“ Truth will
come to light;
Murder cannot be hid long,
a man’s son may;
But in the end, truth will
out. ”
Launcelot.
The officer of the Queen had leaped
into the pavilion, with the flushed features and all
the hurry of an excited man. The exclamations
and retreat of la belle Barberie, for a single moment,
diverted his attention; and then he turned, suddenly,
not to say fiercely, towards her companion. It
is not necessary to repeat the description of the stranger’s
person, in order to render the change, which instantly
occurred in the countenance of Ludlow, intelligible
to the reader. His eye, at first, refused to believe
there was no other present; and when it had, again
and again, searched the whole apartment, it returned
to the face and form of the dealer in contraband,
with an expression of incredulity and wonder.
“Here is some mistake!”
exclaimed the commander of the Coquette, after time
had been given for a thorough examination of the room.
“Your gentle manner of entrance,”
returned the stranger, across whose face there had
passed a glow, that might have come equally of anger
or of surprise, “has driven the lady from the
room. But as you wear the livery of the Queen,
I presume you have authority for invading the dwelling
of the subject?”
“I had believed nay,
there was reason to be certain, that one whom all of
proper loyalty execrate, was to be found here;”
stammered the still-confused Ludlow. “There
can scarce be a deception, for I plainly heard the
discourse of my captors, and yet here is
none!”
“I thank you for the high consideration
you bestow on my presence.”
The manner, rather than the words,
of the speaker, induced Ludlow to rivet another look
on his countenance. There was a mixed expression
of doubt, admiration, and possibly of uneasiness,
if not of actual jealousy, in the eye, which slowly
read all his linéaments, though the former seemed
the stronger sensation of the three.
“We have never met before!”
cried Ludlow, when the organ began to grow dim, with
the length and steadiness of its gaze.
“The ocean has many paths, and
men may journey on them, long, without crossing each
other.”
“Thou hast served the Queen,
though I see thee in this doubtful situation?”
“Never. I am not one to
bind myself to the servitude of any woman that lives,”
returned the free trader, while a mild smile played
about his lip “though she wore a thousand diadems!
Anne never had an hour of my time, nor a single wish
of my heart.”
“This is bold language, Sir,
for the ear of her officer. The arrival of an
unknown brigantine, certain incidents which have occurred
to myself this night, your presence here, that bale
of articles forbidden by the law, create suspicions
that must be satisfied. Who are you?”
“The flagrant wanderer of the
ocean the outcast of society the
condemned in the opinions of world the lawless
‘Skimmer of the Seas!’”
“This cannot be! The tongues
of men speak of the personal deformity of that wanderer,
no less than of his bold disregard of the law.
You would deceive me.”
“If then men err so much in
that which is visible and unimportant,” returned
the other, proudly, “is there not reason to doubt
their accuracy in matters of more weight. I am
surely what I seem, if I am not what I say.”
“I will not credit so improbable
a tale; give me some proof that what I
hear is true.”
“Look at that brigantine, whose
delicate spars are almost confounded with the back-ground
of trees,” said the other, approaching the window,
and directing the attention of his companion to the
Cove: “’Tis the bark that has so
often foiled the efforts of all thy cruisers, and which
transports me and my wealth whither I will, without
the fetters of arbitrary laws, and the meddling inquiries
of venal hirelings. The scud, which floats above
the sea, is not freer than that vessel, and scarcely
more swift. Well is she named the Water-Witch!
for her performances on the wide ocean have been such
as seem to exceed all natural means. The froth
of the sea does not dance more lightly above the waves,
than yonder graceful fabric, when driven by the breeze.
She is a thing to be loved, Ludlow; trust me, I never
yet set affections on woman, with the warmth I feel
for the faithful and beautiful machine!”
“This is little more than any
mariner could say, in praise of a vessel that he admired.”
“Will you say it, Sir, in favor
of yon lumbering sloop of Queen Anne? Your Coquette
is none of the fairest, and there was more of pretension
than of truth, at her christening.”
