"Yo' tells me to come, an' here I is," she repeated. "You tells me," and
Estralla sniffed as if ready to give her usual wails, "that you'se gwine
to stop my bein' sold off from my mammy. How you gwine to stop it,
Missy?"
For a moment Sylvia was tempted to tell Estralla that it couldn't be
helped, as long as South Carolina believed in slavery. But Estralla's
sad eyes and pleading look made her resolve again to protect this little
slave girl against injustice. So she replied quickly:
"That is my secret. But don't you worry. Some day, very soon, I shall
tell you all about it. You know, Estralla, that you need not be afraid.
And what do you think! I am not going to school any more."
Estralla's face had brightened. She was always quite ready to smile, but
she could not understand why Sylvia had wanted her to come so
mysteriously to her room.
"And I am going to teach you to read and write," Sylvia added.
"Is you, Missy?" Estralla responded in a half-frightened whisper. Now,
she thought, she knew all about Missy Sylvia's reasons for the secret
visit. For very few slave-owners allowed anyone to teach the slaves to
read and write. Estralla knew this, and it seemed a wonderful thing that
Missy Sylvia proposed.
"I'll tell you all about it to-morrow morning," said Sylvia; "now run
away," and with a chuckle of delight Estralla closed the door softly
behind her. She had been quite ready to run away with Missy Sylvia when
she had crept up the stairs earlier in the evening.
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