"To New Orleans! And a new malignant fever of some horrible, unknown
type, raging there!" exclaimed Herbert.
"So much the more need of a physician! Herbert, I am not the least
uneasy on the subject of infection! I have a theory for its
annihilation."
"I never saw a clever young professional man without a theory!" laughed
Herbert.
The drum was now heard beating the tattoo, and the friends separated
with hearts full of revived hope.
The next morning Traverse presented the order of the Secretary to the
Commander-in-Chief and received his discharge.
And then, after writing long, loving and hopeful letters to his mother
and his betrothed, and entreating the former to try to find out who was
the secret benefactor who had sent him such timely aid, Traverse took
leave of his friends, and set out for the Southern Queen of Cities,
once more to seek his fortune.
Meantime the United States army continued to occupy the City of Mexico,
through the whole of the autumn and winter.
General Butler, who temporarily succeeded the illustrious Scott in the
chief command, very wisely arranged the terms of an armistice with the
enemy that was intended to last two months from the beginning of
February, but which happily lasted until the conclusion of the treaty
of peace between the two countries.
Colonel Le Noir had not been destined soon to die; his wound, an inward
canker from a copper bullet, that the surgeon had at length succeeded
in extracting, took the form of a chronic fester disease. Since the
night upon which he had been so extremely ill to be supposed dying, and
yet had rallied, the doctors felt no apprehensions of his speedy death,
though they gave no hopes of his final recovery.
Under these circumstances there were hours in which Le Noir bitterly
regretted his precipitation in permitting those important documents to
go out of his own hands. And he frequently sent for Herbert Greyson in
private to require assurances that he would not open the packet
confided to him before the occurrence of the event specified.
And Herbert always soothed the sufferer by reiterating his promise that
so long as Colonel Le Noir should survive the seals of that packet
should not be broken.
Beyond the suspicion that the parcel contained an important confession,
Herbert Greyson was entirely ignorant of its contents.
But the life of Gabriel Le Noir was prolonged beyond all human calculus
of probabilities.
He was spared to experience a more effectual repentance than that
spurious one into which he had been frightened by the seeming rapid
approach of death. And after seven months of lingering illness and
gradual decline, during the latter portions of which he was comforted
by the society of his only son, who had come at his summons to visit
him, in May, 1848, Gabriel Le Noir expired a sincere penitent,
reconciled to God and man.