diff options
Diffstat (limited to '14333-h/14333-h.htm')
| -rw-r--r-- | 14333-h/14333-h.htm | 10209 |
1 files changed, 10209 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/14333-h/14333-h.htm b/14333-h/14333-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4a4d494 --- /dev/null +++ b/14333-h/14333-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,10209 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> +<head> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" + content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /> + + <title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Lippincott's Magazine of + Popular Literature and Science, Vol. XVII, No. 102, June, + 1876.</title> + <style type="text/css"> + /*<![CDATA[*/ + + <!-- + body {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + p {text-align: justify;} + blockquote {text-align: justify;} + h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 {text-align: center;} + h1 {margin-top: 2em; margin-bottom: 2em} + h2 {margin-top: 4em; margin-bottom: 2em} + h3 {margin-top: 2em; margin-bottom: 2em} + + pre {font-size: 0.7em;} + + hr {text-align: center; width: 50%;} + html>body hr {margin-right: 25%; margin-left: 25%; width: 50%;} + hr.full {width: 100%;} + html>body hr.full {margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 0%; width: 100%;} + hr.short {text-align: center; width: 20%;} + html>body hr.short {margin-right: 40%; margin-left: 40%; width: 20%;} + .center {text-align: center;} + .note + {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 0.9em;} + + span.pagenum + {position: absolute; left: 1%; right: 91%; font-size: 8pt;} + + .poem + {margin-left:10%; margin-right:10%; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left;} + .poem .stanza {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;} + .poem p {margin: 0; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} + .poem p.i2 {margin-left: 1em;} + .poem p.i4 {margin-left: 2em;} + .poem p.i6 {margin-left: 3em;} + .poem p.i8 {margin-left: 4em;} + .poem p.i10 {margin-left: 5em;} + + .figure, .figcenter, .figright, .figleft + {padding: 1em; margin: 0; text-align: center;} + .figure img, .figcenter img, .figright img, .figleft img + {border: none;} + .figure p, .figcenter p, .figright p, .figleft p + {margin: 0; text-indent: 1em;} + .figcenter {margin: auto;} + .figright {float: right;} + .figleft {float: left;} + + .inline {border: none; vertical-align: middle;} + + .footnote {font-size: 0.9em; margin-right: 10%; margin-left: 10%;} + + div.trans-note {border-style : solid; border-width : 1px; + margin : 3em 15%; padding : 1em; text-align : center;} + + .illustrations { margin : 0.5em 10%; + font-size : 0.9em;} + + .toc {margin : 0 10%; + text-align : left; + font-size : 0.9em;} + .toc p {margin : 0.5em 0; } + .toc p.i4 {margin-left : 2em;} + + p.author {margin-right: 5%; text-align: right;} + + a:link {color: blue; text-decoration: none} + link {color: blue; text-decoration: none} + a:visited {color: blue; text-decoration: none} + a:hover {color: red} + --> + /*]]>*/ + </style> +</head> + +<body> +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 14333 ***</div> + + <div class="trans-note"> + Transcriber's Note: The Table of Contents and the list of + illustrations were added by the transcriber. + </div> + <hr class="full" /> + + <h1>LIPPINCOTT'S MAGAZINE</h1> + + <h3>OF</h3> + + <h2><i>POPULAR LITERATURE AND SCIENCE</i>.</h2> + <hr class="short" /> + + <h4>June, 1876.<br /> + Vol. XVII, No. 102.</h4> + <hr class="short" /> + + <h3>TABLE OF CONTENTS</h3> + + <div class="toc"> + <p><a href="#illustrations">ILLUSTRATIONS</a></p> + + <p>THE CENTURY—ITS FRUITS AND ITS FESTIVAL.</p> + + <p class="i4">VI.—THE DISPLAY—INTRODUCTORY. + <a href="#THE_CENTURYmdashITS_FRUITS_AND_ITS_FESTIVAL">649</a></p> + + <p>DOLORES by EMMA LAZARUS.<a href="#DOLORES">666</a></p> + + <p>GLIMPSES OF CONSTANTINOPLE by SHEILA HALE.</p> + + <p class="i4">CONCLUDING PAPER. + <a href="#GLIMPSES_OF_CONSTANTINOPLE">668</a></p> + + <p>THEE AND YOU by EDWARD KEARSLEY.</p> + + <p class="i4">A STORY OF OLD PHILADELPHIA. IN TWO + PARTS—I. <a href="#THEE_AND_YOU">679</a></p> + + <p>MODERN HUGUENOTS by JAMES M. BRUCE. + <a href="#MODERN_HUGUENOTS">692</a></p> + + <p>BLOOMING by MAURICE THOMPSON. + <a href="#BLOOMING">701</a></p> + + <p>FELIPA by CONSTANCE FENIMORE WOOLSON. + <a href="#FELIPA">702</a></p> + + <p>AT CHICKAMAUGA by ROBERT LEWIS KIMBERLY. + <a href="#AT_CHICKAMAUGA">713</a></p> + + <p>THE ATONEMENT OF LEAM DUNDAS by MRS. E. LYNN LINTON.</p> + + <p class="i4">CHAPTER XXXVII. UNWORTHY. + <a href="#THE_ATONEMENT_OF_LEAM_DUNDAS">723</a></p> + + <p class="i4">CHAPTER XXXVIII. BLOTTED OUT. + <a href="#CHAPTER_XXXVIII">728</a></p> + + <p class="i4">CHAPTER XXXIX. WINDY BROW. + <a href="#CHAPTER_XXXIX">733</a></p> + + <p class="i4">CHAPTER XL. LOST AND NOW FOUND. + <a href="#CHAPTER_XL">739</a></p> + + <p>THE ITALIAN MEDIÆVAL WOOD-SCULPTORS by T. ADOLPHUS + TROLLOPE. + <a href="#THE_ITALIAN_MEDIAEVAL_WOOD_SCULPTORS">746</a></p> + + <p>REST by CHARLOTTE F. BATES. <a href="#REST">754</a></p> + + <p>LETTERS FROM SOUTH AFRICA by LADY BARKER. + <a href="#LETTERS_FROM_SOUTH_AFRICA">755</a></p> + + <p>OUR MONTHLY GOSSIP.</p> + + <p class="i4">THE CABS OF PARIS by L.H.H. + <a href="#OUR_MONTHLY_GOSSIP">764</a></p> + + <p class="i4">A NEW MUSEUM AT ROME by T.A.T. + <a href="#A_NEW_MUSEUM_AT_ROME">768</a></p> + + <p class="i4">OUR FOREIGN SURNAMES by W.W.C. + <a href="#OUR_FOREIGN_SURNAMES">770</a></p> + + <p class="i4">THE NEW FRENCH ACADEMICIAN by R.W. + <a href="#THE_NEW_FRENCH_ACADEMICIAN">772</a></p> + + <p>LITERATURE OF THE DAY. + <a href="#LITERATURE_OF_THE_DAY">774</a></p> + + <p class="i4">BOOKS RECEIVED. + <a href="#Books_Received">776</a></p> + </div> + <hr /> + <a name="illustrations" + id="illustrations"></a> + + <h4>ILLUSTRATIONS</h4> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#fig649">FAÇADE OF THE + SPANISH DIVISION, MAIN BUILDING.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#fig651">FAÇADE OF THE + EGYPTION DIVISION, MAIN BUILDING.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#fig653">FAÇADE OF THE + SWEDISH DIVISION, MAIN BUILDING.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#fig654">FAÇADE OF THE + BRAZILIAN DIVISION, MAIN BUILDING.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#fig655">DOM PEDRO, EMPEROR + OF BRAZIL.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#fig656">JAPANESE + CARPENTERS.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#fig657">FAÇADE OF THE + DIVISION OF THE NETHERLANDS, MAIN BUILDING.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#fig659">THE CORLISS ENGINE, + FURNISHING MOTIVE-POWER FOR MACHINERY HALL.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#fig661">INTERIOR OF COOK'S + WORLD'S TICKET OFFICE.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#fig663">FRENCH RESTAURANT LA + FAYETTE.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#fig664">THE MAMMOTH RODMAN + GUN.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#fig665">SCENE AT ONE OF THE + ENTRANCES TO THE GROUNDS—THE TURNSTILE.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#fig668">SCENE IN A BURIAL + GROUND.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#fig670">THE SULTAN ABDUL + ASSIZ.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#fig671">TURKISH + COW-CARRIAGE.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#fig672">ENTERING A + MOSQUE.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#fig673">CASTLE OF EUROPE, ON + THE BOSPHORUS.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#fig675">FORTRESS OF RIVA, + AND THE BLACK SEA.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#fig676">TURKISH + QUARTER—STAMBOUL.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#fig677">OBELISK OF + THEODOSIUS.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#fig678">SHEPHERDS.</a></p> + <hr /> + <span class="pagenum">[pg 649]</span> + <a name='THE_CENTURYmdashITS_FRUITS_AND_ITS_FESTIVAL' + id="THE_CENTURYmdashITS_FRUITS_AND_ITS_FESTIVAL"></a> + + <h2>THE CENTURY—ITS FRUITS AND ITS FESTIVAL.</h2> + + <h3>VI. THE DISPLAY—INTRODUCTORY.</h3><br /> + <!-- + <p>[Illustration: FAÇADE OF THE SPANISH DIVISION, MAIN BUILDING.]</p> + --> + + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a name="fig649" + id="fig649"></a> + <a href="images/Illus-0001-1.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/Illus-0001-1_sm.jpg" + alt="FAÇADE OF THE SPANISH DIVISION, MAIN BUILDING." /> + </a><br /> + FAÇADE OF THE SPANISH DIVISION, MAIN BUILDING. + </div> + + <p>All things being ready for their reception, how were + exhibits, exhibitors and visitors to be brought to the grounds? + To do this with the extreme of rapidity and cheapness was + essential to a full and satisfactory attendance of both objects + and persons. In a large majority of cases the first + consideration with the possessor of any article deemed worthy + of submission to the public eye was the cost and security of + transportation. Objects of art, the most valuable and the most + attractive portion of the display, are not usually very well + adapted to carriage over great distances with frequent + transshipments. Porcelain, glass and statuary are fragile, and + paintings liable to injury from dampness and rough handling; + while an antique mosaic, like the <span class="pagenum">[pg + 650]</span> "Carthaginian Lion," a hundred square feet in + superficies, might, after resuscitation from its subterranean + sleep of twenty centuries with its minutest <i>tessera</i> + intact and every tint as fresh as the Phoenician artist left + it, suffer irreparable damage from a moment's carelessness on + the voyage to its temporary home in the New World. More solid + things of a very different character, and far less valuable + pecuniarily, though it may be quite as interesting to the + promoter of human progress, exact more or less time and + attention to collect and prepare, and that will not be bestowed + upon them without some guarantee of their being safely and + inexpensively transmitted. So to simplify transportation as + practically to place the exposition buildings as nearly as + possible at the door of each exhibitor, student and sight-seer + became, therefore, a controlling problem.</p> + + <p>In the solution of it there is no exaggeration in saying + that the Centennial stands more than a quarter of a century in + advance of even the latest of its fellow expositions. At Vienna + a river with a few small steamers below and a tow-path above + represented water-carriage. Good railways came in from every + quarter of the compass, but none of them brought the locomotive + to the neighborhood of the grounds. In the matter of tram-roads + for passengers the Viennese distinguished themselves over the + Londoners and Parisians by the possession of <i>one</i>. In + steam-roads they had no advantage and no inferiority. At each + and all of these cities the packing-box and the passenger were + both confronted by the vexatious interval between the station + and the exposition building—often the most trying part of + the trip. Horsepower was the one time-honored resource, in '73 + as in '51, and in unnumbered years before. Under the ancient + divisions of horse and foot the world and its + <i>impedimenta</i> moved upon Hyde Park, the Champ de Mars and + the Prater, the umbrella and the oil-cloth tilt their only + shield against Jupiter Pluvius, who seemed to take especial + pleasure in demonstrating their failure, nineteen centuries + after the contemptuous erasure of him from the calendar, to + escape his power. It was reserved for the Philadelphia + Commission to bring his reign (not the slightest intention of a + pun) to a close. The most delicate silk or gem, and the most + delicate wearer of the same, were enabled to pass under roof + from San Francisco into the Main Building in Fairmount Park, + and with a trifling break of twenty steps at the wharf might do + so from the dock at Bremen, Havre or Liverpool. The hospitable + shelter of the great pavilion was thus extended over the + continent and either ocean. The drip of its eaves pattered into + China, the Cape of Good Hope, Germany and Australia. Their + spread became almost that of the welkin.</p> + + <p>Let us look somewhat more into the detail of this unique + feature of the American fair.</p> + + <p>Within the limits of the United States the transportation + question soon solved itself. Five-sixths of the seventy-four + thousand miles of railway which lead, without interruption of + track, to Fairmount Park are of either one and the same gauge, + or so near it as to permit the use everywhere of the same car, + its wheels a little broader than common. From the other sixth + the bodies of the wagons, with their contents, are transferable + by a change of trucks. The expected sixty or eighty thousand + tons of building material and articles for display could thus + be brought to their destination in a far shorter period than + that actually allowed. Liberal arrangements were conceded by + the various lines in regard to charges. Toll was exacted in one + direction only, unsold articles to be returned to the shipper + free. As the time for closing to exhibitors and opening to + visitors approached the Centennial cars became more and more + familiar to the rural watcher of the passing train. They aided + to infect him, if free from it before, with the Centennial + craze. Their doors, though sealed, were eloquent, for they bore + in great black letters on staring white muslin the shibboleth + of the day, "1776—International Exhibition—1876." + The enthusiasm of those very hard and unimpressible entities, + the railroad companies, thus <span class="pagenum">[pg + 651]</span> manifesting itself in low rates and gratuitous + advertising, could not fail to be contagious. Nor was the + service done by the interior lines wholly domestic. Several + large foreign contributions from the Pacific traversed the + continent. The houses and the handicraft of the Mongol climbed + the Sierra Nevada on the magnificent highway his patient labor + had so large a share in constructing. Nineteen cars were + freighted with the rough and unpromising chrysalis that + developed into the neat and elaborate cottage of Japan, and + others brought the Chinese display. Polynesia and Australia + adopted the same route in part. The canal modestly assisted the + rail, lines of inland navigation conducting to the grounds + barges of three times the tonnage of the average sea-going + craft of the Revolutionary era. These sluggish and smooth-going + vehicles were employed for the carriage of some of the large + plants and trees which enrich the horticultural department, + eight boats being required to transport from New York a + thousand specimens of the Cuban flora sent by a single + exhibitor, M. Lachaume of Havana. Those moisture-loving shrubs, + the brilliant rhododendra collected by English nurserymen from + our own Alleghanies and returned to us wonderfully improved by + civilization, might have been expected also to affect the + canal, but they chose, with British taste, the more rapid rail. + They had, in fact, no time to lose, for their blooming season + was close at hand, and their roots must needs hasten to test + the juices of American soil. Japan's miniature garden of + miniature plants, interesting far beyond the proportions of its + dimensions, was perforce dependent on the same means of + conveyance.</p><!-- + <p>[Illustration: FAÇADE OF THE EGYPTIAN DIVISION, MAIN BUILDING.]</p> + --> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a name="fig651" + id="fig651"></a> + <a href="images/Illus-0004-1.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/Illus-0004-1_sm.jpg" + alt="FAÇADE OF THE EGYPTIAN DIVISION, MAIN BUILDING." /> + </a><br /> + FAÇADE OF THE EGYPTIAN DIVISION, MAIN BUILDING. + </div> + + <p>The locomotive was summoned to the aid of foreign exhibitors + on the Atlantic as on the Pacific side, though to a less + striking extent, the largest steamships being able to lie + within three miles of the exposition buildings. It stood ready + on the wharves of the Delaware to welcome these stately guests + from afar, indifferent whether they came in squadrons or alone. + It received on one day, in this vestibule of the exposition, + the Labrador from France and the Donati from Brazil. Dom + Pedro's coffee, sugar and tobacco and the marbles and canvases + of the Société des Beaux-Arts + <span class="pagenum">[pg 652]</span> were whisked off in + amicable companionship to their final destination. The + solidarity of the nations is in some sort promoted by this + shaking down together of their goods and chattels. It gives a + truly international look to the exposition to see one of + Vernet's battle-pieces or Meissonier's microscopic gems of + color jostled by a package of hides from the Parana or a bale + of India-rubber.</p> + + <p>Yet more expressive was the medley upon the covered + platforms for the reception of freight. Eleven of these, each + one hundred and sixty by twenty-four feet, admitted of the + unloading of fifty-five freight-cars at once. At this rate + there was not left the least room for anxiety as to the ability + of the Commission and its employés to dispose, so far as + their responsibility was concerned, of everything presented for + exhibition within a very few days. The movements of the + custom-house officials, and the arrangements of goods after the + passing of that ordeal, were less rapid, and there seemed some + ground for anxiety when it was found that in the last days of + March scarce a tenth of the catalogued exhibits were on the + ground, and for the closing ten days of the period fixed for + the receipt of goods an average of one car-load per minute of + the working hours was the calculated draft on the resources of + the unloading sheds. Home exhibitors, by reason of the very + completeness of their facilities of transport, were the most + dilatory. The United States held back until her guests were + served, confident in the abundant efficiency of the + preparations made for bringing the entertainers to their side. + Better thus than that foreigners should have been behind + time.</p> + + <p>When the gates of the enclosure were at last shut upon the + steam-horse, a broader and more congenial field of duty opened + before him. From the rôle of dray-horse he passed to that + of courser. Marvels from the ends of the earth he had, with + many a pant and heave, forward pull and backward push, brought + together and dumped in their allotted places. Now it became his + task to bear the fiery cross over hill and dale and gather the + clans, men, women and children. The London exhibition of 1851 + had 6,170,000 visitors, and that of 1862 had 6,211,103. Paris + in 1855 had 4,533,464, and in 1867, 10,200,000. Vienna's + exhibition drew 7,254,867. The attendance at London on either + occasion was barely double the number of her population. So it + was with Paris at her first display, though she did much better + subsequently. Vienna's was the greatest success of all, + according to this test. The least of all, if we may take it + into the list, was that of New York in 1853. Her people + numbered about the same with the visitors to her Crystal + Palace—600,000. Philadelphia's calculations went far + beyond any of these figures, and she laid her plans + accordingly.</p> + + <p>Some trainbands from Northern and Southern cities might give + their patriotic furor the bizarre form of a march across + country, but the millions, if they came at all, must come by + rail, and the problem was to multiply the facilities far beyond + any previous experience, while reconciling the maximum of + safety, comfort and speed with a reduction of fares. The + arrangements are still to be tested, and are no doubt open to + modification. On one point, however, and this an essential one, + we apprehend no grounds of complaint. There will be no + crowding. The train is practically endless, the word + <i>terminus</i> being a misnomer for the circular system of + tracks to which the station (six hundred and fifty by one + hundred feet) at the main entrance of the grounds forms a + tangent. The line of tourists is reeled off like their thread + in the hands of Clotho, the iron shears that snip it at stated + intervals being represented by the unmythical steam-engine. The + same modern minister of the Fates has another shrine not far + from the dome of Memorial Hall, where his acolytes are the + officials of the Reading Railroad Company.</p> + + <p>Care for the visitor's comfortable locomotion does not end + with depositing him under the reception-verandah. The + Commission did not forget that a pedestrian excursion over + fifteen or twenty miles of aisles might sufficiently fatigue + him without the additional trudge from hall to hall + <span class="pagenum">[pg 653]</span> over a surface of four + hundred acres under a sun which the century has certainly not + deprived of any mentionable portion of its heat. Hence, the + belt railway, three and a half miles long, with trains running + by incessant schedule—a boon only to be justly + appreciated by those who attended the European expositions or + any one of them. His umbrella and goloshes pocketed in the form + of a D.P.C. check, the visitor, more fortunate than Brummel or + Bonaparte, cannot be stopped by the elements.</p><!-- + <p>[Illustration: FAÇADE OF THE SWEDISH DIVISION, MAIN BUILDING.]</p> + --> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a name="fig653" + id="fig653"></a> + <a href="images/Illus-0007-1.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/Illus-0007-1_sm.jpg" + alt="FAÇADE OF THE SWEDISH DIVISION, MAIN BUILDING." /> + </a><br /> + FAÇADE OF THE SWEDISH DIVISION, MAIN BUILDING. + </div> + + <p>We shall have amply disposed of the subject of + transportation when we add that the neighborhood or city supply + to the thirteen entrance-gates is provided for by steam-roads + capable of carrying twenty-four thousand persons hourly, and + tram-roads seating seven thousand, besides an irregular militia + or voltigeur force of light wagons, small steamers and + omnibuses equal to a demand of two or three thousand more in + the same time. It was not deemed likely that Philadelphia would + require conveyance for half of her population every day. Should + that supposition prove erroneous, the excess can fall back upon + the safe and inexpensive vehicle of 1776, 1851, 1867 and + 1873—sole leather.</p> + + <p>Let us return to our packing-cases, and see where they go. + To watch the gradual dispersal of a congregation to their + several places of abode is always interesting. Especially is it + so when those places of retreat bear the names and fly the + flags of the several nations of the globe. This stout cube of + deal, triple-bound with iron, disappears under the asp and + winged sphere of the Pharaohs. That other, big with rich + velvets and broideries, seeks the tricolor of France. Yonder, a + wealth of silks and lacquer finds a resting-place in the carved + black-walnut <i>étagères</i> of Japan. Here go, + cased in the spoils of the fjelds, toward a pavilion + seventy-five paces long and twenty wide, the bulky + contributions of the Norsemen. Swedish carpentry in perfection + offers to a deposit separate from that of the sister-kingdom a + distinct receptacle. Close at hand stand the antipodes in the + pavilion of Chili, that opens its graceful portal to bales + sprinkled mayhap with the ashes of Aconcagua. There "crashes a + sturdy <i>box</i> of stout John Bull;" and Russia, Tunis and + Canada roll into close neighborhood with him and each other. A + queer and not, let us hope, altogether transitory show of + international comity is this. Many a high-sounding, + much-heralded and more-debating Peace Congress has been held + with less effect <span class="pagenum">[pg 654]</span> than + that conducted by these humble porters, carpenters and + decorators. This one has solidity. Its elements are palpable. + The peoples not only bring their choicest possessions, but they + also set up around them their local habitations. It is a + cosmopolitan town that has sprung into being beneath the great + roof and glitters in the rays of our republican sun. In its + rectangularly-planned streets, alleys and plazas every style of + architecture is represented—domestic, state and + ecclesiastical, ancient, mediæval and modern. The spirit + and taste of most of the races and climes find expression, + giving thus the Sydenham and the Hyde Park palaces in one. The + reproductions at the former place were the work of English + hands: those before us are executed, for the most part, by + workmen to whom the originals are native and familiar. In this + feature of the interior of the Main Building we are amply + compensated for the breaking up of the <i>coup d'oeil</i> by a + multiplicity of discordant forms. The space is still so vast as + to maintain the effect of unity; and this notwithstanding the + considerable height of some of the national stalls, that of + Spain, for example, sending aloft its trophy of Moorish shields + and its effigy of the world-seeking Genoese to an elevation of + forty-six feet. The Moorish colonnade of the Brazilian pavilion + lifts its head in graceful rivalry of the lofty front reared by + the other branch of the Iberian race. In so vast an expanse + this friendly competition of Spaniards and Portuguese becomes, + to the eye, a union of their pretensions; and a single family + of thirty-three millions in Europe and America combines to + present us with two of the handsomest structures in the + hall.</p><!-- + <p>[Illustration: FAÇADE OF THE BRAZILIAN DIVISION, MAIN BUILDING.]</p> + --> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a name="fig654" + id="fig654"></a> + <a href="images/Illus-0008-1.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/Illus-0008-1_sm.jpg" + alt="FAÇADE OF THE BRAZILIAN DIVISION, MAIN BUILDING." /> + </a><br /> + FAÇADE OF THE BRAZILIAN DIVISION, MAIN BUILDING. + </div> + + <p>A moderate dip into statistics can no longer be evaded. We + must map out the microcosm, and allot to each sovereign power + its quota of the surface. The great European states which have + assumed within the century the supreme direction of human + affairs are assigned a prominent central position in the Main + Building. Great Britain and her Asiatic possessions occupy just + eighty-three feet less than a hundred thousand; her other + colonies, including Canada, 48,150; <span class="pagenum">[pg + 655]</span> France and her colonies, 43,314; Germany, 27,975; + Austria, 24,070; Russia, 11,002; Spain, 11,253; Sweden and + Belgium, each 15,358; Norway, 6897; Italy, 8167; Japan, 16,566; + Switzerland, 6646; China, 7504; Brazil, 6397; Egypt, 5146; + Mexico, 6504; Turkey, 4805; Denmark, 1462; and Tunis, 2015. + These, with minor apportionments to Venezuela, the Argentine + Confederation, Chili, Peru and the Orange Free State of South + Africa, cover the original area of the structure, deducting the + reservation of 187,705 feet for the United States, and + excluding thirty-eight thousand square feet in the annexes. + France must be credited, in explanation of her comparatively + limited territory under the main roof, with her external + pavilions devoted to bronzes, glass, perfumery and (chief of + all) to her magnificent government exhibit of technical plans, + drawings and models in engineering, civil and military, and + architecture. These outside contributions constitute a link + between her more substantial displays and the five hundred + paintings, fifty statues, etc. she places in Memorial Hall.</p> + + <p>In Machinery and Agricultural Halls, respectively, Great + Britain has 37,125 and 18,745 feet; Germany, 10,757 and 4875; + France, 10,139 and 15,574; Belgium, 9375 and 1851; Canada, 4300 + and 10,094; Brazil, 4000 and 4657; Sweden, 3168 and 2603; + Spain, 2248 and 5005; Russia, 1500 and 6785; Chili, 480 and + 2493; Norway, 360 and 1590. Austria occupies 1536 feet in + Mechanical Hall; and in that of Agriculture are the following + additional allotments: Netherlands, 4276; Denmark, 836; Japan, + 1665; Peru, 1632; Liberia, 1536; Siam, 1220; Portugal, + 1020.</p><a name="fig655" + id="fig655"></a> <!-- + <p>[Illustration: DOM PEDRO, EMPEROR OF BRAZIL.]</p> + --> + + + <div class="figright" + style="width:50%;"> + <a href="images/Illus-0010-1.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/Illus-0010-1_sm.jpg" + alt="DOM PEDRO, EMPEROR OF BRAZIL." /></a><br /> + DOM PEDRO, EMPEROR OF BRAZIL. + </div> + + <p>The foreign contributions in the department of machinery + are, it will be seen, hardly so large as might have been + anticipated. When the spacious annexes are added to the floor + of the main hall, the great preponderance of home + exhibitors—five to one in the latter—is shown to be + still more marked. In Agricultural Hall the United States claim + less than two-thirds. The unexpected interest taken in this + branch by foreigners will enhance its prominence and value + among the attractions of the exposition. The collection of + tropical products for food and manufacturing is very complete. + The development of the equatorial regions of the globe has + barely commenced. Even our acquaintance with their natural + resources remains but superficial. The country which takes the + lead in utilizing them in its trade and manufactures will gain + a great advantage over its fellows. England's commercial + supremacy never rested more largely on that foundation than + now. Brazil, the great power of South—as the Union is of + North—America, possesses nearly half of the accessible + virgin territory of the tropics. Our interest joins hers in + retaining this vast endowment as far as possible for the + benefit of the Western World. A perception of this fact is + shown in the exceptional efforts made by Brazil to be fully + represented in all departments of the exposition, and in the + visit to it of her chief magistrate, as we may properly term + her emperor, the only embodiment of hereditary power and the + monarchical principle in a country that enjoys—and has + for the half century since its erection into an independent + state maintained—free institutions.</p> + + <p>In art domestic exhibits utterly lose + <span class="pagenum">[pg 656]</span> their preponderance. Our + artists content themselves with a small fraction of the wall- + and floor-space in Memorial Hall and its northern annex. In + extent of both "hanging" and standing ground they but equal + England and France, each occupying something over twenty + thousand square feet. Italy in the æsthetic combat + selects the chisel as her weapon, and takes the floor with a + superb array of marble eloquence, some three hundred pieces of + statuary being contributed by her sculptors. She might in + addition set up a colorable claim to the works executed on her + soil or under the teaching of her schools by artists of other + nativities, and thus make, for example, a sweeping raid into + American territory. But she generously leaves to that division + the spoils swept from her coasts by the U.S. ship Franklin, + together with the works bearing her imprint in other sections, + satisfied with the wealth undoubtedly her own, itself but a + faint adumbration of the vast hoard she retains at home. Italy + does not view the occasion from a fine-art standpoint alone. Of + her nine hundred and twenty-six exhibitors, only one-sixth are + in this department.</p><a name="fig656" + id="fig656"></a> <!-- + <p>[Illustration: JAPANESE CARPENTERS.]</p> + --> + + + <div class="figleft" + style="width:70%;"> + <a href="images/Illus-0011-1.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/Illus-0011-1_sm.jpg" + alt="JAPANESE CARPENTERS." /></a><br /> + JAPANESE CARPENTERS. + </div> + + <p>Nor, on the art side of our own country, must we overlook + the Historical division, the perfecting of which has been a + labor of love with Mr. Etting. He allots space among the old + Thirteen, and reserves a place at the feast of reunion to the + mother of that rebellious sisterhood.</p> + + <p>Forty acres of "floor-space" <i>sub Jove</i> remained to be + awarded to foreign and domestic claimants. Gardening is one of + the fine arts. Certainly nothing in Memorial Hall can excel its + productions in richness, variety and harmony of color and form. + Flower, leaf and tree are the models of the palette and the + crayon. Their marvelous improvement in variety and splendor is + one of the most striking triumphs of human ingenuity. A few + hundred species have been expanded into many thousand forms, + each finer than the parent. It is a new flora created by + civilization, undreamed of by the savage, and voluminous in + proportion to the mental advancement of the races among whom it + has sprung up. Progress writes its record in flowers, and + scrawls the autographs of the nations all over Lansdowne hill. + No need of gilded show-cases to set off the German and + Germantown roses, the thirty thousand hyacinths in another + compartment, or the plot of seven hundred and fifty kinds of + trees and shrubs planted by a single American contributor. The + Moorish Kiosque, however, comes in well. The material is + genuine Morocco, the building having been brought over in + pieces from the realm of the Saracens, of "gul in its bloom" + and of "Larry O'Rourke"—as Rogers punned down the poem of + his Irish friend.</p> + + <p>The nations comfortably installed, we must sketch the + tactical system under which they are drawn up for peaceful + contest. The classification of subjects adopted by the + Commission embraces seven departments. Of these, the Main + Building is devoted to I. <i>Mining and Metallurgy</i>; II. + <i>Manufactures</i>; III. <i>Education and Science</i>; + Memorial Hall and its appendages, to IV. <i>Art</i>; Machinery + Hall, to V. <i>Machinery</i>; Agricultural Hall, to VI. + <i>Agriculture</i>; and Horticultural Hall and its parterres, + to VII. <i>Horticulture</i>. These habitats have, as we have + heretofore seen, proved too contracted for the august and + <span class="pagenum">[pg 657]</span> expansive inmates + assigned them. All of the latter have overflowed; mining, for + instance, into the mineral annex of thirty-two thousand square + feet and the great pavilion (a hundred and thirty-five feet + square) of Colorado and Kansas; education into the Swedish and + Pennsylvania school-houses and others already noted; + manufactures into breweries, glass-houses, etc.; and so on with + an infinity of irrepressible outgrowths.</p><!-- + <p>[Illustration: FAÇADE OF THE DIVISION OF THE NETHERLANDS, MAIN + BUILDING.]</p> + --> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a name="fig657" + id="fig657"></a> + <a href="images/Illus-0012-1.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/Illus-0012-1_sm.jpg" + alt="FAÇADE OF THE DIVISION OF THE NETHERLANDS, MAIN BUILDING." /> + </a><br /> + FAÇADE OF THE DIVISION OF THE NETHERLANDS, MAIN + BUILDING. + </div> + + <p>Department I. is subdivided into classes numbered from 100 + to 129, and embracing the products of mines and the means of + extracting and reducing them. II. extends from Class 200 to + Class 296—chemical manufactures, ceramics, furniture, + woven goods of all kinds, jewelry, paper, stationery, weapons, + medical appliances, hardware, vehicles and their accessories. + III. deals with the high province of educational systems, + methods and libraries; institutions and organizations; + scientific and philosophical instruments and methods; + engineering, architecture in its technical and + non-æsthetic aspect, maps; physical, moral and social + condition of man. Fifty classes, 300 to 349 inclusive, fence in + this field of pure reason. Department IV., Classes 400-459, + covers sculpture, painting, photography, engraving and + lithography, industrial and architectural designs, ceramic + decorations, mosaics, etc. V., Classes 509-599, takes charge of + machines and tools for mining, chemistry, weaving, sewing, + printing, working metal, wood and stone; motors; hydraulic and + pneumatic apparatus; railway stock or "plant;" machinery for + preparing agricultural products; "aërial, pneumatic and + water transportation," and "machinery and apparatus especially + adapted to the requirements of the exhibition." VI., Classes + 600-699, assembles arboriculture and forest products, pomology, + agricultural products, land and marine animals, pisciculture + and its apparatus, "animal and vegetable products," textile + substances, machines, implements and products of manufacture, + agricultural engineering and administration, tillage and + general management. Under Department VII., Classes 700-739, + come ornamental trees, shrubs and flowers, hothouses and + conservatories, garden tools and contrivances, garden + designing, construction and management.</p> + + <p>The accumulated experience of past expositions, seconded by + the judgment and systematic thoroughness apparent in the + preparations for the present one, makes this a good "working" + classification. It has done away with confusion to an extent + hardly to have been hoped for, and all the thousands of objects + and subjects have dropped into their places in the exhibition + with the precision <span class="pagenum">[pg 658]</span> of + machinery, little adapted as some of them are to such + treatment. Very impalpable and elusive things had to submit + themselves to inspection and analysis, and have their elements + tabulated like a tax bill or a grocery account. All human + concerns were called on to be listed on the muster-roll and + stand shoulder to shoulder on the drill-ground. Some curious + comrades appear side by side in the long line. For example, we + read: Class 286, brushes; 295, sleighs; 300, elementary + instruction; 301, academies and high schools, colleges and + universities; 305, libraries, history, etc.; 306, school-books, + general and miscellaneous literature, encyclopædias, + newspapers; 311, learned and scientific associations, artistic, + biological, zoological and medical schools, astronomical + observatories; 313, music and the drama. Then we find, closely + sandwiched between, 335—topographical maps, + etc.—and 400—figures in stone, metal, clay or + plaster—340, physical development and condition (of the + young of the genus <i>Homo</i>); 345, government and law; 346, + benevolence, beginning with hospitals of all kinds and ending + with—in the order we give them—emigrant-aid + societies, treatment of aborigines and prevention of cruelty to + animals! In the last-named subdivision the visitor will be + stared out of countenance by Mr. Bergh's tremendous exposure of + "various instruments used by persons in breaking the law + relative to cruelty to animals," the glittering banner of the + S.P.C.A., and its big trophy, eight yards square, that + illuminates the east end of the north avenue of the Main + Building, in opposition to the trophy at the other end of the + same avenue illustrating the history of the American flag. But + he will look in vain for selected specimens of the + emigrant-runner, the luxuries of the steerage and Castle + Garden, or for photographs of the well-fed post-trader and + Indian agent, agricultural products from Captain Jack's + lava-bed reservation and jars of semi-putrescent treaty-beef. + He will alight, next door to the penniless immigrant, the red + man and the omnibus-horse, on Class 348, religious + organizations and systems, embracing everything that grows out + of man's sense of responsibility to his Maker. It will perhaps + occur to the observer that, though the juxtaposition is well + enough, religion ought to have come in a little before. His + surprise at the power of condensation shown in compressing + eternity into a single class will not be lessened when he + passes on to Class 632, sheep; 634, swine; and 636, dogs and + cats!</p> + + <p>A glance over the classification-list assists us in + recognizing the advantages of the system of awards framed by + the Commission and adopted after patient study and discussion. + It discards the plan—if plan it could be called—of + scattering diplomas and medals of gold, silver and bronze right + and left, after the fashion of largesse at a mediæval + coronation, heretofore followed at international expositions. + These prizes were decided on and assigned by juries whose + impartiality—by reason of the imperfect representation + upon them of the nations which exhibited little in mass or + little in certain classes, and also of their failure to make + written reports and thus secure their + responsibility—could not be assured, and whose action, + therefore, was defective in real weight and value. The juries + were badly constituted: they had too much to do of an illusory + and useless description, and they had too little to do that was + solid and instructive. Special mentions, diplomas, half a dozen + grades of medals and other honors, formed a programme too large + and complicated to be discriminatingly carried out. So it + happened that to exhibit and to get a distinction of some kind + came, at Vienna, to be almost convertible expressions; and who + excelled in the competition in any of the classes, or who had + contributed anything substantial to the stock of human + knowledge or well-being, remained quite undetermined. What + instruction the display could impart was confined to spectators + who studied its specialties for themselves and used their + deductions for their individual advantage, and to those who + read the sufficiently general and cursory reports made to their + several governments by the national commissions. The official + <span class="pagenum">[pg 659]</span> awards and reports of the + exposition authorities amounted to little or nothing.</p><!-- + <p>[Illustration: THE CORLISS ENGINE, FURNISHING MOTIVE-POWER FOR MACHINERY + HALL.]</p> + --> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a name="fig659" + id="fig659"></a> + <a href="images/Illus-0015-1.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/Illus-0015-1_sm.jpg" + alt="THE CORLISS ENGINE, FURNISHING MOTIVE-POWER FOR MACHINERY HALL." /> + </a><br /> + THE CORLISS ENGINE, FURNISHING MOTIVE-POWER FOR MACHINERY + HALL. + </div> + + <p>A sharp departure from this practice was decided on at the + Centennial. Two hundred judges, of undoubted character and + intelligence and entire familiarity with the departments + assigned to them, were chosen—half by the foreign bureaus + and half by the U.S. Commission. These were made officers of + the exposition itself, and thus separated from external + influences. They were given a reasonable and fixed compensation + of one thousand dollars each for their time and personal + expenses. An equal division of the number of judges between the + domestic and foreign sides gives the latter an excess, measured + by the comparative extent of the display from the two sources. + But this is favorable to us, as we shall be the better for an + outside judgment on the merits of both our own and foreign + exhibits. Were it otherwise, the excess of private observers + from this country would counterbalance our deficit in judges. + The foreign jurors have to see for the millions they represent. + Our own will have vast numbers of their constituents on the + ground.</p> + + <p>Written reports are drawn up by these selected examiners and + signed by the authors. The reports must be "based upon inherent + and comparative merit. The elements of merit shall be held to + include considerations relating to originality, invention, + discovery, utility, quality, skill, workmanship, fitness for + the purpose intended, adaptation to public wants, economy and + cost." Each report, upon its completion, is delivered to the + Centennial Commission for award and publication. The award + comes in the shape of a diploma with a bronze medal and a + special report of the judges <span class="pagenum">[pg + 660]</span> upon its subject. This report may be published by + the exhibitor if he choose. It will also be used by the + Commission in such manner as may best promote the objects of + the exposition. These documents, well edited and put in popular + form, will constitute the most valuable publication that has + been produced by any international exhibition. To this we may + add the special reports to be made by the State and foreign + commissions. These ought, with the light gained by time, to be + at least not inferior to the similar papers scattered through + the bulky records of previous exhibitions. Let us hope that + brevity will rule in the style of all the reports, regular and + irregular. There is a core to every subject, every group of + subjects and every group of groups, however numerous and + complex: let all the scribes labor to find it for us. When we + recall the disposition of all committees to select the member + most fecund of words to prepare their report, we are seized + with misgivings—a feeling that becomes oppressive as we + further reflect that the local committee which deliberately + collected and sent for exhibition eighty thousand manuscripts + written by the school-children of a Western city is at large on + the exposition grounds.</p> + + <p>The passion for independent effort characteristic of the + American people led to the supplementing of the official list + by sundry volunteer prizes. These are offered by associations, + and in some cases individuals. They are not all, like the + regular awards, purely honorary. They lean to the pecuniary + form, those particularly which are offered in different + branches of agriculture. Competition among poultry-growers, + manufacturers of butter, reaping-and threshing-machines, + cotton-planters, etc. is stimulated by money-prizes reaching in + all some six or eight thousand dollars. Agricultural machinery + needs the open field for its proper testing, and cannot operate + satisfactorily in Machinery Hall. Without a sight of our + harvest-fields and threshing-floors foreigners would carry away + an incomplete impression of our industrial methods, the farm + being our great factory. The oar, the rifle and the racer are + as impatient of walls as the plough and its new-fangled allies. + They demand elbow-room for the display of their powers, and the + Commission was fain to let their votaries tempt it to pass the + confines of its territory. The lusty undergraduates of both + sides of Anglo-Saxondom escort it unresistingly down from its + airy halls to the blue bosom of the Schuylkill, while "teams" + picked from eighty English-speaking millions beckon it across + the Jerseys to Creedmoor. And the horse—is he to call in + vain? Is a strait-laced negative from the Commission to echo + back his neigh? Is the blood of Eclipse and Godolphin to + stagnate under a ticket in "Class 630, horses, asses and + mules"? Why, the very ponies in front of Memorial Hall pull + with extra vim against their virago jockeys and flap their + little brass wings in indignation at the thought. The + thoroughbred will be heard from, and the judges that sit on him + will be "experts in their department."</p> + + <p>Another specimen of the desert-born, the Western Indian, + forms an exhibit as little suited as the improved Arab horse to + discussion and award at a session fraught with that "calm + contemplation and poetic ease" which ought to mark the + deliberations of the judges. How are the representatives of + fifty-three tribes to be put through their paces? These poor + fragments of the ancient population of the Union have, if we + exclude the Cherokees and Choctaws and two or three of the Gila + tribes, literally nothing to show. The latter can present us + with a faint trace of the long-faded civilization of their + Aztec kindred, while the former have only borrowed a few of the + rudest arts of the white, and are protected from extinction + merely by the barrier of a frontier more and more violently + assailed each year by the speculator and the settler, and + already passed by the railway. If we cannot exactly say that + the Indian, alone of all the throng at the exhibition, goes + home uninformed and unenlightened, what ideas may reach his + mind will be soon smothered out by the conditions which + surround him on the Plains. It is singular that a population of + three <span class="pagenum">[pg 661]</span> or four hundred + thousand, far from contemptible in intellectual power, and + belonging to a race which has shown itself capable of a degree + of civilization many of the tribes of the Eastern continents + have never approached, should be so absolutely an industrial + cipher. The African even exports mats, palm-oil and peanuts, + but the Indian exports nothing and produces nothing. He lacks + the sense of property, and has no object of acquisition but + scalps. Can the assembled ingenuity of the nineteenth century, + in presence of this mass of waste human material, devise no + means of utilizing it? There stands its Frankenstein, ready + made, perfect in thews and sinews, perfect also in many of its + nobler parts. It is not a creation that is + demanded—simply a remodeling or expansion. For success in + this achievement the United States can afford to offer a + pecuniary prize that will throw into the shade all the other + prizes put together. The cost of the Indian bureau for 1875-76 + reached eight millions of dollars. The commission appointed to + treat for the purchase of the Black Hills reports that the + feeding and clothing of the Sioux cost the government thirteen + millions during the past seven years; and that without the + smallest benefit to those spirited savages. Says the report: + "They have made no advancement whatever, but have done + absolutely nothing but eat, drink, smoke and sleep."</p><!-- + <p>[Illustration: INTERIOR OF COOK'S WORLD'S TICKET-OFFICE.]</p> + --> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a name="fig661" + id="fig661"></a> + <a href="images/Illus-0018-1.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/Illus-0018-1_sm.jpg" + alt="INTERIOR OF COOK'S WORLD'S TICKET-OFFICE." /></a><br /> + + INTERIOR OF COOK'S WORLD'S TICKET-OFFICE. + </div> + + <p>Social and political questions like this point to a vast + field of inquiry. For its proper cultivation the exposition + provides data additional to those heretofore available. They + should be used as far as possible upon the spot. At least, they + can be examined, collated and prepared for full employment. To + this end, meetings and discussions held by men qualified by + intellect and study to deal with them are the obvious resort. + There is room among the two hundred judges for some such men, + but the juries are little more numerous than is required for + the examination of and report on objects. For more abstract + inquiries they will need recruits. These should be supplied by + the leading philosophical associations of this country and + Europe. The governments have all an interest in enlisting their + aid, and the Centennial Commission has done what in it lay to + promote their action. Ethnic <span class="pagenum">[pg + 662]</span> characteristics, history, literature, education, + crime, statistics as a science, hygiene and medicine generally + are among the broad themes which are not apt to be adequately + treated by the average committee of inspection. So with the + whole range of the natural sciences. Dissertations based on the + jury reports will doubtless be abundant after a while, but + those reports themselves, being limited in scope, will not be + as satisfactory material as that which philosophic specialists + would themselves extract from direct observation and debate + upon the ground.</p> + + <p>For the study of the commanding subject of education the + provision made at the present exhibition is exceptionally + great. In bulk, and probably in completeness, it is + immeasurably beyond the display made on any preceding occasion. + The building erected by the single State of Pennsylvania for + her educational department covers ten or eleven thousand square + feet, and other States of the Union make corresponding efforts + to show well in the same line. The European nations all + manifest a new interest in this branch, and give it a much more + prominent place in their exhibit than ever before. The + school-systems of most of them are of very recent birth, and do + not date back so far as 1851. The kingdom of Italy did not + exist at that time or for many years after, yet we now see it + pressing for a foremost place in the race of popular education, + and multiplying its public schools in the face of all the + troubles attendant upon the erection and organization of a new + state.</p> + + <p>The historian will find aliment less abundant. A century or + two of Caucasian life in America is but a thing of yesterday to + him, and, though far from uninstructive, is but an offshoot + from modern European annals. For all that, he finds himself on + our soil in presence of an antiquity which remains to be + explored, and which clamors to be rescued from the domain of + the pre-historic. It has no literary records beyond the scant + remains of Mexico. It writes itself, nevertheless, strongly and + deeply on the face of the land—in mounds, fortifications + and tombs as distinct, if not so elaborate, as those of Etruria + and Cyprus. These remains show the hand of several successive + races. Who they were, what their traits, whence they came, what + their relations with the now civilized Chinese and + Japanese—whom, physically, their descendants so nearly + resemble—are legitimate queries for the historian. + Geologically, America is older than Europe, and was fitted for + the home of the red man before the latter ceased to be the home + of the whale. The investigation of its past, if impossible to + be conducted in the light of its own records or even + traditions, is capable of aiding in the verification of + conclusions drawn from those of the Old World. If History, + however, contemptuously relegates the Moundbuilders to the + mattock of the antiquarian, she is still "Philosophy teaching + by example." As thus allied with Philosophy, she finds + something to look into at the Centennial, even though she look + obliquely, after the fashion of the observant Hollanders, who + have stuck the reflecting glasses of the Dutch street-windows + into the sides of their compartment in the Main Building, and + squint, without a change of position, upon the United States, + Spain, South America, Egypt, Great Britain and several other + countries.</p> + + <p>Religion and philanthropy find the field inviting, and their + representatives, individual and associated, are busy in + preparing to till it. The enthusiasm of the leading religious + societies took the concrete shape of statuary. Hence the + Catholic Fountain, heretofore noticed; the Hebrew statue to + Religious Liberty, as established in a land that never had a + Ghetto or a Judenstrasse; the Presbyterian figure of + Witherspoon; an Episcopalian of Bishop White; and others under + way or proposed. The temperance movement, too, embodies itself + in a fountain that runs ice-water instead of claret. The less + tangible but perhaps more fruitful form of reunions and + discussions must in a greater or less degree enhance the power + for good of these organizations. They are led by men of mind + and energy, seldom averse to enlightenment, and all professing + to seek nothing else. <span class="pagenum">[pg 663]</span> + When men of these qualities, aiming at the same or a like + object, meet to compare their respective admeasurements of its + parallax made from as many different points, they cannot fail + to approach accuracy. Faith is a first element in all great + undertakings. It removes mountains at Mont Cenis, as it walked + the waves with Columbus. In our century even faith is + progressive, and does not shrink from elbowing its way through + what Bunyan would have styled Vanity Fair.</p> + + <p>Modestly in the rear of the moral reformers, yet not wholly + and uniformly unaggressive, nor guiltless altogether of isms + and schisms, step forward the literary men. As a rule, they do + not affect expositions, or exhibitions of any kind. But one + general meeting, with some minor and informal ones, is on the + programme for them. This is well. The world and the fullness + thereof belongs to them, and they may care to come forward to + scan this schedule of their inheritance. We do not hear of + their having combined to put up a pavilion of their own, like + the dairymen and the brewers, "to show the different processes + of manufacture." The pen will be at work here, nevertheless, + and has been from the beginning, before the foundations of the + Corliss engine were laid or the granite of Memorial Hall left + the quarry. Without this first of implements none of the other + machinery would ever have moved. The pen is mightier than the + piston. It is the invisible steam that impels + all.</p><a name="fig663" + id="fig663"></a> <!-- + <p>[Illustration: FRENCH RESTAURANT LA FAYETTE.]</p> + --> + + + <div class="figright" + style="width:60%;"> + <a href="images/Illus-0021-1.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/Illus-0021-1_sm.jpg" + alt="FRENCH RESTAURANT LA FAYETTE." /></a><br /> + FRENCH RESTAURANT LA FAYETTE. + </div> + + <p>In a visible form also it is here. The publishers of the + London <i>Punch</i> have selected as the most comprehensive + motto for the case in which they exhibit copies of their + various publications a sentence from Shakspeare: "Come and take + choice of all my library, and so beguile thy sorrow." We do not + know that to dull his sorrows is all that can be done for man. + Literature assumes to do more than make him forget. The + lotos-eater is not its one hero. School-books, piled aloft "in + numbers without number numberless," may to the man be + suggestive of hours without thought and void of grief, but they + certainly are not to the boy. Blue books, ground out in a + thousand bureaus, and contributed in like profusion, may be + pronounced a weariness to the adult flesh, however sweet their + ultimate uses. Unhappy those who wade through them for + increasing the happiness of others! These humble but portly + representatives of political literature are the log-books of + the ship of state. They chart and chronicle the currents and + winds along its course, so that from the mass of chaff a grain + of guidance may be painfully winnowed out for the benefit of + its next voyage, or for the voyages of other craft floundering + on the same perilous and baffling sea. Everything comes pat to + a log-book. As endless is the medley of memoranda in + blue-books. They deal, like government itself, with everything. + They take up the citizen on his entry into the cradle, and do + not quite drop him at the grave. How to educate, clothe, feed + and doctor him; how to keep him out of jail, and how, once + there, to get him out again with the least possible moral + detriment; how to adjust as lightly as possible to his + shoulders the burden of taxation; how to economize him as food + for powder; and how to free him from the miasm of crowded + cities,—are but a small part of their contents. And the + index is growing, if possible, larger, as the apparatus of + government becomes more and more intricate. With such + contributions and credentials do the rulers of the nations + enroll <span class="pagenum">[pg 664]</span> themselves in the + guild of authorship. They are proud of them, and exhibit them + in profusion, in whole libraries, rich with gold and the + primary colors.</p><a name="fig664" + id="fig664"></a> <!-- + <p>[Illustration: THE MAMMOTH RODMAN GUN.]</p> + --> + + + <div class="figleft" + style="width:60%;"> + <a href="images/Illus-0022-1.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/Illus-0022-1_sm.jpg" + alt="THE MAMMOTH RODMAN GUN." /></a><br /> + THE MAMMOTH RODMAN GUN. + </div> + + <p>Expositions, as we have before remarked, come into the same + worshipful guild by right of a special literature they have + brought into being. They come, moreover, into the blue-book + range by their bearing upon certain topics generally assigned + to it. It is found, for example, that, like other great + gatherings, they are apt to be followed by a temporary local + increase of crime. The police-records of London show that the + arrests in 1851 outnumbered those of the previous year by 1570, + and that in 1862 the aggregate exceeded by 5043 that of 1861. + It will at once occur that the population of the city was + greatly increased on each occasion, and that the influx of + thieves and lawbreakers generally must have thinned out that + class elsewhere, and in that way very probably reduced, rather + than added to, the sum-total of crime, the preventive + arrangements in London having been exceptionally thorough. The + drawback that would consist in an increase of crime is + therefore only an apparent result. An opposite effect cannot + but result, if only from the evidence that so vast and + heterogeneous an assemblage can be held without marked + disorder. The police as well as the criminals and the savants + of all nations come together, compare notes and enjoy a common + improvement.</p> + + <p>This is the first opportunity the physicians of Europe have + had to become fully acquainted with the advances in surgery and + pathology their American brethren have the credit of having + made within the past few years. They will find it illustrated + in the government buildings and elsewhere; and they have an + ample <i>quid pro quo</i> to offer from their own researches. + The balancing of opinions at the proposed medical congress and + in private intercourse must tend to free medical science from + what remnants of empiricism still disfigure it, to perfect + diagnosis and to trace with precision the operation of all + remedial agents. Means remain to be found of administering the + <i>coup de grâce</i> to the few epidemics which have not + yet been extirpated, but linger in a crippled condition. This + will be aided by the illustrations afforded of processes of + draining, ventilation, etc.</p> + + <p>Man's health rests in that of his stomach. The food question + is a concern of the physician as well as of the publicist. The + race began life on a vegetable diet, and to that it reverts + when compelled by enfeebled digestion or by the increasing + difficulty of providing animal food for a dense population. But + it likes flesh when able to assimilate it or to procure it, and + demands at least the compromise of fish. Hence, the revived + attention to fish-breeding, an art wellnigh forgotten since the + Reformation emptied the carp-ponds of the monks. Maryland, New + York and other States illustrate this device for enhancing the + food-supply, and the aquaria at Agricultural Hall, containing + twelve or fifteen thousand gallons of salt and fresh water, + present a congress of the leaders, gastronomically speaking, of + the finny people. The shad remains not only to be naturalized + in Europe, but to be reintroduced to the water-side dwellers + above tide, who <span class="pagenum">[pg 665]</span> once met + him regularly at table. He is joined by delegates from the + mountain, the great lakes and the Pacific coast in the trout, + the salmon and the whitefish, and by that quiet, silent and + slow-going cousin of the fraternity, the oyster, most valuable + of all, as possessors of those qualities not unfrequently are. + Europe does not dream, and we ourselves do not realize until we + come carefully to think of it, what the oyster does for us. He + sustains the hardiest part of our coasting marine, paves our + best roads, fertilizes our sands, enlivens all our festivities, + and supports an army of packers, can-makers, etc., cased in + whose panoply of tin he traverses the globe like a mail-clad + knight-errant in the cause of commerce and good eating. Yet he + needs protection. All this burden is greater than he can bear, + and it is growing. System and science are invoked to his rescue + ere he go the way of the inland shad and the salmon that became + a drug to the Pilgrim Fathers. It is not easy to frame a medal + or diploma for the fostering of the oyster. More effective is a + consideration of the impending penalty for neglecting to do so. + <i>Ostrea edulis</i> is one of the grand things before which + prizes sink into nothingness.</p> + + <p>Another of them is that triumph of pure reason, chess, an + unadulterated product of the brain—i.e., of + phosphorus—i.e., of fish. Nobody stakes money on chess or + offers a prize to the best player. Honor at that board is its + own reward. So when we are told of the Centennial Chess + Tournament we recognize at once the fitness of the word + borrowed from the chivalric joust. It is the culmination of + human strife. The thought, labor and ardor spread over three + hundred and fifty acres sums itself in that black and white + board the size of your handkerchief. War and statecraft + condense themselves into it. Armies and nations move with the + chessman. Sally, leaguer, feint, flank-march, triumphant charge + are one after another rehearsed. There, too, moves the game of + politics in plot and counterplot. It is the climax of the + subjective. From those lists the trumpet-blare, the crowd, the + glitter, the banners, "the boast of heraldry and pomp of + power," melt utterly away. To the world-champions who bend + above the little board the big glass houses and all the + treasures stared at by admiring thousands are as naught.