Miss Gerty to
visit the green house, and congratulate him on his superiority as a
gardener.

When tea was over, Mrs. Miller dismissed the servants from the room,
then told her son-in-law what she had witnessed the previous night, and
demanded for her daughter that Isabella should be immediately sent out
of the State, and to be sure that the thing would be done, she wanted
him to give her the power to make such disposition of the woman and
child as she should think best. Gertrude was Mrs. Miller's only child,
and Henry felt little like displeasing a family upon whose friendship
he so much depended, and, no doubt, long wishing to free himself from
Isabella, he at once yielded to the demands of his mother-in-law. Mr.
Miller was a mere cipher about his premises. If any one came on
business connected with the farm, he would invariably say, "Wait tin I
see my wife," and the wife's opinion was sure to be law in every case.
Bankrupt in character, and debauched in body and mind, with seven
mulatto children who claimed him as their father, he was badly prepared
to find fault with his son-in-law. It was settled that Mrs. Miller
should use her own discretion in removing Isabella from her little
cottage, and her future disposition. With this understanding Henry and
Gertrude returned home. In the deep recesses of his heart the young man
felt that he would like to see his child and its mother once more; but
fearing the wrath of his mother-in-law, he did not dare to gratify his
inclination. He had not the slightest idea of what would become of
them; but he well knew that the old woman would have no mercy on them.

CHAPTER XIII

A HARD-HEARTED WOMAN.

With no one but her dear little Clotelle, Isabella passed her weary
hours without partaking of either food or drink, hoping that Henry
would soon return, and that the strange meeting with the old woman
would be cleared up.

While seated in her neat little bedroom with her fevered face buried in
her handkerchief, the child ran in and told its mother that a carriage
had stopped in front of the house. With a palpitating heart she arose
from her seat and went to the door, hoping that it was Henry; but, to
her great consternation, the old lady who had paid her such an
unceremonious visit on the evening that she had last seen Henry,
stepped out of the carriage, accompanied by the slave-trader, Jennings.

Isabella had seen the trader when he purchased her mother and sister,
and immedi