第9部分(第3/7 頁)

in　the　great　day　of　His　wrath。

Yet；　she　told　her　children；　God　was　just；　and　He　struck　no　people　without　first　giving　manywarnings。　God　gave　men　time；　but　all　the　times　were　in　His　hand；　and　one　day　the　time　to　forsakeevil　and　do　good　would　all　be　finished：　then　only　the　whirlwind；　death　riding　on　the　whirlwind；awaited　those　people　who　had　forgotten　God。　In　all　the　days　that　she　was　growing　up；　signs　failednot；　but　none　heeded。　‘Slaves　done　ris；’　was　whispered　in　the　cabin　and　at　the　master’s　gate：　slavesin　another　county　had　fired　the　masters’　houses　and　fields　and　dashed　their　children　to　deathagainst　the　stones。　‘Another　slave　in　hell；’　Bathsheba　might　say　one　morning；　shooing　thepickaninnies　away　from　the　great　porch：　a　slave　had　killed　his　master；　or　his　overseer；　and　hadgone　down　to　Hell　to　pay　for　it。　‘I　ain’t　got　long　to　stay　here；’　someone　crooned　beside　her　in　thefields；　someone　who　would　be　gone　by　morning　on　his　journey　north。　All　these　signs；　like　theplagues　with　which　the　Lord　had　afflicted　Egypt；　only　hardened　the　hearts　of　these　people　againstthe　Lord。　They　thought　the　lash　would　save　them；　and　they　used　the　lash；　or　the　knife；　or　thegallows；　or　the　auction　block；　they　thought　that　kindness　would　save　then；　and　the　master　andmistress　came　down；　smiling；　to　the　cabins；　making　much　of　the　pickaninnies　and　bearing　gifts。

These　were　great　days；　and　they　all；　black　and　white；　seemed　happy　together。　But　when　the　Wordhas　gone　forth　from　the　mouth　of　God　nothing　can　turn　it　back。

The　Word　was　fulfilled　one　morning；　before　she　was　awake。　Many　of　the　stories　her　othertold　meant　nothing　to　Florence；　she　knew　them　for　what　they　were；　tales　told　by　an　old　blackwoman　in　a　cabin　in　the　evening　to　distract　her　children　from　their　cold　and　hunger。　Bu