IN BONDS. 
 
 A NOVEL. 
 
 BY 
 
 LAURA PRESTON. 
 
 WITH CAUTION JUDGE OF PROBABILITY ; 
 THINGS THOUGHT UNLIKELY, E'EN IMPOSSIBLE, 
 EXPERIENCE OFTEN SHOWS US TO BE TRUE." 
 
 Shakespeare. 
 
 A. ROMAN & COMPANY, 
 BOOKSELLERS, PUBLISHERS, AND IMPORTERS, 
 
 417 and 419 Montgomery St., San Francisco : 
 
 I 7 MERCER ST. , NEW YORK. 
 
 1867. 
 
fsss 
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the Year of our Lord 1867, 
 
 By A. ROMAN & CO., 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Northern District of the State of California. 
 
 EDWARD BOSQUI & CO., PRINTERS, 
 517 Clay Street. 
 

 To WALTER WILLIAM PALMER, 
 
 OF SAN FRANCISCO, 
 
 This Volume is Affectionately Dedicated. 
 
 SAN FRANCISCO, 
 
 April, 1867. 
 
IN BONDS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 " In Love, if Love be Love, if Love be ours, 
 Faith and unfaith can ne'er be equal powers; 
 Unfaith in aught is want of faith in all." 
 
 " Trust me not at all or all in all." 
 
 Tennyson's " Vivian." 
 
 THE tide was coming in. Gen- 
 tly the swelling waves kissed 
 the pebbly strand, as they yielded 
 unto it their offerings of strangely- 
 fashioned shells and clinging weeds. 
 Gleaming in the last rays of the set- 
 ting sun, they rolled murmuringly 
 almost to the feet of a young girl who 
 stood pensively watching their ebb 
 and flow r . 
 
 The scene was exceedingly wild 
 and picturesque, and of it the fair 
 wanderer formed a striking feature as 
 she stood facing the ocean framed 
 by gray, barren cliffs which rose ab- 
 ruptly upon each hand. Standing 
 thus with the shadows of evening 
 stealthily gathering over her face and 
 enwrapping her form, and all sur- 
 rounding it, she might have been 
 fancied the very Genius of Solitude. 
 She was of medium height, though 
 she looked much taller as she stood, 
 with her crimson shawl wrapped 
 closely around her slender figure, 
 gazing intently far over the waters. 
 She was very pale not purely white 
 but of that rich olive tint which dis- 
 
 tinguishes beauties of the far South. 
 Even her cheeks were unflushed by a 
 tint of rose, yet were redeemed from 
 sallowness by a glow of warmth which 
 was diffused over her countenance, 
 as if a sunbeam were prisoned there. 
 Her hair was of purplish blackness, 
 shining and wavy, brushed plainly 
 back from the somewhat low fore- 
 head, and gathered in a large knot 
 at the back of her well-formed head. 
 A bow of crimson ribbon enhanced 
 its blackness, and gave a tint of color 
 to the cheek near which it floated. 
 A shadow of deep thought a faint 
 trace of melancholy seemed to set- 
 tle upon her as she thus stood mo- 
 tionless, her full red lips compressed, 
 and her white hands tightly clasped, 
 as if in a mighty effort to restrain the 
 impatience of her soul. 
 
 At last she started, and a smile of 
 joy banished all gloom from her face 
 as she heard the faint sound of a hu- 
 man voice break upon the stillness. 
 Turning quickly she eagerly looked, 
 first to the narrow, level beach on her 
 left, and then up among the cliffs, 
 upon a narrow path by which also the 
 cove might be gained. On the sum- 
 mit of the highest cliff stood a young 
 man, who waved his hand in token 
 of recognition, and then began the 
 descent of the precipitous path. The 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 way was rugged and called into action 
 all his agility and strength of muscle. 
 His figure was tall and slender, but 
 seemingly not fitted to endure much 
 fatigue. His face was handsome, 
 delicate in its outlines, and express- 
 ive of more pride than strength of 
 character, its greatest charm resting 
 in the gentle expression of the lips, 
 the proud curves and lines of which 
 seemed ever on the point of yielding 
 to the joyous smile that betokens a 
 benevolent soul. High-minded and 
 good-natured, those who knew him 
 best described Harold DeGrey to be. 
 His was a character that needed no 
 disguises, and affected none. 
 
 The young girl contemplated his 
 descent with a smile of pleasure upon 
 her lips, and sprang joyfully forward 
 as he gained the flat beach and stood 
 before her. 
 
 "La Guerita, I am most happy 
 to find you here ! " he exclaimed, 
 clasping his arms around her and 
 pressing a kiss upon her lips, smil- 
 ing rapturously as she glanced at him 
 shyly through her long curling lashes. 
 
 "My love," he continued, exult- 
 antly, "you know I promised you 
 good news if you would meet me 
 here, and did I ever deceive you, La 
 Guerita ? " 
 
 " O no, Harold ! " she spoke ea- 
 gerly ; yet she trembled and her lips 
 grew pale. 
 
 "And I will not now, my own ! I 
 have, indeed, good news for you ; or 
 at least I shall be the most miserable 
 of men if you do not find it so. I 
 have seen Professor Harland. All 
 is satisfactory. He consents to our 
 union, and nothing now remains to 
 serve as a barrier to our felicity." 
 
 "But, Harold, what did the Pro- 
 
 fessor say ? " she spoke anxiously, as 
 if scarcely satisfied with the manner 
 in which her lover had spoken. 
 
 He instantly became grave, as he 
 replied : ' ' He said enough, my love, 
 to allay all my - your scruples. 
 Mine your sweet face had long ago 
 allayed." 
 
 "Did he tell you ? " she be- 
 gan eagerly. 
 
 ' ' He told me very little, dearest, 
 but what we knew before, " interrupt- 
 ed DeGrey ; ' ' and although, my . 
 love, it is indeed a pleasure to me 
 to be confirmed in my ideas of the 
 respectability of your birth, you will 
 not, I am sure, believe that my affec- 
 tion for you could have been lessened 
 even if your own foolish fears had 
 been proven true. " 
 
 She smiled a reply, and a little 
 doubtfully, he thought, and coloring 
 redly, he exclaimed : ' ' Ah, La Gue- 
 rita, you think it has not long been 
 so, but I believe it has been the case 
 for a much longer period than I am 
 myself aware of. " 
 
 ' ' I am happy to believe it, " she 
 said unaffectedly, ' ' but I would not 
 have you blind to your own feelings 
 or interests, Harold, or be so myself. 
 I know that you are proud, and the 
 mystery surrounding my birth must 
 be a sore trial to you. " 
 
 He did not speak, but the expres- 
 sion of his face showed that she was 
 right. She stood at his side uneasily 
 for a moment, then turning toward 
 him with a quick, impatient gesture, 
 asked, ' ' What did Professor Harland 
 say ? " 
 
 ' ' Enough to satisfy me ! " return- 
 ed DeGrey, ingenuously owning that 
 his pride had long striven with his 
 love, even as her own had done, 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 but not so generously. ' ' In the first 
 place, La Guerita, he told me, as you 
 know already, that Fabean and your- 
 self were left in his care when mere 
 infants by an elderly Quakeress, and 
 a gentleman of prepossessing and 
 distinguished appearance. Professor 
 Harland was at that time very poor, 
 and in consideration of the princely 
 sum offered him, readily consented 
 to receive the two into his family, ask- 
 ing no questions, and receiving no 
 information concerning them, save 
 what the quakeress dropped in the 
 few words, ' ' God bless thee, for thou 
 art saving two innocent babes a world 
 of trouble. Thou hast a kind face ; 
 they will be safe with thee. " 
 
 ' ' I never heard of this quakeress 
 before," cried La Guerita in amaze- 
 ment, "and her connection with me 
 appears to destroy the theory that I am 
 of foreign birth !" 
 
 "Not at "all!" replied DeGrey, 
 ' ' for the Professor assures me that 
 the gentleman spoke no English, and 
 therefore he conversed with him only 
 in Spanish. His knowledge of the 
 language at that time was quite limit- 
 ed, yet he has now every reason to 
 suppose that his conjecture as to the 
 nativity of the stranger was correct. 
 He believes, too, La Guerita, that 
 Fabean and yourself are the offspring 
 of a noble family the liberal allow- 
 ance yearly forwarded to you through 
 Town & Forest, declares that you are 
 supplied by no niggardly hand, while 
 the noble bearing of both your brother 
 and yourself, satisfies me that the 
 proudest of the land might deem your 
 alliance an honor. " 
 
 The young girl had withdrawn from 
 her lover's encircling arm, and look- 
 ed at him as if to read his inmost 
 
 soul, saying slowly, ' ' Harold, have 
 you no doubts ? Are you indeed sat- 
 isfied that I am worthy in all respects 
 to be your wife ?" 
 
 "More than worthy ! Yes, more 
 than worthy !" he cried excitedly, "I 
 must have been mad to doubt it so 
 long. None other ever questioned 
 the purity of your origin ; I would 
 have stricken them to the earth had 
 they dared to do so. The closest 
 observers say there is about you an 
 air of pride and conscious worth 
 that low born people could never 
 assume. " 
 
 She smiled drearily, saying in a low 
 voice, ' ' I have such strange thoughts 
 sometimes Harold. Occasionally in 
 such hours as that preceding your 
 coming, oftener still when I wake 
 from a troublous dream ; I so often 
 wonder in what direction, over this 
 waste of waters I must sail to reach 
 my home, and those whom my birth 
 should have made my friends." 
 
 "That is not after all a puzzling 
 question, " returned Harold DeGrey, ' 
 ' ' your very name is indicative of the 
 place of your birth, ' La Guerita De- 
 Cuba the Fair Maid of Cuba. ' Can 
 you doubt that beneath the orange 
 boughs of that sunny isle your eyes 
 first saw the light ?" 
 
 ' ' Fabean believes that to be the 
 case, " said the young girl, musingly ; 
 adding after a few moments thought, 
 ' ' I myself have no cause to doubt it. 
 I often wonder, Harold, that my 
 brother thinks so lightly of our strange 
 position ; it does not seem to trouble 
 him in the least, and indeed I thought 
 but little of it myself until 
 
 ' ' I troubled you with foolish ques- 
 tions, " interrupted DeGrey. ' ' My La 
 Guerita," he continued, excitedly, 
 
8 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 ' ' I was ungenerous ay, unmanly 
 I thank God my great love for you 
 has made me strong ! You know I 
 was born and bred an aristocrat ; 
 by my high-born English mother 
 my peerless mother I was taught 
 from infancy to hold a stainless name 
 of infinitely more value than all other 
 possessions, and I do so still ; the be- 
 lief that was born with me will never 
 die. But that your descent is as spot- 
 less as my own, thank God, I firmly 
 believe. " 
 
 "Else you would not be here!" 
 she said disdainfully. 
 
 "Else, La Guerita, I had never 
 loved you," he returned, gently. 
 "Think you my heart would have 
 sprung forth to claim as its mate one 
 whose pulses throbbed with churlish 
 blood. No, my very love is surety 
 to me of your purity. Come to me, 
 love ! Come to me. " 
 
 She sank into his arms, yielding to 
 the love, that stronger than pride or 
 duty, refused to aid her in condemn- 
 ing one who tach moment uttered 
 words that filled her soul with dread. 
 " I am very weak, " she sobbed ; "I 
 cannot say 'leave me ere it is too 
 late ;' yet I would rather that you 
 should break my heart now, than live 
 to know one pang of shame for me !" 
 
 ' ' Leave you, La Guerita ! Nev- 
 er !" exclaimed DeGrey passionately, 
 aroused by his surprise from his usual 
 calmness. "Have I not told you 
 that I am convinced that some dark 
 cloud envelopes, but stains not, a 
 name as fair, and perhaps more noble 
 than my own. Victor is assured of 
 it, and even my mother ; they long 
 to embrace you. La Guerita, I love 
 you ; happen what may, I cannot 
 leave you ; never speak of it again. 
 
 Have you not said that you love 
 me ?" 
 
 "I do! I do!" she returned, 
 quickly and fervently. ' ' That is why 
 I tremble to look into the future. I 
 would rather die than bring sorrow 
 upon you. Ah, Harold ! I have 
 grown to be a strange coward of 
 late. " 
 
 "And needlessly, too, I am sure !" 
 said DeGrey, caressingly, and sooth- 
 ing her fondly. Professor Harland 
 showed me to-day the last letter he 
 received concerning you. It was, as 
 usual, written in Spanish, and signed 
 "DeCuba." It contained instruc- 
 tions to the Professor, in case you 
 should desire to marry. ' ' The suitor 
 must be of good family and spotless 
 reputation, " was explicitly said ; and 
 does not that alone clearly prove that 
 you can lay claim to the same ?" 
 
 She shook her head. 
 
 "Well ! well !" he exclaimed, im- 
 patiently, yet fondly ; " I cannot leave 
 you, La Guerita. I am willing, for 
 your sweet sake, to cast aside my 
 usual caution, and take one leap in 
 the dark. All the world will be light 
 with you near me. " 
 
 She received his caresses as if spell- 
 bound ; she could not speak the 
 words that hung heavily on her lips. 
 The silence had become almost ter- 
 rible to her, fraught, as it was, with 
 so much of love and pain ; when it 
 was broken by a clear voice shouting 
 forth a merry boating song. 
 
 " Ah ! it is Fabean !" they simul- 
 taneously exclaimed ; ' ' and in good 
 time, too. He has remembered what 
 we had forgotten that the tide rises 
 high enough here to cut off all means 
 of retreat by the shore. Had he not 
 come we should have had to scale 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 these cliffs to reach Fairview to- 
 night. 
 
 ' ' Ah ! Fabean is always thought- 
 ful !" exclaimed La Guerita, gazing 
 fondly and admiringly upon a young 
 man who, with long and steady 
 strokes, was guiding a small boat to- 
 wards them. 
 
 ' ' Make ready, there, to come 
 aboard !" he shouted as he neared 
 the shore, and looked laughingly 
 upon his sister and her lover. ' ' Pret- 
 ty folks you are, ' to make a tryst at 
 such a place ; you may thank your 
 stars that I guessed something of it. " 
 
 "I am inclined to think you a 
 Yankee after all, " said DeGrey, with 
 a laugh, as the young man rested on 
 his oars. "You are a veritable 
 Jonathan for guessing, and there is 
 nothing Spanish in your face, I am 
 sure. " 
 
 There was not, indeed. His coun- 
 tenance was of the purest Saxon type ; 
 his complexion remarkably clear and 
 fair ; his hair light-brown, and his 
 eyes darkly blue. Both in face and 
 figure he formed a striking contrast 
 to his sister. 
 
 They sometimes deplored the dif- 
 ference, for they loved each other so 
 deeply ; they fain would have resem- 
 bled each other, if only in person ; 
 for their dispositions were hopelessly 
 at variance. La Guerita was often 
 sad ; while nothing ever clouded Fa- 
 bean's brow. She delighted in intel- 
 lectual pursuits ; while he, at eigh- 
 teen, still loved the sports of boyhood, 
 and laughed all serious thoughts to 
 scorn. 
 
 On that sunny afternoon his spirits 
 
 were most exuberant, and 'ere they 
 
 had long been seated in his boat, he 
 
 had infected DeGrey with his inirth- 
 
 2 
 
 ful humor. But La Guerita spoke 
 and smiled but little ; she seemed 
 lost in thought. Her lover often at- 
 tempted to laugh away the gloom 
 that had settled upon her, and her 
 brother laughingly rallied her upon 
 her silence. At another time his 
 jests would have aroused her from the 
 deepest abstraction ; but then they 
 were powerless, and insensibly each 
 became affected by her dejection, and 
 fell into thought. 
 
 So many minutes passed ; when 
 suddenly La Guerita seemed oblivi- 
 ous of the presence of any one save 
 her lover. She turned towards him 
 abruptly, glancing at him with a 
 troubled expression in her lustrous 
 eyes, saying, 
 
 ' ' I am doing very wrong. I know 
 it ; I know it. " 
 
 " How is that possible ?" exclaim- 
 ed DeGrey. 
 
 " I feel that I am tempting Provi- 
 dence, " she returned, in a low, thrill- 
 ing voice. ' ' I feel that I am tempt- 
 ing God to bring some great calamity 
 upon me by consenting to marry- you 
 while this darkness is upon me. " 
 
 "La Guerita !" rejoined her lover, 
 somewhat sadly ; "I have often no- 
 ticed that God is to you a terrible and 
 merciless Being never the Christ 
 who, in His tender mercy, came 
 from heaven to save sinners.'"' 
 
 She bowed her head, feeling keen- 
 ly how clearly he had read her inmost 
 soul. 
 
 They had reached a small dock, at 
 the foot of an extensive lawn, and 
 were about to land. La Guerita De- 
 Cuba arose and silently gave her hand 
 to DeGrey, and it was not until they 
 were alone on the lawn that she ven- 
 tured to speak to him. 
 
10 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 "O, Harold!" she said then, as 
 they stood together looking at Fa- 
 bean, who was securing his boat, 
 ' ' I feel afraid to own, even to my- 
 self, my happiness ; for, though filled 
 with painful doubts, I am so happy 
 to think I have one, besides Fabean, 
 that I may love. Since I cast off the 
 carelessness of childhood, I have ot- 
 ten wept bitterly to think I had no 
 claim upon the love or sympathy of 
 any creature. " 
 
 "La Guerita!" cried DeGrey, 
 clasping her to his bosom, "you 
 need never weep for that again. I 
 love you, my darling, more than 
 words can express. Let my actions 
 prove it. Dearest, the Professor 
 knows that you will shortly leave 
 him, and approves my proposal, that 
 on your seventeenth birthday you 
 shall become my wife. " 
 
 "What! within a month?" cried 
 La Guerita. 
 
 "Yes, darling. What is to pre- 
 vent?" 
 
 ' ' True, I have no ties elsewhere, " 
 she replied, with flushing cheeks and 
 glistening eyes, "and I shall want 
 none then. O, Harold, you will 
 love me?" 
 
 "Ever ever ! my darling. " 
 
 The promise, often as it had before 
 been given, never had seemed so 
 fraught with comfort as then. They 
 walked on thoughtfully until they 
 reached the house, which had been 
 for nearly sixteen years the home of 
 Fabean and La Guerita DeCuba. At 
 the door the lovers spoke their part- 
 ing words. La Guerita remembered 
 them well and oft in future years. 
 
 ' ' Harold ! " she said, ' ' whatever 
 betides, you will never hate or for- 
 sake me ?" 
 
 He held her in his arms, and look- 
 ing steadfastly into her trustfiul eyes, 
 replied : "As God lives, I will be true 
 to you, my darling my promised 
 wife !'' 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 " There are two kinds oi Love that which yields 
 all for the welfare of its object, whatever be its own 
 pain ; and that which claims all, caring nought for the 
 weal or woe of the giver. Judge, ye, which is the 
 noblest passion." 
 
 HAROLD DeGrey" left his betrothed 
 with the firm conviction that she was 
 the scion of a race as noble as his 
 own, and that she possessed princi- 
 ples as high as those which had for 
 years rendered his name famous. 
 Though by birth an American, he 
 bore in his veins the proud blood of 
 English parentage. Poor, but proud, 
 had his father been in his youthful 
 days, and as poor and proud the lady 
 he chose for his wife. But loving 
 each other ardently, they married, 
 and sought in the New World the 
 wealth denied them in the Old. It 
 was soon found, but not long enjoy- 
 ed ; for the elder DeGrey, dying at 
 the early age of forty, left a widow, 
 who never ceased to mourn his loss ; 
 and two young sons, who, though in 
 affluent circumstances, for many years 
 most sadly needed his firm, yet gen- 
 tle guardianship. 
 
 At the age of twenty-two, Harold 
 was admitted to the bar, while Vic- 
 tor, his brother, younger by seven 
 years, was preparing for college un- 
 der the tutelage of Prof. Harland. 
 It was during a visit to Victor that 
 Harold first met La Guerita DeCuba. 
 She was then scarcely fifteen years 
 old, but gave promise of great beauty. 
 Already had she attained her full stat- 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 ii 
 
 ure and much of the grace of future 
 years. Harold DeGrey forgot that 
 she was still but a child, and from 
 the first moment of their acquaint- 
 ance felt that she was of all creatures 
 the most beautiful the most fitted to 
 be loved. Greatly was he shocked to 
 learn that her parentage was unknown 
 that she was educated and support- 
 ed by a hidden hand. 
 
 "Thank God!" exclaimed De- 
 Grey to himself upon receiving this 
 information ; ' ' Thank God that I 
 have discovered this so soon. I 
 might perhaps have learned to love 
 that girl ; might even have desired to 
 marry her, but for this disclosure." 
 
 And in spite of it, he soon discov- 
 ered that he loved La Guerita De- 
 Cuba, and that his happiness de- 
 pended upon his union with her. 
 For many months the olden pride of 
 the DeGreys held him back ; then 
 his mother's entreaties strongly influ- 
 enced him ; but he could not give 
 her up. He knew that, even while 
 he exclaimed in argument with him- 
 self, that he could not marry one of 
 plebian birth, not even to secure 
 life-long happiness. 
 
 Harold DeGrey had ever been 
 noted for his practical and dispas- 
 sionate mind. Never had he allowed 
 his feelings to triumph over his judg- 
 ment, and he was unwilling to do so 
 even in this matter, wherein all his 
 future joy was centered. For two 
 years he loved her before he became 
 satisfied that the mystery surrounding 
 her had been cast there by other 
 causes than shame and infamy, and 
 spoke the words that were to La 
 Guerita DeCuba the sweetest of all 
 utterances. 
 
 He knew that she loved him, and 
 
 gloried in the blissful certainty. In 
 his heart he humbled himself before 
 her, as a subject smiled upon by a 
 gracious queen. He felt himself 
 strangely honored and blessed by her 
 affection, and received those feelings 
 as proofs of her nobility ; and when 
 he parted from her at the door of the 
 Fairview Academy, he believed fully 
 that his marriage would eventually 
 add new lustre to his name, and give 
 peace and joy to his restless, ambi- 
 tious heart. 
 
 But it was with a mind filled with 
 many forebodings, that La Guerita 
 DeCuba watched him from the steps 
 until he disappeared from her sight. 
 Then she softly opened the door 
 and entered the house, meeting 
 in the hall a servant, who told her 
 that a gentleman Mr. Leveredge 
 was in the parlor, and had for some 
 time been waiting to see her. 
 
 A look of pain, strangely mingled 
 with horror, for a moment rested 
 upon her face ; but pausing a mo- 
 ment to subdue her emotions, she 
 took off her shawl, and giving it to 
 the sen-ant, with a firm step entered 
 the parlor. 
 
 As she opened the door a gentle- 
 man arose to greet her ; but with a 
 cold bow of recognition, and a slight 
 wave of the hand, she motioned him 
 back to the chair he had vacated, and 
 seated herself on a sofa at some dis- 
 tance from him. Every motion of 
 her body every lineament of her 
 face, expressed contempt and dislike ; 
 yet there was nothing in the appear- 
 ance of Claude Leveredge to produce 
 either. 
 
 His form and features were decid- 
 edly of true American mould. His 
 tall, lithe frame his, piercing black 
 
12 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 eyes, and high cheek bones, were in- 
 dicative of the red blood that tinged 
 his veins. He gloried in those proofs 
 of his descent from a warlike race, 
 and was wont to say : ' ' Virginians 
 can find in North Carolina men born 
 of a princess as pure and beautiful 
 as was Pocahontas herself/' Often 
 had he told La Guerita the tale 
 that for five generations had been 
 cherished in his family ; how that a 
 warrior of their name had saved an 
 Indian girl from death, and after- 
 wards married her. It was a simple 
 tale enough, yet La Guerita had often 
 listened to it shudderingly, feeling 
 that the speaker was gaining from it 
 a rule and guide for his own future. 
 
 ' ' I have been waiting for you more 
 han an hour," said the Carolinian. 
 ' ' May I ask what has so long de- 
 tained you on the beach ? for there 
 they told me you had gone. Surely 
 the wild scenery you have looked 
 upon daily for years had not power 
 to charm you thus." 
 
 ' ' I never weary of it, " she answer- 
 ed simply ; ' ' but it was not that, that 
 detained me so long. I was talking 
 to Fabean and Mr. DeGrey." 
 
 Mr. Leveredge smiled when he 
 heard that Fabean had been of the 
 party ; for he had feared that she had 
 been alone with DeGrey, in whom 
 he saw a powerful rival. 
 
 "And had you not one thought 
 for me?" he queried. " Fabean, at 
 least, knew I was coming. Did he 
 not mention it to you ?" 
 
 "No, Mr. Leveredge. In the im- 
 portance of our conversation, he, 
 probably, forgot the matter entirely. " 
 
 For some moments Mr. Leveredge 
 regarded her silently and most earn- 
 estly. Feeling the constraint of his 
 
 manner most keenly, she arose and 
 somewhat confusedly plead an en- 
 gagement, and attempted to with- 
 draw. 
 
 "You shall not until you have 
 learned my errand here !" exclaimed 
 her visitor, excitedly. ' ' I know why 
 you shun me ; it is because you know 
 that you have deceived me. " 
 
 "Deceived you? Never!" cried 
 La Guerita DeCuba, in tones of the 
 most palpable surprise. 
 
 ' ' You have ; you know that you 
 have," retorted Leveredge, fiercely. 
 ' ' Have you not for years known my 
 love for you ! When you were an 
 infant, scarcely able to walk alone, it 
 was I who guided your steps ; it was 
 I who taught you to read ; I was your 
 friend the one your heart trusted, 
 your hands caressed. I am he, whom, 
 years ago, you vowed you would ever 
 love. " 
 
 ' ' Claude ! " There was a world of 
 passionate reproach, entreaty, and 
 sorrow in that single word, as La 
 Guerita DeCuba uttered it, looking 
 up with tearful, pleading eyes. 
 
 It appeared to soften the hearer's 
 wayward mood, and with a face aglow 
 with tenderness he approached and 
 took her hand. She drew it from his 
 grasp ; but not before he had whis- 
 pered : ' ' Dearest, you have not for- 
 gotten ?" 
 
 ' ' I have forgotten nothing, " she 
 replied, in a low voice; "I should 
 be glad if I could. " 
 
 "Ah, La Guerita!" he began; 
 ' ' do not say that you wish to forget 
 those days of long ago. We were 
 both so happy then. I so joyful if I 
 could have the privilege of defending 
 you from insult or danger ; and you 
 so proud to be so protected. La 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 Guerita, let the memory of the past 
 be with you to-night. Let Claude 
 Leveredge be the hero the lover he 
 was in those early days. " 
 
 "That is impossible/' she mur- 
 mured. ' ' We have both changed so 
 much since then. " 
 
 ' ' I have changed, La Guerita, " he 
 admitted, after a moment's thought ; 
 ' ' or rather my true nature has per- 
 fected and revealed itself; but what- 
 ever changes have come over me, 
 they have not affected my love for 
 you. 
 
 She shuddered, turning nervously 
 away to shun his burning gaze. 
 
 " You are afraid to look at me," 
 he continued, excitedly. ' ' Afraid to 
 look at the man whom as a boy you 
 loved and trusted. Ah, La Guerita 
 DeCuba, when we parted, four years 
 ago, little did I think I should see 
 that look upon your face !" 
 
 "Do not speak of that time/' she 
 entreated ; "I was but a child then, 
 and you had always been kind to 
 me. I 
 
 "I must speak of it !" he inter- 
 rupted quickly ; "I must speak of 
 it ! Do you not remember that, on 
 the morning we parted, you promised 
 to be my wife? La Guerita, I am 
 here to claim the fulfillment of that 
 promise. " 
 
 She grew even paler than was natu- 
 ral to her ; but her eyes flashed an- 
 grily as she returned scornfully : 
 
 ' ' What was that promise ? The 
 thoughtless words of a child who, 
 even while she spoke, feared more 
 than she loved you. " 
 
 ' ' And why did you fear me ? Had 
 I not for years served you ! Had I 
 not protected you from infancy ? O, 
 La Guerita, have I served seven years 
 
 by twice seven years for my Rachel 
 in vain ?" 
 
 By a passionate gesture she en- 
 treated him to say no more ; but, 
 unheeding the silent appeal, he con- 
 tinued : 
 
 ' ' I would to God I had always re- 
 mained with you ; that I had never 
 seen Europe. You are more to me 
 than all the lands of tale and song. 
 Yet, while I was wasting my precious 
 hours amid faded grandeur, or that 
 which must shortly fade, you were 
 breaking the bonds I still cherished, 
 and forswearing the vows I daily re- 
 newed. '' 
 
 His words seemed as daggers in the 
 heart of La Guerita DeCuba,' and in 
 agonized tones she cried : ' ' How can 
 you speak such cruel words? O, 
 Claude, I never deceived you. As 
 soon as I fully understood the nature 
 of the engagement I had so carelessly 
 formed, I wrote to you, begging that 
 it might be annulled. O, Claude ! 
 you were kind and generous then ; 
 be so now. You yielded to my 
 wishes, and said that on your return 
 I should be free to follow 7 the dictates 
 of my own heart. " 
 
 ' ' I believed that your desire, earn- 
 estly as it was expressed, was but a 
 childish freak ; but you loved me, 
 and would do so whether bound or 
 free. I did not dream that my inno- 
 cent school-girl would so early have 
 learned the lessons of a finished co- 
 quette !" 
 
 "You wrong me!'' ihe replied, 
 hastily ; "I had not even seen Har- 
 old then." 
 
 The blood rushed to the dark 
 cheeks of Claude Leveredge as he 
 approached a step nearer the young 
 girl. 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 "What, then!" ne exclaimed, 
 "you dare even to tell me that you 
 love Harold DeGrey?" 
 
 "Yes !" she returned calmly, meet- 
 ing unflinchingly his fiery gaze ; "I 
 love him even as he loves me. I am 
 to be his wife !" 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 " Didst thou but know, as I do, 
 The pangs and tortures of a slighted love, 
 Thou wouldst not wonder at this sudden change ; 
 For when ill-treated, it turns all to hate, 
 And the then darling of our soul's revenge.'' 
 
 Poicell. 
 
 TERRIBLE was the effect of this an- 
 nouncement upon Claude Leveredge. 
 La Guerita was amazed and startled 
 as she saw him turn the ghastly hue 
 of death. His eye-sight seemed to 
 fail him, and he sought a chair, with 
 the slow, painful motion of one sud- 
 denly bereft of sight. 
 
 She thought of him then as he had 
 been during the years he had passed 
 at Fairview. Always impulsive and 
 ungovernable in temper, he had been 
 a very Goliath among the scholars ; 
 feared and disliked by all, save La 
 Guerita DeCuba, whose champion he 
 had declared himself on the first day 
 of his residence at Fairview. She had 
 regarded him with a mixture of love 
 and awe for many years, and when 
 they were about to part felt that her 
 best friend and protector was leaving 
 her; and so, amid sobs and tears, 
 she yielded to his entreaties, and 
 promised to become his wife. 
 
 She soon discovered the deep sig- 
 nificance of her words. His letters 
 were full of exacting, jealous love, 
 terrifying her by its very earnestness. 
 The chains he threw around her soon 
 became to her too galling to bear. 
 She was but a slave in his hand ; for 
 
 although three thousand miles of 
 ocean lay between them, he still ruled 
 almost as completely as before. From 
 her childhood she had been accus- 
 tomed to regard his frown as the most 
 terrible of all calamities, and though 
 long parted she could not forget her 
 champion her dauntless hero. Still 
 he was to her the realization of her 
 ideal of manly power and beauty, 
 when his sudden return to Fairview 
 dispelled the illusion that had for 
 years deceived her. 
 
 With a fainting heart she saw that 
 the independent boy had become 
 a domineering churl ; the fearless 
 champion had developed into a duel- 
 ist, with the blood of an innocent 
 youth upon his hand. Reports of 
 his reckless career followed fast upon 
 him, and it was with loathing that 
 La Guerita put away from her the 
 love that had once been her joy and 
 hope. 
 
 For years he had been to her the 
 noblest type of manhood ; but her 
 idol was broken ; its hollowness be- 
 trayed. Dissipation had left deep 
 traces upon his countenance, and the 
 restless workings of his excitable 
 mind distressed and repelled her. 
 She had believed him strong in mind 
 and principles ; but he had proved too 
 weak to resist temptations, which or- 
 dinary men, with whom she had 
 once seemed to compare him, would 
 have passed lightly by. He had fal- 
 len where the frailest of his race had 
 stood unflinchingly. 
 
 It was not until this failure of a 
 glorious promise stood before her, 
 and plead for the love she had given 
 his youth, that La Guerita DeCuba 
 fully realized the worth of Harold 
 DeGrey. The comparisons she in- 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 voluntarily made between the two left 
 her no room to doubt which was the 
 better man, or which she loved. 
 With the threats and wild entreaties 
 of a maniac, Claude Leveredge met 
 her assurance that she would never 
 renew the vows, happily broken three 
 years before ; and now, a month 
 later, he had returned in a calmer 
 mood to bid her reconsider her 
 words. 
 
 When she said she was to be the 
 wife of Harold DeGrey, he fully real- 
 ized her feelings toward him. He 
 was assured that if even a particle of 
 her childish love had remained in 
 her heart, to trouble and perplex her, 
 she would never have engaged to 
 marry another. He knew that he 
 had fallen irrevocably in her estima- 
 tion, and not even the self-esteem 
 which had hitherto sustained him 
 could whisper one assurance of suc- 
 cess in the task to which he had ap- 
 plied himself. 
 
 ' ' La Guerita DeCuba, " he said at 
 length, ' ' you know not what you are 
 doing. I shudder when I think of 
 your future and mine ! Can you 
 hope for happiness?" 
 
 "Yes!" she replied, but very 
 faintly. ' ' Do not look at me so, I 
 pray. You know I am alone in the 
 world ; my husband will be my all, 
 and I must choose one worthy of my 
 entire confidence and love. " 
 
 "And you conceive Harold De- 
 Grey alone to be the faultless being 
 fitted to be your protector and guide ?" 
 said Leveredge, in tones of suppress- 
 ed passion. "He is richer than I, 
 perhaps, and with him the play of 
 King Cophetua and the beggar girl 
 may be rmore perfectly enacted. " 
 
 La Guerita turned toward him, 
 
 her slender figure and pale, expres- 
 sive face quivering with anger and 
 wounded pride, exclaiming: "He 
 will at least protect me from your in- 
 sults !" 
 
 Leveredge threw himself before 
 her, as she turned to leave the room, 
 and cried : "La Guerita DeCuba, be 
 warned ! Harold DeGrey comes of 
 a proud race ; he loves you ; but do 
 you suppose he would marry you if 
 he believed you to be the offspring of 
 shame ? No, never ! But I, La 
 Guerita, were I a king, would take 
 you from the very depths of degrada- 
 tion to make you queen. " 
 
 ' ' Let me go, " pleaded La Guerita. 
 ' ' Say no more ; my resolve is taken, 
 and no earthly power can change it. " 
 
 "Then you persist in your refusal 
 to be my wife ?" he asked, in a low 
 voice, his accents thrilling with sup- 
 pressed emotion. 
 
 " I shall marry Harold DeGrey," 
 she said firmly. 
 
 He drew back from her, holding 
 out his right hand and saying, with 
 terrible and startling emphasis r ' 'That 
 hand, in a foolish, boyish quarrel, 
 drew life-blood once, La Guerita De- 
 Cuba, and it shall yet draw your 
 heart's bitterest tears. I am not one 
 to utter meaningless threats, and, 
 remember, as surely as there is a God 
 above us, you shall have bitter cause 
 to rue the hour in which you have 
 slighted and scorned Claude Lever- 
 edge. Ah !" he continued, solemnly 
 and with strange pathos, ' ' you would 
 have been safe as my wife. No evil 
 should have reached you ; but now 
 let it come ; let it fall ; let it crush / 
 
 " ' Thou shall love, and that love shall be thy curse ; 
 Thou wilt need no heavier; thou shalt feel no worse. 
 I see the cloud and the tempest near; 
 The voice of the troubled tide I hear ; 
 
i6 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 The torrent of sorrow the sea of grief 
 
 The rushing waves of a wretched life; 
 
 Thy bosom's bark on the surge I see, 
 
 And, maiden, no loved one is there with thee.' " 
 
 She raised her head with an im- 
 ploring gesture, crying : ' ' You threat- 
 en Harold ! If your vengeance must 
 fall let it be upon me. Spare him !" 
 
 ' ' I will spare neither, " he said 
 sternly. ' ' Ah, you need not fear me 
 now !" he continued, as she shrank 
 in alarm from his outstretched hand. 
 "See, I could rob my rival of his 
 bride by one turn of this strong arm ; 
 but you are safe ; my revenge shall be 
 even deeper and sweeter than that !" 
 
 In his excitement he appeared to 
 become quite oblivious of her pres- 
 ence. Turning from her, he slowly 
 paced the length of the room, mut- 
 tering, almost incoherently : "My 
 first task shall be to discover the pa- 
 rentage of La Guerita DeCuba ; my 
 next, to blast her happiness, whatever 
 
 may be her origin ! You " he 
 
 turned towards the spot where La 
 Guerita had stood ; but she was no 
 longer there. Seizing the opportu- 
 nity when he had turned his back 
 upon her, she had crept silently from 
 the room, and swiftly sought the shel- 
 ter of her own apartment. 
 
 She stood for a few seconds in the 
 center of the room, with her hands 
 clasped over her heart, to stay its loud 
 throbbings, while she eagerly listened 
 for sounds from below. Soon she 
 heard the hall door open ; then close 
 with a sudden clang. Going, softly 
 still and under the spell of fear, to 
 her window, she saw Claude Lever- 
 edge descend the steps, pause for a 
 moment, as if uncertain what course 
 to pursue, and then walk hurriedly 
 across the lawn to the water's edge. 
 There he was soon joined by Fabean ; 
 
 and after a few moments conversation 
 the two stepped into a small boat, and 
 rowed slowly out of sight. 
 
 An hour later she received word 
 that her brother wished to see her. 
 After washing her flushed cheeks 
 for she had been weeping long and 
 bitterly she went down to the library, 
 where she found him sitting near the 
 table, with his face buried in his 
 hands. 
 
 He looked up as she approached, 
 and said : "I have just left Lever- 
 edge." 
 
 ' ' I know it, " she replied ; "I saw 
 you enter the boat together. Had 
 you an appointment with him ?" 
 
 1 ' No. You know I am often on 
 the dock on such bright nights as 
 this. Leveredge knew my haunt, 
 and sought me there. La Guerita, 
 you will pardon me if I speak to you 
 plainly. Are you quite sure that you 
 have done right ?'' 
 
 "Yes, Fabean; quite sure. But 
 did he send you here to question 
 me ?" 
 
 " Did he send me ?" returned Fa- 
 bean ; "No; I came because I 
 wanted to see you in your new char- 
 acter of heart-breaker. No, La Gue- 
 rita, " he added, with sudden serious- 
 ness ; ' ' Claude Leveredge's last 
 words of love or entreaty have been 
 spoken/' He arose and threw his 
 arms tenderly around her. ' ' You 
 have awakened a demon, my darl- 
 ing, that will never sleep. I know 
 you love DeGrey. I, myself, honor 
 and revere him ; but I ask you again, 
 my sister, have you done right in dis- 
 carding Leveredge ?" 
 
 "You have never loved, or you 
 would not ask me," she replied, in 
 low, thrilling tones. 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 ' ' After all our uncle may be able 
 to conciliate Claude, by awarding him 
 the hand of another niece, " said Fa- 
 bean ; "he may have a dozen in 
 obscurity for all we know. " . 
 
 "Fabean, I beg of you not to 
 speak of our unknown supporter in 
 that manner, or by that title !" she 
 exclaimed, with some irritation in 
 her voice and gesture ; "it is, in- 
 deed, very ridiculous. " 
 
 ' ' Ridiculous or not, I believe it 
 to be the correct title to apply to 
 him," persisted Fabean. "Well, 
 well, my dear, it matters little who 
 we are ; I will gain a name for us 
 both. Ah, I forgot ; you are to 
 take that of DeGrey, and will need 
 no other." 
 
 La Guerita blushed, standing pen- 
 sively before her brother for a few 
 moments, then suddenly looking up, 
 with a startled expression, saying, in 
 a low voice : " O, Fabean, I wish we 
 had even a name. I am terrified when 
 I think I have not even that to give in 
 exchange for all Harold will bestow 
 upon me. I look with trembling, 
 even though with joy, into this new 
 life upon which I am about to enter. " 
 
 "You should look into nothing 
 more than a well-filled tea-cup to- 
 night," interrupted Fabean, assum- 
 ing his usual gaiety of manner, 
 ' ' and that you shall have an oppor- 
 tunity of doing in a few minutes ; so 
 go to your room, and I'll order a cup 
 of tea to be taken to you ; you need 
 it to steady your nerves, which are 
 like the chords of an eighteenth-cen- 
 tury piano all out of tune. " 
 
 La Guerita gladly accepted this 
 
 hint to retire, and as she ascended 
 
 the stairs to her apartment, she heard 
 
 Fabean whistling gaily, as if no 
 
 3 
 
 thought of care had ever entered his 
 mind, and as though the future lay 
 as clear before him as the bright 
 moonlight in which he stood. 
 
 " It is well that he can be so light- 
 hearted, " she murmured ; ' ' Ah, 
 would that I could be the same ; but 
 the thought of trouble perplexes and 
 saddens me, and the reality might 
 madden !" 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 " An image was before mine eyes ; there was 
 
 silence, and I heard a voice." 
 
 Job. 
 
 A WEEK later La Guerita DeCuba 
 visited, for the first time, the home of 
 her future husband. Invited thither 
 by his mother, she went with fear and 
 trembling, knowing well that the 
 proud lady had given but a reluctant 
 consent to her son's marriage, and 
 that she bitterly deplored the sacrifice 
 she believed him to be making. 
 
 But Mrs. DeGrey, though exceed- 
 ingly proud, was duly appreciative of 
 beauty and refinement, and was 
 pleased to discover both in La Gue- 
 rita, and before the close of the first 
 day's acquaintance had decided that 
 her son's choice was not to be won- 
 dered at, and but for the mystery of 
 her birth would have been a most 
 fortunate one. 
 
 With these sentiments rapidly clear- 
 ing away her chagrin, Mrs. DeGrey 
 strove by every means in her power 
 to interest and please her young 
 guest. No difficult task, for even the 
 richness and beauty of her surround- 
 ings charmed the untutored mind of 
 La Guerita, while she could not but 
 be entertained by the unrestrained 
 conversation of Mrs. DeGrey and 
 her lover. 
 
i8 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 In the course of the afternoon he 
 left the ladies to themselves, probably 
 with the design of removing all res- 
 trictions from their intercourse, and 
 that each might have the opportunity 
 of judging the private character of 
 the other. As the afternoon was 
 warm, Mrs. DeGrey proposed that 
 they should spend an hour in the 
 garden ; and they, accordingly, pro- 
 ceeded thither. After walking for 
 some time they entered an arbor, 
 where Mrs. DeGrey left La Guerita, 
 and went back to the house to give 
 an order she had forgotten. Scarcely 
 had she disappeared from view, when 
 a shadow fell athwart the greensward 
 that carpeted the bower. La Guerita 
 looked up with a welcoming smile, 
 expecting to see Harold DeGrey. 
 To her surprise her gaze encountered 
 that of a strange gentleman, who was 
 standing rigidly erect in the entrance. 
 
 Her first impulse was to scream ; 
 but a second glance at the cause of 
 her alarm silenced her. ' ' Doubt- 
 less, " thought she, "he is an unfor- 
 tunate friend of Mrs. DeGrey, accus- 
 tomed to seek her here." 
 
 His appearance was prepossessing. 
 He was middle-aged, tall, and hand- 
 some, with the air of a gentleman 
 unmistakably about him. He at- 
 tempted no apology for his intrusion, 
 but gazed upon La Guerita with an 
 intensity that both alarmed and dis- 
 pleased her. 
 
 "Do you wish to see Mrs De- 
 Grey?" she faltered, rising hastily, 
 and contemplating immediate flight. 
 
 "Poor Dolores! poor Dolores!" 
 sighed the intruder. 
 
 Eyes so like Fabean's that they 
 thrilled her to the heart, were look- 
 ing wildly upon her, and thoroughly 
 
 frightened, and with a feeling of cer- 
 tainty that the stranger was in some 
 way connected with the mystery of 
 her life, La Guerita cried, in great 
 agitation.: "Who are you? What 
 do you wish with me ?" 
 
 For an instant she was struggling 
 in his arms. Passionate kisses w r ere 
 rained upon her cheeks and brow. 
 She uttered a piercing shriek, when, 
 suddenly releasing her, the bold in- 
 truder rushed from the arbor, and 
 dashing into a clump of shrubbery, 
 was immediately lost to sight. 
 
 Alarmed at hearing the shriek, De- 
 Grey, who was approaching the ar- 
 bor, hastened on, and to his surprise 
 and dismay found La Guerita, almost 
 fainting from alarm, standing near 
 the entrance to the arbor, looking 
 wildly around her. 
 
 ' ' My darling, what has frightened 
 you ?" he exclaimed, springing to her 
 side, and throwing his arms around 
 her. 
 
 She clung to him with all the en- 
 ergy of fear and love, but for some 
 moments could not sufficiently sub- 
 due her agitation to speak. 
 
 Mrs. DeGrey had now appeared 
 and, much alarmed, demanded what 
 had happened. ' ' And what is this ?" 
 she added, suddenly placing her hand 
 upon the bosom of La Guerita. 
 
 With increased surprise the young 
 girl beheld a magnificent gold chain 
 which was about her neck, and from 
 which depended a diamond cross of 
 great value and beauty. 
 
 ' ' He must have put it there I" she 
 exclaimed, in bewilderment. ' ' O, 
 who can he be ?" 
 
 "He! Whom do you mean?" 
 cried DeGrey and his mother simul- 
 taneously. 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 1 9 
 
 With as much coherence as her 
 agitation would admit of, La Guerita 
 related her startling adventures, elic- 
 ing from Mrs. DeGrey many excla- 
 mations of surprise and dignified 
 anger, and casting a heavy frown 
 upon the face of her more phleg- 
 matic son. 
 
 ' ' It would be no use for us to do 
 so, " said Harold, in answer to a sug- 
 gestion from Mrs. DeGrey that they 
 should make a search of the grounds ; 
 "no doubt the man is far enough 
 away by this time. Let us examine 
 the cross ; there may be something 
 upon that to lead to his discovery. " 
 
 It was accordingly inspected closely 
 by Mrs. DeGrey and Harold, but no 
 cipher or initial could be discovered. 
 The size and brilliancy of the dia- 
 monds called forth many exclama- 
 tions from the lady, who could not 
 refrain from whispering to her son 
 that she hoped the cross was but ' ' a 
 sample of what the wedding gifts 
 would be." 
 
 But he was in no mood for such 
 thoughts, and through the rest of the 
 afternoon, though he endeavored to 
 appear as usual before La Guerita, 
 was both silent and thoughtful. 
 
 La Guerita was the same, and after 
 bidding farewell to Mrs. DeGrey, 
 whose admiration for her future 
 daughter-in-law was most flatteringly 
 apparent, she lapsed into a profound 
 reverie, which lasted until the car- 
 riage stopped before the door of the 
 Fairview Academy, and Fabean has- 
 tened forth to meet her ; then she 
 cried, eagerly : 
 
 "O, Fabean! Fabean! I have 
 seen our father to-day !" 
 
 He uttered an exclamation, more 
 expressive of joy than surprise, and 
 
 cried : ' ' And I, La Guerita, have 
 seen our uncle !" 
 
 Professor Harland, who was stand- 
 ing near, turned toward them in 
 sudden and great agitation, begging 
 them to say no more there, but to 
 follow him to the house. They did 
 so, and were immediately ushered 
 into his private study. 
 
 ' ' What do you mean, La Guerita, 
 by saying you have seen your father ?" 
 he asked, when he had closed and 
 locked the door, the better to pre- 
 vent intrusion. 
 
 "Ask Fabean about it," she re- 
 turned, feeling quite unable to ex- 
 plain herself clearly, having scarcely 
 recovered from the first shock her 
 brother's words had given her. ' ' Fa- 
 bean, when did you see him ?" 
 
 "Quite early this morning," he 
 replied ; "or, at least, just after you 
 left for Greymont. I was sitting un- 
 der the great willow, at the end of the 
 lawn, considering the important ques- 
 tion : ' To be, or not to be, ' in rela- 
 tion to a perfect Greek lesson, when 
 a gentleman quite a fine looking 
 one, too walked up to me and said, 
 most confidently : ' You are Fabean 
 DeCuba. ' ' Indeed ! ' said I, in a 
 tone of great interest, ' I am happy to 
 learn that that is an established fact. ' 
 
 ' ' He seemed amused, or rather, I 
 should say, he looked like one that 
 tried to be amused ; then he looked 
 at me very closely, and said some- 
 thing about the fineness of the day 
 and the clearness of the water, ad- 
 mired my boat, and finally hinted 
 that he should like to try her quality, 
 as he had been quite a sailor in his 
 youth, and had by no means lost all 
 his interest in a fine boat. 
 
 "Upon that, I proposed to row 
 
20 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 him a short distance in mine, as I 
 well knew there was not a better boat 
 on the coast. He accepted my invi- 
 tation very readily, and we were soon 
 on our way toward Ellisville. So 
 interesting was our conversation, that 
 I shot by that place without thinking 
 of stopping ; and I might still be 
 rowing about the bay, answering his 
 questions, which, I now remember, 
 related almost entirely to family mat- 
 ters, had he not, to my great surprise, 
 asked me to land him at a point 
 nearly two miles below Ellisville. 
 When I had done so he said, ' I 
 have been here several times before, 
 but I am a little at fault now. Can 
 you tell me how far it is to Gr'ey- 
 mont ?' 
 
 ' ' I was so surprised at the ques- 
 tion that I did not think of answer- 
 ing it until it was repeated ; then I 
 said it was about a mile, though I 
 think now that it was at least three. 
 
 ' ' ' Thank you, ' he said ; ' and 
 does the road lie over that hill ? Ah, 
 yes, of course it does. Are you go- 
 ing back to Fairview immediately ? 
 
 " 'Are you going to Greymont ?' 
 I replied, giving question for ques- 
 tion. ' 
 
 1 ' ' Yes, ' he answered, ' and be as- 
 sured that the hour spent in forward- 
 ing me on my way shall not prove 
 an unprofitable one to you. ' 
 
 ' ' I was surprised and indignant. 
 The first, that he should have cajoled 
 and deceived me into rendering him 
 a service, when I would have done so 
 had he simply asked me ; and the 
 second, that he should dare speak of 
 reward, as if I had been a common 
 ferryman. But before I could utter 
 a word he wrung my hand fervently 
 and leapt ashore. I watched him 
 
 for some moments ; I had some 
 thoughts of leaving the boat and fol- 
 lowing him, when he looked back, 
 with an expression upon his face, 
 such as has haunted my dreams for 
 years. I shall never forget it ! I had 
 seen it before long, long ago ! It 
 filled my mind with faint visions 
 my senses with faint odors. I saw, as 
 through a vail, the face of a beautiful 
 woman, dark and queenly. I think 
 she wore upon her head a crown, or 
 tiara ; there was something I can- 
 not tell what ; I was in a garden full 
 of flowers, and in the distance stood 
 a white cottage, embowered in vines. 
 Nothing came before me distinctly 
 all was vague, intangible, dreamy ! 
 There were lights and shadows in 
 strange confusion ; there were strains 
 of melody from soft voices, and en- 
 woven with them all a moan a 
 heart-broken moan which I know 
 in reality once sounded in my ears ! 
 Ah, that dreadful moan ! As it swell- 
 ed upon my ears I shuddered, as with 
 an ague, feeling as if the dead past 
 had arisen before me !'" 
 
 Never had La Guerita seen her 
 brother so greatly moved ; he clasped 
 his brow with one hand, as if to col- 
 lect his strange, wandering thoughts, 
 while the other, which she held, was 
 damp and cold as marble ; his face 
 was very pale, and he trembled vio- 
 lently. She knew that strange visions 
 faint memories were haunting 
 him like grim 'specters, in their weird 
 and fanciful indistinctness. 
 
 "Strange ! very strange !" mutter- 
 ed Professor Harland, "if if that 
 person has been here, that he has not 
 visited me !" 
 
 " Oh, I forgot to mention my re- 
 ward, " said Fabean, awakened from 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 21 
 
 his reverie by some question from 
 DeGrey. "About ten minutes be- 
 fore your arrival a negro man came 
 here, leading a fine bay horse, with 
 a handsome saddle and bridle upon 
 him, and delivered him to the groom, 
 saying ' it was for Fabean DeCuba, 
 from the gentleman he rowed to 
 Ellisville in his boat this morning.' 
 John was too much astonished to ap- 
 prise me of my good fortune until 
 the negro, whom he declares to be a 
 stranger in the neighborhood, had 
 disappeared. Friends, what are we 
 to think ? Are these gifts the effects 
 of love, or of an uneasy conscience ?" 
 
 He looked around for an answer, 
 but none spoke ; all were agitating 
 his question in their hearts. 
 
 Some powerful, but undefinable, 
 emotion induced Harold DeGrey to 
 exclaim : ' ' Professor Harland, I can 
 endure no delay ; La Guerita must 
 immediately become my wife. La 
 Guerita, remember, whatever hap- 
 pens, whoever you may be, you are 
 to be my wife !" 
 
 "God bless you, DeGrey !" cried 
 Fabean, clasping his hand ; ' ' God 
 bless you, for now I know you love 
 her!" 
 
 But La Guerita passed from the 
 room without uttering a word, and, 
 hastening to her room, cast herself 
 upon her knees, and prayed with 
 streaming tears that the great mystery 
 of her life might be explained. Thus 
 the night hours wore away, and the 
 gray dawn, peeping in at her win- 
 dow, found her wan and haggard 
 from her weary vigil, and revealed 
 Fabean upon the lawn, trying his 
 new horse, and gaily proclaiming 
 him a beauty. 
 
 It was many days before La Gue- 
 
 rita could entirely throw off her sad- 
 ness ; then she was shown a letter, 
 signed DeCuba, which had reached 
 them through an agent in Philadel- 
 phia, which not only approved of her 
 marriage with DeGrey, but contained 
 a check sufficiently large to procure 
 a complete and elegant trousseau. 
 
 In preparations for her bridal, La 
 Guerita DeCuba for a time forgot her 
 cares, and in the increasing warmth 
 of Harold's love felt no shadow of 
 despondency or gloom. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 " Hear the mellow wedding bells 
 Golden bells!" 
 
 WITH all the beauty of the summer, 
 increased by a gorgeous tinting of its 
 own, the first month of autumn had 
 come. It was hailed with unclouded 
 joy by Harold DeGrey, and with 
 fearful, trembling happiness by La 
 Guerita DeCuba, for in the tenth day 
 of its pilgrimage they were to be 
 united. 
 
 The sun that shone upon the mar- 
 riage day had never smiled on one 
 more fair and beautiful. The sky 
 was cloudless, and the cool breezes 
 that rippled the bosom of the bay, 
 and of the ocean that lay like a lower 
 sky in the distance, made sweet mel- 
 ody among the swaying trees, and 
 filled the air with delicious fragrance 
 from the autumn flowers, that flaunt- 
 ing in bright array, had succeeded 
 the more fragile summer blossoms. 
 Never over La Guerita had smiled a 
 clearer sky, and never had the earth 
 appeared so beautiful ; still a cloud 
 hung over her spirit, a gloom cast, 
 even by that which was to her the 
 most pure and lovely, as shadows 
 
22 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 are often thrown in clear waters by 
 graceful willows that beautify their 
 banks. She sighed and trembled 
 when she thought of the intensity of 
 Harold's love, which every day grew 
 more apparent ; yet she knew that the 
 world would be utterly dark to her 
 were that love removed from her. 
 Something of this feeling must have 
 showed itself upon her countenance 
 when they stood before the altar, for 
 Harold whispered : " Darling, trust 
 me." 
 
 Then the service commenced. 
 There were many spectators, for both 
 Harold and La Guerita were very 
 widely known. The mystery en- 
 shrouding her had even lent an addi- 
 tional charm to the beauty and dig- 
 nity of her person, and the high 
 connection she was about to form was 
 universally regarded with pleasure. 
 Thus La Guerita DeCuba found her- 
 self no friendless bride on the morn- 
 ing that was to behold her a loved 
 and honored wife. 
 
 Solemnly the aged minister had 
 pronounced the opening passages of 
 the marriage service, had put to De- 
 Grey the usual question and receiv- 
 ed a ready answer, and turned to 
 La Guerita with the query : "Wilt 
 thou have this man to be thy wedded 
 husband, " when Harold saw her be- 
 come deadly pale, and tremble from 
 head to foot. She however recovered 
 from her agitation sufficiently to give 
 her answer in a low but distinct voice, 
 and the ceremony proceeded without 
 interruption. Harold received his 
 bride from the hands of Professor 
 Harland, who with great pride and 
 satisfaction beheld his beautiful pupil, 
 his much-loved foster daughter, unit- 
 ed to the talented and wealthy DeGrey. 
 
 For a few moments after the con- 
 clusion of the wedding ceremony, a 
 joyous confusion prevailed, but seiz- 
 ing her opportunity when her brother 
 approached to offer his congratula- 
 tions, La Guerita whispered to him : 
 
 ' ' Fabean, he the gentleman who 
 
 frightened us so, is here. I saw him 
 in one of the side pews. " 
 
 Hastily pressing a kiss upon her 
 trembling lips, he bounded from her 
 side and sought eagerly among the 
 people assembled for the stranger ; 
 but he was nowhere to be seen, and 
 he was obliged, most reluctantly, to 
 join the wedding train, without having 
 caught even a passing glimpse of the 
 mysterious visitant. 
 
 The wedding breakfast was given 
 at Fairview, and a large number of 
 distinguished guests honored it by 
 their presence. In the excitement of 
 the hour, La Guerita quite forgot the 
 stranger until he was brought to mind 
 by the sight of the magnificent gifts 
 he had sent her. A large selection 
 of elegant jewelry, diamonds, eme- 
 ralds and pearls, bore testimony to 
 the greatness of his wealth and taste, 
 and fully realized the hopes of Mrs. 
 DeGrey, which were expressed in 
 the discovery of the diamond cross. 
 Within one of the jewel cases was 
 found a draft upon one of the Phila- 
 delphia banks "for .ten thousand dol- 
 lars, but as no one in the company 
 knew the exact sum for which it was 
 drawn, its value was greatly magni- 
 fied, and before the breakfast was 
 over, it had reached in some active 
 minds to a hundred thousand dollars 
 or more. 
 
 Delight and astonishment for a 
 moment rendered the young bride 
 speechless, but Fabean exclaimed : 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 ' ' Now, really this is very handsome 
 of our respected relative ! It is a pity 
 that his excessive modesty prevents 
 him from receiving in person the 
 thanks he so richly deserves. " 
 
 DeGrey said nothing, but thought 
 ' ' How great must be the wealth of 
 which La Guerita has been defrauded, 
 if this is a mere tithe paid as a wed- 
 ding gift." 
 
 The same reflection crossed the 
 mind of his lady mother, causing her 
 to regard her beautiful daughter-in- 
 law with increased complacency. 
 
 When most of the guests were col- 
 lected around the table upon which 
 the bridal gifts were displayed, divid- 
 ing their attention equally between 
 them and the bride and groom, to 
 whom they had been presented, a 
 servant entered the room, bearing on 
 a salver a small oblong case, which 
 he said had been left at the door by 
 a colored sen-ant. The initials of 
 La Guerita DeCuba were engraved 
 upon a silver plate on the top of the 
 box, and greatly wondering from 
 whom it came, she placed it upon 
 the table before her, and opened it. 
 The lid flew back, disclosing, to her 
 horror and the amazement of all 
 present, a small dagger, the blade of 
 the finest steel, and the hilt of ebony 
 inlaid with gold. 
 
 La Guerita turned deadly pale, and 
 for a moment looked upon the gift as 
 an ill omen, knowing well that it 
 came from Claude Leveredge, but 
 Harold DeGrey, although somewhat 
 startled, and greatly annoyed, ex- 
 claimed with a loud laugh, ' ' What 
 a beautiful blade ! Really it will 
 make a splendid paper cutter, " and 
 passed it to one of the astonished 
 guests, commenting on its beauties as 
 
 if it were indeed a harmless cutter 
 instead of the deadly weapon it in 
 reality was. 
 
 That was the only incident that oc- 
 curred to mar the joyousness of the 
 wedding festivities. La Guerita could 
 not look upon it lightly, though Fa- 
 bean and DeGrey affected to laugh 
 at the petty vengefulness shadowed 
 forth in Claude Leveredge's gift. It 
 was the only article in her house upon 
 which she could not bear to look, 
 when, after a short wedding tour, 
 Harold took her to the beautiful cot- 
 tage he had prepared for her recep- 
 tion. Though far less magnificent 
 than the mansion occupied by Mrs. 
 DeGrey and her son Victor, it was to 
 La Guerita the most lovely and ' ' the 
 dearest spot on earth. " 
 
 She called it Enola, fancifully trans- 
 posing the word Alone. ' * For, dear- 
 est, " she said to Harold, ' ' I never 
 am so happy as when alone with you 
 in our own sweet home. " 
 
 But Mrs. DeGrey had determined 
 that her daughter-in-law should not 
 be much alone, that her light should 
 not be hidden under the bushel of 
 domestic ties, and accordingly, dur- 
 ing the winter succeeding her mar- 
 riage, La Guerita was the belle the 
 life of society. 
 
 The season was passed in a round 
 of gaities of which, at last, even La 
 Guerita grew weary, and was quite de- 
 lighted when she heard that the last 
 and most elegant party was to be given 
 by Mrs. Leslie of Ellisville. 
 
 ' ' I hope after that, I shall be al- 
 lowed to pass a few weeks in quiet- 
 ness with you, " she said to her hus- 
 band as they entered Mrs. Leslie's 
 parlors. Instantly La Guerita be- 
 came, as usual, the center of attraction, 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 and ere long the crowded rooms, the 
 music, the hundred flashing lights, 
 and above all, the deferential atten- 
 tions of the most distinguished gen- 
 tlemen present, charmed and exhila- 
 rated her, and, in the enjoyment of 
 the hour she soon lost all thoughts 
 of calmer and more precious mo- 
 ments. 
 
 She had been dancing with Victor 
 DeGrey, a fine, handsome young 
 man about twenty years old, and 
 upon resuming her seat, asked him 
 to bring her a glass of water. He 
 left her, and immediately a group of 
 gentlemen and ladies formed around 
 her, and a lively conversation was 
 commenced, in the course of which, 
 one said : ' ' For my part, I don't be- 
 lieve there is such a thing as true 
 happiness in the world !" 
 
 ' * Why, all the people that are here 
 to-night look happy enough, I'm 
 sure !" exclaimed Mrs. Leslie. 
 
 ' ' They look so, I grant, " was the 
 reply ; ' ' but should you put to them, 
 severally, the question whether they 
 are really so, I am afraid you would 
 receive many answers in the nega- 
 tive. " 
 
 ' ' I will try a few, '' replied the lady, 
 "such a theory of yours is worth 
 looking into, although it is such a 
 gloomy one. I will begin with you 
 Mrs. DeGrey, for you have the most 
 joyous face in the room ; are not you 
 perfectly happy ? " 
 
 La Guerita had been engaged in 
 conversation with Fabean on a matter 
 of some importance, and for the last 
 few moments had paid but little at- 
 tention to the remarks of those around 
 her. She was a little startled at Mrs. 
 Leslie's question, but answered readi- 
 ly : "O, yes, Mrs. Leslie, I am quite 
 
 happy ; there is no shadow on my 
 path ! " 
 
 She looked up gaily at the conclu- 
 sion of this sentence, and a shadow 
 fell. Claude Leveredge stood near 
 the door, gazing intently upon her. 
 He had overheard her words, and 
 smiled mockingly. 
 
 Alarmed at her sudden pallor, Fa- 
 bean asked the cause of it. 
 
 She turned toward him, and whis- 
 pered : ' ' Claude Leveredge is at the 
 door ; " but when she looked again 
 he had vanished. Fabean left her, 
 with the intention of finding him, of 
 whom she had spoken, and an instant 
 later Victor stood before her, with a 
 glass of water in his hand. 
 
 "I am not well," she said, in 
 answer to his inquiring look ; "do 
 try to find Harold, and ask him to 
 come to me. " 
 
 He left her, and she became aware 
 that her hostess and her friend, Mrs. 
 Ross, were speaking of her, in low, 
 confidential tones. 
 
 ' ' No wonder that she turned pale, " 
 said the first ; "I have heard that she 
 jilted him most shamefully. " 
 
 "Where has he been for so many 
 months ? " queried Mrs. Ross ; "at 
 home, in North Carolina ? " 
 
 ' ' No ; he spent the fall and winter 
 months in Cuba ; he has only been 
 here two days. I met him in the 
 street yesterday, and asked him to 
 come here to-night, but he declined 
 my invitation. I am surprised to see 
 him, and still more so that he has not 
 paid his respects to me. " 
 
 He had spent the winter in Cuba ! 
 The words rang in La Guerita's ears, 
 and the thoughts excited by them 
 made her sick and dizzy. ' ' Has he 
 discovered anything?" was the first 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 question that presented itself to her 
 mind, but the answer : . ' ' No ! " came 
 readily, for she remembered well that 
 the expression upon his face had been 
 that of a tireless pursuer, not of a 
 triumphant victor. 
 
 She was glad when Harold, who 
 had been much alarmed by Victor's 
 account of her disordered looks, 
 came to her. Although she had en- 
 tirely recovered her color and self- 
 possession, she urged an immediate 
 return home, waiting only to hear 
 from Fabean, that Leveredge had en- 
 tered his carriage, and been driven 
 rapidly away, the moment after she 
 had discovered him. 
 
 Harold was much surprised and 
 annoyed on hearing of the strange 
 conduct of his former rival. To him 
 it was incomprehensible, for La Gue- 
 rita had never told him of the terri- 
 ble threats he had made just before 
 her marriage. 
 
 All, however, were, on the follow- 
 ing day, much pleased to learn that he 
 had taken the cars for the South with- 
 in an hour after leaving Mrs. Leslie's. 
 
 Fabean and Harold were both cer- 
 tain that he had made no discoveries, 
 at least, of an unpleasant nature, as, 
 they were well assured, he would dis- 
 close them ; and as nothing was for 
 some time heard or seen of him, he 
 soon passed from their minds. But 
 La Guerita often thought of it with 
 terror and a nameless dread, feeling 
 that the trail of a serpent was over 
 the flower-gemmed path of her life. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 " Vengeance has no foresight." 
 
 FIVE years had La Guerita De 
 Cuba been the wife of Harold De 
 4 
 
 Grey, before aught else occurred to 
 disturb the tranquility of her mind ; 
 and even then it was only a little 
 thing, .which only her great love 
 and solicitude made of moment. 
 One winter evening,, after waiting 
 long and patiently for her husband, 
 a note had been sent her from the 
 office, informing her that Mr. De- 
 Grey had received private news of 
 great importance, and had started for 
 Philadelphia at a moment's notice. 
 
 Nearly two weeks had passed since 
 then, without bringing her a line 
 from the absent one, or any news ot 
 his whereabouts. La Guerita was 
 daily becoming more uneasy, and 
 even the calm lawyers, his partners, 
 openly commented upon his strange 
 absence, and spoke of making pub- 
 lic inquiries for him. This his broth- 
 er Victor strongly opposed, saying : 
 ' ' He told you when he left that he 
 might not be back for a month, and 
 that you might not hear from him 
 within that time. Let Harold alone ; 
 he knows what he is about, I'll war- 
 rant you. " 
 
 Even La Guerita, when spoken to, 
 in effect gave the same answer, feel- 
 ing assured it was the investigation ot 
 some important business that detain- 
 ed him and kept him silent ; and 
 with almost overpowering emotions 
 she surmised that the business was 
 connected with the mystery of her 
 own life. She dared not say this 
 even to Victor DeGrey. Perhaps if 
 her brother Fabean had been near 
 she might have gained relief for her 
 troubled heart, by unburdening to 
 him her fears ; but he was far away. 
 The winter before, Harold DeGrey 
 had suffered much from general de- 
 bility, and his physicians, perceiving 
 
26 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 in him signs of incipient consump- 
 tion, advised him to spend the winter 
 in a warmer climate. For many rea- 
 sons, Cuba was selected as their so- 
 journing place, and there Harold 
 DeGrey, his wife, and son, passed 
 three of the happiest months of their 
 lives ; and thither Fabean soon went, 
 having, with his usual levity, resigned 
 his situation in the bank, and declar- 
 ed his intention of spending the ten 
 thousand dollars, that had fallen to 
 his lot on his twenty-first birthday, in 
 travel. This resolution had been in- 
 duced by letters from La Guerita, 
 who had described, in glowing col- 
 ors, the projected tour of the Bur- 
 fords, an American family, who had 
 long been residents in Havana. And 
 soon after Fabean's arrival in Cuba 
 the DeGreys had been greatly vexed 
 to hear that Mr. Burford had begged 
 him to travel with them as his secre- 
 tary. Fabean eagerly accepted the 
 position, quieting all opposition by 
 the remark, that he ' ' would be see- 
 ing the world and obtaining an in- 
 sight of business at the same time. " 
 That was undeniably true ; but 
 that did not comfort his sister. Her 
 objections to the tour were not cre- 
 ated by thoughts of business, but by 
 the existence of a young lady, the 
 eldest of the five younger Burfords. 
 She was a most charming girl 
 young, beautiful, refined; the one of 
 all others La Guerita thought most 
 fitted to captivate the heart of her 
 brother, and, alas ! to be captivated 
 by him. Had La Guerita been at 
 liberty to choose a wife for her broth- 
 er a sister for herself Myrta Bur- 
 ford would have been the favored 
 one ; but Fabean had already chosen 
 for himself, after a six weeks' flirta- 
 
 tion ; and, to the dismay of all his 
 friends, had engaged himself to 
 a mere boarding-school Miss the 
 daughter of Mrs. Leslie, of Ellis- 
 ville. 
 
 Carrie Leslie was a pretty, well ed- 
 ucated girl, of unexceptionable fami- 
 ly, and the sister of Thornton Leslie, 
 the warmest friend both of Victor De- 
 Grey and Fabean DeCuba. The 
 brother was delighted with the match, 
 and both Victor and Harold thought 
 it excellent ; but La Guerita looked 
 beneath the surface, and putting aside 
 all worldly considerations, saw that 
 Carrie Leslie was far too frivolous to 
 awaken any deeper feeling than tran- 
 sient admiration in the heart of her 
 brother. 
 
 She was speaking of that to Victor 
 DeGrey, one afternoon, when he had 
 called in, as usual, to say : ' ' No news 
 from Harold ! " and to have a romp 
 with his little nephew, and to kiss the 
 delicate babe, that lay like a spotless 
 lily upon its mother's breast. The 
 little Harold, he found, had gone to 
 his grand-mama's, but was shortly 
 expected home ; so he drew a letter 
 from his pocket, sank into an easy 
 chair, and began reading, patiently 
 awaiting his coming. Two weeks 
 before he would have hesitated to 
 read a long letter in his sister's pres- 
 ence, conceiving that the act would 
 seem most ungracious to her ; but he 
 was glad of any excuse to parry her 
 anxious inquiries and conjectures 
 concerning her husband, and eagerly 
 caught at an expression in the letter 
 he was reading to speak of her ab- 
 sent brother. 
 
 ' ' I believe, after all, you were 
 right," said he; "I don't believe 
 Fabean ever did love Carrie. There 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 27 
 
 is not a word in this letter about her ; 
 on the contrary, it is full of praises 
 of the incomparable Miss Burford. 
 I suppose he thinks himself privi- 
 leged to speak of her as an angel, 
 because he thinks she is going to die 
 and become one ; but I don't think 
 Carrie would like it But there is 
 one thing certain, she wouldn't break 
 her heart about it Have you heard 
 of the flirtation she has had with 
 Loring ? " 
 
 "I have heard of a dozen flirta- 
 tions within as many weeks, " return- 
 ed La Guerita, impatiently ; ' ' and, in 
 spite of your jokes about them, Vic- 
 tor, they trouble me greatly. One 
 love affair is enough in any woman's 
 life." 
 
 ' ' You did not always think so, " 
 retorted Victor, laughingly. ' ' What 
 do you think I heard two or three 
 days ago ?" 
 
 "That I had had a dozen before 
 my marriage ? " 
 
 " No ; but that the single one that 
 tormented you so was coming from 
 France, to marry a country cousin, 
 to whom he has been engaged for ten 
 years or so ; a sort of family arrange- 
 ment, I believe. Just imagine the 
 gallant Claude giving up his ' Don- 
 na Luisas ' and ' Md'lles De St. Ar- 
 mands,' for a country cousin, with 
 two or three thousand a year. " 
 
 ' ' I hope he will be happy, " she 
 said, seriously. 
 
 " So do I, " said Victor, laughing 
 ironically ; "but I am not going to 
 fret about it if I find he is not I 
 wish that boy of yours was come, it 
 is raining like the mischief. I have 
 missed all the fine weather in waiting 
 for him, and now I am going home 
 the shortest way, for I am quite sure 
 
 mother will not let him come home 
 to-night ; so you needn't expect 
 him." 
 
 "But I should be so dreadfully 
 lonely without him, " she urged. 
 
 ' ' Nonsense ! you have Altie ; she 
 will be company enough for you, 
 with the new novel I brought you 
 yesterday ; so good by ! " 
 
 She had been but a few minutes 
 alone, when she heard a carriage roll 
 swiftly up the graveled paths. She 
 saw, with much satisfaction, that it 
 was her own, in which she had sent 
 him to Mrs. DeGrey's. She turned 
 to summon a servant, when, to 
 her amazement, she beheld her old 
 friend, Thornton Leslie, spring from 
 the carriage, with her child in his 
 arms. A moment later it was in her 
 own, senseless, apparently dead. 
 
 ' ' He has only fainted, " cried 
 Thornton reassuringly ; " it is noth- 
 ing to be alarmed about. Bring him 
 to his senses, and I'll tell you all 
 about it in two minutes. " 
 
 All other feelings were lost in her 
 alarm for the boy. La Guerita, 
 ever calm in an emergency, turned 
 to the servant, who had followed Les- 
 lie into the room, and bade him go 
 for a doctor ; he did so, and the wo- 
 men servants came in, only to be sent 
 away after restoratives. La Guerita 
 would not yield the child even to his 
 nurse, and hastily began to disrobe 
 him. A faint odor stole over her 
 senses, and, with a scream, she re- 
 cognized the peculiar aroma of chlo- 
 roform. Around the neck of the child 
 was found a handkerchief saturated 
 with the subtle fluid. That being 
 instantly removed, and the proper 
 restoratives administered, after a few 
 anxious moments the child was re- 
 
28 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 stored to consciousness. Thornton 
 assisted eagerly in the work, and 
 when he saw the mother warming 
 her child's lips by passionate kisses, 
 and bathing his cold brow with her 
 hot tears, he said : "I can safely 
 leave him now ; but I pray you, 
 Mrs. DeGrey, never let him out of 
 your sight again. " 
 
 ' ' Where did you find him ! " she 
 asked eagerly ; ' ' was he not with 
 his nurse ? The faithless creature ; 
 I trusted her so implicitly. " 
 
 " There is no fault to be found 
 with her, " returned Mr. Leslie. ' ' I 
 was riding on the road from Ellis- 
 ville, and about midway between this 
 and Mrs. DeGrey 's I passed your car- 
 riage, in which sat the nurse, crying 
 out for some one to save the child, 
 and weeping and wringing her hands 
 frantically, while the coachman was 
 swearing like a madman, and trying 
 in vain to quiet the restive horses. 
 
 ' ' ' What has happened ? ' I cried. 
 Immediately the man recognized me, 
 and begged me, for God's sake, to 
 bring back your child ; a gentleman 
 had, a few moments before, stopped 
 the carriage, and saying that he was 
 an old friend of Mrs. DeGrey 's, had 
 taken the child upon his lap, though 
 the nurse objected because of the 
 rain ; had fondled and kissed him ; 
 then wheeled suddenly into a narrow 
 path, that . leads through the cliffs to 
 the sea, bearing the frightened child 
 before him. I neede*d no urging, 
 but putting spurs to my horse, dashed 
 in to the narrow way, where it was 
 impossible for the carriage to go, and, 
 after a few seconds' hard riding, dis- 
 covered a solitary horseman ; I even 
 saw the child in his arms, and heard 
 his shrieks of fear. Then began the 
 
 most exciting race I ever took part in. 
 Both were well mounted ; I, per- 
 haps, the best ; I at least had the ad- 
 vantage, in having no struggling 
 child to manage ; I was soon within 
 a few feet of ' the fugitive. Little 
 Harold saw me ; ' Mr. Ledlie, he's 
 hurtin' me ! O, Mr. Ledlie ! Mr. 
 Ledlie ! ' 
 
 ' ' If I had needed a fresh incentive 
 to action, that pleading voice would 
 have supplied it,, though it lasted but 
 for a moment, for the abductor threw 
 a handkerchief over the child's mouth, 
 and wound it about his neck. I 
 thought the child was being murder- 
 ed ; I recognized the villain that held 
 him, and, drawing a pistol from my 
 pocket, cried : ' Release that child, 
 or I'll kill you ! ' 
 
 "Mrs. DeGrey, that man and I 
 were at school together for years ; he 
 knew that I never uttered a threat 
 that was not followed by action, and 
 that I seldom missed my aim, when 
 a boy, and was not likely to do so 
 now, when it was taken in defense of 
 injured innocence ; he hesitated for 
 a moment, then glancing at his horse, 
 seemed to comprehend that it could 
 not bear him over the cliffs at a pace 
 to secure him safety from my pistol 
 ball, so, with a fearful oath, he took 
 the child by the skirts, bent over, and 
 dropped him on the road, and gal- 
 loped off, swearing vengeance. 
 
 ' ' I was rejoiced, upon picking up 
 the boy, to find him uninjured, 
 though unconscious ; I passed the 
 carriage on my way here, but would 
 not trust the child out of my arms 
 until I could place him in yours. " 
 
 For some moments La Guerita 
 could say nothing ; she clasped her 
 son convulsively to her bosom, kiss- 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 ing him again and again. The driv- 
 er and nurse, who had by this time 
 arrived, noisily repeated so much as 
 they knew of what Mr. Leslie had 
 said, but their mistress scarcely heard 
 them, and motioned them from the 
 room ; turning to Mr. Leslie, when 
 they were alone, with the exclama- 
 tion : " How can I ever thank you ? 
 my heart is now too full ! I can only 
 say, I would rather see my child in 
 his grave than in the hands of Claude 
 Leveredge. " 
 
 Mr. Leslie flushed to the temples, 
 stammering : ' ' Mrs. DeGrey, I men- 
 tioned no names ; I would not have 
 you suppose 
 
 ' ' You need not attempt to deceive 
 me ! " she interrupted ; "I know 
 that Claude Leveredge, who swore, 
 when I married Harold, that he 
 would make my life miserable, is 
 keeping his word. God help me !" 
 
 "It is a pity I didn't give him a 
 shot to-day," thought Leslie; then 
 said : "You need fear nothing in 
 future, Mrs. DeGrey ; Victor and I 
 will guard you well. It is quite 
 providential that I had that pistol 
 with me to-day, as I seldom carry 
 one, except when I have a large sum 
 of money with me. Your husband 
 has often laughed at my scruples. 
 By the way, where is he at present ? " 
 
 La Guerita colored deeply, drop- 
 ping her eyes in confusion. ' ' I can 
 scarcely tell you," she stammered ; 
 ' ' he departed so suddenly ; I wish 
 he were here to thank you as heartily 
 as I do." 
 
 4 ' So there's even a skeleton in this 
 house, " thought Leslie ; ' ' what can 
 be the mystery ; and where can De- 
 Grey be gone ? None seems to have 
 the least idea. 
 
 He sat down, and took Harold 
 upon his knee, saying : ' ' Now, my 
 little man, tell me what the great 
 black fellow said that wanted to take 
 you away." 
 
 ' ' Oh ! he muttered over me, " re- 
 turned the child, with a frightened 
 look, ' ' and he held me so tight that 
 the buttons of his coat hurt me ; and, 
 oh ! he looked so terrjble ; just like 
 the spook that nurse says carries off 
 the bad boy ; but I looked for his 
 horns, and couldn't see them ; I 
 guess he draws them in, like the ugly 
 snails in the garden. " 
 
 ' ' And did he say nothing to you ? " 
 
 "Yes, he said be still you little 
 devil, and said ever so many other 
 naughty words ; and said he would 
 kill me, when I screamed out to 
 you. " 
 
 "And was that all!" 
 
 ' ' Yes, " returned Harold, ' ' but, " 
 suddenly clapping his hand on his 
 pocket, with a look of great dis- 
 may, "he's tooked my new ball. 
 Oh-h-h ! " 
 
 He rushed from the room to ac- 
 quaint his nurse with this fresh dis- 
 aster. His mother for a few mo- 
 ments after he left gazed earnestly 
 upon Mr. Leslie, as if from his frank, 
 genial face, to gain courage to^put 
 into execution some half-formed re- 
 solve. 
 
 "What is it, Mrs. DeGrey?" he 
 said at length, noticing her hesita- 
 tion. 
 
 ' ' Thornton, " she said gravely, 
 ' ' we have been friends for years ; 
 many times before you have served 
 me, but to-day you have made me 
 your debtor forever. Pray do not 
 interrupt me, Thornton," as blush- 
 ing ingenuously, the young man 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 opened his lips to speak ; "I say 
 truly that you have made me your 
 debtor forever. This is a painful sub- 
 ject to me, for I shudder with horror 
 at the thought of my darling having, 
 even for a moment, fallen into the 
 power of Claude Leveredge ; I never 
 wish to speak of it again, but I hope 
 at some time to show you the depth 
 of a mother's gratitude. " 
 
 ' ' Any man would have done the 
 same under the circumstances, " in- 
 terrupted Mr. Leslie. 
 
 La Guerita shook her head, re- 
 maining for a moment lost in reverie, 
 and then exclaiming : " It is right ; 
 I will do it ! " 
 
 Mr. Leslie was at a loss to know 
 what to make of these broken sen- 
 tences, especially when she turned to 
 him, and remarked quietly : ' ' We ' 
 heard from Fabean yesterday. " 
 
 Ah, indeed ! So also did Carrie ; 
 does he speak of returning ? Our 
 Carrie is so shy, she will not give us 
 a word of news ; all engaged people 
 are equally reticent, I suppose ?" 
 
 He looked up with a smile, but 
 there was none in answer upon the 
 face of La Guerita. " O, Thorn- 
 ton," she exclaimed, "do you think 
 they love each other so very much ; 
 do you indeed think so ?" 
 
 He looked at her in great surprise, 
 unable for some moments to make 
 any reply. At last he asked, with 
 some agitation : ' ' Why do you ask 
 me, Mrs. DeGrey, have you received 
 any bad news from Fabean ? " 
 
 "No! No!" 
 
 ' ' Perhaps, then, " he exclaimed ex- 
 citedly, ' ' he wearies of the engage- 
 ment ; and I assure you my sister 
 has no occasion to force herself on 
 any man ! " 
 
 ' ' You misunderstand me, " cried 
 La Guerita, ' ' Fabean has never hint- 
 ed such a thing to me ; he may even 
 hate me for what I am about to do 
 which is, to beg you to consider the 
 matter deeply, before you permit your 
 sister to link her life with one so over- 
 shadowed with mystery as is that of 
 my poor brother. I pray you to re- 
 flect." 
 
 "You speak very strongly, Mrs. 
 DeGrey." 
 
 ' ' Because I feel strongly. O, 
 Thornton, I have felt the curse of 
 that mystery all my life ; I feel it now 
 a thousand times more than before, 
 and it is for my husband's and my 
 children's sake. Do you wish that 
 Carrie should feel the same ? I beg 
 you not to allow her to marry my 
 brother, until his parentage has been 
 discovered. " 
 
 Thornton looked at her in amaze- 
 ment ; he saw that she was very much 
 in earnest. Her face was paler even 
 than its wont, and her eyes shone as 
 if her very soul was concentrated in 
 the glowing orbs. 
 
 ' ' Tell me what you mean ! " he 
 said excitedly. ' ' I never supposed 
 before that you had any objection to 
 this marriage ! It cannot be that you 
 dislike Carrie your old friend and 
 schoolfellow ? " 
 
 ' ' No ; I love her very dearly, 
 Thornton, and it is because I love 
 her, and would save her from misery, 
 that I now speak ! " 
 
 "Let me understand you better, 
 Mrs. De Grey." 
 
 ' ' Thornton, for five years I have 
 been a happy, happy wife ; children 
 have slept upon my bosom ; my hus- 
 band has shielded me from every ill, 
 has given me ever the tenderest love ; 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 and yet, I tell you now, that were I 
 a girl again, I would never marry. 
 No ; not if I loved more than woman 
 ever did before, would I marry, until 
 I knew the secret of my birth ! O, 
 this mystery is to me a living death ! " 
 
 She spoke rapidly, and in accents 
 that penetrated with convincing power 
 the heart of her listener. Yet it was 
 long before he could understand the 
 strong emotion which had induced 
 her to speak upon a subject which for 
 years she had not mentioned, even to 
 her husband or Victor DeGrey. 
 
 ' ' You amaze me ! " he at length 
 exclaimed ; ' ' and I hope, and be- 
 lieve, you will pardon me for ask- 
 ing, whether you have heard any- 
 thing which has led you to believe 
 that an alliance with our family would 
 not prove desirable ? " 
 
 ' ' I have heard nothing, " she re- 
 plied ; ' ' but I feel that the crisis of 
 my life is near at hand. Fabean 
 may escape the coming storm ; its 
 fury may be expended upon me. " 
 
 ' ' I know that you speak in kind- 
 ness, " said Leslie, slowly ; ' ' but your 
 words are strange ; I scarcely know 
 what to say. Your brother became 
 engaged to my sister with the consent 
 of all concerned, and it is very diffi- 
 cult for me to say that they shall not 
 marry. " 
 
 ''Thornton, say nothing, unless 
 he suddenly returns to claim his 
 bride ; but pray that he may not 
 come until this mystery is explained. 
 I never wish another to bear the 
 weight that is upon us ; it will make 
 it none the lighter ! " 
 
 "It grieves me, Mrs. DeGrey," 
 began Leslie, ' ' to see that you allow 
 this matter to trouble you. Doubt- 
 less, Harold's danger has brought it to 
 
 mind ; but you need fear no further 
 trouble from Leveredge ; Victor and 
 I will guard your house effectually 
 until your husband's return, and it 
 will only be necessary for you to keep 
 your children in sight to secure their 
 perfect safety. " 
 
 ' ' Thank you ! thank you ! " re- 
 turned La Guerita earnestly ; ' ' and 
 you will believe that I have your sis- 
 ter's welfare at heart, as well as my 
 brother's ? " 
 
 "I cannot doubt it, Mrs. DeGrey, 
 after witnessing the pain it has given 
 you to speak ; I will remember all 
 that you have said ; I will do all in 
 my power to ward off the marriage ; 
 not that I fear any revelation of crime 
 or shame ; it is impossible that either 
 can be connected with you. " 
 
 La Guerita smiled dreamily, say- 
 ing : "I hope so, indeed ! but I feel 
 like one standing on the sea-shore, 
 with wrecked vessels scattered around 
 her, and seeing, at a great distance, 
 a ship, ladened with precious souls, 
 steering toward the rocks, upon which 
 those others have been stranded ; and 
 though the water may be deep, and 
 no harm may ensue, can I resist 
 shrieking that the rocks are there ! 
 or that the waters may recede, and 
 leave them dry on arid sands !" 
 
 "I know now what you mean," 
 said Thornton gravely ; "my resolve 
 is taken ; my sister's life shall not be 
 wrecked upon the rocks of mystery. 
 But we will speak of it no more 
 now. Good-by ! Good-by ! " 
 
 He wrung her hand and departed 
 hastily, strongly moved and excited. 
 "Poor woman!" he muttered, at 
 length, as he galloped towartl Grey- 
 mont ; "she is beautiful and good, 
 but strange very strange ! " 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 " And thou art dead, as young and fair 
 
 As aught of mortal birth ; 
 And forms so soft, and charms so rare, 
 
 Too soon return'd to earth ! 
 Though earth receiv'd them in her bed, 
 And o'er the spot the crowd may tread, 
 
 In carelessness or mirth, 
 There is an eye which could not brook 
 A moment on that grave to look." 
 
 Byron. 
 
 To the sad wife at Enola the days 
 of Harold DeGrey's absence passed 
 drearily. Perhaps it was well for her 
 that her children claimed the greater 
 part of her thoughts, leading her 
 mind, in spite of her great fear of 
 some coming evil, to think of other 
 subjects than that upon which she 
 believed her husband had been called 
 away. 
 
 From the moment that Thornton 
 Leslie placed her little son in her 
 arms, her jealous watchfulness never 
 flagged ; she kept him constantly in 
 sight. If he went to visit his grand- 
 mama, at Greymont, she held him 
 in her arms thither and back ; if he 
 played in the garden, she remained 
 at his side, and would, even in the 
 house, keep him in the room with 
 her. At night, she had him removed 
 from the nursery to her own room, 
 and often awoke at night, startled by 
 some fancied noise, to clasp him to 
 her bosom in a transport of alarm. 
 
 Yet, while she felt for Harold's 
 safety the most intense anxiety, her 
 little daughter was not forgotten. 
 The faithful nurse would seldom take 
 her charge from the presence of her 
 mother, so fearful was she that an at- 
 tempt to abduct her would be made. 
 
 As Thornton Leslie had promised, 
 her house was well guarded, and 
 thus it happened that Victor DeGrey 
 
 was one afternoon at Enola, mak- 
 ing, in his turn, a thorough search 
 through the house and grounds. At 
 dusk he entered the parlor, where La 
 Guerita and her children were sitting, 
 and exclaimed : 
 
 ' ' It is all right, La Guerita ; there 
 is no stranger in sight to-night ; so 
 Mr. Robber need not be expected to 
 carry off one of our charges before 
 morning. " 
 
 1 ' I am thankful for that ! " was the 
 low spoken reply. 
 
 ' ' I would just like to see the fel- 
 low that tried to carry off my little 
 prince ! " cried Victor, catching Har- 
 old in his arms and swinging him to 
 and fro, echoing the child's shouts of 
 glee. "I suppose," he continued, 
 addressing the child, ' ' the fellow ex- 
 pected to obtain a large ransom for 
 you. Did he turn you upside down, 
 to see if you had any money in your 
 pockets ! " 
 
 "What nonsense you talk, Vic- 
 tor," exclaimed La Guerita, in order 
 to detract his attention from the sub- 
 ject, as she had not even allowed Vic- 
 tor to know the name of the abduc- 
 tor, dreading much the scandal the 
 knowledge would give rise to if 
 known abroad. 
 
 ' ' Well, I'll say something sensible 
 now, " retorted Victor ; ' ' I hope the 
 fellow, whoever he is, left town. " 
 
 ' ' But he has not, " cried La Gue- 
 rita, forgetting her caution ; ' ' Thorn- 
 ton would have traced him if he 
 had." 
 
 "I thought Thornton could re- 
 member nothing of his face and fig- 
 ure ; if I had known before that he 
 could identify the fellow, I would 
 have had him looked for ; I wish 
 Harold would finish this confounded 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 33 
 
 mysterious journey of his ; he must 
 be gone to the moon, I think, for we 
 can find no trace of him. But, se- 
 riously, I wish he would come home ; 
 people are hinting queer things of 
 him ; they say, and I must say, I 
 think it strange he has not given even 
 his own family a clue to his where- 
 abouts. " 
 
 ' ' Oh, I wish he would come 
 home," sighed La Guerita, clasping 
 her hands nervously ; "his mind 
 must be occupied by some dreadful 
 thing, for he has not even remember- 
 ed to write to his wife. '" 
 
 ' ' Oh, it is not possible that he has 
 neglected you so long ! " returned 
 Victor, with an incredulous smile ; 
 "his letters have, no doubt, mis- 
 carried, or else Harold has gone cra- 
 zy. I have heard of some of our 
 family being flighty. I am accused 
 of being so myself sometimes. " 
 
 La Guerita sank back in her seat, 
 entreating him to say no more ; his 
 words affected her so horribly. 
 
 1 ' A carriage has just entered the 
 gates/' exclaimed Victor ; "who can 
 it be at this hour ? " 
 
 La Guerita looked out, and in- 
 stantly arose with an expression of 
 joy upon her face, yet trembling in 
 even- limb. ' ' I believe he has 
 come ! " she exclaimed ; "I am cer- 
 tain it was his hand upon the car- 
 riage door. Go and see ; I can't. " 
 
 She was indeed too much excited 
 to move from the spot ; but Victor 
 rushed to the door, followed by little 
 Harold, and the nurse took the babe 
 from La Guerita's arms just as she 
 saw her husband slowly descend from 
 the carriage. 
 
 "He is ill!" she cried, as she 
 caught sight of his face, and in a mo- 
 5 
 
 ment was beside him. With a face 
 expressive of the greatest surprise and 
 concern, Victor was assisting him up 
 the steps, and motioned her back, 
 saying : ' ' Don't touch him now ! he 
 is faint. " 
 
 "Thank God, I am home once 
 more ! " he said, as he stood in the 
 hall and looked upon his wife. 
 . She fell upon his breast, moaning : 
 ' ' My darling ! my husband ! what 
 has come upon us ? " 
 
 ' ' The worst ! " he muttered des- 
 pairingly. " O, my God, can it be 
 so?" 
 
 " Harold ! Harold ! tell me what 
 has happened ! " she cried wildly ; 
 ' ( I cannot bear this suspense ; tell 
 me tell me ! " 
 
 Yet even while she spoke she felt 
 him sink beneath her, and in a mo- 
 ment beheld him in Victor's arms, 
 as white and motionless as soulless 
 clay. 
 
 He was borne to his chamber, and 
 thither she followed him, saying to 
 herself : ' ' The worst has not come ; 
 he will die he will die ! " 
 
 ' ' He has merely fainted, " whis- 
 pered Victor, soothingly ; "we shall 
 soon bring him to ; I have sent for 
 Doctor Marsh. " 
 
 In a few moments he w r as at Eno- 
 la, having, fortunately, been but a few 
 paces distant when met by the mes- 
 senger. Under his active measures 
 DeGrey soon recovered from his 
 swoon ; but he awoke with the wild 
 fever of delirium upon him, recog- 
 nizing no one, and uttering nothing, 
 save apparently meaningless words. 
 For hours the physician remained 
 beside him, but no change appeared 
 in his condition. In vain La Gue- 
 rita bent over him, with wild entreat- 
 
34 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 ies and prayerful sobs ; he only look- 
 ed at her vacantly, once exclaiming 
 wildly : " O, cursed love ! take away 
 this dagger ! " striking his breast wild- 
 ly, as if in a frenzy of despair. 
 
 Thornton Leslie was below, and 
 Dr. Marsh went down to see him. 
 " I am glad you are come/' he said ; 
 ' ' you have, for many years, been a 
 friend of the family, stay here for an 
 hour, I beg, and see that my direc- 
 tions are followed to the letter. " 
 
 "I will, Doctor I will; but tell 
 me, what is the matter with DeGrey ? 
 The servants are too much frightened 
 to tell me anything. " 
 
 1 ' And no wonder. I greatly fear 
 the poor fellow has met his death- 
 blow somewhere. Queer thing alto- 
 gether, this journey of his, you know ; 
 brain fever will be the result, I strong- 
 ly suspect. " 
 
 They heard La Guerita upon the 
 stairs. ' ' I must go, " cried the Doc- 
 tor, starting up, ' ' though only a case 
 involving life and death could call me 
 from here, and I've such an one on 
 hand ; besides, I can't bear to meet 
 that poor creature's questions; my 
 answers would kill her;" and he 
 darted out of a side door, thus evad- 
 ing the scene he dreaded. 
 
 By these words Thornton Leslie 
 knew that Dr. Marsh believed Har- 
 old DeGrey would die, as he was not 
 one to create any unnecessary alarm, 
 and with a shudder he turned to meet 
 the almost frenzied La Guerita. 
 
 "Where is the Doctor?" she ex- 
 claimed ; ' ' Ah, cruel man, to go 
 without giving me one word of com- 
 fort. What did he tell you, Thorn- 
 ton ? " 
 
 "Simply that your husband has 
 an attack of brain fever," he answer- 
 
 ed, in a trembling voice ; ' ' but, 
 Mrs. DeGrey, I beg you to be calm ; 
 nothing can be gained by this excite- 
 ment, and the effect upon your hus- 
 band is much to be dreaded. Let 
 me entreat you not to despair. " 
 
 She left the room, turning a deaf 
 ear to all his remonstrances and en- 
 treaties. 
 
 On her way up stairs she met her 
 little son, who was standing in his 
 night-dress, refusing to return to his 
 little cot, and, with a startled expres- 
 sion in his dark eyes, piteously ask- 
 ing : ' ' Why they cried so ? " 
 
 Without heeding his questions, his 
 mother took him in her arms and 
 carried him into the room where his 
 father lay. He clung to her shoulder 
 with a scream of affright, as his eyes 
 fell upon the ghastly face and wildly 
 rolling eyes of the sufferer. 
 
 ' ' Who's that ? " he cried ; ' ' mam- 
 ma Uncle Vic, who is that ? " 
 
 "Your papa; don't you know 
 your own dear papa ? " whispered 
 Victor, as he took the frightened 
 child in his arms and stood with him 
 at the foot of the bed, hoping to gain 
 some sign of recognition from his 
 brother. 
 
 ' f No no ! that's not my papa ! " 
 cried Harold, shaking his head ; 
 ' ' my papa is not white, like him ; 
 he looks like the men we saw in the 
 big house, with no windows. Mam- 
 ma mamma, take me away ; I's so 
 afraid ! " 
 
 She took him in her arms and left 
 the room, feeling that she could not 
 endure more of such a scene. After 
 Harold was in his cot, she went, 
 aimlessly, down to the silent parlors, 
 where she found Mrs. DeGrey most 
 anxiously awaiting her, though she, 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 35 
 
 as yet, did not even dream the extent 
 of the evil that had come upon her 
 son. 
 
 "My poor girl!" she said, kiss- 
 ing La Guerita tenderly, "I know 
 you must be dreadfully alarmed, and 
 I suppose you are very much sur- 
 prised to see me at so late an hour ; 
 but I couldn't stay away. The doc- 
 tor stopped and told me all about it. 
 I was dreadfully shocked to hear 
 that our dear Harold has returned 
 home delirious. " 
 
 "O, mamma! not only delirious, 
 but dying ! " 
 
 Mrs. DeGrey looked startled, but 
 replied, incredulously : ' ' That, sure- 
 ly, cannot be, my dear. The doctor 
 never hinted the possibility of such a 
 thing to me ; but I will go up stairs 
 and see for myself how he is. " 
 
 But she was met at the door of the 
 bed-room by Victor, who gently, yet 
 firmly, denied her admittance, while 
 Thornton muttered, impatiently : 
 ' ' Those women will kill him ! " 
 Mrs. DeGrey overheard the words, 
 and, as much offended as grieved, 
 returned to the parlor, saying to La 
 Guerita, as she entered : 
 
 1 ' They won't let me into his room, 
 so I can't just tell you how he is ; 
 but I am sure, my dear, you need 
 not be so much alarmed. My hus- 
 band once returned from a harassing 
 journey with a fever, and was deliri- 
 ous two or three days ; I was young 
 and inexperienced then, as you are ; 
 but I learned afterwards that I had 
 had no great cause for alarm ; and I 
 believe, and hope, it will prove the 
 same now." 
 
