uppose, Nathan," said Therese attempting but poorly to hide
her amusement at Melicent's look of dismay, "that Miss Hosmer would
bother herself with darkies' plaits?"

"Dat's w'at I tink m'sef. Anyways, I'll sen' Ar'minty 'roun'
to-morrow, sho."

Melicent was not without the guilty remembrance of having one day
playfully seized one of the small Mandy's bristling plaits, daintily
between finger and thumb, threatening to cut them all away with the
scissors which she carried. Yet she could not but believe that there
was some deeper motive underlying this systematic reluctance of the
negroes to give their work in exchange for the very good pay which she
offered. Therese soon enlightened her with the information that the
negroes were very averse to working for Northern people whose speech,
manners, and attitude towards themselves were unfamiliar. She was
given the consoling assurance of not being the only victim of this
boycott, as Therese recalled many examples of strangers whom she knew
to have met with a like cavalier treatment at the darkies' hands.

Needless to say, Araminty never appeared.

Hosmer and Melicent were induced to accept Mrs. Lafirme's generous
hospitality; and one of that lady's many supernumeraries was detailed
each morning to "do up" Miss Melicent's rooms, but not without the
previous understanding that the work formed part of Miss T'rese's
system.

Nothing which had happened during the year of his residence at
Place-du-Bois had furnished Hosmer such amusement as these
misadventures of his sister Melicent, he having had no like experience
with his mill hands.

It is not unlikely that his good humor was partly due to the
acceptable arrangement which assured him the daily society of Therese,
whose presence was growing into a need with him.

V

In the Pine Woods.

When Gregoire said to Melicent that there was no better woman in the
world than his Aunt Therese, "W'en you do like she wants," the
statement was so incomplete as to leave one in uncomfortable doubt of
the expediency of venturing within the influence of so exacting a
nature. True, Therese required certain conduct from others, but she
was willing to further its accomplishment by personal efforts, even
sacrifices--that could leave no doubt of the pure unselfishness of her
motive. There was hardly a soul at Place-du-Bois who had not felt the
force of her will and yielded to its gentle influence.

The picture of Jocint as she had