CHAPTER XVI

THE VELVET GLOVE CONCEALS THE IRON HAND

There was an unusual stir in the villa when Jeanne arrived. Madame Vance greeted her with some eagerness.

"What has become of the letters?" she cried. "Surely you did not permit the Yankees to take them?"

"I could not help it, Cherie," answered Jeanne noting with her newly acquired insight into the lady's character that her own well-being was of no importance. "I did not know that the soldiers were near until Feliciane gave the alarm and thrust the papers into my hand. She should have kept them. Did she escape?"

"She did. Of course she thought that you would make an effort to do the same. What did the 'Beast' say when he found that a Yankee girl was working against him? It is very droll." And she laughed maliciously. "I am surprised that you got away from him at all."

"I would not have done so had he not believed that I was but a tool in your hands," answered the girl bluntly. "I will never forgive you, Cherie, for the way you deceived me. You told me that your brother was wounded, and that it was only to take him some medicine and food, and you have no brother at all. Was the information that you sent concealed in my basket?"

"Certainly it was," returned Madame lightly. "Was it not for that purpose that you showed me the hiding-place yesterday? Thanks to your cleverness General Thompson is aware of an attack by which Butler meant to surprise him. That basket of yours is a jewel for hiding contraband articles. It will be used again."

"It shall never again be so used if I can help it," cried Jeanne goaded beyond endurance by the knowledge of how she had been tricked. "I would not have believed that you would have been guilty of telling an untruth. You ought to be ashamed of yourself."

"Everything is fair in love and war," said the other mockingly. "It is not wrong to falsify to Yankees."

"I will never forgive you. Never!" cried the girl passionately. "I told General Butler just how you deceived me, and I never can trust you again. To think that such a woman is the wife of my uncle!"

"Be careful of your words, my little Yankee," and the black eyes of the lady glittered balefully. "I have treated you well heretofore, but I may repent of my soft usage. If gentle means will not convince you of the error of your ways we will try other means."

"What do you mean? You dare not use me otherwise than well. I would not submit to anything else, and Uncle Ben would not allow you to ill treat me."

"Your uncle will permit anything that I choose to do," retorted Madame angrily, and the girl knew that she spoke truly. Mr. Vance yielded to his wife in everything. "And listen, girl! I dare anything that I choose to do. I am sick of your puritanical ways, and I have resolved to change them. Why did you return if you were not of our way of thinking? Why did you not stay with 'Beast' Butler since you agree so well? Speak, girl! why did you come back?"

"I--I--because----" Jeanne was unable to proceed. The question was so unexpected that she was not prepared to answer it.

"Aha!" and Madame regarded her keenly. "I see. You came back to spy upon us. Deny it if you can."

Then as the girl made no reply she called:

"Feliciane, Feliciane!" The woman entered the room. "Take this girl to the strong room," she commanded.

"Don't dare to touch me," cried Jeanne springing away from the woman. "I will tell General Butler of this."

"So?" and Madame's face became purple with rage. "You admit it. I thought as much. You have returned as a spy. Oh, he boasts of having his creatures in every household, but he has a de la Chaise to deal with in me. Away with her, Feliciane!"

In vain Jeanne struggled and cried out against the indignity. She was helpless in the hands of the muscular negress, and was soon carried struggling and screaming to the top floor of the house, and pushed unceremoniously into a room, the door closed and locked upon her.

"Foh de land sake, lill' missy, what you doin' heah?" came in a hoarse whisper and Jeanne turned to see the face of Snowball peering at her.

"Snowball, are you here?" she cried stifling her sobs and trying to penetrate the gloom of the darkened chamber.

"Yes, missy, I is. Dey allers puts us in heah aftah we's whipped. But how kum you heah? You wuzn't whipped, wuz yer?"

"No;" and Jeanne seated herself by the prostrate form of the girl and took her hand. "I would rather have been than to do what I did yesterday." She told the darky how Madame had beguiled her into taking the trip to the Confederates, and of her subsequent arrest and discharge.

"I hopes dis Butler will help yer ef de missus got a grudge agin yer," muttered Snowball. "An' she sut'n'ly hab got one elsen she wouldn't put yer in dis place whar we niggas is put. Why, missy, dis ain't no place foh yer."

"But you have to stay here, Snowball. I ought to stand it if you do. I wish there was some way to get word to General Butler. He would take me from here I know."

"Dere won't be no way, missy," said Snowball with melancholy conviction as Jeanne sprang to her feet and began a hurried inspection of the room. "Missus wouldn't leab a mouse hole ef she thought it could be used."

And Jeanne found her words true. It was a small low room without furniture of any kind. A pile of straw upon which the darky lay was the only thing in it. There were iron shutters at the windows so strong that it would require the strength of a man to open them. The door was bolted and Jeanne resumed her seat by the girl in a hopeless manner.

