to cost
you, and others besides you, very dear! Lysander sprang upon his feet;
his eyes sparkled with rage. Salina saw that it was now too late to keep
the secret from him; there was no way but to tell him all. She showed
Virginia's note. Virginia and her father alive and safe--that was what
maddened Lysander!

But where were they?

Salina could not answer that question; for the most she had been able to
get out of Toby was only a vague hint that they were hidden somewhere in
a cave.

"No matter!" said Lysander, with a diabolical laugh showing his clinched
and tobacco-stained teeth. "I'll have the nigger licked! I'll have the
truth out of him, or I'll have his life?"

XXXII.

_TOBY'S REWARD._

Filled with disgust and wrath, Toby had obeyed the man who assumed to be
his master, and gone to bed. But he was scarcely asleep, when he felt
somebody shaking him, and awoke to see bending over him, with smiling
countenance, lamp in hand, Captain Lysander.

"What's wantin', sar?"

"I want you to do an errand for me, Toby," Lysander kindly replied.

"Wal, sar, I don'o', sar," said Toby, reluctant, sitting up in bed and
rubbing his elbows. "You know I had a right smart tramp. I's a
tuckered-out nigger, sar; dat's de troof."

"Yes, you had a hard time, Toby. But you'll just run over to the
school-house for me, I know. That's a good fellow!"

Toby hardly knew what to make of Lysander's extraordinarily persuasive
and indulgent manner. He didn't know before that a Sprowl could smile so
pleasantly, and behave so much like a gentleman. Then, the captain had
called him a good fellow, and his African soul was not above flattery.
Weary, sleepy as he was, he felt strongly inclined to get up out of his
delicious bed, and go and do Lysander's errand.

"You've only to hand this note to Lieutenant Ropes. And I'll give you
something when you come back--something you don't get every day, Toby!
Something you've deserved, and ought to have had long ago!" And
Lysander, all smiles, patted the old servant's shoulder.

This was too much for Toby. He laughed with pleasure, got up, pulled on
his clothes, took the note, and started off with alacrity, to convince
the captain that he merited all the good that was said of him, and that
indefinite "something" besides.

What could that something be? He thought of many things by the way: a
dollar; a knife; a new pair of boots with red tops, such as Lysander
himself wore;--which last i