Dear Stella. Things between us have not been easy of late. I suspect that she is a shade jealous of the attention that Mr Brown has recently bestowed upon me. I suspect also that he has exchanged fewer words with her than was the case before my arrival. Jealousy being the transitory emotion that it is, I am sure that this difficulty will soon pass, and before long a familiar sweet smile will once more be embellishing her features so that despite their dusky tint they might reassume the appearances of both gentleness and refinement. There has been no sign of Christiania for some while, and Stella and I are once again the dominant females of the household. Dear Stella, she seemed delighted to hear that I would be prolonging my visit, and I am sure that the emotions she displayed were no mere show of theatrical skill. We two sat together until all the negroes had ceased their noisy revelry and returned to their lairs and nests. What we in England call autumn is now upon us. Stella, seemingly both exhausted and preoccupied with her own cogitations, informed me that we were entering the time of the rainy season, with its occasional hurricane. Then she closed her eyes.
The sultriness began to give way to more windy weather, promising a most boisterous and tempestuous night. A sudden flurry swelled into a gale, the thunder began to peal most awfully, and the lightning flashed its fearful fires. The dark clouds laboured to rest upon the mountains, and the wind called mournfully among the trees. As the air became chill, the mercury fell, and the shuttered casements of heaven opened wide. And then, as suddenly as the skies opened, they closed up again. I knew from past experience that one consequence of such rain is that in the morning animal life of all kinds will be crowding for space. The ground will be discovered to be Uttered with lizards, centipedes and cockroaches, all of whom will be present in platoons, under cushions, behind bookshelves, lurking in the most unlikely places. One has to learn not to fear these ugly black creepers and crawlers; there are negro boys a-plenty to crush each noisome creature the moment it invades one's life. There is no stemming the invasion. The creatures are sent to try us, but we must not relax our patient self-defence.
Disconcertingly, the emotion of fear is becoming increasingly familiar to me. These past nights the sensation has seized me again, causing me to recollect the prior occasion on which I felt such trepidation. After the death of Isabella at sea, the demon made his last assault. As these alarms continued to threaten me in my impotence, I feared that I should soon be reunited with my dead companion. And now this devilish fear has reasserted its power, but this time I find myself adrift, not on threatening waves, but upon an ocean of negroes who care little for my fears. Outside my window, I began to discern nocturnal scratching noises. At first I was too frightened to properly investigate, in fear that some strange beast might be waiting for an opportunity to assault and devour me body and soul. Eventually, on the third night, I pulled back a corner of the blind and peered into the darkness, whereupon I observed the re-entry into the drama of my life of the arrogant black wench, Christiania. Squatting down on her hams, she appeared to be scratching at the dirt, to what purpose I knew not. Furthermore, she was uttering sinister sounds which I did not wish to hear repeated throughout the night. I thought it best not to approach the half-witted creature directly, especially as I was sure that she was unaware of being observed by me. So I called to Stella, directed her attention to the origin of these noises, and instructed her to drive away the crazy woman. Before Stella could jabber a reply, I read the reluctance in her sooty countenance. I have hitherto observed that amongst the other blacks, there is a deep fear of this foolish Christiania, a fear which has its origins in this obeah that they pay so much attention to, about which I have gleaned further information.
This dark practice was brought by the negroes from Africa, where open and devoted worship of the devil is still encouraged, and temples erected in his honour. The doctors and professors of this obeah are known to have entered into a league with Satan, and with his aid are able to seal the doom of all those who offend them. A fear of the sudden afflictions that this obeah is irrationally believed to call forth strikes terror in the woolly negro head piece. The symptoms include the loss of appetite, day-long fretting and brooding, a perverse desire to consume what is patently indigestible, a heavy listlessness, gross swelling of the extremities, and in due course, an inexplicable death. Clearly Stella, in common with the other plantation slaves, feared that such marvellous powers would be visited upon her person, should she choose to incur the anger of this Christiania. Accordingly, Stella did not venture an inch to carry out any instructions to send Christiania on her way, so I deemed it proper to repeat the order more forcibly. You hear these noises, I insisted, and asked, What is she doing down there upon her knees? Stella pleaded ignorance, and backed hesitantly from my chamber. I let close an hour pass before summoning her again. The noise was growing increasingly frightful, and I demanded of Stella what was signalled by this woman's persistent animal scrabblings and croakings beneath my window. At this the poor woman burst into tears and confessed that, 'Massa say we no talk with Christiania. Massa say we leave she be.' This really was becoming quite intolerable!
As chance would have it, Mr Brown was away visiting a plantation on our sister-island, to intercede in a dispute between the slave stock and an overseer. Apparently on some islands this is a common way of settling feuds, by calling in an overseer or agent from a distant estate to adjudicate. One imagines that such decisions would seldom be passed in favour of the blacks, for the whites must surely be required to merely venture a personal preference and encourage a chorus of assent. However, the negroes have little choice but to endure and comply with the system. The critical point was that Mr Brown would not be returning for at least another three to four days, and I could see no manner in which I might pass the time, and retain a sound grip on my sanity, while Christiania persisted in this noisy charade. I instructed Stella, making it clear to her that I was in no way sympathetic to her imprudent distress, to bring before me the book-keeper who first escorted me up to the estate, for I knew that his duty was to deputise for Mr Brown during his absence. Stella stared lugubriously at the space between her splayed feet. Then she remarked upon the lateness of the hour, presumably unsure as to the propriety of a woman visiting a man's chambers in such circumstances. I responded with some spirit, pointing out that the greater impropriety was for a woman attired in rags to be crawling and whining like a dog in the filth, making noises as if she were communing with the devil himself. Upon this, Stella's face fell into the expression of a melancholy ape, and she took a dejected leave of me.
Within the half-hour the book-keeper arrived, ushered into my bed-chamber by a recalcitrant Stella. From the creased wrinkles upon his face, and the heaviness of his lids, I took it that he had been aroused from sleep. From the smell of rum on his breath I could easily ascertain what form of nightcap had been employed to induce such a slumber. In the few months since our introduction, this man seemed to have hurried past the meridian of life and adopted both a round and florid face, and an increasingly bowed and bent bodily form. Although age had tinged his severely barbered hair with grey, and presumably encouraged him to dress with what might at best be described as graceful negligence, time had not succeeded wholly in driving the brightness from his eyes or depressing his shrewdly alert, but nonetheless properly respectful manner. I began to complain, omitting to mention the essential facts, wrongly assuming that Stella would have related these to him. Apparently not. He looked quizzical, and I realized that I should have to begin afresh. But there was, in fact, little required to explain, for the negress ventured anew to utter her beastly noises, and I had only to lead the book-keeper to the window and invite him to view her conduct. He seemed not in the least surprised and asked how he might help. At this juncture I near-lost my patience. You might ask her to leave forthwith and afford me the opportunity to enjoy a little sleep, I suggested. Somewhat embarrassed, the book-keeper informed me that Mr Brown would not tolerate anyone to disturb the woman. He believed that this was on account of her knowledge of the magical arts. Having successfully avoided a direct confrontation with either myself or the black Christiania, our book-keeper then outlined emergency plans for a negro to be immediately stationed outside my room, so that, should there be any intrusive assaults, or magical manifestations, I would simply need to call out and my sable saviour would rush in to protect me. In the fatigued state that I found myself in, I acquiesced to this curious proposal, and the book-keeper took a relieved leave. His scheme appeared much superior to a night of solitude in my chamber, and certainly preferable to the fear-stricken company of Stella. At least a slave outside, and Stella inside, would render some support to my failing spirit.