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 bronzed its ceiling of woven leaves when Bess returned to the clearing. She paused for a moment. Behind her, screened by the underbrush, stood Crown.

"Now 'member wut I tells yuh," he said. "Yuh kin stay wid de cripple 'til de cotton come. Den I comin'. Davy will hide we on de ribber boat fur as Sawannah. Den soon de cotton will be comin' in fas', an' libbin will be easy. Yuh gits dat?"

For a moment she looked into the narrow, menacing eyes, then nodded.

"Go 'long den, an' tote fair, les yuh wants tuh meet yo' Gawd."

She stepped into the open. Already most of the party were on the boat. She crossed the narrow beach to the wharf.

Maria stood by the gangplank and looked at her with suspicious eyes. "Wuh yuh been all day?" she demanded.

"I git los' in de woods, an' I can't git my bearin's 'til sundown. But dat ain't nobody' business 'cep' me an' Porgy, ef yuh wants tuh know."

She found Porgy on the lower deck near the stern, and seated herself by him in silence. He was looking into the sunset, and gave no evidence of having noticed her arrival.

Through the illimitable, mysterious