[Transcriber's note: There are two Chapter VI's in this book. I have moved footnotes to the end of each chapter. ]

SEA AND SHORE. 

A

SEQUEL TO "MIRIAM'S MEMOIRS. "

BY MRS. CATHARINE A. WARFIELD. 

AUTHOR OF

"THE HOUSEHOLD OF BOUVERIE, " "MONFORT HALL, " "MIRIAM'S HOUSE" "HESTERHOWARD'S TEMPTATION, " "A DOUBLE WEDDING; OR, HOW SHE WAS WON, " ETC. 

 "_No fears hath she! Her giant form Majestically calm would go O'er wrathful surge, through blackening storm, 'Mid he deep darkness, white as snow! So stately her bearing, so proud her array, The main she will traverse forever and aye! Many ports shall exult in the gleam of her mast-- Hush! hush! Thou vain dreamer, this hour is her last!_"

PHILADELPHIA:T. B. PETERSON & BROTHERS;306 CHESTNUT STREET. 

1876

MRS. C. A. WARFIELD'S NEW WORKS. 

Each Book is in One Volume, Morocco Cloth, price $1. 75. 

_SEA AND SHORE_. 

_MIRIAM'S MEMOIRS_. 

_MONFORT HALL_. 

_THE HOUSEHOLD OF BOUVERIE_. 

_A DOUBLE WEDDING; or, How She Was Won_. 

_HESTER HOWARD'S TEMPTATION_. 

_From Gail Hamilton, author of "Gala Days" etc. _

"'The Household of Bouverie' is one of those books that pluck out allyour teeth, and then dare you to bite them. Your interest is awakened atonce in the first chapter, and you are whirled through in alightning-express train that leaves you no opportunity to look at thelittle details of wood, and lawn, and river. You notice two or threelittle peculiarities of style--one or two 'bits' of painting--and thenyou pull on your seven-leagued boots and away you go. "

_From George Ripley's Review of "The Household of Bouverie" in Harper'sMagazine_. 

"'The Household of Bouverie, ' by Mrs. Warfield, is a wonderful book. Ihave read it twice--the second time more carefully than the first--and Iuse the term 'wonderful, ' because it best expresses the feelinguppermost in my mind, both while reading and thinking it over. As apiece of imaginative writing, I have seen nothing to equal it since thedays of Edgar A. Poe, and I doubt whether he could have sustainedhimself and the readers through a book half the size of the 'Householdof Bouverie. ' I have literally hurried through it by my intensesympathy, my devouring curiosity--It was more than interest. I readeverywhere--between the courses of the hotel-table, on the boat, in thecars--until I had swallowed the last line. This is no common occurrencewith a veteran romance reader like myself. "

Above Books are for sale by all Booksellers at $1. 75 each, or $10. 50 fora complete set of the six volumes, or copies of either one or more ofthe above Books, or a complete set of the six volumes, will be sent atonce, to any one, to any place, post-paid, or free of freight, onremitting their price in a letter to the publishers, T. B. PETERSON & BROTHERS, 306 CHESTNUT STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PA. 

 "No fears hath she! Her giant form Majestically calm would go O'er wrathful surge, through blackening storm, 'Mid the deep darkness, white as snow! So stately her bearing, so proud her array, The main she will traverse forever and aye! Many ports shall exult in the gleam of her mast-- Hush! hush! thou vain dreamer, this hour is her last!"

 WILSON, "_Isle of Palms_. "

 * * * * *

 "Then hold her Strictly confined in sombre banishment, And Doubt not but she will ere long, full gladly, Her freedom purchase at the price you name. "

 * * * * *

 "No, subtle snake! It is the baseness of thy selfish mind, Full of all guile, and cunning, and deceit, That severs us so far, and shall do _ever_. "

 * * * * *

 "Despair shall give me strength--where is the door? Mine eyes are dark! I cannot find it now. O God! protect me in this awful pass!"

 JOANNA BAILLIE, _Tragedy of "Orra_. "

SEA AND SHORE. 

BY MRS. C. A. WARFIELD. 

AUTHOR OF "THE HOUSEHOLD OF BOUVERIE. "

CHAPTER I. 

It was a calm and hazy morning of Southern summer that on which I turnedmy face seaward from the "keep" of Beauseincourt, never, I knew, to seeits time-stained walls again, save through the mirage of memory. Thereis an awe almost as solemn to me in a consciousness like this as thatwhich attends the death-bed parting, and my straining eye takes in itslast look of a familiar scene as it might do the ever-to-be-averted faceof friendship. 

The refrain of Poe's even then celebrated poem was ringing through mybrain on that sultry August day, I remember, like a tolling bell, as Ilooked my last on the gloomy abode of the La Vignes; but I only saidaloud, in answer to the sympathizing glances of one who sat beforeme--the gentle and quiet Marion--who had suddenly determined toaccompany me to Savannah, nerved with unwonted impulse:

"Madame de Staël was right when she said that 'nevermore' was thesaddest and most expressive word in the English tongue" (so harsh to herears, usually). "I think she called it the sweetest, too, in sound; butto me it is simply the most sorrowful, a knell of doom, and it fills mysoul to-day to overflowing, for 'never, never more' shall I look onBeauseincourt!"

"You cannot tell, Miss Harz, what _time_ may do; you may still return tovisit us in our retirement, you and Captain Wentworth, " urged Marion, gently, leaning forward, as she spoke, to take my hand in hers. 

"'Time the tomb-builder'" fell from my lips ere they were aware. "Thatis a grand thought--one that I saw lately in a Western poem, theNew-Year's address of a young editor of Kentucky called Prentice. Is itnot splendid, Marion?"

"Very awful, rather, " she responded, with a faint shudder. "Time the'comforter, ' let us say, instead, Miss Miriam--Time the'veil-spreader. '"

"Why, Marion, you are quite poetic to-day, quite Greek! That is a sweetand tender saying of yours, and I shall garner it. I stand reproved, mychild. All honor to Time, the _merciful_, whether he builds palaces ortombs! but none the less do I reverence my young poet for thatstupendous utterance of his soul. I shall watch the flight of thateaglet of the West with interest from this hour! May he aspire!"

"Not if he is a Jackson Democrat?" broke in the usually gentle AliceDurand, fired with a ready defiance of all heterodox policy, common, ifnot peculiar, to that region. 

"Oh, but he is not; he is a good Whig instead--a Clay man, as we callsuch. "

"Not a Calhoun man, though, I suppose, so I would not give a snap of myfingers for him or his poetry! It is very natural, for you, Miss Harz, "in a somewhat deprecating tone, "to praise your partisans. I would nothave you neutral if I could, it is so contemptible. "

A little of the good doctor's spirit there, under all that exterior ofmeekness and modesty, I saw at a glance, and liked her none the less forit, if truth were told. And now we were nearing the gate, with itsgray-stone pillars, on one of which, that from which the marble ball hadrolled, to hide in the grass beneath, perchance, until the end of all, Ihad seen the joyous figure of Walter La Vigne so lightly poised on theoccasion of my last exodus from Beauseincourt. A moment's pause, and thedifficult, disused bolts that had once exasperated the patience ofColonel La Vigne were drawn asunder, and the clanking gates clashedbehind us as we emerged from the shadowed domain into the glare and dustof the high-road. 

Here Major Favraud, accompanied by Duganne, awaited us, seated in statein his lofty, stylish swung gig (with his tiny tiger behind), drawntandem-wise by his high-stepping and peerless blooded bays, Castor andPollux. Brothers, like the twins of Leda, they had been bred in theblue-grass region of Kentucky and the vicinity of Ashland, and wereworthy of their ancient pedigree, their perfect training and classicnames, the last bestowed when he first became their owner, by MajorFavraud, who, with a touch of the whip or a turn of the hand, controlledthem to subjection, fiery coursers although they were!

Dr. Durand, too, with his spacious and flame-lined gig, accompanied byhis son, a lad of sixteen, awaited our arrival, and served to swell thecavalcade that wound slowly down the dusty road, with its sandy surfaceand red-clay substratum. A few young gentlemen on horseback completedour _cortége_. 

Major Favraud sat holding his ribbons gracefully in one gauntletedhand, while he uncovered his head with the other, bowing suavely in hisknightly fashion, as he said:

"Come drive with me, Miss Harz, for a while, and let the young folkstake it together. "

"Oh, no, Major Favraud; you must excuse me, indeed! I feel a littlelanguid this morning, and I should be poor company. Besides, I cannotsurrender my position as one of the young folks yet. "

"Nay, I have something to say to you--something very earnest. You shallbe at no trouble to entertain me; but you must not refuse a poor, sadfellow a word of counsel and cheer. I shall think hard of you if youdecline to let me drive you a little way. Besides, the freshness of themorning is all lost on you there. Now, set Marion a good example, andshe will, in turn, enliven me later. "

So adjured, I consented to drive to the Fifteen-mile House with MajorFavraud, and Duganne glided into the coach in my stead, to take my placeand play _vis-à-vis_ to Sylphy, who, as usual, was selected astraveling-companion on this occasion, "to take kear of de young ladies. "

"I am so glad I have you all to myself once more, Miss Harz! I feel nowthat we are fast friends again. And I wanted to tell you, while I couldspeak of her, how much my poor wife liked you. (The time will come whenI must not, _dare_ not, you know. ) But for circumstances, she would haveurged you to become our guest, or even in-dweller; but you know how itall was! I need not feign any longer, nor apologize either. "

"It must have been that she saw how lovely and _spirituelle_ I found_her_, " I said, "and could not bear to be outdone in consideration, norto owe a debt of social gratitude. She knew so little of me. But theseaffinities are electric sometimes, I must believe. "

"Yes, there is more of that sort of thing on earth, perhaps, 'than isdreamed of in our philosophy'--antagonism and attraction are alwaysgoing on among us unconsciously. "

"I am inclined to believe so from my own experience, " I replied, vaguely, thinking, Heaven knows, of any thing at the moment rather thanof him who sat beside me. 

"Your mind is on Wentworth, I perceive, " he said, softly; after a shortpause, "now give up your dream for a little while and listen to thissober reality--sober to-day, at least, " he added, with a light laugh. "By-the-way, talking of magnetism, do you know, Miss Harz, I think youare the most universally magnetic woman I ever saw? All the men fall inlove with you, and the women don't hate you for it, either. "

"How perfectly the last assertion disproves the first!" I replied; "butI retract, I will not, even for the sake of a syllogism, abuse my ownsex; women are never envious except when men make them so, by castingdown among them the golden apple of admiration. "

"I know one man, at least, who never foments discord in this way!Wentworth, from the beginning, had eyes and ears for no one butyourself, yet I never dreamed the drama would be enacted so speedily; Iown I was as much in the dark as anybody. "

I could not reply to this _badinage_, as in happier moments I might havedone, but said, digressively:

"By-the-by, while I think of it, I must put down on my tablet the orderof Mr. Vernon. He wants 'Longfellow's Poems, ' if for sale in Savannah. He has been permeating his brain with the 'Psalms of Life, ' that havecome out singly in the _Knickerbocker Magazine_, until he craves everything that pure and noble mind has thrown forth in the shape of a song. "

And I scribbled in my memorandum-book, for a moment, while Major Favraudmused. 

"Longfellow!" he said, at last, "Phoebus, what a name!" addingaffectedly, "yet it seems to me, on reflection, I _have_ heard itbefore. He is a Yankee, of course! Now, do you earnestly believe anative of New England, by descent a legitimate witch-burner, you know, _can_ be any thing better than a poll-parrot in the poetical line?"

"Have we not proof to the contrary, Major Favraud?"

"What proof? Metre and rhyme, I grant you--long and short--but show methe afflatus! They make verse with a penknife, like their woodennutmegs. They are perfect Chinese for ingenuity and imitation, and theresemblance to the real Simon-pure is very perfect--externally. But whenit comes to grating the nut for negus, we miss the aroma!"

"Do you pretend that Bryant is not a poet in the grain, and that thewondrous boy, Willis, was not also 'to the manner born?' Read'Thanatopsis, ' or are you acquainted with it already? I hardly think youcan be. Read those scriptural poems. "

"A very smooth school-exercise the first, no more. There is not aheart-beat in the whole grind. As to Willie--he failed egregiously, whenhe attempted to 'gild refined gold and paint the lily, ' as he did in hisso-called 'Sacred Poems. ' He can spin a yarn pretty well, and coin a newword for a make-shift, amusingly, but save me from the foil-glitter ofhis poetry. "[1]

"This is surprising! You upset all precedent. I really wish you had notsaid these things. I now begin to see the truth of what my copy-booktold me long ago, that 'evil association corrupts good manners, ' or Iwill vary it and substitute 'opinions. ' I must eschew your society, in aliterary way, I must indeed, Major Favraud. "

"Now comes along this strolling Longfellow minstrel, " he continued, ignoring or not hearing my remark, "with _his_ dreary hurdy-gurdy to capthe climax. Heavens! what a nasal twang the whole thing has to me. Notan original or cheerful note! 'Old Hundred' is joyful in comparison!"

"You shall not say that, " I interrupted; "you shall not dare to say thatin my presence. It is sheer slander, that you have caught up from somemalignant British review, and, like all other serpents, you are venomousin proportion to your blindness! I am vexed with you, that you will notsee with the clear, discerning eyes God gave you originally. "

"But I do see with them, and very discerningly, notwithstanding yourcomparison. Now there is that 'Skeleton in Armor, ' his last effusion, Ibelieve, that you are all making such a work over--fine-sounding thingenough, I grant you, ingenious rhyme, and all that. But I know where theframework came from! Old Drayton furnished that in his 'Battle ofAgincourt. '" Then in a clear, sonorous voice, he gave some specimens ofeach, so as to point the resemblance, real or imaginary. 

"You are content with mere externs in finding your similitudes, MajorFavraud! In power of thought, beauty of expression, what comparison isthere? Drayton's verse is poor and vapid, even mean, besideLongfellow's. "

"I grant you that. I have never for one moment disputed the ability ofthose Yankees. Their manufacturing talents are above all praise, butwhen it comes to the 'God-fire, ' as an old German teacher of mine usedto say, our simple Southern poets leave them all behind--'Beat them allhollow, ' would be their own expression. You gee, Miss Harz, thatCavalier blood of ours, that inspired the old English bards, _will_tell, in spite of circumstances. "

"But genius is of no rank--no blood--no clime! What court poet of hisday, Major Favraud, compared with Robert Burns for feeling, fire, andpathos? Who ever sung such siren strains as Moore, a simple Irishman oflow degree? No Cavalier blood there, I fancy! What power, what beauty inthe poems of Walter Scott! Byron was a poet in spite of his condition, not because of it. Hear Barry Cornwall--how he stirs the blood I Whattrumpet like to Campbell I What mortal voice like to Shelley's? thehybrid angel! What full orchestra surpassed Coleridge for harmony andbrilliancy of effect? Who paints panoramas like Southey? Who charms likeWordsworth? Yet these were men of medium condition, all--I hate theconceits of Cowley, Waller, Sir John Suckling, Carew, and the like. Allof your Cavalier type, I believe, a set of hollow pretenders mostly. "

"All this is overwhelming, I grant, " bowing deferentially. "But I returnto my first idea, that Puritan blood was not exactly fit to engendergenius; and that in the rich, careless Southern nature there lurks avein of undeveloped song that shall yet exonerate America from thecharge of poverty of genius, brought by the haughty Briton! Yes, we willsing yet a mightier strain than has ever been poured since the time ofShakespeare! and in that good time coming weave a grander heroic poemthan any since the days of Homer! Then men's souls shall have beentried in the furnace of affliction, and Greek meets not Greek, butYankee. For we Southerners only bide our time!"

And he cut his spirited lead-horse, until it leaped forward suddenly, asthough to vent his excitement, and, setting his email white teethsternly, with an eye like a burning coal, looked forward into space, hiswhole face contracting. 

"The Southern lyre has been but lightly swept so far, Miss Harz, " hecontinued, a moment later, "and only by the fingers of love; we needBellona to give tone to our orchestra. "

I could not forbear reciting somewhat derisively the old couplet--

 "'Sound the trumpet, teat the drum, Tremble France, we come, we come!'

"Is that the style Major Favraud?" I asked. "I remember the time when Ithought these two lines the most soul-stirring in the language--theyseem very bombastic now, in my maturity. "

He smiled, and said: "The time is not come for our war-poem, and, as forlove, let me give you one strain of Pinckney's to begin with;" and, without waiting for permission, he recited the beautiful "Pledge, " withwhich all readers are now familiar, little known then, however, beyondthe limits of the South, and entirely new to me, beginning with--

 "I fill this cup to one made up Of loveliness alone, A woman of her gentle sex The seeming paragon"--

continuing to the end with eloquence and spirit. 

"Now, that is poetry, Miss Harz! the real afflatus is there; the bead onthe wine; the dew on the rose; the bloom on the grape! Nothing wantingthat constitutes the indefinable divine thing called genius! Youunderstand my idea, of course; explanations are superfluous. "

I assented mutely, scarce knowing why I did so. 

"Now, hear another. " And the woods rang with his clear, sonorous accentsas he declaimed, a little too scanningly, perhaps--too much like anenthusiastic boy:

 "Love lurks upon my lady's lip, His bow is figured there; Within her eyes his arrows sleep; His fetters are--her hair!"

"I call that nothing but a bundle of conceits, Major Favraud, mostly ofthe days of Charles II. , of Rochester himself--" interrupting him as Iin turn was interrupted. 

"But hear further, " and he proceeded to the end of that marvelousebullition of foam and fervor, such as celebrated the birth of Aphroditeherself perchance in the old Greek time; and which, despite my perverseintentions, stirred me as if I had quaffed a draught of pink champagne. Is it not, indeed, all _couleur de rose_? Hear this bit of melody, myreader, sitting in supreme judgment, and perhaps contempt, on yourthrone apart:

 "'Upon her cheek the crimson ray By changes comes and goes, As rosy-hued Aurora's play Along the polar snows; Gay as the insect-bird that sips From scented flowers the dew-- Pure as the snowy swan that dips Its wings in waters blue; Sweet thoughts are mirrored on her face, Like clouds on the calm sea, And every motion is a grace, Each word a melody!'"

"Yes, that is true poetry, I acknowledge, Major Favraud, " I exclaimed, not at all humbled by conviction, though a little annoyed at the pointedmanner in which he gave (looking in my face as he did so) theseconcluding lines:

 "Say from what fair and sunny shore, Fair wanderer, dost thou rove, Lest what I only should adore I heedless think to love?"

"The character of Pinckney's genius, " I rejoined, "is, I think, essentially like that of Praed, the last literary phase with me--for Iam geological in my poetry, and take it in strata. But I am moregenerous to your Southern bard than you are to our glorious Longfellow!I don't call that imitation, but coincidence, the oneness of genius! Ido not even insinuate plagiarism. " My manner, cool and careless, steadied his own. 

"You are right: our 'Shortfellow' _was_ incapable of any thing of thesort. Peace be to his ashes! With all his nerve and _vim_, he died ofmelancholy, I believe. As good an end as any, however, and certainlyhighly respectable. But you know what Wordsworth says in his'School-master'--

 "'If there is one that may bemoan His kindred laid in earth, The household hearts that were his own, It is the man of mirth. '"

He sighed as he concluded his quotation--sighed, and slackened the paceof his flying steeds. "But give me something of Praed's in return, " hesaid, rallying suddenly; "is there not a pretty little thing called 'Howshall I woo her?'" glancing archly and somewhat impertinently at me, Ithought--or, perhaps, what would simply have amused me in another manand mood shocked me in him, the recent widower--widowed, too, under suchpeculiar and awful circumstances! I did not reflect sufficientlyperhaps, on his ignorance of many of these last. 

How I deplored his levity, which nothing could overcome or restrain; andyet beneath which I even then believed lay depths of anguish! How Iwished that influence of mine could prevail to induce him to divide hisdual nature, "To throw away the worser part of it, and live the purerwith the better half!" But I could only show disapprobation by thegravity of my silence. 

"So you will not give me 'How shall I woo her?' Miss Harz?" a littleembarrassed, I perceived, by my manner. "I have a fancy for the title, nevertheless, not having heard any more, and should be glad to hear thewhole poem. But you are prudish to-day, I fancy. "

"No, there is nothing in that poem, certainly, that angels might nothear approvingly; but it would sadden you, Major Favraud. "

"I will take the chance of that, " laughing. "Come, the poem, if you careto please your driver, and reward his care. See how skillfully I avoidedthat fallen branch--suppose I were to be spiteful, and upset you againstthis stump?"

Any thing was preferable to his levity; and, as I had warned him of thepossible effect of the poem he solicited, I could not be accused of wantof consideration in reciting it. Besides, he deserved the lesson, thestern lesson that it taught. 

As this could in no way be understood by such of my readers as areunacquainted with this little gem, I venture to give it here--exquisite, passionate utterance that it is, though little known to fame, at leastat this writing:

 "'How shall I woo her? I will stand Beside her when she sings, And watch her fine and fairy hand Flit o'er the quivering strings! But shall I tell her I have heard, Though sweet her song may be, A voice where every whispered word _Was more than song to me_?

 "'How shall I woo her? I will gaze, In sad and silent trance, On those blue eyes whose liquid rays Look love in every glance. But shall I tell her eyes more bright, Though bright her own may beam, Will fling a deeper spell to-night _Upon me in my dream_?'"

I hesitated. "Let me stop here, Major Favraud, I counsel you, " Iinterpolated, earnestly; but he only rejoined:

"No, no! proceed, I entreat you! it is very beautiful--very touching, too!" Speaking calmly, and slacking rein, so that the grating of thewheels among the stems of the scarlet _lychnis_, that grew in immensepatches on our road, might not disturb his sense of hearing, which, by-the-way, was exquisitely nice and fastidious. 

"As you please, then;" and I continued the recitation. 

 "'How shall I woo her? I will try The charms of olden time, And swear by earth, and sea, and sky, And rave in prose and rhyme-- And I will tell her, when I bent My knee in other years, I was not half so _eloquent_; I could not speak--_for tears_!'"

I watched him narrowly; the spell was working now; the poet's hand wassweeping, with a gust of power, that harp of a thousand strings, thewondrous human heart! And I again pursued, in suppressed tones ofheart-felt emotion, the pathetic strain that he had evoked with an ideaof its frivolity alone:

 "'How shall I woo her? I will bow Before the holy shrine, And pray the prayer, and vow the vow, And press her lips to mine-- And I will tell her, when she starts From passion's thrilling kiss, That _memory_ to many hearts Is dearer far than bliss!'"

It was reserved for the concluding verse to unnerve him completely; averse which I rendered with all the pathos of which I was capable, witha view to its final effect, I confess:

 "'Away! away! the chords are mute, The bond is rent in twain; You _cannot_ wake the silent lute, Or clasp its links again. Love's toil, I know, is little cost; Love's perjury is light sin; But souls that lose what I have lost, What have they left to win?'"

"What, indeed?" he exclaimed, impetuously--tears now streaming over hisolive cheeks. He flung the reins to me with a quick, convulsive motion, and covered his face with his hands. Groans burst from his murmuringlips, and the great deeps of sorrow gave up their secrets. I was sorryto have so stirred him to the depths by any act or words of mine, andyet I enjoyed the certainty of his anguish. 

I checked the horses beneath a magnolia-tree, and sat quietly waitingfor the flood of emotion to subside as for him to take the initiative. Ihad no word to say, no consolation to offer. Nay, after consideration, rather did I glory in his grief, which redeemed his nature in myestimation, though grieved in turn to have afflicted him. For, in spiteof all his faults, and my earlier prejudices, I loved this impulsiveSouthron man, as Scott has it, "right brotherly. "

At last, looking up grave, tearless, and pale, and resuming his reinswithout apology for having surrendered them, he said, abruptly:

"All is so vain! Such mockery now to me! She was the sole reality ofthis universe to my heart! I grapple with shadows unceasingly. There isnot on the face of this globe a more desolate wretch. You understandthis! You feel for me, you do not deride me! You know how perfect, howspiritual she was! You loved her well--I saw it in your eyes, yourmanner--and for that, if nothing else, you have my heart-felt gratitude. So few appreciated her unearthly purity. Yet, was it not strange sheshould have loved a man so gross, so steeped in sensuous, thoughtlessenjoyment--so remote from God as I am--have ever been? But the songspeaks for me"--waving his gauntleted hand--"better than I can speak:

 "'Away! away! the chords are mute, The bond is rent in twain. '"

"I shall never marry again--never! Miss Miriam, I know now, and shallknow evermore, in all its fullness, and weariness, and bitterness, themeaning of that terrible word--alone! Eternal solitude. The RobinsonCrusoe of society. A sort of social Daniel Boone. Thus you must everconsider me. And yet, just think of it, Miss Harz!"

"Oh, but you will not always feel so; there may come a time ofreaction. " I hesitated. It was not my purpose to encourage change. 

"No, never! never!" he interrupted, passionately; "don't even suggestit--don't! and check me sternly if ever I forget my grief again infrivolity of any sort in your presence. You are a noble, sweet woman, with breadth enough of character to make allowances for the shortcomingsof a poor, miserable man like me--trying to cheat himself back intogayety and the interests of life. I have sisters, but they are not likeyou. I wish to Heaven they were! There is not a woman in the world onwhom I have any claims--on whose shoulder I can lean my head and take ahearty cry. And what are men at such a season? Mocking fiends, usually, the best of them! I shall go abroad, Miss Harz. I am no anchorite. Youwill hear of me as a gay man of the world, perhaps; but, as to beinghappy, that can never be again! The bubble of life has burst, and myexistence falls flat to the earth. Victor Favraud, that airy nothing, isscarcely a 'local habitation and a name' now!"

"Let him make a name, then, " I urged. "With military talents like yours, Major Favraud, the road to distinction will soon be open to you. Ourapproaching difficulties with France--"

"Oh, that will all be patched up, or has been, by this time. Van Burenis a crafty but peace-loving fox! Something of an epicurean, too, in hishigh estate. What grim old Jackson left half healed, he will completethe cure of. Ah, Miss Harz, I had hoped to flesh my sword in a noblercause!"

I knew what he meant. That dream of nullification was still uppermostin his soul--dispersed, as it was, in the eyes of all reasonable men. Ishook my head. "Thank God! all that is over, " I said, gravely, fervently; "and my prayer to Him is that he may vouchsafe to preserve usfor evermore an unbroken people!"

"May He help Israel when the time comes, " he murmured low, "for come itwill, Miss Harz, as surely as there is a sun in the heavens! 'and may Ibe there to see!' as John Gilpin said, or some one of him--which wasit?"

And, whipping up his lagging steeds as we gained the open road, weemerged swiftly from the shadows of the forest--between noddingcornfields, already helmed and plumed for the harvest, and plantationsgreen with thrifty cotton-plants, with their half-formed bolls, promising such bounteous yield, and meadows covered with the tuftedBermuda grass, with its golden-green verdure, we sped our way towardLenoir's Landing. 

This peninsula was formed by the junction of two rivers, between whichintervened a narrow point of land, with a background of steep hills, covered with a growth of black-jack and yellow-pine to the summit. Herewas a ferry with its Charon-like boat, of the primitive sort--flatbarge, poled-over by negroes, and capable of containing at one time manybales of cotton, a stagecoach or wagon with four horses, besidespassengers _ad libitum_. 

This ferry constituted the chief source of revenue of Madame Grambeau, an old French lady, remarkable in many ways. She kept the stage-househard by, with its neat picketed inclosure, its overhanging live-oaktrees and small trim parterre, gay at this season with various annualflowers, scarce worth the cultivation, one would think, in that land ofgorgeous perennial bloom. But Queen Margarets, ragged robins, variegatedbalsams, and tawny marigolds, have their associations, doubtless, tomake them dear and valuable to the foreign heart, to which they seemessential, wherever a plot of ground be in possession. 

Mignonette, I have observed, is a special passion with the French exile, recalling, doubtless, the narrow boxes, fitted to the stone window-sillof certain former lofty lodgings across the sea, perhaps, situated inthe heart of some great city, and overlooking roofs and court-yards--thestreet being quite out of the question in such a view, distant, as itseems, from them, as the sky itself, though in an opposite direction. 

I have used the word "exile" advisedly with regard to Madame Grambeau, and not figuratively at all. She was, I had been told, a _bourgeoise_, of good class, who had taken part in the early revolution, but who, whenthe _canaille_ triumphed and drenched the land in blood, in the secondphase of that fearful outburst of volcanic feeling, had fled before thewhirlwind with her child and husband to embark for America. At the pointof embarcation--like Evangeline--the husband and wife had been separatedaccidentally, and on her arrival in a strange land she found herselfalone and penniless with her son, scarce six years old. Her husband hadbeen carried to a Southern port, she learned by the merest chance, and, disguising herself in man's attire, and leading her little son by thehand, she set forth in quest of him, carrying with her a violin, which, together with the clothes she wore, had been found in the trunk ofMonsieur Grambeau, brought on the vessel in which she came, but whichdepository she had been obliged to abandon, when setting forth on herpilgrimage. 

She was no unskillful performer on this instrument, and solely by suchaid she gained her food and lodging to the interior of Georgia. Reachingher destination after a long and painful journey and delays of manykinds, she found her husband living in a log-hut, on the border ofTalupa River, a hut which he had built himself, and earning his bread byferrying travellers across that stream. 

Yet here, with the characteristic contentment of her people under allcircumstances, she settled down quietly to aid him and make his homehappy; bore him many children (most of whom were dead at the time I sawher, as those living were separated from her at that period), reared andeducated them herself, toiled for and with them, late and early, strained every nerve in the arduous cause of duty, and found herself, inextreme old age, widowed and alone, having amassed but little of theworld's lucre, yet cheerful and energetic even if dependent still on herown exertions. 

All this and much more I had heard before I saw Madame Grambeau or herabode--a picturesque affair in itself, however humble--consistingoriginally of a log-house, to which more recently white frame wings hadbeen attached, projecting a few feet in front of the primitive building, and connected thereto by a shed-roofed gallery, which embraced the wholefront of the log-cottage, along which ran puncheon steps the entirelength of the grand original tree-trunk, as of the porch itself. It wasa triumph of rural art. 

Over this portico, so low in front as barely to admit the passage of atall man beneath its eaves, without stooping, a wild multiflora rose, then in full flower, was artistically trained so as to present a seriesof arches to the eye as the wayfarer approached the dwelling; notapestry was ever half so lovely. 

The path which led from the little white gate, with its swinging chainand ball, was covered with river-pebbles and shells, and bordered bybox, trimly clipped and kept low, and the two broad steps, that led tothe porch, bore evidence of recent scouring, though rough and unpainted. 

Framed in one of those pointed natural cathedral-windows of vivid green, gemmed with red roses, of which the division-posts of the porch formedthe white outlines, stood the most remarkable-looking aged woman I haveever seen. At a first glance, indeed, the question of sex would havearisen, and been found difficult to decide. Her attire seemed that of afriar, even to the small scalloped cape that scantily covered hershoulders, and the coarse black serge, of which her strait gown wascomposed, leaving exposed her neatly though coarsely clad feet, withtheir snow-white home-knit stockings, and low-quartered, well-polishedcalf-skin shoes, confined with steel buckles, and elevated on heels, then worn by men alone. 

She wore a white habit shirt, the collar, bosom, and wristbands of whichwere visible; but no cap covered her silver hair, which was cropped inthe neck, and divided at one side in true manly fashion. It was brushedwell back from her expansive, fair, and unwrinkled forehead, beneathwhich large blue eyes looked out with that strange solemnity we seealone in the orbs of young, thoughtful children, or the very old. 

Scott's description of the "Monk of Melrose Abbey" occurred to me, as Igazed on this calm and striking figure!

 "And strangely on the knight looked he, And his blue eyes gleamed wild and wide. "

She stood watching our approach, leaning with both hands on her ebony, silver-headed cane, above which she stooped slightly, her aged andsomewhat severe, but serene face fully turned toward us, in the clearlight of morning, with a grave majesty of aspect. 

Above her head in its wicker cage swung the gray and crimson parrot, ofwhich Sylphy had spoken, and to which, it may be remembered, she had soirreverently likened her master on one occasion; bursting forth, as itsaw us coming, into a shrill, stereotyped phrase of welcome--"_Bienvenu, compatriote_, " that was irresistibly ludicrous and irrelevant. 

"Tremble, France! we come--we come, " said Major Favraud; "there's yourquotation well applied this time, Miss Harz! It is impressive, afterall. "

"Hush! she will hear you, " I remonstrated, quite awed in that still, majestic presence, for now we stood before our aged hostess, who, with acold but stately politeness after Major Favraud's salutation andintroduction, waved us in and across her threshold. As for MajorFavraud, he had turned to leave us on the door-sill, to see to thecomfort and safety of his horses; not liking, perhaps, the appearance ofthe superannuated ostler, who lounged near the stable of the inn, ifsuch might be called this rustic retreat without sign, lodging, orbar-rooms. 

"Are we in the mansion of a decayed queen, or the log-hut of a waysideinnkeeper?" I questioned low of Marion. 

"Both in one, it seems to me, " was the reply. "But Madame Grambeau is nocuriosity, no novelty to me, I have stopped here so frequently. I oughtto have told you, before we came, not to be surprised. "

Pausing at the door of a large, square room, from which voicesproceeded, she invited us with a singularly graceful though formalcourtesy to enter, smiling and pointing forward silently as she did so, and then, like Major Favraud, she turned and abandoned us at thedoor-sill, on which we stood riveted for a moment by the sound of avibrant and eager voice speaking some never-to-be-forgotten words. 

"For the slave is the coral-insect of the South, " said the voice within;"insignificant in himself, he rears a giant structure--which will yetcause the wreck of the ship of state, should its keel grate too closelyon that adamantine wall. '_L'état c'est moi_, ' said Louis XIV. , and that'slavery is the South' is as true an utterance. Our staple--ourpatriarchal institution--our prosperity--are one and indissoluble, andthe sooner the issue comes the better for the nation!"

Standing with his hand on the back of a chair near the casement-windowof the large, low apartment, in close conversation with two othergentlemen, was the speaker of these remarkable words, which embraced thewhole genius and policy of the South as it then existed, and which weredelivered in those clear and perfectly modulated tones that bespeak thepractised orator and the man of dominant energies. 

I felt instinctively that I stood in the presence of one of the anointedprinces of the earth--felt it, and was thrilled. 

"Do you know that gentleman, Marion?" I whispered, as we seatedourselves on the old-fashioned settle, or rather sofa, in one corner ofthe room, gazing admiringly, as I spoke, on the tall, slight figure, with its air of power and poise, that stood at some distance, withaverted face. 

"No, I have no idea who it is, or who are his companions either, " shereplied; "unless"--hesitating with scrutiny in her eyes--

"His companions, I do not care to question of them!--but that manhimself--the speaker--has a sovereign presence! Can it be possible--"

The entrance of Major Favraud interrupted further conjecture, for at thesound of those emphatic boots the stranger turned, and for one momentthe splendor of his large dark eyes, in their iron framing, met my own, then passed recognizingly on to rest on the face of Major Favraud, andadvancing with extended hands, made more cordial by his voice and smile, he greeted him familiarly as "Victor. "

Major Favraud stood for a moment spell-bound--then suddenly rushingforward, flung his hat to the floor, caught the hand of the strangerbetween his own and pressed it to his heart. (To his lips, I think, hewould fain have lifted it, falling on one knee, perchance, at the sametime in a knightly fashion of hero-worship that modern reticenceforbids. ) But he contented himself with exclaiming:

"Mr. Calhoun! best of friends, welcome back to Georgia!" And tearsstarted to his eyes and choked his utterance. Thus was my conjectureconfirmed. I never felt so thrilled, so elated, by any presence. 

There was a momentary pause after this fervent greeting, emotional onone part only. 

"But why did you not meet me at Milledgeville?" asked Mr. Calhoun. "Mostof my friends in this vicinity sustained me there. I have beendiscussing the great question[2] again, Favraud, and I should have beenglad of your countenance. "

"I have been detained at home of late by a cruel necessity, " was thefaltering reply, "or I should never have played recreant to my oldmaster. "

"Good fortune spoiled me a fine lawyer in your case, Victor! Butintroduce me to your wife. Remember, I have never had the pleasure ofmeeting Madame Favraud, " advancing, as he spoke, toward me, with hishand on Major Favraud's shoulder (above whom he towered by a head), courteously and impulsively. 

"Miss Harz, Miss La Vigne, Miss Durand--Mr. Calhoun, " said MajorFavraud, pale as death now, and trembling as he spoke. "These ladies arefriends of mine--one, a distant relative"--he hesitated--"within thelast six weeks I have had the misfortune to lose my wife, Mr. Calhoun. You understand matters better now. "

All conversation was cut short by this sudden announcement. Deeplyshocked, Mr. Calhoun led Major Favraud aside, with a brief apology to mefor his misapprehension, and they stood together, talking low, at theextreme end of the apartment, affording me thus an admirable opportunityfor observing the _personnel_ of the great Southern leader, during thebrief space of time accorded by the change of stage-horses. For, withhis friends, he was then _en route_ for another appointment. He wascanvassing the State, with a view to a final rally of its resources, preparatory to his last great effort--to scotch the serpent of theNorth, which finally, however, wound its insidious folds around theheart of brotherly affection, stifling it, as the snakes of fable weresent to do the baby Hercules. 

No picture of Mr. Calhoun has ever done him justice, [3] although hiswas a physiognomy that an artist could scarcely fail to make an externlikeness of, from its remarkable characteristics. It was truly aniron-bound face, condensed, powerful in every nerve, muscle, andlineament, and fraught, beyond almost all others, with intellect andresolution. But the glory and power of that glance and smile no paintercould convey--those attributes of man which more fully than aught elsebetray the immortal soul!

Just as I beheld him that day, bending above Major Favraud in histender, half-paternal dignity and solicitude combined, soothing andcondoling with him (I could not doubt, from the expression of hisspeaking countenance), I see him still in mental vision; nor can Iwonder more at the depth and strength of enthusiasm he awakened in thehearts of his friends. 

It belongs not to every great man to excite this devotion, yet, where itblends with greatness, it is irresistible. Mohammed, Cyrus, Alexander, Darius, Pericles, Napoleon, were thus magnetically gifted. I recall fewinstances of others so distinguished in station who possessed thispower, which has its root, perhaps, after all, in the greatmaster-passion of mortality, the yearning for exalted sympathy, soseldom accorded. 

This observation of mine was but a glimpse at best, for the winding ofthe stage-horn was the signal for Mr. Calhoun's departure, and I neversaw him more. But that glimpse alone opened to my eyes a mighty volume!

A few days before I should have rejected as wearisome the details towhich I listened with eagerness now, and which I even sought to elicitas to Mr. Calhoun--his mode of life, his mountain-home, and his passion, for those heights he inhabited, and which, no doubt, contributed totrain his character to energy and strengthen his _physique_ to endureits brain-burden, I heard with pleasure the account of one who hadpassed much of his youth beneath his roof, and who, howeverenthusiastic, was, in the very framing of his nature, strictly truthfulwith regard to the mutual devotion of the master and slaves, theinvariable courtesy and sweetness of his deportment to his own family, his justice and regard for the feelings of his lowest dependant, hissimplicity, his cheerfulness. 

"A grave and even gloomy man in public life, he is all life and interestin the social circle, " said Major Favraud. "His range of thought is thegrandest and most unlimited, his powers of conversation are the rarest Ihave ever met with. Yet he never refused, on any occasion, to answerwith minuteness the inquiries of the smallest child or mostinsignificant dependant. 'Had he not been Alexander, he must have beenParmenio. ' Had fortune not struck out for him the path of a statesman, he would have made the most impressive and perfect of teachers. As itwas, without the slightest approach to pedagogism, he involuntarilyinstructed all who came near him, without effort or weariness on eitherside. "

"Does he love music--poetry?" I asked. 

"Oh, yes; Scottish songs and classic verse, especially, are hisdelights. He has no affectation. His tastes are all his own--hisopinions all genuine. He is, indeed, a man of very varied attainment, aswell as great grasp of intellect. Yet, as you see, he likes hisopposites sometimes, Miss Harz, " and he laid his hand proudly on hisown manly breast. 

Talking thus in that large, low, scantily-furnished parlor, with itssplit-bottomed chairs, in primitive frames (and in somewhat strangecontrast to its well-polished mahogany tables, dark with time, and wallsadorned with good engravings), with its floor freshly scoured andsanded, while a simple deal stand in the centre bore a vase filled withthe rarest and most exquisite wild-flowers I had ever seen (from thegorgeous amaryllis and hibiscus of these regions, down to wax-likeblossoms of fragile delicacy and beauty, whose very names I knew not), and its many small diamond-paned casement-windows, all neatly curtainedwith coarse white muslin bordered with blue, time passed unconsciouslyuntil the noonday meal was announced. 

We followed the Mercury of the establishment, a grave-looking littleyellow boy, who seemed to have grown prematurely old, from his constantcompanionship, probably, with his preceptor and mistress, into a long, low apartment in the rear of the dwelling, where a table was spread forour party, with a damask cloth and napkins, decorated china andcut-glass, that proved Madame Grambeau's personal superintendence; andwhich elicited from Major Favraud, as he entered, a long, low whistle ofapproval and surprise, and the exclamation "Heh! madame! you areoverwhelming us to-day with your magnificence. "

I was amused with the response. "Sit down, Victor Favraud, and eat yourdinner Christian-like, without remarks! You have never got over thespoiling you, received when you lay wounded under this roof. I shallindulge you no longer. " Shaking her long forefinger at him. "Yourfamiliarity needs to be checked. " Her manner of grave and kindly ironyremoved all impression of rebuke from this speech, which Major Favraudreceived very coolly, spoiled child that he really was, rubbing hishands as he took the foot of the table. At the sight of the _bouilli_before him, from which a savory steam ascended to his epicureannostrils, he said, notwithstanding: "Soup and _bouilli_ too! Ah, madame, I see why you absented yourself so cruelly this morning. You have beenengaged in good works!"

"Only the sauces, Favraud!--_seulement les sauces_. "

"The sauces--it's just that!--Ude is a mere charlatan in comparison, "turning to me. "Miss Harz, you never tasted any thing before likemadame's soup and sauces. I wish she would take me in partnership for awhile, if only to teach me the recipes that will otherwise die with her. What a restaurant we two could keep together!"

"You are too unsteady, Favraud, for my _maître d'hôtel_. Your mind istoo much engrossed by the bubbles of politics, you would spoil all mymaterials, and realize the old proverb that 'the devil sends cooks. ' Butgo to work like a good fellow, and carve the dish before you; by thattime the soup will be removed. I have a fine fish, however, in reserve(let me announce this at once), for my end of the table. "

"Here are croquets too, as I live, " said Duganne, lifting a cover beforehim and peeping in, then returning it quietly to its place. "Are you afairy, madame?"

"Much more like a witch, " she said, with gayety. "You young men, atleast, think every old, toothless gray-haired crone like me ready forthe stake, you know. "

"Not when they make such steaks, " said Dr. Durand, attacking the dish, with its savory surroundings, before him. 

"Ah! you make calembourgs, my good doctor. --What do you call them, Favraud? It is one of the few English words I do not know--or forget. Ibelieve, to make them, however, is a medical peculiarity. "

"Puns, madame, puns, not pills. Don't forget it now. It is time you werebeginning to master our language. You know you are almost grown up!" andFavraud looked at her saucily. 

"A language which madame speaks more perfectly than any foreigner I haveever known, " I remarked. She bowed in answer, well pleased. 

In truth, the accent of Madame Grambeau was barely detectable, and herphraseology was that of a well-translated book--correct, but notidiomatic, and bearing about it the idiosyncrasy of the language fromwhich it was derived. She was evidently a person of culture and nativepower of intellect combined, and her finely-moulded face, as well asevery gesture and tone, indicated superiority and character. 

In that lonely wild, and beneath that lowly roof, there abode a spiritable and worthy to lead the _coteries_ of the great, and to preside overthe councils of statesmen, and (to rise in climax) the drawing-room ofthe _grande monde_. But it was her whim rather than her necessity totarry where she could alone be strictly independent, a _sine qua non_ ofher being. 

The son she had led by the hand from Hew York to Georgia, and who, standing by her side, distinctly remembered to have seen the head of thePrincess Lamballe borne on a pole through the streets of Paris, was nowa prominent member of the Legislature, and, through his rich wife, theincumbent of a great plantation. 

But the teachings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, that philosophic sign-post, still influenced his mother, in her refusal to live under his splendidroof, and partake of his bounty, however liberally offered. 

"I have a home of my own, " she said, "a few faithful servants, brains, and energy still, besides a small account with General Curzon, in hisbank at Savannah, wherewith to meet emergencies; while these thingslast, I will owe to no man or woman for bread or shelter. And, whenthese depart, may the grave cover my bones, and the good God receive mysoul!"

Books alone she accepted as gifts from her son, and of these, in alittle three-cornered library, she had a goodly store in the twolanguages which she read with equal facility, if not delight. 

She showed us this nook before we left, and I saw, lying face downward, as she had recently left it, the volume she was then perusing atintervals--one of Madame Sand's novels, "Les Mauprats, " I remember, asingular and powerful romance, then recently issued, whose root I havealways thought might be found in Walter Scott's "Rob Roy, " and moreparticularly in the Osbaldistone family commemorated in that work. 

On suggesting this to Madame Grambeau, she too saw the resemblance Ispoke of, and she agreed, with me, that the coincidence of geniusfurnished many such parallels, where no charge of plagiarism could beattached to either side. 

A few bottles of "wild-berry wine, " as Elizabeth Barrett called suchfluids, were added to the dinner toward its close, and Marion beggedpermission to have her basket of cakes and fruits brought in fordessert, which else had been wanting to our repast; to which requestMadame Grambeau graciously acceded. 

"I make no confections, " she said, "but I have lived on the juices ofgood meats, well prepared, with such vegetables as the Lord lets grow inthis poor region, many years, and behold I am old and still able to dohis service!"

"And a little good wine, too, occasionally--eh, madame?" added MajorFavraud, impertinently. 

"When attainable, Favraud. You drank good wine yourself, when you werehere, and I partook with you moderately. But I buy none such. I drownnot, Clarence-like, even in butts of malmsey, my hard-earned gold; and Iown I am not fond of the juices of the muscadine of your hills;" and shetapped her snuffbox. 

"You are going to hear her talk now, " whispered Favraud; "that is asign--equal to General Finistere's--the snuffbox tapping, I mean. Theoracle is beginning to arouse! Come I let me stir her further!" and heinclined his head before her. 

"I'll tell you what, madame, you must take a little cognac to keep offthe chills of age. I have some of the best, and will send you down ademijohn, if you say the word; and in return you shall pray for me. I ama great sinner, Miss Harz thinks. "

"Miss Harz is correct; and we will both promise you our prayers. She, too, is Catholic, I hope. No? I regret so, for her own sake; but yourbrandy I reject, Victor; remember that, and offend me not by sending it. You must not forget the fate of your malvoisie. "

"Ah, madame, that was cruel! but I have forgiven you long since. Ithink, however, that the grape-vines bore better that year than everbefore--thus watered, or wined, I mean. --Just think of it, Miss Harz! Topour good wine round the roots of a Fontainebleau grape, rather thanreplenish the springs of life with it! Was there ever waste like thatsince Cleopatra dissolved her pearl in vinegar?"

"Miss Harz will agree with me that a principle that could not resist thegift of a dozen bottles of choice wine was little worth. Of such stuffwas made not the fathers of your Revolution. But stay, there is anexplanation due to me, yet unrendered, " she pursued, "I am a puzzled_bourgeoise_, I confess, " she said, shaking her head. "Come, Favraud, explain. Who is this young lady?"

"A _bourgeoise_ also, " I replied for him, anxious to turn the tide ofconversation into another channel for some reasons. "I had thought youan expatriated marquise, at least, madame!" I continued. "As for me, Iam simply a governess. "

"It is my glory, mademoiselle, to have been of that class to whichbelonged Madame Roland herself, and which represented that _justemilieu_ which maintained the balance of society in France. When thedregs of the _bas peuple_ rose to the surface of the revolution, commenced by the sound middle classes, we regarded the scum ofaristocracy as the smaller of the two evils. As soon as the true elementhad ceased to assert itself in France, I fled forever from a land ofbloodshed and misrule, and took shelter under the broad wing of yourboasted American eagle. "

"Which still continues to flap over you shelteringly, madame, " Irejoined, somewhat flippantly, I fear, "and will to the end, no doubt;for, in its very organization, our country can never be subjected to thefluctuations of other lands--revolt and revolution. "

"I am not so certain of this, " she observed, shaking her white headslowly as she spoke, and, lifting a pinch of snuff from hertortoise-shell box (the companion of her whole married life, as sheacquainted us), she inhaled it with an air of meditativeself-complacency, then offered it quietly to the gentlemen, who werestill sitting over their wine and peaches; passing by Marion, AliceDurand, and myself, completely, in this ovation. 

"Good snuff is not to be sneezed at, " said Major Favraud. "None offeredto young ladies, it seems, " taking a huge pinch, and thrusting itbravely up his nostrils, as one takes a spoonful of unpleasant medicine. Then contradicting his own assertion immediately afterward, he succeededin expelling most of it in a series of violent sternutatory spasms, which left him breathless, red-faced, and watery-eyed, with ahandkerchief much begrimed. 

But Madame Grambeau seemed not to have noticed this ridiculousproceeding, which, of course, created momentary mirth at the expense ofthe penitent Favraud, to whom Dr. Durand repeated the tantalizingsaying, that "it is a royal privilege to take snuff gracefully"--givingthe example as he spoke, in a mock-heroic manner, quite as absurd andirrelevant as Favraud's own. 

Lost in deep thought, and gently tapping her snuffbox as she mused--thetripod of her inspiration, as it seemed--Madame Grambeau sat silently, with what memories of the past and what insight into the future none canknow save those like herself grown hoary with wisdom and experience. 

At last she spoke, addressing her remarks to me, as though the carelesswords I had hazarded had just been spoken, and the attention of herhearers undiverted by divers absurdities--among others the affectedgambols of Duganne--anxious to place himself in an agreeable aspectbefore both of his _inamoratas_, past and present. 

"I do not agree with you, mademoiselle. I am one of those who thinkthat in the very framing of this Constitution of ours the dragon's teethwere sown, whose harvest is not yet produced. Mr. Calhoun, with hisprophetic eye, foresees that this crop of armed men is inevitable fromsuch germs, as does Mr. Clay, were he only frank, which he is not, because he deludes himself--the most incurable and inexcusable of alldeceptions. "

And she applied herself again assiduously to her snuffbox, tapping itperemptorily before opening it, and, with a gloomy eye fixed on space, she continued:

"In all lands, from the time of Cassandra and Jeremiah up, there havebeen prophets. Prophets for good and prophets for ill--of which some fewhave been God-appointed, and the sayings of such alone have beenpreserved. The rest vanish away into oblivion like chaff before thewind--never mind what their achievement, what their boast. 

"In this nation we have only two true prophets, Calhoun and Clay--bothmen of equal might, and resolution, and intellect--gifted as beseemstheir vocation, masterful and heroic; and to these all other men aresubordinate in the great designs of Providence. "

"Where do you leave Mr. Webster, John Quincy Adams, General Jacksonhimself, in such a category, madame?" I asked, eagerly. 

"They are doing, or have done, the work God has appointed for them todo, I suppose, mademoiselle; but they are accessories merely of thetimes, and will pass away with the necessities of the moment. "

"'The earth has bubbles as the water hath, and these are of them, '" saidMajor Favraud aside, between his short, set teeth, nodding to me as hespoke, and lending the next moment implicit attention to what MadameGrambeau was saying; for the brief pause she had made for another pinchof snuff was ended, and she continued impetuously, as if no interval hadoccurred:

"Clay is, unconsciously, I trust, for the honor of mankind, fulfillinghis destiny--this great prophet who still refuses to prophesy. He isentering the wedge for what he declines to admit the possibility of--yetthere must be moments when that eye of power pierces the clouds ofprejudice and party, wherewith it seeks to blind its kingly vision, anddescries the horrors beyond as the result of the acts he is nowcommitting; and when such moments of clear conviction come to him, theambitions tool of a party, I envy not his sensations, " and she shook herhead mournfully. "Not Napoleon at St. Helena, not Prometheus on hisrock, were more to be pitied than he! the man whose ambition shall neverknow fruition, whose measures shall pass and leave no trace in less thanfifty years after he has ceased to exist--the splendid failure of ourcentury!"

She ceased for a moment, with her eye fixed on space, her hands clasped, her whole face and manner uplifted, as if, indeed, on her likewise theprophet's mantle had dropped from a chariot of fire. 

"As to Calhoun--he is God-fearing, " she continued, fervently. "In thesolitudes of a spiritual Mount Sinai, he has received the tablets of theLord, and bends every energy to their fulfillment. He, too, foresees--not with an eye like Clay's, clear only at intervals--andclouded by vanity, ambition, and sophistry, at other seasons--he, too, foresees the coming of our doom! His clear vision embraces anarchy, dissension, civil war, with all its attendant horrors, as theconsequence of man's injustice; and, like Moses, he beholds the promisedland into which he can never enter! Would that it were given to him toappoint his Joshua, or even to see him face to face, recognizingly! Butthis is not God's will. He lurks among the shadows yet--this Joshua ofthe South, but God shall yet search him out and bring him visibly beforethe people! Not while I live, " she added, solemnly, "but within thenatural lives of all others who sit this day around my table!"

"She is equal to Madame Le Normand!" said Major Favraud, aside, noddingapprovingly at me. 

