Alas! the picture had only been shifted to another light. Before
the revulsion of feeling had time to overpower me I was seized by my friend
the merchant.
"It's a regular play," he exclaimed.
He forced me to a seat on a pile of cheese-boxes, and facing me, began:
"Yesterday, the old lady," pointing to the picture, "came in. She took no
notice of her portrait, but said that she had failed to find you; that she
was anxious to hear what you had done about the Bureau business." (I had
forgotten it utterly.) "Well, I could tell her nothing, and she started to
go out just as a group opened the door to come in. Mammy made one of her
courtly bows, and gave place. The young lady who was one of the three
coming in, the others evidently her parents, said, in a loud whisper, 'Why,
it's she!' Mammy, who either did not hear or did not understand, was about
to pass out, when the young lady accosted her with, 'I beg your pardon, but
isn't that your portrait?'
"'I grant you grace, young mistiss, but sence I looks, hit is. Hit wuz did
by my young mahster, which he can do all kinds of pictures lovely.'
"'Your young master?' the young lady said--sweet voice, too; dev'lish
handsome girl--'your young master?' Then she said aside to the others,
'Isn't it charmingly interesting?'
"'Yes, 'm, I call him so.
Pages:
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152