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 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE 
 
 A NOVEL 
 
 BY 
 
 EDMUND PENDLETON 
 
 AUTHOR OF "A CONVENTIONAL BOHEMIAN" 
 
 FEW YORK 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 
 
 1896
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1888, 
 BY D. APPLETON AND COMPANY. 
 
 All rights reserved.
 
 TO THAT MOST GENTLE CRITIC 
 
 MY MOTHER 
 
 THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED BY HEE SON 
 
 THE AUTHOE 
 
 2137816
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 MBS. POLLIVER JONES entertained that night. 
 From her brown-stone front an awning stretched to 
 the curb. The long-suffering pedestrians, whose 
 rights were thus infringed, passing through the little 
 transverse tunnels kindly left for their accommoda- 
 tion, imprinted tracks of their plebeian feet on the 
 carpet which supplemented the awning in its endeav- 
 or to protect the guests of No. Fifth Avenue from 
 the inclemency of a February snow-storm. From op- 
 posite the house a glaring electric light cast now 
 elongating, now contracting shadows of the hurrying 
 vehicles, and made surrounding objects mysterious 
 and ghostly with its flickering intensity. The usual 
 roar of the street was deadened by the white covering 
 to the stones, and on everything within sight descend- 
 ed the silent snow, cold as human charity, pure and 
 impartial as the divine. 
 
 Carriage after carriage rolled up to the door, and, 
 depositing its aggregate of silks and diamonds, broad- 
 cloth and humanity, each in turn silently hurried 
 away and was lost in the uncertain distance. 
 
 It was the night of nights for Mrs. Polliver Jones. 
 Twenty years of struggle with adverse circumstances
 
 Q A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 were ended, and ending left her the victor. Behold 
 this plucky little woman at the top of "the best so- 
 ciety " ladder, and quite ready to push less successful 
 aspirants off the lower rounds ! She had been heavily 
 weighted with ungrammatical, ungenteel Jones and 
 the fact that her grandfather had kept a grocery-store 
 out West, and that Polliver ne Peter never had a 
 grandfather at all, to speak of ; still, she had climbed 
 successfully. From a village belle in an Iowa town 
 to a recognized fashionable woman in New York was 
 a gigantic stride, and yet Mrs. Polliver Jones had com- 
 passed it. 
 
 A philosopher, viewing the result, might think it 
 a totally inadequate return for the hundred heart- 
 bruises, slights, and impertinences from which she 
 suffered, or to which she had meekly submitted, be- 
 fore that result had been attained. Not so Mrs. 
 Polliver Jones. Look at her as she stands in the 
 center of the most expensive carpet in New York, 
 surrounded by Mrs. General Battlescar, Mrs. Govern- 
 or Llewellen Tilbridge, and old Mrs. Van Skoik Un- 
 derdunk, and then assert that the end has not jus- 
 tified the means in the estimation of the hostess of 
 these blue-blooded and in - the - purple - born dames ! 
 Now was the hour of her triumph ; the final test had 
 been applied and her position defined beyond cavil. 
 Mrs. Van Skoik Underdunk had requested an invita- 
 tion for her niece, and, on some trivial pretext, her 
 request had been politely denied ; still the temerity had 
 not been rebuked, for there stood Mrs. Underdunk, 
 nieceless, yet scintillating in smiles and the Van Skoik 
 diamonds. 
 
 Not only were the leaders of fashion present, but
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 7 
 
 there were other guests quite as valuable in their way 
 as adjuncts in defining a position. Clever men and 
 women who cared less for pedigree than for pleasure, 
 having inherited the one but having to work for the 
 other. All of these were, more or less consciously, 
 wafting incense to her who proudly stood on her Au- 
 busson garland of impossible roses. 
 
 Of these was Mrs. Denvers. With white shoulders 
 and white teeth, black hair and black eyes, one would 
 expect vivacity, even sprightliness ; but Mrs. Denvers 
 only suggested harmony. The secret lay in the per- 
 fect blending. This blending was more than skin 
 deep ; it extended to the phases of her character, and 
 imparted that subtile charm which exists in complete- 
 ness. Mrs. Denvers was fashionable not that she 
 strove for social success, but apparently because she 
 did not strive. Such masterly inactivity, however, 
 requires as conditions of success the graces which 
 Providence, in its prodigality, had vouchsafed this 
 symmetrical character. 
 
 At midnight the ball was well under way. Mrs. 
 Denvers was not dancing, but was reposing comforta- 
 bly on a divan in the library, and gazing carelessly 
 through the open door into the ball-room. On a 
 chair drawn up quite near her sat a man with eye- 
 glasses, scant hair, puckered forehead, a wide-awake 
 look, and a general suggestion of inquisitiveness about 
 him. 
 
 "As clever as ever at unearthing characters and 
 types, Mr. Chatterton ? " 
 
 The man smiled complacently as he shot his right 
 cuff from under his coat-sleeve by so sudden a move- 
 ment as quite to suggest the idea that he was making
 
 8 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 passes at some imaginary foe. Then recovering his 
 former pose, he answered indirectly : 
 
 "They do interest me, Mrs. Denvers. About the 
 most exhilarant occupation I can find in this world of 
 nonentities is to pick out the exceptions and study 
 what Mr. Matthew Arnold called ' the redeeming mi- 
 nority.'" 
 
 " And have you been successful to-night ? " She 
 is not in the least interested, but is a thorough be- 
 liever in antiphonal obligation in conversation. 
 
 " Conspicuously. A magnificent man, to judge 
 from outward indications. Napoleonic head ; square, 
 resolute chin ; eyes which would be almost too blue 
 for so uncompromising a face were it not for their 
 steady glance ; a well - poised figure why, there he 
 stands ! " 
 
 Mrs. Denvers glanced at the person so grandilo- 
 quently described, and allowed her eyes to remain 
 fixed on the familiar figure. 
 
 " I am surprised that you do not know him. That 
 is Felix Perry, the new partner of the firm of Dodruff 
 and Pringle, Mr. Denvers's attorneys." 
 
 " Does not he suggest force in repose ? And how 
 un self-conscious ! Do tell me he is not posing ! If I 
 should discover he was, I should never again trust my 
 perspicacity." 
 
 "Reassure yourself; Mr. Perry is as innocent of 
 affectation as he is ignorant of your admiration. He 
 seems to be coming this way." 
 
 As the subject of their conversation approached, 
 Mr. Ohatterton rose and held the back of his chair 
 with both hands as if about to deliver an after-dinner 
 speech.
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 9 
 
 " Not dancing, Mrs. Denvers ? " 
 
 "As you see, Mr. Perry. Mr. Denvers has almost 
 converted me to his indifference to frivolities, and I 
 now see only the absurd in many things I used to 
 enjoy." 
 
 ''A passing cynicism, I fancy." 
 
 " Possibly. However, it does not signify Mr. 
 Chatterton, Mr. Perry." 
 
 The two men bowed. Mr. Chatterton's bow 
 reached almost the proportions of an obeisance. Mrs, 
 Denvers continued : " Mr. Chatterfcon is an invalua- 
 ble acquaintance. He analyzes the masses and, dis- 
 carding the uninteresting, hands you the valuable 
 residuum. Still, it is rather alarming to remember 
 that he caters to others also." 
 
 " Sarcasm, Mr. Perry, I vow. Pure and cruel sar- 
 casm." But Mr. Chatterton was pleased. And yet, 
 as Perry merely glanced at him and seemed to be nei- 
 ther alarmed nor impressed, the type-hunter began to 
 think that a picturesque perspective had been spoiled 
 when the young lawyer had moved to the foreground. 
 
 " Mr. Chatterton is just now invested with a new 
 interest in the eyes of his friends. Fortune, given 
 to carrying coals to Newcastle," with a faint smile, 
 " has just deposited a load at his feet only, not coal, 
 but gold." 
 
 "No, no, Mrs. Denvers, not gold. Only acres, 
 and Virginia acres at that. Still, it is a charming 
 surprise, I assure you, as the acres are genuinely an- 
 cestral." 
 
 Mr. Perry was evidently not of those who think it 
 necessary to say something when they have nothing to 
 say, so he remained silent in the chair in which he
 
 10 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 had comfortably seated himself. He glanced care- 
 lessly at the other man and then looked at Mrs. Den- 
 vers with his large, frank, steady blue eyes till hers 
 were attracted and reciprocated with a little sympa- 
 thetic smile. Then she returned to the consideration 
 of Fortune's lavishness. 
 
 " Do you object to having your inheritance men- 
 tioned, Mr. Chatterton ? " 
 
 " I object to nothing from you, madame, save 
 your disapproval." 
 
 "Know then, Mr. Perry, that the days of romance 
 are not over, and that uncles with acres suddenly re- 
 member long-forgotten nephews, and transfer the 
 property to the prodigals over the heads of others 
 who confidently counted on coming into it." 
 
 "And Mr. Chatterton is the legatee in one such 
 romance ? " asked Perry. 
 
 " If that is the technical term for the one who in- 
 herits," she responded ; then added : " Some of these 
 days Mr. Chatterton must tell you the particulars. 
 You will be interested, since there is a chance of a 
 legal battle. By the way, is not that Captain Petro- 
 coff, of the Eussian frigate ? " 
 
 With a hurried excuse for running away, Mr. 
 Chatterton rushed after the Tartar, quite uncon- 
 scious, in his self-satisfied placidity, that he had 
 been dismissed. 
 
 A very perceptible change came over Mrs. Den- 
 vers when she and Perry were alone. Had there 
 been a single grain of conceit in his amalgamation, 
 he would have been flattered. But, then, it is a fair 
 inference that she would have been more guarded 
 had there been a chance of her being misunderstood.
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE, H 
 
 Women are surprisingly clever at such adjustment, 
 and seldom unintentionally go beyond the danger- 
 line, notwithstanding their fondness for such tenta- 
 tive excursions. Still, there was more than mere ex- 
 periment here, and the look had the spontaneity of 
 either admiration or affection those nearly related 
 emotions. 
 
 "And Fortune, Mr. Perry, how does she treat 
 you?" 
 
 " She does not frown." 
 
 " I could have predicted as much. Given her sex 
 and your indifference and the exertion will certainly 
 all be hers." 
 
 An undefined something told Perry that his com- 
 panion was thinking of one thing while talking of 
 another. "Who was it that said language was in- 
 vented to conceal thought ? " he inquired. 
 
 For a moment she seemed startled, but recovering 
 her placidity of expression, laughed musically. 
 
 "I declare, you are developing into a close ob- 
 server. Do not allow the tendency too much play. 
 Yours is a comprehensive mind, and can gain nothing 
 by attempting minutiae." 
 
 "Still," he said, "I am in the dark. What was 
 it you were conversationally obscuring ? " 
 
 "I was debating the wisdom of silence or con- 
 fession." 
 
 "Allow me to add the weight of my persuasion 
 on the side of the latter." 
 
 "Your surprising penetration has left me no 
 option. It was not for nothing I introduced Mr. 
 Chatterton to you. He has been telling me he feared 
 there would be some litigation in regard to his Vir-
 
 12 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 * 
 
 ginia inheritance. He rather expects the will to be 
 attacked." . 
 
 " How good you are P' He rarely gushed, but 
 now appreciation was evident in the tone of his voice. 
 "You wish me to benefit professionally by knowing 
 Mr. Ohatterton." 
 
 " Your partners would be pleased if he were se- 
 cured as a client. I wish you to have the credit of 
 bringing business to the firm." 
 
 " You have a genius for friendship, my dear Mrs. 
 Denvers." 
 
 Nothing pleased her more than just such speeches, 
 especially from him. A becoming blush swept from 
 her face the almost maternal expression it had worn 
 so long as she had considered only his interests. 
 
 "And now good-night," she said. "You could 
 not improve upon that compliment if you tried till 
 court time to-morrow." 
 
 "Are you going already?" said the young man, 
 as he rose. 
 
 " Yes, I see that verdict written in Mr. Denvers's 
 very pose as he stands there talking with Miss Brown, 
 and he is not easily moved from his purpose. For- 
 tunately for me, he is discretion and consideration 
 itself in matters of moment, so I think it only just to 
 cede in trifles. You see I was right, here he comes." 
 
 Her manner had completely changed. She was 
 again the composed woman of the world. 
 
 Mr. Denvers's eyes appeared to be the only mobile 
 part of his face ; they, however, were not pleasant 
 eyes they seemed to discover mental and moral flaws 
 all through one, and to be cork-screwing them to the 
 surface. There was a peculiar expression stamped on
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 13 
 
 / 
 
 his mouth, a compromise between good-breeding and 
 a sneer. In other respects Mrs. Denvers's husband 
 was a rather fine-looking man. 
 
 "With a courteous bow to Felix, he turned to his 
 wife : 
 
 " If you are quite willing to go, I should be pleased 
 to leave now." 
 
 " Certainly. But, is not it rather early ? " 
 
 "It is one o'clock. I should really prefer to go." 
 
 "Then good-night, Mr. Perry," she said, as she 
 rose. 
 
 At their home, half an hour later, Mr. Denvers 
 poked the library fire, while his wife leaned over it, 
 her hand on the mantle-shelf. 
 
 " Your paragon does not appear to be overtalka- 
 tive. Still, there is more merit in the passive than in 
 the active form of saying nothing." 
 
 " Do you dislike him ? " 
 
 "Dislike him ? Oh no. I dislike no one." 
 
 "I envy you." 
 
 He glanced at his wife amusedly. She was inca- 
 pable of a sneer ; still, the association of ideas divert- 
 ed him. He would not have minded it if she had in- 
 tended to be sarcastic. With a low opinion of woman's 
 intelligence, he did not object to having that opinion 
 sustained by an evidence of weakness on her part, 
 especially as he was seldom gratified in that direc- 
 tion. 
 
 " I have not the least objection to your Mr. Perry," 
 he said, "so long as I am not required to share your 
 admiration." 
 
 "I supposed you free of prejudice." 
 
 " And so I am. Self -protects on creates just enough
 
 14. A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 languid interest in your friend for me to wish to avoicj 
 him. He bores me. " 
 
 "He is a straightforward, honorable man" Mrs. 
 Denvers chafed under his imperturbability. 
 
 "' Brutus is an honorable man; so are they all, 
 all honorable men.'" 
 
 A little later in her room, Mrs. Denvers dismissed 
 her maid and seated herself before the fire, book in 
 hand but used only as a screen to protect her face 
 from the flame. This fair woman was summing up 
 her life. As she ran over the columns of disappoint- 
 ment and happiness she realized that she had to make 
 a large deposit of philosophy to the credit account to 
 make the two balance. 
 
 She had been married ten years. Her husband 
 was not unkind, he was simply of another genus. 
 That they got on at all together was rather creditable 
 to both, she assured herself. 
 
 She possessed a rare virtue freedom from cant. 
 So unhypocritical was she that if her musing could 
 have been general property she would have been 
 adjudged lax in her ideas by the many who can not 
 dissociate extreme honesty from vagueness of moral 
 perception. This perspicacity not only did not make 
 her uncharitable but it saved her from that yague 
 optimism which passes current as a virtue with the 
 vast majority of mankind. Her husband benefited 
 largely, though unconsciously, by the trait ; for it 
 provided her with vast patience in that it saved her 
 from ove'r-expectation in the direction of palpable 
 results. 
 
 Mrs. Denvers belonged to the very few who rightly 
 interpret moral obligations. She never eased herself
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 15 
 
 of a duty, but if it happened to be uncongenial did 
 not try to persuade herself to the contrary. Such an 
 effort would rather have conduced to a lowering of 
 the standard. She gave her husband all the atten- 
 tion he demanded, but never dreamed of quixotic 
 activity in this direction. She was satisfied to stand 
 in his estimation as third in interest to himself and to 
 Wall Street, and would have been rather uncomfort- 
 ably affected if, after the ten years, the order had been 
 disturbed. Her vast surplus of soul-forces were re- 
 strained within her breast, as she was not of those to 
 whom the sewing-class or the public nursery, and 
 kindred channels for the escape of superfluous energy, 
 afford a sufficient substitute for sentient reservoirs. 
 No, Mrs. Denvers was not one of these. Still, her 
 affections were prudently left to slumber, even if they 
 did dream. And there they lay, all undisturbed in 
 their resting-place, save when, now and then, as on 
 the present occasion, the imagination wafted from 
 their drowsiness a gentle sigh toward the misty realm 
 of the ideal. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 FELIX PEERT was healthy physically, morally, and 
 mentally ; possibly the last two were the effects of 
 which the first was the cause. Fair-minded and gen- 
 erous, he could at all times pity failure ; but it was 
 pity and not sympathy. He was sorry for the poor 
 wretch, who succumbed in the fight with opposing 
 circumstances, much as one pities moral weakness in
 
 16 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 its more flagrant phases, circumstances being held 
 less to blame than character. Convinced that we 
 make our own world, he never unloaded disappoint- 
 ment on to Fate, but let it nerve him to further effort. 
 He was obstinately perseverant till he overcame an 
 obstacle, then he was satisfied ; his ambition not carry- 
 ing him further. 
 
 His acquaintance with Mrs. Denvers was of long 
 standing, and had gradually ripened into close friend- 
 ship. He added color and tone to her life, while she 
 had become invaluable to him as a mentor ; keeping 
 him gentle and sympathetic by very contact with the 
 gentleness and sympathy in herself. There was a 
 certain quaint atmosphere of romance about their 
 friendship, although it was most healthfully free of 
 covert sentimentality. He was far too sincere for any 
 make-believe sentiment, and she, too honest. 
 
 A few days after the ball he called on Mrs. Den- 
 vers. 
 
 "A gloomy morning, Mr. Perry." 
 
 "Not in here," looking about him approvingly. 
 
 "No ? Well, so much the better." 
 
 He had called with a specific purpose, and, charac- 
 teristically, spoke of it as soon as he was seated. 
 
 " Are you willing to do a purely disinterested thing, 
 even if it jars on your sense of fitness ? " 
 
 " That must depend upon my appreciation of the 
 merit of the disinterestedness, and perhaps somewhat 
 on the force of the jar." 
 
 He was looking at her rather earnestly ; " I have 
 come to ask you to call on a friend of mine, Mrs. San- 
 ders Dare. Unfortunately, neither by birth nor by op- 
 portunity has she had a fair chance to shine in the
 
 t 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 17 
 
 higher social sphere, and yet she is satisfied with noth- 
 ing less exalted." 
 
 There was a moment's pause ; then she asked, 
 " Why ?" referring to his request. 
 
 " That it may help her to secure a foot-hold in so- 
 ciety." 
 
 "Do you think I would be justified in doing 
 this ? If she is worthy of recognition she will 
 achieve it unaided ; if not, why should I try to ad- 
 vance her ? " 
 
 " Oh, you know, she could never do it without as- 
 sistance. No one can. Her passport must be vise 
 or she will be stopped at the frontier." 
 
 His companion gave a little smile of dissent, but 
 made no reply. 
 
 " You do not ask me," he resumed, " why I am 
 interested in her social advancement." 
 
 "I am quite sure you will tell me if I am to 
 know." 
 
 "Of course you are to know." He stopped ab- 
 ruptly, however, becoming suddenly conscious that the 
 reason would appear extremely inadequate when put 
 into such words as his chivalry would allow him to 
 employ. But he had to proceed : 
 
 " Mrs. Dare is the widow of a college-mate of mine. 
 He was a wild, dashing, rather fast man. The woman 
 he married is not exactly intellectual ; indeed, one 
 could wish for more evidences of a careful education. 
 However, she is bright and attractive. I really know 
 her but slightly, but she has apparently selected me 
 to be her knight, and I must serve her gallantly." 
 
 " And so you do not know her well ? " 
 
 " Hardly at all. In fact, I did not remember that 
 2
 
 18 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 Dare and I had ever been intimate ; but she appears 
 to think so." 
 
 " Is it not rather quixotic to foster this woman on 
 society just because you and her husband were at col- 
 lege together ? " 
 
 "It is not for that." 
 
 " For what, then ? Kemember, you have given 
 me no other reason." 
 
 " I hardly know if I have any other," he added, 
 laughing rather nervously, " except that she seems 
 lonely and has evident reliance upon my open sesame 
 influence. In her presence the thing appeared natural 
 enough." He paused a moment, and then seemed to 
 realize that he was sacrificing an old friend to oblige 
 a new one, for he added : " Of course, I shall not be 
 in the least hurt if you refuse. No doubt, if you think 
 so, it would be the wisest thing to do. Pray do not 
 think me lacking in consideration of your feelings in 
 the matter. I only intended to ask you to see Mrs. 
 Dare and judge of her chances ; and do afterward as 
 you thought best." 
 
 "I have seen her." 
 
 " Indeed where ? " 
 
 "At several places. For instance, she rather 
 haunts the opera. Mr. Denvers pointed her out to 
 me. He met her and her husband in Paris." 
 
 " Strange that she did not tell me she knew him," 
 he replied, oblivious that he was revealing Mrs. Dare's 
 complicity in the plan of securing Mrs. Denvers's as- 
 sistance. 
 
 His companion smiled indulgently at this guile- 
 lessness, as she answered : " Women who are socially 
 ambitious have the cleverness not to know the hus-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 19 
 
 bands of the women of whom they wish to make use. 
 Your Mrs. Dare has chosen to forget my Mr. Den- 
 vers." 
 
 "Not in an offensive way, I am sure." 
 
 " On the contrary, in a very judicious and clever 
 way." 
 
 " You women are rather hard upon one another," 
 he said, answering her tone rather than her words. 
 
 She blushed slightly, as she said, " You are not 
 often so unjust." 
 
 "Forgive me, I did not mean to offend. To a 
 man it seems strange that your sex invariably band 
 together to keep out a social aspirant. It does not 
 seem to make the least difference whether she is per- 
 sonally worthy of advancement or not" of course 
 this was said with perfect good-nature. 
 
 "As you are well aware, the question of eligibility 
 is not, as it should no doubt be, the only one. So- 
 ciety is its own exegesis, and the explanation is satis- 
 factory to its members," she answered, quietly. 
 
 "No doubt it is, when once one is inside. Mrs. 
 Polliver Jones, for instance, is a desperate conserva- 
 tive now, whatever she may have been a few years 
 back." 
 
 Mrs. Denvers did not quite relish this. Not that 
 she minded the sarcasm, but she disliked it when ap- 
 plied to one of whose hospitality they had partaken. 
 It is to be conjectured that he rightly interpreted 
 a certain shade of disappointment which crept over 
 her face, for he resumed, hurriedly, " If you would 
 only take her in hand I am sure she would be very 
 grateful. You have so much tact, you could in- 
 struct her without seeming to be doing it."
 
 20 -A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 She shook her head : "It would never do," she 
 said. " She would detect the intention in a moment, 
 and would resent it. Women are very clear-sighted 
 when they deal with women." 
 
 He took a moment to consider this. Then he 
 arose, saying : "After all, it was too much to expect. 
 Kemember, however, that I only intended asking you 
 to see her and pass upon her merits." 
 
 Two hours after the foregoing scene a carriage was 
 driven up to the door of an apartment house on 
 Broadway, and out of it stepped Mrs. Denvers. 
 
 She was calling on Mrs. Dare. 
 
 Mrs. Dare's first impression on facing her visitor 
 is worth recording. She said to herself: "He has 
 more influence over her than I supposed. I wonder 
 if she is in love with him ? She is not at all the 
 woman to do this sort of thing from an ordinary mo- 
 tive." 
 
 And the other thought: "A superb woman, but 
 theatrical. She will never succeed except with the 
 men. Still, it shall not be my fault : she shall have 
 her opportunity." 
 
 As she sat listening to the widow's fluent talk her 
 first impression was strengthened ; she became more 
 and more persuaded that the woman before her would 
 be a social failure. 
 
 The call lasted but a few moments. Mrs. Den- 
 vers dexterously framed a motive for having made it, 
 cleverly touching upon her husband's former acquaint- 
 ance with Mrs. Dare. Even while giving this expla- 
 nation in her inner conscience she called it hypocrisy, 
 "for," she told herself, "of course she knows what 
 brought me here, and of course she knows I know she
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 21 
 
 knows," smiling to herself at the complicated con- 
 struction. The card which Mrs. Dare held in her 
 hand while talking with her visitor, bore, besides the 
 name and address, the words, "Thursdays in Febru- 
 ary, from 4 to 7." 
 
 Mrs. Denvers was a little depressed in spirits upon 
 reaching home. It seemed to her a bad thing that so 
 true, so honest a man as Perry should fall into the 
 hands of an adventuress. For Felix this good friend 
 had a motherly anxiety, and now that the duckling 
 she had so carefully tended showed signs of paddling 
 off into unknown depths, she fluttered on the brink 
 in genuine trepidation. " She is so dangerously hand- 
 some, and, I fear, so little restrained by the con- 
 ventional," she murmured to herself. Women do not 
 always read men as correctly as they think. Mrs. Den- 
 vers knew Perry very well, but she did not know him 
 thoroughly. 
 
 Of course Mrs. Dare appeared at Mrs. Denvers on 
 the following Thursday. Her hostess met her with 
 the same empressement with which she greeted her 
 other guests. Introducing her to Mrs. TJnder- 
 dunk and Mrs. Battlescar, she felt that she had 
 done more, even, than " the whole duty of man " 
 demanded, and turned to more congenial occupa- 
 tion. 
 
 Perry was there. He had not heard of the visit, 
 and now flushed with pleasure as he whispered to his 
 hostess : " You are certainly the kindest friend in the 
 world." 
 
 A few moments later he was with Mrs. Dare. She 
 greeted him with : "You have succeeded beyond my 
 fondest expectation."
 
 22 -4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 He disliked excessively the allusion. She should 
 have ignored his implication. 
 
 "You are very, very good to me," she continued, 
 realizing her mistake, and turning on him her large, 
 tear-dimmed Irish-blue eyes, and assuming that pose 
 and tone of utter prostration which go so far with 
 most men. "Since poor Sanders's death I have been 
 so lonely !" (He had neglected her shamefully and 
 had died of delirium tremens.) 
 
 "By Jove, Denvers, what a magnificent woman! 
 Who on earth is she ? " 
 
 For a wonder Mr. Denvers was not in Wall Street. 
 His wife's receptions usually found him very partic- 
 ularly engaged elsewhere. The person who had just 
 addressed him was a large, jovial, fine-looking man 
 of about fifty, with a double chin and a stereotyped 
 smile. 
 
 "Her name is Mrs. ' Chose,' Clyde." 
 
 Mr. Clyde looked up quickly, then laughed good- 
 naturedly. He had a habit, or an affectation, of for- 
 getting people's names, and rather than suffer a dis- 
 agreeable break in the otherwise unruffled flow of his 
 oily and fluent conversation, used indiscriminately the 
 sobriquet " Chose." 
 
 "Gad," he said, "not bad ! I will tell that on 
 myself. I am rather fond of discounting anecdotes 
 at my expense, and this one would be sure to sur- 
 vive. You are clever at that sort of thing, do 
 you know ? though you do not look it. But come, 
 do tell me the name and pedigree of that clean-cut 
 filly." 
 
 "Name, Dare; sire, unknown; age, uncertain 
 somewhere in the thirties."
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 23 
 
 Later, Perry secured Mrs. Denvers to himself for 
 a few moments. 
 
 " You are too good to me," he said. 
 
 " Quite likely," she answered, soberly. " Do not 
 expect too much. She will fail ; but, after all, you 
 will not know it." 
 
 " You evidently do not rate my perspicacity very 
 high." 
 
 " I should have been less personal. I meant that 
 none of your sex unless it be Mr. Denvers will 
 know of the failure." 
 
 "Mr. Denvers must be peculiarly sagacious." 
 
 "Yes," she answered, absent-mindedly. 
 
 " And so you think she will fail with the women ? 
 Why " as though the thought had just come to him, 
 as no doubt it had " she will care for no other suc- 
 cess. She has always had as many men about her as 
 she wished." He certainly was at times strangely 
 unsophisticated. 
 
 His companion looked at him, smilingly, almost 
 tenderly. These little outcroppings of artlessness on 
 his part and they were not infrequent invariably 
 affected her. The smile soon died, however, as she 
 thought how unfit he was to cope with the siren's 
 arts. In this mood she said : " Do not set your heart 
 on her succeeding." 
 
 "My heart is not in the least involved," he an- 
 swered, carelessly. 
 
 " Maybe you are mistaken," she said. " It rather 
 looks like it." He looked at her, thinking she must 
 be jesting. But there was no sign of a smile, and he 
 let the matter drop, wondering, however, that she 
 should think it necessary to warn him.
 
 24: A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 That night at his club, Mr. Clyde described Mrs. 
 Dare to a boon companion : "As well pointed as Ve- 
 nus, my child, and as ripe as a peach. Large, blue 
 eyes, with a do-protect-me look in them. Eusset hair, 
 which will come out of place, you know ! A low 
 voice ; so low, indeed, that to hear her at all you have 
 to enter the subtile and intoxicating atmosphere of her 
 immediate presence. But there is one thing that puz- 
 zles me why does Madame Chose have her ? There 
 must be some unevident motive. She will antago- 
 nize all the women, and will give them ample chances 
 to wound her, for whisper it not in Gath she now 
 and then lapses from grammatical virtue. No, poor 
 thing, she is fated to fail in her social scheme ; she is 
 too rakish to succeed. But mark my words, some 
 fellow will suffer for it. And when she falls ' from 
 early morn to dewy eve ' she will not be alone ! " 
 Mrs. Denvers was mistaken. Her husband was not 
 the only man who gauged " the siren " correctly. But, 
 then, Clyde was exceptionally situated. Thirty years 
 of social advantages will teach even a man something. 
 
 For the following three or four months Perry saw 
 but little of Mrs. Dare. He was working hard, and 
 kept aloof from the gay world. To be sure, once or 
 twice he dined at her apartment. Upon one such oc- 
 casion he found himself her only guest, and after a 
 dinner memorable for its good things and for its tinge 
 and atmosphere of Bohemia, they went to a little, 
 rather obscure theatre, for which she had secured 
 seats. Independent as he was of public opinion, this 
 little incident jarred upon him. It had been well 
 enough till, in the middle of a rather questionable 
 play, the mental query came to him, how would Mrs.
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 25 
 
 Denvers like it, if she knew ? "Was this a fair return 
 to make for her kindness to him in going out of her 
 way to assist the woman by his side ? 
 
 After this it rather pleased him to work the hard- 
 er. It seemed to atone, in some mysterious way, for 
 his forgetfulness of what, he told himself, was due to 
 Mrs. Denvers. 
 
 Mrs. Dare continued to strive for social recognition. 
 If her inner consciousness echoed the predictions of 
 failure which were continually being made about her, 
 at least she made no sign. But her progress was 
 painfully slow. Now and then she was asked to some 
 big affair, to be sure, but in each case she was con- 
 vinced it was to please some dashing son, or to pacify 
 some too persistent husband, or, at best, " because 
 Mrs. Denvers had her. " It was heart-breaking work, 
 still she persevered. Mrs. Polliver Jones was espe- 
 cially obdurate ; she would not even hear of having 
 Mrs. Dare presented to her. " Society, my dear Mrs. 
 Underdunk, is getting dreadfully mixed. "VTe can 
 not be too careful ; such a lot of pushing nobodies are 
 being admitted ! In our day it would seem that all 
 barriers are being broken down. I really feel as if 
 I owe it to our set to discountenance this dreadful 
 woman." 
 
 But Mrs. Underdunk sniffed the air savagely. 
 Not too savagely, be it understood, for had not the 
 Polliver Joneses the best box at the Metropolitan, and 
 the best chef in New York !
 
 26 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 A GLOKIOUS day in June found the junior mem- 
 ber of the firm of Dodruff, Pringle & Perry seated in 
 his revolving chair at his desk, when a card was handed 
 him by the office boy. It bore the legend " Mr. "Will- 
 iam Chatterton. The Lethe Club." Bidding the 
 attendant ask Mr. Chatterton to walk in, Felix care- 
 fully addressed a letter he had been writing, and 
 turned just in time to greet his visitor. 
 
 " Business, Mr. Perry, I assure you. I am far 
 too discreet to intrude on a busy man with uncanoni- 
 cal affairs." 
 
 "I am at your service in any capacity." 
 
 " Thanks. But I will at once come to the point " 
 with affectation of extreme haste "I need legal 
 advice and legal assistance, and have come to you for 
 both." 
 
 Perry smiled to himself, as he thought how a 
 frank, honest face and earnest eyes would sparkle at 
 this. 
 
 " We shall be pleased to do our best for you." 
 
 Acknowledging this with an elaborate bow, the 
 new client resumed : " I believe you have heard that 
 I lately inherited a Virginia estate ?" 
 
 " Yes, Mrs. Denvers told me ; it was on the oc- 
 casion of our first meeting." 
 
 " You have an excellent memory, Mr. Perry. Yes, 
 a large plantation in Braddox County, Virginia, and 
 some business property in Richmond. The plantation 
 is called Chatterton, and has been in our family quite 
 too hundred years,''* pompously.
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 7 
 
 Felix said, "Yes?" rather perfunctorily, then 
 waited for his companion to proceed. 
 
 "And I have come to you," resumed Mr. Chatter- 
 ton, "for your assistance in placing me in possession 
 of the estate." 
 
 "Are your rights contested ?" 
 
 " Not in. the courts ; although I believe even that 
 was at one time contemplated. But an appeal has 
 been made to me. I am coolly asked to surrender 
 my heritage, and they seek to justify the demand by 
 an appeal to sentiment, although, for the life of me, 
 I can find it based, when divested of tinsel, on noth- 
 ing more sentimental than a desire to have another's 
 property ; a not uncommon form of emotion ! Pray 
 read this letter ; it will show you the absurd dilemma 
 I am in, and also what impracticable ideas still obtain 
 in my native State. " 
 
 Felix silently took the letter. It was headed 
 " Sunnycrest," but there was no date. It ran as 
 follows : 
 
 " MY DEAR MR. CHATTERTON : You will, no doubt, 
 be surprised to receive a letter from a total stranger, 
 and possibly still more surprised at its purport. Al- 
 low me to preface what I have to say with the assur- 
 ance that no other person knows I am writing to you. 
 This explanation is due, lest you might do your cous- 
 in, Mrs. Chester, the injustice to think she would con- 
 descend to appeal to you in her own behalf. I am 
 fully conscious that she would bitterly resent what 
 she might consider my unwarrantable interference, 
 did she know of this letter. I am a neighbor of Mrs. 
 Chester, and am received at Chatterton as one of the
 
 28 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 family. Indeed, I feel as though Mrs. and Miss Ches- 
 ter were related to me. This last explanation I con- 
 sider due to myself, it is my justification. 
 
 " Up to the reading of your uncle's will, Mrs. Ches- 
 ter had every reason to suppose she was his sole heir. 
 That the old place would ever go to another had nev- 
 er for a moment entered her mind. Even as matters 
 now stand we think she has a claim to the estate. 
 Down here we get attached to the acres which from 
 our earliest childhood have yielded us their increase, 
 and the right of eminent domain founded on associa- 
 tions is held to be at least equal to an hereditary 
 title. Thus, while the claim to Chatterton by its 
 legal owner may be paramount in the cold eyes of 
 the law, it is contested here in the court of public 
 opinion ; that court where such reasonable expecta- 
 tion is recognized as constituting at least a cause for 
 action. 
 
 "But your claim stands in the way of your cous- 
 in's peaceable possession, and till that claim is re- 
 moved or withdrawn such peaceable possession is im- 
 possible. Mrs. Chester has no money to offer for a 
 relinquishment of your demands ; the little her hard- 
 hearted uncle left her being, unfortunately, in the 
 hands of trustees, and they refuse to sanction the pur- 
 chase. Has not this relative of yours a claim on your 
 generosity, although she would rather die than appeal 
 to it ? Are you willing to occupy in her eyes the po- 
 sition of an interloper ; a heartless, unnatural Shy- 
 lock ? No, I am sure not. Prove that Southern 
 blood runs in your veins, by a grand, a chivalrous act ; 
 relinquish Chatterton to Mrs. Chester and accept as 
 equivalents the knowledge of our undying admira-
 
 r 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 29 
 
 tion and the personal satisfaction which conies from a 
 good deed well done. 
 
 "Very respectfully your servant, 
 
 LEIGH." 
 
 Mr. Chatterton tilted back his chair, as he replaced 
 the letter in his pocket. "It seems," he said, "that 
 my claim is admitted to be ' paramount in the cold 
 eyes of the law,' Mr. Perry, and as you represent the 
 frigid optics, I place the matter in your hands." And 
 he smiled contentedly at what he considered a neat 
 turn of phrase. 
 
 "A local attorney could manage the affair for 
 you. The courts would soon dispossess Mrs. Ches- 
 ter." 
 
 " No doubt, no doubt. But the cursed thing has 
 a sentimental side, the side Mr. Atherton Leigh cham- 
 pions. Down there, as he laconically puts it, they 
 would be sure to pose as martyrs, and represent me as 
 the Shylock he hints at. As I am to be Chatterton 
 of Chatterton I must not, you know, antagonize local 
 opinion. Come, do help me to some amicable adjust- 
 ment," 
 
 "I fear that is outside our province." 
 
 " Maybe ; still, a disinterested agent is needed. 
 Will you be the agent?" 
 
 " What would I have to do ? " 
 
 "Go to Virginia for a few weeks ; allay the mor- 
 bid disappointment of my misguided opponents ; in- 
 stall me vicariously in Chatterton ; earn my undying 
 admiration and enjoy 'the personal satisfaction which 
 comes from a good deed well done ! ' " 
 
 " I am the very last person to be selected for such
 
 30 -^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 a mission. The situation calls for a diplomat, not a 
 lawyer." 
 
 " There I disagree with you. There are crystal- 
 lized absurdities which can only be shivered by the 
 sledge-hammer of common sense." 
 
 " To shiver them is not to liquefy them back to 
 current conditions." 
 
 "You can not persuade me you are not just the 
 man I need." 
 
 "Would the mission, if unsuccessful, justify a 
 necessarily heavy expense ? " asked Perry. 
 
 "The mere money value of the plantation is to 
 me its least attraction. I am determined to take 
 possession of Chatterton, the home of my ancestors. 
 To have inherited the family homestead, and then for 
 a lot of fanatics to contest with me its possession, is 
 extremely irritating. The pacific mission on which I 
 wish to send you is merely my first move, if it is un- 
 successful. Therefore, as you will understand, ex- 
 pense is a minor consideration." 
 
 " What am I to do ; where and how begin ? " 
 
 "Go at once to Braddox ; see Leigh and Mrs. 
 Chester, appease the one, reconcile the other, and in 
 fact, smooth things over." 
 
 "I shall return to you empty-handed. I have 
 little tact, except, perhaps, professional." 
 
 "I am willing to take the chances," said Mr. 
 Chatterton. 
 
 " Well, I will consult my partners and give you 
 my answer to-morrow." 
 
 " I shall call again at the same hour. Oblige me, 
 Mr. Perry, by arranging to go." 
 
 "You will be more fortunate if I do not."
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 31 
 
 "No, I am quite sure yon are wrong there. Allow 
 me to be enthusiastic over my own penetration. I am 
 vastly tickled with my sagacity in accrediting a prac- 
 tical plenipotentiary to a sentimental court. I am 
 thoroughly persuaded that the possession of nerves 
 and not of nervousness is the requisite characteristic 
 of such an ambassador." 
 
 "I must adhere to the belief that you are employ- 
 ing an unnecessary agent. My tact will most likely 
 consist in bluntly telling them of your irrevocable in- 
 tention to eventually take possession of Chatterton." 
 
 "Well, and if you are proved to have been in the 
 right I shall at least have the consolation of knowing 
 that I used every possible means to reach an amicable 
 understanding with my cousin. You can not dampen 
 my ardor ; I know I am right ; and, besides, your 
 mission will at all events clear the way for the ' cold 
 eyes of the law." 3 
 
 " Your correspondent is certainly most unreason- 
 able." 
 
 " People are apt to be obtuse to their personal un- 
 reasonableness when there is something to gain by it. 
 Moral insight is very keen when profit and a high 
 standard run parallel." 
 
 Then Mr. Chatterton retired, well pleased with 
 himself. He made it a point not to leave any pres- 
 ence without a parting aphorism (much as Shake- 
 speare ended his scenes with a couplet), and in the 
 present instance it tickled his vanity to have perpe- 
 trated two out of the prodigality of his genius.
 
 32 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 NEVER started a practical agent on a more visionary 
 mission than Perry on his trip to Virginia. To his 
 astonishment, his partners had strongly advised his 
 going. He was rather disgusted at their eagerness to 
 secure a client : with the sordid part of his profession 
 he had little sympathy. 
 
 He had never been as far south as Washington 
 even, and the glimpse he had of the lazy, meandering 
 crowd on Pennsylvania Avenue was his first experi- 
 ence of Southern life. He had an hour to lose in 
 the city of magnificent distances, and passed it in a 
 hansom, viewing the public buildings. They affected 
 him only as he approved of their architectural merit : 
 he had no bump of associative reverence. 
 
 As soon as he was seated in the south-bound ex- 
 press, Perry became aware of a disagreeable change 
 from the luxury of the "Limited." The car was 
 dingy, close, and crowded ; negroes predominating. 
 His first impression was that the people in the car 
 knew one another more or less. They were extremely 
 sociable, and exchanged newspapers and opinions 
 freely. When the conductor went through the car on 
 his rounds, Felix was surprised to find that he, too, 
 seemed to know every one, for he touched his cap to 
 most of the female passengers, and "Coloneled" and 
 " Generaled " most of the men. 
 
 The train stopped at numerous " stations." These 
 usually consisted of mere sheds in various stages of 
 dilapidation. At each stoppage there was quite a
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 33 
 
 commotion among the passengers. There were leave- 
 takings, messages to be carried on to other stations, and 
 messages to be left at this, for the "folks." How- 
 ever, no one seemed to object to the consequent delay, 
 and even the conductor and brakesman most oblig- 
 ingly assisted the ladies and " colonels" to alight, and 
 helped them with their parcels, of which there was a 
 surprising number, and all was good-nature and de- 
 liberate serenity. 
 
 While gazing rather unspeculatively out at the 
 monotonous scenery, Perry was startled to hear the 
 brakesman shout out: 
 
 "Braddox Station!" 
 
 Seizing his hand-bag and umbrella, Felix hurried 
 to the door of the car. 
 
 "Is this Braddox?" 
 
 " Braddox Station." 
 
 After all there was no mistake. Still, Felix looked 
 about him wonderingly. 
 
 "But where is the station?" 
 
 " There," answered the brakesman, with an Amer- 
 ican's love of brevity, as he pointed to a shanty in a 
 more advanced stage of ruin than any Perry had yet 
 seen. 
 
 A moment more and he was standing on a shaky 
 platform and gazing after the rapidly disappearing 
 train. Then he turned his attention to the " station." 
 
 At first he thought there was no one there, but a 
 second glance revealed a cadaverous, butternut-clad, 
 being, stretched at full length on a bench. Him 
 Felix accosted. 
 
 "Is this Braddox?" 
 
 "Braddox Station." 
 3
 
 34: -4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 " That's what I mean where's the town? " 
 
 " Do yer mean Braddox Court-House? " (He pro- 
 nounced it "Cote-House.") 
 
 "I suppose I do ; is there any other town of 
 Braddox?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 "Then how far is the court-house from here?" 
 
 "Reckon 'bout five miles." 
 
 The man had only moved his eyes; not a muscle 
 had stirred. 
 
 "Five miles! How can I get there?" 
 
 "Walk. There's no train befo' to-morrow." 
 
 " Train! How could I get there by train? " 
 
 " Down that yer track," jerking his head in the 
 direction of the Gulf of Mexico. 
 
 "Do you mean to tell me I would have reached 
 Braddox by that train if I had remained on it?" 
 
 The native nodded an affirmative, as he murmured 
 " cote-house " by way of correction. 
 
 "Why did not the brakesman tell me?" 
 
 "Dunno." 
 
 "He said this was Braddox Station." 
 
 "So 'tis." 
 
 " Do they have a Braddox Station, and another 
 station at Braddox Court-House ? " 
 
 Another affirmative nod. 
 
 "That's absurd!" 
 
 " Look 'e here, did yer come down to tell us how 
 to name our depots ? " 
 
 Felix saw the folly of arguing the question, and 
 turned the subject. 
 
 " How can I get a conveyance to carry me to the 
 court-house ? "
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 35 
 
 "Dunno." 
 
 " Have you a wagon ? " 
 
 "No." 
 
 " Do you know of anybody who has ? " 
 
 " Only Sutherland's, and his'ns gone to Alexan- 
 dry." 
 
 " Which is the road ? " 
 
 "Overtha'." 
 
 " I don't see my trunk. Do you suppose it has 
 gone on to the real Braddox ?" 
 
 " I reckon ; " and the butternut native rolled 
 over on his side with his face toward the boards of the 
 " station," thereby intimating that the audience was 
 at an end. 
 
 Felix had entirely recovered his equanimity, and 
 as he walked along the road toward the court-house, 
 looked about him with a sense of enjoyment. The 
 month was June, and the man was young and strong 
 a more favorable combination to insure enjoyment 
 can not well be imagined. The surprises of spring 
 had not yet merged into the repose of summer, and 
 Nature was still in a ripple of smiles at its own 
 joke. 
 
 Perry did not have the poetic taste in that exalted 
 degree which lends an almost painful pleasure to com- 
 munion with Nature. Still, there was a certain ro- 
 mantic vein in his disposition, and he responded cheer- 
 ily to her blandishments. 
 
 While passing over hills and through dales, Felix 
 gaily whistled the tenor solo from " Mignon," thinking 
 the while that he was rendering the window scene from 
 " Faust, " having a good ear, but no musical mem- 
 ory. He was strangely boyish at times, considering
 
 36 -4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 the undercurrent of seriousness in his nature. As he 
 hopped from stone to stone over a gently murmuring 
 brook, he laughed aloud at his mistake in having got 
 off at the wrong place and the recollection of the but- 
 ternut man's ire because of his reflection on the local 
 paucity of names. 
 
 At length he stopped on an eminence, and looked 
 about him. On his right a corn-field, the corn only 
 a few inches high, and, considering its youth, desper- 
 ately dejected ; on his left a pine-wood, remarkably 
 flourishing, considering its age ; ahead a road, if par- 
 allel lines of fences and a grassless tract between them 
 constitute a road ; and overhead the limitless blue of 
 the ether mingling with the deeper azure of the dis- 
 tant mountains but no evidence of Braddox. 
 
 It was the hour after sunset, that delicious hour 
 when tired day stands whispering the countersign to 
 dewy night at the evening change of sentry. 
 
 Not a living thing in sight, save a huge, lazy- 
 winged bird, poised in mid-heaven on the pinions of 
 faith, it seemed, for motionless were its own. Yes, 
 there was another sentient creature, an old negro, 
 seated on the gnarled root of a lofty pine. 
 
 Perry came so unexpectedly upon this white-wooled 
 Ethiopian as to be almost startled. 
 
 " I say, friend, how far is it to Braddox Court- 
 House ? " 
 
 " Braddox, Mars' ? " if he had not been merely a 
 memento of a bygone day it would have been " Mis- 
 ter" to a stranger "now it do 'pear strange, but I 
 dunno." 
 
 " Hav'nt you been there ? " 
 
 " Lor* bless your soul ! yes, more 'n a hunderd
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE, 37 
 
 times. Aint you ever heer'd tell of Uncle Silas, 
 Mars'?" 
 
 " I can not say that I have." 
 
 ' ' I's him. An' yet, 'pears strange, Uncle Silas 
 aint ebber thought to ax that yer distance." 
 
 " Well, how long will it take me to walk there ? " 
 
 '"Pens on how fast you'll walk, Massa." 
 
 " I mean on an average." 
 
 "Dunno that yer way. Eeckon 'twill take yer 
 'bout half -hour by de road." 
 
 "Well, good-night, Uncle Silas." 
 
 "Stop a bit, young Mars'. 'Low de oP man ter 
 give yer a bit of advice walk in de narrow path." 
 
 " What narrow path ? Is not this the road to 
 Braddox?" 
 
 "Walk in de narrow path, for de highway lead to 
 distrucshum ! " 
 
 Half an hour more brought Felix nearer to the 
 night, but to no evidence of human habitation. 
 
 Either Uncle Silas had an exceedingly vague idea 
 of time, or Perry must have taken the wrong turning 
 somewhere. Even in the gathering darkness he could 
 see that the roadside features were unchanged ; un- 
 less, indeed, it was that the corn-fields were more nu- 
 merous, and the pine -woods proportionately fewer. 
 There was no other indication of a village. However, 
 the wayfarer cared but little. He had nothing to look 
 forward to on reaching Braddox but his most uncon- 
 genial mission, whereas here he had free play for exu- 
 berant vitality, and the unusual treat of a summer 
 evening in the real country. And so he strolled on 
 contentedly, satisfied that he must eventually come 
 upon some house. It was now quite dark, although
 
 38 -4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 the starlight made surrounding objects dimly visible. 
 Gradually he became aware that he was nearing some 
 habitation. To his right there loomed up what, on 
 closer inspection, proved to be a barn. A moment 
 more, and a turn in the road, around a clump of trees, 
 revealed at some distance back from the road a half- 
 dozen lighted windows. 
 
 Large as the house evidently was, there was no 
 sign of a farm excepting the barn he had passed. 
 Suddenly he came to a gate, which he in vain tried to 
 open. He was about climbing it when he discovered 
 that although the gate spanned the road there was no 
 evidence of a fence on either side, save a heap of rot- 
 ten rails. Passing around the obstinate gate, Felix 
 pursued his way toward the house. 
 
 The light from the different windows cast the 
 wide entrance-porch into deep shadow. In groping for 
 the steps he stumbled over some obstacle, and noisily 
 regained his footing. 
 
 Almost instantly the door was opened, although 
 no light came through it, and a woman's voice, rich 
 and low, inquired, " Is that you Tony ? " 
 
 "I beg your pardon. I am a stranger, and have 
 lost my way. On approaching the door I stumbled, 
 and, have, I fear, disturbed you." 
 
 " Oh, not in the least. Will not you come 
 in?" 
 
 " Thank you, but I will only trouble you to the 
 extent of begging you to direct me to Braddox. Brad- 
 dox Court-House," he added, mindful of late mis- 
 takes. 
 
 " It is over two miles by the ford, and five by the 
 bridge. If you are on foot, it would take you two
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 39 
 
 hours by the latter. Pray, come in. My father can 
 direct you better than I." 
 
 ''Thanks," he said, entering. "I shall need a 
 deal of directing, for I have already made several 
 blunders in my endeavor to reach my destination." 
 
 " Step to the right ; there is a floor-plank loose 
 just opposite the door." 
 
 As Perry carefully deviated in the direction indi- 
 cated, his imseen companion threw open an inner 
 door, and stood revealed in a flood of light. 
 
 Perry's first impression was that never before had 
 he seen so handsome a girl and a face so full of char- 
 acter ; his second, that the face was marred by a cer- 
 tain cloudiness of expression which spoke of pride and 
 of discontent. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 FELIX had no time for further reflection. The 
 room they entered was large but bare ; on the walls 
 were hung some execrably painted family portraits. 
 The fireplace was a huge black affair, totally devoid 
 of taste, and resembling the entrance to some gloomy 
 mausoleum. On one side of the chimney there stood 
 a table, on which were, in a confused mass, books, 
 spurs, whips, baskets, and a dozen other incongruous 
 things. On the other side, a heavy lounge, and re- 
 clining on it a pale, middle-aged woman, so startlingly 
 like Perry's companion in a sketchy, uncertain, and 
 rather unpleasant way as at once to proclaim them 
 mother and daughter. Covering this recumbent form
 
 40 4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 was a shawl that must have once possessed brilliant 
 hues, the glory of which had been dimmed by age. 
 At the foot of the lounge sat a young and demure- 
 looking girl of about eighteen, with inquisitive eyes 
 and a mass of fluffy, golden hair. By her side lay a 
 large white setter, whose soft, affecionate eyes blinked 
 lazily at his young mistress as she entered the room. 
 
 In one corner there stood a large, strange-looking 
 model or machine, a mass of pulleys and ropes and 
 intricate cross-beams ; and in another corner, on his 
 hands and knees and playing horse for an imperious 
 boy of about six, who bestrode his broad back, capered 
 a huge negro, awkwardly imitating a trot. 
 
 " Mamma, here is a gentleman who has lost his 
 way. He wished to reach the court-house, and cer- 
 tainly must have taken the wrong turning at Brook's 
 corner." 
 
 The lady on the lounge slowly raised her head, 
 and turned on Felix sleepy-looking eyes from under 
 lazy lids, as she said in a low, lady-like voice : " Pray, 
 excuse me from rising, sir, I am an invalid." 
 
 " Certainly, madam. I regret having disturbed 
 you. Your daughter kindly offered to have me di- 
 rected to Braddox Court-House." 
 
 "To-morrow, then, sir. The General will cer- 
 tainly not permit a stranger to leave his house at 
 night. Dandy, bring a chair. Bud, child, tell your 
 uncle." 
 
 The girl with the fluffy hair rose and sidled off 
 toward the door, the while stealing a surreptitious 
 look at the stranger. 
 
 "I certainly can not think of imposing on" be- 
 gan Perry, when he was interrupted by the precipi-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 1 
 
 tate entrance of a young man, who, without waiting 
 to look about him, and with the suppleness and grace 
 of a panther, rushed to the couch, fell on his knees 
 before the invalid, and placed a bunch of wild-flowers 
 on her lap, as he exclaimed in a musical voice : "An 
 offering for Miss Mary from her devoted slave," and 
 then, rising quickly, he turned toward Felix a bright, 
 expectant smile. 
 
 " The gentleman is to stay with us to-night, Tony. 
 He has -lost his way. To-morrow you can show him 
 to the court-house, unless, indeed" with a faint smile 
 " we can induce him to stay longer with us." 
 
 "I am really overwhelmed," murmured Perry, 
 moving uneasily on a rather rickety chair which the 
 negro had pushed toward him on all fours, his rider 
 having noisily protested that he would not dismount. 
 
 The tall, handsome girl was leaning against the 
 mantel-shelf in a careless, graceful pose. At her 
 mother's last words she tossed her waving, light- 
 brown hair off her face, as she said, almost petulant- 
 ly : "Let us not be hospitable to a fault" then, 
 realizing that this sounded ungracious, she turned on 
 Felix crimson cheeks as she added "at least, to the 
 point of over-insistance. " 
 
 A slow, measured foot-fall was heard in the hall, 
 and the door opened to admit a tall, white-haired 
 man, dignified and aristocratic in every line and feat- 
 ure. As he advanced he smiled courteously, and said 
 in a low, almost drawling tone : " "Welcome, sir, to 
 our roof-tree ; you must spend the night under it." 
 
 " I have no possible claim on your hospitality, and 
 am conscious that I have already disturbed your house- 
 hold most unwarrantably," said Perry.
 
 42 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 " On the contrary, you have the strongest claim ; 
 you are a stranger, and have lost your way. Pray, 
 say not one word more about giving trouble, but ac- 
 cept our hospitality as frankly as it is offered." 
 
 " e You disarm me, sir, and I yield." 
 
 A stately bow was the only response, as the old 
 gentleman turned toward the sofa : " My dear," 
 nothing could exceed the gentleness, the courtesy of 
 his manner " will you be so good as to instruct some 
 one to order supper ? To which room shall the gen- 
 tleman be shown ? " 
 
 "Bud, my child, which room ?" 
 
 " The blue room, aunty." 
 
 "Dandy." 
 
 "Yes, Missus?" 
 
 " The blue room." 
 
 "De blue room done leak, Missus." 
 
 " Then the red room." 
 
 " De red room " 
 
 "Dandy!" 
 
 "Yes, Missus?" 
 
 " Leave Master Eeggy, and show the gentleman to 
 the red room ; then order supper in half an hour." 
 
 Evidently this effort exhausted the invalid's 
 strength, for she closed her eyes wearily. 
 
