'Sell Richmond Hill!' she cried, thunderstruck. 'Oh, no! Surely things cannot be so bad as that. It's like a part of ourselves. I can't conceive of your not owning it, of our not being able to go there. It's home. No other place on earth could ever be that to me.'

'I know, my dear. The thought pains me too. But we must face the crude, unpalatable fact. I am financially embarrassed.'

She had never questioned this familiar predicament. All her life periods of prosperity had alternated with periods of retrenchment and anxiety, but they had never before threatened her personally or threatened Richmond Hill.

'But surely you can think of some other way,' she said, miserably, then brightened. 'There's Joseph. He'll help, I'm sure.'

Aaron's mouth quirked. She had no idea of how much Joseph had previously helped, and of late the young planter had become increasingly difficult, had shown a regrettable tendency to hang on to his money. In short, he had tried Joseph already.

Aaron pushed back from the table, wiped his mouth delicately on his cambric handkerchief. 'Let us speak of pleasanter subjects. I shall manage some way. I always do. What have you been doing with yourself during these days here while you waited for me?'

Had she really in her purblind folly thought that she might tell him of Merne? Father, I have met Meriwether Lewis again. I love him. What shall I do?

She turned a little, shading her cheek with her lace fan. 'I have seen no one, gone nowhere. It has been very quiet'. Aaron shrugged. 'Quiet, yes. I suppose so. I'm not in very good odor with our society here. Our worthy President disapproves of me, the cabinet and senatorial ladies follow suit. Only Mrs. Madison remains kind.'

'Mrs. Madison is always kind,' said Theo. 'Papa, why are you unpopular here? I cannot understand it.'

'Nor I, my dear, except that, egged on by the excellent Hamilton, who apparently has naught else to keep him busy at present, they do me the honor to consider me a dangerous man. A very Lucifer of villainy and corruption.'

'Why should people believe this? No statesman but has had his politics impugned, had derogatory articles printed about him. It is the usual thing, is it not?'