About this time, St. Clare's brother Alfred, with his eldest son, a boyof twelve, spent a day or two with the family at the lake.

No sight could be more singular and beautiful than that of these twinbrothers. Nature, instead of instituting resemblances between them, hadmade them opposites on every point; yet a mysterious tie seemed to unitethem in a closer friendship than ordinary.

They used to saunter, arm in arm, up and down the alleys and walksof the garden. Augustine, with his blue eyes and golden hair, hisethereally flexible form and vivacious features; and Alfred, dark-eyed,with haughty Roman profile, firmly-knit limbs, and decided bearing. Theywere always abusing each other's opinions and practices, and yet nevera whit the less absorbed in each other's society; in fact, the verycontrariety seemed to unite them, like the attraction between oppositepoles of the magnet.

Henrique, the eldest son of Alfred, was a noble, dark-eyed, princelyboy, full of vivacity and spirit; and, from the first moment ofintroduction, seemed to be perfectly fascinated by the spirituellegraces of his cousin Evangeline.

Eva had a little pet pony, of a snowy whiteness. It was easy as acradle, and as gentle as its little mistress; and this pony was nowbrought up to the back verandah by Tom, while a little mulatto boy ofabout thirteen led along a small black Arabian, which had just beenimported, at a great expense, for Henrique.

Henrique had a boy's pride in his new possession; and, as he advancedand took the reins out of the hands of his little groom, he lookedcarefully over him, and his brow darkened.

"What's this, Dodo, you little lazy dog! you haven't rubbed my horsedown, this morning."

"Yes, Mas'r," said Dodo, submissively; "he got that dust on his ownself."

"You rascal, shut your mouth!" said Henrique, violently raising hisriding-whip. "How dare you speak?"

The boy was a handsome, bright-eyed mulatto, of just Henrique's size,and his curling hair hung round a high, bold forehead. He had whiteblood in his veins, as could be seen by the quick flush in his cheek,and the sparkle of his eye, as he eagerly tried to speak.

"Mas'r Henrique!--" he began.

Henrique struck him across the face with his riding-whip, and, seizingone of his arms, forced him on to his knees, and beat him till he wasout of breath.

"There, you impudent dog! Now will you learn not to answer back when Ispeak to you? Take the horse back, and clean him properly. I'll teachyou your place!"

"Young Mas'r," said Tom, "I specs what he was gwine to say was, that thehorse would roll when he was bringing him up from the stable; he's sofull of spirits,--that's the way he got that dirt on him; I looked tohis cleaning."

"You hold your tongue till you're asked to speak!" said Henrique,turning on his heel, and walking up the steps to speak to Eva, who stoodin her riding-dress.

"Dear Cousin, I'm sorry this stupid fellow has kept you waiting," hesaid. "Let's sit down here, on this seat till they come. What's thematter, Cousin?--you look sober."

"How could you be so cruel and wicked to poor Dodo?" asked Eva.

"Cruel,--wicked!" said the boy, with unaffected surprise. "What do youmean, dear Eva?"

"I don't want you to call me dear Eva, when you do so," said Eva.

"Dear Cousin, you don't know Dodo; it's the only way to manage him,he's so full of lies and excuses. The only way is to put him down atonce,--not let him open his mouth; that's the way papa manages."

"But Uncle Tom said it was an accident, and he never tells what isn'ttrue."

"He's an uncommon old nigger, then!" said Henrique. "Dodo will lie asfast as he can speak."

"You frighten him into deceiving, if you treat him so."

"Why, Eva, you've really taken such a fancy to Dodo, that I shall bejealous."

"But you beat him,--and he didn't deserve it."

"O, well, it may go for some time when he does, and don't get it. A fewcuts never come amiss with Dodo,--he's a regular spirit, I can tell you;but I won't beat him again before you, if it troubles you."

Eva was not satisfied, but found it in vain to try to make her handsomecousin understand her feelings.

Dodo soon appeared, with the horses.

"Well, Dodo, you've done pretty well, this time," said his young master,with a more gracious air. "Come, now, and hold Miss Eva's horse while Iput her on to the saddle."

Dodo came and stood by Eva's pony. His face was troubled; his eyeslooked as if he had been crying.

Henrique, who valued himself on his gentlemanly adroitness in allmatters of gallantry, soon had his fair cousin in the saddle, and,gathering the reins, placed them in her hands.

But Eva bent to the other side of the horse, where Dodo was standing,and said, as he relinquished the reins,--"That's a good boy,Dodo;--thank you!"

Dodo looked up in amazement into the sweet young face; the blood rushedto his cheeks, and the tears to his eyes.

"Here, Dodo," said his master, imperiously.

Dodo sprang and held the horse, while his master mounted.

"There's a picayune for you to buy candy with, Dodo," said Henrique; "goget some."

