第28章

Unfortunately, this duty accomplished, the reaction consequent on his still weak physical condition threw him back upon himself and his memory.He had resolutely refused to think of Miss Sally; he had been able to withstand the suggestions of her in the presence of her handmaid--supposed to be potent in nursing and herb-lore--whom she had detached to wait upon him, and he had returned politely formal acknowledgments to her inquiries.He had determined to continue this personal avoidance as far as possible until he was relieved, on the ground of that BUSINESS expediency which these events had made necessary.She would see that he was only accepting the arguments with which she had met his previous advances.Briefly, he had recourse to that hopeless logic by which a man proves to himself that he has no reason for loving a certain woman, and is as incontestably convinced by the same process that he has.And in the midst of it he weakly fell asleep, and dreamed that he and Miss Sally were walking in the cemetery; that a hideous snake concealed among some lilies, over which the young girl was bending, had uplifted its triangular head to strike.That he seized it by the neck, struggled with it until he was nearly exhausted, when it suddenly collapsed and shrunk, leaving in his palm the limp, crushed, and delicately perfumed little thread glove which he remembered to have once slipped from her hand.

When he awoke, that perfume seemed to be still in the air, distinct from the fresh but homelier scents of the garden which stole through the window.A sense of delicious coolness came with the afternoon breeze, that faintly trilled the slanting slats of the blind with a slumberous humming as of bees.The golden glory of a sinking southern sun was penciling the cheap paper on the wall with leafy tracery and glowing arabesques.But more than that, the calm of some potent influence--or some unseen presence--was upon him, which he feared a movement might dispel.The chair at the foot of his bed was empty.Sophy had gone out.He did not turn his head to look further; his languid eyes falling aimlessly upon the carpet at his bedside suddenly dilated.For they fell also on the "smallest foot in the State."He started to his elbow, but a soft hand was laid gently yet firmly upon his shoulder, and with a faint rustle of muslin skirts Miss Sally rose from an unseen chair at the head of his bed, and stood beside him.

"Don't stir, co'nnle, I didn't sit where I could look in yo'r face for fear of waking yo'.But I'll change seats now." She moved to the chair which Sophy had vacated, drew it slightly nearer the bed, and sat down.

"It was very kind of you--to come," said Courtland hesitatingly, as with a strong effort he drew his eyes away from the fascinating vision, and regained a certain cold composure, "but I am afraid my illness has been greatly magnified.I really am quite well enough to be up and about my business, if the doctor would permit it.But I shall certainly manage to attend to my duty to-morrow, and I hope to be at your service.

"Meaning that yo' don't care to see me NOW, co'nnle," she said lightly, with a faint twinkle in her wise, sweet eyes."I thought of that, but as my business wouldn't wait, I brought it to yo'."She took from the folds of her gown a letter.To his utter amazement it was the one he had given his overseer to post to the commandant that morning.To his greater indignation the seal was broken.

"Who has dared?" he demanded, half rising.

Her little hand was thrust out half deprecatingly."No one yo' can fight, co'nnle; only ME.I don't generally open other folks'

letters, and I wouldn't have done it for MYSELF; I did for yo'.""For me?"

"For yo'.I reckoned what yo' MIGHT do, and I told Sam to bring MEthe letters first.I didn't mind what yo' wrote to the company--for they'll take care of yo', and their own eggs are all in the same basket.I didn't open THAT one, but I did THIS when I saw the address.It was as I expected, and yo' 'd given yo'self away! For if yo' had those soldiers down here, yo' 'd have a row, sure!

Don't move, co'nnle, YO' may not care for that, it's in YO'R line.

But folks will say that the soldiers weren't sent to prevent RIOTING, but that Co'nnle Courtland was using his old comrades to keep order on his property at Gov'ment expense.Hol' on! Hol' on!

co'nnle," said the little figure, rising and waving its pretty arms with a mischievous simulation of terrified deprecation."Don't shoot! Of course yo' didn't mean THAT, but that's about the way that So'th'n men will put it to yo'r Gov'ment.For," she continued, more gently, yet with the shrewdest twinkle in her gray eyes, "if yo' really thought the niggers might need Federal protection, yo' 'd have let ME write to the commandant to send an escort--not to YO, but to CATO--that HE might be able to come back in safety.Yo' 'd have had yo'r soldiers; I'd have had back my nigger, which"--demurely--"yo' don't seem to worry yo'self much about, co'nnle; and there isn't a So'th'n man would have objected.

But," still more demurely, and affectedly smoothing out her crisp skirt with her little hands, "yo' haven't been troubling me much with yo'r counsel lately."A swift and utterly new comprehension swept over Courtland.For the first time in his knowledge of her he suddenly grasped what was, perhaps, the true conception of her character.Looking at her clearly now, he understood the meaning of those pliant graces, so unaffected and yet always controlled by the reasoning of an unbiased intellect; her frank speech and plausible intonations!

Before him stood the true-born daughter of a long race of politicians! All that he had heard of their dexterity, tact, and expediency rose here incarnate, with the added grace of womanhood.

A strange sense of relief--perhaps a dawning of hope--stole over him.

"But how will this insure Cato's safety hereafter, or give protection to the others?" he said, fixing his eyes upon her.