"If one waits long enough, most prophecies may be fulfilled, " Iventured; "but, madame, your words point to results too terrible--toounnatural, it seems to me, ever to be realized in these enlightenedtimes or in this land of moderation. "

"Child, " she responded, "blood asserts itself to the end of races. Thereare two separate civilizations in this land, destined some day to comein fearful conflict; and the wars of Scylla, of the Jews themselves, shall be outdone in the horror and persistence of that strife ofpartners--I will not say brothers--for there is no brotherhood of bloodbetween South and North, of which Clay and Calhoun stand forth to mymind as distinct types. No union of the red and white roses possible. "

"But you forget, madame, that Mr. Clay is a Western man, a Virginian, aKentuckian, and the representative of slave-holders, " I remonstrated. "His interests are coincident with those of the South. His hope of thepresidency itself vests in his constituents, and the wand would bebroken in his hand were he to lend himself to partiality of any kind. Mr. Clay is a great patriot, I believe, Jacksonite though I am--he knowsno South nor North, nor East nor West, but the Union alone, solid andundivided. "

"All this is true, " she answered, "in one sense. It is thus he speaks, and, like all partial parents, even thinks he feels toward hisoffspring; but observe his acts narrowly from first to last. He has amanufacturer's heart, with all his genius. He loves machinery--the soundof the mill, the anvil, the spinning-jenny, the sight of the ship uponthe high-seas, or steamboat on the river, the roar of commerce, far morethan the work of the husbandman. We are an agricultural people, we ofthe South and West--and especially we Southerners, with our poverty ofinvention, our one staple, our otherwise helpless habits, incident tothe institution which, however it may be our curse, is still our wealth, and to which, for the present time, we are bound, Ixion-like, by everylaw of necessity. What does this tariff promise? Where will the profitrest? Where will the loss fall crushingly? The slow torture of which weread in histories of early times was like to this. Each day a weight wasadded to that already lying on the breast of a strong man, bound on hisback by the cords of his oppressors, until relief and destruction cametogether, and the man was crushed; such was the _peine forte et dure_. "

"Calhoun is patriarchal, [4] and is now placing all his individualstrength to the task of heaving off this incubus from the breast of ourbody politic, but with small avail, for he has no lever to assisthim--no fulcrum whereon to rest it; otherwise he might say withArchimedes, 'With these I could move a world. ' He is unaided, thiseagled-eyed prophet of ours, looking sorrowfully, sagaciously down intothe ages! South Carolina is the Joseph, that his cruel brothers, theremaining Southern States, have sold to the Egyptians, as a bond-slave. But they shall yet come to drink of his cup, and eat of his bread ofopinion, in the famine of their Canaan. Nullification shall leave afitting successor, as Philip of Macedon left Alexander to carry out hisplans. The abolitionist and the slave-holder are as distinct as wereCharles I. And Cromwell, or Catharine de Medicis and Henry of Navarre. The germ that Calhoun has planted shall lie long in the earth, perhaps, but when it breaks the surface, it shall grow in one night to maturity, like that in your so famous 'Mother Goose' story of 'Jack and hisBean-stalk, ' forming a ladder wherewith to scale the abode of giants andslay them in their drunken sleep of security. But he who does this deed, this Joshua of the Lord's, this fierce successor of our gentle Moses, shall wade through his oceans of blood to gain the stone. Godknoweth--He only--how all this shall end, whether in success oroverthrow. It is so far wrapped in mystery. "

As if she saw from some spiritual height the reign of terror shepredicted, she dropped her head upon her hands and closed her eyes, andI felt my blood creep slowly through my veins as I followed her inthought across the waste of woe and desolation. For there was somethingin her manner, her voice (august and solemn with age and wisdom as thesewere), that impressed all who heard, with or in spite of their ownconsent, and for a time profound silence succeeded this harangue. 

Dr. Durand was the first to recover himself. "I trust, my dear madame, "he remarked, "that the substantial horrors realized in your youth stillcast their dark shadows over the coming years, and so deceive you intoprophecies that it is sad to hear from lips so reverent, and which, letus all pray, may never be realized. You yourself will say amen to that, I am convinced. "

"Amen!" she murmured. 

"Nonsense, Durand! don't play at hypocrite in your old age, after havingbeen a true man all your life, " broke in Major Favraud. "What is aconservative, after all, but a social parrot, who repeats 'wise saws andmodern instances, ' until he believes himself possessed of the wisdom ofall the ages, and is incapable of conceiving of the existence even of anoriginal idea?"

"By-the-by, " digressed Duganne, weary of discussion, "hear that oldfellow outside, how he is going on, Favraud, _à propos_ of poll parrots, you know, as it all else, but the name of the bird, had been lost on hisear. Just listen!"

"Yes, hear him, and he edified, " was the sarcastic response of Favraudto Duganne, who took no other notice, even if he understood the point, than to lead the way to the portico, where swung the cage of the jollybird in question; and, headed by Madame Grambeau leaning on her cane, wefollowed simultaneously, with the exception of Major Favraud, whocontinued at the table with his cigar and cognac-flask, in sullen andsolitary state. 

"Nutmegs and nullification!" shrieked the parrot, as we stood beforehim. "Ha, ha, ha!"

"That is condensing the matter, certainly, " I observed. 

"_Bienvenu, compatriote_!" he repeated many times, laughing loudly, thenext moment, as if in mockery. 

"What a fiend it is!" said Marion, timidly; "only look at its blacktongue, Miss Harz! Then what a laugh!"

"Danton! Danton! have you nothing to say to this strange lady?" saidMadame Grambeau, addressing her bird by name; "you must not neglect myfriends, Danton Pardi!"

"Bird of freedom, moulting--moulting!" was the whimsical rejoinder. "Jackson! give us your paw, Old Hick--Hick--Hickory!"

"This is the stuff Major Favraud taught him, " she apologized, "when heused to lie on his porch day after day, after his hostile meeting withJuarez, which took place on that hill, " signifying the site of the duelwith her slender cane. "It was there they fought their duel, _àPoutrance_, and I knew it not until too late! His wife was too ill tocome to him at that time, and the task of nursing him devolved on me, since when, on maternal principles, the lad has grown into myaffections. "

"The lad of forty-odd!" sneered Duganne, unnoticed, apparently, by theaged lady, however, at the moment, but not without amusing other hearersby this sally. Dr. Durand was especially delighted. 

"For he is a boy at heart, " she said later, "this same Victor Favraud ofours, " gazing reprovingly around. "Indeed, he is the only American Ihave ever seen who possessed real _gaieté de coeur_, and for that, Iimagine, he must thank his French extraction. "

"Calhoun and cotton!" "Coal and codfish!" shouted the parrot at the topof his voice. "Catfish and coffee!"--"Rice cakes for breakfast"--"All inmy eye, Betty Martin"--"Yarns and Yankees"--"Shad andshin-plasters"--"Yams and yaller boys, " and so on, in a string of themost irrelevant alliteration and folly, that, like much other nonsense, evoked peals of laughter by its unexpected utterance, and which at lastmollified and brought out Major Favraud himself, from his dignifiedretirement. 

"You have ruined the morals of my bird, " said Madame Grambeau, reproachfully. "Approach, Favraud, and justify yourself. In former timeshis discourse was discreet. He knew many wise proverbs and politesalutations in French and English both, most of which he has discardedin favor of your profane and foolish teachings. He is as bad as the'Vert-vert' of Voltaire. I shall have to expel him soon, I fear. "

"Danton, how can you so grieve your mistress?" remonstrated MajorFavraud, lifting at the same time an admonitory finger, at whichrecognized signal, a part of past instructions probably, the parrotburst forth at once in a series of the most grotesque and _outré_ oathsear ever heard, ending (by the aid of some prompting from his teacher)by dismally croaking the fragment of a popular song thus travestied:

 "My ole mistis dead and gone, She lef to me her ole jawbone. Says she, 'Charge up in dem yaller pines, And slay dem Yankee Philistines!'"--

ending with the invariable "_Bonjour_" or "_Bienvenu, compatriote_, " anddemoniac "Ha! ha! ha!"

"The memory of the creature is perfectly wonderful, " I said. "Manyparrots have I seen, but never one like this before. It must have sprungout of the Arabian Nights. "

"I can teach any thing to every thing, " digressed Major Favraud, "andwithout severity; it is my specialty. I was meant for a trainer ofbeasts, probably. I will get up an entertainment, I believe, inopposition to the industrious fleas, called the 'Desperate Doves, ' andteach pigeons to muster, drill, and go through all the military motions. I could do it easily, and so repair my broken fortunes. I have onealready at home that feigns death at the word of command. I have amusedmyself for hours at a time with this bird. --Don't say a word, MissHarz, " speaking low, "I see what you think of it all, but I have had tocheat misery some way or other. It was a wretched device and waste ofexistence, though. And when I see that great, distinguished man, who hadsuch hopes of me as a boy, I feel that I could creep into an auger-holefor sheer shame of my extinguished promise. "

"Not extinguished!" I murmured, "only under a cloud, still destined tobe fulfilled. "

"Only in the grave, " he said, sadly, "with the promise common to allmankind;" and thus by gloomy glimpses I caught the truth. 

We staid that night at the house of an aunt of Madame La Vigne's, whoreceived us cordially, entertained us sumptuously, and dismissed usgraciously. 

The next morning at sunrise we again set out for Savannah, into whichcity we entered before the noonday heat, finding cool shelter and warmwelcome at once under the roof of General Curzon, the South's mostpolished gentleman and finished man of letters, of whom it may be trulysaid that, "Take him for all in all, we ne'er shall look upon his likeagain. "

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 1: It need not for one moment be supposed that the opinions ofthe author are represented through the extremist Favraud. To her Mr. Bryant stands forth as the high-priest of American poetry. ]

[Footnote 2: The tariff. ]

[Footnote 3: Since writing the above, the admirable picture of Mr. Healey has filled this void; and those who have seen good copies of thiswork, executed for and by the order of Louis Philippe, may have a clearidea of that glorious countenance, the like of which we shall not seeagain. 

Perhaps it was from this very personal magnetism of which I have spokenthat Healey succeeded better with the portrait of Mr. Calhoun than anyof the others he was sent to this country to paint. ]

[Footnote 4: It was about this time that Mr. Calhoun made his famousanti-tariff crusade throughout the land, it may be remembered by some ofmy readers. ]

CHAPTER II. 

Before leaving the hospitable roof of General Curzon--beneath which Itarried for several days--awaiting the tardy sailing of thepacket-steamer Kosciusko, bound for New York, circumstances determinedme to leave in the hands of my host a desk which I had intended to carrywith me, and which contained most of my treasures. First among these, indisputably, in intrinsic value were my diamonds--"sole remnant of apast magnificence;" but the miniatures of my father and mother, andMabel, in the cases of which locks of twisted hair--brown, and black, and golden, and gray--were contained and combined (dear, imperishablememorials of vitality in most instances when all the rest was dust andashes), and the early letters of my parents, together with thecarefully-kept diary I had written at Beauseincourt, ranked beyond theseeven in my estimation. 

The cause of this deposit of valuables was simply owing to the unstablelock of my trunk, the condition of which was detected too late to haveit repaired before sailing. Madame Curzon had suggested to me the unsafenature of such custody for objects of price, if, indeed, I possessedsuch at all. I told her then of my diamonds, and it was agreed betweenus that these, at least, had better be deposited in the bank of herhusband, who would bring them to me himself a few months later--and onreflection I concluded to add my desk, pictures, and papers, to _my_more substantial treasures. These, at least, I felt assured no accidentshould throw into the hands of Bainrothe. 

On my way to the ship I left the carriage for a moment, in pursuancewith this idea, and, followed by King, the bearer of my large andweighty desk, entered the banking-house of my host, and was shown atonce, by attentive clerks, to his peculiar sanctum. I told him my errandin a few words. 

"Keep it until called for, unless you hear from me in the interval, " Ihad said in allusion to my deposit, for he acknowledged the chances wereslight of his leaving home until the following year, notwithstandingMadame Curzon's convictions. 

"Called for by whom?" he asked, calmly. 

"By Miriam Monfort in person or her order, " I replied, laughingly, "Thisis a mystery that, by-and-by, shall be explained to you. "

"I understand something of that already, " he rejoined. "Marion has beenwhispering to the reeds, you know, or Madame Curzon, the same thingnearly; but let us be earnest, as your time is short, and mine preciousto-day. Life is uncertain, and, young and strong as you are, or seem tobe, you cannot foresee one hour even of the future, or of your ownexistence. Suppose Miriam Monfort neither comes in person nor sends herorder for its restoration--what, then, is to become of thistreasure-chest of hers?"

"You shall keep it then, " I replied, unhesitatingly, "until my littlesister reaches her majority, and cause it to be placed in her own hands, none other--or, stay, let her have it on the day before her marriage, should this occur earlier than the time mentioned, or when she reachesher eighteenth year in any case; but, above all things, be careful. "

"So many conflicting directions confuse and mystify me, I confess. Come, let me write down your wishes, and the matter can be arranged formally, which is always best in any case. There, I think I have the gist of youridea, " he said a few moments later, as he pushed over to me a slip ofpaper to read and sign, which done, I shook hands with him cordially, preparing to go. "But your receipt--you have forgotten to take it up!"

"O General Curzon! the whole proceeding seems so ominous, " I said, turning back at the door to receive the proffered scrap, which, inanother moment, dropped from my nerveless fingers, while these, claspedover my streaming eyes, forgot their office. 

"My dear young lady, " he remonstrated, "I am shocked. What can haveoccurred to impress you thus? Not this mere routine of affairs, surely?--Duncan, a glass of water here for Miss Monfort. "

"I do not know, I am sure, why I should be so weak for such a trifle, " Isaid, after a few swallows of ice-water had somewhat restored myequilibrium; "but I do feel very dismally about this voyage--have doneso ever since I left Beauseincourt. This is the last straw on thecamel's back, believe me, General Curzon. You must not reproach yourselfin the least--nor me; and now let me bid you farewell once more, perhapseternally!"

These words of mine were remembered later in a very different spiritfrom that in which they were then received (one of incredulouscompassion)--remembered as are ever the last utterances of the doomed, whether innocent or guilty, in solemn awe and reverential tenderness, not unmingled with a superstitions faith in presentiment. 

"Why, you look bluer than your very obvious veil, bluer than yourinvisible school-marmish stockings, bluer than the skies, or a blue bag, or Madame de Staël's 'Corinne, ' or Byron's 'dark-blue ocean, '" saidMajor Favraud, as he assisted me again into the carriage, where Dr. Durand and Marion awaited me, for, as I have said, we were now on ourway to the vessel which was to bear me and my destinies forever fromthat lovely Southern land in which I had seen and suffered so much. 

Dr. Durand looked serious at the sight of my woful aspect, and Marionmutely proffered her _vinaigrette_, gratefully accepted, as was the gooddoctor's compassionate silence; but, as usual, Favraud, after havingonce gotten fairly under weigh, ran on. "What is the use of bewailingthe inevitable?" he pursued. "We have all seen your _penchant_ forCurzon, and his for you, for three days past; but Octavia is as tough as_lignum-vitæ_, I regret to assure you, my dear Miss Harz, and yourchance is _as blue_ as your spirits, or the flames of snap-dragon, orMarion's eyes. You will have to just put up with the captain, I fear, for even the doctor there is in harness for life. Southern women, youknow, proverbially survive their husbands; and, as the suttee is out offashion, they sometimes have to marry Yankees as a _dernier ressort_ ofdesperation! Of course, there are occasional sad exceptions"--lookinggrave for a moment, and glancing at the black hat-band on the Panama hathe was nursing on his knees, so as to let the breeze blow through hissilky, silver-streaked black hair--"but--but--in short, why will you alllook so doleful? Isn't it bad enough to feel so?"

"The loveliest fade earliest, we all know, " and the tears were in hishonest, frivolous eyes, dashed away in the next moment as he exclaimed, eagerly, "Why, there goes the Lamarque equipage, as I live! I hadforgotten all about it. The pleasantest woman in Savannah, young or old, is to be your _compagnon de voyage_, Miss Harz, and the most determinedwidower on record her escort; a perfect John Rogers of a man, with ninelittle motherless children, her brother Raguet ('Rag, ' as we called himat school, on account of his prim stiffness, so that 'limber as a rag'seemed a most preposterous saying in his vicinity). He is handsome, however, and intelligent, a perfect gentleman, but on the mourners'bench just now, like some others you know of"--heaving a deep sigh. "Hiswife, poor thing, died last autumn--a pretty girl in her day wasCornelia Huger! I was a little weak in that direction oncemyself--before--that is, before--O doctor! what a trouble it is toremember!"

And again the small, fleet hand was dashed across the twinkling, tearfuleyes of this April day of a middle-aged man of the world--this modernMercutio--merry and mournful at once, as if there were two sides to hisevery mood, like the famous shield of story. When we reached the quaythe Kosciusko was already getting up her steam, and, in less than anhour afterward, the friends I loved were gone like dreams, the bustle ofdeparture was over, and, with lifted canvas and a puffing engine, wewere grandly steaming past the noble forts (poor Bertie's broach andbuckle, be it remembered) on our path of pride and power toward thebroad Atlantic. 

The weather was oppressively hot, and, for the first thirty-six hours, scarcely a breath of wind lifted us on our way, so that the engine, wholly incompetent to the work of both sails and machinery, bore us veryslowly on our northward ocean-flight. Indeed, the failure of thisengine to do its duty, at first, had sorely disheartened both captainand crew as we found later, for upon its execution and energies, in thebeginning, had rested our entire dependence. 

On the evening of the second day's voyage, a sudden and violentthunder-storm occurred, not unusual in those latitudes; during theraging of which our mainmast was struck by lightning, and whollydisabled. 

The fire was extinguished in the only possible manner, by cutting itaway from the decks, letting it gently down upon them, deluging it, sothat our mast lay charred and blackened after its bath of sea-water, like a mighty serpent stretched along the ship, from stem to stern, andwrapped loosely in its shrouds. It did us good service later, though notby defying the winds of heaven, nor spreading forth its snowy sails tocatch the tropic breezes. 

Before many hours, it was destined to ride the waves in a shape that wascertainly never intended by those who chose it among many others--taperand stately in its group of firs--to be the chief adornment of a gallantship, and lift a pointing finger to the stars themselves, as an index ofits might, and, with this exception, the hope of those it served--thatof a charred and blackened life-raft. 

The renewed freshness of the atmosphere, and the joyful upspringing ofthe breezes, alone remained, at midnight, to tell the story of therecent hurricane. 

These tropic breezes came like benevolent fairies, to aid our groaningTitan in his labors. 

I can never rid myself for one moment of the idea that an engine reallyworks, with weary, reluctant strength like a genii slave, waitingvengefully for the time of retaliation, which sooner or later is sure tocome; or of the visionary notion that a graceful, gliding ship, withall sails set, receives the same pleasure from its own motion and beautythat a snow-white swan must do "as down she bears before the gale, " withher white plumage and stately crest. 

I think, if ever I am called to give a toast, it shall be "Sail-ships;may their shadows never be less!" They are, indeed, a part of theromance of ocean. 

The moon was full, in the balmy summer night that succeeded the tempest, and the ship's quarter-deck was crowded with the passengers of theKosciusko, enjoying to the utmost, as it seemed, the delicious, newly-washed atmosphere, the moonlit heavens and sea, theexquisitely-caressing softness of the tardily-awakened breezes thatfilled the white sails of the vessel, and fluttered the silken scarf ofthe maiden, with the same wooing breath of persuasive, subtle strength. 

Around Miss Lamarque, the lady of whom Major Favraud had spoken soadmiringly, and to whose kindness he had committed me, a group hadgathered, chiefly of the young, not to be surpassed in any land formanly bearing, graceful feminine beauty, gayety, wit, and refinement. 

There was Helen Oscanyan, fair as a dream of Greece, in her serene, marble perfectness of form and feature; and the lovely Mollie Cairns, her cousin, small, dark, and sparkling--both under the care of thatstately gentleman, their uncle, Julius Sevère, of Savannah; and therewere the sisters Percy, twins in age and appearance, with voices likebrook-ripples, and eyes like wood-violets, and feet of Chineseminuteness and French perfection--the darlings and only joys of a motherstill beautiful, though sad in her widowhood, and gentle as the dovethat mourns its mate. 

There was the brilliant Ralph Maxwell, whose jests, stinging and slight, just glanced over the surface of society without inflicting a wound, even as the skater's heel glides over ice, leaving its mark as it goes, yet breaking no crust of frost; and there was the poetic dreamerDartmore, with his large, dark eyes, and moonlight face, and manner ofsuffering serenity, on his way to put forth for fame, as he fondlybelieved, his manuscript epic on the "Sorrows of the South. "

All these, and more, were there gathering about the leader of theirhome-society, on that alien deck, as securely as though they weresitting in her own drawing-room at "Berthold, " on one of her brilliantreception-evenings. 

How could they know--how could they dream the truth--or descry thehidden skeleton at the festival, wreathed in flowers and veiled withglittering, filmy draperies, which yet put forth its bony fingers tobeckon on and clutch them?

I too was joyous and unconscious as the rest, and for the first time formany days felt the burden literally heaved rather than lifted away thathad oppressed me. 

Was I not on my way to him in whose presence alone I lived my true life?and what feeling of his morbid fancy was there that my hand could notsmooth away, when once entwined in his? Beauseincourt, and all itsshadows, had I not put behind me? The sunshine lay before, and in itslight and warmth I should still rejoice, as it was my birthright to do. 

I was "fey" that night, as the Scotch say, when an unaccountablelightness of mood precedes a heavy sorrow, which it so often does, aswell as the more usual mood, the presage of gloom. I felt that I had thepower to put aside all ills--to grapple with my fate, and compel backmy lost happiness. Truly my bosom's lord sat lightly on her throne, asof late it had not been her wont to do. 

Against my inclination had I been drawn into the current of thatyouthful gayety, and now my bark floated without an effort on thestream. I was in my own element again, and my powers were allresponsive. 

The small hours came--the happy group dispersed--not without manyinterchanges of social compliment, much _badinage_, and merry plans forthe morrow. The monster Sea-sickness had been defied on the balmyvoyage, save in the brief interval of tempest, and his victors mockedhim, baffled as he was, with their purpose of amusement. 

"We shall get up the band to-morrow evening, " said Major Ravenel, "andhave a dance; the gallop would go grandly here. See what reach ofquarter-deck we have! There are Germans on board who play in concertviolins and wind-instruments. "

"Suppose we dress as sea-nymphs, " said Honoria Pyne; "enact a masque forold Neptune's benefit? It would be so complimentary, you know; bringdown the house, no doubt, I have a sea-green tarlatan lying soconveniently. Colonel Latrobe looks exactly like a Triton, with thatwondrous beard. A little alum sprinkled over its red-gold ground woulddo wonders in the way of effect--would be gorgeous--wouldn't it, now, Miss Harz?"

"But all that could be done on shore as well, Miss Pyne, " I replied, inthe way of reminiscence. "It is a pity to waste our opportunities ofobservation now, in getting up costumes; and, for my part, I confessthat I have a wholesome dread of these sea-deities, and fear toexasperate their finny feelings by reducing them to effigies. Thetis isvery spiteful, sometimes; and jealous, too, you remember. "

Miss Pyne did not remember, but did not mean to be baffled either, shewould let Miss Harz know, even if that lady _did_ know more aboutmythology than herself; and, if no one else would join her, meant toplay her _rôle_ of sea-nymph all alone, with Major Latrobe for herTriton in waiting, tooting upon a conch-shell, and looking lovely! Atwhich compliment, open and above-board, poor Major Latrobe, who was overhead and ears in love with her, and a very ugly man, only bowed andlooked more silly than before, which seemed a work of supererogation. 

After the rest were gone, Miss Lamarque and I concluded to promenade onthe nearly-deserted deck, in the moonlight, and let the excitement ofthe evening die away through the medium of more serious conversation. She was a woman of forty-five, still graceful and fine-looking, butbearing few traces of earlier beauty, probably better to behold, in heroverripe maturity, than in the unfolding of her less attractive time ofbud and blossom. Self had been laid aside now (which it never can beuntil the effervescence of youth and hope are over). She had acceptedher position of old maid and universal benefactress, and sustained itnobly, gracefully. She was thoroughly well-bred and agreeable, veryvivacious, astute, and intelligent, rather than intellectual, yet shehad the capacity (had her training been different) to have been both ofthese. 

I remember how it chanced that, after a long promenade, during which wehad discussed men, manners, books, customs, costumes, and politics, even(that once tabooed subject for women, now free to all), with infinitezest and responsiveness that charmed us mutually, so that we sworeallegiance on the strength of this one day's rencontre, like twoschool-girls or knights of old--I remember how the dropping of her combat his feet caused Miss Lamarque to pause, compelling me to follow herexample, by reason of our intertwined arms, in front of the man at thewheel, as he stooped to raise it and hand it to her with a seaman's bow. His ready politeness, unusual for one in his station, determined us tocultivate his maritime acquaintance, and in a short time we had drawnforth the outlines of his story, simple and bare as this was ofincident. 

His picturesque appearance had impressed us equally during the day, butuntil now we had not met in concert about Christian Garth, for such wesoon found was the name of our polite pilot. 

He was a Jerseyman, he told us, of German descent, married to the girlof his heart, and living on the coast of that adventurous little State, famous alike for its peaches and wrecks. 

"Sall had a stocking full of money, " he informed us, silver, and copper, and gold, when he married her, for her mother had been a famoushuckster--and never missed her post in the Philadelphia market forthirty years, and this was her child's inheritance, and with this moneyhe had fixed up his old hut, till it looked 'e'en a'most inside like aship-captain's cabin. '

And now Sall wanted him to stay at home, he informed us, with her andthe children, but somehow or other he could never tarry long at thehearth, for the sea pulled him like it was his mother, and the spell ofthe tides was on him, and he must foller even if he went to his owndestruction, like them men that liquor lures to loss, or the love ofmermaids. 

"All land service is dead when likened to the sea, " he said, shaking hisgreat water-dog head, and looking out lovingly upon his idol. "But shipsa'n't like they oncst was, ladies, " he added, "before men put these hereheavy iron ingines to work in 'em--it's like cropping a bird's wing tomake a river-boat of a ship, and a burning shame to shorten sails tillit looks like a young gal dressed in breeches or any other onnaturalthing--for a sailing-ship and a full-flowing petticoat always rise up ina true man's mind together--God bless them both, I say. "

"To which we cordially say amen, of course, " said Miss Lamarque, laughing. "We should have been at a loss, however, Mr. Garth, but forour engine during the dead calm preceding the storm, when our ship'ssails flapped so lazily about her masts, and she rocked like a baby'scradle without making progress. It is well the engineer manoeuvred sosuccessfully while we lay fireless on the low rolling waves; but we arespeeding along merrily enough now, to make up for it all--I take comfortin that--"

"But not exactly in the right direction, though, to suit my stripe, " hesaid, turning his quid in his mouth us he looked out to leeward, revealing, as he did so, a fine yet rugged profile relieved against thesilvery purple sheen of the moonlit sky. 

"Do you see that dark object lying beyond" (our eyes mechanicallyfollowed his), "so still on the water?" and he indicated it with thepipe he held in one sinewy hand--for the native courtesy of the man hadinvoluntarily proffered us the homage of removing it from his lips, whenwe addressed him. 

"Yes--what is it? a wreck? a whale? a small volcanic island? Do explain, Mr. Garth, " said Miss Lamarque. 

"Nothing but an iceberg, and we are bearing down upon it rather toorapidly, it seems to me. "

And so speaking, he turned his wheel in silence warily. 

"But you have the command of the helm, and have nothing to do but--"

"Obey orders, " he interrupted, grimly. "Ef the captain was to tell me torun the ship to purgatory, I'd have to do it, you know. "

"But surely the captain would not jeopardize the lives of a ship'scompany, even if he likes warm latitudes, by ordering you to run foul ofan iceberg; and, if he did, you certainly would not dare to obey himwith the fear of God before your eyes?" remonstrated Miss Lamarque, indignantly. "For my part I shall go to him immediately and desire himto change his course--but after all I don't believe that dingy blackthing is an iceberg at all--an old hen-coop rather, thrown over fromsome merchant-ship, or a vast lump of charred wood. You are only tryingto alarm us. "

"Ef you was to see it close enough, you would find it to shine equal tothe diamond on your hand; but I hope you never will, that's all--I hopeyou never will, lady! I sot on a peak of that sort oncst myself forthree days in higher latitudes than this here--me and five others, allthat was spared from the wreck of the schooner Delta, and we felt ourconvoy melting away beneath us, and courtesying e'en a'most even withthe sea, before the merchant-ship Osprey took us off, half starved, andhalf frozen, and half roasted all at oncst! Them is onpleasantrickollections, ladies, and it makes my blood creep to this day to seean iceberg in konsikence; but a man must do his dooty, whatsomever dobetide. It was in the dead of night, and Hans Schuyler had the wheel, Iremember, when we went to pieces on that iceberg, all for disregarding;the captain's orders; you see, he meant to graze it like!"

"Graze it!" almost shrieked Miss Lamarque. "Did he think he was drivinga curricle? Graze it--Heaven, what rashness!"

"Don't--don't! Mr. Garth, " I petitioned; "I shall never sleep a wink onthis ship if you continue your narrative. "

"Do--do! Mr. Garth, " entreated Miss Lamarque, whose penetration showedher by this time that the pilot was only playing on our fears, for wantof a better instrument for his skill. "I quite enjoy the idea that youhave actually been astride a fragment of the arctic glacier, and that wemay perhaps make the acquaintance of a white bear ourselves when we getnear our iceberg, or a gentle seal. Wouldn't you like one for a pet, Miss Harz?"

"It is very cold, " I said, digressively. "I feel the chill of thatfragment of Greenland freeze my marrow. I must go fetch my shawl; butfirst reassure us, Mr. Garth, if possible. "

He laughed. "I have paid you now for making fun of me to-day, " he said, saucily. "I saw your drawing of me in your books, and heard the ladieslaughing. I peeped as I passed when Myers took the helm, and I wanted tosee what all the fun was about; then I said to myself, 'I will give hera skeer for that if I have a chance'--but, all the same, the chill youfeel is a real one, for as sure as death that lump of darkness is aniceberg. I have told you no yarn, as you will find out to-morrow whenyou ask the captain. I'll steer you clear of the iceberg though, ladies, never fear. Hans Schuyler has not got the wheel to-night--you see he wasthree sheets in the wind anyhow, and the captain says, 'Hans, ' says he, 'don't tech another drop this night, or we'll never see another mornin'till we are resurrected, ' and so he turned into his hammock and swunghimself to sleep--a way he had, for he didn't keer for nothin' where hiscomfort was concerned, having been raised up in the Injies. "

"Come, Miss Lamarque, " I interrupted. "I must not hear another word. 'Macbeth doth murder sleep, ' and I shall be nervous for a month afterthis. So, good-night, Mr. Garth, and be sure you merit your first nameby taking good care of us while we imitate the example of your worthycaptain and 'swing ourselves to sleep, ' or rather let the waves performthat office for us. I shall make it my care to-morrow morning early, ifyou still hold the helm, to show you my sketch, and convince you that itwas never made for fun at all, but that it is a real portrait of a veryfine-looking seaman, a real viking in appearance, and somewhat betterthan one at heart, I trust. I shall hope to earn your good opinioninstead of ill-will, when you have only seen my sketch. "

"You have it already, you have it already, young gal--young miss, Imean, " he said, with a wave of the hand, which meant to be courteous, nodoubt, but seemed only defiant. "An' this much I kin say without injuryto Sall--that I'd rather hear you talk and see you smile, as I has beenwatchin' of you constant do to-day, than go to the circus in New York, or even to a Spanish bull-fight, or hear a Fourth-of-July oration, or'tend camp-meetin'--and that's saying no little--an' no iceberg shallcome near you while Christian Garth lays a hand upon this helm. Butdon't be skeered, ladies; no harm will come to the good ship Kosciusko. "

"I declare our pilot is quite chivalrous, as far as you are concerned, for I marked his glance, Miss Harz, " said Miss Lamarque, archly, as weturned our faces cabinward, under the protection of our helmsman'spromised vigilance. "See what it is to be young and pretty, and remarkthe truth of the old proverb, as exemplified in his case, that 'extremesmeet. ' Victoria herself is not more independent of me or myposition--established facts as both are in the eyes of some--than isChristian Garth. To him, this outsider of the world of fashion, I amonly a homely old woman; no prestige comes in to garnish the unvarnishedfact--a plain old maid, my dear--with not even the remembrance of beautyas a consolation, nor its remnant as a sign of past triumphs, 'only thisand nothing more, ' as that wonderful man Poe makes his raven say. Wenever find our level until we go among people who know and care nothingabout us, who have never 'heard of us'--that exordium of most greetingsfrom folks of our own class. It is absolutely refreshing to be sounaffectedly despised and slighted--it does one a world of good, thereis no doubt of that, especially when one's grandfather was aRevolutionary notability, and other antecedents of a piece--but men areall alike at heart, only the worldly ones wear flimsy masks, you know, and pretend to adore intellect and ugliness, when beauty is the onlything they care for--all a sham, my dear, in any case. "

"Yes, all alike, " I repeated, making, as I spoke, one mental entirereservation. "All _vain_ alike, I mean; flatter their vanity ever solittle and they are at your very feet, asking 'for more, ' like OliverTwist; more bread for _amour propre_, the insatiable! It was that sketchof mine that wrought the spell, though unintentionally, of course, andthe sly fellow knew very well that it was no caricature--that is, if hepeeped, as he pretends--but a tolerably correct likeness that might havesatisfied Sall herself. By-the-by, I have a great mind to bestow it uponhim as a 'sop for Cerberus, ' should her jealousy ever be aroused by yourreports of his devotion to me, or admiration rather, most unequivocallyavowed, it must be acknowledged. I really had no intention of injuringSally, and, if you think it best, will make the _amende honorable_ bybeing as cross as possible to him to-morrow. "

"No, no, carry out your first intention and conciliate him; for, remember, he has us in the hollow of his hand. Bestow the picture, byall means, and just as many smiles and compliments as he can stand, oryou can afford to squander; for you are worse than a mermaid, Miss Harz, for fascination, all the gentlemen say so; and, as to CaptainFalconer--"

"They are malignants, " I rejoined, ignoring purposely the last clause ofthe sentence which I had interrupted; "and you are perfidious to hearthem slander me so. I hate fascinating people; they always make my fleshcrawl like serpents. The few I have known have been so very base. " "Goodspecimens of '_thorough_ bass, '" she interpolated, laughing. --"I am sureI am glad I have no attributes of fascination, if a strange old work Imet with at Beauseincourt may be considered responsible. Did you eversee it, Miss Lamarque, you who see every thing? Hieronymus Frascatoriustells of certain families in Crete who fascinated by praising, and toavert this evil influence some charm was used consisting of a magicword (I suppose this was typical of humility, though related asliteral). This _naïveté_ on the part of the old chronicler was simply_impayable_, as Major Favraud would say, with his characteristic shrug. One _Varius_ related (you see my theme has full possession of me, andthe book is a collation of facts on the subject of fascination of allkinds, even down to that of the serpent) that a friend of his saw afascinator with a look break in two a precious gem in the hands of alapidary--typical this, I suppose, of some fond, foolish, female heart. Fire, according to this author, represents the quality of fascination;and toads and moths are subject to its influence, as well as some higheranimals--deer, for instance, who are hunted successfully with torches;and he relates, further, that in Abyssinia artificers of pottery andiron are thus fearfully endowed, and are consequently forbidden to joinin the sacred rites of religion, as fire is their chief agent. Isn'tthis a strange, quaint volume, to set before a king? and how do you likemy lecture delivered _extempore_?"

"Oh, vastly! but I did not know that was your style before. Don'tcultivate it, dear, if you hope to win manly hearts. Men like to do allthe lecturing themselves, and I find it diplomatic to feign profoundignorance on all subjects outside of a bandbox; it delights them so toenlighten us. No wonder they fancy us fools when we feign foolishness soadmirably--lapwings that we are!"

"But I never do, in such society. My experience is different from yours. I always pretend to know twice as much as I do, when they are about; itbluffs them off, and they are credulous sometimes as well as ignorant, notwithstanding their boasted acumen. "

"Your lamp of experience needs trimming, my pretty Miriam, " she said, shaking her head, "if you really believe this. They never forgivesuperiority, assumed or real; none but the noble ones, I mean; who, ofcourse, are in the minority. Give a pair of tongs pantaloons, and itasserts itself. Trousers, my dear, are at the root of manly presumption. I discovered that long ago. A man in petticoats would be as humble as awoman. This is my theory, at least; take it for what it is worth. Andnow to sleep, with what heart we may, an iceberg being in our vicinity;"and, taking my face in her hand, she kissed me cordially. "It is veryearly in our acquaintance for such manifestations to be allowable, " shesaid, kindly, "but I am a sort of spoiled child of society, and dare tobe natural. I consider that the best privilege that attaches to mycondition, that of the 'bell-wether' of Savannah _ton_--theuniversally-accepted bore! You know--Favraud has told you, of course; healways characterizes as he goes. "

"He has called you the most agreeable woman in Savannah, I remember, young or old, and was truly glad, on my account, to know that you wereon board. Of your brother he spoke very kindly also, even admiringly. "

"Oh, yea, I know; but of Raguet there is little question now. His wife'sdeath has crushed him. I never saw so changed a man; he is half idiotic, I believe; and I am with him now just to keep those children fromcompleting the work of destruction. Six little motherless ones--onlythink--and as bad as they can possibly be; for poor Lucilla was nomanager. Isn't it strange, the influence those little cottony women getover their husbands? You and I might try forever to establish suchabsolute despotism, all in vain. It is your whimpering sort that rulewith the waving of a pocket-handkerchief; but poor, dear little woman, she is powerless now; and I suppose the next will be like unto her. Raguet would never look at any thing feminine that hadn't white eyes andpink hair (yellow, I mean, of course)--his style, you know, being darkand stern, he likes the downy, waxy kind. All this is shockinglyegotistical; but the question is, who that has a spark of individualityis otherwise? Good-night, again, and may all sweet dreams attend you;for my part, I never dream, being past the dreaming age, and realitiesfortunately disappear with daylight; even cross children are wheedledinto quietness, and servants forget to fidget and giggle; and, formosquitoes, there are bars. Adieu. "

And thus we parted, never to meet again in mutual mood like this!

Yet, had the free agency of which some men boast been ours, we hadscarcely chosen to face the awful change--to look into each other's eyesthrough gathering death-doom!

CHAPTER III. 

Before my dreaming eyes was the terror of a hungry, crunching tooth, fixed in the vessel's side, that of the iceberg, lying black in themoonlight like a great coal crystal, grimly awaiting our approach, butthe reality, as well as the figment, had disappeared when I emerged atsunrise from the suffocating cabin, to the atmosphere of the cool andquiet quarter-deck, which had just undergone its matutinal. 

Armed with an orange and a biscuit for physical refreshment, I dependedon sea and sky for my mental entertainment; and in my hand I bore aslender scroll, destined as a propitiatory offering to our offendedhelmsman. 

I was glad to find again at the wheel our pilot of yesterday. 

"Your iceberg has disappeared, Mr. Garth, " I said, as I extended to himthe sketch I had made of his noble _physique_ the day before, "and hereis a picture for your wife, which she will see was not drawn for fun. Women are sharper than men about such matters. There, I bestow it notwithout regret. " He received my offering with a smile, and nod of hisgreat curly head, opened it, gazed long and seriously upon it, and, withthe single word "Good, " rolled it up again, and consigned it to somebosom pocket in his flannel shirt, into which it seemed to glide as atelescope into its case, revealing, as he did so, glimpses of a hairybreast, and vigorous chest, more admirable for strength than beauty, certainly. 

"I will keep it there, " he said, "young miss, " pressing it closelyagainst his side with his colossal hand, "until I get safe home to theJarseys, and to Sall, or go to Davy's locker, one or other, but which itwill be, young gal--young miss, I should be saying--is not for me toknow. "

"Nor for anyone, " I rejoined, solemnly; "all rests with God. "

"With God and our engineer, " he resumed, tersely; "them sails is oflittle account, now the mainmast is struck away; them floppenpetticoats, wat the wind loves to play in and out, layin' along like alazy lubber that it is, and leaving its work for others to do. It was anoble mast, though, while it stood--and you could smell the turpentineblood in its heart to the very last. It was as limber as a sapling, andnever growed brittle, like some wood, with age and dryness. No stormcould splinter it, and it would fling itself over into the high wavessometimes, rayther than snap and lash them like a whip. But there itlies, burned with the fire of heaven's wrath, at last, and leaving itsfires of hell behind, in the heart of the Kosciusko. "

"You have changed your mind on the subject of engines, Mr. Garth, I amglad to see. Truly, ours seems to be doing giant's work; now we areflying, to be sure. "

"Rushing, not flying, young lady--that's the word; our wings are littleuse to-day, you see, such as are left to us. Runnin' for dear life, we'dbetter say, for that's the truth of the matter, and may the mercifulLord speed us, and have in his care all helpless ones this day!"

The lifted hand, the bared head, the earnest accents, with which thesewords were spoken, gave to this simple utterance of good-will all thesolemnity of a benediction or prayer. 

I noticed that, after replacing his tarpaulin, the lips of Garthcontinued to move silently, then were compressed gravely for a time, while his eye, large, clear, and expressive, was fixed on space. 

"Do you still see an iceberg, Mr. Garth? Do you really apprehend dangerfor us now?" I asked, after studying his countenance for a moment, "or, are you again desirous to try the nerves of your female passengers? Ithink I must apply to the captain this time for information. "

"Yes, danger, " he replied, in low, sad tones, ignoring my last remark, or perhaps not hearing it at all--"danger, compared with which aniceberg might be considered in the light of a heavenly marcy. There is achance of grazing one of them snow-bowlders, or of its drifting awayfrom a ship, when the ripples reach it, or, if the wust comes, a bodycan scramble overboard, and manage to live on the top of one of thempeaks, or in one of their ice-caves, with a few blankets, and a littlebread and junk and water, fur a space, so as to get a chance of meetin'a ship, or a schooner; but, when there is something wrong in a ship'sheart, there a'n't much hope for rescue, onless it comes from above. "

He hesitated, smiling grimly, rolled his quid, crammed his hat down overhis eyes, and again addressed himself to his wheel, and, for a fewmoments, I stood beside him silently. 

"The ship is leaking, I suppose, " I said, at last, "so that youapprehend her loss, perhaps, " and my heart sank coldly within me, as Ispoke; "but, if this be true, why does not the captain apprise us? No, you are quizzing me again, and very cruelly this time, veryunwarrantably. "

Yet I did not think exactly as I spoke, strive as I might to believe theman in jest. Too much solemnity and sorrow both were discernible in hisworn and rugged features, hewn grandly as if from granite, to admit of ahope like this. His words were earnest, and some great calamity was instore, I could not doubt, or at least he apprehended such. For some timehe replied not, then, slowing pointing to the base of the strickenmainmast, which still showed an elevation of some inches above the deck, he revealed to me the truth without a word. 

As my eyes followed his guiding finger, I saw, with terror unspeakable, a thin blue wavering smoke-wreath, float upward from the floor, and, after curling feebly about the truncated mast, disappear in the clearsunlit atmosphere, again to arise from the same point, that of thejuncture of the mast and deck, creeping through some invisible crevice, as it seemed to form itself eternally in filmy folds, and successivelyelude the eye as soon as it shaped to sight. I understood him then. There was fire in the heart of the ship, and I knew the hold was filledwith cotton; it was smouldering slowly, and our safety was a question oftime alone!

Pale, transfixed, frozen, I lifted my eyes to the man, who seemed torepresent my fate for the moment. "Was it the lightning?" I asked, aftera pause, during which his pitying eye rested on me drearily. "Did thefire occur in that way?"

"Yes, the lightning it was; and God's hand, which sent the shaft direct, alone can deliver us. "

I seemed to hear the voice of Bertie speak these words. Things grewconfused; I wavered as I stood, lifted my hand to my head; the face ofChristian Garth grew large and dim, then faded utterly. I knew no moreuntil I found myself seated on a coil of rope, leaning against thebulwark, while a young girl stood beside me, fanning and bathing myface, and offering me a glass of water. 

"You are better now, " she said, kindly; "the man at the wheel called meas I was passing, and pointed out your condition, and I led you here, and ran for water. Being up so early is apt to disagree with somepeople. "

"What are these people crawling about the deck for? Is all hope over, orwas it only a dream?" I asked. 

"Oh, you are quite wild yet from your swoon; it is only the calkersstopping up the seams, one of the captain's queer whims they say; buthow they are to dance to-night, those _magnificos_ I mean, withoutruining their slippers with this pitch, I cannot see! Thank Goodness! Ibelong to a church, and am not of this party, and don't care on my ownaccount, nor does the captain, I believe. I was placed under his care atSavannah, and I suppose it is only to stop the ball that--"

She was interrupted by the approach of the officer under discussion, buthe passed us gloomily and went on to inspect the workmen so unseasonablyemployed, as it seemed, in a labor that, save in a case of long voyages, is always performed in port. 

His melancholy air, and the preoccupation of his manner, confirmed myworst fears. 

Again I sought the Ixion of the vessel, who calmly and stolidlyperformed his duty as if, indeed, Fate directed, without a change offeature now, or expression. 

"Has the captain no hope of rescue, Mr. Garth?"

"Oh, yes; he thinks we shall meet a ship or two between now and noon--we'most always do, you know"--rolling his quid slowly, and hesitating fora while; "keep heart, keep heart! I had thought from your face you werestronger; besides, the pumps are doing good work in the hold: who knowswhat may come of it, who knows?"

Alas! alas! I could not rise to the level of this dim hope. "Think ofthe burning crowd, the sheet of flame, the terrible destruction!" Imurmured; "I must go now and apprise those poor wretches below thattheir time is short; they have a right to know. "

His vice-like hand was on my arm. "You do not go a step on such anerrand, " he muttered. "It is the captain's business; he will 'tend to itwhen the time comes, for he is a true man, and the bravest sailor on theline. He means to do what's right, never fear. It is my dooty to holdyou here until he comes, onless you promise me to be discreet. "

"I shall be discreet, never fear--" and his grasp relaxed. I sped meback to the coil of rope on which I had left my young companion, intending to partake with her there my biscuit and orange, so needed nowfor strength. 

I found in her stead (for she had departed in the interval) adelicate-looking young woman, plain and poor, a widow evidently from thestyle of her shabby mourning and sad expression of face, bearing in herarms a weird and sickly-looking child, evidently a sufferer from spinaldisease--an infant as to size, but preternaturally old in countenance. 

The steady gaze of its large and serious eyes affected memagnetically--eyes that seemed ever seeking something that still eludedthem, and which now appeared to inquire into my very soul. 

"Is your little boy ill, madam?" I asked at last; and at the sound of myvoice a smile broke over his small, sallow features, lending themstrange beauty, but dying away instantly again into an expression ofstartled suspicion. 

"Yes, very ill, " she answered, clasping him tenderly as he clung to hersuddenly. "He has some settled trouble that no medicine reaches, and yousee how small and light he is. Many a twelve months' babe is heavierthan he, yet he is three years old come March next, and he is 'cutebeyond his years, it seems to me. "

"You seem very weak and weary, " I rejoined. "I noticed you yesterdaywith interest, sitting all the time with your boy on your knee. You mustneed exercise and rest. Go and walk now a little, while you can;" and Istretched my arms for her baby. 

To her surprise, evidently, he came to me willingly--attracted, nodoubt, by the gleam of the watch-chain about my neck, and still furtherpropitiated by a portion of my orange, which he greedily devoured. 

In the mean time the poor, pale mother took a few turns on thequarter-deck, and, disappearing therefrom a moment, returned with asmall supply of cakes and biscuits which she had sought in the steward'sroom. 

An inspiration of Providence, no doubt, she thought this proceedinglater, which at the moment was only intended to anticipate the delayattendant on all second-class meals. 

These cakes, with a pains-taking diligence, if not forethought--peculiarto all feeble animals, squirrels, sick children, and the like--did heone by one cram and compel into my pocket, unconscious as I was at themoment of his miser-like proceeding (instinctive, probably), which laterI detected, to his infinite rejoicing. In company with my slender purse, and bunch of useless keys, a pencil, and a small memorandum-book, theyremained _perdu_ until that moment of accidental discovery arrived whichwas to test their value and place it "far above that of rubies. "

Light as a pithless nut seemed this little creature in my strong, energetic arms, and yet his mother staggered beneath his weight. 

She insisted, however, after a time, on resuming her charge of him, asit was proper she should do, and then sat beside me, delivering herselfof a long string of complaints and grievances, after the fashion of allsecond-rate, solitary people when secure of sympathy. 

She overrated my benevolence on this occasion, however. I was lost inpainful reverie, and scarcely understood a word of her communication, which I was obliged at last to cut short, for I had resolved, now thatmy strength was recruited, on the only visible course remaining to me--Iwould seek Miss Lamarque, confide to her the statement of ChristianGarth, relate to her what my eyes had seen, and be guided by herdetermination and judgment, with those of her brother, a man of sense, Isaw, and whose instincts, no doubt, would all be sharpened by thejeopardy of his children. 

She was sitting up in her state-room when I knocked at the door, stillin her berth, the lower one--from which the upper shelf had been liftedso as to afford her room and air--looking very Oriental and handsomerthan I ever had seen her, in her bright Madras night-turban and finewhite cambric wrapper richly trimmed. 

Her face broke into smiles as soon as she beheld me; and she invited me, in a way not to be resisted, so resolute and yet so kindly was it, topartake with her of the hot coffee her maid was just handing her in bed, in a small gilded cup, a portion of the service on the stand beside her. 

"It is our Southern custom, you know, Miss Harz--always our _café noir_before breakfast, as a safeguard against malaria. To be sure, there isnothing of that sort to be apprehended at sea, but still habits areinveterate; second nature, as the moralists and copy-books say, as ifthere ever could be more than one. What nonsense these wiseacres talk, to be sure! But there is cream, you see, for those who like it--boileddown and bottled for the use of the children before leaving home--one ofDominica's notions;" and here the smiling maid, with her little, respectful courtesy, tendered me a reviving cup of Miss Lamarque'smorning beverage, Mocha, made to the last point of perfection, drippedand filtered over a spirit-lamp by Dominica, the skillful andneat-handed. 

"But you are very pale to-day, my child--what on earth can be thematter?--There, Dominica, I thought I heard Florry cry! Go and helpCaliste get the children ready for a trot upon deck before breakfast, and don't forget to give each one a gill of cream and a biscuit--or, stay, twice as much for the two elder before they go up. It may be sometime before they get their regular morning meal. --They have to wait, youknow, Miss Harz, which is such rank injustice where children areconcerned. Patience never belongs to unreasoning creatures, unless aninstinct, as with animals; men have to learn its lessons through theteachings of experience--that strictest of school-masters. Now, you see, I have my lecturing-cap on, and am almost equal to you or Dr. Lardnerin my way. But it takes you to define fascination! I suppose Mrs. Heavyside, however, could help you there--for nothing short ofwitchcraft could account to me for her elopement with that dreary man!To leave her sweet children, too, as if all the men on earth could beworth to a true mother her teething baby's little toe or finger!"

"Would she never stop--never give one loop-hole for doubt to enter?" Ithought. 

"But what in the world ails you--has Dunmore, the disconsolate, beenmaking love again? Has Captain Falconer declared himself too soon? anddo you hesitate, on account of Miss Moore? Don't let that considerationinfluence you, I beg, for she is the greatest flirt in Savannah, thetruest to the vocation, and I like her for that, anyhow. Whatever a manor woman has to do, let him or her do earnestly. That isn't exactlyScripture, but near enough, don't you think so?" and she laughedmerrily. 

"I have been on deck this morning, " I commenced, "Miss Lamarque, and sawChristian Garth, and--"

"He has been terrifying and electrifying you again with his tale ofhorrors--there, it is all out. Why, he is as sensational as 'Jane Eyre, 'this new English novel I am just reading, " drawing it from under herpillow and holding it aloft as she spoke. "Currer Bell is not moremysteriously awful, but Garth is not artistic. I detected his intentionby the inconsistency of his expression of face, which bore no part inhis narrative, and at once exposed him, you must remember--"

"Oh, yes--but this time--"

"Nonsense, Miriam Harz! the iceberg is gone, I know. Why, what a nervouscoward you are, to be sure, with all that assumed bravery! I am twiceas courageous, I do believe, despite appearances; I really begin to beof opinion that it is safer to be at sea than on land--now what do youthink of that for a heterodoxy?--A second cup? why, of course, and athird, if you want it; I am delighted you like it. These little Sèvrestoys are but thimbles, but I always carry them about with me by sea andland, and have for years; I feel as if there were luck in them, not oneof the original three has been broken--there--there!--just as I wasboasting, too!--never mind, such accidents _will_ occur; but your prettypongee dress is sadly stained with the coffee; besides, as _you_ droppedthe cup, it is _your_ luck, not mine; and I want an odd saucer, anyhow, to feed Desirée out of; she sleeps in that willow basket you see in thecorner of the state-room, Miss Harz, and is lazy, like her mistress, ofmornings. --Desirée! Desirée! peep out, can't you, now you have yourlong-desired Sèvres saucer to lap milk from?--She won't touch delft, Miss Harz. She is the most fastidious little creature!"

"Alas! alas!" and I groaned aloud. 

"Not taking on about that silly cup, I hope--no; what can it be then, amegrim? No. Well, I can't imagine any thing worse, to save my life. Here, let me read you this, it is fine--it is where Jane Eyre feelsherself deserted, and this comparison about 'the dried-up channel of ariver' thrills one. Just hear it;" and she was about commencing--

"Not now--not now, Miss Lamarque; stern realities demand our attention. Lay your book aside, be calm, be firm, but listen to me seriously. Christian Garth informs me, nor he alone--my own eyes have done therest--that the cotton in the hold has taken fire from the lightningyesterday; has been slowly smouldering ever since the mast wasstruck--and that the ship's hours are numbered!"

"O God! O God!" and she bowed her head upon her clasped and quiveringhands. "But, Captain Ambrose--he did not tell you so?" looking upsuddenly. "Christian Garth, indeed! his impudence is surprising--anotherhoax, I suppose, " and she tried to smile; "such a coarse creature, too!"

"We shall see, but for the present say nothing; only get up and dress asquickly as you can, but it is important to be very quiet, for fear ofcausing confusion. I have promised discretion. "

"Call Dominica, then, for me, Miss Harz, " gasping and stretching forthher arms. "I can do nothing for myself--nothing--I am so weak, sohelpless. Yet I must believe he is--you are mistaken!"

"I trust it may prove so. But let me assist you; Dominica is bestemployed making ready the little ones and giving themfood--strengthening them for the struggle. She will be nerveless if sheknows the truth, and you are not in a condition to conceal it. "

"Just as you will, then. My trunk--will you be so kind as to unlock itand give me out the tray--that picture? After that I can get alongalone. "

I silently did as she desired, and saw her place a covered miniatureabout her neck before she arose. Very few minutes sufficed this morningfor her toilet--usually a tedious and fastidious one--her dress, herbonnet, her shawl, were hastily thrown on, her watch secured with thefew jewels lying upon the night-table; the rest of her valuables werewith other boxes in the hold, the repository of all unneeded baggage, and these, of course, she could scarcely hope to save in case of fire, even if lives were rescued. 

Then, together, we went out, just in time to join the little troop ofyoung children and nurses on their way to the deck. Miss Lamarque didnot reply to their tumultuous greeting, but, silently taking the babyFlorry, her namesake, in her arms, kissed her many times. I had told herwhile, she was dressing, of the smoke-wreaths about the base of thebroken mast, and she believed in the testimony my eyes had afforded mefar more than in the reports of Christian Garth. We did not encounterMr. Lamarque when we first went on deck; he had gone forward to smoke, some one said; but Captain Ambrose was standing alone, telescope inhand, and to him we addressed ourselves, quietly. 

He seemed startled when I disclosed the result of my observation--for Idid not choose to commit the pilot--but he did not attempt to deny thetruth of the condition of things, and conjured us both to entire quietand composure, and, if possible, to absolute silence. The safety of fivehundred people, he said, depended on our discretion; the ship might notignite for days, if at all, he thought, so carefully had the air beenexcluded from the cotton by the process of tight calking, so as to sealit almost hermetically; indeed, the fire might be wholly extinguished bythe pumps, which were constantly at work, pouring streams of wateraround and through the hold; and a panic would be equal to a fire in anycase. Such were his calmness and apparent faith in his own words, thatthey did much to allay Miss Lamarque's fears. My own were littlesoothed--I never doubted from the beginning what the end would be. 

