“Sergeant, put this gentleman between two men and call in the rest. If he ventures to give the alarm shoot him.�
“Yes, sir.�
“Good Heavens!� said Penn to Galloway. “A nice ending for a supper. That fellow missed Sir William Howe by only ten minutes.�
“Hark! What was that?� said Galloway. Distant shots rang sharp through the cold night air.
“They have had trouble with the pickets.�
“Hope they caught them,� said Galloway.
Penn returned: “He is one of the kind that catches and is never caught.� Then, as the noise of a great thumping and pounding fell on his ears, he added: “Just listen to Verney!� And he fell back in his chair, convulsed with laughter. “No, don’t move, Galloway. It wants fourteen minutes of the half-hour. Sir William was in luck.�
A little later the amazed and disgusted Verney heard the story. “He did not want me, I suppose.� He knew later that, because of being a gentleman and courteously kind to Tom’s mother, McLane was pleased to forget him.
The Colonel failed to appear at home that night. Verney was late in returning, and only at breakfast did Mrs. Markham and the boys, to their relief, and greatly to Tom’s delight, learn of the capture of their unmannerly guest.
Then the Captain, still a little cross, turned on Tom.