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Mrs. Gray and Miss Brittania laughed, and Matty put her little hand into her mother's pocket, and brought out an old-fashioned silver pencilcase. In one end of it was a heavy gold pen, with a sharp point, and a straight slit half an inch long. It did not look as if any one could write with it. In the other end was a bit of common lead pencil, sharpened in the short, oldfashioned way. There were no ever-pointed pencils then, and this was just as Washington had left it.

"Mamma put it in her pocket when the war began," said Martha,' holding it up to Patty. She never puts it away now."

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"My mother gave it to me when I was a very little girl," said Miss Brittania. "I should not like to lose it. The day she gave it to me, I went down the river, with her and my uncle, in a boat that was built for Mount Vernon. It was a pretty row. The boat was painted black and red. The General chose his blackest men to row it, and dressed them in scarlet and gold." Patty looked very sober. sober. "I never could see how Washington could bear to keep slaves," said she.

Miss Brittania paused a moment, and then put out her foot and touched a stain in the carpet.

"Patty," said she, "that stain has been there a week. Next week I am going to take up the carpet. Would you try to wash it out to-day, or wait till the carpet is up?'

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The little girl looked up in surprise. Why should Miss Brittania ask such a question of her? Had she forgotten what they were talking about.

Mrs. Gray smiled. "The floor is dusty," said she; "if you try to take it out now, perhaps you will make the spot worse."

"That was what Washington thought," said Miss Brittania. "We Southerners have suffered a great deal lately; but if Washington had tried to free the slaves in his time, we should have suffered a great deal more, and suffered it in vain. He had enough to do to settle the liberties of white people; but, Patty, he felt badly about it. Although he could do nothing about it, he said something would have to be done; but I did not think he was right. I was quite surprised when my own people went away. They were so good to me in the war! When I

could get no money, they hired themselves out, and brought me food and clothing. When things got a little better, they dropped away one by one, till I had only Lundy left. Now Lundy must go. I did not think he would leave me."

"Did you know, didn't Washington know, that the people wanted to be free?" said Patty.

"I did not know it," said Miss Brittania, her eyes slowly filling with tears, "any more than you know that your mamma would like to go away from you. The slaves at Mount Vernon were very proud and happy. They were kindly treated. My grandmother once heard the General say, just before he died, that the great bell had never been rung on the place to give notice of trouble. The General's people were proud of Lady Washington's beauty, of the silver on the table, of the guests, of the great crowd of strangers always coming and going. Washington had one hundred and twenty cows, yet he had to buy butter for his own table."

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"Why, mamma!" said Patty, suddenly losing sight of the slaves, "how could he use it all?” "A cow gives very little milk in Virginia," said Mrs. Gray; "grass is very poor. I never

shall forget how I missed the soft green turf when I first came South, nor how surprised I was when I heard my little pupils say that they did not like spring butter, and could not use cream on the table till after the yellow dandelions had all flown away on their downy wings." "Why not, mamma?" said Patty.

"Because there is more wild garlic than grass everywhere," said Mrs. Gray, "and it spoils the milk."

Matty had been missing for some minutes. Now she came back, and said, gently,

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Mamma, the hominy is ready."

"I cannot give you any dinner," said Miss Brittania, "but I will give you a lunch of hominy and milk; and, Patty, you may sit in a chair that was once George Washington's, and eat out of the very bowl that he used the last time he was in this house."

Patty gave Miss Brittania her hand with a hop, skip and jump.

CHAPTER V.

OVER THE FERRY.

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S soon as Patty had eaten her hominy out of a big Delf bowl that was almost as handsome as India china, and had a scaly green snake coiling round its rim, in a way that she did not at all like, mamma told her that she must put on her bonnet and sack, for they were to start for Arlington directly.

Mrs. Gray opened the door, and there stood the little donkey. In the cart were two warm, knotted rugs, such as are often found in Southern houses.

Miss Brittania's eyes were full of tears as she helped Patty and her mother to wrap the rugs round their feet.

"I shall never see Frisky again,” she said, in a low voice, thinking it kinder that little Martha should not hear. "Lundy will carry him to

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