“You is a young man (the difference in their ages might be half a dozen years), and cannot be ’spected to know ebbery ting.  If you gib me your ’tention, I make it all plain as de road Gineral Washington show de British out ob de country.  You see when I was in de army in de glorious war ob de Resolution, we say prayers sometime as well as you folks who stay at home, and don’t do none ob de fightin.  And so when de drum beat, ebbery man must be at his post.  Den come de chaplain all in his regimental, and put de book on de big drum, and kneel down, and Gineral Washington he kneel down, too, and de chaplain say some prayer dat sound like de roll ob de drum itself.  O, it was so beautiful, and I always feel better arter-wards.  Dere nebber was much uniform in de army, but what dere was, de regulars is entitle to it.  I nebber tink de soger look just de ting widout de regimental.  Now, look at de ’Piscopal minister in de pulpit, in de lily-white and de black gown.  De fust is for white folks, and de oder out of respec’ for us colored pussons.  Dey is his regimental.  He look like a regular soger ob de Lord.  But see de Presbyterian.  He hab no uniform at all.  He ony milishy officer.”

Felix, who, as in duty bound, was as zealous a Presbyterian (as the Congregationalists in New England were generally called) as Primus was an Episcopalian, was scandalized at such language.  He half regretted having given the invitation to the dinner, and it is highly probable that, if he had heard General Ransome’s speech before, that gentleman would have so far talked himself out of his good graces (a misfortune that sometimes happens to extraordinary eloquence), as to have lost the object of his anxiety, and, like the nightingale in Cowper’s fable, have “sought his dinner somewhere else.”  But Primus saw the gathering storm and hastened to avert its discharge.

“I hab great respec’,” he said, “for the milishy.  Dey is excellent for skirmishing, and where ebbery man hab to fight on his own hook, but when it come to de hard fightin’ de regulars is de men to be depend on.  And den,” added he, “dere is odder reasons:  I like de exercise in de church better.  I like dere taste, too, when dey ornaments de church wid greens at Christmas.  It make de winter look kind o’ young and happy.”

Felix was easily propitiated.  He might be offended with his comrade, but his anger could not last.  It had passed away, before Primus had concluded his conciliatory remarks.  In fact, the two cronies were too necessary to each other’s happiness to allow of a long quarrel, and for all Felix’s reverence for his master’s “meeting,” he was as placable as zealous, nor would the famous festival have been a genuine Thanksgiving without his old friend to help him to discuss its luxuries.  They shook hands at parting, and Mr. Qui promised to present the complemens of the General to Miss Rosa.

As Felix pursued his way alone, having no one else to talk to, he gave himself the benefit of his conversation.