dkerchief into his mouth, to avoid laughing
out right; while the poor gentleman (for it was the author himself),
drew back with a face alternately red and pale, with suppressed
indignation. His feelings must have been dreadful, for, during the rest
of his journey, he sat and regarded me with an air of such offended
dignity, that I must have appeared to him like some wicked ogress, ready
to devour, at one mouthful, him and his literary fame. He never opened
his mouth to speak to any of us after I had made this unfortunate
blunder, and I sat upon thorns, until a handsome plain carriage drove up
to the coach about a mile from T., and relieved us of his company.

"This circumstance made me feel so uncomfortable, that I never ventured
upon giving an opinion of the works of any living author to a stranger,
without having a previous knowledge of the person of the writer."

"He deserved what he got, for his egregious vanity," said Lyndsay. "For
my part, I do not pity him at all; and it afforded you a good lesson of
prudence for the future."

At this moment a young negro lad, fantastically dressed, and evidently
very much in love with himself, strutted past. As he swaggered along the
deck, rolling his jet black eyes from side to side, and showing his
white teeth to the spectators, an indolent-looking young man, dressed in
the extreme of fashion, called languidly after him--

"Hollo, Blacky! What colour's the Devil?"

"White," responded the negro, "and sports red whiskers, like you!"

Every one laughed; the dandy shrunk back, utterly confounded; while the
negro snapped his fingers, and crowed with delight.

"Hector, go down into the ladies' cabin, and wait there until I call for
you," cried Mrs. Dalton, in an angry voice; "I did not bring you here to
insult gentlemen."

"De Buckra affront me first!" returned the sable page, as he sullenly
withdrew.

"That boy grows very pert," continued his mistress, turning to Major F.;
"this is the consequence of the ridiculous stir made by the English
people against slavery. The fellow knows that he is free the moment that
he touches the British shores; and he thinks that he can show his
independence by disobeying my commands, and being insolent to his
superiors. I hope he will not take it into his head to leave me, for he
saves me all the trouble of taking care of the children."

The Major laughed, while Flora pitied the children, and wondered how any
mother could confide them to t