CHAPTER XVIII
A GREAT RESOLVE
Although Ruth was up in good season the next morning, she had onlystarted the kitchen fire when Mrs. Merrill and Gilbert appeared at thekitchen door with a basket containing breakfast for Mrs. Pennell andRuth.
Gilbert was all ready to start for his drive to Germantown, and, after afew words with Mrs. Pennell, hurried away.
Mrs. Merrill bathed the sprained ankle and helped Ruth's mother to acomfortable chair near the window.
"May I not put the little table by your chair, Mother, and have mybreakfast here with you?" asked Ruth.
"Yes, indeed! That is exactly what I was wishing you to do, my dear,"responded Mrs. Pennell; and Ruth ran away to the kitchen and brought inthe hot corn bread that Mrs. Merrill had brought, the dish of porridgeand the pot of steaming coffee. Then she drew a chair up opposite hermother, and they smiled happily at each other across the small table.
Mrs. Pennell declared that her foot was much better.
"I am sure your Aunt Clara will return with Gilbert," she continued,"but even then I am afraid you will have to do a good deal more thanever before, Ruthie, dear, for Aunt Clara is not yet fully recoveredfrom her illness."
Ruth felt rather proud to know that her mother relied upon her to be ofso much help, and, for the moment, quite forgot the visit to BarrenHill. She told her mother of all the delights of Betty's May-day party,and when she carried the breakfast dishes out to the kitchen she wasalmost her happy self again.
Winifred came over and helped Ruth with the household work that morning,and early in the afternoon Aunt Clara arrived; who, in spite of Mrs.Pennell's fears in regard to her strength, declared herself quite equalto taking care of her sister and attending to the work of the house.
Nevertheless Ruth was kept busy for a number of days; she did not govery far from her mother's sitting-room, and Mrs. Pennell said that herlittle daughter was "hands and feet" for her lame mother.
Mrs. Pennell's fingers were busy making a dress for Ruth. It was ofwhite linen that Aunt Deborah had woven herself, and brought as apresent to Ruth, and Mrs. Pennell was hemstitching the broad collar anddainty cuffs.
"Your Aunt Deborah will be pleased if you have the dress to wear whenyou visit her," said Mrs. Pennell, a few days after her accident, whenRuth sat beside her, both busy with their needles.
"But I can't go to Barren Hill, Mother. You couldn't spare me," repliedRuth.
"Of course you must go to Barren Hill. Not just at present; but in aweek or two I shall be hobbling about the house, and your Aunt Clarawill stay with me while you are away," said Mrs. Pennell.
"Truly? Am I really to go to Barren Hill?" exclaimed Ruth, dropping herwork, and jumping up from her chair. "Oh! I'm so glad."
Mrs. Pennell looked at her little girl in surprise. She had had no ideahow much Ruth had counted on this visit, nor with what disappointmentshe had given it up.
"Why, my dear child, you have not said a word about your visit since Ihurt my ankle. I had not an idea that you wished to go so much," shesaid.
"I didn't wish to go when you couldn't take a step," Ruth declared.
"Well! I think it is almost worth while to have a sprained ankle to findout what a good little daughter I have," said her mother. "I feel veryproud indeed. And now I think you had best put on your hat and go andmake Betty Hastings an afternoon visit. It is nearly a week since herMay party."
"I will ask Winifred to go, too," said Ruth eagerly, feeling happierthan she had since her mother's accident.
"You had best change your dress, dear; put on your blue chambray,"suggested her mother, and Ruth ran off to her own room, singing, "Joy iseverywhere," as gaily as she had sung it when dancing around Betty'sthrone.
In a little while she was back in the sitting-room, all ready for hervisit. In the pretty blue dress, and wearing a white hat with a blueribbon around the crown, and with her white stockings and low shoes withshining silver buckles, Ruth was indeed a little girl of whom anymother might be proud.
Winifred was soon ready to accompany her, and the two friends started ontheir walk to see Betty Hastings.
As they came in sight of the Hastings house they both exclaimed insurprise. For on the steps was Betty, wearing her best hat, and the tallEnglish officer, whose red coat Betty had borrowed for Gilbert's play,stood beside her.
"Do you suppose Betty is a prisoner?" whispered Winnie, a littlefearfully.
"Of course she isn't, all dressed up in her best," replied Ruth, and atthat moment Betty saw her two friends and waved her hand to them as shecame down the steps beside the English officer.
"Oh, Winifred! Ruth! I am so glad you came. Now you can go with us toWalnut Grove and see the English officers practising for theirtournament. Captain Harlow says you may go," she exclaimed, runningforward to meet them.
Before Ruth or Winifred could reply the tall officer was beside Betty,and she now introduced him to her friends. Ruth and Winnie curtsied,with rather sober faces, and the Englishman bowed politely, and saidthat he should be happy to have Ruth and Winifred accompany them.
The young Englishman had lodged with Mrs. Hastings ever since theSeptember day when the English army entered Philadelphia. He had beenunfailingly kind to all the family, and when he offered to take Betty toWalnut Grove to see the preparations already well under way for the"Mischianza," as the soldiers named their famous entertainment to begiven in honor of General Howe, Mrs. Hastings was quite willing forBetty to go.