 Perry heartily wished himself back on the road, in 
 company with the melancholy corn and rampant pines. 
 He was evidently giving trouble to his entertainers. 
 He had plenty of time for such reflection, as Reggy 
 violently rebelled against Dandy's assuming the per- 
 pendicular. 
 
 One by one the household became implicated in 
 the fray ; all on the side of Dandy, however. And
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 43 
 
 yet the child had his way, and the patient darky again 
 became a beast of burden. 
 
 The handsome girl alone had taken no part in the 
 little scene, but stood by the mantel, gazing at the 
 contestants with flashing eyes and compressed lips. 
 "When the affray was over, " Tony" looked up at her. 
 Almost immediately he went to her, led by some in- 
 evident motive. He spoke a half-dozen words rapidly, 
 in a low voice, and she responded with a grateful, 
 flitting smile. He shot back a glad, beaming glance, 
 and turned on his heel. 
 
 " Come, sir wanderer, allow me to show you to 
 your room." 
 
 Felix was willing enough, and with a comprehen- 
 sive bow to the others, followed his guide out into the 
 large, bare hall. 
 
 Up a rather dilapidated staircase and along a twin 
 hall to the one below, the two men wended their way 
 till they reached a door which, when opened, revealed 
 inky darkness. 
 
 " Damn it ! I have forgotten a light." 
 
 Perry looked up in astonishment on hearing the 
 expletive, but, by the faint gleam of the stairway- 
 lamp, he saw nothing but placidity beaming on his 
 companion's face. 
 
 " Wait here a moment," and the young man was 
 gone, only to return, however, almost immediately, 
 bearing a small lamp. 
 
 The red room did not suggest the aptness of its 
 name; there was no evidence of red anywhere, unless 
 a dark, nondescript band of paper around the ceiling 
 had been red till reduced by time to that neutral tint 
 it seems to love.
 
 44 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 Placing the lamp on a table that teetered respon- 
 sively by reason of a diversity in the length of its 
 antiquated legs, "Tony" threw himself on a melan- 
 choly horse-hair sofa, quite regardless of its feeble 
 protest. 
 
 " Do you mind my staying ? " 
 
 "On the contrary. Perhaps you will not mind 
 telling me but first, may I ask if I am addressing a 
 member of the family ? " 
 
 " Only the family's most intimate friend, and the 
 family's adorer." 
 
 Perry was in the act of unpacking his bag. He 
 suddenly stopped and looked up. A suspicion crossed 
 his mind which, if it should prove to be well founded, 
 would indeed place him in an awkward predica- 
 ment. 
 
 Waiting a moment to collect his ideas, he faced 
 the debonair young fellow as he said : 
 
 " Do you mind telling me the name of this place? " 
 
 " Chatterton." 
 
 " Then you are Atherton Leigh ! " 
 
 " ' And blush to find it fame.'" 
 
 Perry sat down, overwhelmed. Here was a com- 
 plication indeed! 
 
 "Will you do me a favor? Will you make it pos- 
 sible for me to get to Braddox Court-House to-night 
 at once ? " 
 
 Leigh looked up in astonishment. After a slight 
 pause he said in a constrained voice: "The General 
 would certainly feel aggrieved." 
 
 "Hear my reason: I am Mr. Perry, Mr. William 
 Chatterton's legal adviser. I am sent here to " then 
 lie stopped.
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 45 
 
 His eyes ablaze with excitement, Leigh sprang to 
 his feet. 
 
 "Does he agree will he give up Chatterton?" 
 
 " There are many points in this connection to be 
 discussed, but this is neither the time nor the place to 
 discuss them. What most concerns me is to at once 
 leave here." 
 
 Relaxing the tension of his pose, the young man 
 fell back on the sofa, laughing heartily. 
 
 "It is delicious; who ever heard of anything so 
 good! Excuse me, Mr. Perry, but I can not help it. 
 To think of Miss Mary having the Pretender's lawyer 
 under her roof-tree, and not knowing it ! You must 
 not mind our calling him the Pretender ; we have 
 fallen into the habit, and it would be hard to refrain. 
 After all, you know, we could not be expected to look 
 at him in any other light ; that is, not until he relin- 
 quishes his claim." 
 
 " To-morrow we will discuss the matter. For the 
 moment, I can think of nothing but the awkwardness 
 of the situation." 
 
 "Why awkward?" 
 
 Perry looked at him in surprise. "I can not re- 
 main here under the circumstances ; that would be 
 to abuse hospitality." 
 
 " They would not so regard it excuse me a mo- 
 ment," and, before Perry could interfere, he was gone. 
 
 Mechanically Perry brushed his hair as he mentally 
 faced the situation. 
 
 The one thing connected with his mission, he told 
 himself, which might have been impressive was the 
 mode of his approach. To step upon the domain as 
 its vicarious owner, and yet to have shown the great-
 
 46 -4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 est possible regard for the feelings of the incumbents 
 would not have been undignified, but as matters now 
 stood he suddenly recalled his client's words: "Ap- 
 pease and reconcile Mrs. Chester, in fact, smooth 
 things over." A nice beginning he had made! The 
 absurdity of the whole thing struck him forcibly, and 
 he laughed notwithstanding his annoyance. His 
 merriment was cut short by a gentle tap at the 
 door. 
 
 In answer to his " Come in," it opened slowly and 
 admitted a tiny black boy, all teeth and eyes and 
 ebony, who announced in solemn voice, " Supper 
 ready." 
 
 In the lower hall Felix found his host awaiting 
 him. 
 
 "Atherton has told me your name and has an- 
 nounced your mission, Mr. Perry. He has also in- 
 formed us that you feel some hesitancy in remaining 
 with us under the circumstances ; in fact, that you 
 have a sense of awkwardness at accepting our hospi- 
 tality. Allow me to assure you that we have no such 
 feeling on our part, and shall consider ourselves hon- 
 ored by your company, both in your individual capa- 
 city and as Mr. Chatterton's legal representative. 
 Pray take me at my word and dismiss all idea of the 
 situation being strange or unnatural." 
 
 The tone, as well as the words, were too cordial to 
 admit of further protest ; still Felix felt obliged to 
 say: 
 
 "Before accepting your most kind invitation I 
 must warn you that my client's ultimate decision may 
 not accord with your expectations, that is, if these 
 coincide with Mr. Leigh's, as just expressed to me.
 
 A VIRG^flA INHERITANCE. 47 
 
 Of course I am not forestalling negotiation but am 
 merely desirous of occupying no false position." 
 
 The old General stiffened visibly. " We shall 
 entirely dissociate your personality from your mission, 
 Mr. Perry," he said, his soft, deliberate voice in odd 
 contrast with his pose. "Even if your client should 
 be obstinate to the last we shall certainly not hold 
 you responsible for his obduracy." There was no 
 time for more, as the General threw open the door. 
 
 On their entering, Mrs. Chester slowly rose from 
 the lounge with the assistance of "Bud," and came 
 forward to meet Perry. " I am pleased to find we are 
 not to welcome you as a total stranger, but that, as 
 my kinsman's confidential adviser, we can claim a 
 personal interest in you. Will you give me your 
 arm?" 
 
 With more formality than the general dilapidation 
 and out-at-elbow condition of the house seemed to 
 warrant, the cortege filed solemnly into the dining- 
 room. Mrs. Chester motioned to Felix to take the 
 seat at her right, and sank languidly into her place at 
 the head of the table. The beauty sat very quiet, her 
 eyes fixed on her plate. The General asked a rather 
 perfunctory "grace," and " Bud " came into the room 
 flushed and driven looking, and, in some undemon- 
 strable way, suggesting to Perry that she had the 
 whole care of the household on her young shoulders. 
 Atherton sustained most of the conversation, moving 
 easily and irresponsibly from one theme to another. 
 
 Felix was busy with his own thoughts. He was 
 wondering if he should ever hear the persons by whom 
 he was surrounded called by their real names. The 
 sobriquets of the household of Chester seemed endless;
 
 48 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 for variety and apparent irrelevance he had never 
 known their equal. Mrs. Chester was "Miss Mary " 
 and all its possible diminutives, to all but the General. 
 Miss Chester was "Chatterton," "Chet," "Chat," 
 " Chatty," or " Chatterbox," according to the degree 
 of familiarity of the speaker. Leigh was called 
 "Ath," but more frequently "Tony." On one occa- 
 sion, during the evening repast, Bud called him 
 Atherton in full, which so surprised Felix by its 
 unusual formality that he had a ludicrous inclination 
 to ask the young man "Who gave thee this name?" 
 The golden-haired lass was called " Eose," or " Bud," 
 and by the General the two combined, which gave a 
 clew as to how the more frequent sobriquet had been 
 fastened upon her. As for the child Keggy, he was 
 an impenetrable mystery as yet. This infant was not 
 present, and Perry found himself wondering how 
 Dandy, who was now erect and smiling as he per- 
 formed his busy tasks about the table, had succeeded 
 in ridding himself of the incubus. 
 
 One thing became more and more evident as the 
 meal progressed ; and that was the absolute depend- 
 ence of the household upon Dandy. Upon him de- 
 pended the family's memory and devolved the family's 
 conscience. Like Figaro, he was called here and 
 there and everywhere, only he did not have the time 
 left him to come down to the footlights and sing 
 about it. What Dandy did not do, was done by Bud. 
 Where authority and direction were needed, she was 
 always called on. 
 
 Felix would have been still more astonished if he 
 had known of the meager larder and the limited cook- 
 ing utensils, and if he had followed the faithful Dandy
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 4.9 
 
 into the kitchen and seen him push to one side the 
 incompetent cook, with the dexterity of a Proteus 
 pin an apron to his chest with his ample chin, and 
 seizing a gridiron or pan, perform some culinary feat 
 therewith, then rush back into the dining-room with 
 the triumphant result. 
 
 As to General and Mrs. Chester, Perry mentally 
 classified them respectively as a gentleman of the old 
 school and a malade imaginaire, which proved him 
 more sagacious than he himself was conscious of at the 
 time. 
 
 The beautiful woman opposite to him was to the 
 young stranger a sealed book, the title of which, in 
 its lovely binding, was alone discernible ; there he 
 read " Pride, Prejudice, and Discontent." Stay, there 
 was suddenly shown him a glimpse of the text, for, in 
 answer to some caressing remark from Bud, she turned 
 on the young girl a look so loving and tender that 
 Perry, catching her eyes as they wandered away from 
 the golden-haired lass at his side, could scarcely re- 
 strain a flash of approval. 
 
 And, lastly, there was Atherton Leigh. 
 
 Perry had never before seen this genus. He could 
 not in the least make him out. And no great wonder 
 either, for, since the early morning of the world, 
 strength, self-reliance, and self-respect never have been 
 able to understand inconsequence, vacillation and 
 moral weakness. 
 
 Still, it was impossible not to be attracted. His 
 smile was infectious, his joyousness contagious. The 
 gods had been magnificently generous to this modern 
 Antinous. His figure was perfection ; the eye never 
 wearied of following its unconscious grace. The small, 
 4
 
 50 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 well-poised head was crowned with curling brown hair, 
 and the pink and white of his complexion framed in a 
 reddish, Vandyke beard. 
 
 These thoughts and observations made it difficult 
 for the sole stranger at the table to play his part 
 gracefully, and he was glad when the elaborate meal 
 was finished, and Mrs. Chester announced the fact by 
 rising. In leaving the dining-room the same ceremo- 
 ny that had been observed in entering it was repeated, 
 but when the sitting-room was reached, formality was 
 so markedly relaxed that the General and Atherton 
 Felix pleaded some excuse lighted their pipes. If 
 contrast is indeed a pleasant variety, Chatterton fur- 
 nished unlimited gratification to all new-comers ; 
 in etiquette as in everything else the range was 
 large. 
 
 Observing that his guest gazed at the model in the 
 corner of the room, General Chester explained that it 
 was an invention of his own for spinning, and so ex- 
 haustively demonstrated the imperfection of all pre- 
 vious inventions for the same purpose, and so clearly 
 showed the advantage of his own by statistics and 
 comparisons, that Felix was deeply interested. It 
 was with considerable sur-prise, therefore, that, he 
 learned that not only had the invention not been pat- 
 ented, but it had not even been practically tested. 
 "No," continued the General, " It is not yet quite 
 finished ; in fact, I doubt if I shall be able to perfect 
 it for some time to come. Other and more important 
 matters claim my attention. I am now at work on 
 an invention which is growing under my hands so un- 
 expectedly and so marvelously that I stand almost 
 appalled at its yet undeveloped possibilities." But it
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 5J 
 
 was said as quietly and as monotonously as if he were 
 talking in his sleep. 
 
 And so the General talked on for nearly an hour, 
 and Perry sat spell-bound. 
 
 If the old gentleman had boasted, or in any way 
 given evidence of conceit, the spell would have been 
 broken ; but to look into his quiet, aristocratic face, 
 and to hear the indolent voice, in its soft, Southern 
 accent, talk of revolutionizing the carrying power of 
 the world's commerce ; of mastering aerial navigation, 
 or of stupendous changes in the chemical world, was 
 more than attractive, it was convincing. 
 
 All the while Atherton sat by the side of Chatter- 
 ton, silent with the typical Southern courtesy which 
 reminds one of the Biblical command to the young 
 not to lift up their voices in the presence of their eld- 
 ers. Now and then, to be sure, in a pause, he gave 
 vent to some laudatory exclamation which sounded 
 like the "Selah!" from some devout Methodist at 
 " meeting." 
 
 From time to time Perry was conscious that Chat- 
 terton's eyes were fixed upon him ; at these moments 
 Dot only did his attention to the General slacken, but, 
 by some unaccountable magnetic influence, he felt his 
 faith in the inventor's genius weaken. It was as if 
 the daughter's was the negative to the father's posi- 
 tive influence. 
 
 Shortly after supper Mrs. Chester pleaded fatigue 
 and retired, the patient Bud accompanying her. After 
 the departure of the hostess conversation flowed more 
 freely. While she had been present there had been nu- 
 merous interruptions. The window had to be closed 
 and the door opened, and then the height of the one
 
 52 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 and the angle of the other had to be readjusted. To 
 manipulate the window was not as easy as might be 
 imagined, for there were neither weights nor fasten- 
 ings, and many articles not intended for the service 
 had to take part ; these were too long or too short, 
 too fat or too thin to please my lady, and in their ad- 
 justment to suit her fancy much time and more pa- 
 tience had been consumed. In a particularly irreverent 
 moment Perry wondered why this prince of inventors 
 had not contrived some simple device to hold the win- 
 dow at any notch in his wife's variable fancy ; forget- 
 ting that your true inventor may rival Joshua's feat of 
 suspending the action of the sun, but does not suspend 
 that of the sash. 
 
 With a laudable desire to be Boswell to the Gen- 
 eral's Johnson, Leigh revealed the fact that there was 
 a laboratory in the rear of the house, and, after some 
 persuasion, the inventor thither led his guest. Chat- 
 terton accompanied them, but she took little part in 
 the conversation. The laboratory was a curious sight. 
 Perry could not but think it misnamed, and that the 
 term workshop would have been more appropriate. 
 Here were frames of all sorts and sizes ; work-benches, 
 crucibles the only thing suggestive of a laboratory 
 turning -lathes, pulleys, forges, and a dozen other 
 things. 
 
 In the center of a massive bench stood a strange 
 object, resembling a cylinder surrounded with a for- 
 est of cog-wheels. 
 
 "This is my last invention ; I call it the 'De- 
 stroyer,'" said the General, with a voice as gentle as 
 if he were announcing the invention of a new device 
 for propagating charity and good-will as chickens are
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 53 
 
 propagated by patent incubators. Perry examined 
 " the Destroyer," but failed to arrive at any satisfac- 
 tory appreciation of its purpose. 
 
 " May I ask what it is to destroy ? " he said. 
 
 "Well," drawled the inventor, "after all, it may 
 be a misnomer, for its ultimate end is not destruction, 
 although such will at first appear its destiny or, shall 
 we say theirs, meaning its possible victims ? It is an 
 engine of war, Mr. Perry." Felix would have been 
 more interested if it had been an engine of peace, 
 being of the plowshare and pruning-hook rather than 
 of the sword and spear persuasion ; still, his curiosity 
 was excited. 
 
 "Why, then, is it misnamed ?" 
 
 "Because, on the principle of Dr. Hahnemann's 
 similia similibus curantur, the way to end warfare is 
 to make its engines annihilatory. So long as there is 
 any question between the efficacy of the projectile 
 and the resisting power of defensive armor, the merit 
 of each will be at issue. To invent an engine which 
 is irresistible is to put an end to warfare as surely as 
 to contrive absolutely impervious armor, for, * When 
 a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are 
 in peace, but when a stronger than he shall come upon 
 him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his 
 armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.' 
 Does not this evidence the righteousness of strength ? 
 He who is impregnable physically, morally, or men- 
 tally, is at peace, and the agent who or which be it 
 superhuman, human, or inanimate secures the condi- 
 tion, is an engine of peace. Well, that is the pacific 
 mission of my Destroyer. Do you doubt its capacity 
 for concord ? It automatically projects a thousand
 
 54: -4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 bullets a minute or will, when I perfect the spring 
 or moving gear." 
 
 While carefully inspecting this wonderful inven- 
 tion, Perry inadvertently pushed from an adjoining 
 shelf a wooden cylinder ; it would have fallen to the 
 floor and been broken but that Chatterton caught it 
 in time. - Keplacing it on the shelf she absolved the 
 repentant and self-accusing Perry with a smile, as she 
 half apologetically murmured, "It is only a churn." 
 
 "Ah, yes," added her father, as he gently stroked 
 her silken hair, " but it is not my idea, Mr. Perry ; it 
 is my daughter's own. The dairy is her special prov- 
 ince and pride, and this churn is the result. It is 
 her first and last invention, and yet we expect to real- 
 ize an enormous fortune from it." 
 
 This was said with the indulgent raillery of an 
 affectionate father and a generous inventor. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 FROM the land of forge tfulness Perry was called, 
 on the morning after his arrival at Chatterton, by a 
 gentle tap at the door and Dandy's application for 
 admittance. It was only necessary to grant it ver- 
 bally, as there was no key to the lock. 
 
 "What on earth is that, Dandy ?" 
 
 "Mint julep, sah." 
 
 "Forme?" 
 
 " Yes sah, with Mars' Tony's complemers, an' he 
 axes fer yer health."
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 55 
 
 "It's the better, Dandy, for not having known 
 that experience." 
 
 " Sah ? " 
 
 " Tell Mr. Leigh I am quite well, and thank him 
 for his kind attention." 
 
 "Yes sah." 
 
 "But what am I to do with the julep ?" 
 
 "Drink it, sah." 
 
 This certainly seemed a not unnatural answer, and 
 yet it struck Perry as funny. He laughed, "What, 
 at this hour ? I never did such a thing in my life !" 
 
 " Better try, jus' once." 
 
 It really seemed as if a refusal would be unkind, 
 so persuasive were the darky's tone and manner. 
 
 "No, no, Dandy. Better rest satisfied with the 
 ills we have. Does Mr. Leigh live here ? " 
 
 Dandy regretfully placed the despised julep on a 
 table, and turned his attention to brushing Perry's 
 clothes, as he answered : "Not as 't were regl'ar, sah, 
 but he here 'bout harf de time." 
 
 The strains of a violin came from some distant 
 part of the house. " What is that ? " asked Perry. 
 
 "Date Mars' Tony, sah." 
 
 " He is dressed ; then I must be late ?" 
 
 "No, sah, he's not up yit. He got de fiddle in 
 bed wid him." 
 
 "In bed!" 
 
 "Yes sah. Mars' Tony most all time plays de 
 fiddle like dat. He sit up da, an' wont eat nuffin, 
 though I' se jus fetched him nices' sort 'er brekfus.' 
 He's had his julep, an' has been makin' me dance 
 ' Juba' dis las' half-hour." 
 
 " I should think you had little time for dancing,"
 
 56 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 answered Perry, at this last revelation ready for any- 
 thing odd or eccentric. 
 
 " Got ter dance when Mars' Tony fiddle. Tain' in 
 human nater to stan' still when dat yer horse-har's 
 scrapin' de cat-gut." 
 
 This being conclusive, Perry yielded the point. 
 
 " Is his home near Chatterton?" 
 
 " Ober dar by de run, at Sunnycrest. Mars' Tony's 
 mudder's a mighty good woman ; she's de Christianest 
 woman ebber you see. She's pow'rful lonesome, tho', 
 or would be, 'twa'nt fur her God. Dat's 'bout de only 
 comp'ny she keep now." 
 
 Felix had not intended to elicit Atherton's family 
 history, but he had to hear much of it. Dandy in- 
 formed him of many traits of mother and son, loyally 
 glossing over what might seem to their disadvantage, 
 but unbounded where he could give due meed of 
 praise. And through it all the weird notes of the 
 violin came from the distance, giving a quaint and 
 not unpoetic support to the honest darky's monoto- 
 nous droning, half of which only was intelligible to 
 Perry's unaccustomed ear. 
 
 As the recital seemed endless, Felix cut it short by 
 inquiring as to breakfast, and being told it was a 
 movable feast, and that his but awaited his conven- 
 ience, sent the servant off for shaving- water, and arose. 
 
 It was a rainy day. Not only did it rain outside, 
 but the red room gave ocular proof that it, too, " done 
 leaked." 
 
 Felix found the breakfast-room deserted. He 
 walked to the window, and, standing in its deep em- 
 brasure, looked out upon the drenched and gloomy 
 scene.
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 57 
 
 The door stood ajar. Suddenly there were voices 
 in the hall, and before he had time to make his pres- 
 ence known, Perry heard Chatterton exclaim: "It is 
 too bad, Bud ; what will he think? These Northerners 
 never can understand us. How can he guess the 
 miserable shifts to which we are reduced?" The 
 voice ceased, and Bud entered the room alone. 
 
 As Perry came forward she started violently, but, 
 almost instantly recovering her self-possession, turned 
 her anxious, youthful eyes up to his. " Miss Chester 
 resents bitterly our poverty. Pray, sir, do not place 
 on her words more importance than they deserve." 
 
 "If there is anything to forget, it is forgotten. 
 Need Miss Chester know I was here ; it might dis- 
 tress her?" 
 
 She gave him a grateful look but made no answer. 
 
 And now Dandy entered, and the golden-haired 
 little housekeeper busied herself ministering to Perry's 
 wants, seated demurely behind the tea-urn. 
 
 "Do not you breakfast?" asked Felix. 
 
 "Oh, I had mine hours ago." 
 
 "Am I then so very late? I placed myself in 
 Dandy's hands, and relied implicitly upon his discre- 
 tion." 
 
 " Oh, no, you are not late ; Atherton has not 
 appeared. I believe he is still playing on his violin. 
 The others are breakfasting with Aunt Mary ; she 
 wishes to consult them about " She stopped, crim- 
 soning to the roots of her hair. Felix at once came 
 to her relief. 
 
 "I presume that, being an invalid, Mrs. Chester 
 breakfasts in her room." 
 
 "In her study."
 
 58 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 This sounded literary. Felix wondered if the 
 study was as misnamed as the General's laboratory. 
 
 "I am afraid I have kept you from the others." 
 
 " Oh, no, I am not needed there, and besides, I 
 have the house to look after." 
 
 " Can not I be of use? Pray, command me." 
 
 Bud laughed. "I should not know what to do 
 with you." 
 
 " Only let me get hold of something, and I will 
 prove my Yankee origin by my adaptability." 
 
 " Are the Yankees so adaptable? I wish we were, 
 here in Virginia." 
 
 Felix smiled at the little practical economist while 
 wondering at her common sense. Somehow the at- 
 mosphere of the place did not suggest common sense. 
 
 " You are evidently not so absorbed in your house- 
 hold duties as to prevent a good deal of wise thought," 
 he said. 
 
 Here the conversation was interrupted by Chatter- 
 ton's entrance. As Perry rose she turned to him with 
 a slight inclination of the head. 
 
 " I hope Miss Hetherinton has taken good care of 
 you?" So Bud was Miss Hetherinton! 
 
 "Excellent, thank you. And not only physical 
 but mental. We have discussed other matters than 
 eggs and muffins." 
 
 " Has she dilated on the sin of fastidiousness in 
 handling matters commercial, and on the virtue of 
 sorghum and molasses as tending to elevate the soul? 
 She is dreadfully democratic, only I am persuaded it 
 is entirely theoretic, and that she would be the first to 
 revolt from the practical application of her theories." 
 Still she smiled kindly on the young girl.
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 59 
 
 " Miss Hetherinton was most orthodox from my 
 standpoint." 
 
 " It is certainly a question of standpoint. To me 
 she is heterodox." 
 
 " Then you think our doxy is not the same? " 
 
 "Not if yours gauges everything by the measure 
 of success." 
 
 " It is a practical test, and this is a practical age, 
 Miss Chester." 
 
 "I do not stand up for the age." 
 
 "Stand up! "Why, you all seem to hare risen to 
 address the chair," exclaimed Atherton, rushing in. 
 " Talking of the chair, Miss Mary is installed as pres- 
 identess, and I am commissioned as herald to summon 
 the bearer of a flag of truce from the enemy. Shall 
 we blindfold him that he may not report our weakness 
 to the Pretender? Come, Sir Jacobite." 
 
 Bud smiled, but Chatterton looked annoyed. 
 "Shall we go to my mother's study?" she said. 
 
 To his surprise, Perry found " the study " to be the 
 room into which he had been ushered on his arrival. 
 
 Mrs. Chester was reclining on the sofa and the 
 surroundings were unchanged, save that Reggy had 
 been forcibly removed, as evidenced by angry shrieks 
 mellowing in the distance. 
 
 The General was not present. No one explained 
 his absence, but Perry afterwards discovered that his 
 sensitiveness to business worries was respected, and 
 that he was, when possible, given timely warning of 
 their approach. Felix was used to unquestioned as- 
 sumption of personal responsibility and duty, and its 
 avoidance appeared to him evidence of great weak- 
 ness.
 
 60 -4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 Chatterton went straight to a seat in the window, 
 and Leigh, after placing a chair by the table for the 
 lawyer, took his stand by her side. 
 
 "My kinsman, Mr. Perry," began Mrs. Chester, 
 after a few civil words of greeting, " desires to com- 
 municate with me in regard to the estate of Chatter- 
 ton, I believe. At least, I infer this from what you 
 said to the General. Is it your pleasure now to lay 
 before me Mr. Chatterton's proposition?" 
 
 " It is for that purpose I am in Virginia, although 
 I, of course, had no intention of imposing on your 
 hospitality. Shall I begin?" 
 
 If in New York the expedition had appeared un- 
 necessary, merely the freak of a visionary, there, on 
 the ground, it seemed absurd. What he had to say 
 could have been equally as well written. It practically 
 amounted to nothing less than an announcement of 
 his client's intention of enforcing his rights, and the 
 lawyer had lent himself to the impossible task of tell- 
 ing a disagreeable thing so diplomatically as to allay 
 resentment or even disappointment. A feeling of 
 vexation came over him. Not only had he, he told 
 himself, come on a fool's errand, but he had to play 
 the fool before those to whom accident had made him 
 indebted for the kindest hospitality. There was 
 another complication. He felt in honor bound not 
 to refer to Atherton Leigh's letter, and yet how was 
 he otherwise to account plausibly for his presence? 
 Still, here he was, and he had to say something. 
 Fortunately for him Mrs. Chester was so absorbed in 
 her own grievance in the matter that she only needed 
 "a, lead" to do the running herself. 
 
 " Your cousin, Mrs. Chester, sent me here from a
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 61 
 
 dislike to merely formal business correspondence 
 between relatives. My client has certain indubitable 
 rights which he might enforce, but he prefers to claim 
 them when and in such manner as may accord with 
 your convenience." 
 
 "Tony, please open the window. Bud, be so 
 good as to close that door. The will, Mr. Perry, may 
 leave me powerless to impose conditions, and of course 
 I will not stoop to ask favors. Although I have 
 certain rights in the premises myself, as I see the 
 question, I will not assert them ; not at least till I 
 have heard your mission in full. What is my cousin's 
 desire? If he is reasonable we may meet him half- 
 way." 
 
 " Mother ! " 
 
 "I am quite able, Chatterton, to manage this 
 myself. Any suggestion you may have to make will 
 be duly considered, but not your criticism. What, 
 Mr. Perry, does Mr. Chatterton propose?" 
 
 "To consult your wishes as far as is consistent 
 with a due regard to the interests committed to his 
 keeping by his uncle's will. These interests he looks 
 upon in the light of a trust, and to be handed by him, 
 unimpaired and un diminished, to some one of the 
 name of Chatterton who will survive him." 
 
 "Truly a noble aspiration to be weighed against 
 the natural claims of those whose every association is 
 centered in the place itself ! " exclaimed Atherton. 
 "Do not check me, please, Miss Mary. I know 
 your pride will not allow you to speak for your- 
 self, and some one should be heard on the side of 
 equity." 
 
 "Not too much zeal, Atherton, not too much
 
 62 4- VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 zeal," chid Mrs. Chester, mildly ; but it was an in- 
 dorsement for all that. 
 
 Chatterton rose impulsively from her chair and 
 came forward. There was evidence of strong excite- 
 ment in her pale face and flashing eyes, yet she spoke 
 quietly enough. " You said, mamma, you would 
 listen to my suggestions ; allow me, then, to propose 
 we inform cousin William that we fully recognize the 
 justice of his claim, and that we thank him for his 
 courtesy in offering to consult our convenience, but 
 that we will tax it only long enough to remove to to 
 another house." 
 
 " Chatterton ! " 
 
 "You know, mamma, this has been my advice 
 from the first. Had it been heeded we should not 
 now be occupying the humiliating position of having 
 to be reminded that it is time something were settled." 
 Then, turning her pale, excited face toward Felix, she 
 added: "The fault has been altogether ours, sir, and 
 neither your client nor his attorney have cause to 
 reproach themselves with a single omission of courtesy. 
 Pray attribute our dilatoriness to its true cause the 
 difficulty of realizing that time does not stand still 
 while we, in our different ways, linger to mourn over 
 the old homestead." And she threw herself into a 
 chair and covered her face with her hands. 
 
 There was a moment's silence, and then 
 
 " Bud, my child, please close the window ; Ather- 
 ton, open the door." Turning to the lawyer, she 
 continued: "My daughter is too impulsive. She 
 lacks the discretion of maturer years. " 
 
 Perry took a mental exception, but said nothing. 
 
 After a moment Mrs. Chester resumed: "Does
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 63 
 
 not the law allow a certain time for an estate to be 
 closed up?" 
 
 "It does." 
 
 "Has that time elapsed?" 
 
 "It has, Mrs. Chester." 
 
 " Is it generally regarded as an unreasonable thing 
 if circumstances make it convenient for the incum- 
 bents of an estate to prolong the time? " 
 
 "The option rests only with the legatee, or, if 
 contested, with the court." 
 
 "And in the present case if we accept your client's 
 offer in the spirit in which it is made, (as I understand 
 it), and agree to a truce of, say, another year or two, 
 would disinterested parties have any shadow of excuse 
 for thinking that we exceeded reasonable limits?" 
 
 "Mamma," cried Chatterton, passionately, "you 
 must not suggest it ! We can not with dignity re- 
 main." 
 
 "Be quiet, Chat. I insist that there be no further 
 interruptions. Mr. Perry, will you kindly inform me 
 if lam right?" 
 
 "Do I understand that you relinquish all claim to 
 the place, and merely wish to discuss the terms of your 
 further occupancy?" asked Felix. 
 
 "Dear Miss Mary !" exclaimed Atherton, glaring 
 fiercely at the lawyer, " do not accept anything as a 
 favor. Do not be driven into concession. As a com- 
 promise, agree to what you will. " 
 
 " If I concede anything, Atherton, it will be only 
 because I am not willing to stoop to wrangle with my 
 kinsman. He must understand that we do not barter 
 our acres." 
 
 " Well said, Miss Mary, well said ! "
 
 64 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 "But they are not ours, we have no legal claim 
 whatever to them ! " cried Chatterton. " Oh ! do not 
 let us act from such a false idea of right, such a mere- 
 ly sentimental appreciation of the situation. It is 
 hard enough to part with the dear old place, Heaven 
 knows ; but, oh, it will be worse to part with dignity !" 
 
 Bud leaned forward and whispered to Mrs. Chester, 
 who heard her through, and then turned to Felix. 
 
 "Miss Hetherinton reminds me that I am not 
 strong enough to continue this interview now. May 
 not I beg that further consideration of the matter 
 be postponed until to-morrow ? Meantime, we, of 
 course, hold you as our guest. I trust that in our not 
 unnatural excitement over a question of such moment, 
 we have said nothing discourteous or wounding ?" 
 
 Felix had risen. He, of course, deprecated the 
 idea last suggested. As to prolonging his stay, how- 
 ever, he demurred. "I can not think of inconven- 
 iencing you further. I shall go to Braddox Court- 
 House and return to-morrow to attend upon you." 
 
 "You will thereby offend both the General and 
 me. Besides, where would you stop there ? " 
 
 "At the inn." 
 
 "There is no inn." 
 
 " No inn ! Is it not the county-seat ? " 
 
 "Yes, but there is no inn. You must, after all, 
 remain with us." 
 
 " Pray, believe me, it is not from lack of inclina- 
 tion ; I am only fearful of inconveniencing you." 
 
 "By remaining you will not only please us, but 
 will prove the friendly spirit which actuated my 
 cousin." 
 
 Perry felt rather guilty at accepting further hos-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 65 
 
 I 
 
 pitality on the score of Mr. William Chatterton's 
 
 friendly and amiable intentions toward his cousin, 
 but insistance seemed useless, and he yielded. 
 
 Whatever opinion he may have held as to the rea- 
 sonableness and common sense of most of the mem- 
 bers of the house of Chester, he did them the justice 
 to remember they could not be expected to know that 
 his instructions were limited, and that they might 
 naturally suppose that the mere fact of his presence 
 argued some fear of their intrenched position. As to 
 Chatterton, he made no mental qualification ; he un- 
 reservedly admired the stand she had taken. His ad- 
 miration, however, was not unmixed with surprise, for 
 he had not expected such common sense from a young 
 lady who had on several occasions during their short 
 acquaintance shown evidence of deep-rooted prejudice. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE discussion was not resumed on the morrow. 
 Mrs. Chester was reported ill. The indisposition 
 real or imaginary continued for six days. Of course, 
 there was no appeal, and Perry willingly enough, since 
 the delay was not caused by fault of his, abandoned 
 himself to the lazy, shiftless life of the inmates of 
 Chatterton. He did not, however, reach their stand- 
 ard ; he was a novice, and had all the consequent awk- 
 wardness. Theirs was the genuine article bred in the 
 bone. Their idling had been reduced to a science. 
 5
 
 66 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 The General worked, it is true, but not systemati- 
 cally ; it was quite evident that it was but play after 
 all. 
 
 Perry passed most of the time with the young peo- 
 ple ; some of it, however, was devoted to the labora- 
 tory, the General, and the " Destroyer." He was 
 amused at Leigh's manner toward him. The young 
 man was in high dudgeon, and treated him with over- 
 done ceremony. In a day or two he tired of this, and 
 beamed upon him as at the beginning. Then a new 
 grievance intervened, and Perry was again in disgrace. 
 This time it was because of Chatterton, and the sen- 
 timent on Leigh's part was if not more reasonable 
 at least more natural than his former anger. 
 
 It was curious to observe Perry's treatment of the 
 young fellow. It reminded Chatterfcon quick at such 
 comparison of some honest mastiff, his ears cocked 
 forward in absorbed astonishment, turning over a 
 grasshopper with huge but kindly velvet paw. 
 
 Chatterton had soon forgotten her mortification. 
 There is something soothing in the consciousness of 
 being appreciated, and she had reached this conscious- 
 ness through the free-masonry of kindred natures. 
 
 She was totally unlike Felix in most respects, and 
 yet they were in sympathy ; they thought on the same 
 moral plane. 
 
 Though Felix found little to approve in the per- 
 sonnel of his present surroundings, he was fascinated. 
 Personal responsibility was his creed, and behold him 
 in the midst of people who shed personal responsibil- 
 ity as a dtfck-'s back sheds water ! He ceased, at last, 
 moralizing about it, and there was only left the under- 
 current of astonishment that these human beings did
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 67 
 
 BO well without that which he had always considered 
 the first requisite for orderly and right living. 
 
 He had given up surmises as to the relationship of 
 Rose Hetherinton, Reggy, and the Chesters. To be 
 sure, Bud called the General and Mrs. Chester re- 
 spectively/ 'Uncle" and "Aunt," but when Felix re- 
 marked upon the total absence of family likeness, 
 she rather sadly told him there was no blood rela- 
 tionship. 
 
 As to Reggy, he was genealogically as great a mys- . 
 tery as Melchizedec. The child himself gave no clew, 
 as he seldom called the same person twice by the same 
 name. Besides which, Felix had discovered that there 
 was no relevancy in the Chatterton soubriquets ; that 
 in a true spirit of reciprocity, each of the household 
 had regard for the vagaries of the others in matters 
 of nomenclature. 
 
 On the last of these six arcadian days, Chatterton 
 and Perry walked down to the brookside and seated 
 themselves in 'a bower where the sun's tempered rays 
 reached them filtered through a thousand interstices. 
 Atherton had seen them start, and, in impotent fury, 
 had addled his horse and dashed past them ostenta- 
 tiously. 
 
 This was the first occasion on which they had been 
 alone together. He soon discovered that she was less 
 reserved than he had thought. The truth was, if he 
 had but known it if she had known it herself that 
 her sense of implication in the various peculiarities of 
 the members of the Chatterton household trammeled 
 her free thought and its free expression. 
 
 " This is my favorite spot, Mr. Perry. Here tur- 
 moil and disappointment seem mellowed by distance.
 
 68 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 To be sure, the relief is but temporary and the reac- 
 tion certain." 
 
 " I am not quite prepared to admit the certainty," 
 he said. 
 
 "No doubt it is a question of temperament. You 
 are fortunate if yours is a hopeful one. My views are 
 consistently gloomy." 
 
 "I should not call it consistency." 
 
 " Obstinacy ? " 
 
 " Not at all. I mean that one is apt to jump to 
 premature conclusions as to their psychological make- 
 up. It takes many years and much experience to 
 qualify one to draw true inferences." 
 
 " Then you think I might possibly wrest the secret 
 of happiness from the Fates if I struggled through the 
 best years of life only to attain it when too late to en- 
 joy it ? What a cheerful, Tantalus test of life !" 
 
 But he did not laugh. "I am quite persuaded 
 that happiness lies not so much at the end as all along 
 the line of honest effort to attain it." 
 
 She was silent for a moment, and then, thought- 
 fully : "Yes, there maybe compensation in the mere 
 effort. Still," with a return of pessimism, "itcan 
 not be but the fitful, unsatisfying pleasure of antici- 
 pation." 
 
 "May not the effort be the substance, and the 
 ideal happiness the shadow ? " 
 
 " Then life is but a huge practical joke, with the 
 gods for its perpetrators ! " 
 
 "At least we may share the laughter with 
 them." 
 
 She did not answer ; the habitual look of discon- 
 tent deepened. She rather liked to hurl little pessi-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 69 
 
 
 
 mistic darts at fate, and was unaccustomed to have 
 them turned aside by the interposed shield of optimism. 
 She had formulated into a creed her discontent with 
 life, and thought its gloomy tenets epitomized the ex- 
 perience of all human beings whose aspirations lifted 
 them above the mere ordinary standards of humanity. 
 Her inexperience, her prejudice, persuaded her that 
 Virginia was a fair though slightly rusted sample of 
 what is most civilized, and she drew therefrom the 
 not unnatural conclusion that life was a failure. 
 
 There had been a pause. Felix was digging his 
 cane into a mossy mound, Chatterton was looking 
 away from him. Finally he said : " Will you excuse 
 me if I express the opinion that much of dissatisfac- 
 tion with life comes from the supposed unprofitable- 
 ness of our failures ? " 
 
 She glanced up quickly, an angry light in her eyes. 
 He was not looking at her, being still intent upon up- 
 rooting the moss. Receiving no answer, he continued : 
 " I have often found that what at first appeared un- 
 mitigated evil turned out eventually to have been a 
 blessing in disguise." 
 
 " Quite in the vein of the moral mottoes one has 
 struggled with in one's youth ! It argues a good 
 memory and the gift of application." 
 
 Perry looked up, smiling. " It does sound rather 
 pedantic," he said ; "still, the conclusion is justified 
 by my personal experience." 
 
 "It must be a comfortable faith, and prepares one 
 not unpleasantly for either fortune." She was pro- 
 voked at his composure. 
 
 " One needs some such philosophy to compensate 
 for disappointments," responded Felix.
 
 70 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 She smiled sarcastically : " Are not you abandon- 
 ing your plane ? " 
 
 " Certainly not when I advocate extracting the 
 greatest possible pleasure from even unpromising con- 
 ditions." 
 
 "I should prefer to extract the pain." 
 
 He laughed. " Our respective ways of putting it 
 argue opposite standpoints. " 
 
 "I have selected mine after considerable experi- 
 ence." 
 
 " Mine has been forced upon me. Pardon me if 
 I add that experience, like learning, may be a danger- 
 ous guide if limited." 
 
 She was accustomed to only the most flattering al- 
 lusions to herself, her arguments, and her conclusions, 
 and for this man in his cool, self-possessed manner to 
 doubt the correctness of her premises would have 
 highly offended her but for the fact that she 
 was undergoing a new sensation ; the audacity 
 attracted her. Still she must assert herself : " That 
 conclusion must itself have been the result of heroic 
 treatment. It might have been kill instead of 
 cure." 
 
 He ignored the sarcasm as he answered : 
 
 "You are right. It was, indeed, for a time ex- 
 tremely doubtful which it would be." 
 
 Of course he referred to some love-affair ; she was 
 at once interested. Still, she did not wish to show 
 curiosity. 
 
 "If it requires the Juggernaut to qualify the 
 saint I prefer to remain uncanonized." 
 
 But he was too much in earnest to be turned aside 
 by this conceit. " Now that it is well over, and I
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 71 
 
 have learned its lesson, I'do not regret that I had the 
 experience." 
 
 "Did you lose some interesting case-^-a breach of 
 promise of marriage, for instance ? " It was no sooner 
 said than she hated herself for saying it. 
 
 "Not professionally. I had a good case, how- 
 ever, as principal, had I chosen to prosecute," he said, 
 gravely. 
 
 He certainly did not wear his heart upon his sleeve ; 
 on the contrary, he was the last man in the world to 
 have curried favor by an appeal to sympathy. And 
 yet he proposed telling this girl the one romance of 
 his life ! His reasons were two-fold : he felt that she 
 needed lifting away from herself needed a glimpse 
 deep down through the vast ocean of passion to the 
 wreck-strewed bottom. It would be a healthy lesson 
 she would realize that she had been pouting over 
 broken dolls while the .great heart of humanity was 
 mourning over shattered idols. And then well, the 
 other reason was that there came to him an almost 
 irresistible impulse to open the door of the past. We 
 have all had such impulses those of us who are as 
 self-reliant as he, as well as those of us who are weak 
 and dependent. It is not merely a craving for sym- 
 pathy, it is a keen desire to be thoroughly known by a 
 certain person, blindly selected ; the selection is no 
 syllogism mind you, but an inspiration. 
 
 She sat still, ablaze with scarlet discomfiture. 
 Then "Come,"^he said, hurriedly rising, "it must 
 be luncheon-time," and they walked back toward the 
 house. 
 
 As they crossed the porch instinctively avoiding 
 the still unrepaired hole in the floor Perry said :
 
 72 -A. VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 "If you will allow me, Miss Chester, I shall be 
 glad to prove to you that I did not merely generalize 
 when I asserted the benefit of even an unhappy ex- 
 perience in forming character." 
 
 " To-night, if you like, you may." 
 
 She wondered at herself. She, Chatterton, had 
 shown marked curiosity to know this man's story, and 
 had actually appointed a time to hear it ! She did 
 not, though, tell herself she was sorry, being too 
 honest for self-deception. 
 
 Dinner at Chatterton was not a fixed, immovable 
 feast, nor was it limited to one appellation. Like the 
 moon to the ancients, it changed its name with every 
 phase. If it was ready before two o'clock it was 
 "luncheon"; if before seven, it was "dinner"; if 
 later, "supper." On this especial day it was in its 
 last quarter, but, as by the diurnal almanac it had 
 been expected to rise earlier, no provision had been 
 made for a substantial substitute. However, when it 
 did come the household were all the hungrier, and 
 that was something, as the General philosophized. 
 Mrs. Chester was of course not present. The General 
 was more than usually agreeable; though, as a con- 
 cession to his wife's absence, in a decorous, rather 
 deprecatory way, much as one looks demure on going 
 into gay company in half -mourning. His chivalry 
 was part of his soul, and never failed to manifest 
 itself when due, or when he thought it was due, which 
 amounted to the same thing. 
 
 Atherton had returned, and sat moody and silent, 
 the very picture of a spoiled child. His face was 
 flushed, his forehead corrugated; Perry was the only 
 one to notice his silence; the others were too accus-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 73 
 
 I 
 
 tomed to his vagaries to be surprised at any mere 
 moodiness. 
 
 After supper Perry escaped to his room. He felt 
 it his duty to write to his client and report the seem- 
 ingly endless delays of Mrs. Chester's valetudinarian 
 diplomacy. He placed the letter in his pocket, and 
 was about descending the stairs when his attention 
 was arrested by the droning of a song. Looking down, 
 he saw Dandy slowly mounting to the second floor 
 with the child Reggy asleep on his shoulder, soothed 
 by the lullaby. Stepping to one side to let Felix pass, 
 the darky whispered, not losing the cadence of the 
 air, " Mars' Reg, he done gone 'sleep," and then con- 
 tinued his way up, singing "De Golden Stairs." 
 
 The little scene vividly impressed Felix not 
 usually prone to such fancies with its appropriate- 
 ness. The absurdity of the words disappeared in the 
 pathos of the suggestion, for the faithful Dandy 
 seemed to typify the sentiment, and to be indeed 
 " clim'in' de golden stairs " on the treads of unselfish- 
 ness and love. 
 
 At the lower landing he found Bud looking up at 
 Dandy and his load. 
 
 " A faithful creature, Miss Hetherinton." 
 
 "Ah, yes," she answered, "dear Dandy is very 
 good to my little brother." 
 
 Her brother ! Felix said nothing, yet he was more 
 surprised than the circumstance seemed to warrant. 
 Somehow, he had never thought of these two as being 
 nearly related. The discovery tended rather to deepen 
 than to diminish the mystery of this extraordinary 
 household. 
 
 The parlor was vacant. From the windows to the
 
 74 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 rear, Perry saw lights in the laboratory, and concluded 
 that the General was busy at his negative annihilator. 
 
 Bud had not entered the room, but had gone, he 
 surmised, to self-immolation on that pyre of selfish- 
 ness, Mrs. Chester. But where was Chatterton ? 
 
 Suddenly he heard the faint murmur of voices 
 through the open window from the front porch. 
 While he hesitated whether or not to announce his 
 presence he was startled by hearing Atherton's voice 
 raised to an excited pitch, ever gathering force till it 
 culminated in an oath, coupled with his Perry's 
 name. Then there came a crash, as if a chair had 
 been dashed to the floor, hurried footsteps, and then 
 silence. 
 
 Felix impulsively crossed the room to the open 
 window. 
 
 There, out in the moonlight, stood Chatterton. 
 As her back was turned, he was enabled to retire 
 unseen. 
 
 In the hall he paused ; should he go to the porch 
 or to his room ? A sudden fear decided the question. 
 The girl might be in some actual bodily danger from 
 this wild, undisciplined lover of hers. Who could 
 predicate the bounds of his ungoverned fury ? 
 
 As he opened the front door he met Chatterton 
 face to face. She stood, pale and excited, supporting 
 herself with one hand on the door-frame. 
 
 Pretending not to notice her agitation, Felix said : 
 " I was looking for you. Surely you are not leaving 
 the moonlight, Miss Chester? On such a night it 
 would be a sin to go in-doors. ' On such a night ' a 
 lot of mythological and historical things happened, 
 according to Lorenzo and Jessica. See, the moon
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 75 
 
 invites us by its rays. Will not you tax your patience 
 and let me tell you of the one severe lesson of which 
 I spoke this afternoon ? I am quite eager for the con- 
 fession, and shall be disappointed if you show no 
 interest." 
 
 He was running on so as to give her time to re- 
 gain her composure. 
 
 Without a word she turned and followed him to 
 the far end of the porch, where, in a cosy nook, a 
 rather rickety bench was half hidden by a luxuriant 
 "Virginia creeper." 
 
 As they seated themselves, Felix caugHt his com- 
 panion's gaze fixed on him. She was in the bright 
 moonlight, and he could plainly see an expression of 
 grateful recognition on her face. 
 
 " And now for my story. I went to Harvard, and, 
 on graduating there, took the course at the law-school, 
 and then practiced for some years in Boston. It was 
 then that I met and loved a girl of my own age. I 
 loved her dearly, and she well, she said she loved 
 me, and we became engaged. After all, my little 
 romance is very commonplace. Thousands of men 
 are jilted every year, and they mostly recover. You 
 see I trusted her implicitly. I was more sentimental 
 than my rough exterior would suggest, and it went 
 rather hard with me. I must have bored her dread- 
 fully, but I was very sincere. Within two weeks of 
 the time we were to have been married she ran away 
 with another man, whom she had known but a few 
 days." 
 
 Chatterton was still gazing at him when he again 
 looked up ; her expression had changed ; she was 
 absorbed in his recital and had evidently forgotten her
 
 76 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 mortification. Marvelous to relate, there was not a 
 irace of that cloud which had hitherto marred her 
 face ; it seemed as if some heavenly hand must have 
 touched the brooding mist of discontent and have 
 wafted it away. 
 
 He was at a loss to understand the transformation. 
 Mere interest or curiosity could not account for it. 
 How could he know that this proud, self-willed, 
 prejudiced woman was undergoing a new sensation ? 
 She was learning to look up to rather than down upon 
 a man of her own generation. Besides, Perry had 
 earned her gratitude, for he had spared her an expla- 
 nation of the scene he must have at least partly wit- 
 nessed his very industry in occupying her in other 
 matters to save her such reference, proved this. 
 
 Felix had gone on with his narrative ; had moral- 
 ized over it, had averred that he had been benefited 
 by it, that it had been, in fact, his "tutelary experi- 
 ence," as he called it. Then for the first time she 
 spoke : 
 
 " Was she handsome ? " 
 
 He smiled to .himself. "After all," he thought, 
 " they are all strangely alike in some things." How- 
 ever, he merely answered in the affirmative. 
 
 " What did you do when you learned of her faith- 
 lessness ? " she asked. 
 
 " How do you mean ? " 
 
 " Did you follow them ? " 
 
 "What ! I ? No indeed ! why should I ?" 
 
 " I am sure I do not know. The men here would 
 have thought their honor demanded revenge." 
 
 " What was he to me ? Had not she done herself 
 enough harm without the disgrace of publicity ? I
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. ?7 
 
 thougfit very little about him. I was occupied with 
 her transgression, and overwhelmed with the blow. 
 Still, I did not wish her harm ; she was dead to my 
 heart. What I chiefly brooded over was my former 
 infatuation. I was filled with consternation at my 
 blindness ; I had been living in a fool's paradise, and 
 had thought it heaven ! I did not think of, did not 
 desire revenge ; and yet it espoused my cause, unso- 
 licited ; she died within a year." 
 
 Chatterton sat immovable. After a long pause, 
 she said : 
 
 " You were right. Personal experience is the true 
 guide. How immature you must have thought my 
 arguments this morning ! " 
 
 " Oh no, I assure you. It would have been dis- 
 tressing to have found you too * sadly wise.' And 
 yet, do you know, there is something touching in in- 
 experience : what is to be its fate ? Is it to be chas- 
 tened merely, or broken on the wheel ? " 
 
 " You draw a gloomy picture ? " 
 
 " No, I think not. There is no Canaan without 
 first the Eed Sea ; after that is the Promised Land of 
 happiness." 
 
 "Or death in the wilderness." 
 
 " I admit it is somewhat a question of endurance." 
 
 There was another pause. Outside on the lawn 
 some little voicef ul thing of summer was holding tiny 
 carnival, but was presently still again. Perry was 
 conscious of a sudden lifting of the veil from self : 
 might not it be that he was standing on his Pisgah ? 
 
 Later, in his room, Perry sat long at the open win- 
 dow, loath to shut out the moonlight and the scented 
 night. Now and then a little whispering breeze would
 
 78 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 stir into gentle activity the huge, umbrageous chest- 
 nut which stood immediately in front of the entrance- 
 door, its wide-spreading branches reaching protect- 
 ingly over the porch-roof almost to where he sat 
 watching the moon-shadows, cast by its thousands 
 of leaves, dance hither and thither on the shingles. 
 Then the breeze would die away, and the silence 
 seem throbbing, it was so intense. 
 
 The incidents of his past life came trooping be- 
 fore him : long-forgotten incidents, some trivial some 
 pathetic ; friends, dead or passed out of his life. 
 He recalled his first love and Barbara Barbara and 
 her broken promises ; till by natural gradations his 
 thoughts carried him down to the present moment, 
 and Chatterton. And then he launched forth on the 
 boundless sea of speculation till even its untrammeled 
 fancies were not free enough, and he was swept into 
 the fantastic realm of dreams. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 WITH the discipline of a trained mind, Felix forced 
 himself to concentrate his thoughts on his mission on 
 the morning after the events last related. He de- 
 scended to the dining-room rather earlier than on 
 the previous days, and stood by the window inhaling 
 the sweet summer odors while he awaited the appear- 
 ing of some one to join him at breakfast. 
 
 The first to descend to the morning meal at Chat- 
 terton had the element of uncertainty to enliven the
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 79 
 
 interval of waiting. Any one member of the family 
 might appear at a moment's notice or none appear at 
 all. Breakfast might come or breakfast might linger, 
 according to Dandy's idea as to the preponderance of 
 authority in the contradictory and varying orders he 
 received. On this especial morning nothing usual 
 happened. In fact, there was no " usual " at Chatter- 
 ton, except Dandy's faithfulness. Dandy was to this 
 household what gravitation is to the globe, holding 
 loose particles to the concrete ; remove him, and 
 centrifugal force would hurl the particles into space. 
 
 After a little, Dandy appeared, bringing a message 
 from Bud for Perry not to wait, but to take hia 
 breakfast. 
 
 There had been no mail delivered at the place for 
 forty-eight hours. The butcher usually brought the 
 letters when he remembered to do it from the 
 court-house ; but it now appeared that there was a 
 "horse-race down in Prince William," and the 
 butcher's cob had been entered, the butcher, of 
 course, being on the ground to see fair play. Perry 
 had been anxious to get his letters, but no one had 
 thought of sending for the mail, and he had to 
 wait. 
 
 The day before, the General had sent to a far-off 
 village for some chemicals, and Felix, who had inci- 
 dentally heard that at this village was situated the 
 only telegraph station in the vicinity, sent by the 
 messenger a telegram to his firm. The General had 
 forcibly impressed upon the sable Mercury that he 
 was to await an answer, "if it takes a week, boy, do 
 you understand?" Late in the day the boy had 
 returned not only with no answer to Perry's telegram,
 
 80 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 but bringing back the one he had himself written, 
 with the explanation that " de telegraf man done gone 
 fishun', an' der ain't no one thar knows when he'll git 
 back." 
 
 But now, to his relief, Felix found three letters on 
 his plate, Dandy providing the information that they 
 had been kindly forwarded, by the court-house post- 
 master, by the hand of a peddler a stranger who had 
 expressed the intention of stopping at Chatterton. 
 
