made answer
to him as I laid my cheek upon the sleeve of his coat, which was of a
cut in the best style for gentlemen of his age but always of that
Confederate gray, likewise affected by good Cato. Try as hard as
Robert Carruthers will, he cannot force that Roberta, Marquise of Grez
and Bye, at all times to refrain from a caress to the Uncle whom she
so greatly loves.

"Clear out, sir! Depart!" was the response I got to that caress; but
always that wicked Roberta, Marquise of Grez and Bye, finds in the
face of her relative something that assures her that she can so
venture at a later time.

And as I turned away from that coldness on the part of my august
relative I found a glow of warmth for my reviving in the eyes of my
beautiful Gouverneur Faulkner, who held out his hand to me as I
started to the door for that departure commanded me.

"Blood brothers never doubt each other, Robert," he said to me as with
one hand he grasped my right hand and laid the other on my above my
bandage, over the wound Timms had given to me, which was now almost
entirely healed.

With the quickness of lightning I laid my cheek against the sleeve of
his coat, in exactly the caress I had given to my Uncle, the General
Robert, and then did depart with an equal rapidity.

"Can you beat him, Bill?" I heard my Uncle, the General Robert, demand
as I closed the door.

"Impossible," was the answer I thought was returned.

And from that audience chamber I went quickly and alone in my good
Cherry to Twin Oaks, was admitted by Bonbon, whom I instructed not in
any way to allow that I be interrupted, ascended to my own apartment
and seated myself in a large chair before the glowing ashes of a small
fire of fragrant chip twigs, which kind Madam Kizzie had had lighted,
against what she called a "May chill," during my toilet of the
morning. Above me from the mantelshelf, that Grandmamma Carruthers
looked down with her great and noble smile, while the flame in her
eyes seemed to answer that in my soul as I communed with myself.

"What is it that you will now do, Roberta, Marquise of Grez and Bye?"
I asked of myself with a slight shaking of my knees in their cheviot
trousers. "It is hardly possible that you will escape from revealing
your woman's estate to this Frenchman of your own class. Here all
mistakes of a man's estate are forgiven you and laid to the fact of
your being an alien, but that Lieutenant, Count de Bourdon, will ask
questions of you