THE DEATH.
Death is always sudden. However gradual may be its approaches, it is, in
its effects upon the survivor, always sudden at last. Tiff thought, at
first, that his mistress was in a fainting-fit, and tried every means to
restore her. It was affecting to see him chafing the thin, white, pearly
hands, in his large, rough, black paws; raising the head upon his arm,
and calling in a thousand tones of fond endearment, pouring out a
perfect torrent of loving devotion on the cold, unheeding ear. But,
then, spite of all he could do, the face settled itself, and the hands
would not be warmed; the thought of death struck him suddenly, and,
throwing himself on the floor by the bed, he wept with an exceeding loud
and bitter cry. Something in his heart revolted against awakening that
man who lay heavily breathing by her side. He would not admit to
himself, at this moment, that this man had any right in her, or that the
sorrow was any part of his sorrow. But the cry awoke Cripps, who sat up
bewildered in bed, clearing the hair from his eyes with the back of his
hand.
"Tiff, what the durned are you howling about?"
Tiff got up in a moment, and, swallowing down his grief and his tears,
pointed indignantly to the still figure on the bed.
"Dar! dar! Wouldn't b'lieve her last night! Now what you think of dat
ar? See how you look now! Good Shepherd hearn you abusing de poor lamb,
and he's done took her whar you'll never see her again!"
Cripps had, like coarse, animal men generally, a stupid and senseless
horror of death;--he recoiled from the lifeless form, and sprang from
the bed with an expression of horror.
"Well, now, who would have thought it?" he said. "That I should be in
bed with a corpse! I hadn't the least idea!"
"No, dat's plain enough, you didn't! You'll believe it now, won't you?
Poor little lamb, lying here suffering all alone! I tell you, when folks
have been sick so long, dey _has_ to die to make folks believe anything
ails 'em!"
"Well, really," said Cripps, "this is really--why, it an't comfortable!
darned if it is! Why, I'm sorry about the gal! I meant to steam her up,
or done something with her. What's we to do now?"
"Pretty likely you don't know! Folks like you, dat never tends to
nothing good, is always flustered when de Master knocks at de do'! _I_
knows what to do, though. I's boun' to get up de crittur, and go up to
de old plantation, and bring down a woman and do something for her, kind
of decent. You mind the chil'en till I come back."
Tiff took down and drew on over his outer garment a coarse, light,
woollen coat, with very long skirts and large buttons, in which he
always arrayed himself in cases of special solemnity. Stopping at the
door before he went out, he looked over Cripps from head to foot, with
an air of patronizing and half-pitiful contempt, and delivered himself
as follows:
"Now, mas'r, I's gwine up, and will be back quick as possible; and now
do pray be decent, and let dat ar whiskey alone for one day in your
life, and 'member death, judgment, and 'ternity. Just act, now, as if
you'd got a _streak_ of something in you, such as a man ought for to
have who is married to one of de very fustest families in old Virginny.
'Flect, now, on your latter end; may be will do your poor old soul some
good; and don't you go for to waking up the chil'en before I gets back.
They'll learn de trouble soon enough."
Cripps listened to this oration with a stupid, bewildered stare, gazing
first at the bed, and then at the old man, who was soon making all the
speed he could towards Canema.
Nina was not habitually an early riser, but on this morning she had
awaked with the first peep of dawn, and, finding herself unable to go to
sleep again, she had dressed herself, and gone down to the garden.
She was walking up and down in one of the alleys, thinking over the
perplexities of her own affairs, when her ear was caught by the wild and
singular notes of one of those tunes commonly used among the slaves as
dirges. The words "She ar dead and gone to heaven" seemed to come
floating down upon her; and, though the voice was cracked and strained,
there was a sort of wildness and pathos in it, which made a singular
impression in the perfect stillness of everything around her. She soon
observed a singular-looking vehicle appearing in the avenue.
This wagon, which was no other than the establishment of Cripps, drew
Nina's attention, and she went to the hedge to look at it. Tiff's
watchful eye immediately fell upon her, and, driving up to where she was
standing, he climbed out upon the ground, and, lifting his hat, made her
a profound obeisance, and "hoped de young lady was bery well, dis
morning."
"Yes, quite well, thank you, Uncle," said Nina, regarding him curiously.
"We's in 'fliction to our house!" said Tiff, solemnly. "Dere's been a
midnight cry dere, and poor Miss Sue (dat's my young missis), she's done
gone home."
"Who is your mistress?"
