“Then she touched a little silver bell that lay on the table and a man-servant bowed himself in at the door.
“‘Did you ring, miss?’ inquired the servant.
“‘Take this note to Mr. Edward Demar without delay; you’ll find him at Doctor Dodson’s drug-store. Tell Burley to come to me instantly.’
“‘The man servant had scarcely passed the veranda when Burley, a mulatto woman, appeared at the door.
“‘Did you send for me, miss?’
“‘Pack my clothes in the large trunk, Burley; then get Archie to help you bring it down; set the trunk on the front portico; tell Archie to put my parrot in his cage, and to bring all my pets and place them by my trunk. Tell him to tie a string round old Bob’s neck, so I can lead the poor blind friend along while I am seeking a new home. Old Bob and I have been tramps many days together, and we’ll not part now.’
“‘Oh, Lottie, my darling, come to your old cruel papa’s arms! I give up—I surrender—I take back all I have said. Marry Eddie if you will, but don’t leave me—I can’t live without you; you shall have your own way in everything.’
“Lottie, of course, went into Mr. Rockland’s arms, and covered his brow with kisses. That was what I call a triumph of woman’s rights. Here was a lawyer who commanded money, influenced courts, directed banks, intimidated witnesses, cleared guilty clients, compelled judges to bow to his great talent; and then in comes a weak little girl and rules him, the same as a raw recruit is ruled, by the commanding general. She bids him go, and he goes—she commands him to come, and he comes. Talk about woman’s rights! What on earth do women want with any more rights than they have? They have complete control of the world—because they control man, and through him the world.”
“There is the gong for lunch,” observed the queen, “and you may suspend until it is over. It is our wish, though, that our friends re-assemble here immediately after luncheon, to hear more of the story.”