“I received a note, yesterday, from Mr. Dawson, about his servant Jim, who ran away three weeks ago.  He charges me with having permitted my servants to shelter him for the night, on my plantation; having certain information, that he was seen leaving it the morning after the severe storm we had about that time.  If you know any thing of it, Phillis, I require you to tell it to me; I hardly think any of the other servants had opportunities of doing so, and yet I cannot believe that you would so far forget yourself as to do what is not only wrong, but calculated to involve me in serious difficulties with my neighbors.”

“I hope you will not be angry with me, master?” said Phillis, “but I can’t tell a lie; I let Jim stay in my room that night, and I’ve been mightily troubled about it; I was afeard you would be angry with me, if you heard of it, and yet, master, I could not help it when it happened.”

“Could not help it!  Phillis,” said Mr. Weston.  “What do you mean by that?  Why did you not inform me of it, that I might have sent him off?”

“I couldn’t find it in my heart, sir,” said Phillis, the tears coming in her fine eyes.  “The poor creature come in when the storm was at its worst.  I had no candle lit; for the lightning was so bright that I hadn’t no call for any other light.  Bacchus was out in it all, and I was thinking he would be brought in dead drunk, or dead in earnest, when all at once Jim burst open the door, and asked me to let him stay there.  I know’d he had run away, and at first I told him to go off, and not be gitting me into trouble; but, master, while I was sending him off such a streak of lightning come in, and such a crash of thunder, that I thought the Almighty had heard me turn him out, and would call me to account for it, when Jim and me should stand before him at the Judgment Day.  I told Jim he had better go back to his master, that he wouldn’t have any comfort, always hiding himself, and afeard to show his face, but he declared he would die first; and so as I couldn’t persuade him to go home agin, I couldn’t help myself, for I thought it would be a sin and shame, to turn a beast out in such a storm as that.  As soon as the day began to break, and before, too, I woke him up, and told him never to come to my cabin again, no matter what happened.  And so, master, I’ve told you the whole truth, and I am sure you couldn’t have turned the poor wretch out to perish in that storm, no matter what would have come of it after.”

Phillis had gained confidence as she proceeded, and Mr. Weston heard her without interruption.

“I can hardly blame you,” he then said, “for what you have done; but, Phillis, it must never be repeated.  Jim is a great rascal, and if I were his master I would be glad to be rid of him, but my plantation must not shelter runaway slaves.  I am responsible for what my servants do.  I should be inclined to hold other gentlemen responsible for the conduct of theirs.  The laws of Virginia require the rights of the master to be respected, and though I shan’t make a constable of myself, still I will not allow any such thing to be repeated.  Did Bacchus know it?”