英语天堂-第24部分

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g　a　goodly　pile　of　cakes；　took　her　baby　on　her　lap；　and　began　alternately　filling　its　mouth　and　her　own；　and　distributing　to　Mose　and　Pete；　who　seemed　rather　to　prefer　eating　theirs　as　they　rolled　about　on　the　floor　under　the　table；　tickling　each　other；　and　ocomasionally　pulling　the　baby’s　toes。
“O！　go　long；　will　ye？”　said　the　mother；　giving　now　and　then　a　kick；　in　a　kind　of　general　way；　under　the　table；　when　the　movement　became　too　obstreperous。　“Can’t　ye　be　decent　when　white　folks　comes　to　see　ye？　Stop　dat　ar；　now；　will　ye？　Better　mind　yerselves；　or　I’ll　take　ye　down　a　button…hole　lower；　when　Mas’r　George　is　gone！
What　meaning　was　couched　under　this　terrible　threat；　it　is　difficult　to　say；　but　certain　it　is　that　its　awful　indistinctness　seemed　to　produce　very　little　impression　on　the　young　sinners　addressed。
“La；　now！”　said　Uncle　Tom；　“they　are　so　full　of　tickle　all　the　while；　they　can’t　behave　theirselves。”
Here　the　boys　emerged　from　under　the　table；　and；　with　hands　and　faces　well　plastered　with　molasses；　began　a　vigorous　kissing　of　the　baby。
“Get　along　wid　ye！”　said　the　mother；　pushing　away　their　woolly　heads。　“Ye’ll　all　stick　together；　and　never　get　clar；　if　ye　do　dat　fashion。　Go　long　to　de　spring　and　wash　yerselves！”　she　said；　seconding　her　exhortations　by　a　slap；　which　resounded　very　formidably；　but　which　seemed　only　to　knock　out　so　much　more　laugh　from　the　young　ones；　as　they　tumbled　precipitately　over　each　other　out　of　doors；　where　they　fairly　screamed　with　merriment。
“Did　ye　ever　see　such　aggravating　young　uns？”　said　Aunt　Chloe；　rather　complacently；　as；　producing　an　old　towel；　kept　for　such　emergencies；　she　poured　a　little　water　out　of　the　cracked　tea…pot　on　it；　and　began　rubbing　off　the　molasses　from　the　baby’s　face　and　hands；　and；　having　polished　her　till　she　shone；　she　set　her　down　in　Tom’s　lap；　while　she　busied　herself　in　clearing　away　supper。　The　baby　employed　the　intervals　in　pulling　Tom’s　nose；　scratching　his　face；　and　burying　her　fat　hands　in　his　woolly　hair；　which　last　operation　seemed　to　afford　her　special　content。
“Aint　she　a　peart　young　un？”　said　Tom；　holding　her　from　him　to　take　a　full…length　view；　then；　getting　up；　he　set　her　on　his　broad　shoulder；　and　began　capering　and　dancing　with　her；　while　Mas’r　George　snapped　at　her　with　his　pocket…handkerchief；　and　Mose　and　Pete；　now　returned　again；　roared　after　her　like　bears；　till　Aunt　Chloe　declared　that　they　“fairly　took　her　head　off”　with　their　noise。　As；　acomording　to　her　own　statement；　this　surgical　operation　was　a　matter　of　daily　ocomurrence　in　the　cabin；　the　declaration　no　whit　abated　the　merriment；　till　every　one　had　roared　and　tumbled　and　danced　themselves　down　to　a　state　of　composure。
“Well；　now；　I　hopes　you’re　done；”　said　Aunt　Chloe；　who　had　been　busy　in　pulling　out　a　rude　box　of　a　trundle…bed；　“and　now；　you　Mose　and　you　Pete；　get　into　thar；　for　we’s　goin’　to　have　the　meetin’。”
“O　mother；　we　don’t　wanter。　We　wants　to　sit　up　to　meetin’；—meetin’s　is　so　curis。　We　likes　’em。”
