at is all. I waked up one
night, and I--well, I just knew. That is all. Then I knew I had
been wrong."

"And it cost you everything."

"Just about everything in the world, I reckon, so far as worldly
goods go. I suppose you know what you and your little colonization
scheme have done to me?"

"But you--what do you mean?"

"Why, didn't you know that? Weren't Carlisle and Kammerer your
agents; and didn't Lily, our late disappearing slave and also late
lecturing fugitive yonder, represent them? Don't you really know
about that?"

"No, I had nothing to do with their operations."

"Do you mean to tell me that it was--Oh, I am glad you do not know
about it," he said soberly, "although I don't understand that part
of it."

"Won't you explain?" she besought him.

"Now, the truth is--and that is the main reason of all this popular
feeling against me here--that Lily, or these men, or people like
them, took away every solitary negro from my plantation, as well as
from two or three others neighboring me! They didn't stop to _buy_
my property--they just _took_ it! You see, Madam,"--he smiled
rather grimly,--"these northern abolitionists remain in the belief
that they have all the virtue and all the fair dealing in the
world. It has been a little hard on my cotton crop. I will not
have any crop this fall. I had no labor. I will not have any crop
next summer. With money at twelve per cent. and no munificent
state salary coming in,--that means rather more than I care to talk
about."

"And it was I--_I_ who did that for you! Believe, believe me, I
was wholly innocent of it! I did not know!--I did not! I did not!
I would not have done that to my worst enemy!"

"No, I suppose not; but here is where we come again to the real
heart of all of these questions which so many of us feel able to
solve offhand. What difference should you make between me and
another? If it is right for the North to free all these slaves
without paying for them, why should there be anything in my favor,
over any one of my neighbors? And, most of all, why should you not
be overjoyed at punishing me? Why am I not your worst enemy? I
differed from you,--I wronged you,--I harmed you,--I did everything
in the world I could to injure you. At least you have played even
with me. I got you Lily to take along. And I even once went so
far as to tell you my own notion, that the blacks ought to be
deported. Well, you got mine!"

"I never