton assented to the remark, and enquired
kindly after the health of his father. Harvey heard him,
and continued standing for some time in moody silence;
but the question being repeated, he answered with a slight
tremour in his voice
" He fails fast ; old age and hardships will do their
work." The pedler turned his face from the view of most
of the family ; but Frances noticed his glistening eyes and
quivering lip, and, for the second time, Harvey rose in her
estimation.
The valley in which the residence of Mr. Wharton stood
ran in a direction from north-west to south-east, and the
house was placed on the side of a hill which terminated its
length in the former direction. A small opening, occasioned
by the receding of the opposite hill, and the fall of the
land to the level of the tide water, afforded a view of the
Sound* over the tops of the distant woods on its margin.
The surface of the water which had so lately been lashing
the shores with boisterous fury, was already losing its
ruffled darkness in the long and regular undulations that
succeeded a tempest, while the light air from the south
west was gently touching their summits, lending its feeble
aid in stilling the waters. Some dark spots were now to
be distinguished, occasionally rising into view, and again
sinking behind the lengthened waves which interposed
vl n *? ^ nd more than fort y leagues in length lies opposite the coasts of New.
n" ne n '!? ut The arm of the se * which separates it from the maTn
u technically called a sound, and in that part of the country, par excellent
The Sound. This sheet of water varies in its breadth from five to ttort/mtes'
THE SPY. 45
themselves to the sight. They were unnoticed hy all but
the pedler. He had seated himself on the piazza, at a dis
tance from Harper, and appeared to have forgotten the
object of his visit. His roving eye, however, soon caught
a glimpse of these new objects in the view, and he sprang
up with alacrity, gazing intently towards the water. He
changed his place, glanced his eye with marked uneasiness
on Harper, and then said with great emphasis
" The rig'lars must be out from below."
" Why do you think so ?" enquired Captain Wharton,
eagerly. " God send it may be true ; I want their escort
in again."
<( Them ten whale boats would not move so fast unless
they were better manned than common."
" Perhaps," cried Mr. Wharton in alarm, ee they are
they are continentals returning from the island."
(f They look like rig'lars," said the pedler, with meaning.
te Look ! " repeated the captain, ( ' there is nothing but
epots to be seen."
Harvey disregarded his observation, but seemed to be
soliloquizing, as he said in an under tone, ' c They came out
before the gale have laid on the island these two days
horse are on the road there will soon be fighting near us."
During this speech, Birch several times glanced his eye to
wards Harper, with evident uneasiness, but no correspond
ing emotion betrayed any interest of that gentleman in the
scene. He stood in silent contemplation of the view, and
seemed enjoying the change in the air. As Birch con
cluded, however, Harper turned to his host, and mentioned
that his business would not admit of unnecessary delay;
he would, therefore, avail himself of the fine evening to
ride a few miles on his journey. Mr. Wharton made
many professions of regret at losing so agreeable an inmate ;
but was too mindful of his duty not to speed the parting
guest, and orders were instantly given to that effect.
The uneasiness of the pedler increased in a manner for
which nothing apparent could account ; his eye was con
stantly wandering towards the lower end of the vale, as if
in expectation of some interruption from that quarter. At
length Caesar appeared, leading the noble beast which
was to bear the weight of the traveller. The pedler offi-
46 THE SPY.
ciously assisted to tighten the girths, and fasten the blue
cloak and vallise to the mail straps.
Every preparation being completed, Harper proceeded to
take his leave. To Sarah and her aunt he paid his com
pliments with ease and kindness; but when he came to
Frances., he paused a moment, while his face assumed an
expression of more than ordinary benignity. His eye re
peated the blessing which had before fallen from his lips,
and the girl felt her cheeks glow, and heart beat, with a
quicker pulsation, as he spoke his adieus. There was a
mutual exchange of polite courtesy between the host and
his parting guest ; but as Harper frankly offered his hand
to Captain Wharton, he remarked, in a manner of great so
lemnity
" The step you have undertaken is one of much danger,
and disagreeable consequences to yourself may result from
it; in such a case, I may have it in my power to prove
the gratitude I owe your family for its kindness."
"Surely, sir," cried the father, losing sight of delicacy in ap-<
prehension for his child, " you will keep secret the discovery
which your being in my house has enabled you to make."
Harper turned quickly to the speaker, and then, losing
the sternness which had begun to gather on his countenance,
he answered mildly, " I have learnt nothing in your family,
sir, of which I was ignorant before; but your son is safer
from my knowledge of his visit than he would be without it."
He bowed to the whole party, and without taking any
notice of the pedler, other than by simply thanking him
for his attentions, mounted his horse, and riding steadily
and gracefully through the little gate, was soon lost behind
the hill which sheltered the valley to the northward.
The eyes of the pedler followed the retiring figure of the
horseman so long as it continued within view, and as it
disappeared from his sight, he drew a long and heavy
sigh, as if relieved from a load of apprehension. The
Whartons had meditated in silence on the character and
visit of their unknown guest for the same period, when the
father approached Birch, and observed
" I am yet your debtor, Harvey, for the tobacco you
were so kind as to bring me from the city."
THE SPY. 47
te If it should not prove so good as the first/' replied the
pedler, fixing a last and lingering look in the direction of
Harper's route, " it is owing to the scarcity of the article."
" I like it much," continued the other ; <e but you have
forgotten to name the price."
The countenance of the trader changed, and, losing its ex
pression of deep care in a natural acuteness, he answered
" It is hard to say what ought to be the price ; I be
lieve I must leave it to your own generosity."
Mr. Wharton had taken a hand well filled with the images
of Carolus III. from his pocket, and now extended it towards
Birch with three of the pieces between his finger and thumb.
Harvey's eyes twinkled as he contemplated the reward ; and
rolling over in his mouth a large quantity of the article in ques
tion, coolly stretched forth his hand, into which the dollars
fell with a most agreeable sound ; but not satisfied with the
transient music of their fall, the pedler gave each piece in
succession a ring on the stepping-stone of the piazza, be
fore he consigned it to the safe keeping of a huge deer-skin
purse, which vanished from the sight of the spectators so
dexterously, that not one of them could have told about
what part of his person it was secreted.
This very material point in his business so satisfactorily
completed, the pedler rose from his seat on the floor of the
piazza, and approached to where Captain Wharton stood,
supporting his sisters on either arm, as they listened with
the lively interest of affection to his conversation.
The agitation of the preceding incidents had caused such
an expenditure of the juices which -had become necessary
to the mouth of the pedler, that a new supply of the weed
was required before he could turn his attention to business
of lesser moment. This done, he asked abruptly
" Captain Wharton, do you go in to-night ? "
' f No ! " said the Captain, laconically, and looking at his
lovely burdens with great affection. " Mr. Birch, would
you have me leave such company so soon, when I may
never enjoy it again ? "
"Brother!" said Frances, (t jesting on such a subject
is cruel."
" I rather guess," continued the pedler, coolly, <( now
48 THE SPY.
the storm is over, the Skinners may be moving ; you had
better shorten your visit, Captain Wharton.
Oh ! " cried the British officer, ,- a few guineas will
buy off those rascals at any time, should I ^ meet them.
No, no, Mr. Birch, here I stay until morning.
"Money could not liberate Major Andre, said the
pedler, dryly.
Both the sisters now turned to the Captain in alarm,
and the elder observed
" You had better take the advice of Harvey ; rest as
sured, brother, his opinion in such matters ought not to be
disregarded."
"Yes," added the younger, "if, as I suspect, Mr.
Birch assisted you to come here, your safety, our hap
piness, dear Henry, requires you to listen to him now."
" I brought myself out, and can take myself in," said
the Captain, positively; "our bargain went no further
than to procure my disguise, and to let me know when the
coast was clear; and in the latter particular, you were
mistaken, Mr. Birch."
" I was," said the pedler, with some interest, " and the
greater is the reason why you should get back to-night ;
the pass I gave you will serve but once."
' ' Cannot you forge another ? "
The pale cheek of the trader showed an unusual colour,
but he continued silent, with his eyes fixed on the ground,
until the young man added, with great positiveness
" Here I stay this night, come what will."
" Captain Wharton," said the pedler, with great deli
beration and marked emphasis, " beware a tall Virginian,
with huge whiskers ; he is below you to my knowledge ;
the devil can't deceive him ; I never could but once."
" Let him beware of me," said Wharton, haughtily ;
" but, Mr. Birch, I exonerate you from further respons
ibility."
" Will you give me that in writing ? " asked the
cautious Birch.
" Oh ! cheerfully," cried the Captain, with a laugh ;
et Caesar ! pen, ink, and paper, while I write a discharge
for my trusty attendant, Harvey Birch, pedler, &c. &c."
THE SPY. 49
The implements for writing were produced, and the
Captain, with great gaiety, wrote the desired acknowledg
ment in language of his own ; which the pedler took, and
carefully depositing it by the side of the images of his
Catholic Majesty, made a sweeping bow to the whole
family, and departed as he had approached. He was soon
seen at a distance, stealing into the door of his own hum
ble dwelling.
The father and sisters of the Captain were too much
rejoiced in retaining the young man, to express, or even
entertain, the apprehensions his situation might reasonably
excite ; but on retiring to their evening repast, a cooler
reflection induced the Captain to think of changing his
mind. Unwilling to trust himself out of the protection of
his father's domains, the young man despatched Caesar to
desire another interview with Harvey. The black soon
returned with the unwelcome intelligence that it was now
too late. Katy had told him that Harvey must be miles
on his road to the northward, " having left home at early
candle-light with his pack." Nothing now remained to
the Captain but patience, until the morning should afford
further opportunity of deciding on the best course for
him to pursue.
" This Harvey Birch, with his knowing looks and por
tentous warnings, gives me more uneasiness than I am
willing to own," said Captain Wharton, rousing himself
from a fit of musing, in which the danger of his situation
made no small part of his meditations.
" How is it that he is able to travel to and fro in these
difficult times, without molestation?" enquired Miss
Peyton.
" Why the rebels suffer him to escape so easily, is more
than I can answer," returned the other ; " but Sir Henry
would not permit a hair of his head to be injured."
" Indeed ! " cried Frances, with interest ; " is he then
known to Sir Henry Clinton ? "
" At least he ought to be."
" Do you think, my son," asked Mr. Wharton, <e there
is no danger of his betraying you ? "
' ' Why no ; I reflected on that before I trusted my*
50 THE SPY.
self to his power/' said the Captain, thoughtfully: "he
seems to be faithful in matters of business. The danger
to himself, should he return to the city, would prevent
such an act of villany."
" I think," said Frances, adopting the manner of her
brother, " Harvey Birch is not without good feelings ; at
least, he has the appearance of them at times."
" Oh ! " cried his sister, exulting, " he has loyalty,
and that with me is a cardinal virtue."
" I am afraid," said her brother, laughing, " love of
money is a stronger passion than love of his king."
Then," said the father, " you cannot be safe while
in his power for no love will withstand the temptation
of money, when offered to avarice."
" Surely, sir," cried the youth, recovering his gaiety,
" there must be one love that can resist any thing is
there not, Fanny ? ' r
" Here is your candle, you keep your father up beyond
his usual hour."
CHAPTER V.
Through Solway sands, through Taross moss,
Blindfold, he knew the paths to cross ;
By wily turns, by desperate bounds,
Had baffled Percy's best blood-hounds.
In Eske, or Liddel, fords were none,
But he would ride them, one by one ;
Alike to him was time, or tide,
December's snow, or July's pride ;
Alike to him was tide, or time,
Moonless midnight, or matin prime.
Walter Scotf.
ALL the members of the Wharton family laid their heads
on their pillows that night, with a foreboding of some in
terruption to their ordinary quiet. Uneasiness kept the
sisters from enjoying their usual repose, and they rose from
their beds, on the following morning, unrefreshed, and
almost without having closed their eyes.
On taking an eager and hasty survey of the valley from
the windows of their room, nothing, however, but its
THE SPY. 51
usual serenity was to be seen. It was glittering with the
opening brilliancy of one of those lovely, mild days, which
occur about the time of the falh'ng of the leaf; and which,
by their frequency, class the American autumn with the
most delightful seasons of other countries. We have no
spring ; vegetation seems to leap into existence, instead of
creeping, as in the same latitudes of the old world : but
how gracefully it retires ! September, October, even No
vember and December, compose the season for enjoyment
in the open air ; they have their storms, but they are dis
tinct, and not of long continuance, leaving a clear atmo
sphere and a cloudless sky.
As nothing could be seen likely to interrupt the enjoy
ments and harmony of such a day, the sisters descended to
the parlour, with a returning confidence in their brother's
security, and their own happiness.
The family were early in assembling around the break
fast table ; and Miss Peyton, with a little of that minute
precision which creeps into the habits of single life, had
pleasantly insisted that the absence of her nephew should
in no manner interfere with the regular hours she had es
tablished; consequently, the party were already seated
when the Captain made his appearance; though the un-
tasted coffee sufficiently proved, that by none of his relatives
was his absence disregarded.
"I think I did much better," he cried, taking a chair
between his sisters, and receiving their offered salutes, ee to
secure a good bed and such a plentiful breakfast, instead of
trusting to the hospitality of that renowned corps, the Cow-
" If you could sleep," said Sarah, " you were more for
tunate than Frances and myself; every murmur of the
night air sounded to me like the approach of the rebel army."
" Why," said the Captain laughing, " I do acknowledge
a little inquietude myself but how was it with you,"
turning to his younger and evidently favourite sister, and
tapping her cheek ; " did you see banners in the clouds,
and mistake Miss Peyton's ^Eolian harp for rebellious
music ? "
(l Nay, Henry," rejoined the maid, looking at him af-
E 2
52 THE SPY.
fectionately, " much as I love my own country, the ap
proach of her troops just now would give me great pain."
The brother made no reply ; but returning the fondness
expressed in her eye by a look of fraternal tenderness, he
gently pressed her hand in silence ; when Csesar, who had
participated largely in the anxiety of the family, and who
had risen with the dawn, and kept a vigilant watch on the
surrounding objects, as he stood gazing from one of the
windows, exclaimed with a face that approached to some
thing like the hues of a white man
"Run massa Harry run if he love old Cesar,
run here come a rebel horse,"
" Run !" repeated the British officer, gathering himself
up in military pride ; te no, Mr. Caesar, running is not
my trade." While speaking, he walked deliberately to the
window, where the family were already collected in the
greatest consternation.
At the distance of more than a mile, about fifty dragoons
were to be seen, winding down one of the lateral entrances
of the valley. In advance with an officer, was a man at
tired in the dress of a countryman, who pointed in the
direction of the cottage. A small party now left the main
body, and moved rapidly towards the object of their des
tination.
On reaching the road which led through the bottom of
the valley, they turned their horses' heads to the north.
The Whartons continued chained in breathless silence to
the spot, watching their movements, when the party, having
reached the dwelling of Birch, made a rapid circle around
his grounds, and in an instant his house was surrounded by
a dozen sentinels.
Two or three of the dragoons now dismounted and dis
appeared : in a few minutes, however, they returned to the
yard, followed by Katy, from whose violent gesticulations,
it was evident that matters of no trifling concern were on
the carpet. A short communication with the loquacious
housekeeper followed the arrival of the main body of the
troop, and the advanced party remounting, the whole moved
towards the Locusts with great speed.
As yet none of the family had sufficient presence of mind
THE SPY. 53
* to devise any means of security for Captain Wharton ; but
the danger now became too pressing to admit of longer
delay, and various means of secreting him were hastily
proposed; but they were all haughtily rejected by the
young man, as unworthy of his character. It was too late
to retreat to the woods in the rear of the cottage, for he
would unavoidably be seen, and, followed by a troop of
horse, as inevitably taken.
At length, his sisters, with trembling hands, replaced
his original disguise, the instruments of which had been
carefully kept at hand by Caesar, in expectation of some
sudden emergency.
This arrangement was hastily and imperfectly completed,
as the dragoons entered the lawn and orchard of the Lo
custs, riding with the rapidity of the wind ; and in their
turn the Whartons were surrounded.
Nothing remained now, but to meet the impending ex
amination with as much indifference as the family could
assume. The leader of the horse dismounted, and, followed
by a couple of his men, he approached the outer door of
the building, which was slowly and reluctantly opened for
his admission by Csesar. The heavy tread of the trooper,
as he followed the black to the door of the parlour, rung in
the ears of the females as it approached nearer and nearer,
and drove the blood from their faces to their hearts, with a
chill that nearly annihilated feeling.
A man, whose colossal stature manifested the possession
of vast strength, entered the room, and removing his cap,
he saluted the family with a mildness his appearance did
not indicate as belonging to his nature. His dark hair hung
around his brow in profusion, though stained with the
powder which was worn at that day, and his face was nearly
hid in the whiskers by which it was disfigured. Still, the
expression of his eye, though piercing, was not bad, and
his voice, though deep and powerful, was far from unplea
sant. Frances ventured to tijrow a timid glance at his
figure as he entered, and saw at once the man, from whose
scrutiny, Harvey Birch had warned them, there was so much
to be apprehended.
" You have no cause for alarm, ladies," said the officer,
E 3
54 THE SPY.
pausing a moment, and contemplating the pale faces around
him "my business will be confined to a few questions,
wliich, if freely answered, will instantly remove us from
your dwelling."
" And what may they be, sir?" stammered Mr. Whar-
ton, rising from his chair, and waiting anxiously for the
reply.
" Has there been a strange gentleman staying with you
during the storm ? " continued the dragoon, speaking with
interest, and in some degree sharing in the evident anxiety
of the father.
" This gentleman here favoured us with his com
pany during the rain, and has not yet departed."
" This gentleman!" repeated the other, turning to Cap
tain Wharton, and contemplating his figure for a moment,
until the anxiety of his countenance gave place to a lurking
smile. He approached the youth with an air of comic
gravity, and with a low bow, continued " I am sorry for
the severe cold you have in your head, sir."
" I !" exclaimed the Captain, in surprise; et I have no
cold in my head."
" I fancied it then, from seeing you had covered such
handsome black locks with that ugly old wig; it was my
mistake, you will please to pardon it."
Mr. Wharton groaned aloud; but the ladies, ignorant
of the extent of their visitor's knowledge, remained in trem
bling yet rigid silence. The Captain himself moved his
hand involuntarily to his head, and discovered that the tre
pidation of his sisters had left some of his natural hair
exposed. The dragoon watched the movement with a con
tinued smile, when, seeming to recollect himself, turning to
the father, he proceeded
" Then, Sir, I am to understand there has not been a
Mr. Harper, here, within the week."
" Mr. Harper," echoed the other, feeling a load removed
from his heart yes, I had forgotten; but he is
gone ; and if there be any thing wrong in his character,
we are in entire ignorance of it to me he was a total
stranger."
" You have but little to apprehend from his character,"
THE SPY. 55
answered the dragoon dryly; " but he is gone how when
and whither ?"
" He departed as he arrived," said Mr. Wharton, ga
thering renewed confidence from the manner of the trooper;
" on horseback, last evening, and he took the northern road."
The officer listened to him with intense interest, his
countenance gradually lighting into a smile of pleasure ;
and the instant Mr. Wharton concluded his laconic reply,
he turned on his heel and left the apartment. The Whar-
tons, judging from his manner, thought he was about to
proceeed in quest of the object of his enquiries. They
observed the dragoon, on gaining the lawn, in earnest, and
apparently pleased conversation with his two subalterns.
In a few moments orders were given to some of the
troop, and horsemen left the valley, at full speed, by its
various roads.
The suspense of the party within, who were all highly
interested witnesses of this scene, was shortly terminated ;
for the heavy tread of the dragoon soon announced his se
cond approach. He bowed again politely as he re-entered
the room, and walking up to Captain Wharton, said, with
comic gravity
" Now, sir, my principal business being done, may I
beg to examine the quality of that wig ? "
The British officer imitated the manner of the other, as
he deliberately uncovered his head, and handing him the
wig, observed, te I hope, sir, it is to your liking."
" I cannot, without violating the truth, say it is," re
turned the dragoon ; " I prefer your ebony hair, from
which you seem to have combed the powder with great in
dustry. But that must have been a sad hurt you have re
ceived under this enormous black patch."
" You appear so close an observer of things, I should
like your opinion of it, sir," said Henry, removing the silk,
and exhibiting the cheek free from blemish.
" Upon my word, you improve most rapidly in exter
nals," added the trooper, preserving his muscles in inflexible
gravity : " if I could but persuade you to exchange this
old surtout for that handsome blue coat by your side, I
think T never could witness a more agreeable metamorpho-
E 4
55 THE SPY.
sis, since I was changed myself from a lieutenant to *
captain."
Young Wharton very composedly did as was required ;
and stood an extremely handsome, well-dressed young man.
The dragoon looked at him for a minute with the drollery
that characterised his manner, and then continued
" This is a new comer in the scene ; it is usual, you
know, for strangers to be introduced ; I am Captain Law-
ton, of the Virginia horse."
" And I, sir, am Captain Wharton, of his Majesty s
60th regiment of foot," returned Henry, bowing stiffly,
and recovering his natural manner.
The countenance of Lawton changed instantly, and his
assumed quaintness vanished. He viewed the figure of
Captain Wharton, as he stood proudly swelling with a
pride that disdained further concealment, and exclaimed,
with great earnestness
' ' Captain Wharton, from my soul I pity you ! "
" Oh ! then," cried the father in agony, " if you pity
him, dear sir, why molest him ? he is not a spy ; nothing
but a desire to see his friends prompted him to venture so
far from the regular army in disguise. Leave him with
us ; there is no reward, no sum, which I will not cheerfully
pay. "
" Sir, your anxiety for your friend excuses your lan
guage," said Lawton, haughtily ; " but you forget I am a
Virginian, and a gentleman." Turning to the young man,
he continued " Were you ignorant, Captain Wharton,
that our pickets have been below you for several days ? "
ft I did not know it until I reached them, and it was
then too late to retreat," said Wharton, sullenly. " I came
out, as my father has mentioned, to see my friends, under
standing your parties to be at Peekskill, and near the
Highlands, or surely I would not have ventured."
' ' All this may be very true ; but the affair of Andre has
made us on the alert. When treason reaches the grade of
general officers, Captain Wharton, it behoves the friends
of liberty to be vigilant."
Henry bowed to this remark in distant silence, but Sarah
ventured to urge something in behalf of her brother. The
THE SPY. 57
dragoon heard her politely,, and apparently with commiser
ation ; but willing to avoid useless and embarrassing peti
tions, he answered mildly
" I am not the commander of the party, madam ; Major
thinwoodie will decide what must be done with your bro
ther ; at all events, he will receive nothing but kind and
gentle treatment."
" Dunwoodie ! " exclaimed Frances, with a face, in
which the roses contended with the paleness of apprehen
sion for the mastery ; " thank God ! then Henry is safe ! "
Lawton regarded her with a mingled expression of pity
and admiration ; then shaking his head doubtingly, he con
tinued
" I hope so ; and with your permission, we will leave
the matter for his decision."
The colour of Frances changed from the paleness of fear
to the glow of hope. Her dread on behalf of her brother
was certainly greatly diminished ; yet her form shook, her
breathing became short and irregular, and her whole frame
gave tokens of extraordinary agitation. Her eyes rose from
the floor to the dragoon, and were again fixed immovably
on the carpet she evidently wished to utter something,
but was unequal to the effort. Miss Peyton was a close
observer of these movements of her niece, and advancing
with an air of feminine dignity, enquired
" Then, sir, we may expect the pleasure of Major Dun-
woodie's company shortly ? "
te Immediately, madam," answered the dragoon, with
drawing his admiring gaze from the person of Frances ;
" expresses are already on the road to announce to him our
situation, and the intelligence will speedily bring him to
this valley ; unless, indeed, some private reasons may exist
to make a visit particularly unpleasant."
" We shall always be happy to see Major Dunwoodie."
" Oh ! doubtless ; he is a general favourite. May I
presume on it so far as tq ask leave to dismount and re
fresh my men, who compose a part of his squadron ? "
There was a manner about the trooper, that would have
made the omission of such a request easily forgiven by
Mr. Wharton, but he was fairly entrapped by his own
58 THE SPY.
eagerness to conciliate, and it was useless to withhold a
consent which he thought would probably be extorted ; he,
therefore, made the most of necessity, and gave such orders
as would facilitate the wishes of Captain Lawton.
The officers were invited to take their morning's repast
at the family breakfast table, and having made their ar
rangements without, the invitation was frankly accepted.
None of the watchfulness, which was so necessary to their
situation, was neglected by the wary partisan. Patroles
were seen on the distant hills, taking their protecting cir
cuit around their comrades, who were enjoying, in the
midst of dangers, a security that can only spring from the
watchfulness of discipline, and the indifference of habit.
The addition to the party at Mr. Wharton's table was
only three, and they were all of them men who, under the
rough exterior induced by actual and arduous service, con
cealed the manners of gentlemen. Consequently, the in
terruption to the domestic privacy of the family was marked
by the observance of strict decorum. The ladies left the
table to their guests, who proceeded, without much super
fluous diffidence, to do proper honours to the hospitality of
Mn Wharton.
At length, Captain Lawton suspended for a moment his
violent attacks on the buckwheat cakes, to enquire of the
master of the house, if there was not a pedler of the name
of Birch who lived in the valley at times.
"At times only, I believe, sir," replied Mr. Wharton,
cautiously : ( ' he is seldom here ; I may say I never see
him."
" That is strange, too," said the trooper, looking at the
disconcerted host intently, " considering he is your next
neighbour: he must be quite domestic, sir; and to the
ladies it must be somewhat inconvenient I doubt not but
that muslin in the window-seat cost twice as much as he
would have asked them for it."
Mr. Wharton turned in consternation, and saw some of
the recent purchases scattered about the room.
The two subalterns struggled to conceal their smiles ; but
the Captain resumed his breakfast with an eagerness that
created a doubt, whether he ever expected to enjoy another.
THE SPY. 59
The necessity of a supply from the dominion of Dinah
soon, however, afforded another respite, of which Lawton
availed himself.
ff I had a wish to break this Mr. Birch of his unsocial
habits, and gave him a call this morning," he said : " had
I found him within, I should have placed him where he
would enjoy life in the midst of society, for a short time at
least."
" And where might that be, sir ? " asked Mr. Wharton,
conceiving it necessary to say something.
" The guard-room," said the trooper, dryly.
" What is the offence of poor Birch ? " asked Miss Pey
ton, handing the dragoon a fourth dish of coffee.
" Poor ! " cried the Captain ; " if he is poor, King
George is a bad paymaster."
" Yes, indeed," said one of the subalterns, e( his Ma
jesty owes him a dukedom."
" And congress a halter," continued the commanding
officer, commencing anew on a fresh supply of the cakes.
( ' I am sorry," said Mr. Wharton, " that any neighbour
of mine should incur the displeasure of our rulers."
" If I catch him," cried the dragoon, while buttering
another cake, ee he will dangle from the limbs of one of his
namesakes."
" He would make no bad ornament, suspended from one of
those locusts before his own door," added the Lieutenant
" Never mind," continued the Captain ; " I will have
him yet before I'm a major."
As the language of these officers appeared to be sincere,
and such as disappointed men in their rough occupations
are but too apt to use, the Whartons thought it prudent to
discontinue the subject. It was no new intelligence to
any of the family, that Harvey Birch was distrusted, and
greatly harassed, by the American army. His escapes from
their hands, no less than his imprisonments, had been the
conversation of the country in too many instances, and
under circumstances of too great mystery, to be easily
forgotten. In fact, no small part of the bitterness, ex
pressed by Captain Lawton against the pedler, arose from
the unaccountable disappearance of the latter, when in-
g0 THE SPY.
trusted to the custody of two of his most faithful dra-
g A twelvemonth had not yet elapsed, since Birch had heen
seen lingering near the head-quarters of the command-
er-in-chief, and at a time when important movements were
expected hourly to occur. So soon as the information
of this fact was communicated to the officer, whose duty it
was to guard the avenues of the American camp, he de
spatched Captain Lawton in pursuit of the pedler.
Acquainted with all the passes of the hills, and indefati
gable in the discharge of his duty, the trooper had, with
much trouble and toil, succeeded in effecting his object.
The party had halted at a farm-house for the purposes of
refreshment, and the prisoner was placed in a room by
himself, but under the keeping of the two men before men
tioned ; all that was known subsequently is, that a woman
was seen busily engaged in the employments of the house
hold near the sentinels, and was particularly attentive to the
wants of the captain, until he was deeply engaged in the
employments of the supper table.
Afterwards, neither woman nor pedler was to be found.
The pack, indeed, was discovered open, and nearly empty,
and a small door, communicating with a room adjoining to
the one in which the pedler had been secured, was ajar.
Captain Lawton never could forgive the deception : his
antipathies to his enemies were not very moderate, but this
was adding an insult to his penetration that rankled deeply.
He sat in portentous silence, brooding over the exploit of
his prisoner, yet mechanically pursuing the business before
him, until, after sufficient time had passed to make a very
comfortable meal, a trumpet suddenly broke on the ears of
the party, sending its martial tones up the valley, in start
ling melody. The trooper rose instantly from the table,
exclaiming
" Quick, gentlemen, to your horses ; there comes Dun-
woodie ;" and, followed by his officers, he precipitately left
the room.
With the exception of the sentinels left to guard Captain
Wharton, the dragoons mounted, and marched out to meet
their comrades.
THE SPY. 6l
None of the watchfulness necessary in a war, in which
similarity of language, appearance, and customs, rendered
prudence doubly necessary, was omitted by the cautious
leader. On getting sufficiently near, however, to a body of
horse of more than double his own number, to distinguish
countenances, Lawton plunged his rowels into his charger,
and in a moment he was by the side of his commander.
The ground in front of the cottage was again occupied
by the horse ; and, observing the same precautions as be
fore, the newly arrived troops hastened to participate in the
cheer prepared for their comrades.
CHAPTER VI.
and let conquerors boast
Their fields of fame he who in virtue arms
A young warm spirit against beauty's charms,
Who feels her brightness, yet defies her thrall,
Is the best, bravest conqueror of them all
Moore.
THE ladies of the Wharton family had collected about a
window, deeply interested in the scene we have related.
Sarah viewed the approach of her countrymen with a
smile of contemptuous indifference; for she even undervalued
the personal appearance of men, whom she thought arrayed
in the unholy cause of rebellion. Miss Peyton looked on
the gallant show with an exulting pride, which arose in the
reflection, that the warriors before her were the chosen troops
of her native colony, while Frances gazed with a singleness
of interest that absorbed all other considerations.
The two parties had not yet joined, before her quick
eyes distinguished one horseman in particular from those
around him. To her it appeared that even the steed of this
youthful soldier seemed to be conscious that-he sustained
the weight of no common man : his hoofs but lightly
touched the earth, and his airy tread was the curbed motion
of a blooded charger.
The dragoon sat in the saddle, with a firmness and ease
62 THE SPY.
that showed him master of himself and horse, his figure
uniting the just proportions of strength and activity, heing
tall, round, and muscular. To this officer Lawton made
his report, and, side by side, they rode into the field oppo
site to the cottage.
The heart of Frances beat with a pulsation nearly stifling,
as he paused for a moment, and took a survey of the build
ing, with an eye whose dark and sparkling glance could be
seen, notwithstanding the distance : her colour changed,
and for an instant, as she saw the youth throw himself from
the saddle, she was compelled to seek relief for her trem
bling limbs in a chair.
The officer gave a few hasty orders to his second in com
mand, walked rapidly into the lawn, and approached the
cottage. Frances rose from her seat, and vanished from
the apartment. The dragoon ascended the steps of the
piazza, and had barely time to touch the outer door, when
it opened to his admission.
The youth of Frances, when she left the city, had pre
vented her sacrificing, in conformity to the customs of that
day, all her native beauties on the altar of fashion. Her
hair, which was of a golden richness of colour, was left,
untortured, to fall in the natural ringlets of infancy, and it
shaded a face which was glowing with the united charms
of health, youth, and artlessness ; her eyes spoke vo
lumes, but her tongue was silent ; her hands were inter
locked before her, and, aided by her taper form, bending
forward in an attitude of expectation, gave a loveliness and
interest to her appearance, that for a moment chained her
lover in silence to the spot.
; Frances silently led the way into a vacant parlour, oppo
site to the one in which the family were assembled, and
turning to the soldier frankly, placing both her hands in his
own, exclaimed
" Ah, Dunwoodie ! how happy, on many accounts, I am
to see you ; I have brought you in here, to prepare you to
meet an unexpected friend in the opposite room."
" To whatever cause it may be owing," cried the youth,
pressing her hands to his lips, " I, too, am happy in being
able to see you alone. Frances, the probation ,you have
THE SPY. 63
decreed is cruel ; war and distance may shortly separate us
for ever."
" We must submit to the necessity which governs us. But
it is not love speeches I would hear now : I have other and
more important matter for your attention."
<( What can be of more importance than to make you
mine by a tie that will be indissoluble ! Frances, you are
cold to me me from whose mind, days of service and
nights of alarm have never been able to banish your image
for a single moment."
" Dear Dunwoodie," said Frances, softening nearly to
tears, and again extending her hand to him, as the richness
of her colour gradually returned, " you know my senti
ments this war once ended, and you may take that hand
for ever but I can never consent to tie myself to you by
any closer union than already exists, so long as you are
arrayed in arms against my only brother. Even now, that
brother is awaiting your decision to restore him to liberty,
or to conduct him to a probable death'."
" Your brother ! " cried Dunwoodie, starting and turning
pale; "your brother! explain yourself what dreadful
meaning is concealed in your words ? "
" Has not Captain Lawton told you of the arrest of
Henry by himself this very morning ? " continued Frances,
in a voice barely audible, and faxing on her lover a look of
the deepest concern.
" He told me of arresting a captain of the 60th in dis
guise, but without mentioning where or whom," replied the
Major in a similar tone; and dropping his head between his
hands, he endeavoured to conceal his feelings from his com
panion.
" Dunwoodie ! Dunwoodie !" exclaimed Frances, losing
all her former confidence in the most fearful apprehensions,
" what means this agitation ? " As the Major slowly raised
his face, in which was pictured the most expressive concern,
she continued, " Surely, surely, you will not betray your
friend my brother your brother to an ignominious
death."
' f Frances ! " exclaimed the young man in agony, ' ' what
can I do?"
THE SPY.
Do!" she repeated, gazing at him wildly; "would
Major Dunwoodie yield his friend to his enemies the
brother of his betrothed wife ? "
" Oh speak not so unkindly to me, dearest Miss Wharton
_ my own Frances. I would this moment die for you
for Henry but I cannot forget my duty cannot forfeit
my honour ; you yourself would be the first to despise me
if I did."
" Peyton Dunwoodie !" said Frances, solemnly, and with
a face of ashy paleness, " you have told me you have
sworn, that you loved me "
" I do," interrupted the soldier, with fervour ; but mo
tioning for silence, she continued, in a voice that trembled
with her fears
" Do you think I can throw myself into the arms of a
man, whose hands are stained with the blood of my only
brother!"
u Frances ! you wring my very heart ; " then pausing, to
struggle with his feelings, he endeavoured to force a smile,
as he added, " but, after all, we may be torturing ourselves
with unnecessary fears, and Henry, when I know the cir
cumstances, may be nothing more than a prisoner of war ;
in which case, I can liberate him on parole."
There is no more delusive passion than hope ; and it
seems to be the happy privilege of youth to cull all the
pleasures that can be gathered from its indulgence. It is
when we are most worthy of confidence ourselves, that we
are least apt to distrust others ; and what we think ought to
be, we are fond to think will be.
The half-formed expectations of the young soldier were
communicated to the desponding sister, more by the eye
than the voice, and the blood rushed again to her cheek, as
she cried
" Oh ! there can be no just grounds to doubt it : I knew
^ I knew Dunwoodie, you would never desert us in the
hour of our greatest need ! " The violence of her feelings
prevailed, and the agitated girl found relief in a flood of
tears.
The office of consoling those we love is one of the dearest
prerogatives of affection; and Major Dunwoodie, although
THE SPY. 65
but little encouraged by his own momentary suggestion of
relief, could not undeceive the lovely girl, who leaned on
his shoulder, as he wiped the traces of her feeling from her
face, with a trembling, but reviving confidence, in the safety
of her brother, and the protection of her lover.
Frances having sufficiently recovered her recollection to
command herself, now eagerly led the way into the opposite
room, to communicate to her family the pleasing intelligence
which she already conceived so certain.
Dunwoodie followed her reluctantly, and with forebod
ings of the result; but, a few moments brought him into
the presence of his relatives, and he summoned all his reso
lution to meet the trial with firmness.
The salutations of the young men were cordial and frank,
and, on the part of Henry Wharton, as collected as if no
thing had occurred to disturb his self-possession.
The abhorrence of being, in any manner, auxiliary to the
arrest of his friend ; the danger to the life of Captain
Wharton ; and the heart-breaking declarations of Frances,
had, however, created an uneasiness in the bosom of Major
Dunwoodie, which all his efforts could not conceal. His
reception by the rest of the family was kind and sincere,
both from old regard, and a remembrance of former obliga
tions, heightened by the anticipations they could not fail to
read in the expressive eyes of the blushing girl by his side.
After exchanging greetings with every member of the family,
Major Dunwoodie beckoned to the sentinel, whom the wary
prudence of Captain Lawton had left in charge of the pri
soner, to leave the room. Turning to Captain Wharton,
he enquired mildly
<e Tell me, Henry, the circumstances of this disguise, in
which Captain Lawton reports you to have been found, and
remember remember Captain Wharton your answers
are entirely voluntary."
" The disguise was used by me, Major Dunwoodie,"
replied the English officer, gravely, " to enable me to visit
my friends, without incurring the danger of becoming a
prisoner of war."
C( But you did not wear it, until you saw the troop of
Lawton approaching ? "
55 THE SPY.
Oh ! no," interrupted Frances, eagerly, forgetting all
the circumstances in her anxiety for her brother ; " Sarah
and myself placed them on him when the dragoons^appeared ;
it was our awkwardness that led to the discovery."
The countenance of Dunwoodie brightened, as, turning
his eyes in fondness on the speaker, he listened to her
explanation.
" Probably some articles of your own,' he continued,
" which were at hand, and were used on the spur of the
moment."
"No," said Wharton, with dignity; the clothes were
worn by me from the city; they were procured for the pur
pose to which they were applied, and I intended to use them
in my return this very day."
The appalled Frances shrunk back from between her
brother and lover, where her ardent feelings had carried her,
as the whole truth, glanced over her mind, and she sunk
into a seat, gazing wildly on the young men.
"But the pickets the party at the Plains?" added
Dunwoodie, turning pale.
" I passed them, too, in disguise. I made use of
this pass for which I paid ; and, as it bears the name of
Washington, I presume it is forged."
Dunwoodie caught the paper from his hand, eagerly, and
stood gazing on the signature for some time in silence,
during which the soldier gradually prevailed over the man ;
when he turned to the prisoner, with a searching look,
as he asked
ec Captain Wharton, whence did you procure this paper? "
" That is a question, I conceive, Major Dunwoodie has
no right to ask."
" Your pardon, sir; my feelings may have led me into an
impropriety."
Mr. Wharton, who had been a deeply interested auditor,
now so far conquered his feelings as to say, " Surely, Major
Dunwoodie, the paper cannot be material; such artifices
are used daily in war."
" This name is no counterfeit," said the dragoon, study
ing the characters, and speaking in a low voice : ' ' is treason
yet among us undiscovered?' The confidence of Washington
THE SPY. 67
has been abused, for the fictitious name is in a different
hand from the pass. Captain Wharton, my duty will not
suffer me to grant you a parole : you must accompany me
to the Highlands."
" I did not expect otherwise, Major Dunwoodie."
Dunwoodie turned slowly towards the sisters, when the
figure of Frances once more arrested his gaze. She had
risen from her seat, and stood again with her hands clasped
before him in an attitude of petition : feeling himself unable,
to contend longer with his feelings, he made a hurried excuse
for a temporary absence, and left the room. Frances fol
lowed him, and, obedient to the direction of her eye, the
soldier re-entered the apartment in which had been their
first interview.
" Major Dunwoodie," said Frances, in a voice barely
audible, as she beckoned to him to be seated ; her cheek,
which had been of a chilling whiteness, was flushed with a
suffusion that crimsoned her whole countenance ; she strug
gled with herself for a moment, and continued " I have
already acknowledged to you my esteem ; even now, when
you most painfully distress me, I wish not to conceal it.
Believe me, Henry is innocent of every thing but imprudence.
Our country can sustain no wrong." Again she paused,
and almost gasped for breath; her colour changed rapidly
from red to white, until the blood rushed into her face,
covering her features with the brightest vermilion ; and she
added hastily, in an under tone, " I have promised, Dun
woodie, when peace shall be restored to our country, to
become your wife ; give to my brother his liberty on parole,
and I will this day go with you to the altar, follow you to
the camp, and, in becoming a soldier's bride, learn to endure
a soldier's privations."
Dunwoodie seized the hand which the blushing girl, in
her ardour, had extended towards him, and pressed it for a
moment to his bosom ; then rising from his seat, he paced
the room in excessive agitation.
" Frances, say no more, I conjure you, unless you wish
to break my heart."
" You then reject my offered hand ? " she said, rising
with dignity, though her pale cheek and quivering lip plainly
showed the conflicting passions within.
r 2
68 THE SPY.
" Reject it! Have I not sought it with entreaties with
tears ? Has it not been the goal of all my earthly wishes?
But to take it under such conditions would be to dishonour
both. We will hope for better things. Henry must be
acquitted; perhaps not tried. No intercession of mine
shall be wanting, you must well know ; and believe me.,
Frances, I am not without favour with Washington."
" That very paper, that abuse of his confidence, to which
you alluded, will steel him to my brother's case. If threats
or entreaties could move his stern sense of justice, would
Andre have suffered ? " As Frances uttered these words, she
flew from the room in despair.
