"One of us is fully," said Colonel Jaquess.
"Did Mr. Lincoln in any way authorize you to come here?"
"No, sir," said Gilmore. "We came with his pass, but not by his request. We came as men and Christians, not as diplomats, hoping, in a frank talk with Mr. Davis, to discover some way by which this war may be stopped."
"Well, gentlemen," said Benjamin, "I will repeat what you say to the President, and if he follows my advice, he will meet you."
At nine o'clock the two men had entered the State Department and found Jefferson Davis seated at the long table on the right of his Secretary of State.
John Vaughan was given a seat at the other end of the table to report the interview for Mr. Benjamin.
He studied the distinguished President of the Confederate States with interest. He had never seen him before. His figure was extremely thin, his features typically Southern in their angular cheeks and high cheek bones. His iron-grey hair was long and thick and inclined to curl at the ends. His whiskers were small and trimmed farmer fashion—on the lower end of his strong chin. The clear grey eyes were full of vitality. His broad forehead, strong mouth and chin denoted an iron will. He wore a suit of greyish brown, of foreign manufacture, and as he rose, seemed about five feet ten inches. His shoulders slightly stooped.
His manner was easy and graceful, his voice cultured and charming.
"I am glad to see you, gentlemen," he said. "You are very welcome to Richmond."
"We thank you, Mr. Davis," Gilmore replied.