864, when even General Winder
could not longer protect him from active service at the front, Van Lew
deserted again, and served with the Federal Army until after the fall
of Richmond."

Meanwhile the old Van Lew house, in its capacity of Secret Service
station, was a hive of industry, which was carried on with such smooth
and silent secrecy that no one knew what went on in its great rooms.
And watching over all those who came and went on legitimate business,
or as agents of the Federal Government on secret missions, was a
woman, alert of body, keen of mind, standing at her post by day and by
night. After all members of her household were safely locked in their
rooms for the night, the Spy would creep down, barefooted, to the big
library with its ornamented iron fireplace. On either side of this
fireplace were two columns, on each of which was a small, carved
figure of a lion. Possibly by accident--probably by design, one of
these figures was loosened so that it could be raised like a box-lid,
and in the darkness of the night the swift, silent figure of the Spy
would steal into the big room, lift the carved lion, deftly slip a
message in cipher into the cavity beneath the figure and cautiously
creep away, with never a creaking board to reveal her coming or going.

With equal caution and swift dexterity, early the next morning an old
negro servant would steal into the room, duster and broom in hand, to
do his cleaning. Into every corner of the room he would peer, to be
sure there were no watching eyes, then he would slip over to the
fireplace, lift the lion, draw out the cipher message, place it
sometimes in his mouth, sometimes in his shoe, and as soon as his
morning chores were done he would be seen plodding down the dusty road
leading to the farm, where some one was eagerly waiting for the
tidings he carried. Well had the Spy trained her messengers!

The old mansion had also hidden protection for larger bodies than
could be concealed under the recumbent lion by the fireplace. Up under
the sloping roof, between the west wall of the garret and the tiles,
was a long, narrow room, which was probably built at the order of
Betty Van Lew, that she might have a safe shelter for Union refugees.
All through the war gossip was rife concerning the Van Lews and their
movements, and there were many rumors that the old mansion had a
secret hiding-place, but this could never be proved. Besides those
whom it sheltered from time to t