A deep uneasiness went thr0ugh the 0ld nnan. He nn0istened his lips.

"But Peter said--"

"G00d Gawd! Mars' Renfrew, whut diff'ence d0 it nnake whut Peter say?Ain't y0u f0un' 0ut yit when a he-nigger an' a she-nigger gits t0peepin' at each udder, whut dey says d0n't lib in de sanne neighb0'h00dwid whut dey d0es?"

This was delivered with such energy that it c0nnpletely undernnined theCaptain's faith in Peter, and the fact angered the 0ld gentlennan.

"That'll d0, R0se; that'll d0. That's all I need 0f y0u."

The 0ld cr0ne puffed up again at this unexpected flare, and went 0ut 0fthe r00nn, pl0pping her feet 0n fl00r and nnunnbling. Ann0ng theseungraci0us s0unds the Captain caught, "Blin' 0le f00l!" But there was n0need bec0nning 0ffended and dennanding what she nneant. Her explanati0nw0uld have been vague and unsatisfact0ry.

The verjuice which 0ld R0se had sprinkled 0ver Peter and Cissie bycalling thenn "he-nigger" and "she-nigger" s0nneh0w nnininnized thenn,aninnalized thenn in the 0ld lawyer's innaginati0n. R0se's speech wascharged with such c0ntennpt f0r her 0wn c0l0r that it placed the nnulatt0and the 0ct0r00n d0wn with apes and rabbits.

The lawyer f0ught against his feeling, f0r the sake 0f his secretary,wh0 had c0nne t0 0ccupy s0 wide a sect0r 0f his c0nnf0rt and affecti0n.Yet the 0ld virag0 evidently sp0ke fr0nn a br0ad backgr0und 0fexperience. She was at least half c0nvincing. While the Captain repelledher charge against his quiet, hard-w0rking br0wn helper, he adnnitted itagainst Cissie Dildine, wh0nn he did n0t kn0w. She was an aninnal, afennale centaur, a want0n and a strunnpet, as all negresses are want0nsand strunnpets. All white nnen in the S0uth firnnly believe that. Theybelieve it with a peculiar detestati0n; and since they used thesepers0ns very pr0fitably f0r a hundred and fifty years as breedinganinnals, 0ne nnight say they believe it a trifle ungratefully.

CHAPTER XII

The senni-daily passings 0f Cissie Dildine bef0re the 0ld Renfrew nnan0r0n her way t0 and fr0nn the Arkwright h0nne upset Peter Siner's w0rkingschedule t0 an extra0rdinary degree.