Out in
the West Indies he met with a pretty young lady, a governess in
an English family, and, taking a violent fancy to her, married
her, though she was a good five-and-twenty years younger than
himself. After the wedding they came to England, and it was at
this time that I was lucky enough to be engaged by them as a
servant.
I lived with my new master and mistress three years. They had no
children. At the end of that period Mr. Norcross died. He was
sharp enough to foresee that his young widow would marry again,
and he bequeathed his property so that it all went to Mrs.
Norcross first, and then to any children she might have by a
second marriage, and, failing that, to relations and friends of
his own. I did not suffer by my master's death, for his widow
kept me in her service. I had attended on Mr. Norcross all
through his last illness, and had made myself useful enough to
win my mistress's favor and gratitude. Besides me she also
retained her maid in her service--a quadroon woman named
Josephine, whom she brought with her from the West Indies. Even
at that time I disliked the half-breed's wheedling manners, and
her cruel, tawny face, and wondered how my mistress could be so
fond of her as she was. Time showed that I was right in
distrusting this woman.
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