Hal turned toward Dorothea with a questioning glance. Certain things had happened that had led him to the suspicion that there might be some one about the place who was not entirely loyal, but he had never seen anything to make him positive of it. Instantly all these past suspicions flashed over him. “It can’t be _you_, Dorothea!” he exclaimed incredulously. “Did you think there was a spy about here, Hal?” April cried, seizing upon the implication his question suggested. “Yes,” Hal answered, with growing resentment. “Ever since that night they came looking for that escaped prisoner from Andersonville. I was never satisfied about that. The men were certain the dogs tracked him to this house. It was here the trail stopped.” “And Dorothea was out alone on the porch that night,” April cut in. “Isn’t that true?” she demanded, turning to the girl. “Yes, it is,” Dorothea answered. “But so were you, for that matter. That doesn’t prove I’m a Red String, any more than that you are. You don’t have to go back that far, April. Tell Hal what happened lately. That’s what I was going to tell him.” Of the three Dorothea was now the calmest. Hal turned an inquiring glance toward his sister. “What happened?” he questioned. “Dorothea met a Union officer in Coulter Woods!” April announced it with an air of finality. She had no wish to volunteer information about who that officer was, although she had no hope that her cousin would keep the matter secret. “Is that true, too?” asked Hal. “Yes,” Dorothea nodded, and she could not help smiling a little. “It is no matter to laugh about!” April burst out passionately. “Hal, we have been betrayed. It is not only that she has met this man, but she had information to put at naught plans we had for a fine stroke. Val Tracy was there, too. He knows—and there’s no telling how much it might have done for the Cause.” She would have gone on but at the moment a clatter of horse’s hoofs galloping up the drive drew the attention of all, and they saw Val Tracy racing toward the house. A few minutes later he flung himself in a chair beside them. “Faith, this is a fine little gathering!” he exclaimed irritably. “We have been betrayed, April. The enemy has been informed. I’ll leave you to say for yourself whose fault it was.” “How do you know?” April demanded. “I have been after the man since last I saw you,” Val went on. “I’ve had the whole countryside looking for him—but without result. And now I get this.” He fumbled in his tunic and drew out a yellow dispatch, which he proceeded to read: “‘Plans betrayed by Union officer traced from Washington.’ There you are! Can anything be plainer?” April turned white and wrung her hands. “What’s this all about, Val?” demanded Hal. “We’re having all sorts of accusations and what not, but I don’t know what you’re all driving at.”