“They are evidently contemplating a landing,”
said the young officer, after a moment's observation.

“Pray Heaven it may be so! If they don't soon
give us a little fighting, they will find no enemy to
keep their blood in circulation.”

“How so, general?” inquired Isabel; “do you
think of running away?”

“Not exactly, if we can help it. The soldiers'
time of enlistment is up in December, when the
army will dissolve like icicles in a sunny forenoon.
Confound this short enlistment! We no sooner get
men used to the sound of cannon and the burning
of gunpowder, and begin to feel confidence in their
officers, and they in them, than, presto! they all
vanish like the thin air, leaving, as William Shakspeare
says, `not a wreck behind.”'

“How large an army is there now in the city,
general?” she inquired, in the tone in which she
would have asked the name of a flower.

“Some six thousand men, besides our regiments
in Brooklyn. What do you see, Major Burton?
You look as if you spied something of moment.”

“A single frigate standing boldly towards the
city.”

“'Tis the Roebuck. Keep this post, and report
from time to time your observations. I will ride to
headquarters, and make known this movement.”

The time passed in the cupola after the departure
of General Putnam was faithfully and pretty
equally devoted by Burton to the operations of war
and love. The progress he made in the latter, however,
was the most gratifying; and when, at the
termination of an hour, General Putnam rejoined
them, he had been told, not only by the eyes, but
also by the lips of the haughty Isabel, that she
loved him. It was, therefore, with the heightened
glow of victory in love, as well as the flush of

[figure description] Page 074.[end figure description]

military enthusiasm, that he received the announcement
that the commander-in-chief had appointed
General Putnam to the command at Brooklyn,
whither he was immediately to proceed, with six
additional regiments.

“Now, Burton,” he said, with noble ardour, “we
will try what mettle our troops are of. Howe is
actually disembarking his men under cover of his
guns, for a spy came in and confirmed our suspicions
while I was with Washington. He is to
march his forces against Brooklyn, which, if taken,
will give him command of New-York; and then,
Miss Ney,” he added, archly, “we shall most certainly
have to run away.”

“I hope you will not carry me with you, general?”

“Assuredly. I shall hold you as my prisoner.”

“But what if I refuse to become your prisoner?
You will not lock me up, I hope.”

“I fear I must,” he replied, with assumed gravity.
“What think you? The commander-in-chief,
on being informed of the character of my fair
guest, frowned with some displeasure; and, at first,
said you must be sent with a flag of truce to Staten
or Long Island to your father. But, them, I
having told him what a tinder-box you were, he
said very seriously that no doubt you might be
well calculated for a spy, and perhaps was one,
and that I must keep a sharp eye upon you, and,
moreover, not allow you to come within speaking
distance of my gallant aiddecamp, whom he advises
me to keep in close duty at Brooklyn, no
doubt to prevent his being brought over to toryism
by a pair of black eyes and ruby lips.”

“Your general is a rare cavalier, and has my
thanks for his flattering opinion of me,” she said,
scornfully curling her lips, and assuming an

[figure description] Page 075.[end figure description]

appearance of indignation. “Said he aught further
in this courtly vein?”

“Only that you possibly might be detained as
hostage for your father's good behaviour.”

“Now will I assert my woman's spirit,” she
said, rising and speaking with great energy, “and
meet compulsion with obstinacy. I will be neither
prisoner nor hostage. With faith in the honour of a
gentleman and an officer, I placed myself beneath
this roof as his guest. And if the word of a gentleman
and a soldier is to be pledged thus lightly, then
are ye a base rebel crew, unfit to stand in that august
Senate to which ye aspire, and for which ye are
now in arms. I appeal to the faint spark of honour
yet in American bosoms, and there is my
glove,” she added, with ineffable scorn, flinging her
glove at the feet of the gentlemen, “in testimony
of my appeal, though, God knows, there is not gentle
blood enough in the land to lift it!”

Burton sprang to take it up, when General Putnam,
at whose feet it fell, gracefully raised it,
pressed it to his lips, and fixed it like a bouquet to
the buttonhole of his vest; then taking her hand,
he said, with mingled sympathy and good-nature,

“My dear Miss Ney, you judge too harshly of
American soldiers. So long as you are beneath
my roof, which shall be as long as it is your pleasure
to remain, you are my honoured guest. When
the commander-in-chief proposed to retain you as
a hostage,” he added, smiling, “my sword flew
half out of its sheath, and I swore a round oath that
it should not be.”

