Page:The woman in battle .djvu/295

Rh against me, he concluded to try whether it would not be possible to force me into committing myself.

When, therefore, instead of ordering my release, Butler settled his podgy figure back in his chair, and, apparently, making a vigorous attempt to look straight at me with both eyes at once,—an impossibility, by the way,—said, with a harsh, grating voice, and with what was intended to be an intensely satirical manner, "Well, madam, you have shown your hand nicely; I have been wanting you for some time past, and I propose to send you to Ship Island,"—I felt that the real ordeal was but just commencing.

Without permitting myself to be disconcerted, either by his manner or by his threat, I replied, "I guess not; the law does not permit you to sentence any one on mere hearsay or belief, and no evidence has been produced against me."

"Are you not guilty?" said Butler, blinking his eyes, and trying to look as savage as possible.

"That is for you to prove, if you intend to punish me," I replied. "It is very certain you have not succeeded in proving it yet."

"Come, come, madam, I don't want any of this nonsense," struck in Butler, sharply. "I know you, and your tricks; and as your little game is played out, you might as well confess, and be done with it."

"There is no difficulty about your finding out who I am," I retorted. "My name, and residence, and circumstances are well known to your officers, and have been ever since the capture of the city. You have no proof against me, and I have nothing to confess."

"Do you mean to say," continued the general, "that you are not the writer of that letter, or that you did not smuggle it through the lines?"

"I don't mean to say anything about it," I answered; "and I don't mean to confess what I didn't do."

By this time Butler, seeing that he was not making much headway with me, began to get angry, and he roared out, "Well, madam, if you won't confess without compulsion, I'll see whether I can't compel you. I'm tired of this sort of thing, and Fm going to make an example of you for the benefit of the other female spies who are hanging about this city." I replied, as cool as possible, "You may get yourself into trouble, sir, if you attempt to punish an innocent woman on a