How I dreaded my master now!  Every minute I expected to be summoned to his presence; but the day passed, and I heard nothing from him.  The next morning, a message was brought to me:  “Master wants you in his study.”  I found the door ajar, and I stood a moment gazing at the hateful man who claimed a right to rule me, body and soul.  I entered, and tried to appear calm.  I did not want him to know how my heart was bleeding.  He looked fixedly at me, with an expression which seemed to say, “I have half a mind to kill you on the spot.”  At last he broke the silence, and that was a relief to both of us.

“So you want to be married, do you?” said he, “and to a free nigger.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, I’ll soon convince you whether I am your master, or the nigger fellow you honor so highly.  If you must have a husband, you may take up with one of my slaves.”

What a situation I should be in, as the wife of one of his slaves, even if my heart had been interested!

I replied, “Don’t you suppose, sir, that a slave can have some preference about marrying?  Do you suppose that all men are alike to her?”

“Do you love this nigger?” said he, abruptly.

“Yes, sir.”

“How dare you tell me so!” he exclaimed, in great wrath.  After a slight pause, he added, “I supposed you thought more of yourself; that you felt above the insults of such puppies.”

I replied, “If he is a puppy, I am a puppy, for we are both of the negro race.  It is right and honorable for us to love each other.  The man you call a puppy never insulted me, sir; and he would not love me if he did not believe me to be a virtuous woman.”

He sprang upon me like a tiger, and gave me a stunning blow.  It was the first time he had ever struck me; and fear did not enable me to control my anger.  When I had recovered a little from the effects, I exclaimed, “You have struck me for answering you honestly.  How I despise you!”

There was silence for some minutes.  Perhaps he was deciding what should be my punishment; or, perhaps, he wanted to give me time to reflect on what I had said, and to whom I had said it.  Finally, he asked, “Do you know what you have said?”

“Yes, sir; but your treatment drove me to it.”

“Do you know that I have a right to do as I like with you,—­that I can kill you, if I please?”

“You have tried to kill me, and I wish you had; but you have no right to do as you like with me.”

“Silence!” he exclaimed, in a thundering voice.  “By heavens, girl, you forget yourself too far!  Are you mad?  If you are, I will soon bring you to your senses.  Do you think any other master would bear what I have borne from you this morning?  Many masters would have killed you on the spot.  How would you like to be sent to jail for your insolence?”

“I know I have been disrespectful, sir,” I replied; “but you drove me to it; I couldn’t help it.  As for the jail, there would be more peace for me there than there is here.”