“By the title of my royal mistress,
young beardless, but there is an insolence in this
language, that might become him you wish to represent!
My ship, heavy or light of foot, as she may be, is
fated to bring yonder false trader to the judgment.”
“By the craft and qualities
of the Water-Witch! but this is language that might
become one who was at liberty to act his pleasure,”
returned the stranger tauntingly imitating the tone,
in which his angry companion had spoken. “You
would have proof of my identity: listen.
There is one who vaunts his power, that forgets he
is a dupe of my agent, and that even while his words
are so full of boldness, he is a captive!”
The brown cheek of Ludlow reddened,
and he turned toward the lighter and far less vigorous
frame of his companion, as if about to strike him to
the earth, when a door opened, and Alida appeared
in the saloon.
The meeting, between the commander
of the Coquette and his mistress, was not without
embarrassment. The anger of the former and the
confusion of the latter, for a moment, kept both silent;
but as la belle Barberie had not returned without
an object, she was quick to speak.
“I know not whether to approve,
or to condemn, the boldness that has prompted Captain
Ludlow to enter my pavilion, at this unseasonable hour,
and in so unceremonious a manner,” she said,
“for I am still ignorant of his motive.
When he shall please to let me hear it, I may judge
better of the merit of the excuse.”
“True, we will hear his explanation
before condemnation,” added the stranger, offering
a seat to Alida, which she coldly declined. “Beyond
a doubt the gentleman has a motive.”
If looks could have destroyed, the
speaker would have been annihilated. But as the
lady seemed indifferent to the last remark, Ludlow
prepared to enter on his vindication.
“I shall not attempt to conceal
that an artifice has been practised,” he said,
“which is accompanied by consequences that I
find awkward. The air and manner of the seaman,
whose bold conduct you witnessed in the boat, induced
me to confide in him more than was prudent, and I have
been rewarded by deception.”
“In other words, Captain Ludlow
is not as sagacious as he had reason to believe,”
said an ironical voice, at his elbow.
“In what manner am I to blame,
or why is my privacy to be interrupted, because a
wandering seaman has deceived the commander of the
Coquette?” rejoined Alida. “Not only
that audacious mariner, but this this person,”
she added, adopting a word that use has appropriated
to the multitude, “is a stranger to me.
There is no other connexion between us, than that you
see.”
“It is not necessary to say
why I landed,” continued Ludlow; “but I
was weak enough to allow that unknown mariner to quit
my ship, in my company; and when I would return, he
found means to disarm my men, and make me a prisoner.”
“And yet, art thou, for a captive,
tolerably free!” added the ironical voice.
“Of what service is this freedom,
without the means of using it? The sea separates
me from my ship, and my faithful boat’s-crew
are in fetters. I have been little watched, myself;
but though forbidden to approach certain points, enough
has been seen to leave no doubts of the character of
those whom Alderman Van Beverout entertains.”
“Thou wouldst also say, and his niece, Ludlow?”
“I would say nothing harsh to,
or disrespectful of, Alida de Barberie. I will
not deny that a harrowing idea possessed me, but
I see my error, and repent having been so hasty.”
“We may then resume our commerce,”
said the trader, cooly seating himself before the
open bale, while Ludlow and the maiden stood regarding
each other in mute surprise. “It is pleasant
to exhibit these forbidden treasures to an officer
of the Queen. It may prove the means of gaining
the royal patronage. We were last among the velvets,
and on the lagunes, of Venice. Here is one
of a color and quality to form a bridal dress for
the Doge himself, in his nuptials with the sea!
We men of the ocean look upon that ceremony as a pledge
Hymen will not forget us, though we may wander from
his altars. Do I justice to the faith of the craft,
Captain Ludlow? or are you a sworn devotee
of Neptune, and content to breathe your sighs to Venus,
when afloat? Well, if the damps and salt air of
the ocean rust the golden chain, it is the fault of
cruel nature! Ah! here is ”
A shrill whistle sounded among the
shrubbery, and the speaker became mute. Throwing
his cloths carelessly on the bale, he arose again,
and seemed to hesitate. Throughout the interview
with Ludlow, the air of the free-trader had been mild,
though, at times, it was playful; and not for an instant
had he seemed to return the resentment which the other
had so plainly manifested. It now became perplexed,
and, by the workings of his features, it would seem
that he vacillated in his opinions. The sounds
of the whistle were heard, again.
