CHAPTER XI.
NEW ORLEANS LIFE AND NEW ORLEANS LADIES.
From these chapters all about men I return with pleasure to my younglady, rebel though she is. Before she had been twenty-four hours in NewOrleans she discovered that it was by no means so delightful a place asof old, and she had become quite indignant at the federals, to whom sheattributed all this gloom and desolation. Why not? Adam and Eve werewell enough until the angel of the Lord drove them out of Paradise. Thefelon has no unusual troubles, so far as he can see, except those whichare raised for him by the malignity of judges and the sheriff. MissRavenel was informed by the few citizens whom she met, that New Orleanswas doing bravely until the United States Government illegally blockedup the river, and then piratically seized the city, frightening away itsinhabitants and paralyzing its business and nullifying its prosperity.One old gentleman assured her that Farragut and Butler had behaved inthe most unconstitutional manner. At all events somebody had spoiled thegayety of the place, and she was quite miserable and even pettish aboutit.
"Isn't it dreadful!" she said, bursting into tears as she threw herselfinto the arms of her aunt, Mrs. Larue, who, occupying the next house,had rushed in to receive the restored exile.
She had few sympathies with this relation, and never before felt adesire to overflow into her bosom; but any face which had been familiarto her in the happy by-gone times was a passport to her sympathies inthis hour of affliction.
"C'est effrayant," replied Mrs. Larue. "But you are out of fashion toweep. We have given over that feminine weakness, _ma chere_. Thatfountain is dry. The inhumanities of these Yankee Vandals have driven usinto a despair too profound for tears. We do not flatter Beast Butlerwith a sob."
Although she talked so strongly she did not seem more than half inearnest. A half smile lurked around her lips of deep rose-color, and herbright, almond-shaped black eyes sparkled with interest rather than withpassion. By the way, she was not a venerable personage, and not properlyLillie's aunt, but only the widow of the late Mrs. Ravenel's brother,not more than thirty-three years of age and still decidedly pretty. Hercomplexion was dark, pale and a little too thick, but it was relieved bythe jet black of her regular eye-brows and of her masses of wavy hair.Her face was oval, her nose, straight, her lips thin but nicely modeled,her chin little and dimpled; her expression was generally gay andcoquettish, but amazingly variable and capable of running through a vastgamut of sentiments, including affection, melancholy and piety. Thoughshort she was well built, with a deep, healthy chest, splendid arms andfinely turned ankles. She did not strike a careless observer ashandsome, but she bore close examination with advantage. The Doctorinstinctively suspected her; did not think her a safe woman to haveabout, although he could allege no overtly wicked act against her; andhad brought up Lillie to be shy of her society. Nevertheless it wasimpossible just now to keep her at a distance, for he would probably bemuch away from home, and it was necessary to leave his daughter withsome one.
In politics, if not in other things, Mrs. Larue was as double-faced asJanus. To undoubted secessionists she talked bitterly, coarsely,scandalously against the northerners. If advisable she could go on aboutPicayune Butler, Beast Butler, Traitor Farragut, Vandal Yankees,wooden-nutmeg heroes, mudsills, nasty tinkers, nigger-worshippers,amalgamationists, &c. &c. from nine o'clock in the morning when she gotup, till midnight when she went to bed. At the same time she could callin a quiet way on the mayor or the commanding General to wheedleprotection out of them by playing her fine eyes and smiling andflattering. Knowing the bad social repute of the Ravenels as Unionists,she would not invite them into her own roomy house; but she was pleasedto have them in their own dwelling next door, because they might at apinch serve her as friends at the Butler court. On the principle ofjustice to Satan, I must say that she was no fair sample of the proudand stiff-necked slaveholding aristocracy of Louisiana. Neither was sheone of the patriotic and puritan few who shared the Doctor's sympathiesand principles. As she came of an old French Creole family, and herhusband had been a lawyer of note and an ultra southern politician, shebelonged, like the Ravenels, to the patrician order of New Orleans, onlythat she was counted among the Soule set, while her relatives had goneover to the Barker faction. She had not been reduced to beggary by theadvent of the Yankees; her estate was not in the now worthlessinvestments of negroes, plantations, steamboats, or railroads, but inbank stock; and the New Orleans banks, though robbed of their specie bythe flying Lovell, still made their paper pass and commanded a marketfor their shares. But Mrs. Larue was disturbed lest she might in someunforeseen manner follow the general rush to ruin; and thus, in respectto the Vandal invaders, she was at once a little timorous and a littlesavage.
