woman, had saved one situation--and forced another, perhaps?

Jasper's home-coming dinner party was a large and successful one. Two of
the dear little old Horton lady-cousins got so impatient at Cousin
Martha's not bringing me back to Widegables that they came teetering
over to see about it, heavily accompanied by Mrs. Hargrove, whose son
had been Cousin James's best friend at the University of Virginia, and
died and left her to him since I had been at college. The ponderosity of
her mind was only equaled by that of her body. I must say Petunia made a
hit with the dear old soul, by the seasoning of her chicken gravy.

Sallie wanted to send the children home, but Jasper wouldn't let her,
and altogether we had eleven at the table.

Polk maneuvered for a seat at the head of my festive board, with a spark
of the devil in his eyes, but Jasper's sense of the proprieties did not
fail me, and he seated Cousin Martha in Father's chair, with great
ceremony.

And as I looked down the long table, bright with all the old silver
Jasper had had time to polish, gay with roses from my garden, that he
had coaxed Henrietta into gathering for him, which nodded back and
forth with the bubbling babies, suddenly my heart filled to the very
brim with love of it all--and for mine own people.

But, just as suddenly, a vision came into my mind of the long table
across the road at Widegables, with the Mossback seated at one end with
only two or three of his charges stretched along the empty sides to keep
him company.