by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER V
LIEUTENANT PASSFORD AND HIS APPARENT DOUBLE
The Vernon continued on her course, and in another hour the pilothad been discharged. Christy had puzzled his brains over the events ofthe day and the night before without being able to arrive at anysatisfactory conclusion. He was extremely anxious to see the officerwho had taken his name and assumed his character, as he was to obtainall the information within his reach. His reflections assured himthat some one had chosen the _role_ of an impostor for the purpose ofaccomplishing some treasonable object, and he was anxious to fathom themystery for his country's sake rather than his own.
Captain Battleton would soon begin his investigation, and Christy wasconfident that the sick officer would be proved to be the impostor. Hewas not at all worried or even disturbed in regard to the result, for hefelt that "truth is mighty and must prevail." His only solicitude was tounravel the plot. Bands of Confederates had been put on board of severalsteamers for the purpose of capturing them; and it was possible thatthis plan had been adopted to obtain possession of the Vernon, for shewas a good vessel, and was fitted out as a man-of-war.
It was plain enough to Christy that the remarkable attempt of one or theother of the officers on board as passengers to personate the other hadbeen explained to those on the quarter-deck, for he observed that theyall regarded him with curiosity, and were interested in the matter. Asthe surgeon passed near him he spoke to him.
"Does your patient below seem to be improving, doctor?" he asked.
"He still complains that his head and his bones ache, so that I cannotsay he is improving," replied Dr. Connelly.
"How old a man does he appear to be?"
"I should take him for a young man of twenty or twenty-one, but he sayshe is only eighteen. He is a very young officer to be put in charge ofa steamer, for I understand that he is ordered to the command of theBronx. But then he has made a reputation as the commander of thatvessel, which doubtless justifies his appointment."
"Does he talk at all?"
"Oh, yes; he has told me about some of his exploits; and as he seems toforget his aches when he speaks of them, I have encouraged him to talkas much as possible."
"Is he really sick, doctor?" asked Christy, with a smile which meantsomething.
"He says he is, and I have to take his word for it," replied thesurgeon, with a corresponding smile.
"I heard you tell the captain that you could not make out the nature ofhis malady."
"I cannot so far, though that does not prove that he is not sick; but Iwill venture to say he could not get his discharge from the navy on hispresent symptoms. He may have drunk too much wine or whiskey recently,though he certainly was not in liquor when he came on board."
"How is your patient, Dr. Connelly?" asked Captain Battleton, joiningthem at this moment.
"About the same the last time I saw him. He ate all the toast I sentto him, and seemed to enjoy it. I don't think he is in a dangerouscondition," replied the surgeon.
"I am glad to hear it. Have you informed him that we have anotherlieutenant on board of the Vernon?" continued the commander.
"No, captain: I have not. That is not my affair, and I don't meddle withwhat does not concern me."
"An excellent rule. Is he aware of the fact that there is anotherRichmond in the field?"
"If he is, he has said nothing to me about the matter."
"Do you think he could go out into the cabin, doctor?" asked thecaptain. "I wish to see him on a matter of the utmost importance.Is he dressed?"
"He is; he dressed himself this morning, and sits up part of the time."
"Then you will oblige me by getting him into the cabin; I mean my cabin.I will be there in ten minutes."
The surgeon went below, leaving the commander and Christy together.
"Can you make anything of this affair yet, Mr. Passford?" asked CaptainBattleton.
"I can come to no conclusion in regard to it, though I may be able todo so when I have seen my double," replied Christy, whose curiosityin regard to the sick officer was strongly excited. "It looks like aconspiracy of some kind, but I can go no farther in the direction of asolution."
The commander looked at his watch after they had conversed a littlewhile longer, and then invited Christy to visit his cabin with him.The other Lieutenant Passford was seated in an arm-chair at the table.Christy looked at him with the deepest interest, but the back of theother was turned to him, and he did not get a full view of his face. Thesick man was dressed in the naval uniform with the shoulder straps of alieutenant.
"I wish to introduce a gentleman to you; Lieutenant Passford, let memake you acquainted with Lieutenant Passford," said the commander as heled the way into the captain's cabin.
"Thank you, Captain Battleton; I shall be very happy to make theacquaintance of Lieutenant Passford," said the occupant of the cabin,rising as he spoke, and approaching Christy. "Corny Passford!" exclaimedthe sick officer. "I did not expect to see you here. This gentleman ismy own cousin, Captain Battleton, though I am sorry to say that he isa rebel; but for all that he is one of the finest fellows in the knownworld, and you will appreciate everything about him except his politics,which I do not admire myself."
Christy was not stunned or overwhelmed by this impudent speech. Helooked at the speaker, and promptly recognized his cousin Corny. He wasastonished at the brazen assurance of the other, for he had alwaysseemed to him to be a fairly modest young man. Corny extended his handto Christy, and it was accepted.
