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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/18907-8.txt b/18907-8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0a40e03 --- /dev/null +++ b/18907-8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,9984 @@ +The Project Gutenberg eBook, Holidays at the Grange or A Week's Delight, +by Emily Mayer Higgins + + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + + + + +Title: Holidays at the Grange or A Week's Delight + Games and Stories for Parlor and Fireside + + +Author: Emily Mayer Higgins + + + +Release Date: July 25, 2006 [eBook #18907] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + + +***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HOLIDAYS AT THE GRANGE OR A WEEK'S +DELIGHT*** + + +E-text prepared by Martin Pettit and the Project Gutenberg Online +Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net/) + + + +Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this + file which includes the original illustrations. + See 18907-h.htm or 18907-h.zip: + (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/8/9/0/18907/18907-h/18907-h.htm) + or + (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/8/9/0/18907/18907-h.zip) + + +Transcriber's note: + + On page 137 a printing error left a word or two not printed. + The place is marked in the text: [**missing words**] + + + + + +HOLIDAYS AT THE GRANGE, OR A WEEK'S DELIGHT. + +Games and Stories for Parlor and Fireside. + +by + +EMILY MAYER HIGGINS. + + + + + + + +[Illustration: Publisher's logo] + + +Philadelphia: +Porter & Coates. +Copyright, 1886, +by +Porter & Coates. + + +[Illustration: WYNDHAM GRANGE.] + + + + +CONTENTS. + + CHAPTER I. + PAGE +The Gathering.--Christmas Eve.--"Consequences."--"How do you +like it?" 9 + + CHAPTER II. + +Christmas Day.--"Rhymes."--"Cento."--"Genteel Lady."--The +Fairy Wood. 21 + + CHAPTER III. + +"The Rhyming Game."--Orikama, or the White Water-Lily; an +Indian Tale. 62 + + CHAPTER IV. + +"Proverbs."--"Twenty Questions."--The Spectre of Alcantra, +or the Conde's Daughters; a Tale of Spain. 98 + + CHAPTER V. + +A Skating Adventure.--"What is my Thought like?"--"Questions."--The +Orphan's Tale, or the Vicissitudes of Fortune. 140 + + CHAPTER VI. + +Sunday.--Bible Stories.--"Capping Bible Verses."--Bible-Class. 181 + + CHAPTER VII. + +Sequel to the Orphan's Tale.--"Who can he be?"--"Elements."--The +Astrologers. 206 + + CHAPTER VIII. + +"Confidante."--"Lead-Merchant."--"Trades."--The Rose of +Hesperus; a Fairy Tale. 246 + + CHAPTER IX. + +New-Year's Day.--"Characters, or Who am I?"--"Quotations."--"Acting +Charades."--"Riddles." 281 + + CHAPTER X. + +Whispering Gallery.--Potentates.--Three Young Men. 295 + + + + +GAMES AND STORIES. + + + + +CHAPTER I. + +THE GATHERING.--CHRISTMAS EVE.--CONSEQUENCES.--HOW DO YOU LIKE IT? + + +Not many miles from Philadelphia, in a beautifully wooded and hilly +country, may be seen a large rambling mansion, whose substantial walls +show that it was built at a time when more attention was paid to the +durability of dwellings than at present. It is, indeed, quite an ancient +house for this part of the world, having been erected by a certain John +Wyndham, a hundred years ago; and it has remained in the family ever +since, the owner of it generally inheriting the name of John, a taste +for rural life, and the old homestead together. It was constructed in +good taste, and with great regard for comfort; the broad hall, the +favorite resort in summer, was ornamented with family portraits of many +ages back, and a complete suit of armor, visor and all, struck awe into +the hearts of young visitors, who almost expected its former occupant to +resume possession, with his gauntleted hand to draw the sword from its +scabbard, and, seizing the flag over his head, to drive the modern +usurpers from the house. Large antlers, bows and arrows, and rusty +fowling-pieces against the wall, intimated that the descendants of the +grim warrior had exercised their valor in the chase; while a guitar with +blue ribbon, in the corner, told that gentler days had come, and spoke +of peace, domestic joys, and woman's influence. + +Many were the bright sunshiny chambers in that cheerful home; but I will +describe one apartment only, the sitting-room, with which we are chiefly +concerned. The furniture is quaint and massive; but it is the rich +mellow light streaming through the room that principally attracts the +eye. Is it the western sun, tinted by the colored glass of the +bay-window, or is it the ruddy hickory fire? What a remarkable +chimney-place! few such can be seen now-a-days; they had gone out of +date a hundred years ago; but it was ancient John Wyndham's fancy, as +far as possible, to possess a fac-simile of the family mansion in +England, in which his childish days had been spent. What elaborate +carving upon the huge mantel-piece!--hunters with their guns and dogs; +shepherds and shepherdesses, with crooks and sheep; scriptural scenes +and rural incidents, afford endless amusement to the groups gathered +before the fire. Before, did I say? around, is the right expression; for +so large is the chimney, that while crackling up-piled logs blaze upon +the hearth, a number might be accommodated on the benches at the side, +as well as in front. It is the most sociable gathering-place in the +world, and the stiffest and most formal person would soon relax there; +while fingers are thawed, hearts are melted by that fire--warm and kind +affections are drawn out--sparkles of wit fly about the room, as if in +emulation of the good hickory: it is a chimney corner most provocative +of ancient legends, of frightful ghost-stories, of tales of +knight-errantry and romantic love, of dangers and of hair-breadth +escapes; in short, of all that can draw both old and young away from +their every-day cares, into the brighter world of fiction and poesy. In +the recess on one side is a small library, comfortable enough to entice +the student from the merry group so near him; on the other, is a room +looked upon with great affection by the juvenile members of the family, +for here does Aunt Lucy manufacture and keep for distribution those +delicious cakes, never to be refused at lunch time; and those pies, +jellies, whips, and creams, which promise to carry down her name to +posterity as the very nonpareil of housekeepers. + +Three persons are sitting in the room, whom in common politeness I +should introduce to the reader: very pleasant people are they to know +and to visit. Uncle John and Aunt Lucy Wyndham, the master and mistress +of the house, are remarkable for kindness, and make their nephews and +nieces, and whole troops of friends, feel perfectly at home at once; +they are Uncle John and Aunt Lucy to all their young acquaintances, and +delight in the title. Perhaps they would not have been generally called +so, had they any children of their own; but they have none, and the only +young person in the house at present is Mary Dalton--Cousin Mary--an +orphan niece of Mrs. Wyndham, whom they have brought up from a child. +She looks like her aunt, plump, rosy, good natured and sensible; she is +just seventeen, and very popular with the whole cousinhood. She has many +accomplishments: she does not talk French, Spanish, or Italian, but she +knows how to play every game that ever was invented, can tell stories to +suit every age, can soothe a screaming child sooner than any one else, +can rattle off cotillions on the piano-forte of a winter's evening +without thinking it hard that she cannot join in the dance; and lastly, +can lay down an interesting book or piece of crochet work to run on an +errand for Aunt, or untangle the bob-tails of a kite, without showing +any signs of crossness. Self is a very subordinate person with her, and +indeed she seems hardly to realize her separate individuality; she is +everybody's Cousin Mary, and frowns vanish, and smiles brighten up the +countenance, wherever she appears. A very happy looking group they are, +but restless, this afternoon of the 24th of December; Uncle John +frequently goes to the hall door; Aunt Lucy lays down her knitting to +listen; and Cousin Mary does not pretend to read the book she holds, but +gazes out of the window, down the long avenue of elms, as if she +expected an arrival. Old Cæsar, "the last of the servants," as Mr. +Wyndham styles him, a white-haired negro who was born in the house, and +is devoted to the family, always speaking of _our_ house, _our_ +carriage, and _our_ children, as if he were chief owner, vibrates +constantly between the kitchen and the porter's lodge, feeling it to be +his especial duty and prerogative to give the first welcome to the +guests. + +And soon the sound of wheels is heard, and merry voices resound through +the hall, and cheeks rosy with the cold are made yet rosier by hearty +kisses; it is the young Wyndhams, come to spend their Christmas holidays +at the Grange with Uncle John. There is Cornelia, a bright, intelligent +girl of sixteen, full of fun, with sparkling black eyes. John, a boy of +fourteen, matter-of fact and practical, a comical miniature of Uncle +John, whom he regards with veneration, as the greatest, wisest, and best +of living men, and only slightly inferior to General Washington himself; +and George, his twin brother and very devoted friend, a good boy in the +main, but so very full of mischief! he would get into a thousand +scrapes, if his more sober companion did not restrain him. We must not +overlook little Amy, the sweet child of twelve, with flowing golden hair +and languishing eyes, the gentle, unspoiled pet and playmate of all. +Her cheek is pale, for she has ever been the delicate flower of the +family, and the winter winds must not visit her too roughly: she is one +to be carefully nurtured. And the more so, as her mind is highly +imaginative and much in advance of her age; already does the light of +genius shine forth in her eye. Scarcely are these visitors well +ensconced in the chimney corner, after their fur wrappings are removed, +before the sound of wheels is again heard, and shouts of joy announce +the arrival of the Greens. That tall, slender, intellectual girl, with +pale oval face and expressive eyes, is Ellen. Her cousins are very proud +of her, for she has just returned from boarding-school with a high +character for scholarship, and has carried away the prize medal for +poetry from all competitors; the children think that she can speak every +language, and she is really a refined and accomplished girl. She has not +seen Mary or Cornelia for a couple of years, and great are the +rejoicings at their meeting; they are warm friends already. Her manly +brother Tom, although younger, looks older than she does: a fine, +handsome fellow he is. The younger Greens are almost too numerous to +particularize; Harry and Louis, Anna and Gertrude--merry children all, +noisy and frolicsome, but well-inclined and tolerably submissive to +authority; they ranged from nine years old, upward. Just as the sun was +setting, and Aunt Lucy had almost given them up, the third family of +cousins arrived, the Boltons. Charlie Bolton is the elder of the two--he +will be called Charlie to the end of his days, if he live to be a +white-haired grandfather, he is so pleasant and full of fun, so ready +with his joke and merry laugh; he is Cornelia's great friend and ally, +and the two together would keep any house wide awake. His sister Alice +is rather sentimental, for which she is heartily laughed at by her +harum-skarum brother; but she is at an age when girls are apt to take +this turn--fourteen; she will leave it all behind her when she is older. +Sentimentality may be considered the last disease of childhood; measles, +hooping-cough, and scarlatina having been successfully overcome, if the +girl passes through this peril unscathed, and no weakness is left in her +mental constitution, she will probably be a woman of sane body and mind. +Alice is much given to day-dreams, and to reading novels by stealth; she +is very romantic, and would dearly love to be a heroine, if she could. +The only objection to the scheme, in her mind, is that her eyes have a +very slight cast, and that her nose is _un petit nez retroussé_--in +other words, something of a pug; and Alice has always been under the +impression that a heroine must have straight vision, and a Grecian nose. +Hers is a face that will look very arch and _piquante_, when she +acquires more sense, and lays aside her lack-a-daisical airs; but, at +present, the expression and the features are very incongruous. It is +excessively mortifying! but it cannot be helped; many times a day does +she cast her eyes on the glass, but the obstinate pug remains a pug, and +Alice is forced to conclude that she is not intended for a heroine. Yet +she always holds herself ready for any marvellous adventure that may +turn up, and she is perfectly convinced that there must be concealed +doors, long winding passages in the walls, and