with which he had to deal. On the contrary,
his character was strengthened and his temper sweetened; so that when
the lads who listened to his mellifluous translations from the Latin
poets, were old enough to appreciate the qualities that go to make up a
good man and an influential citizen, the fact dawned upon their minds
that Meriwether Clopton was the finest gentleman they had ever seen.

CHAPTER THREE

_The Return of Two Warriors_

When the great contest began, Nan was close to thirteen, and Gabriel was
fourteen. Cephas was younger; he had lived hardly as many months as he
had freckles on his face, otherwise he would have been an aged citizen.
They wandered about together, always accompanied by Tasma Tid, all of
them being children in every sense of the word. Occasionally they were
joined by some of the other boys and girls; but they were always happier
when they were left to themselves.

In the late afternoons they could always be found in the Bermuda fields,
but at other times, especially on a warm day, their favourite playground
was under the wide-spreading elms in front of the post-office. Amusing
themselves there in the fine weather, they could see the people come and
go, many of them looking for letters that never came. When the conflict
at the front became warm and serious, and when the very newspapers, as
Mrs. Absalom said, smelt of blood, there was always a large crowd of
men, old and young, gathered at the post-office when the mail-coach came
from Malvern. As few of the people subscribed for a daily newspaper,
Judge Odom (he was Judge of the Inferior Court, now called the Court of
Ordinary) took upon himself to mount a chair or a dry-goods box, and
read aloud the despatches printed in the Malvern _Recorder_. This
enterprising journal had a number of volunteer correspondents at the
front who made it a point to send with their letters the lists of the
killed and wounded in the various Georgia regiments; and these lists
grew ominously long as the days went by.

And then, in the course of time, came the collapse of the Confederacy,
an event that blew away with a breath, as it were, the hopes and dreams
of those who had undertaken to build a new government in the South; and
this march of time brought about a gradual change in the relations
between Nan and Gabriel. It was almost as imperceptible in its growth as
the movement of the shadow on the sun-dial. Somehow, and to her great
disgust, Nan awok