gnorance of the proximity of their neighbor.
The thicket which bounded the Cove and the growth of oaks and pines that
stretched along the narrow sandy spit of land quite to its extremity,
sufficiently accounted for the fact. The negro, therefore, after gazing
for several minutes at the two immovable vessels, turned his eye askance
on the earth, shook his head, and then burst into a laugh, which was so
noisy that it caused his sable partner to thrust her vacant and circular
countenance through an open window of the scullery of the villa, to demand
the reason of a merriment that to her faithful feelings appeared to be a
little unsocial.

"Hey! you alway' keep 'e queer t'ing to heself, Bonnie, but!" cried the
vixen. "I'm werry glad to see old bones like a hoe; an' I wonner dere ar'
time to laugh, wid 'e garden full of weed!"

"Grach!" exclaimed the negro, stretching out an arm in a forensic
attitude; "what a black woman know of politic! If a hab time to talk,
better cook a dinner. Tell one t'ing, Phyllis, and that be dis; vy 'e ship
of Captain Ludlow no lif' 'e anchor, an' come take dis rogue in 'e Cove?
can a tell dat much, or no?--If no, let a man, who understan' heself,
laugh much as he like. A little fun no harm Queen Anne, nor kill 'e
Gubbenor!"

"All work and no sleep make old bone ache, Bonnie, but!" returned the
consort. "Ten o'clock--twelve o'clock--t'ree o'clock, and no bed; vell I
see 'e sun afore a black fool put 'e head on a pillow! An' now a hoe go
all 'e same as if he sleep a ten hour. Masser Myn'ert got a heart, and he
no wish to kill he people wid work, or old Phyllis war' dead, fifty year,
next winter."

"I t'ink a wench's tongue nebber satisfy! What for tell a whole world,
when Bonnie go to bed? He sleep for heself, and he no sleep for 'e
neighborhood! Dere! A man can't t'ink of ebery t'ing, in a minute. Here a
ribbon long enough to hang heself--take him, and den remem'er, Phyllis,
dat you be 'e wife of a man who hab care on he shoul'er."

Bonnie then set up another laugh, in which his partner, having quitted her
scullery to seize the gift, which in its colors resembled the skin of a
garter-snake, did not fail to join, through mere excess of animal delight.
The effect of the gift, however, was to leave the negro to make his
observations, without any further interruption from one who was a little
too apt to disturb his solitude.

A boat was now seen to pull out from among the bushes that lined the