Jefferson stopped and Melanctha thought a little.

“That certainly does explain to me Dr. Campbell what I been thinking about you this long time.  I certainly did wonder how you could be so live, and knowing everything, and everybody, and talking so big always about everything, and everybody always liking you so much, and you always looking as if you was thinking, and yet you really was never knowing about anybody and certainly not being really very understanding.  It certainly is all Dr. Campbell because you is so afraid you will be losing being good so easy, and it certainly do seem to me Dr. Campbell that it certainly don’t amount to very much that kind of goodness.”

“Perhaps you are right Miss Melanctha,” Jefferson answered.  “I don’t say never, perhaps you ain’t right Miss Melanctha.  Perhaps I ought to know more about such ways Miss Melanctha.  Perhaps it would help me some, taking care of the colored people, Miss Melanctha.  I don’t say, no, never, but perhaps I could learn a whole lot about women the right way, if I had a real good teacher.”

‘Mis’ Herbert just then stirred a little in her sleep.  Melanctha went up the steps to the bed to attend her.  Dr. Campbell got up too and went to help her.  ‘Mis’ Herbert woke up and was a little better.  Now it was morning and Dr. Campbell gave his directions to Melanctha, and then left her.

Melanctha Herbert all her life long, loved and wanted good, kind and considerate people.  Jefferson Campbell was all the things that Melanctha had ever wanted.  Jefferson was a strong, well built, good looking, cheery, intelligent and good mulatto.  And then at first he had not cared to know Melanctha, and when he did begin to know her he had not liked her very well, and he had not thought that she would ever come to any good.  And then Jefferson Campbell was so very gentle.  Jefferson never did some things like other men, things that now were beginning to be ugly, for Melanctha.  And then too Jefferson Campbell did not seem to know very well what it was that Melanctha really wanted, and all this was making Melanctha feel his power with her always getting stronger.

Dr. Campbell came in every day to see ‘Mis’ Herbert.  ‘Mis’ Herbert, after that night they watched together, did get a little better, but ‘Mis’ Herbert was really very sick, and soon it was pretty sure that she would have to die.  Melanctha certainly did everything, all the time, that any woman could.  Jefferson never thought much better of Melanctha while she did it.  It was not her being good, he wanted to find in her.  He knew very well Jane Harden was right, when she said Melanctha was always being good to everybody but that that did not make Melanctha any better for her.  Then too, ‘Mis’ Herbert never liked Melanctha any better, even on the last day of her living, and so Jefferson really never thought much of Melanctha’s always being good to her mother.