Mr. Lamarque approached us while the conference with the captain wasgoing on, and, under the seal of secrecy, the condition of affairs wascommunicated to that gentleman. 

I never saw a man so crushed and calm at the same time. His handsomeface seemed turned to stone--he scarcely spoke at all, and made noinquiries. I think his mind, like mine, was made up to the worst. Yet hecommanded himself so far as to go to the breakfast-table and superintendthe meal of his little children, about whom he hung, like a mother-birdwho sees the shadow of a hawk above her brood, from that moment untilthe _dénoûment_ of the drama separated us two forever. 

Miss Lamarque and I sat down together on a bench, while the host ofhungry passengers crowded down to the cabin at the welcome summons ofthe bell, and I was aware again of the pale widow and her patient childstanding near me. 

A sudden thought occurred to me. This woman, more than any one among us, needed the strengthening stimulus of good food, and this meal might beher last on shipboard--on earth, perhaps--for a dull, low, ominous soundbegan to make itself heard to my ear as soon as the murmur of the crowdsubsided. 

"Trust me with your child again while you go down and eat your breakfastin my place to-day. It is a whim of mine. I have had coffee with thislady in her state-room, and shall not appear at the table. You may bringme a slice of bread, if you choose, when you come back, and one forbaby. Do not refuse me this favor. "

Much pleased at my attention, as I could see, she went to the grandfirst table, with its high-heaped salvers of snowy rolls and biscuit, its delicate birds and fowls, its fragrant coffee and tea, so differentfrom the dregs of the humble board at which her second-class ticketalone entitled her to appear; and, to save her from possiblehumiliation, I wrote a line to the steward; so she feasted, no doubt, instate. 

Again I enacted the _rôle_ of self-appointed nurse to a creature thatlooked more like a fairy changeling than a flesh-and-blood creation. 

"You are a strange woman, Miriam Harz! At such an hour as this, whatmatters the quality of food?" said Miss Lamarque, sententiously. "Afterall, what can that invalid and her child be to you in any case? They areessentially common and mean. You never saw them before, and may neversee them again. "

"In view of such a catastrophe as that before us, all distinctions fade, Miss Lamarque. This is the last meal any one will take on the shipKosciusko--she is doomed! The woman might as well get strength for thechance of saving herself and child. I doubt whether any second tablewill be spread to-day!" I spoke with anguish. 

"You cannot believe this! Why, after what the captain said, days may goby before any real danger manifests itself! Ships must pass in theinterval--many ships may pass to-day, within a few hours, ready for ourrelief, if needed; and see, the smoke has ceased to curl about yourbroken main-mast! That shows convincingly that the fire is being gottenunder--extinguished, probably. "

"Oh, no! no! no! not with that low, terrible roaring in the hold. Thefire is gaining strength, and our agony will soon he over. "

I sat with, clasped hands and bowed head before her, insensible to herwords. I suppose she strove to strengthen me. I think she tried tosoothe. Failing in both, she rose and went away, and in her place cameChristian Garth, relieved from the helm, and stood a moment beside me. 

"Don't be down-hearted, young gal, an' wait for me. Ef the Lord lets me, I will save you, and the old lady, too; that is, ef she is your aunt ormother or near of kin. "

I shook my head drearily. 

"You have no hope, then, Mr. Garth?"

"Hope? yes; the best of hope--the Christian's hope. God can do any thingHe pleases, we all know, and He may stretch forth his hand when allseems dark; but Captain Ambrose is not one to run a risk of that sort, so he has sent me to work upon a raft--one of two he is making for theseamen if the wust comes to the wust. But you see, I have been on lostships afore now, an' I know there is no larboard nor starboard ruleswhen men are skeered. So I shall make my raft to hold the womenfolk, forthe boats will be for the sailors--mark my word--and them that's wisewill wait till the press is over and take the rafts. "

"There are little children, " I said; "six of them belonging to that ladyand Mr. Lamarque. Don't forget them, Mr. Garth, and the poor littlewidow coming now to claim her baby; this miserable little creature I amholding until she breakfasts. Don't lose sight of these, either, in thecrowd, if, indeed, we are obliged to have recourse to your raft. "

"Pray rayther that it may float us all to safety, " he said, sternly, "for your best chance of being saved will be on that raft, if matters goas I think they will. Trust me, for I will come;" and he passed awayjust before the little widow came to my side again. 

"I came up as soon as I could, to relieve you. I know how cross baby iswhen he gets restless, and I was afraid you might tire of him. See! Ihave brought his bread, and this waiter of tea and toast for you; nowyou must take a mouthful. "

She knew nothing of our danger, it was plain. "Did you leave the otherpassengers at table?" I asked; "the captain, was he there?"

The question was never answered, for the attention of my interlocutorwas riveted now, as was my own, on the companion-way, from which a wildand frightened-looking crowd was densely emerging, with a confused humof voices that announced their recognition of their impending danger. The change of age, of pain, of woe, seemed sealed upon each aspect, asone by one, and phantom-like, in rapid succession, those who had solately gone down to feast returned to the upper day, like grim ghostscoming from a church-yard carnival. 

It was a sight to stir the stoutest spirit. 

At the close of the repast, the captain had announced the truth, to hispassengers, and followed them now to enjoin them to firmness andefficiency, both so greatly needed at this crisis. 

Mounted on the capstan, he addressed them briefly, and not withoutinfluence. Such was the power of his simple and manly bearing over thesedistracted souls, that even the wildest listened with decorum. 

This was no immigrant-ship, loaded with stolid or desperate men, insensible of high teachings, and alone desirous of personal safety. Yetthe universal instinct asserted itself, and for the time courtesies wereset aside, and family affections were all that were regarded. 

Miss Lamarque, pale, yet collected, now stood surrounded by the childrenof her brother, leaning upon his arm while the captain spoke. Husbandsand wives were together, sisters and brothers, servants and theirmasters--each group revealed its several household affinities. We onlywere alone--the dreary little widow, whose name I never knew, and MiriamMonfort; and on natural principles we clung together. 

It is true that Miss Lamarque, by many signs, implored me to come toher, but I would not. It was like intruding on a bed of death, I felt, to break through ties of blood at such a time, by thrusting a foreignpresence amid devoted relatives; and I was too proud, or perhaps tooselfish, to intrude where I must be secondary, unless I took awayanother's rights. 

The captain had promised, in his brief address, to protect hispassengers to the utmost of his power--leaving the result with God. Hehad entreated them to be calm, and to preserve order--so essential tosafety; had mentioned his confidence that a ship must pass before thecatastrophe could possibly occur; but added that, to prepare for theworst, he had ordered the construction of two rafts--one for the use ofthe seamen, the other for the reception of food and necessaries. 

His plan was to attach these to the larger boats, and so provide againstwant; in the certainty, however, that on such a route relief must soonpresent itself, in the shape of ship or steamer. 

He called on all able to abet his exertions to present themselvesforthwith, so that universal safety might be insured; not only by makingthe rafts, but the securing of food upon them, and comforts for thewomen and children, who represented so large a portion of thepassengers. He answered for the fidelity of his seamen with his life. There was not one among them, he knew, who would lift a finger todisobey him. He said these words in conclusion:

"And now, if there is any one present sufficiently imbued with the graceof God to fix the anxious minds of these voyagers in prayer, such atleast of them as are powerless otherwise to aid our exertions, let himappear and minister to their tribulation. This task is not for me, although the holiest. My duties call me elsewhere. "

So adjured, a man, whose wild, fanatical appearance had given rise tothe rumor that the famous "Lorenzo Dow" was on board, sprang on abulkhead, and commenced to exhort the crowd about him, from which a fileof pale, determined-looking men was slowly emerging to join the seamenat the other end of the vessel in their efforts for the public weal. Butmany lingered, either overcome and paralyzed by the stringency ofcircumstances, or unequal to exertions from personal causes--aged men, women, and children, chiefly--and to these the frenzied speakercontinued to address his words of exhortation and warning. 

Such a tirade of terrible objurgation I felt was entirely out of placein a scene like this, and calculated to excite the worst passions of thehuman mind, instead of persuading it to serenity and submission, soessential now; for to me the captain's last words represented the finalgrace of the preacher, when, with closed eyes and outspread hands, hedismissed his flock from the temple at the close of the services. Fromthat vessel and all that concerned it we were virtually enfranchisedfrom that moment--dismissed to destruction, so to speak, by fire orflood, or rescue from beyond, as the case might be, to life or death, asGod willed--for the ship's mission was accomplished. 

I shrank as far as possible from the wild, waving arms, the frenziedeyes, the gaunt and wolfish aspect, the piercing, agonized voice of thefanatic, who had assumed to himself the solemn office of soul-comforterin a time of extremity. I saw from a distance his long, lank figurewrithing like a sapling in a storm, as it overtopped the crowd; but hiswords were lost on my ear, and I sat leaning back against the bulwarkwith folded hands, absorbed in my own thoughts, when a young girl, bursting from the throng, came and threw herself down before me, andburied her face in my lap, convulsed with sobs. When she looked up, Irecognized the young person who had bathed my face in the morning duringmy partial swoon--a fair and lovely-looking girl of about eighteenyears, pallid and ill now with excitement. 

"Oh, it is so terrible!" she cried; "I cannot--cannot bear it, and hesays we are all hopelessly lost unless we have repented; that there isno death-bed salvation; and this is our death-bed, you know, for theSpanish ship passed us without stopping, and we scarcely hope to seeanother. O cruel, cruel fiends! to pretend they did not understand oursignals, and leave us to destruction. "

And she clasped her hands in mute and bitter despair--no actress wasever so impressive. 

"We must make up our minds to the worst, " I said, as calmly as I could. "Then, if God sees fit to deliver us, we shall be all the more thankful. You must not believe what this ignorant and panic-stricken man tellsyou. Think of the thief on the cross whom Christ pardoned in dying. "

"Then you hope to be permitted to see God! You dare to hope this?" sheasked, gazing into my very eyes, so closely did she come to me. 

"Oh, surely in his own good time! I have done nothing so very wicked, Ihope, as to exclude me from my Father's face forever--have you? Now, don't be frightened; speak calmly. "

"I don't know--I don't know. I should be afraid not to call myselfdesperately wicked at such a time; he says we all are, you know. We areall miserable sinners. "

"It is very abject to talk and feel thus, and I don't believe that Godapproves of it, " I said, indignantly. "He gives us self-respect, andcommands us to cherish it. Such abasement is unworthy of Christiansouls. It is very bitter to die, as young as we are; but, if we havedone our best to serve Him, we need--we ought not to be afraid to meetour God. "

She clung to my outstretched hand. She strengthened my spirit by thefullness of her need. The feeble widow with her child, too, crept closeto me, weeping and trembling. 

"Do not leave me, " she entreated; "let us stay together to the verylast. "

"Nay, that may be a long time, " I answered, smiling feebly, and nervedfor the first time to encouragement; "for the captain will do his bestto save his passengers--the women especially, I cannot doubt; and seewhat bounteous provision he is making for their support!"

And I pointed to the piles of flour and sugar barrels, the boxes ofcrackers and of hams, of figs and raisins, the hampers of wine and ale, which were profusely piled on the quarter-deck ready for lowering to therafts. 

"He means to take care of us, you see, by the permission of Providence, "I said, almost strengthened by this dependence, "and we will remaincalmly together, and drink whatever cup God offers us--humbly, I hope. "Yet, even as I spoke, my heart rebelled against the fiat of my fate, andthe young life within me rose up in fierce conflict with its doom. 

At this moment of bitter strife of heart, Mr. Dunmore, the youthful poetof whom I have already spoken, stood before me. 

"I have found you at last, " he said, "deputed as I am to do so by MissLamarque. It is a point of honor with her to care for you personally inthis crisis. You know Major Favraud placed you under her care; besidesthat, her regard for you impels this request. She bids me say--"

I interrupted him hastily. 

"This is no time for ceremonials, truly, Mr. Dunmore; yet, had familyconcurrence been perfect, it seems to me that her brother might haveundertaken this mission. I have no wish to thrust myself undesired intoany household circle at such a crisis. "

"He is wholly absorbed with his children. "

"As he ought to be, Mr. Dunmore, and, when the time of peril comes, itis of their needs alone that he will and must think, I am alone in thisvessel, as I shall remain. I did not leave Savannah under MissLamarque's care. She is very generous, very considerate, but I will notembarrass her motions, nor yours, nor any one's. It is the duty ofCaptain Ambrose to see to the welfare of his female passengers. I shallnot be forgotten among these--"

He stood before me with his knightly head uncovered, his handsome faceas calm as though he were a guest at a festival instead of a patient andinterested watcher at a funeral-pyre. His birth, his breeding, hisgenius even, asserted themselves in that mortal hour. He was calm, collected, serious, but not afraid. 

"The peril will be great to all, of course, " he said, quietly, "but nogentleman will prefer his own safety to that of the most humble anddesolate woman on the ship. To you, Miss Harz, I devote my energiesto-day, to you and these ladies of your party, whoever they may be--, "bowing gently as he spoke. "I may fail in delivering you from danger, but it shall not be for want of effort on my part. Believe my words, Ihave less care for life than most people, and now let me offer you myescort through that maddened crowd (the rest may follow closely), toreach Miss Lamarque. "

"No, Mr. Dunmore, I _must_ remain just where I am, I have promisedmyself to do so; this is much; and these unhappy women--they, likemyself, are alone, or seem to be. Should you see fit to do so, and bewilling to be so encumbered, you can return after a lapse of time; butmake no point of this, I entreat you. I think that Captain Ambrose willobserve good order and save his helpless ones first. You know hepromised this--"

There was a moment's pause, and movement of eye and hand, and then hespoke again, very softly:

"Yes, and much more that can never be fulfilled, for already the cabinis in flames, the companion-way is closed, and the fire in the hold ismaking fearful headway. I have heard the seamen have sworn to secure theboats; you are strong and resolute--be prepared for the very worst. "Then, speaking in his usual tone, he added: "Since the banner of Spainpassed near enough to show us the rampant lions and castles on itscrimson shield, and yet made no sign, I have had little hope of rescuefrom a ship. It was ominous!"

"Not intended, then, " I said, eagerly. "Oh, I am glad of this, at least, for the honor of human nature. "

"A strange consideration at such a time! You are a study to me, MissHarz; yours is not apathy, like mine, but true courage, even in thisdeath-struggle, and I will save you if I can, for you have a noblesoul!"

All further dialogue was cut short by the wild shout that rose from thecrowd, the delusive cry of "A sail, a sail!" and Dunmore rushed with therest to descry its myth-like form, if possible. It was some momentsbefore hope again died down to a flat level of despair. 

Too remote for signal or trumpet was that distant, white-winged vesselgliding securely on its path of peace, unconscious of the extremity ofthe mighty steamer it distinguished dimly, no doubt, by the aid oftelescopes. 

However this might have been, for the second time on that day of direstexigency, a ship went by, observed yet unobserving. 

Fainter and fainter grew the accents of the fierce, fanatical preacher;his excitement forsook him as the danger became more and more imminent. 

The crowd broke into groups. Pale, stern men, with rigid features, whohad been employed aiding in the construction of the rafts, returned nowto the sides of their wives and children. 

Through a vista on the deck I discerned Miss Lamarque, sitting quietlywith her youngest nursling in her arms, beside her brother. His childrenand slaves were gathered around her knees. Dunmore was giving her mymessage, I could not doubt, from the glances she cast in my direction, as he stood near by. I knew that he would soon turn to come again, butmy resolution was fixed. 

Captain Ambrose, with a face grown old in half a day, gray, abstracted, wretched, passed and repassed me several times, telescope in hand. 

Ralph Maxwell on the round-house kept constant watch, his attitudedauntless, his face uplifted and keen, field-glass in hand. HisWest-Point training stood him in good stead now. Captain Falconer, anaval officer, had returned to the side of Miss Oscanyan, the woman hehad loved hopelessly for years, and, before the scene closed between usforever, I saw him clasp her to his bosom; so that trying hour had forsome high spirits is crowning consolations, its solace and reward, and, whatever else was in store, the martyrdom of love was over. 

An eager hand caught my shawl. "He is coming back, coming to persuadeyou to leave us, " said the young girl; "but you have promised not topart from us, and I feel that God will remember us if we remain togetherfirm and fast, we three. "

Then the pale widow spoke in turn: "Let me stay beside you too, " sheentreated; "it makes me feel stronger, I am so desolate--" and she bowedher head and wept. 

I would have said in the strange, calm bitterness that possessed mysoul: "What value has life to you and your deformed one? Poor, widowed, sickly, and despised, why should you wish to live? Why encumber me?"

But thoughts like these were not for human utterance now, and we sattogether, hand locked in hand for a time, waiting for the end, as menmay wait in years to come, when the earth is gray with sin, for thecoming of the fiery comet that they know is destined to consume them. 

For was not this ship our world, penned in as we were on every side, andseparated from all else by an ocean inexorable and illimitable as space, and were not we likewise looking forward to a fiery doom--our finite, perhaps final, day of judgment?

I could understand then, for the first time, how condemned criminalsfeel--well, strong, yet dying! I knew how Walter La Vigne, theself-doomed, had felt, and some passages of Madame Roland's appeal rosevisibly before me, as if written on the air rather than in my memory. Ihad read the book at Beauseincourt, and it had powerfully impressed me;and this, I remember, was the passage that swept across my brain:

"And thou whom I dare not name, wouldst thou mourn to see me precedingthee to a place where we can love one another without wrong--wherenothing will prevent our union--where all pernicious prejudices, allarbitrary exclusions, all hateful passions, and all tyranny, are silent?I shall wait for thee, then, and rest!"

So centred were my dying thoughts on Wentworth--so calmly did I awaitthe great change that men call sudden death!

All this time--a time much briefer than that I have taken in recountingmy sensations--the glorious summer's sun, the sun of morning, wasbathing the sea; the ship, with beauty, and a soft, fresh breeze, wasfanning every pallid brow with a caressing, silken wing, that seemed tomock its wretchedness. 

I thought not once of Christian Garth. I had ceased to strain my eyesfor a distant sail, to seek to compromise with my fate or makeconditions with my Creator. Dunmore was forgotten. I was composed todie--not resigned. These things are different; a bitter patiencepossessed me that I felt would sustain me to the end, but I was notsatisfied that my doom was just or opportune. 

"Farewell, sweet, young, vigorous life!" I moaned aloud. "Farewell, Miriam! It will not be thou, but a phantom, that shall arise from deadashes! Farewell, dear hand, that hast served me long and well!" and Ikissed my own right hand. I had not known until that moment how truly Iloved myself. "Sister, lover, farewell! Mother, father, receive me!Gentle Constance, reach forth thy guiding hand and lead me to myparents! Wentworth, remember me! Saviour, my soul is thine!"

I bowed my head. I had no more to say. Unwilling I was to die--afraid Iwas not; for, as I sat there, my whole life swept before me, as it issaid to do before the eyes of the drowning, and rapidly as one may sweepthe gamut on a piano with one introverted finger, and I saw myself asthough I had been another. I had done nothing to make me afraid to meetmy God; so, with closed eyes, I lingered in the shadow, conscious ofnothing save exceeding calm, when the grasp of my gentle friend of themoment aroused me to a sense of what was occurring, and I saw, withhorror indescribable, the fierce flames leaping from the deck, heard thehoarse shouts, beheld the lurid surging of an agonized and despairingmultitude! But above all rang the clear, trumpet-tones of CaptainAmbrose, soon to sink in death:

"To the boats--to the boats! but save the women first--the children--asye are Christian men! So help ye, mighty God!"

I heard later how signally this noble charge was disregarded; howutterly self triumphed over generosity and duty; and how, in enforcingthe example all should have followed, Captain Ambrose lost his valiant, valuable life. But this was thought nothing of then, and I sat patientlydown to perish!

CHAPTER IV. 

It was sunset when I first felt able to sit up beneath the awning ofsails which provident hands had stretched above the central platformreserved for the occupancy of the women and children, spread thick withmattresses on the raft, and look about me understandingly. 

We were riding smoothly over the long, low, level billows of that summersea, sustained beyond their reach on what seemed a rude barn-floor, composed as this was of the masts, booms, and yards, roughly lashedtogether by tarred ropes, no longer needed on the destined ship, andwhich had been assigned by the captain for that purpose to ChristianGarth. 

A mast was erected in the front of this hastily-constructed raft, onthree sides of which were breastworks, with strong, loose ropesattached, so that those who clung to this refuge might supportthemselves with comparative safety, or rather have a chance for life, when our "floating grave" should hang suspended perpendicularly on thesteep side of a mountain-billow, or drift beneath it. 

Just below, and surrounding the small, elevated platform on which Ifound myself when I revived, stretched on a slender mattress by the sideof my feeble widow and her moaning child, were rows of barrels, firmlyfastened by cleats, so as insure, to some degree, not only thepreservation of our food and water, but to form a sort of bulwark ofprotection for those who occupied the central portion of the raft. 

The young girl, of whom I have spoken as having attached herself to meduring the last moments of my stay on shipboard, and an old negro woman, whose crooning hymns made a strange accompaniment to the dashing waters, and whose stolid tranquillity seemed to reproach my anguish, were ouronly companions on the sort of dais assigned to his female passengers byChristian Garth. 

The man himself, to whom we owed our deliverance, stood near hisprimitive mast, trimming his sail carefully, and looking out with hisfar-reaching, sagacious ken over the waste of waters, into which theblood-red, full-orbed sun seemed dipping, suddenly, as for hisnight-bath. 

A few of the common passengers of the Kosciusko, and a knot of theseamen, comprising not more than twenty souls, composed the groups, scattered about the roughly yet securely lashed raft, silent andobservant all, as men who face their doom are apt to be. 

I looked in vain for one familiar face, and for a moment regretted thatI had been withheld, as by some spell, for whose weird influence I couldnever sufficiently account, from having cast my destiny with theirs, whowere so much nearer to me in station and congeniality of spirit thanthose around me. With Miss Lamarque's hand locked in mine, I should havevied with her, I felt, in cheerful courage; and the knightly calmness ofDunmore might have sustained my drooping, fainting soul. These were mypeers, and, _with_ them, I should have been better content to be tried. 

But the white squall, which had in no way affected us (so small andpartial was the sphere of its influence), had sufficed to separate oursirretrievably from our companion-raft, and the squadron of boats thathad promised not to forsake as. And now the eye of agony was strained invain over the weltering waste, for a vestige of those refugees from theKosciusko--buried, perhaps, a thousand fathoms deep, by their suddenvisitors, beneath the waves of that deadly Atlantic sea. 

Tears rained over my face as I thought of this probability, and, hopeless as I was of rescue, the almost certain fate of mycompanion-voyagers fell over me like a pall. "Better, perhaps--farbetter had it been"--I thought so then--"had we all perished together inthat terrific sheet of flame that rose up like a dividing barrierbetween us at the last. Fit emblem of the final day of doom. Our trialswere but begun. What more remained? God in heaven only knew!"

And rapidly, and in panoramic succession, all the fearful adventures ofraft and boat that I had ever read of, or heard related, passed acrossmy mind, ending with that latest, and perhaps the most fearful ofall--the wreck of the Medusa!

The night came down serene and beautiful. As the sun disappeared inocean, up rose the full-orbed moon--crimson and magnified by surroundingvapors--that to the practised eye portended future tempest, calm as theocean and the heavens then seemed. 

The constellations, singularly distinct and splendid, had the power tofix and fascinate my vision--never felt before--as they shone above me, clear and crystalline as enthroned in space--judges, and spectators, cold and pitiless as it seemed to me, in the strangeness and forlornnessof my condition--Arcturus, and the Ursas, great and little, and Lyra, and the Corona Borealis, Berenice, and Hydra, and Cassiopea's chair;these and many more. I marked them all with a calm scrutiny that belongsto terror in some phases. The stars seemed mocking eyes thatnight--smiling and safe in heaven--the moon, a cold and cruel enemy withher vapory train, so grandly sailing across the cloudless heaven--socareless of our fate--the wreck of a ruined world as many deemher--veiling in light her inward desolation. 

A faint and vapory comet lurked on the horizon--like a ghastlymessenger--scarcely discernible to the human eyes, yet vaguely ominousand suggestive--a spirit-ship it might be--watching in silence to hearaway the souls of those lost at sea!

There was deep stillness--unbroken, save by the lapping and plashingwaters. Even the crooning hymns of the old negro woman had died away;and the moans of the suffering child, and the sobs of the weary mother, and the eager exclamations of Ada Greene (for such I learned was thename of my young companion), were, for a season, lost alike in sleep. 

Food had been distributed--prayer had been offered--all seemed favorableso far to our preservation. We were on the track of voyage--the pathwayof ships--and the sea was tranquil as a summer lake; up to this point, the arm of God had been extended over us almost visibly. Would Heforsake us now? I questioned thus, and yet I could not, dare not, hopeas others hoped!

The morning came; I woke, aroused by Salva's song, from troubled sleep;and, as I rose to a sitting posture, a troop of sea-birds that had beenswooping overhead, fled with a fiend-like screaming. 

The mother and child were already consuming their scant allowance offood. Ada Greene was standing self-poised, swaying like a slender reedwith the motion of the raft, so as never to lose her balance, like ayoung acrobat, with her folded arms, her floating hair, and fair Auroraface, uplifted to the day. 

Over the raft were scattered groups of men taking their morning meal;but, as before, the stalwart form of Christian Garth was at the helm, orrather, mast and rudder merged in one, which he controlled with calm, sagacious power. 

"Is there a ship in the distance, that you gaze so earnestly?" I askedof the young girl as I put back my hair that had clustered thickly overmy face in my uneasy slumber, and followed eagerly the direction of hereyes. 

"Oh! no; only a school of dolphins; but it is so pretty! Some came quitenear just now; the men were harpooning them; but if we had them we couldnot cook them, you know, on this miserable contrivance. "

"One we should be very grateful for, Ada, since it is all that liesbetween us and destruction!" I answered, sorrowfully, for the levity ofher spirit grieved and shocked me. 

"I don't know about that; I think we might as well have gone down atonce as stay here, and be roasted and starved. How hot it is to-day!What would I not give for a good glass of ice-water! Don't look soshocked; we shall be saved, of course. I am not the least afraid aboutthat, for Mr. Garth says we _must_ see a ship before evening. Don't youmark the flag flying at the mast-head? He brought it on board onpurpose, so that they might not mistake our country (the packets, Imean), and give us the go-by as that Spanish vessel did! But they do saythat was a pirate; and that, instead of sitting on a plank, we shouldhave been walking a plank by this time, had they rescued us. I'm ratherglad they didn't, though, after all--things couldn't be much worse thanthey are, could they, now?--There, I came very near falling, I declare!"

The moans of the sick woman at my side became almost constant towardnoon; and she was obliged to surrender her infant wholly to my charge, for the hæmorrhage of the day before had returned, and she was fastdrifting into unconsciousness. "Water, water!" was the only intelligiblecry that left her lips, and that we had to give was warm and brackish, from the occasional lapping of the sea against the barrels, into whichit oozed insensibly. 

The sun shone down hot and brazen, from the lurid heavens, covered withfilmy clouds, so equally overspreading it that a thin, gray veil seemedto interpose between us and its scorching rays, scarcely tempering themby its diaphanous medium. 

Beneath it lay the sea, like a copper shield, smooth and glowing, seething like a boiling caldron, with its level foam, for the long, low-rolling billows lifted themselves but lazily from Ocean's breast, and assumed no distinctness of form or motion. Not the faintest breezecame to relieve the stifling closeness of the atmosphere, or lift thecollapsed sail, or furled flag, that clung around our mast. The airshimmered visibly around us, as though undergoing some transformationfrom the heat, some culinary process, through which it was to berendered unfit for human lips to breathe. Birds flew low and heavilyaround the raft, as though their wings met such resistance as fish findin water, alighting occasionally to pick up languidly morsels ofrejected food. 

Still the old negro's crooning hymns went on, recommenced with morninglight. To my sad heart, the refrain bore a mournful significance:

 "In the land of the New Jerusalem There shall be no more sea. "

She sat, a wrinkled hag, with a leering, repulsive face, with her feetplanted firmly on her mattress, her knees elevated, her long, ape-likearms closely embracing these--her fingers, strung with brass and silverrings, intertwined with snake-like flexibility. 

On her head was the inevitable bright-colored handkerchief, the badge ofher race, or rather of her condition in those days, and she wore thedecent, blue-cotton frock, which marked her for a plantation-negro. Large hoops were in her flat, enormous ears, that seemed to suspend hershoulders as they touched them, drawn up and narrowed as these were, even beyond their natural hideousness, by her attitude, one which shemaintained as stolidly as a dervish. 

"You must help us, " I said, at last, when the crisis came, and affairswaxed desperate. "You must take the child, at least, and care for him. See, it requires two persons to sustain his dying mother--one to wet herlips, one--"

"'Deed, honey, " she interrupted, coolly, "you must 'scuse me dis oncst;I has jus' as much to do as I kin posomply 'complish, in keepin' ofmyself dry, comfable, and singin' ob my hyme-toones. We has all to takeour chances dis time, an' do for our own selves, black and white; an' Idon't see none ob my own white folks on dis raf', wich I is mighty proudof. Dar, now! I does b'leve dat is a ship sail way off dar. Does you seeit, honey?"

And she pointed to a large white gull, skimming the main at somedistance. Disgusted with her selfishness, I vouchsafed her no farthernotice at the time, and her crooning went on during the whole period ofthe bitter death-struggle of that poor sufferer, whose name I neverknew, but whose little, deformed waif, the orphan of the raft, remainedmy heritage. 

"You will take care of him, " she had said to me, in her last consciousmoments, "my baby-boy, my little--" the name died on her lips, and shenever spoke again. 

When she was dead, Christian Garth caused her to be wrapped insail-cloth, weighted with chains, and, with a brief prayer, consigned tothe deep. His superstitious sailor's fears rebelled against the idea ofkeeping a corpse on board one moment longer than necessary, so the ritesof sepulture were speedily accomplished. 

When I remonstrated, feebly enough it is true, for exhaustion wassupervening on long-sustained effort, at his haste, which, even underthe circumstances, seemed to me indecent, he coolly spoke of it as ameasure essential to the good of all. 

Talismanic as were these words on such occasion, mine were the lips thatmurmured the brief prayer, a portion of the solemn Episcopalgrave-service that I chanced to remember, above the poor, pale corpse, even while my weary arms inclosed the struggling child, who, understanding nothing of the truth, would fain have plunged after hismother into depths unknown. 

A low, long roll of thunder smote on the ear, like a message to theocean, from the heavens above, as we saw the waters close greedily overthe form of our dead passenger. The men who had launched the body fromthe raft looked up and listened fearfully, and Christian Garth hastenedto trim his sail. 

It was sunset now, and the clouds gathered so rapidly about the sun, that he sank empalled in purple to his watery bed, leaving no tracebehind to mark his faded splendor. 

A sudden breeze sprang up, infinitely refreshing at first to soul andsense, and again the thunder lumbered and crashed about us. The billowsheaved and leaped like steeds just freed from harness, tossing theirwhite manes; the raft shuddered and reeled with a deadly, sickly motion, like a creature in strong throes, plunging with frantic suddenness intothe troughs of the waves at one moment, as if impelled by fear, thenrallying to their summits, only to cast itself wildly down again. 

All was confusion, dire and terrible. Then burst the storm uponus--rain, wind!

I was conscious of clutching, with one hand, a rope which strained andswayed desperately, while with the other I grasped the affrighted babyto my breast. 

Ada Greene and the old negro woman clung together, hanging to the samecord of safety, flung to them, to all of us, by the hand of ChristianGarth. 

The barrels strained and groaned, and broke from their fastenings; theawning was wrenched from its mooring, and swept away; the bitter brinebroke over us and choked our cries; the anguish of death was upon aswithout its submission. We struggled instinctively to breathe, to live;we grappled desperately with circumstances; we fought against our doom. 

Suddenly the sea dropped to rest--the storm was spent; a low, sighing, soughing gale swept around our nucleus of despair, and the surging ofthe sea was like a bitter funeral-wail. The air grew cold and chill; onevast, pall-like cloud enveloped the whole face of the unpityingheavens, that seemed literally "to press down upon our very faces likea roof of black marble. "

No moon, no stars, were visible; we had no light of any kind, nor couldwe ascertain the damage done until the cold, gray morning broke in gloomand rain upon us. Then it was made plain to us that our food had allbeen swept overboard--together with six seamen and five of thepassengers. There remained on the raft only three shuddering women and alittle child--and a handful of weary and discouraged men, sustained andled to a sense of duty by the dauntless master-spirit of one alone--thepresence of Christian Garth, indomitable through, all hardships. So ithad fared with us for six-and-thirty hours of our experience on "ourfloating grave. "

We had been washed from our little platform, which ordinarily lifted usabove the lapping of the sea during the prevalence of the storm--and weregained it now, glad to repose even on the sea-soaked mattresses bereftof awning. By the mercy of God some glutinous sea-zoophytes had beentangled among them, and by the help of the brine-soaked biscuit in mypocket (crammed there, it may be remembered, as a precious hoard for atime of dire necessity, on the morning of the fire, by the small, cunning fingers of the sickly child), we breakfasted, or rather brokeour fast--we four, the child, the negress, Ada Greene, and I--and lifewas aroused again in every breast by means of a briny morsel. 

"A cup of coffee would not be amiss just now, " said the girl, laughing, "but the Lord knows we can wait. "

There was a strange, bright light in the eyes of the young girl as shespoke these words, and she was arraying her hair coquettishly with somebunches of sea-weed, which had been cast up by the storm, and from whichthe eager, famishing lips of the little boy had been permitted to suckthe gluten before discarding the skeleton stems. 

That hair was in itself a grace and glory--rippling from crown to waistin sheeny, golden splendor, fine as silk, and glossy as the yellow flossthreads of pale, ripe Indian-corn--beautiful, even in its dishevelledand drenched condition, as an artist's dream. Devoid as it was ofregular beauty, the face beneath, with its clear blue eyes, red lips, and pure complexion, the pink and white that reminds one of a sweet-peaor ocean-shell, had struck me as very lovely from the first; nothing tosupport this ground work of excellence had I discovered, however, eitherin the form of the head, which was ignoble, or the expression of theface, which was both timid and defiant, or the tones of the voice, whichwere shrill and harsh by turns--yet, as my fellow-voyager and sufferer, I was interested in this young creature, not forgetting, either, herattention during my pending swoon, of which mention has been made. 

"I am going to the party, whatever the preacher may say, and whetherCaptain Ambrose wills it or no. I am under his care and protection, yousee, to go to New York to my aunt, Madame Du Vert, the famous milliner, and I am to learn her trade. Her name is Greene, so they call her DuVert, to make out that she is French--_vert_ is _green_, in French, yousee; or so they tell me. Now, Captain Ambrose is a church-member, too, and he does not want dancing on his ship, and so he made the calkerspitch the deck--that was to break up the ball, you know; but don't tellany one this for the 'land's sake, '" drawing near to me and whisperingstrangely, with her forefinger raised--"or all those proud Southernpeople would pitch into me--pitch, you understand?" and she laughedmerrily--"their white satin slippers and all!"

"You must not talk so, Ada;" and I took her hand, which was burning. 

"Why not? Who are you, to prevent me? I am as good as you any day--orMiss Lamarque either, or any of those haughty ones--though my father wasa negro-trader. Well, whose business was that but God's? If He don'tcare, who need care?--An't I right, old mammy?" appealing to the ancientnegress, who had suspended her croon to listen. 

"Yes, indeed--that you is, honey; right to upholden your own dad--nebbermin' what he did to serbe the debble. But you looks mighty strange, chile, outen your eyes. Wat dat you sees ober dar--is it a ship, gal?--or must we--" and her voice sank to a mutter--"must we fall backon dis picaninny, to keep from starvation?--"

I understood her dreadful suggestion even before the words fully lefther cannibal lips, exposing her yellow fangs; from the glance of hercruel eye in the direction of the child, and the working of her long, crooked talons, rather than fingers, writhed like knotted serpents; Iunderstood them with an instinct that made me clutch him closely to mybreast, and narrowly watch his enemy from that hour until the time whenmy brain failed and my eyes closed in unconsciousness, and with thedetermination to plunge with him into the sea rather than devote him tosuch a fate or yield to such an alternative as this wretch in human formhad more than hinted--even should the animal instinct, underlying everynature, presume to dictate to reason at the last!

We could but die--that was the very worst that Fate had in store forus--_but_ die in the body! How infinitely worse that the soul shouldperish through the selfish sensuousness of cannibalism, which woulddegrade life itself below dissolution, even if preserved by such means!

"I am ready now to go to Captain Ambrose for assistance, " said AdaGreene, poising herself before me, and having surrendered or forgottenher first idea, evidently, in the new mania of the moment. "Of course, he does not intend to leave us here to perish, and he is in the nextcabin--but a step; see how easily I can get to him, and I shall be backbefore you can say 'Presto!'"

As nimbly as a sea-gull runs upon the sand, the young creature flewacross the now level raft toward the sea, but a strong hand clutched heras she was about to step overboard, and compelled her back to her placeon the platform, where, bound with cords, she lay raving, until sleep orunconsciousness mercifully supervened to spare me the spectacle of heragony, which no human power could alleviate. 

Hours passed before this "consummation devoutly to be wished" tookeffect, and, at the end of that time, my reeling brain, my faintingenergies, warned me that I, too, was probably approaching some dreadfulcrisis. With a view to the refreshment its waters could possibly affordmy head, I crept quietly from the platform on which the old negro womanheld enforced guard over the insensible form of Ada Greene, and, stillclasping the poor helpless one, so mysteriously thrust upon my tendermercies, to my bosom, I gained the edge of the raft, unnoticed byChristian Garth, who might otherwise have apprehended me in turn, andborne me back to my allotted precincts, and hung above the ocean, so asto suffer its cooling spray to fall unceasingly across my burningforehead. 

From some instinctive prompting I had lashed the poor, frail baby to mygirdle with the scarf of knotted silk I wore about my neck, and, wanand exhausted, he lay upon my shoulder tranquilly as any Indian papoosemight do on its mother's breast. A branch of sea-weed floated past as Ilooked down--some gracious mermaid's gift, perhaps, extended by herinvisible fingers to greet our famishing lips--and I caught it eagerly, dividing the welcome nutriment with the perishing child, now patientfrom weakness and instinctive consciousness, perhaps, of the entireuselessness of cries and tears. 

Whether the weed was a sort of ocean-hasheesh, or wholesome aliment, Inever knew, but certain it is that, from the moment its juices passed mylips, a strange and delightful quietude stole over my weary senses, fastlapsing, as these had seemed, into unconsciousness when I left my placeto seek the ocean's brink. 

The rays of the declining sun seemed for a moment centred on one spot, immediately before my impending face, supported as this was on one hand, and my sight followed their lance-like rays to the very floor of ocean!

As the waters of the Red Sea divided for the passage of Moses and theIsraelites, so seemed these to part for my mental eyes, sundered as theywere by a golden sword of infinite splendor. 

That power which neither pain nor peril can subdue had possession of menow, and, above all, the bitter circumstances that surrounded me, and, in the face of danger and of death, imagination asserted her supremacy. My dream was not of passing ship or harbor gained, or rich repast, orfestival, or clustered grapes and sparkling wines, like other sufferersfrom shipwreck, fevered with famine, frenzied with despair; but hasheeshor opium never bestowed so fair, so strange a vision as that which, inmy extremity, was mercifully accorded to me. 

My eyes pursued the sea-shaft to its base, as a telescope conducts themortal gaze to revel in the stars. Merman and mermaid, nereid andtriton, were there, rejoicing in the sunbeams thus poured upon themthrough this subtle conduit of ocean, as do the motes of summer in herrays; but soon these disappeared, a motley crowd, confused and joyous, leaving the vision free to pierce the depths, glowing with golden light, in search of still greater marvels. 

Then I saw outspread before me the streets, the fanes, the towers, thedwellings, of a vast, deserted city, one of those, I could not doubt, that had existed before the flood, and which had lain submerged forthousands of centuries; the fretwork of the coral-insect was over all(that worker against time, so slow, so certain), in one monotonous webof solid snow. 

Statues of colossal size, and arches of Titanic strength and power, adorned the portals, the pass-ways, the temples of this metropolis ofocean, guarded as were these last by the effigies of griffin and dragon, and winged elephant and lion, and stately mastodon and monstrousichthyosaurus, all white as gleaming spar. 

Gods and demi-gods of gigantic proportions and majestic aspect werecarved on the external walls of the windowless abodes and fanes; and, from the yawning portal of one of these, a temple vast as Dendera'sself, came forth, fold after fold, even as I seemed to gaze, themonstrous sea-serpent of which mariners dream, more huge, more loathly, than fancy or experience ever yet portrayed him. I still behold inmemory the stately, fearful head, with its eyes of emerald fire andsweeping, sea-green mane, as it reared its neck for a moment as if toscale the ladder the sunbeams had thrown down when first emerging fromits temple-cavern; and, later, the mottled, monstrous body, as coilafter coil was gradually unwound, until it seemed at last to lie in allits loathsome length for roods along the silent, shell-pavedstreets--the scaly monarch of that scene of human desolation!

I recall the feeling of security that upheld me to look and to observeevery motion of the reptile of my dream. 

"He cannot come to me here, " I thought. "The ark is sacred, and God'shand is over it; besides, I hear the singing of the priests, and thedove is about to be cast forth! Will the raven never come back? Oh, thesweet olive-branch! It falls so lightly! We are nearing the mountainnow, and we shall soon cast anchor!"

Then, among choral chants of joy and thanksgiving, I seemed to sleep. How long this slumber lasted, or whether it came at all, I never knew. It is a loving and tender thing in our Creator to decree to us thiscurtain of unconsciousness when nerve and strength would otherwise giveway beneath the intensity of suffering--a holy and gentle thing forwhich we are not half thankful enough in oar estimate of blessings. 

My sleep, or swoon, shielded me from long hours of agony, mental andphysical, that must have become unendurable ere the close. As it was, Iknew no more after the sea-shaft closed with its wondrous and mysteriousrevelations (which I yet recall with marveling and admiration, as we arewont to do a pageant of the past), until aroused from lethargy by thehand and voice of Christian Garth. 

It was night. I saw the glimmer of the moonlight on the seas, atranquil, balmy night; but some dark object was interposed between meand the stars which, I knew, were shining above, and the raft laymotionless upon the waters. I was aware, when my senses returnedtemporarily, that the bow of a mighty vessel was projected above ourfrail place of refuge, and that we were saved. The dove had come atlast!

When or how we were lifted to the deck of the ship I knew not, for, having partially revived, I soon drifted away again into profoundlethargy and entire unconsciousness, which for a time seemed death. 

CHAPTER V. 

A woman sat sewing near my berth in the state-room in which I foundmyself; a fan, lying on a small table at her side, betokened in whatmanner she had divided her attentions--between her needle and herhelpless charge. I thought, indeed, that I had felt its soft plumesglide gently across my face in the very moment of my awakening, in thefirst amazement of which I but dimly comprehended the circumstances thatsurrounded me. 

"What brought this stranger to my pillow? Who and what was she? Wherewas I!" These were my mental queries at the first. Then, as the truthgradually dawned over my sluggish and bewildered brain, I lay quietlyrevolving matters, and noticed my self-constituted nurse, and mysurroundings, with the close yet careless observation of a child. 

The woman, on whom my gaze was earliest fixed (while her own seemedriveted on the work upon her knee), was of middle age or beyond it, ofmedium size, of square and sturdy make, and homely to the very verge ofugliness. She was dressed plainly, if not commonly, in black, but therewas a general air of decency about her that seemed to place her beyondthe sphere of servitude. She wore spectacles set in tortoise-shellframes, and she wore her iron-gray hair straight back behind small, funnel-shaped ears, and gathered into the tightest knot behind. Herhead was flat and narrow at the summit, though broad at and above thebase of the brain. Her forehead, wide yet low, was ignoble inexpression. The mouth, shaped like a horseshoe, was curved down at thecorners, and was full of sullen resolution. The nose, pinched, yet notpointed, showed scarcely any nostril, and might as well have been madeof wood, for any meaning it betrayed. Her eyebrows were short, wide, rugged, and irregular, though very black; the cast-down eyes, of course, so far inscrutable. 

She was shaping a flimsy, black-silk dress, and doing it deftly, thoughit was a marvel to me how hands so stiff and cramped as hers appeared tobe could handle a needle at all. 

On one of these gnarled and unlovely fingers she wore a ring which, inthe idleness of the mood that possessed me, I examined listlessly. Itwas an old-fashioned and slender circle of gold, so pale that it lookedsilvery, such as in times long past had commonly been used either fortroth-plight or marriage-vows, surmounted by two small united hearts ofthe same dull metal by way of ornament. Mrs. Austin, I remembered, possessed one, the aversion of my childhood, that seemed itscounterpart. 

My weary eyes wandered from her at last, to take in the accessories ofmy chamber, tiny as this was, and I saw that against the wall werehanging a gentleman's greatcoat and hand-satchel. Cigars and books werepiled on the same table which held the spool and scissors of mycompanion, and a pair of cloth slippers, embroidered with coloredchenilles and quilted lining, of masculine size and shape, reposed uponthe floor. A cane and umbrella were secured neatly in a small cornerrack. There were no traces, I saw, of feminine occupancy beyond thetransient implements of industry alluded to. 

Suddenly, in their languid, listless roving, my eyes encountered thoseof my attendant fixed full upon me, while a smile distorted the homely, sallow face, disclosing a set of yellow teeth, sound, short, and strong, like regular grains of corn. 

In those eyes, in that mouth and saffron teeth, lay the whole power andcharacter of this repulsive and disagreeable physiognomy. 

Those feline orbs of mingled gray and green, with their small, pointedpupils, were keen, vigilant, and observing beyond all eyes it had everbefore or since been my lot to encounter. After meeting theirpenetrating glance I was not surprised to hear their possessor accost mein clear, metallic tones, that seemed only the result of her gift ofinsight, and consistent with it. 

"You are awake and yourself again, young lady, I am glad to see! Youhave slept very quietly for the last few hours, and your fever iswellnigh broken. Will you have some food now? You need it; you must beweak. "

"Yes, very weak; but not hungry at all. I do not want to eat. Just letme lie quietly awhile. It is such enjoyment. "

She complied silently and judiciously with my request. 

After a satisfactory pause, during which I had gradually collected myideas, I inquired, suddenly:

"How long is it since we were lifted from the raft, and where are theother survivors?"

"All safe, I believe, and on board, well cared for, like yourself. Ithas been nearly two days since your raft was overhauled. This was whatthe captain called it, " and she smiled. 

"The baby--where is he? I hope he lived. "

"Yes, he is at last out of danger, and we have obtained a nurse for him. He would only trouble you now; but it is very natural you should beanxious about him. "

"Yes, he was my principal care on the raft, and I do not wish to losesight of him. When I am better, you must let him share my room until wereach our friends. "

"Oh, certainly!" and again she smiled her evil smile. "No one, so far asI know of, has any right or wish to separate you; but, for the present, you are better alone. "

"Yes, I am strangely weak--confused, even, " and I passed my hand over myblistered face and dishevelled hair with something of the feeling of thelittle woman in the story who doubted her own identity. Alas! there wasnot even a familiar dog to bark and determine the vexed question, "Isthis I?"

Helpless as an infant, flaccid as the sea-weed when taken from itsnative element, feeble in mind from recent suffering, broken in body, Iwas cast on the mercies of strangers, ignorant, until they saw me, of myexistence, yet not indifferent to it, as their care testified. 

"You will take some food now, " said the woman, kindly. "Your weakness isnot unfavorable, since it proves the fierce fever broken; but you musthasten to gather strength for what lies before you. We shall be in portto-morrow. "

I put away the spoon with an impatient gesture. "I cannot; it nauseatesme but to see it, to think of it. Strength will come of itself. "

"Oh, no; that is impossible. Besides, the doctor has ordered panada, andI am responsible to him for your safety. Come, now, be reasonable. Thisis very nice, seasoned with madeira and nutmeg. "

Making a strong effort to overcome my repugnance, I received onespoonful of the proffered aliment, then sank back on my pillow, soothedand comforted, not more by the unexpectedly good effects of thecompound, than the associations it conjured up, of my sick childhood, ofMrs. Austin, and of Dr. Pemberton. 

"Ah! you smile; that is a good sign, " said the woman; "favorable everyway. We shall have no more delirium now, I hope; no more 'bears andserpents' about the berth; no more calls for 'Bertie' and 'CaptainWentworth, ' and you will soon be able to tell us all about yourself andyour people--all we want to know. "

I most have lapsed again into reverie rather than slumber, from which Iwas partly aroused by whispering voices at the door, one of which seemedfamiliar to me. Yet this fact or fancy made little impression on me atthe moment, feeble and wretched as was my will, undiscriminating as weremy faculties. 

And when the door opened, and a lady entered, I did not seek to inquireabout her interlocutor. Respectfully rising from her seat beside me, mycompanion left it vacant for her, to whom she introduced me as hermistress, and stood, work in hand, sewing beneath the skylight, whilethe new-comer remained in the state-room. 

A handsome woman, tall and fashionably attired, apparently betweenthirty and forty years of age, square faced, dark-eyed, rosy-cheeked, and with curling hair, approached me with uplifted hands and eyebrows asI lay gazing calmly upon her; for my food and slumber together hadstrengthened and revived me wonderfully in the last few hours, and mysenses were again collected. 

"Awake, and herself again, as I live, even if we cannot say yettruthfully 'clothed and in her right mind. '--Eh, Clayton?" with asneering simper; "and what eyes, what teeth, to be sure! Then thedreadful redness is going away, though the skin will scale, of course;but no matter for that; all the fairer in the end. And what a specialmercy that her hair is saved!--You have to thank _me_ for that, younglady. I would not let the ship's doctor touch a strand of it--not astrand. 'One does not grow a yard and a half of hair in a month, or ayear, doctor, ' I observed, 'and a woman might as well be dead at once, or mad, or a man, as have cropped hair during all the days of heryouth. ' I had a fellow-feeling, you see! I have magnificent hair myself, child, as Clayton well knows, for it is her chief trouble on earth, andI would almost as lief die as lose it. "

"Yes, indeed, Lady Anastasia's hair is one of her chief attractions, "observed the sympathizing Clayton, behind her chair. 

"So Sir Harry Raymond thought, my dear"--addressing me--"when I marriedhim, ten years ago; and so somebody else thinks just now, for I am tiredof my widowhood, and intend taking on the conjugal yoke again as soon asI reach--"

"New York, " interpolated Mrs. Clayton, hastily and emphatically;clearing her throat slightly, by way of apology, perhaps, for herofficiousness. 

"And you shall stand bridesmaid, my dear. Yes, I am determined on it; sonever make great eyes at me. There is a little bit of romance about methat will strike out in spite of all my worldliness; and it will be sopretty to have an 'ocean-waif' for an attendant--it will read so well inthe papers! I suppose, when you reach your friends, there will be nodifficulty about a dress, and all that sort of thing, meet for theoccasion--a very splendid one, I assure you--conducted without regardto expense; for my _fiancé_ is very rich, I hear, and my own jointurewas a liberal one. "

"You do me a great honor, " I murmured, conventionally rebelling inwardlyat the suggestion. 

"Oh, not at all!" was the gracious rejoinder. "I see at a glance, inspite of your misfortunes, that you are one of us, which is not what Isay to everybody. True blood will show under all circumstances, thoughthere is such an improvement. Did any one ever see the like before? Why, my dear, you were blistered and black when we picked you up, andafterward sienna-colored; now you are almost a beauty!"

"I am better--much better, and have a great deal to be thankful for, Ifeel, " I contented myself with murmuring. 

"Of course you have. It was just a chance with you between our ship anddeath, you know. By-the-by, what name shall we give our'treasure-trove?'"

"Miriam for the present, if you please. This is no time nor place forceremony. "

"Well, Miriam it shall be, " she repeated with laughing eyes (hers wereof that sort which close and grow Chinese under the pressure ofmerriment and high cheekbones combined). "Miriam, I like the name--thereis something grand about it. "

"But how shall we know where to find your friends when we get to port?"asked my first attendant. "We _must_ know more than your Christian namefor such a purpose. You must place confidence in us, you must indeed!"

"Be patient with me, " I entreated. "I am much too feeble yet to give youthe details that may be necessary. When we reach New York, you shallknow every thing: or is it, indeed, to that place this ship is bound?"

"I thought you knew all about your destination by this time, " repliedLady Anastasia Raymond. "Yes, yes, New York of course!" and again shelaughed. "Didn't you hear Clayton say so?"

Just then a sharp tap at the door was answered by Lady Anastasia, whowent quickly from beneath the curtain hung across it (in consideration, no doubt, of the privacy my illness enjoined), but not before I hadcaught once, and this time clearly, the tones of a voice that thrilledto my life, the same that had haunted my delirious fancy, I nowremembered, through the last four-and-twenty hours. 

I rose to my elbow impulsively, only to fall back again utterlyexhausted. 

"Who was that speaking?" I asked, feebly; "can it be possible--" and Iwrung my hands. 

"It was the ship's doctor, " interrupted the woman I had heard calledClayton by her mistress. "He had not time to do more than inquire aboutyou, I suppose, there are so many ill in the steerage; but he has beenvery kind and will probably return. "

"I hope so, " I rejoined; "I should like to realize that voice as _his_. It has haunted me very disagreeably in my dreams, and the tones arethose of an old, old acquaintance, one I should be sorry to see here. "

"I do not believe you have an acquaintance on the ship, " she said, simply, "Under the circumstances any such person would certainly havediscovered himself; your situation would have moved a heart of stone. "

"But it is sometimes wise for the wicked to lie _perdu_, " I murmured, and conjecture was busy in my brain. "I should be glad, too, to see thecaptain of this vessel at his earliest convenience, " I added, after apause. 

"Will you be so good as to apprise him in person of my earnest wish? Itwould be a real charity. "

"Oh, certainly; but I am afraid he cannot come to-night. It is nearlyevening now, and he never leaves the deck at this hour, nor until verylate. "

"To-morrow, then, I must insist on this interview, since I reflect aboutit for several reasons. "

"To-morrow he shall come, " she said, sententiously; "and now try andsleep again. It is very necessary you should gather strength, for weshall be in port shortly, when all will be confusion. "

I went to sleep, I remember, murmuring to myself: "The hands were thehands of Jacob, but the voice was the voice of Esau;" and my bewilderedfaculties found rest until the morning's dawn. 

After a hasty toilet made by the careful hands of Mrs. Clayton, amatutinal visit made by Mrs. Or Lady Raymond, who always rose early asshe informed me, and a cup of tea, very soothing to my prostratednerves, the potentate of the Latona was duly announced. 

