"Not all of them, my dear," replied Mrs. Travilla, smiling lovingly into
the sweet, though grave and earnest, little face; "some were really
conscientiously opposed to war, even when waged for freedom from
unbearable tyranny and oppression, but were disposed to be merely
inactive witnesses of the struggle, some of them desiring the success of
the patriots, others that of the king's troops; then there was another
set who, while professing neutrality, secretly aided the British,
betraying the patriots into their hands.

"Such were Carlisle and Roberts, Quakers of that time, living in
Philadelphia. While the British were in possession of the city those two
men were employed as secret agents in detecting foes to the government,
and by their secret information caused many patriots to be arrested and
thrown into prison. Lossing tells us that Carlisle, wearing the meek
garb and deportment of a Quaker, was at heart a Torquemada."

"And who was Torquemada, mamma?" queried Walter.

"A Dominican monk of Spain, who lived in the times of Ferdinand and
Isabella, and was by them appointed inquisitor-general. He organized the
Inquisition throughout Spain, drew up the code of procedure, and during
sixteen years caused between nine and ten thousand persons to be burned
at the stake."

"Mamma! what a cruel, _cruel_ wretch!" cried Walter. "Oh, but I'm glad
nobody can do such cruel things in these days! I hope Roberts and
Carlisle weren't quite so wicked as he."

"No, I should not like to think they would have been willing to go to
quite such lengths, though they seem to have shown enough malignity
toward their patriotic fellow-countrymen to make it evident that they
had something of the spirit of the cruel and bloodthirsty Torquemada.

"Though they would not bear arms for the wealth of the Indies, they were
ever ready to act as guides to those whose object was to massacre their
fellow-countrymen; and that only because they were determined to be
free."

"Were not some of those in New Jersey known as 'Pine Robbers,' Grandma
Elsie?" asked Evelyn.

"Yes; they infested the lower part of Monmouth County, whence they went
on predatory excursions into other parts of the State, coming upon the
people at night to burn, murder, plunder, and destroy. They burrowed
caves in the sandhills on the borders of the swamps, where they
concealed themselves and their booty."

"Did they leave their hiding-places only in the night time, mamma?"
aske