Peggy Owen at Yorktown by Lucy Foster Madison
CHAPTER XVII--AN UNWELCOME ENCOUNTER
"He stood alone--A renegade Against the Country he betrayed."
Peggy leaned against the fence for support, trembling violently. GeneralArnold was evidently bound for the palace, and she must pass him if shecontinued on her way to the hospital. The thought of running back to thehouse, and waiting until he had passed came to her, but she foundherself incapable of moving. Peggy was obliged to resign herself to theencounter.
The scarlet and gold of the British uniform well became him, Peggy couldnot but observe. His dark, handsome face looked impassively from underhis laced, cocked hat, and with quickening heart-throbs she saw that hestill limped. Wildly she hoped that he would pass by without noticingher, and she watched his approach with a sort of fascination.
The birds sang merrily above her head, flitting from tree to tree acrossthe blue of the sky. From the topmost bough of a near-by mulberry treean oriole poured forth a flood of melody. A fresh river breeze bearingon its wings the odors of the sea stirred the maiden's hair and touchedher flushed cheeks with refreshing coolness.
Alas! as he came directly in front of her he raised his eyes, and thenstopped abruptly with an exclamation of surprise and wonder.
"Why! it is Miss Peggy Owen, is it not?" he asked with a genial smile.
"Yes," answered she faintly. "It is, Fr----" then she stopped. The wordfriend stuck in her throat. She could not utter it. Friend? Nay, he wasnot that. He had forfeited the title forever. And so, after a briefhesitation, she continued: "It is I, in truth, General Arnold."
A flush had come into his swarthy face as she substituted the title"general" for friend. He bent his dark compelling eye upon her withwistful eagerness.
"Miss Peggy," he said, holding out his hand with a winning smile, "weare both a long way from home. I little thought to find my girl frienddown here. I give you greeting."
"And I give thee greeting also, sir," she returned. But she did not putout her hand. She could not.
She had been taught all her life to return good for evil. To submit tobaseness and ingratitude with meekness; but Peggy could not bringherself to clasp Benedict Arnold's hand in greeting. Above the singingof the birds she heard John Drayton's heart-broken cry, "My general! mygeneral! my general!" She saw again the anguish of strong men at thedefection of a brave soldier. How Drayton had loved him--this dashing,daring leader who had ruined his ideal of manhood. The blankness andawfulness of the pall that had settled upon the country after hisdesertion had not yet been dissipated. Men had not yet ceased to looksuspiciously upon each other. Officers spoke with hushed voices even yetof how the great heart of General Washington had been all but crushed bythis man's falseness. And now he stood before her with outstretched handin the April sunshine.
"I give thee greeting, sir," she said with unsmiling lips. "Greeting andgood-day." And she made as if to pass him.
"Stay," he said, his face crimsoned, and dark with anger. "Am I not fitto be spoken to? You regard me as a traitor, do you not? Yes; your eyestell it though you say it not. My little maid, may not a man change hisopinions? Have I not heard that your father was not always of the beliefthat bloodshed was lawful? Nay; even you yourself have changed since thebeginning of the war. Once you and your family held that resistance tothe powers that be was wrong. That submission to the king was not onlyproper but duty as well. Have I not the right to change my views andopinions also?"
"Yes," she made answer. "Thee has the right. Any man may change."
"Then why condemn me?" he cried with passion.
"I do not condemn thee, sir; I leave that to God and thy conscience,"she said. "But oh!" she cried unable to control herself longer, "why didthee not do it openly? No man would have held thee to blame had theecome out boldly, and acknowledged thy changed views. But to seek to giveour strongest fortress into the hands of the enemy; to betray a braveman to death, to destroy the idol that thee had made for thyself in thehearts of thy soldiers, to bring sorrow to General Washington, who hathso much to bear; this was not well, sir. 'Twas not done in the honorablemanner that men had a right to expect of Benedict Arnold. And now, tocome with fire and sword against thine own people! How can thee do it?How can thee?"
"You do not understand. There have been men who have been willing tobear infamy that good might come of it. I sought to be one of them. Whenthe colonies have been restored to their rightful allegiance the mattermay appear in a different light. Miss Peggy, you do not understand."
"No," she answered reluctant to prolong the interview. "I do not, sir;nor do I wish to."
"Child," he said, regarding her with a winsome smile, "once you werebeset with pride because you walked the length of a drawingroom by myside. Will you pleasure me with your company down this street?"
Peggy's eyes were misty, and her voice full of infinite sadness as shereplied:
"When I was proud to walk with thee, thou wert a brave soldier, woundedin the defense of thy country. Now thou hast betrayed that country, andthou hast come against thine own people, plundering and burning theproperty of thy brothers. I walk with no traitor, sir."
Over his dark forehead, cheek, and neck the red blood rioted at herwords, and his dark eyes flashed ominously.
"So be it," he said at length. "Enemies we are, then. I could haveserved you greatly. Perhaps it would have been better for you to havebeen more politic; but no matter. Benedict Arnold forces his presenceupon no one. This one thing, however, I ask of you: Tell me, I pray,where John Drayton is. But answer that and I will leave you in peace."
"BENEDICT ARNOLD FORCES HIS PRESENCE UPON NO ONE"]
"Thee means to tempt him," breathed Peggy, looking at him with startledglance. "Thee has no right to know that. He was broken-hearted over thydefection from thy country. He shed tears of sorrow. He and DanielMorgan also. He would not wish to hear from thee. Molest him not, I begof thee."
"Ah! that touched you," he cried. "If you are so sure of his loyalty whyask me not to molest him? Are you afraid that he will come to me for thelove he bears me?"
"No," responded the girl indignantly, stung to the quick by his sneeringmanner. "John is fighting with the army, as he should be. Thee could notpersuade him to leave his duty, sir. I trust him as I do myself."
"How now!" he cried. "Wilt lay a wager with me that another two monthswill not find John Drayton fighting by my side? Wilt lay a wager on't,my little maid?"
"No; I will not," she said, her eyes dilated with scorn at theproposition. "Neither will I tell thee where he is so that thou canstvilely try to woo him from his allegiance. John is loyal to his country.He hath been severely tried, and not yet found wanting. I should be lessthan friend to consent that thou shouldst make an attempt upon hishonor."
"You have told me where he is, Mistress Peggy, without knowing it," andhe laughed maliciously. "Daniel Morgan hath been, until of late, withGeneral Greene's army in the Carolinas. If Drayton and Morgan weretogether it follows as a matter of course that Drayton is also withGreene."
"Oh!" ejaculated Peggy in dismay. Then her native wit came to her aid."But that was last fall," she objected. "It doth not follow that even ifhe were there then, he is now. At that time thou wert with the enemy inNew York; yet now thou art in Virginia. Why should he remain stationaryany more than thou shouldst?"
"Well reasoned," he approved, still laughing. "It doth not matter wherehe is, Mistress Peggy. I can find him if I wish. And I may wish. Do youlive here?" indicating the cottage abruptly.
"For the time being, sir," answered Peggy, longing to terminate theinterview. "I am here to care for my cousin, who is of the Britisharmy."
"Which accounts for the guard. Ah! Mistress Peggy, I see that despiteyour Whig proclivities you know the wisdom of having a friend among theenemy. Perhaps you would have met my friendly overtures in anotherspirit had it not been so. I give you good-day. Perchance we may meetagain."
Bowing low he left her, and feeling somehow very uncomfortable Peggywe