A cricket began to chirp upon the hearth, then the branch of a sycamore, moved by the wind, struck violently against the low eaves of the house.  Rand arose, put his hands to his temples, and moved away.

There were law-books on the shelves, and he took down one and fell to studying statutes that bore upon a case he had in court.  He read for a time with a frown of attention, but by degrees all interest flagged.  He turned a page, looked at it with vagueness, and turned no more.  His chin fell upon his hand, and he sat staring at the patch of sunshine on the floor.  It was like light on water—­light on Indian Run.

Five minutes more and Mocket came in, soft and quick upon his feet, sandy-haired and freckle-faced, with his quaint, twisted smile, and watery blue eye, that glanced aslant at his friend and partner “Good-morning, Lewis”

“Good-morning, Tom.”

Mocket stood by the fire, warming his hands.  “If ’twas a mild December, ’tis cold enough now!  The wind is icy, and it’s blowing hard.”

“Is it?  I thought the air was still.”

As he spoke, Rand arose, replaced the book on the shelf, sat down at his desk, and began to unfold papers.  “Work!” he said presently, in a dull voice.  “Work!  That is the straw at which to catch!  Perhaps one might make of it a raft to bear one’s weight.  I have known the day when in work I have forgotten hunger, thirst, weariness, calamity.  I have worked at night and grudged an hour to sleep.  What I have done, cannot I do again?  But I would work better, Tom, if I could get some sleep.”

“I am sorry you have bad nights,” said Tom; “but if you slept as deep and innocent as a babe, you couldn’t do better work.  That was a praising piece about you in the Enquirer.”

“Nothing less than eulogy, Tom, nothing less!  Well—­get to work!  Get to work!”

“I’ve brought the papers on this case that old Berry has been copying.”  Tom threw more wood on the fire, then moved to his own desk, dragging a chair after him.  “By the way, I stopped at the Eagle for a dram to keep out the cold, and who should come riding by but Fairfax Cary—­”

“Ah!” said Rand.  “Is he home from Richmond?”

“I didn’t know that he had been to Richmond.”

“Yes.  He went two weeks ago.”

“I hadn’t observed it.  Well, whenever he went, he’s back again.  As I say, I was coming down the steps, buttoning up my coat, and he drew rein—­he was riding his brother’s horse and he looked like his brother—­and he says to me, says he, ‘Mr. Mocket,—­’”

Tom broke off, turned the papers in his hand, and uttered an exclamation of disgust.  “Old Berry is getting to be too poor a copyist!  You’ll have to give this work somewhere else.”

Rand spoke in his measured voice.  “What did Fairfax Cary say, Tom?”