Nathaniel laughed: contemptuously, I thought.

“But he seemed a pleasant man!” Ellen exclaimed. “He was handsome, too, and a gentleman.”

“What’s wonderful about that?” I asked. “What did you expect to find? A chimney-sweep?”

Ellen’s nod was half a yes and half a no. “But I have heard about him. An awful man! A ruffian, who gives orders to kill women and children!”

“Bless your heart,” I said, “he does nothing of the sort! He’s the kindest of men—except to cowards and liars.”

“Oh, Peter!” Nathaniel said. “What’s the good of trying to stand up for Arnold, after what’s happened!”

I looked at him closely. “After what’s happened? You mean after what he did to save our troops at Sorel?”

Nathaniel smiled pityingly. “He’s no fit man to hold high rank in the American army. Everybody knows he’s to be arrested for what he’s done! That’s why I paid no attention to what he said to me about Ellen. He won’t be allowed to hold a command: not after Congress hears of his conduct.”

I sat down on the shelf of ship’s timbers and whistled a stave of Cap Huff’s ball-rolling song to keep my temper within bounds.

“Nathaniel,” I said, “this is the second time you’ve belittled Arnold. What’s the reason for it?”

“The reason? The reason? Why it’s common knowledge.”

“No! That won’t do! It’s not common knowledge, and you’ll have to be clearer. What do you mean by saying ‘When Congress hears of his conduct’?”

“I mean just that, Peter. When Congress learns about the supplies he stole in Montreal, there’ll be trouble. No officer who stole what he did should be allowed to command any part of an army. Everybody says so.”

“So Congress is going to learn about the supplies, is it? Who’s it going to learn from?”

Nathaniel shrugged his shoulders. “How should I know? Somebody’s bound to tell.”

“Tell what? What is there to tell, when those supplies, as we all know, were seized by the orders of the commissioners of Congress? They’re supplies for the army! That’s why they were sent to Chambly and St. John’s first. Now they’ve been sent to Schuyler in Albany, because the army’s retreating—God knows where to—and it’s Schuyler who has charge of all supplies. He pays for ’em and distributes ’em.”

“Indeed!” Nathaniel said with exaggerated politeness. “I suppose the sable-skin coat Arnold stole for himself is being sent to Schuyler in Albany! And the diamond-studded sword-hilt—that’ll get to Schuyler! I suppose Schuyler’ll pay for that!”

“Look here,” I said. “You had charge of part of those seized supplies! Did you see anything among them that wasn’t for the army? Any diamond-studded camp kettles or any sable-skin breeches?”

“No,” Nathaniel admitted, “but everybody knows—–”