“La；　Aunt　Chloe；　shove　it　under；　and　let　’em　sit　up；”　said　Mas’r　George；　decisively；　giving　a　push　to　the　rude　machine。
Aunt　Chloe；　having　thus　saved　appearances；　seemed　highly　delighted　to　push　the　thing　under；　saying；　as　she　did　so；　“Well；　mebbe　’t　will　do　’em　some　good。”
The　house　now　resolved　itself　into　a　committee　of　the　whole；　to　consider　the　acomommodations　and　arrangements　for　the　meeting。
“What　we’s　to　do　for　cheers；　now；　I　declar　I　don’t　know；”　said　Aunt　Chloe。　As　the　meeting　had　been　held　at　Uncle　Tom’s　weekly；　for　an　indefinite　length　of　time；　without　any　more　“cheers；”　there　seemed　some　encouragement　to　hope　that　a　way　would　be　discovered　at　present。
“Old　Uncle　Peter　sung　both　de　legs　out　of　dat　oldest　cheer；　last　week；”　suggested　Mose。
“You　go　long！　I’ll　boun’　you　pulled　’em　out；　some　o’　your　shines；”　said　Aunt　Chloe。
“Well；　it’ll　stand；　if　it　only　keeps　jam　up　agin　de　wall！”　said　Mose。
“Den　Uncle　Peter　mus’n’t　sit　in　it；　cause　he　al’ays　hitches　when　he　gets　a　singing。　He　hitched　pretty　nigh　across　de　room；　t’　other　night；”　said　Pete。
“Good　Lor！　get　him　in　it；　then；”　said　Mose；　“and　den　he’d　begin；　‘Come　saints—and　sinners；　hear　me　tell；’　and　den　down　he’d　go；”—and　Mose　imitated　precisely　the　nasal　tones　of　the　old　man；　tumbling　on　the　floor；　to　illustrate　the　supposed　catastrophe。
“Come　now；　be　decent；　can’t　ye？”　said　Aunt　Chloe；　“an’t　yer　shamed？”
Mas’r　George；　however；　joined　the　offender　in　the　laugh；　and　declared　decidedly　that　Mose　was　a　“buster。”　So　the　maternal　admonition　seemed　rather　to　fail　of　effect。
“Well；　ole　man；”　said　Aunt　Chloe；　“you’ll　have　to　tote　in　them　ar　bar’ls。”
“Mother’s　bar’ls　is　like　dat　ar　widder’s；　Mas’r　George　was　reading　’bout；　in　de　good　book；—dey　never　fails；”　said　Mose；　aside　to　Peter。
“I’m　sure　one　on　’em　caved　in　last　week；”　said　Pete；　“and　let　’em　all　down　in　de　middle　of　de　singin’；　dat　ar　was　failin’；　warnt　it？”
During　this　aside　between　Mose　and　Pete；　two　empty　casks　had　been　rolled　into　the　cabin；　and　being　secured　from　rolling；　by　stones　on　each　side；　boards　were　laid　across　them；　which　arrangement；　together　with　the　turning　down　of　certain　tubs　and　pails；　and　the　disposing　of　the　rickety　chairs；　at　last　completed　the　preparation。
“Mas’r　George　is　such　a　beautiful　reader；　now；　I　know　he’ll　stay　to　read　for　us；”　said　Aunt　Chloe；　“’pears　like　’t　will　be　so　much　more　interestin’。”
George　very　readily　consented；　for　your　boy　is　always　ready　for　anything　that　makes　him　of　importance。
The　room　was　soon　filled　with　a　motley　assemblage；　from　the　old　gray…headed　patriarch　of　eighty；　to　the　young　girl　and　lad　of　fifteen。　A　little　harmless　gossip　ensued　on　various　themes；　such　as　where　old　Aunt　Sally　got　her　new　red　headkerchief；　and　how　“Missis　was　a　going　to　give　Lizzy　that　spotted　muslin　gown；　when　she’d　got　her　new　berage　made　up；”　and　how　Mas’r　Shelby　was　thinking　of　buying　a　new　sorrel　colt；　that　was　going　to　prove　an　addition　to　the　glories　of　the　place。　A　few　of　the　worshippers　belonged　to　families　hard　by；　who　had　got　permission　to　attend；　and　who　brought　in　various　choice　scraps　of　information；　about　the　sayings　and　doings　at　the　house　and　on　the　place；　which　circulated　as　freely　as　the　same　sort　of　small　change　does　in　higher　circles。
