Kentucky -- History -- 19th century -- Fiction; Slavery -- United States -- Fiction
Bob laughed at him as he went out, and remarked to me that the speech
had brought good to one man even if it had worked an injury upon
another member of the human family. "And," he added, "we can't expect
to help more than half of mankind at once. Dan," he said, after a
thoughtful moment, "this has been a great day for me. And she was
there, sitting in a buggy. And when she took my arm to-night I knew she
was proud of me."
I said that her soul must have been filled with an intoxicating joy,
and I lied, for I did not believe that she could entertain an exalted
pride. I knew that her vanity was flattered, a hard luster in her
eye told me that, but I saw that her victory was cold and selfish.
I acknowledged to myself that I had surrounded the young woman with
a prejudice (and in a prejudice there is always more or less of
intuition) and I tried hard to pull it apart that I might see her
clearer; but the prejudice was strong and could not be torn asunder.
Bob was undressing when I left him to go out into the yard, to walk
among the trees. I loved my master, and his success I felt was my
advancement, but with all that I was wretched. To hold aloft a light
that I had found was but to illumine a hopelessness.
As I passed out into the hall, I saw Titine step from the door of Miss
May's room. She carried a pitcher in her hand and I knew that she was
going to the well. I walked slowly behind her until she reached the
hall below and then I called her. She stopped and looked back at me.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Going for water at this time of night?"
"When water is wanted, the time of night makes no difference," she said
as I joined her to pass out upon the rear veranda. We walked along
together toward the well.
"Titine, I don't know you any better now than I did when you first
came."
"And I don't know myself any better, and are you presumed to know me
better than I know myself?"
"No, I suppose not. But since that day we went to the hills you have
never consented to go out alone with me."
"Don't you know why?"
"I can't say that I do."
"Then you are duller than I took you to be."
The moon was shining and the light fell full upon her face, upward
turned; she was smiling and her smile was cold. We had now reached the
well, and I unwound the chain to let the bucket down. She placed her
arms on the curbing and hummed a cool tune of idleness, of a total lack
of interest in what I might be doing.
"Yes, I do know," I said.
"Then you are no duller than I thought you were," she ceased humming
long enough to say. I drew up the dripping bucket and poured the
pitcher full. She reached forth her hand to take it.
"Wait a moment," I pleaded, catching at her hand, but it flew away like
a bird.
"Well," she said, straightening up and looking at me.
"Titine, if you and I were free--"
"If I were free I would be a nun," she broke in. "Give me the pitcher."
"Wait just a moment. Let me kiss you."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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