 Perry recognized Mrs. Denvers's bold, free hand- 
 writing on one of the envelopes, but put it to one 
 side, and conscientiously devoted himself first to 
 business. There was no important news from the 
 firm, saving that " You need not hurry to return ; 
 on the contrary, take plenty of time. Mr. William 
 Chatterton called yesterday and consulted us in regard 
 to an important insurance case" here followed par- 
 ticulars "and the upshot is that we are retained in 
 his interest. He seems most anxious that you should 
 not leave your present quarters till you are successful 
 in your business, or persuaded that success is hopeless. 
 Our advice, therefore, is that you humor him. He 
 said he was charmed with your novel introduction to 
 his relatives and to his ancestral estate." Perry laid 
 this letter down with a gesture of disapproval, and 
 took up another. It was from Mr. Chatterton him- 
 self, reiterating what Dodruff and Pringle had written, 
 only conveying what he had to say in the form of 
 inverted sentences and tortured rhetoric. 
 
 Having disposed of his other correspondence, Felix 
 now turned his attention to Mrs. Denvers's letter, 
 breaking the delicately crested seal. It ran as 
 follows:
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 81 
 
 " NEW YORK, Monday. 
 
 "According to the usage of civilized nations, my 
 dear Mr. Perry, you should have been the one to 
 write first; but I take pity on you in your banishment, 
 and reverse the order." Perry gazed thoughtfully at 
 the tea-urn. How strange to see a little vignette of 
 the great, outside world from this lotus grove! Of 
 course the letter was most acceptable, but this did not 
 mitigate the strangeness. The busy haunts of men 
 seemed so far, far away ; how long ago he seemed to 
 have left them ! "However, lest I make myself out 
 more amiable than I really am, I have to confess to an- 
 other motive ; it is to ask you to * Desiderio ' in July. 
 "Will about the 4th suit you? To be sure, Newport will 
 not be very gay so early, but you are a charming guest 
 for the off season ; never in the way, and always quite 
 able to take care of yourself; characteristics not so 
 common in the nineteenth century bachelor as the 
 uninitiated may suppose. Do not say no ; at least, 
 think it over for a week before you decide. Let me 
 see if I can not find some gossip to remind you that 
 the gay world moves while you are dreaming away 
 your days in Acadie. Your Mrs. Dare seems to be 
 faring well, notwithstanding my sinister prediction. 
 She is quite generally invited out, although a formida- 
 ble boycott has been declared against her by certain 
 exclusive women who are continually fearing contami- 
 nation. Mr. Clyde told me at Mrs. Underdunk's 
 race-dinner, last Saturday, where he took me in 
 that 'Ariadne Dare,' as he called her, was certainly 
 'great fun.' She must have made an impression upon 
 him, or he would not have remembered her name. 
 By the way, you did not tell me it was anything so 
 6
 
 82 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 romantic as 'Ariadne.' He added that she had 
 attracted the attention of rich old Mr. Bramble, and 
 that at the club the betting is two to one that * she 
 will hook him.' I remembered the exact slang, so as 
 to run no danger of mistake in transmitting it. I 
 wonder if I am refreshingly unsophisticated in telling 
 you all this ? May not you have already had it first 
 hand ? Mr. Denvers tells me that the Polliyer Joneses 
 go to Newport to-morrow. Mr. Polliver, however, 
 sails for Europe as soon as the season fairly opens. 
 Denvers tells me this with a certain air, which evi- 
 dently means that he recognizes the finger of Mrs. 
 Polliver in this arrangement. I am rather ashamed 
 of the uncharitableness of that last sentence, but can 
 not rewrite the whole page to be rid of it. The great 
 Chatterton dined with us last night. He entertained 
 me with a flowery account of your assault upon his 
 patriarchal home. He also spoke of a girl whether 
 eighteen or twenty-eight I did not gather who, at 
 thirteen, when he last saw her, was all eyes and limbs. 
 It seems she had a will of her own and an ugly tem- 
 per. The 'all eyes' sounds attractive. Have you 
 seen much of her ; are you madly in love? Somehow, 
 I feel as if a symmetrical Providence should give you 
 a wife with an uncertain temper. She would not 
 seriously affect your happiness, and you might find 
 your mission in seeking to impart some of your equa- 
 bility. It is said that middle-aged married women 
 I know you will deprecate the 'middle-aged,' else 
 I would not use it are all match-makers at heart ; 
 this may account for my interest in the large-eyed 
 and large-tempered girl. To be honest, no ; the in- 
 terest all centers in you. Have not I written you a
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 83 
 
 long letter ? A high compliment from one usually 
 concise to the verge of laconism. 
 
 " Very faithfully yours, 
 
 "DOHA DE:NTERS." 
 
 Perry read this letter twice. The old feeling of 
 restfulness without which he never saw, heard, or 
 thought of Mrs. Denvers had come over him on pe- 
 rusing the friendly lines. Life seemed less hard, hu- 
 man nature less uncharitable, the world at large less 
 cynical when he was under her influence. For the 
 hundredth time he assured himself that he was indeed 
 fortunate in this sympathetic and harmonious friend- 
 ship. Suddenly, with a guilty feeling creeping over 
 him, he asked himself how often he had in thought 
 turned to this good friend during the last few days ? 
 Had he thought of her at all ? What was the reason 
 for this ? His was not the nature to allow an unusual 
 mood to pass unquestioned, and on this occasion he 
 challenged his consciousness so directly that he com- 
 pelled an answer Chatterton Chester. 
 
 From the absorption of these thoughts he was 
 recalled to his immediate surroundings by the en- 
 trance of Rose Hetherinton. Hardly waiting to 
 answer his morning greeting, she said : "Aunt Mary 
 wishes to know at what time it will be convenient for 
 you to go to her study ? " 
 
 "At this moment if it will suit her convenience to 
 see me so early." 
 
 Bud's only answer was to precede him through the 
 door. She seemed under the influence of some excite- 
 ment. Perry wondered what was now in store for 
 him, at the same time bracing himself against almost
 
 84: A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 any surprise. He had already learned that the un- 
 expected was always happening in this household, and 
 now felt his blood not disagreeably stirred by the con- 
 templation of the possibilities of the situation. 
 
 If Bud's manner impressed Perry as strange, Mrs. 
 Chester's certainly was remarkable. There was an 
 elation, an evidence of powerful excitement about her 
 which had temporarily banished all thought of the role 
 of malade imaginaire. She sat on her divan, erect 
 and eager. Perry took his cue from the forgetf ulness, 
 and forbore asking about her health, as he made his 
 salutation. He was only too glad to have invalidism 
 banished from what promised to be a stirring debate. 
 In the former session, to argue a point with a person 
 stretched at full length on a sofa, and who could 
 scarcely open her languid eyes, had seemed brutal and 
 had been trying. 
 
 Another surprise was in store for Felix ; General 
 Chester walked into the room, and, after ceremoni- 
 ously greeting his guest, strode off to a chair by the 
 fireplace. He, too, was under the pressure of excite- 
 ment. 
 
 Atherton was not present, and Perry was not sorry. 
 The young fire-eater rather amused him at unevent- 
 ful moments, but was an extra disturbing element in 
 a serious discussion. Chatterton occupied her former 
 position by the window. Perry walked over to her, 
 and, with outstretched hand and a friendly smile, 
 wished her "good -morn ing." She glanced at him 
 quickly, and then lowered her eyes as she responded. 
 
 On taking his place by the table, Felix had a ludi- 
 crous inclination to constitute himself court-crier and 
 to announce that the docket of the day would be taken
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 85 
 
 up. Mrs. Chester was sorting some manuscript in a 
 business-like way, and the silence was only broken by 
 the rustling of the paper. 
 
 Perry felt discouraged. Was there any possible 
 end to all this foolishness ? As far as he could tell, it 
 might go on indefinitely. What logical end could 
 there be to a discussion which by its very nature was 
 illogical ? Here he was, demanding that which he 
 was expressly restrained from enforcing, and opposed 
 by a refusal which he must, by his instructions, ig- 
 nore. 
 
 Success was impossible, and the only alternative 
 an ignominious return to his client with, " I told you 
 BO." This was galling to a nature that hated failure ; 
 none the less galling because he had himself predicted 
 the discomfiture. 
 
 "With your permission, Mr. Perry, I will consult 
 my notes as we proceed." And then, in a busi- 
 ness-like and impressive manner, Mrs. Chester be- 
 gan : 
 
 " An event has occurred which gives an entirely 
 different aspect to our negotiations." 
 
 Perry wondered how there could be " negotiations " 
 in regard to that to which the lady had not the shad- 
 ow of a legal claim ; but he said nothing. Mrs. Ches- 
 ter proceeded : 
 
 " Before I state the nature of this radical change, 
 I will ask you a question : What sum will your client 
 accept to relinquish his claim to the estate of Chat- 
 terton?" 
 
 Perry readjusted his mental focus and brought it 
 to bear on this new proposition. 
 
 " I am certainly not authorized to state that Mr.
 
 86 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 Chatterton will take anything less than the estate 
 itself." 
 
 "In other words, 'the pound of flesh ?'" 
 
 Chatterton cried out impulsively, " Oh, mamma ! " 
 and turned her face toward the window. The Gen- 
 eral looked pained. Perry did not think he need treat 
 the quotation as a question. Mrs. Chester repeated, 
 dogmatically : "The pound of flesh. If Cousin Will- 
 iam refuses to sell the estate to me, no gentler com- 
 parison will be consonant. If he regards my claim 
 to the place as based on sentiment alone what will be 
 his position if he refuse a money equivalent ? Which 
 of us has the best sentimental right to the acres, he 
 who up to a year ago never dreamed of possessing 
 them, or I who have been brought up from infancy 
 to suppose they would in time indubitably be mine ?" 
 
 This certainly sounded more reasonable than any- 
 thing that had gone before, all illogical as it was. 
 Still, Perry could not but feel that the folly had only 
 changed its base, and he was prepared to face any pro- 
 posal of purchase with the front of skepticism. " Why 
 do not these people leave business alone ? They are so 
 charmingly proficient in the art of inconsequential- 
 ity," he thought. Then, seeing that an answer 
 was expected : "My only instructions are, as I have 
 said, to arrange for a transfer to my client of the 
 estate itself. I am to have all reasonable consideration 
 for your wishes as to time and manner. You see I 
 have no option." 
 
 The General moved uneasily, cleared his throat, 
 and said : " I presume you will have no objection to 
 transmit to Mr. Chatterton an offer we may make for 
 the place ? "
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 87 
 
 " Of course I am at your disposal. I can take to 
 my client whatever proposition you confide to me." 
 
 " Why not send it by mail and await the answer 
 here?" 
 
 Felix hesitated a moment, and then replied : 
 
 " I will be perfectly frank with you, General Ches- 
 ter. I came here against my own advice. From the 
 first I told my client that a lawyer was not needed. 
 This mission, although he will not look at it in that 
 light, is merely a polite way of stating his intention 
 of ultimately entering into possession. Of course, I 
 am not authorized to say what will be his response to 
 any offer you may make ; that contingency was not 
 contemplated. My mission is a failure as far as its 
 object is concerned. I have not only gained nothing 
 for my client, but have involved him in useless ex- 
 pense. Still, after all, that is his affair ; he was duly 
 warned. Now, however, I can reconcile it no longer 
 to my conscience to add to his expense, therefore I 
 must return. Allow me to say, in conclusion, that 
 personally I do not regret the trip, but, on the con- 
 trary, shall always look back to my visit to your hos- 
 pitable mansion as one of the pleasantest episodes of 
 my life." 
 
 Involuntarily he glanced toward the window. Chat- 
 terton had turned toward him. Her eyes did not 
 drop as they met his, but fearlessly and freely gazed 
 back with a look which unmistakably meant approval. 
 
 " Of course you must be the judge of your duty 
 in the premises," responded the General, in his delib- 
 erate, sleepy voice, " but you must allow me to differ 
 with your conclusion as to the mission. We can all 
 bear witness that you have lessened the chasm which
 
 88 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE, 
 
 unfortunately divides us from Mrs. Chester's kinsman. 
 Whatever the ultimate outcome of these negotiations 
 may be, you can be assured that your intervention has 
 made an amicable adjustment possible. Tell Mr. 
 Perry, my dear," turning to his wife, " the terms we 
 are prepared to offer." 
 
 Mrs. Chester consulted her notes, and complied. 
 The offer amounted to this : 
 
 General and Mrs. Chester proposed to give Mr. 
 William Chatterton as purchase money for the estate 
 of Chatterton, a sum equal to the assessed value of 
 the place for taxation. One third was to be paid in 
 one year, one third in two years, and one third in 
 three years, with interest. These deferred payments 
 were to be secured to Mr. Chatterton by a lien on all 
 of General Chester's inventions, past and to come, 
 until the whole amount of the debt should be liqui- 
 dated. This was the first offer. The second was that 
 General Chester should convey to Mr. Chatterton, in 
 exchange for the family place, a one-third interest in 
 all past and future inventions. The third proposi- 
 tion was that if in addition to a transfer to the Ches- 
 ters of the family estate, Mr. Chatterton should fur- 
 nish General Chester with the sum of fifty thousand 
 dollars, Mr. Chatterton should receive in exchange a 
 one-half interest in all the General's inventions. The 
 option of these offers was reserved to Mr. Chatterton. 
 
 Putting her notes carefully in her pocket, Mrs. 
 Chester supplemented her business address as follows : 
 "And now, Mr. Perry, comes our news. If yester- 
 day we had made these offers to Cousin William he 
 would skill have had a chance to become rich. To- 
 day, however, our propositions have a new weight, a
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 89 
 
 vastly added value. The General has made the great 
 discovery of his life, nay, I may say of the age ! Its 
 success is established beyond cavil. For years he has 
 had a chain of ideas that needed but an additional 
 link to make it perfect. Last night, while we all 
 slept, it came to him by inspiration. He passed the 
 whole night testing his invention, and it has stood it 
 nobly. Nothing now is needed but a trial on a larger 
 scale and with heavy machinery. The principle is, 
 however, demonstrated to his complete satisfaction. 
 This invention is nothing less than a new motor. Its 
 nature will be explained to you before you go, so that 
 you can with more precision describe it to Cousin 
 William. In offering your client an interest in this 
 wonderful discovery we are proposing to buy the es- 
 tate at a hundred, nay, a thousand times its intrinsic 
 value. However, we are satisfied to make the offer, 
 for, when in the near future, we sit under the old 
 roof- tree and look out upon these grounds, flourish- 
 ing and blooming in that luxuriance which wealth 
 alone can bestow, we shall be proud to have redeemed 
 the ancestral acres with a king's ransom, and pleased 
 to think that my kinsman is enjoying a fortune which 
 may yet make him the peer in wealth of the merchant 
 princes, without their sordid and debasing contact 
 with trade." And the chatelaine fell back on the 
 sofa, exhausted. 
 
 Chatterton arose, hurried over to where her father 
 was sitting, and, sinking to the floor, clasped her hands 
 together on his knees. 
 
 "Oh, papa, do pray take more time. At least, 
 have your invention thoroughly tested before you as- 
 sume such serious obligations. If the motor justifies
 
 90 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 your expectation, think with, what confidence and pride 
 you can dictate terms ! Mr. Perry has told us Cousin 
 William will give us time ; do let us take a month 
 well, then, a week or two, at least, before we pledge 
 ourselves to conditions which we may find we are un- 
 able to perform, and add that crowning mortification 
 to the false position we already occupy." 
 
 Mrs. Chester did not raise her head or open her 
 eyes, but murmured, languidly : " Some days ago, 
 Chat, you were indignant because I proposed delay, 
 and yet now you suggest it yourself." 
 
 "Yes, mamma, because you now propose that 
 which in the end may be far more humiliating than 
 delay. Oh, papa, do take time to look carefully into 
 this matter." 
 
 The old gentleman smiled nervously, as he patted 
 his daughter on the head. 
 
 "You are too timid, my child. To tell the truth, 
 that is also my inclination. But I rely entirely on 
 your mother's judgment. As to the invention" 
 with the inventor's typical belief in himself "there 
 has been nothing discovered as important since the 
 application of steam." 
 
 Chatterton made one more effort to stem the tide, 
 but it had set in too strongly to be checked, and it 
 swamped her protest. 
 
 Then there followed an hour's talk over the de- 
 tails. In their consideration it became necessary to 
 know the value for taxation of the estate, but it ap- 
 peared that no one present knew the amount. Of 
 course no tax-bills were to be found although the 
 General looked for them everywhere, even in the 
 cylinder of the superseded "Destroyer," now fallen
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 91 
 
 from its high estate and devoted to receiving the odds 
 and ends of the laboratory. 
 
 After this vain search the old gentleman announced 
 his intention of sending over to the court-house for 
 the desired information, but Perry, anxious to leave 
 the family alone to the consideration of the situation, 
 begged to be allowed to ride over for the papers. To 
 his delight, Chatterton said she would accompany 
 him, explaining that he would need a guide. 
 
 After a hasty luncheon, extemporized with the 
 aid of Bud's fertile resources and the exertions of the 
 indefatigable Dandy, the horses were brought to the 
 door, and the General and Felix walked the porch 
 awaiting Chatter ton's appearing. 
 
 "You will find that the bay has a trick of throw- 
 ing his head up rather suddenly, but I use a martin- 
 gale and why Dandy, where's the martingale ?" 
 
 " I'se sorry, Mars' Gen'ral, but de calf done chaw'd 
 up de mart'ngale." 
 
 "And, pray, how did the calf get into the sta- 
 ble?" 
 
 " Dunno, Massa. Reckon dat imp o' darkness yon- 
 der left de do' open." 
 
 The "imp of darkness" was the child Tobe, who 
 was being jerked off his feet by Chatterton's fiery 
 mare with each turn of her nervous head. The 
 "imp," the whites of his eyes unnaturally distended 
 with fear, was understood to breathlessly explain that 
 he "aint been tha'." 
 
 However, it was discovered that the calf had not 
 irrevocably destroyed the martingale, and, with the 
 dexterity acquired by a life-time of make-shift, 
 Dandy soon mended it with a bit of string.
 
 92 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 Perry had not supposed it possible for a woman to 
 be more lovely than Chatterton in her simple, sum- 
 mer, every-day dress ; therefore he was not prepared 
 to find her still more beautiful in her riding-habit. 
 To be sure it did not boast a London tailor ; but a 
 graceful, youthful form defies misfits, and the home- 
 spun acquired reflected merit. Her luxuriant hair 
 was caught up under a jaunty " Derby," which ar- 
 rangement showed to advantage the graceful curve 
 of her white neck, encircled with a tiny collar. 
 
 Accepting Perry's offer of assistance, but scarcely 
 resting her foot on his steady hand, she vaulted easily 
 into the saddle and reined in her clean-limbed, wiry 
 chestnut. In a moment Felix was mounted and by 
 her side, and the two rode off, followed by the Gen- 
 eral's parting admonition not to try the ford if the 
 water reached "the old white stump on the north 
 shore," which injunction prompted them to go by 
 way of the bridge, the longer route. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 WITH Chatterton and Perry off on their ride, 
 Atherton away, the General and Mrs. Chester rest- 
 ing after their unusual exertions, and Reggy busy bul- 
 lying Tobe, Rose Hetherinton found herself free to 
 consult her own pleasure for a couple of hours. Such 
 a vacation was not so usual an event as to be lightly 
 regarded or carelessly thrown away. After some de-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 93 
 
 liberation she determined to seek a shady nook by the 
 "run," and enjoy a new novel, sent her by a friend. 
 
 However, she was doomed to disappointment, for, 
 on reaching the spot, she found it already occupied 
 Atherton was there, lying prone upon the ground, his 
 face half buried in the grass, and apparently asleep. 
 
 An intimate acquaintance with this erratic youth 
 had made the girl quick at interpreting his moods. 
 She had recognized in his conduct of the day before a 
 stormy condition, and had reason to believe that the 
 Btorm had not yet spent its fury. 
 
 Desiring therefore to escape undetected, she ceased 
 the song she had been humming and lightly tripped 
 over the grass past the prostrate form. But Atherton 
 was not asleep. He slowly raised his head, and called 
 after her in a low, concentrated tone : " Do you wish 
 to avoid me, Bud ? " 
 
 "I thought you were asleep," she answered, 
 evasively. 
 
 He silently motioned her to sit down beside him, 
 and she, returning, complied. She certainly would 
 have preferred to have been alone, for his face was 
 flushed and haggard, and she now saw that he had 
 been drinking. He raised his head, and supported it 
 upon his hand. 
 
 " I need advice will you help me ? " 
 
 " Certainly, if I can. " 
 
 " What shall I do with myself ? Of course you 
 know I love Chat, and also how little she really cares 
 for me. Shall I persevere have I any chance ? " 
 
 "That is not a fair question." 
 
 He appeared to be quiet enough, but she well 
 knew his excitement was smoldering.
 
 94: A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 " Why not, Bud ? Did you suppose it was a ques- 
 tion of trifling moment to me ? Do not you see I am 
 being tortured ? " 
 
 " Well, then," said the demure little woman, with 
 an earnest look on her fair young face, " I will do my 
 best to help you. But, Tony, you must listen pa- 
 tiently, and not interrupt." She paused a moment, 
 and then resumed : " Chatterton will never marry 
 you if you live to be a hundred and continue to woo 
 her as you have hitherto. You are too impetuous 
 and fiery, or else too humble and self-sacrificing. Can 
 not you see that she needs a cool, composed, strong 
 will to guide her ? " 
 
 Atherton sprang to his feet with a sudden bound, 
 and stood over the startled girl. 
 
 " This man Perry, I suppose you mean. This 
 stranger with whom she spends her time, with whom 
 she has just ridden off. Is this your advice, your 
 help ? Did I need to be told that this cold, selfish, 
 sordid Northerner had supplanted me ? To think 
 that it was only necessary for him to appear for her 
 to find in him her ideal, and you, a model for me I 
 Do you suppose I will calmly submit to having hia 
 phlegmatic stolidity held up for imitation ? What 
 has come over you all ? One interloper is to steal the 
 acres, and his accomplice is to be canonized ! And 
 Chat Ah ! a noble exchange is hers. My heart of 
 fire, my love that is as high as heaven and as deep 
 as hell, is to be cast aside for this new-comer, this 
 calculating attorney's clerk. Oh, of course ! Let the 
 devotion of a life-time go for naught, and the careless 
 attention of an hour count for everything. But, 
 mark me, Rose Hetherinton, he shall not have things
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 95 
 
 all his own way. I have not his calmness, his cool 
 deliberation-; let us see if he has my courage. Be- 
 cause 1 rebelled, because I earnestly pleaded for my 
 old place in her affection, Chatterton saw fit to se- 
 verely reprove me. Nor is that all ; she advised me 
 to imitate him death and devils ! and then, just be- 
 cause I lost my head and dashed a chair to the floor, 
 I am in disgrace ! " 
 
 He paused for breath. Rose, who had risen, was 
 about to speak when he motioned her to be silent, 
 and resumed : 
 
 " I have tried to calm myself. I passed all last 
 night in these grounds ; most of the time I lay on 
 the grass beneath her window. Yes, I tried to be 
 politic. But where's the use ? I can not even ask 
 your advice without again having this stolid attorney 
 thrust upon me, and being told that only by imitating 
 him can I hope to win Chatterton. Damn him ! why, 
 then, does she not take him? " , 
 
 11 Aye, why not indeed ! " cried the girl, forgetting 
 her usual prudence. "Do not you see that hers is a 
 nature which can only love where it can respect ? 
 How can you hope to win a proud, sensitive, high- 
 strung woman by alternate raving and vacilla- 
 tion?" 
 
 He gazed upon her wildly : " So be it," he cried. 
 "I now know the value of woman's love and friend- 
 ship. Capricious and inconstant, they lightly throw 
 away the real to clasp the spurious. Well, it seems I 
 must 'go to the wall.' But one thing is left to me 
 revenge ! " 
 
 A moment more and the girl was standing alone. 
 
 Poor Bud, her little holiday was spoiled. The
 
 96 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 novel lay neglected in her lap, and she gazed with a 
 troubled and saddened look at the stream as it slowly 
 meandered between its mossy banks. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 His short sojourn in Virginia had prepared Perry 
 to find almost everything different from what it was 
 "up North." Still, it was with astonishment that 
 he gazed at Braddox Court-House. 
 
 The village was situated on a slight eminence at 
 the intersection of two roads, on a well-chosen spot. 
 There were three or four stately old mansions, weather- 
 stained and decrepit to be sure, but still retaining 
 their dignity. But by far the larger number of houses, 
 and all the stores, were in a state of hopeless di- 
 lapidation. Shanties, like weeds, bore testimony 
 rather to neglect than to thrift, and added to the 
 desolation of the scene. 
 
 On the principle of the kingship of the one-eyed 
 man, amid such blindness the Court-House stood out 
 in bold pre-eminence. On closer inspection, how- 
 ever, it was easy to see that the merit was solely due 
 to comparison. The dreary brick structure, two sto- 
 ries high, occupied the center of an inclosed space. 
 This space held a few trees, but was otherwise barren 
 and neglected. About it stretched a decrepit fence, 
 to which were tied a dozen or more horses, most of 
 them sorry and forlorn ; so forlorn as to convey the 
 idea that they had been forgotten and were in an ad- 
 vanced stage of starvation.
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 97 
 
 About the building itself were grouped a number 
 of white and black persons, of all ages ; but there was 
 no activity, scarcely motion. Indeed, the scene was 
 singularly suggestive of the enchanted land where all 
 sentient things had been plunged into a twenty-years' 
 sleep, and where the spell was just expiring by lim- 
 itation. 
 
 "Are they alive?" Perry could not help asking 
 with ludicrous earnestness. 
 
 Chatterton laughed a little nervously as she an- 
 swered : "About as much as they ever are. Indeed, 
 more alive than usual, for this is court-day." 
 
 They dismounted, and leaving the horses in the 
 care of a darkey, walked slowly toward the building. 
 As they passed the silent groups the white men took 
 off their hats to Chatterton, but the negroes merely 
 stared ; save now and then some old darkey who, 
 remembering the decent manners of by-gone days, 
 doffed his brimless cap. 
 
 Having obtained the information for which he 
 had come, Perry expressed a wish to see the court 
 during its session, and so they entered the large, shab- 
 by room. 
 
 The judge sat behind a huge desk on a high plat- 
 form. A fine-looking old man, with a noble head, 
 but so careless in his dress and so slouchy in his pose 
 as to mar the dignity of his appearance. 
 
 "That," murmured Chatterton, surreptitiously 
 
 indicating him, "is Judge X . He was a cavalry 
 
 general during the war, and is covered with wounds. 
 His charge is said to have saved a division of our 
 army at Spottsylvania. Do you see that little man 
 
 who is addressing the jury ? Well, that is Gen. S , 
 
 7
 
 98 -A- VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 the great guerrilla chief" and so on, Chatterton 
 pointing out half a dozen men more or less known to 
 history. 
 
 And still Perry wondered. Here, in the court- 
 room, there were strong, striking faces. Most of the 
 men had the stern, set mouth and the deep-sunken eyes 
 which are the heritage of the soldier. Here were 
 faces which bore, besides the grimness of virile old 
 age, the furrows of care furrows left where it 
 ploughed deep in the days which tried men's souls. 
 Here were nervous hands which lay idle, now that 
 they no longer held the sword. And yet Perry won- 
 dered, for dejection was stamped on the faces of most 
 of the men. Never before had he seen such compre- 
 hensive melancholy. 
 
 While his companion talked with a sad-eyed man 
 whom she called "General," Felix mused on the 
 scene. Were these men the victims of uncontrollable 
 circumstances ? Was it that the doom of failure and 
 the curse of the sterility of the ground had sounded 
 in the ears of the men who had lifted their hands 
 against their brothers, and they were dumbly protest- 
 ing that their punishment was heavier than they could 
 bear ? But he dismissed this thought and turned to 
 another. Could not it be that the evolution of cus- 
 tom had unfitted them for aught but leadership, and 
 yet that the irony of fate had deprived them of a fol- 
 lowing ? Was the supineness the result of weakness 
 or of misfortune was it a crime or a visitation ? 
 
 By-and-by they were again mounted, and slowly 
 wending their way toward the ford. For a time they 
 rode on in silence, each occupied with thoughts little 
 guessed of by the other. Chatterton now and again
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 99 
 
 glanced at the straight, strong, determined-looking 
 man by her side, vainly striving to frame into lan- 
 guage a warning she wished to give him, all the time 
 vaguely conscious that he was to go away the follow- 
 ing day and that with him would go from her young 
 life a certain sense of restfulness and support. The 
 idea that the strength, the moral support, was to her 
 more than a thing to be admired and prized in the 
 abstract, or that this crossing of their paths in life 
 was more than an incident, did not enter her con- 
 sciousness. Her pride made her slow to realize that 
 emotion- which the gentler side of her nature, if un- 
 trammeled, would have been quick to discern. 
 
 He was meanwhile thinking of both Chatterton 
 the woman and Chatterton the estate. As to the 
 latter, he had made a fool of himself, so he expressed 
 it to himself, and as to the former he recognized that 
 his feelings were undergoing a change. So long as 
 the look of discontent had remained to mar her other- 
 wise lovely face he had regarded her as a spoiled 
 child, a willful woman, an unreasonable human being. 
 But since this look had disappeared, only to show 
 itself at moments, as a transient April shower may 
 sweep over the face of nature leaving it more beautiful 
 than before, he had become conscious of growing re- 
 spect, not so much perhaps because of the prominence 
 of any one cardinal virtue as because of the evidence 
 of noble possibilities. He found himself pitying her. 
 It really seemed too bad that a character capable of a 
 large range should be destined to languish in this 
 restricted field. She was sure to have her spirit 
 crushed and her heart broken in the vain endeavor to 
 extract the blood of true sympathy from the stones
 
 100 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 with which she was surrounded. And what could the 
 end be other than spiritual deterioration when this 
 inevitable result should force her to misconstrue its 
 lesson and should persuade her that the fault had 
 been in her own super-romantic expectation! Our 
 " world " he argued, lies in our immediate surround- 
 ings, be they noble or the reverse. Who composed 
 her "world"? A silly, selfish mother ; a wild, undis- 
 ciplined, erratic, irresponsible lover ; friends apathetic, 
 or crushed and broken on the cruel wheel of pov- 
 erty : where could she turn to find confirmation of any 
 but the most dispiriting theories ! 
 
 He was so occupied with these reflections that he 
 was startled when she addressed him, the more so as 
 her words seemed an answer to his thoughts. 
 
 "I know, Mr. Perry, that our people here are 
 crushed and spiritless ; that they sit amid the ashes of 
 dead hopes and make no effort to rekindle them. If 
 this is evident to me, how much more must it impress 
 a stranger ! But let me assure you that things are not 
 as bad as they seem. The young men, the men of the 
 rising generation, are active. Look at the new South 
 they are building up in the mining regions of Alabama 
 and Georgia. The men you have to-day seen are too 
 old to change, or else are chained to the wheel of 
 routine duty. Are you quite sure you do them 
 justice?" 
 
 He turned on her his frank, manly face, as he 
 answered: " Have I accused them? " 
 
 "Not in words ; but you looked disapproval." 
 He smiled. " You are a keen observer." 
 She had a formal, old-fashioned way of expressing 
 herself which was very charming to Perry, and the
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 1Q1 
 
 mannerism lost nothing from the fact that her low, 
 musical voice had the soft, caressing intonation of 
 the South. Even the provincial elision seemed rhyth- 
 mic when issuing from her lips. And now these lips 
 were trembling with earnestness. 
 
 "They have lost everything, remember slaves, 
 wealth, comrades, cause, and country ; are you sur- 
 prised that they let hope go, too ? " 
 
 "Frankly, yes, I am surprised. Twenty years and 
 more have gone by since the war, and the past has 
 buried its dead. Besides, you know, they have cot 
 lost their country. It is as much theirs as ever it was 
 or could have been. I fear they are too fond of their 
 misery for it to be as unbearable as they make them- 
 selves believe." 
 
 She partly agreed with him, and yet she had to 
 bite her lip to repress a sharp retort. Two days ago 
 she would have made no effort at such repression. 
 Somehow she had changed. With increased respect 
 for the man beside her had come increased respect for 
 his opinions. But still she had not reached the point 
 of overt concurrence with views so diametrically 
 opposed to her training. 
 
 Not being answered, Perry continued : " I fear the 
 luxury of woe has become ineradicable with them. 
 They certainly appear hopeless." 
 
 " Or else, in a few cases, too hopeful," she an- 
 swered hurriedly, finding an opening she had sought 
 for ever since they had left her home, "and, like my 
 dear father, prone to anticipate success too confidently. 
 Since this morning, Mr. Perry, I have wished for a 
 chance to speak with you upon a subject which is 
 very near my heart. In fact," turning her head a
 
 102 -A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 little away from him, "it was for this that I under- 
 took to pilot you to the court-house. You are about 
 to submit to Cousin William the several offers my 
 father has made for the old place. "Were I as confi- 
 dent of the success of the new inventions as are the 
 others of my family, I should heartily share with them 
 in the general rejoicing. My dear father," and her 
 flushed, tearful face was turned toward her companion, 
 "is so wrapped up in his visionary life that he has 
 lost somewhat his old force of judgment and clearness 
 of discernment. He has lived so long surrounded by 
 the ideal that the real is vague to him. Wonderful as 
 his inventions undoubtedly are, none of them have 
 been subjected to a crucial test. How can we know, 
 therefore, that this last discovery will actually accom- 
 plish the purpose which he expects of it ? I feel it 
 my duty to say this to you so that you may neither be 
 overconfident yourself nor imbue Cousin William 
 with the same dangerous assurance." 
 
 Had she not been so serious, had he not realized 
 that she was heroically facing a painful duty, he 
 would have been unable to repress a smile. As it was, 
 he was very serious indeed as he answered : 
 
 "Your cousin, Miss Chester, will accept none of 
 your father's offers. Of this I am quite confident. I 
 speak to you frankly, because you have done me the 
 honor to be frank with me. I need not tell you, I 
 trust, that I shall in no way advise Mr. Chatterton, 
 but will place the matter before him and then leave 
 him unbiassed as far as I am concerned. I feel quite 
 confident, however, that he will refuse each and all of 
 the offers." 
 
 "I sincerely trust he will."
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 1Q3 
 
 Perry understood this; still he said, "And yet 
 you love the old place ? " 
 
 " I love it dearly ; but, Mr. Perry, I love our in- 
 dependence still more. If Cousin "William should 
 accept any of the offers, and, years hence, even, have 
 reason to regret his decision, I should die of mortifi- 
 cation." 
 
 Felix had often heard young girls state circum- 
 stances which, if realized, would make them die of 
 "mortification," or "regret," or "anger," and had 
 grown rather callous to the danger of untimely death 
 which threatened the fair martyrs ; but now, some- 
 how, he was almost inclined to believe the fiery young 
 creature by his side. 
 
 After a short pause he said : "I am sensible of 
 a feeling of real regret that you all " he rather 
 astonished himself by this easy adoption of the local 
 idiom "will forever associate me with the un- 
 pleasant part of my mission, while I, on the contrary, 
 will carry about with me only the most delightful 
 memories of your kindness. I shall never forget that 
 I have been the innocent cause of much trouble to 
 you and yours." 
 
 He was endeavoring to draw her away from more 
 painful thoughts. He must have been successful, for 
 she smiled as she answered : 
 
 " You certainly are the victim of morbid casuistry. 
 The same argument carried to a logical conclusion 
 would implicate Adam." 
 
 It was a good thing to ride " under the greenwood 
 tree," to laugh and to talk and to look into the sym- 
 pathetic face of a lovely woman ; and Perry felt it to 
 be good. Therefore it was with considerable eager-
 
 104: A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 ness that, on reaching the ford, he pointed out that 
 the water was quite up to "the old white stump on 
 the north shore," and argued that common prudence, 
 and the General's strict injunction, demanded that 
 they should return to the manor by the more circu- 
 itous way of the bridge. 
 
 Well, this especial ride was no exception to the 
 undeviating rule in mundane things it came to an 
 end. They had talked of a hundred things, some 
 grave, some gay, and had learned much more of one 
 another than they had known before, but one subject 
 had remained untouched upon the extraordinary 
 scene of the night before. For all each could tell 
 from the manner of the other, it was forgotten, though 
 each well knew it was not. 
 
 By one of those accidents which sometimes happen 
 in even the worst regulated families, the evening 
 meal at Chatterton was ready by seven o'clock, and 
 "dinner" was announced with even more than the 
 usual formality. Mrs. Chester adorned the board 
 with her presence, and was affable and gracious 
 with the serenity of spirit which comes from the 
 contemplation of un tellable thousands in posse. She 
 could talk of nothing but their prospective wealth, 
 and grew eloquent over the improvements which 
 would be made in house and grounds, and pathetic 
 over the cottages which were to be erected for " the 
 tenantry." 
 
 The General was decked out for the festive occa- 
 sion ; his usual homespun coat having been exchanged 
 for decorous black. Evidence was not lacking that 
 the meal was intended as a ratification of the* compact 
 which this amiable couple appeared to think had been
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 105 
 
 virtually entered into between themselves and the 
 "Pretender." 
 
 Chatterton sat silent through her mother's mono- 
 logue. Since she had been assured that the chances 
 were decidedly against her cousin's accepting the 
 offers which were to be transmitted to him, she could 
 listen to the extravagant Spanish-castle building free 
 of all fear, and troubled only with mortification at 
 her mother's grandiloquence. 
 
 Atherton was not present. Indeed, his name was 
 not even mentioned. His coming and going were 
 absolutely erratic, and being an unknown quantity, 
 no one sought his equation. Bud was preoccupied 
 and silent, and occasionally cast anxious glances at 
 Perry. 
 
 After dinner Felix was taken to the laboratory, 
 and had the working of the new motor explained to 
 him. Strange to say, he was fascinated. Notwith- 
 standing Chatterton's warning, notwithstanding his 
 growing skepticism in the General's scope in practical 
 matters, he could not help feeling a stirring of enthu- 
 siasm. What if it should turn out to be all that the 
 inventor claimed for it ! Little wonder that Perry was 
 beguiled ; for, added to the typical plausibility of the 
 thorough -paced inventor, the General had a calm 
 reliance on himself, a superb trust in his own genius, 
 which was convincing. Napoleon at Austerlitz, Wel- 
 lington at Waterloo, or Nelson at Trafalgar, were not 
 more victorious than he. 
 
 Perry, however, had a violent return of skepticism 
 when he left the theoretic consideration of the machine 
 and asked to have its functions practically demonstrat- 
 ed, for the General did not indulge this not unnat-
 
 106 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 ural request. On the contrary, he smiled, but shook 
 his head, as he explained that at least one link in the 
 chain must remain the exclusive property of the in- 
 ventor ; and that in the present case he wished to be 
 able to say to too inquisitive would-be investors that 
 none knew the secret but himself, and none need 
 know it, as all subscriptions would be accepted sub- 
 ject to future practical demonstration of the capability 
 of the invention to creditably fill its role. "Besides 
 which," continued the old gentleman, modestly, 
 " there are some slight details yet unperfected," quite 
 conveying the idea that it was but the matter of a few 
 hours and a screw-driver. 
 
 Later in the evening Ohatterton and Perry were 
 again alone on the porch. They talked with that un- 
 reserve which is so delicious when acquaintance has 
 developed into friendship, and friendship hesitates 
 upon the brink of love. 
 
 They conversed on rather serious subjects, as con- 
 versation will sober when an unwelcome parting is 
 imminent. Perry begged that their acquaintance 
 might not end there ; for his part, he would look for- 
 ward to an early meeting. Of course, this was neces- 
 sarily vague, but they were both of them young and 
 hopeful, and nothing desirable seemed impossible. 
 
 Chatterton had listened silently while he expressed 
 his intention of returning " some day " ; but Perry 
 was satisfied notwithstanding the silence, for the 
 chord of true sympathy does not exclusively depend 
 upon verbal expression of its vibrations. 
 
 The last, lingering " good-night" having been 
 spoken, Felix went to his room and leisurely pre- 
 pared for his coming journey. He methodically col-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 107 
 
 lected his papers and letters to pack them in his 
 trunk where was the duplicate tax-bill ? Surely he 
 had, immediately on returning from the court-house, 
 placed it in the drawer of the old-fashioned, carved, 
 rickety writing-desk which stood by the window ! 
 
 This desk was a curious contrivance. Its high and 
 otherwise useless back boasted but one drawer ; here 
 Perry had kept his papers during his stay at Chatter- 
 ton. Under this drawer was a carved shell, and un- 
 der that, again, a recess wherein were kept the ink 
 and pens, which the carefulness of some one pre- 
 sumably Bud had provided for his use. Perry pulled 
 vigorously at the drawer, thinking that possibly the 
 missing paper had fallen behind it, but it would not 
 come out entirely. 
 
 Peering inside, he thought he saw, protruding 
 over the back of the drawer, a corner of the missing 
 paper. He tried to reach it, but the aperture was not 
 large enough to admit his hand. Then, mechanically, 
 as one is apt to under like circumstances, not know- 
 ing what else to do, he passed his hand into the open- 
 ing under the shell nothing. 
 
 However, in withdrawing his hand, he distinctly 
 felt the bottom part of the shell move ; no doubt, time 
 had loosened it. If he could remove this piece of 
 carving might not it uncover an empty space under 
 the drawer, and enable him to reach the mutinous 
 paper ? One vigorous pull showed him, to his sur- 
 prise, that the shell had not been loosened by time, 
 but was the front of a drawer. There, provokingly 
 curled up and with one corner still held by the other 
 drawer, lay the document which had caused him all 
 the trouble. In a moment he was in possession of the
 
 108 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 paper, and was about closing the compartment when 
 his eyes rested on a bundle of letters. 
 
 Little wonder he stood dumbfounded ; little won- 
 der he passed his hand dazedly over his forehead. 
 There, tied up with a small package of faded, dusty 
 letters, was the photograph of the woman he had once 
 loved Barbara ! 
 
 What did it mean ! There could be no possible 
 doubt as to the likeness, for had not he once owned 
 its duplicate ? Was it possible that, having learned 
 of this incident in his early life, Atherton Leigh, to 
 revenge himself, had but no, the idea was absurd ! 
 
 He must have the mystery explained to-night ! 
 
 He hurriedly descended the stairs, the photograph 
 in his hand. 
 
 There was no one in the drawing-room, although 
 the lamp had not been extinguished. Hearing light 
 foot-falls on the porch, he went to the front door 
 yes, there, in the shaft of bright light which streamed 
 from the window, stood Chatterton. 
 
 " Oh, it is you, Mr. Perry you quite startled me ! 
 Have you too been tempted by the lovely night ? It 
 really seems profanation to be in the house." then, 
 perceiving his white, perplexed face, she hurriedly 
 added, " Is anything wrong ? " 
 
 " I I have made a surprising discovery. In look- 
 ing for a missing paper I accidentally opened a secret 
 drawer of the writing-desk in my room, and found in 
 it the portrait of the woman I was to have married. 
 Is it possible that you knew her ? " and he handed 
 her the photograph. 
 
 Wonderingly, she took it from his hand, and turned 
 toward the light.
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 1Q9 
 
 No sooner did her eyes rest upon the likeness than, 
 with an exclamation of surprise, she bent hastily over 
 it ; then, straightening herself, she said, in a yoice 
 trembling with excitement : " There is some mis- 
 take here. You have given me the wrong photo- 
 graph ! " 
 
 "No," he said simply, the look of bewilderment 
 still on his face. 
 
 " I tell you there is a mistake ! " she cried. " Do 
 not attempt to deceive me. By some means you have 
 obtained possession of this likeness and are basely 
 using it to force our secret from us ! " 
 
 " You are strangely deceived, Miss Chester ; the 
 portrait is " 
 
 She interrupted him wildly : " This woman is not 
 dead, and you know it ! She is alive. Her name is 
 Barbara. She married my brother, and is the mother 
 of our Reginald ! " 
 
 She stood erect and defiant before him, her eyes 
 ablaze with anger. 
 
 After a moment in which to recover from his 
 amazement, Felix spoke to her. His voice was low 
 but firm, his whole bearing dignified and impressive : 
 " The portrait you hold in your hand, Miss Chester, 
 is the likeness of the woman I was to have married. 
 Her name was Barbara, but the man she married was 
 named Armitage. If you still doubt my assertion as 
 to how it happens you find me in possession of this 
 photograph, send to my room. There will be found 
 the secret drawer, open, as I have told you." 
 
 Her eyes were still upon him. It seemed as if she 
 would read his very soul. The bright moonlight 
 must have revealed to her fixed gaze ample evidence
 
 HO A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 of his truthfulness, for, without warning, she sank 
 into a chair and burst into a passion of tears. 
 
 Ferry was greatly distressed. Even his astonish- 
 ment and indignation gave place to a feeling of pity. 
 Still, he wisely forebore consolation. By-and-by the 
 sobbing ceased, but she sat motionless, her face 
 in her hands. Perry walked to the edge of the porch, 
 and stood there gazing on the moon-glorified scene. 
 How mysterious it all seemed. There was no sound 
 to be heard save the far-off baying of a hound ; soon 
 this, too, ceased, and everything was still. 
 
 He did not know what to think. Was he about 
 to hear some startling revelation ? What did this girl 
 mean by her wild assertion that Barbara was alive ? 
 
 " Mr. Perry ! " 
 
 In an instant he was at her side. She continued, 
 falteringly : " I I am ashamed. I I beg your par- 
 don. I see it all now, and will explain. But oh, can 
 I ever look up again ! " 
 
 " Do not reproach yourself, Miss Chester. Under 
 the pressure of excitement one is not expected to 
 weigh words." 
 
 She slowly rose from the chair. " You are gen- 
 erous," she said, " and your generosity is a reproach 
 to me." She leaned against a pillar of the porch, and 
 covered her face with her hands. 
 
 " Pray do not say another word." 
 
 "I must at least explain," she answered, " even if 
 you are too noble to allow me to reproach myself." 
 
 " Please explain nothing ; do not harrow your 
 feelings." 
 
 But she would not be quieted, and he was forced 
 to yield. Brokenly and painfully she began her re-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 cital, lifting her head from her hand, and forcing her- 
 self to look at him : " The man who married Barbara 
 Hastings was my brother. He " she turned away her 
 face in very shame " he married her under the name 
 of Armitage, assumed because because in marrying 
 her he was committing a crime !" Here she broke 
 down completely. Again he urged her not to pro- 
 ceed, but she motioned him to be silent, and con- 
 tinued : "He died within a month of his elopement 
 with Barbara ; " again she paused, then resumed, in 
 an almost inaudible voice " he was killed in a duel." 
 
 One question was hovering on his lips, and yet he 
 would not ask it. She seemed, however, to divine 
 his thoughts, for she nerved herself to new effort, and 
 said : " I now see the strange, the almost incredible 
 coincidence which led to the misunderstanding and 
 to my unjust suspicion. The room you occupy was 
 my brother's. My mother must have thought it the 
 safest place for her dead boy's treasures.'*' Her voice 
 was pitifully weak and tremulous, and she gasped for 
 breath. After a pause, in which to somewhat recover 
 her composure, she again spoke : " The man who 
 robbed you of your intended bride is dead, but 
 Mr. Perry, nothing but your generosity and my de- 
 termination to deserve it would wrench the secret 
 from me Barbara did not die. She lives, but lives 
 a wretched, hopeless, darkened life, from which noth- 
 ing but death can free her. She lives a living death, 
 and my brother was the cause of it ! " 
 
 Then she turned and slowly left him standing 
 there in the summer night, the shock of a great sur- 
 prise heavy upon him. An hour later found him still 
 on the porch.
 
 112 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 What he had heard certainly furnished food for 
 thought. Barbara deceived by. the mau for whom 
 she had deceived him ; Barbara the mother of Regi- 
 nald, and, most pitiable thought, Barbara a mental 
 wreck ! Of course she was dead to him, still she had 
 once filled his mind and his heart ; had once been 
 the one woman of all the world ! To such a one, even 
 in her decadence, self-love is apt to accord a certain 
 consideration, on the principle, perhaps, of "once a 
 king always a king," be he as throneless, homeless, 
 and harmless as poor Lear. 
 
 For a long time he could dwell upon nothing but 
 the awful retribution that had so soon followed on 
 her sin. A far too heavy puishment, he told him- 
 self ; for he remembered, with a surge of pity welling 
 from his heart, that she had grown up wild and un- 
 disciplined. 
 
 After a while, however, his mind reverted to the 
 still unexplained points in this strange, sad history. 
 These gradually resolved themselves into one absorb- 
 ing question : if Reggy was poor Barbara's son, how 
 could the child be Bud Hetherinton's brother ? He 
 tried to find an answer to this in the general disre- 
 gard of relevancy in the use of titles by the denizens 
 of Chatterton, but even the recollection of some re- 
 markable proofs of this irrelevance did not seem to 
 justify Bud's voluntary assertion that the child was 
 her brother, if in fact he was not. As to the crime 
 committed by the man who had supplanted him in 
 Barbara's affections, he was not in doubt ; it was big- 
 amy. Chatterton Chester's words could bear no other 
 construction. The duel, and its fatal results ? That, 
 no doubt, grew out of the crime. Some relative of
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. H3 
 
 the deceived wife, most likely, had avenged her. The 
 rest was easy of explanation. Discovery of her sup- 
 posed husband's crime and his tragic death had un- 
 hinged the poor girl's mind, and left her in her pres- 
 ent pitiable condition. For the Chesters to allow the 
 report of her death to pass current, therefore, was not 
 unnatural on the part of those who " lived, breathed, 
 and had their being " steeped in family pride. And 
 her child, what a dreadful heritage was his ! Name- 
 less, orphaned, and with that taint in his blood ! 
 Better that he should die before the sins of the father 
 could blight his happiness, and the madness of the 
 mother fill him with a haunting dread. 
 
 And yet strange tyranny of the heart these dis- 
 tressing and puzzling thoughts did not long absorb 
 his consciousness. No, a vision supplanted them ; 
 the face of a woman, passionate and willful to be sure, 
 but a face which he had seen made beautiful beauti- 
 ful both when ablaze with anger and when penitential 
 with tears the face of the woman he loved. 
 
 Yes, he now confessed it unreservedly ; standing 
 just outside the shadow of the past and within the 
 first streak of dawn of a new hope. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 PERRY, preferring to walk through the delicious, 
 early morning air to rumbling over the uneven roads 
 in the Chester carriage, left Chatterton Hall on foot 
 for Braddox Station on the morning after the events 
 last related. 
 8
 
 114: A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 The leave-takings had been characteristic. 
 
 Mrs. Chester was more of an invalid than ever, 
 and consequently more pathetic about herself. The 
 exertion of the day before had shattered her nerves ; 
 she was suffering agony, but, martyr-like, would not 
 complain. No, for the beloved patriarchal acres she 
 would go to the stake ! 
 
 The General was evidently the victim of high- 
 pressure brain-work, and was unusually silent. The 
 invalid confided to Perry's sympathetic ear that the 
 inventor had passed the night in his laboratory, test- 
 ing "an inspiration" which had come to him "with 
 almost a shock." Mr. Perry, of course, would not 
 refer to it to any one save to Cousin William, there- 
 fore the partner of the joys and sorrows, the labors 
 and the triumphs of this wonderful genius would lift 
 a corner of the veil which shrouded this stupendous 
 secret. The new discovery consisted of a process by 
 which clouds were to be gathered chemically and 
 precipitated artificially upon arid wastes ! 
 
 She was quite willing to admit that the invention 
 was not yet perfected. No doubt some envious per- 
 sons would think the conception itself visionary ; but 
 if, she would like to know, a little oil would calm an 
 angry ocean, why need this greater idea be deemed 
 chimerical ! This she evidently considered an un- 
 answerable analogical conclusion. 
 
 "Ah, Mr. Perry," she added, "we were much 
 too liberal in our offers to my kinsman. Still, we 
 take nothing back ; nothing whatsoever ! " 
 
 The busy little housekeeper, Bud, bade the lawyer 
 adieu with demure earnestness. Even Reggy helped 
 to speed the parting guest, and did it with high ac-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. H5 
 
 claim ; for was not he to be driven by Dandy over to the 
 station, perched on "de gemlum's trunk all de way," 
 as Dandy graphically expressed it, seeking to add the 
 element of pleasurable anticipation to the child's 
 unusual treat. 
 
 And finally, Chatterton. Hers was the last face 
 he saw as he reluctantly turned the corner of the 
 woods which hid the old house from view. Her part- 
 ing words were almost the same with which she had 
 accosted him at their first meeting a warning as to 
 the broken porch-plank ; very necessary now, else he 
 certainly would have stumbled into the hole, his eyes 
 and attention being otherwise engaged. 
 
 And now he was again alone on the road. There 
 in the landscape were the rather depressing physical 
 features he had noticed ten days before. Ten days ! 
 Surely there must be some mistake ; surely it must 
 have been longer. No ; he was very apt to quote the 
 truthfulness of figures, and this equation was too sim- 
 ple to admit of mistake. 
 
 There was the tree under which he had seen old 
 Uncle Silas ; there the eminence from which he had 
 reconnoitered. All were unchanged. But he ? Yes, 
 he was changed, he realized ; if in nothing more than 
 a deepening of the color and sentiment of existence, 
 at least markedly in this. 
 
 Thus in contemplation, but not whistling as when 
 first he traversed this same road, Perry pursued his 
 way. 
 
 Presently his musings were interrupted by the 
 measured cadence of a horse's foot-beats. Upon look- 
 ing back he recognized the rider to be Atherton. 
 On overtaking him, Leigh sprang to the ground,
 
 116 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 and, passing the rein through his arm, confronted 
 Perry. 
 
 To the lawyer's greeting the young man made a 
 surly reply, completely ignoring the welcoming, out- 
 stretched hand. Perry smiled good - naturedly ; he 
 had learned to lay little stress upon the other's moods. 
 
 After a moment's silence Atherton said: "Are 
 you intending to return here ? " 
 
 "Do you mean immediately ?" 
 
 "Ever." 
 
 "Ever is a long time, friend Leigh." 
 
 "Mr. Leigh, if you please." 
 
 Felix looked up in astonishment. Not yet did he 
 realize that the other was seeking a quarrel. He 
 merely wondered why the youth had joined him if 
 this was to be the tone of their intercourse. 
 
 " You are suddenly sensitive, Mr. Leigh ; I but 
 follow your lead." 
 
 " When I addressed you less formally we were on 
 a different footing." 
 
 " And what, pray, is the present footing ? " 
 
 "Inimical, as you well know." 
 
 Perry glanced sternly at his companion, and now 
 noticed that he was deadly pale and laboring under 
 stress of great excitement. 
 
 "Come, come, young man, I have no desire to 
 quarrel ; but I warn you that my patience has its 
 limits." 
 
 "Indeed !" cried the other, his face a shade more 
 ghastly than before, " that suits my purpose admi- 
 rably I feared having to do some prodding to force 
 your courage to the sticking-point. I am here, sir, 
 to demand that you give me your word never again to
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. H7 
 
 return and in no way to communicate with General 
 Chester's family." 
 
 "And if I refuse this very reasonable demand ?" 
 
 "Then you must take the consequences." 
 
 "And they are ?" 
 
 "That I shall demand instant satisfaction." 
 
 " Indeed ! And do you suppose, Sir Bombastes, 
 that I will give the pledge ? " 
 
 " Take care how you taunt me ! My temper is 
 not well under control at the best of times ; now it is 
 less so than usual. I am not the fortunate possessor 
 of your marvelous, but prudent, self-command." 
 
 Perry was at a loss how to deal with this fire-eater. 
 It was useless to attempt to appease him, since it 
 would only rouse him to unbearable abuse. To bandy 
 words was undignified ; to quarrel seriously, ridicu- 
 lous. For a brief moment he thought of inflicting 
 personal chastisement, but wisely determined to re- 
 serve this extreme measure as a last resort." 
 
 "Come, Mr. Leigh," he said, "let us have no 
 more of this. Of course your demand is absurd. My 
 conduct and movements are controlled only by my 
 will. I have done nothing to give you just cause for 
 offense, and certainly refuse to give you satisfaction 
 for an imaginary injury." 
 
