ut
going before Thursday we shall give up the visit altogether," she said.

Ruth hardly knew what to say or do. It seemed to the little girl that
her delay in starting for Barren Hill meant the possibility of the
capture of Lafayette. She was tempted to tell her mother the reason for
wishing to start at once, but she was sure Mrs. Pennell would promptly
forbid her carrying out her plan to visit Valley Forge.

Ruth managed to thank her mother for permission to go on Thursday, and
to say that she would be sure and see Farmer Withely and give him the
message the next morning, and then went back to her seat in the garden.
She had just taken up Cecilia, when the garden gate was pushed open and
Winifred came running up the path.

"Gilbert says he is ashamed of me!" declared Winifred, "and of you, and
of Betty Hastings, for going to Southwark yesterday," and she looked at
Ruth a little fearfully, as if expecting her friend to be quite overcome
by Gilbert's disapproval.

"I don't care if he is," was Ruth's surprising reply. "I am glad I went,
and I always shall be glad. And perhaps some day Gilbert will be glad
too."

"Why, Ruth Pennell!" exclaimed Winifred.

"You tell him just what I say," insisted Ruth, beginning to feel more
cheerful at the thought of Gilbert's surprise when he should discover
that she had saved Lafayette from capture through her visit to
Southwark. After all, Thursday was only the day after to-morrow, she
reflected, and the English were too much occupied in their welcome to
Sir Henry Clinton to start off to capture the young Frenchman. Besides
that encouraging thought Winifred had brought over a box filled with
beads. They were wonderful beads--blue, all shades of blue, and
sparkling red beads, and beads of shining green, and white beads as
clear as dew-drops.

"You may pick out those you like best," said the generous Winnie,
"enough to make you a necklace, and one for Cecilia, too," and the two
little girls were soon happily occupied with the beads, and Ruth forgot
all about her fears lest her warning should come too late. But when
Winifred jumped up saying that it was time for her to go home, Ruth
remembered that she had not told Winnie that she was to go to Barren
Hill on Thursday.

"Oh, Ruth! Then you won't see all the processions for Captain Harlow's
entertainment. And he said this morning when I went over to see Betty
that we could go down again, the very day before it is given," exclaimed