 La Guerita made no reply, and 
 Mrs. DeGrey remained silent, mov- 
 ing restlessly about the gloomy room. 
 
 At last she went to the nursery, where 
 she found the children quietly sleep- 
 ing. 
 
 ' ' I am glad you have a light here, " 
 she said to the nurse ; "I became 
 quite nervous in those dark parlors, 
 lighted only by the gas in the hall. 
 Hadn't I better ring for lights to be 
 taken there ? " 
 
 ' ' I think not, ma'am, " answered 
 the girl ; ' ' Mrs. DeGrey always likes 
 quiet and darkness when anything 
 troubles her ; it seems to soothe her 
 mind ; I think she's best alone just 
 now, ma'am." 
 
 And the girl was right ; for in si- 
 lence and obscurity La Guerita was, 
 in a wild, erratic way, schooling her- 
 self to bear the great calamity which 
 she plainly saw was about to fall upon 
 her, and, as the hours passed, she 
 grew slowly not less despairing 
 but more calm. 
 
 When the doctor came she slipped 
 noiselessly after him into her hus- 
 band's room, and, unrecognized by 
 him, took up her station at the head 
 of the bed, half hidden by the flow- 
 ing drapery. Mrs. DeGrey soon af- 
 ter entered the room, with her usual 
 firm step and haughty air ; but an 
 expression of gloom and dismay 
 slowly settled upon her face, as she 
 gazed upon the ghastly countenance 
 of her son. 
 
 ' ' If he could but sleep, we might 
 hope greatly, " remarked Dr. Marsh, 
 in a low tone aside to Thornton Les- 
 lie ; ' ' do you see that the narcotics 
 are carefully administered? Poor 
 Victor is almost crazy himself, though 
 he looks so calm. I will be here 
 again in an hour." 
 
 Mrs. DeGrey followed the doctor 
 from the room, and when, after an 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 absence of ten minutes, she returned, 
 La Guerita knew that she, too, had 
 lost all hope. 
 
 None of the four could be induced 
 to leave the room during the night, 
 so anxiously were they to see some 
 change in DeGrey. Doctor Marsh 
 returned within the hour and joined 
 in the vigil ; but even his quick eye 
 could denote no alteration in the 
 state of the patient. 
 
 "You will kill yourself," he whis- 
 pered to La Guerita, as the gray dawn 
 struggled in ; " you have not been 
 out of the room, except once, when 
 called to your babe, for the night ; 
 go now, she is crying for you. " 
 
 Her maternal instincts were arous- 
 ed, and with a look of utter woe and 
 despair, she went to the nursery and 
 took the wailing babe to her bosom ; 
 sinking upon the cot, utterly exhaust- 
 ed, she fell asleep, and for two short 
 hours was oblivious of her misery. 
 
 She was awakened by little Harold's 
 voice, and feeling that she could en- 
 dure neither his fretful crying or bois- 
 terous play, she told the nurse to take 
 him to Greymont, and watch him 
 carefully. Thornton Leslie, she knew, 
 would accompany them, so she had 
 no fears for the child's safety ; and as 
 little Althea could, upon the return 
 of the nurse, be left entirely to her 
 care, La Guerita felt some slight de- 
 gree of comfort in knowing she would 
 be free to stand beside her husband. 
 
 All through the long, weary day 
 he remained delirious, recognizing 
 no one, and at intervals breaking 
 forth into invectives against some 
 nameless person, or moaning, as if 
 in very agony of spirit. 
 
 A celebrated physician from New 
 York, had, by the advice of Doctor 
 
 Marsh, been sent for, and he agreed 
 with him in thinking that a long, 
 quiet sleep would restore the mind of 
 Harold DeGrey, and perhaps save his 
 life. He also gave it as his opinion, 
 that his disorder was owing entirely 
 to some great mental excitement, and 
 that in consequence he had not slept 
 perhaps for weeks, and had lost his 
 reason by the unbroken anxiety he 
 had suifered. 
 
 On the third day of Harold De- 
 Grey's return, a consultation of phy- 
 sicians was held. La Guerita felt 
 while they were closeted together, as 
 if the walls of the house were stifling 
 her, and opening the window of the 
 library in which she stood, stepped 
 forth upon the lawn. 
 
 It was in the early days of the first 
 month of Spring, and the air was 
 filled with the faint perfume of open- 
 ing buds. For some weeks there 
 had been a great deal of rain, and the 
 ground was sodden and cold, giving 
 forth, to the excited imagination of 
 La Guerita, a smell like that of a 
 new-made grave, or freshly-opened 
 vault. Even the graveled paths were 
 wet and sunken, and gave but a dull 
 echo to her slow, firm tread. 
 
 More hurriedly would she have 
 gone had she known that from a 
 clump of holly she was watched 
 by dark, wild eyes, set in a face as 
 pallid as her own. 
 
 She looked toward the setting sun 
 as it dipped beneath the ocean waves, 
 and wished that she too might sink 
 to rest to oblivion and be unmiss- 
 ed, unwept, forgotten. 
 
 " But I shall not die ! " she mur- 
 mured; "I feel that there is life, 
 hateful life, in this bosom ;" and she 
 clasped her hands above her heart as 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 37 
 
 if she would gladly tear it from her 
 bosom. ' ' O, Harold, my darling ! 
 my love ! You will die, and must I 
 live ? " 
 
 She sank upon the damp ground, 
 for an hour or more remaining silent 
 and motionless, then her misery found 
 vent in such passionate words of dire- 
 ful meaning, that the face peering 
 from the thicket behind her, grew 
 livid in its paleness, as she cried 
 aloud : "I curse him, as he has 
 cursed me, with all my strength, and 
 life, and soul ! For I have no hope, 
 no mercy, no God, to help or pity 
 me ! There cannot be a God of 
 Love ! There cannot be ! " 
 
 She heard a rustling in the leaves 
 behind her, but turning, saw nothing. 
 A short, bitter laugh broke from her 
 lips. " If I were seen people would 
 call me nervous or perhaps worse," 
 she murmured, ' ' but I am not ; no, 
 no ; my nerves are iron ! They can 
 quake no more ; I know what is to 
 come ! " 
 
 These last words were spoken to 
 herself, but appropriated by Dr. 
 Marsh, who had quietly approached 
 her. 
 
 ' ' Of ourselves we can know noth- 
 ing, " he said gravely, taking her pas- 
 sive hand, and lifting her from the 
 damp earth. "My daughter, we 
 have done all that human wisdom 
 can dictate ; let us humbly and pray- 
 erfully leave the result with God ! " 
 
 She cast away his hand, crying : 
 " O, I can't bear it. I cannot bear 
 it!" 
 
 ' ' Child, sorrow must come to all, " 
 returned the kind hearted physician. 
 "Give not your soul to despair, but 
 remember that more will not be given 
 you than you can endure, and that 
 
 God even tempers the wind to the 
 shorn lamb ! " 
 
 ' ' Has he tempered it to me ? " she 
 cried. ' ' Don't speak to me of res- 
 ignation. I can never, never be 
 resigned. Is he not taking my all 
 my life from me ?" 
 
 ' ' My dear Mrs DeGrey this is im- 
 pious. " 
 
 1 ' Ah, yes ; you expect me to bow 
 and kiss the hand that smites me ! 
 What have I done that I should be 
 punished thus. What crime have I 
 committed that all the joy of my life 
 should be taken from me. " 
 
 ' ' Be calm, my daughter, be calm ; 
 remember that many idols have been 
 shattered before ; many just women 
 have been widowed and made child- 
 less, too, while you will still have your 
 little ones left. " 
 
 "Remember them! I do; but 
 what joy can come upon the children 
 of a mother with a curse upon her ?" 
 
 The good doctor comprehended 
 then the reason of her despair ; for a 
 moment he could say nothing, and 
 stood before her in sad perplexity and 
 grief. ' ' I cannot comfort you, " he 
 said, at length ; " I can only pray that 
 God in mercy will." 
 
 And he knelt, with bowed head, 
 beside her, holding the skirt of her 
 robe, as he fervently prayed that the 
 life of Harold DeGrey might be 
 spared, or that strength to bear his 
 loss might be given his young wife. 
 
 She listened with softened face, 
 and pleading eyes, to the few sen- 
 tences in which he entreated the life 
 of her husband ; but again the face 
 grew hard as he prayed for her, and 
 at last she exclaimed : 
 
 ' ' Pray for his life ! I care not for 
 comfort if he is taken from me ! Pray 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 that he will spare my husband's life, 
 or take mine also. " 
 
 The good man arose from his 
 knees, saying : ' ' God's will be done, " 
 and taking the arm of La Guerita, 
 led her into the house, away from 
 the spectral face that peered after 
 them from the depths of the shrub- 
 bery. 
 
 Victor DeGrey had already been 
 told of the helpless condition in which 
 his brother lay, and as Dr. Marsh 
 and La Guerita entered the hall, he 
 met them, with all the anguish of his 
 soul depicted on his face. Unable 
 to speak, he put his arms around his 
 brother's wife, and pressed a kiss up- 
 on her brow. But she could not en- 
 dure a token of sympathy, even from 
 him, and put aside his arm almost 
 sternly, and walked directly up stairs 
 to her husband's room. 
 
 Thornton Leslie and Mrs. De- 
 Grey were there. They drew aside 
 when La Guerita entered, even the 
 mother feeling that her grief was 
 nothing in comparison to that of the 
 young wife. With a thrill of joy 
 they saw that Harold recognized her, 
 though he was perfectly oblivious to 
 the presence of all others. As she 
 bent over him, he looked at her with 
 pitying tenderness, and feebly placed 
 his arm about her neck. They hoped 
 that he would speak, but he made no 
 effort to do so. 
 
 La Guerita laid down beside him, 
 and pillowed his head on her breast, 
 and to the amazement of all present, 
 began to sing, in a low voice, more 
 like an echo than a master tone, a 
 simple lullaby one with which her 
 husband had loved to hear her soothe 
 her children. Ere long they saw that 
 a change was spreading over his coun- 
 
 tenance, a slumberous look crept in- 
 to his eyes, and a lethargy was steal- 
 ing over his frame. Mrs. DeGrey 
 turned an inquiring gaze upon Dr. 
 Marsh, but he made no sign of re- 
 sponse, but with his finger upon the 
 pulse of his patient, watched his face 
 with intense anxiety, as he slowly 
 sank into a profound and deathlike 
 sleep. 
 
 ' ' There is hope, " murmured Mrs. 
 De Grey. 
 
 But neither the Doctor, nor La 
 Guerita heeded her words, and for 
 hours both kept the positions they 
 had taken, the doctor feeling that he 
 could not drop the wrist in which 
 life so faintly throbbed. But at ten 
 o'clock he laid it down, and went in- 
 to the parlor to take a short nap upon 
 the sofa, and leaving his patient in 
 the hands of Dr. Liston, his associate, 
 telling Victor to call him if any 
 change was apparent. 
 
 La Guerita had not for a moment 
 ceased her wailing song, and it sound- 
 ed through the still house like a fune- 
 ral chant, as Dr. Marsh sleeplessly 
 awaited his summons. At midnight 
 it came. Victor entered the room, 
 and said huskily : "He has awaken- 
 ed, and recognized us all. Dr. Lis- 
 ton thinks there is a hope ! O, Doctor, 
 can there be ? " 
 
 ' ' I cannot say ; I will go up. I 
 pray God his sleep came not too late. " 
 
 When they entered the room, al- 
 though DeGrey lay with his eyes wide 
 open, gazing with a look of sad intel- 
 ligence around, he had not yet spoken. 
 He did so when the Doctor approach- 
 ed him, looking at his wife, and 
 murmuring : " My love ! My love ! " 
 
 She tried to speak to him but 
 could not. She knew that he was 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 39 
 
 dying, and she could not, could not 
 give him up. 
 
 ' ' Bring the children in, " he whis- 
 pered. 
 
 His mother noiselessly left the 
 room, and presently returned with 
 the nurse and the two sleeping chil- 
 dren. He signified that he did not 
 wish them aroused, but kissing them 
 fondly, had them laid where his eyes 
 could fall upon them. 
 
 Then his mother bent over him, 
 entreating him to speak to her. ' ' God 
 bless you ! God bless you ! " he said, 
 as he kissed her. ' ' Don't fret about 
 me, mother, Victor will be left. " 
 
 She drew back, sobbing bitterly. 
 
 ' ' Victor, " muttered the dying man, 
 ' ' Come here ; close, close ; you 
 must hear ; you must care for my wife 
 when I am gone ; and you, Thorn- 
 ton, and Fabean, where are you 
 all ? No matter what happens, you 
 must stand by my wife and the chil- 
 dren. You'll not forget ? " 
 
 ' ' No, no ! " answered both ; and 
 Thornton Leslie clasped the hand of 
 Harold DeGrey, then left the room, 
 quite overcome by his emotions. 
 But Victor, impulsive still, bent over 
 his brother, in an agony of grief, to 
 hear his last farewell. 
 
 Tears come to women when trifles 
 move them ; but to most men, even- 
 tear is as a drop of life-blood wrested 
 from the heart in agony. So were 
 they to Victor, as his brother his 
 guide, his friend pressed a kiss up- 
 on his lips, as if he were a child 
 the child of his fondest hopes, and 
 then muttered, faintly : ' ' Leave me 
 with my wife. Good-by ! Good-by. " 
 
 Kissing her son's pale lips, Mrs. 
 DeGrey left the room followed by all 
 but La Guerita and the children. 
 
 For a time neither spoke, each breast 
 was surcharged with feelings too deep 
 for words. At last, he murmured : 
 ' ' Look up, my wife ; let me see your 
 eyes once more before I die. " 
 
 "You shall not die, Harold. O, 
 it is cruel it is wicked to take you 
 from me." 
 
 ' ' No, no, my darling, it is best ! 
 it is best ! " 
 
 " Why ?" she cried. " O, tell me 
 Harold what has happened ?" 
 
 " My poor, poor child ! " he whis- 
 pered, soothingly caressing the damp 
 black hair that had escaped from its 
 fastenings, and lay wildly around 
 her. ' ' Poor little one ! Trust in 
 God." 
 
 She moaned bitterly, but said 
 nothing. She could not wound him 
 by giving utterance to her utter un- 
 belief. 
 
 "O, if you could but live, my 
 husband ! " She sank upon his 
 breast, and lay shuddering, clinging 
 there, while she knew that he wrestled 
 and pleaded for her with God the 
 God she rejected with the strong 
 desire of a trusting heart. 
 
 "Tell me what has come upon 
 us," she entreated, when his lips 
 ceased moving ; ' ' What called you 
 away ? " 
 
 ' ' Is the letter gone ? " he answered, 
 in a tone that assured her that his 
 mind was wandering. "Yes, yes, 
 it is ! You'll never know the secret. " 
 Then with a great effort he lifted 
 himself, and strained her to his breast, 
 saying : ' ' Remember, I never ceased 
 to love you to love " 
 
 She heard a stifled moan, and 
 looking up, screamed with terror at 
 the awful pallor of his face. She 
 was heard bv those without thev 
 
4 o 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 rushed in and found him lying in her 
 arms, gazing upon her face. They 
 stood in awe around, and for a few 
 moments nothing was heard save a 
 faint sob or moan. Once the tearless 
 wife bent down and kissed his ashy 
 lips. He smiled, and they saw a 
 glorious light come into his raised 
 eyes, then slowly fade ; and they 
 knew that Harold DeGrey was dead. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 " Life leaves dead, and brown, and sere, 
 Round the threshold, lone and drear 
 Rustle in the autumn breeze. 
 Raindrops slowly fall and freeze : 
 
 Soft lips hushed, 
 
 Young lives crushed, 
 
 Bright hopes scattered, 
 
 Harp strings shattered 
 Withered flowers, and vines, and tears, 
 Cover graves of earlier years ! " 
 
 THREE suns had risen and set since 
 the owner of Enola had lain as soul- 
 less clay where he had once ruled a 
 master spirit. Their last rays were 
 falling upon his grave when La Gue- 
 rita entered the silent library with a 
 packet in her hand the letters he had 
 imagined destroyed. 
 
 When he died, in spite of his half 
 delirious words, she believed that it 
 was still in existence. Even her agony 
 did not induce her to forget what she 
 believed contained the secret of her 
 life. She sought and found it, thrust 
 in the pocket of his coat, as if of no 
 importance ; he had, perhaps, in his 
 distraction destroyed some other pa- 
 pers, but that mattered not : the secret 
 was safe. 
 
 On their return from the funeral 
 Mrs. DeGrey and Victor had entreated 
 her to go with them to Greymont, but 
 she refused to do so, saying she was 
 better alone. So they left her, think- 
 
 ing it was perhaps better, for her mind 
 seemed dazed ; perfect solitude might 
 restore it to activity again. 
 
 1 ' They have taken even his body 
 from me/' she moaned, as they left 
 her in her silent dwelling ; and again, 
 like a refrain from far-off shores, came 
 the strange words into her mind that 
 had been surging through it through 
 all the days of her widowhood : 
 
 "Take the dead Christ to my chamber. 
 
 Bear him as in procession, 
 
 And lay him solemnly 
 
 Where through the weary night and morning 
 
 He shall bear me company ! " 
 
 "They would call me sinful," she 
 muttered ; ' ' Sinful ! when he was all 
 I had to love my Priest and King, 
 and more ! But now he is dead ! 
 dead ! dead ! " 
 
 " Bear him as in procession, 
 And lay him solemnly 
 
 Where through the weary night and morning 
 He shall bear me company ! " 
 
 She spoke the words aloud, and 
 their strange meaning, with the hollow 
 sound of her own voice, startled her. 
 She clasped her hands upon her heart, 
 and felt there the packet she had found, 
 and with jealous care placed where no 
 hands might tear it from her. 
 
 ' ' I will read it now, " she muttered 
 to herself; " I will know why I was 
 called La Guerita DeCuba, and why 
 why he died ! '" 
 
 The shadows of evening were fast 
 filling the room where she sat. She 
 remembered that a servant was light- 
 ing the gas in the library when she 
 passed, and thither she went to learn 
 her history, still with the strange 
 words of the poem surging through 
 her brain, like a slow, monotonous 
 melody. 
 
 Noiselessly she glided down the 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 stairs, and over the thickly-carpeted 
 hall. For a moment she stood at the 
 door, fancying she heard a slight 
 noise a cat-like mstle. 
 
 " ' Tis but the crackling of the fire, " 
 she said ; and opening the door went 
 in, but receded in alarm as a tall fig- 
 ure turned toward her, then sprang 
 through the open window, and in an 
 instant disappeared from view. 
 
 Her first impulse was to fly, but a 
 second glance at the room caused 
 her to enter it. Trembling, yet calm 
 and determined, she turned on the 
 gas, and by its steady light saw plainly 
 what the glare of the fire had but im- 
 perfectly revealed. The window was 
 wide open, and a tool lay upon the 
 sill, with which the lock of the secre- 
 tary had been forced open. The pa- 
 pers it had contained were scattered 
 about the floor, but she neither cared 
 nor looked to see whether any were 
 missing, as she quietly gathered them 
 up, and threw them into the drawers. 
 She closed and barred the open win- 
 dow, calling no one to assist her, or 
 follow the daring intruder ; she had 
 recognized him, and cared not that 
 others should. 
 
 At last she seated herself in a low 
 rocking chair, not swaying back and 
 forth as she had often done when en- 
 gaged in idle reverie, but remaining 
 rigidly erect and still, watching the 
 ashes as they slowly fell, and remem- 
 bering how Harold had once said : 
 "No cinders of care shall ever fall 
 from the fire of my love to which the 
 ashes of sorrow may cling. " Alas ! 
 the fire of his love by death had been 
 quenched, and she had heard the 
 fearful words, "dust to dust, ashes to 
 ashes, " as they laid his form in the 
 cold ground, to molder forever away. 
 
 For hours the packet lay unopened 
 upon her lap, her nerveless hands 
 clasped over it ; but at last some 
 slight movement caused it to slip 
 down the sable folds of her dress, re- 
 calling her mind to the task she had 
 pledged it to perform. She stooped 
 and took it in her hand, took forth 
 the closely-written sheets from the 
 torn envelope, looked upon the well- 
 known writing of him she had loved 
 as a child, and, as a woman, feared. 
 
 She passed her hand over her eyes, 
 to smooth away a strange heat and 
 blindness that gathered there, and 
 then calmly read the opening words 
 of the letter, so expressive to her of 
 deadly hate. 
 
 "To Harold DeGrey, from one 
 who swore never to forgive or forget. 
 
 ' f Upon receiving this you will at 
 once conjecture that the news I have 
 to tell concerns the woman you took 
 from me more than five years ago. I 
 write to you because I hate you, and 
 because I know that my words will 
 blast all your hopes, and darken your 
 whole life. 
 
 "Perhaps you are already ac- 
 quainted with my history, but at 
 anyrate it will not prove uninteresting 
 to you when told by myself. I have 
 nothing uncommon to reveal. The 
 events that have marked my life have 
 been ordinary enough ; my passion- 
 ate soul alone has invested them with 
 that importance which renders them 
 so different to those that befall thou- 
 sands of mortals who live long years, 
 and die at last in the belief that 
 the world has dealt kindly by them. 
 I thank Fate, or Providence, that no 
 such passive soul was placed in this 
 frame of mine ; and it is because of 
 that, I could not lay my hand upon 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 my heart and bow in resignation when 
 you stood at the altar, and gained the 
 bride that should have been mine. I 
 am also thankful that a certain pa- 
 tience the patience of the serpent 
 when it coils for a deadly spring- 
 was given to this fiery soul of mine, 
 so that no blind, mad impulse led me 
 to kill your body, but to calmly, de- 
 liberately bide the time when I might 
 torture ay, kill your soul. 
 
 ' ' But this is a digression, no doubt 
 wearisome to you, but perhaps of im- 
 portance in giving you a complete 
 comprehension of what is to follow. 
 
 "It is just thirty years since I, a 
 weak, struggling babe, came into ex- 
 istence, taking from my mother the 
 life that refused to sustain us both. 
 None rejoiced when I came all wept 
 when she departed. I was taken as 
 an ugly and unwelcome burden, and 
 ungraciously cherished by the sable 
 nurse that had carried my dead mother 
 as a babe in her arms. But there is 
 a tender spot in the heart of every 
 woman, and before long I found that 
 in old Elsie's, and struggled into boy- 
 hood in the sunshine of her love. 
 
 ' * Some fathers would have turned 
 with adoration to the only child of a 
 dead wife, or would have hated it as 
 the instrument of her death. Mine 
 did neither. When they took me to 
 him, thinking that the sight of me 
 would comfort him, he put me aside, 
 not harshly, but as if I was some in- 
 sensate thing, and they knew that I 
 was to be cared for, but not in his 
 sight or hearing. So the nursery my 
 mother had so daintily fitted up for 
 my reception was closed, and Aunt 
 Elsie took me to a little cabin under 
 wide spreading oaks, where neither my 
 wailing or my mirth could reach the 
 
 ears of the stern, silent man who lived 
 in the closed house, a grim and cheer- 
 less hermit. 
 
 ' ' I seldom saw him ; for once when 
 he lifted me upon his knee, and looked 
 in my face with his wild, dark eyes, I 
 shrieked in affright, and he put me 
 down, never again to lay hand upon 
 me, or even glance my way. 
 
 ' ' I remember well the strange feel- 
 ing of awe, and yet of relief, with 
 which I looked upon him as he lay 
 dead in his coffin, and realized that 
 the man whom for the ten years of my 
 life I had regarded with almost super- 
 stitious fear would soon be hidden 
 from my sight forever. 
 
 "O, how often that dead face has 
 presented itself to my imagination 
 within the last five years ! When I 
 look in the glass I am startled to find 
 it looking back at me, and I know 
 that I am suffering torture like to that 
 he so silently endured and worse. 
 His heart rebelled against the power 
 of Death ; mine against the insolent 
 act of man. 
 
 "During his lifetime my father, 
 who had turned me over to the care 
 of ignorant slaves, had been thought 
 a fit guardian for me. But at his 
 death a wonderful controversy arose 
 between his relatives as to who should 
 have the responsibility of educating 
 and directing the morals of his heir. 
 
 "My uncle, Norton Holmes, the 
 brother of my mother, was appointed 
 one of my guardians, and by some 
 unaccountable freak, as my relatives 
 said, but which as I am now inclined 
 to think was a judicious exercise of 
 thought, a distant relative, one Acton 
 Holmes, was appointed the other. 
 This man had always been looked 
 upon as a sort of autocrat by all the 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 43 
 
 family, not so much for his wealth, ex- 
 tensive though it was, as because of 
 the soundness of his judgment and the 
 even dignity of his manners, which 
 compelled admiration, awe, and es- 
 teem from even the most careless and 
 irreverent. Perhaps the fact of his 
 being unmarried, and the possessor of 
 a large property, had something to do 
 with his great and general popularity. 
 Although he was but distantly related 
 to me, the fact of his being appointed 
 my guardian would have occasioned 
 no remark, had it not been well known 
 that he had not tolerated my father's 
 eccentricities as others had done, and 
 had even censured him severely for 
 his neglect of me, and had not, in- 
 deed, for years set his foot upon the 
 plantation, or looked upon my father's 
 face until he lay dead. In view of these 
 circumstances, it was with justice that 
 it was thought somewhat singular that 
 I, and what was much more important, 
 my property, should be intrusted to 
 his care. He seemed himself some- 
 what surprised and embarrassed at his 
 position, and refrained from taking 
 the part in the business which was 
 natural and usual with him in any- 
 thing in which he was concerned. 
 My uncle settled the estate much as 
 he pleased, and it was not until the 
 final disposal of myself was arranged, 
 that he said or did anything contrary 
 to my uncle's will. 
 
 "He seemed to have settled the 
 matter in his own mind beforehand, 
 and my uncle was soon surprised out 
 of his cherished plan of having me 
 educated in his own family, and into 
 a reluctant consent that I should be 
 placed at school at the north. Acton 
 Holmes chose Fairview for my resi- 
 dence, and thither I was sent. 
 
 ' ' Perhaps you think that up to this 
 point I have been unnecessarily dif- 
 fuse, and that some of these pages 
 might have been omitted. Read on, 
 and at the end of this epistle you will 
 know why I place so much import- 
 ance upon these early events in my 
 life's history. 
 
 "I was a little over eleven years 
 old when I was placed at the Fairview 
 Academy. I had never before, even 
 for a day, been absent from the plan- 
 tation upon which I was born. I had 
 been a master from my birth ; none 
 ever dared oppose my will, for it had 
 never clashed with that of my father, 
 and the slaves he owned were trained 
 to implicit obedience to all white 
 people. When I went north all that 
 was changed. Claude Leveredge was 
 no longer the young master, judicious- 
 ly feared and implicitly obeyed, but a 
 child, who almost lost even his iden- 
 tity in a crowd of boisterous, fun- 
 loving, caste-despising boys. The 
 change at first disgusted me, but I 
 soon found that a master spirit could 
 rule in any place, and among all 
 people. Before long my power of 
 will, illustrated and enforced by my 
 strong arm, had made me an autocrat 
 among the pupils, and even the 
 teachers, of Fairview. 
 
 ' ' There were many there that feared 
 me, and whispered often how they 
 hated me ; but there was one an in- 
 fant girl who, twining her soft arms 
 around my neck, said with truth : 
 "Claude, I love you! I love you 
 better than all the rest !" 
 
 ' ' I don't know that I ever loved 
 any one before ; but from the day I 
 entered Fairview my heart was cen- 
 tered in that little, winsome child. 
 Her beauty was to me like that of a 
 
44 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 magnificent flower, daily disclosing 
 more splendor and perfection. Her 
 gentle arts and winning ways were to 
 my fiery soul, my sensitive nature, my 
 often wounded heart, like a soothing 
 balm a magic spell. 
 
 "All knew that I loved the child, 
 for I caressed and protected her at 
 all times, while to others I was a stern 
 niggard of my favors ; but none knew 
 how early I said : ' I shall be a man 
 soon, and La Guerita DeCuba shall 
 be my wife. ' 
 
 ' ' Yet even in those early days pride 
 kept me silent concerning her to all 
 those who had a right to know of my 
 associates. I think I never even 
 spoke of her to Acton Holmes, who, 
 during the vacations which I spent at 
 the house of Norton Holmes, often 
 questioned me. I could not bear that 
 her origin should be questioned ; I 
 believed that she was of the highest 
 birth, and it would have maddened 
 me had any one ever dared to have 
 spoken of crime or shame in connec- 
 tion with the child I loved. 
 
 ' ' DeGrey, you know all that hap- 
 pened in succeeding years: how I 
 loved her ; how she promised to be 
 mine ; how she wearied of her bonds ; 
 how I broke them, fancying, vain fool 
 that I was, that she would return and 
 rivet them all the faster ; and how I 
 returned and found her O God! 
 another's. 
 
 "Perhaps your wife has laughingly 
 told you how I once said I would un- 
 ravel the mystery of her birth, and ruin 
 her, whatever might be her origin. 
 Her ruin meant that of the man who 
 had defrauded me. 
 
 "I began my work very quietly. 
 No foolish words, uttered in moments 
 of madness, revealed the fixed pur- 
 
 pose of my soul. Silence is the birth- 
 place of thought ; thought the parent 
 of action. I knew that truism well, 
 and bound my once unruly member 
 with the thongs of hatred and revenge. 
 
 ' ' Until I had discovered the origin 
 of La Guerita DeCuba, I could only 
 blindly hope for vengeance. No plan 
 for obtaining it presented itself to me. 
 Naturally, my first act was to go to 
 Cuba. For months I stayed there, 
 stealthily working my way, going into 
 the highest families, employing all 
 sorts of characters to ferret out private 
 histories, and expending thousands in 
 a search that proved in vain. 
 
 ' ' An insane desire to see La Gue- 
 rita once more, and learn from her 
 face whether she was happy or not, 
 impelled me once to visit Ellisville. 
 I think part of my desire for ven- 
 geance would have been satisfied had 
 you wearied of your lovely bride, 
 and proved to her that love was in- 
 deed the ephemeral thing that hers 
 had been to me. But I knew by one 
 glance into her eyes, by the few words 
 she chanced to utter in my hearing, 
 that your tenderness for her had never 
 failed, and that the truest peace and 
 happiness marked the life that had 
 cursed mine. 
 
 "Yes, she was happy ; and I ? 
 The misery at my heart the mad- 
 ness of my brain drove me again to 
 Cuba to my unfinished task. But 
 it daily grew heavier with sickening 
 doubts and disappointments, and it 
 was with a sigh of relief I received a 
 message from Uncle Norton sum- 
 moning me to the side of our dying 
 cousin, Acton Holmes. 
 
 ' ' Some words of his had once in- 
 duced me to believe that he knew of 
 my hopeless passion. But I made a 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 45 
 
 confidant of no man, and that he 
 could have aught to say to me upon 
 the matter, never once entered my 
 mind, even while I wondered at the 
 urgent message that he had forwarded 
 to me. 
 
 ' ' Though I traveled with all speed, 
 he died two days before I reached 
 home. They told me he had died 
 in an agony of mind at not seeing 
 me, yet he left no message, even of 
 farewell. I looked upon the still, 
 dead face of my cousin, with more 
 grief than I had ever felt before, for 
 I knew that no other man had showed 
 toward the neglected orphan, such 
 tenderness as he. 
 
 "I went from the grave yard, where 
 they laid him upon the very day of 
 my arrival, to the house of Norton 
 Holmes ; and as we sat alone after 
 dinner, our conversation naturally 
 turned on him who was silent for- 
 ever. 
 
 ' ' ' He was a genial man, ' said I, 
 after some desultory talk, ' 'tis strange 
 that he never married. ' 
 
 ' ' ' Yes, truly, ' answered my uncle 
 with a laugh. ' There are not many 
 men that would condemn themselves 
 to perpetual celibacy for the sake of 
 a handsome girl of the class one 
 usually looks upon as without con- 
 science as well as power. ' 
 
 ' ' I looked at him inquiringly, and 
 perceiving my evident astonishment 
 and ignorance, he said : ' I forgot 
 you were but a child when the matter 
 occurred, and even if you had not 
 been, it is hardly probable that you 
 would have heard of it, for Acton 
 Holmes was not one to talk of his 
 follies, or boast of his vices. ' 
 
 ' ' ' What do you know of his fol- 
 lies or vices, uncle/ said I, rather 
 
 anxious to know more of the private 
 life of one who had in public display- 
 ed unwavering uprightness and virtue. 
 ' What do you know about either ; I 
 supposed he was utterly free from 
 them ?' 
 
 " 'And I might have thought so 
 too, ' he returned, ' but for a walk 
 our respected aunt Matilda once took, 
 and a discovery she made upon that 
 occasion. The plantation of our 
 deceased relative is, as you know, 
 
 bounded on one side by the Y 
 
 river, and on the banks of that stream. 
 Aunt Matilda came upon a garden of 
 choicest flowers, in the midst of which 
 stood a lovely cottage, and upon the 
 porch, with a little babe upon her 
 bosom, stood a woman of queenly 
 stature and wondrous beauty ; at her 
 side sat Acton Holmes, with a boy 
 upon his knee, whose face was the 
 counterpart of his own. ' 
 
 ' ' DeGrey you know whom these 
 children were. 
 
 [The paper dropped from the 
 trembling fingers of La Guerita, and 
 a low moan " O God ! O God ! " 
 broke from her ashen lips. ' ' But it 
 cannot, cannot be ! " she cried, and 
 with lightning rapidity read on to the 
 end of the fatal letter. ] 
 
 " W T hat was there in this history of 
 my cousin's love to fill my brain with 
 fire my heart with ice ? for even 
 then I could not entertain the sup- 
 position that rushed over me. But 
 with strained ears that caught every 
 intonation of his voice, I listened as 
 my uncle continued : 
 
 ' ' ' Our aunt Matilda being a pru- 
 dent woman remained a silent spec- 
 tator of the scene, and, justly fearing 
 Acton's wrath, withdrew without dis- 
 covering herself, and with the secret 
 
4 6 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 determination of keeping her own 
 counsel for a time at least. 
 
 ' ' ' But such secrets do not remain 
 sacred long, and, ere long, whisper- 
 ings were heard that a beautiful quad- 
 roon had accompanied Acton Holmes 
 from Cuba some years before, and 
 was the mistress of that lovely cot- 
 tage. 
 
 1 l l When the whisperings were 
 loudest, Acton Holmes suddenly dis- 
 appeared ; for a year or more nothing 
 was seen or heard of him, and as the 
 cottage was empty it was generally 
 supposed he had taken the woman 
 and children with him ; but before 
 
 long she appeared at W , with 
 
 free papers in her hands. Beautiful 
 still, but broken-hearted, people said, 
 and they called her Dolores, though 
 it is said her lover had ever named 
 her La Guerita DeCuba the fair one 
 of Cuba. ' 
 
 [She who read these lines seemed 
 turned to stone, so awfully calm was 
 she even when she read the bitter 
 words of scorn that followed the his- 
 tory of her birth. ] 
 
 ' ' DeGrey you know all that I dis- 
 covered, as my uncle dreamily told 
 this bit of scandal, and moralized, as 
 the living will, upon the career of the 
 dead. I know not how I looked 
 then, but fortunately the friendly 
 dusk was there to hide me. I felt as 
 if turned to stone ; I could not speak 
 or move, but only think think that 
 La Guerita DeCuba she, whom I 
 had loved she, who had scorned me 
 she, a fancied princess, was the 
 daughter of a bond-woman. 
 
 " I know you will not doubt what 
 I have written, but if you seek proof, 
 visit the place from which this is 
 dated, and learn from a hundred lips, 
 
 from Norton Holmes, from a laun- 
 dress Dolores, the truth of what I 
 have written. 
 
 ' ' DeGrey, my revenge is sweet 
 sweeter than I ever dared hope it 
 could be. Yet my task is not ended 
 until the whole world shall point 
 with shame and scorn to him who 
 shares the fortunes of the slave-born 
 woman, La Guerita DeCuba. 
 
 ' ' CLAUDE LEVEREDGE. " 
 
 Thus ended the strange epistle. 
 La Guerita turned again to the begin- 
 ning and read the date. ' ' W , 
 
 N. Carolina, May loth, 1859." 
 
 There, then, Harold had been. 
 There where the story of her shame 
 was known. There the cruel darts 
 of scandal had pierced his heart. 
 
 She sat for hours before the slowly- 
 dying fire, not thinking of her shat- 
 tered hopes, her fallen aspirations, 
 nor of him who had robbed her life 
 of all its joys but of her shame ! 
 That shame which had killed her 
 husband, and would live in her in- 
 nocent children. Some pages of the 
 letter she read again. A needless 
 task, for a pen of adamant could not 
 have engraven words more deeply 
 than were these upon her tortured 
 brain. Yet she read them, again and 
 again, bending over at last and ful- 
 filling her husband's forgotten task 
 consigning to the flames the secret 
 she should never have known. 
 
 Then she arose and left the room, 
 feeling conscious that she would sink 
 beneath the weight that had come 
 upon her. She went up-stairs to her 
 own room, and sunk upon the bed 
 on which her husband had died. 
 From that moment reason fled ; she 
 lay as upon surging billows, and sank 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 47 
 
 down, down, down, into cold, slimy 
 caves, where gleams from the eyes of 
 ocean monsters threw rays of gold 
 and crimson through the black 
 depths. Out of the crevices of rocks 
 and the bosoms of giant shells, and 
 from under the floating arms of sea- 
 weed, crept hideous demons toward 
 her gliding serpents, and scorpions 
 swift as light. They floated and 
 crept around her with horrible hisses 
 and meanings, and eyes that glared 
 with fury and hate. And she heard 
 in the meanings and hisses the voice 
 and saw in serpents and scorpions 
 the eyes the basilisk eyes of Claude 
 Leveredge. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 " The outward, wayward life we see 
 The hidden springs we may not know ; 
 Nor is it given us to discern 
 What threads the fatal sisters spun ; 
 Through what ancestral years has run 
 The sorrow with the woman born ; 
 What forged her cruel chain of moods 
 What set her feet in solitudes; 
 What held the love within her mute. 
 
 * * * * * 
 
 It is not ours to separate 
 The tangled skein of will and fate." 
 
 Whittier's " Snow Bound." 
 
 To La Guerita a lifetime seemed 
 passed in those gloomy caves. Some- 
 times the waves parted, and for a mo- 
 ment she saw afar off forms of light 
 and beauty ; when, again, the waters 
 closing over her, even the remem- 
 brance of the light would fade from 
 her mind, and the terrors of the hor- 
 rible, in which she was immured, re- 
 turn, peopled with new and still 
 more fantastic objects. At last came 
 a time when the demons, and ser- 
 pents, and slimy, creeping things, 
 one by one, left her, and fitful gleams 
 of sunshine darted into the loathsome 
 caves, the dark walls of which slow- 
 
 ly took the semblance of a chamber 
 at Enola. Gradually, and without 
 any violent shock, consciousness re- 
 turned to her; and one day, open- 
 ing her eyes, after a quiet sleep, she 
 found herself in a darkened room, 
 with Harold's mother leaning over 
 her. 
 
 ' ' Mother dear mother, " she said ; 
 and that instant was clasped to the 
 heart of Mrs. DeGrey, and greeted 
 with tears and kisses, while a cry of 
 joy burst from the lips of the only 
 other occupant of the room a beau- 
 tiful young girl, with large, blue eyes, 
 that shone with joy as she threw her 
 long, fair curls back from her face, 
 and bent to kiss the sufferer. 
 
 ' ' Thank God, you are better, " she 
 whispered ; ' ' this will be good news 
 for Thornton, and for all. The time 
 has seemed so long. " 
 
 ' ' How long have I been here ?" 
 asked La Guerita, wearily. 
 
 ' ' Ten days, my darling, " answered 
 Mrs. DeGrey ; ' ' but hush, now, 
 love ; you must not talk for a day or 
 two." 
 
 ' ' No no ; I will not ; only tell 
 me, are my children well ? " 
 
 Carrie Leslie turned aside her head, 
 and Mrs. DeGrey, with difficulty, re- 
 strained some sudden emotion. 
 
 ' ' What has happened ? " cried La 
 Guerita; "tell me tell me, is Har- 
 old gone ? is Harold gone ? " 
 
 "No, dearest ! no !" returned Mrs. 
 DeGrey, soothingly; "little Harold 
 is quite safe. " 
 
 "And Althea?" 
 
 "My daughter, the little one is 
 dead." 
 
 "Dead! dead!" It was all she 
 said, yet the word was a very wail of 
 agony. 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 "We were afraid to tell her," said 
 Carrie Leslie to her brother, a few 
 weeks later, ' ' for Althea had seemed 
 the best loved of her children ; yet 
 she never even wept for it ; nor did 
 she say : ' God's will be done ! ' " 
 
 "She could not," said Thornton, 
 gravely ; " she lives with an undying 
 sorrow in her heart ; these were Vic- 
 tor's last words to me as we parted at 
 the gate, the night the will was read. 
 Poor fellow ! he is nearly heart-broken 
 to see her so changed. It is dread- 
 ful, Carrie ! Though Harold has 
 been dead nearly six weeks, she has 
 never mentioned his name or raised 
 her head. " 
 
 ' ' Poor thing ! " said Carrie ; ' ' and 
 doesn't it seem a strange thing to be 
 able to pity the proud Mrs. DeGrey ? 
 I had a note from her to-day, begging 
 me to come to her ; she would not 
 see me the last time I was there. " 
 
 ' ' Don't fail to go, " said her broth- 
 er ; ' ' you must try to fill a sister's 
 place toward her. I consider Har- 
 old's last charge to me gives a new 
 duty to the whole family, while, of 
 course, your relation to Fabean 
 
 Carrie interrupted him, pettishly : 
 1 ' Don't harp upon that, Thornton ; 
 it is a ridiculous affair altogether. 
 Consider your own duties, as one of 
 Harold's guardians, as much as you 
 please, and, pray, leave me to attend 
 to mine." 
 
 Her brother turned upon her a 
 searching glance. ' ' Do you remem- 
 ber, Carrie, what I said to you a short 
 time ago ? " he asked. 
 
 She colored angrily, biting her lips, 
 poutingly, as she replied : ' ' Yes ; I 
 remember very well, and I consider, 
 Thornton, that it was really cruel of 
 you to place me in such a state of un- 
 
 certainty ; you all knew that there 
 was some mystery about Fabean's 
 birth when you were so eager for our 
 engagement. " 
 
 ' ' I was a romantic boy then, " said 
 Thornton, sadly ; ' ' happy myself, 
 and anxious that my friend and sis- 
 ter should be. You know I had no 
 meaner thought ; but, pshaw ! 'tis 
 wasting time to talk to you of that. 
 Be a reasonable girl, Carrie, and re- 
 member that 'circumstances alter 
 cases/" 
 
 Carrie laughed scornfully. '' ' Yes, 
 the circumstance of his receiving but 
 a paltry ten thousand dollars, and no 
 hint of more, instead of a princely 
 fortune upon attaining his majoriry, 
 altered this case ! " she cried. 
 
 ' ' You are wrong, " returned her 
 brother, firmly ; ' < and I tell you 
 now, it is time for us all to lay aside 
 romantic fancies, and especially for 
 you to cast off the flimsy pretense of 
 loving Fabean DeCuba." 
 
 ' ' You are dreadfully cruel ! " cried 
 Carrie, bursting into tears ; ' ' you 
 are actually insulting, sir ! actually 
 insulting ! " 
 
 "It is two o'clock," said Thorn- 
 ton, quietly, glancing at his watch ; 
 ' ' what time are you going to Mrs. 
 DeGrey's, Caroline ? ". 
 
 f ' Now, " she sobbed ; ' ' and I wish 
 I could always stay there ; I like Fa- 
 bean DeCuba as well as you love 
 
 Her brother put his hand on her 
 mouth. "No, no, Carrie; I have 
 your other confession, you know. 
 Come, come, give me a kiss before 
 you go ; you know I always mean 
 well. Pity it is that one has to speak 
 to you harshly to convince you of it. " 
 
 But she broke from him angrily, 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 49 
 
 and a few minutes later, still vexed 
 and excited, entered the parlor of 
 Enola. 
 
 La Guerita was there, for the first 
 time in many weeks, and Carrie 
 Leslie joyously uttered some pretty 
 phrases of congratulation, wonder- 
 ing, at the same time, how such a 
 beautiful young widow could wear 
 such a ' ' horrid, horrid cap ! " 
 
 ' ' You think I look very thin and 
 pale, no doubt,*' said La Guerita, 
 faintly, construing Carrie's glance 
 into one of pity for her weak state, 
 rather than her poor taste ; ' ' yes, 
 yes ; no doubt I am terrible to look 
 upon ; but it is no matter now no 
 matter. " 
 
 "Oh, don't say that!" exclaimed 
 Carrie ; ' ' you are only a little pale, 
 and you never had much color, you 
 know ; I really think you look love- 
 ly, and the ruffles of that dress are 
 sweet. I remember when I was in 
 mourning ; but I beg your pardon ; 
 I didn't mean to make you feel 
 badly." 
 
 "It is nothing, " said La Guerita, 
 smoothing away the spasm that had 
 contracted her brow ; ' ' but I am not 
 strong, Carrie ; yet, with all my weak- 
 ness, I cannot die. " 
 
 ' ' Die ! I should think not ; why 
 should you ? Dear me, I should be 
 very, very sorry, and so would Fabean 
 and all the rest. Oh, dear me, yes ! " 
 
 ' ' Fabean, Fabean ! " said La Gue- 
 rita, softly ; ' ' O, Carrie, do you love 
 poor Fabean ? " 
 
 The question was totally unexpect- 
 ed, and, confused and annoyed, Car- 
 rie answered testily : "I declare, I 
 don't know ; I suppose so. " 
 
 ' ' And would it break your heart 
 not to marry him ? " 
 7 
 
 Carrie laughed with irrepressible 
 amusement. ' ' The idea ! " she ex- 
 claimed ; ' ' what would mamma say 
 to that ! The idea of the heart of 
 any well-regulated young lady being 
 broken ; but, indeed, " she added, 
 suddenly growing grave and haugh- 
 ty, "I cannot see what right you 
 have to question me in that way. 
 Has Fabean asked you to do so ? Is 
 he tired of me ? " 
 
 ' ' I cannot tell, Carrie ; yet I al- 
 most hope so. But, Carrie, Carrie, 
 even if he loves you with more than 
 earthly devotion, I beg I pray you 
 not to marry him ! " 
 
 She spoke in pleading accents ; 
 she the proud woman actually 
 bent in suppliant form before that 
 thoughtless young girl, and cried, 
 again and again : ' ' Promise me, 
 Carrie, that you will not marry him. " 
 
 The impulsive girl, awed and thrill- 
 ed by the passionately spoken words, 
 threw herself on her knees beside La 
 Guerita, and cried : 
 
 ' ' Why must I not many Fabean ? 
 Who and what is he ? I know that 
 you can tell me. " 
 
 ' ' No, I will not tell you, " she cried, 
 shudderingly ; "I cannot tell you. " 
 
 ' ' Oh, then you only ask me to re- 
 sign your brother because you dislike 
 me," retorted Carrie, with sudden 
 willfulness ; "I am not going to 
 give up Fabean for any whim of 
 yours ; I will marry him. " 
 
 "O, Carrie, you must not yon 
 shall not ! " exclaimed La Guerita ; 
 "you shall not be like the miserable 
 creature you see before you to-day. " 
 
 "Of course, I shall not be, "inter- 
 rupted Carrie ; "do I look as if I 
 should ever mope myself to death ? 
 No, indeed ; I shall marry Fabean. " 
 
5 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 La Guerita caught her in her arms. 
 ' ' You are not worthy of my care, " 
 she exclaimed ; ' ' yet I love you I 
 will save you. Swear never to breathe 
 to any mortal what I am about to say 
 swear and I will save you ; swear, 
 swear, for Fabean's sake for your 
 own ! " 
 
 "I I'd rather not," muttered 
 Carrie, with ludicrous indecision ; 
 ' ' somebody might ask me about it, 
 and how could I help telling ; yet I 
 would like to know what your secret 
 is. " 
 
 1 ' Four words would tell you. Oh, 
 swear never to repeat them never to 
 breathe to mortal the secret they re- 
 veal. " 
 
 Carrie Leslie was awed by the 
 burning glances fixed upon her by 
 the rigid hand which held her own, 
 and by the thrillingly spoken words. 
 
 "Indeed, I will swear," she said ; 
 "I will never, never let any one 
 know what you are going to say to 
 me." 
 
 La Guerita bent forward. "Lis- 
 ten ! " she said ; ' ' hear all our 
 shame Fabean's and mine, Carrie ; 
 
 WE WERE BORN SLAVES ! " 
 
 For once amazement held Carrie 
 Leslie dumb. La Guerita repeated 
 her words : ' ' We were born slaves !" 
 
 Ah, what bitter meaning they had 
 to her. If she could but have known 
 how much lower were the emotions 
 they aroused in the young girl that 
 knelt beside her. 
 
 "I can't believe it," she said at 
 first ; ' ' you are trying to humble me, 
 Mrs. DeGrey. Do you suppose I 
 could have married Fabean if he had 
 been a slave? Ugh, the low-born 
 creatures ! " 
 
 ' ' Alas ! Carrie, it is true. " 
 
 Carrie burst into tears of indigna- 
 tion. ' ' Then, Mrs. DeGrey, I con- 
 sider that we have all been shame- 
 fully imposed upon. The idea of 
 you and Fabean having been born 
 slaves, and, just as like as not, your 
 father and mother not even married ; 
 and your brother having the pre- 
 sumption to want to marry me ; it is 
 shameful ! " 
 
 La Guerita quailed before this girl's 
 weak wrath and contempt, as if in 
 her puny voice was concentrated all 
 the contempt of millions. " I hear 
 the voice of the world," she said, 
 "and, O, Fabean, Fabean, I have 
 given it into this girl's power to hurl 
 such scorn at thee ! " 
 
 She felt as if she could silence for- 
 ever the indignant young beauty 
 the vain, pettish child she had, in her 
 passionate eagerness, made her con- 
 fidant. The next moment she felt 
 the weak creature's arms around her, 
 and her tears upon her cheek, while 
 she sobbed out : 
 
 "Indeed, I am very, very sorry, 
 though I couldn't help being a little 
 angry at first. Of course, I can't mar- 
 ry Fabean, but you will forgive me 
 for that, wont you. I hope he wont 
 feel very badly, but, of course, he 
 will see I couldn't carry out my en- 
 gagement when he knows all. " 
 
 "But he must never know," cried 
 La Guerita, in affright ; ' ' you have 
 given me your solemn oath not to 
 disclose what I have said. " 
 
 "And I never will, you may be 
 quite sure," said Carrie, quite pa- 
 tronizingly. ' ' Dear me, I am quite 
 upset for the day ; I never had such 
 a shock before in all my life. What 
 an escape I have had, to be sure ; I 
 feel so perturbed ; I think, if you 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 will excuse me, I will say my prayers ; 
 I remember that when anything used 
 to fret me, mamma always used to 
 tell me to say my prayers, and it used 
 to do me so much good. " 
 
 She left the room and entered the 
 library. In a short time she reap- 
 peared, with traces of tears upon her 
 cheeks, and said, very sweetly : 
 
 "I feel so much better. Dear me, 
 it is such a comfort to be able to put 
 off one's grief in that way ; I really 
 didn't think I could bear my burden, 
 before I had laid it at the throne of 
 God." 
 
 ' ' He helps those who have but 
 little to bear, " answered La Guerita, 
 gazing upon her with stony eyes. 
 
 "O, dear me, how can you say 
 so ! " exclaimed Carrie, as much 
 shocked at w r hat appeared to her 
 most unrefined heresy as she could 
 be at anything ; ' ' don't you remem- 
 ber what Dr. Alston says every Sun- 
 day? Why, Mrs. DeGrey, I don't 
 believe you trust in God, or that you 
 have any faith ! " 
 
 "I had once," returned the wid- 
 ow ; "I used to think He would 
 help me in time of trouble that He 
 would give me happiness ; I used to 
 pray to Him, as you do ; but how 
 has He answered me? Has He not 
 pressed cups of gall and wormwood 
 to my lips taken from me all my 
 pleasant things? My faith was in 
 vain my prayers have been fruit- 
 less ! He has given me darkness 
 for light, and desolation for hap- 
 piness ! " 
 
 Carrie Leslie listened helplessly, 
 feeling that the mind of her friend 
 was in a most unhallowed state, yet 
 knowing not how to make it better. 
 She quoted some common-place 
 
 phrases of advice and consolation, 
 meaning well, but accomplishing 
 nothing, and soon arose to depart. 
 Then, as if again seized by sudden 
 dread, La Guerita clasped her in her 
 arms, and held her there until she 
 had promised again and again never 
 to reveal a word of what had been 
 told her. 
 
 She was glad, at last, to escape ; 
 and as she walked hurriedly down 
 the garden path La Guerita looked 
 after her with a bitter smile, saying to 
 herself: "That girl is not a hypo- 
 crite ; that prayer she breathed com- 
 forted her. Ah, a thousand prayers 
 would not comfort me. I know now 
 what Christianity is ; what a belief in 
 a merciful God is a delusion to stay- 
 weak minds ! Nothing more ! noth- 
 ing more !" 
 
 These words she bitterly repeated 
 as she saw Carrie Leslie greet Victor 
 DeGrey at the gate, and smile in an- 
 swer to some remark, then place her 
 hand upon his arm, and walk with 
 him up the shady road. 
 
 Carrie Leslie had hastily resolved 
 to keep her intention of breaking her 
 engagement a secret until the deed 
 was actually accomplished, but some- 
 thing impelled her then to make a 
 confidant of Victor DeGrey, and with 
 many blushes and a few tears she 
 made the confession most adroitly, 
 without ever meaning falsehood ; in- 
 timated that La Guerita had opposed 
 the match, for her pride revolted from 
 the idea of it being known to any one, 
 that aught but her own free will had 
 induced her to resign her lover. Yet 
 she sought to impress upon the mind 
 of Victor that she was performing a 
 duty, not a fickle caprice ; and though 
 suprised, and almost offended with 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 the young girl for thus casting aside 
 one whom he had for years loved as 
 a brother, he was well satisfied that 
 for once, at least, she acted from some 
 deeper motives than mere impulse. 
 
 What it was he did not inquire. If 
 he had, how much sorrow and tribu- 
 lation might have been averted, for 
 Carrie Leslie would not have kept her 
 secret then. But, knowing nothing 
 of the importance of his words, he 
 only gravely said : 
 
 ' ' Perhaps it is all for the best. It 
 may be that you are not intended for 
 each other." And in fancy Fabean 
 stood before him, as he had once 
 done in reality, with a tiny, delicate 
 creature hanging upon his arm, and 
 though her eyes were blue and her 
 hair golden, they were not like those 
 of Carrie Leslie. 
 
 Thornton met them at the gate of 
 Mrs. Leslie's garden, and as the even- 
 ing was fine, they strolled on. Nei- 
 ther of them felt in a lightsome mood ; 
 and as they walked on the shore and 
 watched the ebb and flow of the tide, 
 they spoke of solemn things, and at 
 last of the dead Harold DeGrey and 
 his widow and child. 
 
 " After Mrs. DeGrey's severe ill- 
 ness, " remarked Thornton, ' ' I was 
 surprised to hear she had so soon left 
 her room. Dr. Marsh told me he 
 thought for several days she would 
 never rise from her bed again. In- 
 deed, I know he had but little more 
 hope for her than he had for Harold 
 in his extremity. " 
 
 ' ' Harold's illness has always been 
 a great mystery to me, " said Victor ; 
 ' ' or rather, I may say, the result of it 
 is a great mystery to me. It was 
 mental, not physical, suffering that 
 killed him ; of that I am convinced. 
 
 But what could have occasioned that 
 suffering? Oh, I would give the 
 world to know ! " 
 
 "Or so much of it as you pos- 
 sess, " said Carrie, with a slight laugh, 
 keeping the secret that she held only 
 from a perverse feeling that, by doing 
 so, she became at once superior in 
 knowledge to her companions. 
 
 ' ' Has it never occurred to you, " 
 said Thornton, reproving his sister's 
 frivolity with a glance, and speaking 
 with hesitation ; ' ' Has it never occur- 
 red to you that Harold had obtained 
 some knowledge of his wife's ante- 
 cedents ? We have never been able 
 to learn the object or direction of his 
 last journey. Is it not probable that 
 it was taken on La Guerita's account, 
 and that he purposely baffled curi- 
 osity ? " 
 
 "It must be so," returned Victor, 
 ,in. perplexity ; ' ' yet I must confess I 
 never thought so before. It must be 
 so ! Yet if Harold gained any pain- 
 ful secret, that in no way accounts for 
 La Guerita's extreme melancholy, for 
 he would not have imparted it to her. 
 Poor creature, her grief seems almost 
 to partake of the character of mad- 
 ness. I long for Fabean's arrival ; 
 that may change the current of her 
 thoughts. " 
 
 "Poor fellow," sighed Carrie, " I 
 fear he will not find Ellisville so 
 pleasant as usual. " 
 
 "Of course, he will not," ejacu- 
 lated Thornton, impatiently, "his 
 sister's dejection will render -that im- 
 possible. " 
 
 " I presume Miss Carrie alluded to 
 something else," said Victor, slightly 
 contemptuously. 
 
 Thornton Leslie turned toward his 
 sister with a quick, nervous start, 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 53 
 
 instantly divining the meaning of 
 Victor's words. 
 
 "Yes," ejaculated Carrie, inter- 
 preting his searching glance, ' ' I have 
 decided to oblige you ; " adding, with 
 a sudden perverse impulse, ' ' But I 
 have not done so to oblige you, 
 Thornton, any more than you would 
 be likely to give up la belle Southron 
 to gratify me. " 
 
 Thornton colored ; Victor whistled, 
 and executed the expressive panto- 
 mime of putting a ring upon an imag- 
 inary finger and a cross upon the 
 back of his friend, at the same time 
 ejaculating ' ' Caught ! " 
 
 Thornton looked at his sister re- 
 proachfully, but she was in no mood 
 to heed his frowns, and cried : 
 
 " It is all very well for you to stand 
 there, signing for me to stop. But I 
 wont do it. I'll say just what I 
 please; so that if her cousin does 
 succeed in keeping you apart, every- 
 body that cares about it may know 
 that mine are not the only matrimo- 
 nial plans that have miscarried. " 
 
 1 ' You are a very foolish girl, Car- 
 rie, " said her brother, severely ; while 
 Victor stood by, undecided whether 
 to leave or attempt to reconcile the 
 disputants. 
 
 ' ' O, no doubt I am a foolish girl ! " 
 retorted Carrie, stamping her little foot 
 into the yielding sand ; "I have been 
 an obstinate girl lately, and a strange 
 girl, too ; and now that I have be- 
 come a yielding and an ordinary girl, 
 I am, of course, a foolish girl. " After 
 which she proved herself at least an 
 ordinary girl by bursting into tears 
 and sobbing out that she wanted to 
 do right, but she was not quite sure 
 whether La Guerita even thought she 
 had done so. 
 
 Hastening to his sister's side, 
 Thornton soothed her as one might 
 an ailing child. But though she 
 wiped away her tears, her mood re- 
 mained the same, and all were glad 
 when the walk was ended. 
 
 Victor left the brother and sister at 
 their door, and walked slowly in the 
 direction of his own home, leaving 
 Enola, in which a few lights already 
 shone, some distance to the left, look- 
 ing with troubled eyes to the upper 
 windows, and saying to himself : 
 
 "There is a light in La Guerita's 
 window, perhaps she is retiring ; I 
 will not go in to-night to-morrow 
 will do as well. Poor girl ! poor girl ! 
 She will never be the same again. 
 O, good God ! what a trial has come 
 upon us. If I could but know, as 
 Harold did, what curse came with her 
 into the family ! If I could even 
 simply know the direction of his fatal 
 journey, or even the name under 
 which he traveled." 
 
 The last he would have known 
 could he have looked upon the 
 crumpled paper which La Guerita 
 had found in a pocket-book, and that 
 moment held in her hand. Upon it 
 were written the words : 
 
 ' ' Mr. Norton Holmes will call, 
 according to request, upon Mr. Har- 
 ry Grey at the R -- Hotel, M --- , 
 at ten o'clock on Wednesday morning. 
 
 " HOLMSFORD, N. Carolina, 
 
 , 1859." 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 " What were those fancies ? * * * 
 A wind arose and rushed upon the South, 
 And shook the songs, the whispers, and the shrieks 
 Of the wild woods together; and a Voice 
 Went with it: 4 Follow, follow, thou shalt win.' " 
 reni/*m. 
 
 IT would have been well if Victor 
 DeGrey had not that night passed by 
 
54 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 the doors of Enola, but had entered 
 in, and looked upon the grieving 
 widow. Not for a moment would 
 he have left her alone, had he guessed 
 the wild thoughts and longings that 
 filled her heart and brain as she sat 
 in her dimly-lighted chamber, with 
 the crumpled paper, the clue to her 
 husband's wanderings, in her hands. 
 
 A sudden longing to visit her birth- 
 place, and see her mother possessed 
 her. A longing, born from no de- 
 sire of sympathy or love, she was in- 
 capable then of wishing for either. 
 She rather wished to probe deeper 
 her wounded soul, to go where her 
 husband had suffered for her even 
 unto death. 
 
 She started to her feet and paced 
 the room rapidly, sometimes pausing 
 for a moment at the open window to 
 gaze out into the night, as if with an 
 uncontrollable impulse to fly into its 
 darkness. Then, had she been placed 
 upon a boundless desert, the dreary 
 scene would have harmonized well 
 with the wild thoughts that thronged 
 her mind, while the incense starting 
 upward from the garden, maddened 
 her by its utter incongruity. Had 
 she stood alone on the rocky shore 
 of the sea, and looked over its waters, 
 the solitude and grandeur might have 
 given her peace, but the sight of 
 lovelier things the starlight shim- 
 mering over rustling tree and flower, 
 even the calm face of her sleeping 
 child seemed only mocking her des- 
 pair. She wanted change, thunder, 
 lightning, flood, anything terrible 
 anything more horrible than the pas- 
 sions which beset her soul. 
 
 Suddenly, the longing to behold 
 her mother became a determination, 
 and then came another thought so 
 
 terrible that her very soul recoiled 
 from it, and she sank to the floor as 
 if struck by a heavy hand, shuddering 
 from head to foot, yet calling back 
 the terrible thought, clinging to it, 
 and holding it in her heart, till it be- 
 came the single hope of her soul. 
 
 The early hours of morning had 
 come when she looked again from 
 her window. The tardy moon was 
 just rising from the sea, and faintly 
 shining upon Enola. For a mo- 
 ment a tremor shook the woman's 
 heart. She should never behold 
 again the moonbeams shine upon 
 her once-loved home, or upon the 
 marble shaft that marked her hus- 
 band's grave. 
 
 She could not go without behold- 
 ing that without a last farewell to 
 his resting place. All was silent. 
 Not a creature awake in the house 
 not a creature stirring in the roads. 
 She looked around the room, caught 
 a large cloak from the foot of the bed, 
 and wrapping it around her, crept 
 noiselessly down the stairs and through 
 the hall. The bolts and lock of a 
 side door readily yielded to her hand. 
 She gained the garden, sped rapidly 
 over the deserted roads, and soon sank 
 exhausted upon her husband's grave. 
 
 There she burst in wild ejacula- 
 tions of the atonement she would 
 make, calling upon her husband's 
 name, as if his dead form could rise 
 and answer her. But she could not 
 stay in the lonesome churchyard she 
 could not kneel beside her dead hus- 
 band and child. Their eyes seemed 
 to reproach her, a sense of guilt, a 
 nameless terror, filled her soul. She 
 staggered to her feet, and again sped 
 over the lonesome roads, and, undis- 
 covered, gained her chamber. 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 55 
 
 She had made a mad resolve to 
 depart that night, and, without paus- 
 ing to rest, prepared for flight. She 
 dressed herself first in colored gar- 
 ments, over the mourning she wore, 
 then unlocked a desk and took out a 
 sum of money which she had laid by 
 from time to time, and which she 
 knew would never be missed. Then 
 for a moment she paused and looked 
 upon the sleeping child. "It is 
 best, " she said ; ' ' yes, it is best that 
 he should share my fate. T will be 
 an easy one for him. He will never 
 know sorrow or shame as I have 
 done ; I will save him from all that. 
 Yes, yes, my child and I are one, 
 we must make atonement together. " 
 
 Tenderly she raised him from the 
 bed, and without awakening him, 
 dressed him in garments of a dark 
 color, and then without one look 
 around, rose up, and holding him 
 close to her beating heart, left the 
 room which had been for years her 
 sanctuary. 
 
 She paused a moment at the door, 
 then locked it, and put the key into 
 the pocket of her dress. "That will 
 give me a little time/' she thought. 
 There was a faint light burning in the 
 hall ; she paused beneath it and look- 
 ed at her watch "half-past one.'' 
 
 Then she left her home, with fear- 
 ful calmness such, perhaps, as rest- 
 ed upon Hagar's brow when she led 
 her son forth into the burning desert 
 to meet his destiny. As one who 
 goes to perform a direful penance, 
 thinks more of the atonement he will 
 make, than of the torture he will 
 suffer, so went La Guerita into the 
 darkness of the^ night into the still 
 darker future she had claimed for 
 herself, and turned not back, nor 
 
 heeded the voices of Memory and 
 Love which strove to detain her. 
 
 Four days later, her journey was 
 over ; she was safe in the R Ho- 
 tel, in M , N. Carolina. 
 
 She herself could never tell by what 
 ingenuity and cunning she had elud- 
 ed the vigilance of the police, who, 
 throughout the country, had been 
 telegraphed of her disappearance ; 
 how she had, a score of times, chang- 
 ed the identity of herself and child, 
 and had arrived without hindrance 
 at her destination. It seemed won- 
 derful even to herself. She exulted 
 over it, as a proof that her course was 
 pre-ordained that she was following 
 out some mystical fate that no power 
 could thwart. 
 
 She arrived at the hotel late in the 
 night, and attracted the attention of 
 neither the clerk or waiter, who, in- 
 deed, were too dull with sleepiness 
 to notice whether the lady was young 
 or old, dressed in mourning or in 
 colors, or even if the child who ac- 
 companied her was a boy or a girl. 
 
 The landlord, however, the next 
 morning looked at the name in his 
 books with some curiosity, languidly 
 wondering whether Mrs. H. Grey, 
 was the wife of a gentleman of that 
 name who had stayed at the house 
 some weeks before. 
 
 It was late in the morning before 
 he had an opportunity of knowing, 
 for the sen-ant who had taken up 
 breakfast, had received her orders 
 through the closed door, and had 
 left the tray in the hall, whence it had 
 been taken unseen. 
 
 This unusual proceeding, though 
 as the landlord strove to assure him- 
 self might have arisen from a most 
 trivial cause, served to increase his 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 curiosity, and it was with alacrity that 
 he obeyed a request from the lady 
 that he would wait upon her. 
 
 Unconsciously he had in his own 
 mind decided that his guest was the 
 wife of the gentleman who had hon- 
 ored his house in the early spring 
 time, and it was with surprise he no- 
 ticed the mourning garments of the 
 young widow. 
 
 His salutations were given some- 
 what confusedly, after which, La 
 Guerita said quietly : "I am quite a 
 stranger here, Mr. Sterling, and for 
 certain reasons desire to remain one. 
 Therefore, as I wish to learn some 
 few particulars of certain persons here, 
 and to do so privately, I beg that you 
 will aid me to do so." 
 
 11 Madam's recent affliction, no 
 doubt " began the landlord, 
 
 ' ' Has entirely unfitted me for any 
 excitement," interrupted La Guerita, 
 and I beg of you during my short 
 stay, to protect me from any publicity. 
 Let one servant attend upon me, and 
 let that be one who will not prate to 
 others. " 
 
 ' ' I assure you, madam, " said the 
 really kind-hearted landlord, ' ' every- 
 thing shall be done to promote your 
 comfort, and if in any way I can be 
 of service to you, I pray you to com- 
 mand me." . 
 
 "Thank you," said La Guerita, 
 gently. "It is only to have this note 
 forwarded to Holmsford, that I need 
 at present trouble you." 
 
 She held the note in her hand, 
 looking at it doubtfully, as the land- 
 lord quickly exclaimed: "Ah, 'tis 
 to be sent to Mr. Holmes, I presume. 
 Certainly, ma'am, we know him well, 
 he was a friend of Mr. Grey's I re- 
 member. " 
 
 La Guerita shuddered from head 
 to foot. ' ' Speak not of him, " she 
 said, ' ' I am his widow. " 
 
 The landlord had conjectured as 
 much from the moment he entered 
 the room, yet at her words a feeling 
 of awe came over him. He bowed 
 silently, unable to speak, knowing 
 that he could say nothing of condo- 
 lence to her. 
 
 "Mr. Holmes will be much griev- 
 ed, " he said, at length. ' ' Your note 
 shall be sent immediately, madam. 
 Perhaps there is some other friend 
 you desire to communicate with ?" 
 
 ' ' Yes, " she answered boldly, and 
 with a beating heart ; * ' there was 
 another mentioned Mr. Leveredge 
 Claude Leveredge. He lives some- 
 where in this neighborhood, I be- 
 lieve. " 
 
 Suddenly the landlord's face dark- 
 ened. "Thank God, no !" he said, 
 with emphasis ; ' ' thank God, the 
 State is rid of him ! But I beg par- 
 don, madam, he is a friend of yours?" 
 
 1 ' Not at all, " answered La Gue- 
 rita quietly, her heart beating wildly. 
 "As he is not here, I am sorry to 
 have excited you by mentioning 
 him." 
 
 "No, no, madam, you don't ex- 
 cite me," returned the landlord, 
 vainly endeavoring to appear calm ; 
 "though God knows, some fathers 
 would have murdered him for less 
 evil than he has done me and mine. 
 But enough of that, he is gone now." 
 " What, dead !" she almost shriek- 
 ed the words. 
 
 "No, no, madam, such villains 
 always run a long lease. I beg your 
 pardon again, madam. He is not 
 dead ; he has only left the country. " 
 
 "Indeed !" 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 57 
 
 "Yes, ma'am, he sold all his ne- 
 groes, and all his lands and houses, 
 except the old homestead, and went 
 cross seas more than a month ago. " 
 
 "Strange ! strange !" muttered La 
 Guerita to herself. 
 
 "Yes, ma'am, it was," said the 
 talkative landlord, considering him- 
 self addressed ; "but, ma'am, if you 
 know anything of them, you will re- 
 member the Leveredges always were 
 a strange family. But ," growing 
 excited again, ' ' I never heard that 
 any of them spent their lives in de- 
 ceiving the innocent, squandering 
 their fortunes at foreign gambling ta- 
 bles, and sacrificing even their old 
 family servants to obtain means to 
 live abroad in luxury. " 
 
 "To /^abroad?" 
 
 "Yes, ma'am, to live there. He 
 has gone for good now. He came 
 from the north about six weeks ago, 
 and, as I have said, sold his planta- 
 tions and slaves, swearing he would 
 leave America for ever. I reckon 
 there was nobody grieved much. 
 There was almost murder every day 
 on the place while he stayed there ; 
 he was absolutely mad with drink or 
 some great excitement." 
 
 ' ' Ah, I am surprised, " remarked 
 La Guerita indifferently. ' ' I under- 
 stood he was a remarkably dignified 
 and reserved gentleman." 
 
 ' ' Gentleman ! " hissed the landlord 
 between his teeth, and with all the 
 contempt that could be concentrated 
 upon one word. Then he laughed, 
 as if in some slight triumph, saying : 
 ' ' You do not know the gentleman ; 
 few do, few do. But there is one I 
 think that does. " 
 
 La Guerita had just awakened to 
 the impropriety, or at least strange- 
 8 
 
 ness of her long conversation with 
 the garrulous landlord, but she lost 
 all recollection of it at his words. 
 
 1 ' Who, " she said with sudden ani- 
 mation, ' ' who can know this enig- 
 matical gentleman unless, indeed, 
 after what you have told me, I should 
 take him for a scoundrel ?" 
 
 The landlord was rebuked ; he felt 
 how unguardedly he had spoken. 
 1 ' No, no, there are few that have 
 that thought," he said in agitation. 
 ' ' She whom I spoke of has not that, 
 yet she knows him well. " 
 
 ' ' And does not scorn him ? " que- 
 ried La Guerita, with a feeling at her 
 heart she could not define. 
 
 ' ' Tis hard to say 'tis hard to say, 
 ma'am," said the landlord gravely. 
 "You see, ma'am, Miss Adela is a 
 very superior person. Perhaps you 
 know her, ma'am ?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 ' ' Oh, your husband's friends on- 
 ly. This Miss Adela, is Mr. Norton 
 Holmes' eldest daughter ; I've known 
 her since she was a child, and a 
 mighty pert little thing she was, but 
 always different from most children. 
 We country people, ma'am though 
 I say it myself are apt to tell other 
 people our business, and try to learn 
 theirs ; but Miss Adela never was 
 that-a-way. She never took any no- 
 tice of other people's affairs, nor ot 
 what they thought of hers. She was 
 always doing something that folks 
 could'nt understand, and setting their 
 curiosity agog ; yet they always found 
 out in the end that she meant well. " 
 
 ' ' You speak of the past. Has the 
 young lady left this part of the coun- 
 try, then?" 
 
 ' ' O dear no, ma'am, but she has 
 stayed home far more than usual this 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 winter, and last summer she was 
 north, and it was there they say the 
 trouble first began. " 
 
 " What trouble ?" 
 
 ' ' Sure enough, ma'am, I hav'nt 
 told you. Why, that between Claude 
 Leveredge and Miss Adela ; they are 
 cousins, you know, and folks say it 
 was always intended that they should 
 marry. 'Twas talked of when he was 
 in Europe, years ago, and then, I 
 fancy, Miss Adela was not averse to 
 it ; but she was only a child, and may 
 have changed her notion ; leastways, 
 people have been looking in vain for 
 the wedding these five years. " 
 
 ' ' What reason had people to sup- 
 pose that Mr. Leveredge would mar- 
 ry his cousin ? " 
 
 ' ' A heap more to my mind than 
 that she would marry him, " replied 
 the landlord, warmly. "Yes," he 
 continued energetically, " people 
 may say they're alike ; that she's cold 
 and haughty, and as unfathomable 
 altogether as Claude Leveredge, but 
 I grant them all that, and yet say she 
 will never marry him. " 
 
 ' l And why not ? " asked La Gue- 
 rita, greatly interested, knowing that 
 the person spoken of might soon have 
 almost unlimited control of her des- 
 tiny. 
 
 " Because, ma'am, Miss Adela 
 was not the woman to wait in a cor- 
 ner 'till it should please some one to 
 take her out, and last summer, they 
 do say, that she showed her cousin 
 that."' 
 
 "What, engaged herself to an- 
 other ? " 
 
 "Exactly, ma'am, and Mr. Le- 
 veredge was furious, and succeeded 
 in breaking off the match, they say. " 
 
 ' ' Good God, what could he have 
 
 done that for ? " ejaculated La Gue- 
 rita, startled from her wonted com- 
 posure. 
 
 ' ' In such cases, a gentleman's mo- 
 tives ain't hard to guess," returned 
 the landlord. ' ' Qf course, he wanted 
 Miss Adela himself, and it does my 
 very heart and soul good to know he 
 is foiled, whether Miss Adela acted 
 out of revenge or not There is no 
 doubt, after dallying so long, he found 
 when Miss Adela was about to marry, 
 that he loved her to distraction, and 
 that she scorned him. First of all, 
 he broke off her marriage ; then 
 again he left Holmsford, after his 
 cousin Acton's funeral, looking like 
 a ghost ; indeed a most horrible 
 change had come over him. People 
 said he had been discarded by Miss 
 Adela even his own servants said so. 
 One of them told me that while he 
 was at Holmsford, she saw him walk- 
 ing up and down a path in the gar- 
 den, muttering the most horrible 
 oaths, and that if he failed in his pur- 
 pose, then he would leave the coun- 
 try for ever. Then he went north, 
 and he was'nt gone a month before 
 he came back, in a half frenzied state. 
 Well, he never went near Holms- 
 ford. He sold off everything to the 
 highest bidder and bargains they 
 made to be sure and then left the 
 State, swearing never to set foot on 
 American soil again." 
 
 * ' I am almost interested in your 
 local romance," said La Guerita, 
 languidly. ' ' And so he is gone 
 well, well. Mr. Holmes will be suf- 
 ficient ; you will please to remember 
 to have the note sent to-day. " 
 
 ' ' Certainly, ma'am, certainly, " said 
 the landlord, taking the last words as 
 a signal of dismissal. ' ' And pray, 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 59 
 
 madam, is there nothing else I can 
 do?" 
 
 " Nothing at present, I thank you, 
 except to send me a good laundress, 
 some trusty woman. I fancy my 
 husband particularly mentioned one 
 connected with this hotel." 
 
 "No doubt, ma'am. We have 
 the best ; perhaps 'twas Caroline, or, 
 yes 'twas Dode or rather Dolores, 
 a free woman, ma'am, that once be- 
 longed to a Mr. Holmes. " 
 
 ' ' Doubtless she is the same, " said 
 La Guerita faintly. ' ' Send her to 
 me." 
 
 " I will, ma'am, I will, early in 
 the afternoon. But you look faint. " 
 
 " It is nothing, nothing, " she mur- 
 mured, regaining her composure by 
 a great effort : ' ' Leave me, if you 
 please, I am weary." 
 
 ' ' Quite tired out with my talk, " 
 thought the landlord, as he wended 
 his way down stairs. ''Poor soul, 
 no doubt she takes the death of her 
 fine young husband hard. Well, no 
 wonder ; and yet how attentively she 
 listened to me. Shows at least that 
 she, like most women, relishes a bit 
 of gossip at any time. Jim, go to 
 Dolores, and tell her she's wanted 
 early this afternoon. " 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Between the acting of a dreadful thing 
 And the first motion, the interim is 
 Like a phantasma, or a hideous dream." 
 
 LA GUERITA heard this order given 
 in a loud, cheer}- voice, as she stood 
 at her window, and shuddered as if 
 it had been the announcement of 
 some terrible fate. "Coward that I 
 am, " she muttered, bitterly ; "it 
 
 must come, and now 'tis better than 
 at any other time. What ! shall I, 
 who have rushed to meet the blow, 
 be afraid to receive it ? No, no ! " 
 
 Thus she muttered on ; some- 
 times of the past oftener of the 
 future, in which the names of her 
 mother and Claude Leveredge were 
 strangely mingled. Often she won- 
 dered that the former came not, and, 
 frequently glancing at her watch, im- 
 iagned moments never before moved 
 by so slowly. 
 
 She felt a burning impatience seiz- 
 ing upon and mastering her a wild, 
 passionate longing for repose for 
 that repose the madman hopes for 
 when meditating suicide ; she never 
 for a moment dreamed of knowing 
 happiness again, but she fancied that 
 a deep repose a dreamless lethargy, 
 would come upon her after the fever 
 and madness of the present were 
 past. As one who, in the pain and 
 frenzy of delirium, quaffs poisonous 
 drugs and hopes for rest, so La Gue- 
 rita DeCuba pressed to her lips a 
 noxious cup, and craved oblivion. 
 
 It was strange that, amid these 
 frenzied thoughts, she could fully re- 
 alize her position, and force mind 
 to contemplate it quietly. Point by 
 point she considered the tale of the 
 landlord. At the love of Claude 
 Leveredge for his cousin she smiled, 
 and accounted for his interference 
 in her marriage to some freak alto- 
 gether disconnected with her own 
 history. For his subsequent actions 
 his agitation after the funeral of 
 Acton Holmes his sale of his prop- 
 erty his frenzy while attending to it 
 was all accounted for by the failure 
 of his schemes for obtaining posses- 
 sion of little Harold, and, perhaps, 
 
6o 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 a sudden remorse, brought upon him 
 by the death of her husband. 
 
 "Yet it is strange that he left the 
 country, after obtaining the object of 
 his ambition, " she murmured ; "for 
 has he not for years lived only to see 
 me plunged in misery, and now, that 
 his hope is accomplished, he flies the 
 scene. Strange, strange man ! Yet 
 I see in him no free agent ; he is the 
 sport of Fate ; his actions have been 
 thus ruled that I may carry out my 
 purpose my holy purpose of atone- 
 ment ! Every obstacle has been re- 
 moved from my path ; the one which 
 I most feared Claude Leveredge 
 whose presence here would have utter- 
 ly baffled me would have even caus- 
 ed me to flee, as from a plague no 
 longer haunts the place to bar me 
 from it. Appalled by the ruin he has 
 wrought, he has fled the scene for- 
 ever, and I am free ! free ! Free to 
 call a woman of an accursed race, 
 mother ! Free to pay the penalty to 
 her folly ! " 
 
 Aroused and thrilled by the thoughts 
 that crowded upon her, she at last 
 arose, and with a quick, nervous step 
 paced the floor, passing the open 
 window, and even her child, without 
 once lifting her eyes from the car- 
 pet ; once she laughed softly as she 
 thought how she had fled from Enola 
 and baffled pursuit. 
 
 The laugh, low and faint though 
 it was, thrilled and startled her ; she 
 suddenly paused in her walk, clasp- 
 ing her forehead, and asking herself, 
 with horror, how she could laugh at 
 such a time ; was she mad ? " 
 
 ' ' No, not mad ! " she answer- 
 ed herself, "and never shall be. 
 Death will come before madness ; it 
 did to Harold. No, no ; madness 
 
 would not recompense his death : 
 nought will but a long, long life 
 of sanity preserved through torture. 
 Ah, yes ! far worse than the bitter- 
 ness of madness must be my atone- 
 ment ! " 
 
 She looked at her child, as he 
 stood by the window, restlessly gaz- 
 ing upon and longing to be in the 
 garden below ; her heart yearned 
 over the beautiful boy her darling, 
 her first-born ! Was the atonement 
 demanded of him also ?" 
 
 The struggle in her heart was but 
 for a moment ; she cast the question 
 aside by another : ' ' Was not the 
 child a part of herself?" 
 
 Alas ! that she did not ask : "Is 
 not this Harold's child ?" 
 
 While she pondered the boy look- 
 ed up, and filled with vague terror 
 bowed his head and cried piteously ; 
 then she caught him to her breast, 
 showering kisses upon him, calling 
 him a thousand endearing names, 
 and, by the countless means that 
 mothers know, quelled his restless- 
 ness and soothed him into quietness 
 again ; even stilling his wailing cry : 
 ' ' O, mamma, let us go home ! Let 
 us go to grand-ma and Uncle Vic ! " 
 
 ' ' Hush, hush ! " she said, at last, 
 in a low voice, a thousand times 
 more sorrowful than his own ; ' ' we 
 are far, very far, from Enola. " 
 
 ' ' Oh, yes, mamma, but let us go 
 back ; it is so hot and dusty here, 
 and your little boy is so tired. O, 
 mamma, I want to go home ! " 
 
 La Guerita put him from her, 
 clasping her hands in agony, almost 
 in remorse, as the child clung to her 
 knees, repeating, again and again, 
 amid sobs and tears, his piteous wail. 
 
 "Hush!" said La Guerita, at 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 61 
 
 last, so sternly that for a moment his 
 sobs were checked. ' ' Listen to me, 
 Harold ; look at me ; remember 
 what I say ; we are never going home 
 again never ! Don't cry ! Listen 
 again ! We are never going home ; 
 you must never speak of the place 
 again. " 
 
 "What, not of Enola, mamma 
 that pretty place, mamma ! where 
 papa used to be with us, before they 
 carried him away to the church- 
 yard ?" 
 
 She groaned in anguish : " O 
 child, child, be still ! you must for- 
 get all that ; never, never must you 
 speak of it again. If you cannot for- 
 get it, you must tell every person that 
 asks you questions that you have 
 done so. " 
 
 The boy drew back from her, his 
 cheek slowly crimsoning and his eyes 
 filling with amazement. ' ' What ! " 
 he said, ' ' must Harold tell a lie ?" 
 
 ' ' Ah, what have I done ! " she 
 cried, frantically; " I have put evil 
 and falsehood into the mind of my 
 child ! But he will forget he must 
 forget that, and all the past ! Yes, 
 he shall forget, " she continued, turn- 
 ing from the child as if to silence 
 some stern antagonist ; "he is so 
 young, he will forget ; he must he 
 shall ! " 
 
 Then she turned to the child again, 
 kissing and caressing him in a fierce, 
 yet protecting way, telling herself 
 that she was doing right to sacrifice 
 him feeling, in a vague way, that 
 the spirit of her husband was pleased 
 by the deed. 
 
 Thus the weary morning wore 
 away. The early dinner was brought 
 and sent back, almost untasted. 
 Even the child could not eat ; he 
 
 was sick at heart with a longing for 
 his home its dear familiars, and its 
 simple pleasures ; he sighed for the 
 fresh air and a romp in the garden ; 
 yet he dared not speak of either ; 
 and at last, overcome by the silence, 
 the heat of the day, and that sicken- 
 ing languor, which even an infant 
 can feel, he lay upon the floor and 
 sobbed himself to sleep. 
 
 But he soon found a softer resting 
 place ; his mother lifted him in her 
 arms, and pillowed his head upon 
 her bosom. And so he slept, press- 
 ing his fair cheek upon her heaving 
 breast, as unconscious of the tumult 
 raging within, as a moss or flower 
 that clings to a volcano's rocky side. 
 
 It seemed to La Guerita hours that 
 she sat with her child in her arms. 
 At last she was aroused by a firm 
 footstep on the corridor. Her face 
 blanched, her heart almost ceased to 
 beat, as she heard a low tap at the 
 door. She arose and laid the sleep- 
 ing child upon the sofa. She strove 
 to speak, but could not ; she knew 
 who came, and could not bid her 
 enter. 
 
 The knock was repeated, a little 
 more loudly than before. La Gue- 
 rita, by a mighty effort, gained 
 strength to totter forward and open 
 the door. 
 
 There stood a tall, dark woman ; 
 strikingly handsome still, though her 
 hair was gray, and half covered by a 
 bandanna handkerchief, and her form 
 clothed in homespun garments of 
 coarse quality and the rudest make. 
 
 La Guerita noted all this, even in 
 her agitation ; she noted too how the 
 salutation upon the woman's lips died 
 away unspoken, as her eyes rested up- 
 on her face ; how she gazed upon her 
 
62 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 as on one risen from the dead. She 
 seemed fascinated, for some seconds 
 she neither spoke nor moved : then 
 she said, with a slightly foreign ac- 
 cent, the more perceptible perhaps 
 from its tremulousness : 
 
 ' ' I beg your pardon, ma'am, I 
 don't know whenever I've been 
 startled so. I 
 
 ' ' Sit down, " said La Guerita. 
 
 She seemed glad to avail herself of 
 the permission, even though the lady 
 remained standing. As she sank in- 
 to a chair, she caught the image of 
 herself and the young widow reflect- 
 ed in a large mirror. She shrieked 
 aloud, starting to her feet, and point- 
 ing to the mirror, while she exclaim- 
 en : " Look, look, and tell me who 
 you are. O God, it cannot be ! " 
 She faced the mirror with frightful 
 eagerness, drawing La Guerita to her 
 side, and pointing to the images re- 
 flected. Then suddenly she said 
 again : ' ' For God's sake tell me who 
 you are ? " 
 
 "You know already," said La 
 Guerita bitterly. ' ' Stand back from 
 me. I am your daughter La Gue- 
 rita DeCuba ! " 
 
 For a moment the quadroon re- 
 mained motionless, the words could 
 not augment the shock the presence 
 of her daughter had given her. The 
 two women stood as if entranced. 
 They looked at each other, but no 
 word of love or welcome broke from 
 the lips of either. The daughter 
 looked upon the mother with eyes of 
 accusing wrath, while she cowered 
 before that gaze like one accursed, 
 falling at last to the floor with a bitter 
 moan, sobbing forth : 
 
 ' ' My daughter ! my daughter, why 
 are you here ? " 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 " What is the tale that I would tell ? Not one 
 Of strange adventure, but a common tale 
 Of woman's wretchedness; one to be read 
 Daily in many a young and blighted heart. 1 ' 
 
 Miss Landon. 
 
 THESE words, huskily and faintly 
 spoken by the prostrate woman, 
 seemed to level the barrier that ex- 
 isted between mother and daughter. 
 Suddenly they realized that they were 
 mother and daughter, not mistress 
 and menial. Neither spoke or in 
 any way gave vent to her emotion. 
 La Guerita sank into a chair; Do- 
 lores slowly raised herself, and stood 
 with downcast eyes before her daugh- 
 ter. 'Twas pitiful to see how stun- 
 ned with shame and grief she was, 
 how imploringly she lifted her hand, 
 as if to entreat a moment's space for 
 thought, saying, at length : ' ' Wait 
 one moment only one ; I shall be 
 able to hear you then. " 
 
 This she said with trembling lips 
 and voice, not as a mother welcom- 
 ing back in hope and love a long lost 
 child, but as one averting a threatened 
 evil. La Guerita looked upon her 
 with a countenance almost sublime 
 in its accusing wrath and scornful 
 pity, for in her very soul she spurned 
 with contempt the fallen woman be- 
 fore her, and yet as deeply pitied the 
 mother who feared to meet the gaze 
 of her child. 
 
 Dolores Holmes saw that. She 
 knew that a terrible sorrow had fallen 
 upon her daughter's life, and that she 
 was held accountable for it. She 
 dropped her head upon her hands 
 and groaned, and just then Harold 
 awoke with a cry, and called his 
 mother to his side. 
 
 The quadroon looked at him in 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 amazement ; she had not noticed 
 him until then. She drew near, she 
 would have touched him, but La 
 Guerita pushed her aside, as if her 
 very presence were pollution. Hum- 
 bly and sadly she turned away, forc- 
 ing back the ready tears, and moving 
 not again until La Guerita said calmly : 
 * ' Are you ready to listen to me now ? " 
 
 "Send the child away," she mur- 
 mured ; ' ' Send him away before you 
 speak." 
 
 1 ' You are right, " returned La Gu- 
 erita ; ' ' J t is best that he should see 
 nor hear nothing of what must pass 
 between us." 
 
 So Harold, whose eyes seemed riv- 
 eted upon the strange woman, was 
 sent to the beautiful garden which he 
 had all day longed to enter ; and in a 
 few moments the mother and daugh- 
 ter were alone, with the locked door 
 between them and the outer world. 
 
 The silence that followed was short, 
 for La Guerita felt that she had still a 
 duty to perform, and with fresh impa- 
 tience entered upon its accomplish- 
 ment 
 
 "The child is gone," she said; 
 "The innocent child, before whom 
 we could not speak of evil, and now 
 I am ready to talk to you. I, your 
 daughter a woman in years and 
 cares am ready to learn of my 
 mother why she cast me forth to the 
 awful fate that has come upon me." 
 
 The mother cast an appealing 
 glance upon her child, but saw no 
 sign of yielding upon her rigid face. 
 
 ' ' Don't look at me, " she entreated. 
 "Indeed I cannot bear it. What 
 need have you to question me to 
 awaken memories long silent ? You 
 know I was born a slave, though 
 white blood coursed through my 
 
 veins. There ! you can see it now, 
 though years and toil have darkened 
 me. It used to be my boast, that 
 and my beauty. But oh, I have 
 cursed it a thousand times; yet I 
 blessed it when Acton Holmes for 
 its sake loved me, and brought me 
 from my Cuban home to be his mis- 
 tress here." 
 
 ' ' You dare say that to me ! " cried 
 La Guerita, with burning cheeks and 
 flashing eyes. 
 
 ' ' God knows I speak with shame, " 
 sighed Dolores Holmes, "But you 
 have asked me for the truth ; you 
 have a right to hear it, and you shall 
 if you still demand it of me. " 
 
 "I do," returned La Guerita, still 
 indignation in her tones ; adding as 
 she seated herself opposite her moth- 
 er, "I will try to listen to you calmly, 
 so tell me all, and especially how you, 
 a mother, could put your infants from 
 your breast. There, tell me that ; I 
 can ask no more. " 
 
 ' ' But I must tell you more, " cried 
 Dolores, eagerly, ' ' and oh, perhaps 
 your hate may turn to pity when you 
 hear my tale. " 
 
 "Don't speak of that," returned 
 La Guerita, in the tone in which she 
 might have said, "Don't hope for 
 it ;" and with a beating heart Dolores 
 Holmes began the history of her life. 
 
 "You asked me a moment ago," 
 she said, "how I dared to tell you 
 that I gloried in my beauty when 
 Acton Holmes brought me here to 
 be the delight of his eyes, the idol of 
 his heart ! " 
 
 She spoke those words with pas- 
 sionate emphasis, as if by them to 
 vindicate the conduct of the man who 
 had wronged her, and with such in- 
 tense feeling that all shame passed 
 
6 4 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 from her voice and mien. Then, 
 startled and aroused, La Guerita 
 knew that the life of her mother, like 
 her own, had been blessed, then 
 cursed by Love ; then the first thrill 
 of sympathy with her mother sprang 
 into being. But she had sworn to 
 let no tie of blood, or any womanly 
 pity, debar her from judging Dolores 
 Holmes aright, and without speaking 
 she motioned her to continue. 
 
 "You are calm/' said Dolores, 
 ' ' but I don't think I can be when I 
 speak of those days. Oh, I loved 
 him so ! I loved him so ! He was so 
 handsome, so grand, so good ! You 
 smile. He was all that, and he loved 
 me ! Yes, he loved me ; and if I 
 had been the acknowledged daughter 
 of Seiior Alvarez, instead of a slave, 
 he would have sought me as his wife 
 with all the eagerness of the wild, ay, 
 mad idolatry that filled his soul when 
 first he beheld me. 
 
 "I had never been a favorite on 
 the plantation. My mistress hated 
 and my master shunned me. I think 
 he was very glad when the young 
 American proposed to buy me ; and 
 the happiest day of my life was that 
 upon which I became the property of 
 Acton Holmes. 
 
 "Why do you look at me so? 
 God knows it was not strange that I 
 should rejoice to escape from the tyr- 
 anny of a jealous mistress, the cold- 
 ness of an indifferent master, and the 
 bitter servitude I had so long endured. 
 How was I, an untutored child, to 
 know my duty toward God, of whom 
 I had seldom even heard ? How was I 
 to know that it was wrong for me to 
 drink the cup of happiness which was 
 held out to me to take with joy the 
 love so freely offered me ? There 
 
 was no one to warn me from it ; no 
 one who cared to save me from a fate 
 worse than slavery. I think Rosita, 
 my master's daughter, would have 
 done so had she been near, but she 
 had lately married an American nam- 
 ed Burford, and gone with him to 
 spend the winter in New York. " 
 
 "You mean Roland Burford, I 
 suppose ? " said La Guerita, in some 
 surprise. 
 
 ' ' Yes, that was his name, " returned 
 Dolores; "Can it be possible that 
 you know him ? " 
 
 "Fabean is now traveling with 
 him in Europe. Continue ; why do 
 you pause ? " 
 
 "To thank God that my son is 
 safe ! " she answered solemnly. "I 
 feared to ask of him. But I pray 
 you now to tell me is he prosperous ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "And he has found a friend in 
 Roland Burford?" 
 
 "A true and firm one, I trust," 
 replied La Guerita, much affected by 
 the mention of her brother. 
 
 " Ah !" murmured Dolores, mus- 
 ingly, ' ' Roland Burford was a good 
 man." 
 
 ' ' And he is still, " said La Guerita, 
 somewhat emphatically ; ' ' but waste 
 no time in talking of him now; 
 speak of yourself, and, first of all, 
 tell me how you gained such a com- 
 plete knowledge of the English lan- 
 guage ? " 
 
 "Easily enough," answered Do- 
 lores ; "my teacher was Acton 
 Holmes. Ah ! I have never forgot- 
 ten the lessons he gave me, though 
 later ones have faded from my mind. 
 How could I forget anything that 
 happened during the four years I 
 lived in the cottage by the river 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 those years, that were the only happy 
 ones of my life ? " 
 
 " It is needless for me to describe 
 to you my daily life, save that for 
 three years its peacefulness was un- 
 broken. Until my boy was nearly 
 two years old, not a thought of the 
 future troubled me ; my master was 
 as kind as ever, and no pang of jeal- 
 ousy or distrust ever entered my 
 heart, until I heard that a woman, 
 who had lived as I was living, had 
 been sold and sent far South, that 
 her presence might not annoy her 
 master's bride. She and her children 
 had been sacrificed, why might not 
 I be? Even then no thought of 
 guilt troubled me ; it was only fear 
 that made me shudder ; I could not 
 believe that the man I loved that 
 loved me would act so base a part ; 
 but he might die, and then what 
 would become of me, and the child 
 I had borne?" 
 
 "Then, too, I was soon to be- 
 come, for a second time, a mother. 
 Then I first learned to pray. Oh, how 
 wildly I entreated that my child 
 might never see the light, or that at 
 least it might not be a girl to meet a 
 fate like mine. Then, for the first 
 time, I was moody and unhappy. I 
 could only weep when my master 
 caressed me, and answer with sobs, 
 when he asked the cause of my dejec- 
 tion. 
 
 1 ' In the early summer, my second 
 child was born. I shrieked in agony 
 and fainted when they told me it was 
 a girl. There was a good, kind 
 quakeress with me, who had known 
 my master from his birth. Often 
 had she reproved him for his sin, but 
 she came to me in my hour of peril. 
 By my subsequent dejection, not by 
 9 
 
 any words I spoke, she guessed why 
 I had fainted at your birth. I think 
 that Acton, too, must have gained 
 some idea of the cause, for one day 
 he came into my room, and said : 
 ' Dolores, I am about to free you and 
 the children. ' 
 
 " My heart bounded with joy at 
 the words ; my fears all vanished ; 
 my soul was comforted, for I knew 
 that Acton Holmes never retracted a 
 promise. 
 
 ' ' Yes, my soul was comforted for 
 a time for a time only. The good 
 woman who had visited me in my 
 need, did not turn from me as a 
 weaker woman would have done 
 when my bodily health was restored. 
 She saw that my soul was weak, not 
 naturally vile, so she would not leave 
 me without an effort to save me. Ah, 
 it was long before she could instill 
 into my mind any knowledge of good 
 or evil." 
 
 ' ' But she succeeded at last ?" 
 
 "Thank God, yes." 
 
