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I studied a while, and see my chance, then I says:

"Well, I see the niggers go in there several times."

Both of them give a little jump; and looked like they hadn't ever expected it,

and then like they had. Then the duke says:

"What, all of them?"

"No -- leastways not all at once. That is, I don't think I ever see them all

come out at once but just one time." ssssssssss

"Hello -- when was that?"

"It was the day we had the funeral. In the morning. It warn't early,

because I overslept. I was just starting down the ladder, and I see

them."

"Well, go on, go on -- what did they do? How'd they act?"

"They didn't do nothing. And they didn't act anyway, much, as fur as I see.

They tip-toed away; so I seen, easy enough, that they'd shoved in there to do

up your majesty's room, or something, sposing you was up; and found you warn't

up, and so they was hoping to slide out of the way of trouble without waking you

up, if they hadn't already waked you up." ssssssssss

"Great guns, this is a go!" says the king; and both of them looked pretty

sick, and tolerable silly. They stood there a thinking and scratching their heads,

a minute, and then the duke he bust into a kind of a little raspy chuckle, and

says:

"It does beat all, how neat the niggers played their hand. They let on to

be sorry they was going out of this region! and I believed they was sorry. And

so did you, and so did everybody. Don't ever tell me any more that a nigger ain't

got any histrionic talent. Why, the way they played that thing, it would fool

anybody. In my opinion there's a fortune in 'em. If I had capital and a

theatre, I wouldn't want a better lay out than that -- and here we've gone and sold

'em for a song. Yes, and ain't privileged to sing the song, yet. Say, where is

that song? -- that draft." ssssssssss

"In the bank for to be collected. Where would it be?"

"Well, that's all right then, thank goodness."

Says I, kind of timid-like:

ssssssssss

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