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282 UNCLE TOM’S CABIN; OR,

noisseurs in their various wares. A third one, on the other side,
still unoccupied, was surrounded by a group waiting the moment
of sale to begin. And here we may recognise the St. Clare ser-
vants, Tom, Adolph and others ; and there, too, Susan and Emme-
line, awaiting their turn with anxious and dejected faces. Various
spectators, intending to purchase or not intending, as the case
might be, gathered around the group, handling, examining and
commenting on their various points and faces with the same free-
dom that a set of jockeys discuss the merits of a horse.

“ Hulloa, Alf! what brings you here? said a young exquisite,
slapping the shoulder of a sprucely dressed young man, who was
examining Adolph through an eye-glass.

«“ Well, ‘I was wanting a valet, and I heard that St. Clare’s lot
was going. I thought I’d just look at his.”

“Catch me ever buying any of St. Clare’s people! Spoilt
niggers, every one! Impudent as the devil!” said the other.

‘Never fear that!” said the first. “If I get ‘em, I'll soon
have their airs out of them; they'll soon find that they’ve another
kind of master to deal with than Monsieur St. Clare. ’Pon my
word I'll buy that fellow. I like the shape of him.”

“ You'll find it'll take all you've got to keep him. He’s deu-
cedly extravagant !”

“Yes, but my lord will find that he can’t be extravagant with
me. Just let him be sent to the calaboose a few times, and
thoroughly dressed down! I'll tell you if it don’t bring him to a
sense of his ways! Oh, I'll reform him, up hill and down—
you'll see! I buy him, that’s flat !”

Tom had been standing wistfully examining the multitude of
faces thronging around him for one whom he would wish to eall
master; and, if you should ever be under the necessity, sir, of
selecting out of two hundred men one who was to become your:
absolute owner and disposer, you would perhaps realise, just as
Tom did, how few there were that you would feel at all comfort-
able in being made over to. Tom saw abundance of men, great
burly, gruff men; little, chirping, dried men ; long-favoured, lank,
hard men; and every variety of stubbed-looking, common-place
men, who pick up their fellow-men as one picks up chips, putting
them into the fire or a basket with equal unconcern, according to
their convenience ; but he saw no St. Glare. _

A little before the sale commenced, a short, broad, muscular
man, in a checked shirt considerably open at the bosom, and pan-
taloons much the worse for dirt and wear, elbowed his way
through the crowd, like one who is going actively into a business ;
and, coming up to the group, began to examine them systemati-
eally. From the moment that Tom saw him approaching, he felt
an immediate and revolting horror at him, that increased as he
came near. He was evidently, though short, of gigantic strength.
His round, bullet head, large, light-grey eyes, with their shaggy,