 " What was the woman's name ? " 
 
 "Asenith Bray. She is old and 
 feeble now, and is called Aunt Sene 
 by both black and white. She lives 
 near Holmsford, in the little house in 
 which she was born. " 
 
 ' ' I will find her. Go on with your 
 story. " 
 
 Dolores raised her eyes with a look 
 of wonder. 
 
 ' ' She can tell you nothing differ- 
 ent, " she said humbly ; " I am giv- 
 ing you the truth, without seeking to 
 exculpate myself. I know I deserve 
 
 all your doubt and scorn, but " 
 
 her lips trembled for a few moments, 
 she , could say no more ; then she 
 continued bravely : "I think, per- 
 haps, Asenith Bray could more easily 
 
66 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 feel charity and sympathy for the 
 poor, ignorant slave, than you pos- 
 sibly can for the mother who has cast 
 a stigma upon your being. " 
 
 La Guerita interrupted her, impa- 
 tiently. ' ' Don't speak of charity or 
 sympathy, " she exclaimed, ' ' I know 
 not what they are. " 
 
 Dolores sighed deeply, yet disdain- 
 ing to reveal to La Guerita the effect 
 of her words, continued firmly : 
 
 ' ' I have told you that this woman 
 Asenith Bray came to me after 
 you were born. She told me, that 
 though I was but a slave, my soul 
 was as dear to God as that of my 
 master ; and she told me that his 
 soul, as well as mine, ran in danger 
 of destruction. 
 
 ' ' I told something of this to Acton, 
 but he laughed and told me he could 
 care for his own soul, and that he did 
 not fear the vengeance of God for his 
 conduct toward a woman he loved 
 but could not marry. 
 
 "His answer silenced my appre- 
 hensions on that point. Then Ase- 
 nith pointed to my children : ' They 
 are to be free/ she said, 'but will 
 they ever be happy ! They, the base- 
 born children of a harlot. At least 
 if you cannot redeem the past, make 
 fair the future/ 
 
 ' ' What did it matter ? There was 
 negro blood in their veins, they could 
 never rise in the world. My shame 
 would not affect them. Yet for days 
 Asenith's words rang in my ears, and 
 then for the first time I realized fully 
 that I had sinned. 
 
 ' ' Again and again came Asenith 
 Bray. Again and again she read pas- 
 sages from the bible which treated of 
 my sin. At last a day came upon 
 which I bowed my soul in anguish, 
 
 and craved the mercy of my insulted 
 God. Oh, then then it was hard to 
 do what the law commanded ; to put 
 the love of Acton Holmes from me, 
 to entreat him to leave me and my 
 children in peace. Ah, I never 
 thought for a moment he would take 
 my darlings from me, or I could not 
 have spoken. 
 
 ' ' I had time to weigh well my de- 
 cision. My master went north that 
 summer, and did not return until 
 fall. Oh, how I dreaded his return. 
 It seemed to me cruel that he hurried 
 back, because he feared that I and 
 my new-born child were ailing still. 
 And in the midst of his kindness I 
 had to tell him how I abhorred the 
 life I had led, and to entreat him to 
 put me away from him to make me 
 the lowest of his slaves to sell me 
 and my children at the block, rather 
 than make me sin again. 
 
 "At first he did not understand 
 me ; then he laughed, thinking some 
 trifling annoyance had excited me. 
 But when I burst into a flood of tears 
 and with passionate emphasis re- 
 peated what Aunt Asenith had told 
 me, he cursed her name, but I si- 
 lenced him by pointing to my bible ; 
 ' there, ' said I, ' I learned my sin. ' 
 
 " Bitterly then he upbraided me. 
 ' I thought you loved me, ' he said, 
 and for that reason I have never 
 looked upon you as a mere slave. 
 But it cannot be possible that you 
 have deceived me all these years 
 that you have ever feared and hated 
 me.' 
 
 ' ' ' And I have not, I have not, ' 
 I cried ; * Better far would it have 
 been if I had done so. c Oh, my 
 master, I have loved you. I love 
 you still ; but I hear the Lord saying 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 to me, as to the Magdalen of old 
 ' Go and sin no more. ' 
 
 ' ' I shall never forget the look he 
 gave me then a look that said, ' I 
 have lost you for ever, ' while he mut- 
 tered : ' I taught her myself those 
 cursed letters blind fool that I was. ' 
 
 ' ' Then he went from the house ; 
 I thought, I hoped, never to return. 
 Yet the very hope seemed death to 
 me, and I fell fainting to the floor. 
 That night, after the moon had risen, 
 Asenith Bray came to me ; she wept 
 over me, yet she rejoiced and com- 
 forted me. 
 
 " For three long months I saw no 
 creature but her. God only knows 
 what I suffered in that time, yet I 
 strove to reconcile myself to my fate. 
 What that was to be I never inquired 
 even of myself. I imagined dimly 
 that I was to live in that little cottage 
 for ever I and my children, con- 
 tented to know that Acton Holmes 
 was somewhere in the outer world, 
 caring for and protecting us. For 
 although he never came, or sent 
 any word to me, I placed in him the 
 simple faith with which an humble 
 Christian believes in and relies on 
 the God she cannot see. " 
 
 Dolores paused, looking furtively 
 at La Guerita, who rose abruptly, 
 more touched by her mother's words 
 than she would own even to herself. 
 In a moment she returned to her seat 
 as if ashamed of her momentary 
 weakness, and impatiently motioned 
 her to proceed. 
 
 "He came to me in the early 
 spring, " she began abruptly, yet in a 
 low, sad voice ; ' I was sitting upon 
 the steps with my baby in my arms, 
 and my beautiful blue-eyed boy play- 
 ing at my feet, when the gate swung 
 
 back, and looking up, I saw my mas- 
 ter standing in the path. 
 
 ' ' I could neither speak nor move. I 
 think for the first moment I -was over- 
 whelmed with joy the next with 
 fear. But Fabean rushed towards 
 him with a joyful cry. Then I sprang 
 forward and held him back ; but my 
 master bent down and caressed him, 
 then said : 'Send him away, Do- 
 lores, and let me look at the girl. ' 
 
 "I obeyed, trembling with alter- 
 nations of heat and cold, as he took 
 you in his arms, looked at you grave- 
 ly, kissed you again and again, and 
 said at length : ' Poor little one, she 
 is a tiny creature to leave her mother. ' 
 
 "I was stunned by his words 
 those cruel words ! I had never 
 thought he would take you from me. 
 As soon as I could speak, I entreated 
 him to spare me such a bitter pang, 
 crying out that I could not, would 
 not live without my children, that my 
 heart would break. 
 
 ' ' I know he pitied me ; he could 
 not see my anguish and do otherwise. 
 He led me into the house, and en- 
 deavored to comfort me, and when I 
 became calmer, told me his plans. 
 They dazzled me, though at first I 
 would not yield to them. His chil- 
 dren his, he said were not to feel 
 their mother's shame. He was piti- 
 less, I thought then, as he went on 
 to say how, for their sakes, he had 
 yielded to my prayer, and that for 
 them he would vow himself to per- 
 petual celibacy, that no legitimate 
 children might wean from them his 
 love. 
 
 ' ' For a time I was madly jealous of 
 my babes : they were all in all I, 
 nothing. Ah, since that, I have seen 
 wives bear the same pangs in silence, 
 
68 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 and, ere long, I smothered mine, 
 and listened with patience to his 
 words. 
 
 ' ' His plan was to free them, and 
 place them where their birth would 
 never be suspected. They could 
 pass for white children, and an edu- 
 cation and fortune should be given 
 them. 
 
 ' ' I cannot tell you what days and 
 nights of bitterness I passed before I 
 would yield my children up. Ase- 
 nith Bray pleaded with me in vain ; 
 it was but the thought that your life, 
 if passed in slavery, would be cursed 
 like mine, that induced me at last to 
 let them go. 
 
 "And so they took my children 
 from me Acton and Asenith. For 
 years I never knew where they were ; 
 I only knew that they were safe, that 
 they were never to know their mother 
 never to learn how low a thing she 
 was. " 
 
 Dolores paused, seemingly living 
 again, in thought, the terrible hour 
 that had left her childless. Her eyes 
 blazed with fury and desperation, 
 and her cheeks burned like live coals. 
 La Guerita looked at her in amaze- 
 ment, until the light slowly faded from 
 her eyes, and the crimson from her 
 cheeks, and thought : ' ' And thus 
 her violent agony wore out ; terrible 
 but short-lived are the emotions of 
 her race. " 
 
 It seemed as if Dolores read her 
 thoughts, for she said mournfully : 
 "Acton Holmes came back to me 
 and gave me the emancipation papers 
 of my children and myself, but what 
 were they to me ? I had lost my 
 children ! Ah, have you ever missed 
 a baby's head from your breast? 
 Have you listened in vain for the 
 
 wailing cry or the happy murmur ? 
 Have you felt the turning of soft hair 
 round your fingers, and baby lips 
 pressing yours, and then awoke to 
 find it all a dream ? If so, you can 
 pity me ! For day and night have 
 I passed like that since my children 
 left me, broken-hearted, at that cot- 
 tage door." 
 
 "Don't speak to me of that, "mut- 
 tered La Guerita huskily. "Calm 
 yourself, and leave me ; I can bear 
 no more now. Let no one know that 
 I have returned, and come to me again 
 to-morrow. " 
 
 She arose, and passed into her bed- 
 room, fearing longer to trust herself 
 in the presence of the woman whose 
 tale had aroused the emotions of love 
 and pity which she had fancied dead 
 in her heart. She threw herself on 
 the bed, pressing her hands upon 
 her throbbing temples, and vainly 
 striving to still the wild thoughts that 
 crowded her brain. Ere long she 
 started to her feet, aroused by the 
 voice of Harold who rushed to her 
 arms, exclaiming, with passionate 
 sobs : "She did hurt me, mamma ; 
 she did hurt me. " 
 
 ' t Who, my darling. Who dared 
 to hurt you ? " 
 
 "The woman who was with you, 
 mamma ; she saw me in the garden, 
 and jumped towards me, and nearly 
 killed me." 
 
 ' ' How, my child ? " 
 
 "Oh, she pressed me to her so 
 hard, and kissed me, as if I was iron 
 and couldn't be hurt ; but I kicked 
 her though," he added triumphantly, 
 glancing at his dainty little boots, 
 "and she soon let me go, and I 
 know I hurt her, for she leant against 
 a tree and cried awfully." 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 6 9 
 
 "Even this child repels her," 
 thought La Guerita bitterly : ' ' Even 
 this child spurns the woman that 
 bore me ! " 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Is it madness or no f 
 
 THAT night the hours passed drear- 
 ily to two persons, at least, in M . 
 
 They were filled to La Guerita, as 
 they had ever been since her hus- 
 band's death, with strange and excit- 
 ing dreams ; and to Dolores they 
 seemed fraught with bitter memories 
 and wild apprehensions. She longed 
 for the morning, that she might hast- 
 en to her daughter to learn why she 
 had returned to awaken the buried 
 past, to fill her heart with agony. 
 Yet when the dawn came a sudden 
 terror seized her, and hours passed 
 before she dared to present herself 
 before her daughter. 
 
 It was almost noon when she at 
 last started to her feet, and hurried 
 impetuously toward the hotel. As 
 she turned into the street, she was ar- 
 rested by the voice of the landlord, 
 who had noted with much curiosity 
 her long interview with his guest on 
 the previous day. 
 
 ' ' Stop a minute ! stop, Dolores ! " 
 he cried ; ' ' Are you trying to over- 
 take the steam cars? A mighty hot 
 day this for such an experiment, I 
 should think. Where are you going 
 to at such a rate ? " 
 
 "Only to the hotel, Mr. Sterling," 
 she answered respectfully. 
 
 "Well, 't isn't a running away, 
 that I know of," he returned, with a 
 laugh, ' ' So you needn't go as if 'twas 
 a racehorse, and you were forced to 
 overtake it. Who do you suppose 
 
 wants you at the hotel in such a 
 hurry ? " 
 
 Dolores well knew that the land- 
 lord had some object in putting these 
 questions, and she shrewdly suspected 
 that he wished to learn something of 
 the widow and her son. She looked 
 at him keenly, replying that she didn't 
 suppose that anybody wanted her par- 
 ticularly, but that she had a heap of 
 work to do and was in a hurry, for 
 the widow lady had ordered her to go 
 to her that morning. 
 
 "Ah, a very fine lady Mrs. Grey 
 appears to be a very fine lady in- 
 deed," remarked the landlord, "and 
 her face seems quite familiar to me. 
 I am sure I have seen her or her 
 ghost before. " 
 
 Dolores grew pale with alarm, and 
 before the landlord could prevent her 
 rushed past him, and entered the ho- 
 tel. She ran up the stairs with a 
 wildly beating heart, and knocked at 
 the door of her daughter's room. 
 
 She was answered by a clear, ring- 
 ing laugh, and the door was thrown 
 open by Harold, who shrank back in 
 alarm when he saw the dark, stern 
 woman who had aroused his passion 
 the day before. 
 
 La Guerita noticed his fear, and 
 bade him go to the garden. With a 
 flushed face Dolores stood by to let 
 him pass, and then, locking the door, 
 turned toward her daughter. 
 
 For a moment neither spoke. Do- 
 lores, indeed, forgot her errand ; she 
 was too much lost in contemplation 
 of the utter woe enstamped upon her 
 daughter's countenance to remember 
 that she had still to learn what had 
 cast it there. 
 
 La Guerita first broke the silence. 
 ' ' I sent a messenger to Mr. Norton 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 Holmes last night," she said, "ask- 
 ing him to meet me here to-day. A 
 gentleman has just driven up to the 
 door ; look from the window and tell 
 me whether it is he. " 
 
 Some fancied resemblance of the 
 new comer to Claude Leveredge in- 
 duced these words, therefore she was 
 not surprised when Dolores answered 
 in the affirmative. 
 
 She gazed at him listlessly as he 
 sprang from his buggy, and stood for 
 a moment giving directions to the 
 negro servant who had accompanied 
 him. 
 
 "I have come into town to see 
 Mrs. Grey," she heard him say to the 
 landlord, as he turned to enter the 
 house. "Ah, little thought we, 
 Sterling, when poor young Grey was 
 here that we should see his widow so 
 soon. But such is life. Send up, 
 Sterling, and let her know I am 
 here. '"' 
 
 La Guerita met the messenger at 
 the door, and sent him back with a 
 request to Mr. Holmes that he would 
 come up to her private parlor. 
 
 A few minutes later the servant an- 
 nounced, "Massa Norton Holmes." 
 
 La Guerita advanced to meet him, 
 with difficulty summoning words in 
 which to thank him for his visit. 
 
 ' ' I am only too happy to be of 
 the slightest service to you, madam, " 
 returned Mr. Holmes, courteously, as 
 he looked upon her with admiration 
 and a perplexed gaze, which showed 
 her face was familiar to him. Pres- 
 ently he nodded to Dolores, who had 
 shrank into the darkest corner of the 
 room, and then took the seat La Gue- 
 rita offered. 
 
 Trembling from head to foot, she 
 sank into a chair opposite him. She 
 
 strove to command her voice, but it 
 shook as she said : ' ' You are doubt- 
 less curious to know why I have sent 
 for you. I will explain. " 
 
 She attempted to continue, but 
 words failed her. She sprang to her 
 feet, tore back the curtains from the 
 window, and turned toward her won- 
 dering visitor, exclaiming: "Is my 
 face familiar to you ? Do you know 
 me ? Do you know me ? " 
 
 Startled and disconcerted by her 
 strange action and abrupt query, Mr. 
 Holmes regarded her with amaze- 
 ment, knowing that her face was 
 familiar, but totally unable to say 
 where he had seen its like before. 
 
 * ' You are puzzled ! Think, think, 
 Mr. Holmes!" 
 
 Thus cried La Guerita, standing 
 before him, trembling with excite- 
 ment, dazzling his vision by her 
 flashing eyes, her glowing cheeks. 
 "Think! think! think!" she reiter- 
 ated, each exclamation tending rather 
 to baffle than accelerate his mind. 
 
 He began to imagine that he stood 
 in the presence of a mad woman, and 
 each moment grew more nervous and 
 confused. 
 
 "What, does your memory fail 
 you ? " cried La Guerita. ' ' Look ! 
 this will strengthen it," and with a 
 grasp as strong as iron she caught the 
 arm of the trembling quadroon, and 
 drew her to her side. 
 
 ' ' Good God ! " ejaculated the plant- 
 er, springing from his chair, "you are 
 the daughter of Dolores Holmes ! " 
 
 At his words all her mad excite- 
 ment died out. She turned from her 
 mother with a gesture of contempt, 
 saying bitterly : " I am the daughter 
 of Dolores Holmes ! " 
 
 The poor woman burst into tears, 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 7 1 
 
 and threw herself at the feet of her 
 pitiless daughter, entreating her to tell 
 her why she had come back to pub- 
 lish her shame. 
 
 ' ' I beg of you to say nothing, for 
 a few minutes, at least," said Mr. 
 Holmes, helplessly passing his hand 
 over his brow, like one awakening 
 from a perplexing dream, ' ' I thought 
 you called yourself the widow of Mr. 
 Harry Grey. " 
 
 She answered him composedly : 
 ' I am the widow of the man who 
 was known to you by the name of 
 Harry Grey. I was his proud and 
 happy wife, until a villain stabbed 
 him to the heart by revealing the story 
 of my birth ! "' 
 
 She shrieked out the last words, 
 adding frantically : - ' How could he 
 live when he knew that his love, his 
 honor had been given into the hands 
 of a base-born slave ? " 
 
 A deathly pallor overspread her 
 face as she spoke these words. Not 
 knowing what to say or do, Mr. 
 Holmes entreated her to be calm, to 
 seat herself, to cease speaking. 
 
 But she heeded not his words, but 
 still standing, with her mother crouch- 
 ing at her feet, she told in disjointed, 
 sometimes almost incoherent, senten- 
 ces, the story* of her woes. 
 
 She mentioned no names, yet she 
 made the tale quite plain to the un- 
 derstanding of her hearers; and when 
 it was ended Norton Holmes asked 
 in amazement, as Dolores had done, 
 why she had returned to acknowledge 
 her origin. 
 
 Dolores hushed her sobs, and half 
 raised herself to hear the answer. 
 
 Leaning across the table and look- 
 ing the planter steadily in the face, La 
 Guerita said, in low, thrilling tones : 
 
 "Norton Holmes, I have come to 
 end my life as it began, to cast from 
 me my false position. I have come 
 to be a slave ! " 
 
 For some moments Norton Holmes 
 regarded her with a startled gaze, 
 scarcely believing that he heard aright, 
 and totally unable to grasp the full 
 meaning of her words. Not so Do- 
 lores. She had instantly compre- 
 hended them, and cried : 
 
 - ' Alas, alas ! she is mad ! she is 
 mad ! " 
 
 "What was it you said ?" he ask- 
 ed at length ; "Was it that you had 
 come here to be a slave ? " 
 
 ' Yes, your slave ! " 
 
 "My slave ? I have no claim up- 
 on you ; you were freed years ago by 
 Acton Holmes ! " 
 
 - - 1 know that you have no claim 
 upon me, " she said, - - but I am free 
 to give you one. I must I will re- 
 turn to slavery ! Freedom has been 
 my curse ! It has made me a deso- 
 late widow, without hope in the world 
 or in God ! " 
 
 " If you return to slavery that will 
 not be changed, " began Mr. Holmes, 
 but she interrupted him, crying : 
 
 ' It will be my atonement ! " 
 
 For what ? " he demanded, in as- 
 tonishment. 
 
 La Guerita laughed wildly. - ' For 
 what ? He asks me for what ! He 
 asks me for what I would render 
 atonement ! He asks that of the wife 
 whose husband died for very shame 
 of her." 
 
 Mr. Holmes gazed upon her for 
 some moments in sad perplexity, say- 
 ing at length in a voice of compas- 
 sion : ' Poor lady, poor lady ! I 
 pity you ! " 
 
 "Then you will help me!" she 
 
7 2 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 entreated, clasping her hands pas- 
 sionately together. ' ' You think me 
 mad, but I am not so ; I shall be if 
 you deny my prayer ! I will not live 
 if you send me back to that place 
 where my husband lies buried ! " 
 
 "You forget that I do not even 
 know where it is," said Mr. Holmes, 
 soothingly, "and indeed I would not 
 send you back if I could. Become 
 my guest ; your friends shall never 
 take you to your home while it is 
 hateful to you. " 
 
 1 ' No, no, no ! " returned La Gue- 
 rita, ' ' I will never be a guest in any 
 house. Make me your slave, and 
 above all keep the secret I have given 
 you inviolate ; let no one know who 
 I am or whence I came. " 
 
 ' ' I will not, I will not ! " exclaim- 
 ed Mr. Holmes; "Good God! I 
 know not what to do. If I might 
 consult my lawyer." 
 
 "Do so, "said La Guerita ; "Is 
 he a man of honor, who can keep a 
 a secret ? " 
 
 ' ' Yes, indeed ; and in all things 
 Ernest Gordon will advise us well. " 
 
 Dolores had been listening in silent 
 horror until these words were spoken, 
 then she raised herself and cried en- 
 treatingly : ' ' Don't speak to Ernest 
 Gordon ; let it be any one but him ! " 
 
 Mr. Holmes turned toward her 
 frowningly, with a sharp reproof on 
 his lips, which was, however, checked 
 by a knock at the door. 
 
 O mamma ! " exclaimed Harold, 
 as it was opened, "Just see what 
 beautiful flowers I've got ! Put a 
 rose in your hair ; there, that pretty 
 white rose." 
 
 He stopped suddenly upon seeing 
 the strange gentleman, who indeed 
 arrested his attention by placing his 
 
 hand beneath the boy's chin, and 
 raising it to meet his careful scrutiny. 
 "Ah," he muttered, "Acton 
 Holmes can never be forgotten while 
 that child lives. " 
 
 ' ' Child, what is your name ? " 
 
 "Harry Grey," he said, readily, 
 glancing at his mother, as if for ap- 
 probation for remembering so well 
 the lesson she had given him. 
 
 Norton Holmes arose to depart. 
 He was glad that the appearance of 
 the child gave him an excuse for hur- 
 rying away ; he wanted to leave the 
 presence of the beautiful young wid- 
 ow that he might ponder her words. 
 He said something of this as he suf- 
 fered the child to escape. 
 
 ' ' You will remember that you are 
 pledged to secrecy, and that your 
 lawyer also must be, " said La Gueri- 
 ta. ' ' Send him to me and I will tell 
 you all. Till to-morrow, good-by. " 
 
 "She bade me farewell with the 
 air of a princess," muttered Norton 
 Holmes, as he descended the stairs. 
 ' ' How can she even dream of be- 
 coming a slave ? The idea is pre- 
 posterous. Ah, I have it ; Dolores 
 was right. The woman is mad ! " 
 
 He paced the long piazza in a deep 
 study, saying to himself at length, 
 "I'll see the matter through! I'll 
 send Tom home with an excuse for 
 my absence, and see Gordon this very 
 day. " 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 " Thinks't thou there are no serpents in the world 
 But those who glide along the grassy sod, 
 And sting the luckless foot that presses them ? 
 There are, who, in the path of social life, 
 Do bask their spotted skins in fortune's sun, 
 And sting the soul." 
 
 "ERNEST GORDON, Att'y-at-Law. " 
 So read the golden letters of a sign- 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 73 
 
 board, that had swung for more than 
 twenty years before a small brick 
 
 house, in the county-town of M , 
 
 in the State of North Carolina. It 
 had attracted but little attention when 
 first placed there by a poor and un- 
 known young man, but in course of 
 time it became the pride of even' 
 good citizen, being, indeed, to them 
 the very symbol of wealth and respec- 
 tability. 
 
 Early in his youth, Earnest Gordon 
 had been called a ' ' rising man, " and 
 ere his fiftieth year, he had, in the 
 
 opinion of the people of M , 
 
 attained the very acme of human 
 glory. 
 
 By a steady application to busi- 
 ness, a thorough knowledge of his 
 profession, and, it was said, a strictly 
 honorable application of it, he had 
 made himself master of a large for- 
 tune, and raised himself to a high 
 and unmovable position ; he held, it 
 was said, the most cherished secrets 
 of scores of families, and, therefore, 
 his private as well as public influence 
 was almost unlimited. Thrice had 
 he represented the people in Con- 
 gress, and was the acknowledged 
 leader of public opinion in M . 
 
 Lamentable, indeed, would have 
 been considered the ignorance of any 
 
 person who had ever been in M , 
 
 who confessed to not knowing Ern- 
 est Gordon, at least by sight, or to 
 any doubt as to the whereabouts of 
 his office. There it was that the 
 
 sages and wits of M most did 
 
 congregate; there the news of the 
 day was canvassed ; there the affairs 
 of nations were discussed and settled. 
 
 This office was ever a pleasant 
 
 place to a certain class in M- 
 
 , To 
 
 the idle, the ignorant, the ill-born, it 
 10 
 
 was unenterable, save on business ; 
 while to kindred spirits of its master 
 its doors were ever open, and never 
 so in vain. 
 
 The passer-by, early on a sultry 
 afternoon in July, 1859, would have 
 imagined it a club-room, rather than 
 the office of a staid and venerated 
 judge. A knot of gentlemen were 
 gathered upon the shaded porch, sit- 
 ting or standing in various attitudes, 
 more expressive of ease than grace, 
 and all indicative of southern life. 
 Business hours were over, and the 
 group of lawyers and merchants lazi- 
 ly abandoned themselves to the relax- 
 ation called for by the heat of the 
 day. 
 
 But Ernest Gordon, ever active, 
 ever vigilant, did not suffer the leis- 
 ure hours passed in his office to be 
 wholly unproductive. Local news 
 first canvassed and dismissed, politi- 
 cal discussions usually followed, and 
 upon this afternoon promised to be 
 of an unusually exciting character. 
 
 Ernest Gordon, as was his wont, 
 said little, but listened most atten- 
 tively to each opinion as it was ad- 
 vanced, smiling thoughtfully that day 
 upon the estimates cast upon the 
 characters of the candidates for the 
 Presidency, and their chances ot 
 election. 
 
 ' ' Democracy will not have the 
 easy victory that you imagine," he 
 said once ; ' ' the Republicans are 
 strong very strong. I tell you that 
 slavery-, the basis of our Southern 
 Democracy, has of late been grow- 
 ing weak before its opponents ; you 
 know that you, who have seen it 
 reel before the puny blows of a nov- 
 elist, and a mere compiler of statis- 
 tics you, who have witnessed N the 
 
74 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 burning of a tissue of lies, called 
 ' ' Uncle Tom's Cabin, " and the pal- 
 try book of Helper. We all know 
 how the institution reels, when we 
 even fear those frivolous missiles that 
 have been hurled against it. " 
 
 "They are not worth speaking 
 of/' said a pompous-looking gentle- 
 man, looking at Mr. Gordon with 
 much surprise ; ' ' the deeds of Con- 
 gress, sir -the works of the nation 
 those are what we must look to, 
 not the highly-colored pictures of 
 malicious individuals. " 
 
 Mr. Gordon again smiled in his 
 peculiar manner. " ' ' Those highly- 
 colored pictures are what influence 
 most the minds of the people," he 
 said, gravely ; "so 'tis in wisdom 
 that we cast them into bonfires ; 
 there have been many of late. Yes, 
 sir, " he added, earnestly, * ' these iso- 
 lated cases of the wrongs of slavery, 
 which have of late years been brought 
 before the public, have done more to 
 make it abhorrent than a hundred 
 years of legislation would have done. " 
 
 "Ah!" 
 
 "Yes; and I tell you further, 
 that were it possible to produce one 
 incontestable case where slavery had 
 been preferred to freedom, not only 
 for its name for much, indeed, is 
 in a name but for its strengthening 
 and genial influence upon the mind, 
 it would do more to reinstate slavery 
 in the affections of the people than 
 all the strength of our voices and 
 force of our weapons can ever do. " 
 
 ' ' Perhaps so, " admitted one ; ' ' but 
 where can such an example be ob- 
 tained. Negroes, though, without 
 doubt, happier in slavery than in any 
 other state, have not the strength of 
 mind to acknowledge it. Were my 
 
 own an exception I would gain you 
 the wished-for example by freeing 
 them all to-morrow ; but, faith, I 
 fear they are all such fools the small- 
 est among them would cling to lib- 
 erty, and I should be a penniless 
 victim of misplaced confidence." 
 
 There was a general laugh at these 
 words, in the midst of which Ernest 
 Gordon rose to welcome a new- 
 comer, who seemed well known to 
 all, and whose appearance elicited 
 exclamations of : " How'd you do, 
 Squire ? W T hen did you come to 
 town ? All well ? " 
 
 1 ' All well, I thank you, " returned 
 the gentleman, as he shook hands 
 with all in succession ; ' ' busy dis- 
 cussing politics, I hear. Well, well, 
 I hope all will go right ; these are 
 troublous times. Gordon, excuse 
 me, I am only in town for the day 
 can I have two words alone with 
 you ? " 
 
 He spoke hurriedly, and seemed 
 under the influence of some great 
 nervous excitement. 
 
 "Come into the office," said the 
 lawyer ; "I am always ready for busi- 
 ness, you know." 
 
 He ushered his visitor into an in- 
 ner room, and closed and locked the 
 door. 
 
 "That's right, Gordon, that's 
 right ! " said Mr. Holmes ; "no one 
 must hear us ; for, by Jove, I have a 
 secret for you that will make your 
 ears tingle ! " 
 
 He spoke excitedly, yet with a cer- 
 tain childish delight almost pitiful to 
 witness in a man a man, too, of 
 middle age, tall, and muscular in 
 frame, and with a countenance that 
 would have been sickeningly hand- 
 some, but for the lines around the 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 75 
 
 mouth, that plainly indicated a vac- 
 illating mind. 
 
 The subtle lawyer knew his client 
 well. He smiled at the sudden out- 
 break, and said, quietly : ' ' No one 
 can hear us, Mr. Holmes. Whatever 
 your business is, you can safely in- 
 trust it to me, you know that? " 
 
 "I do, indeed ! " said Mr. Holmes, 
 almost gratefully ; " I shall never for- 
 get how well you managed John's af- 
 fairs, and that sad fellow, Claude's. " 
 
 "And, of course, he has been 
 getting into trouble again," said the 
 lawyer, impatiently. 
 
 ' ' For once you are wrong ; he has 
 been doing nothing of the sort," 
 returned Mr. Holmes, laughing ; 
 "and, in fact, he has nothing to do 
 with the affair I have come to consult 
 you upon. But the most extraordi- 
 nary thing has happened. " 
 
 1 ' Pray explain ! " exclaimed the 
 lawyer, with more haste than cour- 
 tesy ; "whom does the matter refer 
 to!" 
 
 ' ' Oh, to a dozen people, but 
 mostly to Acton Holmes. " 
 
 "To Acton Holmes ! " exclaimed 
 Gordon, in amazement ; ' ' why, he 
 has been dead six months or more ; 
 his will is proved, and everything 
 seemed correct ; what has turned up 
 now ? " 
 
 "His daughter! " 
 
 "My dear sir, I don't under- 
 stand you," exclaimed the lawyer, 
 blankly. 
 
 ' ' I have actually puzzled a lawyer 
 at last, "said Mr. Holmes, laughing; 
 ' ' why, Gordon, you don 't mean to 
 
 tell me you have been in M 
 
 twenty years and not heard its choic- 
 est bit of gossip ? " 
 
 ' ' That can 't well be " he returned, 
 
 smiling; "yet for the life of me I 
 cannot tell what you mean. You tell 
 me Acton's daughter is here ; he was 
 never married ; how can I tell what 
 you mean ? " 
 
 "I suppose you know Dolores 
 Holmes ?" was the reply. 
 
 ' ' All the town does that, " answer- 
 ed Gordon. "Oh, Oh! I see 
 now," he added, his quick mind 
 seizing upon the clue thrown toward 
 him; "I remember now she was 
 Acton's slave some years ago, I be- 
 lieve, and she had two or three child- 
 ren, that went no one knows where, 
 hadn 't she ? " 
 
 "It appears that Acton knew 
 where they were, and one of them 
 has found her way back. " 
 
 "What, to assert herself Acton's 
 daughter?" 
 
 "Not at all ! not at all ! Good 
 God, Gordon, it is wonderful it is 
 terrible ; she has come back to own 
 herself Dolores' daughter to re- 
 enter slavery ! " 
 
 For a moment the lawyer, ordi- 
 narily calm under the most excit- 
 ing circumstances, was overwhelmed 
 with astonishment, then he burst into 
 a laugh of uncontrollable delight 
 ' ' Come back to slavery ! " he almost 
 shouted "Comeback! Here is a 
 triumph for us ! She is young ! Is 
 she pretty? Has she been supported 
 well ! Tell me all tell me every- 
 thing. This is a triumph, indeed ! " 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 NORTON HOLMES looked at the 
 lawyer in amazement. Until the 
 cause of his hilarity was explained, 
 he was inclined to think that he had 
 taken leave of his senses. 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 " Your mirth is uncalled for," he 
 said at length, "for I have passed 
 my word that no one shall be made 
 acquainted with her history. She, 
 in some way, obliged me to do 
 that." 
 
 ' ' Obliged you ! obliged you, " ex- 
 claimed Mr. Gordon incredulously ; 
 ' ' Why what sort of a \voman is she 
 to be able to do that !" 
 
 ' ' You had better go and see her, " 
 returned Mr. Holmes, "for I con- 
 fess myself totally unable to give you 
 a just idea of her. " 
 
 ' ' I'll go, " said the lawyer prompt- 
 
 iy. 
 
 "That would be best," observed 
 Mr. Holmes doubtfully, "if she 
 would consent to receive you." 
 
 Mr. Gordon laughed. ' ' Receive 
 me ; why certainly she will. Amuse 
 yourself with the papers for a short 
 time, and I will prove it to you. " 
 
 But nearly two hours elapsed be- 
 fore he re-entered the office. 
 
 "You are right," he said, "she 
 is truly an extraordinary woman. I 
 left you without first learning her his- 
 tory, that I might judge her character 
 from hearing it from her own lips. " 
 
 ' ' And what conclusion have you 
 arrived at?" 
 
 "None ; positively none. She is 
 a perfect enigma. " 
 
 "There is no doubt that she is 
 insane. " 
 
 "Pardon me, I see nothing like 
 insanity about her. We lawyers are 
 in the habit of looking beneath the 
 surface. That woman is either act- 
 ing a part to obtain some hidden ob- 
 ject, or she is blindly following the 
 instinct of her race, who ever shrink 
 from care, and joyfully accept slavery 
 as a means of throwing the respon- 
 
 sibilities of life upon another's shoul- 
 ders. " 
 
 "And you think that for that 
 reason, Africans are happier in slavery 
 than when free ? " 
 
 " If in a civilized country, yes. 
 And to prove that, I have long wished 
 for the example which has now pre- 
 sented itself. But unfortunately we 
 can at present make no use of it. 
 Not only our pledge of secresy but 
 the safety of the woman prevents that. 
 If her tale is true, the slightest pub- 
 licity would call her friends to her 
 rescue. " 
 
 ' ' Which would certainly be the 
 best thing that could happen, " said 
 Mr. Holmes. ' ' I am sure I don't 
 want her." 
 
 "Why she will be invaluable to 
 you, "exclaimed Mr. Gordon. Where 
 will you find such a governess for 
 your children. Ah, how happy 
 should I be had she chosen me for 
 her master. " 
 
 "Adela would never consent to 
 it," muttered Mr. Holmes. 
 
 The lawyer frowned. Miss Adela 
 Holmes was one of the few ladies for 
 whom he entertained any feeling but 
 those of courteous indifference. But 
 from her childhood she had been an- 
 tagonistic to him. He admired her 
 character, but could not sympathize 
 with it, and silently determined that 
 in that one case, at least, his will 
 should triumph over hers. 
 
 "Let us put this business aside," 
 said the lawyer suavely, ' ' until after 
 we have dined. I have no doubt 
 but that your objections to La Gue- 
 rita DeCuba's proposition will vanish 
 when you consider it in all its points. " 
 
 They left the office, and walked 
 slowly down the shaded street. 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 77 
 
 1 ' I utterly refuse to look at the 
 matter in a political light, " said Mr. 
 Holmes. ' ' I shall try to do what is 
 best for the widow, and I am sure, if 
 Adela were consulted, she would set 
 us just right. " 
 
 ' ' Oh, without doubt, '' assented the 
 lawyer, closing his lips determinedly, 
 as he added in thought : ' ' But she 
 shall never have a chance to thwart 
 me in this matter. Before this time 
 to-morrow, that mad woman shall be 
 a slave. " 
 
 The lawyer's task was a difficult 
 one, but he carried it forward without 
 flinching. By the arts of persuasion 
 he knew so well how to employ, he 
 succeeded in a few hours, not only 
 in satisfying Mr. Holmes that his 
 duty lay in the enslavement of La 
 Guerita DeCuba, but also in silencing 
 the almost frantic mother, who, with 
 prayers and tears, entreated him to 
 save her child from the bonds she 
 craved. 
 
 The next day all clients were de- 
 nied admittance to Ernest Gordon. 
 He devoted himself to Mr. Holmes, 
 retaining him by his side while he 
 examined various documents, and 
 prepared others, going with him in 
 the morning to visit La Guerita, who 
 only begged that there might be no 
 delay in the necessary formalities. 
 
 The lawyer courteously agreed to 
 her demand for haste. Early in the 
 afternoon a paper was ready for her 
 signature, in which she voluntarily 
 resigned her freedom, and chose 
 Norton Holmes as her future master. 
 
 Mr. Gordon read it slowly and 
 carefully, pausing at times to explain 
 any doubtful passage. La Guerita 
 listened with rapt attention. 
 
 "You have heard the terms of 
 
 that document," said the lawyer, 
 "are you ready to accede to them ?" 
 " Quite ready," she answered 
 firmly. ' ' I have Mr. Holmes' verbal 
 promise never to sell me, or part me 
 from my child. That is all I require. 
 I am ready to sign away my free- 
 dom." 
 
 "You will then deliver to me, as 
 Mr. Holmes' attorney, your papers 
 of emancipation. " 
 
 ' ' Certainly ; they are in the hands 
 of Dolores Holmes. " 
 
 Mr. Gordon turned toward the 
 quadroon: "You hear what your 
 daughter says ; give me the paper, 
 Dolores. " 
 
 ' ' Never, " she exclaimed, clasping 
 her hands on her bosom. ' ' She is 
 mad, I tell you ! She shall not 
 sacrifice herself; she is mad !'' 
 
 " I am not mad, " said La Guerita 
 in a voice of thrilling earnestness. 
 ' ' If you have a God, pray him to 
 make me so, or else give me peace 
 yourself. Let me make my atone- 
 ment I command you not to thwart 
 me. Give me the paper. " 
 
 Dolores drew the folded paper from 
 her bosom, and started forward, as the 
 lawyer took it from her hand and 
 glanced over its contents. 
 
 1 ' Now you may sign, " he said. 
 
 Dolores covered her face and 
 groaned, and Norton Holmes laid 
 his hand upon the arm of La Gue- 
 rita, saying loudly and in a voice of 
 entreaty : ' ' Consider the matter ; 
 consider it I beg. Do you know 
 what that bond will make you ? " 
 
 "I know what my freedom has 
 made me, " she cried. ' ' It has made 
 me a blight and a curse ! It has 
 made me a murderess ! Stand back 
 and let me sign ! " 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 Mr. Gordon threw open the door, 
 and the landlord and his brother en- 
 tered. ' ' These will be your wit- 
 nesses," he said, placing the paper 
 before her. 
 
 She seized the pen eagerly, and 
 without a pause, in large, firm char- 
 acters, signed the fatal deed. It 
 was then signed by the witnesses, 
 who, unconscious of the nature of 
 the document, bowed, and with- 
 drew. 
 
 Those who remained, expected to 
 see La Guerita DeCuba swoon, or 
 burst into tears after her desperate 
 deed was done, but she sat down 
 quietly taking her child upon her 
 knees, and whispering softly over 
 him that the anguish was passed, the 
 atonement was begun. 
 
 They left her alone. Dolores 
 rushed forth to her cabin to weep and 
 pray, while Norton Holmes, feeling 
 half guilty, as one who had blindly 
 consented to the death of the inno- 
 cent, walked slowly down the street, 
 arm in arm with the triumphant 
 lawyer, who, rubbing his hands de- 
 lightedly together, exclaimed : "The 
 best day's work I ever did in my life. 
 Look back at your slave, Mr. Holmes, 
 she is looking at her master from the 
 window. " 
 
 " Good God, it is dreadful," sigh- 
 ed the planter, ' ' and what will Adela 
 say?" 
 
 The lawyer smiled, and glanced 
 triumphantly back at the window 
 where La Guerita still quietly sat. 
 Oh, how madly she would have 
 started from her repose had she 
 known that the moment she signed 
 the fatal bond, her brother Fabean 
 stood at the door of Enola, and asked 
 for his lost sister. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 " The past is spent and done with, and the 
 future is uncertain." 
 
 Antoninus. 
 
 IT was arranged by Mr. Gordon, 
 on the following day, that La Guerita 
 should quietly leave the hotel, and, 
 in order to baffle the curious, that she 
 should take tickets for one of the 
 southern towns, but leave the cars at 
 
 R , a station seven miles east of 
 
 Holmsford. There Mr. Holmes, 
 who had returned to his home, was 
 to meet her, and conduct her to his 
 estate. 
 
 She left the hotel without again see- 
 ing her mother ; she wished to forget 
 all the past, and unconsciously shrank 
 from the pain of meeting one who 
 had been so intimately connected 
 with it, for she could not yet forgive 
 her, or palliate her sin. 
 
 Harold was delighted beyond mea- 
 sure to leave the rooms in which he 
 had been almost constantly confined, 
 and as they passed rapidly through 
 the country, monotonous though it 
 was, he found a thousand objects to 
 arouse his wonder and delight. They 
 were uncared for and unnoticed by 
 his mother, who sat beside him un- 
 conscious of the wondering and ad- 
 miring glances cast upon her, or of 
 aught that was passing. It seemed 
 to her a very long time before they 
 
 reached the station at R . They 
 
 entered it at last, very slowly, and she 
 regarded it with idle curiosity, dream- 
 ing not how valuable her scrutiny 
 would one day prove. 
 
 She exchanged her seat in the cars 
 for one in the carriage, in which Mr. 
 Holmes had come to meet her, but 
 felt not the slightest agitation or curi- 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 79 
 
 osity concerning the people she would 
 shortly meet. During the long drive 
 Mr. Holmes vainly endeavored to 
 draw her into conversation, but he 
 soon perceived that her thoughts were 
 far away. She seemed, indeed, lost 
 to the present, until Mr. Holmes, 
 who had been talking with Harold, 
 said : 
 
 ' ' Look out of the window, Har- 
 ry, and across the field, you will see 
 a large white house ; that is Holms- 
 ford, where you are going to live. " 
 
 Then La Guerita suddenly aroused 
 herself. At first she saw nothing 
 more than a large white house, half 
 hidden by tall trees, and a long row 
 of negro cabins, which, with numer- 
 ous out-houses, almost formed the 
 appearance of a small village. Upon 
 approaching nearer, La Guerita per- 
 ceived that the principal building was 
 erected, after the fashion of many 
 Southern houses, in two parts, which 
 were connected and surrounded by 
 piazzas, which were at that season 
 festooned with flowering vines. In- 
 deed, the house formed the center of 
 a mass of shrubbery, that extended 
 for some acres. The month of roses 
 had passed, yet thousands were 
 blooming still in the gardens of 
 Holmsford, enchanting the eye and 
 filling the air with fragrance. 
 
 1 ' Adela has a passion for roses, " 
 remarked Mr. Holmes, as he assisted 
 La Guerita from the carriage, and 
 ushered her through the garden to a 
 side door of the house, ' ' and some 
 taste, you will perceive, for other 
 flowers as well. " 
 
 That was readily apparent, if she 
 had anything to do with the arrange- 
 ment of the garden. Great was the 
 variety of plants nearly every species 
 
 of native flowers and many exotics 
 all placed with such delicate regard 
 to form and color that each attracted 
 its due share of notice without in 
 the least detracting from the claims 
 of others. Before they reached the 
 door by which she was to enter the 
 house, La Guerita for an instant lost 
 the remembrance of the Past in ad- 
 miration of the beauty before her. 
 
 She did not notice the wondering 
 eyes that from the kitchen and cabins 
 watched her appearance, and, in- 
 deed, thought of nothing but the un- 
 expected beauty of Holmsford, until 
 Mr. Holmes, after leading her across 
 a wide hall, opened a door and ush- 
 ered her into a room, by the appear- 
 ance of which La Guerita supposed 
 herself to be in the common sitting- 
 room of the house. 
 
 A young lady was standing near 
 the window, so engrossed in thought 
 that she did not notice their en- 
 trance until Mr. Holmes exclaimed : 
 "Why, Adela, are you dreaming?" 
 
 In the moment's interval that pre- 
 ceded his words, La Guerita had 
 marked the outline of a tall, grace- 
 ful figure, arrayed in a softly flowing 
 material of a delicate lavender color. 
 She started as the name of Adela 
 w r as pronounced, remembering that 
 she had heard her likened to Claude 
 Leveredge. 
 
 ' ' You came in very softly, papa, " 
 she said, in a musical voice, ' ' or I 
 was lost in reverie ; I did not hear 
 you. " 
 
 Then for a moment there was si- 
 lence, while the young lady looked 
 at La Guerita with some slight sur- 
 prise upon her countenance. Never 
 in her life had La Guerita DeCuba 
 found her expectations so much at 
 
8o 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 fault ; she had fancied Miss Holmes 
 dark and stern ; she was, on the con- 
 trary, remarkably fair, and wore a 
 a gentle though firm expression rare- 
 ly seen upon a woman's face. One 
 would have imagined her naturally 
 free from hauteur, but capable of 
 readily assuming it. La Guerita was 
 no ready translator of expressions, 
 but she instantly detected one of la- 
 tent hostility upon the face of Miss 
 Holmes, and doubted not that she 
 would, sooner or later, feel its eifects. 
 A slight frown contracted the fore- 
 head of the young lady, and arched 
 the eyebrows, which were remarka- 
 ble for their beauty, and the contrast 
 of their dark-brown hue with the 
 golden hair, which waved slightly 
 back from the temples, and was coil- 
 ed in a large knot at the back of her 
 well-formed head. 
 
 The frown darkened on her deli- 
 cate face, and her full red lips curl- 
 ed slightly, as Mr. Holmes said : 
 
 ' ' This, Adela, is the the person 
 I was speaking to you about. Rita 
 I think we decided you should be 
 called that? this is my daughter, 
 Miss Adela Holmes, whom I am sure 
 you will find an indulgent mistress. " 
 
 La Guerita started as the last words 
 were pronounced, but looking in the 
 calm, pale face before her, which was 
 at that moment so strikingly expres- 
 sive of a passionate and command- 
 ing nature, she felt that she was, in- 
 deed, in the presence of one who 
 would rule as her mistress, not only 
 in name, but in reality. 
 
 "She is younger than you led me 
 to suppose/' said Miss Holmes, turn- 
 ing to her father, ' ' and scarcely looks 
 as if she would be a fit teacher for 
 Minna." 
 
 La Guerita was stung with a deep 
 sense of inferiority by having her 
 merits thus canvassed in her pres- 
 ence, much in the same way that one 
 might argue the qualities of a bird or 
 dog. Her cheeks burned and her 
 head swam dizzily, and she lelt at 
 once the shame of her new position. 
 
 At that moment Miss Holmes 
 caught sight of Harold, who had al- 
 most hidden himself under his moth- 
 er's flowing mantle. She caught him 
 eagerly by the arm, drawing him to 
 her, as she exclaimed : 
 
 11 Oh, the beautiful, beautiful 
 child ! O papa, how could she be 
 so heartless so wicked ? " 
 
 ' ' I am neither heartless nor wick- 
 ed ! " exclaimed La Guerita, clasping 
 the child to her bosom as he fled to 
 her, alarmed at Miss Holmes' im- 
 petuous manner; "I am kind; I 
 am gentle ; I am merciful ; I have 
 saved him from all the woes that I 
 have known ; his life will never be 
 embittered as mine has been. " 
 
 As she stood erect, yet trembling 
 with excitement, her eyes flashing 
 and her cheeks aflame, holding her 
 child to her bosom with one strong 
 arm, while the other was raised, ex- 
 pressive at once of love and defi- 
 ance, Adela gazed upon her in un- 
 feigned admiration, scarcely free from 
 alarm, while Norton Holmes once 
 more said within his mind : "She is 
 mad ! " 
 
 "I should advise you not to ex- 
 cite yourself, " said Miss Holmes, af- 
 ter a moment's silence, in a tone of 
 great sarcasm, which seemed to im- 
 ply that she deemed the whole an ex- 
 cellent piece of acting. 
 
 1 ' Where is your mother ? " asked 
 Mr. Holmes. 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 81 
 
 "In her room, papa, breaking 
 her heart because Minna came home 
 from the swamp an hour ago with a 
 torn apron and wet feet. " 
 
 Mr. Holmes smiled. 
 
 "Indeed, papa, mamma did not 
 appear to consider the matter at all 
 amusing ; and I do hope this person 
 will be able to keep the children in 
 some sort of order; they are really 
 enough to vex a saint. " 
 
 ' ' St. Adela !" returned Mr. Holmes, 
 laughing, when the door opened and 
 an elderly lady, followed by a little 
 girl of seven, entered the room. 
 
 ' ' Oh, dear Norton, I am so glad 
 you have come !" languidly exclaimed 
 the lady ; "I have had such a fright 
 this afternoon. Minnie came home 
 from the swamp, where a thousand 
 snakes might have bitten her, you 
 know, with a torn apron, and such 
 tears, such slits, such rents, as if she 
 had climbed every tree in the place, 
 and, O dear, with such wet feet ! she 
 might have caught her death of cold ! " 
 
 ' ' But I have n't though ! " said 
 the child, pertly, adding as her father 
 caressed her : " Mamma said to-day 
 that I should bring her gray hairs 
 with sorrow to the grave. Now, I 
 should like to know how I am to do 
 that when every hair on her head is 
 as yellow as Adda's ? " 
 
 "Hush ! hush !" said Mr. Holmes, 
 warningly, and turning to his wife : 
 1 ' See, Myra, I have brought you a 
 governess for the children ; this is 
 Rita--" 
 
 "And I am very glad she has 
 come," said Mrs. Holmes, languid- 
 ly, while Minna rushed from the 
 room to convey the doleful tidings to 
 her brothers. ' ' Yes, I am very glabl 
 she has come," she repeated, delib- 
 11 
 
 erately surveying her new servant : 
 "I do hope you are as accomplished 
 as your master believes you. You 
 know, Norton, these octoroons are 
 often pretty, but seldom very sensi- 
 ble. Don't you think there is a queer 
 look about this one's eyes ? Can you 
 play the piano, Rita ? " 
 
 La Guerita was bewildered by her 
 strange position ; she had never for 
 a moment imagined what her posi- 
 tion or treatment as a slave would be ; 
 she seemed suddenly bereft of her 
 identity; she was an automaton a 
 machine. 
 
 ' ' She seems very stupid, " com- 
 mented Mrs. Holmes ; ' ' take her 
 into the parlor, Adela, and let us 
 hear what she can do. " 
 
 Miss Holmes led the way across 
 the hall into a large and handsomely 
 furnished apartment. The sight of 
 the piano aroused La Guerita's al- 
 most dormant faculties. She ap- 
 proached it eagerly, and seating her- 
 self, poured all the wild anguish of 
 her soul into a voluntary of such ex- 
 quisite pathos, that each note was the 
 expression of some thought of love, 
 or grief, or madness. 
 
 Adela stood entranced. Mrs. 
 Holmes cried: "Divine! Where 
 did you learn to play like that ? " 
 
 1 ' It was n't an hour ago that I shut 
 and locked that piano," ejaculated a 
 shrill female voice ; ' ' not one hour 
 ago, and I thought I had the key safe 
 in my pocket. " 
 
 All started at these words, and La 
 Guerita, with a deep sigh, awoke 
 from the trance into which the melo- 
 dy had thrown her, and in which she 
 had fancied herself in the parlor of 
 Enola, with Harold bending over 
 her. 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 She turned quickly as the shrill 
 voice fell upon her ear, and, to her 
 surprise, beheld an old lady standing 
 in the door-way. She was at least 
 seventy years old, and was arrayed in 
 a short white gown, with a multiplici- 
 ty of round capes, of all colors and 
 all sizes. These, from the roundness 
 of her shoulders and an habitual 
 stoop, gave her the appearance of a 
 hunchback, which was increased by 
 the strange, vixenish expression of 
 her wrinkled face, around which the 
 deep borders of two caps vibrated 
 tremblingly when she moved or 
 spoke. 
 
 All this La Guerita noticed while 
 the old lady's attention was fixed on 
 Adela, who said, very quietly : 
 
 ' ' I have a key of my own, aunt. " 
 
 ' ' Yes, that is always the way, " she 
 returned vehemently ; ' ' It's no use 
 for me to try to save anything in this 
 house. Everything here is going to 
 rack and ruin. Dilsey has just broke 
 another plate. Who 's that ? " 
 
 1 1 A new girl papa has just bought, " 
 replied Miss Holmes. 
 
 "A new girl pa has just bought," 
 ejaculated the old lady, looking La 
 Guerita keenly in the face, flushing 
 to the borders of her cap and throw- 
 ing up her hands. 
 
 ' ' What's the matter, aunt ?" cried 
 Minna, who had re-entered the room ; 
 ' ' do you think that she is too pretty 
 to teach us?" 
 
 ' ' There's nothing the matter, " she 
 answered shortly, "and it don't make 
 any difference what I think; but I 
 know there's a nail sticking up in 
 that carpet ; it caught my gown and 
 pulled me back. But that's the way 
 with everything in this house ; we 
 should all die in the poor-house if 
 
 there was one in the county. Peg- 
 gy's baby 's got the measles ; that '11 
 die next, I suppose ! " 
 
 They all laughed as she left the 
 room, Miss Holmes saying : ' ' In- 
 deed, papa, the child is merely suf- 
 fering from the heat ; I saw it an 
 hour ago. Aunt Matilda is always 
 imagining something dreadful." 
 
 " Hush \ m here she is again," said 
 Mr. Holmes, warningly, as a scuffle 
 was heard in the hall, followed by a 
 prolonged howl, and the words : 
 
 "Let me go ! O Miss 'Tildy, just 
 let ago my ear. Oh, Oh, Miss 
 'Tildy ! O, Lud ! " 
 
 1 ' I'm just agoing to take you right 
 in to your master, " was the reply ; 
 ' ' a pretty thing, I reckon, for you to 
 be a sweepin' the yard with the new 
 broom already." 
 
 Mr. Holmes stepped to the door and 
 released the young culprit, a bright- 
 looking negro boy, who, grimacing 
 fearfully in an attempt to awaken his 
 master's pity, protested his innocence. 
 
 ' ' Well, Sam, what have you been 
 doing now ?" asked Mr. Holmes. 
 
 "I ha'nt been doin' nothin'," 
 whimpered the boy. 
 
 ' ' That 's what he 's always doing, " 
 snapped Miss Matilda. 
 
 "I mean, Mass'r, I warn't adoin' 
 nothin' wrong ; I was just a sweepin' 
 the steps of old Aunt Libby's cabin 
 with a new broom what Miss Addie 
 gub me to do it wid. " 
 
 "Why, Adela," exclaimed Mr. 
 Holmes, turning to his daughter, 
 "is it possible that you are going to 
 put any one in that miserable place ? 
 Why there is not a hand on the plan- 
 tation that will pass it after dark. " 
 ' "It is the only vacant cabin, and 
 Rita must occupy it," she repiied, 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 adding, as an expression of annoyance 
 passed over her father's face : ' ' Mam- 
 ma was quite horrified at the idea of 
 a servant occupying the governess' 
 room ; were you not, mamma ? " 
 
 ' ' Indeed, yes, my love, " responded 
 that lady, with some degree of ani- 
 mation; "I couldn't endure the 
 thought of it. " 
 
 "A servant sleeps in your own 
 room," said Mr. Holmes, angrily, 
 and in Adela's, too, I believe. " 
 
 "No, not in Adela's," returned 
 Mrs. Holmes ; ' ' Adela says she 
 can't help feeling herself watched 
 when one is in the room. Such non- 
 sense! I am sure I couldn't do 
 without one. Suppose I should need 
 more covering or a drink in the 
 night, or should be taken sick, you 
 know. But that is a very different 
 thing to having a servant in a distant 
 part of the house, where she could be 
 of no use to any one. I should 
 never close my eyes in sleep, Norton, 
 if I knew Rita was so close to me. 
 Those octoroons are dangerous, you 
 know. It was only last week that one 
 attempted to poison a whole family 
 in Lexington." 
 
 Mr. Holmes paced the room ex- 
 citedly, biting his finger nails and 
 glancing at La Guerita, who, with 
 Harold upon her knee, was a silent 
 listener to the conversation. 
 
 ' ' I suppose you must do as you 
 please, Adela, " he said at length ; 
 but I hope you have had the cabin 
 made comfortable." 
 
 "Quite so, papa, and, if you 
 please, I will take Rita there ; she 
 looks tired. " 
 
 ' ' I hope she is not delicate, " said 
 Mrs. Holmes, querulously; "Miss 
 Fitzgerald was delicate, you know, 
 
 and the children could not be in 
 school half of the time. It is such 
 a relief to me to think that this gov- 
 erness can 't leave us at a moment's 
 notice. What a world of anxiety 
 I should have been saved if you 
 could have bought her before, though 
 she does seem stupid lost, in fact. 
 Was that the reason your mistress sold 
 you ? " 
 
 Before La Guerita could answer 
 this perplexing question, Miss Holmes 
 arose, and leaving the room, mo- 
 tioned to her to follow. She did so, 
 passing Mrs. Holmes with a graceful 
 inclination of the head, causing that 
 lady to wonder " what would come 
 next," and to prophesy that the 
 world would soon come to an end. 
 
 Miss Matilda was standing on the 
 piazza apostrophizing the wind for 
 conveying the rose-leaves to that par- 
 ticular spot. She looked up as La 
 Guerita passed her, and said senten- 
 tiously : ' ' Chickens come home to 
 roost." 
 
 "And curses," thought La Gue- 
 rita bitterly, knowing well that the 
 keen-witted old lady had seen through 
 the flimsy disguise which Norton 
 Ht>lmes had thrown over her iden- 
 tity, and with many conflicting emo- 
 tions, she followed Miss Holmes 
 across a lawn which lay at the back 
 of the house, past a row of negro 
 cabins from which she was watched 
 by scores of eager eyes, until they 
 stood before a hut somewhat detach- 
 ed from the others, but in no way 
 differing in appearance. It was 
 painted white, with green doors, with 
 a blind of the same hue at the only 
 window. A small garden surround- 
 ed it, which was tfren filled with 
 weeds and the yellow stalks of last 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 year's cabbages the solitary remains 
 of by-gone culture. 
 
 Miss Holmes took a bunch of 
 keys from a small basket which she 
 carried in her hand, and after trying 
 several in the rusty lock turned the 
 key, and led the way into the cabin. 
 
 "I hope you like your future 
 home," she remarked sarcastically, 
 and with a mocking light in her 
 eyes, as La Guerita looked around 
 the single apartment. ' ' There is a 
 very good bed in the corner we al- 
 ways allow our servants two pairs of 
 blankets in the winter. Aunt Libby 
 made that coverlet herself, and slept 
 under it for twenty years, so I am 
 sure it must be comfortable. That's 
 a very good table in the corner 
 though a little ricketty ; there are two 
 chairs, and if you want another you 
 can have it, and also a piece of rag 
 carpet to patch that hole with. I 
 shall expect to see it done to-morrow. 
 You are looking at the chimney ; it 
 does'nt smoke at all, and you see 
 there are a good lot of cooking uten- 
 sils in the hearth." 
 
 La Guerita knew why Adela 
 Holmes had been likened to her 
 cousin Claude as she listened to this 
 cutting irony, but it did not anger 
 her, she was too weary to become 
 excited, and she answered patient- 
 ly : ' ' It is all good enough, Miss 
 Holmes." 
 
 " 'Taint half good enough !" ejacu- 
 lated Minna, who at that instant ap- 
 peared at the door, accompanied by 
 her twin brothers, who were five years 
 her seniors. 'Taint half so good, 
 Miss Rita, as Celia has ; she's got 
 white curtains to the window, has 'nt 
 she Alf. ? Ain't the new teacher 
 pretty ?" 
 
 "She is that," acceded her bro- 
 ther warmly, "but she ain't Miss 
 Rita she ain't white you know." 
 
 " And I ain't going to mind her a 
 bit, " said his brother, ' ' I ain't going 
 to learn lessons for her. " 
 
 ' ' If you don't, I'll break every 
 bone in your body," said Alf. threat- 
 eningly, ' ' I like her a heap better 
 than I did Miss Fitzgerald already." 
 
 La Guerita thanked her champion 
 with an eloquent glance of grati- 
 tude, and Alfred walked triumph- 
 antly away, followed by Rufus and 
 Minna. 
 
 When they were again alone, Miss 
 Holmes turned to La Guerita, saying 
 sternly : " Do you realize the posi- 
 tion in which you have placed your- 
 self? Do you realize what you are?" 
 
 1 ' I am a slave, " she answered bit- 
 terly, stung with the shame that had 
 haunted her since her entrance into 
 Holmsford. 
 
 ' ' Yes, a slave, " repeated Miss 
 Holmes with emphasis; "a slave 
 not only in name but in reality. " 
 
 1 ' I came here to be a slave in 
 reality, " she returned ; "I came here 
 to forget that I ever was free. " 
 
 "My father has told me your 
 tale," said Miss Holmes scornfully, 
 " a tale in which you would mention 
 no names. I place as much faith in 
 it as I would in an anonymous letter. 
 I know not what your object was in 
 coming here, but I believe it was to 
 escape the consequences of some 
 evil deed, or to perform one. But I 
 warn you that Adela Holmes is not 
 blind." 
 
 She opened the door and passed 
 out, leaving La Guerita and her child 
 alone in the little cabin which was 
 thenceforth to be their home. 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 ' ' Have I done so strange a thing, " 
 mused La Guerita, "in seeking to 
 make reparation to another, and to 
 find peace for my own soul, that 
 even the wisest deem me mad, or 
 hopelessly depraved ? O Harold, 
 Harold, my dead love, you at least 
 know my motives ! O Harold, Har- 
 old !" 
 
 She sank upon a chair clasping 
 her brow with her open hand, and 
 crying aloud that she was ' ' wretched, 
 wretched, still ! '" 
 
 "I am very hungry, mamma," 
 said Harold at length; "Why did 
 they put us into this little dark house. 
 It isn't pretty at all. " 
 
 "But still we are to live here, 
 Harry," said his mother calmly, 
 ' ' and you will learn to be very hap- 
 py here. Are you very hungry, 
 darling ? Here is a biscuit I put in 
 my pocket for you to-day. " 
 
 He took it gladly, but before it 
 was half eaten a young mulatto girl 
 came to the door, and looking in, 
 said : " Here is some supper Miss 
 Addie sent you for Harry, and you'se 
 to put him to bed just as soon as he's 
 eat it, for Miss Addie says else he'll 
 be tuckered clean out with a travelin 
 so far, and Miss Addie she can't abide 
 a sick nigger. " 
 
 La Guerita felt stunned ; she look- 
 ed on helplessly as the girl placed the 
 tray on the table and then sat down, 
 familiarly continuing : ' ' How awful 
 white you is ! Nigh as white 's Miss 
 Addie herself. Was your missus 
 jealous o' yo, or what did she sell 
 you for." 
 
 "I don't know," answered La 
 Guerita, feeling the necessity of say- 
 ing something to her fellow-servant, 
 remembering with a sharp sting of 
 
 wounded pride, that her caste was the 
 same as that of the untutored girl. 
 
 "And after she had been and had 
 you eddicated so ; she must a been 
 jealous, " concluded the girl. ' Well, 
 I can't stop here a chattin', though 
 I'd like to - mighty. There's Miss 
 Tildy a screamin' to me to take the 
 parrot in doors. I should'nt a bit 
 wonder if he's a bit her finger agin. 
 O, heddy, how riled she would be !" 
 
 And she left the cabin hastily, hap- 
 py in the scene her imagination had 
 conjured. 
 
 La Guerita was wear)' very weary 
 and was glad to partake of a part 
 of the supper which Miss Holmes 
 had sent. She laid aside her bonnet 
 and cloak, and unpinned the heavy 
 braids of hair, that lay like leaden 
 weights upon her burning head. 
 
 ' ' How queer you look, mamma, " 
 laughed Harold ; "just like that pic- 
 ture we had at home ; don't you 
 know: a mer mer what is it? 
 coming out of the sea ; her hair was 
 just as long and wavy as yours. I 
 say, ain't this nice jelly ? I like that 
 lady Miss Adela ever so much, 
 mamma, though she frightened me 
 when she caught hold of me so tight. 
 I thought that black man had come 
 again to carry me away. But now I 
 like her ever so much ; but was n't 
 that other a funny old woman ? " and 
 he pulled his hair over his brow and 
 shook his head, in grotesque imita- 
 tion of Miss Matilda and her quiver- 
 ing laces. 
 
 So he prattled on, until his mother 
 undressed him and laid him on the 
 bed, standing by him until he had 
 fallen asleep and the dusk of evening 
 gathered around her. 
 
 It was insufferably warm, although 
 
86 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 the window was open, and La Gue- 
 rita threw open the back door, that 
 the night breeze might enter her little 
 dwelling. She sat upon the step a 
 decaying log and gazed upon the 
 scene that lay before her. Near at 
 hand was a field of cotton, but sparse- 
 ly grown, and beyond it a forest of 
 dark pines, that swayed solemnly in 
 the evening wind, filling the air with 
 a low, rushing sound as of running 
 waters. It soothed the excited mind 
 of the listener as no other music 
 could have done, seeming to whis- 
 per of wildernesses of shade and si- 
 lence boundless, fathomless where 
 the echoes of the busy world could 
 never enter. 
 
 Two negroes slowly crossed the 
 cotton field, carrying their tools upon 
 their shoulders, and cheerily singing 
 a camp-meeting hymn, to a weird, 
 monotonous tune. 
 
 As she listened the rhythm of the 
 song seemed to harmonize with the 
 wild imaginings of her brain, and to 
 calm them. Of thoughts thoughts 
 that resolved themselves into definite 
 forms she had none, and the past 
 and present became a void to her ; her 
 mind lost its weight of agony, and 
 for hours after the hymn had ceased, 
 and when the belt of pines were but 
 as the farthest ether, she sat there, 
 like one entranced. At last she was 
 aroused but only to bodily pain by 
 a sensation of cold, which pervaded 
 her entire frame. She went into the 
 cabin then, and without closing the 
 door, or even remarking that it was 
 open, threw herself upon the bed be- 
 side her child, and fell into a deep, 
 untroubled sleep. 
 
 " O heart, sore tried, thou hadst the best 
 
 That Heaven itself could give thee rest 
 Rest from all bitter thoughts and things!" 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 " Undue suspicion is more abject baseness 
 Even than the guilt suspected." 
 
 Aaron Hill. 
 
 Miss HOLMES makes a discovery. 
 The partial stupor that fell upon the 
 mind of La Guerita DeCuba upon 
 that calm summer night happily did 
 not pass with the stupor it induced ; 
 she awoke on the following morning 
 with a passive brain and a deadened 
 memory. The remembrance of the 
 past was with her still, but its terrible 
 anguish was gone, and in its stead 
 remained a dull, subtle pain a 
 wound so deep and tender that a 
 word or look would often cause the 
 most exquisite torture torture that 
 would blind and stifle, but never 
 rouse her. 
 
 The young mulatto girl, who had 
 brought the supper on the previous 
 evening, appeared at about eight 
 in the morning, with a well-filled 
 tray, which she placed on the rickety 
 table. 
 
 ' ' Miss Addie wanted to send your 
 breakfast an hour ago," she said, 
 "fur eberybody gets breakfus' migh- 
 ty early heah, but Mass Norton he 
 jiss would n't let her do it. Fust ob 
 all, she said you could cook your 
 own victuals, like de res' of de nig- 
 gas, and I neber see Mass Norton 
 look so mad in my bressed days, 
 and he jess spoke right up, and ses 
 he : ' You will send her from dis 
 table de bes' of ebery ting ebery day, 
 Adela.' Well, Miss Addie neber 
 said a word more, but, Lor', she did 
 look blacker nor ole Aunt Fanny 
 does dis bressed minit. " 
 
 "What is your name?" asked La 
 Guerita. 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 ' ' Roxanna Deliny ; they call me 
 Roxy, for short. I tends upon Miss 
 'Tildy, and does all kind o' odd 
 chores. I'se to bring you your meals 
 ebery day ; but, Lor', I don't mind 
 if you is n't white. De rest of 'em 
 don't like you, though. " 
 
 "Why not?" said La Guerita, in- 
 differently. 
 
 ' ' 'Cos Massa Norton 's been an' 
 sot you up 'bove the res', jes' 'cos 
 you's white, and the real blackies 
 can 't abide de white ones no way ; 
 and now dey tinks dat Massa 's jiss 
 brought you here to sit and watch 
 'em. " 
 
 La Guerita smiled faintly. ' ' They 
 need not fear that, " she said ; " I am 
 one of them ; I am in bonds as well 
 as they. " 
 
 Roxy looked as if she scarcely 
 knew what was meant, and discreet- 
 ly changed the subject by saying : 
 ' ' Miss Addie told me I was to take 
 you ober to de school-house soon as 
 you'd finished breakfus' and wus 
 fixed up. How quar you 've made 
 dat bed ; looks like you 'd neber 
 teched one afore. Miss 'Tildy she 
 goes inter de cabins ebery day, to see 
 ef dey 's fixed up ; she 'd be arter 
 you ef she seed dat lookin' heap. " 
 
 Roxy re-arranged the bed to her 
 satisfaction, and then conducted La 
 Guerita to a small building that stood 
 about a hundred yards back of the 
 principal dwelling. 
 
 "Dis is de school-house," she 
 said, and left La Guerita standing 
 upon the low, broad step, looking 
 listlessly at the white walls and the 
 long windows, with their bright- 
 green shutters. For a moment she 
 forgot where she was and what was 
 expected of her ; then Harold pulled 
 
 her dress, and whispered : ' ' Look, 
 mamma, look, there's the pretty 
 lady." 
 
 She entered the school-house then, 
 and bent her head meekly to Miss 
 Holmes, who was speaking to the 
 children. She stopped when she saw 
 La Guerita, but Alfred said, quickly : 
 ' ' You need n't tell me how to behave 
 myself, Addie ; I like her first-rate. " 
 
 "Besides," said Rufus, proudly, 
 ' ' Cousin Claude said, when he was 
 here, that if I wished to be a gentle- 
 man like him, I must begin by treat- 
 ing my inferiors well. " 
 . His sister's lips curled slightly, but 
 she answered : ' ' That is an excel- 
 lent precept; I hope you will re- 
 member it;" then turning to La 
 Guerita, added : ' ' You are late this 
 morning. I shall expect you always 
 to begin school at eight o'clock, and 
 continue until three. You may give 
 a few minutes' recess at ten, and an 
 hour's at twelve. From four until 
 five you will give Minna a music les- 
 son, or hear her practice. " 
 
 " 1 7 m not going to stay in school 
 from eight 'till three," exclaimed 
 Rufus. 
 
 1 ' Yes you will ! " cried Alfred ; 
 ' ' you used to do it when Miss Fitz- 
 gerald was here. It 's an awful long 
 time, but we did it easy enough after 
 she made us a few times. " 
 
 At that moment Mr. Holmes ap- 
 peared. ' ' I am glad to see you 
 here, Rita," he said, kindly. "How 
 do you like the school-room ? Pleas- 
 ant, is it not? Now, I am ready to 
 see you begin school ; you '11 read a 
 chapter in the Bible first, eh ?" 
 
 La Guerita mechanically turned to 
 the bible that lay upon her desk, and 
 opened it at the thirty-fifth Psalm, be- 
 
88 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 ginning : ' ' Plead my cause, O Lord, 
 with them that strive with me ; fight 
 against them that fight against me. 
 Take hold of shield and buckler, 
 and stand up for mine help." 
 
 Miss Holmes looked upon her 
 steadily as she read this Psalm from 
 beginning to end. Even the children 
 listened with delight to the calm, so- 
 norous tones. La Guerita alone re- 
 mained unaffected by that solemn 
 prayer, which eloquently appeared to 
 plead for her from the depths into 
 which she had fallen. She was un- 
 conscious of their significance ; but 
 not so at least two of her hearers, for 
 as she closed the book and looked to 
 Mr. Holmes for further orders, he 
 merely said : ' ' Read from the New 
 Testament in future," and followed 
 his daughter from the house, turning 
 at the door to say : " Remember, 
 Rita, you are mistress here. Boys 
 Minna, let me hear of no miscon- 
 duct." 
 
 The children looked at each other 
 and then at La Guerita, who, with 
 Harold at her side, stood calmly be- 
 fore them. 
 
 ' ' Alfred, " she said at last, ' ' bring 
 me your books and let me see how 
 far you are advanced. " 
 
 He obeyed, treating her respect- 
 fully, and listening intently to all she 
 said, thereby making it easier to 
 force words from her unwilling lips. 
 Rufus, in his turn, went to her desk 
 frowning malevolently, and mutter- 
 ing, as he returned to his seat : "I 
 shan't mind her ; I '11 just do as I 
 please, for all that I care for her. " 
 
 La Guerita's eyes flashed, but she 
 said nothing, choosing to bide the 
 time when she might effectually 
 prove her authority. 
 
 Oh, how drearily that long, long 
 day passed by. Harold ran out to 
 play in the shade, while she, who had 
 never known toil before, learned, in 
 part, what slavery meant, as she lis- 
 tened to Minna's monotonous tones, 
 as she read her dog's-eared primer, 
 or enduring patiently Alfred's stupid- 
 ity, or Rufus' outbursts of sullen 
 temper. 
 
 It was very warm. La Guerita 
 felt faint and weary, and would glad- 
 ly have dismissed the children to 
 their play, but she remembered that 
 she was a slave ; and when at last 
 the weary toil was over, and the chil- 
 dren had burst with wild shouts from 
 the room, she sank down in the apa- 
 thetic way that now seemed almost 
 natural to her, and vaguely wondered 
 what next would come for her to do. 
 
 The school-room was littered with 
 books and papers, but it did not oc- 
 cur to her to make it tidy. No 
 thought entered her mind without 
 some prompting from another ; and 
 so she sat, only conscious of extreme 
 bodily weakness, gazing dreamily 
 upon the scene without until Roxy 
 entered uttering an exclamation of 
 surprise at seeing her sitting idle 
 with the litter around her, and then 
 energetically placing the scattered 
 articles in their places as she said : 
 
 1 ' Law sus, Rita, this '11 never do ; 
 'spose Miss 'Tildy should come in ; 
 she'll be awful mad ef you don't clar 
 up sooner den this every arternoon ; 
 and Miss Addie, she '11 soon tell you 
 that yer can't fold yer hands in dis 
 cabin ; she sent me to tell ye to go 
 inter the house, Miss Myra wants 
 you." 
 
 La Guerita arose and slowly cross- 
 ed the grass-plot that lay between the 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 school-room and the back porch of 
 the house. As she passed the parlor 
 windows she heard a strange voice, 
 saying : 
 
 "I am quite anxious to behold 
 this prodigy of yours, Mrs. Holmes." 
 
 La Guerita shrank back, with a 
 momentary impulse to retreat. ' ' No, 
 this is a part of my sacrifice, " she 
 muttered, ' ' and must be perform- 
 ed," and approaching the parlor 
 door, knocked resolutely. 
 
 ' ' Come in ! " said a voice ; and 
 obeying the summons, La Guerita 
 found herself in the presence of Mrs. 
 and Miss Holmes, and a strange 
 gentleman. 
 
 He looked at her curiously as she 
 entered, and bowed, coloring there- 
 after as if he had been surprised into 
 the condescension. La Guerita stood 
 in the door- way, with eyes bent down, 
 painfully conscious that the eyes of 
 the stranger never left her. 
 
 Suddenly he muttered an excuse 
 and left the room. Mrs. Holmes 
 laughed, while Adela looked sur- 
 prised, and not the less so when, en- 
 tering the room as suddenly as he 
 had left it, Mr. Russell declared he 
 had been unable to withstand the 
 temptation to rush into the garden 
 and pluck a magnificent moss-rose, 
 which he offered her, with a gay ex- 
 cuse for his impetuosity. 
 
 Miss Holmes took it and placed it 
 in a vase on the table, and which she 
 directed La Guerita to fill with water. 
 
 She obeyed, glad to escape the 
 searching eyes of the stranger, but, 
 although she did not look at him, 
 she knew he was still regarding her 
 when she returned with the flowers, 
 and as a chance for evading his scru- 
 tiny turned to the piano, as Mrs. 
 12 
 
 Holmes said : ' ' Mr. Russell wishes 
 to hear you play, Rita. Play the 
 piece we all admired so much yes- 
 terday. " 
 
 That was impossible, but the noc- 
 turne she selected was equally beau- 
 tiful. 
 
 At the conclusion, Mrs. Holmes 
 looked at Mr. Russell triumphantly. 
 
 1 ' She does, indeed, play very fine- 
 ly, " he said ; ' ' her mistress must 
 have spent a small fortune upon 
 that one accomplishment. Has Mr. 
 Holmes found a gold mine, or ob- 
 tained the freedom of a mint lately?" 
 
 Mrs. Holmes laughed. ' ' Neither 
 the one nor the other, I can assure 
 you, " she returned. ' ' I asked Nor- 
 ton something of the sort yesterday 
 when Rita came, but he said she 
 cost a mere nothing. Play some- 
 thing else, Rita." 
 
 She turned to the instrument most 
 sorely puzzled. Where had she seen 
 this Mr. Russell before ? Was it fan- 
 cy, or was there really something fa- 
 miliar in his voice and appearance ? 
 He was tall, fair, decidedly good- 
 looking, but with a good-natured 
 and in no way remarkable counte- 
 nance ; yet it haunted her, leading 
 ing her back step by step over her 
 life, yet taking no fixed place in it, 
 seeming rather as a shadow than a 
 reality. She was aroused by an ex- 
 clamation from Mrs. Holmes. 
 
 " Play something less monoto- 
 nous, " she cried. ' ' How dreadful- 
 ly stupid that is ; one might imagine 
 Minna was playing. You don't mean 
 to tell me you can only play one or 
 two pieces well ? " 
 
 Mr. Russell arose and walked care- 
 lessly to the end of the piano, look- 
 ing at her curiously as he said : 
 
9 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 "Give us something lighter a 
 polka, for instance ; I remember 
 there was a very pretty one called 
 1 La Guerita, ' that they used to play 
 when I was at school at Fairview. " 
 
 She turned deadly pale at the sound 
 of the well-loved name, struck to the 
 heart more by that simple word than 
 the knowledge that she was recog- 
 nized. 
 
 She remembered him well then. 
 Years ago he had been at Fairview 
 for a term for only a single term ; 
 yet, after all the changes that had 
 passed over both, he had known her 
 at a glance. 
 
 Obeying the impulse of flight, she 
 arose and hurried from the room, 
 casting behind a frightened look, like 
 that of a hunted fawn. Mrs. Holmes 
 in vain called her back, and then fol- 
 lowed her, in high displeasure, which, 
 fortunately for La Guerita, was chang- 
 ed to loud lamentations as she beheld 
 Alfred entering the house, holding in 
 one hand a nest of young mocking- 
 birds, while he wiped upon the bo- 
 som of his shirt the blood that was 
 freely trickling from the other. 
 
 "Oh, my dear, dear child," cried 
 his mother, "what have you been 
 doing? Are you killed? You are 
 scratches all over ! " 
 
 ' ' I can get lots more near the same 
 place that I got these ! " he cried, 
 gleefully, referring to the birds, not 
 the scratches. ' ' I am going to take 
 these to Miss Rita and get her to 
 raise them for me ; you know Dilsey 
 let all those die that I got last spring. " 
 
 ' ' Miss Rita ! " echoed Mr. Rus- 
 sell, in a tone of amusement and 
 slight disdain, and then he rose to say 
 farewell. 
 
 "Will you not wait until my moth- 
 
 er comes in ? " said Miss Holmes, 
 hesitatingly, for it was an unusual 
 thing for her to urge Mr. William 
 Russell to remain at Holmsford on 
 any pretext, and she colored to see 
 that he availed himself of her invi- 
 tation, as if it were an inestimable 
 boon ; and scorning to engage in 
 even the most harmless deception, 
 she quickly added : ' ' You have seen 
 our new servant before ? " 
 
 The young man sighed, but an- 
 swered courteously : "I have, in- 
 deed, Miss Adela. " 
 
 ' ' And under far different circum- 
 stances, I presume, " she continued, 
 cautiously. 
 
 Mr. Russell placed himself on his 
 guard, and scarcely knowing what 
 to say, muttered : ' ' Certainly ; but, 
 doubtless, you know all the past his- 
 tory of of 
 
 Miss Holmes waited anxiously for 
 the name, but Mr. Russell bit his 
 lips and remained silent. 
 
 " I will buy his speech," thought 
 Miss Holmes, the color rushing over 
 her face as she said : "At least, if you 
 will tell me nothing, you will let me 
 know whether the tale I have already 
 heard is true ? Of course, my father 
 did not attempt to deceive me with 
 the tale that has satisfied my mother. 
 He repeated to me the tale he heard 
 from her lips. She was born a slave 
 I know not where or who was her 
 master she was given her freedom, 
 and sent North, and there educated ; 
 after deceiving one lover she married 
 a second, and a few months ago the 
 husband learned through the rejected 
 lover the secret of his wife's birth, 
 and went mad over it, I believe, and 
 died. After all this trouble she be- 
 came disgusted with her freedom, 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 9 1 
 
 and, in order, she says, to make 
 atonement for the sorrow she has 
 wrought, has returned to her original 
 state of slavery, choosing, for some 
 unexplained cause, my father as her 
 master. " 
 
 ' ' Poor soul ! " said Mr. Russell, 
 thoughtfully. 
 
 ' ' Well, what do you think of her 
 conduct?" asked Miss Holmes, tri- 
 umphantly. 
 
 ' ' I think it worthy of a mad wo- 
 man ! " 
 
 Miss Holmes shrugged her shoul- 
 ders. "And what of her story is 
 any of it true ? " 
 
 ' ' Yes, yes in part, at least ; I 
 know it to be true in part, for I was 
 acquainted with her before she mar- 
 ried." 
 
 "At what place? " 
 
 I cannot tell you without her per- 
 mission, Miss Adela. Whatever may 
 be her motive for coming here, I, as 
 a gentleman, must respect her se- 
 cret. " 
 
 Miss Holmes colored at the im- 
 plied reproof, but said, with a smile : 
 ' ' I have given you my confidence, 
 Mr. Russell " adding, in an ag- 
 grieved tone "after that, I think it 
 but just you should honor me with 
 yours. " 
 
 The young man colored with pleas- 
 ure, and a multitude of thoughts 
 some of them not of the purest 
 flashed through his mind, but he 
 said, quietly : 
 
 "I tell you, Miss Adela, her tale 
 is true ; though I scarcely think she 
 has betrayed her true motives for 
 coming here ; unless, indeed, she is 
 mad. " 
 
 ' ' She is not mad, " returned Miss 
 Holmes, impatiently; "but, Mr. 
 
 Russell, did you know anything of 
 her first lover ? " 
 
 1 ' Yes, " he returned, hastily, as if 
 he could not allow himself time for 
 after thought ; ' ' perhaps you will be 
 able to judge more correctly of her 
 motives for coming here when I tell 
 you that his name was Claude Lev- 
 eredge. " 
 
 ' ' Claude Leveredge ? Impossi- 
 ble ! " 
 
 1 ' He met her before he went to 
 Europe," continued Mr. Russell, as 
 if his astonished hearer had not spo- 
 ken. "They were engaged during 
 the time of his absence, and upon 
 his return she jilted him, and mar- 
 ried another." 
 
 ' ' Heartless creature ! " cried Miss 
 Holmes, her eyes flashing with in- 
 dignation ; ' ' and Claude, too ! But, 
 Mr. Russell, you must be mistaken ; 
 he would never have engaged him- 
 self to a girl in such an equivocal po- 
 sition. " 
 
 ' ' He did so, nevertheless, " return- 
 ed Mr: Russell, ' ' and now she is a 
 widow. " 
 
 Miss Holmes sprang to her feet 
 and paced the room rapidly. Mr. 
 Russell saw how greatly she was ex- 
 cited and discreetly took leave, smil- 
 ing to himself as he mounted his 
 horse and rode slowly away. 
 
 Passing the window in her rapid 
 walk, Miss Holmes looked out and 
 cast a contemptuous glance after him. 
 ' ' I know why you told me that, Will 
 Russell ! " she said, flushing angrily, 
 ' ' but it will do you no good ; nothing 
 that you can tell me about Claude 
 Leveredge can affect me now. " 
 
 But she was provingly conscious 
 that his words had affected her. She 
 remembered what affectionate letters, 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 in virtue of their cousinship, had 
 passed between Claude Leveredge 
 and herself during his European 
 tour, and how generally it was un- 
 derstood that a closer relationship 
 would some day be established. The 
 thought had flattered her greatly, in 
 her early girlhood, and it was not 
 without shame that she remembered 
 how long she had waited for the 
 words that never came, and how long 
 she had fretted under the mysterious 
 silence he had kept a silence which 
 all his actions had rendered eloquent 
 of love. 
 
 "He has deceived us shamefully," 
 she muttered angrily. ' ' Oh, to think 
 that he should have been engaged to 
 that creature all the time he was in 
 Europe. Well, well, that passed 
 long ago, thank Heaven ! I am 
 glad she married another ; it served 
 him right. Yet since, ever since, he 
 has doubtless loved her, and yet he 
 dared make every one believe he had 
 set his heart upon me, by parting me 
 from the only man I ever loved ; yes, 
 and whom I will ever love in spite of 
 him." 
 
 She paced the room with increased 
 excitement, and after a lapse of a few 
 moments commenced a series of 
 fresh ejaculations expressive of her 
 thoughts. 
 
 "Adela Holmes has never been 
 called uncharitable, " she cried, ' ' Yet 
 I cannot, I cannot, see anything right 
 or pure in this mystery from begin- 
 ning to end. That girl married, 
 doubtless, from spite ; my cousin, 
 perhaps, irritated her beyond endur- 
 ance. She was beautiful, young, 
 weak, and yes wicked would she 
 have married so if she had not been ? 
 Claude has haunted her, has pro- 
 
 duced a fatal influence over her we 
 quarreled when we last met ; he swore 
 he would humble my proud spirit, 
 and he has sent her here as his tool. 
 I see it all ; she has come here to be 
 my slave, and as my slave, to mock 
 my youthful confidence, to bring low 
 my womanly pride, to show me how, 
 for all these years, she and Claude 
 Leveredge have flouted and scorned 
 me. Oh, the double-dyed treach- 
 ery ! " 
 
 She had worked herself into so 
 furious a passion that even Miss Ma- 
 tilda would have started back in alarm 
 from the usually quiet Adela. 
 
 Her wrath, with true womanish 
 instinct, turned from her cousin to 
 the offender of her own sex. " Oh, 
 the fiendish creature ! " she exclaim- 
 ed, ' ' how she rejoices in the thought 
 of taking him from me. A great 
 triumph surely when I have wished 
 him won and out of the way a thou- 
 sand, thousand times. But she shall 
 have her triumph at some cost, I 
 promise her. Yes, she shall suffer 
 all that one woman can devise to tor- 
 ture another ; she shall writhe, until 
 she writhes free of her bonds. Not 
 a day, not an hour, not a moment 
 shall pass but that she shall know 
 that she is a slave. " 
 
 Miss Holmes caught the reflection 
 of her face in one of the long mir- 
 rors. It was so distorted, that she 
 started at the sight, and hastened to 
 her room that no unexpected in- 
 truder might see it. When she reach- 
 ed the shelter of her apartment, she 
 locked the door, and with her hand 
 still upon it, burst into a flood of 
 tears, moaning out : ' ' Oh, my love, 
 my love, you would have taught me 
 how to bear this. But oh, fool fool 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 93 
 
 that I was to give the promise that 
 prevents me from even writing to you 
 of it." 
 
 Could La Guerita DeCuba have 
 known how fierce a battle was waged 
 by love and duty in the heart of Adela 
 Holmes, and how she longed to re- 
 veal her outraged feelings, and the 
 cause of them, to one doubly sepa- 
 rated by distance and a parent's will, 
 she would have trembled even more 
 despairingly for the bonds she held 
 so precious. 
 
 For a few moments after she fled 
 from the house, she remained almost 
 stunned by her emotions at the door 
 of her hut. At last she remembered 
 that William Russell had been held 
 by his acquaintance to be the soul of 
 honor, and a wild hope sprang up in 
 her heart that he would not, at least 
 on that day, betray her to Miss 
 Holmes, and that she might throw 
 herself upon his mercy, and induce 
 him to keep silence forever. 
 
 Without pausing for further thought 
 she ran across the fields that lay be- 
 tween her cottage and the road, and 
 standing near the fence, eagerly look- 
 ed for the appearance of Mr. Rus- 
 sell. 
 
 Meanwhile, having left Holmsford 
 in an unusually hopeful frame of 
 mind, and quite unconscious of the 
 thoughts of Adela Holmes concern- 
 ing him, he slowly rode along the 
 quiet road, lost in reverie, until a 
 voice calling softly, yet eagerly : 
 "Mr. Russell, Mr. Russell," sudden- 
 ly aroused him. 
 
 He recognized the voice even be- 
 fore he saw La Guerita, and draw- 
 ing rein, looked round and said : 
 " Mrs. DeGrey what do you wish 
 with me ? " 
 
 "Hush, hush," she cried entreat- 
 ingly ; "not that name; do not 
 call me by that name here. " 
 
 ' ' 'Tis no wonder that you shrink 
 from hearing it, " he said sternly. 
 
 ' ' Oh do not use those cruel tones 
 to me, " she entreated. * ' Ah, if you 
 knew all, you would pity rather than 
 scorn me." 
 
 ' ' I cannot scorn you, " he replied ; 
 ' ' I cannot look upon your face and 
 do that, and yet " He paused, as 
 if uncertain what else to say, and then 
 suddenly added : ' ' Good God, are 
 you mad ? " 
 
 ' ' No, no, no, " she cried. ' ' Would 
 to God that I were ; but I am not 
 mad. " 
 
 Her passionate voice and gestures 
 turned aside all his contempt and dis- 
 trust, and bending from his saddle, 
 he looked at her more gently, and 
 said : 
 
 ' ' Then, Rita, why are you here ? 
 Why do I find you in this posi- 
 tion ? " 
 
 She told her story wildly, inco- 
 herently, but in such a manner as to 
 leave no doubt in the mind of her 
 hearer that, as she said, she had en- 
 tered into slavery because freedom 
 life itselfhad become hateful to 
 her. 
 
 His heart thrilled with pity as he 
 listened, and when she entreated him 
 not to betray her, that she would die 
 rather than return to her home, and 
 involve her brother in her shame, he 
 begged her to be calm, but she still 
 moaned out : 
 
 "For God's sake do not tell them 
 I am here." 
 
 The thought of doing so had not 
 for a moment entered his mind, and 
 so he impulsively told her. 
 
94 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 "Thank God ! Thank God for 
 that ! " she cried. ' ' And you will 
 never tell them, Mr. Russell ? Oh, 
 you will never tell them." 
 
 "Well," said Mr. Russell slow- 
 ly, as if more to convince himself 
 than his hearer. ' ' I don't see that 
 the matter is any business of mine. 
 I am not your keeper, though I 
 think you would be the better for 
 one. " 
 
 "Then you will promise to be 
 silent ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes, I promise," speaking 
 more slowly than before. ' ' You 're 
 safe in your bonds for me. " 
 
 He bowed, and rode slowly away, 
 muttering to himself: "She will do 
 me good service here. There was a 
 devil in Adela's eyes when I spoke of 
 her and Claude to-day. " 
 
 Mr. Russell rode home very gaily 
 that day, after his meeting with La 
 Guerita, saying often to himself: 
 "The battle is not always to the 
 strong, Claude Leveredge. A word 
 to the wise is enough, and Adela 
 Holmes is wise. God bless me what 
 a world this is we live in ! That 
 woman is mad, by Jove ; but I won- 
 der what Adela thinks ? " 
 
 He would not have ridden home 
 so blithely had he known how small 
 was his share in Adela's thoughts, 
 and even that was more indicative of 
 contempt than any other emotion. 
 "How abominably Claude must 
 have acted, " she said. ' ' I hate him 
 for it," adding a moment after, with 
 woman's inconsistency: "Well, if 
 he has, Will Russell had no business 
 to insinuate it to me, and make a 
 parade of his own strict morality, by 
 pointing out the delinquencies of my 
 cousin." 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 " There needs no other charm, no conjurer, 
 To raise infernal spirits up, but fear. 
 
 Butler. 
 
 DREARILY the first months of slave 
 life passed to La Guerita DeCuba ; 
 her mind was dulled, and her deli- 
 cate hands were hardened by toil, for 
 her task-mistress was pitiless. Deep- 
 er and deeper the iron sank into the 
 tortured soul, yet no awakening came. 
 No, when insult upon insult was 
 heaped upon the once proud head, 
 it meekly bent to receive them all, 
 and the bruised heart never once 
 complained or questioned the justice 
 of its fate, finding comfort in the 
 thought that Harold was spared from 
 misery, for from the first Miss Holmes 
 had loved the boy, and proved it 
 in a hundred ways ; and the mother 
 was content, and trod her thorny 
 path, and shrank not from the sharp- 
 est woes that came. 
 
 Through all that time there was but 
 one to comfort her the child Alfred. 
 Oh, what a thousand darts sprang 
 from the lips of the careless Minna, 
 and sullen Rufus ; how they stung 
 her very soul ; but Alfred seemed to 
 recognize in her something higher 
 than his father's slave, and to pre- 
 serve some remnant of her old life to 
 her. 
 
 She was even in a certain way hap- 
 py when alone with him, and in his 
 company drew the first breath of free- 
 dom when one Saturday afternoon 
 she was sent by Aunt Matilda on 
 some trifling message to Asenith 
 Bray's. 
 
 Her heart leapt at the name. At 
 last she was to see the woman who 
 had determined her future, who could 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 95 
 
 tell her if her father had been a vil- 
 lain or no, and whether her mother 
 had been weak or wicked. 
 
 It was late when they left Holms- 
 ford, for Miss Matilda had been about 
 the negro cabin all day, and did not 
 notice until long after noon that Ce- 
 lia's baby would surely die if it didn't 
 have some fresh catnip from Asenith's 
 that very day. 
 
 " Isn't aunt an old fidget," said 
 Alfred laughing ; "I don't believe 
 there 's a thing the matter with that 
 baby, but she drenches them all 
 around once a week with catnip, or 
 some other bitter stuff, on principle. 
 But we must hurry, Miss Rita, or 
 else though it isn't two miles 
 we shan't get home till dark, and 
 then you'd be afraid of the ghosts in 
 the pines." 
 
 ' ' What ghosts ? " she asked, list- 
 lessly. 
 
 " All sorts of ones. The negroes 
 see them even- night ; nobody else 
 does though. There 's uncle 'Riah's 
 ghost that sits in the fork of a great 
 tree ; we call him the angel Gabriel, 
 though 'Riah himself says it 's his old 
 master who died years ago, and was 
 never in these woods in his life. 
 Then there 's Aunt Elsie's pet ghost, 
 a young lady who walks by the river 
 with her hair all down, and a look- 
 ing-glass in her hand, like a stranded 
 mermaid. " 
 
 ' ' And who is that ghost ? " asked 
 La Guerita. 
 
 "Nobody can decide. I guess, 
 as you say to Rufus about his 
 dreaming sometimes, it is a fancy 
 sketch. But the ghost that Aunt 
 Dilsey sees is the best of all. I'd 
 just like to see and hear that fellow 
 myself. " 
 
 ' ' What, does Aunt Dilsey's ghost 
 speak?" 
 
 "No, he's awfully provoking; 
 won't say a word, though it must be 
 able to, for it cries and moans for 
 hours together. " 
 
 La Guerita felt a strange terror 
 creeping over her as she listened to 
 the boy's laughingly-spoken words ; 
 but not noticing her, he continued : 
 ' ' Yes, he cries and moans for hours 
 together. We children were awfully 
 frightened when first we heard of it, 
 for Uncle Acton hadn't been dead 
 but a few weeks, and it was enough 
 to scare a fellow to have him come 
 back so soon. Rufe says now that 
 when he is alone in the dark, he feels 
 as if he was being lifted up by the 
 hair, and rushed off into space by 
 some invisible hand. La, Miss Rita, 
 I Ve scared you, why 'tain't nothing 
 to be afraid of. " 
 
 1 ' But Acton Holmes, " she gasped, 
 ' ' who dares say that he walks the 
 earth ? Who dares say it ?" wildly 
 asking herself if he knew the sorrows 
 that had befallen his child, and if they 
 had made him restless in his grave. 
 
 "Why, I told you Aunt Dilsey," 
 cried Alfred in astonishment, laugh- 
 ing as he added, ' ' she 's always see- 
 ing something. But what do you 
 think Aunt Matilda said when she 
 heard of Uncle Acton's ghost ? ' It's 
 just what I expected, said she, ' I 
 told him when he was a dying that it 
 was just like his perverseness, and 
 that he'd regret it before a month. 
 But sakes alive he might have re- 
 mained put ; when any body once 
 gets into a box, I believe in their 
 staying there, but Acton never did 
 have any respect for anybody's feel- 
 ings. ' ' 
 
9 6 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 " These are gloomy woods/' said 
 La Guerita, striving to say something. 
 ' ' No wonder the negroes see ghosts 
 in them, or fancy that they do. " 
 
 "But 'tisn't here that Aunt Dilsey 
 sees the ghost/' said Alfred, still 
 laughing ; ' ' that is to say, not just 
 here, though you can see the old cot- 
 tage through an opening in the woods 
 a little further on. " 
 
 "A little cottage !" said La Gue- 
 rita eagerly. O Alfred, can you show 
 it to me ? " 
 
 ' ' Of course I can, Miss Rita. But 
 how funny that you should care 
 about it. It is nothing but a ruin 
 now. " 
 
 ' ' So I supposed, " she returned 
 eagerly, "but I love ruins, Alfred. 
 Ah, is that the place ? " 
 
 ' ' Yes, " returned Alfred, ' ' I can 
 just see the chimnies now. Why, 
 how quick your eyes must be ? " 
 . ' ' I wonder if we could make time 
 to go there, " she said eagerly, glanc- 
 ing at her watch, the only relic of 
 the past that she wore ; " O Alfred, 
 I wish you would go over there with 
 me, it is not so very far out of the 
 way." 
 
