is, but of my son, no. My son he was already there
when that war commence', and the cause of that was a very simple and
or-_din_-ary in him, but not in the story of my father. I would like
to tell you ab-out that biccause tha'z also ab-out that house where we
was juz' seeing all that open-work on those balconie', and biccause so
interested, you, in old building', you are bound to hear ab-out that
some day and probably hear it wrong."

"Let's have it now; she told me yesterday to ask you for it."

XLI

THE LOST FORTUNE

"Mighty solid," the ironworker said, "that old house, so square and
high. They are no Creole brick it is make with, that old house."

Chester began to speak approvingly of the wide balconies running
unbrokenly around its four sides at both upper stories, but Beloiseau
shook his head: "They don't billong to the firz' building of that
house, else they _might_ have been Spanish, like here on the Cabildo
and that old _Cafe Veau-qui-tete_. They would not be cast iron and of
that complicate' disign, hah! But they are not even a French cast
iron, like those and those"--he waved right and left to the wide
balconies of the Pontalba buildings flanking the square with such
graceful dignity. "Oh, they make that old house look pretty good,
those balconie', but tha'z a pity they were not wrought iron, biccause
M. Lefevre--he was rich--sugar-planter--could have what he choose, and
she was a very fashionable, his ladie. They tell some strange stories
ab-out them and that 'ouse; cruelty to slave', intrigue with slave',
duel' ab-out slave'. Maybe tha'z biccause those iron bar' up and down
in sidewalk window', old Spanish fashion; maybe biccause in confusion
with that Haunted House in Royal Street, they are so allike, those two
house'. But they are cock-an'-bull, those tale'. Wha's true they
don't tell, biccause they don' know, and tha'z what I'm telling you ad
the present.

"When my father he was yet a boy, fo'teen, fiv'teen, those Lefevre'
they rent' to the _grand-mere_ of both Castanado and Dubroca, turn
ab-out, a li'l' slave girl so near white you coul'n' see she's black!
You coul'n' even _suspec_' that, only seeing she's rent', that way, and
knowing that once in a while, those time, that whitenezz coul'n' be
av-void'. Myseff, me, I've seen a man, ex-slave, so white you woul'n'
think till they tell you; but then you'd see it--black! But that li'l'
girl of seven year', nobody coul'n' see that ev