e her as thee said. It may
be that we tease her too much, for she is of a certainty entertaining.
I have never seen Fairfax so interested."

Betty caught sight of them before Sally could reply.

"Have ye come at last?" she cried. "I thought thee was never coming,
Peggy. It is not treating us right to leave us alone so long. And what
does thee think? Sally talks of going home. Has she told thee?"

"Oh, Sally!" uttered Peggy reproachfully. "Thee can't mean it? Why,
mother and I expect all of you to stay the night. Beside, 'tis too
cold for thee to go out."

"The very thing I told her," exclaimed Betty. "And she said," and a
note of indignation quavered into Betty's voice, "that if it were warm
enough to need a fan it was warm enough to go out."

"But, Betty, why do you use a fan in such weather?" questioned Robert
Dale laughing. "Here it is so cold that we can scarce keep warm, and
Mistress Owen hath called Sukey twice to attend the fire. Yet there
you sit and wave that fan. I have wished to ask you about it all day."

"Why, Robert, does thee not know that a fan is to a woman what a gun
is to a soldier--a weapon of offense and of defense?" explained
Betty airily. "When one is conversing should a pause occur in the
conversation one may offset any embarrassment by fanning slowly. So!"
She plied the fan to and fro as she explained.

"And do you need it often, Betty?" he asked slyly.

"Now that is mean, Robert. I would not have thought it of thee,"
pouted Betty. "I shall tell no more secrets anent the use of the fan,
sir. Thee would not insinuate anything so ungallant, would thee,
Captain Johnson?"

"No," answered the youth blushing deeply at being so appealed to, and
speaking with difficulty. "I would not, Mistress Betty. You--you
mean--there would be no pause, would there?" He stopped short as a
burst of merriment in which even Betty joined broke from the others.
"What did I say?" he asked in alarm. "What is it?"

At this moment there came the sound of many feet in the hallway, and
Sukey's voice was heard protesting loudly:

"Dar ain't nobody heah but de fambly, Mistah Officah. De fambly and
der company. 'Tain't no mannah ob use disturbin' dem. Der ain't no
Britisher 'roun' heah nohow."

"Why, what does this mean?" ejaculated Mr. Owen, rising and going to
the door. "What is the matter, Sukey?" he asked as he threw it open.

CHAPTER IV

THE SEARCH

"Like bloodhounds now they search me out,--
Hark