 "But we are almost at Aunt 
 Sene's, " said he doubtfully ; " I don't 
 think we had better .go there now. 
 Let us do our errand first, and then 
 we shall see what time we have left, " 
 thinking to himself that it would be 
 hard to miss a luncheon at Asenith's 
 because of the whim of Rita's. 
 
 La Guerita followed the boy as he 
 strode quickly on, with the slavish 
 impulse of obedience that had for 
 months rendered her a mere ma- 
 chine, yet still with her eyes fixed on 
 the old ruin. 
 
 "It's strange that you should 
 
 care ;" Alfred said again, as he no- 
 ticed her fixed gaze, ' ' but I tell you 
 what, Miss Rita, we'll go there as 
 we come back. 'T would be fun to 
 brave the ghosts in the twilight, you 
 know. " 
 
 "Ah, perhaps after all that will 
 be best. Let us walk faster, Alfred. " 
 
 ' ' All right ; I am willing to run 
 if you ain't tired. But I say, Rita, 
 don't you think Aunt Matilda's a 
 funny old woman. Oh, I know you 
 do, and you'll see another directly." 
 
 " Indeed !" 
 
 "Yes, that you will; not that 
 Aunt Asenith is a bit like Aunt Ma- 
 tilda. She's just as good as she can 
 be, but you'll see her pretty soon. 
 There 's her house, and yes there 
 is Aunt Sene at the door. " 
 
 They had reached a bend in the 
 road, and turning it came suddenly 
 upon a little red house with a low 
 gabled roof, and half-a-dozen wings 
 and porticoes, which was set in the 
 middle of a few fields that had been 
 cleared in the midst of the dark 
 pines. 
 
 House and fields seemed alike to 
 belong to a by-gone age. The first 
 because of its tiny windows, its dull 
 red hue, and the giant trees that 
 shaded it ; the latter from the stunt- 
 ed corn, and the tangled weeds that 
 filled the corners of the low, strag- 
 gling fences. 
 
 ' ' Did you ever see such a queer 
 place ?" said Alfred, as La Guerita 
 gazed wondering around. She in- 
 deed never had, and it seemed to her 
 scarcely possible that such a quaint, 
 weird place should be upon the 
 earth. The garden was filled with a 
 thousand varieties of flowers, fruits, 
 vegetables, and herbs. Here a copse 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 97 
 
 of roses so thick as to be impenetra- 
 ble, there a patch of corn or cotton. 
 On one side a hill of potatoes, and 
 on the other a bank of creamy lilies, 
 with a bed of onions, and another of 
 turnips, as neighbors. 
 
 La Guerita glanced at these and 
 the thick-stemmed grape-vines that 
 covered the broken trellises and clam- 
 bered over the old trees, in sur- 
 prise, but her attention was presently 
 riveted by a figure which stood in 
 one of the porticoes, and beckoned 
 them in. It was that of a woman far 
 advanced in years, yet slender and 
 straight as an arrow. She was clothed 
 in a gray homespun dress, with a 
 kerchief of snowy net folded across 
 her bosom, and a cap of the same 
 material drawn closely around her 
 face a face that had evidently once 
 been beautiful, that bore the traces 
 of many tears, and that in spite of the 
 furrows upon it was beautiful still 
 with that serenity which in old age 
 rewards a well-spent life. 
 
 ' ' There's Aunt Asenith ! " cried 
 Alfred, and rushed forward to greet 
 her, kissing her with boyish enthu- 
 siasm. 
 
 La Guerita slowly drew near, and 
 looking at her sharply with her glit- 
 tering black eyes, Asenith said : ' ' And 
 who is this with thee, Alfred ?" 
 
 The boy glanced at his companion 
 in some confusion, and stammered 
 out : "Why, this this is Rita, Aunt 
 Sene " adding, in a whisper, which 
 was, however, distinctly heard by La 
 Guerita : ' ' She is a new one, that 
 pa bought the other day, and she 
 teaches us. " 
 
 Asenith did not seem at all sur- 
 prised, though her face wore a griev- 
 ed expression as she greeted La Gue- 
 13 
 
 rita, and invited her to enter the 
 house, leading the way from the por- 
 tico, hung with strings of red pep- 
 pers, onions, and herbs, into a low, 
 dark room, filled with articles of 
 ever) 7 description and of every form 
 and size. The room was, in reality, 
 quite large, but it was so surrounded 
 with shelves and filled with tables 
 all of which were laden with heaps 
 of barks, roots, and parcels of herbs 
 that it looked less than half its real 
 size. 
 
 "I keep everything in sight," re- 
 marked Asenith, in explanation of 
 the disorder, as she dislodged a huge 
 pumpkin from a chair and swept an 
 armful of herbs from another, that 
 her guests might be seated. "I 
 dare say, Alfred, thee couldn't find a 
 given thing upon any of these tables. " 
 
 "Not unless it was by accident," 
 he returned, laughing; "though, 
 goodness knows, it looks as if there 
 was a little of everything here. I 
 suppose you know where to lay your 
 hand on everything, Aunt Sene ?" 
 
 "Oh, yes," she answered, smil- 
 ing, "these tables and shelves are 
 like open books to me. Here, un- 
 der these pine cones, is a basket of 
 the red apples thee loves so well, and 
 there are a good many bunches of 
 grapes ripe at the south end of the 
 garden ; thee 'd better run and get 
 some before thee goes. " 
 
 Alfred waited no second bidding, 
 but rushed into the garden, and La 
 Guerita was left alone with the Qua- 
 keress, who had not even cast a glance 
 upon her since her entrance into the 
 house. When, however, they were 
 alone, she turned toward her with a 
 grieved look in her keen eyes, and 
 said, slowly : 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 "Thee'rt very like thy mother ! 
 Ah, I knew it could be none other 
 than thee when I heard of the white 
 slave at Holmsford." 
 
 La Guerita made no reply, half 
 resenting in her heart the pity ex- 
 pressed in Asenith's gentle voice. 
 
 1 ' Tell me why thou art here, " she 
 continued, persuasively, after a mo- 
 ment's pause. "Ah, child, child, 
 I thought I had secured thee from 
 this." 
 
 ' ' What could you expect but that 
 I should return ?" cried La Guerita, 
 excitedly. ' ( What right had you to 
 place me in a sphere so foreign to 
 my own ? Did you think you could 
 thwart the purposes of your God ?" 
 
 Asenith looked up in amazement 
 and alarm. ' ' My God ! " she ejac- 
 ulated, ' ' and why not thine ? Hast 
 thou no belief in God ? " 
 
 "Yes, I believe!" she retorted, 
 fiercely ; "I believe in God, because 
 none but a supernatural power could 
 have poured into my life this over- 
 whelming flood of bitterness." 
 
 The Quakeress shrank from her 
 visitor's outstretched hands and fiery 
 gaze. ' ' Tell me ! " she cried, im- 
 ploringly, "what has come upon 
 thee ? " 
 
 And once more the passionate 
 words burst forth by which her tale 
 of agony was made known, and from 
 Asenith Bray not one word was 
 withheld. 
 
 Asenith Bray knew not, could 
 never tell, how she was pledged to 
 secrecy ; but although she would 
 have given worlds to have used the 
 power that lay in her hands, and to 
 have freed the maddened woman, she 
 dared not hope to do it, for strll she 
 breathed forth that awful vow : "I 
 
 will not return alive to the home and 
 family I have disgraced ! " 
 
 Ah, how bitterly she felt her help- 
 lessness ; but there came a ray of 
 comfort in the thought that this 
 dreadful madness would not last, 
 and she said, brokenly: "My poor 
 child, I pity thee ! God pities thee ! " 
 
 ' ' Don't speak to me of God ! " 
 cried La Guerita, impatiently ; "it 
 maddens me. I have felt His wrath, 
 but never, never His pity ! Speak to 
 me of something else ; tell me of my 
 parents ! Tell me how you dared 
 take me from my mother's arms and 
 cast me forth to meet my horrible 
 fate?" 
 
 The old Quakeress bowed her head 
 and wept ; and then, in faltering ac- 
 cents, told all that had passed, dwell- 
 ing long upon the magnanimity of 
 Acton Holmes, and the repentance 
 of Dolores. Her tears, her words, 
 softened the obdurate heart of La 
 Guerita ; for the first time her heart 
 yearned for the mother she had des- 
 pised, and it was in a gentle voice 
 she said at last : "I must see the 
 house where she lived and suffered, 
 Asenith. Come, let us go to the 
 house where I was born. " 
 
 Asenith consented, though appar- 
 ently struck with some surprise at 
 the unexpected proposal. ' ' Perhaps 
 it is best, " she said, musingly ; ' ' wait 
 for a moment and I will go with thee, 
 although the sun is already low." 
 
 She went into the garden, and after 
 a few minutes returned, saying to 
 La Guerita : "Alfred will follow us ; 
 let us hasten. But first give me thy 
 little basket ; thee must not forget the 
 catnip. " 
 
 All this was said as quietly as if 
 nothing had occurred to disturb the 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 99 
 
 tranquility of her mind. Throwing 
 on a sun-bonnet of drab cotton, she 
 left her house, with all its windows 
 and doors open, saying, with a smile : 
 "No one will trouble aught of Ase- 
 nith Bray's." 
 
 In a few moments they were in 
 the woods, the Quakeress traversing 
 them like one who knew well each 
 winding path. Presently she select- 
 ed one that seemed less trodden than 
 any other, and which, indeed, the 
 drifts of pine straw rendered almost 
 undistinguishable. La Guerita fol- 
 lowed her silently, catching at inter- 
 vals glimpses of the yellow river 
 through the dark pines, and at length 
 coming suddenly upon the ruins they 
 sought. 
 
 The narrow path terminated sud- 
 denly in a gap of a straggling, broken 
 fence, that surrounded what was once 
 a garden, but which was now a wil- 
 derness of rank herbage. The rear 
 of the little dwelling was toward 
 them, and over it trailed a poisonous 
 vine, with its scarlet and yellow trum- 
 pets floating gaudily in the evening 
 breeze. Great patches of moss clung 
 to the roof of the ruinous porch and 
 down the tottering pillars, while 
 loose shingles and staves of the rail- 
 ing flapped uneasily together, awak- 
 ening the only sound that disturbed 
 the scene. 
 
 Passing through this porch, Ase- 
 nith Bray led the way into the house, 
 gazing sorrowfully around the one 
 large room, and the two smaller that 
 were revealed by great rents in the 
 partitions, from which the plastering 
 fell in great pieces as they softly 
 moved over the tumbling floors. 
 
 "In that room thee were born," 
 said Asenith, softly, pointing to the 
 
 right, ' l and in this thy mother gave 
 thee to Acton's arms when she could 
 only turn with cries and moans from 
 me. Ah, how well I remember the 
 day she bade all these scenes farewell 
 forever. " 
 
 Asenith looked at La Guerita as if 
 she expected almost wished to be 
 questioned, but she was in no mood 
 for speech. She wandered from room 
 to room silently, passing through them 
 each a dozen times or more return- 
 ing to them again and again, as if 
 seeking some relic of the past. She 
 found none. The house had been 
 deserted twenty years ; not a trace 
 not a vestige of human life remained. 
 
 ' ' The hand of Time has fallen 
 heavily here," said Asenith, musing- 
 ly. ' ' It seems but yesterday that 
 these rooms were radiant with their 
 gilded cornices and crimson hang- 
 ings, and echoed the merry laughter 
 of children ; now the spiders and 
 bats alone inhabit it, and the owl's 
 shrill cry is all that breaks the still- 
 ness." 
 
 La Guerita DeCuba stood silently 
 in the open door-way, gazing fixedly 
 before her. Asenith looked upon 
 her keenly, seeing that she gradually 
 became pale and trembling in every 
 limb ; and at last sprang back, shriek- 
 ing wildly: "Look! look! look! 
 I knew he would come. There 
 there, in the roses at the gate ? " 
 
 1 ' My God, then she u mad ? " ex- 
 claimed the affrighted Quakeress, 
 tearing herself from the rigid clasp 
 and ejaculating faintly : "Be calm 
 be calm, there is nothing there ; 
 there are no roses at the gate. " 
 
 ' ' Hush ! you have driven him 
 away ! " she returned, in a fierce 
 whisper ; "he was there at the gate ; 
 
IOO 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 he stood among the roses, and look- 
 ed at me as he did one day in the 
 bower at Greymont. " 
 
 " Thee' it dreaming, child," said 
 the quakeress soothingly, but firmly. 
 ' ' I did wrong to bring thee here. 
 But here comes Alfred, thee must say 
 nothing to him of thy excited fan- 
 cies." 
 
 ' ' I knew he would come, " she 
 said, in the same fierce whisper ; 
 ' ' he wanted to speak to me, and now 
 you and that boy have frightened him 
 away. " 
 
 Asenith clasped her wrist tightly, 
 and looked into her flashing eyes. 
 Thee knows thee's dreaming," she 
 said ; ' ' Come with me to the gateway, 
 thee'll see thy senses have deceived 
 thee." 
 
 La Guerita drew her hand across 
 her brow, and sighed deeply, saying 
 at last : ' ' Yes, yes, you are right ; 
 but but dreams more than realities 
 have to do with me now. " 
 
 " Thee must cast them away from 
 thee child. " 
 
 She shook her head, saying hur- 
 riedly as Alfred entered the inclo- 
 sure, whistling gaily : ' ' They will 
 come these terrible dreams. Oh, 
 they rush over my poor brain thick 
 and fast thick and fast. " 
 
 ' ' But they are quite gone now ? " 
 queried Asenith anxiously : ' ' Quite 
 gone ! Farewell ; 'tis growing late. " 
 
 La Guerita turned toward Alfred 
 and hurriedly left the house. The 
 Quakeress looked after her, mutter- 
 ing : ' ' Poor child ; poor child ; thy 
 reason has a mighty task before it ere 
 it shall regain its throne, and I dare 
 not act till then. I know too well 
 the blood within thee ! Ah, those 
 dreams ! thy mother had them be- 
 
 fore thee, when these crumbling ru- 
 ins were fair and beautiful. " 
 
 She left the old house, slowly and 
 sadly returning to her dwelling, while 
 Alfred and La Guerita walked hastily 
 through the gloomy woods, the form- 
 er talking gaily of the old Quakeress, 
 and her isolated mode of living. 
 
 ' ' Through the summer, " he said, 
 ' ' she scours the woods for miles 
 around for roots and herbs, and puts 
 them in readiness for use, giving free- 
 ly to all that ask for them. I don't 
 think she would even let a dog want 
 while she had a morsel in the world. 
 Aunt Matilda said one day that 
 'Senith would give the heart out of 
 her body if the Lord hadn 't made it 
 so good that it was no use to anybody 
 but an angel. " 
 
 So he chatted on, and La Guerita 
 hearing yet not heeding his words, 
 with a mighty effort put away the 
 light demon peopled that strove 
 to enter her darkened mind. Ex- 
 orcising the demon of memory by all 
 the cruel logic of madness, and mut- 
 tering to herself once more : "I am 
 making atonement !" 
 
 ' ' I thought you were waiting for 
 that catnip to grow, " said Aunt Ma- 
 tilda as the twain entered the gate at 
 Holmsford. 
 
 ' ' No, we were waiting for ghosts in 
 the pines ! " returned Alfred laughing. 
 
 ' ' And found them, too, I reckon, " 
 muttered the old lady, looking keenly 
 after the retreating form of La Gue- 
 rita. " Now, you Alf. go right into 
 the house, and don't be talking any 
 nonsense to Rufe. Such catnip as 
 you've brought me ! Nothing but 
 old stalks, I declare, that haven't got 
 strength enough in them to affect a 
 fly!" 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 101 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 " When I take the humor of a thing once, I am 
 like your tailor's needle I go through." 
 
 Ben Jonson. 
 
 A WEEK from the day that La Gue- 
 rita DeCuba made that, to her, ever 
 memorable visit to Asenith Bray, 
 Aunt Matilda thought as the day was 
 fine that she would take a walk, and 
 accordingly after putting on an extra 
 cape, and filling her snuff-box, she 
 set out, complacently enjoying the 
 snuff as she went. 
 
 She walked on briskly for some 
 time, neither looking to the right 
 nor to the left, but straight before 
 her, as if she half expected to meet 
 a friend. 
 
 That expectation was not disap- 
 pointed, for soon she descried Ase- 
 nith Bray, in her neat Quaker array, 
 approaching. 
 
 Miss Matilda paused, and observ- 
 ed her keenly, entirely ignoring the 
 fact that she was some months older 
 than Asenith, and looked at least a 
 score of years her senior, and the ac- 
 cent of pity in her voice was quite 
 genuine, as she muttered : 
 
 ' ' Yes, yes, they tell upon her, the 
 years tell upon her ; she's beginning 
 to stoop ; and her hair bless me 
 how white her hair is ;" fancying to 
 herself, no doubt, that her own fri- 
 sdtc was above suspicion. 
 
 ' ' I thought you would come to- 
 day, " she said, as she shook hands 
 with her friend. ' ' 'Twas a week ago 
 to-day you saw her, so I didn't ex- 
 pect you before ; you are always so 
 deliberate about everything. " 
 
 ' ' Ah, yes, " returned the Quaker- 
 ess with a genial smile, " thee re- 
 members that ever was the difference 
 
 'twixt thee and me. How is thy 
 health ? Thee looks a little worn, I 
 fancy. " 
 
 "It's not to be expected that I 
 look as young as when I was a girl," 
 retorted Miss Matilda ; ' ' neither do 
 you for that matter. Am I mistaken, 
 'Senith, or did I see a pair of spec's 
 in your hand as I came up ? " 
 
 ' ' It's very probable that thee saw 
 them, Matilda," replied Asenith, 
 smiling. ' ' Thee will wonder at their 
 richness. I question whether it is 
 right for me to wear these golden 
 rims, but Claude Leveredgegave them 
 to me, and 'twould have seemed un- 
 gracious to refuse. " 
 
 Miss Matilda shrugged her shoul- 
 ders, saying, contemptuously : "So 
 he went to see you when he was 
 home, eh ? I didn't have a chance 
 to see him, but from all I heard, I 
 should think he was as mad as a 
 March hare." 
 
 "Verily it seemed so," returned 
 Asenith. 
 
 " If he didn't belong to the family, " 
 said Miss Matilda, frowning myste- 
 riously, * ' I'd give you my opinion 
 of him. I'd tell you that there was 
 murder or something worse in that 
 man's mind." 
 
 Asenith was used to such confi- 
 dences from Miss Matilda, and smil- 
 ed, saying : 
 
 " I didn't come to thee to talk of 
 Claude Leveredge, Matilda, but of 
 his cousin, thee knows which one I 
 mean ? " 
 
 ' ' Yes. But you needn't call her 
 his cousin, " she returned peevishly : 
 "You'll be making her out some 
 relation to me next." 
 
 "No. Acton Holmes was no re- 
 lation of thine. Thee said just now 
 
IO2 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 thee thought Claude Leveredge crazy 
 last spring ; what does thee think of 
 her?" 
 
 "Rita?" 
 
 Asenith nodded. 
 
 Miss Matilda shook her head sage- 
 ly. ' ' Well, well, 'tis hard to say ; 
 if she was white, I should say she was 
 mad mad as anybody in Bedlam ; 
 but, as Uncle Ben says : ' Niggers is 
 mighty apt to 'possum. ' But if she 
 aint 'possuming, she's mad. What 
 do you think ? " 
 
 ' ' Hast thee heard her story ? " 
 asked Asenith. 
 
 ' ' No. No one ever tells me any- 
 thing any more than they'd whistle to 
 a snake that they did not want to stop 
 and bite them." 
 
 Asenith laughed, and laying her 
 hand upon Miss Matilda's arms, 
 said : "I am not afraid to tell thee 
 of this, and I know thee too well to 
 think thee will breathe a word of it to 
 another. " 
 
 She repeated La Guerita's tale, 
 word for word, thinking to herself, 
 ' ' Poor child, I will at least win one 
 friend for thee. " 
 
 "I'd like to find out that fellow 
 who told her husband," exclaimed 
 Miss Matilda. "I'd like to seal up 
 his eyes and mouth with melted lead. 
 I 'd teach him to peer and pry into 
 other people's concerns, and then to 
 blazon them all over the country. 
 Shallow fellow that husband of hers 
 must have been, too ; dying because 
 his wife had a drop of negro blood in 
 her. Not worth going mad about, 
 I'll wager." 
 
 "But she loved him ! " said Ase- 
 nith gently. 
 
 ' ' 'Sposin' she did ? " retorted Miss 
 Matilda, ' ' she needn't have gone 
 
 crazy about him. I wonder what 
 folks would have said if you'd have 
 cut up so the day that Nathan Ireton 
 was found dead ; the very day you 
 were to have been married to him, 
 too." 
 
 Asenith turned pale, but she re- 
 plied in a low, steady voice : ' * The 
 Lord helped me ; I had been taught 
 to trust in Him, but this poor child 
 had no faith, and the mighty burden 
 crushed her." 
 
 ' ' And another burden is crushing 
 her now, " said Miss Matilda. 
 
 Asenith looked at her inquiringly. 
 
 "If you'd stay at Holmsford a 
 week, you'd know what I mean," 
 continued Miss Matilda, " I suppose 
 you've heard that it's the last straw that 
 breaks the camel's back, and al- 
 though I don't mean to say that Rita's 
 a camel, Adela treats her as one in a 
 moral sense, and never had a poor 
 animal a more pitiless driver than she 
 makes herself to that mazed creature 
 we're talking of. " 
 
 The Quakeress looked discon- 
 certed. 
 
 ' ' So you can't fancy Adela a load- 
 er of camels, eh !" asked Miss Ma- 
 tilda. 
 
 " It is hard to, verily. " 
 
 ' ' Well I can tell you she isn't a 
 new hand at the business ; she's been 
 packing her straws on to me ever 
 since she was knee high. If ever 
 there was a tyrant born in this world, 
 it's Adela Holmes. " 
 
 ' ' No, no, she is not a tyrant, " re- 
 turned Asenith quickly, "but only 
 too quick and suspicious only too 
 fond of power for a woman. " 
 
 " That's all very well to talk of," 
 said Miss Matilda, " but I don't un- 
 derstand her." 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 103 
 
 ' ' Neither does she understand her- 
 self, but a day will come when she 
 will, and when she will deeply re- 
 pent her folly if indeed she has been 
 guilty of it of persecuting that poor, 
 mad girl, that has made herself a 
 slave from motives too pure and high 
 to be known to common minds." 
 
 1 ' I wish I could tell you how 
 Adela manages to torment her," said 
 Miss Matilda, "but I can't for the 
 life of me. When I see them to- 
 gether it makes me think of a pic- 
 ture in Minna's primer, of an eagle 
 beating its wings and screeching in 
 agony, while a tiny humming-bird 
 bores its sharp beak into its brain, 
 quite undisturbed by the fury it 
 awakens. " 
 
 ' ' That is horrible exquisite tor- 
 ture ! " murmured Asenith. 
 
 ' ' 'Taint in nature not to feel bad 
 when a body sees it, " said Miss Ma- 
 tilda ; "makes me think of all kinds 
 of scratchin', bitin' things. You've 
 knocked your hand sometimes against 
 a nettle, I guess ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Well, then, you remember how 
 it stung you viciously and sharply 
 without breaking a single point. 
 And so Adela stings that girl, making 
 her wince and groan, but never los- 
 ing an atom of virus never blunting 
 the points of her animosity. " 
 
 Asenith listened in horror, know- 
 ing that in these few sentences she 
 was gaining more than anyone else 
 either could or would tell her. 
 
 " I am grieved, I am astonished," 
 she said. "Thy niece must be as 
 changeable as the weather. " 
 
 "More so," returned Miss Ma- 
 tilda ; " she used to be a regular 
 abolitionist, always botherin' Norton 
 
 to free his slaves, and now her whole 
 life and soul is bent on persecutin' 
 Rita. I only wish the stupid crea- 
 ture would grasp the nettle that's al- 
 ways stingin' her ; I expect to see 
 her do it yet slave or no slave it 
 is not because she's powerless that 
 she bears Adela's thrusts so gently. " 
 
 They had reached the gate of the 
 garden at Holmsford, and looking 
 around her keenly, Asenith made 
 ready to accost anyone that might be 
 in sight. There were only two or 
 three negroes on whom to bestow 
 her smiles and nods of recognition, 
 so she followed Miss Matilda into 
 the house, where they found Adela 
 sitting alone in the parlor. 
 
 She greeted the Quakeress warmly, 
 saying, with joyful surprise : "I am 
 so glad to see you here, Aunt Ase- 
 nith, and so sorry that mamma is not 
 at home, she would have been de- 
 lighted to see you. " 
 
 She removed the bonnet and shawl 
 of her aged visitor, chatting gaily, 
 until Aunt Asenith said : " Thee 
 looks pale, Adela." 
 
 ' ' Ah, " she said, ' ' it would be no 
 wonder if we all looked pale, Aunt 
 Sene. I learn by to-day's paper that 
 Lincoln is really elected, and there 
 can be no doubt that South Carolina 
 will secede." 
 
 " Well, let South Carolina secede ! 
 W T ho cares if she does ? " cried Aunt 
 Matilda defiantly. ' ' I'm sure she's 
 welcome to go. Always was like a 
 rattlesnake in a prairie dog's burrow, 
 always hissing and coiling, and mak- 
 ing things uncomfortable. I never 
 could abide South Carolina. " 
 
 Adela smiled, saying : "And she, 
 too, I think does not waste much 
 love on us. But you know, as Mr. 
 
IO4 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 Gordon says, the Southern sisters will 
 cling to each other, and if South 
 Carolina secedes, the Old North State 
 will follow." 
 
 "I'd just like to know what Er- 
 nest Gordon knows about it ? " re- 
 turned Miss Matilda contemptuously. 
 "Ernest Gordon thinks everybody 
 is like him, and would do anything 
 in the world for a parcel of slaves. 
 I never shall forget the first one he 
 owned. There was a speculator 
 
 drivin' a gang through M , and 
 
 among them he had a little sickly 
 girl about a year and a half old, and 
 it was so weak and puny he 'lowed 
 'twarn't no use to take it any further, 
 so he took it out of its mother's arms, 
 and she a cryin', poor thing, like rain 
 and gave it to Ernest Gordon. I 
 never saw anybody so pleased in all 
 my life. You see his folks had been 
 nothing but white trash before, and 
 that little creetur seemed to set 'em 
 right up. He showed her to every- 
 body, and declared 'twas the finest 
 child he'd ever seen in his life. Well, 
 Mrs. Gordon had twin babies then, 
 and took boarders besides, with only 
 a little slip of a white girl to help her, 
 but she just worked over that little 
 darkey, as if her own life depended 
 upon it. But 'twas all no use, the 
 creetur died, and Ernest Gordon 
 didn't hold up his head for six months 
 afterward. " 
 
 Adela's mind was evidently op- 
 pressed, for she did not laugh, and 
 when Miss Matilda left the room 
 threw herself down by Asenith's side, 
 and said in a tone of anguish : 
 
 "Oh, Aunt Sene, if South Carolina 
 secedes there will be war. We shall be 
 separated from the North, from all 
 that I love in the world ! " 
 
 "Not from all," murmured the 
 Quakeress, stroking her hair fondly ; 
 "Ah, thee has a true woman's heart, 
 for all thy waywardness. Does Nor- 
 ton still persist in grieving thee so?" 
 
 " It is not papa, " she sobbed, ' ' 'tis 
 Claude. Yes, Claude ! " she added 
 passionately ; ' ' what have I done that 
 he should persecute me so ? " 
 
 " He's like the dog in the man- 
 ger," said Miss Matilda," entering 
 the room suddenly, and overhearing 
 her niece's last words ; ' ' He's like a 
 particularly surly dog, too wont 
 take you himself nor let any one else 
 have you ! " 
 
 Miss Holmes looked up frowning- 
 ly, vexed and ashamed that Miss 
 Matilda should have seen her tears. 
 "What is the matter with Claude 
 now ? " she asked, as if she had never 
 entertained a thought of anger against 
 him. 
 
 "The matter with Claude !" echoed 
 Miss Matilda excitedly, "why, good 
 gracious, haven't I told you a dozen 
 times before that his blood is the es- 
 sence of iron, his heart is a flint- 
 stone. As for soul, he has none, 
 and not as much sense as the horse 
 he rides, or a hundredth part as much 
 as the one Balaam rode. " 
 
 ' ' That was an ass, " corrected Miss 
 Holmes, smiling in spite of herself. 
 Miss Matilda looked somewhat 
 abashed, but swiftly rallied, saying : 
 "Well, if 'twas an ass, it's all the 
 more fit to be spoken of in connec- 
 tion with Claude ! " 
 
 ' ' Thee knows I came here to speak 
 with Adela," said Asenith, quietly, 
 "And if thee would leave us alone 
 for ten minutes, I should be greatly 
 obliged to thee. " 
 
 "You're learning to be polite in 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 105 
 
 your old age ! " retorted Miss Matil- 
 da, leaving the room, however, and 
 closing the door carefully. 
 
 ' ' I am very sorry that thee is in 
 trouble," said Asenith, turning to- 
 ward Miss Holmes with a comforting 
 smile; "I am very sorry for thee, 
 dear child ; but I came to talk to 
 thee of one that has more trouble 
 than thee has ever dreamed of. '" 
 
 Miss Holmes looked at her in- 
 quiringly. 
 
 ' ' Thee has never refused help to 
 the needy when I came to thee for 
 it," said the Quakeress, "and thee 
 has always known how to give with- 
 out offering offense at the same 
 time. " 
 
 ' ' I have plenty of money just now, 
 Aunt Sene," returned Miss Holmes, 
 readily, and rising to leave the room, 
 1 ' How much do you want ? " 
 
 "None just at present, Adela ; 
 don't leave the room, for I want what 
 thee has been always equally ready to 
 give." 
 
 ' ' And what is that, Aunt Sene ? " 
 
 ' ' True sympathy and tender coun- 
 sel for one in affliction ; I want thy 
 pity for thy slave Rita. '' 
 
 Miss Holmes' face darkened, but 
 she answered readily : ' ' Why do you 
 ask that ? " 
 
 "Adela, if thee knew her story." 
 
 " I do know it, " she said, excitedly ; 
 "Will. Russell told me, too, that 
 ever}' word was true, and he told me 
 more than you perhaps know he 
 told me who the lover was that be- 
 trayed her." 
 
 ' ' And we know him ? " cried Ase- 
 nith, in surprise. 
 
 ' ' Ah, yes, we know him well. It 
 was Claude Leveredge that taught 
 that woman to feign madness, to 
 14 
 
 come here and bring disgrace upon 
 our family. Claude, you know, has 
 alienated himself; nothing can affect 
 him, and he scruples not to use any 
 means to fulfill his threats and hum- 
 ble my pride. " 
 
 The Quakeress listened in amaze- 
 ment as Miss Holmes poured forth 
 her convictions, thinking to herself : 
 ' ' If the poor girl had only told me 
 it was Claude I might have saved her, 
 but that reticence is only another 
 proof to Adela of the baseness of her 
 motives. " 
 
 In her gentle voice she urged every 
 excuse and justification of her silence 
 which she could, in the excitement ot 
 her feelings, bring to bear upon the 
 the case. But nothing that she could 
 say was noticed in the slightest de- 
 gree, and Asenith Bray knew that her 
 mission was fruitless, and that she 
 had only increased the anger and sus- 
 picions of Miss Holmes against the 
 woman she had hoped to defend. 
 
 "I don't know how thee would 
 ever imagine such things," she said 
 at last, looking at the young girl in 
 blank amazement. ' ' I believe thee 
 is all wrong, Adela; Claude is no 
 fool to wish to mortify and disgust 
 thee by such conduct, nor malicious 
 enough to revenge himself upon thee 
 for withholding a love which, by thy 
 own showing, he never truly desired. " 
 
 ' ' I didn't say that he never wish- 
 ed me to love him," replied Miss 
 Holmes, as sullenly as her piquant 
 nature would permit her to speak. 
 
 "But he never wanted to marry 
 thee," persisted Asenith, "and thy 
 refusal to gratify his vanity by giving 
 him unsought love would never have 
 led him to insult thee so. " 
 
 ' ' ' His blood is the essence ot 
 
io6 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 iron, his heart is a flint stone, ' " re- 
 turned Miss Holmes, musingly re- 
 peating her Aunt Matilda's words. 
 
 ' ' And thee has been said to resem- 
 ble him," said Asenith reprovingly. 
 
 Miss Holmes colored to the tem- 
 ples, crying vehemently : ' ' She shall 
 have cause to think so; she shall 
 know it, for I hate that woman ; I 
 hate and despise her a thousand 
 times worse than I do Claude him- 
 self, for he is a master mind, while 
 she is but a base tool ! " 
 
 Asenith felt it would be useless to 
 say more, and so arose and went 
 grieving away, passing a child at the 
 gate whom she stopped and kissed, 
 leaving a benediction upon him, and 
 taking from his lips one word of 
 comfort, for he said in answer to her 
 question : 
 
 "Yes, Miss Adda loves me." 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 " Despair it was come, and she thought it content ; 
 She thought it content, but her cheek it grew pale, 
 And she droop'd like a lily broke down by the 
 hail." 
 
 Sir W. Scott. 
 
 LA GUERITA DECUBA knew not 
 that Asenith Bray had appealed to 
 Miss Holmes in her behalf, or even 
 that she had visited Holmsford at all, 
 and through the long winter she had 
 no opportunity k of meeting the Qua- 
 keress again, for she quickly notic- 
 ed that Miss Holmes utterly prevent- 
 ed her from leaving the plantation, 
 or having any intercourse with any 
 one beyond its limits. 
 
 Not that she desired any, for still 
 her mind remained incapable of any 
 new emotions deadened it seemed 
 by all that had swept over it before. 
 She was fully engrossed in her dull 
 
 routine of duties, and even when 
 some word or deed of her hard task- 
 mistress forced her heart to bleed, it 
 did not rebel ; all strength of resist- 
 ance seemed gone forever. 
 
 There were two things that reached 
 her sensibilities, dead though they 
 seemed. One was the strange, pro- 
 tecting love Miss Holmes devoted to 
 Harold a pure love, not exhibited 
 to give the mother pain, but for the 
 boy's sweet sake ; the other was the 
 tender sympathy of her fellow slaves 
 they did not understand, but they 
 pitied her. 
 
 The enmity of Miss Holmes to- 
 ward her was often the subject of 
 conversation in the cabins, and often 
 Aunt Dilsey would gravely shake her 
 head and say : 
 
 "A queer critter is Rita; I'll jist 
 tell yer what she makes me think 
 on. " 
 
 "Law, now, what kin it be?" 
 Aunt 'Mandy would ask as eagerly as 
 if she had not heard the sage opinion 
 twenty times before. 
 
 "Why, she's jist like my young 
 Missie Nina used to wus ; looks jis 
 as she would when she 'd git up in 
 de middle ob de night and walk 
 about, fas' asleep all de time, and wid 
 her eyes wide open like a owl's. 
 Rita's jist got dat los' look 'pon her 
 face, and 'pears jis as if she wus a 
 walkin' about among us fas' asleep, 
 awaitin' to be woked up. " 
 
 " O Lor' ! " Aunt 'Mandy would 
 exclaim, her eyes wildly staring, as if 
 she were listening to the latest ghost 
 story. 
 
 "Tumble things them walkin's is, 
 too, " would Aunt Dilsey continue, 
 shaking her head wisely. ' ' I've seen 
 my missus go right inter convulu- 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 107 
 
 tions when she's been suddenly wok- 
 ed up, and that's de way we'll see dat 
 Rita sometime if Miss Addie keeps 
 on wid her so. 'Taint in natur fur 
 her to sleep foreber. " 
 
 But the spring time brought no 
 signs of awakening. Still Mrs. 
 Holmes' querulous complaints ; the 
 petty tyranny of Rufus ; Miss Matil- 
 da's sharp speeches, and the constant 
 persecutions of the niece all failed to 
 arouse more than a momentary thrill 
 of anger. Nay, the portentous tid- 
 ings of disruption and war that filled 
 every other heart with ambition, an- 
 ger, or dismay, had no effect upon 
 her. But she could not fail to remark 
 that Miss Holmes each day grew more 
 irritable and more sad ; but it was 
 not for some weeks that she learned 
 the cause of this extreme depression. 
 
 Miss Holmes had been in the gar- 
 den all day, giving orders to the serv- 
 ants who were employed in trim- 
 ming vines, tying up rose bushes, 
 and preparing the garden for the 
 wealth of bloom that was already 
 bursting over it. She called to La 
 Guerita as she left the school-room, 
 to give her some orders concerning a 
 difficult piece of needle-work upon 
 which she was engaged, but had 
 spoken only a few words when Mr. 
 Holmes and Mr. Gordon rode up to 
 the gate. 
 
 "How d'ye do, Miss Addie," 
 cried the lawyer; "you're looking 
 as fresh and blooming as one of your 
 own roses, and I've brought you 
 some news that will make your eyes 
 dance so that you'll look better still. " 
 
 La Guerita noticed that Miss 
 Holmes suddenly grew as white as 
 the robe she wore, and that her 
 hands trembled so that her garden- 
 
 ing tools fell to her feet. ' ' Oh, Mr. 
 Gordon," she cried, in accents al- 
 most imploring, "the State has not 
 seceded? Oh, tell me, papa, the 
 State has not seceded ! " 
 
 "lam sorry to be obliged to state 
 anything that is not agreeable to you, 
 Miss Adela, " said Mr. Gordon, gal- 
 lantly, ' ' but the long-expected not 
 to say joyful news has come at last 
 North Carolina has joined the South- 
 ern Confederacy. " 
 
 Miss Holmes wrung her hands as 
 if in almost unendurable anguish. 
 
 ' ' You know we have been expect- 
 ing this ever since the special meet- 
 ing of the Legislature was called," 
 said her father, almost timidly. 
 
 ' t Governor Ellis is a traitor, " she 
 replied, passionately, "or he never 
 would have called it. " 
 
 ' ' For your father's sake, if not for 
 your own, I should think it would be 
 best for you to restrain, if not to mod- 
 ify, your opinions, " said Mr. Gordon, 
 coolly. 
 
 ' ' Nothing will ever make me mod- 
 ify my opinions," she cried, in the 
 same passionate voice, and stamping 
 her foot upon the ground to empha- 
 size her words. ' ' I may never again 
 be able to say so publicly, but I now 
 say, that our State has now devoted 
 herself to infamy that all the blood of 
 her sons will be insufficient to wash 
 away ! " 
 
 Mr. Holmes looked at his daugh- 
 ter, quite appalled by her words and 
 manner, while Mr. Gordon laughed 
 slightly, saying : "I am not surpris- 
 ed at your sentiments, Miss Adela ; 
 you have so many friends in the 
 North, you know." 
 
 She colored, turning away, yet say- 
 ing, defiantly : " It would be the same 
 
io8 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 if I had not one. I love my country, 
 not my friends ! " 
 
 "I've promised myself a long ar- 
 gument with you after dinner/' ut- 
 tered the lawyer, with imperturbable 
 coolness. ' ' But, bless me, whom 
 have we here ? What Urn Um 
 what's the . name ? Rita ! Strange 
 I should have forgotten it. And how 
 well you look ; how much you have 
 improved. Holmsford agrees with 
 you, eh?" 
 
 Without knowing wherefore, La 
 Guerita felt her very soul sicken as 
 this man cast his keen eyes upon her. 
 She stammered out a few words and 
 turned away ; and without seeming to 
 notice her manner, Mr. Gordon rode 
 on to the house with Mr. Holmes, 
 and Miss Adela looked after them, 
 and, forgetting the presence of her 
 slave, moaned out : ' ' We need hope 
 no more ; our separation will be for- 
 ever ! " 
 
 1 ' Miss Addie's right smart cut up 
 'bout de news, shuh, " said one of the 
 men when his mistress had passed 
 out of hearing. ' ' Tears to me de 
 poor ting is nigh distracted at de tort 
 of war ; she's as tender-hearted as a 
 lamb, bress her." 
 
 "All I know is," said his com- 
 panion, "if dere's gwine to be a 
 war, I hope 'twon't stop 'till Massa 
 Linkum gits what he's tryin' fur ; 
 tho' I reckon he's like all de oder 
 quality, an' don't think much ob de 
 nigs any way. But, Lor' bress us, 
 de squire says de Yankees won't 
 fight, an' it'll all be ober in a month 
 or two anyway. " 
 
 " I'd sooner b'lieve Miss Addie," 
 said the first speaker, "an' I know 
 by her grievin' face dat dare's heaps 
 ob trouble ahead. " 
 
 A new light at that moment seem- 
 ed to fall upon La Guerita's mind 
 when she heard those words : ' ' Our 
 separation will be forever. " This war, 
 then, the rumors of which had not 
 excited her in the remotest degree, 
 was to raise a bulwark between the 
 North and the South the very na- 
 tion was to arise to make her bond- 
 age more secure. Some dim sense 
 of loneliness came over her. She 
 experienced that feeling of desola- 
 tion to which the veriest misanthrope 
 hating all his kind might awaken 
 were he thrown upon some desolate 
 shore. Suddenly she felt utterly for- 
 saken. Although she had never 
 dreamed of availing herself of it, 
 there had been one way of escape 
 open to her; but now it was closed 
 closed forever. 
 
 And she learnt from those few pas- 
 sionate words the secret of Miss Ade- 
 la's deep sadness too, and, strange 
 to say, she felt no triumph, no glad- 
 ness, in knowing that her enemy lov- 
 ed in vain. Her womanly sympathy 
 was even faintly aroused, and she 
 pitied her, watching every change 
 thereafter with a solicitude that would 
 have driven Miss Holmes to the verge 
 of desperation had she known of it. 
 
 Mr. Gordon passed the night at 
 Holmsford, and in the morning 
 strolled carelessly into the school- 
 room. But La Guerita was perfect- 
 ly conscious with what eager scrutiny 
 he regarded her, and something like 
 pride awoke in her breast as she no- 
 ticed how purposely he addressed her 
 as a pampered servant, and strove to 
 discover whether she remembered that 
 she had been aught beside. 
 
 But he could not rouse her, or pro- 
 duce any impression upon the slowly 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 109 
 
 awakening mind ; and all that he 
 found to wonder at was the air in 
 which La Guerita owned herself a 
 slave, and yet proclaimed herself a 
 mistress, and how completely the 
 children even Rufus recognized 
 both characters. 
 
 "Well, well/' he muttered, as he 
 left the school-room, ' ' she is really 
 a most wonderful creature ; not but 
 that all women play, in turn, the 
 characters of slave and mistress. 
 Heaven knows they're all slaves as 
 soon as they're mothers, and often as 
 soon as they become wives ; but that 
 doesn't establish a precedent for this 
 case. There's something more in 
 that woman than any of us can un- 
 derstand. " 
 
 This remark he repeated to Mr. 
 Holmes during the afternoon, as they 
 sat on the piazza smoking. ' ' Women 
 all make themselves slaves, sir all," 
 he affirmed, knocking the feathery 
 ashes from the end of his cigar ; 
 ' ' but all do not succumb so readily 
 to their fate as this one has done, and 
 she absolutely seems contented with 
 her lot." 
 
 Mr. Holmes had heard Aunt Dil- 
 sey's opinion, a^id quoted it, to the 
 great amusement of the lawyer. 
 
 ' ' Well, well, " continued the plant- 
 er, impatiently, " I may as well own 
 that there 's a look upon Rita's face 
 that I don't like. Aunt Matilda said 
 one day she was like a dead woman 
 set on springs ; and, indeed, she does 
 seem incapable of motion ; her very 
 quiet and content renders me un- 
 easy, though I dread the wearing 
 away of that horrible indifference, 
 lest, with animation, a desire for free- 
 dom should come. 
 
 The lawyer looked at the speaker 
 
 keenly. "You know you were a 
 little doubtful of the justice and le- 
 gality of enslaving her, " he said ; 
 ' ' so, if she should fret in her bonds, 
 you have only to go back to your 
 original feelings, and set her adrift. " 
 
 ' ' It's all very well to talk of going 
 back to one's original feelings," ex- 
 claimed Mr. Holmes, impatiently, 
 "but how am I to do it? You 
 know the Holmes' have been slave- 
 holders for generations past, and just 
 at this crisis, as you remarked yes- 
 terday, one cannot afford to cast a 
 slur upon the old faith. Now, as 
 I've taken my stand with the South, 
 I am bound to do nothing to weaken 
 its cause, even to my own mind which 
 I should do if I freed Rita but, 
 pshaw, what need is there for me to 
 think of such a thing ? She is per- 
 fectly contented now, and may al- 
 ways remain so, but still I always feel 
 as that fellow did who had the sword 
 suspended by a hair over his head. " 
 
 Mr. Gordon smiled. ' ' She came 
 to you a free agent, " he said. 
 
 ' ' You're right, " exclaimed Mr. 
 Holmes, eagerly. ' ' I am sure I tried 
 to dissuade her from taking such a 
 decisive step, but she would'nt listen, 
 and now that she's here I find her 
 uncommonly useful. And if awaken- 
 ing from this sleep is going to make 
 her restive and unhappy, I hope her 
 nap will be prolonged for many a 
 year. I am sure I don't know what 
 we should do without her, she is the 
 only one that could ever manage 
 Rufe ; Myra would go wild if she 
 were to leave. " 
 
 ' ' I don't understand why you are 
 apprehensive of losing her, " said Mr. 
 Gordon. "She seems quiet enough 
 now. There is no lurking devil in 
 
no 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 her eyes that I can see ; I should 
 tremble for your Adela if there was. 
 I've only seen them together once or 
 twice, but I can see that the little 
 lady hates her most thoroughly. " 
 
 ' ' That vexes me more than any- 
 thing else, " cried Mr. Holmes, testily. 
 "I believe it's true, Gordon, that Ade- 
 la positively hates the poor woman, 
 and, strangely enough, as positively 
 adores her child. She has taken it 
 into her head that he is a poor little 
 martyr, sacrificed to the evil desires 
 of a w r icked and unnatural mother/' 
 
 ' ' What can be the reason of her 
 hatred ?" asked Mr. Gordon ; ' ' Ade- 
 la is not one to act without a mo- 
 tive. " 
 
 ' ' Oh, doubtless, because she has 
 made herself a living proof of the 
 fallacy of the opinions she has so long 
 held regarding slavery. You know 
 how at one time she shook even my 
 faith with her arguments. You know 
 Addie is not likely to forgive any one 
 for forcing her to yield her opinions, 
 and she positively has not been her 
 real self since that girl came. " 
 
 ' ' But there may be other reasons 
 for the change in Adela, " suggested 
 Mr. Gordon ; ' ' reasons entirely un- 
 connected with Rita. " 
 
 ' ' I know what you mean, " return- 
 ed Mr. Holmes, gloomily ; ' ' and I 
 declare I sometimes am half inclined 
 to reproach myself for having listened 
 to Claude, for Addie might have been 
 happily married long before this if I 
 had'nt. " 
 
 "And in the North," added Mr. 
 Gordon. 
 
 "Damn the North!" ejaculated 
 Mr. Holmes. 
 
 ' ' With all my heart ! In fact we 
 mean to do it !" returned the lawyer, 
 
 smiling. " It is a pity your daughter 
 does not see the advisability of such 
 a course as clearly as you do. " 
 
 "She will have to see it ! " mut- 
 tered Mr. Holmes. "We have gone 
 with the South, and it is utterly use- 
 less for her to cry out against it. I 
 used to be proud of her because she 
 was unlike other girls, but now I 
 wish to heaven she'd be a little more 
 like them. Any other girl would 
 have forgotten that Yankee fellow 
 months ago." 
 
 "We must try to replace him," 
 said Mr. Gordon coolly. ' ' There 
 are plenty of fine young fellows here 
 she might choose from. " 
 
 "Plenty !" said Mr. Holmes, des- 
 pondently. 
 
 " But she won't look at them. 
 Now, there's Burton Elwood ; what 
 rational girl would object to him, 
 and Will. Russell too, who is abso- 
 lutely mad about her. " 
 
 ' ' That's the man for us !" exclaim- 
 ed Mr. Gordon, decidedly. "One 
 of the wealthiest families in the State. 
 Secessionist from the start. It would 
 help you wonderfully if you could 
 gain a connection with that family. 
 You know you laid yourself open to 
 suspicion by opposing the Conven- 
 tion, and Adela's avowed Unionism 
 won't allow it to die out. But bless 
 you, if she was married to Will, she 
 might talk Abolitionism to the end 
 of her days, and nobody would think 
 it anything but a good joke. " 
 
 "Well, well," said Mr. Holmes, 
 uneasily: "we must talk of that 
 some other time. One scarcely 
 knows what to do or say. I should 
 like to know what Leveredge is doing 
 in Europe all this time. " 
 
 Mr. Gordon shrugged his shoul- 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 in 
 
 ders and looked wise. ' ' I sent him 
 some heavy drafts last week/' he re- 
 marked, ' ' and I don't altogether 
 like what I hear about him. Putting 
 aside that other story, which I con- 
 sider ridiculous they say he is play- 
 ing like a madman, and is keeping 
 up the finest establishment in the 
 Quartier. " 
 
 Mr. Holmes frowned, and said : 
 " He can do as he likes with his 
 money of course ; but if that other 
 tale should be true, I'd never forgive 
 him." 
 
 Mr. Gordon laughed. " Claude 
 is wild, but not a fool ! Bah, he has 
 an eye to charms more solid than a 
 pretty face." 
 
 "Well, well, I wish he'd come 
 home !" said Mr. Holmes with a 
 sigh. * ' He surely will come when 
 the country is in such peril." 
 
 Mr. Gordon shrugged his shoul- 
 ders doubtfully. 
 
 Mr. Holmes, though secretly in- 
 dignant, affected not to notice the 
 action, but said quietly : ' ' Claude's 
 not a man to shrink from danger, 
 and Til wager if there's any fighting 
 to be done he'll be foremost in the 
 fray." 
 
 ' ' There seems to be some fighting 
 on hand now," exclaimed Mr. Gor- 
 don, starting to his feet, and hasten- 
 ing to trje steps of the piazza ; ' ' what 
 the deuce is the matter." 
 
 Something unusual certainly, for 
 La Guerita was standing near the 
 school-room door with Harold in her 
 arms, confronting Miss Matilda, like 
 an enraged tigress. 
 
 ' ' How dared you touch my child ?" 
 they heard her explain in shrill, pas- 
 sionate tones. ' ' No one shall touch 
 my child. Hush, hush, don't cry, 
 
 my darling, mamma is here ; no 
 one shall whip you again. There, 
 there, there, don't cry." 
 
 ' ' A pretty way that for you to allow 
 your niggers to speak," cried Miss 
 Matilda, turning to Mr. Holmes. 
 ' ' Pretty discipline you've got on this 
 plantation when one's life is in dan- 
 ger for touching a brat like that. 
 Just wait till I get hold of you" 
 turning to Harold " and I'll shake 
 you well. " 
 
 " No you wont," returned La 
 Guerita, her eyes flashing with pas- 
 sion ; "you shall never touch my 
 child again. No one shall touch 
 him. I will protect my boy as long 
 as I live." 
 
 ' ' What is the reason of this ? " de- 
 manded Miss Holmes, appearing 
 upon the scene; "Aunt Matilda, 
 what occasioned this ? " 
 
 "Why, I was going from the 
 house to the kitchen, " she answered, 
 when I caught sight of this young 
 vagabond a spading up the sod under 
 the white rose bush. 
 
 ' ' What are you doing there ? " I 
 asked, as gently as you please. 
 
 "I'm going to bury my bird," 
 said he, as bold as possible, holding 
 up a little no-account thing. 
 
 "'Twasn't a little no-account 
 thing," sobbed Harold, "'twas a 
 pretty little pet bird. " 
 
 ' ' That's just what he would keep 
 on a sayin' before," remarked Miss 
 Matilda, in an aggrieved tone ; ' ' that's 
 just what he said before, and just be- 
 cause I threw it over the fence he 
 burst out cryin' as if his heart would 
 break. 'Twas passion passion every 
 bit of it, and I just gave him a poke 
 with my stick to make him be still, 
 when out flies his mother as if she 
 
112 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 would kill me. I'd like to know 
 what you expect is to become of you 
 and yours, Norton Holmes, if you 
 let things go on at this rate. Every- 
 thing's going to wreck and ruin any- 
 how ! All I can say is, I wont stand 
 it, and if you don't correct that child, 
 and all the rest of them, I will. " 
 
 La Guerita, who had seemingly 
 become conscious that she had ex- 
 hibited uncalled-for passion, here ex- 
 cused herself to the spectators, and 
 hurled defiance at Miss Matilda in 
 the words : "I will protect my child ; 
 I must protect my child." 
 
 ' ' You have no power to do any- 
 thing of the sort," said Miss Holmes, 
 firmly ; " You are a slave, and have 
 nothing to do with the government 
 of even your own child. " 
 
 La Guerita turned toward her 
 fiercely, but met a scornful, com- 
 manding glance that made her quail. 
 
 ' ' Go to the school-room, " contin- 
 ued her mistress, in measured tones, 
 ' ' and leave the child to me. " 
 
 La Guerita knew that he would be 
 safe, yet for a moment she hesitated. 
 Was it true that she, his mother, had 
 no right to protect or correct him ? 
 
 Another word from Miss Holmes 
 recalled her to herself, and she did as 
 commanded, passively, unconsciously 
 casting upon Mr. Gordon a look that 
 haunted him for days. 
 
 "That slumbering devil awoke 
 and looked out of her eyes then, " he 
 muttered an hour afterward, as he 
 sat alone with Miss Matilda on the 
 shaded piazza, while the old lady 
 thought exultantly: "She grasped 
 her nettle then!" "But if I was 
 Norton, " she added aloud, ' ' I'd sell 
 that boy as sure as fate. " 
 
 "What, Rita's?" asked Mr. Gor- 
 
 don, with a laugh, ' ' What's the 
 matter with him ? " 
 
 ' ' The Lord only knows what isn't 
 the matter with him," retorted Miss 
 Matilda, in a tone of virtuous indig- 
 nation ; " He is the triflin'est, most 
 aggravatin' child that ever was born. 
 'Twould be a mercy if he'd die, for 
 if he lives he'll surely be shot or 
 hung, whichever is most convenient. 
 I declare he makes me tremble for 
 the family's good name. If you'll 
 believe me 'twas only the other day 
 I sent Roxy to Foustville on an er- 
 rand, and she of course must needs 
 take Master Harry with her. Well, 
 as she was walkin' down the street, 
 along came a gentleman that could 
 not keep his eyes off the boy. ' Who's 
 child is that ? ' said he. ' Massa Nor- 
 ton Holmes'/ said she. 'Indeed,' 
 said he, ' I thought his face was fa- 
 miliar ; I used to know your master 
 years ago. ' And then he went into 
 ecstasies about the boy's beauty, and 
 took him into a candy store and 
 loaded him with sweets and toys. I 
 never felt so ashamed in my life as 
 when Norton came home and told 
 the story, and laughed as a good joke, 
 too. I just told Myra my mind then. 
 It's a disgrace to have him about 
 the place ; besides that, he's such a 
 little imp that he's always getting into 
 mischief. I'd sell him just as sure as 
 fate. " 
 
 Mr. Gordon laughed a't the story, 
 and could not help reverting to it 
 with much inward amusement as he 
 rode homeward in the dusk of the 
 evening. "But I'm puzzled, puz- 
 zled. What did that act of self-en- 
 slavement mean ? Was she mad, or 
 as Adela thinks, only carrying out 
 some deep-laid plot ? By Jove ! that 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 look on her face to-day was enough 
 to make one tremble. I can't' see 
 through it. I'll go back next week 
 and watch that woman ; her face is 
 worth studying. Heavens ! what a 
 beautiful face it is in repose what a 
 peerless, magnificent face in anger ! 
 Holmes may well fear her awaken- 
 ing. She is the most queenly cap- 
 tive that ever was chained to Slavery's 
 triumphant car. Heigh ho ! A few- 
 month's later we shall see. But I'm 
 puzzled now ! I'm puzzled ! " 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 " There is a power in the strength of love ; 
 'Twill make a thing endurable, which else 
 Would overset the brain, or break the heart." 
 Wardnoarlh. 
 
 THERE was in the house at Holms- 
 ford a small room opening in from 
 the common parlor, and looking out 
 upon the lawn, the school-house, and 
 the negro cabin. Before the window 
 stood a sewing machine, and in the 
 center of the apartment was a large 
 table, usually bestrewn with sewing. 
 At this table sat La Guerita DeCuba 
 one afternoon, early in the fall, bus- 
 ily engaged upon some fine work, 
 which Miss Holmes, in accordance 
 with the plan of keeping the white 
 slave ever toiling, had intrusted to 
 her hands. 
 
 Of late La Guerita had grown 
 wean- of her endless tasks, and often 
 longed to cast them down. Toil was 
 not sufficient to keep her mind from 
 wandering to forbidden topics, and 
 often she felt a strange pleasure in 
 living over again her by-gone days ; 
 and, strangest of all, it seemed to her 
 the sight of her child often filled her 
 heart with a burning pain ; she could 
 not tell of what, for still she was not 
 15 
 
 conscious of one thought of wrong 
 toward him. The frequent visits of 
 Mr. Gordon had served to disturb 
 her thus. He was ever coming at 
 unexpected times, and she knew it 
 was to gaze on* her. Yet, though he 
 watched her narrowly, he found but 
 a thoughtful face, somewhat less pla- 
 cid at every visit, perhaps, but with 
 none of the fierce passion upon it 
 which he almost expected, yet dread- 
 ed to find. 
 
 The visits of the lawyer had a 
 strange effect upon her. They arous- 
 ed in her a dim sense of the unpre- 
 cedented deed she had accomplish- 
 ed, and almost to her horror she 
 found herself sometimes questioning 
 herself why she should have done 
 it, and failing to find in the words, 
 ' ' It is my atonement, " that com- 
 plete satisfaction that had often si- 
 lenced her. 
 
 She was thinking of these things, 
 in a w r andering way, as she sat in the 
 sewing-room that afternoon, when 
 she heard two persons enter the out- 
 er room. 
 
 One was Miss Holmes ; but she 
 had assuredly forgotten her seam- 
 stress, for she made no sign of ap- 
 proaching her, but, on the contrary, 
 took a seat near the parlor table, tap- 
 ped the marble nervously with her 
 finger nails, as she said : "I am 
 so glad we are in the house alone, 
 papa, for I have something impor- 
 tant to tell you. " 
 
 La Guerita arose, and would have 
 left the room, but the only mode of 
 egress was by the parlor, and she 
 knew by experience that Miss Holmes 
 would probably order her back to her 
 unfinished work ; so she resumed her 
 seat and her sewing, as Mr. Holmes 
 
H 4 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 said, kindly: "Well, Addie, what is 
 it ! " 
 
 Miss Holmes for once seemed per- 
 plexed, for she did not immediately 
 answer, and when she did, it was in 
 a faltering tone, altogether unnatural 
 to her. 
 
 ' ' Dear papa, " she said, ' ' I scarce- 
 ly know what to say, but you wont be 
 angry with me ? " 
 
 ' ' I am not often angry with you, 
 daughter/' returned her father, "but 
 I really think, Addie, unless you feel 
 sure of what you wish to say, you 
 had better put it off until some other 
 time. " 
 
 "No," said Miss Holmes, reso- 
 lutely, ' ' I cannot do that. I see you 
 half anticipate what I wish to say ; 
 but whatever it is, papa, I beg you to 
 hear me patiently. " 
 
 "Certainly." 
 
 ' ' And, oh, papa, if you would 
 only hear me with sympathy, too ! " 
 
 1 ' I should be glad to be able to do 
 so, my dear." 
 
 "First of all, then, papa, I want 
 to know if you really think it wrong 
 for me to deplore the secession of the 
 Southern States, when I can't help 
 thinking their course wrong. You 
 have seemed so angry with me about 
 that lately. " 
 
 ' ' Because, child, you have openly 
 shown your sympathy with the abo- 
 litionists, and have actually rejoiced 
 in their triumphs, and wept over their 
 reverses. " 
 
 ' ' Never before you, papa. " 
 
 " Adela, you cannot easily dis- 
 guise your feelings ; every one in the 
 county knows what they are. But 
 all that would be nothing, if you 
 would only listen to William Rus- 
 sell." 
 
 "Oh, papa, don't, don't!" ex- 
 claimed Miss Holmes, pleadingly. 
 
 ' ' I cannot see why I should not 
 speak of it, Adela ; for you must by 
 this time know that no past feelings 
 can be regarded now, and that you 
 should wish them to be so is prepos- 
 terous unnatural ! " 
 
 ' ' Oh, papa, you never said that 
 before ! " 
 
 "Didn't I ? Well, I have thought 
 so, and I wish to hear nothing more 
 of them. I tell you, Adela, once for 
 all, if you wish to retain my affec- 
 tions you must put away this child- 
 ish nonsense." 
 
 Miss Holmes made no response, 
 and La Guerita, hoping to attract at- 
 tention before more private matters 
 were discussed, dropped her scissors 
 upon the table ; but at the same mo- 
 ment Miss Holmes spoke. 
 
 ' ' Papa, " she said, ' ' I must speak, 
 though you have endeavored to show 
 me that it will be of no avail. But 
 I must speak to you, because I have 
 received this note." 
 
 She took from her pocket a sealed 
 letter, and passing it gently through 
 her fingers, handed it to her father, 
 saying : ' ' Will you allow me to open 
 it?" 
 
 He took the proffered missive, 
 frowning darkly as he looked at it 
 carefully. 
 
 "I see you have kept your prom- 
 ise," he said at length ; "not that I 
 ever doubted that you would do so. " 
 
 Mr. Holmes paced the room in 
 deep thought for a few moments. At 
 length he paused before Adela, and 
 said : "Adela, I tell you now, that 
 all I said two years ago I shall main- 
 tain to-day. I should still do so if 
 all Claude Leveredge's words were 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 disproved. You shall never, with 
 my consent, demean yourself so low 
 as to become the wife of even the best 
 of that accursed race. " 
 
 ' ' Papa, may I read that letter ? " 
 
 Mr. Holmes hesitated, but he had 
 an uncontrollable curiosity, such as 
 often characterizes weak men as well 
 as women, and half relenting before 
 his daughter's beseeching eyes, said : 
 "We will think of it, Adela we 
 will think of it." 
 
 Her suspicious nature took alarm ; 
 she thought he meant to tamper with 
 her, and starting to her feet, exclaim- 
 ed, passionately: "Papa, if you de- 
 stroy that letter I will never forgive 
 you as long as I live ! " 
 
 ' ' I can scarcely believe that you 
 are my daughter," returned Mr. 
 Holmes, sullenly; "you are no 
 more like the Adela of old than Ru- 
 ms is like Alf. Confound this fel- 
 low ; it i he that has changed you 
 so ! There, read the letter. " 
 
 She took it joyfully, and opened it 
 with trembling fingers. 
 
 ' ' Oh, papa ? " she exclaimed, a 
 minute later, " It is all as I feared ! 
 He has joined the Northern army ! " 
 
 "Ah! and what else ?" 
 
 "He only begs me to be con- 
 stant. " 
 
 ' ' Constant ! By heaven, that is too 
 much. Now, then, Adela, I hope you 
 are satisfied of his love when he has 
 taken up arms against all your kin- 
 dred. Now, then, I hope we shall 
 have no more nonsense of your lov- 
 ing him still." 
 
 ' ' Oh, papa, I cannot help it ; I do 
 love him still ! I should love him 
 still even if he were the villain Claude 
 Leveredge painted him. Ah, if he 
 were hanging on a gallows for mur- 
 
 der or treason I should love him 
 still." 
 
 "A pretty confession that for a 
 lady to make, upon my word ! I 
 wonder what you will say next ? 
 Perhaps you will want permission to 
 write those words to him ? " 
 
 ' ' Xo, papa, not those, but only a 
 single line to tell him I have received 
 his. " 
 
 ' ' Adela, you shall not do it ! 
 Why, good God, child, putting aside 
 all personal feelings in the matter, do 
 you know what jeopardy you would 
 place your whole family in by such an 
 action ? You are already suspected 
 and watched. Do you want us all to 
 be utterly ruined ? Oh, Adela, Ade- 
 la, it would break my heart should 
 it become known that my daughter, 
 whom I have loved so dearly^ ot 
 whom I have been so proud, was a 
 traitor to her home and friends. No, 
 Adela, you must not tempt me. Ask 
 me anything else, but not to seal 
 your death warrant. " 
 
 ' ' Papa, you startle me ! " 
 
 1 ' I want to, child, for you blindly 
 shut your eyes to' your danger. It 
 horrifies me to think of it. Oh, 
 Adela, if you would only do as I 
 beg you " 
 
 1 ' Papa, don't say any more. But 
 since you have allowed me to read 
 that letter, I will not ask you again 
 to be allowed to reply. He will not 
 doubt me. Whatever happens, he 
 will believe me true." 
 
 "Adela, child, don't cry. You 
 know I can't bear to make you cry. 
 If you asked anything else which it 
 is in my power to grant I would do 
 so." 
 
 "Papa, I was thinking of some- 
 thing else, " she said, brokenly ; "I 
 
n6 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 want you to give me something. 
 You have often offered me a little 
 slave ; will you give me one now ? " 
 
 ' ' Why, Adela ! " exclaimed Mr. 
 Holmes, thoroughly surprised, "what 
 an extraordinary idea ! How whim- 
 sical you are, Addie. Well, which 
 one do you want ? " 
 
 La Guerita listened breathlessly. 
 The answer she expected, yet dread- 
 ed, came. ' ' I want little Harry 
 Rita's child, papa. " 
 
 ' ' What in the world do you want 
 of him?" 
 
 ' ' Poor little fellow, I want to put 
 him out of the way of Aunt Ma- 
 tilda. She positively hates the child, 
 and makes his life miserable ; and, 
 besides, I want to remove him from 
 the influence of that wicked mother 
 of his." 
 
 ' ' There is an adjective in that sen- 
 tence that I object to, Adela. The 
 woman has done nothing to prove 
 herself wicked, has she?" 
 
 "Not that I know of," admitted 
 Miss Holmes, reluctantly. 
 
 "Very well, then, you should not 
 condemn her." 
 
 ' ' I think I have reasons enough 
 for doing so, papa. But never mind 
 them ; I only want to know whether 
 I can have Harry ? " 
 
 ' ' What would you do with him ?" 
 
 "I would put him where his 
 mother would not be likely to see 
 him again. I'd try to make him for- 
 get that such a woman ever existed. " 
 
 La Guerita bent her head and 
 groaned, crying in the depth of her 
 soul : ' ' What have I done to merit 
 such a fate ? " She listened eagerly 
 for what Mr. Holmes should say, and 
 drew a deep sigh of relief as he re- 
 marked : 
 
 ' ' Really, Adela, I think it would 
 scarcely be right under the peculiar 
 circumstances in which Rita came to 
 us, you know. " 
 
 ' ' Is Harry a slave ? " asked Miss 
 Holmes quickly. "He was born 
 while his mother was free." 
 
 ' ' I think you would find it pretty 
 hard to prove that he is not, " he an- 
 swered, laughing uneasily. 
 
 "Here, yes, and perhaps every- 
 where ; but at any rate, while this 
 war lasts, his bonds are strong enough, 
 But, papa, whether he is a slave or 
 not, you surely do not intend to have 
 that bright little fellow brought up 
 like the negro children, his intellect 
 neglected, his very body forced into 
 brute strength, and both rendered 
 unfit for aught but toil ; you surely 
 cannot intend that Harry shall be 
 brought up like that ? " 
 
 "Well, I'm sure I don't know, 
 Addie ; I suppose not, though the 
 truth is, these white fellows among 
 the blacks are like fire among straw, 
 and education only makes them 
 worse. " 
 
 " Papa if you will give that boy to 
 me he shall not be as fire among 
 straw. I will sacredly promise you 
 that he shall never give you any 
 trouble." 
 
 "I don't half like it, Adela. I 
 can't help thinking of his mother. " 
 
 "Papa you needn't; she must 
 hate the child, else would she have 
 disgraced him by bringing him here ? 
 By what possible course of reasoning 
 could she have persuaded herself that 
 she was benefiting him by taking him 
 from affluence and love, and plung- 
 ing him into the very depths of deg- 
 radation and mental darkness. " 
 
 "Good Heavens, Adela ! how do 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 I know? But still I don't like to 
 separate him from her. I dare say 
 she would be glad enough herself to 
 teach him to read and all that. " 
 
 "Indeed, papa, she has more than 
 once utterly refused to do so. Ah, 
 poor little fellow, she would ruin him 
 both body and soul. She is an in- 
 fidel!" 
 
 ' ' Ah, that is bad, very bad, " said 
 Mr. Holmes, gravely. "Bad for 
 her, I mean ; the boy can go to camp 
 meeting and learn everything needful 
 when he is old enough." 
 
 ' ' Papa, will you let me have the 
 boy?" 
 
 La Guerita arose when that ques- 
 tion was asked and glided softly to 
 the door, and bent her head, as if 
 fearful of losing one word of the 
 master's answer. Her face looked 
 ghastly in the twilight, her lips were 
 ashen, and her eyes wildly staring. 
 Had calm Adela Holmes beheld the 
 white slave thus gazing upon her she 
 would have shrieked in terror and 
 dismay, but, unconscious of her vi- 
 cinity, she calmly repeated her ques- 
 tion. 
 
 Mr. Holmes paced the room un- 
 easily, saying, at last, "I think not, 
 Adela." 
 
 1 ' Oh, papa ! why not ? " she ex- 
 claimed, in a voice of genuine sorrow 
 and disappointment. 
 
 "Because I think the mother is 
 right, and that it is best for the child 
 to remain uneducated. Rita has 
 been free and is now a slave ; she 
 ought to know best about the matter. 
 No doubt she would herself have led 
 a happier -life if she had been suffered 
 to remain in ignorance." 
 
 ' ' But, papa, you must know there 
 is a higher destiny for that child. 
 
 Oh, that woman's curse cannot al- 
 ways rest upon his innocent head. " 
 
 ' ' You are talking wildly, Adela. " 
 
 "No, no, I am not. Just think 
 of all the evil she has brought upon 
 him. Has she not torn from him his 
 birthright of freedom ? Has he not 
 been taken from the midst of plenty 
 to be that vilest thing on earth a 
 slave ? Has she not divested him of 
 his very name, this mother whom you 
 reprove me for calling wicked ? Oh, 
 papa, I loathe her ! She fills me 
 with horror when I think that she has 
 done all these things when, worse 
 than all, she has denied him a knowl- 
 edge of God, and his mercy and love. 
 Oh, papa, I am pleading for that 
 child's very soul. Let me save him 
 from his wicked, wicked mother. Let 
 me put him away from her forever. " 
 
 ' ' What was that ? " Both started, 
 and Miss Holmes, crying ' ' Oh, I 
 forgot ! I forgot ! She has heard all ! " 
 rushed into the inner room, and to 
 her amazement found La Guerita ly- 
 ing across the threshold, as if in 
 death. 
 
 Miss Holmes screamed in affright, 
 and hastening in, Mr. Holmes ex- 
 claimed, "Good God, Adela, you 
 have killed her ! " and lifting her in 
 his arms carried her to a sofa. 
 
 "It is nothing, " returned Miss 
 Holmes, regaining her self-posses- 
 sion ; ' ' She has only fainted. " 
 
 She stepped to the door and locked 
 it, continuing, "There is no use in 
 alarming the whole house about it. 
 Here is a vinigrette and some water ; 
 she'll come round very well, I dare 
 say. It's all passion, no doubt. " 
 
 She bent over the motionless fig- 
 ure, applying such remedies as were 
 at hand, and as she looked upon the 
 
n8 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 faultless countenance, with all its lines 
 of suffering displayed by its utter life- 
 lessness, some unpleasant doubts of 
 the truth of her suspicions darted 
 through her mind, and caused her to 
 shudder like a guilty creature. 
 
 But when La Guerita unclosed her 
 eyes and gazed around, she dissem- 
 bled her feelings, and as she cried pit- 
 eously : ' ' Oh, no ! I was not wick- 
 ed ! I am not wicked ! I was mad !" 
 she turned from her with a trembling 
 heart, and hurried from the room. 
 
 ' ' Be calm, be calm, " said Mr. 
 Holmes, gently, knowing that the 
 awakening he had feared had come ; 
 "Be calm, and forget what has 
 passed. " 
 
 ' ' Oh, I cannot be calm ! " she 
 cried, springing to her feet; "Stay 
 and hear me, Mr. Holmes, I entreat !" 
 
 But she spoke to bare walls. He 
 would not stay to listen to the truth, 
 and blinded by the sudden light that 
 had rushed upon her bewildered 
 mind, La Guerita staggered forth 
 from the house, and groped her way 
 to the lowly cabin. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 14 Sure some ill approaches, 
 And some kind spirit knocks softly at my soul, 
 To tell me fate's at hand." 
 
 Dryden. 
 
 LA GUERITA DEUBA entered her 
 cabin a changed woman. The shock 
 which alone could restore her to her 
 normal condition had thrilled like an 
 electric current through her very be- 
 ing, and on the instant she had been 
 transformed from the mad woman, 
 who had cursed her Creator, to a ra- 
 tional creature, beholding at once her 
 duty, and the mercy of her God. 
 
 She realized at once that she had 
 
 been mad, and that her mind was 
 once more restored to her, and throw- 
 ing herself upon the bare floor, she 
 poured forth her soul before the Lord, 
 and wept long and passionately the 
 first tears that had fallen from her 
 eyes since Harold died. 
 
 The precious drops soothed and 
 refreshed her. They trickled over 
 her fingers like rain ; and as she 
 looked upon them she exclaimed : 
 ' ' Thank God I am sane ! Thank 
 God I can weep now." 
 
 For a long time she crouched up- 
 on the floor, weeping, but not des- 
 pairingly, thanking God in her heart 
 of hearts that her reason had return- 
 ed to her, and going over in unbroken 
 order the events of her past life. 
 
 The roll of carriage wheels upon 
 the gravel disturbed her. Once she 
 raised her head and thought "Mrs. 
 Holmes must be come. But what a 
 noise they are making, almost as 
 much as if every negro on the place 
 had hurried to meet her. I wonder 
 if this is unusual, or if it is only that 
 I can appreciate joyful sounds to- 
 night, and hear them more readily 
 than ever before ? " 
 
 She arose and paced the room 
 thoughtfully. That she was once 
 more sane was to her too joyful a re- 
 flection for others of a sadder descrip- 
 tion to weigh yet upon her thoughts. 
 She lighted her lamp, and as its dim 
 light fell upon her poor surround- 
 ings, she started and exclaimed : 
 
 ' ' Ah, I had almost forgotten. And 
 this is the atonement I hoped to 
 make. Ah, Harold, Harold, I know 
 now that no atonement was required 
 of me. " 
 
 She paced the room slowly, mut- 
 tering at intervals : "I must take the 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 consequences of my madness for a 
 time at least. Mr. Holmes has been 
 kind to me, and I will remain and 
 toil for him patiently until such time 
 as I can find an opportunity to go 
 into the North. Surely Mr. Holmes 
 will let me go. He will not hold a 
 sane woman in slavery, who entered 
 into bonds when mad. He must 
 know that I was mad and Miss 
 Adela, too, she shall know ; I must 
 prove it to her. But how ? how ? 
 Oh, God, how shall I save my 
 child?" 
 
 Some one rattled the latch of the 
 door impatiently ; she opened it, and 
 drew in her little son, clasping him 
 in her arms, and again bursting into 
 tears. 
 
 Oh, Harold, Harold, darling boy," 
 she cried, as he gazed at her in 
 amazement. ' ' Kiss me, darling, and 
 forgive me. I never meant to harm 
 you, darling. I meant to save you/' 
 Harold kissed her with an expres- 
 sion of great perplexity upon his face. 
 ' ' What is the matter ? " he asked ; 
 ' ' has any one been scolding you ? " 
 "Xo, my darling, no," she an- 
 swered, weeping still ; "no my 
 precious one." 
 
 She set him on the floor, and bath- 
 ed her face and hands, remembering 
 the necessity of obtaining composure. 
 " I am enabled to talk to you now, 
 my child, " she said at last. ' ' Come 
 sit upon my knee, and tell me that 
 you love me. " 
 
 "Yes, I do love you," said the 
 child, caressing her fondly, "and I 
 am not a bit afraid of you either 
 now. " 
 
 She clasped him to her bosom, 
 holding him there long and silently, 
 breathing the first prayer that had 
 
 parted her lips for him for many 
 weary months. 
 
 ' ' I have something to show you, 
 darling, " she said, at length, ' ' some- 
 thing I have never looked at since 
 we came here. But first tell me, if 
 you can, what your name is, what it 
 used to be ? " 
 
 "Why, wasn't it always Harry 
 Holmes ? " he exclaimed in surprise. 
 
 His mother shook her head, sadly, 
 saying: "Alas, poor child, I was 
 doing my work well. But you can 
 at least tell me where we used to 
 live ? " 
 
 "Wasn't it at a place like this? 
 Xo, no, I don't mean just like this 
 and yet it must have been ; there 
 were flowers yes, always flowers," 
 and the boy looked up with a sad ex- 
 pression of perplexity upon his bright 
 young face. 
 
 ' ' Yes, there were flowers, Harry, " 
 said his mother, eagerly ; "but the 
 place was not like this. Try, dear 
 child, to remember more. Oh, try. " 
 
 He shook his head, slowly. 
 
 ' ' What can you not ? Can't you 
 remember anycne that lived there ? 
 "Think, now, think.' 
 
 ' ' There was a tall man, " he said, 
 after a long pause : ' ' But but he 
 went away. " 
 
 La Guerita took a miniature case 
 from her bosom. ' ' There, " she said, 
 unclasping it eagerly, ' ' this is what 
 I promised to show you. There, 
 look at it carefully, and tell me 
 whether that is the tall man you re- 
 member ? " 
 
 Harold looked at the portrait doubt- 
 fully. Then a light seemed to break 
 upon his mind. "Yes," he cried 
 excitedly, ' ' that is his face, " and 
 dropping the case into his mother's 
 
I2O 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 hands, he continued rapidly, and 
 with a rapt expression of counte- 
 nance : ' ' Yes, there was another, 
 too, something like him, but darker, 
 and another still ; and oh, such a 
 beautiful old lady ; and oh, there 
 were more even than that." He 
 slipped from her lap, and leaned up- 
 on her knees, continuing dreamily : 
 ' ' Why, I can see faces upon faces, 
 mamma. I can only tell you about 
 them like I do my dreams." He 
 caught up the portrait again, and 
 bursting into tears, cried : " Why, 
 that is my papa, and Uncle Vic. 
 but papa the most. Oh, I know, I 
 know, I know." 
 
 La Guerita clasped the child in her 
 arms in an excess of joy. ' ' Thank 
 God, " she said fervently, ' ' you have 
 not forgotten. Your mind, as well 
 as mine, has been awakened to-day. " 
 
 "Now I remember it all," cried 
 the boy, gleefully. "The pretty 
 flowers, and the water, all flashing, 
 flashing, flashing. Where has it all 
 gone, mamma?" 
 
 "It is all in the old place/' she 
 answered softly, " and perhaps we 
 may all go back to it, and you will 
 once more be Harold DeGrey. " 
 
 ' ' There, that's what I was trying 
 to think of," he exclaimed. "Har- 
 old DeGrey yes, that was it. Was'nt 
 it funny I forgot." 
 
 "Remember it now, my darling," 
 replied his mother. " Try, darling, 
 to remember it all. " 
 
 The child looked so excited, that 
 she held him to her bosom for a 
 long time, saying nothing, and only 
 then asking if Mrs. Holmes was at 
 home. 
 
 ' ' Oh, yes, " he answered, ' ' she 
 came long ago, and there was com- 
 
 pany with her. I came in to tell 
 you. I 
 
 At that moment, the door was 
 opened, and Miss Holmes entered, 
 looking unusually pale, and with a 
 perplexed, yet resolute expression up- 
 on her countenance as she exclaim- 
 ed : 
 
 ' ' Go to the house, Rita ; you are 
 wanted there. Harry, come with me. 
 Rita, hasten/' 
 
 La Guerita obeyed without paus- 
 ing to think, and wondered when she 
 reached the house, as she beheld in 
 bewilderment that it was ablaze with 
 light, and that there were sounds of 
 great merriment and rejoicing within. 
 Following the impetus of Miss Ade- 
 la's hand, she entered the dining- 
 room, but was so dazzled by the 
 glare of the lamps that she could 
 distinguish nothing. 
 
 Suddenly a voice fell upon her 
 ear with startling distinctness. "My 
 God, it is La Guerita DeCuba ! " she 
 heard, and fell back into the arms of 
 Miss Holmes. 
 
 'Twas but an instant's faintness, 
 the glare of the lamps instantly sub- 
 dued. Though the room seemed to 
 whirl like a ball through space, she 
 sprang to her feet, as she felt her 
 hands clasped in an iron-like grip, 
 and heard again the voice of Claude 
 Leveredge. 
 
 * ' I thought you were dead ! " he 
 cried. ' ' They told me you would 
 die. Oh, God, what I have suf- 
 fered. " 
 
 His hated touch, perhaps, more 
 than his words, recalled her to her- 
 self. She cast off his detaining 
 hands, and glanced at him with an 
 expression of abhorrence, which was 
 not lost upon him, or Adela Holmes, 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 121 
 
 who, white and trembling, regarded 
 the scene. By her side stood Harold, 
 who suddenly threw himself into his 
 mother's arms, crying, in terror : 
 "Oh, mamma, don't let him take me 
 away ! Oh, mamma, mamma ! " 
 
 Claude Leveredge looked at the 
 child fiercely, retreating a step, and 
 exclaiming : ' ' Take him away ! take 
 him away ! " 
 
 ' ' What in the world is the meaning 
 of this ? " demanded Mr. Holmes, in 
 a tone of amazement ; ' ' Have you 
 all taken leave of your senses ? " 
 
 ' ' It don't mean anything more than 
 that his satanic majesty is with his 
 friend, as usual/' said Miss Matilda, 
 meaningly. 
 
 La Guerita never remembered how 
 she effected her escape from the din- 
 ing room, but a few minutes later she 
 was in her cabin and had bolted the 
 door, feeling that she should die at 
 his feet if Claude Leveredge entered 
 there. 
 
 One fervent prayer burst again and 
 again from her lips as she stood in the 
 center of her room, pressing her 
 hands upon her burning temples, ex- 
 claiming : ' ' Oh, God, preserve my 
 senses ; my reason totters. Oh, Christ, 
 strengthen it ! '' 
 
 It was fearful to her to know what 
 great danger this great shock brought 
 nigh her. She knew she had been 
 mad and she feared to be alone, lest 
 terrors should grow out of the dark- 
 ness, and all the horrors of lunacy 
 once more seize upon her. She 
 feared that, at first, more than the 
 actual presence of Claude Leveredge. 
 She tried to persuade herself that he 
 had spoken more in the accents of 
 remorse than of passion ; that he 
 would rather shield than persecute 
 16 
 
 her, and so, by degrees, she grew 
 calm. 
 
 Roxy brought in supper, and al- 
 though La Guerita could eat nothing 
 herself she selected a few of the 
 choicest morsels for Harold, and 
 forced herself to talk with him upon 
 indifferent subjects. Afterwards she 
 undressed the boy, and putting him 
 in bed, stayed by him until he slept, 
 each moment growing calmer as she 
 watched his quiet and regular breath- 
 ing. She was herself surprised after 
 that, that she could ^think" so calmly 
 while Claude Leveredge was near. 
 She could not only think, but pray ; 
 and for the first time in many months 
 she knelt down and communed with 
 the Lord, feeling when she arose from 
 her knees that her soul was relieved 
 from half its burden. 
 
 Then she recalled, step by step, 
 the whole of her past life, dwelling 
 long upon the bliss of her married 
 life, saying, with a shudder, * ' What 
 horrible darkness it ended in ! " 
 With painful distinctness the events 
 that followed her husband's death 
 came before her. She remembered 
 what a dreadful blank her life seemed 
 when she entered the library to read 
 Claude Leveredge's fatal letter, and 
 how a million demons seemed to 
 gather round her as she read, and 
 to demand atonement for Harold's 
 death. She remembered how they 
 had urged her on in her mad career, 
 and then how the voices had grown 
 fainter, as if appeased, but had only 
 ceased altogether when the voice of 
 Conscience was aroused, and Reason 
 regained her throne. 
 
 1 ' They thought me half crazed 
 with grief at home," she said, "but 
 here thev must have known that I 
 
122 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 was mad when I gave up not only my 
 own freedom but my child's. I know 
 now what it means, though I did not 
 then. My mother knew that I was 
 mad, Mr. Gordon knew it, and Mr. 
 Holmes ? No, I cannot tell what he 
 thought ; yet he must, have known. " 
 
 Then she thought wildly that they 
 had perhaps merely humored her 
 with a pretense of enslavement. She 
 even thought that her family must 
 have traced her, and suffered her to 
 remain in bonds, merely to avoid 
 crossing her mad passion. But that 
 hope quickly fled. The war had 
 destroyed all sympathy between the 
 North and the South. Her friends 
 would have taken her from the block- 
 aded country at any risk, and she felt 
 that Mr. Gordon had been fearfully 
 in earnest in her enslavement, if no 
 other had. No, no ; it was no jest. 
 She was a slave, and Claude Lever- 
 edge had discovered her. 
 
 There was madness in the thought, 
 but she cried out that she would be 
 free : that Norton Holmes would not 
 hold her in bondage ; that she could 
 buy herself a thousand times, and 
 that he would surely suffer her to 
 depart. 
 
 And still fighting for this hope, 
 which a thousand fears strove to tear 
 from her, La Guerita DeCuba paced 
 her cabin floor, and longed for morn- 
 ing, that she might go to Norton 
 Holmes and entreat her freedom. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 " They told me, by the sentence of the law 
 They had commission to seize all my fortune." 
 
 Otway. 
 
 MR. HOLMES was usually an early 
 riser, and with feverish impatience, 
 
 from the dawning of the day, La 
 Guerita watched for him to enter the 
 lawn ; but all in vain. And when 
 Roxy brought the breakfast, some 
 time later then usual, she said, that 
 ' ' Massa had been so glad the night 
 afore to see Mass'r Claude git home 
 again that he was clear tuckered out, 
 and wouldn't be able to git up 'till all 
 hours." 
 
 So La Guerita knew that all hope 
 of speaking to him that morning 
 was over, and with a sigh turned 
 to the table and gave Harold his 
 breakfast, while Roxy stood near, 
 twirling a napkin in her hand, and 
 giving a glowing account of the 
 night's feast. 
 
 ' ' And, law, what a time dat wus 
 when you corned in, " said the garru- 
 lous maiden. "Did you eber see 
 Mass Claude afore ? " 
 
 This was an embarrassing question, 
 but, fortunately, Roxy thought it too 
 absurd to require an answer, and 
 continued : "I s'pose you neber 
 did; but I'm bressed ef I wa'n't 
 scared when I seed Mass Claude 
 jump for'ard dat away, and saw his 
 eyes look'd jiss like two flames ob 
 fire burnin' up out ob gray ashes. 
 But the minute you was done gone 
 he bust out a laughin', fit to kill his- 
 self, and ses he : ' What a fool I am. 
 I actually thought I'd seed dat wo- 
 man somewhar when she fust come 
 into de room. Who de mischief is 
 she?' 
 
 ' ' ' Papa's slave Rita, ' said Miss 
 Addie, a lookin' deadful pale and 
 stern. 
 
 "And Mass Claude jiss sat down 
 then as ef he'd been struck, and said : 
 ' Oh, my God/ like's ef he'd loss his 
 wits like. 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 123 
 
 "Then Miss Tilda, she goes up 
 to him and bobs and curtsies so, 
 you'd a' thought her cap-borders 
 would a knocked to pieces 'gainst 
 her head, and ses she : ' Yes, that 
 was papa's slave Rita ; you are 
 s'prised to hear it, I s'pose ? ' 
 
 " ' That I am ? ' ses he, a burstin' 
 out a laughin' again. f I thought she 
 was a white woman ; and when she 
 fust came into the room I tuk her fur 
 a lady I'd seed in Spain ! But, law, 
 I don't s'pose she's a bit like her. ' 
 
 ' ' And shuah enuff, Rita, I've often 
 thought you looked like a pictur ob 
 a furrin lady, you'se so differn't from 
 de res' ob us, you know. I was tell- 
 in' Aunt Sally 'bout de name he call- 
 ed you, an' she ses she's gwine to gib 
 it to de baby. Lo-wa-ter, wasn't it ? 
 Only soft and purty like. " 
 
 ' ' She might have said La Gueri- 
 ta, for Harold glanced up suddenly, 
 with flushed face and eager eyes, 
 as if he had heard a well-known 
 sound. His mother caught his eye, 
 and put her finger on his lip, and 
 he colored more than ever with the 
 effort to keep silence, and looked 
 down in his plate, presently dropping 
 back in his chair, with his eyes fixed 
 dreamily upon the view beyond the 
 cabin-door. He did not move until 
 Roxy had gone and his mother touch- 
 ed his shoulder, saying : 
 
 "What are you thinking of, my 
 darling ? " 
 
 He looked up dreamily. ' ' I can't 
 tell you what I'm thinking of, mam- 
 ma ; it is all mixed up. But, oh, 
 mamma ! " he continued, clasping 
 his arms around her neck, excitedly, 
 ' ' I know I've seen that gentleman 
 before. I know I've seen that black 
 man. " 
 
 "The gentleman is not black," 
 corrected La Guerita, gravely. 
 
 ' ' He is as black as you are, and 
 a great deal blacker than I am, " pro- 
 tested Harold ; ' ' and if we are call- 
 ed black, I don't see why he shouldn't 
 be!" 
 
 "But no one calls us black," said 
 La Guerita, her heart sinking, as she 
 remembered that she had herself sub- 
 jected her sensitive child to the possi- 
 bility of such an insult. 
 
 ' ' Oh, don't they, though ? '' he 
 cried, in an aggrieved tone. ' ' Miss 
 Matilda is always calling me a little 
 nigger ; and Mass Rufe is always 
 calling out : ' Here, little nigger, run 
 and fetch my ball ! ' ' Say, blackee, 
 go get my bat ! ' Miss Matilda call- 
 ed me a black imp the other day, 
 and I said I wasn't black ; and she 
 said, yes, I was the worst kind of 
 black. So then I told her, I guess'd 
 she'd lost her specs, and didn't know 
 white when she saw it without them ; 
 and then I ran I just did ! " 
 
 "Oh, Harold, how could you be 
 so impertinent ? " 
 
 ' ' Oh, that ain't anything ! " he 
 answered, quite unabashed ; ' ' we 
 don't care for old Miss 'Tilda, except 
 when she pokes us with a stick. " 
 
 La Guerita could not refrain from 
 smiling at the grimace which accom- 
 panied these words : but a few min- 
 utes later she left the child with a 
 heavy heart, and went to the school- 
 room the weary treadmill to which 
 she was self-condemned. 
 
 She had been there but a short 
 time, and was leaning over Rufus, 
 explaining some difficult passage in 
 French, when, looking up, she saw 
 Claude Leveredge leaning idly upon 
 the sill of the open window. He 
 
I2 4 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 was looking upon the group smil- 
 ingly and carelessly, with the air of 
 one quite at home. He nodded gay- 
 ly, tapping the ashes from his cigar, 
 and holding it out at arms length, 
 that the smoke might not enter the 
 room. 
 
 1 ' What a nice school-room you 
 have here/' he said, addressing the 
 children rather than La Guerita; "it 
 seems very cool and pleasant." 
 
 ' ' 'Tisn't a bit pleasant, " growled 
 Rufus. ' ' I just wish you had to sit 
 here all day long, as we do. " 
 
 Claude laughed, and looked at La 
 Guerita, as if he should like to learn 
 her opinion of the plan, but merely 
 said : 
 
 "It seems to me you're a pretty 
 big fellow to be here, Rufe ; you're 
 nearly fourteen, ain't you ? Why does- 
 n't your father send you to school ? " 
 
 ' ' Oh, because papa thinks Rita can 
 teach us everything ! " replied Rufus, 
 in a surly tone. 
 
 ' ' Papa knows that she can do very 
 well by us for another year, " explain- 
 ed Alfred, ' ' and then we are to go to 
 Chapel Hill, if the College is still 
 open. " 
 
 "Say, cousin Claude," interrupted 
 Minna, ' ' where have you been this 
 long time ? " 
 
 ' ' I have been in England and 
 France, Miss Inquisitive Puss, and, 
 by the way, I have brought you the 
 most beautiful dress from Paris you 
 ever saw in your life. " 
 
 Minna sprang up in a transport of 
 delight, exclaiming: "Oh, cousin 
 Claude, how good you are. " 
 
 / ' It seems to me, " responded the 
 good cousin, "that your discipline is 
 not very strict. " 
 
 ' ' Oh, yes it is ; Miss Rita makes 
 
 us behave, and I'm sure she doesn't 
 want you here. " 
 
 Claude Leveredge looked at La 
 Guerita most earnestly for a moment, 
 a slight flush passing over his brow, 
 which deepened to a crimson as 
 Minna exclaimed : "I say, cousin 
 Claude, I heard Mr. Rathburn tell 
 pa you were married. You weren't, 
 were you? " 
 
 He started from his lounging po- 
 sition, and then burst into a loud 
 laugh. ' ' Well, that is a good joke, " 
 he exclaimed ; { ' why, Minna, I am 
 waiting for you. " 
 
 ' ' Are you ? " said Minna, inno- 
 cently ; ' ' why, I thought it was 
 Adela ; but anyhow, I'm glad you're 
 not married. " 
 
 Claude Leveredge turned away, 
 but Rufus called him back, saying : 
 ' ' Look here, cousin Claude, are you 
 going to join the army ? " 
 
 1 < Can't say, I'm sure, " he returned, 
 carelessly ; ' ' You know the Yankees 
 might shoot me if I did." 
 
 "Coward ! " ejaculated Rufus, con- 
 temptuously. 
 
 His cousin looked at him with an 
 amused smile. "I'll give you a 
 pair of spurs, my young knight, when 
 you go, " he said. 
 
 " You may be called upon to keep 
 your promise, " returned the boy, his 
 cheeks flushing redly ; ' ' Mr. Gordon 
 told me the other day that even my 
 young hands might be called into 
 action before the independence of 
 the South is achieved." 
 
 ' ' I think it very likely, " responded 
 his cousin, drily. 
 
 " I don't believe you are going to 
 the war, cousin Claude," exclaimed 
 Minna, ' ' for you don't talk like it ; 
 and besides, you havn't got on a gray 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 125 
 
 coat all covered over with gold lace. 
 I say, is my dress red and white? 
 Oh, I'll just lave it if it is, but I shan't 
 wear it if it's got any blue on it. But 
 I'll be glad if you don't go to the war ; 
 I want you to stay home with us. 
 How long are you going to stay, 
 cousin Claude ?" 
 
 He looked steadily at La Guerita 
 as he replied deliberately : "I shall 
 stay until the work I have found to 
 do here is accomplished ; yes, until 
 that business is completed to my sat- 
 isfaction. " 
 
 ' ' I didn't know you had any 
 business," replied Minna, naively; 
 ' ' Twas only this, morning I heard 
 Aunt Matilda say you hadn't a bit of 
 business in the world. " 
 
 ' ' I was of the same opinion once, " 
 he answered laughing, yet glancing 
 stealthily at La Guerita, "but last 
 night I found I had still a great deal 
 to do, and I mean to stay until it 
 is completed yes, until it is com- 
 pleted." 
 
 He nodded, smiled, and walked 
 away whistling a lively air, as if in 
 the most hopeful mood, and La Gue- 
 rita in soul bent down and raised the 
 gauntlet of defiance he had cast at her 
 feet. 
 
 She was inexpressibly relieved when 
 he passed out of sight and hearing. 
 For a few moments during which 
 the hum of the children's voices was 
 rising and falling indistinctly around 
 her she stood motionless, thinking 
 that her application to Mr. Holmes 
 would be in vain, and shuddering at 
 the remembrance of the invincible 
 face Claude Leveredge had turned 
 toward her when he said he would 
 stay at Holmsford until his business 
 was completed. 
 
 It seemed to her that the morning 
 would never pass. She looked so 
 pale and haggard that the children 
 often asked if she were sick'. She 
 was glad for the sake of quiet to say 
 that she was, and indeed she spoke 
 truly, for her veins were filled with 
 fever and her temples throbbed un- 
 ceasingly with the terrible anxiety 
 that was each moment growing more 
 intense. 
 
 She thanked God when twelve o'- 
 clock came, and unable longer to 
 restrain herself, hurried to the house 
 and asked for Mr. Holmes. He was 
 alone in a small study or office, in 
 which he usually transacted the bus- 
 iness of the estate. 
 
 He was writing as she softly en- 
 tered the room, closing the door after 
 her, and leaning against it for sup- 
 port. 
 
 "Well, Rita," he said, glancing 
 over his shoulder carelessly, and con- 
 tinuing his writing, "children been 
 troublesome to-day ?" 
 
 She advanced a step into the room, 
 turning very faint and dizzy, as she 
 stammered : " I beg your pardon for 
 disturbing you, Mr. Holmes, but 
 but I would like to speak to you on 
 on an important subject." 
 
 She would have given worlds to 
 have been able to speak in her usu- 
 ally calm tones, but Mr. Holmes 
 seemed to take no notice of her con- 
 fusion, but merely looked at her 
 inquiringly. 
 
 ' ' I wish to ask one question, sir, " 
 she continued, summoning all her 
 courage ; ' ' Am I really a slave ? " 
 
 "Why, good God, yes." 
 
 She shuddered. ' ' That is dreadful, " 
 she said ; ' ' but oh, Mr. Holmes, 
 answer me once more, did you not 
 
126 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 think me insane when I offered to 
 become a slave ? " 
 
 Mr. Holmes colored and bit his 
 lips nervously. ' ' Why do you ask ?" 
 he said ; ' ' what can that matter to 
 you now ? " 
 
 ' ' Oh, sir, " she said, earnestly, ' ' it 
 matters much. I have come to you 
 now to tell you that you were right. 
 I was mad! Oh, terribly, terribly 
 mad ! But now, by the peace, the 
 discipline, the healthful toil I have 
 found here, my reason has been mer- 
 cifully restored to me. " 
 
 ' ' Do you wish me to believe that 
 up to this time you have been a mad 
 woman?" asked Mr. Holmes, coldly. 
 
 "Mad on that one subject, yes/' 
 replied La Guerita, excitedly. 
 
 ' ' On what subject ? " 
 
 ' ' Oh, sir, you must know. Upon 
 that of making atonement for the evil 
 my birth had wrought. Ah, well I 
 know now that such atonement was 
 impossible, and that it was never re- 
 quired of me, and that all I could 
 hope to make could only make the 
 evil greater. " 
 
 "What do you wish me to under- 
 stand by all this ?" asked Mr. Holmes, 
 after a pause, in a voice that would 
 have been trivial had the matter of 
 discussion been trivial. 
 
