CHAPTER V
THE UNFAITHFUL SERVANT
But Mrs. Varney was not allowed to indulge in either her bitterretrospect or her dread anticipations very long. Her reverie wasinterrupted by the subdued trampling of heavy feet upon the floor of theback porch. The long drawing-room extended across the house, and hadporches at front and back, to which access was had through long Frenchwindows. The sound was so sudden and so unexpected that she dropped thejacket on the couch and turned to the window. The sound of low, hushedvoices came to her, and the next moment a tall, fine-looking young manof rather distinguished appearance entered the room. He was not inuniform, but wore the customary full-skirted frock coat of the period,and carried his big black hat in his hand. For the rest, he was a verykeen, sharp-eyed man, whose movements were quick and stealthy, and whosequick, comprehensive glance seemed to take in not only Mrs. Varney, buteverything in the room. Through the windows and the far door soldierscould be seen dimly. Mrs. Varney was very indignant at the entrance ofthis newcomer in this unceremonious manner.
"Mr. Arrelsford!" she exclaimed haughtily.
In two or three quick steps Mr. Benton Arrelsford of the ConfederateSecret Service was by her side. Although she was alone, through habitand excessive caution he lowered his voice when he spoke to her.
"Your pardon, Mrs. Varney," he said, with just a shade too much of theperemptory for perfect breeding, "I was compelled to enter withoutceremony. You will understand when I tell you why."
"And those men----" said Mrs. Varney, pointing to the back windows andthe far door. "What have we done that we should be----"
"They are on guard."
"On guard!" exclaimed the woman, greatly surprised and equallyresentful.
"Yes, ma'am; and I am very much afraid we shall be compelled to put youto a little inconvenience; temporary, I assure you, but necessary." Heglanced about cautiously and pointed to the door across the hall. "Isthere anybody in that room, Mrs. Varney?"
"Yes, a number of ladies sewing for the hospital; they expect to stayall night."
"Very good," said Arrelsford. "Will you kindly come a little fartheraway? I would not have them overhear by any possibility."
There was no possibility of any one overhearing their conversation, butif Mr. Arrelsford ever erred it was not through lack of caution. Stillmore astonished, Mrs. Varney followed him. They stopped by thefireplace.
"One of your servants has got himself into trouble, Mrs. Varney, andwe're compelled to have him watched," he began.
"Watched by a squad of soldiers?"
"It is well not to neglect any precaution, ma'am."
"And what kind of trouble, pray?" asked the woman.
"Very serious, I am sorry to say. At least that is the way it looks now.You've got an old white-haired butler here----"
"You mean Jonas?"
"I believe that's his name," said Arrelsford.
"And you suspect him of something?"
Mr. Arrelsford lowered his voice still further and assumed an air ofgreat importance.
"We don't merely suspect him; we know what he has done."
"And what has he done, sir?"
"He has been down to Libby Prison under pretence of selling things tothe Yankees we've got in there, and he now has on his person a writtencommunication from one of them which he intends to deliver to someYankee spy or agent, here in Richmond."
Mrs. Varney gasped in astonishment at this tremendous charge, which wasmade in Arrelsford's most impressive manner.
"I don't believe it," she said at last. "He has been in the family foryears; he wouldn't dare."
Arrelsford shook his head.
"I am afraid it is true," he said.
"Very well," said Mrs. Varney decidedly, apparently not at allconvinced. "I will send for the man. Let us see----"
She reached out her hand to the bell-rope hanging from the wall, but MrArrelsford caught her arm, evidently to her great repugnance.
"No, no!" he said quickly, "not yet. We have got to get that paper, andif he's alarmed he will destroy it, and we must have it. It will give usthe clue to one of their cursed plots. They have been right close onthis town for months, trying to break down our defences and get in onus. This is some rascally game they are at to weaken us from the inside.Two weeks ago we got word from our secret agents that we keep over therein the Yankee lines, telling us that two brothers, Lewis and HenryDumont----"
"The Dumonts of West Virginia?" interrupted Mrs. Varney, who was nowkeenly attentive to all that was said.
"The very same."
"Why, their father is a General in the Yankee Army."
"Yes; and they are in the Federal Secret Service, and they are theboldest, most desperately determined men in the whole Yankee Army.They've already done us more harm than an army corps."
"Yes?"
"They have volunteered to do some desperate piece of work here inRichmond, we have learned. We have close descriptions of both these men,but we have never been able to get our hands on either of them untillast night."
"Have you captured them?"
"We've got one of them, and it won't take long to get the other," saidArrelsford, in a fierce, truculent whisper.