The emotion of the maiden, although it was at
first, perhaps, partly assumed, but, from the quickness
and violence of her feelings, had become real,
was soothed by the sincere and tender address
of the general; and with glistening eyes she

[figure description] Page 076.[end figure description]

returned the pressure of his hand; but happening at
the same moment to meet the riveted gaze of her
admirer, she gave way to an uncontrollable burst of
merriment.

He had stood, while she was speaking, lost in
wonder and surprise, and, with something of the
philosopher and the lover in his countenance,
deeply studying the character of the strange creature
whose moral features, like the changes of the
northern lights, were constantly presenting new
and more startling appearances. Bewildered in
the maze of speculation which these contrarieties
of disposition presented to his study, he forgot
for the moment his usual presence of mind; and,
when she turned towards him, his eyes were fixed
upon her with the look of one in whose hands a
dove has suddenly assumed the ferocity of a bird
of prey, and which he knows not whether to replace
in his bosom or shrink away from with fear.

The merry laughter of the maiden instantly restored
good feeling, and seemed at once to place
them all three, lately in such a belligerant attitude,
on a more confidential footing than before. The
attention of the general now was once more drawn
to the bay.

“See! that vessel of war, which I think is the
Roebuck, has hove to nearly abreast of Gowan's
Cove, but lies beyond gunshot of Red Hook, or I
should think she was about to open a cannonade
upon it. How many thousand men can Howe lend
them, Miss Ney?”

“Who is the spy now, general?” said the lady,
laughing. “I shall order you under arrest if you
put any more questions of that nature to me.”

“I dare say you could tell the number of stitches
in a stocking better than the number of men in a
regiment. Burton,” he added, “we must embark

[figure description] Page 077.[end figure description]

six regiments to-night, and I shall need your services.
I see a flag of truce approaching. Good-by.”

“Eight, perhaps, will be early enough for me to
join you?” asked Burton, carelessly.

“Oh, yes, if you have other business. The
boats will not be ready before dark.”

“Then at eight I shall assist at the embarcation;
for if General Washington is to keep me at
such close duty in Brooklyn, I shall need some
hours to attend to my interests in New-York.”

“No doubt,” said the general, dryly, glancing at
Isabel as they descended the steps of the cupola.

On gaining the hall, they met the officer bearing
the flag of truce, who had come to negotiate for
the exchange of a tory officer then prisoner with
the Americans.

During the conversation in relation to this subject,
Miss Ney, as if it had no interest for her, desired
Burton to aid her in making a bouquet, saying
that she wished to send it to her father. Approaching
the windows of the drawing-room, which were
filled with vases of flowers, with his assistance,
though not without unaccountably and waywardly
rejecting many he offered, and making her selections
with much care, she soon made up a garland
of peculiar form and arrangement of colours. Returning
into the hall, she presented it to the British
officer with much grace and a glance of meaning,
which was intelligibly returned by him, inquired
after her father's health, and desired him to present
him with it in token of her affection.

Neither the manner, voice, nor glance were lost on
the vigilant lover, and for the first time it occurred
to him that the suspicions of General Washington
might not be unfounded; and he was strengthened
in this opinion when he hastily ran over in his
mind the character of Isabel, than whom none fitter

[figure description] Page 078.[end figure description]

for the service could have been chosen among her
sex. He was aware that she had obtained some
important information, but did not know how much
she had gained in the short period of her stay. Isabel,
indeed, had commenced her system of spying
even upon the officer commanding the boats that
came to convey her from “the Kills” to the city;
and by every means in her power, guided by her
remarkable tact and presence of mind, and aided
by numerous unguarded opportunities, she had in
one night and subsequent forenoon obtained almost
all the information which the Earl of Percy would
have deemed necessary.

Familiar with the language of flowers, and observing
the glances of intelligence interchanged between
her and the bearer of the flag of truce, and
the suspicion of her true character having consequently
flashed on his mind, Burton closely observed
the bouquet which the officer held in his
hand, studied the arrangement of its flowers, and
detected at once their artifice. Although he could
not, without exciting suspicion by the closeness of
his observations, interpret their story, he determined
at once to render the plan abortive. He therefore
carelessly approached the window, pulled a `forgetme-not,
' and, returning to Isabel, said gracefully,

“You have forgotten, Miss Ney, to send to your
father a `forget-me-not;' shall I have the honour of
adding it to your nosegay?”

“Oh, no, no!” she said, with quickness, thrown
off her guard, and at once confirming his suspicions.