 " You have, sir, come between me and my pleas- 
 ure ; that is affront enough." 
 
 Perry burst into a hearty laugh. 
 
 At its first note Atherton sprang back, disengaged 
 his arm from the rein, and dragged from his pocket 
 two small dueling-pistols. 
 
 " There, sir," his voice fairly quivering with ex- 
 citement, "choose."
 
 118 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 "Thank you, no," said Perry, calmly. 
 
 "You will not?" 
 
 "No, I will not. Your insane proposition is not 
 worthy of serious consideration." 
 
 " Do you wish me to brand you a coward ?" 
 
 " If you like, since that will not prove me 
 one." 
 
 " Are you absolutely impervious to insult ? If 
 you are not to be goaded into giving me the satisfac- 
 tion due from one gentleman to another, I will try if 
 you can not be brought to bay." 
 
 As he said these words, Atherton threw one of the 
 pistols to the ground in front of Felix, and, taking a 
 couple of backward steps, exclaimed from between 
 ashen lips and through clinched teeth : "Defend 
 yourself or I will shoot you down like a dog ! " 
 
 Felix straightened himself to his full height. 
 "Then shoot," he cried, "if you are coward enough 
 to do it ! " 
 
 The moment was certainly a trying one ; the fren- 
 zied man seemed capable of murder. Still, Perry 
 would not defend himself. At least he would be free 
 of the blood of this madman. 
 
 A lingering sense of justice, a shrinking from 
 shooting an unarmed man, or else admiration for the 
 other's cool courage, seemed to arrest Atherton's pur- 
 pose, for he slowly lowered his weapon, rather stag- 
 gered than walked to a neighboring tree, and leaned 
 against it, panting, his face averted. 
 
 Instantly recovering his composure, Perry lifted 
 the pistol from the ground and removed the cap. 
 Then without a word he took from Leigh's relaxed 
 fingers the other pistol and treated it in like manner.
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 119 
 
 Then he handed the weapons to Atherton, who, bare- 
 ly turning his head, clasped them in his hand. 
 
 There was a moment's pause. The horse lifted 
 his head from the scant grass which he had been nib- 
 bling, but, seeing that nothing was to be demanded of 
 him, returned to his grazing. 
 
 At length Perry broke the silence. "Before I 
 leave I demand satisfaction of you. "Why did you 
 pursue me what have I done to injure you ?" 
 
 His companion turned a white face slowly upon 
 him. "You have affected the whole course of my 
 life," he cried, brokenly, physically as well as mental- 
 ly relaxed by the reaction from excitement. " We 
 were all happy and contented till you came among 
 us." 
 
 "I ! Why, what have I done? How have I af- 
 fected your happiness ? " 
 
 "You changed them all toward me !" 
 
 " That is absurd. The fancy has "sprung from 
 your morbid imagination. And was it for this imag- 
 inary injury you wished to kill me ? " 
 
 "Yes," answered Atherton, defiantly. 
 
 " I can not credit it ! There must have been 
 some other motive." 
 
 "There was," cried Leigh, "but I do not admit 
 your right to demand it." 
 
 "And so, I was to have been killed because of an 
 offense the nature of which I have no right to ask ; or 
 else have killed you, and never known why ? " 
 
 ''The assurance that an offense had been given 
 should be sufficient to compel you to grant me satis- 
 faction." 
 
 " But where is the satisfaction ? What would be
 
 120 -4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 proved ? You say I have disturbed your relations 
 with the family at Chatterton ; suppose you had shot 
 me, would that have reinstated you in their good 
 graces ? If so, it argues an odd social condition. If, 
 on the other hand, I had killed you it is difficult to 
 see how that would have helped you. It is a queer 
 perversion of terms to call that * giving satisfaction.' " 
 
 "I do not argue, I act." 
 
 " I can honestly testify to the correctness of that 
 statement. But, come, let us make an end of this. 
 If you will tell me in what I have offended I may be 
 able to explain the misconception under which you are 
 laboring." 
 
 " Promise me you will not return here again, and 
 I will tell you all." 
 
 " We have gone once completely around that circle. 
 Come, let us keep within rational bounds." 
 
 " Beware, sir ! I am putting great restraint upon 
 myself ; do not press me too hard." 
 
 "Heaven forbid that I should interfere with so 
 laudable and so unusual an effort ! Still, I feel as if I 
 had the right to know your grievance, since on its ac- 
 count I have been within an inch of being murdered." 
 
 " Murdered ! " 
 
 "Yes, murdered. What do you call it, a chival- 
 rous jealousy of honor ? Such chivalry as that is a 
 disgrace to civilization ! Do not interrupt me," see- 
 ing that the other was about to speak, " you are no't 
 compelled to defend so monstrous a perversion of 
 1 honor.'" 
 
 "Take care ! " cried Atherton ; " I am ready to 
 make allowance for excitement, and even some indig- 
 nation on your part, but I can not grant you too much
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 121 
 
 latitude on that account. I shall resent further 
 criticism." 
 
 " Do you intend to tell me the cause of your as- 
 sault ? " queried Perry, impatiently. 
 
 Atherton visibly hesitated. Still he answered : 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Very well, then I am off. Only, as you are the 
 cause of a delay through which I may miss my train, 
 your horse must carry me. I will leave him with 
 Dandy, at the station." 
 
 And Felix, approaching the animal, deliberately 
 adjusted the reins and mounted into the saddle. He 
 expected a not overgentle remonstrance from Ather- 
 ton ; but, to his surprise, none was made. He was 
 about to ride off when Leigh detained him. 
 
 " I confess to having, in one respect, done you an 
 injustice ; you are not a coward. " 
 
 Perry was looking down on the young man. Not- 
 withstanding the other's absurdity, folly, and, gener- 
 ally, total lack of moral qualities, he could not but 
 admire the physical beauty and be attracted even 
 against his better judgment by Leigh's wild, semi- 
 barbaric impulsiveness. 
 
 " That recognition," he said, " though coming a 
 little late, enables us to part more amicably than 
 seemed likely a few moments ago. You permit me 
 to take your horse ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes ; turn him loose at the station ; he 
 knows the way home." And then, after a moment's 
 pause, and while Felix was gathering up the reins : 
 " After all, I will tell you my reason for having wished 
 to kill you, trusting on your honor not to repeat it." 
 He folded his arms, and with the color slowly mount-
 
 122 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 ing to his forehead, continued : " But first hear why I 
 have changed my purpose ; it is that if hereafter at 
 any time fate should throw you with General Chester's 
 family you will refrain from such attentions to Miss 
 Chester as you have recently allowed yourself." 
 
 "Take care, we are dangerously near debatable 
 ground." 
 
 " We will, if you please, treat the matter seriously." 
 
 "Do you suppose I am in a humor for jesting ! 
 How often must I tell you your manner and tone are 
 objectionable ! Once for all, I brook no interference 
 with my affairs," and he drove his heels into the 
 horse's flanks. 
 
 Pale with anger, Atherton seized the reins. " You 
 shall hear me. And, what is more, you shall respect 
 my wishes in this matter. Know, sir, that not only 
 do I represent myself in making this demand, but that 
 I represent the lady, too. I occupy a position which 
 even you will not challenge Miss Chester is my affi- 
 anced wife." 
 
 There was a moment's pause. Then, without a 
 word, Perry again urged forward the horse, and pressed 
 on toward the station. 
 
 Atherton Leigh's promised wife ! What, Chatter- 
 ton the proud, haughty Chatterton in love with this 
 weather-cock ! Suddenly he paused in the impetuous 
 rush of his resentment was she in love with the boy ? 
 Had not Atherton himself accused him of alienating 
 the others ; which, of course, meant Chatterton ? Did 
 not the well-remembered scene of the porch, when 
 Leigh dashed the chair to the floor, imply present 
 indifference to the young man, even while it testified 
 to the truth of his assertion of an anterior engagement ?
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 123 
 
 And yet, to Perry there was small consolation in this 
 mental change of base, for what must he not think of 
 a woman who could so lightly love, and so lightly cast 
 away ! Then he recalled a remark made by Bud; 
 she had said that in the South engagements were 
 lightly regarded ; that often a Southern girl was 
 engaged to four or five men in turn, before she ul- 
 timately married. Could it be possible that Chatter- 
 ton Chester had allowed herself to follow so barbarous 
 an example ? It seemed incredible ! Her pride, her 
 haughtiness (amounting almost to a serious fault) the 
 delicacy with which he had credited her all cried out 
 that the thing was impossible. And yet, Atherton's 
 words and the trustworthiness of circumstances, and 
 his own painful experience showed how false may be 
 mere outward indications of a woman's excellence ! 
 
 Do not blame him for an overhasty conclusion. 
 Remember that the blighting heritage of the once 
 deceived is mistrust. 
 
 What could it matter to him even if it were to be 
 proved that Atherton's jealousy was well founded, and 
 that in the nascent knowledge of what true manly 
 strength and dignity meant, Chatterton had recog- 
 nized that hitherto she had been mistaken in suppos- 
 ing she loved ? Nothing ! 
 
 No, the dream was over ; and now to return to the 
 work-a-day world. Thus he argued to himself. As 
 far as the girl herself was concerned, of course, it was 
 a great pity. But just then he was more occupied with 
 self-pity, justified by what he deemed that very right- 
 eous law as to self-protection having a prior claim. 
 
 His last glimpse of Braddox Station remained long 
 after in Perry's memory. It had a trick of recurring
 
 -4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 at odd and totally irrelevant moments to puzzle him 
 as to the mental connection. Yet the vignette was 
 common-place enough. The rickety " Station " ; the 
 butternut-clad native ; Atherton's patient horse re- 
 turning alone to his master ; Dandy holding aloft the 
 enthusiastic Reggy ; the antediluvian wagon, with its 
 pensive horse and the pack-thread harness these, with 
 the golden background of a June day, constituted the 
 picture. 
 
 Then the train which was hurrying Felix from the 
 hospitable, out-at-elbow, irrelevant, sympathetic South 
 to the cold, practical, industrious, logical North, 
 turned an abrupt curve, and Perry at the same mo- 
 ment turned over one more page in the volume of his 
 life. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Two months had passed since Perry's return from 
 Virginia. Leaden months, although laden with rou- 
 tine business, for DodrufE and Pringle were both off 
 on their annual vacation. 
 
 June's roses had budded, blown, and withered, and 
 July's fields had yellowed to the harvest. Now Au- 
 gust was in possession of the world and was diligently 
 burning it crisp and dry with her pitiless sun. Every 
 one was out of town ; that is, only a million or so of 
 persons were left to the mercy of the devitalized air 
 and the red-hot bricks. 
 
 Business went about in scant raiment, carrying a 
 huge fan ; but, of course, there was no help for it, as
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 125 
 
 the wife and daughters must have their dozens of 
 Paris dresses for the Newport and Saratoga campaign. 
 
 Club-men sought shady, embrasured windows and 
 affected cooling potions, the while cursing the evil 
 fortune which bound them, Ixion-like, to their re- 
 spective wheels of torture. 
 
 Felix had received one or two letters from the Gen- 
 eral and many from Mrs. Chester. These were, of 
 course, upon the business with which he seemed now 
 identified. It did not occur to him that the Chesters 
 were using him quite as much as was his client, Mr. 
 Chatterton, and that it was not inconvenient to have 
 an attorney and not have his bill. The thought cer- 
 tainly never came to the General or his wife. " Down 
 there" everything belongs to everybody else, even 
 one's time and brains. However, in justice it must 
 be said that they give quite as cheerfully as they 
 take. 
 
 A bright little epistle had also come from Bud. 
 It contained the united thanks of herself, Reggy, and 
 Dandy for a certain box, packed with souvenirs, which 
 found its way to that secluded spot. Perry won- 
 dered who had carried it over from the "cote-house." 
 It may have been the peddler, it may have been the 
 doctor, or some chance farmer going that way ; and 
 while thus half-smilingly wondering he wished him- 
 self back amid these charming, inconsequential people 
 till he suddenly reminded himself that he had forgot- 
 ten he had turned down that leaf ! 
 
 After some casuistic self-communion he had de- 
 cided that to send a set of Robert Browning's poems 
 to Chatterton need not be held to mean a reperusal of 
 the quitted page, and so the volumes had gone on
 
 126 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 their way. After all, even if the girl had grievously 
 disappointed him that was 110 reason that she should 
 not read Browning. Were the poet reserved exclu- 
 sively for those who are not disappointing, he would 
 have a limited audience, and the great world would be 
 the loser. 
 
 In the course of time a quaintly expressed, rather 
 shy little letter had come to thank him, a letter which 
 caused him more emotion than he liked to confess 
 even to himself. Having argued the head into toler- 
 able discipline he did not relish, this evidence of the 
 insubordination of the heart. 
 
 For a long time he industriously told himself (the 
 iteration evidencing the insistance of determination 
 rather than, that of conviction) that this girl had 
 shown want of right feeling, had been guilty of heart- 
 lessness and fickleness. Even the influence of local 
 custom, he argued, was no excuse unmindful of its 
 marvelous potency. However, as the moons waxed 
 and waned he gradually softened down the rigor of 
 this criticism till only enough remained to sadden him 
 with a sense of disappointment. 
 
 In the first days of his return Perry had experi- 
 enced an odd feeling of bewilderment. It was as if 
 he had slept for many months, only to awaken to find 
 the world had pushed far ahead of his data ; besides 
 this he grew almost to hate the bustle and stir of the 
 great city. Implication governs appreciation ; he was 
 no longer as exclusively a metropolite as formerly. 
 
 Mrs. Denvers and Mrs. PolliveE Jones were at 
 Newport ; Denvers in New York ; Polliver banished 
 to Switzerland. 
 
 Mrs. Underdunk and Mr. Clyde were stopping with
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 127 
 
 a common friend at Bar Harbor. These two certainly 
 earned their salt if the object in inviting them was to 
 entertain the other guests with that attractive, half- 
 cynical, half-indulgent raillery which goes so far to- 
 ward reconciling one to the insincerity of modern so- 
 ciety. 
 
 Mrs. Dare was away also. She was off with old 
 Mr. Bramble on his steam-yacht. There were others 
 of the party, but no evidence that a chaperon had 
 been shipped for the cruise. Still, appearances were 
 preserved, as they cleverly managed to have one in 
 every port. 
 
 " The great Chatterton " was in town and besieged 
 Perry's office almost daily. Nothing definite had been 
 decided about the Virginia estate. As Felix had pre- 
 dicted, all the munificent offers of the Chesters had 
 been at once declined. For a time negotiations had 
 been declared off ; but recently there had been signs 
 of renewed vitality in Braddox County, followed by a 
 new set of propositions, which, however, on closer in- 
 spection proved to be the old ones skillfully disguised. 
 
 These new offers still remained unanswered, not 
 because there had been overt question of accepting 
 them, but because Mr. Chatterton had palpably wav- 
 ered. Observing that the idea of investing in the 
 General's inventions did not now arouse in his client 
 the withering sarcasm with which the first batch of 
 proffers had been greeted, Perry one day said : " Why 
 do not you go yourself to Chatterton ? It can do no 
 harm, and you may, although I am skeptical on this 
 point, reach some satisfactory adjustment." 
 
 " What, I ? Oh, you know, that would never do. 
 We would quarrel the first day."
 
 128 -4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 11 That might in itself accomplish something." 
 
 " Quite true, but there is a possible alternative ; 
 they might wheedle me into buying the patents not 
 patented ? Well, then, the inventions. " 
 
 " They may prove valuable. In the fear of influ- 
 encing you in one direction I may have underrated 
 their importance, and thus erred in the other. If you 
 could bring together a dozen capitalists to hear the 
 General describe his discoveries I think it possible you 
 could organize a stock company ; but first, of course, 
 you must be yourself persuaded of the utility of the 
 inventions. To me the General is positively convinc- 
 ing till he is asked for practical demonstrations ; 
 there he fails. However, this is but an individual 
 opinion." 
 
 But Chatterton shook his head and departed, un- 
 convinced. 
 
 The next day he again returned. The patient 
 Felix arose with a sigh to receive him. A second 
 glance showed Mr. Chatterton to be under stress of a 
 more than ordinary attack of self-importance. Know- 
 ing his man well by this time, Perry made no com- 
 ment, but let him reveal his weighty news in his own 
 way. 
 
 "Do you know, Perry, I have been thinking seri- 
 ously of what you said yesterday ? After all, why 
 may not a few thousands be as safely invested in the 
 General's inventions as in most of the securities one is 
 offered in Wall Street ? If the money should ulti- 
 mately go it would be no killing matter. To offset 
 this chance there is the fascinating possibility of the 
 thousand per centum profit. See what money was 
 made by the original investors in the Bell telephone
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 129 
 
 stock ! I have staked on as unlikely chances in ' the 
 street,' and, as I have said, if in stocks, why not in 
 patents ? Come, go with me to Virginia, and we shall 
 see what we shall see ! " 
 
 For a moment a very small fraction of a moment 
 Perry hesitated. But even in that brief time a pict- 
 ure swept over the disk of his memory a girl ; a 
 vine-clad porch ; a scented June morning then he 
 gathered himself together : " It is out of the question, 
 Mr. Chatterton. My partners are both away ; and, 
 besides, I really could be of no use to you down there. 
 No, go alone ; it is much better so." 
 
 The other laughed a little nervously : "I suppose 
 it is useless to urge you," he said. " Still, to tell the 
 truth, I am a little afraid to go alone. They will be 
 sure to wrest the acres from me my dear, troublesome, 
 prized, patriarchal acres ! But no, I will not give them 
 up. Help me to concoct some device by which I can 
 deal with the Chesters only in regard to the inventions, 
 and yet by which I can relegate the question of event- 
 ual ownership of Chatterton to the misty and unde- 
 fined future." 
 
 "That you will find hard to accomplish." 
 
 " But it must be done. I can not go down there 
 unarmed against their assaults." 
 
 Perry thought a moment, then he said : " You 
 might leave your cousin in possession of the place for 
 one year longer, on some such terms as the following, 
 for instance : You to invest a certain amount in the 
 inventions ; if at the end of the year the investment 
 has paid you a certain stipulated sum, then you to 
 give up Chatterton to the Chesters. If, however, the 
 returns on your investments do not amount to the sum 
 9
 
 130 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 agreed upon, then the Chesters to vacate the home- 
 stead, and surrender all claim thereto." 
 
 "But that would make it possible for me ulti- 
 mately to lose the place ! " 
 
 " True ; but in that case you would have a hand- 
 some sum as compensation. Besides, you have just 
 expressed the opinion that the chances in favor of the 
 inventions proving valuable are very slim. Of course, 
 the arrangement is not all that you could wish, but I 
 do not see that you are likely to secure better terms, 
 since you will not prosecute." 
 
 "Do you think the Chesters will agree to this 
 plan ? " asked Mr. Chatterton, failing signally in the 
 endeavor to seem indifferent. 
 
 " I am sure they will. They are so imbued with 
 the importance and value of the General's inventions 
 that they will be willing to have the future discounted 
 at almost any rate to secure enough money to develop 
 them." 
 
 " Well, I will at least go to Braddox. Once there 
 I shall let circumstances govern, holding your plan in 
 reserve in case they press me too hard." 
 
 There was a paiise. Outside, a little bird was 
 swinging gaily on a telegraph wire, and upon it Felix 
 concentrated his attention. How many birds there 
 were at Chatterton ! One, he remembered, had flown 
 into the red room, and had perched therein, like Poe's 
 raven in miniature. He wondered if but his thoughts 
 were rudely interrupted by "the claimant." 
 
 " There is, Perry, a very sad story connected with 
 my cousin's family. Hitherto I have hesitated to men- 
 tion it, as it is desirable, for my cousin's sake, that it 
 should be forgotten by the world as soon as possible,
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 and I respect the general prejudice against opening the 
 family closet and exposing to rude gaze a family 
 skeleton. For my own part I do not mind these hid- 
 den cadavres. Of course, all old families have them. 
 Like other archaic things bits of old blue china and 
 Dutch silver, for instance they may not be overhand- 
 some themselves, but at least they evidence antiquity, 
 and are picturesque on that account. This especial 
 secret is, I confess, a little too new to be freely dis- 
 cussed. It needs half a century or so to mellow it. 
 Two generations from now it will be a family relic. 
 The time has come, however, when you must know of 
 this tragedy ; as my legal adviser you should be fully 
 posted on family matters. When you have heard what 
 I am about to tell you it may be clearer to you why I 
 am indulgent to Mrs. Chester." 
 
 " One moment, Mr. Chatterton. Accident has put 
 me in possession of at least part of the story to which 
 you refer. Remarkable as the coincidence may seem, 
 I knew Reggy's mother before she was before she ran 
 away with Chester. I thought her dead, poor woman, 
 but have recently heard of her more terrible fate." 
 
 " You astonish me ! How did you learn the par- 
 ticulars ?" queried his client. 
 
 f< I stumbled upon them at Chatterton." 
 " How much of the story do you know ? " 
 "As much as I need know, I am quite sure, as 
 your attorney. The details are surely unnecessary.-" 
 Of course it was a painful subject with him. 
 
 But his companion would not be repressed : "Ex- 
 cuse me, I differ with you. A little information may 
 be as dangerous as a little learning. You really must 
 allow me to state the circumstances." And Mr. Chat-
 
 132 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 terton tilted back his chair, picked a fan from off the 
 desk, and proceeded : "Donald Chester was a bright, 
 captivating, thriftless, shiftless boy ; and wild, terribly 
 wild. When he was but twenty-one he married a 
 widow, with one child. The widow's name was 
 Hetherinton, and Kose is her daughter." 
 
 Perry wondered he had not thought of this solution 
 of the mystery ; but, then, where else in the world, 
 besides Virginia, would so tortuous a kinship justify 
 the girl in speaking of Reggy as her brother ! 
 
 Mr. Chatterton resumed : " Rose was then but five 
 years old, her mother but three and twenty. Of 
 course the marriage proved an unhappy one. The 
 boy had been entrapped his wife was an adventuress. 
 I am told she was handsome and plausible ; of course 
 Donald was overmatched." 
 
 " You have never seen her, then ? " queried Felix, 
 feeling that comment was expected. 
 
 " Neither I nor any of Donald's family have ever 
 set eyes on her. You see, my uncle forbade the young 
 couple his house. Well, to return. After a year of 
 stormy married life they separated. Donald was then 
 welcomed back to Chatterton as a prodigal on proba- 
 tion. The woman joined her brother, Clayton Hag- 
 gard, in Richmond ; but the boy Donald he was lit- 
 tle more than a boy was not born to succeed. He 
 tried one thing and then another, and failed at all. 
 His mother continually asserted that he was going to 
 do wonders, but something always intervened. For 
 three or four years life at Chatterton was anything 
 but cheerful. At last my uncle could stand it no 
 longer and bought Donald off with a thousand dollars, 
 the lad agreeing not to return to Chatterton during
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 133 
 
 his great-uncle's lifetime. With this money the young 
 fellow went to New York and then to Boston. In 
 this latter place he met " 
 
 "I know," interrupted Felix in a low tone. 
 
 " By the way, Perry, how did you happen to know 
 Barbara Hastings ? " 
 
 " It was in Boston ; when I practiced law there. 
 I sincerely regret to say that it was through me she 
 became acquainted with Donald Chester, only he did 
 not call himself Chester then, but Armitage. He 
 brought me a letter of introduction from a man who 
 had been at college with me, named Dare. Why Dare 
 deceived me as to the real name, or whether he was 
 himself deceived, I do not know." 
 
 "Dare ? Any relation to the debatable widow ?" 
 
 Felix flushed slightly. 
 
 "He afterward became her husband. Do you 
 doubt his death?" 
 
 " Bless your soul, no ! Beg pardon ; I did not re- 
 member she was a friend of yours." 
 
 To this Perry did not think it necessary to reply. 
 
 Chatterton, repenting him of the gibe which he 
 had intended as a reflection on the widow's social 
 position, hastened to return to his narrative. "You 
 know that Donald was killed in a duel ? " 
 
 Perry answered affirmatively. 
 
 " And not by whom ? " queried the other. 
 
 "No." 
 
 " Then I will tell you. As I have said, after the 
 separation Donald's wife went to live with Clayton 
 Haggard, her brother, who owned a place near Rich- 
 mond. From there she made repeated appeals to my 
 uncle for money. Some of these he acceded to, some
 
 134: ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 he refused, all he resented. I am persuaded it was 
 this persecution, Donald's implication therein and 
 the ceaseless efforts on the part of the boy's mother to 
 prove her son a martyr that induced my uncle to 
 change his will and to leave me his chief heir. But 
 to return. Donald actually married Barbara. Of 
 course it was a mere form, but he was obliged to do 
 it to satisfy the girl's scruples, and he was not the 
 man to give up the woman upon whom he had fixed 
 his affections. It is needless to say that Barbara knew 
 nothing of a previous marriage or of the Haggard- 
 Hetherinton woman. This woman's brother was a 
 fierce, bold, fighting devil, willing enough to have his 
 sister separated from her boy husband so long as there 
 was money to be made out of the old man, but mor- 
 bidly jealous of the * honor ' of the family where there 
 was no question of judicious silence being made profit- 
 able. I had always known that Donald was brave ; 
 but, egad, it was positive temerity for him to wound 
 the honor of a Haggard without golden salve within 
 reach ! Poor, rash, brave boy ! He was terribly in 
 the wrong it is true, but he paid for it handsomely. 
 Within a month of his crime his young life-blood was 
 staining his native soil, and Clayton Haggard was led 
 unhurt from the field." 
 
 There was a pause, Chatterton wishing thereby to 
 heighten the dramatic effect of his recital. After a 
 little he resumed : " The rest is soon told. Haggard 
 left the country, taking his sister with him. . They 
 went to Italy, and, for all I know or care, are there 
 now. Then Reggy was born poor little fellow in 
 the asylum. He was at once, however, taken to my 
 uncle's house, and has lived there since. Another
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 135 
 
 year passed. One day a letter came to my uncle from 
 the principal of the school near Richmond. It stated 
 that no money had been paid for Rose's tuition or 
 board for more than a year, and that letters to the 
 mother remained unanswered. This led to negotia- 
 tions, my uncle's name not appearing, however, the 
 affair being conducted by a charitable guild connected 
 with one of the churches, which culminated in a com- 
 plete surrender of her child by the Haggard-Hetherin- 
 ton woman, for a consideration ; and thus it happens, 
 strangely enough, that Rose and Reggy are living un- 
 der the same roof, and that roof mine. One more 
 word and the story is ended. By his will my uncle 
 encumbered the estate of Chatterton with *the support 
 of these two children during their minority and with 
 an annuity of three hundred a year each, thereafter. 
 Thus, you see, they are my especial charge." 
 
 Perry felt he was expected to say something ; be- 
 sides he was really affected. "It is a strange, pathetic 
 story. It shows what misery may follow one wrong 
 act. The crime committed by Donald Chester will 
 sadden the already overburdened records of time after 
 his very name is forgotten. The wife forsaken ; the 
 mother of his child in a mad-house ; the child with 
 that taint in his blood ; the young man himself, dead ; 
 his murderer a wanderer ; a stricken mother and 
 father thus widen the effects of a single wrong till 
 ages are burdened with the story and generations 
 visited with the crime." 
 
 Chatterton was rather surprised at this outburst 
 from the usually self-contained lawyer, but all the 
 more delighted, crediting the unusual emotion to his 
 own dramatic recital.
 
 136 -4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 "If we could only read the unwritten history of 
 old families," he said " how many such sermons 
 there would be found to point a moral. Sermons the 
 more telling in that they are not abstract in their ap- 
 plication. A moral worked out is of more value than 
 a moral predicated. Old families are royal archives 
 which hoard the added experiences of the ages." 
 
 Perry had not intended to help mount Mr. Chatter- 
 ton on his hobby, and now hastened to get him off. 
 He, therefore, returned to the subject of the Chesters. 
 
 " The poor mother and the father, what a blow 
 to them I " 
 
 "Of course, it was terrible. And yet, do you 
 know, they have got over it surprisingly ! The girl 
 Chatterton was morbidly affected, being at the 
 time only thirteen, that impressionable age when 
 emotions are polar in their extremes. As for the 
 others, they have readily adjusted themselves to the 
 inevitable. Strange to say, the very circumstances of 
 the boy's death mitigated their grief at the fact itself. 
 In Virginia, to be killed in a duel is to be completely 
 absolved from sin. To my cousin, her dead boy 
 is a dead hero against whom circumstances were un- 
 relenting, and who at last succumbed to their attack 
 as a hero should." 
 
 Then, rising to depart, the great Chatterton fired 
 his aphoristic salute : " But, after all, why wonder at 
 this ? To almost every mother the pin-feathers of her 
 gosling are swan's down. It is a species of brevet 
 self-gratulation, which is, by illogically sentimental 
 persons, mistaken for full-ranked unselfishness."
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 137 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 OUT in the fields the grain had been gathered in. 
 In the city there were evidences of returning life to 
 the dark stone houses which for three or four months 
 had been done up in shutters and brown holland, and 
 the world was sixty days older. 
 
 Perry was still hard at work, and still found work 
 hard. Every day or two he received letters from Mr. 
 Chatterton, telling him of his experience with the 
 Chesters. These letters were both long and verbose, 
 and yet Felix welcomed them, for they told him of 
 the old house, the General, Mrs. Chester, Bud and 
 Chatterton. To judge from his own report, " Cousin 
 "William " had made a good impression. He had been 
 able, he wrote, by Machiavelian diplomacy to stave off 
 discussion as to the estate pending that as to the in- 
 ventions. 
 
 For these he showed increasing respect. At first 
 he had written of them in a tone of persiflage, but the 
 tone had soon changed, and at last there was no ques- 
 tion of his enthusiasm but only as to the best terms 
 he could make with the inventor ; and proposals and 
 counter-proposals, adjustments and re-adjustments, 
 were the order of the day. Still, as yet nothing de- 
 finite had been settled. 
 
 One afternoon, weary with work, Perry was about 
 leaving his office when a note from Mrs. Denvers was 
 handed him. It contained merely the information 
 of her return. It was short, and so lacking in vivacity 
 that it left upon Perry's mind the impression that all
 
 138 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 was not well with his friend. An hour later he was 
 in her presence, and having his fears confirmed her 
 face bore traces of care, even as she smiled upon him. 
 
 " And so, sir knight, too busy for Newport ? 
 Well, I forgive you. To tell the truth you did not 
 miss much. It was not attractive. The ceaseless 
 driving up and down the avenue, the endless vying, 
 the striving for display, the conspicuous absence of 
 repose and ease jarred upon the nerves." 
 
 " Are not you well ? " he asked, earnestly ; then 
 added, " Too late hours and too little rest, I fear." 
 
 "No, I have been moderate enough. I am quite 
 well, I assure you. Bather depressed, may be, but 
 well." 
 
 " Can a friend inquire the cause of the depression ? " 
 
 " It hardly has a name. Premonition is too strong ; 
 and yet it is of the nature of a foreboding. But, come, 
 tell me of your trip : your romantic, mediaeval trip." 
 
 "It was rather like a dream of a past age." 
 
 " And of fair women ? You see you can not travel 
 incognito ! I have had my clew ; the big-eyed girl," 
 she said. 
 
 " Like Agassiz, you construct a whole fish if you 
 have but a fin ! " 
 
 " And as correctly ? Do tell me about the people." 
 
 Perry smiled. "That," he said, "is no easy task. 
 To describe them would be to do them seeming injus- 
 tice ; for, if the truth were told, the adjectives would 
 many of them be damaging, and yet be so qualified by 
 nobler ones that the whole would seem too absurdly 
 contradictory. Imagine irrelevance made attractive, 
 prejudice mistaken for patriotism, improvidence con- 
 sidered a class distinction and poverty worn pictur-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 139 
 
 esquely. Their virtues, however, are unqualified. They 
 are lavishly hospitable and courteous in every relation. 
 It is a happy-go-lucky life they lead. They seem to 
 overtop care by simply ignoring it. Nothing disturbs 
 them seriously ; they are never really surprised, be- 
 cause as there is no rule there can be no exception. 
 You might ride your horse into their dining-room, and 
 feed his oats to him from the punch-bowl, without 
 exciting criticism." 
 
 " But the state of uncertainty must be rather wear- 
 ing on unaccustomed nerves." 
 
 " On the contrary, it is soothing. One seems to 
 realize that one has worried and bothered one's self all 
 one's life from a wholly mistaken idea of the necessity. 
 Like the lilies of the field, they toil not, and yet they 
 are as mysteriously clothed. To be sure, providential 
 intervention seems to end there, and the want of the 
 stitch in time is often evidenced by the palpable nine ; 
 but they do not mind the nine, so it does not really 
 matter." 
 
 " And the girl, is she handsome ?" 
 Perry instantly recalled the occasion when Chat- 
 terton had asked him the same question as to poor 
 Barbara. The mental absorption made a precise an- 
 swer difficult. 
 
 " Yes, quite so. That is oh yes, lovely." 
 " You seem to have some difficulty in adjusting the 
 degree." 
 
 " It is as difficult as to describe the moral qualities 
 
 of the family. She would be almost perfectly beautiful 
 
 were it not for a look of discontent she usually wears." 
 
 " Does she share in the family traits ? " asked Mrs. 
 
 Denvers.
 
 14:0 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 " Some of them," he answered. " Her direct 
 common sense, however, is continually battling with 
 waves of prejudice, and she now and then succeeds in 
 reaching the surface. This is creditable, as common 
 sense is as rare in Braddox as are strawberries in Jan- 
 nary." 
 
 "Do you know, I am quite prepared to find you 
 in love ?" 
 
 " My heart involved, as you diagnosed the Mrs. 
 Dare episode ? " 
 
 She blushed slightly as she answered : " One bad 
 shot does not necessarily argue a poor marksman. In 
 the present instance there seems to be peculiar fitness. 
 Large eyes you see they appeal to me as an impor- 
 tant factor some temper ; prejudice ; struggling 
 common sense ; beauty ; a cloud to be dissipated ; 
 unconventionality ; what could be more appropriate ? " 
 
 "Nothing," he answered, smiling. 
 
 " You are not to return to Virginia ? " 
 
 " Not unless I am summoned there by Mr. Chat- 
 terton." 
 
 "Then it is over, the romance, I mean?" she 
 asked. 
 
 " Yes, the romance is over, presuming, of course, 
 that it ever began. But come, do tell me of yourself. 
 Excuse insistance, but you really are not well, or else 
 you are worried." 
 
 " Who escapes worry ? " she queried ; then added, 
 ' ' There are none too high and none too humble for 
 the attention of his impartial majesty, Care ! " 
 
 " You will not, then, tell me of your trouble ? " he 
 asked. 
 
 " Not now, my friend ; the secret is not exclusively
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 my own. If at any time you can assist me, I promise 
 to call upon you." 
 
 He had to rest satisfied with this answer, and left 
 the house, anxious and depressed on her account. 
 
 The next morning he found the following letter 
 from Mr. Chatterton awaiting him at his office. 
 
 " Congratulations, my dear Perry, are in order ; 
 the motor, and all the other important inventions, are 
 safely patented. It has taken much time and more 
 patience. I have pendulated, with clock-work regu- 
 larity, between Washington and Braddox. I have 
 been not a little bothered by that firebrand, Atherton 
 Leigh. From the first he appeared to have constituted 
 himself censor of the whole affair, and sat in judg- 
 ment on my every move. When at last I rebelled at 
 this, he glared at me so fiercely that I instantly col- 
 lapsed, having the fear of poor Donald's fate before my 
 eyes. Now, I have adopted different tactics, and they 
 answer admirably. I appear to consult him on every 
 point, and to hang my decision upon the verdict. It 
 is as good as a play to watch me ramming opinions 
 down his throat, for them to emerge again as his own. 
 We are now sworn friends, and it serves well my pur- 
 pose, as he molds my cousin. 
 
 "There is but one really sensible person under this 
 leaky roof, and that is little Hose Hetherinton. Why 
 did not you tell me she had grown so pretty, and 
 was that rara avis, a logical woman ? As to the girl 
 Chatterton, she is handsome, but too proud and over- 
 bearing. We do not get on well together. Leigh tells 
 me by the way, he admires you greatly ; says you are 
 brave ; how have you bewitched him? Where was I ?
 
 142 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 Oh yes Leigh tells me he is in disgrace with Chatter- 
 ton for having advised her parents to accede to cer- 
 tain offers I have made. This brings me to my second 
 item of news there are three in all. We have arrived 
 at a basis of settlement as to the estate, and a company 
 is to be formed to develop the inventions. Need I tell 
 you that I had to use diplomacy ? Suffice it now to say 
 that I am to allow the use of this place to my cous- 
 in, free of rent, for one year. If by that time my 
 one-half interest in the patents have aggregated me 
 $15,000 profit, Chatterton is to belong to her ; if 
 not, then I am to be recognized as the undisputed 
 owner of the land, and am to take immediate pos- 
 session. The General will devote his time to new 
 inventions ; I, mine, to the affairs of the company. 
 Even now the General is busy with a new idea. I do 
 not exactly understand it, but it is to do something 
 surprising with the stalactite and stalagmite found in 
 the Luray Cave. To tell the truth, I wish he would 
 concentrate himself on the more practical inventions, 
 but, as Cousin Mary says, it is useless to try and curb 
 or direct genius. This, my dear Perry, is a mere out- 
 line of the plan ; does it command your approval ? 
 When we meet in New York you must draw the thing 
 up in shape, and have me amply secured. In the 
 mean time we have drafted a memorandum here, and 
 have it signed in duplicate. 
 
 " And now for my last bit of news. Prepare to be 
 surprised the whole Chester family, and retinue, go 
 to New York with me next Tuesday 1 All of them, 
 mind you; not even his sable highness, Dandy, is to be 
 left ! Atherton Leigh goes also. The plan is mine ; 
 I claim all the merit of having invented it. The
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 143 
 
 General is absolutely convincing when he explains his 
 discoveries. He shows shrewdness, too, retaining 
 enough information, in regard to each patent, to pre- 
 vent it being pirated. So particular is he in this, that 
 even I am unenlightened. Get him once in New 
 York, with his models, and we will soon have to 
 double our capital stock. 
 
 " Is not it a stroke of genius to take the family 
 North ? Think what a sensation they will make ! 
 They will be all the rage ; and, what an advertisement 
 for our project ! 
 
 " By this same mail I am writing to engage offices. 
 Everything is to be done on a large scale. I am also 
 writing to several newspaper men I know, to hint of 
 the coming wonders. You, too, can spread the report, 
 if you will. There is nothing like arresting the atten- 
 tion of your modern Athenian with some new thing. 
 I am as ever, 
 
 'Yours, sincerely, 
 
 " WILLIAM CHATTEKTON', 
 " Of Chatterton." 
 
 "P.S. You see I use the name of my estate in 
 connection with my own. Why not ? There have 
 been Chattertons of Chatterton for over two hundred 
 years. I am swayed by contending emotions ; on the 
 one side an hereditary estate, on the other, fifteen 
 thousand dollars ; which would I prefer ? Of course, 
 the money alone is no equivalent, but the possession 
 of the estate means internecine war between the Ches- 
 ters and myself, if experience counts for anything ! 
 By the way, I had almost forgotten ! Mrs. Chester 
 needs an apartment ; will you do what you can to
 
 144 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 secure one for her ? Of course, you must not take too 
 much trouble ; employ an agent, or something of that 
 sort. I have said you would be quite willing to do 
 this, so, pray, do not discredit my assumption. Take 
 the apartment for the winter ; do not mind expense. 
 I have loaned the General the wherewithal to carry 
 on the winter campaign. Miss Chatterton rebelled 
 dreadfully at this ; there was quite a scene ; but Mrs. 
 Chester had her way, and by this same mail a check 
 goes to the General's credit at my bank. 
 
 To say that this news surprised Felix would be to 
 vastly underrate the sensation with which he received 
 it. Here was a development which he had never 
 thought of as within the bounds of possibility. 
 
 Chafcterton Chester coming ! He was positively 
 startled at recognizing the feeling this knowledge 
 awakened within him ! He was aware of an under- 
 current of rare emotion coursing through his con- 
 sciousness. His heart would insist upon asserting 
 itself, and no unspontaneous self-reasoning could 
 check it. 
 
 The next few days were busy ones for Perry. Be- 
 sides his usual duties he now had the added one of 
 seeking quarters for his Virginians. Of course, he 
 was determined to do the best in his power for them ; 
 had not they been most hospitable to him under uncon- 
 genial circumstances ? And yet, it was tedious work. 
 One apartment was too large, another too small, still 
 another badly lighted. At last, in despair, he repaired 
 to Mrs. Denvers for advice on the evening of the 
 second day of his search.
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 145 
 
 To his disappointment, he did not find his friend 
 alone ; Mrs. Van Skoik Underdunk was there. 
 
 Perry was a favorite with Mrs. Underdunk. She 
 said he was solid and reliable, " And, my dear," she 
 once announced to a familiar friend, "one knows 
 where to find him. I hate people for whom you have 
 to keep a May smile or a December freeze on tap, to 
 be ready for their moods." Therefore, Mrs. Under- 
 dunk received Felix kindly when he turned to her 
 after having been welcomed by their hostess. 
 
 " And pray where have you been, my Samson ? 
 Pursuing the Philistines all summer, or lifting the 
 Gates of Gaza ? " 
 
 " Eather, pulling the house about his ears, I fear ! " 
 smiled Mrs. Denvers. 
 
 "My dear," said Mrs. Underdunk, "you talk in 
 parables, and crush me with my own metaphor." 
 
 But Mrs. Denvers did not explain. Perry said : 
 " I have worked at the treadmill. That is, with the 
 exception of a ten days' vacation. I passed it in Vir- 
 ginia." 
 
 " In Virginia ! "What possessed you to do that ? " 
 
 "I had to go on business." 
 
 " Virginia," repeated Mrs. Underdunk, pensively, 
 as though the idea seemed novel ; " how long it 
 seems since I was there ! Not for years I It was 
 rather a pleasant place, then. Primitive, in certain 
 ways, but yet attractive ; and the people were hos- 
 pitable." 
 
 "They are the same to-day," responded Perry, 
 
 slightly wondering that he seemed identified with the 
 
 old State, after so short a sojourn. Turning to Mrs. 
 
 Denvers, he added : " I am in a quandary, and have 
 
 10
 
 146 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 come to you for advice. Possibly you, too, Mrs. Un- 
 derdunk, can assist me. You see, I confidently rely 
 upon the sympathy and good-nature of both. My 
 Virginia friends are coming here for the winter, and 
 I have been asked to secure a furnished apartment 
 for them." 
 
 " Coming here 1 " exclaimed Mrs. Denvers, inter- 
 estedly ; " surely not all of them ? " 
 
 " All of them. Let me give you the catalogue : 
 General and Mrs. Chester ; Miss Chester ; Miss Hether- 
 inton ; a child ; Atherton Leigh ; Dandy, the colored 
 factotum ; and sundry Dinahs and Malvinas." 
 
 " One moment, you good people ! " exclaimed 
 Mrs. Underdunk ; <l who are they ?" 
 
 Mrs. Denvers took upon herself to explain. 
 " Mrs. Chester is a cousin of the great Chatterton, 
 the person over whose head his uncle passed him 
 the estate. Have not you heard the story ? " 
 
 " Heard it, my dear ! Do not I know William 
 Chatterton ? Heard it ? Why, at a Polliver Jones 
 dinner, last winter the one given to Captain Some- 
 thingoff, of the Russian navy Chatterton took me 
 in. Heard of it ! I ate it with the soup ; drank it 
 down with the champagne, and sipped it anew with 
 the coffee ! ' The ancestral acres, really patriarchal, 
 you know ! ' And so, these people are relatives of his. 
 They come of good stock, then ; only, it is to be hoped 
 they do not carry their houses upon their backs, as 
 does that tortoise, their cousin. I can help you, Mr. 
 Perry. My niece Mrs. Van Skoik, is ordered to 
 Florida, for her health ; and, only yesterday, made up 
 her mind to rent her apartment. It is next to mine, 
 and is quite gorgeous. I do not know what she asks
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 147 
 
 for it ; only, you may be quite sure it will be enough. 
 Van Skoik always gets the full value out of everything. 
 Still, your friends are in luck, as it is an exceptional 
 chance." 
 
 Mrs. Denvers expressed herself as really delighted. 
 She was of the few who enter genuinely into the joys 
 and sorrows of even their friends' friends, unto the 
 third and fourth generation. 
 
 After some further talk it was arranged that Felix 
 should see the apartment on the following day. 
 
 "And now," said Mrs. Underdunk, "since we are 
 through with business, tell me of my prospective 
 neighbors. Remember, I shall demand the assurance 
 that they will entertain me, before I give my final 
 consent to let them into my inner circle. Tell me 
 them piecemeal." And she placidly prepared to check 
 them off on her fingers. 
 
 " I am afraid I can not do them justice," said Perry, 
 at once realizing that Chatterton would have to be 
 described, and shrinking from the task. 
 
 " Nonsense, man, attend to your catechism. Gen- 
 eral Chester ?" 
 
 Felix saw there was no escape. "A gentleman of 
 the old school. Handsome, dignified, and courtly ; 
 slow of movement, and slower of speech. An enthusi- 
 astic inventor, whose discoveries, however, have as yet 
 been hardly tested." 
 
 Mrs. Underdunk counted off the General, on her 
 thumb, as she said, laconically, '*' Mrs. Chester ?" 
 
 Perry again hesitated. Finally, he said: "Vision- 
 ary ; rather unreasonable, and an invalid ; but, not 
 always an invalid." 
 
 The index-finger went down ; " Miss Chester ? "
 
 148 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 Here Mrs. Denvers interposed, smiling : "To spare 
 his blushes, Mrs. Underdunk, I will describe Miss 
 Chester. She is delightful ; beautiful, but not insipid J 
 a will of her own, but common sense in a measure ; 
 prejudiced, but not obstinate in fact, unconvention- 
 ally attractive. Then, she has large brown are not 
 they brown ? eyes." 
 
 Mrs. Underdunk nodded approval of Chatterton 
 even as she registered her with the middle finger ; 
 " The girl the other one what's her name ?" 
 
 "Bose, otherwise Bud, Hetherinton," resumed 
 Perry, glad, once again, to be in shallow water, " is a 
 demure, sweet, busy, sensible little thing ; she will 
 charm you both. She has the quaintest and most 
 precise ideas ; and thinks as reading-men think, but 
 with her thinking sifted through a kindly nature 
 before it reaches you in musical tones. To discover 
 her at Chatterton Hall was the crowning paradox of 
 a not un paradoxical experience." 
 
 When Bud was duly recorded, Mrs. Underdunk 
 asked : " And the man with the melodious name ?" 
 
 " Atherton Leigh is psychologically indescribable. 
 Physically, he is certainly the handsomest man of his 
 type I have ever seen. He is magnetic, even though 
 you can not but feel he is deficient in moral quali- 
 ties." 
 
 "And that ends the list?" queried Mrs. Under- 
 dunk, dismissing Leigh airily with her little finger. 
 
 "Yes, that ends the list; unless you count the 
 child Beggy, and Dandy." 
 
 " I regret there is a child. He will be sure to 
 make my days a burden and my nights hideous. Who 
 is Dandy ? "
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 " A negro, with a heart as big as his burly form ; 
 a saint in silhouette ! " 
 
 " Bravo ! " applauded Mrs. Underdunk. " You are 
 epigramatic. Yes, your assortment will do. I es- 
 pecially like the old man and the girls. Your young 
 man seems rather a nasty combination. Of course he 
 is in love with one or both of the girls ? " 
 
 " Certainly with one," replied Perry, reluctantly, 
 indignant with himself at the uncontrollable flush 
 which he felt mounting to his forehead. 
 
 "Oh !" exclaimed Mrs. Denvers, "so that is the 
 lay of the land ! " 
 
 " I did not say which it was," said Perry, anxious 
 to make a diversion, but foolishly barring it. 
 
 Mrs. Denvers laughed, a little cynically, perhaps, 
 for her. " Did not you ? Oh, you men, you cer- 
 tainly are deficient in the finer arts ! " 
 
 " And what, pray," asked Mrs. Underdnuk, " brings 
 the menagerie here ? " 
 
 "Mr. William Chatterton," replied Perry, the 
 while resenting the ignominious comparison which 
 had accompanied the question. Then, recalling Mr. 
 Chatterton's request to advertise the coming Virginians, 
 and knowing no better medium than Mrs. IJnderdunk, 
 he added, perfunctorily : " As I have said, General 
 Chester is an inventor. If his discoveries perform 
 half that he claims for them, a colossal fortune is as- 
 sured to all interested. Mr. Chatterton is interested. 
 I hear there is talk of a company forming." 
 
 "Mrs. Underdunk brightened visibly; "Is it 
 really a good chance to invest ; would you advise me 
 to take an interest ? " 
 
 "I never advise under such circumstances. At
 
 150 -4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 most, I say what I would do were the case my 
 own." 
 
 "And, in the present instance ?" 
 
 "I should regard the large percentage of risk." 
 
 "Yes, but, man, think of the delight of putting 
 in pennies and taking out pounds !" 
 
 " I think rather of the much more likely result of 
 putting in pounds and taking out only experience. 
 However, I am not a speculator. To him who takes 
 a dozen chances, and can afford to have eleven go 
 wrong provided he is successful on the twelfth, these 
 heavy risks may be attractive. Besides, to me the 
 price of success is too high." 
 
 " I entirely agree with Mr. Perry," said Mrs. Den- 
 vers, with much earnestness. " The most lavish gifts 
 of fortune are dearly bought with months of cankering 
 care, and at the expense of shortened lives ; these 
 seem the payments demanded as toll for a short cut to 
 fortune." 
 
 Felix was surprised at the earnestness. What could 
 she know of such things ? Her path had been almost 
 choked with the growth of luxuriant success. Mr. 
 Denvers was reputed one of Fortune's favorites in Wall 
 Street. 
 
 Half an hour later, after Mrs. Underdunk had been 
 driven off in her brougham, Perry said, as he bade 
 Mrs. Denvers good-night : " I shall not be fully con- 
 tented till you are again your old self. You have told 
 me I am not to be importunate ; but, indeed, I think 
 the restriction hard. Were the cases reversed you are 
 the first person to whom I should turn." 
 
 This pleased Mrs. Denvers ; still, she was not con- 
 vinced. "Are you quite sure ?"
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 "Quite sure/' he replied, with emphasis, and she 
 was satisfied. More satisfied than if there had been 
 accompanying asseverations. 
 
 " Well," she said, dreamily, her hand extended to 
 bid him adieu, " we shall see. I may confide in you 
 sooner than you expect ; but, oh, pray that the neces- 
 sity may be averted ! " 
 
 Then he knew, and was unhappy in the knowledge, 
 that some calamity was overhanging this brave, loyal 
 woman ; and, with perspicacity sharpened by true 
 friendship, he guessed its nature. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE eventful Tuesday was at hand, and Perry, 
 released from the pressure of work by the return of 
 his partners, was at the Jersey City station, awaiting 
 the arrival of the Virginians. 
 
 Mrs. Van Skoik's apartment had proved to be 
 very satisfactory, had been engaged on the spot, and 
 was now in complete readiness for the new tenants. 
 Felix had pressed Mrs. Denvers into the service, and 
 her advice and her deft fingers had respectively guided 
 the necessary preparations, and arranged the gorgeous 
 roses which owed their presence there to Perry's 
 thoughtfulness. And now that the hour was at hand 
 he- was more agitated than he would have been willing 
 to admit. 
 
 His position, he told himself, was ambiguons. 
 
 To part with a woman at ten o'clock on a June
 
 152 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 night, asserting that their paths should soon again 
 cross to meet her unexpectedly on the same spot, an 
 hour later, and there go through with a scene tragic in 
 its intensity ; to leave her the next morning without 
 a word in regard to that scene, and the same day to 
 hear that which must forever associate her in his 
 mind with an unalterable sense of disappointment, 
 and yet, to deck her apartment, for so he mentally 
 styled it, with roses, and go to the train to meet her ! 
 How should he bear himself ? Eagerness would imply 
 too much in one direction, and reserve too much in the 
 other. 
 
 In reality, he overrated the difficulty of the situa- 
 tion, for he made the mistake of supposing Chatterton 
 understood that his position toward her had changed. 
 He argued for her a guilty conscience, and was satis- 
 fied it had told her why he had been silent, even if 
 Atherton Leigh had not forestalled the monitor. 
 
 But here was the train. 
 
 The huge life-like engine glided slowly in, and came 
 to a stand-still, with a final snort of satisfaction. A 
 cloud of passengers instantly issued from the train 
 with typical American haste. Large and small women; 
 fat and thin women ; ugly and pretty women, but no 
 Chatterton. 
 
 And now- the crowd was lessening. They must 
 have missed the train no, there they were 1 
 
 Instantly Perry recalled Mrs. Underdnnk's hated 
 comparison the menagerie ! How he wished the re- 
 semblance had not been suggested, it was so absurdly 
 and yet calumniously pertinent. 
 
 He hurried forward, full of hearty greeting for 
 them and of inward reproach for himself. Do what
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 153 
 
 he would he could not rid himself of Mrs.TJnderdunk's 
 metaphor, to which, by a not unnatural association of 
 ideas, his own sense of the ridiculous had added another 
 one Noah disembarking at Ararat ! 
 
 There was General Chester, stately and patri- 
 archal, wrapped about in a gray cloak of imposing 
 dimensions. By his side, Mrs. Chester ; bland, con- 
 descending, and, in contemplating her own grandeur, 
 temporarily forgetful of invalidism. Then came Mr. 
 Chatterton and Bud ; he, patronizing and gracious ; 
 she, excited and pleased. Next followed Chatterton, 
 leading Reggy by the hand ; reserved, shy, looking 
 from under downcast eyelids, and, as Felix impul- 
 sively owned to himself, more lovely than even his 
 memory had painted her. 
 
 Behind these Perry saw a group of dusky atten- 
 dants, Nubian-like in their gay turbans, headed by 
 Dandy, smiling from ear to ear, from amid a load of 
 wraps and bundles. Atherton was not to be seen. 
 
 Felix was most warmly received. The General 
 was courteous ; his wife gracious ; Bud hearty ; Mr. 
 Chatterton demonstrative, and Chatterton sedate. 
 On the face upon which his eyes were fixed, Perry 
 saw no trace of consciousness that their meeting was 
 an awkward event, not a glance that spoke of con- 
 science disturbed. There was, to be sure, a certain 
 shy reserve in her manner, but the memory of the ro- 
 mantic episode on the moon-glorified porch accounted 
 naturally for the constraint. His sense of restraint 
 vanished instantly, as miasmatic mists vanish before 
 the genial sun. Indeed, he had to remind himself 
 more than once, on the ferry-boat, that he was irrev- 
 ocably disappointed in this girl. "Within the influ-
 
 154 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 ence of the aggressive honesty which this frank young 
 person unconsciously diffused as an atmosphere about 
 her, it was difficult to remember that he had a griev- 
 ance, even though it had been so impossible to forget 
 it in the solitude of his uncompromising analysis of 
 the situation. 
 
 Chancing to be separated for a few moments from 
 the others, Felix came unexpectedly upon Atherton. 
 Without a moment's hesitation he held out his hand. 
 " As friends, I hope, Mr. Leigh ? " 
 
 "As friends," responded the other, rather stiffly ; 
 and the terms of the armistice were signed. 
 
 Much time was spent in disposing of the large 
 party in the carriages provided for them. Possibly 
 it was on account of his privilege as major domo that 
 Perry was finally seated in the one which contained 
 Chatterton, the other occupants being Bud and Keg- 
 gy. The child was wild with excitement, and clam- 
 bered over Felix continually, notwithstanding Bud's 
 repeated remonstrances. 
 
 "Are you glad to be in New York, Miss Ches- 
 ter?" 
 