</p> + <!-- + <p>[Illustration: SCENE AT ONE OF THE ENTRANCES TO THE GROUNDS—THE + TURNSTILE.]</p> + --> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a name="fig665" + id="fig665"></a> + <a href="images/Illus-0023-1.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/Illus-0023-1_sm.jpg" + alt="SCENE AT ONE OF THE ENTRANCES TO THE GROUNDS—THE TURNSTILE." /> + </a><br /> + SCENE AT ONE OF THE ENTRANCES TO THE GROUNDS—THE + TURNSTILE. + </div> + + <p>But man is an animal, and not by any means of intellect all + compact. The average mortal confesses to a craving for the + stimulus of great shows, of material purposes, substantial + objects of study and palpable prizes. It is so in 1876, as it + was in 1776, and as it will be in a long series of + Seventy-sixes.</p> + + <p><span class="pagenum">[pg 666]</span> It is the concrete + rather than the abstract which draws him in through the + turnstiles of the exposition enclosure. Separated by the + divisions of those ingeniously-contrived gates into taxed and + untaxed spectators, the masses stream in with small thought of + the philosophers or the chess-players. Their minds are reached, + but reached through the eye, and the first appeal is to that. + Each visitor constitutes himself a jury of one to consider and + compare what he sees. The hundreds of thousands of verdicts so + reached will be published only by word of mouth, if published + at all. Their value will be none the less indubitable, though + far from being in all cases the same. The proportion of + intelligent observers will be greater than on like occasions + heretofore. So will, perhaps, be that of solid matter for + study, although in some specialties there may be default. He + who enters with the design of self-education will find the + text-books in most branches abundant, wide open before him and + printed in the clearest characters. What shortcomings there may + have been in the selection and arrangement of them he will + have, if he can, himself to remedy. There stands the school, + founded and furnished with great labor. The would-be scholar + can only be invited to use it. The centennial that is to turn + out scholars ready-made has not yet rolled + round.</p><a name='DOLORES' + id="DOLORES"></a> + + <h2>DOLORES.</h2> + + <div class='poem'> + <div class='stanza'> + <p>A light at her feet and a light at her head,</p> + + <p class='i2'>How fast asleep my Dolores lies!</p> + + <p>Awaken, my love, for to-morrow we wed—</p> + + <p class='i2'>Uplift the lids of thy beautiful + eyes.</p> + </div> + + <div class='stanza'> + <p>Too soon art thou clad in white, my spouse:</p> + + <p class='i2'>Who placed that garland above thy + heart</p> + + <p>Which shall wreathe to-morrow thy bridal brows?</p> + + <p class='i2'>How quiet and mute and strange thou + art!</p> + </div> + + <div class='stanza'> + <p>And hearest thou not my voice that speaks?</p> + + <p class='i2'>And feelest thou not my hot tears + flow</p> + + <p>As I kiss thine eyes and thy lips and thy + cheeks?</p> + + <p class='i2'>Do they not warm thee, my bride of + snow?</p> + </div> + + <div class='stanza'> + <p>Thou knowest no grief, though thy love may weep.</p> + + <p class='i2'>A phantom smile, with a faint, wan + beam,</p> + + <p>Is fixed on thy features sealed in sleep:</p> + + <p class='i2'>Oh tell me the secret bliss of thy + dream.</p> + </div> + + <div class='stanza'> + <p>Does it lead to fair meadows with flowering + trees,</p> + + <p class='i2'>Where thy sister-angels hail thee their + own?</p> + + <p>Was not my love to thee dearer than these?</p> + + <p class='i2'>Thine was my world and my heaven in + one.</p> + </div><span class="pagenum">[pg 667]</span> + + <div class='stanza'> + <p>I dare not call thee aloud, nor cry,</p> + + <p class='i2'>Thou art so solemn, so rapt in rest,</p> + + <p>But I will whisper: Dolores, 'tis I:</p> + + <p class='i2'>My heart is breaking within my + breast.</p> + </div> + + <div class='stanza'> + <p>Never ere now did I speak thy name,</p> + + <p class='i2'>Itself a caress, but the lovelight + leapt</p> + + <p>Into thine eyes with a kindling flame,</p> + + <p class='i2'>And a ripple of rose o'er thy soft cheek + crept.</p> + </div> + + <div class='stanza'> + <p>But now wilt thou stir not for passion or + prayer,</p> + + <p class='i2'>And makest no sign of the lips or the + eyes,</p> + + <p>With a nun's strait band o'er thy bright black + hair—</p> + + <p class='i2'>Blind to mine anguish and deaf to my + cries.</p> + </div> + + <div class='stanza'> + <p>I stand no more in the waxen-lit room:</p> + + <p class='i2'>I see thee again as I saw thee that + day,</p> + + <p>In a world of sunshine and springtide bloom,</p> + + <p class='i2'>'Midst the green and white of the budding + May.</p> + </div> + + <div class='stanza'> + <p>Now shadow, now shine, as the branches ope,</p> + + <p class='i2'>Flickereth over my love the while:</p> + + <p>From her sunny eyes gleams the May-time hope,</p> + + <p class='i2'>And her pure lips dawn in a wistful + smile.</p> + </div> + + <div class='stanza'> + <p>As one who waiteth I see her stand,</p> + + <p class='i2'>Who waits though she knows not what nor + whom,</p> + + <p>With a lilac spray in her slim soft hand:</p> + + <p class='i2'>All the air is sweet with its spicy + bloom.</p> + </div> + + <div class='stanza'> + <p>I knew not her secret, though she held mine:</p> + + <p class='i2'>In that golden hour did we each + confess;</p> + + <p>And her low voice murmured, Yea, I am thine,</p> + + <p class='i2'>And the large world rang with my + happiness.</p> + </div> + + <div class='stanza'> + <p>To-morrow shall be the blessedest day</p> + + <p class='i2'>That ever the all-seeing sun espied:</p> + + <p>Though thou sleep till the morning's earliest + ray,</p> + + <p class='i2'>Yet then thou must waken to be my + bride.</p> + </div> + + <div class='stanza'> + <p>Yea, waken, my love, for to-morrow we wed:</p> + + <p class='i2'>Uplift the lids of thy beautiful + eyes.</p> + + <p>A light at her feet and a light at her head,</p> + + <p class='i2'>How fast asleep my Dolores lies!</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p class="author">EMMA + LAZARUS.</p><a name='GLIMPSES_OF_CONSTANTINOPLE' + id="GLIMPSES_OF_CONSTANTINOPLE"></a> + <span class="pagenum">[pg 668]</span> + + <h2>GLIMPSES OF CONSTANTINOPLE.</h2> + + <h3>CONCLUDING PAPER.</h3><!-- + <p>[Illustration: SCENE IN A BURIAL-GROUND.]</p> + --> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a name="fig668" + id="fig668"></a> + <a href="images/Illus-0027-1.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/Illus-0027-1_sm.jpg" + alt="SCENE IN A BURIAL-GROUND." /></a><br /> + SCENE IN A BURIAL-GROUND. + </div> + + <p>There is a continuous fascination about this old city. The + guide-book says, "A week or ten days are required to see the + sights," but though we make daily expeditions we seem in no + danger of exhausting them. Neither does one have to go far to + seek amusement. I never look down into the street below my + windows without being attracted by some object of interest. The + little donkeys with their great panniers of long slim loaves of + bread (oh, tell it not, but I once saw the driver use one as a + stick to belabor the lazy animal with, and then leave it, with + two or three other loaves, at the opposite house, where a + pretty Armenian, that I afterward saw taking the air on the + roof with her bright-eyed little girl, perhaps had it for her + breakfast!); the fierce, lawless Turkish soldiers stalking + along, their officers mounted, and looking much better in their + baggy trousers and frock-coats on their fine horses than on + foot; Greek and Armenian ladies in gay European costumes; + veiled Turkish women in their quiet street-dress; close + carriages with gorgeously-dressed beauties from the sultan's + harem followed by black eunuchs on horseback,—these and + similar groups in every variety of costume form a constant + stream of strange and picturesque sights.</p> + + <p>One morning, attracted by an unusual noise, I looked out and + found it proceeded from a funeral procession. First came a man + carrying the lid of the coffin; then several Greek priests; + after them boys in white robes with lighted candles, followed + by choir-boys in similar dresses who chanted as they walked + along. Such sounds! Greek chanting is a horrible nasal + caterwauling. Get a dozen boys to hold their noses, and then in + a high key imitate the gamut performed by several festive cats + as they prowl over the housetops on a quiet night, and you have + Greek, Armenian or Turkish chanting and singing to perfection. + There is not the first conception of music in the souls of + these barbarians. Behind this choir came four + <span class="pagenum">[pg 669]</span>men carrying the open + coffin. The corpse was that of a middle-aged man dressed in + black clothes, with a red fez cap on the head and yellow, red + and white flowers scattered over the body. The hot sun shone + full on the pinched and shriveled features, and the sight was + most revolting. Several mourners followed the coffin, the + ladies in black clothes, with black lace veils on their heads + and their hair much dressed. The Greeks are obliged to carry + their dead in this way, uncovered, because concealed arms were + at one time conveyed in coffins to their churches, and then + used in an uprising against the government. We witnessed a + still more dreadful funeral outside the walls. A party, + evidently of poor people, were approaching an unenclosed + cemetery, and we waited to see the interment. The body, in its + usual clothes, was carried on a board covered by a sheet. When + they reached the grave the women shrieked, wept and kissed the + face of the dead man: then his clothes were taken off, the body + wrapped in the sheet and laid in the grave, which was only two + feet deep. The priest broke a bottle of wine over the head, the + earth was loosely thrown in, and the party went away. There is + no more melancholy spot to me than a Turkish cemetery. The + graves are squeezed tightly together, and the headstones, + generally in a tumble-down state, are shaped like a coffin + standing on end, or like a round hitching-post with a fez cap + carved on the top. Weeds and rank wild-flowers cover the + ground, and over all sway the dark, stiff cypresses.</p> + + <p>A little way down the street is a Turkish pastry-shop. + Lecturers and writers have from time to time held forth on the + enormities of pie-eating, and given the American people + "particular fits" for their addiction to it. Now, while I fully + endorse all I ever heard said on the subject, I beg leave to + remark that the Americans are not the <i>worst</i> offenders in + this way. If you want to see pastry, come to Constantinople: + <i>seeing</i> will satisfy you—you won't risk a taste. + Mutton is largely eaten, and the mutton fat is used with flour + to make the crust, which is so rich that the grease fairly + oozes out and "smells to Heaven." Meat-pies are in great + demand. The crust is baked alone in a round flat piece, and + laid out on a counter, which is soon very greasy, ready to be + filled. A large dish of hash is also ready, and when a customer + calls the requisite amount of meat is clapped on one side of + the paste, the other half doubled over it, and he departs + eating his halfmoon-shaped pie. On the counters you see + displayed large egg-shaped forms of what look like layers of + tallow and cooked meat, cheesy-looking cakes of many kinds and + an endless variety of confectionery. The sweetmeats are + perfection, the fresh Turkish paste with almonds in it melts in + your mouth, and the sherbet, compounded of the juice of many + fruits and flowers and cooled with snow, is the most delicious + drink I ever tasted. There are also many kinds of nice + sweet-cakes; but, on the whole, I should prefer not to board in + a Turkish family or employ a Turkish cook. No wonder the women + are pale and sallow if they indulge much in such + food!</p><a name="fig670" + id="fig670"></a> <!-- + <p>[Illustration: THE SULTAN ABDUL ASSIZ.]</p> + --> + + + <div class="figleft" + style="width:60%;"> + <a href="images/Illus-0030-1.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/Illus-0030-1_sm.jpg" + alt="THE SULTAN ABDUL ASSIZ." /></a><br /> + THE SULTAN ABDUL ASSIZ. + </div> + + <p>Being anxious to see a good display of Turkish rugs, and our + party having some commissions to execute, we sallied forth one + afternoon on this errand. If you intend to visit a Turkish + carpet warehouse, and your purse or your judgment counsels you + not to purchase, put yourself under bonds to that effect before + you go; for, unless you possess remarkable strength of + character, the beautiful rugs displayed will prove irresistible + temptations. Near the bazaar in Stamboul is a massive square + stone house, looking like a fortress compared with the + buildings around it. Mosses and weeds crop out of every uneven + part of its walls. A heavy door that might stand a siege + admitted us to a small vestibule, and from this we passed into + a paved court with a moss-grown fountain in the centre. Around + this court ran a gallery, its heavy arches and columns + supporting a second, to which we ascended by a broad flight of + steps. A double door admitted us to the wareroom, where, + tolerably secure from fire (the doors alone were of wood), were + stored Turkish and Persian rugs of all + <span class="pagenum">[pg 670]</span> sizes and colors. The + Turkish were far handsomer than the Persian, and the colors + more brilliant than those I have usually seen. The attendants + unrolled one that they said was a hundred years old. It had a + dusty, faded look, as if it had been in the warehouse quite + that length of time, and made the modern ones seem brighter by + contrast. Several rugs having been selected, we returned to the + office, where a carpet was spread and we were invited to seat + ourselves on it. Coffee was passed around, and we proceeded to + bargain for our goods through our interpreter. The merchant, as + usual, asked an exorbitant price to start with, and we offered + what was equally ridiculous the other way; and so we gradually + approached the final price—he coming gracefully down, and + we as affably ascending in the scale, till a happy medium was + reached, and we departed with our purchases following us on the + back of an ammale.</p> + + <p>Three days of each week are observed as holy days. Friday is + the Turkish Sabbath, Saturday the Jewish, and the Greeks and + Armenians keep Sunday. The indolent government officials, glad + of an excuse to be idle, keep all three—that is, they + refrain from business—so there are only four days out of + the seven in which anything is accomplished.</p> + + <p>One of the great sights is to see the sultan go to the + mosque; so one Friday we took a caïque and were rowed up + the Bosphorus to Dolma Backté, and waited on the water + opposite the palace. The sultan's caïque was at the + principal entrance on the water-side of the palace, and the + steps and marble pavement were carpeted from the caïque to + the door. Presently all the richly-dressed officers of the + household, who were loitering around, formed on either side the + steps, and, bending nearly double, remained so while the sultan + passed down to his caïque. Abdul Assiz is quite stout and + rather short, with a pleasant face and closely-cut beard. He + was dressed in a plain black uniform, his breast covered with + orders. The sultan's caïque was a magnificent + barge—white, profusely ornamented with gilt, and rowed by + twenty-four oarsmen dressed in white, who rose to their feet + with each stroke, bowed low, and settled back in their seats as + the stroke was expended. The sultan and grand vizier seated + themselves under the plum-colored velvet canopy, and the + caïque proceeded swiftly toward the mosque, followed by + three other caïques with his attendants. A gun from an + iron-clad opposite the palace announced that the sultan had + started. The shore from the palace to the mosque was lined with + soldiers; the bands played; the people cheered; the ships ran + up their flags; all the war-vessels were gay with bunting, had + their yards manned and fired salutes, which were answered by + the shore-batteries. The mosque selected for that day's + devotions was in Tophaneh, near the water. Several regiments + were drawn up to receive the sultan, and an elegant carriage + and a superb Arab saddle-horse were in waiting, so that His + Majesty might return to the palace as best suited his fancy. + After an hour spent in devotion the sultan reappeared, and + entering his carriage was driven away. We saw + <span class="pagenum">[pg 671]</span> him again on our way + home, when he stopped to call on an Austrian prince staying at + the legation. The street leading up to the embassy was too + narrow and steep for a carriage, so, mounting his horse at the + foot, he rode up, passing very close to us.</p><a name="fig671" + id="fig671"></a> <!-- + <p>[Illustration: TURKISH COW-CARRIAGE.]</p> + --> + + + <div class="figright" + style="width:60%;"> + <a href="images/Illus-0032-1.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/Illus-0032-1_sm.jpg" + alt="TURKISH COW-CARRIAGE." /></a><br /> + TURKISH COW-CARRIAGE. + </div> + + <p>In the afternoon we drove to the "Sweet Waters of Europe" to + see the Turkish ladies, who in pleasant weather always go out + there in carriages or by water in caïques. Compared with + our parks, with their lovely lakes and streams and beautiful + lawns, the far-famed Sweet Waters of Europe are only fields + with a canal running through them; but here, where this is the + only stream of fresh water near the city, and in a country + destitute of trees, it is a charming place. The stream has been + walled up to the top of its banks, which are from three to six + feet above the water, and there are sunny meadows and fine + large trees on each side. The sultan has a summer palace here + with a pretty garden, and the stream has been dammed up by + blocks of white marble cut in scallops like shells, over which + the water falls in a cascade. The road to the Sweet Waters, + with one or two others, was made after the sultan's return from + his European trip, and in anticipation of the empress + Eugénie's visit. European carriages were also introduced + at that time. The ladies of the sultan's harem drive out in + very handsome coupés, with coachmen wearing the sultan's + livery, but you more frequently see the queer one-horse Turkish + carriage, and sometimes a "cow-carriage." This last is drawn by + cows or oxen: it is an open wagon, with a white cloth awning + ornamented with gay fringes and tassels. Many people go in + caïques, and all carry bright-colored rugs, which they + spread on the grass. There they sit for several hours and + gossip with each other, or take their luncheons and spend the + afternoon. A Turkish woman is never seen to better advantage + than when "made up" for such an excursion. Her house-dress is + always hidden by a large cloak, which comes down to the ground + and has loose sleeves and a cape. The cloak is left open at the + neck to show the lace and necklace worn under it, and is + generally made of silk, often of exquisite shades of pink, + blue, purple or any color to suit the taste of the wearer. A + small silk cap, like the low turbans our ladies wore eight or + nine years ago, covers the head, and on it are fastened the + most brilliant jewels—diamond pins, rubies, anything that + will flash. The wearer's complexion is heightened to great + brilliancy by toilet arts, and over all, covering deficiencies, + is the yashmak or thin white veil, which conceals only in part + and greatly enhances her beauty. You think your "dream of fair + women" realized, and go home and read <i>Lalla Rookh</i> and + rave of Eastern peris. Should some female friend who has + visited a harem and seen these radiant beauties face to face + mildly suggest that paint, powder and the enchantment of + distance have in a measure deluded you, you dismiss the + unwelcome information as an invention of the "green-eyed + monster," and, remembering the brilliant beauties who reclined + beside the Sweet Waters or floated by you on the Golden Horn, + cherish the recollection as that of one of the brightest scenes + of the Orient.</p><span class="pagenum">[pg 672]</span> + <a name="fig672" + id="fig672"></a> <!-- + <p>[Illustration: ENTERING A MOSQUE.]</p> + --> + + + <div class="figleft" + style="width:60%;"> + <a href="images/Illus-0033-1.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/Illus-0033-1_sm.jpg" + alt="ENTERING A MOSQUE." /></a><br /> + ENTERING A MOSQUE. + </div> + + <p>These I have spoken of are the upper classes from the harems + of the sultan and rich pashas, but those you see constantly on + foot in the streets are the middle and lower classes, and not + so attractive. They have fine eyes, but the yashmaks are + thicker, and you feel there is less beauty hidden under them. + The higher the rank the thinner the yashmak is the rule. They + also wear the long cloak, but it is made of black or colored + alpaca or a similar material. Gray is most worn, but black, + brown, yellow, green, blue and scarlet are often seen. The + negresses dress like their mistresses in the street, and if you + see a pair of bright yellow boots under a brilliant scarlet + ferraja and an unusually white yashmak, you will generally find + the wearer is a jet-black negress. Sitting so much in the house + <i>à la Turque</i> is not conducive to grace of motion, + nor are loose slippers to well-shaped feet, and I must confess + that a Turkish woman walks like a <i>goose</i>, and the size of + her "fairy feet" would rejoice the heart of a + leather-dealer.</p> + + <p>We have been to see the Howling Dervishes, and I will + endeavor to give you some idea of their performances. Crossing + to Scutari in the steam ferryboat, we walked some distance till + we reached the mosque, where the services were just commencing. + The attendant who admitted us intimated that we must remove our + boots and put on the slippers provided. N—— did so, + but I objected, and the man was satisfied with my wearing them + over my boots. We were conducted up a steep, ladder-like + staircase to a small gallery, with a low front only a foot + high, with no seats but sheepskins on the floor, where we were + expected to curl ourselves up in Turkish fashion. Both my + slippers came off during my climb up stairs, and were rescued + in their downward career by N——, who by dint of + much shuffling managed to keep his on. Below us were seated + some thirty or forty dervishes. The leader repeated portions of + the Koran, in which exercise others occasionally took part in a + quiet manner. After a while they knelt in line opposite their + leader and began to chant in louder tones, occasionally bowing + forward full length. Matters down below progressed slowly at + first, and were getting monotonous. One of my feet, + unaccustomed to its novel position, had gone to sleep, and I + was in a cramped state generally. Moreover, we were not the + sole occupants of the gallery: the sheepskins were full of + them, and I began to think that if the dervishes did not soon + begin to howl, <i>I</i> should. Some traveler has said that on + the coast of Syria the Arabs have a proverb that the "sultan of + <i>fleas</i> holds his court in Jaffa, and the grand vizier in + Cairo." Certainly some very <span class="pagenum">[pg + 673]</span> high dignitary of the realm presides over + Constantinople, and makes his head-quarters in the mosque of + the Howling Dervishes.</p><!-- + <p>[Illustration: CASTLE OF EUROPE, ON THE BOSPHORUS.]</p> + --> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a name="fig673" + id="fig673"></a> + <a href="images/Illus-0034-1.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/Illus-0034-1_sm.jpg" + alt="CASTLE OF EUROPE, ON THE BOSPHORUS." /></a><br /> + CASTLE OF EUROPE, ON THE BOSPHORUS. + </div> + + <p>The dervishes now stood up in line, taking hold of hands, + and swayed backward, forward and sideways, with perfect + uniformity, wildly chanting, or rather howling, verses of the + Koran, and keeping time with their movements. They commenced + slowly, and increased the rapidity of their gymnastics as they + became more excited and devout. The whole performance lasted an + hour or more, and at the end they naturally seemed quite + exhausted. Then little children were brought in, laid on the + floor, and the head-dervish stepped on their bodies. I suppose + he stepped in such a manner as not to hurt them, as they did + not utter a sound. Perhaps the breath was so squeezed out of + them that they could not. One child was quite a baby, and on + this he rested his foot lightly, leaning his weight on a man's + shoulder. I could not find out exactly what this ceremony + signified, but was told it was considered a cure for sickness, + and also a preventive.</p> + + <p>We concluded to <i>do</i> the dervishes, and so next day + went to see the spinning ones. They have a much larger and + handsomer mosque than their howling brethren. First they + chanted, then they indulged in a "walk around." Every time they + passed the leader, who kept his place at the head of the room, + they bowed profoundly to him, then passed before him, and, + turning on the other side, bowed again. After this interchange + of courtesies had lasted a while, they sailed off around the + room, spinning with the smooth, even motion of a top—arms + folded, head on one side and eyes shut. Sometimes this would be + varied by the head being thrown back and the arms extended. The + rapid whirling caused their long green dresses to spread out + like a half-open Japanese umbrella, supposing the man to be the + stick, and they kept it up about thirty minutes to the + inspiring music of what sounded like a drum, horn and tin pan. + We remained to witness the <i>first set:</i> whether they had + any more and wound up with the German, I cannot say. We were + tired and went home, satisfied with what we had seen. I should + think they corresponded somewhat with our Shakers at home, as + far as their "muscular Christianity" goes, and are rather ahead + on the dancing question.</p> + + <p><span class="pagenum">[pg 674]</span> One of the prominent + objects of interest on the Bosphorus is Roberts College. It + stands on a high hill three hundred feet above the water, and + commands an extensive view up and down the Bosphorus. For seven + years Dr. Hamlin vainly endeavored to obtain permission to + build it, and the order was not given till Farragut's visit. + The gallant admiral, while breakfasting with the grand vizier, + inquired what was the reason the government did not allow Dr. + Hamlin to build the college, when the grand vizier hastily + assured him that all obstacles had been removed, and that the + order was even then as good as given. Americans may well be + proud of so fine and well-arranged a building and the able + corps of professors. We visited it in company with Dr. Wood and + his agreeable wife, who are so well known to all who take any + interest in our foreign missions. After going over the college + and listening to very creditable declamations in English from + some of the students, we were hospitably entertained at + luncheon by Professor Washburn, who is in charge of the + institution, and his accomplished wife. Within a short distance + of the college is the Castle of Europe, and on the opposite + side of the Bosphorus the Castle of Asia. They were built by + Mohammed II. in 1451, and the Castle of Europe is still in good + preservation. It consists of two large towers and several small + ones connected by walls, and is built of a rough white stone, + to which the ivy clings luxuriantly.</p> + + <p>A pleasant excursion is to take a little steamer, which runs + up the Bosphorus and back, touching at Beicos (Bey Kos), and + visit the Giant Mountain, from which is a magnificent view of + the Black Sea and nearly the whole length of the Bosphorus. We + breakfasted early, but when ready to start found our guide had + disappointed us, and his place was not to be supplied. The day + was perfect, and rather than give up our trip we determined to + go by ourselves, trusting that the success which had attended + similar expeditions without a <i>commissionnaire</i> would not + desert us on this occasion. The sail up on the steamer was + charming. There are many villages on the shores of the + Bosphorus, and between them are scattered palaces and summer + residences, the latter often reminding us of Venetian houses, + built directly on the shore with steps down to the water, and + caïques moored at the doors, as the gondolas are in + Venice. The houses are surrounded by beautiful gardens, with a + profusion of flowers blooming on the very edge of the shore, + their gay colors reflected in the waves beneath.</p> + + <p>We learned from the captain of the steamer that Giant + Mountain was two and a half miles from the village, with no + very well-defined road leading to it; so on landing at Bey Kos + we made inquiries for a guide, and this time were successful. + Horses were also forthcoming, but no side-saddle. I + respectfully declined to follow the example of my Turkish + sisters and mount a gentleman's saddle; neither was I anxious + to ride my Arab steed bareback, so we concluded to try a + cow-carriage, and despatched our guide to hire the only one the + place afforded. This stylish establishment was not to be had; + so, having wasted half an hour in trying to find some + conveyance, we gave it up and started on foot; and were glad + afterward that we did so. The road was shaded to the base of + the mountain, and led through a beautiful valley, the fields + covered with wild-flowers. I have never seen such masses of + color—an acre perhaps of bright yellow, perfectly + dazzling in the sunlight, then as large a mass of purple, next + to that an immense patch of white daisies, so thick they looked + like snow. The effect of these gay masses, with intervals of + green grass and grain, was very gorgeous. We passed two of the + sultan's palaces, one built in Swiss style. The ascent of Giant + Mountain from the inland side is gradual, while it descends + very abruptly on the water-side. On the top of the mountain are + the ruins of the church of St. Pantaleon, built by Justinian, + also a mosque and the tomb of Joshua: so the Turks affirm. From + a rocky platform just below the mosque there is a magnificent + view. Toward the north you look off on the Black Sea and the + old fortress of <span class="pagenum">[pg 675]</span> Riva, + which commands the entrance to the Bosphorus. In front and to + the south winds the beautiful Bosphorus for sixteen miles till + it reaches the Sea of Marmora, which you see far in the + distance glittering in the sunlight. You look down on the decks + of the passing vessels, and the large steamers seem like toy + boats as they pass below you. Near the mosque is a remarkable + well of cool water. Shrubs and a few small trees grow on the + mountain, and the ground is covered with quantities of heather, + wild-flowers and ivy. We picked long spikes of white heather in + full bloom, and pansies, polyanthus, the blue iris and many + others of our garden flowers. The country all around + Constantinople is very destitute of trees. The woods were cut + down long ago, and the multitudes of sheep, which you see in + large flocks everywhere, crop the young sprouts so they cannot + grow up again.</p><!-- + <p>[Illustration: FORTRESS OF RIVA, AND THE BLACK SEA.]</p> + --> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a name="fig675" + id="fig675"></a> + <a href="images/Illus-0037-1.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/Illus-0037-1_sm.jpg" + alt="FORTRESS OF RIVA, AND THE BLACK SEA." /></a><br /> + FORTRESS OF RIVA, AND THE BLACK SEA. + </div> + + <p>Returning to Constantinople, our steamer ran close to the + European shore, stopping at the villages on that side. Most of + the officers of these boats are Turks, but they find it + necessary to employ European (generally English) engineers, as + the Turks are fatalists and not reliable. It is said they pay + but little attention to their machinery and boilers, reasoning + that if it is the will of Allah that the boiler blow up, it + will certainly do so; <span class="pagenum">[pg 676]</span> if + not, all will go right, and why trouble one's self? Laughable + stories are told of the Turkish navy; e.g., that a certain + captain was ordered to take his vessel to Crete, and after + cruising about some time returned, not being able to find the + island. Another captain stopped an English vessel one fine day + to ask where he was, as he had lost his reckoning, although the + weather had been perfectly clear for some time. In the Golden + Horn lies an old four-decker which during the Crimean war was + run broadside under a formidable battery by her awkward crew, + who were unable to manage her, and began in their fright to + jump overboard. A French tugboat went to the rescue and towed + her off.</p> + + <p>On our way to the hotel we saw the sultan's son, a boy of + fifteen. He was driving in a fine open carriage drawn by a very + handsome span of bay horses, and preceded by four outriders + mounted on fine Arabian horses. Coachman, footman and + outriders, in the black livery of the sultan, were resplendent + in gold lace. The harness was of red leather and the carriage + painted of the same bright color. The cushions were of white + silk embroidered with scarlet flowers. It was a dashing + equipage, but seemed better suited to a harem beauty than the + dark, Jewish-looking boy in the awkward uniform of a Turkish + general who was its sole occupant.</p><!-- + <p>[Illustration: TURKISH QUARTER—STAMBOUL.]</p> + --> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a name="fig676" + id="fig676"></a> + <a href="images/Illus-0038-1.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/Illus-0038-1_sm.jpg" + alt="TURKISH QUARTER—STAMBOUL." /></a><br /> + TURKISH QUARTER—STAMBOUL. + </div> + + <p>Yesterday we took our last stroll in Constantinople, + crossing the Golden Horn by the new bridge to Stamboul. This + bridge is a busy spot, for besides the constant throngs that + cross and recross, it is the favorite resort of beggars and + dealers in small wares. Many of the ferryboats also start from + here, so that, although long and wide, it is crowded most of + the day. An Englishman who is an officer in the Turkish army + told us of an amusing adventure of his in crossing the bridge. + He had been at the war department, and was told he could have + the six months' pay which was due him if he would take it in + piasters. Thankful to get it, and fearing if he did not take it + then in that shape he might have to wait a good while, he + accepted, and the piasters (which are large copper coins worth + about four cents of our money) were placed in bags on the backs + of porters to be taken to a European bank at Pera. As they were + crossing the bridge one of the bags burst open with the weight + of the coins, and a quantity of them were scattered. Of course + a first class scramble ensued, in which the beggars, who are + always on hand, and <span class="pagenum">[pg 677]</span> + others reaped quite a harvest, and when the officer got the + hole tied up the ammale found the bag considerably lighter to + carry.</p> + + <p>Reaching Stamboul, we made our way through the crowded + streets, past the Seraglio gardens and St. Sophia, till we + reached the old Hippodrome, which was modeled after the Circus + at Rome. Little remains of its ancient glory, for the Crusaders + carried off most of its works of art. The granite obelisk of + Theodosius and the pillar of Constantine, which the vandal + Turks stripped of its bronze when they first captured the city, + are still left, but the stones are continually falling, and it + will soon be a ruin. The serpentine column consists of three + serpents twisted together: the heads are gone, Mohammed II. + having knocked off one with his battle-axe. A little Turk was + taking his riding-lesson on the level ground of the Hippodrome, + and his frisky little black pony gave the old fellow in + attendance plenty of occupation. We watched the boy for a + while, and then, passing on toward the Marmora, took a look at + the "Cistern of the Thousand Columns." A broad flight of steps + leads down to it, and the many tall slender columns of + Byzantine architecture make a perfect wilderness of pillars. + Wherever we stood, we seemed always the centre from which long + aisles of columns radiated till they lost themselves in the + darkness. The cistern has long been empty, and is used as a + ropewalk.</p> + + <p>The great fire swept a large district of the city here, + which has been but little rebuilt, and the view of the Marmora + is very fine. On the opposite Asiatic shore Mount Olympus, with + its snow-crowned summit, fades away into the blue of the + heavens. This is a glorious atmosphere, at least at this + season, the air clear and bracing, the sky a beautiful blue and + the sunsets golden. In winter it is cold, muddy and cheerless, + and in midsummer the simoom which sweeps up the Marmora from + Africa and the Syrian coast renders it very unhealthy for + Europeans to remain in the city. The simoom is exceedingly + enervating in its effects, and all who can spend the summer + months on the upper Bosphorus, where the prevailing winds are + from the Black Sea and the air is cool and healthful. Nearly + all the foreign legations except our own have summer residences + there and beautiful grounds.</p><a name="fig677" + id="fig677"></a> <!-- + <p>[Illustration: OBELISK OF THEODOSIUS.]</p> + --> + + + <div class="figright" + style="width:60%;"> + <a href="images/Illus-0039-1.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/Illus-0039-1_sm.jpg" + alt="OBELISK OF THEODOSIUS." /></a><br /> + OBELISK OF THEODOSIUS. + </div> + + <p>Following the old aqueduct built by the emperor Hadrian, + which still supplies Stamboul with water, and is exceedingly + picturesque with its high dripping arches covered with + luxuriant ivy, we reached the walls which protected the city on + the land-side, and then, threading our way through the narrow, + dirty streets, we returned to the Golden Horn. I do not wonder, + after what I have seen of this part of Stamboul, that the + cholera made such ravages here a few years since. I should + think it would remain a constant scourge. Calling a + caïque, we were rowed up the Golden Horn to the Sweet + Waters, but its tide floated only our own boat, and the banks + lacked the attraction of the gay groups which render the place + so lively on Fridays. We were served with coffee by a Turk who + with his little brasier of coals was waiting under a + wide-spreading tree for any chance <span class="pagenum">[pg + 678]</span> visitor, and after a short stroll on the bank + opposite the sultan's pretty palace we floated gently down the + stream till we reached the Golden Horn again. On a large meadow + near the mouth of the Sweet Waters some Arabs were camped with + an immense flock of sheep. They had brought them there to shear + and wash the wool in the fresh water, and the ground was + covered with large quantities of beautiful long fleece. The + shepherds in their strange mantles and head-dresses looked very + picturesque as they spread the wool and tended their flocks. + Our <i>caïquegee</i>, as the oarsman of a caïque is + called, ought not to be overlooked. His costume was in keeping + with his pretty caïque, which was painted a delicate + straw-color and had white linen cushions. He was a tall, + finely-built fellow, a Cretan or Bulgarian I should think, for + he looked too wide awake for a Turk. The sun had burned his + olive complexion to the deepest brown, and his black eyes and + white teeth when he smiled lighted up his intelligent face, + making him very handsome. He wore a turban, loose shirt with + hanging sleeves and voluminous trousers, all of snowy + whiteness. A blue jacket embroidered with gilt braid was in + readiness to put on when he stopped rowing. It must have taken + a ruinous amount of material to make those trousers. They were + full at the waist and knee, and before seating himself to his + oars he gracefully threw the extra amount of the fullness which + drooped behind over the wide seat as a lady spreads out her + overskirt.</p><!-- + <p>[Illustration: SHEPHERDS.]</p> + --> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a name="fig678" + id="fig678"></a> + <a href="images/Illus-0040-1.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/Illus-0040-1_sm.jpg" + alt="SHEPHERDS." /></a><br /> + SHEPHERDS. + </div> + + <p>Last night we bade farewell to the strange old city with its + picturesque sights, its glorious views and the many points of + interest we had grown so familiar with. Our adieus were said, + the ammales had taken our baggage to the steamer, which lay at + anchor off Seraglio Point, and before dark we went on board, + ready to sail at an early hour.</p> + + <p>The bustle of getting underway at daylight this morning woke + me, and I went on deck in time to take a farewell look. The + first rays of the sun were just touching the top of the Galata + Tower and lighting up the dark cypresses in the palace-grounds + above us. The tall minarets and the blue waves of the Bosphorus + caught the golden light, while around Olympus the rosy tint had + not yet faded and the morning mists looked golden in the + sunlight. We rounded Seraglio Point and steamed down the + Marmora, passed the Seven Towers, and slowly the beautiful city + faded from our view.</p> + + <p class="author">SHEILA HALE.</p><a name='THEE_AND_YOU' + id="THEE_AND_YOU"></a> <span class="pagenum">[pg + 679]</span> + + <h2>THEE AND YOU.</h2> + + <h3>A STORY OF OLD PHILADELPHIA. IN TWO + PARTS.—I.</h3><br /> + + + <p>Once on a time I was leaning over a book of the costumes of + forty years before, when a little lady said to me, "How ever + could they have loved one another in such queer bonnets?" And + now that since then long years have sped away, and the little + critic is, alas! no longer young, haply her children, looking + up at her picture by Sully in a turban and short waist; may + have wondered to hear how in such disguise she too was fatal to + many hearts, and set men by the ears, and was a toast at + suppers in days when the waltz was coming in and the solemn + grace of the minuet lingered in men's manners.</p> + + <p>And so it is, that, calling up anew the soft September + mornings of which I would draw a picture before they fade away, + with me also, from men's minds, it is the quaintness of dress + which first comes back to me, and I find myself wondering that + in nankeen breeches and swallow-tailed blue coats with buttons + of brass once lived men who, despite gnarled-rimmed beavers and + much wealth of many-folded cravats, loved and were loved as + well and earnestly as we.</p> + + <p>I had been brought up in the austere quiet of a small New + England town, where life was sad and manners grave, and when + about eighteen served for a while in the portion of our army + then acting in the North. The life of adventure dissatisfied me + with my too quiet home, and when the war ended I was glad to + accept the offer of an uncle in China to enter his business + house. To prepare for this it was decided that I should spend + six months with one of the great East India firms. For this + purpose I came to Philadelphia, and by and by found myself a + boarder in an up-town street, in a curious household ruled over + by a lady of the better class of the people called Friends.</p> + + <p>For many days I was a lonely man among the eight or ten + people who came down one by one at early hours to our + breakfast-table and ate somewhat silently and went their + several ways. Mostly, we were clerks in the India houses which + founded so many Philadelphia fortunes, but there were also two + or three of whom we knew little, and who went and came as they + liked.</p> + + <p>It was a quiet lodging-house, where, because of being on the + outskirts and away from the fashion and stir of the better + streets, chiefly those came who could pay but little, and among + them some of the luckless ones who are always to be found in + such groups—stranded folks, who for the most part have + lost hope in life. The quiet, pretty woman who kept the house + was of an ancient Quaker stock which had come over long ago in + a sombre Quaker Mayflower, and had by and by gone to decay, as + the best of families will. When I first saw her and some of her + inmates it was on a pleasant afternoon early in September, and + I recall even now the simple and quiet picture of the little + back parlor where I sat down among them as a new guest. I had + been tranquilly greeted, and had slipped away into a corner + behind a table, whence I looked out with some curiosity on the + room and on the dwellers with whom my lot was to be cast for a + long while to come. I was a youth shy with the shyness of my + age, but, having had a share of rough, hardy life, ruddy of + visage and full of that intense desire to know things and + people that springs up quickly in those who have lived in + country hamlets far from the stir and bustle of city life.</p> + + <p>The room I looked upon was strange, the people strange. On + the floor was India matting, red and white in little squares. A + panel of painted white wood-work ran around an octagonal + chamber, into which stole silently the evening twilight through + open windows and across a long brick-walled garden-space full + of <span class="pagenum">[pg 680]</span> roses and Virginia + creepers and odorless wisterias. Between the windows sat a + silent, somewhat stately female, dressed in gray silk, with a + plain frilled cap about the face, and with long and rather slim + arms tightly clad in silk. Her fingers played at hide-and-seek + among some marvelous lace stitches—evidently a woman + whose age had fallen heir to the deft ways of her youth. Over + her against the wall hung a portrait of a girl of twenty, + somewhat sober in dress, with what we should call a Martha + Washington cap. It was a pleasant face, unstirred by any touch + of fate, with calm blue eyes awaiting the future.</p> + + <p>The hostess saw, I fancied, my set gaze, and rising came + toward me as if minded to put at ease the new-comer. "Thee does + not know our friends?" she said. "Let me make thee known to + them."</p> + + <p>I rose quickly and said, "I shall be most glad."</p> + + <p>We went over toward the dame between the windows. "Mother," + she said, raising her voice, "this is our new friend, Henry + Shelburne, from New England."</p> + + <p>As she spoke I saw the old lady stir and move, and after a + moment she said, "Has he a four-leaved clover?"</p> + + <p>"Always that is what she says. Thee will get used to it in + time."</p> + + <p>"We all do," said a voice at my elbow; and turning I saw a + man of about thirty years, dressed in the plainest-cut Quaker + clothes, but with a contradiction to every tenet of Fox written + on his face, where a brow of gravity for ever read the riot act + to eyes that twinkled with ill-repressed mirth. When I came to + know him well, and saw the preternatural calm of his too quiet + lips, I used to imagine that unseen little demons of ready + laughter were for ever twitching at their corners.</p> + + <p>"Mother is very old," said my hostess.</p> + + <p>"Awfully old," said my male friend, whose name proved to be + Richard Wholesome.</p> + + <p>"Thee might think it sad to see one whose whole language has + come to be just these words, but sometimes she will be glad and + say, 'Has thee a four-leaved clover?' and sometimes she will be + ready to cry, and will say only the same words. But if thee + were to say, 'Have a cup of coffee?' she would but answer, 'Has + thee a four-leaved clover?' Does it not seem strange to thee, + and sad? We are used to it, as it might be—quite used to + it. And that above her is her picture as a girl."</p> + + <p>"Saves her a deal of talking," said Mr. Wholesome, "and + thinking. Any words would serve her as well. Might have said, + 'Topsail halyards,' all the same."</p> + + <p>"Richard!" said Mistress White. Mistress Priscilla White was + her name.</p> + + <p>"Perchance thee would pardon me," said Mr. Wholesome.</p> + + <p>"I wonder," said a third voice in the window, "does the nice + old dame know what color has the clover? and does she remember + fields of clover—pink among the green?"</p> + + <p>"Has thee a four-leaved clover?" re-echoed the voice feebly + from between the windows.</p> + + <p>The man who was curious as to the dame's remembrances was a + small stout person whose arms and legs did not seem to belong + to him, and whose face was strangely gnarled, like the odd face + a boy might carve on a hickory-nut, but withal a visage + pleasant and ruddy.</p> + + <p>"That," said Mistress White as he moved away, "is Mr. + Schmidt—an old boarder with some odd ways of his own + which we mostly forgive. A good man if it were not for his + pipe," she added demurely—"altogether a good man."</p> + + <p>"With or without his pipe," said Mr. Wholesome.</p> + + <p>"Richard!" returned our hostess, with a half smile.</p> + + <p>"Without his pipe," he added; and the unseen demons twitched + at the corners of his mouth anew.</p> + + <p>Altogether, these seemed to me droll people, they said so + little, and, saving the small German, were so serenely grave. I + suppose that first evening must have made a deep mark on my + memory, for to this day I recall it with the clearness of a + picture still before my eyes. Between the windows sat the old + <span class="pagenum">[pg 681]</span> dame with hands quiet on + her lap now that the twilight had grown deeper—a silent, + gray Quaker sphinx, with one only remembrance out of all her + seventy years of life. In the open window sat as in a frame the + daughter, a woman of some twenty-five years, rosy yet as only a + Quakeress can be when rebel Nature flaunts on the soft cheek + the colors its owner may not wear on her gray dress. The + outline was of a face clearly cut and noble, as if copied from + a Greek gem—a face filled with a look of constant + patience too great perhaps for one woman's share, with a + certain weariness in it also at times, yet cheerful too, and + even almost merry at times—the face of one more + thoughtful of others than herself, and, despite toil and sordid + cares, a gentlewoman, as was plain to see. The shaft of light + from the window in which she sat broadened into the room, and + faded to shadow in far corners among chairs with claw toes and + shining mahogany tables—the furniture of that day, with a + certain flavor about it of elegance, reflecting the primness + and solidness of the owners. I wonder if to-day our furniture + represents us too in any wise? At least it will not through the + generations to follow us: of that we may be sure. In the little + garden, with red graveled walks between rows of box, walked to + and fro Mr. Schmidt, smoking his meerschaum—a rare sight + in those days, and almost enough to ensure your being known as + odd. He walked about ten paces, and went and came on the same + path, while on the wall above a large gray cat followed his + motions to and fro, as if having some personal interest in his + movements. Against an apricot tree leaned Mr. Wholesome, + watching with gleams of amusement the cat and the man, and now + and then filliping at her a bit of plaster which he pulled from + the wall. Then the cat would start up alert, and the man's face + would get to be quizzically unconscious; after which the cat + would settle down and the game begin anew. By and by I was + struck with the broad shoulders and easy way in which Wholesome + carried his head, and the idea came to me that he had more + strength than was needed by a member of the Society of Friends, + or than could well have been acquired with no greater exercise + of the limbs than is sanctioned by its usages. In the garden + were also three elderly men, all of them quiet and clerkly, who + sat on and about the steps of the other window and chatted of + the India ships and cargoes, their talk having a flavor of the + spices of Borneo and of well-sunned madeira. These were + servants of the great India houses when commerce had its nobles + and lines were sharply drawn in social life.</p> + + <p>I was early in bed, and rising betimes went down to + breakfast, which was a brief meal, this being, as Mr. Wholesome + said to me, the short end of the day. I should here explain + that Mr. Wholesome was a junior partner in the house in which I + was to learn the business before going to China. Thus he was + the greatest person by far in our little household, although on + this he did not presume, but seemed to me greatly moved toward + jest and merriment, and to sway to and fro between gayety and + sadness, or at the least gravity, but more toward the latter + when Mistress White was near, she seeming always to be a + checking conscience to his mirth.</p> + + <p>On this morning, as often after, he desired me to walk with + him to our place of business, of which I was most glad, as I + felt shy and lonely. Walking down Arch street, I was amazed at + its cleanliness, and surprised at the many trees and the + unfamiliar figures in Quaker dresses walking leisurely. But + what seemed to me most curious of all were the plain square + meeting-houses of the Friends, looking like the toy houses of + children. I was more painfully impressed by the appearance of + the graves, one so like another, without mark or number, or + anything in the disposition of them to indicate the strength of + those ties of kinship and affection which death had severed. + Yet I grew to like this quiet highway, and when years after I + was in Amsterdam the resemblance of its streets to those of the + Friends here at home overcame me with a crowd of swift-rushing + <span class="pagenum">[pg 682]</span> memories. As I walked + down of a morning to my work, I often stopped as I crossed + Fifth street to admire the arch of lindens that barred the view + to the westward, or to gaze at the inscription on the + 'Prentices' Library, still plain to see, telling that the + building was erected in the eighth year of the Empire.</p> + + <p>One morning Wholesome and I found open the iron grating of + Christ Church graveyard, and passing through its wall of red + and black glazed brick, he turned sharply to the right, and + coming to a corner bade me look down where under a gray plain + slab of worn stone rests the body of the greatest man, as I + have ever thought, whom we have been able to claim as ours. Now + a bit of the wall is gone, and through a railing the busy or + idle or curious, as they go by, may look in and see the spot + without entering.</p> + + <p>Sometimes, too, we came home together, Wholesome and I, and + then I found he liked to wander and zigzag, not going very far + along a street, and showing fondness for lanes and byways. + Often he would turn with me a moment into the gateway of the + University Grammar School on Fourth street, south of Arch, and + had, I thought, great pleasure in seeing the rough play of the + lads. Or often, as we came home at noon, he liked to turn into + Paradise alley, out of Market street, and did this, indeed, so + often that I came to wonder at it, and the more because in an + open space between this alley and Commerce street was the spot + where almost every day the grammar-school boys settled their + disputes in the way more common then than now. When first we + chanced on one of these encounters I was surprised to see Mr. + Wholesome look about him as if to be sure that no one else was + near, and then begin to watch the combat with a strange + interest. Indeed, on one occasion he utterly astonished me by + taking by the hand a small boy who had been worsted and leading + him with us, as if he knew the lad, which may well have been. + But presently he said, "Reuben thee said was thy + name?"—"Yes, sir," said the lad.—"Well," said Mr. + Wholesome, after buying him a large and very brown horse + gingerbread, two doughnuts and a small pie, "when you think it + worth while to hit a fellow, never slap his face, because then + he will strike you hard with his fist, which hurts, Reuben. + Now, mind: next thee strikes first with thee fist, my lad, and + hard, too." If I had seen our good Bishop White playing at + taws, I could not have been more overcome, and I dare say my + face may have shown it, for, glancing at me, he said demurely, + "Thee has seen in thy lifetime how hard it is to get rid of + what thee liked in thy days of boyhood." After which he added + no more in the way of explanation, but walked along with swift + strides and a dark and troubled face, silent and + thoughtful.</p> + + <p>Sometimes in the early morning I walked to my place of + business with Mr. Schmidt, who was a man so altogether unlike + those about him that I found in him a new and varied interest. + He was a German, and spoke English with a certain quaintness + and with the purity of speech of one who has learned the tongue + from books rather than from men. I learned after a while that + this guess of mine was a good one, and that, having been bred + an artist, he had been put in prison for some political + offence, and had in two years of loneliness learned English + from our older authors. When at last he was set free he took + his little property and came away with a bitter heart to our + freer land, where, with what he had and with the lessons he + gave in drawing, he was well able to live the life he liked in + quiet ease and comfort. He was a kindly man in his ways, and in + his talk gently cynical; so that, although you might be quite + sure as to what he would do, you were never as safe as to what + he would say; wherefore to know him a little was to dislike + him, but to know him well was to love him. There was a liking + between him and Wholesome, but each was more or less a source + of wonderment to the other. Nor was it long before I saw that + both these men in their way were patient lovers of the quiet + and pretty Quaker dame who ruled over our little household, + though to the elder man, Mr. Schmidt, she was a being + <span class="pagenum">[pg 683]</span> at whose feet he laid a + homage which he felt to be hopeless of result, while he was + schooled by sorrowful fortunes to accept the position as one + which he hardly even wished to change.</p> + + <p>It was on a warm sunny morning very early, for we were up + and away betimes, that Mr. Schmidt and I and Wholesome took our + first walk together through the old market-sheds. We turned + into Market street at Fourth street, whence the sheds ran + downward to the Delaware. The pictures they gave me to store + away in my mind are all of them vivid enough, but none more so + than that which I saw with my two friends on the first morning + when we wandered through them together.</p> + + <p>On either side of the street the farmers' wagons stood + backed up against the sidewalk, each making a cheap shop, by + which stood the sturdy owners under the trees, laughing and + chaffering with their customers. We ourselves turned aside and + walked down the centre of the street under the sheds. On either + side at the entry of the market odd business was being plied, + the traders being mostly colored women with bright chintz + dresses and richly-colored bandanna handkerchiefs coiled + turban-like above their dark faces. There were rows of roses in + red pots, and venders of marsh calamus, and "Hot corn, sah, + smokin' hot," and "Pepperpot, bery nice," and sellers of + horse-radish and snapping-turtles, and of doughnuts dear to + grammar-school lads. Within the market was a crowd of + gentlefolks, followed by their black servants with + baskets—the elderly men in white or gray stockings, with + knee-buckles, the younger in very tight nankeen breeches and + pumps, frilled shirts and ample cravats and long blue + swallow-tailed coats with brass buttons. Ladies whose + grandchildren go no more to market were there in gowns with + strangely short waists and broad gypsy-bonnets, with the flaps + tied down by wide ribbons over the ears. It was a busy and + good-humored throng.</p> + + <p>"Ah," said Schmidt, "what color!" and he stood quite wrapped + in the joy it gave him looking at the piles of fruit, where the + level morning sunlight, broken by the moving crowd, fell on + great heaps of dark-green watermelons and rough cantaloupes, + and warmed the wealth of peaches piled on trays backed by red + rows of what were then called love-apples, and are now known as + tomatoes; while below the royal yellow of vast overgrown + pumpkins seemed to have set the long summer sunshine in their + golden tints.</p> + + <p>"If these were mine," said Schmidt, "I could not for ever + sell them. What pleasure to see them grow and steal to + themselves such sweet colors out of the rainbow which is in the + light!"</p> + + <p>"Thee would make a poor gardener," said Wholesome, "sitting + on thee fence in the sun and watching thee pumpkins—damn + nasty things anyhow!"</p> + + <p>I looked up amazed at the oath, but Schmidt did not seem to + remark it, and went on with us, lingering here and there to + please himself with the lovely contrasts of the autumn + fruit.</p> + + <p>"Curious man is Schmidt," remarked Wholesome as we passed + along. "I could wish thee had seen him when we took him this + way first. Old Betsey yonder sells magnolia flowers in June, + and also pond-lilies, which thee may know as reasonably + pleasant things to thee or me; but of a sudden I find our + friend Schmidt kneeling on the pavement with his head over a + tub of these flowers, and every one around much amazed."</p> + + <p>"Was it not seemly?" said Schmidt, joining us. "There are + who like music, but to me what music is there like the great + attunement of color? and mayhap no race can in this rise over + our black artists hereabout the market-ends."</p> + + <p>"Thee is crazed of many colors," said Wholesome + laughing—"a bull of but one."</p> + + <p>Schmidt stopped short in the crowd, to Wholesome's disgust. + "What," said he, quite forgetful of the crowd, "is more cordial + than color? This he recalleth was a woman black as night, with + a red turban and a lapful of magnolias, and to one side red + crabs in a basket, and to one side a tubful of lilies. Moss all + about, I remember."</p><span class="pagenum">[pg 684]</span> + + <p>"Come along," said Wholesome. "The man is cracked, and in + sunny weather the crack widens."</p> + + <p>And so we went away down street to our several tasks, + chatting and amused.</p> + + <p>Those were most happy days for me, and I found at evening + one of my greatest pleasures when Schmidt called for me after + our early tea and we would stroll together down to the + Delaware, where the great India ships lay at wharves covered + with casks of madeira and boxes of tea and spices. Then we + would put out in his little rowboat and pull away toward + Jersey, and, after a plunge in the river at Cooper's Point, + would lazily row back again while the spire of Christ Church + grew dim against the fading sunset, and the lights would begin + to show here and there in the long line of sombre houses. By + this time we had grown to be sure friends, and a little help + from me at a moment when I chanced to guess that he wanted + money had made the bond yet stronger. So it came that he talked + to me, though I was but a lad, with a curious freedom, which + very soon opened to me a full knowledge of those with whom I + lived.</p> + + <p>One evening, when we had been drifting silently with the + tide, he suddenly said aloud, "A lion in the fleece of the + sheep."</p> + + <p>"What?" said I, laughing.</p> + + <p>"I was thinking of Wholesome," he replied. "But you do not + know him. Yet he has that in his countenance which would betray + a more cunning creature."</p> + + <p>"How so?" I urged, being eager to know more of the man who + wore the garb and tongue of Penn, and could swear roundly when + moved.</p> + + <p>"If it will amuse," said the German, "I will tell you what + it befell me to hear to-day, being come into the parlor when + Mistress White and Wholesome were in the garden, of themselves + lonely."</p> + + <p>"Do you mean," said I, "that you listened when they did not + know of your being there?"</p> + + <p>"And why not?" he replied. "It did interest me, and to them + only good might come."</p> + + <p>"But," said I, "it was not—"</p> + + <p>"Well?" he added as I paused. "—'Was not honor,' you + were going to say to me. And why not? I obey my nature, which + is more curious than stocked with honor. I did listen."</p> + + <p>"And what did you hear?" said I.</p> + + <p>"Ah, hear!" he answered. "What better is the receiver than + is the thief? Well, then, if you will share my stolen goods, + you shall know, and I will tell you as I heard, my memory being + good."</p> + + <p>"But—" said I.</p> + + <p>"Too late you stop me," he added: "you must hear now."</p> + + <p>The scene which he went on to sketch was to me strange and + curious, nor could I have thought he could give so perfect a + rendering of the language, and even the accent, of the two + speakers. It was a curious revelation of the man himself, and + he seemed to enjoy his power, and yet to suffer in the telling, + without perhaps being fully conscious of it. The oars dropped + from his hands and fell in against the thwarts of the boat, and + he clasped his knees and looked up as he talked, not regarding + at all his single silent listener.