CHAPTER XI
MR. ARRELSFORD AGAIN INTERPOSES
Nobody had any time to devote to Miss Mitford just then, for a perfectrain of messages came and went as she slowly composed her own despatch.Messengers constantly came in while others went out. The lines wereevidently busy that night. Finally there came a pause in the despatchescoming and going, and Foray remembering her, looked over toward theother end of the table where she sat.
"Is that message of yours ready yet, Miss Mitford?" he asked.
"Yes," said Caroline, rising and folding it. "Of course you have got totake it."
"Certainly," returned the operator smiling. "If it's to be sent, I haveto send it."
"Well, here it is then," said the girl, extending the folded paper whichLieutenant Foray took and unceremoniously opened.
"Oh!" exclaimed Caroline, quickly snatching the paper from his hand, "Ididn't tell you you could read it."
Foray stared at her in amazement.
"What do you want me to do with it?"
"I want you to send it."
"Well, how am I going to send it if I don't read it?"
"Do you mean to say that----" began the girl, who had evidentlyforgotten--if she had ever known--how telegrams were sent.
"I mean to say that I have got to spell out every word on the key.Didn't you know that?"
"Oh, I did, of course--I--but I had forgotten," said Caroline, dismayedby this unexpected development.
"Is there any harm in my reading the message that I have to send?"
"Why I wouldn't have you see it for the world! My gracious!"
"Is it as bad as that, Miss Mitford?" he said laughing.
"Bad! It isn't bad at all, but I wouldn't have it get all over town foranything."
"It will never get out of this office, Miss Mitford," returned Foraycomposedly. "We are not allowed to mention anything that goes on inhere."
"You wouldn't mention it?"
"Certainly not. All sorts of private messages go through here, and----?"
"Do they?"
"Every day. Now if that telegram is important----?"
"Important, well I should think it was. It is the most important----"
"Then I reckon you had better trust it to me," said Lieutenant Foray.
"Yes," said Caroline, blushing a vivid crimson, "I reckon I had."
She handed him the telegram. He opened it, glanced at it, bit his lipsto control his emotion, and then his hands reached for the key.
"Oh, stop!" cried Caroline.
Foray looked at her, his eyes full of amusement, his whole body shakingwith suppressed laughter, which she was too wrought up to perceive.
"Wait till--I--I don't want to be here while you spell out every word--Icouldn't stand that."
Caroline had evidently forgotten that the spelling would be in the MorseCode, and that it would be about as intelligible to her as Sanskrit. TheLieutenant humoured her, and waited while Caroline turned toward thedoor and summoned Martha to her. She did not leave the room, however,for her way was barred by a young private in a grey uniform. Thenewcomer looked hastily at her and the old negress, stopped by them, andasked them very respectfully to wait a moment. He then approached Foray,who was impatiently waiting until he could send the message. He salutedhim and handed him a written order, and then crossed to the other sideof the room. A glance put Foray in possession of the contents of thisorder. He rose to his feet and approached Caroline still standing by thedoor.
"Miss Mitford," he said.
"Yes."
"I don't understand this, but here is an order that has just come fromthe Secret Service Department directing me to hold up any despatch youmay try to send."
"Hold back my telegram?"
"Yes, Miss Mitford," and Foray looked very embarrassed as he staredagain at the order and then from the young girl to the orderly, "andthat isn't the worst of it."
"What else is there!" asked the girl, her eyes big with apprehension.
"Why, this man has orders to take back your message with him to theSecret Service Office."
"Take back my message!" cried Caroline.
"There must be some mistake," answered Foray, "but that's what the ordersays."
"To whom does it say to take it back?" asked the girl, growing more andmore indignant.
"To a Mr. Arrelsford."
"Do you mean to tell me that that order is for that man to take mydespatch back to Mr. Arrelsford?"
"Yes, Miss Mitford," returned Lieutenant Foray.
"And does it say anything in there about what I am going to do in themeantime?" asked the girl indignantly.
"Nothing."
"Well, that is too bad," returned Caroline ominously.
"I am sorry this has occurred, Miss Mitford," said the Lieutenantearnestly, "but the orders are signed by the head of the Secret ServiceDepartment, and you will see that I have no choice----"
"Don't worry about it, Lieutenant Foray," said Caroline calmly, "thereis no need of your feeling sorry, because it hasn't occurred, besidethat, it is not going to occur. When it does, you can go around beingsorry all you like. Have you the faintest idea that I am going to lethim take my telegram away with him and show it to the man? Do yousuppose----"
She was too indignant to finish her sentence and old Martha valiantlyentered the fray.
"No, suh," she cried, in her deepest and most indignant voice. "You allain't gwine to do it, you kin be right suah you ain't."
"But what can I do?" persisted Foray, greatly distressed.
"You can hand it back to me, that's what you can do."
"Yes, suh, dat's de vehy best thing you kin do," said old Marthastoutly, "an' de soonah you do it de quickah it'll be done--Ah kin telyou dat right now, suh."
"But this man has come here with orders for me to----" began Foray,endeavouring to explain.
He realised that there was some mistake somewhere. The girl's messagehad nothing whatever to do with military matters, and he quiteunderstood that she would not want this communication read by every Tom,Dick, or Harry in the Secret Service Department. Beside all this, as shestood before him, her face flushed with emotion, she was a sufficientlypretty, a sufficiently pleading figure to make him most anxious and mostwilling to help her. In addition, the portly figure of old Martha, whosecheeks doubtless would have been flushed with the same feeling had theynot been so black, were more than disconcerting.
