f affection in the world,--this child that she had tended
from infancy to womanhood. Troubles were gathering thick round her; how
soon they would break upon her, and blight or destroy her, no one could
tell; but there was nothing in all the catalogue of terrors which might
not come upon the household at any moment. Her own wits had sharpened
themselves in keeping watch by day and night, and her face had forgotten
its age in the excitement which gave life to its features.

"Doctor," old Sophy said, "there's strange things goin' on here by night
and by day. I don' like that man,--that Dick,--I never liked him. He
giv' me some o' these things I' got on; I take 'em 'cos I know it make
him mad, if I no take 'em; I wear 'em, so that he need n' feel as if I
did n' like him; but, Doctor, I hate him,--jes' as much as a member of
the church has the Lord's leave to hate anybody."

Her eyes sparkled with the old savage light, as if her ill-will to Mr.
Richard Veneer might perhaps go a little farther than the Christian limit
she had assigned. But remember that her grandfather was in the habit of
inviting his friends to dine with him upon the last enemy he had bagged,
and that her grandmother's teeth were filed down to points, so that they
were as sharp as a shark's.

"What is that you have seen about Mr. Richard Veneer that gives you such
a spite against him, Sophy?" asked the Doctor.

"What I' seen 'bout Dick Veneer?" she replied, fiercely. "I'll tell y'
what I' seen. Dick wan's to marry our Elsie,--that 's what he wan's; 'n'
he don' love her, Doctor,--he hates her, Doctor, as bad as I hate him!
He wan's to marry our Elsie, In' live here in the big house, 'n' have
nothin' to do but jes' lay still 'n' watch Massa Venner 'n' see how
long 't Ill take him to die, 'n' 'f he don' die fas' 'puff, help him some
way t' die fasser!--Come close up t' me, Doctor! I wan' t' tell you
somethin' I tol' th' minister t' other day. Th' minister, he come down
'n' prayed 'n' talked good,--he's a good man, that Doctor Honeywood, 'n'
I tol' him all 'bout our Elsie, but he did n' tell nobody what to do to
stop all what I' been dreamin' about happenin'. Come close up to me,
Doctor!"

The Doctor drew his chair close up to that of the old woman.

"Doctor, nobody mus'n' never marry our Elsie 's longs she lives! Nobody
mus' n' never live with Elsie but ol Sophy; 'n' ol Sophy won't never die
's long 's Elsie 's alive to be took care of. But I's