n her soul.

In the course of a few days the minister visited the kitchen again, and
found Chloe still averse to his proposition. If his spiritual ear had
been delicate, he would have noticed anguish in her pleading tone, when
she said: "Please, Massa Gordonmammon, don't say nothin' more 'bout it.
I don't _want_ to be married." But his spiritual ear was _not_ delicate;
and her voice sounded to him merely as that of a refractory wench, who
was behaving in a manner very unseemly and ungrateful in a bondwoman who
had been taken from the heathen round about, and brought under the
guidance of Christians. He therefore assumed his sternest look when he
said: "I supposed you knew it was your duty to obey whatever your
minister and your mistress tell you. The Bible says, 'He is the minister
of God unto you.' It also says, 'Servants, obey your masters in all
things'; and your mistress stands to you in the place of your deceased
master. How are you going to account to God for your disobedience to his
commands?"

Chloe, half frightened and half rebellious, replied, "I don't think
Missis would like it, if you made Missy Katy marry somebody when she
said she didn't want to be married."

"Chloe, it is very presumptuous in _you_ to talk in that way," rejoined
the minister. "There is no similarity between _your_ condition and that
of your young mistress. You are descended from Ham, Chloe; and Ham was
accursed of God on account of his sin, and his posterity were ordained
to be servants; and the Bible says, 'Servants, obey your masters in all
things'; and it says that the minister is a 'minister of God unto you.'
You were born among heathen and brought to a land of Gospel privileges;
and you ought to be grateful that you have protectors capable of
teaching you what to do. Now your mistress wants you to marry Tom, and I
want you to marry him; and we expect that you will do as we bid you,
without any more words. I will come again, Chloe; though you ought to
feel ashamed of yourself for giving your minister so much trouble about
such a trifling matter."

Receiving no answer, he returned to the sitting-room to talk with Mrs.
Lawton.

Chloe, like most people who are alone much of their time, had a
confirmed habit of talking to herself; and her soliloquies were apt to
be rather promiscuous and disjointed.

"Trifling matter!" said she. "S'pose it's trifling matter to _you_,
Massa Minister. Ugh! S'pose they'll _make_ me. Don't know nothin'