l fee, yass, seh; an' the
on'y question, now much kin you make it?"

John looked into the upturned face for some seconds before he said,
slowly and pleasantly, "Why, you dirty dog!" He gave the horse a cut of
the whip. Leggett smiling and staggering, called after him, to the
delight of all the street,

"Mr. Mahch, thass confidential, you know! An' Mr. Mahch! Woe! Mr.
Mahch." John glanced fiercely back--"You betteh 'zamine that _hine_
wheel! caze it jess now pa-ass oveh my foot!"

XXIX.

RAVENEL ASKS

The Garnet carriage, Johanna on the back seat, came smartly up through
the town, past Parson Tombs's, the Halliday cottage, and silent Montrose
Academy, and was soon parted from the Marches' buggy, which followed
with slower dignity and a growing limp.

"Well, Johanna," said Garnet, driving, "had a good time?"

"Yass, seh."

"What's made Miss Barb so quiet all day; doesn't she like our friend?"

The answer was a bashful drawl--"I reckon she like him tol'able, seh."

"If you think Miss Barb would be pleased you can change to this seat
beside me, Johanna." The master drew rein and she made the change. He
spoke again. "You saw me, just now, talking with Cornelius, didn't you?"

"Yass, seh."

"His wife's dead, at last."

No answer.

"Johanna," he turned a playful eye, "what makes you so hard on
Cornelius!"

She replied with a white glance of alarm and turned away. He would have
pressed the subject but she murmured,

"Dah Miss Barb."

Barbara sat on a bare ledge of rock above the road-side, platting
clovers. Fair stood close below, watching her fingers. She sprang to her
feet.

"What did keep you so?" She moved to where Fair had stopped to hand her
down, but laughed, turned away, waved good-by to Fannie and Ravenel out
in a field full of flowers and western sunlight, and ran around by an
easier descent to the carriage. Fair helped her in.

"Homeward bound," she said, and they spun away. As they turned a bend in
the pike she glanced back with a carefully careless air, but saw only
their own dust.

* * * * *

John, driving beside his mother, with eyes on the infirm wheel, was very
silent, and she was very limp. The buggy top was up for privacy. By and
by he heard a half-spoken sound at his side, and turning saw her eyes
full of tears.

"O thunder!" he thought, but only said, "Why, mother, what's the
matter?"

"Ah! my son, that's what I wonder. Why have you shu