The advent of the British did not lessen the difficulties of Janice, as they not only promptly seized all the provisions of the town, but their main army, camped outside the city at Germantown, intercepted the few fresh supplies which the farmers successfully smuggled through Washington’s lines above the city.  Fresh beef rose to nine shillings the pound, bread to six shillings the quartern loaf and everything else in like ratio.  Though Brereton’s loan furnished her with the where-withal for the moment, each day’s purchases made such inroads into it that the girl could not but worry over the future.

[Illustration:  “The despatch”]

The stress she had foreseen came far sooner than even she had feared, or had reason to expect.  Without warning, the tradespeople united in refusing to sell for Continental money; and Janice, when she went to make her usual purchases one day, found that she could buy nothing, and had but stinted and pinched herself only to husband what in a moment had become valueless.

At first the girl’s distress was so great that she could think of no means of relief; but after hours of miserable and tearful worrying over her helplessness, her face suddenly brightened, and the cause of the change was revealed by her thrusting her hand into her neckerchief, to draw out the miniature of herself.  With her knitting needle she pried up the glass and, removing the slip of ivory, laid it carefully in her housewife, heaving, let it be confessed, a little sigh, for it was hard to part with the one trinket she had ever owned.  Unconscious of how many hours she had been dwelling on her troubles, she caught up her calash, and with the miniature frame in her hand, hurried to the front door; but the moment she had opened it, she was reminded that it was long after the closing of the markets, and so postponed whatever she had in mind for another day.

On the following morning she sallied forth, so engrossed in her difficulties, or her project, that she paid no heed to the distant sound of cannon, nor to the groups of townspeople who stood about on corners or stoops, evidently discussing something of interest; and it was only when she turned into the market-place, and found it empty alike of buyers and sellers that she was made to realise that something unusual was occurring.

“Why are all the stands closed this morning?” she asked of an urchin.

“’Cause nawthing ’s come ter town along of the fightin’.”

“Fighting?”

“Guess you ’re a deefy,” contemptuously suggested the youngster.  “Don’t you hear them guns?  The grenadiers went out lickety split this mornin’ and folks says they’ve got Washington surrounded, an’ll have him captured by night.  All the other boys hez gone out on the Germantown road ter see the fun, but daddy said he’d lick me if I went, so I did n’t dare,” he added dejectedly.  “Hurrah!  There come some more wounded!” he cried, with sudden cheerfulness and breaking into a run as an army van came in sight down Second Street.