perhaps a charmingly +horrible dungeon, at The Grange. Why not? Such things are of constant +occurrence in story books, and that house is the oldest one she knows. +She is determined on this visit to explore it thoroughly, and perhaps +she may become the happy discoverer of a casket of jewels, or a +skeleton, or some other treasure. + +Thirteen young people there are in all, with pleasant faces and joyful +hearts; and none of them, I am happy to say were of the perfect sort +you read of in books. Had they been, their Aunt Lucy, who was used to +real children, would have entertained serious fears for their longevity. +They all required a caution or a reprimand now and then, and none were +so wise as not to make an occasional silly speech, or to do a heedless +action. But they were good-tempered and obliging, as healthy children +should always be, and were seldom cross unless they felt a twinge of +toothache. How fast did their tongues run, that first hour! How much had +all to tell, and how much to hear! And how happy did Uncle John appear, +as he sat in the centre of the group, with little Amy on his lap, +leaning her languid head against his broad and manly chest, while a +cluster of the younger ones contended together for possession of the +unoccupied knee. + +After the hearty, cheerful country supper, the whole party of visitors +was escorted into a dark room adjoining the hall, while Aunt Lucy and +Cousin Mary were engaged in certain preparations, well understood by the +older guests, who were too discreet to allay the curiosity of the +younger ones, who for the first time were allowed to share the +hospitality of the Grange at Christmas. At last the folding-doors were +thrown open, and the hall appeared to be in a blaze of light; colored +lamps were suspended in festoons from the ceiling, showing how prettily +the old portraits were adorned with evergreens. Even the man in armor +looked less grim, as if his temper was mollified by the ivy wreath wound +around his helmet. But the chief object of interest was a stately tree +at the end of the hall, from whose trunk proceeded thirteen branches, +brilliantly illuminated with wax lights and pendant lamps of various +hues; while gilded fruit, and baskets of flowers and confectionary, +looked to the uninitiated as if the fairies themselves had been at work. +Many were the exclamations of delight, and intense the excitement; the +old hall echoed with the shouts of the boys. Uncle John, ever happy in +the enjoyment of others, declared that he believed himself to be the +youngest child there, and that he enjoyed the revels of Christmas Eve +more than any of them. + +When the noise and rapture had somewhat subsided, Cousin Mary proposed +that they should try some games, by way of variety. Chess, checkers, +backgammon, Chinese puzzles, dominoes, jack-straws, etc., were +mentioned, and each one of them was declared by different members of the +group to be exceedingly entertaining; but Charlie Bolton said that +"although he was neither Grand Turk nor perpetual Dictator, he must put +his veto upon all such games as being of an unsocial nature. It was all +very well, when only two persons were together, to amuse themselves with +such things; but for his part, he did hate to see people ride in +sulkies, and play _solitaire_, when they could have such agreeable +society as was there gathered together;" making, as he spoke, a dashing +bow to the girls. "Has not any one wit enough to think of a game at +which we can all assist?" + +"Do you know how to play 'Consequences?'" said Mary. + +"I never heard of it," replied Cornelia; "how do you play it?" + +"With paper and pencils. Here is my writing-desk full of paper, and my +drawing-box with pencils ready sharpened, and you have nothing to do but +all to write according to my directions, and doubling down the paper, to +hand it to a neighbor, so that each time you have a different slip. When +it is finished, I will read them aloud, supplying some words which will +make sense--or, what is much better, arrant nonsense--of the whole. So +begin by writing a term descriptive of a gentleman." + +"Now write a gentleman's name--some one you know, or some distinguished +person." + +"Next, an adjective descriptive of a lady." + +"And now, a lady's name." + +"Mention a place, and describe it." + +"Now write down some date, or period of time when a thing might happen." + +"Put a speech into the gentleman's mouth." + +"Make the lady reply." + +"Tell what the consequences were." + +"And what the world said of it." + +"And now allow me to enlighten the company. Here is one specimen: + +"The gallant and accomplished Nero met the beautiful, but rather +coquettish Mrs. Wyndham at Gretna Green, that place once so famous for +runaway couples and matrimonial blacksmiths, upon the 4th of July, 1900 +A.D. He said, 'Dearest madam, my tender heart will break if you refuse +my hand;' but she replied, 'La, sir, don't talk such nonsense!' The +consequences were, that their names were embalmed together in history; +and the world said, 'It is exactly what I expected.'" + +"Are you sure, Mary," said Mrs. Wyndham, laughing, "that you are not +taking any liberties with my name?" + +"Here it is ma'am, you can see it yourself; but I think you escaped very +well. Here's another: "The refined and dandified Jack the Giant-Killer +met the modest, retiring Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, at the Pyramids, +(ah! some one peeped!) those wonderful monuments of ages long since +passed away, on Christmas Day, in the year One. He said, 'I never +entertained a very lofty opinion of your ladyship;' she replied, 'I +perfectly agree with the noble sentiments you have just uttered: our +hearts shall henceforward be united in the strictest friendship.' The +consequences were that they parted, to meet no more; and the partial +world remarked, 'What a pair of fools!'" + +"Here is another: "The brave, daring, thoughtless King Solomon met the +elegant, fashionable Queen Semiramis upon the top of Mont Blanc, that +lofty mountain, crowned with perpetual snow, on the 30th of February. He +remarked, 'Do you like the last style of bonnets, Madam?' She answered, +'Sir, do not press the matter. I am but young; you can speak to my +papa.' The consequences were, that they took an ice-cream, and went up +to the clouds in an air-balloon; and the amiable world said, 'Who would +have believed it?'" + +After reading all the papers, which caused much diversion, one of the +party proposed playing "How do you like it." While Tom Green was waiting +in another room, the remainder of the company fixed upon a word of +double or treble meaning, which it was his duty to discover by the +answers given to three questions he was to ask of all in succession. If +unable to guess the word at the end of the third round, he would be +crowned with the dunce-cap, and must recommence his questions: if, on +the contrary, he hit upon the right word, the person whose answer led +him to conjecture it must take his place. + +"Anna," said Tom, "how do you like it? Now, don't tell me you like it +very well, or not at all; give me something descriptive." + +"I like it with a large capital." + +"You do? Then it may either be a word, a state, a pillar, or a man of +business. Cousin Alice, how do you like it?" + +"I like it shady and covered with moss." + +"And you, Sister Ellen?" + +"With vaults secure and well filled." + +"What do you say, Gertrude?" + +"I like it covered with violets." + +"How do you prefer it, Charlie?" + +"With a good board of directors." + +"And you, Amy?" + +"Covered with strong and skilful rowers." + +"What is your preference, George?" + +"I like it high and picturesque." + +"How do you like it, John?" + +"With numerous branches." + +"It can't be a tree--how do you like it, Mary?" + +"Very green." + +"And you, Harry?" + +"Of red brick or white marble." + +"How contradictory! What have you to answer, Cornelia?" + +"I like it steep and rocky." + +"And you, Louis?" + +"I like it warranted not to break." + +"When do you like it, Anna?" + +"When I have an account in it." + +"When do you like it, Alice?" + +"When I am in the country, and feel weary." + +"And you, Ellen?" + +"When I hold a check in my hand." + +"And you, Gertrude?" + +"In the spring of the year, when I feel languid and sentimental." + +"When do you prefer it, Charlie?" + +"When I want a loan, and can give good security." + +"And you, Amy?" + +"When I am in a boat, and becalmed." + +"And you, George?" + +"When I am at sea, anxiously looking out for land." + +"What say you, John?" + +"When I am a merchant, engaged in large transactions." + +"When do you like it, Mary?" + +"When my eye is weary of a flat, dull country." + +"And you, Harry?" + +"When I am a stockholder." + +"So I should think, if it paid a good dividend. And if I were to ask you +my third question, 'Where will you put it!' one would place it under an +umbrageous tree, another by the sea, a third by a river, and a fourth on +a good business street, near the Exchange. My good friends, I would be +dull indeed if I did not guess it to be a BANK; and you, Sister Ellen, +may take my place; your well-filled vaults first gave me the clue." + +After amusing themselves a little longer, they adjourned to the +sitting-room, as the tall, old-fashioned clock in the hall gave warning +of the rapid flight of time; and Mary, as was her custom, brought to her +uncle the large family Bible. When he opened the holy book, the very +youngest and wildest of the children listened with reverence to the +solemn words, and tried to join in the thanks which the good man offered +up to Heaven for bringing them together in health and peace, and +granting them so much happiness. + +And then kisses and good-nights were exchanged, and the young group was +scattered; but not without a parting charge to each from Aunt Lucy, "not +to forget to hang up the stocking for Kriss-Kinkle, near the chimney +place; and not on any account to lock their doors--for they might easily +be taken sick in the night." + + + + +CHAPTER II. + +CHRISTMAS DAY.--RHYMES.--CENTO.--GENTEEL LADY.--THE FAIRY WOOD. + + +Sound were the slumbers that night at the Grange, notwithstanding the +determination of little Amy to lie awake and catch Kriss-Kinkle for +once; although as she said, "I know it _must_ be Cousin Mary." Those +happy days of innocence and unsuspecting faith have passed away, when +children believed in a literal Kriss-Kinkle, clad in furs, and laden +with presents for the good, and sticks of wood for the naughty little +urchins who refuse to learn their A, B, C's, and to stand still while +mamma combs out their hair. The "infantry" of America have quite given +up their old-fashioned credulity, and as, according to the obsolete +saying of the older philosophers, "nature abhors a vacuum," and there +must be some children in the world, to keep the balance, the +spirit-rappers have kindly stepped into their vacant places, and may be +regarded as the true and only children on this side the Atlantic. The +frightful skepticism of the young ones with regard to Kriss-Kinkle has +come to such a pass, that a little girl of three years old, who had been +kept, as her relations thought, in all the verdure becoming to her +tender years, upon her aunt telling her that she ought not to expect +many gifts that season, as it was such stormy weather that poor +Kriss-Kinkle could scarcely venture out, replied: "But, Aunty! could he +not take grandma's carriage--he would not get wet then!" + +If the merry old soul really came down the chimney at the Grange, he +shewed great discernment in the gifts he bestowed, for each found in +the stocking some article that had been ardently desired. Ellen, who was +deeply interested in the study of Italian, found a beautiful copy of +Dante's "Divina Commedia;" Mary, who possessed a fine talent for +drawing, and frequently sketched from nature, discovered that a complete +set of artist's colors and brushes had fallen to her lot; George, who +was devoted to skating, found a pair of skates, "real beauties," as he +said, appended to his stocking; all plainly saw that their individual +tastes and peculiarities had been consulted in a very gratifying manner. +Of course they did not neglect to express their pleasure and gratitude +to their kind friends, requesting them to inform that very worthy old +gentleman, Mr. Kriss-Kinkle, of their delight at his selection. Nor were +Uncle John and Aunt Lucy forgotten: their nephews and nieces had all +provided some little gifts, as expressions of love. Mrs. Wyndham +declared that she was quite set up in crochet bags and purses, for a +year to come; and tastefully worked book-markers, with appropriate +sentiments, were very plentiful. Tom Green made himself exceedingly +agreeable to the whole party, by presenting to each some pretty little +box, thimble-case, or other ingenious trifle, which he had made at his +leisure with the aid of his turning-lathe; whereupon Charlie Bolton +assumed