Our ship's master was a tall, gaunt, sandy-haired man, with steady grayeyes, hard features, and enormous hands and feet, the first freckled andawkward, the last so long as very nearly to span the space between hisseat (a small Spanish-leather trunk) and the berth I reposed in. Heentered without his hat; and the swoop of the head he made to avoid theentanglement of the curtain was supposed to do double duty, and serve asa bow to the inmate of his state-room as well, for his I supposed it tobe at the time, and he did not contradict me. 

"I hope you find yourself comfortable, marm, on board of my ship. "

"And in your state-room, captain!" I interrupted promptly. 

"Wall, you see it all belongs to me, kinder, " he said, after seatinghimself, as he rubbed his huge, projecting knees, plainly indicatedthrough his nankeen trousers, with his capacious, horny hands. "I'm notvery particular, though, where I sleep on shipboard, but at home there'sfew more so. "

"I thought a captain was more at home on shipboard than anywhere else, "I pursued mechanically; "such is the theory at least. "

"Oh, not at all, not at all; when he has a snug nest on land, with awife and children waiting to receive him. You might as well talk of aman in the new settlements bein' more at home in his wagon than in hisneat, hewn-log cabin. "

"A very good simile, captain, and one that kills the ancient theoryoutright. Let me thank you, however, before we proceed further, for allthe kindness and attention I have received in this floating castle ofyours, both from you and others. I hope and believe that my companionsin misfortune have fared as well. "

"Wall, they have not wanted for nothing as far as I knew--the poor babyin particular;" and, as he spoke, he roughed his hair with one hand andsmiled into my face a huge, honest, gummy smile, inexpressiblyreassuring. 

"The man is hideous and repulsive, " I thought; "but infinitelypreferable, somehow, to the specimen of English aristocracy and her maidwho have constituted themselves so far my guardian angels"--a twinge ofingratitude here, which I resented instantly by settling my patrioticprejudices to be at the root of the thing, and rebuking my mistruststernly though silently. "Yet that voice--how could I be mistaken?" andagain I addressed myself to the task before me, having gotten throughall preliminaries. 

While I sat hesitating as to what I should say, so as to both guardagainst and conceal my suspicions from the captain's scrutiny, if, indeed, he might be supposed to possess such a quality, I observed thathe drew from his pocket a long slip of newspaper, in which he appearedto bury himself for a time, when not glancing furtively at me, as ifwaiting impatiently for the coming revelation. 

"I have sent for you, Captain Van Dorne, " I said, at last, in very lowand even tones, not calculated to reach outside ears, however vigilant, and yet not suppressed by any means to whispers--"I have sent for you, "and my heart beat quickly as I spoke, "not merely to thank you for yourhospitable kindness, but because I wish, for reasons that I cannot nowexplain, to place myself under your especial care until I reach myfriends. "

"Certainly, certainly; but you _air_ among your friends already if youcould only think so, " he answered, evasively, still caressing his potatoknees with large and outspread hands. 

"Do not for one moment deem me unmindful of much kindness, or ungratefulto those who have bestowed it, " I hastened to explain. "Yet I cannotdeny that a fear possesses me that among your passengers may be foundone whom I esteem, not without sufficient cause, my greatest enemy. "

"Poor thing! poor thing! what put such a strange fancy into your head?An enemy in my ship! Why, there is not a man on board who would not cutoff his right hand rather than harm one hair of your poor, witless, defenseless head! There was not a dry eye on the deck when you and therest wuz lifted from the raft!"

"I understand this prevalence of sympathy for misfortune perfectly, andhonor it; yet I have heard a voice since my immurement in this cabinwhich must belong"--and I whispered the dreaded name--"to Mr. BasilBainrothe!"

As I spoke I eyed him steadily, and I fancied that his cheek flushed andhis eye wavered--that clear and honest eye which had given him a highplace in my consideration from the moment I met its gaze. 

"You must have been delirious-like when you conceited you heerd thatstrange voice, " he said, presently. "I'll send you my passenger-list ifyou choose, and you can read it over keerfully. I don't think you'llfind _that_ name, though, in its kolynms, " shaking his head sagaciously. 

"Captain Van Dorne, do you mean to say there is no such passenger inyour ship's list as Basil Bainrothe?" I asked, desperately. 

"That's what I mean to say. "

"Give me your honor on this point. It is a vital one to me. Your honor!"

He hesitated and looked around. Just at this moment of apparentuncertainty, a slight tap was heard on the ground-glass eye above usthat threw a sullen and unwilling light upon the scene of our interview. It seemed to nerve him strangely. 

"On my word of honor, as an American seaman, I assure you that the nameof Basil Bainrothe is not on the ship's list at this present speaking;"and, as he spoke, he held up his right hand, adding, as he dropped it, doggedly, "Ef the man's on board I don't know it!"

"It is enough--I believe you, Captain Van Dorne. And now I want to askyou, as a parting grace, to convey me yourself to the Astor House, andplace my watch" (detaching it from my neck as I spoke) "in the hands ofthe proprietors as a proof of my honest intentions. For yourself, Ishall seek another opportunity. "

"Not at all--not at all!" he interrupted. "Keep your watch, young lady. No such pledge will be required by them proprietors; and, as to myself, if it had not been for this paper, " drawing from his pocket, andflattening on his knees as he spoke, the slip I had before observed, then glancing at me sharply, "I could never have believed that such apretty-spoken, pretty-behaved young creetur could have been _non com_. But pshaw! what am I talking about? This paper is as old as last year'skrout! You don't keer nothing about seeing of it, do you, now?" and hecrumpled it in his hand. 

"Not unless it concerns me in some way, Captain Van Dorne, " I said, coldly. His manner had suddenly become offensive to me, and I longed tosee him depart, having transacted my affairs, as far, at least, as Ideemed it prudent to insist on such transaction. 

"It may be, " I added, "that, on reaching the port of New York, a friendor friends who expected me on the Kosciusko may be in waiting to receiveme; that is, if the fate of that vessel be not already known. In thatcase, I shall not be obliged to avail myself of your services, and willacquaint you; but, otherwise, promise that you will conduct me from theship yourself, either to the hotel or to your wife, as you prefer. "

"Wall, I promise you, " he said, doggedly, as he prepared literally toundouble his long frame before executing another dive beneath mydoor-guarding drapery, and with this brief assurance I was fain to restcontent. 

At all events, I was reassured on one subject--those honest eyes, thatfrank if ugly mouth had no acquaintance with lies, or the father ofthem, I saw at once; and the voice of the ship's doctor had for thenonce deceived my practised ear, overstrung by suspicion--enfeebled bysuffering. 

So I rested calmly until the afternoon, with Mrs. Clayton sewingsilently by my side, when with a little tap Lady Anastasia (or Mrs. Raymond, as she declared she preferred to be called by "Americans")entered, bearing a basket in her hand, and wearing on her head aDunstable bonnet simply trimmed, which she came, she said, to place, along with other articles of dress, at my disposal. 

It had not occurred to me before that, in order to go on shorerespectably clad, some attire very different from a bed-gown would beessential, and I could but feel grateful for such proofs of unselfishconsideration on the part of strangers, pitying both my indigence andimbecility, and so expressed myself. 

In accordance with their generous intentions, I submitted myself to bearrayed by Mrs. Clayton and her mistress: first, in the flimsy blacksilk gown now completed, on which I had seen my attendant working when Ifirst unclosed my eyes after long unconsciousness, and the measure ofwhich she had taken, while I lay in this condition, as coolly in allprobability as an undertaker measures a corpse for its shroud; secondly, in a cardinal of the same material, a wrapping cut in the shape in vogueat that period; thirdly, in certain loosely-fitting boots and gloveswith which I was fain to cover up my naked feet and blistered hands _informa pauperis_; and, lastly, in the collarette and cuffs provided bythe economic and considerate Lady Anastasia, composed of cotton lace!The Dunstable bonnet was hung upon a peg in readiness, and I was kindlycounseled to lie still, "accoutred as I was, " and exhausted by means ofsuch accoutrement as I felt, until evening should find us riding in ourharbor. 

Then there was a little, low consulting at the door with the renowned"ship's doctor, " who positively refused to approach me because he hadjust come from a case of ship-fever in the steerage, which he feared tocommunicate to one in my precarious state, but who sent in hisimperative orders that I should have soup and sherry-cobbler forthwith, and try and build up my strength for the time of debarkation--speakingin a low, growling voice divested of its former clearness, but stillstrangely resembling that of Basil Bainrothe!

"The poor man is so fagged out, " said Mrs. Clayton, as she brought in mybroth and wine, "that his very voice is changed. He is a good soul, andhas shown you great interest. Some day you must send him a present, thatis, if you are able; but just now all you have to think of is gettingsafe ashore. Lady Anastasia will go to her friends, probably, or tothose of the gentleman she is engaged to; but I do not mean to forsakeyou until I see you better, and in good hands. "

I know not how it was that my heart sank so strangely at thisannouncement. The woman was kind--tender, even--and had probably savedmy life, and yet her presence to me was a punishment worse than pain, apositive evil greater than any other. 

"I shall go to the Astor House, " I faltered. "The captain has promisedme his escort thither. "

"Yes, yes, I know, he has told me all about it; but your friends may notbe in waiting, and it is simply our duty to see you in their hands. Andnow drink your sangaree. See, I have broken a biscuit in the glass, andit is well seasoned with lemon and nutmeg. There, now, that is right; afew spoonfuls of soup, and you will feel strengthened for yourundertaking. I will sit quietly in the corner until you have your rest. "

"No, I prefer to see Christian Garth before I try to sleep--the man whosteered our raft--and the young girl he saved, and the baby--let themall come to me, and we will go on shore together. "

I spoke these words with a sort of desperation, as though they containedmy last hope of justice or protection from a fate which, howeverobscurely, seemed to threaten me, as we feel the thunder-storm broodingin the tranquil atmosphere of summer. 

"Christian Garth!" she repeated, looking at me over her tortoise-shellspectacles, and, quietly drawing out a snuffbox of the same material, she proceeded to fill her narrow nostrils therewith. "Why, thatshaggy-looking old sailor, and the girl, and the old negro woman andchild, went on shore at daylight this morning. He hailed a Jersey craft, and they all left together. It is perfectly understood, though, that thechild is to be returned to you if you desire its company, but, if I weresituated as you are, and sure of its safety, I would never want to seeit again. It would be better off dead than living anyhow, under thecircumstances, poor, deformed creature--better for both of you. "

The words came to me distinctly, yet as if from an immense distance, andI seemed to see the small chamber lengthening as if it had been atelescope unfolding, and the sallow woman with her hateful smile andtightly-knotted, brindled hair seated in diminished size anddistinctness at its farthest extremity. 

So had I felt on that fearful night when Evelyn had made her revelationand received mine, and I did not doubt, even in my sinking state, that Iwas under the influence of a powerful anodyne. 

"Call the ship's doctor--I am dying!" were the last words I remember tohave articulated; then all was dark, and hours went by, of deep, unconscious sleep. 

It was night when I felt myself drawn to my feet, and roused to life bythe repeated applications of cold water to my face, "The anodyne wasover-powerful, " I heard Mrs. Raymond say. "It is a shame to tamper withsuch strong medicines. "

"Oh, she has strength for any thing!" was Clayton's rejoinder. "I neversaw such a constitution--and he knew what he was doing. "

"No doubt of that. --But, dear Miss Miriam, do speak to me. I am sofrightened at your lethargic condition. --I declare I am sorry I everconsented to have any thing to do with this matter! See how she stands. I cannot think it was right, Clayton, I cannot, indeed; I dislike thewhole drama. "

"Do be quiet! She is coming to herself fast, and what will she think ofsuch expressions? You never had any self-control in your life, and youare playing for great stakes now. " These last words in a hoarse whisper. 

"Nonsense! mother. "

"Again! How often must I warn you?"

"Well, Clayton, then, now and forever. "

"Here! rouse up, little one! We are fast anchored in port, and thecaptain is waiting for us, for we go part of the way together, and ourescorts have all failed us--yours and mine. Nice fellows, are they not?"

I sat up and looked about me bewildered; yet I had heard distinctlyevery word spoken in the last few minutes, and remembered them forfuture observance, without having had the power to move or articulate aremonstrance. 

"Now, drink this strong coffee, and all will be well again, " saidClayton, putting a cup of the smoking beverage to my lips, which Iswallowed eagerly, instinctively. The effect was instantaneous, and Iwas able to speak and stand, as well as hear and comprehend, while mybonnet was being tied on, and my throat muffled in a veil, by thedexterous fingers of Lady Anastasia. 

When this process was completed, she stooped down and kissed me, and Ifelt a hot tear fall upon my cheek as she rose again. In the next momentI was clinging to the captain's arm, with a spasmodic feeling of relieffor which I could ill account. We passed across the plank whichconnected the ship with the shore in utter darkness, guided by atwinkling light far ahead, borne by a seaman, reached the dusky quay, with its few flaring lamps, made dim by drizzling rain and summer mist, and before many minutes we paused before one of a long line of coaches. 

The captain handed me in, then, standing before the open door, seemed toawait the coming of some other person before taking his own place--thedreaded Clayton, I knew; but I could not remonstrate against what seemedan ordinary courtesy, and perhaps a step suggested by his innate notionsof propriety. 

At any other time I might have agreed with him; but, feeble as I was, and still bewildered, my whole object seemed to be to escape from thesphere and power of those women, who had been most kind to me, yet whomI instinctively dreaded and abhorred. 

They came together, the mother and daughter, in their travesty ofmistress and maid--enough of itself to excite suspicion of foulplay--and climbed up the rickety steps of the hackney-coach, rejoicingover their victim. It mattered not; the captain would make the fourthpassenger, and in his shadow I felt there were strength and security. 

"What are you waiting for, Captain Van Dorne?" I had just feebly asked, as the door snapped-to, and the driver mounted his box. A hand wasthrust through the window for all reply, and a card dropped upon my lap, which I hastened to secure in the depths of my pocket. By the merestchance, I found it there on the morrow, and later I comprehended itsimport, so mysterious to me at the moment of perusal. 

 "My poor young lady, you must forgive me for disappointing you, and hidin' the truth, for your own sake. May God bless and restore you, and bring you to a proper sense of his mercies, is the prayer of your servant to command, "JOSEPH VAN DORNE. "

My frame of mind was a very different one when I read this scrawl, fromthat which bewildered and oppressed me on that never-to-be-forgottennight of suffering and distress, both mental and physical. Formed ofthose elements which readily react, courage and calmness had returned tome before I read the oracle of our worthy shipmaster; for, in spite ofhis disastrous dealing with me on that occasion, misguided as he was byothers, I have reason to so consider him. 

But now the influence of the drug that had been given me so recently, doubtless through want of judgment, by the ship's doctor, was felt inevery nerve; and, as the carriage rolled up the stony quay, I clungconvulsively to Mrs. Raymond, and buried my face and aching forehead inher shoulder, with a strange revulsion of feeling. 

"You dread the darkness, " she said, kindly, putting her arm around me asshe spoke; "but it is only for a time; we shall soon come out into theopen lamplight of--"

"Broadway, New York, " interrupted Clayton, sententiously; "a very poorsight to see, to one who has lived abroad. Have you ever crossed thewaters, Miss Miriam? But I see you are quite faint and overcome. Here, smell this ether, that the ship's doctor put up expressly for your use, and recommended highly as a new restorative much in fashion in Paris. "

Had the ship's doctor no name, then, that they never mentioned it, andthat he spoke in a demon's voice? His doses I had proved, and wasresolved to take no more of them, and I pushed away the phial, whosecold glass nose was thrust obtrusively against my own--pushed it awaywith all my strength, fast ebbing away as this was, even as I made theeffort. 

The cruel potion had possession of me, and entered into every fibre ofmy brain through the avenues prepared for it by the treacherous anodyne;so that, enervated and intoxicated, I yielded passively, after a briefstruggle, to the power of the then newly-invented sedative, calledchloroform. 

When the carriage stopped, or whither it transported me, or who liftedmy insensible form to the chamber prepared for me, I know not--neverknew. There was a faint reviving, I remember; a process of disrobinggone through by the aid of foreign assistance (whose, I recognizednot), then I slumbered profoundly and securely through the entire night, to recover no clearness of perception until a late hour on the followingmorning. 

CHAPTER VI. 

I awoke, as I had done of old, after one of my lethargic seizures, froma deep, unrefreshing slumber, with a lingering sense about me ofdrowsiness and even fatigue. 

I found myself lying on a broad, canopied bedstead, the massive posts ofwhich were of wrought rosewood, bare of draperies, as became the season, save at the head-board, behind which a heavy curtain was dropped ofrose-colored damask satin. 

Of the same rich material were composed the tester and thelightly-quilted coverlet, thrown across the foot of the bed, over a finewhite Marseilles counterpane. 

The chimney immediately opposite to me, as I lay, was of black marble, and, instead of graceful Greek _caryatides_, bandaged mummies, orEgyptian figures, supported the heavy shelf that surmounted the polishedgrate. In the centre of this massive mantel-slab was placed a hugebronze clock, and candelabra of the same material graced its corners. 

In either recess of this chimney rosewood doors were situated, one ofwhich stood invitingly ajar, disclosing the bath-room, into which itopened, with its accessories of white marble. 

The other, firmly closed, seemed to be the outlet of the chamber--itsonly one--with the exception of the four large Venetian windows, two oneither side of me as I lay, the sashes of which, warm as the season was, were drawn closely down. 

The furniture of this spacious chamber to which, as if by the touch of amagician's wand, I found myself transported, was throughout solid and ofelegant forms, consisting as it did of _armoire_, toilet-table, bookcase, _étagère_, writing and flower stands, tables and chairs, ofthe richest rosewood. 

At the foot of my bed was placed a console, supporting a huge Bible andPrayer-book, bound alike in purple velvet, emblazoned with central sunsof gold--an arch-hypocrisy that was not lost on its object. Freshly-gathered flowers were heaped in the vases of the floral stands, filling the close, cool room with an overpowering fragrance. The carpetof crimson and white seemed to the eye what it afterward proved to thefoot--thick, soft, and elastic; and harmonized well with the rich, antique, and consistent furniture. 

The sort of microscopic scrutiny that children manifest seemed mine--inmy unreasoning, half-convalescent state; and for a time I observed allthat I have described with a listless pleasure, difficult to analyze, asort of dreamy acceptance of my condition, the very memory of whichexasperated me, later, almost to self-contempt. 

A crimson cord hung at one side of my bed, continued from a bell-wire atsome distance, the tassel of which I touched lightly, and, at the veryfirst signal, Mrs. Clayton appeared through the hitherto only unopeneddoor, to know and do my bidding. 

The clock on the mantel-shelf struck nine as she stood beside me, andmade respectful inquiries concerning my wants and condition;understanding which, she disappeared, to return a few minutes later, followed by an ancient negress, bearing a silver waiter. 

I recognized in this sable assistant (or thought I recognized at aglance) my companion in shipwreck; but, upon making known myconvictions, was met with a prompt denial by the sable dame herself, who, shaking her head, gave me to understand, in a few broken words, that she "no understood English--only Spanish tongue!"

Her dress--handsome and Frenchified--her Creole coiffure, and the longgray locks that escaped from her crimson kerchief bound over her ears, as well as her more refined deportment, did indeed seem to discredit myfirst idea, which came at last (notwithstanding these discrepancies) tobe fixed, and proved one link in the long chain of duplicity I untangledlater. 

At the time, however, I gave it little thought, but partook with whatappetite I might of the choice and delicate repast provided for me, inthis truly princely hotel, whose fame I discovered had not been overtrumpeted. On my previous visits to New York, the Astor House had beenunfinished, and had made in its completion a new era certainly in the"tavern-life" of that inhospitable city of publicans. When the deliciouscoffee and snowy bread, the eggs of milky freshness, the golden butter, the savory rice-birds, the appetizing fish, had each and all been merelytasted and dismissed, and the exquisite China, in which the breakfastwas served, duly marveled at as an unprecedented extravagance on thepart even of John Jacob Astor, Mrs. Clayton came to me with kindlyoffers of assistance in the performance of my toilet, still a matter ofdifficulty in my feeble hands. 

My long hair, yet tangled and clogged with sea-water, was to be at lastunbound and thoroughly combed, cleansed, and oiled, so that the blackand glossy braids, that had been my chief personal pride, might again bewound about my head in the old classic fashion. 

Then came the bath, with its reviving, rehabilitating process, andlastly I assumed with the docility of a baby or a pauper the clean andfragrant linen and simple wrapper that had been mysteriously providedfor me by the Lady Anastasia again, I could not doubt. 

"All this must end to-day, " I said, "when really clothed and in my rightmind. " I requested writing-materials and more light to work by, andcomposed myself to write to Dr. Pemberton (once again, I knew, inPhiladelphia), and request his assistance and protection in getting homesafely, and, if need be, in tracing Captain Wentworth. 

"I suppose Captain Van Dorne has been too busy to call, " I observed, carelessly, as I prepared to commence my letter, "and Mrs. Raymond toohappy, probably, in getting safe to shore and her lover, to think ofme. "

"They have both inquired for you, " said Mrs. Clayton, as she arrangedpen, ink, and paper, before me, with her usual precision, while a grim, sardonic smile lingered about her features; "several have called, butnone have been admitted. "

"Who have called, Mrs. Clayton! Give me the cards immediately. I must, must know, " I rejoined, eagerly, pausing with extended hand to receivethem. 

"Oh, there were no cards, and such as want to see you can come again. There, now! write away, and never trouble your mind about strangepeople. Have you sufficient light?"

And, as she spoke, she touched a cord which set at right angles withthe lower one the upper inside shutter of another window as she hadadjusted the first. 

I wrote two hasty notes, one on further consideration to CaptainWentworth himself, who might, after all, be at that very time in thatsame hotel--"_Quien sabe_?" as Favraud used to say with his significantshrug, which no Frenchman ever excelled or Spaniard equalled (albeitthey shrug severally). 

My spirits rose with every word I wrote, and, when I got up from mychair after sealing and directing my letters, a new and subtle energyseemed to have infused itself through my frame. "There, I have finished, Mrs. Clayton, " I said, putting aside the implements I had been using. "Now go, if you please, and bring to me the proprietor of this hotel. Iwill give him my letters myself, since I have other business to transactwith him, " and I laid my watch and chain on the table before me, readyfor his hand, not having lost sight of my early resolution. "But, stay--before you go, be good enough to open the lower shutters and throwup the windows. Cool as the weather is in this climate, I stifle forair, and this close atmosphere, laden with fragrance, grows oppressive. Who sent these flowers, by-the-by, Mrs. Clayton? or do they belong tothe magnificence of this idealized hotel?" She made no reply to anything I had been saying. 

By this time, however, she had lowered the upper sashes of the windowsabout a foot, and the fresh air of morning was pouring in, curling thepaper on the centre table and dispersing the noisome fragrance of theflowers, in which I detected the morbid supremacy of the tuberose andjasmine. 

"I want to see the streets, the people, " I said, approaching one of thewindows; "this artistic light is not at all the thing I need. I have nopicture to paint, not even my own face;" and, finding her unmoved, Iundertook to do the requisite work myself. 

The sashes were shut away below by inside shutters, which resisted allmy efforts to stir them. After a moment's inspection, I perceived thatthey were secured by iron screws of great strength and size; not, inshort, meant to be moved or opened at all. Again I essayed to shake themconvulsively one after the other--as you may sometimes see a tiger, madedesperate by confinement, grapple with the inexorable bars of his cage, though certain of failure and defeat. 

Overpowered by a sudden dismay that took entire possession of me, I sankinto one of the deep _fauteuils_ that extended its arms very opportunelyto receive me, and sat mutely for a moment, while anguish unutterable, and conjecture too wild to be hazarded in speech, were surging throughmy brain. 

"I am too weak, I suppose, to open these shutters, " I said at last, feebly. "Be good enough to do it for me, Mrs. Clayton, or cause it to bedone immediately. "

Was it not strange that up to this very moment no suspicion had cloudedmy horizon since I woke in that sumptuous room?

"I cannot transcend my orders by doing any thing of the kind, " she saidquietly, yet resolutely, as she pursued her avocation, that of dustingwith a bunch of colored plumes the delicate ornaments of the _étagère_carefully one by one. 

"Your authority! Who has dared to delegate to you what has no existenceas far as I am concerned?" I asked indignantly. "I will go instantly. "

"You cannot leave this chamber until you receive outside permission, "she interrupted, firmly planting herself at once between me and the doorthrough which I had seen her enter. "You must not think to pass throughmy chamber, Miss Miriam. It is locked without, and there is no otheroutlet. "

"Woman!" I said, grasping her feebly yet fiercely, by the arm. "Look atme! Raise those feline eyes to mine, if you dare, and answer metruthfully: What means this mockery! Why have you been forced on me atall? Where is Captain Van Dorne? What becomes of his promises? Whathouse is this in which I find myself a prisoner? Speak!"

"You can do nothing to make me angry, " she rejoined, calmly. "I knowyour condition, and pity and respect it, but I shall certainly fulfillmy part of this undertaking. Captain Van Dorne recognized you as MissMonfort by the description in the newspaper, as did my mistress, and foryour own welfare we determined to secure you and keep you safe until thereturn of Mr. Bainrothe and your sisters from Europe. They will be hereshortly, and all you have to do is to be patient and behave as well asyou can until the time comes for your trial;" and she cast on me amenacing look from her green and quivering pupils, indescribably feline. 

My trial! Great Heaven! did they mean to turn the tables, then, anddestroy me by anticipating my evidence? I staggered to a chair and againsat down silent confounded. "Where am I, then!" I feebly asked atlength. 

"In the establishment of Dr. Englehart, " she made answer, "a privatemadhouse. "

"God of heaven! has it come to this?" I covered my eyes with my handsand sobbed aloud, while tears of pride and passion rained hotly over mycheeks. This outburst was of short duration. "I will give them noadvantage, " I considered. "My violence might be perverted. There arecreatures too cold and crafty to conceive of such a thing as naturalemotion, and passion with them means insanity. Thank God, the very powerto feel bears with it the power of self-government, and is proof ofreason. I will be calm, and if my life endures put them thus toshame. "--"You say that I am in the asylum of Dr. Englehart?" I asked, after a pause, during which she had not ceased to dust the furniture andarrange the bed in its pristine order, speckless, with lace-trimmings, pillow-cases smooth as glass, and sheets of lawn, and counterpane ofsnow. "If so, call my physician hither; I, his patient, have surely aright to his prompt services. "--"It is just possible, " I thought, "thatinterest or compassion may, one or both, still enlist him in my cause--Ican but try. "

A slight embarrassment was evidenced in her countenance as I made thisrequest. It vanished speedily. 

"He is absent just at this time, " she answered, quickly. "When hereturns I will make known your wish to him, if, indeed, he does not callof his own accord. "

"Be done with this shallow farce, " I exclaimed, harshly. "It shameshumanity. Acknowledge yourself at once the faithful agent of a tyrantand felon, or a pair of them, and I shall respect you more. Confess thatit was the voice of Basil Bainrothe I heard at my cabin-door, and thatCaptain Van Dorne was imposed upon by that specious scoundrel, even tothe point of being conscientiously compelled to falsehood. 

"I deny nothing--I acknowledge nothing, " she said, deliberately. "Youand your friends can settle this between yourselves when they arrive. Until then, you need not seek to tamper with me--it will be useless; andI hope you are too much of a lady to be insulting to a person who hasno choice but to do her duty. "

She could not more effectually have silenced me, nor more utterly havecrushed my hopes. Yet again I approached her with entreaties. 

"I hope you will not refuse to mail my notes, even under these tryingcircumstances, " I said, extending them to her. 

"You can ask Dr. Englehart to do so when he comes, " he answered, gently;"for myself, I am utterly powerless to serve you beyond the walls ofthis chamber. "

"And how long is this close immurement to continue?" I asked again, after another dreary pause. "Am I not permitted to breathe the externalair--to exercise? Is my health to be unconsidered?"

"I know nothing more than I have told you, " she replied. "I am directedto furnish you with every means of comfort--with books, flowers, clothing, musical instrument, even, if you desire it; but, for thepresent, you will not leave these walls, and you will see no society. The doctor has decided that this is best. "

"And whence did he derive his authority?"

"Oh, it was all arranged between him and Mr. Bainrothe, your guardeen"(for thus she pronounced this word, ever hateful to me), "long ago;before he went to France, I suppose. Captain Van Dorne had nothing to dobut hand you over. "

"Captain Van Dorne! To think those honest eyes could so deceive me!" andI shook my head wofully. 

When I looked up again from reverie, Mrs. Clayton had settled herself towork with a basket of stockings on her knees, which she appeared to beassorting assiduously. 

There she sat, spectacles on nose, thimble on twisted finger, ivory-eggin hand, in active preparation for that work, woman's _par excellence_, that alone rivals Penelope's. Surely that assortment of yellow, ill-mated, half-worn, and holey hose, was a treasure to her, that nogold could have replaced, in our dreary solitude (none the less drearyfor being so luxurious). I envied her almost the power she seemed tohave to merge her mind in things like these; and saw, for the first timein my life, what advantages might lie in being commonplace. 

It was now nearly the end of July. My birthday occurred in the middle ofSeptember. I thought I knew that, as soon as possible after my majority, Mr. Bainrothe's conditions would be laid before me. 

I could not, dared not, believe that my captivity would be lengthenedbeyond that time. I resolved that I would condone the past, and go forthpenniless, if this were exacted in exchange for liberty at the end of amonth and a half from this time. 

Six weeks to wait! Were they not, in the fullness of their power, tocrush and baffle me! Six weary years! For, during all this time, I feltthat the unexplained mystery that weighed upon my life would gather inforce and inflexibility. Death would have seemed to have set its sealupon it, in the estimation of Captain Wentworth, as of all others. Hewould never know that the sea, which swallowed up the Kosciusko, hadspared the woman he loved, nor receive the explanation that she alonecould give him, of the mystery he deplored. 

Before I emerged from my prison, he might be gone to the antipodes, foraught I knew, and a barrier of eternal silence and absence be interposedbetween us. So worked my fate! These reflections continued to haunt andoppress me, by night and day, and life itself seemed a bitter burden inthat interval of rebellious agony, and in that terrible seclusion, whereluxury itself became an additional engine of torture. 

Days passed, alternately of leaden apathy and bitter gloom, varied byirrepressible paroxysms of despair. Whenever I found myself alone, evenfor a few moments, I paced my room and wept aloud, or prayedpassionately. There were times when I felt that my Creator heard andpitied me; others when I persuaded myself his ear was closed inexorablyagainst me. 

I suffered fearfully--this could not last. The accusation broughtagainst me by my enemies seemed almost ready to be realized, when mybody magnanimously assumed the penalty the soul was perhaps about topay, and drifted off to fever. 

Then, for the first time, came the man I had until then believed a myth, and sat beside me in the shadow, and administered to me small, mysticpellets, that he assured me, in low, husky whispers, and foreign accent, would infallibly cure my malady--my physical one, at least; as for themind, its forces, he regretted to add, were beyond such influence!

For a moment, the wild suspicion intruded on my fevered brain that thisleech was no other than Basil Bainrothe himself, disguised for his owndark purposes; but the tall, square, high-shouldered form that rosebefore me to depart (taller, by half a head, than the man I suspected ofthis fresh deception), and the angular movements and large extremitiesof Dr. Englehart, dispelled this delusion forever. After all, might henot be honest, even if a tool of Bainrothe's?

I took the sugared minature pills--the novel medicine he had left forme--faithfully, through ministry of Mrs. Clayton's, and was benefitedby them; and, when he came again, as before, in the twilight, I was ableto be installed in the great cushioned chair he had sent up for me, andto bear the light of a shaded lamp in one corner of the large apartment. 

Dr. Englehart approached me deferentially, and, without divestinghimself of the light-kid gloves which fitted his large hands so closely, he clasped my wrist with his finger and thumb, and seemed to count mypulses. 

"Ver much bettair, " was his first remark, made in that disagreeable, harsh, and husky voice of his, while he bent so near me that the aromaof the tobacco he had been smoking caused me to cough and turn aside. 

Still, I could not see his face, for the immense bushy whiskers he wore, nor his eyes, for the glasses that covered them, nor his teeth, even, for the long, fierce mustache that swept his lips; and when, after abrief visit, he rose and was gone again, there remained only in my mindthe image of a huge and hairy horror--a sort of bear of the BlueMountains, from the return of which or whom I fervently hoped to bedelivered. 

"Send him word I am better, Mrs. Clayton, " I entreated; "I cannot seehim again, he is so repulsive; and, if you have a woman's heart in yourbreast, never leave me alone with him, or with Mr. Bainrothe, when hecalls, for one moment--they inspire me equally with terrorindescribable, " and I covered my face to hide its burning blushes. 

"Look up, Miss Monfort, and listen to me, " said Mrs. Clayton, at last, regarding me keenly, with her warped forefinger uplifted in her usualadmonitory fashion, but with an expression on her face of interest andsympathy such as I had never witnessed there before. "A new light hasbroken just now upon my understanding; I can't tell how or whence itcame, but here it is, " pressing her hand to her brow; "I believe youhave been misrepresented to me--but that is neither here nor there. Ishall watch you closely and faithfully until we part--all the more thatI do not believe you any more crazy than I am; I half suspected thisbefore, but I know it now. " She paused, then continued: "I should haveto tell you my life's secret if I were to explain to you why Mr. Bainrothe's interests are so dear to me, so vital even, and I will notconceal from you that I knew your guardeen's good name depends on yourconfinement here until you come of age. After that it will only benecessary for you to sign a few papers, and all will be straightagain--no harm or insult is designed. To these I would never have lentmyself in any way--ill as you think of me. And as long as we continuetogether I will guard your good name as I would do that of my own deardaughter--that is, if I had one. You shall receive no visitor alone. "

She spoke with a feeling and dignity of which I had scarcely believedher capable, shrewd and sensible as I knew her to be, and far above thewoman she called her mistress, in a certain _retenu_ of manner anddelicacy of deportment, usually inseparable from good-breeding. 

I could not then guess how acceptable, to her and the person she waschiefly interested in, were these signs of my aversion for BasilBainrothe, and what sure means they were of access to the only tenderspot in the obdurate heart of Rachel Clayton. 

Certain it is that, from these expressions, I derived the firstconsolation that had come to me in my immurement, and from that hour thesolemn farce of keeper and lunatic ceased to be played between us two. 

From such freedom of communication on my jailer's part, I began to hopefor additional information, which never came. It was in vain that Iconjured her to tell me where my prison was situated, whether at theedge of the city, or far away in the country, or to suffer me to have aglimpse from a window of my vicinity. To all such entreaties she waspitiless, and I was left to that vague and vain conjecture which sowears the intellect. 

In the absence of all possibility of escape, it became a morbid andhaunting wish with me to know my exact locality. That it could be nogreat distance from the city of New York, if not within its limits, Ifelt assured, from the expedition with which my transit from the shiphad been effected. 

During the first three weeks of my confinement the deep silence thatprevailed about me had led me to adopt the opinion that I was theoccupant of a _maison de santé_. I had once driven past one on StatenIsland, where a friend of my father's--about whose condition he came toinquire personally--had been immured for years. I did not alight withhim when he left the carriage to make these inquiries, but I perfectlyremembered the old gray stone building, with its ancient elms, and theimpression of gloom and awe it had left on my mind. But this idea waspresently dispelled. 

I was awakened one morning, in the fourth week of my sojourn incaptivity, by the sound of chimes long familiar to my ear, the duplicateof which I had not supposed to be in existence. At first I feared it wassome mirage of the ear, so to speak, instead of eye, that reflected backthat fairy melody, which had rung its accompaniment to my wholechildhood and youth; but, when, after the lapse of seven days, it wasrepeated, I became convinced that its reality was unquestionable, andthat neither impatience nor indignation had so impaired my senses as toreproduce those sounds through the medium of a fevered imagination. 

Were these delicious bells, a recent addition to the cupola of our grimasylum, bestowed by some benevolent hand that sought to mark and lendenchantment to the holy Sabbath-day--even for the sake of theirresponsible ones within its walls--or was I indeed--? But of thisthere could be no question--I dared not hazard such conjecture lest itdrive me mad in reality--I must not!

I groped in thick darkness, and time itself was only measured now bythose sweet chimes, so like our own, and yet so far away. My very clockone morning was found to have stopped, and was not again repaired or setin motion. Papers I never saw, had never seen since I came to dwell inshadow, save that single one so ostentatiously spread before me, announcing the loss of the Kosciusko and her passengers--a refinement ofcruelty, on the part of those who sent it, worthy of a Japanese. 

Rafts had been launched and lost, the survivors stated (the men who hadseized the long-boat, to the exclusion of the women and children); thesea had swallowed all the remainder. A later statement might refute thefirst, but even then none could know the truth with regard to myidentity, for would not Basil Bainrothe control the publication as hepleased, and make me dead if he listed--dead even after the rescue?

Yet Hope would sometimes whisper in her daring moods; "All this shallpass away, and be as it had not been. Be of good heart, Miriam, and donot let them kill you; live for Mabel--live for Wentworth!"

Then, with bowed head, and silent, streaming tears, my soul would climbin prayer to the footstool of the Most High, and the grace, which hadnever come to me before, fell over me like a mantle in this sadextremity. 

CHAPTER VI. 

Unfaltering in her respectful demeanor toward me was Mrs. Clayton fromthe time of the little scene I have recently described. What new andsudden light had broken in upon her I never knew, but I supposed at thetime that the flash of conviction had gone home to her mind with regardto the baseness of Bainrothe and the iniquity of his proceedings, founded on the fear I had expressed of his solitary presence, and theinsight she had gained into my character. 

Watching none the less strictly, she gradually relaxed that personalsurveillance that is ever so intolerable to the proud anddelicate-minded, and those suggestions that, however well intended, hadbeen so irritating to me from such a source. She no longer urged me toread, or sew, or eat, or take exercise; but, retiring into her own work(whence she could observe me at her pleasure, for her door was alwaysset wide open, and her face turned in my direction), she employed orfeigned to employ herself in her inexhaustible stocking-basket orscollop-work, either one the last resource of idiocy, as it seemed tome. 

Left thus to myself in some degree, I unclosed the leaves of thebookcase, and surveyed its grim array of "classics"--all new andunmarked by any name, or sign of having been read--and from them Iselected a few worthies, through whose pages I delved drearily andindustriously, and most unprofitably it must be confessed. The onlyliving sensations I received from the contents of that bookcase were, Iam ashamed to acknowledge, from a few odd volumes of memoirs, andcollections of travels that I had happened to find stowed away behindthe others. The rest seemed sermons from the stars. 

Captain Cook's voyages and LeVaillant's descriptions did stir me veryslightly with their strong reality, and make me for a few hours forgetmyself and my captivity; but all the rest prated at me like parrots, from stately, pragmatical Johnson down to sentimental, maudlin Sterne. 

I found them intolerable in the mood in which I was, nothing soexhausting as the abstract! and closed the book desperately to resume mydiary, neglected since the awful events of Beauseincourt, but always tome a resource in time of trouble and of solitude. Of pens, ink, paper, there was no lack, and I wrote one day, Penelope-wise, what I destroyedthe next. Yet this very "jotting down" impressed upon my brain the fewincidents of my prison-house recorded here, that might otherwise havefaded from my memory in the twilight of monotony. 

I had no need to sew. Fair linen and a sufficiency of other plainwearing-apparel, including summer gowns, I found laid carefully in mydrawers, and the creole negress brought in my clothes well ironed andcarefully mended, to be laid away by the orderly hands of Mrs. Clayton. 

Once, during the temporary illness of this dragon (whose bed or lair wasplaced absolutely across the door of egress from her closet, so as toblock the way or make it difficult of access), the creole, in anunavoidable contingency like this, came with a pile of clothing in herarms to lay the pieces herself in the bureau, by direction of my jailer, and thus revealed herself. 

By the merest accident I had found in the lining of my purse two piecesof gold (the rest of my money had been spirited away with the belt thatcontained it, or the leather had been destroyed by the action of thesaltwater), and one of these I hastened to bestow on the attendant, signifying silence by a gesture as I did so. 

I knew this wretch to be wholly selfish and mercenary, from myexperience of her on the raft--for that she was the same negress I hadlong ceased to doubt--and I determined, while I had an opportunity ofdoing so, to enter a wedge of confidence between us in the only possibleway. 

"Sabra, " I whispered, "what became of the young girl, Ada Lee, and thedeformed child? It surely can do no harm to tell me this, and I know youunderstand me perfectly. "

"No, honey, sartinly not; 'sides, I is tired out of speakin' Spanish, "in low, mumbling accents. "Well, den, dat young gal gone to 'tend onMrs. Raymond, and, as fur de chile, dey pays me to take kear of dat indis very house ware you is disposed of. Dat boy gits me a heap oftrouble and onrest of nights, dough, I tells you, honey; but I is wellpaid, and dey all has der reasons for letting him stay here, Ispec'"--shaking her head sagaciously--"dough dey may be disappinted yit, when de time comes to testify and swar! De biggest price will carry deday den, chile; I tells you all, " eying the gold held closely in herpalm. 

I caught eagerly at the idea of the child's presence, though the restwas Greek to my comprehension until long afterward, when, in untanglinga chain of iniquity difficult to match, it formed one important butadditional link. 

"Poor little Ernie! I would give so much to see him, " I said. "Ask Dr. Englehart to let him come to see me, Sabra, and some day I will rewardyou"--all this in the faintest whisper. "But Mrs. Raymond--where is she?Does she never come here? I desire earnestly to speak with her. Can'tyou let her know this? Try, Sabra, for humanity's sake. "

At this juncture the head of Mrs. Clayton was thrust forth from itsshell, turtle-wise, and appeared peering at the door-cheek. 

"You have been there long enough to make these clothes instead ofputting them away, old woman, " was the sharp rebuke that startled thepretended Dinah to a condition of bustling agitation, and induced her toshut up one of her own shrivelled hands in closing the drawer, with aforce that made her cry aloud, and, when released, wring it with agony, that drew some words in the vernacular. "What makes you suppose MissMonfort wants to hear your chattering, old magpie that you are?"continued Mrs. Clayton, throwing off her mask. "Now walk very straight, or the police shall have you next time you steal from a companion. Remember who rescued you on the Latona, and on what conditions, and takecare how you conduct yourself in the future. Do you understand me?"

After this tirade, which sorely exhausted her, Mrs. Clayton relapsedinto silence; and now it was my time to speak and even scold. I said:

"Now that the Spanish farce is thrown aside, it is hard indeed that Icannot even be allowed to exchange a few words with a laundress in mysolitary condition--hard that I should be pressed to the wall in thisfiendish fashion. This woman was telling me of the presence of a littlechild in the house, and I have desired permission to see it by way ofdiversion and occupation, I have asked her to apply to Dr. Englehart. "

"The child shall come to you, Miss Monfort, whenever you wish, " saidMrs. Clayton, with ill-disguised eagerness. "This woman is not theproper person to apply to, however, and it is natural you should feelconcerned about it, now that you are able to think and feel again. Youknow, of course, it is the boy of the wreck. "

"Yes, very natural. Its mother died in my arms, if I am not mistaken inthe identity of the child; and fortunately--" I paused here, arrested bysome strange instinct of prudence, and decided not to show furtherinterest in his fate. 

He might be inquired for, and traced even, I reflected, and thus my ownexistence be brought to light. Selfishly, as well as charitably, would Icherish him. Little children had ever been a passion with me, but thispoor, repulsive thing was the "_dernier ressort_ of desolation. "

That very evening I heard the husky and guttural voice of Dr. Englehartin the adjoining chamber, or rather in the closet of Mrs. Clayton, amere anteroom originally, as it seemed, to the large apartment Ioccupied. 

It was very natural that in her ill condition my dragon should seekmedical aid, and I paid no further attention to the propinquity of thisunpleasant visitor than I could help--sitting quietly by my shaded lamp, absorbed in the Psalter, in which I found nightly refuge. 

He came in at last, after tapping very lightly on the door-panel, unsolicited and unexpected, to my presence--the same inscrutable, hirsute horror I had seen before, with his trudging, scraping walk, hissquare and stalwart frame, his gloved extremities, his light, blue-glasses, hat and cane in hand, a being as I felt to chill one'svery marrow. 

"Is it true vat I hear, " he asked, pausing at some distance, "dat youvant to have dat leetle hompback chilt for a companion, Miss Monfort?"

"It is true, Dr. Englehart. "

"And vat can your motif be? Heh? I must study dat for a leetle before Ican decide de question, or even trost him as a human being in yourhands. "

"Lunatics are rarely governed by motives at all, " I replied, "onlyimpulses. I want human companionship, however, that is all. I sicken inthis solitude--I am dying of mental inanition. "

"It is true, you look delicate indeed, I am pained to see. " The accent, was forgotten here for a moment, and an expression of real sympathy wasperceivable in his low, husky voice. "Command me in any way dat accordswid my duty, " he continued, "yes! de boy shall come! To interest, toamuse you, is perhaps--to cure!"

"Thank you; I shall await his advent anxiously; be careful not todisappoint me. "

"Oh, not for vorlds!"

"You are very kind; I believe, though, that is all we have to say to oneanother, Dr. Englehart. "

"You are bettair, then?" he said, advancing steadily toward me in spiteof this dismissal. "You need no more leetle pill? Are you quite sure ofdat?"

"Not now, at least, Dr. Englehart. "

"Permit me, then, to feel your pulse vonce more. I shall determine denmore perfectly dis vexing subject of your sanity. "

"Thank you; I decline your opinion on a matter so little open todifference. Be good enough to retire, Dr. Englehart. Let me at leastbreathe freely in the solitude to which I am consigned. "

"I mean no offence, yonge lady, " he said, meekly, falling back to thecentre-table on which was burning my shaded astral lamp--for I had leftit as he approached, instinctively to seek the protection of aninterposing chair, on the back of which I stood leaning as I spoke. 

He, too, remained standing, with one hand pressed firmly backward on thetop of the table, in front of which he poised himself, gesticulatingearnestly yet respectfully. 

His position was an error of mistaken confidence in his own make-up, such as we see occur every day among those even long habituated todisguise. 

As he stood I distinctly saw a line of light traced between his cheekand one of his bushy side-whiskers. 

That line of light let in a flood of evidence. The man was an impostor, a tool, as criminal as his employer--not the footprint on the sand wasmore suggestive to Robinson Crusoe than that luminous streak to me, northe cause of wilder conjecture. 

Yet I betrayed nothing of my amazement I am convinced, for, afterstanding silently for a time and almost in a suppliant attitude beforeme, Dr. Englehart departed, and for many days I saw him not again. 

An object that looked not unlike a small, solemn owl, stood in themiddle of the floor, regarding me silently when I awoke very early onthe following morning. 

At a glance I recognized poor little Ernie, and singularly enough, heknew and remembered me at once. 

"Ernie good boy now, " he said as he came toward me with his tiny clawextended. "Lady got cake in pocket, give Ernie some?" Not only did herecall me, it was plain, but the incident that saved his life, and therebukes he had received on the raft for his refusal to partake of brinybiscuit, which no persuasion, it may be remembered, had availed to makehim taste--even when devoured by the pangs of hunger. I tried in vain, however, to recall him to some remembrance of his poor mother. On thatpoint he was invulnerable; the abstract had no charm for him or meaning. He dealt only in realities and presences. 

A new element was infused into my solitude from this time. In this childI lived, breathed, and had my being, until later events startled myindividuality once more into its old currents of existence. Not that Imerged myself entirely in Ernie, sickly, wayward, fitful, ugly littlemite that he was undeniably. Nay, rather did I draw him forcibly into myown sphere of being and find nutrition in this novel element. 

So grudgingly had Nature fulfilled her obligations in the case of thispoor stunted infant, that, at two and a half years of age, he had notthe usual complement of teeth due a child of eighteen months, and wassuffering sorely from the pointing up of tardy stomach-teeth throughulcerated gums. 

To attend to and heal his bodily ailments occupied me entirely at first, and finally, finding him ill cared for, I made him a little pallet on mysofa and kept him with me by night and day. Surely such devotion as hemanifested in return for my scant kindness to him few mothers havereceived from their offspring. To sit silently at my feet while I talkedto him, or do my bidding, seemed his chief pleasures, as they might not, could not have been, had he been strong, and active, and more soundlyconstituted. As it was, no more loyal creature existed, nor did theCreator ever enshrine deeper affections or quicker perceptions in anychildish frame. Weird, and wise, and witty as Æsop was this child, likehim deformed; and to draw out his quaint remarks, read him fresh fromhis Maker's hand--this warped, and tiny, imperfect volume ofhumanity--was to me an ever-new puzzle and delight. Severity he had beenused to of late, I saw plainly. He shrank with winking eyes from anuplifted hand, even if the gesture were one of mere amazement, oraffection, and sat patiently, like a little well-trained dog, when hesaw food placed before me, until invited to partake thereof. His mannerwas wistful and deprecating even to pathos, and I longed for one burstof passion, one evidence of self-will, to prove to myself that I, likeothers he had been recently thrown with, was not the meanest of allcreated creatures--a baby's despot!

Oh, better than this the cap and bells, and infant tyranny forever, andthe wildest freaks of baby folly. He suffered silently, as I have seenno other child do, uncomplainingly even, and at such times would sinkinto moods of the blackest gloom, like those of an old, gouty subject. Hypochondria, baby as he was, seemed already to have fixed his fangsupon him. He had days of profound melancholy, when nothing provoked asmile, and others of bitter, silent fretting, inconceivably distressing;again there were periods of the wildest joy, only restrained by thatreticence which had become habitual, from positive boisterousness. 

All this I could have compelled into subservience, of course, bysubstituting fear for affection. It is not a difficult matter for thestrong and cunning to cow and crush the spirit of a little child; nogreat achievement, after all, nor proof of power, though many boast ofit as such. Strength and hardness of heart are all one requires forthis external victory; but human souls are not to be so governed (God bepraised for this!), and love and respect are not to be compelled. 

It is the error of all errors to suppose that, because a child has asickly frame or imperfect animal organization, it is just or profitableto give it over to its own devices, and consign it to indolence andignorance. Alas! the vacancy that begets fretfulness, and crude, capricious desires, the confusion of images that arises from partialunderstanding, are far more wearing to the nerves of an intelligentinfant than the small labor the brain undertakes, if any, indeed, beneeded, in mastering ideas properly presented, and suitable to thecondition of the sufferer. One might as well forbid the hand to grasp, the eye to see, nay, more, it will not do to confound the child ofgenius with the fool, or to suppose that the one needs not a mentalaliment of which the other is incapable. Feed well the hungry mind, lestit perish of inanition. It is a sponge in infancy that imbibes ideaswithout an effort; it is a safety-valve through which fancy and poetryconduct away foul vapors; it is an alembic, retaining only the pure andvaluable of all that is poured into it, to be stored for future use. Itis a lightning-rod that conducts away from the body all superfluouselectricity. It does not harm a sensible child to put it to study early, but it destroys a dull one. Let your poor soil lie fallow, but harvestyour rich mould, and you shall be repaid, without harm to its fertility. 

Ideas were balm to Ernie, even as regarded his physical suffering. Hisenthusiasm rose above it and carried him to other spheres. 

Some illustrated volumes of "Wilson's Ornithology, " which I found inthe bookcase, proved to be oil on troubled waters in Ernie's case; andbefore long he knew, without an effort, the name of every bird in thetwo folios of prints, and would come of his own accord to repeat andpoint them out to me. 

I found, to my amazement, that, when a cage of canaries was brought inand hung in the bath-room at my request for his amusement, hediscriminated and gravely averred that no birds like those were to befound in his big book, though yellow hammers and orioles were there intheir native colors, that might have deceived a less observant eye intoa delusion as to their identity with our pretty importation. 

Verses, remarkable for rhyme and rhythm both, when repeated to him a fewtimes with scanning emphasis, took root in that fertile brain whichpiled his compact forehead so powerfully above his piercing, deep-seteyes, and fell from his infant lips in silvery melody as effortless andspontaneous as the trickling of water or the singing of birds in thetrees. 

Day by day I saw the little, wistful face relaxing from the hard-knotexpression, so to speak, of sour and serious suffering, and assumingsomething akin to baby joyousness, and the small, warped figure, so lowthat it walked under my dropped and level hand, acquiring security ofstep and erectness of bearing. I knew little of the treatment requiredfor spinal disease, but common-sense taught me that, in order to effecta cure, the vertebral column must be relieved as much as possible frompressure, and allowed to rest. So I persuaded him to lie down a greatpart of the time, and contrived for him a little sustaining brace torelieve him when he walked. 

I fed him carefully; I bathed him tenderly, and robbed his weary, aching limbs to rest, so that before many weeks the change wassurprising, and the success of my treatment evident to all who sawhim--the comprehensive "all" being myself and two attendants. 

Dr. Englehart had been suggested in the beginning by Mrs. Clayton, ashis medical attendant, but rejected by me with a shudder, that seemedconclusive; yet one evening, unsummoned by me, and as far as I knew byany other, he walked calmly into my apartment, ostensibly to see thelittle invalid--his charge as well as mine. 

For a moment the extravagant idea possessed me that, in spite ofappearances, I had done this man injustice, and that he came in realityfor humane purposes alone; wore his disguise for these. 

This delusion was soon dissipated, as with audacity (no doubtcharacteristic, though not before evidenced to me), he seated himselfcomplacently and uninvited, and, disposing of his hat and stick, settledhimself down for a _tête-à-tête_, an affair which, if medical, usuallypartakes of the confidential. 

"Your little _protégé_, Miss Monfort, " he said, huskily, "seems to be aserious sufferer, " and for a moment dropping his accent while he rubbedhis gloved hands together as with an ill-repressed self-gratification;"come, tell me now what you are doing for his benefit, " againartistically assuming a foreign accentuation. 

In a few words I described my course of treatment and its success. 

"All very well, " he responded, hoarsely, "as far as it goes; but I amconvinced that much severer treatment will he necessaire--"

"I think not, " I replied, curtly; "and certainly nothing of the kindwill be permitted by me while I have charge of this poor infant. "

"A few leetle pills, then, for both mother and child;" he suggested, humbly. 

"You are mistaken if you imagine any relationship to exist between Ernieand myself, " I answered, calmly, never dreaming at the moment of covertor intended insult. "I might as well inform you at once, that I am Miss, not Mrs. Monfort; you should he guarded how you make mistakes of thatnature. "

And my eye flashed fire, I felt, for I now heard him chuckling low inthe shadow, in which he so carefully concealed himself. 

"I shall remembair vat you say, " he observed, "and try to do bettairnext visit; but all dis time I delay in de execution of my mission here. See, I have brought you von lettair; now vat will you do to reward me?"

Holding it high above my head, in a manner meant, no doubt, to beplayful, and to suggest a game of snatch, perhaps, such as his peersmight have afforded him, he displayed his treasure to my longing eyes, "but I sat with folded arms. 

