CHAPTER X
AN UNFORESEEN RESULT
He was not an agreeable looking man and Jeanne felt an instinctivedistrust of him instantly. For a few moments she hesitated, and thethought came to her that she would not give him the papers. But was itnot for this very thing that she had come to New Orleans? What would herfather say if she did not fulfil her trust?
"You wished to see me?" said John Archer, and it seemed to Jeanne thathe was trying to make signs to her.
"If you are Mr. John Archer?" and Jeanne looked at him steadily. "I camefrom Mr. Richard Vance."
"Vance? Richard Vance?" repeated the other as if the name conveyed nothingof importance to his mind. "What Vance?"
"Why Richard Vance of New York City," answered Jeanne in astonishment.She had inferred from what her father had said that John Archer would bewell acquainted with the name. "He is my father, and he has sent me to youwith some papers. If you are Mr. John Archer?"
"I am he," answered the man, "but I know nothing about any papers."
"I thought that you would," murmured Jeanne. There seemed somethingstrange to her in the way the man was acting. "My mother sewed them intomy petticoat," she continued with a growing reluctance against partingwith them. "If there is any place where I could go I would get them. Itseemed the best way to carry them."
"Orderly," interposed General Butler turning to them, "take the young ladyto Mrs. Butler. My wife will gladly assist you," he added to Jeanne.
"Thank you," said Jeanne, gratefully hurrying after the Orderly. They soonreached the apartments set aside for the use of General Butler's wife, andshe herself opened the door in answer to the Orderly's knock.
"Come right in," she said cordially in response to Jeanne's rapidexplanation. "You are young to be sent on such an errand, my dear. Butthe times are such that we cannot always choose our messengers. Veryoften the young prove more reliable than older persons. You say thatthey are in your petticoat, my child?"
"Yes, ma'am," returned Jeanne. "You see it made my frock stand out likecrinoline and no one would think it was anything else."
"And a good place it is too," replied the lady busy with her scissors."You have a thoughtful mother."
"Mrs. Butler," said the little girl suddenly after she and the lady hadfinished their task and the papers lay before them, "do you know JohnArcher?"
"No, child. Why?"
"He is the man to whom my father sent these papers," said the girlthoughtfully. "Someway I do not like him. I wish he were not the man."
"My dear," reproved the lady gently, "we ought not to let our fanciesdominate us. If the man came to the General's rooms and was receivedthere, rest assured that he is all right. The General has means of knowingwhether a man is to be trusted or not."
"True," replied Jeanne, and feeling that it would be ungracious to givefurther expression to her distrust she went slowly back to the parlor.Why should she, a mere child, presume to doubt a man whom the General andeven her own father trusted? "But I do wish," sighed she as she opened thedoor of the apartment. "I do wish that he were not the man."
"Here are the papers," she said, going straight to Mr. Archer.
"Thank you." Archer took the papers mechanically and without another wordor look at her turned to the Orderly, and was conducted from the room.
Jeanne stood looking after him somewhat dismayed. Was this all? Some wayshe had thought, had expected it to be so different. Mr. Huntsworth,Captain Leathers, even the great Farragut had seemed to consider thatshe had done wonders in carrying the papers but this man thought nothingof her action. Tears of disappointment welled to her eyes.
"Never mind, child," said Farragut seeing her distress. "Some people areso matter of fact that they suppose the whole world is of the same way ofthinking. Besides, the consciousness of a good action is its own reward."
"Ye-es," said Jeanne, "I know that it ought to be. It says so in mycopy-book. But I thought that it would be so different."
"It would be a fine thing if all our acts would receive approbation,"remarked General Butler. "Brass bands and calcium lights are things thathuman nature craves for deeds well done, but they are seldom given. Thatis, until one dies."
"Don't be cynical, General," laughed Farragut. "The child will find itout soon enough."
"Yes; I suppose so," replied Butler. "Didn't you say something about anuncle, Admiral?"
"Yes; that is the next thing in order. She is to stay with him until herfather tells her to return. Her uncle is Benjamin Vance."
"Whe-ew," whistled the General an expression of blank amazement on hisface. "Did you say Benjamin Vance?"
"Certainly. Do you know him?"
"I do," replied the General emphatically. "And this girl is his niece,and she brings papers down here to Archer? It is about the boldest thingI ever heard of!"
"Why! What do you mean?"
"I'll tell you presently. Come here, girl. Do you hear often from youruncle?" he asked as Jeanne approached.
"No, sir. Father has not heard from him in years. He came South longbefore I was born, but I remembered that he lived here when I was gettingfather to let me bring the papers."
