a hunnerd
when he died, an' we all knows Aun' Patsy is twice as ole as ole Jim."

"I'll wait here," said Master Junius, taking up a book. "I suppose she
will be back before long."

In about half an hour Uncle Isham came into the kitchen, his appearance
indicating that he had had a hurried walk, and told Letty that she had
better give Master Junius his supper without waiting any longer for her
mistress. "She ain't at Aun' Patsy's," said the old man, "and she's jus'
done gone somewhar else, and she'll come back when she's a mind to, an'
dar ain't nuffin else to say 'bout it."

Supper was eaten; a pipe was smoked on the porch; and Master Junius went
to bed in a room which had been carefully prepared for him under the
supervision of the mistress; but the purple sun-bonnet, and the umbrella
of the same color did not return to the house that night.

Master Junius was a quiet man, and fond of walking; and the next day he
devoted to long rambles, sometimes on the roads, sometimes over the
fields, and sometimes through the woods; but in none of his walks, nor
when he came back to dinner and supper, did he meet the elderly mistress
of the house to which he had come. That evening, as he sat on the top
step of the porch with his pipe, he summoned to him Uncle Isham, and
thus addressed the old man:

"I think it is impossible, Isham, that your mistress started out to meet
me, and that an accident happened to her. I have walked all over this
neighborhood, and I know that no accident could have occurred without my
seeing or hearing something of it."

Uncle Isham stood on the ground, his feet close to the bottom step; his
hat was in his hand, and his upturned face wore an expression of
earnestness which seemed to set uncomfortably upon it. "Mahs' Junius,"
said he, "dar ain't no acciden' come to ole miss; she's done gone cos she
wanted to, an' she ain't come back cos she didn't want to. Dat's ole
miss, right fru."

"I suppose," said the young man, "that as she went away on foot she must
be staying with some of the neighbors. If we were to make inquiries, it
certainly would not be difficult to find out where she is."

"Mahs' Junius," said Uncle Isham, his black eyes shining brighter and
brighter as he spoke, "dar's culled people, an' white folks too in dis
yer county who'd put on dere bes' clothes an' black dere shoes, an' skip
off wid alacrousness, to do de wus kin' o sin, dat dey knowed for sartin
would send 'em down to de dee