s agin he was a-standin' in de hall wid his eyes up de
staircase, an' he never stopped lookin' at me till I come down.'

"'Well, dat won't do you no harm, chile,' I says; 'a cat kin look at a
king.'

"Ole Sam was a-watchin' her, too, an' when she'd gone in her leetle
room an' shet de do' Sam says, 'I'll lay if Marse Tom Boling had
anythin' on his mind when he come here to-day it's mighty onsettled by
dis time.'

"Nex' time Dr. Tom Boling come he say to de mist'ess, 'Who's dat young
lady,' he says, 'dat opened de door for me las' time I was here? I
hoped to see her agin. Is she in?'

"Den dey bofe cooked up some lie' bout her bein' over to Mis' Morgan's
or somethin', an' as soon 's he was gone dey come down an' riz Sam for
not 'tendin' de door an' lettin' dat ragged fly-away gal open it. Den
dey went for Miss Nannie till dey made her cry, an' she come to me, an'
I took her in my lap an' comfo'ted her like I allers did.

"De nex' time he come he says, 'I hear dat yo'r niece, Miss Nannie
Barnes, is livin' wid you, an' dat she is ve'y 'sclusive. I hope dat
you'll 'suade her to come in de parlor,' he says. Dem was his ve'y
words. Sam was a-standin' close to him as I am to you an' he heared
him.

"'She ain't yet in s'ciety,' de mist'ess says, 'an' she's dat wild dat
we can't p'esent her.'

"'Oh! is dat so?' he says. 'Is she in now?'

"'No,' she says, 'she's over to Mis' Morgan's.'

"Dat was a fac' dis time; she'd gone dat very mawnin'. Den Miss Rachel
come down, an' co'se Sam didn't hear no mo' 'cause he had to go out.
Purty soon out de doctor come. Dese visits, min' ye, was gittin'
shorter an' shorter, though he do come as often, an' over he goes to
Mis' Morgan's hisse'f.

"Now I doan' know what he said to Miss Nannie, or what passed 'twixt
'em, 'cause she didn't tell me. Only dat she said he had come to see
Mis' Morgan 'bout some land matters, an' dat Mis' Morgan interjuced
'em, but nuffin mo'. Lord bless dat chile! An', suh, dat was de fust
time she ever kep' anythin' from her ole mammy. Dat made me mo' glad
'n ever. I knowed den dey was bofe hit.

"But my lah', de fur begin to fly when de mist'ess an' Miss Rachel
heared 'bout dat visit!

"'What you mean by makin' eyes at Dr. Boling? Don't you know he's good
as 'gaged to my daughter?' de mist'ess said. Dat was a lie, for he
never said a word to Miss Rachel; ole Sam could tole you dat. 'Git out
o' my house, you good-for-nothin' pauper, an' t