CHAPTER XXICOUNTRY VISITORS
Capt. Grandiere and Rosemary left the Old Capitol prison by the way they had entered it, and bent their steps toward Pennsylvania Avenue, and thence toward their hotel.
The old skipper went upstairs with Rosemary, to ask after Mrs. Force.
They found all the young people of their party still in the drawing room.
Mr. Force was up another flight of stairs in the room next to that of his sick wife.
Lieut. Force had returned to his ship.
Odalite, Wynnette and Elva were seated about the room, trying to work at their flower embroidery and conversing at intervals in hushed voices.
“Well! And how is the mother by this time?” cheerily inquired the captain, with a view to encourage the daughters.
“Dr. Bolton has just made a second visit, and says that she will do well, if not disturbed,” replied Odalite.
“Thank Heaven! I hope she will be all right in a day or two!” exclaimed Grandiere, heartily, as he threw himself into a big armchair and dropped his hat between his feet.
“How did you leave Roland?” inquired Wynnette.
“Perfectly well, as to his bodily health. He inquired after you all, and sent his respects to you.”
“How does he take his arrest and imprisonment?—that is what I meant,” said Wynnette.
“Bravely and patiently, as should a man with a good conscience,” replied the captain.
“You can prove that he was a prisoner among the pirates, and not a comrade of their crew?” said Wynnette.
“I can swear that he was their prisoner,” replied the old man.
“And, of course, that will clear him,” said Wynnette, conclusively.
The old skipper did not contradict her.
Perhaps he might have done so, however, if at that moment the door had not opened to admit a waiter, whobrought a handful of cards that he held together like an open fan.
Before he could deliver them a group of laughing visitors passed him and entered the room.
Rosemary made a dart at the group, exclaiming:
“Mother! Oh, mother!”
She was caught in the arms of Mrs. Dorothy Hedge and covered with tears and kisses, while the three other girls rushed upon Miss Susannah Grandiere, and the old skipper trotted across the room and shook hands with his grandnephew Sam, who was the only member of the visiting party left for him.
The words that followed on all sides were at first rather incoherent, as such greetings after such partings are apt to be.
“We followed up the fellow who brought up our tickets. Fancy our staying downstairs to wait for him to go and come! So as he insisted on taking our tickets first and handed us blank ones and a pencil, I wrote all our names down and let him take them, but we followed close behind the tickets!” said Mr. Sam Grandiere.
“Cards, dear Sam! Cards!” whispered Wynnette.
“How is it that you are not in the army?” inquired Capt. Grandiere.
“Because somebody had to stay home to plow and sow and look after the family,” replied the young man.
“And so you never volunteered, and you bought a substitute when you were drafted?”
“I never volunteered because my father and brother were both in the army, and because, as I said before, somebody had to stay home and look after the crops. And I never was drafted; if I had been I should have gone in, because I could not have found it in my conscience to tempt any poor fellow with money to go and get shot in my place. No, if I had been drafted I should have gone.”
“Right, my boy! Right! Right! Right!” exclaimed his uncle, heartily.
“And how are all here?” inquired Miss Susannah Grandiere, when at length all were seated.
“You see us all here except papa and mamma. Papa is well, but mamma——” Here the speaker, Odalite, paused as the tears choked her voice.
Miss Grandiere looked from one to the other of the family party in mute, though anxious inquiry.
“Mrs. Force was taken suddenly ill this morning,” said the old captain, speaking for his friends. “No! now don’t be alarmed! The doctor, who has just left her, says that she is doing well, and will be all right if kept quiet!” he added, to soothe the uneasiness of the visitors.
“But what is the matter with her?” inquired Mrs. Hedge.
“She had a severe shock, and fell into a swoon. She has been lying prostrate, but quiet, ever since. Now, don’t be alarmed; there is no danger.”
“But what sort of a shock?” inquired Miss Grandiere.
“Susannah, you were always inquisitor-general. Mrs. Force heard suddenly that a friend of ours, young Roland Bayard, had been taken prisoner under exceptional circumstances.”
“What circumstances?” persisted the inquisitor.
The old skipper heaved a deep sigh, and as briefly as he could, told the story of Roland’s double capture, first by theArgente, that took theKitty, and afterward by theEagle, that took theArgente, and he added, without reserve, the circumstances of Capt. Silver’s alleged claim upon Roland, which sealed the lips of the latter.
“Roland the pirate’s son! Why, he is no more Silver’s son than he is mine!” exclaimed young Sam.
“But, now tell us how it was that you found us so soon?”
“Well,” said Sam, “to begin at the beginning: On Monday morning we got your telegram saying that you had all arrived safe, and that Uncle Gideon was along with you, and you would be with us in a few days. Naturally we were all rejoiced and we waited for you. But on Wednesday morning we got the New York papers, telling all about the capture of theArgenteby theEagle, and the arrival of theArgenteunder command of Lieut. Force, and of the prize being ordered to the navy yard here!”
“And it did not need one to rise from the dead to reveal the fact that we should all come directly to this city to meet Le!” put in Wynnette.
“No, it didn’t!” assented Sam.
“And so I offered to come up and see you. And Aunt Dolly and Aunt Sukey said they would come, too. So I harnessed the two strongest draft horses to the old carryall, and we set out yesterday morning. We got as far as Horsehead last night, and put up there for the night. This morning we started early, and reached the city about noon. First, like a fool, I drove my party to your sometime house at the West End. Found it was all turned into public offices. Then we went the rounds of the hotels and now at last we have found you.”
“Good boy!” exclaimed Wynnette.
“But have you found rooms?” anxiously inquired the old skipper.
“No. Our carryall is at the door. We came here to call first, but we also hoped that we would be able to put up here,” said Sam.
“Indeed, I hope you may,” said the old skipper; “but the dearest thing in Washington at the present time is space! If I had a room to myself I would offer it to these ladies, but I have only a single bed in a double-bedded room.”
“But, at any rate, you will order your carriage aroundto the livery stable and spend the day with us. That will give Mr. Grandiere time to see about your rooms, here or elsewhere,” said Odalite to the two elder ladies, who were seated on the sofa, with Rosemary between them, with each of her little hands clasped one in each of theirs.
“Yes, my dear, thank you, we will spend the day,” announced Mrs. Hedge, for her party.
“Come up now and lay off your wraps,” said Rosemary, leading the way to what, in party parlance, was now called the room.
“Uncle,” inquired Sam Grandiere, very anxiously, “are matters really serious with Roland Bayard?”
“So serious, my lad, that I fear for the worst. Unless he can be disabused of this idea that Silver has impressed upon him—that he is the pirate’s own son—he will never be induced to give the testimony that will convict that pirate and vindicate himself.”
“If Miss Sibby Bayard were only here; she might be of use at this time,” mused Sam, aloud.
“Miss Sibby Bayard is here, you bet! Talk of the devil and you know what follows,” said a voice on the threshold, and the form of the lady in question appeared at the door. “When a thing is got to be done, sez I, the sooner the better, sez I! And so here I am, good folks.”