 She looked up quickly, a pained expression on her 
 face. " Not under the circumstances," she answered. 
 " I was opposed to coming in fact, to the basis of 
 negotiation with Cousin William. It is, I think, un- 
 wise to take success for granted." Then she added, 
 in a lighter tone, " Otherwise, I am delighted. You 
 know I have never been in a city larger than Rich- 
 mond. But, do tell me, are the streets always as 
 crowded and as dirty ? " 
 
 Felix smiled as he answered : " There is an inter- 
 regnum between the death of King Confusion to-day
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 155 
 
 and the succession of the heir-apparent to-morrow. 
 As to the dirt, it is, I regret to say, as continuously 
 with us as the poor." 
 
 Bud was leaning half out of the window. Sud- 
 denly she said : 
 
 "What is that, Mr. Perry ?" pointing to a whi- 
 lom church which had in the whirligig of time de- 
 generated to the more sordid uses of a bank. " Is it 
 the cote-house ? " How delightfully inappropriate 
 it all seemed to Perry ! These yiolets of the woods had 
 not yet lost their country fragrance. 
 
 Once on Fifth Avenue, the girls were entirely ab- 
 sorbed in the toilets, and the strange sights and 
 sounds of the great city were forgotten. 
 
 At length the carriage turned into Madison Ave- 
 nue, and stopped in front of a huge apartment house. 
 
 " Is this where we are to live ? " asked Chatter- 
 ton. " Why, it is like a palace ; and mercy, how 
 high ! See, Bud, there are nine or ten stories. Sure- 
 ly, Mr. Perry, we are not to live at the top, are we ? " 
 
 Felix laughed. " Oh, no," he said, " You are up 
 only one flight." 
 
 A few moments more the whole party was assem- 
 bled in the drawing-room, and examining it after 
 their several fashions. 
 
 Mrs. Chester was languidly interested. She had 
 all the manner of one to whom satin furniture and 
 Turkish hangings were as familiar as the other things 
 for which custom has sated the appetite while yet 
 making them indispensable. 
 
 "I hope, Mr. Perry," she said, " that the kitchen 
 and servants' department are extensive ?" 
 
 " I am afraid you will miss Virginia dimensions,"
 
 156 4- VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 interposed Mr. Chatterton. " Space is an expensive 
 article here, and the problem seems to be how to 
 spend the most money on the least surface ; somewhat 
 in the spirit which prompts painstaking prigs to en- 
 grave the Declaration of Independence on a twenty- 
 five-cent piece." 
 
 "As New York apartments go," answered Perry, 
 ignoring Mr. Chatterton's contribution to the conver- 
 sation, " you will find this one exceptionally well pro- 
 vided. A friend of mine kindly looked into the de- 
 tails for me." 
 
 " Mrs. Denvers ! " exclaimed Mr. Chatterton, " I'll 
 bet a farthing. Come, man, do not look so black. 
 Mrs. Denvers, Cousin Chatterton," turning to the 
 girl, "is the most recherche woman in New York, 
 and Mr. Perry's intimate friend. He is the envy of 
 all the bachelors and of half of the married men at 
 the clubs. Why, one smile from Mrs. Denvers makes 
 a man fashionable, and our friend here fairly basks in 
 them ! " 
 
 Chatterton did not answer. She could not at the 
 moment find words which seemed suitable, and won- 
 dered at her unusual unreadiness. 
 
 Perry was rather disgusted with Mr. Chatterton. 
 To think that this man dared assume with these 
 strangers the patronizingly flippant tone which if 
 employed to others more versed in the ways of the 
 world would have subjected him to stony stares and 
 to future avoidance. Such tilting from the perpen- 
 dicular of good taste antagonized Perry infinitely 
 more than his pomposity and grandiloquence. 
 
 Possibly, however, Felix was a little unjust to Mr. 
 Chatterton. He may have only intended to impress
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 157 
 
 Mrs. Chester, and so reconcile her to imagined short- 
 comings in the apartment by stamping the whole with 
 fashionable approval. Be this as it may, it certainly 
 had that result, and thereafter the invalid was conde- 
 scendingly satisfied with her immediate surroundings. 
 
 Two or three hours later found the newcomers at 
 Delmonico's, dining with Perry. On the whole, Felix 
 was both surprised and pleased with his Virginians. 
 To be sure, they were unfashionably clad and rather 
 suggestive of rusticity, but their host cared for none 
 of these things. What pleased him was the adapta- 
 bility they one and all proved they possessed. This 
 was the more charming as it was unaccompanied by 
 affectation or evidence of self -consciousness ; save, 
 possibly, on the part of Mrs. Chester. 
 
 Perry was seated between Mrs. Chester and Chat- 
 terton, dividing his time between listening to the re- 
 cital of the greatness of the former's ancestors, when 
 the South was in its glory, and answering delightfully 
 unsophisticated questions from the latter. 
 
 But all things must have an end, and this meal 
 was no exception. There was a short walk back to 
 the apartment, a few words of parting, and then Felix 
 returned to his rooms carrying with him the memory 
 of one speech which had come to disturb his equa- 
 nimity. Had it been the product of absolute inno- 
 cence or of guile ? And yet the words had been few ; 
 Chatterton had asked the name of a certain hand- 
 some, stately girl, to whom Perry had spoken on leav- 
 ing Delmonico's. He had given the desired infor_ 
 mation, and had added that she was engaged to be 
 married to a man much older than herself ; a hasty 
 engagement, entered into on very short acquaintance.
 
 158 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 His companion had answered : " I had supposed such, 
 injudicious engagements were confined to our section 
 of the country." 
 
 CHAPTER XY. 
 
 POPULAKITY depends upon unknown conditions. 
 What seemingly attracts in one person, apparently 
 repels in another. The adjustment of the necessary 
 qualities is evidently the result of chance. 
 
 The Chesters acquired public favor ; they became 
 at once the fashion. Mr. Chatterton was delighted ; 
 both because the result justified his prediction and 
 because it advanced his plans. With the wisdom of 
 a born diplomat he became more and more reserved 
 as to the proposed new company as public interest 
 deepened, tilt at last it was difficult to make him an- 
 swer even the most general questions. 
 
 The General was easily induced to be reticent, as 
 he was persuaded that capital only awaited the open- 
 ing of the sluice-gate to flood the enterprise, and that 
 the longer the gate was kept closed the greater the 
 pressure. 
 
 The preparations for the event which was to startle 
 the financial world continued, notwithstanding the 
 disinclination to accept subscriptions. Gorgeous 
 offices were secured at a fabulous rent. There were 
 general offices and special offices. The directors' room 
 was a most gaudy spot. A velvet carpet deadened the 
 footfalls, and luxuriously cushioned chairs surround- 
 de a centre-table provided with the most complete as-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 159 
 
 sortment of stationary, all marked with the name of 
 the company, stamped in many colors ; and yet not a 
 share of the stock had been subscribed. 
 
 A day came, however, when the pressure could be 
 no longer resisted, and the subscription - book was 
 opened. 
 
 The capital stock of the company was two hun- 
 dred thousand dollars, represented by two thousand 
 shares of the par value of one hundred dollars each. 
 Of this General Chester and Mr. Chatterton reserved 
 in payment of the patents eight hundred shares of 
 paid-up stock four hundred each. 
 
 The other original subscribers received their stock 
 in blocks of ten shares each ; no one subscriber taking 
 more than ten such blocks. Subscribers to pay twen- 
 ty-five per cent at once, and the balance of their sub- 
 scriptions to be subject to call ; with the understand- 
 ing, however, that upon payment of sixty per cent of 
 the whole they were to receive their certificates of 
 paid-up stock. The articles of incorporation provided 
 that all the inventions of the General, past and to 
 come, were to be the exclusive property of the com- 
 pany. In enumerating those already developed, the 
 question of the churn came up ; but the General in- 
 dulgently insisted upon it being patented in the name 
 of the inventor, and therefore the records at Wash- 
 ington bore evidence to the fact that Chatterton Ches- 
 ter claimed it as her own invention, to which fact 
 the Government's letters patent bore testimony. 
 
 The incorporators of the " Braddox Patents Com- 
 pany " were General Chester, Mr. Chatterton, Alger- 
 non Clyde, General Battlescar, Mr. Dodruff, Mr. 
 Pringle, and Atherton Leigh the last at General
 
 160 -^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 Chester's instance and these gentlemen were also 
 elected the board of directors at the first meeting. 
 The officers were : General Chester, President ; Mr. 
 William Chatterton, Secretary and Treasurer. The 
 attorneys of the company were Dodruff, Pringle, and 
 Perry. 
 
 Within twelve hours after the subscription-book 
 was opened the capital stock was all subscribed. 
 Nothing could exceed Mr. Chatterton's exultation. 
 
 The General bore his triumph becomingly, and 
 was thereby in nowise changed from the deliberate, 
 courteous, sleepy-mannered, old-fashioned gentleman 
 of yore. Mrs. Chester was superb. Success sat upon 
 her shoulders as gracefully as though she had been 
 born in the purple. Chatterton alone was not per- 
 suaded. She seldom referred to the affair, but seemed 
 to be attempting to forget her forebodings in the gay- 
 ety of her social life. Now and then, however, she 
 would catch sight of Perry's grave, composed face, 
 and her own would respond with a sudden soberness 
 of expression which spoke plainly of the unexpressed 
 sympathy which existed between these two. 
 
 The young Virginian exotic soon became a social 
 success. Besides her personal attractions she had the 
 advantages of novelty. Added to this, she was 
 launched under exceptionally favorable circumstances ; 
 Mrs. Denvers and Mrs. Underdunk had undertaken 
 to stand her social godmothers, and had respect to 
 their vows. 
 
 Chatterton had been at first rather shy of Mrs. 
 Denvers, regarding her as a very grande dame indeed, 
 and, besides, feeling unaccountably nervous at en- 
 countering the woman whom Mr. Chatterton had ac-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 credited to Perry as his intimate friend. On thia 
 account, as well as because of a certain reserve on 
 Mrs. Denvers's part, the meeting had been of a rather 
 unpromising character, and Perry was disappointed. 
 
 However, the reserve had soon vanished and was 
 replaced by an ever deepening interest on the part of 
 the older, and an ever increasing admiration on the 
 part of the younger woman. 
 
 Atherton Leigh, in these days, was going through 
 the process known as burning the candle at both ends. 
 Still, he at least succeeded in making a fine illu- 
 mination ; no man ever " went to the devil " more 
 gracefully and picturesquely. He must have had a 
 happy intuition which served him in lieu of worldly 
 experience ; be this as it may, he fascinated the wom- 
 en and delighted the men. There are superficial 
 qualities which are found charming, so long as the 
 charmer is behind the bars of social restraint ; much 
 as one may be fascinated by the grace and suppleness 
 of the caged tiger, but see little to admire when with- 
 in reach of his claws. 
 
 Leigh was quaffing deep of the intoxication of suc- 
 cess. The lever which moves the world is the desire 
 for advancement in the eyes of one's neighbors. Power, 
 influence, control these are the baits held out by 
 fortune, and men swim for them to the neglect of 
 worth, honor, yes, of even love itself. So far is the 
 passion for notoriety carried that men will, if neces- 
 sary, die to secure it, though their ears may be for- 
 ever deaf to the thunders of applause. Is it to be 
 supposed that Curtius would have plunged into the 
 yawning crevice if there had been no Roman populace, 
 no sandaled patricians to admire his courage ? 
 11
 
 162 & VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 In ball-rooms, and in softly draped, secluded cor- 
 ners, Atherton found the handsomest women and the 
 cleverest women in the gay world ready to dance with 
 him, to listen to his attractive voice, and to glance 
 back the ardent flash of his impassioned eyes. At 
 the clubs his companions were, to such a character, 
 yet more dangerous ; for here there were none of the 
 restraints with which a nineteenth century woman 
 hedges in her impulses, catholic as the limits usually 
 are. Here was no coquetting with danger, on the 
 contrary it was freely faced. After all, your club is 
 but the world in miniature, and is a good or bad place 
 for you just as you yourself make it. The only differ- 
 ence is in favor of the clubs, if hypocrisy be counted 
 a vice ; in favor of the world, if it be a virtue. 
 Whether society would be more safe by reason of call- 
 ing things by their right names than by the present 
 plan of pretending that certain things do not exist 
 at all while still secretly nourishing them, judge 
 
 ye- 
 
 To Atherton the club was an unmitigated evil ; 
 for, to this little world, where so few extraneous re- 
 straints are imposed, he brought the habit of self-in- 
 dulgence which was now alarmingly whetted by allur- 
 ing surroundings. Dissipation to such a nature was 
 made dangerously attractive by reason of Epicurean- 
 ism ; whereas to a man of opposite nature the mere 
 fact of being thrown upon his own responsibility 
 would be a safeguard. But to transplant a Virginia 
 youth, steeped to the lips in prejudice and insularity, 
 to the whirl of New York life, and have him at once 
 courted and petted, is to impose a test too severe save 
 for the strongest, most balanced character. Ather-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 163 
 
 ton made not the least effort at self-control, but 
 greeted dissipation and excess with open arras. 
 
 Felix Perry had, possibly, but two characteristics 
 in common with Atherton Leigh ; both could love, 
 and both could suffer. But the quality of the loving 
 and of the suffering differed greatly in each. 
 
 In the days we are considering, Perry both loved 
 and was troubled. The complexion of his soul had 
 changed. He no longer asked himself the degree of 
 his feeling for Chatterton, he occupied himself chiefly 
 with its hopelessness. At first sight it may seem 
 rather absurd for this man to have succumbed to 
 hopelessness without a word spoken to test his fate. 
 But this misrepresents Perry's fear. He could have 
 better endured uncertainty as to Chatterton's feelings 
 toward him than doubt as to the nature of his love 
 for her was he mourning an ideal woman, or infatu- 
 ated with the woman as he found her ? 
 
 While in this condition what would be the use in 
 testing the question of her feelings in regard to him ? 
 Nay, how could he test it ? The very formula he 
 should be forced to use would be insincere. Of course 
 he could not tell her he loved her, and not ask her to 
 be his wife. Even his frankness would have to stop 
 short of an avowal of a sentiment as to the nature of 
 which he would have to admit uncertainty. Only 
 such a character as Atherton Leigh could have solved 
 a like question in a moment, had the case been his 
 own. " I love you," would have been the formula, 
 and he would not have speculated upon, much less 
 openly questioned, the nature of the passion. 
 
 Love to certain people means so much more than 
 to others. To Leigh it meant passion, enthusiasm,
 
 IQ4: -A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 despair reaction ; to Perry it meant the eolor and 
 the atmosphere of existence not at all in a super- 
 romantic sense, but in an everyday, whole-life sort of 
 way. Hence his difficulty. Could he take unto him- 
 self a wife who had easily loved and easily tired of a 
 man so infinitely below her mental caliber as to argue 
 on her part want of delicacy of feeling ? Could he 
 love deeply and lastingly this Titania, even though 
 she were now disenthralled ? 
 
 However, on one point he had no doubt ; this 
 woman was the sun of his system, even if she failed 
 in touching his ideal, and around her and her only 
 would his thoughts revolve. 
 
 Cleverly Mr. Chatterton played his cards. His 
 trump was the introduction of a new element into the 
 circle of his blase friends. A whole family of oddi- 
 ties and yet, none of them odd save in directions 
 which insulted no fashionable prejudice, and which 
 challenged no invidious comparision suddenly floated 
 upon the rather stagnating waters of metropolitan 
 society, reacted most advantageously upon the caterer 
 to the public taste. It is not often that a man can 
 bring down two valuable birds with one stone, and 
 in accomplishing this feat Mr. William Chatterton 
 raised himself inestimably in his own estimation, al- 
 though his former mental attitude in this direction 
 had apparently left nothing to be desired. A stroke 
 of genius which redounds at once to a man's social 
 success and to his pecuniary profit is a stroke of genius, 
 indeed ! If only Mr. Chatterton had brought the dis- 
 cretion with which he carried his honors in Wall 
 Street to bear upon his Fifth Avenue deportment, he 
 would have gained immeasurably. But this he could
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 165 
 
 not do. His silence and reserve "down-town" dur- 
 ing the day were more than counterbalanced by his 
 garrulity and self-importance at his club or in the 
 drawing-rooms of his friends. Insatiate of praise, he 
 defeated his own ends by so continually challenging 
 it at the hands of friends and acquaintances as to be- 
 come that most fatal genus, a self-satisfied bore. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THERE was a sound of preparation for "revelry by 
 night " in the Polliver Jones mansion. Polliver had 
 been duly inspected and placed in the middle parlor 
 just under a life-sized portrait of himself. This por- 
 trait represented him as gazing off into space, pre- 
 sumably cogitating the contents of a roll of paper 
 with which he balanced himself upon a marble para- 
 pet, while behind him was draped a red plush curtain, 
 without which as is well known no out-of-door 
 marble esplanade is complete. In front of this inter- 
 esting work of art stood the well-drilled Polliver, and 
 mused upon the dear old days of liberty when he was 
 allowed unrestricted license with the English lan- 
 guage, and had not, as now, the fear of "ain'ts" and 
 double negatives forever before his eyes. 
 
 Mrs. Jones was in the drawing-room, ready to re- 
 ceive her guests. Upon her brow we now miss the 
 look of exultation which we found there upon our 
 first introduction to her, nearly a year ago. She has 
 gotten beyond that ; so far beyond, in fact, that she
 
 166 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 has succeeded wonderfully in assuming the repose 
 and suavity of one to the manner born. 
 
 By the side of her hostess stood Chatterton Ches- 
 ter. No longer in appearance the Chatterton of the 
 Virginia woods, but transformed by the magic touch 
 of the dressmaker into a fashionable woman. A 
 woman may not only have a separate mood for each 
 gown when the shading and tone of the one matches 
 the other but she may almost be said to have a set of 
 natures to go with each costume. Of course, her 
 main characteristics, as her main features, are un- 
 changed, but there is a subtle something which is put 
 on and taken off with each toilet, and which changes 
 the attitude of the woman herself in respect to her 
 environment. However, best not obtrude our man- 
 nish obtuseness upon a question requiring such deli- 
 cate handling, so we will satisfy ourselves with the 
 assertion that a charming woman well dressed is 
 doubly charming. 
 
 Chatterton was the guest of the ball ; in her 
 flushed, expectant face one could read of the pleasure 
 with which she looked forward to her evening. Mrs. 
 Underdunk had brought Chatterton and Bud, and 
 now regarded her charges with satisfied eyes. Bud 
 was as sweet and as fresh as her namesake, the debu- 
 tante rose. She was seated next to Mrs. Underdunk, 
 and doing her best to entertain that rather blase 
 old party. 
 
 " Do you think," said Mrs. Underdunk, ruthless- 
 ly interrupting her young companion in the recital of 
 some rather commonplace incident, "do you think 
 Miss Chester is heart-whole ? Has she shown special 
 preference for no one ? "
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 167 
 
 Bud took a moment in which to fix her mental 
 focus upon this new subject, and then replied : 
 
 "I think not ; at one time, quite lately, I thought 
 her rather interested in a gentleman, but I believe I 
 was mistaken." 
 
 " Do not say 'a gentleman,' my dear, say ' a man '; 
 it is more distinctive, nowadays. You do not mean 
 that Rembrandtish prodigal son, Atherton Leigh ? " 
 
 "Oh/ no!" said Bud, laconically, sighing from 
 her gentle heart for poor, disappointed, unstable Ath- 
 erton. 
 
 "You mean William Chatterton ?" 
 
 "No, indeed ! Mr. Chatterton and our Chatter- 
 ton do not get on well together. She is so impetu- 
 ous, you know. I declare, at times she quite scares 
 me by her treatment of her cousin ! " 
 
 " Scares you, child ? Why, what does she 
 do?" 
 
 " Oh, I hardly know how to express it. She seems 
 to have not the least fear of him ! " 
 
 "Why should she? He is not dangerous," an- 
 swered Mrs. Underdunk, languidly amused. 
 
 " To me he seems rather awe-inspiring and terri- 
 ble," said Bud, without the least sarcasm. 
 
 " Pooh ! he's merely a ruffian in paint, my dear ; 
 none of the wrinkles are real. But if it is not the 
 great Chatterton, who is it not Felix Perry, surely ? 
 He is too practical ; too solid and substantial to please 
 a romantic, willful girl. " 
 
 But Bud, not wishing to satisfy the other's curi- 
 osity, and repenting having excited it, evaded the 
 question. 
 
 By-and-by Mrs. Underdunk said :
 
 168 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 " And have you succumbed to the flattery of no 
 oily tongue ? " 
 
 Bud laughingly shook her head. Her companion 
 continued : 
 
 "Not to David Shipman, the great cotton man 
 who has suddenly become so rich ? He was devoted 
 to you last night at the opera." 
 
 " Oh, no, indeed ! I do not like him at all. He 
 belittled every one I spoke of. He called Mr. Chat- 
 terton 'a, self-important cad,' whatever that may 
 mean." 
 
 "Did he?" Mrs. Underdunk rather enjoyed 
 this " well, you know, we must not be too hard upon 
 a jealous man. Sneering to this state is what sneez- 
 ing is to a cold in the head the manifestation of in- 
 ' ner irritation. But there, I must positively not talk 
 with you longer. I have wasted two exceptionally 
 good things on you within five minutes good things, 
 which, if they had been reserved for a larger circle, 
 would have floated me the whole evening." 
 
 The rooms were filling fast, and dancing had 
 begun. 
 
 Chatterton was the center of a small court, and 
 was positively radiant in the happy consciousness of 
 power and success. Here men came to perform a 
 mere social duty, but remained to admire "la belle 
 ingenue," as Roger Blake, the artist, called her. 
 Possibly there were a dozen more clever, more brilliant 
 women in the room, and some few as beautiful ; but 
 there was a freshness, a naturalness that was most 
 attractive because of its rarity. Few women nowadays 
 are unself-conscious if beautiful. One must beware 
 of them, else in endeavoring to pluck the rose of en-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 169 
 
 joyment one may run against some unexpected thorn 
 egotism, arrogance, or vanity. 
 
 Happening to gaze across the room, while listen- 
 ing to Mr. Blake as he uttered some epigram about 
 the foibles and follies of the world, Chatterton met 
 Perry's eyes fixed intently upon her. He evidently 
 did not expect detection, for it was the fraction of a 
 moment before he could rid his face of a certain ex- 
 pression which puzzled her. 
 
 He approached, and, courteously allowing Mr. 
 Blake to make his point before distracting the atten- 
 tion of his auditor a trait inexpressibly dear to him 
 who has, or who thinks he has, a point to make made 
 his salutations, but almost immediately stepped aside 
 to open the way to new arrivals, having first, however, 
 secured the promise of a dance. But still that look 
 haunted Chatterton. She could not interpret it. It 
 spoke of either pity or of unhappiness, but which 
 emotion it was she could not tell. In her mental 
 exertion to solve this question she necessarily rather 
 absent-mindedly answered the small talk of the men 
 by whom she was surrounded; but this did not matter 
 much, as they were mostly of the class who hold that 
 a pretty woman is always clever enough. 
 
 If she could have been persuaded that Perry was 
 unhappy, she could have pitied him, and at the same 
 have experienced a sensation of decided satisfaction at 
 being the presumable cause. But suppose he pitied 
 her ! Somehow this man possessed the power of ab- 
 sorbing her in the contemplation of his opinion of 
 herself, and she told herself that she did not like it 
 at all. 
 
 However, youth is sublimely recuperative, and
 
 170 -4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 Chatterton soon forgot her annoyance in the whirl of 
 the dance and in the pleasurable excitement of the 
 moment. 
 
 And the music sounded through the spacious 
 rooms, and hearts were light and gay, lonely and sad, 
 or torpid and indifferent, after the manner of the 
 hearts of "all sorts and conditions of men"; and 
 still Perry stood on the outer edge of the crowd of 
 dancers, and followed Chatterton with surreptitious 
 gaze. 
 
 Late in the evening Atherton arrived. He was 
 flushed and excited, and even more handsome and de- 
 bonnaire than usual. Many eyes shone the brighter for 
 his coming, and smiled on him encouragement and 
 invitation. As was his wont, the young man plunged 
 headlong in the midst of the gayety, and was soon 
 waltzing with one of the best dancers in the room. 
 
 Mrs. Chester, who had come late on principle, 
 was talking to Mrs. Underdunk, much to the enter- 
 tainment of the latter, for Mrs. Chester was in her 
 hands as clay, and the potter chose to mold her into 
 a leaky vessel. To hear Mrs. Chester tell of the estate 
 of Chatterton, of her ancestors, of the importance of 
 the General's inventions, and of the glory of Virginia 
 generally, was a keen pleasure to Mrs. Underdunk. 
 But the old lady was an epicure and handled her 
 subject with artistic delicacy. 
 
 "Your young friend Mr. Leigh, Mrs. Chester, is 
 a remarkably handsome man of his type." 
 
 "And so was his father. I remember Colonel 
 Leigh when he had half the girls of the county in love 
 with him." 
 
 " Of good family, I have no doubt, the Leighs ?"
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 Mrs. Chester was instantly interested. " Of the 
 Yery best, Mrs. Underdunk. Atherton's mother was 
 a Eandolph ; her mother a Clapperton of Clapperton 
 Hall, Prince William County. His maternal great- 
 grandfather married a Biddepord. On his father's 
 side Athcrton is connected with my family his great- 
 grandfather was my grandfather's step-mother's cousin. 
 Besides this, we are connected through the Fotherin- 
 gales of Westmoreland." 
 
 "As nearly connected as through the other 
 branch ? " asked Mrs. Underdunk, with the smile of 
 innocence but with the heart of guile. 
 
 "Quite as nearly connected. My mother's uncle 
 was a " 
 
 Here Mrs. Polliver Jones came up hurriedly, her 
 face so expressive of perturbation as to stop suddenly 
 the gentle ambling of Mrs. Chester's hobby. 
 
 "I beg your pardon for interrupting you, Mrs. 
 Chester. Just to think, my dear Mrs. Underdunk, 
 she has forced herself unasked into my house ! " 
 
 "She, Mrs. Jones who ?" 
 
 " Oh, that woman ! That pushing, vulgar woman, 
 Mrs. Dare ! Just to think of it, she here ! How can 
 one be exclusive in these days ?" 
 
 Mrs. Chester felt herself called upon to answer, 
 and therefore said, with considerable earnestness, 
 too: "How, indeed! May I ask to whom you 
 refer?" 
 
 "A Mrs. Dare," broken-heartedly answered Mrs. 
 Polliver, sinking into a chair, with a careless nod of 
 acknowledgment to an aristocratic-looking old gentle- 
 man who handed it to her he was poor and of a de- 
 cayed family "an adventuress ; a widow, I believe"
 
 172 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 (with a tone implying considerable doubt of the fact) 
 "who has obtained a foothold on society through the 
 mistaken kindness of Mrs. Denvers, who, it is whis- 
 pered, took her up to please Felix Perry." 
 
 Mrs. Underdunk considerably exhilarated at the 
 prospect of an exciting passage-at-arms between her 
 hostess and the mysterious widow took upon herself 
 to add her quota to the divertissement. 
 
 "Really, Mrs. Jones, you exaggerate; Mrs. Dare 
 is not so bad. She has been asked, I am told I my- 
 self do not know the people to Mrs. Blank's and 
 to Mrs. Nemo's afternoons." 
 
 Now, as Mrs. Blank and Mrs. Nemo were worse 
 than nobodies mere barnacles which refused to be 
 scraped off the hull of the social ship this informa- 
 tion exasperated Mrs. Jones to the highest pitch, as 
 was indeed intended it should. 
 
 " How can I get rid of her ! Can not I send her 
 word that there must be some error, that she has evi- 
 dently mistaken the house ? " 
 
 " How did she get here ?" 
 
 " Mrs. Smithers asked for an invitation for a 
 friend. I could not refuse. Unfortunately, I paid no 
 attention to the name of the friend, but turned the 
 matter over to Sniffins, my housekeeper, for her to 
 fill out the invitation." 
 
 Mrs. Underdunk instantly remembered that on a 
 previous occasion she herself had asked for an invita- 
 tion of Mrs. Jones, for a niece, and had been refused, 
 and now the information that Mrs. Smithers had suc- 
 ceeded fanned the feeble flame of a mere malicious 
 intent into the fiercer fire of revenge. So well did 
 she ply her arts that Mrs. Jones was almost iu tears,
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 having lost for the nonce that dignified indifference 
 which had recently graced her proud, erect crest. 
 
 And still the music floated over the sea of heads, 
 unmindful of the discordant notes of "envy, hatred, 
 malice, and all uncharitableness " which kept up a 
 murmuring diapason in the lower strata. 
 
 The object of Mrs. Jones's disquietude showed few 
 signs of perturbation. Either she was indifferent or 
 was inured to such reception as she had met at the 
 hands of her hostess, for it neither ruffled her placid 
 brow nor stirred an unquiet gleam from the depths of 
 her pellucid eyes. As she swept superbly over the 
 waxen floor, on the arm of old Mr. Bramble, she cer- 
 tainly merited the glances of admiration which she 
 received from the men. Upon the stock of her phil- 
 osophy, however, she must have drawn heavily that 
 night, for most of the women shunned her in that 
 bitterly cruel way which even the best of women at 
 times assume. 
 
 Perry, he scarcely knew why, felt a vague regret 
 that Mrs. Dare was present. From some undefined 
 impulse he did not wish Chatterton Chester to know 
 her. There is something repellent to a fastidious 
 man in having a very young woman particularly, if 
 he is in love with her brought in contact with a 
 thorough -paced worldly woman, especially with one to 
 whom the shifts and subterfuges of a debatable posi- 
 tion are not unknown. Where it had concerned Mrs. 
 Denvers, it had been very different. Mrs. Denvers 
 was a married woman, and fully capable of taking 
 care of herself besides, he was not in love with Mrs. 
 Denvers. Even in that case he had come to regret 
 his course in having almost forced Mrs. Dare upon
 
 174: A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 her acquaintance. Somehow, the widow did not ap- 
 pear as well was more rakish and prononcee in the 
 full glare of public notice as in the secluded twilight 
 of a tete-a-tete. 
 
 His was not the nature, however, to shrink from 
 a situation of his own making. He advanced toward 
 Mrs. Dare with extended hand, and said: "It has 
 been long, Mrs. Dare, since we have seen one an- 
 other." 
 
 With quiet dexterity she released Mr. Bramble's 
 arm and dismissed him but so flatteringly withal, 
 that he counted it only a concession to social exigency 
 and, placing her hand in Perry's: "I am glad," 
 she said, "that you found it long." 
 
 "As cruel but more honest than is usual with 
 your sex." 
 
 " How insensibly even you assume the little man- 
 nerism of society before the footlights ! Fortunately, 
 we poor women get to learn the proportion of insin- 
 cerity." 
 
 It was with a feeling akin to admiration that he 
 noticed a vast improvement in diction and grammar. 
 No man ever lived from whom a successful effort in 
 the direction of either restraint or of development 
 commanded more respect. 
 
 "At Home, you know," he said, "one must imi- 
 tate the natives." 
 
 "And yet" her eyes were certainly very effect- 
 ive ; they seemed to imply so much " the heart will 
 not always recognize the necessity. It at times brings 
 its bundle of cares even into the ball-room. Shock- 
 ing bad taste, is it not ? " 
 
 He glanced at her as a man will whose senses ap-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 175 
 
 prove but whose soul is absolutely untouched. " Your 
 heart," he said, "can have no such load." 
 
 "And why not?" 
 
 He hesitated for a moment before answering. It 
 was so seldom that he undertook to give currency to 
 a mere platitude, that this one stuck in his throat. 
 Finally, he said : " It was a silly speech I was about 
 to make. Of course, even the most favored of the sons 
 of men are liable to heart-aches. Indeed, I do not 
 know but that keen sensibility renders one the more 
 liable." 
 
 But she cared little for generalizing, and sought 
 to bring him back to a more congenial topic herself. 
 "Am I one of the favored 'sons of men/ Mr. Perry ? 
 Alas, how little you know me ! I doubt if there 
 is a more unhappy woman under this roof to- 
 night!" 
 
 He did not care to enter the labyrinth of senti- 
 ment, and elected to take this lightly. " So say most 
 of us at certain moments. What is the present cause 
 of your unhappiness a gown a failure, or a bonnet 
 gone wrong ? " 
 
 He had to wait for the time to claim his dance 
 with Chatterton, and thought he might as well wait 
 in agreeable company. They had wandered off into 
 the library, and were seated on a sofa in the corner. 
 He was gazing unspeculatively at the tiers of gor- 
 geously bound books which lined the room ; but not 
 receiving an answer to his last remark he now turned 
 toward his companion. 
 
 He was shocked to notice her expression. Her 
 face was pale almost ashen and she looked ten 
 years older.
 
 176 4- VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 " Good heavens ! " he exclaimed, starting to his 
 feet, "are you not well ?" 
 
 "It is nothing," she faltered. "The heat of the 
 room ; the the " and she burst into tears. 
 
 Shocked beyond measure, Felix stood before her, 
 thoughtfully endeavoring to screen her from the open 
 door and the passing revelers. " Can I do nothing 
 for you ? " he said. " You distress me ! " 
 
 She was recovering her composure, and tried to 
 smile up at him. " A weak woman, after all, you see, 
 Mr. Perry. And, as I said, an unhappy one but 
 there, let it pass. I usually am able to control my- 
 self. At times, however, my sense of loneliness over- 
 comes me." 
 
 " Did I in any way offend you ? " he asked, for- 
 getting his former fear of the labyrinth. 
 
 "You seemed to doubt the fact of my unhappi- 
 ness. I am nervous, and and well, never mind." 
 
 Something told him his companion was not refer- 
 ring her sudden emotion to its true cause. Her at- 
 tention wandered and she was gazing past him fixedly 
 at the door. He turned just in time to see a couple 
 disappear past the opening. Seeing the direction of 
 his glance, his companion said, recovering herself : 
 " Tell me, Mr. Perry, who is that remarkable looking 
 man ? He certainly is the handsomest creature I 
 have ever seen ! " 
 
 "That/"' responded Felix, glad enough to have 
 done with sentiment and with tears, "is Atherton 
 Leigh, of Virginia." 
 
 Mrs. Dare sat immovable. By-and-by she said: 
 " And the girl on his arm ? " 
 
 "Miss Hetherinton ; also a Virginian."
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 177 
 
 Mrs. Dare was again silent. The music came to 
 them softly from the distant ball-room. 
 
 " Tell me something about them." 
 
 " He is a mad-cap, undisciplined fellow ; she, a 
 gentle, sweet, old-fashioned child. She has a sad his- 
 tory-" 
 
 Mrs. Dare interrupted him hurriedly. "After 
 all," she said, " I think I must have a glass of wine 
 or an ice. Take me, please, to the dining-room." 
 
 As they entered the sumptuous banquet-hall, she 
 said : " Leave me over there with Mrs. Smithers. I 
 must not monopolize you. Go now, and thank you 
 so much for your sympathy. You may later bring 
 Mr. Leigh and introduce him." 
 
 Perry knew too much of the world to be oversur- 
 prised at anything. Still, he did rate the widow's 
 latest whim as at least unexpected. To be one mo- 
 ment sentimental, and the next to be preoccupied 
 and agitated, and then almost immediately to dismiss 
 him in search of Atherton Leigh, a stranger, was cer- 
 tainly peculiar. 
 
 Wishing to be rid of his commission as soon as 
 possible, Perry secured Atherton now deeply flushed 
 with wine and excitement and led him to Mrs. Dare. 
 The introduction was made, and, as they sauntered off 
 having already each gauged the predilection of the 
 other in quest of a sequestered spot, Felix turned, 
 and instantly forgot them both, for there before him, 
 slowly crossing the room on the arm of her partner of 
 the last dance, was Chatterton, radiant and lovely. 
 The distant music had just started a waltz, and, 
 knowing that it was to be his, she turned expectantly 
 toward Felix, too little versed in the ways of the 
 12
 
 ITS -4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 world to know that its dictates command at least 
 apparent indifference. 
 
 In a moment Perry was at her side ; " My waltz, 
 I think, Miss Chester ? " he said, and led off his prize 
 to the ball-room. 
 
 CHAPTEK XVII. 
 
 WHEN sympathy of so intense a nature that it is 
 akin to love exists between a man and a woman, the 
 immediate surroundings are of minor importance. 
 Still, they do count, and Perry and Chatterton were 
 attuned to sentiment in the ball-room with its waves 
 of sound and perfume and its panorama of jeweled 
 and decked humanity as they would not have been, 
 at least as Chattertou would not have been, under 
 less stirring circumstances. 
 
 The champagne of emotion goes soonest to the 
 head of the unaccustomed quaffer, and Perry was 
 deeply moved as he guided his partner over the 
 smooth floor to the strains of a dreamy waltz, a 
 waltz pathetic with that undertone of sadness which 
 appeals to one so strongly in certain moments. 
 
 When the music ceased, Perry led Chatterton to 
 the library. 
 
 "Do come in here," he said, betraying emotion in 
 look and tone. " Will not you grant me a little more 
 time, will not you forego one dance for my sake ? " 
 
 She glanced up at him, but said nothing as she 
 allowed him to take her to the sofa where, a short 
 while before, Mrs. Dare had wept. He was not think-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 179 
 
 ing of Mrs. Dare and her tears, but of Chatterton 
 such warm, tender and yet regretful thoughts as his 
 love and its hopelessness inspired. He had convinced 
 himself, as we know, that the love must be hopeless. 
 The argument had been unanswerable at the time 
 he would be doing both her and himself a wrong if 
 he tried to win her for his wife, for the memory of 
 her fickle course in regard to Atherton would be sure 
 to imbitter his happiness, and, consequently, hers. 
 The argument did not appeal to him strongly at this 
 moment, for he did not reopen the discussion with 
 himself. Having once reached a conclusion in regard 
 to the right in the case, it was like him thereafter to 
 accept that conclusion without new questioning. It 
 is hard to separate a strong character and a precon- 
 ceived idea, be that idea sterling or erroneous. 
 
 Schooling his voice to something like its ordinary 
 tone, he said : " You have not forgotten our sunny, 
 happy, Arcadian, Virginia days ? " 
 
 She looked up quickly. " My thoughts," she said, 
 " were at that moment in dear old Braddox. How 
 far away, how dissolved it seems, does it not ? I can 
 hardly realize that it has not vanished from the face 
 of the earth. Do you remember our ride to the court- 
 house, and your astonishment at all you saw there ? 
 Could there be a stronger contrast than between that 
 scene and this ! " 
 
 "They represent extremes, certainly. You will 
 not think me unappreciative of the good things the 
 gods have given if I say I wish we were back there 
 now?" 
 
 " Do you ? " she said, softly it was not a ques- 
 tion, much less a doubt.
 
 180 -^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 "Yes; for this is artificial and that was ideal." 
 Then, recovering himself with an effort : " Still, this 
 scene has the advantage of being less passive, and I 
 usually have but scant sympathy with inertia." 
 
 " I have always thought you rather severe on my 
 compatriots," she replied. There was little of re- 
 proach in her voice ; only less of feeling than before, 
 for she had noticed the change in him. 
 
 " With some men severity is the best evidence of 
 interest," he answered. " Caring only to consider 
 those who attract them, they naturally regret flaws 
 where there are so few real faults." 
 
 " You atone nobly, Mr. Perry." 
 
 " I did not so much refer to Virginians as a class," 
 he responded, "as to to " he hesitated. 
 
 She waited for the end of his sentence, but as it 
 did not come, she said : " You are in the main a man 
 with a strong impulse toward justice. I have on 
 more than one occasion admired the trait in you 
 when the temptation to ignore it must have been 
 strong. Why is it, then, that you seem to discover 
 only what is weak in our people ? There must be 
 some redeeming characteristics, and you, who are so 
 fond of quoting the law of compensation, should 
 have discovered them." 
 
 He hesitated a moment. In that moment he real- 
 ized that the accusation was just he had allowed his 
 disappointment in the woman by his side to tinge his 
 criticism of her race. He must atone, he argued, for 
 his was the nature to, like Zaccheus, "restore seven- 
 fold." Besides, he could no longer keep silent. The 
 impulse to declare his love was overmastering ; but, 
 in obeying it, he unfortunately gave voice as much to
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 181 
 
 prejudice as to lore. He should have been wiser ; he 
 should have been more noble ; but, with the bias of a 
 wrong opinion strong upon him, he forgot all save 
 the bitterness of his impending loss. In a slow, re- 
 strained voice, he said : " Your reproach is deserved ; 
 I am afraid I do not merit to be called just. I find I 
 am weak in the direction in which I thought myself 
 strong. I can, at least, confess. Yes ; I have of late 
 been unjust to your people. I have visited on them, 
 as a class, my unhappiness at the course pursued by 
 one of their number." 
 
 " Indeed ? I am surprised." 
 
 She knew he referred to her, supposing him a prey 
 to some jealous fancy, but would neither help nor 
 hinder him in what he had to say ; for she waited 
 for him to strike the key before she determined 
 whether she was attuned to the chord. Women are 
 marvelously governed both in the nature and in the 
 proportion of their likes or of their loves by the quan- 
 tity and quality of these sentiments entertained for 
 them by friends or lovers. The thermometer of their 
 emotions responds with surprising accuracy to the 
 temperature to which it is exposed. Doubtless Chat- 
 terton would have with indignation repudiated the 
 insinuation that upon Perry's next words would de- 
 pend the kind as well as the degree of her feeling for 
 him ; and yet, this was nevertheless true. 
 
 Cold as were Chatterton's words, she herself was 
 far from cold. Under its disguise she had recognized 
 a certain pathos in her companion's voice, and was 
 glad with that unreasoning, unanalyzed gladness 
 which touches the skirts of true happiness and finds 
 virtue therein as no after-emotion is likely ever to
 
 182 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 find it. "Women are more occupied with tones than 
 with actual language, possessing as they do the faculty 
 of seizing through these the finer inflections of feel- 
 ing which mere words can not convey. 
 
 There had been silence for a few moments. Not 
 that Perry hesitated to confess the true state of his 
 heart for there was no angel of prudence in his path 
 to turn him from his unwise purpose but that he 
 sought words in which to express it. At length he 
 said : 
 
 "You know the story of my early love, therefore I 
 need not repeat it. The first shock caused by Bar- 
 bara's faithlessness once over, I betook myself to hard 
 work. I do not think I was imbittered against your 
 sex, I simply thought myself invulnerable. There 
 was a long interval during which my life flowed on, 
 and when I floated on its surface in a state of negative 
 contentment then I met you. In you I found, I 
 gladly assured myself, the characteristics for which I 
 had blindly groped in my earlier years, and which, 
 since their disappointment, I had considered chimeri- 
 cal. Your very faults excuse me, I can only be per- 
 fectly clear in being perfectly frank I attributed to 
 their opposite virtues in disguise to escape detection 
 by certain unsympathetic surroundings. I loved you, 
 Miss Chester, as only a man can love who brings ap- 
 proval to the strengthening of emotion ; and the 
 dream of my days was to make you my wife. And 
 now that love still masters me. It has overflowed the 
 dykes that kept it deep and calm. I love you still, 
 even now that " 
 
 He could not say it ! It seemed too brutal to tell 
 this woman by his side, with her innocent face turned
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 183 
 
 expectantly toward him, that he held her to have 
 lacked in delicacy of feeling in that she had lightly 
 loved and lightly cast aside ! 
 
 She had leaned forward, her face white but eager; 
 in her eyes, the unmistakable light. She was essen- 
 tially feminine, in the highest sense of the term. She 
 had not confessed to herself more than a growing 
 liking for this man the antithesis of all other men 
 she had known till now that the magic words had 
 been spoken ; now that no real or imaginary barrier 
 interposed between her and absolute frankness to her 
 own heart and absolute candor to him. As Perry told 
 his love, he had read his answer in her pose ; in the 
 liquid depth of her frank, young eyes ; in the eager 
 parting of her red lips, and it made his task the 
 harder ; that task which was none the less real be- 
 cause imposed by superintensity upon a substratum of 
 misconception. 
 
 But the diver had missed his pearl. At Perry's 
 last words Chatterton awoke as from a dream. Till 
 they had been uttered she had marked but his im- 
 passioned tones, and had heeded not at all the note of 
 warning that ran through what he had said. And 
 yet, even in the descent from the ideal to the real, 
 she sought to retard the catastrophe. 
 
 " Is it all a question of the past ? " 
 
 Then Perry proceeded to immolate himself fanati- 
 cally. Other martyrs have died through mistaken 
 zeal where discretion might have made them living 
 apostles ; and yet the zeal was ethical. We well know 
 it to be a misstatement that the days of martyrdom 
 are over. 
 
 "I trust that you think me incapable of hurt-
 
 184 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 ing your feelings wantonly or through careless, 
 ness ? " 
 
 " Yes," she murmured. 
 
 " Do you think that you can grasp the idea that 
 I doubt through the medium of my senses, and yet 
 that a single word of denial will outweigh their evi- 
 dence ? In what I am about to say, will you weigh 
 the spirit and not the letter ? " 
 
 "I will try," pathetically. 
 
 As a man of the world he should have known how 
 worse than useless was this preparation, that no wom- 
 an, similarly situated, was ever yet forearmed to meet 
 a disagreeable truth heroically. She flies 'from the 
 point in question to the consideration of the animus 
 that prompted the disapproval, and, inferring it to be 
 critical, the whole chain of the lover's estimate of 
 herself is held to be no stronger than its weakest 
 link. 
 
 At last, he said : "On the day I left your home 
 in Virginia, Atherton Leigh joined me on the road to 
 Braddox Station. He tried to pick a quarrel with 
 me ; demanding that I should cease paying attention 
 to you. Failing in securing either satisfaction or a re- 
 linquishment of my claim to your friendship, he warned 
 me that he had the right to speak for you, as you and 
 he were at that moment engaged to be married. " 
 
 Chatter ton started ; her eyes flashed fire " And 
 you believed him ? " 
 
 "No." 
 
 She sank back among the cushions of the sofa, a 
 smile replacing the blaze of anger. Perry continued : 
 " No. In my early life I sounded the depths of one 
 woman's possibility in the direction of deception, and
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 185 
 
 doubtless it has warped my judgment, and yet I have 
 not lost all faith in womankind. I knew you could 
 not hare seen my love grow, as you must have seen 
 it, and not have warned me in some way if you were 
 then engaged to marry another man ! " 
 
 She held out a small white hand with a most 
 charming gesture of friendly acknowledgment. He 
 seized it, and carried it passionately to his lips. 
 Still holding it he continued, his voice broken with 
 emotion : "Tell me, Chatterton, tell me that Leigh, 
 for some ignoble purpose of his own, deceived me ! 
 Tell me that I have been all wrong in believing that 
 once you were engaged to him, and that there might 
 be truth in his assertion that I had separated you two. 
 I am, oh, so ready to lay it all to my own misconcep- 
 tion ! One word from you will suffice ! You see, I 
 was misled ; not only by Atherton, but by that scene 
 on the porch at your home, when Leigh coupled my 
 name with an oath when he dashed the chair to the 
 floor. Was not it natural to infer that he was plead- 
 ing to be reinstated in your affections ? Forgive me ; 
 it was not a very unreasonable inference, was it ?" 
 
 He had spoken rapidly excitedly at the close, for 
 her hand had been slowly withdrawn from his, and 
 he did not know how to interpret this. Her face was 
 averted, resting on her other hand, her elbow on the 
 back of the sofa. 
 
 There was a pause. The silence confounded him. 
 Still, he said : "Will not you give me the assurance 
 I crave?" then, passionately, "Can not you give 
 it?" 
 
 Still there was no answer. 
 
 Then he lost hope. After all, he had been right
 
 186 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 in his interpretation, he told himself, and all was 
 over between them forever. At least, he had spoken 
 frankly ; had given her the opportunity of denying. 
 But oh, the cruel disappointment ! After a moment, 
 he resumed : " Well, happiness is destined to pass me 
 by. The cup must ever, it seems, be dashed from my 
 hand as it nears my lips ! It is very hard, for now 
 only do I learn what love really means ! And I can 
 not control that love. It enters into every phase of 
 my life and casts its shadow and its sunshine forever 
 across my path. My whole soul cries out for you, 
 and yet you are as far from me as the South is from 
 the North ! " 
 
 Of course he meant no especial significance in this 
 choice of simile ; but it was an unfortunate choice, 
 nevertheless ; it was liable to misinterpretation. 
 
 He had been either too excited to notice his com- 
 panion's suspicious silence, or had interpreted it as a 
 tacit acknowledgment of fickleness. Her face being 
 averted, he had read no warning there. 
 
 He resumed : "I am well aware that I am what 
 many persons would call quixotic ; but I can not 
 change. To most men, no doubt, it would be an 
 added incentive to have to win you from a former at- 
 tachment " 
 
 He got no further. She arose slowly from the 
 lounge, and confronted him. Her face was as mar- 
 ble ; as livid and as cold. When she spoke her voice 
 was harsh and strange. 
 
 "Well, sir, is there anything more ?" 
 
 "Anything more!" he stammered, a streak of 
 doubt dawning upon his soul. 
 
 "If not," she resumed, "I should like to return
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 187 
 
 to Mrs. Underdunk no," with almost a sob, "to my 
 mother." 
 
 Perry sprang to his feet : " One word of denial, 
 Miss Chester, and I will confess that I have been all 
 wrong ; have misjudged you ! " 
 
 Their positions were strangely reversed. He, the 
 strong character, was pleading to be forgiven ; plead- 
 ing for the words which would prove him to have 
 been unjust. 
 
 But it was too late. He had passed his Eubicon. 
 It might be well for men at times not too often, but 
 now and then if they could exchange their syntheti- 
 cal conclusions for a woman's less logical but more in- 
 tuitive perceptions, 
 
 Chattertou had interrupted him: "I am not so 
 much occupied with your opinion of me, sir, as I am 
 with mine of you. But I absolutely refuse to discuss 
 the matter." 
 
 As she arose, Perry flung himself between her and 
 the door : " One word more, and I will detain you no 
 longer. I now have no hope of ever winning you ; 
 but for the sake of at once my peace of mind and my 
 eternal regret, tell me that Atherton Leigh lied to 
 me ; lied as to fact as well as to detail ! " 
 
 But she would not. A man under similar circum- 
 stances would have complied, holding that revenge 
 were best secured by showing the other the injustice 
 done him. Not so a woman. She well knows that 
 to leave the lover in uncertainty is the more refined 
 revenge. If the charge against Chatterton had been 
 more direct, had partaken more of an accusation than 
 of an insinuation, she could have more easily forgiven; 
 for, unfathomable as it seems, her sex resent more
 
 188 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 bitterly the hint that they might have done, than the 
 charge that they did. 
 
 Perry stepped to one side, and she passed him ; but 
 he hurried forward as she reached the door, to hold 
 back the heavy portiere for her to pass out. Then he 
 offered his arm, which, however, she declined to 
 accept. 
 
 Many couples had passed the open door, and as 
 many comments had been made of these two who were 
 now leaving their retreat. But how far from the truth 
 all these had been ! How little others can know of 
 our lives ! They see us in our soul's disguise, yet learn 
 nothing of the emotion spending itself behind the 
 loup. Atherton Mrs. Dare still on his arm had 
 seen the couple in the library, and had ground his 
 teeth with rage, even while he laughed the louder and 
 gazed the more impassionedly into the fine, willing 
 eyes of the woman by his side. 
 
 Perry and his companion wended their silent way 
 to where Mrs. Chester sat dejectedly in her chair, 
 listening to a tall, iron-gray-bearded man. The heir- 
 ess to the bluest blood in old Virginia was suffering 
 as a martyr to the exigencies of society, in that she 
 had to listen with some show of interest to the vapid 
 talk of a creature who not only did not appear to have 
 had ancestry of his own, but who had shown absolute 
 indifference on hearing of the Fotheringales of West- 
 moreland, and who had led the talk away from the 
 absorbing topic of genealogy to tell of the ghastly 
 lives of miserable wretches in the Siberian mines, 
 whither, it seemed, he had gone to collect material for 
 a work on "Social Contrasts." 
 
 Liberated by the arrival of her daughter, Mrs.
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 189 
 
 Chester gladly acquiesced in the request to return 
 home. 
 
 Felix controlled his emotions as best he could and 
 got through creditably enough with those little civili- 
 ties which are indispensable to every situation in life 
 if we are being led to dinner or to execution, if we 
 are dining or dying. Chatterton kept her face averted, 
 and murmured merely what was absolutely necessary 
 at parting. 
 
 The ball was over. A crowd of tired humanity 
 gathered on the stairs in their hurry to reach their 
 carriages and their homes. Silken and satin wraps, 
 ulsters and top-coats were gathered over rebellious 
 hearts, satisfied hearts, throbbing hearts and torpid 
 hearts, for the fruit of the evening had been a thou- 
 sand new complexities entering into already overbur- 
 dened lives. Many maskers had exchanged masks ; 
 some that had grinned, now sulked, and some that 
 had wept, now smiled. 
 
 At length the last guest was gone, and Polliver 
 a little less unhappy and a little less grammatical than 
 usual, because that in vino veritas stumbled up to 
 bed. Outside, a hungry, homeless waif crept away 
 from the darkening house, for the tired servants 
 were extinguishing the electric lights and the dissi- 
 pated-looking, dripping wax candles, Mrs. Polliver 
 Jones having enjoyed "the pleasure of your com- 
 pany." 
 
 But the night was not over for Perry. As he 
 wearily and listlessly turned up the lamp in his study, 
 his eyes fell upon an envelope addressed to him. He 
 instantly recognized the hand-writing, although it 
 was blurred and indistinct. With a cold presentiment
 
 190 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 of impending evil he tore open Mrs. Denvers's note, 
 and there read these words : 
 
 " For God's sake come to me at once ! " 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THERE are few, I imagine, that have not faced a 
 period when fortune was neither hot nor cold and 
 wished that it might be either hot or cold anything 
 rather than lukewarm. 
 
 Suspense is by no means the most bearable form of 
 misfortune. Is it not restricting the truth to say 
 only of hope, rather than of all unqualified expecta- 
 tion, that its deferment " maketh the heart sick ? " 
 
 From a life of such merely material luxury that it 
 had of necessity driven her to wish for the only thing 
 of which she was deprived, the immaterial, Mrs. 
 Denvers had suddenly been brought face to face with 
 the prospect of a life of comparative poverty. This 
 meant little to her who deemed it easy enough to sur- 
 render a carriage or an opera-box, and who had not as 
 yet learned that loss of material wealth entailed loss 
 of consideration and, often, loss of friends. But an 
 effect of the change in her condition was obvious to 
 her at once the change in her husband. He grew 
 first silent, then morose, then surly cynical he had 
 always been. The next change was more distressing 
 still to her who had never known him in a melting 
 mood. God help those who systematically repel af- 
 fection, kindness, sympathy ! The time is sure to 
 come when they will wail for these as the drowning
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 191 
 
 man cries out, sinking in the wild waste of waters, 
 who finds to his despair no outstretched hand to save 
 him. It can not be otherwise. One can be trained to 
 bear almost anything but returning demonstration. 
 It requires divine charity to go half-way to meet the 
 prodigal who has for years preferred even husks to the 
 love which for so long could have been had for the 
 asking. 
 
 Denvers did not bear, as we have said, adverse 
 fortune dumbly. Such heroism would at once have 
 secured to him the sympathy he craved ; but no, he 
 moaned over each fresh disaster, and alternately 
 charged Fate, his wife, and even Heaven itself with 
 his misfortune. It was during this phase that Perry 
 had discovered that his friend suffered. No wonder 
 she could not tell him of her cross ! 
 
 So carefully had the cunning Wall-Street operator 
 covered his tracks that no one but his wife shared the 
 knowledge of his impending downfall. Even she was 
 not informed of the extent of his loss, although again 
 and again she urged him to tell her. 
 
