New England -- Juvenile fiction; United States -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 -- Juvenile fiction
“She knew,” commented Stephen, when he heard of her toiling so late in
the empty cottage; “she knew well indeed that, had I been here, I would
never have permitted such a thing. She was making the most of my
absence, the minx!”
When he heard how the English soldiers had marched past Hopewell unheard
and unseen in the storm, and had brought the troublesome Tories safely
away, he chuckled aloud and slapped his knee.
“We are well rid of Andrew Shadwell, the slippery rogue,” he said, “and
this was, after all, the best way out of the situation. I wish the
English joy of him. But when I overtook the troops from Boston this
morning, I found them a disappointed set who had just learned that they
had arrived a few hours too late. Their leader had naught to do but to
march his men back again with as good a grace as he could, for the ship
that brought the English troops was already far out to sea.”
When the Doctor reached that part of the tale dealing with the young
Captain’s return to see that Clotilde was safe, he warmed to his task of
storyteller.
“It was the deed of a gallant fellow,” he concluded, “and I would the
boy were not so sorely hurt. I find I have a friendly feeling for him,
not only on account of his courage but because of his resemblance to
you. Even as he lies there, white and unconscious, he has a familiar
look that strikes me as uncanny. Just go and see for yourself, if you do
not believe me.”
Stephen mounted the stairs once more and stepped into the room where the
wounded soldier lay. Bidding the Doctor’s servant, who watched beside
the bed, to draw aside the curtain, he stood for some time gazing at the
white face on the pillow. Then he turned, without a word, and went back
to his waiting friend.
“I will show you why his face is so familiar,” he said.
He led the physician into the dining-room and pointed to the portrait
that hung in the place of honour above the sideboard. It was a picture
of Amos Bardwell, painted in England and sent many years ago to Alisoun
Sheffield. As was the somewhat unnatural fashion of that day, the artist
had pictured the young man on horseback, his painted steed prancing, his
cloak flying out behind him and his plumed hat held aloft in his hand.
Behind him was the usual background of woods and distant cliffs crowned
by a castle. Face and figure were so much like the young officer’s
upstairs that it was small wonder that Clotilde, when she saw him gallop
down the road that October morning, had felt so sure she had seen him
before. As Stephen and the Doctor looked at the portrait, both were
thinking that it might have been meant for the wounded stranger himself,
save that the picture was fifty years old and the young soldier was
surely not half that age.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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