s. Come, let us go into the
house and let it alone."

"I want to know, first," said I.

"Daisy, I never asked. What have I to do with Darry's wages?"

"I will ask himself," I said; and I turned about to go to the stables.

"Stop, Daisy," cried Preston. "Daisy, Daisy! you are the most
obstinate Daisy that ever was, when once you have taken a thing in
your head. Daisy, what have you to do with all this? Look here--these
people don't want wages."

"Don't want wages?" I repeated.

"No; they don't want them. What would they do with wages? they have
everything they need given them already; their food and their clothing
and their houses. They do not want anything more."

"You said they did not have the food they liked," I objected.

"Who does?" said Preston. "I am sure _I_ don't--not more than one day
in seven, on an average."

"But don't they have any wages at all?" I persisted. "Our coachman at
Melbourne had thirty dollars a month; and Logan had forty dollars and
his house and garden. Why shouldn't Darry have wages, too? Don't they
have any wages at all, Preston?"

"Why, yes! they have plenty of corn, bread, and bacon, I tell you; and
their clothes. Daisy, they _belong_ to you, these people do."

Corn, bread, and bacon was not much like chickens and pound cake, I
thought; and I remembered our servants at Melbourne were very, very
differently dressed from the women I saw about me here, even in the
house. I stood bewildered and pondering. Preston tried to get me to go
on.

"Why shouldn't they have wages?" I asked at length, with lips which I
believe were growing old with my thoughts.

"Daisy, they are your servants; they _belong_ to you. They have no
right to wages. Suppose you had to pay all these creatures--seven
hundred of them--as you pay people at Melbourne: how much do you
suppose you would have left to live upon yourselves? What nonsense it
is to talk!"

"But they work for us," I said.

"Certainly. There would not be anything for any of us if they didn't.
Here, at Magnolia, they raise rice crops and corn, as well as cotton;
at our place we grow nothing but cotton and corn."

"Well, what pays them for working?"

"I told you! they have their living and clothing and no care; and they
are the happiest creatures the sun shines on."

"Are they willing to work for only that!" I asked.

"Willing!" said Preston.

"Yes," said I, feeling myself grow sick at heart.

"I fancy nobody asks them that questio