an irresistibly ludicrous air of dejection, and asserted that he +felt quite crushed by Tom's superior gallantry. "Really, a fellow is not +much thought of now-a-days, unless he can do something in the pretty +line. I must get a turning-lathe at once, or else learn to carve +brooches out of marbles, and rings out of peach-stones, and baskets out +of cherry and apricot stones. If I can't get up that much artistic +talent, I might as well resign myself to complete insignificance all my +life." Cornelia Wyndham highly approved of his intentions, and told him +that when he had come to perfection in the fancy business, she hoped he +would remember her devoted and perfectly disinterested friendship; her +cousinly affection was of the warmest and truest quality, especially +when there were any hopes of cherry-stone baskets. + +Full of enjoyment as they were, none were too intent upon fun and frolic +to neglect accompanying their kind relatives to the pretty little +country church, for it was their uncle's habit to begin the day with +religious exercises: he said it seemed to him ungrateful to spend it in +unbroken jollity, and to forget entirely the original motive of its +institution. It was a very pleasant custom, and very conducive to mutual +attachment, for friends and relations to give and to receive presents: +but this should be subordinate to the remembrance of God's Great Gift to +the children of men, which was celebrated on that happy day. So the +young people passed a unanimous vote that church-going was as regular a +part of keeping Christmas as presents or mince-pie, and gladly set off +to walk through the frosty air to the ivy-covered church, shaded by +ancient trees. It was situated on a hill, and was approached by numerous +paths running across the fields; and as Ellen gazed upon its spire, +standing in relief against the deep blue sky, she thought of that +beautiful line of Wordsworth, + + + "Pointing its taper finger up to heaven!" + + +The chime of bells, too, joyfully pealing out, appeared to be the voice +of the church calling upon all who heard it, to return thanks to Him who +blesses the families of men; it seemed to say, "Both young men and +maidens, old men and children, let them praise the name of the Lord." +What a mistake it is, to think of religion only as a refuge from sorrow, +and a solace for the disappointments of the world! It is that, truly, +but it is also the sanctifier of joy: the happy young heart should be +laid upon God's altar, as well as the stricken spirit, and the eye +moistened with tears. That the services of the church had not a +depressing effect upon the minds of any, was very evident from the +heart-felt greetings and warm shakes of the hand which were exchanged by +all, as they left the house of prayer. It was a very pleasant sight to +behold young and old, rich and poor, joined together in one common +feeling of brotherhood, under the genial influences of the season. "A +merry Christmas" seemed not only to spring from every tongue, but to +sparkle in every eye. + +If I were to attempt to describe the varied pleasures of that day, which +was declared by Charlie Bolton to be the most glorious one he had ever +spent, I should be obliged to dip my pen, not in ink, but in a solution +of rainbow, or dancing sun-beams, or in any thing else that is proved to +be the most joyful thing in nature. At dinner-table, after being helped +the second time to a slice of "splendid" turkey with oyster sauce, +little Louis Green, the youngest of the party, occasioned a general +burst of laughter by laying down his knife and fork, which certainly +deserved a little rest if activity ever can earn it, and leaning back in +his chair, saying with the greatest earnestness: "Uncle, if I were asked +to point out the very happiest time of the whole year, I would fix upon +Christmas day, at exactly this hour--the dinner hour--as the thing for +me!" + +"O you gormandizer!" said his sister Ellen, "you don't really think the +dinner the best part of the day?" + +"Indeed I do, though," replied Louis; "and I rather guess a good many +people are of the same opinion. And, sister Ellen, if you were a boy, +and just come home from boarding-school, where they always want you to +eat potatoes, I think you'd value turkey and mince-pie as much as I do! +Hurra for Christmas, I say!" + +There was some conversation at the dinner-table about the origin of the +different modes of keeping Christmas day in our country. Mr. Wyndham +remarked, that probably the reason why it was so universally kept in +Philadelphia, was from the large mixture of the German element in the +population of Pennsylvania: perhaps the little Swedish colony which Penn +found already settled on the ground when he came over, may have had some +influence, as the nations in the middle and north of Europe have always +celebrated the day, making it a sort of festival of home, and fireside +pleasures. He said that when he was a young man he had passed a winter +in Germany, and was spending some time in the house of a friend, in the +month of December: being very intimate with all the family, he had been +admitted into numerous little secrets, both by young and old. He had +seen beforehand the drawings and the ornamental needle-work which were +intended as a surprise to the parents, and were executed after they had +retired to rest; and he had been allowed to hear the new songs and +pieces of instrumental music, learnt by stealth during their absence +from home; and had even been privileged to hear the little boy of eight, +the pet of the family, recite the verses composed in honor of the joyful +occasion, by his oldest sister. And the parents, also, had their own +mysteries: for a fortnight before the eventful day, the blooming, +comfortable mamma rode out regularly, and returned laden with bundles, +which were immediately transferred to a certain large parlor, the +windows of which were carefully bolted, the door locked, and the very +key-hole stopped up, so that nothing was visible. The children were sent +out of the way, and then there were raps at the door, and the carrying +of heavy articles along the hall, into the mysterious chamber--Blue +Beard's room of horrors was not more eagerly gazed at, than was this +parlor, but its blank walls told no secrets. + +At length the long-expected day arrived; on Christmas Eve all were +assembled in a dark room adjacent--you see I have taken a few hints from +my German friends--and at last the doors being thrown open, the mystery +was revealed. The room was ornamented with evergreens and colored lamps, +very much in the style of our hall, and a large tree blazed with light +and sparkled with candied fruits and gilded cornucopias; I made up my +mind then, that if ever I had a house of my own, I would keep Christmas +Eve in the same way. The little children stood a while, awe-struck by +the grandeur of the spectacle: for I can tell you, young people, that +the German children are kept in a state of innocence--what you would +call _greenness_--that would amaze you. The good mother then came +forward, and took them by the hand: "Come in, Carl; come in, Hermann; +fear nothing, little Ida; come in and see if there is any thing here for +you." Encouraged by this invitation, all entered, and the room was found +to be lined with tables, piled with articles both for use and pleasure; +there was a separate table for every one in the house, including the +servants, who in Germany live many years in one family, and even for the +baby. Their guest also was not forgotten; I found upon my table a pair +of slippers, and sundry other gifts, some of which I still keep with +care, as a memorial of that very happy evening. + +"That must have been really charming! I think the mystery adds very much +to the pleasure," said Alice. "And, uncle, is not the custom of hanging +up the stocking derived from Germany?" + +"I think it is. In Holland there is a little variation, for there the +_shoe_ is placed at the door of the chamber, for adults as well as +children enter into the sport. I heard an amusing story connected with +this practice, when I was in Holland; if you like, I will relate it; the +event is said really to have happened." + +"Do tell it, uncle!" said John Wyndham. "I like true stories." + +"There was a poor, but very handsome and excellent young minister, a +licentiate, I think they call it, when a young man is not yet settled in +a church; to support himself until he was appointed to a congregation, +he took the place of tutor in a rich burgomaster's family, where he fell +in love with the pretty, amiable, and mischievous daughter. She fully +reciprocated his feelings, and as her parents approved of the match, she +gave the bashful young man all the encouragement she could: she felt +very sure as to the nature of his sentiments towards her, but +notwithstanding all she could do, the young man _would not propose_--as +she rightly concluded, the thought of her superior wealth deterred him; +and meantime the foolish fellow became pale and melancholy, as if he +seriously meditated going into a decline. So the merry maiden thought, +'This will never do; I must take strong measures, or the poor soul will +mope himself to death.' Christmas Eve came round, and the assembled +family were joking about the presents they expected. 'Put your slippers +outside your door to-night, Dominie,' said the father, calling him by +the title commonly applied to clergymen in Holland, and among the +descendants of the Dutch in the State of New York, 'I have no doubt your +friend Caterina has something to put in them.' 'Oh, it is not worth +while--no one cares for me, sir.' 'But, indeed, we do,' replied little +Caterina; 'I have something for you, but I am not at all sure you will +condescend to accept it. 'Have you indeed, Miss Caterina? I shall feel +highly honored; I give you my word that whatever it is, I will accept it +joyfully.' 'Very well: only please to remember this, when you see what +is in your slippers.' + +"The next morning, when the young Dominie opened his door, full of +eagerness to see what was in store for him, lo and behold! his slippers +had vanished. 'I might have known that the light-hearted, mischievous +maiden was only laughing at me--and well I deserve it--fool that I am to +dream about one so much above me!' Thus trying to scold himself into +stoicism, the young man went over to the breakfast-table, where all were +gathered together except Caterina. 'A very merry Christmas! but my dear +Dominie, how sober you look!' 'Do I, indeed? that is very improper; but +I've been thinking of going away--I had better do so--that makes me look +rather sad, perhaps; I've spent so many happy hours among you all.' +'Going away! oh, no, you are not to think of that; I cannot allow such a +word. By the way, what have you found in your slippers?' 'To reprove my +presumption, no doubt, my slippers have been spirited away in the night: +it is not for a poor fellow like me to receive gifts from lovely young +ladies.' As he spoke these words, the door opened, and Caterina entered, +bright as the morning, her face covered with smiles and blushes; she +shuffled along in a strange way, and all eyes naturally fell upon her +little feet, which were sailing about in the Dominie's slippers! Amid +the general laughter, she walked up to the diffident youth, who could +scarcely believe his eyes, and said with an air of irresistible +drollery, by which she tried to cover her confusion: 'Here is your +Christmas present, sir; do you hold to your promise of accepting it?' Of +course, the lady having broken the ice, the Dominie could do no less +than speak out, and, all being willing, the two were soon converted into +one; a good church was procured for him by the influence of the +burgomaster, and they lived as happily as possible all their days." + +"She was a determined damsel!" cried Cornelia; "I think she had brass +enough to set up a foundry." + +"Probably it was leap-year, Cornelia," replied Ellen; "you know it is +then the ladies' _privilege_--great privilege, forsooth!