In a very few days Topsy had learned how to do Miss Ophelia's room
perfectly, for she was very quick and clever. But if Miss Ophelia ever
left her to do it by herself there was sure to be dreadful confusion.

Instead of making the bed, she would amuse herself with pulling off the
pillow-cases. Then she would butt her woolly head among the pillows,
until it was covered with feathers sticking out in all directions. She
would climb the bedpost, and hang head downwards from the top; wave the
sheets and covers all over the room; dress the bolster up in Miss
Ophelia's nightgown and act scenes with it, singing, whistling, and
making faces at herself in the looking-glass all the time.

'Topsy,' Miss Ophelia would say, when her patience was at an end, 'what
makes you behave so badly?'

'Dunno, missis--I'spects' cause I's so wicked.'

'I don't know what I shall do with you, Topsy.'

'Laws, missis, you must whip me. My old missis always did. I an't used
to workin' unless I gets whipped.'

So Miss Ophelia tried it. Topsy would scream and groan and implore. But
half an hour later she would be sitting among the other little niggers
belonging to the house, laughing about it. 'Miss Feely whip!' she would
say, 'she can't do it nohow.'

'Law, you niggers,' she would go on, 'does you know you's all sinners?
Well, you is; everybody is. White folks is sinners too--Miss Feely says
so. But I 'spects niggers is the biggest ones. But ye an't any of ye up