AsCulpepperenteredthegroveheheardloudvoices。Asheturnedtowardaclumpoftrees，afiguresobizarreandcharacteristicthatitmighthavebeenaresidentDaphne——afigureover-dressedincrimsonsilkandlace，withbarebrownarmsandshoulders，andawreathofhoneysuckle——steppedoutoftheshadow。Itwasfollowedbyaman。Culpepperstarted。Tocometothepointbriefly，herecognizedinthemanthefeaturesofhisrespecteduncle，ColonelStarbottle;inthefemale，aladywhomaybebrieflydescribedasonepossessingabsolutelynoclaimtoanintroductiontothepolitereader。Tohurryoverequallyunpleasantdetails，bothwereevidentlyundertheinfluenceofliquor。
Fromtheexcitedconversationthatensued，Culpeppergatheredthatsomeinsulthadbeenputupontheladyatapublicballwhichshehadattendedthatevening;thattheColonel，herescort，hadfailedtoresentitwiththesanguinarycompletenessthatshedesired。I
regretthat，eveninaliberalage，Imaynotrecordtheexactandevenpicturesquelanguageinwhichthiswasconveyedtoherhearers。Enoughthatatthecloseofafieryperoration，withfeminineinconsistencysheflewatthegallantColonel，andwouldhavevisitedherdelayedvengeanceuponhislucklesshead，butforthepromptinterferenceofCulpepper。Thwartedinthis，shethrewherselfupontheground，andthenintounpicturesquehysterics。
Therewasafinemorallesson，notonlyinthisgrotesqueperformanceofasexwhichcannotaffordtobegrotesque，butintheludicrousconcernwithwhichitinspiredthetwomen。Culpepper，towhomwomanwasmoreorlessangelic，waspainedandsympathetic;theColonel，towhomshewasmoreorlessimproper，wasexceedinglyterrifiedandembarrassed。Howbeitthestormwassoonover，andafterMistressDoloreshadreturnedalittledaggertoitssheath（hergarter），shequietlytookherselfoutofMadronoHollow，andhappilyoutofthesepagesforever。Thetwomen，lefttothemselves，conversedinlowtones。Dawnstoleuponthembeforetheyseparated：theColonelquitesoberedandinfullpossessionofhisusualjauntyself-assertion;Culpepperwithabalefulglowinhishollowcheek，andinhisdarkeyesarisingfire。
ThenextmorningthegeneralearofMadronoHollowwasfilledwithrumorsoftheColonel’smishap。ItwasassertedthathehadbeeninvitedtowithdrawhisfemalecompanionfromtheflooroftheAssemblyBallattheIndependenceHotel，andthat，failingtodothis，bothwereexpelled。Itistoberegrettedthatin1854