"I perceive so by your earnestness. I hardly know how to grant your request, without delaying my departure."
"Oh, never mind, then, I can manage to get along without it."
"No, you shall have it. I mind now of a method by which all necessary arrangements can be made to-night; and you may find it a very convenient place to tame some obstinate fair one. Oh, not a word; I understand these matters. Excuse me for a couple of hours, and I will bring you the key."
With these words, the captain went to his room, into which he had no sooner entered, than Duffel sought the presence of the desperadoes, two of whom--the ones that had taken a dislike to Duval--he engaged in conversation. When a.s.sured that no one was sufficiently near or attentive to hear what pa.s.sed between them, he said:
"My good fellows, I see we are alone, and I should be pleased to have a little private and confidential conversation with you."
"We shall be happy to hear anything Lieutenant Duffel may be pleased to communicate, and feel highly flattered by his confidence," replied one of them, speaking for both.
"Thank you. I presume it is not necessary for me to pledge you to secrecy in regard to any transactions that may take place, either in word or deed, as you will feel bound by honor to look upon all confidential communications and proceedings as sacredly and faithfully to be kept in your own bosoms."
"You but do us justice in entertaining such opinions, and, without the asking on your part, we most solemnly pledge our word, even unto death, that what your honor may please to say to us shall be kept a most inviolable secret, which nothing shall extort from us."
"I have always found you faithful, and have no hesitation in trusting you again; but this time I have a peculiar request to make of you, one that may lead to business out of the ordinary line of operations to which you have been accustomed. Can I rely on you in any emergency?"
"Yes, to the very death."
"Are you easily moved by the tears and prayers of persons in distress?"
"Do we _look_ tender-hearted, your honor?"
"Well, no; I can"t say that you do; but then the looks are not always a true criterion by which to judge of the heart. A smooth face and a hard heart may go together, so may a rough visage and warm sympathies."
"You may rely on us in that particular."
"Even if the suppliant be a helpless and beautiful woman?"
"Well, I must confess, I don"t fancy meddling with feminines much. What do you say to it, d.i.c.k; shall we pledge?"
"Dang the women! It allers looked kinder cowardly to me to see men turn agin" the weak things and abuse "em; it don"t seem nateral, but "pears like a feller didn"t remember his mother, or his sisters, if he had any. But if the lieutenant has any work to do, we"ll do it, women or no women. Them"s my sentiments, Bill, exactly."
"Give us your hand on it, then," said Bill. "And now, give us yours, lieutenant, and the thing"s settled."
With this, they all shook hands in token of agreement, and thus their faith was pledged. But what a rebuke d.i.c.k inadvertently administered to Duffel in his quaint remarks! How his vicious heart, bad as it was, must have felt the blow, and all the more severely that it came from such a source!
However, the villain was not to be turned from his purpose, and so, pocketing the unintentional affront, he proceeded:
"As you have already heard, our most worthy captain will be absent on important business for some time to come, and during the period of his absence the duties of command will devolve on me. I have long been contemplating a measure, which, if carried out, will be of great and lasting benefit to our order. In order to conduct the affair to a successful termination, it may become necessary to imprison a female, a young lady of great beauty and accomplishments, in this cave. I do not know that it will require such extreme measures as this, I hope it will not, but should it become needful to go to this extreme, I shall desire your aid in carrying her off."
"We"ll be with you, as we have already pledged ourselves; but we must ask, as a favor in return, that you allow us to settle a personal affair with Amos Duval."
"Of what nature? You know he is a member of the _League_, and that it is a crime to lift a hand against him."
"We know all about that; but Duval is a traitor at heart, and we can prove him such."
"Then proceed against him in the order, and I will stand by you."
"That"s just what we want; first to prove him worthy of death by our laws, and secondly, to be allowed to execute the sentence p.r.o.nounced against him."
Duffel could not but see that there was a discrepancy between the first and last request of these fellows, though they tried to make them appear as one, and he knew there was personal enmity at the bottom of the whole affair. His duty, as a member of the order, made it obligatory for him to discourage any ill feeling among the members; but he needed the services of these two rascals, and so forbore to reprove them.
"I will aid you as far as my duty to the League will permit, provided you will do me still another service."
"Name it."
