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."