; "and what have you been
doing?"

"Nothing very recently. I broke my arm last spring, and was obliged to go
into the country for my health. I have not long returned."

"Do your pawents keep house?"

"Not at present. We are staying with a friend. Our house was burned down by
the rioters."

This conversation recalled so vividly their past trials, that Esther's eyes
grew watery, and she dropped her veil to conceal a tear that was trembling
on the lid.

"How vewy unfortunate!" said Mr. Western, sympathisingly; "vewy twying,
indeed!" then burying his chin in his hand, he sat silently regarding them
for a moment or two.

"Have you come to any decision about taking him?" Esther at last ventured
to ask of Mr. Twining.

"Taking him!--oh, dear me, I had almost forgot. Charles, let me see you
write something--here, take this seat."

Charlie sat down as directed, and dashed off a few lines, which he handed
to Mr. Twining, who looked at it over and over; then rising, he beckoned to
his partner to follow him into an adjoining room.

"Well, what do you say?" asked Western, after they had closed the door
behind them. "Don't you think we had better engage him?"

"Engage _him_!" exclaimed Twining--"why, you surprise me, Western--the
thing's absurd; engage a coloured boy as under clerk! I never heard of such
a thing."

"I have often," drawled Western; "there are the gweatest number of them in
New Orleans."

"Ah, but New Orleans is a different place; such a thing never occurred in
Philadelphia."

"Well, let us cweate a pwecedent, then. The boy wites wemarkably well, and
will, no doubt, suit us exactly. It will be a chawity to take him. We need
not care what others say--evewybody knows who we are and what we are?"

"No, Western; I know the North better than you do; it wouldn't answer at
all here. We cannot take the boy--it is impossible; it would create a
rumpus amongst the clerks, who would all feel dreadfully insulted by our
placing a nigger child on an equality with them. I assure you the thing is
out of the question."

"Well, I must say you Northern people are perfectly incompwehensible. You
pay taxes to have niggers educated, and made fit for such places--and then
won't let them fill them when they are pwepared to do so. I shall leave
you, then, to tell them we can't take him. I'm doosed sowwy for it--I like
his looks."

Whilst Mr. Western and his partner were discussing in one room, Charlie and
Esther were await