It had not occurred to them that all this was probably on account of the room being one of those assigned to the new guests, for Mary had given but slight heed to what Mistress Trask said as to the entire upper floor being taken, and Dorothy had heard naught of the matter beyond what Mary told her. "Here is another room," said the younger girl joyfully, for her alert eyes had spied a half-closed door communicating with an inner and dark apartment. It took them only a moment to gain this place of refuge and shut the door; then, standing close to it, they listened for any sound to indicate the passage of the procession down the hall, and so leave them an opportunity to return unobserved to their own apartments. "I wish we had never done so foolish a thing," Mary said in a low voice. She was breathing rapidly, and trembling from agitation. "So do I--as it is," was Dorothy's hurried answer. "But if I only could have seen him, so as to know him, I should not care." The next minute they were awakened to new dismay by the sound of heavy footsteps entering the outer room. Then they heard the landlord say, "This is the room, your Excellency; I trust it be such as to suit you." A calm, full-toned voice replied: "Thank you, landlord; everything seems quite as it should be. The other gentlemen will be here shortly; show them up at once, when they arrive." "Yes, sir--certainly, sir," Trask replied. "This is the bedroom, sir." And the sound of his heavy feet approaching the door caused still greater terror to the trembling girls. The latch was actually lifted, when the other voice arrested any farther movement by saying with a note of impatience: "Yes, yes--very well, landlord. We should like supper as speedily as it can be served, and as there will be many of us, we will have it downstairs." Trask seemed now to take his leave, for they heard the outer door close. Then the same voice, mellow and dignified as at first, came to them again. "No doubt, Dalton, they have been detained by the storm." "Faith, sir, 't is little such a man as Glover cares for water," replied another voice, more jovial and evidently younger; "although, to be sure, he may prefer the water to be salt, being more used to that flavor." Mary pulled Dorothy by the arm. "We must walk straight out of here," she whispered, "this very minute. There is nothing else for us to do." "Well,--go on." The words came brokenly from the younger girl's lips, for her heart was beating in a way to make her actually dizzy. Then, as Mary hesitated, Dorothy's sturdy self-reliance returned; and pushing the door wide open, she passed in front of her sister-in-law and stepped forth into the presence of four officers, wearing the uniform of the Continental army. Three of them were wandering about the room, as though awaiting the orders of the fourth,--a very tall man, of massive frame, seated by a table.