"Be you the clerk, sail?" said a straight young colored man, whose clothing had a hint of the soldier in it, as well as his respectful but unusually collected bearing.
"Yes," said the clerk, just glancing up, but not intermitting his work; "what do you want?"
"If you please, sah, we wants to be married, Lugena and me."
"Registered, you mean, I suppose?"
"No, we don't, sah; we means married."
"I can't marry you. You'll have to get a license and be married by a magistrate or a minister."
"But I heard der was a law—-"
"Have you been living together as man and wife?"
"Oh, yes, sah; dat we hab, dis smart while."
"Then you want to be registered. This is the place. Got a half-dollar?"