'Not if she forbids it, Savanna; and if her child's life should be endangered by it?' 'O, no, to be sure not,' cried the tawny boy, who doted upon Editha, and, having fetched her back from the next house, was lulling her to sleep in his arms. Colonel Mordaunt started at sight of the child, and, stooping down to kiss its rosy cheek, sighed deeply as he turned away again. 'Well,' cried Savanna, 'you talk very strange--me no understand.' 'But you shall, my excellent creature,' replied the colonel, 'immediately.' He then entered on a full explanation to Savanna; who had no sooner heard that her mistress feared that she had been so much exposed to the infection of the small-pox, as to make her certain of giving it to her child, than she exclaimed, 'Oh, my good God! save and protect her own self! She never have it, and she may get it and die!' 'Surely you must be mistaken,' replied the colonel, 'Mrs Berrendale must have recollected and mentioned her own danger if this be the case.' 'She!' hastily interrupted the mulatto, 'she tink of herself! Never--she only mind others' good. Do you tink, if she be one selfish beast like her husban, Savanna love her so dear? No, Mr Colonel, me know her, and me know though we may save the child we may lose the mother.' Here she began to weep bitterly; while the colonel, more in love than ever with Adeline from these proofs of her goodness, resolved to lose no time in urging her to undergo herself the operation which she desired for Editha. Then, begging the mulatto to send for a surgeon directly, in spite of the tears of the tawny boy, who thought it cruel to run the risk of spoiling Miss Editha's pretty face, he took his leave, saying to himself, 'What a heart has this Adeline! how capable of feeling affection! for no one can inspire it who is not able to feel it: and this creature is thrown away on a man undeserving her, it seems!' On this intelligence he continued to muse till he arrived at Adeline's lodgings, to whom he communicated all that had passed; and from whom he learned, with great anxiety, that it was but too true that she had never had the small-pox; and that, therefore, she should probably show symptoms of the disease in a few days: consequently, as she considered it too late for her to be inoculated, she should do all that now remained to be done for her security, by low living and good air.