Seraine would have to look after him, as she had been doing all through
the war up to this time.

"Here Aunt Martha had to come in; we could not stop her. She said:

"'Yes, sah; dat gal takes kear of Marsa Henry. If it not done been
for her he done starved to deff, he would. Dem Sesh, dey be affer dis
fambly. Dey done kill mos' all, and am still affer you. I tells you, dey
am; I knows dem, I do. Marsa Henry, you mus' stay home wid de folks, you
mus'.'

"At this my wife became much distressed. I told Aunt Martha to stop,
which she did. Aunt Sarah then referred to Peter, saying that her dreams
were now entirely about him, and that she was sorely troubled on his
account. Ham stood near by, listening, and said:

"'No mistake, Marsa Peter all right. I see him las' night in my head
glass when I's sleep. He all right, sho'.'

"By this time we had finished dinner, or tea, and were returning to the
sitting room, when James Whitcomb took his parents out on the veranda
and told them all about his trouble, the kindness of our family, Mary
Anderson's trip to see the President, his clemency, etc.; his present
situation, and how he obtained his position. We thought that this was
a mistake, but he felt relieved, and his parents and sister, after they
were satisfied of his having done no wrong intentionally, felt that it
was the best for them to know it. We had intended it should be kept from
them, but it was now no longer a secret in my family, and it was perhaps
best that his father and mother should know all.

"The next day Mr. and Mrs. Whitcomb thought that they must return home.
Mr. Whitcomb said to Henry and Seraine that they must come as soon as
they could do so to their house and make it their home, as he and
his wife being alone at such a time it was very hard, and made them
discontented. They thanked all of us for our watchfulness over their
only son, and it seemed that they could not thank the General and his
wife sufficiently for what they had done for him. They bade us all
good-by and separated from Henry and Seraine with many regrets.

"After they had gone Jackson entertained us by a recital of his visit
to Europe, and, in addition to what he had written me, he gave us all he
had seen and heard. His recital of the burning of the Will-o'-the Wisp
was quite graphic, and excited Henry and the General very much. No one
except those who were in the secret knew what she had on board, nor the
importance to the Confederacy