There was also a man servant, Duke, who attended to odd ends of housework, and served in the capacity of decorated carriage-driver, and a girl, Elsy, a raw, green, country concern, good-natured and foolish, with a face as black as tar. They had hired her from a man in the country, and she being quite delighted with town and the off-cast finery of the ladies, was as happy as _she_ could be--yet the mistakes she constantly made were truly amusing. She had formed quite an attachment for Duke, which he did not in the slightest degree return; yet, with none of the bashfulness of her sex, she confessed to the feeling, and declared that "Duke was very mean not to love her a little." This never failed to excite the derision of the more sprightly Emily. "Well, you is a fool," she would exclaim, with an odd shake of the head. "I loves him, and don't kere who knows it." "Does he love you?" asked Emily. "_Well_, he doesn't." "_Then I'd hate him_," replied Emily, as, with a great force, she brought her rolling-pin down on the table. "No, I wouldn't," answered the loving Elsy. "You ain't worth shucks." "Wish I was worth Duke." "Hush, fool." "You needn't git mad, kase I don't think as you does." "I is mad bekase you is a fool." "Who made me one?" "You was born it, I guess." "Then I aren't to blame fur it. Them that made me is." Conversations like this were of frequent occurrence, and once, when I ventured to ask Elsy if she wouldn't like to learn to read, she laughed heartily, saying: "Does you think I wants to run off?" "Certainly not." "Den why did you ax me if I wanted to larn to read?" "So you might have a higher source of enjoyment than you now have." "Oh, yes, so as to try to git my freedom! You is jist a spy fur de white folks, and wants to know if I'll run away. Go off, now, and mind yer own business, kase I has hearn my ole Masser, in de country, say dat whenever niggers 'gan to read books dey was ob no 'count, and allers had freedom in dar heads." Finding her thus obstinate, I gave up all attempts to persuade her, and left her to that mental obscuration in which I found her. Emily sometimes threatened to apply herself, with vigor, to the gaining of knowledge, and thus defeat and "spite" her owners; but knowledge so obtained, I think, would be of little avail, for, like religion, it must be sought after from higher motives--sought for itself _only_.