their places she stole to a window over the door by
which she had let the serenader in, softly opened it, and was alarmed
afresh to hear two voices.

The words of the one in the room were quite indistinguishable, but those
from the other on the outside, though uttered in a half whisper, were
clear enough.

"No, seh, I ain't dead-sho' who you is, but I has ezamine yo' hoss, an'
whilce I wouldn' swear you ah Mr. Pettigrew, thass the premonition I
espec' to espress to my frien' Mr. March, lessn you tell me now, an'
tell me true, who you ah.

"Yass, seh, I thought so. Yass, seh. No, seh, I know they ain't a minute
to lose, but still I think the time ain't quite so pow'ful pressin' to
me like what it is to you; I thought jess now I hyeard buggy-wheels, but
mebbe I didn't.

"Yass, seh, I _does_ think I has cause, if not to be mad, leas'wise to
be ve'y much paained. You fus' kiss the young lady I destine faw my
sultana, an' now you offeh me a briibe! Well, thass how I unde'stood it,
seh.

"Seh? No, seh! that wouldn't be high tone'! But I tell you what I will
do, seh. I'll let you out an' take yo' place an' make the young lady
think her on'y mistake was a-thinkin' she was mistakened.

"Seh? Yass, I'm jess that se'f-sacrificin'. I'm gen'ous as the whistlin'
win'. An' I'll neveh whisp' a breath o' all this shaameful procedu'e evm
to my dear frien' March, ef so be that--an' so long as--yo'
gratichude--seh?

"O nothin'. I wus jess a-listenin' ef that soun' was buggy wheels, but I
know that don't make no diff'ence to you, yo' courage is so vas'. I'm
the bravess o' the brave, myseff, an' yit jess to think o' takin' yo'
place fills me as full o' cole shivehs as a pup und' a pump.

"Seh? O I say I'll neveh whisp' it so long as yo' gratichude continue to
evince itseff fresh an' lively at the rate of evm on'y a few dollahs per
month as a sawt o' friendship's offerin'.

"Seh? I cayn't he'p it, seh; thass the ve'y bes' I can do; no otheh
co'se would be hon'able."

The listening maid heard the door unlock and open and beheld liberty
bartered for captivity with love for boot, and Mr. Pettigrew speed like
a phantom across the moonlight and vanish in the woods. Before she could
leave the window a sound of galloping hoofs told at last the coming of
John March. Cornelius had barely time to scamper out into the night when
the master of Widewood came trotting around the corner of the house and
thence off to the stable, never to know o