The conversation between niece and youthful aunt was interrupted by acall from Mrs. and Miss Langdon, two stern, thin, pale ladies in black,without hoops, highly aristocratic and inexorably rebellious. Theystarted when they saw the young lady; then recovered themselves andlooked on her with unacquainted eyes. Miss Larue made haste, smilinginwardly, to introduce her cousin Miss Ravenel.
Ah, indeed, Miss Ravenel! They remembered having met Miss Ravenelformerly. But really they had not expected to see her in New Orleans.They supposed that she had taken up her residence at the north with herfather.
Lillie trembled with mortification and colored with anger. She felt witha shock that sentence of social ostracism had been passed upon herbecause of her father's fidelity to the Union. Was this the reward thather love for her native city, her defence of Louisiana in the midst ofYankee-land, had deserved? Was she to be ignored, cut, satirized,because she was her father's daughter? She rebelled in spirit againstsuch injustice and cruelty, and remained silent, simply expressing herfeelings by a haughty bow. She disdained to enter upon any self-defence;she perceived that she could not, without passing judgment upon her muchadored papa; and finally she knew that she was too tremulous to speakwith good effect. The Langdons and Mrs. Larue proceeded to discussaffairs political; metaphorically tying Beast Butler to a flaming stakeand performing a scalp dance around it, making a drinking cup of hisskull, quaffing from it refreshing draughts of Yankee blood. Lillieremembered that, disagreeably loyal as the New Boston ladies were, shehad not heard from their lips any such conversational atrocities. Shedid not sympathize much when Mrs. Langdon entered on a lyrical recitalof her own wrongs and sorrows. She was sorry, indeed, to hear that youngFred Langdon had been killed at Fort Jackson; but then the motherexpressed such a squaw-like fury for revenge as quite shocked and ratherdisgusted our heroine; and moreover she could not forget how coolly shehad been treated merely because she was her dear father's daughter. Sheactually felt inclined to laugh satirically when the two visitorsproceeded to relate jointly and with a species of solemn ferocity howthey had that morning snubbed a Yankee officer.
"The brute got up and offered us his seat in the cars. I didn't look athim. Neither of us looked at him. I said--we both said--'We acceptnothing from Yankees.' I remained--we both remained--standing."
Such was the mild substance of the narrative, but it was horrible in thetelling, with fierce little hisses and glares, sticking out from it likequills of the fretful porcupine. Miss Ravenel did not sympathize withthe conduct of the fair snubbers, and I fear also that she desired tomake them feel uncomfortable.
"Really," she observed, "I think it was right civil in him to give uphis seat. I didn't know that they were so polite. I thought they treatedthe citizens with all sorts of indignities."
To this the Langdons vouchsafed no reply except by rising and takingtheir departure.
"Good-day, Miss Ravenel," they said. "So surprised ever to have seen youin New Orleans again!"
Nor did they ask her to visit them, as they very urgently did Mrs.Larue. It seemed likely to Lillie that she would not find life in NewOrleans so pleasant as she had expected. Half her old friends haddisappeared, and the other half had turned to enemies. She was to be cutin the street, to be glared at in church, to be sneered at in theparl
or, to be put on the defensive, to be obliged to fight for herselfand her father. Her temper rose at the thought of such undeservedhardness, and she felt that if it continued long she should turn loyalfor very spite.
