, "how shall they hear without a preacher?" and I had so little
chance to speak.

"Then, Margaret," said I at last, "is there no place where you can go
to hear about the things in the Bible?"

"No, missis; I never goes."

"And does not anybody, except Darry when he goes with the carriage?"

"Can't, Miss Daisy; it's miles and miles; and no place for niggers
neither."

"Can you read the Bible, Margaret?"

"Guess not, missis; we's too stupid; ain't good for coloured folks to
read."

"Does _nobody_, among all the people, read the Bible?" said I, once
more stopping Margaret in my dismay.

"Uncle Darry--he does," said the girl; "and he do 'spoun some; but I
don't make no count of his 'spoundations."

I did not know quite what she meant; but I had no time for anything
more. I let her go, locked my door and kneeled down; with the burden
on my heart of this new revelation; that there were hundreds of people
under the care of my father and mother who were living without church
and without Bible, in desperate ignorance of everything worth knowing.
If papa had only been at Magnolia with me! I thought I could have
persuaded him to build a church and let somebody come and teach the
people. But now--what could I do? And I asked the Lord, what could I
do? but I did not see the answer.

Feeling the question on my two shoulders, I went downstairs. To my
astonishment, I found the family all gathered in solemn order; the
house servants at one end of the room, my aunt, Miss Pinshon and
Preston at the other, and before my aunt a little table with books. I
got a seat as soon as I could, for it was plain that something was
waiting for me. Then my aunt opened the Bible and read a chapter, and
followed it with prayer read out of another book. I was greatly amazed
at the whole proceeding. No such ceremony was ever gone through at
Melbourne; and certainly nothing had ever given me the notion that my
Aunt Gary was any more fond of sacred things than the rest of the
family.

"An excellent plan," said Miss Pinshon, when we had risen from our
knees and the servants had filed off.

"Yes," my aunt said, somewhat as if it needed an apology;--"it was the
custom in my father's and grandfather's time; and we always keep it
up. I think old customs always should be kept up."

"And do you have the same sort of thing on Sundays, for the
out-of-door hands?"

"What?" said my aunt. It was somewhat more abrupt than polite; but she
probably felt