CHAPTER V
I
A busier man in the city of Philadelphia during the winter and springseason of '78 than John Anderson, would have been hard to find. Forweeks he had applied himself with relentless energy to the work beforehim; for months he had deprived himself of the customary rounds ofpleasure in the interests of the seemingly gigantic task allotted tohim; until at length, for the first time, he was enabled to appreciateto some degree the results of his toil. It was now past Easter-tide andthe moments were hurrying faster and faster in their haste towards theculmination of the conspiracy that was forming little by little in theheart of the community like an abscess in the body of a sick man.
Progress had been made at New York although it was acknowledged that therecruiting there had fallen far short of all expectations. Still it wasa much simpler matter to effect the formation of such a regiment wherethe work could be carried on openly and under the protection of GeneralClinton; and where no sympathizer of the colonists, however loyal, woulddare to enter a formal protest against the proceedings. It is quite truethat Catholics were divided there as elsewhere; for not every one lenthis spontaneous, complete, and energetic adhesion to the cause ofAmerican independence. And who would dare condemn their restraint; whenthe memory of the intolerable and bitter practices of the earlypatriots was recalled? They could not forget; and what was more, manydid not want to forget.
It was found impossible to gather in the city, now held by the enemy, athousand or more men sufficient to compose a regiment. Hence it wasnecessary to draw from the neighboring colonies. Anderson had come toPhiladelphia with this object in view and, as an aid to his work, hadestablished himself immediately in the graces of the militaryauthorities. Quietly, privately, secretly, he pursued his quest, seekingout likely individuals whom he impressed into the service of His Majestywith not so much as a scruple as to means, fair or foul. Blackmail heemployed freely and the pressure of unpaid debts reaped for him aharvest of names.
The currency was then worthless and the cost of living enormous. He wasthe odd individual who could boast of being free from debt, and thecommon jail and the stocks in the market place at Second and HighStreets were tireless in meting out their punishments to the delinquentdebtors. Anderson took royal advantage of this state of affairs, eitherby resolving the debt in favor of an enlistment in the company or byeffecting a threatened punishment on the part of the creditor unless hiswishes were complied with. Many recruits who otherwise would haverejected flatly the base proposition, were secured by such means.
At length he had registered about an hundred names, drawn from allclasses of the city. The services of Father Farmer had been sought aschaplain, but this worthy servant of God gently but firmly declinedbecause of the weight of age and "several other reasons." ColonelClifton was still in charge of the regiment but the other officers wereto be Roman Catholics and appointed by the colonels. A meeting for thepurpose of organization would be held in the Provincial Hall in thecourse of a few weeks. Then the company would be shipped as soon aspossible to New York for incorporation in the regiment there.
Anderson found General Arnold a ready and effective instrument in theperfection of the plot. Not only had the latter supplied him with allmanner of information, but his authority had been employed on more thanone occasion in the matter of impressment. Whatever motives actuated theGeneral were ascribed by Anderson solely to his profound dislike ofCatholics and all things Catholic. A further incentive to the success ofthe project was furnished by the issuance of a pass by the MilitaryGovernor enabling a vessel to leave the port of Philadelphia, where ithad been tied up, for New York, for the purpose of transporting to thatcity the members of the recruited company. This was, of course, aviolation of the military code, but the affair was done so secretly thatit was known only to Anderson and the Governor. The remote preparationswere now completed. All was in readiness for the meeting of theso-called volunteers.
Meanwhile, Marjorie had continued to be an object of interest to thebusy Anderson, and he had paid attention to her with a marked gallantry.Through the late winter and early spring he had been a frequent visitorat her home and had often escorted her in public to the theater anddancing assemblies. He flattered himself that her confidence had earlybeen gained and much information helpful to his scheme had beenobtained. He had played his part well, although on one occasion, he hadalmost revealed himself; nevertheless he was completely satisfied thatshe not for a moment suspected the real purpose of his designs.
Now he felt obliged to hold one more conference with the MilitaryGovernor, for it was required that he know definitely the time set forthe vessel's departure. That was the sole obstacle to his plans, for thedate of the assembly depended upon the day of the sailing of thetransport. Arnold would know of its readiness; its clearance was then amatter of personal convenience.
And so, this fine afternoon in early May, he resolved to direct hissteps in the direction of Mount Pleasant where he would complete hisplans. It was a long walk but less attention would be aroused by hisgoing afoot, and so he started early. Little did he suspect, however,that his every move was being observed and that a pair of eyes hadpursued him to the very park, watching him even as he ascended the greatstone steps of the mansion.
He lifted the brass knocker and gave two or three slight taps, and evenas he did so the blue eyes continued to observe him.