Dunwoodie remained for a minute nearly stupified; and
then he followed with a view to vindicate himself, and to
relieve her apprehensions. On entering the hall that divided
the two parlours, he was met by a small ragged boy, who
looked one moment at his dress, and placing a piece of paper
in his hands, immediately vanished through the outer door
of the building. The bewildered state of his mind, and
the suddenness of the occurrence, gave the Major barely
time to observe the messenger to be a country lad, meanly
attired, and that he held in his hand one of those toys which
are to be bought in cities, and which he now apparently
contemplated with the conscious pleasure of having fairly
purchased, by the performance of the service required. The
soldier turned his eyes to the subject of the note. It was
written on a piece of torn and soiled paper, and in a hand
barely legible ; but, after some little labour, he was abte to
make out as follows :
" The riglars are at hand, horse and foot" *
Dunwoodie started ; and forgetting every thing but the
duties of a soldier, he precipitately left the house. While
walking rapidly towards the troops, he noticed 'on a distant
* There died a few years since, in Bedford, West-Chester, a yeoman named
Elisha H . This person was employed by Washington as one of his most
confidential spies. By the conditions of their bargain, H was never to be
required to deal with third parties, since his risks were too imminent He was
allowed to enter also into the service of Sir Henry Clinton ; and so much confi
dence had Washington in his love of country and discretion, that he was often
intrusted with the minor military movements, in order that he might enhance
his value with the English general, by communicating them. In this manner,
H had continued to serve for a long period, when chance brought him
into the city (then held by the British) at a moment when an expedition was
about to quit it, to go against a small port established at Bedford, his uativ.e vil-
THE SPY. G<)
hill a vidette riding with speed : several pistols were fired
in quick succession; and the next instant the trumpets of
the corps rung in his ears with the enlivening strain of
" To arms ! " By the time he had reached the ground occu
pied by his squadron, the Major saw that every man was in
active motion. Lawton was already in the saddle, eyeing
the opposite extremity of the valley with the eagerness of
expectation, and crying to the musicians, in tones but little
lower than their own
(f Sound away, my lads, and let these Englishmen know,
that the Virginia horse are between them and the end of
their journey."
The videttes and patrols now came pouring in, each
making in succession his hasty report to the commanding
officer, who gave his orders coolly, a^nd with a promptitude
that made obedience certain. Once only as he wheeled his
horse to ride over the ground in front, did Dunwoodie trust
himself with a look at the cottage, and his heart beat with
an unusual rapidity as he saw a female figure standing, with
lage, where the Americans had a dep&t of provisions. H easily ascertained
the force and destination of the detachment ordered on this service, but he was
at a loss in what manner to communicate his information to the officer in com
mand at Bedford, without betraying his own true character to a third person .
There was not time to reach Washington, and under the circumstances, he finally
resolved to hazard a short note to the American commandant, stating the danger
and naming the time when the attack might be expected. To this note he even
ventured to affix his own initials E. H., though he had disguised the hand,
under a belief that, as he knew himself to be suspected by his countrymen, it
might serve to give more weight to his warning. His family being at Bedford,
the note was transmitted with facility, and arrived in good season, H him
self remaining in New- York.
The American commandant did what every sensible officer, in a similar case
would have done He sent a courier with the note to Washington, demanding
orders, while he prepared his little party to make the best defence in his power.
The head quarters of the American army were, at that time, in the High
lands. Fortunately, the express met Washington on a tour of observation
near their entrance. The note was given to him, and he read it in the saddle ;
adding, in pencil, " Believe all that E. H. tells you. George Washington." He
returned it to the courier, with an injunction to ride for life or death.
The courier reached Bedford after the British had made their attack. The
commandant read the reply, and put it in his pocket The Americans were
defeated, and their leader killed. The note of H , with the line written on
it by Washington, was found on his person.
The following day H was summoned to the presence of Sir Henry Clinton.
After the latter had put several general questions, he suddenly gave the note
to his spy, and asked if he knew the hand-writing, and demanding who the
E. H. was. " It is Elijah jHadden, the spy you hanged yesterday, at Powles
Hook." The readiness of this answer, connected with the fact that a spy having
the same initials had been executed the day before, and the coolness of H ,
saved him. Sir Henry Clinton allowed him to quit his presence, and he never
saw him afterwards.
F 3
70 THE SPY.
clasped hands, at a window of the room in which he had
met Frances. The distance was too great to distinguish
her features, but the soldier could not doubt that it was his
mistress. The paleness of his cheek and the languor of his
eye endured but for a moment longer. As he rode towards
the intended battle-ground, a flush of ardour began to show
itself on his sun-burnt features ; and his dragoons, who
studied the face of their leader, as the best index to their
own fate, saw again the wonted flashing of the eyes, and
the cheerful animation, which .they had so often witnessed
on the eve of battle. By the additions of the videttes and
parties that had been out, and which now had all joined,
the whole number of the horse was increased to nearly two
hundred. There was also a small body of men, whose ordi
nary duties were those of guides, but who, in cases of emer
gency, were embodied and did duty as foot soldiers ; these
were dismounted, and proceeded, by the order of Dun-
woodie, to level the few fences which might interfere with
the intended movements of the cavalry. The neglect of
husbandry, which had been occasioned by the war, left this
task comparatively easy. Those long lines of heavy and
durable walls, which now sweep through every part of the
country, forty years ago were unknown. The slight and
tottering fences of stone were then used more to clear the
land for the purposes of cultivation than as permanent bar
riers, and required the constant attention of the husband
man, to preserve them against the fury of the tempests and
the frosts of winter. Some few of them had been built
with more care immediately around the dwelling of Mr.
Wharton ; but those which had intersected the vale below
were now generally a pile of ruins, over which the horses
of the Virginians would bound with the fleetness of the
wind. Occasionally a short line yet preserved its erect
appearance ; but as none of these crossed the ground on
which Dunwoodie intended to act, there remained only the
slighter fences of rails to be thrown down. Their duty was
hastily, but effectually, performed; and the guides with
drew to the post assigned to them for the approaching fight.
Major Dunwoodie had received from his scouts all the
intelligence concerning his foe, which was necessary to
THE SPY. 71
enable him to make his arrangements. The bottom of the
valley was an even plain, that fell with a slight inclination
from the foot of the hills on either side, to the level of a
natural meadow that wound through the country on the
banks of a small stream, by whose waters it was often inun
dated and fertilised. This brook was easily forded in any
part of its course ; and the only impediment it offered to
the movements of the horse, was in a place where it changed
its bed from the western to the eastern side of the valley,
and where its banks were more steep and difficult of access
than common. Here the highway crossed it by a rough
wooden bridge, as it did again at the distance of half a
mile above the Locusts.
The hills on the eastern side of the valley were abrupt,
and frequently obtruded themselves in rocky prominences
into its bosom, lessening the width to half the usual dimen
sions. One of these projections was but a short distance
in the rear of the squadron of dragoons, and Dunwoodie
directed Captain Lawton to withdraw, with two troops, be
hind its cover. The officer obeyed with a kind of surly
reluctance, that was, however, somewhat lessened by the
anticipations of the effect his sudden appearance would make
on the enemy. Dunwoodie knew his man, and had selected
the captain for this service, both because he feared his pre
cipitation in the field, and knew, when needed, his support
would never fail to appear. It was only in front of the
enemy that Captain Lawton was hasty ; at all other times
his discernment and self-possession were consummately pre
served ; but he sometimes forgot them in his eagerness to
engage. On the left of the ground on which Dunwoodie
intended to meet his foe, was a close wood, which skirted
that side of the valley for the distance of a mile. Into this,
then, the guides retired, and took their station near its edge,
in such a manner as would enable them to maintain a scat
tering, but effectual fire, on the advancing column of the
enemy.
It cannot be supposed that all these preparations were
made unheeded by the inmates of the cottage ; on the con
trary, every feeling which can agitate the human breast, in
witnessing such a scene, was actively alive. Mr. Wharton
F 4
THE SPY.
alone saw no hopes to himself in the termination of the
conflict. If the British should prevail,, his son would be
liberated ; but what would then be his own fate ! He had
hitherto preserved his neutral character in the midst of
trying circumstances. The fact of his having a son in the
royal,, or, as it was called, the regular army, had very nearly
brought his estates to the hammer. Nothing had obviated
this result, but the powerful interest ^of the relation, who
held a high political rank in the state, and his own vigilant
prudence. In his heart, he was a devoted loyalist ; and
when the blushing Frances had communicated to him the
wishes of her lover, on their return from the American
camp the preceding spring, the consent he had given, to
her future union with a rebel, was as much extracted by
the increasing necessity which existed for his obtaining
republican support, as by any considerations for the happi
ness of his child. Should his son now be rescued, he would,
in the public mind, be united with him as a plotter against
the freedom of the States ; and should he remain a captive,
and undergo the impending trial, the consequences might
be still more dreadful. Much as he loved his wealth, Mr.
Wharton loved his children better ; and he sat gazing on
the movements without, with a listless vacancy in his coun
tenance, that fully denoted his imbecility of character.
Far different were the feelings of the son. Captain
Wharton had been left in the keeping of two dragoons ;
one of whom marched to and fro the piazza with a mea
sured tread, and the other had been directed to continue in
the same apartment with his prisoner. The young man
had witnessed all the movements of Dunwoodie with admir
ation mingled with fearful anticipations of the consequences
to his friends. He particularly disliked the ambush of the
detachment under Lawton, who could be distinctly seen
from the windows of the cottage, cooling his impatience, by
pacing on foot the ground in front of his men. Henry
Wharton threw several hasty and enquiring glances around,
to see if no means of liberation would offer, but invariably
found the eyes of his sentinel fixed on him with the watch
fulness of an Argus. He longed, with the ardour of youth,
to join in the glorious fray, but was compelled to remain a
THE SPY.
73
dissatisfied spectator of a scene in which he would so cheer
fully have been an actor. Miss Peyton and Sarah conti
nued gazing on the preparations with varied emotions,, in
which concern for the fate of the Captain formed the most
prominent feeling, until the moment the shedding of blood
seemed approaching, when, with the timidity of their sex,
they sought the retirement of an inner room. Not so
Frances : she returned to the apartment where she had left
Dunwoodie, and, from one of its windows, had been a
deeply interested spectator of all his movements. The
wheelings of the troops, the deadly preparations, had all
been unnoticed ; she saw her lover only, and with mingled
emotions of admiration and dread that nearly chilled her.
At one moment the blood rushed to her heart, as she saw
the young warrior riding through his ranks, giving life and
courage to all whom he addressed ; and the next, it curdled
with the thought, that the very gallantry she so much valued
might prove the means of placing the grave between her
and the object of her regard. Frances gazed until she could
look no longer.
In a field on the left of the cottage, and at a short dis
tance in the rear of the troops, was a small group, whose
occupation seemed to differ from that of all around them.
They were in number only three, being two men and a
mulatto boy. The principal personage of this party was a
man, whose leanness made his really tall stature appear ex
cessive. He wore spectacles was unarmed, had dis
mounted, and seemed to be dividing his attention between
a segar, a book, and the incidents of the field before him.
To this party Frances determined to send a note, directed
to Dunwoodie. She wrote hastily, with a pencil, " Come
to me, Peyton, if it be but for a moment /' and Caesar
emerged from the cellar kitchen, taking the precaution to
go by the rear of the building, to avoid the sentinel on the
piazza, who had very cavalierly ordered all the family to
remain housed. The black delivered the note to the gentle
man, with a request that it might be forwarded to Major
Dunwoodie. It was the surgeon of the horse to whom
Caesar addressed himself; and the teeth of the African
chattered, as he saw displayed upon the ground the several
74 THE SPY.
instruments which were in preparation for the anticipated
operations. The doctor himself seemed to view the arrange
ment with great satisfaction, as he deliberately raised his
eyes from his book to order the boy to convey the note to
his commanding officer, and then dropping them quietly
on the page, he continued his occupation. Caesar was slowly
retiring, as the third personage, who by his dress might be
an inferior assistant of the surgical department, coolly en
quired " if he would have a leg taken off? " This question
seemed to remind the black of the existence of those limbs ;
for he made such use of them as to reach the piazza at the
same instant that Major Dunwoodie rode up, at half speed.
The brawny sentinel squared himself, and poised his sword
with military precision, as he stood on his post, while his
officer passed ; but ,no sooner had the door closed, than,
turning to the negro, he said, sharply
" Harkee, blackey, if you quit the house again without
my knowledge, I shall turn barber, and shave off one of
those ebony ears with this razor."
Thus assailed in another member, Caesar hastily retreated
into his kitchen, muttering something, in which the words
" Skinner, and rebel rascal," formed a principal part of his
speech.
" Major Dunwoodie," said Frances to her lover as he
entered, " I may have done you injustice j if I have ap
peared harsh "
The emotions of the agitated girl prevailed, and she burst
into tears.
" Frances," cried the soldier with warmth, " you are
never harsh, never unjust, but when you doubt my love."
" Ah ! Dunwoodie," added the sobbing girl, " you are
about to risk your life in battle ; remember that there is
one heart whose happiness is built on your safety ; brave I
know you are ; be prudent "
" For your sake ? " enquired the delighted youth.
" For my sake," replied Frances, in a voice barely audi
ble, and dropping on his bosom.
Dunwoodie folded her to his heart, and was about to
speak, as a trumpet sounded in the southern end of the
vale. Imprinting one long kiss of affection on her unre-
THE SPY. 75
sisting lips, the soldier tore himself from his mistress, and
hastened to the scene of strife.
Frances threw herself on a sofa, huried her head under
its cushion, and with her shawl drawn over her face, to
exclude as much of sound as possible, continued there until
the shouts of the combatants, the rattling of the fire-arms,
and the thundering tread of the horses had ceased.
CHAPTER VII.
- The ga
Follow your spirit.
The game's afoot ;
spir
Shakspeare.
THE rough and unimproved face of the country, the fre
quency of covers, together with the great distance from
their own country, and the facilities afforded them for rapid
movements to the different points of the war, by the undis
puted command of the ocean, had united to deter the En
glish from employing a heavy force in cavalry, in their
early efforts to subdue the revolted colonies.
Only one regiment of regular horse was sent from the
mother-country, during the struggle. But legions and inde
pendent corps were formed in different places as it best ac
corded with the views of the royal commanders, or suited
the exigency of the times. These were not unfrequently
composed of men raised in the colonies, and at other times
drafts were had from the regiments of the line, and the
soldier was made to lay aside the musket and bayonet, and
taught to wield the sabre and carabine. One particular
body of the subsidiary troops was included in this arrange
ment, and the Hessian yagers were transformed into a
corps of heavy and inactive horse.
Opposed to them were the hardiest spirits of America.
Most of the cavalry regiments of the continental army were
led and officered by gentlemen from the south. The high
and haughty courage of the commanders had communicated
itself to the privates, who were men selected with care and
THE SPY.
great attention to the service they were intended to per
form.
While the British were confined to their empty conquests
in the possession of a few of the larger towns, or marched
through counties that were swept of every thing like mili
tary supplies, the light troops of their enemies had the
range of the whole interior.
The sufferings of the line of the American army were
great beyond example ; hut possessing the power, and feel
ing themselves engaged in a cause which justified severity,
the cavalry officers were vigilant in providing for their
wants, and the horse were well mounted, well fed, and con-*
sequently eminently effective. Perhaps the world could
not furnish more brave, enterprising, and resistless corps of
light cavalry, than a few that were in the continental service
at the time of which we write.
Dunwoodie's men had often tried their prowess against
the enemy, and they now sat panting to be led once more
against foes whom they seldom charged in vain. Their
wishes were soon to be gratified ; for their commander had
scarcely time to regain his seat in the saddle, before a body
of the enemy came sweeping round the base of the hill,
which intersected the 1 view to the south. A few minutes
enabled the Major to distinguish their character. In one
troop he saw the green coats of the Cow-Boys, and in the
other the leathern helmets and wooden saddles of the yagers.
Their numbers were about equal to the body under his im
mediate orders.
On reaching the open, space near the cottage of Harvey
Birch, the enemy halted and drew up his men in line, evi
dently making preparations for a charge. At this moment
a column of foot appeared in the vale, and pressed forward
to the bank of the brook we have already mentioned.
Major Dunwoodie was not less distinguished by coolness
and judgment, than, where occasion offered, by his dauntless
intrepidity. He at once saw his advantage, and determined
to profit by it. The column he led began slowly to retire
from the field, when the youthful German, who commanded
the enemy's horse, fearful of missing an easy conquest, gave
the word to charge. Few troops were more hardy than the
THE SPY. 77
Cow-Boys ; they sprang eagerly forward in the pursuit, with
a confidence created by the retiring foe and the column in
their rear ; the Hessians followed more slowly, but in better
order. The trumpets of the Virginians now sounded long
and lively ; they were answered by a strain from the party
in ambush that went to the hearts of their enemies. The
column of Dunwoodie wheeled in perfect order, opened,
and, as the word to charge was given, the troops of Lawton
emerged from their cover, with their leader in advance,
waving his sabre over his head, and shouting, in a voice
that was heard above the clangour of the martial music.
The charge threatened too much for the refugee troop.
They scattered in every direction, flying from the field as
fast as their horses, the chosen beasts of West- Chester, could
carry them. Only a few were hurt : but such as did meet
the arms of their avenging countrymen never survived the
blow, to tell who struck it. It was upon the poor vassals
of the German tyrant that the shock fell. Disciplined to
the most exact obedience, these ill-fated men met the charge
bravely, but they were swept before the mettled horses and
nervous arms of their antagonists like chaff before the wind.
Many of them were literaUy ridden down, and Dunwoodie
soon saw the field without an opposing foe. The proximity
of the infantry prevented pursuit, and behind its column
the few Hessians who escaped unhurt sought protection.
The more cunning refugees dispersed in small bands,
taking various and devious routes back to their old station
in front of Harlaem. Many was the sufferer, in cattle,
furniture, and person, that was created by this rout ; for
the dispersion of a troop of Cow-Boys was only the exten
sion of an evil.
Such a scene could not be expected to be acted so near
them, and the inmates of the cottage take no interest in the
result. In truth, the feelings it excited pervaded every
bosom, from the kitchen to the parlour. Terror and horror,
had prevented the ladies from being spectators, but they did
not feel the less. Frances continued lying in the posture
we have mentioned, offering up fervent and incoherent pe
titions for the safety of her countrymen, although in her
inmost heart she had personified her nation by the graceful
78 THE SPY.
image of Peyton Dunwoodie. Her aunt and sister were
less exclusive in their devotions; but Sarah began to feel,
as the horrors of war were thus brought home to her senses,
less pleasure in her anticipated triumphs.
The inmates of Mr. Wharton's kitchen were four
namely, Caesar and his spouse, their grand-daughter, a jet
black damsel of twenty, and the boy before alluded to. The
blacks were the remnants of a race of negroes which had
been entailed on his estate from Mr. Wharton's maternal
ancestors, who were descended from the early Dutch colo
nists. Time, depravity, and death, had reduced them to
this small number; and the boy, who was white, had been
added by Miss Peyton to the establishment, as an assistant,
to perform the ordinary services of a footman. Caesar, after
first using the precaution to place himself under the cover
of an angle in the wall, for a screen against any roving
bullet which might be traversing the air, became an amused
spectator of the skirmish. The sentinel on the piazza was
at the distance of but a few feet from him, and he entered
into the spirit of the chase with all the ardour of a tried
blood-hound: he noticed the approach of the black, and his
judicious position, with a smile of contempt, as he squared
himself towards the enemy, offering his unprotected breast
to any dangers which might come.
After considering the arrangement of Caesar, for a mo
ment, with ineffable disdain, the dragoon said with great
coolness
" You seem very careful of that beautiful person of yours,
Mr. Blueskin."
" A bullet hurt a coloured man as much as a white/'
muttered the black, surlily, casting a glance of much satis
faction at his rampart.
' ' Suppose I make the experiment," returned the sentinel :
as he spoke, he deliberately drew a pistol from his belt, and
levelled it at the black. Caesar's teeth chattered at the ap
pearance of the dragoon, although he believed nothing serious
was intended. At this moment the column of Dunwoodie
began to retire, and the royal cavalry commenced their
charge.
" There, Mister Light- Horseman," said Csesar eagerly,
THE SPY. 79
who believed the Americans were retiring in earnest; " why
you rebels don't fight see see how King George's men
ma,ke Major Dunwoodie run. Good gentleman too, but he
don't like to fight a rig'lar."
" Damn your regulars/' cried the other,, fiercely: <c wait
a minute, blackey, and you'll see Captain Jack Lawton
come out from behind yonder hill, and scatter these Cow-
Boys like wild geese who've lost their leader."
Csesar supposed the party under Lawton to have sought
the shelter of the hill from motives similar to that which
had induced him to place the wall between himself and the
battle-ground ; but the fact soon verified the trooper's pro
phecy, and the black witnessed with consternation the total
rout of the royal horse.
The sentinel manifested his exultation at the success of
his comrades with loud shouts, which soon brought his
companion, who had been left in the more immediate charge
of Henry Wharton, to the open window of the parlour.
" See, Tom, see," cried the delighted trooper, " how
Captain Lawton makes that Hessian's leather cap fly ; and
now the Major has killed the officer's horse zounds, why
didn't he kill the Dutchman, and save the horse ? "
A few pistols were discharged at the flying Cow-Boys,
and a spent bullet broke a pane of glass within a few feet
of Caesar. Imitating the posture of the great tempter of
our race, the black sought the protection of the inside of
the building, and immediately ascended to the parlour.
The lawn in front of the Locusts was hidden from the
view of the road by a close line of shrubbery, and the horses
of the two dragoons had been left, linked together, under
its shelter to await the movements of their masters.
At this moment two Cow-Boys, who had been cut off
from a retreat to their own party, rode furiously through
the gate, with an intention of escaping to the open wood in
the rear of the cottage.
The victorious Americans pressed the retreating Germans
until they had driven them under the protection of the fire
of the infantry ; and feeling themselves, in the privacy of
the lawn, relieved from any immediate danger, the predatory
warriors yielded to a temptation that few of the corps were
80 THE SPY.
ever known to resist opportunity and horseflesh. With
a hardihood and presence of mind that could only exist from
long practice in similar scenes, they made towards their in
tended prizes, by an almost spontaneous movement. They
were busily engaged in separating the fastenings of the
horses, when the trooper on the piazza discharged his pis-r
tols, and rushed, sword in hand, to the rescue.
The entrance of Caesar into the parlour had induced the
wary dragoon within, to turn his attention more closely on
his prisoner ; but this new interruption drew him again to
the window. He threw his body out of the building, and
with dreadful imprecations endeavoured, by his threats and
appearance, to frighten the marauders from their prey. The
moment was enticing. Three hundred of his comrades were
within a mile of the cottage; unridden horses were running
at large in every direction, and Henry Wharton seized the
unconscious sentinel by his legs, and threw him headlong
into the lawn. Caesar vanished from the room, and drew
a bolt of the outer door.
The fall of the soldier was not great, and recovering his
feet, he turned his fury for a moment on his prisoner. To
scale the window in the face of such an enemy, was, how
ever impossible, and on trial he found the main entrance
barred.
His comrade now called loudly upon him for aid, and
forgetful of every thing else, the discomfited trooper rushed
to his assistance. One horse was instantly liberated, but
the other was already fastened to the saddle of a Cow-Boy,
and the four retired behind the building, cutting furiously
at each other with their sabres, and making the air resound
with their imprecations. Caesar threw the outer door open.,
and pointing to the remaining horse, that was quietly biting
the faded herbage of the lawn, he exclaimed
" Run now run Massa Harry, run."
" Yes," cried the youth as he vaulted into the saddle,
< ' now, indeed, my honest fellow, is the time to run." He
beckoned hastily to his father, who stood at the window in
speechless anxiety, with his hands extended towards his
child in the attitude of benediction, and adding, " God bless
THE SPY. 81
you, Csesar, salute the girls/' he dashed through the gate,
with the rapidity of lightning.
The African watched him with anxiety as he gained the
highway, saw him incline to the right, and riding furiously
under the brow of some rocks, which on that side rose per
pendicularly, disappear behind a projection, which soon hid
him from view.
The delighted Caesar closed the door, pushing bolt after
bolt, and turning the key until it would turn no more, so
liloquising the whole time on the happy escape of his young
master.
" How well he ride teach him good deal myself
salute a young lady Miss Fanny wouldn't let old co
loured man kiss a red cheek."
When the fortune of the day was decided, and the time
arrived for the burial of the dead, two Cow- Boys and a
Virginian were found in the rear of the Locusts, to be in
cluded in the number.
Happily for Henry Wharton, the searching eyes of his
captor were examining, through a pocket-glass, the column
of infantry that still held its position on the bank of the
Stream, while the remnants of the Hessian yagers were seek
ing its friendly protection. His horse was of the best blood
of Virginia, and carried him with the swiftness of the wind
along the valley; and the heart of the youth was already
beating tumultuously with pleasure at his deliverance, when
a well-known voice reached his startled ear, crying aloud
" Bravely done, Captain ! Don't spare the whip, and
turn to your left before you cross the brook."
Wharton turned his head in surprise, and saw, sitting on
the point of a jutting rock that commanded a bird's eye view
of the valley, his former guide, Harvey Birch. His pack,
much diminished in size, lay at the feet of the pedler, who
waved his hat to the youth, exultingly, as the latter flew
by him. The English captain took the advice of this mys
terious being, and finding a wood road, which led to the
highway that intersected the valley, turned down its direc
tion, was soon opposite to his friends. The next minute
he crossed the bridge, and stopped his charger before his
old acquaintance, Colonel Wellmere.
G
THE SPY.
Captain Wharton ! " exclaimed the astonished com
mander of the English troops, dressed in mohair, and
mounted on a rebel dragoon horse ! are you from the clouds
in this attire, and in such a style?"
" Thank God!" cried the youth, recovering his breath,
" I am safe, and have escaped from the hands of my ene
mies ; but five minutes since and I was a prisoner, and
threatened with the gallows."
" The gallows, Captain Wharton ! surely those traitors
to the king would never dare to commit another murder in
cold blood; is it not enough that they took the life of Andre?
wherefore did they threaten you with a similar fate ? "
te Under the pretence of a similar offence," said the
captain, briefly explaining to the group of listeners the
manner of his capture, the grounds of his personal appre
hensions, and the method of his escape. By the time he
had concluded his narration, the fugitive Germans were
collected in the rear of the column of infantry, and Colonel
Wellmere cried aloud
" From my soul I congratulate you, my brave friend ;
mercy is a quality with which these traitors are unacquainted^
and you are doubly fortunate in escaping from their hands
uninjured. Prepare yourself to grant me your assistance,
and I will soon afford you a noble revenge."
" I do not think there was danger of personal outrage to
any man, Colonel Wellmere, from a party that Major Dun-
woodie commands," returned young Wharton, with a slight
glow on his face : e ' his character is above the imputation of
such an offence ; neither do I think it altogether prudent to
cross this brook into the open plain, in the face of those
Virginian horse, flushed as they must be with the success
they have just obtained."
" Do you call the rout of those irregulars and these
sluggish Hessians a deed to boast of?" said the other with
a contemptuous smile : " you speak of the affair, Captain
Wharton, as if your boasted Mr. Dunwoodie, for Major he
is none, had discomfited the body guards of your king."
" And I must be allowed to say, Colonel Wellmere, that
if the body guards of my king were in yon field, they would
meet a foe that it would be dangerous to despise. Sir, my
THE SPY. 83
boasted Mr. Dunwoodie is the pride of Washington's army
as a cavalry officer/' cried Henry with warmth.
' ' Dunwoodie Dunwoodie !" repeated the Colonel slowly ;
ff surely I have met the gentleman before."
f( I have been told you once saw him for a moment, at
the town residence of my sisters," replied Wharton, with a
lurking smile.
{f Ah ! I do remember me of such a youth ; and does the
most potent congress of these rebellious colonies intrust their
soldiers to the leading of such a warrior ! "
" Ask the commander of yon Hessian horse, whether he
thinks Major Dunwoodie worthy of the confidence."
Colonel Wellmere was far from wanting that kind of
pride which makes a man bear himself bravely In the pre
sence of his enemies. He had served in America a long
time, without ever meeting with any but new raised levies,
or the militia of the country. These would sometimes fight,
and that fearlessly, but they as often chose to run away
without pulling a trigger. He was too apt to judge from
externals, and thought it impossible for men whose gaiters
were so clean, whose tread so regular, and who wheeled with
so much accuracy, to be beaten. In addition to all these,
they were Englishmen, and their success was certain. Co
lonel Wellmere had never been kept much in the field, or
these notions, which he had brought with him from home,
and which had been greatly increased by the vapouring of a
garrisoned town, would have long since vanished. He
listened to the warm reply of Captain Wharton with a
supercilious smile, and then enquired
" You would not have us retire, sir, before these boasted
horsemen, without doing something that may deprive them
of part of the glory which you appear to think they have
gained ? "
** I would have you advised, Colonel Wellmere, of the
danger you are about to encounter."
" Danger is but an unseemly word for a soldier," con
tinued the British commander with a sneer.
" And one as little dreaded by the 60th as any corps who
wear the royal livery," cried Henry Wharton, fiercely ;
' give but the word to charge, and let our actions speak."
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84 THE SPY.
" Now again I know my young friend/' said Wellmere,
soothingly ; " but if you have any thing to say before we
fight,, that can in any manner help us in our attack, we'll
listen. You know the force of the rebels : are there more
of them in ambush."
" Yes/' replied the youth, chafing still with the other's
sneers, " in the skirt of this wood on our right are a small
party of foot : their horse are all before you."
" Where they will not continue long/' cried Wellmere,
turning to the few officers around him. " Gentlemen, we
will cross the stream in column, and display on the plain
beyond, or else we shall not be able to entice these valiant
Yankees within the reach of our muskets. Captain Wharton,
I claim your assistance as an aide-de-camp."
The youth shook his head in disapprobation of a movement
which his good sense taught him was rash, but prepared
with alacrity to perform his duty in the impending trial.
During this conversation, which was held at a small dis
tance in advance of the British column, and in full view of
the Americans, Dunwoodie had been collecting his scat
tered troops, securing his few prisoners, and retiring to the
ground where he had been posted at the first appearance of
his enemy. Satisfied with the success he had already ob
tained, and believing the English too wary to give him an
opportunity of harassing them farther, he was about to
withdraw the guides; and, leaving a strong party on the
ground to watch the movement of the regulars, to fall back
a few miles, to a favourable place for taking up his quarters
for the night. Captain Lawton was reluctantly listening to
the reasoning of his commander, and had brought out his
favourite glass, to see if no opening could be found for an
advantageous attack, when he suddenly exclaimed
" How's this ? a blue coat among those scarlet gentry.
As I hope to live to see old Virginia, it is my masquerading
friend of the 60th, the handsome Captain Wharton, escaped
from two of my best men !"
He had not done speaking when the survivor of these
'heroes joined his troop, bringing with him his own horse
and those of the Cow-Boys : he reported the death of his
comrade, and the escape of his prisoner. As the deceased
THE SPY. 85'
was the immediate sentinel over the person of young Whar
ton, and the other was not to be blamed for defending the
horses, which were more particularly under his care, his
captain heard him with uneasiness, but without anger.
This intelligence made an entire change in the views of
Major Dunwoodie. He saw at once that his own reputation
was involved in the escape of his prisoner. The order to
recall the guides was countermanded, and he now joined
his second in command, watching as eagerly as the im
petuous Lawton himself, for some opening to assail his foe
to advantage.
But two hours before, and Dunwoodie had felt the chance
which made Henry Wharton his captive, as the severest
blow he had ever sustained. Now he panted for an oppor
tunity in which, by risking his own life, he might recapture
his friend. All other considerations were lost in the goad-
ings of a wounded spirit, and he might have soon emulated
Lawton in hardihood, had not Wellmere and his troops at
this moment crossed the brook into the open plain.
" There," cried the delighted Captain, as he pointed out
the movement with his finger, " there comes John Bull
into the mouse-trap, and with eyes wide open."
" Surely," said Dunwoodie, eagerly, " he will not display
his column on that flat: Wharton must tell him of the
ambush. But if he does "
fe We will not leave him a dozen sound skins in his
battalion," interrupted the other, springing intp his saddle.
The truth was soon apparent ; for the English column,
after advancing for a short distance on the level land, disf-
played with an accuracy that would have done them honour
on a field day in their own Hyde Park.
" Prepare to mount mount," cried Dunwoodie; the
last word being repeated by Lawton in a tone that rung in
the ears of Caesar, who stood at the open window of the
cottage. The black recoiled in dismay, having lost all his
confidence in Captain Lawton's timidity ; for he thought he
yet saw him emerging from his cover and waving his sword
on high.
As the British line advanced slowly and in exact order,
the guides opened a galling fire. It began to annoy that
G 3
86 THE SPY.
part of the royal troops which was nearest to them. Well-
mere listened to the advice of the veteran who was next to
him in rank, and ordered two companies to dislodge the
American foot from their hiding-place. The movement
created a slight confusion ; and Dunwoodie seized the
opportunity to charge. No ground could be more favour
able for the manoeuvres of horse, and the attack of the Vir
ginians was irresistible, It was aimed chiefly at the bank
opposite to the wood, in order to clear the Americans from
the fire of their friends who were concealed ; and it was
completely successful. Wellmere, who was on the left of
his line, was overthrown by the impetuous fury of his
assailants. Dunwoodie was in time to save him from the
impending blow of one of his men, and raised him from
the ground, had him placed on a horse, and delivered to
the custody of his orderly. The officer who had suggested
the attack upon the guides had been intrusted with its exe
cution, but the menace was sufficient for these irregulars.
In fact, their duty was performed, and they retired along
the skirt of the wood with intent to regain their horses,
which had been left under a guard at the upper end of the
valley.
The left of the British line was outflanked by the Ame
ricans, who doubled in their rear, and thus made the rout
in that quarter total. But the second in command, per
ceiving how the battle went, promptly wheeled his party,
and threw in a heavy fire on the dragoons, as they passed
him to the charge; with this party was Henry Wharton,
who had volunteered to assist in dispersing the guides : a
ball struck his bridle arm, and compelled him to change
hands. As the dragoons dashed by them, rending the air
with their shouts, and with trumpets sounding a lively
strain, the charger ridden by the youth became ungovern
able he plunged, reared, and his rider being unable, with
his wounded arm, to manage the impatient animal, Henry
Wharton found himself, in less than a minute, unwillingly
riding by the side of Captain Lawton. The dragoon com
prehended at a glance the ludicrous situation of his new
comrade, but had only time to cry aloud before they plunged
into the English line
THE SPY.* 87
" The horse knows the righteous cause hetter than his
rider. Captain Wharton, you are welcome to the ranks of
freedom."
No time was lost, however,, by Lawton, after the charge
was completed, in securing his prisoner again ; and, per
ceiving him to be hurt, he directed him to be conveyed to
the rear.
The Virginian troopers dealt out their favours, with no
gentle hands, on that part of the royal foot who were thus
left in a great measure at their mercy. Dunwoodie, ob
serving that the remnant of the Hessians had again ventured
on the plain, led on in pursuit, and easily overtaking their
light and half fed horses, soon destroyed the remainder of
the detachment.
In the mean while, great numbers of the English, taking
advantage of the smoke and confusion in the field, were
enabled to get in the rear of the body of their countrymen,
which still preserved its order in a line parallel to the wood,
but which had been obliged to hold its fire from the fear of
injuring friends as well as foes. The fugitives were directed
to form a second line within the wood itself, and under
cover of the trees. This arrangement was not yet com
pleted, when Captain Lawton called to a youth, who com
manded the other troop left with that part of the force which
remained on the ground, and proposed charging the un
broken line of the British. The proposal was as promptly
accepted as it had been made, and the troops were arrayed
for the purpose. The eagerness of their leader prevented
the preparations necessary to ensure success, and the horse,
receiving a destructive fire as they advanced, were thrown
into additional confusion. Both Lawton and his more
juvenile comrade fell at this discharge. Fortunately for
the credit of the Virginians, Major Dunwoodie re-entered
the field at this critical instant ; he saw his troops in dis
order ; at his feet lay weltering in blood George Singleton,
a youth endeared to him by numberless virtues, and Lawton
was unhorsed, and stretched on the plain. The eye of the
youthful warrior flashed fire. Riding between this squadron
and the enemy, in a voice that reached the hearts of his
dragoons, he recalled them to their duty. His presence
G 4
gg THE SPY.
and words acted like magic. The clamour of voices ceased ;
the line was formed promptly and with exactitude; the
charge sounded ; and, led on by their commander, the Vir
ginians swept across the plain with an impetuosity that
nothing could withstand, and the field was instantly cleared
of the enemy: those who were not destroyed sought a
shelter in the woods. Dunwoodie slowly withdrew from
the fire of the English who were covered by the trees, and
commenced the painful duty of collecting his dead and
wounded.
The sergeant, charged with conducting Henry Wharton
to a place where he might procure surgical aid, set about
performing his duty with alacrity, in order to return as
soon as possible to the scene of strife. They had not
reached the middle of the plain, before the captain noticed
a man whose appearance and occupation forcibly arrested
his attention. His head was bald and bare, but a well-
' powdered wig was to be seen, half concealed, in the pocket
of his breeches. His coat was off, and his arms were naked
to the elbow j blood had disfigured much of his dress, and
his hands, and even face, bore this mark of his profession;
in his mouth was a segar ; in his right hand some instru*
ments of strange formation, and in his left the remnants of
an apple, with which he occasionally relieved the duty of
the before-mentioned segar. He was standing, lost in the
contemplation of a Hessian, who lay breathless before him.
At a little distance were three or four of the guides, leaning
on their muskets, and straining their eyes in the direction
of the combatants, and at his elbow stood a man who, from
the implements in his hand, and his bloody vestments,
seemed an assistant.
" There, sir, is the doctor," said the attendant of Henry,
very coolly ; " he will patch up your arm in the twinkling
of an eye ;" and beckoning to the guides to approach, he
whispered and pointed to his prisoner, and then galloped
furiously towards his comrades.
Wharton advanced to the side of this strange figure, and
observing himself to be unnoticed, was about to request his
assistance, when the other broke silence in a soliloquy
" Now, I know this man to have been killed by Captain
THE SPY. 89
Lawton, as well as if I had seen him strike the blow. How
often have I strove to teach him the manner in which he
can disable his adversary, without destroying life. It is
cruel thus unnecessarily to cut off the human race, and fur
thermore, such blows as these render professional assistance
unnecessary ; it is in a measure treating the lights of science
with disrespect."
" If, sir, your leisure will admit," said Henry Wharton,
" I must beg your attention to a slight hurt."
" Ah ! " cried the other, starting, and examining him
from head to foot, " you are from the field below ; is there
much business there, sir ? "
" Indeed," answered Henry, accepting the offer of the
surgeon to assist in removing his coat, " 'tis a stirring time,
I can assure you."
" Stirring ! " repeated the surgeon, Busily employed with
his dressings ; " you give me great pleasure, sir; for so long
as they can stir there must be life, and while there is life,
you know, there is hope ; but here my art is of no use ; I
did put in the brains of one patient, but I rather think the
man must have been dead before I saw him. It is a curious
case, sir ; I will take you to see it only across the fence
there, where you may perceive so many bodies together.
Ah ! the ball has glanced around the bone without shat
tering it ; you are fortunate in falling into the hands of an
old practitioner, or you might have lost this limb."
ff Indeed!" said Henry, with a slight uneasiness; <e I
did not apprehend the injury to be so serious."
" Oh ! the hurt is not bad, but you have such a pretty
arm for an operation ; the pleasure of the thing might have
tempted a novice."
<e The devil ! " cried the captain ; " can there be any
pleasure in mutilating a fellow- creature ? "
" Sir," said the surgeon, with gravity, " a scientific am
putation is a very pretty operation, and doubtless might
tempt a younger man, in the hurry of business, to overlook
all the particulars of the case."
Further conversation was interrupted by the appearance
of the dragoons, slowly marching towards their former
halting-place, and new applications from the slightly
90 THE SPY.
wounded soldiers, who now came riding in, making hasty
demands on the skill of the doctor.
The guides took charge of Wharton, and with a heavy
heart, the young man retraced his steps to his father's
cottage.
The English had lost in the several charges about one
third of their foot, but the remainder were rallied in the
wood; and Dunwoodie, perceiving them to be too strongly
posted to assail, had left a strong party with Captain Lawton,
with orders to watch their motions, and to seize every op
portunity to harass them before they re-embarked.
Intelligence had reached the Major of another party being
out, by the way of the Hudson, and his duty required that
he should hold himself in readiness to defeat the intentions
of these also. Captain Lawton received his orders, with
strong injunctions to make no efforts on the foe, unless a
favourable chance should offer. The injury received by
this officer was in the head, being stunned by a glancing
bullet; and parting with a laughing declaration from the
Major, that if he again forgot himself, they should all
think him more materially hurt, each took his own course.
The British were a light party without baggage, that
had been sent ' out to destroy certain stores understood to
be collecting for the use of the American army. They now
retired through the woods to the heights, and keeping the
route along their summits, in places unassailable by cavalry,
commenced a retreat to their boats.
CHAPTER VIII.
" With fire and sword the country round
Was wasted far and wide ;
And many a childing mother then,
And new-born infant, died ;
But things like these, you know, must be
At every famous victory."
THE last sounds of the combat died on the ears of the
anxious listeners in the cottage, and were succeeded by the
stillness of suspense. Frances had continued by herself,
striving to exclude the uproar, and vainly endeavouring to
summon resolution to meet the dreaded result. The ground
where the charge on the foot had taken place was but a
short mile from the Locusts, and, in the intervals of the
musketry, the cries of the soldiers had even reached the
ears of its inhabitants. After witnessing the escape of his
son, Mr. Wharton had joined his sister and eldest daughter
in their retreat, and the three continued fearfully waiting
for news from the field. Unable longer to remain under
the painful uncertainty of her situation, Frances soon added
herself to the uneasy group, and Ctesar was directed to
examine into the state of things without, and report on
whose banners victory had alighted. The father now
briefly related to his astonished children the circumstance
and manner of their brother's escape. They were yet in
the freshness of their surprise, when the door opened, and
Captain Wharton, attended by a couple of the guides, and
followed by the black, stood before them.
" Henry my son, my son," cried the agitated parent,
stretching out his arms, yet unable to rise from his seat ;
" what is it I see ; are you again a captive, and in danger
of your life ? "
" The better fortune of these rebels has prevailed," said
the youth, endeavouring to force a cheerful smile, and taking
a hand of each of his distressed sisters. " I strove nobly
for my liberty ; but the perverse spirit of rebellion has even
92 THE SPY.
lighted on their horses. The steed I mounted carried me,
greatly against my will, I acknowledge, into the very cen
tre of Dunwoodie's men."
te And you were again captured," continued the father,
casting a fearful glance on the armed attendants who had
entered the room.