</p> + + <p>"When this is to be put upon the stage there shall be a + garden and two personages."</p> + + <p>"Also," said I, "a jealous listener behind the scenes."</p> + + <p>"If you please," he said promptly, and plunged at once into + the dialogue he had overheard:</p> + + <p>"'Richard, thee may never again say the words which thee has + said to me to-night. There is, thee knows, that between us + which is builded up like as a wall to keep us the one from the + other.'</p> + + <p>"'But men and women change, and a wall crumbles, or thee + knows it may be made to. Years have gone away, and the man who + stole from thee thy promise may be dead, for all thee + knows.'</p> + + <p>"'Hush! thee makes me to see him, and though the dead rise + not here, I am some way assured he is not yet dead, and may + come and say to me, "'Cilla"—that is what he called + me—"thee remembers the night and thy promise, and the + lightning all around us, and who took thee to shore from the + wrecked packet on the Bulkhead Bar." The life he saved I + promised.'</p><span class="pagenum">[pg 685]</span> + + <p>"Well, and thee knows—By Heaven! you well enough know + who tortured the life he gave—who robbed you—who + grew to be a mean sot, and went away and left you; and to such + you hold, with such keep faith, and wear out the sweetness of + life waiting for him!'</p> + + <p>"'Richard!'</p> + + <p>"'Have I also not waited, and given up for thee a life, a + career—little to give. I hope thee knows I feel that. Has + thee no limit, Priscilla? Thee knows—God help me! how + well you know—I love you. The world, the old world of war + and venture, pulls at me always. Will not you find it worth + while to put out a hand of help? Would it not be God taking + your hand and putting it in mine?'</p> + + <p>"'Thee knows I love thee.'</p> + + <p>"'And if the devil sent him back to curse you + anew—'</p> + + <p>"'Shame, Richard! I would say, God, who layeth out for each + his way, has pointed mine.'</p> + + <p>"'And I?'</p> + + <p>"'Thee would continue in goodness, loving me as a sister + hardly tried.'</p> + + <p>"'By God! I should go away to sea.'</p> + + <p>"'Richard!'</p> + + <p>"Which is the last word of this scene," added Schmidt. "You + mayhap have about you punk and flint and steel."</p> + + <p>I struck alight in silence, feeling moved by the story of + the hurt hearts of these good people, and wondering at the man + and his tale. Then I said, "Was that all?"</p> + + <p>"Could you, if not a boy, ask me to say more of it? Light + thy pipe and hold thy peace. Happy those who think not of + women. I, who have for a hearth-side only the fire of an honest + pipe—'Way there, my lad! pull us in and forget what a + loose tongue and a soft summer night have given thee to hear + from a silly old German who is grown weak of head and sore at + soul. How the lights twinkle!"</p> + + <p>Had I felt any doubt at all of the truth of his narration I + should have ceased to do so when for the next few days I + watched Mr. Wholesome, and saw him, while off his guard, + looking at Mistress White askance with a certain wistful + sadness, as of a great honest dog somehow hurt and + stricken.</p> + + <p>When an India ship came in, the great casks of madeira, + southside, grape juice, bual and what not were rolled away into + the deep cellars of the India houses on the wharves, and left + to purge their vinous consciences of such perilous stuff as was + shaken up from their depths during the long homeward voyage. + Then, when a couple of months had gone by, it was a custom for + the merchant to summon a few old gentlemen to a solemn tasting + of the wines old and new. Of this, Mr. Wholesome told me one + day, and thought I had better remain to go through the cellars + and drive out the bungs and drop in the testers, and the like. + "I will also stay with thee," he added, "knowing perhaps better + than thee the prices."</p> + + <p>I learned afterward that Wholesome always stayed on these + occasions, and I had reason to be glad that I too was asked to + stay, for, as it chanced, it gave me a further insight into the + character of my friend the junior partner.</p> + + <p>I recall well the long cellar running far back under Water + street, with its rows of great casks, of which Wholesome and I + started the bungs while awaiting the new-comers. Presently came + slowly down the cellar-steps our senior partner in nankeen + shanks, silk stockings and pumps—a frosty-visaged old + man, with a nose which had fully earned the right to be called + bottle. Behind him limped our old porter in a blue check apron. + He went round the cellar, and at every second cask, having + lighted a candle, he held it upside down until the grease had + fallen thick on the cask, and then turning the candle stuck it + fast in its little pile of tallow, so that by and by the cellar + was pretty well lighted. Presently, in groups or singly, came + old and middle-aged gentlemen, and with the last our friend + Schmidt, who wandered off to a corner and sat on a barrel-head + watching the effects of the mingling of daylight and + candlelight, and amused in his quiet way at the scene and the + intense interest of the chief actors in it, which, like other + things he did not comprehend, had for him the charm of odd + <span class="pagenum">[pg 686]</span> ness. I went over and + stood by him while the porter dropped the tester-glass into the + cool depths of cask after cask, and solemn counsel was held and + grave decisions reached. I was enchanted with one meagre, + little old gentleman of frail and refined figure, who bent over + his wine with closed eyes, as if to shut out all the + sense-impressions he did not need, while the rest waited to + hear what he had to say.</p> + + <p>"Needs a milk fining," muttered the old gentleman, with eyes + shut as if in prayer.</p> + + <p>"Wants its back broke with a good lot of eggshell," said a + short, stout man with a snuff-colored coat, the collar well up + the back of his head.</p> + + <p>"Ach!" murmured Schmidt. "The back to be hurt with eggshell! + What hath he of meaning?"</p> + + <p>"Pshaw!" said a third: "give it a little rest, and then the + white of an egg to every five gallons. Is it bual?"</p> + + <p>"Is it gruel?" said our senior sarcastically.</p> + + <p>"Wants age. A good wine for one's grandchildren," murmured + my old friend with shut eyes.</p> + + <p>"What is it he calls gruel?" whispered Schmidt. "How nice is + a picture he makes when he shuts his eyes and the light of the + candle comes through the wine, all bright ruby, in the dark + here! And ah, what is that?" for Wholesome, who had been taking + his wine in a kindly way, and having his say with that sense of + being always sure which an old taster affects, glancing out of + one of the little barred cellar-windows which looked out over + the wharf, said abruptly, "Ha! ha! that won't do!"</p> + + <p>Turning, I saw under the broad-brimmed hat in the clear gray + eyes a sudden sparkle of excitement as he ran hastily up the + cellar-stairs. Seeing that something unusual was afloat, I + followed him quickly out on to the wharf, where presently the + cause of his movement was made plain.</p> + + <p>Beside the wharf was a large ship, with two planks running + down from her decks to the wharf. Just at the top of the + farther one from us a large black-haired, swarthy man was + brutally kicking an aged negro, who was hastily moving + downward, clinging to the hand-rail. Colored folks were then + apt to be old servants—that is to say, friends—and + this was our pensioned porter, Old Tom. I was close behind + Wholesome at the door of the counting-house. I am almost sure + he said "Damnation!" At all events, he threw down his hat, and + in a moment was away up the nearer plank to the ship's deck, + followed by me. Meanwhile, however, the black, followed by his + pursuer, had reached the wharf, where the negro, stumbling and + still clinging to the rail, was seized by the man who had + struck him. In the short struggle which ensued the plank was + pulled away from the ship's side, and fell just as Wholesome + was about to move down it. He uttered an oath, caught at a + loose rope which hung from a yard, tried it to see if it was + fast, went up it hand over hand a few feet, set a foot on the + bulwarks, and swung himself fiercely back across the ship, and + then, with the force thus gained, flew far in air above the + wharf, and dropping lightly on to a pile of hogs-heads, leapt + without a word to the ground, and struck out with easy power at + the man he sought, who fell as if a butcher's mallet had + stunned him—fell, and lay as one dead. The whole action + would have been amazing in any man, but to see a Quaker thus + suddenly shed his false skin and come out the true man he was, + was altogether bewildering—the more so for the easy grace + with which the feat was done. Everybody ran forward, while + Wholesome stood a strange picture, his eyes wide open and his + pupils dilated, his face flushed and lips a little apart, + showing his set white teeth while he awaited his foe. Then, as + the man rallied and sat up, staring widely, Wholesome ran + forward and looked at him, waving the crowd aside. In a moment, + as the man rose still bewildered, his gaze fell on Wholesome, + and, growing suddenly white, he sat down on a bundle of staves, + saying faintly, "Take him away! Don't let him come near!"</p> + + <p>"Coward!" said I: "one might have guessed that."</p> + + <p>"There is to him," said Schmidt at <span class="pagenum">[pg + 687]</span> my elbow, "some great mortal fear; the soul is + struck."</p> + + <p>"Yes," said Wholesome, "the soul is struck. Some one help + him"—for the man had fallen over in something like a + fit—and so saying strode away, thoughtful and disturbed + in face, as one who had seen a ghost.</p> + + <p>As he entered the counting-house through the group of + dignified old merchants, who had come out to see what it all + meant, one of them said, "Pretty well for a Quaker, friend + Richard!"</p> + + <p>Wholesome did not seem to hear him, but walked in, drank a + glass of wine which stood on a table, and sat down + silently.</p> + + <p>"Not the first feat of that kind he has done," said the + elder of the wine-tasters.</p> + + <p>"No," said a sea-captain near by. "He boarded the Penelope + in that fashion during the war, and as he lit on her deck + cleared a space with his cutlass till the boarding-party joined + him."</p> + + <p>"With his cutlass?" said I. "Then he was not always a + Quaker?"</p> + + <p>"No," said our senior: "they don't learn these gymnastics at + Fourth and Arch, though perchance the committee may have a word + to say about it."</p> + + <p>"Quaker or not," said the wine-taster, "I wish any of you + had legs as good or a heart as sound. Very good body, not too + old, and none the worse for a Quaker fining."</p> + + <p>"That's the longest sentence I ever heard Wilton speak," + said a young fellow aside to me; "and, by Jove! he is + right."</p> + + <p>I went back into the counting-house, and was struck with the + grim sadness of face of our junior partner. He had taken up a + paper and affected to be reading, but, as I saw, was staring + into space. Our senior said something to him about Old Tom, but + he answered in an absent way, as one who half hears or half + heeds. In a few moments he looked up at the clock, which was on + the stroke of twelve, and seeing me ready, hat in hand, to + return home for our one-o'clock dinner, he gathered himself up, + as it were, limb by limb, and taking his wide-brimmed hat + brushed it absently with his sleeve. Then he looked at it a + moment with a half smile, put it on decisively and went out and + away up Arch street with swifter and swifter strides. By and by + he said, "You do not walk as well as usual."</p> + + <p>"But," said I, "no one could keep up with you."</p> + + <p>"Do not try to: leave a sore man to nurse his hurts. I + suppose you saw my folly on the wharf—saw how I forgot + myself?"</p> + + <p>"Ach!" said Schmidt, who had toiled after us hot and red, + and who now slipped his quaint form in between us—"Ach! + 'You forgot yourself.' This say you. I do think you did + remember your true self for a time this morning."</p> + + <p>"Hush! I am a man ashamed. Let us talk no more of it. I have + ill kept my faith," returned Wholesome impatiently.</p> + + <p>"You may believe God doth not honor an honest man," said + Schmidt; "which is perhaps a God Quaker, not the God I see to + myself."</p> + + <p>I had so far kept my peace, noting the bitter self-reproach + of Wholesome, and having a lad's shyness before an older man's + calamity; but now I said indignantly, "If it be Friends' creed + to see the poor and old and feeble hurt without raising a hand, + let us pray to be saved from such religion."</p> + + <p>"But," said Wholesome, "I should have spoken to him in + kindness first. Now I have only made of him a worse beast, and + taught him more hatred. And he of all men!"</p> + + <p>"There is much salvation in some mistakes," said Schmidt + smiling.</p> + + <p>Just then we were stopped by two middle-aged Friends in drab + of orthodox tint, from which now-a-days Friends have much + fallen away into gay browns and blacks. They asked a question + or two about an insurance on one of our ships; and then the + elder said, "Thee hand seems bleeding, friend Richard;" which + was true: he had cut his knuckles on his opponent's teeth, and + around them had wrapped hastily a handkerchief which showed + stains of blood here and there.</p> + + <p>"Ach!" said Schmidt, hastening to save his friend annoyance. + "He ran against <span class="pagenum">[pg 688]</span> + something.—And how late is it! Let us go."</p> + + <p>But Wholesome, who would have no man lie ever so little for + his benefit, said quietly, "I hurt it knocking a man down;" and + now for the first time to-day I observed the old amused look + steal over his handsome face and set it a-twitching with some + sense of humor as he saw the shock which went over the faces of + the two elders when we bade them good-morning and turned + away.</p> + + <p>Wholesome walked on ahead quickly, and as it seemed plain + that he would be alone, we dropped behind.</p> + + <p>"What is all this?" said I. "Does a man grieve thus because + he chastises a scoundrel?"</p> + + <p>"No," said Schmidt. "The Friend Wholesome was, as you may + never yet know, an officer of the navy, and when your war being + done he comes here. There is a beautiful woman whom he must + fall to loving, and this with some men being a grave disorder, + he must go and spoil a good natural man with the clothes of a + Quaker, seeing that what the woman did was good in his + sight."</p> + + <p>"But," said I, "I don't understand."</p> + + <p>"No," said he; "yet you have read of Eve and Adam. Sometimes + they give us good apples and sometimes bad. This was a russet, + as it were, and at times the apple disagrees with him for that + with the new apple he got not a new stomach."</p> + + <p>I laughed a little, but said, "This is not all. There was + something between him and the man he struck which we do not yet + know. Did you see him?"</p> + + <p>"Yes, and before this—last week some time in the + market-place. He was looking at old Dinah's tub of white lilies + when I noticed him, and to me came a curious thinking of how he + was so unlike them, many people having for me flower-likeness, + and this man, being of a yellow swarthiness and squat-browed, + 'minded me soon of the toadstool you call a corpse-light."</p> + + <p>"Perhaps we shall know some time; but here is home, and will + he speak of it to Mistress White, do you think?"</p> + + <p>"Not ever, I suppose," said Schmidt; and we went in.</p> + + <p>The sight we saw troubled me. In the little back parlor, at + a round mahogany table with scrolled edges and claw toes, sat + facing the light Mistress White. She was clad in a gray silk + with tight sleeves, and her profusion of rich chestnut hair, + with its willful curliness that forbade it to be smooth on her + temples, was coiled in a great knot at the back of her head. + Its double tints and strange changefulness, and the smooth + creamy cheeks with their moving islets of roses that would come + and go at a word, were pretty protests of Nature, I used to + think, against the demure tints of her pearl-gray silken gown. + She was looking out into the garden, quite heedless of the + older dame, who sat as her wont was between the windows, and + chirruped now and then, mechanically, "Has thee a four-leaved + clover?" As I learned some time after, one of our older clerks, + perhaps with a little malice of self-comfort at the fall of his + senior's principles, had, on coming home, told her laughingly + all the story of the morning. Perhaps one should be a woman and + a Friend to enter into her feelings. She was tied by a promise + and by a sense of personal pledge to a low and disgraced man, + and then coming to love another despite herself she had grown + greatly to honor him. She might reason as she would that only a + sense of right and a yearning for the fullness of a righteous + life had made him give up his profession and fellows and turn + aside to follow the harder creed of Fox, but she well knew with + a woman's keenness of view that she herself had gone for + something in this change; and now, as sometimes before, she + reproached herself with his failures. As we came in she hastily + dried her eyes and went out of the room. At dinner little was + said, but in the afternoon there was a scene of which I came to + know all a good while later.</p> + + <p>Some of us had gone back to the afternoon work when Mr. + Wholesome, who had lingered behind, strayed thoughtfully into + the little back garden. There under a thin-leaved apricot tree + sat Mistress White, very pretty, with her long fair fingers + clasped over a book which lay <span class="pagenum">[pg + 689]</span> face down on her lap. Presently she was aware of + Richard Wholesome walking to and fro and smoking a long-stemmed + clay pipe, then, as yet in England, called a churchwarden. + These were two more than commonly good-looking persons, come of + sturdy English breeds, fined down by that in this climate which + has taken the coarseness of line and feature out of so many of + our broods, and has made more than one English painter regret + that the Vandyke faces had crossed the ocean to return no + more.</p> + + <p>Schmidt and I looked out a moment into the long vista where, + between the rose-boughs bending from either wall under the + apricot, we could see the gray silvery shimmer of the woman's + dress, and beyond it, passing to and fro, the broad shoulders + of the ex-captain.</p> + + <p>"Come," I said, "walk down with me to the wharf."</p> + + <p>"Yet leave me," he returned. "I shall wisely do to sit here + on the step over the council-fire of my pipe. Besides, when + there are not markets and flowers, and only a straight-down, + early-afternoon sun, I shall find it a more noble usage of time + to see of my drama another scene. The actors are good;" and he + pointed with his pipe-stem down to the garden. "And this," he + said, "is the mute chorus of the play," indicating a kitten + which had made prey of the grand-dame's ball of worsted, and + was rolling it here and there with delight.</p> + + <p>"But," I answered, "it is not right or decent to spy upon + others' actions."</p> + + <p>"For right!" he said. "Ach! what I find right to me is my + right; and for decent, I understand you not. But if I tell you + what is true, I find my pleasure to sit here and see the maiden + when at times the winds pull up the curtain of the leaves."</p> + + <p>"Well! well!" said I, for most of the time he was not + altogether plain as to what he meant, as when he spoke of the + cat as a chorus—"Well! well! you will go out with me on + the water at sundown?"</p> + + <p>"That may be," he answered; and I went away.</p> + + <p>I have observed since then, in the long life I have lived, + that the passion called love, when it is a hopeless one, acts + on men as ferments do on fluids after their kind—turning + some to honest wine and some to vinegar. With our stout little + German all trials seemed to be of the former use, so that he + took no ill from those hurts and bruises which leave other men + sore and tender. Indeed, he talked of Mistress White to me, or + even to Wholesome, whom he much embarrassed, in a calm, + half-amused way, as of a venture which he had made, and, having + failed, found it pleasant to look back upon as an experience + not altogether to be regretted. We none of us knew until much + later that it was more than a mere fancy for a woman who was + altogether so sweet and winsome that no man needed an excuse + for loving her. When by and by I also came to love a good + woman, I used to try myself by the measure of this man's lack + of self-love, and wonder how he could have seen with good-will + the woman he cared for come to like another man better. This + utter sweetness of soul has ever been to me a riddle.</p> + + <p>An hour passed by, when Schmidt heard a footfall in the room + behind him, and rising saw an old member of the Society of + Friends who came at times to our house, and was indeed trustee + for a small estate which belonged to Mistress White. Nicholas + Oldmixon was an overseer in the Fourth street meeting, and much + looked up to among Friends as a prompt and vigilant guardian of + their discipline. Perhaps he would have been surprised to be + told that he had that in his nature which made the post of + official fault-finder agreeable; but so it was, I fancy, and he + was here on such an errand. The asceticism of Friends in those + days, and the extent to which Mr. Oldmixon, like the more + strict of his sect, carried their views as to gravity of manner + and the absence of color in dress and furniture, were + especially hateful to Schmidt, who lived and was happy in a + region of color and sentiment and gayety. Both, I doubt not, + were good men, but each was by nature and training altogether + unable to sympathize with the + other.</p><span class="pagenum">[pg 690]</span> + + <p>"Good-evening!" said Schmidt, keeping his seat in the low + window-sill.</p> + + <p>Mr. Oldmixon returned, "Thee is well, I trust?"</p> + + <p>"Ach! with such a sun and the last roses, which seem the + most sweet, and these most lovely of fall-flowers, and a good + book and a pipe," said Schmidt, "who will not be well? Have you + the honest blessing of being a smoker?"</p> + + <p>"Nay," said the Quaker, with evident guarding of his words. + "Thee will not take it amiss should I say it is a vain waste of + time?"</p> + + <p>"But," answered Schmidt, "time hath many uses. The one is to + be wasted; and this a pipe mightily helps. I did think once, + when I went to meeting, how much more solemn it would be for + each man to have a pipe to excuse his silence."</p> + + <p>"Thee jests idly, I fear," said the Friend, coloring and + evidently holding himself in check. "Is that friend Wholesome + in the garden? I have need to see him."</p> + + <p>"Yea," said Schmidt, with a broad smile, "he is yonder under + a tree, like Adam in the garden. Let us take a peep at + Paradise."</p> + + <p>Mr. Oldmixon held his peace, and walked quietly out of the + window and down the graveled path. There were some who surmised + that his years and his remembrance of the three wives he had + outlived did not altogether suffice to put away from him a + strong sentiment of the sweetness of his ward. Perhaps it was + this notion which lit up with mirth the ruddy face of the + German as he walked down the garden behind the slim ascetic + figure of the overseer of meeting in his broad hat and drab + clothes. On the way the German plucked a dozen scarlet roses, a + late geranium or two and a few leaves of motley Poinsetta.</p> + + <p>Wholesome paused a moment to greet quietly the new-comer, + and straightway betook himself absently to his walk again to + and fro across the garden. Mistress White would have had the + old overseer take her seat, but this he would not do. He stood + a moment near her, as if irresolute, while Schmidt threw + himself down on the sward, and, half turning over, tossed roses + into the gray lap of Mistress White, saying, "How prettily the + God of heaven has dressed them!"</p> + + <p>Mistress White took up the flowers, not answering the + challenge, but glancing under her long lashes at the + ex-captain, to whom presently the overseer turned, saying, + "Would thee give me a word or two with thee by ourselves, + Richard?"</p> + + <p>"There are none in the parlor," said Priscilla, "if thee + will talk there."</p> + + <p>"If," said Wholesome, "it be of business, let it wait till + to-morrow, and I will call upon thee: I am not altogether + myself to-day."</p> + + <p>"Nay," said Nicholas, gathering himself up a little, "thee + must know theeself that I would not come to thee here for + business: thee knows my exactness in such matters."</p> + + <p>"And for what, then, are you come?" said Wholesome with + unusual abruptness.</p> + + <p>"For speech of that in thee conduct which were better, as + between an elder friend and a younger, to be talked over + alone," said Mr. Oldmixon severely.</p> + + <p>Now, Wholesome, though disgusted by his lack of power to + keep the silent pledges he had given when he entered the + Society of Friends, was not dissatisfied with his conduct as he + judged it by his own standard of right. Moreover, like many + warm-hearted people, he was quick of temper, as we have seen. + His face flushed, and he paused beside the overseer: "There are + none here who do not know most of what passed this morning; but + as you do not know all, let me advise you to hold your peace + and go your ways, and leave me to such reproach as God may send + me."</p> + + <p>"If that God send thee any," muttered Schmidt.</p> + + <p>But Nicholas Oldmixon was like a war-horse smelling the + battle afar off, and anything like resistance to an overseer in + the way of duty roused him into the sternness which by no means + belonged to the office, but rather to the man. "If," he said, + "any in membership with us do countenance or promote tumults, + they shall be dealt with as disorderly persons. Wherefore did + thee give way to rash violence this morning?"</p> + + <p><span class="pagenum">[pg 691]</span> Priscilla grew pale, I + think. She said, "Friend Nicholas, thee forgets the Christian + courtesy of our people one to another. Let it rest a while: + friend Richard may come to think better of it by and by."</p> + + <p>"And that I trust he may never," muttered Schmidt.</p> + + <p>But the overseer was not to be stayed. "Thee would do better + to mind the things of thy house and leave us," he said. "The + ways of this young man have been more than once a scandal, and + are like to come before the preparative meeting to be dealt + with."</p> + + <p>"Sir," returned Wholesome, approaching him and quite + forgetting his plain speech to make it plainer, "your manners + do little credit to your age or your place. Listen: I told you + to speak no more of this matter;" and he seized him by the + lappel of his coat and drew him aside a few paces. "For your + own sake, I mean. Let it die out, with no more of talk or + nonsense."</p> + + <p>"For my sake!" exclaimed the overseer; "and why? Most surely + thee forgets theeself."</p> + + <p>"For your own sake," said Wholesome, drawing him still + farther away, and bending toward him, so that his words were + lost to Schmidt and Priscilla, "and for your son John's. It was + he I struck to-day."</p> + + <p>Mr. Oldmixon grew white and staggered as if stricken. "Why + did thee not come and tell me?" he said. "It had been kinder; + and where is that unhappy man?"</p> + + <p>"I do not know," returned Wholesome.</p> + + <p>"Nevertheless, be it he or another, thee was in the wrong, + and I have done my duty,—God help us all! and is my son + yet alive?" and so saying, he turned away, and without other + words walked through the house with uncertain steps and went + down the street, while Wholesome, with softened face, watched + him from the doorstep. Then he went back quietly into the + garden, and turning to Schmidt, said, "Will you oblige me by + leaving me with Mistress White? I will explain to thee by and + by."</p> + + <p>Schmidt looked up surprised, but seeing how pale and stern + he looked, rose and went into the house. The woman looked up + expectant.</p> + + <p>"Priscilla, the time has come when thee must choose between + me and him."</p> + + <p>"He has come back? I knew always he would come."</p> + + <p>"Yes, he has come back: I saw him to-day," said Wholesome, + "and the John Oldmixon of to-day is more than ever cruel and + brutal. Will thee trust me to make thee believe that?"</p> + + <p>"I believe thee," she returned; "but because he is this and + worse, shall I forget my word or turn aside from that which, if + bitter for me, may save his soul alive?"</p> + + <p>"And yet you love me?"</p> + + <p>"Have I said so?" she murmured with a half smile.</p> + + <p>The young man came closer and seized both hands in his: + "Will it not be a greater sin, loving me, to marry him?"</p> + + <p>"But he may never ask me, and then I shall wait, for I had + better die fit in soul to be yours than come to you unworthy of + a good man's love."</p> + + <p>He dropped her hands and moved slowly away, she watching him + with full eyes. Then he turned and said, "But should he + fall—fall as he must—and come to be what his life + will surely make him, a felon whom no woman could + marry—"</p> + + <p>"Thee makes duty hard for me, Richard," she answered. "Do + not make me think thee cruel. When in God's good time he shall + send me back the words of promise I wrote when he went away a + disgraced man, to whom, nevertheless I owed my life, + then—Oh, Richard, I love thee! Do not hurt me. Pray for + me and him."</p> + + <p>"God help us!" he said. "We have great need, to be helped;" + and suddenly leaning over he kissed her forehead for the first + time, and went away up the garden and into the house.</p> + + <p class="author">EDWARD + KEARSLEY.</p><a name='MODERN_HUGUENOTS' + id="MODERN_HUGUENOTS"></a> <span class="pagenum">[pg + 692]</span> + + <h2>MODERN HUGUENOTS.</h2><br /> + + + <p>It demands a good deal of energy, and it involves a little + hardship, to see the Protestant communities of the High Alps of + France, but the picturesque and historic interests of the + journey furnish a sufficient motive and make ample amends. I + can think of no route so entirely unhackneyed to recommend to + blasé tourists. The point of departure is Grenoble, + reached in an hour or so from Chambéry, and in itself + well worth turning aside from the Mont Cenis thoroughfare to + visit. As far as Corps the way lies over the beaten track of + the Salette pilgrims, of which the charms are recorded in many + a devout description.</p> + + <p>It happened to us, however, to get a preliminary glimpse of + French Protestantism in a characteristic, although wholly + modern, development before leaving Grenoble. We applied to the + Protestant clergyman there for information respecting the + details of our proposed tour. Pleased with our project, he told + us the story of a mission which he had established under + circumstances altogether unique, and invited us to join him in + paying it a visit. The scene of his enterprise was a sunny + little village lying high among vineyarded hills, and bearing + the name of Notre Dame des Commiers. Owing to its remoteness + and insignificance, the Roman Catholic authorities had never + replaced its last priest, who withdrew during the turmoils of + the Revolution. For all their ecclesiastical needs the people + were obliged to descend to the next village, the curé of + which gave them little pastoral care beyond the thrifty + collection of his dues. Learning these facts, our Grenoble + friend determined to take advantage of the situation. He + presented himself in the village and told the people he was + willing to become their pastor. He only asked them to + acknowledge the validity of baptism and marriage performed by + him, and to pledge him their support in the struggle with the + priests that would probably ensue. Later, he said, he hoped to + convince them that he taught a better religion than that at the + hands of whose ministers they had suffered such neglect. A + majority of the villagers accepted his proposal, and by a + formal act constituted themselves a Protestant commune. By so + doing they were able to secure recognition by the government as + belonging to the National Protestant Church of France. It was + not long before the parishioners grew warmly attached to their + new pastor. His position of assistant at Grenoble enabled him + to assume the sole charge of the enterprise. Week after week he + made the tedious stage-coach journey, walking up the two-mile + hill at the foot of which he had to quit the highway. Often in + winter he toiled for hours through deep snow and faced violent + storms in making the ascent. In the worst weather it sometimes + happened that the whole journey from Grenoble had to be made on + foot. For two years he carried on the work unaided, holding his + services in such rude quarters as he was able to secure. The + village is now, after an interval of seven years since the + missionary's first visit, adorned with a pretty chapel and + school-house and provided with a resident minister.</p> + + <p>In talking with the people we found abundant proof that + their Protestant faith is both intelligent and practical. Such + of them as were not busy in the fields surrounded their old + pastor with greetings that touchingly expressed their affection + and gratitude, and we, as his friends, had a share in the + demonstration. One stalwart, clear-eyed old woman obliged us to + sit down in front of her chalet, cheerfully explaining that she + had just been burned out, and that the shed in which she had + found a shelter was not fit for us to enter. She would take no + refusal of her offer to fetch us grapes, and ran all the way to + and from her vineyard on the opposite hillside, returning in an + incredibly short time, <span class="pagenum">[pg 693]</span> + scarcely out of breath, and carrying a basket heavy with great + white and purple clusters. As she stood watching with delight + our appreciation of her produce—the only sweet and + luscious grapes, by the way, that we found throughout the + autumn in that land of vines—she talked frankly of her + religious vicissitudes, summing up as follows: "The priests + used to say to me that I had turned Protestant because that is + an easier religion than the Roman Catholic. But I have not + found it so at all. <i>Il est beaucoup plus facile de me + confesser que de me corriger.</i>" Presently another woman came + up the hill, bending painfully under the weight of two + water-pails hanging from the ends of a yoke that rested on her + shoulders. "Ah," said our hostess, "if they would but let us + build the aqueduct, we should not have that ugly work to do." + And then we learned that among the small minority of Roman + Catholics left in the village, to care for whom, as soon as it + was found a wolf had entered the fold, a priest arrived + promptly enough, there prevail the wildest superstitions + concerning the Protestants. Among many improvements introduced + by the latter an aqueduct had been planned to furnish the + hamlet with wholesome water. The project was defeated by the + opposition of the Roman Catholics, who considered it a scheme + for poisoning them <i>en masse</i>. It was here that we heard + for the first time the epithet Huguenots applied as a term of + reproach and derision to the Protestants. Afterward, in regions + where Protestants have a history of centuries, we found it + commonly used in the same way.</p> + + <p>Our visit to Notre Dame des Commiers was like reading a + living page of early Reformation history, and the whole + neighborhood made a fitting stage for such a reproduction. Some + six or seven miles from Grenoble we passed the restored but + still, in parts at least, historic château of + Lesdiguières at Vizille. Nearer our mountain-village we + stopped to admire an ivy-covered bit of tower-ruin, associated + by a grim tradition with the same Dauphiné hero. A + prisoner confined here by the apostate constable had, says the + legend, a lady true who came every night and clasped her + lover's hand stretched out to her between the bars of his + dungeon window. Lesdiguières discovered the rendezvous, + and the spot is still pointed out where his soldier was + stationed one fatal night to chop off the hand that sought its + accustomed pledge. The historical associations of our excursion + were, indeed, somewhat confused, but a fresh feature was added + to its interest by the departure, which we chanced to witness, + of Monsieur Thiers from the Château de Vizille, now + occupied by Casimir Perier, whom the ex-president had been + visiting.</p> + + <p>The two days' diligence journey from Grenoble to the + département des Hautes-Alpes was over one of those broad + macadamized highways which make driving a luxury in many parts + of Europe. If we were more huddled than in the less-antiquated + Swiss diligences, we had the compensation of far more original + fellow-travelers than one is apt to find among the tourists + that monopolize those vehicles. There were generally two or + three priests, half a dozen merry peasants, and a sprinkling of + small officers and country-townspeople, who respectively lost + no time in establishing a pleasant intimacy with their + neighbors. The unflagging chatter, in which all joined + vivaciously, and often all at once, was in striking contrast + with the silent gloom which would have enshrouded a similar + party of English or American travelers. It was impossible to + resist the contagion of cheerfulness or to refuse to mingle + more or less in the talk.</p> + + <p>On the second evening, having trusted to the map and the + very meagre information supplied by <i>Murray</i>, we found + ourselves deposited at an isolated wayside cabaret. It + presently transpired that St. Bonnet, where we expected to pass + the Sunday, was some half mile or more off the high-road on + which this was the nearest station. While we waited in a long, + low, dimly-lighted room for the guide we had bespoken, two + gendarmes and a peasant sat listening to, or rather looking at, + a vivid account of some shooting adventure given in + extraordinary <span class="pagenum">[pg 694]</span> pantomime + by a deaf and dumb huntsman. In time a withered gnome trundling + a wheelbarrow took possession of us and our light belongings, + and led us forth into the night. We traversed the valley, + mounted the hill on the other side, and at last entered the + deeper night of a lampless village, and began to thread its + steep, black streets. The only gleam of light was at what + seemed to be the central fountain. Many women were gathered + there, chatting as they filled their pails or stood with the + replenished vessels poised on their heads. The inn was of a + piece with all those at which we lodged in Dauphiné, + deficient in everything for which an inn exists. The feature of + these inns which I remember, I think, with the least relish was + the condition of the floors. It is literally true that they are + never washed. A daily sprinkling is the only cleansing process + they undergo: its effect is to soften the wood until it begins + to absorb a large proportion of the rubbish which is often but + never thoroughly swept up, and grows black and evil-odored. + This result is most manifest, of course, and most offensive in + the dining-rooms.</p> + + <p>St. Bonnet offered even less than we anticipated of + interest. On the Sunday morning we gladly drove away in such an + equipage as the place afforded to the not very distant village + of St. Laurent en Champsaur. Here we reached our first point in + what was fifty years ago the parish of Felix Neff, and has been + for centuries a refuge of Protestantism. It is a hamlet of + stone cottages, lying on a kind of plateau and overlooking a + wide and fertile valley. The surrounding hills, though mostly + bare, were broken and beautified on that still autumn morning + with dim clefts of shadow. The sun was not yet high, and broad + masses of purple fell here and there across the plain and the + brawling stream that divides it, still the Drac, which we had + seen an almost stately river near Grenoble.</p> + + <p>Having already learned something of the local habits, we + bade our driver take us to the <i>temple</i>. That is the + distinctive name of a Protestant church in these Roman Catholic + lands. The morning service was in progress when we entered the + square and austere little chapel. Every pew was occupied, the + men and women taking different sides of the one stone-paved + aisle. A gentle-looking old man was reading from a book with + much clearness and expression, and in a singularly pleasant + voice, what we soon found to be an excellent sermon. At its + close a quaint, slow hymn was sung, and the congregation was + dismissed. To our amusement, the simple folk formed a double + line outside the door to inspect us as we emerged. It was easy + to imagine their interest in an apparition so unusual as + foreign visitors, and we submitted to their curious but + entirely respectful scrutiny, wishing that our aspect might + give them half the satisfaction we had in watching their eager + faces and noting their droll costumes. Ludicrously high stocks + and "swallow-tail" coats of brown homespun made the dress of + the men different from that of corresponding rustics in + America. The chief peculiarity in the women's attire was a + straw hat, of which the towering crown, decked with huge bows, + and the vast flapping brim, were like an extravagant caricature + of the poke-bonnets of our grandmothers.</p> + + <p>As we stood demurely in the midst of the group, the old man + who had read, and who proved to be the schoolmaster, hastened + out to greet us. It was his habit, he said, in the pastor's + absence, to conduct the service. For more than thirty years, + although the parish had repeatedly been for months without a + minister, he had not allowed the temple to remain closed a + single Sunday. His wife appeared directly, and both insisted, + with apologies for their peasant fare, that we should stop to + dinner at their house, a few yards from the church. We were in + truth nothing loath to accept the invitation, and found little + to excuse in the savory soup, the fresh-laid eggs and the fruit + that composed the simple feast, while we were scarcely less + regaled with the neatness of the rooms and the spectacle of + well-washed floors and spotless though coarsely-woven linen. + But most of all to be enjoyed and remembered + <span class="pagenum">[pg 695]</span> was the peep we got into + this good old man's life and history. From his youth he had + been schoolmaster at St. Laurent, and it seemed never to have + occurred to him that he might claim a more distinguished post. + Unconscious of any special self-sacrifice, he told us about his + work, heroic through its quiet faithfulness, in that obscure + hamlet. He enumerated with pride the various pastors and + teachers who had been his scholars—among the former his + eldest son, among the latter two of his daughters. Listening to + his talk, we understood the intelligence of expression in many + faces and the large proportion of young men at the service of + the morning.</p> + + <p>In our walks about the village after dinner the schoolmaster + took us to see an ancient woman who in her youth had been a + catechumen of Felix Neff. It is curious to find that term, + which was applied by the early Church to candidates for + admission, in use now among the Protestants of France and + Italy. With tears in her eyes and an enthusiasm that made her + speech almost incoherent, the grandame talked of "Monsieur + Neff," his courage, his friendliness, how he went among his + people like one of themselves, and what good words he always + spoke. As we left St. Laurent our host and his wife bore us + company to the brow of a little hill whither we had sent on our + chaise, and stood there to wave us an adieu as we descended on + the other side. Then we saw them turn back toward the group of + thatched and moss-grown cottages which was all their world.</p> + + <p>That evening we reached Gap, the capital of the department + of the High Alps, and once an important Protestant centre. + Farel, the French Reformer of the sixteenth century, was born + and for a time preached here. But since the Revocation of the + Edict of Nantes until very lately—during a period, that + is, of nearly two hundred years—no Protestant pastor has + been tolerated in the town, and the once numerous flock was + long since dispersed. A Swiss society undertook two or three + years ago a Protestant mission at Gap, and a friend in Geneva + had given us the name of the present evangelist. A humbler or + more thankless charge could scarcely be imagined than such a + work in such a place. There is no nucleus of hereditary + Protestants, as in the mountain-parishes of the department, and + at the same time the little city is so isolated that its people + have retained the superstitions and religious animosities of + the Dark Ages. It was therefore with much compassionate thought + of his pitiful case that we sought the evangelist's house. He + was not, however, a man toward whom one could maintain for a + moment that frame of mind. Brisk, cheerful, polished in manner + and with an unsought elegance of dress and carriage, he had not + in the least the air of a despised heretic struggling + hopelessly against social as well as ecclesiastical contempt. + Six avowed converts were the definite results of his work for + more than two years. During much of that time he had been + hampered by insuperable difficulties in finding a place for his + service or even a lodging for his family. The latter was at + last provided, as a daring defiance of popular prejudice, by a + landlord who prided himself upon being a <i>libre penseur</i>. + For his chapel he secured a disused shop in the front of a + bath-house. The proprietress of the establishment was punished + by the priests for her unrighteous thrift by being refused the + sacrament. Her business, too, was for a while endangered. One + instance out of many of the kind of prejudice she provoked was + that of two wealthy and educated ladies, who, as they entered + the bath one day, heard music in the <i>chapelle + évangélique</i> and instantly beat a hurried + retreat. They only stopped to explain that all the world knows + the object of Protestant worship is the devil, and they dare + not stay within hearing of the sacrilegious rites. In spite of + multiform discouragements like these, the evangelist and his + wife, a motherly woman of much quiet strength, whose gentleness + made sweet a very homely face, talked of their work and + prospects with a matter-of-course hopefulness which it was not + easy to share. Nothing in their habits, they told us, had + <span class="pagenum">[pg 696]</span> more amazed their Roman + Catholic neighbors at first than their lavish use of water. But + in that particular, at least, suspicion had been allayed, their + perseverance had proved the practice harmless, and their + example was beginning to find a few timid imitators.</p> + + <p>Our first night after leaving Gap was spent at Embrun. As we + approached the town, which surmounts an extraordinary platform + of rock, its walls looking like part of the smooth, brown tufa + precipice that rises abruptly out of the valley, we seemed to + see in its picturesque and impressive aspect something of the + grandeur and gloom of its long history. The cathedral where so + many archbishops have ministered preserves little trace of its + former splendors: even architecturally it is without + attraction.</p> + + <p>For the next two days our route continued to lie through the + valley, which we entered upon leaving Gap, of the Durance. It + is an apparently insignificant but treacherous stream, which by + repeated floods has spread ugly devastation over a hill-girdled + country that ought to be smiling with peace and plenty. At + Guillestre we came in sight of the jagged double peak of Mont + Pelvoux, and got a magnificent vista toward the south, ending + in the white slopes of some giant of the Cottian Alps. The Mont + Pelvoux and the Pointe des Écrins, the greatest of those + mountains from which the department takes its name, although + they appear on none of the ordinary maps, stand, I believe, + only twelfth and thirteenth in the scale of height among the + mountains of Europe. The explorations of Whymper have + introduced them to his readers, but they still remain almost + untrodden by other climbers.</p> + + <p>On the second afternoon we reached the lateral valley of + Fressinière, the climax of our journey. There was + refreshment for soul as well as body in the daintily-clean, + bare-floored rooms, redolent of apples set out to dry, into + which we were welcomed by Pastor Charpiot and his wife at + Pallons. The village is a mere group of Alpine huts, and the + only chance of shelter was at the presbytery. So much we had + little doubt of finding there, but we counted as little upon + the warm and graceful hospitality which greeted our + application. And when our nationality transpired it added new + zest to the good-will of our host and hostess. We were their + first Transatlantic guests.</p> + + <p>The valley of Fressinière, at the entrance of which + Pallons lies, is the centre of those special interests which + first prompted the pilgrimage I am recording. With it are + specially associated the earliest traditions of Protestantism + in France, and here Felix Neff spent the larger part of his + brief but memorable career as pastor in the High Alps. I + suppose the exact antiquity of the Protestants of + Dauphiné is one of the historical problems that still + await their final solution. The older chronicles provide them + with what seems an unbroken line of descent from the second + century, when Irenæus preached in Lyons and Vienne. + Christian fugitives from those cities during the persecution of + Marcus Aurelius may, it is alleged, have taken refuge in the + not distant Dauphiné mountains, and have transmitted to + their descendants the primitive faith they had received. But + modern criticism has so seriously undermined, as practically to + have demolished, this imposing genealogical structure. It is + not denied that voices of more or less emphatic protest against + Rome made themselves heard among these mountains and the + neighboring Cottian Alps during the earlier centuries. Can such + voices be held to represent any definitely-organized + dissentient body of more remote origin than the Poor Men of + Lyons, led by Peter Waldo in 1172? The latest researches give + an apparently final negative answer to this question. At least, + however, it is beyond dispute that long before the Reformation + the valleys of the High Alps were a retreat for persecuted + schismatics whose opposition to the Romish Church anticipated + Protestantism. As early as the fifteenth century a papal bull + denounced as <i>inveterate</i> the heretics of Dauphiné + and Provence, and about the middle of the next century + delegates from those provinces appeared at the first national + Protestant synod in <span class="pagenum">[pg 697]</span> + France with the following declaration: "We consent to merge in + the common cause, but we require no Reformation, for our + forefathers and ourselves have ever disclaimed the corruptions + of the churches in communion with Rome." Enough is therefore + certain as to the antecedents of these Protestant mountaineers + to surround them with an entirely peculiar interest. The + saddest feature, perhaps, of all their history is the stunting + of mind and character that has resulted from centuries of + oppression. After the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes they + were subject to fresh persecution, and until within the present + century they have been denied the privileges of citizenship and + forced to look upon themselves as outcasts. One can only wonder + at the degree of individuality and force which they have still + preserved.</p> + + <p>Felix Neff, while still a <i>proposant</i>, or candidate for + the ministry, at Geneva, was sent to Dauphiné in + response to the appeal of two pastors there for an assistant. + Two years later, at the beginning of 1824, in the twenty-sixth + year of his age, he became pastor of the Protestant churches in + the Arvieux section of the High Alps. This was the larger and + by far the more arduous of the two parishes into which the + department was at that time divided. In seventeen or eighteen + widely-scattered villages Neff found the little groups of + "Huguenots" which composed his charge. His official residence, + the presbytery, was at La Chalp, a hamlet above the village of + Arvieux and near the border of Italy. From this point to St. + Laurent, the western limit of his parish, is a journey of sixty + miles, including the passage of a dangerous gorge and the + crossing of a difficult snow-pass. St. Véran on the east + was the least remote of his boundaries, but even this is + separated from La Chalp by twelve miles of steep descent and + rough climbing. On the north and the south the extreme points + were distant respectively thirty-three and twenty-miles, and + the routes are of the same character as in the other + directions.</p> + + <p>These disadvantages, instead of daunting the young pastor, + seemed only to stimulate his ardor. "I am always dreaming of + the High Alps," he had written in 1823, after visiting them for + the first time. "I had rather be stationed there than in places + which are under the beautiful sky of Languedoc. The country + bears a strong resemblance to the Alps of Switzerland. It has + their advantages, and even their beauties. It has, above all, + an energetic race of people—intelligent, active, hardy + and patient under fatigue—who offer a better soil for the + gospel than the wealthy and corrupt inhabitants of the plains + of the South." The illusions that mingled with these early + impressions were doubtless soon dispelled. He shows later a + perfectly clear perception of the degenerate condition of his + parishioners, but his eagerness to serve them waxes with his + sense of their need. Neff was in modern times their first + regularly-appointed pastor. A son of Oberlin, whose short but + devoted life shows him to have inherited his father's spirit, + had once undertaken the provisional charge of the parish, but + only for a few months. In general, it had had no ministry + beyond occasional visits from the pastor of Orpierre, the other + section of the department.</p> + + <p>The valley of Fressinière at once attracted Neff's + peculiar regard. It was the part of his parish most difficult + of access and most cut off from any chance of material + prosperity. The climate is such that in unfavorable seasons + even rye will not ripen, and the patches of potatoes straggling + forlornly among the rocks often fail to reach maturity. No + other grain or vegetable can be raised. Mould quickly attacks + the flour in this mountain-air, and the year's baking is + accordingly done in the autumn as soon as the rye comes back + from the mill. The coarse black loaves grow perfectly hard in a + few weeks, and have to be chopped into pieces and soaked in hot + water before they can be eaten. It is only at the head of the + valley, above the hamlet of Dourmillouse, that any pastures are + found, and many of those are inaccessible to cattle and + scarcely safe for sheep. They are besides so meagre that in dry + summers no hay can be <span class="pagenum">[pg 698]</span> + made, and the peasants are forced to sell their beasts at a + loss or else see them die for want of food. The addition of a + little salted meat to the half-grown potatoes and the stony + bread is a luxury of only the most prosperous years. The bald + mountain-slopes furnish no fuel, and it is of course only in + the smallest quantities that the people can afford to buy wood + in the valley of the Durance. Their resource against the + winter's cold is moving into their stables, where, huddled + together in a corner cleared for the purpose, they pass four or + five months. The smoky and confined air is a welcome change + from the icy winds outside, and the steaming cattle are a + source of grateful warmth. "This village," Neff writes, about + the middle of September, from the smallest and most destitute + of the hamlets of Fressinière, "is squeezed up in the + very narrowest gorge of the valley, and is now buried in snow, + and without the hope of seeing the sun during the rest of the + winter. The houses are low, dark and dirty, and the people + themselves seem to be stupefied with the utter misery of their + condition."</p> + + <p>Besides the strong appeal thus made to his sympathy, the + young pastor nowhere else felt as in this valley the + inspiration of his parish's history. Dourmillouse especially he + regarded as the most staunchly Protestant of all the villages + to which he ministered. "It is celebrated," he writes, "for the + resistance which its inhabitants have opposed for more than six + hundred years to the Church of Rome. They never bowed their + knee before an idol, even when all the inhabitants of the + valley of Queyras" (on the opposite side of the Durance, and + embracing Arvieux, St. Véran and other villages) + "dissembled their faith. The aspect of this desert, both + terrible and sublime, which served as the asylum of truth when + almost all the world lay in darkness; the recollection of the + faithful martyrs of old; the deep caverns into which they + withdrew to read the Bible in secret and to worship the Father + of Light in spirit and in truth,—everything tends to + elevate my soul." He spent here the whole of one winter and + large portions of another, and it was here that he gathered his + most important schools.</p> + + <p>The rest of the field was not, however, neglected. Neff + allowed himself twenty-one days for traversing his parish from + end to end, and during much of the year his rounds succeeded + each other with little interval. He was continually passing + from the extreme of heat in sunny valleys to the arctic cold of + snows and glaciers. His lodging on these journeys was in the + huts of the peasants. He shared their coarse and unwholesome + food, often cooked in ill-cleansed copper vessels. He slept in + small, unventilated hovels, a dozen other persons often + dividing with him the scanty space. He did not shrink from even + the stables in winter. However exhausted he might be by hours + of toilsome walking, his elastic spirit quickly revived: all + thought of refreshment for himself was secondary to the + spiritual wants he sought to meet in others.</p> + + <p>Nor was he content without trying to ameliorate the temporal + condition of his parishioners. By the care of his own garden he + sought to teach them more intelligent and productive methods of + agriculture than the rude processes to which they were + accustomed. In the valley of Fressinière he built an + aqueduct for purposes of irrigation, overcoming prejudice and + opposition by beginning the work with his own hands. The + example of Oberlin was constantly before him, and he often + expresses his ambition to be to his people such a guide and + helper as the pastor of Ban de la Roche had been to the + peasants of the Vosges.</p> + + <p>Neff was not long in discovering that his work must begin + with the most elementary instruction. Generally, the people + were ignorant of any language but their native patois. Up to + this period their schoolmasters, paid at the rate of + twenty-five francs a year, had been peasants like themselves. + Their only time for study was such of the year as was not + needed for the tilling of the niggardly soil or spent in the + care of the flocks. And even the little they were able to learn + was easily lost on account of the scarcity of books. Neff first + addressed <span class="pagenum">[pg 699]</span> himself to + learning the patois, and then, as he went from village to + village, made ordinary teaching a part of his pastoral + functions. At the beginning of his second winter he resolved to + undertake the training of teachers. "I foresaw," he writes, + "that the truth which I had been permitted to preach would not + only not spread, but might even be lost, unless something + should be done to promote its continuance." Accordingly, for + five months he relinquished the more congenial general work of + his parish and devoted himself to a normal school at + Dourmillouse. One reason for planting it there was the + inaccessibility of the place and its consequent freedom from + distraction. More than twenty young men from other villages + cheerfully submitted to the long confinement in this ice-bound + fastness, and the people of Dourmillouse were glad to make room + in their huts for the new-comers, and to add to the supplies + brought by them their own scanty stores.</p> + + <p>The following winter, his third in the High Alps, Neff again + opened this school, dividing its care, however, with one of his + most capable pupils of the previous year, and paying occasional + visits to other parts of his parish. But now his health, never + robust, began to give way under the incessant strain to which + it was subjected. Early in the spring of 1829 he was forced to + go to Geneva with the hope of recruiting. There, after two + years of suffering, the details of which are painful beyond + expression, he died at the age of thirty-one.</p> + + <p>With our minds full of these memories we set out on the + morning after our arrival at Pallons, with Pastor Charpiot as + guide, to explore the valley of Fressinière and ascend + to Dourmillouse. The immediate vicinity of Pallons is fair and + fertile, but a short walk up the course of an impetuous torrent + brought us to a narrow gorge, beyond which we found a totally + different region. Bare slopes of rock that looked grim even in + the sunny morning, and a waste valley-bottom, here of + considerable width, but sterile and bleak, made up the + landscape. Its dreariness was only increased by an occasional + chalet standing beside a patch of limp and discolored + potato-vines. As we went on the scene grew more and more + gloomy. The tillage is in cleared spots not so large as the + heaps of stones that surround them, or on bits of practicable + soil left by land-slides in the midst of their hideous + débris. The only trees are dwarfish pollards, reduced to + bare trunks with thin tufts of green atop by the practice of + stripping off the sprouts every two or three years to make + fodder for the goats. Midway up the valley we passed the + village of Violins. It seemed mournfully empty, and many of the + houses were in reality deserted. A shy, bright-faced fellow + opened the little <i>temple</i> for our inspection, and Pastor + Charpiot reminded us how its interior was not only planned by + Neff, but in large measure his actual handiwork. Half an hour + further on our path led us through the hamlet of Minsas, now + entirely abandoned and in ruins. The desolation of the valley + here becomes appalling. On either hand sheer precipices of + crumbling rock rise above steep slopes of gravel and loose + stones. The ground is strewn thick with great boulders, many of + which had left traces of their furious descent before settling, + sometimes close beside the path, or even after crossing it in a + final bound. The precipices from which they had detached + themselves are composed of strangely-twisted strata, and + frequently recurring streaks of lurid red give them a fierce + and ghastly aspect. Landslips and torrents of stones are so + frequent of late years that no more attempts are made to clear + away the rubbish thus deposited. Where these scourges have not + fallen the sullen stream has carried devastation. Floods occur + every year. That of 1856 wrought a ruin from which the villages + have never rallied. In the whole upper half of the valley of + Fressinière there is not, I suppose, an acre of land + capable of cultivation. In the time of Neff, wretched as its + condition must always have been, the poverty of this region was + not so utterly hopeless as it has since become. The failure of + all resources is literally driving away its inhabitants. Those + who remain, as in such cases a certain proportion cannot + <span class="pagenum">[pg 700]</span> help doing, sometimes in + bad years pass three, six, and even nine, months without bread. + Their small stock of potatoes is often exhausted long before it + can be replenished. "I am at a loss," said the pastor, "when we + are no longer able to give them aid, to know how they live. The + only semblance of food left to them is soup, for which, + perhaps, they haven't even salt, much less meat or vegetables. + Turbid water—<i>de l'eau trouble, rien de plus!