this suppositious proceeding.

"And you even let your wife go?--that must have been hard."

"Well, seh, not to _say_ mah wife. Mah raght wife, she daid--an' then Ah
mahied this yeh light-shaded gehl fum th' quahtahs, an' she's wild an'
misled--yes, seh."

Again he was troubled, but I held him to it.

"You thought a good deal of her, didn't you, Clem?"

He studied a moment as he rearranged the roses in the bowl on the table,
seeking a way to let me understand. Then he sighed hopelessly.

"Well, Mahstah Majah, Genevieve she cyahed a raght smaht fo' me, also,
an' she mek it up fo' me t' come along t' town with huh. She sais Ah git
a mewl an' a fahm an' thousan' dollehs money fum yo' Nawthen President
an' we all live lahk th' quality. But, yo'-all see, th' ole Mahstah
Cunnel say when he go off to th' wah, 'Clem, yo' black houn', ef Ah
doan' eveh come back, these yeh ladies is lef in yo' pussenal chahge.
Yo' unde'stan' _that?_ Yo' go on an' _do_ fo' 'em jes' lahk Ah was yeh.'
An' young Mahstah Cap'n Bev'ly,--he's Little Miss's engaged-to-mahy
genaman,--he sais, 'Clem, ef Ah doan' neveh come back, Ah pray an'
entrus' yo'-all t' cyah fo' Miss Kate an' huh Maw jes lahk Ah was yeh on
th' spot.' An Ah said, 'Yes, seh,' an' they ain't neithah one a' them
eveh did come back. Mahstah Cunnel he daid by th' hand o' yo' Nawthen
President at th' battle a' Seven Pines, an' Mahstah Cap'n Bev'ly
Glentwo'th--yo' ole Mahstah Gen'al She'dan shoot him all t' pieces in
his chest one day. So theah Ah is--Ah _cain't_ leave--an' Genevieve
comes a' repohtin' huhse'f to mek mah rediments, 'cause we all free an'
go'n' a' go t' Richmond t' live high an' maghty, an' Ah sais, 'Ah'm Miss
Cahline's pussenal propity--Ah ain't no fiel' niggeh!' She sais, 'Is yo'
a' comin' aw is you _ain't_ a-comin'?' Ah sais, 'Ole Cunnel daid, young
Cap'n daid--yo' go 'long an' min' yo' own mindin's--'"

He paused to look out over the waters with shining eyes. After a bit he
said slowly, "Ah neveh thought Genevieve would go--but she did."

"Then what?"

"Well, seh, Ah stayed on th' place twell we moved oveh to Miss Cahline's
secon' cousin, Mahstah Cunnel Peavey, but they wa'n't nothin' theah, so
Ah sais t' Miss Cahline that Ah's goin' Nawth wheah all th' money is,
an' Ah send fo' huh. So she sais, 'Ve'y good, Clem--yo' all Ah got lef
t' mah name,' an' so Ah come off. Then afteh while Little Miss she git
resty an' tehible fractious an' she go off t' Baltimoah t' te