ver again be alluded to.
He had promised that; and she knew that he was absolute in his
determinations. His groundless displeasure disconcerted her greatly.

Whether it became her to take the initiative in the healing of the
breach which she felt growing wide between them, or simply to await the
development of the course of action she had chosen to pursue, now became
a problem to her perplexed mind. So much depended upon the view he would
take of the whole situation that it was necessary for him to understand
from the very beginning. She would write him. But, no! That might be
premature. She would wait and tell him, so great was her assurance that
all would be well. She would tell him of her great and impassionate
desire to be of assistance to him; she would put into words her analysis
of this man's character, this man about whom he himself had first cast
the veil of suspicion; she would relate her experience with him. She
smiled to herself as she contemplated how pleased he would be once the
frown of bewilderment had disappeared from his countenance.

"Marjorie! Dost know the hour is late?"

"Yes, Mother! I am coming directly."

It was late, though she scarce knew it. Gathering her things, she
brought the chairs into the house.

CHAPTER IV

I

Week after week sped by, summer ripened into fall, and fall faded into
winter. All was monotony: the bleak winter season, the shorter days, the
longer evenings, the city settling down into a period of seclusion and
social inaction. There would be little of gayety this year. No foreign
visitors would be entertained by the townsfolk. There would be no
Mischienza to look forward to. It would be a lonely winter for the
fashionable element, with no solemn functions, with no weekly dancing
assemblies, with no amateur theatricals to rehearse. Indeed were it not
for the approaching marriage of Peggy Shippen to the Military Governor,
Philadelphia would languish for want of zest and excitement.

The wedding took place at the home of the bride on Fourth Street. The
elite of the city, for the most part Tories, were in attendance. Mrs.
Anne Willing Morris, Mrs. Bingham--all the leaders were there. So were
Marjorie, John Anderson, Stephen, the Chews and Miss Franks from New
York. The reception was brilliant, eclipsing anything of its kind in the
history of the social life of the city, for Mrs. Shippen had vowed that
the affair would establish her definitely and for all time th