| I?d bring him down!?
?What you say, my dear, is marked with your usual acuteness and good sense,? said St?As to Dolph, the case is this: that he has so long been engaged in imitating my graces and perfections, that he has, at last, really mistaken himself for his master; and I have been obliged to give him a little insight into his mistake
?Why, I was obliged to let him understand explicitly that I preferred to keep some of my clothes for my own personal wearing; also, I put his magnificence upon an allowance of cologne-water, and actually was so cruel as to restrict him to one dozen of my cambric handkerchiefsDolph was particularly huffy about it, and I had to talk to him like a father, to bring him roundClare, when will you learn how to treat your servants? It?s abominable, the way you indulge them!? said Marie
?Why, after all, what?s the harm of the poor dog?s wanting to be like his master; and if I haven?t brought him up any better than to find his chief good in cologne and cambric handkerchiefs, why shouldn?t I give them to him??
?And why haven?t you brought him up better?? said Miss Ophelia, with blunt determination
?Too much trouble,?laziness, cousin, laziness,?which ruins more souls than you can shake a stick atIf it weren?t for laziness, I should have been a perfect angel, myselfI?m inclined to think that laziness is what your old DrBotherem, up in Vermont, used to call the ?essence of moral evil It?s an awful consideration, certainly
?I think you slaveholders have an awful responsibility upon you,? said Miss Ophelia?I wouldn?t have it, for a thousand worldsYou ought to educate your slaves, and treat them like reasonable creatures,?like immortal creatures, that you?ve got to stand before the bar of God withThat?s my mind,? said the good lady, breaking suddenly out with a tide of zeal that had been gaining strength in her mind all the morning
?O! come, come,? said StClare, getting up quickly; ?what do you know about us?? And he sat down to the piano, and rattled a lively piece of musicClare had a decided genius for musicHis touch was brilliant and firm, and his fingers flew over the keys with a rapid and bird-like motion, airy, and yet decidedHe played piece after piece, like a man who is trying to play himself into a good humorAfter pushing the music aside, he rose up, and said, gayly, ?Well, now, cousin, you?ve given us a good talk and done your duty; on the whole, I think the better of you for itI make no manner of doubt that you threw a very diamond of truth at me, though you see it hit me so directly in the face that it wasn?t exactly appreciated, at first
?For my part, I don?t see any use in such sort of talk,? said Marie?I?m sure, if anybody does more for servants than we do, I?d like to know who; and it don?t do ?em a bit good,?not a particle,?they get worse and worseAs to talking to them, or anything like that, I?m sure I have talked till I was tired and hoarse, telling them their duty, and all that; and I?m sure they can go to church when they like, though they don?t understand a word of the sermon, more than so many pigs,?so it isn?t of any great use for them to go, as I see; but they do go, and so they have every chance; but, as I said before, they are a degraded race, and always will be, and there isn?t any help for them; you can?t make anything of them, if you tryYou see, Cousin Ophelia, I?ve tried, and you haven?t; I was born and bred among them, and I know
Miss Ophelia thought she had said enough, and therefore sat silentClare whistled a tuneClare, I wish you wouldn?t whistle,? said Marie; ?it makes my head worse?Is there anything else you wouldn?t wish me to do??
?I wish you would have some kind of sympathy for my trials; you never have any feeling for me
?My dear accusing angel!? said St
?It?s provoking to be talked to in that way
?Then, how will you be talked to? I?ll talk to order,?any way you?ll mention,?only to give satisfaction
A gay laugh from the court rang through the silken curtains of the verandahClare stepped out, and lifting up the curtain, laughed too
?What is it?? said Miss Ophelia, coming to the railing
There sat Tom, on a little mossy seat in the court, every one of his button-holes stuck full of cape jessamines, and Eva, gayly laughing, was hanging a wreath of roses round his neck; and then she sat down on his knee, like a chip-sparrow, still laughing
?O, Tom, you look so funny!?
Tom had a sober, benevolent smile, and seemed, in his quiet way, to be enjoying the fun quite as much as his little mistressHe lifted his eyes, when he saw his master, with a half-deprecating, apologetic air
?How can you let her?? said Miss shop Ophelia |