“Ay, ay, Master Tom!”
muttered the dealer in contraband. “Thy
note is audible, but why this haste? Beautiful
Alida, this shrill summons is to say, that the moment
of parting is arrived!”
“We met with less of preparation,”
returned la belle Barberie, who preserved all the
distant reserve of her sex, under the jealous eyes
of her admirer.
“We met without a warning, but
shall our separation be without a memorial? Am
I to return with all these valuables to the brigantine,
or, in their place, must I take the customary golden
tribute?”
“I know not that I dare make
a traffic which is not sanctioned by the law, in presence
of a servitor of the Queen,” returned Alida,
smiling. “I will not deny that you have
much to excite a woman’s envy; but our royal
mistress might forget her sex, and show little pity,
were she to hear of my weakness.”
“No fear of that, lady. ’Tis
they who are most stern in creating these harsh regulations,
that show most frailty in their breach. By the
virtues of honest Leadenhall itself, but I should
like to tempt the royal Anne, in her closet, with
such a display of goodly laces and heavy brocades!”
“That might be more hazardous than wise!”
“I know not. Though seated
on a throne, she is but woman. Disguise nature
as thou wilt, she is a universal tyrant, and governs
all alike. The head that wears a crown dreams
of the conquests of the sex, rather than of the conquests
of states; the hand that wields the sceptre is fitted
to display its prettiness, with the pencil, or the
needle; and though words and ideas may be taught and
sounded forth with the pomp of royalty; the tone is
still that of woman.”
“Without bringing into question
the merits of our present royal mistress,” said
Alida, who was a little apt to assert her sex’s
rights, “there is the example of the glorious
Elizabeth, to refute his charge.”
“Ay, we have had our Cleopatras
in the sea-fight, and fear was found stronger than
love! The sea has monsters, and so may have the
land. He, that made the earth gave it laws that
’tis not good to break. We men are jealous
of our qualities, and little like to see them usurped;
and trust me, lady, she that forgets the means that
nature bestows, may mourn in sorrow over the fatal
error. But, shall we deal in velvet, or
is your taste more leaning to brocade?”
Alida and Ludlow listened in admiration
to the capricious and fanciful language of the unaccountable
trader, and both were equally at a loss to estimate
his character. The equivocal air was in general
well maintained, though the commander of the Coquette
had detected an earnestness and feeling in his manner,
when he more particularly addressed la belle Barberie,
that excited an uneasiness he was ashamed to admit,
even to himself. That the maiden herself observed
this change, might also be inferred, from a richer
glow which diffused itself over her features, though
it is scarce probable that she was conscious of its
effects. When questioned as to her determination
concerning his goods, she again regarded Ludlow, doubtingly,
ere she answered.
“That you have not studied woman
in vain,” she laughingly replied, “I must
fain acknowledge. And yet, ere I make a decision,
suffer me to consult those who, being more accustomed
to deal with the laws, are better judges of the propriety
of the purchases.”
“If this request were not reasonable
in itself, it were due to your beauty and station,
lady, to grant it. I leave the bale in your care;
and, before tomorrow’s sun has set, one will
await the answer Captain Ludlow, are we to part in
friendship, or does your duty to the Queen proscribe
the word.”
“If what you seem,” said
Ludlow, “you are a being inexplicable! If
this be some masquerade, as I half suspect, ’tis
well maintained, at least, though not worthily assumed.”
“You are not the first who has
refused credit to his senses, in a manner wherein
the Water-Witch and her commander have been concerned. Peace,
honest Tom thy whistle will not hasten Father
Time! Friend, or not, Captain Ludlow need not
be told he is my prisoner.”
