nges flying in all directions! At the same time she began to storm
at her with a volubility of invective that astonished herself as well as
the amused bystanders. As for poor Hugh Sommers, the noise had
prevented him from hearing the word "father!" and all that met his eyes
was one black girl roughly using another. Alas! the poor man had been
by that time so much accustomed to witness acts of cruelty that the
incident gave him little concern. He passed doggedly onward to his
thankless, unremitting toil, which had been rendered all the more severe
of late in consequence of his despairing violence having compelled his
drivers to put the heavy irons on his limbs.

Meanwhile Sally, having made Hester pick up some of the oranges, seized
her by an arm and hurried her away. Nor did she desist scolding until
she had her fairly down in the back regions of their cellar-home.

"I will never forgive you!" exclaimed Hester, with flashing eyes,
doubling up her small fists, and apparently wishing that at least for
one quarter of an hour she might be transformed into a female Samson.

"Oh yes, you will," returned the negress coolly; "you'll forgib me when
I tells you dat I hab sab' your fadder's life, an' p'r'aps your own
too!"

"How? What do you mean?" demanded Hester, relaxing her little fists
slightly, though still coruscating in the region of the eyes.

"I means dat if you got hold ob yer fadder dat time, he bery likely grip
you tight an' refuse to part wid you at no price ebermore; so den, ob
course, dey tear him away, an' he kick up a shindy an' try to kill
somebody--p'r'aps _do_ it! Oh, its's allers de way. I's oftin seen it
wid the big strong men--an' your fadder am big. Dat was him, wasn't it,
wid de broad shoulders an' de nice face--a leetle wild-like, p'r'aps,
but no wonder--an' de grey beard?"

"Yes; that was him--my darling father!"

"Well, ob course dey take him away an' bastinado him till he die, or
strangle him, or frow him on de hooks; an' dey take you right away back
to Osman, or wuss. I doo'd it for de best, Geo'giana."

"Oh! Sally, dear, _dear_ Sally, forgive me! But it was such an awful
disappointment to be hurried away so, _just_ as I saw him. I--I--am
_very_ wicked, Sally, will you forgive me?" said poor little Hester,
bursting suddenly into tears, throwing her arms round her friend's neck
and kissing her.

"Forgib you, Geo'giana! Das not difficult to do, but I'll _neber_
forgib you if you