</i>"</p> + + <p>The valley terminates abruptly at what seems an impassable + wall of rock. Upon nearer approach a zigzag path up its face is + discovered. Not far from the top the narrow way creeps by a + ledge which barely affords foothold across a thread of + sparkling foam slipping down a perpendicular precipice. In + winter this passage is sheeted in dangerously unstable ice, and + makes Dourmillouse inaccessible for weeks. Neff gives a + spirited account in his journal of leading out a party of young + peasants by torchlight, armed with axes, to cut a path here on + the evening before some service in which he wished the people + of the upper and lower valleys to unite. Dourmillouse lies on a + slope above this difficult ascent. It is a mere group of rude + chalets, like the other villages, but it has a less miserable + air. The land-slides are mostly confined to the lower valley, + and here the scanty Alpine pastures and steep patches of rye + are out of reach of the floods. The people are seldom reduced + to actual want of food, and are esteemed prosperous by their + more destitute neighbors below.</p> + + <p>Our first visit was to the old priory in which Neff held his + winter schools. A row of half a dozen trees planted by him in + front of the house now shuts off a good deal of much-needed + sunshine, but is nevertheless carefully cherished as a + memorial. Beside the priory stands the <i>temple</i>, once a + Roman Catholic church, in which, before the Revolution, a + priest is said to have ministered for twenty-five years without + making a single convert, his own servant constituting his + flock. Presently we went to rest and eat the lunch Pastor + Charpiot had brought, at the house of the local <i>ancien</i>, + or elder. His wife, a sturdy, smiling young woman, gave us an + eager welcome. Two round-cheeked boys frisked about their old + friend the pastor, and a baby—its spirits quite unclouded + by its austere surroundings—crowed lustily from the + cradle in which, after the fashion of the country, it was + tightly strapped. It was a low, grimy room, with one square bit + of a window, and far from clean. Dr. Gilly, the prim English + biographer of Neff, quaintly says: "Cleanliness is not a virtue + which distinguishes any of the people in these mountains; and, + with such a nice sense of moral perception as they display, and + with such strict attention to the duties of religion, it is + astonishing that they have not yet learnt those ablutions in + their persons or habitations which are as necessary to comfort + as to health." I suspect, however, that the nicest "sense of + moral perception" in the world would excuse the omission of a + good many "ablutions" in a place where all the water that is + used has to be carried more than a quarter of a mile up a steep + and rough mountain-path from the nearest stream. And there was + one refinement in the rude chalet not always present in regions + far less removed from the centres of civilization: besides the + cloth—so coarse as to be a curiosity—which the + woman laid for us over an end of the unscoured table, she put + at each of our places, as a matter of course, a fresh napkin of + the same rude stuff.</p> + + <p>I could not sufficiently admire the brave cheerfulness of + these simple folk. Many of the villagers were busy gathering + their little stock of potatoes, and all had something bright to + say about their good fortune in getting them so well grown and + safely stored before the frosts. It was the last week in + September, and they thought the winter already close at hand. + There was, too, in spite of a shrinking from strangers + painfully suggestive of tendencies inherited from generations + of persecuted ancestors, a degree of intelligence and + self-respect often wanting among peasants far more favorably + circumstanced. And it seemed to me worthy of remark that in all + <span class="pagenum">[pg 701]</span> our + walk—notwithstanding the valley's unexampled + poverty—we did not encounter a single beggar. Before we + left Dourmillouse the "elder" appeared, a stalwart young + mountaineer with his gun slung across his shoulder. He had + finished his morning's work in some distant field, and was off + for a chamois-hunt among the rocks and glaciers. As a relic of + our visit he gave us a block of rye bread twenty-two months + old, which he chopped off the loaf with a hatchet.</p> + + <p>We had frequent evidence in the course of our excursion that + Pastor Charpiot is a real shepherd to his needy flock. Indeed, + he gave to the walk an intimate and peculiar interest quite + apart from its historical associations. Here he bade us go + slowly on while he looked in upon a sick man, explaining that + he had to be doctor as well as minister. Again he asked us to + stop and share with him some of the grapes which a stout young + peasant-woman was bringing on her donkey from the Durance + vineyards, and which had no sweetness save in the good-will + that offered them. For all whom we met he had a cheery greeting + or an affectionate inquiry that showed familiar acquaintance + with their concerns; and occasionally a word or two suggested a + truth or hope, aptly illustrated in some passing incident, no + matter how trifling or homely.</p> + + <p>A storm was gathering in the mountains as we made our way + back to Pallons through the deepening shadows of the autumn + afternoon. Before we emerged from the desolate valley its gloom + had grown almost intolerable; and yet this was but a suggestion + of the winter horrors which the white-haired pastor at our side + had faced for years in his regular ministrations at the + different hamlets we had visited. Speaking of the five pastors + now distributed over the field of which Neff assumed the whole + charge, he said with a modesty that was quite unaffected, "All + five together, we are not worth him alone" (<i>nous ne le + valons pas</i>). What we had seen that day convinced us that so + far at least as concerned himself his deprecation was + unfounded, but in expressing it he echoed the tone that seemed + universal in the High Alps in reference to the illustrious + young pastor. Neff could not, of course, in his short career + accomplish the permanent revolution which he dreamed of and + longed for. At the same time, it cannot be said that his work + has perished while not only pastors but people feel so strongly + the inspiration of that heroic life.</p> + + <p class="author">JAMES M. BRUCE.</p><a name='BLOOMING' + id="BLOOMING"></a> + + <h2>BLOOMING.</h2> + + <div class='poem'> + <div class='stanza'> + <p>A little seed lay underneath the ground,</p> + + <p class='i2'>While from the south a mild wind-current + blew,</p> + + <p class='i2'>And from the tropics to the northward + flew</p> + + <p>Long, angular lines of wild-fowl with a sound</p> + + <p>Of silken wings. About that time the sun</p> + + <p class='i2'>Put forth a shining finger, and did + stir</p> + + <p>The sleeping soil to effort; whereupon</p> + + <p class='i2'>The seed made roots like webs of + gossamer,</p> + + <p>Shot up a stem, and flourished leaf and flower.</p> + + <p class='i2'>Now look, O sweet! see what your eyes + have done</p> + + <p>With just one ray of their mysterious power</p> + + <p class='i2'>Upon the germ of my heart's passion + thrown!</p> + + <p>Through all my frame steal roots of pure desire:</p> + + <p>My dreams are blooms that shake and shine like + fire.</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p class="author">MAURICE THOMPSON</p><a name='FELIPA' + id="FELIPA"></a> <span class="pagenum">[pg 702]</span> + + <h2>FELIPA.</h2><br /> + + + <p>Christine and I found her there. She was a small, + dark-skinned, yellow-eyed child, the offspring of the ocean and + the heats, tawny, lithe and wild, shy yet fearless—not + unlike one of the little brown deer that bounded through the + open reaches of the pine barren behind the house. She did not + come to us—we came to her: we loomed into her life like + genii from another world, and she was partly afraid and partly + proud of us. For were we not her guests?—proud + thought!—and, better still, were we not women? "I have + only seen three women in all my life," said Felipa, inspecting + us gravely, "and I like women. I am a woman too, although these + clothes of the son of Pedro make me appear as a boy: I wear + them on account of the boat and the hauling in of the fish. The + son of Pedro being dead at a convenient age, and his clothes + fitting me, what would you have? It was manifestly a chance not + to be despised. But when I am grown I shall wear robes long and + beautiful like the señora's." The little creature was + dressed in a boy's suit of dark-blue linen, much the worse for + wear, and torn.</p> + + <p>"If you are a girl, why do you not mend your clothes?" I + said.</p> + + <p>"Do you mend, señora?"</p> + + <p>"Certainly: all women sew and mend."</p> + + <p>"The other lady?"</p> + + <p>Christine laughed as she lay at ease upon the brown carpet + of pine needles, warm and aromatic after the tropic day's + sunshine. "The child has divined me already, Catherine," she + said.</p> + + <p>Christine was a tall, lissome maid, with an unusually long + stretch of arm, long sloping shoulders and a long fair throat: + her straight hair fell to her knees when unbound, and its clear + flaxen hue had not one shade of gold, as her clear gray eyes + had not one shade of blue. Her small, straight, rose-leaf lips + parted over small, dazzlingly white teeth, and the outline of + her face in profile reminded you of an etching in its + distinctness, although it was by no means perfect according to + the rules of art. Still, what a comfort it was, after the + blurred outlines and smudged profiles many of us + possess—seen to best advantage, I think, in church on + Sundays, crowned with flower-decked bonnets, listening calmly + serene to favorite ministers, unconscious of noses! When + Christine had finished her laugh—and she never hurried + anything, but took the full taste of it—she stretched out + her arm carelessly and patted Felipa's curly head. The child + caught the descending hand and kissed the long white + fingers.</p> + + <p>It was a wild place where we were, yet not new or + crude—the coast of Florida, that old-new land, with its + deserted plantations, its skies of Paradise, and its broad + wastes open to the changeless sunshine. The old house stood on + the edge of the dry land, where the pine barren ended and the + salt marsh began: in front curved the tide-water river that + seemed ever trying to come up close to the barren and make its + acquaintance, but could not quite succeed, since it must always + turn and flee at a fixed hour, like Cinderella at the ball, + leaving not a silver slipper, but purple driftwood and bright + sea-weeds, brought in from the Gulf Stream outside. A planked + platform ran out into the marsh from the edge of the barren, + and at its end the boats were moored; for although at high tide + the river was at our feet, at low tide it was far away out in + the green waste somewhere, and if we wanted it we must go and + seek it. We did not want it, however: we let it glide up to us + twice a day with its fresh salt odors and flotsam of the ocean, + and the rest of the time we wandered over the barrens or lay + under the trees looking up into the wonderful blue above, + listening to the winds as they rushed across from sea to sea. I + was an artist, poor and painstaking: Christine was my kind + friend. She <span class="pagenum">[pg 703]</span> had brought + me South because my cough was troublesome, and here because + Edward Bowne recommended the place. He and three + fellow-sportsmen were down at the Madre Lagoon, farther south; + I thought it probable we should see him, without his three + fellow-sportsmen, before very long.</p> + + <p>"Who were the three women you have seen, Felipa?" said + Christine.</p> + + <p>"The grandmother, an Indian woman of the Seminoles who comes + sometimes with baskets, and the wife of Miguel of the island. + But they are all old, and their skins are curled: I like better + the silver skin of the señora."</p> + + <p>Poor little Felipa lived on the edge of the great salt marsh + alone with her grand-parents, for her mother was dead. The + yellow old couple were slow-witted Minorcans, part pagan, part + Catholic, and wholly ignorant: their minds rarely rose above + the level of their orange trees and their fish-nets. Felipa's + father was a Spanish sailor, and as he had died only the year + before, the child's Spanish was fairly correct, and we could + converse with her readily, although we were slow to comprehend + the patois of the old people, which seemed to borrow as much + from the Italian tongue and the Greek as from its mother + Spanish. "I know a great deal," Felipa remarked confidently, + "for my father taught me. He had sailed on the ocean out of + sight of land, and he knew many things. These he taught to me. + Do the gracious ladies think there is anything else to + know?"</p> + + <p>One of the gracious ladies thought not, decidedly: in answer + to my remonstrance, expressed in English, she said, "Teach a + child like that, and you ruin her."</p> + + <p>"Ruin her?"</p> + + <p>"Ruin her happiness—the same thing."</p> + + <p>Felipa had a dog, a second self—a great gaunt yellow + creature of unknown breed, with crooked legs, big feet and the + name Drollo. What Drollo meant, or whether it was an + abbreviation, we never knew, but there was a certain + satisfaction in it, for the dog was droll: the fact that the + Minorcan title, whatever it was, meant nothing of that kind, + made it all the better. We never saw Felipa without Drollo. + "They look a good deal alike," observed Christine—"the + same coloring."</p> + + <p>"For shame!" I said.</p> + + <p>But it was true. The child's bronzed yellow skin and soft + eyes were not unlike the dog's, but her head was crowned with a + mass of short black curls, while Drollo had only his two great + flapping ears and his low smooth head. Give him an inch or two + more of skull, and what a creature a dog would be! For love and + faithfulness even now what man can match him? But, although + ugly, Felipa was a picturesque little object always, whether + attired in boy's clothes or in her own forlorn bodice and + skirt. Olive-hued and meagre-faced, lithe and thin, she flew + over the pine barrens like a creature of air, laughing to feel + her short curls toss and her thin childish arms buoyed up on + the breeze as she ran, with Drollo barking behind. For she + loved the winds, and always knew when they were + coming—whether down from the north, in from the ocean, or + across from the Gulf of Mexico: she watched for them, sitting + in the doorway, where she could feel their first breath, and + she taught us the signal of the clouds. She was a queer little + thing: we used to find her sometimes dancing alone out on the + barren in a circle she had marked out with pine-cones, and once + she confided to us that she talked to the trees. "They hear," + she said in a whisper: "you should see how knowing they look, + and how their leaves listen."</p> + + <p>Once we came upon her most secret lair in a dense thicket of + thorn-myrtle and wild smilax, a little bower she had made, + where was hidden a horrible-looking image formed of the rough + pieces of saw-palmetto grubbed up by old Bartolo from his + garden. She must have dragged these fragments thither one by + one, and with infinite pains bound them together with her rude + withes of strong marsh-grass, until at last she had formed a + rough trunk with crooked arms and a sort of a head, the red + hairy surface of the palmetto looking not unlike the skin of + some beast, and making the creature <span class="pagenum">[pg + 704]</span> all the more grotesque. This fetich was kept + crowned with flowers, and after this we often saw the child + stealing away with Drollo to carry to it portions of her meals + or a new-found treasure—a sea-shell, a broken saucer, or + a fragment of ribbon. The food always mysteriously disappeared, + and my suspicion is that Drollo used to go back secretly in the + night and devour it, asking no questions and telling no lies: + it fitted in nicely, however, Drollo merely performing the + ancient part of the priests of Jupiter, men who have been much + admired. "What a little pagan she is!" I said.</p> + + <p>"Oh no, it is only her doll," replied Christine.</p> + + <p>I tried several times to paint Felipa during these first + weeks, but those eyes of hers always evaded me. They were, as I + have said before, yellow—that is, they were brown with + yellow lights—and they stared at you with the most + inflexible openness. The child had the full-curved, half-open + mouth of the tropics, and a low Greek forehead. "Why isn't she + pretty?" I said.</p> + + <p>"She is hideous," replied Christine: "look at her + elbows."</p> + + <p>Now, Felipa's arms <i>were</i> unpleasant; they were brown + and lean, scratched and stained, and they terminated in a pair + of determined little paws that could hold on like grim Death. I + shall never forget coming upon a tableau one day out on the + barren—a little Florida cow and Felipa, she holding on by + the horns, and the beast with its small fore feet stubbornly + set in the sand; girl pulling one way, cow the other; both + silent and determined. It was a hard contest, but the girl + won.</p> + + <p>"And if you pass over her elbows, there are her feet," + continued Christine languidly. For she was a sybaritic lover of + the fine linens of life, that friend of mine—a + pre-Raphaelite lady with clinging draperies and a + mediæval clasp on her belt. Her whole being rebelled + against ugliness, and the mere sight of a sharp-nosed, + light-eyed woman on a cold day made her uncomfortable for + hours.</p> + + <p>"Have we not feet, too?" I replied sharply.</p> + + <p>But I knew what she meant. Bare feet are not pleasant to the + eye now-a-days, whatever they may have been in the days of the + ancient Greeks; and Felipa's little brown insteps were half the + time torn or bruised by the thorns of the chapparal. Besides, + there was always the disagreeable idea that she might step upon + something cold and squirming when she prowled through the + thickets knee-deep in the matted grasses. Snakes abounded, + although we never saw them; but Felipa went up to their very + doors, as it were, and rang the bell defiantly.</p> + + <p>One day old Grandfather Bartolo took the child with him down + to the coast: she was always wild to go to the beach, where she + could gather shells and sea-beans, and chase the little + ocean-birds that ran along close to the waves with that swift + gliding motion of theirs, and where she could listen to the + roar of the breakers. We were several miles up the river, and + to go down to the ocean was quite a voyage to Felipa. She bade + us good-bye joyously; then ran back to hug Christine a second + time, then to the boat again; then back.</p> + + <p>"I thought you wanted to go, child?" I said, a little + impatiently, for I was reading aloud, and these small + irruptions were disturbing.</p> + + <p>"Yes," said Felipa, "I want to go; and still—Perhaps + if the gracious señora would kiss me again—"</p> + + <p>Christine only patted her cheek and told her to run away: + she obeyed, but there was a wistful look in her eyes, and even + after the boat had started her face, watching us from the + stern, haunted me.</p> + + <p>"Now that the little monkey has gone, I may be able at last + to catch and fix a likeness of her," I said: "in this case a + recollection is better than the changing quicksilver + reality."</p> + + <p>"You take it as a study of ugliness, I suppose?"</p> + + <p>"Do not be so hard upon the child, Christine."</p> + + <p>"Hard? Why, she adores me," said my friend, going off to her + hammock under the tree.</p> + + <p>Several days passed, and the boat returned + <span class="pagenum">[pg 705]</span> not. I accomplished a + fine amount of work, and Christine a fine amount of swinging in + the hammock and dreaming. At length one afternoon I gave my + final touch, and carried my sketch over to the pre-Raphaelite + lady for criticism. "What do you see?" I said.</p> + + <p>"I see a wild-looking child with yellow eyes, a mat of curly + black hair, a lank little bodice, her two thin brown arms + embracing a gaunt old dog with crooked legs, big feet and + turned-in toes."</p> + + <p>"Is that all?"</p> + + <p>"All."</p> + + <p>"You do not see latent beauty, proud courage, and a possible + great gulf of love in that poor wild little face?"</p> + + <p>"Nothing of the kind," replied Christine decidedly. "I see + an ugly little girl: that is all."</p> + + <p>The next day the boat returned, and brought back five + persons—the old grandfather, Felipa, Drollo, Miguel of + the island and—Edward Bowne.</p> + + <p>"Already?" I said.</p> + + <p>"Tired of the Madre, Kitty: thought I would come up here and + see you for a while. I knew you must be pining for me."</p> + + <p>"Certainly," I replied: "do you not see how I have wasted + away?"</p> + + <p>He drew my arm through his and raced me down the plank-walk + toward the shore, where I arrived laughing and out of + breath.</p> + + <p>"Where is Christine?" he asked.</p> + + <p>I came back into the traces at once: "Over there in the + hammock. You wish to go to the house first, I suppose?"</p> + + <p>"Of course not."</p> + + <p>"But she did not come to meet you, Edward, although she knew + you had landed."</p> + + <p>"Of course not, also."</p> + + <p>"I do not understand you two."</p> + + <p>"And of course not, a third time," said Edward, looking down + at me with a smile. "What do quiet, peaceful little artists + know about war?"</p> + + <p>"Is it war?"</p> + + <p>"Something very like it, Kitty. What is that you are + carrying?"</p> + + <p>"Oh! my new sketch. What do you think of it?"</p> + + <p>"Good, very good. Some little girl about here, I + suppose?"</p> + + <p>"Why, it is Felipa!"</p> + + <p>"And who is Felipa? Seems to me I have seen that old dog, + though."</p> + + <p>"Of course you have: he was in the boat with you, and so was + Felipa, but she was dressed in boy's clothes, and that gives + her a different look."</p> + + <p>"Oh! that boy? I remember him. His name is Philip. He is a + funny little fellow," said Edward calmly.</p> + + <p>"Her name is Felipa, and she is not a boy or a funny little + fellow at all," I replied.</p> + + <p>"Isn't she? I thought she was both," replied Ned carelessly, + and then he went off toward the hammock. I turned away after + noting Christine's cool greeting, and went back to the + boat.</p> + + <p>Felipa came bounding to meet me. "What is his name?" she + demanded.</p> + + <p>"Bowne."</p> + + <p>"Buon—Buona: I cannot say it."</p> + + <p>"Bowne, child—Edward Bowne."</p> + + <p>"Oh! Eduardo: I know that. Eduardo—Eduardo—a + name of honey."</p> + + <p>She flew off singing the name, followed by Drollo carrying + his mistress's palmetto basket in his big patient mouth; but + when I passed the house a few moments afterward she was + singing, or rather talking volubly of, another + name—"Miguel," and "the wife of Miguel," who were + apparently important personages on the canvas of her life. As + it happened, I never really saw that wife of Miguel, who + seemingly had no name of her own; but I imagined her. She lived + on a sandbar in the ocean not far from the mouth of our river; + she drove pelicans like ducks with a long switch, and she had a + tame eagle; she had an old horse also, who dragged the + driftwood across the sand on a sledge, and this old horse + seemed like a giant horse always, outlined as he ever was + against the flat bar and the sky. She went out at dawn, and she + went out at sunset, but during the middle of the burning day + she sat at home and polished sea-beans, for which she obtained + untold sums: she was very tall, she was very yellow, and she + had but one eye. These items, one by one, had been dropped + <span class="pagenum">[pg 706]</span> by Felipa at various + times, and it was with curiosity that I gazed upon the original + Miguel, the possessor of this remarkable spouse. He was a + grave-eyed, yellow man, who said little and thought less, + applying <i>cui bono?</i> to mental much as the city man + applies it to bodily exertion, and therefore achieving, I + think, a finer degree of inanition. The tame eagle, the + pelicans, were nothing to him, and when I saw his lethargic, + gentle countenance my own curiosity about them seemed to die + away in haze, as though I had breathed in an invisible opiate. + He came, he went, and that was all: exit Miguel.</p> + + <p>Felipa was constantly with us now. She and Drollo followed + the three of us wherever we went—followed the two also + whenever I stayed behind to sketch, as I often stayed, for in + those days I was trying to catch the secret of the barrens: a + hopeless effort, I know it now. "Stay with me, Felipa," I said; + for it was natural to suppose that the lovers might like to be + alone. (I call them lovers for want of a better name, but they + were more like haters: however, in such cases it is nearly the + same thing.) And then Christine, hearing this, would + immediately call "Felipa!" and the child would dart after them, + happy as a bird. She wore her boy's suit now all the time, + because the señora had said she "looked well in it." + What the señora really said was, that in boy's clothes + she looked less like a grasshopper. But this had been + translated as above by Edward Bowne when Felipa suddenly + descended upon him one day and demanded to be instantly told + what the gracious lady was saying about her; for she seemed to + know by intuition when we spoke of her, although we talked in + English and mentioned no names. When told, her small face + beamed, and she kissed Christine's hand joyfully and bounded + away. Christine took out her beautiful handkerchief and wiped + the spot.</p> + + <p>"Christine," I said, "do you remember the fate of the proud + girl who walked upon bread?"</p> + + <p>"You think that I may starve for kisses some time?" said my + friend, going on with the wiping.</p> + + <p>"Not while I am alive," called out Edward from behind. His + style of courtship <i>was</i> of the sledge-hammer sort + sometimes. But he did not get much for it on that day; only + lofty tolerance, which seemed to amuse him greatly.</p> + + <p>Edward played with Felipa very much as if she was a rubber + toy or a trapeze performer. He held her out at arm's length in + mid-air, he poised her on his shoulder, he tossed her up into + the low myrtle trees, and dangled her by her little belt over + the claret-colored pools on the barren; but he could not + frighten her: she only laughed and grew wilder and wilder, like + a squirrel. "She has muscles and nerves of steel," he said + admiringly.</p> + + <p>"Do put her down: she is too excitable for such games," I + said in French, for Felipa seemed to divine our English now. + "See the color she has."</p> + + <p>For there was a trail of dark red over the child's thin oval + cheeks which made her look strangely unlike herself. As she + caught our eyes fixed upon her she suddenly stopped her + climbing and came and sat at Christine's feet. "Some day I + shall wear robes like the señora's," she said, passing + her hand over the soft fabric; "and I think," she added after + some slow consideration, "that my face will be like the + señora's too."</p> + + <p>Edward burst out laughing. The little creature stopped + abruptly and scanned his face.</p> + + <p>"Do not tease her," I said.</p> + + <p>Quick as a flash she veered around upon me. "He does not + tease me," she said angrily in Spanish; "and, besides, what if + he does? I like it." She looked at me with gleaming eyes and + stamped her foot.</p> + + <p>"What a little tempest!" said Christine.</p> + + <p>Then Edward, man-like, began to explain. "You could not look + much like this lady, Felipa," he said, "because you are so + dark, you know."</p> + + <p>"Am I dark?"</p> + + <p>"Very dark; but many people are dark, of course; and for my + part I always liked dark eyes," said this mendacious + person.</p> + + <p>"Do you like my eyes?" asked Felipa anxiously.</p> + + <p><span class="pagenum">[pg 707]</span> "Indeed I do: they are + like the eyes of a dear little calf I once owned when I was a + boy."</p> + + <p>The child was satisfied, and went back to her place beside + Christine. "Yes, I shall wear robes like this," she said + dreamily, drawing the flowing drapery over her knees clad in + the little linen trousers, and scanning the effect: "they would + trail behind me—so." Her bare feet peeped out below the + hem, and again we all laughed, the little brown toes looked so + comical coming out from the silk and the snowy embroideries. + She came down to reality at once, looked at us, looked at + herself, and for the first time seemed to comprehend the + difference. Then suddenly she threw herself down on the ground + like a little animal, and buried her head in her arms. She + would not speak, she would not look up: she only relaxed one + arm a little to take in Drollo, and then lay motionless. Drollo + looked at us out of one eye solemnly from his uncomfortable + position, as much as to say, "No use: leave her to me." So + after a while we went away and left them there.</p> + + <p>That evening I heard a low knock at my door. "Come in," I + said, and Felipa entered. I hardly knew her. She was dressed in + a flowered muslin gown which had probably belonged to her + mother, and she wore her grandmother's stockings and large + baggy slippers: on her mat of curly hair was perched a + high-crowned, stiff white cap adorned with a ribbon streamer, + and her lank little neck, coming out of the big gown, was + decked with a chain of large sea-beans, like exaggerated + lockets. She carried a Cuban fan in her hand which was as large + as a parasol, and Drollo, walking behind, fairly clanked with + the chain of sea-shells which she had wound around him from + head to tail. The droll tableau and the supreme pride on + Felipa's countenance overcame me, and I laughed aloud. A sudden + cloud of rage and disappointment came over the poor child's + face: she threw her cap on the floor and stamped on it; she + tore off her necklace and writhed herself out of her big + flowered gown, and running to Drollo, nearly strangled him in + her fierce efforts to drag off his shell chains. Then, a + half-dressed, wild little phantom, she seized me by the skirts + and dragged me toward the looking-glass. "You are not pretty + either," she cried. "Look at yourself! look at yourself!"</p> + + <p>"I did not mean to laugh at you, Felipa," I said gently: "I + would not laugh at any one; and it is true I am not pretty, as + you say. I can never be pretty, child; but if you will try to + be more gentle, I could teach you how to dress yourself so that + no one would laugh at you again. I could make you a little + bright-barred skirt and a scarlet bodice: you could help, and + that would teach you to sew. But a little girl who wants all + this done for her must be quiet and good."</p> + + <p>"I am good," said Felipa—"as good as everything."</p> + + <p>The tears still stood in her eyes, but her anger was + forgotten: she improvised a sort of dance around my room, + followed by Drollo dragging his twisted chain, stepping on it + with his big feet, and finally winding himself up into a knot + around the chair-legs.</p> + + <p>"Couldn't we make Drollo something too? dear old Drollo!" + said Felipa, going to him and squeezing him in an enthusiastic + embrace. I used to wonder how his poor ribs stood it: Felipa + used him as a safety-valve for her impetuous feelings.</p> + + <p>She kissed me good-night and then asked for "the other + lady."</p> + + <p>"Go to bed, child," I said: "I will give her your + good-night."</p> + + <p>"But I want to kiss her too," said Felipa.</p> + + <p>She lingered at the door and would not go; she played with + the latch, and made me nervous with its clicking; at last I + ordered her out. But on opening my door half an hour afterward + there she was sitting on the floor outside in the darkness, she + and Drollo, patiently waiting. Annoyed, but unable to reprove + her, I wrapped the child in my shawl and carried her out into + the moonlight, where Christine and Edward were strolling to and + fro under the pines. "She <span class="pagenum">[pg 708]</span> + will not go to bed, Christine, without kissing you," I + explained.</p> + + <p>"Funny little monkey!" said my lily friend, passively + allowing the embrace.</p> + + <p>"Me too," said Edward, bending down. Then I carried my + bundle back satisfied.</p> + + <p>The next day Felipa and I in secret began our labors: hers + consisted in worrying me out of my life and spoiling + material—mine in keeping my temper and trying to sew. The + result, however, was satisfactory, never mind how we got there. + I led Christine out one afternoon: Edward followed. "Do you + like tableaux?" I said. "There is one I have arranged for + you."</p> + + <p>Felipa sat on the edge of the low, square-curbed Spanish + well, and Drollo stood behind her, his great yellow body and + solemn head serving as a background. She wore a brown petticoat + barred with bright colors, and a little scarlet bodice fitting + her slender waist closely; a chemisette of soft cream-color + with loose sleeves covered her neck and arms, and set off the + dark hues of her cheeks and eyes; and around her curly hair a + red scarf was twisted, its fringed edges forming a drapery at + the back of the head, which, more than anything else, seemed to + bring out the latent character of her face. Brown moccasins, + red stockings and a quantity of bright beads completed her + costume.</p> + + <p>"By Jove!" cried Edward, "the little thing is almost + pretty."</p> + + <p>Felipa understood this, and a great light came into her + face: forgetting her pose, she bounded forward to Christine's + side. "I am pretty, then?" she said with exultation: "I + <i>am</i> pretty, then, after all? For now you yourself have + said it—have said it."</p> + + <p>"No, Felipa," I interposed, "the gentleman said it." For the + child had a curious habit of confounding the two identities + which puzzled me then as now. But this afternoon, this happy + afternoon, she was content, for she was allowed to sit at + Christine's feet and look up into her fair face unmolested. I + was forgotten, as usual.</p> + + <p>"It is always so," I said to myself. But cynicism, as Mr. + Aldrich says, is a small brass field-piece that eventually + bursts and kills the artilleryman. I knew this, having been + blown up myself more than once; so I went back to my painting + and forgot the world. Our world down there on the edge of the + salt marsh, however, was a small one: when two persons went out + of it there was a vacuum at once.</p> + + <p>One morning Felipa came sadly to my side. "They have gone + away,'" she said.</p> + + <p>"Yes, child."</p> + + <p>"Down to the beach to spend all the day."</p> + + <p>"Yes, I know it."</p> + + <p>"And without me!"</p> + + <p>This was the climax. I looked up. The child's eyes were dry, + but there was a hollow look of disappointment in her face that + made her seem old: it was as though for an instant you caught + what her old-woman face would be half a century on.</p> + + <p>"Why did they not take me?" she said. "I am pretty now: she + herself said it."</p> + + <p>"They cannot always take you, Felipa," I replied, giving up + the point as to who had said it.</p> + + <p>"Why not? I am pretty now: she herself said it," persisted + the child. "In these clothes, you know: she herself said it. + The clothes of the son of Pedro you will never see more: they + are burned."</p> + + <p>"Burned?"</p> + + <p>"Yes, burned," replied Felipa composedly. "I carried them + out on the barren and burned them. Drollo singed his paw. They + burned quite nicely. But they are gone, and I am pretty now, + and yet they did not take me! What shall I do?"</p> + + <p>"Take these colors and make me a picture," I suggested. + Generally, this was a prized privilege, but to-day it did not + attract: she turned away, and a few moments after I saw her + going down to the end of the plank walk, where she stood gazing + wistfully toward the ocean. There she stayed all day, going + into camp with Drollo, and refusing to come to dinner in spite + of old Dominga's calls and beckonings. At last the patient old + grandmother went down herself to the <span class="pagenum">[pg + 709]</span> end of the long plank walk where they were with + some bread and venison on a plate. Felipa ate but little, but + Drollo, after waiting politely until she had finished, devoured + everything that was left in his calmly hungry way, and then sat + back on his haunches with one paw on the plate, as though for + the sake of memory. Drollo's hunger was of the chronic kind: it + seemed impossible either to assuage it or to fill him. There + was a gaunt leanness about him which I am satisfied no amount + of food could ever fatten. I think he knew it too, and that + accounted for his resignation. At length, just before sunset, + the boat returned, floating up the river with the tide, old + Bartolo steering and managing the brown sails. Felipa sprang up + joyfully: I thought she would spring into the boat in her + eagerness. What did she receive for her long vigil? A short + word or two: that was all. Christine and Edward had + quarreled.</p> + + <p>How do lovers quarrel ordinarily? But I should not ask that, + for these were no ordinary lovers: they were decidedly + extraordinary.</p> + + <p>"You should not submit to her caprices so readily," I said + the next day while strolling on the barren with Edward. (He was + not so much cast down, however, as he might have been.)</p> + + <p>"I adore the very ground her foot touches, Kitty."</p> + + <p>"I know it. But how will it end?"</p> + + <p>"I will tell you: some of these days I shall win her, and + then—she will adore me."</p> + + <p>Here Felipa came running after us, and Edward immediately + challenged her to a race: a game of romps began. If Christine + had been looking from her window, she might have thought he was + not especially disconsolate over her absence; but she was not + looking. She was never looking out of anything or for anybody. + She was always serenely content where she was. Edward and + Felipa strayed off among the pine trees, and gradually I lost + sight of them. But as I sat sketching an hour afterward Edward + came into view, carrying the child in his arms. I hurried to + meet them.</p> + + <p>"I shall never forgive myself," he said: "the little thing + has fallen and injured her foot badly, I fear."</p> + + <p>"I do not care at all," said Felipa: "I like to have it + hurt. It is <i>my</i> foot, isn't it?"</p> + + <p>These remarks she threw at me defiantly, as though I had + laid claim to the member in question. I could not help + laughing.</p> + + <p>"The other lady will not laugh," said the child proudly. And + in truth Christine, most unexpectedly, took up the rôle + of nurse. She carried Felipa to her own room—for we each + had a little cell opening out of the main apartment—and + as white-robed Charity she shone with new radiance. "Shone" is + the proper word, for through the open door of the dim cell, + with the dark little face of Felipa on her shoulder, her white + robe and skin seemed fairly to shine, as white lilies shine on + a dark night. The old grandmother left the child in our care + and watched our proceedings wistfully, very much as a dog + watches the human hands that extract the thorn from the swollen + foot of her puppy. She was grateful and asked no questions; in + fact, thought was not one of her mental processes. She did not + think much: she only felt. As for Felipa, the child lived in + rapture during those days in spite of her suffering. She + scarcely slept at all—she was too happy: I heard her + voice rippling on through the night, and Christine's low + replies. She adored her beautiful nurse.</p> + + <p>The fourth day came: Edward Bowne walked into the cell. "Go + out and breathe the fresh air for an hour or two," he said in + the tone more of a command than a request.</p> + + <p>"But the child will never consent," replied Christine + sweetly.</p> + + <p>"Oh yes, she will: I will stay with her," said the young + man, lifting the feverish little head on his arm and passing + his hand softly over the bright eyes.</p> + + <p>"Felipa, do you not want me?" said Christine, bending + down.</p> + + <p>"He stays: it is all the same," murmured the child.</p> + + <p>"So it is. Go, Christine," said Edward with a little smile + of triumph.</p> + + <p><span class="pagenum">[pg 710]</span> Without a word + Christine left the cell. But she did not go to walk: she came + to my room, and throwing herself on my bed fell in a moment + into a deep sleep, the reaction after her three nights of + wakefulness. When she awoke it was long after dark, and I had + relieved Edward in his watch.</p> + + <p>"You will have to give it up," he said as our lily came + forth at last with sleep-flushed cheeks and starry eyes + shielded from the light. "The spell is broken: we have all been + taking care of Felipa, and she likes one as well as the + other."</p> + + <p>Which was not true, in my case at least, since Felipa had + openly derided my small strength when I lifted her, and beat + off the sponge with which I attempted to bathe her hot face. + "They" used no sponges, she said, only their nice cool hands; + and she wished "they" would come and take care of her again. + But Christine had resigned in toto. If Felipa did not prefer + her to all others, then Felipa could not have her: she was not + a common nurse. And indeed she was not. Her fair beauty, ideal + grace, cooing voice and the strength of her long arms and + flexible hands were like magic to the sick, + and—distraction to the well; the well in this case being + Edward Bowne looking in at the door.</p> + + <p>"You love them very much, do you not, Felipa?" I said one + day when the child was sitting up for the first time in a + cushioned chair.</p> + + <p>"Ah, yes: it is so delicious when they carry me," she + replied. But it was Edward who carried her.</p> + + <p>"He is very strong," I said.</p> + + <p>"Yes, and their long soft hair, with the smell of roses in + it too," said Felipa dreamily. But the hair was + Christine's.</p> + + <p>"I shall love them for ever, and they will love me for + ever," continued the child. "Drollo too." She patted the dog's + head as she spoke, and then concluded to kiss him on his little + inch of forehead: next she offered him all her medicines and + lotions in turn, and he smelled at them grimly. "He likes to + know what I am taking," she explained.</p> + + <p>I went on: "You love them, Felipa, and they are fond of you. + They will always remember you, no doubt."</p> + + <p>"Remember!" cried Felipa, starting up from her cushions like + a Jack-in-the-box. "They are not going away? Never! never!"</p> + + <p>"But of course they must go some time, for—"</p> + + <p>But Felipa was gone. Before I could divine her intent she + had flung herself out of her chair down on to the floor, and + was crawling on her hands and knees toward the outer room. I + ran after her, but she reached the door before me, and, + dragging her bandaged foot behind her, drew herself, toward + Christine. "You are <i>not</i> going away! You are not! you are + not!" she sobbed, clinging to her skirts.</p> + + <p>Christine was reading tranquilly: Edward stood at the outer + door mending his fishing-tackle. The coolness between them + remained unwarmed by so much as a breath. "Run away, child: you + disturb me," said Christine, turning over a leaf. She did not + even look at the pathetic little bundle at her feet. Pathetic + little bundles must be taught some time what ingratitude + deserves.</p> + + <p>"How can she run, lame as she is?" said Edward from the + doorway.</p> + + <p>"You are not going away, are you? Tell me you are not," + sobbed Felipa in a passion of tears, beating on the floor with + one hand, and with the other clinging to Christine.</p> + + <p>"I am not going," said Edward. "Do not sob so, you poor + little thing!"</p> + + <p>She crawled to him, and he took her up in his arms and + soothed her into stillness again: then he carried her out on to + the barren for a breath of fresh air.</p> + + <p>"It is a most extraordinary thing how that child confounds + you two," I said. "It is a case of color-blindness, as it + were—supposing you two were colors."</p> + + <p>"Which we are not," replied Christine carelessly. "Do not + stray off into mysticism, Catherine."</p> + + <p>"It is not mysticism: it is a study of character—"</p> + + <p>"Where there is no character," replied my friend.</p> + + <p>I gave it up, but I said to myself, + <span class="pagenum">[pg 711]</span> "Fate, in the next world + make me one of those long, lithe, light-haired women, will you? + I want to see how it feels."</p> + + <p>Felipa's foot was well again, and spring had come. Soon we + must leave our lodge on the edge of the pine barren, our + outlook over the salt marsh, our river sweeping up twice a day, + bringing in the briny odors of the ocean: soon we should see no + more the eagles far above us or hear the night-cry of the great + owls, and we must go without the little fairy flowers of the + barren, so small that a hundred of them scarcely made a + tangible bouquet, yet what beauty! what sweetness! In my + portfolio were sketches and studies of the barrens, and in my + heart were hopes. Somebody says somewhere, "Hope is more than a + blessing: it is a duty and a virtue." But I fail to appreciate + preserved hope—hope put up in cans and served out in + seasons of depression. I like it fresh from the tree. And so + when I hope it <i>is</i> hope, and not that well-dried, + monotonous cheerfulness which makes one long to throw the + persistent smilers out of the window. Felipa danced no more on + the barrens; her illness had toned her excitable nature; she + seemed content to sit at our feet while we talked, looking up + dreamily into our faces, but no longer eagerly endeavoring to + comprehend. We were there: that was enough.</p> + + <p>"She is growing like a reed," I said: "her illness has left + her weak."</p> + + <p>"-Minded," suggested Christine, smiling.</p> + + <p>At this moment Felipa stroked the lady's white hand tenderly + and laid her brown cheek against it.</p> + + <p>"Do you not feel reproached," I said.</p> + + <p>"Why? Must we give our love to whoever loves us? A fine + parcel of paupers we should all be, wasting our inheritance in + pitiful small change! Shall I give a thousand beggars a half + hour's happiness, or shall I make one soul rich his whole life + long?"</p> + + <p>"The latter," remarked Edward, who had come up + unobserved.</p> + + <p>They gazed at each other unflinchingly. They had come to + open battle during those last days, and I knew that the end was + near. Their words had been cold as ice, cutting as steel, and I + said to myself, "At any moment." There would be a deadly + struggle, and then Christine would yield. Even I comprehended + something of what that yielding would be. There are beautiful + velvety panthers in the Asian forests, and in real life too, + sometimes.</p> + + <p>"Why do they hate each other so?" Felipa said to me + sadly.</p> + + <p>"Do they hate each other?"</p> + + <p>"Yes, for I feel it here," she answered, touching her breast + with a dramatic little gesture.</p> + + <p>"Nonsense! Go and play with your doll, child." For I had + made her a respectable, orderly doll to take the place of the + ungainly fetich out on the barren.</p> + + <p>Felipa gave me a look and walked away. A moment afterward + she brought the doll out of the house before my very eyes, and, + going down to the end of the dock, deliberately threw it into + the water: the tide was flowing out, and away went my toy-woman + out of sight, out to sea.</p> + + <p>"Well!" I said to myself. "What next?"</p> + + <p>I had not told Felipa we were going: I thought it best to + let it take her by surprise. I had various small articles of + finery ready as farewell gifts which should act as sponges to + absorb her tears. But Fate took the whole matter out of my + hands. This is how it happened. One evening in the jessamine + arbor, in the fragrant darkness of the warm spring night, the + end came: Christine was won. She glided in like a wraith, and + I, divining at once what had happened, followed her into her + little room, where I found her lying on her bed, her hands + clasped on her breast, her eyes open and veiled in soft + shadows, her white robe drenched with dew. I kissed her + fondly—I never could help loving her then or + now—and next I went out to find Edward. He had been kind + to me all my poor gray life: should I not go to him now? He was + still in the arbor, and I sat down by his side quietly: I knew + that the words would come in time. They came: what a flood! + English was not enough for him. He <span class="pagenum">[pg + 712]</span> poured forth his love in the rich-voweled Spanish + tongue also: it has sounded doubly sweet to me ever since.</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">"Have you felt the wool of the + beaver?</p> + + <p class="i2">Or swan's down ever?</p> + + <p class="i2">Or have smelt the bud o' the brier?</p> + + <p class="i2">Or the nard in the fire?</p> + + <p class="i2">Or ha' tasted the bag o' the bee?</p> + + <p class="i2">Oh so white, oh so soft, oh so sweet is + she!"</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>said the young lover again and again; and I, listening there + in the dark fragrant night, with the dew heavy upon me, felt + glad that the old simple-hearted love was not entirely gone + from our tired metallic world.</p> + + <p>It was late when we returned to the house. After reaching my + room I found that I had left my cloak in the arbor. It was a + strong fabric: the dew could not hurt it, but it could hurt my + sketching materials and various trifles in the wide inside + pockets—<i>objets de luxe</i> to me, souvenirs of happy + times, little artistic properties that I hang on the walls of + my poor studio when in the city. I went softly out into the + darkness again and sought the arbor: groping on the ground I + found, not the cloak, but—Felipa! She was crouched under + the foliage, face downward: she would not move or answer.</p> + + <p>"What is the matter, child?" I said, but she would not + speak. I tried to draw her from her lair, but she tangled + herself stubbornly still farther among the thorny vines, and I + could not move her. I touched her neck: it was cold. + Frightened, I ran back to the house for a candle.</p> + + <p>"Go away," she said in a low hoarse voice when I flashed the + light over her. "I know all, and I am going to die. I have + eaten the poison things in your box, and just now a snake came + on my neck and I let him. He has bitten me, I suppose, and I am + glad. Go away: I am going to die."</p> + + <p>I looked around: there was my color-case rifled and empty, + and the other articles were scattered on the ground. "Good + Heavens, child!" I cried, "what have you eaten?"</p> + + <p>"Enough," replied Felipa gloomily. "I knew they were + poisons: you told me so. And I let the snake stay."</p> + + <p>By this time the household, aroused by my hurried exit with + the candle, came toward the arbor. The moment Edward appeared + Felipa rolled herself up like a hedgehog again and refused to + speak. But the old grandmother knelt down and drew the little + crouching figure into her arms with gentle tenderness, + smoothing its hair and murmuring loving words in her soft + dialect.</p> + + <p>"What is it?" said Edward; but even then his eyes were + devouring Christine, who stood in the dark, vine-wreathed + doorway like a picture in a frame. I explained.</p> + + <p>Christine smiled softly. "Jealousy," she said in a low + voice. "I am not surprised." And of her own accord she gave + back to Edward one of his looks.</p> + + <p>But at the first sound of her voice Felipa had started up: + she too saw the look, and wrenching herself free from old + Dominga's arms, she threw herself at Christine's feet. "Look at + <i>me</i> so," she cried—"me too: do not look at him. He + has forgotten poor Felipa: he does not love her any more. But + <i>you</i> do not forget, señora: <i>you</i> love + me—<i>you</i> love me. Say you do or I shall die!"</p> + + <p>We were all shocked by the pallor and the wild hungry look + of her uplifted face. Edward bent down and tried to lift her in + his arms, but when she saw him a sudden fierceness came into + her eyes: they shot out yellow light and seemed to narrow to a + point of flame. Before we knew it she had turned, seized + something and plunged it into his encircling arm. It was my + little Venetian dagger.</p> + + <p>We sprang forward; our dresses were spotted with the + fast-flowing blood; but Edward did not relax his hold on the + writhing wild little body he held until it lay exhausted in his + arms. "I am glad I did it," said the child, looking up into his + face with her inflexible eyes. "Put me down—put me down, + I say, by the gracious señora, that I may die with the + trailing of her white robe over me." And the old grandmother + with trembling hands received her and laid her down mutely at + Christine's feet.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + + <p>Ah, well! Felipa did not die. The <span class="pagenum">[pg + 713]</span> poisons wracked but did not kill her, and the snake + must have spared the little thin brown neck so despairingly + offered to him. We went away: there was nothing for us to do + but to go away as quickly as possible and leave her to her + kind. To the silent old grandfather I said, "It will pass: she + is but a child."</p> + + <p>"She is nearly twelve, señora. Her mother was married + at thirteen."</p> + + <p>"But she loved them both alike, Bartolo. It is nothing: she + does not know."</p> + + <p>"You are right, lady: she does not know," replied the old + man slowly; "but <i>I</i> know. It was two loves, and the + stronger thrust the knife."</p> + + <p class="author">CONSTANCE FENIMORE + WOOLSON.</p><a name='AT_CHICKAMAUGA' + id="AT_CHICKAMAUGA"></a> + + <h2>AT CHICKAMAUGA.</h2><br /> + + + <p>It was the cream of army life in Southern Tennessee that we + left to go to Chickamauga. Our brigade had been detached, and + lay for some days at the foot of Waldron's Ridge, which runs + parallel to the broad Tennessee River, and a few miles north of + Chattanooga, then the objective point of the campaign of the + Army of the Cumberland under Rosecrans. Of course we knew that + when the movements in progress in the country below were + sufficiently advanced there would probably be lively work in + effecting a passage of the river in the face of the formidable + force which was guarding the ford two or three miles in our + front. In fact, for some days we had been preparing for the + effort, and up in a sluggish bayou the best of our mechanics + were industriously at work fashioning a rude scow out of such + material as axes could get from the native forests. In this + craft, if it could be made to float, a select party was to + cross the river some foggy morning, while the enemy were + intently watching the ford below, and then, while the chosen + few were being gloriously shot on the other side, the rest of + us were to attempt the waist-deep, crooked ford.</p> + + <p>For the time we were, however, as has been said, enjoying + the cream of army life. The nights were chilly, though the days + were hot and the clay roads dusty. The mornings were glorious + with their bracing fresh air, their blue mists clinging about + far-off Lookout Mountain, and even hiding the top of Waldron's + Ridge at our backs, and their bright sunshine, which came + flooding over the distant heights of Georgia and North + Carolina. The wagon-tracks winding among the low, mound-like + hills which filled the valley from the base of the ridge to the + river were as smooth and gravelly as a well-kept private + roadway, and an ambulance-ride along their tortuous courses was + a most enjoyable recreation in those fine September days of + 1863. A gallop twenty miles up the valley to where Minty kept + watch and ward upon our flank with his trusty horsemen; a + dinner at that hospitable mess-table, furnished maybe with a + pig which had strayed from its home not wholly through natural + perversity; and then a lively ride back in the early + evening,—this, indeed, was pleasure.</p> + + <p>The charm of campaigning is its rapidly-succeeding + surprises. The general of the army may be proceeding regularly + in the path he marked out months before. The corps commanders, + and even the chiefs of division, may sometimes be able to + foresee the movements from day to day. But to their + subordinates everything is a surprise: they lie down at night + in delightful uncertainty as to where the next sunset will find + them, and they sit down to a breakfast of hard bread and bacon, + relieved by a little foraging from the country, not sure that + their coffee will cool before the bugle sounds a signal to pack + and be off, to <span class="pagenum">[pg 714]</span> Heaven + knows where. We found this charm of surprise, as we had + hundreds of times before in other places, at our camp in the + valley of the Tennessee. The alternating quick and droning + notes of "the general" made us spring up from the mess-table + one morning, and in a moment the lazy encampment was all hurry + and bustle. An aide leaped upon his horse at head-quarters and + dashed off on the road to the river, and we saw that the + servants of General Hazen, our brigade commander, were + stripping his baggage of the small impedimenta which accumulate + so rapidly even in a few days of rest, but are abandoned when + the army starts on an active campaign. It was not to be a mere + change of camp, evidently, but a final adieu to the locality + and a dash over the Tennessee—if we could make it.</p> + + <p>While some of us were yet sipping our hot coffee, saved out + of the general wreck in packing up, the bugles called "the + assembly," and in ten minutes the brigade was stretching out at + a lively rate on the road the aide had taken. At the river was + the detail of mechanics who had been at work on the scow in the + bayou. Their task had been suddenly abandoned. It was useless: + the enemy had left the opposite bank and fallen back from + Chattanooga. The crossing was made, and the brigade struck out + into the country toward Ringgold and the Georgia line. We + belonged to Palmer's division of Crittenden's corps, but we had + no idea where our comrades were. Passing over the uninviting + country, and by the cornfields wasted by Bragg's men that we + might not gather the grain, the brigade fell in with the rest + of its division near a lonely grist-mill at a junction of + cross-roads, where a battalion of Southern cavalry had just + galloped in upon an infantry regiment lying under its stacked + arms by the wayside. So the enemy was not entirely out of the + country, it appeared. Still, we saw nothing of him, save in a + trifling skirmish the next day on the road from Ringgold to + Gordon's Mills. Near this place, however, we fell in with + General Thomas J. Wood, who had had a little encounter which + convinced him that Bragg's infantry was in force near by. The + gallant old soldier was in something of a passion because the + theories of his superiors did not coincide with his + demonstrations, and of course the demonstrations had to give + way in that case.</p> + + <p>Passing Gordon's Mills, our division stretched away on the + road toward La Fayette, and after a day's march bivouacked in a + wilderness of wood and on a sluggish stream different enough + from the sparkling waters which came down by the old camp below + Waldron's Ridge. McCook's corps, they said, having crossed the + Tennessee below Chattanooga and advanced southward on the + western side of the Lookout range, was to come through a gap + opposite our present position and join us. Then the army, being + together once more, and having gained Chattanooga by McCook's + flank movement, would return to that point. To get Chattanooga + was the object of the campaign, and the movements since we + crossed the river were simply to assure the safe reunion of the + several corps.</p> + + <p>The idle days wore on until the afternoon of the 18th of + September. Then "the general" was suddenly sounded from brigade + head-quarters, the regimental buglers took up the signal, and + in twenty minutes we were on the road and moving back toward + Gordon's Mills and Chattanooga. No leisurely march this time, + however, but a race which tasked even the legs of the veterans. + Two hours of this brought the command to the crest of a ridge + from which, away to the right, a wide expanse of country lay in + view. There was a broad valley running parallel to the road we + were traveling and covered by a dense growth of low oaks, which + effectually hid roads, streams, and even the few lonely + habitations of the people. But, looking from our eminence over + the unbroken expanse of tree-tops, we could see a light yellow + snake-like line stretching down the valley. It was dust from + the road on which Bragg's army was hurrying toward the + Rossville Pass, through which was the way to Chattanooga and + all our communications and supplies. The line of dust + <span class="pagenum">[pg 715]</span> extended miles down the + valley, far in advance of the point we had reached. The rest of + our army might be ahead of us and ahead of Bragg, or it might + be on our left, or even behind us, for aught we knew, but it + was plain enough why we were making such haste back toward + Chattanooga.</p> + + <p>The afternoon passed: darkness came, and still the march + continued. Late in the evening we came upon a group of tents by + the roadside—Rosecrans's head-quarters, with Rosecrans + himself, and not in the best of humors, as some of us + discovered on riding up to see friends on his staff. In his + petulance and excitability the commanding general forgot to be + gentlemanly, some of them said; and they left him not at all + relieved of any doubts they had concerning our sudden and + forced march.</p> + + <p>It was long after midnight when we reached Gordon's Mills. + Here the road was full of ambulances, wagons, artillery and + infantry, while in the thickets on the left were heard the + confused noises of the bivouac. There were no fires, which + showed that we were supposed to be in the immediate presence of + the enemy, and that our commander did not want his position + revealed by camp-fires. At some distance past the mills + Palmer's division was halted in the road, and the troops were + massed by regiments, and moved some yards into the thicket to + pass the few hours before daylight.</p> + + <p>In the morning it was said that Bragg had indeed beaten in + the race the day before, and had halted at night, if he halted + at all, much nearer to the Rossville Pass than we were. The + Chickamauga River was supposed to be between the two armies, + but it is a stream which is easily fordable in many places, and + a mile or two below where we lay was a bridge over which Bragg + could cross rapidly with his artillery and trains, and then + strike our road to Rossville ahead of us. A division moved out + early in the day and went off toward this bridge. Soon after + there was lively musketry and some cannonading in that + direction. Word came back that the enemy had crossed the river + in force too heavy to be successfully encountered by our + reconnoitering division. Another division followed in the path + of the first, and there was more firing. Finally, General + Palmer moved his division out upon the road, and along it for + some distance toward Rossville, approaching the firing down by + the bridge. Halting near the Widow Glenn's cottage, about which + were a little cloud of cavalry and many officers, we saw that + Rosecrans was there, directing the movements in person. Palmer + got his orders quickly. He was to move down the road toward + Rossville to an indicated point, then form his division <i>en + échelon</i> by brigade from the left, and move off the + road to the right and attack. When he struck the enemy's left + flank he was to envelop and crush it. The formation <i>en + échelon</i> was to facilitate this enveloping and + crushing.</p> + + <p>Moving off the road as ordered, the division passed through + several hundred yards of forest, and came upon a wide open + field of lower ground, through the centre of which ran, + parallel to our front, a narrow belt of timber. The skirmishers + passed through this belt and a few yards beyond, and were then + driven back by an overpowering fire from the enemy's + skirmishers. Our main line came up to the timber and passed + through it to the farther side; and then the edge of the forest + beyond, in front, on the right and on the left, was suddenly + fringed with a line of flashing fire, above which rose a thin + white smoke. The tremendous crash of musketry was measured by + the deep thunder of artillery farther back, and soon columns of + dense white smoke rising above the tree-tops indicated the + positions of several swift-working batteries. A storm of + bullets whizzed through the ranks of the attacking + échelons, while shrieking shells filled the air with a + horrid din, and, bursting overhead, sent their ragged fragments + hurtling down in every direction. In an instant a hundred gaps + were opened in the firm ranks as the men sank to the ground + beneath the smiting lead and iron. In an instant the gaps were + closed, and in another a hundred more were opened. Every yard + of the advance was costing the assailants a full + <span class="pagenum">[pg 716]</span> company of + men—every rod at least half a regiment. They wavered, + halted and fell back to the shelter of the narrow belt of + timber. The attack had failed, the flank of the enemy had not + been struck.