Major Andre and General Arnold. 283 



to plead to Washington, in excuse for his declining so high an honour, 

 the state of his still unhealed wounds, which made him desirous of no 

 other command than that of West Point, hut that he hoped ere long 

 to be able to enter the field and take his full share of the fatigues 

 and dangers of his fellow-soldiers. Satisfied with this excuse, Wash- 

 ington acceded to Arnold's wishes, and consigned to. the unworthy 

 plotter against his country the most important stake she possessed, the 

 command of that fortress. 



While Arnold's schemes of treachery were thus budding into full 

 hope in the attainment of this first great step of his dark policy, and 

 while he contemplated with fiendish delight the destruction of the 

 man whose hand had again raised him to the rank and honour he had 

 forfeited by his own misconduct, his wife, the counsellor and 

 machinator of his traitorous plots, remained in Philadelphia anxiously 

 awaiting the result of her husband's interview with the commander- 

 in-chief. A few days after Arnold's departure for the American 

 camp, and while Mrs. Arnold, still uninformed of the almost unhoped 

 for success of his request, was with her sister Mary in the midst of a 

 crowded assembly, the latter delighting a circle of breathless auditors 

 with a ballad, in which the poet " wedded to immortal verse" the 

 deeds of some young hero who had shed his blood upon the battle 

 field, fighting in defence of the rightful cause, the ardent repub- 

 licans applauded the song to the echo ; they could fancy no cause 

 opposed to that which they espoused could be right, while the flushed 

 cheek and brightening eye of the singer and the look of mournful 

 interest which overspread the fine features of Mrs. Arnold, as she 

 leaned thoughtfully over the back of Mary's chair, told that the senti- 

 ment of the song had awakened feelings in both their bosoms of a 

 very contrary nature to those it had called up in those of the hearers. 

 The song had ceased, and while that deep silence which seems 

 linked to the last notes of a sweet melody dwelt upon the assembly, 

 a young officer, who had but a few minutes previously entered the 

 room, enquired in an under-tone of a person near him who the en- 

 chanting songstress was ? 



" You must be a stranger in Philadelphia not to know the lovely 

 Mary B ," replied the interrogator. 



" I am hardly half an hour a sojourner in your city ; it is little to 

 be wondered at that I should be a stranger to its beauties," replied 

 the officer. 



"Ah! from the camp perhaps ?" asked the Philadelphian, while 

 Mrs. Arnold, within whose hearing the conversation was held, listened 

 with emotions she could scarce conceal for some intelligence on the 

 subject that lay nearest her heart. 



"From the camp, of course; where else should a true-born Ame- 

 rican be found? galloped all the way here to-night with despatches 

 . whiz like a flash of lightning through an apple orchard." 



" Have you any news stirring in the camp?" 



" None, except that the General has taken that shave devil Arnold 

 into favour again, and bestowed upon him the command of West 

 Point." 



A suppressed scream broke from Mrs. Arnold, and she sank back 



