in which is a happy meeting, some curious facts developed, and clotilda's history disclosed

it was seven days after the sailing of the maggy bell, as described in the foregoing chapter, that montague was seen sitting in the comfortably furnished parlour of a neat cottage in the suburbs of nassau. the coal fire burned brightly in a polished grate; the carpets and rugs, and lolling mats, indicated of care and comfort; the tabbied furniture and chastely worked ottomans, and sofas, and chairs, and inlaid workstands, seem bright of regularity and taste; and the window curtains of lace and damask, and the scroll cornices from which they flowingly hung, and the little landscape paintings that hung upon the satin-papered walls, and the soft light that issued from two girandoles on the mantel-piece of figured marble, all lent their cheering aid to make complete the radiant picture of a happy home. but montague sat nervous with anxiety. "mother won't be a minute!" said a pert little fellow of some seven summers, who played with his hands as he sat on the sofa, and asked questions his emotions forbid answering. on an ottoman near the cheerful fire, sat, with happy faces, the prettily dressed figures of a boy and girl, older in age than the first; while by the side of montague sat maxwell, whose manly countenance we transcribed in the early part of our narrative, and to whom montague had in part related the sad events of the four months past, as he heaved a sigh, saying, "how happy must he die who careth for the slave!" ere the words had escaped his lips, the door opened, and the graceful form of a beautiful woman entered, her finely oval but pensive face made more expressive by the olive that shaded it, and those deep soul-like eyes that now sparkled in gentleness, and again flashed with apprehension. nervously she paused and set her eyes with intense stare on montague; then vaulted into his arms and embraced him, crying, "is not my annette here?" as a tear stole down her cheeks. her quick eye detected trouble in his deportment; she grasped his left hand firmly in her right, and with quivering frame besought him to keep her no longer in the agony of suspense. "why thus suddenly have you come? ah!-you disclose a deep-rooted trouble in not forewarning me! tell me all and relieve my feelings!" she ejaculated, in broken accents. "i was driven from that country because i loved nature and obeyed its laws. my very soul loved its greatness, and would have done battle for its glories-yea, i loved it for the many blessings it hath for the favoured; but one dark stain on its bright escutcheon so betrayed justice, that no home was there for me-none for the wife i had married in lawful wedlock." here the woman, in agonising throbs, interrupted him by enquiring why he said there was no home for the wife he had married in lawful wedlock-was not the land of the puritans free? "nay!" he answered, in a measured tone, shaking his head, "it is bestained not with their crimes-for dearly do they love justice and regard the rights of man-but with the dark deeds of the man-seller, who, heedless of their feelings, and despising their moral rectitude, would make solitary those happy homes that brighten in greatness over its soil." again, frantic of anxiety, did the woman interrupt him: "heavens!-she is not dragged back into slavery?" she enquired, her emotions rising beyond her power of restraint, as she drew bitter pangs from painful truths. with countenance bathed in trouble did montague return her solicitous glance, and speak. "into slavery" he muttered, in half choked accents "was she hurled back." he had not finished the sentence ere anxiety burst its bounds, and the anxious woman shrieked, and fell swooning in his arms. even yet her olive face was beautefully pale. the cheerful parlour now rung with confusion, servants bustled about in fright, the youthful family shrieked in fear, the father sought to restore the fond mother, as montague chafed her right hand in his. let us leave to the reader's conjecture a scene his fancy may depict better than we can describe, and pass to one more pleasant of results. some half an hour had transpired, when, as if in strange bewilderment, clotilda opened her eyes and seemed conscious of her position. a deep crimson shaded her olive cheeks, as in luxurious ease she lay upon the couch, her flushed face and her thick wavy hair, so prettily parted over her classic brow, curiously contrasting with the snow-white pillow on which it rested. a pale and emaciated girl sat beside her, smoothing her brow with her left hand, laying the right gently on the almost motionless bosom, kissing the crimsoning cheek, and lisping rather than speaking, "mother, mother, oh mother!