“Oh, let us hurry, then, and get back. I would not bring you into trouble for anything in this world! But why do you let a young woman treat a man of your venerable age so disrespectfully and cruelly?” exclaimed Em., as she turned to follow her conductor from the saloon. “Well, dare’s jes’ where it is! It’s _’cause_ ob my wenerable ole age! I’m de weakest—in de body, honey! in de body! not in de mine! And she’s de strongest—in de body, honey! in de body! not in de mine! and so she gets de better ob me! And serb me right, too, come to think ob it! I had no business to take Sereny! I wa’n’t no King David! And she had no business to take me, which she did ’sake ob libbin’ in de purty gate-lodge, so much purtier dan de log cabins de odder colored folks lib in. But she keeps me warm—dat’s so—wid de broomstick and de hoe-helve! But, patience! it can’t las’ forebber, and some ob dese days I shall go to sleep down here an’ wake up in de glory land, where my _own_ ole ’oman is waitin’ for me,” concluded ’Sias as he carefully locked the outside door; and then he went slowly down the steps and around to the rear of the premises to restore the key to the housekeeper. Em. remained standing where he had left her, with her eyes fixed upon the ground, in a deep reverie, which continued unbroken until the return of the old man, saying as he came up: “Now, den, honey, for de boat.” Em. followed him down through the terraced grounds, with their arbors, statues, fountains, parterres of flowers, groves and ponds, and then through the wood of silver maples, and the fragrant, blooming wood of acacias, to the sandy shore, where sat the little _White Dove_ brooding on the waters. Em. entered the boat and seated herself in the stern. The old man followed her, hoisted the sail, and took the tiller in his hand. Leaving the lovely island behind he headed up stream and steered for the Valley of the Wilderness. Now their course lay half way between the river shores, having the lofty, rugged, gray, rocky precipices on their right hand, and the beautiful, undulating green and wooded hills on their left. Their progress was a little slower up stream than it had been down, and so it was near three o’clock when at length they landed at the foot of the little dilapidated pier belonging to the old boat-house of the Wilderness. Old ’Sias secured his boat and followed Em., who was hurrying along the woodland walk that led from the landing through the forest to the park gate. “Yes, honey, it is late. Sereny’ll be wiolent, I tell yer!” said ’Sias as he came up quite breathlessly. Em. heard him, and wondered how she might save the poor old man from suffering at the hands of his Xantippe. At length, without stopping in her hurried walk, she unpinned a pretty new neck-tie that she wore on her white dress, smoothed out the folds and rolled it up, saying to herself: