300 AUTHENTIC HISTORY 



her miserable quarters with a dog and cat, the former of which mounted 

 guard over the mansion, wliile the hitter occasioned superstitious fears, 

 which were equally effectual in keeping visitors away, 



"One dark stormy night in autumn, Lee was lying awake at midnight, 

 meditating on the enterprise he had undertaken, which though in the 

 beginning it had recommended itself to his romantic disposition, had 

 now lost all its charms. It was one of those tempests which in our cli- 

 mate so often hang upon the path of the departing year. His com- 

 panions slept soundly, but the wind which shook the building to its 

 foundation, and threw heavy splashes of rain against the window, con- 

 spired with the state of his mind to keep him wakeful. All at once the 

 door was gently opened, and a figure moved silently into the room. It 

 was too dark to observe its motions narrowly, but he could see that it 

 stooped towards one of the sleepers, who immediately rose; next it ap- 

 proached and touched him on the shoulder. Lee immediately started 

 up; the figure then allowed a slight gleam from a dark lantern to pass 

 over his face, and as it did so, whispered, impatiently, 'not the man — 

 but come!' It then occurred to Lee that it was the opportunity he 

 desired. The unknown whispered to him to keep his place till another 

 man was called; but just at that moment something disturbed him, and 

 making a signal to Lee to follow, he moved silently out of the room. 



" The}^ found the door of the house unbarred, and a small part of the 

 fence removed, where they passed out without molestation; the sentry 

 had retired to a shelter where he thought he could guard his post with- 

 out suffering from the rain; but Lee saw his conductors put themselves 

 in preparation to silence him if he should happen to address them. Just 

 without the fence appeared a stooping figure, wrapped in a red cloak, 

 and supporting itself with a large stick, which Lee at once perceived 

 could be no other than the old fruit woman. But the most profound 

 silence was observed ; a man came out from a thicket at a little distance 

 and joined them, and the whole party moved onward by the guidance of 

 the old woman. At first they frequently stopped to listen, but having 

 heard the sentinel cry 'all's well,' they seemed re-assured, and moved 

 with more confidence than before. 



" They soon came near to her cottage under an overhanging bank, where 

 a bright light was shining out from a little window upon the wet and 

 drooping boughs that hung near it. The dog received them graciously, 

 and they entered. A table was spread with some coarse provisions upon 

 it and a large jug, which one of the soldiers was about to seize, when 

 the man who conducted them withheld him. 'No,' said he, 'we must 

 first proceed to business.' He then went to a small closet, from which 

 he returned with what seemed to have been originally a Bible, though 

 now it was worn to a mahogany color and a spherical form. While they 



