“O, my God!” said Cassy, and fell insensible
on the floor of the cabin.
George was wide awake now, and so was Madame de Thoux.
Though neither of them could conjecture what was the
cause of Cassy’s fainting, still they made all
the tumult which is proper in such cases;—George
upsetting a wash-pitcher, and breaking two tumblers,
in the warmth of his humanity; and various ladies
in the cabin, hearing that somebody had fainted, crowded
the state-room door, and kept out all the air they
possibly could, so that, on the whole, everything
was done that could be expected.
Poor Cassy! when she recovered, turned her face to
the wall, and wept and sobbed like a child,—perhaps,
mother, you can tell what she was thinking of!
Perhaps you cannot,—but she felt as sure,
in that hour, that God had had mercy on her, and that
she should see her daughter,—as she did,
months afterwards,—when—but we
anticipate.
Results
The rest of our story is soon told. George Shelby,
interested, as any other young man might be, by the
romance of the incident, no less than by feelings
of humanity, was at the pains to send to Cassy the
bill of sale of Eliza; whose date and name all corresponded
with her own knowledge of facts, and felt no doubt
upon her mind as to the identity of her child.
It remained now only for her to trace out the path
of the fugitives.
Madame de Thoux and she, thus drawn together by the
singular coincidence of their fortunes, proceeded
immediately to Canada, and began a tour of inquiry
among the stations, where the numerous fugitives from
slavery are located. At Amherstberg they found
the missionary with whom George and Eliza had taken
shelter, on their first arrival in Canada; and through
him were enabled to trace the family to Montreal.
George and Eliza had now been five years free.
George had found constant occupation in the shop of
a worthy machinist, where he had been earning a competent
support for his family, which, in the mean time, had
been increased by the addition of another daughter.
Little Harry—a fine bright boy—had
been put to a good school, and was making rapid proficiency
in knowledge.
The worthy pastor of the station, in Amherstberg,
where George had first landed, was so much interested
in the statements of Madame de Thoux and Cassy, that
he yielded to the solicitations of the former, to accompany
them to Montreal, in their search,—she bearing
all the expense of the expedition.
The scene now changes to a small, neat tenement, in
the outskirts of Montreal; the time, evening.
A cheerful fire blazes on the hearth; a tea-table,
covered with a snowy cloth, stands prepared for the
evening meal. In one corner of the room was a
table covered with a green cloth, where was an open
writing-desk, pens, paper, and over it a shelf of
well-selected books.