</p> + + <p>But the other divisions of the army? Sent in as ours had + been, some one of them must surely strike the opposing flank, + unless Bragg's whole army had crossed the river and was in + position before Rosecrans moved. Palmer's division held its + place, fired its sixty rounds of cartridges into the wood where + the unseen foe was, and waited for the attack of the succeeding + division which should strike Bragg's flank. But we waited in + vain. When Rosecrans's last division was forming its + échelons it was itself enveloped on its outer flank by + the active foe. Rosecrans's line, as he formed it a division at + a time, had been constantly outflanked.</p> + + <p>The battle was a failure thus far. We could all see that, + and some of us saw how nearly it became an irretrievable + disaster. Hazen's brigade had been withdrawn to replenish its + ammunition after the attack, and was lying along the Rossville + road. The men were filling their cartridge-boxes, and the + captains were counting their diminished ranks and noting who + were dead and who but wounded. Out at the front the fight still + went on, but in a desultory way. Suddenly there was an ominous + sound in front of Van Cleve's division, which was in the main + line next on the right of Palmer.</p> + + <p>Hazen leaped upon his horse. "Now Van Cleve is in for it!" + he exclaimed. "They're coming for him!"</p> + + <p>Quickly getting the men under arms, Hazen moved his brigade + behind Van Cleve to act as a support, and awaited the coming + attack. It came like a whirlwind, and Van Cleve's lines were + scattered like fallen leaves. On came the triumphant enemy in + heavy masses, while Van Cleve's disordered horde swept back + with it Hazen's supporting regiments. All but one. Colonel + Aquila Wiley of the Forty-first Ohio Infantry, seeing the + coming avalanche of fugitives, broke his line to the rear by + companies and allowed the flying mass to pass through the + intervals. Then instantly reforming his line, Wiley delivered a + volley by battalion upon the advancing foe. The latter, his + ranks loose, as usual in a headlong pursuit, was staggered and + stopped in Wiley's front, but pressed forward on his right, and + had got well to his rear in that direction before the guns of + the Forty-first were reloaded. At a double-quick step Wiley + changed front to the rear on his left company, and sent another + volley among the swarming enemy on his right. Twice he repeated + this manoeuvre, and, gaining ground to the rear with each + change of front, kept back the enemy from front and flank until + he could take his place in good order upon a new line on a + ridge to the rear.</p> + + <p>Meantime, Hazen was not idle. Seeing the inevitable result + when Van Cleve's lines wavered, he dashed down the road to some + unemployed batteries. These he got quickly into position to + enfilade the enemy as he passed over Van Cleve's abandoned + ground, and while Wiley with his Forty-first was striking in + front and flank to clear himself of the surrounding foes, + Hazen's batteries were pouring shells at short range into the + well-ordered supporting troops which the enemy was hurrying + forward to improve the success he had gained. Bragg had + actually crossed the Rossville road and cut the Army of the + Cumberland in two, with nothing in the gap but one regiment of + three hundred men. But the enfilading artillery smote asunder + the solid ranks which were to follow up the victory and left + their advantage a barren triumph. Night fell and ended there + the first day's battle.</p> + + <p>The blessed night! better for the Army of the Cumberland + then than thirty thousand fresh men. Under its sheltering + mantle a thousand necessary things were done. We knew well + enough that the struggle must be renewed in the morning, but we + hoped that it would not be taken up on our side under such + disadvantages as had been against us in the day just closed. So + when, some time after dark, an order came to move down + <span class="pagenum">[pg 717]</span> the road to the left, it + was gladly obeyed. We were going into position, it was evident, + though where and how none of us could tell in the darkness. The + road and the woods on each side of it were full of troops, + ambulances, ammunition and head-quarter wagons, artillery, and, + lastly, stragglers hunting for their regiments. Now and then a + wounded man, whose hurt did not prevent his walking, came along + inquiring for the hospitals. There were not many of these, + however, for the hospital service was pretty efficient, and the + surgeons were located near the ground where the fighting had + been.</p> + + <p>Winding about through such surroundings for what seemed a + long time, so slow was the movement and so frequent the halts + to allow the staff-officer who was directing the march to + verify the route, Palmer's division at length stacked arms on a + slightly rising ground not many hundred yards in front of the + Rossville road. There were troops to the left of us, and soon + after we halted troops came up on our right. We knew by this + that we were in the main line of battle as it was being formed + for the next day's fight. There were sounds occasionally from + the forest in front which told us that the enemy also was + making his preparations for the morning, and there was moving + of troops, wagons, artillery, stragglers and mounted officers + in rear of us almost all night. Even our troops in line, tired + as they were, were not quite still. The men lay upon the ground + and talked of the events of the day. Company commanders were + inquiring the fate of their missing men, and some of them were + even counting up the guns lost by killed and wounded men, and + wondering how they could account for them on their next + ordnance returns. Waking and sleeping by turns, officers and + men passed the chilly night as best they could until it was + near the time when the first gray streaks of dawn should come. + Then those who were sleeping were quietly aroused; the ranks + were noiselessly formed; the stacks of arms were broken; the + first sergeants passed along the fronts of their companies to + verify the attendance; and then the men were allowed to sit + down, guns in hand, to await the daybreak and be in instant + readiness for an attack if the enemy should attempt an early + surprise.</p> + + <p>Daylight came, however, on the memorable 20th of September, + and no attack had been made. The first thought, naturally, + after apprehension of an early attack had gone, was to appease + hunger and thirst. But there was little in the haversacks, and + nothing in the canteens. Details of men were sent for water, + and never returned. The enemy had possession of the springs we + had used the day before, and our details walked unconsciously + into his hands. There was not a drop of water on the whole + field, and men and officers resigned themselves to the torments + of thirst, a thousand times worse than the gnawings of hunger. + But with daylight we could at least get some idea of our + position. In front was a dense forest, in which nothing was to + be seen except our own skirmishers a few yards in advance. Just + behind us was an oblong open field, three hundred yards wide + and thrice as long. On the other side of this field ran the + Rossville road. Beyond our division, to the left, was + Johnson's, and then Baird's division, the latter forming the + extreme left of the army, and extending off into the woods + beyond the lower end of the open field. To our + right—though this we could not see, the line being in a + dense forest—was the division of Reynolds; beyond him was + Brannan, and then came Wood; and so on to the right of the + army, in what further order we did not know. It was evident + that the line had been hastily formed: the divisions had been + placed just as they were picked up in the confusion of the + night. No corps was together in the line, but it was made up of + a division from one corps, then a division from another, and + then one from a third corps, and so on. Thus it happened that + the four divisions on the left of the line had with them no + corps commander.</p> + + <p>In the idle hour after daylight our brigade commander + directed the construction of a barricade of rails and logs, a + <span class="pagenum">[pg 718]</span> little more than + knee-high, along the front of his command. Some of the troops + on the left and the right followed the example. The supposition + was that the game would be changed this day, and that we should + stand for attack as the enemy had done the day before. There + was no little satisfaction in thinking that Bragg's men would + have a chance to walk up to a fire at least as murderous as we + had faced when attacking them. If the haversacks were empty and + the canteens had gone for water never to return, the + cartridge-boxes were full, and each man had about him an extra + package or two of cartridges.</p> + + <p>The morning wore slowly away, and on our part of the line + everything was remarkably quiet. There was some skirmishing + toward the right between eight and nine o'clock, but evidently + nothing serious. The barricade was finished, and there was + nothing to do but to lie behind it and wish for water as the + day grew warmer and thirst became more intense.—But what + is that?</p> + + <p>There was a sharp rattle of Springfield rifles from Baird's + skirmishers, a third of a mile to our left and hidden from + sight by the woods. In a moment came a crash of musketry which + brought every man to his feet. Baird's skirmishers had been + driven in, and his main line had hurled its thousands of + bullets as the attacking enemy came into view. Instantly the + answering fire was given, and then followed the continuous + rattling roar of a fierce general engagement. Wounded men began + to come out of the wood where Baird was as they made their way + alone toward the hospitals or were carried off by the hospital + corps. Suddenly, a hundred men with arms in their hands emerged + from the woods into the open field behind Baird, straggling and + without order. These were not wounded men. No: it was too plain + that Baird's division was giving way. A moment more, and the + lower end of the open field was filled with a dense mass of men + as Baird's disordered lines poured forth out of the woods, + which were swarming with the exultant enemy. Through and behind + the retreating mass the mounted officers rode furiously, their + swinging sabres flashing in the sun as they alternately + commanded and exhorted their men to rally and breast the storm + of lead which the enemy was hurling upon them. Then Johnson, + whose division was next to Baird's, wheeled a regiment or two + backward and opened fire on the enemy engaged with Baird. The + troops of the latter were not running, but falling back, firing + as they went. Suddenly, one of their colonels seized his + regimental standard from the color-bearer and faced his horse + toward the enemy, holding the flag high above his head. The men + began to rally around this flag, and in a moment an imperfect + line had been formed. The enemy's success was at an end. A + moment more, and with a wild cheer Baird's men dashed forward + and drove the enemy from their front.</p> + + <p>Meanwhile, we were not idle spectators of all this. At the + moment when Baird's men had been forced into the open field, + and it seemed impossible to re-form them under the fire they + were receiving, the skirmishers in front of Johnson's and + Palmer's divisions broke out into a lively fire and came in at + a run. Close behind them were the rapidly-advancing skirmishers + of the enemy. As these came in sight of our position they took + shelter behind trees and waited for their main force to come + up. Soon the woods behind them were filled with the long, + sweeping lines of Bragg's infantry, moving swiftly and steadily + up to the attack. They reached their skirmishers, and as the + latter fell in with the main body the whole broke into the + peculiar shrill and fitful yell of the Southern soldiery, and + rushed impetuously upon our line. From behind its barricade + Hazen's brigade gave the yelling assailants two volleys, by + front and rear rank, and then, as the enemy staggered under the + regular blows, the command "Load and fire at will!" rang along + the line. Out burst a swift storm of lead, before which the + wasting ranks of the assailants first wavered, and then stopped + to open a rapid but wild and diminishing fire against the + barricade. For a moment or two their colors waved defiantly at + <span class="pagenum">[pg 719]</span> their front as their + officers rode among them in the vain endeavor to hold them to + the hopeless effort; and then they turned and vanished into the + deep recesses of the forest whence they came. Not as they came, + however, but as a flying multitude of panic-stricken men, + insensible to authority, conscious only of their defeat and + their peril.</p> + + <p>Ah! but this was quite different from yesterday's work, + thought the men of Hazen's brigade. It is one thing to march up + to an enemy waiting to receive you on his chosen ground, and + another to lie quietly in position and let your enemy feel his + way up until he is within fair range. This was the thought + after the successful defence: before the fight it is a question + whether it does not require greater steadiness of nerve to wait + inactive for an attack than to rush forward in an onslaught. + Officers and men in Palmer's division were in excellent + spirits. They saw that their comrades on the right and the left + had met with equally good fortune. Johnson's division on one + side and Reynolds's on the other remained as steady as + rocks.</p> + + <p>It was nearly eleven o'clock, and all had prospered with us + thus far. The enemy was getting his share of bloody repulses, + of which we had had more than enough the day before. The + attacks upon our line had begun upon the left, and were + traveling toward our right. The two armies were thus brought + together gradually, something after the manner of + scissor-blades when they are slowly closed. The four divisions + on the left had already successfully withstood the shock, which + it was to be supposed the enemy had made as heavy as possible + at that point, since the left was the vital point of the whole + line. Success there would give him the line of retreat to + Chattanooga, with Rosecrans's entire army shut out. Besides, we + knew that the line was stronger toward the right, where at + least two divisions were in reserve. No one apprehended + disaster, therefore, when a long and rapid roll of musketry far + to the right told that the enemy was attacking there. "Brannan + and Wood are attending to 'em now!" said General Palmer, + standing in a group of officers in rear of Hazen's brigade. The + talk went on as before—about the successful defences of + the morning, the barricade, Baird's splendid recovery, etc. But + soon everybody was listening anxiously to the sounds of the + battle on the right. The roar of musketry had worked round + until it was behind our right shoulders as we stood facing to + our front. There could be no doubt about it: the line had given + way somewhere on the right, and the enemy was following up. It + was not long before stray bullets were singing behind and among + us, flying in a direction parallel to our line. Then, all in a + moment, a battery far to the right and rear opened a rapid + fire, and some of its shells came shrieking into the rear of + Palmer's and Johnson's divisions. Meanwhile, the crash and roar + of battle came nearer and nearer, until the attack struck + Reynolds on the flank and in rear. But he had been forewarned, + and his line was swung backward, at right angles with his + original position, to face the attack from the new direction. + Even then he was forced backward until his men were stretched + across the open field in rear of Palmer's division, and the + battle was going on directly behind us. Something—a shell + perhaps—set fire to a log house at the upper end of this + field, not three hundred yards from our brigade. This house had + been taken for a hospital the night before. It was filled with + wounded men, too badly hurt to be taken farther away in the + ambulances, and the regular hospital flag floated above it. + This unfortunate house, with its maimed occupants, was brought + between Reynolds's men and the attacking enemy when the former + were driven into the open field; and, despite the non-combatant + flag flying from the gable, it was riddled with shells from the + Southern batteries. I do not charge upon those gunners a + knowledge of the facts here given: their batteries were some + distance away through the forest. However, whether they saw the + house and the flag or not, their fire swept mercilessly through + the house, while many a stout-hearted soldier, knowing what was + there, wished that if <span class="pagenum">[pg 720]</span> he + were to be hit at all, he might be struck dead at once, and so + avoid such sickening horrors.</p> + + <p>For the second time on that memorable day it looked for a + few moments as if Palmer would have to face his men about and + fight to the rear. Preparations to do this were made on the + right of the division, but, fortunately, the appalling disaster + which seemed imminent in the complete encompassing of the four + divisions of the left was averted. The enemy yielded at last to + the stubborn resistance, and Reynolds re-established his + line—not upon the old ground entirely, but to conform to + the altered situation. He was now the right of the army upon + the original field, and four divisions comprised all that was + left of the Army of the Cumberland in the position of the + morning.</p> + + <p>The divisions of the centre and the right—where were + they? Brannan, and Wood, and Negley, and Davis, and Van Cleve, + and gallant Sheridan, who held stubbornly his division even + amid the panic at Stone River—where were they? And + Rosecrans, commander of the army; Thomas, the hero in every + fight; rash McCook and unfortunate Crittenden, chiefs of corps? + Gone with the centre and the right of the army; gone with the + reserves and the artillery; gone with the ammunition-trains; + gone with everything that belonged to the Army of the + Cumberland except four divisions of unconquered soldiers with + half-filled cartridge-boxes and with hearts that knew no + fear.</p> + + <p>All gone? No! In the hush which came after Reynolds's + desperate defence, and while hearts were yet beating fast from + watching the doubtful fight, there arose far off to the right + and rear a roar of musketry, telling that somewhere in the + distance the flags of the Army of the Cumberland still waved + before the foe, as they did with us. Long afterward we knew + that this was Thomas—he who would not leave the field + amid the wreck which surrounded him—Thomas, with his + fragments, posted on a commanding ridge and bravely beating off + the thickening foes about him.</p> + + <p>The story of the disaster is an old one. It is hardly + necessary to tell how Wood, in the main line on the right of + Brannan, received an order from Rosecrans to support Reynolds, + the second division in line to the left of Wood; how the + gallant soldier hesitated to obey an order from which such + disaster might come; how McCook, chief of corps, told Wood the + order was imperative, and promised to put a reserve division + into the line to take his place; how Wood withdrew from the + line, as ordered, at the fatal moment when the enemy was + preparing to attack; how the furious foe pressed through the + gap, cut the army in two, struck the lines to right and left in + flank and rear, swept the centre, the right wing and the + reserves off the field, and doubled up and crushed the left + wing as far as Reynolds's division, whose fortune has been + told. All this is familiar enough now, but those who remained + on the field in the four divisions of the left knew nothing of + it then. They only knew that the line was broken beyond + Reynolds, and that, although somewhere in the distance was a + force which had not yet fled nor surrendered, they were left to + bear alone the battle against Bragg's victorious army. The odds + were five or six to one—perhaps more, maybe less. It did + not matter to be precise: Bragg had men enough to put a double + line of troops entirely around the four divisions. That was + enough.</p> + + <p>It was after midday when the disaster was complete and the + divisions of Baird, Johnson, Palmer and Reynolds were able to + understand the situation. I need not recount in detail the + repeated attempts of the enemy to crush the line of the four + divisions at one point and another. If the reader can recall + the description of the first attack on Palmer's division, he + will have a very fair example of the work which busied us at + intervals during those long hours. The enemy was, of course, + not unaware of his great success in dividing the army and + driving off the greater part of it; nor was he lacking in + efforts to improve the advantage by destroying the divisions + which yet confronted him. Every attack, however, resulted in + failure, <span class="pagenum">[pg 721]</span> and the + assailants retired each time with heavy losses. At length it + was evident to us that it had become difficult to bring even + Longstreet's boasted troops up to attacks which met such sure + and bloody repulses. There were but four divisions against an + army, but the four would not be taken or driven.</p> + + <p>With hands and faces blackened by the smoke and dust of + battle those men stood devotedly to their posts, their ranks + thinned by every assault, but their aim as fatal as ever. But + one dread possessed them: ammunition ran short, and there were + no supplies. In the intervals between the enemy's assaults the + cartridge-boxes of dead comrades along the line and in the open + field, where were the fierce struggles of the morning, were + emptied of their contents to replenish the failing stock of the + survivors. More precious than food and water, though they were + sorely needed, were these inheritances from the dead.</p> + + <p>The long afternoon wore slowly away. Night could not come + too soon, but it seemed that never before was it so tardy. + Officers and men were tortured by thirst. Their tongues were + swollen and their lips black and distended, often to bursting. + Speech became difficult or absolutely impossible. Officers + mumbled their commands, and prayed silently for darkness to + save them from enforced surrender or flight when the last + cartridge should be spent.</p> + + <p>Meantime, the relentless but cautious foe was carefully + feeling his way around the flanks, apparently unwilling to + venture boldly into the rear of the little army which he could + not move by attack in front. A group of officers stood by their + horses in rear of Hazen's brigade when the crack of an Enfield + rifle was heard from the woods in rear across the open field. A + bullet came whizzing into the group and killed a colonel's + horse. Other shots followed from the same direction. The woods + behind us were evidently occupied by the enemy's skirmishers. A + captain volunteered to take his company and clear the woods, + but ammunition was too scarce to waste on sharpshooters.</p> + + <p>Word came at last, in some way, that Thomas, whose firing we + heard far to the right and rear, was sorely pressed. A + consultation was held by the four division generals. They + needed a commander, but who should it be? Who would take + command of that beleaguered force and undertake to extricate it + from its surrounding peril or deliver it over to Thomas? Would + Palmer? No. Would Reynolds? No. The stern duty of fighting + their divisions until they could fight no longer, and doing + then whatever desperate thing might be possible—that they + would not fail in; but that responsibility was as great as they + cared to assume. Up came Hazen then. "I'll take my brigade + across that interval," said he, "and find Thomas if he's + there." Palmer objected: it would make a gap in his line; it + would expose one of his brigades to a thousand chances of + destruction—for who could tell what forces of the enemy + were in that interval or watching it?—and finally, it + would take away the brigade which had most ammunition, for + Hazen had husbanded his store. But something must be done. If + the four divisions could hold out until night, somebody must + command them and take them out if it could be done. Thomas was + the proper commander, and he was needed. It was agreed that + Hazen should make the attempt.</p> + + <p>The brigade was withdrawn from the line which it had + faithfully held all day, and some disposition made to fill the + gap. Hazen formed his regiments in close masses, faced them to + the right and rear, covered his front with a trusty battalion + as skirmishers, waved an adieu to the comrades left behind, and + plunged into the unknown forest in the direction of Thomas's + firing. On and on went the brigade and came nearer and nearer + to the ridge which Thomas held. Suddenly, the skirmishers + strike obliquely an opposing line. They brush it away in an + instant, but the warning is not lost. Keep more to the rear: no + fighting now, though you should whip three to one. The fate of + the four divisions rests upon that. With quick and steady tread + the regiments move on. They clear the wood + <span class="pagenum">[pg 722]</span> at last, climb the end of + a ridge through a field of standing corn, and burst into an + open field at the summit amid the wild cheers of Thomas's + exhausted men, while Thomas himself, beloved of all the army, + rides down to take Hazen by the hand. And not a moment too + soon.</p> + + <p>Almost at the very instant Thomas's skirmishers along the + front of the ridge broke out into a rattling fire, and were + seen falling back. The enemy was about to make his final + effort, and it was to be against the flank where now lay + Hazen's brigade. Quickly deploying his regiments, Hazen placed + them in four lines, closed one upon another, and the men lay + flat upon their faces. The yell of the enemy was heard in the + wood below, and in a moment the declivity in front was covered + with the heavy lines of the assailants. Then the first of + Hazen's regiments was brought to its feet and poured its volley + straight into the faces of the oncoming foe. The next regiment, + and the next, and then the last, followed in quick succession. + The echoes of the last volley had hardly died away before the + enemy, who came on so confident and so strong, had disappeared, + crushed and broken, into the forest, leaving the hillside + strewn with his dead and wounded.</p> + + <p>So ended the fighting. Night came down and shrouded the + fierce combatants from each other's sight.</p> + + <p>The dusky ranks take up the unfamiliar march with faces from + the foe. Their drums are silent, and their bugles voice-less as + the spirit-horns which marshal their heroic dead upon the + farther shore. The shadowy ranks pass on into the night. + Bearing their close-furled banners and their empty guns, they + pass on into the sad and silent night of Chickamauga to await + the glorious sun of Mission Ridge.</p> + + <p class="author">ROBERT LEWIS KIMBERLY.</p><br /> + + <blockquote class="note"> + <p>NOTE.—The writer is aware that this narrative of + the battle of Chickamauga differs so materially from the + commonly-received impressions of that event that it ought + to be supported by more than his own authority. The reader + will observe that the main narrative is made up of the + experiences of one command, that to which the writer + belonged, and of which he can therefore speak as of things + which he saw. For the statements of the general battle + reference is made to official reports, as follows: (1) In + regard to the first day's battle, see report of General + W.S. Rosecrans, which may be found in vol. vii. of Putnam's + <i>Rebellion Record</i>, p. 222 and following pages. (2) In + regard to the complete isolation of the four divisions of + the left during the second day, and the final opening of + communication with General Thomas, see General W.B. Hazen's + official report on p. 238 of the volume above quoted.</p> + + <p>The writer also quotes, by permission, from letters from + Generals Hazen and Thomas J. Wood, addressed to him within + the present year. General Hazen says: "Do not forget about + the length of time Thomas was cut off from us—how we + could hear nothing from him; how neither Reynolds nor + Palmer would assume command," etc. General Wood says, in + reference to the great disaster on the second day: "About + 11 A.M. I received the following order from General + Rosecrans: 'The commanding general directs that you close + up on Reynolds as fast as possible, and support him.' As + there was an entire division (Brannan's) between my + division and Reynolds, I could only close upon the latter + and support him by withdrawing my division from line and + passing in rear of Brannan to the rear of Reynolds. This I + did. Of course I knew it was an order involving perhaps the + most momentous consequences, but General McCook concurred + with me that it was so emphatic and positive as to demand + instant obedience. I write you stubborn facts, and you can + use them as such."</p> + + <p>General Wood has been so severely criticised for his + obedience to this fatal order that perhaps I should add + this further explanation, contained in the letter from + which I have quoted above: "After the battle was over, and + it was apparent that Rosecrans's ill-considered order had + led to a disaster, he offered as an explanation of it the + statement that some staff-officer had reported to him that + Brannan was out of line, and that he intended I should + close to the left on Reynolds, and that I overlooked this + direction to close to the left on Reynolds. Certainly, I + overlooked it, or rather I did not see it, for it was not + there to be seen. On the contrary, I was ordered to close + up on Reynolds, and for a purpose—viz., to support + him. I remark also that it was impossible for any man, on + reading Rosecrans's order to me, to even remotely + conjecture that it was based on the supposition that + Brannan was out of line. He had previously ordered me to + rest my left on Brannan's right, and I had reported to him + that I had done so. Colonel Starling (of Crittenden's + staff) testified before the McCook-Crittenden court of + inquiry that he was with Rosecrans at the time the latter + directed the order to be sent to me, and told him that + Brannan was not out of line."</p> + </blockquote><a name='THE_ATONEMENT_OF_LEAM_DUNDAS' + id="THE_ATONEMENT_OF_LEAM_DUNDAS"></a> + <span class="pagenum">[pg 723]</span> + + <h2>THE ATONEMENT OF LEAM DUNDAS.</h2> + + <h3>BY MRS. E. LYNN LINTON, AUTHOR OF "PATRICIA + KEMBALL."</h3><br /> + + + <h3>CHAPTER XXXVII.</h3> + + <h3>UNWORTHY.</h3> + + <p>The storm had passed with the night, and the day was bright + and joyful—almost hard in its brightness and cruel in its + joy; for while the sun was shining overhead and the air was + musical with the hum of insects and the song of birds, the + flowers were broken, the tender plants destroyed, the uncut + corn was laid as if a troop of horse had trampled down the + crops, and the woods, like the gardens and the fields, were + wrecked and spoiled. But of all the mourners sighing between + earth and sky, Nature is the one that never repents, and the + sun shines out over the saddest ruin as it shines out over the + richest growth, as careless of the one as of the other.</p> + + <p>Edgar came down from the Hill in the sunshine, handsome, + strong, jocund as the day. As he rode through the famous double + avenue of chestnuts he thought, What a glorious day! how clear + and full of life after the storm! but he noted the wreckage + too, and was concerned to see how the trees and fields had + suffered. Still, the one would put forth new branches and fresh + leaves next year; and if the other had been roughly handled, + there was yet a salvage to be garnered. The ruin was not + irreparable, and he was in the mood to make the best of things. + Do not the first days of a happy love ever give the happiest + kind of philosophy for man and woman to go on?</p> + + <p>And he was happy in his love. Who more so? He was on his way + now to Ford House as a man going to his own, serene and + confident of his possession. He had left his treasure + overnight, and he went to take it up again, sure to find it + where he had laid it down. He had no thought of the thief who + might have stolen it in the dark hours, of the rust that might + have cankered it in the chill of the gray morning. He only + pictured to himself its beauty, its sweetness and undimmed + radiance—only remembered that this treasure was his, his + own and his only, unshared by any, and known in its excellence + by none before him.</p> + + <p>He rode up to the door glad, dominant, assured. Life was + very pleasant to the strong man and ardent lover—the + English gentleman with his happiness in his own keeping, and + his future marked out in a clear broad pathway before him. + There was no cloud in his sky, no shadow on his sea: it was all + sunshine and serenity—man the master of his own fate and + the ruler of circumstance—man the supreme over all + things, a woman's past included.</p> + + <p>Not seeing Leam in the garden, Edgar rang the bells and was + shown into the drawing-room, where she was sitting alone. The + down-drawn blinds had darkened the room to a pleasant gloom for + eyes somewhat overpowered by the blazing sunshine and the + dazzling white clouds flung like heaps of snow against the hard + bright blue of the sky; yet something struck more chill than + restful on the lover as he came through the doorway, little + fanciful or sentimental as he was.</p> + + <p>Leam, who had not been in bed through the night, was sitting + on the sofa in the remotest and darkest part of the room. She + rose as he entered—rose only, not coming forward to meet + him, but standing in her place silent, pale, yet calm and + collected. She did not look at him, but neither did she blush + nor tremble. There was something statuesque, almost dead, about + her—something that was not the same Leam whom he had + known from the first.</p> + + <p>He went up to her, both hands held out. She shrank back and + folded hers in each other, still not looking at him.</p> + + <p>"Why, Leam, what is it?" he cried in amazement, pained, + shocked at her action. Was she in her right mind? Had + <span class="pagenum">[pg 724]</span> she heard of his former + attentions to Adelaide, divined their ultimate meaning, and + been seized with a mad idea of sacrifice and generosity? It + must be with Adelaide, he thought, rapidly reviewing his past. + He was absolutely safe about Violet Cray, who had never known + his name; and those later Indian affairs were dead and as good + as buried. What, then, did it mean?</p> + + <p>"No, not till you have heard me," said Leam in a low voice. + "And never after."</p> + + <p>"My darling! what is it?" he repeated.</p> + + <p>"You must not call me dear names: I am unworthy," said Leam. + "No," checking him as he would have spoken, smiling with a + sense of relief that her craze—if it was a + craze—went to the visionary side of her own unworthiness, + and was not due to any knowledge of his misdemeanors, as she + might think them. "Do not speak. I have to tell you. I had + forgotten it," she went on to say in the same tense, compressed + manner—the manner of one who has a task to get through, + and has gathered all her strength for the effort, leaving none + to be squandered in emotion—"I was so happy in these last + days I had forgotten it. Now I have remembered, and we must + part."</p> + + <p>Edgar was grieved to see her in such deadly trouble, for it + was easy to see her pain beneath her still exterior, but he was + confident, and if grieved not afraid. Leam's little life, so + innocent and uneventful as it must have been, could hold no + such tremendous evil, could have been smirched with no such + damning stain, as that at which she seemed to hint. Grant even + that there had been something more between her and Alick + Corfield than he would quite like to hear—which was his + first thought—still, that more must needs be very little, + could but be very simple. His wife must be spotless—that + he knew, and he would marry none whose past was not as + unsullied as new-fallen snow, as unsullied as must be her + future—absolute purity—the unruffled emotions of a + maidenhood undisturbed until now even by dreams, even by + visions. He owed it to himself and his position that his wife, + man of many loves as he was, should be this; but at the worst + the childish affection of brother and sister, which was all + that could possibly have been between Leam and that awkward + young gangrel Alick Corfield, could have nothing in it that he + ought to take to heart or that should influence him. Yes, he + might smile and not be afraid. And indeed her delicate + conscience was another grace in his eyes. He loved her more + than ever for the honesty that must confess all its little + sins. Sweet Leam! Leam having to confess! Leam! she who was + almost too modest for an ordinary lover's comfort, needing to + be tamed out of her savage bashfulness, not to be reproved for + transgressing the proper reticence of an English maid. It was a + pretty play, but it was only a play.</p> + + <p>"Come and sit by me and make full confession, my darling," + he said lovingly.</p> + + <p>"I will stand where I am. You sit," said Leam, without + looking at him.</p> + + <p>He seated himself on the sofa. "And now what has my little + culprit to say for herself?" he asked pleasantly, putting on a + playful magisterial air.</p> + + <p>"It is over," said Leam, her hands pressed in each other + with so tight a clasp that the strained knuckles were white and + started. "You must not love me: I cannot be your wife."</p> + + <p>"Why?" He showed his square white teeth beneath the golden + sweep of his moustache, his moist red lips parted, always + smiling.</p> + + <p>"I have done a great crime," said Leam in a low, monotonous + voice.</p> + + <p>"A crime! That is a large word for a small + peccadillo—larger than any sin of yours merits, my + sweetheart."</p> + + <p>"You do not know," said Leam with a despairing gesture. "How + can you know when you have not heard?"</p> + + <p>"Well, what may be its name?" he asked, willing to humor + her.</p> + + <p>She paused for a moment: then with a visible effort, drawing + in her breath, she said, in a voice that was unnaturally calm + and low, "I killed madame."</p> + + <p>"Leam!" cried Edgar, "how can you talk such nonsense? The + thing is growing beyond a joke. Unsay your words; they are a + wrong done to <i>me</i>."</p> + + <p><span class="pagenum">[pg 725]</span> He had started to his + feet while he spoke, and now stood before her with a strangely + scared and startled face. Naturally, as such a man would, he + was resolute not to accept such a terrible confession, and one + so unlikely, so impossible; but something in the girl's voice + and manner, something in its sad, still reality, seemed to + overpower his determination to find this simply a bad joke + which she was playing off on his credulity. And then the thing + fitted only too well. He had heard half a dozen times of Madame + de Montfort's sudden death, and how very strange it was that + the draught which she had taken so often with impunity before + should have been found so laden with prussic acid on the first + night of her homecoming as to kill her in an instant—how + strange, too, that not the strictest search or inquiry could + come upon a trace of such poison bought or possessed by any + member of the family, for what police-officer would look to + find a sixty-minim bottle of prussic acid concealed among the + coils of a young girl's hair? And when Leam said in that quiet + if desperate manner that it was she who had killed madame, her + words made the whole mystery clear and solved the as yet + unsolved problem.</p> + + <p>Nevertheless, he would not believe her, but said again, + passionately, "Unsay your words, Leam: they offend me."</p> + + <p>"I cannot," said Leam.</p> + + <p>He laughed scornfully. "Kill Madame de Montfort. Absurd! You + could not. It was impossible for a girl like you to kill any + one," he cried in broken sentences. "How could you do such a + thing, Leam, and not be found out? Silly child! you are + raving."</p> + + <p>"I put poison into the bottle, and she died," said Leam in a + half whisper.</p> + + <p>"Leam! you a murderess!"</p> + + <p>She quivered at the word, at the tone of loathing, of + abhorrence, of almost terror, in which he said it, but she held + her terrible ground. She had begun her martyrdom, her agony of + atonement for the sake of truth and love, and she must go + through now to the end. "Yes," she said, "I am a murderess. Now + you know all, and why you must not love me."</p> + + <p>"I cannot believe you," he pleaded helplessly. "It is too + horrible. My darling, say that you have told me this to try + me—that it is not true, and that you are still my own, my + very own, my pure and sinless Leam."</p> + + <p>He knelt at her feet, clasping her waist. He was not of + those who, like Alick, could bear the sin of the beloved as the + sacrifice of pride, of self, of soul to that love. He himself + might be stained from head to heel with the soil of sin, but + his wife must be, as has been said, without flaw or blemish, + immaculate and free from fault. Any lapse, involving the loss + of repute should it ever be made public, would have been the + death-knell of his hopes, the requiem of his love; but such an + infamy as this! If true it was only too final.</p> + + <p>"Oh, no! no! do not do that," cried Leam, trying to unclasp + his hands. "Do not kneel to me. I ought to kneel to you," she + added with a little cry that struck with more than pity to + Edgar's heart, and that nearly broke her down for so much + relaxing of the strain, so much yielding to her grief, as it + included.</p> + + <p>"Leam, tell me you are joking—tell me that you did not + do this awful thing," he cried again, his handsome face, + blanched and drawn, upturned to her in agony.</p> + + <p>She put her hands over her eyes. "I cannot lie to you," she + said. "And I must not degrade you. Do not touch me: I am not + good enough to be touched by you."</p> + + <p>He loosened his arms, and she shrank from him almost as if + she faded away.</p> + + <p>"Why did you deceive me?" he groaned. "You should not have + let me love you, knowing the truth."</p> + + <p>"I did not know that you loved me, or that I loved you, till + that night," she pleaded piteously. "If I had known I would + have prevented it. I have told you as soon as I + remembered."</p> + + <p>"You have broken my heart," he cried, flinging himself on + the sofa, his face buried in the cushions. And then, strong man + as he was, a brave soldier and an English country gentleman, he + burst into a passion of tears that shook him as the storm had + shaken the earth last night—tears + <span class="pagenum">[pg 726]</span> that were the culmination + of his agony, not its relief.</p> + + <p>Leam stood by him as pale as the shattered lilies in the + garden. What could she do? How could she comfort him? Tainted + and dishonored, she dared not even lay her hand on + his—her infamous and murderous hand, and he so pure and + noble! Neither could she pray for him, nor yet for herself. + Pray? to whom? To God? God had turned His face away from her, + even as her lover had now turned away his: He was angry with + her, and still unappeased. She dared not pray to Him, and He + would not hear her if she did. The saints were no longer the + familiar and parental deities, grave and helpful, to whom she + could refer all her sorrows and perplexities, as in earlier + times, sure of speedy succor. The teaching of the later days + had destroyed the simple fetichism of childhood; and + now—afraid of God, by whom she was unforgiven; the saints + swept out of her spiritual life like those mist-wreaths of + morning which were once taken for solid towers and impregnable + fortresses; the Holy Mother vanished with the rest; all + spiritual help a myth, all spiritual consolation gone—how + could she pray? Lonely as her life had been since mamma died, + it had never been so lonely as now, when she felt that God had + abandoned her, and that she had sacrificed her lover to her + sense of truth and honor and what was due to his nobility.</p> + + <p>She stood by him and watched his passionate outburst with + anguish infinitely more intense than his own. To have caused + him this sorrow was worse than to have endured it for herself. + There was no sacrifice of self that she could not have made for + his good. Spaniard as she was, she would have been above + jealousy if another woman would have made him happier than she; + and if her death would have given him gain or joy, she would + have died for him as another would have lived. Yet it was she, + and she only, who was causing him this pain, who was destroying + his happiness and breaking his heart.</p> + + <p>She dared not speak nor move. It took all the strength she + drew from silence to keep her from breaking into a more + terrible storm of grief than even that into which he had + fallen. She dared not make a sign, but simply stood there, + doing her best to bear her heavy burden to the end. The only + feeling that she had for herself was that it was cruel not to + let her die, and why did not mute anguish kill her?</p> + + <p>For the rest, she knew that she had done the thing that was + right, however hard. It was not fitting that she should be his + wife; and it was better that he should suffer for the moment + than be degraded for all time by association with one so + shameful, so dishonored, as herself.</p> + + <p>Presently, Edgar cleared his eyes and lifted up his face. He + was angry with himself for this unmanly burst of feeling, and + because angry with himself disposed for the moment to be hard + on her. She was standing there in exactly the same spot and + just the same attitude as before, her head a little bent, her + hands twined in each other, her eyes with the pleading, + frightened look of confession turned timidly to him; but as he + raised himself from the sofa, pushing back his hair and + striding to the window as if to hide the fact of his having + shed tears, she turned her eyes to the floor. She was beginning + to feel now that she must not even look at him. The gulf that + separated them, dug by her own ineffaceable crime, was so deep, + the distance so wide!</p> + + <p>A painful silence fell between them: then Edgar, not looking + at her, said in a constrained voice, "I will keep your dreadful + secret, Leam, sacredly for ever. You feel sure of that, I hope. + But, as you say, we must part. I do not pretend to be better + than other men, but I could not take as my wife one who had + been guilty of such an awful crime as this."</p> + + <p>"No," said Leam, her parched lips scarcely able to form a + word at all.</p> + + <p>"Your secret will be safe with me," he repeated.</p> + + <p>She did not reply. In giving up himself she had given up all + that made life lovely, and the refuse might as well go as + not.</p> + + <p><span class="pagenum">[pg 727]</span> "But we must + part."</p> + + <p>"Yes," said Leam.</p> + + <p>He turned back to the window, desperately troubled. He did + really love her, passionately, sincerely. He longed at this + very moment to take her in his arms and tell her that he would + accept her crime if only he might have herself. Had he not been + the master of the Hill and a Harrowby he would have done so, + but the master of the Hill and the head of the house of + Harrowby had a character to maintain and a social ideal to keep + pure. He could not bring into such a home as his, present to + his mother as her daughter, to his sisters as their sister, a + girl who by her own confession was a murderess—a girl + who, if the law had its due, would be hanged by the neck in the + precincts of the county jail till she was dead. He might have + been sinful enough in his own life, in the ordinary way of + men—and truly there were passages in his past that would + scarcely bear the light—but what were the worst of his + misdemeanors compared with this awful crime? No: he must + resolutely crush the last lingering impulse of tenderness, and + leave her to work through her own tribulation, as he also must + work through his.</p> + + <p>"But we must part," he said for a third time.</p> + + <p>Her lips quivered. She did not answer, only bent her head in + sign of acquiescence.</p> + + <p>"It is hard to say it, harder still to do; and I who loved + you so dearly!" cried Edgar with the angry despair of a man + forced against himself to give up his desire.</p> + + <p>She put up her hands. "Don't!" she said with a sharp cry. "I + cannot bear to hear about your love."</p> + + <p>He gave a sudden sob. Her love for him was very precious to + him—his for her very strong.</p> + + <p>"Why did you tell me?" he then said. "And yet you did the + right thing to tell me: I was wrong to say that. It was good of + you, Leam—noble, like yourself."</p> + + <p>"I love you. That is not being noble," she answered slowly + and with infinite pathos. "I could not have deceived you after + I remembered."</p> + + <p>"You are too noble to deceive," he said, holding out his + hand.</p> + + <p>Leam turned away. "I am not fit to touch your hand," she + said, the very pride of contrition in her voice—pride for + him, if humiliation for herself.</p> + + <p>"For this once," he pleaded.</p> + + <p>"I am unworthy," she answered.</p> + + <p>At this moment little Fina came jumping into the room. She + had in her hand a rose-colored scarf that had once been poor + madame's, and which the nurse, turning out an old box of hers, + had found and given to the child.</p> + + <p>After she had kissed Edgar, played with his + <i>bréloques</i>, looked at the works of his watch, + plaited his beard into three strings, and done all that she + generally did in the way of welcome, she shook out the gauze + scarf over her dress.</p> + + <p>"This was mamma's—my own mamma's," she said. "Leam + will never tell me about mamma: you tell me, Major Harrowby," + coaxingly.</p> + + <p>"I cannot: I did not know her," said Edgar in an altered + voice, while Leam looked as if her judgment had come, but bore + it as she had borne all the rest, resolutely.</p> + + <p>"I want to hear about mamma, and who killed her," pouted + Fina.</p> + + <p>"Hush, Fina," said Leam in an agony: "you must not + talk."</p> + + <p>"You always say that, Leam, when I want to hear about + mamma," was the child's petulant reply.</p> + + <p>"Go away now, dear little Fina," said Edgar, who felt all + that Leam must feel at these inopportune words, and who, + moreover, weak as he was in this direction, was longing for one + last caress.</p> + + <p>"I will go and send her nurse," said Leam, half staggering + to the door.</p> + + <p>Had anything been wanting to show her the impossibility of + their marriage, this incident of Fina's random but incisive + words would have been enough.</p> + + <p>"Leam! not one word more?" he asked as he stood against the + door, holding the handle in his hand.</p> + + <p>"No," she said hopelessly. "What words can we have + together?"</p> + + <p><span class="pagenum">[pg 728]</span> "And we are parting + like this, and for ever?"</p> + + <p>"For ever. Yes, it has to be for ever," she answered almost + mechanically.</p> + + <p>"Leam, why did you love me?" he cried, taking her hands in + his and keeping them.</p> + + <p>"How could I help it? Who would not love you?" she + answered.</p> + + <p>Again he gave a sudden heavy sob, and again the poor pale, + tortured face reflected the pain it witnessed.</p> + + <p>"Good-bye!" she then said, drawing her hands from his. + "Remember only, when you blame me, that I told you, not to let + you be degraded. And forgive me before I die, for I loved + you—ah, better than my own life!"</p> + + <p>With a sudden impulse she stooped forward, took back his + right hand in both of hers, pressed it to her bosom, kissed it + passionately again and again, then turned with one faint, + half-suppressed moan, and left him. And as he heard her light + feet cross the hall, wearily, heavily, as the feet of a mourner + dragging by the grave of the beloved, he knew that his dream of + love was over. But, with the strange satire of the senses in + moments of sorrow, noting ever the most trivial things, Edgar + noted specially the powerful perfume of a spray of lemon-plant + which she bruised as she pressed his hand against her + breast.</p> + + <p>That evening Edgar Harrowby went down to the rectory. He was + strong enough in physique and in some phases of will, but he + was not strong all through, and he had never been able to face + unassisted the first desolation of a love-disappointment.</p> + + <p>Adelaide, in a picturesque dress and her most becoming mood, + welcomed him with careful cordiality as a prodigal whose husks, + clinging about his coat, were to be handled tenderly as if they + were pearls. She saw that something was gravely wrong, and she + grasped the line of connection if she did not understand the + issue; but, mindful of the doctrine of letting well + alone—also of that of catching a heart at the + rebound—she made no allusion in the beginning, but let + her curiosity gnaw her like the Spartan boy's fox without + making a sign. At last, however, her curiosity became + impatience, and her impatience conquered her reserve. She was + clever in her generation and fairly self-controlled, but she + was only a woman, after all.</p> + + <p>"And when did you see that eccentric little lady, Miss + Leam?" she asked with a smile—not a bitter smile, merely + one of careless amusement, as if Leam was acknowledged to be a + comical subject of conversation and one naturally provoking a + smile.</p> + + <p>"Dear Adelaide," said Edgar, not looking at her, but + speaking with unusual earnestness, "do not speak ill of Leam + Dundas—neither to me nor to any one else. I ask it as a + favor."</p> + + <p>Adelaide turned pale. "Tell me only one thing, Edgar: are + you going to marry her?" she asked, her manner as earnest as + his own, but with a different meaning.</p> + + <p>"No. Marry her? Good God, no!" was his vehement reply. Then + more tenderly: "But for all that do not speak ill of her. Will + you promise, dear, good friend?"</p> + + <p>"Yes, I will promise," she answered with what was for her + fervor and a sudden look of intense relief. "I never will + again, Edgar; and I am sorry if I have hurt you at any time by + what I may have said. I did not mean to do so."</p> + + <p>"No, I know you did not. I can appreciate your motives, and + they were good," Edgar answered with emotion; and then their + two pairs of fine blue eyes met, and both pairs were moist.</p> + + <p>This was just at the moment when Leam, pale, rigid as a + statue, thickly veiled, and holding a box in her hand, met Mr. + Gryce in Steel's Wood, he having gone to catch such rare + specimens of sleeping lepidoptera as the place afforded and his + eyes could discern.</p><a name='CHAPTER_XXXVIII' + id="CHAPTER_XXXVIII"></a> + + <h3>CHAPTER XXXVIII.</h3> + + <h3>BLOTTED OUT.</h3> + + <p>Gone! no one knew where. Gone in the night like a falling + star, like a passing cloud—gone and left no trace, + vanished <span class="pagenum">[pg 729]</span> like the + sunshine of yesterday or the flowers of last spring! No one + knew what had become of her, and no one knew where to look for + her; for the sole information gathered by the scared neighbors + was, that Leam Dundas was missing and no one had seen her + go.</p> + + <p>She was thought by some to have simply run away after the + manner of undisciplined youth aiming at mock heroism; but + where, or with whom? for, said the keen-eyed women and + large-mouthed men, incredulous of maiden meditation fancy free, + a pretty young thing of nineteen would never have left her + comfortable home, her father, friends and good name, without + some lover stirring in the matter. And this lover was just the + missing link not to be found anywhere. Others said she had + drowned herself; but here, again, Why? Young girls do not give + up their precious freight of hope in love and present joy in + youth for a trifling ailment or a temporary annoyance. And + nothing worse than either could have befallen Leam, said the + reasoners, putting their little twos and twos together and + totting up the items with the serene accuracy of spiritual + arithmeticians, dealing with human emotion as if it was a sum + in long division which any schoolboy could calculate.</p> + + <p>Edgar Harrowby, however, who came forward manfully enough to + say when and where—if not how—he had last seen Miss + Dundas, leant to the side of the believers in suicide, and on + his own responsibility ordered the Broad to be dragged. Which + looked ugly, said a few of the rasher spirits in the village, + cherishing suspicion of their betters as the birthright which + had never had a chance of being bartered for a mess of pottage; + while the more contemptuous, critical after the event, gave it + as their opinion that the major had a bee in his bonnet + somewhere, for what gentleman in his seven sane senses would + have looked for such a mare's nest as Miss Leam Dundas lying + among the bulrushes of the Broad? Drowned herself? No: it was + no drowning of herself that had come to little miss, be sure of + that.</p> + + <p>What, however, had come to her no one knew. The fact only + was certain: she had gone, and no one had met her coming or + seen her going, and for all trace left she might as well have + melted into air like one of the fairy women of romance. To be + sure, the servants had heard her in her room in the early + evening, and she had refused the tea which they had brought + her, and told them, through the closed door, that she wanted + nothing more that night. So they left her to herself, supposing + her to be in one of her queer moods, to which they were used to + give but scant heed, and not thinking more about her. The next + morning she was missing, but when she had gone was as dark as + where.</p> + + <p>The discovery, later in the day, that certain effects, such + as her mother's dressing-case and a few personal necessities of + daily use, were gone too, seemed to dispose effectually of the + theory of suicide; though what remained, a lover, companion of + her flight, being wanting? It was a strange thing altogether, + and the country was alive with wild theories and wild reports. + But in a few days a letter from Mr. Dundas to the rector, and + another to Edgar, set the question of self-destruction at rest, + though also they gave loose to other energies of conjecture, + for in both he said, "No harm has come to her, and I am content + to let her remain where she has elected to place herself."</p> + + <p>As it was just this <i>where</i> which tormented the folk + with the sense of mystery and made them eager for news, the + father's meagre explanation—which, in point of fact, was + no explanation at all—was not found very satisfactory, + and a few hard words were said of Mr. Dundas, his reserve to + the world being taken for the same thing as indifference to his + daughter, and resented as an offence. But for the third time in + his life Sebastian was found capable of maintaining this + impenetrable reserve. Pepita's true status in her own + country—madame's suspicious debts and those damaging + letters from London—Leam's hiding-place: he had had + strength enough to keep his own counsel about the first two + unbroken, and now he betrayed no more about this last. It may + as well be said <span class="pagenum">[pg 730]</span> that for + this he had sufficient reason. Leam, who had confessed her + crime, and announced her intention of flight and of hiding + herself where no one should find her again, had not told him + more than these bare bones of the story. And he did not care to + know more. The skeleton was horrible enough as it stood: he was + by no means inclined to clothe it with the flesh of detail, + still less to follow his erring child to her place of exile. He + was content that she should be blotted out. It was the sole + reparation that she could make.</p> + + <p>This sudden disappearance ended the foreign tour which had + been Josephine's sweetest anticipations of the honeymoon, for + Mr. Dundas turned back for home at once, intending to put up + Ford House for sale and leave the place for ever. He was + ashamed to live at North Aston, he said, after Leam's + extraordinary conduct, her shameful, shameless + <i>esclandre</i>, which—said Josephine to her own people, + weeping—she supposed was due to her, the poor little + thing not liking her for a stepmother.</p> + + <p>"Though, indeed, she need not have been afraid," said the + good creature effusively, "for I had intended to be kindness + itself to the poor dear girl."</p> + + <p>And when she said this, Mrs. Harrowby who never failed an + opportunity for moral cautery, remarked dryly, "In all + probability it is as well as it is, Josephine. You would have + been very uncomfortable with her, and would have been sure to + have spoiled her. And, as Adelaide Birkett always says, very + sensibly, she is odd enough already. She need not be made more + so."</p> + + <p>Maria threw out a doubt as to whether Mr. Dundas had heard + from Leam at all. It was not like Sebastian to be so close, she + said; but Josephine assured her that he had, and bridled a + little at the vapory insinuation that Sebastian was not + perfect. She detailed the whole circumstance with all the facts + fully fringed and feathered. He had received the letter just as + they were preparing to go to the Louvre, but he had not shown + it to her, and she had not asked to see it. She saw, though, + that he was much agitated when he read it, but he had put it in + his pocket, and when she looked for it it was not there. All + that he had said was, "Leam has left home, Josephine, and we + must go back at once." Of course she had not asked questions, + she said with a pleasant little assumption of wifely + submission. Her search in her husband's pockets was only what + might have been expected from the average woman, but the wifely + submission was special.</p> + + <p>For this curtailment of their sister's enjoyment Maria and + Fanny judged Leam almost more severely than for any other + delinquency involved in her flight. They spoke as if she had + planned it purposely to vex her father and his bride in their + honeymoon and deprive them of their lawful pleasure; but + Josephine never blamed her as they did, and when they were most + bitter cast in her little words of soothing and excused her + with more zeal than evidence—excused her sometimes to the + point of making her sisters angry with her and inclined to + accuse her of her old failing, meek-spiritedness carried to the + verge of self-abasement.</p> + + <p>But the one who suffered most of all those left to lament or + to wonder was poor Alick Corfield. It was a misery to see him + with his hollow cheeks and haggard eyes, like an animal that + has been hunted into lone places, terrified and looking for a + way of escape, or like a dog that has lost its master. He tried + every method known to him to gain information of her directly + or indirectly, but Mr. Dundas, ignorant himself, had only to + guard that ignorance from breaking out. As for knowledge, he + could not give what he did not possess, and the terrible thing + that he did know he was not likely to let appear.</p> + + <p>One day when the poor fellow broke down, as was not unusual + with him when asking about Leam—and Mr. Dundas read him + like a book, all save that one black page where the beloved + name stood inscribed in letters of his own heart's blood + between the words "crime" and "murder"—with a woman's + liking for saying pleasant things which soothed those who heard + them, and did no hurt to those who said them save for the + insignificant <span class="pagenum">[pg 731]</span> manner in + which falsehood hurts the soul, Sebastian, laying his hand + kindly on the poor fellow's angular shoulder, said, "I am sorry + to know as much as I do, Alick. There is no one to whom I would + have given her so readily as to you, my dear boy. Indeed, it + was always one of my hopes for the future, poor misguided + child! and I can see that it was yours too. Ah, how I grieve + that it is impossible!"</p> + + <p>"Why impossible?" asked Alick, who had the faculty of faith, + his pale face flushing.