"If the letter brings me good news, I shall thank you warmly, Dr. Englehart; if not, I shall try to believe you unconscious of itscontents. "

"Tanks from your lips would, indeed, seem priceless, " he remarked, courteously, as with many bows and shrugs he laid it on the table beforeme, bringing his shaggy head by such means much closer to my hand than Icared to know it should be, under any circumstances. 

With a gesture of inexpressible disgust, regretted the next moment, as Ireflected that, to bring me this letter, he might be overstepping commonrules, I raised the envelope to the light and recognized, to my intensedisappointment, the well-known characters of Bainrothe's--small, rigid, neat, constrained. 

My heart, which a moment before had beat audibly to my own ear, sanklike a stone in my breast, and I sat for a time holding the lettermutely, uncertain how to proceed. Should I return it unread, and thushurl the gauntlet in the traitor's face, or be governed by expedience(word ever so despised by me of old), and trace the venom of the viper, by his trail, back to his native den?

After a brief conflict of feeling, I determined on the wisercourse--that of self-humiliation as a measure of profound policy. 

I broke the seal, the well-known "dove-and-vulture" effigy which hecalled in heraldry "The quarry" and claimed as his rightful crest. Verysignificantly, indeed, did it strike me now, though I had jested on thesubject so merrily of old with Evelyn and George Gaston. 

The letter was of very recent date, and ran as follows--I have theoriginal still, and this is an exact copy:

"On September 1st, or as soon thereafter as feasible, I shall call tosee you, Miriam, in your retirement, which I am glad to hear has so farbeen beneficial. Should I find you in a condition to _make_ conditions, I shall lay before you a very advantageous offer of marriage I hadreceived for you before your shipwreck. Should you accept this offer, and attach your signature to a few papers that I shall bring with me(papers important to the respectability of your whole family as well asmy own), I shall at once resign to you your father's house and theguardianship of Mabel. The chimera that alarmed you to frenzy can haveno further existence, either in fact or fancy. I am about to contract anadvantageous marriage with a foreign lady of rank, wealth, and beauty, to whom I hope soon to introduce you. I need not mention her name, ifyou are wise. Be patient and cheerful; cultivate your talents, and takecare of your good looks--no woman can afford to dispense with these, however gifted; and you will soon find yourself as free as that'chartered libertine' the air, for which last two words I am afraid youwill be malicious enough to substitute the name you will not findappended, of your true friend and guardian, B. B. "

Had Wentworth spoken, then? Did he know of my immurement? Was it hisbeloved presence, his dear hand, that were to be made the prize of mysilence and submission? Was the bitter pill of humiliation I was nowswallowing to be gilded thus? No, no--a thousand times, no! He was notthe man with whom to make such conditions--the man I loved--nayworshiped almost. He was of the old heroic mould, that would havepreferred any certainty to suspense, and death itself to an instant'sdegradation. 

He deemed me dead, and the obstacle that had risen between us needed noexplanation now. The waves had swallowed all necessities like this. But, had he known me the inmate of a mad-house, no bolts or bars would havewithheld him from my presence. His own eyes could alone have convincedhim of such ruin as was alleged against me by these friends. 

From this survey of my utter helplessness I turned suddenly to confrontthe deep, dark, salient eyes of the disciple of Hahnemann, real orpretended, fixed upon me with a glance that even his blue spectaclescould not deprive of its subtle intensity. 

Where had I seen before orbs of the same snake-like peculiarity ofexpression, or caught the outline of the profile which suddenly rivetedmy gaze as the light partially revealed it, then subsided into shadowagain! I pondered this question for a moment while Dr. Englehart, silent, expectant perhaps, stood with his hand tightly grasping the backof a chair, on the seat of which he reposed one knee, in a position suchas defiant school-boys often assume before a pedagogue. 

As I have said, his head and body were again in shadow, as was, indeed, most of the chamber, for the rays which struggled through the thickground glass of my astral lamp were as mild as moonbeams, and asunsatisfactory. But the light fell strong and red beneath the shade, andthe full glare of the astral lamp seemed centred on that pudgy hand, inits inevitable glove, that had fixed so firm a gripe on the back of themahogany chair as to strain open one of the fingers of the tight, tawnykid-glove worn by Dr. Englehart. This had parted slightly just above theknuckle of the front-finger, and revealed the cotton stuffing within. Nay, more, the ruby ring with its peculiar device was thus exposed, which graced the slender finger of the charlatan! I do not apply thisterm as concerned the profession he affected at all, but merely (asshall be seen later) as one appropriate to himself individually. 

There must be beings of all kinds to constitute a world, philosopherstell us, and he, no doubt, so long in ignorance of it, had stumbledsuddenly on his proper vocation at last. The _rôle_ he was playing (sofar successfully) had doubtless been the occasion of an exquisitedelight to him, unknown to simpler mortals, who masquerade not withoutdread misgivings of detection. I for one, when affecting any costume notessentially belonging to me, or covering my face even with a paper-maskfor holiday diversion, have had a feeling of unusual transparency andobviousness, so to speak, which precluded on my part every thing like asuccessful maintenance of the part I was attempting to play. It was asif some mocking voice was saying: "This is Miriam Monfort, the trueMiriam; the person you have known before as such was only makingbelieve--but the Simon-pure is before you, a volume of folly that allwho run may read! Behold her--she was never half so evident before!"

But to digress thus in the very moment of detection, of recognition, seems irrelevant. The flash of conviction was as instantaneous in itsaction in my mind as that of the lightning when it strikes its object. Istood confounded, yet enlightened, all ablaze!--but the subject of thisdiscovery did not seem in the least to apprehend it, or to believe itpossible, in his mad, mole-like effrontery of self-sufficiency, that byhis own track he could be betrayed. 

"Vat ansair shall I bear to Mr. Bainrothe from his vard?" asked theMercury of my Jove, clasping his costumed hands together, then droppingthem meekly before him. "I vait de reply of Miss Monfort vid patience. Dere is pen, and ink, and papair, I perceive, on dat table. Be goodenough to write at once your reply to de vise conditions of yourexcellent guardian. "

"You know them, then?" I said, quickly, glancing at him with a derisivescorn that did not escape his observation. 

"I have dat honnair, " was the hypocritical reply, accompanied by aprofound bow. 

"Disgrace, rather, " I substituted. "But you have your own stand-point ofview, of course. The shield that to you is white, to me is black asErebus. You remember the knights of fable?"

"Always the same--always indomitable!" I heard him murmur, so low thatit was marvelous how the words reached my ear, tense as was every sensewith disdainful excitement. Yet he simply said aloud, after hisimpulsive stage-whisper: "Excuse me! I understand not your allusions. Ipretend not to de classics; my leetle pills--" and he hesitated, oraffected to do so. 

"Enough--I waive all apologies; they only prolong an interviewsingularly distasteful to me for many reasons. You are behind thecurtain, I cannot doubt, and understand not only the contents of thatabsurd letter, but its unprincipled references. To Basil Bainrothe Iwill never address one line; but you may say to him that I scorn him andhis conditions. Yet, helpless as I am, and in his hands, tell him tobring his emancipation papers, and I will sign them, though they cost meall I possess of property. My sister I will not surrender any longer tohis care, nor my right in her, which, with or without his consent, isperfect when I reach my majority. As to the suitor to whom he alluded, he had better be allowed to speak for himself when this transaction isover. I shall then decide very calmly on his merits, tarnished, as thesemight seem, from such recommendation. "

"He is one who has loved you long, lady, " said the man, sadly, speakingever in that made and husky voice (wonderful actor that he was bynature!), which he sustained so well that, had I not unmistakablyidentified him, it might have imposed on my ear as real. "Hear what hasbeen written on this subject: When others have forsaken you and left youto your fate, he has continued faithful to your memory. The revelationof your immurement was made simultaneously to two men who calledthemselves your lovers, and its sad necessity explained by yourever-watchful guardian. One of these lovers repudiated your claims uponhim, and turned coldly from the idea of uniting his fate to that of onewho had even for an hour been a suspected lunatic; the other declaredhimself willing to take her as she was to his arms, even though her ownwere loaded with the chains of a mad-house! Penniless and abandoned byall the world, and with a clouded name, he woos her as his wife--thewoman he adores!"

And, as he read, or seemed to read, these words, with scarce an accentto mar their impetuous flow, Dr. Englehart drew in his breath with thehissing sound of passion, and folded his arms tightly across his paddedbreast, as if they enfolded the bride he was suing for in another'sname. 

"And who, let me ask, is this Paladin of chivalry?" I inquired, derisively. "Give me his name, that I may consider the subject well andthoroughly before we meet at last. "

"Excuse me if I refuse to give the name of eider of dese gentlemen atdis onhappy season, " he rejoined. "Wen de brain is all rightagain"--tapping his own forehead--"your guardian will conduct thefaithful knight to kneel at de feet of her he loves so well. "

"And the other--where is he?" fell involuntarily from my lips--myheaving heart--an inquiry that I regretted as soon as it was uttered;for, affecting sorrowful mystery, the man inclined himself toward me andwhispered in my ear confidentially:

"Plighted to another, and gone where no eyes of yours shall rest on himagain. "

"Pander--liar--spy!" burst from my passionate lips as in all the fury ofdesperation I turned from the creature who had so wantonly wounded myself-respect, and waved to him to begone. Another name quivered on mylips, but I checked it on their threshold after that first burst ofindignation instantly subdued. 

I was not brave enough nor strong enough to hazard a shaft like thatwhich might have been returned to me so deathfully. I would let thebarrier stand which he had erected between us, and which to demolishwould be to lay myself open, perhaps, to insult of the darkestdescription. 

Let the ostrich with his head in the sand still imagine himself unseen;the masquerader still conceive himself secure beneath his papertravesty; the serpent still coil apparently unrecognized beside thebare, gray stone that reveals him to the eye--I was too cowardly, toofeeble, to cope with strategy and double-dyed duplicity like this!

So the man went his way with his silly secret undiscovered, as hedeemed, and that it might remain so to the end, as far as he could know, I devoutly prayed. For I knew of old the unscrupulous lengths to which, when nerved by hate or disappointment or passions of any kind, he couldgo, without a particle of mercy for his victims or remorse for hisill-doing. 

When Dr. Englehart was gone--for so I still choose to call him for somereasons, although I give my reader credit for still more astuteness thanI possessed myself, and believe that he has long ago recognized, throughthis cloud of mystery and travesty thrown about him, an oldacquaintance--the child Ernie rose from the bed on which he had laintremulous and observant, with his small hands clinched, his eyes onfire. "Ernie kill bad man!" he exclaimed, ferociously, "for troublemissy. Give Ernie letter--he carry it away and hide it; bad letter--makepoor Mirry cry. "

"No, Ernie, I will keep it, " I said, as I laid it carefully aside. "Itshall stand as a sign and testimony of treachery to the end. Go tosleep, little child; but first say your prayers, so that the good angelsmay sit by you all night. Don't you hear Mrs. Clayton groaning? PoorClayton! I most go and comfort her and soothe her pains, as Dinah cannotdo. And, now that the bad doctor is gone home, and we are all locked upagain securely, we shall rest peacefully, I trust; and so, good-night!"

CHAPTER VII. 

From being the most silent of children, a perfect creep-mouse in everyway, Ernie had become fearfully loquacious under my care, and was now astalkative as he had ever been observant. 

The action that most children develop through exercise of limb had beenreserved for his untiring tongue. He had literally learned to talk fromhearing me read aloud, which I did daily, much to Mrs. Clayton's delightand edification, for the benefit of my own lungs, which suffered fromsuch confirmed silence, as I had at first indulged in. His exquisiteear--his prodigious memory--aided him in the acquirement of words, andeven long and difficult sentences, of which he delivered himselforacularly when engaged with his blocks and dominoes. 

He told himself wonderful stories in which the "buful faiwry" and"hollible" giant of the story-books figured largely. I am almost ashamedto acknowledge that I would hold my breath and strain my ear at times tolisten to these murmured stories, self-addressed, as I have never doneto receive the finest ebullitions of eloquence or the veriest marvels ofthe _raconteur_. There was something so sweet, so wondrous to me in thislittle, ever-babbling baby-brain fountain, content with its own music, having no thought of auditors or effect, no care for appreciation, totally self-addressed and self-absorbed, that I was never weary ofgiving it my ear and interest. Had the child known of or perceived this, the effect would have been destroyed, and a fatal self-consciousnesshave been instituted instead of this lotus-eating infantile_abandon_--the very existence of which mood indicated genius. What poorErnie's father might nave been I could only surmise from his ownqualities, which, after all, may have flowed from a far-off source; butthat his mother had been gentle, simple, and inefficient, I knew fullwell, from my slight acquaintance with her, and observation of hernon-resisting organization. Ernie, on the contrary, grappled withobstacles uncomplainingly, and was only outspoken in his moments ofgratification. His was the temperament that is the noblest and the mostmagnanimous in its very moulding. Whining children are selfish, as arule, and petty-minded, and most often incapable of enjoyment--whichlast is a gift of itself that goes not always with possession. 

Among other accomplishments self-acquired, Ernie had the power ofmimicry to a singular degree. Mrs. Clayton had a slight hitch in hergait of late from rheumatic suffering, which he simulated solemnly, notwithstanding every effort on my part to restrain him. 

Without a smile or any effort of mirth, he would limp behind as shewalked across the floor, unconscious of his close attendance, and whenshe would turn suddenly and detect him, and shake her clinched fist athim, half in jest, he would retaliate by a similar gesture, and scowl, and stamp of the foot, that so nearly resembled her own proceedings asto cause me much internal merriment. But of course for his ownadvantage, as well as from regard for her feelings, it was necessary forme on such occasions to assume a gravity of deportment bordering ondispleasure. 

It may be supposed, then, that when, on the morning after Dr. Englehart's visit, before my chamber had been swept and garnished, andwhile Mrs. Clayton was busy in her own, Ernie brought me a letter andlaid it on the table before me, as Dr. Englehart had done the nightbefore in his presence, I was infinitely amused. 

What, then, was my surprise in stooping over it to find this letteraddressed to myself in the unfamiliar yet never-to-be-forgottencharacter of Wardour Wentworth!

After the first moment of bewilderment I opened the already-fastenedletter--closed, as was the fashion of the day, without envelope, andsealed originally with wax, of which a few fragments still remainedalone. 

The date, the subject, the earnest contents, convinced me that I nowheld the clew of that mystery which had baffled me so long, and that themissing letter said to have been lost at Le Noir's Landing was at lastin my possession. It needed not this additional proof of treachery toconvince me that my suspicions had been correct, and that, next to thearch-fiend Bainrothe, I owed the greatest misery of my life to him who, in his ill-adjusted disguise, had dropped this letter from his pocket onthe preceding evening--my evil genius, Dr. Englehart--_alias_ LukeGregory. 

It was a gracious thing in God to permit me to owe the great happinessof this discovery to the little crippled child he had cast upon my careso mysteriously, and I failed not to render to him with other gratefulacknowledgments "most humble and hearty thanks" for this crowning grace. Henceforth Hope should lend her torch to light my dearth--her wings tobear me up--her anchor wherewith to moor my bark of life wherever cast, and to the poor waif I cherished I owed this immeasurable good. Had Mrs. Clayton anticipated him with her infallible besom--that housewifelydetective, that drags more secrets to light than ever did paidpoliceman--I should never have grasped this talisman of love and hope, never have waked up as I did wake up from that hour to the endurancewhich immortalizes endeavor, and renders patience almost pleasurable. 

On the back of this well-worn letter was a pencil-scrawl, which, although I read it last, I present first to my reader, that he may tracelink by link the chain of villainy that bound together my twooppressors. 

It was in the small, clear calligraphy of Basil Bainrothe, beforedescribed; characterized, I believe, as a backhand--and thus it ran:

 "You are right--it was a master-stroke! Keep them in ignorance of each other, and all will yet go well. I sail to-morrow, and have only time to inclose this with a pencilled line. Try and head them at New York. My first idea was the best--my reason I will explain later. 

 "Yours truly, "B. B. 

 "N. B. --The man could not have played into our hands better than by taking up such an impression. There is no one there to undeceive him. "

 THE LETTER. 

 "My Miriam: Your note, through the hands of Mr. Gregory, has been received--read, noted, pondered over with pain and amazement. The avowal of your name so uselessly withheld from me, lets in a whole flood of light, blinding and dazzling, too, on a subject that fills me with infinite solicitude. 

 "There have been strange reserves between us that never ought to have existed, on my part as well as yours. I should have told you that I once had a half-sister, called Constance Glen--older than myself by many years--who married during my long absence from our native land a gentleman much older than herself, an Englishman by the name of Monfort, and, after giving birth to a daughter, died suddenly. These particulars I gathered from strangers, but there were many wanting which you can best supply. I know that this gentleman had a daughter, or daughters, by an earlier marriage--and I can find no clew to the date of my sister's marriage--which might in itself determine the possible age of her own daughter. That this child survived I have painful cause to remember. I had sustained shipwreck, and was in abeyance for clothes and money both, when it occurred to me to call on my brother-in-law, present to him my credentials, and remain a few days at his house as his guest, in the enjoyment of my sister's society, until my needs could be supplied from certain resources at a distance. The reception I met with from his elder daughter, and the information she haughtily gave me, determined my course. I sought no more the inhospitable roof of Mr. Monfort, to find shelter beneath which I had forfeited all claim by the death of my sister, then first suddenly revealed to me. Her child, I was told, had been recently injured by burning and could not be seen, even by so near a relative, and the manner of the young lady, whom I now identify as Evelyn Monfort, was such as to lead me at the time to believe this a mere excuse or evasion, which I did not seek to oppose. 

 "It is just possible that there may be a third sister, yet I think I have heard you say you had but one, and this reminiscence is anguish to my mind. Even more, the careless and unwarrantable allusions of Mr. Gregory to certain scars, evidently from burns that he had the insolence to observe on your neck and arms, and remark upon as mere foils to their beauty, in my first acquaintance with you and before I had a right to silence him, recurred to me as a partial confirmation of my fears. Without explaining to him my motives, I questioned him on this subject again soon after he handed me your note, a proceeding that I should have shrunk from as gross and unworthy of a gentleman under any other circumstances. I did not stop to think what impression my inquiries would leave upon his mind, ever prone to levity and suspicion; but he must have seen that I was deeply moved, and that no impertinent curiosity could sway me to such a course with regard to the woman I loved and had openly declared my plighted wife. You will understand all this and make allowance for me. Write to me immediately, and relieve, if possible, my intense solicitude. At all events, let me know the truth, and look it in the face as soon as may be. Any reality is better than suspense. Yet I must 'hope against hope, ' or surrender wholly. I have not time to write another line. My business is imperative, or I should certainly retrace my steps. 

 "Yours eternally, "WENTWORTH. "

The man who wrote this letter was capable of condensing in a few calmwords a world of passion, whether he spoke or wrote them; but he hadgoverned his pen carefully in his agonizing uncertainty. It was yet tobe determined when he penned these lines whether he should beconsidered a lover addressing his mistress, or an uncle writing to hisniece, and in this bitter perplexity he commanded his inclinations tothe side of principle. 

I wept with tears of joy and thankfulness above this constrainedepistle--I pressed it to my heart, my lips, a thousand times, in thequiet hours of night, in the moments of retirement my jailer granted me. The child Ernie alone saw and wondered at these manifestations of whichI first saw the extravagance through his solemn imitations thereof, which yet made me catch him rapturously in my arms and kiss him athousand times, until he put me aside, at last, with decorous dignity, as one transcending privilege. 

By some vicarious process, best understood by lovers, I lavished onlittle Ernie a thousand terms of endearment, meant only for another, andby the light of my own happiness he seemed transfigured. He wasidentified with the lifting away of a burden more bitter than captivityitself. They could but kill my body now--my soul was filled with a newlife that nothing could extinguish; and believing in Wentworth, I feltthat I could die happy, let death come when and how it would. I knew nowthat in the course of time, whether I lived or died, Wentworth wouldknow that I was not his niece, and claim Mabel as his own, rememberingmy estimate of those who held her in charge. Then would the tide of loveand passion, so long repressed, roll back in its old channel, and hewould leave no stone unturned, no path unexplored, whereby to trace myfate. 

To this, as yet, he held no clew. The sea had seemed to swallow MiriamHarz, by which name I had been registered in the ship's books and knownto the passengers; nor could it be surmised that the young "mad girl, "since spoken of, as I had been told, in the papers, as having beenrestored to her friends by the accident of meeting the Latona, andMiriam Monfort, were one and the same person. But if the time shouldcome when all should be explained, either by my own lips or therevelations of others, good cause might Basil Bainrothe and hisconfederate have to tremble!

Like all cold, patient, deeply-feeling men, there were untold reservesof power and passion in the nature of Wardour Wentworth which might, foraught I knew to the contrary, tend naturally to and culminate inrevenge. The wish to retaliate was, I knew, a fundamental fault in myown character, one I had often occasion to struggle with even inchildhood, when Evelyn, my despot, was also my dependant, and generosityhad been called to the aid of forbearance. Vengeance was a fierce thirstin my Judaic heart which only Christian streams could ever allay orquench, and I judged the man I loved by self--not always a fittingstandard of comparison. 

And Gregory! I could imagine well the fiendish delight with which he hadseen me day by day writhing uncomplainingly beneath the unexplained andas I had deemed unsuspected alienation of Wentworth, the cause of whichhis act had wrapped in mystery! Afraid to tamper with the note I gavehim for the cool, discerning eye of Wentworth, curiosity had at firstled him to break the seal of that intrusted to his care in return, anddark malevolence to retain it rather than destroy, for the eye of hisconfederate. That he had dispatched it at once for Paris was veryevident from the pencilling on the back of the letter; and that thesnare was set for me already, in which the accident of the encounteredraft proved an assistant, I could not doubt. 

I fell into the hands of Bainrothe on shipboard instead of into those ofGregory in New York; this was the only difference, for subterfuge couldhave done its work as well, if not as daringly, on land as on sea; andthe league of iniquity was made before I sailed from Savannah. 

How perfectly I could comprehend, for the first time since thisrevelation, what Wentworth must have suffered beneath his burden ofunrelieved doubt and conjecture! I could see how, day by day, as noanswer came to change the current of his thoughts, conviction slowlysettled down like a cloud upon his heart, his reason; and what sternconfirmation of all he dreaded most, my silence must have seemed to him!

All this I saw in my mental survey with pity, with concern, with wilddesire to fly to him, and whisper truth and consolation in his arms; forI loved this man as it is given to passionate, earnest natures to lovebut once, be it early or late; loved him as Eve loved Adam, when thewhole inhabited earth was given to those two alone. 

"You seem in very good spirits to-day, Miss Monfort, " said Mrs. Clayton, with unusual asperity on one occasion, when, holding Ernie in my arms, Ilavished endearments upon him; "your king, indeed! your angel! I reallybelieve you admire as well as love that hideous little elf. "

"Of course I do, " Mrs. Clayton; "all things I love are beautiful to me;"and I remembered how Bertie's plain face had grown into touchingloveliness in my sight from the affection I bore her. 

"And do you really love this child?"

"Most certainly, and very tenderly too; is he not my sweetestconsolation in this dreary life?"

"What if they remove him?"

"Ah! what, indeed!" and, relaxing my grasp, I clasped my hands togetherpatiently; that thought had occurred to me before. 

"It is a very strong affection to have sprung up from a shortacquaintance on a raft, " she remarked, sententiously. 

"I saved his infant life, you know; and the benefactor always loves thething he benefits. It is on this principle alone God loves his erringcreatures, Mrs. Clayton, rest assured. "

"If you had loved the child with true friendship, you would have pushedhim into the sea, rather than have held him in your arms above it. "

"Do you suppose he is less near to God than you or I--to Christ theall-merciful?" I questioned, sternly. "Much rather would I have thatinfant's yet unconscious hope of heaven than either yours or mine, Mrs. Clayton!"

"But his earthly hope--it was that I alluded to; what chance for him?Poor, weakly, deformed; he had better be at rest than knocked frompillar to poet, as he must be in this hard, cold world of chance andchange. "

"And that shall never be while I live, Ernie, " I said, taking him againin my lap, at his silent solicitation. "Why, Mrs. Clayton, with such anoble soul, such intelligence as this child possesses, he may fill apulpit, and save erring souls, or write such beautiful poems andromances as shall thrill the heart, or draw from an instrument sounds asdivine as De Beriot's, or paint a picture, and immortalize his name;there is nothing too good, too great for Ernie to do, should God granthim life to achieve; and, as surely as I am spared to be enfranchised, shall I make this gifted child my charge. "

"You are perfectly infatuated, Miss Monfort; I declare, I shall begin tobelieve--"

"No, you shall not begin to believe any such thing, " I interrupted her, smiling; "you are surely too sensible and just a woman to begin tobelieve fallacies thus late in the day. "

"Have it your own way, " she said, sharply; "you always get the better ofme at last. "

"Not always, " I pursued, "or I should not be here, you know. It restswith you to keep or let me go--"

"To ruin my child's husband! There, now! you have my life-secret, " shesaid, with a desperate gesture; "use it as you will. "

I understood more than ever the hopelessness of my case from the momentof that impulsive revelation, to which I made no answer. 

"What is more, " she said, huskily, "I, too, am watched; I never knewthis until two days ago: a negro man, an attendant of the house, an oldservant of your guardian's, I believe, guards the doors below, andrefuses to let me pass to and fro. Dinah, even, is employed to dog mysteps. This is not exactly what I bargained for; yet, in spite of all, on her account I shall be faithful to the end. " And for a time shebusied herself in that careful dusting of the ornaments of the chamber, which seemed mechanical, so habitual was it to her sense of order andtidiness. 

Her hand was on the gold-emblazoned Bible, I remember, and herparty-colored bunch of plumes lifted above it, as if for immediateaction, when her arm fell heavily to her side, and she heaved a bittersigh, so deep, it sounded like a long-suppressed sob, rather, to my ear. 

"If I could only think you did not hate me, Miss Miriam, " she said, "Ibelieve I could be better satisfied to lead the life I do. "

"Hate you! Why should I hate you, Mrs. Clayton? You are only a tool inthe hands of my persecutor, I know, from your own confession, and Iunderstand your motive better in the last few moments than I did before(inadequate as it seems to my sense of justice), for aiding thisoppressor. You have been very kind to me in some respects; an inferiorperson could have tortured in a thousand ways, where you have shownyourself considerate, delicate even, and for all this I thank you morethan I can express. I should be very ungrateful, indeed, were I to hateyou. The word is strong. "

"Yet you prefer even that hump-backed child to me or my society, " shesaid, peevishly. 

"The comparison cannot be instituted with any propriety, " I responded, gravely, turning away and dismissing the boy to his blocks and books, asI did so, which made for him, I knew, a fairy kingdom of delight, through the aid of his splendid imagination. 

A commonplace infant will tire of the choicest toys; they are to suchminds but effigies and delusion, which last, the delight of imaginativeinfancy, to the cut and dried, dull, childish understanding isimpossible. 

I once overheard one little girl at a theatre--a splendid spectacle, calculated to dazzle and delight imaginative childhood--say to another:"It is nothing but make-believe! That house and garden are only painted. See how they shake! And the women are dressed in paste jewelry, likethat our cook-maid wears to parties, and no jeweler would give a centfor them; and the fairies are poor girls, dressed up for the occasion;and the whole play is made up as they go. You see, I know all about it, father says. "

I heard no more, but had a glimpse of a little, eager face suddenlydashed in its expression, and of small fingers pressed to unwilling earsto shut out unwelcome truths. 

The discriminating child seemed a little monster in my eyes, who oughtto have been sent out of the way at once of all companions capable of_abandon_ and enjoyment; and, as to the "father" she quoted from, Icould imagine him as the embodiment of asinine wisdom, so to speak--thequintessence of the practical, which so often, I observe, inclines itsdevotees to idiocy!

I knew very well that Wattie was not of the stamp to doubt the truth andsplendor of "Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, " or "Cinderella, " assurveyed from the stage-box, in his confiding infancy, any more than tobelieving in baubles when the time came to justly discriminate. Woe forthe incredulous child, too matter-of-fact to be enlisted in thecreations of fancy, and who tastes in infancy the chief bitterness ofage--the incapability of surrendering life to the ideal!

How fresh imagination keeps the heart--how young! What a glorious giftit is when rightly used and governed! Hear Charlotte Bronté's testimony, as recorded by her biographer: "They are all gone, " she says, "thesisters I so loved, and I have only my imagination left to comfort me. But for this solace I should despair or perish. " The words are notexact--the book is not beside me, but such is their substance. He wholists can seek them for himself in the pages of that wondrous spellwoven by Mrs. Gaskell--that tragic and strange biography which once in aseason of deep despondency did more to reconcile me to my own condition, through my pity and admiration for another, than all the condolencesthat came so freely from lip and pen. Every fabric that love haderected crumbled about her or turned to Dead-Sea ashes on her lip. Seewhat a world of passion those French letters and themes of hers betray!

The brand of suffering and suffocating sorrow is on every one of them, plain to the eye of the initiated alone, they who have gazed on thewonders of the inner temple--the holy of holies--and gone forthreverently to dream of the revelation evermore in silence. 

But, above every ruin of hope, or pride, or affection, like an imperialbanner flung from "the outer wall, " her imagination waved and triumphed. "The clouds of glory" she trailed after her were dyed in spheresunapproachable by death, or shame, or disappointment, and the giftdescribed in the Arabian story as conferred by the genii's salve when hetouched therewith the eyes of the traveler and caused him to see all thewonders of the earth, its gems, its gold, its gleaming chrysolites, itsinward fires, unobscured by the interposition of dust and clay, whichveiled them from all the rest of humanity, may stand as a type of herideality. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

The six weeks which had been allotted to me as the term of my captivitywere accomplished, and still Mr. Basil Bainrothe came not--wrote not. Ihad seen the month of August glide away, its progress marked only by thechanging fruits and flowers of the season, and the more fervent lightthat pierced through the Venetian blinds when turned heavenward, for itwas through these alone that the light of day was permitted to visit mychamber. 

Where, then, was the place of my captivity situated? In the environs ofa great city, possibly, for the wind often blew, laden with fragrance asfrom choice rather than extensive gardens, through my casement, and theshadow of a tall tree impending over the skylight of the bath-room was, when windy, cast so distinctly on its panes as to convince me of theneighborhood of an English elm, the foliage of which tree I knew like analphabet. 

And then, those fairy, Sabbath chimes! Were such musical bellsduplicated in adjacent cities? or was I, indeed, near our old, belovedchurch, in which memory so distinctly revealed our ancient, velvet-linedpew, my father's bowed head, and the venerable pastor rising white-robedand saintly in his pulpit to bid all the earth keep silent before theLord! Conjecture was rife! Thus August passed away. 

My birthday had gone by, and the equinox was upon us, with its rapidchanges of sun and storm, when one of these tempests, accompanied byhail of unusual size, shattered to fragments the skylight of thebath-room. This hail-storm was succeeded by a deluge of rain, whichflooded not only the adjacent closet, but the chamber I occupied, amongother evils completely submerging the superb Wilton carpet, concerningthe safety of which Mrs. Clayton felt immense responsibility. 

A glazier came as soon as the weather permitted, who was carefullyescorted through my chamber by Mrs. Clayton to ascertain the repairs tobe made--a fresh-looking, white-aproned Irish lad, I remember (for ahuman being was a novelty to me then), who found it necessary, in orderto repaint the wood-work, to bear the sash away with him, leaving behindhis tray of chisels and putty, and the light step-ladder he had broughtwith him on his shoulder, and on whose return I vainly waited as achance for communication with the outer world. 

While Dinah was busy with mops and brooms drying the carpet, and Mrs. Clayton thoroughly occupied with her active superintendence of theneedful operations, little mischievous, meddlesome Ernie had made hisway, contrary to all rules, beneath and behind my bed, and torn off agoodly portion of the gray and gilded paper which had so far effectuallyaided to conceal a closed door situated behind the bed-head, from whichthe frame had been removed. Then, for the first time since ouracquaintance, did I slap sharply those little, busy fingers which Icould have kissed for thankfulness, and, watching my opportunity, Ireplaced the paper, unseen by Mrs. Clayton, with the remains of agum-arabic draught which had been prescribed for his cough. I knew that, after experiencing such condign punishment, he would return no more tothe scene of his destruction, and that he might forget both injury anddiscovery, I devoted myself to his amusement during that active, long, rainy day with unhoped-for success. 

The glazier had announced to Mrs. Clayton that his return might bedeferred for four-and-twenty hours, and, as the succeeding day was clearand warm, I proceeded, in spite of broken sashes, to take my daily bathas usual at twelve o'clock. 

Mrs. Clayton, with her prison-key in her pocket, and her snuffbox athand, yielded herself, to the delight of ginger-nuts and herstocking-basket, and rested calmly after her fatigues of the precedingday; and Ernie, attracted by the crunching noise--the sound of droppingnuts, perhaps, which betrayed the presence of his favorite article offood--hastened to keep her company--a thing he never diddisinterestedly, it most be confessed. 

An opportunity, now presented itself for observation which I knew mightnot again occur during my whole captivity; and surely no sailor everascended to the mast-head of the Pinta with a heart more heaved withemotion than was mine, as I placed my foot on the last rung of theladder, and towered from my waist upward above the skylight. I had drawnthe bolt within, as I invariably did while bathing, and with a feelingof proud security I stood and surveyed the scene beneath and around me. The angle of vision did not, it is true, embrace objects immediatelybelow me, owing to the projecting cornices of the flat roof (a mereexcrescence from the original structure, as this was), but beyond thisthe eye swept for some distance uninterruptedly. 

Bathed in the golden light of that autumn noonday sun, I saw andrecognized a long-familiar scene, and for a moment I reeled on theslender step as I did so, and all grew dark around me. But, with one ofthose energetic impulses that come to us all in time of emergency, Irecovered my balance in time to save myself from falling; and eagerlyand wistfully, as looks the dying wretch on the dear faces he is soon tosee no more, I gazed upon the paradise from which fiends had driven me. 

There, indeed, just as I had left it, lay the deep-green grassy lawn, with its richly-burdened flower-pots, its laburnums, and white andpurple lilacs, and drooping guelder-rose bushes, and its great Englishwalnut-tree towering, like a Titan, in the centre. There was thehawthorn-hedge my father's hand had planted, and the fountain-likeweeping-willow my mother had set, in memory of her dead, whose graveswere far away; and there towered the lofty elm-trees, with their long, low, sweeping branches, meeting in friendly greeting, to two of which aswing had once been attached as a bond of union--a swing in which it hadonce been my childish pleasure to sway and read, while Mabel sat besideme with her head upon my shoulder, held securely in her place by mystrong, loving, encircling arm. 

Nor were these all to assure me that, after a year of melancholy andeventful absence, I looked again upon the precincts of home. A littlefarther on rose the gray wall and tower of the library and belfry, halfconcealed by its heavy coating of ivy, glossy and dark, and shuttingaway all other view of the mansion. Beyond these last was the pavilionmy father had built for the playhouse of his children, through the openlattice-door of which I saw a girl seated at her work, with graceful, bending neck, and half-averted face. A moment later, Claude Bainrothelounged across the sward, cigar in hand. At his approach, the facewithin was turned, and I recognized, at a glance, that of my youngaurora-like companion of the raft, Ada Greene. Then gazing cautiouslyaround, as if to elude observation (never dreaming of the eye droppedlike a bird's upon him), he lifted the rosy face in his hand and kissedit thrice right loverly!

I saw no more--I would not witness more--for had I not learned alreadyall that I asked or ought to know? Well might the dear old chimes ringout their Sabbath welcome to one who had obeyed their summons from herchildhood up to womanhood! Well might the summer air bear on its wingsgreeting of familiar odors, lost and found!

This was no idle dream, no mirage of a vagrant brain like thatsea-picture, or that wild vision at Beauseincourt, but sober, and sad, and strange reality. I understood my position from that moment, geographically as well as physically. I was a prisoner in the house ofBasil Bainrothe (while he, perchance, reigned lordly in my own); thathouse whose hidden arcana I had never explored, and which, beyond itsparlor and exterior, was to me as the dwelling of a stranger. 

Derisively deferential, he had resigned to me this secluded chamber inthe ell--his own particular sanctum, I remember to have heard--andbetaken himself, in all probability, to the more spacious mansion of hisformer neighbor. 

Far wiser, even if sadder, than I went up its rounds, did I descend thatladder!

Half an hour after I had entered it, and with new hope, I emerged fromthe bath-room as fresh as a naiad, having first abstracted from thetool-box of the glazier two tiny chisels of different sizes, and asmall lump of putty, which I secreted, on my first opportunity, in myfavorite hiding-place--a hollow in the post of my bedstead--anaccidental discovery of mine, made during Mrs. Clayton's first illness, since which I had always insisted on making up my own bed, much to herrelief. 

My conscience so disturbed me on the score of this theft, that Ihastened to secrete my only remaining piece of gold in the glazier'sbox; ill-judged, as this appeared to me on reflection. The boy was anapprentice, evidently, and might else, I thought, at the time, have beenthe loser. I feared to add a line, and dared not seek a passing wordwith him, so carefully was I watched. 

I next examined, with the eye of scientific scrutiny, two massive rulersthat lay on my table, one made of maple-wood, and the other of ebony, and, having selected the first as most available for my purpose, prepared to commence the most arduous undertaking of my life--thecareful shaping of a wooden key. 

I had read somewhere that, during the French Revolution, a youngpeasant-girl, by means of such an instrument, had set at large herlover, or her brother, in _La Vendee_; having taken with soft wax theoutline of the wards of the lock, in a moment of opportunity. 

That day my work began--three times a failure, but at last successful. With the aid of putty, gradually allowed to harden I obtained the mouldI desired, in the dead of night, and afterward, whenever privacy, evenfor a few minutes, was mine, I drew from my bosom my sacred piece ofsculpture, and worked upon it with knife and chisel alternately, asdevotee never worked on sculptured crucifix. Never shall I forget therapture, the ecstasy of that moment, in which, ensconced between mybed-head and the wall, I slowly turned the key, first thoroughly soakedin oil, in the morticed wards, and knew, by the slight giving of thedoor, that it was unlocked. 

Not Ali Baba, when be entered the robbers' cave, and saw the heaps ofgold--all his by the force of one magic word; not Aladdin, when thegenius of the lamp rose to his bidding, bearing salvers of jewels, whichwere to purchase for him the hand of the sultan's daughter; not Sindbad, when he saw the light which led him to the aperture of egress from thesepulchre in which he had been pent up with his wife's body to die--knewkeener or more triumphant sensations than filled my bosom as I laid thatcompleted key next my heart, after turning it cautiously backward andforward in my prison-lock!

I dared not, at that time, draw back the bolt above, that confined itloosely yet securely, or turn the silver knob sufficiently to set iteven ever so little ajar; but I did both later, when oil had time to doits subtle work, and I could effect my experiment in silence. Yet Ihazarded nothing of the sort when the quick ear of Mrs. Clayton heldwatch in the adjoining room. I was obliged to take advantage of thosemoments of rare absence, when, double-locking the doors of her chamber, both inner and outer, she would descend, for a few minutes, to therealms below, returning so suddenly and silently as almost to surpriseme, on one or two occasions, at my work. 

About the time of the completion of my experiment, I became aware ofsounds in the room beneath my chamber, and sometimes on the greatstairway (of which I now knew the largest platform was situated verynear the head of my bed), that gave token of occupancy. 

The rattling of china and silver might be discerned in the ancientdining-room, at morn and night. The occupant probably dined elsewhere, but the regularity of these meals was unmistakable. 

I recognized, faintly, the step of Bainrothe on the stairway, distinguishing it readily from any other, as it passed and repassed myhidden door. 

October had now set in, with a chilliness unusual to that bland season, and I asked for and obtained permission to have a fire kindled in thewide and gloomy grate of my chamber, hitherto unused by me. 

About this household flame, Ernie, Mrs. Clayton, and I gatheredharmoniously; she with her unfailing work-basket, I with book or pencil, the baby with his blocks and dominoes and painted pictures--the onlyhappy and truly industrious spirit of the group. My true work wasdone--else might it never have been completed. 

The presence of fire was indispensable to Mrs. Clayton, and, from thetime of its first lighting, she left me but seldom alone. Her rheumaticlimbs needed the solace that I had no heart to grudge her, distastefulas she was to me, and becoming more so day by day--false as I now knewher to be--false at heart. 

How hatred grows, when we once admit the germ--not, like love, parasitically--but strong, stanch, stern, alone throwing down freshroots, even hour by hour, like the banyan, monarch of the Easternforest. I am afraid I have a turn for this passion naturally, but forlove as well, ten times more intense--so that one pretty wellcounterbalances the other. 

To carry out the vine-simile, I might as well add at once that, in theend, the parasitical plant has triumphed, and stifled the sternergrowth. In other words, Christianity has conquered Judaism. 

"I suppose I may soon expect a visit from Mr. Bainrothe, " I said one dayto Mrs. Clayton. "I think my birthday approaches; can you tell me theday of the month? I know that of the week from remembering the Sabbathchimes. "

I thought she started slightly at this announcement, but she replied, unflinchingly:

"The 5th, yes, I am quite sure it is the 5th of the month. "

"Do you never see a newspaper, Mrs. Clayton, and, if so, can you notindulge me with a glimpse of one? I think it would do me good--remind methat I was alive, I have seen none since the account of Miss Lamarque'ssafety, for which God be praised. "[5]

"No, Miss Monfort, it is simply impossible. I should be transgressingthe rules of the establishment. "

"Dr. Englehart's, I suppose, as if indeed there were such a person, " Isaid, impetuously--unguardedly. 

"Do you pretend to doubt it?" she asked, slowly, setting her greedy eyesupon my face, and dropping her darning-work and shell upon her knee. Why, what possesses you to-day, Miss Miriam?"

"I shall answer no questions, Mrs. Clayton--this right, at least, Ireserve--but, the fact is, I doubt every thing lately, except thischild and God. I do not believe my Creator will forsake me utterly--Ishall not, till the end. " And tears rolled down my face, the first I hadshed for days. I had been petrified, of late, by the resolution I wasmaking, and the effort of mind it had cost me. I had felt, until now, that I was hardening into atone. 

"You desire to see Mr. Bainrothe, I suppose, " she remarked, after a longsilence, daring which she had again betaken herself to her occupation, without lifting her eyes as she asked the question. 

"I desire to look my fate in the face at once, and understand hisconditions, " I replied, sullenly. 

"But what if he is not here--what if Dr. Englehart--" lifting her eyesto mine. 

"I cannot be mistaken, " I interrupted, with impetuosity, "I have heardhis step; he eats in the room below; I am convinced, for I know of oldthat bronchial cough of his--the effect of gormandism--"

Then suddenly, Ernie, looking up, made a revelation, irrelevant, yet tomy ear terrible and astounding, but fortunately incomprehensible to mycompanion. What did that little vigilant creature ever fail to remark?

"Mirry make tea, " he said, or seemed to say, and my face paled andflushed alternately, until my brain swam. 

"Make tea?" sail the voice of Mrs. Clayton, apparently at a greatdistance. "No, I will make the tea, Ernie, as long as we stay together. Mirry does not know how to draw tea like an Englishwoman. "

Oh, fortunate misunderstanding! how great was the reaction itoccasioned! From an almost fainting condition I rallied to vivacity, and, for long, weary hours, sat pointing out pictures to the boy, to winhim to oblivion, and persuade him to silence. Singularly enough, butnot unusual with him, he never resumed the topic. I had taken pains tohide my work from his observing eyes; and how he knew it, unless he laysilently and watched me from his little bed, when I worked at early dawnin mine, I never could conjecture. A few days later Mrs. Claytonannounced to me that Mr. Bainrothe would call very shortly. 

It was early morning, I remember, when she laid before me the card of"Basil Bainrothe, " with its elaborate German characters, on which waswritten, in pencil, the addendum, "Will call at ten o'clock;" and, punctual as the hand to the hour, he knocked at the dressing-room doorat the appointed time, and was admitted. 

He entered with that light, jaunty step peculiar to him, and which Ihave consequently ever associated in others with impudence and guile. Hat and cane in the left hand, he entered; two fingers of the rightraised to his lips, by way of salutation (he clinched his glove in theremainder), to be offered to me later, and ignored completely, thenwaved carelessly, as if condoning the offense. 

He was quite a picture as he came in--a fashion-plate, and as such Icoolly regarded him--fresh, fair, and smiling, looking younger, ifpossible, than when we parted a year before, and handsome, as thatmuch-abused word goes, in his debonair, off-hand style of appearance. 

He was dressed with even more than his usual care and trimness (worepatent-leather boots, my aversion from that hour, for these were thefirst I had ever seen), and lavender-colored pantaloons, very tightlystrapped down over them; a glossy black coat and vest, and linen ofunimpeachable quality and whiteness; while a chain of fine Venetiangold held his watch, or eye-glass, or both, in suspension from his neck. Yet no beggar in rags ever appeared to me half so loathly as did thisspeckless dandy!

"You have come, " I said, grimly, as he settled his shirt-collar to speakto me, after formally depositing his hat and cane, and a roll of paperhe drew from his pocket, on the centre-table, and wiping his facecarefully with his cambric, musk-scented handkerchief, unspeakablyodious and unclean to my olfactories--"you have come at last; yet thegreatest wonder to me is, how you dare appear at all before me, " and Ilooked upon him right lionly, I believe. 

"You were always inclined to assume the offensive with me, Miriam. Yet Iconfess you have a little shadow of reason this time, or seem to have, and I am here to-day for purposes of explanation or compromise" (bowinggracefully), and he rubbed his palms together very gently andcomplacently, looking around as he did so for a chair, which perceiving, and drawing to the table so as to face me where I eat on the sofa, hedeposited himself upon, assuming at once his usual graceful pose. 

It was _fauteuil_, and he threw one arm over that of the chair, suffering his well-preserved white hand--always suggestive of poulticesto me--with its signet ring, to droop in front of it--a hand which hemoved up and down habitually, as he conversed, in a singularly soothingand mechanical fashion--his "pendulum" we used to call it in old times, Evelyn and I, when it was one of our chief resources for amusement tolaugh at "Cagliostro, " our _sobriquet_ for this _ci-devant jeune homme_, it may be remembered. 

"Let me premise, Miriam, " he began, "by congratulating you on yourimproved appearance"--another benign bow. "You were so burned andblackened by exposure, and so--in short, so very wild-looking when Ilast saw you, that I began to fear for the result; but perfect rest andretirement, and good nursing, have effected wonders. I have never seenyou so fair, so refined-looking, and yet so calm, as you are now(calmness, my child, is aristocratic--cultivate it!); even if a littlethin and delicate from confinement, yet perfectly healthy, I cannotdoubt, from what I see. Do assure me of your health, my dear girl. Youare as dumb to-day as Grey's celebrated prophetess. "

"All personal remarks as coming from you are offensive to me, Mr. Bainrothe, " I rejoined; "proceed to your business at once, whatever thatmay be--a truce to preamble and compliments. "

"You shall be obeyed, " he remarked, bowing low and derisively. "Yet, believe me, nothing but my care for your fair fame and my own have ledme to confine you in such narrow limits for a season which, I trust, isalmost over. As to my persecutions, which, I am told, you allege as areason for leaving your house and friends so precipitately, these areout of the question henceforth forever, I assure you"--with a wave ofthe velvet hand--"since I am privately married to a lady of rank andfortune, who will soon be openly proclaimed 'my wife, ' and who will befound, on close acquaintance, worthy of your friendship. "

While giving utterance to this tirade, Mr. Bainrothe was slowlyunwinding a string from around the roll of papers he had laid on thetable, and which he now proceeded to spread somewhat ostentatiouslybefore me, still mute and impassive to all his advances as I continuedto be. 

"There are several, " he said. "Your signature to each will be required, which, now that you are in your right mind again, and of age, will bebinding, as you know. My witnesses shall be called in when the timecomes. Dr. Englehart and Mrs. Clayton will suffice as proofs of thesesolemnities--these and others likely to occur. "

"Solemnities! Levities, mockeries rather!" I could not help rejoining. 

He felt the sarcasm. His florid cheek paled with anger, hisyellow-speckled eyes glowed with lurid fire, he compressed his lipsbitterly as he said:

"Marriage is usually considered a solemnity, Miss Monfort; and, let meassure you, it is only as a married woman I can conscientiously releaseyou from confinement. You have shown yourself too erratic to beintrusted in future with your own liberties. "

"Possibly, " I rejoined. "Yet I mean to have the selection, let me assureyou, in return, of the controller of my liberties--nay, have alreadyselected him, for aught you know!"

My cool audacity seemed for a moment to paralyze even his own. He pausedand surveyed me, as if in doubt of his own senses. 

"_Impayable_!" I heard him murmur, softly, and, turning to thebook-shelves, he left me for a time to master the contents of the threedocuments over which I was bending. 

I read them in order as they were numbered, and became more and moreindignant as their meaning opened upon my brain, and culminated at lastin a sharp, sudden exclamation of utter disdain. 

I started from my chair and approached him, paper in hand. I think fora few moments the idea of personal danger possessed him, and the visionof a concealed dirk or pistol swam before his eyes, which he shieldedwith his hand, while he placed a chair between us; and, truth to say, there was murder in my heart, and in my eyes as well, I suppose, even ifthe mistrust went no further. 

I could have obliterated him from the face of the earth at that momentas remorselessly as if he had been a viper in my path striking to stingme. Yet I advanced toward him with no demonstration or intentions ofthis kind, having the habits of lady-like breeding and usual innocenceof weapons, and ignorance of the use thereof as well, to restrain me. 

I forget. Close to my heart lay one of the sharp, shining chisels I hadtaken from the glazier in the bath-room. 

"What is it you object to, Miriam?" he asked, in faltering tones, as hishand fell and his glimmering eyes encountered mine. 

From that day I have believed the legend which tells that, when theRoman, helpless in his dungeon, thundered forth, "Slave! darest thoukill Caius Marius?" the armed minion of murder turned and fled, droppingthe knife he held, in his panic, at the feet of the man he came to slay. Almost such effect was for a time observable in Basil Bainrothe. 

It made me smile bitterly. "All, every thing, " I answered. "The wholerequisition, from first to last, is base, dastardly--crime-confessing, too--if seen with discriminating eyes. Why, if innocent of fraud towardme and mine, should you ask a formal acknowledgment on my part as toyour just administration of my affairs, and a recantation of all I havesaid to the contrary, both with regard to yourself and Evelyn Erle?Such are the contents of this first paper, the only one that I could, under any possible circumstances, be induced to sign as a compromisewith your villainy; for, not to gain my own life or liberty, will I everput hand to the others, infamous as they are on the very surface. "

"Miriam, this violence surprises me, is wholly unlooked for, andunnecessary, " he remarked, mildly. "From what Mrs. Clayton has told me, I had supposed that my disinterested care and assiduity with regard toyour condition were about to meet their reward in your rationalsubmission to the necessities of your case and mine. Resume your seat, Ientreat you, and let us calmly discuss a matter that seems to agitateyou so unduly. Perhaps I may be able to place it before you in a betterlight ere we have concluded our interview. You will sit down again, Miriam, will you not?"

"Oh, surely, if you are alarmed; but, really, I should suppose, withMrs. Clayton and Dr. Englehart no doubt in call, you need not be sotremulous. There, you are quite safe, I assure you, in your old place, with the table between us;" and I pointed derisively to _fauteuil_ hehad occupied so gracefully a few moments before, and into which he nowslowly subsided. 

"Contemptuous girl, " he broke forth at last, "you may yet live to regretthis behavior; so far, nothing has been denied you; no expense has beenspared for your comfort; in a tribunal of justice you could say this, nomore: 'My guardian, thinking me mad from his experiences of my conductand health, and regaining accidental possession of me at a time when, under a feigned name, I was thought to be drowned, deemed it best, before revealing my existence to the world, to try and restore me tosanity by private measures, rather than bring upon my malady the eyesof a mocking world. In doing this, he used all delicacy, all devotion, surrounding me with comforts, and many luxuries, and even humoring myinsane whim to have the companionship of a year-old child found with meon the raft under circumstances suspicious--if no more--'"

"Wretch!" I gasped, "dare only asperse me in thought, and"--the menacehung suspended on my tongue. What power had I to execute it, even ifuttered?

"As to my name, I feigned none. It was my mother's, is my own, and fromher I inherited, or, from the race of which she sprang, the power toremember and avenge my wrongs; to hate, and curse--and blast, perhaps, as well--such as you and yours, granted to his chosen children throughthe power of Almighty God!" And again I rose and confronted him; thenfiercely pointed down upon his ignoble head, now bowed involuntarily, either from policy or nervous terror, I never knew, a finger quiveringand keen with scorn and rage, an index of the mind that directed it. 

"I wonder you are not afraid to behave to me in this manner, " he said, at length, lifting his head with a spasmodic jerk, and raising to minehis mottled, angry eyes, now cold and hard as pebbles, "seeing that youare, so to speak, in the hollow of my hand;" and, suiting the action tothe word, he extended his long, spongy, right hand, and closed itcrushingly, as though it contained a worm, while he smiled andsneered--oh, such a sneer! it seemed to fill the room. 

"True, true--I am very helpless, " I said, sitting down with a suddenrevulsion of feeling, and, clasping my hands above my eyes, I weptaloud, adding, a moment later, as I indignantly wiped my tears: "Yes, ifthe worst betide there will only be one more martyr; and, what ismartyrdom, that any need shrink from it? The world is fall of it!"

"Nothing, if you are used to it, " he said, carelessly, "as the old womanremarked of the eels she was skinning alive; I suppose you know allabout it by this time. But come, you are rational again, now, and Idon't wish to be hard on you, Miriam; I don't, upon my soul!"

"Your soul!" I murmured--"your soul!" I reiterated louder; and I smiledat the idea that suggested itself--"have reptiles souls?"

"The memory of your father alone, my old, confiding friend, one of themost perfect of men, as I always thought him, would incline me kindly tohis daughter, even if no other tie existed between us, " he said calmly, unmindful of my sarcasm. "But other ties do exist, mistaken girl! Theworld looks upon us as one family--since the marriage of Claude andEvelyn, that uncongenial union which, but for your caprice, would neverhave taken place, and which is at the root of all our misfortunes, allour fatal necessities. "

"Necessities!" I muttered, between my clinched teeth, drumming with myfingers impatiently on the table before me, and smiling scornfully amoment later. 

"You seem in a mood for iteration, to-day, Miss Monfort. "

"I make my running commentaries in that way, Mr. Bainrothe. But a truceto recrimination and reminiscence both. Let us adhere strictly to theletter and verse of our affairs. These papers form the subject of yourvisit, I believe. Know, at once, that the first I will sign, on certainconditions, bitter and humiliating as I feel it to be obliged to dothis; but, that I will ever consent to yield the guardianship of mysister wholly to Evelyn Erle and her husband, or divest myself of myhouse and furniture, or my wild lands in Georgia, to you, here firstnamed to me, in consideration of expenses already incurred and to beincurred for Mabel's education, and my own safe-keeping, during a longattack of lunacy; or that I will, to crown the whole iniquitousrequisition, consent to give my hand in marriage to that scoundrel--LukeGregory!--are visions as vain as those of the child who tried to grasp acomet or the moon--or, to descend in comparison, to catch a bird byputting salt on its tail! There, you have my ultimatum; now go and makethe best of it!"