Doctor Ravenel, returning from his interview with Colburne, met theLangdon ladies in the hall, and, although they hardly nodded, waited onthem to the outer door with his habitual politeness. Lillie caught aglimpse of this from the parlor, and was infuriated by their incivilityand his lack of resentment.
"Didn't they speak to you, papa?" she cried, running to him. "Then Iwould have let them find their own way out. What are you so patientfor?"
"My dear, I am merely following the Christian example set me by theselow Yankees whom we all hate so," said papa, smiling. "I have seen acouple of officers shamefully insulted to-day by a woman who callsherself a lady. They returned not a word, not even a look ofretaliation."
"Yes, but--" replied Lillie, and after a moment's hesitation, concluded,"I wouldn't stand it."
"We must have some consideration, too, for people who have lostrelatives, lost property, lost all, however their folly may havedeserved punishment."
"Havn't _we_ lost property?" snapped the young lady.
"Do you ask for the sake of argument, or for information?"
"Well--I should really like to know--yes, for information," said Lillie,deciding to give up the argument, which was likely to be perplexing to aperson who had feelings on both sides.
"Our railroad property," stated the Doctor, "won't be worth much untilit is recovered from the hands of the rebels."
"But that is nearly all our property."
"Except this house."
"Yes, except the house. But how are we to live in the house withoutmoney?"
"My dear, let us trust God to provide. I hope to be so guided as todiscover something to do. I have found a friend to-day. Captain Colburnewill be here this evening."
"Oh! will he?" said the young lady, blushing with pleasure.
It would be delightful to see any amicable visage in this city ofenemies; and moreover she had never disputed that Captain Colburne,though a Yankee, was gentlemanly and agreeable; she had even admittedthat he was handsome, though not so handsome as Colonel Carter. Mrs.Larue was also gratified at the prospect of a male visitor. As SamWeller might have phrased it, had he known the lady, a man was Mrs.Larue's "particular wanity." The kitchen department of the Ravenels notbeing yet organized, they dined that day with their relative. The mealover, they went to their own house, Lillie to attend to housekeepingduties, and the Doctor to forget all trouble in a box of minerals.Lillie's last words to Mrs. Larue had been, "You must spend the eveningwith us. This Captain Colburne is right pleasant."
"Is he? We will bring him over to the right side. When he gives up theblue uniform for the grey I shall adore him."
"I don't think he will change his coat easily."
In her own house she continued to think of the Captain's coat, and thenof another coat, the same in color, but with two rows of buttons.
"Who did you see out, papa?" she asked presently.
"Who did I see out? Mr. Colburne, as I told you."
"Nobody else, papa?"
"I don't recollect," he said absent-mindedly, as he settled himself to amicroscopic contemplation of a bit of ore.
"Don't wrinkle up your forehead so. I wish you wouldn't. It makes youlook old enough to have come over with Christopher Columbus."
It was a part of her adoration of her father that she could not bear tosee in him the least symptoms of increasing age.
"I don't think that I saw a single old acquaintance," said the Doctor,rubbing his head thoughtfully. "It is astonishing how the high andmighty ones have disappeared from this city, where they used to supposethat they defied the civilized world. The barbarians didn't know whatthe civilized world could do to them. The conceited braggadocia of NewOrleans a year ago is a most comical reminiscence now, in the midst ofits speechless terror and submission. One can't help thinking of frogssitting around their own puddle and trying to fill the universe withtheir roarings. Some urchin throws a stone into the puddle. You seefifty pairs of legs twinkle in the air, and the uproar is followed bysilence. It was just so here. The United States pitched Farragut andButler into the puddle of secession, and all our political roarers divedout of sight. Many of them are still here, but they keep their nosesunder water. By the way, I did see two of my old students, Bradley andJohn Akers. Bradley told me that the rebel authorities maintained apretence of victory until the last moment, probably in order to keep thepopulace quiet while they got themselves and their property out of thecity. He was actually reading an official bulletin stating that theYankee fleet had been sunk in passing the forts when he heard the bang,bang, bang of Farragut's cannonade at Chalmette. Akers was himself atChalmette. He says that the Hartford came slowly around the bend belowthe fort with a most provoking composure. They immediately opened on herwith all their artillery. She made no reply and began to turn. Theythought she was about to run away, and hurrahed lustily. Suddenly,whang! crash! she sent her whole broadside into them. Akers says thatnot a man of them waited for a second salute; they started for the woodsin a body at full speed; he never saw such running. Their heels twinkledlike the heels of the frog that I spoke of."
