Chapter XIX: A Promise and an Accusation

Under each flower of radiant hue
A serpent lies unbidden;
And chance ofttimes doth bring to view
That which hath been hidden.

--The Valley of Tayef.

The camp was thrown into a turmoil of excitement the next day when it was learned that two regiments of British had indeed endeavored to take General Maxwell's brigade by surprise. A detachment in search of the governor had reached Liberty Hall shortly after three o'clock that morning, but not finding him at home a quest was made for his private papers, which were saved by the quick wit of his daughter, Susannah. Baffled in this attempt they rejoined their comrades who had surrounded Elizabethtown, expecting to capture the brigade at least.

General Maxwell, however, by reason of Harriet's warning had marched out before their arrival, and surprised the enemy by falling upon them at daybreak.

The lively skirmish that ensued, resulted in the loss of several men on each side, while the academy, where were kept stores of various kinds, the Presbyterian Hospital, and a few other buildings were burned by the British in their retreat.

When this news was received Harriet and Peggy became the heroines of the hour. A constant stream of visitors besieged the Owens' quarters until Mr. Owen laughingly declared that he should have to entreat protection from General Washington.

In all the demonstration, however, Peggy was a secondary luminary.

"'Tis the more remarkable because thee is an English girl," was David Owen's comment when Harriet protested against so much attention being shown her. "And thee deserves it, my child. 'Twas a great thing for thee to do."

"But Peggy found the note," spoke Harriet with insistence. "I must have been miles away when she found it. Wasn't I, Peggy?"

Peggy gave her a puzzled look. Why did she make such a point of not being present when the note was found, she asked herself.

"My daughter," chided her father, "did thee not hear thy cousin's question? Thou hast not answered her."

"Oh!" exclaimed Peggy rousing herself. "What was it, Harriet? I was wondering about something."

"'Twas naught," spoke Harriet. "I only said I was not with you when the note was found."

"No, thee was not with me," answered Peggy, and something of her perplexity was visible in her manner.

On Friday morning, the day following the sortie by the enemy, Mrs. Owen entered the parlor where the two girls were for the moment sitting alone with Mr. Owen.

"Girls," she said, "an aide hath just come from His Excellency with his compliments. He desires the pleasure of Misses Margaret and Harriet Owen's company to dinner. You are to accompany the aide, who will wait for you to get ready, and will see that you are safely returned before night falls."

"Oh, must we go?" cried Harriet. "Please, Cousin David, may I not stay with you?"

"Tut, tut, lass!" returned he. "Refuse His Excellency's invitation to dine? 'Twould be monstrous unmannerly, and that thee is not, Harriet."

"But I would rather stay with you," she pleaded, and her dismay was very apparent.

"And deprive the general of the pleasure of thanking thee for thy heroism?" he asked. "He wishes to interview you both about the note, I dare say. He said the matter would need attention."

"I don't know anything about it, my cousin," she objected almost in tears. "'Twas Peggy who found it."

"Nay; thee must go, Harriet," he said in such a tone that she knew that 'twas useless to object further.

The two girls went up-stairs to dress. It was the first time that they had been alone together since they had found the note on Wednesday. To Peggy's surprise, Harriet's hands were shaking so that she could not unfasten her frock. A feeling of vague alarm thrilled Peggy at the sight. She went to her cousin quickly.

"Harriet," she cried, "what is it? Why do you tremble so?"

"Peggy," answered Harriet, sinking into a chair with a little sob, "I am afraid. I am so afraid!"

"Afraid?" repeated the amazed Peggy. "Of what, Harriet?"

"Of your Mr. Washington," answered the girl. "He is so stern, and, and----Oh, I am afraid!" she cried wringing her hands.

"True, he is a stern man," said the perplexed Peggy, "but still he hath a kind heart. We have dined there often, Harriet, and thee did not mind. I see not why thee should fear him now. He will but ask us about the note, and thank thee for thy timely warning to the governor and the brigade."

"You will not tell him that at first I did not wish to go, or to have you go, will you, Peggy?" pleaded Harriet. "I thought better of it, Peggy. I--I felt sorry about it afterward."

