Here the man’s eyes glared so fiercely, while his brow grew so black, that the child clasped him in a frantic clutch, moaning, inarticulately, some words of piteous deprecation to restrain him. “Leave that wretch this instant, I command you! His contact is infamy! Am I not to be obeyed? Oh, then I will snatch you from him!” screamed the woman, in blind fury, as she sprang towards them; but he was too quick for her. He lifted the half-fainting child in his arms and bore her swiftly out of the room. “Oh, uncle, she is crazy! She does not know what she says! Don’t mind her! Don’t go back in the room,” coaxed the child, as she put up her hand and stroked and patted his cheek. “Uncle, dear, don’t go back in the room! Come with me to Granny Lindsay’s cottage. Oh, it is so heavenly there.” But now the man paid but little attention to what she said. He pulled the bell-cord violently. ’Phia ran to answer the bell. “Take this child up to her bedroom, and stay with her until she goes to sleep,” he said, placing the little girl in the strong arms of the colored woman. “Oh, uncle, don’t go back to that room! Don’t, or if you do, take me with you!” pleaded the child, caressing his cheek with her hand. “Go, my dear, go to bed. Pandemonium is no place for babies. Leave me to deal with that demoniac,” he answered, grimly, as he turned away. “Oh, uncle, don’t mind her! She don’t know what she says!” pleaded the child, stretching out her hands imploringly towards him. But he had re-entered the room and clapped the door to behind him. Gloria slid from the woman’s arms, sat down on the lowest step of the stairs and burst into tears. “Come to bed, honey. Don’t sit there crying. You can’t do no good by dat. You can’t ’vent de debbil from habbin’ his own way dis night,” said ’Phia. “Oh, I know—I know—I know!” sobbed the child. “Well, den, come along up to bed, and I’ll stay ’long ob you for company.” “Oh, I can’t—I can’t—I can’t—I’m so ’fraid. Let me sit here and wait——” “Wait for what?” “Oh, till uncle comes out, or one of them does. Oh, I couldn’t go to bed! I couldn’t go to sleep and leave them so! Hush!” suddenly exclaimed the child, breaking off in her talk, and bending forward her head and straining her sense in fearful attention, as she heard her uncle’s voice in low, tense, bitter tones, and then her aunt’s hissing tongue in reply. The child clasped her hands in a piteous, helpless agony of prayer. “Come, come, honey, come up to bed, and I will sit by you and tell you pretty stories about foxes and hares, and dwarfs and giants, and little pigs and things, like I used to do,” said ’Phia. “Hush!” exclaimed the child, starting forward, with staring eyes, as the voices in the closed room sunk lower and became more bitter, intense and hissing. “Come, come, honey, you must come to bed. ’Tain’t right to be listening, nohow!” expostulated Sophia, in virtuous indignation.