“That I have fallen into the power of a miscreant ”
“Hist! if thou hast
love of bodily ease and whole bones. Master Thomas
Tiller is a man of rude humor, and he as little likes
contumely as another. Besides, the honest mariner
did but obey my orders, and his character is protected
by a superior responsibility.”
“Thy orders!” repeated
Ludlow, with an expression of eye and lip that might
have offended one more disposed to take offence than
him he addressed. “The fellow who so well
succeeded in his artifice, is one much more likely
to command than to obey. If any here be the ’Skimmer
of the Seas,’ it is he.”
“We are no more than the driving
spray, which goes whither the winds list. But
in what hath the man offended, that he finds so little
favor with the Queen’s captain? He has
not had the boldness to propose a secret traffic with
so loyal a gentleman!”
“’Tis well, Sir; you choose
a happy occasion for this pleasantry. I landed
to manifest the respect that I feel for this lady,
and I care not if the world knows the object of the
visit. ’Twas no silly artifice that led
me hither.”
“Spoken with the frankness of
a seaman!” said the inexplicable dealer in contraband,
though his color lessened and his voice appeared to
hesitate. “I admire this loyalty in man
to woman; for, as custom has so strongly fettered
them in the expression of their inclinations, it is
due from us to leave as little doubt as possible of
our intentions. It is difficult to think that
la belle Barberie can do wiser than to reward so much
manly admiration!”
The stranger cast a glance, which
Alida fancied betrayed solicitude, as he spoke, at
the maiden and he appeared to expect she would reply.
“When the time shall come for
a decision,” returned the half-pleased and yet
half-offended subject of his allusion, “it may
be necessary to call upon very different counsellors
for advice. I hear the step of my uncle. Captain
Ludlow, I leave it to your discretion to meet him,
or not.”
The heavy footstep was approaching
through the outer rooms of the pavilion. Ludlow
hesitated; cast a reproachful look at his mistress;
and then he instantly quitted the apartment, by the
place through which he had entered. A noise in
the shrubbery sufficiently proved that his return was
expected, and that he was closely watched.
“Noah’s Ark, and our grandmothers!”
exclaimed Myndert, appearing at the door with a face
red with his exertions. “You have brought
us the cast-off finery of our ancestors, Master Seadrift.
Here are stuffs of an age that is past, and they should
be bartered for gold that hath been spent.”
“What now! what now!”
responded the free-trader, whose tone and manner seemed
to change, at will, in order to suit the; humor of
whomsoever he was brought to speak with. “What
now, pertinacious burgher, that thou shouldst cry
down wares that are but too good for these distant
regions! Many is the English duchess who pines
to possess but the tithe of these beautiful stuffs
I offer thy niece, and, faith rare is the
English duchess that would become them half so well!”
“The girl is seemly, and thy
velvets and brocades are passable, but the heavy articles
are not fit to offer to a Mohawk Sachem. There
must be a reduction of prices, or the invoice cannot
pass.”
“The greater the pity.
But if sail we must, sail we will! The brigantine
knows the channel over the Nantucket sands; and, my
life on it! the Yankees will find others than the
Mohawks for chapmen.”
“Thou art as quick in thy motions,
Master Seadrift, as the boat itself. Who said
that a compromise might not be made, when discussion
was prudently and fairly exhausted? Strike off
the odd florins, leave the balance in round thousands,
and thy trade is done for the season!”
“Not a stiver. Here, count
me back the faces of the Braganza; throw enough of
thin ducats into the scales to make up the sum,
and let thy slaves push inland with the articles,
before the morning light comes to tell the story.
Here has been one among us, who may do mischief, if
he will; though I know not how far he is master of
the main secret.”
Alderman Van Beverout stared a little
wildly about him, adjusted his wig, like one fully
conscious of the value of appearances in this world,
and then cautiously drew the curtains before the windows.
