XXXI
_AT WARLOCK AND AT THE OAKS_
For the first time in her life Agatha Ronald was ill. For the first timeher strength had given way under prolonged strain. The surgeon who hadbeen summoned to attend her ordered that she should be sent immediatelyto some place in rear of the army's exposed position, where she couldhave complete rest.
Unfortunately there was no such place within a day's journey--no placewhich might not at any hour become the scene of battle or at the leastof massive manoeuvring. Nowhere short of Charlottesville was there asecure resting-place for the overwrought nerves that had so stoutly heldtheir own as long as their ministering strength was needed in theservice of others.
While this matter was still under perplexed discussion, Marshall Pollardmade his timely appearance. Hearing of the arrival of Baillie andAgatha with Stuart's returning column, he had ridden forward from hiscamp to meet and greet his friends. He had passed a quarter of an hourwith the master of Warlock, who was now permitted to sit up most of thetime, and who was to start almost immediately on his homeward journey.While they two were talking together, word reached Sam's ears that his"Mis' Agatha" had fallen ill at General Stuart's camp-fire. Marshallwent with him immediately to her, under an injunction from Baillie to"get her out of this, Marshall, if you can. Tell her not to mind me, butto take care of herself. Tell her I shall be ready for duty almostimmediately--tell her I'm on duty--tell her anything and everything thatwill persuade her to let you take her to a place of safety."
Marshall was quick to see the necessity of prompt action, and Agatha wasfar too ill to oppose his plans in any way. Stuart had ordered a littletent stretched for her, and here it was decided she should remain untilCaptain Pollard could arrange for her removal.
He first secured a week's leave of absence for himself. While arrangingthat, he had half a dozen of his men scouring the country round aboutin search of a carriage. One was found which had escaped destructionduring the days of Pope's unsparing ravaging. It was an old-fashionedvehicle of family state, swung high upon C springs and stoutly built forservice.
In this conveyance, Agatha, still dazed and unresisting, was started onher homeward journey early the next morning. One of Pollard's batterymen acted as driver, while Pollard himself rode by the side of thecarriage.
About midnight the party reached Charlottesville, where tender, lovinghands took charge of Agatha for the night.
The journey had rather rested than wearied her, and the physician whohad been summoned to attend her found her free from all positiveillness.
"She has need of nothing now but rest and quiet," he said.
When Marshall called upon her in the morning, he found the young woman'smind clear again, and her nerves under control.
"Tell me of Captain Pegram," she eagerly demanded, as soon as she hadbriefly expressed her gratitude to Pollard for the care he was takingfor her comfort.
With that gentle smile which always so invited affection, Marshallreassured her concerning her late patient.
"He is in Sam's excellent hands, and on his way to the rear by thistime. He will be on duty again pretty soon. Indeed, if the army werestationed anywhere in particular just now he wouldn't go away from it atall. He would take command of his battery at once, merely reportinghimself on the sick-list for a week or two. As it is he must go away fora little while. Now let us talk about yourself. I have a week's leave,granted for the express purpose of letting me do what is best for you.Tell me what is best--or rather--it's the same thing--what is most toyour liking? Will you stay here, or--"
"If I may," she answered, quickly, "I want to go home--to The Oaks, Imean, for that is the only home I have in all the world now. Please takeme there."
"It would be a very long journey by carriage," he said, as if talking tohimself, "but we can make the trip by rail if you are strong enough tostand it."
It was necessary in those days to think of a railway journey as aformidable undertaking for any but the strongest persons. There were nosuch things known then as sleeping-cars, or drawing-room cars. Therailroads were badly built, with the rails spiked down to loose ties,and in no way joined together at their ends. The cars were coupledtogether by chain links, and operated with hand-brakes, so that when atrain was stopping, there was a jolting which in our day would be deemedintolerable. In Virginia at that time there was the additionaldiscomfort of laminated iron rails, and cars badly out of repair.
But Agatha's courage had come back to her now, and she was eager tocomplete her journey as speedily as possible. So Marshall sent thecarriage back to its owner, and with Agatha, took the first train forLynchburg, whence another railroad would convey them to theirdestination.
There was very little of conversation between the two as they travelled,for the jarring and the rattle of the disjointed train, as it joltedover its intolerably ill-kept road-bed, made talking difficult andhearing well-nigh impossible. But during the long pauses at the stationsAgatha related the story of her adventures, with something of thatrelish which one always feels in telling of experiences past, which wereanything but relishful at the time of their occurrence.
Better still, the two friends talked much of Baillie Pegram, a subjectthat enlisted the sympathetic interest of both, and drew them closerthan ever together as friends.