"Isn't it strange that you should have remembered it just at that time?"questioned Butler sharply.
"Why, no," answered the girl regarding him with wide open eyes. "I haveheard my father speak of Uncle Ben all my life, and when New Orleans wasmentioned I always thought of him. So I said that I was coming to seeUncle Ben when I was truly bringing the papers to Mr. Archer. Fatherthought it was best."
"I see. What is in the papers?"
"I don't know, sir." Jeanne looked at him so innocently that he wascompelled to believe her.
"Well, you at least, are innocent, I do believe. Now, child, what elsedid you bring? Anything for your uncle?"
"I brought him some quinine," answered Jeanne half laughing. "Father hadit fixed for me in my lunch basket. He said if I should fall in with therebels and they questioned me too closely I was to own up about it. See!here is the basket. The quinine is right down in this place."
"I don't understand about the thing," said the General in a low tone tothe Admiral. "The girl is either the most innocent person in the worldand everything is exactly as she says, or she is a consummate actress,young as she is."
"General, what in the world do you mean?" queried Farragut.
"I mean," said General Butler sternly, "that it looks very much to me asif some mischief were afloat. John Archer is under arrest for disloyaltyto the government. Naturally this makes it bad for the girl."
"Then," said Farragut gravely, "why did you permit him to have thosepapers?"
"He will not have them long. Did you not notice an Orderly go out afterhim?"
"I saw a man go out, but I thought nothing of it," was the response.
"That man has his orders. Archer was relieved of the papers as soon ashe left the room. I wanted to get all the evidence against him that Icould hence I did not tell you about the matter at first. I thought thathe might recognize the girl or she him."
"I believe that you are wrong," said Farragut earnestly. "I know nothingof course about Archer, but I would stake my life that what the girl saysis true. It would be bold indeed to deliver documents serviceable to theenemy under our very noses."
"The very boldness of the scheme would make it successful. Besides,the fellow's arrest is recent. His accomplices in the North cannotpossibly have heard of it as yet. He has been in the service of the Unionuntil suspected of furnishing information to the enemy. You can see whythe girl would deliver the papers before us. Another thing, her uncle,Benjamin Vance, is one of the worst rebels in the city."
"What!" cried Farragut.
"Yes."
"But she is too young to enter into any such scheme."
"Ah! you do not know these people as I do. They are perfectly unscrupulousas regards ways and means when it comes to carrying a point. Do you knowthe girl's father? I judged not from what you told me of meeting with her."
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"No," admitted Farragut. "But she carried a letter to Commodore Porterwith a few lines from Wallace at Memphis to me. Really you must bemistaken."
"Letters can be forged," said Butler sententiously. "And sometimeswheedled from officers, as we know to our sorrow. She may be but a tool ofpersons who hope that her youth will protect her from the consequences.You must confess that it looks bad. Ah, Johnson," as his Orderly madehis appearance, "did you get them?"
"Yes, sir."
Jeanne started forward with a cry of amazement as the Orderly laid uponthe table the very papers which she had given John Archer but a short timebefore.
General Butler spread them before him for inspection.
"You can see for yourself that they contain important information," hesaid to Farragut. "This thing would be all right if Archer were loyal;otherwise it may show how it happens that the enemy obtains so muchinformation that it should not. The girl is certainly an emissary ofthe Confederates."
"A what?" cried Jeanne starting forward indignantly, for the General hadraised his voice and she had overheard the last words. "What did you say,sir?"
"I said," and the General turned to her abruptly and spoke sternly, "thatunless you can prove otherwise, that you are sent with these papers toArcher for the rebels."
"Why, my father sent me," cried the girl blankly. "He is in the employof the government and so is Mr. Archer."
"Archer was until quite recently, but he is now under arrest on strongsuspicion of giving information to the enemy. You see everything is known,child. Tell the truth. Who sent you here?"
"My father," said Jeanne again, looking piteously from one to the other."Oh, what does he mean, Admiral? What does he mean?"
"Child," Farragut took her hand kindly. "Tell me truly. What is yourfather?"
"He is in the employ of the government," reiterated Jeanne vehemently. "Hesends communications all over the states, because he told me so. He saidthat telegraphs were not to be trusted, nor the mails either. For thatreason people were sent to the different cities with information aboutthe government."
"That proves nothing," said the General, "unless it can be substantiated.Why then do you want to visit your uncle--if you are loyal--when he issuch a rebel?"
"A rebel?" cried Jeanne recoiling in horror. "Is my uncle a rebel?"