deferred before
that desire was gratified.

Peter the Great did indeed make a few efforts to meet with him again--
sometimes in company with George Foster, more frequently alone, and
occasionally he visited Hester--having been informed by his sister Dinah
where to find her--in order to tell of his want of success, and to
comfort her with earnest assurances that he would "neber forsake her,"
but would keep up a constant look-out for her fadder an' an eye on
herself.

Consideration for the girl's safety rendered it necessary that these
visits should be few and far between, and, of course, owing to the same
necessity, our middy was not permitted to visit her at all. Indeed,
Peter refused to tell him even where she was hiding, all the information
he condescended to give being that she was safe.

"You see, my dear," said Peter to Hester, in a paternal tone, on the
occasion of the first of these visits, "if I was to come yar oftin,
massa--spec'ally Osman--would 'gin to wonder, an' de moment a man 'gins
to wonder he 'gins to suspec', an' den he 'gins to watch; an' if it
comes to dat it's all up wid you an' me. So you mus' jest keep close
an' say nuffin till de tide 'gins to turn an' de wind blow fair. De
good Lord kin turn wind an' tide when He likes, so keep your heart up,
Geo'giana!"

As he uttered the last word the negro put his great hand on the girl's
shoulder and patted it.

"_What_ a good name Geo'giana am," he continued, bringing his eyes to
bear on the slender little black creature before him; "an' _what_ a good
nigger you would make if on'y you had an elegant flat nose an' bootiful
thick hips. Neber mind, you's better lookin' dan Sally, anyhow, an' no
mortal could guess who you was, eben if he was told to look hard at
you!"

"But oh, Peter, this is such an anxious, weary life," began Hester, with
a trembling lip.

"Now, hold on dar!" interrupted the negro, almost sternly; "you _mus'_
_not_ cry, whateber you do, for it washes off de black. You mus' larn
to cumtroul your feelin's."

"I will try," returned Hester, attempting to smile. "But it is not that
I am discontented with my lot, for they are as kind to me here as if
they were my mother and sister, and I like doing the embroidery work
very much--it's not that. It is the weary waiting, and hoping for, and
expecting news of my darling father--news which _never_ comes."

"Now, don't you t'ink like dat, Geo'giana, but larn to submit--submit--
das d