o;--thank you!"

Dodo looked up in amazement into the sweet young face; the blood rushed
to his cheeks, and the tears to his eyes.

"Here, Dodo," said his master, imperiously.

Dodo sprang and held the horse, while his master mounted.

"There's a picayune for you to buy candy with, Dodo," said Henrique; "go
get some."

And Henrique cantered down the walk after Eva. Dodo stood looking after
the two children. One had given him money; and one had given him what he
wanted far more,--a kind word, kindly spoken. Dodo had been only a
few months away from his mother. His master had bought him at a slave
warehouse, for his handsome face, to be a match to the handsome pony;
and he was now getting his breaking in, at the hands of his young
master.

The scene of the beating had been witnessed by the two brothers St.
Clare, from another part of the garden.

Augustine's cheek flushed; but he only observed, with his usual
sarcastic carelessness.

"I suppose that's what we may call republican education, Alfred?"

"Henrique is a devil of a fellow, when his blood's up," said Alfred,
carelessly.

"I suppose you consider this an instructive practice for him," said
Augustine, drily.

"I couldn't help it, if I didn't. Henrique is a regular little
tempest;--his mother and I have given him up, long ago. But, then, that
Dodo is a perfect sprite,--no amount of whipping can hurt him."

"And this by way of teaching Henrique the first verse of a republican's
catechism, 'All men are born free and equal!'"

"Poh!" said Alfred; "one of Tom Jefferson's pieces of French sentiment
and humbug. It's perfectly ridiculous to have that going the rounds
among us, to this day."

"I think it is," said St. Clare, significantly.

"Because," said Alfred, "we can see plainly enough that all men are
_not_ born free, nor born equal; they are born anything else. For
my part, I think half this republican talk sheer humbug. It is the
educated, the intelligent, the wealthy, the refined, who ought to have
equal rights and not the canaille."

"If you can keep the canaille of that opinion," said Augustine. "They
took _their_ turn once, in France."

"Of course, they must be _kept down_, consistently, steadily, as
I _should_," said Alfred, setting his foot hard down as if he were
standing on somebody.

"It makes a terrible slip when they get up," said Augustine,--"in St.
Domingo, for instance."

"Poh!" said Alfred, "we'll take care of that, in this co