</p> + + <p>Mr. Dundas turned white. A look not so much of pain as of + abhorrence came into his face. "Impossible!" he said + vehemently. "I would not curse my greatest enemy with my + daughter's hand."</p> + + <p>Alick felt his blood run cold. What did he mean? Did he know + all, or was he speaking only with the angry feeling of a man + who had been disappointed and annoyed? There was a short pause. + Then said Alick, looking straight into Sebastian's eyes and + speaking very slowly, but with not too much emphasis, "I would + hold myself blessed with her as my wife had she even committed + murder."</p> + + <p>Mr. Dundas started perceptibly. "Oh," he answered after a + moment's hesitation, with a forced and sickly kind of smile, "a + silly girl's wrong-headedness does not reach quite so far as + that. She has done wrong, miserably wrong, but between + withdrawing herself from her father's house and committing such + a crime as murder there is rather a wide difference. All the + same, I am disgraced by her folly," angrily, "and I will not + let any one—not even you, Alick—know where she + is."</p> + + <p>"That is cruel to those who love her," pleaded Alick, his + eyes filling with tears.</p> + + <p>"If cruel it is necessary," said Mr. Dundas.</p> + + <p>"But she must need friends about her now more than she ever + did," urged Alick. "Tell me at least where to find her, that I + may do what I can to console her."</p> + + <p>Mr. Dundas shook his head. "No," he said sternly, "She is + dead to me, and shall be dead to my friends. She is blotted out + from my love, and I will blot her out from my memory; and no + one's persuasions can bring back what is effaced. Now, my dear + boy, let us understand one another. I have surprised your + secret: you love my daughter, and had she been worthy of you I + would have given her to you more willingly than to any one I + know. But she herself has fixed the gulf between us, which I + will not pass nor help any one else to pass. Learn to look on + her as dead, for she is dead to me, to you, to the world."</p> + + <p>"Never to me," cried Alick. "While she lives she must be + always to me what she has been from the first day I saw her. + Whatever she has done, I shall always love her as much as I do + now."</p> + + <p>"You are faithful," replied Sebastian, "but trust me, boy, + no woman that ever lived was worth so much fidelity. I will + protect you against your own wish, and be your friend in spite + of yourself. You shall not know where she is, and you shall not + throw yourself away on her. As she has elected to be effaced, + she shall be effaced—blotted out for ever."</p> + + <p>"Then I will consecrate my life to finding her," cried Alick + warmly.</p> + + <p>Mr. Dundas shrugged his shoulders. "Who can persuade a + willful man against his folly?" he said coldly. "You are + following a marsh-light, my boy, and if you do find it you will + only be landed in a bog."</p> + + <p>"If I find her I shall have found my reward," Alick answered + with boyish fervor. "It will be happiness enough for me if I + can bring back one smile to her face or lighten one hour of its + sorrow."</p> + + <p>"Let well alone," said Mr. Dundas; but Alick answered, "Not + till it is well; and God will help me."</p> + + <p>Whereupon the interview ended, and Alick left the house, + feeling something as one of the knights of old might have felt + when he had vowed himself to the quest of the Holy Grail.</p> + + <p>When Mr. Dundas came home, naturally the families called, as + in duty bound and by inclination led. Excitement concerning + <span class="pagenum">[pg 732]</span> Ford House was at its + height, for there were two things to keep it alive—the + one to see how the bride and bridegroom looked, the other to + try and pick up something definite about Leam. And among the + rest came Mr. Gryce, with his floating white locks falling + about his bland cherubic face, his mild blue eyes with their + trick of turning red on small provocation, and his lisping + manner of speech, ingenuous, interrogatory, and knowing nothing + when interrogated in his turn—somehow gleaning full ears + wherever he passed, and dropping not even a solitary stalk of + straw in return. He expressed his sorrow that he had not seen + lately his young friend, Miss Dundas.</p> + + <p>"In my secluded life," he said, his eyelids reddening, "she + is like a beautiful bird that flashes through the dull sky for + a moment, but leaves the atmosphere brighter than before." He + glanced round the room as if looking for her. "I hope she is + well?" he added, not attempting to conceal a certain accent of + disappointment at her absence.</p> + + <p>"Quite well when I heard from her," answered Mr. Dundas, + doing his best to speak without embarrassment.</p> + + <p>Mr. Gryce turned his face in frank astonishment on the + speaker. "Ah! She is from home, then?" he asked.</p> + + <p>"Yes," said Mr. Dundas curtly.</p> + + <p>"I had not heard," lisped the tenant of Lionnet. "But I + myself have been from home for a few days, and have just + returned. Though, indeed, present or absent, I know very little + of my neighbors' doings, as you may see. I did not even know + that Miss Dundas was from home."</p> + + <p>"Yet it was pretty widely talked about," said Mr. Dundas, + with a certain suspicious glance at the cherubic face smiling + innocently into his.</p> + + <p>"Doubtless the absence of Miss Dundas must have caused a + gap," replied Mr. Gryce, "but you see, as I said, I have been + away myself, and when I am at home I do not gossip."</p> + + <p>"Have—Where have you been?" asked Mr. Dundas abruptly, + with that sudden glance as suddenly withdrawn which tells of a + half-formed suspicion neither dwelt on nor clearly made + out.</p> + + <p>"To Paris," said Mr. Gryce demurely. "I went to + see—"</p> + + <p>"Oh! you went to see Notre Dame and La Madeleine of course," + interrupted Sebastian satirically.</p> + + <p>"No," answered Mr. Gryce with a cherubic smile. "Strange to + say, I had business connected with that odd drama of <i>Le + Sphinx</i>."</p> + + <p>There was not much more talk after this, and Mr. Gryce soon + took his leave, desiring to be most respectfully remembered to + Miss Dundas when her father next wrote, and to say that he was + keeping some pretty specimens of moths for her on her return; + both of which messages Sebastian promised to convey at the + earliest opportunity, improvising a counter-remark of Leam's + which he was sorry he could not remember accurately, but it was + something about butterflies and Mr. Gryce, though what it was + he could not positively say.</p> + + <p>"Never mind: I will take the will for the deed," said the + naturalist as he smiled himself through the doorway.</p> + + <p>And when he had gone Josephine declared that she did not + care if he never came again: there was something she did not + like about him. Pushed for a reason by her husband, who always + assumed a logical and masculine tone to her, she had not one to + produce, but she stumbled as if by chance on the word + "sinister," which was just what Mr. Gryce was not. So Sebastian + made her go into the library for the dictionary and hunt up the + word through all its derivations, and thus proved to her + incontestably that she was ignorant of the English language and + of human nature in about equal proportions.</p> + + <p>It was soon remarked at the post-office that no letter + addressed to Miss Dundas ever left North Aston, and that none + came to Mr. Dundas or any one else in the queer, cramped + handwriting which experience had taught Mrs. Pepper, + post-mistress as well as the keeper of the village general + shop, carried the sentiments of Leam Dundas. This caused a + curious little buzz in the lower parts of the hive + <span class="pagenum">[pg 733]</span> when Mrs. Pepper + mentioned it to her friends and gossips; but as no fire can + live without fresh fuel, and as nothing whatever was heard of + Leam to stimulate curiosity or set new tales afloat, by degrees + her name dropped out of the daily discussions of the place, and + she was no longer interesting, because she had become used up + and talked out.</p> + + <p>Only, Mr. Gryce wrote more frequently than had been his wont + to Miss Gryce at Windy Brow in Cumberland—conjectured to + be his sister; and only, Alick never ceased in his attempts to + discover where his lost queen was hidden, though these attempts + had hitherto been hopelessly baffled, partly because he had not + an inch of foothold whence to make his first spring, nor the + thinnest clew to tell him which path to take.</p> + + <p>And as a purchaser, the final cause of whose existence + seemed to have been the unquestioning possession of Ford House, + came suddenly on the scene and took the whole thing as it + stood, Sebastian and his wife left the place, taking Fina with + them, and migrated to Paris to finish their interrupted + honeymoon. So now it was supposed that the last link connecting + Leam with North Aston was broken, and that she was indeed + blotted out and for ever.</p> + + <p>True love is faithful, and Alick Corfield's love was true. + Had all the world forsaken her, he would have remained + immovable in his old place and attitude of devotion—the + one fixed idea always possessing him to find her in her retreat + and restore her to self-respect and happiness by his undying + love. But how to find her? All sorts of mad projects passed + through his brain, but mad projects need some methods, and + methods in harmony with existing conditions, if they are to + bring success; and Alick's vague resolves to go out and look + for her had no more meaning in them than the random moves of a + bad chessplayer.</p> + + <p>Had Sir Lancelot lived at the present time, he would have + gone to Camelot by express, like meaner souls; and had Sir + Galahad set out on his quest in the latter half of the + nineteenth century, he would have either advertised in the + newspapers or have employed a detective for the first part of + his undertaking. So, had Alick gone to Scotland Yard and taken + the police into his confidence, Leam would have been found in + less than a week; but as he shrank from bringing her into + contact with the force mainly associated with crime, he was + left to his own devices unassisted, and these devices ended + only in constantly-recurring disappointment, and consequent + increase of sorrow.</p> + + <p>His sorrow indeed was so great, and told on him so heavily, + that every one said he was going to die. He had been left thin + and gaunt enough by his illness, but distress of mind, coupled + with weakness of body, reduced him to a kind of sketchy + likeness of Don Quixote—his pure soul and honest nature + the only beautiful things about him—while his mother's + heart was as nearly broken as his + own.</p><a name='CHAPTER_XXXIX' + id="CHAPTER_XXXIX"></a> + + <h3>CHAPTER XXXIX.</h3> + + <h3>WINDY BROW.</h3><br /> + + + <p>While North Aston was employing its time in wondering, and + Alick Corfield was breaking his heart in sorrowing, Leam was + doing battle with her despair and distress at Windy + Brow—doing the best she could to keep her senses clear + and to live through the penance which she had inflicted on + herself.</p> + + <p>So far, Mrs. Pepper's conclusions, based on a badly-gummed + envelope, were right: Miss Gryce of Windy Brow was the sister + of Mr. Gryce of Lionnet, though even Mrs. Pepper did not know + that Leam Dundas, under the name of Leonora Darley, was living + with her.</p> + + <p>It is not the most obvious agents that are the most + influential. The greatest things in Nature are the work of the + smallest creatures, and our lives are manipulated far more by + unseen influences, known only to ourselves, than by those + patent to the world. In all North Aston, Mr. Gryce was the man + who had apparently the least hold on the place and the + slightest connection with the people. He had come there by + accident and by choice lived in retirement, + <span class="pagenum">[pg 734]</span> though also by choice he + had not been there a month before he knew all there was to be + known of every individual for miles round. The merest chances + had made him personally acquainted with Sebastian + Dundas—those chances his tenancy of Lionnet and the + slight attack of fever which called forth his landlord's + sentiment and pity. Through the father he came to know the + daughter, when the prying curiosity of his nature, his liking + for secret influence and concealed action, together with the + kind heart at bottom, and his real affection for the girl whose + confidence he had partly forced and partly won, threw the whole + secret into his hands and made him master of the + situation—the keeper of the seal set against the writings + whom no one suspected of complicity. This was exactly the kind + of thing he liked, and the kind of thing that suited him, human + mole, born detective and conspirator as he was.</p> + + <p>When Leam met him in the wood on the evening of her + confession to Edgar, she met him with the deliberate intention + of confessing her fearful secret to him too, and of asking him + to help her to escape, like the friend which he had promised he + would be. She knew that it was impossible for her now to live + at North Aston, and the sole desire she had was to be blotted + out, as she had been.</p> + + <p>There was no excitement about her, no feverish exaltation + that would burn itself cold before twenty-four hours were + over—only the dead dreariness of heartbreak, the + tenacious resolution of despair. She neither wept nor wrung her + hands, but quiet, pale, rigid, she told her terrible story in + the low and level tones in which a Greek Fate might have + spoken, as sad and as immutable. She had sinned, and now had + made such atonement as she could by confession—to her + lover to save him from pollution, to her father to cancel his + obligations to her, to her friend to be helped in her lifelong + penance. This done, she had strengthened herself to bear all + that might come to her with that resignation of remorse which + demands no rights and inherits no joys. She was not one of + those emotional half-hearted creatures who resolve one day, + break down the next, and drift always. For good and evil alike + she had the power to hold where she had gripped and to maintain + what she had undertaken; and even her life at Windy Brow did + not shake her.</p> + + <p>And that life might well have shaken both a stronger mind + and even a more resolute will than hers.</p> + + <p>A square stone house of eight rooms, set on a bleak + fell-side where the sun never shone, where no fruits ripened, + no flowers bloomed and no trees grew, save here and there a + dwarfed and twisted thorn covered with pale gray lichen and + bent by the wind into painful deformity of growth—a house + which had no garden, only a strip of rank, coarse grass before + the windows, with a potato-patch and kail-yard to the side; + where was no adornment within or without, no beauty of color, + no softness of line, merely a rugged, lonesome, square stone + tent set up on a mountain-spur, as it would seem for the + express reception of tortured penitents not seeking to soften + sorrow,—this was Windy Brow, the patrimony of the Gryces, + where Keziah, Emmanuel's eldest sister, lived and had lived + these sixty years and more.</p> + + <p>The house stood alone. Monk Grange, the hamlet to which it + geographically belonged—a place as bleak and bare as + itself, and which seemed to have been flung against the + fell-foot as if a brick-layer's hodman had pitched the hovels + at haphazard anyhow—was two good miles away, and the + market-town, to be got at only by crossing a dangerous moor, + was nine miles off—as far as Sherrington from North + Aston.</p> + + <p>The few poor dwellers in Monk Grange had little to do with + the market-town. They lived mostly on what they managed to + raise and rear among themselves—holding braxy mutton good + enough for feast-days, and oatmeal porridge all the year round + the finest food for men and bairns alike. As for the gudewives' + household necessaries, they were got by the carrier who passed + once a fortnight on their road; and for the rest, if aught was + wanting more than that which they <span class="pagenum">[pg + 735]</span> had, they did without, and, according to the local + saying, "want was t' master."</p> + + <p>Society of a cultured kind there was none. The clergyman was + an old man little if it all superior to the flock to which he + ministered. He was a St. Bees man, the son of a handloom + weaver, speaking broad Cumberland and hopelessly "dished" by a + hard word in the Bible. He was fond of his glass, and was to be + found every day of his life from three to nine at the Blucher, + smoking a clay pipe and drinking rum and milk. He had never + married, but he was by no means an ascetic in his morals, as + more than one buxom wench in his parish had proved; and in all + respects he was an anachronism, the like of which is rare now + among the fells and dales, though at one time it was the normal + type for the clergy of the remoter North Country districts.</p> + + <p>This old sinner—Priest Wilson as he was + called—and Miss Gryce of Windy Brow represented the + wealth and intellect of a place which was at the back of + everything, out of the highway of life and untouched by the + progress of history or science. And the one was not very much + superior to the other save in moral cleanliness; which, + however, counts for something.</p> + + <p>If North Aston had said with a sniff that Mr. Gryce was not + thoroughbred, what would have been its verdict on Sister + Keziah? He at least had rubbed off some of the native fell-side + mould by rolling about foreign parts, gathering experience if + not moss, and becoming rich in knowledge if not in guineas; but + Keziah, who had spent the last twenty years of her life in + close attendance on a paralytic old mother, had stiffened as + she stood, and the local mould encrusting her was very thick. + Nevertheless, she too had a good heart if a rough hand, and, + though eccentric almost to insanity, as one so often finds with + people living out of the line and influence of public opinion, + yet was as sound at the core as she was rude and odd in the + husk.</p> + + <p>She was a small woman, lean, wrinkled, and with a curious + mixture of primness and slovenliness in her dress. She wore a + false front, which she called a topknot, the small, crimped, + deep-brown mohair curls of which were bound about her forehead + with a bit of black velvet ribbon, while gray hairs straggled + from underneath to make the patent sham more transparent still; + and over her topknot she wore a rusty black cap that enclosed + the keen monkeyish face like a ruff. Her every-day gown was one + of coarse brown camlet, any number of years old, darned and + patched till it was like a Joseph's coat; and the Rob Roy + tartan shawl which she pinned across her bosom hid a state of + dilapidation which even she did not care should be seen. She + wore a black stuff apron full of fine tones from fruit-stains + and fire-scorchings; and she took snuff.</p> + + <p>She was reputed to be worth a mort of money, and she had + saved a goodly sum. It would have been more had she had the + courage to invest it; but she had a profound distrust of all + financial speculations—had not Emmanuel lost his share by + playing at knucklebones with it in the City?—and she was + not the fool to follow my leader into the mire. For her part, + she put her trust in teapots and stockings, with richer hoards + wrapped in rags and sewn up in the mattress, and here a few odd + pounds under the rice and there a few hidden in the coffee. + That was her idea of a banking account, and she held it to be + the best there was.</p> + + <p>"Don't lend your hat," she used to say, "and then you'll not + have to go bareheaded." And sometimes, talking of loans on + securities, she would take a pinch of snuff and say she + "reckoned nowt of that man who locked his own granary door and + gave another man the key."</p> + + <p>To all appearance, she lived only to scrape and hoard, + moidering away her loveless life on the futile energies and + sordid aims of a miser's wretched pleasures. But every now and + then she had risen up out of the slough into which she had + gradually sunk, and had done some grand things that marked her + name with so many white stones. While she gloried in her skill + in filching from the pig what would serve the chickens, in + making <span class="pagenum">[pg 736]</span> Jenny go short to + save to-day's baking of havre-bread, in skimping Tim's bowl of + porridge—his appetite being a burden on her estate which + she often declared would break her—she had more than once + given a hundred pounds at a blow to build a raft for a poor + drowning wretch who must otherwise have sunk. In fact, she was + one of those people who are small with the small things of life + and great with the great—who will grudge a daily dole of + a few threshed-out stalks of straw, but who sometimes, when + rightly touched, will shower down with both hands full sheaves + of golden grain. That is, she had mean aims, a bad temper, no + imagination, but the capacity for pity and generosity on + occasions.</p> + + <p>Above all things, she hated to be put out of the way or + intruded on. When her brother Emmanuel came down on her without + a word of warning, bringing a girl with eyes that, as she said, + made her feel foolish to look at, and a manner part scared, + part stony, and wholly unconformable, telling her to keep this + precious-bit madam like a bale of goods till called for, and to + do the best with it she could, she was justified, she said, in + splurging against his thoughtlessness and want of + consideration, taking a body like that all of a heap, without + With your leave or By your leave, or giving one a chance of + saying Yes I will, or No I won't.</p> + + <p>But though she splurged she gave way; and after she had + fumed and fussed, heckled the maid and harried the man, said + she didn't see as how she could, and she didn't think as how + she would, sworn there was no bedding fit to use, and that she + had no place for the things—apples and onions + chiefly—that were in the spare room if she gave it up for + the young lass's use, she seemed to quiet down, and going over + to Leam, standing mutely by the black-boarded fireplace, put on + her spectacles, peered up into her face, and said in shrill + tones, rasping as a saw, though she meant to be kind, "Ah, + well! I suppose it must be; so go your ways up stairs with + Jenny, bairn, and make yourself at home. It's little I have for + a fine young miss like you to play with, but what I have you're + welcome to; so make no bones about it: d'ye hear?"</p> + + <p>"But I am in your way," said Leam, not moving. "You do not + want me?"</p> + + <p>Miss Gryce laughed. "Want ye?" she shouted. "Want ye, do you + say? Nay, nay, honey, it was no wanting of you or your marras + that would ever have given me a headache, I'll ensure ye. But + now that you are here you can bide as long as you've a mind; + and you're welcome kindly. And Emmanuel there knows that my + word is as good as my bond, and what I say I mean."</p> + + <p>"Am I to stay?" asked Leam, turning to Mr. Gryce with a + certain forced humility which showed how much it cost her to + submit.</p> + + <p>"Yes," he answered, less cheerfully and more authoritatively + than was his manner at North Aston, speaking without a lisp and + with a full Cumberland accent. "It is the best thing I can do + for you—all I have to offer."</p> + + <p>To which Leam bent her sad head with pathetic + patience—pathetic indeed to those who knew the proud + spirit that it reported broken and humbled for ever. Following + the red-armed, touzled, ragged maid to the dingy cabin that was + to be her room, she left her friend to explain to his sister, + so far as he chose and could, the necessity under which he + found himself of leaving his adopted daughter, Leonora Darley, + in her care for a week or two, until such time as he should + return and claim her.</p> + + <p>"Your adopted daughter? God bless my soul, man! but you are + the daftest donnet I ever saw on two legs!" cried Keziah, + snatching up the coarse gray knitting which was the sole + unanchored circumstance in the room and casting off her heel + viciously. "What call had you to adopt a daughter—you + with never a wife to mother her nor a house of your own to take + her to? For I reckon nowt of your furnished houses here and + your beggarly apartments there, as you know. And now you can do + nothing better than bring her here to fash the life out of me + before the week's over! But that's always the way with you men. + You talk precious big, but it's mighty little you put + <span class="pagenum">[pg 737]</span> your hands to; and when + you hack out yokes for which you get a deal of praise, you take + care not to bear them on your own backs. It's us women who have + to do that."</p> + + <p>"One would have supposed you would have liked a pretty young + thing like that in the house. You are lonesome enough here, and + it makes a little life," said Emmanuel quietly.</p> + + <p>He knew his sister Keziah, and that she must have her head + when the talking fit was on her.</p> + + <p>"'A pretty young thing like that!'" she repeated scornfully. + "Lord love you, born cuddy as you are! What's her good looks to + me, I wonder, but a pound spent on a looking-glass, and Jenny + taken off her work to make cakes and butter-sops for her dainty + teeth? We'll have all the men-folk too havering round to see + which of 'em may have the honor of ruining himself for my fine + lady. And I'll not have it, I tell ye. I'll not have my house + turned into a fair, with madam there as the show. Life! what do + I want with 'life' about me, or you either, Emmanuel? I've got + my right foot in the grave, and I reckon yours is not far off; + and what we've both got to do now is to see that we make a good + ending for our souls."</p> + + <p>"At all events, you don't refuse to take her for a week or + two?" asked Emmanuel innocently.</p> + + <p>"Did I say I refused? Did I send her up stairs as the + nighest road to the street-door?" retorted his sister with + disdain. "Did I not tell you, as plain as tongue could speak, + that she is welcome to her bit and sup, and I'll pass the time + away for her in the best way I can, though bad is the best, I + reckon?"</p> + + <p>"Well, well, you are a good body," said her brother.</p> + + <p>"Ay," she answered, "I am good enough when I jump your way. + But tell me, Emmanuel," changing from the disdain of the + superior creature holding forth on high matters to the inferior + to the familiar gossip of the natural woman, "what's to do with + her? It's as plain as a pike-staff that something is troubling + her, and maybe it will be some of your love nonsense? for it's + mainly that as fashes the lasses. Good Lord! I'm thankful I was + never hindered that way."</p> + + <p>"Yes," said Mr. Gryce, "she has had what you women call a + disappointment; and," speaking with unusual energy, "the man + was a fool and a coward, and she has had a lucky escape."</p> + + <p>"Say ye? If so, then there is no call for her to carry on," + said Keziah philosophically. "But the poor bairn's looking + wantle enough now, though I warrant me the fell-side air will + brisk her up in no time."</p> + + <p>"I hope it will," said her brother.</p> + + <p>"What does she eat, now? You see, now I've got the lass on + my hands, I cannot hunger her," said Keziah. "Not that I can + give her dainties and messes," she added hastily, the miser's + cloak suddenly covering the woman's heart. "She'll have to take + what we get, and be thankful for her meat. Still, it's as well + to know what a body's been accustomed to when they come like + this, all of a heap."</p> + + <p>"Don't fash yourself about her," answered Emmanuel. "Do what + you can—that you will, I know—but leave her to + herself: that's the way for her. She's an odd little body, and + the least said the soonest mended with Leam."</p> + + <p>"With who, d'ye say?" asked Keziah sharply.</p> + + <p>"Lean—Leonora," said Emmanuel cherubically.</p> + + <p>"Well, I wouldn't call a daughter of mine after old + Pharaoh's kine," snapped Keziah with supreme scorn; and at that + moment Leam came into the room, and Keziah bustled out of it to + tig after Jenny and ding at Tim, as these two faithful + servitors were wont to express the way of their mistress toward + them.</p> + + <p>"My dear, I did not know that things were so miserable here + for you, but you must just bide here till the scent grows cold, + and then I'll come for you and put you where you'll be better + off," said Mr. Gryce kindly when he was alone with Leam.</p> + + <p>"This will do," said Leam, suppressing a shudder as she + looked round the little room, where what had originally + <span class="pagenum">[pg 738]</span> been a rhubarb-colored + paper—chosen because it was a good wearing + color—was patched here and there with scraps of + newspapers or bits of other patterned papers; where the huge + family Bible and a few musty and torn odd volumes of the + <i>Spectator</i> and the <i>Tatler</i> comprised the sole + library; and where the only ornaments on the chimneypiece were + three or four bits of lead ore from the Roughton Gill mines, + above Caldbeck.</p> + + <p>"You have been used to something far different," said + Emmanuel, compassionately.</p> + + <p>"My past is over," she answered in a low voice.</p> + + <p>"But you'll come to a better future," he cried, his mild + blue eyes watery and red.</p> + + <p>"Shall I? When I die?" was her reply as she passed her hand + wearily over her forehead, and wished—ah, how + ardently!—that the question might answer itself now at + once.</p> + + <p>But the young live against their will, and Leam, though + bruised and broken, had still the grand vitality of youth to + support her. Of the stuff of which in a good cause martyrs, in + a bad criminals, are made, she accepted her position at Windy + Brow with the very heroism of resignation. She never + complained, though every circumstance, every condition, was + simply torture; and so soon as she saw what she was expected to + do, she did it without remonstrance or reluctance. Her life + there was like a lesson in a foreign language which she had + undertaken to learn by heart, and she gave herself to her task + loyally. But it was suffering beyond even what Emmanuel Gryce + supposed or Keziah ever dreamed of. She, with the sun of the + South in her veins, her dreams of pomegranates and + orange-groves, of music and color and bright blue skies, of + women as beautiful as mamma, of that one man—not of the + South, but fit to have been the godlike son of + Spain—suddenly translated from soft and leafy North Aston + to a bleak fell-side in the most desolate corner of + Cumberland—where for lush hedges were cold, grim gray + stone walls, and the sole flowers to be seen gorse which she + could not gather, and heather which had no perfume—to a + house set so far under the shadow that it saw the sun only for + three months in the year, and where her sole companion was old + Keziah Gryce, ill-favored in person, rough of mood if true of + soul, or creatures even worse than herself;—she, with + that tenacious loyalty, that pride and concentrated passion, + that dry reserve and want of general benevolence characteristic + of her, to be suddenly cast among uncouth strangers whose ways + she must adopt, and who were physically loathsome to her; dead + to the only man she loved, his love for her killed by her own + hand, herself by her own confession accursed; and to bear it + all in silent patience,—was it not heroic? Had she been + more plastic than she was, the effort would not have been so + great. Being what she was, it was grand; and made as it was for + penitence, it had in it the essential spirit of saintliness. + For saintliness comes in small things as well as great, and + George Herbert's swept room is a true image. There was + saintliness in the docility with which she rose at six and went + to bed at nine; saintliness in the quiet asceticism with which + she ate porridge for breakfast and porridge for supper—at + the first honestly believing it either a joke or an insult, and + that they had given her pigs' food to try her temper; + saintliness in the silence with which she accepted her dinners, + maybe a piece of fried bacon and potatoes, or a huge mess of + apple-pudding on washing-days, or a plate of poached eggs + cooked in a pan not over clean; saintliness in the enforced + attention which she gave to Keziah's rambling stories of her + pigs and her chickens, her mother's ailments, Jenny's + shortcomings in the matter of sweepings and savings, Tim's + wastefulness in the garden over the kailrunts, and the + hardships of life on a lone woman left with only a huzzy to + look after her; saintliness in the repression of that proud, + fastidious self to which Keziah's familiarity and snuff, + Jenny's familiarity and disorder, the smell of the + peat—which was the only fuel they burnt—reeking + through the <span class="pagenum">[pg 739]</span> house, and + the utter ugliness and barren discomfort of everything about, + were hourly miseries which she would once have repudiated with + her most cutting scorn; saintliness in the repression of that + self indeed at all four corners, and the resolute submission to + her burden because it was her fitting punishment.</p> + + <p>So the sad days wore on, and the fell-side air had not yet + brisked up Emmanuel's adopted daughter as his sister + prophesied. Indeed, she seemed slighter and paler than ever, + and if possible more submissive to her lot and more taciturn. + And as her intense quietude of bearing suited Miss Gryce, who + could not bear to be fussed, and time proved her douce and not + fashious, she became quite a favorite with her rough-grained + hostess, who wondered more and more where Emmanuel had picked + her up, and whose bairn she really was.</p> + + <p>Her only pleasure was in wandering over the fells, whence + she could see the tops of the Derwentwater mountains, and from + some points a glimpse of blue Bassanthwaite flowing out into + the open; where mountain-tarns, lying like silver plates in the + purple distance, were her magic shows, seen only in certain + lights, and more often lost than found; whence she could look + over the broad Carlisle plain and dream of that day on the + North Aston moor when she first met Edgar Harrowby; and whence + the glittering strip of the Solway against the horizon made her + yearn to be in one of the ships which she could dimly discern + passing up and down, so that she might leave England for ever + and lay down the burden of her life and her sorrow in mamma's + dear land.</p> + + <p>So the hours passed, dreary as Mariana's, and hopeless as + those wherein we stand round the grave and know that the end of + all things has come. And while North Aston wondered, and Alick + mourned, and Edgar repented of his past folly with his handsome + head in Adelaide's lap, Leam Dundas moved slowly through the + shadow to the light, and from her chastisement gathered that + sweet grace of patience which redeemed her soul and raised her + from sin to sanctity.</p><a name='CHAPTER_XL' + id="CHAPTER_XL"></a> + + <h3>CHAPTER XL.</h3> + + <h3>LOST AND NOW FOUND.</h3><br /> + + + <p>In bringing up Alick tied tight to her apron-strings, + feeding him on moral pap, putting his mind into petticoats, and + seeking to make him more of a woman than a man, Mrs. Corfield + had defeated her design and destroyed her own influence. During + his early growth the boy had yielded to her without revolt, + because he was more modest than self-assertive—had no + solid point of resistance and no definite purpose for which to + resist; but after his college career he developed on an + independent line, and his soul escaped altogether from his + mother's hold. Had she let him ripen into manhood in the + freedom of natural development, she would have been his chosen + friend and confidante to the end: having invaded the most + secret chambers of his mind, and sought to mould every thought + according to the pattern which she held best, when the reaction + set in the pendulum swung back in proportion to its first beat; + and as a protest against his former thraldom he now made her a + stranger to his inner life and shut her out inexorably from the + holy place of his sorrow.</p> + + <p>The mother felt her son's mind slipping from her, but what + could she do? Who can set time backward or reanimate the dead? + Day by day found him more silent and more suffering, the poor + little woman nearly as miserable as himself. But the name of + Leam, standing as the spectre between them, was never mentioned + after Mrs. Corfield's first outburst of indignation at her + flight—indignation not because she was really angry with + Leam, but because Alick was unhappy.</p> + + <p>After Alick's stern rejoinder, "Mother, the next time you + speak ill of Leam Dundas I will leave your house for ever," the + subject dropped by mutual consent, but it was none the less a + living barrier between them because raised and maintained in + silence.</p> + + <p>"Oh, these girls! these wicked girls!" Mrs. Corfield had + said with a mother's irrational anger when speaking of the + circumstance to her husband. "We bring up our boys only for + them to take <span class="pagenum">[pg 740]</span> from us. As + soon as they begin to be some kind of comfort and to repay the + anxiety of their early days, then a wretched little huzzy steps + in and makes one's life in vain."</p> + + <p>"Just so, my dear," said Dr. Corfield quietly. "These were + the identical words which my mother said to me when I told her + I was going to marry you."</p> + + <p>"Your mother never liked me, and I did like Leam," said Mrs. + Corfield tartly.</p> + + <p>"As Leam Dundas, maybe; but as Leam the wife of your son, I + doubt it."</p> + + <p>"If Alick had liked it—" said Mrs. Corfield, half in + tears.</p> + + <p>"You would have been jealous," returned her husband. "No: + all girls are only daughters of Heth to the mothers of Jacobs, + and I never knew one whom a mother thought good enough for her + boy."</p> + + <p>"You need not discredit your own flesh and blood for a + stranger," cried Mrs. Corfield crossly; and the mute man with + an aggravating smile suddenly seemed to repent of his unusual + loquacity, and gradually subsided into himself and his + calculations, from which he was so rarely aroused.</p> + + <p>Alick, ceasing to make a confidante of his mother, began to + make a friend of Mr. Gryce. Perhaps it ought rather to be said + that Mr. Gryce began to make a friend of him. The old + philosopher, with that corkscrew mind of his, knew well enough + what was amiss with the poor lank-visaged curate. Being of the + order of the benevolent busybodies fond of playing Providence, + how mole-like soever his method, he had marked out a little + plan of his own by which he thought he could make all the + crooked roads run straight and discord flow into harmony. But + he too fell into the mistake common to busybodies, benevolent + and otherwise—treating souls as if they were machines to + be wound up and kept going by the clockwork of an extraneous + will and neatly manipulated by well-arranged circumstance.</p> + + <p>One day he joined Alick in his walk to an outlying cottage + of the parish, where the husband was sick and the wife and + children short of food, and the Church sent its prayer-book and + ministers as the best substitute it knew for a wholesome + dwelling and sufficient wages. Theology was not much in the way + of an old heathen who reduced all religions save Mohammedanism + to the transmuted presentation of the archaic solar myth, and + who thought Buddhism far ahead of every other creed; but he + liked the man Alick, if the parson bored him, and he was + caressing a plan which he had in his pocket.</p> + + <p>"You find your life here satisfying, I suppose?" he began, + his blue eyes looking into the wayside banks for creatures.</p> + + <p>"Is any life?" answered Alick, his eyes turned to the vague + distance.</p> + + <p>"Not fully: the spirit of progress, working by discontent, + forbids the social stagnation of rest and thankfulness; but we + can come to something that suffices for our daily wants if it + does not satisfy all our longings. Work in harmony with our + nature, and doing good here and there when we can, both these + help us on. But the work must be harmonious and the good we do + manifest."</p> + + <p>"So far as that goes, Church-work is pleasant to + me—all, indeed, I care for or am fit for; but North Aston + is stony ground," said Alick.</p> + + <p>"Can you wonder? When the husbandman-in-chief is such a man + as Mr. Birkett, you must make your account with stones and + weeds. The spiritual cannot flourish under the hand of the + unspiritual; and, considering the pastor, the flock is far from + bad."</p> + + <p>"That may be, but we do not like to live only in + comparatives," said Alick. "I confess I should be happier in a + cure where I was more of one mind with my rector than I am + here, and not decried or ridiculed on account of every scheme + for good that I might propose. Parish-work here is shamefully + neglected, but Mr. Birkett will not let me do anything to mend + it."</p> + + <p>"Ah!" said Mr. Gryce, catching a luckless curculio by the + way, "that is bad. A more harmonious one would certainly be, as + you say, far more agreeable. Or a little parish of your + own—a parish, however small, which would be + <span class="pagenum">[pg 741]</span> all your own, and you not + under the control of any one below your diocesan? How would + that do? That would be my affair if I were in the Church."</p> + + <p>Alick's face lightened. "Yes," he said, "that is my + dream—at least one of them. I would not care how small + the place might be, if I had supreme control and might work + unhindered in my own way."</p> + + <p>"It will come," said Mr. Gryce cheerily. "All things come in + time to him who knows how to wait."</p> + + <p>"Ah, if I could believe that!" sighed Alick, thinking of + Leam.</p> + + <p>"Take my word for it," returned Mr. Gryce. "It will do you + no harm to have a dash of rose-color in your rather sombre + life; and Hope, if it tells flattering tales, does not always + tell untrue ones."</p> + + <p>"I fear my hope has flattered me untruly," said Alick, his + faithful heart still on Leam.</p> + + <p>Mr. Gryce captured a caterpillar wandering across the road. + "Conduct is fate," he said. "If this poor fellow had not been + troubled with a fit of restlessness, but had been content to + lie safely hidden among the grass-roots where he was born, he + would not have been caught. Yes, conduct is fate for a captive + caterpillar as well as for man."</p> + + <p>"And yet who can foresee?" said Alick. "We all walk in the + dark blindfold."</p> + + <p>"As you say, who can foresee? That makes perhaps the + hardship of it, but it does not alter the fact. Blindly walking + or with our eyes wide open, our steps determine our destiny, + and our goal is reached by our own endeavors. We ourselves are + the artificers of our lives, and mould them according to our + own pattern."</p> + + <p>"But that part of our lives which is under the influence of + another? How can we manipulate that?" said Alick. "Love and + loss are twin powers which create or crush without our + co-operation."</p> + + <p>"I only know one irreparable manner of loss—that by + death," said Mr. Gryce steadfastly. "For all others while there + is life there is hope, and I hold nothing, beyond the power of + the will to remedy."</p> + + <p>"I wish I could believe that," Alick sighed again; and again + Mr. Gryce said cheerily, "Then take that too on trust, and + believe me if you do not believe in your own inborn elasticity, + your own power of doing and undoing."</p> + + <p>"There are some things which can never come right when they + have once gone wrong," said Alick.</p> + + <p>"You think so? I know very few," his companion answered in + the hearty, inspiriting manner which he had used all through + the interview, talking with a broader accent and lisping less + than usual, looking altogether more manly and less cherubic + than his wont. "I am a believer myself in the power of the will + and holding on." After a pause he added suddenly, "You would be + really glad of a small living, no matter where situated, nor + how desolate and unimportant, where you would be sole + master?"</p> + + <p>"Yes," said Alick. "If I could win over one soul to the + higher life, I should count myself repaid for all my exertions. + We must all have our small beginnings."</p> + + <p>"I am an odd old fellow, as you know, Mr. Corfield," laughed + Emmanuel Gryce. "Give me your hand: I can sometimes see a good + deal of the future in the hand."</p> + + <p>Alick blushed and looked awkward, but he gave his bony, + ill-shaped hand all the same.</p> + + <p>After a little while, during which Mr. Gryce had bent this + finger this way and that finger another way, had counted the + lines made by the bended wrist, and had talked half to himself + of the line of Jupiter and the line of Saturn, the line of life + and that of Venus, he said quietly, "You will have your wish, + and soon. I see a most important change of residence at about + this time, which in conjunction with this," pointing to a small + cross at the root of the fourth finger, "will be certainly to + your advantage."</p> + + <p>"How strange!" said Alick. "One scarcely knows whether to + laugh at it all as old wives' fables or to believe in the + mysterious forewarnings of fate, the foremarkings of the + future."</p> + + <p>"There are more things in heaven and earth—" said Mr. + Gryce. "And we know so little we may well believe a trifle + more."</p> + + <p>The fact was, all this was founded on + <span class="pagenum">[pg 742]</span> these circumstances: He + had at this moment a letter in his pocket from his sister + Keziah telling him that old Priest Wilson had been found dead + in his bed last night; the bishop's chaplain was a friend of + his, both having been at the same station in India; and the + perpetual curacy of Monk Grange was one which, if offices went + according to their ratio of unpleasantness, a man should have + been paid a large income to take. Hence there was no chance of + a rush for the preferment, and the bishop would be grateful for + any intimation of a willing martyr. Through all of which chinks + whereby to discover the future Mr. Gryce founded his prophecy; + and through them, too, it came about that he proved a true + prophet. In three days' time from this the post brought a + letter to Alick Corfield from the bishop offering him the + perpetual curacy of Monk Grange, income seventy pounds a year + and a house.</p> + + <p>Before speaking even to his mother, Alick rushed off with + this letter to Mr. Gryce. The old leaven of superstition which + works more or less in all of us—even those few who think + proof a desirable basis for belief, and who require an + examination conducted on scientific principles before they + accept supernaturalism as "only another law coming in to modify + those already known"—that superstition which belongs to + most men, and to Alick with the rest, made this letter a matter + of tremendous excitement to him. He saw in it the hand of God + and the finger of Fate. It was impossible that Mr. Gryce, + living at North Aston, should know anything of a small country + incumbency in the North. It was all that study made of his poor + parched and knuckly hand. And what had been seen there was + manifestly the thing ruled for him by Providence and + destiny.</p> + + <p>"How could you possibly tell?" he cried, looking at his own + hand as if he could read it as his clever friend had done.</p> + + <p>"That is my secret," said Emmanuel, smiling at the credulity + on which he traded. Then, thinking a flutter outward of the + corners of his cards the best policy in the circumstances about + them at the moment, he added, "And when you get there you will + understand more than you do now. For you will go?"</p> + + <p>"Surely," said Alick: "it would be unfaithful in me to + refuse."</p> + + <p>"But see if you cannot make arrangements to take the place + on trial for a few months. I know very little of your + ecclesiastical law, but grant even that it is as devoid of + common sense as I should suppose—seeing who are the men + who make, administer and obey it—still, I should think + that a temporary incumbency might be arranged."</p> + + <p>"I should think so, and I will take your advice," said + Alick, over whom Emmanuel Gryce was fast establishing the power + which belongs to the stronger over the weaker, to the more + astute over the more dense.</p> + + <p>"You will find an adopted daughter of mine in the + neighborhood," then said Mr. Gryce with the most amiable + indifference. "She lives with my sister at our old home on the + fell-side: Windy Brow the place is called. You must tell me how + she looks and what you think of her altogether when you write + to me, as I suppose you will do, or when you come home, if you + elect not to take the cure even on trial."</p> + + <p>"I am not much in the way of criticising young ladies," said + Alick sadly.</p> + + <p>"She is rather a remarkable girl, all things considered," + returned Mr. Gryce quietly. "Her name is Leonora Darley. You + will remember—Leonora Darley. Ask for her when you go up + to Windy Brow: Leonora Darley," for the third time.</p> + + <p>"All right: Miss Leonora Darley," repeated Alick, suspecting + nothing; and again Mr. Gryce smiled as he dug his fingers into + the earth of a chrysalis-box. How pleasant it was to pull the + strings and see his puppets dance!</p> + + <p>Of course, Mr. Birkett's consent was a necessary preliminary + to Alick's departure, but there was no difficulty about it. The + military rector was tired to death, so he used to say, of his + zealous young aide-de-camp, and hailed the prospect of getting + rid of him handsomely with a frank pleasure not flattering to + poor <span class="pagenum">[pg 743]</span> Alick's self-love. + "Certainly, my dear boy, certainly," he said. "It will be + better for you to have a place of your own, where you can carry + out your new ideas. You see I am an old man now, and have + learnt the value of letting well alone. You are in all the + fever-time of zeal, and believe that vice and ignorance are + like the walls of Jericho, to fall down when you blow your + trump. I do not. But on the whole, it is as well that you + should learn the realities of life for yourself, and carry your + energies where they may be useful."</p> + + <p>"Then you do not mind?" asked Alick boyishly.</p> + + <p>The rector gave a loud clear laugh. "Mind! a thousand times + no," he said, rubbing his plump white hands. "I can manage well + enough alone, and if I cannot there are dozens of young + eligibles ready to jump at the place. Mind! no. Go in Heaven's + name, and may you be blessed in your undertaking!"</p> + + <p>The last words came in as grace-lines, and with them Alick + felt himself dismissed.</p> + + <p>If the rector had been facile to deal with, Mrs. Corfield + was not. When she heard of the proposed arrangement, and that + she was to lose her boy for the second time out of her daily + life, and more permanently than before, her grief was as + intense as if she had been told of his approaching death. She + wept bitterly, and even bent herself to entreaty; but Alick, to + whom North Aston had become a dungeon of pain since Leam went, + held pertinaciously to his plan—not without sorrow, but + surely without yielding. He was fascinated by the idea of a + cure where he might be sole master, not checked by rectorial + ridicule when he wished to establish night schools or clothing + clubs, penny savings banks, or any other of the schemes in + vogue for the good of the poor; thinking too, not unwisely, + that the best heal-all for his sorrow was to be found in change + of scene and more arduous work together. Also, he thought that + if his vague tentative advertisements in the papers, which he + dared not make too evident, had as yet brought nothing, some + more satisfactory way of discovering Leam's hiding-place might + shape itself when he was alone, freer to act as he thought + best. On all of which accounts he resisted his mother's grief, + and his own at seeing her grieve, and decided on going down to + Monk Grange the next day.</p> + + <p>Had not Dr. Corfield been ailing at this time, the mother + would have accompanied her son. The possibility of damp sheets + weighed heavy on her mind; and landladies who filch from the + tea-caddy, with landladies' girls, pert and familiar, preparing + insidious gruel and seductive cups of coffee, were the lions + which her imagination conjured up as prowling for her Alick + through the fastnesses of Monk Grange. Circumstances, however, + were stronger than her desire; and, happily for Alick, she was + perforce obliged to remain at home while her darling went out + from the paternal nest to shake those limp wings of his, and + bear himself up unassisted in a new atmosphere in the best way + he could.</p> + + <p>It was on the cold and rainy evening of a cold and rainy + summer's day that Alick arrived at Monk Grange—an evening + without a sunset or a moon, stars or a landscape; painful, + mournful, as those who dwell in the North Country know only too + well as the tears on its face of beauty. He had driven in a + crazy old gig from Wigton, and the nine miles which lay between + that not too brilliant town and the desolate fell-side hamlet + which he had been so fain to make his own spiritual domain had + not been such as disposed him to a cheerful view of things. The + rain had fallen in a steady, pitiless downpour, which seemed to + soak through every outer covering and to penetrate the very + flesh and marrow of the tired traveler as it pattered noisily + on the umbrella and streamed over the leather apron; and the + splash of the horse's hoofs through the liquid mud and broad + tracts of standing water was as dreary as the "splash, splash" + of Bürger's ballad. And when all this was over, and they + drew up at the Blucher, with its handful of desolate gray + hovels round it, the heart of the man sank at the gloomy + surroundings into the midst of which he had flung + <span class="pagenum">[pg 744]</span> himself. But the zeal of + the churchman was as good a tonic for him as the best common + sense, and he waited until to-morrow and broad daylight before + he allowed himself to even acknowledge an impression. The warm + fireside at the Blucher cheered him too, and his supper of eggs + and bacon and fresh crisp havre-bread satisfied such of his + physical cravings as, unsatisfied, make a man's spiritual + perceptions very gaunt.</p> + + <p>He went to bed, slept, and the next day woke up to a glory + of sun and sky, a brilliancy of coloring, a photographic + sharpness and clearness of form, a suggestion of beauty beyond + that which was seen, which transformed the place as if an angel + had passed through it in the night. As he tramped about the + sordid hamlet he forgot the rude uncouthness of men and place + for a kind of ecstasy at the loveliness about him. Every + jutting rock of granite shone in the sun like polished jasper, + and the numberless little rills trickling down the fell-sides + were as threads of silver, now concealed in the gold of the + gorse, and now whitening the purple of the heather. The air was + full of blithesome sounds. Overhead the sky-larks sang in + jocund rivalry, mounting higher and higher as if they would + have beaten their wings against the sun: the bees made the + heather and the thyme musical as they flew from flower to + flower, and the tinkling of the running rills was like the + symphony to a changeful theme. It was in real truth a + transformation, and the new-comer into the fitful, seductive, + disappointing North felt all its beauty, all its meaning, and + gave himself up to his delight as if such a day as yesterday + had never been.</p> + + <p>After he had done what he wished to do in the village, he + went up the fell-side road to Windy Brow, and, obeying his + instructions, asked when he got there "if Miss Leonora Darley + was at home."</p> + + <p>"Na, she bain't," said Jenny, eying poor innocent Alick as a + colley might eye a wolf sniffing about the fold. "T' auld + mistress is."</p> + + <p>"Say Mr. Corfield, please," said Alick; and Jenny, telling + him to "gang intilt parlor," scuffled off to Keziah, pottering + over some pickled red cabbage, which made the house smell like + a vinegar-cask.</p> + + <p>"I've heard tell of you," said Miss Gryce as she came in + wiping her hands on a serviceable and by no means luxurious + cloth: "Emmanuel wrote me a letter about you. You're kindly + welcome to Monk Grange, but you're only a haverel to look at. + Take a seat, and tell me—how's Emmanuel, my brother?"</p> + + <p>"He was well when I saw him the day before yesterday: at + least he said nothing to the contrary," answered Alick with his + conscientious literalness.</p> + + <p>"I like that," said Keziah, also eying him, but as a colley + might have eyed a strange sheep, not a wolf. "A random rory + would have made no difference between now and two days back, + and believing and being. You cannot be over-particular in the + truth, I take it."</p> + + <p>Alick blushed, shifted his place and looked uneasy. And + again, as so often before, it came across him: had he done + right, judged by the highest law, to conceal the truth as he + knew it about Leam?</p> + + <p>"Hoot, man! there's no call for you to sit on pins and + needles in that fashion," said Keziah. "It's a daft body that + cannot hear a word of praise without turning as red as a + turkey-cock and fidging like a parched pea on a drum-head. I've + not turned much of you over yet, and maybe I'll come to what + I'll have no mind to praise; so keep your fidges till you are + touched up with the other end of the stick. And so you are to + be our new priest, are you?"</p> + + <p>"I am going to offer myself for a time," said Alick.</p> + + <p>"For a time? That's a thing as has two sides to it. If you + are not to our minds, that's its good side: if you are, and we + are not to yours, that's its bad. I doubt if our folk will care + to be played Jumping Joan with in that fashion."</p> + + <p>"I will be guided by the will of the Lord," said Alick + reverently.</p> + + <p>"Humph! I like the words better nor the chances in them," + returned Keziah, taking a pinch of snuff. "But maybe things'll + work round as one would have them; and whether you stay or you + do <span class="pagenum">[pg 745]</span> not, the Lord's will + be done, amen! and His grace follow you, young man!"</p> + + <p>"Thank you," said Alick with emotion, getting up and shaking + the pickle-stained and snuff-discolored hand.</p> + + <p>"I have a message for Miss Leonora Darley," he then said + after a pause. "Mr. Gryce told me I was to be sure and tell him + how she was looking."</p> + + <p>"Eh, poor bairn! she is not very first-rate," the old woman + answered tenderly. At least it was tenderness in her: in + another person her voice and manner might have been taken for + crabbedness and impatience. "She's up by there, on the fell + somewhere. She a'most lives on the fell-side, but it don't make + her look as brisk as I should like. Have you seen the view from + our brow-top? It is a real bonny one; and you'll maybe find + Leonora not far off. I don't think she wanders far."</p> + + <p>"I should like to see it," said Alick. "The country + altogether looks splendid to-day."</p> + + <p>"Ay, it's a bonny day enough if it would but last. Come your + ways with me and I'll set you out by the back door. You can + come in again the same road if you've a mind."</p> + + <p>On which she bustled up, and Alick, escorted by her, went + through the house and on to the fell-side.</p> + + <p>It was, if possible, grander now than it had been in the + earlier part of the day. The hot sun had cleared away the + lingering mist, and the cloudless sky was like one large + perfect opal, while the earth beneath shone and glistened as if + it were a jewel set with various-colored gems. There was not a + mean or sordid thing about. Touched by the splendid alchemy of + the sun, the smallest circumstance was noble, the poorest color + glorious. Alick stood on the fell-brow entranced: then turning, + he saw slowly coming across the pathless green a young slight + figure dressed in gray. He looked as it came near, and his + heart beat with a force that took all power from him. It was + absurd, he knew, but there was such a strange look of Leam + about that girl! He stood and watched her coming along with + that slow, graceful, undulating step which was Leam's + birthright. Was he mad? Was he dreaming? What was this mocking + trick of eyesight that was perplexing him? Surely it was + madness; and yet—no, it could be no one else. Supreme, + beloved, who else could personate her so as to cheat him?</p> + + <p>She came on, her eyes always fixed on the distance, seeing + nothing of Alick standing dark against the sky. She came + nearer, nearer, till he saw the glory of her eyes, the curve of + her lip, and could count the curling tresses on her brow. Then + he came down from the height and strode across the space + between them.</p> + + <p>She lifted up her eyes and saw him. For an instant the + sadness cleared out of them as the mists had cleared from the + sky: her pathetic mouth broke into a smile, and she held out + both her hands. "Alick, dear Alick! my good Alick!" she cried + in a voice of exquisite tenderness.</p> + + <p>"My queen!" he said kneeling, his honest upturned face wet + with tears. "Lost and now found!"</p> + + <p class="center">[TO BE + CONTINUED.]</p><a name='THE_ITALIAN_MEDIAEVAL_WOOD_SCULPTORS' + id="THE_ITALIAN_MEDIAEVAL_WOOD_SCULPTORS"></a> + <span class="pagenum">[pg 746]</span> + + <h2>THE ITALIAN MEDIÆVAL WOOD-SCULPTORS.</h2> + + <p>More or less during the whole of this century, and ever more + during the recent years of it, the love of art, especially in + what have been called the "industrial" manifestations of it, + has been becoming a passion in Germany and in France, as well + as in England and America. Museums for the collection and + preservation of the works produced by the artists of those + centuries which were the palmy days of art have been + established in all these countries, and private amateurs have + vied with them in enriching their respective countries with + specimens of all the many kinds of art-industry which remain to + us from those times when religion encouraged and surrounded + itself with the beautiful and the cultivation of the beautiful + was a religion. And it is mainly—indeed, almost + entirely—to Italy that the lovers and admirers of + mediæval art come in search of those remains of it which, + it is hoped, will be (or rather are being) the means of + producing a second art <i>renaissance</i>. The quantity of + objects, more or less genuinely representing the mediæval + art in all its many branches, which has been carried out of + Italy within the last quarter of a century is something + perfectly astounding, and far exceeds what any one would + believe who has not remained in Italy long enough to observe + the process. A considerable portion, no doubt, of the articles + thus carried home with them by the lovers of art has consisted + of modern imitations of ancient workmanship, but the quantity + of genuine mediæval articles—pottery in its various + kinds, furniture, carving in wood, in marble, in stone and in + ivory, lace, bronzes, embroidery, metal-work, brocaded stuffs, + etc.—has been so enormous as to reveal in a very striking + manner the extraordinary wealth of the country in the days when + it was the mistress of Europe in civilization, and the + all-pervading love of the beautiful which caused so very large + a portion of that wealth to be expended for the gratification + of a refined taste.</p> + + <p>Before proceeding to the more special subject of this + article—certain interesting and recently-discovered + notices of some of the most famous of the old carvers in + wood—it may be well to say a word or two on the subject + of the commerce in imitations of the mediæval works so + extensively carried on in Italy. Of course, a trade based on + deception is in every way to be condemned and regretted. It is + not only immoral, but it generates demoralization. But it is to + be observed that in very many cases—especially in those + branches where art-industry approaches the most nearly to art + proper—the artist or artisan who produced the works in + question has neither co-operated with the fraud we are speaking + of, nor has worked with any view to the perpetration of such by + others. In the next place, it is to be noted that the + mortification and humiliation which many purchasers are + conscious of when it is brought home to them that they have + been taken in, and have purchased as old that which is in truth + of recent production, may well be spared to them. I do not + mean, of course, as regards the money they may have been + cheated of, but as regards the slight put upon their own + connoisseurship. The art of imitating the old works in question + has been brought to such a pitch of perfection that it needs a + very special education of the eye and large practice to detect + the imposture. A circumstance occurred a few years ago at + Florence which curiously illustrates both the facts I have + mentioned—the frequent innocence of the producer of the + imitation and the extreme difficulty of detecting the modern + origin of the work. The facts are very little known, because it + was the interest of many persons to misrepresent and conceal + them. They ought, nevertheless, to be known, and I do not see + any good reason why I should not tell them here.