he precipice, her head hangin' over, and her eyes
lookin' down, and she all but ready to shoot out and launch away into
bottomless space, the ten commandments brought her right short up. Oh,
she sais, the sudden joy of that sudden stop swelled her heart so big,
she thought it would have bust like a byler; and, as it was, the great
endurin' long breath she drew, arter such an alfired escape, almost
killed her at the ebb, it hurt her so."

"But," said Mr. Hopewell, "how did the ten commandments save her? Do you
mean that figuratively, or literally. Was it her reliance on providence,
arising from a conscious observance of the decalogue all her life, or
was it a book containing them, that caught against some thing, and stopt
her descent. It is very interesting. Many a person, Sam, has been saved
when at the brink of destruction, by laying fast hold on the bible. Who
can doubt, that the commandments had a Divine origin? Short, simple and
yet comprehensive; the first four point to our duty to our Maker, the
last six, towards our social duties. In this respect there is a great
similarity of structure, to that excellent prayer given us--"

"Oh, Minister," said Mr. Slick, "I beg your pardon, I do, indeed, I
don't mean that at all; and I do declare and vow now, I wasn't a playin'
possum with you, nother. I won't do it no more, I won't, indeed."

"Well, what did you mean then?"

"Why I meant her ten fingers, to be sure. When a woman clapper claws her
husband, we have a cant tarm with us boys of Slickville, savin' she gave
him her ten commandments."

"And a very improper expression too, Sir," said Mr. Hopewell; "a very
irreverent, indecent, and I may say profane expression; I am quite
shocked. But as you say you didn't mean it, are sorry for it, and will
not repeat it again, I accept your apology, and rely on your promise. Go
on, Sir."

"Well, as I was a savin', the moment she found herself a coasting of it
that way, flounder fashion, she hung on by her ten com--I mean her ten
fingers, and her ten toes, like grim death to a dead nigger, and it
brought her up jist in time. But how to get back was the question? To
let go the hold of any one hand was sartain death, and there was nobody
to help her, and yet to hold on long that way, she couldn't, no how she
could fix it.

"So what does she do, (for nothin' equals a woman for contrivances), but
move one finger at a time, and then one toe at a time, till she gets
a new hold, and