new of him as the one who took part in
the disturbance at the Coffee House.

He seemed unusually attentive to her, although not unpleasantly so, and
innocently enough the question presented itself to her as to the import
of his motives. He had sought no information nor did he disclose any
concerning himself, for at no time did their conversation arise to any
plane above the commonplace. Yet she was willing to see him again and to
discover, if possible, the true state of his mind.

Stephen, she knew, would approve of her action; not only because of the
personal satisfaction which might be derived therefrom, but also because
of the possibilities which such a meeting might unfold. That Anderson
was prompted by some ulterior motive and that he was not attracted so
much by her charms as by the desire of seeking some advantage, she was
keen enough to sense. Just what this quest might lead to could not be
fathomed, yet it presented at all hazards a situation worthy of more
than a passing notice.

She mistrusted General Arnold, a mere opinion it was true, for she
possessed no evidence to warrant even a suspicion, yet something about
the man created within her heart a great want of confidence and
reliance. He was supremely overbearing and unusually sensitive. This,
together with his vaulting ambition and love of display,--traits which
even the merest novice could not fail to observe,--might render him
capable of the most brilliant achievements, such as his exploits before
the walls of Quebec and on the field of Saratoga, or of unwise and
wholly irresponsible actions, of some of which, although of minor
consequence, he had been guilty during the past few months. He disliked
her form of religious worship, and she strongly suspected this was the
reason he so openly opposed the alliance with the French. She regarded
this prejudice as a sad misfortune in a man of authority. His judgments
were liable to be clouded and unfair.

She knew Peggy like a book and she could easily imagine the influence
such a girl could exert, as a wife, on a man so constituted. Peggy's
social ambition and her marked passion for display and domination,
traits no less apparent in her than in her mother, would lead her to
view the overtures of her impetuous suitor with favor, notwithstanding
the fact that he was almost double her own age. As his wife she would
attain a social prestige. She was a Tory at heart, and he evidenced at
sundry times the same incl