I was faithful to her, he thought, and it surprised him to remember this. Since her death there had been so many women, casual, unimportant: affairs of a few weeks or months. Still, in each case when the thing ended, there had been nc recriminations. No ex-mistress bore him any ill-will.

There were, however, embarrassing letters about. He must dispose of them. It was one of the tasks which confronted him this evening. He rose and went to his secretary, and took from it sheafs of envelopes and six blue boxes which contained his private correspondence. When he had finished with these, he wrote to Theodosia and Joseph, long letters of direction and farewell, calmly affectionate and unemotional.

They would never be seen unless he fell. Again the thought of death impressed him as melodramatic and ludicrous. It happened to others, but it held no immediate significance for oneself. That is no doubt a childish feeling——He shrugged his shoulders, and, removing his coat, slipped on a light silk dressing-gown and stretched out on the sofa before the fire. Tomorrow what was to be would be. In the meantime, it was late and he was tired. He closed his eyes and fell into a sound sleep.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

IT WAS only a few miles across the Waccamaw Neck from the plantations on the river to the string of sandy islands in the ocean, and yet those few miles made the difference between health and fever in summer.

Many of the planters had built themselves summer homes upon the ocean side, and Colonel William Alston had followed suit with a pretentious cottage. Because of its squat gables and unusual size for a beach house, it had come to be called the 'Castle'. This the Colonel had built on Debordieu Island, which lay nearly opposite to his own plantation. He seldom used it, however, for his family preferred Sullivan's Island near Charleston.

In the summer of 1804, the 'Castle' being vacant, Theodosia moved the baby and a portion of her household over to Debordieu, while she awaited word from Aaron as to their northern plans. She had considered joining Natalie at Statesburgh, but Gampy had not been well. He had had a fit of the ague, and though it passed quickly, it left the child pale and listless. She dared not travel far with him. Even the carriage ride from the Oaks and the short row across the creek which separated Debordieu from the mainland tired the little boy.

But when they reached the house and saw below them the surf creaming on the sand two hundred yards away, he revived. His dark eyes glowed with excitement. 'Gampy like this place,' he informed his mother solemnly in his clear little voice.

Theo smiled, kissing him quickly. 'And so do I, darling.'