"I am very glad to see you, Corny," said he of the South, "and not theless glad because the meeting is so unexpected."
"It is certainly very unexpected on my part, Corny," replied Christy,who began to comprehend the object of his cousin; but there wassomething so ludicrous in the situation that he was more disposedto laugh than to look upon it seriously.
"I am very glad to see you, Corny," continued he who bore that name inreality. "I did not expect to find you on board of the Vernon. How areuncle Homer, aunt Lydia, and Gerty?"
"I have not seen _my_ uncle Homer for several months; but I had not theremotest idea that you had an uncle Homer," replied Christy, laughingheartily, for the situation seemed so amusing to him that the seriouspart of his cousin's obvious plan had so far hardly dawned upon him."I should like to inquire of you, as one good turn deserves another,in regard to the health of your father and mother and Gerty."
"My father is quite well, but he left Bonnydale last Tuesday to go toWashington, and had not returned when I left home. My mother is quitewell, and so is Florry," replied the sick officer, who did not appearto be suffering from a very severe headache just then, for he was quitecheerful and animated.
"This appears to be a family party," interposed Captain Battleton, whowas very much amused to hear each of the young officers call the otherby the same name, and both of them appeared to be Corny Passford.
"It is a family party, captain," replied the sick officer, smiling ascheerfully as though he had never had any practical knowledge ofheadache and pains in the bones, which was the description of his maladygiven to the surgeon. "As I have hinted before, my cousin Corny is arebel of the first order; and you can imagine my astonishment at findinghim in the uniform of a lieutenant on board a United States navalvessel."
"Good, Corny!" exclaimed Christy, dropping upon the divan of the cabinand laughing heartily.
"I can easily imagine your astonishment, Mr. Passford, for it seems tome to be a very remarkable state of things," added the captain, as helooked from one to the other of the claimants. "One thing seems to beadmitted by both of you, that you are both Passfords, and that you arecousins."
"So far we do not disagree by the breadth of a hair. My cousin Corny was_raised_ in the South, while I was raised in the North," continued thesick passenger.
"I don't like to contradict my cousin, but I was _brought up_ in theNorth," said Christy, hoping Captain Battleton would notice thedifference in the phraseology.
"Then you we
re both brought up in the North," suggested the captain.
"Not at all, for, as I said, my cousin Corny was brought up in theSouth, at Glenfield, near Mobile," protested the ailing officer, whowas careful this time not to use the word "raised."
"Where were you yesterday, Corny?" asked Christy, suddenly suppressinghis mirth.
"I was in New York, preparing to come on board of the Vernon."
"Then you were not at Bonnydale?" demanded Christy sharply.
"Of course I was there; but it was a pretty day, and I went to the cityto attend to some affairs of mine," replied the sick man, with the firstsigns of embarrassment he had exhibited.
"In spite of the fact that it was a pretty day, I should think you wouldhave spent your last day on shore with your mother and sister as I did,"replied Christy.
"I was sick, and I wished to be as near the Vernon as possible. I feltbetter in the afternoon and attended to my affairs; but I got bad againin the afternoon, and I came on board in the evening, for I was afraid Ishould not be able to do so in the morning," answered the invalid,becoming as lively as before.
"Gentlemen, this seems to be a strange muddle," said the captain,who was not disposed to listen any longer to the sparring between thecousins. "At the suggestion of the lieutenant who came on board thisforenoon, I have taken the earliest opportunity to settle the questionas to which is the original and genuine Mr. Passford who was ordered onboard of the Vernon as a passenger for the Gulf, and who, I am informed,is appointed to the command of the Bronx. I have not much time to spare,and if you do not object, I shall call in the first lieutenant and thesurgeon to take part in this conference. I am perplexed, and I desirewitnesses if not assistants in these proceedings."
"I have not the slightest objection to the presence of as many officersas you may choose to call in," added the invalid.
"I shall be equally reasonable," said Christy. "The more witnesses thereare the better it will suit me."
Captain Battleton struck a bell on his table, and sent the steward whoanswered it to procure the attendance of the officers indicated, andthey soon presented themselves.
"Gentlemen, Lieutenant Salisbury, the executive officer of the Vernon,"said the captain. "Both of these gentlemen are Lieutenant ChristopherPassford," he added, with a twinkle of the eye. "Dr. Connelly, you haveboth met."
"Are we to understand that one of these officers is the double of theother?" asked the first lieutenant, who seemed to be disposed to take inthe situation as a pleasantry of the commander.
"Hardly; both of them claim to be the same officer, and I have invitedyou to assist me in deciding which is the real Mr. Passford."
The entire party then seated themselves at the table.