Dorothy's head between his hands, he pressed a reverential
kiss upon her brow. "I knew your father; he was a good man, a good
friend. Take my blessing." And to me he said: "Mind that you are always
a man with her and for her, and against all the world for her. She is
worth all your devotion."

The circumstances seemed to affect him profoundly. He turned away from
us, as if to hide his tears, leaving us standing in a group. Douglas
joined us and extended his congratulations, and we departed together,
Douglas to confer with Mr. Polk and the rest of us to return to the
Clayton mansion. For there was the wedding now to consider. I wanted to
take Dorothy back to Chicago with me.

Mrs. Clayton invited Douglas to take the evening meal at her house.
Dorothy joined in the request and I ventured to put in a word. Douglas
had to arrange then for a later call upon Mr. Polk.

CHAPTER XXXII

This dinner was the most delightful of occasions. Dorothy was in
brilliant spirits. And Mrs. Clayton shared in her daughter's happiness.
The colored servants, all slaves, affectionate and interested,
manifested their joy in all sorts of lively and profuse attentions. I
could hear them laughing in the kitchen. Mammy, the old cook, was
singing; Jenny, the maid, came in and out of the dining room with
dancing eyes, which she cast upon me, and scarcely less upon Douglas,
who was talking in his usual brilliant way. It was pleasing to me to
hear Mrs. Clayton agree with him about so many things. She was disturbed
by the slavery agitation. She feared for the peace of the Southern
States. She dreaded a negro rebellion. She commented upon the fact that
even the domestic slaves sometimes sulked or slacked; and that this was
due to the talk of the Abolitionists. It was hard enough to keep paid
laborers in good discipline; how much easier to encourage the negroes to
inattention to duty by attacks upon the system of slavery. But after
all, what was to be done?

Douglas referred to Calhoun's attempt to exclude abolition writings from
the mails. He referred to this without approving of it. For Calhoun had
conceded the lack of power in the Federal government to interfere with
the freedom of the press; but he contended that the states as sovereign
powers could prevent the distribution of such literature within their
borders. Everywhere it seemed to me the slavery question divided reason
and thinking against themselves and brought great minds into absu