Monk jumped aside.

Peter steadied himself long enough to mop the blood away from his eyes. Then he lunged a second time at Monk, snapping his whip this time as he moved.

He struck.

Monk staggered.

But as Peter hurled himself toward him, Monk quickly grabbed his whip near the butt and swung that end of the whip at Peter's face, catching him on the jaw.

Losing his balance, Peter stumbled backward.

Monk came barreling toward Peter now, holding the 285.

butt of Ms whip between Ms two hands as he went for Peter's throat.

Rolling quickly out from Monk's flying body, Peter raised himself to Ms knees and saw Monk lying on Ms stomach in the dirt.

A voice screamed out at them from the side.

Peter impulsively turned. He saw Lilly.

But before he saw anything else, he felt a hot sting across Ms back. Monk had Mt him. And, next, Peter was tumbling to the ground.

Monk was on top of him now.

Peter's whip was lying away from his hand. His knife was gone. And he saw the long blade of Monk's butcher knife gleaming over his face. His mind flashed with the realization that Lilly had been waiting for that chance to help Monk.

Staring down at him, Monk gasped, "WMte boy." He lowered Ms knife toward Peter's throat. His perspiration was falling onto Peter's face. His chest was heaving for air. He repeated, "WMte boy. White boy. WMte . . ." The knife was pressed against Peter's throat.

A loud boom exploded behind them.

Looking up, Peter watched Monk's face suddenly become gnarled with pain. He saw a patch of redness spread on Monk's chest.

Then, as blood spurted from Monk's chest, he slumped forward onto Peter. He finally rolled over onto the ground.

With Ms eyes swimming in blood and perspiration, Peter struggled to his elbows. Beyond him, he saw the vague figure of a Negress dressed in a long white gown. In one hand the Negress was holding a long gun. But its barrel now rested in the dirt.

Peter saw that she was Ta-Ta.

There was a hush now in the stableyard.

He heard Ta-Ta slur, "That nigger going to kill Madame's boy. I has to do something. That mgger was going to kill Madame Honore's boy."

Dropping the long gun to the ground, Ta-Ta turned and dragged her bare feet toward the big house.

Peter then fell back onto the ground in unconsciousness.

286.

The black spectators immediately began to swarm around Peter's and Monk's bodies, seeing for certain that Monk was dead and Peter was alive.

But Nero pushed his way through the Negroes.

Behind him, Storky screamed to the curious people, "Get away! Get away! Maybe Master Peter is dying!" She made a path with her sharp elbows.

The slaves soon gave way, letting Nero and Storky pass to the two bodies in the dirt.

Kneeling beside Peter now, Nero nodded that he was still alive. He was only unconscious.

Storky clasped her hands and looked toward the sky.

Then, behind them, they heard a woman sobbing. It was Lilly. She was kneeling among the bare feet of the black people and cradling Monk's bloodstained body on her knees.

She cried to him, "Monk? Speak to me, Monk."

He lay limp and covered with the blood from the raw hole in his chest.

Lilly begged, "Monk? Where is the money? The money? Where did you bury the money, Monk?"

Looking up at Storky, Lilly said, "I'm having his sucker. And he was saving us money."

"Money!" Storky laughed bitterly. "This ain't no time to be putting on airs, slut."

Lilly screamed at Storky, "Monk knew about money!"

Storky looked down at Lilly with disdain. "You gone crazy in the head over all this, wench."

"But he did!" Lilly insisted. "He did know about money!"

"You lies," Storky said, adding as she turned back to Nero. "And even if he did buries money, wench, you ain't going to find out about it now. So get your black ass off that ground and let somebody haul his body out of here."

Albert Selby had dropped Dr. Riesen at Troy and reached the Dewitt place by midday. He knew it was the DeWitt sisters' day to go shopping in Carterville- no one would be here, not even Judge Antrobus.

George answered the door and offered Selby his respects for the loss of Melissa.

287.

Selby thanked him, then asked boldly, "Remember that Faye Willows, George? That hussy from a few years back? Who in the house do you have up to that snuff?"

George thought. "There's that Miss Sue Ellen from Gettysburg. She's pretty sprightly. Got her a real neat little waist and titties ..." George held up his black hands, cupping them.

"She sounds just what I need today."

"You sure that's all right, Master Selby, sir?" George asked, eyeing him. He knew the stories about Selby's heart.

For the first time that Selby could remember, he became stern with George. He said, "Are you questioning me, boy?"

George shook his head. He mumbled, "I go tell Miss Sue Ellen to gets ready." He turned and climbed slowly up the stairs.

While Selby was waiting, he took a small stub of a graphite pencil and a piece of paper from the pocket of his jacket. He quickly scribbled: "Miss Sue Ellen not guilty of nothing." He signed it, "Your friend always, Albert Selby." He quickly drew the usual rough star under his signature, and folding the piece of paper, he propped it up by a milkglass vase sitting on the hall table.

George finally called from the top of the stairs, "Master Selby, sir, Miss Sue Ellen is waiting to see you." George added, "She's in the Rose Room, Master Selby, sir."

Selby paused at the foot of the stairs. The Rose Room. That was his and Charlotte's usual room. Did he have to go in there? Selby lifted his head to protest, but then, realizing that he was already making too much of a fuss of this, he slowly proceeded up the stairs.

Keeping his head lowered as he passed George, Selby murmured, "Leave my horse and buggy out front where it is, George."

"Yes, Master Selby, sir."

Selby continued down the carpeted hallway and opened the door at the end.

Inside the Rose Room-on the bed where he and 288.

Charlotte Dewitt had shared so many afternoons and evenings-Selby saw a young lady with long brown hair, wide-spaced eyes, and a small pointed chin. She sat on the edge of the bed dressed in a turquoise robe. Her feet were bare, the counterpane of the bed already turned back for herself and Selby.

