and stamp her
feet, as if they had no rights in equity against her soul, having been
on vicious errands when they met their ends, and bankrupts in the court
of pity; but suddenly a helpless something would appear, and paralyze
her with its little wail, like a babeless mother or a motherless babe,
and, with her forehead wet with sweat of agony, she would affect to
chuckle, and would whisper, "Nothin' but niggers! nothin' more!"

Day brought her some relief, but also other cares, and of these the
chief was the care of money. She had been a spendthrift all her life,
and robbed mankind of life and liberty to enjoy the selfish dissipation
of spending their blood-money; and what had she bought with it? Nothing,
nothing. To spend it, only, she had wrecked her sex and her soul; to
spend it for such trifles as children want--candy and common ornaments,
a dance and a treat, a gift for some boor or forester or even negro she
was misleading, or to establish a silly reputation for generosity:
generous at the expense of human happiness, and of robbing people of
liberty and life, merely for spending-money!

Now she had none to appease the all-devouring greeds of habit
intensified by real necessity: no money to buy dainties or even liquor;
no money to spend upon the jailer's family and keep the reputation of
kindness alive; no money for decent apparel to appear in court; none to
corrupt the law or to hire witnesses and attorneys.

The two demons she had created alternately seized the day and the night:
the demon of money plagued her all day, the demon of murder pursued her
all night.

Every morning she had insatiate wants; all night she had remorseless
visitors; and, close before, the gallows filled the view, with the Devil
tying the noose.

That Devil she plainly saw, so busy on the gallows, fitting his ropes
and shrouds and long death-caps, and he evaded her, as if he had no
commerce with her now.

He was a cool and wistful man, perfectly happy in the prospect of
getting her, and not anxious about it, so sure was he of her soon and
complete possession.

He was always out in the jail-yard when she looked there, fixing his
ropes, sliding the nooses, examining the gallows, like a conscientious
carpenter; and in his complacent smile was an awful terror that froze
her dumb: he seemed so impersonal, so joyous, so industrious, as if he
had waited for her like a long creditor, and compounded the interest on
her sins till the inferna