Page:The White Slave, or Memoirs of a Fugitive.djvu/73

 expecting us. But as he happened to have a large party to dine with him, he was too busy in entertaining his company, to pay any immediate attention to us. Yet, no sooner had he received notice of our arrival, than he sent out Mr Gordon's five hundred dollars. It was a large roll of bank notes; the fellow's eye kindled up at the sight of it, and he snatched it eagerly. I was looking steadily at him, and his eyes met mine. The change was sudden. He blushed and grew pale by turns; — shame, remorse and self-contempt were painted in his face. He thrust the money hastily into his pocket, and walked away without speaking a word,

Cassy and myself were driven to the stables, and locked up in a close, narrow, dark room, which served sometimes as a corn-crib, aid sometimes as a sort of dungeon for refractory slaves. We sat down upon the floor — for there was nothing else to sit upon — and poor Cassy sunk into my arms. Her grief and terror seemed to burst out afresh, and she wept bitterly. I kissed away her tears, and tried to console her. But she would not be comforted; and little indeed, was the comfort I had to offer. The more I said to her, the more she wept; and she clung to me closer and closer, till her embrace became almost convulsive. "He will kill us — He will separate us forever," she murmured, in a low, inarticulate voice; and it was the only reply she made to all I could say to her.

Our situation was indeed pitiable. Had we fallen into the hands of an ordinary pirate or robber, there might have been some room for hope. The consciousness of his own. violence, might perhaps alarm him; the fear of avenging justice might stay his hand. At the worst, death, and that too a speedy and an easy one, would be the farthest limit of his malice. But we — unhappy creatures — could flatter ourselves with no such prospect. We were runaway slaves, who had fallen again into the hands of their master; — a master, whom the very recollection that he owned us, inspired with rage at our insolence, in daring to run away from hm; and who knew well, that both the law and public opinion would amply justify him in the infliction of any tortures not likely to result in immediate death.