The Don bowed his head submissively, and said that he so understood it. The acknowledgment of the deeds was then made by Judge Key, who was a notary public, and our success was complete. The Donna was then informed that her husband would be taken East that night, and she professed to be much affected. I told her that there was no charge against her, and that she could go with her husband, or stay in Gloster, according to her own wishes. She said that she would go with him if Madame Sevier could accompany them. I had no objection to this, and the two ladies retired to pack their trunks. There was some uncertainty in my mind whether some of the Don's cash might not be in the Donna's possession; but I felt rather confident that she kept her money entirely separate from his, and that I could trust to Madame Sevier's acuteness to discover how much the Donna had on hand. I was not disappointed, for, while packing, the Donna told the Madame that she had about nine thousand dollars, the remains of her gifts from Mather, but that she could secure an immense sum out of the iron box if she could get it open. I had already made the Don confess where he had hidden his money, and one of my detectives was placed to guard the box; hence, the Donna was disappointed in her attempts to make a raid on the treasury. While the packing was going on, I sent to the railroad dépôt and bought eight railroad tickets for the party, which was to consist of the Minister, the Consul, the Don and Donna, Mr. Bangs, Madame Sevier, and two of my men. At half-past nine o'clock the party was ready and the trunks were sent off. I had kept a close watch upon the Don until now, and I saw that he hoped to escape while traveling. When the carriages were announced, I stepped up to him and told him that my invariable custom in such cases would require me to put him in irons to prevent any attempt at escape.
"Shall you permit me to be treated in this manner?" he said to the Peruvian Minister.
"You are not yet in the custody of the Peruvian authorities," I replied, "and I am responsible for your safe delivery in New York; hence I must take such precautions as I consider necessary. When you are on board the Peruvian vessel, the Minister can give such orders concerning you as he may think proper; but, until then, I alone have the right to determine what shall be done with you."
In a moment, I had placed a light set of shackles on his feet, and handcuffs on his wrists; he was quite submissive now, and only seemed anxious to avoid observation.
As we passed out to the carriages, the Donna handed me a note, addressed to Henry O. Mather, and asked me to have it delivered immediately. I agreed to send it at once, though I sent it in such a manner that he should not receive it until the morning after the fête. The party arrived at the dépôt in time to secure seats together, and at ten o'clock the train bore them from the city.
CHAPTER X.
The Fête Champêtre.—A Grand Carnival.—The Disappointed Married Lover.—A Vain Request.—Unmasked!—A Shrewd Caterer and his Humiliating Demands.—An Indignant Deacon.—Don Pedro taken to Peru in a Man-of-War, where he is Convicted and Sentenced to Fifteen Years' Imprisonment.—But the Donna manages to Satisfy her Affections in a quiet way in New York.
To the great delight of hundreds of people in Gloster, Wednesday morning revealed all the indications of a pleasant day, and by noon the weather was so lovely that nothing could have been more auspicious for the grand occasion. As the hour approached for the departure of the steamer, carriage after carriage drew up at the dock to discharge its load of brilliantly-dressed and masked ladies and gentlemen. The only person who was not completely protected from recognition was Monsieur Lesparre, who stood at the gangway to receive the guests, and wore a plain evening dress, with no mask.
In order to prevent the attendance of persons who had not been invited, each guest was required to present his or her invitation, and, as there were, as usual, many who had forgotten to bring their cards, Lesparre remained at hand to pass them on board, on leaving their names. When the hour of departure arrived, the boat swung out into the stream, amid the laughter and merry shouts of the gay revelers that crowded her decks, as the band flooded the air with music.
At first there was some embarrassment and reserve in the intercourse between the masqueraders, owing to the novelty of their situation, and the fact that the ladies at first clung closely to their own little parties, with whom they had come and to whom they were known; but soon this feeling wore off. They began to enter into the merry spirit of revelry which characterizes such entertainments in the cities of the Old World. The idea of personal identity began to be lost in the gayety of the moment, and in its place was substituted an identification of each person with the character which that person represented. The balmy airs of a perfect spring day wafted to them the sounds of country life along the shores of the river, and gave sensations both novel and pleasing to the gay denizens of the city, who rarely experienced any change from their routine of fashionable entertainments. During the trip by steamer there was much speculation as to the disguises worn by the Don and Donna, and though several persons were suspected of being the host and hostess, there was no sufficient way of identifying them.