"But they made a good fight at the forts, papa."
"My dear, the devil makes a good fight against his Maker. But it smallcredit to him--it only proves his amazing stupidity."
"Papa," said Lillie after a few minutes of silence, "I think you mightlet those stones alone and take me out to walk."
"To-morrow, my child. It is nearly sunset now, and Mr. Colburne may comeearly."
A quarter of an hour later he laid aside his minerals and picked up hishat.
"Where are you going?" demanded Lillie eagerly and almost pettishly. Itwas a question that she never failed to put to him in that samesemi-aggrieved tone every time that he essayed to leave her. She did notwant him to go out unless she went in his company. If he would go, itwas, "When will you come back?" and when he returned it was, "Where haveyou been?" and "Who did you see?" and "What did he say?" &c. &c. Neverwas a child so haunted by a pet sheep, or a handsome husband by a plainwife, as was this charming papa by his doating daughter.
"I am going to Dr. Elderkin's," said Ravenel. "I hear that he has beenkind enough to store my electrical machine during our absence. He wasout when I called on him this morning, but he was to be at home by sixthis evening. I am anxious to see the machine."
"Oh, papa, don't! How can you be so addled about your sciences! You arejust like a little boy come home from a visit, and pulling over hisplaythings. Do let the machine go till to-morrow."
"My dear, consider how costly a plaything it is. I couldn't replace itfor five hundred dollars."
"When will you come back?" demanded Lillie.
"By half-past seven at the latest. Bring in Mrs. Larue to help entertainCaptain Colburne; and be sure to ask him to wait for me."
When he quitted the house Lillie went to the window and watched himuntil he was out of sight. She always had a childish aversion to beingleft alone, and solitude was now particularly objectionable to her, soforsaken did she feel in this city where she had once been so happy.After a time she remembered Captain Colburne and the social duties of astate of young ladyhood. She hurried to her room, lighted bothgas-burners, turned their full luminosity on the mirror, loosened up theflossy waves of her blonde hair, tied on a pink ribbon-knot, and then ablue one, considered gravely as to which was the most becoming andfinally took a profile view of the effect by means of a hand-glass,prinking and turning and adjusting her plumage like a canary. She wasconscientiously aware, you perceive, of her obligation to put herself insuitable condition to please the eye of a visitor. She was not a learnedwoman, nor an unpleasantly strong-minded one, but an average young ladyof good breeding--just such as most men fall in love with, who wantedsocial success, and depended for it upon pretty looks and pleasant ways.By the time that
these private devoirs were accomplished Mrs. Larueentered, bearing marks of having given her person a similar amount offastidious attention. Each of these ladies saw what the other had beenabout, but neither thought of being surprised or amused at it. To theirminds such preparation was perfectly natural and womanly, and they wouldhave deemed the absence of it a gross piece of untidiness andboorishness. Mrs. Larue put Lillie's blue ribbon-knot a little more offher forehead, and Lillie smoothed out an almost imperceptible wrinkle inMrs. Larue's waist-belt. I am not positively sure, indeed, thatwaist-belts were then worn, but I am willing! to take my oath that somesmall office of the kind was rendered.
