Page:Milady at Arms (1937).pdf/148

 Friends! Yet, even as she thought this, Sally saw James Williams, Mistress Mary's second son, a fine-looking boy of eighteen or so, glance in as he passed the kitchen door and eye his mother's guests with an obvious sneer!

As he disappeared swiftly and silently, the giri thought involuntarily of Uzal Ball's words at dinner time. But the next instant she was remorseful and ashamed, for a gentle hand was placed upon her shoulder as she sat knitting in her modest corner and Mistress Williams's sweet face smiled down at her.

"Sally, my dear. Mistress Ball hath been telling me o' thy misadventures and thy homelessness. I knew, of course, that Master Todd had been taken away by the red-coats and that Mistress Todd had gone to Newark, but I did not think o' ye," began Mistress Mary, seating herself upon a chair next to Sally, which someone had vacated. She spoke in a low voice. "I ha' been wondering—how would ye like to visit here at the Corners for a while? Methinks 'twould be most pleasant for us, my child."

"Why" Sally stopped and bit her lips. Visit at Tory Corners, as the ground around bitter old Amos's farm had been called! Uzal's words came to mind. "A hotbed o' Tories!" But, after all, why not, the girl asked herself? The old longing came surging over her, the old rebellion. Drifting! Being