210 VIRGINIA 



wagon picked up a brother of his own race, 

 who happened to be traveling in the same 

 direction and was thankful for a lift. And 

 a real amusement and pleasure it was to 

 listen to the two men's palaver, especially to 

 their " Mistering " of each other at every 

 turn of the dialogue. I never saw two 

 schoolmasters, even, who could do more in 

 half an hour for the maintenance and in- 

 crease of their mutual dignity. It was 

 " Mr. Brown " and " Mr. Smith " with every 

 other breath, until the second man was set 

 down at his own gate. From their appear- 

 ance they must have been of an age to re- 

 member the days " before the war," and I 

 did not think it surprising that men who 

 had once been pieces of property should be 

 disposed to make the most of their present 

 condition of manhood, and so to give and 

 take, between themselves, as many remind- 

 ers and tokens of it as the brevity of their 

 remaining time would permit. 



Once at the hotel, installed (literally) in 

 my little room, the only window of which 

 was in the door, — opening upon the piazza, 

 for all the world as a prison cell opens upon 

 its corridor, — once domiciled, I say, and a 



