THE AWAKENING
"If you do," said Manning, "his next step will be upon the small of your back; if you knew them as I do, Giles, you'd have different ideas on the subject."
"Very possibly; never thought much about it myself." He turned the matter in his mind, and his British fairness asked another chance for the under dog. "But you've seen a different crowd of the beggars, Manning; in the States they were all slaves until a few years ago; first they were dogs, then they graduated them to stray dogs, whereas in Hayti they've been their own masters for one hundred years, and had a chance to get civilized. Ever been to Hayti?"
"No," answered Manning slowly, "I don't know much about Hayti, but I've seen negroes in England and France and America, and there has never seemed to me to be any more difference than in the same breed of dog in these countries."
"The Haytians one sees in Paris are terrible," said Virginia, with a little shudder. "So black and sleek and unctuous—" She shuddered again. "They are dreadful creatures; they fascinate one, like a great, smooth, glistening black snake—ugh! Do let us talk of something else!" Her low voice carried such a thrill of loathing that both men glanced at her in surprise. Giles looked greatly concerned.
"If you feel that way about 'em, I won't ask him to the house. Glad you spoke of it, Ginny."
Manning stared at the young Englishman with an expression half angry, half amused. "Gad! you English are funny people," he commented, with a scarcely polite frankness. "Fancy asking a big buck nigger to your house!"
11
