s of a man who was busily engaged with a boat, as if he were
making preparations to put to sea.

Now, whatever philosophers may say to the contrary, we hold strongly to
the opinion that likings and dislikings among men and women and children
are the result of some profound occult cause which has nothing whatever
to do with experience. No doubt experience may afterwards come in to
modify or intensify the feelings, but it is not the originating cause.
If you say it is, how are we to account for love at first sight? Beauty
has nothing necessarily to do with it, for men fall in love at first
sight with what the world calls plain women--happily! Character is not
the cause, for love assails the human breast, ofttimes, before the loved
object has uttered a word, or perpetrated a smile, or even fulminated a
glance to indicate character. So, in like manner, affection may arise
between man and man.

It was so on this occasion with Nigel Roy. As he stood abstractedly
gazing at the boatman he fell in love with him--at least he took a
powerful fancy to him, and this was all the more surprising that the man
was a negro,--a woolly-headed, flat-nosed, thick-lipped nigger!

We would not for a moment have it supposed that it is unnatural to love
such a man. Quite the reverse. But when such a man is a perfect
stranger, has never uttered a word in one's presence, or vouchsafed so
much as a glance, and is gravely, stolidly engaged in the unsavoury work
of greasing some of the tackling of a boat, it does seem unaccountable
that he should be unwittingly capable of stirring up in another man's
bosom feelings of ardent goodwill, to put it mildly.

After watching him for some time, Nigel under an almost involuntary
impulse shouted "Hullo!"

"Hullo!" replied the negro, looking up with a somewhat stern frown and a
pout of his thick lips, as much as to say--"Who are _you_?"

Nigel smiled, and made that suggestive motion with his forefinger which
signifies "Come here."

The frown fled and the pout became a smile as the negro approached,
wiping his hands on a piece of cotton-waste.

"What you want wi' _me_, sar?" he asked.

"Well, upon my word," said Nigel, somewhat perplexed, "I can't very
well say. I suppose something must have been in my mind, but--anyhow, I
felt a desire to have a talk with you; that is, if you can spare the
time."

The first part of this reply induced a slight recurrence of the frown
and pout, but at its conclusion t