He had, however, already solicited and obtained
the bouquet from the officer, who could not, without
rudeness, decline resigning it to him; and,
while inserting the flower, he destroyed, unperceived,
their artificial and intelligible arrangement.
In returning it to him again, he encountered the

[figure description] Page 079.[end figure description]

dark eyes of the maiden lighted up with anger and
suspicion. Her equanimity, however, was soon
restored by the fascinating attentions of Burton,
who, after the officer left the room, entirely removed
her suspicions of his knowledge of her secret;
and, as usually is the case after a cloud
raised by a lover darkens a lady's brow, there succeeded
a more brilliant sunshine of smiles than
before.

Although now amply convinced that Isabel was
a spy, he resolved to conceal his suspicions from
her, and remove her at once not only from the scene
of the operations of the army, but, at the same time,
accomplish a purpose of his own. Having, therefore,
assured himself of, and strengthened his power
over, her heart by those insinuating attentions, and
that language of love no one knew better how
to use or adapt to the weaknesses of those around
whose hearts he wished to throw the charms of
passion, he took leave of her; then seeking General
Putnam, who was in the act of mounting his horse
at the door, he at once communicated to him his
suspicions, or, rather, his conviction of the dangerous
character of his guest.

“Strange that Washington should always have
so much more sagacity than other men,” said the
general, who was convinced by the statement made
by his aid. “So long as God preserves him to
lead our armies,” he continued, as if reverting to
other instances of his wisdom, “our cause will
prosper. But what must be done? I have taken
up her gauntlet,” he added, gallantly pointing to the
gage still adorning his breast, “and, with her high
English blood, she will consign us all to ignominy.
Our gallantry and hospitality are at stake, sir.”

“Obtain an order from the commander-in-chief
for her removal to New-Jersey or Kingsbridge

[figure description] Page 080.[end figure description]

until we see how affairs turn out at Brooklyn. I will
command the escort and return before you embark.
She will be unable then to communicate with the
British army, and can, therefore, do us no mischief.”

General Putnam looked inquiringly into the face
of his young aiddecamp as he pressed, somewhat
warmly, this plan, and then, with a significant
smile, said, as he got into the saddle,

“I would make oath, Burton, thou art serving
thyself more in this matter than thy country. But
I think it best to take this step you propose. Spare
me in the affair,” he added, laughing, and riding
off, “or she will hack off my spurs as a craven
knight.”

At the expiration of an hour, Burton, who in the
interval had been making preparations for marching
with the escort, which was about to serve a double
purpose, received, through General Putnam, an order
from the commander-in-chief, confirmed by the
president of the Congress, who had not yet left the
city, directing Miss Ney to be conveyed, as a suspicious
and dangerous person, to Kingsbridge, and
there to be strictly watched. Accompanying the
order was a letter addressed to General Mifflin
there commanding, and private instructions from
General Putnam to Burton to take command of the
expedition, which should consist of not more than
six dragoons. Burton undertook the delicate mission
of acquainting Miss Ney with the official order.
He found her on the housetop, surveying
with longing eyes the fleet of her native England.

“I can liken you only to an imprisoned bird, fair
Isabel, looking from the bars of its cage towards
its native woods,” he said, smiling, as he entered
the latticed tower; “but, poor bird! I fear me,”
continued he, with affected commiseration, “the
cruelty of the rebels will shut you up yet closer.”

[figure description] Page 081.[end figure description]

“How mean you, Burton?” she inquired, laying
aside the telescope, and placing her hand confidingly,
yet with an earnest manner, on his arm;
“there is a mystery in your face which betokens
either good or ill to me, but which I am too unskilled
to read.”

“Here, my Isabel, are lines less mysterious,”
he replied, placing in her hand the order from the
commander-in-chief; then, taking his seat beside
her, while his arm carelessly, and as if unconsciously,
glided round her waist, he watched the
expression of her countenance as, with kindling
eyes, a changing cheek, and scornful lip, she perused
the order.

“Upon the honour of an Englishwoman,” she
said, coolly returning the paper, “this chief of yours
hath little to do to meddle thus with the affairs of a
helpless girl. Truly, your cause must be a noble
one, sir, that its leader can resort to such means to
uphold it. Well, Burton,” she continued, turning
towards him and bitterly smiling, while her eyes
glistened with tears, which the penetrating lover
attributed to their true cause, excitement rather
than innocence, “I yield me your prisoner. But,”
she added, quickly, blushing at an exhibition of
feeling she sought not to suppress, “I trust I
shall not lose you, Burton. I know not how it
is that you have so soon obtained such control
over me! Until I saw you, I never beheld a
man I did not absolutely hate. I know not why,
unless from that perverse nature which is in me,
and makes me differ from every one of my sex.
This morning has shown me,” she continued, with
more softness, and yielding to the slight embrace
in which he held her, “that I am as free to love as
to hate. Now that I fear I am to be separated
from you, perhaps for ever, I will frankly and

[figure description] Page 082.[end figure description]

sincerely tell you—and if I hated you I should be as
frank—that, if the feelings I entertain for you are
suggested by love, I love you, Burton.”