After　a　while　the　singing　commenced；　to　the　evident　delight　of　all　present。　Not　even　all　the　disadvantage　of　nasal　intonation　could　prevent　the　effect　of　the　naturally　fine　voices；　in　airs　at　once　wild　and　spirited。　The　words　were　sometimes　the　well…known　and　common　hymns　sung　in　the　churches　about；　and　sometimes　of　a　wilder；　more　indefinite　character；　picked　up　at　camp…meetings。
The　chorus　of　one　of　them；　which　ran　as　follows；　was　sung　with　great　energy　and　unction：
“Die　on　the　field　of　battle；
Die　on　the　field　of　battle；
　　　　　　Glory　in　my　soul。”
Another　special　favorite　had　oft　repeated　the　words—
“O；　I’m　going　to　glory；—won’t　you　come　along　with　me？
Don’t　you　see　the　angels　beck’ning；　and　a　calling　me　away？
Don’t　you　see　the　golden　city　and　the　everlasting　day？”
There　were　others；　which　made　incessant　mention　of　“Jordan’s　banks；”　and　“Canaan’s　fields；”　and　the　“New　Jerusalem；”　for　the　negro　mind；　impassioned　and　imaginative；　always　attaches　itself　to　hymns　and　expressions　of　a　vivid　and　pictorial　nature；　and；　as　they　sung；　some　laughed；　and　some　cried；　and　some　clapped　hands；　or　shook　hands　rejoicingly　with　each　other；　as　if　they　had　fairly　gained　the　other　side　of　the　river。
Various　exhortations；　or　relations　of　experience；　followed；　and　intermingled　with　the　singing。　One　old　gray…headed　woman；　long　past　work；　but　much　revered　as　a　sort　of　chronicle　of　the　past；　rose；　and　leaning　on　her　staff；　said—“Well；　chil’en！　Well；　I’m　mighty　glad　to　hear　ye　all　and　see　ye　all　once　more；　’cause　I　don’t　know　when　I’ll　be　gone　to　glory；　but　I’ve　done　got　ready；　chil’en；　’pears　like　I’d　got　my　little　bundle　all　tied　up；　and　my　bonnet　on；　jest　a　waitin’　for　the　stage　to　come　along　and　take　me　home；　sometimes；　in　the　night；　I　think　I　hear　the　wheels　a　rattlin’；　and　I’m　lookin’　out　all　the　time；　now；　you　jest　be　ready　too；　for　I　tell　ye　all；　chil’en；”　she　said　striking　her　staff　hard　on　the　floor；　“dat　ar　glory　is　a　mighty　thing！　It’s　a　mighty　thing；　chil’en；—you　don’no　nothing　about　it；—it’s　wonderful。”　And　the　old　creature　sat　down；　with　streaming　tears；　as　wholly　overcome；　while　the　whole　circle　struck　up—
“O　Canaan；　bright　Canaan
I’m　bound　for　the　land　of　Canaan。”
Mas’r　George；　by　request；　read　the　last　chapters　of　Revelation；　often　interrupted　by　such　exclamations　as　“The　sakes　now！”　“Only　hear　that！”　“Jest　think　on　’t！”　“Is　all　that　a　comin’　sure　enough？”
George；　who　was　a　bright　boy；　and　well　trained　in　religious　things　by　his　mother；　finding　himself　an　object　of　general　admiration；　threw　in　expositions　of　his　own；　from　time　to　time；　with　a　commendable　seriousness　and　gravity；　for　which　he　was　admired　by　the　young　and　blessed　by　the　old；　and　it　was　agreed；　on　all　hands；　that　“a　minister　couldn’t　lay　it　off　better　than　he　did；　that　“’t　was　reely　’mazin’！”
