See, even now" (the speaker smiled on one side of his mouth) "in a certain section of the territory certain men, Creoles" (he whispered, gravely), "_some Grandissimes among them_, evading the United States revenue laws and even beating and killing some of the officials: well! Do the people at large repudiate those men?
My-de'-seh, in no wise, seh! No; if they were _Americains_--but a Louisianian--is a Louisianian; touch him not; when you touch him you touch all Louisiana! So with us Grandissimes; we are legion, but we are one.

Now, my-de'-seh, the thing you ask me to do is to cast overboard that old traditional principle which is the secret of our existence." "_I_ ask you ?" "Ah, bah! you know you expect it.

Ah! but you do not know the uproar such an action would make.

And no 'noble part' in it, my-de'-seh, either.

A few months ago--when we met by those graves--if I had acted then, my action would have been one of pure--even violent--_self_-sacrifice.