Clayton invited Douglas to take the evening meal at her house.
Dorothy joined in the request and I ventured to put in a word. Douglas
had to arrange then for a later call upon Mr. Polk.
CHAPTER XXXII
This dinner was the most delightful of occasions. Dorothy was in
brilliant spirits. And Mrs. Clayton shared in her daughter's happiness.
The colored servants, all slaves, affectionate and interested,
manifested their joy in all sorts of lively and profuse attentions. I
could hear them laughing in the kitchen. Mammy, the old cook, was
singing; Jenny, the maid, came in and out of the dining room with
dancing eyes, which she cast upon me, and scarcely less upon Douglas,
who was talking in his usual brilliant way. It was pleasing to me to
hear Mrs. Clayton agree with him about so many things. She was disturbed
by the slavery agitation. She feared for the peace of the Southern
States. She dreaded a negro rebellion. She commented upon the fact that
even the domestic slaves sometimes sulked or slacked; and that this was
due to the talk of the Abolitionists. It was hard enough to keep paid
laborers in good discipline; how much easier to encourage the negroes to
inattention to duty by attacks upon the system of slavery. But after
all, what was to be done?
Douglas referred to Calhoun's attempt to exclude abolition writings from
the mails.
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