--to pay +attention to the lords of the creation." + +"I hope, when women take advantage of their prescriptive rights, they +will wear the Bloomer costume, and make themselves look as little like +the rest of their sex as possible!" said Mary. + +"Come, girls," cried Charlie Bolton, "you are too hard on that frank +little Caterina; I approve of such conduct entirely, and some ten years +hence, when I am ready to be appropriated, I shall certainly leave my +slippers outside my door as a hint to whomsoever it may concern. It +would save us men a great deal of trouble, if all girls were as sensible +as Caterina." + +"Us men, indeed! How long since?" said Cornelia. + +"Ever since I got out of frocks and into trowsers," replied Charlie, +laughing good-naturedly. He and Cornelia were always sparring, but never +quarrelled. + +In the evening they played at various games; among others, at writing +rhymes. Each had a slip of paper, and would write a line, then double it +down, and hand it to the next, telling the last word; the second person +then added a line rhyming with the first, the third started a fresh +rhyme, and so it went on. When read, it of course made the greatest +farrago of nonsense imaginable. Ellen then proposed "Cento," a Spanish +or Italian game, which requires great readiness of memory, and a large +acquaintance with poetry. One person quotes a well-known line, the next +another that rhymes with it, and so on, making some sort of connection +whenever it can be done; but after trying it, and finding that only +three or four of the eldest could think of appropriate passages, they +voted Cento _a bore_, Cornelia remarking that there was great stupidity +somewhere; of course they could not think it was in themselves, and +therefore it must be in the game. + +Mary said that there was another game requiring a good memory, but the +advantage of it was, that the more you forgot the more merriment you +made; if you were not witty yourself, you were the cause of wit in +others. It was called _Genteel Lady_, and was played by one person +politely bowing to his neighbor, and reciting a certain formula, which +must be repeated, with an addition, by the next, and so round the +circle; whenever the least mistake or omission was made, the person had +to drop the title of Genteel Lady, or Genteel Gentleman, and putting a +horn of twisted paper in the hair or button-hole, could now glory in the +dignity of being a One-horned Lady or Gentleman. Very soon horns become +so plenty that few can claim any gentility; as the description proceeds, +and becomes more complicated, it is perfectly laughable, and the whole +party look ludicrous enough. + +"Here is a whole bundle of lamp-lighters," said Cornelia; "let us begin +the game, I think it must be comical." + +Mary bowed to Tom Green, and commenced. "Good evening, genteel +gentleman, ever genteel, I, a genteel lady, ever genteel, come from that +genteel lady, ever genteel, to tell you that she owns a little dog with +hair on its back." + +Tom bowed to Ellen: "Good evening, genteel lady, ever genteel, I, a +genteel gentleman, ever genteel, come from that genteel lady, ever +genteel (bowing to Mary), to tell you that she owns a little dog with +hair on its back, and a red tongue in its mouth." + +Ellen took up the play: "Good evening, genteel gentleman, ever genteel, +I, a genteel lady, ever genteel, come from that genteel gentleman, ever +genteel, to tell you that he owns a little dog with hair on its back, a +red tongue in its mouth, and two ears on its head." + +It was now Charlie Bolton's turn: "Good evening, genteel lady, ever +genteel, I, a genteel gentleman, _ever_ genteel, come from that genteel +lady, ever genteel, to say that she owns a little dog with ears on its +back, a tongue in its head, hair in its mouth, and a bone between its +teeth." + +"Charlie! Charlie! three horns!" + +"All honorable horns! hurra! I'm the only one with horns!" + +"You'll soon have companions in misfortune," said Mary, laughing. + +"Good morning, genteel lady, ever genteel," said Gertrude, bowing to +Alice, "I, a genteel lady, ever genteel, come from that three-horned +gentleman, ever three-horned, to say that he owns a little dog with hair +on its back, a red tongue in its mouth, two ears on its head, a bone +between its teeth, and a tail a yard long." + +"Good morning, she said! that's one horn!" cried the other children. + +"Good evening, genteel gentleman, ever genteel," said Alice, reverently +bowing to John Wyndham, "I, a genteel lady, ever genteel, come from that +one-horned lady, ever one-horned, to say that she owns a little dog with +hair on its back, a red tongue in its mouth, a bone between its teeth, a +fell a yard long, and three legs and a half." + +"You left out two ears on its head! a horn!" + +"I'm resigned," said Alice, "gentility seems to be at a discount." + +So the game went on, becoming every moment more difficult and more +ludicrous--as Charlie called it, more _trippy_--and by the time it went +round the second time, none escaped the horns. Any thing will do for the +genteel lady to own, and it makes it more agreeable to vary it each time +it is played: for instance, an eagle with a golden beak, silver claws, +diamond eyes, ostrich feathers, bird-of-paradise tail, a crown on its +head, a diamond ring on its thumb, a gold chain round its neck, a +pocket-handkerchief in its hand, and any other nonsense you can string +together. A lady's étagère or what-not would be a good medium for +collecting together absurdities--Mont Blanc at the top, a gridiron +below, a gold thimble at the side, the poets in a corner, a breakfast +set on one shelf, a card-case above, a smelling-bottle at the side, a +work-box, a writing-desk, a piece of coral, etc. A _genteel_ lady's +description of her mansion--certainly an extraordinary one--would be +suitable; a modern-built house, with a _porto-ricco_ in front, and a +_pizarro_ in the rear, a summer-house _contagious_, and _turpentine_ +walks, etc. + +Being now weary of games, Amy proposed that they should vary their +pleasures by a tale, which gained the general approval; and Ellen Green +was commissioned to relate it. Ever ready to oblige, she told them she +would, if they chose a subject. "What sort of a story will you have?" + +"An Indian story!" exclaimed the younger boys. + +"Do tell us about some great historical character--Washington, or King +Alfred, or Napoleon Bonaparte, or some other hero!" cried John Wyndham. + +"I go in for a very frightful ghost-story, that will make our hair stand +on end, and make the girls afraid to go to bed!" said his brother +George. + +"Tell us a romantic narrative about a knight going to the Crusades, and +his fair lady following him in the disguise of a page!" said Alice +Bolton. + +"That's exactly like you!" cried her brother Charlie; "now, I say give +us some exciting adventures by sea or by land; a real fish-story, or +escape from a lion or tiger, or a tale of a bear, or something of that +sort." + +"Poor Cousin Ellen! How can she please you all?" said Mary. "As Amy +first proposed it, let us leave it to her to choose the kind of story +she prefers, and so settle the difficulty." + +"Agreed! agreed! choose, Amy!" + +"As for me, I always like a real fairy-tale," said Amy, her eyes +sparkling with pleasure as she saw with what good nature all had left +the choice to her. + +"Then you shall have it; and I don't doubt that Aunt Lucy or Cousin Mary +will contrive to please all in turn, another day." + +"Most especially, I hope they will not forget to give Charlie that brush +with the _bear's tail_ that he wants so much!" said Cornelia, with a +saucy glance of her eye. + +"Attention, Miss Cornelia! or you will prove that you deserve it +yourself. Don't you see that Ellen is ready to begin?" + + +The Fairy Wood. + +Upon the banks of the Rhine there stand the ruins of an ancient castle, +which still attracts the attention of the passer-by, from its gigantic +remains, and the exceeding beauty of its situation. And if now, when its +glory has departed, the traveller is irresistibly impelled to ask its +name, how imposing must it have been when its dark shadow was thrown +unbroken upon the smooth waters below, and troops of cavaliers and armed +retainers rode over its drawbridge, and mounted its battlements. Here, +in the olden time, dwelt the noble Baron Sigismund; and here, nothing +daunted by the gloomy grandeur of the fortress, his little son Rudolph +romped and frolicked the live-long day. A charming fellow he was, with +eyes of heavenly blue, and a complexion of pure milk and roses; a true +boy, full of activity and vivacity, and with not a slight touch of +mischief in his composition. And yet he was such an affectionate and +good-hearted little soul, that his arms would be about your neck in a +moment, if he thought you were offended by his conduct; and so generous, +that he would take the cake from his own lips to give it to the +beggar--no trifling stretch of charity in a boy. + +Is it wonderful, that Rudolph was the idol of his parents, the favorite +of his playmates, and the cherished darling of the whole castle? His +merry spirit and winning ways completely gained the hearts of the +servants and retainers, and many voices in the adjacent cottages were +loud in the praise of the beautiful, golden-haired boy. What a proud man +was Fritz, the old seneschal, when he taught him to manage the horse, to +couch the lance, and draw the bow! and when, for the first time, the +young heir followed him to the chase, who so happy as he? And Rudolph +reciprocated his affection; next to papa and dear mamma, sweet little +black-eyed Cousin Bertha, and the ugly, shaggy mastiff to which he was +devoted, old Fritz came in for his warmest love. And some people were +malicious enough to say that there was a strong resemblance between +these last two favorites, both in countenance and character; certain it +is, that both Bruno and Fritz were faithful, every ready to contribute +to his amusement, and although rough with other people, gentle enough +with their young master. + +One day, in the absence of his father, he set out to ride, with Fritz +for his only attendant. It was a splendid afternoon; the sky was of that +pure exquisite blue you sometimes see, rendered deeper by a pile of +snowy clouds in the west; the birds were silent, as if unwilling to +disturb the holy calm of nature; not a leaf stirred, save here and there +a quivering aspen, emblem of a restless, discontented mind. Rudolph was +in excellent spirits, and Saladin, his good Arab steed, flew like the +wind; old Fritz tried to restrain his ardor, but in vain; the impetuous +boy kept far ahead. They were soon some miles from home, and Rudolph saw +before him a point where the road branched off in several directions, +one of them leading back again to the castle, another taking a circuit +of some distance, and a third, a narrow, unfrequented path, entering +into a dark forest. Into this wood the boy had never been allowed to +enter, from the evil name it had acquired in the traditions of the +peasantry. Some said that robbers haunted its deep recesses, for +travellers had entered it, notwithstanding all the entreaties of those +who would have detained them, but had never been seen again; in fact, +none had ever been known to return, who had been fool-hardy enough to +enter into that snare. Others argued that they had been devoured by the +wild beasts, whose savage roar might sometimes be heard at night; or +that, losing their way, they had perished with hunger. But the older and +wiser shook their heads at these suggestions, insinuating that +skepticism on such awful subjects might bring down vengeance upon the +unbelieving; and intimated, more by look and by gesture than by word, +that the whole forest was enchanted ground, and that powers more than +mortal claimed it as their own. All agreed that the Fairy Wood--so it +was called--was a dangerous place, and few, indeed, would venture into +its shady depths. Rudolph's curiosity had been excited in the most vivid +manner by what he had heard concerning the mysteries of the forest, and +he had long determined to seize the first opportunity of gratifying it. +Old Fritz would not have consented to his entering it, if he had given +him his weight in gold, but the worthy seneschal was now out of sight, +and here was a glorious opportunity for the boy--he dashed into the +wood, and urging Saladin onward, was soon involved in the intricacies of +the forest. + +On went the fearless boy, determined to explore, and doubting nothing, +although the dark, gloomy shades might well have appalled an older +person, and the numerous, faintly defined paths would certainly have +made an experienced one hesitate. On he went, deeper and deeper into the +wood, until he was suddenly startled by low, prolonged, growling +thunder. He tried to retrace his steps, but was only more entangled in +the maze: the sky had become black as midnight, the rain fell in +torrents, the lightnings flashed fearfully, and all nature appeared +convulsed. Rudolph had never before witnessed such a storm, and brave +boy as he was, his heart quaked with terror--he felt how powerless a +human being is, when, unsheltered, he is brought face to face with the +elements, lashed up to fury. He now realized, in addition, that he had +lost his way, and feared that in his efforts to extricate himself, he +might penetrate still deeper into the wood; so he determined to throw +the reins upon his horse's head, and trust to his instinct, as he had +often heard that travellers had done successfully, when they had +wandered out of their road. He accordingly did so, and speaking cheerily +to Saladin, allowed him to choose his own path: to his surprise his +beautiful Arab left the track, and set off on what he concluded to be a +short cut out of the forest. After about an hour, however, poor little +Rudolph began to doubt the instinct of horses, for the aspect of every +thing around him became wilder every moment; but, happily, the rain had +ceased falling, and as far as he could judge from the occasional glimpse +he got of the sky, it had cleared up. On went Saladin, and did not stop +until they entered an open glade; when, as if his task were quite +accomplished, he came to a dead halt. Rudolph alighted, and looked about +him: all was so still and beautiful, that it had the effect of calming +the agitation of his spirits, and filling his mind with an indescribable +awe,--it looked pure and holy, as if the foot of man had never trod +there, from the foundation of the world. The setting sun, at this +moment, pierced through the clouds, tinting them with purple, crimson, +and gold, and revealing the full beauty of the scene. Rudolph found +himself in a circular opening, around which lofty trees, overgrown with +moss and lichen, seemed planted as a wall of defence. As he approached, +seeking to leave the spot, they tossed their long arms as if warning him +away, and the thick darkness behind appeared to become denser, and to +frown him back. A superstitious fear crept into his heart, and he turned +his eyes to the sweet glade rejoicing in the sunlight, where all looked +smiling and inviting. In the centre, upon a gentle mound covered with a +carpet of the softest, richest green, there towered a majestic oak, +which had looked upward to the sky for centuries, while generation after +generation of men had entered the world, had laughed and wept, grown old +and died. It showed no signs of the decrepitude of age, and raised up +its head proudly like the monarch of the forest; but a deep rent in its +heart showed that decay was at work, and that the lofty tree would, one +day, he laid low in the dust. Led by an irresistible impulse, Rudolph +ascended the mound, and entered the little chamber in the oak. The boy +was exhausted by fatigue and excitement, and, insensibly, his eyes +closed, and his weary frame was wrapt in slumber. + +And now a strange thing occurred. Whether he dreamed, or whether he +waked, he scarcely knew; but delicious music stole through his soul, and +he opened his eyes. The little woodland glen was steeped in soft +moonlight; and, if it looked wonderful and beautiful when the sun shone +upon it, how much more so now, when the very light was mysterious, and +suggestive of something beyond! Around the mound there doated--for that +word only can express their motion--like bright and fleecy clouds, a +band of lovely beings, resembling none he had ever seen before. As he +gazed upon them, he thought not of creatures of earthly mould, but of +the most rapturous and fleeting sights and sounds of nature;--of the +rainbow, spanning the sky after a storm; of the dashing cataract, +descending in mist from stupendous heights; of the nightingale, singing +in her hidden nest; of harmless sheet-lightning, suddenly revealing +hills, domes, and castles in the clouds, then as suddenly dispelling the +illusion. As he looked more closely, he found that, as with linked hands +they glided round, their gossamer wings moving through the air waked up +a melody like that of the Eolian harp; while a few, standing apart, made +silvery music by shaking instruments, which looked like spikes of +bell-shaped flowers, and deeper tones were evolved from larger, single +bells, struck with rays of light. As the bells swung to the breeze, and +the cadence swelled and rose, a delicious fragrance of wild-flowers +filled the air, and from the depths of the forest all animated creatures +came forth to gaze upon the spectacle. The glow-worm crept there, but +his tiny lamp was dimmed by brighter fairy eyes; the noisy cricket and +the songsters of the grove hushed their notes, to listen to the harmony. +The wolf and the bear drew near together, but laid aside their +fierceness; the deer and the hare came forward fearlessly, under the +influence of the potent spell. Suddenly, from a hollow in the oak, an +owl with glaring eyes flew down: the music and the dance were hushed, +and all listened to his voice. To his surprise, Rudolph found that he +could understand the language of all animals, which had formerly seemed +to him mere unmeaning sounds. + + + "Bright Fairy Queen, shall mortal dare + On beauty gaze beyond compare; + Shall one of earth unpunish'd see + The mazes of your revelry? + That ancient oak, by your donation, + For years has been my habitation; + And now a child usurps my right, + Sleeping within its heart to-night; + Nor that alone, but dares to view + The mysteries of nature too. + And shall he go, unscath'd, away? + As Privy Counsellor, I say nay! + Else man will learn our secrets dread. + And higher raise his haughty head: + All nature soon would subject be, + Nor place be left us, on land or sea. + E'en now, prophetic, I see the day + When steam exerts resistless sway-- + And iron monsters, with breath of flame, + Shall blot from earth the fairy name. + Then to the beasts that throng the wild, + Dread Queen, give up the intruding child!" + + +At this address, to which the wolves howled a dismal chorus of assent, +all eyes were turned upon the chamber in the ancient oak, in which +Rudolph sat, his heart quaking with terror at the thought of the fate +before him. But a sweet voice, clear and piercing, spoke his name, and +commanded him to descend, fearing nothing if his conscience was pure, +and if he had not obtruded through vain curiosity upon the revels of the +Queen of Fairy Land. Rudolph obeyed. The Queen was standing, with the +ladies of her court ranged on either side. They all were beautiful, but +she was like the brightness of the morning and the freshness of flowers. +Dazzling loveliness distinguished her, and a dignity to which all paid +obeisance. Upon her brow sparkled the evening star, her only diadem. She +gazed mildly, yet searchingly, upon the boy, as if she read his very +thoughts; and then she spoke: + +"'Tis true, wise Counsellor, that according to our laws of Fairy Realm, +the child should die; and yet my heart yearns to the innocent, blue-eyed +boy. Does no one have compassion upon him? Have none a plea to offer for +his pardon? I solemnly declare that he shall be saved, were my very +crown and life endangered, if but one act of kindness and mercy shown by +him to weaker creatures, can be proved. For to the kind and merciful, +mercy should ever be shown; this law stands higher than any judicial +enactment." + +As she spoke these words, a dove with gentle eyes and downy breast flew +to her feet, and thus timidly offered her prayer: + + + "I plead for mercy, gracious Queen, + I pray you to forgive! + And if my voice were silent now, + I were not fit to live. + One day, when absent from my nest, + A falcon, fierce and strong, + Seized me, all helpless to resist-- + Soon would have ceased my song. + Just then, young Rudolph, brave and fair, + Perceived my urgent need; + He risk'd his life in saving mine-- + And shall that kind heart bleed?" + + +"It shall not: he is saved; and you, gentle dove, ever wear this collar +round your neck as a token of my approbation; it shall descend in your +family to the latest generations." The Queen then touched Rudolph with +her golden wand; an electric thrill passed through his frame, and he +fell down senseless to the ground. When he awoke, he found himself lying +upon a couch of purple and gold, in a superb crystal hall, whose +pillars, sparkling with gems, rose upward to a lofty transparent dome of +blue, through which the sun was shining brilliantly. Over him bent the +Fairy Queen, radiant in beauty, and eying him with indescribable +tenderness. At last she spoke, kindly caressing him: "My son, you are +now in my dwelling, where no harm shall befall you; fear nothing. Here +you shall live forever, in splendor and happiness; your every wish shall +be gratified; no more scorching suns, no more dark and gloomy days for +you--all shall be joy, unvaried pleasure, eternal youth and health. One +solitary restriction I must lay upon you, but that is positive; on no +account shed a tear, for on that day when you weep, you must return to +earth--even my power could not keep you here. Tears must never sully the +palace of the Fairy Queen. But why should you weep? I myself will take +care of you, teach you, be a mother to you: when you feel a desire, +mention it to me, and it is already accomplished." + +With ardent gratitude and passionate love and admiration, Rudolph +embraced the beautiful Queen, and said, "Is this really true? and is +this splendid place to be my own home?" "It really is; I have adopted +you for my son. It is my intention to educate you myself." "How very +good of you! how I love you! And my papa and mamma, and dear little +Bertha, can they live here too? And may Bruno, and Saladin, and old +Fritz come too?" "Oh no, little Rudolph, you must not talk about those +other people; they belong to the earth--let them stay there. You must +forget about that old home of yours, for all that has passed away; your +home is with me, in Fairy Land. It is much more beautiful here; there is +nothing on earth that can compare with it. I will show you such splendid +things! I will teach you how to paint the flowers, and to make diamonds, +and emeralds, and pearls. You shall see me mix the rainbow, and scatter +the dew upon the flowers at night. I have a thousand pretty things I +want to teach you: do you not wish to learn them?" "Oh, very much +indeed! I should like to do such things; I love dearly to work: mamma +often lets me water her flowers with a little watering-pot; is that the +way you scatter the dew?" "Child, child! How ignorant he is! But under +my tuition he will soon learn to understand the mysteries of nature. On +earth, children are so mismanaged--no wonder they become the sort of men +they do. My Rudolph shall be different; he shall hear no silly nursery +tales, shall waste no time in learning exploded nonsense, but shall +early become acquainted with _things_, and shall learn to value science. +I quite long to begin! It is a grand experiment; the work of education +is a noble one. And when he is a man, and has become under my teaching +a perfect specimen of what a man should be, what then? Shall I let him +return to earth? It is time enough yet to think of that." "May I go now, +and play, pretty lady? You are not talking to me." "True, I forgot +myself; come with me, Rudolph, and I will show you through my palace and +pleasure-grounds: recollect that you are now my son." + +What words can describe the sights of beauty that awaited him? All +spectacles that could enchant the eye, all melodies that could ravish +the ear, were collected together, in infinite variety. Nothing that was +exquisite upon earth was unrepresented; but the grossness and the +imperfection which will cleave to every thing earthly, was left out. It +was the very palace of delights. And nothing faded here--the flowers +were ever-blooming, and if picked, were instantly replaced by fairer +blossoms. Delicious fruit, ever ripe, but never decaying, hung from the +boughs; streams of milk, wine, sherbet, and other delicious drinks, +trickled from the rocks into marble basins, and gold cups were suspended +near, to invite the thirsty to partake; while pure, sparkling water rose +high into the air, as if ambitious to greet the kindred clouds, and then +fell into large receptacles, fashioned out of one pearl, emerald, or +ruby. The pleasure-grounds were separated from the gross outer world by +a thick and lofty wall of evergreens, impervious to mortals, which +forbade both ingress and egress: at least, Rudolph's eyes could see no +mode of exit. But what could be wished for beyond? It was a paradise! + +Rudolph was allowed to roam undisturbed through the splendid saloons, +vast halls, and pillared galleries of the palace, where at every step he +saw some new subject of wonder. No treasure-house of princes could for +one moment compare with the wealth and grandeur here exhibited, and the +Fairy Queen informed him that all should be his, when by knowledge he +had earned a title to it--it should be the reward of his application to +the noble studies to which she wished to introduce him. "I would do a +good deal to get all these beautiful things: I hope the lessons are not +very hard, for I never did like to study. I love play a great deal +better." "But play is only meant for babies and kittens, Rudolph: it is +unworthy of a being who can think. I know you have great talents, and I +am the one to develop them. I mean to teach you mineralogy and +chemistry, natural philosophy and history, astronomy and geology, botany +and geometry. You shall be wise, and shall learn to look beyond the +surface of things into their natures and constituent parts. You shall +know _why_ every thing was made just as it is, and shall understand the +exact proportions of all things to each other, and to the universe, so +that the whole system goes on