Lloyd Alexander - Vesper 05 by The Philadelphia Adventure

Author:The Philadelphia Adventure [Adventure, The Philadelphia]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2012-06-04T15:04:31+00:00

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CHAPTER

12

Vesper turned the hat around and around in her hands, thoughtfully studying it. The twins watched silently, their faces filled with identical apprehension.

“So, that’s it,” Vesper said, after a moment. “Dapper Dan’s in the scheme.”

The idea was too monstrous. General Gallaway, at present, might well be something of a madman, but there was no denying his past heroism, and certainly, a ranking officer of our Grand Army of the Republic would never conspire with an archfiend like Helvitius. I grasped at any straw to explain the unexplainable. Perhaps the hat was a souvenir, military men have the habit of collecting all sorts of paraphernalia. He might have bought it, or received it as a gift. True, it appeared to be a boy’s headgear, but it could have belonged to a very small sailor.

“It has Paulo’s name inside,” Vesper said, shattering all those possibilities.

“Sergeant Shote?” I suggested. “A villain if ever I’ve seen one.”

“Dapper Dan gives the orders,” Vesper said. “Shote only obeys them. I don’t see how else it could be. Senhora Da Costa told some of the truth. The children were hauled off in a carriage. This carriage. They weren’t aboard the Minotaur for a good reason: They’re here.”

“Then we must confront General Gallaway,” I declared. “Face him down, bring him to account for this evil conspiracy—as such it must be.”

“Last thing in the world we’ll do,” Vesper countered. “If he knows that we know— Brinnie, that’s even worse trouble for us.”

In that case, I urged, we should depart immediately.

“Not yet,” said Vesper. “I’m assuming Dapper Dan’s keeping the children on the farm. Locked away—but where? We have to find them and get them out. We can’t go dashing off and leave them.”

What then, I asked, did she suggest?

“Breakfast,” said Vesper. “As if nothing happened. After that, we’ll see. I don’t think we have much time. Sergeant Shote’s been long on his way. Not to Strafford, that’s for sure. Unless I miss my guess, Dapper Dan sent him straight to Helvitius. We don’t know what they’ll do about us. As for what we’ll do about them—”

Vesper had no opportunity to continue her speculation. We had only set foot outside the carriage house when she halted.

General Gallaway stood in our path.

“Awake before reveille, dear lady?” The general looked as if he himself had not slept all night, with his fringes tangled and his ringlets in complete disorder. “I have been observing you from my window. You would have done well to keep to your quarters.”

Vesper attempted to hide Paulo’s hat beneath her jacket. Too late, for General Gallaway had already noted that item of damning evidence. A trumped-up excuse would have been futile, so Vesper offered none.

“Where are the children?” she demanded.

In reply, General Gallaway drew his long-barreled revolver. Various individuals had been pointing firearms at us for the past couple of days; now this, from a former national hero, could not go uncriticized.

“You disgrace your rank and the uniform you gallantly wore,” I flung at him. “You, sir, have connived with the greatest villain blighting our world.

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