Uncle Tom's Cabin Chapter 21

Back on the Shelby farm, Mrs. Shelby tells Mr. Shelby that Chloe has received a letter from Tom, in which he anxiously inquired as to when he might be able to be purchased and brought back to the farm. When her husband tells her that this is not likely, and that Chloe should give up and marry someone else, she begs him to let her manage the finances and find a way to save the money herself; she cannot bear to leave her promise to Chloe and Tom unfulfilled. He dismisses her, telling her that she wouldn't understand business, and that she should not have instructed the slaves to hold their marriages as sacred. She tells him it is "only the morality of the Bible," and that she will get the money together even if it means she has to work herself.

Topic Tracking: Morality 12

He tells her: do not "degrade yourself that way." Just then, Chloe interrupts and pulls Mrs. Shelby aside. She asks her if she could be hired out to work in a confectioner's in Louisville and put aside the money for Tom's redemption. Mrs. Shelby tells her that Louisville is hundreds of miles off, but Chloe tells her that other servants can care for the children. Mrs. Shelby tells Chloe that if she wants to go, she has her blessing, and Chloe thanks her and tells Mas'r George (the Shelbys' son) where she is going and that she is leaving the next day.