“Oh, no; ’twas no such thing!  The credit is all mine, if you please.  I make no doubt, he would have originated it, if he had thought of it.  But a sister’s wits are sometimes as good as a brother’s—­remember that, Tom.  For I had the wit not only to devise this project, but to know from the first that Ned’s reason for joining the rebels was, that he might profit by betraying them.”

“Ay, we might have known as much, Bert,” said Tom.  “But we give you all credit for beating us there, sister.”

“Thank you!  But the rascal never saw the way to his ends, I fancy; for he’s still in good repute in the rebel army.  And when I began to think of a way to gain—­to gain the honour of aiding the king’s cause, you know, I saw at once that Ned might help me.  Much as we disliked each other, he would work with me in this, for the money ’twould bring him.  And I had ’lighted upon something else, too—­quite by chance.  A certain old person I know of has been serving to carry news from a particular Whig of my acquaintance (and neither of ’em must ever come to harm, Captain Falconer has sworn) to General Washington.” (As was afterward made sure, ’twas old Bill Meadows, who carried secret word and money from Mr. Faringfield and other friends of the rebellion.) “This old person is very much my friend, and will keep my secrets as well as those of other people.  So each time he has gone to the rebel camp, of late—­and how he gets there and back into New York uncaught, heaven only knows—­he has carried a message to brother Ned; and brought back a reply.  Thus while he knowingly serves the rebel cause, he ignorantly serves ours too, for he has no notion of what my brother and I correspond about.  And so ’tis all arranged.  Through Ned we have learned that the rebel light horse troop under Harry Lee has gone off upon some long business or other, and, as far as the army knows, may return to the camp at any time.  All that our company under Captain Falconer has to do, then, is to ride upon a dark night to a place outside the rebel pickets, where Ned will meet them.  How Ned shall come there unsuspected, is his own affair—­he swears ’tis easy.  He will place himself at the head of our troop, and knowing the rebel passwords for the night, as well as how to speak like one of Major Lee’s officers, he can lead our men past the sentries without alarm.  Our troop will have on the blue greatcoats and the caps the rebel cavalry wear—­General Grey’s men took a number of these last year, and now they come into use.  And besides our having all these means of passing the rebel lines without hindrance, Ned has won over a number of the rebels themselves, by promising ’em a share of the great reward the parliament is sure to vote for this business.  He has secured some of the men about headquarters to our interest.”

“What a traitor!” quoth Tom, in a tone of disgust.

“Why, sure, we can make use of his treason, without being proud of him as one of the family,” said Margaret.  “The matter now is, that Captain Falconer offers you two gentlemen places in the troop he has chosen.”