“So haughty, and confess so much?”

“It is my proud spirit that makes me openly
confess what maidens generally strive to conceal,
albeit love speaks out in every look and motion
as plainly and visibly as a lamp shines out at night.
I am too proud to leave you in doubt for one moment
as to my sentiments. I could not endure
that you should speculate upon my feelings. And,
my dear Burton,” she said, returning his embrace,
“my heart tells me that my love is not unrequited.
Will you not come and cheer my solitude at Kingsbridge?”

“Does the wanderer in a gloomy night wish to
behold the sun?”

“Nay, Burton, use not such expressions. I like
honest, straightforward language. I cannot believe
there is much depth of feeling or of sincerity
in coined compliments.”

“Then every hour I pass not in the field shall
be spent at your feet.”

“Well, that is better. But say that I may see
you at least twice a week, and I shall be resigned
to this unjust and tyrannical order.”

“My beautiful Isabel, for by that endearing
name I must call you, I will see you once a day so
long as you honour Kingsbridge with your presence.
But tell me, Isabel,” he inquired, looking
steadily into her eyes, while a smile of peculiar intelligence
played round his mouth, “is this order
so very unjust?”

“You certainly cannot suspect me, Burton?”
she exclaimed, between surprise and alarm.

“Oh no!” he said, laughing; “but a fair

[figure description] Page 083.[end figure description]

countryman of your own, when I was quite a youth in
college, taught me the language of flowers.”

He fixed his dark eyes, as he concluded, full
upon her, with a conscious gaze which she could
not withstand. Encountering his steady look for a
moment, she dropped her eyelids, and, as the scene
in the hall occurred to her, she said reprovingly,
yet forgivingly,

“Can it be, Burton, that I am indebted to you
for this order?”

“Not to my duty as a soldier, Isabel,” he replied,
casting himself at her feet, “but to my deep and
devoted passion as a lover. I detected your correspondence
with the flag of truce, and, as you perceived,
rendered it abortive. Alarmed for your
safety if you should be detected by others in communication
with the enemy, I immediately obtained
from General Washington this order for your removal,
not so much to a place of security, my dear
Isabel, as to a bower of love. Here I could see
you only in the presence of others; there I can see
you daily unobserved. It was to secure to myself
the uninterrupted happiness of your society, rather
than to prevent mischief to our cause, that I sought
this removal. It is my act, and not the chief's. I
alone am guilty; and if love deep and sincere can
plead my cause and procure my pardon, then should
I not now plead in vain.”

The face of the maiden, as he confessed his participation
in this act, became dark and fearfully
passionate, as if she could have struck a dagger
into his bosom. Her eyes gleamed with that fierce
and almost demoniacal light which characterized
the strength of her feelings, giving to her countenance
a fearful beauty; more fearful still from its
exquisite loveliness. But, as he proceeded, the
sterner character of her face changed; and while

[figure description] Page 084.[end figure description]

her ears drank in the words of passion he poured
into them, a new spirit, such as is wont to beam in
woman's eyes when love pleads to her heart, animated
hers, and with a smile that marked his entire
restoration to favour, she extended her hand. He
seized and pressed it to his lips, then enclosed her
person in his arms.

She blushingly released herself from his embrace
just as the round face of Zacharie made its
appearance in the door. With a countenance in
which arch roguery, sly humour, and mischievous
intelligence were oddly mingled, he beckoned his
master to him with a jerk of his chin.

“I have found out which way the scent lies. A
place called Kip's Cove or bay is where—” here, as
he happened to encounter the dark eye of the lady,
sundry winks supplied the remainder of the sentence,
which, however, ended with, “Four o'clock
precisely—Coenties-slip.”

“Then go and wait my coming.”

“Ay, ay, sir,” said Zacharie, casting a sidelong
glance at the lady as he was disappearing; “if this
master of mine wouldn't make a capital friar, cassock
on or cassock off. He is always confessing
some black eye or other. Well! every man to his
tastes. I like the chink of a dollar, and he likes the
blink of a bright eye, and so we are both suited.”

Thus soliloquizing, he found his way, by a sort
of instinct, to the apartments of the servants, where,
with one eye cocked towards the hall door to watch
his master's approach, and the other squinting at
the maids, black and white, he awaited the appearance
of Burton, entertaining the company in the
meanwhile with many a jibe and joke.