."

And, advancing on tiptoe, he lifted up a curtain that covered the
glass-door, and looked in. In a moment, laying his finger on his lips,
he made a silent gesture to Miss Ophelia to come and look. There sat the
two children on the floor, with their side faces towards them. Topsy,
with her usual air of careless drollery and unconcern; but, opposite to
her, Eva, her whole face fervent with feeling, and tears in her large
eyes.

"What does make you so bad, Topsy? Why won't you try and be good? Don't
you love _anybody_, Topsy?"

"Donno nothing 'bout love; I loves candy and sich, that's all," said
Topsy.

"But you love your father and mother?"

"Never had none, ye know. I telled ye that, Miss Eva."

"O, I know," said Eva, sadly; "but hadn't you any brother, or sister, or
aunt, or--"

"No, none on 'em,--never had nothing nor nobody."

"But, Topsy, if you'd only try to be good, you might--"

"Couldn't never be nothin' but a nigger, if I was ever so good," said
Topsy. "If I could be skinned, and come white, I'd try then."

"But people can love you, if you are black, Topsy. Miss Ophelia would
love you, if you were good."

Topsy gave the short, blunt laugh that was her common mode of expressing
incredulity.

"Don't you think so?" said Eva.

"No; she can't bar me, 'cause I'm a nigger!--she'd 's soon have a
toad touch her! There can't nobody love niggers, and niggers can't do
nothin'! _I_ don't care," said Topsy, beginning to whistle.

"O, Topsy, poor child, _I_ love you!" said Eva, with a sudden burst of
feeling, and laying her little thin, white hand on Topsy's shoulder;
"I love you, because you haven't had any father, or mother, or
friends;--because you've been a poor, abused child! I love you, and I
want you to be good. I am very unwell, Topsy, and I think I shan't live
a great while; and it really grieves me, to have you be so naughty. I
wish you would try to be good, for my sake;--it's only a little while I
shall be with you."

The round, keen eyes of the black child were overcast with
tears;--large, bright drops rolled heavily down, one by one, and fell on
the little white hand. Yes, in that moment, a ray of real belief, a ray
of heavenly love, had penetrated the darkness of her heathen soul! She
laid her head down between her knees, and wept and sobbed,--while the
beautiful child, bending over her, looked like the picture of some
bright angel stooping to reclaim a sinner.

"Poor Topsy!" said Eva, "d