And Henrique cantered down the walk after Eva. Dodo stood looking afterthe two children. One had given him money; and one had given him what hewanted far more,--a kind word, kindly spoken. Dodo had been only afew months away from his mother. His master had bought him at a slavewarehouse, for his handsome face, to be a match to the handsome pony;and he was now getting his breaking in, at the hands of his youngmaster.

The scene of the beating had been witnessed by the two brothers St.Clare, from another part of the garden.

Augustine's cheek flushed; but he only observed, with his usualsarcastic carelessness.

"I suppose that's what we may call republican education, Alfred?"

"Henrique is a devil of a fellow, when his blood's up," said Alfred,carelessly.

"I suppose you consider this an instructive practice for him," saidAugustine, drily.

"I couldn't help it, if I didn't. Henrique is a regular littletempest;--his mother and I have given him up, long ago. But, then, thatDodo is a perfect sprite,--no amount of whipping can hurt him."

"And this by way of teaching Henrique the first verse of a republican'scatechism, 'All men are born free and equal!'"

"Poh!" said Alfred; "one of Tom Jefferson's pieces of French sentimentand humbug. It's perfectly ridiculous to have that going the roundsamong us, to this day."

"I think it is," said St. Clare, significantly.

"Because," said Alfred, "we can see plainly enough that all men are_not_ born free, nor born equal; they are born anything else. Formy part, I think half this republican talk sheer humbug. It is theeducated, the intelligent, the wealthy, the refined, who ought to haveequal rights and not the canaille."

"If you can keep the canaille of that opinion," said Augustine. "Theytook _their_ turn once, in France."

"Of course, they must be _kept down_, consistently, steadily, asI _should_," said Alfred, setting his foot hard down as if he werestanding on somebody.

"It makes a terrible slip when they get up," said Augustine,--"in St.Domingo, for instance."

"Poh!" said Alfred, "we'll take care of that, in this country. We mustset our face against all this educating, elevating talk, that is gettingabout now; the lower class must not be educated."

"That is past praying for," said Augustine; "educated they will be, andwe have only to say how. Our system is educating them in barbarism andbrutality. We are breaking all humanizing ties, and making them brutebeasts; and, if they get the upper hand, such we shall find them."

"They shall never get the upper hand!" said Alfred.

"That's right," said St. Clare; "put on the steam, fasten down theescape-valve, and sit on it, and see where you'll land."

"Well," said Alfred, "we _will_ see. I'm not afraid to sit on theescape-valve, as long as the boilers are strong, and the machinery workswell."

"The nobles in Louis XVI.'s time thought just so; and Austria and PiusIX. think so now; and, some pleasant morning, you may all be caught upto meet each other in the air, _when the boilers burst_."

"_Dies declarabit_," said Alfred, laughing.

"I tell you," said Augustine, "if there is anything that is revealedwith the strength of a divine law in our times, it is that the massesare to rise, and the under class become the upper one."

"That's one of your red republican humbugs, Augustine! Why didn't youever take to the stump;--you'd make a famous stump orator! Well, I hopeI shall be dead before this millennium of your greasy masses comes on."

"Greasy or not greasy, they will govern _you_, when their time comes,"said Augustine; "and they will be just such rulers as you make them. TheFrench noblesse chose to have the people '_sans culottes_,' and theyhad '_sans culotte_' governors to their hearts' content. The people ofHayti--"

"O, come, Augustine! as if we hadn't had enough of that abominable,contemptible Hayti!* The Haytiens were not Anglo Saxons; if theyhad been there would have been another story. The Anglo Saxon is thedominant race of the world, and _is to be so_."

* In August 1791, as a consequence of the French Revolution, the black slaves and mulattoes on Haiti rose in revolt against the whites, and in the period of turmoil that followed enormous cruelties were practised by both sides. The "Emperor" Dessalines, come to power in 1804, massacred all the whites on the island. Haitian bloodshed became an argument to show the barbarous nature of the Negro, a doctrine Wendell Phillips sought to combat in his celebrated lecture on Toussaint L'Ouverture.

"Well, there is a pretty fair infusion of Anglo Saxon blood among ourslaves, now," said Augustine. "There are plenty among them who have onlyenough of the African to give a sort of tropical warmth and fervor toour calculating firmness and foresight. If ever the San Domingo hourcomes, Anglo Saxon blood will lead on the day. Sons of white fathers,with all our haughty feelings burning in their veins, will not alwaysbe bought and sold and traded. They will rise, and raise with them theirmother's race."

"Stuff!--nonsense!"

"Well," said Augustine, "there goes an old saying to this effect, 'Asit was in the days of Noah so shall it be;--they ate, they drank, theyplanted, they builded, and knew not till the flood came and took them.'"

"On the whole, Augustine, I think your talents might do for a circuitrider," said Alfred, laughing. "Never you fear for us; possession is ournine points. We've got the power. This subject race," said he, stampingfirmly, "is down and shall _stay_ down! We have energy enough to manageour own powder."

"Sons trained like your Henrique will be grand guardians of yourpowder-magazines," said Augustine,--"so cool and self-possessed!The proverb says, 'They that cannot govern themselves cannot governothers.'"