"We shall be home in good season. I am sure your mothers would bewilling," urged Betty, "and 'twill be a fine sight to-day, since thesoldiers are to rehearse, as we did for Gilbert's play."
"Let's go, Ruth," Winifred whispered eagerly, and Ruth agreed, but witha vague feeling that she ought not to wish to be entertained by theamusements of America's enemies.
As they walked on toward Knight's Wharf, at the water edge of GreenStreet, where a boat was waiting to take Captain Harlow and his guestsdown the river to Mr. Wharton's country place, Ruth kept repeating theword "tournament" to herself, and wondering what it meant. Betty mustknow, she thought, for she had spoken it so easily. She resolved to askher at the first opportunity.
A rowboat with two sailors was waiting for the captain, and he helpedthe little girls to the comfortable seats, and took his place at thetiller, and with a word to the oarsmen the boat moved out from the wharfand headed toward Southwark.
"What does 'tournament' mean, Betty?" Ruth whispered.
"Wait and see," laughed Betty.
"Does it mean the same as 'rehearsal'?" persisted Ruth.
"Not exactly," replied Betty, who only that very morning had asked hermother the same question. "It really means a make-believe battle," sheexplained, seeing Ruth's look of disappointment. "Men dress up in armor,such as soldiers used to wear, and their horses wear shields, and themen have long spears, and make-believe attack each other."
"Shall we see that to-day?" Ruth questioned.
But before Betty could answer she realized that Captain Harlow wasspeaking.
"I suppose you all know what the Knights of the days of Chivalry foughtfor?" he was saying, with a friendly smile at the three little Americangirls who were his guests.
"What are 'Knights'?" questioned Winifred.
"Can you answer that, Miss Betty?" asked the captain.
"Mother told me that a knight was a brave soldier, whose king gave him asword, and then said: 'Arise, Sir Knight,'" replied Betty, while Ruthand Winifred listened admiringly, thinking their friend Betty must bethe most clever girl in Philadelphia.
"Well, that is near enough," replied the young officer, "but I will tellyou that in olden times knights used to have tilts, or tournaments, suchas we mean to have on the eighteenth of this month. White Knightsagainst the Knights of the Blended Rose."
It all sounded very wonderful to the three little girls, and Ruth waseager to reach Southwark, fearing that they might miss some part of thisrehearsal.
The beautiful river w
as very still that pleasant afternoon in May, andthe boat moved rapidly along, now and then passing some fishing-craftor pleasure boat, and the little girls smiled happily at each other,thinking that this indeed was a great adventure.
As the boat drew near the landing place, they could see a number ofpeople on the wharf, and one of these Ruth at once recognized as MajorAndre, the young officer who had introduced her to General Howe on thenight when she had gone to demand the return of Hero.
Captain Harlow led the little girls to a bench on the further side ofMr. Wharton's beautiful lawn. "Stay here until I come after you," hesaid and hurried away.
The girls looked about admiringly. Just across the lawn from where theywere sitting men were at work on a pavilion, in which the guests wouldbe seated to view the "Mischianza." Soldiers on horseback were ridingback and forth, and a trumpet call sent them all trotting away, toreturn immediately with long lances and shields on their left arms.Forming in two divisions they galloped forward and back, turning soquickly that Ruth and Betty both exclaimed, fearful that the riderswould be thrown.
In a little while Captain Harlow came and took his guests to visit theballroom. From the garden they ascended a short flight of steps, andentered a spacious hall, lined with mirrors. Never had the little girlsseen anything so wonderful. Wherever they looked they saw Betty, Ruth,and Winifred all smiling with delight. Captain Harlow called a servant,and in a few moments the man returned with a silver tray on which wereplates of candied fruits, cakes, and glasses of lemonade for his littleguests.
"It's more wonderful than the May-day party," whispered Winifred.
But Ruth did not hear her. For at that moment two officers had enteredthe room.
"Sir Henry Clinton will arrive to-morrow, and General Howe will soon beon his way to England," she heard one of them say.
"'Tis a pity he cannot capture young Lafayette and take him back toEngland with him. King George would give him a royal welcome," respondedthe other.
"There is some such plan afoot," declared the first speaker.
"'Capture Lafayette!'" Ruth whispered the dreadful words over to herselfand all her delight and pleasure vanished. These men, even the kindCaptain Harlow, whom the Hastings liked so well, would try their best tocapture the young French Republican, America's best friend, and take himto England a prisoner. Ruth could think of nothing else. She wondered ifperhaps there was not already some plan by which Lafayette would becaptured. She was very silent all the remainder of the afternoon, andBetty decided that Ruth must be tired.
But they all thanked the captain very politely for their pleasant visit,as he helped them from the boat and walked with them to Mrs. Hastings'door. Ruth was eager to get home. She meant to ask her mother if shemight not go to Barren Hill very soon, perhaps to-morrow. It seemed toher she could hardly wait that long; for who could tell what the Englishsoldiers might do before warning could reach Lafayette?
For Ruth had made a great resolve: she would try to let Lafayette knowthat the English General meant to do his best to take him a prisoner toEngland. Once at Barren Hill Ruth was sure that she could find some wayto reach Washington's camp and warn the young Frenchman.