"Well, Massa Wingfield, I don't know what to say to you.I tought I owed you enuff before, but it war nothing to dis.Just to tink dat you should take all dat pains to fetch Dinah back for me.I dunno how it came to you to do it.It seems to me like as if you been sent special from heben to do dis poor nigger good.Words ain't no good, sah; but of I could give my life away a hundred times for you I would do it."It took them nearly three hours' walking before they came in sight of the Orangery.
"There are lights in the windows," Vincent said."Thank goodness they are there."Vincent limped slowly along until he reached the house.
"You stay out here, Tony.I will send Dinah out to you directly.It will be better for her to meet you here alone."Vincent walked straight into the drawing-room, where his mother and Annie were sitting.
"Why, Vincent!" Mrs.Wingfield exclaimed, starting up, what has happened to you? What are you dressed up like that for? Is anything the matter?""Nothing is the matter, mother, except that I am as tired as a dog.
Yes, my dress is not quite fit for a drawing-room," he laughed, looking down at the rough trousers splashed with mud to the waist, and his flannel shirt, for they had not waited to pick up their coats as they left the boat; "but nothing is the matter, I can assure you.Iwill tell you about it directly, but first please send for Dinah here."Mrs.Wingfleld rang the bell on the table beside her.
"Tell Dinah I want to speak to her at once," she said to the girl that answered it.Dinah appeared in a minute.
"Dinah," Vincent said, "has your boy gone to bed?""Yes, sah; been gone an hour ago.""Well, just go to him, and put a shawl round him, and go out through the front door.There is some one standing there you will be glad to see.
Dinah stood with open eyes, then her hands began to tremble.
"Is it Tony, sah; for do Lord's sake, is it Tony?"Vincent nodded, and with a little scream of joy she turned and ran straight to the front door.She could not wait now even to fetch her boy, and in another moment she was clasped in her husband's arms.
"Now, Vincent, tell us all about it," his mother said."Don't you see we are dying of curiosity?""And I am dying of fatigue," Vincent said; "which is a much more painful sort of death, and I can think of nothing else until I have got these boots off.Annie, do run and tell them to bring me a pair of slippers and a cup of tea, and I shall want the buggy at the door in half an hour.""You are not going away again to-night, Vincent, surely?" his mother said anxiously."You do look completely exhausted.""I am exhausted, mother.I have walked seven or eight-and-forty miles, and this cavalry work spoils one for walking altogether.""Walked forty-eight miles, Vincent! What on earth have you done that for?""Not from choice, I can assure you, mother; but you know the old saying, 'Needs must when the devil drives,' and in the present case you must read 'Yankee' instead of 'the gentleman in black.'
"But has Petersburg fallen?" Mrs.Wingfield asked in alarm.
"No; Petersburg is safe, and is likely to continue so.But you must really be patient, mother, until I have had some tea, then you can hear the story in full."When the servant came in with the tea Vincent told her that she was to tell Dinah, whom she would find on the veranda, to bring her husband into the kitchen, and to give him everything he wanted.Then, as soon as he had finished tea, he told his mother and sister the adventures he had gone through.Both were crying when he had finished.
"I am proud of you, Vincent," his mother said."It is hard on us that you should run such risks; still I do not blame you, my boy, for if I had ten sons I would give them all for my country."Vincent had but just finished his story when the servant came in and said that the buggy was at the door.
"I will go in my slippers, mother, but I will run up and change my other things.It's lucky I have got a spare suit here.Any of our fellows who happened to be going down to-night in the train would think that I was mad were I to go like this."It was one o'clock in the morning when Vincent reached Petersburg.He went straight to his quarters, as it would be no use waking General Lee at that hour.A light was burning in his room, and Dan was asleep at the table with his head on his arms.He leaped up with a cry of joy as his master entered.
"Well, Dan, here I am safe again," Vincent said cheerily."I hope you had not begun to give me up.""I began to be terribly frightened, sir-terribly frightened.I went dis afternoon and asked Captain Burley if he had any news oh you.
He said 'No;' and asked me ef I knew where you were.I said 'No, sah;' that I knew nuffin about it except that you had gone on some dangerous job.He said he hoped that you would be back soon;and certainly, as far as dey had heard, nuffin had happened to you.
Still I was bery anzious, and tought I would sit up till de last train came in from Richmond.Den I tink I dropped off to sleep.""I think you did, Dan.Well, I am too tired to tell you anything about it now, but I have one piece of news for you; Tony has come back to his wife.""Dat's good news, sah; bery good news.I had begun to be afraid dat Tony had been shot or hung or someting.I know Dinah hab been fretting about him though she never said much, but when Iam at home she allus asks me all sorts of questions 'bout him.She bery glad woman now."The next morning Vincent went to General Lee's quarters.
"I am heartily glad to see you back," the general said warmly as he entered."I have blamed myself for letting you go.Well, what success have you had?""Here is a rough plan of the works, general.I have not had time to do it out fairly, but it shows the positions of all their principal batteries, with a rough estimate as to the number of guns that each is intended to carry.""Excellent!" the general said, glancing over the plan."This will give us exactly the information we want.We must set to with our counter-works at once.The country is indeed indebted to you, sir.