 La Guerita was fearfully excited, 
 but she strove to control herself. She 
 clenched her hands and drew her 
 lips against her teeth in order to 
 speak firmly. "It is right that I 
 should speak to you plainly," she 
 said ; "it was very easy for me, in 
 my madness, to entreat to become 
 your slave ; I scarcely know why it 
 is so hard for me now to beseech you 
 for my freedom." 
 An expression of displeasure, which 
 
 he vainly endeavored to change to 
 surprise, rested upon the face of the 
 planter as he looked upon the sup- 
 pliant. 
 
 ' ' You surprise me, Rita, " he said ; 
 ' ' I thought you had considered the 
 matter well before you entered into 
 slavery. " 
 
 He arose and took a parchment 
 from a small tin case. ' ' I suppose, " 
 he said, "you recognize this ? " Do 
 you not also remember the words in 
 which you promised to become my 
 slave, and that of my heirs, for life ? " 
 
 "You will not hold that bond 
 against me ? " she queried, in faltering 
 tones. 
 
 "I wish to hold nothing against 
 you, " he answered, quietly ; ' ' there 
 is, in fact, no need to do so. Your 
 emancipation papers are in Mr. Gor- 
 don's hands. You see I merely wish 
 to remind you that you are lawfully 
 my slave, and that I have as much 
 right to you as to that boy I bought 
 of a speculator, and gave a thousand 
 dollars for, last week. " 
 
 For a moment she was dumb, 
 then she cried mournfully : " I do 
 not dispute your right to hold me in 
 bonds, Mr. Holmes ; but I entreat 
 you to release me." 
 
 ' ' I cannot do it, Rita. There, 
 now, let that answer suffice. " 
 
 La Guerita had half expected this 
 answer, yet it stunned her, and after 
 a few moments she said, calmly : 
 " Will you tell me why you deny me 
 my freedom, Mr. Holmes ?" 
 
 " What a question ! " he returned, 
 angrily. ' ' Had you better not call 
 in all my field-hands, and bid them 
 ask me why I will not give them their 
 freedom. Rita, I with thousands of 
 others, am maintaining a principle ; 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 127 
 
 I have sworn never to free a slave, 
 and I will not free you. " 
 
 ' ' Sell me, then, " she cried ; ' ' sell 
 me to my friends to those who will 
 buy me at any price. Set some price 
 upon me, and let me buy my .free- 
 dom." 
 
 " I can't do it," answered Mr. 
 Holmes, flushing to the temples, 
 ' ' the principle would be the same as 
 if I freed you at once. Besides, " he 
 added, deliberately, "you see, Rita, 
 you'll excuse the phrase, one never 
 knows exactly how to speak to you 
 you are a fancy article, not easily 
 found in the market, and the truth is, 
 I wouldn't sell you at any price ; to 
 prove that, I'll tell you that I refused 
 four thousand dollars for you, offer- 
 ed by Judge Gaylord only last week. " 
 
 La Guerita staggered blindly into 
 a chair, thinking this must be the 
 worst degradation that could fall up- 
 on her. 
 
 ' ' Oh, don't let that trouble you, " 
 said Mr. Holmes, reassuringly ; ' ' now 
 you know my thoughts, don't worry 
 any more about freedom. Consider 
 the matter settled, and go back to 
 your work like a good girl. Re- 
 member that I tried to dissuade you 
 from entering into slavery, but w-hat 
 has been done is now irrevocable. " 
 
 ' ' Irrevocable. " It seemed to La 
 Guerita the word of doom. It level- 
 ed all the little pride that had hither- 
 to sustained her, and throwing her- 
 self upon her knees, she entreated 
 him by all things sacred in earth and 
 heaven to set her free. But all was 
 vain. 
 
 ' ' I can do nothing for you, " he 
 said ; ' ' rise, and calm yourself, you 
 will remain my slave until death, or 
 the fate of war releases vou. I have 
 
 put it out of my power to move in 
 the matter." 
 
 She arose, quivering with excite- 
 ment, and fixing her burning yes 
 upon him, cried : ' ' It is false ; you 
 could free me if you would. Your 
 word of honor is nothing. You, 
 yourself, offered to restore my free- 
 dom, should I ever desire it. Though 
 I was mad, I remember that. But 
 though I am your slave, my boy is 
 not. You have no right to hold 
 him. Send him North to his lawful 
 guardians. " 
 
 Mr. Holmes seemed startled. 
 
 "Prove him free," he cried, pant- 
 ing with anger ; ' ' prove him free if 
 you can." 
 
 "I will," she replied ; "his 
 guardians shall be here to rescue 
 him and me, before your cowardly 
 soul has time to grow calm again. 
 Norton Holmes, I warn you that I 
 was mad when I entered into bonds, 
 and consequently not responsible for 
 what I did, and that you are detain- 
 ing a free woman and her child in 
 slavery. Ay, and when the time 
 comes, which will soon be here, 
 when I can prove this before the 
 w r orld, you will rue the day when 
 you denied my prayer for freedom. " 
 
 Norton Holmes turned toward her, 
 livid with ungovernable rage. "If 
 you have ever been mad," he cried, 
 furiously, "you are mad now. I 
 should be rather justified in giving 
 you a straight-jacket than your free- 
 dom. Go. " 
 
 She obeyed, and a moment later 
 Claude Leveredge entered the study 
 from an inner apartment. 
 
 "Bravo, uncle," he cried, "you 
 did that splendidly. " 
 
 ' ' Gordon foresaw that this would 
 
128 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 come/' he replied, wiping his fore- 
 head, excitedly. "I did take that 
 oath that I told her of one day, but I 
 should surely have broken it but for 
 what you told me this morning. 
 Good God ! what times we have 
 fallen upon, when even one's most 
 private actions may serve to con- 
 demn him of treason ! " Tis all 
 Adela's fault, " he added ; ' ' she won't 
 listen to reason. 'Tis a pity, though, 
 that that poor soul has to suffer for 
 it." 
 
 ' ' Tut, tut, you couldn't have spared 
 her, anyway. Look at her now. " 
 
 He drew Mr. Holmes to the win- 
 dow, and both looked at La Guerita 
 DeCuba as she passed on to her 
 cabin. 
 
 "There is a frightful despair in 
 ' the droop of her head, the fall of her 
 hands, and in the very motion of her 
 limbs as she walks," he muttered, 
 ' ' that shows her incapable of resist- 
 ance. " 
 
 ' ' She looks sad, " said Mr. Holmes. 
 
 "Oh, yes," said Mr. Leveredge, 
 turning away indifferently, ' ' but like 
 all of her race she is incapable of 
 lasting emotion. But never mind 
 her now, I want to talk to you about 
 business. You have the idea that I 
 am ruined, but I can prove to you 
 very satisfactorily that I am better off 
 now than I have ever been before. 
 Europe, after all, is not a bad place 
 to go to when you have luck on your 
 side, and I can assure you that I had 
 it, though I cared very little for it. " 
 ' ' Having but yourself to care for. " 
 ' ' Of course. " 
 
 ' ' Well, well ; I suppose you know 
 your own business best, Claude, but 
 it would be a comfort to me if you 
 would settle down. " 
 
 ' ' I mean to, uncle. Look here ! " 
 said Claude Leveredge, lighting a ci- 
 gar and spreading some papers upon 
 the table. "I see you're uneasy 
 about Rita. Well, if you're anxious, 
 we can ask the children when they 
 come in." 
 
 But when the children came they 
 had nothing to report of their govern- 
 ess, though they were laughingly in- 
 terrogated by Claude, who teazed the 
 boys unmercifully for allowing them- 
 selves to be taught by a woman at all. 
 
 After tea he sat upon the piazza for 
 some time, evidently in deep thought, 
 although he endeavored to take part 
 in the conversation. He sprang up 
 suddenly, saying he would smoke a 
 cigar in the shrubbery, and strolled 
 slowly out of sight. A few moments 
 later Miss Holmes came out of the 
 house and asked for him, and being 
 told where he had gone threw a light 
 shawl around her, and went to seek 
 him. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 " Most other passions have their periods of fatigue 
 and rest their sufferings and their cure; but obsti- 
 nacy has no resource, and the first wound is mortal." 
 
 Johnson. 
 
 BUT well as Miss Holmes was ac- 
 quainted with ever)- nook of the gar- 
 den, she sought her cousin for some 
 time in vain, and was at last stand- 
 ing, in some perplexity and annoy- 
 ance, upon one of the most secluded 
 paths, just without a circle of roses, 
 which were so thickly set as to be im- 
 penetrable except at one point, when 
 she heard voices, which she immedi- 
 ately recognized as those of Claude 
 Leveredge and La Guerita DeCuba. 
 
 Her first impulse was to leave the 
 spot as quietly as she came, and her 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 129 
 
 second to put aside some sprays of 
 foliage and see what attitude those 
 two, who had been all day in her 
 thoughts, held toward each other. 
 She was conscious of a feeling of 
 shame as she bent to the task ; but 
 she could not draw back. She be- 
 held them quite plainly even in the 
 dim starlight, and at the first glance 
 saw that she had been wrong that 
 the white slave was not the tool of 
 her cousin, and that she regarded 
 him, not as a lover, but as her bitter- 
 est enemy. 
 
 They wer.e standing almost at the 
 center of the circle of rose-bushes. 
 La Guerita was facing her ; and Miss 
 Holmes saw without hindrance that 
 her face was deadly pale, and that she 
 was panting for breath, as if she had 
 vainly striven to wrest her hand from 
 that of Claude Leveredge, who was 
 standing beside her, with his hat 
 pushed back from his brow, and his 
 eyes shining defiantly from under 
 his meeting brows. His cigar was 
 * smoldering at his feet, and he was 
 muttering between his teeth : ' ' Don't 
 attempt to move, La Guerita ! Be si- 
 lent ; how could you explain your ap- 
 pearance here ? " 
 
 ' ' Let me go ! I know not what 
 evil chance brought me here ? " cried 
 La Guerita, passionately. 
 
 1 ' Don't say an evil chance, " said 
 Leveredge, gently ; ' ' the chance will 
 lead only to good, if you will listen 
 to me." 
 
 1 ' Let go my hand ! " she cried, 
 fiercely. 
 
 ' ' No, no ! " he returned ; " I am 
 determined to speak to you. " 
 
 ' ' Speak, then ! For Heaven's 
 sake speak, and let me go ! " 
 
 Before she could divine his inten- 
 17 
 
 tion he seized her other hand, and, 
 bending down, looked full in her 
 face, as he said : "La Guerita, I 
 thank God that I can hold your 
 hand once more." 
 
 ' ' Ah, you thought me dead ? " 
 
 ' ' How could I think otherwise ? " 
 he returned ; ' ' how could I dream 
 you were here ? Oh, La Guerita, I 
 thought I should have gone mad 
 when I heard that you had killed 
 yourself. " 
 
 "Did Fabean believe that ?" she 
 asked, in a faltering voice. 
 
 " I believe so. They traced you 
 as far as New York ; then, when no 
 more was to be discovered, was it un- 
 natural for them to suppose that the 
 waters of the bay covered you ? I 
 knew nothing of it until I went to 
 Ellisville, two months ago, intend- 
 ing, if you lived, to see you and tell 
 you how r terribly Harold's death af- 
 fected me. Good God, La Guerita, 
 I never meant to kill him ; I swear 
 that I did not." 
 
 He paused, but La Guerita made 
 no reply ; and he presently continu- 
 ed : "I went to Ellisville, and put 
 up at a quiet hotel, w^here I was not 
 known, and late in the evening, be- 
 fore, however, asking any questions, 
 I strolled over to Enola. Everything 
 was in perfect order. There was no 
 appearance of desolation either about 
 the house or grounds, and yet all 
 seemed strangely still. I noticed that 
 the doors and windows were shut, 
 and as I passed through the garden 
 I asked a man who was watering the 
 flowers if Mrs. DeGrey was at home. 
 By the way he stared at me I knew 
 that the question was a strange one 
 for him to hear. I repeated the ques- 
 tion, thinking you might have chang- 
 
130 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 ed your residence. ' You can't have 
 heard the news, sir ! ' said the man ; 
 ' you can't know that Mrs. DeGrey 
 and her son were lost, a month after 
 the master died ? ' I must have ask- 
 ed him some questions, though I 
 have no idea what they were. It 
 seemed to me that I was going mad 
 as the man told me of your flight, 
 and of the search made by poor Fa- 
 bean and Victor for you. 'You 
 seem all struck of a heap,' said the 
 man, in conclusion, ' and surely 
 'twas a dreadful thing. She seemed 
 crazed like, did missus, after her 
 husband's death, and drowned the 
 boy and herself, I make no doubt. 
 But no body das'nt say that to the 
 family, though they must think it 
 themselves. I am feared that the 
 house that they're always a airin' and 
 dustin' for her will fall about our ears 
 before either the widow or her child 
 come back to claim it. ' " 
 
 Miss Holmes listened entranced to 
 her cousin's words, and her own eyes 
 filled as she saw the tears coursing 
 down La Guerita's white cheeks. 
 
 ' ' I don't know how I moved from 
 that spot, La Guerita, or reached my 
 hotel/' continued Leveredge, "but I 
 remember that the first thing I saw on 
 entering my room was a brace of pis- 
 tols. I took them in my hand ; the 
 charges had been withdrawn if not, 
 upon the impulse of the moment, I 
 should have shot myself. I believe 
 that I was mad that night. I went 
 down to the shore and walked up and 
 down, cursing the hour that I was 
 born, or upon which I first saw you. 
 La Guerita, I had done worse than 
 murder for you, and then then all 
 seemed lost ! 
 
 "La Guerita, 'twas love for you 
 
 that had taken me back, not remorse, 
 as I had fancied. Ah, you should 
 have been my wife ! You know it ! 
 you know it ! " 
 
 "I should have been no man's 
 wife, " she said, weeping still. 
 
 "Yes, La Guerita, you should 
 have been mine. DeGrey was not 
 worthy of you I knew that from the 
 first ; but I misjudged him even then, 
 for I thought his pride would triumph 
 over his love, and that he would put 
 you away from him when he knew 
 your birth. After that, La Guerita, 
 if indeed he did not at first, I meant 
 by threats of public exposure to make 
 him divorce you, and then, La Gue- 
 rita, how proudly would I have ele- 
 vated you to your right standard again, 
 for I would have married you in spite 
 of all." 
 
 La Guerita looked at him scorn- 
 fully. ' ' My husband died before he 
 dreamed of abasing me," she said. 
 ' ' Claim no credit for magnanimity or 
 knowledge of human nature either. 
 Oh, how shallow was your plot ! % 
 Harold would have protected me, 
 have loved me, in spite of public 
 scorn, if he had been possessed of 
 physical strength to withstand your 
 fatal letter. He would never have 
 repudiated me, and if he had, do you 
 think I should have turned to you 
 for comfort ? " 
 
 ' ' It matters not now what I 
 thought," returned Claude Lever- 
 edge, gloomily. "Enough that all 
 my plans failed. I gave up all hope 
 of them when I heard that DeGrey 
 was dead. I would have given worlds 
 then to have recalled what you call 
 my fatal letter. I determined to save 
 you, if possible, from its perusal. 
 For some reason I had the idea that 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 it had been placed in the library. I 
 crept in at the window and broke 
 open the secretary. You entered the 
 room, and, unable to face you, I fled. 
 You closed and barred the windows, 
 and I walked up and down beneath 
 them in agony, knowing that you 
 were reading the accursed words. I 
 would have given my life to have 
 spared you. In the morning I heard 
 that you were in a raging fever, and 
 later, that you could not live. I came 
 South with the haste and fury of a 
 madman I was little else then and 
 finding no peace, I ordered everything 
 to be sold and sailed for Europe, 
 without going to Ellisville, because I 
 thought that you were surely dead, 
 and that it would kill me to hear it. 
 Almost the first person I met in Liv- 
 erpool was your brother Fabean. He 
 had heard of DeGrey's death, and 
 anxious to hear of you from any 
 source, questioned me. I thought 
 the very sound of your name would 
 kill me ! I wonder Fabean did not 
 see my horror and remorse, but he 
 was always an easy fellow and was 
 more overcome by his own emotions 
 than mine. I meant to go to Italy, 
 and live in the strictest seclusion, 
 but something took me to France in- 
 stead. I threw myself into the vortex 
 of Parisian dissipation, and for a time 
 drowned, though I could not destroy, 
 my agonies of passion and remorse. 
 Then reverses came. I awoke to a 
 sense of what I had done. I was 
 maddened again, and although my 
 luck returned, my stupor of mind did 
 not, but I lost my remorse and hope 
 arose within me. Each day my 
 wealth increased. To leave Paris was 
 to stamp myself a villain, but nothing 
 could hold me back. I was posses- 
 
 sed with the idea that you lived, and 
 I was resolved once more to see you. 
 I took passage for New York, and 
 thence hastened to Ellisville, where, 
 as I have told you, I heard the news 
 of your supposed death. I stayed 
 in Ellisville half mad, I think for 
 more than a month, haunting the 
 places you had frequented. I kept 
 myself aloof from every one, although 
 there was no one there whom I really 
 feared to meet, for Fabean had already 
 entered the army, and Victor was with 
 his mother in Philadelphia. They 
 say the old lady has never recovered 
 from the shock of your flight. I 
 heard they were fighting here, and in 
 utter desperation I decided to come 
 and help the South. Not that I cared 
 for the cause ; that was nothing to 
 me. Excitement was all I craved, 
 and there was something that warned 
 me from Paris, so I hastened here, 
 swearing to lose my life in my first 
 battle. With that resolve I entered 
 these gates last night ; that was in my 
 heart when you entered the room and 
 saved me. Great God ! I never can 
 describe what I felt when I saw you. 
 I think at that moment, so great was 
 the bliss of knowing you to be alive, 
 that if you had been spirited away I 
 could have been content to resign you 
 forever ; but now, La Guerita, that I 
 have had time to think I know that 
 but one thing will satisfy me. You 
 must be my wife ! " 
 
 Miss Holmes started in amazement. 
 She had not dreamed he would have 
 uttered those words. She could 
 scarcely repress an exclamation as 
 she saw him bend a searching glance 
 on La Guerita, and entreat her to an- 
 swer him. But she would neither 
 look up nor answer him, and he al- 
 
132 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 most whispered : "I want you to 
 think of it. It is your only chance 
 for freedom, and you must be free/' 
 
 ' ' Not at that price, " she answered, 
 proudly. 
 
 ' ' You will remember that DeGrey 
 was weak and my temptation great, " 
 he said, imploringly. 
 
 ' ' Yes, I will remember that, " she 
 answered, bitterly. 
 
 ' ' And that I never meant it to fall 
 so hard upon DeGrey." 
 
 ' ' Yes, I will remember that also. 
 I will remember that you meant the 
 greatest insult and the greatest agony 
 to fall upon me." 
 
 "And the greatest triumph," he 
 returned eagerly ; ' ' the greatest tri- 
 umph, too ! " 
 
 "Was it for that you attempted to 
 abduct my boy ? " she demanded, as 
 if struck by a sudden thought ; ' ' did 
 you intend to hold him as a hostage 
 for me ? " 
 
 ' ' Never mind now what I thought, " 
 he answered, surlily ; ' ' that fellow 
 frustrated me, and gained ample re- 
 venge for the slight harm I had done 
 him, as if I would have hesitated to 
 have put a dozen such out of the 
 world if they had threatened, how- 
 ever innocently, interference with my 
 plans. " 
 
 "How did he do that?" 
 
 ' ' 'Tis not worth explaining now, 
 but listen well while I tell you that 
 your freedom and that of your son 
 both depend upon your becoming 
 my wife, and returning to the position 
 you have forfeited." 
 
 "I care not for that !" 
 
 ' ' Perhaps not, but you hate these 
 bonds." 
 
 " I do hate them ! " she cried, pas- 
 sionately ; " I hate them as the proofs 
 
 of sin and madness. But for you, I 
 believe they would have fallen from 
 me to-day. It was by your influ- 
 ence that Norton Holmes denied my 
 prayer. " 
 
 "I don't deny it," he answered, 
 quietly ; "it was through my influ- 
 ence. But believe me my object was 
 as much a desire to save you from the 
 shame that must attend your return 
 to Ellisville as to keep you near me, 
 though what man would willingly 
 lose sight of the woman he loves? 
 La Guerita, think you that after your 
 wild, almost incomprehensible, con- 
 duct, you will be received as a sane 
 person in Ellisville ? Your best friends 
 will have to shut their eyes to avoid 
 beholding either sin or madness, and 
 the thousand tongues of slander will 
 blazon abroad your story, and tell how 
 your retreat in sorrow was the home 
 of your former lover. I know that a 
 mad desire to fly from all persons and 
 places that you had known in your 
 happiness, that could scorn you in 
 your shame, actuated you in your 
 flight, and also a wild thought that 
 you would confront and denounce 
 the authors of your misery. Unfor- 
 tunately for you, your mother alone 
 remained. Poor uncle Acton would 
 have saved you if he had lived. He 
 would have told you that it was for 
 him to make atonement, and would 
 have sent you back to freedom, pos- 
 sibly to quiet happiness. But it is 
 too late for that now. You cannot, 
 dare not, return to Ellisville. La 
 Guerita, dare you face the court that 
 would decree you worse than mad 
 vile, depraved ? " 
 
 ' ' Say no more, " cried La Guerita, 
 warningly. "I will hear no more ; 
 I will not even think of what you 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 133 
 
 have already said." But the trem- 
 bling of her lips as she spoke betrayed 
 how deeply he had wounded her, and 
 how well she knew she might find his 
 words true. 
 
 ' ' I will say no more, " he returned, 
 gently, ' ' except that there is a way 
 for you to escape all that La Gue- 
 rita, I love you ! I will make you my 
 wife. Come with me ! " 
 
 ' ' Never ! " she cried, striving to 
 escape from his grasp. ' ' Let me go ; 
 for God's sake let me go ! " 
 
 ' ' Not until you promise to think 
 of what I have said, " he returned ; 
 ' ' not until you promise to remember 
 that your freedom, and your child's, 
 depends upon your marriage with 
 me." 
 
 ' ' I know it, I know it ! " she 
 gasped ; I will think of it all ! Let 
 me go ! " 
 
 He released her hands and she 
 staggered back from him in a blind, 
 despairing way. The hedge of roses 
 barred her back ; she looked around 
 a moment wildly, then rushed by 
 Claude Leveredge, who with folded 
 arms stood in the center of the plat, 
 triumphantly regarding her. He 
 drew a deep sigh of relief when she 
 was gone, and presently began to 
 move about the inclosure in a rest- 
 less manner. He lighted a cigar as 
 if from mere force of habit, throwing 
 the burning match over the hedge of 
 roses. It fell so close to his cousin 
 that she started back, and the boughs 
 rustled loudly behind her. So in- 
 tently had she listened to the conver- 
 sation between her cousin and La 
 Guerita DeCuba, and had felt so much 
 astonished thereat, that she had totally 
 forgotten her position until aroused 
 by her cousin's abrupt movements. 
 
 " He will be coming out directly," 
 she said to herself, "and it will never 
 do for him to find me here. Can I 
 creep upon this thick grass to the fur- 
 ther path, I wonder ? Yes, he is too 
 much absorbed in thought to notice 
 the slight noise that I may make. " 
 
 She crept slowly by the circle of 
 roses and gained the path she sought, 
 then rising to her feet cautiously 
 glanced at her cousin, who was still 
 standing within the inclosure, with 
 his face in the direction that had been 
 taken by La Guerita. Following her 
 first impulse Miss Holmes turned in- 
 to another path, and by a circuitous 
 route reached the cabin. 
 
 She stood for a moment upon the 
 steps before knocking at the door, 
 and she heard a cry of passionate 
 despair : 
 
 "Oh, if I had but one friend to 
 help me ! But one friend, my 
 God ! " 
 
 Miss Holmes threw open the door 
 and rushed in, crying : ' ' Oh, Rita, 
 you have a friend ! You have, in- 
 deed ! " 
 
 La Guerita looked at her in amaze- 
 ment that for a moment destroyed all 
 other emotions, while Miss Holmes 
 threw her arms around her and burst 
 into tears. 
 
 She comprehended all then, and 
 her amazement was changed to joy 
 too deep for words. She bowed her 
 head on the shoulder of her mistress 
 they wept together. 
 
 "There, there, don't let us cry," 
 said Miss Holmes, at last, in her usual 
 decisive manner. " Try to compose 
 yourself and tell me your sad story. 
 I have heard it all before, but I could 
 not believe it until to-night. And 
 just think how, in consequence, I 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 have persecuted you. How could 
 you bear it so calmly ? " 
 
 ' ' I don't know, " said La Guerita, 
 ' ' except because all my powers of 
 resistance were gone. But, Miss 
 Adela, don't reproach yourself with 
 unkindness toward me. That first 
 awoke some of my olden spirit, and 
 aroused me from the almost idiotic 
 state in which I entered Holmsford. 
 Indeed, Miss Adela, I thank you for 
 even arousing my resentment. " 
 
 "Don't thank me," cried Miss 
 Holmes, impulsively, "for I acted 
 only from the most despicable mo- 
 tives. I don't think I ever was 
 ashamed of myself in my life before, 
 but I am so most thoroughly now. " 
 
 " Oh, don't say that, Miss Adela." 
 
 ' ' I must say so. I am thoroughly 
 humbled. I have prided myself up- 
 on my judgment all my life, and now 
 I must own myself at fault in every 
 particular. Why, Rita, I have be- 
 lieved you the most designing and the 
 basest of women, simply because I 
 could not understand the agony of 
 grief and shame that seized upon your 
 shrinking soul. " 
 
 "Miss Adela how could you un- 
 derstand it? I myself can scarcely 
 now understand how I was led to the 
 maddest of deeds self-enslavement. 
 You have heard my tale, you say, but 
 it has never been but partly told. 
 You shall hear it all. Had you heard 
 it from my own lips at first you would 
 have known me true. " 
 
 "Don't try to excuse my blind- 
 ness, " exclaimed Miss Holmes. ' * It 
 was willful, purely willful ! Even aunt 
 Matilda believed the tale Asenith 
 Bray told her, but I could not, would 
 not understand. I could not com- 
 prehend why you should come here. 
 
 I learned that by one word from 
 Claude to-night, and in five minutes 
 I learned the whole plot from begin- 
 ning to end." 
 
 "God is indeed good to me!" 
 exclaimed La Guerita, joyfully. ' 'Ah, 
 Miss Adela, how blessed I was that 
 you were near to hear the conversa- 
 tion, for if ever I needed a friend it is 
 at present." 
 
 ' 'And you shall have one, " returned 
 Miss Holmes, emphatically; "you 
 shall see, La Guerita, that I can love 
 as firmly as I can hate, and that I will 
 serve you a thousand times more 
 readily than I have persecuted you. 
 It is well for me that you are in 
 trouble, La Guerita, for if I was not 
 sure of being able to compensate, in 
 part, at least, for the pain I have given 
 you, I should be ashamed to look in 
 a mirror, or own the face it reflects. " 
 
 La Guerita smiled, and Miss 
 Holmes continued : "I am going 
 away now ; if I stay longer my ab- 
 sence will be noticed, and Claude 
 must on no account suspect that I am 
 your ally. Do you put Harry to bed, 
 and when he is asleep I will steal an 
 opportunity to come and hear your 
 sad story. You will trust me with it, 
 will you not ? " 
 
 "I will tell you everything," re- 
 turned La Guerita, readily, yet in a 
 voice of deep emotion, ' ' and although 
 I have sinned I hope you will find 
 excuse for me, as I hope also will He 
 whom I cursed in my madness." 
 
 Miss Holmes listened with a grave 
 and pitying face, and then unbolted 
 the door and passed into the garden, 
 leaving La Guerita to pour forth her 
 gratitude and joy to Him who alone 
 could fathom their depths. 
 
 Miss Holmes joined the group 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 upon the piazza but a few moments 
 after Mr. Leveredge returned from his 
 walk. 
 
 ' ' Have you been in the garden ? " 
 he asked, in a voice of some appre- 
 hension. 
 
 ' ' Yes, " she returned, carelessly ; 
 c ' I went to look for you. Your old 
 uncle George is bed-ridden, but has 
 not forgotten you, and I intended to 
 ask you to go with me to see him. " 
 
 ' ' I suppose it is too late now ; I'll 
 go to-morrow, " he returned ; but I 
 fear you did'nt look for me very 
 closely, though that garden of yours 
 is a place to get lost in. By the way, 
 Adela, I have some choice foreign 
 seeds for you." 
 
 Thank you, Claude, though I really 
 have but little time for gardening 
 now. Papa, do you know Mr. Gor- 
 don says the war is going to last long 
 enough to make it necessary for me 
 to learn to spin and weave ? " 
 
 ' ' I wonder if he supposes you will 
 ever wear homespun ? " asked her 
 cousin, laughingly. 
 
 ' ' Some of the wealthiest ladies in 
 the country are already doing so," 
 said Mr. Holmes. 
 
 ' ' Yes, from principle, " said Miss 
 Matilda ; ' ' like the graduates at 
 Foustville last week, looking like 
 perfect 'guys/ in their checks. I 
 asked them how they happened to 
 trim them with Yankee buttons, 
 and have them sewed with Yankee 
 thread. " 
 
 Claude laughed, and then said, 
 gravely: "Good heavens, what 
 changes a few short months have 
 wrought ! " 
 
 " Ah, yes, yes ! " acquiesced Mr. 
 Holmes, and then began a conver- 
 sation with his wife upon the changes 
 
 which had taken place in the neigh- 
 borhood since the war. His nephew 
 paced the piazza, apparently deeply 
 interested in the conversation, but 
 saying but little, while -Miss Holmes 
 listlessly watched him. At last she 
 arose, said ' ' Good-night ! " and en- 
 tered the house. Each accepted this 
 as a signal to retire ; and at an unu- 
 sually early hour all left the piazza. 
 
 It was not, however, until nearly 
 two hours later that the light disap- 
 peared from Claude Leveredge's win- 
 dow, and that his cousin felt it safe 
 to venture to La Guerita's cabin. 
 
 Then, throwing on a dark dressing- 
 gown, she glided softly through the 
 house and across the garden. She 
 found La Guerita sitting at the door, 
 and after exchanging a word of greet- 
 ing they entered the room together, 
 and sat down in the wide bar of 
 moonlight that lay across the floor. 
 There, half kneeling before Miss 
 Holmes, La Guerita told her tale. 
 
 It was soon told ; but not so soon 
 were Adela's tears dried. She said 
 but little, save to express her sorrow 
 and remorse. ' ' How you must have 
 loved him ! " she exclaimed, when 
 La Guerita showed her the portrait 
 of her husband. ' ' Ah ! La Guerita, 
 I can understand your love, though I 
 still cannot the madness that followed 
 it ; for, my poor child, it is strange 
 you did not remember that the acci- 
 dent of birth could in no way black- 
 en your fair name. " 
 
 "Oh, it was terrible! terrible!" 
 murmured La Guerita ; ' ' think of 
 the power that it gave your cousin 
 over me ; that it gives him now. " 
 
 ' ' It gave him not an atom ! " cried 
 Miss Holmes, excitedly; "but now 
 now, that you are a slave, it gives 
 
136 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 him every power. How shall we 
 wrest it from him ? " Oh, Heaven, 
 how can we save you ? " 
 
 ' ' Oh, if my brother were here ! " 
 sighed La Guerita. 
 
 ' ' I do not not see that his pres- 
 ence would be of the slightest use at 
 present. He is of the proscribed 
 race himself. The moment he set 
 foot upon the soil of North Carolina, 
 Claude would declare him a slave, 
 and the State would claim him as 
 such." 
 
 ' ' Impossible ! " exclaimed La Gu- 
 erita, in a tone of such surprise that 
 Miss Holmes hastened to explain. 
 
 ' ' My father told me, " she said, 
 "when he consented to become your 
 master, that your residence in a free 
 State alone gave you freedom, and 
 that when you returned to North 
 Carolina the State would have claim- 
 ed you had he not taken you under 
 his protection." 
 
 "Then Mr. Holmes forgot to tell 
 you that my father emancipated me 
 by process of law, as a dozen or more 
 of his other slaves were emancipated. 
 Mr. Gordon holds my papers ; my 
 brother's are in my mother's hands. 
 No will save our own could make us 
 slaves. " 
 
 Miss Holmes paced the floor in 
 great anger and excitement. ' ' I have 
 been deceived altogether in this mat- 
 ter, " she said, indignantly ; "I was 
 led to believe that my father took you 
 from pure charity, and in order that 
 you might be spared the ignominy of 
 a public sale ; and now I must bear 
 the shame of knowing that he forged 
 bonds for you. " 
 
 "No, no ; I did that myself," be- 
 gan La Guerita, but Miss Holmes 
 impulsively interrupted her. 
 
 ' ' Nonsense ! you were a mad wo- 
 man, and should have been controll- 
 ed, or humanely delivered. Oh, dear, 
 dear ! I believe my whole life has 
 been a failure ; for its chief aim has 
 been to persuade my father of the 
 evils of slaver}-. I thought I had 
 partly succeeded, and I hated you as 
 much for thwarting my abolition 
 plans for declaring slavery a thing 
 to be desired as I did for the wick- 
 ed plot I believed you engaged in. 
 I see now that I was wrong in sup- 
 posing that I had weakened in any 
 degree my father's pro-slavery opin- 
 ions ; and even if Claude Leveredge 
 had not come, I believe he would 
 still, at your cost, have maintained 
 his principles. It is useless to hope 
 to move him, with Mr. Gordon and 
 Claude both urging him on. You 
 must depend upon God alone to set 
 you free." 
 
 "I do ! " said La Guerita, fervent- 
 ly ; "and, oh, Miss Adela, I know 
 that He who has given me such a 
 friend to-night will do still more. " 
 
 Miss Holmes was silent for some 
 minutes. ' ' You have many friends, " 
 she said, at length ; ' ' many you 
 have not mentioned to me by name. 
 The one that rescued Harry from 
 Claude, for instance ; besides your 
 brother, and Victor DeGrey, and 
 Prof. Harleigh. Tis a pity that your 
 brother must be told all, poor fel- 
 low ! " 
 
 ' f Ah, poor Fabean ! " sighed La 
 Guerita ; ' ' rather than he should 
 surfer as I have done, I would die in 
 bondage, were it not for my boy. " 
 
 "But he must know all," said 
 Miss Holmes, decisively, "and the 
 sooner he does so the better. He 
 might possibly gain entrance to the 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 137 
 
 State and effect your release now; 
 but if there is delay, even that slight 
 chance may be lost. It is worth try- 
 ing for, at any rate. You must write 
 to him." 
 
 ' ' But I doubt if I could send a 
 letter through the post-office," said 
 La Guerita, doubtfully. 
 
 ' ' Of course you could not, " said 
 Miss Holmes ; ' ' your letter would 
 never pass the public office. But I 
 have a friend at Norfolk, in charge of 
 one of the flag-of-truce boats, who 
 has offered to pass any letters for me. 
 For once I will trouble him. Write 
 your letter to-morrow, and I will for- 
 ward it, and we will pray God speed 
 it on its way. " 
 
 ' ' How can I thank you ? " cried 
 La Guerita, in a transport of gratitude 
 and delight ; "you have smoothed all 
 my difficulties away in one sentence. 
 I feel already free ! " 
 
 "Do not be too sanguine," said 
 Miss Holmes, smiling gravely ; "this 
 is but our first effort ; it may require 
 many to accomplish our object " 
 
 "Oh, I am full of hope ! " cried 
 La Guerita ; ' ' you have strengthen- 
 ed me for the contest, Miss Adela. 
 With God's help I shall be able to 
 resist Claude Leveredge until success 
 comes. " 
 
 She bent down suddenly and kissed 
 her sleeping child. ' ' See how beau- 
 tiful he is ! " she exclaimed, exult- 
 antly ; "oh, how proud they will be 
 of him. It seems to me now a mar- 
 vel that his sweet face did not deter 
 me from my act of madness." 
 
 "Be calm," said Miss Holmes, 
 warningly. "Go to bed now and 
 try to sleep like a rational creature. 
 You must husband your strength. 
 What would become of you and 
 18 
 
 your child if you were to allow your 
 excitement to overcome you now. 
 Write your letter to-morrow, and give 
 it to me ; but be careful neither to 
 concentrate your mind upon your 
 hazardous position, or to show, by 
 your manner, that aught has occurred 
 to lessen its dangers. Good night ! " 
 She left the cabin in her usual 
 abrupt manner, but stepped back to 
 
 say: 
 
 You must remember that I 
 
 am a secret ally. It would injure 
 your cause beyond measure if any 
 one should suspect that I have es- 
 poused it. Aunt Matilda likes you 
 merely because she knew of my aver- 
 sion. Unless you wish to bear the 
 sharpness of her tongue, you must 
 endure mine still. " 
 
 ' ' I can bear anything from you, " 
 returned La Guerita, lightly. 
 
 "There is a light in Claude's 
 room, " said Miss Holmes ; ' ' what 
 in the world can he be doing at this 
 time of night ? His nerves are, prob- 
 ably, in a disturbed state. I wonder 
 how long it will take him to quiet 
 them?" 
 
 It seemed to Miss Holmes and La 
 Guerita an hour or more, as they 
 stood in the cabin door watching for 
 the light to disappear. Once Miss 
 Holmes laughed, softly, and then 
 said: 
 
 ' ' I cannot help laughing, although, 
 indeed, poor child, I feel it a sin to 
 draw any amusement from your sad 
 tale but I cannot help smiling, when 
 I think how ridiculous Claude must 
 have looked when that brave young 
 man forced him to drop your boy 
 upon the road. Aunt Matilda would 
 compare him to the hawk that was 
 glad to escape yesterday from an en- 
 raged hen, leaving his prey behind. 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 Do you know, I once used to look 
 upon Claude as a superior being 
 one of those grand creatures, that 
 one reads of in novels, to whom all 
 manner of eccentricities seenv quite 
 proper. I suppose that was because 
 he was dark and somewhat sullen, 
 and much given to quoting choice 
 scraps of poetry on occasions when 
 others would find it difficult to ex- 
 press themselves in the plainest 
 prose. Altogether, he used to be- 
 wilder me. " 
 
 "And me, also," returned La 
 Guerita ; ' ' his influence was, indeed, 
 unlimited over me, until he went to 
 Europe. It seemed a species of mes- 
 merism. He caused me to act, with- 
 out leaving me power to exercise any . 
 will of my own. " 
 
 Miss Holmes mused for some mo- 
 ments, saying, at last : ' ' What a 
 strange story you have told me. Do 
 you know how it would end in a 
 novel? You would rebel against, 
 and strive with, and weep over, this 
 strange spirit, and end in discovering 
 that you had always loved him. " 
 
 La Guerita turned pale, but said : 
 "That with me is impossible, for I 
 have loved another. I am a widow, 
 not a romantic maiden. I am the 
 widow of the man he murdered 
 the mother of the child he made an 
 orphan, and my work is to protect 
 him ; not to strive for the life or the 
 soul of Claude Leveredge. " 
 
 Miss Holmes strove to soothe her, 
 grieved, yet re-assured by her words ; 
 for through all she had not been able 
 to rid herself of the fear that there 
 might be some spark of love for her 
 cousin smoldering in the depths of 
 the woman's insulted soul ; but then 
 she was satisfied. 
 
 ' ' I am getting dreadfully sleepy, " 
 she said ; "I wish Claude was. Ah, 
 Jthere goes the light at last. Now for 
 my run home ! " 
 
 She glided swiftly across the gar- 
 den, and La Guerita soon learned 
 that she had safely gained her room, 
 by the light that for a moment illu- 
 mined its. windows. "God bless 
 her ! " she whispered, softly ; ' ' God 
 bless her noble heart ! " 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 "The mechanic who would perfect his work 
 must first sharpen his tools. 1 ' 
 
 Confucius. 
 
 THE letters to Fabean and Victor 
 DeGrey were not completed until late 
 the following night, for though her 
 tale could be told in a few words, it 
 was difficult for La Guerita to choose 
 them so as to express clearly why she 
 entered into slavery, and the necessity 
 which existed for her immediate re- 
 lease therefrom. At last the task was 
 completed ; the letters were addressed 
 and under cover to the officer at Nor- 
 folk dispatched on their way, and 
 then, as Miss Holmes said, nothing 
 more could be done but to await the 
 result patiently. 
 
 This proved more easy than La 
 Guerita at first supposed possible, for 
 after the interview in the garden 
 Claude Leveredge refrained from in- 
 truding himself upon her, though he 
 usually passed each morning at the 
 school-room window to chat a few 
 minutes with the children. True, 
 the words that he then spoke with 
 apparent carelessness were often full 
 of significance to her, but in her strong 
 hope of speedy succor she bore all his 
 covert prayers and threatenings with 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 '39 
 
 an equanimity that equally surprised 
 and baffled him. 
 
 Still, with all her faith, the suspense 
 each day grew harder to bear. Fears 
 would enter her mind that the letters 
 might fail to reach their destination, 
 that her brother might delay in com- 
 ing, or that in indignation at her 
 conduct her friends might suffer her 
 to remain in the position she had 
 chosen, or might even choose to let 
 her and her child die in slavery rather 
 than blazon her history abroad and de- 
 clare her origin. These last thoughts 
 she dismissed as insulting to the noble 
 heart of her brother, yet they would 
 return, and they haunted her with ter- 
 rible pertinacity and filled her soul 
 with terror as she saw that Claude 
 Leveredge had no idea of giving up 
 his object, or even of leaving Holms- 
 ford. 
 
 A few days after his arrival there 
 he spoke of refitting his own house. 
 
 ' l Indeed, Claude, you should do 
 no such thing, " said his uncle. ' ' I 
 suppose you will go into the army as 
 soon as you decide upon which 
 branch of the service will best suit 
 you?" 
 
 ' ' Oh, of course, " he replied, care- 
 lessly. 
 
 ' ' Then what is the use of fitting up 
 a house that you are not going to live 
 in ? It would be a different thing if 
 you had a wife to leave in it. No, 
 no ; save your money for the war. It 
 will be sure to be needed, and you 
 will be able to do far more good with 
 it than by buying furniture and ser- 
 vants at the present ruinous prices. 
 You know you are always welcome 
 here/" 
 
 "Indeed, yes," exclaimed Mrs. 
 Holmes. "It would be quite de- 
 
 lightful to have you here on a furlough 
 if you should be wounded or any- 
 thing, you know ! " 
 
 "Delightful!" echoed Claude, 
 laughing, and after that it was gen- 
 erally understood that his house was 
 to remain in a dismantled state until 
 after the war, and that he was imme- 
 diately to enter the army. 
 
 But though enlistment was in active 
 progress throughout the country, and 
 though Claude Leveredge appeared 
 most deeply interested in the politics 
 of the day, he made no movement to 
 join the army, although it required 
 infinite tact not to do so and still re- 
 tain his reputation for loyalty and 
 braver)-. But although his conduct 
 gave great dissatisfaction, he managed 
 still to retain the faith of his friends 
 and the community at large, taking 
 no notice of any hints or inuendoes, 
 but spending his time very quietly in 
 riding over his uncle's plantation and 
 his own few acres, and in the perusal 
 of the papers. 
 
 He was engaged in the latter occu- 
 pation one afternoon about six weeks 
 after his return to Holmsford, when 
 Miss Matilda approached the piazza 
 upon which he was sitting, carrying 
 in her hand a little chicken, upon 
 which she was looking with great 
 solicitude. 
 
 "What is the matter, aunt Matil- 
 da ? " he asked. 
 
 " Matter enough, I should think !" 
 she returned, spitefully ; ' ' that out- 
 rageous old gobbler, General McClel- 
 lan has been beatin' Dixie again. I 
 declare the poor thing can never have 
 a bit of peace ! " 
 
 ' ' And what, may I inquire, bears 
 the honorable title of Dixie?" in- 
 quired, Claude, with mock gravity. 
 
140 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 ' ' Why this chicken does ! " replied 
 Miss Matilda. "He broke his leg 
 nearly a month ago ; you see now it 
 is all twisted, and turned straight out 
 from his body. " 
 
 ' ' Why didn't you have it killed, 
 aunt Matilda ? " 
 
 "Killed? Well that is just what 
 might be expected of you, Claude. 
 You never did have the least idea of 
 economy. Why the poor creature 
 wasn't nigh big enough to eat, and so 
 I told them all the time. I do believe 
 if it wasn't for me Norton Holmes 
 would be a pauper in six months. 
 Law me, there's chickens enough die 
 in this place without having them will- 
 fully killed just for a broken leg. " 
 
 "But I don't see what use the 
 creature will ever be, " said Claude ; 
 ' ' it will surely never grow any more. " 
 
 * ' That is just what all the rest of 
 them said ; but I put his leg in 
 splints, though the creetur is always 
 a knocking them off, and I said that 
 if he never grew big enough to be 
 eaten, he would make a first-rate 
 Confederate gauge. " 
 
 ' ' Confederate gauge ! " ejaculated 
 Claude, much to Miss Matilda's indig- 
 nation, bursting into a hearty laugh. 
 ' ' What in the world do you mean by 
 that?" 
 
 ' ' Just what I say, " she responded, 
 tartly ; "I tied his leg in splints and 
 called him Dixie, and I just watch 
 him close and when I see him kick 
 his splints off and droop down, I say 
 to myself, ' You stand a mighty poor 
 chance, Confederacy ;' but when his 
 splints are on all right, and he fights 
 for his corn with the best of them, I 
 say, ' Ah, ah, United States, you had 
 better be lookin' out for your laurels 
 now ! ' " 
 
 ' ' Well, well, if that isn't a funny 
 idea, " laughed Claude ; ' ' and how is 
 Dixie getting on now, aunt Matilda ?' 
 
 ' ' Mighty bad, " she returned, curt- 
 ly ; " all the splints off his leg and 
 one eye pecked out." 
 
 " Illustrative of to-day's news," 
 commented Claude. "The C. A. 
 has met a repulse at Harper's Ferry ; 
 rallied again, however it will be 
 proved to the people a victory next. 
 Dixie has got his splints on again, I 
 see." 
 
 "Yes," retorted Miss Matilda, 
 ' ' and his spurs are growing, too. I 
 heard Will. Russell say the other day 
 that some folks would let their's grow 
 rusty from want of use. " 
 
 "I shouldn't wonder," returned 
 Claude, indifferently ; " it is still too 
 warm to ride much." 
 
 ' ' You look like a delicate young 
 man, Claude," said Miss Matilda, 
 ironically ; "I reckon you're some- 
 thing like George Ware, eh ? When 
 they wanted him to enlist, the poor 
 fellow was suddenly seized with rheu- 
 matism in his back. He suffered 
 powerfully ; none of the doctors 
 could do him a bit of good. I sent 
 him a small, thin sheet of iron, and 
 told him 'twas mighty good for rheu- 
 matism, and if he would apply it to 
 the part affected he would be relieved 
 immediately, and be in no danger 
 from bullets either. Now, you'd 
 hardly believe that the young man 
 didn't appreciate my kindness for a 
 moment, but enlisted the next day, 
 like a fool. I wonder now if he 
 thinks that there's a single chance of 
 that poor, weak chicken maintaining 
 an independent existence ? " 
 
 ' ' Probably he has not the honor 
 of an acquaintance with the illustri- 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 141 
 
 ous fowl, " returned Claude ; ' ' but, 
 by speaking of George Ware, you 
 remind me that his cousin John has 
 taken arms on the other side. He 
 joined a New York regiment just as 
 I left there." 
 
 " He did, eh ? " cried the old lady, 
 sharply ; ' ' and a pretty fellow he must 
 be to fight against his own relations. 
 I always did say he was a triflin', no- 
 account creetur." 
 
 Claude laughed, saying: "You 
 are the first neutral person I have 
 met yet, aunt ; you condemn both 
 George and John. Now, tell me, 
 which side do you like best ? " 
 
 "One's just as bad as the other," 
 she returned, excitedly; "I can't 
 abide either abolitionists or seces- 
 sionists. What do they mean by 
 making such a commotion in the 
 country ? But I've seen this trouble 
 comin' in for a long, long time ; I 
 said 'twould come when I saw the 
 first locomotive tearin' and snortin' 
 through the State. I told 'em it 
 looked like the old Harry, and 
 would be doing his work before 
 long." 
 
 "Why, I don't see what the rail- 
 way can have to do with the war ! " 
 said Claude, in some surprise. 
 
 " It's just had everything to do with 
 it, " retorted Miss Matilda. ' ' People 
 weren't careening all over the country 
 before that; abolitionists weren't a 
 comin' here preachin' their doctrines 
 and makin' the slaves unhappy ; and 
 secessionists weren't a scootin' North 
 with their's. I'll tell you, I'd just 
 like to have a line stretched from 
 Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, and 
 have those fellows strung up, one by 
 one. " 
 
 ' ' I think it would be an excellent 
 
 plan of disposing of them, " acqui- 
 esced Claude; "but I should think 
 it would hardly do for you to make 
 such remarks publicly." 
 
 ' ' I say what I like publicly, " she 
 returned, "and I would just like to 
 see anybody try to stop me from do- 
 ing it Ain't such things as one con- 
 stantly sees and hears enough to 
 make a saint talk ? Ah, me ! what 
 a pity it is we can't go back to good 
 old days, when I was a girl. Folks 
 didn't used to talk about cutting each 
 other's throats for a mere difference 
 in opinion then ; and when they 
 went to bed at night they expected to 
 wake up and find themselves in the 
 same place in the morning. But, 
 for my part, I never open my eyes 
 and tell Roxy to light a fire or a can- 
 dle without waiting a few minutes 
 first to see whether I haven't been 
 spirited off to a place where it 
 wouldn't be allowed. " 
 
 "Or needed," suggested Claude. 
 
 Miss Matilda glanced at him sus- 
 piciously, but found no latent mean- 
 ing in his smile, and she continued : 
 "Speakin' of Roxy, just puts me in 
 mind that I've got her to punish yet, 
 for hiding away that little wretch of 
 Rita's from me yesterday. I just 
 can't abide that child ; and there's 
 Adela makes me wild, a pettin' and 
 fussin' over him all the time. " 
 
 "Yes," said Claude, carelessly, 
 ' ' he and his mother are great favor- 
 ites of Addie's." 
 
 "No Rita isn't," said Miss Ma- 
 tilda, decisively. 
 
 ' ' Oh, now, Aunt Matilda, I know 
 you are not deceived ; you know 
 well enough that Rita is a favorite of 
 Adela's, " returned Claude, flattering- 
 ly. Not that he believed one word 
 
I 4 2 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 of what he was saying, but because 
 he wished Miss Matilda to do so. 
 ' ' Of course, you have noticed how 
 often Addie goes to Rita's cabin, and 
 that she has been dressing her in the 
 prettiest calicoes and most delicate 
 lawns of late and she has looked 
 more beautiful than ever/' he added, 
 sotto voce. 
 
 "So she has ! " said Miss Matilda, 
 suspiciously. ' ' Um ! um ! I guess 
 she learned more than I did six 
 weeks ago. So, so ; that's the reason 
 I haven't seen her doing one stitch of 
 sewing for weeks past. Well, its 
 plain enough she has won that stu- 
 pid, kind-hearted Adela over." 
 
 ' ' Well, I don't see why she 
 shouldn't, " said Claude ; ' ' she was 
 always well enough in her way. " 
 
 ' ' And a nice way that must have 
 been, " said Miss Matilda, in virtuous 
 indignation ; ' ( I always did think 
 that Rita the laziest and craftiest 
 creetur in the world. What in the 
 world Norton can see in her I can't 
 imagine." 
 
 Claude Leveredge smoked his cigar, 
 complacently, making no remarks, 
 but watching with great satisfaction 
 the effect of his few words. 
 
 ' ' There goes Roxy now to sweep 
 out her school-room," continued 
 Miss Matilda, spitefully ; "I always 
 said she ought to be made to do it 
 herself, and she shall, too. Here, 
 you Roxy, tell Rita I want her. " 
 
 Claude Leveredge opened his lips 
 to countermand the order, but paus- 
 ed, anxious to witness the scene that 
 must ensue, and thinking it would 
 certainly turn to his advantage. He 
 sank back in his chair, and quietly 
 smoked his cigar, while Roxy has- 
 tened upon her errand. 
 
 In a short time La Guerita obeyed 
 Miss Matilda's summons, appearing, 
 with down-cast eyes before the old 
 lady and her dreaded companion. 
 
 ' ' I've just sent for you, Rita, " said 
 she, slowly, ' ' to tell you that I am 
 not a goin' to have you trifflin' 
 around in this way any longer. If 
 there's anything in this world that I 
 hate it's a lazy white nigger, and here- 
 arter I'm not a going to have my girl 
 a waitin' on you, and you'll have to 
 sweep your school-room yourself. " 
 
 La Guerita was so thoroughly stun- 
 ned by this attack, from one who 
 had thitherto stood her friend, and by 
 the fact that she was by it so degrad- 
 ed, ruthlessly degraded, in the pres- 
 ence of her enemy, that she could 
 find no words in which to reply. She 
 flushed to the temples, then turned 
 deadly white, and bursting into tears, 
 hurried from the spot. 
 
 Claude Leveredge arose and flung 
 his cigar away, looking after her with 
 a curious mingling of pain and tri- 
 umph. 
 
 ' ' I guess I have let her know that 
 she is to have one mistress here at 
 least," said Miss Matilda, compla- 
 cently. 
 
 ' ' I'd like to break your neck, " 
 muttered Claude, regaining his com- 
 posure with an effort, and- lighting 
 another cigar, while he seated him- 
 self with an air of attention as she 
 continued : 
 
 "I just haven't got a particle of 
 patience with those white niggers. 
 Niggers used to be black in my day ; 
 and even then they weren't worth 
 fighting about. I do think, some- 
 times, when I hear folks talkin' and 
 vowin' they won't give up their pre- 
 cious slaves, that they would be glad 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 enough to do it if they were all like 
 ours always flouring their tongues 
 and makin' believe sick, or some- 
 thing. My goodness, any one would 
 think that a nation of idiots would 
 know better than to fight about 
 them. " 
 
 ' ' But, you know r , both parties con- 
 tend that they are not fighting about 
 them," said Claude. 
 
 * ' Oh, they can contend and pre- 
 tend what they please, I should think 
 I ought to know what they are fight- 
 in* for ! " returned Miss Matilda, dis- 
 dainfully ; ' ' I've watched them long 
 enough. The Southerners were al- 
 ways as jealous and suspicious as a 
 half-jilted lover ; and the Yankees 
 are just like a dog in the manger 
 an uncommonly surly dog, too 
 they won't take the niggers them- 
 selves, or let any one else have 
 them. " 
 
 Claude laughed, and said : ' ' I 
 suppose, aunt, as you think the abo- 
 litionists such terrible fellows, you 
 will go to the grand meeting at 
 Foustville next week : although I 
 scarcely think it will be safe for you 
 to do so." 
 
 ' ' Safe or not, I'm going, " she re- 
 torted. ' ' There, just look at Dixie ! 
 Doesn't he balance himself beauti- 
 fully on one leg ? It's a pity I can't 
 make the other one stay down ; it's 
 always getting in the way, from its 
 horizontal position catches in the 
 bushes and sich and trips him up. 
 The creetur forgets how much room 
 he needs, just as the girls used to 
 when they first began to wear crino- 
 line." 
 
 Claude looked at the wretched fowl, 
 as it hopped painfully away, with a 
 glance of mingled pity and amuse- 
 
 ment. " It is a good thing Gordon 
 is not here, " he said, "for I fear he 
 would greatly disparage your gauge 
 of his pet Confederacy." 
 
 ' ' I should like to hear him at- 
 tempt it, " she exclaimed, defiantly ; 
 "what does Mr. Gordon know of 
 the Confederacy, I wonder ? He 
 simply imagines it to be a place that 
 should be peopled with blacks, and 
 ruled over by himself. You'll see if 
 he don't intimate as much in his 
 speech on Monday ; though if he 
 could find anything new to say about 
 the ' divine institution, ' he'd sell his 
 soul to do it. " 
 
 "That is so !" exclaimed Lever- 
 edge, suddenly starting to his feet and 
 pacing the piazza in great agitation. 
 
 ' ' Yes, " continued Miss Matilda, 
 ' ' that speech will be slavery ! slave- 
 ry ! slavery ! from beginning to end. 
 He will give a history of its divine 
 origin, and prove that the first thing 
 that Adam did when he left the Gar- 
 den of Eden was to take a trip into 
 Africa and capture a negro, that he 
 might eat his bread by the sweat of 
 the slave's brow, in the same gentle, 
 manly manner that is practiced at the 
 present time. " 
 
 "You seem to know the whole 
 ground that Gordon travels over," 
 said Leveredge, laughing. 
 
 " To be sure I do, for he's been 
 walking up and down the same little 
 patch for thirty years or more, and as 
 he has never seen anything on.jt but 
 cotton and niggers he thinks nothing 
 else can flourish there or anywhere 
 else." 
 
 "It is very natural that he should 
 think well of slavery," said Lever- 
 edge, "as by it he has in a great 
 measure raised himself to his present 
 
144 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 position. But, indeed, I think he is 
 crazy on the subject. It was he who 
 persuaded Rita to enter into bonds, 
 was it not ? " 
 
 "I'm sure I don't know," replied 
 Miss Matilda, in a dissatisfied tone. 
 ' ' Nobody ever tells me anything. 
 They pretended when she first came 
 here that she had been a slave all her 
 life, but I recognized her the moment 
 I saw her, and so did you. " 
 
 ' ' Of course, " replied Leveredge, 
 coolly ; ' ' Fused to go to school with 
 her. Uncle Acton asked me to look 
 after her a little, and I did so, but it 
 led to unpleasant results. " 
 
 ' ( I've been watchin' her for some 
 time/' began Miss Matilda, in virtu- 
 ous indignation ; ' ' I've been suspect- 
 ing as much of her for a long time. 
 There's no mistake that still waters do 
 run deep. Well, well, I guess she 
 won't get much chance to deceive any- 
 body here, though I don't know what 
 would become of Norton Holmes if 
 I wasn't here to look after his in- 
 terests ! " 
 
 "And I must not forget that I 
 thought of you when I was in Paris, " 
 exclaimed Leveredge, entering the 
 house, and presently reappearing with 
 a dress pattern of heavy black silk 
 upon his arm, which he had pur- 
 chased a few days before. ' ' There, 
 aunt, I hope you will consent to wear 
 that for the sake of the giver. " 
 
 Miss Matilda was filled with ex- 
 stacy. Claude had reckoned well up- 
 on her great love of dress, and by this 
 timely gift had insured her friendship 
 as long as he could keep up her anger 
 toward La Guerita. ' ' I have got her 
 safely enough now, " he said, as she 
 hurried away to exhibit her present, 
 ' ' and if I fail in my next attack it 
 
 will be no more aunt Matilda's fault 
 than mine." 
 
 He was certainly correct, for no 
 sooner had Miss Matilda shown her 
 new acquisition to Mrs. Holmes, the 
 children and the house servants, than 
 she hastened with it to La Guerita's 
 cabin, where she found her with Har- 
 old upon her lap, teaching him to 
 read. 
 
 "I'd like to know who told you 
 you might teach that child to read ? " 
 she exclaimed. "Don't you know 
 it is against the laws of the State to 
 teach niggers to read. Now you just 
 put down that book and measure the 
 breadths of this skirt, and go to work 
 upon it right away. " 
 
 La Guerita arose quickly, though 
 her cheeks burned and her eyes flash- 
 ed fiercely, and taking the silk in her 
 hand bent on one knee to measure 
 the breadths. 
 
 "Can't you stoop," cried Miss 
 Matilda, sharply. "What do you 
 suppose your back-bone was given 
 you for, if it wasn't to bend it ? I've 
 been makin' up my mind for some 
 time past to give you a good talkin' 
 to!" 
 
 After this prelude she poured upon 
 the astonished La Guerita such a tor- 
 rent of invective and abuse that she 
 quite forgot the source whence it 
 came, and bent before it in dejection 
 as great and real as if Miss Holmes 
 herself had spoken. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 41 Let come what will, I mean to bear it out, 
 And either live with glorius victory, 
 
 Or die. 
 
 Shakespeare, 
 
 FOOLISH as she endeavored to per- 
 suade herself they were, La Guerita 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 could not cast off her feelings of 
 wounded pride and shame, and for 
 sometime after Miss Matilda left her, 
 sat in her cabin in a most dejected 
 mood. Harry at last came in, say- 
 ing : 
 
 ' ' Miss Adela has come home and 
 wants you to go to her immedi- 
 ately. " 
 
 La Guerita obeyed the summons, 
 but upon opening the parlor door 
 was peremptorily ordered by Miss 
 Holmes, who was talking with her 
 cousin, to go up to her bedroom, 
 "For," said she, "I have bought 
 some new books, and intend that you 
 shall use them instead of the miser- 
 able things the children are poring 
 over now. " 
 
 It was nearly a quarter of an hour 
 before she ascended to her chamber. 
 1 ' I thought I should never be able 
 to get away from that tiresome fel- 
 low, " she said, as she carefully closed 
 and locked the door, ' ' and I know 
 by your face that something unpleas- 
 ant has occurred. What is it ? Has 
 Claude been talking to you ?" 
 
 ' ' He has been doing worse than 
 that," returned La Guerita, sadly; 
 ' ' he has in some way turned Miss 
 Matilda against me," and in a few 
 words she related the events of the 
 afternoon. 
 
 "It is very, very annoying," ex- 
 claimed Miss Holmes. "I really 
 think aunt Matilda must be crazy, 
 she says and does such strange 
 things. I positively wish we could 
 prove her so, and send her oft" to the 
 asylum at Raleigh for a time. " 
 
 " Did you call at the E Post- 
 
 Office, to-day ? " asked La Guerita, in 
 a low voice. 
 
 ' ' Yes, " answered Miss Holmes, 
 19 
 
 very gravely, "and this is what I 
 got." 
 
 She gave La Guerita a package, 
 and turned away. La Guerita was 
 prepared for ill tidings, and with a 
 trembling hand drew forth, first, her 
 own letters to Fabean and Victor, 
 and then a note in a strange hand- 
 writing, announcing the death of 
 Miss Holmes' friend, and closing 
 with polite regrets, that from the na- 
 ture of the inclosed communications, 
 the writer thought it his duty not to 
 forward them. 
 
 La Guerita dropped the letters up- 
 on her lap, and looked upon them for 
 some time so hopelessly, that Miss 
 Holmes almost feared the shock had 
 been too great for her reason. 
 
 She knew not what to do or say, 
 but shortly La Guerita raised her 
 head, and with a faint smile, more 
 expressive of despair than a flood of 
 tears would have been, said : " It is 
 all over now, Miss Adela. There is 
 no more hope. I don't think I 
 shall strive any more. If it is the 
 Lord's will that I should be a slave, 
 it is no use for me to fight against 
 it." 
 
 ' ' Oh, we must not be dishearten- 
 ed by the failure of our first enter- 
 prise," said Miss Holmes, cheering- 
 ly, ' ' I have no doubt we shall think 
 of a dozen better projects before 
 long." 
 
 But nothing that Miss Holmes 
 could say cheered her despondent 
 listener. 
 
 ' ' I think I will go to my cabin 
 and think of it alone," she said at 
 length, and not knowing how to 
 comfort her, Miss Holmes allowed 
 her to depart. As she passed the 
 parlor door, Claude Leveredge no- 
 
146 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 ticed her down-cast appearance, and 
 thought, ' ' My pretty cousin has been 
 helping me. I think I may venture 
 to speak to La Guerita, I may never 
 find her in such a dejected mood 
 again. " 
 
 But it was not until late in the 
 evening that he found the opportu- 
 nity he longed for, and even then he 
 was forced to create it. It chanced 
 upon that evening he was engaged 
 to attend a party with Mr. and Mrs. 
 Holmes and his cousin, but so in- 
 tent was he upon meeting La Guerita, 
 that he determined at the last mo- 
 ment to forego it, and under pretense 
 of writing important letters, which 
 he had unfortunately till then for- 
 gotten, excused himself from going 
 with the others, and promised to ride 
 over an hour or Jwo later. 
 
 His aunt disclaimed against this, 
 but he easily silenced her, but could 
 not so readily rid himself of the 
 uncomfortable feeling produced by 
 a glance from Adela's eyes, which 
 met his own, and plainly showed 
 she believed his excuses false. 
 
 Indeed she would even have re- 
 mained at home if it had been pos- 
 sible, but Claude had so cleverly 
 managed that there was nothing left 
 but for her to go, and that without 
 even being able to send a word of 
 warning to La Guerita. 
 
 Claude Leveredge paced the piazza 
 until the carriage was out of sight 
 and hearing, then entering the house 
 he exchanged his light coat for a 
 black one, and putting on a black 
 hat, strolled into the garden, and 
 avoiding the negro cabins, kept up- 
 on shaded paths until he stood be- 
 fore La Guerita DeCuba's humble 
 home. 
 
 " Incomprehensible woman,'' he 
 muttered, "to exchange Enola, with 
 freedom, for this and slavery. " 
 
 He drew nearer ; so near that the 
 whole interior of the cabin was ex- 
 posed to view. Harry lay upon the 
 bed, and his mother was sitting by 
 his side, leaning her chin upon her 
 thin delicate hands, and looking up- 
 on the child with an expression, that 
 declared to the eager watcher all the 
 horror and desolation of her thral- 
 dom. 
 
 He could have wept for her then, 
 had he not loved her with such cruel 
 and selfish passion. 
 
 "Oh, why will she not let me 
 pity, and love, and shield her ? r he 
 muttered, passionately. ' ' Oh, why 
 am I doomed to see yes, to rejoice 
 in the suffering of the only thing I 
 love in the world ? Must she die in 
 this horrible servitude? Will she 
 doom herself to that ? No, no, she 
 must save herself ; she must ; she 
 shall ! " 
 
 He paused no longer for thought, 
 but entered the cabin. La Guerita 
 started to her feet in terror and 
 amazement, for she had supposed him 
 gone to the party. 
 
 Claude Leveredge stood before 
 her, and though he did not even 
 touch her hand, he had almost irre- 
 sistible power over her she could 
 neither move nor speak. 
 
 ' ' La Guerita, " he said, gravely, 
 I passed your door, and saw you sit- 
 ting here, with such a deep dejection 
 upon your countenance, that I could 
 not forbear entering. Oh, La Gue- 
 rita, my love, my love, I would give 
 my life to see you happy again to 
 see your life what it once was. " 
 
 "That life was a flower thrown in- 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 to a coffin," she said, almost uncon- 
 sciously quoting the beautiful words 
 of another. 
 
 He clasped his hand over his brow, 
 with a gesture more expressive of 
 sorrowful impatience than remorse. 
 
 "One flower may be gone," he 
 said, " but the stalk can bear its life 
 again. La Guerita, it must. Love 
 shall awaken it, and you knofv that I 
 love you ! " 
 
 " Yes," she returned, scarcely 
 knowing what she was saying. 
 
 He drew nearer, and said in that 
 low, sweet voice which at times was 
 his greatest charm : ' ' And I cannot 
 forget that I once held you in these 
 arms, and you sobbed forth that you 
 loved me that you would be my 
 wife." 
 
 He paused ; for to his great sur- 
 prise she had sunk into a chair, and 
 was weeping bitterly. 
 
 1 ' You remember it ? " he whis- 
 pered at length, ' ' you loved me 
 then." 
 
 "Oh, Claude, Claude," she ex- 
 claimed, wildly, "I thought so then. 
 Oh, leave me, leave me, I am so 
 wretched." 
 
 For a moment he stood spell- 
 bound as his name burst from her 
 lips, then springing forward he knelt 
 before her, drawing her hands down 
 from her face, and covering them 
 with passionate kisses. "Oh, my 
 love, my love, he cried, ' ' you have 
 then forgiven me ? You will let me 
 make your happiness, as I once des- 
 troyed it ? " 
 
 La Guerita seemed for a moment 
 paralyzed. Her brain whirled. ' ' He 
 has mistaken me ! " she thought. 
 "But he loves me : he will save my 
 child. Oh, Heaven help me, I be- 
 
 lieve I am going mad. Oh, Harold, 
 Harold, Harold ! " 
 
 She sank back in her chair quite 
 powerless, almost senseless, while 
 Claude Leveredge still knelt at her 
 feet. If he had left her then, if he 
 had trusted to the sense of honor 
 which would have controlled her 
 later thoughts, she might never have 
 had power to undeceive him. But 
 he cried : 
 
 ' ' Remember, love, that I did not 
 mean to injure Harold DeGrey. I 
 did not think to attain this happiness 
 only by his death. " 
 
 She sprang to her feet. ' ' This 
 happiness, " she cried. ' ' Good God, 
 what have I done ? Leave me. I 
 am a miserable slave, but never will 
 I be freed by the hand of my hus- 
 band's murderer. Never, never ! " 
 
 He arose and grasped her arm. 
 "What do you mean?" he cried, 
 hoarsely. ' ' Are you mad ? Dare 
 you play me false a second time ? " 
 
 ' ' I cannot be false, " she returned ; 
 ' 1 1 have never loved you. I know 
 not what spirit tempted me a mo- 
 ment since, but I tell you now, 
 Claude Leveredge, I would rather 
 die a slave than be your wife. " 
 
 He made no answer. Great as 
 had been the shock to him, he de- 
 termined to keep his composure, re- 
 membering what high stakes he had 
 often sacrificed by ungovernable ex- 
 citement. He sat down upon the 
 bed, and toyed with the long, dark 
 locks of the sleeping child. La 
 Guerita shuddered as she saw him. 
 Presently he looked up, and said in 
 a voice of inexpressible sadness : 
 
 ' ' You have doomed him ! You 
 will not marry me, and by those 
 words have cast bonds as strong as 
 
148 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 death upon this innocent child. I 
 speak not of you, but of Harold De- 
 Grey's child, the scion of a noble 
 race enslaved forever. " 
 
 She knew that he was acting a part, 
 yet she found it almost impossible to 
 withstand the emotions he excited, 
 until she thought and said : ' ' Adela 
 Holmes loves him." 
 
 "But Adela Holmes is not his 
 mistress," returned Leveredge, im- 
 pressively, adding in a voice as inex- 
 orable as Fate, "but I will be his 
 master. Do you understand me ? I 
 shall take your child from you ; he 
 shall be my slave. " 
 
 La Guerita looked at him hopeless- 
 ly, appalled by the fresh threat. 
 
 " I am in earnest, " he continued, 
 remorselessly. ' ' Think of what I 
 offer you and your child wealth, 
 position, an honorable name. De- 
 Grey himself would have scorned 
 you ; that craven who died because 
 the world could jeer the wife he pro- 
 fessed to love. Yes, he would have 
 scorned you, could he have seen you 
 as I do now. But I I would raise 
 you to the highest pinnacle of honor, 
 slave though you are. " 
 
 The insult stung her, yet it cowed 
 her too. There was silence between 
 them for full five minutes. Lever- 
 edge seemed lost in thought. He 
 paced the room, uttering quick and 
 violent expletives. His passion was 
 culminating. La Guerita saw it with 
 horror, and strove to quiet him. 
 
 ' ' Listen to me, " she said, ' ' and 
 oh, I pray be merciful. If you love 
 me if you repent of Harold's death, 
 and crave forgiveness leave me. I 
 I will not even ask your help, but 
 only that you will leave me and my 
 child to God's own will whether it 
 
 be to live or die. Claude, I cannot 
 marry you ; I feel that my perjured 
 soul would be lost forever if I did. 
 But indeed you have your revenge. 
 I will humble myself even throw 
 myself at your feet, to crave your 
 mercy to entreat you to spare my 
 child/' 
 
 "Fool!" he hissed, madly, "do 
 you think to cajole me with soft 
 words ? No, no ! By Heavens, if 
 you will not be my wife, you shall be 
 a slave ; your child shall be my slave. 
 Have you a care for your good name 
 for that of your dead husband ? 
 They shall be bandied about in men's 
 mouths as the lightest and vilest on 
 earth. Yours will be that of the most 
 unnatural of monsters the woman 
 whose passions led her to enslave her 
 own child. La Guerita, why do you 
 not bid me save you ? Why will you 
 not save yourself even now ? " 
 
 ' ' I cannot, " she said, meekly ; 
 ' ' but God will save me. " 
 
 ' ' You were w r iser once, " he said, 
 laughing harshly. ' ' You said there 
 was no God. We shall see if he will 
 work a miracle for his new devotee. 
 I swear to you that if I leave this 
 room in anger, I go to ruin you." 
 
 ' ' I cannot appease you. " 
 
 He muttered an oath and strode 
 from the cabin. She would have 
 given worlds to have been able to 
 call him back to appeal for mercy 
 once more, but the power was de- 
 nied her. She sank upon the bed 
 almost senseless from excitement, 
 and remained there hours quite mo- 
 tionless, aroused at last by a bright 
 light falling over her. 
 
 She looked up in bewilderment, 
 and beheld Miss Holmes, still in 
 evening dress, standing beside her. 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 149 
 
 She muttered something confusedly, 
 but Miss Holmes said : 
 
 "Try to calm yourself. Try to 
 tell me what has happened. Claude 
 has been here, but what else ? " 
 
 ' ' I cannot tell you yet, " said La 
 Guerita, in a strange, incoherent 
 way, yet aroused by the sight of her 
 friend's tears ; ' ' but why are you 
 here?" 
 
 "I came from Mrs. Rulofson's 
 five minutes ago. I thought mamma 
 would never leave. Claude promised 
 to follow us there, but did not. Oh, 
 I know why he stayed. " 
 
 La Guerita was already calmer, and 
 gave a hurried account of what had 
 passed. 
 
 ' ' I suspected it, I suspected it, " 
 she cried excitedly ; * ' for I went in- 
 to aunt Matilda's room and inquired 
 for him as soon as I reached home. 
 * I believe your cousin is mad, ' said 
 she, 'for, an hour or so after you 
 left for Miss Rulofson's, he suddenly 
 came into the sitting room, wild 
 with excitement, and never minded 
 me no more than if I had been a 
 fly buzzin' in his ears. And then he 
 rushed out and ordered Selim, and 
 
 went off on the M road as if 
 
 pursued by furies. ' ' 
 
 ' ' And did he say nothing ? " ask- 
 ed La Guerita, eagerly. 
 
 ' ' Yes ; aunt Matilda said he mut- 
 tered that he would see him this very 
 night, and that he would have his re- 
 venge. ' From which she thinks that 
 there is a duel to be fought. Ah, if 
 'twas nothing worse that is to be 
 done. What can it be ? What can 
 it be?" 
 
 ' ' God only knows, " said La Gue- 
 rita, helplessly. "Oh, Miss Adela, 
 He knows even why it is good for 
 
 me to be tortured thus. Oh, my 
 God, my God, I am very weary. " 
 
 Inexpressibly affected, Miss Holmes 
 for the first time in her life, bent 
 down and kissed her, saying : ' ' Rest, 
 my poor child, rest ; for He giveth 
 his beloved sleep." 
 
 Then she went out, and silence 
 brooded over Holmsford, while two 
 hearts, in anguish, awaited the com- 
 ing evil. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 THE CLOUDS DARKEN. 
 
 THE next day Miss Holmes was ill, 
 and La Guerita could neither see or 
 hear from her, as both felt the need 
 of circumspection, that neither aunt 
 Matilda or any member of the family 
 might suspect their intimacy. This 
 illness was an additional trial to La 
 Guerita, not only because it prevented 
 her from seeing her friend, but be- 
 cause she knew it had been obtained 
 in her service. 
 
 She could scarcely restrain her joy 
 when Roxy entered the school-room 
 and said that Asenith Bray was in 
 Miss Adela's room, and wished to see 
 her there. She went quickly and 
 gladly, and found Miss Holmes sit- 
 ting in a large easy chair, looking very 
 pale, but not seriously ill, as she had 
 supposed her to be. 
 
 "Oh, it has been nothing worse 
 than a bad cold on the lungs, " said 
 Miss Holmes, as she embraced her ; 
 "just enough to remind one of the 
 necessity of prudence." 
 
 "Thee never had much of that, 
 Adela," said Asenith, after greeting 
 La Guerita, who exclaimed : 
 
 " It is I who am to blame for this. 
 It was not the midnight ride, but the 
 
150 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 visit to my cabin that prostrated 
 you. " 
 
 " I stayed in the garden too long 
 after it, " said Miss Holmes, hoarsely ; 
 ' ' I was so excited that I could not 
 enter the house. I momentarily ex- 
 pected that Claude would come back 
 and do something dreadful. What 
 did happen, Rita ? I scarcely under- 
 stood you that night. " 
 
 La Guerita related all that had 
 transpired. Miss Holmes glanced up 
 in momentary amazement when she 
 heard how La Guerita had been 
 tempted to buy her liberty even at 
 Claude Leveredge's own price. 
 
 "Do not blame her, Adela," said 
 Asenith, gently, noticing the upbraid- 
 ing glance. ' ' Thee has never been 
 a slave ; thee can little imagine how 
 great a boon is freedom. But, La 
 Guerita, I came here to-day to give 
 thee some hope. I know thee needs 
 it. It comes from thy mother. " 
 
 " My mother ! " echoed La Gue- 
 rita, trembling with emotion ; "Oh, 
 Asenith, what have you heard from 
 her?" 
 
 "Sit down and I will tell thee," 
 said the. Quakeress, kindly. "Thee 
 seems weak and excitable, child ; I 
 must stew down some herbs for thee. 
 
 Last week I was in M , and went 
 
 to see thy mother. Poor soul ! she 
 wept bitterly when we spoke of thee. " 
 
 ' ' Poor Another, she tried to save 
 me, " sighed La Guerita ; "she told 
 me I should curse the day I entered 
 into slavery." 
 
 "Ay, and she blessed the Lord 
 when she heard that time had come. 
 Thy slavery hath grieved her sorely, 
 and greatly has she striven with the 
 Lord to show her some way of deliv- 
 erance for thee. At last she heard by 
 
 accident Will. Russell speak of thee. 
 Something led her to believe he had 
 known thee when free. She followed 
 and questioned him, and at last gain- 
 ed thy brother's address and that of 
 thy husband's brother. Even after 
 that she could for a time do nothing, 
 but thee knows she can read and 
 write, and is of a deep and crafty na- 
 ture, and hath made herself a great 
 woman among her race. None fear 
 to intrust their secrets to her, and 
 many go to her for advice, especially 
 those who meditate flight. To one 
 of these she intrusted two letters, and 
 gave him such instructions as enabled 
 him to get into the Union lines in 
 safety. " 
 
 ' ' Are you sure of that ? " inter- 
 rupted La Guerita, breathlessly. 
 
 ' ' Quite sure, " said Asenith, " or I 
 should have told thee naught of this. 
 Thy mother hath in some way gained 
 every assurance of his safety. " 
 
 " Thank God, then I am saved ! " 
 cried La Guerita, fervently. ' ' Fabean 
 will rescue me ! " 
 
 "Asenith always brings glad tid- 
 ings, " exclaimed Miss Holmes. ' ' La 
 Guerita, your faith has not been in 
 vain. " 
 
 La Guerita took the hand of the 
 Quakeress and kissed it, being for 
 some time too much affected to speak. 
 ' ' I wish I could see my /mother, " 
 she said, at length ; "I have not de- 
 served this kindness from her." 
 
 "You shall see her," said Miss 
 Holmes, "as soon as this annoy- 
 ing illness leaves me. I must be 
 careful not to expose myself so much 
 again. I never fancied myself deli- 
 cate before, but indeed of late I have 
 been too much excited to remain 
 strong. And not alone because of 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 you, " she added, quickly, perceiving 
 La Guerita's eyes bent sorrowfully 
 upon her. ' ' And now, thank Heav- 
 en, all anxiety for you may end ; we 
 can defy Claude to do his worst. " 
 
 " Oh, Fabean will surely come ! " 
 cried La Guerita, in a voice she vainly 
 strove to render free from doubt. 
 ' ' He surely will not let me languish 
 here." 
 
 ' ' There's a gentleman down in the 
 parlor, " said Roxy, suddenly entering 
 the room, "and Miss Myra's sent 
 for Rita to go there right away. " 
 
 La Guerita looked blankly at Ase- 
 nith and Miss Holmes, both of whom 
 looked blankly in return. ' ' It is 
 Fabean," was the instant and un- 
 spoken thought of each ; and trem- 
 bling with the joy, the hope induced, 
 La Guerita left the room and hastened 
 to the parlor. She paused for a mo- 
 ment at the door, fearing to realize 
 her fears or destroy her hopes. Then 
 with a mighty effort she turned the 
 lock and passed in. She was quite 
 blinded by her emotions ; she knew 
 she was standing before a gentleman, 
 then suddenly realized that it was one 
 she had never beheld before. The 
 revulsion of feeling was too great for 
 her to bear, and with a faint moan 
 she fell in a swoon upon the floor. 
 
 ' ' Most remarkable ! " exclaimed 
 the stranger, as he raised her in his 
 arms and gazed in amazement upon 
 her beautiful countenance. ' ' The 
 woman is certainly not robust, though 
 remarkably handsome too hand- 
 some, in fact. I am afraid she would 
 not answer Mrs. LeGrand's purpose 
 at all. " 
 
 "Oh, my goodness ! " cried Mrs. 
 Holmes, "you don't mean to tell me 
 that you came to buy her that Nor- 
 
 ton wants to sell Rita ? Do ring that 
 bell for the servants. Oh, dear, what 
 should I do with the children if she 
 were to die ? " 
 
 Miss Holmes and Asenith Bray had 
 heard La Guerita fall, and at first sup- 
 posed that their first idea was correct, 
 but at the sound of the bell and Mrs. 
 Holmes' incoherent speeches Asenith 
 hurried, in much agitation, to the 
 parlor, where she found La Guerita 
 already regaining consciousness, and 
 Mrs. Holmes and the servants in a 
 state of the greatest excitement. 
 
 ' ' To think that Rita is going to be 
 sold, " exclaimed the former. ' ' Ase- 
 nith, only think, Norton is going to 
 sell Rita." 
 
 " Hush, hush ! " exclaimed Ase- 
 nith, greatly shocked ; "it cannot be 
 true. Hush, she will hear thee. " 
 
 "Oh, but it is true," persisted Mrs. 
 Holmes, following Asenith to the sofa 
 upon which La Guerita lay. ' ' I 
 never should have thought it of Nor- 
 ton. He sent this Mr. Reeves out 
 here to look at her this very afternoon. 
 He wants her for a waiting maid for 
 Mrs. LeGrand, of New Orleans. Just 
 think of Norton selling Rita to be a 
 waiting maid ! " 
 
 "Hush, I tell thee," said the Qua- 
 keress, sternly. But it was too late ; 
 La Guerita had heard it all, and 
 springing to her feet, the color flam- 
 ing into her cheeks, she cried : 
 
 ' ' Who dares to speak of selling 
 me ? I will die before I leave this 
 house other than a free woman. " 
 
 ' ' I just knew she would turn this 
 way sometime," said Mrs. Holmes, 
 helplessly ; ' ' she'll put poison in our 
 coffee next, no doubt. These octo- 
 roons always do. " 
 
 "Be calm," said Asenith, in a low 
 
152 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 voice, laying her hand upon La Gue- 
 rita's arm, and striving to draw her 
 away from the startled servants and 
 the amazed. agent. 
 
 "No!" she exclaimed, fiercely, 
 ' ' I will speak ! I will declare that I 
 am held here in bondage against my 
 will that I will die rather than yield 
 to another master ! Oh, Fabean ! 
 Fabean ! " 
 
 She uttered the name of her brother 
 in a despairing way, strangely at vari- 
 ance with the defiant tone of her 
 former sentence. At that moment 
 Claude Leveredge entered the room, 
 greatly flushed and bespattered with 
 mud. He instantly approached the 
 agent and said : 
 
 " My uncle, Mr. Holmes, has 
 
 sent me with all speed from M 
 
 to say that he cannot dispose of the 
 slave in question at the price spoken 
 of." 
 
 ' ' I think I could venture to say 
 the price would be readily increased 
 doubled, if necessary," replied the 
 agent, glancing admiringly at La 
 Guerita. 
 
 That glance infuriated Claude Lev- 
 eredge, but he controlled himself 
 wonderfully well, as he answered, 
 firmly : ' ' No money will buy her, at 
 least at present. But, however, that 
 your journey here may not be in vain, 
 I recommend you to call at Mr. Stan- 
 ley's. He has a girl of whom he 
 wishes to dispose who will exactly 
 suit your purpose." 
 
 The agent looked at La Guerita 
 and hesitated. Claude Leveredge's 
 brow darkened, yet he still restrained 
 his passion, and in a few moments 
 conducted the agent from the room. 
 
 La Guerita was too much aston- 
 ished and bewildered by all that had 
 
 passed, especially by Claude's unex- 
 pected interference in her behalf, to 
 be able for some moments to speak 
 or move. She was recalled to her 
 senses by finding herself alone in the 
 room with Mrs. Holmes and Miss 
 Matilda, the former of whom was in 
 tears and the latter more voluble in 
 her indignation than she had ever 
 been in her life before. 
 
 La Guerita left the room and en- 
 countered Claude Leveredge in the 
 hall. He was leaning against the 
 door-way in a languid attitude, and 
 with a haggard, worn expression 
 which she had never seen upon his 
 face before. Something prompted 
 her to stop and look at him. He 
 turned toward her, saying, almost 
 sullenly : 
 
 ' ' Why do you stop ? Is it to 
 thank me for saving you to-day ? for, 
 by Heaven, that was no acting. I 
 did save you. " 
 
 " I do not doubt it, " she said, sin- 
 cerely, ' ' but why did your uncle 
 think of selling me ? " 
 
 "Because he was either drunk or 
 mad, " he answered, excitedly, ' ' cow- 
 ard and traitor as he is to us both. 
 Dolores told him to-day that she had 
 written to your brother ; -he torment- 
 ed the woman till she even dared do 
 that ; and in his impotent wrath and 
 fright he encountered that agent, and 
 swore that he would sell you. Good 
 Heavens ! I could have killed him 
 when I heard of it ; but I thought it 
 wiser to hurry home, before that fel- 
 low left. He would have given any 
 price for you ; and you and your 
 child would have been hurried off to 
 New Orleans this very night. " 
 
 "Oh, don't speak to me in that 
 way ! " she entreated, quite broken 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 1 53 
 
 down by shame that it was possible 
 for him to do so. 
 
 ' ' You have only yourself to blame 
 that I can do so, " he said ; "and you 
 have your mother to blame for your 
 fright this afternoon. Did you know 
 she had written to Fabean ? " 
 
 ' ' Yes, " she replied, hesitatingly. 
 
 ' ' Ah, well ! let him come ! Do 
 you think he could take you from 
 me? No, by Heavens, he shall 
 not ! " 
 
 She looked at him calmly, but with 
 the calmness of despair. 
 
 "I ask you for the last time to 
 trust me, " he said. ' ' Good God, is 
 not my love surety enough for your 
 honor ? " 
 
 " It is not in your power to marry 
 me," she said. 
 
 He turned deadly pale, and reeled, 
 as he attempted to stand erect before 
 her. "Ah!" she continued, con- 
 temptuously, "that shows me that 
 you would not." 
 
 ' ' I would ! " he exclaimed, re- 
 gaining his composure; "I swear 
 that I would. Come with me, to the 
 North, to Europe anywhere where 
 I can marry you. I ask you for the 
 last time to go with me to go and 
 be my wife. Remember what I 
 saved you from this afternoon. " 
 
 "Remember!" she said, "and 
 this let me assure you, that I no 
 longer act from passion, but from 
 reason, and whatever comes I cannot 
 marry you. " 
 
 She left his presence slowly, and 
 gazing after her in a wild, hopeless 
 way, he muttered : ' ' Then it must 
 be ; I will subdue her, even at that 
 cost. I would have spared her ; but 
 now it must, it shall be ! " 
 
 La Guerita left the house more in 
 20 
 
 wonderment than alarm. ' ' God will 
 send Fabean,'' she said, in faith, 
 ' ' and wherever they place me he 
 will find me out. Even the hand of 
 my enemy He constrains to protect 
 me ; I will not fear. " 
 
 She related what had passed to 
 Miss Holmes the following morn- 
 ing. "Oh, Rita! Rita!" she ex- 
 claimed, "I cannot believe in his 
 good faith, though you, through all, 
 do not doubt it. Remember how 
 your simple question affected him. 
 Indeed, I feel as if, of late, we had 
 all grown utterly bad. My father is 
 different from what he ever was be- 
 fore ; Aunt Matilda, even, is more of 
 a vixen, and Claude's worst passions 
 are developed. I feel myself dread- 
 fully wicked at times," she added, 
 1 the tears gathering in her eyes ; 
 ' ' but, oh, Rita, I am so lonely so 
 wretched ! " 
 
 La Guerita remembered what she 
 had heard concerning the private mat- 
 ters of Miss Holmes, on the memo- 
 rable afternoon when she awoke to a 
 full consciousness of her own abject 
 condition ; but as the subject had nev- 
 er been alluded to by Miss Holmes, 
 she felt constrained to be silent con- 
 cerning it, and said, cheerfully : 
 
 ' ' Yes, I know the war worries 
 you, but the news from the front is 
 inspiriting to-day, Miss Adela. " 
 
 ' ' Oh, as to the war, " she replied, 
 "nothing that occurs can alter my 
 belief as to what will be the final re- 
 sult ; but the end seems so far off. 
 Ah ! there is a knock at the door. 
 Unfasten my hair, or do something 
 as an excuse to stay with me longer. " 
 
 La Guerita obeyed. 
 
 ' ' I am going to see what sort of a 
 hair-dresser Rita will make ; Annette 
 
'54 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 is so clumsy," said Miss Holmes, 
 querulously, as her mother entered 
 the room. " 
 
 1 ' I have told you so hundreds of 
 times," said Mrs. Holmes, looking 
 with childish delight at her daugh- 
 ter's long, waving tresses ; ' ' but you 
 never would agree with me. How 
 becoming that blue wrapper is. 
 Can't Claude come in to see you ; 
 he is dying to do so. Never mind if 
 your hair is down/' 
 
 "But I do mind," began Miss 
 Holmes, when her mother opened 
 the door and gave the invitation 
 which had evidently been waited for 
 in the hall, for Claude Leveredge im- 
 mediately entered, and greeted his 
 cousin with unfeigned affection, se- 
 cretly wondering how La Guerita 
 bore the indignity of being trans- 
 formed into a dressing maid. 
 
 She went on with her work, appa- 
 rently regardless of his presence. ' ' I 
 have been very uneasy about you, 
 Adela, " he said ; "I was very sorry, 
 when I heard you were ill, that I did 
 not go to the party and insist upon 
 your keeping yourself well wrapped 
 during the ride home. " 
 
 ' ' Thank you. By the way, I have 
 never heard the reason of your ab- 
 sence that evening Rita, be more 
 careful Mrs. Rulofson was greatly 
 disappointed. " 
 
 He colored slightly beneath her 
 glance, but answered, readily: "I 
 presume my disappointment was 
 greater than her's ; I can't imagine 
 how I was so stupid as to forget some 
 most important business which I had 
 intended to write about to a friend in 
 Richmond, to whom I at last found 
 it imperatively necessary to telegraph 
 that very night. " 
 
 "Oh, you were always just as 
 careless ! " exclaimed Mrs. Holmes ; 
 ' ' indeed, you were the torment of 
 all surrounding you when you were 
 a boy ; and yet every one liked 
 you. " 
 
 He sighed, and his aunt laughed, 
 gaily, as she continued : "You need 
 not grieve over your lost popularity, 
 for the ladies were quite in despair 
 at your absence the other evening ; 
 you make an impression wherever 
 you go." 
 
 "So the committee said when 
 they asked me to make a speech at 
 Foustville, on Monday," he return- 
 ed, laughing. 
 
 "Yes, and only think, Addie, 
 Claude is really going to make a 
 speech, and we are all going to hear 
 him. I'm sure you will be well 
 enough. Alfred and Rufus, and even 
 Minna, are nearly crazy about it. " 
 
 "You surely are not going to al- 
 low the children to go ! " exclaimed 
 Miss Holmes; "there will be no 
 peace for any one else if you do. " 
 
 "Oh, Rita shall go, also. Claude 
 particularly desires them to go ; don't 
 you, Claude ? " 
 
 Miss Holmes flushed. "Leave 
 the room, Rita," she said, suddenly, 
 scarcely able to repress a glance of 
 intelligence, as she obeyed, rilled 
 with a vague distrust and fear. Why 
 was she to be present when Claude 
 Leveredge spoke in Foustville ? Was 
 it possible that he could find some 
 means to shame or intimidate her 
 there ? 
 
 "That was quite impossible," so 
 she said to herself a hundred times, 
 yet still her fears remained when, 
 hours later, she obeyed a summons 
 to Adela's room. 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 " I don't know what is to be done 
 at Foustville," said Miss Holmes, 
 ' ' but I will certainly be there to see. 
 I tried in every way to induce mam- 
 ma to leave you at home, but, for 
 once, she was quite firm in resisting 
 my whim, as she called it. Of 
 course, Claude rallied me about it, 
 too, or she would have yielded. 
 After all, my first impression, that 
 Claude meditates some step against 
 you is wrong, and may be altogether 
 wrong. At any rate, there is nothing 
 left but for you to go ; and I, too, 
 will be there, if I am even half as 
 strong as I am now. Don't come to 
 my room again unless I send for you ; 
 I have a fancy that Claude is watch- 
 ing us. '' 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 THE CLOUDS BURST. 
 
 THE next two days La Guerita spent 
 alone, free from the cares of the 
 school-room and the persecutions of 
 Claude Leveredge. Therefore she 
 sighed when Monday came, and with 
 a thousand misgivings at her heart, 
 took her place with the children in 
 an open carriage which was to con- 
 vey them to Foustville. 
 
 Miss Holmes had not improved in 
 health as much as she had hoped to 
 do, but according to the determina- 
 tion previously expressed, she took 
 her seat in her mother's carriage, 
 giving as an excuse that she, like the 
 others, must hear Claude speak. 
 
 1 ' And so must I, " ejaculated Miss 
 Matilda, appearing in her most fan- 
 tastic apparel, at the last minute. 
 " Help me in Claude. Oh, law, you 
 needn't lift me quite off my feet, I'm 
 as spry as ever I was in my life. " 
 
 "You'll surely get into trouble," 
 said Claude Leveredge, who seemed 
 at once to get in a restless and teasing 
 mood. 
 
 ' ' I don't care if I do, " she retort- 
 ed ;" but law me, I can't do worse 
 than I did that Sunday Parson Sim- 
 cox preached. *' 
 
 "And what did you do then?" 
 asked Claude, leaning against the 
 door of the carriage, w r hile the serv- 
 ants brought and arranged the nu- 
 merous articles Mrs. Holmes thought 
 absolutely necessary to her comfort ; 
 ' ' What sort of a sermon did he give 
 that it would excite you ? " 
 
 "Oh, 'twas condensed thunder 
 and lightnin', of course. What's-his- 
 name never hurled such bolts of 
 wrath against the Yankees as did 
 Uriah on that day. Almost the first 
 thing he said was that every man that 
 died while fighting for the Confeder- 
 acy went straight to Heaven got a 
 pass right through he couldn't help 
 bringin' in some idea of the universal 
 darkey even then, you see. Well, 
 some folks at that got up and left the 
 church, but I went there to hear the 
 w r hole of the sermon, and I wasn't 
 going to let anything prevent me 
 from doing so. Uriah was a little 
 daunted when he saw the people go 
 out, but immediately went on to 
 prove his words. ' They were doing 
 God's work, ' said he, ' and will there- 
 fore gain the reward of the righteous. 
 By arraying themselves against Aboli- 
 tionists, they array themselves against 
 the Devil, for Beelzebub was the first 
 Abolitionist ; he took Job's sen-ants 
 from him.' 
 
 "Well, everybody seemed dread- 
 fully excited, and I own I was too, 
 or I should never have spoken right 
 
i 5 6 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 out in meetin' as I did then. 'All 
 that's very true, ' said I, ' and it strikes 
 me he was the first Secessionist, too, 
 for we've all read how centuries be- 
 fore Job was born the Devil was 
 kicked out of Heaven for tryin' to 
 create a division there !' 
 
 "Well, Claude, you never saw 
 such a commotion in your life as 
 there was then leastways in meetin'. 
 All the people sprang to their feet 
 and shouted, and laughed, and hiss- 
 ed ; and Norton, he just pulled me 
 out of the crowd, and put me into 
 the carriage, and drove home like 
 one possessed. You never did see 
 such a time, and they say the officers 
 at Foustville didn't get a recruit for 
 a week afterwards. " 
 
 Claude laughed, but Mrs. Holmes 
 frowned, and shook her head, warn- 
 ingly, as he mounted his horse, and 
 signaled for the carriages to proceed. 
 
 The drive to Foustville was most 
 delightful. The road lay through 
 six miles of pine forest, the unchang- 
 ing verdure of which formed a strik- 
 ing contrast to the scarlet and brown 
 leaves of the vines that clothed their 
 tapering trunks. The greater num- 
 ber of the party were sorry to reach 
 Foustville, a pleasant village, which 
 had been chosen for the place of 
 meeting on account of its central lo- 
 cation, and also of the large range of 
 ' ' old fields" which lay at the back of 
 the town, and formed an excellent 
 ground for the exhibition of the 
 county volunteers. 
 
 To this ground the carriages were 
 driven, and the gentlemen, who were 
 on horseback, after some difficulty, 
 opened a passage for them, to a point 
 but a short distance from the speak- 
 er's stand. 
 
 Never had such a crowd met in the 
 county before ; persons of all ages, 
 sex, and color were there, striving 
 with each other for precedence, and 
 conversing loudly on the all engross- 
 ing subject of war. 
 
 Ubiquitous among them seemed 
 Mr. Gordon, who hastened from one 
 part of the field to the other with a 
 smile or a word for every one. At 
 length he espied the Holmsford car- 
 riages which, either by accident or 
 design, had been placed in a most 
 conspicuous position. This was par- 
 ticularly annoying to La Guerita, who, 
 sitting in the open carriage, soon dis- 
 covered herself to be the observed of 
 all observers. 
 
 Claude Leveredge remained on 
 horseback at the side of her carriage, 
 talking restlessly, to the children, and 
 noting with many conflicting emo- 
 tions, the glances of admiration cast 
 upon La Guerita. A party of gen- 
 tlemen passed by, and one of them 
 speaking more distinctly than the 
 bustle around allowed him to sup- 
 pose, said : 
 
 "Who can that beautiful creature 
 be ? " 
 
 ' ' Zenobia, " answered his com- 
 panion, Will. Russell, " a queen in 
 chains." 
 
 "Ah, a governess, you mean. 
 What a pity, " returned the other ; 
 ' ' yet there is something queer-look- 
 ing about her with all her beauty. " 
 
 The young men passed out of 
 hearing, and turning toward her with 
 flashing eyes, Claude Leveredge said 
 in a low voice : 
 
 " Can you bear such irony as that 
 a queen in chains. Can you bear 
 the laugh that will follow the expla- 
 nation of that witticism? Say no, 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 1 S7 
 
 no, before it is too late, and I will 
 take you home. '' 
 
 She was sorely tempted then. She 
 was perhaps more sensitive to ridi- 
 cule than to anything else, and Will. 
 Russell's careless words had stung 
 her cruelly, and she doubted not that 
 worse would come before she left that 
 field. 
 
