revolving desk-chairs ten feet apart and looked at him in friendly
silence. His gaze slowly shifted many times from one to the other. He
felt sure that he was in the presence of one, at least, of the revered
family among whose fortunes his life had begun and was to end.

One had the pleasing but haughty Carteret air; the other had the
unmistakable straight, long family nose. Both had the keen black eyes,
horizontal brows, and thin, smiling lips that had distinguished both
the Carteret of the _Mayflower_ and him of the brigantine. Old Jake had
thought that he could have picked out his young master instantly from a
thousand Northerners; but he found himself in difficulties. The best he
could do was to use strategy.

"Howdy, Marse Blandford--howdy, suh?" he said, looking midway between
the two young men.

"Howdy, Uncle Jake?" they both answered pleasantly and in unison. "Sit
down. Have you brought the watch?"

Uncle Jake chose a hard-bottom chair at a respectful distance, sat on
the edge of it, and laid his hat carefully on the floor. The watch in
its buckskin case he gripped tightly. He had not risked his life on the
battle-field to rescue that watch from his "old marster's" foes to hand
it over again to the enemy without a struggle.

"Yes, suh; I got it in my hand, suh. I'm gwine give it to you right
away in jus' a minute. Old Missus told me to put it in young Marse
Blandford's hand and tell him to wear it for the family pride and
honor. It was a mighty longsome trip for an old nigger man to make--ten
thousand miles, it must be, back to old Vi'ginia, suh. You've growed