The death of Wilson was broken to his wife as feelingly as might be by Henry. For a moment the poor woman was paralysed, and then gave vent to a flood of tears of a character so strange, that we shall not pause to analyse it here. Her life had, indeed, been, for so far, a hard one, with him; and now that she had discovered his real character, she almost felt grateful to heaven for removing him from the world he was so dishonoring and the heart that he had already broken. Yet he had been her husband, and she remembered that she had loved him once; and here the woman was touched within her. The die was cast, however; and now it only devolved upon her to see his remains quietly consigned to their last resting place. She saw him where he lay, kissed his cold lips and wept afresh for all his long years of cruelty towards her; and then turned away to her lonely chamber to which the body was removed subsequently. Martha was horrified only at the slaughter that surrounded her; and had no place for grief in a bosom where affection for the husband of her aunt had never existed. All she saw before her was her beloved Henry, alive and safe after the conflict had ceased between the contending armies; while her heart thrilled with the purest delight on learning from her lover, that which she was as yet to keep secret, namely, that the officer who had been attacked by the two masks opposite the house, was the betrothed of Kate who had joined the invaders with the two-fold purpose of striking for the freedom of his native land, and unraveling, if possible, the mystery of her sudden disappearance from Buffalo.
When our hero presented himself before the gallant O’Neill, that distinguished soldier, who was already aware of the services rendered by Nicholas, complimented him on his bravery and informed him, that he should now fall back on Fort Erie with his remaining forces; fearing momently the approach not only of Peacock’s army but that of the numerous other bodies of men that were being concentrated against him from more than one quarter. Orders were therefore given to dispose as hastily as possible of the dead and wounded: some prisoners that were taken having been already paroled; among whom was the officer taken by Barry on the preceeding day.
When Kate opened her eyes to consciousness again, she found herself in arms other than those of Martha; and looking up in a state of startled amazement encountered the radiant face of Nicholas as he pressed her in ecstasy to his bosom. A cry of joy escaped her lips, as she clung to him with an embrace as wild as though she feared some adverse fate should again separate them; and a second time became unconscious. Soon, nevertheless, she was revived through restoratives used by Martha; but yet in a state so confused that she could scarcely bring herself to believe that all was real that was transpiring around her. By degrees, however, she became convinced that it was in reality her lover who enfolded her to his heart; and all was well. In due time, explanations were given, when it was determined that she should at once return with him to her friends in Buffalo, under the protection of the victorious army and in a vehicle that Henry volunteered to furnish for the occasion, and drive in person. The distance to the frontier was but short; and as Henry’s cousin had come up from the widow’s to learn the result of the battle, it was agreed that the one should remain in the house of death with Martha and her aunt until the return of the other from Fort Erie; and that, in the interim, he should collect such of the neighbors as were within reach, and have the body of Wilson and that of Darcy and the others interred as speedily as possible.
This once decided upon, Barry possessed himself of such papers and documents as were on the body of Darcy, hoping thereby, to gain some insight not only into the Chancery case, but into the intentions of the Government or their plans in relation to Fenianism. To him belonged of right any information of this character that could be realized from a dastardly foe who had been vanquished by his sword. But little, however, was gleaned from this source, beyond the fact gathered from a letter received by Darcy from his lawyer a short time previously, announcing that there was no hope of his winning the suit, as some private opinions expressed by those who composed the Court, went to convey the idea that the claims of Kate McCarthy were of a character not to be set aside or ignored even under the pressure of the Castle; and further, that the opposing counsel, who was a sterling lawyer and a man of influence, was pressing the matter so, that a decision favorable to his client could not fail to be given at no distant day.
This was, of course, cheering to our hero, although Darcy, just before his death, had placed him in possession of the contents of the epistle, and prepared him for the intelligence it contained. Kate received the information without evincing any great degree of excitement Her mind had been so perplexed and agitated for the last few days, that her sudden good fortune, in a pecuniary sense, seemed lost sight of in the other events that had already transpired, and her unexpected restoration to her lover. She was certainly surprised at the fate and the machinations of the pretended Lauder; and felt relieved by the conviction that the murderous and unprincipled wretch who had wrought her and Nicholas so much wrong and hardship, and who had attempted the assassination of her betrothed, and her own ruin, was no more. This was a great relief to her overburdened heart; as she now knew, that a man so desperate as he, were he still alive, might manage, even yet, to work them some further mischief.
Among the papers belonging to Darcy there was found a small memorandum book or diary, which, although a riddle to Barry, is worth noting here, as it contained some entries that may possibly find elucidation outside the recognition of our hero. One of them was as follows: “Toronto, April 20th, 1866—Paid to J.G. M—— $20, for information regarding Hib. Benev. Society.” And again: “April 23d—saw Hon. J. R——; willing to do all he can, but wants to be paid for it. Mean fellow, whose tenderest passion is absolutely scrofulous, they say.” The other entries related to mere travelling expenses, etc., and to some transactions which took place in Kingston and other points where Darcy had been conducting his operations in the interest of the English, as well as the Canadian government In addition to this, there was a draft for a considerable amount; but as it needed the signature of the deceased, it was regarded as valueless and permitted to remain in the pocket of the dead man—our hero, however it fared afterwards, feeling a singular repugnance to possessing himself of any property of this kind, or retaining a single shilling of the current funds found upon the corpse. These latter were subsequently devoted to defraying the burial expenses of the deceased, as well as those of his companions.
When matters were so far arranged as to permit of the departure of our hero and heroine, Henry was about to leave the premises with a view to procuring the vehicle that was to carry them to the frontier, when Wilson’s team, that was discovered by a neighbor in the place where it had been concealed, was driven up to the door. This was opportune, as Evans, on perceiving the horses and knowing that there was a light carriage under the shed, determined to put them into requisition at once. Soon, therefore, the three friends were bringing up the rear of O’Neill’s troops as the latter fell steadily back upon Fort Erie, with the intention, as before stated, of learning whether landings had been made at any other point, or whether there were the slightest hopes of reinforcements crossing the river from Buffalo.
Kate parted from Martha with a warm embrace, and an assurance of lasting friendship; while on her part, the betrothed of Evans promised to visit our hero and heroine in Buffalo at no distant day, and there renew the intimacy that had begun amid such clouds, although now surrounded with sunshine. On the departure of our little party, then, Barry’s wounded comrades being previously cared for under the instructions of O’Neill, the bodies of the four accomplices—Wilson, Darcy, Black Jack and the Kid—were interred with infinitely more decent observances than their career in life seemed to warrant. The scruples of Nicholas, however, regarding Darcy’s draft, were not shared by some of those who disposed of his remains; as it was taken charge of by an individual who fancied it might, one day, be turned to account by some person authorised to receive it. Of the mask who had escaped from the conflict opposite Wilson’s, we may have occasion to speak in some future volume; although Evans surmised him simply some villain who had joined Darcy or the Kid for the purposes of murder or plunder. Be this as it may, the fugitive had made good his escape, while those with whom he had acted for the time being, suffered to the extent of their crimes.