up a superior smile. "Is passion--are
passions bound to be ignoble? But you're making the usual mistake----"

"How, John?" She put on a condescending patience.

"Why, in fancying you women can guide a man by----"

"Preaching?" the girl interrupted. Her face had changed. "I know we
can't," she added, abstractedly. John was trying to push his advantage.

"Passion!" he exclaimed. "Passion? Miss Fannie, you look at life with a
woman's view! We men--what are we without passion--all the passions?
Furnaces without fire! Ships without sails!"

"True! John. And just as true for women. But without principles we're
ships without rudders. Passion ought to fill our sails, yes; but if
principles don't steer we're lost!"

"Now, are you not making yourself my guiding star?"

"No! I won't have the awful responsibility! I'm nothing but a misguided
girl. Guiding star! Oh, fancy calling me that when your dear old----"

"Do--o--on't!"

"Then take it back and be a guiding star yourself! See here! D'you
remember the day at the tournament when you were my knight? John March,
can you believe it? I! me! this girl! Fannie Halliday! member of the
choir! I prayed for you that day. I did, for a fact! I prayed you might
come to be one of the few who are the knights of all mankind; and here
you--John, if I had a thousand gold dollars I'd rather lose them in the
sea than have you do what you're this day----"

"Miss Fannie, stop; I'm not doing it. It's not going to be done. But oh!
if you knew what spurred me on--I can't expl----"

"You needn't. I've known all about it for years! I got it from the girls
who put you to bed that night. But no one else knows it and they'll
never tell. John," Fannie pushed her gaiter's tip with her parasol,
"guess who was here all last evening, smoking the pipe of peace with
pop."

"Jeff-Jack?"

"I mean besides him. Brother Garnet! John, what is that man mostly, fox
or goose?"

"Oh, now, Miss Fannie, you're unjust! You're--you're partisan!"

"Hmm! That's what pop called me. He says Major Garnet means well, only
he's a moss-back. Sakes alive! That's worse than fox and goose in one!"
Her eyes danced merrily. "Why, that man's still in the siege of
Vicksburg, feeding Rosemont and Suez with its mule meat, John."

"Miss Fannie, it's my benefactor you're speaking of."

"Aw! your grandmother! Look here. Why'd he bring Mr. Ravenel here--for
Mr. Ravenel didn't bring him--to pow-wow with pop? Of course he had some