“But Hopper—­Hopper walks in, sir, bold as you please, right past the signs till he comes to the old man’s cage.  ‘I want to see Mr. Wright,’ says he to the clerk.  And the clerk begins to grin.  ‘Name, please,’ says he.  Mr. Hopper whips out his business card.  ‘What!’ shouts old Wright, flying ’round in his chair, ’what the devil does this mean?  Can’t you read, sir?’ ‘callate to,’ says Mr. Hopper.  ’And you dare to come in here?

“‘Business is business,’ says Hopper.  ‘You “callate"!’ bellowed the old man; ’I reckon you’re a damned Yankee.  I reckon I’ll upset your “callations” for once.  And if I catch you in here again, I’ll wring your neck like a roostah’s.  Git!’”

“Who told you this?” asked Captain Brent.

“Wright himself,—­afterward,” replied Mr. Carvel, laughing.  “But listen, Lige.  The old man lives at the Planters’ House, you know.  What does Mr. Hopper do but go ’round there that very night and give a nigger two bits to put him at the old man’s table.  When Wright comes and sees him, he nearly has one of his apoplectic fits.  But in marches Hopper the next morning with twice the order.  The good Lord knows how he did it.”

There was a silence.  Then the door-bell rang.

“He’s dangerous,” said the Captain, emphatically.  “That’s what I call him.”

“The Yankees are changing business in this town,” was the Colonel’s answer.  “We’ve got to keep the pace, Lige.”

CHAPTER XIII

THE PARTY

To gentle Miss Anne Brinsmade, to Puss Russell of the mischievous eyes, and even to timid Eugenie Renault, the question that burned was:  Would he come, or would he not?  And, secondarily, how would Virginia treat him if he came?  Put our friend Stephen for the subjective, and Miss Carvers party for the objective in the above, and we have the clew.  For very young girls are given to making much out of a very little in such matters.  If Virginia had not gotten angry when she had been teased a fortnight before, all would have been well.

Even Puss, who walked where angels feared to tread, did not dare to go too far with Virginia.  She had taken care before the day of the party to beg forgiveness with considerable humility.  It had been granted with a queenly generosity.  And after that none of the bevy had dared to broach the subject to Virginia.  Jack Brinsmade had.  He told Puss afterward that when Virginia got through with him, he felt as if he had taken a rapid trip through the wheel-house of a large steamer.  Puss tried, by various ingenious devices, to learn whether Mr. Brice had accepted his invitation.  She failed.