e made a brief, cold pause over
it, and then, as she wheeled round from me, back to the counter: "No
Southerner would let pass such an affront."

It was final. She regained her usual place, she resumed her ledger; the
curly dog, who had come out to hear our conversation, went in again; I
was disgraced. Not only with the profile of her short, belligerent
nose, but with the chilly way in which she made her pencil move over the
ledger, she told me plainly that my self-respect had failed to meet
her tests. This was what my remarkable ingenuity had achieved for me. I
swallowed the last crumbs of Lady Baltimore, and went forward to settle
the account.

"I suppose I'm scarcely entitled to ask for a fresh one to-morrow," I
ventured. "I am so fond of this cake."

Her officialness met me adequately. "Certainly the public is entitled to
whatever we print upon our bill-of-fare."

Now this was going to be too bad! Henceforth I was to rank merely as
"the public," no matter how much Lady Baltimore I should lunch upon! A
happy thought seized me, and I spoke out instantly on the strength of
it.

"Miss La Heu, I've a confession to make."

But upon this beginning of mine the inauspicious door opened and young
John Mayrant came in. It was all right about his left eye; anybody could
see that bruise!

"Oh!" he exclaimed, hearty, but somewhat disconcerted. "To think of
finding you here! You're going? But I'll see you later?"

"I hope so," I said. "You know where I work."

"Yes--yes. I'll come. We've all sorts of things more to say, haven't we?
We--good-by!"

Did I hear, as I gained the street, something being said about the
General, and the state of his health?

VIII: Midsummer-Night's Dream

You may imagine in what state of wondering I went out of that place, and
how little I could now do away with my curiosity. By the droll looks and
head-turnings which followed me from strangers that passed me by in the
street, I was made aware that I must be talking aloud to myself, and the
words which I had evidently uttered were these: "But who in the world
can he have smashed up?"

Of course, beneath the public stare and smile I kept the rest of
my thoughts to myself; yet they so possessed and took me from my
surroundings, that presently, while crossing Royal Street, I was nearly
run down by an electric car. Nor did even this serve to disperse my
preoccupation; my walk back to Court and Chancel streets is as if it had
not been;