in perfect and beautiful harmony. You +shall learn the balancings of the clouds, and the potent spell which +keeps the sun in its place, and makes the moon circle round the world. +You shall go with me into the dark caverns of the earth, and see how +rocks and metals are made in nature's forging shop. You shall witness +the operation of the subterranean forces which have altered the whole +aspect of this planet, and thrown up the lofty mountains, and tossed out +from the treasury below the varied wealth it held, making the world both +beautiful and rich. And I will show you ancient creatures, more huge +than whales, which once frolicked on the earth, before man was made: oh, +I have a thousand wonders to point out to you, and a great deal to +teach." "Thank you; you are very good. But indeed it sounds very hard, +and I don't like such things at all. I'd much rather play ball." + +"Silly child!" thought the Fairy Queen, "he has been too long perverted +by the trifling ways of man: I should have taken him younger. I see that +I cannot at once indoctrinate him into the arcana of nature; I must +gradually lead him on, as if in play. Good! a bright idea! that must be +the right way to educate frivolous, frolicksome childhood. Science in +sport! excellent. Yes, I'll teach him the vocabularies in rhyme, and set +them to lively music--that will do; he'll like it nearly as well as if +it were nonsense. I'll lead him on to the knowledge of principles, by +means of beautiful experiments: he'll think I am amusing him, when I am +gravely in earnest in the work of instruction. I will set rewards before +him, to impel him onward: I will excite his curiosity, and make it a +favor to gratify it; and then the boy will swallow knowledge as if it +were cake." + +"Come with me, Rudolph, I have something pretty to show you." "That I +will: I love to see pretty things, dear lady." "Call me mamma, Rudolph: +you are now my son." "Indeed I cannot: nobody is mamma but my own dear +mamma who loves me so--oh, I do _so_ wish I could see her!" "Hush, +child, that's silly. Now keep very quiet in this dark room, and you'll +see something. What is this I hold in my hand?" "A great glass jar, like +one of mamma's preserve jars, only much larger." "Do you see any thing +in it?" "Yes, ma'am, ever so much iron wire twisted round and round." +"Is there any thing else in the jar?" "Nothing at all." "Nothing you can +see, but there is a kind of gas we call oxygen, which will burn when I +put in a lighted piece of stick, very carefully. Look!" "Oh, beautiful, +beautiful! how the wire burns! only look at the sparks! that is very +pretty indeed, ma'am. Now it has all burnt out--what a pity!" "Now, +Rudolph, I want to tell you about it. You must know that the air we +breathe is made up of this oxygen, of nitrogen, a very little carbonic +acid gas, and a small quantity of water. If the oxygen was taken out of +the air, you could not live for one moment: I'll show you. You see this +jar? It is full of nitrogen--of air with the oxygen taken out." "But +what are you putting into it? A little mouse, I declare!" "Yes: but you +see it dies instantly; it cannot live because there is no oxygen in the +air." "Poor little mouse, how I wish you had not killed it! It is a +shame! If _I_ did such a cruel thing, my mamma would punish me." "Don't +talk so, child! it's silly. The mouse died without any pain, and if one +principle of science is fixed in your head, it is well worth the +sacrifice of its insignificant life. There will be less cheese eaten in +the world--that's all. Now, do you understand about oxygen and nitrogen, +which chiefly make up the atmospheric air?" "I know that oxygen made the +wire burn beautifully, and I know that horrid nitrogen killed the poor +little mouse; but I don't half believe that they are in the air I +breathe. I like to see pretty experiments, but I do hate explanations. +Now will you let me fly a kite?" "Yes; come out into the open +air--remember it is composed of oxygen and nitrogen--and I'll make you a +kite." + +So saying, she led him into the gardens, and waving her wand over a +piece of birch bark, behold three splendid kites! The larger one +resembled an eagle, and as it mounted into the air, and its light wings +flapped in the wind, it seemed about to pounce upon the two smaller +kites, which were in shape like pigeons. Rudolph was enchanted, and +clapped his hands with glee. After allowing him to enjoy the novelty for +some time, the Fairy said to him, "To-morrow I will show you another +kite, more wonderful than these. I will make it so, that it will draw +down the electricity from the sky. Have you ever rubbed a cat's fur the +wrong way, in the dark?" "Oh, that I have! it's great fun. There's our +black cat, at home, I have often done it to her, and I can see the +sparks in cold weather." "Well, that is electricity, and there is +electricity in every thing, only some objects have more than others. +When you see the sparks, it is the electricity leaving a thing which is +overcharged with it, for another which has less, to keep up a balance. +The lightning is nothing but electricity, and to-morrow I'll make a +storm, to show you how to draw down this subtle element from the +clouds." "Oh, don't trouble yourself! I like this kind of kite well +enough: if I have to learn about that old electricity, I'd rather give +up playing kite." + +"Rudolph, would you like to play at soap-bubbles?" "That I would! How I +wish Bertha was here--wouldn't she clap her hands and jump, as the large +bubbles fly up into the air!" "I do not wish you to think about little +Bertha. Here are your basin of soapsuds and your golden pipe; now blow +away, my boy!" "Oh, how very pretty! Do you see that big fellow, how he +shines in the sun, and shows all the colors of the rainbow? Isn't it +fine?" "That is the very thing I want to tell you about. The sun, +shining upon vapor and falling water, makes all these beautiful colors. +That is the way I mix the rainbow. The science which teaches about the +rays of light, their reflection and refraction, and the coloring they +give to different objects, is called Optics: it is an interesting study, +and I wish you to be a proficient in it." "Optics, is it? That seems to +me very different from blowing soap-bubbles. I do hate to be cheated +into learning big words, and understanding things, when I am playing." + +"The child has no brains for science, I fear!" thought the fairy. "I +almost repent my bargain! However, I will not be discouraged quite yet, +perhaps the proper chord has not been struck." Accordingly, she +invented for him various pretty toys, since then copied by men: the +kaleidoscope, with its infinite variety of shifting figures; the orrery; +the prism; the burning-glass; the microscope and the telescope; and the +magic lantern, with its vast variety of entertainment. Another magic +spell she put into operation, by which, with the aid of an instrument in +a little square box, the sun was compelled to paint landscapes and +portraits, so true to life that they seemed only to lack motion. Rudolph +was very happy, playing with these beautiful and ingenious toys: he +thought them more entertaining than marbles, or battledore and +shuttle-cock. But when the _rationale_ came to be explained, his +preceptress found her labor was all lost--there was no mistaking the +fact that the child had an invincible dislike to science. + +"I believe I see my mistake," thought the unconquerable Fairy. "I began +at the wrong end. Children _feel_ before they _think_. I must elevate +his fancy, and train his imagination by communion with forms of beauty. +I see that he cannot yet penetrate into the reason of things around him; +but he can feel the power of the external, and when his nature is +sufficiently exalted and matured, then he will of his own accord seek +knowledge. Yes, sentiment comes first, and reflection will follow in its +train." + +Accordingly, the Fairy Queen commenced his poetical training, and for +some time she flattered herself that it advanced charmingly. As the +attraction of novelty had worn off from her extensive pleasure-grounds, +she caused the landscape daily to change, so that all the beauties, +scattered over the wide earth, were in succession placed before him. At +one time, the lofty Alps rose to the sky, filling his soul with the +sense of the sublime; and the chamois, with fleet foot, climbed their +snowy pinnacles; while the deep, frowning precipices and the dark +valleys gave him a sensation of terror, not unmingled with pleasure. +Suddenly the scene would change, and he stood upon an island of the +Pacific, a little emerald gem of the ocean. Around the coral reefs the +waves lashed themselves into fury, and the white surf flew upward; but +one little opening admitted the water gently into a quiet bay, where the +deep blue rivalled that of the sky, and the water-birds swam in peace. +The cocoa-nut, the plantain, and the banana spread their broad leaves to +the sun, and flowers of brilliant hues and exquisite fragrance enlivened +the landscape. Behind, there uprose tall cliffs covered with the richest +foliage, and cascades, like silver threads, dashed downward to the sea. +Again the spectacle changed, and Vesuvius appeared in flames, reddening +the sky, and paling the moon; floods of lava rolled down, and rocks and +ashes were tossed aloft. It seemed as if evil spirits were sporting +beneath, and the mountain shook in agony. In the distance, peacefully +slept the city of Naples, and that broad and beautiful bay, the +admiration of the world. These objects, however, did not last. Rudolph +soon lingered among sweet-scented orange groves, and plucked the golden +fruit by the light of the moon, and rejoiced in perfect beauty; or +wandered off into a magnolia forest, where the huge white flowers shone +forth among the dark glistening leaves, and the air was heavy with +fragrance. Or he paddled his small canoe among the waters of the Amazon, +and saw those magnificent water-lilies, on one of whose round green +leaves, with up-turned edges, he could float with perfect safety; while +the brilliant tropical birds flew around, and monkeys climbed the tall +trees, which were festooned with vines of luxuriant growth. Again did +the scene vary--and Niagara thundered down its cliffs, filling his +heart with delighted awe; resistless and changeless, rolled it then, +when the deer wandered undisturbed upon its shores, as now, when +thousands of visitors marvel at its grandeur, and feel the infinitude of +nature and the insignificance of man. + +One day the Rhine was presented to his view--its vine-clad hills, its +frowning castles, its romantic scenery, and the happy peasants coming +from the vintage, with songs of rejoicing. But this struck a chord +untouched before. It brought up home and homely pleasures with a force +and vividness that made the boy, in the midst of all sensual delights, +feel a sudden sickness of the heart, a longing for the fireside, and for +the every-day occupations from which he had been snatched. He thought of +his father and mother, so kind and good; of merry little Bertha, ever so +pleased to frolic with him--and he almost felt her chubby arm around his +neck; he remembered old Fritz, and his rides upon Saladin, with his +arched neck and flowing mane. He thought of the ancient hall, in which +he had played such mad pranks with Bruno--even the black cat came in for +a portion of his regret. And never, never more was he to behold these +objects of his love! So feels the Swiss, when in a foreign land, when +breathing the balmy air of Italy, or wandering amid the gayeties of +Paris, he hears the Ranz des Vaches; the simple notes recall the Alpine +home, the mother and the friends: he sickens and dies. + +Rudolph's sad countenance soon attracted the notice of his kind +protectress, who eagerly asked what she could do to promote his +happiness. He told his trouble, and especially dwelt upon his +loneliness; he longed to see his papa and mamma, and little Bertha; and +he wanted companions of his own age--human children, with whom he could +laugh and play, whom he could toss in the snow in winter, and with whom +he could rove the fields in summer, picking the flowers and chasing the +butterflies. The Fairy Queen shook her head: "You ask an impossibility, +Rudolph; my very existence was endangered by bringing you here, and how +can I convey other mortals to the crystal palace, the inner temple of +nature? It cannot be--however, now I think of a plan; yes, to-morrow you +shall have your wish, only you must smile and be happy once more, +Rudolph." + +On the morrow, with the early dawn, a troop of merry, rosy children +awaited his waking: how soon they were friends! children, and child-like +hearts, are not long in knowing each other. They were all pretty, but +different, both in appearance and disposition; they were crowned with +flowers and green leaves, of various sorts. "What funny names you have!" +said Rudolph, as