Sophia's War: Chapters 49–70

by Avi
During the Revolutionary War, a twelve-year-old girl works as a spy and identifies a traitor planning a shocking plot.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–9, Chapters 10–19, Chapters 20–28, Chapters 29–48, Chapters 49–70
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. confound
    be confusing or perplexing to
    I sat there, refusing to believe what I had just heard: Arnold was Mr. Moore. Inconceivable! Monstrous! Confounding! Too terrifying as to its import.
  2. wheedle
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
    Some claimed he had wheedled the rise with his famous charm. Then there was the suggestion that most interested me: that the new Major General was engaged upon a secret endeavor to end the war swiftly.
  3. jilt
    cast aside capriciously or unfeelingly
    Indeed, I must have appeared so forlorn, one of my companions asked me if had been jilted by a suitor.
  4. bandy
    discuss lightly
    In fact, when I brought in the silver coffeepot, I heard them speaking about the coming meeting between Major André and General Arnold. Among the three, Arnold’s name was bandied about openly.
  5. providence
    a manifestation of God's foresightful care for his creatures
    At this point, though you may consider it vast vanity, I came to believe that what had occurred was evidence of the hand of Providence.
  6. pungent
    strong and sharp to the sense of taste or smell
    In the early light I could not see across, but I could smell the river’s ripe expanse. Hudson’s River being tidal, the ocean reaches far inland with strong tides and the pungent smells of sea.
  7. circumvent
    avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing
    I was traveling on the eastern shore, where the river quietly lapped a low beach. That beach was mostly pebbly, though now and again there were boulders, which I had to climb or circumvent.
  8. espy
    catch sight of
    Mingled with that smell was the distinct scent of cooking fish. Coming round a bend, I espied a small fire burning near the water’s edge.
  9. sully
    make dirty or spotty
    Tending the fire, cooking in an iron pot by stirring with a wooden spoon, the woman wore a sullied apron over an ankle-length and much-patched dress.
  10. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    After loading their few possessions—kettle and fishing equipment—we pushed the boat into the water. Bente and I scrambled in while Johan shoved until he was up to his waist, then clambered aboard.
  11. erratic
    liable to sudden unpredictable change
    The wind, hedged in by the cliffs on the western bank of the river, as well as the forest on the eastern, was erratic.
  12. fretful
    nervous and unable to relax
    Fretful, my unspoken thought was I’m losing time.
  13. brusque
    rudely abrupt or blunt in speech or manner
    “Which side of the river,” he said. “I won’t carry rebel folk. If you’ll not declare with me, you must be against.” He gave a brusque nod as if agreeing with himself.
  14. undulation
    wavelike motion
    The undulations of the river shoreline were as jagged as handsaw teeth.
  15. muse
    reflect deeply on a subject
    He and Robinson mused about what would be achieved when the assault of West Point took place. “I intend to ask General Clinton to let me lead the attack,” said André.
  16. imperative
    some duty that is essential and urgent
    It was imperative to André that when he met General Arnold he appear at his best.
  17. excursion
    a journey taken for pleasure
    “Just a pleasant excursion, Peter,” said André. “I’ll be back very soon.”
  18. consternation
    sudden shock or dismay that causes confusion
    To the north was a ship. It took but a moment for me to recognize the Vulture. I stared at it with consternation.
  19. befuddlement
    confusion resulting from failure to understand
    In my befuddlement, I even wondered, recalling that the Vulture was not so far away, that perhaps one of these men was General Arnold.
  20. poised
    marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action
    Poised to flee, I said, “What army do you belong to?”
  21. confer
    have a meeting in order to talk something over
    The two conferred in private voices, now and again glancing in my direction as if uncertain what to make of me.
  22. daft
    foolish or mentally irregular
    I suspect they thought me daft, and must do something on that account, if for no other reason.
  23. misgiving
    uneasiness about the fitness of an action
    For myself, although I had arrived at that part of my plan that required me to tell someone what I knew, I was filled with deep misgivings.
  24. transpire
    come about, happen, or occur
    On the morning of September the twenty-second, I awoke wondering what, if anything, had transpired during the night.
  25. sullen
    showing a brooding ill humor
    Sam and Joe Cahoon were waiting in their boat, the blades of their oars wrapped in sheepskins. When Smith appeared, the brothers murmured only a sullen greeting.
  26. scud
    run or move very quickly or hastily
    Above, clouds were scudding so that the moon came and went as if playing a hiding game.
  27. hinder
    be an obstacle to
    First, the men had to roll the heavy pieces up to the top of Teller Point hill. There was no path and little light. Rocks, boulders, and soft spaces hindered them.
  28. laden
    filled with a great quantity
    As I recalled, the plan was for him to get to the Vulture, that he might sail in haste to New York City. There the transport ships, laden with soldiers, were waiting to be transported up Hudson’s and then attack.
  29. revelation
    an enlightening or astonishing disclosure
    At my continual revelations, Mr. Paulding was nothing less than astonished.
  30. canter
    ride at a smooth three-beat gait
    As the twilight thickened, they began to canter, but just before they reached Peekskill, Smith turned east along a winding, hilly way.
  31. contemptible
    deserving of scorn or disrespect
    How contemptible! How low! How degrading!
  32. accost
    approach and speak to someone aggressively or insistently
    I have no doubt that for André, it being low Americans who had accosted him and treated him thus was deeply wounding to his pride.
  33. beguiling
    highly attractive and able to arouse hope or desire
    I stood apart and watched him. He seemed despondent. How strange for me to see him without his charm, his beguiling smiles and graces.
  34. hubbub
    loud confused noise from many sources
    The news of André’s capture and who he was quickly spread among the soldiers and then, apparently, elsewhere. I hardly know how, but soon civilians, attracted by the hubbub, gathered. The word “spy” was on all lips.
  35. seethe
    be in an agitated emotional state
    News of André’s capture and Arnold’s treason spread everywhere. The whole countryside was in a state of much unsettlement. One might say it fairly seethed.
Created on Tue May 11 21:20:30 EDT 2021 (updated Fri May 28 10:54:31 EDT 2021)

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