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Updated: May 15, 2025
"Geo'ge, your mudder wants you." Such were the words which aroused George Foster from a reverie one morning as he stood at the window of a villa on the coast of Kent, fastening his necktie and contemplating the sea. "Nothing wrong, I hope," said the middy, turning quickly round, and regarding with some anxiety the unusually solemn visage of Peter the Great.
"I only wish I was half-seas-over, or even a quarter that length. Your health, sir!" returned Brown, with a sigh, as he drained the last cup. Just then Peter the Great burst into the kitchen in a very elated condition. "Geo'ge," he cried, "you be off. Massa wants you 'meeditly. But fust, let me ax you understan' de place among de rocks whar Brown's mates and de boat am hidden?"
What do you mean?" "I mean dat you an' me's out for a holiday two slabes out for a holiday! T'ink ob dat!" The negro threw back his head, opened his capacious jaws, and gave vent to an almost silent chuckle. "That does indeed mound strange," returned Foster; "how has such a wonderful event been brought about?" "By lub, Geo'ge. Di'n't I tell you before dat hub am eberyt'ing?"
"Geo'ge," said Peter solemnly, "you tell me you hab took 'vantage ob bein' invited to your master's house to make lub plo plotummikilly or oderwise to your master's slabe?" "No, Peter, I told you nothing of the sort. The meeting with Hester was purely accidental at least it was none of my seeking and I did not make love to her " "Did she make lub to you, Geo'ge plo plotummikilly." "Certainly not.
What elegance of design, what columns of sculptured marble, and fine tessellated work stuck up where few people can see it, even when they try to." "True, Geo'ge. De water would run as well out ob a ugly fountain as a pritty one." "But it's not that I wonder at, Peter; it's the putting of such splendid work in such dark narrow lanes that surprises me.
Why do they go to so much expense in such a place as this?" "Oh! as to expense, Geo'ge. Dey don't go to none. You see, we hab no end ob slabes here, ob all kinds, an' trades an' purfessions, what cost nuffin but a leetle black bread to keep 'em alibe, an' a whackin' now an' den to make 'em work. Bress you! dem marble fountains an' t'ings cost the pirits nuffin. Now we's goin' up to see the Kasba."
So you cheer up, an' somet'ing sure to come ob it; an' if not'ing comes ob it, w'y, de cheerin' up hab come ob it anyhow." Foster smiled faintly at this philosophical view of his case, and did make a brave effort to follow the advice of his friend. "Das right, now, Geo'ge; you laugh an' grow fat. Moreober, you go to work now, for if massa come an' find us here, he's bound to know de reason why!
I's Dinah, de sister ob Peter de Great, an' de fri'nd also ob Geo'ge. So you make your mind easy." "My mind is quite easy," said Hester; "and even if you were not Peter's sister, I'd trust you, because of the tone of your kind voice. But who is Geo'ge?" Dinah opened her eyes very wide at this question, for Peter had already enlightened her mind a little as to the middy's feelings towards Hester.
He was still standing like a statue, with his hands covering his face, when he felt a light touch on his shoulder. It was the negro who had returned to see how he was getting on. "Look yar, now, Geo'ge," he said in quite a fatherly manner, "dis'll neber do. My massa buy you to work in de gardin, not to stand like a statoo washin' its face widout soap or water. We don't want no more statoos.
Well, yesterday I tuk it to massa, an' he bery much pleased. He say, bring you up to de house, an' he gib you some work to do." "I wish," returned Foster, "that he'd ask me to make a portrait of little Hester Sommers." "You forgit, Geo'ge, de Moors neber git deir portraits doo'd. Dey 'fraid ob de evil eye." "Well, when are we to go up?" "Now I jist come for you."
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