white man has been forced to ask a loan at my hands, I’ve thought of Shylock and his pound of flesh, and ceased to wonder at him.  There’s no doubt, my dear sir, but what I fully appreciate the advantage of being white.  Yet, with all I have endured, and yet endure from day to day, I esteem myself happy in comparison with that man, who, mingling in the society of whites, is at the same time aware that he has African blood in his veins, and is liable at any moment to be ignominiously hurled from his position by the discovery of his origin.  He is never safe.  I have known instances where parties have gone on for years and years undetected; but some untoward circumstance brings them out at last, and down they fall for ever.”

“Walters, my dear fellow, you will persist in looking upon his being discovered as a thing of course:  I see no reason for the anticipation of any such result.  I don’t see how he is to be detected—­it may never occur.  And do you feel justified in consigning them to a position which you know by painful experience to be one of the most disagreeable that can be endured.  Ought we not to aid their escape from it if we can?”

Mr. Walters stood reflectively for some moments, and then exclaimed, “I’ll make no farther objection; I would not have the boy say to me hereafter, ’But for your persisting in identifying me with a degraded people, I might have been better and happier than I am.’  However, I cannot but feel that concealments of this kind are productive of more misery than comfort.”

“We will agree to differ about that, Walters; and now, having your consent, I shall not hesitate to proceed in the matter, with full reliance that the future will amply justify my choice.”

“Well, well! as I said before, I will offer no further objection.  Now let me hear the details of your plan.”

“I have written,” answered Mr. Balch, “to Mr. Eustis, a friend of mine living at Sudbury, where there is a large preparatory school for boys.  At his house I purpose placing Clarence.  Mr. Eustis is a most discreet man, and a person of liberal sentiments.  I feel that I can confide everything to him without the least fear of his ever divulging a breath of it.  He is a gentleman in the fullest sense of the term, and at his house the boy will have the advantage of good society, and will associate with the best people of the place.”

“Has he a family?” asked Mr. Walters.

“He is a widower,” answered Mr. Balch; “a maiden sister of his wife’s presides over his establishment; she will be kind to Clarence, I am confident; she has a motherly soft heart, and is remarkably fond of children.  I have not the least doubt but that he will be very happy and comfortable there.  I think it very fortunate, Walters,” he continued, “that he has so few coloured acquaintances—­no boyish intimacies to break up; and it will be as well to send him away before he has an opportunity of forming them.  Besides, being here, where everything will