</p> + + <p><span class="pagenum">[pg 747]</span> A young man at + Florence of the name of Bastianini—it must be at least + ten years ago now, or perhaps more—of very humble origin + had shown a remarkable talent for modeling busts in + terra-cotta. Having formed his taste for himself, not by means + of any academical teaching, but by imbuing his mind with the + examples of mediæval art which meet the eye on all sides + in his native city, his works assumed quite naturally the + manner and style of the artists who (in more or less direct + line) were his ancestors. One day it happened to him to see a + man—he was a common workman in the tobacco + manufactory—whose head struck him as specially marked by + the old Florentine mediæval type and as a remarkably good + subject for a characteristic bust. From this man he made a + terra-cotta bust which few could have pronounced to be other + than a <i>cinque-cento</i> work, and a very fine one. + Bastianini, then quite unknown and much in need of wherewithal + to live, sold this bust as the work of his hands to a + speculative dealer for, if I remember rightly, five hundred + francs. The man who bought it carried it to a dealer in + antiquities—a very well-known man in Florence whose name + I could give were it of any interest to do so—and + proposed to sell it to him for a large sum. Eventually, a + bargain was struck on this basis: The dealer, with perfect + knowledge of the origin and authorship of the work, was to pay + one thousand francs for the bust, and to pay the seller another + thousand if and whenever he, the dealer, should succeed in + reselling it for more than a certain price named. Thereupon, in + accordance with the usual practice in such cases, the bust + disappeared from sight. It was stored in the secret + repositories of the <i>antiquario</i> till the circumstances + attending its creation should be a little forgotten, and dust + and dirt should have corrected the brand-new rawness of its + surface, ready to be produced with much mystery as a recent + <i>trouvaille</i> when a likely purchaser should loom over the + Apennine which encircles "gentile Firenze." In due time, one of + the largest and brightest of those comets whose return is so + accurately calculated and eagerly expected by the Florentine + dealers in ancient art made his appearance in the Tuscan + sky—no less than a buyer for the Louvre. Those were the + halcyon days of the Empire, and money was plenty. Poor + Bastianini's bust was brought out with all due mystery, duly + admired by the infallible French connoisseur, and eventually + purchased by him for the imperial collection for, I think, five + thousand francs—at all events, for a sum sufficiently + large to give the man who had bought the bust from the poor + artist the right to demand his supplementary payment. He did + so. But the greed of the dealer prevailed over his prudence, + and he refused to give his accomplice in the fraud the promised + share in the plunder. Of course that ensued which might have + been expected. The defrauded rogue "split." The bust sold to + the Frenchman was easily identified with that which Bastianini + had made, and which had been known to all artistic Florence, + and the authorities at the Louvre were duly certified by many a + loud-tongued informer that they had been gulled. The + information, as is usually the case with information of the + kind, came too late to be of service to the buyers, but not too + late to give them serious annoyance. The bust had been + exhibited at the Louvre in a prominent place; it had excited + considerable notice; none of the savants presiding over that + establishment had conceived the smallest suspicion of its + genuineness; and it was excessively disagreeable to have to + admit that they had all been deceived by a work made the other + day by an unknown Florentine artist. It was so disagreeable + that the gentlemen in question had not the courage to face the + truth. They pooh-poohed their informants, professed to adhere + without a doubt to their own first opinions, and the bust, to + the great amusement of all the Florentine art-world, remained + in its place of honor at the Louvre, exhibited as a + cinque-cento terra-cotta for a long time after all Florence was + perfectly cognizant of its real history, and after the young + artist had produced three or four other busts all equally + marked by unmistakable <span class="pagenum">[pg 748]</span> + cinque-cento characteristics. One of these was a really + remarkable bust of Savonarola, which may be seen any day in the + (now public) gallery of St. Mark's at Florence. The original + <i>teterrima causa belli</i> has, I believe, disappeared from + the Louvre Gallery. Poor Bastianini died shortly afterward, and + it is due to his memory and undoubtedly great talent that it + should be distinctly understood that from first to last he was + no party to or profiter by the frauds to which his special + talent had given rise.</p> + + <p>To return, however, to what I was saying about that large + portion of the works of art and art-industry every year + exported from Italy, mainly by individual buyers for the + gratification of their own taste, which consists of + <i>imitations</i>. It may be remarked, especially as regards + the objects belonging to the latter category, that these + imitations, if bought as such, are not undesirable purchases. + In many instances, particularly in those of iron- and + bronze-work, intarsia, and carving in wood, the modern Italian + artists, who began as imitators, have attained a degree of + excellence which entitles them to take rank as the founders of + a new artistic <i>renaissance</i>, while their familiarity with + cinque-cento art and the loving study of it have led them to + produce work in each of the above-named branches which is + calculated to improve the taste of both workers and purchasers + in countries beyond the Alps. As regards metal-work, whether in + iron or bronze, avowedly modern, but of the true cinque-cento + type and style, the amateur would do well to visit the + foundries and workshops of Venice; for intarsia he may go to + Milan; for wood-carving to Florence, Siena and Perugia; to the + last also for intarsia. He will find in Perugia work both in + carving and intarsia on which he might spend his money very + much more advantageously than in buying second-rate bits of + really old wood-work, or indeed any such bits as he is at all + likely to meet with. And it is not surprising that the little + Umbrian hill-city should have become a special home for this + particular branch of art; for it contains some of the most + remarkable works of the kind extant, the product of some of the + most renowned masters of the craft in the fifteenth and + sixteenth centuries. It is a mistake to suppose, as many + persons do, that the fine works of this kind which we still + admire were the product of men who were considered in their day + as mere artisans, and whose names were not known beyond the + boundaries of their native provinces. They were recognized as + true artists, whose names were known from one end of the + Peninsula to the other, and who were sent for from distant + cities to execute works of importance. In many cases their + names have perished: in more they are unknown to the present + generation of art-lovers—<i>caruerunt quia vate + sacro</i>. And in some cases—as a very notable instance, + to be mentioned presently, will show in a remarkable + manner—the higher portion of the merit which was wholly + their own—the conception of their designs, with all the + grace of fancy and cultured knowledge of the principles of the + beautiful which it implies—has been assigned to others to + whom the modern world has exclusively given the title of + artists. But the increased and still increasing attention which + the world is paying to all the details and all the branches of + cinque-cento art—to good purpose, for it is due to it + that we have emerged or are emerging from the + eighteenth-century depths of ugliness in all our + surroundings—has induced the useful Dryasdusts, whose + nature and function it is to burrow in corporation and + conventual muniment-rooms and the like promising covers, to + search out with a very considerable degree of success a mass of + facts, not only as to the real authorship of the work in + question, but curiously illustrative of the status these + artists held and the manner in which they lived and worked. + Among the principal of these archive-hunters is the learned + Professor Adam Rossi, the corporation librarian at Perugia, and + it is mainly to his researches that the facts I am about to lay + before the reader are due.</p> + + <p>One of the finest specimens of cinque-cento wood-work extant + in Italy—perhaps I might safely say the finest—is + the <span class="pagenum">[pg 749]</span> choir of the monastic + church of St. Peter at Perugia. The monks of St. Peter were + Benedictines of Monte Cassino, and, like most of the families + of that order, they were very wealthy and were liberal patrons + of art. On the 9th of April, 1525, having determined to refit + the choir of their church in a magnificent manner, they came to + an agreement with a master-carpenter of Perugia for the + execution of the work, and a detailed contract was signed by + the parties. (I have called this cinque-cento work, and it will + be observed that it was executed in the sixteenth century. It + may be necessary, therefore, to explain to those who are + unacquainted with the Italian mode of speaking in this respect + that the Italians always speak of what we should call the + fourteenth century as the "trecento," what we should call the + fifteenth, as the "quattrecento," and so on. The period at + which art in all its branches culminated in Italy was, in our + language, the sixteenth century.)</p> + + <p>Maestro Bernardino di Luca, the artist with whom the convent + contracted for the fitting of the choir, is styled in the + instrument <i>legnaiuolo</i> (a "carpenter"). And no doubt + Maestro Bernardino—or "Bino," for short, as he is called + in the instrument when once at the beginning he has been named + formally at full length—practiced all the more ordinary + business of his trade. But there must have been carpenters + <i>and</i> carpenters, as to the present day there are painters + <i>and</i> painters, the same word indicating the calling of a + Landseer and of a house-painter. This simple modesty of + designation was a characteristic of the epoch. We find + sculptors whose works are to the present day admired and + studied as masterpieces styling themselves simply + "stone-cutters." The contract is a long document, consisting of + twenty-one clauses, the greater number of which are occupied + with the most minute and detailed specification of the work to + be done. It is to be executed "according to the model made by + the said Bino, changing it or keeping it as it is according to + the will of the fathers" (the monks of St. Peter's), "so as not + to change the form and substance of the model." The prices + agreed to be paid for each stall in the choir, with its arch + above it, is ten golden ducats, which, allowing for the change + in the value of the precious metals, may be considered to be + about equal to three hundred and seventy-five dollars at the + present day. The price does not seem by any means a small one. + But Signor Rossi's researches have elsewhere shown that it is a + mistake to suppose that the renowned professors of any branch + of art were poorly paid in those days. The very reverse was the + case. It would not be interesting to the reader to give him the + details of the work which Maestro Bino bound himself to + execute, but some of the stipulations must be mentioned, + because they curiously illustrate the life of the times. The + convent is to furnish all the wood—that which is required + for the work itself, as well as all that may be needed, planks, + scaffolding and the like, for the putting of it in its place. + "<i>Item.</i> We give him rooms to work in and to sleep in and + to cook in, as well as beds furnished with bedclothes. + <i>Item.</i> Maestro Bino binds himself not to undertake any + other work till the choir is wholly finished and put up, and he + engages to do all the work within the walls of the convent. He + is bound to keep four men at work under him, and more if + necessary." The work is to be completed within two years should + no impediment intervene by death or grave and manifest illness. + The convent undertakes to furnish money from time to time as + needed for the pay of the journeymen, and fifty ducats + beforehand for the hiring of assistants and other necessary + expenses.</p> + + <p>Maestro Bino went to work at once, and on the 15th of that + same April had from the convent what seems the very large sum + of ten florins and eight soldi for glue. But, after all, this + Maestro Bernardino di Luca was not the author of the exquisite + carvings which people go to Perugia to look at at the present + day. A very "grave and manifest infirmity" did intervene to + prevent the execution of the work, for on the 19th of the + following August, Maestro Bino discharged + <span class="pagenum">[pg 750]</span> his workmen on account of + the plague, which had begun to devastate Perugia; and there is + reason to think that the maestro himself perished by it, for + after that last entry the name of Bernardino di Luca vanishes + into the abyss of darkness, and is no more heard of, and + shortly afterward we find the convent entering into a new + bargain with another maestro for the execution of the work. + This was Maestro Stefano de Antoniolo da Zambelli of Bergamo, + who agreed with the monks in July, 1533, to execute the + required works in the choir for the price of thirty golden + crowns each stall. It will be observed that this price is about + fifty per cent. higher than that for which Maestro Bino had + contracted to do the work, which is an indication of the then + rapidly-falling value of the precious metals. But this + increased price was still insufficient, for on the 17th of + July, 1534, the monks enter into an amended contract with + Maestro Stefano, in which the terms of the original contract + are rehearsed, and it is then declared that Maestro Stefano + having shown and proved to the abbot's satisfaction that those + terms could not stand, and that he should be greatly the loser + by the bargain, and it being by no means the wish of the + fathers that Maestro Stefano should be deprived of a fair + reward for his work, but rather that he should make a suitable + profit by the job, it was now agreed that the maestro should + undertake to labor uninterruptedly and with all possible + diligence, that the convent should find all materials and + tools, and should maintain Maestro Stefano and his wife and a + journeyman, and should pay sixty golden crowns a year as long + as the work was in progress. Further, the convent undertakes to + pay half a golden crown monthly to the wife of the said Maestro + Stefano, "on the understanding that the said wife of the + maestro shall serve and cook and wash clothes for all the + family engaged on the work of the choir;" and further, half a + golden crown monthly to the journeyman. Under this arrangement + it was of course the interest of the convent that the work + should be completed as quickly as possible. And we find, + accordingly, the abbot commissioning Antonio of Florence to + carve six of the backs of the stalls; Battista of Bologna and + Ambrose, a Frenchman, to carve the reading-desk; and Fra + Damiano of Bergamo, who was then at Bologna, to execute the + four sculptures in bas-relief which adorn the door. This Fra + Damiano, who signs himself on his work "Fr. Damianus de + Bergamo, Ordinis Predicatorum," seems to have been a brother of + the principal artist, Maestro Stefano. But a curious peep at + the manners of that time is afforded by the fact of a professed + monk working for hire as a wood-carver. The main portion of the + work, however, and the general design, were due to Maestro + Stefano da Zambelli of Bergamo, and just two years and half + from the signing of the contract the work was completed and + signed in intarsia, as we see it to this day, "Hoc opus fecit + M<sup>r.</sup> Stephanus di Bergamo."</p> + + <p>For a long time it was supposed that the very beautiful + designs for the entirety and for each detail of this noble work + was due to Raphael. The guide-books all copied the statement + one after the other; and they were indeed excusable in doing + so, for the large and magnificent folio which was published at + Rome by the abbot and monks in 1845, containing engravings of + every detail of the celebrated carvings, declares on the + title-page that the work was executed "by Stefano da Bergamo + after the designs of Raffaelle Santi di Urbino." The celebrated + and learned Montfaucon, who was a member of the same order, + seems to have been the first who made this mistaken statement. + Once made on such authority, it was accepted and repeated + without further investigation till the undeniable evidence of + the archives of the convent, dragged to light from under the + dust of centuries by the industry of Professor Rossi, showed + that in truth the conception and design, as well as the + execution, of this beautiful masterpiece, which has for so long + been thought worthy of Raphael, was the work of the "carpenter, + Maestro Stefano da Bergamo."</p> + + <p>I do not believe that it is any longer possible to obtain a + complete copy of <span class="pagenum">[pg 751]</span> the + above-mentioned work. Many years ago I found the separate + sheets of it lying about in the sacristy in a manner which gave + one a vivid idea of the reckless carelessness which is so + marked a characteristic of Italians. Bundles of the different + plates, some containing forty or fifty copies, some twenty or + so, and some not more than four or five, were thrust into + cupboards with wax candles for the altar, tattered choir-books + and old candlesticks. And here was the whole remaining stock of + the work! I was at that time able, by the exercise of much + patience, trouble and persuasion with the old + sacristan—who seemed to consider the sale of the plates a + very insufficient recompense for the trouble of looking for + them—to get together a complete copy of the work; but + when I was there the other day not more than twenty of the + plates out of nearly twice that number were to be found. In the + mean time, however, a complete set of photographs of every + portion of the sculpture has been made in a smaller size, but + sufficiently large to give a very satisfactory representation + of the extreme beauty and elegance of the work. It is indeed + impossible to doubt that this Master Stephen of Bergamo, the + carpenter, whose wife was to have half a crown a month for + doing the washing and cooking for all the family living in the + rooms assigned to them in the monastery for a workshop and + living-rooms, was a man of education and culture, and in every + sense of the word an <i>artist</i>. The difference between his + social position and that of any artist of corresponding + eminence in our day would seem to consist wholly in that + greater degree of personal and material luxury which + civilization and increased wealth have brought with them. The + payment which he was to receive for his year's work, besides + having been maintained, lodged and fed at the cost of the + monastery during the time, may, I take it, be considered + equivalent to about twenty-two thousand five hundred + dollars.</p> + + <p>In 1494, on the 5th of April, Maestro Mariotto di Paola, + "called Torzuolo," contracts with the canons of the cathedral + to make a range of cupboards in the sacristy. Such masses of + wood-work, very frequently richly carved and ornamented, are + found in the sacristies of most of the larger churches in + Italy. They generally consist of a range of deep drawers below, + up to about the height of an ordinary table, and above this a + series of cupboards reaching to the ceiling of the apartment, + so much less deep than the drawers as to leave a large space of + table on the top of the latter. The drawers are used mainly for + the keeping of the sacred vestments; the table for the + spreading out of such of these as are about to be or have just + been used; and the cupboards above for the holding of all the + treasures of the church—chalices for the altar, + monstrances for the exposition of the sacrament, reliquaries of + all sorts of shapes and sizes for the preservation of the + relics of saints, ornamental candlesticks, and such like. In + the richer and more important churches these objects are + generally of the precious metals, and frequently richly adorned + with gems, so that the amount of treasure stored in these + repositories is often very considerable. Sometimes such a range + of wood-work as has been described will be found filling one + side only of the sacristy, but in many cases it runs round the + whole apartment. And this piece of ecclesiastical furniture + therefore presented a great field for the taste and ingenuity + of the old <i>maestri</i> in wood-carving to exhibit their + skill both in design and in execution. At the Benedictine + monastery of St. Peter, of the choir of which we have been + speaking, this fitting up of the sacristy had been done + previously; and it is accordingly much less rich in carving + than the work in the choir. But some of the doors of the + cupboards are still more preciously ornamented by some very + finely-painted heads from the hand of the great Perugino.</p> + + <p>Such as it is, however, this sacristy at St. Peter's was + handsome enough to excite the emulation of the canons of the + cathedral, for the contract made with Maestro + Mariotto—who was nicknamed Torzuolo—specifies that + the work is to be entirely of walnut wood, after the fashion of + the sacristy at St. Peter's, and <span class="pagenum">[pg + 752]</span> is to be executed "in the manner of a good, loyal + and expert master." It is to be all done by his own hand, or at + least in his presence and under his superintendence. The work + is to be completed in one year, and the canons are to pay for + it at the rate of ten florins every square braccio, Florentine + measure. This was in 1494; and it will here again be observed + that the price, as compared with that to be paid to Maestro + Stefano by the monks of St. Peter's for their choir, even fully + allowing for the greater richness of the latter, indicates the + very rapid alteration in the value of money which took place at + the beginning of the sixteenth century. But the canons, it + would seem, were very careful hands at a bargain, for we find + that it is provided in the contract that when the work shall + have been completed it shall be examined by two experts, and + that if it shall be found to be worth less than the price + named, Maestro Torzuolo shall receive so much less; but that if + it shall be found by the said experts and appraisers to be + worth more, the maestro shall stand to his bargain and not + receive more than the price named—an agreement which is + frequently found in the contracts made about that period. When + the work was completed it was accordingly examined and + appraised by Maestro Mattia of Reggio and Maestro Pietro of + Florence. The latter was brought from Città di Castello, + a little city in the Apennines some twenty-five miles distant, + express for the purpose. We do not find any statement of their + award. But it would seem that Maestro Torzuolo did not keep to + his contract in one respect, but was as unpunctual as the + carpenters of the present generation, for the above experts + were not called to appraise the work till the year 1497.</p> + + <p>Maestro Pietro of Florence was evidently a man at the head + of his profession, for at Città di Castello, when he was + summoned to Perugia to appraise the work of Maestro Torzuolo, + he was engaged in making for the canons there a wooden ceiling + for the nave of their church, which was, by a contract dated + 1499, to be ornamented with large roses similar to the + ornamentation of the ceiling of the council-hall in the Palazzo + Vecchio at Florence; giving us thus another indication of the + degree of general interest and attention which these works + excited in those days. The communication between city and city + was difficult and comparatively unfrequent, yet the fame of any + fine work of the sort we are talking of evidently not only + reached far and wide among other cities, but forthwith excited + their rivalry and led to the production of other + <i>chefs-d'oeuvre</i>. Maestro Pietro was to receive for the + ceiling of the nave at Città di Castello no less a sum + than five hundred golden ducats, equal to at least seventeen + thousand five hundred dollars at the present day. We find him + also employed as architect to direct the construction of a + cupola of the church of Calcinaio. This carpenter was, then, an + architect also; and Professor Rossi remarks that it is by no + means the only case of the kind.</p> + + <p>Maestro Mattia, the other expert called to appraise the work + done by Maestro Torzuolo for the canons of the cathedral of + Perugia, was already well and favorably known in that city, for + he had been employed in 1495 to appraise some work which had + been done for the choir of the monks of St. Lorenzo; in that + same year we find him executing some very elaborate work for + the convent of St. Augustine; and on the 20th of December there + was read at a meeting of the municipal council a petition from + Maestro Mattia to be admitted to the freedom of the city of + Perugia; which request the masters of the guilds, "taking into + consideration the industry, the mode of life and the moral + character" of the petitioner, were pleased to grant, on the + condition that he, together with two other persons admitted to + citizenship at the same time, should make a present to the + corporation of a silver dish and forty pounds' weight of copper + money, and, further, that he should give the masters and + treasurers of his own guild a dinner.</p> + + <p>The notices which Professor Rossi has collected from the + various collections of archives explored by him show in a + remarkable manner how much the best patron of art and artists + in those days <span class="pagenum">[pg 753]</span> was the + Church. By far the greatest number of the contracts cited are + made by ecclesiastics, either monks or collegiate bodies of + canons or the like, for the ornamentation of their churches and + sacristies. The next best patrons are the different + trade-guilds of the cities. Each of these had its place of + meeting for the <i>priori</i>—masters or wardens, as we + should say, of the company—and many of them a contiguous + chapel. The sort of furniture needed for these places was + generally a range of seats running round the principal room, a + back of wainscoting behind them, a kind of pulpit for those who + addressed the meeting, a raised and prominent seat for the + "consuls" of the guild, and a large table or writing-desk for + the transaction of business. All this, as will be readily + perceived, afforded fine opportunities for the display of rich + carvings and intarsia; and there was much rivalry between the + guilds in the splendor and adornment of their places of + meeting. Some of these works still remain intact, as in the + case of the meeting-room and chapel of the company of + exchange-brokers, which is celebrated wherever art is valued + for the magnificent frescoes by Perugino which adorn the upper + part of the walls above the wood-work. I think, however, that + the Church was more liberal and magnificent in her orders. I + have seen much fine wood-work in the different guild-halls and + town-halls in various cities of Italy, but in no lay building, + not even in wealthy and magnificent Venice itself, with all the + splendor of its ducal palace and its Scuole, have I ever seen + anything of the kind at all comparable to the wood-work in the + choirs of the monastery of St. Peter at Perugia and of the + cathedral at Siena. There is in the cathedral of Bergamo some + intarsia, perhaps the finest things extant in that special + description of work, but for carving the choirs I have + mentioned are pre-eminent.</p> + + <p>But there are a great number of beautiful works of this sort + lurking in places where the traveler, however eager a lover of + art, would hardly think of looking for them. The central + districts of Italy are full of such. There is in the mountains + to the south of Perugia, overhanging the valley of the Tiber, a + little city, the very name of which will probably be new to + many even of those who have traveled much in Italy. Still less + likely is it that they have ever been at Todi, for that is the + name of the place I am alluding to. It lies high and bleak + among the Apennines, and possesses nothing to attract the + wanderer save some notable remains of mediæval art which + strikingly show how universal, how ubiquitous, art and artists + were in those halcyon days. Todi has, moreover, the misfortune + of being situated on no line of railway, and of not being on + the way to any of the great modern centres. It is, therefore, + completely out of the modern world, and nobody knows anything + about it save a few lovers of ancient art, who will not be beat + in their explorations by want of communications and bad + hostelries. But the little hill-city possesses two churches, + whose choirs well deserve a visit by the admirers of + cinque-cento wood-work, I have mentioned it here, however, + mainly because one of these, the choir of the cathedral, offers + not so much in what may still be seen there, as in its records, + a very curious example of the spirit of anti-ecclesiastical + freethinking which was widely spread at that time through the + artist-world, whose best patron was the Church. I mentioned + some months ago, in the pages of this Magazine, some curious + facts showing the real sentiments of the great Perugino on this + subject while he was painting Madonnas and miracles for his + ecclesiastical patrons. And the following singular extract from + the archives of the cathedral church of Todi may be added to + what was there written as a proof of the somewhat unexpected + fact. The wood-work of the choir was begun by Maestro Antonio + Bencivieni of Mercatello, in the duchy of Urbino, and was + completed in 1530 by his son Sebastian, who finished his work + by inserting in it a singularly haughty inscription in + intarsia. The Latin of the original may be Englished thus: + "Begun by the art and genius of Ant<sup>o</sup> Bencivieni of + Mercatello. This work was finished by his son Sebastian. + <span class="pagenum">[pg 754]</span> Having kept faith and + maintained his honor, he did enough." The worthy canons, + however, discovered just one and forty years afterward that + Maestro Sebastiano had done somewhat too much. For he had on + the fourth stall, counting from the bishop's seat, on the + right-hand side of the choir, inserted amid the ornamentation + certain Latin words, inscribed over a carving of three vases + intended to represent reliquaries, which may be translated + thus: Over the first vase, "The shadow of the ass ridden by our + Lord;" over the second, "The feet of the Blessed Virgin as she + ascended into heaven;" over the third, "Relics of the Holy + Trinity." These strange inscriptions remained where Maestro + Sebastiano had so audaciously placed them till the May of 1571. + At that date we find a record in the cathedral archives which, + after rehearsing the words in question, and describing the + position of them, proceeds: "Which words, placed there and + written scandalously, and in a certain sort derisive of the + veneration for holy relics, and in contempt of the Christian + religion, the very reverend canons" (So-and-So—names + rehearsed) "ordered to be removed and entirely canceled, so + that they should no longer be seen or read." Can it be supposed + that this very extraordinary inscription in a choir frequented + daily by the canons of the church had entirely escaped notice + for more than forty years? Surely this is impossible. Should we + not rather see in the fact that the chapter of 1530 noticed the + mocking words with probably a shrug and a smile, whereas the + chapter of 1571 took care that they were removed, an + interesting and curious commentary on the change which the + intervening years had brought about in the spirit of the + Church, and another unexpected indication of the difference + between the Church of the worldly, pagan-minded Clement VII. + and that of the energetic, earnest bigot Pius IV. That such a + difference existed we know full well, but this passage of the + Todi archives is a very curious proof of it.</p> + + <p class="author">T. ADOLPHUS TROLLOPE.</p><a name='REST' + id="REST"></a> + + <h2>REST.</h2> + + <div class='poem'> + <div class='stanza'> + <p>In deepest weariness I lay so still</p> + + <p class='i2'>One might have thought it death,</p> + + <p>For hush of motion and a sleep of will</p> + + <p class='i2'>Gave me but soundless breath.</p> + </div> + + <div class='stanza'> + <p>And yet I slept not; only knew that Rest</p> + + <p class='i2'>Held me all close to her:</p> + + <p>Softly but firmly fettered to her breast,</p> + + <p class='i2'>I had no wish to stir.</p> + </div> + + <div class='stanza'> + <p>"Oh, if," I thought, "death would but be like + this!—</p> + + <p class='i2'>Neither to sleep nor wake,</p> + + <p>But have for ages just this <i>conscious</i> + bliss,</p> + + <p class='i2'>That perfect rest I take."</p> + </div> + + <div class='stanza'> + <p>The soul grows often weary, like the flesh:</p> + + <p class='i2'>May rest pervade her long,</p> + + <p>While she shall <i>feel</i> the joy of growing + fresh</p> + + <p class='i2'>For heavenly work and song!</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p class="author">CHARLOTTE F. + BATES.</p><a name='LETTERS_FROM_SOUTH_AFRICA' + id="LETTERS_FROM_SOUTH_AFRICA"></a> + <span class="pagenum">[pg 755]</span> + + <h2>LETTERS FROM SOUTH AFRICA.</h2> + + <h3>BY LADY BARKER.</h3><br /> + + + <p class="author">MARITZBURG, February 10, 1876.</p> + + <p>In the South African calendar this is set down as the first + of the autumnal months, but the half dozen hours about mid-day + are still quite as close and oppressive as any we have had. I + am, however, bound to say that the nights—at all events, + up here—are cooler, and I begin even to think of a light + shawl for my solitary walks in the verandah just before + bedtime. When the moon shines these walks are pleasant enough, + but when only the "common people of the skies" are trying to + filter down their feebler light through the misty atmosphere, I + have a lurking fear and distrust of the reptiles and bugs who + may also have a fancy for promenading at the same time and in + the same place. I say nothing of bats, frogs and toads, mantis + or even huge moths: to these we are quite accustomed. But + although I have never seen a live snake in this country myself, + still one hears such unpleasant stories about them that it is + just as well to what the Scotch call "mak siccar" with a candle + before beginning a constitutional in the dark.</p> + + <p>It is not a week ago since a lady of my acquaintance, being + surprised at her little dog's refusal to follow her into her + bedroom one night, instituted a search for the reason of the + poor little creature's terror and dismay, and discovered a + snake coiled up under her chest of drawers. At this moment, + too, the local papers are full of recipes for the prevention + and cure of snake-bites, public attention being much attracted + to the subject on account of an Englishman having been bitten + by a black "mamba" (a very venomous adder) a short time since, + and having died of the wound in a few hours. In his case, poor + man! there does not seem to have been a chance from the first, + for he was obliged to walk some distance to the nearest house, + and as they had no proper remedies there, he had to be taken on + a farther journey of some miles to a hospital. All this + exercise and motion caused the poison to circulate freely + through the veins, and was the worst possible thing for him. + The doctors here seem agreed that the treatment of ammonia and + brandy is the safest, and many instances are adduced to show + how successful it has been, though one party of practitioners + admits the ammonia, but denies the brandy. On the other hand, + one hears of a child bitten by a snake and swallowing half a + large bottle of raw brandy in half an hour without its head + being at all affected, and, what is more, recovering from the + bite and living happy ever after. I keep quantities of both + remedies close at hand, for three or four venomous snakes have + been killed within a dozen yards of the house, and little + G—— is perpetually exploring the long grass all + around or hunting for a stray cricket-ball or a pegtop in one + of those beautiful fern-filled ditches whose tangle of creepers + and plumy ferns is exactly the favorite haunt of snakes. As yet + he has brought back from these forbidden raids nothing more + than a few ticks and millions of burs.</p> + + <p>As for the ticks, I am getting over my horror at having to + dislodge them from among the baby's soft curls by means of a + sharp needle, and even G—— only shouts with + laughter at discovering a great swollen monster hanging on by + its forceps to his leg. They torment the poor horses and dogs + dreadfully; and if the said horses were not the very quietest, + meekest, most underbred and depressed animals in the world, we + should certainly hear of more accidents. As it is, they confine + their efforts to get rid of their tormentors to rubbing all the + hair off their tails and sides in patches against the stable + walls or the trunk of a tree. Indeed, the clever way + G——'s miserable little Basuto pony actually climbs + inside a good-sized bush, and sways himself + <span class="pagenum">[pg 756]</span> about in it with his legs + off the ground until the whole thing comes with a crash to the + ground, is edifying to behold to every one except the owner of + the tree. Tom, the Kafir boy, tried hard to persuade me the + other day that the pony was to blame for the destruction of a + peach tree, but as the only broken-down branches were those + which had been laden with fruit, I am inclined to acquit the + pony. Carbolic soap is an excellent thing to wash both dogs and + horses with, as it not only keeps away flies and ticks from the + skin, which, is constantly rubbed off by incessant scratching, + but helps to heal the tendency to a sore place. Indeed, nothing + frightened me so much as what I heard when I first arrived + about Natal sores and Natal boils. Everybody told me that ever + so slight a cut or abrasion went on slowly festering, and that + sores on children's faces were quite common. This sounded very + dreadful, but I am beginning to hope it was an exaggeration, + for whenever G—— cuts or knocks himself (which is + every day or so), or scratches an insect's bite into a bad + place, I wash the part with a little carbolic soap (there are + two sorts—one for animals and a more refined preparation + for the human skin), and it is quite well the next day. We have + all had a threatening of those horrid boils, but they have + passed off.</p> + + <p>In town the mosquitoes are plentiful and lively, devoting + their attentions chiefly to new-comers, but up here—I + write as though we were five thousand feet instead of only + fifty above Maritzburg—it is rare to see one. I think + "fillies" are more in our line, and that in spite of every + floor in the house being scrubbed daily with strong soda and + water. "Fillies," you must know, is our black groom's + (Charlie's) way of pronouncing <i>fleas</i>, and I find it ever + so much prettier. Charlie and I are having a daily discussion + just now touching sundry moneys he expended during my week's + absence at D'Urban for the kittens' food. Charlie calls them + the "lil' catties," and declares that the two small animals + consumed three shillings and ninepence worth of meat in a week. + I laughingly say, "But, Charlie, that would be nearly nine + pounds of meat in six days, and they couldn't eat that, you + know." Charlie grins and shows all his beautiful even white + teeth: then he bashfully turns his head aside and says, "I doan + know, ma': I buy six' meat dree time." "Very well, Charlie, + that would be one shilling and sixpence." "I doan know, ma';" + and we've not got any further than that yet.</p> + + <p>But G—— and I are picking up many words of + Kafir, and it is quite mortifying to see how much more easily + the little monkey learns than I do. I forget my phrases or + confuse them, whereas when he learns two or three sentences he + appears to remember them always. It is a very melodious and + beautiful language, and, except for the clicks, not very + difficult to learn. Almost everybody here speaks it a little, + and it is the first thing necessary for a new-comer to endeavor + to acquire; only, unfortunately, there are no teachers, as in + India, and consequently you pick up a wretched, debased kind of + patois, interlarded with Dutch phrases. Indeed, I am assured + there are two words, <i>el hashi</i> ("the horse"), of + unmistakable Moorish origin, though no one knows how they got + into the language. Many of the Kafirs about town speak a little + English, and they are exceedingly sharp, when they choose, + about understanding what is meant, even if they do not quite + catch the meaning of the words used. There is one genius of my + acquaintance, called "Sixpence," who is not only a capital + cook, but an accomplished English scholar, having spent some + months in England. Generally, to Cape Town and back is the + extent of their journeyings, for they are a home-loving people; + but Sixpence went to England with his master, and brought back + a shivering recollection of an English winter and a deep-rooted + amazement at the boys of the Shoe Brigade, who wanted to clean + his boots. That astonished him more than anything else, he + says.</p> + + <p>The Kafirs are very fond of attending their own schools and + church services, of which there are several in the town; and I + find one of my greatest difficulties in living out here + consists in getting Kafirs <span class="pagenum">[pg + 757]</span> to come out of town, for by doing so they miss + their regular attendance at chapel and school. A few Sundays + ago I went to one of these Kafir schools, and was much struck + by the intently-absorbed air of the pupils, almost all of whom + were youths about twenty years of age. They were learning to + read the Bible in Kafir during my visit, sitting in couples, + and helping each other on with immense diligence and + earnestness. No looking about, no wandering, inattentive + glances, did I see. I might as well have "had the receipt of + fern-seed and walked invisible" for all the attention I + excited. Presently the pupil-teacher, a young black man, who + had charge of this class, asked me if I would like to hear them + sing a hymn, and on my assenting he read out a verse of "Hold + the Fort," and they all stood up and sang it, or rather its + Kafir translation, lustily and with good courage, though + without much tune. The chorus was especially fine, the words + "Inkanye kanye" ringing through the room with great fervor. + This is not a literal translation of the words "Hold the Fort," + but it is difficult, as the teacher explained to me, for the + translator to avail himself of the usual word for "hold," as it + conveys more the idea of "take hold," "seize," and the young + Kafir missionary thoroughly understood all the nicety of the + idiom. There was another class for women and children, but it + was a small one. Certainly, the young men seemed much in + earnest, and the rapt expression of their faces was most + striking, especially during the short prayer which followed the + hymn and ended the school for the afternoon.</p> + + <p>I have had constantly impressed upon my mind since my + arrival the advice <i>not</i> to take Christian Kafirs into my + service, but I am at a loss to know in what way the prejudice + against them can have arisen. "Take a Kafir green from his + kraal if you wish to have a good servant," is what every one + tells me. It so happens that we have two of each—two + Christians and two heathens—about the place, and there is + no doubt whatever which is the best. Indeed, I have sometimes + conversations with the one who speaks English, and I can assure + you we might all learn from him with advantage. His simple + creed is just what came from the Saviour's lips two thousand + years ago, and comprises His teaching of the whole duty of + man—to love God, the great "En' Kos," and his neighbor as + himself. He speaks always with real delight of his privileges, + and is very anxious to go to Cape Town to attend some school + there of which he talks a great deal, and where he says he + should learn to read the Bible in English. At present he is + spelling it out with great difficulty in Kafir. This man often + talks to me in the most respectful and civil manner imaginable + about the customs of his tribe, and he constantly alludes to + the narrow escape he had of being murdered directly after his + birth for the crime of being a twin. His people have a fixed + belief that unless one of a pair of babies be killed at once, + either the father or mother will die within the year; and they + argue that as in any case one child will be sure to die in its + infancy, twins being proverbially difficult to rear, it is only + both kind and natural to kill the weakly one at once. This + young man is very small and quiet and gentle, with an ugly + face, but a sweet, intelligent expression and a very nice + manner. I find him and the other Christian in our employment + very trustworthy and reliable. If they tell me anything which + has occurred, I know I can believe their version of it, and + they are absolutely honest. Now, the other lads have very loose + ideas on the subject of sugar, and make shifty excuses for + everything, from the cat breaking a heavy stone filter up to + half the marketing being dropped on the road.</p> + + <p>I don't think I have made it sufficiently clear that besides + the Sunday-schools and services I have mentioned there are + night-schools every evening in the week, which are fully + attended by Kafir servants, and where they are first taught to + read their own language, which is an enormous difficulty to + them. They always tell me it is so much easier to learn to read + English than Kafir; and if one <span class="pagenum">[pg + 758]</span> studies the two languages, it is plain to see how + much simpler the new tongue must appear to a learner than the + intricate construction, the varying patois and the necessarily + phonetic spelling of a language compounded of so many dialects + as the Zulu-Kafir.</p><br /> + + + <p class="author">FEBRUARY 12.</p> + + <p>In some respects I consider this climate has been rather + over-praised. Of course it is a great deal—a very great + deal—better than our English one, but that, after all, is + not saying much in its praise. Then we must remember that in + England we have the fear and dread of the climate ever before + our eyes, and consequently are always, so to speak, on our + guard against it. Here, and in other places where civilization + is in its infancy, we are at the mercy of dust and sun, wind + and rain, and all the eccentric elements which go to make up + weather. Consequently, when the balance of comfort and + convenience has to be struck, it is surprising how small an + advantage a really better climate gives when you take away + watering-carts and shady streets for hot weather, and sheltered + railway-stations and hansom cabs for wet weather, and roads and + servants and civility and general convenience everywhere. This + particular climate is both depressing and trying in spite of + the sunny skies we are ever boasting about, because it has a + strong tinge of the tropical element in it; and yet people live + in much the same kind of houses (only that they are very + small), and wear much the same sort of clothes (only that they + are very ugly), and lead much the same sort of lives (only that + it is a thousand times duller than the dullest country + village), as they do in England. Some small concession is made + to the thermometer in the matter of puggeries and matted + floors, but even then carpets are used wherever it is + practicable, because this matting never looks clean and nice + after the first week it is put down. All the houses are built + on the ground floor, with the utmost economy of building + material and labor, and consequently there are no passages: + every room is, in fact, a passage and leads to its neighbor. So + the perpetually dirty bare feet, or, still worse, boots fresh + from the mud or dust of the streets, soon wear out the matting. + Few houses are at all prettily decorated or furnished, partly + from the difficulty of procuring anything pretty here, the cost + and risk of its carriage up from D'Urban if you send to England + for it, and partly from the want of servants accustomed to + anything but the roughest and coarsest articles of household + use. A lady soon begins to take her drawing-room ornaments + <i>en guignon</i> if she has to dust them herself every day in + a very dusty climate. I speak feelingly and with authority, for + that is my case at this moment, and applies to every other part + of the house as well.</p> + + <p>I must say I like Kafir servants in some respects. They + require, I acknowledge, constant supervision; they require to + be told to do the same thing over and over again every day; + and, what is more, besides telling, you have to stand by and + see that they do the thing. They are also very slow. But still, + with all these disadvantages, they are far better than the + generality of European servants out here, who make their + luckless employers' lives a burden to them by reason of their + tempers and caprices. It is much better, I am convinced, to + face the evil boldly and to make up one's mind to have none but + Kafir servants. Of course one immediately turns into a sort of + overseer and upper servant one's self; but at all events you + feel master or mistress of your own house, and you have + faithful and good-tempered domestics, who do their best, + however awkwardly, to please you. Where there are children, + then indeed a good English nurse is a great boon; and in this + one respect I am fortunate. Kafirs are also much easier to + manage when the orders come direct from the master or mistress, + and they work far more willingly for them than for white + servants. Tom, the nurse-boy, confided to me yesterday that he + hoped to stop in my employment for forty moons. After that + space of time he considered that he should be in a position to + buy plenty of wives, who would work for him + <span class="pagenum">[pg 759]</span> and support him for the + rest of his life. But how Tom or Jack, or any of the boys in + fact, are to save money I know not, for every shilling of their + wages, except a small margin for coarse snuff, goes to their + parents, who fleece them without mercy. If they are fined for + breakages or misconduct (the only punishment a Kafir cares + for), they have to account for the deficient money to the stern + parents; and both Tom and Jack went through a most graphic + pantomime with a stick of the consequences to themselves, + adding that their father said both the beating from him and the + fine from us served them right for their carelessness. It + seemed so hard they should suffer both ways, and they were so + good-tempered and uncomplaining about it, that I fear I shall + find it very difficult to stop any threepenny pieces out of + their wages in future. A Kafir servant usually gets one pound a + month, his clothes and food. The former consists of a shirt and + short trousers of coarse check cotton, a soldier's old + great-coat for winter, and plenty of mealy-meal for "scoff." If + he is a good servant and worth making comfortable, you give him + a trifle every week to buy meat. Kafirs are very fond of going + to their kraals, and you have to make them sign an agreement to + remain with you so many months, generally six. By the time you + have just taught them, with infinite pains and trouble, how to + do their work, they depart, and you have to begin it all over + again.</p> + + <p>I frequently see the chiefs or indunas of chiefs passing + here on their way to some kraals which lie just over the hills. + These kraals consist of half a dozen or more large huts, + exactly like so many huge beehives, on the slope of a hill. + There is a rude attempt at sod-fencing round them; a few head + of cattle graze in the neighborhood; lower down, the hillside + is roughly scratched by the women with crooked hoes to form a + mealy-ground. (Cows and mealies are all they require except + snuff or tobacco, which they smoke out of a cow's horn.) They + seem a very gay and cheerful people, to judge by the laughter + and jests I hear from the groups returning to these kraals + every day by the road just outside our fence. Sometimes one of + the party carries an umbrella; and I assure you the effect of a + tall, stalwart Kafir, clad either in nothing at all or else in + a sack, carefully guarding his bare head with a tattered Gamp, + is very ridiculous. Often some one walks along playing upon a + rude pipe, whilst the others jog before and after him, laughing + and capering like boys let loose from school, and all + chattering loudly. You never meet a man carrying a burden + unless he is a white settler's servant. When a chief or the + induna of a kraal passes this way, I see him, clad in a motley + garb of red regimentals with his bare "ringed" head, riding a + sorry nag, only the point of his great toe resting in his + stirrup. He is followed closely and with great + <i>empressement</i> by his "tail," all "ringed" men + also—that is, men of some substance and weight in the + community. They carry bundles of sticks, and keep up with the + ambling nag, and are closely followed by some of his wives + bearing heavy loads on their heads, but stepping out bravely + with beautiful erect carriage, shapely bare arms and legs; and + some sort of coarse drapery worn across their bodies, covering + them from shoulder to knee in folds which would delight an + artist's eye and be the despair of a sculptor's chisel. They + don't look either oppressed or discontented. Happy, healthy and + jolly are the words by which they would be most truthfully + described. Still, they are lazy, and slow to appreciate any + benefit from civilization except the money, but then savages + always seem to me as keen and sordid about money as the most + civilized mercantile community anywhere.</p><br /> + + + <p class="author">FEBRUARY 14.</p> + + <p>I am often asked by people who are thinking of coming here, + or who want to send presents to friends here, what to bring or + send. Of course it is difficult to say, because my experience + is limited and confined to one spot at present: therefore I + give my opinion very guardedly, and acknowledge it is derived + in great part from the experience of others who have been here + a long time. Amongst <span class="pagenum">[pg 760]</span> + other wraps, I brought a sealskin jacket and muff which I + happened to have. These, I am assured, will be absolutely + useless, and already they are a great anxiety to me on account + of the swarms of fish-tail moths which I see scuttling about in + every direction if I move a box or look behind a picture. In + fact, there are destructive moths everywhere, and every drawer + is redolent of camphor. The only things I can venture to + recommend as necessaries are things which no one advised me to + bring, and which were only random shots. One was a light + waterproof ulster, and the other was a lot of those outside + blinds for windows which come, I believe, from Japan, and are + made of grass—green, painted with gay figures. I picked + up these latter by the merest accident at the Baker-street + bazaar for a few shillings: they are the comfort of my life, + keeping out glare and dust in the day and moths and insects of + all kinds at night. As for the waterproof, I do not know what I + should have done without it; and little G——'s has + also been most useful. It is the necessary of necessaries + here—a <i>real</i>, good substantial waterproof. A man + cannot do better than get a regular military waterproof which + will cover him from chin to heel on horseback; and even + waterproof hats and caps are a comfort in this treacherous + summer season, where a storm bursts over your head out of a + blue dome of sky, and drenches you even whilst the sun is + shining brightly.</p> + + <p>A worse climate and country for clothes of every kind and + description cannot be imagined. When I first arrived I thought + I had never seen such ugly toilettes in all my life; and I + should have been less than woman (or more—which is it?) + if I had not derived some secret satisfaction from the + possession of at least prettier garments. What I was vain of in + my secret heart was my store of cotton gowns. One can't very + well wear cotton gowns in London; and, as I am particularly + fond of them, I indemnify myself for going abroad by rushing + wildly into extensive purchases in cambrics and print dresses. + They are so pretty and so cheap, and when charmingly made, as + mine <i>were</i> (alas, they are already things of the past!), + nothing can be so satisfactory in the way of summer country + garb. Well, it has been precisely in the matter of cotton gowns + that I have been punished for my vanity. For a day or two each + gown in turn looked charming. Then came a flounce or bordering + of bright red earth on the lower skirt and a general impression + of red dust and dirt all over it. That was after a drive into + Maritzburg along a road ploughed up by ox-wagons. Still, I felt + no uneasiness. What is a cotton gown made for if not to be + washed? Away it goes to the wash! What is this limp, discolored + rag which returns to me iron-moulded, blued until it is nearly + black, rough-dried, starched in patches, with the fringe of red + earth only more firmly fixed than before? Behold my favorite + ivory cotton! My white gowns are even in a worse plight, for + there are no two yards of them the same, and the grotesque + mixture of extreme yellowness, extreme blueness and a pervading + tinge of the red mud they have been washed in renders them a + piteous example of misplaced confidence. Other things fare + rather better—not much—but my poor gowns are only + hopeless wrecks, and I am reduced to some old yachting dresses + of ticking and serge. The price of washing, as this spoiling + process is pleasantly called, is enormous, and I exhaust my + faculties in devising more economical arrangements. We can't + wash at home, for the simple reason that we have no water, no + proper appliances of any sort, and to build and buy such would + cost a small fortune. But a tall, white-aproned Kafir, with a + badge upon his arm, comes now at daylight every Monday morning + and takes away a huge sackful of linen, which is placed, with + sundry pieces of soap and blue in its mouth, all ready for him. + He brings it back in the afternoon full of clean and dry linen, + for which he receives three shillings and sixpence. But this is + only the first stage. The things to be starched have to be + sorted and sent to one woman, and those to be mangled to + another, and both lots have to be fetched home again by Tom and + Jack. (I have forgotten <span class="pagenum">[pg 761]</span> + to tell you that Jack's real name, elicited with great + difficulty, as there is a click somewhere in it, is + "Umpashongwana," whilst the pickle Tom is known among his own + people as "Umkabangwana." You will admit that our substitutes + for these five-syllabled appellations are easier to pronounce + in a hurry. Jack is a favorite name: I know half a dozen black + Jacks myself.) To return, however, to the washing. I spend my + time in this uncertain weather watching the clouds on the days + when the clothes are to come home, for it would be altogether + <i>too</i> great a trial if one's starched garments, borne + aloft on Jack's head, were to be caught in a thunder-shower. If + the washerwoman takes pains with anything, it is with + gentlemen's shirts, though even then she insists on ironing the + collars into strange and fearful shapes.</p> + + <p>Let not men think, however, that they have it all their own + way in the matter of clothes. White jackets and trousers are + commonly worn here in summer, and it is very soothing, I am + told, to try to put them on in a hurry when the arms and legs + are firmly glued together by several pounds of starch. Then as + to boots and shoes: they get so mildewed if laid aside for even + a few days as to be absolutely offensive; and these, with hats, + wear out at the most astonishing rate. The sun and dust and + rain finish up the hats in less than no time.</p> + + <p>But I have not done with my clothes yet. A lady must keep a + warm dress and jacket close at hand all through the most + broiling summer weather, for a couple of hours will bring the + thermometer down ten or twenty degrees, and I have often been + gasping in a white dressing-gown at noon and shivering in a + serge dress at three o'clock on the same day. I am making up my + mind that serge and ticking are likely to be the most useful + material for dresses, and, as one must have something very cool + for these burning months, tussore or foulard, which get + themselves better washed than my poor dear cottons. Silks are + next to useless—too smart, too hot, too entirely out of + place in such a life as this, except perhaps one or two of + tried principles, which won't spot or fade or misbehave + themselves in any way. One goes out of a warm, dry afternoon + with a tulle veil on to keep off the flies, or a feather in + one's hat, and returns with the one a limp, wet rag and the + other quite out of curl. I only wish any milliner could see my + feathers now! All straight, rigidly straight as a carpenter's + rule, and tinged with red dust besides. As for tulle or + crêpe-lisse frilling, or any of those soft pretty + adjuncts to a simple toilette, they are five minutes' + wear—no more, I solemnly declare.</p> + + <p>I love telling a story against myself, and here is one. In + spite of repeated experiences of the injurious effect of + alternate damp and dust upon finery, the old Eve is + occasionally too strong for my prudence, and I can't resist, on + the rare occasions which offer themselves, the temptation of + wearing pretty things. Especially weak am I in the matter of + caps, and this is what befell me. Imagine a lovely, soft summer + evening, broad daylight, though it is half-past seven (it will + be dark directly, however): a dinner-party to be reached a + couple of miles away. The little open carriage is at the door, + and into this I step, swathing my gown carefully up in a huge + shawl. This precaution is especially necessary, for during the + afternoon there has been a terrific thunderstorm and a sudden + sharp deluge of rain. Besides a swamp or two to be ploughed + through as best we may, there are those two miles of deep red + muddy road full of ruts and big stones and pitfalls of all + sorts. The drive home in the dark will be nervous work, but now + in daylight let us enjoy whilst we may. Of course I + <i>ought</i> to have taken my cap in a box or bag, or something + of the sort; but that seemed too much trouble, especially as it + was so small it needed to be firmly pinned on in its place. It + consisted of a centre or crown of white crêpe, a little + frill of the same, and a close-fitting wreath of deep red + feathers all round. Very neat and tidy it looked as I took my + last glance at it whilst I hastily knotted a light black lace + veil over my head by way of protection during my drive. When + <span class="pagenum">[pg 762]</span> I got to my destination + there was no looking-glass to be seen anywhere, no maid, no + anything or anybody to warn me. Into the dining-room I marched + in happy unconsciousness that the extreme dampness of the + evening had flattened the crown of my cap, and that it and its + frill were mere unconsidered limp rags, whilst the unpretending + circlet of feathers had started into undue prominence, and + struck straight out like a red nimbus all round my unconscious + head. How my fellow-guests managed to keep their countenances I + cannot tell. I am certain <i>I</i> never could have sat + opposite to any one with such an Ojibbeway Indian's head-dress + on without giggling. But no one gave me the least hint of my + misfortune, and it only burst upon me suddenly when I returned + to my own room and my own glass. Still, there was a ray of hope + left: it <i>might</i> have been the dampness of the drive home + which had worked me this woe. I rushed into F——'s + dressing-room and demanded quite fiercely whether my cap had + been like that all the time.