Slowly the idea seemed to fill his soul; and the vacant eye became fixed and brightened, the whole face lighted up, the hard hands clasped, and tears ran down the cheeks.
"Bless the Lord! it is,--it is,--it's all I wanted! They haven't forgot me. It warms my soul; it does my heart good! Now I shall die content! Bless the Lord, on my soul!"
"You shan't die! you _mustn't_ die, nor think of it! I've come to buy you, and take you home," said George, with impetuous vehemence.
"O, Mas'r George, ye're too late. The Lord's bought me, and is going to take me home,--and I long to go. Heaven is better than Kintuck."
"O, don't die! It'll kill me!--it'll break my heart to think what you've suffered,--and lying in this old shed, here!
Poor, poor fellow!"
"Don't call me poor fellow!" said Tom, solemnly, "I _have_ been poor fellow; but that's all past and gone, now. I'm right in the door, going into glory! O, Mas'r George! _Heaven has come!_ I've got the victory!--the Lord Jesus has given it to me! Glory be to His name!"
George was awe-struck at the force, the vehemence, the power, with which these broken sentences were uttered. He sat gazing in silence.
Tom grasped his hand, and continued,--"Ye mustn't, now, tell Chloe, poor soul! how ye found me;--'t would be so drefful to her.
Only tell her ye found me going into glory; and that I couldn't stay for no one. And tell her the Lord's stood by me everywhere and al'ays, and made everything light and easy. And oh, the poor chil'en, and the baby;--my old heart's been most broke for 'em, time and agin! Tell 'em all to follow me--follow me! Give my love to Mas'r, and dear good Missis, and everybody in the place! Ye don't know! 'Pears like I loves 'em all! I loves every creature everywhar!--it's nothing _but_ love! O, Mas'r George! what a thing 't is to be a Christian!"
At this moment, Legree sauntered up to the door of the shed, looked in, with a dogged air of affected carelessness, and turned away.
"The old satan!" said George, in his indignation. "It's a comfort to think the devil will pay _him_ for this, some of these days!"
"O, don't!,--oh, ye mustn't!" said Tom, grasping his hand;
"he's a poor mis'able critter! it's awful to think on 't! Oh, if he only could repent, the Lord would forgive him now; but I'm 'feared he never will!"
"I hope he won't!" said George; "I never want to see _him_ in heaven!"
"Hush, Mas'r George!--it worries me! Don't feel so! He an't done me no real harm,--only opened the gate of the kingdom for me; that's all!"
At this moment, the sudden flush of strength which the joy of meeting his young master had infused into the dying man gave way.
A sudden sinking fell upon him; he closed his eyes; and that mysterious and sublime change passed over his face, that told the approach of other worlds.
He began to draw his breath with long, deep inspirations; and his broad chest rose and fell, heavily. The expression of his face was that of a conqueror.
"Who,--who,--who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" he said, in a voice that contended with mortal weakness; and, with a smile, he fell asleep.
George sat fixed with solemn awe. It seemed to him that the place was holy; and, as he closed the lifeless eyes, and rose up from the dead, only one thought possessed him,--that expressed by his simple old friend,--"What a thing it is to be a Christian!"
He turned: Legree was standing, sullenly, behind him.
Something in that dying scene had checked the natural fierceness of youthful passion. The presence of the man was simply loathsome to George; and he felt only an impulse to get away from him, with as few words as possible.