"The one you caught, was he here in Richmond?" asked Mrs. Varney,greatly affected by the other's overwhelming emotion.
"No, he was brought in last night with a lot of men we captured in alittle sortie."
"Taken prisoner?"
"Yes, but without resistance."
"I don't understand."
"He let himself be taken. That's one of their tricks for getting intoour lines when they want to bring a message or give some signal."
"You mean that they deliberately allow themselves to be taken to LibbyPrison?"
"Yes, damn them!" said Arrelsford harshly. "I beg your pardon, ma'am,but----"
Mrs. Varney waved her hand as if Mr. Arrelsford's oaths, like hispresence, were nothing to her.
"We were on the lookout for this man, and we spotted him pretty quickly.I gave orders not to search him, and not to have his clothes taken awayfrom him, but to put him in with the others and keep the closest watchon him that was ever kept on a man. We knew from his coming in that hisbrother must be here in the city, and he'd send a message to him thefirst chance he got."
"But Jonas, how could he----"
"Easily enough. He comes down to the prison to sell things to theprisoners with other negroes. We let him pass in, watching him as wewatch them all. He fools around a while, until he gets a chance to brushagainst this man Dumont. My men are keeping that fellow under closeobservation, and they saw a piece of paper pass between them. By myorders they gave no sign. We want to catch the man to whom he is todeliver the paper. He has the paper on him now."
"I will never believe it."
"It is true, and that is the reason for these men on the back porch thatyou see. I have put others at every window at the back of the house. Hecan't get away; he will have to give it up."
"And the man he gives it to will be the man you want?" said Mrs. Varney.
"Yes; but I can't wait long. If that nigger sees my men or hears asound, he will destroy it before we can jump in on him. I want the man,but I want the paper, too. Excuse me." He stepped to the back window."Corporal!" he said softly. The long porch window was open on account ofthe balmy air of the night, and a soldier, tattered and dusty, instantlyappeared and saluted. "How are things now?" asked Arrelsford.
"All quiet now, sir."
"Very good," said Arrelsford. "I was afraid he would get away. We've gotto get the paper. If we have the paper, perhaps we can get the man. Itis the key to the game they are trying to play against us, and withoutit the man is helpless."
"No, no," urged Mrs. Varney. "The man he is going to give it to, gethim."
"Yes, yes, of course," assented Arrelsford; "but that paper might giveus a clue. If not, I'll make the nigger tell. Damn him, I'll shoot itout of him. How quickly can y
ou get at him from that door, Corporal?"
"In no time at all, sir. It's through a hallway and across thedining-room. He is in the pantry."
"Well," said Arrelsford, "take two men, and----"
"Wait," said Mrs. Varney; "I still doubt your story, but I am glad tohelp. Why don't you keep your men out of sight and let me send for himhere, and then----"
Arrelsford thought a moment.
"That may be the better plan," he admitted. "Get him in here and, whileyou are talking to him, they can seize him from behind. He won't be ableto do a thing. Do you hear, Corporal?"
"Yes, sir."
"Keep your men out of sight; get them back there in the hall, and whilewe're making him talk, send a man down each side and pin him. Hold himstiff. He mustn't destroy any paper he's got."
The Corporal raised his hand in salute and left the room. The mendisappeared from the windows, and the back porch looked as empty asbefore. The whole discussion and the movements of the men had beenpractically noiseless.
"Now, Mr. Arrelsford, are you ready?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Mrs. Varney rang the bell on the instant. The two watched each otherintently, and in a moment old Martha appeared at the door.
"Did you-all ring, ma'am?"
"Yes," said Mrs. Varney; "I want some one to send to the hospital."
"Luthah is out heah, ma'am."
"Luther? He's too small, I don't want a boy."
"Well, den, Jonas----"
"Yes, Jonas will do; tell him to come in here immediately."
"Yas'm."
"Perhaps you had better sit down, Mrs. Varney," said Arrelsford; "and ifyou will permit me, I will stand back by the front window yonder."
"That will be just as well," said Mrs. Varney, seating herself near thetable, while Arrelsford, making no effort at concealment, stepped overto the window. Old Jonas entered the door just as they had placedthemselves. He bowed low before Mrs. Varney, entirely unsuspicious ofanything out of the ordinary until his eye fell on the tall form ofArrelsford. He glanced furtively at the man for a moment, stiffenedimperceptibly, but, as there was nothing else to do, came on.
"Jonas," said Mrs. Varney, her voice low and level in spite of heragitation.
"Yes'm."
"Have you any idea why I sent for you?"
"Ah heahd you was gwine send me to de hossiple, ma'am."
"Oh, then Martha told you," said Mrs. Varney.
