call my own, yet, if they will only let me alone now, I will
be satisfied, -- thankful; I will work, and send back the
money for you and my boy. As to my old master, he has
been paid five times over for all he ever spent for me. I
don't owe him anything."

"But yet we are not quite out of danger," said Eliza;
"we are not yet in Canada."

"True," said George, "but it seems as if I smelt the free
air, and it makes me strong."

At this moment, voices were heard in the outer apart-
ment, in earnest conversation, and very soon a rap was
heard on the door. Eliza started and opened it.

Simeon Halliday was there, and with him a Quaker
brother, whom he introduced as Phineas Fletcher. Phineas
was tall and lathy, red-haired, with an expression of great
acuteness and shrewdness in his face. He had not the
placid, quiet, unworldly air of Simeon Halliday; on the
contrary, a particularly wide-awake and au fait appearance,
like a man who rather prides himself on knowing what he
is about, and keeping a bright lookout ahead; peculiarities
which sorted rather oddly with his broad brim and formal
phraseology.

"Our friend Phineas hath discovered something of im-
portance to the interests of thee and thy party, George,"
said Simeon; "it were well for thee to hear it."

"That I have," said Phineas, "and it shows the use of a
man's always sleeping with one ear open, in certain places,
as I 've always said. Last night I stopped at a little lone
tavern, back on the road. Thee remembers the place,
Simeon, where we sold some apples, last year, to that fat
woman, with the great earrings. Well, I was tired with
hard driving; and, after my supper, I stretched myself
down on a pile of bags in the corner, and pulled a buffalo
over me, to wait till my bed was ready; and what does I do
but get fast asleep."

"With one ear open, Phineas?" said Simeon, quietly.

"No; I slept, ears and all, for an hour or two, for I was
pretty well tired; but when I came to myself a little, I
found that there were some men in the room, sitting round
a table, drinking and talking; and I thought, before I made
much muster, I 'd just see what they were up to, especially
as I heard them say something about the Quakers. 'So,'

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