ly tinkin'," he abstractedly replied.

"And what are you thinking about?"

"I's wond'rin', massa, if de LORD mean de darkies in dose words of HIS
dat Massa B---- read dis mornin'."

"What words do you mean?

"Dese, massa: 'O dou 'fflicted! tossed wid de tempest, and habin no
comfort, behold, I will make you hous'n ob de fair colors, and lay dar
foundations wid safomires. All dy chil'ren shill be taught ob de LORD,
and great shill be dar peace. In de right shill dey be 'stablished; dey
shill hab no fear, no terror; it shan't come nigh 'em, and who come
against dem shill fall. Behold! I hab make de blacksmif dat blow de
coals, and make de weapons; and I hab make de waster dat shill destroy
de oppressors.'"

If he had repeated one of Webster's orations I could not have been more
astonished. I did not remember the exact words of the passage, but I
knew he had caught its spirit. Was this his recollection of the reading
heard in the morning? or had he previously committed it to memory? These
questions I asked myself; but, restraining my curiosity, I answered:
"Undoubtedly they are meant for both the black and the white."

"Do dey mean, massa, dat we shall be like de wite folks--wid our own
hous'n, our chil'ren taught in de schools, and wid weapons to strike
back when dey strike us?"

"No, Scipio, they don't mean that. They refer principally to spiritual
matters. They were a promise to _all the world_ that when the SAVIOUR
came, all, even the greatly oppressed and afflicted, should hear the
great truths of the BIBLE about GOD, REDEMPTION, and the FUTURE."

"But de SAVIOUR hab come, massa; and dose tings an't taught to de black
chil'ren. We hab no peace, no rights; nuffin but fear, 'pression, and
terror."

"That is true, Scipio. The LORD takes HIS own time, but HIS time will
_surely_ come."

"De LORD bless you, massa, for saying dat; and de LORD bless you for
telling dat big Cunnel, dat if dey gwo to war de brack man will be
FREE!"

"Did you hear what we said?" I inquired, greatly surprised, for I
remembered remarking, during the interview of the previous evening,
that our host carefully kept the doors closed.

"Ebery word, massa."

"But how _could_ you hear? The doors and windows were shut. Where were
you?"

"On de piazzer; and when I seed fru de winder dat de ladies war gwine, I
know'd you'd talk 'bout politics and de darkies--gemmen allers do. So I
opened de winder bery softly--you didn't har 'cause it rai