reater distance than she ever dreamed; and they resented the
desertion to the degree that they now confounded her with her new
interest, let go their claim upon her, and could scarce conceive of her
except in the dual relation of a woman subject to her husband, and
selfish as himself.

"I wonder if he will grow weary of me, too," she thought, with anguish,
"after his possession is established and I shall have no other source of
confidence? What did I know of this world only yesterday? Then every way
seemed clear and open for me, my friends abundant, and love profuse;
to-day I am in awful doubts, and yet I must not lose my will and drift
with every passing fear and confusion into the fickleness which makes
woman contemptible after she has given her hand. I will never give up
two persons--my father, and my husband!"

As she turned down the lamp, it being nearly midnight, a short, fierce
cry, quickly stifled, as if some wild animal had howled once in
nightmare and fallen asleep in his kennel again, seized on her ears and
chilled her blood.

Vesta started up in bed and listened. It seemed to her that there were
footsteps, but they passed away, and she listened in vain for any other
sounds, till sleep fell deep and dreamless upon her, like black Lethe
winding through a desert wedding-day.

CHAPTER XXI.

LONG SEPARATIONS.

Vesta was awakened by Roxy, Virgie, and her mother all standing around
her bed at once, exclaiming something unintelligible together. It was
late morning, the whole family having slept long, after the several
experiences of two such days, and the sun was shining through the great
trees before Teackle Hall and burnishing the windows, so that Vesta
could hardly see.

"The kitchen servants have run away," Mrs. Custis shrieked, on Vesta's
request that her mother only should talk. "Old Hominy is gone, and has
taken all her herbs and witcheries with her; and all the young children
bred in the kitchen, Ned and Vince, the boys, and little Phillis, the
baby, they, too, are gone."

"I heard a strange cry or howl last night, as I dropped to sleep," Vesta
exclaimed, rubbing her eyes.

"Dear missy," cried Virgie, falling upon the pillow, "it was your poor
dog Turk; his throat has been cut upon the lawn."

"Yes, missy," Roxy blubbered, "poor Turk lies in his blood. There is
nobody to get breakfast but Virgie and me. Indeed, we did not know about
it."

"That is not very likely," said the suspicious