</p> + + <p>"Why, yes," F—— admitted; adding by way of + consolation, "In fact, it is a good deal subdued now: it was + very wild all dinner-time. I can't say I admired it, but I + supposed it was all right."</p> + + <p>Did ever any one hear such shocking apathy? In answer to my + reproaches for not telling me, he only said, "Why, what could + you have done with it if you <i>had</i> known? Taken it off and + put it in your pocket, or what?"</p> + + <p>I don't know, but anything would have been better than + sitting at table with a thing only fit for a May-Day sweep on + one's head. It makes me hot and angry with myself even to think + of it now.</p> + + <p>F——'s clothes could also relate some curious + experiences which they have had to go through, not only at the + hands of his washerwoman, but at those of his temporary valet, + Jack (I beg his pardon, Umpashongwana) the Zulu, whose zeal + exceeds anything one can imagine. For instance, when he sets to + work to brush F——'s clothes of a morning he is by + no means content to brush the cloth clothes. Oh dear, no! He + brushes the socks, putting each carefully on his hand like a + glove and brushing vigorously away. As they are necessarily + very thin socks for this hot weather, they are apt to melt away + entirely under the process. I say nothing of his blacking the + boots inside as well as out, or of his laboriously scrubbing + holes in a serge coat with a scrubbing-brush, for these are + errors of judgment dictated by a kindly heart. But when Jack + puts a saucepan on the fire without any water and burns holes + in it, or tries whether plates and dishes can support their own + weight in the air without a table beneath them, then, I + confess, my patience runs short. But Jack is so imperturbable, + so perfectly and genuinely astonished at the untoward result of + his experiments, and so grieved that the <i>inkosacasa</i> (I + have not an idea how the word ought to be spelt) should be + vexed, that I am obliged to leave off shaking my head at him, + which is the only way I have of expressing my displeasure. He + keeps on saying, "Ja, oui, yaas," alternately, all the time, + and I have to go away to laugh.</p><br /> + + + <p class="author">FEBRUARY 16.</p> + + <p>I was much amused the other day at receiving a letter of + introduction from a mutual friend in England, warmly + recommending a newly-arrived bride and bridegroom to my + acquaintance, and especially begging me to take pains to + introduce the new-comers into the "best society." To appreciate + the joke thoroughly you must understand that there is no + society here at all—absolutely none. We are not proud, we + Maritzburgians, nor are we inhospitable, nor exclusive, nor + unsociable. Not a bit. We are as anxious as any community can + be to have society or sociable gatherings, or whatever you like + to call the way people manage to meet together; but + circumstances are altogether too strong for us, and we all in + turn are forced to abandon the attempt in despair. First of + all, the weather is against us. It is maddeningly uncertain, + and the best-arranged entertainment cannot be considered a + success if the guests have to struggle through rain and tempest + and streets <span class="pagenum">[pg 763]</span> ankle-deep in + water and pitchy darkness to assist at it. People are hardly + likely to make themselves pleasant at a party when their return + home through storm and darkness is on their minds all the time: + at least, I know <i>I</i> cannot do so. But the weather is only + one of the lets and hinderances to society in Natal. We are all + exceedingly poor, and necessary food is very dear: luxuries are + enormously expensive, but they are generally not to be had at + all, so one is not tempted by them. Servants, particularly + cooks, are few and far between, and I doubt if even any one + calling himself a cook could send up what would be considered a + fairly good dish elsewhere. Kafirs can be taught to do one or + two things pretty well, but even then they could not be trusted + to do them for a party. In fact, if I stated that there were no + good servants—in the ordinary acceptation of the + word—here at all, I should not be guilty of exaggeration. + If there are, all I can say is, I have neither heard of nor + seen them. On the contrary, I have been overwhelmed by + lamentations on that score in which I can heartily join. + Besides the want of means of conveyance (for there are no cabs, + and very few <i>remises</i>) and good food and attendance, any + one wanting to entertain would almost need to build a house, so + impossible is it to collect more than half a dozen people + inside an ordinary-sized house here. For my part, my verandah + is the comfort of my life. When more than four or five people + at a time chance to come to afternoon tea, we overflow into the + verandah. It runs round three sides of the four rooms called a + house, and is at once my day-nursery, my lumber-room, my + summer-parlor, my place of exercise—everything, in fact. + And it is an incessant occupation to train the creepers and + wage war against the legions of brilliantly-colored + grasshoppers which infest and devour the honeysuckles and + roses. Never was there such a place for insects! They eat up + everything in the kitchen-garden, devour every leaf off my + peach and orange trees, scarring and spoiling the fruit as + well. It is no comfort whatever that they are wonderfully + beautiful creatures, striped and ringed with a thousand colors + in a thousand various ways: one has only to see the riddled + appearance of every leaf and flower to harden one's heart. Just + now they have cleared off every blossom out of the garden + except my zinnias, which grow magnificently and make the + devastated flower-bed still gay with every hue and tint a + zinnia can put on—salmon-color, rose, scarlet, pink, + maroon, and fifty shades besides. On the veldt too the flowers + have passed by, but their place is taken by the grasses, which + are all in seed. People say the grass is rank and poor, and of + not much account as food for stock, but it has an astonishing + variety of beautiful seeds. In one patch it is like miniature + pampas-grass, only a couple of inches long each seed-pod, but + white and fluffy. Again, there will be tall stems laden with + rich purple grains or delicate tufts of rose-colored seed. One + of the prettiest, however, is like wee green harebells hanging + all down a tall and slender stalk, and hiding within their cups + the seed. Unfortunately, the weeds and burs seed just as + freely, and there is one especial torment to the garden in the + shape of an innocent-looking little plant something like an + alpine strawberry in leaf and blossom, bearing a most + aggravating tuft of little black spines which lose no + opportunity of sticking to one's petticoats in myriads. They + are familiarly known as "blackjacks," and can hold their own as + pests with any weed of my acquaintance.</p> + + <p>But the most beautiful tree I have seen in Natal was an + <i>Acacia flamboyante</i>. I saw it at D'Urban, and I shall + never forget the contrast of its vivid green, bright as the + spring foliage of a young oak, and the crown of rich crimson + flowers on its topmost branches, tossing their brilliant + blossoms against a background of gleaming sea and sky. It was + really splendid, like a bit of Italian coloring among the + sombre tangle of tropical verdure. It is too cold up here for + this glorious tree, which properly belongs to a far more + tropical temperature than even D'Urban can mount up to.</p> + + <p>I am looking forward to next month <span class="pagenum">[pg + 764]</span> and the following ones to make some little + excursions into the country, or to go "trekking," as the local + expression is. I hear on all sides how much that is interesting + lies a little way beyond the reach of a ride, but it is + difficult for the mistress—who is at the same time the + general servant—of an establishment out here to get away + from home for even a few days, especially when there is a + couple of small children to be left behind. No one travels now + who can possibly help it, for the sudden violent rains which + come down nearly every afternoon swell the rivers and make even + the spruits impassable; so a traveler may be detained for days + within a few miles of his destination. Now, in winter the roads + will be hard, and dust will be the only inconvenience. At + least, that is what I am promised.</p><br /> + <a name='OUR_MONTHLY_GOSSIP' + id="OUR_MONTHLY_GOSSIP"></a> + + <h2>OUR MONTHLY GOSSIP.</h2> + + <h3>THE CABS OF PARIS.</h3><br /> + + + <p>Paris is without doubt, of all large cities, the easiest to + get about in. Lines of omnibuses cross and recross its surface + in every direction, and, better still, the streets swarm with + cabs, in which for the small sum of thirty cents one can pass + at will from any given point to any other far distant one + within its limits. There are carriage-stands on every side and + in every principal street, and unoccupied vehicles may be seen + driven at a snail's pace, with their drivers keenly on the + lookout for a possible fare. Yet, with all this provision, it + is occasionally very difficult to secure a carriage in Paris. + On a sunny Sunday afternoon, on the day of the Grand Prix de + Paris, or during the prevalence of a sudden storm carriages are + as scarce in Paris as they are in New York. Yet their number + increases daily, thanks to the law of 1866, by virtue of which + any coachman who can pass an examination as to his knowledge of + driving and acquaintance with the streets of Paris can, if he + likes, purchase a vehicle of the regulation style, have his + number painted on it and set up for himself as a public cabman, + subject always in the matter of pace, charges, etc. to the + police laws regulating all such details.</p> + + <p>It has taken two hundred and thirty years to bring the + cab-system of Paris to the point of perfection to which it has + now attained. In 1617 the only public means of locomotion was + afforded by a company which let out sedan-chairs. In 1640 a + certain Nicholas Sauvage, agent for the stage-coaches of + Amiens, formed the plan of establishing carriages, harnessed + and ready for use at certain designated points, for the + accommodation of the public. These vehicles were christened + <i>fiacres</i>, but the reason for their receiving this + appellation remains unknown. Some say it was because Sauvage + occupied a house the façade of which was decorated with + an image of St. Fiacre: another and more probable solution of + the mystery has been found in the fact that just at that epoch + a monk of the Petits Pères, called Fiacre, died in the + odor of sanctity, and his portrait was placed in all the new + vehicles to protect them against accidents. Be this as it may, + the new enterprise proved successful, and in 1703 a law was + passed compelling the numbering of all public carriages. In + 1753 there existed in Paris twenty-eight cab-stands and sixty + livery-stables, containing in all one hundred and seventy + carriages. At present, Paris possesses over eight thousand cabs + and three thousand livery-stable carriages: these last are + generally very handsome vehicles, drawn by spirited, well-kept + horses and driven by stylish-looking coachmen. + <span class="pagenum">[pg 765]</span> The public vehicles of + Paris, exclusive of the omnibuses, may be divided into three + classes. First, the <i>voitures de place</i>, which are + permitted, on payment of an annual tax of three hundred and + sixty-five francs, to stand at one of the one hundred and + fifty-eight points designated by the police; these bear a + yellow number. Secondly, the <i>voitures mixtes</i>, which may + at will be hired from a livery-stable or stand or ply upon the + public highway; these bear a red number. And thirdly, the + <i>voitures de remise</i>, which can only be hired from a + stable, and are prohibited from appearing on the stands; these + also are numbered in red, but in a particular style, so that a + policeman at a glance can distinguish the difference between + the voitures mixtes and those of the last category. To this + latter class belong the stunning and splendid equipages which + may be hired for any period, extending from a few hours to an + indefinite number of months, and which enable the stranger to + make as fine a display of equipages and liveries as the + wealthiest resident of the city. The first two classes, the + cabs properly so called, are, however, the most interesting to + the transient visitor to Paris or to the permanent resident + with a purse of moderate dimensions.</p> + + <p>The cabs of Paris, as a rule, are comparatively neat and + comfortable, those belonging to the Compagnie + Générale des Voitures (of which institution more + anon) being carefully brushed and cleaned every day. In winter + a two-seated coupé lined with dark cloth or with + leather, and drawn by a single horse, is the usual style of + vehicle offered for the accommodation of the public. The price + of such a vehicle is thirty cents for a "course" or single + unbroken trip, which may be from one side of Paris to the + other, or forty cents an hour. The coachman is bound by law to + give the person engaging him a square ticket on which is + printed his number and the exact amount of his fare: this last, + however, being stated as varying under certain conditions and + at certain hours, is apt to be rather puzzling to the + inexperienced traveler, particularly if he or she be ignorant + of French. Four-seated carriages are hard to find in winter: + they are drawn by two horses, and the fare is ten cents more on + the course and by the hour than that of the two-seated ones. In + summer the coupés are replaced by light, open, + four-seated carriages, with a hood and with leather curtains, + to be used in case of rain; and they are really pleasant and + comfortable vehicles. The horses do not differ much from the + style of cab-horses known all over the world, being thin, + shabby and dismal-looking animals as a general thing, though + exceptions to the rule are not uncommon.</p> + + <p>The cabmen of Paris form a distinct class, a separate + society, composed of all sorts of elements—a turbulent, + indocile, rebellious set of men, always in revolt against their + employers and against the law, which holds them with an iron + and inflexible grasp. Most of them are Communists, though many + of them are men belonging to the higher classes of society, + whom dissipation, extravagance or misfortune has driven to this + mode of gaining a living. Thus, it is a well-known fact that + the son of a distinguished diplomat, an ambassador to more than + one foreign court, is now a cab-driver, and not a particularly + good one. Unfrocked priests, unsuccessful school-teachers, + small bankrupt tradesmen, swell the ranks, the <i>personnel</i> + of which is mainly composed of servants out of place or of + provincials who have come to Paris to seek their fortune. These + last come mostly from Normandy, Auvergne and Savoy; and it has + been noticed that the Savoyards are the most sober and docile + of all. The Parisian cabman is always under the surveillance of + the police: a policeman stationed on every stand watches each + cab as it drives off, and takes its number to guard as far as + possible against any overcharge or peculation. In case of a + collision and quarrel or an accident the ubiquitous policeman + is always at hand to take the numbers of the vehicles whose + drivers may be concerned in the affair. Complaints made by + passengers are always attended to at once, and immediate + redress is pretty sure to follow. The cabman is generally + <span class="pagenum">[pg 766]</span> gruff and surly, and, + though seldom seen drunk, in the majority of cases is addicted + to drink—a vice which the exposed nature of his calling + palliates if it does not wholly excuse. Some cabmen are devoted + to newspaper reading, and may be seen engaged perusing the + <i>Rappel</i> or the <i>Événement</i> while + awaiting the appearance of a fare or stationed before the door + of a shop or a picture-gallery. Others prefer to nap away their + leisure moments, and may be seen, half sitting, half lying on + their boxes, and sound asleep. It is rather a curious process + to pass slowly along the line of a Parisian cab-stand and + observe the faces of the men. Every variety and type of + countenance—from the Parisian "Jakey" with villainous + eyes, sharp features and black soaplocks, to the jolly old + patriarch, gray and stout, and somewhat stiff in the joints, + who has been a cab-driver for over forty years + perhaps—presents itself to your view. The best way to + engage a cab is by observing the face of the driver, not the + condition of the vehicle or that of the horse. The Parisian + cabmen wear no uniform, the high glazed hat being the only + article of attire which is universally adopted. Even the red + waistcoat, once a distinctive mark of their calling, is + gradually falling into disuse, and every variety of coat and + overcoat may be seen, liveries past private service being very + generally adopted. Any overcharge may be reclaimed by the + passenger by the simple process of making a complaint before + the nearest chef de police. In past days the coachman thus + complained against was forced to go in person to the + complainant to beg his or her pardon, and to pay over the extra + sum demanded. A frightful catastrophe which occurred some + twenty years ago put an end to this form of retribution. On the + 16th of September, 1855, M. Juge, director of the normal school + at Douai, took a cab in the Place de la Concorde and went for a + drive in the Bois de Boulogne. The driver, one Collignon, + insisted on being paid more than his legal fare, and M. Juge + forwarded his complaint to the prefecture of police the next + day. Collignon was condemned to make restitution in person to + M. Juge. He sold his furniture, purchased a pair of pistols and + went on the appointed day to the house of M. Juge in the Rue + d'Enfer. No hard words passed between them, but while the + gentleman was in the act of signing the receipt the coachman + drew out one of his pistols and shot him through the head, + killing him instantly. Collignon was at once arrested: he was + tried and condemned to death, and expiated his crime on the + scaffold on the 6th of December following. Since that event + another system of restitution has been followed, the sum + exacted in excess of the legal fare being deposited at the + prefecture of police, whither the traveler is compelled to go + in quest of it.</p> + + <p>At the prefecture of police is likewise situated the + storehouse of articles forgotten or left behind in public + carriages. According to the law, every coachman is commanded to + inspect carefully his carriage after the occupant has departed, + and to deposit every article left therein, were it but an odd + glove, in the storehouse above mentioned. Each object is + inscribed in a register and bears a particular number, and the + number of the cab in which it was left as well. These articles + fill a large room, whereof the contents are ever changing, and + which is always full. Umbrellas, muffs, opera-glasses, + pocket-books (sometimes containing thousands of francs) are + among the most usual deposits. In one year there were found in + the cabs of Paris over twenty thousand objects, among which + were six thousand five hundred umbrellas. Should the article + bear the address of the owner, he is at once apprised by letter + of its whereabouts; otherwise, it is kept till called for, and + if never claimed it becomes the property of the city at the end + of three years, and is sold at auction. A vast row of + underground apartments is appropriated to the unclaimed + articles—dim cellar-rooms, lighted with gas. There may be + seen umbrellas by the hundred or the thousand, strapped + together in bundles and stacked up like fagots. Everything is + registered, numbered and catalogued, and if returned to the + owner his address <span class="pagenum">[pg 767]</span> and the + date of delivery are carefully noted. The strict surveillance + of the police contributes greatly toward keeping the Parisian + cabman honest. Instances are on record where costly sets of + jewels, bags of napoleons and pocket-books crammed with + bank-notes have been faithfully deposited at the prefecture by + their finders. On the other hand, an anecdote is told of a + cab-driver in whose vehicle a gentleman chanced to leave his + pocket-book, containing fifty thousand francs which he had just + won at play. He traced his cabman to the stable, where he was + in the act of feeding his horse, opened the carriage-door, and + found his pocket-book lying untouched upon the floor. On + learning what a prize he had missed the coachman incontinently + hung himself.</p> + + <p>The great source of supply for public vehicles in Paris is + the Compagnie Générale des Voitures, one of the + most gigantic of the great enterprises of Paris. It possesses + five thousand cabs and over two thousand handsome and stylish + voitures de remise. It furnishes every style; of carriage for + hire, from the superb private-looking barouche or landau, with + servants in gorgeous livery and splendid blooded horses, or the + showy pony-phaeton and low victoria of the <i>cocotte du grand + monde</i>, down to the humble one-horse cab. This beneficent + company will furnish you, if desired, with a princely equipage, + with armorial bearings, family liveries, etc., all complete and + got up specially to suit the ideas of the hirer. Nine-tenths of + the elegant turnouts in Paris are supplied in this manner. + There is a regular tariff for everything: each additional + footman costs so much, there is a fixed charge for powder, for + postilions, for a <i>chasseur</i> decked with feathers and gold + lace. You can be as elegant as you please without purchasing a + single accessory of your equipage.</p> + + <p>The cab-horses of the Compagnie Générale are + usually brought from Normandy, and belong to a specially hardy + race, such a one being needed to endure the privations and + trials to which a Parisian cab-horse is exposed. Each horse has + to be gradually initiated into the duties of his new calling: + he has to be trained to eat at irregular hours, to sleep + standing, and to endure the fatigues of the Parisian streets. + Were the country-bred horse to be put at once to full city + work, he would die in a week. He is first sent out for a + quarter of a day; then after a week or two for half a day; then + for a whole day; and when accustomed to that he is considered + fit for night-work. The horses of the Compagnie + Générale remain in the stable one day out of + every three. If well fed, well kept and well looked after, the + life of a Paris cab-horse may be prolonged from three to five + years, but the latter is the extreme limit.</p> + + <p>The Compagnie Générale not only buys its own + horses, but constructs its own carriages. Its coachmen are + obliged to pass through a preliminary examination, not only as + to their capabilities for driving, but as to their knowledge of + the streets of Paris. But the passage of the law of 1866 has + let loose upon the community a swarm of ignorant coachmen, who, + assuming the reins and whip, in some instances without any + knowledge even of the great thoroughfares of Paris, will lead + their unhappy hirer a pretty dance, particularly if he or she + is a stranger on a first visit to the great city. I know of one + instance where a lady, desirous of visiting the Pare Monceau, + was taken to the extreme northern boundary of the city limits, + and was only rescued by the intervention of the police. Then + one must be very particular as to the pronunciation of the name + of the street, as so many streets exist in Paris the names of + which closely resemble each other when spoken, such as the Rue + de Téhéran and the Rue de Turin, the Rue du Marl + and the Rue d'Aumale, etc. And if your coachman <i>can</i> make + a mistake, you may rest assured he will do it.</p> + + <p>The Parisian cab is not, like its London compeer, a + prohibited pariah of a vehicle, excluded from parks or the + court-yards of palaces. You can go to call at the + Élysée or to attend a ball there in a cab if you + like, and the Bois de Boulogne or the Pare Monceau is as free + to that plebeian vehicle as to the landau of a prince. And if + one attends a ball in <span class="pagenum">[pg 768]</span> + Paris, there is no need to engage a carriage to return home in. + Attracted by the lights, the cabmen station their vehicles in + long lines in the neighborhood of any mansion where such a + festivity is taking place, waiting patiently till three, four + and five o'clock in the morning for a chance of conveying home + some of the merrymakers. The only instance in which I ever + heard of their failing to be on hand on such an occasion was at + a large fancy ball where the German was kept up till six + o'clock in the morning. The gay troupe issued forth into the + golden glowing sunshine of the April morning, and found not a + single cab in attendance; so powdered and brocaded Marquises, + white-satin clad "Mignons," Highlanders, Turks and Leaguers + were forced to walk to their homes, in many instances miles + away, to the immense amusement of the street-sweepers and + naughty little boys, the only Parisians astir at that hour of + the city's universal repose.</p> + + <p class="author">L.H.H.</p><a name='A_NEW_MUSEUM_AT_ROME' + id="A_NEW_MUSEUM_AT_ROME"></a> + + <h3>A NEW MUSEUM AT ROME.</h3><br /> + + + <p>A new museum of sculpture at Rome! One would have thought + that it could hardly be needed. Besides three vast + collections—that of the Lateran, that of the Capitol, and + that wondrous world of antique sculpture at the Vatican, + itself, in fact, three museums, and each of the three alone + matchless in the world—we have the work of the hands that + lived and worked here a couple of thousands of years ago in + every villa, in every garden, almost at every corner. And yet + we need, and have just established, another museum of ancient + sculpture. We are now cutting new lines of streets—not, + as you are doing, on the surface of a soil that has never been + moved save by the forces of Nature since first the Creator + divided the sea from the dry land, but—among the + débris of the successive civilizations of more than + three thousand years. The laying of our gas- and water-pipes + breaks the painting on the walls of banquet-halls whose last + revel was disturbed by the irruption of the barbarian. Our + "main drainage" lies among the temples of gods whose godlike + forms are found mutilated and prostrate among the fallen + columns and tumbled architraves and cornices of their + shrines.</p> + + <p>But if no awe of the mighty past prevents the speculator and + contractor of our day from marching his army of excavators in + an undeviating and unyielding line impartially athwart the + temples, the palaces, the theatres, the baths of the perished + world beneath their feet, yet in these days of ours the work is + done reverently, at least so far as not only to respect, but to + gather up with the most scrupulous care, every available + fragment of the art, and even of the common life, of those + vanished generations. If the day shall come when some future + people shall yet once again build their city on this same + eternal site, and some future social cataclysm shall have + overwhelmed the works and civilization of the present time, + those future builders will not find walls constructed in great + part of the fragments of statues and the richly-carved friezes + of yet older builders and artists, as we have found. The Romans + of the present day are, it must be admitted, fully alive to the + inappreciable value of the wondrous heritage they possess in + this kind; and every fragment of it is carefully and jealously + gathered and stored. And hence is the need of a new museum, and + hence will be the need of other new museums—who shall say + how many? For truly this Roman soil seems inexhaustible in + buried treasures. There seems no likelihood that the vein + should be exhausted or die out. Every now and then the + excavators come upon "a fault," as the miners say, but the vein + is soon struck again.</p> + + <p>And so the new museum at the Capitol has been rendered + necessary. It was inaugurated on the 25th of February in this + year. It consists of twelve rooms or galleries, part of which + occupy the site of the apartments which used to contain the + archives, now moved to other quarters, and part, including a + large octagonal hall, the principal feature of the new museum, + have been newly constructed on ground which used to be the + garden of the Conservatori, the ancient municipal officers of + the city, so called. The entrance <span class="pagenum">[pg + 769]</span> is by the main staircase of the palazzo of the + Conservatori, which is the building that forms the side of the + square of the Capitol to the right hand of the visitor as he + ascends the magnificent flight of steps from the Via di Ara + Coeli. The steep sides of the Capitoline Hill on either side of + these steps has been recently turned into a very well-kept and + pretty garden, among the lawns and shrubberies of which the + attention of the stranger, as he ascends, may be attracted by a + neatly-painted iron cage in front of the mouth of a little + cavern in the rock, which is inhabited by a she-wolf in + memorial of the earliest traditions of the place. Memorials, + indeed, are not wanting at every step, and from the first + window of the staircase as the visitor ascends to the museum on + the first floor he may look down on the Tarpeian Rock.</p> + + <p>The public functionaries of all sorts here do so much of + their work in a manner which gives rise to much discontentment + among the Romans, and would by the people of better-ruled + countries be deemed wholly intolerable, that it is a pleasure + to be able to say that upon this occasion the municipality has + done what it had to do thoroughly well. The galleries and rooms + of the new establishment are decorated in admirably good taste + in the Pompeian style, the walls being colored in panels and + borders of blue and red on a buff ground. They are excellently + well lighted, and the visitor is not hunted round the rooms by + an attendant anxious only to get his tedious task over, but is + allowed to wander about among the treasures around him at his + own discretion, and to spend the whole day there, or as much of + it as lies between 10 A.M. and 3 P.M., if he pleases. A + sufficient catalogue, accompanied by a map of the place, is + purchasable at the doors for a couple of francs, and the + visitor is required to pay half a franc for his entrance. This + last regulation is in accordance with a law recently passed by + the legislature establishing an entrance-fee at the doors of + all public galleries and museums throughout Italy. Heretofore + the entrance to all such places was entirely free. But, seeing + that the country really needs the assistance to be obtained + from this source, it cannot be said to be acting otherwise than + reasonably in making such a charge; and probably no one of the + thousands who come to Italy to profit by her artistic treasures + will ever grudge the payment of the small fee demanded; the + only question being whether the measure is on the whole a + profitable one financially, of which I do not feel quite + sure.</p> + + <p>The first landing-place of the vast staircase and the + ante-room at the top of it are lined with the more interesting + and perfect of the pagan inscriptions which the recent + movements of the soil have brought to light. Of course, the + majority of these present no specialties distinguishing them + from the thousands of similar inscriptions with which the world + has long since been familiar. But there are some among them + which contribute useful fragments of knowledge to the attempts + of our antiquaries to construct a satisfactory plan of the + ancient city—dedications of statues, showing what god or + goddess inhabited such or such a shrine, and the like. The + letters of these inscriptions have been rendered more easily + legible by restoring the scarlet coloring of them, as has been + done in the case of those at the Vatican.</p> + + <p>The visitor next enters a very long corridor or gallery + giving access to the various halls and rooms, and adorned with + a series of modern busts of the men of whom Italy has most + reason to be proud. Some among them are of much merit.</p> + + <p>Then comes the gallery of the bronzes. In this department + the late finds have been very numerous and extremely + interesting. Among the objects which will immediately attract + the visitor's eye as he enters the principal room are a litter + and a biga or chariot. In both cases of course only fragments + of the bronze remain, but they are sufficient to have enabled + skilled antiquaries to reconstruct the entire litter and the + entire chariot. The latter is very specially interesting. The + plates of embossed and chiseled bronze which encased the body + of the chariot are figured with admirably-worked subjects + <span class="pagenum">[pg 770]</span> in basso-rilievo, many of + them relating to the "wondrous tale of Troy." This invaluable + specimen was the gift to the museum of that eminent and liberal + archæologist, Signor A. Castellani, of whose matchless + collection of Etruscan jewelry I wrote in a former number of + this Magazine. The remaining portions of the bronze- and + iron-work of the litter, with its arrangement of poles for + carrying it, somewhat after the fashion of a sedan-chair, + though the whole of the apparatus is much lighter, are more + fragmentary, but yet sufficient for the reconstruction of a + specimen illustrative to the classical reader of many a passage + in the ancient writers. Under No. 10 the visitor will find the + small statue of an hermaphrodite in bronze, fashioned as the + bearer of a lamp—a statue of very great delicacy and + beauty.</p> + + <p>The next room is that of the medals and coins, the number of + which will probably surprise the visitor not a little. The gold + coins and the better-preserved and more interesting specimens + are shown single under cleverly-arranged glass cases. The more + ordinary results of the finds which are almost daily being made + have been consigned in promiscuous heaps to huge glass vases, + whose tops, however, are carefully sealed down. The large + collections of the <i>æs rude signatum</i> of the + consular and of the imperial families, in bronze, in silver and + in gold, together with some mediæval specimens, are + ranged around the walls.</p> + + <p>Then we come to the sculpture, the main scope of the new + museum, which is distributed in a large vestibule, in a noble + octagonal central hall and in a long gallery. It was an + excellent idea, adding much to the interest which every + stranger in Rome will take in the museum, to place on each + specimen a placard specifying the locality in which it was + discovered and the date of the finding. And this information is + admirably supplemented by a map hung against the wall showing + in detail the relative positions of all the places which have + yielded up these long-buried treasures. The number of specimens + of sculpture is in all one hundred and thirty-three; and it is + impossible, without letting this notice run to an immoderate + length, to attempt to give an adequate account of the various + objects, or even of the principal among them. There is a + richly-ornamented and very characteristic head of Commodus, + which really looks as if it might have come from the sculptor's + hands yesterday. A colossal bust of Mæcenas, also the + gift of Signor Castellani, a bust of Tiberius, a small statue + of the child Hercules, a Venus Anadyomene, may be, and many + others might be, mentioned. The last-named is a very lovely + statue of a young girl entirely nude. The archæologists + have chosen to call it a Venus, but it is to my thinking clear + that it never was intended for the laughter-loving goddess. The + expression of the face is perfectly and beautifully chaste, and + indeed a little sad. I should say that it must have been a + nymph coming from the bath, and just about to clothe herself + with the drapery thrown over a broken column at her knee as + soon as she shall have completed the arrangement of her + tresses, with which her hands are (or, alas! were, for the arms + are wanting) engaged.</p> + + <p>Room No. 10 contains a very extensive and most interesting + collection of ancient pottery. There are many of the painted + vases with which the world has become so well acquainted, and + which, as being the more showy objects, will on his first + entrance attract the eye of the visitor. But if he will with + loving patience examine the vast numbers of utensils of every + sort which have been with the utmost care sifted, one might + almost say, from out of the mass of débris which the + recent excavations have thrown up, he will find an amount of + suggestive illustration of the old pagan life of two thousand + years ago which cannot fail to interest and instruct him.</p> + + <p class="author">T.A.T.</p><a name='OUR_FOREIGN_SURNAMES' + id="OUR_FOREIGN_SURNAMES"></a> + + <h3>OUR FOREIGN SURNAMES.</h3><br /> + + + <p>It is interesting as well as amusing to read the foreign + names upon the signs in the streets of our cities and towns, + and observe the number of nationalities thereon represented, + together with the <span class="pagenum">[pg 771]</span> + peculiarities of form and meaning displayed by the names + themselves.</p> + + <p>German names meet the eye everywhere, and are usually very + outlandish in appearance, while many of them have + significations which are conspicuously and ludicrously + inappropriate. For example, a lager-beer saloon in one of our + large cities is kept by Mr. Heiliggeist ("Holy Ghost"); a + cigar-shop in another place belongs to Mr. Priesterjahn + ("Prester John"); while the pastor of a devout German flock in + a third locality is the Rev. Mr. Wuestling ("low scoundrel"). + The Hon. Carl Schurz, too, is hardly the sort of man to be + named "apron," though it is certainly true that his name is in + this country sometimes pronounced "Shirts."</p> + + <p>Other branches of the great Teutonic family have many + representatives among us, and their names seem, to the + uninitiated, even more fearfully and wonderfully constructed + than those of their German cousins. It produces a good deal of + surprise in the mind of an American to see on the sign of a + tradesman from Belgium the familiar name of Cox spelled + "Kockx;" and the Norwegian patronymic Trondhjemer + ("Drontheimer"), though a very mild specimen of the language, + has a formidable aspect to the general beholder.</p> + + <p>The German-Hebrew names display such an exuberant Eastern + fancy in their composition as to suggest the inquiry whether + they are not really but German translations of their + possessors' original Oriental titles. It is not unlikely that + this was the origin of names like Rosenthal ("Vale of Roses"), + Lilienhain ("Meadow of Lilies"), Liebenstrom ("Stream of + Love"), and Goldenberg ("Golden Mount").</p> + + <p>The Teutonic names, whether German, Scandinavian or Flemish, + do not, as a rule, seem by any means so unpronounceable as + those pertaining to foreigners of Slavonic race. The Russian, + Polish and Bohemian appellations, which occur frequently in + some sections of our country, so often begin with the + extraordinary combination <i>cz</i> that many Americans, + believing that nothing but a convulsive sneeze could meet the + necessities of such a case, decline trying to pronounce them at + all. But the difficulties which these Slavonic names apparently + offer would, in a great measure, be removed by a uniform system + of orthography. The combination <i>cz</i>, for instance, + corresponds to our <i>ch</i>, and the Polish cognomen + Czajkowski becomes much less exasperating when spelled, as it + would be in English, "Chycovsky." The same thing is true, to a + great extent, of the Hungarian names, which are not rare in our + larger cities. They, too, would be greatly simplified to us by + being spelled according to English rules. A very frequent + combination in Hungarian names, that of <i>sz</i> is really the + same as our <i>ss</i>; while <i>s</i> without the <i>z</i> is + pronounced <i>sh</i>. The Hungarian name Szemelenyi under our + system of spelling would therefore be "Semelenye," which is + less discouraging.</p> + + <p>The foreign names in the United States that really present + the most serious difficulties to the native citizen are + unquestionably the Welsh. Some of the obstacles to easy + pronunciation may even in their case be removed by adaptation + to our orthography; as is shown by the name Hwg ("hog"), which + would be spelled by us "Hoog." But there are so many sounds in + Welsh that are not only unknown, but almost inconceivable to + English-speaking people, that the difficulties would still be + very far from being overcome. And some of these peculiar + utterances are expressed in Welsh by combinations of the Roman + characters which in English stand for familiar and simple + sounds; so that an attempt to reduce the two languages to a + common system of spelling would not be at all easy. The + combination <i>ll</i> stands in Welsh for a terrific gurgling, + gasping sound, which when once heard swiftly puts an end to all + the romantic associations that the name of Llewellyn has + derived from history and poetry.</p> + + <p>But all such foreign—or, more strictly speaking, + un-English—names, after being in this country a + generation or two, become, in a certain sense, "acclimated." + They undergo a change in pronunciation, + <span class="pagenum">[pg 772]</span> in spelling, or in both, + which removes, in effect, the difficulties that originally + characterized them. In this way the German names Schneider, + Meyer, Kaiser, Kraemer, Schallenberger, Schwarzwaelder, and a + host of others have become, respectively, Snyder, Myers, + Keyser, Creamer, Shellabarger, Swartswelder, etc. Sometimes, + too, an American name more or less similar in sound or meaning + has been taken or given in place of the original German title; + as when Loewenstein ("Lion-rock") was exchanged for Livingston, + and Albrecht ("Albert") for Allbright.</p> + + <p>The old "Knickerbocker" names of the Middle States have, in + most instances, retained their Dutch spelling intact, but have + generally been subjected to a similar process of adaptation in + sound. The same may be said of the French names in this + country. Their spelling has, as a rule, been preserved, while + their sound has been Americanized. In this way De Rosset has + acquired the pronunciation Derrozett, and Jacques has come to + be called either Jaquess or Jakes. Many French patronymics, + such as the old South Carolina Huguenot name <i>Marion</i>, + exhibiting nothing peculiarly French in their forms, are now + pronounced entirely in accordance with our rules, and their + national origin is preserved by tradition alone. Some French + titles, however, having undergone only a partial change in + pronunciation, survive in a hybrid form as to sound, though + their spelling remains unaltered. Specimens of this class may + be found in such names as <i>Huger</i>, pronounced + "Huzhée;" <i>Fouché</i>, commonly called + "Fooshée;" and <i>Deveraux</i> or <i>Devereux</i>, now + converted into "Débro" or "Dévroo." The only very + noticeable change that has taken place in the orthography of + our French names is that the article has been joined to the + noun in many cases where they were originally separate. In this + way <i>La Ramie</i>, <i>La Rabie</i>, <i>La + Reintrée</i>, etc. are now usually spelled Laramie, + Larabie (or, in some instances, Larrabee), Lareintree, etc.; + the pronunciation of the newer form being Americanized in the + usual way. But this change in form is one which might easily + have occurred even in France.</p> + + <p>Most of these French and Dutch names have been in the + country for a comparatively long time, and, indeed, many of + them date back to the early colonial period. Like the + Spanish-American names of Texas, California, Florida and + Louisiana, to which the same rule generally applies, they + belonged to members of organized foreign communities, + proportionately large enough to preserve their names from a + complete assimilation with the ideas of the English-American + population. And in a lesser degree this is also true of those + early German emigrants, mainly from the Palatinate, who settled + in Pennsylvania, Western Maryland and the Shenandoah + Valley.</p> + + <p>The tendency at the present day, however, seems to be + strongly in favor of the process mentioned first—that of + changing the sound of the names to suit American ears, and + altering the spelling so as to conform to the new + pronunciation. There is every indication that this will be done + with regard to a very large majority of the foreign surnames + that have been introduced among us within the last fifty years, + or which may be brought into our country in the future. And as + the changes so made are quite arbitrary, the result will be + that the future student of American nomenclature will often be + sorely puzzled by some of the surnames to which his attention + shall be drawn.</p> + + <p class="author"> + W.W.C.</p><a name='THE_NEW_FRENCH_ACADEMICIAN' + id="THE_NEW_FRENCH_ACADEMICIAN"></a> + + <h3>THE NEW FRENCH ACADEMICIAN.</h3><br /> + + + <p>No institution of its kind holds so eminent a place in the + esteem of a great country as the <i>Académie + Française</i>. The elections are always a matter of + interest, largely shared by the cultivated + <i>Revue-des-Deux-Mondes</i>-reading world of both hemispheres; + and the last election was one which excited fully as much + attention as most of its predecessors. M. John Lemoinne, who at + length summoned up courage to present himself as a candidate, + was born in London in Waterloo year, 1815, and has for a long + period, probably thirty years, been, through the <i>Journal des + Débats</i>, in some sort a European power. His selection + to fill <span class="pagenum">[pg 773]</span> the seat of M. + Jules Janin is in every way appropriate. Indeed, it seems + strange that he should have been contented to wait until he was + sixty-one to come forward for that distinction.</p> + + <p>The foundation of the Academy is directly traceable to the + meetings of men of science at the house of M. + Courart—who, early in the seventeenth century, was for + forty years its first secretary—but it unquestionably + owes to Richelieu a habitation and a name. It was formed with + the special object of preserving accuracy in the French + language, to which Frenchmen have been wont to pay an almost + exclusive attention, but by the election of M. Lemoinne the + Academy will have at least one member who is no less acquainted + with another tongue.</p> + + <p>Every one will remember old Miss Crawley's rage when she + found that Becky was trading on her connection with the + democratic-aristocratic spinster to make her way into the + Faubourg St. Germain. Too impatient to write in French, the old + lady posted off a furious disavowal of the little adventuress + in vigorous vernacular, but, adds the author, as Madame la + Duchesse had only passed twenty years in England, she didn't + understand one word. It may be hoped that the new Academician + will, in conjunction with the new minister of public + instruction, Mr. Waddington, who is a Rugby and Cambridge man, + have some effect in arousing his countrymen to the study which + they have heretofore so strangely neglected of a tongue which + threatens to obliterate in time the inconveniences occasioned + by the Tower of Babel. English is every day more and more + spoken, and French less and less.</p> + + <p>In delivering his address of welcome to M. Lemoinne, M. + Cavillier Fleury said: "You are one of the creators of the + discussion of foreign affairs in the French papers: you gave + them the taste for interesting themselves in the concerns of + foreign countries. Few of us before steam had shortened + distance really knew England. Voltaire had by turns glorified + and ridiculed it; De Staël had shown it to us in an + agreeable book; the witty letters of Duvergier de Hauranne had + revealed the secrets of its electoral system. Your + correspondence of 1841 completed the work." He might + pertinently have added, "Because you are about the only French + newspaper writer who ever thoroughly understood the English + language, and could thus avoid ridiculous blunders."</p> + + <p>It has been observed that the <i>Débats</i> almost + exclusively supplies the Academy with its contingent of + publicists—a circumstance accounted for by that journal + being jealous of the purity of its language, and in other + respects preserving a high and dignified standard. It has, + indeed, for an unusually long period enjoyed its reputation. + French and Belgian newspapers are very much of a mystery to an + Anglo-Saxon. They seem to flourish under conditions + impracticable to American or English journals. The + <i>Indépendance Belge</i> and the <i>Journal des + Débats</i> lie before us. Neither of them contains + sufficient advertisements to make up three of our columns, yet + their expenses must, we should suppose, especially in the case + of the <i>Débats</i>, published as it is where prices + are so high, be very large. Both these papers contain articles + evidently the work of able hands, and in the case of the + <i>Indépendance</i> the foreign correspondence must be a + very costly item, forming, as it frequently does, five columns + of a large page. The price of each is twenty + centimes—high, certainly, for a single sheet.</p> + + <p>It has often been observed, too, that French newspaper-men + seem exceptionally well off. They frequent costly + <i>cafés</i>, occasionally indulge in <i>petits + soupers</i> in <i>cabinets particuliers</i>, and, altogether, + taking prices into account, appear to be in the enjoyment of + larger means than their brethren of the pen elsewhere. Of + course, the success of a French newspaper is, even in the + absence of advertisements, intelligible in the case of the + <i>Figaro</i> or <i>Petit Journal</i>, with their circulation + of 70,000 and 150,000 a day; but in the case of such papers as + the <i>Débats</i>, whose circulation is not very large, + it is difficult to explain.</p> + + <p>The position of a journalist in Paris + <span class="pagenum">[pg 774]</span> seems to stand in many + respects higher than elsewhere. Of course, the fact of + contributions not being anonymous adds immeasurably to the + writer's personal importance, if it also gets him into scrapes. + Elsewhere, <i>editors</i> are men of mark, and certainly no one + in the journalistic world can possibly be made more of than Mr. + Delane in London. But the editorial writers in his paper, who + would in Paris be men of nearly as much mark as rising members + of Parliament in England, are completely "left out in the + cold," gaining no reputation even among acquaintance, since + they are required to preserve the strictest secrecy as to their + connection with the paper. Altogether, we are disposed to + believe that Paris—official "warnings," press + prosecutions and possible duels notwithstanding—must be + accepted as the journalist's paradise. To be courted, caressed + and feared is as much as any reasonable newspaper writer can + expect, and a great deal more than he is likely to get out of + his work elsewhere.</p> + + <p class="author">R.W.</p><a name='LITERATURE_OF_THE_DAY' + id="LITERATURE_OF_THE_DAY"></a> + + <h2>LITERATURE OF THE DAY.</h2> + + <p>Cities of Northern and Central Italy. By Augustus J.C. Hare. + New York: George Routledge & Sons.</p><br /> + + + <p>Those who know Mr. Hare's <i>Walks in Rome</i> and <i>Days + near Rome</i> will welcome another series of Italian + itineraries from the same pen. These volumes are primarily + guide-books; they tell us the best hotels, the price of cabs, + the distances by rail or high-road. But the parts of traveler + and manual are inverted: whereas you take your <i>Murray</i> or + <i>Baedeker</i> in your hand and carry it whither you list, Mr. + Hare takes you by the hand, leads you in the way you should go, + makes you pause the requisite time before the things you are to + look at, points to every view, lets you miss no effect, does + not force his own opinions upon you, except now and then when + he loses his temper a little on the debatable ground between + religion and politics, repeats that quotation you are vainly + trying to recall, or delights you by the beauty and aptness of + a new one. He gives to a course of systematic sight-seeing the + freedom and variety of a ramble with a cultivated and + sympathetic companion. We would not be ungrateful to that + inestimable impersonality, Murray, for all are his debtors, + even Mr. Hare for the plan of his books; but, remembering how, + with the latest edition in hand, we have panted up four or more + flights of stairs in a Roman or Venetian palace in search of a + picture removed years before, we are not sorry to find him here + taken to task for leaving uncorrected statements which had + ceased to be true. Moreover, Murray is no guide in matters of + art; his authorities are often captains of the British + Philistines; while Mr. Hare generally gives all that has been + said by competent judges, sometimes imperturbably recording two + conflicting opinions, and leaving the reader to decide. The + range of quotation is indeed remarkable, from Dean Milman to + Ouida, including many writers too little known in this country, + such as Burckhardt, Ampère and Street.</p> + + <p>But it is not to the actual traveler only that these volumes + will be of use and give pleasure. They are not bad preparatory + reading for those who are going abroad, suggesting what should + be studied beforehand; they will be dear to those who sit + within the blank limits of a home in this raw New World trying + to revive the fading outlines and colors of scenes which, + though unforgotten, tend to mingle with the visions of + Dreamland; and they are capital wishing-carpets for those who + can travel only in fancy. In the introduction there is an + excellent passage on the distinctive differences between the + great Italian cities: "Each has its own individual sovereignty; + its own chronicles; its own politics, domestic and foreign; its + own saints, peculiarly to be revered—patrons in peace and + protectors in war; its own phase of architecture; its own + passion in architectural material, brick or + <span class="pagenum">[pg 775]</span> stone, marble or + terra-cotta; ...its own proverbs, its own superstitions and its + own ballads." Mr. Hare contrives to convey much of the + characteristic impression of each town. Pretty little wood-cuts + are called in to his aid, but the best illustrations of his + text are the poetical quotations and exquisite prose-bits from + Ruskin, Swinburne, Symonds and others whose pens sometimes turn + into the pencil of a great painter. The author's own + descriptions are extremely faithful and charming. To those who + have made the journey from Florence to Rome a single fine page + of the introduction brings back a thrill of that long ecstasy. + In these few quiet words he spreads Thrasymene before us: "It + has a soft, still beauty especially its own. Upon the vast + expanse of shallow pale-green waters, surrounded by low-lying + hills, storms have scarcely any effect, and the birds which + float over it and the fishing-boats which skim across its + surface are reflected as in a mirror. At Passignano and + Torricella picturesque villages, chiefly occupied by fishermen, + jut out into the water, but otherwise the reedy shore is + perfectly desolate on this side, though beyond the lake + convents and villages crown the hills which rise between us and + the pale violet mountains beyond Montepulciano." Nothing can be + more lifelike than the following picture of the tract around + Siena: "Scarcely do we pass beyond the rose-hung walls which + encircle the fortifications than we are in an upland desert, + piteously bleak in winter, but most lovely when spring comes to + clothe it. The volcanic nature of the soil in these parts gives + a softer tint than usual to the coloring. The miles upon miles + of open gray-green country, treeless, hedgeless, houseless, + swoop toward one another with the strangest sinuosities and + rifts and knobs of volcanic earth, till at last they sink in + faint mists, only to rise again in pink and blue distances, so + far off, so pale and aërial, that they can scarcely be + distinguished from the atmosphere itself. Only here and there a + lonely convent with a few black cypress spires clustered round + it, or a solitary cross which the peasants choose as their + midday resting-place, cuts the pellucid sky. Here in these + great uplands, where all is so immense, the very sky itself + seems more full of space than elsewhere: it is not the deep + blue of the South, but so soft and aërial that it looks as + if it were indeed the very heaven itself, only very far + away."</p> + + <p>The chapter on Ravenna is the best in the book: it is an + admirable piece of work, a complete monograph. Everything is + there—history, legends, art—and the quotations and + illustrations are peculiarly beautiful and convincing.</p> + + <p>Mr. Hare, like many gentlemen of similar tastes and + tendencies, does not seem to have a strong sense of humor, + although now and then he condescends to smile as he repeats + some local legend, such as that of the crucifix at S. Francesco + delle Cariere, which awoke an overwearied devotee, who had + fallen asleep on his knees before it, with "un soavissimo + schiaffo," the gentlest slap, and bade him go to sleep in the + dormitory. He speaks of an ancient custom, not mentioned by + <i>Murray</i>, of harboring lost cats in the cloister of San + Lorenzo at Florence: "The feeding of the cats, which takes + place when the clock strikes twelve, is a most curious + sight.... From every roof and arch and parapet-wall, mewing, + hissing and screaming, the cats rush down to devour." It sounds + like a wicked parody on the poetic assembling of the Venetian + pigeons at the daily scattering of grain in the square of St. + Mark's.</p> + + <p>There are a few little slips—so few that it is strange + there should be any—among which is his mention of the + "St. Christopher" of the doges' palace as "the only known + fresco of Titian," forgetting the celebrated one in the Scuola + del Santo at Padua, of which he has spoken in a previous + volume. He occasionally makes an assertion to which many will + demur; as, for instance, that "The real glory of the Italian + towns consists not in their churches, but in their palaces." + The best refutation of this paradox is in his own pages. Most + people will be startled, too, by hearing of "the want of + architectural power in Michael Angelo," although this remark is + followed by a criticism which strikes us as extremely just on + the stupendous slumberers on the monuments of the Medici: "The + disproportionate figures are slipping off the pitiable + pedestals which support them." Among the throng of indefinable + emotions and sensations which beset one in the Medicean chapel + of San Lorenzo, we have always been conscious of distinct + discomfort from the attitude of these sleepers, who could only + maintain their posture by an immense muscular effort + incompatible with their sublime repose. As regards practical + matters, few travelers or foreign residents in Italy will + endorse Mr. Hare's statement <span class="pagenum">[pg + 776]</span> that making a bargain in advance for lodgings or + conveyances is not a necessary precaution, or his denial of the + almost universal attempt to overcharge which is recognized and + resisted by all natives. But Mr. Hare has illusions, and + Italian probity is one of them. All his remarks about the + present government of Italy (of which he speaks as "the + Sardinian government" with an emphasis akin to the + B<i>u</i>onapart<i>e</i> of old French monarchists) are to be + taken with the utmost reservation, as most readers will see for + themselves after meeting his allusion to the massacre at + Perugia in 1859 as in some sort a defensive action on the part + of the papal troops. Mr. Hare's reasoning on all that relates + to this subject is weak and illogical, sometimes puerile. Any + one who loves what is venerable and picturesque must share the + impatience and regret with which he sees so much beauty and + antiquity disappearing before the besom of progress or the rage + for improvement, especially in Rome. But we must remember that + Italy is not the first, but the last, European country in which + this has come about: in England, France and Germany what + delights the eyes of the few has long been giving place to what + betters the condition or serves the interest of the masses. + Moreover, the Italians themselves, of whatever political + complexion, black or red, are totally indifferent to these + losses and changes which we lament so deeply. If there be a sad + want of good taste and good sense in Cavaliere Rosa's + management of the excavations, there is at least no lack of + zeal. Formerly, next to nothing was done to preserve or protect + the monuments, and many of the finest were irrecognizable and + all but inaccessible from dirt and dilapidation. The reverence + of the papal Romans for their treasures of either classic or + Christian art is well illustrated by Retzsch's outline, in + which a lovely statue of Apollo, broken and half buried, + defiled by dogs and swine, serves as a seat for a loutish herd, + who tries to copy a miserable modern Virgin and Child from a + wayside shrine. Such a temper of mind in an intelligent, + high-principled Englishman can only arise from a moral bias + which distorts every view; but the discussion of these causes + and effects would be out of place here, and we only smile in + passing at the charge of "excessive cruelty" in the suppression + of the monastery of San Vivaldo. Mr. Hare's treatment of the + legitimate topics of his book deserves all admiration and + praise. His style is simple, pleasant and picturesque; in + future editions a few careless tricks should be corrected, such + as the use of <i>from</i>, with <i>hence</i>, <i>thence</i>, + <i>whence</i>, and a muddled sentence here and there, of which + a very slight instance occurs in the pretty extract about Lake + Thrasymene: there is a most confusing one about a girl who + refused to kiss the emperor Otho, which reads as if she would + not kiss her own father. It would be almost a pity to spoil a + laugh by particularizing whether a tree or nut is meant in the + story of "S. Vivaldo, who became a hermit and <i>lived in a + hollow chestnut</i>, in which he was found dead in 1300."</p> + <hr class="short" /> + <a name='Books_Received' + id="Books_Received"></a> + + <h4><i>Books Received.</i></h4> + + <p>The Little, or A, B, C, Book of German; that is, High School + Primer; Child's Story Book and Dictionary. By Professor C.C. + Schaeffer. Philadelphia: Charles Brothers & Co.</p> + + <p>Pocket Manual of Rules of Order for Deliberative Assemblies. + By Major Henry M. Robert, U.S.A. Chicago: S.C. Griggs & + Co.</p> + + <p>Cabin and Plantation Songs, as sung by the Hampton Students. + Arranged by Thomas P. Fenner. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.</p> + + <p>The Spectator. (Selected Papers.) By Addison and Steele. + Edited by John Habberton. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.</p> + + <p>Characteristics from the Writings of J.H. Newman. By Wm. + Samuel Lilly. New York: D. and J. Sadlier & Co.</p> + + <p>Brief Biographies. Vol. III. French Political Leaders. By + Edward King. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.</p> + + <p>The Life of William, Earl of Shelburne. Vol. II. By Lord + Edmond Fitzmaurice. New York: MacMillan & Co.</p> + + <p>Jonathan: A Novel. By C.C. Fraser-Tytler. (Leisure-Hour + Series.) New York: Henry Holt & Co.</p> + + <p>Faith and Modern Thought. By Ransom B. Welch, D.D., LL.D. + New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.</p> + + <p>Fetich in Theology; or, Doctrinalism Twin to Ritualism. By + John Miller. New York: Dodd & Mead.</p> + + <p>The American Kennel and Sporting Field. By Arnold Burges. + New York: J.B. Ford & Co.</p> + + <p>On Dangerous Ground. By Mrs. Bloomfield H. Moore. + Philadelphia: Porter & Coates.</p> + + <p>Filth-Diseases, and their Prevention. By John Simon, M.D. + Boston: James Campbell.</p> + +<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 14333 ***</div> +</body> +</html> |