have a natural affinity for his shins; and even snowballs were aimed in that quarter, and parts of them would stick on the shin, flecking its blackness like almonds on a pudding. There were, however, reciprocities in the alliance, and we used to atone by many a treat for all the tricks we put on him. Great part of our pocketmoney went in supplying him with taffey or sugar, rum, and "baccy"his three great weaknesses. When propitiated by these offerings, he would admit us on wet days into the stable, and there and then tell us stories by the hour, sing nigger songs, dance nigger dances, and astonish us with tropic descriptions, which were marvellous to us as Arabian Night scenes, or the Adventures of Crusoe. He had his cronies, had Mister Quamino, and the old sexton was one of the chief; yet they seldom met without a tilting-match, and we generally managed to be present at the encounter. The morning salutation came off mostly somewhat after this manner :—

"Well, Massa Beelzebuub, how you do this morning? You berry busy. You plant plenty people this week? Me tink they not grow much after your planting-hi!

"Who be you calling Beelzebub, I should like to know?" returned the old sexton; "I think you're a deal more like 'un, with yer black carcass, and yer shiny eyes, and yer hair like a singed cat's back.'

"He! me daresay, Massa Will, you know berry well what him like. P'rhaps you see him berry often. He great friend of yours, eh!

Dis bad place for you, Massa Sexton; too healthy great deal. You go to de West Ingies, dere Yellow Jack grab hundreds of dem black niggers in one night, and you plant 'em all in one great pit. You berry happy then, Massa Will."

"It seemeth to me, Mister Quamino, that this Yellow Jack must be very queer disease. How is it that it always taketh the best, and leaves the refuse?"

"Where you hear that? why you tink so, Massa Beelzebuub?"

"Case," retorted his crony, "thee and thee maister was never tuk, and that's why I think so.' Having

VOL. LXXXIV.-NO. DXV.

thus broken his spear fairly, the old sexton would turn on his heel and resume his work.

Quamino, too, had his antipathies. The greatest of these was a retired tradesman, who had set up as gentleman, and affected to look with great disdain on "that black fellow," who in turn would never accord him the slightest sign of respect or deference, and lost no chance of throwing a sarcasm indirectly at him.

One day as he was driving home old Pepperpot, and had stopped to talk with us, the novus homo passed by, and, with a severe moral tone, said, "I wonder, young gentlemen, you can submit to such familiarities with a low black fellow like that!" Quamino answered not, but moved on, giving old Pepperpot at the same time two or three whacks, to which he responded in the usual style with kicks and snorts and flourishes of the tail. "Hi! hi!" said he, pretending to address the mule, "you berry proud, me tink, this morning, Massa Pepperpot. You forget, me tink, your fader were a jackass, hi!" and at the same time he goggled his great eyes at us, and gave the low guttural laugh of the nigger, like the rolling of pebbles set to music.

Such was the scene, such its features, such some of the elements of the vision which memory conjured

up.

How distinctly the characters live again-how vividly the old house, scene of joys, of happy hours, of trials and triumphs, rises before me-with the little mystery of gloom hanging over it.

The drama begins - the stage opens. The time was a spring morning. The air was fresh and sweet with the fragrance of grapes and wildings, and brought with it the healthy smell from the newly-turned mould of gardens. The hedges were gay with Lent lilies, and the blackthorn was everywhere shedding forth a crown of blossom, The sun shone brightly and merrily, playing in shadows on the graves, glancing on the windows of the church and schoolroom, glinting lights from the ivy on the wall, and striking out golden touches from the opening buds of the laburnum. The birdies were all in stir and twitter; the rooks cawed

X

have a natural affinity for his shins; and even snowballs were aimed in that quarter, and parts of them would stick on the shin, flecking its blackness like almonds on a pudding. There were, however, reciprocities in the alliance, and we used to atone by many a treat for all the tricks we put on him. Great part of our pocketmoney went in supplying him with taffey or sugar, rum, and "baccy".his three great weaknesses. When propitiated by these offerings, he would admit us on wet days into the stable, and there and then tell us stories by the hour, sing nigger songs, dance nigger dances, and astonish us with tropic descriptions, which were marvellous to us as Arabian Night scenes, or the Adventures of Crusoe. He had his cronies, had Mister Quamino, and the old sexton was one of the chief; yet they seldom met without a tilting-match, and we generally managed to be present at the encounter. The morning salutation came off mostly somewhat after this manner :

"Well, Massa Beelzebuub, how you do this morning? You berry busy. You plant plenty people this week? Me tink they not grow much after your planting-hi!"