" That, sir, you may safely say : this Mr. Lawton, who
sees so far, had me in custody again immediately."
" Why you no hold 'em in, Massa Harry ? " cried Cassar,
pettishly.
" That," said Wharton, smiling, "was a thing easier said
than done, Mr. Caesar, especially as these gentlemen'*
(glancing his eyes at the guides) "had seen proper to de
prive me of the use of my better arm."
' ' Wounded ! " exclaimed both sisters in a breath.
" A mere scratch, but disabling me at a most critical
moment," continued the brother, kindly, and stretching out
the injured limb to manifest the truth of his declaration.
Caesar threw a look of bitter animosity on the irregular
warriors who were thought to have had an agency in the
deed, and left the room. A few more words sufficed to
explain all that Captain Wharton knew relative to the for
tune of the day. The result he thought yet doubtful, for
when he left the ground, the Virginians were retiring from
the field of battle.
" They had tree'd the squirrel," said one of the sentinels
abruptly, " and didn't quit the ground without leaving a
good hound for the chase, when he comes down."
. " Ay," added his comrade, dryly, "I'm thinking Captain
Lawton will count the noses of what are left before they
see their whale-boats."
Frances had stood supporting herself by the back of a
chair, during this dialogue, catching in breathless anxiety
every syllable as it was uttered; her colour changed rapidly;
her limbs shook under her ; until, with desperate resolution,
she enquired
"Is any officer hurt on the on either side ? "
" Yes," answered the man, cavalierly, "these southern
youths are so full of mettle, that it's seldom we fight but
one or two gets knocked over ; one of the wounded, who
THE SPY. 93
came up before the troops told me that Captain Singleton
was killed, and Major Dunwoodie "
Frances heard no more, but fell lifeless in the chair be
hind her. The attention of her friends soon revived her,
when the Captain, turning to the man, said, fearfully
<c Surely Major Dunwoodie is unhurt ?"
ff Never fear him," added the guide, disregarding the
agitation of the family ; " they say a man who is born to
be hanged will never be drowned : if a bullet could kill the
Major, he would have been dead long ago. I was going to
say, that the Major is in a sad taking because of the Cap
tain's being killed ; but had I known how much store the
lady sat by him, I wouldn't have been so plain spoken."
Frances now rose quickly from her seat, with cheeks
glowing with confusion, and leaning on her aunt, was about
to retire, when Dunwoodie himself appeared. The first
emotion of the agitated girl, was unalloyed happiness ; in
the next instant she shrunk back appalled from the unusual
expression that reigned in his countenance. The sternness
of battle yet sat on his brow ; his eye was fixed, and severe.
The smile of affection that used to lighten his dark features
on meeting his mistress, was supplanted by -the lowering
look of care ; his whole soul seemed to be absorbed in one
engrossing emotion, and he proceeded at once to his object.
" Mr. Wharton," he earnestly began, "in times like
these, we need not stand on idle ceremony : one of my
officers, I am afraid, is hurt mortally ; and presuming on
your hospitality, I have brought him to your door."
" I am happy, sir, that you have done so," said Mr.
Wharton, at once perceiving the importance of conciliating
the American troops; "the necessitous are always welcome,
and doubly so, in being the friend of Major Dunwoodie."
" Sir, I thank you for myself, and in behalf of him who
is unable to render you his thanks," returned the other,
hastily : " if you please, we will have him conducted where
the surgeon may see and report upon his case, without
delay." To this there could be no objection; and Frances
felt a chiil at her heart, as her lover withdrew, without
casting a solitary look on herself.
There is a devotedness in female love that admits of no
94 THE SPY.
rivalry. All the tenderness of the heart, all the powers of
the imagination, are enlisted in behalf of the tyrant passion,
and where all is given, much is looked for in return. Fran
ces had spent hours of anguish, of torture, on account of
Dunwoodie, and he now met her without a smile, and left
her without a greeting. The ardour of her feelings was
unabated, but the elasticity of her hopes was weakened. As
the supporters of the nearly lifeless body of Dunwoodie's
friend passed her, in their way to the apartment prepared
for his reception, she caught a view of this seeming rival.
His pale and ghastly countenance, sunken eye, and diffi
cult breathing, gave her a glimpse of death in its most
fearful form. Dunwoodie was by his side, and held his
hand, giving frequent and stern injuctions to the men to
proceed with care, and, in short, manifesting all the so
licitude that the most tender friendship could, on such an
occasion, inspire. Frances moved h'ghtly before them, and,
with an averted face, she held open the door for their pas
sage to the bed; it was only as the Major touched her
garments, on entering the room, that she ventured to raise
her mild blue eyes to his face. But the glance was unre-
turned, and Frances unconsciously sighed as she sought the
solitude of her own apartment.
Captain Wharton voluntarily gave a pledge to his keepers
not to attempt again escaping, and then proceeded to exe
cute those duties, on behalf of his father, which were
thought necessary in a host. On entering the passage for
that purpose, he met the operator who had so dexterously
dressed his arm, advancing to the room of the wounded
officer.
" Ah !" cried the disciple of Esculapius, " 1 see you are
doing well : but stop ; have you a pin ? No ! here, I have
one ; you must keep the cold air from your hurt, or some
of the youngsters will be at work at you yet."
c( God forbid," muttered the Captain, in an under tone,
attentively adjusting the bandages ; when Dunwoodie ap
peared at the door, impatiently crying aloud
" Hasten, Sitgreaves, hasten ; or George Singleton will
die from loss of blood."
"What! Singleton! God forbid. Bless me is it
THE SPY. 95
George poor little George," exclaimed the surgeon, as he
quickened his pace with evident concern, and hastened to
the side of the bed ; " he is alive though, and while there
is life there is hope. This is the first serious case I have
had to-day, where the patient was not already dead. Cap
tain Lawton teaches his men to strike with so little discretion
poor George bless me, it is a musket bullet."
The youthful sufferer turned his eyes on the man of
science, and with a faint smile endeavoured to stretch forth
his hand. There was an appeal in the look and action that
touched the heart of the operator. The surgeon removed
his spectacles to wipe an unusual moisture from his eyes,
and proceeded carefully to the discharge of his duty.
While the previous arrangements were, however, making,
he gave vent in some measure to his feelings, by saying
" When it is only a bullet, I have always some hopes ;
there is a chance that it hits nothing vital j but, bless me,
Captain Lawton 's men cut so at random generally sever
the jugular or the carotid artery, or let out the brains, and
all are so difficult to remedy the patient mostly dying
before one can get at him. I never had success but once
in replacing a man's brains, although I have tried three this
very day. It is easy to tell where Lawton's troop charge
.in a battle, they cut so at random."
The group around the bed of Captain Singleton were too
much accustomed to the manner of their surgeon to regard
or to reply to his soliloquy ; but they quietly awaited the
moment when he was to commence his examination. This
now took place, and Dunwoodie stood looking the operator
in the face, with an expression that seemed to read his soul.
,The patient shrunk from the application of the probe > and
a smile stole over the features of the surgeon, as he mut
tered
" There has been nothing before it in that quarter."
He now applied himself in earnest to his work, took off his
spectacles, and threw aside his wig. All this time Dun
woodie stood in feverish silence, holding one of the hands
of the sufferer in both his own, watching the countenance
of Doctor Sitgreaves. At length Singleton gave a slight
groan, and the surgeon rose with alacrity, and said aloud
THE SPY.
" Ah ! there is some pleasure in following a bullet ; it
may be said to meander through the human body, injuring
nothing vital; but as for Captain Lawton's men "
" Speak," interrupted Dunwoodie: " is there hope?
can you find the ball ? "
" It's no difficult matter to find that which one has in his
hand, Major Dunwoodie," replied the surgeon, coolly, pre
paring his dressings: " it took what that literal fellow,
Captain Lawton, calls a circumbendibus, a route never
taken by the swords of his men, notwithstanding the mul
tiplied pains I have been at to teach him how to cut scien
tifically. Now, I saw a horse this day with his head half
severed from his body."
" That," said Dunwoodie, as the blood rushed to his
cheeks again, and his dark eyes sparkled with the rays of
hope, " was some of my handiwork ; I killed that horse
myself."
" You ! " exclaimed the surgeon, dropping his dressing
in surprise, " you ! but you knew it was a horse !"
" I had such suspicions, I own," said the Major, smiling,
and holding a beverage to the lips of his friend.
" Such blows alighting on the human frame are fatal,"
continued the Doctor, pursuing his business ; " they set at
nought the benefits which flow from the lights of science ;
they are useless in a battle, for disabling your foe is all
that is required. I have sat, Major Dunwoodie, many a
cold hour, while Captain Lawton has been engaged, and
after all my expectation, not a single case worth recording
has occurred all scratches or death- wounds ; ah ! the
sabre is a sad weapon in unskilful hands ! Yes, Major
Dunwoodie, many are the hours I have thrown away in
endeavouring to impress this truth on Captain John
Lawton."
The impatient Major pointed silently to his friend, and
the surgeon quickened his movements.
" Ah ! poor George, it is a narrow chance; but " he
was interrupted by a messenger requiring the presence of
the commanding officer in the field. Dunwoodie pressed
the hand of his friend, and beckoned the Doctor to follow
him, as he withdrew.
THE SPY. 97
fe What think you ? " he whispered, on reaching the
passage ; ' ' will he live ? "
He will."
" Thank God !" cried the youth, hastening below.
Dunwoodie for a moment joined the family, who were
now collecting in the ordinary parlour. His face was no
longer wanting in smiles, and his salutations, though hasty,
were cordial. He took no notice of the escape and recap
ture of Henry Wharton, but seemed to think the young
man had continued where he had left him before the en
counter. On the ground they had not met. The English
officer withdrew in haughty silence to a window, leaving
the Major uninterrupted to make his communications.
The excitement produced by the events of the day in the
youthful feelings of the sisters, had been succeeded by a
languor that kept them both silent, and Dunwoodie held
his discourse with Miss Peyton.
" Is there any hope, my cousin, that your friend can
survive his wound ?" said 'the lady, advancing towards her
kinsman, with a smile* of benevolent regard.
" Every thing, my dear madam, every thing," answered
the soldier cheerfully. " Sitgreaves says he will live, and
he has never deceived me."
fc Your pleasure is not much greater than my own at
this intelligence. One so dear to Major Dunwoodie cannot
fail to excite an interest in the bosom of his friends. "
" Say one so deservedly dear, madam," returned the
Major, with warmth ; " he is the beneficent spirit of the
corps, equally beloved by us all ; so mild, so equal, so just,
so generous, with the meekness of a lamb and the fondness
of a dove it is only in the hour of battle that Singleton is
a lion."
" You speak of him as if he were your mistress, Major
Dunwoodie," observed the smiling spinster, glancing her
eye at her niece, who sat pale and listening, in a corner of
the room.
" I love him as one," cried the excited youth ; " but he
requires care and nursing ; all now depends on the attention
he receives."
" Trust me, sir, he will want for nothing under this roof."
H
98 THE SPY.
Pardon me, dear madam ; you are all that is benevolent,
but Singleton requires a care which many men would feel
to be irksome. It is at moments like these, and in suffer
ings like this, that the soldier most finds the want of female
tenderness." As he spoke, he turned his eyes on Frances
with an expression that again thrilled to the heart of his
mistress ; she rose from her seat with burning cheeks, and
said
(f All the attention that can with propriety be given to a
stranger, will be cheerfully bestowed on your friend."
f< Ah !" cried the Major, shaking his head, " that cold
word propriety will kill him ; he must be fostered, cherished,
soothed."
" These are offices for a sister or a wife."
" A sister ! " repeated the soldier, the blood rushing to
his own face tumultuously; " a sister ! he has a sister ; and
one that might be here with to-morrow's sun." He paused,
mused in silence, glanced his eye uneasily at Frances, and
muttered in an under tone " Singleton requires it, and it
must be done."
The ladies had watched his varying countenance in some
surprise, and Miss Peyton now observed that
" If there were a sister of Captain Singleton near them,
her presence would be gladly requested both by herself and
nieces."
' ' It must be, madam ; it cannot well be otherwise," re
plied Dunwoodie, with a hesitation that but ill agreed with
his former declarations ; " she shall be sent for express
this very night." And then, as if willing to change the
subject, he approached Captain Wharton, and continued,
mildly
" Henry Wharton, to me honour is dearer than life ;
but in your hands I know it can safely be confided ; remain
here unwatched, until we leave the county, which will not
be for some days."
The distance in themanner of the English officer vanished,
and taking the offered hand of the other, he replied with
warmth ef Your generous confidence, Peyton, will not
be abused, even though the gibbet on which your Washing
ton hung Andre be ready for my own execution."
THE SPY. 99
" Henry, Henry Wharton/' said Dunwoodie reproach
fully, " you little know the man who leads our armies, or
you would have spared him that reproach ; but duty calls
me without. I leave you where I could wish to stay my
self, and where you cannot be wholly unhappy."
In passing Frances, she received another of those smiling
looks of affection she so much prized, and for a season the
impression made by his appearance after the battle was for
gotten.
Among the veterans that had been impelled by the times
to abandon the quiet of age for the service of their country,
was Colonel Singleton. He was a native of Georgia, and
had been for the earlier years of his life a soldier by pro
fession. When the struggle for liberty commenced, he
offered his services to his country, and from respect to his
character they had been accepted. His years and health
had, however, prevented his discharging the active duties
of the field, and he had been kept in command of different
posts of trust, where his country might receive the benefits
of his vigilance and fidelity without inconvenience to him
self. For the last year he had been intrusted with the
passes into the Highlands, and was now quartered, with his
daughter, but a short day's march above the valley where
Dunwoodie had met the enemy. His only other child was
the wounded officer we have mentioned. Thither, then,
the Major prepared to despatch a messenger with the
unhappy news of the Captain's situation, and charged
with such an invitation from the ladies as he did not
doubt would speedily bring the sister to the couch of her
brother.
This duty performed, though with an unwillingness
that only could make his former anxiety more perplexing,
Dunwoodie proceeded to the field where his troops had
halted. The remnant of the English were already to be
seen, over the tops of the trees, marching along the heights
towards their boats, in compact order and with great watch
fulness. The detachment of the dragoons under Lawton
were a short distance on their flank, eagerly awaiting a
favourable moment to strike a blow. In this manner both
parties were soon lost to view.
H 2
100 THE SPY.
A short distance above the Locusts was a small hamlet,
where several roads intersected each other, and from which,
consequently, access to the surrounding country was easy.
It was a favourite halting place of the horse, and frequently
held by the light parties of the American army during their
excursions below. Dunwoodie had been the first to dis
cover its advantages, and as it was necessary for him to
remain in the county until further orders from above, it
cannot be supposed he overlooked them now. To this place
the troops were directed to retire, carrying with them their
wounded ; parties were already employed in the sad duty
of interring the dead. In making these arrangements, a
new object of embarrassment presented itself to our young
soldier. In moving through the field, he was struck with
the appearance of Colonel Wellmere, seated by himself,
brooding over his misfortunes, uninterrupted by any thing
but the passing civilities of the American officers. His
anxiety on behalf of Singleton had hitherto banished the
recollection of his captive from the mind of Dunwoodie,
and he now approached him with apologies for his neglect.
The Englishman received his courtesies with coolness, and
complained of being injured by what he affected to think
was the accidental stumbling of his horse. Dunwoodie,
who had seen one of his own men ride him down, and that
with very little ceremony, slightly smiled, as he offered him
surgical assistance. This could only be procured at the
cottage, and thither they both proceeded.
" Colonel Wellmere!" cried young Wharton in astonish
ment as they entered, " has the fortune of war been thus
cruel to you also? but you are welcome to the house of
my father, although I could wish the introduction to have
taken place under more happy circumstances."
Mr. Wharton received this new guest with the guarded
caution that distinguished his manner, and Dunwoodie left
the room to seek the bedside of his friend. Every thing
here looked propitious, and he acquainted the surgeon that
another patient waited his skill in the room below. The
sound of the word was enough to set the doctor in motion,
and seizing his implements of office, he went in quest of this
new applicant. At the door of the parlour he was met by
THE SPY. 101
the ladies, who were retiring. Miss Peyton detained him
for a moment, to enquire into the welfare of Captain Sin
gleton. Frances smiled with something of her natural
archness of manner, as she contemplated the grotesque ap/-
pearance of the bald-headed practitioner ; but Sarah was
too much agitated, with the surprise of the unexpected in
terview with the British Colonel, to observe him. It has
already been intimated that Colonel Wellmere was an old
acquaintance of the family. Sarah had been so long absent
from the city, that she had in some measure been banished
from the remembrance of the gentleman ; but the recollec
tions of Sarah were more vivid. There is a period in the
life of every woman when she may be said to be predisposed
to love ; it is at the happy age when infancy is lost in
opening maturity when the guileless heart beats with
those anticipations of life which the truth can never realize
and when the imagination forms images of perfection that
are copied after its own unsullied visions. At this happy
age Sarah left the city, and she had brought with her a
picture of futurity, faintly impressed, it is true, but which
gained durability from her solitude, and in which Well-
mere had been placed in the fore-ground. The surprise
of the meeting had in some measure overpowered her,
and after receiving the salutations of the colonel, she had
risen, in compliance with a signal from her observant aunt,
to withdraw.
" Then, sir," observed Miss Peyton, after listening to the
surgeon's account of his young patient, " we may be flat
tered with the expectation that he will recover."
' ' ' Tis certain, madam," returned the doctor, endeavour
ing, out of respect to the ladies, to replace his wig ; " tis
certain, with care and good nursing."
" In those he shall not be wanting," said the spinster,
mildly. " Every thing we have he can command, and
Major Dunwoodie has despatched an express for his
sister."
" His sister!" echoed the practitioner, with a look of
particular meaning ; (( if the Major has sent for her, she
will come."
H 3
102 THE SPY.
" Her brother's danger would induce her, one would
imagine."
ft No doubt, madam/' continued the doctor, laconically,
bowing low, and giving room to the ladies to pass. The
words and the manner were not lost on the younger sister,
in whose presence the name of Dunwoodie was never men
tioned unheeded.
" Sir," cried Dr. Sitgreaves, on entering the parlour,
addressing himself to the only coat of scarlet in the room,
" I am advised you are in want of my aid. God send 'tis
not Captain Lawton with whom you came in contact, in
which case I may be too late."
" There must be some mistake, sir," said Wellmere,
haughtily ; " it was a surgeon that Major Dunwoodie was
to send me, and not an old woman."
1 ' ' Tis Dr. Sitgreaves," said Henry Wharton, quickly,
though with difficulty suppressing a laugh, " the multitude
of his engagements, to-day, has prevented his usual atten
tion to his attire."
" Your pardon, sir," added Wellmere, very ungraciously
proceeding to lay aside his coat, and exhibit what he called
a wounded arm.
" If, sir," said the surgeon, dryly, " the degrees of Edin
burgh walking your London hospitals amputating some
hundreds of limbs operating on the human frame in every
shape that is warranted by the lights of science, a clear
conscience, and the commission of the Continental Congress,
can make a surgeon, I am one." f
c< Your pardon, sir," repeated the Colonel, stiffly.
" Captain Wharton has. accounted for my error."
" For which I thank Captain Wharton," said the sur
geon, proceeding coolly to arrange his amputating instru
ments with a formality that made the Colonel's blood run
cold. " Where are you hurt, sir ? What, is it then this
scratch in the shoulder ? In what manner might you have
received this wound, sir ? "
" From the sword of a rebel dragoon," said the Colonel,
with emphasis.
Never. Even the gentle George Singleton would not
cc
THE SPY. 103
have breathed on you so harmlessly." He took a piece of
sticking plaster from his pocket, and applied it to the part.
" There, sir, that will answer your purpose, and I am cer
tain it is all that is required of me."
" What do you take to be my purpose, then, sir ? "
" To report yourself wounded in your despatches," re
plied the doctor, with great steadiness ; " and you may
say that an old woman dressed your hurts, for if one did
not, one easily might ! "
" Very extraordinary language," muttered the English
man.
Here Captain Wharton interfered; and, by explaining
the mistake of Colonel Wellmere to proceed from his
irritated mind and pain of body, he in part succeeded in
mollifying the insulted practitioner, who consented to look
further into the hurts of the other. They were chiefly
bruises from his fall, to which Sitgreaves made some
hasty applications, and withdrew.
The horse, having taken their required refreshment,
prepared to fall back to their intended position, and it be
came incumbent on Dunwoodie to arrange the disposal of
his prisoners. Sitgreaves he determined to leave in the
cottage of Mr. Wharton in attendance on Captain Single
ton. Henry came to him with a request that Colonel
Wellmere might also be left behind, under his parole, until
the troops marched higher into the country. To this the
Major cheerfully assented ; and as all the rest of the pri
soners were of the vulgar herd, they were speedily col
lected, and, under the care of a strong guard, ordered to
the interior. The dragoons soon after marched ; and the
guides, separating in small parties, accompanied by patroles
from the horse, spread themselves across the country, in
such a manner as to make a chain of sentinels from the
waters of the Sound to the Hudson.*
Dunwoodie had lingered in front of the cottage, after
he paid his parting compliments, with an unwillingness to
return, that he thought proceeded from solicitude for his
* The scene of this tale is between these two waters, which are but a few
miles from each other.
H 4
104 THE SPY.
wounded friends. The heart which has not become callous,,
soon sickens with the glory that has been purchased with a
waste of human life. Peyton Dunwoodie, left to himself,
and no longer excited by the visions which youthful ar
dour had kept before him throughout the day, began to
feel there were other ties than those which bound the soldier
within the rigid rules of honour. He did not waver in
his duty, yet he felt how strong was the temptation. His
blood had ceased to flow with the impulse created by the
battle. The stern expression of his eye gradually gave
place to a look of softness ; and his reflections on the vic
tory brought with them no satisfaction that compensated
for the sacrifices by which it had been purchased. While
turning his last lingering gaze on the Locusts, he remem
bered only that it contained all that he most valued. The
friend of his youth was a prisoner, under circumstances
that endangered both life and honour. The gentle com
panion of his toils, who could throw around the rude en
joyments of a soldier the graceful mildness of peace, lay a
bleeding victim to his success. The image of the maid
who had held, during the day, a disputed sovereignty in
his bosom, again rose to his view with a loveliness that
banished her rival, glory, from his mind.
The last lagging trooper of the corps had already dis
appeared behind the northern hill, and the Major un
willingly turned his horse in the same direction. Frances,
impelled by a restless inquietude, now timidly ventured
on the piazza of the cottage. The day had been mild
and clear, and the sun was shining brightly in a cloud
less sky. The tumult, which so lately disturbed the valley,
was succeeded by the stillness of death, and the fair scene
before her looked as if it had never been marred by the
passions of men. One solitary cloud, the collected smoke
of the contest, hung over the field ; and this was gradually
dispersing, leaving no vestige of the conflict above the
peaceful graves of its victims. All the conflicting feel
ings, all the tumultuous circumstances of the eventful day,
appeared like the deceptions of a troubled vision. Frances
turned, and caught a glimpse of the retreating figure of
him who had been so conspicuous an actor in the scene,
THE SPY. 105
and the illusion vanished. She recognised her lover, and,,
with the truth, came other recollections that drove her to
the room,, with a heart as sad as that which Dunwoodie
himself bore from the valley.
CHAPTER IX.
A moment gazed adown the dale,
A moment snuff'd the tainted gale,
A moment listen'd to the cry,
That thicken'd as the chase "drew nigh;
Then, as the headmost foe appear'd,
"With one brave bound the copse he clear'd,
And, stretching forward free and far,
Sought the wild heaths of Uam-Var.
Walter Scott.
THE party under Captain Lawton had watched the retir
ing foe to his hoats with the most unremitting vigilance,
without finding any fit opening for a charge. The ex
perienced successor of Colonel Wellmere knew too well
the power of his enemy to leave the uneven surface of
the heights, until compelled to descend to the level of the
water. Before he attempted this hazardous movement, he
threw his men into a compact square, with its outer edges
bristling with bayonets. In this position, the impatient
trooper well understood, that brave men could never be as
sailed by cavalry with success, and he was reluctantly
obliged to hover near them, without seeing any opportunity
of stopping their slow but steady march to the beach.
A small schooner, which had been their convoy from the
city, lay with her guns bearing on the place of embark
ation. Against this combination of force and discipline,
Lawton had sufficient prudence to see it would be folly to
contend, and the English were suffered to embark without
molestation. The dragoons lingered on the shore till the
last moment, and then they reluctantly commenced their
own retreat back to the main body of the corps.
The gathering mists of the evening had begun to darken
the valley, as the detachment of Lawton made its re-
106 THE SPY.
appearance, at its southern extremity. The march of the
troops was slow, and their line extended, for the benefit of
ease. In the front rode the Captain, side by side with his
senior subaltern, apparently engaged in close conference,
while the rear was brought up by a young cornet, humming
an air, and thinking of the sweets of a straw bed after the
fatigues of a hard day's duty.
" Then it struck you too ?" said the Captain. " The in
stant I placed my eyes on her, I remembered the face ; it
is one not easily forgotten. By my faith, Tom, the girl does
no discredit to the Major's taste."
" She would do honour to the corps," replied the Lieu
tenant, with some warmth ; " those blue eyes might easily
win a man to gentler employments than this trade of ours.
In sober truth, I can easily imagine, such a girl might
tempt even me to quit the broadsword and saddle, for a
darning-needle and pillion."
<c Mutiny, sir, mutiny," cried the other, laughing; " what,
you, Tom Mason, dare to rival the gay, admired, and withal
rich, Major Dunwoodie in his love ! You, a lieutenant
of cavalry, with but one horse, and he none of the best !
whose captain is as tough as a peperage log, and has as many
lives as a cat."
" Faith," said the subaltern, smiling in his turn, " the
log may yet be split, and Grimalkin lose his lives, if you
often charge as madly as you did this morning. What
think you of many raps from such a beetle as laid you on
your back to-day ?"
" Ah ! don't mention it, my good Tom ; the thought
makes my head ache," replied the other, shrugging up his
shoulders ; " it is what I call forestalling night."
" The night of death ?"
" No, sir, the night that follows day. I saw myriads
of stars, things which should hide their faces in the pre
sence of the lordly sun. I do think nothing but this thick
cap saved me for your comfort a little longer, maugre the
cat's lives."
f{ I have much reason to be obliged to the cap," said
Mason, dryly ; " that or the skull must have had a reason
able portion of thickness, I admit."
THE SPY. 107
(( Come, come, Tom, you are a licensed joker, so I'll not
feign anger with you," returned the Captain, good humour-
edly ; " but Singleton's lieutenant, I am fearful, will fare
better than yourself for this day's service."
" I believe both of us will be spared the pain of receiv
ing promotion purchased by the death of a comrade and
friend," observed Mason, kindly ; " it was reported that
Sitgreaves said he would live."
" From my soul I hope so," exclaimed Lawton : " for a
beardless face, that boy carries the stoutest heart I have
ever met with. It surprises me, however, that, as we both
fell at the same instant, the men behaved so well."
" For the compliment, I might thank you," cried the
Lieutenant with a laugh ; " but modesty forbids ; I did my
best to stop them, but without success."
i c Stop them !" roared the Captain ; ec would you stop
men in the middle of a charge ?''
fe I thought they were going the wrong way," answered
the subaltern.
<e Ah ! our fall drove them to the right about."
" It was either your fall, or apprehensions of their own ;
until the Major rallied us, we were in admirable disorder."
" Dunwoodie ! the Major was on the crupper of the
Dutchman."
" Ah ! but he managed to get off the crupper of the
Dutchman. He came in, at half speed, with the other two
troops, and riding between us and the enemy, with that im
perative way he has when roused, brought us in line in the
twinkling of an eye. Then it was," added the Lieutenant,
with animation, " that we sent John Bull to the bushes.
Oh ! it was a sweet charge heads and tails, until we were
upon them."
" The devil ! What a sight I missed !"
" You slept through it all."
(C Yes," returned the other, with a sigh ; " it was ah 1 lost
to me and poor George Singleton. But, Tom, what will
George's sister say to this fair-haired maiden, in yonder
white building ?"
'" Hang herself in her garters," said the subaltern. ff I
owe a proper respect to my superiors, but two such angels
108 THE SPY.
are more than justly falls to the share of one man, unless
he be a Turk or a Hindoo."
" Yes, yes/' said the Captain, quickly; " the Major is ever
preaching morality to the youngsters, but he is a sly fellow
in the main. Do you observe how fond he is of the cross
roads above this valley ? Now, if I were to halt the troops
twice in the same place, you would all swear there was a
petticoat in the wind."
ff You are well known to the corps."
" Well, Tom, a slanderous propensity is incurable but,"
stretching forward his body in the direction he was gazing,
as if to aid him in distinguishing objects through the dark
ness, " what animal is moving through the field on our
right ? "
" 'Tis a man," said Mason, looking intently at the suspi
cious object.
(c By his hump 'tis a dromedary ! " added the Captain,
eyeing it keenly. Wheeling his horse suddenly from the
highway, he exclaimed " Harvey Birch ! - take him, dead
or alive !"
Mason and a few of the leading dragoons only understood
the sudden cry, but it was heard throughout the line. A
dozen of the men, with the Lieutenant at their head, fol
lowed the impetuous Lawton, and their speed threatened
the pursued with a sudden termination of the race.
Birch prudently kept his position on the rock, where he
had been seen by the passing glance of Henry Wharton,
until evening had begun to shroud the surrounding objects
in darkness. From this height he had seen all the events
of the day as they occurred. He had watched, with a beat
ing heart, the departure of the troops under Dunwoodie,
and with difficulty had curbed his impatience until the ob
scurity of night should render his moving free from danger.
He had not, however, completed a fourth of his way to his
own residence, when his quick ear distinguished the tread
of the approaching horse. Trusting to the increasing dark
ness, he determined to persevere. By crouching and mov
ing quickly along the surface of the ground, he hoped yet
to escape unseen. Captain Lawton was too much engrossed
with the foregoing conversation to suffer his eyes to indulge
THE SPY. 109
in their usual wandering ; and the pedler, perceiving by
the voices that the enemy he most feared had passed,
yielded to his impatience, and stood erect, in order to make
greater progress. The moment his body arose above the
shadow of the ground, it was seen and the chase com
menced. For a single instant, Birch was helpless, his
blood curdling in his veins at the imminence of the danger,
nd his legs refusing their natural and necessary office.
But it was only for a moment. Casting his pack where
he stood, and instinctively tightening the belt he wore, the
pedler betook himself to flight. He knew that by bringing
himself in a line with his pursuers and the wood, his form
would be lost to sight. This he soon effected, and he was
straining every nerve to gain the wood itself, when several
horsemen rode by him but a short distance on his left, and
cut him off from this place of refuge. The pedler threw
himself on the ground as they came near him, and was
passed unseen. But delay, now, became too dangerous for
him to remain in that position. He accordingly arose, and
still keeping in the shadow of the wood, along the skirts of
which he heard voices crying to each other to be watchful,
he ran with incredible speed in a parallel line, but in an
opposite direction, to the march of the dragoons.
The confusion of the chase had been heard by the whole
of the men, though none distinctly understood the order of
Lawton but those who followed. The remainder were lost
in doubt as to the duty that was required of them ; and
the aforesaid cornet was making eager enquiries of the
trooper near him on the subject, when a man, at a short
distance in his rear, crossed the road at a single bound.
At the same instant, the stentorian voice of Lawton rang
through the valley, shouting
*' Harvey Birch take him, dead or alive !" v
Fifty pistols lighted the scene, and the bullets whistled in
every direction round the head- of the devoted pedler. A
feeling of despair seized his heart, and in the bitterness of
that moment he exclaimed
(( Hunted like a beast of the forest."
He felt life and its accompaniments to be a burden, and
was about to yield himself to his enemies. Nature, how-
no THE SPY -
ever, prevailed. If taken, there was great reason to appre
hend that he would not be honoured with the forms of a
trial, but that most probably the morning sun would witness
his ignominious execution; for he had already been
condemned to death, and had only escaped that fate by
stratagem. These considerations, with the approaching
footsteps of his pursuers, roused him to new exertions.
He again fled before them. A fragment of a wall, that
had withstood the ravages made by war in the adjoining
fences of wood, fortunately crossed his path. He hardly
had time to throw his exhausted limbs over this barrier,
before twenty of his enemies reached its opposite side. Their
horses refused to take the leap in the dark, and amid the
confusion of the rearing chargers, and the execrations of
their riders, Birch was enabled to gain a sight of the base
of the hill, on whose summit was a place of perfect security.
The heart of the pedler now beat high with hope, when
the voice of Captain Lawton again rang in his ears, shouting
to his men to make room. The order was obeyed, and the
fearless trooper rode at the wall at the top of his horse's
speed, plunged the rowels in his charger, and flew over the
obstacle in safety. The triumphant hurrahs of the men,
and the thundering tread of the horse, too plainly assured
the pedler of the emergency of his danger. He was
nearly exhausted, and his fate no longer seemed doubtful.
" Stop, or die! " was uttered above his head, and in fearful
proximity to his ears.
Harvey stole a glance over his shoulder, and saw, within
a bound of him, the man he most dreaded. By the light
of the stars he beheld the uplifted arm and the threatening
sabre. Fear, exhaustion, and despair, seized his heart, and
the intended victim fell at the feet of the dragoon. The
horse of Lawton struck the prostrate pedler, and both steed
and rider came violently to the earth.
As quick as thought, liirch was on his feet again, with
the sword of the discomfited dragoon in his hand. Ven
geance seems but too natural to human passions. There
are few who have not felt the seductive pleasure of making
our injuries recoil on their authors ; and yet there are some
who know how much sweeter it is to return good for evil.
THE SPY. Ill
All the wrongs of the pedler shone on his brain with a
dazzling brightness. For a moment the demon within him
prevailed,, and Birch brandished the powerful weapon in
the air ; in the next, it fell harmless on the reviving but
helpless trooper. The pedler vanished up the side of the
friendly rock.
" Help Captain Lawton, there ! " cried Mason, as he
rode up, followed by a dozen of his men ; ei and some of
you dismount with me, and search these rocks ; the villain
lies here concealed."
" Hold I" roared the discomfited Captain, raising himself
with difficulty on his feet ; " if one of you dismount, he
dies. Tom, my good fellow, you will help me to straddle
Roanoke again."
The astonished subaltern complied in silence, while
the wondering dragroons remained as fixed in their saddles,
as if they composed part of the animals they rode.
" You are much hurt, I fear," said Mason, with some
thing of condolence in his manner, as they re-entered the
highway, and biting off the end of a segar for the want of
a better quality of tobacco.
" Something so, I do believe," replied the Captain,
catching his breath, and speaking with difficulty ; " I wish
our bone-setter was at hand, to examine into the state of
my ribs."
" Sitgreaves is left in attendance on Captain Singleton,
at the house of Mr. Wharton."
" Then there I halt for the night, Tom. These rude
times must abridge ceremony; besides, you may remember
the old gentleman professed a kinsman's regard for the
corps. I can never think of passing so good a friend without
a halt."
" And I will lead the troop to the four corners; if we
all halt there, we shall breed a famine in the land."
" A condition I never desire to be placed in. The idea
of that graceful spinster's cakes is no bad solace for twenty-
four hours in the hospital."
" Oh ! you won't die if you can think of eating," cried
Mason, with a laugh.
112 THE SPY.
ee I should surely die if I could not/' observed the Cap
tain, gravely.
" Captain Lawton/' said the orderly of his troop, riding
to the side of his commanding officer, " we are now pass
ing the house of the pedler spy ; is it your pleasure that
we burn it."
" No ! " roared the Captain, in a voice that startled the
disappointed serjeant ; f( are you an incendiary ! would
you burn a house in cold blood ? let but a spark approach,
and the hand that carries it will never light another."
f( Zounds !" muttered the sleepy cornet in the rear, as
he was nodding on his horse, " there is life in the Captain,
notwithstanding his tumble."
Lawton and Mason rode on in silence, the latter ru
minating on the wonderful change produced in his com
mander by his fall, when they arrived opposite to the gate
before the residence of Mr. Wharton. The troop conti
nued its march ; but the Captain and his Lieutenant dis
mounted, and, followed by the servant of the former, they
proceeded slowly to the door of the cottage.
Colonel Wellmere had already sought a retreat in his
own room ; Mr. Wharton and his son were closeted by
themselves ; and the ladies were administering the refresh
ments of the tea-table to the surgeon of the dragoons, who
had seen one of his patients in his bed, and the other hap
pily enjoying the comforts of a sweet sleep. A few na
tural enquiries from Miss Peyton had opened the soul of
the doctor, who knew every individual of her extensive
family connection in Virginia, and who even thought it
possible that he had seen the lady herself. The amiable
spinster smiled as she felt it to be improbable that she
should ever have met her new acquaintance before, and
not remember his singularities. It, however, greatly re
lieved the embarrassment of their situation, and something
like a discourse was maintained between them ; the nieces
were only listeners, nor could the aunt be said to be much
more.
" As I was observing, Miss Peyton, it was merely the
noxious vapours of the low lands that rendered the plant-
THE SPY. 113
ation of your brother an unfit residence for man ; but
quadrupeds were "
" Bless me, what's that ? " said Miss Peyton, turning
pale at the report of the pistols fired at Birch.
tc It sounds prodigiously like the concussion on the at
mosphere made by the explosion of fire arms," said the
surgeon, sipping his tea with great indifference. ee I should
imagine it to be the troop of Captain Lawton returning,
did I not know the Captain never uses the pistol, and that
he dreadfully abuses the sabre."
' ' Merciful providence ! " exclaimed the agitated maiden,
(f he would not injure one with it certainly."
"Injure!" repeated the other quickly; " it is certain
death, madam ; the most random blows imaginable ; all
that I can say to him will have no effect."
" But Captain Lawton is the officer we saw this morn
ing, and is surely your friend," said Frances, hastily, ob
serving her aunt to be seriously alarmed.
" I find no fault with his want of friendship ; the man
is well enough if he would learn to cut scientifically. All
trades, madam, ought to be allowed to live ; but what is
to become of a surgeon, if his patients are dead before he
sees them ! "
The doctor continued haranguing on the probability and
improbability of its being- the returning troop, until a loud
knock at the door gave new alarm to the ladies. In
stinctively laying his hand on a small saw, that had been
his companion for the whole day, in the vain expectation of
an amputation, the surgeon, coolly assuring the ladies that
he would stand between them and danger, proceeded in
person to answer to the summons.
ff Captain Lawton !" exclaimed the surgeon, as he be
held the trooper leaning on the arm of his subaltern, and
with difficulty crossing the threshold.
" Ah ! my dear bone-setter, is it you ? you are here
very fortunately to inspect my carcass j but do lay aside
that rascally saw."
A few words from Mason explained the nature and
manner of his Captain's hurts, and Miss Peyton cheerfully
accorded the required accommodations. While the room
THE SPV.
intended for the trooper was getting ready, and the doctor
was giving certain portentous orders, the Captain was in
vited to rest himself in the parlour. On the table was a
dish of more substantial food than ordinarily adorned the
afternoon's repast, and it soon caught the attention of the
dragoons. Miss Peyton, recollecting that they had pro
bably made their only meal that day at her own table,
kindly invited them to close it with another. The offer
required no pressing, and in a few minutes the two were
comfortably seated, and engaged in an employment that
was only interrupted by an occasional wry face from the
Captain, who moved his body in evident pain. These in
terruptions, however, interfered but little with the principal
business in hand ; and the Captain had got happily through
with this important duty, before the surgeon returned to
announce all things ready for his accommodation, in the
room above stairs.
" Eating ! " cried the astonished physician ; " Captain
Lawton, do you wish to die ? "
" I have no particular ambition that way," said the
trooper, rising, and bowing good night to the ladies, " and,
therefore, have been providing the materials necessary to
preserve life."
The surgeon muttered his dissatisfaction, while he fol
lowed Mason and the Captain from the apartment.
Every house in America had at that day what was em
phatically called its best room, and this had been allotted,
by the unseen influence of Sarah, to Colonel Wellmere.
The down counterpane, which a clear frosty night would
render extremely grateful over bruised limbs, decked the
English officer's bed. A massive silver tankard, richly em
bossed with the Wharton arms, held the beverage he was
to drink during the night ; while beautiful vessels of china
performed the same office for the two American captains.
Sarah was certainly unconscious of the silent preference
she had been giving to the English officer; and it is
equally certain, that but for his hurts, bed, tankard, and
every thing but the beverage, would have been matters of
indifference to Captain Lawton, half of whose nights were
spent in his clothes, and not a few of them in the saddle.
THE SPY. 115
After taking possession, however, of a small but very com
fortable room, Dr. Sitgreaves proceeded to enquire into the
state of his injuries. He had begun to pass his hand
over the body of his patient, when the latter cried impa
tiently
" Sitgreaves, do rne the favour to lay that rascally saw
aside, or I shall have recourse to my sabre in self-defence;
the sight of it makes my blood cold."
fc Captain Lawton, for a man who has so often exposed
life and limb, you are unaccountably afraid of a very useful
instrument."
" Heaven keep me from its use," said the trooper, with
a shrug.
" You would not despise the lights of science, nor refuse
surgical aid, because this saw might be necessary."
" I would."
" You would ! "
fc Yes, you never shall joint me like a quarter of beef,
while I have life to defend myself," cried the resolute dra
goon ; " but I grow sleepy ; are any of my ribs broken ? "
" No."
'/ Any of my bones ? "
No."
" Tom, I'll thank you for that pitcher." As he ended
his draught, he very deliberately turned his back on his
companions, and good naturedly cried " Good night,
Mason ; Good night, Galen."
