, in the first place,
came from him.

She was aware, however, that there was less content and happiness on the
estate than there had been in the old times. Complaints had reached her
from time to time of overwork and harsh treatment. But upon inquiring
into these matters, Jonas had always such plausible reasons to give that
she was convinced he was in the right, and that the fault was among the
slaves themselves, who tried to take advantage of the fact that they had
no longer a master's eye upon them, and accordingly tried to shirk work,
and to throw discredit upon the man who looked after the interests of
their mistress; and so gradually Mrs. Wingfield left the management of
her affairs more and more in the hands of Jonas, and relied more
implicitly upon him.

The overseer spared no pains to gain the good will of Vincent. When the
latter declared that the horse he rode had not sufficient life and
spirit for him, Jonas had set inquiries on foot, and had selected for
him a horse which, for speed and bottom, had no superior in the State.
One of Mrs. Wingfield's acquaintances, however, upon hearing that she
had purchased the animal, told her that it was notorious for its vicious
temper, and she spoke angrily to Jonas on the subject in the presence of
Vincent. The overseer excused himself by saying that he had certainly
heard that the horse was high spirited and needed a good rider, and that
he should not have thought of selecting it had he not known that Mr.
Vincent was a first-class rider, and would not care to have a horse that
any child could manage.

The praise was not undeserved. The gentlemen of Virginia were celebrated
as good riders; and Major Wingfield, himself a cavalry man, had been
anxious that Vincent should maintain the credit of his English blood,
and had placed him on a pony as soon as he was able to sit on one. A
pony had been kept for his use during his holidays at his uncle's in
England, and upon his return Vincent had, except during the hours he
spent with his father, almost lived on horseback, either riding about
the estate, or paying visits to the houses of other planters.

For an hour or more everyday he exercised his father's horses in a
paddock near the house, the major being wheeled down in an easy-chair
and superintending his riding. As these horses had little to do and were
full of spirit, Vincent's powers were often taxed to the utmost, and he
had many falls; but the soil was light, and he