An informal vote taken in Carver Hospital had shown the amazing result of three to one in favor of McClellan!
John Vaughan, in his fevered imagination, had felt that he was rendering7 a heroic service to the people in removing the one obstacle to peace. The President was the only man who could possibly defeat McClellan and continue the war. He was denounced by the opposition8 as usurper9, tyrant10, and dictator. He was denounced by thousands of men in his own party as utterly11 unfit to wield12 the power he possessed13.
And yet, as he heard the slow, heavy footfall approaching the door, a moment of agonizing14 doubt gripped his will and weakened his arm. His eye rested on a worn thumbed copy of the Bible which lay open on the desk. This man, who was not a church member, in the loneliness of his awful responsibilities, had been searching there for guidance and inspiration. There was a pathos15 in the thought that found his inner conscience through the mania16 that possessed him.
Well, he'd test him. He would try this tyrant here alone before the judgment17 bar of his soul—condemn him to death or permit him to live, as he should prove true or false to his mighty18 trust.
His hand touched his revolver again and he set his square jaws19 firmly.
The tall figure entered and closed the door.
A flash of blind rage came from the depths of John Vaughan's dark eyes at the first sight of him. He moved forward a step and his hand trembled in a desperate instinctive20 desire to kill. He was a soldier. His enemy was before him advancing. To kill had become a habit. It seemed the one natural thing to do.
He stopped with a shock of surprise as the President turned his haggard eyes in a dazed way and looked about the room.
The light fell full on his face increasing its ghost-like pathetic expression. The story of anxiety and suffering was burnt in letters of fire that left his features a wrinkled mask of grey ashes. The drooping21 eyelids22 were swollen23, and dark bags hung beneath them. The muscles of his massive jaws were flaccid, the lines about his large expressive24 mouth terrible in their eloquence25. His sombre eyes seemed to gaze on the world with the anguish26 of millions in their depths.
For a moment John Vaughan was held in a spell by the unexpected apparition27.
"You are alone, sir?" the quiet voice slowly asked.
"Yes."
"I had expected Miss Winter——"
"She came with me and was compelled to leave."
"Oh—will you pull up a chair."
The tall form dropped wearily at his desk. His voice had a far-away expression in its tones.
"And what can I do for you, sir?" he asked.
"My name is Vaughan—John Vaughan——"
The dark head was lifted with interest:
"The brother of Ned Vaughan, who escaped from prison?"
John nodded:
"The son of Dr. Richard Vaughan, of Palmyra, Missouri."
"Then you're our boy, fighting with Grant's army—yes, I heard of you when your brother was in trouble. You've been ill, I see—wounded, of course?"
"Yes."
The President rose and took his visitor's hand, clasping it with both his own:
"There's nothing I won't do for one of our wounded boys if I can—what is it?"
"My mother writes me that my father has been arrested without warrant, is held in prison without bail28 and denied the right to trial——"
He paused and leaned on the desk, trembling with excitement which had increased as he spoke29.
"I have come to ask you for justice—that he shall be confronted by his accusers in open court and given a fair trial——"
A frown deepened the shadows in the dark, kindly30 face:
"And for what was he arrested?"
"For exercising the right of free speech. In a public address he denounced the war——"
The President shook his head sorrowfully:
"You see, my boy, your house is divided against itself—the symbol in the family group of our unhappy country. Of course, I didn't know of this arrest. Such things hurt me, so I refuse to know of them unless I must. They tell me that Seward and Stanton have arrested without warrant thirty-five thousand men. I hope this is an exaggeration. Still it may be true——"
He stopped, sighed, and shook his head again:
"But come, now, my son, and put yourself in my place. What can I do? I've armed two million men and spend four millions a day to fight the South because they try to secede31 and disrupt the union. My opponents in the North, taking advantage of our sorrows, harangue32 the people and elect a hostile legislature in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois. They are about to pass an ordinance33 of secession and strike the union in the back. If secession is wrong in the South it is surely wrong in the North. Shall I fight secession in the South and merely argue politely with it here? Instead of shooting these men, I've consented to a more merciful thing, I just let Seward and Stanton lock them up until the war is over and then I'll turn them all loose.
"Understand, my boy, I don't shirk responsibility. No Cabinet or Congress could conduct a successful war. There must be a one man power. I have been made that power by the people. I am using it reverently34 but firmly. And I am backed by the prayers, the good will and the confidence of the people—the silent millions whom I don't see, but love and trust.
