Page:Maud Howe - Atlanta in the South.djvu/92

 now his servant. He was a little older than Philip, and the scars on his ugly black face had been inflicted by the flames from which he had saved his master when they were both children. "We have never been separated, Hero and I," said Philip. "We have seen some hard times together, but he never would leave me in my worst straits. Once while I was ill in Paris Hero stole money to buy me medicine and food. I think he would die for me without hesitation."

Returning home, they found General Ruysdale waiting for them on the veranda. Philip soon took his leave, and the father and daughter walked together in the small garden. "Is not Rondelet rather a weak man, Margaret? He impresses me so." The General was beginning to be rather uneasy as day by day Rondelet and Margaret seemed to grow more and more in sympathy with each other. He was suffering for the first time that jealousy which is not the least painful one,—the jealousy of a father regarding a possible lover.

"I hardly know, papa."

"I always have a distrust of men with such voices."

His daughter answered slowly, "He is very different from our men, certainly."

"He is a thoroughly good fellow, I believe;