"Oh, yes, sir, has Mrs. Morgan told you."
Now the reader is surprised. Yes, it is Mrs. Morgan--Athalia. It was she that faced the crowd of savages that cried "drag her out." It was she that took poor Agnes in and gave up her own bed, and nursed and watched her all night, and sent for a physician for her. It was Agnes, the girl that you have seen in the picture with the negro wood-sawyer, and at his home when Phebe divided her bed to give the poor girl a lodging. There is some goodness yet in human nature. It was Phebe that Agnes went to see, while nursing Mrs. De Vrai. It was the latter for whom she was now so anxious to get up out of her sick bed, that she might go and tell the gentleman who wrote the story of "Little Katy," that Little Katy's mother was almost dying to see him. It was by that token that she would find him.
"No, she has not told me; you told me that a long time ago."
"Yes, better than you do me. You have forgotten the gentleman that stopped you in the street one night with old Peter?"
"Oh, dear me; yes, no, not forgotten, but I did not remember. Oh, oh, how singular that I should come right here to this house, where you live, and this dear good lady lives. Oh, I wish I was good; but I am not a good girl. Oh, sir, has this lady told you how bad I was last night? But it was not all my fault, sir. If you only know, what a poor unfortunate girl I have been--but sir, upon my word, I have not been what folks call a _bad_ girl."
"We believe you. There, don't cry, keep yourself quiet to-day, and we hope to see you quite smart this evening."
"Oh, do let me go and find that gentleman, for Mrs. De Vrai. If you only knew what a good lady she is now, now she don't drink any more. But I am afraid she won't live very long. She has got a dreadful cough. And she was worse last night, for she saw somebody in the street yesterday--some man--a bad man--I believe they are all bad--no, no, I don't mean all--but a good many of them."
"I am glad that the sight of bad men in the street, don't make every lady sick who sees one; if it did we might turn the whole city into a general hospital. But what about that man?"
"I don't know what, but she was dreadful 'fraid of him, and that he would come where she lives."