"This war was not of my choosing. Once begun, it must be fought to the end and the Nation saved. It will then be proved that among free men there can be no successful appeal from the ballot35 to the bullet, and that they who take such appeal are sure to lose their case and pay the cost. To preserve the life of the Constitution I must strain some of its provisions in time of war——"
"And you will not interfere36 to give these accused men a trial?" John Vaughan interrupted in hard tones.
"I cannot, my boy, I dare not interfere. The civil law must be suspended temporarily in such cases. I cannot shoot a soldier for desertion and allow the man to go free who, by denouncing the war, causes him to desert. It cuts to the very heart of the Nation—its life is involved——"
He rose again and paced the floor, turning his back on his visitor in utter unconsciousness of the dangerous glitter in his eyes.
He paused and placed his big hand gently on John's arm:
"I know in doing this I am wielding37 a dangerous power—the power of kings—not because I love it, but because I must save my country. And I'm the humblest man who walks God's earth to-night!"
In spite of his bitterness, the simplicity39 and honesty of the President found John Vaughan's heart. No vain or cruel or selfish man could talk or feel like that. In the glow of his eager thought the ashen40 look of his face disappeared and it became radiant with warmth and tenderness. In dreamy, passionate41 tones he went on as if talking to convince himself he must not despair. The younger man for the moment was swept resistlessly on by the spell of his eloquence.
"They are always asking of me impossible things. Now that I shall remove Grant from command. I know that his battles have been bloody42. Yet how else can we win? The gallant43, desperate South has only a handful of men, ragged44 and half starved, yet they are standing45 against a million and I have exhaustless millions behind these. With Lee they seem invincible46 and every move of his ragged men sends a shiver of horror and of admiration47 through the North. Yet, if Grant fights on he must win. He will wear Lee out—and that is the only way he can beat him.
"Besides, his plan is bigger than the single campaign against Richmond. There's a grim figure at the head of a hundred thousand men fighting his way inch by inch toward Atlanta. If Sherman should win and take Atlanta, Lee's army will starve and the end is sure. I can't listen to this clamor. I will not remove Grant—though I've reasons for believing at this moment that he may vote for McClellan for President.
"Don't think, my son, that all this blood and suffering is not mine. It is. Every shell that screams from those big guns crashes through my heart. The groans48 of the wounded, the sighs of the dying, the tears of widows and orphans49, of sisters and mothers—all—blue and grey—they are mine. I see and hear it all, feel all, suffer all.
"No man who lives to-day is responsible for this war. I could not have prevented it, nor could Jefferson Davis. We are in the grip of mighty forces sweeping50 on from the centuries. We are fighting the battle of the ages.
"But our country's worth it if we can only save it. Out of this agony and tears will be born a united people. We have always been cursed with the impossible contradiction of negro slavery.
"There has never been a real Democracy in the world because there has never been one without the shadow of slavery. We must build here a real government of the people, by the people, for the people. It's not a question merely of the fate of four millions of black slaves. It's a question of the destiny of millions of freemen. I hear the tread of coming generations of their children on this continent. Their destiny is in your hand and mine—a free Nation without a slave—the hope, refuge and inspiration of the world.
"This union that we must save will be a beacon51 light on the shores of time for mankind. It will be worth all the blood and all the tears we shall give for it. The grandeur52 of our sacrifice will be the birthright of our children's children. It will be the end of sectionalism. We can never again curse and revile53 one another, as we have in the past. We've written our character in blood for all time. We've met in battle. The Northern man knows the Southerner is not a braggart54. The Southerner knows the Yankee is not a coward.
"There can be but one tragedy, my boy, that can have no ray of light—and that is that all this blood should have flowed in vain, all these brave men died for nought55, that the old curse shall remain, the union be dismembered into broken sections and on future bloody fields their battles be fought over again——"
He paused and drew a deep breath:
"This is the fear that's strangling me! For as surely as George B. McClellan is elected President, surrounded by the men who at present control his party, just so surely will the war end in compromise, failure and hopeless tragedy——"
"Why do you say that?" John asked sharply.