"There is a trouble there" said Alfred, thoughtfully; "there's no doubtthat our system is a difficult one to train children under. It gives toofree scope to the passions, altogether, which, in our climate, arehot enough. I find trouble with Henrique. The boy is generous andwarm-hearted, but a perfect fire-cracker when excited. I believe I shallsend him North for his education, where obedience is more fashionable,and where he will associate more with equals, and less with dependents."

"Since training children is the staple work of the human race," saidAugustine, "I should think it something of a consideration that oursystem does not work well there."

"It does not for some things," said Alfred; "for others, again, it does.It makes boys manly and courageous; and the very vices of an abject racetend to strengthen in them the opposite virtues. I think Henrique,now, has a keener sense of the beauty of truth, from seeing lying anddeception the universal badge of slavery."

"A Christian-like view of the subject, certainly!" said Augustine.

"It's true, Christian-like or not; and is about as Christian-like asmost other things in the world," said Alfred.

"That may be," said St. Clare.

"Well, there's no use in talking, Augustine. I believe we've been roundand round this old track five hundred times, more or less. What do yousay to a game of backgammon?"

The two brothers ran up the verandah steps, and were soon seated at alight bamboo stand, with the backgammon-board between them. As they weresetting their men, Alfred said,

"I tell you, Augustine, if I thought as you do, I should do something."

"I dare say you would,--you are one of the doing sort,--but what?"

"Why, elevate your own servants, for a specimen," said Alfred, with ahalf-scornful smile.

"You might as well set Mount Ætna on them flat, and tell them tostand up under it, as tell me to elevate my servants under all thesuperincumbent mass of society upon them. One man can do nothing,against the whole action of a community. Education, to do anything, mustbe a state education; or there must be enough agreed in it to make acurrent."

"You take the first throw," said Alfred; and the brothers were soon lostin the game, and heard no more till the scraping of horses' feet washeard under the verandah.

"There come the children," said Augustine, rising. "Look here, Alf! Didyou ever see anything so beautiful?" And, in truth, it _was_ a beautifulsight. Henrique, with his bold brow, and dark, glossy curls, and glowingcheek, was laughing gayly as he bent towards his fair cousin, as theycame on. She was dressed in a blue riding dress, with a cap of the samecolor. Exercise had given a brilliant hue to her cheeks, and heightenedthe effect of her singularly transparent skin, and golden hair.

"Good heavens! what perfectly dazzling beauty!" said Alfred. "I tellyou, Auguste, won't she make some hearts ache, one of these days?"

"She will, too truly,--God knows I'm afraid so!" said St. Clare, in atone of sudden bitterness, as he hurried down to take her off her horse.

"Eva darling! you're not much tired?" he said, as he clasped her in hisarms.

"No, papa," said the child; but her short, hard breathing alarmed herfather.

"How could you ride so fast, dear?--you know it's bad for you."

"I felt so well, papa, and liked it so much, I forgot."

St. Clare carried her in his arms into the parlor, and laid her on thesofa.

"Henrique, you must be careful of Eva," said he; "you mustn't ride fastwith her."

"I'll take her under my care," said Henrique, seating himself by thesofa, and taking Eva's hand.

Eva soon found herself much better. Her father and uncle resumed theirgame, and the children were left together.

"Do you know, Eva, I'm sorry papa is only going to stay two days here,and then I shan't see you again for ever so long! If I stay with you,I'd try to be good, and not be cross to Dodo, and so on. I don't meanto treat Dodo ill; but, you know, I've got such a quick temper. I'm notreally bad to him, though. I give him a picayune, now and then; and yousee he dresses well. I think, on the whole, Dodo 's pretty well off."

"Would you think you were well off, if there were not one creature inthe world near you to love you?"

"I?--Well, of course not."

"And you have taken Dodo away from all the friends he ever had, and nowhe has not a creature to love him;--nobody can be good that way."

"Well, I can't help it, as I know of. I can't get his mother and I can'tlove him myself, nor anybody else, as I know of."

"Why can't you?" said Eva.

"_Love_ Dodo! Why, Eva, you wouldn't have me! I may _like_ him wellenough; but you don't _love_ your servants."

"I do, indeed."

"How odd!"

"Don't the Bible say we must love everybody?"

"O, the Bible! To be sure, it says a great many such things; but, then,nobody ever thinks of doing them,--you know, Eva, nobody does."

Eva did not speak; her eyes were fixed and thoughtful for a few moments.

"At any rate," she said, "dear Cousin, do love poor Dodo, and be kind tohim, for my sake!"

"I could love anything, for your sake, dear Cousin; for I really thinkyou are the loveliest creature that I ever saw!" And Henrique spokewith an earnestness that flushed his handsome face. Eva received it withperfect simplicity, without even a change of feature; merely saying,"I'm glad you feel so, dear Henrique! I hope you will remember."

The dinner-bell put an end to the interview.