“Well, you sut’ny do look peart in dat suit, an’ you sut’ny mus’ lib in uh pow’ful fine country. I’m a chambermaid, an’ ’longs ter Mars Bedford Forrest, who’s showin’ some game chickens an’ fine cattle, heah; dat’s one ub his serbents stan’in’ in front ub dem cattle; ax him ter bring you ’roun’ ter-night ter see me; I’s jes’ pinin’ ter heah sum mo’ erbout dem ribbers an’ ocean. Meh name is Muhtilda.”
“Meh name is Ezra, but dey call me Ezzy.”
“Well, kin I ’speck you, Ezzy?”
“Yes’m; erboutin supper time.”
Every night Ezra went to see Matilda, and every day, as long as she could get off, Matilda came to see Ezra. The result was, at the end of the week they were married. Ezra never said a word to his Marster about it, and urged her to be silent. She was faithful, dependent and obedient. Ezra told her “he wuz not gwine ter say anything ter his ole Marster tell de day befo’ gwine home, and den his Mars Matthew wud buy huh. Ef’n I say anything rite ’way he mout git rejected, teck me home by mehsef, teck off dis nuniform; mo’n dat, he mout whup me, an’ nebba let me go ter any mo’ shows.” Matilda grew so worried that she cried and cried; she was more than perplexed, almost hysterical, so she told Ezra she was going to see and talk to his Marster. Ezra was affrighted, and said, “Ef’n you tu’n fool an’ git ter prancin’ erroun’ Marster, he will say dat he is sho’ you mus’ uh run ’way wid me, an’ dat he don’ like Tennessee niggahs.”
Matilda had more courage, however, than Ezra, so she interviewed Ezra’s Marster, who said:
“Are you a slave?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I hope your Marster is good and kind to you?”
“Y-a-s, indeed, meh Marster; he is ve’y ’zactin’ an’ punnounced, but he is jes’ ez kind ez kind kin be; ef’n I hadn’ fell in lub wid Ezzy, dat Eastern Sho’ an’ his boat, I wudn’ arsk you ter buy me an’ leabe Mars Bedford; but you know Ezzy hab ve’y cutesome ways.”