 But there had come a lull. By some mysterious 
 means Denvers had succeeded in at least temporarily 
 stemming the tide of ill-fortune. Not knowing the 
 nature, the efficacy, or even the honesty of the means 
 by which the stay had been secured, Mrs. Denvers 
 could show no more elation now than she had before 
 shown fear. This was a fresh grievance to her hus- 
 band, and, now that the danger of sordid poverty was 
 less imminent, he plucked up courage, and put his 
 wife once more in Coventry for her sins. And then 
 came the lukewarm state of which we have spoken, 
 and Mrs. Denvers felt her cross doubly heavy.
 
 192 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 In all the late changes and fluctuations of fortune 
 she had shown indomitable fortitude. Not one angry, 
 peevish, or reproachful word or look had escaped her. 
 Nobly she bore the evidence of abject fear as well the 
 no less repulsive revilings of the poor wretch who had 
 trusted in his false gods cupidity and selfishness to 
 bring fire to his altar, and who, when no fire came, 
 "cut himself with knives." Bad as was this state, it 
 was not as bad as the suspense which followed, when 
 his silent coming and going were as the visitation and 
 vanishing of a ghost. 
 
 On the morning of the day of the Polliver Jones's 
 ball, Denvers had gone down to Wall Street at an 
 earlier hour than was his wont. His wife wearily left 
 her sleepless couch to face the uncertainty, the possi- 
 bilities and the dread of a new day. As she gazed 
 around on the many luxuries of her home, she mur- 
 mured the well-known words : 
 
 " 'Tis better to be lowly born, 
 And range with humble livers in content, 
 Than to be perked up in a glistering grief, 
 And wear a golden sorrow." 
 
 She idly turned over with her hand the ostenta- 
 tiously large card of invitation for the ball that night. 
 Then she realized, with a sense of pitying wonder, 
 how very short the time was since the anticipation of 
 a ball had ceased to afford her agreeable sensations. 
 And now well, yes, she had one regret, she would 
 not see Perry and Chatterton together. 
 
 She had quite made up her mind to the fact that 
 these two would marry, and had again and again told 
 herself that it was well so ; and yet she sighed. Ke-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 193 
 
 member, she did not love her husband could not 
 love him now had heaven been the prize or hell the 
 penalty ! As we have before said, she played no games 
 of hide and seek with her conscience, but was, on the 
 contrary, a most honest casuist. If Perry had come 
 to her, and had urged ungovernable love to the verge 
 and confine of conviction, she would possibly have 
 admired him less than before yet, who shall dare 
 assert even this confidently of any human being under 
 such circumstances but would have liked him cer- 
 tainly none the less, while as certainly she would have 
 sent him away not only rebuked, but convinced that 
 he had made a fatal mistake. But, when it came to 
 a question of liberty of thought, she brooked no con- 
 trol save that imposed by intuitive delicacy. If she 
 had loved her husband if she could have loved him 
 neither Felix Perry nor any other man would have 
 been more to her than a pleasing figure on the disk 
 of idle fancy. But, as matters stood with her, she 
 could no more keep down the hazy mirage of what 
 ''might have been " than she could control the phan- 
 tasmagoria of a dream. When the day arrives that 
 virtue is recognized as being the triumph of the soul 
 over real and tangible temptation, and not merely the 
 absence of temptation, the Mrs. Denvers of this world 
 will be counted many degrees more righteous than 
 those women who have their highest type in insensi- 
 bility to the most natural of all emotions. Expurgate 
 the capacity for loving and the inclination to love 
 from a woman, and you may have a saint whose can- 
 onized bones are ready for a niche ; and yet you have 
 but a sorry saint after all, for she must have lacked 
 the chief incentive to be anything else. 
 13
 
 194: ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 Well, the hours passed leadenly by, the day sank 
 slowly to its close, and darkness crept on by wavy 
 degrees, now with a perceptible gain, now checked by 
 an unexpected stand of retreating day. Snow was 
 falling fast ; the flakes, gliding, ghost-like, past the 
 window, momentarily transformed into glittering crys- 
 tals by the electric light in the street. Inside the 
 library a softly-shaded lamp cast an indulgent halo 
 over books which lay invitingly on the table books 
 which by their very binding pleaded eloquently to be 
 allowed to reveal their hidden treasures to sympathetic 
 souls. But Mrs. Denvers was not in a mood to re- 
 spond to such blandishments. Care brooded over her 
 soul, and care admits of no divided allegiance. 
 
 'Tis well for humanity that time dulls the memory 
 of the past, and that impenetrable mystery veils the 
 face of the future. The present is absorbing enough, 
 with its many storms and few sun-rays, without its 
 dead sister's apparition or its unborn sister's premoni- 
 tions. Mrs. Denvers's present was laden with unhappi- 
 ness. Hitherto she had consoled herself with the 
 unspoken creed that the Fates were quite ready to 
 strike a bargain with the individual, provided its 
 terms were favorable to the triumvirate ; and she had, 
 not unreasonably after the test of ten years, con- 
 vinced herself that they had been propitiated. Had 
 she not agreed to purchase worldly comforts, prefer- 
 ment, and, above all, an unsullied name at the price 
 of happiness ? She had faithfully adhered to her part 
 of the fancied compact, although she knew herself 
 peculiarly fitted for a life having its interests on a 
 higher plane, only to find at this late day that there 
 had been no real bargain.
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 195 
 
 Her musings were interrupted by the sound of the 
 closing of the street-door, and she knew that her hus- 
 band had returned. It is not loud-mouthed ranting 
 on the stage of life that tells the story of domestic in- 
 felicity, it is the pantomime. No words could have 
 more eloquently told the sad tale of incompatibility 
 and disunion than the dejected pose of the immovable 
 figure on the library sofa and the listless step on the 
 stairs. No light, no real life in such a home. What 
 greeting had she to expect ? At the best, cynicism 
 and sneers ; at the worst, reproaches and wailing. 
 And he ? Well, at best, tears ; at worst, silence. 
 
 Slowly the foot-falls sounded in the hall, and were 
 presently stilled in the heavy carpet of the library. 
 
 Whatever mask the ruined speculator may have 
 worn "in the street" to hide his distorted features 
 was now cast aside. His bloodshot eyes, pale, sunken 
 cheeks, and wistful, haunted look told of real and un- 
 concealed agony. 
 
 Scarcely glancing toward his wife, and with no 
 word of greeting, Denvers approached the fire and 
 rested his arm wearily upon the mantle as he gazed 
 unspeculatively at the glowing embers. 
 
 "Is there no change for the better, Clarence ?" 
 
 "Yes," he answered. But she did not ask further 
 question, for the tone told her a sneer was to follow. 
 "You do not congratulate me," he resumed. "You 
 do not ask to know the cause of my happiness ? " 
 
 " What is it, Clarence ? " 
 
 " Simply this," he cried, in a hoarse, rasping voice, 
 "uncertainty is over ! Did not you say that was the 
 heaviest sorrow ? I suppose you will now tell me to 
 be resigned ; to trust in Heaven ; to bend beneath
 
 196 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 the rod ? Will that pay my debts ? Will that restore 
 my good name and patch up my reputation ? If so, 
 ' let us pray ' ! " 
 
 Language can not tell of the bitterness, the abject 
 desperation of both words and tone. The poor wretch 
 might have stood thus for some Dore to pencil as 
 Legion, possessed of many devils. 
 
 After a pause he resumed : " To-morrow the world 
 will know all. You and I are beggars." 
 
 " Is it no worse than that, Denvers ? " 
 
 " Worse ; worse I What could be worse ? " 
 
 " Others might have been involved in our ruin." 
 
 " And do you call that 'worse' ?" he responded. 
 " What care I for others ! By the way, another per- 
 son will be a loser. Can you guess who ? " 
 
 She forced herself to say "No." 
 
 " Prepare for hysterics ! Your own particular 
 friend, Felix Perry, will mourn our downfall for other 
 than unselfish reasons ! " 
 
 Slowly she raised her head. " Felix Perry ? " she 
 queried, in an unsteady voice. 
 
 " Yes," cried her husband, with savage exultation, 
 "yes, Felix Perry. I am glad of it; yes, glad! I 
 could not breathe if no one else were involved and 
 Perry ! Why, it keeps me from madness ! " 
 
 " Did he did he ask you to invest money for 
 him?" 
 
 "Ask me ! Not he ! I borrowed it of him ten 
 thousand dollars and the fool demanded no security ! 
 This paltry sum gave me a few days' respite ; it staved 
 off the more voracious wolves. But it is gone ; every 
 damned cent of it, and I am glad he will lose it all. 
 Yes, glad glad!"
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 197 
 
 His wife arose, her face white and set. 
 
 " Do you mean to tell me that you have sunken so 
 low as to borrow money without giving security when 
 you knew you were on the brink of ruin and from 
 the man you have habitually belittled ? " 
 
 " Ah, you are moved at last ! The moment your 
 model hero is touched you wince. However, be com- 
 forted ; he has many companions in misfortune. I 
 shall be ' mourned by a host of sympathetic friends,' 
 have no fear ! Ha, ha ! to think that your paragon 
 is hit ! Why, how white you are ! Poor thing, how 
 you suffer on account of your ruined, disgraced hus- 
 band ! You swore 'for better, for worse,' remember, 
 and you are one to lay great stress upon such formu- 
 lae. Curse it, curse it ! " dashing his fist upon a deli- 
 cate Sevres vase and shattering it into fragments, " to 
 be caught like this ! No way of escape to be caged 
 like this ! The whole world has been against me, 
 headed by my wife ! Oh, for some scheme of revenge 
 on all mankind some scheme ! " 
 
 Eepeating these words nmtteringly, the bankrupt 
 rather staggered than walked out of the library and 
 through the passage to his own room, where he could 
 be heard pacing up and down restlessly. 
 
 Hours passed. A servant brought a tray to Mrs. 
 Denvers ; she tried to eat, but the food seemed to 
 choke her, and she felt oppressed by the presence of 
 the silent servant, her diseased imagination fancying 
 that she detected on his stolid face signs of curiosity. 
 So she motioned him away with the untasted food, 
 and was again alone. 
 
 Later she summoned her maid, and gave orders to 
 have the house closed, and not to sit up for her.
 
 198 -A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 It was a long vigil. Who has not known some 
 such a night ? A night when no echo comes from 
 the ceaseless cry for mercy ; when some formula of 
 prayer or some sentence that has lingered in the mind, 
 in repetition loses all revelancy, and seems to the dis- 
 eased brain but idle, meaningless babble, which must, 
 nevertheless, be repeated over and over again a hun- 
 dred times. Thus have men gone mad, and have for- 
 ever thereafter repeated some phrase which, though 
 meaningless to others, is the sole connecting link with 
 the forgotten past. Dora Denvers muttered to her- 
 self many times, in weary iteration and almost uncon- 
 scious of the meaning of her words, "ten thousand 
 dollars ; ten thousand dollars ! " 
 
 It is doubtful if we are parted from anything in 
 life by so cruel a wrench a,s from the conviction that 
 we are pedestaled to the gaze of those in whose good 
 opinion we have found our chief satisfaction. Till 
 now Mrs. Denvers had felt herself only indirectly im- 
 plicated in her husband's downfall. To be sure she 
 had with bitterness of soul recognized that she would 
 be an object of pity in the eyes of her friends and her 
 acquaintance, but not till this moment had she real- 
 ized that, even in a remote degree, she would herself 
 feel a sense of personal disgrace. Of course it only 
 meant that the facts of their downfall were being 
 pressed home to her consciousness by their first palpa- 
 ble results ; but she did not recognize this. From 
 the moment she had been told of this loan of Perry's 
 she had bitterly reproached herself, arguing that it 
 was all her fault in having allowed Felix so plainly 
 to see her mental distress as to suggest to him its 
 cause. Thereafter, pitying glances his very silence
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 199 
 
 told her that he had guessed it correctly. And yet 
 he had nay, on that very account he had loaned 
 the money without asking for security ! How noble 
 of him how ignoble of her husband ! 
 
 What hope of happiness or of peace can there be 
 where the wife or the husband does not think it ne- 
 cessary to retain at home the cloak of respectability 
 and honesty without which they would not think of 
 appearing abroad ! 
 
 Mrs. Delivers had thrown herself upon the sofa. 
 The semi-darkness, the solitude, the pressure of lead- 
 en care, all combined to produce a highly wrought, 
 nervous condition. Sleepless, harrassed nights, and 
 care-filled days are hard enough to bear, God knows, 
 tending some loved one in trouble, in sickness, or in 
 dire distress. But they only know the torture of 
 such vigils for whom duty stalks hand in hand with 
 loathing. 
 
 With slow, ghostly cadence the hall clock struck 
 twelve. The reverbration of the last stroke had hard- 
 ly ceased when Mrs. Denvers heard her husband's 
 door open and stealthy footsteps near the library. 
 To her excited senses it seemed as if there was some- 
 thing alarming in this. She would have called him 
 by name, but her parched lips refused to utter a 
 sound. She was usually courageous, but watching 
 and misery had unstrung her nerves. Slowly, mys- 
 teriously, the steps approached the room and stopped 
 at the partly closed door. Would he never open it ? 
 Slowly it moved till it disclosed the man behind it. 
 
 There he stood, pale and haggard as before, but 
 with an added wildness of aspect, and a demoniacal 
 light in his eyes. But now that he was actually in
 
 200 -A- VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 her presence, a tangible something, her courage some- 
 what revived ; and yet she said nothing as he crossed 
 the room and stood over her. She knew well that no 
 word she could utter would soothe him ; on the con- 
 trary, she felt that anything she could say would be 
 misconstrued, and might arouse him to an ungovern- 
 able pitch, possibly to some maddened deed. There- 
 fore, she merely met his glance with a calm front of 
 assumed fearlessness. 
 
 " When I am dead," he said, with no emotion, 
 but as one who recites by rote, " I shall return to 
 haunt you if, indeed, there is anything but annihila- 
 tion after death. You have never cared for me. You 
 have been cold and self-contained and I have hated 
 you for it. If I could have broken your spirit I 
 would have done it." His voice gathered volume and 
 passion. " You were against me always. I had no 
 chance, for I found no sympathy anywhere " 
 
 "'Clarence!" 
 
 " no sympathy anywhere ! But come, I will 
 forgive you everything if you will help me to devise 
 some plan by which I can drag down others to ruin 
 and death ; drag them down to hell with me ! " 
 
 "Come, Clarence, do get some rest ; you are nerv- 
 ous and unstrung. I will do what I can for you to- 
 morrow ; I will do as you wish if only " 
 
 " If only you can get me off safely to bed I 
 Promises, my sweet wife, are like pie-crust / ought 
 to know ! None better ! If 1 could only drag some 
 one down with me. Not you ! You I reserve for a 
 different fate." 
 
 She had risen to her knees on the sofa, and now 
 held out her hands to him with a gesture of supplica-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 201 
 
 tion. But the desperate man grasped her by the 
 wrists and flung her violently back upon the lounge, 
 then strode out through the door, muttering impre- 
 cations and blasphemies as he retired through the 
 echoing hall-way to his room. 
 
 In a moment Dora Denvers was on her feet. She 
 was terribly excited and frightened, and trembled to 
 such a degree that she had to catch hold of the sofa 
 to keep herself from falling. Something must be 
 done at once ; he might kill her ! 
 
 Should she call the servants ? No, only notoriety 
 and disgrace could follow. She would send for her 
 physician. 
 
 She pressed the messenger alarm, and, after pen- 
 ning a hasty 'entreaty to the doctor to come at once, 
 rapidly but silently descended the stairs, desiring 
 herself to admit the messenger. Soon he came, and 
 a few whispered instructions through the partly opened 
 front door sent him off on his errand. 
 
 The physician lived close by, but to the expectant 
 woman it seemed hours before the boy returned. When 
 he did come she eagerly listened to his report the 
 doctor had been called to an urgent case in the 
 country. 
 
 With what crushing weight such disappointment 
 bears one down ! In her bewilderment Mrs. Denvers 
 allowed the boy to depart. Then came moments 
 freighted for her with confused ideas and wild, im- 
 possible plans. Should she send for some other phy- 
 sician ? No, she shrank with inexpressible repugnance 
 from revealing to a stranger the terrible condition of 
 affairs she, who had held her head so high ! 
 
 Should she leave the house and seek refuge ; but
 
 202 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 with whom ? Besides, she could not leave the crazed 
 man. Could she stand the strain till morning ? Any- 
 way, she could not remain inactive ; she would mount 
 the stairs and listen at his door. 
 
 Slowly and painfully she dragged her weary limbs 
 to the second floor, and, her heart beating in her 
 bosom with cruel strokes, approached her husband's 
 room. 
 
 For a moment she heard nothing. Then a faint, 
 clicking sound reached her ears. At first she could 
 not make out what it meant; then it flashed upon 
 her he was loading his pistol ! 
 
 Faint with fear she took a step toward the bell to 
 summon the servants but no, they could not help 
 her ; on the contrary, the sound of voices might pre- 
 cipitate the event her horrified senses told her was 
 imminent. And yet she must have some one to pro- 
 tect her. She was overcome with alarm, with per- 
 sonal dread had not he threatened her ! 
 
 Suddenly a new thought passed through her brain. 
 It was not a wise or a prudent thought, and yet it 
 roused her to instant action. 
 
 She glided into the library ; again wrote a note, 
 and, touching the alarm, descended to her post at the 
 front door. 
 
 When the errand-boy arrived she carefully in- 
 structed him to ring the bell of the apartment-house, 
 to which the note was addressed, until answered by 
 the janitor. If successful in delivering the note, the 
 boy need not return. 
 
 The envelope was addressed to Felix Perry had 
 not she promised to apply to him if ever in need of 
 assistance or advice ?
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 203 
 
 Women, as has been beforesaid, are gifted with 
 wonderful intuitive sagacity. It is at times more re- 
 liable than more complicated mental deduction. But 
 at times storms of passion or of excitement affect 
 the reliability of the instinct, as violent electric dis- 
 turbances have been known to reverse the magnetic 
 needle till it pointed to the nether pole. 
 
 Mrs. Denvers now only knew the impulse of dread, 
 and, longing for protection, she turned toward Perry 
 as a child unreasoningly and unquestioningly turns 
 to its best friend. 
 
 She crouched by the front door, and waited, wish- 
 ing to catch the sound of Perry's approaching foot- 
 steps before he could ring the front-door bell. 
 
 The wind had risen, and now swept about the 
 streets with that unearthly moaning which suggests 
 the wailing of lost souls. Inside, on the hall floor, 
 her cheek resting against the insensible door, her di- 
 sheveled hair about her shivering shoulders, her face 
 pale with fright and horror, lay the woman who was 
 the envy of all who knew her the rich, the courted, 
 the proud, the beautiful Mrs. Denvers. 
 
 She did not know that she was cold, scarcely knew 
 that she suffered. Her whole being was concentrated 
 in longing for the arrival of him who was in some un- 
 explained way to save her. 
 
 She had remembered, hazily and indistinctly, that 
 he was at the Pol liver Jones's ball, and had known 
 she would have to await his return to his rooms before 
 he could come to her. If her husband had appeared 
 above her or on the stairs, doubtless she would have 
 escaped to the street. But she did not argue this out 
 with herself. A weight was pressing on her brain,
 
 204 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 she scarcely knew what it meant, she only knew that 
 she was waiting for Perry. 
 
 As the cold crept through her she became more 
 numb and confused, till every faculty seemed merged 
 in the sense of hearing, and her whole soul listened 
 for the expected footfalls. 
 
 Just as the clock struck three, they came. 
 
 She had only strength enough to drag herself up 
 by the knob of the door, and to turn it convulsively 
 as she gasped, " Save me, Felix ! " 
 
 With consternation on his face he entered, bring- 
 ing an icy blast and a gust of snow in with him, just 
 in time to catch the falling form of the fainting 
 woman, and to carry her to the hall lounge. Hastily 
 removing his snow-covered overcoat, he returned to 
 her side. By the feeble gas-jet, flickering mysteri- 
 ously in the still agitated air, he saw a slight tinge of 
 color return to her cheeks ; then she opened her eyes. 
 
 "My poor friend," he whispered, divining that 
 secrecy was advisable, " what is it ? What can I do 
 for you ? " 
 
 Brokenly and hurriedly she explained : " Denvers 
 is bankrupt. Nothing is left not a dollar of your 
 money !-" she lowered her tear-stained face to her 
 hands for a moment, and then slowly lifted it, crim- 
 son with mortification. " I only to-night learned of 
 your generosity, your noble but mistaken kindness ! 
 Denvers is now in his room. My God ! " starting 
 to her feet, "I heard him load his pistol ! I do not 
 know how long ago it was ; I sent for my doctor, but 
 he was away from home. Then I sent for you. You 
 made me promise to call on you when I needed help. 
 Help me, Mr. Perry, for I do not know what to do !
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 205 
 
 Denvers is not himself ; he is crazed, and in a condi- 
 tion to be guilty of some violent act." 
 
 What could he do but assure her of his assistance ! 
 To save his life he would not have told her she would 
 have been wiser to have sent for some one else for 
 any one rather than for him. No, he could not tell 
 her this ; and now that he was there, a double duty 
 was imposed an incentive added for prompt and de- 
 cisive action for he realized that more than the hus- 
 band's life hung upon the issue. In a moment his 
 mind was made up ; he would send for his own physi- 
 cian, and meet him outside of the front-door, so that 
 the servants so that Denvers himself would suppose 
 that they had arrived together, leaving minor incon- 
 sistencies to explain themselves. 
 
 " We must have a doctor," he said, hurriedly. "I 
 will send for mine." 
 
 "I will ring for a messenger," she answered. 
 " But come with me to the library ; I am afraid to go 
 alone." 
 
 Together they silently mounted the stairs. When 
 the upper landing was reached, his companion, mo- 
 tioning Perry to wait, cautiously approached the door 
 of her husband's room and stooped to listen, facing 
 away from the library. 
 
 Suddenly Perry, impelled by a sense of unseen, 
 impending danger, turned sharply on his heel. There, 
 within a dozen feet of him, stood Denvers half- 
 clad, frenzied, glaring pointing a pistol at his 
 head ! 
 
 A flash of thought showed Felix not only his own 
 peril, but the terrible danger to which Mrs. Denvers 
 was exposed, for he read in the frenzied eyes murder
 
 206 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 and self-destruction. What vile interpretation would 
 not the world place upon the tragedy ! He must sur- 
 vive to protect her ! 
 
 Sternly he gazed straight into the madman's eyes, 
 but dared not speak or move. 
 
 There was a subdued cry that told him Mrs. Den- 
 vens had turned ; but Denvers did not take his eyes 
 off his intended victim. Then he spoke, hissing the 
 words through his teeth : " At last I have my revenge 
 in my hands ! And such a revenge ! Listen, woman ! 
 I will kill that man, and then will kill myself. Do 
 you know what the world will infer ? Shall I tell 
 you ? Come here ! come here, I say ! " But his eyes 
 still remained fixed on Felix, and the glittering barrel 
 of the pistol was still pointed at him. 
 
 Trembling, horrified, scarcely conscious, the poor 
 woman glided forward, her outstretched arms pressed 
 against the wall. 
 
 " Come here ; come to my side ! " 
 
 She obeyed, instinct suggesting that she might 
 strike down his pistol-arm. 
 
 But he seemed to divine this. " Stop ! " 
 
 Perry would have given ten years of his life to 
 have her scream, or in any way draw upon herself the 
 glance of the madman. Unconsciously she obeyed 
 the wish, horror prompting her : 
 
 " Kill me, Clarence ! " 
 
 The eyes turned ; quick as thought Perry sprang 
 forward, but the distance was too great. He stum- 
 bled and fell, a blinding tongue of fire flashed in his 
 eyes the bullet whistled past his head. 
 
 Almost instantly there was another shot, and then 
 another both intended for Perry. But the frenzied
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 07 
 
 wife had precipitated herself upon the assassin, and 
 had clutched his outstretched arm. 
 
 Whether Denvers thought that he had killed Felix, 
 or whether a change came over his crazed brain will 
 never be known till the books of the Great Assize are 
 opened, for, shaking himself free of the fainting 
 woman, he pressed the pistol to his distracted temple 
 there was a flash, a report, and Clarence Delivers 
 fell forward on his face, a corpse. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 "THE Braddox Patents Company" was as uncer- 
 tain a quantity as ever. Great things were incubat- 
 ing, but as yet not a shell had cracked. 
 
 Some two weeks prior to the Polliver Jones's ball, 
 one of the patents had been practically tested. The 
 result was not calculated to give unqualified satisfac- 
 tion, and a meeting of the board of directors was 
 called. General Chester sat in his place at the head 
 of the large, carved table, as calm and complacent as 
 if in no way personally implicated. When questioned 
 as to the cause of the failure he responded that he had 
 expected nothing else ; and was by Atherton Leigh 
 corroborated in the statement that he had, months 
 before, said that the spring was too weak to turn the 
 cylinder of "the Destroyer." "Then why," queried 
 Mr. Pringle, " was a test made before the spring was 
 replaced by a stronger one ? " The inventor played
 
 208 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 with a paper-knife as he urbanely responded that real- 
 ly he did not know. 
 
 General Battlescar a committee of one having in 
 charge the testing of certain inventions here ex- 
 plained that he had ordered the test, supposing that 
 the patents were all of them ready for trial, or that 
 otherwise they would not have been turned over to 
 him. 
 
 The president acknowledged the inference to be a 
 natural one enough ; but added that, really, he should 
 not be expected to attend to such details. No doubt he 
 had better resign the presidency. He was totally un- 
 acquainted with business routine, and was therefore 
 unfit to administer an office which, it seemed, re- 
 quired his personal attention to every minute particu- 
 lar. He had supposed that his part was to invent, 
 and to preside at the deliberations of the board ; if he 
 had been mistaken, he had to ask pardon for his igno- 
 rance in such matters. 
 
 But protestations poured in upon him, and he at 
 length consented, as a favor to the others, to continue 
 their presiding officer. 
 
 General Battlescar felt aggrieved. He had been 
 lectured, and resented being lectured. He was con- 
 sequently not averse to stirring things up a bit. He 
 therefore only waited for the little flurry to subside 
 to ask when the spring of "the Destroyer" would be 
 strengthened ; in fact, when could he order another 
 test? 
 
 To this the president replied that he could fix no 
 time. General Battlescar then asked, " Why not at 
 once?" Then the inventor gave his reason. "The 
 Destroyer" was an important invention and would,
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 209 
 
 no doubt, in due time receive attention. But not 
 now. Why should not he give his reason ? He was 
 quite sure he saw only friends about him ; besides, 
 they were all pledged to secrecy. The fact was, his 
 time and attention were fully taken up by another 
 and an absorbing idea. An idea which was destined, 
 he felt justified in predicting, to be the crowning suc- 
 cess of his life. It was in itself -so vast, so stupendous, 
 that for days he had stood spellbound, trembling on 
 the threshold of great results. But of late the thing 
 had taken more tangible shape. Those about him 
 his fellow-laborers, and might not he say his friends ? 
 must bear with him if he appeared a little vague in 
 his statement of the details of this colossal concep- 
 tion. To be brief, its compendium was this : by 
 closely imitating the processes of Nature, cloud-bodies 
 were to be gathered at will certain general condi- 
 tions being present and to be by an ingenious device 
 precipitated to the earth for the purpose of artificial 
 irrigation. 
 
 There was silence for a few moments. Then Gen- 
 eral Battlescar rose to his feet. His address to the 
 chair had the merit of brevity. " How ? " 
 
 The president was surprised, yes surprised he 
 himself averred it at the gentleman's question. 
 Had not he, the chair, expressly stated that the de- 
 tails were as yet undeveloped ? Did the gentleman 
 suppose that such marvelous results as those contem- 
 plated by this plan of artificial irrigation could be 
 attained in a day ? He, the chair, now realized that 
 he had made a premature revelation to the board. 
 He should have waited for the discovery to have 
 worked its way out of its present inchoate state, and 
 14
 
 210 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 be ready for self-demonstration. Let his excuse be 
 that he had addressed them as friends, and not as 
 men who were moved by sordid interests. 
 
 Mr. Chatterton whispered behind his hand to Mr. 
 Dodruff that he feared they had made a sad mistake 
 in putting General Battlescar on the board ; that he 
 was a man of no mental scope, sir, none in the world ! 
 Then rising to his feet he asked permission of the 
 chair to put a question to General Battlescar did or 
 did not that gentleman have faith in the inventions, 
 the patents, and the policy of the company ? 
 
 The answer was unexpected. The grim veteran 
 growled through his beard, "No, I have not." 
 
 For a moment the great Chatterton was staggered. 
 But quickly recovering himself he opened wide the 
 sluice-gates of his eloquence upon the recalcitrant 
 member; comparing him prudently gauging the 
 effect of each epithet before hurling another at the 
 scornfully silent old general to most of the noted 
 traitors known to history, and ending with a bombas- 
 tic offer to take his stock at fifty per centum advance 
 above the price he had paid for it. 
 
 And then there was a sensation. The old warrior 
 at once accepted the offer, having one eye on the 
 "main chance" and the other on the discomfiture of 
 his opponent. Turning to the president he offered 
 his resignation as a member of the board, to which, 
 he explained, glancing sarcastically at Mr. Chatterton, 
 he had no further right since he had parted with 
 his stock. Without waiting for the formality of an 
 acceptance, he continued, addressing the board collect- 
 ively. " For your sakes, gentlemen, I sincerely trust 
 that the other inventions will prove more satisfac-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 211 
 
 tory : that there may not be a weak spring here, a 
 flaw there, or a screw loose everywhere. A word of 
 advice at parting before running the risk of further 
 tests, imitate the processes of Nature, and 'artificially 
 irrigate ' the stock ! " 
 
 In an instant Atherton Leigh was on his feet, pur- 
 ple with rage. But General Chester, calmly, yet de- 
 cidedly, bade him resume his seat. Then turning to 
 the last speaker he said, with no added tone of ex- 
 citement but with quiet dignity : " What am I to un- 
 derstand General Battlescar as insinuating ?" 
 
 " Nothing more than this, General Chester. With 
 the highest esteem for you personally, for your prob- 
 ity and sincerity, I consider you an enthusiast who is 
 carried away by visions of vast results, but who will 
 never do aught but theorize. I should not have 
 dreamed of purchasing the stock of this company had 
 it not been for * the Destroyer ' ; that was in my line. 
 Now that I discover that this war-engine has a defect 
 which may prove fatal, and that in place of at once 
 demonstrating your ability to remedy that defect you 
 propose to toss the invention to one side to make way 
 for a damned, chimerical, rain-coaxing scheme, I re- 
 tire. That my pocket is a gainer by my experiment 
 I owe less to my financial ability, or to your invent- 
 ive genius, than to a signal failure on the part of our 
 mutual friend yonder to play the bluff game." And 
 Brigadier-General Battlescar strode from the field 
 with all the honors of war. 
 
 This exciting event decidedly ruffled the placidity 
 of the members of the board. It also set them busily 
 thinking. There had been a call for twenty-five per 
 centum further payment on the stock, and an intima-
 
 212 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 tion that a final call of ten per centum would soon 
 be made. As a result of all this, some of the stock 
 was surreptitiously offered through brokers, "as a 
 test, you know, to get at its market- value. " Strange 
 to state, the money-market proved to be very "tight" 
 just then. 
 
 But Mr. Chatterton's skill was equal to at least 
 helping himself out of difficulty. He did not object 
 to carry stock which might be sold more profitably 
 later that had cost him nothing but a little work, 
 and that had already declared for him large social 
 dividends. But it was quite another matter to hold 
 stock for which he had paid General Battlescar in 
 hard cash, so he set about to unload these surplus 
 shares. Within a few days he succeeded, Mr. Polliver 
 Jones becoming the possessor, and succeeding Battle- 
 scar as a member of the board. The thing had been 
 cleverly managed. Mr. Chatterton had imbued Mrs. 
 Jones with the social importance of a place on the 
 board of directors of this fashionable fad, and she 
 had given Polliver his orders. At first he had re- 
 belled, but had ultimately " gone to the wall " before 
 the stronger will. 
 
 Misfortunes rarely come singly ; two more of the 
 inventions were pronounced worthless. 
 
 Gloom and consternation sat on every face save the 
 General's ; he maintained his usual serenity, and 
 recommended patience. 
 
 However, there was a sudden revulsion of feeling. 
 It was whispered among the stockholders that one 
 patent had been pronounced valuable. 
 
 Polliver Jones had succeeded General Battlescar 
 as the committee on tests, and it was said that he and
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 213 
 
 the expert employed by the board had at last found 
 an undoubted treasure. The expert was an earnest, 
 energetic man, engrossed in his calling, and extremely 
 jealous of " outsiders " as he styled all not directly 
 interested and fearful of premature disclosure. The 
 unfortunate incident accompanying the failure of 
 "the Destroyer" had intensified this desire for se- 
 crecy. Therefore, Mr. Polliver Jones promised faith- 
 fully to reveal absolutely nothing as to the nature of 
 the successful invention for two days ; namely, till 
 the date of the regular meeting of the board, which 
 time was necessary to perfect the examination. And 
 he, further than to hint at the fact of a great discov- 
 ery, had faithfully kept his word, notwithstanding the 
 importunities of the other members. The inventor 
 himself showed and felt not the least curiosity. 
 " Time will demonstrate," he placidly averred, " that 
 they are all destined to be successful. The order of 
 precedent is of little importance." 
 
 But the zealous expert and his coadjutor had neg- 
 lected one precaution. They forgot that but a thin 
 partition intervened between the laboratory and the 
 office of the secretary and treasurer. Without the 
 least intention of eavesdropping, Mr. Chatterton over- 
 heard a half-dozen words which roused him to instant 
 activity. 
 
 On the day before the meeting of the board there 
 was a transfer on the books of the company of two 
 hundred shares of its stock from "William Chatterton 
 to Solomon Briggs Mrs. Briggs was engaged in a 
 desperate effort to purchase a foothold in society. 
 
 The momentous morning arrived. At eleven 
 o'clock all the seats around the table in the board-
 
 214 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 room were filled, save one reserved for Polliver Jones. 
 Soon the door leading from the laboratory opened, 
 and that worthy entered and walked to his place. 
 His face did not bear that evidence of exultation 
 which the occasion seemed to warrant. When called 
 on for his report, he rose slowly, and addressed the 
 chair with considerable nervousness of manner. He 
 began by explaining that, as all present well knew, 
 he was not one of the original members of the board. 
 And he must say, in his own justification, that he 
 ought to have been more specifically posted as to detail 
 before being intrusted with so important a committee. 
 But, in place of explicit instruction, he had been left 
 to act from reasonable inference only. In looking 
 over the several untested inventions, he and the ex- 
 pert had selected a simple and easily tested device. 
 It was the one which had elicited so favorable a report. 
 In fact, later investigation had more than established 
 the importance of the invention, and now the expert 
 was ready to stake his reputation that it was an ex- 
 ceedingly valuable patent. " But," continued the 
 orator, "I have this very morning made a most pain- 
 ful discovery. This valuable invention is a churn ; 
 but, gentlemen, the patent ain't ours ! " 
 
 The members looked at one another in dismay. 
 If further explanation had been necessary, it would 
 have been conveyed in the calm words of their pre- 
 siding officer : " It is my daughter's invention, and 
 is, of course, patented in her name. I am pleased to 
 learn that her modest effort seems likely to be crowned 
 with success." 
 
 Mr. Chatterton had not been above using certain 
 Wall-Street tactics.
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 215 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THERE are two silent figures reposing in separate 
 rooms in a Fifth Avenue house. 
 
 One is very quiet ; so quiet that " Burlington 
 and Quincy " might go off ten points, or " Western 
 Union " show unexampled activity without a spasm 
 passing over that still face. 
 
 The other figure is almost as motionless. Through 
 the closed blinds a ray of cold, winter sun is traveling 
 across the wall. 
 
 The woman on the sofa is watching it. Soon it 
 will reach the corner of the book-case What will 
 God do to a woman who had thought she was living 
 rightly, and yet who had not kept her husband from 
 There ! now the sun -ray has lapped the book-case ; 
 how long will it take to reach the glass door ? Only 
 thirty years old, and people often live to thrice that 
 age ; horrible thought ! The sun-ray has touched the 
 glass ; it reflects painfully in her eyes, and she raises 
 her hand to shield them her wedding-ring ! Her 
 mother is dead ; she is glad of it, for she would have 
 suffered because of all this. That poor mother had 
 schemed for riches and social power for her child, 
 binding her to Will the tramping up and down 
 stairs never cease ? 
 
 A figure glides into the room. It is a woman ; 
 not young or pretty, but an ugly, hard-faced old 
 woman a woman dreaded because of her sharp, 
 caustic tongue and her merciless severity on humbug 
 and pretension except where she may be the gainer
 
 216 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 by discretion. Not a Pharisee with hypocritical phy- 
 lacteries ; not a priest with the thunders of the law 
 and with anathema maranathas for transgressors ; but 
 a sinner, a Samaritan. A cynical, grasping, unsancti- 
 fied Samaritan ; and yet " A certain man . . . fell 
 among thieves. . . . And by chance there came down 
 a certain priest that way : and when he saw him, he 
 passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite. 
 . . . But a certain Samaritan . . . when he saw him 
 had compassion on him, . . . and bound up his 
 wounds, pouring in oil and wine." 
 
 Not a word is spoken, but Dora Denvers sheds the 
 first tears of widowhood upon the stiff moire-antique 
 front of Mrs. Underdunk's gown. 
 
 By-and-by there is a whispered consultation at the 
 door. Mrs. Underdunk rises to find its cause. More 
 whispering ; then she returns and gently explains. 
 Mrs. Denvers must go down-stairs; certain formali- 
 ties have to be gone through with. 
 
 Slowly the descent is made. There is a trying 
 moment when the fatal spot on the landing is passed. 
 What is that stain ! Good God ! can not it be effaced? 
 
 Below, the room is darkened. The poor woman 
 is vaguely conscious of many indistinct forms ; she 
 shrinks closer to her companion, and is led to a chair. 
 A man with a deep, solemn voice asks her questions. 
 She does not understand. He repeats them ; she 
 tries to collect her scattered senses, but can not. The 
 voice kindly suggests that she should take a little 
 time to quiet her emotion ; the others can in the 
 mean while be examined. 
 
 Who is that standing alone near the door ? No 
 need to ask, for his name is called. He advances, and
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 217 
 
 in well-known tones responds " I do," to the form of 
 oath. His testimony is given simply and directly. 
 Not a word or a tone to show that he is on the rack. 
 
 Then the servants are questioned. They mean 
 kindly enough, but oh, the torture of their plain 
 speaking ! She does not understand what it all means, 
 but she does know that her own servants are telling 
 of her and of the dead man up-stairs. Mrs. Under- 
 dunk would lead her from the room, but she refuses 
 with a gesture. There is a horrible fascination in 
 listening. 
 
 The taking of testimony continues. Harsh, direct 
 questions and answers plough relentlessly through her 
 heart and brain. Careless of delicacy or refinement 
 of language, the hot shares tear open the innermost 
 secrets of her life, turning up dead bones of past and 
 buried forgotten things ! Why do they so often 
 couple her name with his, that dark figure over there 
 by the door ? Why does Mr. Dodruff she had not 
 before noticed his presence whisper to her, now that 
 her name is again called, to answer only direct ques- 
 tions ? In five minutes it is over. The man with 
 the deep, serious voice is kind. She finds herself 
 thanking him in her heart ; she scarcely knows for 
 what. Up-stairs now ? must she pass that spot 
 again ? 
 
 Soon the darkened parlor is cleared of all save the 
 solemn men who have been assembled to inquire how 
 Clarence Denvers received his death-wound. 
 
 They are not long in reaching a conclusion 
 " Suicide ; cause, mental aberration brought on by 
 financial difficulties." 
 
 Then the case is passed on to that jury which
 
 218 -A- VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 knows no law, no justice, no mercy, no conscience, 
 no responsibility the world. 
 
 Its verdict, too, is soon reached. It is insinuated 
 in the papers ; it is whispered at the family hearth ; 
 it is hinted at in sermons ; it is coarsely bruited on 
 the street ; it is cynically worded at the clubs ; it is 
 suggested in epigrams. The insinuation, the whisper, 
 the hint, the proclamation, the cynicism, the epigram, 
 all agree the dead man was innocent ; but the living 
 man and the woman (above all the woman !) are 
 guilty. 
 
 The day following was Sunday. In a fashionable 
 church a very earnest, eloquent man preached to a 
 large instalment of the world's jury. He incidentally 
 took for his text " Charity thinketh no evil," and his 
 hearers were edified, and were heard to thank Heaven 
 that want of charity was not their sin ! Another 
 good man in another church happened to choose for 
 his theme the casting of stones by those who were 
 themselves in condemnation. After church, two ladies 
 de la haute voUe discussed the sermon. They agreed 
 that it was admirable ; arid that it was a pity that 
 poor Mrs. Denvers, who had always posed as a saint, 
 you know, could not have heard some such discourse 
 years ago ; it might have made her less hypocritical. 
 Then they separated, each in her own way, to tell 
 her friends : "Just to think ! Mrs. Blank had the 
 audacity to criticise Mrs. Denvers's hypocrisy ! Did 
 you ever ! And after that address, too, about those 
 who live in glass houses throwing stones ! " 
 
 At the clubs the sermons were not discussed for 
 an excellent reason but the tragedy was, in its every 
 phase. There were some capital jokes made thereon ;
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 219 
 
 not directly personal men are liable to be called in 
 question for such reference but sufficiently pointed 
 to be highly entertaining. Late in the afternoon 
 Perry appeared at the Lethe. His face was paler 
 than usual, but he was quite composed. His friends 
 and acquaintances were, man-like, very empresse ; 
 not as intending to emphasize their disapproval of, 
 and disbelief in, the scandalous gossip, but rather as 
 intimating that they were without narrow prejudice, 
 and could make allowances. Of course, to him there 
 was no hint of the calumnious tattle that had only 
 ceased on his arrival ; he read it, nevertheless, in the 
 looks, the pose, the self-conscious manner of the men, 
 and it made him savage, and sick at heart. He soon 
 left the club, and while returning to his lonely apart- 
 ment wondered, with a deep sigh of pity for poor 
 Dora Denvers, if there was never to be deliverance 
 "from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome 
 pestilence " ! And he had fancied that Tie could pro- 
 tect her against this merciless persecution! 
 
 The grim old Samaritan remained with Mrs. Den- 
 vers till after the funeral. She was quiet, unobtrusive, 
 and, in her own way, kind ; a much more soothing 
 companion than an emotional woman would have 
 been. On that Sunday evening her devotion touched 
 the height of heroism ; she unhesitatingly elected to 
 forego a dinner at a very swell house. The fact that 
 the house was swell moved her not a jot ; but the fact 
 that its chefs bisque a la reine was perfection, moved 
 her to rather rancorous regret at the inopportuneness 
 of Mr. Denvers's demise. 
 
 The news of the tragedy was told Mrs. Chester by 
 Mr. Chatterton. He found her alone on the morning
 
 220 -A- VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 after Mrs. Polliver Jones's ball. Such a bit of news, 
 and such an opportunity are rare combinations, and 
 Mr. Chatterton was duly thankful to his gods for 
 their indulgence. Of course, Mrs. Chester was horri- 
 fied. Still she quickly recovered, and at once applied 
 the touchstone with which she tested everything in 
 heaven, in earth, and in the waters under the earth 
 the relation of the event to herself and her grandeur. 
 In this incident she saw her Christian course unmis- 
 takably before her. She told Cousin William she had 
 never realized as keenly as at that moment that social 
 eminence imposes duties as well as accords privileges. 
 If her position were less conspicuous she could follow 
 the dictates of inclination, and at least refrain from 
 overt rebuke ; as matters stood, she had but one course 
 open to her. Those who transgressed, or who at least 
 did not avoid the appearance of evil, must suffer, and 
 it was the penalty of greatness to have to pronounce 
 the sentence. She had all along been suspicious of 
 Mrs. Denvers. Only last night Mrs. Polliver Jones 
 Mrs. Polliver Jones was of no family, poor thing, but 
 was entirely inoffensive had told her that a certain 
 Mrs. Dare, who is, it seems, a most objectionable per- 
 son, owed her entree into society to Mrs. Denvers 
 and, by the way, to Mr. Perry ! Evidently they were 
 all of a class. Far be it from her to say they had been 
 guilty of moral misconduct. She did not judge them; 
 she only knew that they had infringed certain social 
 rules, and that excommunication must follow. There 
 was no option ; the individual must ignore the prompt- 
 ings of mercy for the general good. As to Felix 
 Perry 
 
 At that moment Chatterton entered the room. It
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 21 
 
 may have been the strain through which she had passed 
 the night before, or it may have been the mention of 
 that name, but, one or the other, the result was that 
 she was looking pale and ill. 
 
 " Cousin Chat," began Mr. Chatterton, " have 
 you heard of the dreadful tragedy at the Den verses' 
 this" 
 
 But Mrs. Chester had too much regard to the 
 proprieties to allow him to proceed. " No, Cousin 
 William, leave it to me. And now, as I see that my 
 daughter is excited and ill, forgive me if I ask you to 
 leave us. The General is in the dining-room, I think. 
 Do go and tell him the shocking news." 
 
 The imparting of the grewsome tale being the ex- 
 cellent and soul-engrossing occupation, and the indi- 
 viduality of the hearer being a matter of small moment, 
 Mr. Chatterton cheerfully complied. 
 
 As soon as the door closed upon him, Chatterton 
 turned toward her mother : " Tell me at once, please. 
 Do not dole it out, I beseech you ! " 
 
 " Calm yourself, my child. "We are in no way im- 
 plicated in this dreadful affair, and there is, therefore, 
 no reason for exaggerated emotion on your part." 
 Chatterton passed her hand wearily over her brow, 
 and waited. She well knew that her mother could 
 not be hurried ; that such an attempt would defeat 
 its own ends. Mrs. Chester continued : " One can 
 not be too careful in selecting one's associates. I my- 
 self have been somewhat to blame, for I have never 
 felt thoroughly satisfied about that Mrs. Denvers." 
 
 "Is she dead?" 
 
 " Dead, Chatterton ! Of course not. It might 
 have been better for her if she had died. No, it is
 
 222 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 her poor husband. He committed suicide in his own 
 house at three o'clock this morning." 
 
 " Horrible ! Poor Mrs. Denvers, what a dreadful 
 shock. Was she with him ?" 
 
 " Unfortunately yes, my child. And, more un- 
 fortunately still, she was not alone ! " 
 
 " Was she not ? I am glad of that, poor thing ! 
 Who was with her ? " 
 
 " Let me tell you the story in my own way. 
 Shortly after three o'clock this morning the Denverses' 
 servants heard several pistol-shots. They rushed to 
 the second-story hall, and there found Mr. Denvers 
 dead, a revolver grasped in his hand. Mrs. Denvers 
 had fainted. A man was standing over her. That 
 man was prepare yourself for a shock, for you know 
 him was Felix Perry." 
 
 Chatterton uttered a faint cry, then gazed fixedly 
 at her mother's troubled face, her own very white. 
 The old lady continued : " Of course, we as yet have 
 only the bare facts. Mr. Perry, it seems, told the 
 butler that on his return from the ball he had been 
 summoned by a note from Mrs. Denvers. On his 
 arrival she hurriedly informed him that her husband 
 was completely crazed by money losses, and that she 
 had reason to fear he intended to do her an injury. 
 They mounted the stairs to summon a messenger, in- 
 tending to send for a physician, when, on reaching 
 the second landing, they came face to face with Den- 
 vers, who was quite mad. He fired three shots at 
 Perry, none of which took effect, and then blew out 
 his own brains. However, you must remember this 
 is Perry's version. To me it is evident the whole 
 story is concocted to shield himself."
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 223 
 
 " Why do you suppose it not true, mamma ? " 
 
 " Why, Chatterton ? Alas, my child, age but too 
 well knows the hypocrisy of the world ! It is credit- 
 able to your heart, as well as to my training, that you 
 are charitable. Did not I have a manifest duty to 
 perform, I certainly should not disturb such lovely 
 confidence. Life is a sad iconoclast, as you will all 
 too soon learn. But in this case I must undeceive 
 you. There will be but one verdict in our set. A 
 pure, lofty character, a character such as Mrs. Denvers 
 poses for, does not at three o'clock in the morning 
 summon to her aid a man who has, by his attentions, 
 already compromised her. No, my child. A woman, 
 actuated by only the natural emotion of fear for her 
 distracted husband, would have summoned the serv- 
 ants, would have sent for her physician, or else for 
 some relative or intimate woman friend. It distresses 
 me to have to tell you all this " 
 
 " For pity's sake, mamma, remember that I am 
 not a baby or a school-girl. Do treat me as a rational 
 human being who is past the age when an account 
 touching upon the emotions and the passions which 
 sway mankind must be highly diluted before being 
 administered ? " 
 
 Mrs. Chester drew herself up. " I am not accus- 
 tomed to being lectured by my own daughter ! How- 
 ever, I will make allowance for your nervous state. 
 But let us pass on to other matters. The moral aspect 
 of this unfortunate case does not, after all, directly 
 concern us. What does concern us is our future re- 
 lation to these people. They have so placed them- 
 selves as to challenge criticism, and the fault is only 
 theirs if the challenge is accepted. As for Mrs. Den-
 
 224: -4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 vers, there is no need of immediate decision. We 
 will not be thrown with her, of course, for some time 
 to come. When the time comes, I need scarcely tell 
 you, I shall do only what a high sense of the obliga- 
 tion of my position imposes. I certainly shall allow 
 neither personal dislike nor indiscriminate charity to 
 swerve me from the straight path of duty. But as 
 to this Mr. Perry there is no question as to my course. 
 I have never felt confidence in him ; no, not from the 
 moment when he pretended not to know that he had 
 stumbled upon Chatterton Hall, and when he com- 
 pelled your father to invite him to be our guest a 
 mere lawyer's trick ! " 
 
 Chatterton turned away her face in very shame 
 that her mother should prefer to cast doubt indis- 
 criminately upon the motives and veracity of others, 
 rather than have her own perspicacity impugned, if 
 only by so much as implication. 
 
 Mrs. Chester continued : "My duty is clear. This 
 man must henceforth be shown that he has placed 
 himself outside the pale of our acquaintance. " 
 
 Chatterton rose and walked to the window. She 
 wished to calm herself before answering, for she had 
 the typical Southern deference for an elder, and espe- 
 cially for a parent. By.-and-by she returned to the 
 sofa and stood over her mother, as she said, compos- 
 edly enough : tf I trust that I may be able to per- 
 suade you to modify your decision, for I should not 
 like to have to go counter to your wishes." 
 
 " Do you mean to say you will continue to know 
 this man ? " 
 
 ' ' Yes, mamma, I do." 
 
 " Notwithstanding that your own mother forbids
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 225 
 
 it ; notwithstanding that I tell you the creature has 
 been all along notoriously attentive to this woman ; 
 notwithstanding that he is found there alone with her 
 at three o'clock in the morning, and is shot at by the 
 indignant husband ? " 
 
 "You yourself said the husband was crazed by 
 money troubles." 
 
 " I beg your pardon, I did not. I said such was 
 the story concocted by this Perry." 
 
 "After all," said Chatterton, turning away and 
 approaching the fire, "we need not anticipate events. 
 No doubt but there will be a coroner's inquest. We 
 had better await the verdict before we criticise." 
 
 "And do you suppose that the verdict will in 
 the least alter my opinion a lot of vulgar men as- 
 sembled to tell who fired the fatal shot, and to guess 
 at the motive ? No one doubts that the man commit- 
 ted suicide. I, knowing the inner life of these people, 
 and knowing the depravity of the human heart, am 
 a better jury than the one the coroner will summon." 
 
 "At least they will not reach their verdict without 
 investigation." 
 
 It was the nearest approach to a taunt she had 
 ever been guilty of toward her mother. She was in- 
 dignant at the injustice. This quixotic young re- 
 former was at all times ready to tilt with ignoble sus- 
 picion or distrust. It was this trait which had the 
 evening before drawn down her scorn upon Perry's 
 head. In the midst of his perplexity and misery, 
 Felix little guessed that he was already somewhat re- 
 habilitated in Chatterton's estimation ; not so much 
 because of intrinsic worth in himself, as through the 
 action of her own generosity. Such rehabilitation is 
 15
 
 226 -4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 often outside the acts and even the knowledge of 
 the beneficiary. 
 
 Tears constitute the last argument of the intel- 
 lectually unfortified ; it is a powerful argument, too, 
 for it challenges only passive resentment, and not what 
 the inimitable Gilbert calls "the retaliating whack." 
 
 Chatterton soothed her mother, implored that the 
 matter be finally dropped, begged her pardon for her 
 undutiful words in fact, did all required of her, save 
 to agree to that point about Perry, which point the 
 old lady was wise enough to leave out of the peace 
 protocol. 
 
 But it is proverbially difficult to draw up a treaty 
 which will cover all contingencies, and Mrs. Chester 
 continually broke theirs, at least in the spirit. For 
 many days the heinousness of the transgressors was 
 the text of her esoteric sermons. The ingenuity 
 which she displayed in talking of Dora Denvers and 
 Perry without actually naming them, would, if pat- 
 ented, have formed a valuable acquisition to the Brad- 
 dox Patents Company, to be offered to the public as a 
 safe and portable article in the line of light defama- 
 tion. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 FORTUNATELY for Felix Perry, the hearing of a 
 yery intricate case was set for the week following the 
 tragedy. He threw himself into this case with such 
 dogged persistence that not only did he win it, but he 
 recovered somewhat his mental equanimity.
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 227 
 
 The proverbial nine days were over, and people 
 were talking less of the Denvers scandal. Of course, 
 Perry was still an object of curiosity, censure, or ma- 
 lignity, as the case might be, and still had the disa- 
 greeable sensation of carrying notoriety, albatross- 
 wise, about with him. Still, there was a slight 
 improvement. His friends rallied around him ; that 
 is, three or four generous, liberal-minded women es- 
 poused his cause in society, and as many husbands had 
 their orders to do the same at the clubs. 
 
 Felix heard nothing directly from his Virginians, 
 and heard little about them, and yet he was quite 
 convinced that they, with the possible exception of 
 Chatterton, were against him. He knew Mrs. Ches- 
 ter well enough to gauge her attitude in regard to the 
 whole affair, and was sure that the easy-going General 
 would not challenge it. It was useless, he told him- 
 self, for him to fret about Chatterton's opinion, for it 
 had not needed the tragedy to turn her against him ; 
 still, he did worry. 
 
 He had gone nowhere, socially. His work had 
 filled most of his time, evenings as well as days, and, 
 besides, he felt that good taste demanded he should re- 
 main in retirement for a little time. But this rule 
 did not apply to his club, or to Mrs. Denvers's 
 house. 
 
 The question as to what should be his overt atti- 
 tude toward Mrs. Denvers during this trying period 
 troubled him greatly, till he had an inspiration he 
 would refer the whole question to Mrs. Underdunk. 
 This lady speedily decided it ; he was to call, with 
 her, at once. On the occasion of this visit to the old 
 Samaritan there had been some very plain speaking.
 
 228 4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 But as the animus was distinctly friendly to him as 
 well as to Mrs. Denvers, what was said left no sting. 
 It is surprising how much you can without offense 
 say to a person in regard to his own private affairs 
 if there lurk absolutely no self-conscious or critical 
 spirit behind the words. But let either of these 
 traits be present, and you can no more hide it than 
 you can cover an elephant with a pocket-handker- 
 chief. 
 
 In conclusion, Perry said : " You are more than 
 kind, Mrs. Uuderdunk. Mrs. Denvers is indeed for- 
 tunate in having such a friend in this ill-mannered 
 and censorious world." 
 
 " Oh, don't abuse the world, my dear Perry. It 
 is not so bad a world after all. The trouble is that 
 supersensitive persons charge it with their own nerv- 
 ousness and then complain when it goes off with a 
 bang." 
 
