Once, in the course of chaffering over the price of _calas_, he enounced an old current conviction which is not without holders even to this day; for we may still hear it said by those who will not be decoyed down from the mountain fastnesses of the old Southern doctrines, that their slaves were "the happiest people under the sun." Clemence had made bold to deny this with argumentative indignation, and was courteously informed in retort that she had promulgated a falsehood of magnitude.
"W'y, Mawse Chawlie," she replied, "does you s'pose one po' nigga kin tell a big lie?
No, sah! But w'en de whole people tell w'at ain' so--if dey know it, aw if dey don' know it--den dat _is_ a big lie!" And she laughed to contortion.
"What is that you say ?" he demanded, with mock ferocity.

"You charge white people with lying ?" "Oh, sakes, Mawse Chawlie, no! De people don't mek up dat ah; de debble pass it on 'em.

Don' you know de debble ah de grett cyount'-feiteh?
Ev'y piece o' money he mek he tek an' put some debblemen' on de under side, an' one o' his pootiess lies on top; an' 'e gilt dat lie, and 'e rub dat lie on 'is elbow, an' 'e shine dat lie, an' 'e put 'is bess licks on dat lie; entel ev'ybody say: 'Oh, how pooty!' An' dey tek it fo' good money, yass--and pass it! Dey b'lieb it!" "Oh," said some one at Doctor Keene's side, disposed to quiz, "you niggers don't know when you are happy." "Dass so, Mawse--_c'est vrai, oui_!" she answered quickly: "we donno no mo'n white folks!" The laugh was against him.
"Mawse Chawlie," she said again, "w'a's dis I yeh 'bout dat Eu'ope country?
's dat true de niggas is all free in Eu'ope!" Doctor Keene replied that something like that was true.
"Well, now, Mawse Chawlie, I gwan t' ass you a riddle.

If dat is _so_, den fo' w'y I yeh folks bragg'n 'bout de 'stayt o' s'iety in Eu'ope' ?" The mincing drollery with which she used this fine phrase brought another peal of laughter.

Nobody tried to guess.
"I gwan tell you," said the _marchande_; "'t is becyaze dey got a 'fixed wuckin' class.'" She sputtered and giggled with the general ha, ha.