“To marry a girl when she does n’t choose to!” snapped Tibbie.  “A man of any decency would find out—­on the sly—­if she wanted him.”

“She never would—­”

“As if the fact that she would n’t was n’t enough!” continued Tibbie, with anything but Quaker meekness.  “Dost think, if she wanted thee, she’d have been so offish?”

Phil, with a sadly puzzled look on his face, said, “I know I ain’t much of a sharp at courtin’, Miss Janice, an’ like as not I done it wrong, but I loves you, that ‘s certain, an’ I would n’t do anything ter displeasure you, if I only know’d what you wanted.  Dad he says that I was n’t rampageous enough ter suit a girl of spirit, an’ that if I’d squoze you now an’ again, ’stead of—­”

“That ’s enough,” said Janice.  “Mr. Hennion, there is the door.”

“Thou art a horrid creature!” added Tibbie.

“I ain’t goin’ till I’ve had it all out with you,” asserted Phil, with a dogged determination.

“Then you force us to leave you,” said Janice, rising.

Just as she spoke, the door was thrown open, and Mr. Meredith entered.  His eye happened to fall first on Philemon, and without so much as a word of greeting to the girls, he demanded angrily, “Ho! what the devil are ye doing here?  ’T is all of a piece that a traitor to his king should work by stealth.”

Even the worm turns, and Philemon, already hectored to desperation by the girls, gave a loose to his sense of the wrong and injustice that it seemed to him every one conspired to heap upon him.  “I’ve done no hugger-muggery,” he roared, shaking his fist in the squire’s face, “an’ the man ’s a tarnal liar who says I have.”

“Don’t try to threaten me, sir!” roared back the squire, but none the less retiring two steps.  “Your father’s son can’t bully Lambert Meredith.  But for his cowardice, and others like him, but for the men of all sides and no side, we’d have prevented the Assembly’s approving the damned resolves of the Congress.  Marry a daughter of mine!  I’ll see ye and your precious begetter in hell first.  Don’t let me find ye snooking about my girl henceforth, or ’t will fare ill with ye that I warn ye.”

“If ‘t war n’t that you are her father an’ an old man, I’d teach you a lesson,” growled Phil, as he went to the door; “as ’t is, look out for yourself.  You has enemies enough without makin’ any more.”

“There’s a good riddance to him,” chuckled the squire.  “Well, hast a kiss for thy dad, Jan?”

“A dozen,” responded the girl.  “But what brought you back?  Surely the Assembly has not adjourned?”

“’T is worse than that,” asserted the squire.  “For a week we held the rascals at bay, but yesterday news came from England that the ministry had determined not to yield, and in a frenzy the Assembly indorsed the Congress’s doings on the spot.  As a consequence this morning the king’s governor dissolved us, and the writs will shortly be out for a new election.  So back I must get me to Brunswick to attend to my poll.  I bespoke a message to Charles by Squire Perkins, who rid on to Morristown, telling him to be here with the sleigh to-morrow as early as he could; and meanwhile must trust to some Trenton friend or to the tavern for a bed, if thy father, Tabitha, can’t put me up.”