One of these days, when he was thus loitering about, the sky was dull and clouded; the river was dark, and reflected its mood. The tender green of spring was keen almost with the effect of glitter on the bank, and he noted how high the water stood against the levees of plantations, here and there, menacing overflow. When a packet chanced to pass he bent low to his oars, avoiding possible recognition from any passenger on the guards or officer on deck, but he uncharacteristically exchanged greetings with a shanty boat, now and again propelled down the stream with big sweeps; none of the humble amphibians of the cabins had ever heard, he was sure, of the great Floyd-Rosney. Sometimes he called out a question, courteously answered, or with a response of chaff, roughly gay. Once, being doubtful of the locality, he paused on his oars to ask information of an ancient darkey, who was paddling in a dug-out along the margin of the river. “You are going to have an overflow hereabout,” added Floyd-Rosney. The old darkey, nothing loath, joined in the dismal foreboding, keeping his craft stationary while he lent himself to the joys of conversation with so aristocratic a gentleman. “Dat’s so, Boss; we’se gwine under, shore, ef de ribber don’t quit dis foolishness.” “Whose plantation is that beyond the point, where the water is standing against the levee?” “Dat, sah, is de Mountjoy place, but hit’s leased dis year ter Mr. Ran Ducie. I reckon mebbe you is ’quainted wid him. Mighty fine man, Mr. Ran is, an’ nobody so well liked in the neighborhood.” Without another word Floyd-Rosney bent to his oars. Was there no escape from this ill-omened association of ideas? The old darkey, checked in the exploitation of his old-time manners and balked in the opportunity of polite conversation, gazed in amazed discomfiture after Floyd-Rosney’s skiff, as it sped swiftly down the river, then resumed his progress, gruff and lowering, ejaculating in affront: “White folks is cur’ous, shore; ain’t got no manners, nor no raisin’, nor no p’liteness, nohow.”