The men were laughing. The girl had become silent and her cheeks were flaming scarlet. "'Twas a game of forfeits, sir," she cried, "and they took advantage. I shall call the others of your tribe, gentlemen," she said, turning to her tormentors. There was scorn in her voice, but her eyes smiled on André. Later in the day André sat at the feet of Sally Townsend, as she shelled peas in a grotto at the back of the house. Almost up to the entrance of the spot which she herself had planned in imitation of a Ranleagh grotto marched an army of radiant blooms. Over their fragrant faces hovered a band of butterflies, and now and then a brigand bee droned of his thefts to a heedless world. Every Simcoe redcoat was away drilling in a distant field. The house seemed like some great white bird asleep in the sun. The man and the girl under the cool arch of cedar boughs were facing each other. Even the brook in the distance had stopped its murmuring. "And why did you wave to me that morn on Broadway as you journeyed to your Aunt's?" André asked. "'Twas all a mistake, I told you. I took you for some one else," the girl replied. "Tell me, was he much like me?" he began again. The girl smiled. "Why press me, Major André?" she said. The peas were flying through her rosy fingers. The young soldier by her side reached out to a gaudy poppy and broke it from its frail stem. Now he was playing with it. A shaft of sunlight had strayed over from the flower field and was loitering on his unpowdered hair, beating it into gold. Suddenly he spoke: "I came all the way from York to obtain another view of you, Miss Townsend. The face by the chair window was so wonderfully sweet. Won't you tell me why you waved?" The girl bent her head over the pea-pods. The bees, for a moment deep in the honeyed hearts of the flowers, were silent. The hot world seemed like a colored print in a picture-book, brilliant but without life. "If you must know," she said, hesitatingly, "I thought for a moment you were the man I love. The color of the coat showed me my mistake." She was smiling at his chagrin. There was a silence for a few minutes. "Where is your rebel to-day?" he said, when he had cast his dream away. A look of sadness came over her face and tears choked her voice as she answered, "God knows!"