"Oh!" cried the woman, throwing back her head, "you are wrong. You do not know, you do not understand. I honored Major Lacy, I rejoiced in his courage, but I did not love him. It is not he that I think of. It is my father."
"Your father? What do you mean?"
"Admiral Vernon."
"What!"
"Yes, he is my father. My name is f.a.n.n.y Glen Vernon."
"Good heavens! It cannot be possible."
"It is true. My mother was a Southern woman, one of the Glens of Halifax-"
"I knew her!" exclaimed Beauregard.
"She died when I was a child, and I was brought up by her sister. My father-I did not see much of him. He was a sailor, and after my mother"s death he sought constantly to be in active service. When the war broke out he said he must stand by the old flag. I strove to persuade him differently. It was horrible to me, to think that a son of South Carolina, and my father, would fight against her. There was a quarrel between us. I told my father I would not acknowledge him any longer. I repudiated the Vernon name and came here and worked for the South, as you know. When I learned yesterday that you were going to blow up the Wabash-"
"But my dear child," interrupted the general, quickly, "we didn"t blow up the Wabash."
"But you said that Major Lacy had succeeded!" said the girl in great bewilderment.
"He did. The Wabash and Housatonic exchanged places during the night, and the latter was sunk. The Wabash is all right. For your sake, my dear Miss f.a.n.n.y, I say thank G.o.d for the mistake."
"Then my father is safe?"
"He is. Some Yankees we captured this morning say that he is to be relieved of his command and ordered North on a sick leave. He will no longer be in danger from us, you see."
"Thank G.o.d, thank G.o.d!" cried the girl, and the relief in her voice and face seemed to make another woman of her. "It was wrong, I know. It was treason to the South-I love the South-but I strove to prevent-"
"Ah!" exclaimed Beauregard. "I have it now! Sempland-"
"Oh, sir!" cried the girl, "where is he?"
"He is preparing," continued Beauregard, coolly-he had the clew to the mystery and he determined to follow it to the end-"to be tried by a court-martial-"
"By a court-martial, General Beauregard! For what, sir?"
"For disobedience of orders and neglect of duty, in the face of the enemy. And I am in two minds whether to these charges should be added cowardice and treason or not!"
"Impossible!" exclaimed f.a.n.n.y Glen.
"Miss Glen, it is an absolute fact. He came to me yesterday afternoon and volunteered for the command of the expedition. Begged for it, in fact. Major Lacy reluctantly but generously yielded to him with my consent."
"It was for me he sought it," said the girl, full of reproach for herself. "I had mocked him for his lack of distinction, sir, before he saw you. He hazarded his life for my approval and for the cause of the South."
A fuller light broke upon the general"s mind. He understood all now, yet he went on pitilessly.
"After getting command in this peculiar way he failed to present himself on the wharf at the appointed time. We waited ten minutes for him, as long as we dared, in fact, and then as you know, sent the boat out under Major Lacy."
"He was detained," said the girl, faintly.
"So he said when I arrested him last night, and he repeated the statement this morning. I pressed him to tell me by whom and where he had been detained, but he refused to tell. I plied him with every argument at my command. I pointed out to him the consequences of his action, his failure to justify himself, that is, showed him clearly the penalty which the court-martial would undoubtedly inflict upon him-"
"That is?"
"Death, madam! He will probably be shot to-morrow, for his guilt is clear."
The girl"s head fell forward in her hands. There was a little silence in the room. The general watched her narrowly, but said nothing further. He was waiting, in full confidence that she would speak. He could afford to be patient now.
CHAPTER XII
THE CULPRIT IS ARRESTED
"General Beauregard," she whispered at last, "I am the traitor. He was detained by me."
"That doesn"t excuse him," said the general, severely. "Any man who fails in his duty because he succ.u.mbs to a woman"s wiles, even though that woman loves him, has no plea to urge in justification. He is a soldier. His duty to obey orders is first of all."
"But-but-you don"t understand. I-I-kept him there by force, sir. Major Lacy told me of the expedition-he and Mr. Sempland had called upon me in the afternoon. They-they had each of them asked me-in-marriage. We-we quarrelled. Mr. Sempland left me in anger, Major Lacy divined that I-I-cared for Mr. Sempland. He came back later in the evening and told me Mr. Sempland was going to blow up the Wabash, and he begged me to see Mr. Sempland again and bid him good-by. I had only two thoughts-that it meant certain death to my father and possibly Mr. Sempland-the man-I-What was I to do? I might have sacrificed myself by letting Mr. Sempland run the risk, but my father, sir-"
She stopped and looked at him in pitiful entreaty.
"Go on," said the general, inflexibly.
"I had Mr. Sempland ushered into the strong room of the house-the old Rennie house, you know, sir?"
The general nodded.
"The door was locked on him after he entered. My three negro boys kept watch outside. There was no escape for him. He beat and hammered on the door until his hands bled. He begged and implored to be released. It was agonizing to hear. I did not realize that he was telling the truth when he said he was being dishonored. I had no time to consider anything. I only thought of my father-helpless on that great ship-the sudden rush of that awful little boat."
"You were a traitor to the South!" said General Beauregard, coldly.
""You were a traitor to the South!" said General Beauregard, coldly."
"Yes. G.o.d pity me, I see it now," answered the girl.
"How did he get away? Did you release him?" continued the general.
"He swore that he would kill himself if I did not open the door."
"Did you open it?"
"Yes."