brought her own tears. I asked her if she believed she could ever be
happy away from them.

She smiled with brimming eyes: "Why, I dunno, Miss Maud; whatsomeveh
come, and whensomeveh, and howsomeveh de Lawd sen' it, ef us feels his
ahm und' us, us ought to be 'shame' not to be happy, oughtn't us?" All
at once she sprang half up: "I tell you de Lawd neveh gi'n no niggeh de
rights to snuggle down anywhuz an' fo'git de auction-block!"

As suddenly the outbreak passed, yet as she settled down again her
exaltation still showed through her fond smile. "You know what dat
inqui'ance o' yone bring to my 'memb'ance? Dass ow ole Canaan hymn----

"'O I mus' climb de stony hill
Pas' many a sweet desiah,
De flow'ry road is not fo' me,
I follows cloud an' fiah.'"

After she was gone I lay trying so to contrive our next conversation
that it should not flow, as all before it had so irresistibly done,
into that one deep channel of her thoughts which took in everything
that fell upon her mind, as a great river drinks the rains of all its
valleys. Presently the open window gave me my cue: the stars! the
unvexed and unvexing stars, that shone before human wrongs ever began,
and that will be shining after all human wrongs are ended--our talk
should be of them.