"I am prepared for your objections--prepared, too, to overcome them, " hesaid, coolly. "Take time to consider all this. I do not expect an answerto-day, did not when I came, nor will I accept one signature without thewhole. There is no compromise possible. As to your marriage--it must beaccomplished before you leave this room. I, as a magistrate, can tie theknot--fast enough to bind all the other agreements to certainfulfillments, for Gregory is a friend of mine, and a man of honor, andwill see them carried out to the letter. He loves you, too, and provesit, for he takes you penniless. Afterward a priest may complete theceremony if you have any scruples. Then, of course, it rests between youand Gregory, whether you remain together or separate as wide as thepoles--I shall wash my hands of the whole affair thereafter, havingsecured my good name and yours. "

I stood with bowed head and moving lips before him--mutely, indignantly. 

"I shall, however, make all this, " he continued, "appear as well aspossible to your friends and mine, especially, believe me, Miriam! Ishall state, for your sake, that, after being rescued from the raft, youwere partially insane, but still sufficiently mistress of yourself tocoincide with me and your sisters in the wish to let your death as MissHarz pass current with the world, until you should redeem your errors"(what errors?), "and be restored to health and perfect reason. You willsee that your acknowledgment of the last paper includes theseextenuating facts, when you have leisure to re-read it (for I saw howhastily you glanced over that one in particular); you must do me thefavor to peruse it much more carefully, " drawing on his gloves coolly, "before you make your final decision. You are very comfortable here, mydear girl, " glancing around benignly, "but you have no conception of theframe of mind, bare walls, utter solitude, a tireless hearth and afrugal table, would bring about in a very few days or weeks, or even inone as resolute and defiant as yourself. I should be loath to try suchan experiment _or deprive you, of your child_--but _necessitas non habetlegem_, the school-book says. I think you, too, studied a little Latin, Miriam?"

"Monster!"

"Not a very relevant or polite remark, I must confess. By-the-by, Miriam, as you stand before me with your well-poised figure--yourblazing eyes--your quivering nostrils--your curling, compressedlip--your heaving chest (always a splendid feature in your _physique_), your folded arms, and the color coming and going in your pale-olivecheek, in the old flame-like way I used to admire so much in yourgirlhood--you are a splendid creature, by Jove! I could find it in myheart to love you still--there, it is out at last--if it were not forMrs. Raymond--" glancing, as he spoke, in the direction of Mrs. Clayton, with a knowing smile. "It was your magnificent disdain that kindled thetorch before. Beware how you revive that fanaticism of mine!"

I turned for one moment with an involuntary feeling of appeal to Mrs. Clayton, but her cold, green eyes were quivering in accordance with thesmile that stretched her thin lips to a line of mocking mirth. Oneglimpse of sympathy would have carried me to her arms forrefuge--distasteful as she was to me in every way save one. She, likemyself, was a woman. But such perversion of all natural feelingestranged me from her irreconcilably and forever. 

I was alone; shame, humiliation, despair, possessed me; indignation, forthe insult I was forced to bear in her presence, filled my soul--I stoodwith my head cast down, tears raining on my bosom, my arms droppednervelessly beside me, my hands clinched, my whole frame trembling withexcitement. 

Slowly and one by one came those convulsive sobs--that rend and wrenchthe physical frame as earthquakes do the earth. Then rose the suddenresolve--born of volcanic impulse, irresistible to mind as is thelava-flood to matter, sweeping before it all obstructions of reason, habit, expediency. 

If it cost me my life I would avenge myself on this tiger, thirsting formy blood; I would anticipate him in his work of destruction, and thestrength of Samson seemed to permeate my frame. 

It was strange that at that moment of cold, impetuous energy I forgotthe steel I carried in my bosom, and thought only of the power I bore inmy own hands. I determined to strangle him with my strong, elasticfingers, of which I knew full well the powerful grasp. 

The consequences were as cobwebs in my estimate--compared to the ecstasyof such revenge--for all this flashed through my brain with the swiftvividness of lightning, and in less than thirty seconds after his lastremark this matter was matured. The woman prevailed over the lady. 

I raised my eyes slowly and dashed away my tears, preparatory to theonset. He was looking at me wonder-struck, and, perhaps, with somethinglike compunction in his face as I met his gaze. He must have read anexpression that appalled him in those dilated eyes of mine thatconfronted his, for, as I sprang toward him, he bounded backward andescaped through the door of Mrs. Clayton's chamber, which he shot afterhim with undignified alertness. I stood smiling, and strangely cold, leaning against the mantel-shelf, while my heart beat as though, itwould have leaped from my throat, and I could feel the pallor of my faceas chill as marble. 

Mrs. Clayton approached me, but I put her away with waving hands, "Go, wretch!" I said, "woman no more, you have unsexed yourself. Leave me inpeace--your touch is poisonous. "

She shrank away silently, and I stood for a while like one frozen; thencast myself down on a chair and gave way to bitter weeping. Theflood-gates were open, and the "waters" had indeed "come in over mysoul. " I had restrained my passionate inclinations until now, not onlyfrom a sense of personal dignity, but from a determination not to playinto the hands of my enemies and captors, and all the more from suchlong self-control was the revulsion potent and overwhelming. 

The consciousness that Ernie was at my knee at last aroused me from theindulgence of my grief, and I looked down to meet his corn passionateand inquiring eyes fixed upon me with a masterful expression I havenever seen in any other childish face. It thrilled me to the heart. 

"What Mirry cry for--is God mad with Mirry?" he asked at length. 

"It seems so, Ernie--yet oh, no, no! I cannot, will not believe in suchinjustice on the part of the Most High!" I pursued in sad soliloquy, with folded hands, and shaking head, and musing eyes fixed on the firebefore me: "My God will not forsake me!"

"Did the bad man hurt Mirry?" he asked, leaning with both arms on my lapand putting up his hand to touch my face. 

"Yes, very cruelly, Ernie. "

"Big giant will come and kill him, and fayways put him in the river, andthe old wolf wat eat Red Riding Hood eat him, and then the devil willroast him for his dinner. "

I could but smile, albeit through my tears, at the climax of thesethreats which seemed to delight and stir the inmost soul of Ernie. Hiseyes flashed, his cheek crimsoned, his wide red mouth curled withdisdainful ire, disclosing the small, pointed pearls within; he seemedtransfigured. 

"And Ernie! what will Ernie do for Mirry?" I asked, as I watched theworkings of his expressive face. "Will Ernie let the wicked man killMirry?"

He looked at his small hands and arms, then extended them wistfully. 

"Ernie will tell good Jesus, " he said, "and he will make Ernie growbig--ever so big--to tie the man and put him in a bag like Clayton'scat. "

The burlesque was irresistible, and none the less so that the child wasso direfully in earnest. To his infant imagination no worse disasterthan had befallen Clayton's cat could be devised. This animal, adored byhim, had been bagged and exiled, perhaps drowned for aught I know, forstealing cheese from the cupboard sacred to Clayton, by that vengefulpotentate, to the despair of Ernie. The idolized kittens, too, which hadfollowed her, had disappeared with their mother, and days of infantmelancholy ensued, during which the canaries before referred to werebrought as substitutes. The faithful heart still clung to its felinepassion, it was evident, though for weeks the memory of that hapless cathad been ignored and its name unmentioned. 

I believe, after my momentary wrath was over, I should have been contentwith the punishment suggested by the child, as sufficient even for BasilBainrothe. 

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 5: The raft on which Miss Lamarque and her family had foundrefuge had been swept by the tempest of nearly every soul that clung toit, after a terrible night of storm and rain, during which thatcourageous lady--that Sybarite of society--sustained the fainting soulsof her companions by singing the grand anthems of her Church, in a voiceloud, clear, and sweet as that of a dying swan. One child was saved ofthe nine little ones, and the brother and sister remained almost aloneon the raft. Let it be here mentioned that, at no period of hersubsequent life, a long and apparently prosperous one, could MissLamarque bear to hear the circumstances of the wreck alluded to. Mr. Dunmore and his companions found a watery grave. ]

CHAPTER IX. 

A nervous headache, that confined me to my bed for several days, succeeded the degrading and exciting scene through which I had passed, and, as Mrs. Clayton had at the same time one of her prostratingneuralgic attacks, the services of Dinah were in active requisition. During my own peculiar phase of suffering, the small racket of Ernie, unnoticed in hours of health, grated painfully on my ear, and I caughteagerly at the proposition of the negress to take him down-stairs for awalk and hours of play in the sunshine, privileges he did not very oftenobtain in these latter days. 

I was much the better for having lain silently for a time, when hereturned with his hands filled with flowers, his lips smelling ofpeppermint-drops, and his eyes, always his finest feature, dancing withdelight. 

He had seen Ady, he told me, with eagerness, and she had kissed him, andtied a string of beads about his neck--red ones--which he displayed; and"Ady had a comb in her head, and her toof was broke"--touching one ofhis own front teeth lightly, so that I knew he was not pointing out anydeficiency in the afore-mentioned comb. From this description, vague asit was, I identified Ada Greene as the person intended to be described;for I too had observed the imperfection he made a point of--a brokentooth, impairing the beauty of otherwise faultless ones. 

"And who gave you the flowers, Ernie?" I asked, receiving them from hisgenerous hands as I spoke, and raising the white roses to my nostrils toinhale their delicate breath, "Did Ady give you these?"

"No--Angy!" he answered, solemnly. 

"Tell me about Angy, Ernie--had she wings?"

"No wings! Poor Angy could not fly. She was walking in the garden withAdam and Eve, with their clothes on, " he said, earnestly. 

"Mr. And Mrs. Claude Bainrothe, no doubt, " I thought, smiling at thestrange mixture of the real and the ideal--the plates of the old Bibleevidently supplied the latter, from which many of his impressions werederived--and the practical pair in question the former, quietlyperambulating together. 

But "Angy!" Could I doubt for one moment to whom he applied thatcelestial title? The face of one of the angels in the transfigurationdid, indeed, resemble Mabel's. I had often remarked and pondered overit. 

"Tell me about Angy, Ernie, " I entreated. "O Heaven! to think her handshave touched these flowers--her sweet face bent above him! Darling, darling! to be divided and yet so near! It breaks my heart!" and tearsflowed freely while he tried to describe the vision that had soimpressed him, in his earnest way. 

"Poor Angy got no wings, " he began again; "bu hair, and bu eyes, and budress"--every thing he admired was blue--"and she kissed Ernie and gavehim peppermint-drops. Then Adam and Eve laughed just so"--grinningwonderfully--"and said, 'Go home, bad, ugly child, with a back on!' ThenAngy pulled flowers and gave Ernie!"

"It is only the little gal next door--I means de young lady ob de'stabishment, wut de poor, foolish, humped-shouldered baby talkingabout, " Dinah explained. "He calls her 'Angy, ' I s'pose, 'cause she's sopurty like; and you tells him 'bout dem hebbenly kine of people, so desay, mos' ebbery night. Does you think dar is such tings, sure enough, Mirry?"

"Certainly, Dinah--the Bible tells us so; but what is the name of thepretty little girl of whom you speak? Tell me, if you know"--and I laidmy hand upon her arm and whispered this inquiry, waiting impatiently fora confirmation of my almost certainty. For, that my darling _was_Ernie's Angy, I could not doubt, and the thought moved me to tremulousemotion. 

"Dar, now! you is going to hab one ob dem bad turns agin--I sees it inyour eyes. You see, " dropping her voice for a moment, "I darsn't dar tospeak out plain and 'bove-board heah, as if I was at home in Georgy!Ehbery ting is wat dey calls a 'mist'ry hereabouts; an' I has binnotified not to tell ob no secret doins ob deirn to any airthly creeter, onless I wants to be smacked into jail an' guv up to my wrong owners. Myown folks went down on de 'Scewsko;' an' I means to wait till I see howdat 'state's gwine to be settled up afore I pursents myself as 'mong delive ones. We is all published as dead, you sees, honey, an' it would beno lie to preach our funeral, or eben put up our foot-board. He--he--he!I wonder wat my ole man 'll say ef he ebber sees me comin' back agin wida bag full ob money? I guess it 'll skeer de ole creeter out ob a year'sgrowfe; but dis is de trufe! Ef Miss Polly Allen gits de 'state (she wasmy mistis's born full-sifter, an' a mity fine ole maid, I tells you, chile!), wy, den Sabra 'll he found to be no ghose; fur it's easier tolib wid good wite folks Souf dan Norf. We hab our own housen dar, an'pigs, an' poultry, an' taturs, an' a heap besides, an' time to come an'go, an' doctors won we's sick, an' our own preachin', an' de banjo an'bones to dance by, an' de best ob funeral 'casions an' weddin's bofe, an' no cole wedder, an' nuffin to do but set by de light wood-fiah, an'smoke a pipe wen we gits past work; an' we chooses our own time to layby--some sooner, some later, 'cordin' as de jints holes out. But here itis work--work--work--all de time; good pay, but no holiday, no yams, nopossum-meat, an' mity mean colored siety!"

"But what has all this to do with the name of the little girl next door?Whisper that, and tell me the rest afterward. "

"But, if Master Jack Dillard gits de 'state, " she proceeded, as thoughshe had not heard my eager question, "wy, den Sabra Smif am as dead as adoor-nail from dis time to de day ob judgment, an' de ole man 'll haveto git anoder 'fectionate companion, I'se mity sorry for de poor olesoul, but I a'n't gwine to put myself in Jack Dillard's claws, not ef Iknows myself. He's one ob dem young wite sort wat lubs de card-table, an' don't 'scriminate atween ole an' young folks. You see, he's mymasta's nevy--for de ole folks had no chillun but Miss May Jane, an'she's bin dead dis fifteen yeer; and bofe her chilluns dun follered herto de grabe, so dere is only Miss Polly Ann lef, and--"

Here Mrs. Clayton groaned audibly, and, calling Dinah to her aid, brokeup the _tête-à-tête_, if such might justly have been called ourinterview. It was not very long, however, before Dinah returned to mybedside, by Mrs. Clayton's directions, to offer to comb out my hair, which was tangled beyond my skill to thread in my prostrate condition. Yet, to make an effort so far as to rise and have this done, I knewwould be of benefit to me. 

We were sitting by the toilet, while the process of untangling mymassive length of locks was going on, and the upper drawer thereof washalf open, thus affording me a glimpse of its contents. Among these wasmy silent watch with its chain of gold, its pencil and seal attached. Iwore it usually (though useless now in its silent condition--themainspring was broken) from habit and for safe keeping, but had laid itthere when I staggered to my bed, ill and weak after my terribleinterview with Mr. Bainrothe. 

It caught the eye of Dinah and stirred her master-passion, avarice, andshe began to question me, I soon saw, with a view of getting it in herown possession. The selfishness of the old negress had struck me on theraft as something rare even in one of her shallow race, and myconviction of her cowardice and coldness prevented me from takingadvantage of her cupidity, as I might have done otherwise. 

She was fully capable, I felt convinced, of accepting my watch as abribe, and failing afterward to come up to her bargain. Yet, dear as itwas to me from association of ideas, I should not have weighed it aninstant against the merest probability of escape. I knew if I could gainan hour upon my pursuers, I should be safe in the house of Dr. Pemberton, or even in that of Dr. Craig, another friend of my father's. I was comparatively at home anywhere in the city of my nativity, acquainted as I was with its streets and people, and I fully determined, when I found Sabra's avarice excited, to offer her as a reward thisgolden treasure, should she first place me in circumstances to gain myfreedom. 

"Dey calls you pore, honey, " she said softly, "but wen I sees dat brightgole watch and chain I knows better. Now I reckon dey would bring enoughbright silver dollars at a juglar's shop ty buy my ole man twice overagin! He is but porely, and our chilluns is all dead and gone, anyway, all but one, way down in New Orleans, an' ef I could git his free papershe might come here and jine his wife in freedom, even if Massa JackDillard did heir masta's estate. How much would dat watch and chain beworth, honey?"

"Two or three hundred dollars, I suppose, I don't know exactly; butcertainly enough to buy your old man at Southerners' value set upon agednegroes; but whether it be or not--"

An apparition, of which I fortunately caught the reflection in the glassbefore me, cut short the promise that hovered on my lips. It was that ofMrs. Clayton, in her bed-gown and swathed in flannel, peering, peeping, listening at the door of her chamber, as unlovely a vision, certainly, as ever broke up an _entretien_ or dissolved a delusion. 

I maintained my self-possession, though my agitation was extreme (thecrisis had seemed so favorable!), while she limped forward and accostedme civilly, with a demand as peremptory as a highwayman's for my watchand chain, of which I took no notice. 

"I should be doing you great injustice in your condition, " she added, coolly, "to let you sell your watch, even to benefit Dinah and her oldman, benevolent as is your motive; so I must take possession of it, orsend for Dr. Englehart to do so, whichever you prefer. "

"The watch is there, " I said, rising haughtily, with my still unadjustedhair falling about me. "It was my father's and is precious to me farbeyond its intrinsic value; and I shall hold you accountable for it someday. Take it at once, though, rather than recall the person before mewith whose presence you menace me. Keep it yourself, however; I wouldrather deal with you than the others, false as you have shown yourselfto every promise. "

"I wish you would be reasonable, " she said, "and do what your friendsask of you. This confinement is wearing us both out; it will be thedeath of me, and you will be to blame. "

"The sooner the better, " I rejoined, heartlessly. 

"Ah, Miss Monfort, you have no better friend than I am, perhaps, but youare ungrateful. "

"I hope not; but some things of late have shaken, I confess, what littlefaith I had in you; this confiscation of my property is one of them. "

"You know why this is done; I need not explain, but I shall trust youfearlessly in Dinah's society in future. I believe you have no othertreasure to bribe her with, " and, smiling in her sardonic way, sheturned and limped to her bedroom, which it had cost her so great aneffort to leave. Her groans and moans during the remainder of theevening were piteous, and Dinah could do nothing to comfort her. Asudden determination possessed me. My own system recuperated rapidly, and after a nervous headache I was always conscious of renewed vitalpower and of keener sensations. I would try the experiment oncemore--hazarded under circumstances so different that it made metremulous but to think of the vast abyss between my _now_ and then--andessay to magnetize Mrs. Clayton. 

She could not sleep naturally, and she feared evidently to avail herselfof opiates, lest in her heavy slumber, perhaps, I should escape. In hernormal condition this seemed impossible, for she slept habitually aslightly as a cat, or bird upon its perch, yet lying, and with her keybeneath her head (never dreaming of other outlet) she felt at ease. Ihad already learned that since her illness there were additionalprecautions taken to insure my safety, and, as she had alleged, her ownfidelity. 

The Dragon was watched in turn by a Cerberus--no other than thelong-trusted colored coachman of Basil Bainrothe, of whom mention hasbeen made far back in these pages. 

Thus secure and secured, Mrs. Clayton might have surrendered herself toslumber with all serenity, one would suppose, had it not absolutelyrefused to visit her eyelids, and the suggestion of an opiate, on mypart, was received for some reason in dumb derision. 

I went to her at last, and said: "Mrs. Clayton, I hear you groaninggrievously, and I fancy I could relieve you. The laying on of hands is asort of gift of mine; let me try by such means to ease your pain. "

"Thank you, Miss Monfort, " very dryly, "you are very kind, indeed, but Idon't think you can relieve me. I have excruciating neuralgia in myeyebones and temples, and my hands are cramped again. Dinah has been, rubbing, without bettering them, for the last half hour. "

"Let me try, " and, without farther parley, I sat down to myself-appointed, loathed, and detested task, first quietly dismissingDinah to the next room, where Ernie was eating his supper, and I knewwould soon be wanting to be put to bed. We changed places for a time, and it was not long before Mrs. Clayton pronounced the pain, in her eyes"almost gone. " The experiment was a desperate one, and I bore to it allthe powers of my organization--mental and physical--and had thesatisfaction in less than an hour to see her sleeping profoundly. Shehad been failing fast under her painful vigils, and I knew that a fewhours of refreshing sleep would be worth to her more than all the drugsin the Pharmacopoeia. Now came the test which was to make this slumberworth nothing or every thing to me. If she could be awakened from itwithout my coincidence, it would prove, perhaps, only a snare to myfeet, but if her waking depended on my will, then might I indeed hope tobaffle my Dragon, and, as far as she was concerned, make sure of myescape. I willed then earnestly that she should sleep until twelveo'clock; and at ten, when Dinah became impatient to retire, I gave herpermission, in order to gain egress to try and arouse Mrs. Clayton. 

In consequence of this immurement of our servant, I had remainedsupperless--beyond the crusts of bread left by Ernie and some cold teain Mrs. Clayton's teapot, of which I partook with an appetite born ofexhaustion. Those who have undertaken this "laying on of hands, " for thepurpose of soothing pain, will comprehend what the succeeding sensationof nerveless prostration is--those only--and give me their sympathy. 

From her errand to arouse our sleeper in quest of the key, of courseDinah returned disconsolate. Greatly to my satisfaction, she stated thatit was "out ob de question to try to git her eyes open. Why honey, " shepursued, "ef I didn't know what a steady-goin' Christian creetur shewas, I mout suppose she had bin 'bibin' of whisky or peach-brandy--dat'sde sleepiest stuff goin', chile; but I does believe she has the fallin'fits, caze, even wen I pulled open one corner of her eyes, dey wasrolled clean back in her head. Mebbe she's dyin', chile, an' ef sheis--but no!" she muttered, "dat ole creetur down-stairs nebber leavesdem back-doors opun one minute, you had better believe, even ef hehappens to turn his back a spell, an' it would be no use tryin' to gitout ob de 'stablishment dat way, but I knows whar she keeps her key, an'I kin go to bed myself if you say so, an' you kin lock de do' inside, an' lay de key back undernefe her pillow: you see dar's a bolt outside, too, honey, an' I means to draw dat after me, as ole Caleb always doesob nights wen he goes to bed. "

Chuckling low at the manifest disappointment in my face, shedisappeared, to return almost instantly. 

"I thought she must be possumin', " she said, "but I know she is as fas'asleep now as de bar' in de hollow ob a tree in cole wedder, for shemade no 'sistance like wen I grabbed de key from undernefe her head, an'here it is, chile, an' ef you wants to try your 'speriment you kin, butI spec you'd better wait a spell, " and she looked cunningly at me;"dere's traps everywhar in dese woods!"

It occurred to me as well that Mrs. Clayton might be feigning slumber, having penetrated my design of lulling and soothing her fitful spirit torest; and feeling, as I did, an utter want of confidence in Sabra, notonly as free agent but as watched attendant, I determined as far as inme lay to disarm suspicion by duplicity. So I lifted up my voice intestimony of deceit, and declared my weariness of bondage to be suchthat I had determined to embrace Mr. Bainrothe's conditions, and that ina few days I should be free again without assistance. 

"So take the key, Dinah, " I said, after observing it closely, andperceiving that it was several sizes larger than that I had made, asclumsy as that was, and, therefore, could be of no use to me. "Letyourself out, and bolt the door behind you, and Mrs. Clayton shall seethat I will take no mean advantage of her slumbers. "

This arrangement having been carried with speedy effect, I returned tomy own chamber after a close scrutiny of Mrs. Clayton's condition, andemployed myself at, once in running my penknife around the doorconcealed by my bed-head, and thus loosening the paper, pasted on cottoncloth, that covered it, from that of the wall, with which it wasconnected so intimately as to make the whole surface within the chamberseem to form one partition. 

Long before this I had cut that which surrounded the lock, so that itlay like a flap over it, fastened down lightly, however, with gum-arabic(part of Ernie's draught for a catarrh), so as to baffle slightinspection. My heart beat wildly as, after having effected thispreliminary step, I cautiously unlocked the door, which, for aught Iknew, might be, like that of Mrs. Clayton's closet, bolted without, soas to frustrate all my efforts. It opened outwardly, and could have beenreadily so secured. 

In the great providence of God, it was not bolted. I sank on my knees, weak and prayerful, I remember, as the door swung slightly back, revealing the platform beyond, and the short stair that led from it upto the second story. The hinges creaked a little, and these I hastenedto oil; then closing and relocking the door softly, I crept (withoutpushing my bedstead back again the few inches I had wheeled it forward)to look once more upon the sleeping face of Mrs. Clayton. 

It was still calm and unconscious. Ernie, too, slumbered peacefully. Every thing seemed propitious to my purpose. I threw on hastily thefamous, flimsy black silk and mantle that had been prepared for me onshipboard, tied a dark veil over my head, and, with no otherprecaution, went forth, as I hoped, to freedom. 

My heart seemed to suspend its action as, cautiously unlocking andopening the door, I stepped forth on the platform. It will be rememberedthat I knew the topography of the lower part of the house of oldthoroughly. 

I had been entertained there with my father more than once, when, asheiress of my mother's great estate, I had commanded the reverence of myhosts, and the situation of parlors, study, and dining-room, wasperfectly familiar to me. 

It was what in those days was called a single house, though aspacious-enough mansion; that is, all the rooms, with one exception, were placed either on the same side of the wide hall of entrance, orbehind it in the ell. The study alone formed a small lateral projectionon the other hand. The door of this apartment opened at the foot of thatstair, on the tipper platform of which I now stood trembling, weighingmy fate by a hair. I had left the door ajar through which I had creptquietly, so that, in case of failure, I might have a chance of retreatbefore discovery should be made. It was well, perhaps, that I did so onthis occasion, for otherwise I should scarcely have had nerve enough toavoid the sure and speedy detection which must have followed theslightest delay or noise made in returning. 

I lingered to reconnoitre some minutes on the platform before I venturedto commence the wary descent of the broad, carpeted stairway. I hadconvinced myself that the second story was empty, though a lighted lampswung in the upper entry, as well as in that below, throwing a flood ofradiance on the scene with which I would fain have dispensed. 

I heard the sound of voices from the closed parlors, and saw reposing onthe rack before me several hats and canes, indicative of visitors. Fromthe study, however, there fortunately came no murmur, and I found thatit was dark. The front-door stood invitingly open; I could see theopposite lamp-post without, and I had made up my mind to dart on anddownward, and reach at a bound the pavement, when the door of the firstparlor was suddenly thrown back, and left so, by a servant coming outwith a tray of wines and fruits which he had been evidently handing, andI had just time to shrink into shadow, favored in my wish forconcealment by the black dress and veil I wore, when a once familiarform appeared in the door-way of the front hall, which I recognized at aglance as that of Gregory. Closing the door firmly after him, heprepared to divest himself of hat and cape in the hall, without a lookin my direction. After the completion of which process he entered theparlor by the nearest door, setting that also wide open as he did so, with some exclamation about the heat of the apartment, which seemed tomeet with acquiescence from the powers within. 

I caught a panoramic view of that interior before I fled swiftly, noiselessly, hopelessly, back to my cage again, having lost my onlychance of escape by that fatal delay of five minutes on the platform. Ishould have been out and away on the wings of the wind ere Gregoryentered the inclosure before the house, had I not hesitated. Yet, afterall, perhaps, I miscalculated. What if I had met him face to face--beenseized and dragged back again to captivity! Perchance it was better asit was. Time would develop and determine this; but, in the interval, howwoeful was my disappointment!

I had time to get to bed again, and in some degree recover mycomposure; indeed, I had been in bed an hour when the clock in thedining-room beneath me, which, since the evident occupancy of thatlong-deserted hall, had been wound and put in running order, strucktwelve, with its deep-mouthed, melodramatic tones, and at the verymoment I heard sounds indicative of the resurrection of the mesmericsleeper. 

She was evidently startled in some way on finding herself awake again, or perhaps from having fallen so soundly asleep in hands like mine, forshe called aloud first for "Dinah, " then, repeatedly, on "Miriam, " bothwithout effect. In a few moments after these appeals had died away shecame in person, as I knew she would, to reconnoitre. 

The bedstead had been pushed carefully and noiselessly back again on itsgrooved castors against the door, from the lock of which the wooden keyhad been removed, rewashed in oil, and hidden away in that hollowaperture in the bedstead, which formed a perfect box, by the skillfulreadjustment of one loosened compartment of the veneering of the massivepost. 

She shook me slightly, and I rose in my bed with a start and shudder, admirably simulated, I fancied, and which completely deceived herevidently. "I am sorry to have startled you so, " she said, hurriedly, "but where is Dinah, Miss Monfort, and how did she get out?"

"I really cannot inform you where she is, " I answered, petulantly. "Iscarcely think it was worth while to disturb me for the sake of askingme a question you must have known, my inability to answer. "

"But how did she get out, Miss Harz?"

"By means of the key under your head, which you will find in the lock, no doubt, where it was left. She promised me, insolently enough, tobolt the door outside to prevent egress, and I, to prevent ingress, locked it within. "

"So she assured you we were both prisoners by night, did she? Well, I amglad you have proof at last of what I told you. "

"I have no proof; but, as I have made up my mind to come to terms ofsome kind very soon, I thought it useless to investigate. Do you feelbetter for my laying on of hands? You seem refreshed. "

"Yes, greatly better; a good sleep was what I needed, and I fell into adoze while you were beside the bed, I believe. I have heard of magnetismbefore as a means of relief for pain; now I am convinced of itsefficacy. "

"Magnetism! You don't think it amounts to that, do you? You flatter me;"and I laughed. 

"I do, indeed, and I am sure I am much obliged to you, Miss Monfort;though, for that matter, you can never say, even when you come to yourown again--which you will now do shortly--that I have not beenconsiderate and attentive to you while in confinement. "

"You need not be afraid of any complaint as far as you are concerned. Ithink I comprehend you and your motives by this time. Let there be peacebetween us from this hour. " And I extended my hand to her, which, veryunexpectedly to me, she seized and kissed--a proceeding deprecatedloathingly. "I assure you, " I added, laughingly, "I would rather evenmarry Englehart than continue here. "

"Then you will marry Mr. Gregory?"

"I do not know--either that or die, I suppose--whichever God pleases. Iam weary of being a prisoner--weary of you, of every thing about me. Allthat I cared for is lost to me, and I might as well surrender, Isuppose; not at discretion, however!"

She turned from me silently, and sought her couch again; but I feltinstinctively that she slept no more; and so we lay, silently watchingone another, until morning. I dared not renew my efforts to escape, atall events, in the night-time, when I knew the house was locked, andwatched without, as well as within--for this was the old habit of thesquare. 

One--two--three--four o'clock came, and passed, and were reported by thedeep-tongued clock in the room beneath me, before I slept, and then Idreamed a vision so vivid, that I wakened from it excited--exhausted--asthough its frightful figments had been stern realities. 

I thought that the noble dog Ossian came to me again and laid thedouble-footed key upon my lap, as he had done at Beauseincourt--stainingmy white dress with blood, not mud, this time, and that Colonel La Vignestruck it furiously to the floor, and handed me instead the wooden one Ihad carved, with the words of the proverb:

"The opportunity lost is like the arrow sped: it comes no more. Yourwooden key will fail you next time, as it has failed you this, and youwill be baffled--baffled--as you tried to baffle me! Miriam, unseen Ipursue you!"

Then he laughed horribly, and faded in the gray dawn, to which I awoke, covered with cold dew, and trembling in every limb. Had he been there, indeed, in spiritual presence? Was it his hand that had left that handabout my brow--that surging in my brain--that weight upon my heart? OGod! had I indeed become the sport of fiends? At last I wept, and in mytears found sullen comfort. The image so often caviled at as false in_Hamlet_ came to me then as the readiest interpretation of what Isuffered, and thus proved its own fidelity and truth. "A sea of sorrow"did indeed seem to roll above me, against which I felt the vanity of"taking arms. "

My destruction was decreed, and I had nothing to do but suffer andsubmit!

All the persecution I had sustained since my father's death, at thehands of Evelyn and Basil Bainrothe--all my wrongs, beginning at theheart-betrayal of Claude, and ending with the immurement I was sufferingnow at the hands of his father--all my strange life at Beauseincourt, with its episode of horror, its one reality of perfect happiness toofair to last, its singular revelations, its warm and deep attachments, my fearful and nightmare-like experience on the burning ship, the levelraft, with the green waves curling above it, the rescue, the snare intowhich I had inevitably fallen, the Inquisition-walls closing aroundme--all were there in one vivid and overwhelming mental summary!

I think if ever madness came near me in my life, it came that night, socrushing, so terrific was this weight which, Sysiphus like, memory wasrolling to the summit of the present moment, to fall back again by thepower of its own weight to the valley below--the valley of despair--anddestroy all that it encountered or found beneath it. Yet, by the timethe sun was up, my eyes were sealed again in slumber. 

Before I close this chapter, it will be as well to describe the tableauI had caught sight of through the open parlor door when I tempted myfate and failed. 

Standing close in the shadow, so that, even if directed toward meunconsciously, the glance of those within, I knew, could not penetratethe mystery of my presence, I scanned with a sad derision the scenebefore me. With a glance I received the impression that it requiredmoments to convey in narrative. 

On the hearth-rug, with his back to the fire, his legs apart, hiscoat-skirts parted behind him, stood Basil Bainrothe, monarch of all hesurveyed, with extended hand, evidently demonstrating some axiom to thetwo visitors ensconced on the sofa near him, who, with the exception oftheir booted feet, and the straps of their pantaloons, were beyond myangle of vision. On the opposite side of the chimney from theseinscrutable guests sat two ladies, elaborately dressed and rouged, inwhom I recognized at a glance Evelyn Erie and Mrs. Raymond. Just beforeI vanished, Claude Bainrothe, courteous in manner and elegant inexterior, approached them from the other parlor, in time to witness the_entrée_ of Gregory, to which I have referred, and to salute himcordially. That these were all confederated I could not doubt, andprepared to aid each other. How could I know that one pair of thoseevident feet belonged to the invisible body of a man who was one of thefew whom I could have called to my defense from the ends of the earth, had choice of champions been afforded me? It was not until longafterward that I ascertained beyond a doubt that Major Favraud hadformed one of that company on the occasion of my fatal failure. Had Idreamed of his presence, I should fearlessly have entered the parlor, and thrown myself on his brotherly protection, secure of his bestefforts to rescue me, even though his own heart's blood had been thesacrifice. 

Alas! should I ever find another dart like that, never to be recalled, to launch in the right direction, and fix quivering in the eye of thetarget?--God alone could know. 

CHAPTER X. 

After the one hopeful excitement of my prison-life, my spirit droopeddeplorably for a season, and all occupation became distasteful to me. Mydiary even was abandoned, the writing of which had so well assisted tofill my time, and, although destroyed daily, to impress upon my memory afaithful and sequent record of the monotonous hours, else rememberedmerely as a homogeneous whole. Had it not been for poor Ernie and hisrequirements, I should have sunk under this fresh phase of suffering, Iam convinced. My health, too, was giving way. My strength, my energywere falling. I kept my bed, as I had never been willing to do before ifable to arise from it, until noon sometimes, for want of nervousimpulse, and my food was tasteless and innutritious, even when I forcedmyself to eat a portion of what was placed regularly before me. Itseemed to me that, long ere this, Wardour Wentworth must haveascertained my fate, and the thought that he might be passive when myvery soul was at stake, thrilled me with agony unspeakable. 

This mood endured so long that even Mrs. Clayton grew alarmed. Sheinsisted on Dr. Englehart again, and, when I shook my head drearily forall reply, begged that I would permit her to state my case to Mrs. Raymond, who might in turn see some able physician about me and procureremedies. 

To this, at last, I consented. 

The consequence was what I had hoped it might be: Mrs. Raymond came inperson, and I had at last the opportunity I had long desired of seeingher alone. If thoughtless, if unrefined according to my views of goodbreeding, she was still young, and vivacious, and perhaps kind-hearted;besides this, sufficiently well pleased with herself to be generous toone who could no longer be her rival. 

Her approach was heralded by a note from Mr. Bainrothe, full of hischaracteristic, guileful sophistry and cool impertinence. It ran asfollows (I still possess this billet with others of his inditing--alongwith a snake's rattle):

 "Miriam: I am glad to hear through Mrs. Clayton that reaction has occurred, and that you manifest repentance for your recent violence toward one who always means you well. A little jesting on the part of your guardian, my dear girl, should meet with a very different reception, and handsome women must submit to compliments with a good grace, or run the risk of being called prudes or viragos. Not that I mean to apply either term to you by any means. Your father's daughter could not be other than a lady, even if she tried, but I must confess your manners have deteriorated somewhat since you went into voluntary banishment among those outlandish people. I have heard no very good account of this old La Vigne who died in debt, it seems, and left his children beggars. I have some curiosity to know whether he paid your salary. 'Straws show, ' you know, etc. 

 "It is now October; by the end of this month I hope you will have made up that stubborn mind of yours (truly indomitable, as I often say to Evelyn) to leave seclusion, and enter your family once more in the only way you can do so respectably after what has occurred--as a married woman. 

 "You remember the French song which I was always fond of humming, 'Où est on si bien qu'au sein de sa famille?' How appropriate it seems to your condition!

 "You will be surprised to hear that your step-mother's brother has appeared on the tapis, and that he has had the audacity to propose to adopt Mabel, whom he claims as his niece. 

 "He seems a gentlemanly person enough, but may be an impostor for aught I know. The young lady he was engaged to, Gregory tells me, perished in the Kosciusko, which proves a relief, after all, as it is rumored he has a wife in Europe. But such gossip can hardly interest you very vividly. The man has gone to California, and will probably return no more. 

 "Did you, or did you not, meet this person at Colonel La Vigne's? Favraud hinted something of the kind when he was here; but I can get no satisfaction from Gregory. 

 "They all believe you were drowned in Georgia, and I thought it best for the present not to undeceive Favraud, who laments your fate. 

 "The surprise will be all the more pleasant; and, of course, every thing will be explained to the satisfaction of friends when you appear publicly as the wife of Luke Gregory--'long secretly married!' You see, it will be necessary to go back a little to save appearances, on account of Ernie!"

 The miscreant! I understood him now--oh, my God, for strength to tear his cowardly heart from his truculent body! But no; let there be no further unavailing anger. In God's good time all should recoil on his own head. For the present, I must bear, and make myself insensible; if possible; and yet, I would not willingly have had the living greenness of my spirit turned to stone, as we are told branches are in some strange, foreign rivers--crystal-cold!

 Another extract, the closing one, and then forever away with Basil Bainrothe and his flimsy letters:

 "Again, I must congratulate you on the subdued and humbled temper you manifest. Claude, and Evelyn, and I, had just been discussing a plan for removing you to another asylum, where stricter discipline and less luxurious externals are employed to conquer the otherwise unmanageable inmates. Dr. Englehart, you know, holds up the theory of indulgence to his patients, and I am rejoiced to find his measures have at last prevailed over your frenzy. Mabel, like your other friends, believes you dead, and is at home with Evelyn and Claude, and is growing in beauty and intelligence every day. 

 "She was quite shocked at her uncle's wild behavior, and positively refused to go with him, is fond of Mr. Gregory, and remembers you with affection. 

 "Owing to my knowledge of your condition for the last year, my dear child, I don't blame you for any thing that is past, not even for those delusions with regard to my own acts and intentions which formed your mania, nor for the misfortune and sense of shame which, no doubt, caused your hasty flight, and whose evidences you brought with you from the raft, in the shape of a nearly year-old child. 

 "I remain, faithfully yours, "B. B. "

The shameful accusations which brought the blood to my brow ought tohave been easier to bear than all the rest, because so easily confuted, and because I knew not really believed; but they were not. The very ideaof shame humiliated me more than positive ill-treatment could have done;and, spotless though I knew myself to be (as others knew me too--all Iloved and cared for), still my purity was shocked by such injustice. 

I felt like one who had gone out to walk in fresh attire, and beenmud-pelted by rude urchins, so that the outward robes, at least, weresoiled, and a sense of degradation and uncleanness became theconsequence in spite of reason. But, after all, the dress could beeasily changed when opportunity should occur, and all be made cleanagain, and the mud-pelting forgotten or overlooked, and the urchinspunished or dismissed in scorn. 

Surely, God would not much longer permit this fiend to subjugate me. HadI not suffered sufficiently? Alas! who but our Creator can judge of ourdeserts, or measure our power to bear?

In my adversity and lonely trouble I had drawn near to Him and hisblessed Son--our Mediator, and example, and only strength. Dear as wasstill the memory of that earthly love, the only real passion I had everknown, could ever know, it came no longer to my spirit as a substitutefor religion. I had learned to separate my worship of God from my fealtyto man, yet was this last not weakened, but strengthened, by suchdiscrimination. 

If only for the gift of grace it brought to we, let me bless my sadcaptivity!

CHAPTER XI. 

The dreary days rolled on; the health of Mrs. Clayton declined sorapidly that a small stove was found necessary to the comfort of hercontracted bedroom, which freed me from the unpleasant necessity of heractual presence. The stocking-basket was set aside, the gingerbread nutswere neglected, and the noise of constant crunching, as of bones, cameno more from my dragon's den; nor yet the smell of Stilton cheese andporter, wherewith she had so frequently regaled herself and nauseated mebetween-meals, and in the night-season. I used to call her a chroniceater--a symptom, I believe, of the worst sort of dyspepsia, as well astoo often its occasion. 

I prefer, myself, the Indian notion of eating, seldom, and enough at atime. After all, is there any despot equal to the stomach and itsrequisitions? What an injustice it seems to all the rest of the organs, the royal brain especially, that this selfish, sensual sybarite shouldexact tribute, and even enforce concession, whenever denied itscustomary demands!

There are human beings, the poor of the earth, as we know, who passtheir whole lives, merge their immortal souls in ministering to itsabsolute necessities, who go cold, ill-clad, and ignorant, to keep offthe pangs of hunger; who sacrifice pride and affection at its miserablealtar. There are others, fewer in number, it is true, but scarcely lessto be pitied, who exceed this enforced servility in the most abjectfashion of voluntary adulation; who flatter, persuade, and bring richtribute to this smiling Moloch, only waiting his own time to turn uponand destroy his idolaters. For the pampered stomach, like all otherspoiled potentates, is treacherous and ungrateful beyond belief. 

Yet the philosophers tell us man's necessity for food lies at the rootof civilization, and that the desire for a sufficiency and variety ofaliment alone keeps up our energies! I cannot think so; I believe it isthe stone about our necks that drags us down, and is intended to do so, and which keeps us truly from being "but a little lower than theangels. "

"Revenons à nos moutons!"

The good-hearted vulgarian, who, whatever she was, and howeverdetestable the part she was playing, was at least possessed of womanlysympathy, came frequently to see me during those weary days. Herengagement to Mr. Bainrothe was never by her acknowledged, or by mealluded to, and she seemed to have taken up the impression in some waythat I was the victim of an unfortunate attachment to that subtleperson, which had degenerated into a morbid and causeless hatred on mypart, leading to mania. 

Had she stated this conviction plainly, I might have been tempted toundeceive her; as it was, I suffered the error to continue, knowing thatno condition of belief would influence her half so kindly toward me. Women as a class have a sincere friendship for those who have undergoneslighting treatment at the hands of their lovers and husbands; and weall know what a common trick of trade it is with men who have beenunsuccessful in their attempts to gain a woman's affections, or worse, in their evil designs on her honor, to give out such mendaciousimpressions!

Yet, to the end of time, the vanity and credulity of women will leadthem to lend credence to such statements, rather than look mattersfirmly in the face, with the eyes of common-sense and experience. I, forone, am a very skeptic on this subject of manly dislike growing out offemale susceptibility, and usually take the conservative view of thequestion. 

During one of these condescending visits of the "Lady Anastasia, " whoseposition toward Bainrothe I perfectly comprehended, through theinadvertence, it may be remembered, of Mrs. Clayton, I ventured to askher whether she had met with her betrothed, as she had expected to do onlanding at New York, and when her marriage was to take place. 

"Whenever you come out of this retirement, dear; not before. You see Ihave set my heart on 'aving you for my bridesmaid, with your friends'permission. "

"Then Mr. Bainrothe has concluded to annul the condition of my marriagebefore leaving the asylum. "

"Oh, I had forgotten about that! Well, we will have the ceremonyperformed together, if you prefer; down in Dr. Englehart'sdrawing-rooms. "

"You reside here, then?" I questioned; "you are at home in this house, whosesoever it may be?"

"Oh, no, you quite misunderstand me. I am staying with friends, and Mr. Bainrothe is over at home with his son and daughter-in-law "--with ajerk of her head in the right direction--"in the other city, I mean; Iam such a stranger I forget names sometimes. This, you know, is solelyDr. Englehart's establishment. "

"I suppose that gentleman is absent, as I have not seen him lately, " Icontinued. 

"He has been absent, but has just returned. He speaks of calling, Ibelieve, very soon, to see you on the part of Mr. Gregory. How happy youare to inspire such a passion in the heart of that splendid man!"--andshe rolled her eyes, and drew up her square, flat shouldersexpressively. "Do tell me where you knew him, and all about it; I amsure he is much more suitable to you, in age and intellect, than--than--even Mr. Bainrothe. "

"There is no question of him now, " I responded, gravely, purposelymisunderstanding her; "he has been married some time to my step-sister, Evelyn Erie, and, I suppose, with many of my other friends, believes medead!"

"Oh, no, I assure you, " she rejoined, with some confusion, "it is amistake altogether. Both Mr. And Mrs. Claude Bainrothe are perfectlyaware of your seclusion, and he, especially, recommended and contrivedit. "

"There _was_ contrivance, then; you admit that!" I said, impressively. 

At this juncture a feeble voice from the adjoining room was heardcalling aloud, and I listened to it, uplifted as it was, evidently, intones of remonstrance and reproof, for some moments afterward--the LadyAnastasia having hastened, with dutiful alacrity, to the bedside of her_soi-disant_ servant. 

I became aware, after this visit, that Mrs. Raymond had become my jaileras well as her mother's. She came regularly at supper-time thereafter tosuperintend Dinah's arrangements, to give Mrs. Clayton hernight-draught, which did not assuage her direful vigilance oneparticle, but rather seemed to infuse new powers of wakefulness in thoseever-watchful eyes, until sunrise, when, protected by the knowledge thatothers besides herself were on the watch, she permitted sleep to takepossession of her senses. 

I earnestly believe that no one ever so effectually controlled thepredisposition to slumber as did this woman. 

After locking us up regularly for the night, the "Lady Anastasia"withdrew, followed by Dinah; and I would hear, later, sounds offestivity, in which her well-known laugh was blended, in the dining-roombelow, where, with Bainrothe and his friends, she held wassail, frequently, until after midnight. The groans of Mrs. Clayton would thencommence, and, with little intermission, last until morning's light. 

Yet it was something to be rid of Mrs. Raymond's surveillance duringthose very hours I had selected for my second effort to escape. Thismust be hazarded, I knew, between eight and ten o'clock of the evening, during which time I had reason to suppose the house-door remainedunlocked. The risk of encountering some one in the hall below--for therewas constant passing and repassing of footsteps during thosehours--constituted my chief danger; but, at all hazards, the experimentmust then, if at all, be made. 

October was fast drifting away, and I knew that at its close my coursewould be decided for me, should I not anticipate such despotism bysetting it at naught, in the only possible way--that of flying from thescene of my oppression. 

How to do this, and when, became the one problem of my existence; and itwas well for me that Mrs. Clayton was too great a sufferer to noticebeyond my external safety, or she might have seen clear indications ofsome strange change at work, stamped upon my features. 

My unsettled intentions were suddenly brought to a crisis by thecontents of a letter handed to me, as usual, in the shadows of theevening, by the long-absent Dr. Englehart, who came in person, inaccordance with Mrs. Raymond's announcement (arriving, as it chanced, while Mrs. Clayton slumbered), to deliver it. 

Gregory wrote a large, clear hand, not difficult to decipher, even bythe dim light of a moonlight lamp; and, while Dr. Englehart stoodregarding me in the shadow, anxiously enough, I perceived, to keep meentirely on my guard, I perused, with mingled derision and terror, thistruly characteristic epistle. My running commentaries, as Iread--entirely _sotto voce_, of course, for one does not care to rousethe wrath of a tiger on the crouch, by flinging pebbles in thejungle--may give some idea of the impression it made upon me, and theemotions it excited. 

 * * * * *

"Beloved Miriam" (insolent cur!)--"for by this tender title I ampermitted to address you at last" (by whom?)--"I cannot flatter myselfthat, in concurring with the wishes of your friends, you return myfervent passion" (you are mistaken there; I do return it with the sealunbroken); "but will you not suffer me to hope that the deep, disinterested devotion of mouths may undo the past, and dissolve thosebitter prejudices which I feet well aware were instilled into your heartby one of the coldest and most time serving of men" (of course, hope isfree to all; it is no longer kept in a box, as in the days of Pandora)?"When I assure you that Wentworth, with a perfect knowledge of yourpresent situation, has repudiated the past, you will more perfectlyunderstand my reference" (I will believe this when he tells me so, notbefore; your assertion simply reassures me). "It is not, however, toplace my own devotion in contrast with his perfidy, that I now addressyou" (Nature drew the contrast, fortunately for him, without yourassistance), "but to beseech you, for your own sake, to let nothing turnyou from your recently-formed resolution" (I don't intend to let anything turn me, if I can help it, this time!). "It remains with you tolive a free and happy life, adored and indulged by one who would givehis heart's blood to serve you" (a poor gift, I take it), "or pass yourwhole existence in the cell of a lunatic, cut off from every being whocould care for or protect you. " (Great Heavens! what can the wretchmean?) "Should you refuse to become my wife, and affix your signature tothe papers in your possession, I have reason to know that Bainrothedesigns to make, or rather continue, you dead, and imprison you in alonely house on the sea-coast, which he owns, where others of hisvictims have before now lived and died unknown!" (Very melodramatic, truly; but I don't believe Cagliostro would dare to do it. ) "To convinceyou of the truth of my allegations, Dr. Englehart is instructed to placein your hands a note recently intercepted by me from thatarch-conspirator to his son, which please return to him, my truestfriend" (direst enemy, you mean), "along with this letter, as I send youboth documents at my own peril, and dare not leave them in your hands"(how magnanimous!); and here I dropped the letter on the table, andextended my hand mutely to Dr. Englehart for the note, which was readyfor me, in the hollow of his pudgy palm. 

It did, indeed, most clearly confirm the statement, true or false, ofthe ubiquitous Gregory. Returning it to the physician _pro tem. _, I thencontinued the perusal of this singular love-letter to the end, in whichthe lawyer and knave predominated in spite of Eros! Yet there was foodfor consideration here, and extremest terror. 

"How long before this ultimatum is proposed to me, which Mr. Gregoryseemed to anticipate, and with which you, no doubt, are acquainted?" Iasked, coldly, after consideration. 

"Ten days will close up de whole transaction, as I understand, " was theno less cool reply, made in those husky, inimitable tones, peculiar tothe man of petty pills. 

"Ten days! It would seem a short time wherein to get up a reasonabletrousseau, even!"

"True--true! but nosing of dat kind is necessaire under desecircumstances--only your mos' gracious and graceful consent!" He spokeeagerly, with bowed head and clasped hands, standing mutely before mewhen he had concluded. 

"If Mr. Gregory loved me truly, he would not limit me thus, " I hazarded. "He would give me time to learn to return his affection, as I must tryto do, and to forget the past! He would not strike hands with mypersecutors, but insist on my liberation--or obtain it, as he couldreadily do, without their coöperation, through you, Dr. Englehart, whoseem to be his friend and ally, and who have already run such risks forhis sake in bringing me these two dangerous letters, " and as I spoke Ipushed them across the table, to be gathered up and concealed withwell-affected eagerness. 

How perfectly he played his part, and how cunningly Bainrothe hadcontrived to convey to me his menace--real, or assumed for effect, Icould not tell which, for my judgment spoke one language, my cowardiceanother! Yet, I confess, that the panic was complete, though I concealedit from the enemy. 

"Women usually, at least romantic and incredulous women like me, demandsome proof of a lover's devotion, " I resumed, as coolly as I could, "before yielding him their faith and fealty; but Mr. Gregory has givenme no evidence so far of the sincerity of his passion; I confess I findit difficult, under the circumstances, to believe in its existence. "

He drew near to me, bent eagerly above me, then again concealed himself, as it was wise for him to do, in shadow; and I could hear his hissingbreath, as it passed between his closed teeth--like that of a rousedserpent. The impulse of the man came near betraying him, but he ralliedand refrained from an exposure, as he would have supposed it, that musthave been fatal to his success as a lover, even if it confirmed hispower of possession. 

His tones, low and deep, were unmistakably those of suppressed passionwhen he spoke again, and he had almost dropped his accent, sowonderfully assumed. 

"When shall he come to you, and speak for himself? Let me take to himsome word of encouragement from your lips--for de love of whom--helanguishes--he dies! All other passions of his life have proved likecobwebs, compared to this--avarice, ambition, revenge, all yield beforeit! He is your slave! Do not trample on a fervent heart, thus laid atyour feet! Have mercy on this unfortunate!"

"Strange language from a captor to a captive--mocking language, that Ifind unendurable! Let Mr. Gregory remain where he is until the extremelimit of the interval granted me by Basil Bainrothe--as breathing-spacebefore execution; and before hope expires in thick darkness--then lethim come and take what he will find of the victim of so much perfidy!"

"You do not--you cannot--meditate personal violence, self-murder?" Hespoke in a voice of agony, that could scarcely be restrained frombreaking into its natural tones. 

"No--no--do not flatter yourselves that I could be driven by you--by_any_ one to such God-offending, " I hastened to say, for I felt theimportance of keeping this barrier of disguise, of ice, between Gregoryand myself as a means of safety for a season, and determined that heshould not transcend it, if I could prevent an _exposé_, such as hisexcited feelings made imminent. "My hopes are dead--say this to Mr. Gregory--and I have reason to believe I should fare as well in his handsas in any other's, knowing him--as I know him to be--" and I hesitatedhere for a moment--"gentle, compassionate, faithful, where his feelingsare fairly enlisted. "

"He thanks you, through my lips, most lovely lady, for dis great proofof consideration; dis message, --which I shall truthfully deliver, willfill his heart with joy, long a stranger to his breast, for he hasfeared your hatred. "

"Now go, Dr. Englehart, and let no one come to me without previouswarning, for I need all my strength to bear me up in this emergency. Norwould I meet Mr. Gregory without due preparation--even of apparel, " andI glanced at my dress of spotted lawn, faded and unseasonable as itseemed in the autumn weather. "I know his fastidiousness on thissubject, and from this time it ought to, it must be my study to try toplease him. "

Why was not the fate of Ananias or Sapphira mine after that falseutterance? Why did I triumph in the strength of guile that desperationgave me, rather than sink abashed and penitent beneath it? And this wasthe woman who had once lectured on duplicity and expediency, and deemedherself above them!

