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Show 254 UXCLE TOM'S CABIN : OR, excessively; so, pray be agreeable, now, and let a fellow repose ln the light of your smile." "·what's the nw .. tter about Dolph?" said ~faric. "That fellow's impudence has been grmYing to a point that is perfectly intolerable to me. I only wish I lmd tho undisputed management of him a while. I'd bring him down!" " 'Vhat you sn.y, my dear, is marked with your usual acuteness ond good sense," said St. Clare. "As lo Dolph, the case is this : that he has so long been engaged in imitating my graces and perfections, that be has, at last, really mistaken himself for his master; and I have been obliged to give him a little insight into his mistake." '' How ? '' said :Marie. "Why, I was obliged to let him understand explicitly that I preferred to keep some of my clothes for my own personal wearing; also, I put his magnificence upon an allowance of cologne-water, and actually was so cruel as to restrict him to one dozen of my cambric handkerchiefs. Dolph was particularly huffy about it, and I had to talk to him like a father, to bring him round." "0 ! St. Clare, when will you learn how to treat your servants']. It 's abominable, the way you indulge them!" said Marie. "Why, after all, whot 's tho harm of the poor dog's wanting to be like his master; and if I haven't brought him up any better than to find his chief good in cologne and cambnc handkerchiefs, why shouldn't I give them to him 1" , . "And why haven't you brought him up better? said Miss Ophelia, with blunt determination. . 11 Too much trouble, -laziness, cousin, laziness,- whlC~ ruins more souls than you can shako a stick ot. If It weren't for laziness, I should have been a perfect angel, J,I!J'J.ol Al\IONO 'l'lH: 1.0\YLY. 255 myself. I 'm incUncd to think that laziness is what your old Dr. Botbercm, up in Vermont, used to call the 'essence of moral evil.' It's an awful consideration, cert-ainly." " I think you sb,·choldcrs have an awful responsibility upon you," said :Miss Ophelia. " I ·wouldn't have it, for a thousand worlds. You ought to educate your slaves, and treat them Jjke reasonable creatures, -like immortal creatures, that you ' vo got to stand before the bar of God with. 1'hat 's my mind," said the good lady, breaking suddenly out with a tide of zoo! that had been gaining strength in her mind ull tho morning. "0! come, come," said St. Clare, getting up quickly; "what do you know about us 1" And he sat clown to the piano, and rattled a lively piece of music. St. Clare had a decided genius for music. His touch was brilliant and firm, and his fingers flew over tho keys with a rapiJ and bird-like motion, airy, and yet decided. He played piece after piece, like a man who is trying to play himself into a good humor. After pushing the music aside, he rose up, and said, gayly, "Well, now, cousin, you 'vc given us a good talk, and dono your duty; on the whole, I think the better of you for it. I make no manner of doubt that you threw a Ycry diamond of truth at me, though you see it hit me so directly in the fi"Lce that it wasn't exactly appreciated, at first. )J ''For my part, I don't sec any use in such sort of talk,' ' said Marie. "I'm sure, if anybody docs more for servants than we do, I'd like to know who; and it don't do 'em a bit good, -not a particlo,-thoy get worse anJ worse. As to talking to them, or anything like that, I 'rn sure I have talked till I was tired and hoarse, telling them their duty, and all that; and I'm sure they can go to church when they like, though they don't understand a word of the sermon, more than so many |