lle, and a nice gentleman, such as I
declare Mr. Robert Carruthers to be, to go out into the midnight alone
and unattended; but is it that in America the gentlemen are of a
greater virtue than in France, or is it that the ladies have that
great virtue? I do not know, but I declare it to be of much interest
to remark.

"You'll find old Forty-Two Centimeter firing off overtime, L'Aiglon,
because when the Whitworth gang got caught up on those specifications
they side-stepped with another proposition and he's scouting for holes
in it. Better climb the grapevine into bed and side-step him," advised
Buzz to me while we waited beside our cars for the beautiful Belle and
beautiful Sue.

"Much gratitude for your advice, and good night," I called to him as
we separated the Cherry and the Gray and went in diverse directions.

I understood that "climb the grapevine into bed" to mean entering my
home and that of my Uncle, the General Robert, with much stealth and
that thing I did, dropping into a deep sleep in the moment of
inserting myself between the sheets of that bed.

And when I awakened, because of that much dancing, behold, it was ten
of the clock and eleven thereto before I arrived in a very great hurry
with much pinkness of cheeks in the office of the Gouverneur Faulkner
at the Capitol of the State of Harpeth.

And in that office I also discovered my Uncle, the General Robert,
performing the action of the forty-two centimeter gun with words about
my extreme lateness.

"You young fox trotter, you, I'd break every bone in your body if I
wasn't so damned proud of you," he exploded directly in front of me.

"General, if you'll let me take Robert into his office for five
minutes alone I'll help you take the hide off of him later," said that
Gouverneur Faulkner as he beamed the great kindness to me. "Just stay
here and get that Timms pardon crowd ready to hear the news of Mary's
confession and I'll tell you all about it when I've settled with
Robert."

"Very well, sir, very well," answered my Uncle, the General Robert,
with a further explosion of words. "I'll also expect you to give him
commands about this dance the young females in this town are leading
him." With which my Uncle, the General Robert, himself went into the
anteroom and left me alone with the beloved Gouverneur Faulkner.

"Good morning, Robert," he said to me with a laugh as he came and
stood close beside me. That Roberta, Marquise of Grez and Bye, will