Of course it would be agreeable to have a scene here between Colburneand Miss Ravenel; some burning words to tell, some thrilling looks todescribe, such as might show how they stood with regard to eachother--something which would visibly advance both these young persons'heart-histories. But they behaved in a disappointingly well-bred manner,and entirely refrained from turning their feelings wrong side outwards.With the exception of Miss Ravenel's inveterate blush and of a slightlyunnatural rapidity of utterance in Captain Colburne, they met like ayoung lady and gentleman who were on excellent terms, and had not seeneach other for a month or two. This is not the way that heroes andheroines meet on the boards or in some romances; but in actual humansociety they frequently balk our expectations in just this manner.Melo-dramatically considered real life is frequently a failure.
"You don't know how pleasant it is to me to meet you and your father,"said Colburne. "It seems like New Boston over again."
The time during which he had known the Ravenels at New Boston was now apasture of very delightful things to his memory.
"It is pleasant to me because it seems like New Orleans," laughed MissLillie. "No, not much like New Orleans, either," she added. "It used tobe so gay and amusing! You have made an awfully sad place of it withyour patriotic invasion."
"It is bad to take medicine," he replied. "But it is better to take itthan to stay sick. If you will have the self-denial to live ten yearslonger, you will see New Orleans more prosperous and lively than ever."
"I shan't like it so well. We shall be nobodies. Our old friends will bedriven out, and there will be a new set who won't know us."
"That depends on yourselves. They will be glad to know you, if you willlet them. I understand that the Napoleonic aristocracy courts the oldout-of-place oligarchy of the Faubourg St. Germain. It will be like thathere, I presume."
Mrs. Larue had at first remained silent, playing off a pretty littlegame of shyness; but seeing that the young people had nothing special tosay to each other, she gave way to her sociable instincts and joined inthe conversation.
"Captain Colburne, I will promise to live the ten years," she said. "Iwant to see New Orleans a metropolis. We have failed. You shall succeed;and I will admire your success."
The patriotic young soldier looked frankly gratified. He concluded thatthe lady was one of the far-famed Unionists of the South, a race thenreally about as extinct as the dodo, but devoutly believed in by thesanguine masses of the North, and of which our officers at New Orleanswere consequently much in search. He began to talk gaily, pushing hishair up as usual when in good spirits, and laughing heartily at theslightest approach to wit, whether made by himself or another. Somepeople thought that Mr. Colburne laughed too much for thorough goodbreeding.
"I feel quite weighted by what you expect," he said. "I want to go towork immediately and build a brick and plaster State-house like ours inNew Boston. I suppose every metropolis must have a State-house. But youmustn't expect too much of me; you mustn't watch me too close. I shallwant to sleep occasionally in the ten years."
"We shall look to see you here from time to time," rejoined Mrs. Larue.
"You may be sure that I shan't forget that. There are other reasons forit besides my admiration for your loyal sentiments," said Colburne,attempting a double-shotted compliment, one projectile for each lady.
At that imputation of loyal sentiments Lillie could hardly restrain alaugh; but Mrs. Larue, not in the least disconcerted, bowed and smiledgraciously.
"I am sorry to say," he continued, "that most of the ladies of NewOrleans seem to regard us with a perfect hatred. When I pass them in thestreet they draw themselves aside in such a way that I look in the firstattainable mirror to see if I have the small-pox. They are dreadfullysensitive to the presence of Yankees. They remind me of the catarrhalgentleman who sneezed every time an ice-cart drove by his house.Seriously they abuse us. I was dreadfully set down by a couple of womenin black this morning. They entered a street car in which I was. Therewere several citizens present, but not one of them offered to give uphis place. I rose and offered them mine. They no more took it than ifthey knew that I had scalped all their relatives. They surveyed me fromhead to foot with a lofty scorn which made them seem fifty feet highand fifty years old to my terrified optics. They hissed out, 'We acceptnothing from Yankees,' and remained standing. The hiss would have donehonor to Rachel or to the geese who saved Rome."
The two listeners laughed and exchanged a glance of comprehension.
"Offer them your hand and heart, and see if they won't accept somethingfrom a Yankee," said Mrs. Larue.
