have told him that, in the
South, an Englishman is scarcely looked upon as a foreigner--that is,
among the best people."

They talked about many things that concerned them but little, of a new
steamboat that had just entered upon the commerce of the lower river, of
a cotton gin that was burned the night before, of the Catholic priest
who had come to gather the negroes into his church; and surely they were
far from a mention of Pennington. But suddenly Louise moved with
uneasiness, for she had caught something that had not been said, that
had not been looked, and, springing to her feet, she almost threw
herself upon her mother, and with her arms about her, she cried: "Please
don't say a word; please don't. I can argue with father, but I can't
argue with you, for you take everything so to heart and suffer so much.
Please don't speak anybody's name--don't say that father has said
anything to you about anybody. You mustn't cry, either. Leave it all to
me, and if I was born to wring your dear heart--there, let us hush."

She straightened up, putting the hair out of her eyes, and the silent
and stately woman sat there with the tears rolling down her face.
"Please don't, mother. You'll make me think I'm the meanest creature in
the world. And I don't know but that I am, but I can't help it. Just
call me unnatural, as you have done so many times, and let it all go.
There, just listen at father walking up and down the porch; and I know
he's mad at me."

"No, my child, he is not angry; he is hurt."

"Please don't say that. I don't want to hurt him. I would rather make
him mad than to hurt him. Oh, I don't know what ails me, I am so
restless and unhappy. I have tried every way to cure myself, but
can't--I have read and read until I haven't any sense, and now I don't
know what to do. But don't you tell me what not to do; don't say
anything, but be your own sweet self."

She took up a brush from the dresser, touched her mother's hair, and
said: "Let me, please." She loosened the thick coil. "Beautiful," she
said. "Don't you know how I used to tease you to let me comb it, a long
time ago? But it wasn't as pretty then as it is now."

Through her fingers the white hair streamed, glinting in the light now
sobered by the falling of dusk.

The Major's step was heard at the door. "Come in, father. See, I am at
my old employment." And in their faces and in the hair streaming through
his daughter's fingers the old man read that all w