Midnight Rider

Several days into winter, Meg receives multiple love notes and a poem from Lieutenant Pratt, which she reads to Hannah before declaring it drivel and burning it. 

Hannah assists with Mrs. Gage’s ladies’ tea, which is attended by 12 women, including Mrs. Wheatley and her protégé Phillis Wheatley, the famous poet. Conversation covers city difficulties, the tea situation, and Loyalist hardships. Phillis references how the Whig leaders averted violence during the Powder House incident.

Mrs. Gage expresses anxiety about potential war, quoting William Shakespeare: “Upon my knee I beg, go not to arms” (247). Phillis joins Mrs. Gage in sharing Shakespeare quotations that lament the difficulties of holding loyalty to two opposing sides. After the tea, Mrs. Gage questions Hannah about Meg’s habit of meeting young men. Hannah denies that there are any current meetings, but Mrs. Gage presses for greater honesty, reminding Hannah that her primary loyalty should be to her and to General Gage. Hannah later reports this conversation to Meg, and they reaffirm their vow about the tunnel’s secrecy. A disagreement arises when Meg asserts that Hannah owes her loyalty because Mrs. Gage “gave” Hannah to her. Hannah refutes this, exclaiming, “I don’t belong to anyone but myself” (252).