"Law de deah sakes! dat lil scamp neber would let me out'n he sight till he wor four yeah ole, and to dis berry day dat chile come to his ole Mammy with his troubles."
Sally listened enchanted. Here were bits of family history such as she had never for a moment expected to hear. She said, timidly:
"I do not see how a fine young gentleman can have troubles."
"Well, he do," said Mammy. "Now, fo' instance,—there's dat Miss Ros'mond Earlscourt, she's got heaps ob money, and her face looks berry well, too. And dese yere old famblies o' Virginny, they likes to keep to demselves and marry and gib in marriage to one anudder 'cause there's heaps o' fambly pride to 'em. Dat's all right, ob course, but let me tell you, honey, I can see plain as day dat my Mars' Lion he ain't goin' fo' to bind himse'f to no cousin or ennybody else till he wants to. Dat Ros'mond, she a yeah ol'er dan Mars' Lion, and boys mostly falls in love with girls ol'er than they are, when they's in bibs, some ob them does.
"And my mistis,"—Mammy whispered and rolled her eyes,—"she want dat chile to make right up to Ros'mond, but he jus' won't do it! And he tell his ole Mammy dat he goin' to hab his own way 'bout some tings if de skies fall."
Then Mammy dropped her dreadful story-telling air as she said, in her own sweet voice:
"Now, honey, I doan't expeck you'll eber tell a word o' what I'se been sayin'! I mostly doan't tell fambly affairs, but you looked so sweet with yo' reddy-gold hair, and dem holes in yo' cheeks, I was led on to speak ob mine fo' once. Yo' won't be tellin, will you, missy?"
"No, oh, no!" said Sally, "I wouldn't for the world!"
"Dat's my kitten!" said Mammy, so caressingly that Sally smiled for very joy. And, indeed, it appeared to her so pleasant a thing that the old nurse of her Fairy Prince should have trusted her with a bit of family matters that it would have been hard to give away a word that Mammy had said.
"Now I'll tote 'long," said Mammy, making lunges toward getting up from the stump, "and I ain't meant to say a word I hadn't orter, but my ole heart's berry sore 'cause my young Mars' Lion, he goin' fur away come Septem'er, and no knowin' when I'll eber see my babby 'gain."