Armed with an enhanced mastery of this blessed English language, I went forth into London society and soon discovered myself haunted by black men occupying all ranks of life. To my great surprise I found men of colour and ladies of complexion who walked the higher streets and occupied the gardens of the formal and distinguished squares. These darling blacks were effectively shielded from the insults of the vulgar, but I was soon to discover that the source of their fortunes often lay in the desire of the Englishman and the Englishwoman to take up a black or brown companion as a fashionable appendage. Lower down the ranks were the destitute blacks: harlots, entertainers, assorted vagabonds, a motley congregation of Jumbo's and Toby's, many of whom exhausted what bronze they could beg or pilfer swilling down that most famous national cordial, best gin. The bustling narrow cobbled streets of London were indeed teeming with a variety of unfortunate negroes. Black men too feeble to work were often turned adrift in their decay of health, and the useless women were generally reduced to advertising themselves as capable of 'performing the rites of Venus as they are done in the Carib seas'. These sad females elicited much bawdy laughter from young bloods and civilized men alike, the quality of their usage being the object of much coarse speculation. It was the comical street entertainers who were the real aristocrats of the destitute blacks, and chief among this ungodly scourge was one who sported a wooden leg and a quite ludicrous hat. I suspect this man is more responsible than most for fixing us in the minds of the English people as little more than undignified objects for their mirth and entertainment.
John Williams introduced me to the Christian religion while I dwelt on board the ship. Unfortunately, I was unable to make a coherent sense of either his words or his ideas, being more concerned with avoiding English jaws and my possible fate as meat to match their drink. But after talking awhile with Anna, and marvelling at her pure and godly thoughts, I begged my master for full and proper instruction in Christian knowledge so that I might be received into Church fellowship with both experience of the Bible and a conviction of belief. To this end my master, at his expense and with his blessing, sent me to study under a Miss Spencer of Blackheath, who proved a most patient and virtuous instructress. I earnestly wished to imbibe the spirit and imitate the manners of Christian men, for already Africa spoke only to me of a barbarity I had fortunately fled. To this end, I embraced this magical opportunity of improvement. Reading and writing, common arithmetic, and the first elements of mathematics, I acquired all of these, but none without some difficulty. My progress could best be described as assured, if not altogether swift. Miss Spencer was a woman of truly bountiful patience who, when I stumbled, always sought to remind me that books are 'fair virtue's advocates and friends', and that reading and writing are procured only by unwearied application, for which, according to Miss Spencer, I possessed a good capacity. She advised me that with a Christian education I would find it possible to behave with reverence to my betters, with civility to my equals, and to subdue in others the prejudice that my colour gives rise to. Soon I came to regret any time that passed away without improvement, and I would employ not less than ten hours of the day in reading.
My uncivilized African demeanour began to fall from my person, as I resolved to conduct myself along lines that would be agreeable to my God. Miss Spencer informed me that good persons, into whose company she would introduce me, minded the Bible. She challenged me to name any bad persons of my circle for whom the Bible was a guide. I could not. It remained for her powerfully to encourage me to drive old Africa clear from my new mind for, as she related, black men were descended from Noah's son Cham, who was damned by God for his disobedience and shamelessness in having relations with his chosen wife aboard the Ark. This wicked act produced the devilish dark Chus, the father of the black and cursed Africans. Miss Spencer convinced me that supplication to God's will would allow me to gain access to the heavenly thereafter, and she described to me the work of the recently successful abolitionists, naturally favouring those with a Christian zeal over the, formally humanitarian. Soon after the Lord was pleased to break in upon my soul and cast his bright beams of celestial light into this dark place. Having completed her task, the good angel of Blackheath then set a crown upon my head; banished was black Tom, and newly born she gave to the world, David Henderson.
My master could scarce contain himself in the change occasioned by my residence in Blackheath. He promptly ordered a new livery for myself, and announced a shilling increase in my allowance so that this personal attendant now drew the princely sum of eight shillings a week. Mahogany Nell, who rejected all my efforts to liberate her from her unlettered heathen misery, seemed truly suspicious of my person on account of my new learning and improved bearing. Indeed, a great and lamentable distance grew between us which mercifully tarried on this near-shore of open hostility. Meanwhile Anna, at our master's urging, gave her Christian mind over to perusing several entertaining books calculated for women, in order that she might develop some conversational elegance. Our short courtship produced great happiness on both sides, and I therefore thought it only proper to propose a marriage. Anna, to my barely concealed delight, acquiesced. My master convened an audience with me at which he expounded upon the nature of common opinions pertaining to such a liaison. I confessed that while walking abroad with this female in the Haymarket I had been rudely set upon by a swarm of white gallants with epithets of black devil, while she that was under my protection received considerably worse for being in company with a man of colour. I set before my master the hope that foul discord might never approach his blessed abode, and promised that my wife and I would withdraw should such a misfortune descend. At this he discerned deeply, which was his custom, before pronouncing, 'David Henderson,' for he was fond of my name, 'your wife and yourself must have shelter beneath my roof, but be ever wary of the disagreeable consequences of such an unnatural connection.' He then continued, and recounted how a goodly proportion of my countrymen had scandalized London society by carrying too far the empire of Cupid. He asked if I had not observed how some of the bawds and lower-class women of England seemed remarkably fond of my complexion. I said that I had, but I pressed on and spoke to him of God's love for all, as long as they be Christian and part of His world. The ill-breeding of the populace concerned Anna and myself only in as far as it threatened our bodily safety and that of our master. We had already supped at the cup of bitterness that would evermore be set before us, and its taste, though unpleasant, had not stricken us a mortal blow. My master stood and paced a while. He then pronounced that in addition to his permission we should also have his blessing. My heart was over-powered with joy, and his agreement caused me such sensations as I was able to express' only in my looks.
Sadly we were soon abandoned, for barely a week after this day our master was hastened to a heavenly world by a sudden squally fever which strengthened in force and blew the life out of his body. My wife and I mourned deeply, and with much volume, but our misery could never compare with the amplitude of the grief displayed by faithful Mahogany Nell. It was eventually considered politic to attend upon her to dam her misery, for we worried that she too might take her leave, but her storm of passion having been unleashed she chose to rail against those closest to her and forcefully bade my wife and I to depart from her Pall Mall mansion. It was feared (and then confirmed by an attorney) that she in whom no Christian values might be planted would have the good fortune to enjoy the sole benefits of my late master's will. This being the case, my Anna and I were cast out without an asylum of a friend ready or willing to receive and protect us. Mrs Henderson's family were long since scattered and lost, and mine beyond the seas and inhabiting a warmer, but less civilized clime. My raging mind could think only of Miss Spencer of Blackheath as one who might give us tolerable shelter, for my wife and I had nothing between ourselves and the St Giles Poorhouse for Blacks, save only a few trinkets we might offer up to a pawnbroker in the hope of some trifling sum.