“I know of none more than common,
my niece excepted;” he said, when all these
precautions had been observed. “’Tis true
the Patroon of Kinderhook is in the house, but as
the man sleeps, he is a witness in our favor.
We have the testimony of his presence, while his tongue
is silent.”
“Well, be it so;” rejoined
the free-trader, reading, in the imploring eyes of
Alida, a petition that he would say no more. “I
knew by instinct there was one unusual, and it was
not for me to discover that he sleeps. There
are dealers on the coast, who, for the sake of insurance,
would charge his presence in their bills.”
“Say no more, worthy Master
Seadrift, and take the gold. To confess the truth,
the goods are in the periagua and fairly out of the
river. I knew we should come to conclusions in
the matter, and time is precious, as there is a cruiser
of the Queen so nigh. The rogues will pass the
pennant, like innocent market-people, and I’ll
risk a Flemish gelding against a Virginia nag, that
they inquire if the captain has no need of vegetables
for his soup! Ah! ha-ha-ha! That Ludlow is
a simpleton, niece of mine, and he is not yet fit
to deal with men of mature years. You’ll
think better of his qualities, one day, and bid him
be gone like an unwelcome dun.”
“I hope these proceedings may
be legally sanctioned, uncle?”
“Sanctioned! Luck sanctions
all. It is in trade as in war: success gives
character and booty, in both. Your rich dealer
is sure to be your honest dealer. Plantations
and Orders in Council! What are our rulers doing
at home, that they need be so vociferous about a little
contraband? The rogues will declaim, by the hour,
concerning bribery and corruption, while more than
half of them get their seats as clandestinely ay,
and as illegally, as you get these rare Mechlin laces.
Should the Queen take offence at our dealings, Master
Seadrift, bring me another season, or two, as profitable
as the last, and I’ll be your passenger to London,
go on ’change, buy a seat in Parliament, and
answer to the royal displeasure from my place, as
they call it. By the responsibility of the States
General! but I should expect, in such a case, to return
Sir Myndert, and then the Manhattanese might hear
of a Lady Van Beverout, in which case, pretty Alida,
thy assets would be sadly diminished! so
go to thy bed, child, and dream of fine laces, and
rich velvets, and duty to old uncles, and discretion,
and all manner of agreeable things kiss
me, jade, and to thy pillow.”
Alida obeyed, and was preparing to
quit the room, when the free-trader presented himself
before her with an air at once so gallant and respectful,
that she could scarce take offence at the freedom.
“I should fail in gratitude,”
he said, “were I to part from so generous a
customer, without thanks for her liberality. The
hope of meeting again, will hasten my return.”
“I know not that you are my
debtor for these thanks,” returned Alida, though
she saw that the Alderman was carefully collecting
the contents of the bale, and that he had already
placed three or four of the most tempting of its articles
on her dressing-table. “We cannot be said
to have bargained.”
“I have parted with more than
is visible to vulgar eyes,” returned the stranger,
dropping his voice, and speaking with an earnestness
that caused his auditor to start. “Whether
there will be a return for the gift, or perhaps I
had better call it loss, time and my stars
must show!”
He then took her hand, and raided
it to his lips, by an action so graceful and so gentle,
as not to alarm the maiden, until the freedom was done.
La belle Barberie reddened to her forehead, seemed
disposed to condemn the liberty, frowned, smiled,
and curtsying in confusion, withdrew.
Several minutes passed in profound
silence, after Alida had disappeared. The stranger
was thoughtful, though his bright eye kindled, as if
merry thoughts were uppermost; and he paced the room,
entirely heedless of the existence of the Alderman.
The latter, however, soon took occasion to remind
his companion of his presence.
“No fear of the girl’s
prating,” exclaimed the Alderman, when his task
was ended. “She is an excellent and dutiful
niece; and here, you see, is a balance on her side
of the account, that would shut the mouth of the wife
of the First Lord of the Treasury. I disliked
the manner in which you would have the child introduced;
for, look you, I do not think that either Monsieur
Barberie, or my late sister, would altogether approve
of her entering into traffic, so very young; but
what is done, is done; and the Norman himself could
not deny that I have made a fair set-off, of very
excellent commodities, for his daughter’s benefit. When
dost mean to sail Master Seadrift?”