 "Oh, "she thought, "if it were 
 possible for me to escape it with 
 honor. But there is not. No honor 
 could follow a marriage with him. 
 Yet anything would be better than 
 these chains. But no, no ; not any- 
 Iking ! " she added with a shudder ; 
 ' ' to lose my soul would be worse. 
 No, I will not yield. I will bear any 
 torture, but I will not yield myself to 
 infamy. " 
 
 Claude Leveredge read that deter- 
 mination upon her face, and turned 
 away with a curse. 
 
 ' ' I will not be baffled, " he mut- 
 tered, as he dismounted, and walked 
 rapidly to the speakers' stand. ' ' I 
 love her, and my love is deeper and 
 more terrible than my strongest ha- 
 tred. I cannot have mercy. I will 
 kill her, or yet call her mine. " 
 
 The exercises of the day were soon 
 commenced. The County Guard and 
 Volunteers performed a variety of 
 of evolutions which were greatly ad- 
 mired and vociferously applauded by 
 the vast assemblage. Then speeches 
 were made by several gentlemen, dur- 
 ing which Claude Leveredge and 
 Mr. Gordon stood in earnest con- 
 versation near the Holmsford car- 
 riage. 
 
 "Your name will be called next,'' 
 said the lawyer at length, as Will. 
 Russell, in his gay captain's uniform, 
 took his place upon the stand. "As 
 
 you have as yet done nothing, you 
 must at least assure the people that 
 you will. Prepare yourself, Russell 
 will soon be finished. I prophecy 
 that he will make a much better fight- 
 er than orator. " 
 
 ' ' All the better for the Confeder- 
 acy then, " returned Leveredge. ' ' But 
 you forget that I simply promised the 
 committee to speak a few words after 
 the orator of the day the Hon. Er- 
 nest Gordon." 
 
 ' ' I warn you he will leave you no 
 chance," returned the lawyer, laugh- 
 ing ; "he intends to exhaust the 
 subject. So speak before him the 
 people will expect it of you. " 
 
 ' ' They, like other sovereigns, must 
 sometimes submit to be disappoint- 
 ed," replied Leveredge ; "I w T ill 
 speak after you to-day, or not at all. 
 Of course, you are prepared. Go, 
 now ; let us have a specimen of your 
 finest oratory." 
 
 "That you shall," returned the 
 lawyer, walking with great dignity to 
 the platform, while his late com- 
 panion took a position at the side of 
 his aunt's carriage, and with folded 
 arms, and gloomy brow, waited the 
 announcement of Ernest Gordon's 
 name. 
 
 Soon it was made, and a general 
 movement of increased attention was 
 visible among the vast audience as 
 the popular lawyer stepped forward 
 to address them. As his pro-slavery 
 opinions were well known, it was 
 generally supposed he would again 
 declare and strenuously uphold them. 
 But this, at first, seemed far from his 
 thoughts, for he spoke of the war as 
 a grand necessity, solely that the chiv- 
 alrous South might free itself at once 
 and forever from the encroachments 
 
158 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 of a race of mountebanks and ped- 
 dlers. Then he spoke of the glorious 
 age that would follow the accomplish- 
 ment of that feat, picturing in the 
 choicest terms the wealth and distinc- 
 tion each scion of the white race 
 would acquire by means of the cotton 
 and tobacco of the South, the tri- 
 umphant result of the labor of their 
 slaves. From that point slavery was 
 his theme. He spoke of it first from 
 a political point of view, and success- 
 fully proved to himself and his audi- 
 tors that no government could be 
 sustained which had not the ' ' divine 
 institution " as its basis. 
 
 La Guerita and Miss Holmes, in 
 common with the entire audience, 
 listened to the orator with delight. 
 His command of words, his extraor- 
 dinary ingenuity in their application, 
 all tended to charm even where they 
 could not convince, and impressed 
 the excitable mind of La Guerita as 
 if they had held the very spirit of 
 truth, instead of the base and hollow 
 ring of falsehood. 
 
 "How will he prove the benefit of 
 slavery from a social and Christian 
 view ! " she asked herself, as his in- 
 tention to do so was declared. ' ' Ah, 
 if he can only from those points ex- 
 hibit it in a light as favorable as he 
 has from the political, I shall myself 
 be induced to bear it unmurmur- 
 ingly." 
 
 Unseen by her, Claude Leveredge 
 was watching her with undeviating 
 gaze. He smiled grimly as he saw 
 her head bend forward in an attitude 
 of increased attention, and fix her 
 eyes intently upon the orator. He 
 had been speaking for more than an 
 hour, but not for a moment had the 
 attention of the audience, or his own 
 
 energy, wavered. He continued stead- 
 ily and enthusiastically pointing out 
 the vast difference of the state of the 
 negro in his native country and that 
 enjoyed by him in the South. ' ' There 
 he is naked, ignorant, barbarous, " he 
 exclaimed ; ' ' here he is clothed and 
 fed, subjected only to wholesome re- 
 strictions, and made happy by the 
 truths and consolations of the Chris- 
 tian faith. Under the protection of 
 a master he is free from all cares that 
 oppress others. Guided in his natu- 
 ral imbecility, he by this means be- 
 comes a rational creature, a blessing 
 to himself and the land that supports 
 him. Left to himself his small mind 
 refuses to control the mass of bone 
 and sinew in which it dwells, and the 
 semblance of man is degraded to the 
 useless position of a beast. A negro 
 left to his own resources has scarcely 
 even the instinct of an animal to pro- 
 vide food and escape from danger. 
 The negro was born to be a slave ; it 
 is a necessity of his nature to rely up- 
 on the stronger intellect of the white, 
 and woe to him of the superior race 
 who neglects and disavows this man- 
 ifest duty to a fellow mortal and to his 
 God ! " 
 
 Long did he speak after this man- 
 ner, adding argument upon argu- 
 ment, proof upon proof. Again and 
 again he reiterated the words : ' ' The 
 instinct of the negro teaches him to 
 find relief from the cares and respon- 
 sibilities of life in the sympathy and 
 protection of a master. " 
 
 ' ' And yet, " at length cried a voice 
 from the crowd, ' ' our slaves run away 
 from us." 
 
 "Ay, and return to prove my 
 words, " said Mr. Gordon, firmly. 
 
 There was a laugh, and a shout 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 1 59 
 
 from some one of : " We have never 
 seen cne." 
 
 "There is one here," cried Mr. 
 Gordon, glancing at La Guerita, who 
 sank back in her seat in speechless 
 terror and shame. "There is one 
 here ! She came to me more than a 
 year ago the most beautiful woman 
 my eyes ever rested upon. ' I was 
 born a slave, ' she said, ' and my mas- 
 ter freed me when I was an infant. 
 He sent me North, and there, in ig- 
 norance of my birth I was most ex- 
 cellently educated, and married a 
 wealthy and high-born gentleman. 
 Some years after the marriage my 
 husband discovered the secret of my 
 birth, and died of shame and grief. 
 I am rich, I have friends, but I can 
 find no peace. I must cast the bur- 
 den of my existence upon another. I 
 have come here with my child to enter 
 into slavery ! ' 
 
 ' ' Friends, I reasoned, I plead with 
 her, but in vain. A slave she would 
 become, a slave she is here to-day 
 contented and happy. Yes, there 
 she sits in the carriage of her master, 
 Norton Holmes. She who was once 
 the belle of Ellisville, the wife of 
 Harold DeGrey, whom some of you 
 knew in your school-days there she 
 sits, the happy slave Rita. " 
 
 He attempted to say more, but his 
 voice was drowned in shouts and 
 applause, and he left the stand amid 
 cries of: "Where is the woman? 
 Where is the self-made slave ? " 
 
 La Guerita heard the roar of their 
 voices like that of the great sea- waves. 
 She struggled and strove to rise, as if 
 it were possible for her to flee. Her 
 strength and senses alike deserted 
 her, and she fell back into the arms 
 of Miss Holmes and Claude Lever- 
 
 edge, who had both entered the car- 
 riage." 
 
 ' ' You shall not touch her ! " cried 
 Miss Holmes, fiercely, as her cousin 
 attempted to raise La Guerita in his 
 arms. ' ' Traitor, villain, that you are, 
 leave this poor girl before God strikes 
 you to the earth for your wickedness. 
 See, she is returning to conscious- 
 ness. Leave her, unless you wish to 
 complete the work you have begun 
 to kill her outright ! " 
 
 Claude Leveredge drew back from 
 his cousin in consternation. He 
 glanced at La Guerita, muttering : 
 "I have made you feel your master 
 to-day ! I did not know I had Adela 
 Holmes to conquer, too." 
 
 He sprang from the carriage, but 
 turned quickly as a scream of horror 
 from Adela, and a cry of : " She has 
 killed herself ! " reached him. He 
 sprang again into the carriage. ^ He 
 caught La Guerita in his arms ; a 
 purple stream was flowing from her 
 mouth and dying her neck and dress. 
 
 ' ' A doctor, a doctor ! " he cried ; 
 ' ' she has broken a blood-vessel she 
 is dying ! Oh, God, help ! help ! " 
 
 He wrung his hands in the help- 
 lessness of despair. Three doctors 
 were near and hastened to the car- 
 riage. In an incredibly short time 
 the hemorrhage was arrested, and La 
 Guerita DeCuba slowly came back to 
 life. 
 
 Oh, the cruel people, the soulless 
 crowd that pressed around. Their 
 eyes seemed piercing her like arrows 
 of scorn, their tongues lashing her 
 with contempt ! She realized it all, 
 and buried her face in Miss Holmes' 
 bosom, and madly prayed to die. 
 
 But she lived lived to give the lie 
 to the lawyer's false words, for the 
 
i6o 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 people turned away pitying a slave, 
 trying in vain to silence doubts 
 which had never troubled their minds 
 before. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 " I falter where I firmly trod, 
 
 And falling with my weight of cares 
 Upon the great world's altar-stairs, 
 That slope thro' darkness up to God; 
 I stretch lame hands of faith, and grope, 
 And gather dust and chaff, and call 
 To what I feel is Lord of all, 
 And faintly trust the larger hope." 
 
 Tennyson. 
 
 THENCEFORWARD for many months 
 there was almost a blank in the life 
 of La Guerita DeCuba a time when 
 she hovered between life and death 
 sanity and madness. 
 
 For weeks she lay in her darkened 
 room, utterly exhausted, both in body 
 and mind, incapable of movement or 
 thought ; and during all that time 
 Miss Holmes never left her cabin. 
 Another, too, was there, of whom, 
 for a long time, La Guerita took no 
 heed, but who watched and tended 
 her with the untiring zeal and ten- 
 derness a mother only could know. 
 
 At first they feared she would drop 
 into a state of hopeless imbecility 
 and speedily decline; but as time 
 passed the strength of her corporeal 
 and mental natures exhibited them- 
 selves, and they gained hope that her 
 recovery was but a question of time. 
 
 Claude Leveredge was the first to 
 seize that hope. Almost maddened 
 as he had at first been by the effect of 
 his cruel plot, he soon grew to look 
 upon it as a necessary consequence, 
 and as essential to his success. To 
 his cousin he did not attempt to dis- 
 guise his thoughts, and, meeting her 
 in the garden one day, told her calm- 
 ly he was only biding his time, but 
 
 waiting for health and sanity to be 
 re-established ere making La Gue- 
 rita his bride. 
 
 ' ' You will not so disgrace us, " she 
 said, proudly. 
 
 ' ' What ! by marrying one of the 
 inferior race ? " 
 
 ' ' Yes ! " she answered, firmly ; 
 "that would disgrace us, while it 
 remains impossible for you to make 
 her your legitimate wife in any part 
 of the world while you must live 
 with her in solitude while you dare 
 not mention your affection to any 
 Southron but me, whom you cannot 
 deceive. " 
 
 "I would declare it before the 
 whole world ! " 
 
 "That is false!" she said, con- 
 temptuously ; "I know how you 
 have stooped to deceive my father 
 and Mr. Gordon. Oh, Claude, 
 Claude, may I die before I see an- 
 other of my family so utterly de- 
 praved as you ! " 
 
 ' ' You give me a good character, " 
 he said ; "is it, then, a sign of utter 
 depravity to love as I love La Gue- 
 rita to live only in the hope of mak- 
 ing her my wife ? " 
 
 "Claude, I would give a fortune 
 to know if what I heard of you last 
 year is true. " 
 
 He laughed : "I am not a fool, 
 Adela." 
 
 ' ' I should consider any other man 
 in your position one. Can a man be 
 called rational who sets his whole 
 mind and heart yes, risks his very 
 soul upon the poor aim of marry- 
 ing a woman that hates him ? " 
 
 ' ' La Guerita does not hate me ! " 
 he cried, excitedly ; "I will stake 
 my life on that. Love, such as mine, 
 must beget love again. " 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 161 
 
 ' ' Claude, don't force me to add 
 to your other qualities that of a ro- 
 mantic dreamer." 
 
 Her quiet tone of contempt was 
 most galling to him. ' ' You shall 
 see, " he said ; "I know Le Guerita 
 DeCuba better than you. I only wait 
 for her to regain strength of mind 
 and body to take her from your pow- 
 er. It is you, Adela Holmes, that I 
 have been fighting against all this 
 time. The battle would have been 
 shorter hadj known that sooner." 
 
 His cousin was terrified ; she felt 
 that she had a desperate game to 
 play, almost single-handed ; she felt 
 almost powerless while her cousin re- 
 mained upon the plantation ; but at 
 last, happily for her, there came upon 
 him so great a pressure from without 
 that he was compelled to choose one 
 of two alternatives to leave the coun- 
 try, or to take the sword in its de- 
 fense ; and, to Adela's delight, she 
 was at last free of his dreaded pres- 
 ence. 
 
 The news of his departure was the 
 first that aroused or excited La Gue- 
 rita in the slightest degree. After 
 hearing it, she seemed to rally slow- 
 ly. ' ' I was like a deer hunted 
 down, " she said, one day, ' ' and now 
 I feel that the dogs are held back, 
 and breathing time is given me. " 
 
 After that she took some slight no- 
 tice of passing events, and lay for 
 long hours with her eyes fixed sadly 
 upon her mother, or upon the bless- 
 ed words of her bible, which seemed 
 then to contain the germs of divine 
 consolation and strength. 
 
 At last there came a time when 
 her mother bade her farewell, and re- 
 turned to her own lonely home, and 
 La Guerita once more took her place 
 21 
 
 in the school-room, changed both in 
 body and mind in both a mere 
 wreck of her former self. There was 
 no trace of madness about her, but 
 her mind seemed like that of some 
 aged person slowly becoming blank. 
 
 Miss Holmes, with all her acute- 
 ness, did not understand this, and 
 fortunate it was that she did not, or 
 she would, in pity, have avoided the 
 discussion of those subjects which 
 alone could command her thoughts, 
 which, as months passed, served to 
 rally her failing senses. Two things 
 alone sustained her through that 
 time fear of Claude Leveredge, and 
 trust in God. Worldly hopes she 
 had none, but while she was left in 
 peace, she almost hoped to die in 
 slavery, that her presence might not 
 embitter the freedom of her boy. 
 
 She said something of that some- 
 times to Miss Holmes, entreating 
 her that she would not compromise 
 herself further in any attempt for her 
 rescue, saying no more of shame 
 would befall her in slavery, and feel- 
 ing, as months passed on, and Claude 
 Leveredge still remained away, that 
 she could wait with patience until the 
 gates of her prison were unbarred. 
 
 "They will be," she said, "in the 
 Lord's good time, if not for me, at 
 least for my child. " 
 
 ' ' 'Tis strange to see you so tran- 
 quil, " said Miss Holmes, one day as 
 she was sitting with La Guerita in 
 her cabin. ' ' One thing only seems 
 to arouse you now to fill you with 
 your former zeal for freedom that 
 is, the fear of my cousin Claude. " 
 
 ' ' Yes, that cannot be overcome, " 
 replied La Guerita quickly ; I can- 
 not forget how he has tortured me. 
 But yet my reason tells me, I have 
 
162 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 no cause for fear. He has yielded, 
 and war is now his only love." 
 
 Miss Holmes remembered the con- 
 versation in the garden. 
 
 ' ' I would not be too sure of that, " 
 she said, ' ' his duties bind him close- 
 ly, no doubt, but still I am convinced 
 he is keeping strict watch over you. 
 His regularly conducted correspond- 
 ence with Rufus is not kept up from 
 mere love of the boy, but because of 
 the information he unwittingly gives 
 of you. For a time, you know, you 
 seemed lost and childish, yet at times 
 exhibiting passions which would ut- 
 terly prevent his influencing you. 
 Now that is passing away, you have 
 returned to that condition in which 
 he may hope to strive with you, as 
 most rationally-minded men strive 
 with rationally-minded women, and 
 to conquer, as they usually do, laying 
 heart and reason beneath their un- 
 bending will. You know I am a 
 true woman, and believe in the su- 
 premacy of man. If I had been in 
 your place, I should have yielded to 
 my cousin long ago. As a looker- 
 on I can scheme and advise where I 
 should utterly fail if I was personally 
 concerned. " 
 
 La Guerita smiled, remembering 
 what she had heard in the sitting- 
 room months before, and how Miss 
 Holmes had been sorely tried since by 
 the entreaties of a later lover, to for- 
 sake that one her friends condemned 
 as a villain and a traitor. La Guerita 
 saw that she thought of it, too, for 
 she began to speak of a recent battle, 
 which had resulted in great slaughter 
 on both sides, and ended her sentence 
 with a flood of tears. 
 
 Miss Matilda entered the cabin at 
 that moment, exclaiming : 
 
 " I thought I would find you here. 
 One would think you could see 
 enough of negro cabins without liv- 
 ing in one half your time. You'll 
 leave it now for awhile, I dare say, for 
 Asenith Bray is in the house askin' 
 for you. You'll have to speak pretty 
 loud to make yourself heard," she 
 added, as her niece rose and left the 
 cabin, ' ' for the poor old soul seems 
 to be gettin' deafer and deafer every 
 day. " It is astonishing to see how 
 some folks break down. v Why, I'm 
 just as spry now as ever I was in my 
 life." 
 
 She stayed a few moments to rate 
 La Guerita, in a sharp tone, for some 
 imaginary offense, and then went to 
 see after the welfare of ' ' Dixey, " who 
 still lived with his broken leg in a 
 horizontal position, and his entire 
 frame drawn into the most grotesque 
 shape ever assumed by beast or fowl. 
 
 In a short time afterwards, La 
 Guerita saw Asenith returning to her 
 home, and almost at the same mo- 
 ment Miss Holmes entered the cabin, 
 exclaiming : 
 
 ' ' Prepare yourself instantly for a 
 
 ride to M . Your mother is ill, 
 
 and has sent for you. " 
 
 " But will Mr. Holmes allow me 
 to go ? " cried La Guerita, anxiously ; 
 ''You know he has not permitted 
 me to leave the plantation for nearly 
 a year. " 
 
 "That is all settled," returned 
 Miss Holmes, " I have ordered the 
 carriage, and shall go with you. " 
 
 In a short time they were on their 
 
 way to M . Many and varied 
 
 were the emotions of La Guerita as 
 she entered the town, in which three 
 years before she had signed away her 
 freedom. 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 ' ' Oh, not there, not there, " she ex- 
 claimed, when Miss Holmes directed 
 the driver to the hotel. 
 
 " I am sorry," said Miss Holmes, 
 after she had for a moment consider- 
 ed the matter, ' ' but we really have 
 no other place to go to. Mrs. Gor- 
 don is the only person upon whose 
 kindness I would presume, and I 
 suppose you would rather go to the 
 hotel than there. " 
 
 ' ' Oh, yes, yes, " said La Guerita, 
 eagerly, adding mentally, as she strove 
 to lay aside the fearful shame and ter- 
 ror of strangers that had haunted her 
 since that dreadful scene at Foust- 
 ville, ' ' after all, I may not be recog- 
 nized in this dress, and in the even- 
 ing light. God support me if I am." 
 
 She needed that support, for the 
 hall was ablaze with light, and a score 
 *of eager eyes were bent upon her as 
 the landlord involuntarily exclaimed : 
 
 "What, have you come back? 
 Well, well ; if you're being one of 
 them octoroons didn't beat all. And 
 there's the boy, too. Well I never." 
 
 "Show us to our rooms," said 
 Miss Holmes, sternly, and startled by 
 the unusual tone of command, the 
 host preceded them up stairs to the 
 very rooms occupied by La Guerita 
 three years before. 
 
 "Oh, my God!" she thought, 
 " if I could but recall them. Ah, if 
 I could but place myself now where 
 I was then ; and yet not altogether, 
 Oh, Lord, for then I knew not thee. 
 Then I hated the mother I have now 
 come, in love and forgiveness, to see 
 die ! " 
 
 She would not stay at the hotel 
 even for some slight refreshment, but 
 taking Harold with her, hastened to 
 her mother's cottage. The child 
 
 recognized it at once, and though it 
 seemed no different to her from a 
 score of others, it was rendered sa- 
 cred to her at once by the scene 
 within that met her view. 
 
 The room was comfortably fur- 
 nished and scrupulously clean. Upon 
 the walls hung a few highly-colored 
 prints, and a bright homespun car- 
 pet covered the floor, showing at 
 once the station and taste of the oc- 
 cupant of the little cabin. She lay 
 upon the bed, heedless of all that had 
 once delighted her, her olive face 
 contrasting painfully with the snow- 
 white pillows which an old negress 
 was carefully smoothing. Silently 
 and softly La Guerita entered the 
 cabin and approached her dying 
 mother. 
 
 ' ' Oh, Death, where is thy sting ? " 
 Oft thou bringest to us love sought for 
 in vain through life. Thou broughtest 
 it then to Dolores from the heart of 
 her daughter. As La Guerita looked 
 upon that death-like face, with the 
 holy shadow of another world falling 
 over it, she forgot the woman that had 
 sinned, and wept for her mother. 
 
 "Thank God you are here,.; 7 said 
 the dying woman, faintly ; ' ' thank 
 God you are in time to see me die. " 
 
 ' ' Xo, rather to nurse you back to 
 life," sobbed La Guerita. "Oh, 
 mother, mother, you must not die 
 w r hen I have just begun to love you. " 
 
 1 ' Tis better that it should be so, " 
 she whispered. " I am ignorant and 
 have sinned. You could not love 
 me if I lived, perhaps you will when 
 I am dead ; and my boy, too, when 
 he knows my pretty, pretty boy ! " 
 
 Fabean was always a child to her. 
 For some time La Guerita wept in si- 
 lence. Those tears that natural and 
 
164 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 quiet grief seemed to strengthen her. 
 She felt again the bonds that hold 
 other women to life and its duties, 
 and that a holy one was that of 
 smoothing a mother's pathway to the 
 grave. 
 
 Dolores was an ardent Methodist, 
 and at intervals poured forth her soul 
 in snatches of hymns and prayer. All 
 were of Heaven, of home, and rest. 
 Rude as they were, they were to La 
 Guerita sweet as the words of angels. 
 Bending over her mother she said, at 
 last : 
 
 ' ' You are happy, then, dear moth- 
 er, perfectly happy ? " 
 
 ' ' Oh, yes, so happy and peaceful. 
 Angels have been around me all the 
 day. They have waited for me many, 
 many hours, but I couldn't go with- 
 out one look on you. Oh, my 
 daughter, tell me I am forgiven." 
 
 ' ' Dear mother, I have nothing to 
 forgive. To God, God alone, you 
 should appeal.'' 
 
 A peaceful smile overspread the face 
 of the dying woman. She spoke no 
 more for some moments, and then 
 her mind seemed wandering. 
 
 ' ' ]iss the boy, " she murmured ; 
 4 ' kiss my little son, and tell him how 
 I have mourned for him. When he 
 grows to be a man he will understand 
 and forgive me. He is like Acton ; 
 he will have the same heart, you 
 know. " 
 
 ' ' Oh, mother, mother, " cried La 
 Guerita, unable to restrain her emo- 
 tion, "do you not remember that 
 Fabean is now a man. Give me 
 some message that I may give him 
 from his mother when I am free. " 
 
 ' ' Free, free ! Oh, God, yes, I forgot. 
 You are a slave ! " The dying woman 
 raised herself upon the pillows with 
 
 almost superhuman energy, and gazed 
 upon her wildly. "Oh, my child, 
 those bonds ! those bonds ! They 
 are worse than death. And Claude 
 Claude Leveredge ! Oh, fly from 
 
 him, fly ! for I know he . Oh, 
 
 my God, this is death this is 
 death ! " 
 
 She strove in vain to speak further. 
 She clasped her daughter's hands in 
 an agony of despair ; she struggled to 
 utter but one word, which La Guerita 
 knew must be of the greatest import- 
 ance, but all in vain. 
 
 Rapidly the last changes came up- 
 on her. The death-rattle sounded in 
 her throat, her eyes became fixed 
 upon her daughter, who even in her 
 grief was comforted when some one 
 entered the cabin softly, and she felt 
 instinctively that Miss Holmes was at 
 her side. 
 
 Shortly after the dying woman be- 
 came composed, and at last for some 
 time was so still that the watchers 
 were uncertain whether she lived or 
 not. Then they saw the glazed eyes 
 turned Heavenward, and, sinking 
 upon her knees, La Guerita poured 
 forth an impassioned prayer for the 
 passing soul. 
 
 Colder and colder grew the hand 
 she held, and ere long it stiffened 
 within her grasp, and a faint, strug- 
 ling sigh gave her the tidings that her 
 mother's spirit had passed beyond the 
 reach or necessity of prayer or psalm. 
 
 She arose then and looked with 
 tears upon the dark and still beautiful 
 face of the dead, and pressing a kiss 
 upon the faintly smiling lips, repeated 
 those words of comfort which have 
 filled with peace many a doubting 
 soul : " Her sins, which were many, 
 are forgiven, for she loved much. " 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 i6 5 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 41 True friends visit us in prosperity only when 
 invited; but in adversity they come without invita- 
 tion." 
 
 Theophntftat. 
 
 THE little cabin was closed and ten- 
 antless. Dolores Holmes had found 
 another home, and at last slept peace- 
 fully beneath the waving pines on the 
 hill-side. Upon the day of her bu- 
 rial her sins had been forgotten, and 
 the lowly friends, and the daughter 
 who had scorned her for years, wept 
 over her as one without guile. As 
 she turned awa^from the lowly cot- 
 tage, La Guerita rejoiced that there 
 had been lamentation and .mourn- 
 ing, for she said : "I can tell Fa- 
 bean of it ; it will comfort him in 
 his shame to know that our mother 
 was beloved. " 
 
 She walked thoughtfully through 
 the little lane, and entered the hotel. 
 She was painfully conscious of the 
 curious glances of all she met, and 
 for that reason, as well as the indul- 
 gence of her sad thoughts, was glad 
 to find herself for once truly alone. 
 When she entered the sitting-room 
 she found Mrs. Holmes and Harold 
 both absent, and sitting down, medi- 
 tated upon the life that had begun 
 in that very apartment, and which, 
 henceforth, was to be borne with one 
 friend less on earth, but with one 
 more, she trusted, in that heavenly 
 throng that loved and guarded her. 
 
 The shrill scream of the railway 
 whistle startled her at last. " Ah ! " 
 she thought, ' ' how I used to shrink 
 from that sound when I sat in this 
 room waiting imploring my fate ! 
 How I feared it might herald the 
 coming of Fabean or Victor to tear 
 me from my cherished purpose. 
 
 Oh, if I could but imagine it such 
 now, how even the vain fancy would 
 comfort me ; but, alas ! my friends 
 can gain no entrance here ! I must 
 wait wait for the Lord's own time. 
 But it will come ; it needs must 
 come. He will not leave His peo- 
 ple in this terrible bondage ! Are 
 not their shackles already loosened ? 
 Oh, Lord, hasten the day when every 
 yoke shall be broken, and the op- 
 pressed go free ! " 
 
 In her enthusiasm she had spoken 
 the last words aloud. ' ' Amen ! " 
 said a voice behind her, and, turn- 
 ing, she beheld Miss Holmes, with 
 face so pallid and expression so wild, 
 that she cried, involuntarily : 
 
 ' ' What has happened ? Are you 
 frightened ? Are you ill ? " 
 
 " Oh, La Guerita, help me ! " she 
 cried, excitedly ; ' ' those words you 
 uttered assure me that you will help 
 me to save him ! " 
 
 ' ' What do you mean ? " demand- 
 ed La Guerita, alarmed at Adela's 
 incoherent words. ' ' Who are we to 
 save ? '' 
 
 ' * Ah ! I had forgotten you know 
 nothing of it ; and yet you must have 
 heard that I am engaged to a North- 
 erner. Oh, La Guerita, he is here 
 sick wounded a prisoner ; I saw 
 him in the cars not ten minutes 
 since ! " 
 
 She wrung her hands and wept like 
 a child, totally forgetting the dignity 
 she, in all circumstances, strove to 
 maintain. "Oh, he must not go 
 on!" she continued, wildly; "he 
 will die in either of those dreadful 
 prisons ! We must save him. La 
 Guerita, have you nothing to sug- 
 gest?" 
 
 She seemed suddenly to remember 
 
i66 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 the necessity of caution, and spoke 
 the last words in a whisper. La 
 Guerita could answer nothing, but 
 remained for some moments deeply 
 perplexed by the unexpected appeal. 
 
 1 ' Oh, do speak ! " sobbed Miss 
 Holmes ; " Oh, I know he is dying 
 even now ! " 
 
 "I can suggest but one thing," 
 said La Guerita at last, slowly and re- 
 luctantly, ' ' and that is, that your 
 father and Mr. Gordon have influ- 
 ence, and might use it to save the 
 gentleman. " 
 
 Miss Holmes stopped her by an 
 impatient gesture. ' ' You know not 
 what you are saying, " she exclaimed ; 
 "Neither possess the influence you 
 suggest ; and if they did, neither 
 would use it for this Northerner ; 
 but we must do something, La Gue- 
 rita you and I. Oh ; I have helped 
 you in your hours of trouble, will 
 you not think for me now ? Oh, he 
 must be rescued ; he will die in that 
 dreadful prison ! " 
 
 "I would do anything for you, 
 Miss Adela," said La Guerita, earn- 
 estly, ' ' but, indeed, I can divine no 
 plan for saving him. Where is he, 
 and when does he leave town ! " 
 
 ' ' I suppose he is at the depot 
 now," returned Miss Holmes; "I 
 heard that they would be detained 
 there until the train from Richmond 
 came in to-night. " 
 
 ' ' When is that due ? " 
 
 ' ' About half-past ten, I believe. " 
 
 ' ' Are the prisoners closely guard- 
 ed?" 
 
 " I don't know, but I suppose so. 
 I wish you would go and see. Try 
 to get into the baggage rooms in 
 some way ; the wounded will be sure 
 to be there ; you will know Thorn- 
 
 ton immediately by his major's uni- 
 form, and by his lazy brown eyes and 
 dark curling hair ; besides, poor fel- 
 low, his right arm is in a sling. " 
 
 La Guerita sank into a chair, turn- 
 ing deadly pale and trembling vio- 
 lently, as she said : ' ' Thornton ! Is 
 it Thornton Leslie ? " 
 
 "That is his name," cried Miss 
 Holmes, in surprise ; ' ' where have 
 you heard it ? " 
 
 ' ' I knew him well, " exclaimed 
 La Guerita, excitedly ; "he was one 
 of my earliest and best friends ; he 
 stood beside my husband when he 
 died, and he was appointed one of 
 the guardians of my children. " 
 
 ' ' How strange, " ejaculated Miss 
 Holmes, ' ' that you never mentioned 
 his name to me ! Did you, " she 
 added, suddenly, ' ' remain silent all 
 this time to avenge yourself for my 
 first distrust of you ? " 
 
 ' ' No ! no ! " cried La Guerita, 
 greatly shocked at the unjust suspic- 
 ion ; "I never knew that he held 
 any place in your affections, or that 
 he was even known to you. You 
 asked me to save him ! If mortal 
 can, I will. I would shrink from 
 no danger to aid Thornton Les- 
 lie ! " 
 
 "Go ! go and see him quickly ! " 
 exclaimed Miss Holmes ; "he will 
 know that friends are near when he 
 sees you. " 
 
 ' ' But he must not recognize me ! " 
 returned La Guerita ; ' ' the shock 
 would be too great for him to bear 
 calmly, and the least excitement on 
 his part might be fatal to our plans. " 
 
 "That is true," acquiesced Miss 
 Holmes; "in my terrible anxiety 
 for his rescue I forgot even the most 
 ordinary precautions. But how can 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 you disguise yourself so that he will 
 not know you ? " 
 
 ' ' The simplest means will do it, " 
 returned La Guerita ; "the possibil- 
 ity of my being here at all will not 
 enter his mind ; and if it should, the 
 sight of this dress will dispel all idea 
 of my being before him. " 
 
 As she spoke she left the room, 
 but returned, after a short time, with 
 a basket on her arm. ' " I have been 
 to mother's cabin, " she said, and tak- 
 ing from the basket a homespun 
 dress and a large bandanna hand- 
 kerchief, arrayed herself in the one, 
 and wrapped the other around her 
 brows, completely hiding her luxuri- 
 ant hair, and suddenly assuming, 
 with the dress, more of the look of a 
 negress than was agreeable to her own 
 feelings, or than Miss Holmes could 
 have considered possible. 
 
 " He will not know me," said La 
 Guerita, smiling bitterly ; " I do not 
 think that even my own child would. 
 By the way, where is he ? " 
 
 "I sent him on an errand to Mr. 
 Gordon's a short time ago. " 
 
 1 ' Ah, then he is safe. On no ac- 
 count, Miss Adela, allow him to go 
 to the depot. I am sure he would 
 recognize Thornton immediately, and 
 that would never do. " 
 
 ' ' But what are you about to at- 
 tempt ? " asked Miss Holmes, anx- 
 iously. 
 
 ' ' To sell this fruit to the prison- 
 ers," returned La Guerita, filling her 
 basket with some fruit that lay on the 
 table ; "I have no other plan as 
 yet." 
 
 ' ' Come back to me as quickly as 
 possible, " whispered Miss Holmes, 
 as La Guerita tied on a large Shaker 
 bonnet and left the room. ' ' I shall 
 
 be dying with anxiety until I see you 
 again. " 
 
 La Guerita hastily left the hotel, 
 and proceeded toward the depot. 
 She had proceeded but a few steps, 
 when she met Mr. Gordon. Her 
 heart sank within her, but he passed 
 her with a cursory glance, that assur- 
 ed her more than a thousand words 
 could have done, of the complete- 
 ness of her simple disguise. " 
 
 She noticed as she approached the 
 depot that it was well guarded, ren- 
 dering impossible any project that 
 might be made for any escape thence. 
 She was stopped at the entrance by a 
 sentinel, who demanded who she was, 
 at the same time gazing curiously 
 upon her face. 
 
 1 ' I b'longto Massa Norton Holmes, 
 and Miss said I might come here and 
 sell some fruit, 'cos gen'ally the pris- 
 oners hab got lots ob greenbacks to 
 trow away," she replied, readily. 
 
 So well she imitated the negro dia- 
 lect that, supposing her to be some 
 favorite house-slave, he suffered her to 
 pass, saying : 
 
 ' ' You'd better not talk too much 
 'bout greenbacks. It's against the 
 law to traffic with them, but I s'pose 
 you ain't accountable. " 
 
 Falling into a leisurely pace, which 
 but illy accorded with her excited 
 feelings, La Guerita walked into the 
 baggage-rooms, where most of the 
 prisoners had been lodged. She 
 looked around her anxiously, not 
 only for Thornton, for she remem- 
 bered that Victor DeGrey, or even 
 her brother, might also be there. 
 She was called hither and thither, 
 and had disposed of most of her 
 fruit, and was about to enter another 
 room, when she saw- an officer ex- 
 
i68 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 tended upon some bales of cotton. 
 A Union private and a Confederate 
 sentinel were near him, but she ap- 
 proached with steady head, and with 
 a .thrill of delight recognized Thorn- 
 ton Leslie. 
 
 ' ' Don't go thar, " said the sentinel. 
 ' ' He don't want yer fruit, and won't 
 want anything long, I reckon. You 
 havn't got any business here, nohow. 
 I don't b'leive in lettin' niggers in 
 with the prisoners." 
 
 Thornton Leslie wearily turned his 
 head and looked at her as he heard 
 these words. A puzzled expression 
 passed over his face, which was quick- 
 ly followed by one of pain. 
 
 ' ' Why don't you pass on ? " said 
 the sentinel, roughly, as she still stood 
 gazing upon the wounded man. 
 
 She saw that Thornton was too ill 
 to take more than a passing notice of 
 her, and instantly resolved, even at 
 some risk, again to claim his attention. 
 
 ' ' I was just standin' here, " she said, 
 indifferently, but in a voice totally 
 unlike her natural one, ' ' because I 
 s'posed the sick men will buy fruit 
 quicker'n most others, and not care 
 what they give for't. Leastways that's 
 what Miss Adela said. " 
 
 ' ' And who's Miss Adela ? Some 
 Yankee sympathizer, I s'pose ? " 
 
 ' ' No she hain't ; she's my missis, " 
 returned La Guerita, with difficulty 
 retaining her false tones as she saw 
 Thornton Leslie look eagerly upon 
 her. ' ' She's Massa Norton Holmes' 
 daughter. Guess you have heard o' 
 Massa Norton Holmes." 
 
 ' ' Lor' yes ; I know all them 
 Holmes' like a book. There's no 
 foolin' 'bout them, an' they all hate 
 the Yankees worse nor they do p'isen 
 an)- day. " 
 
 The private who had been stand- 
 ing near Thornton then approached 
 La Guerita, and said the major would 
 like some of her fruit. 
 
 Thornton raised himself and greet- 
 ed her eagerly as she drew near, feel- 
 ing ready to weep as she noticed his 
 prostrated condition. The sentinel 
 looked at them a moment, and then 
 passed on. 
 
 ' ' Who are you ? " whispered Thorn- 
 ton, eagerly. 
 
 ' ' Only Miss Adela's waiting maid, " 
 she returned, in the same tone ; ' ' she 
 sent me here to tell you not to despair. 
 We will liberate you. " 
 
 ' ' God bless her ! " he said, fer- 
 vently. 
 
 "Handle my fruit as if choosing 
 some, and listen to me. '' 
 
 He obeyed, and two citizens ap- 
 proached, speaking of the prison- 
 ers. 
 
 "There are three hundred of 
 them, " said one, ' ' and they're to be 
 sent on the eleven o'clock train, 
 which goes through without making 
 any stoppages, you know. " 
 
 ' ' Yes ; but it seems cruel to send 
 men wounded, like that one, for in- 
 stance, in box cars, as they say they 
 will." 
 
 "Oh, it is safest," returned the 
 other, carelessly, "and all we can 
 provide them with until our ports are 
 open. Those baggage cars are not 
 uncomfortable, after all, and even the 
 most agile cannot escape from them. 
 One fellow actually jumped from the 
 window of a passenger car and got 
 free not a month ago. He deserved 
 his liberty, but evidently the guards 
 were at fault. I have seen hundreds 
 of prisoners go through on the tops 
 of cars, and couldn't see that there 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 169 
 
 was any chance for escape. Do you 
 stop in town to-night ? '' 
 
 " No ; I shall go on this train to 
 
 the E station. It will stop there 
 
 for wood. I'm lucky in having my 
 plantation so near it. Hello, major, " 
 suddenly turning to Thornton, ' ' how 
 did you get that bullet in your shoul- 
 der?" 
 
 "By defending my country from 
 traitors ! " he retorted, proudly, elicit- 
 ing a hearty laugh from his comrades 
 and causing the hasty retreat of the 
 inquirer and his friends. 
 
 During the few moments occupied 
 by this apparently unimportant con- 
 versation a thousand thoughts had 
 chased each other through the mind 
 of La Cuerita, and her plan of action 
 was matured before the laugh occa- 
 sioned by Thornton's remark had 
 subsided. 
 
 She glanced hastily around. The 
 sentinel was near, and also several 
 citizens. ' ' I 'will come back pres- 
 ently/' she whispered, and hastened 
 to a soldier who had for some mo- 
 ments been calling her. 
 
 None but prisoners were near when 
 she returned. 
 
 ' ' Listen to me, " she whispered, 
 deliberately filling Thornton's cap 
 with fruit, which she polished with 
 her coarse apron. "To-night the 
 train will stop at a station for wood ; 
 it lies about ten miles from here. 
 Wrench up the floor of the car and 
 lie on the track till the cars pass over 
 you and all is quiet. Creep then in- 
 to the copse on the left and I will 
 come to you. " 
 
 He looked at her in astonishment, 
 but she continued calmly to fill his 
 cap with fruit, asked for her payment, 
 and counted out the change, saying : 
 
 "You'll find it all right, sir; you 
 needn't be afraid, '" adding, in a whis- 
 per, ' ' have you a large knife ? " 
 
 "My dagger." 
 
 She smiled, said ' ' Good-day, " 
 and passed on to another officer. To 
 him she sold all her fruit, and then 
 hastened from the building. She was 
 about to enter the hotel when, to her 
 surprise, she met Mr. Russell, whom 
 she had supposed to be in Virginia. 
 He looked at her closely as she pas- 
 sed, then turned and followed her a 
 few steps, but presently, to her infi- 
 nite relief, paused, and with a short 
 laugh, as if at the utter absurdity of 
 his suspicions, turned again toward 
 the depot. Waiting until he had dis- 
 appeared from view, La Guerita hur- 
 ried into the hotel, and to Miss Adela's 
 room. 
 
 "What news ? " she cried, eagerly. 
 ' ' Have you seen him ? " 
 
 "Yes," she answered, and in a 
 few words related her meeting with 
 Thornton Leslie, and the plan she 
 had formed for his release. "You 
 know the box cars are but very slightly 
 made, " she explained, in conclusion. 
 "The flooring, I am sure, may be 
 easily wrested up by a strong blade 
 and a willing hand. " 
 
 "Oh, the escape from the guards 
 is not so difficult, " said Miss Holmes. 
 1 ' I have seen Union soldiers actually 
 waiting at the stations at which they 
 had been accidentally left for chances 
 to be taken on to prison, but how we 
 are to conduct him to a place of 
 safety is my great trouble. Now that 
 you have suggested a plan of escape 
 from the train, I have no doubt he 
 will try to follow it out. " 
 
 ' ' Yes, " said La Guerita, ' ' we may 
 trust to his ready wit to help him out 
 
i yo 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 of any danger connected with that 
 which we cannot foresee. My only 
 care now is to be near the station in 
 time to conduct him to a place of 
 safety before his flight is discovered, 
 for however careless they may be as 
 to common soldiers, the authorities 
 would not relish the idea of an officer 
 running through the country at will. " 
 
 "That is quite true. My poor 
 Thornton has everything against him. 
 But with his wounded arm he can 
 never wrench up the floor. " 
 
 " He will find others to help him, 
 and as there will be several in the car 
 we may safely reckon that all will not 
 trust themselves to these unfriendly 
 woods, therefore several hours may 
 elapse before the flight of any is dis- 
 covered. I ask but one; that will 
 take us some distance toward Asenith 
 Bray's. " 
 
 "Asenith Bray's?" 
 
 ' ' Yes ; we can find no safer place 
 for him. There is not one retired 
 nook at Holmsford. If we can cover 
 up our tracks, no one would suspect 
 Asenith of harboring any one. She 
 must be prepared for our coming." 
 
 " It can never be done/' said Miss 
 Holmes, despairingly. "They ex- 
 pect me home to-day ; I must go. 
 How am I, then, in the first place to 
 account for your absence ? My father 
 is so jealously careful of you. But, 
 even if I could arrange that satisfac- 
 torily, how are you to conduct Thorn- 
 ton over roads you have yourself 
 never trod ? " 
 
 " The first difficulty is the great- 
 est," said La Guerita, after a mo- 
 ment's thought, ' f and I own it did 
 not at first occur to me, although it 
 now appears to me insurmountable. 
 As to the rest, I know the general di- 
 
 rection of the roads leading to and 
 from the station. But has not Harold 
 yet returned ? Can it be possible 
 that he has wandered to the depot ? 
 Oh, I hope not ; if he is seen by Will. 
 Russell our plans may be utterly 
 ruined." 
 
 1 ' What ? Is Will. Russell in town ?" 
 
 ' ' Yes, and even Thornton did not 
 eye me so closely ; yet I think I es- 
 caped unrecognized." 
 
 "Thank God for that. Oh, La 
 Guerita, we must not fail. We are 
 running a frightful risk. I am even 
 placing my father's life in danger. 
 Oh, God, the thought is agony ! " 
 
 "We will not think of danger," 
 said La Guerita. "God will not 
 suffer so just an undertaking to fail. 
 But now we cannot draw back. I 
 would not at any cost. " 
 
 ' ' But the danger is frightful, " said 
 Miss Holmes, turning pale and shud- 
 dering, as she pictured the hundred 
 chances of failure andtdetection they 
 must have. ' ' Much as I long to 
 rescue Thornton, I cannot bear to 
 risk my father's honor, and to place 
 you in such terrible jeopardy. Oh, 
 Rita, be careful ! be careful ! My 
 father would never forgive you if you 
 were discovered. He would part us 
 forever. " 
 
 ' ' I know it, " returned La Guerita. 
 "But let us think of how we shall 
 account for our absence from Holms- 
 ford to-night. Can you trust Henry ?" 
 
 "Not an iota. Fate seems truly 
 perverse in awarding him as our 
 driver. " 
 
 ' ' That is unfortunate ; but we have 
 Harry. There he is now, at the 
 door. " 
 
 " Have you considered," said Miss 
 Holmes, "that it is more than ten 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 171 
 
 miles from Holmsford to the station, 
 how can you ever walk such a dis- 
 tance? or, at any rate, in time to 
 rescue Thornton. " 
 
 ' ' There must be no delay, " re- 
 plied La Guerita ; ' l Let us call in 
 Harold, and you can send him to 
 order the carriage. It must be near- 
 ly five o'clock now. " 
 
 "It is quite that. Come in, Har- 
 ry-" 
 
 He entered, and delivered a note 
 to Miss Holmes, and then turned to 
 his mother, in great glee, exclaim- 
 ing: 
 
 "Oh, ma, they're having such a 
 time down at the depot ; there are 
 thousands of Yankee prisoners there. 
 I went down myself and saw them. " 
 
 "Oh, Harold, Harold, what have 
 you done ?'' she cried, in a tone of 
 such grief that the child shrank back 
 as though he had been struck. 
 
 ' ' I didn't mean any harm, " he 
 faltered. 
 
 ' ' I know you did not, " she re- 
 turned in a gentler tone. ' ' Who did 
 you see at the depot? Any of the 
 prisoners ?" 
 
 "No," he answered, half crying, 
 ' ' I was going into the big room, 
 when Captain Russell came along 
 and wouldn't let me." 
 
 "Captain Russell!'' ejaculated Miss 
 Holmes, in affright, ' ' and what did 
 he say to you ?'\ 
 
 ' ' He only put his hand under my 
 chin, and made me raise my face so's 
 he could look at it, and then he ask- 
 me who I came to town with ; and I 
 told him Miss Adela and ma, and he 
 told me to run home, and I did just 
 as quick as I could." 
 
 La Guerita, for the first time in 
 her life, was thoroughly angered at 
 
 her child, and for a few moments was 
 almost filled with despair. She went 
 with Miss Holmes into the bedroom, 
 leaving Harold in tears. 
 
 c ' This has totally discomposed my 
 plans, " she exclaimed ; ' ' had we 
 better not forego them, and apply at 
 once to Will. Russell for aid, he 
 knows Thornton well, and can have 
 no personal enmity against him. 
 
 ' ' You forget ; they are rivals, " 
 answered Miss Holmes, blushing ; 
 ' ' Captain Russell has many reasons 
 for preferring to see Thornton in 
 prison than free, and, at any rate, he 
 is not the man to recognize a person- 
 al friend in a political enemy. " 
 
 ' ' You cannot, then, trust to his 
 generosity ?" 
 
 ' ' No, no ; and additional caution 
 is necessary now, for undoubtedly he 
 knows that Thornton is here, and his 
 seeing you in that disguise has arous- 
 ed his suspicions. " 
 
 ' ' Perhaps they will say that I am 
 planning my own escape instead ol 
 Thornton's," said La Guerita, cheer- 
 ingly ; "at any rate it is now too 
 late for us to draw back. When shall 
 you be ready to leave town ? " 
 
 ' ' Immediately ; if you think it 
 best. Here, Harry, see if you can 
 be a man and order the carriage ; and 
 then go into the office and pay my 
 bill for me. " 
 
 She gave him her purse, and he 
 left the room proud, and once more 
 happy. 
 
 "Do 'you remember," said La 
 Guerita, ' ' that the E road cross- 
 es the Holmsford, about seven miles 
 from here ? Now, I am well assured 
 that a walk of three miles on that 
 road, and of five miles more through 
 the woods, directly east, will bring 
 
172 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 me to the station. Eight miles 
 south-west from that point is Asenith 
 Bray's. By some good fortune, I 
 remember hearing that some time 
 ago. " 
 
 ' ' Sixteen miles to walk, " said Miss 
 Holmes, aghast. 
 
 ' ' I am not sure that I ever walked 
 so far before in my life ; but I can 
 do so now, or as much further as 
 need be. There is the carriage now. 
 Henry is in a hurry to leave town I 
 suppose ; no doubt he is thinking of 
 that long, stony hill which will pre- 
 vent one reaching the junction until 
 nearly eight o'clock at least. " 
 
 Hastily arranging themselves, they 
 left the room. 
 
 "I had forgotten we must have 
 some brandy," whispered La Gue- 
 rita. 
 
 "I have some," answered Miss 
 Holmes ; " I brought it from home 
 for your mother. But we will have 
 some sandwiches. " 
 * She dispatched Harold for them, 
 and the landlord conducted her to 
 the carriage, leaving La Guerita to 
 follow as she best could. 
 
 " Drive quickly, Henry," said 
 Miss Holmes, when Harold had 
 joined them with a small basket well 
 filled. 
 
 He obeyed, and for some time they 
 proceeded in silence ; and when they 
 were fully free from the town, they in 
 whispers matured their plans. 
 
 "Yes, "said Miss Holmes, at last, 
 "Harold must help us; I cannot 
 trust Henry. Harry, listen to me, 
 I have a reason why your mother 
 shall leave the carriage without being 
 seen by Henry. Will you help her 
 to do it ? " 
 
 "Why, of course, Miss Adela," 
 
 he answered in astonishment, "I'll 
 do anything you want me to. " 
 
 ' ' That is right. Now, presently, 
 we shall get to the top of this hill, 
 and I shall send Henry to a spring in 
 one of the fields to get me some 
 water ; you must get out and hold 
 the horses. Your mother will leave 
 the carriage, and when Henry brings 
 the water, you must take it from 
 him." 
 
 ' 'I'll do it, " he said, ' ' but I'm sure 
 ma will get lost, it's pretty near dark 
 already. " 
 
 ' ' Never mind that. I have, besides , 
 something else for you to do. I am 
 not going to Holmsford to-night, but 
 to Asenith Bray's ; I shall send you 
 home with a note to mamma, and if 
 they ask you about us, tell them that 
 you left us at Asenith's. " 
 
 ' f What, if ma a'int there ; that will 
 be a lie," said Harold bluntly. 
 
 Miss Holmes colored. "A lie is 
 nothing where a life is concerned, " 
 she said, more to herself than to the 
 child ; "I will explain to him when 
 you are gone," she added to La 
 Guerita. "Now, then, for the dis- 
 guise as before. " 
 
 La Guerita hastily assumed it, and 
 when they reached the top of the hill, 
 Miss Holmes said to Harold : 
 
 "Now, then, let me see how well 
 you can perform your first task ; tell 
 Henry to go for the water. " 
 
 He did so, and took his place at 
 the horses' heads, while the driver de- 
 parted on his errand. As soon as 
 his face was turned steadfastly toward 
 the spring, La Guerita arose, and 
 taking the basket of food and the 
 brandy, and the "pass" which, as an 
 additional safeguard, Miss Holmes 
 had prepared for her, hastily left the 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 carriage. Uttering a word of fare- 
 well, she looked around her cau- 
 tiously for a moment, and then en- 
 tering the thick woods that bordered 
 the road, crouched down, and await- 
 ed impatiently a chance for action. 
 
 From her hiding-place, she pres- 
 ently saw Henry return from the 
 spring, and Harold run to him, ex- 
 claiming that he could not hold the 
 horses, and snatching the water from 
 his hands, conveying it himself to 
 Miss Holmes. 
 
 To her great relief Henry mounted 
 the box without looking into the car- 
 riage, and drove slowly away. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 " I dare do all that may become a man." 
 Shakespeare. 
 
 LA GUERITA then felt herself fully 
 launched upon her perilous adven- 
 ture ; and yet, strangely enough, she 
 felt far more anxiety for Miss Holmes 
 than for herself. Would it be possi- 
 ble for one so well known to drive so 
 many miles without encountering 
 one that knew her ? Might not her 
 father even, rendered anxious by the 
 lateness of the hour, ride forth to 
 meet her, and ask the cause of her 
 own absence? In such a case, what 
 answer would she give ? These ques- 
 tions long tormented her, even after 
 she had arisen and begun to walk 
 boldly on the open roadway. 
 
 ' ' It must be nearly eight o'clock ! " 
 she thought, glancing at the sun, 
 which was fast setting ; "it will soon 
 be dark among these gloomy pines ; 
 but, after all, that will be all the bet- 
 ter for me. " 
 
 Within the first three miles she met 
 many persons, but, as it was almost 
 
 dark, she passed almost unnoticed. 
 1 ' Now for the labyrinth ! " she mut- 
 tered, as she made a sudden detour 
 into the woods. "This path is 
 scarcely distinguishable. I might 
 have found my difficulties greatly 
 lessened if Miss Adela had taken 
 Henry into our confidence. Those 
 old negroes know every turn. Let 
 me see where am I ? " 
 
 She paused for some time at the 
 junction of two roads, which were, 
 in fact, little more than mere foot- 
 paths. ' ' This, " she thought, doubt- 
 fully, at last proceeding in one, 
 "must be right, I know I must go 
 east. But, oh, if I could but see a 
 few paces before me, how thankful I 
 should be ! " 
 
 She went on, however, quite blind- 
 ly for more than a half hour longer. 
 The faint starlight failed to pierce the 
 gloom of the forest ; and at length, 
 utterly wearied, she sat down at the 
 roadside to rest. 
 
 She had sat there but a short time, 
 when a man on horseback went by. 
 She drew back from the road, hoping 
 he would pass without speaking ; but 
 he drew rein, evidently surprised to 
 see a woman in the woods alone at 
 that late hour. 
 
 ' ' Who are you ? " he asked, sus- 
 piciously, "and where are you go- 
 ing ? " 
 
 Evading his first question, she an- 
 swered, carelessly : " I am going to 
 
 ' ' Then you have a good walk be- 
 fore you." He evidently took her 
 for a white w r oman. ' ' There are 
 lots of runaway negroes and con- 
 scripts in these woods ; I wonder 
 you are not afraid of them. " 
 
 " I am too poor for them to trou- 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 ble me, sir, " she returned ; ' ' but I 
 am not quite sure I am on the road 
 to E ." 
 
 ' ' Oh, yes ; you're all right. " 
 
 Her heart sank. Then she had 
 diverged far from the road leading to 
 the wood-station ; but dissembling 
 her emotion, said : " I was afraid it 
 might be the other road the one 
 that crosses this more than two miles 
 back." 
 
 "Oh, no ; that would take you to 
 
 R ," mentioning a village which 
 
 she knew to be but a short distance 
 from the wood-station. 
 
 The man rode on, with a cheery 
 "Good-night" to her, and the ad- 
 vice to hurry on, as there were con- 
 scripts and conscript-hunters within 
 a mile, and they might annoy her 
 were they to meet her. 
 
 After he was gone she stood for a 
 few moments quite motionless. All 
 those weary miles, then, must be re- 
 traced. With difficulty she restrained 
 her tears ; but, with a silent prayer 
 for help, she walked back to the 
 junction, and, almost hopelessly, took 
 the other road. She thought the five 
 miles she had decided she must pro- 
 ceed interminable, and several times 
 felt inclined to turn into one of the 
 numerous small paths that intersected 
 the greater on every hand. She knew 
 that to reach the station it was neces- 
 sary for her to do so. 
 
 Her perplexity increased with every 
 passing moment, and at last she men- 
 tally exclaimed : "It must be nearly 
 eleven o'clock ; and here is another 
 road. Oh, Heaven direct me, or all 
 may be lost ! " 
 
 She stood for some minutes at the 
 junction, afraid to move ; when, to 
 her great terror, she heard the sound 
 
 of wheels. She sprang into the 
 woods, and in a few moments a bug- 
 gy, driven by a negro, rolled rapidly 
 by and turned upon the very road 
 she had been pondering over. 
 
 ' ' That is the buggy for the gentle- 
 man who was to leave the train at the 
 wood-station, " she thought, joyfully ; 
 " I am, indeed, all right now." 
 
 She hastened hopefully upon her 
 new path, and almost at the same 
 moment the shrill 'scream of the en- 
 gine awoke the forest echoes, and she 
 knew that the train was approaching 
 the wood-station, and thought that 
 at that very instant Thornton Les- 
 lie might be striving for freedom. 
 Which would he gain, Freedom or 
 death ? " 
 
 The thought quite chilled and sick- 
 ened her for a moment ; then again 
 the whistle sounded, and, quite re- 
 gardless of her fatigue, she ran ea- 
 gerly in the direction of the station. 
 
 At last she saw the red lights of 
 the engine before her. She paused, 
 drawing into the covert of the wood, 
 as the buggy, containing her uncon- 
 scious benefactor, drove by on its 
 homeward way. The whistle again 
 sounded the heavy train moved on 
 the flickering lights at the wood- 
 pile vanished one by one, and all was 
 dark and still as death. 
 
 She stood for a moment quite awed 
 by the thought of the joy or sorrow 
 she would shortly know. ' ' I shall 
 never reach Asenith Bray's if I must 
 go there alone," she thought, and 
 then moved a step forward and scan- 
 ned the track with eager gaze. 
 
 She fancied she saw two or three 
 dark objects move slowly across it, 
 and, with a beating heart, she de- 
 scended the hill, crossed a rustic 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 1 75 
 
 bridge which spanned a ravine at its 
 foot, and entered the copse that lay 
 between it and the railway track. 
 
 No sound was to be heard but the 
 croaking of the frogs in the stream 
 and the howl of a distant dog. By 
 the faint lights but few objects could 
 be distinguished, and putting aside 
 the boughs of the shrub pines and 
 wild-rose bushes, she stepped into 
 the copse, holding herself ready to be 
 accosted in any way ; yet she could 
 not repress a shiver of terror when 
 her dress was firmly, yet gently, 
 seized, and a low voice whispered : 
 "Adela!" 
 
 At that word she looked down, 
 and saw a stranger lying at her feet ; 
 but he was clothed in the Union 
 blue, and kneeling beside him, she 
 whispered : " How many of you are 
 here ? " 
 
 ' ' God bless you, five the major 
 and four privates. Tell me the near- 
 est point we can hope to gain the 
 Union lines." 
 
 ' ' At Kenston about eighty miles 
 north-east. I can give you only the 
 general direction. Where is the 
 major ? " 
 
 ' ' God save you for a brave girl ! " 
 replied the man ; * ' my comrades 
 and I will never forget you for your 
 work to-night. Tell me who you 
 are, and to whom you belong/' 
 
 ' ' Detain me no longer, " she whis- 
 pered, * ' but tell me where the major 
 is. " 
 
 "Close under the covert of the 
 wood yonder, unless he has gained 
 courage to rise and walk away ; he 
 was not able to creep, because of his 
 broken arm. Let me shake hands 
 with you. '' 
 
 She gave him her hand, and an- 
 
 swering ' ' Good-by " to his fervent 
 blessing, hastened away, returning, 
 on a second thought, to say : ' ' Have 
 you money or food ? " 
 
 "The first, yes ; the last we need 
 most. " 
 
 "Have you a brandy-flask ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 He produced it, and by the un- 
 certain light she filled it, shared with 
 him her slender stock of food, and 
 said : ' ' That must serve you until 
 you reach the house of a Quakeress, 
 ten miles south. Tell her nothing 
 but that you are hungry, and you 
 will be fed. You will know the 
 house by its large, brown, wooden 
 blinds ; there are none beside them 
 hereabout. " 
 
 She left the copse before he could 
 utter a word of thanks, and after a 
 careful survey of the ground stepped 
 lightly across the open space, and at 
 the spot designated by the soldier 
 found Thornton Leslie. 
 
 1 ' I saw you go into the copse, " he 
 whispered, "but was too faint to 
 move or speak. For God's sake, let 
 us leave this place ; there is a man 
 in the hut yonder ; he might discover 
 us at any moment. " 
 
 Without uttering a word, she led 
 the way across the bridge. At the 
 top of the hill they paused and lis- 
 tened. In the distance at M , 
 
 they conjectured the whistle of the 
 cars sounded shrilly, and, as if it her- 
 alded pursuit, they hurried desperate- 
 ly on. 
 
 ' ' How far have we to go ? " whis- 
 pered Leslie, at last. 
 
 "Eight miles." 
 
 "Good God, I am fainting al- 
 ready ! " 
 
 She stopped and gave him some 
 
i 7 6 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 brandy. It revived him, and after 
 resting a moment he continued his 
 walk, leaning heavily upon a stick 
 which La Guerita placed in his 
 hands. 
 
 ' ' Why do you walk behind me ? " 
 he asked. 
 
 ' ' My dress sweeps over your foot- 
 prints and obliterates them," she re- 
 plied. 
 
 ' ' None but a negro used to flights 
 would have thought of that," he 
 mused. 
 
 Oh, how wearily the next hour 
 passed. On they pressed through the 
 gloomy woods, often startled by some 
 distant sound, or obliged to yield for 
 a moment to the fatigue that threat- 
 ened to overcome both. 
 
 They at last sat down, at a few rods 
 from the roadside, and partook of the 
 food La Guerita had reserved. "'Tis 
 the first food I have eaten with an ap- 
 petite since I was made prisoner," 
 whispered Thornton. 
 
 ' ' Was your escape easily manag- 
 ed ? " she queried. 
 
 ' ' Yes ; though there was a double 
 guard placed at our car ; and after 
 the boards were loosened they came 
 in, and actually trod upon them. 
 Heaven knows what would have be- 
 come of us if one had slipped. One 
 of them stood at the door all the time 
 we stopped at the station ; but part of 
 our brave fellows blocked his view 
 while the four others and myself 
 raised the boards and dropped upon 
 the track below. There was a terri- 
 ble glare from the engine shining 
 upon it ; but, thank God, in a mo- 
 ment the train thundered over us 
 the station-master slowly passed by, 
 putting out, one by one, the dull 
 lights, and at last went into the cab- 
 
 in, leaving us in the blessed dark- 
 ness. " 
 
 "Lie down/' muttered La Gue- 
 rita, warningly, throwing herself back. 
 Thornton instantly obeyed, and a few 
 minutes later four men on horseback 
 passed. One was a conscript, and 
 the others were so much engaged in 
 taunting him that they fortunately 
 looked only at him. 
 
 ' ' I guess the next time you run, it 
 will be from the Yankees, " remarked 
 one, jeeringly. 
 
 "I'll run to them," retorted the 
 conscript, sullenly. 
 
 ' ' You will, eh ? " replied the cap- 
 tain, with an oath. ' ' Well, at any 
 rate we caught you nicely to-night. 
 We should have had your brother, 
 too, but that my horse stumbled on 
 that cursed tree that lay across the 
 road by Deacon Wright's/' 
 
 They passed on, and were soon 
 out of sight. La Guerita arose and 
 beckoned to Thornton to follow. 
 They made but slow progress, for 
 Thornton faltered at every step, until 
 they came to a path leading across 
 some fields that surrounded a large 
 white house. 
 
 1 ' I did not know before that Dea- 
 con Wright lived there, " she thought, 
 ' ' but I know his house is but a few 
 miles from Asenith's. Yes, we are 
 right ; there is the fallen tree. " 
 
 They entered the fields, then, creep- 
 ing along under such covert as pre- 
 sented itself, yet often obliged to take 
 to the open field, and run the risk of 
 encountering their worst enemies 
 the seemingly ubiquitous conscript- 
 hunters. When they again entered 
 the woods Thornton sank down, 
 faintly declaring himself unable to go 
 farther. 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 177 
 
 La Guerita gently forced him to 
 take some brandy, but it seemed to 
 have no effect. 
 
 "It is no use," he muttered, "I 
 can go no farther. Oh, the agony of 
 this wounded arm is intolerable. " 
 
 La Guerita silently took his dagger 
 from his belt and slit up the loose 
 sleeve of his coat, and loosened the 
 bandages slightly, not daring to re- 
 move them, as he begged her to do, 
 lest the blood of an artery should 
 burst forth. 
 
 1 ' Come now, " she said, cheerfully, 
 ' ' it is only a mile farther, and I know 
 the road well. I am sure all danger 
 is past." 
 
 " It is no use, '' he muttered, sink- 
 ing back after a vain attempt to rise. 
 
 ' c Oh, Thornton ! " she exclaimed, 
 bursting into tears, and for the first 
 time speaking in her natural voice, 
 ' ' rouse yourself ! for God's sake, 
 rouse yourself! The morning will 
 soon break, and unless we reach 
 Asenith's before that, all will be 
 lost. " 
 
 "Who are you?" he cried, sud- 
 denly, rising to his feet as if electri- 
 fied; "are you yourself Adela, or 
 whose voice is that I hear ? " 
 
 ' ' Her waiting maid's, " she replied, 
 gaining, by a moment's thought, time 
 to answer him calmly, ' ' and she will 
 kill me by the sight of her grief if I 
 do not take you to her to-night. " 
 ' ' Xo, it cannot be possible. You 
 
 cannot be . And yet . But 
 
 lead on." 
 
 "To Adela !" whispered La Gue- 
 rfta. 
 
 The name seemed to give him fresh 
 
 strength. He pressed onward, though 
 
 slowly, often scarcely able to repress a 
 
 moan of pain. La Guerita spoke no 
 
 23 
 
 more until they had passed through 
 the woods and the wild, uncultivated 
 garden, and they stood before the lit- 
 tle porch of Asenith Bray's house. 
 She took Thornton Leslie's hand ; it 
 was cold as ice, and he trembled like 
 an aspen. His former danger, and 
 his escape from it, she knew were for 
 a moment forgotten. 
 
 ' ' Where is she ? " he murmured. 
 ' ' My love, my Adela ! " 
 
 That moment he was answered. 
 The door opened and he fell forward 
 into her outstretched arms. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 " To his eye 
 
 There was but one beloved face on earth, 
 And that was shining on him. 11 
 
 Bvro*. 
 
 THERE was no time for words of 
 welcome, or tears of joy. Thornton 
 Leslie had fainted, and at the sight 
 of the strong man so utterly pros- 
 trated, the three women instantly be- 
 came calm, and even La Guerita was 
 unconscious of fatigue as she assist- 
 ed to raise and carry him into an in- 
 ner chamber. Scarcely had they laid 
 him upon the bed, when to their utter 
 consternation a heavy knock sounded 
 upon the door. 
 
 "Oh, my God, you have been 
 followed," ejaculated Miss Holmes, 
 throwing herself despairingly on her 
 knees beside her lover. ' ' Oh, Thorn- 
 ton, Thornton, we are lost ! " 
 
 La Guerita: would not move for 
 very terror, but leaving the room and 
 closing the door, Asenith demanded 
 firmly : 
 
 "Who is there?" 
 
 "It's only me," replied a voice 
 which, to the infinite relief of all, 
 they recognized to be that of the 
 
i 7 8 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 coachman, Henry. "I'se come for 
 Miss Addie. " 
 
 "And why?" said Miss Holmes, 
 hastening to the door, "what has 
 happened ? " 
 
 "Oh, Miss Addie, you'se to go 
 right off. Massa Rufe is wid me to 
 see you safe ! Dey's jest havin' de 
 most orfulest times Miss Myra's 
 done gone inter de hystricks, and 
 Massa Norton's nigh 'bout crazy ; 
 let 'lone Miss Tildy, who says she 
 jest know'd 'twould happen so !" 
 
 ' ' That what would happen ? " cried 
 Miss Holmes, breathlessly, her heart 
 palpitating with a thousand fears. 
 
 "Why that Massa Claude would 
 be killed ! He was just shot all to 
 pieces I" 
 
 " Claude shot !" 
 
 "Yes," cried Rufus, who had just 
 entered, ' ' shot by those cussed Yan- 
 kees, but if I live a year longer I will 
 avenge him. But how does it hap- 
 pen that you're all dressed ?" he said, 
 suspiciously. 
 
 "Asenith has been so dreadfully 
 sick, " she replied, hurriedly ; ' ' Rita, 
 I must go home you shall stay. " 
 
 " No she musn't," interrupted 
 Rufus, "she is to go home with 
 us. Father particularly told me 
 that." 
 
 They went up stairs ostensibly to 
 put on their bonnets and cloaks, 
 but in reality to consult together. 
 Asenith presently came to them. 
 
 "I see by Rufus' manner that 
 there are some suspicions afloat," 
 she said. ' ' Go home, both of you, 
 and leave him to me." 
 
 There was nothing else to be done, 
 and not even a glance of farewell 
 could be given. Adela was almost 
 glad of a pretext for her tears, as she 
 
 entered the carriage and asked Rufus 
 how the news had come. 
 
 1 ' Mr. Gordon received the tele- 
 graph late in the night, and sent it 
 right out," he answered. 
 
 "But it may not be true!" said 
 his sister. 
 
 ' ' Nonsense, '' returned Rufus ; but 
 she repeated the words to her father 
 as he came out in the early dawn to 
 meet her and assisted her from the 
 carriage. 
 
 "Alas! it must be true!'' he re- 
 plied. ' ' Only look at that, my dear. " 
 
 He placed a telegram in her hand 
 which she read aloud. There were 
 but a few words, but they were defi- 
 nite enough to convince the most 
 unbelieving. 
 
 ' ' Col. Claude Leveredge was killed 
 
 at , on the 2Oth instant, while 
 
 leading a charge on the enemy's 
 works. Body not recovered. " 
 
 Miss Holmes burst into tears, 
 and hurried into the house, while 
 La Guerita turned slowly toward 
 her own cabin, saying to herself: 
 ' ' Dead ! dead ! Gone into the pres- 
 ence of God and Harold without 
 one word of forgiveness from my 
 lips. Oh, Claude ! Claude ! how 
 gladly would I have spoken them ; 
 for, base as all your other feelings 
 seemed, your love for me at least was 
 pure !" 
 
 She found a strange pleasure in 
 that thought ; she felt that the pure 
 love she pictured had honored her, 
 perhaps, more than him ; no other 
 woman would have commanded it 
 from such a heart. She could not 
 grieve for him ; 'twas hard for her, so 
 far as to triumph over her weak hu- 
 man nature, as to refrain from some 
 slight joy when she thought how great 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 179 
 
 a boon his death was to her; yet 
 withal, her heart softened toward 
 him, and she gave a sigh to Claude 
 Leveredge dead, that no art could 
 have gained from her during his 
 life. 
 
 Mrs. Holmes, as Henry had rep- 
 resented, was indeed in hysterics, and 
 remained in them during most of 
 the following day ; and not only Mr. 
 Holmes, but the children and serv- 
 ants seemed crazed. And worst of 
 all to Miss Holmes and La Guerita 
 Mr. Gordon came out to advise and 
 condole with the family in their afflic- 
 tion. 
 
 For nearly a week the only news 
 gained of Thornton was through 
 Harold, who was sent to Asenith ? s 
 on some pretext each day. He was 
 never told the name of the stranger 
 whom he knew to be concealed, and 
 whose cause he espoused for Miss 
 Adela's sake with exemplary zeal and 
 discretion. 
 
 Never had Miss Holmes passed a 
 week of such terrible anxiety. The 
 sadness of her home was aggravated 
 by her fears for Thornton. Day after 
 day she heard that he was growing 
 stronger, but that in no degree les- 
 sened his chances of discovery, for 
 the news of the escape of the pris- 
 oners ran like wild-fire through the 
 country, and means for their recovery 
 were eagerly adopted. 
 
 One alone was captured, and he 
 would reveal nothing of the locality 
 in which their dangerous experiment 
 had been made. 
 
 Later in the week Asenith Bray 
 sent word that she was herself ex- 
 tremely ill, and notwithstanding the 
 protests of her father and mother, 
 Miss Holmes hastened to her, de- 
 
 claring she would not leave so good 
 a woman to die alone. 
 
 "I shall probably stay there three 
 or four days, " she said, when alone 
 with La Guerita. "I know it is 
 Thornton that is so extremely ill. 
 Oh what joy it will be to see him and 
 to tell him who was his deliverer ! " 
 
 " But that you must not do !" re- 
 turned La Guerita, hastily. ' ' I can- 
 not bear that he should see me here. 
 He cannot help me, and I have 
 nothing now to fear in slavery. 
 Promise me, then, that you will not 
 betray me. " 
 
 ' ' Betray you ! " 
 
 * ' Yes. If he reaches the Union 
 lines he would relate all to my 
 brother, and give him years of mis- 
 ery that he may as well be spared, 
 for, indeed, he cannot help me. 
 Promise me, then, that you will not 
 tell Thornton who saved him. " 
 
 ' ' I promise until I again see you, " 
 said Miss Holmes, sadly; "yet I 
 think you are wrong. But I can re- 
 fuse you nothing. " 
 
 "There is Minna calling you," 
 said La Guerita. 
 
 ' ' So she is, dear child, with Rufus 
 by her side, looking as black as a 
 thunderbolt. He characteristically 
 remarked this morning that if Claude 
 had sent him his spurs which he 
 promised should be his if he was 
 killed, he would put them on and 
 never take them off until they were 
 dyed red with the blood of his cow- 
 ardly Yankee murderers. The child 
 actually makes me shudder. " 
 
 She left the cabin, and shortly after 
 proceeded to Asenith Bray's. She 
 found the old Quakeress sitting, as 
 usual, in her outer room sorting 
 herbs. 
 
i8o 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 ' ' I am glad thee has come at last, " 
 she said, as Adela kissed her cheeks, 
 which she noticed with a pang were 
 unusually pale. 
 
 "And I am glad," she answered, 
 "not only for his sake, but yours. 
 You must go now and lie down, 
 your pale face reproaches me. " 
 
 ' ' It need not, child, it need not, 
 for he was quieter last night, and I 
 had some rest. But the neighbors 
 have troubled me sorely each day ; 
 so many have come in, and I have 
 been in constant fear the poor lad 
 would betray his presence by a word 
 or moan. Go in now, I will move 
 about these dishes of herbs if any 
 one comes in, that the rattling may 
 warn thee to keep silence." 
 
 "I will remember," said Adela, 
 and stealing softly away to the cham- 
 ber where Thornton was lying, look- 
 ed fully, for the first time in years, 
 upon the face of her lover. It was 
 sadly altered. He seemed, indeed, 
 altogether but a wreck of his former 
 self; yet never had Adela loved him 
 so well as now, in his helplessness, 
 when she was called upon to endure 
 trials and danger for his sake. 
 
 She bent over him and kissed 
 him, and awaking, with a cry of de- 
 light he rapturously bade her wel- 
 come. 
 
 "I know why you have stayed 
 away ! " he exclaimed ; ' ' but I 
 thought that you would never come, 
 my precious Adela ! " 
 
 "Dear Thornton, you know it was 
 hard for me to stay away, " she said ; 
 "but I could not leave my home 
 without seeming unkind or arousing 
 suspicions. " 
 
 " I know it I know it, my love ; 
 but no reasoning could quiet my im- 
 
 patience to see you. I am quite con- 
 tent now that you are here. " 
 
 He seemed so, indeed, for he lay 
 for a long time with his hand clasped 
 in her's too weak to talk, but listen- 
 ing with delight to what she related of 
 her life since they parted. 
 
 ' ' But you have told me nothing 
 of that brave girl Rita, " he said, at 
 last. 
 
 "She is well," she replied, color- 
 ing ; ' ' she has been unable to leave 
 home ; they would miss her even 
 more than they do me. " 
 
 ' ' I had such strange thoughts 
 about her while I was delirious," 
 said Thornton ; "I remember them 
 all now. I kept on fancying that she 
 stood beside me vailed, and that I 
 sometimes fancied her one person, 
 and then, again, another. I am sure 
 I must have seen her somewhere. 
 Has she ever been North with you ? " 
 
 ' ' No, Thornton, never, " answered 
 Miss Holmes, almost unable to re- 
 strain her secret, yet doing so more 
 for his sake, perhaps, than that of La 
 Guerita. ' * You must be silent now. 
 You have talked already too much. 
 Asenith will think me a careless 
 nurse. " 
 
 On the contrary, Asenith declared 
 herself perfectly satisfied, and at an 
 early hour retired to seek the rest she 
 so greatly needed ; and for hours 
 Adela sat in the darkened room, 
 bending anxiously over her sleeping 
 lover. He awoke at last with a start ; 
 but a word from her lips calmed him. 
 
 "Then I was not dreaming," he 
 muttered; "you are my love, in 
 truth, beside me ? " 
 
 ' ' Yes, dear Thornton ; yes ! " 
 
 "But you will go again ? " he said, 
 uneasily. "All those weary years 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 181 
 
 Claude Leveredge kept you from me 
 will be repeated ? " 
 
 ' ' You forget, dear Thornton, that 
 Claude is dead." 
 
 "Ah, yes ! so he is ! I must bear 
 malice no longer ; but, indeed, it is 
 hard for me to forgive him when I 
 think what our home would have 
 been all these wear} 7 years ! " 
 
 Miss Holmes sighed. 
 
 ' ' Yet, perhaps, after all, " she said, 
 at length, ' ' this separation may have 
 been for our good. Remember you 
 w r ould still have been a soldier and a 
 prisoner, and God, knows, I might 
 soon have been your widow. " 
 
 ' ' That is true, my love. God bless 
 you. You are, then, true to the 
 Union as well as to me. Oh, I have 
 longed for one single assurance of 
 that." 
 
 ' ' I must not let you talk, Thorn- 
 ton," said Miss Holmes, gently, 
 ' ' though it is hard indeed for me to 
 bid you be silent. It is so long since 
 I have heard your voice, save in my 
 dreams. " 
 
 ' ' Oh, blessed dreams, " murmured 
 Thornton ; ' ' they have brought you 
 to me a thousand, thousand times. 
 Through them I have felt your hand 
 in mine, your kisses on my lips. But 
 I would not exchange one moment 
 of this reality for a world of dreams. " 
 
 She bent and kissed him, and he 
 held her head a moment to his bosom, 
 calling her his wife, his very own. 
 
 That was indeed a season of de- 
 light. But as the night passed on, 
 Thornton's feverish vagaries return- 
 ed. He lay fearfully awake, listening 
 anxiously to every sound, and filling 
 Adela with his own vague fears. 
 The window was closely curtained, 
 yet he declared, nervously, that some 
 
 rays of light from the table lamp 
 were surely falling upon the garden. 
 At last Miss Holmes arose and, 
 almost fainting with terror, entered 
 the garden. All was dark. She 
 even pressed her face to the win- 
 dow, but Asenith had covered it so 
 well that not a glimmer could be dis- 
 covered behind the black screen. 
 She re-entered the house to assure 
 Thornton of this, and found him filled 
 with the most agonizing fears for her 
 safety. 
 
 "Don't leave me again," he en- 
 treated. ' ' Something might happen 
 to you. Give me your hand and 
 sit beside me. I can be sure of you 
 then." 
 
 1 ' The second night was a repeti- 
 tion of the first ; and as Adela had 
 refused to leave Thornton even dur- 
 ing the day, she could not conquer 
 the drowsiness that came upon her in 
 the early morning, when Thornton 
 slumbered under the influence of 
 some herb, for the virtues of which 
 Asenith vouched, and sinking back 
 into her chair she fell into a deep 
 sleep. 
 
 So Asenith found her an hour later, 
 and awakening her cautiously sent 
 her to her chamber, where she sank 
 upon the bed, and, with a muttered 
 prayer for Thornton, again slept. At 
 about ten o'clock she was again 
 aroused by Asenith, who came to her 
 bedside to tell her that her father was 
 below. 
 
 1 ' And verily, " she added, " I had ,, 
 no call to feign sickness, for his com- 
 ing startled me so that he said I was 
 as white as a sheet, and chid me for 
 getting up, but I told him I could 
 not bear to keep thee longer from thy 
 bed, for thee hadst been up much of 
 
182 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 the two nights thou hadst passed 
 here. " 
 
 * ' Then he will be prepared for my 
 haggard looks, " returned Adela, has- 
 tily bathing her face, and smoothing 
 her hair. ' ' I wonder what he has 
 come for ? Perhaps only to see me, 
 or with fresh news of Claude. " 
 
 The last conjecture was correct, al- 
 though Mr. Holmes said truly he had 
 been longing to see his daughter. 
 He gave her half a dozen telegrams 
 relating to her cousin, all verifying 
 the intelligence of his death. 
 
 " I think I should have been bet- 
 ter satisfied if we could have got the 
 poor fellow's body, " said Mr. Holmes, 
 sorrowfully. ' ' I cannot endure the 
 thought that his body should lie up- 
 on the field undistinguishable from 
 those of the cursed Yankees. " 
 
 "Oh, papa, hush!" 
 
 ' ' Don't look so shocked, Addie ; 
 I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. 
 After all, as Claude was an officer, 
 they may have buried him. Poor 
 boy, poor boy ! " 
 
 ' ' His fate was very sad, " said Miss 
 Holmes, sorrowfully, ' ' and yet it has 
 been the same with thousands during 
 the last two years. " 
 
 ' ' That is so, but very few young 
 men were like Claude," answered 
 Mr. Holmes, "and my greatest 
 trouble is to think that none of us 
 ever understood him. You know, 
 Adela, contrary to all expectations, 
 he never declared love for you. I 
 know now the reason. " 
 
 "What was it?" Miss Holmes 
 asked, anxiously. 
 
 " He feared that it was not recipro- 
 cated. I have not the slightest doubt 
 now that he did love you most de- 
 votedly." 
 
 "Indeed!" 
 
 ' ' Yes ; for yesterday, in a way that 
 women all have, your mother went to 
 soothe her grief by looking at every- 
 thing that could remind her of 
 Claude, in that way hoping to accus- 
 tom herself to his loss, I suppose. 
 Well, in a little pocket in one of his 
 trunks she found a miniature case, 
 containing the likeness of a beautiful, 
 fair-haired girl, and under it, in tiny 
 seed pearls, was placed the word 
 'AdeleV It was evidently a fancy 
 picture he had picked up in France 
 and fancied like you, and convinces 
 me that the poor fellow really loved 
 you." 
 
 She perceived that the thought gave 
 him far more pleasure than pain, and 
 although she had a thousand reasons 
 for freeing his mind of the false idea, 
 she knew she could only do so by 
 betraying La Guerita's secret, and 
 blackening the memory of her cousin 
 to the only man on earth that loved 
 him. 
 
 He continued to talk on his favor- 
 ite topic for an hour or more. Never 
 was his daughter so thankful as when 
 he took his departure. She hurried 
 into Thornton's room, and found him 
 in a perfect fever. He had recog- 
 nized the voice, and heard most of 
 the conversation. 
 
 ' ' It was true, then, after all. Claude 
 did love you, and that was why he 
 separated us." 
 
 ' ' You are mistaken, " she answer- 
 ed, gently. ' ' It was that young girl 
 at Fairview that he loved ; that he 
 told me the last time I saw him he 
 should love forever." 
 
 ' ' True, true ; I had forgotten. 
 Can it be possible that he had any- 
 thing to do with her disappearance ? " 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 183 
 
 ' ' Her disappearance ? " 
 
 ' ' .Yes ; did he not tell you ? Her 
 husband died, and she, I think, must 
 have become insane, though we did 
 not notice it at the time. At any 
 rate, she left her home, and nothing, 
 literally nothing, has been heard of 
 her since. She dropped out of our 
 world as completely as if the earth 
 had opened and swallowed her." 
 
 ' ' Was she sought for ? " 
 
 "Certainly. Her brother arrived 
 from Europe a few days after her loss, ' 
 and devoted months to her pursuit, 
 beside which, instantly upon her de- 
 parture, her brother-in-law and myself 
 sought her in every direction, besides 
 employing the most active of the se- 
 cret police throughout the country. " 
 
 "And what does her brother 
 think ? " asked Adela, scarcely able to 
 retain her secret as she gazed upon 
 her lover's sorrowful face. 
 
 ' ' He will not say that he has given 
 up hope, " he returned, ' ' and her 
 house is still kept in readiness for her 
 return^ but in reality he must think, 
 with the rest of us, that she in some 
 manner destroyed herself and her 
 child." 
 
 That cruel, cruel thought Adela 
 would have destroyed in a moment, 
 but that she was hurriedly called from 
 the room by Asenith, and she remem- 
 bered before returning the promise 
 she had given. She determined, if 
 possible, however, to learn something 
 of La Guerita's friends, and to that 
 end said : 
 
 ' ' And what is her brother doing 
 now ? " 
 
 "Oh, he is in the army, and was 
 badly wounded, poor fellow, the day 
 before I was taken prisoner. He 
 was shot through the shoulder, and it 
 
 will be some time before he will be fit 
 for service again, and Victor DeGrey, 
 poor fellow, I heard was taken pris- 
 oner. " 9 
 
 "Oh, dreadful!" 
 
 Thornton supposed she alluded to 
 the fate of the young men, while she 
 in reality was thinking how entirely 
 useless it would be for her to disclose 
 the position of La Guerita. 
 
 " I wish," he said, "I could know 
 how poor Fabean is getting on. Np 
 doubt he is at this moment lying at 
 the hospital thinking of me. We have 
 fought together through all the war, 
 and love each other like brothers. " 
 
 " It is so sad that he should be in 
 ignorance of his sister's fate," said 
 Adela ; ' ' the constant suspense must 
 be dreadful." 
 
 ' ' It is. I think his mind would 
 be comparatively relieved if he could 
 know she and her child \vere really 
 dead. But if, as I sometimes think, 
 she is pursuing some wretched life, 
 from which he would find it impos- 
 sible to wean her, it is better for him 
 ever to remain in doubt. It would 
 kill him to see her unhappy. " 
 
 These few words decided her. 
 Miss Holmes needed no second en- 
 treaty to keep silence. 
 
 * ' Doubt is in this case better than 
 certainty," she mused, " until we can 
 give that blessed certainty that she 
 lives, and can be free. " 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 UNDER the skillful treatment of Ase- 
 nith Bray, and the tender care of his 
 betrothed, Thornton Leslie rapidly 
 grew better, and at the end of a week 
 declared his intention of striving to 
 gain the Union lines ; but the entrea- 
 
184 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 ties of Adela, and his own disincli- 
 nation to part from her, detained 
 him somewhat longer ; and anxious 
 as he was to reach the army, fearing 
 that she would still, in his weakness, 
 have found some cause for delay, 
 he would have still stayed, had not a 
 most unexpected event accelerated 
 his departure. 
 
 He was sitting one day talking to 
 Adela, when he was silenced by voices 
 in the outer room, and presently Ase- 
 nith came to the door and softly call- 
 ed : "Adela!" 
 
 She obeyed the summons, but pres- 
 ently returned to the room, with a face 
 as white as snow, crying, in a voice of 
 affright : ' ' Thornton, you must go ; 
 you must leave us instantly ! " 
 
 ' ' What has happened ? " he de- 
 manded, in great agitation ; "is my 
 presence here discovered ? Oh, God ! 
 I shall never forgive myself if I have 
 brought you into danger ! " 
 
 She made no reply, but gave him 
 a paper weeping on his shoulder as 
 he read it. There were but a few 
 words ; ' ' Asenith's house will be 
 thoroughly searched to-night. " 
 
 ' ' Who brought you this ? " he ask- 
 ed, in amazement ; ' ' and who wrote 
 it ? " 
 
 ' ' The last we do not know ; I 
 cannot even guess, " replied Adela ; 
 ' ' it proves, however, that it is known 
 to at least one person that you are 
 here." 
 
 ' ' I have not a moment to spare, " 
 said Thornton, rising ; ' ' give me a 
 wallet of food, my love, and let me 
 
 go-" 
 
 She left the room, but instantly re- 
 turned to say, that Asenith was mak- 
 ing everything ready for his flight. 
 "Oh, Thornton I" she exclaimed, 
 
 ' ' if I had only let you go before ! 
 Rita begged me to do so ; but I 
 could not send you away. " 
 
 ' ' Who came with this note ? " 
 asked Thornton, suddenly ; ' ' was it 
 Rita ? " 
 
 "Yes!" answered Miss Holmes, 
 reluctantly. 
 
 ' ' And you did not bring her in to 
 see me. Ah, Adela, that was really 
 unkind. " 
 
 ' ' She would not come, Thornton, 
 although I begged her to do so ; but 
 Rita is so strange ; one can seldom 
 comprehend her." 
 
 "So I should think ; but where 
 did she get the note ? " 
 
 "She was walking in the field, at 
 the back of her cabin, when a negro 
 boy ran out of the woods, sprang 
 over the fence, placed that note in 
 her hands, and. disappeared without a 
 word. She thought it must be of im- 
 portance, and brought it directly to 
 me." 
 
 ' ' God bless her ! " cried Thorn- 
 ton, fervently ; ' ' she has, perhaps, 
 saved my life for a second time ; I 
 wish I, could have seen her, if but for 
 a moment, to tell her how I appreci- 
 ate her efforts. She must love you 
 dearly, Adela, to be willing to risk so 
 much for your lover. " 
 
 It was decided that it would be best 
 for Thornton not to begin his jour- 
 ney until after sunset, as fewer peo- 
 ple would then be abroad to be at- 
 tracted by his strange and haggard 
 appearance. At an early hour they 
 sat down and partook of the evening 
 meal together ; and afterwards Adela 
 took from her pocket a small map, 
 drawn on tracing-paper. 
 
 ' ' This, " she said, ' ' was brought 
 to me with the note. You must un- 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 derstand that Rita has a good knowl- 
 edge of the geography of her State, 
 and that she also draws quite fairly. 
 Bv putting the two accomplishments 
 together she has produced this map. 
 I am sure I cannot tell where she 
 gained all the information ; you will, 
 however, find it correct." 
 
 Thornton looked at the map in 
 the greatest astonishment. ' ' This is 
 a treasure beyond price, " he exclaim- 
 ed, and Rita must be some benefi- 
 cent fain\ Tell her, dear Adela, 
 how I hope one day to thank her for 
 all she has done. Stay ; take to her 
 this little locket ; it contains the hair 
 of my mother and sister. Try to 
 make her understand how they will 
 bless her name. " 
 
 ' ' I will, " said Adela, as Thornton 
 disengaged the locket from his chain 
 and placed it in her hand . "I know 
 she will prize this little gift more than 
 untold gold. By the way, you have 
 some gold ? " 
 
 ' ' Plenty ; and greenbacks, too. '' 
 
 "Either of which would lay you 
 open to suspicion if you should be 
 stopped and searched ; so you must 
 consent to exchange a part of them, 
 at least, for Confederate notes. " 
 
 He readily consented, looking rue- 
 fully at the crisp pieces of paper and 
 the ' ' butternut " suit with which Ase- 
 nith had provided him, saying : 
 
 ' ' I wish I dared resume my uni- 
 form. If the Lord permits, I will 
 resurrect some day the suit you have 
 buried, and wear it at our wedding, 
 Adela." 
 
 She sank into his arms, crying out, 
 with a moan, that it was so hard to 
 part from him ; her heart would 
 break. He soothed her gently, hold- 
 ing her to his throbbing heart, pray- 
 24 
 
 ing God to bless and preserve his 
 promised bride. 
 
 He bade her farewell at last, and 
 vainly striving to be calm, that she 
 might not unman him by the sight 
 of her grief. Adela witnessed his 
 farewell to Asenith, and saw, with 
 surprise, that she gave him a pair of 
 handsomely mounted pistols, saying, 
 as she placed them in his belt : 
 
 "I pray thee not to use them 
 wantonly, and aim high, if thee 
 needs must fire at all. " 
 
 "The mark often is high," re- 
 turned Thornton ; ' ' and now good- 
 by ; take care of my Adela, as you 
 have cared for me, and Heaven will 
 reward you. " 
 
 Asenith returned his parting kiss, 
 and then, as he turned and caught 
 Adela to his bosom, begged him to 
 hasten, pointing to a path, which 
 could be dimly seen through the 
 darkening woods. He pressed a kiss 
 upon the lips of his betrothed, and 
 rushed from the house ; and when 
 she raised her head he had disap- 
 peared from view. 
 
 He was gone gone and into 
 what dangers what privations- her 
 loving heart alone could picture. 
 Asenith went away to arrange and 
 close the chamber, that Thornton's 
 coming had opened for the first time 
 since her mother died there ; and 
 Adela wandered out into the garden, 
 to breathe in with the air of evening 
 that tranquility of spirit which dead- 
 ens sorrow, arouses hope, and fills 
 the mind with peace. 
 
 She went into the house at last, 
 calmed and strengthened. Asenith 
 met her at the door and they stood 
 together for sometime regarding the 
 heavens and exchanging remarks up- 
 
i86 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 on the weather, but breathing not a 
 word of him upon whom their hearts 
 were centered. They spent the even- 
 ing in cheerful conversation, and at 
 an early hour parted for the night. 
 Adela went to an upper chamber, 
 and partly disrobing sat down at the 
 window and looked steadfastly in the 
 direction Thornton had taken, as if 
 she could hope to pierce the recesses 
 of the forest, and assure herself of his 
 weal or woe. 
 
 She sat there a long time, mourn- 
 fully looking out upon the bright 
 stars, and the pines that swayed be- 
 neath them, filled with such visions 
 of terror that she dared not retire, 
 and listening intently to the sough of 
 the wind through the trees, fancying 
 at times the rustling of their boughs 
 to be the echo of countless footsteps, 
 and the shrieks of the night-birds' 
 cries of despair. 
 
 At last it was possible for her to 
 doubt no longer. She heard footsteps 
 both of horses and men. She listened 
 intently for a few moments, her face 
 growing white as their steady tramp 
 drew nearer. 
 
 "They are coming, " she muttered, 
 at last. "Well, well, they are wel- 
 come ; they will find no trace of him, 
 I know." 
 
 She hastily dropped the curtain of 
 her window, and knelt below it in 
 order to hear all that might occur. 
 Soon the garden gate was opened and 
 a number of men walked up the 
 path, dropping their guns heavily 
 upon the porch, while the captain de- 
 manded admittance. It was readily 
 granted, and a few minutes later she 
 heard them passing from room to 
 room, opening the doors of closets 
 and the lids of chests. She hastily 
 
 threw a wrapper around her, and stole 
 on tip-toe to the landing at the head 
 of the stairs. She heard the men 
 leave the kitchen and Asenith's cham- 
 ber, and enter the sitting-room. 
 
 ' ' Nothing discovered yet, " said the 
 captain. ' ' Lee us see what is kept 
 upstairs." 
 
 "Thee must wait until I call down 
 the young woman who is tarrying 
 with me," interposed Asenith, as he 
 stepped toward the stairs. 
 
 ' ' Oh, certainly, but be quick about 
 it," he replied, adding in a whisper 
 to one of the men, "make sure that 
 it is a woman. Ah, here she comes." 
 
 He touched his hat and apologized 
 for disturbing her as Miss Holmes 
 entered the room. 
 
 ' ' Do not mention it, " she returned, 
 courteously ; ' ' but I beg you will 
 complete your task as quickly as 
 possible. " 
 
 With admirable self-possession, al- 
 though she felt most painfully abashed 
 by the gaze of the soldiers, she waved 
 her hand toward the staircase, and 
 said : 
 
 "Continue your search, if you 
 please. " 
 
 The captain looked as if he would 
 willingly have restrained his men, 
 but without waiting for orders several 
 at once rushed up the stairs, presently 
 returning with the tidings that no one 
 was to be found. 
 
 Adela's face burned. It seemed to 
 her that by this search she had been 
 personally insulted, and with proud 
 disdain she stood beside Asenith and 
 looked at the baffled soldiers. 
 
 ' ' We havn't looked into that room, 
 captain," said one, pointing to the 
 door of the chamber lately occupied 
 by Thornton. 
 
n Bonds. 
 
 " Give me the key, if you please," 
 said the officer to Asenith, as he 
 placed his hand on the lock. 
 
 ' ' I pray thee not to enter that 
 room," said Asenith, with so much 
 emotion that Miss Holmes for the 
 first time guessed how great a trial it 
 had been for her even to place Thorn- 
 ton there. ' ' That was my mother's 
 room she died there. I pray thee 
 to take my word that no person is 
 there concealed." 
 
 "I must look into the room, my 
 good woman," returned the captain, 
 smiling at the delicacy of feeling he 
 could not understand. ' ' I have my 
 orders to search every nook and cor- 
 ner of this building, and I must and 
 will obey them. " 
 
 ' ' The very heart's blood of thy 
 people, O, Lord, is drained by the 
 hands of their persecutors," exclaim- 
 ed Asenith, bitterly ; "yea, verily the 
 tombs and consecrated places do they 
 enter and lay waste ! " 
 
 ' ' Give me the key, " said the cap- 
 tain, looking at her, darkly. 
 
 1 ' Cant ! " ejaculated one of the 
 soldiers. 
 
 ' ' Peace preacher ! " cried another. 
 
 ' ' Open the door ! '' cried a third. 
 ' ' Let's see whether the old Quaker 
 traitress tells the truth ! " 
 
 "Stand back ! " exclaimed Asenith, 
 her face becoming suddenly pale and 
 determined ; ' ' not one of ye reviler^ 
 shall enter in. " 
 
 She beckoned to the captain and a 
 few others, who had maintained a 
 respectful silence, and opening the 
 door bade them enter. They did so, 
 peering cautiously about the quaint 
 apartment. 
 
 ' ' We have been deceived, " said 
 one, ' ' there is no one here. " 
 
 ' ' Nor has there been for years, " 
 added the captain. ' ' Our business 
 is now ended. " 
 
 The soldiers shouldered their arms, 
 and after uttering courteous adieus, 
 the captain led his troop from the 
 house. 
 
 ' ' They are watching us still, " said 
 Asenith, a few minutes later, smiling 
 grimly as. they caught the sounds of 
 stealthy footsteps without. ' ' I did 
 wrong to-night in hesitating to admit 
 them to that room. By doing so I 
 aroused their suspicions, and trouble 
 may yet come from it but I could 
 not bear that these rude men should 
 enter my sanctuary. " 
 
 And then she whispered to Adela 
 the tale she had often heard from 
 other lips how that her lover had 
 died in that chamber, stricken sud- 
 denly, upon the night before that 
 appointed for his bridal. 
 
 ' ' Hark ! What is that ? " said Ade- 
 la, suddenly. 
 
