Darkness

Samuel Postlethwaite

It is a blasted strange thing. I have felt terribly uneasy ever since yesterday morning, when I heard the commotion up the street, and left the bank to see what was happening. There was a crowd gathered in front of the mercantile, so of course I had to rush over to see what was wrong, to check on Henry and the store.

It was all a blur from there. Someone was being whipped, and when I realized that it was Gregor my heart nearly stopped. What was the slave patrol doing whipping the bank’s biggest investor?

I didn’t have the chance to find out until later, because a sort of storm swept over the area, not of wind or rain, but of horror and fear and grief. Then of… something. Like God himself had breathed out over the crowd, like the trumpets of angels were sounding unheard over our heads. It felt biblical, and mysterious, and overwhelming.

So I am very much looking forward to hearing today’s sermon at church. I hope that our new pastor will be able to shed some light on these events. I don’t believe he was there in the crowd yesterday, but I know he has heard what happened. Some of the men at the club last night were talking about it, and somebody mentioned that he had gone to ask Pastor Colbert to explain the strange sensation everybody had experienced.

My nephew said that he had treated Gregor and sent him home, which relieves me greatly, to hear that he will recover and be able to go about his business. The bank really does rely on his revenue. And of course he is a sweet lad, who must have just gone astray. I had heard the gossip, of course, that he was teaching all sorts of folk to read even though the law prohibits teaching black people. I think that this incident must teach him to mend his ways, and avoid further trouble.

I think I will have my cook send him some of that cornbread that he likes so much, to cheer him up.

Ann and I sit in the front row with the children, and my brother Henry joins us, just like normal. My nephew Samuel isn’t here, but he doesn’t always come to church. I suppose he probably wants to check on Gregor this morning, and a good thing too. I would like to have him receiving the best care, to ensure his recovery. Samuel will take care of him.

The church is quite crowded this morning, but the congregation seems quieter than normal before the service starts. I am not the only person disturbed by yesterday’s events.

When Pastor Colbert takes the lectern, the congregation waits eagerly to hear what he has to say. After a few preliminaries, he begins discussing what everyone is waiting for. “As believers, we must always be on the lookout for signs and portents, for the evidence of God’s presence in our lives. Ours is an active faith, a living faith, and we know that the holy spirit lives and moves among us.”

Nods are heading along the benches. We all felt this yesterday. But why? What does it mean?

“I believe that our little community has been shown the power of God, through the attention given to us by the holy spirit, who descended from heaven and moved among us yesterday. I have heard from several parishioners of this event, and I am certain that everybody here knows what I am speaking of.” He pauses to look meaningfully all around the room, probably to see if anybody looks confused, but instead heads are nodding even more fervently. Yes, everybody was either there, or has heard about it.

“But why,” he goes on, “was the holy spirit moved to come here to Natchez? What was the lesson that it was here to teach?” Many of us look back and forth at each other, wondering at the answer. The pastor continues, “I believe that it was to remind us of our duties as faithful members of the church. We must always keep in mind that our obedience to the will of God must also include obedience to the laws of man. God appoints our officials, and guides their hands, in crafting the laws under which we all live. As I have taught you before, these laws are based on biblical precepts, and are just, and good, and must be obeyed.”

Henry meets my eyes with a slight frown, but I quickly return my attention to Pastor Colbert.

“Every good Christian, and every good citizen, should obey the laws of God and man, and should be content with their allotted place in life. However, there are apparently those in our community who have strayed from this path, and who feel themselves to be above the law. I have heard grievous stories of certain persons who try to flout these just laws, who try to raise servants above their place, thereby rejecting God’s will.”

He sternly views the congregation, and I feel uneasy. Is he talking about Gregor?

“If such a person meets the justice administered by our officers of the law, we can pray that their chastisement will instruct them, and that in the future they will submit humbly to the will of God, and to the laws of men.”

Yes, I think he is talking about Gregor, and although I hope that he can stay out of trouble in the future, I don’t think it particularly likely that even being whipped will cause him to “submit humbly” to anything. He is not that kind of man.

“How do we know,” Pastor Colbert goes on, “when justice has been served? How does God inform us of his will? Normally this is through prayer, of course. However,” his eyes flash out over the church, “sometimes the holy spirit is sent to remind us, during important moments, that God is watching, and judging, and will always uphold the righteous in the eternal fight against evil.”

