"The--the 'mahk you make 'bout me, has been made 'fo'; I may say, has been made quite frequent--quite frequent; on'y lass Tuesd'y fohtni't, Sistah Ma'y Ann Jinkins--a promnunt membeh of ouh class (that is, Asba'y class, meets on Gay Street), Sistah Ma'y Ann Jinkins, she ups an' sez, befo' de whole class, dat she'd puppose de motion, dat Bro' Thomas Wheatley wuz 'p'inted fus' speakah in de nex' 'Jug-breakin' an' Jaymiah's Hamma,' by de i-nanemous vote of de class. I'm clah to say I wuz 'stonished; but ahta class wuz ovvva, Bro' Moss tole me de 'p'intment wuz made jes' f'on de 'peahunce of my hade, ''Cause,' he sez, 'no man cain't be a po' speakah with sich a fine intellec' which we see expressed in de hade of Bro' Thomas Wheatley--but, same time, I knowed all time de fus' motion come f'om Sistah Ma'y Ann Jinkins--she's a ve'y good friend o' mine, Sistah Ma'y Ann Jinkins--thinks a sight o' me; I 'scohts heh to class ev'y Tuesd'y--ev'y Tuesd'y, sine die." "You do? What does your wife have to say to that?" I asked, maliciously. He stared at me an instant, then replied: "My wife!--oh--oh, Law bless yoh soul, seh, _she_ do' keeh. Bro' 'Dolphus Beam, _he_ sees ahta heh: you see, seh, she's I-o-n-g way 'moved f'om Asba'y class; 'twont admit none but fus'-class 'speience-givvahs in Asba'y, an' my wife she wa'n't nevvah no han' to talk; haint got de gif' of de tongue which Saul, suhname Paul, speaks of in de Scripcheh--don't possess hit, seh." "She must be a very nice person to live with," I remarked. "Well, y-e-es, seh," replied Thomas, after reflecting awhile. "I hain't got nuth'n' 'g'in' Ailse; she's quite, an' ohdaly, a good cook, an' laundriss, an' she's a lady,[1] an' all that, but sh' ain't not to say what you'd call a giftid 'oman." "Like Sister Mary Ann Jinkins, eh?" "_Egg_-zac'ly, seh. Mist' Dunkin, you put hit kehrec', seh. Ailse hain't possessed with none of the high talence, cain't exhoht, naw sing with fehveh, naw yit lead in praieh; heh talence is mos'ly boun' up in napkins--as Scripcheh say--mos'ly boun' up in napkins; foh I do' deny she kin do up all kines o' table-linen, she kin indeed. Naw, seh, I cain't say I got nuth'n' 'g'in' Ailse."