 It was a great outcry, followed by 
 the sound of men running to and fro. 
 Suddenly a bright light filled the room 
 and, with a cry of fear, Adela sprang 
 to the door and unbolted it. Flames 
 were shooting forth from a building 
 at the right of the house, and were 
 being blown by the fresh wind directly 
 toward it. 
 
 "Oh, my barn, my wheat, my 
 hay ! " cried Asenith, standing as if 
 riveted to the spot, while Adela rushed 
 into the gardens, where she heard va- 
 rious ejaculations from the soldiers. 
 
 "That drunken Jackson did it," 
 said one, ' ' by holding the candle too 
 close to the hay. " 
 
 Adela ran past the group and ap- 
 proached the fire. The men were 
 stupidly looking on ; the captain 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 alone seemed excited by what had 
 happened. 
 
 "This is most unfortunate," he 
 exclaimed, ' ' and perfectly accidental, 
 I assure you." 
 
 "Then for Heaven's sake," cried 
 Adela, ' ' why do you not take some 
 means to stop the conflagration ? 
 There is water in the well. " 
 
 "And a gourd to dip it up with," 
 laughed a soldier, while the captain 
 explained that the house was so old, 
 and all within it so combustible, that 
 it was useless to attempt to save it. 
 
 ' ' But the house, the house is burn- 
 ing ! " cried Adela, rushing toward it, 
 as she perceived that the left wing was 
 ablaze. ' ' Help, help ; try to save 
 the furniture, at least." 
 
 Several men, roused by her cry, 
 rushed to the building and carried 
 out the first articles they could lay 
 hands upon. Adela alone had suffi- 
 cient presence of mind to think of 
 the small amount of plate and other 
 valuables, while Asenith herself, still 
 possessed with the ruling passion of 
 her life, rushed frantically about with 
 bundles of roots and herbs, which she 
 carried to the door and threw out, 
 only to meet destruction from the in- 
 satiable flames. 
 
 In a few minutes the whole build- 
 ing was on fire, and perceiving the ut- 
 ter uselessness and extreme danger of 
 any further attempts to save anything, 
 Asenith drew back as she was about 
 to re-enter to save some bottles of eye- 
 water which had been made from the 
 snow of March. 
 
 "Never mind," said Adela, "it is 
 too late to save it now," and turned 
 aside to ask the captain to send one 
 of the men to her father's with news 
 of the disaster. 
 
 ' ' Certainly I will do so, " returned 
 he, ' ' but where is the old woman ? " 
 
 Adela screamed and darted for- 
 ward she was entering the burning 
 room. Remembering only the dan- 
 ger to Asenith, she rushed after her 
 into the fire and smoke. She felt the 
 flames lick her dress and pour their 
 hot breath upon her face, while clouds 
 of smoke enveloped her. It was an 
 awful moment ! She could not see al- 
 though she touched Asenith, and ex- 
 erting all her strength clasped her in 
 her arms and rushed through the fire 
 again into the open air. Some one 
 dashed a pail of water upon her burn- 
 ing dress and hurried them back, while 
 the roof fell in with a terrible crash, 
 sending columns of smoke and sparks 
 into the air, into the very room 
 whence she had escaped but a mo- 
 ment before. 
 
 They were safe that was all she 
 could think of; while poor Asenith, 
 stunned by the calamity that had be- 
 fallen her, looked at the single bottle 
 of eye-water she held in her hand and 
 muttered : ' ' And there may never be 
 snow in March again as long as I 
 live, and all the summer yerbs gone 
 besides ! " 
 
 That was all she mourned over, 
 even when the neighbors came and 
 condoled with her, and bound up her 
 burnt hands and arms. 
 
 ' ' The Lord does all for the best, " 
 she murmured. " He has not bereft 
 me in my old age without some good 
 purpose ; yet I had hoped to die in 
 the place where I was born, where 
 he died, and my father and mother. 
 But the Lord's will, not mine, be 
 done. " 
 
 Thus spoke the poor old woman 
 who, without one relation in the 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 189 
 
 world to offer her a refuge, had sud- 
 denly been bereft of her home and all 
 her substance, save a few worthless 
 acres. 
 
 Adela wept more for that than for 
 the pain of her scorched hands and 
 arms, and for the beautiful hair, 
 scorched even from her very temples. 
 When her father came she distracted 
 his attention from herself to the poor 
 old Quakeress, who was lifted into 
 the carriage and taken to Holmsford, 
 which was thenceforward her home. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 " We thought her dying when she slept, 
 And sleeping when she died." 
 
 Hood. 
 
 WITHOUT sadness or repining Ase- 
 nith Bray made her home at Holms- 
 ford. Seldom even speaking of her 
 old home, yielding it up unmurmur- 
 ingly to the cause she loved. Yet 
 Miss Holmes and La Guerita were 
 not deceived ; they saw that her life 
 was gradually failing beneath the 
 stroke, and both with a feeling very 
 nearly akin to remorse, mourned 
 over the disaster they had indirectly 
 brought upon her. 
 
 But she meek saint did not live 
 to feel it long. Her soul became 
 more and more lost to earth, and one 
 day, about six months after the fire, 
 she fell asleep in her chair at the fire- 
 side and her awakening was in 
 Heaven. 
 
 She died with but one wish un- 
 fulfilled. She had not heard of the 
 safety of Thornton Leslie, for during 
 all that time not one word had reach- 
 ed Adela from her lover, and daily 
 she grew more anxious and despair- 
 ing. 
 
 At times the suspense she endured 
 became almost unsupportable. Again 
 and again she pictured Thornton in 
 the hands of the Confederates, wear- 
 ing his life away in some foul dun- 
 geon. Often would she start from 
 feverish dreams, in which she had 
 looked upon his dead face through 
 the slimy waters of some shallow 
 pool, lying ghastly amid the clinging 
 sods of the pestilential swamp. But 
 for La Guerita, she would at such 
 times have given herself up to des- 
 pair. But she whom Adela had 
 once comforted and protected, be- 
 came in turn the giver of hope and 
 peace. For hope and peace were 
 hers. 
 
 The autumn of 1862, and the 
 spring of 1863, were periods of great 
 distress throughout the South not 
 only of physical, but of mental dis- 
 tress that which is of all the most 
 difficult to alleviate. A class of 
 people were then created which had 
 had no existence before conscripts, 
 and their wretched wives and children. 
 Among these, La Guerita found her 
 true work, and in ceaseless toil and 
 care for them, had no time for vain 
 repinings at her own sad lot, and at 
 last learnt to say in faith and humble- 
 ness of heart : ' ' It is good for me to 
 be here." 
 
 It was strange how tranquilly the 
 long winter months passed to her. 
 She thought it so, when some cessa- 
 tion from her daily toil gave her time 
 to overlook the past. She had never 
 hoped for peace, yet she had found it 
 even in bonds, even far from the 
 friends and the home of her youth. 
 She shuddered sometimes when she 
 thought that the death of Claude Lev- 
 eredge had brought this peace ; yet 
 
190 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 in the depth of her soul she knew 
 that his persecution, and all her long 
 experience of woe had bowed down 
 her rebellious soul to the very feet of 
 Christ, and in the peace she there 
 had found, she could exclaim : ' ' Thy 
 chastening has been my salvation, 
 O, Lord." 
 
 She was sitting in the little sewing- 
 room one morning in March, en- 
 gaged upon some trifle for Minna, 
 when Miss Holmes entered, and 
 throwing herself into a rocking chair, 
 looked at La Guerita for a moment, 
 and exclaimed impatiently : 
 
 " How can you bear your life so 
 patiently, Rita, when mine, which is 
 so much brighter, seems almost in- 
 supportable to me? Do you care 
 for your friends ; do you think of 
 your brother who was so cruelly 
 wounded but a few months since? 
 If so, how can you do your duty day 
 by day so cheerfully, while I am so 
 torn by the agonies of suspense, that 
 I can neither clearly think, nor act 
 like a reasonable being ? " 
 
 " I have seen nothing very unrea- 
 sonable about you, " replied La Gue- 
 rita, smiling. "This is your first 
 trial, Miss Adela ; suffering has not 
 given you patience, 'and hourly I 
 pray it never may. Miss Adela, can 
 you not have faith to believe that He 
 who preserved Thornton from one 
 great danger, will also deliver him 
 from others ? Can you not even con- 
 template the worst that may befall, 
 andsay : ' Thy will be done/ " 
 
 "No," cried Miss Holmes, des- 
 perately, ' ' and now for the first time 
 I can comprehend the spirit with 
 which you regarded your husband's 
 death. Not that in any event I 
 could deny, or curse my God, but 
 
 that I could not bow calmly to all His 
 decrees. Have you even now faith 
 to do so ? " 
 
 "Yes," returned La Guerita, in a 
 low voice. ' ' So great has been the 
 goodness of the Lord toward me that 
 I can endure, though doubtless with 
 pain yet still with fortitude, all sor- 
 rows that it may please Him to send, 
 feeling assured that I shall some time 
 be free from them and from these 
 bonds. Free in spirit, if not in body. 
 Sometimes I feel that my probation 
 will be short, Miss Adela. " 
 
 " What do you mean ? " cried Miss 
 Holmes, in alarm. "Are you ill, 
 La Guerita ? Have you been suffer- 
 ing in silence, while I have been ac- 
 cusing you of insensibility ? " 
 
 ' ' Oh, no, " she answered quick- 
 ly, "but still I feel that this long 
 season of tranquility has been given 
 me in which to prepare for some 
 great change. God knows, it may 
 be for the joys of heaven, or the bit- 
 terest trials of earth. " 
 
 " You have strange thoughts, 
 sometimes," said Miss Holmes, 
 thoughtfully ; "it seems often as if 
 you obtained dim glimpses into fu- 
 turity. You speak as an oracle ; 
 how can you ? " 
 
 " Aunt Dilsey says because it is of 
 the old ' Eboe' blood in me, " she re- 
 turned, smiling : " I have even myself 
 been led to believe that negroes have 
 some peculiar power of divination. " 
 
 Miss Holmes looked up in amaze- 
 ment ; it was the first time she had 
 ever heard La Guerita own her con- 
 nection with the slaves, not only of 
 condition but of blood, and it seem- 
 ed to her that by that simple avowal, 
 she had raised them nearer the level 
 of other men. 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 191 
 
 She sat for some time musing in 
 silence. 
 
 " I wish I could imitate your 
 courage and resignation, " she said, 
 at last ; "I think I could have both 
 faith and patience if I could only 
 hear that Thornton lives.'" 
 
 She bent her head upon her hand 
 to hide the tears that gathered in her 
 eyes. La Guerita saw them trickle 
 slowly through her fingers, and was 
 about to speak some word of sym- 
 pathy, when Roxy came in to an- 
 nounce Captain Russell. 
 
 It was long since Adela had seen 
 any of her old friends, and she hast- 
 ened to the parlor, and welcomed 
 Captain Russell with unfeigned pleas- 
 ure. She cordially offered him her 
 hand, and drew back in surprise 
 when it was touched lightly, almost 
 coldly, by her former playmate and 
 lover. 
 
 The conversation that ensued was 
 constrained on both sides. Captain 
 Russell inquired for Mr. and Mrs. 
 Holmes, and Adela replied that they 
 had driven into Foustville. He ex- 
 pressed regret at their absence, say- 
 ing that as his furlough was but for a 
 week he would be forced to return to 
 Richmond on the morrow. 
 
 "I am very sorry," said Miss 
 Holmes, earnestly, " papa would so 
 much like to see you, and have your 
 opinion of war matters. Do you 
 really think that there is any truth in 
 the report that General Lee contem- 
 plates an invasion of the North ? " 
 
 " I think time will prove that there 
 is more faith to be placed in that than 
 in most other newspaper reports, 
 Miss Adela," he replied; "I pray 
 heaven that there may be. I for one 
 am anxious for the Yankees to feel, 
 
 as we have done, the stern realities of 
 this war, and to know what it is to 
 have an enemy upon their very hearth- 
 stones. But I beg your pardon, Miss 
 Adela, I forgot for a moment that 
 you had no sympathy with such feel- 
 ings." 
 
 There was an awkward silence 
 then, which was broken at last by an 
 exclamation from Miss Holmes who 
 for the first time had noticed a deep 
 scar upon Captain Russell's left tern- 
 pie. 
 
 "How did you get it?" she in- 
 voluntarily exclaimed. 
 
 He smiled quietly, saying: "I 
 have been waiting for you to ask, 
 Miss Adela, for I thought that you 
 would be interested in knowing that 
 that was dealt by the hand of Thorn- 
 ton Leslie." 
 
 Surprise for a moment held her 
 speechless. She sank back in her 
 chair, pale and breathless. Captain 
 Russell noticed her agitation with a 
 smile, and sought to relieve it by 
 adding : 
 
 1 ' I saw Leslie about three weeks 
 ago, for the first time since his escape 
 from the cars. That really was clev- 
 erly managed.. We met in a skir- 
 mish, and I received this wound." 
 
 "And Thornton ? " gasped Adela. 
 
 ' ' Recognized me, and rode away 
 unhurt. " 
 
 "Thank God!" 
 
 "Good-by," said Captain Rus- 
 sell, rising and extending his hand ; 
 "Good-by, Adela, and -though from 
 my very heart I condemn the opin- 
 ions you hold, I honor the devotion 
 you have exhibited for your lover, 
 and am happy to be able to give you 
 the assurance of his safe escape from 
 the Confederacv. " 
 
I 9 2 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 The blood rushed into Adela's 
 cheeks at his words. This Captain 
 Russell, then, whom she had shrank 
 from intrusting with her secret, knew 
 it all, and believed her a traitress. 
 For a moment her heart quailed with 
 fear, then calming herself, she said : 
 
 ' ' I shall never forget your kind- 
 ness, Captain Russell, but I was not 
 aware that you"- 
 
 " Knew how Major Leslie made 
 his escape," he interrupted. " Shall 
 I tell you how I learned it ? I met 
 
 a woman in the streets of M , 
 
 well disguised, but whom I thought 
 I knew ; I passed her by, uncertain 
 as to her identity. I saw her son 
 an hour later, and could doubt no 
 longer. That woman La Guerita 
 DeCuba had been to the depot 
 where the prisoners were confined, 
 and was hastening to you to give you 
 news of your lover and her friend. I 
 felt convinced of that in my own 
 mind, and that Major Leslie would 
 strive to escape that night. I felt it 
 to be my duty if possible to prevent 
 it, and going to the officer in charge 
 I was myself but a passenger in 
 the train told him that there were 
 a desperate set of men in Leslie's 
 car, and advised him to put a double 
 guard upon them." 
 
 "Ah, then, it was by your ad- 
 vice they were so closely watched," 
 cried Miss Holmes, energetically; 
 pausing as she recollected that by 
 those words she had implicated her- 
 self openly in the matter. 
 
 " I did what I considered right, " 
 said Russell, firmly ; " I did all that 
 I could to prevent the escape of even 
 a single person, while the govern- 
 ment thought fit to retain them. I 
 am not the man, from a sentimental 
 
 feeling of friendship or party, to place 
 a sword in an enemy's hand that he 
 may strike at me or my friends. " 
 
 Adela cast down her eyes, blushing 
 violently at those words for she knew 
 that they were uttered to rebuke her. 
 
 "Then it was by your advice that 
 so strict a search was made through- 
 out this country ? " she faltered. 
 
 "It was," he returned. "I tell 
 you plainly that I desired the capture 
 of Leslie and his friends. But," he 
 added, in a low voice, "I could not 
 bear that your name should be men- 
 tioned in so disgraceful an affair." 
 
 " It was not disgraceful," retorted 
 Miss Holmes, with a flash of the 
 temper for which she had once been 
 noted. " Remember, Captain Rus- 
 sell, that we have both honestly adopt- 
 ed different opinions of this sad af- 
 fair ; but even if I thought as you do, 
 I should still have considered it my 
 duty to have saved one whom I had 
 once loved from such a loathsome 
 den as a Confederate prison. They 
 are a disgrace to humanity, and when 
 this war is ended, their record will 
 be too horrible for even friends to 
 read without a shudder. How, then, 
 can you call it disgraceful for me to 
 have risked my honor yes, almost 
 my life, to have saved from them my 
 betrothed husband ? " 
 
 He winced at the word. "I beg 
 your pardon, " he said, ' ' I was look- 
 ing at the case only from my own 
 point of view. Believe me, much as 
 I regret the stand you have taken, 
 and the part you have acted, I ad- 
 mire nay, reverence the courage 
 which has enabled you to do both. " 
 
 Adela mused for some minutes. 
 
 "Captain Russell," she said at 
 last, "you have given me much to 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 193 
 
 thank you for, in so faithfully keep- 
 ing my secret, though you must have 
 had many temptations to betray it 
 Let me ask you if I if Thornton 
 has not also more to thank you for. 
 Did you not send me word that Ase- 
 nith's house would be searched ?" 
 
 ' ' It was only done to save you and 
 Asenith, " he returned, bluntly : "I 
 did not choose that the name of Ade- 
 la Holmes should become a by-word 
 through the country round. I made 
 sure they would catch Leslie on the 
 Foustville road, and gave them a hint 
 that conscripts and deserters generally 
 took that route. Of course you know 
 how he escaped them there ? I had 
 no idea that he could do so. " 
 
 ' ' You say them ; did you not 
 yourself join in the search ? " 
 
 ' ' My dear Miss Holmes, " he cried, 
 indignantly, ' ' I am an officer of the 
 regular army. I have nothing to do 
 with conscripts and escaped soldiers. 
 I happened to be able to send you 
 that item of information because 
 Captain Owen of the detailed force, 
 told me that day, as I was passing 
 through E on my way to Char- 
 lotte, that there was a great hunt in 
 perspective that night, and among 
 other places they should make a 
 clean sweep of Asenith Bray's house, 
 so I immediately dispatched my serv- 
 ant to give you warning. " 
 
 ' ' And you cannot refuse my thanks 
 for the valuable information," cried 
 Adela, warmly ; ' ' but for that Thorn- 
 ton would never have escaped. " 
 
 "I thought he would certainly 
 have been captured on the Foustville 
 road," observed Russell, regretfully. 
 
 Miss Holmes laughed merrily. 
 
 " Pray don't allow such a good act 
 to weigh upon your conscience," she 
 25 
 
 said, gaily ; ' ' let my thanks for your 
 tender consideration of me soften 
 your self-reproach for the escape of 
 Thornton," adding, gravely, as she 
 remembered their late encounter : 
 "Believe me, Captain Russell, had 
 he but known your kindness, he 
 would not have i^ored it so cru- 
 elly." 
 
 ' ' Oh, this scar ! " exclaimed Rus- 
 sell, touching it lightly with his fore- 
 finger. ' ' Do not imagine, Miss Ade- 
 la, that I regret his escape on that ac- 
 count. He could not have acted 
 more magnanimously than he did 
 the moment he recognized me. He 
 turned to another point of the field, 
 and permitted me to regain my 
 sword, allowing me at once to retain 
 my liberty and honor. " 
 
 ' ' Then, surely, you can feel no 
 further reproach concerning his es- 
 cape, " said Adela ; " for, after all, a 
 life for a life has been given. I think 
 'prisoner for prisoner' synonymous 
 with that, you know." 
 
 ' ' I know you had always a horror 
 of bonds of any kind, " replied Cap- 
 tain Russell, smiling; "I believe 
 the only arguments I ever had with 
 you were upon the subject of slavery. 
 Let me tell you now, that I do see 
 some evil in it ; it is wrong in the 
 case of La Guerita DeCuba, for in- 
 stance. I have felt that ever since 
 the meeting at Foustville ; that was a 
 terrible scene, and thousands of times 
 have I reproached myself for not in- 
 forming her friends of her wherea- 
 bouts when it was in my power to do 
 so." 
 
 Why did you not ? " asked Miss 
 Holmes, abruptly. 
 
 The young man flushed to the 
 temples, and looked at her nervous- 
 
194 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 \y. She felt her cheeks burn, and 
 could have bitten her tongue for its 
 hasty speech. 
 
 ' * I will tell you, " he said, in a low 
 yet steady voice ; ' ' you know, Adela, 
 that I loved you. Knowing what I 
 do, it would be an insult to say with 
 what feelings I regard you now. I 
 had heard that a gentleman at the 
 North had proposed to you, and that 
 Claude Leveredge had broken off the 
 match that you had suffered him to 
 do so. I was unconscious then of 
 the great influence held by Claude 
 over your father ; or that you had 
 yielded only from a sense of duty. 
 Can you wonder, then, that I imag- 
 ined your cousin Claude to be my 
 rival ? I saw when La Guerita came 
 that you were jealous, and fearful of 
 her I beg your pardon, I will say 
 no more. " 
 
 ' ' Yes, yes ; go on, " said Miss 
 Holmes, ashamed of the flush of an- 
 ger his words had called to her cheek. 
 
 ' ' I am ashamed to say, " continued 
 Russell, after a slight pause, ' ' that I 
 kept La Guerita's secret because I 
 knew how Claude had loved her, 
 and reckoned upon the effect the 
 sight of her would have upon him. 
 I even wrote some letters, addressing 
 him, in a friendly spirit, to return 
 home and defend his interests dur- 
 ing the coming war, not daring, how- 
 ever, to compromise myself by nam- 
 ing La Guerita DeCuba. Well, well, 
 I was justly punished at last by find- 
 ing all my plotting vain. Claude 
 Leveredge himself told me who my 
 rival really was. Forgive me, Adela, 
 for though I loved you above all 
 treasure, I could have resigned you 
 almost contentedly to so good a man 
 as Thornton Leslie. " 
 
 ' ' Who would have supposed that 
 you could have concocted a plot, 
 even so slender as that ? " exclaimed 
 Miss Holmes, extending her hand. 
 ' ' Indeed, my friend, I forgive you, 
 and thank you from my heart for the 
 reparation you have made. " 
 
 He was deeply touched. 
 
 ' ' Thank you thank you ! " he 
 murmured; "I can think of the 
 matter with a lighter heart now ; es- 
 pecially as I suppose La Guerita's 
 secret is one no longer. Yes ; I can 
 even think with some satisfaction of 
 the part I took in Leslie's escape, in 
 the consideration of the good news 
 he has undoubtedly taken to her 
 friends. " 
 
 Miss Holmes found it painful, and 
 difficult to explain, that the secret was 
 a secret still, and yet more painful to 
 hear his exclamations of surprise and 
 sorrow. 
 
 ' ' I assure you you have done wrong 
 very wrong " he began, when the 
 door was thrown open, and Mrs. 
 Holmes entered. She shocks hands 
 with him, and commented volubly 
 upon his improved appearance. 
 
 ' ' And that scar makes you look 
 quite warlike, " she said ; "I called 
 at your mother's on my way home, 
 and she told me your furlough was 
 so short that your calls upon your 
 friends would necessarily be so also. 
 Therefore I had no idea I should 
 have the pleasure of seeing you 
 here ; but I am. delighted, and so is 
 Addie, I am sure, "and Mrs. Holmes 
 looked from one to the other, enjoy- 
 ing the slight confusion into which 
 her abrupt entrance had thrown 
 them ; for, like most idle women, 
 Mrs. Holmes was a match-maker, 
 and had not yet given up her favorite 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 project of seeing her daughter Adela 
 Mrs. William Russell. 
 
 The young man stayed but a short 
 time after her arrival, much to her 
 chagrin. After bidding farewell to 
 the other members of 'the family, he 
 walked through the garden with Mr. 
 Holmes, saying, as he mounted his 
 horse at the gate : 
 
 ' ' I had some conversation with 
 your son Rufe, while waiting in the 
 parlor for Miss Adela. What a young 
 fire-eater he is, and a strapping fellow, 
 too. If you are not careful he will be 
 in the army before another month. " 
 
 "Pooh ! nonsense ! " laughed Mr. 
 Holmes; "he is not out of the 
 school-room yet ; though he ought 
 to have been, and at Chapel Hill 
 long ago. The idea of his going 
 into the army ; why he is a mere 
 child still." 
 
 ' ' But well able to carry a musket, " 
 rejoined Russell ; ' ' and I can see he 
 has been brooding over his cousin's 
 death, and all sorts of romantic sto- 
 ries, until they have driven him wild. 
 He is puffed up with the idea of be- 
 coming a hero, and, of course, will 
 rush to the army. Still, my proph- 
 ecy may prove false ; I hope it will. 
 Good-by ! " 
 
 But to the amazement and distress 
 of the whole family, in less than two 
 weeks Captain Russell's words were 
 verified. Rufus Holmes left his home 
 and enlisted. 
 
 Upon first hearing of it, his father 
 was overwhelmed with anger and 
 grief, and hastened to take the neces- 
 a.ry measures for withdrawing him 
 from the army ; but at last, yielding 
 to the popular feeling and the entrea- 
 ties of the boy, he withdrew his ob- 
 jections, and, in spite of all the argu- 
 
 ments and prayers of his sister, he 
 was allowed to proceed to the camp 
 of instruction ; whence, in a few 
 weeks, he passed into the ranks. 
 Even Mrs. Holmes, who had at first 
 appeared half wild with grief at the 
 departure of her child, soon felt posi- 
 tive relief in his absence, saying it 
 was the only peaceful time she had 
 known since his birth ; and flattered 
 by the representations made by ad- 
 miring friends, of the valor and pa- 
 triotism of the boy, meekly replied 
 to all Adela's remonstrances : 
 
 ' ' Well, well, my child, I suppose 
 it is our duty to allow him to go. " 
 
 "Duty! duty!" thought Adela, 
 sadly ; "If he should be killed, or 
 come home ruined in health or prin- 
 ciples, I wonder if that thought will 
 comfort her, w r hen she shudders over 
 his wasted life ! " 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 " Why the sepulchre 
 Wherein we saw thee quietly inurn'd, 
 Hath ope'd its ponderous and marble jaws 
 
 To cast thec up again." 
 
 Shakespeare. 
 
 EARLY in April Miss Holmes left 
 home on a visit to some relations in 
 Charleston. La Guerita gladly saw 
 her depart, though she felt most 
 deeply their separation. Though Miss 
 Holmes had regained part of her 
 elasticity of spirit after Captain Rus- 
 sell's announcement of Thornton 
 Leslie's safety, much of it had been 
 almost instantly destroyed by the way- 
 ward conduct of her brother. The 
 great anxiety she felt concerning him, 
 added to her constant sympathy in 
 the miseries of those around her, 
 preyed seriously upon her health, 
 which during the winter had not been 
 
196 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 robust. Although she prepared for 
 her journey languidly she could not 
 but feel that it was her duty to go, 
 and seek, in change of scene and air, 
 her wonted strength. 
 
 She had been gone two weeks, and 
 La Guerita being unable to find suf- 
 ficient employment for her active 
 mind in the light duties of the school- 
 room, which now seemed mere child's 
 play when Rufus had gone, or in the 
 woes of the few conscripts that yet 
 remained in the woods, and besought 
 her advice and aid, felt most deeply 
 the absence of her friend. She seem- 
 ed quite lost and bewildered without 
 her, so used had they been to consult 
 together in any occasions of per- 
 plexity. 
 
 " I suppose it must be my ' Eboe ' 
 spirit longing lor its superior," she 
 said to herself at times, smiling bitter- 
 ly. "Well, whatever may be the 
 cause, I cannot do away with it. Oh, 
 that she would come back ; I feel so 
 utterly alone so miserable. " 
 
 Such had been her thoughts one 
 afternoon, when she entered the house 
 and found Mrs. Holmes crying over 
 two letters she had received. That 
 did not alarm her, as the excitement 
 of war-time had increased the natural 
 nervousness of Mrs. Holmes to such 
 an extent that she wept at everything, 
 and often much to the annoyance of 
 stronger-minded people. 
 
 "Just listen," she cried, "what 
 Rufus says. Did ever any one hear of 
 such a boy ? ' Every one prophesies 
 a brilliant career for me, and I feel in 
 my heart that the South will one day 
 tremble with pride, and the North 
 with terror of my name. ' " 
 
 ' ' A noble boy, " said Mr. Holmes, 
 proudly. ' ' I must show that to Gor- 
 
 don ; how he will glory in the lad's 
 spirit. But you have a letter from 
 Addie, I see. What does she say ?" 
 
 Mrs. Holmes opened the missive 
 and read a few lines, and with a 
 slight scream of surprise, exclaimed : 
 
 ' c I never heard of such a child, 
 Norton. She is actually coming 
 home in a few days will leave early 
 in the week, she says. Who ever 
 heard of such a thing as a two weeks' 
 visit to Charleston ! " 
 
 ' ' Well, she never did like Charles- 
 ton much," said Mr. Holmes, se- 
 cretly pleased at the prospect of his 
 daughter's quick return ; ' ' neither 
 are the Charleston Leveredges favor- 
 ites of hers. Addie has some good 
 reason for returning so soon, you 
 may be sure. What does she say 
 about it ? " 
 
 ' ' What does Addie ever say to sat- 
 isfy people ? " returned Mrs. Holmes, 
 impatiently. ' ' She merely states that 
 she is coming home, and with her 
 usual kindness leaves us to guess the 
 reason. " 
 
 "And it will prove a sufficient one, 
 I'll wager," said Mr. Holmes, de- 
 cidedly. 
 
 ' ' And whatever it may be, " thought 
 La Guerita, ' ' thank God she is com- 
 ing. Thank God I shall not be 
 much longer alone. " 
 
 Just at that moment a great noise 
 arose in the garden beneath ; a dozen 
 negroes were crying out in various 
 tones of horror, amazement, and de- 
 light. La Guerita started to the win- 
 dow to discover, if possible, the cause 
 of the hubbub, and presently above it 
 all heard a voice that stayed her heart 
 from beating-r-the voice she had be- 
 lieved silent forever the voice of 
 Claude Leveredge. 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 197 
 
 In a moment he was in the room, 
 and his aunt was sobbing out her 
 welcome in his arms. Mrs. Holmes 
 embraced him delightedly, and the 
 children half smothered him with 
 kisses. Miss Matilda, meanwhile, 
 stood aloof, with a most dissatisfied 
 expression of countenance, for al- 
 though she had deplored his death 
 most sincerely, she could not recon- 
 cile herself to this unusual proceeding 
 of a dead man coming to life, and at 
 last gave vent to her injured feelings 
 by exclaiming : 
 
 ' ' Well, Claude, this is just like you. 
 Who would ever have dreamed of 
 your coming back to give us all such 
 a shock. For my part, I feel as if 
 every nerve of my body had been 
 taken out, a pin stuck through each, 
 and then put back in the wrong 
 place. 
 
 Claude laughed, kissing her warm- 
 ly, ' ' to settle her nerves, " he said, 
 and to assure her that he was really 
 flesh and blood ; a fact which she, 
 like the negroes, seemed to doubt. 
 
 ' ' Ah, and so you also thought me 
 dead, " he continued, intercepting La 
 Guerita as she was leaving the room. 
 ' ' How exceedingly pale you are. 
 Have you been ill ? " 
 
 He spoke kindly, yet looked pene- 
 tratingly into her face. 
 
 ' ' I have been very well, " she an- 
 swered, not knowing what she was 
 saying. 
 
 ' ' Oh, yes, " Mrs. Holmes interpos- 
 ed, much to La Guerita 's relief, ' ' we 
 have all been very well. But how 
 dreadfully pale you are yourself, 
 Claude. " 
 
 t ' What else, could be expected of 
 a resurrected man ? " asked aunt Ma- 
 tilda, grimly. 
 
 "And no wonder," he replied, 
 ' ' for I have been sick and in prison 
 since you saw me last. But where 
 are Addie and Rufe?" he added, 
 glancing around the circle. " I^was 
 in hopes that all the family would 
 help to welcome me. " 
 
 " Rufe has volunteered ! " cried a 
 chorus of voices. 
 
 "What?" cried Claude, looking 
 at the group with an expression of 
 blank amazement 
 
 ' ' He has volunteered, " explained 
 Mrs. Holmes, ' ' and gone like a brave, 
 high-spirited lad, as he is, to fight the 
 base invaders of our soil. " 
 
 "And you sanctioned his going?" 
 asked Leveredge, reproachfully, fix- 
 ing his eyes keenly upon his uncle. 
 
 "Not at first. But I could not 
 withstand the boy's eloquence. How 
 could I, when his sole desire seemed 
 to be to revenge your death ? " 
 
 ' ' Then recall him at once, I beg 
 of you," said Claude, much agitated. 
 ' ' You see I am not dead, but am 
 abundantly able to revenge for my- 
 self all the wrongs I have suffered. 
 But we can speak of this later ; where 
 is Addie ? I suppose she has not also 
 volunteered. " 
 
 "No," answered Mrs. Holmes, 
 smiling, ' ' she is visiting the Charles- 
 ton Leveredges. We expected her 
 home next week, but I will telegraph 
 her to come immediately. " 
 
 "Oh, let her have her visit out," 
 said Claude. ' ' I shall not be ready 
 for service for a month, or three 
 weeks, at least. I want her to come 
 home and find a surprise awaiting 
 her." 
 
 "Addie isn't fond of surprises," 
 said Miss Matilda, dryly, "and Rita 
 is not either. Where did you get 
 
198 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 that scar on your face ? It looks as 
 if a horse had kicked you. That's 
 part of Claude's honor, I suppose." 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Holmes laughed, 
 and Claude looked at them interro- 
 gatively, wondering to what the words 
 ' ' Claude's honor " had reference. 
 
 " She is thinking of old Mrs. Clay- 
 ton and her son William, " explained 
 Mrs. Holmes, laughingly. "You 
 know they never owned a negro in 
 their lives, and when some one re- 
 marked so to the old lady, asking at 
 the same time what her son was going 
 to fight for, ' Why, for honor, to be 
 sure/ answered the poor old soul in- 
 nocently, as if her booby Will, would 
 ever get honor as a soldier, or any- 
 thing else. Well, after a time Will, 
 was wounded, and Mrs. Clayton ex- 
 ultantly told every one that Will, had 
 got honor on his arm ; a battle after, 
 it was in his leg, and about a month 
 ago, to use the old lady's own phrase, 
 ' He got so much honor all over him 
 that it killed him. ' " 
 
 " I am afraid aunt Matilda has 
 made some additions to the original 
 story," said Claude, laughing. 
 
 "I can assure you not,'' replied 
 Mrs. Holmes, earnestly, ' ' but now, 
 dear Claude, tell us really where you 
 got your honor. " 
 
 "In the fourth day's battle near 
 Richmond, " responded Claude, ' ' and 
 faith quite an overpowering honor it 
 proved to be. I was left on the field 
 for dead ; a dozen officers have sworn 
 to me that they saw me draw my last 
 breath, and when I came to myself 
 I found that I was in an ambulance, 
 and on my way to an hospital, where 
 I remained for some time an invol- 
 untary guest of Uncle Sam. After 
 that I was sent to Fort , from 
 
 whence I was exchanged about a 
 week ago. There is my history in a 
 nutshell. " 
 
 ' ' But you have been very ill> 
 Claude, " said his aunt, anxiously. 
 
 ' ' I have indeed, " he answered, 
 gravely. ' ' Had I not received the 
 best of care your mourning garments 
 would not have been worn without 
 cause. " 
 
 Mrs. Holmes burst into tears and 
 left the room, returning an hour later 
 in colored apparel. 
 
 La Guerita caught a glimpse of her 
 figure during the afternoon, and 
 straightway began to reproach herself 
 most bitterly that while every one else 
 upon the plantation, from the eldest 
 to the youngest, was putting on the 
 robes and feelings of joy, she alone 
 remained unable even to feign the 
 semblance of pleasure. Never had 
 she felt more utterly miserable or 
 more forsaken. Her enemy had 
 come, as from the grave, to torment 
 her, and there was not one to whom 
 she could go for comfort or protec- 
 tion. For the first time in months 
 the realization that she was a slave 
 came home to her, and it was with 
 the deepest shame and the most bit- 
 ter self-reproaches that she reflected 
 that the resurrection of Claude Lev- 
 eredge had brought it to her. 
 
 "It is just," she said, at length. 
 "The Lord is punishing me as I de- 
 serve, for I found peace at the thought 
 of my enemy's death, and in my heart 
 of hearts I found pleasure in it. " 
 
 Fain would she have written to 
 Miss Holmes, had she but dared, 
 urging her immediate return. Five 
 days seemed to be an interminable 
 time to be alone. Never dragged 
 hours so drearily by, yet often she 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 199 
 
 could but smile at her disquietude. 
 Her faith in God was too strong for 
 fear of mortal to shake it. No, she 
 knew well through all these days that 
 it was not fear that agitated her, and 
 caused her to tremble like an aspen 
 leaf at the sight of Claude Leveredge. 
 It was that old feeling of shame that 
 had maddened her twice, and which 
 had slumbered so peacefully for the 
 few months of repose that had follow- 
 ed her adventures in Thornton Les- 
 lie's behalf. She realized that fully 
 on the third day after Claude Lever- 
 edge's return, when he walked into 
 her school-room, and glancing keenly 
 at her, asked abruptly : 
 
 "What did you think when you 
 heard I was dead ? " 
 
 4-lfred and Minna were present, 
 and, in great confusion, La Guerita 
 stammered : 
 
 ' ' We were all greatly shocked, of 
 course, Mr. Leveredge." 
 
 ' f I am dreadfully tired, " he said ; 
 ' ' Alfred, I wish you would go in the 
 house and get me a cigar. You will 
 find one on the study mantel-piece. " 
 
 Alfred was off in an instant. 
 
 ' ' Oh, I forgot, " said Leveredge, 
 looking at Minna, ' ' 'twas the parlor 
 mantel I meant. Run and tell him 
 so." 
 
 She quickly obeyed. Claude Lev- 
 eredge looked up at La Guerita, as 
 she stood calmly at some distance 
 from him. He advanced a step, the 
 blood rushing over his pale, olive 
 face as he whispered : 
 
 ' ' I could not die, La Guerita ; 
 the thought of you won me back to 
 life. What welcome have you for 
 me ? " 
 
 He held out his hand, and looked 
 at her as if he would read her verv 
 
 soul. He saw she was afflicted, but 
 it was only -for a moment. She waved 
 aside his proffered hand, and turned 
 away. He looked at her with the 
 longing and ferocity of a baffled 
 tiger, muttering a few words between 
 his clenched teeth, which gave La 
 Guerita to know that the vows made 
 years before were- not forgotten. 
 
 She knew then that any slight hope 
 she had entertained of a change in 
 his feelings toward her, was futile. 
 His long illness had not made him a 
 better man, and his incarceration had 
 given him time to think over the dif- 
 ficulties of the chase he had in the 
 excitement of war apparently aban- 
 doned. She saw that his long ab- 
 sence had but given her vantage 
 ground, but had served also to height- 
 en and intensify the ardor of her pur- 
 suer. 
 
 These thoughts flashed upon her 
 mind in an instant, leaving their im- 
 press on her face. Determination to 
 resist to the death, Claude Leveredge 
 read in her flashing eyes and com- 
 pressed mouth. Determination to 
 strive till death, she read in his. They 
 understood each other fully then. 
 He knew it, and turning from the 
 house, entered the garden, mutter- 
 ing : 
 
 " Fool that I am. Why could I 
 not have feigned indifference for a 
 time ? That might have accomplish- 
 ed what all my love and cruelty have 
 striven to do in vain. How is it that 
 before her, I cannot hide that I love 
 her ? I love her ! She would ques- 
 tion that if she knew all ; but 'tis 
 true. What am I thinking of? Hers 
 is the love I want. Good God, what 
 love she could give me if she would. 
 How I would glory in it ; how I 
 
200 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 would laugh all other love to scorn. 
 My wife ! By * Heavens, she was 
 promised to me years ago, and mine 
 she shall be. What do I care if she 
 hates me with a power strong as 
 death? I would rather have her 
 hate than the undying love of any 
 other wife. Any other wife ! What 
 am I thinking of; I believe my fever 
 has not left me. Ah, here are the 
 children." 
 
 "Swift messengers, you are," he 
 cried, gaily, as they approached him. 
 ' ' You see I had got tired of waiting 
 for you." 
 
 "We could not help it, cousin 
 Claude, " they explained eagerly ; 
 ' ' We had to go to your room for 
 cigars, there were none in the parlor 
 or study. " 
 
 ' ' All right, " said Leveredge ; "go 
 on to the school room, and, Minna, 
 if you have perfect lessons to-day, 
 you may come to me for a real gold 
 dollar in the evening. " 
 
 Minna opened her eyes very wide, 
 and then with an exclamation of de- 
 light and astonishment, ran off to 
 the school-room, followed by her 
 brother. 
 
 Mr. Leveredge lighted one of the 
 cigars they had brought him, and 
 strolled on, endeavoring to confine 
 his thoughts to the same channel in 
 which they had flown before, but the 
 unpleasant flavor of his cigar, entirely 
 diverted them, he threw it from him 
 with an exclamation of impatience, 
 and hearing the sound of high voices 
 in a distant part of the garden, he 
 strolled, indolently, in the direction 
 from which they came. 
 
 It was not long before he discover- 
 ed the cause of the unusual hubbub. 
 Miss Matilda was soon seen advanc- 
 
 ing toward him, holding Harry by 
 the ear, and followed at a respectable 
 distance by half-a-dozen little slaves, 
 whose wildly-rolling eyes and signifi- 
 cant howls, declared that they had 
 been engaged in some mischief for 
 which they expected condign punish- 
 ment. Harry was the ringleader ; 
 Claude Leveredge could easily have 
 seen that, even if Miss Matilda's 
 voluble expressions of indignation 
 had not assured him of it. 
 
 "You must come right along with 
 me," exclaimed the irate old lady, 
 "he'll teach you how to make forts, 
 and turn his cigars into guns. Oh, 
 you dreadful creature ; what do you 
 expect will become of you ? Where 
 do you think you'll go to when you 
 die ? Don't you speak ! " 
 
 The poor child had not attempted 
 to utter a word. 
 
 ' ' Just come right into your mas- 
 ter, and if he don't order you whipped 
 I'll tie you up by the heels and make 
 you pick cotton till Christmas ; what 
 do you think of that ? " 
 
 Mr. Leveredge laughed heartily, 
 asking : ' ' What is the matter, aunt 
 Matilda ? What has the boy done ? " 
 
 ' ' Ask me what he has not done, " 
 she returned, ' ' and I might be able 
 to tell you ' no good/ for lam sure 
 he has done everything else. I verily 
 believe he's getting up a revolution 
 among the niggers now. Here, you 
 sir, come back and give me your 
 ear, " she added suddenly as Harold 
 escaped from her grasp and retreated 
 a few paces. 
 
 Involuntarily he covered his ears 
 with his hands, withdrawing them, 
 and flushing hotly as he caught 
 Claude's eye fixed laughingly upon 
 him. 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 201 
 
 ' ' I am going to put out my guns, " 
 he muttered, turning away. 
 
 ' ' Let him go, " said Claude, as he 
 saw Miss Matilda was about to fol- 
 low him ; " you take care of the 
 others, I will take care of him. " 
 
 Miss Matilda did as she was wish- 
 ed ; not, however, to please Claude, 
 but because she saw that most of the 
 offenders were looking around for 
 chances of escape, and she was de- 
 termined to allow them none. 
 
 Claude Leveredge followed Harold 
 out of the garden, and a short dis- 
 tance into the meadow, where, much 
 to his surprise and amusement, he 
 discovered the fate of his choice ci- 
 gars. They were actively engaged 
 in bombarding and defending the 
 miniature city of Vicksburg. The 
 city, which was made of a vast num- 
 ber of wooden buildings, gaily paint- 
 ed churches, and tin savings' banks, 
 the combined wealth of the planta- 
 tion children, was situated upon a 
 high bluff of the meadow brook. It 
 was surrounded by walls of brick, on 
 which were planted continually ac- 
 tive cannon in the form of lighted ci- 
 gars. There were four hide boats ly- 
 ing in the stream below, also mount- 
 ed with cannon, which presented fire 
 toward the city or the spectators on 
 the opposite shore with perfect im- 
 partiality. Thin spirals of smoke 
 constantly arose from both the city 
 and the boats., almost enveloping 
 their respective flags. 
 
 Claude Leveredge laughed for a 
 few moments heartily. 
 
 "You are a pretty fellow," he 
 said at last; "who gave you per- 
 mission to use my cigars in this 
 way ? " 
 
 ' ' No one, sir, " said Harry, flush- 
 26 
 
 ing and trembling; "I beg your 
 pardon, sir, the fire crackers all gave 
 out, and I didn't know what else to 
 do." 
 
 "You have been using crackers 
 for cannon before, then ? " 
 
 ' ' Yes, sir, and they did beautiful 
 for Norfolk and Newbern, and all 
 the battles around Richmond ; only 
 sometimes they would fizzle, and 
 they don't make such a big smoke as 
 cigars. " 
 
 ' ' But how do you manage the re- 
 port ? " asked Claude, laughing. 
 
 "Why, for the distant ones, sir, 
 we beat a little drum, and for the 
 others we have still a few fire crack- 
 ers left. I am very sorry, sir, we 
 didn't use them, but I was afraid they 
 would give out before the fight was 
 over. " 
 
 "But what in the world could 
 make you think of taking my cigars ? 
 Do you know that I ought to whip 
 you for it ? " 
 
 ' ' I didn't take the cigars, sir. " 
 
 "Who did?" 
 
 "I shouldn't like to tell, sir. Be- 
 sides, it was I that was to blame ; I 
 ought to have sent them back, but he 
 brought one to me lighted, and it 
 just seemed as if I couldn't help using 
 the others." 
 
 ' * So you won't tell me who did 
 it ? Suppose that I whip you then. " 
 
 Harold looked at him defiantly, 
 then dropped his eyes. Claude Lev- 
 eredge saw him working his hands 
 together nervously, and biting his 
 lips, to force back his rising tears ; 
 yet though again asked, he would not 
 reveal the name of him who had 
 brought him the cigars. 
 
 Something arose in Claude Lever- 
 edge's throat and choked him, as he 
 
2O2 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 looked upon the boy, and suddenly, 
 with a strange passionate gesture, he 
 caught him to his heart and kissed 
 him again and again. 
 
 Harold released himself roughly 
 from this unwelcome embrace, mut- 
 tering angrily : 
 
 " I'm not a baby ! " 
 
 Claude colored to the temples, an- 
 noyed at and ashamed of his sudden 
 emotions. 
 
 ' ' I know you are not, " he said, 
 but I knew you when you were a 
 baby. I even knew your mother 
 when she was. " 
 
 Harold looked at him in aston- 
 ishment. 
 
 ' ' Put out these smoldering ci- 
 gars/' said Mr. Leveredge, pointing 
 to the miniature city and fleet, and 
 throwing himself indolently upon 
 the grass. ' ' I am not angry at you, 
 Harry." 
 
 The child gathered up the cigars 
 silently, and tied a wisp of long straw 
 around them, often glancing furtively 
 at the lounger by his side. 
 
 ' ' Where did my mother live when 
 she was a baby, sir ? " he ventured at 
 last to inquire. 
 
 Mr. Leveredge informed him ; and 
 emboldened by his kindness, Harold 
 asked a series of questions, receiving 
 satisfactory, if not always truthful an- 
 swers to all. So they talked together 
 a long time ; and it in some way hap- 
 pened, that in that single afternoon, 
 Claude Leveredge gained a power 
 over the child that perfectly obliter- 
 ated all his former dread and dis- 
 like. 
 
 La Guerita was detained in the 
 school-room until late in the after- 
 noon ; when she went to her cabin, 
 she found Harold sitting on the steps 
 
 with his face resting between his 
 hands. She sat down beside him,, 
 and playfully asked why he was so 
 thoughtful ? 
 
 ' ' I was thinking of Enola. You 
 know, mamma, you took me away 
 from there and put me in this little 
 cabin. What did you do it for ; 
 when I am so rich, and have such a 
 beautiful home of my own ? " 
 
 She was so totally unprepared for 
 the child's questions, that each seem- 
 ed a dagger in her heart. He re- 
 peated them, looking at her anxious- 
 ly with his wistful eyes, and unable 
 to bear their reproachful glances, she 
 covered her face with her hands, and 
 burst into tears. 
 
 ' ' Oh, mamma, don't cry ; please 
 don't cry, " cried Harold, in great dis- 
 tress ; "don't you want to go back, 
 mamma ? I thought you did ; and 
 Mr. Leveredge says he will take us if 
 you will go. Do go, mamma. " 
 
 1 ' Then Mr. Leveredge has been 
 talking to you ? " La Guerita raised 
 her head and looked at the child 
 steadily. 
 
 " Yes, mamma, he has told me all 
 about Enola, and he wants to take us 
 there. Let us go. Mr. Leveredge 
 told me just what it was to be a slave, 
 and I can't bear to be what he says I 
 am." 
 
 ' ' What did he say you are ? But 
 never mind ; don't think of it, Har- 
 old." 
 
 "Yes, I shall think of it," he per- 
 sisted ; I can't help thinking of it. 
 Mr Leveredge says I ought to go to 
 Enola that I should be a master 
 there, and I am a slave here. " 
 
 "My child! my child !" 
 
 1 ' Will you let Mr. Leveredge take 
 us back, mamma ? " 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 203 
 
 "No, Harold." 
 
 ' ' Xot to Enola, mamma ? " 
 
 It was hard to encounter his looks 
 of utter incredulity, but still she an- 
 swered, firmly : 
 
 "No, Harold." 
 
 "Then I don't believe you love 
 me," he cried, passionately ; " I am 
 not a black nigger, and I won't be a 
 slave. Oh, take me back to Enola ; 
 let me go back ! " 
 
 So it had come at last. The child 
 she had despoiled of his birthright 
 had arisen and demanded it of her, 
 and though her very heart bled for it, 
 she could but answer sternly, and bid 
 him be silent. Yet hours afterwards, 
 she paced the floor of her room, pray- 
 ing for power to give her child his 
 freedom, and for strength to resist the 
 temptation his lips held out to her. 
 
 ' ' Am I ever crying to God for help, 
 and yet ever putting aside the hand 
 he stretches forth to me," she cried 
 more than once. "Claude Lever- 
 edge loves me ; other women have 
 married a second time and been 
 happy. Happy, I could never be ; 
 but should I be right ? O, God, 
 should I be right ? No, no, no ; a 
 thousand times No ! My very soul 
 revolts from such a union angels 
 seem to warn me from it. " 
 
 She bent over her sleeping child 
 in anguish, crying : 
 
 ' ' Not even for thee can I do that. 
 I will sacrifice my \ery life for thee, 
 but I cannot lose my soul. " 
 
 A hundred times during the three 
 succeeding days did she find it neces- 
 sary to strengthen her resolution by 
 such words as these. It was hard to 
 utter them in the face of her child's 
 rapidly-increasing intimacy with Lev- 
 eredge, and his growing discontent 
 
 with his lot. It seemed to her that 
 her direct punishment, or rather trial, 
 had come. She could not look up- 
 on her sorrows 45 punishment, for 
 she remembered she had not sinned. 
 From the hour she had sternly si- 
 lenced Harold in his entreaties and 
 demand to be taken home, she felt 
 that she had lost the child's confi- 
 dence, and with an agony that can- 
 not be described, saw that he was 
 rapidly transferring it to the man 
 whose power over him she dreaded, 
 not only as affecting his physical, but 
 his moral weal. 
 
 She had, herself, neither spoken or 
 encountered Leveredge since his visit 
 to the school-room, and was greatly 
 in hopes that she would not do so 
 until Miss Holmes' return, which 
 was expected to take place on Wed- 
 nesday or Thursday. She was think- 
 ing of this as she sat in her cabin, on 
 the evening of Monday, patching a 
 hole in Harold's coat, and often glanc- 
 ing at him anxiously, as he lay sleep- 
 ing calmly upon the bed, when Roxy 
 entered with a message from Mr. 
 Holmes. 
 
 ' ' Dere ain't nobody thar but Mas- 
 sa, and Missus, and Massa Claude," 
 she said, in answer to La Guerita's 
 inquiries, ' ' an' you must go in right 
 away. Massa Claude said he was 
 mighty dull, and I 'spect he wants 
 you to play de panny. " 
 
 "Oh, I hope not," involuntarily 
 exclaimed La Guerita, for she had 
 not touched the piano for many 
 months, except when instructing 
 Minna, or alone with Mrs. Holmes ; 
 she, however, hastened to the house, 
 and with a fast-beating heart entered 
 the parlor she would as gladly have 
 avoided. 
 
2O4 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 "Oh, no, Aunt Myra," she heard 
 Leveredge say as she entered, ' ' I 
 don't want her to play for me. Min- 
 na gave me music^enough this after- 
 noon to last any reasonable man a 
 month ; and very well she plays, 
 too, " he added, looking at La Gue- 
 rita, and acknowledging her presence 
 with a smile ; "far better than her 
 sister does. Who would ever have 
 dreamed that you would have made 
 such a successful teacher ? Now, 
 uncle, we are ready for a game at 
 whist ; Rita and I against aunt and 
 yourself. You will have to do your 
 best ; for I remember that Rita play- 
 ed a splendid game years ago. " 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Holmes looked at 
 each other, and at La Guerita, as if 
 greatly astonished, and somewhat 
 displeased. As for La Guerita, she 
 could not for a moment comprehend 
 the audacity of the speaker ; the next 
 she turned and was proudly leaving 
 the room, when Mr. Holmes called 
 her back. 
 
 "Rita," he said, "did you not 
 hear what Mr. Leveredge said ? 
 What do you mean by leaving the 
 room ? Sit down instantly, and take 
 your part of the game. " 
 
 She stood for an instant, uncertain 
 whether to rebel or obey ; her eyes 
 flashed and her bosom heaved, but 
 she did not entirely lose full con- 
 trol over either her temper or person. 
 Claude looked at her narrowly ; she 
 saw it, and thought : ' ' He expects 
 me to refuse submission ; I shall 
 give him some pretext for insulting 
 me more deeply if I do. " She ap- 
 proached the table slowly, and with 
 the air of a queen a haughty queen 
 took the chair that Claude Lever- 
 edge placed for her. For a few min- 
 
 utes she seemed quite blind ; her 
 surroundings faded from her sight ; 
 she was again at Enola, with Harold, 
 Victor, and Mrs. DeGrey. The tears 
 rose to her eyes, but she forced tr^em 
 back, knowing if she suffered them 
 to come she should lose all compos- 
 ure ; and she presently found herself 
 following Mrs. Holmes' lead, and 
 taking an active part in the game, in 
 which she had been forced to partici- 
 pate. By good fortune she held good 
 cards, and played them well, though 
 without taking the slightest interest in 
 the game, or any part of the conver- 
 sation, which Claude Leveredge strove 
 to make most constant and agreeable. 
 She played as if in a dream a dream 
 that was endless taking no- note of 
 anything. She heard Mrs. Lever- 
 edge make a remark about a car- 
 riage, without at all comprehending 
 what it was. A few minutes later she 
 heard footsteps in the hall, the door 
 was thrown open, and Adela Holmes 
 entered the room, followed by a tall, 
 elderly gentlemen and a troop of serv- 
 ants. The group at the table arose 
 to meet them, uttering exclamations 
 of pleasure and surprise. Miss 
 Holmes recognized her cousin, and, 
 turning deadly pale, gasped out : 
 "Oh, Claude, they did not tell me 
 you were here." 
 
 He greeted her warmly, quickly 
 dispelling her wonder and alarm ; 
 then she noticed for the first time that 
 La Guerita was in the room, and the 
 game in which she had been engag- 
 ed. Instantly her countenance cloud- 
 ed with indignation. She sprang for- 
 ward and snatched the cards from La 
 Guerita's hand, and without a word 
 motioned her. to the door. She left 
 the room gladly, but saw Miss 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 205 
 
 Holmes turn upon her cousin a 
 glance of ineffable scorn. "So, you 
 could not let me know you were 
 here, " she said, in a tone of cutting 
 irony; "and this is the way you 
 keep your vows ? This is your sense 
 of honor?" * 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 " O, Lord, my boy, my Arthur, my fair son 
 My life, my joy, my food, my all the world 
 My widow-comfort, and my sorrow's cure." 
 Shakespeare. 
 
 WELL as La 'Guerita was assured 
 that she had no share in Miss Ade- 
 la's anger and scorn, the hours pass- 
 ed wearily until she could hear the 
 fact from the young lady's own lips. 
 
 "How could you for a moment 
 suppose that I accused you falsely ? " 
 she said, in reply to such a remark 
 of La Guerita, when they met in 
 the school-house^ after lesson-hours, 
 the following day. 
 
 < ' No ; all my anger a,nd scorn was 
 for Claude my sympathy for you ; 
 but last night was not the time to 
 show it. I remembered that, even in 
 the height of my indignation. But, 
 say, were you not for a moment 
 more startled than delighted at my 
 appearance ? " 
 
 ' ' I must own that I was, " returned 
 La Guerita ; ' ' for much as I longed 
 for your coming, I had no expecta- 
 tion of seeing you until to-morrow, 
 at the earliest. " 
 
 ' ' I often laugh at you for your 
 shrewd prophecies and strange pre- 
 sentiments," said Miss Holmes; 
 ' ' but I don't think I shall ever do 
 so again ; for my mind has been full 
 of them since I left home. My 
 cousin told me I was nervous, and 
 rallied me about it ; but it was of no 
 
 use ; I could not shake my dismal 
 forebodings from me ; perhaps they 
 grew all the more rapidly because I 
 would not mention them. At last I 
 became convinced that some danger 
 was threatening you, and I wrote to 
 father that I should leave Charleston 
 this week that being the earliest 
 time I could possibly name. Strange- 
 ly enough, just after that letter was 
 sent my forebodings increased a hun- 
 dred fold ; so that I most earnestly 
 begged my cousin Charles to take 
 charge of me to Raleigh, instead of 
 causing me to wait for his brother 
 Will., who had first proposed to es- 
 cort me, and who could not have 
 been home for three days later. The 
 whole family protested against my 
 leaving them so hastily. I think, in- 
 deed, they were half offended, and 
 would have been wholly so had any 
 other visitor acted so obstinately ; 
 but their displeasure troubled me lit- 
 tle. Indeed, I scarcely think any- 
 thing on earth would have kept me 
 from Holmsford a day longer ; and 
 the sequel shows I am right. You 
 are in danger, my poor Rita ; you 
 do need my sympathy and protec- 
 tion. I thank God I am here to give 
 it. But, La Guerita, tell me, did 
 Claude look so wild and haggard 
 when he first reached home ? It is 
 almost impossible for me to believe 
 even now that he has not come from 
 the grave, and you can well imagine 
 his, appearance at first startled me." 
 
 " I need not imagine it, " returned 
 La Guerita ; "I felt, perhaps, even 
 more deeply than you, certainly more 
 remorsefully. " 
 
 Miss Hojmes looked at her and 
 sighed. "Ah, did you feel remorse- 
 fully?" she said; "and yet you 
 
206 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 should not have done so, for you 
 have never rejoiced in his fancied 
 death, though it brought you peace. 
 What has his return to life done to- 
 ward destroying that peace ? What 
 has he said or done to you ? " 
 
 La Guerita could not, even in the 
 midst of her own anxiety, repress a 
 smile at the tone of defiant solicitude 
 in which these last words were spo- 
 ken ; still she gladly proceeded to 
 place her newly awakened fears and 
 perplexities before the clear mind of 
 her questioner, feeling assured that 
 they would be understood, and that 
 she would receive the sympathy, and 
 perhaps, also, the counsel she needed. 
 
 ' ' Was ever man so bewitched be- 
 fore ? " said Miss Holmes, musing- 
 ly, when she had heard what La 
 Guerita had to tell. " It seems al- 
 most incomprehensible that he per- 
 sists in continuing this persecution ; 
 he must, by this time, be satisfied 
 that it is useless ; he shall know it, 
 at any rate, to-day. I have opposed 
 him silently too long. I will find 
 what my tongue can do. That is 
 called woman's best weapon, you 
 know. " 
 
 ' ' Oh, I beg you not to speak to 
 him ! " cried La Guerita, in alarm. 
 
 ' ' I certainly shall ; I intend to 
 know why he persecuted you so ; I 
 intend to know, La Guerita, whether 
 he really proposes to marry you. 
 You know I have doubted it. I 
 think such a question from me will 
 cause him to reflect upon what he is 
 doing. " 
 
 " I think he debated that question 
 years ago, " returned La Guerita, col- 
 oring, a little proudly ; % "and I most 
 positively believe his intentions in that 
 respect are strictly honorable. " 
 
 Miss Holmes 'said nothing, feeling 
 sorry she had said anything to arouse 
 La Guerita's sensitive pride. ' ' He is 
 a Southerner, " she thought, ' ' and, 
 thank Heaven, Southerners do not 
 marry slaves.'" 
 
 "There he is," she added, aloud ; 
 I am going to speak to him. " 
 
 He was standing in the garden, 
 intently watching a pair of ants, that 
 were pushing a tiny grain toward 
 their hole. He did not see his cous- 
 in until she approached and laid her 
 hand upon his arm. He started, and 
 laughed, as he called her attention to 
 the tiny laborers. 
 
 " Work is a good thing," he said, 
 lightly; "it keeps even these ants 
 out of mischief. I haven't a doubt, 
 if they were idle they would be look- 
 ing around for some person or thing 
 to sting." ^ 
 
 "You are quite a philosopher, 
 Claude." 
 
 ' ' Any ma*i gets to be that who has 
 been on the sick-list three or four 
 months. " . 
 
 ' ' That is very true, or he ought to. 
 I came to tell you so, Claude. I have 
 been talking to La Guerita DeCuba, 
 and I came to tell you so. " 
 
 He colored, quickly and angrily, at 
 her unexpected words. " What has 
 La Guerita to do with me ? " he at 
 last said, sullenly. 
 
 ' l Nothing, " returned Miss Holmes, 
 promptly ; "you know, Claude, that 
 she is never so happy as when sepa- 
 rated from you ; but you have much 
 to do with her ; you take from her all 
 the happiness of her life. " 
 
 ' ' I take from her the happiness of 
 her life ? " he exclaimed, excitedly ; 
 "it is not so; I would restore it to 
 her. It is your father, and our ac- 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 207 
 
 cursed laws and law-givers, that take 
 it from her ; it is those that keep her 
 in slaver}-." 
 
 ' ' And are you not one ? " 
 
 ' ' Have I not offered her freedom 
 a hundred times, and I offer it to her 
 again. Go, Adela, and tell her so ; 
 tell her I will take her and her child 
 out of this accursed bondage. " 
 
 ' ' Would you marry her, Claude ? " 
 
 The question was asked very qui- 
 etly. She saw him grow pale and 
 tremble for an instant. 
 
 ' ' What right have you to ask me 
 such a question ? " he said, at length. 
 
 ' ' I was thinking of her happiness, 
 Claude." 
 
 "Her happiness? and you keep 
 her in bondage here, on a level with 
 the lowest of the low. Do you ex- 
 pect her- to find happiness here? 
 You were thinking of her happiness. 
 You would do better to believe that 
 I think of it, and of my own honor. " 
 
 ' ' And you would marry her ? " 
 
 1 ' Good Heavens ! Adela, why 
 should I not ? " 
 
 ' ' Have you ever considered that your 
 family that the whole world would 
 suggest many reasons why you should 
 not. You must have done so, or you 
 would have told my father years ago 
 that you wished to marry Rita, and 
 would not have so grossly deceived 
 him as to your real motive in keep- 
 ing her in durance here." 
 
 "Your father is her master/' he 
 said, sternly. 
 
 ' ' You are her master, " retorted 
 Miss Holmes, angrily, striving in 
 vain to keep her temper; "my 
 father would have freed her years ago 
 had you not bound him by an oath 
 to hold her ; and if you had not 
 forced that oath from him bv hold- 
 
 ing over his head menaces of the 
 vengeance of her family should her 
 hiding-place be discovered. You 
 practiced well upon my father's fears, 
 Claude Leveredge, and upon his love 
 for you. You told him that your life 
 would not be worth the asking if she 
 returned home. You confessed to 
 him the base part you had acted in 
 making her parentage known to her 
 husband, and cajoled him into the 
 promise to keep her in slaver}- until 
 all danger of your life, by the hands 
 of her brother, was overpast. You 
 are not a coward, Claude, but you 
 feigned to be, with good effect, then. " 
 
 He actually cowered beneath the 
 gaze of scorn she threw upon him ; 
 but rallied immediately, saying, with 
 a careless laugh : 
 
 ' ' Are you ubiquitous, Adela ? " 
 
 ' ' No, " she said. 
 
 "Then you were eaves-dropping 
 instead. I think you have belied the 
 promises of you* childhood as much 
 as I, Adela." 
 
 "No," she answered, flushing; 
 ' ' I was not eaves-dropping, my cou- 
 sin ; but your plot was easily read by 
 one who studied your character as I 
 have ; and as to belying the prom- 
 ises of my childhood, I have never 
 broken vows, as you have done. But 
 I did not come here to exchange re- 
 proaches. I came to tell you that 
 you are persecuting La Guerita in 
 vain ; she will never yield to you ; 
 she will never marry you. " 
 
 "Then it is you that will prevent 
 her, " he burst forth, angrily ; ' ' but, 
 by heaven, you shall find it a hard 
 task. Do you think I am like you, 
 so narrow-minded that I weigh the 
 drop of Ethiopian blood in her 
 veins against her beauty, her accom- 
 
208 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 plishments, and her thousand natural 
 charms ? I tell you, Adela Holmes, 
 that though La Guerita DeCuba was 
 born a slave, you might be proud to 
 see her the wife of the worthiest of 
 your family. " 
 
 ' ' Not against her will ; not when 
 she has only contempt, and fear, and 
 hate, to give with her hand. " 
 
 . " I care for none of that, " he ejac- 
 ulated, with an impatient gesture ; ' ' I 
 swore years ago that she should be 
 my wife, and my wife she shall be. I 
 love her ! Is not that enough ? " 
 
 1 ' It would have been better, Claucle, 
 that you had killed her at Fairview. 
 It would have been better that you 
 had proved your love for her so. You 
 are killing her by slow torture now ; 
 it could have been done by a blow 
 then." 
 
 "You talk like a mad woman, 
 Adela." 
 
 ' ' You know I was the companion 
 of one for many \feeks, and I may 
 be again. " 
 
 He winced under her look, crying 
 out, desperately : "I cannot help it ; 
 I will not give her up. I will make 
 no vows to do so ; for I have given 
 up my very soul to the attainment of 
 the one object. You can go and tell 
 La Guerita so. Tell her that I am a 
 man, and cannot tire, while she, 
 sooner or later, must. And, Adela, I 
 warn you that you had better caution 
 her to yield before she aggravates me 
 farther ; for I have my hand upon 
 the tenderest part of her heart, and I 
 am not a man to spare it. Stay, I 
 will tell her so myself. " 
 
 He strode rapidly toward the 
 school-house ; she saw him enter 
 and close the door, and watched 
 long for his reappearance, but turn- 
 
 ed away at last unsatisfied. La Gue- 
 rita came to her room two hours 
 later, with face and lips of ashen 
 paleness, and told her how he had 
 striven with her how sorely she had 
 been tempted to yield, and how, at 
 the moment, some angel seemed to 
 whisper her that more sorrow and 
 shame than ever she could dream of 
 awaited her if she did. ' ' I know 
 not how it was," she concluded, 
 "but some visible presence seemed 
 to bar him back from me, and she 
 seemed to take the form of that pale, 
 lovely girl whose picture you found 
 among Claude's effects, after his sup- 
 posed death. I did not take much 
 notice of it when you showed it to 
 me, and it seemed almost a miracle 
 that it appeared to warn me back 
 when I was so sorely tempted to yield 
 to his entreaties and threats, and win 
 my freedom even at his fearful price. " 
 
 It was the last time that Claude 
 Leveredge ever tempted her by word 
 or look. That very evening he an- 
 nounced to his uncle his intention to 
 go to Richmond, and remain there 
 until able to rejoin the army. 
 
 Rejoiced as La Guerita and Adela 
 were to hear of this determination, 
 they did not repress the feeling of 
 uneasiness at the suddenness of his 
 resolve, although they could ngt con- 
 jecture how it could be made to ope- 
 rate to La Guerita's disadvantage. 
 
 ' ' And I shouldn't wonder if Harold 
 is hidden away somewhere, crying his 
 bright eyes out for him, " added Miss 
 Holmes. I never saw such an extra- 
 ordinary thing in my life ; the child 
 seemed perfectly bewitched by him 
 the last few days of his stay. " 
 
 ' ' La Guerita went to the door and 
 called : ' ' Harry ! " but instead, Miss 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 209 
 
 Matilda came, frowning like a sphynx, 
 and looking as wise. 
 
 ' ' I know what will come of it ; he 
 will make him a hundred times more 
 of an imp than he is already ; but 
 what upon earth Claude could want 
 to take him to Richmond for I can't 
 imagine. Reckon it must be because 
 it is a good place to finish off associ- 
 ates of his Satanic Majesty. " 
 
 ' ' La Guerita had listened to her 
 as if in a dream ; but she sprang for- 
 ward then, her eyes flashing like fire. 
 
 ' ' What are you talking about ? " 
 she cried. l ' Where is my boy ? Has 
 he taken my boy ? " 
 
 The old lady was startled into a di- 
 rect answer. ' ' Yes ; didn't you know 
 it ? They went three hours ago. " 
 
 ' ' Oh, my boy my pretty, pretty 
 boy ! " screamed La Guerita, in ago- 
 ny ; "he will ruin him ! he will kill 
 him body and soul. Oh, Miss Ade- 
 la, save my boy ! " 
 
 Miss Holmes drew La Guerita into 
 the cabin, shutting the door, and leav- 
 ing Miss Matilda upon the steps, in a 
 state of bewilderment, from which she 
 did not recover for many minutes. 
 
 ' ' Listen to me ! " she said, very 
 quietly, though her face was pale as 
 snow, and her heart throbbed long- 
 ingly for the lost boy ; ' ' Claude can 
 do the child no harm ; he has only 
 done this to frighten you. It is cruel 
 very cruel, but think of it calmly. " 
 
 * ' I cannot ! " cried La Guerita, 
 starting to her feet. " Oh, my God ! 
 think what he has taken from me ; 
 but you cannot think ; you have no 
 child." 
 
 "Claude is not a brute, " said Miss 
 
 Holmes, persuasively ; "he will do 
 
 the boy no harm, and he shall restore 
 
 him to you. I will go to my father 
 
 27 
 
 and tell him all. Don't cry so wild- 
 ly, Rita be still ; for heaven's sake, 
 be still ! " 
 
 ' ' Oh, I shall never, never see my 
 boy again ! My Harold's child is 
 lost to me forever ! Oh, that I were 
 dead ! Oh, that I were dead ! " 
 
 So she moaned, traversing the floor 
 with rapid steps, and pressing her 
 hands wildly to her burning temples. 
 In vain Miss Holmes strove to com- 
 fort her by caresses, hopeful words, 
 and tears. Suddenly she threw the 
 door open and darted across the 
 garden, into the house, and to Mr. 
 Holmes' study. 
 
 She found the master there and de- 
 manded her child, breaking out into 
 such a storm of entreaties and re- 
 proaches as overwhelmed him. 
 
 ' ' Leveredge wanted him ; Lever- 
 edge will take -care of him," was all 
 he could say until his daughter came 
 and added her voice to La Guerita's. 
 
 ' ' Papa, why did you give Claude 
 Rita's child ? " 
 
 1 ' He wanted him he had a fancy 
 to take him to. Richmond ; he is go- 
 ing to send him back in a week or so. " 
 
 "He will never send him back," 
 moaned La Guerita. 
 
 1 ' What do you think he will want 
 him for when he gets well enough to 
 join the army," said Mr. Holmes, 
 angrily. ' ' Go away, Rita, and don't 
 make a fool of yourself. Is it going 
 to hurt the child to stay with Mr. 
 Leveredge a week or a month ? " 
 
 " Promise her, papa, that he shall 
 return immediately, " said Adela, ear- 
 nestly ; " you must, indeed, you 
 must " 
 
 "Yes, promise me, promise me 
 that," cried La Guerita, entreatingly. 
 "I shall go mad if you do not. 
 
210 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 Promise me, and I will pray the Al- 
 mighty God unceasingly to make you 
 faithful to your word. " 
 
 ' ' But I tell you Claude only wants 
 him for a little while. The boy was 
 glad to go he was delighted, though 
 he cried a little because his mother 
 was not here to bid him good- by. 
 There, Rita, don't cry, " for her tears 
 burst forth at the mention of the 
 child's grief; " I never thought you 
 would mind his going. Addie shall 
 write to Claude to send him right 
 back, if you like." 
 
 With this promise she was some- 
 what comforted, and left the study to 
 find relief for her surcharged heart. 
 A little reflection convinced her that 
 no immediate danger need be appre- 
 hended for the child, but she could 
 not, in all her reasoning, silence her 
 grief and anxiety at this forced sepa- 
 ration from the nearest and dearest of 
 all things upon earth. 
 
 Adela's letter to her cousin was 
 quickly written and sent She not 
 only demanded the return of the 
 child, but in the most moving terms 
 entreated him to pity the desolate 
 mother, and give her the only bless- 
 ing that had for years been left her. 
 
 Miss Holmes thought La Guerita 
 must have anticipated the reply that 
 was made to this, for she received it 
 very calmly, even the scrap of paper 
 to her, on which was written : 
 
 "I shall keep the child as a hos- 
 tage for you. When you get tired of 
 waiting come for him. " 
 
 "O, God, I am sick of waiting 
 already," she muttered ; "sick, sick 
 unto death, but I cannot go. O, 
 God, help me to say that, even for 
 the sake of my child, I cannot perjure 
 my soul. I cannot, I cannot ; would 
 
 not the child be overwhelmed in his 
 mother's shame ? " 
 
 Miss Holmes took the letter she 
 had received from her cousin, and, 
 burning with indignation, laid it be- 
 fore her father. He was much dis- 
 turbed at its contents. 
 
 ' ' It seems strange, " he said ; "I 
 thought he would have sent the child 
 immediately. Write to him how woe- 
 begone the mother looks. " 
 
 11 It would be useless, " said Adela, 
 vehemently, t ( and worse than useless. 
 He has taken him from her to tor- 
 ment her. He attempted to do so 
 once before. " And in a few words 
 she told how Thornton Leslie had 
 rescued Harold from him on the 
 cliffs of Ellisville. 
 
 ' ' Ah, then that is the secret of your 
 friendship for her," exclaimed Mr. 
 Holmes, angrily. "You weep and 
 wail over her because she knew that 
 Yankee lover that you should blush 
 to name." 
 
 ' ' Papa, " returned Adela, plead- 
 ingly, "put Thornton out of your 
 thoughts, and let me tell you of La 
 Guerita DeCuba, and of the wrong 
 you have blindly abetted so long. 
 Claude Leveredge is persecuting her 
 now, and has persecuted her for years, 
 with his unwelcome attentions. " 
 
 ' ' Adela, " said her father, severely, 
 1 ' such thoughts should never have 
 entered your mind. Claude is a 
 gentleman, and Rita a slave. " 
 
 ' ' A lady, papa. Claude acknowl- 
 edges that, if as well not you. " 
 
 ' ' What do you mean ? " 
 
 "Should you think it possible for 
 Claude to marry Rita, papa ? " 
 
 " Certainly not ; it would not be 
 even possible for him to do such a 
 thing. " 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 211 
 
 * ' In other countries it would, and 
 his sole aim for more than ten years 
 has been to make La Guerita DeCuba 
 his wife. 
 
 Mr. Holmes looked at his daugh- 
 ter in blank amazement. 
 
 ' ' To make her his wife ? Impos- 
 sible ! " 
 
 * ' Do you think I would tell you a 
 falsehood, papa ? " 
 
 "No, daughter, no." 
 
 "Then I assure you most posi- 
 tively that he has assured me he will 
 never cease his endeavors to make 
 her his wife until one or both die. 
 He has taken that child as a hostage ; 
 this note, written by his own hand, 
 will tell you so. " 
 
 Mr. Holmes read and reread the 
 few lines as if he could gather no 
 clue to their meaning. Firmly and 
 clearly his daughter pointed it out to 
 him. It was pitiful to see the utterly 
 hopeless and sorrowful expression of 
 his features as he said, brokenly : 
 
 ' ' So even Claude has deceived me, 
 even Claude has made a tool of me, 
 to bring disgrace upon our family. 
 But I can't believe it, " he added, im- 
 pulsively, forgetting for a moment the 
 presence of his daughter ; "he might 
 have taken her. away, but he cannot 
 have disgraced us by marrying her. " 
 
 "Papa, would you have him dis- 
 grace us more ? " asked Miss Holmes, 
 quietly. 
 
 "I forgot you. I forget things 
 often now, " exclaimed her father, ir- 
 ritably. "Oh, dear, how I wish I 
 had never seen the woman's face. It 
 was beautiful enough to bring me a 
 fortune, and it has half ruined me 
 instead. Nothing goes right with me 
 now. I have not a friend in the 
 world. Claude Leveredge, that I had 
 
 done so much for, almost insulted 
 me because I allowed Rufus to enter 
 the army to avenge his supposed 
 death, and Rufus himself has written 
 me four pages of the most terrible 
 abuse because I wrote him advising 
 him to return home. I don't believe 
 I have a friend in the world, or that 
 there is one to care for me. " 
 
 It was touching to see the abject 
 way in which the old man bent his 
 white brow upon his wrinkled hands. 
 His daughter found it deeply so, and 
 throwing her arms around him beg- 
 ged him to believe that she loved him 
 w r ith all her heart, and when he was 
 somewhat comforted, entreated him 
 to comfort the slave he had oppressed 
 so long by giving her her freedom 
 and restoring to her her child. 
 
 ' ' I will see about it to-morrow, " 
 he said to this, first, ' ' and I will write 
 to Claude to-day. Tell her to be 
 easy, Adela ; tell her I'll bring the 
 child back if I have to go to Rich- 
 mond for him to-morrow. But Adela, 
 indeed, indeed, it is hard for me to 
 think that Claude has deceived me 
 so. He begged me for my own sake 
 to keep the woman in slavery, quite 
 true ; and now to think that he did 
 so only for his own purposes, and 
 that he may bring disgrace upon us 
 by marrying her." 
 
 ' ' By breaking her heart, " thought 
 Adela. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 " Leaves have their time to (all, 
 
 And flowers to wither at the north winds' breath, 
 And stars to set ; but all 
 
 Thou hast all seasons for thine own, O, Death !" 
 Mr.Bemmu. 
 
 WITH a, joyful heart, Miss Holmes 
 hastened to La Guerita with the prom- 
 
212 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 ises her father had made ; and upon 
 the hopes they raised, the weeping 
 mother strove to live, but her faith in 
 man perished, when day after day 
 wore by, and brought no tidings of 
 her child. But for that other faith 
 her faith in God born amid tribula- 
 tions, she could not have patiently 
 endured them those weeks of wait- 
 ing would have been unsupporta- 
 ble. 
 
 As it was, there were times when 
 her brain seemed reeling, and her 
 heart bursting, and Miss Holmes 
 feared to leave her, lest the old mad- 
 ness should come upon her. No 
 one knew what prayers she breath- 
 ed to be kept from that. No one 
 knew how she strove with the Lord 
 to turn aside the frenzy that oftimes 
 threatened her not that she feared 
 with Miss Holmes, that she should 
 be tempted to take her life. Calm 
 and inviting as the waters looked, 
 she knew she would never seek their 
 embrace while Harold lived. Often 
 as she looked longingly at the grassy 
 mounds on the hill side, she prayed 
 that one might not rise upon her 
 breast while Harold was in bondage. 
 The weary days of her life were un- 
 counted then her miseries, save the 
 parting from her boy, were all for- 
 gotten ; all merged in that. The 
 child, the child ! Oh, for how many 
 weary months her constant cry was : 
 " My lost child ! My ruined child ! " 
 
 Alone though she was a slave in 
 bonds most irksome a widowed 
 mother with nought beside to love 
 she could have spared him had it 
 been for his good. So she said a 
 thousand times a day ; but what of 
 good could he learn of Claude Lev- 
 eredge. Rather, what prayers could 
 
 ward off what tears wash out the 
 evil he would gain. 
 
 Truly it appeared, as Mr. Holmes 
 had said, that none cared for him, or 
 paid the least respect to his wishes. 
 The days of his power, the wavering 
 powers he once held, were gone. He 
 had, through all his life, been a man 
 of doubtful mind ; seldom advanc- 
 ing an opinion, and never clinging 
 to it. For a year or two preceding 
 the war, his daughter Adela had, by 
 the firmness and decision of her char- 
 acter, done much to give the same 
 qualities to his ; but her efforts were 
 indeed useless, when the approach of 
 war drew around him. The most 
 prominent men of his State, on ac- 
 count of his wealth and influence, 
 used every argument in their power 
 to induce him to enroll himself with 
 the active secession party. They 
 flattered his vanity by presenting to 
 him a grand estimate of his own im- 
 portance, and that of the cause in 
 which he was engaged. It may be, 
 too, that Ernest Gordon, his chief 
 adviser, laughed jeeringly, yet pleas- 
 antly withal, over the power his 
 daughter had over him. Be that as 
 it may, it is certain that when he cast 
 aside that power, he cast aside his 
 own ; and in the third year of the 
 war, he found himself neglected by 
 the political party that had formerly 
 courted him. Spoken of lightly as a 
 man without wit or influence by his 
 personal friends, and even by his 
 children regarded with more pitying 
 than admiring affection. 
 
 Very drearily passed his days, dur- 
 ing the fall of '63, when all others, if 
 sad, were active. A strange lethargy 
 seemed coming upon him ; people 
 called him "an old man," and said 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 213 
 
 he was growing gray and stupid very 
 fast. 
 
 They would not have wondered 
 that he did so, could they have read 
 the thoughts that filled his mind, at 
 the sight of La Guerita DeCuba, the 
 woman he had enslaved in her mad- 
 ness the woman he had, in his folly, 
 bereaved of her only child. For so 
 it seemed he had done forever, by 
 giving Harold DeGray to the care of 
 Claude Leveredge. For the winter 
 wore away, and still the child was 
 not returned to his home. 
 
 From time to time Mr. Holmes 
 received from his nephew a vague as- 
 surance that the child should be sent 
 shortly, and with that he would rest 
 content until aroused by remon- 
 strances from his daughter, or pas- 
 sionate appeals from La Guerita. 
 
 ' ' I will go to Richmond, myself, " 
 she said at last, ' ' I shall die if I stay 
 here in this dreadful suspense. You 
 cannot be so cruel as to forbid my 
 going ; if you do it will make no dif- 
 erence, for my heart is breaking for 
 my child. I will, I must see him. " 
 
 ' ' Go to Adela about it, " was Mr. 
 Holmes' reply ; "Heaven knows, I 
 want you to have your child. I told 
 Claude so in my last letter. I don't 
 want you to go to Richmond ; it 
 would not be safe for you to do so ; 
 it is a dreadfully wicked place, I hear. 
 But go to Adela, and she will tell 
 you what to do. " 
 
 " Stay at home," said Miss Holmes, 
 decidedly, when her father's words 
 were repeated to her. ' ' Stay at 
 home, unless you wish to put your- 
 self wholly in Claude's power. " 
 
 1 ' But my child ; I think of my 
 child," she returned, almost fiercely. 
 ' ' Can I think of my own danger 
 
 when I know the peril he is in. O, 
 God, can it be that I am wrong. Have 
 I mistaken contemptible and un- 
 womanly obstinacy for virtuous and 
 most righteous determination ? " 
 
 ' ' Certainly you have not, " replied 
 Miss Holmes, warmly; "It is not 
 necessary for me to assure you of 
 that. Your conscience must do so 
 every moment of your life. " 
 
 ' ' It does, it does, '' cried La Gue- 
 rita, earnestly, " and yet I am almost 
 persuaded to make any sacrifice to 
 save my child from the hand that 
 holds him now. My very hope of 
 eternal happiness I would give." 
 
 "La Guerita!" 
 
 1 ' Oh, you cannot know the depth 
 of a mother's love, Miss Adela. What 
 is even my eternal welfare when 
 staked against that of my child ? I 
 tell you there is but one thing that 
 keeps me from yielding to Claude 
 Leveredge now, and that is that I 
 cannot perjure myself before God, 
 and dishonor further my child's dead 
 father. No, no, it is better for him to 
 live and die the slave of his bitterest 
 enemy, than in freedom to groan in 
 shame and misery t)ver a mother so 
 lost and vile as I should seem to 
 him. I have felt the curses of the 
 son of my parents, and never, never, 
 shall he bear the miser)' that has been 
 mine the misery a thousand times 
 more keen than any that servitude 
 can bring. " 
 
 At times she would speak of the 
 matter more calmly, saying, that she 
 felt that the Lord would suffer her 
 to free the child she had enslaved. 
 Death could have no power over her 
 while such a mighty tie as the duty 
 she owed her child, held her to the 
 earth. 
 
2I 4 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 When her agony seemed unsup- 
 portable, when those around were 
 anxiously striving to derive some 
 mode of allaying the agony under 
 which her mind and health were visi- 
 bly declining, help came from an un- 
 expected quarter. Help yet in the 
 form of a mighty temptation. It was 
 a letter from Harold. A thousand 
 times was the little missive read by 
 his mother, and fondly was every 
 word pondered over, though she 
 could not but believe that each had 
 been dictated by Claude Leveredge, 
 or allowed to reach her fresh from 
 the heart of her child only to tempt 
 and agonize her soul. 
 
 ' ' My dear mamma, " ran the mis- 
 sive, ' ' Mr Leveredge has told rrfe 
 that I can write to you, and I am so 
 glad, for it is so long since I have 
 seen you, that I feel as if you must 
 be dead, else you would have written 
 to me or come to see me. I did not 
 know I was to stay so long when Mr. 
 Leveredge took me away, and though 
 I wanted to see you, yet there were so 
 many fine things to see in Richmond 
 that I was contented for a while to 
 stay. But I could not help thinking 
 of you, and that made me feel dull 
 all day, and cry all night ; and then 
 I was sick, but I thought you were 
 with me then, mamma ; and it was 
 so dreadful to find that I had been 
 dreaming all the time ; and when I 
 cried about it again, the gentlemen 
 all laughed at me (there are a great 
 many gentlemen here all the time, 
 and they give me champagne, and 
 teach me to play cards with them, and 
 the other day I won ten dollars) ; 
 but Mr. Leveredge does not laugh 
 when I cry about you, and he told 
 me to-day to write you, and tell you 
 
 he is willing to take us all to some 
 beautiful country, where we shall 
 never be lonely or sick any more. 
 Dear mamma, won't you go ? Doc- 
 tor Pillow said to-day I should die if 
 I did not see my mother, and indeed, 
 indeed I shall, for though I love Mr. 
 Leveredge dearly, and he is very good 
 to me, he is not like my dear mam- 
 ma. Ask Miss Adela to come with 
 you, and tell her I want to see her 
 next to you. I shall look for you 
 next week, and I know you will come 
 to your affectionate son, 
 
 " HAROLD DzGREY." 
 
 A fresh temptation did I say this 
 letter was? Ah, not so much a 
 temptation as an agony. She had 
 known ever since the child's departure 
 that his safety lay not in her hands, 
 but in God's. Scarce did the thought 
 occur to her as with breaking heart 
 she read the childish words, to her so 
 expressive of the child's loneliness 
 and pain, that she, by yielding as 
 many women would have been glad 
 to yield regardless of the sin, could 
 save the child. Was he to die if she 
 did not? Had she not said that 
 " Death was better for him than the 
 misery he would some time know, 
 were he saved at such a cost ? " Her 
 heart was rent at the thought of her 
 child sick and alone, but her resolu- 
 tion was not shaken. 
 
 "My child, my child," she said, 
 firmly, " Heaven is better than this 
 breath we draw. We will choose it, 
 even though moments of incalculable 
 agony lie before, rather than gain a 
 little lease of life, perhaps of pleasure, 
 at the cost of our souls. " 
 
 She could not write this to him, 
 but she wrote what Claude Leveredge 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 215 
 
 would understand to mean the same, 
 and which would comfort and cheer 
 the heart of the suffering child. Hope 
 whispered that his illness might be 
 exaggerated by his fears, or by Claude 
 Leveredge, in order that the sensibil- 
 ities of her heart might be excited, as 
 they often before had been, to act with 
 a power her mind could not balance 
 or sustain but that time had passed. 
 Reason, that had tottered on its 
 throne, was seated there forever by 
 the hand of that God who guards all 
 those that put their trust in him. 
 
 Strangely enough, this letter quieted 
 her late distracted mind. 
 
 * ' I can contemplate his death and 
 mine, "she said, "far more calmly 
 than slaver}' for him or dishonor for 
 myself. " 
 
 ' ' I don't believe the child is ill, " 
 said Miss Holmes ; " he would not 
 dare to keep him if he were, he would 
 not dare to let him die in his hands. 
 There will come a day when he will 
 have to give an account to the child's 
 guardians of all this ; he knows that 
 as well as I. I wonder that he did 
 not threaten to sell the child. It 
 would have been but a fitting climax 
 to what has gone before. " 
 
 "Ah, if the child were out of 
 Richmond any where out of Rich- 
 mond," replied La Guerita. "It is 
 no place for him. He has a pure 
 soul, but I fear greatly it will be made 
 black enough by the atmosphere he 
 breathes. Nor is it even safe for his 
 body, for I hear the Northerners are 
 advancing upon the city now, and ere 
 long it will be beleaguered. " 
 
 "We believed that once before," 
 remarked Miss Holmes. 
 
 "And I have faith to believe it 
 again, " said La Guerita. ' ' The Lord 
 
 worketh in his own good time, yet it 
 seems to me the hour of freedom is at 
 hand. " 
 
 ' ' God grant it ! " ejaculated Adela, 
 earnestly. ' ' I have been thinking 
 much of late of our dear, wayward 
 Rufus. You know if they are fight- 
 ing now he is with them." 
 
 ' ' Poor boy, " said La Guerita, sigh- 
 ing, ' ' poor boy ! So young and yet 
 so eager to rush into danger. " 
 
 Adela's eyes filled with tears. 
 
 ' ' The fact is never absent from my 
 mind," she said, "and though he has 
 been thus far mercifully preserved, 
 and has been a wonder of valor and 
 daring, I cannot but fear that Claude's 
 words will come true, and that papa 
 will rue the day he consented to allow 
 Rufus to join the army. He was so 
 young, and is still so young, to view 
 the bloody scenes which have passed 
 before him from Gettysburg until 
 now. Poor boy, poor darling ! I 
 would give the world to see him safely 
 home. " 
 
 She saw him soon, but alas, not 
 safe. The gallant boy, the proud, 
 handsome young soldier, returned to 
 the home he had left so gaily, a shat- 
 tered cripple, shot through both hips 
 in the defense of Petersburg, and con- 
 ducted home by his cousin Claude, 
 during a lull in the mighty tempest 
 of battle that was raging. Ah, it was 
 a pitiful sight to see him carried upon 
 a litter into the house, followed by his 
 stricken father, his weeping mother, 
 and younger sister and brother, and 
 preceded by his cousin and his sister 
 Adela, who, struck to the very heart, 
 could give no expression to her grief, 
 and who knew at that crisis she must 
 not allow it to prostrate her. 
 
 "I have come home to die;" so 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 whispered the poor lad again and 
 again, manfully striving to keep back 
 the groans of anguish that would 
 come. 
 
 None dared to hope that he was 
 mistaken, Death was written on his 
 face so plainly. Amid all their grief 
 they wondered how he had survived 
 the frightful wound so long. Claude 
 told them how it had been received, 
 when he rushed to the top of a breast- 
 work to replace a flag that had been 
 swept down by the enemy's fire. It 
 was strange and touching to see how 
 tenderly he bent over the dying boy, 
 interpreting instantly every glance and 
 faintly uttered word, and with his own 
 hands administering to his wants 
 more gently than the most tender 
 woman that stood beside his bed. 
 
 From the sick chamber Aunt Ma- 
 tilda and Mrs. Holmes were exclud- 
 ed the one because of her violent 
 indignation against the authors of the 
 mischief, and even against the poor 
 lad himself, for so recklessly hasten- 
 ing into danger, and the other because 
 of her uncontrollable outbursts of 
 grief. Even Minna was quieter, and 
 sat for hours weeping silently beside 
 her brother, and watching every look 
 and movement of Adela in attending 
 the dying boy. It was a strange sight 
 to see those three, kindred by blood, 
 yet aliens at heart, the woman and 
 the man, bending together in present 
 sympathy, over that couch of pain, 
 consulting together in whispers, stand- 
 ing side by side, their hand often hur- 
 riedly meeting as they reached for 
 some wanted article, and yet to know 
 that outside of that room all such in- 
 tercourse would be abhorred, at least 
 by two, and that the third would give 
 the world. to even touch the hand he 
 
 now was suffered to hold in a firm 
 grasp to raise the dying boy. 
 
 The presence of death makes many 
 changes. It seemed so then, when 
 for a long night and day those three 
 toiled and grieved together, and when, 
 at last, in the still eventide stood at 
 one side of the couch whence the 
 spirit of Rufus Holmes was striving 
 to depart. They knew that the hour 
 was at hand when rest for the tortured 
 body would come, and had bidden 
 his father and mother to bid him 
 farewell. 
 
 He knew that he was dying, and 
 tried to tell them so calmly, but 
 broke into a shuddering wail : "So 
 young, so young. " 
 
 His father groaned in the bitter- 
 ness of his spirit : "Oh, Rufus, my 
 son, can you forgive me for allowing 
 you to sacrifice yourself? " 
 
 The boy's eyes flashed, and a mo- 
 mentary gleam of passion and strength 
 passed over his face as he answered : 
 "Don't say that it is a sacrifice, fa- 
 ther. I should be glad to die if I 
 thought by so doing I could help the 
 cause, but I wanted to live to fight 
 for it, and now I am dying, so young 
 and with so little done." 
 
 His mother burst into such a par- 
 oxysm of weeping that Claude was 
 obliged to lead her from the room. 
 Rufus detained her face a moment 
 to kiss her grieving lips, and beg her 
 not to grieve for him ; she had still a 
 son left, who had always been much 
 better than he. " 
 
 He talked but little after that, but 
 simply asked them to kiss him. They 
 did so, bursting into irrepressible 
 tears as their lips met those so lately 
 full of youthful life, now fast growing 
 cold in the awful chill of death. 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 217 
 
 La Guerita was the last to approach 
 him. He had never been a favorite 
 with her ; he had been an unman- 
 ageable and careless pupil, and had 
 caused her to feel much of the pain 
 of her early servitude. But she forgot 
 all that forgot all but his heroism, 
 his devotion to his cause, his patient 
 suffering and his near departure, as 
 she bent over him to give her first 
 and last caress. But all that he had 
 been to her seemed then to flash up- 
 on his mind. 
 
 "Dear Rita," he whispered, "I 
 want you to forgive me. I was very 
 hard on you when you first came 
 here ; I want to do something to 
 atone for that." 
 
 * ' Dear Rufus, it is all forgotten, 
 all forgiven, " she answered, with tears. 
 ' ' Don't let it distress you ; it is all 
 past, you know." 
 
 ' ' Rita, " he whispered, in so faint 
 a voice that she had to bend very low 
 to hear it, "don't you want to be 
 free ? You ought to be free. " 
 
 "Rufus, don't trouble yourself 
 about that. I shall be freed in the 
 Lord's good time. 
 
 ' ' Pa, " he said, with sudden ener- 
 gy, "I want you to free Rita and 
 Harold. Cousin Claude, remind him 
 of it when I am gone, and take care 
 of her. Light a candle it is very 
 dark." 
 
 Alas, the candles were lighted, and 
 it was the darkness of death that fell 
 upon Rufus Holmes. Adela's cour- 
 age gave way at that moment, and it 
 was La Guerita who bent forward 
 and whispered : 
 
 " Though I walk through the val- 
 ley of the shadow of death, I will fear 
 no evil, for Thou art with me ; Thy 
 rod and Thy staff they comfort me. " 
 28 
 
 The dying boy smiled and whis- 
 pered, brokenly, "It is getting light." 
 
 Then there was a short struggle, 
 and in the arms of Claude Leveredge 
 and La Guerita DeCuba, those two 
 so strangely brought together, that 
 the young hero heaved his last sigh, 
 and took up the palms of everlasting 
 peace. 
 
 They laid him gently back upon 
 the pillow, and thought of each other 
 for the first time then. Death had 
 passed, and with him the magic of 
 his presence. Claude Leveredge be- 
 came, in an instant, to La Guerita 
 the man she dreaded more than all 
 the powers of earth ; and she, the 
 woman he would barter heaven to 
 win. 
 
 He told her that, in a few impas- 
 sioned words, when he left the side of 
 the dead boy and followed her into 
 the garden ; but she bade him be 
 silent in such a tone of horror that 
 he could not but obey her. Yet still 
 he followed her to the door of her 
 cabin, detaining her in his iron grasp 
 when she would have entered, and 
 crying, passionately, that there never 
 was love so strong as his, and en- 
 treating her to grant the last wish of 
 the dead boy, and let him shelter her 
 from all pain. 
 
 ' ' I cannot ! I cannot ! " she ex- 
 claimed not desperately, but with a 
 voice, of such high determination 
 that all the hope he had for years, 
 through all her coldness cherished, 
 died out of his soul. Yet he strove 
 with her wildly painting his love 
 and despair describing, in words 
 that made her heart stand still with 
 anguish, the loneliness of her child, 
 and his future doom. 
 
 All was useless ; she could not 
 
218 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 yield, a higher power than her own 
 sustaining her. It appeared to her- 
 self, and to her desperate lover, that 
 she was but passively enacting the 
 will of an all-powerful being, who 
 would not suffer her to be moved. 
 
 ' ' La Guerita DeCuba, " he cried, 
 at length, "you were a woman once, 
 as weak and fickle as any of the sex ; 
 now you are an enthusiast, pursuing 
 the chimera of duty cold, passion- 
 less, and immovable, as if no mortal 
 fire had ever lived within you. I 
 know now that you are dead to me 
 dead to all love ; even that holy 
 flame that burns within a mother's 
 heart. I have told you that your 
 child is in the power of one that will 
 crush him forever beneath the heavi- 
 est chains of slavery ever worn by 
 man, yet you will not stretch forth a 
 hand to save him. " 
 
 "I cannot!" she cried, with an 
 expression of resignation almost sub- 
 lime ; "I cannot ! but he is in God's 
 hands. " 
 
 He laughed, in a hollow, mocking 
 way, that was terrible to hear. La 
 Guerita turned from him in horror ; 
 but he held her back, looking into 
 her face with a grim smile and say- 
 ing : ' ' You are pale ; you are hag- 
 gard ; you are dying. Ah, yes ! 
 there is still enough of woman's na- 
 ture left in you to die, and I tell you, 
 you are dying. " 
 
 The words seemed more like a 
 curse than a prophesy. She stagger- 
 ed back from him, and faintly said : 
 
 ' ' You are keeping my child from 
 me ! " 
 
 ' ' You are asking me for your 
 life, " he said, ' ' and are asking your 
 child's ; but in vain. Let your hopes 
 die, as mine have died to-night ; you 
 
 will never see your child again ; you 
 will never be free. Let your hopes 
 die, I say, as mine have done, and 
 your misery endure, as my vengeance 
 will." 
 
