The interior of the dwelling is in keeping with the exterior, though in the drawing-rooms, where rich furniture and fine paintings actually lumber the apartments, there is evident the lack of a nice perception of the 'fitness of things,' and over the whole hangs a 'dusty air,' which reminds one that the Milesian Bridget does not 'flourish' in South Carolina. I was met in the entrance-way by a tall, fine-looking woman, to whom the Colonel introduced me as follows:-- 'Mr. K----, this is Madam ----, my housekeeper; she will try to make you forget that Mrs. J---- is absent.' After a few customary courtesies were exchanged, I was shown to a dressing-room, and with the aid of 'Jim,' a razor, and one of the Colonel's shirts,--all of mine having undergone a drenching,--soon made a tolerably presentable appearance. The negro then conducted me to the breakfast-room, where I found the family assembled. It consisted, besides the housekeeper, of a tall, raw-boned, sandy-haired personage, with a low brow, a blear eye and a sneaking look, the Overseer of the plantation; and of a well-mannered, intelligent lad,--with the peculiarly erect carriage and uncommon blending of good-natured ease and dignity which distinguished my host,--who was introduced to me as the housekeeper's son. Madam P----, who presided over the 'tea things,' was a person of perhaps thirty-five, but a rich olive complexion, enlivened by a delicate red-tint, and relieved by thick masses of black hair, made her appear to a casual observer several years younger. Her face showed vestiges of great beauty, which time, and, perhaps, care, had mellowed but not obliterated, while her conversation indicated high cultivation. She had evidently mingled in refined society in this country and in Europe, and it was a strange freak of fortune that reduced her to a menial condition in the family of a backwoods planter. After some general conversation, the Colonel remarked that his wife and daughter would pass the winter in Charleston. 'And do _you_ remain on the plantation?' I inquired. 'Oh yes, I am needed here,' he replied; 'but Madam's son is with my family.' 'Madam's son!' I exclaimed in astonishment, forgetting in my surprise that the lady was present. 'Yes, sir,' she remarked, 'my oldest boy is twenty.' 'Excuse me, Madam; I forgot that in your climate one never grows old.' 'There you are wrong, sir; I'm sure I _feel_ old when I think how soon my boys will be men.' 'Not old yet, Alice,' said the Colonel, in a singularly familiar tone; 'you seem to me no older than when you were fifteen.' 'You have been long acquainted,' I remarked, not knowing exactly what to say. 'Oh yes,' replied my host, 'we were children together.' 'Your Southern country, Madam, affords a fine field for young men of enterprise.'