"Thee made up for thy hesitancy nobly, Harriet," spoke Peggy warmly, all her bewilderment vanishing at her cousin's acknowledgment of sorrow for what she had tried to do. "I will do as thee wishes in the matter."

"And will you tell him that I was not near when the note was found?" asked the girl eagerly.

"Yes; for thee was not. But why? I cannot see what difference 'twould make whether thee was there or not."

"You are a good little thing, Peggy," said Harriet kissing her without replying to the question. "'Twas mean of me to ride ahead and give the warning. 'Tis you who should have the credit, but I had to. I had to. Some day you will know. Oh!" she cried checking herself suddenly, "what am I saying?"

"Harriet, thee is all undone anent something. Is thee not well? Let me call mother, and she will give thee some 'Jesuit's bark.' Thee is all unstrung," spoke Peggy with solicitude.

"No, no; I am all right now," said Harriet with something of her accustomed gaiety of manner. "And, Peggy, whatever happens remember that I am your cousin, leal and true. I am only a girl, Peggy, and alone in a strange land."

"Harriet, what is the matter? Thee speaks in riddles," ejaculated Peggy, wonderingly.

"Peggy, I am unstrung," answered Harriet. "And I am afraid that I have done wrong about--about many things. I wish, oh, Peggy, I wish I had not had you give that note to that soldier. I'm afraid that 'twill be found."

"Well? And what if it is, Harriet? There is nought of harm in it?" Peggy spoke calmly hoping to soothe her cousin by her manner.

"Peggy!" Harriet clasped her arms about her convulsively. "Promise me that you will not tell that I asked you to give it to him!"

"But," began Peggy.

"Promise, promise," cried Harriet feverishly.

"I promise, Harriet," said Peggy, hoping to quiet her.

"Peggy" called Mrs. Owen's voice at this moment, "thee must make haste. The aide is waiting."

"Yes, mother," answered Peggy and there was no further opportunity for conversation. To her surprise Harriet recovered her spirits at once and when they reached headquarters was quite herself.

"'Twas most kind of you, Lady Washington, to have us again so soon," she cried gaily as Mrs. Washington received them in the wide hall of the dwelling.

"It is we who are honored," said the lady graciously. "I am quite cross with Mr. Washington because he insists that he must see you first. He wishes to have some talk with you before the dinner is served. No, Billy," as William Lee, General Washington's body-servant, came forward to show the maidens up-stairs. "It will give me great pleasure to help the young ladies myself with their wraps. We are all very proud of our English co-patriot. 'Twas a great thing for you to do, my dear," she added leading the way up the winding staircase. "It must have taken an effort on your part to go against your own people, and shows very plainly that your sympathy with the cause is sincere."

"Thank you, madam," murmured Harriet in some confusion. "But, but Peggy here----"

"'Tis no more than we expect from Peggy," said the matron, giving Peggy such a gentle pat on the shoulder that Peggy's heart grew warm and tender. "Her views are so well known that nothing she could do for us would surprise us. That is why we say so little of her share in the matter." And she gave Peggy another caressing touch.

Why, of course that was it, Peggy told herself with a flash of understanding. How foolish she had been to care, or to have any feeling on the subject at all. It was a great thing for Harriet to do. And so thinking she felt her heart grow very tender toward her cousin who had suddenly lost her animation and was pale and silent as they came down the stairs, and were ushered into the commander-in-chief's office.

General Washington was sitting before a large mahogany table whose well polished top was almost covered by papers. He rose as the girls entered.

"Mrs. Washington has hardly forgiven me for taking you away from her," he remarked smilingly. "I have promised that I will detain you but a few moments. Miss Harriet, your head will be quite turned before you will have finished with the toasting and feasting. But 'twas bravely done! You both showed rare judgment and courage in acting as you did. It saved a valiant man from capture and perhaps the slaughter of an entire brigade."

"Your Excellency is very kind," stammered Harriet while Peggy murmured a "Thank thee, sir."

