directly to my poor mistress's house; but reached it only in time to see
the corpse carried out. Oh, that was a day of sorrow,--a heavy day! All
the slaves cried. My mother cried and lamented her sore; and I (foolish
creature!) vainly entreated them to bring my dear mistress back to life. I
knew nothing rightly about death then, and it seemed a hard thing to bear.
When I thought about my mistress I felt as if the world was all gone
wrong; and for many days and weeks I could think of nothing else. I
returned to Mrs. Pruden's; but my sorrow was too great to be comforted,
for my own dear mistress was always in my mind. Whether in the house or
abroad, my thoughts were always talking to me about her.

I staid at Mrs. Pruden's about three months after this; I was then sent
back to Mr. Williams to be sold. Oh, that was a sad sad time! I recollect
the day well. Mrs. Pruden came to me and said, "Mary, you will have to go
home directly; your master is going to be married, and he means to sell
you and two of your sisters to raise money for the wedding." Hearing this
I burst out a crying,--though I was then far from being sensible of the
full weight of my misfortune, or of the misery that waited for me.
Besides, I did not like to leave Mrs. Pruden, and the dear baby, who had
grown very fond of me. For some time I could scarcely believe that Mrs.
Pruden was in earnest, till I received orders for my immediate
return.--Dear Miss Fanny! how she cried at parting with me, whilst I
kissed and hugged the baby, thinking I should never see him again. I left
Mrs. Pruden's, and walked home with a heart full of sorrow. The idea of
being sold away from my mother and Miss Betsey was so frightful, that I
dared not trust myself to think about it. We had been bought of Mr.
Myners, as I have mentioned, by Miss Betsey's grandfather, and given to
her, so that we were by right _her_ property, and I never thought we
should be separated or sold away from her.