ain lover! Pardon me, but this is preposterous;" and
with a stiff courtesy she swept from the room, leaving the central
figure of history--as such central figures are apt to be left--alone.

Later in the evening Mistress Schuyler so far subdued the tears and
emotions of Thankful, that she was enabled to dry her eyes, and
re-arrange her brown hair in the quaint little mirror in Mistress
Schuyler's chamber; Mistress Schuyler herself lending a touch and
suggestion here and there, after the secret freemasonry of her sex.
"You are well rid of this forsworn captain, dear Mistress Thankful; and
methinks that with hair as beautiful as yours, the new style of wearing
it, though a modish frivolity, is most becoming. I assure you 'tis
much affected in New York and Philadelphia,--drawn straight back from
the forehead, after this manner, as you see."

The result was, that an hour later Mistress Schuyler and Mistress
Blossom presented themselves to Col. Hamilton in the reception-room,
with a certain freshness and elaboration of toilet that not only quite
shamed the young officer's affaire negligence, but caused him to open
his eyes in astonishment. "Perhaps she would rather be alone, that she
might indulge her grief," he said doubtingly, in an aside to Miss
Schuyler, "rather than appear in company."

"Nonsense," quoth Mistress Schuyler. "Is a young woman to mope and
sigh because her lover proves false?"

"But her father is a prisoner," said Hamilton in amazement.

"Can you look me in the face," said Mistress Schuyler mischievously,
"and tell me that you don't know that in twenty-four hours her father
will be cleared of these charges? Nonsense! Do you think I have no
eyes in my head? Do you think I misread the general's face and your
own?"

"But, my dear girl," said the officer in alarm.

"Oh! I told her so, but not WHY," responded Miss Schuyler with a wicked
look in her dark eyes, "though I had warrant enough to do so, to serve
you for keeping a secret from ME!"

And with this Parthian shot she returned to Mistress Thankful, who,
with her face pressed against the window, was looking out on the
moonlit slope beside the Whippany River.

For, by one of those freaks peculiar to the American springtide, the
weather had again marvellously changed. The rain had ceased, and the
ground was covered with an icing of sleet and snow, that now glittered
under a clear sky and a brilliant moon. The northeast wind that shook
the l