The feminine title came luckily. I had forgotten my disguise, so disarmed was I by the refined dignity of the dark speaker's mellow voice and graceful modesty. After all, my prejudices were Southern. I had rarely seen negroes, at worship, work, or play, without an inward groan for some way--righteous way--by which our land might be clean rid of them. But here, in my silly disguise, confronting this unmixed young African so manifestly superior to millions of our human swarm white or black, my unsympathetic generalizations were clear put to shame. The customary challenge, "Who' d'you belong to?" failed on my lips, and while those soft eyes passed over me from bonnet to mitts I gave my head as winsome a tilt as I could and inquired: "What is your name?" "Me?" "Yes, you; what is it?" "I'm name', eh, Euonymus; yass'm." "Oh, boy, where'd your mother get that name?" "Why, mist'ess, ain't dat a Bible name?" "Oh, yes," I said, remembering Onesimus. With my parasol I indicated the other figure, sunbonneted, motionless, gazing on us through the brush. "Has she a Bible name too?" "Yass'm; Robelia." Robelia brought chin and shoulder together and sniggered. "Euonymus," I asked, "have you seen two young gentlemen, fishing, anywhere near here?" "Yass'm, dey out 'pon a san'bar 'bout two hund'ed yards up de creek." The black finger that pointed was as clean as mine. "You and this woman," thought I again, "are dodging those men." With a smile as of curiosity I looked my slim informant over once more. I had never seen slavery so flattered yet so condemned. All at once I said in my heart: "You, my lad, I'll help to escape!" But when I looked again at the absurd Robelia I saw I must help both alike. "Euonymus, did you ever drive a lady's coach?" "Me? No'm, I never drove no lady's coach." "Well, boy, I'm travelling--in my own outfit." "Yass'm." "But I hire a new driver and span at each town and send the others back." "Yass'm," said Euonymus. Robelia came nearer. "My coach is now at a livery-stable in town, and I want a driver and a lady's maid." "Yass'm." "I'd prefer free colored people. They could come with me as far as they pleased, and I shouldn't be responsible for their return." "Yass'm," said Euonymus, edging away from Robelia's nudge. "Now, Euonymus, I judge by your being out here in the woods this time of day, idle, that you're both free, you and your sister, h'm?" "Ro'--Robelia an' me? Eh, ye'--yass'm, as you may say, in a manneh, yass'm." "She is your sister, is she not?" "Yass'm," clapped in Robelia, with a happy grin, and Euonymus quietly added: "Us full sisteh an' brotheh--in a manneh." "Umh'm. Could you drive my coach, Euonymus?"