o! It's Hero!" she exclaimed, running toward the door. But with
her hand on the latch she stopped suddenly. She had promised that she
would not leave the room that day. She had set her own punishment for
rudeness, and for the thoughtlessness that had perhaps ruined her
mother's dress.

"Oh! I wish I hadn't dressed up," she thought, as she turned slowly away
from the door, thinking of Hero looking wistfully about for his little
mistress. She knew that Aunt Deborah would be kind to him, but not to
see Hero after he had been missing so long was a real punishment for the
little girl, and she went back to the window and stood looking out
wishing that for a punishment she had thought of something beside
staying in her room all day.

As she looked out she saw that Gilbert was still in his garden, that
Winifred was beside him, and that they were both making motions for her
to open the window.

She shook her head soberly. She could see that Winifred was greatly
excited about something, and was talking eagerly to her brother. They
both looked up at Ruth's window and again motioned with waving arms for
her to open it. After a few moments they seemed to realize that she had,
for some reason they could not imagine, been forbidden to; and with a
good-bye signal they both turned and ran toward the house.

"I do wonder what they wanted to tell me," thought Ruth. "Oh, dear! It
is dreadful to stay up here when Hero is home, and when Winifred and
Gilbert have a secret." She began to realize that she had set herself no
light punishment.

"But it wouldn't be a punishment if I were enjoying it," she finally
decided, and getting the half-finished sock from her knitting bag, she
drew a small rocking-chair to the center of the room, seated herself and
began resolutely to knit.

Now and then she could hear sounds from the rooms below; and once Ruth
dropped her knitting and started toward the door, for she had heard
Hero's plaintive whine as he waited for admittance. Then had come Aunt
Deborah's voice calling him away sternly; and Ruth picked up her
knitting, resolved to keep exactly to her promise. She wondered if Major
Andre had sent Hero home in charge of "Dick," the smiling young soldier
who had spoken to her on General Howe's door-steps. But most of all her
thoughts centered about Winifred and Gilbert.

She heard the clock strike eleven, and realized that she was very
hungry; and that an hour was a long time to wait before Aunt Debor