nd the reason, Hathaway said pleasantly, "Well,
George, is this the way you look after your family?"

The old man started; for an instant his full red lips seemed to become
dry and ashen, the whites of his eyes were suffused and staring, as he
met Paul's smiling face in the glass. But almost as quickly he
recovered himself, and, with a polite but deprecating bow, said,--"For
God sake, sah! I admit de sarkumstances is agin me, but de simple fack
is dat I'm temper'ly occupyin' de place of an ole frien', sah, who is
called round de cornah."

"And I'm devilish glad of any fact, George, that gives me a chance of
having my hair cut by Colonel Pendleton's right-hand man. So fire
away!"

The gratified smile which now suddenly overspread the whole of the old
man's face, and seemed to quickly stiffen the rugged and wrinkled
fingers that had at first trembled in drawing a pair of shears from a
ragged pocket, appeared to satisfy Paul's curiosity for the present.
But after a few moments' silent snipping, during which he could detect
in the mirror some traces of agitation still twitching the negro's
face, he said with an air of conviction:--

"Look here, George--why don't you regularly use your leisure moments in
this trade? You'd make your fortune by your taste and skill at it."

For the next half minute the old man's frame shook with silent
childlike laughter behind Paul's chair. "Well, Marse Hathaway, yo's an
ole frien' o' my massa, and a gemman yo'self, sah, and a senetah, and I
do'an mind tellin' yo'--dat's jess what I bin gone done! It makes a
little ready money for de ole woman and de chilleren. But de Kernel
don' no'. Ah, sah! de Kernel kill me or hisself if he so much as
'spicioned me. De Kernel is high-toned, sah!--bein' a gemman yo'self,
yo' understand. He wouldn't heah ob his niggah worken' for two
massas--for all he's willen' to lemme go and help myse'f. But, Lord
bless yo', sah, dat ain't in de category! De Kernel couldn't get along
widout me."

"You collect his rents, don't you?" said Paul, quietly.

"Yes, sah."

"Much?"

"Well, no, sah; not so much as fom'ly, sah! Yo' see, de Kernel's
prop'ty lies in de ole parts ob de town, where de po' white folks lib,
and dey ain't reg'lar. De Kernel dat sof' in his heart, he dare n'
press 'em; some of 'em is ole fo'ty-niners, like hisself, sah; and some
is Spanish, sah, and dey is sof' too, and ain't no more gumption dan
chilleren, and tink it's ole time