“Well, it is dreadful,” said Eliza; “but, after all, he is your master, you know.”

“My master! and who made him my master?  That’s what I think of—­what right has he to me?  I’m a man as much as he is.  I’m a better man than he is.  I know more about business than he does; I am a better manager than he is; I can read better than he can; I can write a better hand,—­and I’ve learned it all myself, and no thanks to him,—­I’ve learned it in spite of him; and now what right has he to make a dray-horse of me?—­to take me from things I can do, and do better than he can, and put me to work that any horse can do?  He tries to do it; he says he’ll bring me down and humble me, and he puts me to just the hardest, meanest and dirtiest work, on purpose!”

“O, George!  George! you frighten me!  Why, I never heard you talk so; I’m afraid you’ll do something dreadful.  I don’t wonder at your feelings, at all; but oh, do be careful—­do, do—­for my sake—­for Harry’s!”

“I have been careful, and I have been patient, but it’s growing worse and worse; flesh and blood can’t bear it any longer;—­every chance he can get to insult and torment me, he takes.  I thought I could do my work well, and keep on quiet, and have some time to read and learn out of work hours; but the more he see I can do, the more he loads on.  He says that though I don’t say anything, he sees I’ve got the devil in me, and he means to bring it out; and one of these days it will come out in a way that he won’t like, or I’m mistaken!”

“O dear! what shall we do?” said Eliza, mournfully.

“It was only yesterday,” said George, “as I was busy loading stones into a cart, that young Mas’r Tom stood there, slashing his whip so near the horse that the creature was frightened.  I asked him to stop, as pleasant as I could,—­he just kept right on.  I begged him again, and then he turned on me, and began striking me.  I held his hand, and then he screamed and kicked and ran to his father, and told him that I was fighting him.  He came in a rage, and said he’d teach me who was my master; and he tied me to a tree, and cut switches for young master, and told him that he might whip me till he was tired;—­and he did do it!  If I don’t make him remember it, some time!” and the brow of the young man grew dark, and his eyes burned with an expression that made his young wife tremble.  “Who made this man my master?  That’s what I want to know!” he said.

“Well,” said Eliza, mournfully, “I always thought that I must obey my master and mistress, or I couldn’t be a Christian.”

“There is some sense in it, in your case; they have brought you up like a child, fed you, clothed you, indulged you, and taught you, so that you have a good education; that is some reason why they should claim you.  But I have been kicked and cuffed and sworn at, and at the best only let alone; and what do I owe?  I’ve paid for all my keeping a hundred times over.  I won’t bear it.  No, I won’t!” he said, clenching his hand with a fierce frown.