The Deserter: A Romance of the American Revolution, Chapters VIII-IX [pp. 726-732]

SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER.
a syllable of what I tell you, Mr. Wilmington, but just
judge for yourself. And look here, wife, you may as
well shut up the shop, for it's so rainy that no other
customer will be in to-night. Mr. Wilmnington, here's
your health."
They raised their glasses, and the guest, finely displaying the rings on his chubby fingers as he did so,
drank his own health in a full bumper for the fifth or
sixth time that evening; for the shoemaker had plied
him well. But after Champe entered-the heretofore
rigidly abstemious Champe-a new impetus was given
by him to the conviviality of the evening, and the
bottle circulated far more freely than before.
An hour passed away in this manner, and then the
countenances and actions of all the bacchanalians exhibited the advanced stage of the revel.
"Gentlemen," cried Wilmington, extending his right
arm, with a cambric handkerchief grasped in his ringbedecked hand, while his little black eye flashed in great
excitement, "Vill you not listen to reason, or vont you?
1 tells you, upon the vord of a gentleman, that the
plan was the Colonel's h'own-he was the very gentleman as started the whole scheme."
"1 would not doubt any gentleman's honor or word,"
cried Champe, stammering, "much less that of a
Colonels-'s, gentlemen. But then, Mr. Wilmington,
it is so easy, sir, for a gentleman-any gentleman-to
be mistaken. Here's my respects, gentlemen, to youto you both."
"The easiest thing in the world, Mr. Champe, certainly," cried the complaisant shoemaker, agreeing with
both his guests; "but then Mr. Wilmington is always
so correct."
"Mistaken!" repeated the valet de chambre of
Colonel, (for such was Mr. Wilmington,) as he
petulantly knocked his glass upon the table with a
force that dashed it to pieces. "Hi tells you the thing's
himpossible; what the hye sees and the hear'ears, h'is
no mistake whatsomdever, mind me. Says the Colonel
to me,' Vilmington,' says —that is to say,'.Ilr. Vil
mington,' says he-' you will oblige me,' says he, (for
he's the perlitest man in the vorld, is his honor,)'by
just keeping your mouth shut about anything you might
have heard to-night.' Vell, that's hexac'ly what makes
me remember the thing; for, Lord bless you, I'd been
so used to'earin' gentlemen talk,'as I'ad'nt taken n
notice whatsomdever upon it. But seeing there wa
som'ut pertic'ler they'd been talkin' on this time, vy
wery nat'rally begun fur to recollect what it was. Vell
It then h'occurred to me that they'd nmade up to spread
a report among the prisoners as was to be hexchange
the next day, as'ow that Major Gineral wa
hexpected to come over shortly to h'our side; jist a
Gineral Arnold had done. Now I put it to any gentle
man, whether there's any mistake in that."
"Why, I should say, Mr. Wilmington," answere
the smooth shoemaker, "that that argiment is conclu
sive. I don't want to flatter you, sir, nor any othe
gentleman; but I do declare I like your way of fetec
ing up your argiments to a pint-positively I do."
"And I say," cried Champe, hiccoughing, as he flourished his glass above his head, "it's no such thing
Any fellow-that is, any gentleman could be mistake
yet, notwithstanding all that."
"'Od rot it," cried the angry valet; "11'is'iit fat
fact? What the d l, Mr. Sergeant-but I must be
permitted to say that you does seem to be the'ardest
gentleman to be convinced I ever seed. Vy, sir, it
was'nt a veek hafter that, h'afore Sir IHIenry supped
agin with us, at his honor's quarters, and his hexcel lency was in the mightiest good humor hever I seed
'im afore; for it seemed they'd'eard betwixt'em, as
'ow Vashington believed the'ole story they told the
prisoners. Vell now. Vhere's the mistake about that
there? Hanswer me that, by,sir. Hanswer me
that, I say." And with the air of one who has indis putably gained his point, the gentleman's gentleman
helped himself to a clean glass and more wine.
It was not long after this, that the conversation of
the bacchanalians flagged; and Champe, appearing to
be overcome with the potations in which he had in dulged, leaned his head upon the table; and notwith standing the horror expressed by the shocked Mr. Wil mnington, absolutely snored loudly.
" Vell!" exclaimed the worthy and trusty valet,
turning up his red nose in derision, and addressing his
host, "I must say, Mr. Muller, as'ow you H'americans
has strange notions of perliteness, re'ly."1
Muller made some excuse for the sergeant, and, soon
afterward, Wilmington took his leave, moving out of
the house with a forced precision of step that was quite
necessary to conceal a certain involuntary tendency of
his frame to vary from the perpendicular.
No sooner had the door closed upon him and the
shoemaker, who politely accompanied his guest to the
s t r e e t door of the building, th an C hampe arose from
his recumbent posture with an e ye as calm and com posed as usual. He had been practising deception; for
n o w there was not the least sign of intoxication or even
drowsiness about him. He then consulted his watch;
and, drawing a piece of blank paper from his pocket,
w r o t e a few lines in a disguised hand, and folding it in
t h e form of a letter, handed i t to Muller, who by this
1 time, with a half-suppressed but significant laugh, re - entered the room, as sober as Champe himself.
"Read it," said the latter, as his companion took the
paper; "you can direct and enclose it when you think
tproper."
s "You have not signed it," returned the shoemaker.
"It is better so," replied Chliampe briefly. "Will
o you be good enough to light me to the door?"
s "Why hurry?" asked Muller. "Come, sit down,
I and let us take one glass of wine at least in comfort.
1. Come, it is not late."
d "I must go," returned tLe sergeant decidedly. "I
dhave some little business to transact at my quarters
s before I sleep."
s No farther opposition was made by Muller, and
I- muffling himself closely in the cloak he had thrown off
in the shop below, and re-lighting a small lantern he
d had brought with him, Champe committed himself to
a- the rage of the storm.
~r "One thing is in your favor," said Muller, as he stood
- in the door of his shop; "the wind is on your back."
"Yes-that's lucky; I should not care about facing
a- such a storm asthis. Good night."
g. "Good night to you," echoed Muller; and the door
w was carefully locked and bolted: but no sooner was
this done, than Champe, whose present life appeared to
ct be one of continued deception, concealed his lantern
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