Captain Lawton entertained a profound respect for the
surgical abilities of his comrade, but he was very sceptical
on the subject of administering internally for the ailings of
the human frame. With a full stomach, a stout heart, and
a clear conscience, he often maintained that a man might
bid defiance to the world and its vicissitudes. Nature pro
vided him with the second, and, to say the truth, he strove
manfully himself, to keep up the other two requisites in his
creed. It was a favourite maxim with him, that the last
thing death assailed was the eyes, and next to the last, the
jaws. This he interpreted to be a clear expression of the
intention of nature, that every man might regulate, by his
own volition, whatever was to be admitted into the sanc-
i 2
THE SPY.
tuary of his mouth ; consequently, if the guest proved
unpalatable, he had no one to blame but himself. The
surgeon, who was well acquainted with these views of his
patient, beheld him, as he cavalierly turned his back on
Mason and himself, with a commiserating contempt, re
placed in their leathern repository the phials he had exhi
bited, with a species of care that was allied to veneration,
gavetfie saw, as he concluded, a whirl of triumph, and de
parted, without condescending to notice the compliment of
the trooper. Mason, finding, by the breathing of the Cap
tain, that his own good night would be unheard, hastened
to pay his respects to the ladies after which he mounted,
and followed the troop at the top of his horse's speed.
CHAPTER X.
On some fond breast the parting soul relies,
Some pious drops the closing eye requires,
E'en from the tomb the voice of nature cries,
E'en in our ashes, live their wonted fires.
Gray.
THE possessions of Mr.Wharton extended to some distance
on each side of the house in which he dwelt, and most of
his land was unoccupied. A few scattering dwellings were
to be seen in different parts of his domains, but they were
fast falling to decay, and were untenanted. The proximity
of the country to the contending armies had nearly banished
the pursuits of agriculture from the land. It was useless
for the husbandman to devote his time, and the labour of
his hands, to obtain overflowing garners, that the first fora
ging party would empty. None tilled the earth with any
other view than to provide the scanty means of subsistence,
except those who were placed so near to one of the adverse
parties as to be safe from the inroads of the light troops of
the other. To these the war offered a golden harvest, more
especially to such as enjoyed the benefits of an access to
the royal army. Mr. Wharton did not require the use of
his lands for the purposes of subsistence ; and he willingly
THE SPY. 117
adopted the guarded practice of the day, limiting his atten
tion to such articles as were soon to be consumed within
his own walls, or could be easily secreted from the prying
eyes of the foragers. In consequence, the ground on which
the action was fought, had not a single inhabited building,
besides the one belonging to the father of Harvey Birch.
This house stood between the place where the cavalry had
met, and that where the charge had been made on the party
of Wellmere.
To Katy Haynes it had been a day fruitful of incidents.
The prudent housekeeper had kept her political feelings in
a state of rigid neutrality ; her own friends had espoused
the cause of the country, but the maiden herself never lost
sight of that important moment, when, like females of more
illustrious hopes, she might be required to sacrifice her love
of country on the altar of domestic harmony. And yet,
notwithstanding all her sagacity, there were moments when
the good woman had grievous doubts into which scale she
ought to throw the weight of her eloquence, in order to be
certain of supporting the cause favoured by the pedler.
There was so much that was equivocal in his movements
and manner, that often, when, in the privacy of their house
hold, she was about to utter a philippic on Washington and
his followers, discretion sealed her mouth, and distrust
beset her mind. In short, the whole conduct of the mys
terious being she studied was of a character to distract the
opinions of one who took a more enlarged view of men and
life than came within the competency of his housekeeper.
The battle of the Plains had taught the cautious Wash
ington the advantages his enemy possessed in organisation,
arms, and discipline. These were difficulties to be mastered
by his own vigilance and care. Drawing off his troops to
the heights, in the northern part of the county, he had
bidden defiance to the attacks of the royal army, and Sir
William Howe fell back to the enjoyment of his barren
conquest a deserted city. Never afterwards did the op
posing armies make the trial of strength within the limits
of West- Chester ; yet hardly a day passed, that the par
tisans did not make their inroads ; or a suri rise, that the
inhabitants were spared the relation of excesses which the
i 3
118 THE SPY.
preceding darkness had served to conceal. Most of the
movements of the pedler were made at the hours which
others allotted to' repose. The evening sun would fre
quently leave him at one extremity of the county, and the
morning find him at the other. His pack was his never-
failing companion, and there were those who closely studied
him, in his moments of traffic, who thought his only purpose
was the accumulation of gold. He would be often seen
near the Highlands with a body bending under its load ;
and again near the Harlaem river, travelling with lighter
steps, with his face towards the setting sun. But these
glances at him were uncertain and fleeting. The intermediate
time no eye could penetrate. For months he disappeared,
and no traces of his course were ever known.
Strong parties held the heights of Harlaem, and the
northern end of Manhattan Island was bristling with the
bayonets of the English sentinels, yet the pedler glided
among them unnoticed and uninjured. His approaches to
the American lines were also frequent ; but generally so
conducted as to baffle pursuit. Many a sentinel, placed in
the gorges of the mountains, spoke of a strange figure that
had been seen gliding by them in the mists of the evening.
The stories reached the ears of the officers, and, as we have
related, in two instances, the trader had fallen into the
hands of the Americans. The first time he had escaped
from Lawton, shortly after his arrest ; but the second he
was condemned to die. On the morning of his intended
execution, the cage was opened, but the bird had flown.
This extraordinary escape had been made from the custody
of a favourite officer of Washington, and sentinels who had
been thought worthy to guard the person of the Commander-
in-chief. Bribery and treason could not be imputed to
men so well esteemed, and the opinion gained ground
among the common soldiery, that the pedler had dealings
with the dark one. Katy, however, always repelled this opi
nion with indignation ; for within the recesses of her own
bosom, the housekeeper, in ruminating on the events, con
cluded that the evil spirit did not pay in gold. Nor,
continued the wary spinster in her cogitations, does Wash
ington ; paper and promises were all that the leader of the
THE SPY. 119
American troops could dispense to his servants. After the
alliance with France, when silver became more abundant in
the country, although the scrutinising eyes of Katy never
let any opportunity of examining into the deer-skin purse
pass unimproved, she was never able to detect the image of
Louis intruding into the presence of the well known coun
tenance of George III. In short, the secret horde of
Harvey sufficiently showed in its contents that all its con
tributions had been received from the British.
The house of Birch had been watched at different times
by the Americans, with a view to his arrest, but never with
success ; the reputed spy possessing a secret means of intel
ligence, that invariably defeated their schemes. Once,
when a strong body of the continental army held the Four
Corners for a whole summer, orders had been received from
Washington himself, never to leave the door of Harvey
Birch unwatched. The command was rigidly obeyed, and
during this long period the pedler was unseen ; the detach
ment was withdrawn, and the following night Birch re-en
tered his dwelling. The father of Harvey had been greatly
molested, in consequence of the suspicious character of the
son. But, notwithstanding the most minute scrutiny into
the conduct of the old man, no fact could be substantiated
against him to his injury, and his property was too small
to keep alive the zeal of patriots by profession. Its confis
cation and purchase would not have rewarded their trouble.
Age and sorrow were now about to spare him further
molestation, for the lamp of life had been drained of its oil.
The recent separation of the father and son had been pain
ful, but they had submitted in obedience to what both
thought a duty. The old man had kept his dying situa
tion a secret from the neighbourhood, in the hope that he
might still have the company of his child in his last mo
ments. The confusion of the day, and his increasing
dread that Harvey might be too late, helped to hasten the
event he would fain arrest for a little while. As night set
in, his illness increased to such a degree, that the dismayed
housekeeper sent a truant boy, who had shut up himself
with them, during the combat, to the Locusts, in quest of
a companion to cheer her solitude. Csesar, alone, could be
I 4
120 THE SPY.
spared, and, loaded with eatables and cordials by the kind-
hearted Miss Peyton, the black had been despatched on
this duty. The dying man was past the use of medicines,
and his chief anxiety seemed to centre in a meeting with
his child.
The noise of the chase had been heard by the group in
the house, but its cause was not understood ; and as both
the black and Katy were apprised of the detachment of
American horse being below them, they supposed it to pro
ceed from the return of that party. They heard the dra
goons, as they moved slowly by the building, but in com
pliance with the prudent injunction of the black, the
housekeeper forbore to indulge her curiosity. The old
man had closed his eyes, and his attendants believed him to
be asleep. The house contained two large rooms, and as
many small ones. One of the former served for kitchen
and sitting room ; in the other lay the father of Birch ; of
the latter, one was the sanctuary of the vestal, and the other
contained the stock of provisions. A huge chimney of
stone rose in the centre, serving, of itself, for a partition
between the larger rooms ; and fire-places of corresponding
dimensions were in each apartment. A bright flame was
burning in that of the common room, and within the very
jambs of its monstrous jaws sat Caesar and Katy, at the
time of which we write. The African was impressing his
caution on the housekeeper, and commenting on the general
danger of indulging an idle curisioty.
" Best nebber tempt a Satan," said Caesar, rolling up his
eyes till the whites glistened by the glare of the fire ; " I
berry like heself to lose an ear for carrying a little bit of a
letter ; dere much mischief come of curiosity. If dere
had nebber been a man curious to see Africa, dere would
be no eoulour people out of deir own country : but I wish
Harvey get back/'
te It is very disregardful in him to be away at such a
time," said Katy, imposingly. Suppose now his father
wanted to make his last will in the testament, who is there
to do so solemn and an awful an act for him ? Harvey is
a very wasteful and a very disregardful man ! "
" Perhap he make him' afore ? "
THE SPY. 121
" It would not be a wonderment if he had/' returned the
housekeeper ; " he is whole days looking into the Bible."
" Then he read a berry good book," said the black, so
lemnly. ce Miss Fanny read in him to Dinah now and den."
" You are right, Caesar. The Bible is the best of books,
and one that reads it as often as Harvey's father should
have the best of reasons for so doing. That is no more
than common sense."
She rose from her seat, and stealing softly to a chest of
drawers in the room of the sick man, she took from it a
large Bible, heavily bound, and secured with strong clasps
of brass, with which she returned to the negro. The
volume was eagerly opened, and they proceeded instantly to
examine its pages. Katy was far from an expert scholar,
and to Caesar the characters were absolutely strangers. For
some time the housekeeper was occupied in finding out the
word Matthew, in which she had no sooner succeeded than
she pointed out the word, with great complacency, to the
attentive Caesar.
" Berry well, now look him through," said the black,
peeping over the housekeeper's shoulder, as he held a long,
lank candle of yellow tallow, in such a manner as to throw
its feeble light on the volume.
" Yes, but I must begin with the very beginning
book," replied the other, turning the leaves carefully back,
until, moving two at once, she lighted upon a page covered
with writing. " Here," said the housekeeper, shaking with
the eagerness of expectation, " here are the very words
themselves ; now I would give the world itself to know
whom he has left the big silver shoe buckles to."
" Read 'em," said Caesar, laconically.
" And the black walnut drawers ; for Harvey could
never want furniture of that quality, as long as he is a
bachelor ! "
" Why he no want 'em as well as he fader ? "
" And the six silver table spoons ; Harvey always uses
the iron !"
" P'r'ap he say, widout so much talking," returned the
sententious black, pointing one of his crooked and dingy
fingers at the open volume.
122 THE SPY *
Thus repeatedly advised, and impelled by her own cu
riosity, Katy began to read. Anxious to come to the part
which most interested herself, she dipped at once into the
centre of the subject.
ee Chester Birch, born September 1st, 1755," read the
spinster, with a deliberation that did no great honour to her
scholarship.
" Well, what he give him?"
<e Abigail Birch, born July IZth, 1757," continued the
housekeeper, in the same tone.
" I t'ink he ought to gib her e spoons."
" June 1st, 1760. On this awful day, the judgment of
an offended God lighted on my house : " a heavy groan from
the adjoining room made the spinster instinctively close
the volume, and Caesar, for a moment, shook with fear.
Neither possessed sufficient resolution to go and examine
the condition of the sufferer, but his heavy breathing con
tinued as usual. Katy dared not, however, re-open the
Bible, and carefully securing its clasps, it was laid on the
table in silence. Caesar took his chair again, and after
looking timidly round the room, remarked
Cf I t' ought he time war' come 1 "
" No," said Katy, solemnly, " he will live till the tide
is out, or the first cock crows in the morning."
" Poor man ! " continued the black, nestling still farther
into the chimney corner, <f I hope he lay quiet after he die.
" 'Twould be no astonishment to me if he didn't ; for
they say an unquiet life makes an uneasy grave."
" Johnny Birch a berry good man in he way. All
mankind can't be a minister ; for if he do, who would be a
congregation ? "
(C Ah ! Csesar, he is good only who does good can you
tell me why honestly gotten gold should be hidden in the
bowels of the earth ! "
" Grach ! I t'ink it must be to keep the skinner from
finding him ; if he know where he be, why don't he dig
him up ? "
" There may be reasons not comprehendible to you,"
said Katy, moving her chair so that her clothes covered the
charmed stone, underneath which lay the secret treasures
THE SPY.
123
of the pedler, unable to refrain speaking of that which she
would have been very unwilling to reveal ; " but a rough
outside often holds a smooth inside." Caesar stared around
the building, unable to fathom the hidden meaning of his
companion, when his roving eyes suddenly became fixed,
and his teeth chattered with affright. The change in the
countenance of the black was instantly perceived by Katy,
and turning her face, she saw the pedler himself, standing
within the door of the room. .
" Is he alive ? " asked Birch, tremulously, and seemingly
afraid to receive the answer.
" Surely," said Katy, rising hastily, and officiously offer
ing her chair ; " he must live till day, or till the tide is
down."
Disregarding all but the fact that his father still lived,
the pedler stole gently into the room of his dying parent.
The tie which bound the father and son was of no ordinary
kind. In the wide world they were all to each other. Had
Katy but read a few lines farther in the record, she would
have seen the sad tale of their misfortunes. At one blow
competence and kindred had been swept from them, and
from that day to the present hour, persecution and distress
had followed their wandering steps. Approaching the bed
side, Harvey leaned his body forward, and, in a voice
nearly choked by his feelings, he whispered near the ear of
the sick
" Father, do you know me ? "
The parent slowly opened his eyes, and a smile of satis
faction passed over his pallid features, leaving behind it the
impression of death, more awful by the contrast. The
pedler gave a restorative he had brought with him to the
parched lips of the sick man, and for a few minutes new
vigour seemed imparted to his frame. He spoke, but
slowly, and with difficulty. Curiosity kept Katy silent;
awe had the same effect on Caesar ; and Harvey seemed
hardly to breathe, as he listened to the language of the de
parting spirit.
" My son," said the father in a hollow voice, " God is
as merciful as he is just : if I threw the cup of salvation
from my lips when a youth, he graciously offers it to me
124 THE SPYt
in mine age. He has chastised to purify, and I go to join
the spirits of our lost family. In a little while, my child,
you will be alone. I know you too well not to foresee you
will be a pilgrim through life. The bruised reed may
endure, but it will never rise. You have that within you,
Harvey, that will guide you aright ; persevere, as you have
begun, for the duties of life are never to be neglected
and" A noise in the adjoining room interrupted the dying
man, and the impatient pedler hastened to learn the cause,
followed by Katy and the black. The first glance of his
eye on the figure in the doorway told the trader but too
well his errand, and the fate that probably awaited himself.
The intruder was a man still young in years, but his linea
ments bespoke a mind long agitated by evil passions. His
dress was of the meanest materials, and so ragged and un
seemly, as to give him the appearance of studied poverty.
His hair was prematurely whitened, and his sunken, lower
ing eye, avoided the bold, forward look of innocence.
There was a restlessness in his movements, and an agitation
in his manner, that proceeded from the workings of the
foul spirit within him, and which was not less offensive to
others than distressing to himself. This man was a well
known leader of one of those gangs of marauders who in
fested the county with a semblance of patriotism, and who
were guilty of every grade of offence, from simple theft up
to murder. Behind him stood several other figures clad in
a similar manner, but whose countenances expressed nothing
more than the indifference of brutal insensibility. They
were all well armed with muskets and bayonets, and pro
vided with the usual implements of foot soldiers. Harvey
knew resistance to be vain, and quietly submitted to their
directions. In the twinkling of an eye both he and Caesar
were stripped of their decent garments, and made to ex
change clothes with two of the filthiest of the band. They
were then placed in separate corners of the room, and,
under the muzzles of the muskets, required faithfully to
answer such interrogatories as were put to them.
" Where is your pack ? " was the first question to the
pedler.
11 Hear me," said Birch, trembling with agitation ;
THE SPY. 125
" in the next room is my father,, now in the agonies of
death ; let me go to him, receive his blessing, and close
his eyes, and you shall have all ay, all."
" Answer me as I put the questions, or this musket
shall send you to keep the old driveller .company; where
is your pack ? "
" I will tell you nothing, unless you let me go to my
father," said the pedler, resolutely.
His persecutor raised his arm with a malicious sneer,
and was about to execute his threat, when one of his com
panions checked him.
" What would you do?" he said, "you surely forget
the reward. Tell us where are your goods, and you shall
go to your father."
Birch complied instantly, and a man was despatched in
quest of the booty ; he soon returned, throwing the bundle
on the floor, swearing it was as light as feathers.
" Ay," cried the leader, " there must be gold some
where for what it did contain. Give us your gold, Mr.
Birch ; we know 'you have it ; you will not take con
tinental, not you."
ee You break your faith," said Harvey.
<c Give us your gold," exclaimed the other, furiously,
pricking the pedler with his bayonet until the blood fol
lowed his pushes in streams. At this instant a slight
movement was heard in the adjoining room, and Harvey
cried imploringly
" Let me let me go to my father, and you shall
have all."
fe 'I swear you shall go then," said the skinner.
fe Here, take the trash," cried Birch, as he threw aside
the purse, which he had contrived to conceal, notwith
standing the change in his garments.
The robber raised it from the floor with a hellish
laugh.
" Ay, but it shall be to your father in heaven."
" Monster ! have you no feeling, no faith, no honesty ? "
tc To hear him, one would think there was not a rope
around his neck already," said the other laughing.
<( There is no necessity for your being uneasy, Mr. Birch;
126 THE SPY.
if the old man gets a few hours the start of you in the
journey, you will be sure to follow him before noon
to-morrow."
This unfeeling communication had no effect on the
pedler, who listened with gasping breath to every sound
from the room of his parent, until he heard his own name
spoken in the hollow, sepulchral tones of death. Birch
could endure no more, but shrieking out
" Father ! hush father ! I come I come : " he
darted by his keeper, and was the next moment pinned to
the wall by the bayonet of another of the band. For
tunately, his quick motion had caused him to escape a
thrust aimed at his life, and it was by his clothes only
that he was confined.
" No, Mr. Birch," said the skinner, " we know you
too well for a slippery rascal, to trust you out of sight
your gold, your gold."
" You have it," said the pedler, writhing with agony.
" Ay, we have the purse, but you have more purses.
King George is a prompt paymaster, and you have done
him many a piece of good service. Where is your hoard ?
without it you will never see your father."
se Remove the stone underneath the woman," cried the
pedler, eagerly " remove the stone."
te He raves ! .he raves !" said Katy, instinctively moving
her position to a different stone from the one on which she
had been standing. In a moment it was torn from its
bed, and nothing but earth was seen beneath.
" He raves ! you have driven him from his right
mind," continued the trembling spinster ; " would any
man in his senses keep gold under a hearth ? "
" Peace, babbling fool," cried Harvey. ff Lift the
corner stone, and you will find that which will make you
rich, and me a beggar."
"And then you will be despi sable," said the house
keeper, bitterly. " A pedler without goods and without
money is sure to be despisable."
" There will be enough left to pay for his halter," cried
the skinner, who was not slow to follow the instructions of
Harvey, soon lighting upon a store of English guineas.
THE SPY. 127
The money was quickly transferred to a bag, notwith
standing the declarations of the spinster, that her dues
were unsatisfied, and that, of right, ten of the guineas
were her property.
Delighted with a prize that greatly exceeded their
expectations, the band prepared to depart, intending to
take the pedler with them, in order to give him up to the
American troops above, and to claim the reward offered
for his apprehension. Every thing was ready, and they
were about to lift Birch in their arms, for he resolutely
refused to move an inch, when a form appeared in their
midst, which appalled the stoutest heart among them.
The father had arisen from his bed, and he tottered forth
at the cries of his son. Around his body was thrown the
sheet of the bed, and his fixed eye and haggard face gave
him the appearance of a being from another world. Even
Katy and Caesar thought it was the spirit of the elder
Birch, and they fled the house, followed by the alarmed
skinners in a body.
The excitement, which had given the sick man strength,
soon vanished, and the pedler, lifting him in his arms,
re-conveyed him to his bed. The re-action of the system
which followed hastened to close the scene.
The glazed eye of the father was fixed upon the son ;
his lips moved, but his voice was unheard. Harvey bent
down, and, with the parting breath of his parent, received
his dying benediction. A life of privation, and of wrongs,
embittered most of the future hours of the pedler. But
under no sufferings,, in no misfortunes, the subject of
poverty and obloquy, the remembrance of that blessing
never left him ; it constantly gleamed over the images of
the past, shedding a holy radiance around his saddest
hours of despondency ; it cheered the prospect of the
future with the prayers of a pious spirit ; and it brought
the sweet assurance of having faithfully and truly dis
charged the sacred offices of filial love.
The retreat of Caesar and the spinster had been too pre
cipitate to admit of much calculation ; yet they themselves
instinctively separated from the skinners. After fleeing a
128 THE SPY.
short distance they paused, and the maiden commenced in
a solemn voice >-
ee Oh ! Ceesar, was it not dreadful to walk hefore he had
been laid in his grave ! It must have been the money that
disturbed him : they say Captain Kidd walks near the spot
where he buried gold in the old war."
' < I neber t'ink Johnny Birch hab such a big eye ! " said
the African, his teeth yet chattering with the fright.
" I'm sure 'twould be a botherment to a living soul to
lose so much money. Harvey will be nothing but an ut
terly despisable, poverty-stricken wretch. I wonder who
he thinks would be even his housekeeper ! "
" Maybe a spooke take away Harvey, too," observed
Csesar, moving still nearer to the side of the maiden. But
a new idea had seized the imagination of the spinster. She
thought it not improbable that the prize had been forsaken in
the confusion of the retreat ; and after deliberating and rea
soning for some time with Caesar, they determined to venture
back, and ascertain this important fact, and, if possible,
learn what had been the fate of the pedler. Much time
was spent in cautiously approaching the dreaded spot;
and as the spinster had sagaciously placed herself in the line
of the retreat of the skinners, every stone was examined in
the progress in search of the abandoned gold. But, although
the suddenness of the alarm and the cry of Caesar had im
pelled the freebooters to so hasty a retreat, they grasped the
hoard with a hold that death itself would not have loosened.
Perceiving every thing to be quiet within, Katy at length
mustered resolution to enter the dwelling, where she found
the pedler, with a heavy heart, performing the last sad of
fices for the dead. A few words sufficed to explain to Katy
the nature of her mistake; but Caesar continued to his
dying day to astonish the sable inmates of the kitchen with
learned dissertations on spookes, and to relate how direful
was the appearance of that of Johnny Birch.
The danger compelled the pedler to abridge even the
short period that American custom leaves the deceased with
us; and, aided by the black and Katy, his painful task
was soon ended. Caesar volunteered to walk a couple of
THE SPY. 129
miles with orders to a carpenter; and., the body being
habited in its ordinary attire,, was left,, with a sheet thrown
decently over it, to await the return of the messenger.
The skinners had fled precipitately to the wood, which
was but a short distance from the house of Birch, and once
safely sheltered within its shades, they halted, and mustered
their panic-stricken forces.
e( What in the name of fury seized your coward hearts ?"
cried their dissatisfied leader, drawing his breath heavily.
" The same question might be asked yourself," returned
one of the band, sullenly.
" From your fright, I thought a party of De Lancey's
men were upon us. Oh ! you are brave gentlemen at a
race ! "
" We follow our Captain."
" Then follow me back, and let us secure the scoundrel,
and receive the reward."
" Yes ; and by the time we reach the house, that black
rascal will have the mad Virginian upon us : by my soul,
I would rather meet fifty Cow-Boys than that single man."
" Fool," cried the enraged leader, " don't you know
Dunwoodie's horse are at the Corners, full two miles from
here ? "
" I care not where the dragoons are, but I will swear
that I saw Captain Lawton enter the house of old Wharton,
while I lay watching an opportunity of getting the British
Colonel's horse from the stable."
<f And if he should come, won't a bullet silence a dragoon
from the south as well as one from old England ? "
" Ay, but I don't choose a hornet's nest about my ears;
raise the skin of one of that corps, and you will never see
another peaceable night's foraging again."
" Well," muttered the leader, as they retired deeper into
the wood, " this sottish pedler will stay to see the old devil
buried; and though we cannot touch him at the funeral
(for that would raise every old woman and priest in
America against us), he'll wait to look after the movables,
and to-morrow night shall wind up his concerns."
With this threat they withdrew to one cf their usual
130 THE SPY.
places of resort, until darkness should again give them an
opportunity of marauding on the community without danger
of detection.
CHAPTER XI.
O wo ! O woful, woful, woful day !
Most lamentable day ! most woful day, '
That ever, ever, I did yet behold !
Oday! Oday! Oday! O hateful day!
Never was seen so black a day as this :
O woful day! O woful day!
Shakspeare.
THE family at the Locusts had slept, or watched, through
all the disturbances at the cottage of Birch, in perfect igno
rance of their occurrence. The attacks of the skinners
were always made with so much privacy as to exclude the
sufferers, not only from succour, but frequently, through a
dread of future depredations, from the commiseration of
their neighbours also. Additional duties had drawn the
ladies from their pillows at an hour somewhat earlier than
usual; and Captain Lawton, notwithstanding the sufferings
of his body, had risen in compliance with a rule from which
he never departed, of sleeping but six hours at a time.
This was one of the few points, in which the care of the
human frame was involved, on which the trooper and the
surgeon of horse were ever known to agree. The doctor
had watched, during the night, by the side of the bed of
Captain Singleton, without once closing his eyes. Occa
sionally he would pay a visit to the wounded Englishman,
who, being more hurt in the spirit than in the flesh, toler
ated the interruptions with a very ill grace j and once, for
an instant, he ventured to steal softly to the bed of his
obstinate comrade, and was near succeeding in obtaining a
touch of his pulse, when a terrible oath, sworn by the
trooper in a dream, startled the prudent surgeon, and
warned him of a trite saying in the corps, " that Captain
Lawton always slept with one eye open." This group had
assembled in one of the parlours as the sun made its ap-
THE SPY. 131
pearance over the eastern hill, dispersing the columns of
fog which had enveloped the low land.
Miss Peyton was looking from a window in the direction
of the tenement of the pedler, and was expressing a kind
anxiety after the welfare of the sick man, when the person
of Katy suddenly emerged from the dense covering of an
earthly cloud, whose mists were scattering before the cheer
ing rays of the sun, and was seen making hasty steps to
wards the Locusts. There was that in the air of the
housekeeper which bespoke distress of an unusual nature,
and the kind-hearted mistress of the Locusts opened the
door of the room with the benevolent intention of soothing
a grief that seemed so overwhelming. A nearer view of
the disturbed features of the visiter confirmed Miss Peyton
in her belief; and with the shock that gentle feelings ever
experience at a sudden and endless separation from even
the meanest of their associates, she said hastily
' f Katy, is he gone ? "
ff No, ma'am," replied the disturbed damsel with great
bitterness, " he is not yet gone, but he may go as soon as
he pleases now, for the worst is done. I do very believe,
Miss Peyton, they haven't so much as left him money
enough to buy him another suit of clothes to cover his
nakedness, and those he has on are none of the best, I can
tell you."
" How ! " exclaimed the other, astonished, " could any
one have the heart to plunder a man in such distress ? "
" Hearts ! " repeated Katy, catching her breath ; " men
like them have no bowels at all. Plunder and distress, in
deed ! Why, ma'am, there were in the iron pot, in plain
sight, fifty-four guineas of gold, besides what lay under
neath, which I couldn't count without handling; and I
didn't like to touch it, for they say, that another's gold is
apt to stick so judging from that in sight, there wasn't
less than two hundred guineas, besides what might have
been in the deer-skin purse. But Harvey is little better
now than a beggar, and a beggar, Miss Jeanette, is the
most awfully despisable of all earthly creatures."
" Poverty is to be pitied, and riot despised," said the
lady, still unable to comprehend the extent of the misfor-
K 2
132 THE SPY.
tune that had befallen her neighbour during the night.
" But how is the old man ; and does this loss affect him
much ? "
The countenance of Katy changed, from the natural ex
pression of concern to the set form of melancholy, as she
answered
" He is happily removed from the cares of the world ;
the chinking of the money made him get out of his bed,
and the poor soul found the shock too great for him. He
died about two hours and ten minutes before the cock
crowed, as 'near as we can say;" she was enterrupted by
the physician, who, approaching, inquired, with much in
terest, the nature of the disorder. Glancing her eye over
the figure of this new acquaintance, Katy, instinctively ad
justing her dress, replied
<( 'Twas the troubles of the times, and the loss of pro
perty, that brought him down ; he wasted from day to day,
and all my care and anxiety were lost ; for now Harvey is
no better than a beggar, and who is there to pay me for
what I have done ? "
" God will reward you for all the good you have done,"
said Miss Peyton, mildly.
' Yes," interrupted the spinster hastily, and with an air
of reverence that was instantly succeeded by an expression
that denoted more of worldly care ; ' ( but then I have left
my wages for three years past in the hands of Harvey, and
how am I to get them ? My brothers told me, again and
again, to ask for my money, but I always thought accounts
between relations were easily settled."
" Were you related, then, to Birch ? " asked Miss Pey
ton, observing her to pause.
"Why," returned the housekeeper, hesitating a little,
" I thought we were as good as so. I wonder if I have
no claim on the house and garden, though they say now it
is Harvey's it will surely be conn" sticated ; " turning to
Lawton, who had been sitting in one posture, with his
piercing eyes lowering at her through his thick brows, in
silence, " perhaps this gentleman knows he seems to take
an interest in my story."
" Madam," said the trooper, bowing very low, " both
THE SPY. 133
you and the tale are extremely interesting" Katy smiled
involuntarily " but my humble knowledge is limited to
the setting of a squadron in the field, and using it when
there. I beg leave to refer you to Dr. Archibald Sitgreaves;
a gentleman of universal attainments, and unbounded phi
lanthropy, the very milk of human sympathies, and a mor
tal foe to all indiscriminate cutting ! "
The surgeon 'tfrew up, and employed himself in whistling
a low air as he looked over some phials on a table; but the
housekeeper, turning to him with an inclination of her
head, continued
' ' I suppose, sir, a woman has no dower in her husband's
property, unless they be actually married ? "
It was a maxim with Dr. Sitgreaves, that no species of
knowledge was to be despised, and consequently he was an
empiric in every thing but his profession. At first, indig
nation at the irony of his comrade kept him silent ; but
suddenly changing his purpose, he answered the applicant
with a good natured smile
" I judge not. If death has anticipated your nuptials,
I am fearful you have no remedy against his stern decrees."
To Katy this sounded well, although she understood
nothing of its meaning, but " death," and " nuptials."
To this part of his speech, then, she directed her reply.
ef I did think he only waited the death of the old gentle
man before he married/' said the housekeeper, looking on
the carpet ; ' e but now he is nothing more than despisable,
or what's the same thing, a pedler without house, pack, or
money. It might be hard for a man to get a wife at all in
such a predicary don't you think it would, Miss Pey
ton ? "
" I seldom trouble myself with such things," said the
lady, gravely.
During this dialogue Captain Lawton had been studying
the countenance and manner of the housekeeper, with a
most ludicrous gravity ; and fearful the conversation would
cease, he enquired with an appearance of great interest
" You think it was age and .debility that removed the
old gentleman at last ? "
" And the troublesome times. Trouble is a heavy pull
K 3
134 THE SPY.
down to a sick bed ; but I suppose his time had come, and
when that happens, it matters but little what doctor's stuff
we take."
" Let me set you right in that particular," interrupted
the surgeon ; " we must all die, it is true, but it is per
mitted us to use the lights of science, in arresting dangers
as they occur, until "
" We can die secundum artem," cried the trooper.
To this observation the physician did not deign to reply ;
but deeming it necessary to his professional dignity, that
the conversation should continue, he added
" Perhaps, in this instance, judicious treatment might
have prolonged the life of the patient ; who administered
to the case ? "
" No one yet," said the housekeeper, with quickness ;
" I expect he has made his last will in the testament."
The surgeon disregarded the smile of the ladies, and
pursued his enquiries.
"It is doubtless wise to be prepared for death. But
under whose care was the sick man during his indispo
sition ? "
" Under mine," answered Katy, with an air of a little
importance ; " and care thrown away I may well call it ;
for Harvey is quite too despisable to be any sort of com
pensation at present."
The mutual ignorance of each other's meaning made
very little interruption to the dialogue, for both took a good
deal for granted, and Sitgreaves pursued the subject.
" And how did you treat him ? "
" Kindly, you may be certain," said Katy, rather tartly.
" The doctor means medically, madam," observed Cap
tain Lawton, with a face that would have honoured the
funeral of the deceased.
" I doctor'd him mostly with yarbs," said the house
keeper, smiling as if conscious of error.
" With simples," returned the surgeon ; " they are safer
in the hands of the unlettered, than more powerful remedies ;
but why had you no regular attendant ? "
" I'm sure Harvey has suffered enough already from
having so much concerns with the rig'lars," replied the
THE SPY. 135
housekeeper ; " he has lost his all, ana made himself a
vagabond through the land ; and I have reason to rue the
day I ever crossed the threshold of his house."
" Dr. Sitgreaves does not mean a rig'lar soldier, but a
regular physician, madam," said the trooper.
" Oh !" cried the maiden, again correcting herself, "for
the best of all reasons ; there was none to be had, so I took
care of him myself. If there had been a doctor at hand,
I am sure we would gladly have had him ; for my part, I
am clear for doctoring, though Harvey says I am killing
myself with medicines; but I am sure it will make but little
difference to him, whether I live or die."
" Therein you show your sense," said the surgeon,
approaching the spinster, who sat holding the palms of her
hands and the soles of her feet to the genial heat of a fine
fire, making the most of comfort amid all her troubles ;
" you appear to be a sensible, discreet woman, and some
who have had opportunities of acquiring more correct views
might envy you your respect for knowledge and the lights
of science."
Although the housekeeper did not altogether comprehend
the other's meaning, she knew he used a compliment, and
as such was highly pleased with what he said ; with in
creased animation, therefore, she cried, " It was always said
of me, that I wanted nothing but opportunity to make quite
a physician myself; so long as before I came to live with
Harvey's father, they called me the petticoat doctor."
" More true than civil, I dare say," returned the sur
geon, losing sight of the woman's character in his admir
ation of her respect for the healing art. " In the absence
of more enlightened counsellors, the experience of a discreet
matron is frequently of great efficacy in checking the pro
gress of disease ; under such circumstances, madam, it is
dreadful to have to contend with ignorance and obstinacy."
" Bad enough, as I well know from experiance," cried
Katy, in triumph : <l Harvey is as obstinate about such
things as a dumb beast ; one would think the care I took of
his bed-ridden father might learn him better than to de
spise good nursing. But some day he may know what it is
K 4
]36 THE SPY.
to want a careful woman in his house, though now I am
sure he is too despisable himself to have a house."
" Indeed, I can easily comprehend the mortification you
must have felt in having one so self-willed to deal with,"
returned the surgeon, glancing his eyes reproachfully at his
comrade ; " but you should rise superior to such opinions,
and pity the ignorance by which they are engendered."
The housekeeper hesitated a moment, at a loss to com
prehend all that the surgeon expressed, yet she felt it was
both complimentary and kind ; therefore, suppressing her
natural flow of language a little, she replied
" I tell Harvey his conduct is often condemnable, and
last night he made my words good ; but the opinions of
such unbelievers is not very consequential ; yet it is dread
ful to think how he behaves at times : now, when he threw
away the needle "
" What ! " said the surgeon, interrupting her, ff does he
affect to despise the needle ? But it is my lot to meet with
men, daily, who are equally perverse, and who show a still
more culpable disrespect for the information that flows from
the lights of science."
The doctor turned his face towards Captain Lawton
while speaking, but the elevation of the head prevented his
eyes from resting on the grave countenance maintained by
the trooper. Katy listened with admiring attention, and
when the other had done, she added
" Then Harvey is a disbeliever in the tides."
( ' Not believe in the tides ! " repeated the healer of bo
dies in astonishment; " does the man distrust his senses?
but perhaps it is the influence of the moon that he doubts."
" That he does ! " exclaimed Katy, shaking with delight
at meeting with a man of learning, who could support her
favourite opinions. " If you was to hear him talk, you
would think he didn't believe there was such a thing as a
moon at all."
" It is the misfortune of ignorance and incredulity, ma
dam, that they feed themselves. The mind once rejecting
useful information insensibly leans to superstition and con
clusions on the order of nature, that are not less prejudicial
THE SPY. 137
to the cause of truth, than they are at variance with the
first principles of human knowledge."
The spinster was too much awe-struck to venture an un
digested reply to this speech ; and the surgeon, after paus
ing a moment in a kind of philosophical disdain, conti
nued
" That any man in his senses can doubt of the flux of
the tides is more than I could have thought possible ; yet
obstinacy is a dangerous inmate to harbour, and may lead
us into any error, however gross."
" You think then they have an effect on the flux," said
the housekeeper, enquiringly.
Miss Peyton rose, and beckoned her nieces to give her
their assistance in the adjoining pantry, while for a moment
the dark visage of the attentive Lawton was lighted by an
animation that vanished by an effort, as powerful, and as
sudden, as the one that drew it into being.
After reflecting whether he rightly understood the mean
ing of the other, the surgeon making due allowance for the
love of learning, acting upon a want of education, replied
" The moon, you mean; many philosophers have doubted
how far it affects the tides ; but I think it is wilfully reject
ing the lights of science not to believe it causes both the
flux and reflux."
As reflux was a disorder with which Katy was not ac
quainted, she thought it prudent to be silent ; yet burning
with curiosity to know the meaning of certain portentous
lights to which the other so often alluded, she ventured to
ask
" If them lights he spoke of, were what was called north
ern lights in these parts ? "
In charity to her ignorance, the surgeon would have en
tered into an elaborate explanation of his meaning, had he
not been interrupted by the mirth of Lawton. The trooper
had listened so far with great composure ; but now he
laughed until his aching bones reminded him of his fall,
and the tears rolled over his cheeks in larger drops than had
ever been seen there before. At length the offended phy
sician seized an opportunity of a pause to say
" To you, Captain Lawton, it may be a source of tri-
138 THE SPY.
umph, that an uneducated woman should make a mistake
in a subject, on which men of science have long been at
variance ; but yet you find this respectable matron does not
reject the lights does not reject the use of- proper instru
ments in repairing injuries sustained by the human frame.
You may possibly remember, sir, her allusion to the use of
the needle."
ee Ay/' cried the delighted trooper, " to mend the ped-
ler's breeches."
Katy drew up in evident displeasure, and prompt to vin
dicate her character for more lofty acquirements, she said <
" 'Twas not a common use that I put that needle to
but one of much greater virtue."
" Explain yourself, madam," said the surgeon impatiently,
" that this gentleman may see how little reason he has for
exultation."
Thus solicited, Katy paused to collect sufficient eloquence
to garnish her narrative. The substance of her tale was,
that a child who had been placed by the guardians of the
poor in the keeping of Harvey, had, in the absence of its
master, injured itself badly in the foot by a large needle.
The offending instrument had been carefully greased, wrap
ped in woollen, and placed in a certain charmed nook of the
chimney; while the foot, from a fear of weakening the in
cantation, was left in a state of nature. The arrival of the
pedler had altered the whole of this admirable treatment;
and the consequences were expressed by Katy, as she con
cluded her narrative, by saying
" 'Twas no wonder the boy died of a lock-jaw ! "
Dr. Sitgreaves looked out of the window in admiration
of the brilliant morning, striving all he could to avoid the
basilisk eyes of his comrade. He was impelled, by a feel
ing that he could not conquer, however, to look Captain
Lawton in the face. The trooper had arranged every mus
cle of his countenance to express sympathy for the fate of
the poor child; but the exultation of his eyes cut the
astounded man of science to the quick ; he muttered some
thing concerning the condition of his patients, and retreated
with "precipitation.
Miss Peyton entered into the situation of things at the
THE SPY. 139
house of the pedler, with all the interest of her excellent
feelings ; she listened patiently while Katy recounted, more
particularly, the circumstances of the past night as they had
occurred. The spinster did not forget to dwell on the mag
nitude of the pecuniary loss sustained by Harvey, and in
no manner spared her invectives, at his betraying a secret
which might so easily have been kept.
" For, Miss Peyton," continued the housekeeper, after a
pause to take breath, " I would have given up life before
I would have given up that secret. At the most, they could
only have killed him, and now a body may say that they
have slain both soul and body; or, what's the same thing,
they have made him a despisable vagabond. I wonder who
he thinks would be his wife, or who would keep his house.
For my part, my good name is too precious to be living
with a lone man ; though, for the matter of that, he is
never there. I. am resolved to teh 1 him this day, that stay
there, a single woman, I will not an hour, after the funeral;
and marry him I don't think I will, unless he becomes
steadier, and more of a homebody."
The mild mistress of the Locusts suffered the exuberance
of the housekeeper's feeling to expend itself, and then, by
one or two judicious questions, that denoted a more inti
mate knowledge of the windings of the human heart in mat
ters of Cupid, than might fairly be supposed to belong to
a spinster, she extracted enough from Katy, to discover the
improbability of Harvey's ever presuming to offer himself,
with his broken fortunes, to the acceptance of Katharine
Haynes. She, therefore, mentioned her own want of as
sistance in the present state of her household, and expressed
a wish that Katy would change her residence to the Locusts,
in case the pedler had no farther use for her services. After
a few preliminary conditions on the part of the wary house
keeper, the arrangement was concluded ; and making a few
more piteous lamentations on the weight of her own losses,
the stupidity of Harvey, united with some curiosity to know
the future fate of the pedler, Katy withdrew to make the
necessary preparations for the approaching funeral, which
was to take place that day.
During the interview between the two females, Lawton,
140 THE SPY.
through delicacy, had withdrawn. Anxiety took him to
the room of Captain Singleton. The character of this
youth, it has already been shown, endeared him in a pecu
liar manner to every officer in the corps. The singularly
mild deportment of the young dragoon had, on so many
occasions, been proved not to proceed from want of resolu
tion, that his almost feminine softness of manner and ap
pearance had failed to bring him into disrepute, even in that
band of partisan warriors.