Uncle　Tom　was　a　sort　of　patriarch　in　religious　matters；　in　the　neighborhood。　Having；　naturally；　an　organization　in　which　the　morale　was　strongly　predominant；　together　with　a　greater　breadth　and　cultivation　of　mind　than　obtained　among　his　companions；　he　was　looked　up　to　with　great　respect；　as　a　sort　of　minister　among　them；　and　the　simple；　hearty；　sincere　style　of　his　exhortations　might　have　edified　even　better　educated　persons。　But　it　was　in　prayer　that　he　especially　excelled。　Nothing　could　exceed　the　touching　simplicity；　the　childlike　earnestness；　of　his　prayer；　enriched　with　the　language　of　Scripture；　which　seemed　so　entirely　to　have　wrought　itself　into　his　being；　as　to　have　become　a　part　of　himself；　and　to　drop　from　his　lips　unconsciously；　in　the　language　of　a　pious　old　negro；　he　“prayed　right　up。”　And　so　much　did　his　prayer　always　work　on　the　devotional　feelings　of　his　audiences；　that　there　seemed　often　a　danger　that　it　would　be　lost　altogether　in　the　abundance　of　the　responses　which　broke　out　everywhere　around　him。
While　this　scene　was　passing　in　the　cabin　of　the　man；　one　quite　otherwise　passed　in　the　halls　of　the　master。
The　trader　and　Mr。　Shelby　were　seated　together　in　the　dining　room　afore…named；　at　a　table　covered　with　papers　and　writing　utensils。
Mr。　Shelby　was　busy　in　counting　some　bundles　of　bills；　which；　as　they　were　counted；　he　pushed　over　to　the　trader；　who　counted　them　likewise。
“All　fair；”　said　the　trader；　“and　now　for　signing　these　yer。”
Mr。　Shelby　hastily　drew　the　bills　of　sale　towards　him；　and　signed　them；　like　a　man　that　hurries　over　some　disagreeable　business；　and　then　pushed　them　over　with　the　money。　Haley　produced；　from　a　well…worn　valise；　a　parchment；　which；　after　looking　over　it　a　moment；　he　handed　to　Mr。　Shelby；　who　took　it　with　a　gesture　of　suppressed　eagerness。
“Wal；　now；　the　thing’s　done！”　said　the　trader；　getting　up。
“It’s　done！”　said　Mr。　Shelby；　in　a　musing　tone；　and；　fetching　a　long　breath；　he　repeated；　“It’s　done！”
“Yer　don’t　seem　to　feel　much　pleased　with　it；　’pears　to　me；”　said　the　trader。
“Haley；”　said　Mr。　Shelby；　“I　hope　you’ll　remember　that　you　promised；　on　your　honor；　you　wouldn’t　sell　Tom；　without　knowing　what　sort　of　hands　he’s　going　into。”
“Why；　you’ve　just　done　it　sir；”　said　the　trader。
“Circumstances；　you　well　know；　obliged　me；”　said　Shelby；　haughtily。
“Wal；　you　know；　they　may　’blige　me；　too；”　said　the　trader。　“Howsomever；　I’ll　do　the　very　best　I　can　in　gettin’　Tom　a　good　berth；　as　to　my　treatin’　on　him　bad；　you　needn’t　be　a　grain　afeard。　If　there’s　anything　that　I　thank　the　Lord　for；　it　is　that　I’m　never　noways　cruel。”
After　the　expositions　which　the　trader　had　previously　given　of　his　humane　principles；　Mr。　Shelby　did　not　feel　particularly　reassured　by　these　declarations；　but；　as　they　were　the　best　comfort　the　case　admitted　of；　he　allowed　the　trader　to　depart　in　silence；　and　betook　himself　to　a　solitary　cigar。
Chapter　5
Showing　the　Feelings　of　Living　Property　on　Changing　Owners
