Of the tide of war only vague rumours came back to the non-combatants, until at noon, a week later, Sir William, accompanied by two aides and an escort of dragoons, came cantering up.

“In the king’s name, dinner!” he cried cheerily, as he shook the welcoming hand of the squire.  “You see, Mr. Meredith, we’ve forgot neither your loyalty nor your Madeira.  No, nor your dainty lass, either; and so we are here again to levy taxation without representation on them all.  ’T is to be hoped, Mrs. Meredith, that ’t will be met more kindly than our Parliamentary attempt at the same game.  Ah, Miss Janice, your face is a pleasant sight to look at after the bleak banks of the Delaware, at which we’ve been staring and cursing for the last five days.”

“We hoped to hear of ye as in Philadelphia before this, Sir William,” said the squire, so soon as they were seated at the table.

“Ay, and so did we all; but Mr. Washington was too quick and sharp for us.  By the time we had reached Trenton, he had got safely across the river, and had taken with him or destroyed all the boats.”

“Could ye not have forded the river higher up?”

“Cornwallis was hot for attempting something of the sort, but sight of the ice-floes in the river served to cool him, so he is going into winter quarters and will not stir from his cantonments until spring, unless the river freeze strong enough for him to cross on the ice.”

“And what of the rebels?”

“’T is sudden gone so out of fashion there is scarce one left.  Washington has a few ragged troops watching us from across the river; but, except for these, there ’s not a man in the land who will own himself one.  How many pardons have we issued in the Jerseys alone, Henry?” demanded the general, appealing to his secretary.

“Nigh four thousand; and at Trenton and Burlington, Mr. Meredith, the people are flocking in in such numbers that over four hundred took the king’s oath yesterday,” responded McKenzie.

“That shows how the wind holds, and what a summer’s squall the whole thing has been,” answered the host, gleefully; “I always said ’t was a big windy bubble, that needed but the prick of British bayonets to collapse.”

“There’ll be little left of it by spring, I doubt not,” asserted Howe.  “In faith, we may take it as a providence that we could not cross the Delaware, for a three-months will probably put an end to all armed opposition, and we may march into Pennsylvania with beating drums and flying colours.  Even Cornwallis himself confesses that time is playing our game.”

“Miss Meredith will be put to ’t to find a new toast,” suggested Balfour.

“Well spoke,” laughed his superior.  “What will it be, fair rebel?”

“However,” asserted Janice.

“Bravo!” vociferated the general.  “Now indeed rebellion is on its last legs.  You make me regret I can tarry but the meal, for when submission is so near ’t is a pity not to stay and complete it.”