Bitter and nauseous as was this bowl to me, I drank it without agrimace; so much depended on the measure of deceit--hope, love, honor, life itself perhaps--for my terrors whispered that even such warnings asthose Gregory had given were not to be disregarded where there wasquestion of success or failure to Basil Bainrothe! But one alternativepresented itself--escape! Delay, I scarce could hope for, and, even ifgranted, how could it avail me in the end? Those words--"He will makeyou dead!" rang in my ears, and seemed written on the wall. Theyconfronted me everywhere. It was so easy to do this--easy to repeat whatthe papers had already told the world--so easy to confine me in amaniac's cell under an assumed name, and by the aid of my own gold, andsay, "She perished at sea!"

It would be to the interest of all who knew it, to preserve the secret, except the poor ship's captain, and he had been a dupe, and wouldscarcely recognize his folly, or, if he did, be the first to boast ofand publish it. Besides that, should the matter be inquired into, howeasy for Bainrothe to allege that my own family had sanctioned hiscourse to save my reputation! For innuendo was over on this disgracefulsubject. He had declared openly his base design. 

Years might elapse before the final exposition, years of utter ruin tomy prospects and my hopes. Wentworth might be married by that time, orindifferent, or dead; Ernie too old to make the matter of a year or twoof consequence in the carrying out of the nefarious scheme to sustainwhich it would be so easy to summon and suborn witnesses. 

All these possibilities represented themselves to me with frightfuldistinctness; my mind became imbued with them to the exclusion of allelse--of reason even, I was literally panic-stricken, and nothing butflight could satisfy my instinct, my impulse of self-preservation. Imust go, even if blown like a leaf before the gales of heaven; must fly, if even to certainty of destruction. I had felt this necessity oncebefore, be it remembered, but never so stringently, so morbidly as now. I was yielding under the agony, the anxiety incident to my condition; mynervous system, too severely taxed, was breaking down, and it wouldsuccumb entirely, unless relief came to me (of this I felt convinced), before another weary month should roll away. Had I been imprisoned for acertain term of years as an expiation for crimes, I think I could haveborne it better; but the injustice, the uncertainty of these proceedingswere more than I could sustain. 

I fell asleep, I remember, on the night of my interview withGregory--_alias_ Englehart--to dream confusedly of Baron Trenck and hisiron collar, and the Princess Amelia and her unmitigated grief, and itseemed to me that I was given to drink from a cup the poor prisoner hadcarved (as memoirs tell us he carved and sold many such), filled with asort of bitter wine, by the man in the iron mask--so vividly did Fancy, mixing her ingredients, typify the anguish of my waking moments, andreproduce its anxieties, in dreams of night that could not becontrolled. 

When I awoke in the morning it was to lie quietly, and listen to thedoleful voice of Sabra, for such had been Dinah's Congo name, upliftedin what site called a "speritual" as she cleaned the brass mountings ofthe grate and kindled its tardy fires. With very slight alteration andadjustment, this picturesque and dramatic Obi hymn is given in thisplace, just as I jotted it down in my diary, thus imprinting it on mymemory from her own dolphin-like lips and bellows-like lungs. Herforefathers, she informed me with considerable pride, had beensnake-worshipers, and she certainly inherited their tendency to treatthe worst enemy of mankind with respectful adoration. 

It served to divert my mind from its one fixed idea for a little time toarrange this singular hymn, which, together with those she had givenvoice to on the raft, proved her poetic powers. For Sabra assured methat this gift of sacred song had come to her one day when she waswashing her master's linen, and that she had felt it run cold streaksdown her back and through her brain, and that from that time she wasuplifted to sing "sperituals" by spells and seasons. This, her longestand most successful inspiration, I now lay before the reader:

 SABRA'S SPERITUAL. 

 We's on de road to Zion, We's on de paf' to Zion, But dar's a roarin' lion, For Satan stops de way. Oh! lef' us pass, ole Masta, Oh! lef' us pass, strong Masta, Oh! lef' us pass, rich Masta-- 'T am near de break ob day!

 We's on de road to Zion, We's on de paf' to Zion, But wid his red-hot iron He bars de hebbenly gate Oh! lef' us pass, ole Masta, Oh! lef' us pass, kin' Masta, Oh! lef' us pass, sweet Masta, For we is mighty late!

 Does you hear de rain a-fallin'? Does you hear de prophets callin'? Does you hear de cherubs squallin' Wat's settin' on de gate? Oh! lef' us pass, ole Masta, Oh! step dis side, kin' Masta, Unbar de do', dear Masta, We _dar_' no longer wait!

 Does you hear de win' a blowin'? Does you hear de chickens crowin'? Does you see da niggars hoein'? It am de break ob day! Oh! lef' us by, good Masta, Oh! stan' aside, ole Masta, Oh! light your lamp, sweet Sabiour, For we done los' our way!

 We'll gib you all our money. We'll fotch you yams and honey, We'll fill your pipe wid 'baccer, An' twiss your tail wid hay! We'll shod your hoofs wid copper, We'll knob your horns wid silber, We'll cook you rice and gopher, Ef you will clar de way!

 He's gwine away, my bredderin, He's stepped aside, my sisterin, He's clared de track, my chillun, Now make do trumpets bray! We tanks you kindly, Masta, We gibs you tanks, ole Masta, You is a buckra Masta, Whateber white folks say!

CHAPTER XII. 

During these last days of my captivity, Mrs. Clayton was truly a piteoussight to see--swathed in flannel and helpless as an infant, yet stillperversely vigilant as she had been in her hours of health, anddetermined on the subject of opiates as before. I sometimes think shefeared to place herself wholly in my hands, as she must have been underthe influence of a powerful anodyne, and that, in spite of herprofessions of confidence, and even affection, she feared me as her foe. God knows that, had it been to save my own life, I would not have harmedone hair of her viperish head, as flat on top as if the stone of theIndian had been bound upon its crown from babyhood, yet full of brainsto bursting around the base of the skull. 

It was necessary for Dinah to be in constant attendance on my Argus, andeven to feed her, so helpless were her hands, with the mucilages whichnow formed her principal diet, by the order of some celebratedphysician, who wrote his prescriptions without seeing his patient, afterthe form of the ancients, sending them daily through the hands of Mrs. Raymond. Still those vigilant green eyes never faltered in their task, and lying where--with the door opened between our chambers (as shetyrannically required it to be most of the time) she could command aview of almost every act of my life--I found her scrutiny moreunendurable than when she had at least feigned to be absorbed with herstocking-basket. Ernie's noise, too, disturbed her, and I was obliged tokeep him constantly amused, for fear that her wrath might culminate ineternal banishment. 

The days slid on--November had passed through that exquisite phase ofexistence (which almost redeems it from the reproach cast upon itthrough all time, of being _par excellence the_ gloomy month of theyear), the sweet and balmy influences of which had reached us, eventhrough the walls of our prison-house, in the shape of smoky sunshine, and balmy, odorous, and lingering blossoms, and was now asserting itstraditional character with much angry bluster of sleet, and storm, andcutting wind. It was Herod lamenting his Marianne slain by his own hand, and making others suffer the consequences of his regretted cruelty, hisremorseful anguish. It was the fierce Viking making wild wail over hisdead Oriana. 

No more to come until another year had done its work of resurrection anddecay, the lovely Indian Summer slumbered under her mound of witheredflowers and heaps of gorgeous leaves, unheeding all, or unconscious ofthe grief of her stern bridegroom. 

Cold and bitter and bleak howled the November blast, and ruthlesslydrove the fleet against the shivering panes, exposed without, thoughshielded within by Venetian folding shutters, on that gray morning, whena passing whisper from most unlovely and altogether unfaithful lipsnerved me paradoxically to sudden resolution. 

False as I knew old Dinah to be--almost on principle--still, I could notdisregard the possible truth of her passing warning, given in brokenwhisper first as she poured out my tea and afterward prepared my bath. 

"Honey, don't you touch no tea nor coffee dis evening after Dinah goesoat ob here an' de bolt am fetched home; jus' make 'tence to drene itdown, like, but don't swaller one mortal drop, for dey is gwine to giveyou a dose of laudamy"--nodding sagaciously and peering into the teapotas she interpolated aloud; "sure enough, it is full ob grounds, honey!(I heerd 'um say dat wid my own two blessed yers), for de purpose ofmovin' you soun' asleep up to dat bell-tower (belfry, b'leves dey callit sometimes)--he! he! he! next door, in dat big house, war de res' on'em libs, de little angel gal too. You see, honey, der was an ossifer tosarve a process writ about somebody here dis mornin', but dar wassomething wrong about it, so dey all said, an' he is comin' to sarch dehouse for you, I spec', to-morrow; for de hue an' cry is out somehow--ormebbe it's me--he! he! he! (very faintly) an' dey is gwine to move you, so dey says, to keep all dark, after you gets soun' asleep. But deossifer is 'bleeged to wait till mornin' (court-time, as I heerd 'emsay) comes roun' agin to git de _haby-corpy_ fixed up right, an' dat'ahow he spounded hisself. Wat does dat mean, honey?"

"I can scarcely make you understand now, Dinah" (aside). "Don't askme--just go on, low, very low; how did you hear all this?" (Aloud) "Morecream, Dinah. "

"Wid my ear to de key-hole, in de study, war dey axed de osaifer. My'spicions was roused by de words he 'dressed to me wen I opened de frontdo', for, you see, dat ole nigger watch-dog ob dern, dat has nebber agood word for nobody, was gone to market, an' Madame Raymond she hel' dewatch, an' she sont me from de kitchen to mine de front-do' bell. 

"'Old dame, ' says the ossifer (for so dey calls him), as pleasant as amornin' in May, 'has you a young gal locked up here as you knows ob? Nowtell what you choose, and don't be afraid of dese folks. Dis is a freecountry for bofe black and white. '

"Den I answered him straightforward like de trufe: 'Dar's nobody in dehouse heah but wat you kin see for axin' for 'em, as far as I knows on. Wat young gal do you 'lude to, masta?--Bridget Maloney, I spose, datIrish heifer wat does de chambers ebery mornin' and goes home obebenin's, Ef you means her, she's off to church to-day, an' sleeps ather mammy's house. '

"'Does you feel willin' to swar to de trufe of your insertion, oledame?' he disclaims. 'I shall resist on dat'--fierce as a buck-rabbit, holdin' up his right hand, an' blinkin' his little 'cute eyes. 

"Sartin an' sure I does when de right time is come, ' I sez. 'Jes' takeme to de court-hous' ef you doubt Dinah's word compunctionable. I neberhab bin in dat place yit since I was sold in Georgy on de block befo' dehigh, wooden steps; but I knows it in more solemn to lie dar dan inMethody meetin'-house. '

"Den Mr. Bainrofe he cum out, hearin' de talk, in dat long-tailed, satin-flowered gownd ob his'n, wid a silk rope tied roun' his waist, an'gole tossels hangin' in front, jes' like a Catholic Roman or a king, an'he sez, 'Walk in here, my fren, an' don't tamper wid my servants--datain't gentlem'ly;' den he puts his han' on de ossifer's shoulder, an'dey walked in together, an' I listened at de do', in duty boun', an' Iheerd him say, ' Plant a guard if you choose--do wateber you like--but, till dat writ am rectified, you can't sarch through my house, for aman's house is his castle here, as in de Great Britain, till de lawreaches out a long arm an' a strong arm. ' Dat was wat Mr. Bainrofespounded to de ossifer, an' he 'peared fused-like an' flustertied, for Ipeeped fru de key-hole at 'em wen dey wus talkin'. ' An, ' sez he, 'disheah paper does want de secon' seal, sure enough, since I 'xamine it, wat you is so 'tickiler 'bout; but dat can easily be reconstructified, an' I'll be sartin sure to be here airly to-morrow morning. In de meanwhile, my man, McDermot, shall keep de house in his eye, an' mus' hab deliberty of lodgment. '

"Den Mr. Bainrofe he say, 'Oh, sartinly--your man, McDermot, am welcometo his bite an' sup, an' all he kin fine out'--an' he laughed, an' deyparted, mighty pleasant-like, and den he called Mrs. Raymun' and Mass'Gregory, an' I listened again. Dat's our colored way for reformation, child. An' I heerd 'em--"

"Dinah! Dinah! what are you muttering about--don't you hear Mrs. Raymondknocking? Miss Monfort must be tired out of your nonsense. What keepsyou there so long?"

"I'se spounding another speritual to Miss Miramy, an', wen I gits 'gagedin dat way, I disregards airthly knockin'. I'se listenin' to de angelshammerin' overhead, an' Mrs. Raymun' will hab to wait a spell--he! he!he!"

"Oh, go at once, Dinah, and open the door for Mrs. Raymond. I can writeyour song down just as well another time, " I remonstrated, taking up andlaying down my note-book as I spoke, so as to display my ostensibleoccupation to the peering eyes of Mrs. Clayton (now sitting bolt uprightin her bed, looking like a Chinese bonze), for the purpose of sweepingin my position definitively. 

"That will do, Dinah. Now go and get Miss Monfort's bath ready, " Iheard my dragoness say, after a short whispered communication from herearly visitor. It was the idea, probably, to remove me, as well asDinah, while the plot was being unfolded, and my bath-room, with itsclosed door, promised security from quick ears and eyes to the brace ofconspirators now plotting their final blow. 

Once in that belfry, and truly might the sense of Dante's famousinscription become my motto for life: "Here hope is left behind. "

I covered my eyes as I recalled that dreary, dreadful prison-house ofclock and bell, into which I had clambered once by means of a movablestep-ladder, rarely left there by the attendant, in order to rescue myfamished cat, shut up there by accident. I recollected the maddened lookof the creature, as it flew by me like a flash, frightened out of itswits, Mrs. Austin had said, by the clicking of the machinery of the hugeclock, and the chiming of the responsive bell. Both were silent now, andthere was room enough for a prisoner's cot in that lonely and dismantledturret as there once had been for a telescope and its rest, used forastronomical purposes at long intervals by my father and a few of hisscientific friends, but finally dismantled and put aside forever. 

I could imagine myself a denizen, at the will of Bainrothe, of thatweird, gray belfry, shut up with that silent clock, in company with abed, a chair, and table, denied, perchance, even the comfort of a stove, for fear the flue might utter smoke, and, with it, that kind ofrevelation, said proverbially to accompany such manifestations; deniedbooks, even writing-materials, the sight of a human face, and furnishedwith food merely sufficing in quantity and quality to keep soul and bodytogether!

Could I resist this state of things? Could I sustain it and retain myreason? No, I felt that the picture my fancy drew, if realized, wouldmake me abject and submissive, change me to a cowardly, cringing slave. I was not made of the right stuff for martyrdom, only for battle, forresistance, and would put forth my last powers in the effort to savemyself from the unendurable trials before me, even if destruction werethe consequence. A pistol-ball in my brain would he preferable to what Isaw awaiting me, should Bainrothe succeed in his stratagem, as I doubtednot he would do, if determined on it. I should know freedom in its truesense never again, if that night were suffered to pass without itsredemption, if that belfry once were entered. 

As carelessly as I could I followed Dinah to the bath-room, ostensiblyto direct the temperature of the water, but really to draw out from herall that was possible while the mood of communication possessed her, onthe subject so vital to me and my welfare. Life and death almost wereinvolved in her revelations, and I hastened to wind in the clew while itlingered in my hand; for I knew that she was an eccentric as well as aselfish creature, and might suddenly see fit to withdraw or snap itsthread. 

"Now, tell me about McDermot, Dinah, what sort of a look has he? Is helarge or small, light or dark, and does he smoke a pipe?"

"He is a great big man, honey, wid red har an' sort ob chaney-blue eyes;mos while, sometimes he rolls em up in his head, an' he smells mightystrong of whisky. I tells you all; his bref mos knocked me down, but Ididn't see no pipe?"

A discouraging account, truly; yet I persevered. It seemed my only hopeto enlist this man on my side, either through his sympathies or sense ofduty. I had no power to command his services on the side of his avarice. The ring on my finger, the pledge of Wentworth's troth, a massivecirclet of chased gold, was all that remained to me in the shape ofvaluables. I did not possess a stiver in that prison, nor own even theclothes on my back. 

"Could you not take him a message from me, Dinah? It is his duty, youknow, to assist me; it is on my account, doubtless, he is placed here;and hereafter I can reward him liberally, and you too. Just now, youknow, I am penniless. "

The woman stopped and looked at me, her small black irises mere points, set in extensive, muddy-looking whites, not unfrequently suffused andbloodshot. 

"I dun told the ossifer dar wus no one here you knows, answerin' to yourperscription. "

"But that was only a measure of safety for yourself; you surely do notmean to take sides with my persecutors?"

"I has nuffin at all to do wid it, at all, " hunching her back; "I hasgib you far warnin' 'bout de laudamy an' der retentions, an' you mus'fight it out yourself, chile! I is afraid to go one step furder; but dedebble sort o' tempted me dis mornin' to make a clean breast of derdoins. Ef you mentions it, do; I is retermined to reny ebbery word ofyour ramification, and in dis here country a nigger's word, dey tellsme, goes jus' as fur as a pore white gal's, if not furder; 'sides dat, Iis gwine to swar favorable for my 'ployers, in course, at decourt-house--unless"--hesitating and leering in my face--"you sees, honey, dey have not paid me yit--and mebbe dey won't, ef I displeases'em, an' your gole watch is gone; an' den, Dinah would be lef' on deshelf. "

"But I have other property, Dinah, other jewels, even. That watch wasvery little compared to what I possess outside of these prison-walls, and these possessions--"

"Whar is dey, honey? 'a bird in dis han' am worf two dozen in a bush, 'as my ole masta used to say, wen de traders cum up to buy his corn an'cotton, an' I always sawed de dollars come down mighty quick after datsayin' of his'n; for I used to watch round the dinin'-room prettyconstant an' close in dem days, totin' in poplar-chips an' corn-cobs forkin'lin' an' litin' masta's long clay pipes--none ob de common sort, Itells you--an' brushin' up de harf an' keepin' off de flies, and soforf. You see I was a little shaver in dem days, an' masta liked myCongo straction, an' petted me a heap, an' I never seed the cotton-fieldtill my ole masta died; den dey put me out ob de house, because MassJack Dillard's father--dat was my ole mistis's own step-brother's secon'son--he 'cused me ob stealin' his gole pencil-case wrongfully--like Ihad any use fur his writin' 'tensils!" (indignantly). 

"Dinah, " I adjured, cutting short the stream of her narrative, "forGod's sake, see Mr. McDermot, and tell him of my situation! He shallhave a thousand dollars to-morrow, and you also shall have money enoughto buy your whole family, and bring them hither, if you will but assistme to escape _this_ night. Don't stand and look at me, woman, but act atonce, if you have a human heart. You must help me now, or never. "

"You mus' tink I's one ob de born fools, Miss Mirimy, to bl'eve all datstuff! Doesn't I know you loss all your trunks on de 'Scusco, an' wasn'tyou a pore gal, teachin' white folks's chilluns fur a livin' before? Ihas hearn all dat discounted since I come into dis 'stablishment. Weall knows as how teachers is de meanest kine of white trash gwine;still, I specs you might'ly. You has been ob de quality; any nigger cansee dat wid half an eye open; an' you has got more sense in de end ob yolittle finger, ef you is crazy, dan all de res tied up in a bunch obfedders! Wat I does for you, chile, I does for lub ob yo purliteness"(hesitating here). "You hasn't anoder ob dem gole-pieces anywhar, likedat you gib me befo', has you? I'se bery bad off fur 'baccer, I is, indeed, chile, an' de pay is mighty slow in dis house. "

"I have not a five-penny bit, Dinah, not one copper cent, if it were tosave my life or yours. "

"Is dat ring of yours good guinea gole, honey?" asked the mercenarycreature, leering at it. "It looks mighty bright and pretty, it doesdat! But mebbe its nuffin but pinchbeck, after all. "

"It looks what it is, Dinah"--and, after a moment's consideration, Idrew it from my finger. "If I give you this, will you promise to delivermy message to McDermot faithfully?"

"Sartain sure, honey, but tell me again wat it is; I forgits de smallpatticklers. "

"Get me my pencil and a scrap of paper, and let me write it down for himto read; or no, this might involve observation, detection. I must relyupon your memory, Dinah, which I have reason to know is good. Now, listen and understand me. I promise to Mr. McDermot one thousanddollars, to be paid down to-morrow morning, if he will help me to escapeto-night. And I promise you liberty for all of your family, and securityfor yourself, if you will assist me, or even be silent, and let me gowithout a word, without informing. Do you understand this, Dinah? If so, repeat it to me low, yet distinctly. "

She obeyed me, evincing wonderful shrewdness in her way of putting theaffair, as she said she meant to do, in approaching McDermot. 

"And do you believe me, Dinah, now that I have promised so solemnly topay these rewards?"

"Dats neider here nor dar, Miss Mirim, so dat McDermot bleves you, dat'senough; wat dis chile bleves am her own business. Dem Irish am mightystupid kine ob creeturs; dey swallows down mos' any thing you chooses totell 'em. "

A voice without, uplifted at this juncture, as if it had long beenexpending itself in ineffectual appeals, now summoned Dinah, harshly andemphatically. 

The Lady Anastasia had departed, after a brief interview, and Mrs. Clayton, unable to leave her bed, felt naturally anxious to ascertainthe cause of Dinah's prolonged ministry on her fellow-prisoner. 

I heard only the words, "De pattikalerest lady I ebber come acrost aboutde feel of water, an' I is done tired out, I is--" The rest was lost, asDinah vanished from the apartment of the invalid. In the next moment, Iheard the key turned, and the outlet bolt drawn, and the growl of thesurly sable watch-dog without, who, in Mrs. Raymond's absence, officiated as our jailer and Cerberus. 

It was early evening when Dinah returned, for she brought to us but twomeals at this season, the necessary food for Ernie being always ready ina closet. She came ushered in, as usual, by Mrs. Raymond, who bore withher on this occasion what she called savory broth, concocted, by her ownfair hands, for the benefit of her suffering parent. While Clayton wasemployed in supping this mutton abomination, with a loud noise peculiarto the vulgar, and Mrs. Raymond whispering inaudible words above thebowl, I was ostensibly employed in tearing a croquet to pieces with myfork, while I interrogated Dinah, in a low, even voice, between eachshred, unintelligible, I knew, in the next room, through its monotony, on the success of her mission, and caught her muttered rather thanmurmured replies eagerly in return. 

"Did you speak with him, Dinah?"

"Dere was no use, honey; Bainrothe done bought him up. I peaked fru dekey-hole, and seen de gole paid down wid my own two precious eyes. Dar'sno mistake about dat, " shaking her head dolefully. "All you has to donow, honey, is to keep wide awake, an' duly sober, as ole masta used tosay, 'frain 'ligiously from de tea or coffee, one or de udder, dat shewill offer you 'bout eight o'clock dis ebenin', or mebbe dey will sendit up by me, I can't say yit. Howsomever, you needn't to drink dat stuffarter wat you knows; an' ef dey goes to take you forcefully off to debelfry in de night-time, you kin skreech ebbery step ob de way. Dat's debes plan, chile, wat I kin project for your resistance; but I'se afearddar is no hopin' you, any way we can fix it. "

"Thank you, Dinah, you have done your best, no doubt; don't sell myring, though; I shall want it back some day. "

"La, chile, I done 'sposed ob it aready, an' dey give me a poun ofbacker an' a gole-piece fur it. It was good gole an' no mistake. I tellsyou all, " adding aloud, "an' now, Miss Mirim, I has tole you ebberysyllable. I disremembered ob dat speritual ar. I is sorry you doesn'tlike dese crockets, fur de madame made un wid her own clean red hands. "

"Say white hands, you old limb of Satan, or I shall be after you with amop, " cried the laughing voice of Mrs. Raymond from the side of the sickwoman's bed, betraying at once how she had divided her attention. Then, advancing into my chamber, she added, as coolly as though she had beensuggesting a visit to the theatre:

"Excuse me, Miss Monfort, for intruding, but I am about to ask youwhether it would be agreeable to you to be married to-night at teno'clock? This seems very sudden, but circumstances have forced thearrangement on us all, and I assure you, from the bottom of my heart, itis for both of us the preferable alternative of evils, as poor Sir HarryRaymond would have said. Alas, my dear! shall I ever again have such ahelpmate as he was: so kind, so generous, so considerate"--and sheclasped and wrung her large, rosy hands. "A second marriage is often agreat sacrifice, and, in any case, a hazard, as I feel, as the timedraws near, very sensibly. But you seem confounded, and yet you musthave been somewhat prepared for this condition of things after your lastinterview with Dr. Englehart?"

The amazement of Dinah at this change in the programme, if possible, exceeded my own. She did not understand, as I did, that it was a measureprompted not only by humanity but self-interest, and that even the hardheart of Basil Bainrothe preferred a compromise to such violence andinjustice as those he had otherwise meditated. Besides, what better ormore sensible mode than this could there be, according to his views, ofquashing the whole _esclandre_--quieting official inquiry as well aspublic indignation? As the wife of Gregory, I should be, of course, _forçat_ for life, walking abroad with the concealed brand and manacle, afraid and ashamed to complain and acknowledge my condition, andwilling to condone every thing. 

I saw, at a glance, that my true policy was to feign a reluctant consentto this proposition, and to determine later what recourse to take, as ifindeed any remained to me in that den of serpents. I would consider, assoon as Mrs. Raymond was gone, what measures to pursue in order to eludethe vigilance of McDermot, the detective; and then, if all proved vain, I could but perish! For I would have walked cheerfully over the burningploughshares of old, lived again through the hideous nightmare of theburning ship and raft, nay, clasped hands with the spectre of La Vignehimself, had it offered to lead me to purgatory, rather than havemarried the knave, the liar, the half-breed Gregory!

My resolution was soon made. 

"You will send me a suitable dress, I suppose, " I said, calmly, "youknow I am a pauper here. "

"Yes, fortunately I have two almost alike. Which shall it be, a challyor barege?"

"It matters little, the color is all I care for. Let it be white; I havea superstition about being married in colors. "

"So should I have, were this the first time, but, being a widow, I shallwear a lavender-satin, trimmed with blond, made up for a very differentoccasion. "

"Yes, that will be quite suitable. Well, the long agony is over at last, and I am glad of it, " and I drew a deep, free breath. 

"You will have to sign the papers before you come down-stairs. Mr. Bainrothe told me to say this to you, and to ask you to have them ready;they will be witnessed below with the marriage, and at nine, _precisely_, expect me to appear with your gown, and make your toilet. "

"Will not Bridget Maloney do as well?" I asked, desperately. She, atleast, I thought, may be compassionate. 

"It is strange you should know of her at all, or she of you. It is thatgirl, then, who has given us all this trouble, " going to the bed, "whenI did not suppose she knew of her existence. Explain this, Clayton, ifyou can. "

"I suppose Ernie, who is fond of her, has mentioned her name to MissMonfort; she thinks his mother is sick up-stairs, but knows no more, Iam certain; besides, it's Dr. Englehart's establishment--such things areto be expected, and surprise no one of the attendants. Bridget is keptbusy among them all. " The farce was to be kept up, it seemed, to theend. 

Old Dinah was evidently quaking in her shoes, and began to see hererror, as she glanced reproachfully at me, but no further revelationseemed to be expected. It was, indeed, to divert, partly, immediatesuspicion from one I still hoped to make my tool, that I mentioned theIrish girl at all, or craved her presence, but I soon found how futilein one instance was this trust. No sooner had Mrs. Raymond turned todepart, than Dinah followed her, protesting against being locked up thewhole evening with the invalid, and begging leave to go out for an houror two on business of her own, which she declared important. 

"But Miss Monfort may need you in making her preparations, " remonstratedMrs. Raymond, "and Clayton and Ernie will want your attention; besides, fires will go down if not constantly mended, this cold evening. "

"Dar's plenty of coal in de box, an' de tongs, wid claws, wat Ernie isso fond of handlin', ready and waitin' for dem wat's strong enough touse dem if dey choose, an' tea in de caddy, an' de kittle on de trivet, jes filled up, de brass toastin'-fork on de peg in de closet, 'sidesbread an' butter, an' jam, an' new milk on de shelf, an' I is 'bliged togo anyway, case my ticklerest friend am dyin' ob de numony--I is jes gotword; but at nine o'clock" (and she looked maliciously at me) "perciselyDinah 'll be in dis pickin' patch--he! he! he! can't possumbly cum noairlier. "

In a flash I saw the advantage her prolonged absence would give me, unless, indeed, she had become my confederate, so I beheld her departwith a feeling of relief which reacted in the next moment to positivehelplessness and terror as the bolt was drawn behind her. What could Ido? What was there to be done? For a time I sat mute and crushed byconsideration; then casting myself on my bed I slept for half an hour, the kind of slumber that confusion generates, and yet I woke refreshed, calmed, comforted, and with a clearly-formed resolution and plan ofaction. I rose and approached Mrs. Clayton, whose groans, perhaps, aroused me, and, as I stood beside her bed, the clock in the dining roombelow struck six. I had still three hours for hope--for endeavor, beforethe circle of flame should close hopelessly around me forever! Threehours--were they not enough? Could I not compel them to concentration?

A cup of strong tea was hastily drawn and swallowed--another made for, and administered by my hand to, Mrs. Clayton, with toast _adlibitum_, --a tedious process--and afterward Ernie's supper prepared andeaten--all in less than half an hour. By seven he was in bed and asleep, and I had taken my seat by Mrs. Clayton, for the purpose, apparently, ofmerciful ministry to her condition--a piece of self-abnegation, as itseemed, and as she felt it, scarcely to be expected on my blissfulmarriage night. 

"I feel very sorry for you; you suffer so, Mrs. Clayton, " I had said, asI drew a chair beside her bed. 

"And I for you, Miss Monfort; our fate seems equally hard, but we mustbear it;" and she groaned heavily and closed her eyes, evidently ingreat pain. 

"I have come to that conclusion, also, after a bitter struggle; physicalpain is not so easily borne, however; the body has little philosophy. "

"I thought all this was over, " she rejoined, abstractedly, "when myhands were drawn as you see them by neuralgia ten years since. But I didnot suffer as much then, I believe, as I do now; besides, I was younger, happier, better able to bear pain. "

"Yes, that is true; the old should be at rest, " at least my sense ofjustice whispered this; then, after a pause: "Does my rubbing ease yourshoulder, Mrs. Clayton?"

"Somewhat--it is my head to-night, however, that troubles me chiefly. Begood enough to press my temples. Ah, that is great relief! You are verykind, Miss Monfort; yet, in reviewing the past, I hope you will not findthat I have been wanting to you in my turn. I trust we shall part inpeace and meet hereafter as friends. But you do not answer me. "

"Pardon me, I was thinking. This is a crisis, you know--this nightdecides my fate for good or ill, all rests with merciful God!"

"Yes, all--of ourselves we are helpless, of course. It is a comfort tome, I confess, as I lie here, to feel that I have never willinglyinjured a fellow-being; to think that I--but, bless my soul, MissMonfort, you must not hold me down in that way! you would not, I trust. But even if you did--no key this time, the door is fast without!"

"Oh, not for worlds! be still, the pain will pass. I have the gift, youknow, of soothing physical suffering. There, rest, you must not stir;give yourself up to me, if you can--slumber will come. "

"It must not come--see, we are all alone!"

Her glazing eye--her slower breathing began already to attest theinfluence of the electric fluid, so potent in my veins, so wanting inher own, both from temperament and disease, yet she resisted bravely andlong, and, even when her limbs were powerless, her spirit rebelledagainst me in murmured words of defiant opposition; but this, too, yielded finally to silence and to stupor; and she slept the deep, calm, unmistakable slumber caused by magnetism. 

Then, again, I went through the experiment of the preceding night, andstrove to awaken her. 

"Get up, " I said, and yet without willing that she should do so. "Mrs. Raymond is here to show you her marriage-dress, and Mr. Bainrothecalls. "

"Tell them to let me sleep; don't--don't--disturb me. I am so happy--sopeaceful. It is sweet, too, to think that she will be married at last. Poor thing! it was no fault of hers, though--no fault. A young actressis exposed to so many temptations, and it was better so--Harry Raymond'smistress. "

That secret would never have escaped her devoted lips had she been ableto retain it. 

As carefully as the eyes of the dead are closed, I drew down her gapinglids, and turned away. As I did so, the clock struck eight. Fatima neverlistened more anxiously to the toll of parting time than I did thatnight; but, alas for me! no sister Anne kept watch on the tower; nobrother hastened to arrest the sword. I was deserted by all save God anddesperation. One hour comprised my fate! Very quietly I closed the doorbetween Mrs. Clayton's room and my own. The bolt was on the other side, so I could not secure my privacy, even for a moment, should she chanceto wake, or should Mrs. Raymond or Dinah return unexpectedly. As rapidlyas I could, I altered my dress--this time above my clothes--threw on theblack silk frock and mantilla prepared for me on shipboard, tied a darkveil over my head, an old woolen scarf about my throat, provided forErnie's sore-throat and croup, and stood equipped for my enterprise. 

Neither bonnet, nor gloves, nor boots, did I possess--Mrs. Raymond'sloan having long since been condoned on behalf of some one else, and myclothing, in my captivity, had been contrived to suit my circumstances. 

Wheeling the bedstead very gently on its noiseless castors a few inchesfrom the wall, I insinuated myself between them, and, sheltered by thehead-board, loosened again the slightly-adhering covering of paper thatconcealed the door, and fitted into the key-hole the well-oiled woodenkey, which once before had proved its efficiency. It did not fail menow, in my hour of extremity, for a moment later I had turned andremoved it from its socket, stepped forth upon the landing, and relockedwithout the door of my prison; but, perhaps, with too much of nervoushaste, too little caution, for, to my inexpressible confusion, thehandle of the instrument of my emancipation remained in my hand, brokenoff at the lock, and useless forever more. 

In delaying probable pursuit from within, I had cut off all possibilityof my own retreat in case of failure. My bridges were literally burnedbehind me, and I had no alternative left between flight and detection. And yet there was something in the situation that, inconsistentlyenough, made me smile, albeit with a trembling heart. 

I shook my head drearily, as a couplet from Collins's "Camel-Driver, "with its strange appropriateness, irresistibly crossed my brain. 

Why is it that, in times like these, such conceits beset us, suchcomparisons arise? Does the quality called presence of mind find root inthe same source that impels us to apt quotation?--

 "What if the lion in his rage I meet? Oft in the dust I see his printed feet. "

I gained fresh heart from that trivial diversion of thought, and stoodquietly contemplating alternately the hall below and that above (both ofwhich were visible from my place on the intermediate platform; all wasstill in both of these wide corridors), to make sure of the safety of myenterprise; and now, once more my foot was on the brink of thosemysterious stairs which led, I felt, to doom or to liberty. I commenced, very cautiously, to descend them. The study-door at their foot wasclosed, and all seemed silent within. The murmur of voices, and theremote rattling of china proceeding from the ell behind the hall, encouraged me to believe that on this bitter night the family wasconcentrated, for greater comfort, in the supper-room. 

With my hand on the baluster, pausing at every step, I crept quietlydown the stairway; then, as if my feet were suddenly winged with terror, I darted by the study-door, flew lightly over the carpeted hall, andfound myself, in another moment, secure within, the small enclosedvestibule into which the door of entrance gave. My worst misgivings hadnever compassed the terrific truth. At this early hour of the evening, not only was the front door locked, but the key had been withdrawn. Thiswas despair. 

My knees gave way beneath me, and I sank like a flaccid heap in thecorner, against one of the leaves of the small folding-door that dividedthe arched vestibule from the long entry, and which was secured to thefloor by a bolt, while the other one was thrown back. Crouched in theshadow, powerless to move or think, I heard, with inexpressible terror, the door of the study open, and the voice and step of Bainrothe in thehall, approaching me. 

Had he heard me? Would he come? Was I betrayed?

I felt my hair rise on my head as these questions rang like a tocsinthrough my brain, and I think, at that moment, I had a foretaste of thechief agony of death. 

They were answered by Bainrothe himself, as he paused midway between thestudy-door and my place of refuge; and again I breathed--I lived. 

"I was mistaken, 'Stasia, it is not he! the wind, probably; and thatmarble looks so cold--so uninviting--I shall not explore it. He has akey, you know, and can come when he likes; for my part, I shall go in tosupper while the oysters are hot. Do as you like, though. "

"Had we not better wait? You know he is sure to come to-night, bad asthe weather is, on account of that affair. It was late when Wentworthnotified him. "

This was the rejoinder made from within the study, in which Irecognized the voice of Mrs. Raymond, clear and shrill. 

"Well, have it as you please. If you prefer courtesy to comfort, youshall be gratified; but what's the use of ceremony with Gregory? He willbe here in twenty minutes, Mr. Bainrothe; but don't wait. I shall havetime to sup with him before I go up-stairs, you know. I believe I willstay where I am until he comes, and finish taking in the poor thing'swedding-gown. Well, any thing is better than removal to the belfry"--andI thought I heard a sigh. 

"A matter of mere temporary necessity, you know, only she might havefrozen in the interval, " said Bainrothe, jauntily, as he walked up thehall to the door of the dining-room, which I heard him open and let fallagainst its sill again. It closed with a spring, and in the next momentthe study-door was also softly shut, and all was still. 

My resolution was promptly taken. The folding leaves of the innerdoor--that which divided the marble-paved vestibule from the carpetedentry--against one of which I had been leaning, I well knew worked toand fro on pulleys which obeyed the drawing of a cord and tassel hangingat one side, and thus they could readily be closed with a touch by anyone standing in the vestibule as they opened out into the hall on whichside was the latch and bolt. I recalled this quaint arrangement with aquickness born of emergency, as one that might serve me now, andspeadily possessed myself of the tassel at the extremity of thecontrolling cord. Thus armed, and praying inwardly for strength andcourage, and wherewith to carry out my scheme successfully, I took mystand in one of the two niches (just large enough for the purpose) inthe door-frame, preferring, of course, that next to the lock, preparedto darken the vestibule at the first approach of the expected guest (Iwas afraid to do it before, lest attention might be called to it fromwithin the house), and make my escape by rushing past him ere he couldrecover himself as he entered in the gloom. 

The hazard was extreme, the result uncertain, the effort almostfoolhardy, it may be thought; but the storm and darkness were in myfavor, and I was fleet of foot, as were not all of my pursuers, as faras I could foresee who these might be. 

Momently I grew cooler, more determined, more calm, more desperate, moreregardless of consequences; and now the culmination of endeavorapproached in the shape of the sound of stamping feet upon the icyplatform of the steps which they had softly ascended, and the uncertainfitting of a dead-latch key in its dark socket, the feeling for the knobwith half-frozen fingers, and finally the sudden and violent throwingforward and open of the door into the darkened vestibule, for I haddrawn the cord at the first symptoms of Gregory's advent, which yet tookme by surprise. I had closed the inner doors, it is true, but paralyzedwith sudden terror I had taken no advantage of the darkness thus evoked, and, as the tall form of the expected and expectant bridegroom staggeredin, literally blown forward by the tempest, with introverted umbrella, and wet and streaming garments (dimly discerned in the gloom) thatbrushed against me as he passed, I continued to stand transfixed tostone in the niche I still occupied. 

The dream in which La Vigne had prophesied my failure flashed over melike lightning, and my knees trembled beneath me, yet I still clungspasmodically to the cord I held, and with such desperate force that, when Gregory pushed against the door, he believed it latched within, andso desisted from further effort. 

"Dark as Erebus, " he muttered, "and on such a night! Confound suchhospitality! I suppose I must go back and ring;" and in pursuance ofthis idea he again suddenly opened the front-door, which, swingingviolently back as he turned his face within, once more afforded me thegolden opportunity so lately lost. Quick as thought I dropped the cord Iheld, and in the sudden gust the leaves of the inner door, thusreleased, flew open and impelled my foe irresistibly forward. With hisflapping coat and hat he drifted into the lighted hall before thedriving blast, and, roused to instantaneous action, I slid from theniche I filled to the icy platform without, and swift and silent as aspectre sped down the sleety steps to the outward darkness. I was free!

A moment after, I heard the door slammed heavily after me, while Icrouched by the gate-post for concealment. 

Rising up, I mutely blessed the friendly portal that made me an outcastin the storm-swept streets from which the very dogs shrank terrified. 

One moment, one only, I paused as I passed by my father's gate-way, crowned with stone lions that glimmered in the gloom. The force ofassociation and of contrast shook me with emotion--I could not enterthere. My own roof afforded me no shelter from the biting blast; butsquares away, with a comparative stranger, I must seek (if I ever gainedit on that dreadful night) a refuge from the storms and sure protectionfrom my foes. 

I moved rapidly along toward the tall street-lamp that diffused a dimand murky light from its frost crusted lantern at the corner of thesquare, and before I reached it I encountered the first danger of myundertaking. 

Protected, fortunately, by the shadow of the high stone-wall near whichI walked rapidly, I met Dinah, so nearly face to face that the whiff ofthe pipe she was smoking was warm upon my cheek. Wrapped in her oldcloth shawl and quilted hood, she muttered as she went, and staggeredtoo, I thought, though here the northeast wind, that swept her alongbefore it, might have been at fault, while, blowing in my face, itretarded my progress. 

I passed her unchallenged, but, glancing back just as I turned thecorner, I became aware that she was retracing her steps. I fled rapidlyon until I reached the shelter of a friendly nook between two houses(well remembered of old), when, turning again to gaze, I saw herstanding immovable as a statue beneath the lamp-post, evidently lookingin the direction I had taken. There seemed no way of escape now save inpersistent flight. My place of concealment might be too readily detectedby a cautious observer, a savage on the war-trail. Should Dinah herselfpursue me, I knew my speed would distance her; but, that prompt pursuitof some kind was imminent, I knew from that moment. 

My aim was to reach the house of Dr. Pemberton, no intermediate onepresenting itself as that of an acquaintance of whom I could askshelter, and belief in the truth of my assertions. Of this house Iremembered the position with tolerable accuracy. It formed one, I knew, of a long block of buildings extending from one street to another, andwas near the centre. 

I had been there only on rare occasions, when his niece abode with him, for he dwelt ordinarily in widowed solitude, although our intimacy wasthat of relatives rather than of patient and physician. 

For this desired goal I strained every nerve, every muscle, everyfaculty, on that never-to-be-forgotten night of bitter, freezing cold, and driving sleet and blast, which seemed to proclaim itself, in everyhowling gust, "The wind Euroclydon!"

CHAPTER XIII. 

At first, excitement and terror winged my feet; but even these refused, after I had gone a few squares, to do their friendly office. 

Bareheaded, but for a filmy veil, soon thoroughly drenched through;barehanded and almost barefooted, for my thin silk slippers andstockings formed not, after my first few steps, the slightest impedimentto wet or cold, I felt that I must perish by the wayside. The sleetystorm drove sharply in my face, rendered doubly sensitive to its rigorby long absence from outward air. My insufficient clothing clung closelyabout me, freezing in every fold, and I glided rather than walked alongthe icy pavement, scarcely lifting my stiffened feet, or having power todo so. 

One stern hope--it almost seemed a forlorn one--now possessed me to theexclusion of all else; one prayer trembled on my quivering lips--that Imight reach my destination, if only to tell my story and drop dead amoment after. 

Yet I think, in spite of this resolve--this prayer--that, had a friendlydoor been opened on the way, an area even emitting light and warmth, Ishould have instinctively turned aside and, at any risk, pleaded forshelter, both from storm and foeman. 

In those days that seem far back in the march of luxury, because of thevast impetus of human momentum, stores were closed early, and theprimitive family tea-table still existed which marked the assemblage ofthe household around the evening lamp and hearth. 

I remember the closed, inhospitable look of the houses past which Isped--the solid wooden shutters, then universal, which closed from thewayfarer every evidence of internal life, and the cold sheen of theicy-white marble steps, made visible by dim lamp-light. 

I gained a street-corner not very far, as it seemed to me, from my placeof destination. Yet, until I glanced across the way, I was uncertain, and, but for the friendly refuge this opportunity presented, I think Imust have faltered and perhaps fallen and frozen to death on theroad-side. 

To my bewildered and disordered brain, Aladdin's palace seemed suddenlyto rise before me in that wilderness of sealed houses and uninhabitedstreets; for, as I have said before, the very dogs had crept away thatnight into secure corners, and not even a pariah chimney-sweep, with hisdingy blanket drawn close around him, nodded and dozed by a watch-box orslept on a door-step. 

I crept across the space that divided me from this cynosure of warmthand luxury, as a poor, draggled moth might do, to bask in therevivifying light of an astral lamp, attracted beyond my power toresist, to pause before the resplendent window, rich in green and purpleand amber rotund vases, whose transparent contents were set forth andrevealed by fiery jets of gas, toward which I feebly stretched myhalf-frozen fingers. 

There was a splendid vision, also, of goldfish, in glass globes, jars ofleaden rock-work, baskets of waxen fruits and flowers, crystal bottlescontaining rose and amber essences; but, above all, there waslight--there was heat. 

With one greedy, insatiate gaze my eyes swept in the details of thismimic Eden, and, in another moment, my hand turned the knob of theground-glass door near the window, and I found myself in paradise!

Rest, shelter, heat--these must I have or perish, and, but for thetimely refuge of this thrice-blessed apothecary's shop, I might haveleft this retrospect unwritten!

I staggered to a chair, and seated myself, unbidden, by the almostred-hot stove, and cowered above it for a time, oblivions of all else. 

Then I looked timidly around me. 

The master of this Eden was standing, at the moment when he first caughtmy eyes, holding up a bottle, scrutinizingly, between his face and thelight, one of many of the same sort that a lad, in a long, white apron, was engaged in washing. 

The odor of the various drugs and essences over which he presided formedan aromatic atmosphere singularly suggestive of incense, as did hiscostume, that of a high-priest of the temple; but, very soon discardinga gray-linen cape or talma, worn for the protection of his specklesscoat, and tossing a bundle of corks rather disdainfully to hisassistant, the head of the establishment came politely forward, standingon the other side of the stove, with clasped hands, expectantly. 

"You will tell me your errand here when you are quite ready, " he said, kindly. "Do rest and warm yourself first. The stove has a narcotictendency when one has just come out of cold like this! The thermometerhas fallen twenty degrees since noonday; but that is only half thetrouble. Hem! This sleet and wind are beyond any former experience ofmine at this season. "

I heard the words of the speaker as if bound in a dreadful dream, butthey were clearly understood, and now I made an effort at utterance, butfailed, until after repeated endeavors, to enunciate one word. Yet Inoted distinctly, and even with a nice discrimination of scrutiny, thered-haired and bright-eyed man, portly and somewhat pompous-looking, with his plump hands folded over his vest, who stood before me, lookingpityingly down on my suffering face. 

After a time I gathered up my forces sufficiently to inquire, beingquite thawed and comforted by the reviving heat of the apartment, howfar it might be to the house of Dr. Pemberton, who resided in the blockof houses known as Kendrick's Row, on Maple Street. 

"It is nearly a square and a half, miss, by street measurement just now, as, on account of changes, this is impassable, " was the prompt reply. "Scarcely half a square by the alley that runs from my back-door, aftera short turn, straight through to Maple Street; and, if it is onlyquestion of a message, I can send Caleb, so that you may await thecoming of the doctor in comfort, in this emporium. He always uses hisgig for night-visits, and will, no doubt, be happy to carry you home inhis wolfskin. "

"Thanks--there is no question of a medical visit. I have very importantbusiness with him. I must see him in his own house. I will go withoutfurther delay. But, perhaps"--lingering a moment--"you would be so goodas to suffer Mr. Caleb to show me the short way you spoke of? I shallnot mind going through the alley at all. "

I rose prepared to depart, and glanced beseechingly at Caleb, who laiddown his bottle uncorked, and folded his arms with an approving knightlybow, unperceived by his employer. 

"We have just had a similar inquiry as to Dr. Pemberton's locality; Imean, " said the master of the emporium, without replying to my request, "on the part of a very distinguished-looking personage--I might say, well got up in the fur and overcoat line--and, had you come in a fewmoments earlier, you might have had his escort; or perhaps you are onhis track now--probably one of his party?" hesitatingly. "No! Well, itis a strange coincidence, to say the least--very strange--as the doctoris so well known hereabouts. As to going out in the storm again, I havemy misgivings, miss, for you, when I look at the flimsiness of yourattire and its drenched condition. I can't see, indeed, how adelicate-looking lady like yourself ever held her own against thisterrific wind. Eolus seems to have lost his bags! But, perhaps you hadan escort to the corner?"

"No--no--no--I came quite alone! Oh, for pity's sake, put me on my wayand let me go! My business is most urgent!" I hesitated--my heart sank. Had Bainrothe been before me to spirit the doctor away by some feignedmessage of need, of distress, to which no inclemency of weather couldclose that benevolent medical ear? And did he lie in wait for me on theway?"

"Perhaps I had, after all, better go alone, " I continued; "it might betoo great an inconvenience"--and I moved toward the ground-glass door. 

"Not if you will accept my services, miss, " said Caleb, timidly, pushingaway the remaining corks as he spoke, and glancing furtively at hismaster. 

"How often must I remind you, Caleb Fink, " said the owner of theemporium, "that your sphere is circumscribed to your duties? Attend tothose phials, and drain them well before you bottle the citrate ofmagnesia. The last was spoiled by your unpardonable carelessness. I havenot forgotten this!"

And again, with a deprecatory look at me, Caleb Fink subsided into anonentity. 

"Truly has the great and wise Dr. Perkins remarked that 'the women ofAmerica are suicidal from the cradle to the grave!' I will give you oneof his pamphlets, miss, to take away with you, and you will be convincedthat slippers are serpents in disguise in winter weather! The woodenshoes of Germany rather! Ay, or even the _sabot_ of France! You must notstir another step in those. Be seated, pray, and I will not detain youlong, while I procure a substitute or protection for such shams, worthnothing in such Siberian weather. --Caleb, a word with you;" and hewhispered to his apprentice, who glided away, to return in a trice witha pair of India-rubber overshoes, into which benign boats he proceededto thrust my unresisting feet, as I stood leaning on the counter; afterwhich a muffler was tied about my ears, and a heavy honey-comb shawlthrown over my shoulders by the same expeditious hands. 

"Could you be always as spry, Caleb! Your gloves now--I shall need myown"--and a pair of stalwart knitted mits were forthwith drawn over mypassive hands, in which my fingers nestled undivided and warm. 

"Now you look something like going for the doctor! My overcoat, Caleb--gloves--fur-cape--cane! All hanging near the bed. There, we areready now for old Borealis himself, if he chooses to blow! But Iforget--God bless me, you are as pale as the ghost of Pompey, atPhilippi!--Caleb, the Perkins elixir--a glass!--Now, young lady, justtake it down at a gulp. It is the only alcoholic preparation thatNapoleon Bonaparte Burress ever suffered to pass his temperate lips. Father Matthew does not object to it at all, I am told, on emergencies. It may be had at this repository very low, either by the gross ordozen. "--speaking the last words mechanically, and he tendered me asmall glass of some nauseous, bittersweet, and potent beverage, thatcoursed through my veins like liquid fire. 

"Thank you; it _is_ very comforting, " I gasped, and, setting the glassdown on the counter, I covered my face with my hands and burst intotears. 

The whole forlornness of my outcast and eleemosynary condition rushedover me simultaneously with the flood of warmth caused by the Perkinselixir, which nerved me the next moment for the encounter with theelements. 

I saw the kindly master of the emporium turn away, either to conceal hisown emotion or his observation of mine, and Caleb stood trembling andcrying like a girl before me. 

I had shrunk, it may be remembered, from the description Sabra gave meof McDermot, when I heard of his red hair and "chaney-blue eyes;" but tothis red-haired, hazel-eyed man I yearned instinctively, for there aremoral differences discernible in the temperament greater than any other, and, when a red-haired man is tender-hearted, he usually usurps thewomanly prerogative, and gushes. 

But Caleb's sympathy touched me even more. 

"We will go now, if you please, " I said, recovering myself by a strongeffort, and Napoleon B. Burress mutely tendered me his stout, overcoated arm. "The short way you mentioned--let us go that way, if notdisagreeable to you, " I pleaded. 

"Oh, no; it will be an absolute saving of time to me; but, I warn you, the alley is narrow and dark!"

"Never mind; I prefer the short cut, be it what it may. Time is everything to me. "

We passed through the shop, threaded a narrow entry, opened a back-door, which gave upon a strip of paved yard, leading in turn to a back-gate, through which we emerged into a dark and dirty-looking alley. 

But first the work of unlocking a padlock, which confined a chain, hadto be effected, and, while Mr. N. B. Burress was thus unfastening hisback-gate preparatory to egress, I stood gazing back, Eurydice-like, inthe place I had left, for the doors of the long entry stood open, revealing the shop beyond and its illuminated window. 

Standing thus, I saw, as through a vista and in a perfect ecstasy ofterror, the ground-glass shop-door open, and two well-known forms insuccession block its portals--those of Gregory and Bainrothe! WouldCaleb send them on our track, or would the better part of valor come tohis aid and save me from their clutches?

A thought occurred to me. "Mr. Burress, " I said (I had retained his namewith its remarkable prefix), "will you not lock the gate outside? I canwait patiently until you secure your premises--and--and bring away thekey. "

"I had meant to leave it here until my return, but you are right, "speaking indulgently. "I suppose burglars are abroad on nights likethis, " and he quietly relocked the alley-gate. "You are veryconsiderate, " he said, dryly, after we had gone a few yards in profoundsilence, "but had I not better return for a lantern?"

"Oh, not for worlds! Faster--faster, Mr. Burress, and Heaven will rewardyou! Never mind the stones--the snow--the mud--so that we get therefirst! Yes, I see where the lane turns; I see very well in thedark--never fear--only do not delay--I am so glad you locked thealley-gate. They cannot come that way. "

"Of whom are you afraid, poor young lady? Nobody would harm you, I amsure; such a gentle, tender thing as you seem to be!"

"Oh, yes! Fiends are on my track! Don't let them get possession of meagain, Mr. Burress, I am pursued--yes--faster--faster!"

"But what has startled you, poor thing, since we left the Repository?You seemed quite calm after the Perkins elixir--and those tears. Ah! Iunderstand!" and he coughed several times significantly. "The doctorwill set all right, I suppose, when I give you into his hands. I am gladI came with you myself--courage, we shall soon be there!"

"Yes--yes--he is my only hope! I will explain all when we are safe withhim. It is not as you think! I have no strength now. Don't question mefurther, it exhausts me to talk. Just drag me along. "

And silently and valiantly did he betake himself to his task. Thenoisome alley was threaded, and again we emerged into the sleety, lamp-lit street, a few doors from the corner of that block, in thecentre of which Dr. Pemberton resided. 

As we approached the friendly threshold, the exact situation of whichwas familiar to my companion, he pointed it out triumphantly with hisstick. 

"We shall soon be there, " he reiterated, "no need for hurry now. " But ashe spoke I saw a carriage turn the corner we were facing, and again Iurged on my lagging escort to his utmost speed. I ran up the sleetysteps in advance of him, and rang the bell with convulsive energy. Itssummons was answered promptly, but not a second too soon, for, as thedoor opened to admit me, the carriage paused before the door, and twomen leaped from it, one of whom, the taller, thrusting Burress aside, rushed up the steps after me with outstretched arms. 

