o had been out shopping, was
displaying before her certain samples of thin black stuffs.

"That will do," said Marie, selecting one; "only I'm not sure about its
being properly mourning."

"Laws, Missis," said Jane, volubly, "Mrs. General Derbennon wore just
this very thing, after the General died, last summer; it makes up
lovely!"

"What do you think?" said Marie to Miss Ophelia.

"It's a matter of custom, I suppose," said Miss Ophelia. "You can judge
about it better than I."

"The fact is," said Marie, "that I haven't a dress in the world that I
can wear; and, as I am going to break up the establishment, and go off,
next week, I must decide upon something."

"Are you going so soon?"

"Yes. St. Clare's brother has written, and he and the lawyer think that
the servants and furniture had better be put up at auction, and the
place left with our lawyer."

"There's one thing I wanted to speak with you about," said Miss Ophelia.
"Augustine promised Tom his liberty, and began the legal forms necessary
to it. I hope you will use your influence to have it perfected."

"Indeed, I shall do no such thing!" said Marie, sharply. "Tom is one of
the most valuable servants on the place,--it couldn't be afforded, any
way. Besides, what does he want of liberty? He's a great deal better off
as he is."

"But he does desire it, very earnestly, and his master promised it,"
said Miss Ophelia.

"I dare say he does want it," said Marie; "they all want it, just
because they are a discontented set,--always wanting what they haven't
got. Now, I'm principled against emancipating, in any case. Keep a negro
under the care of a master, and he does well enough, and is respectable;
but set them free, and they get lazy, and won't work, and take to
drinking, and go all down to be mean, worthless fellows, I've seen it
tried, hundreds of times. It's no favor to set them free."

"But Tom is so steady, industrious, and pious."

"O, you needn't tell me! I've see a hundred like him. He'll do very
well, as long as he's taken care of,--that's all."

"But, then, consider," said Miss Ophelia, "when you set him up for sale,
the chances of his getting a bad master."

"O, that's all humbug!" said Marie; "it isn't one time in a hundred that
a good fellow gets a bad master; most masters are good, for all the talk
that is made. I've lived and grown up here, in the South, and I
never yet was acquainted with a master that didn't treat his servants
well,