“I wish Master Richard was home.”
“No wonder; for dar isn’t a mite ob certainty ‘bout his ‘tentions. He jist as like to go off wid a lot ob soldiers as any of de boys, only he’s so mighty keerful ob you, Miss Phill; and den he’s ‘spectin’ a letter; for de last words he say to me was, ‘Take care ob de mail, Harriet.’ De letter come, too. Moke didn’t want to gib it up, but I sisted upon it. Moke is kind ob plottin’ in his temper. He thought Mass’r Richard would gib him a quarter, mebbe a half-dollar.”
“Did you think so, also, Harriet?”
“Dem’s de house perquisites, Miss Phill. Moke has nothin’ ‘t all to do wid de house perquisites.”
“Moke has been sick, has he not?”
“Had de fever, he says.”
“Is he not one of your classmates? I think I have heard you say he was ‘a powerful member’ of Uncle Isaac’s class.”
“‘Clar to gracious, Miss Phill, I forgot dat. Brudder Moke kin hab de letter and de perquisite.”
“I was sure you would feel that way, Harriet.”
“I’d rather hab you look at me dat shinin’ kind ob way dan hab a dollar; dat I would, Miss Phill.”