Friday morning came, dull, cloudy, and cheerless. About nine o’clock, the rain began pouring down—a slow, steady rain. We omitted to say in the preceding chapter that the equinoctial rain commenced on Monday night. It commenced in the middle of the night above named, and had rained all the rest of the week.

The day was not one on which anyone likes to prepare for a party, but our Brookland people were putting the finishing touch to their preparations for the party.

Kent was in good spirits. If he could only get the three persons at the Taylor Hotel to come out to the party he felt that he would be all right.

The water had overflowed the banks of the creek. Everything of value had been taken out of the mill, for it was expected to be washed away.

We must go into details on this particular day, but we will be brief, if possible. Herbert Armstead had gone home, but he was to be at Brookland on that day for certain. Hugh Walters went to his home on Thursday evening, intending to return on the following evening to the party. William G. Reed, our hero, was still at Brookland. He had spent a very pleasant time there since he had come.

Ella had been to her home, but was now at Brookland. Our Readers must not think that she stayed at Brookland the best portion of her time. She was there, though, pretty often. But still, she paid strict attention to her home for she love[d] her parents dearly, and had always obeyed them in all things. If they wanted her home the very day she had intended to go away, she would stay, make [sic] no difference how important her intention was.

Wilse Reed was still there. He had not visited Mrs. Barton since they had had that quarrel. Wilse seemed in an awful dread all the time, for fear Kent was going to do him some injury or tell anything on him. That was, if he knew anything.

Kate Barton was still there and as full of gossip as ever. She visited the Sowers’ mansion very often since William had come. She was like one of the person[s] mentioned in the Bible; her hand was against everyone, and everyone’s hand was against her.^[1]

Mrs. Barton was also preparing to leave Virginia. Kent had promised to see her safely established in New England. His words had a meaning she never dreamed of. She was to be established there different to her fondest expectations.

Sowers had ceased to let Wilse Reed have any control over him, but Wilse didn’t seem to care for revealing the secret he had so long tortured Sowers with. When Kent told Sowers of the three persons at the Taylor Hotel that he had invited, Sowers turned very pale, for he did not wish to see them. He had not seen them for a good while, nor did he ever wish to see them. However, he was destined to see them at the party.

Mattie was growing prettier under the influence of Herbert’s love. They had not set the day for their marriage yet, nor did they intend to until they were established in New England. Then they intended to fix the exact date of their marriage.

Mrs. Sowers and her kitchen people were getting along as well as usual, for she always got along well with them.

Uncle Jack had “sworn off” since he had been assured of liberty, a name in itself that is delightful to hear. Yes, he had sworn he would never drink another drop of Whiskey. Mrs. Sowers had taught him the words of a speaker who is anonymous to myself. The words she had taught him were these: “Out venoms all the worms of the Nile, The worm of the Still.”^[2]

Jack had paid particular attention to her words, for he had been bitten by this venomous reptile and had suffered from the effects of the bite for a good long while. He heard and heeded.

Aunt Sally had ceased to hate “free niggers,”^[3] for she was living in hopes of becoming one herself, and the day was not far off when she could say she was free.

George was living in anticipation of seeing his parents soon, for they had moved to Boston some considerable time before the opening of our story—and by the laws of the State of Virginia they could not come back to Winchester to live anymore.^[4] That was the law there at that time—now all persons without regard to race or color can roam anywhere in the United States they choose. To use an expressive phrase: “Everybody can go to see Everybody, so Nobody had a chance to say that Somebody didn’t go to see Anybody.”^[5]

That is the way you can do in the U.S. now—if a man has a good moral character—whether he has capital or not—he can soon work his way to a prominent position in society. To be honest and upright is to be a man, and as it is said: a rule is a poor one if it won’t work both ways. So to be a man is to be upright and honest.

Any person may say slavery is right—they may say it is right, but they would rather be free. A great many persons say it is to the slave’s advantage to be a slave. I can’t see it in that light. A slave has not the advantages of education, and it has been asserted that education is necessary as a learned profession. We all know that.

On this dull morning William was sitting in the parlor reading the news. Ella was sitting by his side, for she considered that as her right. She didn’t know that her life was in danger—he did not know she was to have a pistol levelled at her head when the party began.

She knew not that she had a deadly enemy lurking near with a smiling face—a wolf in sheep’s clothing. She sat there beside her lover and at intervals, when he was not reading an interesting “piece,” she would talk to him of the party—Kent’s grand finale. For Kent intended to go home on Monday after the party. He was eager to see his family. He had been away from them for near six months.

