Callender House kept no vigil. Lighted by the far devastation2, its roof shone gray, its cornice white, its tree-tops green above the darkness of grove3 and garden. From its upper windows you might have seen the townward bends of the river gleam red, yellow, and bronze, or the luminous4 smoke of destruction (slantingly over its flood and farther shore) roll, thin out, and vanish in a moonless sky. But from those windows no one looked forth5. After the long, strenuous6, open-air day, sleep, even to Anna, had come swiftly.
Waking late and springing to her elbow she presently knew that every one else was up and about. Her maid came and she hastened to dress. Were the hostile ships in sight? Not yet. Was the city still undestroyed? Yes, though the cotton brought out to the harbor-side was now fifteen thousand bales and with its blazing made a show as if all the town were afire. She was furiously hungry; was not breakfast ready? Yes, Constance and Miranda--"done had breakfuss and gone oveh to de cottage fo' to fix it up fo' de surgeon ... No, 'm, not dis house; he done change' his mine." Carriage horses--mules? "Yass, 'm, done gone. Mahs' Chahlie gone wid 'm. He gone to be boss o' de big gun what show' f'om dese windehs." Oh, but that was an awful risk, wounded as he was! "Yass, 'm, but he make his promise to Miss Flo'a he won't tech de gun hisseff." What! Miss Flora8--? "Oh, she be'n, but she gone ag'in. Law'! she a brave un! It e'en a'most make me brave, dess to see de high sperits she in!" The narrator departed.
How incredible was the hour. Looking out on the soft gray sky and river and down into the camp, that still kept such quiet show of routine, or passing down the broad hall stair, through the library and into the flowery breakfast room, how keenly real everything that met the eye, how unreal whatever was beyond sight. How vividly9 actual this lovely home in the sweet ease and kind grace of its lines and adornments. How hard to move with reference to things unseen, when heart and mind and all power of realizing unseen things were far away in the ravaged10 fields, mangled11 roads and haunted woods and ravines between Corinth and Shiloh.
But out in the garden, so fair and odorous as one glided12 through it to the Mandeville cottage, things boldly in view made sight itself hard to believe. Was that bespattered gray horseman no phantom13, who came galloping14 up the river road and called to a servant at the gate that the enemy's fleet was in sight from English Turn? Was that truly New Orleans, back yonder, wrapped in smoke, like fallen Carthage or Jerusalem? Or here! this black-and-crimson thing drifting round the bend in mid-current and without a sign of life aboard or about it, was this not a toy or sham15, but one more veritable ship in veritable flames? And beyond and following it, helpless as a drift-log, was that lifeless white-and-crimson thing a burning passenger steamer--and that behind it another? Here in the cottage, plainly these were Constance and Miranda, and, on second view, verily here were a surgeon and his attendants. But were these startling preparations neither child's play nor dream?
Child's play persistently16 seemed, at any rate, the small bit of yellow stuff produced as a hospital flag. Oh, surely! would not a much larger be far safer? It would. Well, at the house there was some yellow curtaining packed in one of the boxes, Isaac could tell which--
"I think I know right where it is!" said Anna, and hurried away to find and send it. The others, widow and wife, would stay where they were and Anna would take command at the big house, where the domestics would soon need to be emboldened17, cheered, calmed, controlled. Time flies when opening boxes that have been stoutly18 nailed and hooped19 over the nails. When the goods proved not to be in the one where Anna "knew" they were she remembered better, of course, and in the second they were found. Just as the stuff had been drawn20 forth and was being hurried away by the hand of Dilsie, a sergeant21 and private from the camp, one with a field glass, the other with a signal flag, came asking leave to use them from the belvedere on the roof. Anna led them up to it.
How suddenly authentic22 became everything, up here. Flat as a map lay river, city, and plain. Almost under them and amusingly clear in detail, they looked down into Camp Callender and the Chalmette fortifications. When they wigwagged, "Nothing in sight," to what seemed a very real toy soldier with a very real toy flag, on a green toy mound23 in the midst of the work (the magazine), he wigwagged in reply, and across the river a mere24 speck25 of real humanity did the same from a barely definable parapet.
With her maid beside her Anna lingered a bit. She loved to be as near any of the dear South's defenders26 as modesty27 would allow, but these two had once been in Kincaid's Battery, her Hilary's own boys. As lookouts28 they were not yet skilled. In this familiar scene she knew things by the eye alone, which the sergeant, unused even to his glass, could hardly be sure of through it.
Her maid looked up and around. "Gwine to rain ag'in," she murmured, and the mistress assented29 with her gaze in the southeast. In this humid air and level country a waterside row of live-oaks hardly four miles off seemed at the world's edge and hid all the river beyond it.
"There's where the tips of masts always show first," she ventured to the sergeant. "We can't expect any but the one kind now, can we?"
"'Fraid not, moving up-stream."
"Then yonder they come. See? two or three tiny, needle-like--h-m-m!--just over that farth'--?"
He lowered the glass and saw better without it.
The maid burst out: "Oh, Lawd, I does! Oh, good Gawd A'mighty!" She sprang to descend30, but with a show of wonder Anna spoke31 and she halted.
"If you want to leave me," continued the mistress, "you need only ask."