I had found refuge in the vestibule, and slammed the door in hisface--closing, as it did, with a spring-lock--before he reached theplatform. Then turning to his companion, he fled down to the streetagain, with the cry that reached my ear distinctly, of "Baffled, byGod!" on his profane lips, and the twain drove off as rapidly as theyhad come. 

A moment later a feeble ring at the door, and a voice from without, assuring the inmates that it was only N. B. Burress, and conjuring themnot to be alarmed, caused him to be admitted at once by the house-maid, and shown into the same small front study into which she had conductedme to await the doctor's appearance. 

"What name shall I give? The doctor is engaged, " said the house-maid, lingering. 

"If one at all, merely let me know when he is ready to see me. I amtired and cold, and can wait patiently by this good fire. "

"It may be some time, miss; would you like a cup of hot coffee, you andthis gentleman? The doctor has just had his supper, and there is a pintor more left in the urn. "

"Thanks--nothing could be more welcome, " and the house-maiddisappeared. 

"That is the way of this house--patients are always entertained, if inneed of refreshment, " said Mr. Burress, advancing to the chimney, whilehe rubbed his hands in a self-gratulatory manner, then expanded thembefore the bright glare that filled every pore with warmth. 

I was tremulous, and silent, and half exhausted, and he seemed to takethis in at a friendly glance, for he made none of those inquiries that Iknew were burning on his inquisitive lips; but after a few moments offurther enjoyment before the grate, and having duly turned himself as ona spit, so as to absorb every ray of heat possible, he betook himself toan arm-chair and a book, near the drop-light on a corner table, the softrustling of the turning leaves of which had a most soothing effect on mynerves. 

"I shall only stay a few minutes, " he said, apologetically. "I wish, however, to see you safe in Dr. Pemberton's hands before I leave you, asa sort of duty, you know, you being a charge of mine, and should youneed further escort--"

"Oh, thank you, kindly; you have surely had enough trouble on my accountalready. "

"Not a particle--only a pleasure, miss; but the push I got from yourpursuer upset me on the pavement and made sparks fly out of my eyes, and, before I could gather myself up, they were back again in thecarriage and off. You will have to give me the man's name, miss--youwill, indeed, on my own account, when all your fatigue and fright areover. Such favors are generally returned by me with compound interest. "

"Oh, be thankful you have not a compound fracture, Mr. Burress, and letthe fellow go. He is beneath contempt. But I shall not be satisfieduntil Dr. Pemberton tells me himself that you are uninjured. "

"A lump as big as a potato--that's all, miss; not worth minding, Iassure you;" and he raised his hand to his occipital region. "Anapplication, before retiring to bed, of 'Prang's Blood and LifeRegenerator, ' will make all right again. An astonishing remedy, miss, which no family should be without, and which may be obtained cheaply bythe gross or dozen at my emporium. You have heard of Hercules Prang?"

These were the last words I heard distinctly from the lips of NapoleonB. Burress; nor were they answered, even by the brief "Never" whichmight have proclaimed my ignorance of the very existence of thatdemi-god of charlatanry, who, for the benefit of suffering mankind, hadcondescended to compel his genius into the shape of a "revivifyingbalsam. "

I had, with the aid of the house-maid, divested myself of my wetovershoes and wrappings before the advent of my companion, and hadalready ensconced myself in a deep Spanish chair, that stood invitinglyand with extended arms in one corner of the fireplace, when he advancedto place himself on the rug for a general roasting. 

It was precisely twenty minutes past ten, Mr. Burress told me later, when he detected, by stealing on tiptoe to my chair, and bending aboveme, that I was sound asleep, and the mantel clock was on the stroke ofeleven when I awoke. 

In one corner of the room sat a stern statue of Silence, in the shape ofN. B. Burress, watching my repose, and from the adjoining office came themurmur of voices that proved that the long interview between Dr. Pemberton and his patient was still in progress. 

At this moment, one of the walnut-leaves of the small folding-door, that formed a communication between the study and office of the goodphysician, swung itself gently on its noiseless hinges, into theposition distinguished in description as "slightly ajar, " and thusremained fixed, after a fashion that spiritual mediums might have beenable to account for, on supernatural principles. 

The low murmur of voices then readily resolved itself into shaped wordsand sentences, and, but for my deep languor, and the delightful sense ofsecurity that possessed me, I should have risen and closed the obligingdoor, to shut out unintentional communications. 

As it was, I lingered and listened, as one might do to the dash ofwaves, or the rustling of branches, until suddenly the tones and meaningof the principal interlocutor caused me to rise to my loftiest sittingposture, and clasp the arms of the chair I occupied, while the strainedear of attention drank in every syllable of the remainder of thenarrative, evidently drawing near its close. 

The low monotony of a continued discourse pervaded the voice, the mannerof the speaker, the thread of whose story was no longer interrupted, asbefore, by the comments or questions of his companion, intent upon thevital interest of the tale. 

"So I turned back at Panama, " said the _raconteur_, probably, of aseries of adventures, "and abandoned my project altogether. The manspoke with an air and tone of truth; the sketch was unmistakably hers. The whole thing was full of _vraisemblance_, so to speak, and bore mecompletely off my feet. The initials beneath the sketch of ChristianGarth were identical with her own. 

"He referred me to Captain Van Dorne for confirmation of the saving ofthe few remaining passengers on the raft, and her presence in the shipLatona, together with that of the child and negress. 

"I have seen Captain Van Dorne, and he admits the part he played, on therepresentation of Bainrothe; and, through the evidence of a newspaperadvertisement, of the previous autumn, which had met his eye, to satisfythe puerile scruples of this really good but ignorant man--going nodeeper than the surface in his code of morals--they were obliged to tearout the record of their names, and take refuge temporarily in thelong-boat, before he would swear to Miriam, in her state-room, thatBainrothe was not on board. 

"As to the _habeas corpus_ which would have gone into effect to-day, andwhich the wretch managed to defeat by requiring an error to be correctedin the writ, that no guiltless man would have observed, I fear sometimesit will prove ineffectual if we wait for the morrow. My plan was to goat midnight with a party of my friends to the house of this miscreant, and take the law in my own hands; but, in this I could not stir, for thereasons I have given you. Besides that, it was risking too much--hersafety and reputation. 

"She cannot be secretly removed, of course, for we have a detective inthe house able and strong, besides the old well-paid negress, both ofwhom--"

"Have played you false, " I interrupted, rising impetuously, and throwingback the loose leaf of the door, "and I am here to tell you this. Ofriends, have you forgotten me?"

And, rushing forward, I threw an arm around each of those dear necks, weeping alternately on the shoulder of one and the other of the two menI loved best in the world, and who, for some moments, sat silent andamazed!

Then Wentworth rose mutely, and clasped me to his breast, and silenceprevailed between us. It comprehended all. 

I think, when we meet again in heaven, after that severance which isinevitable to those who wear a mortal shape, we may feel as we did then, but never before! The rapture--the relief--the spiritualecstasy--surmounting, as on wings of fire, pain, fatigue, suspense, anguish of mind and body--were in themselves lessons of immortalitybeyond any that book or sage has issued from midnight vigil or earthlytabernacle. 

Not until a new order of things is established, and we have done withtribulation, tears, and death, shall we again know such sensations; noris it indeed quite certain that human heart and brain could twicesustain them here below!

CHAPTER XIV. 

Reaction came at last! Life is full of bathos as well as pathos. An hourlater, we four companions in the rejoicing over this redemption, ifchiefly strangers before, were partaking cheerfully together of hotcoffee and oysters. The services of Mrs. Jessup had been called in--thedoctor's excellent old Quaker house-keeper--and, amid many "thous" and"thees, " she had served us a capital and expeditious supper. 

No one enjoyed the festive occasion more than Mr. Burress, who, on thepoint of stealing lightly away after witnessing from the front study thescene of recognition and meeting, had been arrested on the threshold byDr. Pemberton himself. 

Either to allow a full explanation between two long-parted lovers, or toconceal his own emotion and get back his customary calm, our dear doctorhad seen fit to step into the front-study for a few minutes, and hechecked Mr. Burress, with his hand on the door-knob, with some verynatural questions as to the mode and time of our meeting, and ended byrequiring his presence at the slight collation he ordered at once. 

The part the worthy apothecary had played in my closing adventure; thecertainty that to his zeal and promptness I owed my immunity fromfurther captivity--for, had I walked around the square in the usualway, the men at watch from the carriage-windows must have espied andseized me--or, had we loitered in the alley, and arrived a moment laterat the central house of Kendrick Row, there is no doubt that they wouldhave been there to await my arrival, nor could Mr. Burress have saved mefrom their clutches--the whole thing seemed especially providential;but, as the efficient medium of each mercy, Napoleon B. Burress did, indeed, seem to all present crowned with a perfect nimbus of glory. Dr. Pemberton led him back to my presence with his arm encircling hisshoulder; Captain Wentworth shook his hand mutely but long, with hiseyes dimmed with tears, and words that found imperfect utterance, atlast compelling him to strange silence. 

"I thank you, I bless you, " he said, at last. "I do not hope to be ableto return such services, but, what I _can do_, command. "

"And I to think that she was crazy all the time; escaped from the greatasylum a mile away. Sweetest creature, too, I ever saw in my life; andCaleb thought so, too. "

The speaker brushed a briny drop or two from his eyes with the back ofhis hand as he spoke; then, smiling archly, asked:

"Can you forgive me, miss, for belying you so, even in thought? You see, I have made a clean breast of it now; but such a pity!"

"Forgive you?" And I advanced toward him, and put both my hands in oneof his large white extremities, and, before I knew what I was doing, Ihad stooped over and kissed it, and was bathing it with my tears. 

"O miss! this is too much; it is, indeed!" said Napoleon B. , blushingto the roots of his hair, and withdrawing his hand with aslightly-mortified air; "you nonplus me completely. "

"You see she was too much overcome, Mr. Burress, to speak otherwise thanthis, " said Wentworth, drawing me to his bosom. "You must honor thisexpression of feeling as I do. "

"O sir! it is the greatest honor I ever received in my life; and she, poor thing, like Penelope, tangled up in a web so long, and free atlast! Well, it is a great joy to me to think I helped a little to cutthe ropes. "

"Helped! Why, I owe every thing to you. Listen, " and then as briefly asI could I recounted the trials in store for me that very night--thecompulsory marriage, or the removal to the belfry-tower--one or theother inevitable, and either of which must have made the proposed rescueof the following day, on the part of Captain Wentworth and his friends, in one sense or the other unavailing. As the wife of Gregory, or as theprisoner of the turret, I should in one case have been morally, and inthe other physically, dead or lost forever!

Mutely, and tearfully even, was my skill in setting forth the magnitudeof the wrong, from which Mr. Burress had been instrumental in saving me, acknowledged by my audience, not excepting Jenny the house-maid, who, arrested on the threshold, stood wiping her eyes with her neat cottonapron in token of sympathy. 

"Caleb will be wondering what has become of me, and tired out ofwatching if I don't go home at once, " said Mr. Burress, after hisemotion had subsided, and accepting gracefully the civic crown withwhich he had been metaphorically rewarded. Mine was in store, but howcould he dream of this?

A statue of the Greek Slave, a copy made by a master-hand, soon adornedhis window, and his bride wore pearls of price, the joint gift of Miriamand Wardour Wentworth, a twelvemonth later, when a mistress of theemporium was brought home, much to the solace of Caleb, who wasremembered by us also, let me not forget to add. 

Truly kind and benevolent as he was, Napoleon Burress had a despoticmanner, which relaxed beneath the genial smile of Marian March. 

"I must go, indeed, my dear sir" (to Dr. Pemberton), "but this nightwill be memorable in my annals. God bless you all! Farewell. Afraid ofan encounter? Not I Like Horatio Cockleshell of old, I learned to carrypistols constantly about me when I had to pass the bridge every night asa youngster. My parents lived in Hamilton village. I still keep up thecustom, and therefore pay my fine yearly to the council. "

When at last we separated, the clock was on the stroke of one, and Iwent to a clean and quiet chamber above the little study, where a brightfire was burning, but whence the smell of lavender, which alwaysaccompanies the fresh sheets of Quakerhood, still prevailed with asummer-like fragrance. The attentive house-maid disrobed me, and bathedmy chilled and frosted feet and swollen hands in water tempered withalcohol. Then arraying me in a mob-cap and snowy cotton gown, theproperty of good Mrs. Jessup, placed me in the soft nest prepared forsojourners beneath that homely but hospitable roof. 

"I hope thee is comfortable, Miriam Monfort, " said Mrs. Jessup, after Iwas ensconced in bed, "Why, thy face is the same after all, that Iremember when thou wert a very little girl, and used to walk out withMrs. Austin. She is well, I hope?" settling the bed-cover. 

"I cannot tell you, Mrs. Jessup. I must rather ask such questions ofyou. When did you see her last? and Mabel--do you know my littlesister?"

"Oh, yes, I know her perfectly well by sight. Let me see, it was Sabbathbefore last that, just as I was coming out of Friends' meeting-house, Isaw Mabel Monfort, a pretty maiden, truly, walking with her step-sister, I think, and a tall and stately gentleman. But Mrs. Austin I have notseen since last rose-time, and then only in passing. She seemed well, but wore a troubled face. "

"Yes, yes; she was troubled, no doubt, things were so altered; and, ifher heart had not turned to stone, she must have thought of me sometimesregretfully. But all bids fair now, Mrs. Jessup, both for me and her, and for Mabel. For the rest, let them go--they are fiends!"

"Thee has a very flushed and hot cheek, Miriam, now that I see theeclosely and touch thy face"--doing so lightly with the back of her handas she spoke. "A bowl of sage-tea would, no doubt, be of service tothee; shall I--"

"Oh, no, Mrs. Jessup; I never could drink that wise stuff in the world. I have just had a good supper, and am excited, that is all. Jenny willtell you what she overheard concerning my escape of to-night, and thatwill account for all. "

"Good-night, then, Miriam; may the Lord have thee in his care thisnight"--and she withdrew, followed by Jenny, eager, no doubt, tocommence the recital of my adventure, or to hear what more CaptainWentworth and Dr. Pemberton had to say on the subject. 

It was nearly daylight when they parted, one to snatch a few hours ofneedful slumber before setting out on his professional tour, the otherto go at once to the officers of justice, and, at the very earliest hourpossible, obtain the authority to arrest the brace of arch-conspirators, still protected by the shadows of the dawn. 

For Justice has its time of sleeping and waking in large cities, andwill not be denied its meals, its hours of rest, and even recreation. Soit was seven o'clock in the cold November morning before the properceremonials could be accomplished which placed it in the power ofWentworth to arraign Basil Bainrothe and Luke Gregory. 

He occupied one seat in the hackney-coach, which was otherwise filled bythe officers of the law; but, when he rang a sonorous peal on the portalbell of Bainrothe's residence, it was unanswered, and, though the househad been watched since daylight by an armed police force, who had noconnection with McDermot, it was found, when an entrance had beeneffected, that the only inhabitants of the mansion were a sick woman, anold negress, and a child, apparently, from its puny size, about atwelvemonth old. The woman could not be aroused from the coma in whichshe seemed to have fallen, either as a crisis of her disease or aprecursor of death (medical opinion was divided), until suddenly, aboutnoon, she waked, perfectly clear in mind and comfortable in body, andcalled loudly for nourishment!

I had slept profoundly until that hour, and my first thought in wakingwas of Mrs. Clayton and her probable condition; then came theconcentrated effort necessary for her release; and she, too, awoke, as Ihave shown, to consciousness and physical ease. 

Her surprise, her indignation, at being thus deserted, surpassed evenher disappointment at my escape, and her involuntary somnolency was atheme of self-reproach and marvel both. But all yielded in turn toterror when she found herself under arrest in her own chamber, incompany with her fellow-conspirator Sabra. 

The child was brought to me, at my earnest request, and, during the fewdays of my sojourn under Dr. Pemberton's roof, managed to make friendsof all around him. His deformity soon became a matter of interest andmedical examination, and it was decided that it was not beyond the reachof surgical skill. 

The process would be very gradual, Dr. Pemberton thought, ofstraightening the spinal curvature; but, should the health of the childprove good after his tardy and difficult dentition, much might be hopedfrom the aid of Nature herself. This was joyous intelligence to me. 

The noble soul of Ernie should still wear a fitting frame, and thestature of his kind be accorded to him! The "picaninny" wicked old Sabrahad gloated on as a dainty morsel, on the raft, might live to put Fateitself to shame; for had I not marveled that his mother even should careto preserve a thing so frail and wretched, when we sat hand-in-handtogether on the burning ship? And, later, had I not pondered over thewisdom of his preservation? Who, then, shall penetrate the mysteries ofdivine intention?

Claude Bainrothe had been arrested, but, after close and thoroughexamination, was dismissed as irresponsible for and ignorant of hisfather's acts and designs, a sentence afterward revoked, as far aspublic opinion was concerned. 

Evelyn, Mabel, and Mrs. Austin, were, of course, beyond suspicion--thelast two deservedly so; and if, indeed, Evelyn had been guilty ofcoöperation, I knew it had been through the force of circumstancesalone, too potent for her egotism and vanity. She never wished todestroy, only to govern me, and make my being and interests subordinateto her own. Mrs. Austin and Mabel received me with earnest joy, andEvelyn even manifested a decent sense of sisterly gratulation. 

I never saw Claude Bainrothe nor entered my father's house until afterhe had left it and forever--accompanied not by his wife, who lingeredbehind in distress and wretched dependence, most bitter to a spirit likehers, neither loving to give or receive favors--for, gathering up all ofhis own and his father's valuables, and drawing from the bank everydollar he could command, this worthy son of an unprincipled sire fled tojoin his parent, with his minion, Ada Greene. Evelyn had been for sometime sensible of his infatuation, and striven vainly to combat it byevery means in her power, forbearance having been her first alternative, vivid reproach her last. But experiments had failed. The first onlyfostered guilt beneath her own roof--the last urged it to itsconsummation. 

Still young and beautiful, she was deserted by the only man she had everloved--the being for whom she had ruthlessly sacrificed the welfare ofher sisters and every sentiment of honor; to whom she had given up herliberty to pander to his and his father's ignominy, and her home totheir desecration. 

In her great grief she retired to the solitude of her own chamber, andrefused to see any face save that of Mrs. Austin, who from this periodbecame her sole attendant, even after time had somewhat ameliorated thefirst agony incident to her condition. 

For there came to her another phase of being which made this attendanceno less a necessity than her present form of bitter and helpless grief. Hope revived, but in a form that promised no fruition, and which laterwill be made plainer to the reader. Just now I must continue my_résumé_. 

Old Martin was dead of paralysis, after praying vainly to be spared tosee his master's child return and take possession of her own, for he hadnever believed in my suicide, an idea that Bainrothe had taken pains topropagate. Nor did he lend any faith to my demise; knowing what he did, he believed that I had gone to England to get assistance from mymother's relatives--and Mrs. Austin had shared his opinion; she hadnursed him to the last, faithfully, and Evelyn had been tolerant of hispresence. This, at least, was a consolation. 

Sabra and Mrs. Clayton were not prosecuted, and I did, perhaps, the mostinexorable act of my life when I refused to see either of them again, orassist them to more than a mere subsistence until health could berestored to the one and her "owners" written to in order that the othermight be reclaimed to bondage, in which condition alone she, and such asshe, can be restrained from wrongdoing. "For there are devils on theearth, " says Swedenborg, "as well as angels, and they both wear humanguise--but by this may we know them, that no mortal ties bind them, nosphere confines them. They walk abroad, the one solely to evil for itsown sake, the other to universal good for the Father. Such as these dienot, but are translated, the one to hell, the other to heaven. "

Do we not right, then, to confine and enslave devils while they abidewith us, or, if we can, to destroy them utterly? And if we discern them, shall we not adore God's angels?

These dwell not long among us, and their eyes are fixed always with afar, pure yearning for some sphere in which we have no part. We feelthis in our daily intercourse with them, for angels like these dwelloften in the lowliest form about us, and our common contact with themthrills and awes us, though we scarcely realize that it is from them wehave these sensations, or what renders them so far, though near at hand!

Little children, submissive slaves, sad women, unresisting men, patientphysicians, great patriots, persistent preachers, martyr poets--allthese forms and phases in turn do our associate angels enter into andinform. 

But ever the sign is there! They are not ours! Among us, but not ofus--set apart, here for a season be it, longer or shorter, ready at anytime to spread their wings! My sister was of these--I did not recognizethis truth in the time of my great sorrow, when the parting plumes hadnot revealed themselves to my undiscerning eyes. 

A mighty touchstone has been applied to these earthly orbs since then, and the power to discriminate has been given to my soul. As Gregory andSabra were devils, I verily believe, so was Mabel one of Swedenborg'sangels. Who shall gainsay me? Who knows more than I on this subtlesubject? Not the wisest theologian that lives and breathes this earthlyair! Only those who never speak to enlighten us, and who have passedinto infinite light and knowledge through the portals of the grave. 

When I knelt beside Wardour Wentworth in the old church of chimes afortnight after my emancipation from the thraldom of demons, I acquiredwith this new allegiance of mine a more Christian and forbearing spiritthan had ever before possessed me; but the pearl of great price came notyet. Into the deeps of sorrow was my soul first compelled to enter, adiver in the great ocean, whence alone all such precious pearls areborne. 

Notice had been given to Claude Bainrothe to evacuate my father'spremises before my return from the brief wedding-trip which comprisedbusiness as well as recreation. Captain Wentworth took me with him toRichmond and to Washington, to both of which places his affairs led him. In the last I had the pleasure of grasping Old Hickory by his honesthand. He was my husband's patron and benefactor, and as such aloneentitled to my regard; but there was more. As patriot, soldier, gentleman in the truest sense of the word, I have not seen his peer. 

It was a great delight to me, in spite of the shadow Evelyn's griefthrew over our threshold, to stand once more as mistress in my father'shouse, even in the wreck of fortune, and control the education anddestiny of my young sister. Little Ernie, too, had his place in thehousehold as son by adoption, and grew daily stronger and more vigorousin our sight, the thoughtful, loving, and reticent child, heralding theman of power, affection, and principle, that he has become. 

The employment of my husband lay near the city of my nativity. He wasoccupied in making the great railroad through Jersey that was thepioneer of engineering progress, and a mighty link between two kindredStates. He was in this way, though often absent, never for any length oftime, and his return was always a fresh source of joy to his household. Mabel worshiped him; Ernie silently revered; Evelyn with all of hergrowing peculiarities acknowledged he had merit; and Mrs. Austinregarded him with mingled awe and affection, for to her he wassingularly kind and affectionate. 

"To grow old in servitude, " he would say, "what sadder fate can befallany being, or more entitle him or her to forbearance and respect? Whatlife-long hardships does this condition not impose? And this is a fieldfor universal charity, which costs not much, only a little patience anda few kind words and smiles. "

Ours was a happy household; no cloud rested upon it, save for a fewbrief days of illness or discomfort, until the great blow fell. In herseventeenth year and on the eve of her marriage with Norman Stansbury(again our neighbor, at intervals, when he came to visit his relatives, a man of noble qualities and singularly devoted to my sister), Mabeldied suddenly of some secret disease of the heart which had simulatedradiant health and bloom. 

I had sometimes observed with anxiety a slight shortness of breath, agasping after unusual exercise, and called the attention of physiciansto this state of things in my sister, who regarded it merely as anervous symptom, and this was all to indicate that the fell destroyerwas silently at work. She had just laid a bunch of white roses on hertoilet, and crossed the chamber for water to place them in, when shecalled my name in a strange, excited way, that brought me speedily toher side from the adjoining room. She was lying white and speechless onher bed, beside which the crystal goblet lay in fragments. 

The waters of her own existence had flowed forth with those prepared forher flowers, and before assistance could be summoned she expiredpeacefully in my arms, without a struggle. She had inherited hermother's malady. 

The anguish and disappointment of the lover, and my own despair, may bebetter imagined than portrayed. My baby died a few weeks later--partly, I think, from the effect of my own condition on her frail organization, and the hope of years was blighted in this fragile blossom--the firstthat had blessed our union. 

The little Constance slumbered by Mabel's side, and a slip from thatbunch of white roses, the last my sister had gathered, shadows themarbles that guard both of those now-distant, yet not neglected graves. Thus death at last entered our happy household!

A great shadow fell over me, which I vainly strove to dispel with allthe effort of my reason and my will. Physicians, remembering my mother'sinscrutable melancholy--a part of that mysterious malady that consumedher life--whispered their warnings in my husband's ears, and heresolved, with that energy which belongs to men of his nature, to laythe axe at once to the root of this evil in the only way that presenteditself to his mind--as possible of accomplishment. 

At first I resisted faintly the coincidence of his will, which he knewwas sure to come sooner or later; and to the very last it was agonyunspeakable to me, to think that my father's house should pass into thehands of strangers, and that the place that knew me should know me nomore!

Very resolutely and calmly did Wardour endure and stem my opposition. Swift and strong as the current of my will flowed naturally, he was everits master, as the stone dam can stay and lull the fiercest rivers. Hepersisted, knowing well what was at stake, and to my surprise Dr. Pemberton and Mr. Gerald Stansbury cooperated with his decision. Nor didMr. Lodore oppose it, though losing thereby one of his most liberalparishioners. 

A great struggle was going on in my heart just then--that I think wouldhave perished in darkness, had I not found myself free and emancipatedfrom all fetters of custom and observance by our change of residence. 

From the shallow streams of conventional Christianity, moving with tardycurrent, and full of shoals and sandbanks, I was drifting down, slowlybut surely, with that great ocean of deep and unsounded religion, towhich all profound natures, that have suffered, do, I believe--if leftto themselves--inevitably tend. 

In this new land of promise--the golden California--lying like a brideby the side of her bridegroom--the great Pacific Ocean--and shut away bydeserts and mountains, from all old conventional cliques and prejudicesof our Eastern cities, my soul took wing. What poetry was in me foundits outlet; what religious capacity God had endued me with, went forthfrom the clash of cymbals and the sound of the sackbut, that ever hadreminded me, in all seasons of sorrow, or even of joyous excitement, that I was one of an ancient people, astray in foreign pastures--wentforth (even as the compromise was made at first by Christ and hisapostles with the magnificent but soulless worship of the Jews) to mergethese sounds of ancient rite and form in the deep roll of the organ, that fills the churches where the Host is present. 

I needed this abiding miracle to stay my faith--to give it a newrapture, never experienced before--to sustain me in my sorrow. In thepresence of the holy Eucharist--in the sweet belief that saints communedwith me, and that the Mother of God, who, like me, had wept andsuffered, interceded for me at the throne of Christ, I regained thevitality that seemed gone forever. 

There is no cup like this for the lips of the parched and wearywayfarer--none!

CHAPTER XV. 

Let me go back a little in this retrospect, into which I am compellinginto a small space much that would take time in the telling, as anecessary retrenchment for too much affluence of description in thebeginning. 

The mind of the narrator, like the stone descending the shaft, gathersaccelerated velocity with its momentum toward the last, and so expendsitself in a more brief and sententious manner than in the commencement. It should be also, but rarely is, more powerful, and more condensed asit nears its _finale_. 

Why these things do _not_ go more uniformly together, as according topopular opinion they invariably must, is better understood by the artistthan his readers. 

Details are requisite to fill up a mental picture, and impress it on thememory, and, though brevity is certainly the soul of wit, it cannot besaid to be infallible in enforcing description to do its duty--that ofpainting a panoramic picture on the brain. 

Life is full of pre-Raphaelitism, and so is fiction, if indeed itresembles life--such as we know it, or such as it might be. The art ofverisimilitude is found alone in detail. 

Let me go back, then, for a brief summary of some of the principalevents and personages of Monfort Hall and Beauseincourt, the earlierportions of this retrospect. I will begin with the La Vignes. 

George Gaston, in one of the brief pauses of his stormy politicalcareer, wooed and married Margaret La Vigne, the year before her motherespoused in second nuptials her early lover (the brother of that saintlyminister who came to her rescue in the first days of her widowhood), andin this marriage she has been happy and prosperous. 

They continue to reside under the same roof, and Bellevue awaits itsmaster. It will be empty, I think, if I understand George Gaston'scharacter, so long as Major Favraud is a wanderer on the face of theContinent of Europe, and held, for his especial benefit and return, inreadiness. 

Vernon and his sweet wife Marion spent the first season of their happymarried life under my lintel-tree, and are now our nearest neighbors inour new land of sojourn. A slender iron fence divides our grounds fromtheirs. A golden cord of affection binds our lives together. Ourinterests, too, are the same. 

Vernon is leagued with my husband in the great engineering projectswhich have enriched them both--the capital to enlist in which sphere ofenterprise was furnished by the sale to a company of our "gold-gashed"lands in Georgia--revealed to my knowledge, as it may be remembered, bythe inadvertence of Gregory. 

The career of Bertie La Vigne had been a varied one, as might have beenforeseen perhaps from her early manifestations and proclivities. 

She came to me, while still we dwelt in the city of my birth, when shewas approaching her seventeenth year, and remained a twelvemonth undermy roof, engaged in the study of Shakespeare with that accomplished_artiste_ Mr. Mortimer. She intended to pursue what gift she had ofvoice and histrionic talent as a means of livelihood, she told me fromthe first, and to get rid of the ineffable weariness and monotony of herlife at Beauseincourt as well. 

The two motives seemed to me to be worthy of all praise. There are, indeed, abodes that kill the soul as well as the body, and this was oneof them in my estimation, yet I remembered as a seeming inconsistencythat, when, in her fourteenth year, it was proposed that Bertie shouldcome to me for the purpose of attending schools for the accomplishments, she steadily refused to do so. 

Her sense of duty might have been at the root of this firm andpersistent refusal to accept from my hand a gift richer far than "jewelsof the mine"--the power of varied occupation--but something had secretlywhispered to me that this was not all on which her apparentself-abnegation was baaed, and I think that I was right in myconjecture. 

Have you seen a plant, scathed by frost, that has made a strong andsuccessful effort to live, and still in its struggling existence bearsthe mark of the early blight on leaf and blossom?

Such was the impression made on my mind by Bertie La Vigne after threeyears of separation, and yet she had grown into majestic stature andinto comparative beauty since we parted at Beauseincourt. 

Tall, slender, straight as a young palm-tree, with exquisiteextremities, and a face of aristocratic if not Grecian proportions, there still was wanting in her step, her eye, her smile, that wonderful_abandon_ that had formed her chief charm in her earlier years. 

She had been crystallized, so to speak, by some strange process ofsuffering, into a cold and dull propriety, never infringed on save attimes when she found herself alone with me, and when the oldfrolic-spirit would for a little time possess her. It was not dead, butsleeping. 

"And what, my dear Bertie, " I said, one day, when Mr. Mortimer haddeparted, and she came to throw herself down on the sofa in my chamberand _rest_, "what has reconciled you to the old Parrot, as you used tocall our sublime Shakespeare?"

"Sublime! I shall think you affected, Miriam, if you apply that wordagain to that old commonplace. If he were sublime, do you suppose allthe world would read him or go to see his plays? Do reserve that epithetfor Milton, Dante, Tasso, Schiller, and the like inaccessibilities. Yes, I do revere 'Wallenstein' more than any thing Shakespeare everspouted"--in answer to my gently-shaking head--"I should break down over_Thekla_, I should, indeed. "

"Do you think his bed was soft under the war-horses?"--and she waved herhand--"O God! what a tragedy; what a love!" and she covered her facewith her quivering palm. 

"Bertie, you are still too excitable, I am sorry to see it"

"Philosopher, cure thyself. "

"Yes, I know that was always a fault of mine. "

"That is why you married the man in the iron mask, you know. I couldnever have loved that person. "

"Describe the man you think you could have loved, Bertie La Vigne. "

"Could have loved? That time is past forever, child. 'Frozen, and deadforever, ' as Shelley says. _He_ was my affinity, I believe, only he diedbefore I was born. What a pity! I would rather be his widow than thewife of any man living. "

"_She_ would like to hear that, no doubt, Bertie. "

"Well, she may hear it if she chooses when I go to England to read theold Parrot in the right way, under their very noses, Kembles and all. I'll let Mrs. Shelley know I'm there, " and she laughed merrily. 

"And what is your idea of the way to read Shakespeare, Bertie dear?" Iasked, playfully. 

"As one having authority, a head and shoulders above him and all hisprating, just as you would talk to your every-day next neighbor, readhim without any fear of his old deer-stealing ghost? Why, Miriam, heknew himself better than we knew him. He had no more idea of being agenius than you have! He was a sort of artesian well of a man, and couldnot help spouting platitudes, that was all. Besides, he had eyes to seeand ears to hear, and a very Yankee spirit of investigation. It is thefashion to crack him up like the Bible, both encyclopædias, that's all!Every man can see himself in these books, and every man likes alooking-glass, and that's the whole secret of their success. "

"Bertie, you are incorrigible. "

"No, I am not; only genuine. I do think there is a good deal in both ofthe works in question, but their sublimity I dispute. They are homely, coarse, commonplace, as birth and death. "

There was something that almost froze my blood in the way she said thoselast words, lying back upon the sofa with far-off-looking eyes and handsclasped beneath her head. 

"Miriam, " she said, after a while, "life is a humbug. I have thought sofor some time. "

"Poor child, poor child!"

"Ay, poorer than the poorest, Miriam Harz, " and, laying aside my work, Iwent to and knelt beside her, and kissed her brow. 

"I have no soul to open! I am as empty as a chrysalis-case, that thebutterfly has gone out of to dwell amid sunshine and flowers. Yet Ibelieve I had one once"--in ineffably mournful accents--"but two menkilled it; and yet, neither intended the blow! O Miriam! I understand atlast what Coleridge meant by his "life in death. " There is such athing--and that great necromancer found it out! I am the breathingimpersonation of that loathly thing, I believe. Listen"--and she sat upwith one raised finger and gave the poet's words with rare expression:

 "'The nightmare--life in death was she, That chilled men's blood with cold. '

"Doesn't that describe me as I am, Miriam?"

"You are, indeed, much changed, Bertie; perhaps it would be well couldyou confide in me. "

"No, it would not be well! I never could keep any thing wholly tomyself, neither can I tell it wholly, even to such as you--reticent!merciful! But this believe, I have done nothing wrong, nothing to beashamed of, to wear sackcloth and ashes for, and I am preparing to putmy foot on it all. Ay, from the snake's head of first discovery to thesnake's tail of the last disappointment, ranging over half a dozenyears! A long serpent, truly!" laughing. "But I mean to be galvanizedand get back my life. I am determined to be famous, rich, beautiful!"and she nodded to me with the old sweet sparkle in her eye, the gladsmile on her lip. 

"You laugh at the last threat!--laugh on! 'He who laughs best, laughslast!' says the old proverb. There is such a thing as training one'sfeatures, isn't there, as well as one's setters? Miriam, I shall developslowly; I am still in my very downiest adolescence as to looks. You willsee me when I have filled out and ripened, and when I put on my grandMarie Antoinette _tenu_, some day! Hair drawn back, _à la Pompadour_, powdered with gold-dust; a touch of rouge, perhaps, on either cheek;ruffles of rich lace at shoulders and elbows; pink brocade and emeralds, picked out with diamonds! Mr. Mortimer's teachings in every gracefulmovement! It will be all humbug, for I have no real beauty, not muchgrace; but people will think me beautiful and graceful for all that, while I wear my costumes. They are several--this is only one--all highlybecoming! I have a vision of a sea-green dress and moss-roses; of aviolet-satin robe, trimmed and twisted everywhere with flowers of yellowjasmine; of pale-gold and tipped marabouts in my hair; also of an azuresilk with blond and pearls and a tiara on my forehead" (she laughedarchly). "You don't know my capabilities, my dear, for appearing to lookwell--they are wonderful!"

"The very prospect transfigures you, Bertie. I am glad you are socourageous. "

"Were you courageous when you clung to your ropes on the sea-tossedraft! No, Miriam! that was instinct--nothing more; and I, too, have verystrong intuitions of self-preservation. Heaven grant that they may besuccessful! Let us pray. "

And, with moving lips and down-drawn lids, from beneath which the largetears stole one by one, like crystal globes, this suffering spiritcommuned with its God, silently. 

So best, I felt! Bertie was only a lip-deep scoffer. Her heart was opento conviction yet, and, when the time came, I believed that the seedsown in old days would germinate and bear good harvest. All was chaosnow!

Shall I keep on with Bertie, now that the theme has possession of me, and go back to the others when she is finally dismissed? I think thiswill be wisest, especially as my space is small, and mood concentrativerather than erratic. 

Let us pass over, then, five eventful years, during which the sorrowsand changes I have spoken of had taken place, and Wentworth had fixedhis home in the vicinity of San Francisco. 

I had heard of Bertie in the interval as a successful _débutante_ as areader of Shakespeare, and had received her sparse and sparkling lettersconfirming report, truly "angel visits, few and far between. "

At last one came announcing her intention of visiting Californiaprofessionally, and sojourning beneath my roof while in San Francisco. It was to be a stay of several weeks. 

She was accompanied and sometimes assisted by Mr. And Mrs. Mortimer, professional readers both--the last distinguished more for grace andbeauty, even though now on the wane of life, than she ever had been fortalent, but eminently fitted, both by education and character, for aguide and companion. 

An English maid, as perfect as an automaton in her training andregularity, accompanied Bertie, to whom were confided all details ofdress, all keys and jewels, with entire confidence and safety. Anelaborate doll seemed the red-and-white and stupidly-staring Euphemia. Yet was she adroit, obedient, and expert, just to move in the groove ofher requirements. 

I have spoken only of her accessories; but now for Bertie herself. 

"Is she not magnificent?" was my exclamation when alone with my husbandon the night of her arrival, after our guest, with her sparkling faceand conversation, her superb toilet and bearing, her graceful, nymph-like walk, had retired to her chamber, attended by the mechanical"Miss Euphemia. "

The Mortimers, with their children and servants, remained at theprincipal hotel. 

"The very word for her, " he replied; "only that and nothing more. "

"Wardour!"

"Well, love!"

"How little enthusiasm you possess about the beautiful! Now, if therewere question of a new railroad-bridge, the vocabulary would have beenexhausted. "

"What would you have me say, dear? Is not that word a very comprehensiveone? The lady above-stairs is indeed magnificent; but, Miriam, where isBertie?" and he laughed. 

"Ah! I understand; you find her artificial. "

"She is too fine an actress for that, Miriam; only transfigured. "

"Yes, I see what you mean" (sadly). "Bertie _is_ wholly changed. Whomdoes she resemble, Wardour? What queen, bethink you, whose likeness youhave seen? Not Mary Queen of Scots--not Elizabeth--"

"No, surely not; but she is, now that you draw my attention to it, strikingly like Marie Antoinette. "

"She said she would be, and she has succeeded!" and I mused on thewonderful transition. 

Four years more, and we heard of Bertie in England, as therarely-gifted and beautiful American reader, "Lavinia La Vigne. " Out ofthe _répertoire_ of her family names she had fished up thisalliteration, and "Bertie" was reserved for those behind the scenes. 

It was declared also in the public sheets, what great and distinguishedmen were in her train; how wits bowed to her wit, and authors to hercriticisms! But, when she wrote to me, she said nothing of all this, only telling of her visit to Mrs. Shelley, who had received her kindly, and to the tomb of Shakespeare, whose painted effigy she especiallyderided. "It looks indeed like a man who would cut his wife off with anold feather-bed and a teakettle, " was one of her characteristic remarks, I remember; but there was a little postscript that told the whole storyof her life, on a separate scrap of paper meant only for my eye Iclearly saw, and committed instantly to the flames after perusal:

"Ah, Miriam, this is all a magic lantern! The people are phantoms, therealities are shadows, and I a wretched humbug, duller than all! Two menhave lived and breathed for me on the face of this earth--two only. Onewas my much-offending and deeply-suffering father. The other--O, Miriam, to think of him is crime; but in his life, and that alone, I live. Isend you Praed's last beautiful little song--'Tell him I love him yet. 'It will tell you every thing. An answer I have scribbled to it as ifwritten by a man. Keep both, and when I am dead, should you survive me, dear, lay them if you can in my coffin, close, close to my heart!"

Three years more, and Bertie is in Rome, independent, at last, throughher own exertions, and able to gratify her tastes. I receive thencestatues, and pictures, and cameos, all exquisite of their kind, herprincely gifts, her legacies. Then comes a long silence. She knew whatfaith was mine when she last abode beneath my roof and made herself alittle impertinently merry at my expense in consequence of this neworder of things. 

Now comes a letter (a paper envelope accompanying it)--Bertie La Vignehas entered the Catholic Church, through baptism and confirmation, sobriefly states the letter written in her own hand and of date somemonths back, retained, no doubt, through forgetfullness, until reminded. The paper, of recent issue, tells of the ceremony at St. Peter's, whichadmitted to the novitiate several noble ladies, native and foreign, andamong the rest an _artist_ of merit, Miss Lavinia La Vigne, of Georgia, United States of America. 

On the margin of the paper were a few penciled words in her ownhandwriting: "I have found the reality. " This was all. 

I shall never see her again unless I go to Rome, and then only through agrating, or in the presence of others like herself, for she has takenthe black veil, and retired behind a shadow deep as that cast from thecypress-shaded tomb. Yet, under existing circumstances, and inconsideration of her early experiences which no success nor later futurecould obliterate, or render less unendurable, I believe she has chosenthe wiser part. 

Peace be with thee, Bertie, whether in earth or in heaven!

EDITOR'S Note. --... Some years after the closing of Miriam Monfort'sRetrospect, the civil war broke out in the United Stales, and Pope PiusIX was pleased to grant permission to several American nuns, Southernladies, whose vocation was religious, to visit their own States, andlend what succor, spiritual and physical, they could to the wounded anddying, on the battle-fields and in the Confederate camps. Among thesecame the Sister Ursula, from the convent of the Cartusians, known onceas Lavinia, or Bertie La Vigne. She was particularly fearless andefficient, and was killed by a cannon-ball at Shiloh while kneelingbeside a dying officer, ascertained to be her sister's husband, thegallant George Gaston of the Seventh Georgia. By order of ColonelFavraud, they were buried in one grave. He best knew wherefore this wasdone. 

Our home overlooks the calm bay of Sun Francisco, standing, as it does, on an eminence, surrounded with stately forest-trees, and dark from adistance with evergreens which trail their majestic branches over roodsof lawn. 

These trees have ever been a passion with me. I love their aromaticodors, reminding one of balm and frankincense, and the great Temple ofSolomon itself, built of fine cedar-wood. I admire their statelysymmetry, and the majesty of their unchanging presence, and stand wellpleased and invigorated in their shadow. 

Our house is built of stone, and faced with white marble brought frombeyond the seas. Its architectural details are composite, and yet ofdream-like beauty and perfection. 

There are statues and blooming plants in the great lower corridors andporticos, and vast hall of entrance, oval and open to the roof, with itsmarble gallery surrounding it and suspended midway, secured by itsexquisite and lace-like screen of iron balustrading. Pictures of thegreat modern masters adorn the walls. 

The skylight above floods the whole house with sunshine at the touchingof a cord, which controls the venetians that in summer-time shade thehalls below; and the parlors, and saloon, and library, and dining-room, and the quiet, spacious chambers above-stairs, are all admirablyproportioned and finished, and furnished as well, for the comfort ofthose that abide in them--hosts and guests. 

 * * * * *

In one of the most private and luxurious of these apartments abode, forsome years, a pale and shadowy being, refusing all intercourse withsociety, and vowed to gloom and hypochondria. It was her strange andmournful mania to look upon all human creatures with suspicion, nay, with loathing. 

The fairest linen, the whitest raiment, the most exquisite repast, whether prepared by human hands, or furnished by divine Providenceitself, in the shape of tempting fruits, if touched by another, becameat once revolting and unpalatable. Thus, with servants to relieve her ofall cares, and Mrs. Austin as her devoted attendant, she preferred, bythe aid of her own small culinary contrivance, to prepare her fastidiousmeals, to spread her own snowy couch, so often a bed of thorns to her, to put on her own attire, regularly fumigated and purified by someprocess she affected, as it tame from the laundry, and touched only withgloved hands by herself, as were the books into which she occasionallyglanced for solace. 

Most of her time was spent in gazing from her window, that overlookedthe bay, and dreaming of the return of one who had long sinceheartlessly deserted her, leaving her dependent on those she hadinjured, and from whom she bitterly and even derisively receivedshelter, tender ministry, and all possible manifestations of compassionand interest. 

Her mind had been partially overthrown at the time of her husband'sdesertion and her dead baby's birth--events that occurred almostconjointly; and it was the wreck of Evelyn Erle we cherished until herslow consumption, long delayed by the balmy air of California, culminated mercifully to herself and all around her, and removed herfrom this sphere of suffering. 

Whither? Alas! the impotence of that question! Are there not beings whoseem, indeed, to lack the great essential for salvation--a soul to besaved? How far are such responsible?

Claude Bainrothe is married again, and not to Ada Greene, who, outcastand poor, came some years since as an adventuress to California, andsignalized herself later, in the _demi-monde_, as a leader of greataudacity, beauty, and reckless extravagance. The lady of his choice (orheart?) was a fat baroness, about twenty years his senior, who letsapartments, and maintains the externes of her rank in a saloon fifteenfeet square, furnished with red velveteen, and accessible by means of anantechamber paved with tiles!

He has grown stout, drinks beer, and smokes a meerschaum, but is stillknown on the principal promenade, and in the casino of the German townin which he resides, as "the handsome American. " He is said, however, tohave spells of melancholy. 

The "Chevalier Bainrothan, " and the "Lady Charlotte Fremont, " hisstep-daughter, for as such she passes, for some quaint or wicked reasonunrevealed to society, with their respectable and hideous house-keeper, Madame Clayton, dwell under the same roof, and enjoy the privilege ofaccess to the _salon_, of the baroness, and a weekly game of _écarté_ ather _soirées_, usually profitable to the chevalier in a small way. 

All this did Major Favraud, in his own merry mood, communicate to us onthe occasion of his memorable visit to San Francisco, when he remainedour delighted guest during one long delicious summer season. Of Gregory, we never heard. 

"I had hoped to hear of your marriage long before this, " I said to himone day. "Tell me why you have not wedded some fair lady before thistime. Now tell me frankly as you can. "

"Simply because you did not wait for me. "

"Nonsense! the truth. I want no _badinage_. "

"Because, then--because I never could forget Celia--never love any oneelse. "

"She was one of Swedenborg's angels, Major Favraud--no real wife ofyours. She never was married"--and I shook my head--"only united to abeing of the earth with whom she had no real affinity. Choose yourselsewhere. "

"I believe you are half right, " he said, sadly. "She never seemed tobelong to me by right--only a bird I had caught and caged, that loved mewell, yet was eager to escape. "

"Such was the state of the case, I cannot doubt; a more out and outflesh-and-blood organization would suit you better. Your life is nothalf spent; the dreary time is to come. Go back to Bellevue, and get youa kind companion, and let children climb your knees, and surround yourhearth. You would be so much happier. "

"Suggest one, then. Come, help me to a wife. "

"No, no, I can make no matches; but you know Madame de St. Aube is awidow now. You were always congenial. "

"Yes, but"--with a shrug of his shoulders, worthy of a Frenchman--"_quevoulez vous?_ That woman has five children already, and a plantationmortgaged to Maginnis!"

"Maginnis again! The very name sends a chill through my bones! No, thatwill never do. Some maiden lady, then--some sage person of thirty-fouror five. "

"I do not fancy such. I'll tell you what! I believe I will go back andcourt Bertie on some of her play-acting rounds, and make a decent womanof that little vagabond. Because she was disappointed once, is that areason? Great Heavens! this tongue of mine! Cut it out, Mrs. Wentworth, and cast it to the seals in the bay. I came very near--"

"Betraying what I have long suspected, Major Favraud. Who _was_ thatman?"

"Don't ask me, my dear woman; I must not say another word, in honor. Itwas a most unfortunate affair--a sheer misunderstanding. He loved herall the time; I knew this, but you know her manner! He did notunderstand her flippant way; her keen, unsparing, and bitter wit; herdevoted, passionate, proud, and breaking heart; and so there was acoolness, and they parted; and what happened afterward nearly killedher! So she left her home. "[6]

"I must not ask you, I feel, for you say you cannot tell me more inhonor, but I think I know. The man, of all the earth, I would havechosen for her. Oh, hard is woman's fate!"

To the very last I have reserved what lay nearest my heart of hearts. 

Three children have been born to us in California, and have made ourhome a paradise. The two elder are sons, named severally for my fatherand theirs, Reginald and Wardour. 

The last is a daughter, a second Mabel, beautiful as the first, andstrangely resembling her, though of a stronger frame and more vitalnature. She is the sunshine of the house, the idol of her father andbrothers, who _all_ are mine, as well as the fair child of sevensummers herself. 

Mrs. Austin presides, in imagination, over our nursery, but, in reality, is only its most honored occasional visitor, her chamber being distinct, and my own rule being absolute therein, with the aid of a docileadjunct. 

Ernest Wentworth, our adopted son--so-called for want of any othername--is the standard of perfection in mind and morals, for theimitation of the rest of the band of children. 

He has gained the usual stature of young men of his age, with a slightdefect of curvature of the shoulders that does but confirm his scholarlyappearance. 

His face, with its magnificent brow, piercing dark eyes, palecomplexion, and clustering hair, is striking, if not handsome. 

He has graduated as a student of law, and, should his health permit, will, I cannot doubt, distinguish himself as a forensic orator. 

George Gaston and Madge have promised a visit to the Vernons; but Icannot help hoping, rather without than _for_ any good reason, that theywill not come! I love them both, yet I feel they are mismated, even ifhappy. 

My husband is noted among his peers for his liberal and noble-minded useof a princely income, and his great public spirit. He unitesagricultural pursuits with his profession, and has placed, among othermanagers, my old ally, Christian Garth and his family, on the ranch heholds nearest to San Francisco. 

Thence, at due seasons, seated on a wain loaded with the fruits of theirlabor, the worthy pair come up to the city to trade, and never fail intheir tribute to our house. 

The immigrant possessed of worth and industry, however poor; theadventurous man, who seeks by the aid of his profession alone toestablish himself in California; the artist, the man of letters, allmeet a helping hand from Wardour Wentworth, who in his charitiesobserves but one principle of action, one hope of recompense, both to befound in the teachings of philanthropy:

"As I do unto you, go you and do unto others. " This is his maxim. 

Our lives have been strangely happy and successful up to this hour, sothat sometimes my emotional nature, too often in extremes, tremblesbeneath its burden of prosperity, and conjures up strange phantoms ofdark possibilities, that send me, tearful and depressed, to my husband'sarms, to find strength and courage in his rare and calm philosophy andequipoise. 

Never on his sweet serene brow have I seen a frown of discontent, or acloud of sourceless sorrow, such as too often come--the last especiallyto mine--born of that melancholy which has its root far back in thebosoms of my ancestors. 

Such as his life is, he accepts it manfully; and in his shadow I findprotection and grow strong. 

Reader, farewell!

THE END. 

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 6: This was previous to Bertie's visit. ]

T. B. PETERSON AND BROTHERS' PUBLICATIONS. 

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Orders solicited from Booksellers, Librarians, Canvassers, News Agents, and all others in want of good and fast selling books, which will besupplied at very Low Prices. 

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_Complete in thirty-nine large duodecimo volumes, bound in moroccocloth, gilt back, price $1. 75 each; or $68. 25 a set, each set is put upin a neat box_. 

 How He Won Her, ... $1 75 Fair Play, ... 1 75 The Spectre Lover.... 1 75 Victor's Triumph, ... 1 75 A Beautiful Fiend.... 1 75 The Artist's Love, ... 1 75 A Noble Lord, ... 1 75 Lost Heir of Linlithgow, ... 1 75 Tried for her Life, ... 1 75 Cruel as the Grave, ... 1 75 The Maiden Widow, ... 1 75 The Family Doom, ... 1 75 The Bride's Fate, ... 1 75 The Changed Brides, ... 1 75 Fallen Pride, ... 1 75 The Christmas Guest, ... 1 75 The Willow's Son, ... 1 75 The Bride of Llewellyn, ... 1 75 The Fortune Seeker, ... 1 75 The Missing Bride; or, Miriam, the Avenger, ... 1 75 The Fatal Marriage, ... $1 75 The Deserted Wife, ... 1 75 The Bridal Eve, ... 1 75 The Lost Heiress, ... 1 75 The Two Sisters, ... 1 75 Lady of the Isle, ... 1 75 Prince of Darkness, ... 1 75 The Three Beauties, ... 1 75 Vivia; or the Secret of Power, ... 1 75 Love's Labor Won, ... 1 75 The Gipsy's Prophecy, ... 1 75 Haunted Homestead, ... 1 75 Wife's Victory, ... 1 75 Allworth Abbey, ... 1 75 The Mother-in-Law, ... 1 75 India; Pearl of Pearl River, ... 1 75 Curse of Clifton, ... 1 75 Discarded Daughter, ... 1 75 The Mystery of Dark Hollow, ... 1 75 Retribution, ... 1 75

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 The Young Wife's Cook Book, Cloth, ... 1 75

 Miss Leslie's New Receipts for Cooking, Cloth, ... 1 75

 Mrs. Hale's Receipts for the Million, Cloth, ... 1 75

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 Francatelli's Modern Cook. With the most approved methods of French, English, German, and Italian Cookery. With Sixty-two Illustrations. One volume of 500 pages, bound in morocco cloth, $5. 00

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_Complete in seven large duodecimo volumes, bound in cloth, gilt back, price $1. 75 each; or $12. 25 a set, each set is put up in a neat box_. 

 The Watchman, ... $1 75 The Wanderer, ... 1 75 The Lawyer's Story, ... 1 75 Diary of an Old Doctor, ... 1 75 Sartaroe, ... 1 75 The Three Cousins, ... 1 75 The Old Patroon; or the Great Van Brock Property, ... 1 75

Above are each in cloth, or each one is in paper cover, at $1. 50 each. 

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IN 6 VOLUMES, AT $1. 75 EACH; OR $10. 50 A SET. 

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_T. B. PETERSON & BROTHERS, 306 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa. , havejust published a complete and uniform edition of all the new andcelebrated works written by Mrs. Catharine A. Warfield, the well-knownand popular American writer. This edition is in duodecimo form, and isprinted on the finest of white paper, and is complete in six volumes, and each volume is bound in the very best manner, in morocco cloth, witha full gilt back, and is sold at the low price of $1. 75 a volume, or$10. 50 for a full and complete set. Every Family, and every Library inthis Country, should have in it a set of this beautiful edition of thecomplete works of this talented and gifted American Authoress, Mrs. Catharine A. Warfield. The following is a list of_

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MONFORT HALL. 

MIRIAM'S MEMOIRS. 

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THE HOUSEHOLD OF BOUVERIE. 

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