b to make his real character certain, in his present circumstances.
He does not appear the man he is; and should there even be a white
among his captors who can read, he has not a paper with him to sustain
his word."
"But, he promised me faithfully to use Evert's name, did he ever fall
into American hands"--resumed Beulah, earnestly--"and Evert has said,
again and again, that _my_ brother could never be his enemy."
"Heaven help us all, dear child!" answered the captain, kissing his
daughter--"It is, indeed, a cruel war, when such aids are to be called
in for our protection. We will endeavour to be cheerful,
notwithstanding; for we know of nothing yet, that ought to alarm us,
out of reason; all may come right before the sun set."
The captain looked at his family, and endeavoured to smile, but he met
no answering gleam of happiness on either face; nor was his own effort
very successful. As for his wife, she was never known to be aught but
miserable, while any she loved were in doubtful safety. She lived
entirely out of herself, and altogether for her husband, children, and
friends; a woman less selfish, or one more devoted to the affections,
never existing. Then Beulah, with all her reliance on the magic of
Evert's name, and with the deep feelings that had been awakened within
her, as a wife and a mother, still loved her brother as tenderly as
ever. As for Maud, the agony she endured was increased by her efforts
to keep it from breaking out in some paroxysm that might betray her
secret; and her features were getting an expression of stern
resolution, which, blended with her beauty, gave them a grandeur her
father had never before seen in her bright countenance.
"This child suffers on Bob's account more than any of us"--observed the
captain, drawing his pet towards him, placing her kindly on his knee,
and folding her to his bosom. "She has no husband yet, to divide her
heart; all her love centres in her brother."
The look which Beulah cast upon her father was not reproachful, for
that was an expression she would not have indulged with him; but it was
one in which pain and mortification were so obvious, as to induce the
mother to receive her into her own arms.
"Hugh, you are unjust to Beulah"--said the anxious mother--"Nothing can
ever cause this dear girl, either, to forget to feel for any of us."
The captain's ready explanation, and affectionate kiss, brought a smile
again to Beulah's face, though it shone a
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