they introduced themselves. "Yes; but we did not name +ourselves," they replied; "it is not our fault if we have hard +names--you'll soon learn them." And so he did: there was Cochlearia, a +sharp-witted girl, who made rather biting speeches occasionally; there +was Daucus, a red-headed youngster, and Raphanus, a pretty child of +brilliant complexion, crowned with violet-colored flowers; there was +Brassica, and Zea, and Maranta, and Capsicum, a fiery fellow, and +Nasturtium, crowned with bright orange-flowers, and a great many others. +Rudolph liked most of them very much, but his especial favorites were +little Solanum and Farinacea, brother and sister, both crowned with blue +flowers. He thought they were so good, he could never get tired of them; +perhaps Brassica and Zea were sweeter, and Raphanus was more piquant, +but these two friends of his could never cloy his taste; he should +always love them. As for Cochlearia, he could not abide her: she was so +pert. Several times she came near disturbing the harmony of the little +band by her speeches: she reproached Daucus with his carroty head, and +told Capsicum that his temper was too hot, and called Nasturtium only a +weedy fellow, after all. Hereupon, Solanum, who was a very amiable soul, +told her she was enough to bring tears into anybody's eyes; and at that, +she turned round, and informed him that he was such a mealy-mouthed +fellow, he was no judge at all. At last Rudolph was obliged to tell her +that he had never known a child whose society he relished so little, and +that he would be compelled to complain of her, unless she went away; +accordingly she did so, and then they enjoyed uninterrupted peace. How +happy was that day! how varied the amusements! what joyful shouts! what +heart-felt laughter! Rudolph, long debarred from the company of other +children, was almost out of his wits with excitement. + +But the sun now approached the west, and with one accord they hastened +away, notwithstanding all his entreaties. "Why must they go? They could +sleep with him; there was plenty of room in the palace; they should not +leave." "They would return to-morrow, but now they must go; before the +sun set--good-by, good-by." "You shall _not_ go," cried Rudolph, seizing +hold of Solanum and Farinacea, who struggled hard to evade him, while +their companions swiftly passed them, and vanished through a little +postern gate he had never seen before, into the forest beyond. "Why +should you want to go? Do you not love me?" said Rudolph, as the two +struggled yet more earnestly to escape his grasp. "I assure you we +_have_ hearts, but we cannot now stay," was all they could utter, for at +that moment the sun sank below the horizon, and the beautiful children +vanished from his sight: in their place, there fell to the ground--two +potatoes! Scarcely believing his eyes, he quickly opened the little +gate, calling to his friends to return; but no voice replied, and no +children were to be seen. Instead, scattered about upon the ground, were +radishes, carrots, turnips, parsneps, cabbages--all that remained of his +playmates. The disappointed child burst into a fit of passionate +weeping. Was all deception, illusion? Was there nothing real, naught to +satisfy the heart? Was he ever to be alone, consumed by vain longings +for affection he was destined never to receive? What did _he_ care for +all that beauty and grandeur--one heart-given human kiss was worth it +all. + +The child was still sobbing bitterly when the Fairy Queen drew near. Her +starry crown was dim, like the evening star seen through a mist; the +sparkle had gone out of her eye and her face. She was sad, for she knew +that she must lose her little protégé; she was vexed, for she had been +completely baffled. "And cannot I make you happy?" she said. "Is all the +power, and the grandeur, and the wisdom, and the beauty you see in Fairy +Land, insufficient to satisfy that foolish heart of yours? Silly boy! he +longs for human love. Go then--even if I _could_ keep you, I think I +scarcely would; I can teach you nothing." "And may I really go? Go to my +own dear, sweet mamma? Oh, how happy I am!" "You little ungrateful +wretch! is that all the thanks I get for the pains I have taken to make +a man of you?" "Of course you are very good: but indeed I always told +you I wanted to remain a little boy." "Out of my sight!" said she, +stamping her tiny foot upon the rock on which she was +standing--sympathizing with her passion, it threw out sparks, which +hardened into diamonds when they cooled. "My experiment has proved a +signal failure; I see a child will be a child, in spite of all the +charms of science: if ever I take another--if ever I try again to bring +up a philosopher, may I lose my crown!" + +Rudolph, affrighted, had run through the little gate, which immediately +closed behind him. He looked around; the scene was strangely familiar. +He found himself at the border of a wood, in a place where three roads +crossed. "It was there," thought he, "that, a year or two ago, I dashed +into the forest on Saladin, and got lost: and since then I have been in +Fairy Land." At that moment he lifted up his eyes, and saw old Fritz +approach, leading Saladin; he ran forward to meet him, and Fritz, on his +part, seemed overjoyed at seeing his young master. "You dear old soul! +how glad I am to see you! Why, you don't look a day older than when we +parted!" "It would be queer if I did, as we only parted company an hour +ago, when you rode off and left your poor old Fritz. How you have +frightened me! I thought you had gone home the nearest way, and rode +there to see: but no, you were not at the castle. So I came back again, +very much worried about you on account of the shower that came up so +suddenly, and met your horse, quite near the wood. I'm glad to find you +at last!" "Is it possible it was only an hour ago? I can hardly believe +it." "Oh yes, no more, though it has seemed longer to me, I have been so +anxious." Rudolph laughed. "I do believe I have been asleep! and I have +had the funniest dream! Do you know, I thought I was in Fairy Land? It +was all so sweet, and so grand, and learned, and tiresome--Oh, I am glad +it was only a dream. I did want so much to get home again, and have some +fun." + + +"How could he wish to leave such a charming place, where there was every +thing that was lovely on earth?" cried Gertrude. "I think he had very +little taste." + +"There was all there," said Aunt Lucy, "but the very things he +wanted--his father and mother, his playmates, kind old Fritz, and his +horse and dog--not to speak of a very important thing in a boy's eyes, +liberty to play without being pestered with continual lectures." + +"I think your Fairy Queen has a tart temper of her own, sister Ellen," +said Tom. "When she was rating the poor little fellow for ingratitude, I +thought of that passage in Virgil, where the rage of the gods is spoken +of--'Tantæne animis coelestibus iræ!'" + +"Do translate, for the benefit of the unlearned. It is so _mannish_ to +quote Latin," said Cornelia. + +"'Can such anger dwell in celestial souls?' You see I am all obedience," +answered Tom. + +"You should remember, my dear critic, that fairies never yet claimed to +be perfect beings. They are very far from being angels, and are +decidedly of the earth, earthy. You know that the inferior specimens of +the race--the vulgar fairies--delight in playing tricks upon careless +housekeepers, spilling their cream and spoiling their butter: that is +not very angelic, I'm sure. Of course, the Queen would be too dignified +and too spiritual for such frolics; but she could not understand much +about human nature, or child-nature, and especially she would think the +affections to be great nonsense. But she has bought her experience now, +with Rudolph." + +"One comfort is, that she does not intend to take another child to +educate--she has had enough!" said Amy. + +"She could not, if she would," replied Mary. "I think the day has now +come, foreseen by the prophetic owl, + + + 'When iron monsters, with breath of flame, + Shall blot from earth the fairy name.'" + + +"Steam engines and locomotives?" said Louis. + +"Nothing else," replied Ellen. "I do not doubt in the least that the +whole of that Fairy Wood has been carefully surveyed and graded, and +iron tracks run directly through the palace itself." + +"Oh what a shame!" cried Harry. + +"'Tis very sad, indeed, to have all romance spoiled in this way," said +Mrs. Wyndham. "But we have a modern substitute for the magic of +Elfdom--this very steam-engine, which works such wonders; the electric +telegraph, which beats time itself, making news depart from Philadelphia +for St. Louis, and reach its destination an hour before it started, if +you may believe the clock. And some of those toys, originally invented +by the Fairy Queen, if we may credit Ellen--the telescope, bringing down +the moon so near to you, that you feel inclined to take a long step, and +place yourself in another planet--and photography, which enables you in +one moment to possess upon metal or paper an exact fac-simile of your +friend. If these things do not surpass all we read of in Fairy Land, I +know nothing about it." + +"I have one very serious objection to your Fairy Queen, Cousin Ellen," +said Charlie Bolton, trying to keep a long, sober face. + +"What is that? Poor Queen, how she is criticised! If she were here, she +would show her temper now, I think!" + +"She is such a horrid _blue_. It's all very well for her to dance, and +mix the rainbow, and sprinkle the dew upon her flowers, and wear the +evening star on her forehead, if she does not find its weight +oppressive--that's all feminine enough. But when she tries to come over +us as an _esprit fort_--a strong-minded woman--it's rather too much. +Oxygen and hydrogen, and all the _ologies_--I never can stand that sort +of thing in a woman." + +"Just as if we had not a right to knowledge as well as the lords of the +creation! And besides, I want to know, Master Charlie, which is the most +disgusting--for a woman to lisp learning, or for a man to talk politics, +as the creatures will do!" + +"Oh, I beg your pardon--I very humbly retract, my dear Coz. I must use +the words of that sensible 'Coon, who has earned immortality by meeting +his death like a philosopher--'Is that you, Captain Scott?' 'Yes.' 'Then +you need not fire--don't take the trouble to raise your rifle--if it's +you, Captain Scott, I might as well come down.' So, if it's you, Miss +Cornelia Wyndham, you can spare your shot, for I'll come down at +once;--I would rather face the Woman's Rights' Convention, in full +conclave assembled, than my Cousin Cornelia, when she stands up for the +rights of her sex to be pedantic and disagreeable!" + +"I was quite amused at the Queen's experiments in education," said Mr. +Wyndham. "She is not the only one who has tried to force knowledge upon +unwilling minds, and to develop children as we would spring peas and +asparagus, by subjecting them to hot-house stimulants. These fancy +methods of training the young idea do not appear to succeed very well; +to see some of the cards used in infant schools, and to read occasional +school advertisements, you would deem it quite impossible that any +dunces could escape the elevating processes now applied to the +unfortunate little ones--yet, happily, the constitutions of most +children are very elastic, and there are not as many instances of dropsy +on the brain as we might expect." + +"I wonder the Fairy did not take a hint from the bees," remarked Mary. + +"How is that? Have they any particular mode of training?" + +"Very much so: when they want to rear up a sovereign who shall be fitted +to govern the hive with wisdom, they take any one of their hundred +little grubs at random, and put it under tutors and governors. These +cram it, not with lectures on political economy, books on international +law, or any thing of that sort, but with food much more to its +taste--the very best honey, and a kind of _royal food_, which I suppose +it is considered high treason for a subject to touch. Day by day, the +grub becomes more and more the princess, and finally expands into +queenly magnificence, when, of course, she must have a hive of her own, +or do as Dido of Tyre--colonize, and found a Carthage." + +"Quite amusing! But is it true?" + +"Yes, actually; and if only some such process could be applied to +children, would it not save trouble?" + +"And wouldn't we like it!" cried George Wyndham, "Ah, but I'd make a +bonfire of my Euclid and Virgil, and all the other worthies, or bury +them, as the fellows do yearly at Yale College--I had much rather be fed +with some essence of knowledge, like the bees." + +"This talk about fancy modes of mental culture," remarked Mr. Wyndham, +"reminds me of a Life I lately read of Mr. Day, the author of that +delightful book, Sandford and Merton. He was a remarkably benevolent and +excellent man, but visionary, and had some peculiar