Jahleel's many times a day to give a sort of oversight to the
housekeeping, a department in which she was decidedly more proficient
than damsels of this day, of much less aristocratic pretensions, find
it consistent with their dignity to be. The doctor and Desire were at
this moment in the living-room, inspecting through the closed shutters
the preparations on the green for the demonstration of the evening.

"Another such night will kill her, won't it, doctor?"

"I could not answer for the consequences," replied the doctor,
gravely. "I could scarcely hazard giving her laudanum enough to carry
her through such a racket, and without sleep she cannot live another
day."

"What shall we do? What shall we do? Oh, poor Aunty! The brutes! The
brutes! Look at them over there laughing their great horse laughs. I
never liked to see them whipped before, when the constable whipped
them, but oh I shall like to after this. I should like to see them
whipped till the blood ran down," cried the girl, tears of mingled
grief and anger filling her flashing eyes.

"I don't know when you are likely to have the opportunity," said the
doctor, dryly. "At present they have the upper hand in town, and seem
very likely to keep it. We may thank our stars if the idea of whipping
some of us does not occur to them."

"My father fears that they will plunder the store and perhaps murder
us, unless help comes soon."

"There is no help to come," said the doctor. "The militia are all in