II
The dining-hall at Mount Pleasant was such as was befitting the nobleproportions of the mansion. It adjoined the hall in opposition to thegreat drawing-room, its eastern side terminating in an ell extensionfrom the hall proper where a wide easy staircase with a balustrade ofgracefully turned spindles ascended to the second floor. It was lighted,not only by the fire that burned in the reredos at the northern wall,but also by eight cresset-lamps and as many candles set in huge silvercandelabra on the center table.
Anderson was hungry from his long walk and ate well. A great roastgoose reposing in a huge silver platter was brought in by the servantsand set before them. There were vegetables of every sort, jellies,sweetmeats, floating islands, and a dessert of fruits, raisins andalmonds. Madeira was drunk freely by all without any apparentdisadvantage.
"And how were all at home?" asked Peggy when they were seated. Theconversation was on general topics--for the servants were coming in andout with the food.
"I saw only your sister when I called with Marjorie. Mr. Shippen wasaway and Mrs. Shippen had a cold, a very slight one I believe."
"She is susceptible to asthmatic attacks," observed the General.
"Quite!" replied Anderson.
"She bears up remarkably. I think she has never missed a function."
"Her will-power alone," replied Peggy. "She can surmount obstacles; shehas never lost an opportunity."
They lapsed into silence, occupying themselves with the deliciousrepast. Sometimes they talked of this, that and the other quite freelyand easily--of the society news, of the presence of Miss Franks at thewedding, of the splendor of it all. Indeed, there was nothing toindicate more than a company of old-time friends.
"I am ready to take my charges along with me," announced Anderson atlength.
"Hush! Not so loud," cautioned Arnold. "Later,--in the park, we shalltreat of that."
Then the servants came again and removed the dishes. After anothergoblet of Madeira they left the table, going immediately out of doors,for it was now dusk.
"I can do no more with the recruiting. I have in round numbers, anhundred," Anderson began when they had been seated in the cypress walk.The moon was not yet half way to the zenith and lay a dull copper colorin the eastern sky, partially eclipsed by the chimney of the greathouse. A solemn silence, terrifying and rife with mysterious sensations,seemed to pervade the place. It was a setting well fitted to shroud deepand dark designs. No one would dare to venture near.
"You have done well. Egad! I know of none who could have done better."
"Yet it was no easy task, I assure you. They thrill with t
he very spiritof rebellion. Cadwalader will never forgive me, and will haunt me whenhe dies."
"You got him?" Arnold asked.
"I did. But I had to take proceedings against him which portended thestocks. I promised him a wheelbarrow to be pushed every day in theresolution of his debt. Only when I had the jailer at hand did hereconsider. The debt has been paid, and he has already signed."
"I am glad you got him. He's a Papist, isn't he?" inquired Peggy.
"He is, and a staunch one at that," replied her husband.
"Let's get down to business," interrupted Anderson. "How soon may yourvessel sail?"
"This week, or the early part of next," replied Arnold. "I drew the passthree weeks ago. With the time for clearance and sailing allowed, sheshould be ready now. You had better make an allowance of a week."
"How about the crew?"
"They can be depended upon. They are beholden to her owner. Have nofears concerning them."
"How soon may she clear?"
He was persistent in this.
"In a few days. Tomorrow if pressed."
"I want to get through with this business as soon as I can and get outof this town. It may get too hot for me. If I had that meeting off mymind and the men on board bound for New York I would enjoy greaterrepose."
"I thought you were never apprehensive," remarked Peggy. "With yourcomposure and gallantry the world would judge that cares set lightlyupon your head."
"Happy is he who can abandon everything with which his conscience isburdened. I have enjoyed no peace of soul for years and I see anuntimely end."
"Be not so melancholy," observed Arnold. "My boy, the future and theworld lie before you."
"Like a yawning abyss," was the grave reply.
"Oh! spare us your terrible verdicts," cried Peggy with a smile.
"I believe that I should have crushed with my scorn the philosopher whofirst uttered this terrible but profoundly true thought," said Anderson."'Prudence is the first thing to forsake the wretched!'"
"Have you been imprudent?" she asked.
"I did find a charm in my escapades. At first I tingled with fear, but Igradually laid aside that cloak of suspicion which guards safety, andstalked about naked. A despicable contempt arises from an unreservedintimacy. We grow bolder with our efforts."
"What is success?" asked Peggy.
Their mood was heavy; their tone morose. A sadness had settled upon themlike the blanket of the night. Only the moon climbing into the heavensradiated glory.
"Come! Away with those dismal topics!" exclaimed the General. "This isthe time for rejoicing."
"Can you rejoice?" inquired the visitor.
"I, too, should be happy, but I fear, alas, I am not. My people give meno peace."
