that, I must find some way of rewarding you."

"Sir," said Ishmael, with gentle dignity, "I must beg you will not speak
to me of reward for a simple act of instinctive gallantry that any man,
worthy of the name, would have performed."

"But with you, young man, the case was different," said the judge
loftily.

"True, sir," replied our youth, with sweet and courteous dignity, "with
me the case was very different; because, with me, it was a matter of
self-interest; for the service rendered to Miss Merlin was rendered to
myself."

"I do not understand you, young man," said the judge haughtily.

"Pardon me, sir. I mean that in saving Miss Merlin from injury I saved
myself from despair. If any harm had befallen her I should have been
miserable; so you perceive, sir, that the act you are good enough to
term a great service was too natural and too selfish to be praised or
rewarded; and so I must beseech you to speak of it in that relation no
more."

"But what was my daughter to you that you should risk your life for her,
more than for another? or that her maimed limbs or broken neck should
affect you more than others?"

"Sir, we were old acquaintances; I saw her every day when I went to Mr.
Middleton's, and she was ever exceedingly kind to me," replied Ishmael.

"Oh! and you lived in that neighborhood?" inquired Judge Merlin, who
immediately jumped to the conclusion that Ishmael had been employed as a
laborer on Mr. Middleton's estate; though still he could not possibly
account for the refinement in Ishmael's manner nor the excellence of his
language.

"I lived in that neighborhood with my Aunt Hannah until Uncle Reuben
married her, when I accompanied them to this place," answered Ishmael.

"Ah! and you saw a great deal of Mr. Middleton and--and his family?"

"I saw them every day, sir; they were very, very kind to me."

"Every day! then you must have been employed about the house," said the
judge.

An arch smile beamed in the eyes of Ishmael as he answered:

"Yes, sir, I was employed about the house--that is to say, in the
schoolroom."

"Ah! to sweep it out and keep it in order, I suppose; and, doubtless,
there was where you contracted your superior tone of manners and
conversation," thought the judge to himself, but he replied aloud:

"Well, young man, we will say no more of rewards, since the word is
distasteful to you; but as soon as you can get strong again, I should be
pleased to give you work about