"Because standing here on this very spot, before the battle of Gettysburg I offered him the Presidency56 if he would preside at a great mass meeting of his party and guarantee to save the union. I offered to efface57 myself and give up the dearest ambition of my soul to heal the wounds of my people—and he refused——"
"Refused?" John gasped58.
"Yes."
The younger man gazed at the haggard face for a moment through dimmed eyes, sank slowly to a seat and covered his face in his hands in a cry of despair!
The reaction was complete and his collapse59 utter.
The President gazed at the bent60 figure with sorrowful amazement61, and touched his head gently with the big friendly hand:
"Why, what's the matter, my boy? I'm the only man to despair. You're just a captain in the army. If to be the head of hell is as hard as what I've had to undergo here I could find it in my heart to pity Satan himself. And if there's a man out of hell who suffers more than I do, I pity him. But it's my burden and I try to bear it. I wish I had only yours!"
John Vaughan sprang to his feet and threw his hands above his head in a gesture of anguish:
"O my God, you don't understand!"
He quickly crossed the space that separated them and faced the President with grim determination:
"But I'm going to tell you the truth now and you can do what you think's right. In the last fight before Petersburg I killed my brother in a night attack and held his dying body in my arms. I think I must have gone mad that night. Anyhow, when I lay in the hospital recovering from my wounds, I got the letter about my father and made up my mind to kill you——"
He paused, but the sombre eyes gave no sign—they seemed to be gazing on the shores of eternity62.
"And I came here to-night for that purpose—my men are in that hall now!"
He stopped and folded his hands deliberately63, waiting for his judge to speak.
A long silence fell between them. The tall, sorrowful man was looking at him with a curious expression of wonder and self pity.
"So you came here to-night to kill me?"
"Yes."
Again a long silence—the deep eyes looking, looking with their strange questioning gaze.
"Well," the younger man burst out at last, "what is my fate? I deserve it. Even generosity64 and gentleness have their limit. I've passed it. And I've no desire to escape."
The kindly hand was lifted to John Vaughan's shoulder:
"Why didn't you do it?"
"Because for the first time you made me see things as you see them—I got a glimpse of the inside——"
"Then I won you—didn't I?" the President cried with elation65. "I've been talking to you just to keep my courage up—just to save my own soul from the hell of despair. But you've lifted me up. If I can win you I can win the others if I could only get their ear. All I need is a little time. And I'm going to fight for it. Every act of my life in this great office will stand the test of time because I've put my immortal66 soul into the struggle without one thought of saving myself.
"I've told you the truth, and the truth has turned a murderer into my friend. If only the people can know—can have time to think, I'll win. You thought me an ambitious tyrant—now, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"Great God!—I had my ambitions, yes—as every American boy worth his salt has. And I dared to dream this vision of the White House—I, the humblest of the humble38, born in a lowly pioneer's cabin in the woods of Kentucky. My dream came true, and where is its glory? Ashes and blood. And I, to whom the sight of blood is an agony unendurable, have lived with aching heart through it all and envied the dead their rest on your battlefields——"
He stopped suddenly and fixed67 John with a keen look:
"You'll stand by me, now, boy, through thick and thin?"
"I'd count it an honor to die for you——"
"All right. I give you the chance. I'm going to send you on a dangerous mission. I need but two things to sweep the country in this election and preserve the union—a single big victory in the field to lift the people out of the dumps and make them see things as they are, and a declaration from Mr. Davis that there can be no peace save in division. I know that he holds that position, but the people in the North doubt it. I've sent Jaquess and Gilmore there to obtain his declaration. Technically68 they are spies. They may be executed or imprisoned69 and held to the end of the war. They go as private citizens of the North who desire peace.
"I want another man in Richmond whose identity will be unknown to report the results of that meeting in case they are imprisoned. You must go as a spy at the double risk of your life——"
"I'm ready, sir," was the quick response.
The big hand fumbled70 the black beard a moment:
"You doubtless said bitter things in Washington when you returned?"
"Many of them."
"Then you were approached by the leaders of Knights71 of the Golden Circle?"
"Yes."
"Good! You're the man I want without a doubt. You can use their signs and pass words in Richmond. Besides, you have a Southern accent. Your chances of success are great. I want you to leave here in an hour. Go straight through as a scout72 and spy in Confederate uniform. If Jaquess and Gilmore are allowed to return and tell their story—all right, your work with them is done. If they are imprisoned, get through the lines to Grant's headquarters, report this fact and Mr. Davis' answer, and it will be doubly effective—you understand?"
