A crowd of all the old and young hands on the place stood gathered around it, to bid farewell to their old associate.

Tom had been looked up to, both as a head servant and a Christian teacher, by all the place, and there was much honest sympathy and grief about him, particularly among the women.
"Why, Chloe, you bar it better 'n we do!" said one of the women, who had been weeping freely, noticing the gloomy calmness with which Aunt Chloe stood by the wagon.
"I's done _my_ tears!" she said, looking grimly at the trader, who was coming up.

"I does not feel to cry 'fore dat ar old limb, no how!" "Get in!" said Haley to Tom, as he strode through the crowd of servants, who looked at him with lowering brows.
Tom got in, and Haley, drawing out from under the wagon seat a heavy pair of shackles, made them fast around each ankle.
A smothered groan of indignation ran through the whole circle, and Mrs.Shelby spoke from the verandah,--"Mr.Haley, I assure you that precaution is entirely unnecessary." "Don' know, ma'am; I've lost one five hundred dollars from this yer place, and I can't afford to run no more risks." "What else could she spect on him ?" said Aunt Chloe, indignantly, while the two boys, who now seemed to comprehend at once their father's destiny, clung to her gown, sobbing and groaning vehemently.
"I'm sorry," said Tom, "that Mas'r George happened to be away." George had gone to spend two or three days with a companion on a neighboring estate, and having departed early in the morning, before Tom's misfortune had been made public, had left without hearing of it.
"Give my love to Mas'r George," he said, earnestly.
Haley whipped up the horse, and, with a steady, mournful look, fixed to the last on the old place, Tom was whirled away.
Mr.Shelby at this time was not at home.

He had sold Tom under the spur of a driving necessity, to get out of the power of a man whom he dreaded,--and his first feeling, after the consummation of the bargain, had been that of relief.

But his wife's expostulations awoke his half-slumbering regrets; and Tom's manly disinterestedness increased the unpleasantness of his feelings.