 " Am I supersensitive ? " 
 
 " Less than some, may be. Still, you, too, over- 
 estimate the importance of some forms of criticism. 
 If you only heartily despised the critics you would 
 suffer less from the mosquito-bites. " 
 
 "Ah, my dear Mrs. Underdunk, it is easy to 
 philosophize about the bites from beneath a mos- 
 quito-bar ! " 
 
 And then they had gone to Mrs. Denvers. 
 
 Of course it was a painful and awkward ordeal for 
 the two most implicated. There was neither direct 
 reference to the tragedy nor total avoidance of the 
 subject. The poor woman thanked him in a few, 
 touching, tearful words for his generosity and kind- 
 ness to her in the matter of the loan to poor Denvers,
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 229 
 
 and added that it would be the work of her life to 
 repay it. With true chivalry, Perry merely intimat- 
 ed that he trusted she would allow him to be the last 
 creditor paid, and gently turned the subject. 
 
 "When Mrs. Underdunk and Perry, on their return, 
 reached the apartment-house, he said : " Can nothing 
 be done to keep from poor Mrs. Denvers the knowl- 
 edge that the scandal-mongers are busy with her name ? 
 Does she as yet suspect nothing ? " 
 
 " Absolutely nothing. She must, of course, event- 
 ually read some criticism in the tone and the manner 
 of certain Pharisaic tattlers. But she shall be saved 
 from persecution as far as one old woman can save 
 her ! " 
 
 Then they parted. On turning from the door, 
 Perry found himself face to face with Mrs. Chester 
 and her daughter. In response to his salutation, 
 Mrs. Chester gave him the coldest, most infinitesimal 
 of bows, and passed into the house. Chatterton se- 
 dately inclined her head, and was about to follow her 
 mother when her intention changed. Turning quick- 
 ly, she said, in a low, trembling, but dignified tone : 
 "I feel so sorry for the trouble you have been 
 in!" 
 
 Before he could answer, she was gone. 
 
 Felix walked out to Central Park and back. He 
 returned a sadder and a wiser man sadder, because 
 he now saw what a pearl he had thrown away ; wiser, 
 because he had at last unlearned the sophistical lesson 
 taught him by his unfortunate experience in early 
 manhood. In the light of this girl's generosity, how 
 unworthy his own distrust appeared ! He tortured 
 himself with such reflections, nor found consolation.
 
 230 -A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 now that his infatuated misconception had barred 
 the way to happiness in the precept 
 
 " That men may rise on stepping-stones 
 Of their dead selves to higher things." 
 
 Mrs. Dare lived in the smallest of small apart- 
 ments on the highest floor of a very high house. 
 From her front windows one had a fine view of the 
 Jersey shore, of the Hudson, and of thousands of in- 
 tervening chimneys. Inside, all was warmth and 
 color a very refined taste would have said too much 
 color. But the widow was of the florid type, and 
 could stand high tints. The sitting-room was tiny, 
 and so decked with rugs and portieres as to resem- 
 ble a Turkish smoking-room. This resemblance was 
 heightened by sundry hookahs and chibouques strewed 
 about, and by a faint odor of dead and gone cigar- 
 ettes. In fact, the whole effect was decidedly Eastern. 
 
 At the very hour when Perry was taking his salu- 
 tary walk to the park, Mrs. Dare and Atherton Leigh 
 were seated together on a divan in this room. His 
 pose was careless to the brink of familiarity his 
 hands in his pockets, and his legs stretched out be- 
 fore him, in his mouth a cigarette. 
 
 There was an atmosphere about Mrs. Dare essen- 
 tially sensuous a subtle suggestiveness, which while 
 calculated to leave certain natures unmoved was irre- 
 sistibly alluring to others. To Atherton Leigh she 
 was dangerously attractive, especially as she evidently 
 was intent upon enthralling him. After an acquaint- 
 ance of only two weeks, Atherton was a daily visitor 
 to the little parlor, and hardly an evening passed that 
 these two were not at some theatre or concert together.
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 231 
 
 The intervening stages between a first aquaintance 
 and a very decided intimacy had been rapidly passed, 
 and while yet his protestations of love had been rather 
 implied than unmistakably stated, it was evident that 
 more was impending. Leigh was fully capable of a 
 persistent and unrestricted passion which yet need 
 not be founded on anything more substantial than 
 utter abandon to the promptings of his reckless na- 
 ture. He had loved and did love Chatterton with as 
 much sincerity and devotion as his volatile heart was 
 capable of, but he no more realized that this need in- 
 terfere with the indulgence of his inclinations in a 
 less exalted direction than that it should keep him 
 from wild, bacchanalian orgies. 
 
 " And so your life, my superb Ariadne, has been 
 an unhappy one ? " * 
 
 " As I have told you. What was there in my sur- 
 roundings to bring me anything but unhappiness ? 
 Married against my will to a man who killed himself 
 with dissipation ! Ah, we poor women are so dread- 
 fully restricted ! We can not choose our material, 
 but must work only that which comes to our 
 hand. You men have so mtfch more extended a 
 range." 
 
 "And a nice mess we make of it ! Look at me 
 for instance ; am not I a noble result of unrestricted 
 liberty ! " 
 
 "Do not abuse yourself, dear boy. Self-control 
 does not always prove either genius or generosity ; 
 rather the reverse." 
 
 " I leave my case with you, ma chere. You will 
 end by arguing me a saint ; a pattern to imi- 
 tate I"
 
 232 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 " No, Atherton, you are not a saint. If you were 
 I should care less for you." 
 
 " You do care for me, then ? " he exclaimed, ex- 
 citedly, taking her hand in his. 
 
 " Too much to allow you to waste your sentiments 
 on one who can give no satisfactory answer to merely 
 impulsive emotion." 
 
 " Is that a reproach ? " 
 
 " No, you know it is not. It is an answer to the 
 declaration you made to me last night, here in this 
 room, when I sent you away rather than allow you to 
 go so far as to imagine yourself pledged. A woman 
 less versed in the ways of the world might have been 
 deceived, but not I. A love that is anything less 
 than an irresistible impulse of the heart will find no 
 sympathy in me." 
 
 "And do you for a moment suppose that I am 
 not sincere in my devotion, in my " 
 
 " How about Chatterton Chester, Atherton ? " 
 
 He winced, and dropped her hand : " What do 
 you mean ? " 
 
 " That you have loved her. Oh, don't deny it I 
 I think none the worse of you for that. Every man 
 loves more than once. Were I in love with you I 
 could wish for no more womanly, no more sweet a 
 predecessor ! " 
 
 In certain moods he was as tow, and she fire ; in 
 others, he was as clay in her hands. By a word or 
 glance she swayed him as she would ; his moods were 
 completely at her control. To oppose was to chal- 
 lenge him, and she seemed to thwart while yet really 
 tempting him on. He had a violent theoretic pas- 
 sion for generosity, and she praised Chatterton. The
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 233 
 
 end was not far, was inevitable unless some other 
 catastrophe should intervene. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 PERKY sought for an excuse to call on Chatterton. 
 To his unusual sensitiveness it seemed that he could 
 not go unarmed with a pretext. Chance favored him. 
 In a few days a communication reached Dodruff, 
 Pringle, and Perry, conveying a munificent offer for 
 the patented churn, and requesting them to lay it be- 
 fore the patentee. Perry eagerly took advantage of 
 this unexpected diversion, and hurried to Madison 
 Avenue. 
 
 He was fortunate, Chatterton was at home and 
 alone. Considering their relative positions, the meet- 
 ing was undemonstrative. Perry had nerved him- 
 self to the ordeal, and Chatterton well, Chatterton 
 commanded the situation. There is a stock-jobbing 
 phrase which has always seemed to me to have a far- 
 reaching application outside the technical sense in 
 which it is used : " You can do anything on a rising 
 market." Every woman knows this truth in her re- 
 lation to the matrimonial market, and most of them 
 abuse it. Chatterton could not resist the temptation 
 to prove her power. Besides, she had not forgiven 
 this man to the extent of forgetting. 
 
 Of course, Perry advanced his pretext almost im- 
 mediately. Chatterton was delighted ; could scarcely 
 retain her exultation. She had heard of the favor-
 
 234 4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 able report made by the expert, but here was more 
 practical evidence still. An offer, and of many thou- 
 sands of dollars, too ! Of course her father must be 
 consulted, but what did Mr. Perry advise ? 
 
 He hesitated, then said that if the patent were 
 his he would accept the offer ; adding that patents 
 were more or less uncertain, but that money had in- 
 trinsic value. There must have been meaning in his 
 tone, as Chatterton at once asked if he feared for the 
 future of the "Braddox Patents Company." He an- 
 swered that he did ; at the same time adding that as 
 he was not a stockholder his opinion was not based 
 on direct knowledge, but merely on inference. He 
 ended with : "Pray excuse what may after all be but 
 needless alarm. My interest in you may have made 
 me timid. I may have been wrong in interfering ; 
 especially under the circumstances." 
 
 "And what are the circumstances, Mr. Perry ?" 
 
 This was both unexpected and disconcerting. It 
 is generally easier to infer than to specify. Still, he 
 must answer. " The circumstances under which we 
 parted at the ball. I had no intention of referring 
 to this now, fearing that you might think me over- 
 persistent. However, it is better that there should be 
 a last act to the drama which has proved a tragedy 
 to me. It is due to both that I should offer you 
 my unqualified apology for my unworthy misconcep- 
 tion." 
 
 A generous character goes a long way to greet a 
 returning prodigal. Chatterton rushed forward on 
 the wings of the spirit, but remained outwardly calm. 
 
 "You are forgiven." 
 
 For a moment a wild hope leaped up in his soul.
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 235 
 
 It must have spoken in his eyes, for she hastened to 
 add, "But much of my confidence is gone.'*' 
 
 He could not blame her. Still, it was a cruel 
 blow. 
 
 "There is no excuse to be made for me, I know. 
 Possibly palliation might be found by one anxious 
 to seek it." 
 
 " Possibly." 
 
 His heart must have held, till this moment, a faint 
 hope, for he now felt something die within him. 
 Still, he would do himself the justice of explaining. 
 " Only the seared know the full significance of the 
 proverb that ( the burned child dreads the fire.' " 
 
 But she shook her head. " If experience teaches 
 mistrust, I can not accord it the exalted rank you 
 claimed for it down in Virginia." 
 
 "But, Miss Chester, do you make no allowance 
 for circumstances ? Have you forgotten Atherton 
 Leigh's direct assertion to me ? He must answer to 
 me for that lie ! " 
 
 A glad flush overspread her face. " Have not you 
 yet spoken to him about it ? " 
 
 He looked up at her reproachfully. 
 
 She continued : " What, then, changed your opin- 
 ion ? " 
 
 He arose and paced the room excitedly. Pres- 
 ently he stopped before her. 
 
 " You have. The truth dawned upon me when 
 you turned your indignant eyes on me at the ball ; it 
 blazed upon me when you confounded my ignoble sus- 
 picion by your generous confidence, the other day, in 
 the street, when you would not pass me without a 
 word of consolation. Ah, Miss Chester, believe one
 
 236 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 who shares with misery the fatal knowledge, there 
 is no unhappiness to equal his who has willfully 
 thrown his one chance of happiness away ! " 
 
 She turned away her face was it to hide emotion ? 
 "I am glad you needed no other refutation," she 
 said. "It would have wounded my pride." 
 
 "And yet you inferred that you thought I had 
 spoken to Atherton." 
 
 Then she turned a blushing face upon him, a little 
 nervous smile playing about her mouth. " Have you 
 never known a woman to ask a question merely to 
 have a denial ?" 
 
 He turned away ; otherwise, he could not have 
 controlled the impulse to plead for reinstatement. 
 
 She continued : " I am glad you have told me this. 
 Not only does it place you in a better light before me, 
 but it gives me an opportunity to tell you how nobly, 
 how heroically you have acted in the terrible matter 
 of Mr. Denvers's suicide. To be perfectly frank with 
 you, this is what made me consent to see you to-day ; 
 but I am glad." 
 
 There is much to be read in the tone of a woman's 
 voice. But Perry's unhappiness made him obtuse. 
 He answered what she said : " Indeed, you have been 
 misinformed. I did nothing heroic. I was pursuing 
 no line of duty when poor, demented Denvers tried 
 to shoot me, and certainly should have got out of the 
 way if it had been possible. " 
 
 " Oh, you do yourself injustice I But I refer more 
 particularly to your attitude since the awful tragedy 
 your attitude toward poor Mrs. Denvers. Mrs. 
 Underdunk has told me " 
 
 " Really, if you get your information from Mrs.
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 937 
 
 Underdunk, it is not at all reliable. She has so 
 warmly and so nobly espoused Mrs. Denvers's cause 
 that even I have come in for a bit of reflected sym- 
 pathy." 
 
 She smiled. " We will not discuss the subject 
 further ; but I insist upon regarding you in a heroic 
 light." 
 
 " And I bless the misconception, as it has secured 
 me your forgiveness." 
 
 " Yes, my forgiveness ; and, since we are in so 
 humble a mood, I, too, must ask yours. My words 
 of the other night were unwarranted." 
 
 But he protested while she gently insisted. In the 
 process of the discussion he seated himself next her 
 on the sofa. Suddenly he lost his head : " Chat- 
 terton, I can not see you slip away from me like this ! 
 I love you ; you are all the world to me ! " 
 
 But she shook her head sadly. 
 
 He accepted this as conclusive. He had acted, it 
 is true, from impulse, but his whole soul had gone 
 out to her in the few simple words, and he felt that 
 if they did not move her nothing would. Yes, he had 
 got his answer. He rose slowly to his feet, took a few 
 steps toward the door, paused, then, turning, said : 
 " Pardon me ; I was not justified. I should not have 
 persisted ; " and he was gone. 
 
 On mature deliberation, no ; there are some things 
 which even a rising market will not warrant.
 
 238 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 THE Fifth Avenue house belonged to Mrs. Den- 
 vers. It was all she had in the world ; it was to be 
 sold at once. She worked indefatigably at the neces- 
 sary preparations. In this she was the more coura- 
 geous as she was convinced that the future held noth- 
 ing for her. This conviction seemed the better found- 
 ed since it did not manifest itself in that violent way 
 which suggests that there may be some hot coals amid 
 the ashes from which to rekindle a hope. She knew 
 although not guessing the extent that she was under 
 social embargo for having been unfortunate, and fully 
 realized that gold alone could purchase rehabilitation ; 
 and she had no gold. But, mercifully, misfortunes 
 come sequentially. Mrs. Denvers now scarcely cared 
 for rehabilitation, for wealth ; she had yet to reach 
 the stratum of the socially disparaged, and, below 
 that again, the substratum of the generally neglected. 
 It is a cruel world, my masters, and a bullying world 
 a weak, lonely woman is its favorite prey. Alas ! 
 there seems slim chance of improvement, for its vota- 
 ries will insist upon standing on their heads and view- 
 ing moral qualities upside down. 
 
 As was her custom, Mrs. Denvers looked the posi- 
 tion straight in the face, and drew her conclusions. 
 Her life might be made useful, but not contented ; a 
 blessing to others, but it would remain empty. As 
 far as her data went, her conclusions were usually 
 correct. She told herself that. resignation had done 
 much for her in the past, and must do more for her
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 239 
 
 in the future. After all, this is the sum of worldly 
 experience. We may preach if we please of the hap- 
 piness which can be made to follow enforced renun- 
 ciation, but the fact remains that the necessity is the 
 mother of the philosophy. Provided we are left free 
 to retain or to forego, some may reach in the end 
 altruistic happiness, but few of us wear the yoke 
 of involuntary deprivation with unaffected cheerful- 
 ness. We may be thankful that we can stump about 
 on crutches ; but test the contentment by the offer of 
 a chance in some pool of Bethesda ! 
 
 To be sure she was free. But what is the use of 
 freedom unless there be at least a remotely possible 
 chance of surrendering it ! She was free and might 
 have been happy if but there was the "if," there 
 generally is the "if." This little "if" islikeMer- 
 cutio's wound, "not as deep as a well or as wide as a 
 church door, but 'tis enough." 
 
 Dora Denvers was lovely in her mourning. Perry 
 knew she was lovely. He would sit for hours and 
 talk with her, now about her business, now of Heaven 
 knows what, and was all the while conscious that she 
 was lovely. But it meant nothing to his heart. She 
 was his best friend and he, please God, would be hers 
 that was all. And she well, she was happier than she 
 had been for many a long day, and happier than she 
 was likely ever to be again. Of course, it was dread- 
 ful almost immoral. She ought to have cried her 
 eyes out for that husband to whom, living, she had 
 accorded all the devotion that either he or duty re- 
 quired, but who, dead, left her relieved of an obliga- 
 tion which had severely taxed resolution, endurance, 
 Christianity.
 
 24:0 -4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 Once she spoke to Perry about Chatterton. He 
 had, in few words, assured her that he would never 
 marry. He gave no reason, but she needed none. 
 She sighed honors are so unequally divided in life, 
 some have them all in their hands at its game and 
 changed the subject. 
 
 The house was to be sold and Perry had charge of 
 the sale. From the proceeds a heavy mortgage on 
 the premises was to be paid, then Perry's ten thou- 
 sand dollars he had begged to be allowed to remain 
 her creditor, but she was firm and some other unse- 
 cured debts of her unfortunate husband. For these 
 she was not legally liable, but she insisted on regard- 
 ing them as debts of honor. Felix assured her, to 
 her surprise and gratification, that even after her 
 " quixotic debts " were paid she would, most likely, 
 have some ten or twelve thousand dollars left. 
 
 Mrs. Denvers had moved, temporarily, to Mrs. 
 Underdunk's apartment, as the sale was to come off 
 at once. 
 
 The auction sale was on the premises, and was well 
 attended. The bidding was spirited up to an offer of 
 sixty-five thousand dollars, but higher than that it 
 did not seem possible to force it. Just as it was 
 about to be knocked down at that figure, there was 
 an unexpected bid of ten thousand dollars more. It 
 was made by a nervous young man who was evidently 
 but an agent. After some delay, the young man was 
 declared the purchaser. He whispered the name of 
 the person he represented to the auctioneer, with the 
 injunction to keep it secret. Every one said it was a 
 " sell " ; there was a reserve price, evidently, and 
 the premises had been bought in. There was some
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 241 
 
 indignation manifested, especially by the man who 
 had bid sixty-five thousand dollars. 
 
 Then Perry carried the good news to Mrs. Den- 
 vers that his prediction had been verified ; that, as 
 the house had sold for seventy-five thousand dollars, 
 she would have fully twelve thousand dollars left after 
 all the debts were paid. 
 
 The morning of the day following, the man who had 
 offered the sixty-five thousand dollars received a call 
 from Mr. Perry, of the law-firm of Dodruff, Pringle, 
 and Perry. The lawyer stated that if the gentleman 
 was of the same mind as yesterday he could have the 
 premises for the sum he had offered. The gentleman 
 said he did not like that way of doing business ; that 
 the auctioneers should be exposed. Mr. Perry ex- 
 plained that it was not the fault of the auctioneers, 
 that they had simply done their duty. Then the bar- 
 gain was struck, but not till Mr. Perry had added 
 that he must ask the favor of having the considera- 
 tion named at the higher figure, namely seventy-five 
 thousand dollars ; that when the transfer of deed was 
 made the gentleman would receive a certified cheque 
 for ten thousand dollars, which he was to use in part 
 payment for the premises, explaining that it was 
 merely an innocent device to satisfy a hypercritical 
 client. And so it was arranged and so it was carried 
 out ; but Perry to this day has the uncomfortable 
 feeling that one man in New York suspects him of an 
 underhand trick. But sometimes the end justifies the 
 means, let abstract moralists say what they please. 
 
 Felix Perry, unlike William Chatterton, had not 
 learned his methods in Wall Street. 
 
 And now business affairs were concluded, and Dora 
 16
 
 24:2 -A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 Denvers was to go to an aunt in the country. As the 
 day approached she grew more and more silent, and 
 her eyes grew larger and more full of unuttered sad- 
 ness. 
 
 Mrs. Underdunk was very gentle. She was an 
 astute old Samaritan, and saw much that was invisi- 
 ble to other eyes. But she kept her own counsel, and 
 forbore knocking people's heads together, marring 
 plans and precipitating catastrophes upon the plea of 
 "duty." But, you see, she was only a Samaritan, 
 and did not know any better. 
 
 Shortly after the tragedy, Mrs. Denvers had re- 
 ceived a sweet note from Chatterton. It had been 
 short, but had displayed such warmth of feeling and 
 yet such gentle discretion, that she had returned her 
 heart-felt thanks, verbally, by Mrs. Underdunk. Now 
 that but one more day remained to her, she sent word 
 to the young girl to come to her ; and she came at 
 once. 
 
 Mrs. Denvers kissed her affectionately. She was 
 very quiet and soon put Chatterton who had been 
 under unusual and unaccountable restraint upon en- 
 tering the room at her ease. Dora spoke of Perry 
 almost immediately ; told of his chivalry, of his 
 tenderness and kindness to her. At last her persist- 
 ence in continuing upon this one subject became too 
 marked to be ignored, and Chatterton hung her head 
 in confusion, even while feeling a slight sense of re- 
 sentment. Soon, however, the feeling vanished. In 
 a low, sad voice the older woman continued : " Mis- 
 fortune expands our horizon, Chatterton, and shows 
 us more of the scope and possibilities of life, even 
 while revealing its pitfalls. For some inscrutable
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 243 
 
 reason this enlarged vision often comes when it is too 
 late to make personal use of it. But at least we can 
 be useful as sign-posts to those on the lower plane, if 
 they will but read us aright. This is my one occasion 
 to show you and Perry certain pitfalls, and to point 
 out a safe path to happiness. I may appear abrupt, 
 but you must remember that this is my only oppor- 
 tunity ; let this be my excuse ; this and the right to 
 indulgence which is gained through suffering." She 
 paused a moment ; then, taking Chatterton's hand in 
 her own and looking her full in the face with great, 
 earnest eyes, she continued : " I like you. Your 
 virtues are sterling, and your faults are not ungen- 
 erous or petty faults. But I will not deceive you. 
 My chief concern is for Felix Perry. You are young, 
 and youth is magnificently recuperative. He is not 
 so young, and, besides, is terribly in earnest. But 
 let me hasten to assure you that he has not said one 
 word to me upon the subject of his love for you. He 
 merely said, when questioned by me, that he would 
 never marry. But I have drawn my own conclusions, 
 and am persuaded they are not far from the truth. 
 As I have said, my interest centers in him. He is 
 my best friend. Without him "she broke down 
 completely, and buried her head on the young girl's 
 shoulder. 
 
 Chatterton was deeply moved. 
 
 After a moment Mrs. Denvers grew more com- 
 posed, and, raising her head, continued : " My nerves 
 are unstrung ; I have no will-power left, it seems. 
 But to resume. I am persuaded that Perry loves you, 
 and that you love him, and that something has come 
 between you two. Of its nature I can, of course,
 
 244 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 form no idea. If I am right, let me beg you to be 
 frank with me. Obstacles which seem insurmount- 
 able are often easily removed." 
 
 Chatterton's face flushed scarlet. She paused a 
 moment, then gliding to her knees, buried her face 
 in Dora's lap. She had given her answer. 
 
 Mrs. Denvers resumed : "Do you mind telling me 
 what has caused the estrangement ? " 
 
 Almost inaudibly the answer came : "He ascribed 
 to me unworthy motives and acts. He thought me 
 capable of becoming engaged to a certain man with- 
 out loving him, and of lightly, and without warning, 
 breaking off the engagement." 
 
 She was astonished at herself. She had never be- 
 fore made a confidant of any one, and now she was 
 telling her soul's secret to a comparative stranger ! 
 The interpretation lay in the potency of unselfish- 
 ness. No wonder it was a surprise to Chatterton. 
 In her home circle she found little evidence of the ex- 
 istence of the virtue ; unless it was in Bud and Dandy, 
 and neither of these were available as a confidant. 
 
 Mrs. Denvers was stroking the girl's hair. " Had 
 he no reason for suspecting this ?" 
 
 "No real reason. No reason at all, except that 
 the man I refer to told him we were engaged." 
 
 "Only that!" 
 
 " He ought not to have believed it ! I should not 
 have believed it of him." 
 
 " Do you mean that Atherton Leigh forgive me 
 for having guessed your secret, but his devotion is 
 too marked to escape notice do you mean to say 
 that he actually told Perry you were engaged to 
 marry him ? "
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 245 
 
 "Yes, but Mr. Perry should have known me 
 better." 
 
 A sad smile crept over the white face, but it was 
 gone in a moment. "Alas, Chatterton, few men but 
 would have thought that justification for mistrust." 
 
 " You do not quite understand, Mrs. Denvers. I 
 I had shown Mr. Perry that I liked him. I had 
 trusted him fully. But he persisted in doubting me. 
 I gave him more than one hint, but he would accept 
 nothing but a direct denial till till " 
 
 " Till what, my dear ? " 
 
 "Till he had offended me past recovery," an- 
 swered the girl. Then added, quickly : " He had the 
 grace to find out his mistake unaided, or else I never 
 should have forgiven him ! " 
 
 Mrs. Denvers sighed ; then she said, " I suppose 
 you know the story of his early and bitter disappoint- 
 ment?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 1 ' Are you quite sure you make sufficient allow- 
 ance for the effect of that deception upon his char- 
 acter?" 
 
 " That is what he pleads," answered Chatterton, 
 naively, "but I can not bring myself to think that 
 because a man has been once unworthily deceived is 
 any reason why he should doubt unworthily." 
 
 Mrs. Denvers hesitated ; then the truth forced 
 itself to the surface. " No, it is not a valid excuse. 
 I shall not use sophistry even to shield him. But 
 deception has its baleful effect, and this should be 
 remembered in extenuation. Then, remember the 
 proverbial variableness of our sex ; remember, again, 
 that the moral practice of society is not as high as its
 
 246 -4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 precept, and that this is liable to create uncertainty 
 as to the individual. To this uncertain basis add 
 Perry's exceptional experience, and upon the top of 
 that, again, Atherton's assertion, and then tell me 
 if there is no palliation for him ? " 
 
 Chatterton raised her face : " To one who will 
 seek it, yes " there was extreme tenderness in her 
 voice as she quoted almost his very words "and I 
 will seek it. You are a good woman, Mrs. Denvers, 
 and I shall always love you. You have taught me a 
 lesson in unselfishness. As to Mr. Perry, time must 
 prove him. My confidence has been sadly shaken. 
 Of course you, who are so wise, so gentle, will under- 
 stand that I could not bear to have him told of this 
 interview. It would turn me against him." 
 
 "You have my promise, Chatterton. But, oh 
 youth, youth ! how prodigal of your days, of your 
 opportunities ! You play the game of love with the 
 pawns pride, sensitiveness, and doubt jealously 
 guarded, but with the queen exposed to danger ! " 
 
 "If he really loves me," answered Chatterton, 
 "he will not be turned aside by the pride, the sensi- 
 tiveness, or the uncertainty." 
 
 " Were not you turned aside by his sensitiveness, 
 his doubt ? " 
 
 " Oh, that was quite different." 
 
 "No doubt you are right in a degree, but not 
 in the degree you think. Still, I feel that all will 
 end well, although I shall be far away and shall not 
 see it." 
 
 " Will you not return if when " 
 
 Dora turned away her face to hide its pain. 
 Then she answered, calmly : " I fear not, my child.
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 247 
 
 My world is to be narrowed down to something very 
 like a prison. Poverty is a grim jailer and it is hard 
 to elude him. Besides, I should be but a sad, somber 
 blot on a picture otherwise all light and color." 
 
 There were a few more affectionate words, and 
 then a sad farewell a passionate farewell on the part 
 of Chatterton and they parted. 
 
 The next morning Perry drove np to take Mrs. 
 Denvers to the railway-station. After the last, sad, 
 grateful words to Mrs. Underdunk, Mrs. Denvers 
 entered the carriage. It took but a few minutes 
 to reach the station, and in a few more they were 
 in the train. Poor Dora turned her white face to- 
 ward Perry and held out her hand in a last farewell, 
 but he calmly seated himself by her side, saying 
 with assumed cheerfulness : " And did you suppose I 
 would be satisfied with such leave-taking as this 
 hurried through as if we were bits of wood pressed 
 into a machine to emerge shoe-pegs ? Not a bit 
 of it ! I am going with you to your destina- 
 tion." 
 
 It was but a couple of hours' ride, but they took 
 it together. Forever and forever will those two hours 
 be treasured in her heart. Two hours ! In retro- 
 spection they will seem to her in one aspect minutes, 
 in another an infinity. 
 
 But everything comes to an end. They reach a 
 little country station, and alight. There stands the 
 vehicle which is to take Dora to her "home," and on 
 the wings of the wind is wafted the shriek of the 
 approaching train which is to carry Perry back to 
 the city. He arranges her as comfortably as the car- 
 riage admits of, then takes her ungloved hand in his
 
 248 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 and reverentially raises it to his lips as in a husky 
 voice he says, "Good-by, my dear, dear friend." 
 
 Tears are streaming down her face. She can only 
 whisper, brokenly, " God bless you ! " 
 
 A man gazing sadly from the window of an ex- 
 press train as it thunders along through the leaden 
 landscape of a bleak, misty, March day; a woman 
 sobbing her heart out in the corner of a faded, musty, 
 jolting carriage their lives are parted. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 ATHEKTON LEIGH'S attention to Mrs. Dare was too 
 marked to escape notice. Even little Bud, in her 
 gentle anxiety for all whom she loved, plucked up 
 courage and asked him if he was not very devoted. 
 He answered her flippantly, and changed the sub- 
 ject. But Mrs. Chester was not to be got rid of so 
 easily. It is unnecessary to repeat the good argu- 
 ments she used to turn him from his infatuation. 
 Suffice it to say that past and done with Athertons, 
 Leighs, Clappertons, Biddepords, and Fortheringales 
 were marshaled in imposing array and made to point 
 ghostly fingers of warning at the insubordinate scion 
 of their illustrious houses. 
 
 Atherton listened dutifully, promised reformation 
 and that afternoon drove Mrs. Dare to the park. 
 More than this, meeting "Miss Mary" as she was 
 rolled along in the Polliver Jones chariot, he gave her 
 a blithe and unabashed bow and smile, which pro-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 249 
 
 ceeding so upset the Chester-Fortheringale equanimity 
 that the good lady almost forgot to finish, for the edi- 
 fication of Mrs. Polliver Jones, a description of the 
 magnificence of Chatterton Hall. 
 
 Perry, too, had noticed the young man's devotion, 
 and found himself dwelling upon it with more inter- 
 est than the subject seemed to justify. 
 
 He had not yet called Leigh to account for the 
 statement that he had heen engaged to Chatterton. 
 Of course he now needed no refutation of that asser- 
 tion ; nothing but a sense of justice would impel him 
 to show Atherton that he was unmasked. But he 
 hesitated to expose, to wound him. The reason for 
 the hesitation was the same that controlled him in all 
 his relations with this volatile youth he liked him. 
 He could not understand it. He told himself that 
 never were two characters more dissimilar. They 
 barely possessed an antipathy in common. They 
 could meet on no neutral ground, for they could 
 never agree upon its geographical location. To be 
 sure they both loved Chatterton, but they loved so 
 differently that the poverty of the vernacular alone 
 justifies the classification. And yet Perry liked him. 
 It must have been that he admired the shell, even 
 while despising the kernel. 
 
 These thoughts passed through Perry's mind as he 
 stood, embowered in tropical plants, and saw Mrs. 
 Dare pass with Atherton. 
 
 The hour was late in the afternoon ; the season, a 
 day in early April ; the scene, a public exhibition of 
 the art collection of a collapsed millionaire, prior to a 
 widely advertised and extensively heralded sale. 
 
 The place was crowded. The eye was fairly dazzled
 
 250 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 by the human panorama and the odd back- ground of 
 huge vases, horrors from Japan, abominations in the 
 shape of Chinese idols, suits of armor, sarcophagi, rich 
 draperies, and a thousand other things, and was only 
 relieved by the refreshing green of hot-house plants 
 grouped in every available space. 
 
 Perry moved on. It was easier to move than to 
 stand still. Besides, he was unhappy, and with most 
 men unhappiness and restlessness are concomitants. 
 He was quite alone. Indeed, he preferred to be alone, 
 since he could not be with Chatterton. Possibly she 
 might be here. He hardly confessed it to himself, 
 but it was this chance that had brought him. 
 
 He suddenly saw Bud. She was standing alone, 
 and appeared distressed. In a moment he was by her 
 side ; but before he could address her she cried, im- 
 pulsively : " Oh, Mr. Perry, I am so glad to see you ! 
 I was getting so dreadfully frightened. I have lost 
 Aunt Mary ! " 
 
 "Never mind, Miss Rosebud, you are all right 
 now." 
 
 " But we must find her. Oh, there she is !" 
 
 The missing lady swooped down to the rescue of 
 this modern Andromeda with as much concern as if 
 the bronze and china carnivora about them were alive. 
 
 When the flurry had subsided, Mrs. Chester turned 
 and thanked Perry so graciously that he was aston- 
 ished, remembering her late coldness. Of course he 
 could not know that there had recently been a short 
 but brilliant skirmish between Mrs. Underdunk and 
 Mrs. Chester, with him as casus belli, from the which 
 the former lady had come off victorious. This, 
 coupled with the fact that Mrs. Governor Llewellyn
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 251 
 
 Tilbridge had warmly espoused Perry's cause, was 
 significant, and Mrs. Chester forthwith had a change 
 of heart. She admitted to her daughter that Perry 
 might have been more sinned against than sinning ; 
 that, any way, she was determined moved thereto by 
 Christian charity to extend to him the a?gis of her 
 patronage. 
 
 Having had enough of art, Mrs. Chester and Bud 
 departed. As Perry turned to continue his listless 
 inspection of the monstrosities, he saw Mrs. Dare. 
 She was standing alone, almost concealed by a Japa- 
 nese screen and a mass of heavy drapery. It was 
 quite evident that she had selected the vantage-ground 
 with a purpose. She was only visible from the spot 
 where Perry stood. He was startled by the expression 
 on her face ; never before had he seen a human coun- 
 tenance express such eager, passionate concentration ! 
 He instinctively followed the direction of her eyes 
 why did he grasp the back of the chair as if overcome 
 by a sudden revelation ? 
 
 Almost immediately he recovered himself, and 
 turned to find Mrs. Dare; but she. had disappeared, 
 and he hurriedly traversed the now fast emptying 
 halls in quest of her. He was unsuccessful till he 
 reached the exit door. 
 
 She stood there as calm and serene as a May morn- 
 ing ; not a trace of anxiety on her smooth brow. 
 
 "What, alone, Mrs. Dare?" 
 
 " Is it you, Mr. Perry ? Oh, no ; Mr. Leigh has 
 gone for my wrap." 
 
 "I hoped to have the pleasure of walking home 
 with you." 
 
 "It would have had the merit of the unaccus-
 
 252 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 tomed, certainly. However, I must make allowances, 
 I suppose. Besides, too good friends to quarrel ; eh, 
 Mr. Perry ? " 
 
 Of course he responded in the affirmative. Then, 
 as he saw in the distance Atherton disentangling him- 
 self from the crowd at the cloak-room, he hurriedly 
 added: "I have something of importance to say to 
 you. Will you be at home to-night ? " 
 
 "I am sorry ; I go to the theatre with Mr. Leigh. 
 Is it so very important will not to-morrow do ? " 
 
 "I suppose it must." 
 
 " Possibly you might come late to-night, at " 
 
 But Atherton was upon them before she could 
 finish the sentence. However, as they walked off she 
 turned to pick up her skirt, and Perry rather saw 
 than heard her lips form the word "Eleven." A 
 quick glance of intelligence showed her that he un- 
 derstood. 
 
 He had determined upon a line of conduct which 
 few would have voluntarily assumed. It did not oc- 
 cur to him to shirk a disagreeable undertaking with 
 the excuse that it did not concern him. He held that 
 a duty was imposed the moment an opportunity of- 
 fered, no matter if there were others to share the re- 
 sponsibility. In the present case, he felt that it rested 
 exclusively on his shoulders. 
 
 A few moments after the appointed hour, Felix 
 stepped from the elevator at Mrs. Dare's seventh-floor 
 apartment and knocked at the door. It was opened 
 by his hostess in person. 
 
 " Too unconventional an hour to take one's serv- 
 ants into one's confidence as to the limited number of 
 one's guests. If it were not that you would be too
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 253 
 
 flattered, I should tell you that, on your account, I 
 declined a most tempting invitation to Delmonico's, 
 and have, I fear, thereby offended our good friend 
 Mr. Leigh by the way, I am indebted to you for a 
 most charming acquaintance ; he is delightful !" 
 
 In the dining-room, Perry found rather elaborate 
 preparations for a tete-a-tete supper. In these, Mrs. 
 Dare excelled. She well knew that few men rise su- 
 perior to cold game, salad, and champagne at mid- 
 night, and some instinct though hardly a foreboding 
 had told her it would be well to propitiate this par- 
 ticular guest. 
 
 When they were seated and busily engaged, Perry 
 said : " You do not ask me the nature of the impo'r- 
 tant business." 
 
 " Because," she answered, " I have tested it with an 
 infallible test, and find it of an unpleasant nature, and 
 I never do my little suppers the discredit of seasoning 
 them with unnecessary worry." 
 
 " And your infallible test is ? " 
 
 " A man's manner. If your news had been pleas- 
 ant, a joyful surprise of any kind, you would have 
 got rid of it before you were out of your top-coat. 
 Men are just that more generous than women. When 
 I saw you sip your wine with the purpose of your visit 
 unrevealed, I said to myself, 'bad news.' Not a word, 
 now, upon this, please, until after supper." 
 
 He had felt rather guilty at accepting her hospi- 
 tality, as what he had to say would necessarily either 
 wound or incense, depending upon the correctness of 
 the inference he had drawn ; but he had not known 
 how to refuse, and, besides, he thought it both wise 
 and kind to show that he did not come as an enemy.
 
 254: ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 When the meal was over, Perry, at Mrs. Dare's 
 request, pushed the table into a corner and pulled up 
 two arm-chairs to the wood-fire, and soon they were 
 both exhaling tiny blue curls of smoke from fragrant 
 cigarettes. 
 
 Felix looked admiringly at his companion. How 
 handsome she was ! Certainly a magnificent woman ; 
 not a woman to reverence ; not a woman to love, 
 but a woman to admire as one admires a high type of 
 physical development in any member of the animal 
 kingdom. 
 
 Perry hesitated to begin in fact, he was extreme- 
 ly ill at ease ; he found the undertaking much harder 
 than he had anticipated. The dilemma was certainly 
 not relieved by Mrs. Dare's challenge : "Now, Mr. 
 Perry." 
 
 There was no alternative. " Your husband was a 
 college chum of mine, as you know. I have often in- 
 tended asking you the particulars of his death by 
 the way, if you do not mind, when were you mar- 
 ried?" 
 
 " About eleven years ago." 
 
 Her manner was cold and formal. 
 
 "Ah, yes, it must have been. Did you ever hear 
 that I met with a misfortune about that time ? I 
 was to have married ; the day was fixed ; I received 
 a letter from Dare, introducing a friend of his." He 
 suddenly looked up. She was taken unaware. The 
 expression of her face told him all ! He resumed : 
 " This man ran off with the woman who was to have 
 been my wife. That is my story, now for yours ; but 
 first, believe me when I say that I have come here 
 with no ill will to you, no desire to hurt your feelings
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 255 
 
 unnecessarily, to injure, or to to forgive me ex- 
 pose you." 
 
 " Expose ! " It was bravely said. She had risen 
 and stood defiantly before him. 
 
 "Allow me to proceed." 
 
 " Not a word more ! You have insulted me ! " 
 
 It was a last effort. The stag was at bay, but the 
 stand was hopeless. He was sorry for her, very sorry. 
 He had not come to reproach, much less to revile. 
 He would befriend her if 
 
 Presently he resumed : " You had better hear me 
 through. Shall I prove to you that I know your 
 secret ? " 
 
 She realized that she was defeated, but would not 
 yet yield. She exclaimed : " If you. know it !" 
 
 " I do know it ; to-day I discovered it." 
 
 "How?" 
 
 " Will you confess, if I am right ?" 
 
 "Yes" it was a whisper. 
 
 From a kindly impulse he lowered his eyes as he 
 resumed : " I read it in your face this afternoon as you 
 gazed at the retreating form of Eose Hetherinton, 
 your daughter ! " 
 
 She sank into the chair, her white face still turned 
 toward him. Glancing at her, he was reminded of 
 the night of the Polliver Jones ball, when the sight of 
 Bud caused her so much emotion. 
 
 " Am not I right ?" 
 
 " Yes," came from her parched, bloodless lips. 
 
 He hastily rose, poured out a glass of water and 
 handed it her. She drank it eagerly. Slowly the 
 color returned to her face, and her eyes regained some- 
 what their normal expression.
 
 256 4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 He could not but admire her courage. " You are 
 brave," he said. " I shall befriend you as far as I can. 
 On my honor, I have but one purpose in seeking this 
 painful interview. Agree to that, and I will not dis- 
 turb your life by an unnecessary reference, much less 
 by exposure." 
 
 " State your terms," she answered. 
 
 " Need we treat as enemies ?" he asked, kindly, as 
 he seated himself. 
 
 She looked up. " Would you care to treat as 
 friends ? " 
 
 " Why not ? " 
 
 "Because, because Oh, Mr. Perry, do you 
 really intend to be kind ? You would not deceive 
 me, would you ? " 
 
 " You know I am incapable of it. I am only here 
 because of a -sense of impending evil evil which I 
 may be able to avert. Why do you doubt me ? " 
 
 "Because I have learned by bitter experience to 
 trust no one. But, oh, I will believe you are kind, 
 for I do so much need a few kind words ! Think 
 what it is to be parted from my child ! Think of 
 what it means to me to have to pass her by as a 
 stranger no word, no glance, no kiss ! " 
 
 He looked at her, pityingly. Her emotion was 
 genuine ; there was no doubt of that. Real emotion 
 has a way of bringing its credentials with it. 
 
 Suddenly she leaned forward on the arm of the 
 chair and faced him, a new resolve shining in her 
 eyes. " Let me tell you the story of my life. I swear 
 to omit nothing, to extenuate nothing. May be, then, 
 you will really befriend me. Oh," she cried, -"for 
 one friend ! Not a lover ; not one to suspect my mo-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 257 
 
 tives, but a real friend. A friend who need not be 
 blind to the faults, but who will consider the tempta- 
 tions, the irresistible force of circumstances, and 
 will then say that there has been some excuse for 
 me!" 
 
 He, too, leaned forward. " I will, as far as hu- 
 man nature permits, divest myself of prejudice." 
 
 She thanked him with a glance, and began : " My 
 mother died at my birth. My father, Major Hag- 
 gard, quarreled with my brother Clayton, and the 
 boy he was about three years my senior ran away 
 from home and went to Eichmond. We were then 
 living in Maryland. Tiring of farming, my father 
 sold the place and moved to Baltimore. There he 
 married me to Mr. Hetherinton, a commission mer- 
 chant. I did not love my husband. In fact, love 
 has played but a minor part in my life so far, as you 
 will hear. This man was a devil ! He ruined my 
 character ; he taught me deceit by his insane jealousy. 
 No ordinary course of life satisfied him ; I could only 
 purchase peace at the price of hypocrisy. I was 
 forced to circumvent his positive orders to do the 
 simplest and most natural things. If I wished to 
 write even to a woman I had to do it surreptitiously 
 or else be subjected to violent outbursts, to the most 
 insulting accusations of conspiracy. The end was in- 
 evitable. Pray remember the lack of moral training, 
 of a mother's care. When I look back at this period 
 of my life I am surprised, not that I acted as I did, 
 but that I was not driven to something worse. As it 
 was, I grew accustomed to deception and proficient 
 in it. Eemember, I was only nineteen, and my baby 
 but a year old. At this time there was a man very 
 17
 
 258 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 devoted to me. Oh, Mr. Perry, it is hard to have to 
 expose one's faults so candidly ; a woman revolts at 
 it ! But I am determined to tell you all. For eigh- 
 teen years I have kept silent, and the burden of the 
 secret is heavy ! " 
 
 She put her handkerchief to her eyes, paused a 
 moment, and then resumed : " No doubt you im- 
 agine you guess the rest but you are wrong ! I am 
 at least guiltless of that sin. Whether it is more to 
 my credit that I was saved through low, sordid mo- 
 tives than if I had succumbed to an overmastering 
 emotion, is questionable. However, I was saved. 
 This man again and again urged me to fly with him ; 
 I as often refused. I did not love him ; his one at- 
 traction was that he came of good family and moved 
 in the circles to which I aspired. In this last confes- 
 sion you have the motive power of my life, the main- 
 spring of every act and thought ! But to resume. 
 My father had no social position. My mother's peo- 
 ple were well placed, but they had thrown her off 
 when she married. My husband was a self-made 
 man ; a man of low origin, low cunning, low sus- 
 picions, low morals. His fortune had been the bait 
 to my father's rapacity. However, Nemesis soon 
 overtook us ; most of the money was lost in specula- 
 tion. 
 
 " The man who pursued me was my only link 
 with the social world to which I so longingly aspired ; 
 and this was absolutely the only reason that kept me 
 from dismissing him. I could not, it seemed like sur- 
 rendering my only chance of advancement. I saw 
 him surreptitiously. One day my husband surprised 
 us together. Of course, nothing would pacify him.
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 59 
 
 But that he was a coward there would have been 
 bloodshed." 
 
 She paused for breath, but presently continued : 
 " I telegraphed to Richmond for my brother. He 
 came at once and espoused my cause. Through fear 
 of Clayton, Mr. Hetherinton agreed to a mere separ- 
 ation, and Bud and I went to Richmond. Within a 
 year I heard of my husband's death. Once a widow, 
 I, of course, supposed that my former admirer would 
 marry me. Imagine my indignation on hearing that 
 he had married a month before ! I could have killed 
 him. 
 
 " Well, I was thrown entirely on my own resources. 
 I had little money ; but have always been a good man- 
 ager. And now I began the hopeless task of building 
 for myself a social position ; starting with not a single 
 advantage and unaided save by my woman's wit. As 
 well try to ladle out the Atlantic ! My God ! if I 
 had expended but one half the effort, the energy, and 
 the perseverance in some worthy direction, what might 
 not I have made of my life ! 
 
 " At Saratoga I met Donald Chester. I had no 
 difficulty in discovering that his social position was 
 excellent, and I married him." 
 
 She paused, and Perry asked, " And you did not 
 love him ? " 
 
 ."No. As I have told you, love had nothing to 
 do with my acts. I did not know what love meant. 
 Men said that I was handsome, and I was quite ready 
 to sell myself for social position. I thought I suc- 
 ceeded when I married Donald, but I was mistaken. 
 His family would have nothing to do with me. He 
 was violent, morose, and vindictive ; no doubt, I too
 
 260 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 was to blame. Any way, for one year we led a miser- 
 able life of it, and then separated. Of course you 
 have heard what followed. But one thing you did 
 not hear, namely, that I knew nothing of the duel 
 till I was told of Donald's death. Of the truth of 
 this I swear ! " 
 
 " I am glad of that ! " said Perry. 
 
 " Well," resumed Mrs. Dare, with a heavy sigh, 
 " I went to Italy with Clayton. He died there of Ro- 
 man fever. Then I returned to America, and went 
 to Boston. There I became incidentally acquainted 
 with Dare, and through him heard of your connec- 
 tion with the story of Donald's crime. He had 
 known Donald under the name of Armitage, and I 
 did not think it necessary to undeceive him. We 
 were soon married. Of my antecedents Dare knew 
 nothing, nor did he care to know. He was absolutely 
 without prejudice ; may be because he was without 
 heart. I had again been unfortunate in my choice. 
 Of course the inference is that the fault was chiefly 
 mine. As far as profession of affection without the 
 reality constitutes a fault, I was certainly to blame. 
 But in each case I really tried to do my duty. Why, 
 then, has it been my fate to meet with such persistent 
 disappointment ? " 
 
 "Probably because you expected more than you 
 proposed to grant. Fate does not often give bread in 
 exchange for a stone," he answered. 
 
 " Well, it is all one now, so let it pass. You will 
 remember that at one time we saw you here in New 
 York. Soon after that Dare died. He was an abject 
 slave to drink ; a saint could not have turned him 
 from it, nmch less a weak, selfish woman. This mar-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. <J61 
 
 riage had not advanced me one jot in the direction 
 where I sought advancement, bat it brought me some 
 money, not enough to buy position, but enough to 
 keep me independent an inestimable boon to a 
 woman. Time passed. I moved here and took this 
 apartment. I had but one motive in this, and that 
 was to marry you. I soon saw this was hopeless. 
 Still, I strove to use you as a stepping-stone to posi- 
 tion. Your generosity, and your influence over Mrs. 
 Denvers, helped me. But it was not to be. I was 
 allowed a peep inside the charmed circle, but no 
 more. Oh, Mr. Perry, words can not express the in- 
 sults and slights to which I have been subjected ! 
 The North American Indian never tortured his vic- 
 tims at the stake more cruelly than the women of the 
 nineteenth century torture theirs." 
 
 " Then why have incurred it ? " exclaimed Felix. 
 " Even if the chance of success had been changed to 
 ultimate certainty it could not have repaid the tor- 
 ture ! " 
 
 " Go ask Mrs. Polliver Jones if it could not ! Mrs. 
 Jones who, without good looks, adaptability, or the 
 least fitness, has purchased her position at the price 
 of so many dinners, so many balls. Oh, do not for a 
 moment suppose I blame her. Not I ! I should only 
 too gladly have done the same. What scope is ac- 
 corded women ? In how many directions can their 
 ambition find vent? You men have many openings, 
 we but few. I thought I had but one, and have 
 slaved eighteen years in that direction, and have only 
 experience left me for my pains. Oh, if you could 
 know how I have striven ! During the last twelve 
 months I have averaged six hours a day study. I
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 have daily drilled myself in committing to memory 
 poetry, plays everything. I have taken lessons from 
 a cultured woman formerly a woman of the world 
 in conversing, so as to become fluent. I did not 
 know my deficiency in this direction till I heard the 
 trained men and women of society converse, then I 
 realized that I was heavily handicapped." 
 
 "You have been indefatigable," he murmured. 
 
 "But it is over now," she resumed. "Oh, do 
 not pity me I see it in your face it no longer has 
 attraction for me." 
 
 He looked at her in surprise. 
 
 "No," she continued, " I have had my dream and 
 my awakening, and I know that the one was fantastic 
 and the other real, and I prefer the real ; prefer it, 
 oh, so immeasurably ! " 
 
 He was about to speak but she checked him. 
 " One moment, I wish to ask you a question. Think 
 twice before answering it, and then answer it from 
 the depth of your soul. Considering everything 
 the lack of moral guidance, of education, my training 
 in deceit, my utter self-dependent life, not a single 
 vantage-point, not a single friend to advise me con- 
 sidering all this, I say, am I a thing to be shunned ? " 
 
 " No ; " he said it emphatically. 
 
 Encouraged, she continued : " Oh, if only some 
 one or two women of the world could have felt and 
 would have said as much ! Do they never ask them- 
 selves what they would do if dependent only upon 
 their wits to help them ? But, no, they are virtuous 
 because fortunate; I am vicious because unfortu- 
 nate. They ride the wave secure, serene in the life- 
 boat, and watch me buffet the rude seas ; and if I,
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 263 
 
 sinking, drowning, grasp but the gunwale, they ruth- 
 lessly unclasp my frenzied fingers and leave me to 
 sink ! " 
 
 Perry was inclined to demur, but remembering in 
 time that he was supposed to be in the boat to which 
 she referred, refrained. 
 
 She paused a moment ; then, a gentler light com- 
 ing into her eyes, she asked : " And now, knowing 
 all, do you think that I am very much to blame ? Of 
 course I have been unwise, have been weak, have been 
 often wrong. Still, do you think me very, very much 
 to blame ? " 
 
 He answered unhesitatingly, "Considering the 
 circumstances and the fallibility of human nature, 
 no." 
 
 With an impulsive movement, and before he could 
 protest, she seized his hand and carried it to her lips. 
 "The first kind words," she murmured, "the first 
 disinterestedly kind words I have heard in eighteen 
 years ! Now" catching her breath "what is the 
 condition you demand for silence ? Oh, do not shrink 
 from stating it, you have conquered me." 
 
 Perry mused a moment, gazing into the dying 
 embers at his feet. Then he spoke : " If the option 
 were left me, I should only too gladly spare you, for 
 you have suffered, you have been lonely, you have 
 been brave. Of course, I do not pretend to say nor 
 do you claim that your life has been an exemplary 
 or a wise one. Your faults have been conspicuous, 
 your judgment weak, your ambition somewhat un- 
 worthy your intelligence. Still, if I had the least 
 prompting to condemn you, I need but look back at 
 my own life to refrain, need but recall my own sins
 
 264 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 and shortcomings in the light of my more advanta- 
 geous starting-point, and consequent inclination to 
 conservatism, to be forced to confess that I am the 
 greater transgressor." 
 
 Few obey only conspicuous factors in a confession 
 of humility. There is usually some unadmitted im- 
 pulse. The supplementary incitement in Perry's case 
 was the recollection of fallibility in his judgment of 
 Chatterton. 
 
 "I have said," he continued, "that a sense of 
 duty brought me here " 
 
 "Stop ! " she cried, impulsively. " Call it kind- 
 ness, fairness, anything but duty ! I know you are 
 shocked, but listen. That word is for me portentous 
 of evil. For eighteen years it has prefaced injustice, 
 pain, insult, torture ! ' From a sense of duty ' my 
 father married me to a man who held that virtue was 
 only lack of opportunity. ' From a sense of duty * 
 Donald Chester returned to his home rather than 
 face the results of his own deliberate act. 'From a 
 sense of duty ' my brother killed him. ' From a sense 
 of duty ' that brother prevented me sending money to 
 my child and forced me to sell her to Colonel Chat- 
 terton. ' From a sense of duty ' the women of the 
 world have spurned me. And now you are about, 
 'from a sense of duty,' to ask me to give up Ather- 
 ton Leigh ! Oh, I know it, I have seen it coming ever 
 since you showed me I was unmasked. And it tears 
 my heart, for I love him ! Yes, Felix Perry, I love 
 him. For eighteen years I have struggled, plot- 
 ted, and sinned for a shadow, and, behold, I find 
 the substance within my grasp, but only long enough 
 for you to appear and, ' from a sense of duty,' to
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 265 
 
 wrench it from me. What, after all, is the highest 
 moral duty ? Is it to follow certain narrow rules, to 
 conform to the letter of the law even if we ignore the 
 spirit ? Is it to bear the burden which the task-mas- 
 ters touch not with one of their fingers ? Is it to 
 succumb to the prejudice of those who will not disas- 
 sociate the innocent from the guilty ? No, the duty 
 of life is love. For years I have instinctively groped 
 not knowing what it was I lacked for light, as one 
 gropes in a dark room, now a mistake here, now 
 stumbling along foolishly in the wrong direction, till, 
 finally, the opening is found, and light. And am I, 
 who have just begun to bask in the light, to be thrust 
 back into the darkness ? I know that Atherton is in 
 love with the woman that you love, but I can conquer 
 that hopeless infatuation. I also know that he is full 
 of faults. He is dissipated, volatile, and unstable 
 but I love him. Can not you spare him to me ? 
 Think of it, he has asked me to be his wife, and I 
 have promised ! I will take him off to Europe. Oh, 
 I shall manage it ! I have enough money for both. 
 Oh, spare him to me, spare him to me ! " 
 
 She had slid from the chair to her knees by Perry's 
 side, and had grasped his arm with passionate earnest- 
 ness ; tears coursed down her cheeks, and her bosom 
 heaved with sobbing. 
 
