the sole immortality of degraded ambition,
religious prejudice, treason and infamy."

"God help him!" exclaimed Mrs. Allison.

II

In July, 1780, General Arnold had been placed in command of West Point;
two months later he was safe on board the British sloop-of-war,
_Vulture_. He had attempted to betray his country; he received in
exchange six thousand pounds sterling, together with a brigadiership in
the British Army.

From the time he left Philadelphia until the morning of his flight he
had kept up a continual correspondence with John Anderson. Information
was at length conveyed to him that Sir Henry Clinton was in possession
of advices that the American Commander-in-chief contemplated an advance
on New York by way of King's Bridge. Clinton's scheme would allow the
army of General Washington to move upon the city, having collected all
his magazines at the fortification at West Point, but at a given moment
Arnold was expected to surrender the fort and garrison and compel the
army of Washington to retire immediately or else suffer capture in the
field.

Still Arnold felt that everything was not quite settled between Sir
Henry and himself, and wrote accordingly, advising that a written
guarantee be forwarded or delivered in person to him by an officer of
Sir Henry's staff of his own mensuration. He was informed by way of
reply that the necessary meeting might be arranged, and that the
emissary would be the Adjutant-General of the British Army.

Accordingly the British sloop _Vulture_ moved up the river as far as
Stony Point, bearing the Adjutant-General. Arnold had fixed on the house
of Joshua Smith as the place for the meeting. On the night of the
twenty-first of September, he sent a boat to the _Vulture_ which brought
the emissary shore. In a thick grove of cedars, in the shroud of the
blackest night, Arnold waited the return of the rowboat, its oars
muffled with sheepskins, its passenger on board. The latter sprang
lightly to the shore, his large blue watchcoat and high boots alone
visible. As he climbed the bank and approached the grove, he threw back
his cloak and revealed the full British uniform of a general officer.

"Anderson?" Arnold exclaimed. "You?"

"No! Andre, Major Andre," was the reply.

"Hm! I thought as much. I suspected you from the moment I met you in
Philadelphia."

"Come. Let us finish. I must return before daybreak."

"Where is your disguise? I advised you to come in disguise."

H