hing they please. Coloured people can enjoy none of these advantages;
they are shut out from them entirely. Now which of the two would you rather
be--coloured or white?"

"I should much rather be white, of course," answered Clarence; "but I am
coloured, and can't help myself," said he, innocently.

"But, my child, we are going to send you where it is not known that you are
coloured; and you must _never, never_ tell it, because if it became known,
you would be expelled from the school, as you were from Miss Jordan's."

"I didn't know we were expelled," rejoined Clarence. "I know she sent us
home, but I could not understand what it was for. I'm afraid they will send
me from the other school. Won't they know I am coloured?"

"No, my child, I don't think they will discover it unless you should be
foolish enough to tell it yourself, in which case both Mr. Walters and
myself would be very much grieved."

"But suppose some one should ask me," suggested Clarence.

"No one will ever ask you such a question," said Mr. Balch, impatiently;
"all you have to do is to be silent yourself on the subject. Should any of
your schoolmates ever make inquiries respecting your parents, all you have
to answer is, they were from Georgia, and you are an orphan."

Clarence's eyes began to moisten as Mr. Balch spoke of his parents, and
after a few moments he asked, with some hesitation, "Am I never to speak of
mother? I love to talk of mother."

"Yes, my dear, of course you can talk of your mother," answered Mr. Balch,
with great embarrassment; "only, you know, my child, you need not enter
into particulars as regards her appearance; that is, you--ah!--need not
say she was a coloured woman. You _must not_ say that; you understand?"

"Yes, sir," answered Clarence.

"Very well, then; bear that in mind. You must know, Clarence," continued
he, "that this concealment is necessary for your welfare, or we would not
require it; and you must let me impress it upon you, that it is requisite
that you attend strictly to our directions."

Mr. Walters remained silent during most of this conversation. He felt a
repugnance to force upon the child a concealment the beneficial results of
which were the reverse of obvious, so he merely gave Clarence some useful
advice respecting his general conduct, and then permitted him to leave the
room.

The morning fixed upon for their departure for Sudbury turned out to be
cold and cheerless; and Clarence felt very g