He will pick his mother's naked soul to pieces, bore into
his wife's living brain, dissect his daughter's quivering heart,
tear across his sister's mind, rip up his father's life and his best
friend's character, lay bare the tomb itself, and make for himself
an ink of tears and blood that he may write what he finds. Of such
is the kingdom of Genius.
And in the meantime the wondrous news that The Author himself was
staying at Hynds House, percolated through Hyndsville and soaked to
the bone. The Author was too big a figure to be ignored, even by
South Carolina people. Something had to be done. But how shall one
become acquainted with a notoriously unfriendly and gun-shy
celebrity, a personage of such note that every utterance means
newspaper space; and at the same time manage utterly to ignore and
cast into outer darkness the people with whom the great one is
staying?
The town felt itself put upon its mettle. The first move was made by
Miss Martha Hopkins. It was understood that if anybody could clear
the way, carry a difficult position with skill and aplomb, that
somebody was Miss Martha Hopkins.
She didn't bear down directly upon The Author: that would have been
crude.
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