Fortunately for him, his father died, and he became the Earl of Clarendon, which being a full peerage of England means, under English law, that he cannot be prosecuted—which is a fine trick, I must say. And he is safe back in England now.

Jan and Miss Clara continued to be helpful to me, letting me know if cargoes of silk fabrics or other goods arrived in the port, and helping me get some pieces at cost price. So I wasn’t surprised, soon after His Lordship had left for England, when I got a message that Jan had some goods for me if I would come round to his house that day.

As it happened, Miss Clara was also there when I arrived, and we went into the parlor.

“I’ve bought some goods I think might interest you, Quash,” he said. “And Clara thinks you’ll like them too.”

I knew she had a good eye, so I was eager to see them.

“Well, here they are,” he said. And I heard the parlor door open, and I turned. And in walked my son Hudson.

“The captain of one of Mr. Master’s privateers bought him off a ship down in Jamaica,” explained Mr. Jan. “Do you want him?”

Hudson was looking so fine and strong, and he was smiling. And I think Miss Clara was smiling too, or she may have been crying; but I’m not sure, because suddenly my eyes were full of tears and so I couldn’t see too well.

But after we had embraced, I had to make sure I understood.

“So now Hudson belongs to …?”

“Hudson is free,” said Miss Clara. “We bought him and now we’re giving him to you.”

“He’s free, then,” I said, and for a moment or two I couldn’t speak.

But then—I don’t know why—the idea came into my mind that I wasn’t satisfied. I knew that they meant kindly to me and to Hudson. I also knew, from all that I had lived through in my own life, that this traffic in human beings in which Mr. Master was engaged was a terrible thing. In my heart I considered that neither he nor any man should have the ownership of another; and if he gave up even one slave, so much the better. And I knew that I wanted my Hudson’s freedom more than I had ever wanted even my own. Yet despite all these considerations, I knew that in my mind I was not satisfied with this transaction.

“I thank you for your kindness,” I said to Mr. Master. “But I am his father, and I should like to buy the freedom of my son.”

I saw Jan glance at Miss Clara.

“He cost me five pounds,” he said. I was sure that this was too low a figure, but I said he should have it, and I gave him the first part of the payment that very evening.