First seeing the girl, Selby thought about Melissa. She did not look at all like Melissa. But Selby could not get Melissa out of his mind. That was why he had come to the Dewitt place today. To do that.

He forced himself to continue with his plan.

Gently closing the door behind him, Selby nodded at the girl and removed his straw hat. Setting it on a small rattan-seated chair, he reached into his jacket pocket and removed a small brown pouch. He said calmly to the girl, "There's five hundred dollars in here for you, Miss Sue Ellen." He set the pouch on the bureau.

Her eyes widened. "Five hundred dollars?"

Selby nodded. "And outside is a horse and buggy. That's for you, too. I'm in a generous mood today."

Then, proceeding to slip off his jacket, Selby said, "Don't be frightened, young lady. I ain't come here to hurt you. Miss Charlotte knows all about this. You just take the money and my buggy and leave here." Selby did not consider this to be a lie. He had left the note by the ginger pot.

"Leave?" the girl asked, nervously fingering her brunette hair.

"Why not? Go wherever you want. As I said, I feel generous today." Selby sat now on the edge of the bed and said, "Now, if you'll be so kind as to help me off with these boots, I'll manage the rest for myself."

"The rest?" She was suspicious.

"Just my undressing," Selby assured her "You help me with my boots, and then you lie back on that bed there so I can see how pretty you are. When I'm all undressed, I'll join you. But it probably won't be for long. I'm not that young. Oh," he added, "one more thing, Miss Sue Ellen."

She nodded, waiting anxiously.

Selby explained, "It's my habit to fall asleep when I finish with a young lady. Take no notice of that. Don't 289.

worry about me. You just concern yourself with leaving."

"You mean I can leave today?" She was already on the floor helping Selby with his boots. "Take the five hundred dollars and go?"

"Why not? Miss Charlotte expects you to be gone when she gets back from Carterville. I told her all about it." The inventiveness of the situation was making it less difficult for Selby. He enjoyed seeing the excitement in the girl's eyes. All his life, Albert Selby had liked seeing people getting what they wanted.

The young prostitute was lying obediently on the bed now, her eyes shut.

Standing beside the bed, Selby looked at her soft skin. He enjoyed the way that she was gently fondling her breasts to arouse him, letting her hands move down over her stomach to the small patch of hair between her smooth legs.

Losing himself in this visual delight, Selby's penis reached a firmness with his hand more quickly than usual.

The girl still had her eyes closed. But before Selby moved toward the bed, he reached behind him to the pocket of his jacket.

Selby withdrew a small squirrel-skin pouch from the pocket. He pulled the red rag from the pouch, and keeping his hand moving on his firm penis, he held the squirrel pouch to his mouth and swallowed its contents, the powder from the baston root.

Quickly stuffing the pouch back into his pocket, he turned and faced the girl.

His heart was already quickening. The blood was rushing into his penis. He moved toward the girl now.

The entry into her was easy, and soon he closed his eyes and began to see flickering colors. But then they turned into blinding white flashes. And finally it was over.

Albert Selby's body was still.

The girl, thinking that he had finished with her-and had fallen asleep, as he had said that he would- quickly crawled out from under him. She was careful to leave the counterpane over his body.

290The Master of Dragonard Hill Slipping quickly into her turquoise robe, she grabbed the pouch of money from the bureau and tiptoed hurriedly across the floor on her bare feet.

Before opening the door, though, the girl stopped and blew Albert Selby a kiss for being so generous to her.

She did not know that she was blowing a kiss to a dead man.

20.Last Call at the Star

When Peter had regained consciousness, he was lying on the couch in Selby's study. Beginning to look around him, he saw from the light that it was late day-almost evening-but he did not see Selby. Next to him, Storky was kneeling with a pan of cool water, strips of En en, and medicines. Trying to raise himself, Peter asked, "Father? Is he back yet?"

"Master Selby ain't back from Troy yet. Now, you just lie still, Master Peter," Storky soothed, trying to push him gently down onto the couch.

Beginning to remember the incidents of this morning, he thought of Monk, the blood, and recalling the last sight that he had seen, he asked, "Where's Ta-Ta?"

Storky answered calmly, "If you wants, Master Peter, you can talks to Ta-Ta later."

"I can't just lie here." He tried to move again.

But Storky would not let him budge from the couch. She said, "You got that Nero to do things for you. He's herded all those gawking niggers away from the stables. He's got them all back working already. So, rest now. You had enough excitement for one day."

Looking up at Storky, Peter asked, "Why did she do it?"

Dabbing at a welt on his shoulder, Storky said, "Ta-Ta? Well, Master Peter, I figure she does it the same reason any decent nigger would do it. Protecting you. You've had a big sadness, Master Peter. But that ain't all the reason. You didn't le,t that sadness get you down, get you to moping. You went out and helped 292.

those poor niggers get their houses back. Helped them get those houses that that trash Monk nigger only burned. That Ta-Ta, she was mumbling about you being somebody's boy, and I suspects . . . well, Master Peter, I suspects that's just between her and what's happening in her mind. But one thing I do thinks, Master Peter, I wouldn't mention anything about this to that Ta-Ta wench right now. I would just let her be. A wench like that don't expect no thanks. Even old niggers like her have duties to be done."

Storky stopped wiping, confiding now, "I don't know if you knows this or not, Master Peter, but no reason you shouldn't knows now. That Master Selby, he gives that Ta-Ta wench a bottle of brandy or rum three times a week now. He leaves it outside her door up there in the attic. He's been doing that ever since she comes here. But knowing what things have been here this week, I don't think that Master Selby has had much time to leave Ta-Ta nothing. So if you wants to do something, I thinks leaving her some brandy or ram is the best idea."