"I am afraid that she is deep. Of course the whole thing was concocted in New York City. They could not know that Archer had been arrested, and this information would have been sent to the Confederates as other plans have been. I tremble to think of the consequences had these papers fallen into their hands. Really, traitors are everywhere. I had hoped that the government had gotten rid of them by this time."
Meantime Jeanne was just recovering from the shock of learning that her uncle was a rebel. She had not heard the conversation of the two officers, and now she came to Admiral Farragut turning to him instinctively in her distress.
"What shall I do?" she asked. "I can"t go to Uncle Ben if he is a rebel.
Oh, what will father say!"
"I don"t know, child. What shall be done, General? You command here."
"The girl must go to her uncle," said the General decidedly. "There to remain until I sift this thing to the bottom. Meantime she must take the oath of allegiance to the United States."
"The oath?" cried Jeanne. "Why should I take the oath, General Butler? I thought that it was only for those whose loyalty to the Union was doubted."
"That is it precisely," returned General Butler coldly. "If you are sincere in your avowed devotion to your country, the oath won"t hurt you.
If you are not then you will either perjure yourself or else be registered as an open enemy to the United States."
Jeanne was dumb with anguish. She, Jeanne Vance, an open enemy of the United States! Of the country for which she was ready to give her life!
She gave one stricken glance at the austere man before her, and burst into tears.
"Come, come, General," said Farragut laying a kindly hand on the girl"s bowed head, "you are too severe, aren"t you?"
"Not at all. Every man, woman and child in this city must take this oath, or be known as an enemy of the Union. It works no hardship if one is loyal, and acts as a restraining power on those who are not. The authority of the Union must be recognized while the city is under my charge."
"Take the oath, child. That is, if you can do so conscientiously. But whatever be the consequences accept them as a brave girl, and perjure yourself for no man," advised Farragut.
"I will," said Jeanne chokingly. "It isn"t because of the oath that I feel bad, Admiral. It is because my loyalty to the Union has been doubted.
Do you think that I would carry this," and she drew the flag from the bosom of her dress, "if I were not for the Union? I kiss its folds each night, and with it before me, I pray for the success of my country." She kissed it pa.s.sionately as she spoke.
"That action speaks for itself," remarked General Butler with such a change of tone that Jeanne looked up hastily. "No rebel woman or girl that I have ever known would kiss that flag. I have hard work to make them even walk under it. Forgive me, child, for doubting you, but treachery lurks under so many different forms that I am forced to suspect even children."
"Suppose," suggested the Admiral, relieved that the General had come to his way of thinking, "suppose you begin at the beginning and tell us all about this business. How many have you in the family?"
"Four," answered Jeanne promptly, a little comfort creeping into her heart at the change in the General"s manner. "Father who works for the government, mother who is in the Monarch Relief a.s.sociation, and d.i.c.k who is in the army."
"Your brother is in the Union army?" queried the General.
"Yes, sir."
"That is easily verified," said the General, making a note of the fact.
"Now how did you come to be sent down here?"
Jeanne recounted the circ.u.mstances of the affair rapidly not even omitting her mother"s parting words of counsel. Both men listened with close attention.
"And you knew nothing whatever of your Uncle Ben?" asked Butler when she had finished.
"No, sir; father has not heard from him in many years. He will be grieved to learn that he is a rebel," and her eyes filled with tears.
"I have no doubt of it. Now, my little girl, I am going to send you to your uncle until I can look up the truth of your story."
"Couldn"t you send me home?" asked the girl wistfully, a sudden yearning possessing her for the refuge of her mother"s arms.
"I will soon. There are dangers by land and by sea, and, as your father told you to wait until you heard from him, I think that it would be wise to do so. It will be best for you to see for yourself what manner of man your uncle is so that you can tell your father. Good-bye," and he held out his hand. "Come in to see me sometimes while you are here."
"Good-bye," said Jeanne, shaking hands with him as in duty bound. She gave him a look of reproach and then turned to Farragut.
"This has been a hard trial for you, child," said the Admiral. "You have come through with colors flying though. I believe that you always will."
"It has taught me," said the girl with quivering lips, "that there are worse things than cannon b.a.l.l.s and grape shot. I would rather face Vicksburg a dozen times than to go through this again."
"Don"t take it too much to heart." Farragut patted her hand with great gentleness. "It was a severe ordeal, but truth will always prevail. Just think what it would have been had you really been guilty. Your conscience at least was clear."
"I did not like Mr. Archer," said Jeanne musingly, loth to leave this friend. "I told Mrs. Butler so. I did not want to give him the papers."
"Why didn"t you say so?" cried the General.
"Because you had received him here and I thought that of course he was all right. It would have been presumption on my part to have spoken against him when my father sent me to him, and I did not know anything against him really. Besides, I did not dream that any one could doubt my loyalty."
"You must forgive me," said the General humbly, seeing how deeply the girl was hurt. "You don"t know what I have to put up with or you would. When you have been here a short time you will realize the situation better than you do now. When you do, will you come to me and be friends?"
"Yes;" and Jeanne smiled a little for the first time.
"Good-bye," and the Admiral extended his hand as the girl prepared to accompany the Orderly detailed by the General to conduct her to her uncle"s house. "I hope to see you again soon."
"I hope so too," answered Jeanne. Then as she clasped his hand she cried half hysterically. "Oh, Admiral, I am afraid to go. I am afraid!"
"No, you"re not, child. You are tired and nervous. Be brave. Meet your uncle as if nothing had happened. I dare say that you will find him kind and good."
"But he is a rebel," sobbed Jeanne in such heartrending tones that both men smiled involuntarily.
"Well, some of them are very good men," said Farragut. "They are mistaken in their views and need teaching a great many things, but otherwise they are a warm-hearted people. I am from the South myself, you know."
"Are you?" asked the girl surprised, yet she had wondered at his soft Southern voice.
"Yes; a Tennesseean. You seem to think that I am all right."
"You are," replied Jeanne so heartily that Farragut laughed outright. "But Uncle Ben didn"t take New Orleans."
"Perhaps you can get his services for us yet, and he may do something better than to take New Orleans. That may be your work here."
"I doubt it," spoke General Butler emphatically. "There is no rebel so unregenerate as a renegade Yankee. There may be some excuse for those born in this section of the country, but for a Yankee who embraces the pernicious doctrine of secession there is none. The Orderly waits, my child."
Farewells were again exchanged, and Jeanne followed reluctantly after her guide.
CHAPTER XII
AN UNEXPECTED GREETING