d. These things are best left to work
themselves out, and you were both young, so I held my peace. Six months
ago Sir Gilbert Vane, the uncle, died, and, as title and estates were
entailed, Vane Priory came to him. At first he was minded to return, and
I wish now that I had bundled him off. Then he had queer, dispirited
fits about the cause we were serving. I regret we have not been more in
earnest and not so much given to pleasure. The city has been very gay,
but I think many of the women whose feet twinkled merrily in the dance
talked treason with rosy lips in the pauses.

"I was angry when I read your letter and tossed it over to him, wishing
that I had been your guardian and had some right to order your life. He
held it a long while, then he rose and began to pace the floor.

"'I tell you, Phil,' he said with strange earnestness, 'we are on the
wrong side. Nothing can ever conquer these people while the love of
their own country outweighs everything else. If the women feel this way,
and cannot be tempted, no wonder the men are steadfast and go in rags
and half starve and take any hardship. We forget that they are our own
kin, of our own brave English blood, and would we tolerate an invader?
Would we not fight to the last man? It would be nobler to go home and
let them rule themselves, for we can never conquer them.'

"'You talk treason,' I said angrily. 'You had better be careful.'

"'They are talking the same thing in the House of Parliament. I have
been paying more attention to these things of late, and I feel that in
the end we shall be worsted. Better make brothers of them now while we
can. If this were my country, my birthplace----'

"'Hold!' I cried in a passion. 'I am an Englishman. That is the country
of my mother's birth, and my father had good English blood in his veins.
My Uncle Henry thinks the rebels all in the wrong, and I know well my
father would never have sided with them. My sister would have been
brought up to love the King.'

"He made no answer, but went out presently. Then for some days he was
moody and kept himself quite busy, and I thought was planning to return
to England to look after his estates. Our colonel thought so, too. And
then five others beside him suddenly disappeared. Shortly after we
learned they had gone South to enter the army under General Greene. I
only hope they will fall into Tarleton's hands, and he will make short
work of them. But my heart is sore for the loss of my