time like a wild bird in
a cage, and the continual attempts to escape I was making, only bruised
my wings. It occurred to me one day to go to a certain minister who had
lately come to Portland, and whose looks pleased me, as did his wife's,
and tell them my story. This I did.

"Instead of receiving it as fiction, or doubting the strange parts of it
in a way to make me wish I had never spoken of them, they manifested the
greatest interest and sympathy, and promised me any assistance they
could give. This was the first recognition I had gotten from anyone as
being what I was; a woman held in bondage worse than that of African
slavery, by a man to whom she owed nothing, and in the midst of a free,
civilized, and Christian community. They were really and genuinely
shocked, and firmly determined to help me. I told them all the
difficulties in the way, and of the expedient I had almost decided upon,
to free my house from every one; for I thought that when his income
stopped, Mr. Seabrook would be forced to go away, and seek some other
means of living. They agreed with me that there appeared no better way,
and I decided to attempt it.

"It did not take long, of course, to drive away the boarders, for they
were there only to eat; and when provisions entirely failed, or were
uncooked, there was nothing to be done but to go where they could be
better served. I did not feel very comfortable over it, as many of them
were men I liked and respected, whose ill opinion it was disagreeable to
incur, even in a righteous cause; and then no woman likes to be the talk
of the town, as I knew I must be. The 'town talk,' as it happened, in
time suggested my further course to me.

"Pray tell me if Mr. Seabrook followed the boarders, or did he stay and
compel you to cook for him?"

"He stayed, but he did not compel me to cook for him. That I
peremptorily refused to do. Neither would I buy any supplies. If he
wanted a meal, he must go out, get his provisions, and cook them for
himself. Then he refused to buy anything to come in the house, lest I
should share _his_ plenty. This reduced our rations to nothing. I used
to take Benton out and buy him good, wholesome food, myself eating as
little as would support nature. Occasionally, now that I had time on my
hands, I spent a day out among my few visiting acquaintances; and
sometimes I took a meal with my German friend. In this way I compelled
my former master to look out for himself.

"One nig