And now every breath he drew was quickening his pulses with the sense of home-coming; he saw the red-bellied woodpeckers sticking like shreds of checked gingham to the trees, turning their pointed heads incuriously as he passed; the welling notes of a wren bubbled upward through the sun-shot azure; high in the vault above an eagle was passing seaward, silver of tail and crest, winged with bronze; and everywhere on every side glittered the gold-and-saffron dragon-flies of the South like the play of sunbeams on a green lagoon. Under the sapodilla-trees on the lawn two aged, white-clad negro servants were gathering fruit forbidden them; and at sight of him two wrinkled black hands furtively wiped two furrowed faces free from incriminating evidence; two solemn pairs of eyes rolled piously in his direction. "Mohnin', suh, Mistuh Hamil." "Good morning, Jonas; good morning, Archimedes. Mr. Cardross is in the orange grove, I see." And, smiling, passed the guilty ones with a humorously threatening shake of his head. A black boy, grinning, opened the gate; the quick-stepping figure in white flannels glanced around at the click of the latch. "Hamil! Good work! I am glad to see you!"--his firm, sun-burnt hands closing over Hamil's--"glad all through!" "Not as glad as I am, Mr. Cardross--" "Yes, I am. Why didn't you come before? The weather has been heavenly; everybody wanted you--" "_Everybody_?" "Yes--yes, of course!... Well, look here, Hamil, I've no authority to discuss that matter; but her mother, I think, has made matters clear to her--concerning our personal wishes--ah--hum--is that what you're driving at?" "Yes.... May I ask her? I came here to ask her." "We all know that," said Cardross naively. "Your aunt is a very fine woman, Hamil.... I don't see why you shouldn't tell Shiela anything you want to. We all wish it." "Thank you," said the younger man. Their hand grip tightened and parted; shoulder to shoulder they swung into step across the lawn, Cardross planting his white-shod feet with habitual precision. His hair and moustache were very white in contrast to the ruddy sun-burnt skin; and he spoke of his altered appearance with one of his quick smiles. "They nearly had me in the panic, Hamil. The Shoshone weathered the scare by grace of God and my little daughter's generosity. And it came fast when it came; we were under bare poles, too, and I didn't expect any cordiality from the Clearing House; but, Hamil, they classed us with the old-liners, and they acted most decently. As for my little daughter--well--" And to his own and Hamil's embarrassment his clear eyes suddenly grew dim and he walked forward a step or two winking rapidly at the sky. Gray, bare of arm to the shoulder, booted and bare-headed, loped across the grass on his polo-pony, mallet at salute. Then he leaned down from his saddle and greeted Hamil with unspoiled enthusiasm.