s a-going to bear witness agin' you. He has turned
from the error of his ways, and now his noble southern heart is
a-burnin' to take vengeance on all the enemies of his beloved country.
Ain't it, Dan?--say yes," he hissed in his ear, giving him a second
slap, "or else--you know!"

"O Lord, yes!" ejaculated Dan, with a start of terror. "What Mr. Ropes
says is perfectly--perfectly--jes' so!"

"Your heart is a-burnin', ain't it?" said Silas.

"Ye--yes! I be durned if it ain't!" said Dan.

"This man," continued Ropes, who prided himself on being a great orator,
with power to "fire the southern heart," and never neglected an occasion
to show himself off in that capacity,--"this individgle ye see afore ye,
gentlemen,"--once more hitting Dan, this time with the toe of his boot,
gently, to indicate the subject of his remarks,--"was lately as
low-minded a peep as ever you see. He had no more conscience than to
'sociate with niggers, and sell 'em liquor, and even give 'em liquor
when they couldn't pay fur't; and you all know how he degraded himself
by takin' Combs's Pete into his house and doin' for him arter he'd been
very properly licked by the patrol. All which, I am happy to say, the
deluded man sincerely repents of, and promises to behave more like a
gentleman in futur'. Don't you, Dan?"

As Dan, attempting to speak, only gasped, Ropes administered a sharp
poke in his ribs, whispering fiercely,--

"Say you do, mighty quick, or I'll----!"

"O! I repents! I--I be durned if I don't!" said Dan.

"And now, as to you!" Silas turned on the schoolmaster. "Your offence in
gineral is bein' a northern abolitionist. Besides which, your offences
in partic'ler is these. Not contented with teachin' the Academy, which
was well enough, since it is necessary that a few should have larnin',
so the may know how to govern the rest,--not contented with that, you
must run the thing into the ground, by settin' up a evenin' school, and
offerin' to larn readin', writin', and 'rithmetic, free gratis, to
whosomever wanted to 'tend. Which is contrary to the sperrit of our
institootions, as you have been warned more 'n oncet. That's charge
Number Two. Charge Number Three is, that you stand up for the old rotten
Union, and tell folks, every chance you git, that secession, that noble
right of southerners, is a villanous scheme, that'll ruin the south, if
persisted in, and plunge the whole nation into war. Your very words, I
believe. Can you deny i