After Segwuna read the letters of John Anderson that had been brought from New York by the Swedish fisherman, she could not bear the sight of Roderick Barclugh. The thought of Mollie Greydon ever loving this man who was visiting General Clinton and Major Andre, and conspiring with General Arnold and at the same time visiting the Greydon family, was repulsive to her. She did not yet possess knowledge positive enough about Barclugh to inform Mollie of its nature; nor did she yet really know that Mollie was in love with Mr. Barclugh. Still she fully intended to devote her attentions to this conspiracy and expose its operations, if possible.

As Segwuna lay on her couch of mats in her mother’s lodge, on the day that she had been invited to ride in the carriage with Mollie and Mr. Barclugh, she went over and over again all that she had learned:

“I first saw Mr. Barclugh after Mollie had met him at the dinner party given by Robert FitzMaurice. Every day that I went to Philadelphia I found Mr. Barclugh at the office of Milling & FitzMaurice or at General Arnold’s. In watching him I followed him to the office of General Arnold on the night before he visited Dorminghurst. I learned that he was going to New York to visit General Clinton and get a commission for General Arnold in the British army if Arnold turned over West Point. The next morning he stopped at Dorminghurst and visited my friends. I could not inform any one of what I knew for fear of implicating my friends, for I did not know what the relations were between Dr. Greydon and Mr. Barclugh.

“Now, it is all clear to me. Dr. Greydon does not know anything about Mr. Barclugh’s business. Mr. Barclugh pretends to favor independence, but he is striving to overthrow it. When I followed him to New York, I suspected more; when I heard his exclamations in the delirium of fever, I was convinced. The letters brought by the fisherman have shown that he is in communication with the English.

“Segwuna must not rest night nor day until this spy is foiled in his designs; if I should inform anybody, suspicion might fall upon my friends at Dorminghurst who have befriended Mr. Barclugh and saved his life. That course would never do, so the duty falls upon Segwuna alone to overthrow the spy’s work and save her friends!”She set about her task of thwarting Barclugh with much zeal. She walked to Philadelphia and went immediately to Front Street near Barclugh’s lodgings. The first thing that met her eyes was the departure of General Arnold from the office of the British agent.

Segwuna kept her own counsel, but she was alert and active. She went to the Halls of Congress and watched for any news that might be of importance to her task. She heard Mr. Livingston talking to General Schuyler about West Point, so she stopped to listen.

The conversation was about the report of the committee on army affairs, and Mr. Livingston stopped General Schuyler in front of Carpenter’s Hall.

“General Schuyler, have you done anything on your committee about Arnold’s assignment?” asked Mr. Livingston. “I have written to the Commander-in-Chief and asked him to assign Arnold to West Point. His wounded knee will not allow him to ride a horse and that fact unfits him for active service in the field.”

“Yes, you are right, Mr. Livingston,” replied General Schuyler, “Arnold is a valuable man. The soldiers admire him. We will assign him to post duty and recommend giving him West Point, if he declines to take the field. The Commander-in-Chief wishes him to be active in the coming campaign, but if Arnold insists upon garrison duty, he may get whatever he wishes.”

This settled the matter in the mind of Segwuna, for she knew that Arnold desired West Point. Now Segwuna must determine what she ought to do to keep her eyes on Arnold and Barclugh at the same time. She learned from the fish-vender, Sven Svenson, another point that put her on her guard.

Sven was ambling along Market Street with his fish cart, when Segwuna stopped him and said:

“Good morning, Sven, what is the news in town?”

“Val, I hap gude news, Miss Segwuna; Ganral Arnold has pade me up tan pound starling an’ sax pance,” answered Sven as he showed the guineas and smiled blandly at Segwuna.

“He vas going to da army to vark. I gass he vaants Vast Point. My saster who varks for Mistrees Arnold, she tald mee so mach.”

“Do you think that he will get it, Sven?” asked Segwuna.

“Ah! He gats vat he vants,” retorted Sven, smiling more than ever.

“Thank you, Sven,” replied Segwuna knowingly, as she started on up the street.Philadelphia’s streets contained little knots of men and women discussing the latest news, and everybody had it on his tongue that General Arnold was about to leave town, and no one was sorry, for his cold and overbearing manners had disgusted even his friends with him.

His extravagance and debts had brought unsavory gossip upon himself and household. As Segwuna went through the market-place where two old women,—seasoned gossips of the town,—stood and regaled each other, she paused to hear their chatter:

“Have you heard about General Arnold and his spouse?” quizzed the first.

“What? About paying off his debts?” questioned the second.

“I wonder where he got the money? I heard that he sold merchandise to the enemy,” continued the first one.

“No, he went to Connecticut last month and has just returned. He must have had property there and sold it,” argued the second one.

“Have you heard what they named their boy?”

“No, what is it?”

“It’s Edward Shippen.”

“What? That old Tory?”

“Yes, that’s it. Those Shippens have turned Ben Arnold’s head. He’s not the same since he became mixed up with that lot.”

“Well, Ben Arnold used to be a fine soldier before he knew those Shippens. Now he doesn’t want to fight, he wants to lie around and play the dandy.”

“Yes, I heard that General Washington wanted him to join the army, but his wife is afraid that he will be shot. That’s a pretty pass. I wonder if she’s better than any of the rest of us? We have husbands and sons fighting.”

“I wonder where they will put him? I heard that he wanted to go to West Point.”

“Yes, if I were General Washington, I wouldn’t do anything like that. There must be some fire where there is so much smoke. He doesn’t want West Point for any good purpose.”

“Well, I believe Ben Arnold is all right at heart if those Shippens didn’t have a noose around his neck.”

“Poor man! I feel sorry for him.”

“But, do you know that I started to go to market, and here I am talking yet.”

“Yes, that’s my case too, I must go.”

“Come over to see me.”

“Yes, I will.”

“Good-bye.”

Segwuna came into Philadelphia every few days. She kept close watch on the movements of General Arnold. She knew that as soon as he got stationed at West Point, matters would begin to move between him and Major Andre. Accordingly, she learned when Arnold left Philadelphia. She also heard about ten days thereafter that he had taken command at West Point, August 3.

There was nothing for Segwuna to do when she had learned that Arnold was stationed at West Point except to be on the ground where she knew the dealings between Arnold and Andre would take place. The next move that she made was to get her affairs at home all arranged, and tell her mother that she was going to New York.

She could meet Major Andre and advise him against his plot. If that plan failed, she could make her way to General Washington and advise him of the advance of the British troops. Thus her friends would have no suspicions cast upon them for their intimacy with Barclugh. Then when the plot had been foiled, she could return to Philadelphia and advise Dr. Greydon about Barclugh’s participation in the plot.

Mollie Greydon was sitting on the portico at Dorminghurst just after a visit from Mr. Barclugh one warm afternoon in the latter part of August. She had just been receiving the most marked attentions from her lover. He never missed paying his respects to her at least three or four times a week.

On this afternoon, Segwuna came tripping down the avenue of hemlocks, and before she got to the portico, Mollie put down her needle-work, and ran to greet her.

“Why, Segwuna,” she said, “you have been so mysterious of late, I have not seen you for over two weeks. What has been the matter? I have something to tell you, my dear.”

“I have come, my sweetheart, to tell you that Segwuna is going away.”

“Going away?” cried Mollie. “What for?”

“I am going to New York for General Washington,” replied Segwuna. “His enemies are conspiring to defeat his plans and Segwuna’s duty calls her to go. I have studied out what my duty is and I have worked to get ready to go now. But before I go, I thought that I would come and tell you.