studying over for the twentieth time the labors proper for April.
After reading a while, she leaned back and closed her eyes and tried
to form such crude plans as were possible in her inexperience and her
ignorance of a place that she had not even seen.

Opening her eyes suddenly she saw old Hannibal sitting near and
regarding her wistfully.

"You are a foolish old fellow to stay with us," she said to him. "You
could have obtained plenty of nice places in the city. What made you
do it?"

"I'se couldn't gib any good reason to de world, Miss Edie, but de one
I hab kinder satisfies my ole black heart."

"Your heart isn't black, Hannibal."

"How you know dat?" he asked quickly.

"Because I've seen it often and often. Sometimes I think it is whiter
than mine. I now and then feel so desperate and wicked, that I am
afraid of myself."

"Dere now, you'se worried and worn-out and you tinks dat's bein'
wicked."

"No. I'm satisfied it is something worse than that. I wonder if God
does care about people who are in trouble, I mean practically, so as
to help them any?"