“That certainly would be something terrible,” Lettice commented gravely. “I don’t wonder you are scared; but you know it would be nearly as bad if you wasted away,--hungry, and couldn’t eat; thirsty, and couldn’t drink; and if your teeth were to drop out one by one, and if your eyes were to roll up into your head and never come down again; and if those you love wouldn’t love you, and if some one gave Jubal a charm so he’d hate you. You know what a cunjure woman can do.” Lutie burst into loud wails. “Oh, Miss Letty! Spare me, Lawd! Spare me! I a po’ mizzible sinner. What shall I do? What shall I do? Oh, Miss Letty, don’ let Aunt Hagar chawm Jubal, please, miss. I die fo’ yuh. I serve yuh han’ an’ foot.” “There, Lutie, there,” said Lettice, feeling that in her application of Jubal’s methods she had gone too far, “come here. Sit down there.” She put her hand on the girl’s shoulder. “You want to marry Jubal, I suppose. I knew he had been philandering about you for some time. Are you really fond of him?” Lutie’s wails subsided into a sniffle. “Yass, miss,” she answered meekly. “Well, then, I promise you that I will not let any harm come to him or you through anything you may tell me, if you tell the truth. And, moreover, I’ll get Aunt Hagar to make you a luck-ball, and I will not tell a living soul who it was that gave you the papers, as long as there is any danger coming to either of you from it. But if you don’t tell me the truth--then--” Lutie’s sobs were again on the increase. “Oh-h, Miss Letty, I sholy is hard pressed. I is skeert one way by ole Cockbu’n an’ turrer by de cunjurin’. I mos’ mo’ skeerter by de cunjurin’.” “But you won’t tell your mistress, who has always been good and kind to you, when you know it would save her a great deal of trouble? You won’t tell unless she threatens to punish you? Ah, Lutie, think what I might do to make you tell, if I were a hard mistress.” “Miss Letty, Miss Letty, ’deed, ma’am, I don’t want to do yuh so mean. Yuh won’t let Jubal come to no ha’m, will yuh, Miss Letty?” “No, I promised you, so far as I have any voice in it, I will not. Don’t make me repeat it, you disrespectful girl.” “Miss Letty, I so bothered in mah haid I fergits mah manners,” said Lutie, humbly. “I knows a lady lak yuh ain’ gwine tell me no story, an’ when yuh says nobody know, nobody ain’ gwine know. Miss Letty,--hit were Jubal hisse’f.” And again the girl lapsed into violent weeping, and the rocking back and forth continued. Lettice was very quiet for a moment. “There, Lutie,” she then said, “you needn’t cry any more. You are as safe as can be, and so is Jubal. I will not tell on him, but I want you to tell me all you know about it. Did any one give him the papers to give to your Marster William?”