ain B----'s?" he asked, smiling.

"I believe he did, sir; but I assure you, _I_ said nothing of the kind,
and I think the black should not be blamed, under the circumstances."

"Oh, no; I don't blame him. I think he did a smart thing. He might have
said you were my grandmother, if it would have served you, for that low
fellow is as fractious as the devil, and dead sure on the trigger."

"You are very good, sir," I replied: "how did you hear of it?"

"A day or two afterward, B---- passed here on his way to Georgetown. I
had been riding out, and happened to be at the head of my avenue when
he was going by. He stopped, and asked if I knew you. Not knowing, then,
the circumstances, I said that I had met you casually at Bucksville, but
had no particular acquaintance with you. He rode on, saying nothing
further. The next morning, I had occasion to go to Georgetown, and at
Mr. Fraser's office, accidentally heard that Scip--who is well-known and
universally liked there--was to have a public whipping that evening.
Something prompted me to inquire into it, and I was told that he had
been charged by B---- with shielding a well-known abolitionist at
Conwayboro'--a man who was going through the up-country, distributing
such damnable publications as the New York _Independent_ and _Tribune_.
I knew, of course, it referred to you, and that it wasn't true. I went
to Scip and got the facts, and by stretching the truth a little, finally
got him off. There was a slight discrepancy between my two accounts of
you" (and here he laughed heartily), "and B----, when we were before the
Justice, remarked on it, and came d----d near calling me a liar. It was
lucky he didn't, for if he had, he'd have gone to h--l before the place
was hot enough for him."

"I cannot tell you, my dear sir, how grateful I am to you for this. It
would have pained me more than I can express, if Scip had suffered for
doing a disinterested kindness to me."

Early in the morning we were again on our way, and twelve o'clock found
us seated at a dinner of bacon, corn-bread, and waffles, in the "first
hotel" of Georgetown. The Charleston boat was to leave at three o'clock;
and, as soon as dinner was over, I sallied out to find Scip. After a
half-hour's search I found him on "Shackelford's wharf," engaged in
loading a schooner bound for New York with a cargo of cotton and
turpentine.

He was delighted to see me, and when I had told him I was going home,
and might never s