is a grand thing for a woman
to have the promise of a man who knows what a promise is."

I winced at this, as I had winced a thousand times at similar thrusts
unconsciously delivered by so many. "No," said I, "I think Orme is
right. I am only a very stupid ass."

She reached out her hand. I felt her fingers close cold and hard on
mine, as though loth to let me go. I kissed her fingers and withdrew,
myself at least very glad to be away.

I retired presently to my room to arrange my portmanteaus for an early
journey. And there, filling up one-half of the greater valise, was a
roll of hide, ragged about its edge. I drew it out, and spread it flat
upon the bed before me, whitened and roughened with bone, reddened with
blood, written on with rude stylus, bearing certain words which all the
time, day and night, rang, yes, and sang, in my brain.

"_I, John Cowles--I, Ellen Meriwether--take thee, for better, for
worse--till death--_" I saw her name, _E-l-l-e-n._

CHAPTER XLI

ELLEN OR GRACE

Presently once more I departed. My mother also ended her visit at
Dixiana, preferring to return to the quiet of her two little whitewashed
rooms, and the old fireplace, and the sooty pot-hooks which our people's
slaves had used for two generations in the past.

As to what I learned at Huntington, which place I reached after some
days of travel, I need say no more than that I began to see fully
verified my father's daring and his foresight. The matter of the coal
land speculation was proved perfectly feasible. Indeed, my conference
with our agents made it clear that little remained excepting the
questions of a partition of interests, or of joint action between
Colonel Meriwether and my father's estate. The right of redemption still
remained, and there offered a definite alternative of selling a part of
the lands and retaining the remainder clear of incumbrance. We wrote
Colonel Meriwether all these facts from Huntington, requesting his
immediate attention. After this, I set out for home, not ill-pleased
with the outlook of my material affairs.

All these details of surveying and locating lands, of measuring shafts
and drifts, and estimating cubic yards in coal, and determining the
status of tenures and fees, had occupied me longer than I had
anticipated. I had been gone two days beyond a month, when finally,
somewhat wearied with stage travel, I pulled up at Wallingford.

As I approached the little tavern I heard much lau