hillen, an' we's gettin' mos' too ole to start out
new for ourselves.'"

"Well, dear, I hope you assured him that he had nothing to fear on that
score."

"Certainly; I told him they were free to go or stay as they liked, and as
long as they were with, or near us, we would see that they were made
comfortable. Then he repeated, with great earnestness, that he loved us
all, and could never forget what you had done in restoring him to his
wife, and making them both so comfortable and happy."

"Yes, I think they have been happy with us; and probably it was the bitter
remembrance of the sufferings of his earlier life that made freedom seem
so precious a boon to him."

Going into the nursery half an hour later, Elsie was grieved and surprised
to find Chloe sitting by the crib of the sleeping babe, crying and sobbing
as if her very heart would break, her head bowed upon her knees, and the
sobs half-smothered, lest they should disturb the child.

"Why, mammy dear, what is the matter?" she asked, going to her and laying
a hand tenderly on her shoulder.

Chloe slid to her knees, and taking the soft white hand in both of hers,
covered it with kisses and tears, while her whole frame shook with her
bitter weeping.

"Mammy, dear mammy, what is it?" Elsie asked in real alarm, quite
forgetting for the moment the news of the morning, which indeed she could
never have expected to cause such distress.

"Dis chile don't want no freedom," sobbed the poor old creature at length,
"she lubs to b'long to her darlin' young missis: Uncle Joe he sing an'
jump an' praise de Lord, 'cause freedom come, but your ole mammy don't
want no freedom; she can't go for to leave you, Miss Elsie, her bressed
darlin' chile dat she been done take care ob ever since she born."

"Mammy dear, you shall never leave me except of your own free will," Elsie
answered, in tender soothing tones. "Come, get up, and don't cry any more.
Why, it would come as near breaking my heart as yours, if we had to part.
What could I or my babies ever do without our old mammy to look after our
comfort!"

"Bress your heart, honey, you'se allus good an' kind to your ole mammy,"
Chloe said, checking her sobs and wiping away her tears, as she slowly
rose to her feet; "de Lord bress you an' keep you. Now let your mammy gib
you one good hug, like when you little chile."

"And many times since," said Elsie, smiling sweetly into the tear-swollen
eyes of her faithful old nurse, and no