First of all, the valuables were to be moved, but without exciting the suspicions of the servant or workmen, as they might inform the rioters.  The men were accordingly sent off to a distant part of the farm to work, and the maid kept busy, while twelve trunks were lowered into a wagon standing at the back of the house.  Mr. Quinby immediately covered them with hay, and drove to his own house, where he stored them until the trouble should be over, and then sent his son back to help the family.

To Gabrielle’s surprise, her mother and Ida now appeared in very voluminous and housewifely looking aprons, and were constantly going up and down stairs.  At last an untimely draught blew Aunt Mary’s apron aside, and Gabrielle, who had not been informed of the danger, caught a glimpse of the picture of the Archangel Gabriel.  All of the pictures and pieces of sculpture were then removed to a little hut in the orchard near the stables, built in the side of a hillock, half under ground, and quite overgrown by vines; and when both pictures and the precious books were safely out of the house Aunt Mary felt that she could breathe.  By that time Clark had returned from Sing Sing, where he had purchased a large amount of gunpowder by Aunt Mary’s direction.  This he arranged in a train from the house to a distant point, and the preparations were then completed.  When the rioters should come Aunt Mary was to speak to them from the balcony and warn them to go away, and in the meantime Mr. Quinby and Clark were to take the children out of the house by the back window, which was but a step to the top of a low woodshed, from which they could easily get to the ground.  Then, while the rioters were storming the barricaded doors, Aunt Mary was to make her escape, and when she and the children were at a safe distance a match was to be applied to the gunpowder, blowing up alike house and rioters.

Mr. Quinby, being a Quaker, had looked on reluctantly while the mine was being laid, and when he had done all he could to help Aunt Mary, he returned to the tavern to see the state of affairs there.  He found the mob still drinking, and uttering horrible threats against the family.  His conscience then obliged him to give the wretches a hint of the doom that awaited them, ending with these words: 

“Heed my warning, my brethren; Horace Greeley is a peace man, but Mary Greeley will fight to the last!”

After dark, the rioters came to the gates and howled, and uttered threats, but dared not approach very close to the fortress armed by a sick woman and two children; and when weary of exercising their lungs went peacefully away.  Meantime, Aunt Mary, being fatigued by the exertions of the day, laid down, Ida said, when everything was in readiness to meet the rioters, and slept peacefully till morning.

CHAPTER XII.

Pen Portraits—­Lela—­Majoli—­Guerrabella and Celina—­Their Characteristics.