her an object of great
interest. The men, at least, seemed to think so; for they all became
most lively, grinned gloriously, their splendid white teeth contrasting
with their dark skins; my two friends became nearly frantic, the one in
mourning especially, when shaken by the agitation of her fat friend,
writhed her body in all directions. They both began shouting, "Glory!
Glory!" with a loud voice; and finally the younger one fell forward on
her face, in a sort of trance. After a time she got back upon her seat;
but I never witnessed such a state of excitement, except once, years
ago, when I saw a young woman in an epileptic fit. All this was
evidently in a sort of small camp-meeting style. August is the month for
these meetings when out of doors; but this was a minor one. The woman in
front grinned, and even laughed outright, having great hollows or
dimples in her cheeks. The young girl was really interesting, so
perfectly calm and so modest; never looking to the right or left. She
said she felt ashamed to appear before them all, but that she should not
be ashamed to appear before God: and whenever interrupted, she resumed
the thread of her narrative with the utmost composure. She ended after a
time, but remained standing before the preacher, who was seated, and
who proceeded to examine her as to whether she thought she was _really_
converted to God. Her answers were faint, as if from fatigue and
exhaustion, her narrative having been a very long one; but still there
was a quiet, unfaltering decision in her replies, which were given with
much humility of manner. I could not help sometimes doubting whether the
whole thing was really unprepared and extemporaneous, or whether she
might not have learnt her lesson and repeated it by rote, or whether, in
short, it might not have been a piece of acting. This impression lasted
only for a moment, for there was such an artless and modest manner in
the young girl, that I could not fail on the whole to give her the
fullest credit for sincerity, and was angry only with her black male
friends for requiring from her such a display of herself and her
feelings in a public congregation; which made me feel much for the young
girl throughout. After various warnings that she would meet with
difficulties, that she was joining a "plain set of old Baptist saints,"
&c., she said she wished and desired to do so. The preacher then asked,
almost in the words of the Liturgy, "Wilt thou be baptized?"