Captivated by her beauty, he had esteemed himself fortunate in
becoming her purchaser; and as time developed the goodness of her heart,
and her mind enlarged through the instructions he assiduously gave her, he
found the connection that might have been productive of many evils, had
proved a boon to both; for whilst the astonishing progress she made in her
education proved her worthy of the pains he took to instruct her, she
returned threefold the tenderness and affection he lavished upon her.
The little girl in her arms, and the boy at her side, showed no trace
whatever of African origin. The girl had the chestnut hair and blue eyes of
her father; but the boy had inherited the black hair and dark eyes of his
mother. The critically learned in such matters, knowing his parentage,
might have imagined they could detect the evidence of his mother's race, by
the slightly mezzo-tinto expression of his eyes, and the rather African
fulness of his lips; but the casual observer would have passed him by
without dreaming that a drop of negro blood coursed through his veins. His
face was expressive of much intelligence, and he now seemed to listen with
an earnest interest to the conversation that was going on between his
father and a dark-complexioned gentleman who sat beside him.
Pages:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25