he pleasure is all mine, Mad'moiselle," he gravely replied.

"You'll excuse me now if I hurry on?" the Secretary said, again bowing
and disappearing in the crowd.

"Mr. Holt tells me, Miss Barton, that you know every Senator on the
floor."

"Yes. My father has been in Congress and the Senate for twenty years."

"You'll explain the drama to me to-day when the curtain rises?"

"If I can."

"I'll be so much obliged--" he paused and the even white teeth smiled
pleasantly. "I'm pretty well up on American history but confess a little
puzzled to-day. Your Southern Senators are really going to surrender
their power here without a struggle?"

"What do you mean?" the girl asked with a slight frown.

"That your Democratic party has still a majority in both the House and
the Senate. If the Southern members simply sit still in their places,
the incoming administration of Abraham Lincoln will be absolutely
powerless. The new President can not even call a cabinet to his side
without their consent."

"The North has elected their President," Jennie answered with decision.
"The South scorns to stoop to the dishonor of cheating them out of it.
They've won the election. They can have it. The South will go and build
a government of her own--as we built this one--"

"And fight twenty-three million people of the North?"

"If forced to--yes!"

"With the certainty of an uprising of your slaves at home?"

Jennie laughed.

"Our slaves would fight for us if we'd let them--"

A curious smile twitched the lips of the Italian.

"You speak with great confidence, Miss Barton!"

"Yes. I know what I'm talking about."

The keen eyes watched her from the shadows of the straight thick brows.

"And your Senators who took a solemn oath in entering this Chamber to
support the Constitution will leave their seats in violation of that
oath?"

The Southern girl flushed, turned with quick purpose to answer, laughed
and said with winning frankness:

"You don't mind if I give you my father's answer in his own words? I
know them by heart--"

"By all means."

"An oath to support the Constitution of the United States does _not_
bind the man who takes it to support an administration elected by a mob
whose purpose is to subvert the Constitution!"

"Oh,--I see," was the quiet response.

"You speak English with perfection, Signor!" Jennie said with a smile.

"Yes, Mad'moiselle, I've spent my life in the Diplomatic service."

He bowed grave