The Project Gutenberg EBook of Clotelle, by William Wells Brown

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

Title: Clotelle
The Colored Heroine

Author: William Wells Brown

Release Date: July 1, 2008 [EBook #241]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CLOTELLE ***

Produced by Anthony J. Adam

CLOTELLE; OR, THE COLORED HEROINE.

A TALE OF THE SOUTHERN STATES.

By William Wells Brown

CLOTELLE

CHAPTER I. THE SOUTHERN SOCIAL CIRCLE

FOR many years the South has been noted for its beautiful Quadroon
women. Bottles of ink, and reams of paper, have been used to portray the
"finely-cut and well-moulded features," the "silken curls," the "dark
and brilliant eyes," the "splendid forms," the "fascinating smiles," and
"accomplished manners" of these impassioned and voluptuous daughters of
the two races,--the unlawful product of the crime of human bondage. When
we take into consideration the fact that no safeguard was ever thrown
around virtue, and no inducement held out to slave-women to be pure and
chaste, we will not be surprised when told that immorality pervades
the domestic circle in the cities and towns of the South to an extent
unknown in the Northern States. Many a planter's wife has dragged out
a miserable existence, with an aching heart, at seeing her place in the
husband's affections usurped by the unadorned beauty and captivating
smiles of her waiting-maid. Indeed, the greater portion of the colored
women, in the days of slavery, had no greater aspiration than that of
becoming the finely-dressed mistress of some white man. At the negro
balls and parties, that used to be so frequently given, this class of
women generally made the most splendid appearance.

A few years ago, among the many slave-women of Richmond, Va., who hired
their time of their masters, was Agnes, a mulatto owned by John Graves,
Esq., and who might be heard boasting that she was the daughter of an
American Senator. Although nearly forty years of age at the time of
which we write, Agnes was still exceedingly handsome. More than half
white, with long black hair and deep blue eyes, no one felt like
disputing with her when she urged her