He had hoped to call and pay his respects before, he told Ruth, when he had finished his greetings; but had been unavoidably delayed, and it was a cause of sincere regret that he should be so unfortunate as to miss her father. He had learned of his absence several miles below, but he would not delay longer paying his devoirs to her; so had come on. “And you see the triple reward I receive,” he said, with a glance which included all three ladies, and a little laugh of pleasantry over himself. “See what an adept he is,” said Blair: “he compliments us all in one breath.” The General looked at Miss Thomasia as if he were going to speak directly to her, but she was picking up a stitch, so he shifted his glance to Blair, and, catching her eye, laughed heartily. “Well? Why didn’t you say it?” Miss Thomasia knitted placidly. He shrugged his shoulders, laughed again, and changed his bantering tone. “Have you seen Jacquelin?” asked Miss Thomasia, who had calmly ignored the preceding conversation. “Yes, he’s all right—he came back yesterday and has gone in with Steve Allen. They’ll get along. He’s just the sort of man Steve needed; he’ll be his heavy artillery. He is looking into the matter of the bonds.” Miss Thomasia sighed. “Two young gentlemen of the County who are great friends of ours, Miss Welch,” explained the General. * * * * * Meanwhile, Major Welch and Mr. Still had reached the county seat. During their ride, Still had given Major Welch an account of affairs in the County, and of most of those with whom he would come in contact. Steve Allen he described as a terrible character. It had been a dreadful struggle that he himself and other Union men had had to wage, he said. Leech was the leading Northern man in the County, and was going to be Governor. But he was disposed to caution Major Welch somewhat against even him. Leech did not exactly understand things; he did not rely enough on his white friends. He would have turned out all the white officials and filled their places with negroes. But Still had insisted on keeping, at least, Mr. Dockett, the Clerk, in; because he had charge of all the records. But Mr. Dockett had not acted exactly right, he said, and he was afraid at the next election “they’d have to let him go.” He had been “getting mighty unreasonable.” Some people wanted his son, Wash, the Doctor, to run, but he “didn’t know about it?” he said, with an interrogation in his voice. Major Welch had supposed that the Doctor would find his profession more profitable, or at least that it would take up all his time if he proposed to follow it; but Still explained that there was not a great deal of practice, and that the clerk’s place was a “paying office.” When they arrived at Leech’s house Major Welch found it a big, modern affair with a mansard roof, set in the middle of a treeless lot. To Major Welch’s surprise, Leech was not at home. Still appeared much disconcerted.