"Why, didn't you know that? Weren't Carlisle and Kammerer your agents; and didn't Lily, our late disappearing slave and also late lecturing fugitive yonder, represent them? Don't you really know about that?" "No, I had nothing to do with their operations." "Do you mean to tell me that it was--Oh, I am glad you do not know about it," he said soberly, "although I don't understand that part of it." "Won't you explain?" she besought him. "Now, the truth is--and that is the main reason of all this popular feeling against me here--that Lily, or these men, or people like them, took away every solitary negro from my plantation, as well as from two or three others neighboring me! They didn't stop to _buy_ my property--they just _took_ it! You see, Madam,"--he smiled rather grimly,--"these northern abolitionists remain in the belief that they have all the virtue and all the fair dealing in the world. It has been a little hard on my cotton crop. I will not have any crop this fall. I had no labor. I will not have any crop next summer. With money at twelve per cent. and no munificent state salary coming in,--that means rather more than I care to talk about." "And it was I--_I_ who did that for you! Believe, believe me, I was wholly innocent of it! I did not know!--I did not! I did not! I would not have done that to my worst enemy!" "No, I suppose not; but here is where we come again to the real heart of all of these questions which so many of us feel able to solve offhand. What difference should you make between me and another? If it is right for the North to free all these slaves without paying for them, why should there be anything in my favor, over any one of my neighbors? And, most of all, why should you not be overjoyed at punishing me? Why am I not your worst enemy? I differed from you,--I wronged you,--I harmed you,--I did everything in the world I could to injure you. At least you have played even with me. I got you Lily to take along. And I even once went so far as to tell you my own notion, that the blacks ought to be deported. Well, you got mine!" "I never meant it! I never intended it! It was done wholly without my knowledge! I am sorry! I am sorry!" "You need not be sorry. It is only one of the consequences of following one's faith. Anyhow, I'm just a little less inconsistent than Mr. Benton, who had always been opposed to slavery, although he still owns slaves. The same is true of Mr. Clay. They both have been prominent politically. Well, set them free of their slaves, and they and I would be about even, wouldn't we? It comes to being pretty much on foot, I must confess." "I can understand that," said she. "For that matter, we are both ruined; and for the same reason." "What do you mean? And, tell me, once more, who are you? You certainly have stirred things up!"