"There is a fellow standing in my way in the prosecution of a scheme for the benefit of our order, and I would like to have him removed. I understand you with regard to Duval; you wish to be revenged upon him for some injury or insult, and that revenge looks to his death. You need not say, yea or nay; well, we will stand by each other all around. I will give you further instructions at another time. Hold yourselves in readiness at any moment to aid me. Meet me in the forest by the old oak, on the path to the "Swamp," every day, and be always prepared for either of the services I may require at your hands."
"You may rely on us."
Thus these worthies parted. What a series of villainous conspiracies had been developed in this one night, in that secret den of iniquity! Will these murderers succeed in all their plans? Alas! the wicked often triumph.
The captain soon returned, and placed the key of his room in Duffel"s possession--and then the clan dispersed.
CHAPTER VI.
PLOTS DEVELOPING.
"Charles, Charles! Where is Charles?"
This name and inquiry were often repeated by Miss Mandeville as she still lay "between life and death," on her couch of fever, pain and unconsciousness, and the tones of her voice were so full of sorrow, the father"s heart melted at last, and he began to relent. And when, after a pause, his daughter would continue:
"He is gone! gone!--gone forever!--ah, my poor heart!"--in accents more sadly plaintive than any words that had over fallen upon the parent"s ear, he said to himself:
"It must not be! Hadley shall be, sent for; she loves him, and his voice may call her back to consciousness. I cannot bear to think of her leaving the world in ignorance of her father"s good will; better a thousand times that Hadley should be with her for a few hours. He may not be guilty after all. Why ought I to believe Duffel"s word before his? Yes, and before that of my own daughter, too? and that without a word of explanation! No, it is unnatural. I wonder I have been blinded so long! Yes, Hadley shall be heard, and if he can show a clean hand, Eveline shall no longer mourn over his absence and my rashness."
This was going a step farther than Mr. Mandeville had ever gone before: for he had never been known to recede from a position once taken or to change an opinion once formed, unless the most positive evidence compelled him to do so, and then it was a silent acquiescence to the right rather than a willing change of opinion.
But a long continuance in the sick room, and the great distress of his child, had had an effect upon his mind, which no amount of reasoning could have produced--he was constrained to acknowledge himself in error, and brought his mind up to that point where he was willing to confess the wrong he had perpetrated, by "undoing what he had done amiss." This was a great achievement for one of his temperament--a conquest over self in a very selfish and stubborn nature--which gave evidence that there was yet an under strata of good, a foundation to the character of the man, which, though covered up by the rubbish and rank growth of pride and other unamiable dispositions, still existed, and was capable of exciting to good and n.o.ble deeds.
Having once gained the consent of his mind and formed a resolution to retract, he was not long in taking the initiatory step toward amendment.
He inquired of the maid and nurse if Hadley had been seen, and learned from them that he had been in the daily practice of asking after the condition of Eveline, and that for this purpose he came to a certain designated spot, where one of the two met him to impart such information as he desired. No sooner was Mr. Mandeville put in possession of this piece of news, than he resolved to meet Hadley at the place of conference himself, and then and there recall his words and invite him to the house, from which he had been excluded so unjustly. Verily this was a change!
Acting upon this resolve, he walked out in the direction of the place where Hadley was expected to make his appearance. As he leisurely sauntered down the path and neared the spot, his eye fell upon a piece of paper folded up in the shape of a letter. He picked the doc.u.ment up and examined it. It was directed in a bold hand to
"_Charles Hadley_, ---- ----, ----."
On the back of the letter and above the seal were the words: "_Private and strictly confidential_," placed in such a manner as to catch the eye at a first glance on either side of the letter. The seal was broken and the letter bore ample evidences of having been carefully and repeatedly read.
An irresistable desire to examine the contents of this paper took possession of Mr. Mandeville, and in spite of the breach of good manners, and the violation of every principle of honor, he retired to an obscure corner of his garden, opened and read so much of the epistle as was intelligible to him, which ran as follows:
"_Dear Hadley_:--According to agreement, as entered into by us at our conference in old Marshall"s garden, I now impart to you the following information, which you will receive at the hands of one of our most trustworthy a.s.sociates. You will please note the contents of this communication, so as not to fail in the execution of that part of the transaction a.s.signed to you, and then burn the letter immediately, that you may prevent the possibility of its falling into other hands, which would lead to the most disastrous consequences--perhaps to the destruction of our organization. When taken, bring the horses at once to the rendezvous, with such other valuables as may come in your possession; and be sure that everything is done secretly, and in such a manner as to avoid detection. Be bold and determined in resolution, but cautious and guarded in action.
Yours, ---- ----, Capt."