CHAPTER IV--A STRANGE PRESENTIMENT
"He alone Is victor who stays not for any doom Foreshadowed; utters neither sigh nor moan; Death stricken, strikes for the right, Nor counts his life his own."
--Atlantic Monthly Calendar, 1908.
An exclamation of intense astonishment burst from the young fellow'slips, and he drew rein quickly. If it was his intention to come to themhe was not allowed to carry it out, for at this moment the leader of thetroopers gave a sharp command, and the whole party swept onward atincreased speed.
"Clifford! Clifford!" called Harriet again and again; but the youth gaveno further heed, and the horsemen were soon beyond the reach of hervoice.
"'Twas Clifford," she cried turning to Peggy with a sob. "Oh, Peggy,what shall I do? He is a prisoner."
"Is thee sure that it was he, Harriet?" questioned Peggy who had beenamazed at what had taken place.
"Did I not see him? And did you not hear him speak? I could not tellwhat he said. Could you? He is a prisoner. I must get to him. Come! wemust go faster, Peggy, so that we can see where they take him."
By this time the dragoons had turned into one of the cross streets, andwhen the girls reached the place of turning they had passed out ofsight.
"I wish Cousin David were here. He would know what to do," cried Harrietgreatly excited. "Couldn't we send for him, Peggy?"
"Father couldn't leave the army now, Harriet, as thee knows. Besides, itwould take long to send for him, and thy brother might be gone before hecould get here. We must find John. He will know what to do."
"Then let us hurry, hurry," exclaimed the English girl clasping herhands convulsively together.
Lieutenant Drayton was just ascending the steps of the Owens' dwellingas they reached Fourth Street, but catching sight of them he ran downthe stoop to join them.
"The Congress hath but this moment finished with me," he said, "so thatit was impossible for me to come to Pegg's Run. Was the skating fine? Ishould like to have seen it, and to have taken a turn---- Why! what hathhappened?" he broke off, all at once becoming aware of theirperturbation. "You both seem somewhat upset."
"'Tis Harriet's brother," explained Peggy seeing that her cousin wasunable to speak. "A party of American horse came from the North bringingin some prisoners, and Harriet saw her brother, Clifford, among them.She called to him, but they would not let him stop. They turned intoArch Street, and we lost sight of them."
"When did it happen, Peggy?"
"But now, John. Just as we were leaving Pegg's Run. Could thee findwhere they went?"
"Oh, Lieutenant Drayton, will you find him for me?" entreated Harriet.
"I will try, Mistress Harriet. If he is to stay in the city, he will beput in one of the jails. If he is to go on to the interior the partywould stop at one of the inns for the night, as 'tis now too late in theday to go further. The thing to do will be to go to the jails, and if hebe not there, to make the round of the inns. Be not over-anxious. If heis to be found, and surely 'twill be an easy matter, I will soon bringyou word of it."
He lifted his beaver as he finished speaking, and left them. The twogirls went slowly into the dwelling, and reported the affair to Mrs.Owen.
"John will find him, Harriet," said the lady soothingly. "That is, ofcourse, if he stays in the city, and as the lad says, the troopers willof a certainty stop here for the night. Try to occupy thyself until hisreturn. He will do everything he can to find thy brother. Should he befound then we will try to get his release in some manner; but now busythyself about something. Thee is too much agitated, and will makethyself ill again."
"I know not what to do," objected Harriet sinking into her favorite seaton the settle before the fire. "What shall I do, Peggy?"
"Read to me from that poem, Harriet," suggested Peggy, bringing thevolume to her cousin. "Thee was to do that this morning when John camewith news of the battle. 'Twill make the time pass more quickly."
"I would rather talk," said Harriet, turning the leaves of the bookrapidly. "I do not believe that a poem will content me. A tale would bemore enthralling. Still there are some beautiful passages, and I willtry some of them. Here is one that is considered one of the finest inthe poem. Father read it to me once."
With a voice rendered more expressive than usual by reason of herunwonted emotion Harriet read that wonderful and pathetic invocation tolight with which the blind poet begins the third canto of his immortalpoem:
"'Hail, holy Light, offspring of heaven first-born.'"
She was fond of poetry, and fond also of reading it aloud; so that soonher attention was caught by the musical cadence of the verse. Peggywatched her, amazed at the transition that now took place. She who hadbeen so agitated and anxious a few moments before was absorbed by therhythm of the poem. Her eyes kindled; her cheeks flushed, and heraccents became sonorous:
"'Thus with the year Seasons return, but not to me returns Day, or the sweet approach of even or morn, Or sight of vernal bloom, or summer's rose, Or flocks, or herds, or human face divine; But cloud instead and ever during dark Surrounds me----'
"Oh!" screamed the girl, suddenly letting the book fall to the floor asshe pressed her hands to her eyes. "The dark! The dark!"
"What is it?" cried Peggy running to her. "What is the matter, Harriet?"
"Oh, I shall be blind! I shall be blind," broke from Harriet in agonizedtones. "I know I shall. It came to me just now. Oh, Peggy! Peggy!"
"What a fancy!" cried Peggy giving her a little shake. "Thee is allupset, Harriet. Mother must give thee some Jesuits' Bark."
"But I shall be," moaned the girl. "I know that it will happen."
"Thy sight will dim with age, of course," said Peggy in a matter-of-facttone. "Just as mine will, and as mother's hath already done. Then wewill both wear bridge glasses, unless we use the spectacles with wiresupports which Dr. Franklin hath invented. And thou wilt look at me overthem; like this."
She tucked her chin down on her breast, and looked at her cousin sodrolly that Harriet laughed through her tears.
"That's better," approved Peggy. "Thine eyes are all right, Harriet. Isee naught wrong with them save that they are much prettier than mine;which is not at all to my liking."
Again Harriet laughed, well pleased with the compliment.
"I do believe that you are right, Peggy," she said. "I am full offancies. But oh! you don't know how I felt for a few moments." Sheshivered, and passed one hand lightly over her eyes. "I've read thatpassage often, but never before did it affect me so. I could see thedark, the 'ever-during dark,' about me; and it came to me that I shouldbe blind."
"Don't talk of it. Don't even think about it," said Peggy soothingly."As I said, thee is all upset over thy brother, and therefore is proneto imagine many things. 'Tis lowness of mind that causes it. Now whilewe wait for John, we will make mother let us get the supper. Thou shaltmake the chocolate, Harriet. In that thee excels."
And in this manner, talking to her as though she were a little child,Peggy beguiled her cousin into forgetfulness of her strange foreboding.