“P.S.  I was near forgetting the news about Charles Fox.  He sends you his love, and tells me to let you know that he has been turned out of North’s house for good and all.  He is sure you will be cursed happy over it, and says that you predicted he would go over to the Whigs.  I can scarce believe that he will.  North took a whole week to screw up His courage, h-s M-j-sty pricking him every day.  And then he wrote this: 

“’Sir, his Majesty has thought proper to order a new Commission of
the Treasury to be made out, in which I do not see your name.’  Poor
Charles!  He is now without money or place, but as usual appears to
worry least of all of us, and still reads his damned Tasso for
amusement. 

          
                              “C.”

Perchance he was to be the Saint Paul of English politics, after all.

CHAPTER XLIX

LIBERTY LOSES A FRIEND

Mr. Bordley’s sloop took Mr. Swain to Gordon’s Pride in May, and placed him in the big room overlooking the widening river.  There he would lie all day long, staring through the leaves at the water, or listening to the sweet music of his daughter’s voice as she read from the pompous prints of the time.  Gentlemen continued to come to the plantation, for the barrister’s wisdom was sorely missed at the councils.  One day, as I rode in from the field, I found Colonel Lloyd just arrived from Philadelphia, sipping sangaree on the lawn and mopping himself with his handkerchief.  His jolly face was troubled.  He waved his hand at me.

“Well, Richard,” says he, “we children are to have our first whipping.  At least one of us.  And the rest are resolved to defy our parent.”

“Boston, Mr. Lloyd?” I asked.

“Yes, Boston,” he replied; “her port is closed, and we are forbid any intercourse with her until she comes to her senses.  And her citizens must receive his gracious Majesty’s troopers into their houses.  And if a man kill one of them by any chance, he is to go to England to be tried.  And there is more quite as bad.”

“’Tis bad enough!” I cried, flinging myself down.  And Patty gave me a glass in silence.

“Ay, but you must hear all,” said he; “our masters are of a mind to do the thing thoroughly.  Canada is given some score of privileges.  Her French Roman Catholics, whom we fought not long since, are thrown a sop, and those vast territories between the lakes and the Ohio and Mississippi are given to Quebec as a price for her fidelity.  And so, if the worst comes to worst, George’s regiments will have a place to land against us.”

Such was the news, and though we were some hundreds of miles from Massachusetts, we felt their cause as our own.  There was no need of the appeal which came by smoking horses from Philadelphia, for the indignation of our people was roused to the highest pitch.  Now Mr. Swain had to take to his bed from the excitement.