In the afternoon of the day in question, the rain ceased. The water had arisen to a fearful height and was roaring like a “young Niagara falls.” The mill was momentarily expected to be washed away, for it was not a very substantial structure.

Kent walked up the lane that led along the creek. As he walked along, gazing intently at the water, he recollected the paper he had found. So, going near the edge of the water where there was an eddy and the water was not quite so muddy as at other places, he stooped and held the paper under the water as before and, with a smile of satisfaction, he said: “I will use that paper tonight if I can get everything to come out as I wish. I will then be done [with] my work.”

We will tell our Readers what was on the paper when a more convenient season comes. For the present, we cannot. Wilson Reed had been invited to the party the same as any other guest, and he of course accepted the invitation, not thinking what was to be the final termination of his enjoyment. (?)

He knew not that [a] Nemesis was on his track and was to catch up with him on this particular night.

Kent took the paper out of the water and deposited it in his pocket. On reaching the house, he found Hugh Walters and his sister there, also some others of the Walters family.

“Mr. Walters, how does this weather use you?” said Kent, as he took a seat in the parlor. “It has been a very rainy day.”

“Well, it don’t hurt me any,” said Hugh. “But we are certainly having plenty of rain.”

“Yes, I think the old mill will go down soon, for it is a very frail structure,” asserted Kent, taking a look at the mill, for it was right in front of the window, before which he sat.

“A very frail structure and a very old one,” said William, for he too was in the parlor. “That old mill has withstood many a gale. The waters have threatened it more than once,” added William after a short pause.

“I don’t think I ever saw the water so high in my life,” asserted Mattie. “I wonder if Bertie can get across the creek when he comes,” queried she, suddenly remembering her lover, for he had not got there as soon as they expected him. It was near five o’clock, and they had seen nothing of him as yet.

“I’ll bet you Herbert will get across,” asserted Hugh. “For he has got a very faithful horse—a horse that would die to save his master.”

“Yes, old Roan is a very good horse,” said Ella. “Bertie has made him swim across the Opequon Creek more than once and it is a larger creek than this.”

“That is him coming down the hill now, is it not?” queried Kent.

“Yes, it is him sure enough,” said the all-in-one voice. “Let’s go out and see him come across, for old Roan swims so pretty.”

So saying, they went out to see him come across. He saw them and gave a loud cheer. His faithful horse began the difficult task of crossing the swift stream.

It was a hard task but it was accomplished at last, and Herbert rode up to the stable after speaking to his friends. Putting his horse in the stable, he then went in the house and joined his friends. His first words were:

“Well, Mattie, our party is to be tonight for certain if a few more guests will come.”

“Yes, we will have a quiet little party,” said Mattie. “Your mother and father are not coming, are they, Bertie?”

“Well, they went up to Winchester yesterday and they have not come back yet. I guess you will see them this evening,” answered Herbert. “They went up the Senseney Road^[6] in our buggy.”

“That is the reason we did not see them,” said Ella. “They didn’t say anything to me about it when I was there.”

“I know they didn’t, for they just took a notion to go late in the evening,” said Bertie. “They wanted to come to the party and were afraid the water would raise so in the creek they couldn’t cross. So they went to town, and I am certain they will be here in the course of an hour.”

“Hugh, are any more of your people coming?” asked Mattie. “I hope they will.”

“Yes, Mother, Father, and some others of the family are coming out,” answered Hugh.

“I hope my friends at the Taylor Hotel will not disappoint me,” asserted Kent. “That old gentleman’s daughter is a pretty young lady, Hugh. You had better ‘set your cap’ for her,” added Kent laughingly.

“You may be joking, but I am in earnest. She is a very fascinating young lady. I saw her the other day,” said Hugh.

“Well, I hope they will come,” said Willie. “For I like to look at pretty ladies.” He cast a look at Ella, a merry twinkle in his eye. He saw no jealousy in her pure face. Nothing but love could he see in her, as she returned his look with interest.

“I just feel like a merry party,” asserted Herbert. He knew not what this party would prove to be, for Kent had not given him any particulars.

Looking out of a side window, Herbert saw a carriage coming down the lane.

“There comes someone. It is Dr. Maltby and Mrs. King,” said Herbert as he hastened to the front door. It was the doctor and Mrs. King coming out to the party and, as they drew near, a third person became visible. Herbert saw there was a third person in the carriage, so he wondered who it could be.

Ella came out on the porch too, and she was soon followed by Kent, Hugh, Willie, and the rest of the guests.

“Who is the third person in the carriage?” asked Ella.