if they did not go
willingly, they would be marched down by a squad of soldiers, who would
not hesitate to help them along by a prod from a bayonet if they showed
the least disposition to lag behind. It took him longer to get through
with this disagreeable duty than he thought it would, for the blacks
hung around him, and clung to his hands as though they never expected to
see him again; but it was accomplished at last, and then Marcy turned
about, and rode back to the house to interview the coachman. He found
him wandering disconsolately about among the horses, too dispirited to
work. The two went out in the rain together, taking care to keep out of
sight of the sitting-room windows, and the faithful old darky astonished
the white boy by describing, almost word for word, as we have told it,
what had been said and done in Mrs. Brown's cabin that morning while Tom
Allison and Mark Goodwin were there. He said not a word until Morris
finished his story, and then he inquired:

"Where did you hear all this?"

"Marse Beardsley's niggah gal, Nancy, was dar, and heared and seen it
all wid her own eyes and ears," replied Morris. "She met me on de road
when I was coming home wid de mule and de mail, and done told me. Is dat
a fac' 'bout de money, Marse Marcy?"

The boy did not in the least doubt the truthfulness of the story. He
knew that the girl Nancy looked out for Mrs. Brown's comfort in a
shiftless sort of way; that long association with the old gossip had
made her a tolerable gossip herself; and that, although she was often
sent to the overseer on account of it, she kept on talking just the
same. Besides, Nancy could not have known about the money unless she had
heard somebody speak of it. And Mark Goodwin was sure it was concealed
in the cellar wall! That was the worst piece of news Marcy Gray had ever
listened to. He stood for some minutes looking down at the ground in
deep study, and then he seized the black man's arm and drew him closer
to him. He gave him some rapid whispered instructions, old Morris now
and then nodding, as if to show that he understood them perfectly, and
then they shook hands, as two brothers might have done, and separated.

At daylight the next morning there was not a single able-bodied black
man to be seen on Mrs. Gray's plantation, if we except the few who found
employment about the house, the working party having left hours before.
Marcy saw them from his window as they marched out of the gat