pa to let you go back, some time."

"Missis said that she would send down money for me, as soon as they
could get it together," said Tom. "I'm 'spectin, she will. Young Mas'r
George, he said he'd come for me; and he gave me this yer dollar as a
sign;" and Tom drew from under his clothes the precious dollar.

"O, he'll certainly come, then!" said Eva. "I'm so glad!"

"And I wanted to send a letter, you know, to let 'em know whar I was,
and tell poor Chloe that I was well off,--cause she felt so drefful,
poor soul!"

"I say Tom!" said St. Clare's voice, coming in the door at this moment.

Tom and Eva both started.

"What's here?" said St. Clare, coming up and looking at the slate.

"O, it's Tom's letter. I'm helping him to write it," said Eva; "isn't it
nice?"

"I wouldn't discourage either of you," said St. Clare, "but I rather
think, Tom, you'd better get me to write your letter for you. I'll do
it, when I come home from my ride."

"It's very important he should write," said Eva, "because his mistress
is going to send down money to redeem him, you know, papa; he told me
they told him so."

St. Clare thought, in his heart, that this was probably only one
of those things which good-natured owners say to their servants,
to alleviate their horror of being sold, without any intention of
fulfilling the expectation thus excited. But he did not make any audible
comment upon it,--only ordered Tom to get the horses out for a ride.

Tom's letter was written in due form for him that evening, and safely
lodged in the post-office.

Miss Ophelia still persevered in her labors in the housekeeping line. It
was universally agreed, among all the household, from Dinah down to the
youngest urchin, that Miss Ophelia was decidedly "curis,"--a term by
which a southern servant implies that his or her betters don't exactly
suit them.

The higher circle in the family--to wit, Adolph, Jane and Rosa--agreed
that she was no lady; ladies never keep working about as she did,--that
she had no _air_ at all; and they were surprised that she should be any
relation of the St. Clares. Even Marie declared that it was absolutely
fatiguing to see Cousin Ophelia always so busy. And, in fact, Miss
Ophelia's industry was so incessant as to lay some foundation for the
complaint. She sewed and stitched away, from daylight till dark, with
the energy of one who is pressed on by some immediate urgency; and then,
when the light faded, and the work was f