he dulness and the chill in the air presently
enwrapped her also. The meal came to an end with only one hazard as to
what could have taken Ludwell Cary to Greenwood for the entire day. That
was Unity's, who remarked that pains must be bestowed upon the hanging
of a drawing-room paper, else the shepherds and the shepherdesses would
not match.

Fairfax Cary asked after Lewis Rand and his broken arm, and Colonel Dick
responded with absent-mindedness that the arm did very well, and that
its owner would soon be going about his business with all the rest of
the damned Republican mischief-makers: then, "Scipio, did you take that
julep and bird up to the blue room?"

"Yaas, marster," answered Scipio. "The gent'man say tell you 'Thank
you.' He say he ain't gwine trouble you much longer, an' he cyarn never
forgit what Fontenoy's done fer him."

"Deb!" said Uncle Edward, with great sharpness, "you are spilling that
cup of milk. Look what you are doing, child!"

The uncomfortable meal came to an end. Outside the dining-room door
Uncle Dick mentioned to Unity that her aunt wanted her in the chamber to
cut off linsey gowns for the house servants, and Uncle Edward inquired
if it would be troublesome to Fairfax Cary to ride over to Tom Wood's
and take a look at that black stallion Tom bragged of. Unity went to her
aunt's chamber; the younger Cary walked away somewhat stiffly to the
stables; Uncle Edward sent Deb to her lessons, and Uncle Dick told
Jacqueline to come in half an hour to the library. Edward and he wanted
to speak to her.

Jacqueline gave her directions, or her aunt's directions, to Scipio,
then crossed the paved way to the kitchen and talked of dinner and
supper with the turbaned cook; opened with her keys the smokehouse door,
and in the storeroom superintended the weighing of flour and sugar and
the measuring of Java coffee, and finally saw that the drawing-room was
properly darkened against the sunny morning, and that the water was
fresh in the bowls of flowers. She leaned for a moment against her harp,
one hand upon its strings, her forehead resting upon her bare arm; then
she turned from the room and entered the library, where she found her
uncles waiting for her, Uncle Dick upon the hearth rug and Uncle Edward
at the table.

"Jacqueline," began the first, then, "Edward, I never could talk to a
woman! Ask her what all this damned nonsense means!"

"Your uncle doesn't mean that it is all damned nonsense, Jacque