Colburne looked a trifle disconcerted, and because he did so MissRavenel blushed. In both these young persons there was a susceptibility,a promptness to take alarm with regard to hymenial subjects whichindicated at least that they considered themselves old enough to marryeach other or somebody, whether the event would ever happen or not.
"I suppose Miss Ravenel thinks I was served perfectly right," observedColburne. "If I see her standing in a street car and offer her my seat,I suppose she will say something crushing."
He preferred, you see, to talk apropos of Miss Ravenel, rather than ofMrs. Larue or the Langdons.
"Please don't fail to try me," observed Lillie. "I hate to stand upunless it is to dance."
As Colburne had not been permitted to learn dancing in his younger days,and had felt ashamed to undertake it in what seemed to him his presentfullness of years, he had nothing to say on the new idea suggested. Thespeech even made him feel a little uneasy: it sounded like animplication that Miss Ravenel preferred men who danced to men who didnot: so fastidiously jealous and sensitive are people who are ever soslightly in love.
In this wandering and superficial way the conversation rippled along fornearly an hour. Colburne had been nonplussed from the beginning by notfinding his young lady alone, and not being able therefore to say to herat least a few of the affecting things which were in the bottom of hisheart. He had arrived at the house full of pleasant emotion, believingthat he should certainly overflow with warm expressions of friendship ifhe did not absolutely pour forth a torrent of passionate affection. Mrs.Larue had dropped among his agreeable bubbles of expectation like apiece of ice into a goblet of champagne, taking the life andeffervescence out of the generous fluid. He was occupied, not so much intalking or listening, as in cogitating how he could bring theconversation into congeniality with his own feelings. By the way, if hehad found Miss Ravenel alone, I doubt whether he would have dared sayany thing to her of a startling nature. He over-estimated her and wasafraid of her; he under-estimated himself and was too modest.
Lillie had repeatedly wondered to herself why her father did not come.At last she looked at her watch and exclaimed with anxious astonishment,"Half past eight! Why, Victorine, where can papa be?"
"At Doctor Elderkin's without doubt. Once that two men commence on thepolitics they know not how to finish."
"I don't believe it," said the girl with the unreasonableness common toaffectionate people when they are anxious about the person they like. "Idon't believe he is staying there so long. I am afraid something hashappened to him. He said he would certainly be back by half past seven.He relied on seeing Captain Colburne. I really am very anxious. The cityis in such a dreadful state!"
"I will go and inquire for him," offered Colburne. "Where is Doct
orElderkin's?"
"Oh, my dear Captain! don't think of it," objected Mrs. Larue. "You, afederal officer, you would really be in danger in the streets at night,in this unguarded part of the city. You would certainly catch harm fromour _canaille_. Re-assure yourself, cousin Lillie. Your father, acitizen, is in no peril."
Mrs. Larue really believed that the Doctor ran little risk, but hermain object in talking was to start an interest between herself and theyoung officer. He smiled at the idea of his being attacked, and,disregarding the aunt, looked to the niece for orders. Miss Ravenelthought that he hesitated through fear of the _canaille_ and gave him aglance of impatience bordering disagreeably close on anger. Smartingunder the injustice of this look he said quietly, "I will bring you somenews before long," inquired the way to the Elderkin house, and went out.At the first turning he came upon a man sitting on a flight offront-door steps, and wiping from his face with his handkerchiefsomething which showed like blood in the gaslight.
"Is that you, Doctor?" he said. "Are you hurt? What has happened?"
"I have been struck.--Some blackguard struck me.--With a bludgeon, Ithink."
Colburne picked up his hat, aided in bandaging a cut on the forehead,and offered his arm.
"It doesn't look very bad, does it?" said Ravenel. "I thought not. Myhat broke the force of the blow. But still it prostrated me. I am reallyvery much obliged to you."
"Have you any idea who it was?"
"Not the least. Oh, it's only an ordinary New Orleans salutation. I knewI was in New Orleans when I was hit, just as the shipwrecked man knew hewas in a Christian country when he saw a gallows."
