“Kindly put your watch on the table, Mr. Penn. Ten, I see. Captain Verney is locked in the cellar. My regards to him. Come, Colonel, and on the honor of a gentleman if you speak or resist I shall kill you. Good-night, Mr. Penn.” The Colonel rose with his captor and went out. “Sergeant, put this gentleman between two men and call in the rest. If he ventures to give the alarm shoot him.” “Yes, sir.” “Good Heavens!” said Penn to Galloway. “A nice ending for a supper. That fellow missed Sir William Howe by only ten minutes.” “Hark! What was that?” said Galloway. Distant shots rang sharp through the cold night air. “They have had trouble with the pickets.” “Hope they caught them,” said Galloway. Penn returned: “He is one of the kind that catches and is never caught.” Then, as the noise of a great thumping and pounding fell on his ears, he added: “Just listen to Verney!” And he fell back in his chair, convulsed with laughter. “No, don’t move, Galloway. It wants fourteen minutes of the half-hour. Sir William was in luck.” A little later the amazed and disgusted Verney heard the story. “He did not want me, I suppose.” He knew later that, because of being a gentleman and courteously kind to Tom’s mother, McLane was pleased to forget him. The Colonel failed to appear at home that night. Verney was late in returning, and only at breakfast did Mrs. Markham and the boys, to their relief, and greatly to Tom’s delight, learn of the capture of their unmannerly guest. Then the Captain, still a little cross, turned on Tom. “Now, sir,” he asked, “did you run away with the sleigh or the sleigh with you?” The Count, much amused, listened. Tom was cornered. Very red in the face, he replied: “The horses ran away with both, sir.” “I may assure Sir William that the horses ran away?” Tom felt that he was well within the boundary of truth as he said, “Yes. They ran like everything. We upset, and Captain McLane found us and took us to Valley Forge.” “And what, sir, became of the map we left in the sleigh?” Tom wriggled. “I want an answer.” “General Washington has it.” “Did you give it to him?” “No, sir. Captain McLane gave it to him.” “I think,” remarked the Count, “that you had better stop here.” That was also Tom’s opinion. “The map was in the coat-pocket, I remember.” “Yes, sir. I was to tell Count Einstein, with Captain McLane’s compliments, that his coat is at Farmer Nixon’s, near the Cross Keys Tavern. He said you could easily get it.” The Count expressed his pleasure, and Verney asked no further questions. A few days later, just before supper, Tom burst into the room with the twins after him. “He’s got a letter!” cried Bill. “He won’t let us see it!” cried Harry. They fell on Tom and rolled in wild laughter on the floor. “This is too much,” said Mrs. Markham. Verney rose, and with two or three mild kicks separated the fighting, laughing tangle of legs and arms.