-it's only me." and then the wet courses on her cheeks told how the fountain of her soul had overflown. calmly and vacantly the woman gazed on the fair girl, with whom she had been left alone. then she raised her left hand to her brow, sighed, and seemed sinking into a tranquil sleep. "mother! mother! i am once more with my mother!" again ejaculates the fair girl, sobbing audibly; "do you not know me, mother?" clotilda started as if suddenly surprised. "do i dream?" she muttered, raising herself on her elbow, as her great soft eyes wandered about the room. she would know who called her mother. "'tis me," said the fair girl, returning her glances, "do you not know your annette-your slave child?" indeed the fair girl was not of that bright countenance she had anticipated meeting, for though the punishment had little soiled her flesh the dagger of disgrace had cut deep into her heart, and spread its poison over her soul. "this my annette!" exclaimed clotilda, throwing her arms about the fair girl's neck, drawing her frantically to her bosom, and bathing her cheeks with her tears of joy. "yes, yes, 'tis my long-lost child; 'tis she for whom my soul has longed-god has been merciful, rescued her from the yawning death of slavery, and given her back to her mother! oh, no, i do not dream-it is my child,--my annette!" she continued. long and affectionately did they mingle their tears and kisses. and now a fond mother's joy seemed complete, a child's sorrow ended, and a happy family were made happier. again the family gathered into the room, where, as of one accord, they poured out their affectionate congratulations. one after another were the children enjoined to greet annette, kiss her, and call her sister. to them the meeting was as strange as to the parents it was radiant of joy. "mother!" said the little boy, as he took annette by the hand and called her sister, and kissed her as she kissed him, "was you married before you was married to father?" the affectionate mother had no answer to make; she might have found one in the ignominy of the slave world. and now, when the measure of joy seemed full-when the bitterness of the past dwindled away like a dream, and when the future like a beacon hung out its light of promise,--clotilda drew from a small workstand a discoloured paper written over in greek characters, scarce intelligible. "annette!" said she, "my mother gave me this when last i saw her. the chains were then about her hands, and she was about to be led away to the far south slave market: by it did i discover my history." here she unfolded its defaced pages, lifted her eyes upwards invokingly, and continued--"to speak the crimes of great men is to hazard an oblivion for yourself, to bring upon you the indifference of the multitude; but great men are often greatest in crime-for so it proved with those who completed my mother's destruction. give ear, then, ye grave senators, and if ye have hearts of fathers, lend them! listen, ye queen mothers of my country, whose sons and daughters are yet travelling the world's uncertainties! listen, ye fathers, who have souls above mammon's golden grasp, and sons in whom ye put your trust! listen, ye brothers, whose pride brightens in a sister's virtue! listen, ye sisters, who enjoy paternal affections, and feel that one day you may grace a country's social life! listen, ye philanthropists, ye men of the world, who love your country, and whose hearts yearn for its liberties-ye men sensitive of our great republic's honour, nor seek to traffic in the small gains of power when larger ones await you; and, above all, lend your hearts, ye brothers of the clergy in the slave church, and give ear while i tell who i am, and pray ye, as ye love the soul of woman, to seek out those who, like unto what i was, now wither in slavery. my grandfather's name was iznard maldonard, a minorcan, who in the year 1767 (some four years after florida was by the king of spain ceded to great britain) emigrated with one dr. turnbull-whose name has since shone on the pages of history-to that land of sunshine and promise; for, indeed, florida is the italy of america. in that year did numerous of the english aristocracy conceive plans as various as inconsistent for the population and improvement of the colony. with a worthy motive did lord rolle draw from the purlieus of london [footnote: see williams' history of florida, page 188.] state papers, three hundred wretched females, whose condition he would better by reforming and making aid in founding settlements. this his lordship found no easy task; but the climate relieved him of the perplexity he had brought upon himself, for to it did they all fall victims in a very short time. but turnbull, with motive less commendable, obtained a grant of his government, and, for the sum of four hundred pounds, (being then in the peleponnesus) was the governor of modon bribed into a permission to convey sundry greek families to florida, for colonization. returning from modon with a number of families, he touched at the islands of corsica and minorca, added another vessel to his fleet, and increased the number of his settlers to fifteen hundred. with exciting promises did he decoy them to his land of egypt, which proved a bondage to his shame. he would give them lands, free passages, good provisions and clothing; but none of these promises did he keep. a long passage of four months found many victims to its hardships, and those who arrived safe were emaciated by sickness. into the interior were these taken; and there they founded a settlement called new smyrna, the land for which-some sixty thousand acres-was granted by the governor of florida. faithfully and earnestly did they labour for the promised reward, and in less than five years had more than three thousand acres of land