“Oh, yes, marse. One ob de men did ’quire fo’ it, an’ sent fo’ my ole man to gib ’count ob it, an’ dat stranger f’om de Norf he say to my ole man:
“‘Is yo’ de butler?’
“An’ my ole man answer back:
“‘No, sah, my name ain’t Butler, nor likewise nuffin else but Moses Mungumbry, sah.’
“Den dat w’ite man f’om de Norf he laugh out loud, an’ say:
“‘Well, yo’ de man-servant ob de house, anyway. Now, w’ere’s de silber?’
“Den my ole man tell a pious frode, he did, fo’ ole mist’ess’s sake, an’ say, he say:
“‘De silber, sah? De silber hab gone de way ob all flesh, an’ been sol’ off little by little, long ago—long ’fo’ de morgidge gib a lean on to de lan’. Yes, sah, it went to pay debts, an’ to buy sugar an’ tea an’ sperrets fo’ de ole madam.’”
“Where was your mistress when this conversation took place?”
“Her had come to dis cabin airley in de mornin’, ’fo’ dem furriners f’om de Norf come, her had. She didn’t wan’ to see ’em.”