As I say, I slept. The door between me and the hall had a lock, but no key; another door, letting from my room to the room in front of it, had no lock, but was bolted. I slept heavily and for an hour or more. Then I was aware of something being moved--slowly--slyly--by littles--under my pillow. The pillow was in a case of new unbleached cotton. When I first lay down, the cotton had so smelt4 of its newness that I thought it was enough, of itself, to keep me awake. Now this odor was veiled by another; a delicate perfume; a perfume I knew, and which brought again to me all the incidents of the night, and all their woe5. I looked, and there, so close to the bedside that she could see my eyes as plainly as I saw hers, stood Coralie Rothvelt. In the door that opened into the hall were two young officers, staff swells6, in the handsomest Federal blue. The moonlight lay in a broad flood between them and me. It silvered Miss Rothvelt from the crown of her hat to the floor, and brightened the earnest animation7 of her lovely face as she daintily tiptoed backward with one hand delicately poised8 in the air behind her, and the other still in the last pose of withdrawing from under the pillow--empty!
My problem was indeed simplified. The despatch9 had been stolen, opened, read, re-sealed and returned. All I now had to do was to lie here till daybreak and then get away if I could, deliver the despatch to Ned Ferry, and tell him--ah! what?--how much? Oh, my bemired soul, how much must I tell? My shame I might bear; I might wash it out in blood at the battle's front; but my perfidy10! how much was it perfidy to withhold11; how much was it perfidy to confess?
The heaviness of my soul, by reacting upon my frame and counterfeiting12 sleep better than I could have done it in cold blood, saved me, I fancy, from death or a northern prison. When I guessed my three visitors were gone I stirred, as in slumber13, a trifle nearer the window, and for some minutes lay with my face half buried in the pillow. So lying, there stole to my ear a footfall. My finger felt the trigger, my lids lifted alertly, and as alertly reclosed. Outside the window one of the officers, rising by some slender foothold, had been looking in upon me, and in sinking down again and turning away had snapped a twig14. He glanced back just as I opened my eyes, but once more my head was in shadow and the moonlight between us. When I peeped again he was moving away.
Five, ten, fifteen minutes dragged by. Counting them helped me to lie still. Then I caught another pregnant sound, a mumbling15 of male voices in the adjoining front room. I waited a bit, hearkening laboriously16, and then ever so gradually I slid from the bed, put on everything except my boots, and moved by inches to the door between the two rooms. It was very thin; "a good sounding-board," thought I as I listened for life or death and hoped my ear was the only one against it.
The discussion warmed and I began to catch words and meanings. Oftenest they were old Lucius Oliver's, whose bad temper made him incautious. While his son and the other two jayhawkers obstinately17 pressed their scheme he kept saying, sourly, "That's--not--our--wa-ay!"
At length he lost all prudence18. "Nn--o!--Nnno--o, sir! Not in this house you don't; and not on this place! Wait till he's off my land; I'm not goin' to have the infernal rebels a-turpentinin' my house and a-burnin' it over my head. What air you three skunks19 in such a sweat to git found out for, like a pack o' daymn' fools! I've swone to heaven and hell to git even ef revenge can ever git me even, and this ain't the way to git even. It's not--our--wa-ay!"
His son's attitude exasperated20 him. "You know this ain't ever been our way; you'd say so, yourself, ef you wa'n't skin full o' china-ball whiskey! What in all hell is the reason we can't do him as we've always done the others?"
"Oh, shut your dirty face!" replied the son, while one of his cronies warned both against being overheard. But when this one added something further the old man snarled21:
"What's that about the horse?--The horse might git away and be evidence ag'inst us?--What?--Oh, now give the true reason; you want the horse, that's all! You two lickskillets air in this thing pyo'ly for the stealin's. Me and my son ain't bushwhackers, we're gentlemen! At least I'm one. Our game's revenge!"
Not because of this speech, but of a soft rubbing sound on the window-sill behind me, my heart turned cold. Yet there I saw a most welcome sight. Against the outer edge of the sill an unseen hand was moving a forked stick to and fro. The tip of one of its tines was slit22, in the slit was a white paper, and in the fork hung the bridle23 of my horse. I glided24 to the window. But there bethinking me how many a man had put his head out at just such a place and never got it back, I made a long sidewise reach, secured the paper, and read it.
It was the envelope which had contained Coralie Rothvelt's pass. Its four flaps were spread open, and on the inside was scrawled25 in a large black writing the following:
Yankees gone, completely fooled. Do not stir till day, then ride for your life. We're not thwarting26 Lieutenant27 Ferry's plan, we're only improving upon it. When you report to him don't let blame fall upon the father and son whose roof this night saves you from a bloody28 death. Do this for the sake of her who is risking her life to save yours. We serve one cause; be wary--be brave--be true.
I stood equally amazed and alert. The voices still growled29 in the next room, and my horse's bridle still hung before the window. I peered out; there stood the priceless beast. I came a sly step nearer, and lo! in his shadow, flattened30 against the house, face outward, was Coralie Rothvelt comically holding the forked stick at a present-arms. Throbbing31 with a grateful, craving32 allegiance, I seized the rein33. Then I bent34 low out the window and with my free hand touched her face as it turned upward into a beam of moonlight. She pressed my fingers to her lips, and then let me draw her hand as far as it could come and cover it with kisses. Then she drew me down and whispered "You'll do what I've asked?"
When I said I would try she looked distressfully unassured and I added "I'll do whatever risks no life but mine."
Her face spoke35 passionate36 thanks. "That's all I can ask!" she said, whispered "When you go--keep the plain road,"--and vanished.
