Col. Barksdale was right in thinking that Miss Sudie would not seek to avoid a conversation with Billy. On the contrary she wished especially to say something to this young gentleman, and for that very purpose she sought him in the office. He and she had been brought up as brother and sister, and there was no feeling of restraint between them now that they were grown man and woman. "Cousin Billy," she said, sitting down near him, "I want to talk with you about Robert. I want to remind you, if you will let me, of your duty to him." "What do you conceive my duty to be in the case, Sudie?" asked Billy. "To defend him," said Miss Sudie. "But how can I do that, Sudie, in face of the facts?" "You believe then that Robert Pagebrook, whom you know thoroughly, has done the dishonorable things laid to his charge?" "Well," said Billy, feeling himself hardly prepared for this kind of attack, "I confess I should never have thought him capable of doing such things." "Why would you never have thought him capable of doing them, Cousin Billy?" "O well, because he always seemed to be such an honorable fellow," said Billy. "You did believe him honorable, then?" asked this young female Socrates. "Certainly; you know that Sudie." "On what did you base that belief, Cousin Billy?" "Why, on his way of doing things, on my knowledge of him, of course;" replied Billy. "Well, then, is that knowledge of him of no value now?" asked Sudie. "How do you mean?" "I mean does your knowledge of Robert weigh nothing now? Are you ready to believe on imperfect evidence, that Robert Pagebrook, who you know was an honorable man, is not now an honorable man? Doesn't his character weigh anything with you? Do you believe his character has changed, or do you think it possible that he simulated that character and did it so perfectly as to deceive us all? Doesn't it seem more probable that there is some mistake about this business? In short, how can you believe Robert guilty of a thing which you know very well he wouldn't do for his head? If you 'wouldn't have believed it,' why do you believe it?" Mr. Billy was stunned. He had been prepared for tears. He had expected to find in Sudie an unreasoning faith. He had looked for an obstinate determination on her part to adhere to her purpose. But for this kind of illogical logic he had made no preparation whatever. It had never entered his head that Miss Sudie would seriously undertake to argue the matter. The evidence against Robert he had accepted as unquestionable, and he had not expected Miss Sudie to question it in this way. "But, Cousin Sudie, you overlook the fact that Robert has confessed the very thing which you say is unlikely."