Obadiah Dale gave unusual thought to his daughter during a period following the minstrel parade. This attention was due primarily to the appearance of Virginia as a seeming part of the pageant. It was due secondarily, and consequently in ever increasing force as the minutes passed, to the girl's unexplained delay in returning home to lunch. Immediately upon his arrival, Obadiah had attempted to elicit from Serena all information in her possession concerning orphans and minstrels. His approach to the subject was craftily obscured. "I don't see the car. Virginia not home, yet?" "Yas'r. She orter bin back er long time ergo." From Serena's appearance one would have judged her deeply aggrieved. "Where is she?" "She tek er li'l ride. Ain't she bin at yo'all's office?" Serena was conscious that her speed regulations, literally interpreted and conscientiously obeyed by Ike, might be responsible for the delayed return of the absent ones. She was aware, that regardless of the real reason, Ike, constitutionally, would not be adverse to transferring all blame to her. She deemed it advantageous, therefore, to submit her defence before the arrival of the complainant and thus win the sympathetic support of the court. "Ah tole dat Ike to drive mo'e cafful. Ah ain' wantin' Miss Virginy broke up 'count o' his foolishness." "They were safe enough when I saw them down town. As far as I could make out they had been following a minstrel band about," Obadiah informed her. "Minst'el band!" Serena lifted up her voice loudly. "Dat's Ike. Wot inte'est dat chil' got in er ole minst'el band. It sure is dat fool Ike." "They had a negro woman and a lot of negro children in the back of the car." "Black woman an' chillun," shouted the old negress. "Howcum dey in dat caah? Ah axes you dat?" Serena's temper was rising. "Dat fool boy Ike done fill up dat caah wid trash. Yas'r. Whar was dey?" "Following that band down the middle of Main Street." "On Main Street, wid all de high tone folks er lookin' at ma po' li'l honey chil' er packed in wid er bunch o' trash er laughin' an' er hollerin' at er minst'el band." Serena became almost inarticulate in her anger. Obadiah kicked angrily at the rug in front of him. Again he remembered the smiles of the crowd. Gruffly dismissing the servant, he watched her depart, every line of her body quivering with indignation and muttering dire threats at Ike. The manufacturer dropped into a chair and attempted to read a newspaper but he could not keep his mind from the episode of the morning. It had been an absurd affair. His sense of personal dignity rebelled at his daughter being entangled in such a thing. The thought came that Virginia was only a child who had become involved in an escapade of Ike's which every one had already forgotten.