But the thing that impressed Peter most was the solidity and stability of this Southern village that he could hear moving around him, and its certainty to go on in the future precisely as it had gone on in the past. It was a tremendous force. The very old manor about him seemed huge and intrenched in long traditions, while he, Peter Siner, was just a brown man, naked behind a screen and rather cold from the fog and damp of the morning.
He listened to old Rose clashing the kitchen utensils. As he drew on his damp underwear, he wondered what he could say to old Rose that would persuade her into a little kindliness and tolerance for the white people. As he listened he felt hopeless; he could never explain to the old creature that her own happiness depended upon the charity she extended to others. She could never understand it. She would live and die precisely the same bitter old beldam that she was, and nothing could ever a.s.suage her.
While Peter was thinking of the old creature, she came shuffling along the back piazza with his breakfast. She let herself in by lifting one knee to a horizontal, balancing the tray on it, then opening the door with her freed hand.
When the shutter swung open, it displayed the crone standing on one foot, wearing a man"s grimy sock, which had fallen down over a broken, run-down shoe.
In Peter"s mood the thought of this wretched old woman putting on such garments morning after morning was unspeakably pathetic. He thought of his own mother, who had lived and died only a shade or two removed from the old crone"s condition.
Rose put down her foot, and entered the room with her lips poked out, ready to make instant attack if Peter mentioned his lack of supper the night before.
"Aunt Rose," asked the secretary, with his friendly intent in his tones, "how came you to look in this morning and say you didn"t expect to find me in my room?"
She gave an unintelligible grunt, pushed the lamp to one side, and eased her tray to the table.
Peter finished touching his tie before one of those old-fashioned mirrors, not of cut-gla.s.s, yet perfectly true. He came from the mirror and moved his chair, out of force of habit, so he could look up the street toward the Arkwrights".
"Aunt Rose," said the young man, wistfully, "why are you always angry?"
She bridled at this extraordinary inquiry.
"Me?"
"Yes, you."
She hesitated a moment, thinking how she could make her reply a personal a.s.sault on Peter.
""Cause you come heah, "sputin" my rights, da" "s" why."
"No," demurred Peter, "you were quarreling in the kitchen the first morning I came here, and you didn"t know I was on the place."
"Well--I got my tribulations," she snapped, staring suspiciously at these unusual questions.
There was a pause; then Peter said placatingly:
"I was just thinking, Aunt Rose, you might forget your tribulations if you didn"t ride them all the time."
"Hocc.u.m! What you mean, ridin" my tribulations?"
"Thinking about them. The old Captain, for instance; you are no happier always abusing the old Captain."
The old virago gave a sniff, tossed her head, but kept her eyes rolled suspiciously on Peter.
"Very often the way we think and act makes us happy or unhappy,"
moralized Peter, broadly.
"Look heah, n.i.g.g.e.r, you ain"t no preacher sont out by de Lawd to me!"
"Anyway, I am sure you would feel more friendly toward the Captain if you acted openly with him; for instance, if you didn"t take off all his cold victuals, and handkerchiefs and socks, soap, kitchenware--"
The cook snorted.
"I"d feel dat much mo" nekked an" hongry, dat"s how I"d feel."
"Perhaps, if you"d start over, he might give you a better wage."
"Huh!" she snorted in an access of irony. "I see dat skinflint gib"n" me a better wage. Puuh!" The suddenly she realized where the conversation had wandered, and stared at the secretary with widening eyes "Good Lawd!
Did dat fool Cap"n set up a n.i.g.g.e.r in dis bedroom winder jes to ketch ole Rose packin" off a few ole lef"-overs?" Peter began a hurried denial, but she rushed on: ""Fo" Gawd, I hopes his viddles chokes him! I hope his ole smoke-house falls down on his ole haid. I hope to Jesus--"
Peter pleaded with her not to think the Captain was behind his observations, but the hag rushed out of the bedroom, swinging her head from side to side, uttering the most terrible maledictions. She would show him! She wouldn"t put another foot in his old kitchen. Wild horses couldn"t drag her into his smoke-house again.
Peter ran to the door and called after her down the piazza, trying to exonerate the Captain: but she either did not or would not hear, and vanished into the kitchen, still furious.
Old Rose made Peter so uneasy that he deserted his breakfast midway and hurried to the library. In the solemn old room he found the Captain alone and in rather a pleased mood. The old gentleman stood patting and alining a pile of ma.n.u.script. As the mulatto entered he exclaimed:
"Well, here"s Peter again!" as if his secretary had been off on a long journey. Immediately afterward he added, "Peter, guess what I did last night." His voice was full of triumph.
Peter was thinking about Aunt Rose, and stood looking at the Captain without the slightest idea.
"I wrote all of this,"--he indicated his ma.n.u.script,--"over a hundred pages."
Peter considered the work without much enthusiasm.
"You must have worked all night."
The old attorney rubbed his hands.
"I think I may claim a touch of inspiration last night, Peter.
Reminiscences rippled from under my pen, propitious words, prosperous sentences. Er--the fact is, Peter, you will see, when you begin copying, I had come to a matter--a--a matter of some moment in my life. Every life contains such moments, Peter. I had meant to write something in the nature of a defen--an explanation, Peter. But after you left the library last night it suddenly occurred to me just to give each fact as it took place, quite frankly. So I did that--not--not what I meant to write, at all--ah. As you copy it, you may find it not entirely without some interest to yourself, Peter."
"To me?" repeated Peter, after the fashion of the unattentative.
"Yes, to yourself." The Captain was oddly moved. He took his hands off the script, walked a little away from the table, came back to it. "It-- ah--may explain a good many things that--er--may have puzzled you." He cleared his throat and shifted his subject briskly. "We ought to be thinking about a publisher. What publisher shall we have publish these reminiscences? Make some stir in Tennessee"s political circles, Peter; tremendous sales; clear up questions everybody is interested in.
H-m--well, I"ll walk down town and you"--he motioned to the script-- "begin copying--"
"By the way, Captain," said Peter as the old gentleman turned for the door, "has Rose said anything to you yet?"
The old man detached his mind from his script with an obvious effort.
"What about?"
"About leaving your service."
"No-o, not especially; she"s always leaving my service."
"But in this case it was my fault; at least I brought it about. I remonstrated with her about taking your left-over victuals and socks and handkerchiefs and things. She was quite offended."
"Yes, it always offends her," agreed the old man, impatiently. "I never mention it myself unless I catch her red-handed; then I storm a little to keep her in bounds."