"Why, son, 'twould be monstrous to send them forth in such weather,"
remonstrated his mother. "They would get drenched."

"Better that than to stay here," he declared, but his uncle
interposed:

"'Twould never do, nevvy. You couldn't get as far as Freehold with the
roads as they are. The rain won't last more than a few days; and if it
keeps us in it works the same with the raiders by keeping them out.
They won't venture into Monmouth County until the weather changes.
They know too well the danger of the quagmires. We must bide our time,
nevvy."

And with this the lad was forced to content himself. For three days
the rain continued, and with its ceasing every vestige of snow had
disappeared, leaving conditions worse than ever. The roads were very
soft and heavy, and most perilous where they crossed the marshes.
Even the youth acknowledged that travel with a wagon was utterly out
of the question. But he himself managed to ride into Freehold daily
that he might meet with his company, and begin preparations to take
the field as soon as offensive operations by the raiders were resumed.

So the days went by, but they were pleasant and busy ones for Peggy
and Sally. True to their resolve to accept with cheerfulness whatever
befell, their gay spirits softened and enlivened the gloom which might
otherwise have settled upon the family. The mornings were devoted to
housework and cookery; the afternoons to quilting the homespun
bed-quilt which Sally had noticed in the frames on the night of their
arrival. In the evenings all gathered about the great fireplace and
indulged in such recreations as the farmhouse afforded. The girls had
each set a pair of stockings upon the needles which they declared were
for Fairfax, and, much to his embarrassment, he was called upon every
evening to note the progress of the work. After the fashion of the
time the name, Fairfax, and the date, 1782, were knit in the threads.

Soon the raw winds of March gave place to softer ones which blew
caressingly from the south, dispelling all fear of frost. The soft wet
of the ground disappeared under the balmy sunshine, and the air was a
fount of freshness. The glad earth reveled under the warmth of the
sun, and hill and valley, wood and meadow, blossomed under the touch
of spring.

Along the Hudson, Washington gathered his forces for a final campaign,
for not yet would England consent to terms of peace, and urged with
entreaty upon the states the nee