thing of the kind. Where have you been, anyway?"

"Getting acquainted with our neighbors. Ricky," he called her attention
to the smiling face just outside the door, "this is Sam. He runs the
home farm for us. And his wife is a descendant of the Ralestone house
folks."

"Yassuh, dat's right. We's Ralestone folks, Miss 'Chanda. Mah Lucy done
sen' me ovah to fin' out what yo'all is a-needin' done 'bout de place.
She was in yisteday afo' yo'all come an' seed to de dustin' an' sich--"

"So that's why everything was so clean! That was nice of her--"

"Yo'all is Ralestones, Miss 'Chanda. An' Lucy say dat de Ralestones am
a-goin' to fin' dis place jest ready for dem when dey come." He beamed
upon them proudly. "Lucy, she am a-goin' be heah jest as soon as she
gits de chillens set for de day. I'se come fust so's Ah kin see wat
Mistuh Ralestone done wan' done wi dem rivah fiel's--"

"Where is Rupert?" Val broke in.

"Went out to see about the car. The storm last night wrecked the door of
the carriage house--"

"Zat so?" Sam's eyes went round. "Den Ah bettah be a-gittin' out an' see
'bout it. 'Scuse me, suh. 'Scuse me, Miss 'Chanda." With a jerk of his
head he left them. Val turned to Ricky.

"We seem to have fallen into good hands."

"It's my guess that his Lucy is a manager. He just does what she tells
him to. I wonder how he knew my name?"

"LeFleur probably told them all about us."

"Isn't it odd--" she turned off the gas, "'Ralestone folks.'"

"Loyalty to the Big House," her brother answered slowly. "I never
thought that it really existed out of books."

"It makes me feel positively feudal. Val, I was born about a hundred
years too late. I'd like to have been the mistress here when I could
have ridden out in a victoria behind two matched bays, with a coachman
and a footman up in front and my maid on the little seat facing me."

"And with a Dalmatian coach-hound running behind and at least
three-fourths of the young bloods of the neighborhood as a mounted
escort. I know. But those days are gone forever. Which leads me to
another subject. What are we going to do today?"

"The dishes, for one thing," Ricky began ticking the items off on her
fingers, "and then the beds. This afternoon Rupert wants us--that is,
you and me--to drive to town and do some errands."

"Oh, yes, the list you two made out last night. Well, now that that's
all settled, suppose we have some breakfast. Has Rupert been fed or is
he thinking