stood staring, a ghastly image of bewilderment and
consternation. After a moment he turned livid.

"Ah! I see now!" he gasped. "You love him!"

"Yes!" came the answer, prompt and decided.

He gazed at her with such an expression as a painter of hell might
put into the face of a lost soul, and he said, faintly, in a kind of
articulate moan:

"I might have known!"

Suddenly there came from the outer night the exclamation, quick and
distinct:

"Whoa!"

CHAPTER XIV.

THE BROKEN SWORD.

The sound wrought a transformation in Colden. His face lighted up with
malevolent joy.

"You love too late!" he cried, to Elizabeth. "My men are there! They
shall take him to New York a prisoner, at last!"

"But not delivered up by me, thank God!" replied Elizabeth, while
Peyton rose quickly from his chair, and Colden reeled like a drunken
man to the window.

She went behind Peyton, and, with the edge of the broken sword, hacked
rather than cut through one of the outer windings that bound his
wrists together, whereupon she speedily uncoiled the rope.

"You were my prisoner. I set you free!" she said, dropped the rope to
the floor, and handed him the broken sword.

He took the weapon in his right hand, and imprisoned Elizabeth with
his left arm.

"I'm more your prisoner now than ever!" he said. "You've cut these
bonds. Will you put others on me?"

"Sometime,--if we can save your life!" she answered.

Both turned their eyes towards Colden.

The Tory officer had drawn his sword, and was motioning, in great
excitement, to his soldiers outside.

"This way, men!" he shouted. "To the front door! Damn the louts! Can't
they understand?" He beat upon the window with his sword, knocking out
panes of glass. "Come through that door, I say! Quick, curse you,
there's a prisoner here, with a price for his taking! Ay, that's it!
Some one in the hall there, open the front door to my men!"

The sound now came of knocks bestowed on the outside door, and of
Sam's heavy tread on the hall floor.

"Williams! Sam!" shouted Elizabeth. "Don't let them in!"

The heavy tread was heard to stop short. The knocking on the outer
door was resumed.

"Let them in, I say," roared Colden, too proud to go himself to the
door. "I command it, in the name of the King!"

"Obey your mistress," cried Peyton, to those in the hall. "I command
it, in the name of Congress!"

Colden was silent for a moment, then suddenly threw open the window
and c