. When it came to the fact of their being
claimed as slaves, Mr. King started. "Is such a thing possible in this
country?" he exclaimed. "Girls so elegant and accomplished as they
were!"

"Quite possible, sir," responded the Signor. "I have known several
similar instances in this city. But in this case I was surprised,
because I never knew their mother was a slave. She was a singularly
handsome and ladylike woman."

"How was it possible that Mr. Royal neglected to manumit her?"
inquired the young man.

"I suppose he never thought of her otherwise than as his wife, and
never dreamed of being otherwise than rich," rejoined the Signor."
Besides, you know how often death does overtake men with their duties
half fulfilled. He did manumit his daughters a few months before his
decease; but it was decided that he was then too deeply in debt to
have a right to dispose of any portion of his property."

"Property!" echoed the indignant young man. "Such a term applied to
women makes me an Abolitionist."

"Please not to speak that word aloud," responded the Italian. "I was
in prison several weeks on the charge of helping off those interesting
pupils of mine, and I don't know what might have become of me, if Mr.
Fitzgerald had not helped me by money and influence. I have my own
opinions about slavery, but I had rather go out of New Orleans before
I express them."

"A free country indeed!" exclaimed the young man, "where one cannot
safely express his indignation against such enormities. But tell me
how the girls were rescued from such a dreadful fate; for by the
assurance you gave me at the outset that they needed no assistance, I
infer that they were rescued."

He listened with as much composure as he could to the account of Mr.
Fitzgerald's agency in their escape, his marriage, Rosabella's devoted
love for him, and her happy home on a Paradisian island. The Signor
summed it up by saying, "I believe her happiness has been entirely
without alloy, except the sad fate of her sister, of which we heard a
few weeks ago."

"What has happened to her?" inquired Alfred, with eager interest.

"She went to the sea-shore to gather mosses, and never returned,"
replied the Signor. "It is supposed she slipped into the water and was
drowned, or that she was seized by an alligator."

"O horrid!" exclaimed Alfred. "Poor Floracita! What a bright, beaming
little beauty she was! But an alligator's mouth was a better fate than
slavery."

"A