, I went out to breathe the fresh morning air, without
speaking to any below. There was no one on the quarter-deck but the pilot,
who was at the helm; though I saw a pair of legs beneath the boom, close
in with the mast, that I knew to be Neb's, and a neat, dark petticoat that
I felt certain must belong to Chloe. I approached the spot, in tending to
question the former on the subject of the weather during his watch; but,
just as about to hail him, I heard the young lady say, in a more animated
tone than was discreet for the character of the conversation--

"No, _nebber_, sah--_nebber_, widout de apperbation of my modder and de
whole famerly. Mattermony a berry differ t'ing, Neb, from what you
surposes. Now, many a young nigger gentleman imagine dat he has only to
coax his gal to say 'yes,' and den dey goes to de clergy and stands up for
de blessin', and imagines all right for de futur', and for de present
time, all which is just a derlusion and a derception. No, sah; mattermony
a berry differ t'ing from _dat,_ as any old lady can tell you. De fuss
t'ing in mattermony, is to hab a _consent_."

"Well, Chloe, and hab'n't I had dis berry consent from you, now for most
two year?"

"Ay, dat not de consent I surposes. You wouldn't t'ink, Neb, ongrateful
feller, to get marry, widout first askin' do consent of Masser Mile, I
_do_ surpose! You, who has been his own waiter so long, and has gone to
sea wid him so often; and has saved his life; and has helped kill so many
hateful saverges; and has been on a desert conternent wid him."

"I nebber told you dat, Chloe--I said on an island."

"Well, what's the differ? You cannot tell me anyt'ing of edercation, Neb;
for I hab hear Miss Grace and Miss Lucy say deir lesson so often, dat I
sometime surposes I can say 'em all, one by one, almost as well as my
young lady, 'emselves. No, Neb; on _dat_ subjeck better be silent. You
been much too busy, ebber to be edercated; and, if I _do_ marry you,
remember I now tell you, I shall not enter into mattermony wid you on
account of any edercation you hab."

"All Clawbonny say dat we can make as good a couple, Chloe, as ebber stood
up togedder."

"All Clawbonny don't know much of mattermony, Neb. People talks
inderskrimernaterly, and doesn't know what dey says, too often. In de fuss
place my modder, my own born modder, upposes our uner, and dat is a great
differculty to begin wid. When a born modder upposes, a darter ought to
t'ink sebberal