thought a moment, and in the meanwhile his shrewd wife said,--

"Why, husband, do you hesitate? Say this: 'What! I? and Bunker Hill
within a day's march of my house, and grandfather's old sword over my
library door?'"

"I am sick of hearing about Bunker Hill in this connection," said he.
"Any one would think that it is one of the 'sacred mountains' in Holy
Writ."

"But," said his wife, "If some of Paul's ancestors had had Bunker Hill
privileges and influences, do you think Paul would have written the
Epistle to Philemon? Unfortunate Apostle! Say," said his wife again,
before he spoke, "that you believe in progress, that that epistle might
have been right enough in its day, but that now 'we need an anti-slavery
Bible and an anti-slavery God.'"

She made up a very expressive smile as she said it and stretched her
work across her knee.

"Yes," said I, "the Bible is antiquated! God never gave a written
revelation to be a perpetual guide to the end of time! I can supersede
the Epistle to Philemon: Mrs. North, Hebrews; you, James; and another
the whole of the Old Testament."

"Now," said Mr. North, "I will tell you what I have been thinking of all
this time.

"I will put you into bondage in Algiers or Tunis. Somebody has bought
you or captured you. But by some means you escape to me at Gibraltar.
Now I will read 'Philemon' to you, and send you back to your Algerine
master. What objection can you make to this, as a believer in
inspiration?"

I answered, "If I were a slave in my own country, and slavery existed in
Algiers, you would need to consider the relation which existed between
this country and Algiers. If the governments had treaties with each
other, the surrender of persons held to service in either of the
countries would probably be provided for, and then you would have to
consider whether you would obey what is called the 'higher law,' or
yield me to the requisition of the proper authorities. This brings up
the question of the rendition of fugitive slaves, which we have just
considered.

"But being free in my own country, and having been, therefore,
unlawfully sold into Algerine Slavery, or having been captured, or
stolen, you would, I trust, make proper resistance in my behalf."

"But," said Mr. North, "The ancestors of my fugitive friend Nesimus,
were taken from freedom in their own land and were reduced to slavery.
Must he and his descendants be slaves forever for the sin of the
original captors, or