 Perry was deeply moved ; but what could he do ? 
 To temporize would be no real kindness. No con- 
 ception of the force and ardor of her passion had 
 reached him until now. He had come on his mission 
 supposing her actuated by sordid motives ; had gradu- 
 ally altered his opinion and credited her with ambi- 
 tious aims ; and, behold, he found her in earnest, ter-
 
 266 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 ribly in earnest, and swayed by that impulse which 
 sanctifies most ends and justifies very many means ! 
 
 She gazed into his eyes with all her soul, awaiting 
 his answer. As it did not come, she rose slowly to 
 her feet and let herself fall into the chair. Stilling 
 her sobs as best she could, she said, with touching 
 humility, " I suppose it can not be !" 
 
 " What consolation can I offer you ? " he said, 
 gently. " There is none to give. You can not ex- 
 pect me, surely, to allow Atherton to marry you with- 
 out knowing your history ? I could not agree to 
 that. Besides the absolute wrong in such a course, 
 consider the danger ! However, it is out of the ques- 
 tion in every aspect." 
 
 " Would he, then," she faltered," be so certainly 
 repelled if he knew the truth ? " 
 
 "Alas, I fear so!" 
 
 " Have I been painted so very black ?" 
 
 " I fear you could not overcome his prejudice. 
 Remember how inextricably, by a mere association of 
 ideas, indirect causes and painful results are con- 
 founded in the mind of a partisan. It is the way of 
 the world." 
 
 " If he should learn the truth," she said, pitifully, 
 " would you withdraw your opposition ?" 
 
 " Certainly," he answered ; then continued : "My 
 only object is to prevent future unhappiness. As- 
 sure me that you will not marry Atherton till he 
 knows all, and I will interfere no further. I realize 
 the sacrifice it will cost ; but consider, too, the cost 
 of refusal ! Atherton would surely sooner or later 
 learn the truth there are always busybodies ready to 
 scatter misery and destruction broadcast in the name
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 267 
 
 of duty, as you have said then he would turn from 
 you forever." 
 
 " I might have at least one year of happiness." 
 
 " It would not be happiness. Happiness implies 
 peace, and there can be no peace between deliberate 
 deception and impending detection." 
 
 " Still, I could be no more unhappy, no more be- 
 reft and forlorn than I now am ! Will not you let 
 me have my one year ?" 
 
 " Why compel me to appear unfeeling ? There 
 are certain deceptions where the accessory is more 
 guilty than the principal. You have the justifica- 
 tion of strong emotion. Besides, love is blind. I see 
 clearly, and would be the more culpable." 
 
 " What would you have me do ? " She was crying 
 in a quiet, hopeless way. 
 
 " Give me your promise. Come, be brave, be 
 just. Overcome your inclination, your love, because 
 they are opposed to what is right. Do you promise ? " 
 
 She pressed her hand to her side convulsively, as 
 if in physical pain, as she whispered, " I do !" 
 
 He rose at once to his feet. "You have decided 
 nobly," he said, " and have won my respect. Hence- 
 forth, count me as your friend, and call upon me when 
 I can assist you." 
 
 "I thank you," she said quietly; then added, 
 " but do not expect too much. I will keep my prom- 
 ise, come what may ; but I fear my heroism will end 
 there." 
 
 " What is to be your life ?" he asked, anxiously. 
 
 " I do not know. I suppose I shall drift back 
 into the old life. May be I shall marry Mr. Bramble." 
 
 It was pitiable ; and yet he could give no advice.
 
 268 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 Silence was his only course. He would not descend 
 to platitudes, and bid her live merely in the recollec- 
 tion of one good deed. Expediency held a certain 
 place in the simple ethical code by which he was 
 judging her charitably imposing no more rigid canon 
 and he felt it better that she should marry the old, 
 pretentious, miserly millionaire than be driven by 
 loneliness and desperation to recklessness. 
 
 "Promise me that, at least, you will do nothing 
 rashly. May I beg that you will notify me before 
 taking an irretrievable step ?" 
 
 She looked up at him with a little, forlorn smile. 
 "It is nice," she said, "to have a friend. Yes, I 
 promise." Then, as he was about to leave, she added : 
 " Of course, I wish you to keep my secret. I make 
 but one exception : if you marry Chatterton Ches- 
 ter " He shook his head sadly, but she insisted. 
 " Oh, I know you are not hopeful now, but I foresee 
 the end. Well, if you marry her, take her somewhere 
 off in the woods down in Virginia, may be and tell 
 her, gently and kindly, but nothing-withholding and 
 freely, the history of Ariadne Haggard. She looks 
 kind and large-minded, and as if she would at least 
 respect my desire for concealment. I do not wish my 
 only friend to have my secret apart from his wife. 
 Besides, who knows, may be, before I die, one woman, 
 even if it be the sister of poor, murdered Donald, 
 may think kindly of me ! " 
 
 He was moved more than he would have cared to 
 confess, as they parted. He left her, hopeless and 
 forlorn, by the dying embers in the grate and the dead 
 embers of her misspent, hapless life. 
 
 As he walked home through the now deserted
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 2G9 
 
 streets, with the stars of a balmy April night looking 
 down upon him from their limitless abode, and a 
 young, fresh breeze gently fanning his cheek, he re- 
 peated to himself the admission he had lately made. 
 Yes, he had woefully abused his opportunities. This 
 woman had started in life with everything against 
 her, and yet had known how to welcome love, while 
 he, who had so -confidently boasted of the enlarging 
 influence of experience, had, when the test came, ana- 
 lyzed his love, had demanded bonds of Fate, had 
 caviled and doubted. And Chatterton Chatterton, 
 who had argued in such narrow grooves what of 
 her ? She had expanded while he, alas ! had con- 
 tracted. A misinterpretation of the lesson of experi- 
 ence, he sighed to himself, is a waste which leaves one 
 poor indeed ! 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 A DAY arrived when Mr. Chatterton. by dint of 
 perseverance, cunning, and knowledge of certain 
 phases of human nature, succeeded in disposing of his 
 last share in "The Braddox Patent Company." Cu- 
 pidity sharpens certain wits as nothing else can. 
 
 The president received the resignation of the sec- 
 retary and treasurer with mingled feelings of astonish- 
 ment and contempt. That the man who had been 
 chiefly instrumental in forming the company, who 
 had placed the stock in the hands of his friends with 
 the most confident assurances of enormous gains, 
 who had paid nothing for his shares, that this man
 
 270 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 should sell out within six months was a positive crime 
 in the eyes of the upright old enthusiast. He did 
 not fear the effect of this defection upon the ulti- 
 mate success of his inventions. Men might come 
 and men might go, but physical laws would remain 
 unaffected. Artificial irrigation would fructify the 
 earth just as efficaciously without as with the assist- 
 ance of Mr. William Chatterton. 
 
 The General was far more disturbed by a request 
 from his daughter to be allowed to make a certain 
 offer to the company. She at length secured his 
 grudging consent by an appeal to his fairness. Waa 
 not it right that the stockholders should themselves 
 decide upon the offer ? It pained her to see him 
 annoyed and dejected, but the end in view was, in 
 her sight, so righteous as to warrant even this sacri- 
 fice. The Xreneral promised, but reserved the right 
 to oppose the adoption of the measure. He was per- 
 fectly sincere in averring that he considered it pecun- 
 iarily advantageous to him, but was persuaded that 
 it would be ruinous to the company. Chatterton 
 observed, with a sense of relief, that he did not seem 
 the least wounded by a proposition which implied 
 anything but a flattering comparison between her 
 success and his failure as an inventor. Genius may 
 overcome prejudice prejudice genius, never ; this was 
 the General's practical creed the only practical thing 
 about him. 
 
 With the advice of her father, Chatterton con- 
 sulted Mr. Polliver Jones. In him she found a warm 
 ally, much to the General's surprise and discomfit- 
 ure. Mr. Jones, in fact, became so enthusiastic a 
 partisan of the } r oung financier as to mentally bestow
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 271 
 
 upon her the highest patent of nobility within his 
 gift, namely, the title of a "stunner." 
 
 From him Chatterton incidentally heard of Perry's 
 strange course in the matter of the sale of Mrs. Den- 
 vers's house. The purchaser was a Mr. Brown, who, 
 by a coincident, happened to be the person to whom 
 Chatterton had sold her patent. He was a friend 
 of Mr. Jones, and had told him of the mysterious 
 cheque for ten thousand dollars. 
 
 With the comment, "Odd, ain't it?" Mr. Jones 
 departed, having failed to excite the president to even 
 a show of interest in his gossip. Then the General 
 retired to his laboratory, intent upon developing a 
 contrivance for milking cows by electricity a device 
 intended, doubtless, as accessory to the famous churn, 
 the success of which seemed to his mind to imply 
 that fashion, a la Marie Antoinette, had turned its 
 attention to the dairy. 
 
 Chatterton, too, was working out a problem, but 
 with more success. It did not take her long to re- 
 solve it ; Perry had adopted this roundabout means 
 of returning to Mrs. Denvers the money she had re- 
 paid him. That Mrs. Denvers should feel impelled to 
 pay her husband's debt of honor had impressed Mrs. 
 Underdunk a pessimist from infelicitous experience 
 with the world as so creditable that she had bruited 
 it far and wide. 
 
 Chatterton solved the riddle to her complete satis- 
 faction, but kept her own counsel, after the manner 
 of some of her sex. 
 
 On the following day the stockholders met and 
 took up the consideration of Chatterton's offer. It 
 amounted to this : The company to cede all right
 
 272 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 and title to her father's patents, and to change its 
 name. In return, Chatterton Chester to transfer to 
 the company all right to such royalty as should there- 
 after be paid by Mr. Brown and his associates during 
 the life of her patent, she retaining all sums hitherto 
 paid her by Mr. Brown. As supplementary, General 
 Chester to surrender all his stock, which stock was 
 to be divided pro rata to the other holders. In lay- 
 ing this offer before the stockholders, the president 
 strongly opposed its adoption, but, at the same time, 
 agreed, by way of leaving the question untrammeled, 
 to cede his stock in case the association decided to ac- 
 cept the proposition. 
 
 And the association did decide to accept it, by an 
 overwhelming majority, notwithstanding Atherton 
 Leigh's excited and even violent protest. He tragi- 
 cally announced his intention of legally contesting 
 the action, but eventually contented himself with 
 transferring his stock in bulk with the General's. 
 
 And thus exploded the bubble, after a short but 
 eventful career, and the " Braddox Paten fcs Company " 
 was relegated to the limbo of failures, there to join its 
 great South Sea prototype. 
 
 Poor Chatterton was made to pay heavily for her 
 success. The General said not a word of reproach, 
 but she was conscious that he felt deeply the collapse 
 of his idolized company. To be sure, he had already 
 arranged an agency for his patents, but the scepter 
 had departed from him. 
 
 Crabb never compiled more synonyms for reproach 
 than Mrs. Chester heaped on Chatterton's devoted 
 head. Her daughter, her own child by some mys- 
 terious mental process the tautology seemed to em-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 273 
 
 phasize the crime had turned against her; had 
 diverted the rich harvest of honor, renown, and gold 
 which needed but the thrusting in of the sickle to be 
 reaped ! Metaphor and neuralgia were concomitants 
 when Mrs. Chester lamented. She might be meta- 
 phoric when not neuralgic, but the converse, never. 
 Next to neuralgia, taking to her bed was her most 
 withering rebuke, and she now indulged ostentatiously 
 in both forms of reprobation. Bud useful, tender- 
 hearted Bud came in for the major part of the 
 visitation, as Chat^erton had been haughtily banished 
 the presence. Dandy was made to feel the outer 
 edge of the storm, being bound over in heavy penalty 
 to be at two places at one and the same time namely, 
 out walking with "Mars' Reg," and within call of 
 "Mistisses bell." 
 
 It was late in the afternoon, and Perry, weary after 
 a laborious day in court, lay on his lounge reperusing 
 a letter he had that morning received. It ran as 
 follows : 
 
 " DEAR SIR : Your forbearance deserves recogni- 
 tion at my hands. I am aware you believe I deceived 
 you when, on the road to Braddox Station, I an- 
 nounced my engagement to Miss Chester; and yet 
 you have not called me to account. If I had not 
 already tested it, I should now most certainly doubt 
 your courage. As it is, I credit your forbearance to 
 a moral standard which is high to you, however inade- 
 quate it appears to me. 
 
 "I am in the unusual mood which prompts me to 
 set certain things right rather quixotic in such a 
 world and I begin with you. Miss Chester and I 
 18
 
 274 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 as children considered ourselves engaged to be mar- 
 ried. Since then I have regarded us both as pledged, 
 and have tried to hold Miss Chester to it. But she 
 has not ratified the bargain, although till quite re- 
 cently her mother and I had little doubt but that she 
 ultimately would. 
 
 "This, sir, is my explanation. The fact that I 
 send you these lines is the best evidence I can give 
 that you have conquered a deep-rooted prejudice ; 
 but I no more understand your influence than I do 
 your, to me, peculiar moral code. 
 " I remain, sir, 
 
 "Your obedient servant, 
 
 LEIGH. 
 
 " P. S. When you read these lines I shall be a 
 married man. This approaching event has prompted 
 the desire to straighten out my bachelor record. 
 
 "A. L." 
 
 Could Mrs. Dare have repented of her promise ? 
 But Perry discarded the thought : no ; doubtless she 
 had postponed its fulfillment till the last moment in 
 the forlorn hope of some merciful intervention. He 
 pitied her from the bottom of his heart, knowing 
 that Atherton's passionate resentment would be cruel, 
 if not positively brutal. 
 
 But his thoughts were turned to a more engross- 
 ing theme a note from Chatterton. She requested 
 him, if not otherwise engaged, to see her that evening 
 in regard to a matter of importance. 
 
 Hope is an animal of wonderful endurance. Like 
 the camel, it can go for days with nothing to sustain 
 life, and yet will show remarkable animation at the
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 275 
 
 faintest suggestion of an oasis borne on the freshen- 
 ing breeze. 
 
 When Perry was admitted into Chatterton's pres- 
 ence he found her demurely intent upon one of those 
 intricate crochet puzzles which promise nothing and 
 faithfully keep their vows. 
 
 Of course Felix, with the alertness of a lover, no- 
 ticed the demureness, and uneasily puzzled his brain 
 for the interpretation. 
 
 " No doubt you are curious to know the nature of 
 the important business," she said. "But first, have 
 you heard that the company has changed its name, 
 and has surrendered papa's patents ?" 
 
 " Oh, yes ; Mr. Dodruff told me. He is full of 
 praise of you, as well he might be ! You have done 
 just the right thing." 
 
 "I am glad you approve. I am happier than I 
 have been since we first began negotiations with 
 Cousin William. It is delightful to feel that we are 
 under obligations to no one ! " 
 
 "What a passion you have for independence," he 
 said, rather regretfully. 
 
 " Do you wonder at it in this case ? " 
 
 "Certainly not. I knew you would be pleased. 
 But the satisfaction does not detract from the merit 
 of your generosity." 
 
 " Oh, yes it does, Mr. Perry. Only they are truly 
 generous who ' do good by stealth and blush to find it 
 fame.'" 
 
 He accepted this as merely a generalization. 
 
 "And now to business," she resumed, carefully 
 counting off several stitches. " I wish through you, 
 as Cousin William's lawyer, to make him an offer. You
 
 276 -A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 see, I share his dislike to dealing directly with relatives 
 in money matters ; it must be a family trait. I wish 
 to offer him five thousand dollars for the Chatterton 
 estate. I do not stop to ask if he has made the profit 
 which would entitle us to claim the land, I make him 
 the direct offer. I name the especial sum, because it 
 is all I have to give." The work is held in idle hands, 
 and she is gazing earnestly at Perry. "I made this 
 money by my churn. Oh, I made more, too ! but the 
 rest is gone to pay our expenses here. Of course the 
 place is worth much more than five thousand dollars " 
 Perry files a mental exception " but I trust that 
 Cousin William will take into account the money he 
 has made through the patents, and will be generous." 
 
 Perry was about to exclaim that Mr. Chatterton 
 would be a brute, else, when he remembered that he 
 was his client, and forebore. Of course, he promised 
 compliance, and they talked of other things. 
 
 " May I ask your intentions for the future ? " 
 Perry presently inquires. " Shall you remain here 
 long?" 
 
 " Oh, no ; we return to Braddox just as soon as 
 these business matters are settled." 
 
 He hears her with a sinking heart. It is hard to 
 have to stifle all expression save the merely conven- 
 tional. Probably he has no idea how little conven- 
 tional is the tone in which he says, " I am sorry." 
 
 "For some reasons so am I," she answers. "I 
 shall leave behind me some good friends and many 
 agreeable acquaintances. And yet, for other reasons, 
 I am glad. I shall be, oh, so glad to tread again the 
 pine-needles and moss, and be able to think that the 
 place is really ours you see I am confident of your sue-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 277 
 
 cess with Cousin William. "What I care to own at all 
 I must own absolutely must feel that I can revel in. 
 I seldom grow very enthusiastic, but sometimes I do, 
 and now the prospect of my happiness actually thrills 
 me ! "We will own Chatterton, own it absolutely and 
 unchallenged, and I shall feel like kissing every tree 
 and shrub ; yes, and will kiss dear old Mammy, and 
 Empress, my mare, and Caesar, my dog, and all the 
 animate and inanimate dear things about the place ! " 
 
 Not demure now ! The nondescript work has fallen 
 neglected to the floor ; the erst busy hands are clasped 
 in her lap ; the voice which lately counted stitches is 
 now quivering with excitement. She is not over her 
 outburst : " Oh, if only 1 could have dear Mrs. Den- 
 vers down there ! Dear, kind, unselfish Mrs. Den- 
 vers. I envy you, Mr. Perry, and I envy her. The 
 world says such friendships are impossible, but you 
 two prove that the world is wrong. " 
 
 "What is carrying her along ! She is not yet 
 through : " Oh, I know better than any one else 
 knows how good each of you can be to the other 
 without the other guessing it ! I ought not to tell 
 you what I have discovered ; it is none of my busi- 
 ness, but I am happy and can not keep silent. We 
 are out of that hated patents company ; we are going 
 home ; Chatterton is ours ; I feel glad through all 
 my being, and I must speak ! Besides, I am a Vir- 
 ginia girl, born and bred, and have not been taught 
 worldly discretion ; any way, I don't care, I will 
 speak ! You are a good man ; you subjected yourself 
 to the imputation of selfish motives so as to be able to 
 give your friend ten thousand dollars there ! " 
 
 Had he been caught stealing he could not have
 
 278 -4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 been more confused. " Indeed, you do me more than 
 justice," he stammers. " Poor Denvers borrowed the 
 money of me before his failure, and Mrs. Denvers in- 
 sisted upon returning it. As I considered this quix- 
 otic on her part, I took the only means I could find 
 to repay her. How did you hear of it ? " 
 
 "By accident," she answers. "Mr. Polliver 
 Jones heard the mere facts from Mr. Brown, and I 
 guessed the rest." 
 
 She is regaining her equanamity, and Perry is in 
 despair. Better anything than that the light of ex- 
 citement should die from her face ! 
 
 " Oh, Miss Chester Chatterton ! Have I sinned 
 past all forgiveness ? I do so freely confess my fault. 
 I make no excuse. There is no palliation, I know " 
 
 " Not if one will seek it, Mr. Perry ? " 
 
 He is overcome by the dazzling hope her words 
 and her tone hold out to him, and can only stammer : 
 " And will you, can you forgive ? " 
 
 The lately resumed work is again neglected as she 
 turns up to him her serious eyes. " I doubt if of my 
 own accord I could ever have completely put away 
 the recollection of your your misconception ; but 
 Mrs. Denvers, your friend our friend " her voice is 
 exceeding gentle, and in her eyes are gathering tears 
 "has shown me that I judged you too harshly ; that 
 in the peculiar circumstances of your past I should 
 look for your excuse, and well, I have found it ! " 
 
 It is the old story ; there is nothing new to tell ; 
 the account is as stereotyped as the language of Crea- 
 tion stamped upon the everlasting hills. And yet the 
 story has in reality lost nothing of its delicious nov- 
 elty, and will not, please God, so long as there are
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 279 
 
 hearts to feel, lips to utter, lives to be elevated, Heav- 
 en to be propitiated, and beings to be " lapped in uni- 
 versal law." 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 BUT time will not wait, nor will the exigencies of 
 life forego, because two people love one another. 
 
 Immediately on Perry's departure, Chatterton 
 sought her father, and, in the inventor's Utopian 
 paradise, told of her engagement. The General was 
 sympathetic and affectionate, but prudently withheld 
 his official consent till a higher authority had been 
 consulted. Chatterton wisely awaited the morrow 
 before carrying her case to the superior court. 
 
 When the morning came, Mrs. Chester having 
 granted her daughter audience under a flag of truce 
 heard the announcement, and bowed her head to 
 the blow, as a good Christian should. Happily for 
 Chatterton, Mrs. Underdunk's card was handed her 
 at this critical juncture, and, under the impulse of 
 an inspiration, she flew to the parlor. A few words 
 and blushes explained the situation, and the old lady 
 cheerfully undertook to mediate. Of course it was 
 done artistically. In the presence of her mother the 
 younger hypocrite retold her news, and the older one 
 accepted it as of first hand ; and so on. There was a 
 deal of guile in the means used, but, really, the end 
 justified it. Perry's ancestors were brought into 
 prominence with telling effect. Good souls ! they 
 would have been indeed astonished had they heard
 
 280 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 their easy-going, eminently respectable lives credited 
 with certain ultra-fashionable fads. As result, Mrs. 
 Chester was revived from a state of coma to a condi- 
 tion of plaintive self-pity, and from that, again, to 
 languid, valetudinarian interest. However, it would 
 not do to yield too soon, therefore she reserved final 
 judgement ; after the manner of those who deem it 
 undignified to be gracious at short notice. 
 
 Perry absorbed his new happiness till it permeated 
 every crevice of his heart. To him it seemed as if all 
 the events of his life had teleologically ministered 
 to his present state. For its completeness, happiness 
 must have this consciousness of culmination. This 
 characteristic distinguishes it from mere pleasure, 
 which, for lack of root, is evanescent. 
 
 In the morning of the first sunrise upon his felic- 
 ity he received the following letter from Mrs. Dare : 
 
 " MY DEAK MB. PERRY : I have kept my prom- 
 ise. You were right, he did not rise above prejudice. 
 He was very violent, but this proves his love ; I for- 
 gave him, which proves mine. Do look after him, 
 he is so reckless ! 
 
 " Think of me sometimes. I renew my promise 
 to let you know before I drown myself, go on the 
 stage, enter a nunnery, or marry. It seems odd to 
 think that any one cares ! 
 
 " I leave to-night for Boston. From there I go 
 I know not where. 
 
 " I wish I could do good to some one somehow, 
 now that I am in the mood. No doubt it will soon 
 pass ; however, for the present I am penitent and so- 
 ber-minded, God knows, and oh, so unhappy !
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 281 
 
 " I have seen my child once more. If you survive 
 me, tell her all the truth about her unfortunate 
 mother, 
 
 AKIADNE DAKE. 
 
 "P. S. If Atherton is at any time ill or in danger, 
 let me know." 
 
 Perry, this despairing letter still in his hand, 
 walked to the window and gazed out upon the street. 
 Would he have done better to have allowed things to 
 take their course ? No, he could not think that. 
 Nothing, he reasoned, could justify deliberate decep- 
 tion, or release an accessory of complicity. 
 
 As he mused he sighed to think what a sad com- 
 ment on life it was that his new joy should on the 
 first day of its existence stumble over a grave of buried 
 hopes. 
 
 Intent upon settling the matter of the Virginia 
 estate as soon as possible, Felix made an early call on 
 Mr. Chatterton. 
 
 Mr. Chatterton, in his ornate apartment, his gor- 
 geous smoking-jacket, and his most petulant mood, 
 was not an attractive object. 
 
 Salutations over, Perry opened his budget and 
 presented Miss Chester's offer. 
 
 Mr. Chatterton's indignation knew no bounds in 
 fact, he overdid it. "What, a Chatterton of Chatter- 
 ton part with the patriarchal estate ! Not an acre ! 
 But when Perry accepted this as conclusive, and rose 
 to leave, the storm moderated somewhat. 
 
 For some days Mr. Chatterton had anticipated the 
 preliminary move in an attempt to wrench the estate
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 from him by means of the agreement whereby he had 
 bound himself to cede it in case he should clear the 
 sum of fifteen thousand dollars in one year through 
 the patents company. Of course he knew that Gen- 
 eral Chester would find it extremely difficult to prove 
 that he had made this profit. If this had been the 
 only danger Mr. Chatterton would have defied dis- 
 lodgment ; but this was not the only danger. He felt 
 that he would certainly lose caste if the unsympathet- 
 ic public, the censorious, hard-hearted public, should 
 discover the means he had used to dispose of his stock. 
 From the law he had nothing to fear save its public- 
 ity ; but that he dreaded. Now that he was offered 
 a bonus of five thousand dollars and no questions 
 asked no, he meant no impertinent delving for in- 
 formation he was overjoyed. He had discounted 
 the mortification as he would have expressed it 
 when, some days before, he realized with dismay that 
 his cupidity had run away with his discretion. How- 
 ever^ here was a result just five thousand dollars bet- 
 ter than that he had expected. But the William 
 Chattertons of this world do not cheapen themselves 
 at least so they imagine and hence the overwrought 
 indignation of this especial William. 
 
 Perry understood human nature well unless per- 
 sonally implicated ; then he was liable, as we know, 
 to prove the rule by a flagrant exception and in this 
 case made excellent use of the knowledge by keeping 
 silent. Mr. Chatterton fretted and scolded and 
 threatened in vain ; Felix let him do all the running 
 himself, and he finally capitulated, and wrote out an 
 acceptance of the offer. 
 
 But, as Perry departed, Mr. Chatterton fired after
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 283 
 
 him a Parthian arrow : "I refuse to wrangle ; I sacri- 
 fice ray patrimony to my peace." 
 
 Perry mentally attributed the dignity to the dol- 
 lars, but, with commendable self-restraint, refrained 
 from overt taunt. 
 
 As he hurried toward Madison Avenue to impart 
 the joyful news of the success of the negotiation, he 
 determined that for the future his path in life should 
 seldom bisect the orbit of this purveyor of contempti- 
 ble trifles, this second-hand dealer in refurbished wit, 
 this speculator in the foibles of the fatuous his pom- 
 posity, Chatterton the Great. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 THE redemption of her old homestead so modified 
 the rigor of Mrs. Chester's resentment that neuralgia 
 was again in abeyance, and permission was given 
 Chatterton to consider her engagement to Felix Perry 
 ratified. 
 
 And now began brisk preparations for the return 
 to Virginia, and the chatelaine of the Hall was in her 
 element and radiant. - General Chester, too, was 
 pleased, his late disappointment forgotten, for his 
 patents were in the hands of an agent who promised 
 great things, which constituted him an agent after 
 the inventor's own heart. In vain Chatterton tried 
 to show that a salaried representative would be natu- 
 rally inclined to magnify his office ; her father re- 
 fused to be discouraged. Then, again, he was to re-
 
 284: -A- VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 turn to his beloved laboratory, and to the open coun- 
 try where artificial irrigation could be tested. 
 
 The General had a perennial source of interest, 
 his inventions ; his wife, her social pre-eminence, her 
 martyr spirit, her neuralgia. They were to be envied, 
 these two, living their visionary lives in an ideal 
 world. It would have been wanton cruelty to have 
 roused them from their dreaming, even if it had been 
 possible. Blessed is the man that hath an innocent 
 delusion. 
 
 Of Chatterton and Perry, little need be said. Their 
 love grew day by day. Each found traits in the other 
 which either harmonized with his or her own, or else 
 aroused such gentle friction as expanded their mental 
 scope. Super-romantic souls would possibly have 
 missed vehemence, passion in fact, exaggeration ; 
 but it would have been superficial observation only. 
 These two understood one another perfectly ; both 
 knew that the calmness of the surface proved that the 
 love ran deep. Their souls throve and ripened best 
 under peaceful conditions, as ideal lives are de- 
 veloped. 
 
 Atherton Leigh had disappeared. Chatterton's 
 engagement, following closely upon Mrs. Dare's reve- 
 lations, had severed the last link with conservatism. 
 The Chesters were not deeply concerned- on account 
 of his absence, custom having trained them to expect 
 every possible vagary. He seemed guarded by a spe- 
 cial providence, and they had grown to believe that 
 he could defy most laws with impunity. 
 
 Late one evening, as Perry was about leaving the 
 Madison Avenue apartment, the front-door bell rang. 
 In a few moments Dandy appeared, having announced
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 285 
 
 his approach by the most artificial of coughs this 
 being his idea of good breeding. He told Perry that 
 a gentleman wished to speak to him upon a matter of 
 importance, and Felix, excusing himself, went to the 
 hall to discover the identity of the mysterious visitor. 
 
 " Clyde ! Anything wrong ? " 
 
 "No, my dear fellow at least, I trust nothing 
 very wrong. That precious scamp, Fallows, my rep- 
 robate cousin, and young Leigh, left the club last 
 njght to go 'slumming.' A crazy scheme, especially 
 in their half-tipsy state. Fallows has not yet returned, 
 and neither, I suppose, has Leigh. I am begged by 
 my aunt to hunt up her scapegrace, and, on hearing 
 at your rooms that you were dining here, it occurred 
 to me to ask if you would not help me bring back the 
 truants; and, besides, I wished to inform General 
 Chester of Leigh's last escapade." 
 
 " Of course I will help you. It was thoughtful of 
 you to come." 
 
 " Then hurry and make your adieux, for we have 
 no time to lose. No, no ; I will wait here." 
 
 Perry's explanations were soon made to Chatter- 
 ton, and he rejoined Clyde. Dandy, who had over- 
 heard what passed, begged to be allowed to accom- 
 pany them in the search. A moment's thought 
 convinced Perry that the old darky might be of use 
 in influencing Atherton, and, having secured Chat- 
 terton's permission, he consented. 
 
 It was midnight before the preliminaries were all 
 arranged. Police headquarters had been visited, and 
 the services of a detective secured. He was a dapper 
 youth of about five-and-twenty years of age ; certainly 
 not the typical detective of fiction.
 
 286 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 With Dandy on the box beside the coachman, and 
 with Perry, Clyde, and the detective inside, the car- 
 riage rolled through the deserted streets toward that 
 hot-bed of iniquity, that festering hole of vice, " the 
 slums." 
 
 In and out through narrow streets they drove, 
 through rows of houses growing shabbier and more 
 miserable as they proceeded, till finally the carriage 
 drew up to the curb, and the party alighted. From 
 this point they were to proceed on foot. 
 
 Silently they hurried along the muddy, ill-paved 
 streets. From time to time they passed obstreperous 
 groups of young men and half -grown girls, who 
 seemed inclined to contest their right to invade their 
 domain ; but the detective, who led the van, ignored 
 them and pressed on. 
 
 Once there were signs of serious disturbance. A 
 burly fellow, goaded on by his companions, placed 
 himself across their path. The detective, standing 
 under a gaslight, without uttering a word, threw 
 back his coat and revealed an officer's badge. The 
 effect was electrical ; the noisy revelers slunk away as 
 fast as their inebriety allowed. 
 
 Still silently on ; the way growing more and more 
 vile, the houses more and more squalid and decrepit. 
 
 Now and then the detective would enter some bar- 
 room through a side-door the law having closed the 
 main entrance at that hour for such information as 
 he could gather. Then he would return and they 
 would resume the monotonous tramping. They asked 
 few questions, and he volunteered little information. 
 
 Finally they reached a certain corner where a soli- 
 tary policeman leaned against a patrol-box. It was
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 287 
 
 wierd to find this vindicator of the law alone in the 
 jungle of vice and squalor, with little besides his vest- 
 ed majesty to protect him from the wild animals by 
 which it was haunted.. 
 
 The officers held a whispered consultation, and 
 then the line of march was resumed, the detective 
 vouchsafing the vague information, " We're all right 
 now." 
 
 Around a turn and down a noisome alley, and 
 their guide, stopping and gathering the others about 
 him, whispered : "We must be near our gents. How 
 near or how far I can't exactly say, but we'll soon find 
 out. Keep close to me ; keep cool ; pay no attention 
 to what anybody says to you." 
 
 Then they turned another corner and were in a 
 street somewhat broader than those they had lately 
 traversed. 
 
 A large April moon hung in the placid heavens, 
 unmoved by the rottenness and misery revealed by its 
 calm, silver light. 
 
 Under their feet a rutted, muddy street ; above ' 
 them, beetling walls in dingy degradation ; on every 
 side, crumbling archways, doorless openings, glass- 
 less windows, dark, dank, oozing walls ; pestilential 
 vapors ; desolation, ruin, pollution. 
 
 But who stops to consider these things ! They 
 are abominations which can be left to the owls and 
 the bats and be forgotten. But there is something 
 else here, something infinitely more loathsome, some- 
 thing that can never be forgotten. 
 
 See those rat-like creatures scudding from hole to 
 hole, from cellar-ways to dark, foul alleys what are 
 they ? Step hurriedly out into the mud and garbage
 
 288 4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 to make way for a howling crowd of frenzied male and 
 female animals what are they ? Glance into cellars 
 and see the carnival of vice of the degraded inmates 
 what are they ? Human beings gentlemen of the 
 Society for the Suppression of Vice ; men and women 
 and children gentlemen of the Society for the Pre- 
 vention of Cruelty to Animals ; heathen gentlemen 
 of the Board of Foreign Missions. 
 
 Perry hurried forward to the side of the guide. 
 "Is there need of this ?" he queried. " Surely you 
 do not expect to find our friends here ? " 
 
 " No ; but I do expect to find a pal who will tell 
 us where they are," responded the detective, rather 
 sharply. 
 
 Then he paused and peered into the darkness. 
 Motioning to the others to stay where they were, he 
 advanced a few yards and gave a low, sharp whistle. 
 
 A dark form was seen to detach itself from the 
 shadow of a house on the opposite side of the way, 
 and advance slowly to where the detective stood. In 
 a few moments the figure recrossed the street and was 
 again merged in the obscurity. 
 
 Eejoining the others, the detective said, triumph- 
 antly : " I knew it ! Come, gents, we are near our 
 journey's end." 
 
 A few moments more, and they stopped under a 
 gaslight shining through a red globe. Their guide 
 rapped on a door, which was almost immediately 
 opened, but a dark figure barred the way. However, 
 half a dozen words from the officer seemed to reassure 
 the custodian, for he stepped to one side and admitted 
 them. 
 
 Along a dingily lighted passage-way and up a nar-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 289 
 
 row stair they passed, and then along a latticed gal- 
 lery to what seemed to be a theatre-box, opening on a 
 hall below. 
 
 Parting the curtains cautiously, the detective mo- 
 tioned the others to advance. 
 
 There, immediately before them, on the other side 
 of the hall, sat Atherton Leigh and his boon com- 
 panion. 
 
 " There is no hurry," whispered the detective, 
 recognizing at a glance that they had found their 
 quarry. " "We had better wait awhile ; the propri- 
 etor would resent having such customers withdrawn 
 so early." 
 
 The hall was large. A gallery ran around three 
 sides of the room, with here and there a curtained 
 box, such as the one they occupied. 
 
 At one end of the hall was a stage and before it an 
 orchestra, discoursing execrable music. The center 
 space was evidently reserved for dancing. 
 
 Tables covered with bottles and glasses occupied 
 the space under the gallery. At these, in riotous 
 groups, were seated eighty or ninety persons. Beetle- 
 browed, sullen-looking men ; tipsy youths ; women 
 and girls whose painted lips were grim with counter- 
 feit merriment. 
 
 Atherton and Fallows were at a table by them- 
 selves. Others spoke to them from time to time, and 
 Fallows answered, if he happened to be awake ; but 
 Leigh payed not the slightest attention. 
 
 He sat with his hands in his pockets, his legs 
 
 stretched out straight before him, his face lowered till 
 
 his chin rested on his chest. His waving, russet hair 
 
 was tossed in confusion over his death-white brow. 
 
 19
 
 290 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE, 
 
 He had pulled open his collar at the neck ; his cravat 
 was gone. From above, the watchers could not tell 
 whether he was awake or asleep. 
 
 A wan, painted creature was singing on the stage ; 
 but no one paid the least attention till the song was 
 over, when the waiters and the musicians applauded 
 vociferously, upon which the performance was re- 
 sumed, and the cracked voice sang, with pitiable in- 
 appropriateness, a ditty about spring and birds and 
 flowers, and young, first love. 
 
 A burly reveler, at the table next to Leigh, 
 seemed to disapprove of the singing, for with sten- 
 torian voice he ordered the woman to cease, reviling 
 her opprobriously. 
 
 In an instant Leigh was on his feet, and, rushing 
 upon the brute, felled him to the floor. 
 
 Perry started up, but the detective reassured him. 
 " Don't be scared," he said ; " your friends are too 
 free with their money for the house to have them 
 molested." And he was right. Instantly three or 
 four waiters siezed the fallen man and bore him, strug- 
 gling and howling, from the hall. 
 
 A brawny Hercules presumably the proprietor 
 ordered the band to play on, and, moving in and out 
 among the excited groups, by threatenings, impreca- 
 tions, and, in one or two cases, force, restored some- 
 thing like order. 
 
 Leigh staggered back to his seat, and, after drain- 
 ing his glass, lapsed into his former listlessness. 
 
 Now dancing began, but there was no real merri- 
 ment. One would have said it was part of a common 
 effort to cheat thought, to squander lagging time. 
 
 " Come," said Perry, rising, " no more of this. I
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 291 
 
 shall speak to Leigh." And, disregarding the detect- 
 ive's advice, he descended to the hall and strode 
 through the dancers to Atherton. 
 
 Touching him gently on the shoulder, he said : 
 " Leigh, it is I, Perry. I want you to come with me." 
 
 Atherton looked up with glassy eyes. " Where ? " 
 he asked, huskily. 
 
 "Home," responded Perry. "Home, where lov- 
 ing friends await you." 
 
 "No." 
 
 " Come, Leigh, be a man. Consider how un- 
 worthy of you this is ! " 
 
 " Damnation," he hissed, shaking himself free 
 from Perry's grasp, " leave me alone. Who cares ; 
 who cares " 
 
 But he did not finish the sentence. His head fell 
 forward again on his chest. 
 
 Felix felt a light touch on his arm as a familiar 
 voice whispered: "Jes' leab de chile to me, Mars' 
 Perry. I'se sorter fermillier like, you knows. Keck- 
 on he'll take kindlier to home folks." 
 
 No one will ever know the argument he used ; 
 what words of childhood, of home, of the lonely 
 mother far off in Virginia the poor ex-slave poured 
 into the dulled ears of the reckless youth. But they 
 reached the heart, for Atherton rose without a word, 
 pressed his battered hat upon his head, and allowed 
 himself to be led from the hall. 
 
 Clyde the sullen Fallows, scared into tractability 
 and the others followed. 
 
 The passage-way is filled with revelers. There 
 seems to be a common impulse urging them forward. 
 Now, for the first time, Perry notices a hoarse mur-
 
 292 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 muring from the street the clamor of an excited, 
 angry .mob. The explanation soon comes : as he 
 nears the door he hears the dread cry, " Fire !" 
 
 They emerge upon the street. 
 
 Huge masses of smoke obliterate the moon, curl- 
 ing up from a tenement-house on the opposite side 
 of the way. Now and then a fierce tongue of fire 
 leaps up, parts the sullen cloud with a reft of light, 
 and fades away into darkness, only to reappear with 
 renewed vividness. 
 
 The street is black with howling human beings. 
 They struggle with one another in drunken fury, and 
 are scarcely parted by the plunging horses that drag 
 the heavy engines into place. 
 
 The police are striving to control the crowd ; fire- 
 men, intent only upon their duty, force their intrepid 
 way through a sea of surging humanity, only to fight 
 a sea of flames beyond. 
 
 It is a fearful sight, tragic in its horrible variety. 
 Cursing, contending, fighting below ; roaring, hiss- 
 ing, flashing above. 
 
 Atherton, although excited, makes no effort to 
 escape, but stands leaning heavily on Dandy's shoul- 
 der, regaining his footing with difficulty when the 
 swaying crowd surges up against them. 
 
 The police have cleared an open space near the 
 burning building, and here the firemen are laboriously 
 raising huge ladders to the begrimed walls. 
 
 Suddenly tongues of flame burst from several 
 upper windows and tremble in gorgeous flashes of 
 orange, scarlet, and emerald, over the mass below, 
 lighting up the ghastly scene, and a roar goes up 
 which drowns the angry snorting of the engine, the
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 293 
 
 dull booming of the conflagration, for in the windows 
 are seen men, women, and children, frantically ap- 
 pealing for deliverance. 
 
 Perry hears a sharp cry from Dandy, and turns. 
 Atherton is fighting his way fiercely through the 
 crowd, which parts before him only to close in about 
 him as he struggles along. Felix is instantly in pur- 
 suit, followed by Dandy ; but the mob, incensed at 
 Leigh's assaults, impedes their passage as it hurls 
 upon them imprecations and threatenings. Still they 
 stumble forward, swaying from side to side with the 
 multitude, till Perry, reeling from a blow on the head, 
 delivered by some unknown assailant, falls to the 
 ground. "When Dandy has rescued him, and they are 
 again pressing forward, Atherton has disappeared. 
 
 No need to tell one another what each fears ; it is 
 evident to both. They force their way to the line of 
 police, where they are sternly ordered back. Felix 
 would disregard the order, but Dandy throws his 
 brawny arms about him and holds him in a vise-like 
 grasp. 
 
 Fiercer flash the flames, louder roar the mob as 
 they surge up against the living rampart of brave men 
 who can scarce keep the space clear for the toiling 
 firemen. 
 
 And now the ladders are adjusted, and up them, 
 even into the descending canopy of sulphurous smoke, 
 climb the rescuers. 
 
 One by one the inmates are taken from the scorch- 
 ing building, and still the hoarse cries go up from be- 
 low, for now, at an upper window, backed by a sheet 
 of lurid light, appears a frantic woman, a baby clasped 
 in her agonized arms.
 
 294 -4 VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 But there are no rescuing hands near. A ladder 
 is quickly raised it is too short, and is left standing 
 idly there while the hurrying men rush for a longer 
 one. 
 
 But the crowd, maddened by the delay, break 
 through all control. They impede, they overpower 
 the firemen ; they trample one another down ; they 
 sway the huge ladder, with its mechanical appliances, 
 hither and thither, contending, in their blind haste, 
 its control with those who alone understand its use. 
 
 Higher leap the flames ; hoarser howl the throng ; 
 over all the ceaseless, reverberating diapason of the 
 relentless destroyer ; rending, crushing, crumbling 
 the frail tabernacle which holds, as a hive holds bees, 
 the hordes of destitution. 
 
 Suddenly a figure is seen to pass rapidly across the 
 disk of fire in the window, and to stand by the 
 woman's side. 
 
 A hush falls upon the multitude ; of one accord 
 their hideous clamor stilled. 
 
 No resistance, no interference now. The crowd 
 silently falls back and leaves the striving firemen to 
 move the ladder forward by its lumbering machinery. 
 
 "Will it reach the window in time ? 
 
 One man waits not to ask. Breaking away from 
 Dandy, Perry rushes to the neglected ladder standing 
 idly against the wall, and rapidly ascends. He has 
 not stopped to reason ; he has no plan ; he is scarcely 
 conscious of what he is doing ; it is blind impulse. 
 
 Atherton sees him from the window above. He 
 takes the babe from the poor mother's relaxing arms, 
 and snatches the shawl from her shoulders. 
 
 The crowd below seizes his intention, and a cheer
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 295 
 
 which outroars the hungry flames goes up to the black 
 pall overhead. 
 
 Higher and still higher Perry presses on. He 
 passes a window from which pours a scorching blast 
 of air. He closes his eyes and hurries on till he feels 
 only the wall above him and knows that he can climb 
 no higher. 
 
 His brain reels ; he is choking for air and gasps 
 painfully. A sea of incandescent vapor rises and 
 falls and rises again about him in horrible, scorching 
 waves. But still he does not descend ; he is vaguely 
 intent upon saving Atherton. 
 
 Suddenly adown the sulphurous cloud roll the 
 tones of a well-known voice ; he looks up. There, a 
 few feet above him, lighted by the opalescent glare, 
 shines a resolute, undaunted face. 
 
 Slowly, cautiously, something is lowered to him ; 
 he disengages an arm and clasps it close. Once more 
 he looks up ; the face is still there to his dying day 
 he will believe that it smiled. 
 
 Higher yet leaps the hierarchy of fire to claim its 
 sacred victims ; shriller on the blast shrieks the de- 
 stroyer. 
 
 The panting throng below urge on the men with 
 the ladder. It is now in place, right over the one 
 down which Perry slowly creeps, the baby pressed 
 against his breast. 
 
 Too late ; too late ! The crowd is stilled in im- 
 pulsive expectation ; the firemen pause at the throb- 
 bing hose, for there is an ominous crunching mill- 
 ions of sparks fly high into the dun cloud above ; 
 a roar as of a cataract of sound drowns the hollow 
 groan from the shuddering multitude below, and the
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 window clearly defined by the lurid glare from 
 within is empty. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 A LONG, shrill whistle and then two sharp, angry 
 whistles, and the train slacks speed, moves more and 
 more slowly, and finally comes to a stand-still at 
 Braddox Station. 
 
 Armed with his bag and umbrella, as when he first 
 arrived here a year ago, Perry descends to the platform 
 and looks about him. 
 
 He is conscious of a chill of disappointment ; there 
 is no one to meet him from the Hall. 
 
 There is the taciturn butter-nut man lying in the 
 self-same attitude on the self-same bench. Closer in- 
 spection, however, reveals a certain difference ; he 
 seems more alert than formerly. Possibly he recog- 
 nizes Perry's claim to greater consideration on a sec- 
 ond visit than when he came an unintroduced stranger. 
 
 " No message for me from Chatterton Hall ? " 
 
 " Not as I've heerd tell." 
 
 Eemembering the futility of attempting to extract 
 information from this sphinx, Felix consigns his trunk 
 and bag to his care, and starts along the well-remem- 
 bered road. He has not proceeded far when the 
 native hails him. 
 
 "I say!" 
 
 "Well, what is it?" 
 
 "This yere's Braddox Station. Braddox Cote- 
 House is down that yer track."
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 297 
 
 To which Perry good-naturedly replies : " Thank 
 you. I remember my former mistake ; but this time 
 I have stopped here intentionally." 
 
 " Oh, all right ; but, if yer lose yer way, mebby 
 you'll meet some as'll p'int it out." 
 
 Perry walks along rather dejectedly, not having 
 recovered from his disappointment. He supposes 
 there must have been some delay in the delivery of 
 his letter ; no doubt it is still lying in the post-office 
 at the court-house. He pokes his umbrella rather 
 viciously in the moss by the wayside, muttering, the 
 while, uncomplimentary criticism of Virginia dilato- 
 riness. 
 
 "Felix!" 
 
 There she is, on her mare, Empress, under a 
 canopy of leaves formed by a wide-spreading chestnut. 
 As he hurries forward, a flush of delighted surprise 
 dyeing his cheeks, he thinks that never has he seen 
 so lovely a picture. The bower of green ; the startled 
 mare, standing with shoulders well up and head high 
 in air ; Chatterton leaning forward, a hand extended 
 in welcome, her face rippling with smiles. 
 
 In an instant he is by her side. " My darling, 
 how good of you ! And I thought you could not have 
 received my letter, and have sworn, in my wrath, that 
 all Virginians procrastinated. So, this ambush ac- 
 counts for the facetiousness of the native at the sta- 
 tion." 
 
 " I am so glad you are here ! " she exclaims, im- 
 pulsively. " I wished to surprise you ; besides, I did 
 not care to have the whole train witness our meet- 
 ing." 
 
 " If it is to be no more demonstrative than it has
 
 298 -A- VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 been so far, I am at a loss to know why you would 
 mind publicity," laughs Perry, with a gentle attempt 
 to pull the rosy face down to him. 
 
 "No, no, sir ; I have the advantage of you. Em- 
 press is my citadel ; besides, you must learn discre- 
 tion. We will have none of your advanced, Yankee 
 ideas down in prim old Virginia." 
 
 "Why, it was in 'prim old Virginia ' that I learned 
 to want to " 
 
 " Fie ! worse and worse ! " 
 
 " If you keep your hand on my eyes I shall be as 
 blind as Love himself ! " 
 
 " It does not seem unnatural for you to be blind !" 
 But the hand is removed. 
 
 " Chatterton, that is too serious a matter for 
 jest ! How blind I was ! But do you regret it now ? 
 To me it seems as if just such a shock was needed. 
 My soul was dislocated, and it required a sharp wrench 
 to replace it." 
 
 "A striking illustration, I admit," she responds, 
 " but not poetic ; besides, professional zeal should 
 guide your choice of similes. But come, we must be 
 moving. You are to walk." 
 
 "So it seems," he answers, gayly; "but why? 
 Was there no horse to spare ?" 
 
 She smiles down upon him. " You walked this 
 road when first our guardian saint led you to me, and, 
 to continue our good luck, you must walk it again to- 
 day. The arrangement pleases me. I love to look 
 down upon you ; it gives me a sense of proprietor- 
 ship." 
 
 "A startling revelation of a most alarming pro- 
 pensity ! By the way, sweetheart, did you know that
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE: 299 
 
 this is the anniversary of the first time I traversed this 
 road?" 
 
 " Of course I did. Therein consists the appro- 
 priateness of keeping you afoot." 
 
 As they walk along, Perry keeps his hand on the 
 mare's neck, to her evident annoyance. Still, she 
 bears the infliction with tolerable patience, in re- 
 sponse to her mistress's admonition. 
 
 "Do you know, Felix By the way, have you 
 noticed that I have twice called you Felix ? " 
 
 " What a question ! Of course I have. But I 
 feared to comment, lest you should be scared back to 
 'Mr. Perry.' Why was it so impossible to treat a 
 Christian to his Christian name in New York ? " 
 
 " Because you will think me foolish I reserved 
 if for Virginia." 
 
 "Nothing you do, Chatterton, is foolish." 
 
 " So, you have changed your tone. Do you re- 
 member how loftily you chid me a year ago for claim- 
 ing to have opinions unbased upon experience ? How 
 is it with you now, do you accord experience as high 
 a place as ever ? " 
 
 "And why not ? I did claim that as a teacher 
 experience stands un equaled, and subsequent events 
 have not discredited the assumption. They have 
 rather proved that whereas I thought I had gradu- 
 ated, I needed an additional term. From henceforth 
 compulsory education has my enthusiastic approval." 
 
 " But how is it with me ? I have had so little ex- 
 perience. Must I go straight through the whole 
 
 ?M 
 
 " Oh, it is quite different with you. Alexander 
 the Great led an army at seventeen ; Byron read Vir-
 
 300 ^ VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 gil at ten ; Chatterton Chester is a psychological phe- 
 nomenon at by the way, how old are you ?" 
 
 " I refuse to criminate myself. Even your privi- 
 leges have their limits ! " 
 
 " Well, it is only a question of a few days." 
 . " How do you mean ? " 
 
 " The register of the parish church at the court- 
 house, next Thursday. Oh, my darling, what have 
 I done to deserve such happiness ? " 
 
 She looks down at him, tenderly. " Happiness is 
 a free gift, not a reward." 
 
 "At least, experience prepares one," he asserts, 
 stoutly. 
 
 " Yes," she answers, " it does. For once I sub- 
 scribe unreservedly to your pet theory. Felix, 
 the church has been plastered ! " 
 
 " No ! Well, I did not expect it. When we were 
 at the court-house a pile of antediluvian mortar and 
 sundry bundles of decrepit laths bore testimony to 
 the thwarted good intentions of some one in the dim 
 past, which intentions you poetically informed me 
 had been nipped by the frost." 
 
 They have stopped upon the eminence whence 
 he had, a year before, swept the horizon for a human 
 habitation. As on the other occasion, darkness, in 
 ever-deepening shades, is creeping onward in the 
 track of the retiring god. 
 
 They gaze in silence at the far-off, purple mount- 
 ains, lying slumberously beneath the great, white 
 clouds which sail majestically away upon a sea of 
 crimson glory. 
 
 Presently Perry says: "It was here Atherton 
 challenged me, poor fellow ! How time softens re-
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 3Q1 
 
 sentment ! I was indignant with him then, but now 
 I would gladly bear with his folly if I could but re- 
 call the brave spirit." 
 
 He is still gazing at the setting sun, and does not 
 see the tearful eyes turned down upon him. In low, 
 serious tones she says : "I love to hear you speak of 
 Atherton. You were always gentle with him. Oh, 
 he knew it, poor fellow ! In a generous moment he 
 told me that he could not cast off your influence. 
 His life was a sad mistake, from beginning to end. 
 But allowance should be made on account of his un- 
 usual temptations. You always made such allow- 
 ance ; nothing you have ever done becomes you as 
 well ! " 
 
 He glances up in surprise. She continues : " Your 
 very unconsciousness increases the merit." 
 
 " Please do not praise me," he urges. " You for- 
 get how I misjudged you. That is my unpardonable 
 sin." 
 
 But she will not have it so. " All of us are weak 
 in some directions. Even when you were blinded you 
 did not visit your disappointment on Atherton. There 
 is a moral distinction between direct and reflected in- 
 justice." 
 
 "And my gentle casuist finds that ?" 
 
 "Don't laugh, please. I find that your injustice 
 to me was unwarranted ; but that, doubting me, your 
 generosity to Atherton was remarkable." 
 
 But he refuses to consider the question seriously. 
 " I can not bring myself to admire the toad merely 
 because of the jewel in its head." 
 
 They have resumed their way. The twilight is 
 deepening into night. Off in the west the clouds,
 
 302 <* VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 
 
 now black, are edged with threads of gold. Fading 
 streaks of crimson and violet still linger above the 
 dark mountain-range, but the atmosphere is gone 
 from the landscape. Frogs are croaking, not un- 
 pleasantly, in the marshes ; there are other odd, 
 woody sounds Nature's tiny creatures good-nighting 
 one another. 
 
 The mare has resigned herself to the situation, 
 and moves along mincingly, as good horses do when 
 it is made clear to them that they are expected to be 
 considerate and unselfish. 
 
 And now they turn the corner of the wood, and 
 the Hall is before them, its windows aglow. From 
 the door a broad streak of light shines out hospitably 
 upon the road. 
 
 " Oh, Chatterton, how different life is now to 
 what it was before I knew you ! It is so full of mean- 
 ing so rich in promise ! " 
 
 She has reined in her horse, and now leans low 
 down toward him as she whispers : " I am the hap- 
 piest woman in all the world ! " 
 
 Ah, well ! there are other moments in life when 
 one realizes what felicity means, but compared with 
 such a moment, how few ! 
 
 They resume their way, and approach the house 
 along the broad patch of light from the front door. 
 
 "Is that you, Dandy?" 
 
 " Dat's me sure 'nuff, Mars' Perry, and I'se mighty 
 glad to see yer back agin. " 
 
 Perry aids Chatterton to dismount, and, as the old 
 darky leads off the mare, they ascend the porch- 
 steps. At the top Chatterton pauses. 
 
 " Dandy ! "
 
 A VIRGINIA INHERITANCE. 3Q3 
 
 " Yes, miss ? " comes from the impenetrable dark- 
 ness out on the road. 
 
 " Is baby asleep ? I should like Mr. Perry to see 
 him." 
 
 " Laws, yes, Miss Chat ; de baby's done gone 'sleep 
 long 'go!" 
 
 " The baby ? " queries Perry, " what baby ?" 
 
 "The baby you and Atherton saved from the fire. 
 Of course you know that Mrs. Leigh adopted him. 
 But the poor old lady died a week ago, and now the 
 little waif is to live with us." 
 
 " Well ! " he exclaimed ; " nowhere on this revolv- 
 ing sphere but in Virginia would people be found so 
 tender-hearted, so generous, and yet so " 
 
 " Oh, dear Felix, do be careful ! " 
 
 " What is it, my darling ?" 
 
 " The hole in the porch-floor ! " 
 
 THE END.