“With the morning tide.
I little like the neighborhood of these meddling guarda-costas.”
“Bravely answered! Prudence
is a cardinal quality in a private trader; and it
is a quality that I esteem in Master Skimmer, next
to his punctuality Dates and obligations! I wish
half of the firms, of three and four names, without
counting the Co.’s, were as much to be depended
on. Dost not think it safer to repass the inlet,
under favor of the darkness?”
“’Tis impossible.
The flood is entering it like water rushing through
a race-way, and we have the wind at east. But,
fear not; the brigantine carries no vulgar freight,
and your commerce has given us a swept hold.
The Queen and the Braganza, with Holland ducats,
might show their faces even in the Royal Exchequer
itself! We have no want of passes, and the Miller’s-Maid
is just as good a name to hail by, as the ‘Water-witch.’
We begin to tire of this constant running, and have
half a mind to taste the pleasures of your Jersey
sports, for a week. There should be shooting on
the upper plains?”
“Heaven forbid! Heaven
forbid! Master Seadrift. I had all
the deer taken for the skins, ten years ago; and
as to birds, they deserted us, to a pigeon, when the
last tribe of the savages went west of the Delaware.
Thou hast discharged thy brigantine to better effect,
than thou couldst ever discharge thy fowling-pieces.
I hope the hospitality of the Lust in Rust is no problem but,
blushes and curiosity! I could wish to keep a
fair countenance, among my neighbors. Art sure
the impertinent masts of the brigantine will not be
seen above the trees, when the day comes? This
Captain Ludlow is no laggard when he thinks his duty
actually concerned.”
“We shall endeavor to keep him
quiet. The cover of the trees, and the berth
of the boat, make all snug, as respects his people.
I leave worthy Tiller to settle balances between us;
and so, I take my leave. Master Alderman a
word at parting Does the Viscount Cornbury still tarry
in the Provinces?”
“Like a fixture. There
is not a mercantile house in the colony more firmly
established.”
“There are unsettled affairs
between us. A small premium would buy the
obligations ”
“Heaven keep thee, Master Seadrift,
and pleasant voyages, back and forth! As for
the Viscount’s responsibility the
Queen may trust him with another Province, but Myndert
Van Beverout would not give him credit for the tail
of a marten; and so, again, Heaven preserve thee!”
The dealer in contraband appeared
to tear himself from the sight of all the little elegancies
that adorned the apartment of la belle Barberie, with
reluctance. His adieus to the Alderman were rather
cavalier, for he still maintained a cold and abstracted
air; but as the other scarcely observed the forms
of decorum, in his evident desire to get rid of his
guest, the latter was finally obliged to depart.
He disappeared by the low balcony, where he had entered.
When Myndert Van Beverout was alone,
he shut the windows of the pavilion of his niece,
and retired to his own part of the dwelling. Here
the thrifty burgher first busied himself in making
sundry calculations, with a zeal that proved how much
his mind was engrossed by the occupation. After
this preliminary step, he gave a short but secret conference
to the mariner of the India-shawl, during which there
was much clinking of gold pieces. But when the
latter retired, the master of the villa first looked
to the trifling securities which were then, as now,
observed in the fastenings of an American country
house; when he walked forth upon the lawn, like one
who felt the necessity of breathing the open air He
cast more than one inquiring glance at the windows
of the room which was occupied by Oloff Van Staats,
where all was happily silent; at the equally immovable
brigantine in the Cove; and at the more distant and
still motionless hull of the cruiser of the crown.
All around him was in the quiet of midnight Even the
boats, which he knew to be plying between the land
and the little vessel at anchor, were invisible; and
he re-entered his habitation, with the security one
would be apt to feel, under similar circumstances,
in a region so little tenanted, and so little watched,
as that in which he lived.