"Why not render your country a lasting service?"
"How?"
"By performing a heroic deed that will once for all put an end to thisunseemly conflict."
"Never! I have been shattered twice for my efforts. I am done withactive field duty."
"I do not think of that," Anderson assured him.
"Of what, then?"
"You know that the mother country had already offered conciliation. Thecolonies shall have an American Parliament composed of two chambers; allthe members to be Americans by birth, and those of the upper chamber tohave the same title, the same rank, as those of the House of Lords inEngland."
"What? A Marquis of Pennsylvania, a Duke of Massachusetts Bay?" helaughed aloud at this.
"No less fitting than the Duke of Albemarle."
"Why do you mention him?" Arnold inquired immediately. A thought flashedbefore his mind. Had Peggy and this man conversed on that point?
"He simply came into my mind. Why?"
"Oh! Nothing. Continue."
"As I was saying, all laws, and especially tax laws, shall be the workof this legislature, with the signature of the Viceroy. They shallenjoy in every relation the advantage of the best government. Theyshall, if necessary, be supported by all the naval and military force ofEngland, without being exposed to the dangers or subjected to the taxesfrom which such a military state is inseparable."
"But how? What can I do that I have not already done?"
"You have the courage, you have the ingenuity to render that importantservice. Why allow your countrymen to shed more blood when the enemy iswilling to grant all you are fighting for? You can save them fromanarchy. You can save them from the factions of Congress."
"God knows how ardently I desire such a consummation," breathed theGovernor.
"I am confident that he would perform any act, however heroic or signal,to benefit the cause of his country," remarked Peggy with deliberateemphasis.
"Name it. What shall I do?" he asked.
"Act the part of General Monk in history," announced Anderson.
Arnold recoiled. He could not believe his ears. Then the awful truthdawned upon him.
"Is this your work?" he turned to Peggy fiercely.
"On my honor, I never thought of it." His wife was frightened at hissudden change of manner.
There was silence. The trio sat in thought, one awaiting the other tospeak the first word.
"Never," blurted Arnold. "Never, so long as I wear this uniform."
"And yet the world resounds with his praises, for he performed adisinterested and humane act."
"A treacherous and cowardly act!"
"Listen, I shall confide in you. If you would but exert your influencein favor of an amicable adjustment of the difficulties between thecolonies and the mother country, you might command ten thousand guineasand the best post in the service of the government."
"Would that mean a peerage?" asked Peggy suddenly.
"Assuredly," was the reply.
She stood up and strutted in a pompous and stately manner before them;then she turned and courtesied before her husband.
"Your Grace, the carriage waits without. The Duchess is already inwaiting," she announced with a sweeping gesture.
He scowled at her but did not answer.
"Clive saved the British Empire in India and you can save the colonies,"insisted Anderson.
"Would not a proud position at court, the comfortable income of a royalestate, the possession of a peerage on home soil more than reward a manas was the case with General Monk?" challenged Peggy, with a flash ofsudden anger.
"And leave my country in its hour of need," he finished the sentence forher.
"Your country!" she taunted. "What has your country done for you? Theempty honors you have gained were wrung from her. The battle scars youbear with you were treated with ingratitude. You were deprived of yourdue honors of command. Even now you are attacked and hounded from everyangle. Your country! Pooh! A scornful mistress!"
She sat down and folded her arms, looking fiercely into the dark.
It is strange how human nature could be touched by so small affairs.The war of continents meant very little to her imagination. Certainlythe parallel was not perfect; but it seemed to her to fit.
He looked around slowly.
"You took me for what I am," he said to her. "I gave you prestige,wealth, happiness. But I have promised my life to my country if sherequires it and I shall never withdraw that promise while I live. Betterthe grave of the meanest citizen than the mausoleum of a traitor."
"But think of your country!" insisted Anderson.
"Anderson," was the reply, "I know the needs of the country and I knowdeeply my own grievances. Suppose I yield to your suggestions andBritain fails,"--he paused as if to measure the consequences. "I shallbe doomed. I shall be called a bigot. My children will hate me."
He seemed to waver. His earlier enthusiasm apparently diminished beforetheir attack.
"But," continued Anderson, "with your aid Britain cannot fail. Andremember how England rewards those who render her great and signalservices. Look at the majestic column at Blenheim Palace reared to thememory of John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough. Contrast with it whatPeggy has just said, the
ingratitude, the injustice, the meanness, withwhich Congress has treated you."
"Must the end justify the means?" he mused. "Can you continue to urge meto duplicate the treachery of Churchill, who can never be forgiven forhis treason? Whatever else he may have achieved, you must remember hewas first and last a traitor."
