"No deed, de lady in black be white as a lily. An angel come down from hebben, who try hard to mak Bill promise not to swear and not to gamble," (and Bill paused to rub his coat sleeve across his eyes). "Pears like she be one of those spirits de minister talk bout at church on Sunday nights."

"Will you take me to see her some day, Bill?"

Bill moved assent, placed some more glass on the table, cracked his fingers, danced a step or two, then continued—

"Believe I will be a good nigger, an stop all dese pranks, kissing Betty and courting Belle, and do just wat de lady in black tell me do, and mind, Miss Ida, oh! she talk serious to me de odder night."

"Who spoke seriously to you ?"

"Miss Ida, she gabe me a lecture." "Ida lecture?"

"Yah! mighty fine sermon, only Bill felt bilious, and went off to sleep."

"But you will take me to visit this lady in black, will you not?" said Amy.

"If Missie Brooklyne allow me, and you shall see all de darkies at school; a bery pretty sight dat; but, oh dere, you darkie girl, Betty's a coming," and Bill disappeared into the kitchen.

Amongst many darkies who came round Mrs. Brooklyne's dwelling were two girls, adopted children of Aunt Luloo, the laundress. Betty was jet black, with thorough negro features. Belle was a pretty, light quadroon. Betty and Belle both appeared very good friends with Bill; Betty was never against lending Bill a helping hand; even put her sable hands into the soap-suds, and occasionally washed the table napkins in order to allow Bill to what he termed exercise himself head downwards in Alice's swing; but Belle only tossed her pretty little head when Bill spoke soft words, and told him

"To go long and not tease her, or she would quaint his mistress."

207

"My heart be heaby, Miss Amy," sighed Bill one day; "dat Belle be de death ob me, sure."

"Then how about Betty?"

"Oh! you no understan poor Bill's trouble; it just be dis," and Bill groaned in spirit.

1

"I tell Betty dis morning dat I tought I would go away up de country, and Betty roar, kick up, and mak a noise, but Belle toss her head, and say right mean she hoped I would enjoy myself."

"What of that, Bill?"

"Oh dear! you not understan de trouble yet one bit. Dis be de difference: Betty want Bill for her sweetheart, but Bill want Belle, and Belle no want Bill."

"I thought that you liked Betty?"

"Yah, dat opinion of Miss Amy's be quite correct.

Bill

do like Betty, but em lubs Belle; does little white madam know de difference."

"Not exactly, Bill.”

"Well, den, I tell you how de case stand. Betty sometimes comes along by herself wid de clothes from de wash, an' Bill speak nice words to her, and Betty smile, and say I a bery smart boy; but when Belle-pretty Belle-come, Bill say no words at all, for dey all fasten in em throat an' mak em hab a bad cough; den when Betty an' Belle come together at de same time present, dere Bill scared em, fell quite ober done, an' just tuck under."

"Why tuck under, Bill?"

Bill looked round, whistled a few notes, then continued"For fear Betty chance to get jealous, an' tell tales to Belle. Oh dear! oh dear! de little white madam no knows

de trouble poor Bill be in."

"Poor fellow ?"

"Yah, dese be desperate times. Bill got a pain at em heart; em got a pain in em head; he not know wat em hab to do all along ob de lub em feels for dat saucy Belle."

CHAPTER XIX.

THE NEGRO SCHOOL.

"Is my pet in this room?" enquired old Uncle Festus, the negro cook, putting his woolly head in at the door of the apartment, where Amy, exhausted by many days of acute bodily agony, laid on a couch, trying, but all in vain, to find some repose.

"Yes, please, Miss Amy; de pet said she want to see me make cocoa nut and buck-wheat cake."

"Ida will be here in a moment.

change her book."

She only left me to

"Where, de madam-do you know Miss Amy?"

"Mrs. Brooklyne has gone into the city. Maud is in her room, if you require anything, Festus."

"It be de madam, I wants. Miss Maud not knows about de cakes."

"Well, Mrs. Brooklyne will not be very long. She promised me to return soon.

Uncle Festus hesitated, then said—

"Miss Amy be bery sick, her ole uncle fears-wishes he could take all de pain from her."

66 Do you, uncle?"

"I do dat. De darkies be all sorry when de English lady's ill."

“You and Bill are very kind, Festus; but I am sadly afraid you do not rest well at nights sleeping outside my room door?"

"You not say one word about dat. Darkies can sleep bery sweet on the floor when de hab a blanket. Uncle Festus feels comfortable when he rolls 'emself up, and lies down, just outside this door; for Miss Ida say she feels

safe when her ole uncle be near. Bill is a good boy. He likes to sleep where Miss Amy can call him, if she be bery ill; only Bill snores so hard, Festus 'specks he disturbs both Miss Amy and de pet." (Old Uncle Festus generally applied this term to Ida.)

66

'He does not annoy me, Festus; it is pain that keeps me awake."

"Don't know what poor ole Festus do when Capan St. John take you away; an' yet he be bery glad, for dis country be no place for Miss Amy and de pet."

Large tears filled the eyes of the negro man, and fell fast down his dark cheeks, as he spoke of the expected departure of Amy and Ida.

66

Fancy 'em not stay in dis place bery long after, for all will be lonesome widout his pets. Wish Festus were going ober de water too."

"Would you take your wife and children, uncle, all the long voyage?"

"Yes, if I could, Miss Amy, for England be a happy land poor darkie thinks.”

"Your wife is sick; is she not, Festus?"

'My ole woman be breaking her heart all ober de children her massa sold in de times ob slavery.”

Amy paused, then said

66

'It would soon kill me, Festus, to stay and listen to your people's sorrows. I have heard terrible tales.

believe they can be true?"

Do you

"Ah! Miss Amy, coloured people can tell you much, an' dat much be true, too true; but Uncle Festus hears em pet's foot coming along de dining-room, an' Miss Alice be wid her. Sure, dem two children be de joy ob dis ole man's hart."

"Are you going to make buck-wheat cake, uncle, said Ida?"

Yah; been awaiting for my pet. De kitchen all cleaned up."

"Are the tins clean, Festus ?"

Your ole uncle wash all ob dem dis day;

"Shall I come then, Festus, asked Ida ?"

Festus moved assent.

"You will not care being left a little time, will you, Amy?"

66

What, leave Miss Amy, for de kitchen be beautiful an' clean, her Uncle Festus put a chair beside de stove, an' a rug ober dat, and em going to take Miss Amy emself to watch de cocoa nut cake made. She can write down de receipt, whilst de pet and her uncle make de cake.”

"Will you go, Amy?"

"Very gladly, Ida."

"Then I will go too, chimed in Alice. I want to be with my own dear aunties."

So comfortably placed in the chair provided by Uncle Festus, and the kitchen door closed (for a slight breeze was blowing), Amy looked round, well pleased with the change from the couch and the lonely room. Uncle Festus stood, in clean white apron, beside a table. Now, reader, partial as I am to the memory of good old Festus, I cannot tell you that the said table looked white, nor was it entirely devoid of various articles belonging (unless under an optical delusion) to very different places. But, then, what have we to do with a cook's arrangements. Did not all those small matters belong to him, and could he not be master over his own domain; and if small sauce-pans stood ready for use on the top, instead of under the table, what is that to us; or, if Uncle Festus chose to keep the nutmeg along with the tobacco in his pocket, does that affect the thread of our story. Only, supposing any person should object to these small oversights, they had better not seek to visit Uncle Festus in his kitchen, but be content to praise the very excellently cooked contents of the dishes placed before them.

66

'Your ole uncle clean up dis kitchen all by emself," said