he had quite forgotten
how to make some of the letters. Of those he did remember, he was not
quite sure which he ought to use. Yes, it was a very difficult thing
indeed.

While he was working away, breathing very hard over it, Eva came behind
him, and peeped over his shoulder.

'Oh, Uncle Tom! what funny things you are making there!'

Eva put her little golden head close to Uncle Tom's black one, and the
two began a grave and anxious talk over the letter. They were both very
earnest, and both very ignorant. But after a great deal of consulting
over every word, the writing began, they really thought, to look quite
like a proper letter.

'Yes, Uncle Tom, it begins to look beautiful,' said Eva, gazing on it
with delight. 'How pleased your wife will be, and the poor little
children! Oh, it is a shame that you ever had to go away from them! I
mean to ask papa to let you go back, some day.'

'Missis said that she would send down money for me, as soon as they
could get it together,' said Tom. 'Young Mas'r George, he said he'd come
for me. He gave me this dollar as a sign,' and Tom drew the precious
dollar from under his coat.

'Oh, he is sure to come, then,' said Eva, 'I am so glad.'

'I wanted to send a letter, you see, to let 'em know where I was, and
tell poor Chloe that I was well off, 'cause she felt so dreadful, poor
soul.'

'I say, Tom,' said Mr. St. Clare, coming in at the door at this minute.

Tom and Eva both started.

'What's this?' Mr. St. Clare went on, coming up and looking at the
slate.

'Oh, it's Tom's letter. I'm helping him to write it,' said Eva. 'Isn't
it nice?'

'I wouldn't discourage either of you,' said her father; 'but I rather
think, Tom, you had better let me write your letter for you. I'll do it
when I come home from my ride.'

'It is very important that he should write,' said Eva, 'because his
mistress is going to send money to buy him back again, you know, papa.
He told me they had said so.'

Mr. St. Clare thought in his heart that very likely this meant nothing.
He thought it was only one of these things which good-natured people
said to their slaves to comfort them when they were taken away from
their dear ones to be sold. He did not really believe Mrs. Shelby
meant to buy Tom back again. However, he did not say so out loud, but
just told Tom to get the horses ready for a ride.

That evening the letter was written, and Uncle Tom carried it joyfully
to the post-office.

[Ill