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much satisfaction. Poor Hester shuddered. "It is an awful place," she said faintly. "Yes, it am a awrful good place," said Dinah, with satisfaction. "Not easy to find you yar; an' if dey did git dis lengt' widout breakin' dere legs, dere's a nice leetil hole yar what you could git in an' larf to youself." She led the poor girl to the other end of the room, where, in a recess, there was a boarded part of the wall. Removing one of the boards, she disclosed an opening. "Das a small hole, Geo'giana, but it's big enough to hold _you_, an' when you's inside you've on'y got to pull de board into its place, and fix it--so." Setting down the candle, the woman stepped into the hole, and went through the performance that would devolve upon Hester in case of emergency. "But why leave me here at all?" pleaded Hester, when Dinah had exhausted her eulogy of the hiding-place. "Why not take me to your own home?" "Cause it's not so safe as dis," answered Dinah. "P'r'aps in time you may come dere--not now. Moreober, Missis Lilly is a fuss-rate creetur, most as good as myself, if her temper was a leetil more 'eavenly. But she's a winged serubim wid dem as don't rile 'er, an' she'll be awrful good to you for my sake an' Peter's. You see, we was all on us took by the pints at de same time, and we're all Christ'ns but ob course we don't say much about dat yar!" "And am I to be always dumb--never to speak at all?" asked Hester, in a rather melancholy tone. "Oh! no--bress you! It's on'y when you're in de front or outside dat you's dumb. When you's back yar you may speak to Lilly an' Sally much as you like, on'y not too loud; an' keep your eyes open, an' your ears sharp always. If you don't it's lost you will be. Don't forgit Osman!" Hester shuddered again; said that she would _never_ forget Osman, and would be as careful and attentive to orders as possible. "An' dey'll gib you a little work to do--not much--on'y a little. When peepil speak to you, just point to your ears and mout', an' shake your head. Das enuff. Dey won't boder you arter dat. Now, dearie, I must go. I'll come an' see you sometimes--neber fear. What's to become ob you in de long-run's more'n I kin tell, for it's Peter de Great as'll hab to settle dat kestion. You's in his hands. I knows not'ing, so you'll hab to be patient." Patient, indeed! Little did that poor painted slave think what demands would yet be made upon her patienc
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