The Garies and Their Friends | Page 3

think they had the remotest idea of such a thing. At least, if
they did, they must have conquered their prejudices most effectually,
for they treated me with the most distinguished consideration. Old Mr.
Priestly was like a father to me; and as for his daughter Clara and her
aunt, they were politeness embodied. The old gentleman was so much
immersed in business, that he was unable to bestow much attention
upon me; so he turned me over to Miss Clara to be shown the lions. We
went to the opera, the theatre, to museums, concerts, and I can't tell

where all. The Sunday before I left I accompanied her to church, and
after service, as we were coming out, she introduced me to Miss Van
Cote and her mamma. Mrs. Van Cote was kind enough to invite me to
her grand ball."
"And did you go?" interrupted Mr. Garie.
"Of course, I did--and what is more, as old Mr. Priestly has given up
balls, he begged me to escort Clara and her aunt."
"Well, Winston, that is too rich," exclaimed Mr. Garie, slapping his
hand on the table, and laughing till he was red in the face; "too good,
by Jove! Oh! I can't keep that. I must write to them, and say I forgot to
mention in my note of introduction that you were a coloured gentleman.
The old man will swear till everything turns blue; and as for Clara,
what will become of her? A Fifth-avenue belle escorted to church and
to balls by a coloured gentleman!" Here Mr. Garie indulged in another
burst of laughter so side-shaking and merry, that the contagion spread
even to the little girl in Mrs. Garie's arms, who almost choked herself
with the tea her mother was giving her, and who had to be hustled and
shaken for some time before she could be brought round again.
"It will be a great triumph for me," said Mr. Garie. "The old man prides
himself on being able to detect evidences of the least drop of African
blood in any one; and makes long speeches about the natural antipathy
of the Anglo-Saxon to anything with a drop of negro blood in its veins.
Oh, I shall write him a glorious letter expressing my pleasure at his
great change of sentiment, and my admiration of the fearless manner in
which he displays his contempt for public opinion. How he will stare! I
fancy I see him now, with his hair almost on end with disgust. It will do
him good: it will convince him, I hope, that a man can be a gentleman
even though he has African blood in his veins. I have had a series of
quarrels with him," continued Mr. Garie; "I think he had his eye on me
for Miss Clara, and that makes him particularly fierce about my present
connection. He rather presumes on his former great intimacy with my
father, and undertakes to lecture me occasionally when opportunity is
afforded. He was greatly scandalized at my speaking of Emily as my
wife; and seemed to think me cracked because I talked of endeavouring
to procure a governess for my children, or of sending them abroad to be
educated. He has a holy horror of everything approaching to
amalgamation; and of all the men I ever met, cherishes the most

unchristian prejudice against coloured people. He says, the existence of
"a gentleman" with African blood in his veins, is a moral and physical
impossibility, and that by no exertion can anything be made of that
description of people. He is connected with a society for the
deportation of free coloured people, and thinks they ought to be all sent
to Africa, unless they are willing to become the property of some good
master."
"Oh, yes; it is quite a hobby of his," here interposed Mr. Winston. "He
makes lengthy speeches on the subject, and has published two of them
in pamphlet form. Have you seen them?"
"Yes, he sent them to me. I tried to get through one of them, but it was
too heavy, I had to give it up. Besides, I had no patience with them;
they abounded in mis-statements respecting the free coloured people.
Why even here in the slave states--in the cities of Savanah and
Charleston--they are much better situated than he describes them to be
in New York; and since they can and do prosper here, where they have
such tremendous difficulties to encounter, I know they cannot be in the
condition he paints, in a state where they are relieved from many of the
oppressions they labour under here. And, on questioning him on the
subject, I found he was entirely unacquainted with coloured people;
profoundly ignorant as to the real facts of their case.