said
the officer, pointing to the letter she still held unconsciously in her
hand.

With a blush at her pre-occupation, Thankful opened the letter. It was
a half-official document, and ran as follows:--

"The Commander-in-Chief is glad to inform Mistress Thankful Blossom
that the charges preferred against her father have, upon fair
examination, been found groundless and trivial. The Commander-in-Chief
further begs to inform Mistress Blossom that the gentleman known to her
under the name of the 'Baron Pomposo' was his Excellency Don Juan
Morales, Ambassador and Envoy Extraordinary of the Court of Spain, and
that the gentleman known to her as the 'Count Ferdinand' was Senor
Godoy, Secretary to the Embassy. The Commander-in-Chief wishes to add
that Mistress Thankful Blossom is relieved of any further obligation of
hospitality toward these honorable gentlemen, as the Commander-in-Chief
regrets to record the sudden and deeply-to-be-deplored death of his
Excellency this morning by typhoid fever, and the possible speedy
return of the Embassy.

"In conclusion, the Commander-in-Chief wishes to bear testimony to the
Truthfulness, Intuition, and Discretion of Mistress Thankful Blossom.

"By order of his Excellency,
"Gen. GEORGE WASHINGTON.

"ALEX. HAMILTON, Secretary.

"To Mistress THANKFUL BLOSSOM, of Blossom Farm."

Thankful Blossom was silent for a few moments, and then raised her
abashed eyes to Major Van Zandt. A single glance satisfied her that he
knew nothing of the imposture that had been practised upon her,--knew
nothing of the trap into which her vanity and self-will had led her.

"Dear Mistress Thankful," said the major, seeing the distress in her
face, "I trust the news is not ill. Surely I gathered from the
sergeant that--"

"What?" said Thankful, looking at him intently.

"That in twenty-four hours at furthest your father would be free, and
that I should be relieved--"

"I know that you are a-weary of your task, major," said Thankful
bitterly: "rejoice, then, to know your information is correct, and that
my father is exonerated--unless--unless this is a forgery, and Gen.
Washington should turn out to be somebody else, and YOU should turn out
to be somebody else--" And she stopped short, and hid her wet eyes in
the window-curtains.

"Poor girl!" said Major Van Zandt to himself. "This trouble has
undoubtedly frenzied her. Fool that I was to lay up the insult of one
that sorrow and excitem