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270, and which it behoves me to do, seeing that you yourself are concerned in what I was meditating upon; had you not broken in upon me I might still have delayed this communication."

After making a brief recapitulation of his pecuniary embarrassments, he then proceeded to the more immediate subject, causing him so much pain to reveal.

Transfixed and mute, his eyes cast downward, Robert attentively listened; at length gathering strength to disburden his feelings, as if the thought of parting had never before crossed him, he exclaimed, "Leab you, my good massa! is it come to dis? and must me leab you den? me dat tought to hab ended my days wit you, and would hab laid down my life to hab preserved yours! oh, dat me should hab lived to hab seen dis day!"

These few pathetic phrases, as they dropped from the lips of Robert, pierced De Brooke to the soul, insomuch, that upon attempting to speak, his utterance failed him, and his words expired ere they were pronounced. Upon witnessing this strong emotion, of which he knew he was the cause, Robert, in a wild agony clasping his hands and looking upwards towards Heaven, invoked its blessing on his master, and was about rushing