To the Major he was as dear as a brother, and his easy
submission to the directions of his surgeon had made him a
marked favourite with Dr. Sitgreaves. The rough usage
the corps often received in its daring attacks had brought
each of its officers, in succession, under the temporary keep
ing of the surgeon. To Captain Singleton the man of
science had decreed the palm of docility, on such occasions,
and Captain Lawton he had fairly black-balled. He fre
quently declared, with unconquerable simplicity and ear
nestness of manner, that it gave him more pleasure to see the
former brought in wounded than any officer in the squadron,
and that the latter afforded him the least; a compliment
and condemnation that were usually received by the first of
the parties with a quiet smile of good nature, and by the last
with a grave bow of thanks. On the present occasion, the
mortified surgeon and exulting trooper met in the room of
Captain Singleton, as a place where they could act on com
mon ground. Some time was occupied in joint attentions
to the comfort of the wounded officer, and the doctor re
tired to an apartment prepared for his own accommodation ;
here., within a few minutes, he was surprised by the en
trance of Lawton. The triumph of the trooper had been
so complete, that he felt he could afford to be generous, and
commencing by voluntarily throwing aside his coat, he cried
carelessly
'" Sitgreaves, administer a little of the aid of the lights
of science to my body, if you please."
The surgeon was beginning to feel this was a subject that
was intolerable, but venturing a glance towards his com
rade, he saw with surprise the preparations he had made,
and an air of sincerity about him, that was unusual to his
THE SPY. 141
manner when making such a request. Changing his in
tended hurst of resentment to a tone of civil enquiry, he
said
" Does Captain Lawton want any thing at my hands ?"
" Look for yourself, my dear Sit," said the trooper
mildly ; " here seem to be most of the colours of the rain
bow, on this shoulder."
f( You have reason for saying so," said the other, hand
ling the part with great tenderness and consummate skill ;
" but happily nothing is broken. It is wonderful how well
you escaped ! "
" I have been a tumbler from my youth, and I am past
minding a few falls from a horse ; but, Sitgreaves," he
added with affection, and pointing to a scar on his body,
" do you remember this bit of work ?"
fe Perfectly well, Jack ; it was bravely obtained, and
neatly extracted ; but don't you think I had better apply an
oil to these bruises ?"
" Certainly," said Lawton, with unexpected condescen
sion.
" Now, r my dear boy," cried the doctor, exultingly, as he
busied himself in applying the remedy to the hurts, " do
you not think it would have been better to have done all
this last night ?"
" Quite probable."
' ' Yes, Jack, but if you had let me perform the operation
of phlebotomy when I first saw you, it would have been of
infinite service.".
ff No phlebotomy," said the other, positively.
' ' It is now too late ; but a dose of oil would carry off
the humours famously."
To this the Captain made no reply, but grated his teeth,
in a way that showed the fortress of his mouth was not to
be assailed without a resolute resistance; and the experienced
physician changed the subject by saying
" It is a pity, John, that you did not catch the rascal,
after the danger and trouble you incurred."
The Captain of dragoons made no reply ; and, while
placing some bandages on the wounded shoulder, the sur
geon continued
142 THE SPY.
ff If I have any wish at all to destroy human life, it is
to have the pleasure of seeing that traitor hanged.'*
" I thought your business was to cure and not to slay,"
said the trooper, dryly.
tf Ay ! but he has caused us such heavy losses by his in
formation, that I sometimes feel a very unphilosophical
temper towards that spy."
" You should not encourage such feelings of animosity to
any of your fellow creatures," returned Lawton, in a tone
that caused the operator to drop a pin he was arranging in
the bandages from his hand. He looked the patient in the
face to remove all doubts of his identity, and finding, how
ever, it was his old comrade, Captain John Lawton, who
had spoken, he rallied his astonished faculties, and pro
ceeded by saying
" Your doctrine is just, and in general I subscribe to it.
But, John, my dear fellow, is the bandage easy ?"
" Quite."
" I agree with you as a whole ; but as matter is infinitely
divisible, so no case exists without an exception. Lawton,
do you feel easy ?"
" Very."
" It is not only cruel to the sufferer, but sometimes un
just to others, to take human life where a less punishment
would answer the purpose. Now, Jack, if you were only
- move your arm a little if you were only I hope
you feel easier, my dear friend ?"
" Much."
" If, my dear John, you would teach your men to cut
with more discretion, it would answer you the same purpose
and give me great pleasure."
The doctor drew a heavy sigh, as he was enabled to get
rid of what was'nearest to his heart ; and the dragoon coolly
replaced his coat, saying with great deliberation as he re
tired
" I know no troop that cut more judiciously ; they gene
rally shave from the crown to the jaw."
The disappointed operator collected his instruments, and
with a heavy heart proceeded to pay a visit to the room of
Colonel Wellmere.
THE SPY. 143
CHAPTER XII.
This fairy form contains a soul as mighty
As that which lives within a giant's frame;
These slender limbs, that tremble like the aspen
At summer.evening's sigh, uphold a spirit,
Which, rous'd, can tower to the height of heaven,
And light those shining windows of the face
"With much of heaven's own radiance.
Duo.
THE number and character of her guests had greatly added
to the cares of Miss Jeanette Peyton. The morning found
them all restored,, in some measure, to their former ease of
body, with the exception of the youthful Captain of dragoons,
who had been so deeply regretted by Dunwoodie. The
wound of this officer was severe, though the surgeon perse
vered in saying that it was without danger. His comrade,
we have shown, had deserted his couch ; and Henry Wharton
awoke from a sleep that had been undisturbed by any thing
but a dream of suffering amputation under the hands of a
surgical novice. As it proved, however, to be nothing but
a dream, the youth found himself much refreshed by his
slumbers ; and Dr. Sitgreaves removed all further appre
hensions by confidently pronouncing that he would be a
well man within a fortnight.
During all this time Colonel Wellmere did not make his
appearance ; he breakfasted in his own room, and, notwith
standing certain significant smiles of the man of science,
declared himself too much injured to rise from his bed.
Leaving him, therefore, endeavouring to conceal his chagrin
in the solitude of his chamber, the surgeon proceeded to the
more grateful task of sitting an hour by the bedside of
George Singleton. A slight flush was on the face of the
patient as the doctor entered the room; and the latter ad
vanced promptly, and laid his fingers on the pulse of the
youth, beckoning to him to be silent, while he muttered to
himself
144 THE SPY.
Cf Growing symptoms of a febrile pulse no, no, my
dear George, you must remain quiet and dumb ; though
your eyes look better, and your skin has even a moisture."
" Nay, my dear Sitgreaves," said the youth, taking his
hand, " you see there is no fever about me : look, is there
any of Jack Lawton's hoarfrost on my tongue ? "
" No, indeed," said the surgeon, clapping a spoon in the
mouth of the other, forcing it open, and looking down his
throat as if disposed to visit the interior in person ; " the
tongue is well, and the pulse begins to lower again. Ah !
the bleeding did you good ! Phlebotomy is a sovereign spe
cific for southern constitutions. But that mad-cap Lawton
obstinately refused to be blooded for a fall he had from his
horse, last night. Why, George, your case is becoming sin
gular," continued the doctor, instinctively throwing aside
his wig ; " your pulse even and soft, your skin moist, but
your eye fiery, and cheek flushed. Oh ! I must examine
more closely into these symptoms."
. " Softly, my good friend, softly," said the youth, falling
back on his pillow, and losing some of that colour which
alarmed his companion ; " I believe in extracting the ball
you did for me all that is required. I am free from pain,
and only weak, I do assure you."
e ' Captain Singleton," said the surgeon, with heat, " it is
presumptuous in you to pretend to tell your medical attend
ant when you are free from pain ; if it be not to enable us
to decide in such matters, of what avail the lights of science ?
For shame, George, for shame ; even that perverse fellow,
John Lawton, could not behave with more obstinacy."
His patient smiled, as he gently repulsed his physician in
an attempt to undo the bandages, and, with a returning
glow to his cheeks, enquired
" Do, Archibald," a term of endearment that seldom
failed to soften the operator's heart, " tell me what spirit
from heaven has been gliding around my apartment, while
I lay pretending to sleep ?"
"If any one interferes with my patients," cried the
doctor, hastily, " I will teach them, spirit or no spirit, what
it is to meddle with another man's concerns."
" Tut my dear fellow, there was no interference made,
THE SPY. 14*5
nor any intended ; see," exhibiting the bandages, {f every
thing is as you left it, but it glided about the room with
the grace of a fairy, and the tenderness of an angel."
The surgeon, having satisfied himself that every thing
was as he had left it, very deliberately resumed his seat and
replaced his wig, as he enquired, with a brevity that would
have honoured Lieutenant Mason
" Had it petticoats, George ? "
C( I saw nothing but its heavenly eyes its bloom its
majestic step its grace," replied the young man, with
rather more ardour than his surgeon thought consistent with
his debilitated condition, and he laid his hand on his mouth,
to stop him,. saying himself
" It must have been Miss Jeanette Peyton a lady of
fine accomplishments, with hem with something of the
kind of step you speak of a very complacent eye ; and a&
to the bloom, I dare say offices of charity can summon as
fine a colour to her cheeks, as glows in the faces of her
more youthful nieces."
( ' Nieces ! has she nieces then ? the angel I saw may
be a daughter, a sister, or a niece, but never an aunt."
" Hush, George, hush, your talking has brought our
pulse up again ; you must observe quiet, and prepare for
a meeting with your own sister, who will be here within an
hour."
" What, Isabella ! and who sent for her?"
" The Major."
" Considerate Dunwoodie ! " murmured the exhausted
youth, sinking again on his pillow ; where the commands
of his attendant compelled him to remain silent.
Even Captain Lawton had been received with many an<l
courteous enquiries after the state of his health, from all the
members of the family, when he made his morning entrance ;
but an invisible spirit presided over the comforts of the En
glish Colonel. Sarah had shrunk with consciousness from
entering the room ; yet she knew the position of every glass,
and had, with her own hands, supplied the contents of every
bowl, that stood on his table.
At the time of our tale, we were a divided people, and
Sarah thought it was no more than her duty to cherish the
L
146 THE SPY.
institutions of that country to which she yet clung as the land
of her forefathers ; hut there were other, and more cogent,
reasons for the silent preference she was giving to the
Englishman. His image had first filled the void in her
youthful fancy, and it was an image that was distinguished
by many of those attractions that can enchain a female
heart. It is true, he wanted the personal excellence of
Peyton Dunwoodie, but his pretensions were far from con
temptible. Sarah had moved about the house during the
morning, casting frequent and longing glances at the door
of Wellmere's apartment, anxious to learn the condition
of his wounds, and yet ashamed to enquire; conscious
interest kept her tongue tied, until her sister, with the
frankness of innocence, had put the desired question to Dr.
Sitgreaves.
" Colonel Wellmere," said the operator, gravely, " is in
what I call a state of free-will, madam. He is ill, or he
is well, as he please ; his case, young lady, exceeds iny art
to heal ; and I take it Sir Henry Clinton is the best adviser
he can apply to ; though Major Dunwoodie has made the
communication with his leech rather difficult."
Frances smiled, but averted her face, while Sarah moved
with the grace of an offended Juno, from the apartment.
Her own room, however, afforded her but little relief, and
in passing through the long gallery that communicated with
each of the chambers of the building, she noticed the door
of Singleton's room to be open. The wounded youth seemed
sleeping, and was alone. She had ventured lightly into the
apartment, and busied herself for a few minutes in arranging
the tables, and the nourishment provided for the patient,
hardly conscious of what she was doing, and possibly
dreaming that these little feminine offices were performed
for another. Her natural bloom was heightened by the
insinuation of the surgeon, nor was the lustre of her eye in
any degree diminished. The sound of the approaching
footstep of Sitgreaves hastened her retreat down a private
stair- way, to the side of her sister. The sisters then sought
the fresh air on the piazza ; and as they pursued their walk,
arm in arm, the following dialogue had place :
" There is something disagreeable about this surgeon of
THE SPY. 147
Dunwoodie," said Sarah, " that causes me to wish him
away most heartily."
Frances fixed her laughing eyes on her sister ; but for
bearing to speak, the other readily construed their expres
sion, and hastily added, " But I forget he is one of your
renowned corps of Virginians, and must be spoken of re
verently."
<f As respectfully as you please, my dear sister; there is
but little danger of exceeding the truth."
" Not in your opinion/' said the elder, with a little
warmth ; " but I think Mr. Dunwoodie has taken a liberty
that exceeds the rights of consanguinity ; he has made our
father's house a hospital."
" We ought to be grateful that none of the patients it
contains are dearer to us."
" Your brother is one."
" True, true," interrupted Frances, blushing to the eyes;
Cf but he leaves his room, and thinks his wound lightly
purchased by the pleasure of being with his friends. If/'
she added, with a tremulous lip, " this dreadful suspicion
that is affixed to his visit were removed, I could consider
his wound of little moment."
(t You now have the fruits of rebellion brought home to
you ; a brother wounded and a prisoner, and perhaps a
victim ; your father distressed, his privacy interrupted, and
not improbably his estates torn from him, on account of his
loyalty to his king."
Frances continued her walk in silence. While facing
the northern entrance to the vale, her eyes were uniformly
fastened on the point where the road was suddenly lost by
the intervention of a hill ; and at each turn, as she lost
sight of the spot, she lingered until an impatient movement
of her sister quickened her pace to an even motion with that
of her own. At length, a single horse-chaise was seen
making its way carefully among the stones which lay scat
tered over the country road that wound through the valley,
and approached the cottage. The colour of Frances changed
as the vehicle gradually drew nearer; and when she was en
abled to see a female form in it by the side of a black in
livery, her limbs shook with an agitation that compelled her
L 2
148 THE SPY.
to lean on Sarah for support. In a few minutes the travel
lers approached the gate. It was thrown open by a dra
goon who followed the carriage/ and who had been the
messenger despatched by Dunwoodie to the father of Cap
tain Singleton. Miss Peyton advanced to receive their guest,
and the sisters united in giving her the kindest welcome ;
still Frances could with difficulty withdraw her truant eyes
from the countenance of their visiter. She was young, and
of a light and fragile form, but of exquisite proportions.
Her eye was large, full, black, piercing, and at times a little
wild. Her hair was luxuriant, and as it was without the
powder it was then the fashion to wear, it fell in raven black
ness. A few of its locks had fallen on her cheek, giving its
chilling whiteness by the contrast a more deadly character.
Dr. Sitgreaves supported her from the chaise ; and when she
gained the floor of the piazza, she turned an expressive look
on the face of the practitioner.
" Your brother is out of danger, and wishes to see you,
Miss Singleton," said the surgeon.
The lady burst into a flood of tears. Frances had stood
contemplating the action and face of Isabella with a kind of
uneasy admiration, but she now sprang to her side with the
ardour of a sister, and kindly drawing her arm within her
own, led the way to a retired room. The movement was
so ingenuous, so considerate, and so delicate, that even Miss
Peyton withheld her interference, following the youthful
pair with only her eyes and a smile of complacency. The
feeling was communicated to all the spectators, and they
dispersed in pursuit of their usual avocations. Isabella
yielded to the gentle influence of Frances without resistance;
and, having gained the room where the latter conducted
her, wept in silence on the shoulder of the observant and
soothing girl, until Frances thought her tears exceeded the
emotion natural to the occasion. The sobs of Miss Singleton
for a time were violent and uncontrollable, until, with an
evident exertion, she yielded to a kind observation of her
companion, and succeeded in suppressing her tears. Rais
ing her face to the eyes of Frances, she rose, while a smile
of beautiful radiance passed over her features; and making
THE SPY. 149
a hasty apology for the excess of her emotion, she desired
to be conducted to the room of the invalid.
The meeting between the brother and sister was warm,
but, by an effort on the part of the lady, more composed
than her previous agitation had given reason to expect. Isa
bella found her brother looking better, and in less danger
than her sensitive imagination had led her to suppose. Her
spirits rose in proportion ; from despondency, she passed to
something like gaiety ; her beautiful eyes sparkled with re
novated brilliancy ; and her face was lighted with smiles
so fascinating, that Frances, who, in compliance with her
earnest entreaties, had accompanied her to the sick chamber,
sat gazing on a countenance that possessed so wonderful
variability, impelled by a charm that was beyond her control.
The youth had thrown an earnest look at Frances, as soon
as his sister raised herself from his arms, and perhaps it was
the first glance at the lovely lineaments of our heroine, when
the gazer turned his eyes from the view in disappointment.
He seemed bewildered, rubbed his forehead like a man
awaking from a dream, and mused.
<e Where is Dunwoodie, Isabella ? " he said '; ee the ex
cellent fellow is never weary of kind actions. After a day
of such service as that of yesterday, he has spent the night
in bringing me a nurse, whose presence alone is able to raise
me from my couch."
The expression of the lady's countenance changed ; her
eye roved round the apartment with a character of wildness
in it that repelled the anxious Frances, who studied her
movements with unabated interest.
" Dunwoodie ! is he then not here ? I thought to have
met him by the side of my brother's bed."
ff He has duties that require his presence elsewhere : the
English are said to be out by the way of the Hudson, and
they give us light troops but little rest : surely nothing else
could -have kept him so long from a wounded friend. But,
Isabella, the meeting has been too much for you ; you
tremble."
Isabella made no reply : she stretched her hand towards
the table which held the nourishment of the Captain, and
the attentive Frances comprehended her wishes in a mo-
L 3
150 THE SPY.
ment. A glass of water in some measure revived the sister,
who was enabled to say
" Doubtless it is his duty. 'Twas said above, a royal
party was moving on the river ; though I passed the troops
but two miles from this spot." The latter part of the sen
tence was hardly audible, and it was spoken more in the
manner of a soliloquy, than as if intended for the ears of
her companions.
<c On the march, Isabella? " eagerly enquired her brother.
fc No, dismounted, and seemingly at rest," was the reply.
The wondering dragoon turned his gaze on the counte
nance of his sister, who sat with her eye bent on the carpet
in unconscious absence, but found no explanation. His
look was changed to the face of Frances, who, startling with
the earnestness of his expression, arose,, and hastily enquired
if he would have any assistance.
" If you can pardon the rudeness," said the wounded
officer, making a feeble effort to raise his body, " I would
request to have Captain Lawton's company for a moment."
Frances hastened instantly to communicate his wish to
that gentleman, and, impelled by an interest she could not
control, she returned again to her seat by the side of Miss
Singleton.
" Lawton," said the youth, impatiently, as the trooper
entered, " hear you from the Major?"
The eye of the sister was now bent on the face of the
trooper, who made his salutations to the lady with ease,
blended with the frankness of a soldier.
" His man has been here twice," he said, " to enquire
how we fared in the Lazaretto."
" And why not himself ? "
C( That is a question the Major can answer best; but you
know the red coats are abroad, and Dunwoodie commands
in the county j these English must be looked to."
ee True," said Singleton, slowly, as if struck with the
other's reasons ; " but how is it that you are idle, when
there is work to do ? "
" My sword arm is not in the best condition, and Roan-
oke has but a shambling gait this morning ; besides, there
THE SPY. 151
is another reason I could mention, if it were not that Miss
Wharton would never forgive me."
tc Speak, I beg, without dread of my displeasure," said
Frances, returning the good-humoured smile of the trooper,
with the archness natural to her own sweet face.
" The odours of your kitchen, then," cried Lawton
bluntly, " forbid my quitting the domains, until I qualify
myself to speak with more certainty concerning the fatness
of the land."
" Oh ! aunt Jeanette is exerting herself to do credit to
my father's hospitality," said the laughing girl, " and I am
a truant from her labours, as I shall be a stranger to her
favour, unless I proffer my assistance."
Frances withdrew to seek her aunt, musing deeply on
the character and extreme sensibility of the new acquaint
ance chance had brought to the cottage.
The wounded officer followed her with his eyes, as she
moved, with infantile grace, through the door of his apart
ment, and as she vanished from his view, he observed
" Such an aunt and niece are seldom to be met with,
Jack ; this seems a fairy, but the aunt is angelic."
" You are doing well, 1 see j your enthusiasm for the
sex holds its own."
" I should be ungrateful as well as insensible, did I not
bear testimony to the loveliness of Miss Peyton."
" A good motherly lady, but as to love, that is a matter
of taste. A few years younger, with deference to her pru
dence and experience, would accord better with my fancy."
" She must be under twenty," said the other, quickly.
" It depends on the way you count. If you begin at
the heel of life, well ; but if you reckon downward, as is
most common, I think she is nearer forty."
" You have mistaken an elder sister for the aunt," said
Isabella, laying her fair hand on the mouth of the invalid ;
" you must be silent ! your feelings are beginning to affect
your frame."
The entrance of Dr. Sitgreaves, who, in some alarm,
noticed the increase of feverish symptoms in his patient, en
forced this mandate ; and the trooper withdrew to pay a
visit of condolence to Roanoke, who had been an equal
152 THE SPY.
sufferer with himself in their last night's somerset. To his
great joy,, his man pronounced the steed to be equally con
valescent with the master ; and Lawton found that by dint
of rubbing the animal's limbs, several hours without ceasing,
he was enabled to place his feet in what he called syste
matic motion. Orders were accordingly given to be in rea
diness to rejoin the troop at the Four Corners, as soon as
his master had shared in the bounty of the approaching
banquet.
In the mean time, Henry Wharton entered the apartment
of Wellmere, and by his sympathy succeeded in restoring
the Colonel to his own good graces. The latter was con
sequently enabled to rise, and prepared to meet a rival of
whom he had spoken so lightly, and, as the result had
proved, with so little reason. Wharton knew that their
misfortune, as they both termed their defeat, was owing to
the other's rashness ; but he forbore to speak of any thing
except the unfortunate accident which had deprived the
English of their leader, and to which he good-naturedly
ascribed their subsequent discomfiture.
<f In short, Wharton," said the Colonel, putting one leg
out of bed, " it may be called a combination of untoward
events ; your own ungovernable horse prevented my orders
from being carried to the Major, in season to flank the
rebels."
" Very true," replied the Captain, kicking a slipper to
wards the bed ; " had we succeeded in getting a few good
fires upon them in flank, we should have sent these brave
Virginians to the right about."
" Ay ! and that in double quick time," cried the Colonel,
making the other leg follow its companion ; " then it was
necessary to rout the guides, you know, and the movement
gave them the best possible opportunity to charge."
:e Yes," said the other, sending the second slipper after
the first ; " and this Major Dunwoodie never overlooks an
advantage."
et I think if we had the thing to do over again," conti
nued the Colonel, raising himself on his feet, " we might
alter the case very materially, though the chief thing the
rebels have now to boast of is my capture : they were re-
THE SPY.
153
pulsed, you saw, in their attempt to drive us from the
wood."
" At least they would have been, had they made an
attack/' said the Captain, throwing the rest of his clothes
within reach of the Colonel.
<( Why that is the same thing/' returned Wellmere, be
ginning to dress himself j cc to assume such an attitude as
to intimidate your enemy is the chief art of war."
" Doubtless, then, you may remember in one of their
charges they were completely routed."
" True true," cried the Colonel, with animation : " had
I been there to have improved that advantage, we might have
turned the table on the Yankees /' saying which, he disco
vered still greater animation in completing his toilette; and
he was soon prepared to make his appearance, fully restored
to his own good opinion, and fairly persuaded that his cap
ture was owing to casualties, absolutely beyond the control
of man.
The knowledge that Colonel Wellmere was to be a guest
at the table in no degree diminished the preparations which
were already making for the banquet ; and Sarah, after re
ceiving the compliments of the gentleman, and making many
kind enquiries after the state of his wounds, proceeded in
person to lend her counsel and taste to one of those laboured
entertainments, which, at that day, were so frequent in
country life, and which are not entirely banished from our
domestic economy at the present moment.
CHAPTER XIII.
I will stand to and feed,
Although my last.
Tempest.
THE savour of preparation which had been noticed by
Captain Law ton began to increase within the walls of the
cottage: certain sweet smelling odours, that arose from
the subterranean territories of Caesar, gave to the trooper
154 THE SPY.
the most pleasing assurance that his olfactory nerves, which
on such occasions were as acute as his eyes on others, had
faithfully performed their duty ; and for the benefit of en
joying the passing sweets as they arose, the dragoon so
placed himself at a window of the building, that not a
vapour charged with the spices of the east, could exhale on
its passage to the clouds, without first giving its incense to
his nose. Lawton, however, by no means indulged him
self in this comfortable arrangement, without first making
such preparations to do meet honour to the feast, as his
scanty wardrobe would allow. The uniform of his corps
was always a passport to the best tables, and this, though
somewhat tarnished by faithful service and unceremonious
usage, was properly brushed and decked out for the occasion.
His head, which nature had ornamented with the blackness
of a crow, now shone with the whiteness of snow ; and his
bony hand, that so well became the sabre, peered from be
neath a ruffle with something like maiden coyness. The
improvements of the dragoon went no farther, excepting
that his boots shone with more than holiday splendour,
and his spurs glittered in the rays of the sun, as became
the pure ore of which they were composed.
Caesar moved through the apartments with a face charged
with an importance exceeding even that which had accom
panied him in] his melancholy task of the morning. The
black had early returned from the message on which he had
been despatched by the pedler, and, obedient to the commands
of his mistress, promptly appeared to give his services,
where his allegiance was due ; so serious, indeed, was his
duty now becoming, that it was only by odd moments he
was enabled to impart to his sable brother, who had been
sent in attendance on Miss Singleton to the Locusts, any
portion of the wonderful incidents of the momentous night
he had so lately passed. By ingeniously using, however,
such occasions as accidentally offered, Caesar communicated
so many of the heads of his tale, as served to open the eyes
of his visitor to their fullest width. The gusto for the mar
vellous was innate in these sable worthies ; and Miss Peyton
found it necessary to interpose her authority, in order ti>
THE SPY. 155
postpone the residue of the history to a more befitting op
portunity.
<e Ah ! Miss Jinnett," said Caesar, shaking his head, and
looking all that he expressed, " 'twas awful to see Johnny
Birch walk on a feet when he lie dead."
This concluded the conversation, though the black pro
mised himself the satisfaction, and did not fail to enjoy it,
of having many a good gossip on the solemn subject here
after.
The ghost thus happily laid, the department of Miss
Peyton flourished ; and by the time the afternoon's sun had
travelled a two hours' journey from the meridian, the formal
procession from the kitchen to the parlour commenced under
the auspices of Caesar, who led the van, supporting a turkey
on the palms of his withered hands, with the dexterity of
a balance master.
Next followed the servant of Captain Lawton, bearing,
as he marched stiffly and walking wide, as if allowing room
for his steed, a ham of true Virginian flavour ; a present
from the spinster's brother in Accomac. The supporter of
this savoury dish kept his eye on his trust with military
precision ; and by the time he reached his destination, it
might be difficult to say which contained the most juice,
his own mouth or the Accomac bacon.
Third in the line was to be seen the valet of Colonel
Wellmere, who carried in either hand chickens fricasseed,
aud oyster patties.
After him marched the attendant of Dr. Sitgreaves, who
had instinctively seized an enormous tureen, as most resem
bling matters he understood, and followed on in place, until
the steams of the soup so completely bedimmed the spec
tacles he wore, as a badge of office, that on arriving at the
scene of action, he was compelled to deposit his freight on
the floor, until, by removing the glasses, he could see his
way through the piles of reserved china and plate- warmers.
Next followed another trooper, whose duty it was to at
tend on Captain Singleton ; and, as if apportioning his ap
petite to the feeble state of his master, he had contented
himself with conveying a pair of ducks, roasted, until their
tempting fragrance began to make him repent his having
156 THE SPY.
so lately demolished a breakfast that had been provided for
his master's sister, with another prepared for himself.
The white boy, who belonged to the house, brought up
the rear, groaning under the load of sundry dishes of vege
tables, that the cook, by way of climax, had unwittingly
heaped on him.
But this was far from all of the preparations for that
day's feast. Caesar no sooner deposited his bird, which
but the week before had been flying amongst the highlands
of Dutchess, little dreaming of so soon heading such a
goodly assemblage, than he turned mechanically on his heel,
and took up his line of march again for the kitchen. In
this evolution the black was imitated by his companions in
succession, and another procession to the parlour followed
in the same order. By this admirable arrangement, whole
flocks of pigeons, certain bevies of quails, shoals of flat-fish,
bass, and sundry wood- cock, found their way into the pre
sence of the company.
A third attack brought suitable quantities of potatoes,
onions, beets, cold-slaw, rice, and all the other minutiae of
a goodly dinner.
The board now fairly groaned with American profusion ;
and Caesar, glancing his eye over the show with a most
approving conscience, after moving every dish that had not
been placed on the table with his own hands, proceeded to
acquaint the mistress of the revels, that his task was hap
pily accomplished.
Some half hour before the culinary array just recorded
took place, all the ladies disappeared, much in the same
unaccountable manner that swallows flee the approach of
winter. But the spring-time of their return had arrived,
and the whole party were collected in an apartment that,
in consequence of its containing no side-table, and being
furnished with a chintz coverlet settee, was termed a with
drawing room.
The kind-hearted spinster had deemed the occasion
worthy, not only of extraordinary preparations in the culi
nary department, but had seen proper to deck her own per
son in garments suited to the guests whom it was now her
happiness to entertain.
THE SPY. 157
On her head Miss Peyton wore a cap of exquisite lawn,
which was ornamented in front with a broad border of lace,
that spread from the face in such a manner as to admit of a
display of artificial flowers, clustered in a group on the sum
mit of her fine forehead.
The colour of her hair was lost in the profusion of pow
der with which it was covered ; but a slight curling of the
extremities in some degree relieved the formality of its ar
rangement, and gave a look of feminine softness to the fea
tures.
Her dress was a rich, heavy silk, of violet colour, cut low
around the bust, with a stomacher of the same material,
that fitted close to the figure, and exhibited the form, from
the shoulders to the waist, in its true proportions. Below,
the dress was full, and sufficiently showed, that parsimony
in attire was not a foible of the day. A small hoop dis
played the beauty of the fabric to advantage, and aided in
giving majesty to the figure.
The tall stature of the lady was heightened by shoes of
the same material with the dress, whose heels added more
than an inch to the liberality of nature.
The sleeves were short, and close to the limb, until they
fell off at the elbows in large ruffles, that hung in rich
profusion from the arm when extended ; arid duplicates and
triplicates of lawn, trimmed with Dresden lace, lent their
aid in giving delicacy to a hand and arm that yet retained
their whiteness and symmetry. A treble row of large pearls
closely encircled her throat ; and a handkerchief of lace par
tially concealed that part of the person that the silk had left
exposed, but which the experience of forty years had warned
Miss Peyton should now be veiled.
Thus attired, and standing erect with the lofty grace that
distinguished the manners of that day, the maiden would
have looked into atoms a bevy of modern belles.
The taste of Sarah had kept even pace with the decora
tions of her aunt; and a dress, differing in no respect from
the one just described, but in material and tints, exhibited
'her imposing form to equal advantage. The satin of her
robe was of a pale blush colour. Twenty years did not,
however, require the skreen that was prudent in forty, and
158 THE SPY.
nothing but an envious border of exquisite lace hid, in some
measure, what the satin left exposed to view. The upper
part of the bust, and the fine fall of the shoulders, were blazing
in all their native beauty, and, like the aunt, the throat was
ornamented by a treble row of pearls, to correspond with
which were rings of the same quality in the ears. The
head was without a cap, and the hair drawn up from the
countenance so as to give to the eye all the loveliness of a
forehead as polished as marble and as white as snow. A few
straggling curls fell gracefully in the neck, and a bouquet of
artificial flowers was also placed, like a coronet, over her
brow.
Miss Singleton had resigned her brother to the advice of
Dr. Sitgreaves, who had succeeded in getting his patient into
a deep sleep, after quieting certain feverish symptoms that
followed the agitation of the interview. The sister was per
suaded, by the observant mistress of the mansion, to make
one of the party, and she sat by the side of Sarah, differing
but li ttle in appearance from that lady, except 'in refusing
the use of powder on her raven locks, and that her unusu
ally high forehead, and large, brilliant eyes, gave an expres
sion of thoughtfulness to her features, that was possibly
heightened by the paleness of her cheek.
Last and least, but not the most unlovely, in this display
of female charms, was the youngest daughter of Mr. Whar-
ton. Frances, we have already mentioned, left the city be
fore she had attained to the age of fashionable womanhood.
A few adventurous spirits were already beginning to make
inroads in those customs which had so long invaded the
comforts of the fair sex ; and the youthful girl had ven
tured to trust her beauty to the height which nature had
bestowed. This was but little, but that little was a master
piece. Frances several times had determined, in the course
of the morning, to bestow more than usual pains in the de
coration of her person. Each time, in succession, as she
formed this resolution, she spent a few minutes in looking
earnestly towards the north, and then she as invariably
changed it.
At the appointed hour, our heroine appeared in the
drawing-room, clothed in a robe of pale blue silk, of a cut
- THE SPY. 159
and fashion much like that worn by her sister. Her hair
was left to the wild curls of nature, its exuberance being
confined to the crown of her head by a long, low comb,
made of light tortoise-shell ; a colour barely distinguishable
in the golden hue of her tresses. Her dress was without a
plait or a wrinkle, and fitted the form with an exactitude
that might lead one to imagine the arch girl more than
suspected the beauties it displayed. A tucker of rich Dres
den lace softened the contour of the figure. Her head was
without ornament ; but around her throat was a necklace
of gold clasped in front with a rich cornelian.
Once, and once only, as they moved towards the repast,
did Lawton see a foot thrust itself from beneath the folds
of her robe, and exhibit its little beauties encased in a slip
per of blue silk, clasped close to the shape by a buckle of
brilliants. The trooper caught himself sighing as he
thought, though it was good for nothing in the stirrup,
how enchantingly it would grace a minuet.
As the black appeared on the threshold of the room,
making a low reverence, which has been interpreted for
some centuries into " dinner waits," Mr. Wharton, clad in
a dress of drab, and loaded with enormous buttons, ad
vanced formally to Miss Singleton, and bending his pow
dered head nearly to the level of the hand he extended,
received hers in return.
Dr. Sitgreaves offered the same homage to Miss Peyton,
and met with equal favour ; the lady first pausing to draw
on her gloves.
Colonel Wellmere was honoured with a smile from Sarah,
while performing a similar duty; and Frances gave the ends
of her taper fingers to Captain Lawton with maiden bash-
fulness.
Much time, and some trouble, was expended before the
whole party were, to the great joy of Caesar, comfortably
arranged around the table, with proper attention to all points
of etiquette and precedence. The black well knew the viands
were not improving ; and though abundantly able to com
prehend the disadvantage of eating a cold dinner, it greatly
exceeded his powers of philosophy to weigh all the latent
consequences to society which depend on social order.
1()0 THE SPY.
For the first ten minutes all but the Captain of dragoons
found themselves in a situation much to their liking. Even
Lawton would have heen perfectly happy, had not excess of
civility on the part of his host and Miss Jeanette Peyton
kept him from the more agreeable occupation of tasting
dishes he did want, in order to decline those he did not.
At length, however, the repast was fairly commenced, and
a common silence was more eloquent than a thousand words
in favour of Dinah's skill.
Next came drinking with the ladies ; but as the wine was
excellent, and the glasses ample, the trooper bore this inter
ruption with consummate good nature. Nay, so fearful
was he of giving offence, and of omitting any of the nicer
points of punctilio, that having commenced this courtesy
with the lady who sat next him, he persevered until not
one of his fair companions could, with justice, reproach him
with partiality in this particular.
Long abstemiousness from any thing like generous wine
might plead the excuse of Captain Lawton, especially when
exposed to so strong a temptation as that now before him.
Mr. Wharton had been one of a set of politicians in New-
York, whose principal exploits before the war had been to
assemble, and pass sage opinions on the signs of the times,
under the inspiration of certain liquor made from a grape
that grew on the south side of the island of Madeira, and
which found its way into the colonies of North America
through the medium of the West Indies, sojourning awhile
in the Western Archipelago, by way of proving the virtues
of the climate. A large supply of this cordial had been
drawn from his storehouse in the city, arid some of it novr
sparkled in a bottle before the Captain, blushing in the rays
of the sun, which were passing obliquely through it, like
amber.
Though the meat and vegetables had made their entrance
with perfect order and propriety, their exeunt was effected
much in the manner of a retreat of militia. The point was
to clear the board something after the fabled practice of the
harpies, and by dint of scrambling, tossing, breaking, and
spilling, the remnants of the overflowing repast disappeared.
And now another series of processions commenced, by virtue
THE SPY. l6l
of which a goodly display of pastry, with its usual accom
paniments, garnished the table.
Mr. Wharton poured out a glass of wine for the lady who
sat on his right hand, and pushing the bottle to a guest,
said, with a low bow
" We are to be honoured with a toast from Miss Single
ton."
Although there was nothing more in this movement than
occurred every day on such occasions, yet the lady trembled,
coloured, and grew pale again, seemingly endeavouring to
rally her thoughts, until by her agitation, she had excited
the interest of the whole party ; when, by an effort, and in
a manner as if she had strived in vain to think of another,
Isabella said faintly
" Major Dunwoodie."
The health was drunk cheerfully by all but Colonel Well-
mere, who wet his lips, and drew figures on the table with
some of the liquor he had spilt.
At length Colonel Wellmere broke silence, by saying aloud
to Captain Lawton
(( I suppose, sir, this Mr. Dunwoodie will receive pro
motion in the rebel army, for the advantage my misfortune
gave him over my command."
The trooper had supplied the wants of nature to his per
fect satisfaction; and, perhaps, with the exception of Wash
ington and his immediate commander, there was no mortal
whose displeasure he regarded a tittle. First helping him
self, therefore, to a little of his favourite bottle, he replied
with admirable coolness
" Colonel Wellmere, your pardon ; Major Dunwoodie
owes his allegiance to the confederated states of North Ame
rica, and where he owes it he pays it. Such a man is no
rebel. Promoted I hope he may be, both because he de
serves it, and because I am next in rank, in the corps; and
I know not what you call a misfortune, unless you deem
meeting the Virginia horse as such."
<e We will not differ about terms, sir," said the Colonel,
haughtily ; " I spoke as duty to my sovereign prompted :
but do you not call the loss of a commander a misfortune to
a party ? "
M
162 THE SPY.
" It certainly may be so," said the trooper with em*,
phasis.
tf Miss Peyton, will you favour us with a toast ? " cried
the master of the house, anxious to stop the dialogue.
The lady bowed her head with dignity, as she named
te General Montrose /' and the long absent bloom stole lightly
over her features.
" There is no term more doubtful than that word mis
fortune/' said the surgeon,, regardless of the nice manoeuvres
of the host : " some deem one thing a misfortune, others its
opposite : misfortune begets misfortune : life is a misfor
tune, for it may be the means of enduring misfortune ; and
death is a misfortune, as it abridges the enjoyments of life."
" It is a misfortune that our mess has no such wine as
this," interrupted the trooper.
" We will pledge you a sentiment in it, sir, as it seems
to suit your taste," said Mr. Wharton.
Lawton filled to the brim, and drank, {( A speedy peace,
or a stirring war."
" I drink your toast, Captain Lawton, though I greatly
distrust your construction of activity," said the surgeon.
ft In my poor judgment, cavalry should be kept in the rear,
to improve a victory, and not sent in front to gain it. Such
may be said to be their natural occupation, if the term can
be used in reference to so artificial a body ; for all history
shows that the horse have done most when properly held in
reserve."
This dissertation, "uttered in a sufficiently didactic man
ner, was a hint that Miss Peyton did not neglect. She
arose, and retired followed by her juniors.
Nearly at the same moment Mr. Wharton and his son
made an apology for their absence, Jwhich was required on
account of the death of a near neighbour, and withdrew.
The retreat of the ladies was the signal for the appearance
of the surgeon's segar, which, being established in a corner
of his mouth, in a certain knowing way, caused not the
slightest interruption to his discourse
".If any thing can sweeten captivity and wounds, it
must be the happiness of suffering in the society of the
ladies who have left us," gallantly observed the Colonel, as
he resumed hie seat after closing the door.
THE SPY. 163
" Sympathy and kindness have their influence on the
human system/' returned the surgeon, knocking the ashes
from his segar, with the tip of a little finger, in the man
ner of an adept. " The connection is intimate between
the moral and physical feelings ; but still, to accomplish a
cure, and restore nature to the healthy tone it has lost from
disease or accident, requires more than can flow from un-
guided sympathies. In such cases, the lights " the surgeon
accidentally caught the eye of the trooper, and he paused.
Taking two or three hasty puffs, he essayed to finish the
sentence " In such cases, the knowledge that flows from
the lights "
" You were saying, sir " said Colonel Wellmere,
sipping his wine
" The purport of my remark went to say," continued
Sitgreaves, turning his back on Lawton, " that a bread
poultice would not set a broken arm."
" More is the pity," cried the trooper, " for next to eat
ing, the nourishment could not be more innocently applied."
'f To you, Colonel Wellmere," said the surgeon, " as a
man of education, I can with safety appeal." The Colonel
bowed. " You must have observed the dreadful havoc
made in your ranks by the men who were led by this gen
tleman ;" the Colonel looked grave, again ; " how, when
blows lighted on their frames, life was invariably extin
guished, beyond all hope of scientific reparation: how
certain yawning wounds were inflicted, that must prove
fatal to the art of the most experienced practitioner; now,
sir, to you I triumphantly appeal, therefore, to know whether
your detachment would not have been as effectually de
feated, if the men had all lost a right arm, for instance, as
if they had all lost their heads."
" The triumph of your appeal is somewhat hasty, sir/'
said Wellmere.
(( Is the cause of liberty advanced a step by such inju
dicious harshness in the field ? " continued the surgeon, bent
on the favourite principle of his life.
" I am yet to learn that the cause of liberty is in any
manner advanced by the services of any gentleman in the
rebel army," rejoined the Colonel.
M 2
THE SPY.
Not liberty ! Good God, for what then are we con
tending ? "
" Slavery, sir; "yes, even slavery; you are putting the
tyranny of a mob on the throne of a kind and lenient prince;
where is the consistency of your boasted liberty ? "
" Consistency ! " repeated the surgeon, looking about him
a little wildly, at hearing such sweeping charges against a
cause he had so long thought holy.
