Page:Seventy-six, or, Love and battle (IA seventysixlove00nealrich).pdf/18

 what I feared were the last remains of my own father and mother; but no—that horror was spared to me; they were Hessians—they were covered with leather, and I tell down upon my knees and thanked Heaven for it. But still I persisted in the search, till my boots and clothes were literally burnt from me, and I was choked and blinded by the loathsome smoke of the bodies.

Aye! down

they are

My was

slaves. as

!

father

was alive, thank Heaven my father mother too O, my children, would !

alive! poor

me

could understand

that you

language

IV. with them!

to the dust

without the use of

&quot;&quot;of

myfather, sternly.to Archibald, ood before him, holding Arthur by the hand your disobedience. Had you returned last night &quot;

Ho.v many were they?

said Archibald.

said my father, Twenty when they broke it was baring his brawny arm to his shoulder &quot;

in,&quot;

bone in a dozen or more places, but they left us with less than half able to horses two more of you, and we would have made mincemeat of the rascals d n them.&quot; I looked at him, awe-struck at the preternatural iprcssion of his wrath, and wondered at the melan choly, dreadful aspect of my mother.

gashed

to the

&quot;twenty

!

ait their



&quot;

said Archibald, gasping for Mary ah did sha come ? was she there father put him aside ; mother shook from

Mary

breath

My

knew your sturdy and inflexible nature too well t attempt compounding with it: I hope that you will forgive me, your name does not appear, but no mat ter; there lies the protection ; it was a trap, a mere trap tolull us into security the Hessians cannot read it; and henceforward,&quot; locking his hands, &quot;I will

depend upon no otj^rjxut.tjiat of God, and niy~owja~ rtgtrHHW f^This eye fell upo iTAtthur, whom he hnd not keen before). He faltered, and I was not a little startled at the

!

of Arthur, who stood loukingat him awhile, with his arms folded, lips compressed, and an ap of eye ; and then left the room. fixedness palling

Mr. Arnauld took the hand of his wife Louisa, make ray peace with that young man he &quot;

said he,

-asjou promised &quot;



manner

!

Thiscomes,&quot;said &quot;who

7 there let it be. JS o indignantly, as he spoke) peace with the tyrants, no quarter. .1 have been a friend of the royal cause a friend of Sir Henry Clinton ; and the paper, signed by himself and Sir William Howe, whose gallant brother died in my arms, when I was a fellow-soldier with him, years and years ago that paper contained the royal word, the plighted honour of these scoundrel commissioners, that not only my household should be spared from I pillage, but yours ; nay, do not frown, my friend

tire,

!&quot;

&quot;

!

my

head to foot, and Arthur dropped Archibald s hand, and stood Oh how altered since the last night, immoveable as a dead Kian. Archibald was the first to speak She is dead !

&quot;



&quot;



has saved the life of your husband, I will not say how, but his life, and something dearer to him thaa his life, Arthur Rodman, spared to him, saved t him.&quot;

How, Robert?&quot; said Mrs. Arnauld. I cannot well bear to relate it. said her husbamT, you know my temper I enough, for th, the young present, that he saved me from a crime &quot;

1

&quot;

&quot;but

and innocent from death and, when deeply, ulti mately wronged, and I was helpless at his feet, shook

me from him to the dust.&quot; His wife understood him too well, and her eyes ran over as she turned away her face&quot;Arnauld!&quot;

said

my

father, in a terrible voice,

you the man? I am,&quot; was the reply, as he stood fore him. &quot;are &quot;

fearlessly be

1

said he. Aye ; dead - dead, in her innocence, blessed aid father, as if his heart were breaking.

then, I

I hope,

&quot;God

&quot;

one,&quot;

my

i&quot;



rery attitude was that of desperation and horror. Archibald took out his watch with a calmness that awed me, bent the sword upon which he leant, so that the hilt almost touched the fieor exchanged a look, the import of which I did not suspect, till his absence had began to alarm us, with Arthur, and stepped out f the room. We were at Mr. Arnauld s I had forgotten to tell you how it was brought about but there it was, and there was the wounded officer too, the handsomest



saw

in

my

life,

lying in the same

you!&quot;

my

father

poor

!&quot;

&quot;

&quot;Then thank God! thank God said Archibald, while Arthur locked his hands, and lifted them deToutly to the skies and my mother, as if touched by some horrid thought all at once, threw herself into my father s arms, and buried her face in bis bosom. He repulsec1 her, and shuddered, and then, as if &quot;wondering at himself, embraced her for a whole minute in silence, and then led her away, while she covered her face with her hands, and moved like a woman that God hath more than widowed; her

fellow that I ever

forgive

Mary Mary

said

husband

!&quot;

said Mrs. Arnauld, glancing at her

&quot;not

Mary Austin? what mean you?

said Arnauld, going up to him, with look of deep terror, I dread to hear your reply ; you are not a man to be lightly disturbed what &quot;

Oadley,&quot;

&quot;

has happened

to the

poor

innocent?&quot;

There was a silence of half a minute, during which we all stood looking at each other. She is dead, said my father. Dead! God forbid, how! how, in Heaven s name? tell me, tell me, Oadley She had discovered, before you saw her last night, that you were a married man she had deter mined to meet you once more, upbraid you for your perfidy, and throw herself at the feet of Ar thur Rodman poor Arthur. That led to the en counter between you ; that brought her to my hous* &quot;

&quot;

1&quot;

&quot;



&quot;

last night



that

Arnauld staggered away from us, as my father continued, and his wife sunk into a chair, ^nd buried her face in her hands. Last night, sir, she she was destroyed.&quot; May they be accursed, for ever and ever! the hottest-lightnings of Heaven, the &quot;

&quot;

apartment.

Mr. Arnauld, en tering, booted and spurred, followed by his beautiful ihere is my hand this outrage is not to be wife, borne. Henceforward I am an American heart, there is the royal protection blood, and pulse a ^tearing paper in pieces, and throwing it into the &quot;My

excellent

neighbour,&quot;

said

&quot;





!

may

&quot;

Rash man

how sternly, dare you kneel down, before your own wife, anil (.all the lightnings of God upon men, soldiers, un &quot;

!&quot;

cried

my

&quot;

father,

trained and undisciplined ruffians, who would but have done what you meditated; you, Arnauld, a father