The good ladies of The Oaks welcomed Agatha with all of tenderness thattheir dignity would permit. They deeply disapproved of all that she haddone, of course, but they reflected that she had suffered much, and asshe was not now strong they forebore to emphasise by words of censurethe condemnation which they could not avoid manifesting in their manner.Agatha did not much mind their disapproval. This was one of the cases inwhich, feeling that her conduct had been altogether right, she was nottroubled by the contrary opinions of others. Moreover she had othersubjects to think about.
Captain Pollard went at once to Warlock, after delivering his chargeinto her aunts' hands, and on the next day, when he visited The Oaks toask concerning her, he reported that the master of Warlock had reachedhome and was still rapidly gaining strength.
This news gave Agatha a little shock. She had intended, as we know, totake herself out of Captain Pegram's life as quickly and as completelyas possible, and now circumstances had forced her to place herself nearto him again. She knew that as soon as he should be able to ride,ordinary courtesy would compel him to visit her, and--well, she did notwant him to do that. She felt herself in the position of a woman who haspurposely placed herself in the way of inviting attentions, or at leasthas suffered herself to be so placed.
She had done nothing of the kind, of course. Indeed, she had had nochoice in the matter, but the very thought that Baillie Pegram might sointerpret her course, distressed her greatly, in her stillnerve-tortured condition. She cared nothing whatever for what others,including her aunts, might think of the matter, but the thought thatBaillie Pegram might misunderstand was intolerable.
Her aunts added to her embarrassment by adopting a course which plainlyshowed that they entertained a fear identical with her own. They sent anote to Warlock every day, inquiring concerning the health of thatplantation's master. They made these notes as coldly formal as stiltedrhetoric could contrive, and they were at pains to read the missives toAgatha before sending them.
"Why do you do that?" she asked, when the second day's note was read.There was almost a querulous tone in her protest.
"Why, it seems to us proper, dear; we want you to be assured that wemake no mention of your presence here, but take the utmost possiblepains to show Captain Pegram how entirely you are--"
At that point Agatha rose to her feet and looked indignantly at herrelatives. For a moment there was danger of an outbreak of offendedpride, but by an effort the girl controlled herself and said, simply:
"Please don't do it any more. I shall feel hurt if you offer again toread to me anything you may have written. If you will excuse me I thinkI will go to my room now. I am not strong to-day."
It was the custom of the g
ood ladies to protest that they "never couldunderstand Agatha;" but on this occasion they understood hersufficiently to know that they had trodden very near a danger-line whichthey were more than unwilling to cross.
Baillie Pegram in his turn was by no means minded to submit to themanifest purpose of The Oaks ladies that he should hear nothing aboutAgatha, beyond what Marshall Pollard had reported to him during the twodays of his stay at Warlock. Marshall had gone now, and Baillie wrote inresponse to the second of the notes:
"I am getting well quite as rapidly as my best friends could wish. Thereis not the slightest occasion for uneasiness about me. I am evenpermitted to ride horseback a little. But I am exceedingly anxious fortidings of Miss Agatha, whom you have not mentioned in either of yournotes. Will you not send me word concerning her, or better still, if sheis well enough to write, will you not ask her to send me a few lines? Mygratitude to her for all that she has done for me is very great, and sois my anxiety to know that she is recovering from the painful illnesswhich was caused by her generous self-sacrifice in my behalf."
As Agatha had asked her aunts not to read to her their letters to themaster of Warlock, those ladies chose to interpret her request asincluding his letter to them. They made no mention of the fact that hehad written to make inquiries concerning her. She wondered a little thathe had not done so, but on the whole, she argued, it was better so.
Baillie was not so easily pleased. He chafed when the next note camefrom The Oaks, bringing no tidings from Agatha, and when still anotherof like character followed it, he grew uneasy, lest the silence mightmean that Agatha had herself forbidden all mention of her in lettersfrom The Oaks.
"She is taking that method, probably," he argued, "of dismissing meagain, and letting me know that I must not presume upon the service shehas done me. What a fool I am, to be sure! I have been reckoning uponher devotion to me in my illness and captivity as proof that what Ibrutally blurted out at Fairfax Court-house was not unwelcome to herafter all. With her quick feminine perceptions, she has discovered how Ihave been misinterpreting her duty doing, and she wants now to show memy error in the simplest way possible."
As he meditated, the soldier impulse in him asserted itself,--theimpulse to dare the worst in the hope of achieving the best.
Acting upon that impulse he immediately wrote a note to Agatha, and sentit by Sam, with orders to deliver it to her in person, if possible, andat all events to ask for an answer and fetch it.
In his note he told Agatha of his unanswered inquiries, and of the greatuneasiness he felt concerning her health. Finally he begged her torelieve his anxiety by sending a line in reply.
The Master of Warlock: A Virginia War Story Page 31