He pauses significantly, and there is a brief flurry of whispering in the church, which cuts off as soon as he resumes.

“The events which have been described to me are clearly evidence of such a visitation. I have heard of the punishment administered to a wrongdoer, and of the might of the holy spirit which swept over the crowd, bringing despair to some, and righteous ecstasy to others. Any who were there, and who felt this power, should consider themselves blessed by God. To feel the touch of the holy spirit is a powerful gift, which should be remembered and treasured for the rest of your life. And it should serve as the lesson to always obey God’s will, to follow the laws of our land, to accept your lot in life, and thereby to achieve salvation and everlasting life in the bosom of our Lord. Amen.”

When the service concludes, there is a strange dichotomy in the reaction of the congregants. Some seem exultant, apparently validated in their belief that what happened yesterday was for the best. Others seem quiet and disturbed.

I don’t know what to think. Our family leaves the church quietly, and we return in silence to our home.

I had hoped for clarity, but I don’t feel that is what I received. Can any of Pastor Colbert’s message be true? I suppose I might believe so, if it wasn’t for the fact that I know who he was talking about. Gregor is an extraordinary young man, but he is not a “wrongdoer”. He might be willful and extravagant and unpredictable, but surely the holy spirit would not have manifested itself as a way to condone his punishment. Furthermore, I’m sure that most people in the crowd did not perceive whatever was going on as a sense of righteous approval from the holy spirit. It felt more like a gigantic sense of dismay over a horrendous wrong.

No, I surely don’t know what to think.

Gregor’s

After the doctor leaves, Rosy goes downstairs to talk to Nadine, to tell her that Gregor has been advised to stay upstairs for two more days while he “recovers”, and to talk about having food prepared that Rosy can bring up on trays at mealtimes. She will care for Gregor herself, Rosy makes clear, the servants need not attempt to help personally attend him.

My beloved is disturbed by what Samuel told him, worried that the town might be fixating on yesterday’s events, finding them so unexplainable as to require a great deal more thought and attention. He does not want attention, despite his predilection for attracting it. Getting himself publicly whipped, he realizes, was a very ostentatious display, and he is regretting the consequences.

He does not regret having done it though. He continues to be adamant in his belief that if anyone was going to be punished for teaching reading, it would have to be him. He was perfectly willing to take the beating in order to spare Moses, and has no remorse about that.

Sadly, I feel that I must add to his burden. “Beloved, I must inform you that Pastor Colbert is discussing yesterday’s incident during his sermon this morning.”

He rolls his eyes. “Ugh. I can imagine. What nonsense is he spewing now?”

I listen to the sermon for a few minutes, then tell Gregor, “While his language is meant to be weighty and impressive, his basic message seems to be that the sensation experienced by the crowd was indeed the holy spirit, there to express satisfaction at the punishment, which was justified. He again emphasizes his repeated message about everybody staying in their proper place, and implies that because you tried to raise Moses above his station, you deserved to be punished as you were.”

“Oh, good lord,” he groans, then hears the pun and laughs at himself. “Well, I don’t see things getting better around here any time soon. Colbert certainly isn’t helping.”

“I agree. What will you do?”

He shrugs. “Apparently nothing for a couple of days. Then I am going to have to talk to the crew about taking more precautions.” He clenches his jaw, deeply grieved, as he goes on, “I’ll have to advise all the black folks to hide their ability to read, to only do it in private. I can’t have anybody else face the threat of whipping.”

“I don’t know how enthused the slave patrol will be about doing so again. After all, they were traumatized by the emotions and power flowing yesterday as well.”

“The problem is, it sounds like Colbert is just going to get them all riled up again. I can’t take any chances.” He feels a rush of deep sorrow as he realizes that he is going to have to stop holding his reading groups. He would not consider continuing them and excluding his black friends. He would rather terminate the entire enterprise.

His dark mood is brightened when Rosalind comes back into the room, carrying Vernon. The sweet baby smiles when he sees his father, and that is what Gregor needs to feel a glimmer of joy returning.

He will deal with the town later. For now he will enjoy his family.