Project Gutenberg Complete Works of Winston ChurchillChurchill, Winston
General
Project Gutenberg Complete Works of Winston Churchill
Churchill, Winston
American fiction
These things I remember, and likewise sobbing myself to sleep in the
four-poster. Often since I have wished that I had questioned Breed of
many things on which I had no curiosity then, for he was my chief
companion in the weeks that followed. He awoke me bright and early the
next day.
"Heah's some close o' Marse Nick's you kin wear, honey," he said.
"Who is Master Nick?" I asked.
Breed slapped his thigh.
"Marse Nick Temple, Marsa's son. He's 'bout you size, but he ain' no mo'
laik you den a Jack rabbit's laik an' owl. Dey ain' none laik Marse Nick
fo' gittin' into trouble-and gittin' out agin."
"Where is he now?" I asked.
"He at Temple Bow, on de Ashley Ribber. Dat's de Marsa's barony."
"His what?"
"De place whah he lib at, in de country."
"And why isn't the master there?"
I remember that Breed gave a wink, and led me out of the window onto a
gallery above the one where we had found the master the night before. He
pointed across the dense foliage of the garden to a strip of water
gleaming in the morning sun beyond.
"See dat boat?" said the negro. "Sometime de Marse he tek ar ride in dat
boat at night. Sometime gentlemen comes heah in a pow'ful hurry to git
away, out'n de harbor whah de English is at."
By that time I was dressed, and marvellously uncomfortable in Master
Nick's clothes. But as I was going out of the door, Breed hailed me.
"Marse Dave,"--it was the first time I had been called that,--"Marse
Dave, you ain't gwineter tell?"
"Tell what?" I asked.
"Bout'n de boat, and Marsa agwine away nights."
"No," said I, indignantly.
"I knowed you wahn't," said Breed. "You don' look as if you'd tell
anything."
We found the master pacing the lower gallery. At first he barely glanced
at me, and nodded. After a while he stopped, and began to put to me many
questions about my life: when and how I had lived. And to some of my
answers he exclaimed, "Good God!" That was all. He was a handsome man,
with hands like a woman's, well set off by the lace at his sleeves. He
had fine-cut features, and the white linen he wore was most becoming.
"David," said he, at length, and I noted that he lowered his voice,
"David, you seem a discreet lad. Pay attention to what I tell you. And
mark! if you disobey me, you will be well whipped. You have this house
and garden to play in, but you are by no means to go out at the front of
the house. And whatever you may see or hear, you are to tell no one. Do
you understand?"
"Yes, sir," I said.
"For the rest," said he, "Breed will give you food, and look out for your
welfare."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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