Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net [Illustration: "WHY ARE YOU SO EAGER?" (Page 2)] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PRISONERS OF HOPE A Tale of Colonial Virginia BY MARY JOHNSTON AUTHOR OF "TO HAVE AND TO HOLD," "AUDREY," ETC. NEW YORK GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS ----------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT, 1898, BY MARY JOHNSTON ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY NINTH THOUSAND ----------------------------------------------------------------------- TO MY FATHER ----------------------------------------------------------------------- CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. A SLOOP COMES IN 1 II. ITS CARGO 15 III. A COLONIAL DINNER PARTY 27 IV. THE BREAKING HEART 40 V. IN THE THREE-MILE FIELD 50 VI. THE HUT ON THE MARSH 60 VII. A MENDER OF NETS 71 VIII. THE NEW SECRETARY 86 IX. AN INTERRUPTED WOOING 91 X. LANDLESS PAYS THE PIPER 100 XI. LANDLESS BECOMES A CONSPIRATOR 108 XII. A DARK DEED 117 XIII. IN THE TOBACCO HOUSE 129 XIV. A MIDNIGHT EXPEDITION 137 XV. THE WATERS OF CHESAPEAKE 150 XVI. THE FACE IN THE DARK 162 XVII. LANDLESS AND PATRICIA 173 XVIII. A CAPTURE 185 XIX. THE LIBRARY OF THE SURVEYOR-GENERAL 193 XX. WHEREIN THE PEACE PIPE IS SMOKED 205 XXI. THE DUEL 219 XXII. THE TOBACCO HOUSE AGAIN 226 XXIII. THE QUESTION 239 XXIV. A MESSAGE 247 XXV. THE ROAD TO PARADISE 252 XXVI. NIGHT 267 XXVII. MORNING 273 XXVIII. BREAD CAST UPON THE WATERS 282 XXIX. THE BRIDGE OF ROCK 295 XXX. THE BACKWARD TRACK 306 XXXI. THE HUT IN THE CLEARING 315 XXXII. ATTACK 326 XXXIII. THE FALL OF THE LEAF 335 XXXIV. AN ACCIDENT 343 XXXV. THE BOAT THAT WAS NOT 349 XXXVI. THE LAST FIGHT 357 XXXVII. VALE 369 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PRISONERS OF HOPE CHAPTER I A SLOOP COMES IN "She will reach the wharf in half an hour."