He was reflecting on these things when he got to his room, when there came a knock at the door.  It was Mammy Easter, in bright turban and apron,—­was hospitality and comfort in the flesh.

“Is you got all you need, suh?” she inquired.

Stephen replied that he had.  But Mammy showed no inclination to go, and he was too polite to shut the door: 

“How you like Glencoe, Mistah Bride?”

He was charmed with it.

“We has some of de fust fam’lies out heah in de summer,” said she.  “But de Colonel, he a’n’t much on a gran’ place laik in Kaintuck.  Shucks, no, suh, dis ain’t much of a ’stablishment!  Young Massa won’t have no lawns, no greenhouses, no nothin’.  He say he laik it wil’ and simple.  He on’y come out fo’ two months, mebbe.  But Miss Jinny, she make it lively.  Las’ week, until the Jedge come we hab dis house chuck full, two-three young ladies in a room, an’ five young gemmen on trunnle beds.”

“Until the Judge came?” echoed Stephen.

“Yassuh.  Den Miss Jinny low dey all hatter go.  She say she a’n’t gwineter have ’em noun’ ‘sturbin’ a sick man.  De Colonel ’monstrated.  He done give the Judge his big room, and he say he and de young men gwine ober to Mista, Catherwood’s.  You a’n’t never seen Miss Jinny rise up, suh!  She des swep’ ’em all out” (Mammy emphasized this by rolling her hands) “an’ declah she gwine ten’ to the Jedge herself.  She a’n’t never let me bring up one of his meals, suh.”  And so she left Stephen with some food for reflection.

Virginia was very gay at breakfast, and said that the Judge would see Stephen; so he and the Colonel, that gentleman with his hat on, went up to his room.  The shutters were thrown open, and the morning sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell on the four-poster where the Judge sat up, gaunt and grizzled as ever.  He smiled at his host, and then tried to destroy immediately the effect of the smile.

“Well, Judge,” cried the Colonel, taking his hand, “I reckon we talked too much.”

“No such thing, Carvel,” said the Judge, forcibly, “if you hadn’t left the room, your popular sovereignty would have been in rags in two minutes.”

Stephen sat down in a corner, unobserved, in expectation of a renewal.  But at this moment Miss Virginia swept into the room, very cool in a pink muslin.

“Colonel Carvel,” said she, sternly, “I am the doctor’s deputy here.  I was told to keep the peace at any cost.  And if you answer back, out you go, like that!” and she snapped her fingers.

The Colonel laughed.  But the Judge, whose mind was on the argument, continued to mutter defiantly until his eye fell upon Stephen.

“Well, sir, well, sir,” he said, “you’ve turned up at last, have you?  I send you off with papers for a man, and I get back a piece of yellow paper saying that he’s borrowed you.  What did he do with you, Mr. Brice?”

“He took me to Freeport, sir, where I listened to the most remarkable speech I ever expect to hear.”