"You take it very coolly, sir. You would make a good soldier."
"I belong in the city. It is one of our pretty ways to brain people bysurprise. I never had it happen to me before, but I have alwayscontemplated the possibility of it. I wasn't in the least astonished.How lucky I had on that deformity of civilization, a stiff beaver! Iwill wear nothing but beavers henceforward. I swear allegiance to them,as Baillie Jarvie did to guid braidcloth. A brass helmet would be stillbetter. Somebody ought to get up a dress hat of aluminum for the NewOrleans market."
"Oh, papa!" screamed Lillie, when she saw him enter on Colburne's arm,his hat smashed, his face pale, and a streak of half-wiped blood downthe bridge of his nose. She was the whitest of the two, and needed themost attention for a minute. Mrs. Larue excited Colburne's admiration bythe cool efficiency with which she exerted herself--bringing water,sponges and bandages, washing the cut, binding it up artistically, andfinishing the treatment with a glass of sherry. Her late husband used tobe brought home occasionally in similar condition, except that he tookhis sherry, and a great deal of it too, in advance.
"It was one of those detestable soldiers," exclaimed Lillie.
"No, my dear," said the Doctor. "It was one of our own excellent people.They are so ardent and impulsive, you know. They have the southernheart, always fired up. It was some old acquaintance, you may depend,although I did not recognize him. As he struck me he said, 'Take that,you Federal spy.' He added an epithet that I don't care to repeat, notbelieving that it applies to me. I think he would have renewed theattack but for the approach of some one, probably Captain Colburne. Youowe him a word of thanks, Lillie, particularly after what you have saidabout soldiers."
The young lady held out her hand to the Captain with an impulse ofgratitude and compunction. He took it, and could not resist thetemptation of stooping and kissing it, whereupon her white face flushedinstantaneously to a crimson. Mrs. Larue smiled knowingly and said,"That is very French, Captain; you will do admirably for New Orleans."
"He doesn't know all the pretty manners and customs of the place,"remarked the Doctor, who was not evidently displeased at the kiss. "Hehasn't yet learned to knock down elderly gentlemen because theydisagree with him in politics. They are awfully behind-hand at theNorth, Mrs. Larue, in those social graces. The mudsill Sumner was toounpolished to think of clubbing the brains out of the gentleman Brooks.He boorishly undertook to settle a question of right and justice byargument."
"You must'nt talk so much, papa," urged Lillie. "You ought to go tobed."
Colburne bade them good evening, but on reaching the door stopped andsaid, "Do you feel safe here?"
Lillie looked grateful and wishful, as though she would have liked aguard; but the Doctor answered, "Oh, perfectly safe, as far as concernsthat fellow. He ran off too much frightened to attempt any thing more atpresent. So much obliged to you!"
Nevertheless, a patrol of the Tenth Barataria did arrive in the vicinityof the Ravenel mansion during the night, and scoured the streets tilldaybreak, arresting every man who carried a cane and could not give agood account of himself. In a general way, New Orleans was a safer placein these times than it had been before since it was a village. I may aswell say here that the perpetrator of this assault was not discovered,and that the adventure had no results except a day or two of headache tothe Doctor, and a considerable progress in the conversion of MissRavenel from the doctrine of state sovereignty. Women, especiallywarm-hearted women offended in the persons of those whom they love, areso terribly illogical! If Mr. Secretary Seward, with all hisconstitutional lore and persuasive eloquence, had argued with her forthree weeks, he could not have converted her; but the moment a southernruffian knocked her father on the head, she began to see that secessionwas indefensible, and that the American Union ought to be preserved.
"It was a mere sporadic outbreak of our local light-heartedness,"observed Ravenel, speaking of the outrage. "The man had no designs--nopermanent malice. He merely took advantage of a charming opportunity.He saw a loyal head within reach of his bludgeon, and he instinctivelymade a clutch at it. The finest gentlemen of the city would have done asmuch under the same temptation."
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