"What can we do, Snowball?"

"Nuffin. Can't do a bressed thing tell de missus ready ter let us out. 'Tain't so bad when yer gits usen ter de dahk."

"Does your back hurt much?"

"Not now, honey. It did huht awful when dey pouhed de brine on tho'."

"The brine! Not salt water, Snowball?"

"Yes'm. It did huht shore nuff when dey pouhed dat on. Dey does it kase dey think de whip won't make no scahs when dey heal. But it do huht awful."

This new horror held Jeanne silent, and her tears fell fast. A fierce indignation foreign to her usually gentle nature shook her from head to foot. "And father used to say that abolitionists were extremists," she thought. "Oh, if ever I get home again I'll cry out on the streets against slavery."

"Is yer cryin', lill' missy?" exclaimed Snowball, as the warm drops fell upon her hands. "Done yer do it. It done mattah 'bout a pore nigga laik me. Heah you is tiahed mos' ter def, I reckon. Can't yer sleep?"

"I'll try, Snowball," and Jeanne crept beside the girl on her straw. "I am tired. I almost wish I could die."

"Done yer be downhahted, missy. Dey'll take me outen heah soon. Jes' as soon as ma back gits well, kase dey can't 'ford ter lose a val'able nigga laik me, and ef dey doesn't take you outen dis 'fore den I'll run away ter de Gin'ral. Heaps of de cullah folks go ter him."

"Will you, Snowball?" A gleam of hope stole into Jeanne's heart. She snuggled down into the straw and soon fell into a deep sleep.

When she awakened she was alone in the room. During her slumber Snowball had been taken away, and Jeanne missed her companionship sorely. A pitcher of water and some bread had been placed by her side, and the girl ate ravenously for she had taken no food since the day before. Then once more she wandered about the room trying to find some means of escape. Realizing that her efforts were useless she sank back on the straw and gave herself up to thoughts of home and her dear parents.

How little any of them thought that her journey would turn out as it had. She pictured her father's indignation when she should tell him of the treatment she had received and her mother's anxiety concerning her. Well, even if Snowball did not get to see General Butler he would seek her just as soon as he heard from her father. Perhaps when he found that he did not hear from her he would come to see what the matter was. And so the hours passed drearily by.

No one came to the room and no sound reached her from below. By the deepening of the gloom she knew that it was drawing near night, and she looked forward with some dread to spending the long hours of darkness in that cheerless place. But summoning all her fortitude she composed herself for slumber.

"I have the flag," she said to herself and took it from her bosom. "I am so glad that the General gave it back to me. How is our side doing, I wonder? Why didn't I think to ask him? It has been so long since I heard. So long!"

With the flag clasped to her breast she fell asleep once more. As before, while she slept food and drink were placed beside her, and it began to look as if she was to be condemned to solitude. In this manner two days passed. On the morning of the third day she was rudely awakened by some one shaking her.

"Get up," cried Madame, who stood by her side. "Get up! We are going."

"Going? Going where?" cried Jeanne, dazedly.

"We are going to your home," answered Madame Vance. "Get up and come with me if you care to go too."

"Home!" repeated Jeanne thinking that she still slept. "Home!"

"Yes; don't sit there like a silly, but come at once. That Yankee beast has ordered that all of the registered enemies of the United States shall leave the city. And we must go."

"Are you really going to take me home?" asked the girl now thoroughly awake. "Oh, if you will, I will forgive everything!"

"Then get ready quickly," said Madame, a cruel light in her eyes which the girl unfortunately did not see. "We must go at once. The 'Beast' will only permit us to take what we can carry with us. The rest of the property must go to enrich him and his brother. Oh, they are a nice pair, but ma foi! what can one expect of Yankees?"

Jeanne made no reply, but followed her to her own room where Snowball was waiting to dress her.

"Mus' you go, lill' missy?" whispered the girl as Madame left them for the moment alone. "I'se 'feerd foh yer ter go."

"Are you going too, Snowball?"

"Missus say I is, an', ob couhse, I long ter huh I'se got ter ef she say so. But I done want ter."

An hour later Mr. and Madame Vance, Jeanne, Feliciane, Snowball and Jeff left the city in company with a number of others. General Butler, wearied with the intrigues of these avowed enemies of the government, had ordered that they should leave his lines for the Confederacy, and imposed the condition that they should not return.

In all the throng that waited to see the Confederates depart Jeanne saw no sign of the General. There were plenty of aids and members of his staff who looked closely after the articles carried away by the departing people, but of the General himself she saw nothing. And so the girl was allowed to depart with the refugees without a word from the Unionists. Blinded by her desire to get home, she left freedom and the protection of the flag and went without question into the heart of Secessia.