"
"In trouble, Josiah? Come in, the front door is open."
As he entered the rector's study, Rivers said, "Sit down."
Something in the look of the man made him think of hunted animals. "No
one else is in the house. What is it?" The black poured out his story.
"So then," said Rivers, "he lied to you about the doctor and threatened
you with a lie. Why, Josiah, if he had known who was your master, he
would have told you, and whether or not you ran away from slavery is none
of his business. Mr. Penhallow believes you did, others suspect it, but
no one cares. You are liked and you have the respect of the town. There
would be trouble if any man tried to claim you."
"I'd like to tell you all about it, sir."
"No--no--on no account. Tell no one. Now go home. I will settle with that
drunken liar."
"Thank you. May God bless--and thank you."
The clergyman sat in thought a while, and the more he considered the
matter which he had made light of to the scared black, the less he liked
it. He dismissed it for a time as a lie told to secure whisky, but the
fear Josiah showed was something pitiful in this strong black giant. He
knew Lamb well enough to feel sure that Josiah would now have in him an
enemy who was sure in some way to get what he called "even" with the
barber, and was a man known and spoken of in Westways as "real spiteful.
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