"Law, Miss Nannie! Me leave you? I--"
"If you do--now--to-day--for one minute, I'll never take you back. I'll have Hettie or Dilsie."
"Missie,"--tears shone--"d' ain't nothin' in Gawd's worl' kin7 eveh make me a runaway32 niggeh f'om you! But ef you tell me now fo' to go fetch ev'y dahky we owns up to you--"
"Yes! on the upper front veranda33! Go, do it!"
"Yass, 'm! 'caze ef us kin keep 'em anywahs it'll be in de bes' place fo' to see de mos' sights!" She vanished and Anna turned to the soldiers. Their flagging had paused while they watched the far-away top-gallants grow in height and numbers. Down in the works the long-roll was sounding and from every direction men were answering it at a run. Across the river came bugle34 notes. Sighingly the sergeant lowered his glass:
"Lordy, it's the whole kit35 and b'ilin'! Wag, John. When they swing up round this end of the trees I'll count 'em. Here they come! One, ... two, ... why, what small--oh, see this big fellow! Look at the width of those yards! And look at all their hulls36, painted the color of the river! And see that pink flutter--look!" he said to Anna, "do you get it? high up among the black ropes? that pink--"
"Yes," said Anna solemnly, "I see it--"
"That's the old--"
"Yes. Must we fire on that? and fire first?"
"We'd better!" laughed the soldier, "if we fire at all. Those chaps have got their answer ready and there won't be much to say after it." The three hurried down, the men to camp, Anna to the upper front veranda. There, save two or three with Constance and Miranda, came all the servants, shepherded by Isaac and Ben with vigilant37 eyes and smothered38 vows39 to "kill de fuss he aw she niggeh dat try to skedaddle"; came and stood to gaze with her over and between the grove trees. Down in the fortification every man seemed to have sprung to his post. On its outer crest40, with his adjutant, stood the gilded41 commander peering through his glass.
"Missie," sighed Anna's maid, "see Mahs' Chahlie dah? stan'in' on de woodworks o' dat big gun?"
"Yes," said Anna carelessly, but mutely praying that some one would make him get down. Her brain teemed42 with speculations43: Where, how occupied and in what state of things, what frame of mind, was Victorine, were Flora and Madame? Here at Steve's cottage with what details were 'Randa and Connie busy? But except when she smiled round on the slaves, her gaze, like theirs, abode44 on the river and the shore defenses, from whose high staffs floated brightly the Confederate flag. How many a time in this last fearful year had her own Hilary, her somewhere still living, laughing, loving Hilary, stood like yon commander, about to deal havoc45 from, and to draw it upon, Kincaid's Battery. Who would say that even now he might not be so standing46, with her in every throb47 of his invincible48 heart?
Something out in the view disturbed the servants.
"Oh, Lawd 'a' massy!" moaned a woman.
"Trus' Him, Aun' Jinnie!" prompted Anna's maid. "Y' always is trus' Him!"
"Whoeveh don't trus' Him, I'll bus' him!" confidentially49 growled50 Isaac to those around him.
"We all of us must and will!" said Anna elatedly, though with shameful51 inward sinkings and with no sustaining word from any of the flock, while out under the far gray sky, emerging from a slight angle of the shore well down the water's long reach the battle line began to issue, each ship in its turn debouching into full relief from main-truck to water-line.
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1
slumbered
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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2
devastation
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| n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤 | |
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3
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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luminous
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| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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strenuous
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| adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的 | |
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7
kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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8
flora
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| n.(某一地区的)植物群 | |
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9
vividly
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| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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10
ravaged
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| 毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫 | |
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11
mangled
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| vt.乱砍（mangle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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12
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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13
phantom
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| n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的 | |
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14
galloping
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| adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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15
sham
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| n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的) | |
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16
persistently
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| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
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17
emboldened
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| v.鼓励，使有胆量( embolden的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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18
stoutly
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| adv.牢固地，粗壮的 | |
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19
hooped
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| adj.以环作装饰的；带横纹的；带有环的 | |
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20
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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21
sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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22
authentic
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| a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的 | |
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23
mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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24
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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25
speck
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| n.微粒，小污点，小斑点 | |
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26
defenders
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| n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者 | |
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27
modesty
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| n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素 | |
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28
lookouts
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| n.寻找（ 某人/某物）( lookout的名词复数 )；是某人（自己）的问题；警戒；瞭望台 | |
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29
assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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31
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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32
runaway
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| n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的 | |
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33
veranda
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| n.走廊；阳台 | |
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34
bugle
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| n.军号，号角，喇叭；v.吹号，吹号召集 | |
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35
kit
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| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
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36
hulls
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| 船体( hull的名词复数 )； 船身； 外壳； 豆荚 | |
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37
vigilant
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| adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的 | |
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38
smothered
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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39
vows
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| 誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿 | |
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40
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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41
gilded
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| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
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42
teemed
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| v.充满( teem的过去式和过去分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注 | |
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43
speculations
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| n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 )；思考；投机活动；推断 | |
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44
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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45
havoc
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| n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱 | |
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46
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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47
throb
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| v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动 | |
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48
invincible
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| adj.不可征服的，难以制服的 | |
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49
confidentially
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| ad.秘密地，悄悄地 | |
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50
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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51
shameful
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| adj.可耻的，不道德的 | |
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