ue, Pitt?"

"North's hand will be as firm as the king's and no firmer. Pitt will
be dead when he has ceased to be a demagogue. The king speaks of him
as 'That Trumpet of Sedition,'" replied Mogridge with an air of
sagacity.

"I fear you are right. His words have afforded the would-be traitors
in this land their chief encouragement."

"And from what I hear they seem to be having their way in Virginia."

"Yes, there's the very old Harry to pay here. Men whose position and
interests lie in retaining the old order of things are catering to the
rabble for a little temporary advantage. You see, the past few years,
the Scotch-Irish immigrants have been pouring into the northwestern
part of the colony. By nature and education they are hostile to
rightful authority, are Dissenters and opposed to contributing in the
way of taxes for the support of the established order."

"I understand that the other side, the men who are using these
ignorant people for their purposes, have control of the House of
Burgesses."

"Fools! to think they can scare England by refusing to buy goods of
her just because she wishes them to pay a small tax. I've just heard
that Colonel Washington met Richard and Francis Lee at the Raleigh
Tavern in Williamsburg the other night after the governor, God bless
him! had dissolved the Burgesses; that with Tom Jefferson and Patrick
Henry they laid their plans for uniting with the rebels in the other
colonies. I can't understand of what such men as Washington are
thinking. Treason, _pur et simple_, that's what 'twill come to."

"Henry is a wonderful orator, they say."

"Words, words, and more words. Where he learns 'em all is a mystery,
for he'd much rather talk than study. He's infatuated young Jefferson,
who's yeoman on his father's side, but who's as smart as he is
conceited. What do you suppose that young scamp is trying to
accomplish? Nothing less than the ruin of the old families of this
Dominion, sir. He would so change our laws that, instead of our
estates descending to the eldest son and thus being kept up, they
would be divided among the children, as is done in Massachusetts. And
he would disestablish the church, he would, by gad, sir!"

The squire's face, always florid from high living, was now so purple
with passion that his wily nephew, fearing apoplexy, changed the
subject.

"By the way, uncle, why don't you send Lisbeth to England to finish
her education? She's growing to be a handsome wo