Eve stepped over the low sill of the small building--it was hardly more than a shed, though smartly whitewashed, and adorned with bright green blinds--and the postmaster immediately closed the door. He then cautiously took from his desk a letter. "Dere's sump'n' rudder quare 'bout dishyer letter, miss," he said, glancing towards the window to see that no one was looking in. "Carn't be too pertikler w'en it's guv'ment business; en so we 'lowed to ax de favior ef you'd sorter glimpse yer eye ober it fer us." "Read a letter?" said Eve. "Whose letter?" "Not de letter, but him _outside_, miss. Whoms is it? Dat's de p'int. En I wouldn't have you s'pose we 'ain't guv it our bes' cornsideration. We knows de looks ob mos' ob 'em w'at comes yere; but dishyer one's diffunt. Fuddermo', de stamp's diffunt too." The postmaster's wife, a little yellow woman, was looking anxiously at them from the small window in the partition of the real post-office, a space six feet by three. Eve took the letter. "It's an English stamp. And the name is plainly written, 'Henry Barker, Esquire; Gary Hundred.'" "No sech pusson yere. Dat's w'at I tol' Mister Cotesworth," said the yellow woman, triumphantly. "Do you mean to tell me that you cannot read?" said Eve, surveying "Mister Cotesworth," with astonishment. The government official had, for the moment, an abashed look. "We 'lowed," he began, "dat as you's fum de Norf--" But his wife interrupted him. "He reads better'n mos', miss, Mister Cotesworth does. But his eyes done got so bad lately--dat's w'at. Take de letter, Mister Cotesworth, and doan' trouble de lady no mo'. Fine wedder, miss." She came round and opened the door officiously; "seem lak we 'ain't nebber see finer." Miss Polly arrived at Cousin Sarah Cray's; she walked with apparent carelessness round towards the stables, where the judge was superintending the rubbing down and the feeding of the horse. A saddle had been brought out, and was hanging on the fence; Cousin Sarah hovered anxiously near. "Grandpa is going out for a ride," explained Cicely. "But I told him that the poor horse must be fed first, in common charity; he has been so far already--to Bellington and back." "Oh, but the judge is not going, now that I have come," said Miss Polly; "he wouldn't be so uncivil." She went up to him; smiling winningly, she put out her beautiful hand. The judge was always gallant; he took the fair hand, and, bending his head, deposited upon it a salute. Miss Polly smiled still more graciously. "And is a stable-yard a place for such courtesies, judge?" she said, in her rich voice, with her luscious, indolent, Southern pronunciation. "Oh, surely not--surely not. Let us go to Cousin Sarah Cray's parlor; I have something to tell you; in fact, I came especially to see you." Looking very handsome and very straight, she took his arm with a caressing touch. The judge admired Miss Polly deeply. And Miss Polly kept a firm hold upon his arm. The judge yielded.