“Betty, do hasten!� she pleaded. “I have something to tell you.�
Elizabeth glanced down at the excited face.
“What is it, Dolly?� she asked, anxiety sharpening her quiet voice.
“Come,� urged Dolly, “away from the others! I must tell you!�
Elizabeth followed her sister to a corner of the meeting-house yard, where they were alone.
“What is it, Dolly?� Betty asked again, shaken out of her usual calm.
Dolly leaned forward. “Tell John Thurlow I know where his muskets are,� she said, “and if they be not careful, others will know it, too!�
Elizabeth caught the girl’s hand tightly.
“How knew you that, Dolly?� she asked, a great fear choking her. Dolly could be trusted, but many Royalists in the neighborhood were seeking just this knowledge!
“Oh,� said Dolly, delighted at the importance of her discovery, “I saw something gleaming through a crack in the roofing. I thought at first ’twas the sunlight, but presently I noted some dust in the pew. I put my hand down and picked some up and tasted it, and although I be ‘so young,’ I know powder. Why didn’t you tell me? I’d have died sooner than betray it!� Her eyes were flashing through tears.