"Well, her name _was_ Seymour 'fore she married, and her ma come from de
Virginny Peytons,--great family, dem Peytons! She was so misfortunate as
to get married, as gals will, sometimes," said Tiff, speaking in a
confidential tone. "The man wan't no 'count, and she's had a drefful
hard way to travel, poor thing! and dere she's a lying at last stretched
out dead, and not a woman nor nobody to do de least thing; and please,
missis, Tiff comed for to see if de young lady wouldn't send a woman for
to do for her--getting her ready for a funeral."
"And who are you, pray?"
"Please, missis, I's Tiff Peyton, I is. I's raised in Virginny, on de
great Peyton place, and I's gin to Miss Sue's mother; and when Miss Sue
married dis yer man, dey was all 'fended, and wouldn't speak to her; but
I tuck up for her, 'cause what's de use of makin' a bad thing worse? I's
a 'pinion, and telled 'em, dat he oughter be 'couraged to behave
hisself, seein' the thing was done, and couldn't be helped. But no, dey
wouldn't; so I jest tells 'em, says I, 'You may do jis you please, but
old Tiff's a gwine with her,' says I. 'I'll follow Miss Sue to de
grave's mouth,' says I; and ye see I has done it."
"Well done of you! I like you better for it," said Nina. "You just
drive up to the kitchen, there, and tell Rose to give you some
breakfast, while I go up to Aunt Nesbit."
"No, thank you, Miss Nina, I's noways hungry. 'Pears like, when a body's
like as I be, swallerin' down, and all de old times risin' in der throat
all de time, dey can't eat; dey gets filled all up to der eyes with
feelin's. Lord, Miss Nina, I hope ye won't never know what 'tis to stand
outside de gate, when de best friend you've got's gone in; it's hard,
dat ar is!" And Tiff pulled out a decayed-looking handkerchief, and
applied it under his spectacles.
"Well, wait a minute, Tiff." And Nina ran into the house, while Tiff
gazed mournfully after her.
"Well, Lor; just de way Miss Sue used to run--trip, trip, trip!--little
feet like mice! Lord's will be done!"
"Oh, Milly!" said Nina, meeting Milly in the entry, "here you are.
Here's a poor fellow waiting out by the hedge, his mistress dead all
alone in the house, with children,--no woman to do for them. Can't you
go down? you could do so well! You know how better than any one else in
the house."
"Why, that must be poor old Tiff!" said Milly; "faithful old creature!
So that poor woman's gone, at last? the better for her, poor soul! Well,
I'll ask Miss Loo if I may go--or you ask her, Miss Nina."
A quick, imperative tap on her door startled Aunt Nesbit, who was
standing at her toilet, finishing her morning's dressing operations.
Mrs. Nesbit was a particularly systematic early riser. Nobody knew why;
only folks who have nothing to do are often the most particular to have
the longest possible time to do it in.
"Aunt," said Nina, "there's a poor fellow, out here, whose mistress is
just dead, all alone in the house, and wants to get some woman to go
there to help. Can't you spare Milly?"
"Milly was going to clear-starch my caps, this morning," said Aunt
Nesbit. "I have arranged everything with reference to it, for a week
past."
"Well, aunt, can't she do it to-morrow, or next day, just as well?"
"To-morrow she is going to rip up that black dress, and wash it. I am
always systematic, and have everything arranged beforehand. Should like
very much to do anything I could, if it wasn't for that. Why can't you
send Aunt Katy?"
"Why, aunt, you know we are to have company to dinner, and Aunt Katy is
the only one who knows where anything is, or how to serve things out to
the cook. Besides, she's so hard and cross to poor people, I don't think
she would go. I don't see, I'm sure, in such a case as this, why you
couldn't put your starching off. Milly is such a kind, motherly,
experienced person, and they are in affliction."
"Oh, these low families don't mind such things much," said Aunt Nesbit,
fitting on her cap, quietly; "they never have much feeling. There's no
use doing for them--they are miserable poor creatures."
"Aunt Nesbit, do, now, as a favor to me! I don't often ask favors," said
Nina. "_Do_ let Milly go! she's just the one wanted. Do, now, say yes!"
And Nina pressed nearer, and actually seemed to overpower her
slow-feeling, torpid relative, with the vehemence that sparkled in her
eyes.
"Well, I don't care, if"--
"There, Milly, she says yes!" said she, springing out the door. "She
says you may. Now, hurry; get things ready. I'll run and have Aunt Katy
put up biscuits and things for the children; and you get all that you
know you will want, and be off quick, and I'll have the pony got up, and
come on behind you."