in the highest state of cultivation; but, as turnbull's prosperity increased, so did the demon avarice; and men, women, and children, were reduced to the most abject slavery. tasks greater than they could perform were assigned them, and a few italians and negroes made overseers and drivers. for food the labourers were allotted seven quarts of corn per week. many who had lived in affluence in their own country were compelled to wear osnaburgs, and go bare-foot through the year. more than nine years were those valuable settlers kept in this state of slavery, the cruelties inflicted upon them surpassing in enormity those which so stigmatised the savage spaniards of st. domingo. drivers were compelled to beat and lacerate those who had not performed their tasks; many were left naked, tied all night to trees, that mosquitoes might suck their blood, and the suffering wretches become swollen from torture. some, to end their troubles, wandered off, and died of starvation in the forest, and, including the natural increase, less than six hundred souls were left at the end of nine years. but, be it known to those whose hearts and ears i have before invoked, that many children of these unfortunate parents were fair and beautiful, which valuable charms singularly excited the cupidity of the tyrant, who betook himself to selling them for purposes most infamous. a child overhearing the conversation of three english gentlemen who made an excursion to the settlement, and being quick of ear, conveyed the purport of it to his mother, who, in the night, summoned a council of her confidants to concoct the means of gaining more intelligence. the boy heard the visitors, who stood in the great mansion, which was of stone, say, "did the wretches know their rights they had not suffered such enormities of slavery." it was resolved that three ask for long tasks, under the pretext of gaining time to catch turtle on the coast; but having gained the desired time, they set off for st. augustine, which they reached, after swimming rivers and delving almost impenetrable morasses. they sought the attorney-general of the province, mr. younge,--i speak his name with reverence-and with an earnest zeal did he espouse the cause of this betrayed people. at that time, governor grant-since strongly suspected of being concerned with turnbull in the slavery of the greeks and minorcans-had just been superseded by tonyn, who now had it in his power to rebuke a tyrant, and render justice to a long-injured people. again, on the return of the envoys, who bore good tidings, did they meet in secret, and choose one pallicier, a greek, their leader. this man had been master mechanic of the mansion. with wooden spears were the men armed and formed into two lines, the women, children, and old men in the centre; and thus did they set off from the place of bondage to seek freedom. in vain did the tyrant-whose name democracy has enshrined with its glories-pursue them, and exhaust persuasion to procure their return. for three days did they wander the woods, delve morasses, and swim rivers, ere they reached the haven of st. augustine, where, being provided with provisions, their case was tried, and, albeit, though turnbull interposed all the perfidy wealth could purchase, their fredeom established. but alas! not so well was it with those fair daughters whom the tyrant sold slaves to a life of infamy, and for whose offspring, now in the bitterness of bondage, do we plead. scores of these female children were sold by the tyrant; but either the people were drunk of joy over their own liberty, and forgot to demand the return of their children, or the good younge felt forcibly his weakness to bring to justice the rich and great-for the law is weak where slavery makes men great-so as to make him disgorge the ill-gotten treasure he might have concealed, but the proof of which nothing was easier than to obliterate.

"maldonard, then, was my grandfather; and, with my grandmother and three children, was of those who suffered the cruelties i have detailed. two of his children were girls, fair and beautiful, whom the tyrant, under the pretext of bettering their condition in another colony, sold away into slavery. one was my dear mother." here tears coursed down the woman's cheeks. "and she, though i blush to tell it, was sold to rovero, who was indeed my father as well as franconia's. but i was years older than franconia-i visit her grave by day, and dream of her by night;--nor was it strange that she should trace the cause of similarity in our features. forsooth, it was that singular discovery-of which i was long ignorant-coupled with the virtues of a great soul, that incited her to effect my escape. rovero, ere he married franconia's mother, sold sylvia maldonard, who was my mother; and may angels bring glad tidings of her spirit! yes, true is it that my poor mother was sold to one silenus, of whom marston bought my body while heaven guarded the soul: but here would i drop the curtain over the scene, for maldonard is dead; and in the grave of his italian wife, ere he gained his freedom, was he buried." here again the fond mother, as she concluded, lifted her eyes invokingly, fondled her long-lost child to her bosom,--smiled upon her, kissed her, and was happy.