"Oh, no!" she said. "They as well as the Tories gave a great deal of trouble to the Patriots during the Revolutionary War--that hard struggle for freedom. At the time of the Revolution the New York Legislature, then called 'Convention of the Representatives of the State of New York,' migrated from place to place, being compelled to do so by the movements of the enemy, and finally, in February, 1777, took up their quarters in Kingston until May of that year. They were making a Constitution for the State. It proved a very excellent one, and was adopted. And the first session of the legislature of the State was appointed to meet at Kingston in July. So Kingston was the capital of the State when Sir Henry Clinton took the forts in the Hudson Highlands; and because it was the capital he marked it out for special vengeance. "The British fleet, under Sir James Wallace, came up the river with 3600 men under the command of General Vaughan. The order given them was to scatter desolation in their track; and they obeyed--destroying all vessels on the river and firing from the ships upon the houses of known Patriots. Also small parties landed and desolated whole neighborhoods with fire and sword. They landed near Kingston on the 13th of October in two divisions, each taking a different road to the town, and burning and destroying as they went. They joined upon a gentle eminence and marched into the town,--then but a small village,--began setting the houses on fire, and soon had almost every one laid in ashes." "Was Kingston only a very little place then, grandma?" asked Eric. "A town of only three or four thousand inhabitants," she replied. "Some of the people--warned of the approach of the British--had succeeded in hiding their most valuable effects, but others lost all they had. A large quantity of provisions and stores was destroyed. After doing all that mischief, the British--fearing the American people would gather together and come upon and punish them for all this wanton cruelty--hastily retreated." "Did it do them any good to burn down the town, grandma?" asked Eric hotly. "No; there was nothing gained by it." "And as they burned the town, there are no Revolutionary houses to be seen there now, I suppose?" "A few houses escaped the fire," she said. "One is the 'Constitution House'--called so because it was there the Convention met which framed the Constitution for the government of the State. I think we will visit it to-day. Perhaps, too, the old graveyard where many of the Huguenots lie buried. Will we not, captain?" addressing him as he drew near their little group, as if interested to learn what was the topic of her discourse. "We will visit any spot that you wish us to, mother," he answered in his pleasant tones. "Were you giving the boys a history of Kingston?" "A slight sketch," she said; "and they want to see the Constitution House; perhaps the old graveyard too."