He was oblivious to all that passed him on the road. He travelled on, and on, to the ferry at Trenton, conscious of nothing but his own thoughts. The more that he willed to divorce the image of Mollie Greydon from his mind, the more his soul rebelled. He at last reasoned that another existence than his own had entered his life, and he could not explain the cause. But should he only let his thoughts dwell unrestricted on his business, at least he might be able to dismiss her, as he had many times the existence of the gay infatuations of his life in Paris. However, her beauty of face, her form and her carriage not only enthralled him, but he dwelt upon the character that he found in the kindly twinkle of her deep hazel eyes; her understanding of the great principles of human liberty; her patriotism; her devotion to the soldiery of her native land. All were grand conceptions to dwell upon. In her there was no first consideration of self, like the frivolous woman of fashion. She knew that a mission in life was the proper destiny for one to follow; and in the trying needs of her country she knew that clothes and food for the Continentals needed her best and undivided effort. She knew that every dozen of eggs, every fowl, every blanket, every pair of woolen socks, every yard of homespun, spoke volumes to the patient, ill-fed, and ill-clothed Continental who was serving for the principles of the Declaration,--serving with no pay and expecting none. She was happy in the pursuit of her humble mission; she had no grievance with which to worry others. Her mission was to render some one happy with her deeds; consequently her life was full of elements that daily exemplified the sweetness of her existence to others. The natural tendency of a commonplace intellect would be to sternly rebuke others who expressed opinions opposed to his own ambitions; but the philosophy of human nature carried Barclugh into deeper considerations. He had his particular objects to accomplish and had his plans matured to effect them; therefore, he kept quiet about his own principles and tried to learn every detail about the opinions of the opposition. Thus he would be prepared to use the weak points of his adversary to his own advantage. He thought he knew that Colonial gentlemen were much like their Anglo-Saxon ancestry, honest, fearless and loyal to their convictions; but if, after a protracted struggle, they found their cause defeated and their case hopeless, they would submit. Their love of peace and tranquillity would overcome their feelings about independence. They would be satisfied with the forms of liberty without the substance. He reasoned that history repeats itself among his countrymen. When the Normans conquered the Anglo-Saxon, his submission to the regime of William the Conqueror was complete. He reasoned that a decisive stroke of the English arms would reconcile the Colonists to the helplessness of their cause.