u been all this time?" Mrs. Wingfield said
as her son entered. "You said you might be away a couple of nights, and
we expected you back on Wednesday at the latest, and now it is Friday
evening."

"Well, mother, we have had great fun. We went sailing about right down
to the mouth of the York River. I did not calculate that it would take
me more than twice as long to get back as to get down; but as the wind
blew right down the river it was precious slow work, and we had to row
all the way. However, it has been a jolly trip, and I feel a lot better
for it."

"You don't look any better for it," Annie said. "The skin is all off
your face, and you are as red as fire. Your clothes look shrunk as well
as horribly dirty. You are quite an object, Vincent."

"We got caught in a heavy gale," Vincent said, "and got a thorough
ducking. As to my face, a day or two will set it all to rights again;
and so they will my hands, I hope, for I have got nicely blistered
tugging at those oars. And now, mother, I want some supper, for I am as
hungry as a hunter. I told Dan to go into the kitchen and get a good
square meal."

The next morning, just after breakfast, there was the sound of horses'
hoofs outside the house, and, looking out, Vincent saw Mr. Jackson, with
a man he knew to be the sheriff, and four or five others. A minute later
one of the servants came in, and said that the sheriff wished to speak
to Mrs. Wingfield.

"I will go out to him," Mrs. Wingfield replied. Vincent followed her to
the door.

"Mrs. Wingfield," the sheriff said, "I am the holder of a warrant to
search your slave-huts and grounds for a runaway negro named Anthony
Moore, the property of Mr. Jackson here."

"Do you suppose, sir," Mrs. Wingfield asked angrily, "that I am the sort
of person to give shelter to runaway slaves?"

"No, madam, certainly not," the sheriff replied; "no one would suppose
for a moment that Mrs. Wingfield of the Orangery would have anything to
do with a runaway, but Mr. Jackson here learned only yesterday that the
wife of this slave was here and everyone knows that where the wife is
the husband is not likely to be far off."

"I suppose, sir," Mrs. Wingfield said coldly, "that there was no
necessity for me to acquaint Mr. Jackson formally with the fact that I
had purchased through my agent the woman he sold to separate her from
her husband."

"By no means, madam, by no means; though, had we known it before, it
might have been some