ow it was not difficult for the servants'-hall folks to perceive that
Mr. Gumbo was a liar, which fact was undoubted in spite of all his good
qualities. For instance, that day at church, when he pretended to read
out of Molly's psalm-book, he sang quite other words than those which
were down in the book, of which he could not decipher a syllable. And
he pretended to understand music, whereupon the Swiss valet brought him
some, and Master Gumbo turned the page upside down. These instances of
long-bow practice daily occurred, and were patent to all the Castlewood
household. They knew Gumbo was a liar, perhaps not thinking the worse
of him for this weakness; but they did not know how great a liar he
was, and believed him much more than they had any reason for doing, and
because, I suppose, they liked to believe him.

Whatever might be his feelings of wonder and envy on first viewing the
splendour and comforts of Castlewood, Mr. Gumbo kept his sentiments
to himself, and examined the place, park, appointments, stables, very
coolly. The horses, he said, were very well, what there were of them;
but at Castlewood in Virginia they had six times as many, and let
me see, fourteen eighteen grooms to look after them. Madam Esmond's
carriages were much finer than my lord's,--great deal more gold on the
panels. As for her gardens, they covered acres, and they grew every kind
of flower and fruit under the sun. Pineapples and peaches? Pineapples
and peaches were so common, they were given to pigs in his country. They
had twenty forty gardeners, not white gardeners, all black gentlemen,
like hisself. In the house were twenty forty gentlemen in
livery, besides women-servants--never could remember how
many women-servants,--dere were so many: tink dere were fifty
women-servants--all Madam Esmond's property, and worth ever so many
hundred pieces of eight apiece. How much was a piece of eight? Bigger
than a guinea, a piece of eight was. Tink, Madam Esmond have twenty
thirty thousand guineas a year,--have whole rooms full of gold and
plate. Came to England in one of her ships; have ever so many ships,
Gumbo can't count how many ships; and estates, covered all over with
tobacco and negroes, and reaching out for a week's journey. Was Master
Harry heir to all this property? Of course, now Master George was killed
and scalped by the Indians. Gumbo had killed ever so many Indians, and
tried to save Master George, but he was Master Harry's boy,--and