e advice of his physician he sailed for the West India Islands,
hoping that the climate might have a beneficial effect upon him. At that
time I was twelve years old, and an only child. My mother had died some
years before, so that I was left quite alone in the world. I was sent
for a time to Virginia, to my mother's brother, who possessed a large
plantation and numerous slaves. Here I remained for six months. You will
remember that Aunt Chloe recognized me at first sight. You will not be
surprised at this when I tell you that she was my uncle's slave, and
that as a boy I was indebted to her for many a little favor which she,
being employed in the kitchen, was able to render me. As I told you at
the time, my real name is not Morton. It will not be long before you
understand the reason of my concealment.

"My father had a legal adviser, in whom he reposed a large measure of
confidence, though events showed him to be quite unworthy of it. On
leaving Boston he divided his property, which had been converted into
money, into two equal portions. One part he took with him. The other
he committed to the lawyer's charge. So much confidence had he in this
man's honor, that he did not even require a receipt. One additional
safeguard he had, however. This was the evidence of the lawyer's clerk,
who was present on the occasion of the deposit.

"My father went to the West Indies, but the change seemed only to
accelerate the progress of his malady. He lingered for a few months and
then died. Before his death he wrote two letters, one to my uncle and
one to myself. In these he communicated the fact of his having deposited
twenty-five thousand dollars with his lawyer. He mentioned incidentally
the presence of the lawyer's clerk at the time. I am a little surprised
that he should have done it, as not the faintest suspicion of the
lawyer's good faith had entered his thoughts.

"On receiving this letter my uncle, on my behalf, took measures to claim
this sum, and for this purpose came to Boston. Imagine his surprise and
indignation when the lawyer positively denied having received any such
deposit and called upon him, to prove it. With great effrontery he
declared that it was absurd to suppose that my father would have
entrusted him with any such sum without a receipt for it. This certainly
looked plausible, and I acknowledge that few except my father, who never
trusted without trusting entirely, would have acted so imprudently.

"'Where