“Your old master has given you both to me, and now I give you to yourselves. You are both free now and forever,” said Ruth.
“Free! Miss Ruth! Did you say we is free?”
“Yes, you are no longer slaves; you can go and come, now and always; you are your own.”
“Oh, Miss Ruth, old Pomp never will leave ye, never. Old Pomp free! ’Pears like de New Jerusalem has come,” said the negro, sinking upon his knees, kissing her hand and bathing it with tears.
“Oh, Miss Ruth, honey, I has held ye in my arms when ye was a little baby, toted ye in de garding when de flowers was bloomin’, rocked ye to sleep when ye was pinin’; I’ve seen ye grow to be a woman, and now ye is my missus tellin’ me I’m free. I’ll cook de chicken and de johnny-cake for ye till I can’t cook no more,” said Phillis, clasping Ruth in her arms, with tears rolling down her cheeks and laughter bubbling from her lips.
The foresight that had seen the probable departure of the British troops was forecasting the immediate future; that the interval before the arrival of General Washington’s army would be one of peril, from vagabonds, camp-followers, and the ragamuffins enlisted by Creen Brush, commissioned by General Howe to organize a battalion of Tories. Through the day the British regiments were sullenly taking their departure. Pompey informed Ruth that the vagabonds had begun to plunder the stores and break into houses.
“Dey won’t git into dis yeer house, honey. I’se got de water b’ilin’ hot in de kitchen for ’em,” said Phillis.
Ruth did not doubt a mansion like hers would attract the villains, and determined to defend herself against all intruders. General Howe was going on shipboard; no longer would she recognize his authority or that of any subordinate officer. Years before, her father had been member of a battalion of horsemen. The pistols he carried then were in a closet. Pompey brought them, fixed the flints, oiled the locks, and found a horn of powder, but no bullets.
“Perhaps it is just as well, Pompey, for if I were to have a bullet, I might kill somebody, and I would not like to do that,” she said.