"He was doubly a traitor, if you are pleased to so stigmatize him. Hefirst betrayed his benefactor, James, to ally himself with the Princeof Orange; and then, on the pretext of remorse, broke faith withWilliam; acted the part of a spy in his court and camp; offered tocorrupt his troops and lead them over to James; and still all wasforgotten in the real service which he rendered to his country, and hisname has gone into history----"
He was interrupted by a sharp sound, as if some one had stepped upon abranch or a twig, causing it to snap beneath his feet. On the instant,Anderson was upon his feet, his hand feeling instinctively for hispistol.
"We are betrayed," he whispered. "There is a spy here."
All had arisen in silence and were peering into the blackness of thenight whence the sound apparently came. Anderson thought he saw a figureemerge from behind a tree far off in the distance and he immediatelygave chase, opening fire as he did so. Several times he fired into thedark space before him, for it was bristling with shade, notwithstandingthe obscure light of the moon. As he covered the wide area between himand the river, the lithe form of a man emerged from the wooded area anddisappeared down the incline which led to the water. Nearing the bank heheard distinctly the splash of the body and he fired again into the spotwhence the noise arose. The waters were still in commotion when hereached them, but there was no one to be found; nothing save the gentleundulation of the surface as it closed over its burden, and graduallybecame placid under the soft stillness of the night. After severalminutes of intense vigilance, he slowly retraced his steps.
III
"The river has swallowed him," he exclaimed as he neared Arnold andPeggy, who were standing quite motionless at the side of the settees.
"Who was it?" the General asked eagerly.
"I did not see him. He disappeared into the river. I heard the splash ofhis dive and fired several times in its direction, but saw no one."
"Did he swim it?"
"No! I would have seen him. The water was unruffled except for thedisturbance caused by his dive. The poor devil must have sunk to thebottom. Perhaps one of my shots took effect."
"I don't like this," muttered Arnold. "I would not have thatconversation overheard for the crown of England. An enemy was near. Ihope to God he is in the bottom of the river."
"Still, I may have hit him. I was no more than fifty yards away."
"I shall have the bed dragged in the morning. I could not rest withoutfinding him. His identity must be learned."
Leaving the settees, they set off in the direction of the house,entering by the rear door. The servants were already in alarm over theshooting and were standing in a group behind the threshold motionlesswith awe. Peggy paused to assure them of their safety, narrating brieflythe cause of the disturbance, together with the probable fate of thespy. She rejoined her husband and his guest in the drawing-room.
"I wonder who the intruder was?" Arnold muttered. There was a look ofworry and anxiety on his face. His fingers nervously locked andinterlocked, and the next moment grasped his chin and rubbed his cheek.He put his foot upon the stool and took it down again. Then he satforward in his chair.
"Reed is behind this," he ejaculated. "You will find out that I amright. Reed has done this, or has sent one of his lieutenants. Damn him!He has hounded me."
"I may have been tracked. Perhaps it was I who was sought. My latemovements might have created suspicion, and it is possible that I wasshadowed here."
"No, Anderson. No! It was not you they were seeking. It is I, I tellyou. Reed has been watching me like a sharpshooter from the day Iarrived. He has been the author of the rumors which you have heard abouttown, and he would risk his life to be enabled to establish a seriouscharge against me. I am sure of it. Reed is behind this; Reed and theCity Council."
"It was a nimble form----"
"Did you say you thought you hit him?" he asked nervously, seeking somesource of comfort and assurance.
"As I live, I hit him," Anderson promised him. "Else I would havediscovered him in the act of swimming. He is in the bottom of theriver."
"That's good, damn him. Oh! If it were but Reed himself! He haunts me."
"He would not haunt you did you but remove yourself from here,"volunteered Peggy.
"I know it. I know it," he repeated. "But how can I?"
"I suggested one avenue to you," proposed Anderson.
"Which?"
He awaited the answer.
"Via England."
His face glared with a livid red. He brought his fist high above hishead.
"By heavens!" he roared. "I won't hear that again. I won't listen to it,I tell you. I'm afraid to do it. I cannot do it. I cannot."
He shook his head as he slowly repeated the words.
"Pardon me," Anderson pleaded, "I intended no harm. I apologize mostsincerely for my impertinence. It will not happen again, I assure you."
"That will do. Drop it at that."
"The vessel will be ready next week? The meeting, then, can take place aweek from Thursday."
"Undoubtedly."
"You will assure me of your interest?"
He was on the point of going. Though he had conquered, still, he did notknow that he had conquered. He believed, as he turned and faced hisfriend for the last time in Mount Pleasant, that his mind was fully madeup and that he had decided for all time in favor of the cause, at thesacrifice of himself.
"I shall do what I can," Arnold whispered, "but no more."
He parted from them at the threshold.
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