“You needn’t to bother to show her anything, child,” he continued calmly, “I’ll learn her all she needs to know to suit us.  Then, if in a week she have shown suitable ability to please us both, my word is out to marry her next Sunday night.  Ain’t that the understanding, Tuny?” he this time demanded.

“Yes, sir,” answered the Petunia with radiant but modest hope shining from her comely yellow face.

“I’ve kept everything ready for you child, since Old Mas’ died, and I ain’t never stayed offen the place a week at a time—­I was just visiting out Petunia’s way when I heard you’d come, and gittin’ a wife to tend to us and back to you quick was the only thing that concerned me.  Now, we can all settle down comf’table, while I has Tuny knock up some dinner, a company one I hopes, if Miss Martha and the rest will stay with us.”  Jasper’s manner is an exact copy of my Father’s courtly grace, done in sepia, and my eyes misted for a second, as I reciprocated his invitation, taking acceptance for granted.

“Of course they will stay, Uncle Jasper.”

“Well,” remarked Sallie with a gasp, “you’ve gone to housekeeping in two minutes, Evelina.”

“Jasper has always been a very forceful personality,” said Cousin Martha.  “He managed everything for your Father at the last, Evelina, and I don’t know how the whole town would have been easy about the Colonel unless they had trusted Jasper.”

“I like the terms on which he takes unto himself a wife,” drawled Polk, as he lighted a cigarette without looking at me.  “Good for Jasper!”

“However, it does take a ‘forceful personality’ to capture a ’suitable woman’ in that manner,” I answered with just as much unconcern, and then we both roared, while even Sallie in all her anxiety joined in.

The commanding, black old man, and the happy-faced, plump, little yellow woman, had saved one situation—­and forced another, perhaps?

Jasper’s home-coming dinner party was a large and successful one.  Two of the dear little old Horton lady-cousins got so impatient at Cousin Martha’s not bringing me back to Widegables that they came teetering over to see about it, heavily accompanied by Mrs. Hargrove, whose son had been Cousin James’s best friend at the University of Virginia, and died and left her to him since I had been at college.  The ponderosity of her mind was only equaled by that of her body.  I must say Petunia made a hit with the dear old soul, by the seasoning of her chicken gravy.

Sallie wanted to send the children home, but Jasper wouldn’t let her, and altogether we had eleven at the table.

Polk maneuvered for a seat at the head of my festive board, with a spark of the devil in his eyes, but Jasper’s sense of the proprieties did not fail me, and he seated Cousin Martha in Father’s chair, with great ceremony.

And as I looked down the long table, bright with all the old silver Jasper had had time to polish, gay with roses from my garden, that he had coaxed Henrietta into gathering for him, which nodded back and forth with the bubbling babies, suddenly my heart filled to the very brim with love of it all—­and for mine own people.