Page:A strange, sad comedy (IA strangesadcomedy00seawiala).pdf/34

22 tired, leaving my father and his brother amicably discussing the Virginia resolutions of '98. As the night wore on both wished to retire, but my father would not transgress the code of etiquette he professed, by suggesting bedtime to his guest, nor would my uncle yield the point by making the first move.

"When, at daylight the next morning, my boy Davy came in to make the fire, here, sir, in this library, I assure you, my father and his brother were still discussing the resolutions of '98. They had been at it all night."

This was one of the Colonel's crack stories, and Sir Archy laughed at it heartily enough. But with all this studied hospitality toward himself, he felt more, every moment, in spite of the Colonel's sounding periods, that he was merely tolerated, at best, and as he had never been snubbed before in his life, the experience did not please him. At ten o'clock he rose to go, saying that he preferred traveling by night under the circumstances. The Colonel invited him to remain longer, with careful politeness, but when the invitation was declined, no more was visible than civil regret. Nevertheless, the Colonel went himself to see that Sir Archy's horse had been properly fed