<f Ay, sir, your consistency. Your congress of sages have
published a manifesto, wherein they set forth the equality
of political rights."
" 'Tis true, and it is done most ably."
" I say nothing of its ability ; but if true, why not set
your slaves at liberty ? " This argument, which is thought
by most of the Colonel's countrymen a triumphant answer
to a thousand eloquent facts, lost none of its weight by the
manner in which it was uttered.
Every American feels humbled at the necessity of vindi
cating his country from the apparent inconsistency and in
justice of the laws alluded to. His feelings are much like
those of an honourable man who is compelled to exonerate
himself from a disgraceful charge, although he may know
the accusation to be false. At the bottom, Sitgreaves had
much good sense, and thus called on, he took up the cudgels
of argument in downright earnest.
" We deem it a liberty to have the deciding voice in the
councils by which we are governed. We think it a hard
ship to be ruled by the king of a people who live at a dis
tance of three thousand miles, and who cannot, and who
does not, feel a single political interest in common with our
selves. I say nothing of oppression; the child was of age, and
was entitled to the privileges of majority. In such cases,
there is but one tribunal to which to appeal for a nation's
rights it is power, and we now make the appeal."
f( Such doctrines may suit your present purposes," said
Wellmere, with a sneer; " but I apprehend it is opposed to
all the opinions and practices of civilised nations."
" It is in conformity with the practices of all nations,"
said the surgeon,, returning the nod, and smile of Lawton,
who enjoyed the good sense of his comrade as much as he
THE SPY. 165
"disliked what he called ' his medical talk,' (e Who would
be ruled when he can rule ? the only rational ground to take
is, that every community has a right to govern itself, so that
in no manner it violates the laws of God."
" And is holding your fellow- creatures in bondage, in
conformity to those laws ? " asked the Colonel, impressively.
The surgeon took another glass, and hemming once, re
turned to the combat.
" Sir," said he, " slavery is of very ancient origin, and
it seems to have been confined to no particular religion or
form of government ; every nation of civilised Europe does,
or has held their fellow-creatures in this kind of duresse"
ee You will except Great Britain, sir," cried the Colonel,
proudly.
" No, sir," continued the surgeon, confidently, feeling
that he was now carrying the war out of his own country ;
" I cannot except Great Britain. It was her children, her
ships, and her laws, that first introduced the practice into
these states ; and on her institutions the judgment must
fall. There is not a foot of ground belonging to England,
in which a negro would be useful, that has not its slave.
England herself has none, but England is overflowing with
physical force, a part of which she is obliged to maintain in
the [shape of paupers. The same is true of France, and
most other European countries. So long as we were con
tent to remain colonies, nothing was said of our system of
domestic slavery; but now, when we are resolute to obtain
as much freedom as the vicious system of metropolitan rule
has left us, that which is England's gift has become our
reproach. Will your master liberate the slaves of his sub
jects should he succeed in subduing the new states, or will
he condemn the whites to the same servitude as that in
which he has been so long content to see the blacks ? It is
true, we continue the practice ; but we must come gradually
to the remedy, or create an evil greater than that which we
endure at present : doubtless, as we advance, the manumis
sion of our slaves will accompany us, until happily these
fair regions shall exist, without a single image of the Creator
that is held in a state which disqualifies him to judge of
that Creator's goodness."
166 THE SPY.
It will be remembered that Doctor Sitgreaves spoke forty
years ago, and Wellmere was unable to .contradict his pro
phetic assertion.
Finding the subject getting to be knotty, the Englishman
retired to the apartment in which the ladies had assembled;
and, seated by the side of Sarah, he found a more pleasing
employment in relating the events of fashionable life in the
metropolis, and in recalling the thousand little anecdotes of
their former associates. Miss Peyton was a pleased listener,
as she dispensed the bounties of the tea-table, and Sarah
frequently bowed her blushing countenance to her needle
work, as her face glowed at the flattering remarks of her
companion.
The dialogue we have related established a perfect truce
between the surgeon and his comrade; and the former hav
ing paid a visit to Singleton, they took their leave of the
ladies, and mounted ; the former to visit the wounded at
the encampment, and the latter to rejoin his troop. But
their movements were arrested at the gate by an occurrence
that we shall relate in the next chapter.
CHAPTER XIV.
I see no more those white locks thinly spread
Round the bald polish of that honoured head :
No more that meek, that suppliant look in praver,
Nor that pure faith that gave it force, are there :
But he is blest, and 1 lament no more,
A wise good man, contented to be poor.
Crabbe.
WE have already said, that the customs of America leave
the dead but a short time in the sight of the mourners ;
and the necessity of providing for his own safety, had
compelled the pedler to abridge even this brief space. In
the confusion and agitation produced by the events we
have recorded, the death of the elder Birch had occurred
unnoticed; but a sufficient number of the immediate
neighbours were hastily collected, and the ordinary rites of
THE SPY. 167
sepulture were now about to be paid to the deceased. It
was the approach of this humble procession that arrested
the movements of the trooper and his comrade. Four men
supported the body on a rude bier j and four others
walked in advance, ready to relieve their friends from
their burden. The pedler walked next the coffin, and by
his side moved Katy Haynes, with a most determined
aspect of wo, and next to the mourners came Mr.
Wharton and the English Captain. Two or three old
men and women, with a few straggling boys, brought up
the rear. Captain Lawton sat in his saddle, in rigid
silence, until the bearers came opposite to his position,
and then, for the first time, Harvey raised his eyes from
the ground, and saw the enemy that he dreaded so near
him. The first impulse of the pedler was certainly flight;
but recovering his recollection, he fixed his eye on the
coffin of his parent, and passed the dragoon with a firm
step but swelling heart. The trooper slowly lifted his
cap, and continued uncovered until Mr. Wharton and his
son had moved by, when, accompanied by the surgeon, he
rode leisurely in the rear, maintaining an inflexible silence.
Caesar emerged from the cellar kitchen of the cottage,
and with a face of settled solemnity, added himself to the
number of the followers of the funeral, though with a
humble mien, and at a most respectful distance from the
horsemen. The old negro had placed around his arm, a
little above the elbow, a napkin of unsullied whiteness, it
being the only time since his departure from the city, that
he had enjoyed an opportunity of exhibiting himself in the
garniture of servile mourning. He was a great lover of
propriety, and had been a little stimulated to this display
by a desire to show his sable friend from Georgia all the
decencies of a New- York funeral ; ^ and the ebullition of
his zeal went off very well, producing no other result, than
a mild lecture from Miss Peyton at his return, on the
fitness of things. The attendance of the black was thought
well enough in itself ; but the napkin was deemed a super
fluous exhibition of ceremony, at the funeral of a man who
had performed all the menial offices in his own person.
M 4
168 THE SPY.
The grave-yard was an enclosure on the grounds of Mr.
Wharton, which had been fenced with stone, and set apart
for the purpose, by that gentleman, some years before.
It was not, however, intended as a burial-place for any of
his own family. Until the fire, which raged as the British
troops took possession of New- York, had laid Trinity in
ashes, a goodly gilded tablet on its walls proclaimed the
virtues of his deceased parents, and beneath a flag of
marble, in one of the aisles of the church, their bones
were left to moulder in aristocratical repose. Captain
Lawton made a movement as if he was disposed to follow
the procession, when it left the highway, to enter the
field which contained the graves of the humble dead, but
he was recalled to recollection by a hint from his com
panion, that he was taking the wrong road.
ff Of all the various methods which have been adopted
by man for the disposal of his earthly remains, which do
you prefer, Captain Lawton ? " said the surgeon, as they
separated from the little procession : " in some countries
the body is exposed to be devoured by wild beasts ; in
others it is suspended in the air to exhale its substance in
the manner of decomposition ; in other regions it is con
sumed on the funeral pile, and, again, it is inhumed in the
bowels of the earth; every people have their own par
ticular fashion, and to which do you give the preference ? "
" All are agreeable," said the trooper, following the
group they had left with his eyes ; " though the speediest
interments give the cleanest fields. Of which are you an
admirer ? "
" The last, as practised by ourselves, for the other three
are destructive of all the opportunities for dissection ;
whereas, in the last, the coffin can lie in peaceful decency,
while the remains are made to subserve the useful purposes
of science. Ah ! Captain Lawton, I enjoy comparatively
but few opportunities of such a nature, to what I expected
on entering the army."
'' To^what may these pleasures numerically amount in
a year ? " said the Captain, withdrawing his gaze from the
grave-yard.
THE SPY.
169
" Within a dozen, upon my honour ; my best picking
is when the corps is detached ; for when we are with the
main army, there are so many boys to be satisfied, that I
seldom get a good subject. Those youngsters are as waste
ful as prodigals, and as greedy as vultures."
ff A dozen !" echoed the trooper, in surprise; " why I
furnish you that number with my own hands."
c< Ah ! Jack," returned the doctor, approaching the
subject with great tenderness of manner, " it is seldom I
can do any thing with your patients ; you disfigure them
wofully ; believe me, John, when I tell you as a friend,
that your system is all wrong; you unnecessarily destroy
life, and then you injure the body so that it is unfit for the
only use that can be made of a dead man."
The trooper maintained a silence, which he thought
would be the most probable means of preserving peace
between them ; and the surgeon, turning his head from
taking a last look at the burial, as they rode round the
foot of the hill that shut the valley from their sight, con
tinued with a suppressed sigh
" One might get a natural death from that grave-yard
to-night, if there was but time and opportunity ! the pa
tient must be the father of the lady we saw this morning/'
" The petticoat doctor ! she with the Aurora Borealis
complexion," said the trooper, with a smile, that began to
cause uneasiness to his companion ; ec but the lady was not
the gentleman's daughter, only his medico-petticoat at
tendant ; and the Harvey, whose name was made to rhyme
with every word in her song, is the renowned pedler-spy."
fc What ! he who unhorsed ycu?"
" No man ever unhorsed me, Dr. Sitgreaves," said
the dragoon, gravely; " 1 fell by a mischance of Roanoke ;
rider and beast kissed the earth together."
" A warm embrace, from the love spots it left on your
cuticle; 'tis a thousand pities that you cannot find where
the tattling rascal lies hid."
" He followed his father's body."
" And you let him pass ! " cried the surgeon, checking
his horse; (t let us return immediately and take him ; to-
170 THE SPY.
morrow you shall have him hanged, Jack, and, damn him,
I'll dissect him."
" Softly, softly, my dear Archibald, would you arrest a
man while paying the last offices to a dead father ? Leave
him to me, and I pledge myself he shall have justice."
" The doctor muttered his dissatisfaction at any post
ponement of vengeance, but he was compelled to acquiesce,
from a regard to his reputation for propriety ; and they con
tinued their ride to the quarters of the corps, engaged in
various discussions concerning the welfare of the human
body.
Birch supported the grave and collected manner, that
was thought becoming in a male mourner on such occasions,
and to Katy was left the part of exhibiting the tenderness
of the softer sex. There are some people, whose feelings
are of such a nature, that they cannot weep unless it be in
proper company, and the spinster was a good deal addicted
to this congregational virtue. After casting her eyes round
the small assemblage, the housekeeper found the counte
nances of the few females, who were present, fixed on her
in solemn expectation, and the effect was instantaneous ;
the maiden really wept, and she gained no inconsiderable
sympathy, and some reputation for a tender heart from the
spectators. The muscles of the pedler's face were seen to
move, and as the first clod of earth fell on the tenement of
his father, sending up that dull, hollow sound, that speaks
so eloquently the mortality of man, his whole frame was
for an instant convulsed. He bent his body down, as if
in pain, his fingers worked while the hands hung lifeless by
his side, and there was an expression in his countenance
that seemed to announce a writhing of the soul ; but it was
not unresisted, and it was transient. He stood erect, drew
a long breath, and looked around him with an elevated face,
that even seemed to smile with a consciousness of having
obtained the mastery. The grave was soon filled ; a rough
stone, placed at either extremity, marked its position, and
the turf, whose faded vegetation was adapted to the fortunes
of the deceased, covered the little hillock with the last office
of seemliness. This office ended, the neighbours, who had
THE SPY. 171
officiously pressed forward to offer their services in per
forming this solemn duty, paused, and lifting their hats,
stood looking towards the mourner, who now felt himself
to be really alone in the world. Uncovering his head also,
the pedler hesitated a moment, to gather energy, and
spoke.
" My friends and neighbours," he said, <f I thank you
for assisting me to bury my dead out of my sight."
A solemn pause succeeded the customary address, and
the group dispersed in silence, some few walking with the
mourners back to their own habitation, but respectfully
leaving them at its entrance. The pedler and Katy were
followed into the building by one man, however, who was
well known to the surrounding country by the significant
term of " a speculator." Katy saw him enter with a
heart that palpitated with dreadful forebodings, but Harvey
civilly handed him a chair, and evidently was prepared for
the visit.
The pedler went to the door, and taking a cautious glance
about the valley, quickly returned, and commenced the fol
lowing dialogue
" The sun has just left the top of the eastern hill ; my
time presses me ; here is the deed for the house and lot,
every thing is done according to law.
The other took the paper, and conned its contents with
a deliberation that proceeded partly from his caution, and
partly from the unlucky circumstance of his education
having been much neglected when a youth. The time oc
cupied in this tedious examination was employed by Harvey
in gathering together certain articles, which he intended to
include in the stores that were to leave the habitation with
himself. Katy had already enquired of the pedler, whether
the deceased had left a will, and she saw the Bible placed
in the bottom of a new pack, which she had made for his
accommodation, with a most stocial indifference ; but as the
six silver spoons were laid carefully by its side, a sudden
twinge of her conscience objected to such a palpable waste
of property, and she broke silence.
" When you marry, Harvey, you may miss those
spoons."
172 THE SPY.
ff I never shall marry."
" Well,, if you don't, there's no occasion to make rash
promises, even to yourself. One never knows what one
may do, in such a case. I should like to know, of what
use so many spoons can be to a single man : for my part,
I think it is a duty for every man who is well provided, to
have a wife and family to maintain."
At the time when Katy expressed this sentiment, the
fortune of women in her class of life consisted of a cow, a
bed, the labours of their own hands in the shape of divers
pillow-cases, blankets, and sheets, with, where fortune was
unusually kind, a half-dozen silver spoons. The spinster
herself had obtained all the other necessaries by her own in
dustry and prudence, and, it can easily be imagined, that
she saw the articles, she had long counted her own, vanish
in the enormous pack with a dissatisfaction, that was in no
degree diminished by the declaration that had preceded the
act. Harvey, however, disregarded her opinions and feel
ings, and continued his employment of filling the pack,
which soon grew to something like the ordinary size of the
pedler's burden.
" I'm rather timersome about this conveyance," said the
purchaser, having at length waded through the covenants of
the deed.
" Why so ? "
" I'm afraid it won't stand good in law ; I know that
two of the neighbours leave home to-morrow morning, to
have the place entered for confistication, and if I should give
forty pounds, and lose it all, 'twould be a dead pull back
to me."
" They can only take my right," said the pedler ; " pay
me two hundred dollars, and the house is yours ; you are
a well known Whig, and you, at least, they won't trouble."
As Harvey spoke, there was a strange bitterness of manner,
mingled with the shrewd care he expressed concerning the
sale of his property.
" Say one hundred, and it is a bargain," returned the
man, with a grin that he meant for a good-natured smile.
" A bargain !" echoed the pedler, in surprise ; " I thought
the bargain already made."
THE SPY. 173
"Nothing is a bargain/' said the purchaser, with a
chuckle., " until papers are delivered, and the money paid
in hand."
" You have the paper."
" Ay, and will keep it, if you will excuse the money ;
" come, say one hundred and fifty, and I won't be hard ;
here here is just the money."
The pedler looked from the window, and saw with dis
may that the evening was fast advancing, and knew well
that he endangered his life by remaining in the dwelling
after dark ; yet he could not tolerate the idea of being de
frauded in this manner, in a bargain that had already been
fairly made ; he hesitated.
" Well," said the purchaser, rising, " mayhap you can
find another man to trade with between this and morning ;
but, if you don't, your title won't be worth much after
wards."
<( Take it, Harvey," said Katy, who felt it impossible to
resist a tender like the one before her, for the purchase
money was in English guineas. Her voice roused the ped
ler, and a new idea seemed to strike him.
" I agree to the price," he said ; and, turning to the
spinster, he placed part of the money in her hand, as he
continued " had I other means to pay you, I would have
lost all, rather than have suffered myself to have been de
frauded of part."
" You may lose all yet," muttered the stranger, with a
sneer, as he rose and left the building.
" Yes," said Katy, following him with her eyes ; " he
knows your failing, Harvey ; he thinks with me, now the
old gentleman is gone, you will want a careful body to take
care of your concerns."
The pedler was busied in making arrangements for his
departure, and he took no notice of this insinuation, while
the spinster returned again to the attack. She had lived
so many years in expectation of a termination to her hopes,
so different from that which now seemed likely to occur,
that the idea of separation began to give her more uneasi
ness than she had thought herself capable of feeling, about
a man so destitute and friendless.
174 THE SPY.
Have you another house to go to ? " enquired Katy.
" Providence will provide me with a home."
" Yes,," said the housekeeper ; " but may be 'twill not
be to your liking."
" The poor must not be difficult."
" I'm sure I'm any thing but a difficult body/' cried the
spinster, very hastily ; " but I love to see things becoming,
and in their places ; yet I wouldn't be hard to persuade to
leave this place myself. I can't say I altogether like the
ways of the people hereabouts."
" The valley is lovely," said the pedler, with fervour,
" and the people like all the race of man. But to me it
matters nothing ; all places are now alike, and all faces
equally strange ; " as he spoke he dropped the article he was
packing from his hand, and seated himself on a chest, with
a look of vacant misery.
" Not so, not so," said Katy, shoving her chair nearer
to the place where the pedlar sat ; (( not so, Harvey, you
must know me at least ; my face cannot be strange to you
certainly."
Birch turned his eyes slowly on her countenance, which
exhibited more of feeling, and less of self, than he had
ever seen there before : he took her hand kindly, and his
own features lost some of their painful expressions, as he
said
" Yes, good woman, you, at least, are not a stranger to
me ; you may do me partial justice ; when others revile
me, possibly your feelings may lead you to say something
in my defence."
" That I will ; that I would ! " said Katy, eagerly ; " I
will defend you, Harvey, to the last drop ; let me hear them
that dare revile you ! you say true, Harvey, I am partial
and just to you ; what if you do like the king : I have
often heard it said he was at the bottom a good man ; but
there's no religion in the old country, for every body allows
the ministers are desperate bad ! "
The pedler paced the floor in evident distress of mind ;
his eye had a look of wildness, that Katy had never wit
nessed before, and his step was measured with a dignity
that appalled the housekeeper.
THE SPY. 175
" While my father lived," murmured Harvey, unable to
smother his feelings, ' ' there was one who read my heart ;
and oh ! what a consolation to return from my secret
marches of danger, and the insults and wrongs that I suf
fered, to receive his hlessing and his praise ; but he is gone,"
he continued, stopping and gazing wildly towards the cor
ner that used to hold the figure of his parent, " and who is
there to do me justice ? "
" Why, Harvey ! Harvey ! "
" Yes, there is one who will, who must know me before
I die. Oh ! it is dreadful to die, and leave such a name
behind me."
" Don't talk of dying, Harvey," said the spinster, glancing
her eye around the room, and pushing the wood in the fire
to obtain a light from the blaze.
The ebullition of feeling in the pedler was over. It had
been excited by the events of the past day, and a vivid per
ception of his sufferings. It was not long, however, that
passion maintained an ascendency over the reason of this
singular man ; and perceiving that the night had already
thrown an obscurity around objects without doors, he hastily
threw his pack over his shoulders, and taking Katy kindly
by the hand, in leave-taking
" It is painful to part with even you, good woman," he
said ; " but the hour has come, and I must go. What is
left in the house is yours ; to me it could be of no use, and
it may serve to make you more comfortable. Farewell
we shall meet hereafter."
" In the regions of darkness," cried a voice that caused
the pedler to sink on the chest from which he had risen in
despair.
" What ! another pack, Mr. Birch, and so well stuffed
so soon ! "
" Have you not yet done evil enough ? " cried the pedler,
regaining his firmness, and springing on his feet with
energy; " is it not enough to harass the last moments of
a dying man ; to impoverish me ; what more would you
have ? "
" Your blood," said the skinner, with cool malignity.
" And for money," cried Harvey, bitterly ; " like the
176 THE SPY.
ancient Judas, you would grow rich with the price of
blood."
" Ay ! and a fair price it is, my gentleman ; fifty gui
neas ; nearly the weight of that scare-crow carcass of yours
in gold."
" Here/' said Katy, promptly ; " here are fifteen gui
neas, and these drawers, and this bed are all mine ; if you
will give Harvey but one hour's start from the door, they
shall be yours."
" One hour ? " said the skinner, showing his teeth, and
looking with a longing eye at the money.
" But 4 single hour ; here, take the money."
(t Hold ! " cried Harvey ; t( put no faith in the mis
creant."
" She may do what she pleases with her faith," said the
skinner, with malignant pleasure ; e ' but I have the money
in good keeping ; as for you, Mr. Birch, we will bear your
insolence,, for the fifty guineas that are to pay for your
gallows."
" Go on," said the pedler, proudly ; ff take me to
Major Dunwoodie ; he, at least, may be kind, although he
may be just."
ff I can do better than by marching so far in such dis
graceful company ; this Mr. Dunwoodie has let one or two
Tories go at large; but the troop of Captain/ Lawton is
quartered some half mile nearer, and his receipt will get
me the reward as soon as his Major's ; how relish you the
idea of supping with Captain Lawton, this evening, Mr.
Birch?"
" Give me my money, or set Harvey free," cried the
spinster in alarm.
" Your bribe was not enough, good woman, unless there
is money in this bed ;" thrusting his bayonet through the
ticking, and ripping it for some distance, he took a ma
licious satisfaction in scattering its contents about the
room.
ef If," cried the housekeeper, losing sight of her personal
danger, in care for her newly acquired property, " there is
law in the land, I will be righted ! "
. ' ( The law of the neutral ground is the law of the
THE SPY. 177
strongest ; but your tongue is not as long as my bayonet ;
you had, therefore, best not set them at loggerheads, or
you might be the loser."
A figure stood in the shadow of the door, as if afraid
to be seen in the group of skinners ; but a blaze of light,
raised by some articles thrown in the fire by his perse
cutors, showed the pedler the face of the purchaser of his
little domain. Occasionally there was some whispering
between this man and the skinner nearest him, that induced
Harvey to suspect he had been the dupe of a contrivance
in which that wretch had participated. It was, however,
too late to repine ; and he followed the party from the house
with a firm and collected tread, as if marching to a tri
umph and not to a gallows. In passing through the yard,
the leader of the band fell over a billet of wood, and re
ceived a momentary hurt from the fall : exasperated at the
incident, the fellow sprang on his feet, filling the air with
execrations.
" The curse of heaven light on the log !" he exclaimed :
" the night is too dark for us to move in ; throw that
brand of fire in yon pile of tow, to light up the scene."
' e Hold ! " roared the speculator ; , ' ' you '11 fire the
house."
" And see the farther," said the other, hurling the
brand in the midst of the combustibles. In an instant the
building was in flames. " Come on, let us move towards the
heights while we have light to pick our road."
(f Villain ! " cried the exasperated purchaser, " is this
your friendship, this my reward for kidnapping the
pedler?"
<e 'Twould be wise to move more from the light, if you
mean to entertain us with abuse, or we may see too well to
miss our mark," cried the leader of the gang. The next
instant he was as good as his threat, but happily missed
the terrified speculator, and equally appalled spinster, who
saw herself again reduced from comparative wealth to po
verty, by the blow. Prudence dictated to the pair a speedy
retreat, and the next morning, the only remains of the
dwelling of the pedler was the huge chimney we have al
ready mentioned.
178 THE SPY.
CHAPTER XV.
Trifles, light as air,
Are to the jealous confirmations strong
As proofs from holy writ
Moor of Venice.
THE weather, which had been mild and clear since the
storm,, now changed with the suddenness of the American
climate. Towards evening the cold blasts poured down
from the mountains, and flurries of snow plainly indicated
that the month of November had arrived ; a season whose
temperature varies from the heats of summer to the cold
of winter. Frances had stood at the window of her own
apartment watching the slow progress of the funeral pro
cession, with a melancholy that was too deep to be ex
cited by the spectacle. There was something in the sad
office that was in unison with her feelings. As she gazed
around, she saw the trees bending to the force of the wind,
that swept through the valley with an impetuosity that
shook even the buildings ; and the forest,|jthat had so lately
glittered in the sun with its variegated hues, was fast losing
its loveliness, as the leaves were torn from the branches,
and were driving, irregularly, before the eddies of the
blast. A few of the southern dragoons, who were pa
trolling the passes which led to the encampment of the
corps, could be distinguished at a distance on the heights,
bending to their pommels as they faced the keen air which
had so lately traversed the great fresh- water lakes, and
drawing their watch-coats about them in tighter folds.
Frances witnessed the disappearance of the wooden tene
ment of the deceased, as it was slowly lowered from the
light of day, and the sight added to the chilling dreari
ness of the view. Captain Singleton was sleeping under the
care of his own man, while his sister had been persuaded to
take possession of her room, for the purpose of obtaining
the repose, of which her last night's journeying had robbed
her. The apartment of Miss Singleton communicated with
the room occupied by the sisters, through a private door, as
THE SPY. 179
' well as through the ordinary passage of the house ; this door
was partly open, and Frances moved towards it with the
benevolent intention of ascertaining the situation of her
guest, when the surprised girl saw her whom she had thought
to be sleeping, not only awake, but employed in a manner
that banished all probability of present repose. The black
tresses, that during the dinner had been drawn in close
folds over the crown of the head, were now loosened, and
fell in profusion over her shoulders and bosom, imparting a
slight degree of wildness to her countenance ; the chilling
white of her complexion was strongly contrasted to eyes of
the deepest black, that were fixed in rooted attention on a
picture she held in her hand. Frances hardly breathed, as
she was enabled, by a movement of Isabella, to see that it
was the figure of a man in the well known dress of the
southern horse ; but she gasped for breath, and instinctively
laid her hand on her heart to quell its throbbings, as she
thought she recognised the lineaments that were so deeply
seated in her own imagination. Frances felt she was im
properly prying into the sacred privacy of another ; but her
emotions were too powerful to permit her to speak, and she
drew back to a chair, where she still retained a view of the
stranger, from whose countenance she felt it to be impos
sible to withdraw her eyes. Isabella was too much en
grossed by her own feelings to discover the trembling figure
of the witness to her action's, and she pressed the inanimate
image to her lips, with an enthusiasm that denoted the most
intense passion. The expression of the countenance of the
fair stranger was so changeable, and the transitions were
so rapid, that Frances had scarcely time to distinguish
the character of the emotion, before it was succeeded
by another equally powerful, and equally attractive. Ad
miration and sorrow were, however, the preponderating
passions ; the latter was indicated by large drops that fell
from her eyes on the picture, and which followed each
other over her cheek at such intervals, as seemed to pro
nounce the grief too heavy to admit of the ordinary de
monstrations of sorrow. Every movement of Isabella was
marked by an enthusiasm that was peculiar to her nature,
and every passion in its turn triumphed in her breast. The
N 2
180 THE SPY.
fury of the wind, as it whistled round the angles" of the
building, was in consonance with those feelings, and she
rose and moved to a window of her apartment. Her figure
was now hid from the view of Frances, who was about to
rise and approach her guest, when tones of a thrilling me
lody chained her in breathless silence to the spot. The
notes were wild, and the voice not powerful, but the execu
tion exceeded any thing that Frances had ever heard ; and
she stood, endeavouring to stifle the sounds of her own gen
tle breathing, until the following song was concluded :
Cold blow the blasts o'er the tops of the mountain,
And bare is the oak on the hill,
Slowly the vapours exhale from the fountain,
And bright gleams the ice-border'd rill ;
All nature is seeking its annual rest,
But the slumbers of peace have deserted my breast
Long has the storm pour'd its weight on my nation,
And long have her brave stood the shock j
Long has our chieftain ennobled his station,
A bulwark on liberty's rock
Unlicens'd ambition relaxes its toil,
Yet blighted affection represses my smile.
Abroad the wild fury of winter is low'ring,
And leafless and drear is the tree,
But the vertical sun of the south appears pouring
Its fierce killing heats upon me
Without, all the season's chill symptoms begin
i fire of passion is raging within.
But the !
Frances abandoned her whole soul to the suppressed me
lody of the music, though the language of the song expressed
a meaning, which, united with certain events of that and
the preceding day, left a sensation of uneasiness in the bosom
of the warm-hearted girl, to which she had hitherto been a
stranger. Isabella moved from the window as her last
tones melted on the ear of her admiring listener, and, for
the first time, her eye rested on the face of the pallid lis
tener. A glow of fire lighted the countenance of both at the
same instant, and the blue eye of Frances met the brilliant
black one of her guest for a single moment, and both fell
in abashed confusion on the carpet ; they advanced, how
ever, until they met, and had taken each other's hand,
before either ventured again to look her companion in the
face.
" This sudden change in the weather, and perhaps the
THE SPY. 181
situation of my brother, have united to make me melancholy,
Miss Wharton," said Isabella, in a low tone, and in a voice
that trembled as she spoke.
" 'Tis thought you have little to apprehend for your
brother," said Frances, in the same embarrassed manner ;
" had you see him when he was brought in by Major Dun-
woodie "
Frances paused, with a feeling of conscious shame, for
which she could not account, and in raising her eyes, she
saw Isabella studying her countenance with an earnestness
that again drove the blood tumultuously to her temples.
" You were speaking of Major Dunwoodie/' said Isabella,
faintly.
tf He was with Captain Singleton."
<c Do you know Dunwoodie ? have you seen him often ?"
Once more Frances ventured to look her guest in the face,
and again she met the piercing eyes bent on her, as if to
search her inmost heart. " Speak, Miss Wharton ; is Ma
jor Dunwoodie known to you ?"
" He is my relative," said Frances, appalled at the man
ner of the other.
<e A relative !" echoed Miss Singleton ; ee in what de
gree ? speak, Miss Wharton, I conjure you to speak."
" Our parents were cousins," faintly replied Frances.
" And he is to be your husband," said the stranger, im
petuously.
Frances felt shocked, and all her pride awakened, by this
direct attack upon her feelings, and she raised her eyes from
the floor to her interrogator a little proudly, when the pale
cheek and quivering lip of Isabella removed her resentment
in a moment.
" It is true ; my conjecture is true : speak to me, Miss
Wharton ; I conjure you, in mercy to my feelings, to tell
me do you love Dunwoodie?" There was a plaintive
earnestness in the voice of Miss Singleton, that disarmed
Frances of all resentment, and the only answer she could
make was hiding her burning face between her hands, as
she sunk back in a chair to conceal her confusion.
Isabella paced the floor in silence for several minutes,
N 3
182 THE SPY.
until she had succeeded in conquering the violence of her
feelings,, when she approached the place where Frances yet
sat, endeavouring to exclude the eyes of her companion
from reading the shame expressed in her countenance, and,
taking the hand of the other, she spoke with an evident
effort at composure.
" Pardon me, Miss Wharton, if my ungovernable feel
ings have led me into impropriety ; the powerful motive
the cruel reason " she hesitated ; Frances now raised her
face, and their eyes once more met ; they fell in each
other's arms, and laid their burning cheeks together. The
embrace was long was ardent and sincere but neither
spoke ; and on separating, Frances retired to her own room
without further explanation.
While this extraordinary scene was acting in the room of
Miss Singleton, matters of great importance were agitated
in the drawing-room. The disposition of the fragments of
such a dinner as the one we have recorded, was a task that
required no little exertion and calculation. Notwithstand
ing several of the small game had nestled in the pocket of
Captain Lawton's man, and even the assistant of Dr. Sit-
greaves had calculated the uncertainty of his remaining
long in such good quarters, still there was more left, uncon-
sumed, than the prudent Miss Peyton knew how to dis
pose of to advantage. Caesar and his mistress had, therefore,
a long and confidential communication on this important
business ; and the consequence was, that Colonel Wellmere
was left to the hospitality of Sarah Wharton. All the or
dinary topics of conversation were exhausted, when the
Colonel, with a little of the uneasiness that is in some de
gree inseparable from conscious error, touched lightly on the
transactions of the preceding day.
" We little thought, Miss Wharton, when I first saw
this Mr. Dunwoodie in your house in Queen Street, that he
was to be the renowned warrior he has proved himself,"
said Wellmere, endeavouring to smile away his chagrin.
" Renowned, when we consider the enemy he overcame,"
said Sarah, with consideration for her companion's feelings.
f 'Twas most unfortunate, indeed, in every respect, that
THE SPY. 183
you met with the accident, or doubtless the royal arms
would have triumphed in their usual manner."
" And yet the pleasure of such society as this accident
has introduced me to, would more than repay the pain of a
mortified spirit and wounded body," added the Colonel, in
a manner of peculiar softness.
t( I hope the latter is but trifling/' said Sarah, stooping
to hide her blushes under the pretext of biting a thread
from the work on her knee.
" Trifling, indeed, compared to the former," returned
the Colonel, in the same manner. " Ah ! Miss Wharton,
it is in such moments that we feel the full value of friend
ship and sympathy."
Those who have never tried it cannot easily imagine
what a rapid progress a warm-hearted female can make in
love, in the short space of half an hour, particularly where
there is a predisposition to the distemper. Sarah found the
conversation, when it began to touch on friendship and
sympathy, too interesting to venture her voice with a repry.
She, however, turned her eyes on the Colonel, and saw him
gazing at her fine face with an admiration that was quite as
manifest, and much more soothing, than any words could
make it.
Their tete-a-tete was uninterrupted for an hour, and al
though nothing that would be called decided,, by an expe
rienced matron, was said by the gentleman, he uttered a
thousand things that delighted his companion, who retired
to her rest with a lighter heart than she had felt since the
arrest of her brother by the Americans.
N 4
184 THE SPY.
CHAPTER XVI.
And let me the canakin clink, clink :
And let me the canakin clink.
A soldier 's man ;
A life 's but a span ;
Why then, let a soldier drink.
lago.
THE position held by the corps of dragoons, we have already
said, was a favourite place of halting with their commander.
A clustre of some half dozen small and dilapidated build
ings formed what, from the circumstance of two roads
intersecting each other at right angles, was called the vil
lage of the Four Corners. As usual, one of the most imposing
of these edifices had been termed, in the language of the
day, <f a house of entertainment for man and beast." On
a rough board suspended from the gallows-looking post that
had supported the ancient sign, was, however, written in
red chalk, " Elizabeth Flanagan, Tier hotel" an ebullition
of the wit of some of the 'idle wags of the corps. The
matron, whose name had thus been exalted to an office of
such unexpected dignity, ordinarily discharged the duties of
a female sutler, washerwoman, and, to use the language of
Katy Haynes, petticoat doctor to the troops. She was the
widow of a soldier who had been killed in the service, and
who, like herself, was a native of a distant island, and had
early tried his fortune in the colonies of North America.
She constantly migrated with the troops ; and it was seldom
that they became stationary for two days at a time but the
little cart of the bustling woman was seen driving into the
encampment, loaded with such articles as she conceived
would make her presence most welcome. With a celerity
that seemed almost supernatural, Betty took up her ground
and commenced her occupation. Sometimes the cart itself
was her shop; at others the soldiers made her a rude
shelter of such materials as offered ; but on the present
occasion she had seized on a vacant building, and, by dint
THE SPY. 185
of stuffing the dirty breeches and half dried linen of the
troopers into the broken windows, to exclude the cold,
which had now become severe, she formed what she herself
had pronounced to be " most illigant lodgings." The men
were quartered in the adjacent barns, and the officers col
lected in the " Hotel Flanagan," as they facetiously called
head- quarters. Betty was well known to every trooper in
the corps, could call each by his Christian or nickname, as
best suited her fancy ; and, although absolutely intolerable
to all whom habit had not made familiar with her virtues,
was a general favourite with these partisan warriors. Her
faults were, a trifling love of liquor, excessive filthiness,
and a total disregard of all the decencies of language ; her
virtues, an unbounded love for her adopted country, perfect
honesty when dealing on certain known principles with the
soldiery, and great good nature. Added to these, Betty had
the merit of being the inventor of that beverage which is
so well known at the present hour, to all the patriots who
make a winter's march between the commercial and politi
cal capitals of this great state, and which is distinguished
by the name of " cock-tail." Elizabeth Flanagan was pe
culiarly well qualified by education and circumstances, to
perfect this improvement in liquors, having been literally
brought up on its principal ingredient, and having acquired
from her Virginian customers the use of mint, from its fla
vour in a julep, to its height of renown in the article in
question. 'Such, then, was the mistress of the mansion,
who, reckless of the cold northern blasts, showed her
blooming face from the door of the building to welcome the
arrival of her favourite, Captain Lawton, and his com
panion, her master in matters of surgery.
e ' Ah ! by my hopes of promotion, my gentle Elizabeth,
but you are welcome ! " cried the trooper, as he threw him
self from his saddle j ' c this villanous fresh water gas from
the Canadas has been whistling among my bones till they
ache with the cold, but the sight of your fiery countenance
is as cheering as a christmas fire."
ff Now sure, Captain Jack, yee's always fuU of your com-
plimentaries," replied the sutler, taking the bridle of her
customer ; " but hurry in for the life of you, darling ; the
186 THE SPY.
fences hereabouts are not so strong as in the Highlands, and
there's that within will warm hoth sowl and body."
" So you have been laying the rails under contribution,
I see : well, that may do for the body," said the Captain,
coolly ; ' but I have had a pull at a bottle of cut glass
with a silver stand, and I doubt my relish for your whisky
for a month to come."
" If it's silver or gookT that yee'r thinking of, it's but
little I have, though I Ve a trifling bit of the continental,"
said Betty, with a look of humour ; " but there's that with
in that's fit to be put in vissels of di'monds."
tc What can she mean, Archibald ? " asked Lawton :
" the animal looks as if it meant more than it says ! "
ff 'Tis probably a wandering of the reasoning powers,
created by the frequency of intoxicating draughts," observed
the surgeon, as he deliberately threw his left leg over the
pommel of the saddle, and slid down on the right side of
his horse.
" Faith, my dear jewel of a doctor, but it was this side
I was expicting you j the whole corpse come down on this
side, but yeerself," said Betty, winking at the trooper:
" but I've been feeding the wounded, in yeer absence,
with the fat of the land."
te Barbarous stupidity ! " cried the panic-stricken phy
sician, "to feed men labouring under the excitement of
fever with powerful nutriment : woman, woman, you are
enough to defeat the skill of Hippocrates 1 "
" Pooh ! " said Betty, with infinite composure, " what a
botheration yee make about a little whisky ; there was but
a gallon betwixt a good two dozen of them, and I gave it
to the boys to make them sleep asy ; sure, jist as slumber
ing drops."
Lawton and his companion now entered the building, and
the first objects which met their eyes explained the hidden
meaning of Betty's comfortable declaration. A long table,
made of boards torn from the side of an out-building, was
stretched through the middle of the largest apartment, or
the bar-room, and on it was a very scanty display of crock
ery ware. The steams of cookery arose from an adjoining
kitchen, but the principal attraction was in a demijohn of
THE SPY. 187
fair proportions, which had been ostentatiously placed on
high by Betty as the object most worthy of notice. Law-
ton soon learnt that it was teeming with the real amber-
coloured juice of the grape, and had been sent from the Lo
custs, as an offering to Major Dunwoodie, from his friend
Captain Wharton, of the royal army.
<e And a royal gift it is," said the grinning subaltern,
who made the explanation. " The Major gives us an enter
tainment in honour of our victory, and you see the principal
expense is borne, as it should be, by the enemy. Zounds,
I am thinking that after we have primed with such stuff,
we could charge through Sir Henry's head quarters, and
carry off the knight himself."
The Captain of dragoons was in no manner displeased
at the prospect of terminating so pleasantly a day that had
been so agreeably commenced. He was soon surrounded
by his comrades, who made many eager enquiries concern
ing his adventures, while the surgeon proceeded, with cer
tain quakings of the heart, to examine into the state of his
wounded. Enormous fires were snapping in the chimneys of
the house, superseding the necessity of candles, by the bright
light which was thrown from the blazing piles. The group
within were all young men, and tried soldiers ; in number
they were rather more than a dozen, and their manners and
conversation were a strange mixture of the bluntness of the
partisan with the manners of gentlemen. Their dresses
were neat, though plain ; and a never-failing topic amongst
them was the performance and quality of their horses.
Some were endeavouring to sleep on the benches which lined
the walls, some were walking the apartments, and others
were seated in earnest discussion on subjects connected with
the business of their lives. Occasionally, as the door of the
kitchen opened, the hissing sounds of the frying pans and
the inviting savour of the food created a stagnation in all
other employments ; even the sleepers, at such moments,
would open their eyes, and raise their heads, to reconnoitre
the state of the preparations. All this time Dunwoodie sat
by himself, gazing at the fire, and lost in reflections which
none of his officers presumed to disturb. He had made
earnest enquiries of Sitgreaves after the condition of Sin-
188 THE SPY.
gleton, during which a profound and respectful silence was
maintained in the room ; but as soon as he had ended, and
resumed his seat, the usual ease and freedom prevailed.
The arrangement of the table was a matter of but little
concern to Mrs. Flanagan ; and Caesar would have been
sadly scandalised at witnessing the informality with which
various dishes, each bearing a wonderful resemblance to the
others, were placed before so many gentlemen of consider
ation. In taking their places at the board, the strictest at
tention was paid to precedency ; for, notwithstanding the
freedom of manners which prevailed in the corps, the points
of military etiquette were at all times observed, with some
thing approaching to religious veneration. Most of the
guests had been fasting too long to be in any degree fasti
dious in their appetites ; but the case was different with
Captain Lawton ; he felt an unaccountable loathing at the
exhibition of Betty's food, and could not refrain from
making a few passing comments on the condition of the
knives, and the clouded aspect of the plates. The good
nature and the personal affection of Betty for the offender
restrained her, for some time, from answering to his in
nuendoes, until Lawton/ having ventured to admit a piece of
the black meat into his mouth, enquired, with the affect
ation of a spoiled child,
" What kind of animal might this have been when liv
ing, Mrs. Flanagan?"