"Perfectly73, sir."
"That's your first job. But I want you to go to Richmond for a double purpose—to take the train for Atlanta, get through the lines and give a message to a man down South I've been thinking about for the past month. The world has forgotten Sherman in the roar of the great battles Grant has fought. I haven't. Slowly but surely his grim figure has been growing taller on the horizon as the smoke lifts from each of his fights. Grant says he is our biggest general. Only a great man could say that about a subordinate commander. That's another reason I won't listen to people who demand Grant's removal.
"Sherman is now a hundred and fifty miles in Georgia before Atlanta. His road is being cut behind him every other day. You might be weeks trying to get to him by Chattanooga. The trains run through from Richmond. I want you to reach him quick, and give him a message from me. I can't send a written order. It wouldn't be fair to Grant. I'll give you credentials74 that he'll accept that will cost you your life in Richmond if their meaning is discovered.
"Tell General Sherman that if he can take Atlanta the blow will thrill the Nation, carry the election, and save the union. Grant is deadlocked75 at Petersburg and may be there all winter. If he can fight at once and give us a victory, it's all that's needed. I'll send him an order to strike. Tell him to destroy it if he wins. If he loses—I'll publish it and take the blame on myself. Can you do this?"
"I will or die in the effort," was the quick reply.
"All right. Take this card at once to Stanton's office. Ask him to send you by boat to Aquia—by horse from there. Return here for your papers."
In ten minutes John had dispatched a note to Betty:
"Dearest: God saved me from an act of madness. He sent His message through your sweet spirit. I am leaving for the South on a dangerous mission for the President. If I live to return I am all yours—if I die, I shall still live through eternity if only to love you.
"John."
Within an hour he had communicated with the commander of the Knights, his arrangements were complete, and he was steaming down the river on his perilous76 journey.
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1
realization
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| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
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reeked
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| v.发出浓烈的臭气( reek的过去式和过去分词 )；散发臭气；发出难闻的气味 (of sth)；明显带有（令人不快或生疑的跡象） | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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straightforward
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| adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的 | |
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shrouded
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| v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密 | |
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yelping
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| v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的现在分词 ) | |
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rendering
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| n.表现，描写 | |
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opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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usurper
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| n. 篡夺者, 僭取者 | |
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tyrant
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| n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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wield
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| vt.行使，运用，支配；挥，使用(武器等) | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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agonizing
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| adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式) | |
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pathos
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| n.哀婉，悲怆 | |
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mania
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| n.疯狂；躁狂症，狂热，癖好 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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expressive
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| adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的 | |
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eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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apparition
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| n.幽灵，神奇的现象 | |
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bail
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| v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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secede
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| v.退出，脱离 | |
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harangue
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| n.慷慨冗长的训话，言辞激烈的讲话 | |
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ordinance
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| n.法令；条令；条例 | |
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reverently
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| adv.虔诚地 | |
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ballot
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| n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票 | |
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interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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wielding
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| 手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的现在分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响） | |
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humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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ashen
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| adj.灰的 | |
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passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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46
invincible
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| adj.不可征服的，难以制服的 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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48
groans
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| n.呻吟，叹息( groan的名词复数 )；呻吟般的声音v.呻吟( groan的第三人称单数 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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49
orphans
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| 孤儿( orphan的名词复数 ) | |
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50
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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51
beacon
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| n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔 | |
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52
grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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53
revile
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| v.辱骂，谩骂 | |
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54
braggart
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| n.吹牛者；adj.吹牛的，自夸的 | |
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55
nought
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| n.／adj.无，零 | |
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56
presidency
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| n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期) | |
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57
efface
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| v.擦掉，抹去 | |
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58
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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59
collapse
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| vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷 | |
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60
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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61
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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62
eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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63
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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64
generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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65
elation
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| n.兴高采烈，洋洋得意 | |
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66
immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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68
technically
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| adv.专门地，技术上地 | |
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69
imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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fumbled
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| （笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下 | |
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71
knights
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| 骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马 | |
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72
scout
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| n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索 | |
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73
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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credentials
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| n.证明，资格，证明书，证件 | |
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deadlocked
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| 陷入僵局的；僵持不下的 | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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