n high gates of wrought iron swung wide
between carved coquina pillars.

And the house itself was very much larger than he had imagined; the
starlight had illuminated only a small portion of its white facade,
tricking him; for this was almost a palace--one of those fine
vigorously designed mansions, so imposing in simplicity, nicknamed by
smug humility--a "cottage," or "villa."

"By jingo, it's noble!" he exclaimed, the exotic dignity of the house
dawning on him by degrees as he moved forward and the southern ocean
sprang into view, turquoise and amethyst inlaid streak on streak to the
still horizon.

"What a chance!" he repeated under his breath; "what a chance for the
noblest park ever softened into formality! And the untouched forests
beyond!--and the lagoons!--and the dunes to the east--and the sea! Lord,
Lord," he whispered with unconscious reverence, "what an Eden!"

One of the white-haired, black-skinned children of men--though the point
is locally disputed--looked up from the grass where he squatted
gathering ripe fruit under a sapodilla tree; and to an inquiry:

"Yaas-suh, yaas-suh; Mistuh Cahdhoss in de pomelo g'ove, suh, feedin'
mud-cat to de wile-puss."

"Doing _what_?"

"Feedin' mud-fish to de wile-cat, de wile lynx-cat, suh." The aged negro
rose, hat doffed, juicy traces of forbidden sapodillas on his face which
he naively removed with the back of the blackest and most grotesquely
wrinkled hand Hamil had ever seen.

"Yaas-suh; 'scusin' de 'gator, wile-cat love de mud-fish mostest; yaas,
suh. Ole torm-cat he fish de crick lak he was no 'count Seminole
trash--"

"One moment, uncle," interrupted Hamil, smiling; "is that the pomelo
grove? And is that gentleman yonder Mr. Cardross?"

"Yaas-suh."

He stood silent a moment thoughtfully watching the distant figure
through the vista of green leaves, white blossoms, and great clusters of
fruit hanging like globes of palest gold in the sun.

"I think," he said absently, "that I'll step over and speak to Mr.
Cardross.... Thank you, uncle.... What kind of fruit is that you're
gathering?"

"Sappydilla, suh."

Hamil laughed; he had heard that a darky would barter 'possum, ham-bone,
and soul immortal for a ripe sapodilla; he had also once, much farther
northward, seen the distressing spectacle of Savannah negroes loading a
freight car with watermelons; and it struck him now that it was equally
rash to commission this aged uncle on any such business as t