“Go ’long den, an’ tote fair, les yuh wants tuh meet yo’ Gawd.” She stepped into the open. Already most of the party were on the boat. She crossed the narrow beach to the wharf. Maria stood by the gangplank and looked at her with suspicious eyes. “Wuh yuh been all day?” she demanded. “I git los’ in de woods, an’ I can’t git my bearin’s ’til sundown. But dat ain’t nobody’ business ’cep’ me an’ Porgy, ef yuh wants tuh know.” She found Porgy on the lower deck near the stern, and seated herself by him in silence. He was looking into the sunset, and gave no evidence of having noticed her arrival. Through the illimitable, mysterious night, the steamer took its way. Presently it swung out of one of the narrow channels and wallowed like an antediluvian monster into the stillness of a wide lagoon. Out of the darkness, low, broad waves moved in upon it, trailing stars along their swarthy backs to shatter into silver dust against the uncouth bows. To Porgy and Bess, still sitting silent in the stern, came only the echoes of drowsy conversations, sounds of sleeping, and the rhythmic splash and drip of the single great wheel behind them. The boat forged out into the centre of the lagoon, and the shore line melted out behind it. Where it had shown a moment before, could now be seen only the steady climb of constellations out of the water’s rim, and the soft, humid lamps of low, near stars. The night pressed in about the two quiet figures. Porgy had said no word since their departure. His body had assumed its old, tense attitude. His face wore again its listening look. Now, he said slowly: “Yuh nebber lie tuh me, Bess.” “No,” came an even, colorless voice, “I nebber lie tuh yuh. Yuh gots tuh gib me dat.” Another interval, then: “War it Crown?” A sharp, indrawn breath beside him, and a whisper: “How yuh know?” “Gawd gib cripple many t’ings he ain’t gib strong men.” Then again, patiently, “War it Crown?” “Yes, it war.” “Wut he say?” “He comin’ fuh me when de cotton come tuh town.” “Yuh goin’?” “I tell um--yes.” After a while the woman reached out a hand and closed it lightly about the man’s arm. Under the sleeve she felt the muscles go rigid. What power! She tried to circle it with her hand. It was almost as big as Crown’s. It was strange that she had not noticed that before. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came. Presently she sighed, and withdrew her hand. Through the immense emptiness of sea and sky the boat forged slowly toward the distant city’s lights. § “I gots er feelin’ yistuhday,” announced Maria to Serena Robbins, as she took a batch of wet clothing from the latter’s tub, gave it one twist with her enormous hands, and set it aside to go upon the line. “Wut yuh gots er feelin’ ’bout?” “I gots er feelin’ w’en Porgy ’oman come out de wood on de picnic, she done been wid Crown.”