"Mr. Hamilton, will you kindly place chairs for the ladies?" spoke the general to a slight young man who came forward from the fireplace near which he had been standing. "Nay," in response to an inquiring glance, "you are not to stay, sir. Mrs. Washington will gladden you later by an introduction." Then as the young man left the room he added with a slight smile, "I have to be stern with the blades when there are ladies about, else they would have time for no other engagements. And now tell me, I beg, all about this affair. How came it that ye were riding upon that road?"

"I asked Peggy to go there," spoke Harriet quickly; "you see, sir," with charming candor, "Governor Livingston is a great friend of Cousin David's, and came to see him but the other day. He told us a great deal of Liberty Hall, and how he had planted hundreds of trees which he had imported from France and England, until I was curious anent the place. Cousin David, or Ensign Drayton, usually rides with us, but Wednesday both were on duty; so, as Cousin David said that there was no danger so long as we kept within the lines, Peggy and I went for our ride alone. I know not how it came about; but perhaps 'twas because the governor had talked about his home, but we found ourselves all at once upon the turnpike going toward Elizabethtown. Presently Fleetwood, being a swifter nag than Star, became restive at our slow pace and to take the edge off him I dashed ahead for a little canter. While I was gone Peggy found the letter and when I came back there she was reading it. It did not take us long to decide what to do, and--but the rest you know, sir," she ended abruptly.

"Yes; I know the rest," he said musingly. "And so you were not there when Miss Peggy found the note?"

"No," she answered him. "I must have been a mile away. Don't you think so, Peggy?"

"I do not know how far it was," replied Peggy thoughtfully, "but thee was not with me, Harriet."

"Where did you find it, Miss Peggy?" asked the general turning to her. "You must see that it proves that there is a spy amongst us, and the place where 'twas found may aid somewhat to his capture. Tell me as nearly as possible where you found it."

"Does thee remember where three pines stand together at a bend in the pike about ten miles from Elizabethtown?" she asked. Then as he nodded assent she continued: "It was just in front of those pines, Friend Washington, that it was lying. I caught sight of it and thought some one had lost a letter, and so dismounted and picked it up. Then Harriet returned and--and we had some talk." Peggy was so candid that she found it hard to gloss over the conversation with her cousin, but she went on after a pause so slight as not to be noticeable. "'Twas deemed best to ride direct to the governor's house, and Harriet's Fleetwood being swifter than my Star, reached the Hall first."

"It could not have lain long," he said, selecting the missive from among a pile of papers. "The road was muddy and the paper is scarcely soiled. Then, too, there was a wind blowing, and 'twould have been taken up from the road had it been there long. According to this the person who dropped it must have been so short a distance ahead of you that you could not have failed to see him."

"There were but we two on the road, sir," spoke Harriet, although the question was directed to Peggy. "We neither met any one, Your Excellency, nor did we see any one until we reached Liberty Hall."

"That being the case," he said rising, "I will no longer risk Mrs. Washington's disfavor by keeping you from her. Permit me to thank you both and particularly Miss Harriet for the judgment you showed. You did the only thing that could be done, and 'tis rare indeed that maidens so young show such thought. I hope that you will both pleasure us frequently with your presence."

He opened the door for them with stately courtliness. Curtseying deeply the maidens reached the threshold just as a group of soldiers bustled unceremoniously into the hall, and blocked the exit.

"A spy, Your Excellency," cried an orderly, excitedly saluting.

The soldiers drew apart as the orderly spoke and from their midst came John Drayton leading the very private soldier to whom Peggy had given Harriet's note.

"Your Excellency," said the ensign saluting, "I caught this fellow just as he was stealing from the lines. He had a most incriminating note upon his person. His actions for some time have been most suspicious, and----"

"Sir," spoke General Washington gravely, "do you not see that there are ladies present? Let them pass, I beg of you. Such things are not of a nature for gentle ears to hear."

As he spoke the eyes of the prisoner rested upon the maidens. He gave a short cry as he saw them, and sprang forward.

"If I did have a note, Your Excellency," he cried, "there stands the girl who gave it to me."

"Where?" asked the general sternly.

"There!" said the man pointing to Peggy. "That girl gave me the letter Tuesday afternoon."