With a dark flush of wrath upon his brow , they saw the general draw his sword and advance to meet the figure in the cloak before the latter had stepped one pace upon the floor . `` Villain , unmuffle yourself ! '' cried he . `` You pass no farther . '' The figure , without blenching a hair 's - breadth from the sword which was pointed at his breast , made a solemn pause and lowered the cape of the cloak from about his face , yet not sufficiently for the spectators to catch a glimpse of it . But Sir William Howe had evidently seen enough . The sternness of his countenance gave place to a look of wild amazement , if not horror , while he recoiled several steps from the figure and let fall his sword upon the floor . The martial shape again drew the cloak about his features and passed on , but , reaching the threshold with his back toward the spectators , he was seen to stamp his foot and shake his clenched hands in the air . It was afterward affirmed that Sir William Howe had repeated that selfsame gesture of rage and sorrow when for the last time , and as the last royal governor , he passed through the portal of the province-house . `` Hark ! The procession moves , '' said Miss Joliffe . The music was dying away along the street , and its dismal strains were mingled with the knell of midnight from the steeple of the Old South and with the roar of artillery which announced that the beleaguered army of Washington had intrenched itself upon a nearer height than before . As the deep boom of the cannon smote upon his ear Colonel Joliffe raised himself to the full height of his aged form and smiled sternly on the British general . `` Would Your Excellency inquire further into the mystery of the pageant ? '' said he . `` Take care of your gray head ! '' cried Sir William Howe , fiercely , though with a quivering lip . `` It has stood too long on a traitor 's shoulders . '' `` You must make haste to chop it off , then , '' calmly replied the colonel , `` for a few hours longer , and not all the power of Sir William Howe , nor of his master , shall cause one of these gray hairs to fall . The empire of Britain in this ancient province is at its last gasp to-night ; almost while I speak it is a dead corpse , and methinks the shadows of the old governors are fit mourners at its funeral . ''
With these words Colonel Joliffe threw XXXXX his cloak , and , drawing his granddaughter 's arm within his own , retired from the last festival that a British ruler ever held in the old province of Massachusetts Bay .
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