NEGRO LIFE IN AMERICA. 145

realises, never can, and never will, what I suffer, and have for
years. If I was one of the complaining sort, or ever made any
fuss about my ailments, there would be some reason for it. Men
do get tired, naturally, of a complaining wife. But I’ve kept
things to myself, and borne, and borne, till St. Clare has got in
the way of thinking I can bear anything.”

Miss Ophelia did not exactly know what she was expected to
answer to this.

While she was thinking what to say, Marie gradually wiped
away her tears, and smoothed her plumage in a general sort of
way, as a dove might be supposed to make toilet after a shower,
and began a housewifely chat with Miss Ophelia, concerning cup-
boards, closets, linen-presses, store-rooms, and other matters, of
which the latter was, by common understanding, to assume the
direction—giving her so many cautions, directions, and charges,
that a head less systematic and business-like than Miss Ophelia’s
would have been utterly dizzied and confounded.

‘And now,” said Marie, ‘I believe I’ve told you everything ;
so that, when my next sick turn comes on, you'll be able to go
forward entirely, without consulting me; only about Eva—she
requires watching.”’

‘She seems to be a good child, very,” said Miss Ophelia; “I
never saw a better child.”

‘¢ Eva's peculiar,” said her mother, “very. There are things
about her so singular; she isn’t like me, now, a particle ;” and
Marie sighed, as if this was a truly melancholy consideration.

Miss Ophelia in her own heart said, ‘‘I hope she isn’t,” but
had prudence enough to keep it down.

‘Kiva always was disposed to be with servants; and I think
that well enough with some children. Now, I always played with
father’s little negroes—it never did me any harm. But Eva
somehow always seems to put herself on an equality with every
creature that comes near her. It’s a strange thing about the
child. I never have been able to break her of it. St. Clare, I
believe, encourages her in it. The fact is, St. Clare indulges
every creature under this roof but his own wife.”

Again Miss Ophelia sat in blank silence.

‘* Now, there’s no way with servants,” said Marie, “ but to put
them down, and keep them down. It was always natural to me,
from a child. - Eva is enough to spoil a whole house-full. What
she will do when she comes to keep house herself, I’m sure I
don’t know. 1 hold to being kind to servants—I always am; but
you must make ’em know their place. Eva never does; but there's
no getting into the child’s head the first beginning of an idea what
a@ servant's place is! You heard her offering to take care of me
nights, to let Mammy sleep! That's just a specimen of the
we ” child would be doing all the time, if she was left to

erself.”

10. L