The guests now began to depart, and Bill Jeffrey, who had been sent to inform Mrs. Dunn of her son, returned with some of the neighbors, and carried Joseph away.  Owing to the darkness of the night, the company from Frankfort remained until morning, but no eyelid closed in sleep.  With maternal solicitude, Mrs. Middleton sat by the bedside of her daughter Julia, whose eyes opened once, but on seeing Dr. Lacey standing near by, she closed them again with a shudder, and a faint wail of anguish escaped her.  She had ruptured a small blood vessel, but Dr. Gordon said there was no danger if she could be kept quiet for a few days.

Uncle Joshua thus relieved from alarm concerning her, walked back and forth from her room to Fanny’s swearing that he “knew the devil was let loose that night for his special benefit, and that he had come up there to see how much of a row he could get up!”

“He succeeded admirably, I think,” said Florence, who, having recovered from her first fright, was now ready to extract whatever fun could be gathered from the surrounding circumstances.

In the kitchen the blacks canvassed the matter after their fashion.  Aunt Judy lamented because none of the tempting supper in the dining room was touched, while Bob did not fail to turn his usual round of somersaults, thus evincing his joy that so many good things were left for him to eat, “’Cause,” said he, “in course we allus has all that comes off the table.”

Aunt Katy took occasion to lecture the young black girls on the awful sin of “conceit,” as she called it, pointing them for an example to Julia, “who,” she said, “would most likely have to live an old maid all her days.”  She couldn’t have threatened a worse punishment, for many of the negresses had already their own preferences in favor of certain mulatto boys on their master’s plantation and others adjoining.

Rondeau seemed to think his sympathy was only needed by his young master, whom he looked upon as a much-abused man.  From the first he had felt great contempt for the old house, its master, servants and all; and had come to the conclusion that “they were of no ’count anyhow.”  This opinion would doubtless have been reserved for Leffie’s ear had not affairs taken so unexpected a turn.  Now, however, Rondeau felt at liberty to express his mind so freely that Ike considered it his duty to resent the insult.

A regular negro fight ensued, in which Aunt Katy, who was not very active, was thrown down, and as she loudly protested, “every atom of breath was kicked out of her.”

The big chicken pie was also turned over into Rondeau’s new hat, greatly to the satisfaction of Tiger and the other dogs, who had mingled in the fracas!  The riot was finally quelled by Mr. William Middleton and Dr. Lacey, Uncle Joshua declaring he “wouldn’t interfere that night if the niggers all fit till they killed themselves.”

CHAPTER XXII