(( Sure, captain, and wasn't it the ould cow," replied the
sutler, with a warmth that proceeded partly from dissatis
faction at the complaints of her favourite, and partly from
grief at the loss of the deceased.
" What ! " roared the trooper, stopping short as he was
about to swallow his morsel, " ancient Jenny ! "
" The devil ! " cried another, dropping his knife and
fork, "she who made the campaign of the Jerseys with
us ? "
** The very same," replied the mistress of the hotel, with
a piteous aspect of woe ; < ' a gentle baste, and one that could
and did live on less than air, at need. Sure, gentlemen,
'tis awful to have to eat sitch an ould frind."
"And has she sunk to this?" said Lawton, pointing
with his knife to the remnants on the table.
THE SPY. 189
" Nay, Captain/' said Betty, with spirit, " I sould two
of her quarters to some of your troop ; but divil the word
did I tell the boys what an ould frind it was they had
bought, for fear it might damage their appetites."
' ' Fury ! " cried the trooper, with affected anger, " I
shall have my fellows as limber as supple-jacks on such
fare; afraid of an Englishman as a Virginian negro is of
his driver."
" Well," said Lieutenant Mason, dropping his knife and
fork in a kind of despair, " my jaws have more sympathy
than many men's hearts. They absolutely decline making
any impression on the relics of their old acquaintance."
' f Try a drop of the gift," said Betty, soothingly, pour
ing a large allowance of the wine into a bowl, and drinking
it off as taster to the corps. " Faith, 'tis but a wishy-washy
sort of stuff after all!"
The ice once broken, however, a clear glass of wine was
handed to Dunwoodie, who, bowing to his companions,
drank the liquor in the midst of a profound silence. For
a few glasses there was much formality observed, and sun
dry patriotic toasts and sentiments were duly noticed by
the company. The liquor, however, performed its wonted
office ; and before the second sentinel at the door had been
relieved, all recollection of the dinner and their cares were
lost in the present festivity. Dr. Sitgreaves did not return
in season to partake of Jenny, but he was in time to receive
his fair proportion of Captain Wharton's present.
' ' A song, a song from Captain Lawton 1 " cried two or
three of the party in a breath, on observing the failure of
some of the points of good fellowship in the trooper; ft si
lence, for the song of Captain Lawton."
" Gentlemen," returned Lawton, his dark eyes swimming
with the bumpers he had finished, though his head was as
impenetrable as a post; " 1 am not much of a nightingale,
but, under the favour of your good wishes, I consent to
comply with the demand."
' f Now, Jack," said Sitgreaves, nodding on his seat,
" remember the air I taught you, and stop, I have a copy
of the words in my pocket."
" Forbear, forbear, good doctor," said the trooper, filling
190 THE SPY.
his glass with great deliberation, " I never could wheel
round those hard names. Gentlemen, I will give you a
humble attempt of my own."
" Silence, for Captain Lawton's song," roared five or six
at once ; when the trooper proceeded, in a fine full tone, to
sing the following words to a well known bacchanalian air,
several of his comrades helping him through the chorus
with a fervour that shook the crazy edifice they were in :
Now push the mug, my jolly boys,
And live, while live we can,
To morrow's sun may end your joys,
For brief's the hour of man.
And he who bravely meets the foe
His lease of life can never know.
Old mother Flanagan
Come and fill the can again ;
For you can fill, and we can swill,
Good Betty Flanagan.
If love of life pervades your breast,
Or love of ease your frame,
Quit honour's path for peaceful rest,
And bear a coward's name j
For soon and late, we danger know,
And fearless on the saddle go.
Old mother, &&
When foreign foes invade the land,
And wives and sweethearts call :
In freedom's cause we '11 bravely stand,
Or will as bravelv fall
In this fair home tfie fates have given,
We'll live as lords, or live in heaven.
Old mother, &c.
At each appeal made to herself, by the united voices of
the choir, Betty invariably advanced and complied literally
with the request contained in the chorus, to the infinite
delight of the singers, and with no small participation in
the satisfaction on her own account. The hostess was pro
vided with a beverage more suited to the high seasoning to
which she had accustomed her palate, than the tasteless
present of Captain Wharton ; by which means Betty had
managed, with tolerable facility, to keep even pace with the
exhilaration of her guests. The applause received by Cap
tain Lawton was general, with the exception of the surgeon,
who rose from the bench during the first chorus, and paced
the floor, in a flow of classical indignation. The bravos
and bravissimos drowned all other noises for a short time ;
but as they gradually ceased, the doctor turned to the
musician, and exclaimed, with heat
THE SPY. 191
" Captain Lawton, I marvel that a gentleman,, and a
gallant officer, can find no other subject for his muse, in
these times of trial, than in such beastly invocations to that
notorious follower of the camp, the filthy Elizabeth Flana
gan. Methinks the goddess of Liberty could furnish a
more noble inspiration, and the sufferings of your country
a more befitting theme."
" Heyday !" shouted the hostess, advancing towards him
in a threatening attitude, " and who is it that calls me
filthy? Master squirt; Master pop-gun "
<f Peace ! " said Dunwoodie, in a voice that was exerted
but a little more than common, but which was succeeded
by the stillness of death : " woman, leave the room. Dr.
Sitgreaves, I call you to your seat, to wait the order of
the revels."
" Proceed, proceed," said the surgeon, drawing himself
up in an attitude of dignified composure ; ( ' I trust, Major
Dunwoodie, I am not unacquainted with the rules of de
corum, nor ignorant of the bye-laws of good-fellowship."
Betty made a hasty but somewhat devious retreat to her
own dominions, being unaccustomed to dispute the orders
of the commanding officer.
" Major Dunwoodie will honour us with a sentimental
song," said Lawton, bowing to his leader, with the collected
manner he so well knew how to assume.
The major hesitated a moment, and then sang, with fine
execution, the following words:
Some love the heats of southern suns,
Where life's warm current madd'ning runs,
In one quick circling stream ;
But dearer far 's the mellow light,
Which trembling shines, reflected bright
In Luna's milder beam.
Some love the tulip's gaudier dyes,
Where deep'ning blue with yellow vies,
And gorgeous beauty glows ;
But happier he, whose bridal wreath,
By love entwined, is found to breathe
The sweetness of the rose.
rThe voice of Dunwoodie never lost its authority with his
inferiors ; and the applause which followed his song, though
by no means so riotous as that which succeeded the effort
of the Captain, was much more flattering.
192 THE SPY.
" If, sir/' said the doctor,, after joining in the plaudits
of his companions, te you would but learn to unite classical
allusions with your delicate imagination, you would become
a pretty amateur poet."
" He who criticises ought to be able to perform/' said
Dunwoodie, with a smile ; " I call on Dr. Sitgreaves for a
specimen of the style he admires."
ec Dr. Sitgreaves's song ! Dr. Sitgreaves's song ! " echoed
all at the table with delight ; " a classical ode from Dr.
Sitgreaves ! "
The surgeon made a complacent bow, took the remnant
of his glass, and gave a few preliminary hems, that served
hugely to delight three or four young cornets at the foot of
the table. He then commenced singing, in a cracked voice,
and to any thing but a tune, the following ditty
Hast thou ever felt love's dart, dearest,
Or breathed his trembling sigh
Thought him, afar, was ever nearest,
Before that sparkling eye :
Then hast thou known what 'tis to feel
The pain that Galen could not heal.
" Hurrah ! " shouted Lawton, " Archibald eclipses the
muses themselves ; his words flow like the sylvan stream
by moonlight, and his melody is a cross breed of the night
ingale and the owl."
" Captain Lawton," cried the exasperated operator, st it
is one thing to despise the lights of classical learning, and
another to be despised for your own ignorance ! "
A loud summons at the door of the building created a
dead halt in the uproar, and the dragoons instinctively
caught up tfreir arms, to be prepared for the worst. The
door was opened, and the skinners entered, dragging in the
pedler, bending beneath the load of his pack.
" Which is Captain Lawton ?" said the leader of the
gang, gazing around him in some little astonishment.
" He waits your pleasure," said the trooper, dryly.
" Then here I deliver to your hands a condemned traitor :
this is Harvey Birch, the pedler spy."
Lawton started as he looked his old acquaintance in the
face, and, turning to the skinner with a lowering look, he
asked
THE SPY. 193
" And who are you, sir, that speak so freely of your
neighbours ? But/' bowing to Dunwoodie, " your par
don, sir ; here is the commanding officer ; to him you will
please address yourself."
" No," said the man, sullenly, " it is to you I deliver
the pedler, and from you I claim my reward."
' ( Are you Harvey Birch ? " said Dunwoodie, advancing
with an air of authority that instantly drove the skinner to
a corner of the room.
" I am," said Birch, proudly.
" And a traitor to your country," continued the major,
with sternness ; " do you know that I should be justified
in ordering your execution this night ? "
" 'Tis not the will of God to call a soul so hastily to his
presence," said the pedler, with solemnity.
" You speak truth," said Dunwoodie ; " and a few
brief hours shall be added to your life. But as your of
fence is most odious to a soldier, so it will be sure to meet
with the soldier's vengeance : you die to-morrow."
" 'Tis as God wills."
" I have spent many a good hour to entrap the villain,"
said the skinner, advancing a little from his corner, " and
I hope you will give me a certificate that will entitle us to
the reward ; 'twas promised to be paid in gold."
" Major Dunwoodie," said the officer of the day, en
tering the room, " the patroles report a house to be burnt
near yesterday's battle ground."
" 'Twas the hut of the pedler," muttered the leader of
the gang ; " we have not left him a shingle for shelter ; I
should have burnt it months ago, but I wanted his shed
for a trap to catch the sly fox in."
" You seem a most ingenious patriot," said Lawton.
(C Major Dunwoodie, I second the request of this worthy
gentleman, and crave the office of bestowing the reward on
him and his fellows."
" Take it ; and you, miserable man, prepare for that
fate which will surely await you before the setting of to
morrow's sun."
'" Life offers but little to tempt me with," said Harvey,
o
Ip4 THE SPY.
slowly raising his eyes, and gazing wildly at the strange
faces in the apartment.
" Come, worthy children of America ! " said Lawton,
" follow., and receive your reward."
The gang eagerly accepted the invitation, and followed
the captain towards the quarters assigned to his troop.
Dunwoodie paused a moment, from reluctance to triumph
over a fallen foe, before he proceeded.
" You have already heen tried, Harvey Birch ; and the
truth has proved you to be an enemy too dangerous to the
liberties of America to be suffered to live."
" The truth ! " echoed the pedler, starting, and raising
himself in a manner that disregarded the weight of his
pack.
" Ah ! the truth ; you were charged with loitering near
the continental army, to gain intelligence of its movements,
and, by communicating them to the enemy, to enable him
to frustrate the intentions of Washington."
" Will Washington say so, think you?"
" Doubtless he would j even the justice of Washington
condemns you."
" No, no, no," cried the pedler, in a voice and with a
manner that startled Dunwoodie ; " Washington can see
beyond the hollow views of pretended patriots. Has he
not risked his all on the cast of a die ? if a gallows is
ready for me, was there not one for him also ? No, no,
no, no Washington would never say, ' Lead him to a
gallows.' "
" Have you any thing, wretched man, to urge to the
commander-in-chief why you should not die?" said the
major, recovering from the surprise created by the manner
of the other.
Birch trembled, for violent emotions were contending in
his bosom. His face assumed the ghastly paleness of
death, and his hand drew a box of tin from the folds of
his shirt ; he opened it, showing by the act that its con
tents was a small piece of paper : on this document his
eye was for an instant fixed he had already held it
towards Dunwoodie, when suddenly withdrawing his hand,
ke exclaimed
THE SPY. 19-5
No it dies with me ; I know the conditions of my
service, and will not purchase life with their forfeiture
it dies with me."
fs Deliver that paper, and you may possibly find fa
vour/' cried Dunwoodie, expecting a discovery of impor
tance to the cause.
" It dies with me/' repeated Birch, a flush passing
over his pallid features, and lighting them with extra
ordinary brilliancy.
cl Seize the traitor !" cried the major, ff and wrest the
secret from his hands."
The order was immediately obeyed ; but the movements
of the pedler were too quick ; in an instant he swallowed
the paper. The officers paused in astonishment ; but the
surgeon cried eagerly
" Hold him, while I administer an emetic."
" Forbear ! " said Dunwoodie, beckoning him back with
his hand ; " if his crime is great, so will his punishment
be heavy."
" Lead on," cried the pedler, dropping his pack from
his shoulders, and advancing towards the door with a
manner of incomprehensible dignity.
11 Whither ? " asked Dunwoodie, in amazement.
" To the gallows."
" No," said the major, recoiling in horror at his own
justice. " My duty requires that I order you to be exe
cuted, but surely not so hastily ; take until nine to-morrow
to prepare for the awful change."
Dunwoodie whispered his orders in the ear of a subal
tern, and motioned to the pedler to withdraw. The in
terruption caused by this scene prevented further enjoyment
around the table, and the officers dispersed to their several
places of rest. In a short time the only noise to be heard
was the heavy tread of the sentinel, as he paced the frozen
ground in front of the Hotel Flanagan.
o 2
196 THE SPY.
CHAPTER XVII.
" There are, whose changing lineaments
Express each guileless passion of the breast ;
Where Love, and Hope, and tender-hearted Pity
Are seen reflected, as from a mirror's face :
But coW experience can veil these hues
With looks, invented shrewdly to encompass
The cunning purposes of base deceit."
Duo.
THE officer to whose keeping Dunwoodie had committed
the pedler transferred his charge to the custody of the
regular sergeant of the guard. The gift of Captain
Wharton had not been lost on the youthful lieutenant;
and a certain dancing motion that had taken possession of
objects before his eyes, gave him warning of the necessity
of recruiting nature by sleep. After admonishing the non
commissioned guardian of Harvey to omit no watchfulness
in securing the prisoner, the youth wrapped himself in
his cloak, and, stretched on a bench before a fire, soon
found the repose he needed. A rude shed extended the
whole length of the rear of the building, and from off one
of its ends had been partitioned a small apartment, that
was intended as a repository for many of the lesser imple
ments of husbandry. The lawless times had, however,
occasioned its being stripped of every thing of value; and the
searching eyes of Betty Flanagan selected this spot, on her
arrival, as the storehouse for her moveables, and a sanctuary
for her person. The spare arms and baggage of the corps
had also been deposited here ; and the united treasures
were placed under the eye of the sentinel who paraded the
shed as a guardian of the rear of the head-quarters. A
second soldier, who was stationed near the house to protect
the horses of the officers, could command a view of the
outside of the apartment ; and, as it was without window
or outlet of any kind, excepting its door, the considerate
sergeant thought this the most befitting place in which to
deposit his prisoner until the moment of his execution.
THE SPY. 19t
Several inducements urged Sergeant Hollister to this deters
mination, among which was the absence of the washer
woman, who lay before the kitchen fire,, dreaming that the
corps were attacking a party of the enemy, and mistaking
the noise that proceeded from her own nose for the bugles
of the Virginians sounding the charge. Another was the
peculiar opinions that the veteran entertained of life and
death, and by which he was distinguished in the corps as
a man of most exemplary piety and holiness of life. The
sergeant was more than fifty years of age, and for half that
period he had borne arms. The constant recurrence of
sudden deaths before his eyes had produced an effect on
him differing greatly from that which was the usual moral
consequence of such scenes; and he had become not only
the most steady, but the most trustworthy soldier in his
troop. Captain Lawton had rewarded his fidelity by
making him its orderly.
Followed by Birch, the sergeant proceeded in silence to
the door of the intended prison, and throwing it open with
one hand, he held a lantern with the other to light the pedler
to his prison. Seating himself on a cask, that contained
some of Betty's favourite beverage, the sergeant motioned
to Birch to occupy another, in the same manner. The
lantern was placed on the floor, when the dragoon, after
looking his prisoner steadily in the face, observed
" You look as if you would meet death like a man ; and
I have brought you to a spot where you can tranquilly
arrange your thoughts, and be quiet and undisturbed."
" 'Tis a fearful place to prepare for the last change in,"
said Harvey, gazing around his little prison with a vacant
eye.
" Why, for the matter of that," returned the veteran,
" it can reckon but little, in the great account, where a
man parades his thoughts for the last review, so that he
finds them fit to pass the muster of another world. I have
a small book here which I make it a point to read a little
in whenever we are about to engage, and I find it a great
strengthener in time of need." While speaking, he took a
Bible from his pocket, and offered it to the pedler. Birch
received the volume with habitual reverence; but there was
o 3
198 THE SPY.
an abstracted air about him, and a wandering of the eye,
that induced his companion to think that alarm was getting
the mastery of the pedler's feelings ; accordingly, he
proceeded in what he conceived to be the offices of con-
eolation.
f( If any thing lies heavy on your mind, now is the best
time to get rid of it if you have done wrong to any one,
I promise you, on the word of an honest dragoon, to lend
you a helping hand to see them righted."
" There are few who ha\e not done so," said the pedler,
turning his vacant gaze once more on his companion.
{C True 'tis natural to sin but it sometimes happens,
that a man does what at other times he may be sorry for.
One would not wish to die with any very heavy sin on his
conscience, after all."
Harvey had by this time thoroughly examined the place
in which he was to pass the night, and saw no means of
escape. But as hope is ever the last feeling to desert the
human breast, the pedler gave the dragoon more of his
attention, fixing on his sunburnt features such searching
looks, that Sergeant Hollister lowered his eyes before the
wild expression which he met in the gaze of his prisoner.
" I have been taught to lay the burden of my sins at
the feet of my Saviour," replied the pedler.
" Why, yes all that is well enough," returned the
Other ; " but justice should be done while there is oppor
tunity. There have been stirring times in this country
since the war began, and many have been deprived of their
rightful goods. I oftentimes find it hard to reconcile even
my lawful plunder to a tender conscience."
" These hands," said the pedler, stretching forth his
meagre, bony fingers, " have spent years in toil, but not a
moment in pilfering."
" It is well that it is so," said the honest-hearted soldier ;
" and, no doubt, you now feel it a great consolation. There
are three great sins, that if a man can keep his conscience
clear of, why, by the mercy of God, he may hope to pass
muster with the saints in heaven : they are, stealing, mur
dering, and desertion."
THE SPY. 199
<e Thank God !" said Birch with fervour, cc I have never
yet taken the life of a fellow-creature."
" As to killing a man in lawful battle, that is no more than
doing one's duty. If the cause is wrong, the sin of such a
deed, you know, falls on the nation, and a man receives his
punishment here with the rest of the people ; but murdering
in cold blood stands next to desertion as a crime in the
eye of God."
I never was a soldier, therefore never could desert," said
the pedler, resting his face on his hand in a melancholy
attitude.
" Why, desertion consists of more than quitting your
colours, though that is certainly the worst kind ; a man
may desert his country in the hour of need."
Birch buried his face in both his hands, and his whole frame
shook ; the sergeant regarded him closely, but good feelings
soon got the better of his antipathies, and he continued
more mildly
" But still that is a sin which I think may be forgiven,
if sincerely repented of; and it matters but little when or
how a man dies, so that he dies like a Christian and a man.
I recommend you to say your prayers, and then to get some
rest, in order that you may do both. There is no hope of
your being pardoned ; for Colonel Singleton has sent down
the most positive orders to take your life whenever we met
you. No no nothing can save you."
" You say the truth," cried Birch. (( It is now too late
I have destroyed my only safeguard. But lie will do my
memory justice at least."
" What safeguard ?" asked the sergeant, with awakened
curiosity.
"'Tis nothing," replied the pedler, recovering his natural
manner, and lowering his face to avoid the earnest looks of
his companion.
" And who is he ?"
" No one," added Harvey, anxious to say no more.
" Nothing, and no one, can avail but little now," said the
sergeant, rising to go ; ' ' lay yourself on the blanket of
Mrs. Flanagan, and get a little sleep ; I will call you be
times in the morning and, from the bottom of my soul,
o 4,
200 THE SPY.
Wish I could be of some service to you, for I dislike greatly
to see a man hung up like a dog."
" Then you might save me from this ignominious death/'
said Birch, springing on his feet, and catching the dragoon
by the arm "And, oh ! what will I not give you in re
ward !"
" In what manner ? " asked the sergeant, looking at him
in surprise.
" See," said the pedler, producing several guineas from
his person ; " these are nothing to what I will give you, if
you will assist me to escape."
" Were you the man whose picture is on the gold, I
would not listen to such a crime," said the trooper, throw
ing the money on the floor with contempt. " Go go
poor wretch, and make .your peace with God ; for it is he
only that can be of service to you now."
The sergeant took up the lantern, and, with some indig
nation in his manner, he left the pedler to sorrowful medi
tations on his approaching fate. Birch sunk, in momentary
despair, on the pallet of Betty, while his guardian proceeded
to give the necessary instructions to the sentinels for his safe
keeping.
Hollister concluded his injunctions to the man in the
shed, by saying, " Your life will depend on his not escap
ing. Let none enter or quit the room till morning."
" But," said the trooper, " my orders are, to let the
washerwoman pass in and out, as she pleases."
1 ' Well, let her then ; but be careful that this wily pedler
does not get out in the folds of her petticoats." He then
continued his walk, giving similar orders to each of the
sentinels near the spot.
For some time after the departure of the sergeant, silence
prevailed within the solitary prison of the pedler, until the
dragoon at his door heard his loud breathings, which soon
rose into the regular cadence of one in a deep sleep. The
man continued walking his post, musing on an indifference
to life which could allow nature its customary rest, even on
the threshold of the grave. Harvey Birch had, however,
been a name too long held in detestation by every man in
tlie corps, to suffer any feelings of commiseration to mingle
THE SPY. 201
with these reflections of the sentinel ; for,, notwithstanding
the consideration and kindness manifested by the sergeant,
there probably was not another man of his rank in the whole
party who would have discovered equal benevolence to the
prisoner, or who would not have imitated the veteran in
rejecting the bribe, although probably from a less worthy
motive. There was something of disappointed vengeance
in the feelings of the man who watched the door of the
room on rinding his prisoner enjoying a sleep of which he
himself was deprived, and at his exhibiting such obvious
indifference to the utmost penalty that military rigour could
inflict on all his treason to the cause of liberty and America.
More than once he felt prompted to disturb the repose of the
pedler by taunts and revilings; but the discipline he was
under, and a secret sense of shame at the brutality of the
act, held him in subjection.
His meditations were, however, soon interrupted by the
appearance of the washerwoman, who came staggering
through the door that communicated with the kitchen,
muttering execrations against the servants of the officers,
who, by their waggery, had disturbed her slumbers before
the fire. The sentinel understood enough of her maledic
tions to comprehend the case ; but all his efforts to enter into
conversation with the enraged woman were useless, and he
suffered her to enter her room without explaining that it con
tained another inmate. The noise of her huge frame falling
on the bed was succeeded by a silence that was soon inter
rupted by the renewed respiration of the pedler, and within
a few minutes Harvey continued to breathe aloud, as if no
interruption had occurred. The relief arrived at this mo
ment. The sentinel, who felt nettled at the contempt of the
pedler, after communicating his orders, while he was retir
ing exclaimed to his successor
" You may keep yourself warm by dancing, John ; the
pedler spy has tuned his fiddle, you hear, and it will not be
long before Betty will strike up, in her turn."
The joke was followed by a general laugh from the party,
who marched on in the performance of their duty. At this
instant the door of the prison was opened, and Betty
202 THE SPY.
re-appeared, staggering back again towards her former
quarters.
" Stop/' said the sentinel, catching her by her clothes ;
ff are you sure the spy is not in your pocket ?"
" Can't you hear the rascal snoring in my room, you
dirty blackguard ?" sputtered Betty, her whole frame shaking
with rage ; " and is it so yee would sarve a dacent famale,
that a man must be put to sleep in the room wid her, yee
rapscallion ? "
" Pooh ! do you mind a fellow who's to be hanged in the
morning ? you see he sleeps already ; to-morrow he'll take
a longer nap."
ff Hands off, yee villain," cried the washerwoman, relin
quishing a small bottle that the trooper had succeeded in
wresting from her. " But I'll go to Captain Jack, and
know if it's orders to put a hang-gallows spy in my room ;
ay, even in my widow'd bed, you tief."
" Silence, old Jezebel," said the fellow with a laugh,
taking the bottle from his mouth to breathe, " or you will
wake the gentleman would you disturb a man in his
last sleep ?"
" I'll awake Captain Jack, you reprobate villain, and bring
him here to see me righted ; he will punish yee all, for im
posing on a dacent widow'd body, you marauder !"
With these words, which only extorted a laugh from the
sentinel, Betty staggered round the end of the building,
and made the best of her way towards the quarters of her
favourite, Captain John Lawton, in search of redress. Nei
ther the officer nor the woman, however, appeared during
the night, and nothing further occurred to disturb the repose
of the pedler, who, to the astonishment of the different sen
tinels, continued by his breathing to manifest how little the
gallows could affect his slumbers.
THE SPY. 203
CHAPTER XVIII.
" A Daniel come to judgment ! yea, a Daniel !
O wise young judge, how do I honour thee !"
Merchant of Venice.
THE skinners followed Captain Lawton with alacrity,
towards the quarters occupied by the troop of that gentle
man. The captain of dragoons had on all occasions mani
fested so much zeal for the cause in which he was engaged,
was so regardless of personal danger when opposed to the
enemy, and his stature and stern countenance contributed
so much to render him terrific, that these qualities had, in
some measure, procured him a reputation distinct from the
corps in which he served. His intrepidity was mistaken
for ferocity ; and his hasty zeal, for the natural love of
cruelty. On the other hand, a few acts of clemency, or,
more properly speaking, of discriminating justice, had, with
one portion of the community, acquired for Dunwoodie the
character of undue forbearance. It is seldom that either
popular condemnation or popular applause falls, exactly
in the quantities earned, where it is merited.
While in the presence of the major, the leader of the gang
had felt himself under that restraint which vice must ever
experience in the company of acknowledged virtue ; but
having left the house, he at once conceived that he was
under the protection of a congenial spirit. There was a
gravity in the manner of Lawton, that deceived most of
those who did not know him intimately ; and it was a com
mon saying in his troop, " that when the captain laughed
he was sure to punish." Drawing near his conductor, there
fore, the leader commenced a confidential dialogue
" 'Tis always well for a man to know his friends from
his enemies," said the half-licensed freebooter.
To this prefatory observation the captain made no other
reply than a sound, which the other interpreted into assent.
" I suppose Major Dunwoodie has the good opinion of
Washington ? " continued the skinner, in a tone that rather
expressed a doubt than asked a question.
204 THE SPY.
" There are some who think so."
" Many of the friends of Congress in this county," the
man proceeded, "wish the horse was led by some other
officer ; for my part, if I could only be covered by a troop
now and then, I could do many an important piece of ser
vice to the cause, to which this capture of the pedler would
be a trifle."
" Indeed ! such as what ? "
" For the matter of that, it could be made as profitable
to the officer as it would be to us who did it," said the
skinner, with a look of the most significant meaning.
" But how ? " asked Lawton, a little impatiently, and
quickening his step, to get out of the hearing of the rest
of the party.
" Why, near the royal lines, even under the very guns of
the heights, might be good picking if we had a force to
guard us from De Lancey's * men, and to cover our retreat
from being cut off by the way of King's-bridge."
" I thought the Refugees took all -that game to them
selves."
" They do a little at it ; but they are obliged to be
sparing among their own people. I have been down twice,
under an agreement with them : the first time they acted
with honour; but the second they came upon us and drove
us off, and took the plunder to themselves."
{ ' That was a, very dishonourable act, indeed ; I wonder
that an honourable man will associate with such rascals."
" It is necessary to have an understanding with some of
them, or we might be taken ; but a man without honour is
worse than a brute. Do you think Major Dunwoodie is
to be trusted ?"
* The partisan corps, called Cow-boys in the parlance of the country, was
commanded by a Colonel De Lancey. This gentleman, for such he was by birth
and education, rendered himself very odious to the Americans by his fancied
cruelty, though there is no evidence of his being guilty of any acts unusual in
this species of warfare.
Colonel De Lancey belonged to a family of the highest consequence in the
American colonies, his uncle having died in the administration of the govern
ment of that of New York. He should not be confounded with other gentlemen
of us name and family, many of whom served in the royal army. His cousin,
Colonel Oliver De Lancey, was, at the time of our tale, adjutant-general of
uie British forces in America, having succeeded to the unfortunate Andre.
Ihe Cow-boys were sometimes called Refugees, in consequence of their having
taken refuge under the protection of the crown.
THE SPY. 205
" You mean" on honourable principles ?"
' ' Certainly ;. you know Arnold was thought well of
until the royal major was taken."
e( Why, I do not believe Dunwoodie would sell his com
mand as Arnold wished to do; neither do I think him ex
actly trustworthy in a delicate business like this of yours."
" That's just my notion/' rejoined the skinner, with a
self-approving manner that showed how much he was
satisfied with his own estimate of character.
By this time they had arrived at a better sort of farm
house, the very extensive out-buildings of which were in
tolerable repair, for the times. The barns were occupied
by the men of the troop, while the horses were arranged
under the long sheds which protected the yard from the
cold north wind. The latter were quietly eating, with
saddles on their backs and bridles thrown on their necks,
ready to be bitted and mounted at the shortest warning.
Lawton excused himself for a moment, and entered his
quarters. He soon returned, holding in his hand one of
the common stable-lanterns, and led the way towards a
large orchard that surrounded the buildings on three sides.
The gang followed the trooper in silence, believing his
object to be facility of communicating further on this
interesting topic, without the danger of being overheard.
Approaching the captain, the skinner renewed the dis
course, with a view of establishing further confidence, and
of giving his companion a more favourable opinion of his
own intellects.
" Do you think the colonies will finally get the better
of the king?" he enquired, with a little of the importance
of a politician.
1 c Get the better !" echoed the captain, with impetuosity
then checking himself, he continued, " no doubt they
will. If the French will give, us arms and money, we can
drive out the royal troops in six months."
' e Well, so I hope we shall soon ; and then we shall
have a free government, and we, who fight for it, will get
our reward."
" Oh!" cried Lawton, " your claims will be indisputable;
while all these vile Tories who live at home peaceably, to
g06 THE SPY.
take care of their farms^ will be held in the contempt they
merit. You have no farm, I suppose?"
" Not yet hut it will go hard if I do not find one
hefore the peace is made."
' ' Right ; study your own interests, and you study the
interests of your country ; press the point of your own ser
vices, and rail at the Tories, and I'll bet my spurs against
a rusty nail that you get to be a county clerk at least."
" Don't you think Paulding's* party were fools in not
letting .the royal adjutant-general escape ? " said the man,
thrown off his guard by the freedom of the captain's
manner.
" Fools ! " cried Lawton, with a bitter laugh ; " ay,
fools indeed ; King George would have paid them better,
for he is richer. He would have made them gentlemen
for their lives. But, thank God ! there is a pervading spirit
in the people that seems miraculous. Men who have
nothing act as if the wealth of the Indies depended on
their fidelity ; all are not villains like yourself, or we should
have been slaves to England years ago."
f ' How ! " exclaimed the skinner, starting back, and
dropping his musket to the level of the other's breast ;
( ' am I betrayed, and are you my enemy ? "
" Miscreant ! " shouted Lawton, his sabre ringing in its
steel scabbard, as he struck the musket of the fellow from
his hands, " offer but again to point your gun at me, and
I'll cleave you to the middle."
" And you will not pay us, then, Captain Lawton ? "
said the skinner, trembling in every joint, for just then he
saw a party of mounted dragoons silently encircling the
whole party.
" Oh ! pay you ; yes, you shall have the full measure
of your reward. There is the money that Colonel Singleton
sent down for the captors of the spy," throwing a bag of
guineas with disdain at the other's feet. " But ground
* The author must have intended some allusion to an individual which is
too local to be understood by the general reader.
t Andrfe, as is well known, was arrested by three countrymen, who were on
the look-out fur predatory parties of the enemy : the principal man of thi
party was named Paulding. The disinterested manner ia which they refused
the offers of their captive is matter of history.
THE SPY. 207
your arms, you rascals, and see that the money is truly
told."
The intimidated band did as they were ordered j and
while they were eagerly employed in this pleasing avoca
tion, a few of Lawton's men privately knocked the flints
out of their muskets.
" Well," cried the impatient captain, ' ' is it right
have you the promised reward ? "
" There is just the money," said the leader ; " and
we will now go to our homes, with your permission."
c< Hold ! so much to redeem our promise now for
justice ; we pay you for taking a spy, but we punish you
for burning, robbing, and murdering. Seize them, my
lads, and give each of them the law of Moses forty,
save one."
This command was given to no unwilling listeners ; and
in the twinkling of an eye the skinners were stripped and
fastened, by the halters of the party, to as many of the
apple-trees as were necessary to furnish one to each of the
gang. Swords were quickly drawn, and fifty branches
were cut from the trees, like magic : from these were
selected a few of the most supple of the twigs, and a
willing dragoon was soon found to wield each of the
weapons. Captain Lawton gave the word, humanely cau
tioning his men not to exceed the discipline prescribed by
the Mosaic law, and the uproar of Babel commenced in the
orchard. The cries of the leader were easily to be dis
tinguished above those of his men ; a circumstance which
might be accounted for, by Captain Lawton's reminding
his corrector that he had to deal with an officer, and he
should remember and pay him unusual honour. The fla
gellation was executed with great neatness and despatch,
and it was distinguished by no irregularity, excepting that
none of the disciplinarians began to count until they had
tried their whips by a dozen or more blows, by the way,
as they said themselves, of finding out the proper places to
strike. As soon as this summary operation was satisfac
torily completed, Lawton directed his men to leave the
skinners to replace their own clothes, and to mount their
208 THE SPY.
horses ; for they were a party who had been detached for the
purpose of patrolling lower down in the county.
" You see, my friend/' said the captain to the leader
of the skinners,, after he had prepared himself to depart,
" I can cover you to some purpose when necessary. If
we meet often you will be covered with scars, which, if
not very honourable, will at least be merited."
The fellow made no reply. He was busy with his mus
ket, and hastening his comrades to march; when, every
thing being ready, they proceeded sullenly towards some
rocks, at no great distance, which were overhung by a deep
Wood. The moon was just rising, and the group of dra
goons could easily be distinguished where they had been
left. Suddenly turning, the whole gang levelled their
pieces and drew the triggers. The action was noticed,
and the snapping of the locks was heard by the soldiers,
who returned their futile attempt with a laugh of derision,
the captain crying aloud
" Ah ! rascals, I knew you, and have taken away your
flints."
" You should have taken away that in my pouch too,"
shouted the leader, firing his gun in the next instant. The
bullet grazed the ear of Lawton, who laughed as he shook
his head, saying, " A miss was as good as a mile." One
of the dragoons had seen the preparations of the skinner
who had been left alone by the rest of his gang, as soon
as they had made their abortive attempt at revenge and
was in the act of plunging his spurs into his horse as the
fellow fired. The distance to the rocks was but small, yet
the speed of the horse compelled the leader to abandon both
money and musket, to effect his escape. The soldier re
turned with his prizes, and offered them to the acceptance
of his captain but Lawton rejected them, telling the man
to retain them himself, until the rascal appeared in person
to claim his property. It would have been a business of
no small difficulty for any tribunal then existing in the
new states to have enforced a restitution of the money ; for
it was shortly after most equitably distributed, by the hands
of Sergeant Hollister, among a troop of horse. The patrol
departed, and the captain slowly returned to his quarters,
THE SPY. 209
with an intention of retiring to rest. A figure moving
rapidly among the trees in the direction of the wood,
whither the skinners had retired, caught his eye, and,
wheeling on his heel, the cautious partisan approached it,
and to his astonishment saw the washerwoman at that hour
of night, and in such a place.
"What, Betty! walking in your sleep, or dreaming
while awake," cried the trooper ; ' ' are you not afraid of
meeting with the ghost of ancient Jenny in this her fa
vourite pasture ? "
" Ah, sure, Captain Jack," returned the sutler in her
native accent, and reeling in a manner that made it diffi
cult for her to raise her head, " it 's not Jenny, or her
ghost, that I 5 m saaking, hut some yarbs for the wounded.
And its the vartue of the rising moon, as it jist touches
them, that I want. They grow under yon rocks, and I
must hasten, or the charm will lose its power."
" Fool, you are fitter for your pallet than for wandering
among those rocks : a fall from one of them would break
your bones ; besides, the skinners have fled to those heights,
and should you fall in with them, they would revenge on
you a sound flogging they have just received from me.
Better return, old woman, and finish your nap ; we march
in the morning."
Betty disregarded his advice, and continued her devious
route to the hill side. For an instant, as Lawton men
tioned the skinners, she had paused, but immediately re
suming her course, she was soon out of sight, among the
trees.
As the captain entered his quarters, the sentinel at the
door enquired if he had met Mrs. Flanagan, and added
that she had passed there, filling the air with threats against
her tormentors at the ee Hotel," and enquiring for the cap
tain in search of redress. Lawton heard the man in
astonishment appeared struck with a new idea walked
several yards towards the orchard, and returned again ; for
several minutes he paced rapidly, to and fro, before the
door of the house, and then hastily entering it, he threw
himself on a bed in his clothes, and was soon in a profound
sleep.
210 THE SPY.
In the mean time, the gang of marauders had success
fully gained the summit of the rocks, and, scattering in
every direction, they huried themselves in the depths of
the wood. Finding, however, there was no pursuit, which
indeed would have heen impracticable for horse, the leader
ventured to call his band together with a whistle, and in a
short time he succeeded in collecting his discomfited party,
at a point where they had but little to apprehend from any
enemy.
" Well," said one of the fellows, while a fire was light
ing to protect them against the air, which was becoming
severely cold, " there is an end to our business in West-
Chester. The Virginia horse will soon make the county
too hot to hold us."
" I '11 have his blood," muttered the leader, " if I die
for it the next instant."
" Oh, you are very valiant, here, in the wood," cried
the other, with a savage laugh ; ' ' why did you, who
boast so much of your aim, miss your man, at thirty
yards ? "
" 'Twas the horseman that disturbed me, or I would
have ended this Captain Lawton on the spot ; besides, the
cold had set me a shivering, and I had no longer a steady
hand."
" Say it was fear, and you will tell no lie," said his
comrade with a sneer. " For my part, I think I shall
never be cold again ; my back burns as if a thousand grid
irons were laid on it."
" And you would tamely submit to such usage, and kiss
the rod that beat you ? "
" As for kissing the rod, it would be no easy matter.
Mine was broken into so small pieces, on my own shoul
ders, that it would be difficult to find one big enough to
kiss ; but I would rather submit to lose half my skin, than
to lose the whole of it, with my ears in the bargain. And
such will be our fates, if we tempt this mad Virginian
again. God willing, I would at any time give him enough
of my hide to make a pair of jack boots, to get out of
his hands with the remainder. If you had known
THE SPY. 211
when you were well off^ you would have stuck to Major
Dunwoodie, who don't know half so much of our evil-
doings."
ff Silence, you talking fool ! " shouted the enraged leader ;
" your prating is sufficient to drive a man mad ; is it not
enough to he robbed and beaten,, but we must be tormented
with your folly ? help to get out the provisions., if any is
left in the wallet, and try and stop your mouth, with
food."
This injunction was obeyed, and the whole party, amidst
sundry groans and contortions, excited by the disordered
state of their backs, made their arrangements for a scanty
meal. A large fire of dry wood was burning in the cleft
of a rock, and, at length they began to recover from the
confusion of their flight, and to collect their scattered
senses. Their hunger being appeased, and many of their
garments thrown aside for the better opportunity of dressing
their wounds, the gang began to plot measures of revenge.
An hour was spent in this manner, and various expedients
were proposed, but as they all depended on personal prowess
for their success, and were attended by great danger, they
were of course rejected. There was no possibility of ap
proaching the troops by surprise, their vigilance being ever
on the watch ; and the hope of meeting Captain Lawtori,
away from his men, was equally forlorn, for the trooper
was constantly engaged in his duty, and his movements
were so rapid, that any opportunity of meeting with him,
at all, must depend greatly on accident. Besides, it was
by no means certain, that such an interview would result
happily for themselves. The cunning of the trooper was
notorious; and rough and broken as was West-Chester, the
fearless partisan was known to take desperate leaps, and
stone walls were but slight impediments to the charges of
the Southern horse. Gradually, the conversation took an
other direction, until the gang determined on a plan which
should both revenge themselves, and at the same time offer
some additional stimulus to their exertions. The whole
business was accurately discussed, the time fixed, and the
manner adopted ; in short, nothing was wanting to the
p 2
212 THE SPY.
previous arrangement for this deed of villany, when they
were aroused by a voice calling aloud
" This way, Captain Jack here are the rascals ating by
a, fire this way, and murder the tieves where they sit
quick, lave your horses and shoot your pistols ! "
This terrific summons was enough to disturb all the phi
losophy of the gang. Springing on their feet, they rushed
deeper into the wood, and having already agreed upon a
place of rendezvous previously to their intended expedition,
they dispersed towards the four quarters of the heavens.
Certain sounds and different voices were heard calling to
each other, but as the marauders were well trained to speed
of foot, they were soon lost in the distance.
It was not long before Betty Flanagan emerged from
the darkness, and very coolly took possession of what the
skinners had left behind them ; namely, food, and divers
articles of dress. The washerwoman deliberately seated
herself, and made a meal with great apparent satisfaction.
For an hour, she sat with her head upon her hand, in deep
musing j then she gathered together such articles of the
clothes, as seemed to suit her fancy, and retired into the
wood, leaving the fire to throw its glimmering light on the
adjacent rocks, until its last brand died away, and the place
was abandoned to solitude and darkness.
THE SPY. 213
CHAPTER XIX.
No longer then perplex the breast
"When thoughts torment, the first are best ;
'Tis mad to go, 'tis death to stay !
Away, to Orra, haste away.
Lapland Love Song.
