His mission on earth seemed to be keeping the brightest silver urns, sugar-dishes, cream-jugs, and spoons; flavoring the best ice-creams; buttering the hottest rolls, muffins, and waffles; chopping the best salads; folding the whitest napkins; handing the best tea and cakes in the parlor in the evenings; and cooling the best wine for dinner. Indeed, he was so essentially a part of the establishment that in recalling those old days at Buena Vista the form of Uncle Billy comes silently back from the past and takes its old place about the parlors, the halls, and the dining-room, making the picture complete. [Illustration: "HIS MISSION ON EARTH SEEMED TO BE KEEPING THE BRIGHTEST SILVER URNS."--_Page 78._] And thus upon the canvas of every old home picture come to their accustomed places the forms of dusky friends, who once shared our homes, our firesides, our affections,--and who will share them, as in the past, never more. Of all the plantation homes we loved and visited, the brightest, sweetest memories cluster around Grove Hill,[7] a grand old place in the midst of scenery lovely and picturesque, to reach which we made a journey across the Blue Ridge--those giant mountains from whose winding roads and lofty heights we had glimpses of exquisite scenery in the valleys below. [7] The old seat of the Breckinridges, Botetourt County. Thus winding slowly around these mountain heights and peeping down from our old carriage windows, we beheld nature in its wildest luxuriance. The deep solitude; the glowing sunlight over rock, forest, and glen; the green valleys deep down beneath, diversified by alternate light and shadow,--all together photographed on our hearts pictures never to fade. Not all the towers, minarets, obelisks, palaces, gem-studded domes of "art and man's device," can reach the soul like one of these sun-tinted pictures in their convex frames of rock and vines! Arrived at Grove Hill, how enthusiastic the welcome from each member of the family assembled in the front porch to meet us! How joyous the laugh! How deliciously cool the wide halls, the spacious parlor, the dark polished walnut floors! How bright the flowers! How gay the spirits of all assembled! One was sure of meeting here pleasant people from Virginia, Baltimore, Florida, South Carolina, and Kentucky, with whom the house was filled from May till November. How delightfully passed the days, the weeks! What merry excursions, fishing-parties, riding-parties to the Indian Spring, the Cave, the Natural Bridge! What pleasant music, and tableaux, and dancing, in the evenings! For the tableaux we had only to open an old chest in the garret and help ourselves to rich embroidered white and scarlet dresses, with other costumes worn by the grandmother of the family nearly a hundred years before, when her husband was in public life and she one of the queens of society.