e furious shrieking of a steam-packet's whistle broke in upon them.

"It's another of them hawgs, wantin' all the river!" said Mr. Cavendish,
and fled in haste to the steering oar.

During all the long days that followed, Mr. Yancy was forced to own
that these titled friends of his were, despite their social position,
uncommon white in their treatment of him. The Earl of Lambeth consorted
with him in that fine spirit that recognizes the essential brotherhood
of man, while his Lady Countess was, as Yancy observed, on the whole, a
person of simple and uncorrupted tastes. She habitually went barefoot,
both as a matter of comfort and economy, and she smoked her cob-pipe as
did those other ladies of Lincoln County who had married into far less
exalted stations than her own. He put these simple survivals down to
her native goodness of heart, which would not allow of her succumbing
to mere pride and vainglory, for he no more doubted their narrative than
they, doubted it themselves, which was not at all.

CHAPTER XIX. THE JUDGE SEES A GHOST

Charley Norton's good offices did not end when he had furnished judge
Price with a house, for Betty required of him that he should supply
that gentleman with legal business as well. When she pointed out the
necessity of this, Norton demurred. He had no very urgent need of a
lawyer, and had the need existed, Slocum Price would not have been his
choice. Betty knit her brows.

"He must have a chance; perhaps if people knew you employed him it would
give them confidence--you must realize this, Charley; it isn't enough
that he has a house--he can't wear it nor eat it!"

"And fortunately he can't drink it, either. I don't want to discourage
you, but his looks are all against him, Betty. If you take too great
an interest in his concerns I am afraid you are going to have him
permanently on your hands."

"Haven't you some little scrap of business that really doesn't matter
much, Charley? You might try him--just to please me--" she persisted
coaxingly.

"Well, there's land I'm buying--I suppose I could get him to look up the
title, I know it's all right anyhow," said Norton, after a pause.

Thus it happened that judge Price, before he had been three days in
Raleigh, received a civil note from Mr. Norton asking him to search
the title to a certain timber tract held by one Joseph Quaid; a
communication the effect of which was out of all proportion to the size
of the fee involved. The ju