"Who be you calling Beelzebub, I should like to know?" returned the old sexton; "I think you're a deal more like 'un, with yer black carcass, and yer shiny eyes, and yer hair like a singed cat's back."

Dis

"He! me daresay, Massa Will, you know berry well what him like. P'rhaps you see him berry often. He great friend of yours, eh! bad place for you, Massa Sexton; too healthy great deal. You go to de West Ingies, dere Yellow Jack grab hundreds of dem black niggers in one night, and you plant 'em all in one great pit. You berry happy then, Massa Will."

"It seemeth to me, Mister Quamino, that this Yellow Jack must be very queer disease. How is it that it always taketh the best, and leaves the refuse?"

66 Where you hear that why you tink so, Massa Beelzebuub?"

"Case," retorted his crony, "thee and thee maister was never tuk, and that's why I think so." Having

VOL. LXXXIV.-NO. DXV.

thus broken his spear fairly, the old sexton would turn on his heel and resume his work.

Quamino, too, had his antipathies. The greatest of these was a retired tradesman, who had set up as gentleman, and affected to look with great disdain on that black fellow," who in turn would never accord him the slightest sign of respect or deference, and lost no chance of throwing a sarcasm indirectly at him.

One day as he was driving home old Pepperpot, and had stopped to talk with us, the novus homo passed by, and, with a severe moral tone, said, "I wonder, young gentlemen, you can submit to such familiarities with a low black fellow like that!" Quamino answered not, but moved on, giving old Pepperpot at the same time two or three whacks, to which he responded in the usual style with kicks and snorts and flourishes of the tail. "Hi! hi!" said he, pretending to address the mule, “you berry proud, me tink, this morning, Massa Pepperpot. You forget, me tink, your fader were a jackass, hi!" and at the same time he goggled his great eyes at us, and gave the low guttural laugh of the nigger, like the rolling of pebbles set to music.

Such was the scene, such its features, such some of the elements of the vision which memory conjured up.

How distinctly the characters live again-how vividly the old house, scene of joys, of happy hours, of trials and triumphs, rises before me-with the little mystery of gloom hanging

over it.

The drama begins the stage opens. The time was a spring morning. The air was fresh and sweet with the fragrance of grapes and wildings, and brought with it the healthy smell from the newly-turned mould of gardens. The hedges were gay with Lent lilies, and the blackthorn was everywhere shedding forth a crown of blossom, The sun shone brightly and merrily, playing in shadows on the graves, glancing on the windows of the church and schoolroom, glinting lights from the ivy on the wall, and striking out golden touches from the opening buds of the laburnum. The birdies were all in stir and twitter; the rooks cawed

X

and fluttered round their nests in the trees by the old church-tower.

The air was full of scents and sounds-the world was full of life; and we, we boys, though too young to feel the power which, in spring, "turns a young man's fancy to thoughts of love," felt still the unrest and the movement, the issues and the impulses, of the young life which was growing around us. We were sitting about on the old stumps, debating on flies and collars-for marbles were out, and fishing was coming in with us and we were speculating on the coming of the salmon-spawn, the great event in our sporting era. Suddenly the back door of Trevenna's house opened, and forth came Quamino with a bound and a shout, as if he had been shot. Then recovering himself, he proceeded to dance a saraband; then would stop to give vent to several hi, hi, hi's, puffing them forth like blasts from a bellows; then would come on with a running dance, slapping his thighs, shouting out exclamations, and stopping every while in ecstasies of laughter.

66

Halloa, Quamino, what is the matter?" said we. "Is the devil dead?"

"Massa George, I really 'shamed of you speaking in dat are way. What de matter? Oh, golly! golly! plenty de matter. Never hear sich news since I war born. What you tink, gemmen?" he continued, drawing himself up with a look of grave importance. "God have been pleased to send my missus a little girl. It was born this morning; and Massa Trevenna he look so 'appy, I never see him look so as he took the leetle piccaninny in him arms, and said, God be praised, dere will be light on de hearth at last."" Then he went off with

"Come let us dance and sing,

And Barbadoes' bells shall ring." And as if in answer to the invocation, the church-bells struck out a merry peal, filling the air with joyous sound. "Oh golly, golly!-dat right. Ring away, good bells. Tell the news to all de people. Dis a great day for de house of Trevenna."

"I s'pose," suggested old Beelze

bub, who had been peeping over the churchyard hedge during this scene, "as how you will be head nuss now, Quamino."

"I hope, saar, that I shall do my best to help de lady who 'ficiates in dat 'pacity."

