HOME-COMING 3TT 
of dignity while the secrets of his chest are laid 
bare and the contents of his trunk dumped on 
the dirty floor? And how must his eyes droop 
and his face take on a hang-dog look when his 
second-best coat is searched for diamonds, and 
his favorite (though worn) pajamas punched for 
pearls. 
There are concessions to be made for one’s 
great and glorious country, and the custom-house 
is one of them. Perhaps we will do better 
sometime, and perhaps, though this is unlikely, 
the customs inspectors of the future will dis- 
guise themselves as gentlemen. We finally 
passed the inquisition, and, with stuffed trunks 
and ruffled spirits, took cabs for the station, 
and were presently within the protecting walls 
at Four Oaks, there to forget lost dignities in 
the cultivation of land and new ones. 
