't answer to the advertisement at
all."

"O, George! but this is a dangerous game you are playing. I could not
have advised you to it."

"I can do it on my own responsibility," said George, with the same proud
smile.

We remark, _en passant_, that George was, by his father's side, of white
descent. His mother was one of those unfortunates of her race, marked
out by personal beauty to be the slave of the passions of her possessor,
and the mother of children who may never know a father. From one of the
proudest families in Kentucky he had inherited a set of fine European
features, and a high, indomitable spirit. From his mother he had
received only a slight mulatto tinge, amply compensated by its
accompanying rich, dark eye. A slight change in the tint of the skin
and the color of his hair had metamorphosed him into the Spanish-looking
fellow he then appeared; and as gracefulness of movement and gentlemanly
manners had always been perfectly natural to him, he found no difficulty
in playing the bold part he had adopted--that of a gentleman travelling
with his domestic.

Mr. Wilson, a good-natured but extremely fidgety and cautious old
gentleman, ambled up and down the room, appearing, as John Bunyan hath
it, "much tumbled up and down in his mind," and divided between his wish
to help George, and a certain confused notion of maintaining law and
order: so, as he shambled about, he delivered himself as follows:

"Well, George, I s'pose you're running away--leaving your lawful
master, George--(I don't wonder at it)--at the same time, I'm sorry,
George,--yes, decidedly--I think I must say that, George--it's my duty
to tell you so."

"Why are you sorry, sir?" said George, calmly.

"Why, to see you, as it were, setting yourself in opposition to the laws
of your country."

"_My_ country!" said George, with a strong and bitter emphasis; "what
country have I, but the grave,--and I wish to God that I was laid
there!"

"Why, George, no--no--it won't do; this way of talking is
wicked--unscriptural. George, you've got a hard master--in fact, he
is--well he conducts himself reprehensibly--I can't pretend to defend
him. But you know how the angel commanded Hagar to return to her
mistress, and submit herself under the hand;* and the apostle sent back
Onesimus to his master."**

* Gen. 16. The angel bade the pregnant Hagar return to her
mistress Sarai, even though Sarai had dealt harshly with
her.

**