ch and said:

"Good evening, uncle."

The old man stopped short in his furious strides and glared upon her
with his terrible eyes.

Cap stood fire without blanching, merely remarking:

"Now, I have no doubt that in the days when you went battling that look
used to strike terror into the heart of the enemy, but it doesn't into
mine, somehow."

"Miss!" roared the old man, bringing down his cane with a resounding
thump upon the floor; "miss! how dare you have the impudence to face me,
much less the--the--the assurance!--the effrontery!--the audacity!--the
brass! to speak to me!"

"Well, I declare," said Cap, calmly untying her hat; "this is the first
time I ever heard it was impudent in a little girl to give her uncle
good evening!"

The old man trotted up and down the piazza two or three turns, then,
stopping short before the delinquent, he struck his cane down upon the
floor with a ringing stroke and thundered:

"Young woman, tell me instantly and without prevarication where you've
been!"

"Certainly, sir; 'going to and fro in the earth and walking up and down
in it,'" said Cap, quietly.

"Flames and furies! that is no answer at all! Where have you been?"
roared Old Hurricane, shaking with excitement.

"Look here, uncle; if you go on that way you'll have a fit presently,"
said Cap, calmly.

"Where have you been?" thundered Old Hurricane.

"Well, since you will know--just across the river and through the woods
and back again."

"And didn't I forbid you to do that, minion? and how dare you disobey
me? You the creature of my bounty; you, the miserable little vagrant
that I picked up in the alleys of New York and tried to make a young
lady of; but an old proverb says 'You can't make a silken purse out of a
pig's ear.' How dare you, you little beggar, disobey your benefactor?--a
man of my age, character and position? I--I--" Old Hurricane turned
abruptly and raged up and down the piazza.

All this time Capitola had been standing quietly, holding up her train
with one hand and her riding habit in the other. At this last insult she
raised her dark-gray eyes to his face with one long indignant, sorrowful
gaze; then, turning silently away and entering the house, she left Old
Hurricane to storm up and down the piazza until he had raged himself to
rest.

Reader, I do not defend, far less approve, poor Cap. I only tell her
story and describe her as I have seen her, leaving her to your
charitable interpretation