One drawback there was to this joy.  In spite of strict orders against straggling, many a red-coated officer risked punishment for disobedience, and capture by the enemy, by sneaking through the pickets and spending long hours at Greenwood.  Though Phil’s service had given him much more tongue and assurance than of yore, he was still unable to cope with them; and, conscious that he cut but a poor figure to the girl when they were present, he was at times jealous and quarrelsome.

Twice he laid his anxieties and desires before the squire and begged for an immediate wedding, but that worthy was by no means as ready as once he had been; for while convinced of the eventual success of the British, he foresaw unsettled times in the immediate future, and knew that the marriage of his girl to an officer of the English army was a serious if not decisive step.  Yet delay was all he wished, being too honest a man to even think of breaking faith with the young fellow; and finally one evening, when he had become genial over a due, or rather undue, amount of Madeira and punch, he was won over by Philemon’s earnest persuasions, and declared that the wedding should take place before the British broke up their winter quarters and marched to Philadelphia.

The next morning the squire had no remembrance of his evening’s pledge, but he did not seek to cry off from it when reminded by Philemon.  Mrs. Meredith was called into conclave, and then Janice was summoned and told of the edict.

“And now, lass, thou hast got thyself and us into more than one scrape,” ended the father, “so come and give thy dad a kiss to show that thou ’rt cured of thy wrong-headedness and will do as thy mother and I wish.”

Without a word Janice went to her father and kissed him; then she flung her arms about his neck, buried her head in his shoulder, and burst into tears.

The squire had been quite prepared for the conduct of two years previous and had steeled himself to enforce obedience, but this contrary behaviour took him very much aback.

“Why, Jan,” he expostulated, “this is no way to carry on when a likely young officer bespeaks ye in marriage.  Many ’s the maid would give her left hand to—­”

“But I don’t love him,” sobbed the girl.

“And who asked if thou didst, miss?” inquired her mother, who by dint of nursing Phil had become his strong partisan.  “Dost mean to put thy silly whims above thy parents’ judgments?”

“But you would n’t do as your father wished, and married dadda,” moaned Janice.

“A giddy, perverse child I was,” retorted Mrs. Meredith; “and another art thou, to fling the misbehaviour in thy mother’s face.”

“Nay, nay, Patty—­” began the squire; but whether he was stepping forward in defence of his wife or his daughter he was not permitted to say, for Mrs. Meredith continued:—­

“We’ll set the wedding for next Thursday, if that suits thee, Philemon?”