Harrington: A Story of True Love

by William Douglas O'Connor

It may be said here, that Harrington had left Antony, soundly sleeping, in the care of Captain Fisher, who sat with the door bolted, and the pistol by him, keeping watch and ward, while the young man fulfilled his appointment with Muriel. Arriving an hour earlier than that assigned, Harrington had astonished her and her mother with the wild tale of his nocturnal adventure. That the brother of Roux should have arrived in Boston at this juncture, and that the young man, of all persons on earth, should have come upon him, were coincidences almost too marvellous for conception, and the two ladies dwelt upon them with speechless wonder.

Not less marvellous to Harrington and Muriel, was their fortunate arrival at Roux’s house in the critical moment of his dreadful peril. Three minutes later, and the negro would have been a lost man.

Reaching Southac street again, they found Roux weak and haggard with the terrible shock he had received. He was sitting in a chair near the stove as they entered. Tugmutton was frying potatoes in a spider, accompanying his operations with sage reflections on the recent incident, mingled with lofty reproofs to Roux for not having “squashed in,” as he phrased it, the head of the slaveholder, together with pompous comments on his own promptness and courage in having first roused the neighborhood, and then assaulted the kidnapper. On this last feat, the fat squab dwelt proudly, as the crown of the whole transaction, and Roux meekly listening, with great admiration, looked upon Tugmutton as more than ever a superior being.

Tugmutton, a little apprehensive lest Harrington should not take the same view of the crowning feat, fried the potatoes in discreet silence, while he and Muriel questioned Roux. It appeared that Roux’s wife and the children had been invited to remain a week in Cambridge, at the house of the brother-in-law, who was a well-to-do colored man, Roux himself having come into town, with Tugmutton, to attend to his business. It was at once decided that Roux should take up his abode for the present at Temple street, and that Harrington should write to his family, stating where he was, and the reason for this step. Tugmutton, who was to keep his father company, was to be dispatched with the letter.

This settled, the fire was slaked, and locking the door behind them, they all descended to the carriage. Tugmutton, having objected to so speedy a departure, on the ground that the fried potatoes would be sacrificed, which he regarded as a serious breach of the domestic economy of the establishment, had been prevailed upon to compromise the matter by bestowing those edibles, together with the remnant of the meat and whatever bread there was in the house, on big Ophelia and her elvish husband in the room opposite. “You know, Charles,” Muriel had gaily observed to him, “that these are the days of the Compromise Measures, and you must be in fashion.” Touched by this appeal to his statesmanship, the fat Puck had made the donation with the air of one giving away a million of money, and the donation having been graciously received, he had, by way of prudence, loftily added a bouncing fib, to the effect that he and Roux were going out to stay some time at his uncle’s country-seat in Cambridge.

Two or three policemen had arrived in Southac street, just after the exit of the Southerner. They had prudently abstained from interfering with the excited crowd; but the crowd had dispersed, and few of their number remained in the street as the carriage came for Roux and drove away again.

Arrived at Temple street, Roux was installed in an upper chamber; books and pictures were left him to while away his days of imprisonment, and Harrington and Muriel withdrew to the library, to consult with Mrs. Eastman as to what was to be done with Antony.

It was finally decided that the news of his brother’s arrival should be broken to Roux the next morning, and then, that Antony, too, should be conveyed to the house and shut up with Roux. It was also resolved that all of them should take up their future abiding place in Worcester, as soon as it should be judged safe to remove them; for, with such a man as Lafitte alive, they could no more go at large in safety in Boston, at that period, than Italian patriots could in Naples, among the sbirri of Bomba.

The council over, Mrs. Eastman retired to send up some dinner to Roux, and Harrington, meanwhile, dashed off the letter for Tugmutton to carry to Cambridge.