ng that pretty face for life, I wondered your laws did not protect
'these bound gals,' or 'white niggers,' as she calls them."

"You see, Hubbard," said Abel, "your philanthropy and Arthur's is very
contracted. He only feels sympathy for a pretty white face, you for a black
one, while my enlarged benevolence induces me to stand up for all female
'phizmahoganies,' especially for the Hottentot and the Madagascar ones, and
the fair sex of all the undiscovered islands on the globe in general."

"You don't think, then," said Mr. Hubbard, argumentatively, "that God's
curse is on slavery, do you?"

"In what sense?" asked Arthur. "I think that slavery is, and always was a
curse, and that the Creator intended what he said, when he first spoke of
it, through Noah."

"But, I mean," said Mr. Hubbard, "that it will bring a curse on those who
own slaves."

"No, _sir_," said Arthur, "God's blessing is, and always has been on my
father, who is a slaveholder; on his father, who was one; and on a good
many more I could mention. In fact, I could bring forward quite a
respectable list who have died in their beds, in spite of their egregious
sin in this respect. There are Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Marshall,
Calhoun, Henry Clay, and not a few others. In this case, the North, as has
been said, says to her sister South, 'Stand aside, for I am holier than
thou!' that is, you didn't need them, and got rid of them."

"We were all born free and equal," said Mr. Hubbard, impressively.

"Equal!" said Abel, "there is that idiot, with his tongue hanging out of
his mouth, across the street: was he born equal with you?"

"It strikes me," said Arthur, "that our slaves are not born free."

"They ought to be so, then," said Mr. Hubbard.

"Ah! there you arraign the Creator," said Arthur; "I must stop now."

"What do you think is the meaning of the text 'Cursed be Canaan, a servant
of servants shall he be unto his brethren,' Hubbard?" said Abel.

"I don't think it justifies slavery," said Hubbard.

"Well, what does it mean?" said Abel. "It must mean something. Now I am at
present between two doctrines; so I am neither on your nor on Arthur's
side. If I can't live one way I must another; and these are hard times. If
I can't distinguish myself in law, divinity, or physic, or as an artist,
which I would prefer, I may turn planter, or may turn Abolition agent. I
must do something for my living. Having no slaves I can't turn planter;
therefore