midst of his torrent of enquiries about places and things, I suddenly asked him if he would like to be free.  A gleam of light absolutely shot over his whole countenance, like the vivid and instantaneous lightning—­he stammered, hesitated, became excessively confused, and at length replied—­’Free, missis? what for me wish to be free?  Oh! no, missis, me no wish to be free, if massa only let we keep pig.’  The fear of offending, by uttering that forbidden wish—­the dread of admitting, by its expression, the slightest discontent with his present situation—­the desire to conciliate my favour, even at the expense of strangling the intense natural longing that absolutely glowed in his every feature—­it was a sad spectacle, and I repented my question.  As for the pitiful request which he reiterated several times adding, ’No, missis, me no want to be free—­me work till me die for missis and massa,’ with increased emphasis; it amounted only to this, that the negroes once were, but no longer are, permitted to keep pigs.  The increase of filth and foul smells, consequent upon their being raised, is, of course, very great; and, moreover, Mr. ——­ told me, when I preferred poor Jack’s request to him, that their allowance was no more than would suffice their own necessity, and that they had not the means of feeding the animals.  With a little good management they might very easily obtain them, however; their little ‘kail-yard’ alone would suffice to it, and the pork and bacon would prove a most welcome addition to their farinaceous diet.  You perceive at once (or if you could have seen the boy’s face, you would have perceived at once), that his situation was no mystery to him, that his value to Mr. ——­, and, as he supposed, to me, was perfectly well known to him, and that he comprehended immediately that his expressing even the desire to be free, might be construed by me into an offence, and sought by eager protestations of his delighted acquiescence in slavery, to conceal his soul’s natural yearning, lest I should resent it.  ’T was a sad passage between us, and sent me home full of the most painful thoughts.  I told Mr. ——­, with much indignation, of poor Harriet’s flogging, and represented that if the people were to be chastised for anything they said to me, I must leave the place, as I could not but hear their complaints, and endeavour, by all my miserable limited means, to better their condition while I was here.  He said he would ask Mr. O——­ about it, assuring me, at the same time, that it was impossible to believe a single word any of these people said.  At dinner, accordingly, the enquiry was made as to the cause of her punishment, and Mr. O——­ then said it was not at all for what she had told me, that he had flogged her, but for having answered him impertinently, that he had ordered her into the field, whereupon she had said she was ill and could not work, that he retorted he knew better, and bade her get up and go to work; she replied, ’Very well, I’ll