tive instincts of the community. Upon the arrival of the French
Ambassador M. Gerard, a grand banquet was tendered him, after which he
was entertained with his entire suite for several days at Mount
Pleasant. Foreigners were seldom absent from the mansion and members of
Congress, the relatives of his wife, the titled gentry of Europe were
treated with marked and lavish attention. The visit of General
Washington was an event memorable for its display and magnificence, the
ball alone at the City Tavern entailing a vast expenditure. With Madeira
selling at eight hundred pounds a pipe and other things in proportion to
the depreciation of the paper currency, the wonder was often expressed
as to the source of so much munificence.

It was known that General Arnold was not a man of wealth. Whatever
fortune he had amassed had been obtained mainly through the profits
accrued from his privateering ventures. The great estate which he now
possessed, had been bought only a few months previous to his marriage
out of the profits of one of his vessels, just then returning to port.
He was continually in debt, and ruin was imminent. Yet he was living at
the rate of five thousand pounds a year. Whence then came the funds?

He had married a Tory wife, and presently it was discovered that among
his bosom friends, his table companions, were to be found the enemies of
America. Rumors began to whisper with nods and shrugs and shakings of
the head that his wife was imparting profitable information to the
enemy, and betimes the question was raised as to who was profiting most.
What was more natural than that she who had been the toasted and lauded
favorite of the British Officers when they were in possession of the
city, should now be in communication with them in far-away New York!
The seeds of suspicion and ill-will were sedulously sown--and the yield
was bound to be luxuriant.

So the days rolled into weeks, and the weeks clustered into months, and
the months fell into the procession of the seasons, and in the meantime,
Arnold and his wife passed their time in conjugal felicity and regal
splendor. Their affection was constant, tender and uninterrupted; and
this alone afforded him consolation and happiness; for his countrymen
were in a bad mood with him. His wife, his home, his estate now defined
the extent of his ambition. The world had turned against him.

CHAPTER V

I

A busier man in the city of Philadelphia during the winter