66

"The cheeld will be well off with thee for nuss, I think," rejoined the sexton. It only wants another black person for godfa'r, and 'twill be a blessed babby."

"I tink you forget your manners, Massa Will. You might 'spect my feelings on dis great 'casion, 'specially as Massa Trevenna hab give me de privilege to ask my friends to drink de young laady's health in a leetly ponch dis night."

The mention of punch converted old Will's gibes at once into most hearty congratulations, for he was always open to the temptation of a quiet debauch; and the prospect of a drinking-bout would always with him turn the balance betwixt saint and sinner.

66

"But how is it, Quamino,” said one of the boys, that you know anything about nursing? Where did you serve your apprenticeship to that business?"

"Why, saar, me once hab two lubbly piccaninnies of my own-black as a crow-very lubbly piccaninny; and when der moder was sick, or at de mill, me rock de cradle, and make de paap for dem; but Yellow Jack tak 'em both in one night. Poor piccaninnies!"

"But I thought," added his tormentor, "that you niggers were not allowed to have anything to do with your own babies; but that they were turned out to be suckled by the pigs or goats, or dragged up anyhow."

Dat what they say at 'mancipation meeting, saar; but it not trueit one great lie. De nigger, saar, hab de feeling of a man for him offspring, and der laadies raaly hab too much feeling. I know one black laady dat kill her piccaninny with kindness."

"How was that?" was shouted out on all sides.

"Why, I tell you, sir, dis laady see her piccaninny one night look berry paale, and see him shiver and shaake all over, and she say, 'Poor piccaninny, him berry cold; me put him

into de obben (oven) to keep him waarm. She put him in de obben, saar; and when she come in de marning, the piccaninny lie on him back, wid him mouth gaaping and him eye staring, 'tark and 'tiff as man-o'-war Buccra ;-him dead. She Ikill him wid too much kindness. Black laady raally hab too much heart. But now me go and fetch de sago and de gruel for de missus.” Off he went, and the bell sum

moned us to school; but ever during the day, as we passed to and fro, the house of Trevenna wore to us a different aspect. The thought that guardian angels, following in the train of the young soul, were hovering round the threshold, and keeping watch and ward over the light which had just gleamed on that lonely hearth, shed, perchance, a holiness and beauty over its gloomy exterior, and sublimed it to our sight.

Yes! holy is the sway, holy the influences, which the young life spreads around it. Mysterious the charm which its presence brings-the joy which it reflects the sanctity it extends over its little sphere. Strange power is there in this young lifestrange power to hallow misfortune, to beautify poverty, to soften pride, to hearten endeavour, to renew hope, to chasten worldliness, to inspire prayer. Strange is it, that this young life, so helpless, so weak, so innocent, should by its coming stir up men anew to work and toil-should incite men to pray who had seldom prayed before should rekindle hope in the embers of cold hearts-should relight love on fireless altars, and restore the strength of declining faith. Strange indeed, save that it seems to come as a message, a token from above, linking us with the spirit world-a claim on our care, yet a proof of our God's; a trust to our love, and the gift of His-a renewal, a refreshing of covenants and promises. Well is it when it is thus welcomed, thus accepted.

It seemed to be so in the home of Roger Trevenna. The light on the hearth diffused itself far and wide. The man himself stepped out of his exclusion and gloom, and stood more fairly in the circle of humanity; his soul looked out more brightly from his eye; his face lightened; his step was more elastic; and his voice was mellowed to a kindlier tone.

He

would now more frequently stop at our playground, and would look out on us furtively from over the hedge and palings, and would smile at our jokes and pranks, but he was still a novice in speaking to the schoolboy nature; he was yet new to the lessons which the young life was teaching him. To the poor he was another man. His charity was more genial; he had words and sympathies, would offer comfort and communion to them now. With those of his own degree the old reserve was as yet unrelaxed. It was not in one hour, or in one day, that the barriers and the outworks which he had raised up betwixt himself and the world could be undermined or shaken.

The light on the hearth beamed on the wife and mother with a gentle effect, radiating happiness on the calm, and beautifying her face by the expression of a spirit bathing in the sunshine of peace. She changed, as a picture does when moved from a bad light to a good one, all the soft touches and bright effects coming out and spreading a harmony of loveliness over the whole. From up that cradle bed came a blessing which followed her out and in, as a present joy brightening her home and her life.

The house itself seemed to throw off its gloom and seclusion, and open itself more to the sunlight and the world. Its first advance was the throwing down the lattice-work of