"Good Heavens! no. 'Twould be a State's prison offence, and I don't see what ever put such a revolting idea into your head anyway, you hoary-headed old sinner!" '"Deed, sah, 'tain't no idee ob mine. I done tole yer dat it was all 'long ob Vina, but I wouldn't see her outed for a sight" (_outed_ being a negro expression for displeased). "An' don't yer t'ink, sah, de law might be changed, jus' for dis one time, or dat Vina an' I could be sent to de penitentium togedder? It's rather hard on both on us, 'specially on Vina--'specially as she ain't no more my darter than you be." "Why didn't you say so before, instead of having all this talk about it? I don't know whether to believe you now: it is more than likely only a lie that you have trumped up as a last resort." "Wish I may die, sah, ef it ain't de honest truf; an' de fus' time dat ebber I set eyes on Vina war in a slabe-pen in New Orleans eight years ago, when we war sold to de same marster. Ef Massa John Brown war libbin' he could prove it to yer; but dar ain't no udder libbin' human 'cept de slabe-driber--and he war blowed up on his nex' trip up de ribber--dat knows anyting about it." The judge believed now that Abram had spoken the truth, for the time When Old John Brown, Ossawattomie Brown, Shall be a name to swear by in backwoods and in town, had come. The time was the commencement of the war, and any reference to his name on the part of a negro was equivalent to the most solemn oath. "What did John Brown ever know about it?" asked the judge.