will be perfectly so on the present occasion."

"What is it, master?" Phillis said, respectfully.

"I received a note, yesterday, from Mr. Dawson, about his servant Jim, who
ran away three weeks ago. He charges me with having permitted my servants
to shelter him for the night, on my plantation; having certain information,
that he was seen leaving it the morning after the severe storm we had about
that time. If you know any thing of it, Phillis, I require you to tell it
to me; I hardly think any of the other servants had opportunities of doing
so, and yet I cannot believe that you would so far forget yourself as to do
what is not only wrong, but calculated to involve me in serious
difficulties with my neighbors."

"I hope you will not be angry with me, master?" said Phillis, "but I can't
tell a lie; I let Jim stay in my room that night, and I've been mightily
troubled about it; I was afeard you would be angry with me, if you heard of
it, and yet, master, I could not help it when it happened."

"Could not help it! Phillis," said Mr. Weston. "What do you mean by that?
Why did you not inform me of it, that I might have sent him off?"

"I couldn't find it in my heart, sir," said Phillis, the tears coming in
her fine eyes. "The poor creature come in when the storm was at its worst.
I had no candle lit; for the lightning was so bright that I hadn't no call
for any other light. Bacchus was out in it all, and I was thinking he would
be brought in dead drunk, or dead in earnest, when all at once Jim burst
open the door, and asked me to let him stay there. I know'd he had run
away, and at first I told him to go off, and not be gitting me into
trouble; but, master, while I was sending him off such a streak of
lightning come in, and such a crash of thunder, that I thought the Almighty
had heard me turn him out, and would call me to account for it, when Jim
and me should stand before him at the Judgment Day. I told Jim he had
better go back to his master, that he wouldn't have any comfort, always
hiding himself, and afeard to show his face, but he declared he would die
first; and so as I couldn't persuade him to go home agin, I couldn't help
myself, for I thought it would be a sin and shame, to turn a beast out in
such a storm as that. As soon as the day began to break, and before, too, I
woke him up, and told him never to come to my cabin again, no matter what
happened. And so, master, I've told you the whole truth, and I am sure