"Mary, ma'am."

"Mary what?"

"Mary's the only name I got."

"I'm Mrs. de la Gura-"

"Praise God! The Reveren' Kent, he took me over to Clifton Forge hid in Mr. Syme's wagon. He stopped in some woods outside of town, an' before he nailed me in the box, he say you help me get to Canada-"

"Christ, that's all we need-black contraband!" Michael groaned.

"Hush, Michael."

"But you can be arrested for concealing a runaway sl-"

"I said hush! Mary-how long have you been shut up in that box?"

"Mos' part of two nights an' all day, I guess-what day's this?"

"Friday night-Saturday morning by now."

"The Reverend, he drove me to the Virginia Central depot Wednesday-trip's almos' thirty miles-"

"Why couldn't they simply have shipped the creature to Canada?" Mr. Hampton asked, disdainful.

"Watch your tongue, Mr. Hampton," Amanda warned. "She's not a creature-she's a human being. And a hungry one at that, I imagine. Have you had anything to eat, child?"

"Biscuits. No drinkin' water. Breathin' was the hardest. Breathin' and bracin' my hands an' feet so I wouldn't roll around and make noise when men lifted the box-"

"Does that answer you, Mr. Hampton?" Amanda asked in a waspish voice. "If they shipped her all the way to Canada, she'd probably suffocate before she got there-or make such a stink in the box someone would surely open it."

The girl grew agitated. "I couldn't help wettin' myself. I tried and tried not to-I tried hard, but I couldn't-"

"That's all right, that's all right," Amanda whispered, patting her. "You did just fine, Mary. Who do you belong to?"

The girl blinked. "To me. I get to Canada, I won't belong to nobody ever again."

"But who did you belong to in Virginia?"

"Cap'n Tunworth."

"The Reverend's father-in-law?"

"Yes'm. He a proper gentleman with other white folks, but he can be mean as hell to his niggers when the spell's on him."

Amanda nodded, her anger at Jephtha all but erased by the courage and fragility of the young girl who had entrusted her life to two white men, and ridden rattling trains in a lightless wooden cage with mortal fear for her companion.

"I've met the captain," she said. "You've confirmed my impression of him-"

"I knew Mr. Syme could get me started to Canada. Mos' every nigger round Lexington knows that. I never wanted to go till the cap'n sold my mama and papa to a man in Carolina. But the cap'n wouldn't sell me. I figure I never see my folks again, so I might as well take a chance on bein' a free person-"

"But why did the Reverend send you here?" Michael asked. "Why not to an organization like the local anti-slavery society?"

"Jephtha's letter indicated that was getting too dangerous," Amanda said.

Mary nodded. "He an' Mr. Syme say they got slave-catchers watching those places now. Watching for colored-even for boxes like the one I come in-"

Suddenly she hugged Amanda, burying her head on the older woman's shoulder.

"I hate that old box! It was all dark an' I made it smell bad-I couldn't help it-I'm so glad I'm here-I'm so glad-"

"Someone bring a couple of clean blankets," Amanda said while the girl sobbed. "We'll put her in the third floor bedroom next to Michael's until I decide what we can do with-"

She froze. At the storeroom door beyond the cluster of servants, she saw Kathleen McCreery.

Kathleen was bundled in a shabby coat. Her pale eyes rounded at the sight of the crate and the black girl in the circle of lamplight.

"Michael-!"

Amanda's warning spun him toward the door.

"Get her out of here! When you take her home, warn her that she'd better not say a word."

"I'm afraid we're not in much of a position to issue warnings," Michael whispered. He stalked to the door and thrust the dumbfounded Kathleen out of sight.

The black girl began to cry in earnest, long wailing sobs. Whether of pleasure or pain, Amanda couldn't tell. She was still fighting the impulse to cry again herself.

That Jephtha Kent had relied on her willingness to harbor a runaway-a clear violation of the Fugitive Slave Act-was upsetting enough. That the McCreery girl had seen the runaway was an absolute disaster.

v

Michael returned to the house about half past one in the morning, reporting to Amanda in the library. "I did the best I could but she's still in a rage. I promised her an additional two weeks' wages one month from now-if she keeps silent about what she saw."

"Do you think she will?"

Amanda wasn't encouraged when he answered, "It depends on how angry she's feeling in a day or two. There's one commodity that's not for sale in the Five Points, Mrs. A-an end to an Irishman's wrath once he's down on you."

"Well, let's hope for the best."

"What are we going to do with the nig-the girl?"

"Put her on the first steamer heading to Canada. You inquire at the piers in the morning."

"What about the disciplining of your son?"

"That can wait a few hours. I still must go up and speak to him-"

"You haven't yet?"

"No, I haven't yet!" she lashed out. "I've been attending to the girl! We tried to feed her and she threw up everything. I finally got some brandy down her. That put her to sleep."

"You'd better sleep a little yourself. You look exhausted."

"I'll see Louis first."

But even that went wrong.

When she climbed the staircase and reached the door of her son's room, she found it unlocked. She opened it quietly. The night sky had cleared. The winter moon shone. Its reflection on snowy rooftops cast a luminous whiteness into the room.

Louis lay on his side in the soiled bed, fully dressed. His head was all but hidden in the pillows, as if he'd tried to burrow deep into them to escape the world.

Her face drawn, Amanda stared at him for a long time, thinking.

vi

She found Michael still in the library. His legs were stretched out toward the dying fire. The white cat was dozing on his knees. He looked startled when she slipped inside.

Her glance went briefly to the display case. Jared's medallion reflected the last red gleams from the hearth.

"Michael-"

"Yes, Mrs. A?"

"I want you to forget about going to the Five Points."

He blinked. "You don't want me to contact the Phelans?"

"No."

She expected him to smile. Instead, quite soberly, he nodded. "That's good, because I had decided I'd resign rather than do that particular chore. I'm thankful you changed your mind. May I ask why-?"

"I looked at Louis upstairs. And I thought of what you said about the high road. I-I don't want the ruining of my son to be the price I pay for Kent's."

"Why don't you wipe the slate all the way clean? Forget the stock too. Dissolve Boston Holdings. You've more than enough money to start a new firm."

"It wouldn't be the same. The stock acquisition is legal. I'll go ahead with that and hope it succeeds." She was very much aware of how much she was staking on a single strategy.

Michael smiled then. "At least what you've decided should make you feel a mite better."

"In a way it does. At the same time, I think I've walked away from a fight. I've never done that in my life."

"I'd say your decision took more courage than any fighting ever could."

"I wish I believed you," she said softly. As she turned to go, the admiration in his eyes was of little comfort.

Chapter VIII.

The Slave Hunter

i

SATURDAY MORNING BROUGHT BRILLIANT sunshine and the drip of melting snow from the eaves. Amanda slept until nine-three hours past her usual time for rising. When she saw the clock on the mantel of her bedroom fireplace, she got up in a rush, drew on a fur-trimmed robe and went straight to the third floor.

She found Mary just finishing an immense breakfast brought up from the kitchen. The girl seemed in good spirits.

"I never had so much food at one time in all my life! Never slept in a bed so soft, either."

"Are you feeling well?"

"Reckon I am. I couldn't eat that food fast enough."

"Good. Today we're going to look into the schedules of steamers to Canada."

"It scares me some to think about goin'," Mary admitted. "I don't know anybody there. An' the Reverend, he didn't have no names to give me-"

"I've been told there are antislave societies in almost every large Canadian city. I'm sure you'll have no trouble locating one. They'll help you get settled."