riment, his whole nature was in direct 

 contrast to the shaded grey of the 

 little lady of the garden. 



"He went there, yes, as he went 

 everywhere else in the village, and 

 no one guessed her secret, least of all 

 Harry himself. 



" Then came that direful day when 

 Sumter was fired on, and your Uncle 

 Harry was one of the first to leave the 

 town. We little dreamed that he, the 

 incarnation of life and vigour, would 

 never come back. Still less did we 

 dream that to Miss Artemesia his 

 departure had meant so much. 



"We had seen her, those dreadful 

 days, going about as usual, and bound 

 up in our own cares, hardly noted her 

 gradual fading away. 



" At last one day she sent for me — 

 to bid me good-bye, she said, and 

 when the truth came home to me, it 

 was she who dried my tears. 

 189 



