by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER IV
THE SICK OFFICER IN THE STATEROOM
Captain Battleton spoke to Christy as though he had met him before, andneeded no introduction. He was glad to see that the young officer wasbetter, which indicated that he had been sick. He was confounded by thesituation, for he had not been sick an hour, and he had never seen thecommander of the Vernon in his life. The petty officer had told him thathe appeared to be quite sick when he came on board the night before.
What he had learned within the last few moments was even more perplexingthan the mysterious visitation at Bonnydale. Then the appearance ofWalsh on board, and his denial of his identity, were still in his mind,and he wondered whether or not all these strange circumstances had anyconnection. But he was standing in the presence of the commander of thesteamer, and he had no time to reach a conclusion of any kind,satisfactory or otherwise.
Christy took the offered hand of Captain Battleton, and looked earnestlyinto his face to determine whether he had ever seen him before; but theface was entirely new to him. He was quite confident that he had neverseen the commander before. There was something rather ludicrous in thesituation, and he felt as though he was taking part in a farce; at anyrate, there was nothing serious or compromising in it, and in spite ofthe confusion in his mind, he could not help smiling.
"I thank you, Captain Battleton, for your very kind interest in thestate of my health, but with the exception of the first signs of a coldin the head, I never was better in my life," said Christy in reply tothe salutation of the commander, still holding his hand.
"Then you have improved wonderfully since last evening," added CaptainBattleton.
"I am glad to be informed of the fact, for I am not conscious of anysuch improvement as you describe. In fact, I am not in quite so goodcondition in a sanitary point of view as I was last evening, for I tookmy cold about midnight, or a little later, last night," added Christy,his smile becoming a little more pronounced.
It was now the turn of Captain Battleton to be puzzled, if notmystified, by the statement of his passenger, and he looked inquiringlyinto his face as if to ascertain if he was not the victim of a practicaljoke. But naval officers on duty are not given to pleasantries; and ifhe had any such suspicion, he banished it at once, for there was nothingin the appearance of the lieutenant to warrant it.
"Pardon me, Mr. Passford, but were you not sick when you came on boardof the Vernon last evening?" asked the commander, with something like afrown upon his brow as the situation became more bewildering.
"If you will excuse me for making an indirect reply, captain, I did notcome on board of the Vernon last evening," answered Christy, his smilebecoming still more decided; and if he had not been on the quarter-deckof a vessel in service, he might have suspected that he was himself thevictim of a practical joke.
"You did not come on board of the Vernon last evening!" exclaimedCaptain Battleton, gazing very earnestly into the face of his passenger.
"I did not, captain," replied Christy quietly, though he was amusedrather than disquieted by the earnestness of the commander.
"You did not?"
"Certainly not; and if my simple affirmation is not enough, I couldprove that I slept in my father's house at Bonnydale last night, tookmy breakfast there this morning, and was in the city of New York at teno'clock this forenoon," answered Christy, in the best of humor.
"This is very strange," said Captain Battleton, fixing his gaze uponthe planks on which he stood, possibly considering whether he or hispassenger was dreaming or out of his head.
"If I were still at Brooklyn doubtless I could find the boatman who putme on board of the Vernon not more than an hour ago," continued Christy,willing to convince his auditor that he was entirely in earnest in hisstatement.
"I beg your pardon, Mr. Passford, but I did not intend to question thetruth of your reply to my question," said the commander, fearing that hehad overstated his doubts. "I am simply bewildered, confused, confoundedby this interview."
"So am I, captain," added the lieutenant, laughing outright at theperplexity in which both of them were involved. "I have told you thesimple truth in regard to my movements."
"And you did not come on board of the Vernon last evening?"
"Emphatically I did not."
"You were not sick last evening?"
"I was not; not even as sick as I am at this moment," replied Christy,using his handkerchief.
"I don't understand it," said Captain Battleton, shaking his head.
"Now, captain, will you permit me ask what you do not understand, for Iassure you I am profoundly ignorant of the situation which perplexesyou. I was ordered to be on board of the Vernon at one o'clock, and Ifound her under way at eleven. I happened to find a boatman before Ileft the ferry-boat, who put me on board, or I should have missed mypassage. That is simply all I know about the matter."
"When I called upon you in your stateroom this morning, you told methat"--
"I beg your pardon, Captain Battleton, but I have not been in anystateroom, sick or well, on board of the Vernon, and I respectfullysuggest that it was quite impossible for you to have called upon me thismorning, or at any other time," Christy interposed, very pleasantly,though quite as perplexed as the commander.
