election did
something, but we'll have to do something more, and that soon, to keep
them in their places. There's one in jail now, alive, who has shot and
disfigured and nearly killed two good white men, and such an example
of social equality as burying one in a white graveyard will demoralise
them still further. We must preserve the purity and prestige of our
race, and we can only do it by keeping the Negroes down."

"After all," said another member, "the purity of our race is not apt
to suffer very seriously from the social equality of a graveyard."

"And old Peter will be pretty effectually kept down, wherever he is
buried," added another.

These sallies provoked a smile which lightened the tension. A member
suggested that Colonel French be sent for.

"It seems a pity to disturb him in his grief," said another.

"It's only a couple of squares," suggested another. "Let's call in a
body and pay our respects. We can bring up the matter incidentally,
while there."

The muscles of the mayor's chin hardened.

"Colonel French has never been at my house," he said, "and I shouldn't
care to seem to intrude."

"Come on, mayor," said Mr. Darden, taking the official by the arm,
"these fine distinctions are not becoming in the presence of death.
The colonel will be glad to see you."

The mayor could not resist this mark of intimacy on the part of one of
the old aristocracy, and walked somewhat proudly through the street
arm in arm with Mr. Darden. They paid their respects to the colonel,
who was bearing up, with the composure to be expected of a man of
strong will and forceful character, under a grief of which he was
exquisitely sensible. Touched by a strong man's emotion, which nothing
could conceal, no one had the heart to mention, in the presence of the
dead, the object of their visit, and they went away without giving the
colonel any inkling that his course had been seriously criticised. Nor
was the meeting resumed after they left the house, even the mayor
seeming content to let the matter go by default.

_Thirty-three_

Fortune favoured Caxton in the matter of the note. Fetters was in
Clarendon the following morning. Caxton saw him passing, called him
into his office, and produced the note.

"That's no good," said Fetters contemptuously. "It was outlawed
yesterday. I suppose you allowed I'd forgotten it. On the contrary,
I've a memorandum of it in my pocketbook, and I struck it off the list
last night.