ou got. Maybe we can swap' em and let me be yo'
slave."

"Don't, don't!" pleaded Virgie, pulling her hand very gently. "I'm
afeard of you; you clean the Bad Man's hat."

CHAPTER XX.

CASTE WITHOUT TONE.

Judge Custis was well out of town, riding to the north, when the little
reading-circle assembled, without his patronage, over the old store, and
the young minister directed it. In the warm afternoon the windows were
raised till Milburn's chill began to set in again, and they could hear
the mocking-bird, in his tree, tantalizing the great shaggy dog Turk by
whistling to him,

"Wsht! wsht! Come, sir! come, sir! Sic 'em! sic 'em! wh-i-it! sic 'em,
Turk! wsht! wh-i-i-t! Sirrah! Ha! ha!"

Turk would run a little way, run back, see nobody, watch all the windows
of the store, and finally he seemed to think the spot was haunted, or
unreliable in some way; for he would next run to the open store door,
and bark, run back, and, from a distance, watch the hollow dark within,
as if a vague enemy lived there, mocking his obedient nature and keeping
his mistress captive. Turk was a setter with mastiff mixing, worth a
little for the hunt and more for the watch, but as an ornament and
friend worth more than all; he was so impartial in his favors as to like
Aunt Hominy and Vesta about equally, and often slept in the kitchen
before the great chimney fire.

"Do we worry you, Mr. Milburn, by reading here?" Vesta asked.

"No, my darling. It is so kind of you to bring music to my poor loft."

William Tilghman opened his Bible at a place marked by a little
ribbon-backed bristol card, inscribed in Vesta's childhood by her
learning fingers, "Watch with me." He thought of his cousin, now
fluttering between her betrayal to this Pilate and her crucifixion, and
caught her eyes looking at the Bible-marker, as if saying to him and to
the forest maiden, "Watch with me."

Tilghman started the reading, Vesta followed, and Rhoda had to do her
part, also; but she required to labor hard to keep up, as the chapter
was in the Acts, descriptive of Paul's voyage towards Rome, and had
plenty of hard words and geography in it. At one verse, Rhoda's reading
was like this:

"And--when--we--had--sailed--slowl--li--many-days--and--scare--scare--skar
--skurse--I declar', Aunt Vesty, this print is blombinable!--scace--Oh,
yes, scacely--scarce--were--come--over--against--Ceni--Snide--Snid--Mr.
Tilghman, what is this crab-kine of word? Cnidus? Well,