Semmes had on his books heavy charges against Ratcliff for professional services, and did not care to jeopard their payment by any slackness in attending to that gentleman’s parting injunctions. He saw he would be justified in any act of precaution, however extreme, that was undertaken in good faith towards his client. And so he resolved on two steps: one was to arrest Esha’s pretended brother, and the other to withdraw Clara from the surveillance of Esha and Madame Volney.
Peek had not been idle meanwhile. For several weeks he had employed a boy to dog Semmes’s footsteps; and when that enterprising lad brought word of the lawyer’s visit to Mrs. Gentry’s, Peek saw that his own communications with the women at Ratcliff’s were cut off. He immediately sent word of the fact to Esha, and told her to redouble her caution.
Semmes waited three days in the hope that Peek would make his appearance; but at length growing impatient, took occasion to accost the impracticable Esha.
“Esha, can that brother of yours drive a carriage?”
“O yes, massa, he can do eb’ry ting.”
“Well, Jim wants to go up to Baton Rouge to see his wife, and I’ve no objection to hiring your brother awhile in his place.”
“Dar’s noting Jake would like quite so well, massa; but how unfortnit it am!—Jake’s gone to Natchez.”
“Where does Jake live when he’s here?”
“Yah, yah! Dat’s a good joke. Whar does he lib? He lib all ’bout in spots. Jake’s got more wives nor ole Brigham Young.”
Finding he could make nothing out of Esha, Semmes resolved on his second precaution; for he felt that, with two plotting women against him, his charge was likely any moment to be abstracted from under his eyes. He had the letting of several vacant houses, some of them furnished. If he could secretly transfer Clara to one of these, he could guard and hold her there without being in momentary dread of her escape. He thought long and anxiously, and finally nodded his head as if the right scheme had been hit upon at last.