r on his arm a
sign--perhaps a cross in blue or red."

"Slavery is doomed," said Sheila firmly. "Its end is not far off."

"Well, they still keep slaves in the land of Washington and Alexander
Hamilton. They are better off here at any rate than in their own
country, where they were like animals among whom they lived. Here they
are safe from poverty, cared for in sickness, and have no fear of
being handed over to the keepers of carrion, or being the food of the
gallinaso. They can feed their fill on fricasees of macaca worms and
steal without punishment teal or ring-tailed pigeons and black crabs
from the massa."

"But they are not free. They are atoms in heaps of dust. They have no
rights--no liberties."

Sheila was agitated, but she showed no excitement.

She seemed to Lord Mallow like one who had perfect control of herself,
and was not the victim of anticipation. She seemed, save for her dark
searching eyes, like one who had gone through experience which had
disciplined her to control. Only her hands were demonstrative--yet
quietly so. Any one watching her closely would have seen that her hands
were sensitive, expressed even more markedly than her eyes or lips what
were her feelings. Her tragedy had altered her in one sense. She was
paler and thinner than ever she had been, but there was enough of her,
and that delicately made, which gave the governor a thrill of desire
to make her his own for the rest of his life or hers. He had also gone
through much since they had last met, and he had seen his own position
in the balance--uncertain, troubled, insecure. He realized that he had
lost reputation, which had scarcely been regained by his consent to the
use of the hounds and giving Dyck Calhoun a free hand, as temporary head
of the militia. He could not put him over the regular troops, but as the
general commanding was, in effect, the slave of Dyck Calhoun, there was
no need for anxiety.

Dyck Calhoun had smashed the rebellion, had quieted the island, had
risen above all the dark disturbances of revolt like a master. He had
established barracks and forts at many points in the island, and had
stationed troops in them; he had subdued Maroons and slaves by the
hounds. Yet he had punished only the chief of those who had been in
actual rebellion, and had repressed the violent punishments of the
earlier part of the conflict. He had forbidden any one to be burned
alive, and had ordered that no one should be executed witho