"Of course I shall not raise an issue as to your veracity, Mr. Passford,but after the statement you have made to me, I must change the form ofmy phraseology," continued the commander, using a smile to cover anypossible doubts or suspicions in his mind. "When I called at thestateroom of the officer who reported on board last evening asLieutenant Christopher Passford, he told me that I was expected toget under way and proceed to my destination as soon as the officer andthe seamen were on board."
"Did he bring you an order to this effect?" asked Christy moreseriously.
"He did not, and perhaps I have made a mistake, though my superiorofficer told me at the yard that it would be safe for me to obey theverbal order," replied Captain Battleton, looking somewhat troubled.
"I have no intention to meddle with what does not concern me, captain.It appears that Lieutenant Passford has already reported to you," saidChristy; and this was the astounding fact to him of the situation.
He was absolutely confident that he was himself Lieutenant ChristopherPassford, and as absolutely confident that the other officer could notbe that person, whoever else he might be. The commander appeared to beconsidering what Christy had suggested to him in regard to his orders,and the passenger had a minute or two to think of the situation in whichhe found himself placed. But what was the use to think of it? He was atthe end of a blind alley, where there was no light from any directionexcept that by which he had entered it. He had no premises from which toreason, and it was useless to consider the matter.
"Mr. Passford, I find myself placed in a very unpleasant position," saidthe commander, after he had deliberated a few minutes. "I have statedthe facts to you; and the deduction I have to draw from them is, that Ihave two persons by the name of Lieutenant Passford on board."
"That seems to me to be a correct deduction," added Christy.
"The brilliant officer who bears this name is too well known to hide hislight under a bushel. I have not the honor to be personally acquaintedwith him, and therefore I am unable to decide which of the gentlemen whoreport to me under that name is the real one."
"Precisely so."
"You will pardon me if I add that I think one or the other of them mustbe an impostor," added Captain Battleton with some diffidence.
"That is a perfectly justifiable conclusion; and it rests with you todecide which is the genuine Lieutenant Passford, and which is theimpostor," replied Christy frankly. "You will be perfectly justifiedin calling upon both for all the evidence they are able to present.I suggest that each of them must carry his commission about him, aswell as his orders from the department; and it seems to me that thesedocuments will enable you to decide without any delay;" and Christyinvoluntarily put his hand upon his breast pocket, where he carri
edthese valuable papers.
He could feel the envelope that contained them, and he was satisfied ofthe triumph which awaited him when the evidence should be required ofthe two claimants of the name. At the same time he felt that he wasmoving in a cloud of mystery, which had begun to enfold him in themiddle of the preceding night.
"I thank you for the suggestion, Mr. Passford, and I must say that youseem to be entirely fair," said the commander.
"If I am the impostor, I do not know myself; but I have no desire toforestall your decision. You saw the sick officer when he came on boardlast evening, and you have visited him in his stateroom to-day. Do Ilook enough like him to be taken for him?" asked Christy with a smile,as he placed himself in an attitude to be scrutinized by the commander.
"I am sure that you do, sir; and when I saw you on the quarter-deck forthe first time, I had no doubt you were the officer who came on boardsick last evening," replied Captain Battleton.
"That makes it all the more remarkable, for I was not aware that therewas any officer in the navy who resembled me so closely," added Christymore bewildered than before, and beginning to scent a plot of some kindagainst him or his country.
"I must say that any man who will take upon himself the position andreputation of the real Lieutenant Passford is a bold man, and even, ifhe succeeds in taking his place, he will fail in playing the _role_."
"I should thank you, Captain Battleton, for the compliment, if I werenot under suspicion of being some other person. May I ask when it willbe convenient for you to settle the question, for it is not pleasant forme to feel that I am looked upon as even a possible impostor?"
"I shall not regard you as an impostor, Mr. Passford, for I mean to beentirely impartial, and I shall not brand you even in thought until theevidence warrants me in doing so," replied the commander, as he calledthe surgeon who was just coming on deck. "How do you find your patient,Dr. Connelly?"
"I find him--I thought I found him; but he appears to be on deck,"replied the surgeon, as he fixed his gaze upon Christy, preluded bya start, dramatic enough to prove that he was astonished to find hispatient was not in his room below. "I left him not five minutes ago, forI have not yet been able to discover what ails him. He complained of asevere headache and pains in his bones; but he has not a particle offever, or any symptom of anything that I can discover. I am glad to seeyou on deck, Mr. Passford. How is your headache?"
"If I have had any headache, I have entirely recovered from it," repliedChristy, laughing heartily. "I came on board only an hour ago, doctor,and I have had no headache, thank you."
"Looking at you more closely, I see that you are not my patient, and youwill excuse me for giving you a headache. But you resemble my patientvery closely," added the doctor.
"I did not answer your question, Mr. Passford," interposed CaptainBattleton. "In an hour we will settle the question."
Christy seated himself and began to consider the strange situation.