Mr。　and　Mrs。　Shelby　had　retired　to　their　apartment　for　the　night。　He　was　lounging　in　a　large　easy…chair；　looking　over　some　letters　that　had　come　in　the　afternoon　mail；　and　she　was　standing　before　her　mirror；　brushing　out　the　complicated　braids　and　curls　in　which　Eliza　had　arranged　her　hair；　for；　noticing　her　pale　cheeks　and　haggard　eyes；　she　had　excused　her　attendance　that　night；　and　ordered　her　to　bed。　The　employment；　naturally　enough；　suggested　her　conversation　with　the　girl　in　the　morning；　and　turning　to　her　husband；　she　said；　carelessly；
“By　the　by；　Arthur；　who　was　that　low…bred　fellow　that　you　lugged　in　to　our　dinner…table　today？”
“Haley　is　his　name；”　said　Shelby；　turning　himself　rather　uneasily　in　his　chair；　and　continuing　with　his　eyes　fixed　on　a　letter。
“Haley！　Who　is　he；　and　what　may　be　his　business　here；　pray？”
“Well；　he’s　a　man　that　I　transacted　some　business　with；　last　time　I　was　at　Natchez；”　said　Mr。　Shelby。
“And　he　presumed　on　it　to　make　himself　quite　at　home；　and　call　and　dine　here；　ay？”
“Why；　I　invited　him；　I　had　some　acomounts　with　him；”　said　Shelby。
“Is　he　a　negro…trader？”　said　Mrs。　Shelby；　noticing　a　certain　embarrassment　in　her　husband’s　manner。
“Why；　my　dear；　what　put　that　into　your　head？”　said　Shelby；　looking　up。
“Nothing；—only　Eliza　came　in　here；　after　dinner；　in　a　great　worry；　crying　and　taking　on；　and　said　you　were　talking　with　a　trader；　and　that　she　heard　him　make　an　offer　for　her　boy—the　ridiculous　little　goose！”
“She　did；　hey？”　said　Mr。　Shelby；　returning　to　his　paper；　which　he　seemed　for　a　few　moments　quite　intent　upon；　not　perceiving　that　he　was　holding　it　bottom　upwards。
“It　will　have　to　come　out；”　said　he；　mentally；　“as　well　now　as　ever。”
“I　told　Eliza；”　said　Mrs。　Shelby；　as　she　continued　brushing　her　hair；　“that　she　was　a　little　fool　for　her　pains；　and　that　you　never　had　anything　to　do　with　that　sort　of　persons。　Of　course；　I　knew　you　never　meant　to　sell　any　of　our　people；—least　of　all；　to　such　a　fellow。”
“Well；　Emily；”　said　her　husband；　“so　I　have　always　felt　and　said；　but　the　fact　is　that　my　business　lies　so　that　I　cannot　get　on　without。　I　shall　have　to　sell　some　of　my　hands。”
“To　that　creature？　Impossible！　Mr。　Shelby；　you　cannot　be　serious。”
“I’m　sorry　to　say　that　I　am；”　said　Mr。　Shelby。　“I’ve　agreed　to　sell　Tom。”
“What！　our　Tom？—that　good；　faithful　creature！—been　your　faithful　servant　from　a　boy！　O；　Mr。　Shelby！—and　you　have　promised　him　his　freedom；　too；—you　and　I　have　spoken　to　him　a　hundred　times　of　it。　Well；　I　can　believe　anything　now；—I　can　believe　now　that　you　could　sell　little　Harry；　poor　Eliza’s　only　child！”　said　Mrs。　Shelby；　in　a　tone　between　grief　and　indignation。
“Well；　since　you　must　know　all；　it　is　so。　I　have　agreed　to　sell　Tom　and　Harry　both；　and　I　don’t　know　why　I　am　to　be　rated；　as　if　I　were　a　monster；　for　doing　what　every　one　does　every　day。”
“But　why；　of　all　others；　choose　these？”　said　Mrs。　Shelby。　“Why　sell　them；　of　all　on　the　place；　if　you　must　sell　at　all？”
“Because　they　will　bring　the　highest　sum　of　any；—that’s　why。　I　could　choose　another；　if　yo