“Now, you ebony thief, I’ll swear that there was half a bottle left when I took my last glass; for I held the bottle up to the candle to ascertain the ullage.”
“When you go up tairs, Massa Cockle, so help me Gad! not one drop left in de bottle.”
“Will you take your oath, Moonshine, that you did not drink any last night?”
“No, Massa Cockle, because I gentleman, and neber tell lie—me drink, because you gib it to me.”
“Then I must have been drunk indeed. Now, tell me, how did I give it to you?—tell me every word which passed.”
“Yes, Massa Cockle, me make you recollect all about it. When Massa Piper go away, you look at bottel and den you say, ‘’Fore I go up to bed, I take one more glass for coming up.’—Den I say, ‘’Pose you do, you nebber be able to go up.’ Den you say, ‘Moonshine, you good fellow (you always call me good fellow when you want me), you must help me.’ You drink you grog—you fall back in de chair, and you shut first one eye, and den you shut de oder. I see more grog on the table: so I take up de bottel and I say, ‘Massa Cockle, you go up stairs?’ and you say, ‘Yes, yes—directly.’ Den I hold de bottel up and say to you, ‘Massa, shall I help you?’ and you say, ‘Yes, you must help me.’ So den I take one glass of grog, ’cause you tell me to help you.”
“I didn’t tell you to help yourself though, you scoundrel!”
“Yes, Massa, when you tell me to help you with de bottel, I ’bey order, and help myself. Den, sar, I waits little more, and I say, ‘Massa now you go up ’tairs,’ and you start up and you wake, and you say, ‘Yes, yes;’ and den I hold up and show you bottel again, and I say, ‘Shall I help you massa?’ and den you say ‘Yes.’ So I ’bey order again, and take one more glass. Den you open mouth and you snore—so I look again and I see one little glass more in bottel, and I call you, ‘Massa Cockle, Massa Cockle,’ and you say, ‘high—high!’—and den you head fall on you chest, and you go sleep again—so den I call again and I say; ‘Massa Cockle, here one lilly more drop, shall I drink it?’ and you nod you head on you bosom, and say noting—so I not quite sure, and I say again, ‘Massa Cockle, shall I finish this lilly drop?’ and you nod you head once more. Den I say, ‘all right,’ and I say, ‘you very good helt, Massa Cockle;’ and I finish de bottel. Now, Massa, you ab de whole tory, and it all really for true.”
I perceived that Cockle was quite as much amused at this account of Moonshine’s as I was myself, but he put on a bluff look.
“So, sir, it appears that you took advantage of my helpless situation, to help yourself.”