Part 11 (1/2)
”Oh!” cried the woman, throwing back her head, ”you are wrong. You do not know, you do not understand. I honored Major Lacy, I rejoiced in his courage, but I did not love him. It is not he that I think of. It is my father.”
”Your father? What do you mean?”
”Admiral Vernon.”
”What!”
”Yes, he is my father. My name is f.a.n.n.y Glen Vernon.”
”Good heavens! It cannot be possible.”
”It is true. My mother was a Southern woman, one of the Glens of Halifax-”
”I knew her!” exclaimed Beauregard.
”She died when I was a child, and I was brought up by her sister. My father-I did not see much of him. He was a sailor, and after my mother's death he sought constantly to be in active service. When the war broke out he said he must stand by the old flag. I strove to persuade him differently. It was horrible to me, to think that a son of South Carolina, and my father, would fight against her. There was a quarrel between us. I told my father I would not acknowledge him any longer. I repudiated the Vernon name and came here and worked for the South, as you know. When I learned yesterday that you were going to blow up the Wabash-”
”But my dear child,” interrupted the general, quickly, ”we didn't blow up the Wabash.”
”But you said that Major Lacy had succeeded!” said the girl in great bewilderment.
”He did. The Wabash and Housatonic exchanged places during the night, and the latter was sunk. The Wabash is all right. For your sake, my dear Miss f.a.n.n.y, I say thank G.o.d for the mistake.”
”Then my father is safe?”
”He is. Some Yankees we captured this morning say that he is to be relieved of his command and ordered North on a sick leave. He will no longer be in danger from us, you see.”
”Thank G.o.d, thank G.o.d!” cried the girl, and the relief in her voice and face seemed to make another woman of her. ”It was wrong, I know. It was treason to the South-I love the South-but I strove to prevent-”
”Ah!” exclaimed Beauregard. ”I have it now! Sempland-”
”Oh, sir!” cried the girl, ”where is he?”
”He is preparing,” continued Beauregard, coolly-he had the clew to the mystery and he determined to follow it to the end-”to be tried by a court-martial-”
”By a court-martial, General Beauregard! For what, sir?”
”For disobedience of orders and neglect of duty, in the face of the enemy. And I am in two minds whether to these charges should be added cowardice and treason or not!”
”Impossible!” exclaimed f.a.n.n.y Glen.
”Miss Glen, it is an absolute fact. He came to me yesterday afternoon and volunteered for the command of the expedition. Begged for it, in fact. Major Lacy reluctantly but generously yielded to him with my consent.”
”It was for me he sought it,” said the girl, full of reproach for herself. ”I had mocked him for his lack of distinction, sir, before he saw you. He hazarded his life for my approval and for the cause of the South.”
A fuller light broke upon the general's mind. He understood all now, yet he went on pitilessly.