“Yes, Eliza, so long as we have each other and our boy.  O!  Eliza, if these people only knew what a blessing it is for a man to feel that his wife and child belong to him!  I’ve often wondered to see men that could call their wives and children their own fretting and worrying about anything else.  Why, I feel rich and strong, though we have nothing but our bare hands.  I feel as if I could scarcely ask God for any more.  Yes, though I’ve worked hard every day, till I am twenty-five years old, and have not a cent of money, nor a roof to cover me, nor a spot of land to call my own, yet, if they will only let me alone now, I will be satisfied,—­thankful; I will work, and send back the money for you and my boy.  As to my old master, he has been paid five times over for all he ever spent for me.  I don’t owe him anything.”

“But yet we are not quite out of danger,” said Eliza; “we are not yet in Canada.”

“True,” said George, “but it seems as if I smelt the free air, and it makes me strong.”

At this moment, voices were heard in the outer apartment, in earnest conversation, and very soon a rap was heard on the door.  Eliza started and opened it.

Simeon Halliday was there, and with him a Quaker brother, whom he introduced as Phineas Fletcher.  Phineas was tall and lathy, red-haired, with an expression of great acuteness and shrewdness in his face.  He had not the placid, quiet, unworldly air of Simeon Halliday; on the contrary, a particularly wide-awake and au fait appearance, like a man who rather prides himself on knowing what he is about, and keeping a bright lookout ahead; peculiarities which sorted rather oddly with his broad brim and formal phraseology.

“Our friend Phineas hath discovered something of importance to the interests of thee and thy party, George,” said Simeon; “it were well for thee to hear it.”

“That I have,” said Phineas, “and it shows the use of a man’s always sleeping with one ear open, in certain places, as I’ve always said.  Last night I stopped at a little lone tavern, back on the road.  Thee remembers the place, Simeon, where we sold some apples, last year, to that fat woman, with the great ear-rings.  Well, I was tired with hard driving; and, after my supper I stretched myself down on a pile of bags in the corner, and pulled a buffalo over me, to wait till my bed was ready; and what does I do, but get fast asleep.”

“With one ear open, Phineas?” said Simeon, quietly.

“No; I slept, ears and all, for an hour or two, for I was pretty well tired; but when I came to myself a little, I found that there were some men in the room, sitting round a table, drinking and talking; and I thought, before I made much muster, I’d just see what they were up to, especially as I heard them say something about the Quakers.  ‘So,’ says one, ‘they are up in the Quaker settlement, no doubt,’ says he.  Then I listened with both ears, and I found that they were talking about