I sat by the window, capped, booted, belted, my bridle in one hand, revolver in the other. In all the house, now, there was no sound, and without there was a stillness only more vast. I could not tell whether certain sensations in my ear were given by insects in the grass and trees or merely by my overwrought nerves and tired neck. The moon sailed high, the air was at last comfortably cool, my horse stood and slept. I thought it must be half-past two.
"Now it must be three." Miss Rothvelt's writing lay in my bosom37 beside my despatch. At each half-hour I re-read it. At three-and-a-half I happened to glance at the original superscription. A thought flashed upon me. I stared at her name, and began to mark off its letters one by one and to arrange them in a new order. I took C from Coralie and h from Rothvelt; after them I wrote a from Coralie and r from Rothvelt, l and o from Coralie and two t's and an e from Rothvelt, and behold38, Charlotte! while the remaining letters gave me Oliver.
Ah! where had my wits been? Yet without a suspicion that she was Charlotte Oliver one might have let the anagram go unsuspected for a lifetime. Evidently it concealed39 nothing from General Austin or Ned Ferry; most likely it was only the name she used in passing through the lines. At any rate I was convinced she was a good Confederate, and my heart rose.
But why, then, this ardent40 zeal41 to save the necks of the two traitors42 "whose roof this night--" etc.? Manifestly she was moved by passion, not duty; love drove her on; but surely not love for them. "No," I guessed in a reverent43 whisper, "but love for Ned Ferry." It must have been through grace of some of her nobility and his, caught in my heart even before I was quite sure of it in theirs, that I sat and framed the following theory: Ned Ferry, loving Charlotte Oliver, yet coerced44 by his sense of a soldier's duty, had put passion's dictates45 wholly aside and had set about to bring these murderers to justice; doing this though he knew that she could never with honor or happiness to either of them become the wife of a man who had made her a widow, while she, aware of his love, a love so true that he would not breathe it to her while this hideous46 marriage held her, had ridden perilously47 in the dead of night to circumvent48 his plans if, with honor to both of them, it could be done.
The half-hour dragged round to four. My horse roused up but kept as quiet as a clever dog. I heard a light sound in the hall; first a step and then a slide, then a step again and then a slide; Lucius Oliver was coming toward my door. The cords gathered in my throat and my finger stole to the trigger; Heaven only knew what noiseless feet might be following behind that loathsome49 shuffle50. It reached the door and was still. And now the door opened, softly, slowly, and the paralytic51 stood looking in. The moonlight had swung almost out of the room, but a band of it fell glittering upon the revolver lying in my lap with my fingers on it, each exactly in place. Also it lighted my other hand, on the window-sill, with the bridle in it. Old Lucius was alone. In the gloom I could not see his venom52 gathering53, but I could almost smell it.
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1
twine
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| v.搓，织，编饰；（使）缠绕 | |
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spout
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| v.喷出，涌出；滔滔不绝地讲；n.喷管；水柱 | |
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3
tampered
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| v.窜改( tamper的过去式 )；篡改；（用不正当手段）影响；瞎摆弄 | |
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4
smelt
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| v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼 | |
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5
woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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6
swells
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| 增强( swell的第三人称单数 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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7
animation
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| n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作 | |
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8
poised
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| a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
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9
despatch
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| n./v.(dispatch)派遣；发送；n.急件；新闻报道 | |
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10
perfidy
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| n.背信弃义，不忠贞 | |
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11
withhold
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| v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡 | |
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12
counterfeiting
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| n.伪造v.仿制，造假( counterfeit的现在分词 ) | |
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13
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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14
twig
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| n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解 | |
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15
mumbling
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的现在分词 ) | |
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laboriously
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| adv.艰苦地；费力地；辛勤地；（文体等）佶屈聱牙地 | |
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17
obstinately
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| ad.固执地，顽固地 | |
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18
prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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19
skunks
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| n.臭鼬( skunk的名词复数 )；臭鼬毛皮；卑鄙的人；可恶的人 | |
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20
exasperated
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| adj.恼怒的 | |
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21
snarled
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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slit
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| n.狭长的切口；裂缝；vt.切开，撕裂 | |
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bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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24
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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scrawled
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| 乱涂，潦草地写( scrawl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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26
thwarting
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| 阻挠( thwart的现在分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过 | |
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27
lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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28
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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29
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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30
flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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throbbing
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| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
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32
craving
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| n.渴望,热望 | |
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33
rein
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| n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治 | |
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34
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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35
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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36
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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37
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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38
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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39
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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40
ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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41
zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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42
traitors
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| 卖国贼( traitor的名词复数 )； 叛徒； 背叛者； 背信弃义的人 | |
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43
reverent
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| adj.恭敬的，虔诚的 | |
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44
coerced
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| v.迫使做( coerce的过去式和过去分词 )；强迫；（以武力、惩罚、威胁等手段）控制；支配 | |
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45
dictates
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| n.命令，规定，要求( dictate的名词复数 )v.大声讲或读( dictate的第三人称单数 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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46
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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47
perilously
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| adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地 | |
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48
circumvent
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| vt.环绕，包围；对…用计取胜，智胜 | |
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49
loathsome
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| adj.讨厌的，令人厌恶的 | |
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50
shuffle
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| n.拖著脚走，洗纸牌；v.拖曳，慢吞吞地走 | |
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51
paralytic
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| adj. 瘫痪的 n. 瘫痪病人 | |
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52
venom
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| n.毒液，恶毒，痛恨 | |
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53
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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