The girl listened carefully to the directions, and made Delgado repeat them three times over to her. When she had learned them thoroughly, she said once more: ‘How much I got to pay you for dis, eh, sah?’
‘Nuffin.’
‘Nuffin?’
‘No, nuffin. But you must do me favour. You is house-serbant at Orange Grove; you must come see me now an’ den, an’ tell me what go on ober in de house dar.’
‘What far, sah?’
‘Doan’t you ax what far; but listen to me, le-ady. De great an’ terrible day ob de Lard will come before long, when de wicked will be cut off from de face ob de eart’, an’ we shall see de end ob de evil-doer. You read de Prophets?’
‘I read dem some time.’
‘You read de Prophet Jeremiah, what him say? Hear de tex’. I read him to you. “Deliber up deir children to de famine, an’ pour out deir blood by de sword.” Dat de Lard’s word for all de Dupuys; an’ when de missy come from England, de word ob de prophecy comin’ true.’
The girl shuddered, and opened wide her big eyes with their great ring of white setting. ‘How you know it de Dupuys?’ she asked, hesitating. ‘How you know it dem de prophet ’ludin’ to?’
‘How I know, Rosina Fleming? How I know it? Because I can expound an’ interpret de Scripture; for when de understandin’ ob de man is enlightened, de mout’ speaketh forth wonderful tings. Listen here; I tellin’ you de trut’. Before de missy lib a year in Trinidad, de Lard will sweep away de whole house ob de Dupuys out ob de land for ebber an’ ebber.’