"This man," said Caroline, shaking her finger at helpless PrivateEddinger, who also found his position most unpleasant, "can go straightback where he came from and report to Mr. Arrelsford that he could notcarry out his orders. That's what he can do."
Martha, now thoroughly aroused to a sense of the role she was to play,turned and confronted the abashed private.
"Jes' let him try to tek it. Let him tek it if he wants it so pow'fulbad! Jes let de othah one dere gib it to him--an' den see him try an'git out thu dis yeah do' wid it! Ah wants to see him go by," she said."Ah'm jes waitin' fur de sight ob him gittin' pas' dis do'. Dat's whatAh's waitin' fo'. Ah'd lak to know what dey s'pose it was Ah comedaround yeah fo' anyway--dese men wid dese ordahs afussin' an'----"
"Miss Mitford," said Foray earnestly, "if I were to give this despatchback to you it would get me in a heap of trouble."
"What kind of trouble?" asked Caroline dubiously.
"I might be put in prison, I might be shot."
"Do you mean that they would----"
"Sure to do one thing or another."
"Just for giving it back to me when it is my message?"
"Just for that."
"Then you will have to keep it, I suppose," said Caroline faltering.
"Thank you, Miss Mitford."
"Very well," said Caroline, "it is understood. You don't give it back tome, and you can't give it back to him, so nobody's disobeying any ordersat all. And that's the way it stands. I reckon I can stay as long as hecan." She stepped to a nearby chair and sat down. "I ha
ven't very muchto do and probably he has."
"But, Miss Mitford----" began Foray.
"There isn't any good talking any longer. If you have got anytelegraphing to do, you had better do it. I won't disturb you. But don'tyou give it to him."
Foray stared at her helplessly. What might have resulted, it isimpossible to say, for there entered at that opportune moment, Mr.Arrelsford himself, relieving Mr. Foray of the further conduct of theintricate case. His glance took in all the occupants of the room. It wasto his own messenger that he first addressed himself.
"Eddinger!"
"Yes, Mr. Arrelsford."
"Didn't you get here in time!"
"Yes, sir."
"Then why----"
"I beg your pardon," said Foray, "are you Mr. Arrelsford of the SecretService Department?"
"Yes. Are you holding back a despatch?"
"Yes, sir."
"Why didn't Eddinger bring it to me?"
"Well, you see----" began Foray, hesitating, "Miss Mitford----"
Arrelsford instantly comprehended.
"Eddinger," he said.
"Yes, sir."
"Report back to Corporal Matson and tell him to send a surgeon to theprisoner who was wounded at General Varney's house, if he isn't dead bythis time. Now let me see that despatch," he continued, as the orderlysaluted and ran rapidly from the room.
But again Miss Mitford interposed. She stepped quickly betweenArrelsford and Foray, both of whom fell back from her.
"I expect," she said impudently, "that you think you are going to get mytelegram and read it?"
"I certainly intend to do so," was the curt answer.
"Well, there's a great disappointment looming up in front of you,"returned Caroline defiantly.
"So!" said Arrelsford, with growing suspicion. "You have been trying tosend out something that you don't want us to see."
"What if I have, sir."
"Just this," said Arrelsford determinedly. "You won't send it out and Iwill see it. This is a case----"
"This is a case where nobody is going to read my private writing,"persisted Caroline.
The young girl confronted him with blazing eyes and a mien like a smallfury. Arrelsford looked at her with ill-concealed yet somewhat vexatiousamusement.
"Lieutenant Foray, you have an order to give me that despatch. Bring itto me at once," he said.
Although it was quite evident that Foray greatly disliked the role hewas compelled to play, his orders were plain, he had no option. Hestepped slowly toward the Secret Service-Agent, only to be confronted byold Martha, who again interrupted.
"Dat Leftenant kin stay jes whah he is," said the old negress defiantly.
A struggle with her would have been an unseemly spectacle indeed,thought both men.
"Is that Miss Mitford's despatch you have in your hand?" askedArrelsford.
"Yes, sir."
"Since you can't hand it to me, read it."
Caroline turned to him with a gasp of horror. Martha gave way, and Foraystood surprised.
"Read it out! Don't you hear me?" repeated Arrelsford peremptorily.
"Don't dare to do such a thing," cried Caroline, "you have no right toread a private telegram."
"No, suh! He ain't got no business to read her lettahs, nonewhatsomebah!" urged Martha.
"Silence!" roared Arrelsford, his patience at an end. "If either of youinterfere any further with the business of this office, I will have youboth put under arrest. Read that despatch instantly, Lieutenant Foray."
The game was up so far as the women were concerned. Caroline's head sankon Martha's shoulder and she sobbed passionately, while Lieutenant Forayread the following astonishing and incriminating message.
"'_Forgive me, Wilfred darling, please forgive me and I will help youall I can._'"
It was harmless, as harmless as it was foolish, that message, but itevidently impressed Mr. Arrelsford as containing some deep, some hidden,some sinister meaning.
"That despatch can't go," he said shortly.
"That despatch can go," said Caroline, stopping her sobbing as suddenlyas she had begun. "And that despatch will go. I know some one whoseorders even you are bound to respect, and some one who will come herewith me and see that you do it."
"It may be," answered Arrelsford composedly. "I have a good andsufficient reason----"
"Then you will have to show him, I can tell you that, Mr. Arrelsford."
"I shall be glad to give my reason to my superiors, Miss Mitford, not toyou."
"Then you will have to go around giving them to everybody in Richmond,Mr. Arrelsford," said the girl, as she swept petulantly through thedoor, followed by old Martha, both of whom were very much disturbed bywhat had occurred.
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