WHILE his comrades were sleeping, in perfect forgetfulness
of their hardships and dangers, the slumbers of Dunwoodie
were broken and unquiet. After spending a night of rest-
lesness, he arose unrefreshed, from the rude bed where he
had thrown himself in his clothes, and without awaking any
of the group around him, he wandered into the open air in
search of relief. The soft rays of the moon were just
passing away in the more distinct light of the morning;
the wind had fallen, and the rising mists gave the promise of
another of those autumnal days, which, in this unstable
climate, succeed a tempest, with the rapid transitions of
magic. The hour had not arrived when he intended mov
ing from his present position ; and willing to allow his
warriors all the refreshment that circumstances would per
mit, he strolled towards the scene of the skinners' punish
ment, musing upon the embarrasments of his situation, and
uncertain how he should reconcile his sense of duty with
his love. Although Dunwoodie himself placed the most
implicit reliance on the Captain's purity of intention, he was
by no means assured that a board of officers would be equally
credulous; and, independently of all feelings of private re
gard, he felt certain that with the execution of Henry
would be destroyed all hopes of a union with his sister.
He had despatched an officer, the preceding evening, to
Colonel Singleton, who was in command of the advance
posts, reporting the capture of the British captain, and,
after giving his own opinion of his innocence, requesting
orders as to the manner in which he was to dispose of his
prisoner. These orders might be expected, every hour,
P 3
THE SPY.
and his uneasiness increased, in proportion as the moment
approached when his friend might be removed from his
protection. In this disturbed state of mind, the Major
wandered through the orchard, and was stopped in his walk
by arriving at the base of those rocks which had protected
the skinners in their flight, before he was conscious whither
his steps had carried him. He was about to turn, and re
trace his path to his quarters, when he was startled by a
voice, bidding him
" Stand or die ! "
Dunwoodie turned in amazement, arid beheld the figure
of a man placed at a little distance above him on a shelving
rock, with a musket levelled at himself. The light was not
yet sufficiently powerful to reach the recesses of that gloomy
spot, and a second look was necessary before he discovered,
to his astonishment, that the pedler stood before him.
Comprehending, in an instant, the danger of his situation,
and disdaining to implore mercy, or to retreat, had the
latter been possible, the youth cried firmly
" If I am to be murdered, fire ; I will never become
your prisoner."
" No, Major Dunwoodie," said Birch, lowering his
musket, ee it is neither my intention to capture, nor to
slay."
" What then would you have, mysterious being ? " said
Dunwoodie, hardly able to persuade himself that the form
he saw was not a creature of the imagination.
" Your good opinion," answered the pedler, with emo
tion ; " I would wish all good men to judge me, with
lenity."
" To you it must be indifferent what may be the judg
ment of men ; for you seem to be beyond the reach of
their sentence."
" God spares the lives of his servants to his own time,"
said the pedler, solemnly : " a few hours ago I was your
prisoner, and threatened with the gallows; now you are
mine ; but, Major Dunwoodie, you are free. There are
men abroad who would treat you less kindly. Of what
service would that sword be to you against my weapon and
a steady hand? Take the advice of one who has never
THE SPY. 215
harmed you, and who never will. Do not trust yourself
in the skirts of any wood, unless in company and mounted."
fc And have you comrades, who have assisted you to
escape, and who are less generous than yourself ? "
" No no, I am alone truly none know me but my
God and Him"
" And who ? " asked the Major, with an interest he could
not control.
" None," continued the pedler, recovering his com
posure. " But such is not your case, Major Dunwoodie ;
you are young and happy ; there are those that are dear to
you, and such are not far away danger is near them
you love most danger within and without; double your
watchfulness strengthen your patrols and be silent.
With your opinion of me, should I tell you more, you
would suspect an ambush. But remember and guard them
you love best."
The pedler discharged the musket in the air, and threw
it at the feet of his astonished auditor. When surprise and
the smoke suffered Dunwoodie to look again on the rock
where he had stood, the spot was vacant.
- The youth was aroused from the stupor, which had been
created by this strange scene, by the trampling of horses,
and the sound of the bugles. A patrol was drawn to the
spot by the report of the musket, and the alarm had been
given to the corps. Without entering into any explanation
with his men, the Major returned quickly to his quarters,
where he found the whole squadron under arms, in battle
array, impatiently awaiting the appearance of their leader.
The officer whose duty it was to superintend such mat
ters, had directed a party to lower the sign of the Hotel
Flanagan, and the post was already arranged for the execu
tion of the spy. On hearing from the JJpajor that the
musket was discharged by himself, and was probably one of
those dropped by the skinners, (for by this time Dunwoodie
had learnt the punishment inflicted by Lawton, but chose
to conceal his own interview with Birch,) his officers sug
gested the propriety of executing their prisoner before they
marched. Unable to believe that all he had seen was not a
dream, Dunwoodie, followed by many of his officers, and
p 4
21 6 THE SPY.
preceded by Sergeant Hollister, went to the place which was
supposed to contain the pedler.
\ " Well, sir," said the Major to the sentinel who guarded
the door, " I trust you have your prisoner in safety."
" He is yet asleep," replied the man, " and he makes
such a noise, I could hardly hear the bugles sound the.alarm."
t( Open the door and bring him forth."
The order was obeyed ; but, to the utter amazement of
the honest veteran who entered the prison, he found the
room in no little disorder the coat of the pedler where
his body ought to have been, and part of the wardrobe of
Betty scattered in disorder on the floor. The washerwoman
herself occupied the pallet, in profound mental oblivion, clad
as when last seen, excepting a little black bonnet, which she
so constantly wore, that it was commonly thought she made
it perform the double duty of both day and night cap. The
noise of their entrance, and the exclamations of the party,
awoke the woman.
" Is it the breakfast that's wanting?" said Betty, rub
bing her eyes ; tf faith, yee look as if yee would ate myself
but patience a little, darlings, and yee'll see sich a fry as
never was."
" Fry \" echoed the Sergeant, forgetful of his religious
philosophy, and the presence of his officers; <f we'll have you
roasted, Jezebel ! you've helped that damn'd pedler to
escape."
' ' Jezebel back agin in your teeth, and damn'd pidler too,
Mister Sargeant," cried Betty, who was easily roused ;
" what have I to do with pedlevs, or escapes ? I might have
been a pidler's lady, and worn my silks, if I'd had Sawny
MTwilL, instead of tagging at the heels of a parcel of dra
gooning rapscallions, who don't know how to trate a lone
body with dacency."
" The fellow has left my Bible," said the veteran, taking
the book from the floor ; " instead of spending his time in
reading it to prepare for his end, like a good Christian, he
has been busy in labouring to escape."
" And who would stay and be hanged like a dog ?" cried
Betty, beginning to comprehend the case ; " 'tisn't every
one that's born to meet with sich an ind like yourself,
Mister Hollister."
THE SPY. 217
" Silence!" said Dunwoodie. "This must be enquired
into closely, gentlemen ; there is no outlet but the door, and
there he could not pass, unless the sentinel connived at his
escape, or was asleep on his post : call up the guard."
As these men were not paraded, curiosity had already
drawn them to the place, and they one and all, with the ex
ception of him before mentioned, denied that any person
had passed out. The individual in question acknowledged
that Betty had gone by him, but pleaded his orders in jus
tification.
" You lie, you tief you lie ! " shouted Betty, who had
impatiently listened to his exculpation ; " would yee slander-
ize a lone woman, by saying she walks a camp at midnight !
Here have I been slaaping the long night, swaatly as the
sucking babe."
" Here, sir," said the Sergeant, turning respectfully to
Dunwoodie, ' ' is something written in my Bible that was not
in it before ; for having no family to record, I would never
suffer any scribbling in the sacred book."
One of the officers read aloud " These certify, that if
suffered to get free, it is by God's help alone, to whose divine
aid I humbly riccommind myself. I'm forced to take the
woman's clothes, but in her pocket is a ricompinse. Witness
my hand Harvey Birch."
" What ! " roared Betty, " has the tief robbed a lone
woman of her all ? hang him catch him and hang
him, Major ; if there 's law or justice in the land."
" Examine your pocket/' said one of the youngsters, who
was enjoying the scene, careless of the consequences.
" Ah ! faith," cried the washerwoman, producing a guinea,
" but he is a jewel of a pidler ! Long life and a brisk
trade to him, say I ; he is wilcome to the duds and if he
is ever hanged, many a bigger rogue will go free."
Dunwoodie turned to leave the apartment, and he saw
Captain Lawton standing with folded arms, contemplating
the scene in profound silence. His manner, so different
from his usual impetuosity and zeal, struck his commander
as singular. Their eyes met, and they walked together for
a few minutes in close conversation, when Dunwoodie re
turned, and dismissed the guard to their place of rendezvous.
218 THE SPY.
Sergeant Holltster, however, continued along with Betty,
who, having found none of her vestments disturbed but such
as the guinea more than paid for, was in high good hu
mour. The washerwoman had for a long time looked on
the veteran with the eyes of affection; and she had deter
mined within herself to remove certain delicate objections
which had long embarrassed her peculiar situation, as re
spected the corps, by making the Sergeant the successor of
her late husband. For some time past the trooper had
seemed to flatter this preference ; and Betty, conceiving that
her violence might have mortified her suitor, was determined
to make him all the amends in her power. Besides, rough
and uncouth as she was, the washerwoman had still enough
of the sex to know that the moments of reconciliation were
the moments of power. She therefore poured out a glass
of her morning beverage, and handed it to her companion
as a peace-offering.
Cf A few warm words between frinds are a trifle, yee
must be knowing, Sargeant," said the washer-woman ;
" it was Michael Flanagan that I ever calumnated the most
when I was loving him the best."
" Michael was a good soldier and a brave man," said the
trooper, finishing the glass ; " our troop was covering the
flank of his regiment when he fell, and I rode over his
body myself during the day ; poor fellow ! he lay on his
back, and looked as composed as if he had died a natural
death after a year's consumption."
" Oh ! Michael was a great consumer, and be sartain ;
two such as us make dreadful inroads in the stock, Sargeant.
But yee'r a sober discrate man, Mister Hollister, and
would be a helpmate indeed."
" Why, Mrs. Flanagan, I 've tarried to speak on a sub
ject that lies heavy at my heart, and I will now open my
mind, if you v'e leisure to listen."
" Is it listen?" cried the impatient woman; " and I'd
listen to you, Sargeant, if the officers never ate another
mouthful : but take a second drop, dear, 'twill encourage
you to spake freely."
" I am already bold enough in so good a cause," re
turned the veteran, rejecting her bounty. " Betty, do you
THE SPY.
think it was really the Pedler-Spy that I placed in this
room, the last night ? "
" And who should it be else, darling ? "
" The evil-one."
What, the divil?"
" Ay, even Belzebub, disguised as the pedler ; and them
fellows we thought to be skinners were his imps !"
" Well sure, Sargeant dear, yee'r but little out this
time, any way ; for if the divil's imps go at large in the
county West-Chester, sure it is the skinners, themselves."
" Mrs. Flanagan, I mean in their incarnate spirits ; the
evil-one knew that there was no one we would arrest
sooner than the pedler Birch, and he took on his appearance
to gain admission to your room."
' ( And what should the divil be wanting of me ? "
cried Betty, tartly ; " and isn't there divils enough in the
corps already, without one's coming from the bottomless pit
to frighten a lone body ? "
ff 'Twas in mercy to you, Betty, that he was permitted
to come. You see he vanished through the door in your
form, which is a symbol of your fate, unless you mend
your life. Oh ! I noticed how he trembled when I gave
him the good book. Would any Christian, think you, my
dear Betty, write in a Bible in this way ; unless it might
be the matter of births and deaths, and such lawful chro
nicles ? "
The washerwoman was pleased with the softness of her
lover's manner, but dreadfully scandalised at his insinu
ation. She, however, preserved her temper, and with the
quickness of her own country's people, rejoined
(f And would the divil have paid for the clothes, think
ye? ay, and overpaid."
" Doubtless the money is base," said the Sergeant, a
little staggered at such an evidence of honesty in one of
whom, as to generals, he thought so meanly. " He tempted
me with his glittering coin, but the Lord gave me strength
to resist."
" The goold looks well, but I'll change it, any way,
with Captain Jack, the day. He is niver a bit afeard of
any divil of them all ! "
220 THE SPY.
ff Betty, Betty,' said her companion, fe do not speak so
disreverently of the evil spirit ; he is ever at hand, and will
owe you a grudge, for your language."
t( Pooh ! if he has any bowels at all, he won't mind a
fillip or two from a poor lone woman, I'm sure no' other
Christian would."
" But the dark one has no bowels, except to devour the
children of men," said the Sergeant, looking around him in
horror ; " and it 's best to make friends every where, for
there is no telling what may happen till it comes. But,
Betty, no man could have got out of this place, and passed
all the sentinels without being known; take awful warn
ing from the visit, therefore "
Here the dialogue was interrupted by a peremptory sum
mons to the sutler to prepare her morning's repast, and
they were obliged to separate ; the woman secretly hoping
that the interest the Sergeant manifested was more earthly
than he imagined, and the man, bent on saving a soul
from the fangs of the dark spirit that was prowling through
their camp in quest of victims.
During the breakfast several expresses arrived, one of
which brought intelligence of the actual force and destina
tion of the enemy's expedition that was out on the Hud*
son ; and another, orders to send Captain Wharton to the
first post above, under the escort of a body of dragoons.
These last instructions, or rather commands, for they
admitted of no departure from their letter, completed the
sum of Dunwoodie's uneasiness. The despair and misery
of Frances were constantly before his eyes, and fifty times
he was tempted to throw himself on his horse and gallop
to the Locusts, but an uncontrollable feeling prevented. In
obedience to the commands of his superior, an officer, with
a small party, was sent to the cottage to conduct Henry
Wharton to the place directed ; and the gentleman who was
intrusted with the execution of the order was charged with
a letter from Dunwoodie to his friend, containing the most
cheering assurances of his safety, as well as the strongest
pledges of his own unceasing exertions in his favour. Law-
ton was left with part of his own troop, in charge of the
few wounded ; and as soon as the men were refreshed, the
THE SPY.
221
encampment broke up, the main body marching towards
the Hudson. Dtmwoodie repeated his injunctions to Cap
tain Lawton again and again dwelt on every word that
had fallen from the pedler, and canvassed, in every possible
manner that his ingenuity could devise, the probable mean
ing of his mysterious warnings, until.no excuse remained
for delaying his own departure. Suddenly recollecting,
however, that no directions had been given for the disposal
of Colonel Wellmere, instead of following the rear of the
column, the Major yielded to his desires, and turned down
the road which led to the Locusts. The horse of Dun
woodie was fleet as the wind, and scarcely a minute seemed
to have passed before he gained sight, from an eminence,
of the lonely vale, and as he was plunging into the bottom
lands that formed its surface, he caught a glimpse of
Henry Wharton and his escort, at a distance, defiling
through a pass which led to the posts above. This sight
added to the speed of the anxious youth, who now turned
the angle of the hill that opened to the valley, and came
suddenly on the object of his search. Frances had fol
lowed the party which guarded her brother at a distance;
and as they vanished from her sight, she felt deserted by
all that she most prized in this world. The unaccountable
absence of Dunwoodie, with the shock of parting from
Henry under such circumstances, had entirely subdued her
fortitude, and she had sunk on a stone by the road-side, sob
bing as if her heart would break. Dunwoodie sprang from
his charger, threw the reins over the neck of the animal,
and in a moment he was by the side of the weeping girl.
"Frances my own Frances!" 'he exclaimed, "why
this distress ? let not the situation of your brother create
any alarm. As soon as the duty I am now on is com
pleted, I will hasten to the feet of Washington, and beg
his release. The Father of his Country will never deny
such a boon to one of his favourite pupils."
" Major Dunwoodie, for your interest in behalf of my
poor brother, I thank you," said the trembling girl, drying
her eyes, and rising with dignity ; " but such language ad
dressed to me, surely, is improper."
" Improper ! are you not mine by the consent of your
222 THE SPY.
father your aunt your brother nay,, hy your own
consent^ my sweet Frances ? "
tl I wish not, Major Dunwoodie, to interfere with the
prior claims that any other lady may have to your affec
tions/' said Frances,, struggling to speak with firmness.
" None other, I swear by Heaven, none other has any
claim on me ! " cried Dunwoodie, with fervour ; " you alone
are mistress of my inmost soul."
" You have practised so much, and so successfully,
Major Dunwoodie, that it is no wonder you excel in
deceiving the credulity of my sex," returned Frances, at
tempting a smile which the tremulousness of her muscles
smothered in its birth.
" Am I a villain, Miss Wharton, that you receive me
with such language ? when have I ever deceived you,
Frances ? who has practised in this manner on your purity
of heart ? "
" Why has not Major Dunwoodie honoured the dwelling
of his intended father with his presence lately ? Did he
forget x it contained one friend on a bed of sickness, and
another in deep distress ? Has it escaped his memory that
it held his intended wife ? Or is he fearful of meeting more
than one that can lay a claim to that title ? Oh, Peyton
Peyton, how have I been deceived in you ! with the foolish
credulity of my youth, I thought you all that was brave,
noble, generous, and loyal."
" Frances, I see how you have deceived yourself," cried
Dunwoodie, his face in a glow of fire ; " you do me in
justice ; I swear by all that is most dear to me, that you
do me injustice."
" Swear not, Major Dunwoodie," interrupted Frances,
her fine countenance lighting with the lustre of womanly
pride ; " the time is gone by for me to credit oaths."
" Miss Wharton, would you have me a coxcomb make
me contemptible in my own eyes, by boasting with the hopfc
of raising myself in your estimation ? "
" Flatter not yourself that the task is so easy, sir," re
turned Frances, moving towards the cottage ; " we converse
together in private for the last time ; but possibly my
father would welcome my mother's kinsman."
THE SPY. 223
" No, Miss Wharton, I cannot enter his dwelling now :
I should act in a manner unworthy of myself. You drive
me from you, Frances, in despair. I am going on despe
rate service, and may not live to return. Should fortune
prove severe, at least do my memory justice ; remember
that the last breathings of my soul will be for your happi
ness." So saying, he had already placed his foot in the
stirrup, but his youthful mistress turning on him an eye
that pierced his soul, arrested the action.
" Peyton Major Dunwoodie," she said, " can you
ever forget the sacred cause in which you are enlisted ?
Duty both to your God and to your country forbids your doing
any thing rashly. The latter has need of your services ;
besides " but her voice became choked, arid she was un
able to proceed.
" Besides what ? " echoed the youth, springing to her
side, and offering to take her hand in his own. Frances
having, however, recovered herself, coldly repulsed him, and
continued her walk homeward.
" Is this our parting ! " cried Dunwoodie, in agony
fe am I a wretch, that you treat me so cruelly ? You have
never loved me, and wish to conceal your own fickleness by
accusations that you will not explain."
Frances stopped short in her walk, and turned on him a
look of so much purity and feeling,, that, heart-stricken,
Dunwoodie would have knelt at her feet for pardon ; but
motioning him for silence, she once more spoke
" Hear me, Major Dunwoodie, for the last time ; it is
a .bitter knowledge when we first discover our own infe
riority ; but it is a truth that I have lately learnt. Against
you I bring no charges make no accusations ; no, not
willingly in my thoughts. Were my claims to your heart
just, I am not worthy of you. It is not a feeble, timid
girl, like me, that could make you happy. No, Peyton,
you are formed for great and glorious actions, deeds of
daring and renown, and should be united to a soul like
your own; one that can rise above the weakness of her
sex. I should be a weight to drag you to the dust ; but
with a different spirit in your companion, you might soar
to the very pinnacle of earthly glory. To such a one>
224 THE SPY.
therefore, I resign you freely, if not cheerfully ; and pray,
oh! how fervently, do I pray, that with such a one you may
be happy.
" Lovely enthusiast!" cried Dunwoodie, et you know
not yourself, nor me. It is a woman, mild, gentle, and
dependent as yourself, that my very nature loves ; deceive
not yourself with visionary ideas of generosity, which will
only make me miserable."
" Farewell, Major Dunwoodie," said the agitated girl,
pausing for a moment to gasp for breath ; " forget that
you ever knew me remember the claims of your bleeding
country ; and be happy."
( ' Happy ! " repeated the youthful soldier bitterly, as he
saw her light form gliding through the gate of the lawn,
and disappearing behind its shrubbery ; " yes, I am now
happy, indeed ! "
Throwing himself into the saddle, he plunged his spurs
into his horse, and soon overtook his squadron, which was
marching slowly over the hilly roads of the country, to gain
the banks of the Hudson.
But painful as were the feelings of Dunwoodie at this
unexpected termination of the interview with his mistress,
they were but light compared with those which were ex
perienced by the fond girl herself. Frances had, with the
keen eye of jealous love, easily detected the attachment of
Isabella Singleton to Dunwoodie. Delicate and retiring
herself, it never could present itself to her mind that this
love had been unsought. Ardent in her own affections,
and artless in their exhibition, she had early caught the eye
of the young soldier j but it required all the manly frank
ness of Dunwoodie to court her favour, and the most
pointed devotion to obtain- his conquest. This done, his
power was durable, entire, and engrossing. But the un
usual occurrences of the few preceding days, the altered
mien of her lover during those events, his unwonted indif
ference to herself, and chiefly the romantic idolatry of
Isabella, had aroused new sensations in her bosom. With
a dread of her lover's integrity had been awakened the
never-failing concomitant of the purest affection, a distrust
of her own merits. In the moment of enthusiasm, the
THE SPY. 225
task of resigning her lover to another, who might be more
worthy of him, seemed easy ; but it is in vain that the
imagination attempts to deceive the heart. Dunwoodie
had no sooner disappeared, than our heroine felt all the
misery of her situation; and if the youth found some relief
in the cares of his command, Frances was less fortunate in
the performance of a duty imposed on her by filial piety.
The removal of his son had nearly destroyed the little energy
of Mr. Wharton, who required all the tenderness of his
remaining children to convince him that he was able to
perform the ordinary functions of life.
CHAPTER XXI.
Flatter and praise, commend, extol their graces,
Though ne'er so black, say they have angels' faces ;
That man who hath a tongue I say is no man,
If with that tongue he cannot win a woman.
Two Gentlemen of Verona.
IN making the arrangements by which Captain Law ton
had been left, with Serjeant Hollister and twelve men, as
a guard over the wounded, and heavy baggage of the corps,
Dunwoodie had consulted not only the information which
had been conveyed in the letter of Colonel Singleton, but the
bruises of his comrade's body. In vain Lawton declared
himself fit for any duty that man could perform, or
plainly intimated that his men would never follow Tom
Mason to a charge, with the alacrity and confidence with
which they followed himself; his commander was firm,
and the reluctant captain was compelled to comply with as
good a grace as he could assume. Before parting, Dun
woodie repeated his caution to keep a watchful eye on the
inmates of the cottage; and especially enjoined him, if any
movements of a particularly suspicious nature were seen in
neighbourhood, to break up from his present quarters, and
to move down with his party, and take possession of the
domains of Mr. Wharton. A vague suspicion of danger
to the family had been awakened in the breast of the major,
Q
226 THE SPY.
by the language of the pedler, although he was unable to
refer it to any particular source, or to understand why it
was to be apprehended.
For some time after the departure of the troops, the
Captain was walking before the door of the " Hotel," in
wardly cursing his fate, that condemned him to an inglo-
rious idleness, at a moment when a meeting with the enemy
might be expected, and replying to the occasional queries
of Betty, who, from the interior of the building, ever and
anon demanded, in a high tone of voice, an explanation of
various passages in the pedler' s escape, which as yet she
could not comprehend. At this instant he was joined by
the surgeon, who had hitherto been engaged among his
patients in a distant building, and was profoundly ignorant
of every thing that had occurred, even to the departure of
the troops.
" Where are all the sentinels, John ? " he enquired, as
he gazed around with a look of curiosity, " and why are
you here, alone ? "
Off all off, with Dunwoodie, to the river. You and I
are left here to take care of a few sick men and some women."
" I am glad, however," said the surgeon, l( that Major
Dunwoodie had consideration enough not to move the
wounded. Here, you Mrs. Elizabeth Flanagan, hasten with
some food, that I may appease my appetite. I have a dead
body to dissect, and am in haste."
" And here, you Mister Doctor Archibald Sitgreaves,"
echoed Betty, showing her blooming countenance from a
broken window of the kitchen, " you are ever a coming too
^late ;. here is nothing to ate but the skin of Jenny, and the
body yee'r mintioning."
" Woman !" said the surgeon, in anger, " do you take
me for a cannibal, that you address your filthy discourse to
me, in this manner ? I bid you hasten with such food as
may be proper to be received into the stomach fasting."
" And I'm sure it's for a pop-gun that I should be
taking you sooner than for a cannon-ball," said Betty,
winking at the Captain ; " and I tell yee that it's fasting
you must be, unless yee'l let me cook yee a steak from the
skin of Jenny. The boys have ate me up entirely."
THE SPY. 227
Lawton now interfered to preserve the peace, and assured
the surgeon that he had already despatched the proper per
sons in quest of food for the party. A little mollified with
this explanation, the operator soon forgot his hunger, and
declared his intention of proceeding to business at once.
(f And where is your subject?" asked Lawton.
<( The pedler," said the other, glancing a look at the
sign-post. " I made Hollister put a stage so high that the
neck would not be dislocated by the fall, and I intend
making as handsome a skeleton of him, as there is in the
States of North America ; the fellow has good points, and
his bones are well knit. I will make a perfect beauty of
him. I have long been wanting something of this sort to
send as a present to my old aunt in Virginia, who was so
kind to me when a boy."
" The devil !" cried Lawton; "would you send the old
woman a dead man's bones ? "
" Why not ?" said the surgeon ; ec what nobler object is
there in nature than the figure of a man and the skeleton
may be called his elementary parts. But what has been
done with the body ? "
"Off too."
" Off! and who has dared to interfere with my perqui
sites?"
" Sure, jist the divil," said Betty; " ar,d who'll Ire taking
yeerself away some of these times too, without asking yeer
lave."
" Silence, you witch ! " said Lawton, with difficulty sup
pressing a laugh ; " is this the manner in which to address
an officer ? "
" Who called me the filthy Elizabeth Flanagan ? " cried
the washerwoman, snapping her fingers contemptuously ;
" I can remimber a frind for a year, and don't forgit an
inimy for a month."
But the friendship, or enmity of Mrs. "Flanagan were
alike indifferent to the surgeon, who could think of no
thing but his loss ; and Lawton was obliged to explain to
his friend the apparent manner in which it had happened.
" And a lucky escape it was for yee, my jewel of a
doctor," cried Betty, as the Captain concluded. " Sarjeant
Q 2
228 THE SPY-
Hollister, who saw him face to face, as it might be, says
it's Beelzeboob, and no pidler, unless it may be in a smaH
matter of lies and thefts; and sich wickednesses. Now a
pretty figure yee would have been in cutting up Beelze
boob, if the major had hang'd him. I don't think it's very
asy he would have been under yeer knife."
Thus doubly disappointed in his meal and his business,
Sitgreaves suddenly declared his intention of visiting the
" Locusts," and enquiring into the state of Captain Single
ton. Lawton was ready for the excursion ; and mounting,
they were soon on the road, though the surgeon was obliged
to submit to a few more jokes from the washerwoman, be
fore he could get out of hearing. For some time the two
rode in silence, when Lawton, perceiving that his com-
panion's temper was somewhat ruffled by his disappoint
ments and Betty's attack, made an effort to restore the
tranquillity of his feelings.
" That was a charming song, Archibald, that you com
menced last evening, when we were interrupted by the
party that brought in the pedler," he said: " the allusion
to Galen was much to the purpose."
" I knew you would like it, Jack, when you had got the
fumes of the wine out of your head. Poetry is a respect
able art, though it wants the precision of the exact sciences,
and the natural beneficence of the physical. Considered in
reference to the wants of life, I should define poetry as an
emollient, rather than as a succulent."
" And yet your ode was full of the meat of wit."
" Ode is by no means a proper term for the composi
tion ; I should term it a classical ballad."
f( Very probably," said the trooper ; " hearing only one
verse, it was difficult to class the composition."
The surgeon involuntarily hemmed, and began to clear
his throat, although scarcely conscious himself to what the
preparation tended. But the Captain, rolling his dark eyes
towards his companion, and observing him to be sitting
with great uneasiness on his horse, continued
" The air is still, and the road solitary why not
give the remainder ? It is never too late to repair a loss."
" My dear, John, if I thought it would correct the
THE SPY. 229
errors you have imbibed, from habit and indulgence, no*
thing could give me more pleasure."
e< We are fast approaching some rocks on our left ; the
echo will double my satisfaction/'
Thus encouraged., and somewhat impelled by the opinion
that he both sang and wrote with taste, the surgeon set
about complying with the request in sober earnest. Some
little time was lost in clearing his t throat, and getting the
proper pitch of his voice ; but no sooner were these two
points achieved, than Lawton had the secret delight of
hearing his friend commence
" Hast thou ever "
fC Hush!" interrupted the trooper; " what rustling
noise is that among the rocks ? "
te It must have been the rushing of the melody. A pow
erful voice is like the breathing of the winds."
" Hast thou ever "
" Listen," said Lawton, stopping his horse. He had
not done speaking, when a stone fell at his feet, and rolled
harmlessly across the path.
" A friendly shot, that," cried the trooper ; fc neither the
weapon, nor its force, implies much ill will."
<f Blows from stones seldom produce more than contu
sions," said the operator, bending his gaze in every direc
tion in vain, in quest of the hand from which the missile
had been hurled ; " it must be meteoric ; there is no living
being in sight, except ourselves."
" It would be easy to hide a regiment behind those
rocks," returned the trooper, dismounting, and taking the
stone in his hand " Oh ! here is the explanation along
with the mystery." So saying, he tore a piece of paper
that had been ingeniously fastened to the small fragment of
rock which had thus singularly fallen before him; and open
ing it, the Captain read the following words, written in no
very legible hand :
f ' A musket bullet will go farther than a stone, and things
more dangerous than yarbs for wounded men lie hid in the
rocks of West Chester. The horse may be good, but can
he moynt a pricipice ? "
Q 3
230 THE SPY.
" Thou sayest the truth, strange man," said Lawton ;
" courage and activity would avail but little against as
sassination and these rugged passes." Remounting his
horse, he cried aloud " Thanks, unknown friend ; your
caution will be remembered."
A meagre hand was extended for an instant over a rock,
in the air, and afterwards nothing further was seen, or
heard, in that quarter, by the soldiers.
" Quite an extraordinary interruption," said the asto-.
nished Sitgreaves, ' ' and a letter of a very mysterious mean
ing."
" Oh ! 'tis nothing but the wit of some bumpkin, who
thinks to frighten two of the Virginians by an artifice of
this kind," said the trooper, placing the billet in his pocket;
<f but let me tell you, Mr. Archibald Sitgreaves, you were
wanting to dissect, just now, a damn'd honest fellow."
" It was the pedler one of the most notorious spies in
the enemy's service ; and I must say that I think it would
be an honour to such a man to be devoted to the uses of
science."
" He may be a spy he must be one," said Lawton,
musing ; " but he has a heart above enmity, and a soul that
would honour a soldier/'
The surgeon turned a vacant eye on his companion as he
uttered this soliloquy, while the penetrating looks of the
trooper had already discovered another pile of rocks, which,
jutting forward, nearly obstructed the highway that wound
directly around its base.
" What the steed cannot mount, the foot of man can
overcome," exclaimed the wary partisan. Throwing him
self again from his saddle, and leaping a wall of stone, he
began to ascend the hill at a pace which would soon have
given him a bird's eye view of the rocks in question, to
gether with all their crevices. This movement was no
sooner made, than Lawton caught a glimpse of the figure
of a man stealing rapidly from his approach, and disappear
ing on the opposite side of the precipice.
" Spur, Sitgreaves spur," shouted the trooper, dashing
over every impediment in pursuit, " and murder the villain
as he flies."
THE SPY. 231
The former part of the request was promptly complied
with, and a few moments brought the surgeon in full view
of a man armed with a musket, who was crossing the road,
and evidently seeking the protection of the thick wood on
its opposite side.
" Stop, my friend stop until Captain Lawton comes
up, if you please," cried the surgeon, observing him to flee
with a rapidity that baffled his horsemanship. But as if the
invitation contained new terrors, the footman redoubled his
efforts, nor .paused even to breathe, until he had reached his
goal, when, turning on his heel, he discharged his musket
towards the surgeon, and was out of sight in an instant. To
gain the highway, and throw himself into his saddle, de
tained Lawton but a moment, and he rode to the side of his
comrade just as the figure disappeared.
" Which way has he fled ? " cried the trooper.
" John," said the surgeon, " am I not a non-combat
ant ? "
(C Whither has the rascal fled ? " cried Lawton, impa
tiently.
" Where you cannot follow into that wood. But I
repeat, John, am I not a non-combatant ? "
The disappointed trooper, perceiving that his enemy had
escaped him, now turned his eyes, which were flashing with
anger, upon his comrade, and gradually his muscles lost
their rigid compression, his brow relaxed, and his look
changed from its fierce expression, to the covert laughter
which so often distinguished his countenance. The sur
geon sat in dignified composure on his horse ; his thin body
erect, and his head elevated with the indignation of one con
scious of having been unjustly treated.
" Why did you suffer the villain to escape ? " demanded
the Captain. " Once within reach of my sabre, and I
would have given you a subject for the dissecting table."
" 'Twas impossible to prevent it," said the surgeon,
pointing to the bars, before which he had stopped his
horse. " The rogue threw himself on the other side of
this fence, and left me where you see ; nor would the man
in the least attend to my remonstrances, or to an intimation
that you wished to hold discourse with him."
232 THE SPY.
Cf He was truly a discourteous rascal ; but why did you
not leap the fem:e, and compel him to a halt? you see
but three of the bars are up, and Betty Flannagan could
clear them on her cow."
The surgeon, for the first time., withdrew his eyes from
the place where the fugitive had disappeared, and turned
his look on his comrade. His head, however, was not per
mitted to lower itself in the least, as he replied
" I humbly conceive, Captain Lawton, that neither Mrs.
Elizabeth Flannagan, nor her cow, is an example to be
emulated by Doctor Archibald Sitgreaves ; it would be but
a sorry compliment to science, to say, that a Doctor of Me
dicine had fractured both his legs, by injudiciously striking
them against a pair of bar-posts." While speaking, the
surgeon raised the limbs in question to a nearly horizontal
position, an attitude which really appeared to bid defiance
to any thing like a passage for himself through the defile ;
but the trooper, disregarding this ocular proof of the im
possibility of the movement, cried hastily
" Here was nothing to stop you, man ; I could leap a
platoon through, boot and thigh, without pricking with a
single spur. Pshaw ! I have often charged upon the bayo
nets of infantry, over greater difficulties than this."
" You will please to remember, Captain John Lawton,
that I am not the riding master of the regiment nor a
drill ^erjeant nor a crazy cornet ; no, sir and I speak
it with a due respect for the commission of the continental
Congress nor an inconsiderate captain, who regards his
own life as little as that of his enemies. I am only, sir, a
poor humble man of letters, a mere Doctor of Medicine, an
unworthy graduate of Edinburgh, and a surgeon of dra
goons; nothing more, I do assure you, Cap tain John Lawton."
So saying, he turned his horse's head towards the cottage,
and recommenced his ride.
"Ay! you speak the truth," muttered the dragoon;
" had I but the meanest rider of my troop with me, I
should have taken the scoundrel, and given at least one vic
tim to the laws. But, Archibald, no man can ride well
who straddles in this manner like the Colossus of Rhodes.
THE SPY. 233
You should depend less on your stirrup, and keep your seat
by the power of the knee."
" With proper deference to your experience, Captain
Lawton," returned the surgeon, " I conceive myself to be
no incompetent judge of muscular action, whether in the
knee, or any other part of the human frame. And although
but humbly educated, I am not now to learn that the wider
the base, the more firm is the superstructure."
" Would you fill a highway, in this manner, with one
pair of legs, when half a dozen might pass together in com
fort, stretching them abroad like the scythes of the ancient
chariot wheels ? "
The allusion to the practice of the ancients somewhat
softened the indignation of the surgeon, and he replied,
with rather less hauteur
" You should speak with reverence of the usages of those
who have gone before us, and who, however ignorant they
were in matters of science, and particularly that of surgery,
yet furnished many brilliant hints to our own improvements.
Now, sir, I have no doubt that Galen has operated on
wounds occasioned by these very scythes that you mention,
although we can find no evidence of the fact in contem
porary writers. Ah ! they must have given dreadful in
juries, and, I doubt not, caused great uneasiness to the
medical gentlemen of that day."
" Occasionally a body must have been left in two pieces,
to puzzle the ingenuity of those gentry to unite. Yet,
venerable and learned as they were, I doubt not they did it."
" What ! unite two parts of the human body, that have
been severed by an edged instrument, to any of the pur
poses of animal life ? "
" That have been rent asunder by a scythe, and are
united to do military duty," said Lawton.
" 'Tis impossible quite impossible," cried the surgeon ;
" it is in vain, Captain Lawton, that human ingenuity en
deavours to baffle the efforts of nature. Think, my dear
sir, in this case you separate all the arteries injure all of
the intestines sever all of the nerves and sinews, and,
what is of more consequence, you "
" You have said enough, Dr. Sitgreaves, to convince a
234 THE SPY.
member of a rival school. Nothing shall ever tempt me
willingly to submit to be divided in this irretrievable
manner."
" Certes, there is little pleasure in a wound which, from
its nature, is incurable."
" I should think so," said Lawton drily.
" What do you think is the greatest pleasure in life ? "
asked the operator suddenly.
" That must greatly depend on taste. "
" Not at all," cried the surgeon ; " it is in witnessing,
or rather feeling, the ravages of disease repaired by the
lights of science co-operating with nature. I once broke
my little finger intentionally, in order that I might reduce
the fracture and watch the cure : it was only on a small
scale, you know, dear John ; still the thrilling sensation
excited by the knitting of the bone, aided by the contem
plation of the art of man thus acting in unison with nature,
exceeded any other enjoyment that I have ever experienced.
Now, had it been one of the more important members,
such as the leg or arm, how much greater must the pleasure
have been !"
" Or the neck," said the trooper ; but their desultory
discourse was interrupted by their arrival at the cottage of
Mr. Wharton. No one appearing to usher them into an
apartment, the Captain proceeded to the door of the parlour,
where he knew visiters were commonly received. On
opening it, he paused for a moment, in admiration at the
scene within. The person of Colonel Wellmere first met
his eye, bending towards the figure of the blushing Sarah,
with an earnestness of manner that prevented the noise of
Lawton's entrance from being heard by either of the parties.
Certain significant signs, which were embraced at a glance
by the prying gaze of the trooper, at once made him a
master of their secret ; and he was about to retire as silently
as he had advanced, when his companion, pushing himself
through the passage, abruptly entered the room. Ad
vancing instantly to the chair of WeUmere, the surgeon
instinctively laid hold* of his arm, and exclaimed
" Bless me ! a quick and irregular pulse flushed cheek
and fiery eye strong febrile symptoms, and such as must
THE SPY. 235
be attended to." While speaking, the doctor,, who was
much addicted to practising in a summary way, a weakness
of most medical men in military practice, had already
produced his lancet, and was making certain other indi
cations of his intentions to proceed at once to business.
But Colonel Wellmere, recovering from the confusion of
the surprise, arose from his seat haughtily, and said
(f Sir, it is the warmth of the room that lends me the
colour, and I am already too much indebted to your skill
to give you any farther trouble; Miss Wharton knows
that I am quite well, and I do assure you that I never felt
better or happier in my life."
There was a peculiar emphasis on the latter part of this
speech, that, however itjnight gratify the feelings of Sarah,
brought the colour to her cheeks again ; and Sitgreaves, as
his eye followed the direction of those of his patient, did
not fail to observe it.
te Your arm, if you please, madam," said the surgeon,
advancing with a bow ; " anxiety and watching have done
their work on your delicate frame, and there are symptoms
about you that must not be neglected."
" Excuse me, sir," said Sarah, recovering herself with
womanly pride ; (i the heat is oppressive, and I will retire
and acquaint Miss Peyton with your presence."
There was but little difficulty in practising on the ab
stracted simplicity of the surgeon ; but it was necessary for
Sarah to raise her eyes to return the salutation of Lawton,
as he bowed his head nearly to a level with the hand that
held open the door for her passage. One look was suf
ficient; she was able to control her steps sufficiently to
retire with dignity ; but no sooner was she relieved from
the presence of all observers, than she fell into a chair, ancb
abandoned herself to a feeling of mingled shame and
pleasure.
A little nettled at the contumacious deportment of the
British colonel, Sitgreaves, after once more tendering services
that were again rejected, withdrew to the chamber of young
Singleton, whither Lawton had already preceded him.
236 THE SPY.
CHAPTER XXII.
Oh ! Henry, when thou deign'st to sue,
Can I thy suit withstand,?
When thou, lov'd youth, hast. won my heart,
Can I refuse my hand ?
Hermit of Warkwarth.
THE graduate of Edinburgh found his patient rapidly im
proving in health, and entirely free from fever. His sister,
with 'a cheek that was, if possible, paler than on her arrival,
watched around his couch with tender care ; and the ladies
of the cottage had not, in the midst of their sorrows and
varied emotions, forgotten to discharge the duties of hospi
tality. Frances felt herself impelled towards their discon
solate guest, with an interest for which she could not
account, and with a force that she could not control.
She had unconsciously connected the fates of Dunwoodie
and Isabella in her imagination, and she felt, with the ro
mantic ardour of a generous mind, that she was serving her
former lover most, by exhibiting kindness to her he loved
best. Isabella received her attentions with gratitude, but
neither of them indulged in any allusions to the latent
source of their uneasiness. The observation of Miss Pey
ton seldom penetrated beyond things that were visible, and
to her the situation of Henry Wharton seemed to furnish
an awful excuse for the fading cheeks and tearful eyes of
her niece. If Sarah manifested less of care than her sister,
still the unpractised aunt was not at a loss to comprehend
die reason. Love is a holy feeling with the virtuous of the
female sex, and it hallows all that comes within its influ
ence. Although Miss Peyton mourned with sincerity over
the danger which threatened her nephew, she well knew
that an active campaign was not favourable to love, and the
moments that were thus accidentally granted were not to be
thrown away.
Several days now passed without any interruption of
the usual avocations of the ^inhabitants of the cotta 
