The White Rose of Memphis

“As Mr. Rockland said this he threw his arms round her waist and drew her to his heart, covering her brow with a kiss. Mr. Rockland was vanquished; her charms were irresistible; and the great lawyer, with nerves of steel and an iron will, who could brow-beat witnesses, intimidate judges and over-ride facts, found himself confounded, vanquished and helpless – all done by a pretty face and two large, dreamy blue eyes. The truth of the matter is, Mr. Rockland loved Lottie so devotedly that he was unable to withstand her displeasure.

“‘Take a seat, Lottie,’ he said, ‘and let us come to an understanding in this business at once; sit down, and we will talk the matter over dispassionately, like sensible people.’

“Lottie took a chair on the opposite side of the table, and fixing her beautiful eyes on him, said:

“‘I’ll hear what you have to say, papa.’

“The man of iron returned the gaze with a cold, calm look. After a long silence he said:

“‘Lottie, my dear child, you know I love you as I love life. The only aim I have is to promote your happiness; and I demand of you permission to cancel this foolish engagement which you have so imprudently entered into with Edward Demar. Have I your permission to cancel it?’

“‘Only on condition that Eddie wishes it to be canceled.’

“‘Mr. Demar did not say he wished the engagement canceled; but he agreed that it should be done if you were willing, and authorized me to say as much to you.’

“The blood left her cheeks for a moment, then came back with a tremendous rush, yet she managed to keep calm.

“‘Send for Eddie now, papa, and let me hear him say he is willing to annul our engagement.’

“‘That is unnecessary, Lottie; you have my word that such is his wish, and you know me too well to suspect me of prevarication; again I command you to break off this most absurd and imprudent engagement; will you, or will you not, do it? I demand an answer, yes or no?’

“Lottie’s bosom rose and fell with unusual emotion, while her eyes were fixed on Mr. Rockland.

“‘Yes or no, Lottie?’ again demanded the man of iron.

“‘Dear, dear papa, for Heaven’s sake don’t ask me to be false to the man I love! I’ll not marry him until he returns from Philadelphia; by that time I will be better able to make you a sensible answer, but I beseech you not to press me so now; you know how I love you – you know how much I appreciate your kindness to me; listen, therefore, to my entreaty – grant me time for reflection.’

“‘Not another moment will I give you to make an answer to such a sensible request; any girl whose judgment was not choked with a foolish infatuation would be able to answer such a reasonable demand without a moment’s reflection. Do you wish to tie yourself to a man who is anxious to get rid of you?’

“‘No, no! a thousand times, no, papa; and no one knows this better than you.’

“‘Then, Lottie, for the last time, I demand authority from you to cancel this foolish engagement; will you, or will you not, give it?’

“‘Not unless Eddie wishes it,’ was the calm reply.

“At last the man of iron lost his temper:

“‘Then, Miss Wallingford, you will oblige me by seeking a home elsewhere.’

“‘Oh, papa, dear, darling papa! please unsay those cruel words! I am not afraid of hardships; neither am I afraid of poverty, but it is your displeasure that I dread more than all. I love you truly, earnestly, devotedly, as much as any child ever loved a parent. Oh, papa, revoke those cruel words!’

“‘Leave me, leave me!’ thundered the lawyer, as he pushed Lottie away from him rather roughly. She retreated to the farther end of the room and stared at Mr. Rockland with astonishment, while a mysterious change came over her. She approached the table, took a seat, and hastily penned a note to Edward Demar:

“‘DEAR EDDIE – Come to me as quickly as you can. I wish to consult you on important business. Yours,

    “‘LOTTIE.’

“Then she touched a little silver bell that lay on the table and a man-servant bowed himself in at the door.

“‘Did you ring, miss?’ inquired the servant.

“‘Take this note to Mr. Edward Demar without delay; you’ll find him at Doctor Dodson’s drug-store. Tell Burley to come to me instantly.’

“‘The man servant had scarcely passed the veranda when Burley, a mulatto woman, appeared at the door.

“‘Did you send for me, miss?’

“‘Pack my clothes in the large trunk, Burley; then get Archie to help you bring it down; set the trunk on the front portico; tell Archie to put my parrot in his cage, and to bring all my pets and place them by my trunk. Tell him to tie a string round old Bob’s neck, so I can lead the poor blind friend along while I am seeking a new home. Old Bob and I have been tramps many days together, and we’ll not part now.’

“‘Oh, Lottie, my darling, come to your old cruel papa’s arms! I give up – I surrender – I take back all I have said. Marry Eddie if you will, but don’t leave me – I can’t live without you; you shall have your own way in everything.’

“Lottie, of course, went into Mr. Rockland’s arms, and covered his brow with kisses. That was what I call a triumph of woman’s rights. Here was a lawyer who commanded money, influenced courts, directed banks, intimidated witnesses, cleared guilty clients, compelled judges to bow to his great talent; and then in comes a weak little girl and rules him, the same as a raw recruit is ruled, by the commanding general. She bids him go, and he goes – she commands him to come, and he comes. Talk about woman’s rights! What on earth do women want with any more rights than they have? They have complete control of the world – because they control man, and through him the world.”

“There is the gong for lunch,” observed the queen, “and you may suspend until it is over. It is our wish, though, that our friends re-assemble here immediately after luncheon, to hear more of the story.”

CHAPTER XI

“Suppose you and I don’t go down to luncheon,” said Scottie to Ivanhoe; “I am not a bit hungry, and would very much prefer remaining up here; how is it with you?”

“That’s my fix, exactly; I’m glad you mentioned it. Take my arm, and let us have a walk and a talk both.”

“Agreed; now what did your spy report, a moment ago, about the two detectives?”

“I shall find out everything that is going on. It is such rare sport, too, to be tracking detectives who imagine themselves to be so clever!”

“Oh, bother the clever detectives! tell me what you know.”

“Now, Scottie, don’t you begin to lose your temper; you know I have made a confidante of you.”

“I think you and I ought to be very good friends.”

“So do I.”

“I think we ought to know more about each other.”

“So do I.”

“When do you intend to tell me who you are, Scottie?”

“As soon as the queen gives her consent.”

“What has the queen got to do with it, I should like to know?”

“No doubt you would; but I have given my solemn promise not to reveal her name nor my own to any person without her permission; and she has promised that as soon as Ingomar’s story is finished all secrecy may be discarded. But now I want to hear what you have discovered about the two seedy men.”

“They are going to arrest Ingomar, and take him off at Vicksburg; he is charged with a bloody murder (so the seedy men say). They state that he committed the crime somewhere in Mississippi, and while in jail awaiting trial managed to make his escape. The friends of the murdered man offered a large reward for the capture of the perpetrator, and then the State added another large sum to that offered by the friends of the deceased, and those two seedy men are officers from Mississippi who have got Ingomar spotted.”

“Does Ingomar know they are watching him?”