You are his creditor, are you not?"
Meshach Milburn bowed.
"What is the sum of papa's notes and mortgages? Is it more than he can
pay by the sacrifice of everything?"
"Yes. He has nothing to sell at forced sale which will bring anything,
but the household servants here; these maids in the family are
marketable immediately. You would not like to sell them?"
"Sell Virgie! She was brought up with me; what right have I to sell her
any more than she has to sell me?"
"None," said Milburn, bluntly, "but there is law for it."
"To sell Roxy, too, and old Aunt Hominy, and the young children! how
could I ever pray again if they were sold? Oh! Mr. Milburn, where was
your heart, to let papa waste his plentiful substance in such a
hopeless experiment? If my singing in the church has given you
happiness, why could it not move you to mercy? Think of the despair of
this family, my father's helpless generosity, my mother's marriage
settlement gone, too, and every other son and daughter parted from
them!"
"I never encouraged one moment Judge Custis's expenditure," said
Meshach, "though I lent him money. The first time he came to me to
borrow, my mind was in a liberal disposition, for you had just entered
it with your innocent attentions. I supposed he wanted a temporary
accommodation, and I gave it to him at the lowest rate one Christian
would charge another."
"You say that I influenced you to lend my father money? Why, sir, I was
a child.
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