"All that your excellency has said tallies entirely with our own beliefs," rejoined Burr. "But what then? What is the condition?"
"Simply this--we must have Captain Lewis with us and not against us. I want that man! I must have him. That expedition must never proceed. It must be delayed, stopped. Money was raised twenty years ago in London to make this same sort of journey across the continent, but the plan fell through. Revive it now, and we English still may pull it off. But it will be too late if Captain Lewis goes forward now--too late for us--too late for you and your plan, Mr. Burr. I want that man! We must have him with us!"
Burr sat in silence for a time.
"You open up a singular train of thought for me, your excellency,"
said he at length. "He does belong with us, that young Virginian!"
"You know him, then?" inquired the British minister. "That is to say, you know him well?"
"Perfectly. Why should I not? He nearly was my son-in-law. Egad! Give him two weeks more, and he might have been--he got the news of my daughter"s marriage just too late. It hit him hard. In truth, I doubt if he ever has recovered from it. They say he still takes it hard.
Now, you ask me how to get that man, your excellency. There is perhaps one way in which it could be accomplished, and only one."
"How, then?" inquired Merry.
"The way of a woman with a man may always be the answer in matters of that sort!" said Aaron Burr.
The three sat and looked each at the other for some time without comment.
"I find Colonel Burr"s brain active in all ways!" began Senor Yrujo dryly. "Now I confess that he goes somewhat in advance of mine."
"Listen," said Aaron Burr. "What Mr. Jefferson said of Captain Lewis is absolutely true--his will has never been known to relax or weaken.
Once resolved, he cannot change--I will not say he does not, but that he cannot."
"Then even the unusual weapon you suggest might not avail!" Mr.
Merry"s smile was not altogether pleasant.
"Women would listen to him readily, I think," remarked Yrujo.
"Gallant in his way, yes," said Burr.
"Then what do you mean by saying something about the way of a woman with a man?"
"Only that it is the last remaining opportunity for us," rejoined Aaron Burr. "The appeal to his senses--of course, we will set that aside. The appeal to his chivalry--that is better! The appeal to his ambition--that is less, but might be used. The appeal to his sympathy--the wish to be generous with the woman who has not been generous with him, for the reason that she could not be--here again you have another argument which we may claim as possible."
"You reason well," said Merry. "But while men are mortal, yonder, if I mistake not, is a gentleman."
"Precisely," said Burr. "If we ask him to resign his expedition we are asking him to alter all his loyalty to his chief--and he will not do that. Any appeal made to him must be to his honor or to his chivalry; otherwise it were worse than hopeless. He would no more be disloyal to my son-in-law, the lady"s husband--in case it came to that--than he would be disloyal to the orders of his chief."
"Fie! Fie!" said Yrujo, serving himself with wine from a decanter on the table. "All men are mortal. I agree with your first proposition, Colonel Burr, that the safest argument with a man--with a young man especially, and such a young man--is a woman--and such a woman!"
"One thing is sure," rejoined Burr, flushing. "That man will succeed unless some woman induces him to change--some woman, acting under an appeal to his chivalry or his sense of justice. His reasons must be honest to him. They must be honest to her alike."
Burr added this last virtuously, and Mr. Merry bowed deeply in return.
"This is not only honorable of you, Colonel Burr, but logical."
"That means some sort of sacrifice for him," suggested Yrujo presently. "But some one is sacrificed in every great undertaking. We cannot count the loss of men when nations seek to extend their boundaries and enhance their power. Only the question is, at what sacrifice, through what appeal to his chivalry, can his a.s.sistance be carried to us?"
"We have left out of our accounting one factor," said Burr after a time.
"What, then?"
"One factor, I repeat, we have overlooked," said Burr. "That is the wit of a woman! I am purposing to send as our agent with him no other than my daughter, Mrs. Alston. There is no mind more brilliant, no heart more loyal, than hers--nor any soul more filled with ambition!
She believes in her father absolutely--will use every resource of her own to upbuild her father"s ambitions.[2] Now, women have their own ways of accomplishing results. Suppose we leave it to my daughter to fashion her own campaign? There is nothing wrong in the relations of these two, but at table today I saw his look to her, and hers to him in reply. We are speaking in deep and sacred confidence here, gentlemen. So I say to you, ask no questions of me, and let me ask none of her. Let me only say to her: "My daughter, your father"s success, his life, his fortune--the life and fortune and success of your husband as well--depend upon one event, depend upon you and your ability to stop yonder expedition of Captain Meriwether Lewis into the Missouri country!""
[Footnote 2: It is generally conceded that Theodosia Burr Alston must have been acquainted with her father"s most intimate ambitions, and with at least part of the questionable plans by which he purposed to further them. Her blind and unswerving loyalty to him, pa.s.sing all ordinary filial affection, was a predominant trait of her singular and by no means weak or hesitant character, in which masculine resolution blended so strangely with womanly reserve and sweetness.]
"When could we learn?" demanded the British minister.
"I cannot say how long a time it may take," Burr replied. "I promise you that my daughter shall have a personal interview with Captain Lewis before he starts for the West."
"But he starts at dawn!" smiled Minister Merry.
"Were it an hour earlier than that, I would promise it. But now, gentlemen, let us come to the main point. If we succeed, what then?"
The British minister was businesslike and definite.
"Fifty thousand dollars at once, out of a special fund in my control.
Meantime I would write at once to my government and lay the matter before them.[3] We shall need a fleet at the south of the Mississippi River. That will cost money--it will require at least half a million dollars to a.s.sure any sort of success in plans so large as yours, Mr.
Burr. But on the contingency that she stops him, I promise you that amount. Fifty thousand down--a half-million more when needed."
[Footnote 3: Mr. Merry did so and reported the entire proposal made by Burr. The proposition was that the latter should "lend his a.s.sistance to his majesty"s government in any manner in which they may think fit to employ him, particularly in endeavoring to effect a separation of the Western part of the United States from that which lies between the mountains in its whole extent."
But though deeply interested in the conspiracy to separate the Western country, Mr. Merry was not too confiding, for in his message to Mr.
Pitt he added the following confidence, showing his own estimate of Burr:
"I have only to add that if strict confidence could be placed in him, he certainly possesses, perhaps in a much greater degree than any other individual in this country, all the talents, energy, intrepidity, and firmness which it requires for such an enterprise."]
The dark eye of Aaron Burr flashed.
"Then," said he firmly, "success will meet our efforts--I guarantee it! I pledge all my personal fortune, my friends, my family, to the last member."
"I am for my country," said Mr. Merry simply. "It is plain to see that Napoleon sought to humble us by ceding that great region to this republic. He meant to build up in the New World another enemy to Great Britain. But if we can thwart him--if at the very start we can divide the forces which might later be allied against us--perhaps we may conquer a wider sphere of possession for ourselves on this rich continent. There is no better colonizing ground in all the world!"
"You understand my plan," said Aaron Burr. "Reduced to the least common denominator, Meriwether Lewis and my daughter Theodosia have our fate in their hands."
The others rose. The hour was past midnight. The secret conference had been a long one.
"He starts tomorrow--is that sure?" asked Merry.
"As the clock," rejoined Burr. "She must see him before the breakfast hour."
"My compliments, Colonel Burr. Good night!"
"Good night, sir," added Yrujo. "It has been a strange day."
"Secrecy, gentlemen, secrecy! I hope soon to have more news for you, and good news, too. _Au revoir!_"