 It was little wonder that she totter- 
 ed into her cabin when he left her, 
 and for hours lay prostrate on her 
 bed, entirely overcome by his awful 
 words, and the tone in which they 
 were spoken. His words, his look, 
 his gestures, haunted her through all 
 the night, filling her mind with im- 
 ages of terror, which she almost fear- 
 ed would drive the light of reason 
 thence. 
 
 When the morning came she was 
 in a high state of fever, and much 
 too ill to rise. It was then that the 
 grief and anxiety of the last year re- 
 vealed the havoc they had made upon 
 her. When the fever passed, she 
 could not rise from her bed. Her 
 energy was gone, and it became ap- 
 parent to all that her hold on life was 
 each day growing weaker. 
 
 Her form was but a shadow of its 
 former self. Never in her great mis- 
 ery had she been so haggard and 
 wan. Never had her eyes shone with 
 such painful brilliancy. 
 
 Miss Holmes marked with amaze- 
 ment the deep and holy resignation 
 with which she spoke of her ap- 
 proaching fate. 
 
 ' ' The hand of God seems to work 
 so slowly, " she sometimes said, ' ' that 
 I cannot even hope that Death will 
 find me before Freedom ; but it will 
 not be so with my child. I know it 
 will not be so. God will give him 
 his birthright, even though he suffer- 
 ed me to take it from him." 
 
 With faltering lips they often tried 
 to cheer her. Even Mrs. Holmes 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 219 
 
 awoke to a vague sense of what the 
 self-enslaved woman had suffered, 
 and promised her that even if Mr. 
 Holmes heeded not the request of 
 his dying son, that she would do so, 
 and that she and her child should 
 again be free. 
 
 Miss Matilda, too, noticed, with a 
 strange mixture of vexation and sym- 
 pathy, how frail she was growing, 
 and in some sort of awe of the death 
 she believed so near, treated La Gue- 
 rita with a consideration most unu- 
 sual to her, and quite wonderful to 
 those who for years had looked for 
 such an exhibition of tenderness in 
 vain. 
 
 Of all upon the plantation, there 
 was, perhaps, but one that through- 
 out the summer and autumn of 1864 
 failed to perceive the terrible effect 
 the loss of her child had had upon 
 La Guerita. 
 
 That one was her master, Norton 
 Holmes, who, since the death of his 
 son Rufus had noticed nothing ; his 
 faculties seemed paralyzed. He sat 
 all day long in his library in a sort 
 of stupor, from which nought but 
 news from the war could arouse him, 
 and that excited him to such frenzy 
 that his friends were careful never to 
 mention the subject in his presence. 
 
 It was sorrowful to view this strick- 
 en man ; not old, yet bearing all the 
 infirmities, both bodily and mentally, 
 of extreme age indifferent to all 
 passing things dead to all passions 
 and emotions, save those aroused by 
 the mention of that cause for which 
 he had risked and lost so much. 
 
 When Christmas came the family 
 invited many of his old friends to 
 visit Holmsford, hoping thereby to 
 arouse and enliven his mind. They 
 
 had been carefully entreated not to 
 mention the ever-recurring, all-ab- 
 sorbing subject of war before him ; 
 and all, without exception, abstained 
 from doing so. On the last day of 
 their stay, however, Mr. Holmes, 
 . having fallen asleep upon the sofa in 
 the parlor, the guests repaired to the 
 study to smoke, and soon fell into an 
 animated discussion of the proscribed 
 topic. All were unanimous in their 
 detestation of the Northerners, but 
 divided in their estimation of their 
 power many believing that Sher- 
 man's march through the South 
 would be successfully accomplished, 
 and even Richmond be forced to 
 yield to the thousands surrounding 
 it. Mr. Gordon loudly scouted the 
 idea ; and in the midst of their ex- 
 citement all failed to perceive that 
 Mr. Holmes had entered, and was 
 listening eagerly to all that was said. 
 
 "I, for my part, should not be 
 surprised to behold this very country 
 in possession of the enemy before 
 another sunrise," said Mr. Russell, 
 at last ; "I tell you that the power 
 of the Confederacy is melting away, 
 and I greatly fear that our peaceful 
 fields will be trodden by the invader, 
 and our homes ruthlessly despoiled, 
 as those of our brethren have been. " 
 
 ' ' Then God grant that I may not 
 live to see it ! " cried Mr. Holmes, 
 with sudden energy, his eyes flashing 
 and with uplifted hands, grieving with 
 emotion ; "I have suffered enough 
 from the vandal hordes. If there is 
 mercy in heaven, I pray that it will 
 be shown me at least as far as to keep 
 me from sight or hearing of the mur- 
 derers of my son the cursed de- 
 stroyers of my peace. " 
 
 The mercy he so passionately 
 
220 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 craved was granted him. Early in 
 the new year, Norton Holmes found 
 a hiding place from the coming foe 
 beside his son, in the great church- 
 yard. 
 
 A few days after his decease his will 
 was opened and read. To the sur- 
 prise of his family, it was discovered 
 that his estate was heavily mortgaged, 
 and that the greater portion of his 
 property had been disposed of in the 
 cause of secession, and the remain- 
 der left to his wife and children. 
 Claude Leveredge was appointed 
 sole executor. By a codicil, he re- 
 stored freedom to La Guerita and her 
 child, directing that they should be 
 committed to the care of his daugh- 
 ter Adela, until they could return to 
 their lawful guardians. 
 
 This codicil surprised them all, for 
 it was dated on the evening of Ru- 
 ms' death, when and after which they 
 had believed him incapable of per- 
 forming even the most trivial act. 
 The news of her freedom seemed for 
 a short time to arouse and strengthen 
 La Guerita, who, in the fullness of her 
 heart, thanked the Lord that her child 
 was free, and thus openly declared 
 throughout the land, and that even 
 she was thus graciously permitted to 
 cast away her bonds, if but for an 
 hour or a moment. 
 
 Mr. Gordon was greatly disgusted 
 at what he termed the deplorable 
 weakness of his deceased friend, and 
 was in his heart delighted ?o know 
 
 that La Guerita could not receive the 
 
 
 
 symbols of her freedom until the es- 
 tate was settled, and that, he knew, 
 would not be for many months, for 
 the executor remained throughout in 
 Richmond, both unable and un- 
 willing to leave. But though in the 
 
 eyes of the lawyer, to La Guerita 
 the papers of emancipation were 
 nothing ; it was enough for her to 
 know if she died, or lived to meet 
 those she so dearly loved, it would 
 not be with the shameful bonds ot 
 self-enslavement upon her. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 " Lives there a sound more grateful to the ear 
 Of Him who made all Harmony, 
 Than the blessed sound of fetters breaking, 
 And the first hymn that man, awaking 
 From Slavery's slumber, breathes to Liberty f" 
 T. Moore. 
 
 " That sound bespeaks salvation on her way." 
 
 IT was March ; and as La Guerita 
 lay upon her humble couch, and 
 gazed through the window of her 
 cabin across the bleak fields to the 
 dark pine woods which waved beyond, 
 it appeared to her sad eyes the most 
 desolate scene upon which they had 
 ever rested. A drizzling rain was 
 falling, through which the uprisings of 
 the sodden e&rth appeared more like 
 darksome shadows than tangible ob- 
 jects, and the sky, a frightful cloud 
 that no sunshine would ever have 
 power to dispel. It was a day for 
 tears, and La Guerita felt it to be so, 
 and wondered whether a day for 
 smiles would ever dawn for her on 
 earth. 
 
 She felt that she was dying, that 
 the separation from her child was 
 wearing away her life by slowest tor- 
 ture. 
 
 "They think I am dying as my 
 mother did of consumption," she 
 thought; "but no; it is no bodily 
 disease that is hurrying me to my 
 grave, but my heart is breaking ; I 
 cannot live apart from my boy. My 
 heart is breaking ! " 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 221 
 
 Sometimes she bethought herself, 
 and tried to rise above her grief, but 
 she could not ; it crushed her to the 
 very earth. Claude Leveredge had 
 indeed placed his hand on the vital 
 point, and slowly she was yielding be- 
 neath the agony of his relentless grasp. 
 
 Strange it was, that through all her 
 anxiety for her boy, she was content 
 to leave him. ' ' When I am gone, 
 she thought, ' ' Claude Leveredge will 
 give him up to Adela, and she will 
 see that all his rights are restored to 
 him." 
 
 At that moment, she saw Miss 
 Holmes hurrying through the rain. 
 In a few moments she entered the 
 cabin, and in surprise, La Guerita 
 exclaimed : 
 
 ' ' How could you venture out in 
 this weather, Miss Adela? What 
 has happened ? " 
 
 Oh, the most glorious thing, " ejac- 
 ulated Miss Holmes, throwing off 
 her waterproof cloak, and, to La Gu- 
 erita's amazement, casting her arms 
 around her and bursting into tears. 
 Happy tears she saw they were, and 
 Miss Holmes next explained why 
 they were shed. 
 
 ' ' The news has just arrived that 
 the Union troops crossed the Pedee 
 the night before last ! La Guerita, 
 the hour of our deliverence is at 
 hand. The Northerners will be here 
 within a week ! " 
 
 Who can describe the deep, almost 
 sacred joy, that filled those two faith- 
 ful hearts. 
 
 Confusion reigned through all the 
 country ; terror filled every mind but 
 theirs, and though they dared not yet 
 even openly express their happiness, 
 unto God it was poured forth in a 
 ceaseless tide of thanksgiving. 
 
 Miss Holmes had in her zeal ac- 
 celerated the movements of the ad- 
 vancing host by nearly two weeks. 
 It was on the first of April that they 
 beheld the pioneers of the army, 
 whose coming they had hoped and 
 prayed for so long. Was ever an 
 April day so glorious as that when 
 they first heard the soul-inspiring airs 
 of victory and freedom, and beheld 
 the colors of the Union floating 
 proudly on the balmy air ? 
 
 At Holmsford, the soldiers invol- 
 untarily felt themselves welcome, at 
 least to the fairest and most potent 
 member of the family, and neither 
 their persons or their goods and chat- 
 tels were in any way molested. On 
 the day of their arrival, Adela had in 
 a few words revealed her sentiments 
 to the leader of the party, and all 
 gave three hearty cheers for the fair 
 loyalist. 
 
 At that moment, Miss Matilda, 
 who had upon the Union victories de- 
 clared herself an unyielding seces- 
 sionist, appeared upon the scene, 
 and much to the alarm of Mrs. 
 Holmes, and the amazement of Ade- 
 la, cast looks of direst hatred upon 
 the soldiers. 
 
 1 ' I just knew this was a goin' to 
 happen, " she exclaimed, loudly ; "I 
 just knew this Yankee horde were a 
 comin' to trample down all the rose 
 bushes, when I've been thinkin' all 
 winter they would yield sich heaps of 
 leaves to send to our poor, sick de- 
 fenders. I told them they must be 
 sick when they went to defend us. 
 I just knew that they was a comin'. 
 Dixie's been prognosticatin' it all 
 day, and just now I found him a 
 whirlin' and a whirlin' round and 
 round as if he was crazy, which, the 
 
222 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 Lord knows, it's a mercy we all 
 ain't. " 
 
 The soldiers burst into a hearty 
 laugh, evidently considering that she 
 at least, was not very sane ; upon 
 which she proceeded, as she said, to 
 give them a piece of her mind, which 
 she continued at intervals throughout 
 the day. 
 
 Another fortnight passed, full of 
 welcome excitement to La Guerita, 
 which reached her even upon her 
 weary couch, and also of sickening 
 pain, for from the time she had heard 
 of the entrance of the Union troops 
 into North Carolina, she had encour- 
 aged the hope that her brother, or 
 Victor DeGrey would be with them, 
 and would, by a kind Providence, be 
 led to the spot in which she was. 
 Miss Holmes confessed to a lesser 
 degree of disappointment in regard 
 to Thornton Leslie, though she 
 would not allow one thought of his 
 safety to cloud her joy, and remarked 
 philosophically, that he could not be 
 expected to leave his regiment at such 
 a time, simply to hasten to her. But 
 she knew in her heart that he would 
 do so at his earliest possible oppor- 
 tunity. 
 
 Soon came the tidings of the fall 
 of Richmond, putting a climax up- 
 on the triumph of the Union forces. 
 
 The news filled the heart of La 
 Guerita with many conflicting emo- 
 tions. Joy for a moment prevailed, 
 and then the thought of her child 
 rushed over her. Where was he ? 
 Doubtless Claude Leveredge had 
 sought safety in flight, as many of his 
 comrades had done. Would he not 
 strive to leave the country, to hasten 
 to Europe, and take Harold with 
 him ? The doubt became to her al- 
 
 most a certainty. It was 
 almost maddening. 
 
 "O, God," she moaned, "have 
 I borne so much only to die on the 
 very threshold of my happiness." 
 
 One day she sat up in bed, and 
 strove to write a letter to her brother. 
 The sight of his name opened the 
 floods of her heart ; she could not 
 proceed, and burying her face on the 
 pillow, she wept bitterly. 
 
 Suddenly the door opened ; she 
 looked up. An officer stood on the 
 step. She sprang from the bed, and 
 with a scream of joy, fell fainting in- 
 to the arms of her brother. 
 
 His kisses, his words of endear- 
 ment, and his fast-falling tears, 
 brought her back to a sense of the 
 great joy that was hers. 
 
 ' ' Oh, Fabean, my brother, you 
 have saved me," she cried ; "Thank 
 God, I have seen you once more." 
 
 The scene that ensued can per- 
 haps be more easily imagined than 
 described. For a moment, all else was 
 forgotten in the bliss of again be- 
 holding her brother, who exclaimed : 
 
 ' ' Thank God, indeed, that I have 
 found you once more, my sister. 
 Ah, La Guerita, He alone can know 
 what I have suffered because of you 
 and what agonies you, too, have 
 endured to save me from the shame 
 of our parents ! " 
 
 ' ' Then you know all, " she ejacu- 
 lated, ineffably relieved to discover 
 that she was spared the task of mak- 
 ing the disclosure. 
 
 ' ' Yes, Claude Leveredge told me 
 all upon his death-bed." 
 
 She started up trembling, yet strong 
 with hope : 
 
 ' ' And did he tell you where to 
 find my child," she cried; "Oh, 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 223 
 
 Fabean, brother, have you brought 
 me back my boy ? " 
 
 She was answered at the moment. 
 The door flew open, and Harold 
 taller, paler, yet all her own, rush- 
 ed into the cabin, and threw himself 
 upon her bosom. 
 
 " Oh, gracious Father, this is too 
 much joy, she murmured. " My 
 brother, my child, both given back to 
 me. Oh, how great is Thy mercy. " 
 
 "We praise Thee, we worship, 
 we glorify Thee ! " added Fabean, 
 reverently, and sinking upon his 
 knees offered unto God such thanks- 
 giving as never before had been 
 echoed from those cabin walls. 
 
 After Harold had gone to tell the 
 story of his joy to his beloved Miss 
 Adela, the reunited brother and sister 
 sat together ; they spoke not much 
 of the past, that was too full of pain 
 to be contemplated then, but of the 
 peaceful future which they had hoped 
 to share together. 
 
 ' ' I was dying ; yes, dying ! " ex- 
 claimed La Guerita, "but now I 
 shall live. For this joy, thank God, 
 is tempered so that it will not kill. 
 But, my poor Fabean, you are maim- 
 ed your right arm is gone ! " 
 
 "Yes," he said, quietly ; "that I 
 lost at that famous battle at which 
 Thornton Leslie was taken prisoner. 
 Ah, now I see that you were the 
 wonderful slave that rescued him 
 from a fate worse than death itself. 
 I wonder that we never thought of 
 that in the thousand times we have 
 talked of it and you. " 
 
 ' ' Where is Thornton ; is he quite 
 safe and well ? " she inquired, anx- 
 iously. 
 
 ' He was both, as far as a soldier 
 can be, when I saw him last ; it was 
 
 on the glorious day we entered Rich- 
 mond. We are on different branches 
 of the service. I, strangely enough, 
 am the colonel of a colored regi- 
 ment. Something led me to solicit 
 the post. My friends will think it 
 was blind instinct when they hear 
 all." 
 
 He spoke with some bitterness, 
 and La Guerita bent her head low, 
 as she whispered : 
 
 1 ' Oh, Fabean, can you bear that 
 shame, or must my fears be realized ? 
 Will it madden you as it did me ? " 
 
 "No, no," he answered, gravely ; 
 "the name of Fabean DeCuba is 
 honored wherever I am known, and 
 I will so live as to compel respect for 
 you and myself, in spite of all adverse 
 circumstances. Yet think not that I 
 count the shame lightly. I know 
 what it will do for us ; I know what 
 it did for me years ago, for she must 
 have known." 
 
 La Guerita shuddered. 
 
 1 ' Oh, Fabean, Fabean, " she mur- 
 mured, ' ' did you then love her ? " 
 
 1 ' No, 'twas but a boyish passion 
 that I had for her unworthy of the 
 sacred name of love. Yet if I had 
 loved her with unconquerable devo- 
 tion she would have cast me off; be- 
 cause I had in my veins that cursed 
 thing a drop of negro blood ! Well, 
 I cannot blame her ; we, in her 
 place, should have done the same 
 thing ; and, at any rate, I should 
 have married her with a breaking 
 heart, and perhaps have broken 
 hers, while she . is now happy with 
 another. " 
 
 La Guerita sighed ; she saw that 
 some barb rankled in his heart, even 
 if it had not been cast there by Carrie 
 Leslie. But she saw that it was not 
 
224 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 yet to be revealed to her, and striving 
 to put the thought aside, she gave 
 herself up to the joy of being once 
 more with her brother and her child. 
 It was soon to be perceived that 
 her illness had been indeed that of 
 the mind. Joy gave her strength, 
 and in a few days she even sat up for 
 an hour or two, and feebly interested 
 herself in the womanly pursuits she 
 had for months entirely neglected. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 " Men must die one dies by day, and near him 
 
 moans his mother; 
 They dig his grave, head it down, and go from 
 
 it full loath ! 
 
 And one dies about the midnight, and the wind 
 moans and no other." 
 
 Jean Ingelow. 
 
 Miss HOLMES was scarcely less 
 thankful and rejoiced at the coming 
 of Fabean and Harold than was La 
 Guerita herself; yet, as days passed 
 on, she could not repress a sigh that 
 her own loved one tarried so long. 
 Could it be that at the very last he had 
 been stricken down ? The thought 
 haunted her, chilling her very heart, . 
 and throwing a deep shade of sad- 
 ness upon her countenance, which 
 even her participation in the content- 
 ment of La Guerita could not banish. 
 
 But, like magic, it flew when, at 
 the close of the last day in April, a 
 horseman galloped up the road, and 
 Fabean sprang to his feet, exclaim- 
 ing : ' ' Thornton at last ! " 
 
 She could not restrain herself; she 
 ran down the garden path and met 
 him at the gate. He sprang from his 
 horse and clasped her in his arms. 
 That moment was one of sacred joy. 
 When it had passed, and he had 
 leisure to think of another than Ade- 
 la, he recognized Fabean. 
 
 "How in the world came you 
 here ? " he cried, in amazement ; 
 ' ' what business have you away from 
 your regiment ? No one could tell 
 me where you had vanished to ; and 
 now to think of you being here. " 
 
 ' * I will show you just cause for it 
 presently," returned Fabean, gaily, 
 as Thornton asked for the slave Rita. 
 
 To his intense astonishment he 
 was led into the presence of the 
 long-lost Mrs. DeGrey. His ecstacy 
 knew no bounds. He could find 
 no words in which to express his 
 joy and gratitude ; and after vainly 
 attempting to declare both, he turned 
 to Miss Holmes and exclaimed, re- 
 proachfully : 
 
 "Why did you not tell me, Adela ? 
 Why did you allow me to remain in 
 ignorance of so important a matter? " 
 
 ' ' I will tell you when you have 
 leisure to hear, " interposed Fabean, 
 gently pushing him from the room, 
 whence he was followed by Adela, 
 looking somewhat downcast at his 
 hasty speech seeing which, Thorn- 
 ton applied himself to the pleasant 
 task of bringing smiles to the face 
 he had clouded. 
 
 It was no difficult task. "She is 
 an angel ! " he enthusiastically ex- 
 claimed to Fabean, as they paced the 
 garden path together late in the even- 
 ing, smoking their cigars and inhal- 
 ing the perfumes of the fresh May 
 flowers. "She is an angel worth 
 waiting for another five years. Thank 
 God, it need not be so many months ! 
 But, Fabean, how came you to meet 
 Claude Leveredge ? And is it true 
 that he gave you the information 
 which led you to seek your sister 
 here?" 
 
 ' ' It is, indeed, true, " replied Fa- 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 225 
 
 bean ; ' ' I had not been in Rich- 
 mond four hours, when a colored 
 man came up to me and handed me 
 a note, saying his master had order- 
 ed him to find the Colored Regi- 
 ment, and deliver the note to the 
 colonel. It was addressed to me, 
 and, to my surprise, contained a 
 most urgent request that I would 
 visit Claude Leveredge, who was ly- 
 ing at the point of death. 
 
 "I lost no time in obeying the 
 summons, and early in the evening 
 repaired to the house designated in 
 the note. It was a small, but hand- 
 some villa, situated on the outskirts 
 of the city, and, by its neglected ap- 
 pearance, gave evidences of the riot- 
 ous days that had been passed with- 
 in it. I found Leveredge there, at- 
 tended by a single servant the one 
 who had accosted me. The rest, 
 upon the entrance of our troops, had 
 left him, to live or die, as the Lord 
 willed. 
 
 ' ' Leslie, I never saw a man so much 
 altered as was Claude Leveredge. 
 You know he was, when we knew 
 him so well, a man of most com- 
 manding appearance one to com- 
 mand the admiration of women, and 
 the envy of men. How can I de- 
 scribe to you to what he was abased ? 
 He lay upon his bed, bloated and 
 stupified with brandy, the fumes of 
 which filled the close apartment 
 suffering agonies from a wound in 
 his right shoulder insufficient in 
 itself to cause death, but the pain of 
 which was constantly aggravated by 
 his frequent bursts of passion and 
 use of stimulants. 
 
 1 ' He raised himself upon his left 
 arm when I was announced, and 
 looked at me with a fixed stare. I 
 29 
 
 approached and offered my hand. 
 He took no notice of it, but sank 
 back upon the pillow, still regarding 
 me with that awful stare. Supposing 
 that his mind was wandering, and 
 that he did not know me, I called 
 him by name, and said : ' Do you 
 not know me ? I am Fabean De- 
 Cuba for whom you sent to-day. ' 
 
 " ' I know it, ' he said ; ' though 
 you have changed much. You are 
 bronzed by exposure, and look grave ; 
 from grief, perhaps ? ' 
 
 ' ' I made no reply, and he pres- 
 ently continued : ' I sent for you, 
 Fabean, to make a confession. Only 
 to think that of Claude Leveredge ! 
 But he's dying now, you know. All 
 men do strange things then. ' 
 
 "I shuddered to hear the laugh 
 with which he ended. I thought 
 him delirious, and was relieved when 
 he said : 
 
 " ' First tell me how the city looks, 
 and how your men are enjoying their 
 long-sought triumph. ' 
 
 ' ' I complied, giving him the in- 
 formation he desired in as few words 
 as possible. He grew excited to- 
 wards the close, and exclaimed, 
 through his set teeth : 
 
 "'Woe to the conqueror! 
 Our limbs shall be as cold as theirs, 
 Of whom his sword bereft us, 
 
 E'er we forget the deep arrears 
 Of vengeance they have left us. 
 Woe to the conqueror!" 
 
 "'Tom Moore, in these lines, 
 breathed the very spirit of the South, 
 Fabean ! ' 
 
 ' ' It was terrible to me, Thornton, 
 to hear that dying man quote the 
 fanciful words of another, when he 
 had scarcely breath enough left to 
 breathe a last farewell. I think he 
 must have seen something of that 
 
226 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 feeling in my face, for he said, ab- 
 ruptly : 
 
 ' ' ' Why do you let me waste my 
 time on such nonsense ? Why don't 
 you ask me why I sent for you ? ' 
 
 ' ' ' I do so now, ' I said, wonder- 
 ing greatly what reason he could 
 have had, for, strangely enough, no 
 suspicion of the truth entered my 
 mind. It seems incomprehensible 
 new that we never guessed that he 
 knew of her whereabouts. I did, 
 indeed, suppose that his words would 
 relate to his early love for La Gue- 
 rita ; but that she lived that he 
 knew her hiding place I never for 
 a moment conjectured. I had be- 
 lieved her dead, and could not har- 
 bor for one instant such a thought. 
 
 ' ' It was some moments before I 
 could believe it true, even after the 
 dying man had told me all. He 
 thought me overwhelmed with shame; 
 but I was not I was not. All the 
 dreams I had cherished that instant 
 took flight forever ; though I felt 
 myself an alien to all the world, 
 yet, with all, it was not shame that 
 caused me to drop into a chair and 
 cry ; < O, God ! O, God ! ' 
 
 "I saw it all all my sister had 
 suffered all she was suffering still. 
 My darling, my beautiful sister. Oh, 
 it was terrible terrible ! 
 
 ' ' He gave me a little time to grow 
 calmer, and then told me where she 
 could be found, if she still lived. 
 
 1 ' If she still lived ! Oh, how ter- 
 rible was the thought that she should 
 die alone, in her shackles even be- 
 fore I could behold her, and through 
 that man, too, as her husband had 
 before her ; for he said boldly, that 
 when he found her she was sane, and 
 eager to return to her home and 
 
 friends, and that he had kept her 
 four years in slavery because he loved 
 her. 
 
 " Because he loved her ! I almost 
 forgot he was dying, and might have 
 cursed him, but I suddenly remem- 
 bered that my sister's child was in his 
 possession, and demanded whether 
 he was in the house. 
 
 ' ' ' No, no, ' he answered ; ' antici- 
 pating the evacuation of Richmond, 
 I sent him to Raleigh for safety. 
 You will find him there, at the house 
 of Mr. R .' 
 
 ' ' He then gave me the necessary 
 directions for finding him, and said, 
 in conclusion : 
 
 ' ' ' The poor child loves me ; he 
 begged me not to send him away. 
 Ah, if I could have foreseen this I 
 could not have parted with him. 
 Yet, perhaps, it is better as it is. I 
 should not like the only creature that 
 loves me to see me die like this. ' 
 
 ' ' It was wonderful to see how 
 his countenance softened when he 
 spoke of that child. Tears gathered 
 in his eyes and rolled slowly over his 
 cheeks. He was too weak to raise 
 his hand to wipe them away, or 
 perhaps even to be conscious of 
 them. 
 
 " 'Ah, yes/ he murmured, 'that 
 poor child will mourn for me. He, 
 at least, believes me good and noble, 
 and loves me. Ah, I have deserved 
 but little love through my life, and, 
 alas, have had but little ! ' 
 
 "There was something in these 
 few words, spoken in a tone of deep- 
 est melancholy, that subdued all my 
 anger. I knew by the gaze the dying 
 man cast upon me that he craved 
 my forgiveness, and yet, even in that 
 solemn hour, he was too proud to 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 227 
 
 ask it. I could not speak, though I 
 would gladly have done so, as I saw 
 the expression of despair that settled 
 upon his face. He hoarsely called 
 for brandy, and though I found voice 
 to beg him not to take it, it was in 
 vain. The servant handed him some, 
 and he quaffed it eagerly, as if he 
 sought oblivion in the draught and 
 I quickly saw that death, if not obliv- 
 ion, was drawing near. He sank into 
 a stupor, in which he remained for an 
 hour or more. I feared he would 
 die in it, and the idea so horrified 
 me that I forced between his lips a 
 restorative the doctor had left on his 
 last visit. 
 
 ' ' After a time he opened his eyes 
 and looked at me, but the glaze of 
 death was over them. Scarcely know- 
 ing what I did, I muttered a prayer, 
 such as we have often breathed over 
 a dying comrade. I think even in 
 his extremity it was a comfort for him 
 to know that a fellow-creature stood 
 near, who took interest enough in 
 him to utter a prayer for his passing 
 soul. I took his hand in mine ; I 
 think, I hope he took it as a sign of 
 forgiveness, for he pressed it gently. 
 
 "A few moments afterward his 
 lips moved, and he looked at me ea- 
 gerly, oh, so eagerly, as if beseeching 
 me to hear what he had to say. Alas, 
 I could not. It may have been noth- 
 ing of moment, yet I cannot think he 
 would have striven with such mighty 
 ardor to utter trivialities. 
 
 He lay in comparative quietness, 
 yet in terrible agony, until about three 
 in the morning. All that time I knew 
 he was dying, and could not leave 
 him, though I was imperatively need- 
 ed elsewhere. Then he began to 
 toss wildly from side to side, uttering, 
 
 in constant succession, the most un- 
 earthly groans. Never, never heard 
 I such before. The memory of them 
 haunts me even now. 
 
 ' ' In the midst of his terrible agony 
 the power of speech suddenly returned 
 to him. 'Oh, find her/ he cried. 
 'Adda! 1 
 
 ' ' Then he fixed his eyes upon me 
 wildly, and moaned : ' Oh, my ruined 
 life ! ' My lost soul ! ' 
 
 ' ' These were his last words, spoken 
 with his last breath. When they 
 ended, I stood beside a corpse. 
 
 ' ' Why, Thornton, you are shiver- 
 ing ! Is it with cold, or with horror 
 of my tale? I need not tell you 
 much more. I saw him buried next 
 evening, and an hour afterward started 
 in quest of my sister. I found Harold 
 at Raleigh, sad and lonly enough, 
 poor fellow. He fell into a perfect 
 paroxysm of grief when I told him 01 
 the death of Mr. Leveredge, and was 
 only comforted when Holmsford was 
 reached, and he gained the arms of 
 his mother. " 
 
 "God bless her!" ejaculated 
 Thornton, fervently. She deserves 
 the love of her child if a mother ever 
 did. Yet it is a wonder to me that 
 in the company and under the influ- 
 ence of Claude Leveredge, Harold 
 cherished his affection." 
 
 ' ' Leveredge encouraged him to do 
 so, " replied Fabean, ' ' for by means 
 of it he hoped to gain that power over 
 La Guerita, which his own love could 
 never give. But enough of that. 
 Thank God, her trials are past- 
 she is free, and though now so frail 
 and wan, I earnestly pray that in her 
 own peaceful home she will find 
 strength and contentment." 
 
 ' ' She must be removed thither as 
 
228 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 quickly as possible, " said Thornton ; 
 ' ' she will never regain her strength 
 amid these scenes, where her life of 
 slavery must be ever before her. " 
 
 ' ' And you, I hope, " said Fabean, 
 shaking his friend's hand warmly, 
 ' ' will bear hence the bride you have 
 waited for so long, and I shall be 
 spared from hearing longer your love- 
 lorn woes. " 
 
 "For shame," said Thornton, 
 good-humoredly, "I had no idea 
 you were laughing in your sleeve all 
 this time you have pretended to con- 
 dole with me. I wish you would 
 give me a chance to pay you in your 
 own coin, Fabean. Do you never 
 mean to fall in love ? It is a duty 
 thatyou owe society. " 
 
 ' ' I have other duties, " said Fa- 
 bean, gravely. "Henceforth I shall 
 devote my life to my mother's race. 
 Poor, blind people, they need guides, 
 and I will be one to them. " 
 
 Thornton pressed his hand, and 
 they walked together for some mo- 
 ments silently. 
 
 ' ' I was going to tell you of our 
 marriage, " said Thornton, at length. 
 ' ' I entreated the dear girl to marry 
 me this very day, but she said she 
 could not wed and part from me so 
 soon, and you know it is impossible 
 for me to leave my regiment at pres- 
 ent, and I declare it seems equally 
 impossible for me to leave her. But 
 I see clearly that I must do so, and 
 Adela Holmes will be safer under the 
 protection of Curtis and his men than 
 Mrs. Leslie, the wife of an Union 
 soldier. So I must e'en yield to my 
 fate with the best grace possible, and 
 pray that I may soon be ' a disbanded 
 volunteer.' Then, ah then, we will 
 take our loved ones home. " 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 lt After long storms and tempests overbloune, 
 The sun at length his joyous face doth cleare ; 
 So when as fortune all her spight hath showne, 
 Some blissful homes at last must needs appeare." 
 
 Spenser. 
 
 THE next day Thornton Leslie left 
 for Richmond, accompanied by Fa- 
 bean DeCuba, but within a month 
 both returned. Was there ever such 
 a June ? Thornton declared there 
 never had been to him, and Adela, 
 too, blushingly confessed that it 
 seemed sweeter than all that had pas- 
 sed since the cloudless days of her 
 childhood. They were to be married 
 on the morrow, and to leave imme- 
 diately for the North, and they could 
 not go without visiting the scenes of 
 their former peril, and together they 
 walked to the spot where once had 
 stood the home of Asenith Bray. 
 
 The air was full of fragrance and 
 summer sounds. They listened with 
 new pleasure to the carols of the 
 birds among the trees, and to the 
 distant murmuring of 
 
 " The busy beck, that still would run 
 And fall, and falter its refrain ; 
 And pause, and shimmer in the sun, 
 And fall again." 
 
 Often they left the beaten road to 
 enter the woods, crushing beneath 
 their feet the odorous pine straw, or 
 stopping to gather clusters of wild 
 roses or yellow jasmine, that hung 
 in rich festoons from many a tree. 
 
 " We shall not reach our destina- 
 tion to-day, if we loiter so long upon 
 the road, "said Adela, at last. "I 
 am surprised, Thornton, after all the 
 marching you have done that you 
 prove yourself such a laggard. " 
 
 ' ' This air is balmy enough to make 
 any man lazy, " he answered. ' ' Did 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 229 
 
 you ever breathe any so clear and 
 pure before ? And it is so laden with 
 sunbeams, too. Ah, stand where you 
 are. It is beautiful to see the glory of 
 Heaven thus shimmering down upon 
 you. You should always stand in 
 sunbeams, my darling your golden 
 hair forms a halo around your sweet 
 face, and your eyes shine like the 
 blue depths of some wood-fringed 
 lake." 
 
 Adela laughed and blushed at his 
 impassioned words, and the radiant 
 light of pleasure they cast over her 
 made her appear, to her lover's eyes, 
 a thousand times more charming 
 than before. She looked so youthful 
 as she stood there, although dressed 
 in mourning, that Thornton Leslie 
 could scarce believe that five years 
 had passed since he had won the first 
 blushing confession of her love, and 
 that, instead of nineteen, her life 
 marked twenty-four years. 
 
 He told her so, remembering, too, 
 how wan, and indeed how old she 
 looked when he parted from her at 
 Asenith's door, and with a thrill of 
 gratified love, he knew that his com- 
 ing had worked the change. 
 
 ' ' My precious love, " he thought, 
 ' ' if I can prevent it and what can- 
 not a husband's love prevent ? your 
 eyes shall never more be dimmed 
 with tears, or your dear lips grow 
 white with fear or pain. Heaven 
 knows it was my deepest agony, even 
 in that time of suffering, to witness 
 how she suffered, too. " 
 
 They spoke together of that time 
 when they stood by Asenith's house, 
 and looked around upon the quaint 
 garden, now more than ever over- 
 grown with herbs and flowers, which 
 the rank weeds were vainly striving 
 
 to o'ertop. Thornton thought of the 
 time he had tottered up the narrow 
 path, now almost overgrown with 
 grass, leaning upon the arm of his 
 unknown deliverer, and remembered 
 what a tide of joy had rushed over 
 him as he was received in the arms of 
 his beloved under the humble roof 
 now fallen forever. 
 
 His heart swelled with pain when 
 he thought that he had been, perhaps, 
 the cause of the affliction that had 
 come upon Asenith. 
 
 1 ' Ah, I would rather have died in 
 prison, " he thought, ' ' than to have 
 bereft that good woman of her home, 
 and to have sent her forth to die of 
 grief among strangers. " 
 
 But Adela comforted him by relat- 
 ing again how peacefully she had 
 passed away, and they gathered some 
 of the choicest flowers from the gar- 
 den, and carried them to Holmsford 
 to scatter upon her grave. 
 
 "If there are saints in Heaven 
 she is one," said Thornton, as he 
 knelt upon the turf and planted tufts 
 of violets above the mound. ' ' Well, 
 well, perhaps it is well she passed 
 from earth before this time, for it 
 would have broken her heart to see 
 the changes that have already been 
 wrought, and those which still must 
 come. " 
 
 "Yes," answered Adela, " for she 
 took a mother's interest in all these ru- 
 ined and scattered families. But over 
 one thing she would have rejoiced. " 
 
 ' ' Our marriage ? " 
 
 " Yes, and La Guerita's freedom." 
 
 ' ' Ah, yes ; the very angels must 
 rejoice over that. Adela it makes me 
 feel keenly the frailty of poor human 
 nature when I think of her madness. 
 She was such a lovely girl, so queenly 
 
230 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 and devoted a wife, such a tender 
 mother. And even after her deep 
 degradation of self-enslavement, there 
 are few women so sweet and noble 
 upon this earth ; yet I fear she is 
 gradually fading from it. " 
 
 ' ' No, no, " answered Miss Holmes, 
 "that cannot be. She is growing 
 strong again she even leaves her 
 room sometimes. She will live. Her 
 soul is calm, and if not happy, she is, 
 at least, content, and contentment is 
 the surest medicine for such sickness 
 as hers. " 
 
 "Perhaps you are right," said 
 Thornton. ' ' We men shudder if a 
 woman we love grows pale, and I 
 cannot but regard La Guerita with 
 love and admiration akin to that I 
 hold for you. " 
 
 "lam not jealous, " said Adela, 
 with a smile, ' ' and again I say that she 
 will live. She is naturally a strong 
 woman, Thornton. Her life for the 
 past four years has proved that. She 
 was dying of a breaking heart when 
 her child was restored to her, and 
 now that her sorrows are overpast, I 
 believe as well as pray that she will 
 live to know the hallowed bliss that 
 follows pain." 
 
 They left the burial place and has- 
 tened to the house, to think of other 
 things almost as solemn those relat- 
 ing to the bridal. 
 
 Never rose a brighter sun than that 
 which gilded the tops of the pine 
 trees on the following morn. La 
 Guerita arose early, for the first time 
 in months, and with the aid of the 
 willing servants, decked the house 
 with flowers. It was a gala day on 
 the plantation. The negroes, who 
 had wandered off in their first days 
 of freedom, had all returned to wit- 
 
 ness the marriage of their beloved 
 Miss Adela. Roxy was especially 
 joyous and triumphant, for of late 
 she, too, had had her little dream of 
 love, which promised now an un- , 
 clouded future. Aunt Matilda alone 
 seemed discontented. She wandered 
 from room to room, surveying the 
 different arrangements for the wed- 
 ding, declaring "everything was 
 going to wreck and ruin, " and face- 
 tiously offering to sacrifice even Dixie 
 to grace the marriage feast. 
 
 Thornton Leslie had in some way 
 gained possession of the suit of regi- 
 mentals which Asenith Bray had bur- 
 ied years before, but with her usual 
 foresight had so carefully incased that 
 they were as fresh as ever. Adela 
 smiled as she recognized them, while 
 he gazed delightedly upon her, as in 
 her simple muslin dress and wreath 
 of white jasmine, she entered the 
 room, leaning upon the arm of Fa- 
 bean DeCuba. 
 
 The ceremony was performed at 
 eleven o'clock by the chaplain of 
 Thornton's regiment, and was wit- 
 nessed only by the members of the 
 family and the servants. 
 
 Mrs, Holmes was, as usual, ex- 
 ceedingly tearful upon the occasion, 
 and Minna, for some cause unknown, 
 but seemingly incidental to young 
 ladies at such a time, quite shocked 
 her brother by sobbing aloud, and 
 induced Miss Matilda to ask sharply 
 if she was already crying because she 
 was not married too. 
 
 Meanwhile the wedded pair were 
 receiving the congratulations of all 
 present, and were almost overwhelmed 
 by those of the rejoicing negroes, when 
 the notes of a magnificent band were 
 heard upon the lawn. 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 231 
 
 ' ' It is the band of my own regi- 
 ment," cried Thornton, in delight. 
 "Ah, Mr. Reeves, I owe this to you." 
 
 The doors of the house were 
 quickly thrown open, and Thornton 
 led his bride out, followed by the 
 whole party. A deafening cheer rent 
 the air as they appeared, which was 
 followed by congratulations from the 
 members of the band, and Captain 
 Curtis and his men. Thornton thank- 
 ed them in a few expressive words, 
 for with delight he beheld in*the un- 
 expected appearance of the band the 
 good will and affection with which he 
 was regarded by those he had so often 
 led into battle, by whose beds of sick- 
 ness he had stood, and over whose 
 dead comrades he had so often prayed. 
 
 After a luncheon the wedded pair, 
 accompanied by Fabean DeCuba, 
 his sister and her son, left Holmsford, 
 and turned their faces to the North. 
 
 Adela felt some natural sorrow at 
 leaving the home of her childhood, 
 her mother, and her brother and sis- 
 ter, but the tears were soon driven 
 away by the smiles of her husband. 
 
 Though it was not grief that op- 
 pressed her, it was long before La 
 Guerita could cast off the painful 
 thoughts that clouded her mind, as 
 the carriage in which she was seated 
 followed that of the bride and groom 
 from the home where she had known 
 so much sorrow and so little joy. 
 She thought of the time when she 
 had first entered it. The house was 
 whiter then, the gardens more luxu- 
 riant, yet a glamour seemed to rest 
 over them, which was all gone as, 
 with lingering gaze, she marked each 
 favorite spot, hallowed to her some 
 by pain, a few a very few by joy. 
 
 When they reached the cross roads 
 
 at which she had alighted on the ever 
 memorable day of Thornton's escape, 
 she would gladly have hastened from 
 the renewed expressions of gratitude 
 he poured upon her, as his wife 
 pointed out the path she had taken. 
 It was indeed joy to her to meet her 
 brother's approving glance, and to 
 hear his softly spoken words : 
 
 ' ' That deed blessed your servitude, 
 and should make the memory of your 
 darkest days endurable." 
 
 Upon entering the town of M 
 
 they drove immediately to the depot. 
 The whole party from, however, wide- 
 ly different motives, wished to avoid 
 meeting acquaintances, but scarcely 
 had they left the carriages when Mr. 
 Gordon approached, greeting warmly, 
 yet with a subdued air, his "dear 
 Miss Adela." 
 
 She received and returned his 
 greetings, and then introduced ' ' Col- 
 onel Leslie, " adding, in a lower tone, 
 "my husband." 
 
 "Is it possible ? " exclaimed the 
 lawyer, in tones of genuine surprise. 
 
 "Why, I supposed . But never 
 
 mind ; times have changed. I wish 
 you much joy, I'm sure. " 
 
 The last sentence was uttered in a 
 lugubrious voice, strikingly adverse 
 to the sentiment expressed. 
 
 "How is Mrs. Gordon?" asked 
 Adela, "and Lillie and Katie. All 
 well, I hope." 
 
 ' ' Yes ; but ladies can't be ladies 
 now-a-day's they have to be well 
 and strong. I left them cooking the 
 dinner. Just to think after all that I 
 have said and done in their behalf, not 
 one of my former slaves will remain 
 with me. But I forgot it makes no 
 difference if the wretched creatures do 
 betray all the latent laziness and in- 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 gratitude of their race. You are on 
 your way North, I presume. " 
 
 ' ' Yes, Mr. Gordon, with our dear 
 friends, Mrs. DeGrey, and her brother 
 and son. Colonel DeCuba, allow me 
 to introduce Mr. Gordon." 
 
 Adela afterwards laughed heartily 
 over the expression of rage and dis- 
 may that passed over the lawyer's 
 face when called upon to respond to 
 this introduction. He did so, how- 
 ever, gracefully enough, turning to 
 La Guerita with the remark : 
 
 ' ' This must be a sad time for you, 
 Rita." 
 
 ' ' Mrs. DeGrey, '' interrupted Fa- 
 bean, frowning. 
 
 1 ' Oh, indeed ; I beg pardon, but 
 I have been accustomed to the name 
 of Rita. Ah, as I said before, this 
 must be a sad time for you ; but you 
 must remember that you have still a 
 refuge in Cuba. How many of you 
 poor creatures, so suddenly bereft of 
 protection, will be happy to seek it 
 there ? " 
 
 Fabean's eyes flashed, and the 
 muscles of his arm contracted with 
 a sudden impulse to knock the au- 
 dacious speaker to the earth. He 
 restrained himself, however, and 
 merely said : ' ' He who dares insult 
 Mrs. DeGrey will find, to his cost, 
 that she has both a home and a pro- 
 tector in a free land. " 
 
 ' ' La Guerita, the cars are wait- 
 ing," said Mrs. Leslie, turning from 
 Mr. Gordon with a distant bow. 
 She was almost sorry afterward that 
 she had thus punished his insult, 
 when she saw how deeply humiliated 
 he was by her coldness and scorn. 
 
 In a few seconds the last whistle 
 sounded, and the train moved slowly 
 onward. La Guerita looked back 
 
 upon the town, and remembered 
 how she had first gazed upon it 
 through the gloom of a summer 
 night, long years before. Its lights 
 wore to her then an unearthly, spec- 
 tral glare. It was, she knew, but the 
 result of her distempered fancy ; yet 
 she wondered if the awful terror that 
 fell then upon her heart was not sent 
 to warn her back from the fate to- 
 ward which she was hastening. She 
 shuddered when she thought of it, 
 and involuntarily turned toward her 
 brother, whose arm instantly encir- 
 cled her. She lowered her head and 
 thanked God for His merciful kind- 
 ness toward her. 
 
 She had entered that town mad, 
 cursing God, and almost denying 
 His existence ; she felt it meekly, 
 blessing Him who had chastened 
 her, and filled with the ' ' peace that 
 passeth all understanding." 
 
 These reflections, painful though 
 they were, melted her to tears, and 
 feeling a strange and sweet reliance 
 on Him who so fondly supported 
 her, she wept long and silently such 
 tears as follow pain and hallow its 
 memory. 
 
 A blessed calm possessed her, soul 
 as she shed those lightly flowing tears. 
 The voices of the bride and groom 
 floated toward her, filling her with 
 content, sweet and perfect, though 
 they brought to her the remembrance 
 of the time when she, too, was a 
 bride, and listened to such words of 
 love. 
 
 "Though my husband can never 
 be forgot, " she mused, ' ' there are 
 voices that have the tone of his. 
 Ah, my boy my beautiful boy ! I 
 will live for thee, and for the helpless 
 and down-trodden of my race ! " 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 233 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 So word by word, and line by line, 
 
 The dead man touched me from the past, 
 And all at once it seenTd at last 
 His loving soul was flash'd on mine." 
 Tennyson's " In 
 
 ALTHOUGH La Guerita was most 
 anxious to reach her home, traveling 
 fatigued her so greatly that the party 
 were, on her account, obliged to re- 
 main a short time in Norfolk. Upon 
 the second day, as Mrs. Leslie was 
 sitting alone in her private parlor, 
 her husband entered and said : 
 
 "Where is Mrs. DeGrey ? " 
 
 "In her room," she replied ; "I 
 have just persuaded her to lie down 
 for a few hours. But what do you 
 wish with her ? " 
 
 ' ' Nothing in particular, my love. 
 Perhaps, after all, it is just as well she 
 should not know. Fabean found her 
 hopeful son a few minutes ago in one 
 of the rooms down stairs, watching, 
 with entranced interest and offering 
 to bet on a game of faro. " 
 
 " Is it possible? " 
 
 ' ' Yes ; and exceedingly angry he 
 was when Fabean first, asked, and 
 then commanded him to leave the 
 room. He declared at first that he 
 would not, and that his uncle had no 
 right to speak to him in such a man- 
 ner, and that he was doing no wrong ; 
 that his 'dear Mr. Leveredge' had 
 taught him to play faro, and that he 
 should do so when he pleased. 
 
 "That is really shocking!" ex- 
 claimed Mrs. Leslie; "I had per- 
 ceived that the boy was changed, but 
 I had no idea of such things as 
 that." 
 
 "Of course, you had not, my 
 love ; but Fabean and I have both 
 31 
 
 been troubled about him. You must 
 remember the child was for months 
 among a set of roystering men, who 
 would have no scruples in teaching 
 him every vice. If there is any good 
 left in the boy, it is all owing to his 
 deep love for his mother." 
 
 ' ' Poor soul, she has a hard task to 
 perform to eradicate from the child's 
 heart the evil planted there by my 
 misguided cousin," sighed Adela. 
 "Where is Harold now, Thornton?" 
 
 ' ' With Fabean, who is endeavor- 
 ing to reason the matter with him. " 
 
 "His uncle is almost a stranger to 
 him," said Adela, with hesitation ; 
 ' ' perhaps if I were to speak to him 
 it would have more effect. Ask Fa- 
 bean if he may come to me, Thorn- 
 ton. " 
 
 ' ' Certainly ! " he answered, leav- 
 ing the room, into which, a few min- 
 utes later, Harold entered, looking 
 so sullen and defiant that Adela's 
 heart sank within her. But she knew 
 his nature, and talking to him kind- 
 ly, yet firmly, showed him the evil 
 into which he was straying. 
 
 "Mr. Leveredge used to doit," 
 he said. 
 
 "That may be," she replied; 
 ' ' but what may be proper for a 
 man, is not for a boy like you. It is 
 not right, Harold, even if Mr. Lev- 
 eredge allowed you to do it. " 
 
 ' ' I don't want you to say any- 
 thing against Mr. Leveredge, " he ex- 
 claimed, passionately, bursting into 
 tears. 
 
 Not for worlds would she have 
 darkened the memory of her cousin 
 in that young mind ; she knew it 
 would grow hateful far too soon, and 
 so she turned from the discussion of 
 him to bid him remember that his 
 
234 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 uncle was then his guardian, and 
 must be obeyed. 
 
 ' ' If you don't want me to play 
 cards again, I won't, " he said ; ' ' but 
 I don't see what right uncle Fabean 
 has to order me around ; I am not 
 a slave now ! " 
 
 But the memory that he had been 
 accounted one rankled already in his 
 heart. Mrs. Leslie knew not what 
 more to say to him, and was gazing 
 upon him sadly, when the door, 
 which had been thoughtlessly left 
 ajar, was pushed slowly open, and a 
 boy, apparently four or five years of 
 age, peeped slyly in. Mrs. Leslie 
 looked at the child, and gently bade 
 him enter. She was irresistibly at- 
 tracted by the beauty of his face ; 
 there was, also, she thought, some- 
 thing very familiar in its appearance. 
 Yet she could not remember where 
 she had seen it before. She spoke 
 to him again, and he slowly drew 
 nearer her timidly, yet with an air 
 that showed he was used to receiving 
 and well pleased with the attention 
 of strangers. 
 
 She was still gazing upon the dark- 
 eyed boy, with momentarily increas- 
 ing interest, when her husband en- 
 tered the room, and glancing at the 
 child, exclaimed, hurriedly : "Who 
 is that ? What is his name ? " 
 
 ' ' I do not know, " replied Adela, 
 and, turning to the child, asked his 
 name. 
 
 At that instant a female voice call- 
 ed : " Claude ! Claude ! " and the 
 child bounded away, exclaiming : 
 ' ' Mamma ! " 
 
 ' ' Claude ! " The name both had 
 had in their thoughts. Thornton 
 stood for a moment in deep thought, 
 and then hurried from the room. 
 
 It was an hour or more before he 
 returned. Harold had gone to his 
 uncle's room, and his place was sup- 
 plied by his mother, who was con- 
 versing cheerfully with Mrs. Leslie. 
 
 Colonel Leslie looked flushed and 
 excited, and paused, irresolutely, 
 when he saw La Guerita ; then mut- 
 tering : "It will be as well, " said : 
 
 ' ' I have just heard a strange tale, 
 Adela, from the mother of that 
 child." 
 
 ' ' Indeed ! what was it ? " 
 
 ' ' It relates to your cousin, Claude 
 Leveredge. '' 
 
 ' ' I suspected that, " she answered ; 
 "Do tell me, Thornton, what it is." 
 
 ' ' She claims to be his wife. " 
 
 La Guerita turned deadly pale, 
 while Mrs. Leslie exclaimed, excit- 
 edly : 
 
 "Oh, that cannot be true ! My 
 cousin was never married. Yet there 
 were rumors of it years ago ; yet it 
 cannot be true. " 
 
 Thornton shrugged his shoulders, 
 and, turning to La Guerita, said : 
 
 ' ' Will it be too great a trial to you 
 to hear the simple tale the lady has 
 just told me. If Adela approves, I 
 propose to invite her into this room, 
 and give her an opportunity of offer- 
 ing proofs that, her claims are just." 
 
 " I should be glad to hear all she 
 can say," replied La Guerita, striv- 
 ing to conquer her emotion, and to 
 regain the self-possession she had for 
 a moment lost, and speaking in a 
 tone that intimated her utter disbe- 
 lief that the claimant could substan- 
 tiate her words. 
 
 "Yes; let her come, by all 
 means ! " exclaimed Mrs. Leslie ; 
 ' ' one must listen to her, though I 
 positively believe she will speak false- 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 235 
 
 ly. Why didn't she claim her rights 
 when Claude was alive ? " 
 
 "She shall explain all that to 
 you," returned her husband, hasten- 
 ing from the room. He met Fabean 
 in the hall, and asked him to join 
 the ladies. He did so, and found 
 them sitting silently together each 
 wearing an expression of extreme 
 perplexity. He had not time to ask 
 of his sister the cause before Thorn- 
 ton entered, ushering in a lady, whom 
 all involuntarily rose to meet, and 
 whom both Mrs. Leslie and La Gue- 
 rita, with surprise and emotion, re- 
 cognized as the original of the por- 
 trait found by Mrs. Holmes among 
 Claude Leveredge's effects, at the 
 time of his supposed death. 
 
 They were both so greatly embar- 
 rassed that it was with difficulty they 
 could command themselves suffi- 
 ciently to acknowledge with compos- 
 ure the introduction of Mrs. Claude 
 Leveredge. 
 
 She was quite young ; certainly 
 not more than twenty-two or three. 
 She would, indeed, have readily 
 passed for less even than that, though 
 her fair face was shadowed by an ex- 
 pression of melancholy, w r hich deep- 
 ened around her small, rosy mouth 
 and in her large, blue eyes. She was 
 small'and slender, of most graceful 
 form, and distinguished by an air of 
 dignity that commanded, at once, ad- 
 miration and respect. 
 
 A deep flush dyed her cheeks for 
 an instant, as she replied, in a slight- 
 ly foreign accent, to the salutation of 
 Mrs. Leslie, ' ' Mr. Leveredge's cous- 
 in. " Then she sank gracefully into a 
 low chair, and passing one hand light- 
 ly over her brow and across the ban- 
 deaux of luxuriant blonde hair that 
 
 graced her head, turned toward Col- 
 onel Leslie, as if awaiting his pleas- 
 ure. 
 
 With a pang, La Guefita noticed 
 upon her hand a ring Claude Lever- 
 edge had been wont to wear long 
 years before. Mrs. Leslie saw it too, 
 and with heightened color listened to 
 her husband, as he said : 
 
 " Madam, these ladies and the 
 gentlemen present, are relatives of the 
 late Colonel Leveredge, and will be 
 greatly interested in any communi- 
 cation you may make concerning 
 him, " 
 
 " Ah, sir, I will but tell them the 
 truth, " she responded, earnestly ; "I 
 scarcely think I could have revealed 
 even that if you had told me at the 
 first that my husband was dead." 
 
 She spoke in tremulous tones, fal- 
 tering a little at the long words, and 
 pronouncing them all, though with 
 correctness and delicacy, in such a 
 manner as to show they were strange 
 to her tongue. 
 
 ' ' Pray do not hesitate to repeat 
 your sad tale, " said Colonel Leslie, 
 reassuringly ; "it will be received 
 with due consideration both to your- 
 self and to the memory of Colonel 
 Leveredge. " 
 
 ' ' I wish it to be, " she answered ; 
 "Ah, gladly would I praise rather 
 than blame my husband, if I could 
 do so. " 
 
 " Mrs. DeGrey," said Colonel 
 Leslie, turning toward La Guerita, 
 you are looking excessively fatigued. 
 Pray lie down on the sofa. Thorn- 
 ton, there is a fan on that table. " 
 
 La Guerita gladly obeyed Colonel 
 Leslie's request, for she felt quite 
 overpowered by the presence of that 
 fair young creature who called her- 
 
236 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 self Claude Leveredge's wife. Fa- 
 bean seated himself beside her, and 
 all, with the deepest interest, listened 
 to the tale of the young stranger. 
 
 She began it very simply, without 
 hesitation, or preface either of word 
 or sigh : 
 
 ' ' My maiden name was Adele Ro- 
 quencourt ; my parents died when I 
 was an infant, and left me penniless, 
 to the care of an aunt Madame Du- 
 junois. She was a childless widow, 
 and bestowed all the wealth of her 
 affection upon me. But deeply as 
 she loved me, I knew it was more 
 for my beauty and cleverness than 
 from any other motive ; for she was 
 exceedingly proud, and although 
 quite wealthy, occupied but a medium 
 station in society, which she hoped 
 to raise by my marriage with a noble. 
 She often said I was beautiful enough 
 to win any heart, and liberally be- 
 stowed upon me an education that 
 would adorn a countess. I was ex- 
 ceedingly vain of my beauty, which 
 I imagined of the most dazzling 
 type, because, at an early age, I was 
 named the belle of St. Croix the 
 village in which I lived. I aspired 
 most eagerly to reach the honors my 
 aunt prophesied for me, and as an 
 important step toward them applied 
 myself to study with a devotion which 
 other girls, as frivolous as myself, 
 would naturally have given to flirta- 
 tions with rustic swains. For that 
 reason, I speak so readily to you in 
 your native tonge, for at the age of 
 fifteen I was well versed in English, 
 as well as French literature ; I also 
 played on the piano and guitar, and 
 accompanied them with a voice of 
 considerable power and sweetness ; 
 beside which I was an adept at all 
 
 species of embroidery and fancy 
 work. 
 
 ' ' I tell you this that you may un- 
 derstand why I had many lovers, not 
 only in my own station but above it. 
 Among the latter, the most devoted, 
 and the one which I favored most, 
 was Monsieur DeLisle. He was an 
 elegant young man a gentleman in 
 the highest sense of the word the 
 owner of the finest estate within many 
 miles. My aunt was well pleased at 
 his attentions, and I encouraged 
 them, feeling justly flattered by the 
 preference he openly avowed. 
 
 "I was walking near the village 
 with him one evening, when I saw a 
 gentleman loitering along the road, 
 as if wandering there without any 
 object unless perhaps it was to drive 
 from his brow the cloud of care 
 which rested upon it. I called the 
 attention of my companion to him, 
 and instantly, with an exclamation of 
 pleasure he sprang forward and greet- 
 ed him. 
 
 ' ' A few moments later, I was in- 
 troduced to Monsieur Leveredge, 
 whose gloomy face, unlighted then 
 by a single smile, was expressive of 
 a melancholy it seemed to me a 
 despair that filled me with admiring 
 pity, while I saw with a thrill of grati- 
 fied pride, that though in appearance 
 the veriest misanthrope, he was not 
 insensible to my charms, and from 
 that moment the attractions of Mon- 
 sieur DeLisle faded from my sight. 
 
 1 ' Monsieur Leveredge remained 
 in the village, at the house of Mon- 
 sieur DeLisle whose intentions I still 
 endured that I might see his friend. 
 I believe now that I dissimilated so 
 well, that even Monsieur Leveredge, 
 for some time, believed me totally in- 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 different to him, and piqued at my 
 coldness, he pertinaciously sought 
 my society, and paid me attentions, 
 of which at last both my aunt and 
 Monsieur DeLisle demanded ex- 
 planations. 
 
 ' ' Until then I am quite sure he had 
 never thought of marriage ; even then 
 he did not ask me of my aunt, who 
 had indeed declared, that she would 
 never consent to my marriage with a 
 heretic, but privately induced me to 
 elope with him. 
 
 ' ' We were married in Paris, by Le 
 Abbe Marchand, and though I know 
 now that I was not of age, my aunt 
 could have claimed me, she, on the 
 contrary, disowned me, and declared 
 her intention of leaving her wealth to 
 the church. 
 
 ' ' Monsieur Leveredge installed 
 me in fashionable apartments, and, 
 for a time I was perfectly happy. My 
 love of dress was gratified by the rich 
 presents my husband lavished upon 
 me, and my admiration satiated by 
 the admiration of his numberless 
 male acquaintances who visited us. 
 I sometimes wished that I had one 
 friend of my own sex, but it seemed 
 that women were rigidly excluded 
 from our circle, and I was exceeding- 
 ly offended and mortified when I dis- 
 covered that my husband often at- 
 tended the assemblies of high-born 
 dames, while I was by them altogeth- 
 er ignored. But he laughed at my 
 anger and quickly dispelled it, and 
 my suspicions, and on his continued 
 attentions, and those of his gay com- 
 panions, I rested content. 
 
 ' ' So matters continued for nearly 
 a year, when suddenly we were com- 
 pelled to leave our elegant apart- 
 ments for others far more retired. 
 
 My husband had lately lost vast sums 
 at the gaming-table, and my jewels 
 were sold to pay these debts of honor, 
 while, in actual penury, we awaited 
 remittances from America. Never 
 shall I forget those gloomy days. 
 My husband seemed plunged into 
 the depths of melancholy. For a 
 time I attributed it wholly to the 
 lack of that excitement in which we 
 had constantly lived, but at length I 
 discovered that though that was 
 doubtless the immediate cause, the 
 more powerful one lay farther in the 
 past, for then I discovered that my 
 husband cared nothing for me, that 
 he madly loved one whom he had 
 wronged even unto death. 
 
 "Once in his sleep I heard him 
 mutter a doubt whether she was real- 
 ly dead, and from that time my peace 
 of mind fled. 
 
 "The remittances from America 
 came ; we returned once more to 
 our life of excitement, but I abhorred 
 it. My husband won immense sums 
 at the gaming table ; everything that 
 he touched appeared to turn into gold. 
 We lived in the greatest magnificence, 
 but I was deeply unhappy, for my 
 husband seemed like one demented, 
 and I knew him to be the victim of 
 passion and remorse. 
 
 "At last he suddenly declared his 
 intention of leaving me at Paris, and 
 visiting for a few months his native 
 land. I was filled with despair, for 
 at that time my fondest hopes were 
 to be realized I was about to become 
 a mother, and I believed our child 
 would bind him to me." 
 
 ' ' Let me tell you the rest, quick- 
 ly. " She panted for breath, and grew 
 pale, as if it were almost impossible 
 for her to speak at all. 
 
238 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 ' * My entreaties were in vain. He 
 placed me in more retired apart- 
 ments, gave me a sum of money, as- 
 suring me that his friend, Monsieur 
 Dacre, would look after my welfare, 
 and that he would shortly return. 
 With that I was obliged to feign 
 contentment, though my heart was 
 bursting with anguish and distrust 
 when he left me. 
 
 ' ' A month afterward my boy was 
 born. Monsieur Dacre was very kind 
 to me. He visited me every day, and 
 brought me fresh flowers and fruits 
 when I could enjoy them, but he 
 never mentioned my husband, though 
 I asked for him repeatedly. 
 
 "At last I was quite well, and 
 then one day mon Dieu, I shall 
 never forget it he told me Monsieur 
 Leveredge had left me forever. 
 
 1 ' Oh, they were cruel, cruel words. 
 I could not believe them. I de- 
 manded proof, and it was given me. 
 Oh, I cannot tell you what he 
 said, Sante Vierge, it was too vile ! 
 But he made me understand that 
 Claude had never owned me as his 
 wife that I had never been imagin- 
 ed to be such by any who had visited 
 us. 
 
 ' ' I understood all then ; why I 
 had been made mistress of that gamb- 
 ling haunt. Alas, before I had been 
 too young and innocent to know he 
 would never have taken his wife 
 there ; why * I had been excluded 
 from all female society, and why I 
 had been deserted. 
 
 ' ' First came anguish, and then 
 shame. I was daily insulted by 
 Monsieur Dacre and such as he. All 
 laughed to scorn my protestations 
 that I was Claude Leveredge's wife 
 that our boy was our legitimate child. 
 
 ' ' I escaped from them ; I can 
 scarcely tell how. But though my 
 husband had branded me as the 
 vilest thing on earth, he had not left 
 me quite destitute, or Heaven knows, 
 only death could have saved me from 
 becoming so. 
 
 ' ' I swore that I would prove the 
 truth of my assertions, and although 
 the priest who married us was dead, 
 the record still existed and I found 
 two living witnesses. They tell me 
 my marriage is worth nothing in law 
 that I was under age, and Claude 
 Leveredge a foreigner and heretic. 
 But that is nothing to me ; it vindi- 
 cated my honor it saved my child 
 from shame. I was triumphant in 
 France ; I dared aspire to be so in 
 America also. With the little money 
 I had, I came to this country ; it 
 was involved in war ; my object was 
 delayed, I could not reach Claude 
 Leveredge to force him to acknowl- 
 edge me as his wife. " 
 
 At that time Fabean DeCuba rose, 
 and approaching the speaker, held 
 out his hand to her, saying earn- 
 estly : 
 
 ' ' I believe now that Claude Lev- 
 eredge's last wish is fulfilled, that I 
 have found ' Adela ' not his cousin 
 but his wife. " 
 
 The young lady burst into tears. 
 
 Mrs. Leslie looked at her in pain- 
 ful indecision, and at Fabean, as if 
 somewhat vexed at his officious rec- 
 ognition of the stranger's claims. 
 
 The young Frenchwoman per- 
 ceived it, and striving to regain her 
 self-possession, took from her pocket 
 a packet of papers, saying : 
 
 ' ' I toiled for my bread in New 
 York, three long weary years, that I 
 might force him to acknowledge the 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 genuineness of these documents. He 
 is dead ! He has gone too far for 
 either my hate or my love to reach 
 him ; but I have still my son to 
 strive for." 
 
 She opened the package and spread 
 upon the table the records of her mar- 
 riage and the birth of her son both 
 attested by well-known names. There 
 were also two letters from Claude 
 Leveredge, beginning " my dear 
 wife," the genuineness of which 
 those who kne-^his peculiar callig- 
 raphy, could not for a moment 
 question. 
 
 Mrs. Leslie looked over the papers 
 one by one in silence. She believed 
 in her heart that what she had heard 
 was true, yet she was unwilling, by 
 acknowledging it, to cast upon the 
 memory of her -cousin the infamy 
 he merited. 
 
 " Well, my love, what shall I tell 
 her," asked Thornton, in a low 
 voice. 
 
 1 ' She must wait a little, " she 
 whispered ; "I must talk over the 
 matter with you. It is very, very, 
 distressing. " 
 
 She glanced at the stranger, and 
 saw that she was overcome by her 
 emotions, and was weeping bitterly. 
 
 The sight conquered her ; her sus- 
 picious nature was vanquished, and 
 clasping the delicate hands of the 
 young widow in her own, she caught 
 her to her heart, and wept with her, 
 exclaiming : 
 
 ' ' My poor girl, I do believe you ; 
 I do believe that you were the wife 
 of my cousin Claude before Heaven, 
 that is enough for us, whatever the 
 law may be. " 
 
 Thornton smiled, saying, ''How 
 like you, Adela, to rush from the ex- 
 
 treme of doubt to that of certainty in 
 an instant," while Madame Lever- 
 edge burst into hysterical tears, and 
 rushed from the room. 
 
 She soon returned, bearing her 
 ctyld in her arms. 
 
 ' ' Ah, Madame, she exclaimed, 
 ' ' my son is an outcast no longer. 
 God bless you. God bless you." 
 
 Colonel Leslie interposed, and led 
 the excited lady from the room, mo- 
 tioning his wife toward La Guerita, 
 for whom the scene had evidently 
 been too much. 
 
 ' 'Oh, my brother, Oh, Adela," she 
 cried, ' ' I know she has spoken the 
 truth. Her face has more than 
 once risen between me and Claude 
 Leveredge, and warned me back from 
 him. Oh, had I yielded ! O, God, 
 what an abject creature I should this 
 day have been. " 
 
 They soothed her as well as they 
 were able, and at last succeeded in 
 restoring some degree of composure 
 to her excited mind. But from that 
 day, all the faith she had ever felt in 
 the purity of Claude Leveredge's 
 love the last dream of her life 
 passed from her, and she saw it as 
 it had ever appeared to others, as 
 vile, as damning, as it had been in- 
 satiate. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIII. 
 
 ** Were my whole life to come one heap of troubles, 
 The pleasure of this moment would suffice 
 And sweeten all my griefs with its remembrances." 
 
 Lee. 
 
 FABEAN DECUBA and Colonel Les- 
 lie manifested the greatest interest in 
 the case of the young Frenchwoman, 
 and Adela, rushing to the opposite of 
 the dislike and suspicions she had 
 entertained of her at first, evinced for 
 
240 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 her the kindliest sympathy, feeling 
 as she had before done for La Guerita 
 that it was her duty, by every means 
 in her power, to make compensation 
 for the distrust with which she had at 
 first regarded her. To this end sfye 
 wrote to her mother and to Mr. Gor- 
 don, expressing her entire belief in 
 the tale the stranger would tell them, 
 for she was in no wise debarred by 
 the news of the death of Claude Lev- 
 eredge from declaring herself his 
 wife, and proving the legitimacy of 
 his child. In this she was most 
 heartily supported by the Leslies, and 
 also, though more gently, by La Gue- 
 rita and her brother, who felt but too 
 keenly how necessary to the happi- 
 ness of the boy was the recognition 
 of his mother's claims. 
 
 Mrs. Leveredge proceeded south 
 on the following day, provided with 
 full instructions how to act from Col- 
 onel Leslie, and from his wife with 
 letters to all whom it was necessary 
 she should meet, and on the same 
 day the travelers north took the boat 
 for New York. 
 
 Two days later, just at sunset, they 
 stood on the pier at Ellisville. It was 
 almost impossible for La Guerita to 
 believe that so many years had passed 
 since she left it. There were, she 
 fancied, the same buildings, the same 
 steamers discharging their freight or 
 loading for the downward trip, the 
 same little boats gliding down the 
 stream propelled by youthful rowers. 
 There was the same row of carriages, 
 the very vehicles seemed familiar, 
 and the same motley crowd of hurry- 
 ing men of business, loungers, ven- 
 dors of small wares and beggars, that 
 had appeared to watch her so curious- 
 ly when she left them five years before. 
 
 She stood in a maze of bewilder- 
 ing thoughts, the Past and Present 
 each striving for the mastery. She 
 was confusedly conscious that the 
 Leslies bade her farewell, that Fabean 
 placed her in a carriage, and that she 
 was driven rapidly away. But it was 
 not until they had left the streets of the 
 busy little town that she recovered 
 her self-command sufficiently to re- 
 alize that her brother and son were 
 seated before her, and that they were 
 passing over the road to Enola. 
 
 Enola Alone ! Alas, she had 
 prophesied her fate in naming her 
 home. Home ! Ah, that word. 
 What a tide of emotions swept over 
 her heart. She remembered the day 
 she first entered it, and wondered if it 
 was half as beautiful as then. Oh, 
 no, it could not be. Her husband 
 was then at her side he who had 
 ordered every beauty and perfected 
 every charm. Now, the place so 
 lovely then, knew no master. For 
 years it had been deserted and neg- 
 lected. Who would care to decorate 
 for her coming ; who would welcome 
 her to it ? 
 
 Then, for the first time, she won- 
 dered that Victor DeGrey had not 
 been at the depot to meet her. The 
 remembrance stung her to the quick. 
 Were, then, her fears yet to be realized ? 
 Was she to be a stranger and an out- 
 cast among those who had once loved 
 and honored her so greatly ? 
 
 Happily their progress was rapid, 
 and her arrival at the gates of Enola 
 was too soon to allow a long contin- 
 uance of these gloomy thoughts. A 
 thrill of genuine delight, for an in- 
 stant unclouded by any thought of 
 the past, filled her heart. It was un- 
 changed, beautiful, glorious ! 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 241 
 
 Harold uttered exclamations of de- 
 light as the carriage rolled over the 
 smooth roads, and paused before 
 the steps. In a moment La Guerita 
 found herself standing upon them, 
 bewildered by a thousand thoughts 
 of pleasure and of pain, but above all 
 rose that, that here was no one to 
 welcome her. 
 
 She felt a deadly chill at her heart. 
 She staggered and would have fallen, 
 but at that moment the door was 
 thrown open and, with a cry of de- 
 light, Victor DeGrey bounded down 
 the steps, and catching her in his 
 arms, rushed tumultuously into the 
 parlor, exclaiming : 
 
 ' ' Thank God, mother, the wander- 
 ers are home again ! " 
 
 La Guerita in an instant saw why 
 she had been so disappointed at the 
 depot, and on her arrival at the door 
 of Enola, the mother and son had 
 intended to give her a great heartfelt 
 welcome that would neither excite 
 nor sadden her. It was well that 
 their plan had failed, owing to the 
 uncontrollable emotion of Victor on 
 beholding the agitation and weak- 
 ness of La Guerita. The excitement 
 attending her greeting was exactly 
 what she needed to draw her thoughts 
 from the past, and fix them upon the 
 present. 
 
 And supported by it, she returned 
 with delight the caresses of Victor 
 and his mother. The latter after a 
 single embrace and a fervent ' ' Wel- 
 come, my child, " turned to Harold. 
 
 She drew him toward her, and 
 looked at times as if she could never 
 turn her gaze elsewhere, then catch- 
 ing him to her heart, lost all the 
 haughty calmness that had sustained 
 her in her greeting of La Guerita, 
 32 
 
 and burst into a paroxysm of joyous 
 tears, exclaiming thai she could bear 
 to die now that the Lord had per- 
 mitted her to look once more upon 
 the face of the boy the child of her 
 dead son. 
 
 La Guerita could with difficulty 
 afterward remember how that even- 
 ing passed, she had pictured to her- 
 self her arrival home a thousand 
 times. 
 
 She had believed that it would be 
 joyftti yet, oh, how sad. How 
 every room by its discolored walls, 
 its moldy furniture, would cry out 
 to her of her absence and neglect, 
 and awaken bitter memories of the 
 last lone hours she had passed among 
 them. How different the reality. 
 The walls were as spotless as the day 
 she first beheld them, the furniture 
 was the same, and arranged as she 
 best loved to see it. She could al- 
 most believe that the stand of flowers 
 near the window, was the same that 
 Victor had placed there as a bridal 
 
 g ift gincroft Libwj 
 
 The memory of the dark days ap- 
 peared as a lively-remembered dream, 
 while the first happy hours of her 
 married life seemed actually present. 
 She even in a nervous, excited way, 
 turned every time the door opened, 
 expecting to see her husband enter. 
 She missed him all the evening, but 
 not as one gone forever. He was 
 absent but would return. So it 
 seemed during the happy hours she 
 spent that night with Mrs. DeGrey 
 and Victor ; later came the realiza- 
 tion that his stay would be forever 
 that she was a widow not a wife. 
 
 But she was then- better able to 
 bear it, and though a deep tinge of 
 sadness rested upon her heart, and 
 
242 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 clouded the beauty of her home, 
 faith in a merciful God, and peace- 
 ful reliance in the love of her friends, 
 stood sentinels at the door of her 
 heart, and barred the entrance of 
 anguish and despair. 
 
 Within her bosom, hope, crown- 
 ed by love divine, sat enthroned, and 
 every tear she shed sprang from that 
 blessed source, even when she stood 
 above her husband's grave, and 
 mourned his early fate ; she wept as 
 those whom the Lord comforteth, 
 and left him to his long repose, not 
 as once, in the fury of despair, but 
 in the hope of a blessed immortality 
 in which she, in life's fitful fever, 
 might share. 
 
 She was happy. Aye, happier 
 more deeply, truly so than her most 
 joyous days. 
 
 Then she was joyous, as the birds 
 are, because sunshine warmly shown 
 upon her, and she did not dream it 
 would ever fail. Now she was nappy 
 in that higher sense that only souls 
 can know that have battled with life's 
 sorest sorrows and temptations, and 
 through them have found God's truth 
 and peace. 
 
 It was a wonder to her friends how 
 she took up the thread of her higher 
 life so readily, when she had lost the 
 clue so long. A stranger going into 
 her home would never have guessed 
 that trie mind of the calm, graceful 
 woman that so quietly presided there 
 had ever been distracted so cruelly, or 
 that she had for years been a lowly 
 slave not even mistress in the lowly 
 cabin in which she had been a 
 stranger to the luxuries and refine- 
 ments that she -now looked upon so 
 indifferently, as if she regarded them 
 as the common necessaries of life, that 
 
 she could not even conceive the pos- 
 sibility of existing without. To Ade- 
 la, who had never beheld her m that 
 'home before, the sight was not sim- 
 ply strange, but a mystery a perfect 
 mystery as she emphatically told 
 her husband, one evening when they 
 were returning home from a visit to 
 Enola. 
 
 "One would think that she had 
 never known any other life, " she said ; 
 "She sat in a low chair engaged up- 
 on some trifle of knitting work, which 
 she said was to be developed into a 
 present for me, and entertained her 
 guests, calmly*and gravely it is true, 
 but as pleasantly, as if to hear and 
 answer their light talk, and to pass a 
 needle slowly through such trivial 
 work, had ever been her sole em- 
 ployment. Your sister was there, 
 Thornton ; she came and went while 
 you were absent with Fabean, en- 
 deavoring to decide upon a site for 
 the charity-school." 
 
 "Yes," said Thornton, " La Gue- 
 rita has learned by sad experience that 
 toil soothes pain, when no reason- 
 ings can. She has set apart her life 
 to the benefit of the women of her 
 mother's race, while Fabean tells me 
 he intends to go South to purchase 
 a plantation, and make it a prac- 
 tical school for the young freed- 
 men. " 
 
 ' ' Indeed, " exclaimed Adela, ' ' you 
 astonish me. Fabean is so fond of 
 society so fitted to shine in it. How 
 will he ever endure such a life?" 
 
 "His sense of duty will uphold 
 him, " answered Thornton ; "he, as 
 well as his sister, possesses a noble 
 soul. They will, together, in their 
 generation, do more toward raising 
 the negroes of America, than all the 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 243 
 
 arguments and schemes of politicians 
 could accomplish in ages." 
 
 ' ' I believe you, " said Adela, 
 warmly, "La Guerita is a noble 
 woman, and from those poor simple 
 creatures she is gathering around her, 
 she will produce noble women no- 
 ble in their sphere. " 
 
 "And Fabean will do the same for 
 the men, " replied her husband, 4 ' al- 
 ready his heart and soul are centered 
 in his work." 
 
 * ' Yes, but it makes me sad to see 
 them so," returned Adela, musingly. 
 ' ' He is young, and it seems to me, 
 formed for the joys of domestic life, 
 yet he voluntarily renounces them 
 all for the benefit of his fellow crea- 
 tures. I thought of that when I saw 
 Carrie this afternoon. Do you think 
 it is possible that for love of her he 
 has resigned himself to this life ; she 
 seems so different from him." 
 
 ' ' She is, " said Thornton, gravely. 
 " He is strong and firm in character, 
 and she so trivial and vacillating. I 
 never knew her firm but once, and 
 that was in keeping poor La Guerita's 
 secret. But, Adela, she is not the 
 lost love that Fabean has buried in 
 his heart. The night before we were 
 married we walked together in the 
 garden at Holmsford, talking of my 
 future happiness, and I said : ' Fa- 
 bean, may you soon know the like 
 felicity. My friend, I pray thee take 
 a wife. ' " 
 
 "He smiled bitterly. 'No, no/ 
 he said, ' such joys are not for me. I 
 am a proscribed man ; how could I 
 ask one of a pure race to share my 
 destiny? No, no ; I must live alone. 
 When Harold is a man there may be 
 some woman like his mother to claim 
 his love, but there is none for me. ' "^ 
 
 ' ' Poor fellow ! " sighed Adela. 
 ' ' But can it be possible that he has 
 never loved ? " 
 
 "Alas, no," returned her husband, 
 ' ' for that night he laid in my hands 
 a long, fair tress of hair. 'There, 
 my friend/ he cried, 'is all that I 
 may claim of earthly joy. That lock 
 my dying Mysta gave me. She was 
 a promised bride ; thank God she 
 faded from earth before my shame 
 was hers. In Heaven, where no 
 shame can enter, my bride awaits 
 me. ' " 
 
 "It is better so," sighed Adela. 
 " His life will not have been passed 
 utterly lovelessly. Ah, Thornton, 
 love is so sweet that 'twere a lost life 
 that knew not of it, even though it 
 reached not its perfection in mar- 
 riage." 
 
 They walked together in the twi- 
 light to their pleasant home, joined 
 hand in hand and heart to heart, 
 while the brother and sister at Enola 
 spoke calmly together of the loved 
 ones from whom, by the dark waves 
 of Death they were divided. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 " It is a glorious occupation, vivifying and self- 
 sustaining in its nature, to struggle with ignorance, 
 and discover to the inquiring minds of the masses 
 the clear cerulean blue of heavenly truth." 
 
 Guizot. 
 
 "I stand 
 
 On a sure ground, unshaken as a rock 
 That bears the force of storms, yet still remains 
 Firm on its base, and rears its lofty head 
 Above the clouds ! " 
 
 Bushe. 
 
 A YEAR later all that La Guerita 
 and her brother had set apart to do 
 was well begun. Upon the grounds 
 at Enola stood a large, plain build- 
 ing, and within it scores of homeless 
 
244 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 children found shelter, and young 
 maidens learned the duties of life. 
 La Guerita aspired to no high work ; 
 she did not blindly strive to set the 
 ignorant negroes on a par with the 
 whites, but to fit them for lives of in- 
 dustry, that they might sooner gain 
 the high destiny that God had set 
 apart for them. * 
 
 But, during that long year, La 
 Guerita's pathway was not thornless. 
 Oh, what random shots rankled in 
 her heart ! How every slighting 
 word or look cut her to the quick ! 
 And there were many to laugh and 
 sneer to whisper of her origin, her 
 insanity, and question lightly her pu- 
 rity of heart and mind. 
 
 But even the most thoughtless and 
 most cruel could not withhold them- 
 selves from her long. Insensibly she 
 charmed all hearts, as they saw how 
 patiently she endured all things 
 how she combatted the evil tenden- 
 cies of her child, and found solace 
 for all her griefs in the great work 
 she had undertaken. 
 
 And Fabean, too, in his native 
 State, where scorn was showered up- 
 on him on all hands where every 
 white man was his enemy triumph- 
 antly held his way. The most skep- 
 tical saw that his plan was good 
 that he comprehended perfectly the 
 position of the freedmen, and how it 
 was to be ameliorated, with profit to 
 both the whites and blacks. He 
 went as a missionary among them 
 as a teacher, not an autocrat ; and 
 shortly he was both. 
 
 For a year he remained upon his 
 plantation, toiling with and for the 
 youths about him, and proving, in his 
 daily life, that though love be dead, 
 and only scorn be left on earth, that 
 
 the heart may still be happy which 
 places itself above the things of the 
 day and looks for its joys in heaven. 
 
 At Christmas-tide they met the 
 brother and sister ; and long they 
 talked together of their toils. He 
 told her of the youths he was train- 
 _ing to become, in turn, the trainers 
 of their race. How well they learned 
 their tasks ; how they were casting off 
 their ignorance and dependence of 
 slavery, and learning, as men, to hold 
 and use their freedom. 
 
 On Christmas-day their only guests 
 were the friends who had known and 
 shared their troubles Mrs. DeGrey 
 and Victor, and Colonel Leslie and 
 his wife, with a little one they called 
 Asenith, in tender remembrance of 
 her whose life was a record of good 
 deeds, without a single blot. 
 
 ' ' To-day I have planned to show 
 you my home and school," said La 
 Guerita, as they drove from church ; 
 "my children have a little festival 
 to-day. " 
 
 ' ' I'll go before and tell them that 
 you are coming, " said Harold, stop- 
 ping the carriage and springing to 
 the ground. 
 
 "Harold loves his old compan- 
 ions still," remarked Mrs. Leslie. 
 
 ' ' Yes, " returned La Guerita, ' ' and 
 'tis better so ; that time can never be 
 forgot, and, thank God, it is not all 
 dark to him ; and when I hear him 
 speak of some of the happy hours 
 he knew, his words seem like bless- 
 ings to me ; yet I know he will live 
 to reproach me." 
 
 "Let us think no more of that," 
 said Fabean, gently, "but rather of 
 the noble work you have begun. 
 Look at the happy faces looking 
 .down upon us from those windows. " 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 The carriage stopped at the door 
 of the school, which was opened by 
 an aged negro, who had belonged to 
 Claude Leveredge's estate, and whom 
 Fabean had sent from his own, to his 
 sister's care. He welcomed them de- 
 lightedly, but was silenced by Aunt 
 Dilsey, the housekeeper, who, with 
 all the dignity and importance war- 
 ranted by her high position, conduct- 
 ed the visitors to the reception room, 
 whence, after warming themselves 
 before the glowing fire, they went to 
 inspect the different portions of the 
 building. 
 
 Three large school-rooms were first 
 visited, which were furnished with 
 every convenience, and where well- 
 thumbed primers and blotted copy- 
 books showed the work of education 
 had begun. The teachers spoke of 
 the improvement of their scholars 
 most encouragingly, and each had 
 something to tell of a bright little 
 creature, whose aptitude for music, 
 or drawing, or figures, had made him 
 or her appear a very genius. Then 
 the work-rooms were visited, and the 
 needle-work carefully examined by 
 the ladies. 
 
 "This helps us much, "said La 
 Guerita ; "the ladies of the town 
 have lost their first distrust, and send 
 us more work than can be easily 
 done. Already we have sent out 
 two seamstresses, who are giving the 
 greatest satisfaction. But come in 
 here ; I will show you my nurse- 
 ry-" 
 
 She opened a door, and conducted 
 Adela into a large room, in which 
 stood a number of little cots, the 
 owners of which were disporting 
 themselves upon the floor, while two 
 young girls sat near them sewing. 
 
 "You see, I make practical nurse- 
 maids, " said La Guerita, smiling ; 
 "and these will go into the world 
 and give an example to others ; so, 
 too, will the kitchen servants, whom 
 you must see next." 
 
 They descended to the culinary 
 department, where they were imme- 
 diately overwhelmed with greetings 
 from Aunt Dilsey and Roxy, who 
 ruled there. 
 
 ' ' I'se jest as happy as de day is 
 long ! " cried the latter ; ' ' though 
 de Lord knows I didn't mind fur j 
 myself, 'twas de chillun that used 
 to fret me. Now dere ain't no more 
 sorrow in dis w r orl' fur me. All de 
 chillun is togeder, and no body kin 
 part 'em but de blessed Lord. Heah, 
 you, Seely ; you peel them taters ; 
 Lizzie, is this a time to put cabbage 
 a bilin' ? You'll never be a cook 
 s'long s' you live, ef you don't 'tend 
 to me better. Miss Rita, dere ain't 
 anythin' in de word to be a done 
 wid dat chile. " 
 
 They went, lastly, to a large room, 
 which had been fitted up as a chapel, 
 and ringing a large bell, La Guerita 
 seated herself with her friends upon 
 the platform, and with glistening eyes 
 looked upon her charges as they gath- 
 ered in, casting upon her glances full 
 of love and respect. 
 
 Colonel Leslie and his wife looked 
 on in surprise. - Although they lived 
 so near, they had not even conjec- 
 tured that so large a number had 
 been gathered in, so ostentatiously 
 had the work progressed. Tears 
 filled their eyes as they listened to 
 the simple prayer offered by the old 
 freedmen, and to the songs of praise 
 and thanksgiving that ascended to 
 God from the full hearts of those 
 
246 
 
 In Bonds. 
 
 who were but beginning to know 
 how great a boon was liberty. 
 
 Fabean spoke a few words to them, 
 telling them how he was striving to 
 lead their brothers to lives of useful 
 toil, and encouraging them to pursue 
 them for themselves. He spoke to 
 them plainly, exhorting them to no 
 ambitious goal, but telling them that 
 minds long abased by slavery must 
 struggle long, and cast off a thou- 
 sand cerements of custom and igno- 
 rance, ere they can take upon them 
 the work of those who have ever 
 lived beneath the vitifying influences 
 of freedom. 
 
 Adela the happy wife, the joyous 
 young mother almost envied the 
 lone widow as she stood among her 
 charges, and they pressed around her 
 for one word or kindly glance. 
 There was about her an air of deep- 
 est tranquility and content, and in 
 her sable weeds she looked more 
 beautiful than when the bridal wreath 
 rested upon her brow. 
 
 ' ' Thank God ! " whispered Thorn- 
 ton, ' ' that tortured heart has found 
 peace at last. In making the happi- 
 ness of others, she has made her own. " 
 
 They left the school then, and drove 
 to Enola, where the day was passed in 
 speaking of plans for the future. La 
 Guerita's were simple enough ; it 
 was, through all her life, to continue 
 what she had begun. 
 
 " I am not rich enough," she said, 
 ' ' to keep any one in idleness, and I 
 love those poor creatures too well to 
 wish to do so ; and though now they 
 sometimes repine, and often rebel, 
 they will some day know that only 
 by toil can their race be raised to the 
 position of mankind they were 
 mere brutes so long. " 
 
 "But they were made in God's 
 own image, " said Fabean, gravely ; 
 "and though they have been trod- 
 den under foot, yet will He raise 
 them up ; yet who will aid, who will 
 guide them ? Those that love them 
 most will mislead them by their un- 
 timely counsels." 
 
 ' ' That is true, " said Thornton ; 
 "you alone do I know, who, in a 
 practical* way, demonstrate to them 
 the path they must punsue, and strive 
 to fit them for it. " 
 
 ' ' But others will arise, " returned 
 Fabean. "The Government has 
 something of the spirit, as has been 
 shown by .the Freedmen's Bureau, 
 and by other means, and private in- 
 dividuals are awakening to it. Your 
 young brother, Mrs. Leslie, is with 
 us heart and soul." 
 
 ' ' We were much disappointed 
 when he refused to go to college," 
 said Adela ; "we thought pride in- 
 duced him to refuse Thornton's aid. " 
 
 "No, no," replied Fabean; "it 
 was not pride ; but he rightly thought 
 he would make but an indifferent pro- 
 fessional man, while, as a practical 
 farmer, his career of usefulness would 
 be unlimited. He was correct ; and 
 already, from our example alone, 
 agriculture has improved so greatly 
 throughout the county that poverty 
 must soon become unknown. Ah, 
 I forgot ; Will. Russell, too, since 
 his return from Europe, has interest- 
 ed himself in our plans. But I for- 
 got to tell you, and I know that for 
 my remissness I shall never be for- 
 given Will. Russell is about to be 
 married ! " 
 
 "To be married!" echoed La 
 Guerita, in surprise, while Mrs. Les- 
 lie reddened, as her husband glanced 
 
In Bonds. 
 
 247 
 
 at her ; "and pray who is he to be 
 married to ? " 
 
 ' ' That is the most wonderful part 
 of all ; it is to Mrs. Claude Lever- 
 edge. It appears that when he first 
 saw her, she reminded him of some 
 one, who shall be nameless, and 
 whom he had once loved, and that 
 the most of his time in Europe was 
 spent in inquiries concerning her, 
 which, I presume, must have been 
 satisfactory, for they are to be mar- 
 ried within the month ; and all I re- 
 gret is, that my engagements here 
 will prevent me from witnessing the 
 ceremony. " 
 
 Victor reddened, and soon after 
 bade them farewell, that he might 
 spend the evening with his promised 
 bride. His mother looked after him 
 with a smile. He was to make no 
 mesalliance ; yet, as she lifted her 
 Harold's child upon her knee, she 
 thought : ' ' Ah, my son, my son ! if 
 thou hadst but lived to know truly 
 thy noble wife ! God grant that in 
 Heaven thou knowest how little 
 cause thou hadst to have shame of 
 her ! " 
 
 And later when the guests had de- 
 parted and Harold lay sleeping on 
 his mother's arms, she sat with her 
 brother looking upon the glowing 
 fire, and talking of all the strange 
 vicissitudes of her life, and Fabean, 
 for the first time told her how their 
 lives were twin by a common tie the 
 loved and lost. 
 
 Then bowing her head on his 
 shoulder, she whispered : 
 
 ' ' My brother, nought can darken 
 our lives again ; all clouds of sor- 
 row has swept over us, and should 
 
 any return they cannot shut out the 
 light, for we know that our sun 
 shineth forever that forever God 
 liveth who hath led us and our people 
 from bondage, and giving us the 
 blessed work of guiding his helpless 
 children. " 
 
 * ' Thank God for that work, " said 
 Fabean ; "I feel my life a holy thing 
 thus consecrated, knowing that though 
 here I bear it in shame, God will ac- 
 count it worthy of honor in that day 
 when he judgeth the quick and the 
 dead." 
 
 His face sank upon his sister's 
 shining hair, and his soul drank in 
 comfort as she whispered the sweetest 
 words of England's sweet singer : 
 
 " Only my heart to my heart shall show it 
 As I walk desolate day by day." 
 
 ' ' For oh, Fabean, I know that my 
 husband waits and longs for me ; 
 that he has seen and pitied me in my 
 bonds, even as the merciful Savior 
 did. Yes 
 
 " And yet I know, past all doubting, truly 
 A knowledge greater than grief can dim 
 I know, as he loved, he will love me duly, 
 Yea better, e'en better than I love him. 
 
 " And as I walk by the vast calm river, 
 
 The awful river so dread to see, 
 I say, * thy breadth and thy depth forever, 
 Are bridged by his thoughts that cross to me. 1 " 
 
 And counting their work but just 
 begun, and all their sorrows but prep- 
 arations for it the brother and sister 
 with steady faith, pursue their way, 
 holding their loves precious, and 
 hoping at last to yield them as jewels 
 to the crown of Him who breaketh 
 all bonds, and out of the depths of 
 worldly scorn and shame, raiseth his 
 loved ones to eternal glory. 
 
ELECTRO-SILICON, OR MAGIC BRILLIANT, 
 
 DIRECT FROM NATURE'S LABORATORY. 
 
 Sole Agents, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. 
 
 TR-A.I3EJ 
 
 WM. H. KEITH & CO., Apothecaries. 
 521 Montgomery St., San Francisco, Price, 25 Cents, 
 
 ELECTRO-SILICON* is not a chemical compound, but a natural product or deposit of the 
 minute shells of Infusoria, and is found in the State of Nevada. It is ascertained by 
 analysis to be pure silex or Silicon, containing nothing that is injurious for the pur- 
 poses for which it is recommended. It gives a beautiful lustre to gold, silver and plated 
 ware, and also brightens and cleans tin and Britannia ware in the most surprising man- 
 ner. After using it once, no housekeeper will ever be without it 
 
 To jewelers and workers in gold and silver plate, the Electro-Silicon is of inestimable 
 value. The time saved, and the vexation prevented by its use, will forever endear its 
 name to all who have had evidence of its merits. The following certificates from well 
 known jewelers and others of this city, will serve to attest the truth of this statement : 
 
 Ifessrs. Win. H. Keith <fc Co., Agents. SAN FRANCISCO, April 23, 1867. 
 
 Having tested the qualities of the Electro-Silicon or Magic Brilliant, by actual use, 
 we take pleasure in saying that we consider it the best article yet discovered for clean- 
 ing all polished metallic surfaces, acting, as its name implies, like magic. It contains 
 no mercury or injurious substance, and what is of great importance to its use on plated 
 ware, it will not wear away the plating. Yours truly, 
 
 GEO. C. SHREVE & CO., Jewelers. 
 
 Messrs. Wm. H. Keith <fe Co., Agents. SAN FRANCISCO, June 14th, 1867. 
 
 We are now using the Electro-Silicon Polish, and find it the best in use. 
 
 J. W. TUCKER & CO., 
 Importers and Manufacturing Jewelers, Montgomery Street. 
 
 Messrs. Wm. H. Keith <fc Co. SAN FRANCISCO, June 15th, 1867. 
 
 SIRS We have experimented in our Factory with your Electro-Silicon, and pronounce 
 it far superior to all other preparations for 'polishing articles of gold and silver. We 
 think it hardly possible that any other substance can supercede it in the favor of jewel- 
 ers, who can appreciate the beautiful lustre it imparts to all goods in their line. 
 
 Truly yours, BARRETT & SHERWOOD, Jewelers. 
 
 Electro-Silicon Company. SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 3d. 1867. 
 
 GENTS We have used, with the greatest satisfaction, your Electro-Silicon or Magic 
 Brilliant, for cleaning and polishing our gold and silver ware. The superiority of your 
 brilliant polish over any other now in use, is certainly surprising, and its advantages 
 are unparalleled, as it contains no acid, mercury, or other substances injurious to the 
 finest gold and silver ware, or to other metals requiring a brilliant lustre. We cheer- 
 fully recommend this most surprising discovery of the age. 
 
 M. M. BALDWIN & CO., Jewelers, 
 CARL H. HALN & CO., 
 C. E. COLLINS & CO., 
 SAM'L HILL, 
 
 Agent of the Florence Sewing Machines. 
 
 J. P. LfiCOUNT & CO., Stationers. 
 
 Corner Sacramento and Montgomery Streets. 
 
AGENCY FOR 
 
 STEIN WAY & SONS' 
 
 C ARH ART & NEEDHAM'S 
 
 i 
 
 Melodeons, Church and School Harmoniums. 
 
 (Illustrated Catalogues of the above.) 
 
 Cornets, 
 
 STRINGS. 
 
 GENUINE EOMAN, OP DIKEGT IMPORTATION, FOE 
 
 Violin, Viola, Violincello, Double-Bass, 
 
 Harp, Guitar, Banjo, Zither. 
 
 MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS OF EVERY DESCRIPTION. 
 
 SHEET MUSIC AND BOOKS, 
 
 Wholesale and Retail, 
 
 @f 
 
 609 and 613 Clay Street, San Francisco, Gal. 
 
FIRST PREMIUM 
 
 519 MONTGOMERY STREET, 
 
 Bet. Clay and Commercial, Saa 
 
 Ear-Drops, Breast Pins, Finger Rings, 
 
ELASTIC STITCH/^ 
 
 FA.MXi.ir /^*W/ 
 
 SEWING_MACHINE$I 
 
 FOR EMBROIDERY 
 FOR BRAIDING 
 FOR QUILTING 
 FOR HEMMING 
 FOR TUCKING 
 
 ARE UNAPPROACHABLE. 
 
 FOR GATHERING 
 
 ARE UNSURPASSED. 
 
 FOR STITCHING 
 
 ARE FAULTLESS. 
 
 FOR CORDING 
 
 ARE INCOMPARABLE. 
 
 8TIT CH 
 Sewing 
 
 FOR FELLING 
 
 ARE ADMIRABLE. 
 
 THE 
 
 SIR!? 
 
 IN 
 
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 FOB 
 
 MANUFACTURING. 
 
 PARTICULAR ATTENTION 
 
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 Fast, Durable and Improved 
 
 Sewing machine 
 
 In any Branch of Manufacturing, 
 
 To our NEW STYLES which possess unmistaka- 
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 JLnmt ? 
 
 116 Montgomery Street. 
 
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