“And so you shall, honey, so you shall, soon as eber I has de need and you has de power!  But now don’t you go and fall into de pop’lar error of misparagin’ o’ words.  Words! why words is de most powerfullist engine of good or evil in dis worl’!  Words is to idees what bodies is to souls!  Wid words you may save a human from dispair, or you may drive him to perdition!  Wid words you may confer happiness or misery!  Wid words a great captain may rally his discomforted troops, an’ lead ’em on to wictory! wid words a great congressman may change the laws of de land!  Wid words a great lawyer may ’suade a jury to hang an innocent man, or to let a murderer go free.  It’s bery fashionable to misparage words, callin’ of ’em ‘mere words.’  Mere words! mere fire! mere life! mere death! mere heaben! mere hell! as soon as mere words!  What are all the grand books in de worl’ filled with? words!  What is the one great Book called?  What is the Bible called?  De Word!” said the professor, spreading out his arms in triumph at this peroration.

Hannah gazed in very sincere admiration upon this orator, and when he had finished, said: 

“Oh, Morris, what a pity you had not been a white man, and been brought up at a learned profession!”

“Now aint it, though, Miss Hannah?” said Morris.

“You would have made such a splendid lawyer or parson!” continued the simple woman, in all sincerity.

“Now wouldn’t I, though?” complained the professor.  “Now aint it a shame I’m nyther one nor t’other?  I have so many bright idees all of my own!  I might have lighted de ‘ciety an’ made my fortin at de same time!  Well!” he continued, with a sigh of resignation, “if I can’t make my own fortin I can still lighten de ‘ciety if only dey’d let me; an’ I’m willin’ to du it for nothin’!  But people won’t ’sent to be lighted by me; soon as ever I begins to preach or to lecture in season, an’ out’n season, de white folks, dey shut up my mouf, short!  It’s trufe I’m a-tellin’ of you, Miss Hannah!  Dey aint no ways, like you.  Dey can’t ’preciate ge’nus.  Now I mus’ say as you can, in black or white!  An’ when I’s so happy as to meet long of a lady like you who can ’preciate me, I’m willin’ to do anything in the wide worl’ for her!  I’d make coffins an’ dig graves for her an’ her friends from one year’s end to de t’other free, an’ glad of de chance to do it!” concluded the professor, with enthusiastic good-will.

“I thank you very kindly, Jim Morris; but of course I would not like to give you so much trouble,” replied Hannah, in perfect innocence of sarcasm.

“La.  It wouldn’t be no trouble, Miss Hannah!  But then, ma’am, I didn’t come over here to pass compliments, nor no sich!  I come with a message from old madam up yonder at Brudenell Hall.”

“Ah,” said Hannah, in much surprise and more disgust, “what may have been her message to me?”

“Well, Miss Hannah, it may have been the words of comfort, such as would become a Christian lady to send to a sorrowing fellow-creatur’; only it wasn’t,” sighed Jim Morris.