While the little dialogue was taking place, Mr. Arrelsford had made asignal, and the Corporal and two men had entered the room silently, andnow swiftly advanced to the side of the still unobserving old negro.
"She didn't ezzactly say whut you----" he began.
The next instant the two men fell upon him. He might have made somestruggle, although it would have been useless. The windows wereinstantly filled with men, and an order would have called them into theroom. He was an old man, and the two soldiers that seized him wereyoung. He was too surprised to fight, and stood as helpless as a lambabout to be slaughtered, his face fairly grey with sudden terror. TheCorporal flung open the butler's faded livery coat, and for the momentJonas, menaced now by a search, and knowing what the result would be,struggled furiously, but the men soon mastered him, and the Corporal,continuing his search, presently drew from an inside pocket a smallfolded paper.
"Jonas! Jonas!" said Mrs. Varney, in bitter disappointment; "how couldyou?"
"I told you so," said Mr. Arrelsford truthfully, triumphantly, and mostaggravatingly under the circumstances, taking the folded paper."Corporal," he added, "while I read this, see if he has got anythingmore."
A further search, however, revealed nothing. Arrelsford had scarcelycompleted the reading of the brief note when the Corporal reported:
"That is all he has, sir."
Arrelsford nodded. The men had released Jonas, but stood by his side,and the Secret Service Agent now approached him.
"Who was this for?" he asked sharply and tensely.
The negro stared at him stolidly and silently, his face ashen withfright.
"Look here," continued the other, "if you don't tell me it is going tomake it pretty bad for you."
The words apparently made no further impression upon the servant.Arrelsford tried another tack. He turned to Mrs. Varney, who wascompletely dismayed at this breach of trust by one who had been attachedto the family fortunes for so many years.
"I am right sorry, ma'am," he said very distinctly, "but it looks likewe have got to shoot him."
"Oh!" cried Mrs. Varney at that. "Jonas, speak!"
But even to that appeal he remained silent. Arrelsford waited a momentand then:
"Corporal," he said; "take him outside and get it out of him. String himup until he talks. But don't let him yell or give any alarm; gag himuntil he's ready to tell. You understand?"
The Corporal nodded and turned toward the hall door.
"Not that way," said Arrelsford; "take him to the back of the house andkeep him quiet, whatever you do. Nobody must know about this, not asoul."
"Very good, sir," said the Corporal, saluting. He gave an order to themen, and they marched Jonas off, swiftly and silently. Nothing that hadbeen said or done had disturbed the women across the hall. Mrs. Varneyglanced up at the unfolded piece of paper in Mr. Arrelsford's hand. Hewas smiling triumphantly.
"Was there anything in that?" she asked.
"Yes, there was. We know the trick they meant to play."
"But not the man who was to play it?"
"I didn't say that, ma'am."
"Does it give you a clue to it?"
"It does."
"Will it answer?"
"It will."
"Then you know----"
"As plain as if we had his name."
"Thank God for that," exclaimed the woman. "May I see it?"
Arrelsford hesitated.
"I see no reason why you should not."
He extended his hand toward her, and she glanced at the paper.
"_Attack to-night. Plan 3. Use telegraph!_" she read. She looked up.
"What does it mean?" she asked tremulously.
"They are to attack to-night, and the place where they are to strike isindicated by Plan 3."
"Plan 3?" questioned the woman.
"Yes; the man this is sent to will know what is meant by that. It hasbeen arranged beforehand, and----"
"But the last words," said Mrs. Varney. "Use telegraph?"
"That is plain, too. He is to use our War Department Telegraph and sendsome false order to weaken that position, the one they indicate by 'Plan3,' so that when they assault it, they will find it feebly defended ornot at all, and break through and come down on the city and swamp us."
"But," exclaimed Mrs. Varney in deepest indignation and excitement, "theman who was to do this? Who is he? There is nothing about him that I cansee."
"But I can see something."
"What? Where?"
"In the words, 'Use Telegraph.' We know every man on the telegraphservice, and every one of them is true. There is some one who will tryto get into that service if the game is carried out, and----"
"Then he will be the man," said Mrs. Varney.
"Yes; there aren't so many men in Richmond that can do that. It isn'tevery man that's expert enough----Mrs. Varney, Jonas brought this paperto your house, and----"
"To my house?" exclaimed the woman in great astonishment, and then shestopped, appalled by a sudden thought which came to her.
"At the same time," said Arrelsford, "your daughter has been trying toget an appointment for some one on the telegraph service. Perhaps shecould give us some idea, and----"
Mrs. Varney rose and stood as if rooted to the spot.
"You mean----"
"Captain Thorne," said Arrelsford impressively.
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