crotchets about +education. When quite a young man, he took charge of two poor, pretty +orphan girls, and had them trained up in accordance with his own ideas, +intending to make one of them his wife. Both grew to be fine women, but +to spoil the romance, fell in love with other men! so that he enjoyed +the pleasure of sedulously educating good wives for two worthy +tradesmen, and being left in the lurch himself. A second experiment +turned out yet worse, for it cost him his life: he had doubtless had +enough of girls, so he took another animal, which he thought might be +tamer and more tractable--a horse. He would not allow it to be broken in +the usual method, which he considered very cruel: he would talk to it, +caress it, make it his friend, win it by kindness. But unfortunately for +his experiment, the horse killed him, by a kick, I believe, before it +had succeeded." + +"Poor Day! Uncle, you remind me of the cow that the man wanted to train +so as to consider eating a superfluity--she was coming on admirably, but +unfortunately for the full success of the experiment, she perversely +died, the very day her owner had reduced her to one straw." + +"How very unlucky!" + +"Aunt Lucy," said Alice, "when Ellen gave us the Queen's theorizing in +education, I could not help thinking of the old saw, 'Bachelors' wives +and old maids' bairns are always the best guided.' It's very easy to +manage _dream_ children; but when you come to real flesh and blood, it's +quite another matter. It does not appear to me that all this +systematizing and speculation does much good." + +"Not a bit of it," cried George Wyndham. "We boys must be boys to the +end of the chapter; and I tell you, some of us are pretty tough +subjects! The only hope is that we may turn out not quite so horrid, +when we grow up." + +"I once heard a plan proposed for getting rid of boys of your age, +brother George," said Cornelia. + +"Much obliged; what was that?" + +"To bury them at seven, and dig them out at seventeen; how do you like +it?" + +"'Tis a bad plan. There would be nobody left in the world to run errands +for older sisters--it would never do." + +"When little Rudolph was so fond of his vegetable friends," said Mary, +"and found them so good, so sweet, so much to his taste, I thought of an +account I had somewhere read, written, I think, by the witty Sydney +Smith, of a conversation a new missionary in the South Sea islands held +about his predecessor, who had been eaten by the cannibals. He asked the +natives if they had known him--we will call him Mr. Brown, as it's +rather fabulous. 'Mr. Brown? Oh yes! very good man--Mr. Brown! very +good.' 'And did you know his family?' 'Oh yes! such sweet little +children! so nice and tender! But Mrs. Brown was a bad woman--she was +_so very tough_.' She was not to their taste." + +"But, Cousin Ellen," said Amy, "I want to know about those vegetable +friends of Rudolph. I know that Capsicum is a kind of pepper, and I have +often met Nasturtium, crowned with his orange-flowers; I suppose, of +course, that Solanum and Farinacea are potatoes--but who is that sharp +Cochlearia, who told Solanum he was a mealy-mouthed fellow?" + +"Horse-radish--which Solanum thought enough to bring tears into +anybody's eyes." + +"And Daucus--was he a carrot?" + +"Yes; and Raphanus, with his brilliant complexion, was a radish. Maranta +was arrow-root, Zea was Indian corn, and Brassica, a turnip--we often +enjoy their society at table." + +"I shall always think of Cochlearia when I eat horse-radish on my beef," +said Charlie Bolton. "Especially when I take too much, by mistake." + +"And when I find, to my sorrow, that potatoes have hearts I shall think +of Solanum." + + + + +CHAPTER III. + +THE RHYMING GAME.--ORIKAMA, OR THE WHITE WATER LILY, AN INDIAN TALE. + + +Great was the chagrin of our young party on the following morning, to +find that a storm had set in, giving no prospect of amusements out of +doors for the day: the rain came down in a determined manner, as if it +had no intention of clearing up for a week, and the winds whistled and +scolded in every variety of note; even the boys, who prided themselves +upon a manly contempt for wind and weather, agreed that the chimney +corner was the best place under the circumstances, and that they must +try to make themselves as agreeable as possible at home. Cornelia +quoted, for the benefit of the rest, a receipt she had somewhere met +with for the "manufacture of sunshine," which she thought would be +especially valuable on such a darksome day: "Take a good handful of +industry, mix it thoroughly with family love, and season well with +good-nature and mutual forbearance. Gradually stir in smiles, and jokes, +and laughter, to make it light, but take care these ingredients do not +run over, or it will make a cloud instead of what you wish. Follow this +receipt carefully, and you have an excellent supply of sunshine, +warranted to keep in all weathers." + +Accordingly, it was resolved to make sunshine, and Aunt Lucy offered to +provide the industry, if they would furnish the other materials. Soon +were heaps of flannel and other stout fabrics produced from her "Dorcas +closet," as she called it, in which her provisions for the poor were +laid up, in nice order; for even in our happy land does it hold true +that "the poor ye have always with you, and whensoever ye _will_ ye may +do them good," and kind Aunt Lucy was not one to neglect this duty. On +the day preceding Christmas, according to her principle of making as +many happy as possible, she had ordered a barrel of flour to be baked +into cakes and pies, and had distributed them, along with a turkey and a +bushel of potatoes to each, among all the poor families of the +neighborhood; and this was only one specimen of the numerous kindly acts +by which she drew together the hearts of all around her, and made them +realize the Christian brotherhood of man. Where there were children, she +made them happy by the present of a few penny toys; a very cheap +investment, yielding a large return of rapture! She could never deny +herself the pleasure of giving these little offerings of love with her +own hands, and wishing her poor neighbors a "Happy Christmas;" and on +this occasion she had learnt the destitution of a poor widow, who +struggled hard to support her young family and to maintain a decent +appearance, but who was now laid up with sickness, and unable to provide +clothing and fuel for herself and her little ones. Mr. Wyndham had +immediately sent her a load of wood, and his wife was now anxious to +furnish the necessary garments. The young girls were rejoiced to aid in +the good work, and soon all fingers were busy, and needles were in swift +operation; while the boys took turns in the entertainment of the sewers, +by alternately reading aloud from a pleasant book. Tom Green was an +excellent reader; his agreeable tones of voice made it a pleasure to +listen to him, and his clear articulation and varied expression added +greatly to the interest of the narrative. Why is it that this desirable +accomplishment, which promotes so much the happiness of the home +circle, is not more cultivated? + +After dinner, Charlie Bolton proposed some games, as he said that quite +enough of industry and gravity had been put into the preparation, and he +feared the sunshine would not be properly made without the smiles, +jokes, and laughter spoken of in the receipt. "How do those lines of +Milton run, Ellen, in L'Allegro? my favorite piece--before the old +fellow got to be so very sublime, as he is in the Paradise Lost." + +"You irreverent jackanapes! to speak so of the immortal bard! I suppose +you mean, + + + 'But come, thou goddess fair and free, + In Heaven yclept Euphrosyne, + And by men, heart-easing mirth; + Haste thee, Nymph, and bring with thee + Jest, and youthful jollity, + Quips, and cranks, and wanton wiles, + Nods and becks, and wreathed smiles, + Such as hang on Hebe's cheek, + And love to live in dimple sleek: + Sport, that wrinkled Care derides, + And Laughter, holding both his sides.'" + + +"That is the passage I mean, and that is the very company I should like +to invite, if the rest have no objection." + +All approved of the suggestion, and soon the whole party was busily +engaged in various lively games, "Graces," "Battledore and Shuttlecock," +"Hunt the Slipper," etc., which combined bodily exercise with healthful +excitement of the mirthful organs, which some philosophers assert to be, +after all, the distinguishing trait of mankind. Some call man a +"thinking animal," but this is so self-evident a slander upon the great +majority of the species, that no words are needed to refute it: one +attempted to define him as "a biped without feathers," but when a +plucked fowl was brought forward as a specimen of his man, he was +obliged to give up that definition. Others again describe him as "a +cooking animal," but while dogs can act as turnspits, and monkeys can +roast chestnuts, he cannot claim this lofty epithet as peculiarly his +own; besides, some savages have been found so degraded as to be +unacquainted with the use of fire. But wherever man is found, whether +under the heats of an African sun, or shivering in the cold of a Lapland +winter, upon the steppes of Tartary, or the pampas of South America, his +joyful laughter shows that he is a man, intended for social life and for +happiness. 'Tis true, we read of the _hyena laugh_, but we protest +against such a misapplication of terms: the fierce, mocking yell of that +ferocious creature has nothing in common with hearty, genial, human +laughter: other animals can weep, but man alone can laugh. And how great +a refreshment is it! It relieves the overtasked brain, and the heart +laden with cares; it makes the blood dance in the veins of youth, and +gives a new impetus to the spirits; work goes on more briskly, when a +gay heart sets the active powers in motion. Well did the Wise King say, +"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine:" it keeps off gray hairs and +wrinkles, better than any cosmetic that ever was invented. The ancient +Greeks realized its value, when they placed a jester in the society of +their gods upon Olympus: as their deities were clothed with human +attributes, they did not omit to provide for their amusement. + +The young ladies were not too dignified and fastidious, nor Aunt Lucy +too wise to join in the sports, and the old lady's spectacles and cap +did not feel at all insulted when the handkerchief was tied round them +in "Blind Man's Buff," and the hall rang with the jocund shouts of the +children, whose greater activity eluded her grasp. When even the +youngest acknowledged that they had enjoyed enough romping for one day, +Mary proposed a new amusement of a quieter character, which she had just +heard of, entitled "the Rhyming Game." As it was found very pleasant, I +will give a specimen, that the reader may try it of a winter's evening. +One person thinks of a word, but instead of naming it, mentions another +with which it rhymes; the next thinks of another rhyme, which is to be +_described_, not spoken, and then the leader of the game, guessing from +the description what word is meant, says it is, or it is not, such a +thing. And so all round the circle. + +"I've thought of a word that rhymes with _sat_," said Mary. + +"Is it that sly animal of the tiger species which is domesticated by +man, and delights to steal the cream and to torture poor little mice?" +said Amy. + +"No, it is not a _cat_." + +"Is it that useful article which covers the floor in summer, that is on +the dinner-table every day in the year, and may be seen behind or before +almost every front door?" said Cornelia. + +"No, it is not a _mat_." + +"Is it that nondescript winged quadruped, something like a bird, +something like a mouse, something like a kangaroo, which troubles us +sometimes of a summer's evening, by flying about the room and entangling +itself in our hair?" said Ellen. + +"No, it is not a _bat_." + +"Is it that other agreeable creature, which infests old houses, but is +prudent enough to leave them when they begin to fall down: that is very +voracious, and sometimes eats babies' noses off?" said Tom. + +"No, it is not a _rat_." + +"Is it a very gentle slap, indicative of love?" + +"No, it is not a _pat_." + +"Is it one of the wooden pieces of which blinds are composed?" + +"No, it is not a _slat_." + +"Is it a manly covering for the head?" + +"No, it is not a _hat_." + +"Is it that word sometimes applied to a disagreeable child?" + +"No, it is not a _brat_." + +"Is it the opposite of leanness?" + +"No, it is not _fat_." + +"Is it that covering for the head occasionally worn by young misses, and +also a frequent quality of their conversation?" said Charlie Bolton. + +"No, insulting sir, it is _not_ a _flat_." + +"Is it that amiable insect, so anxious to discover whether all are made +of the same blood, which pays such particular attention to visitors +among pine forests?" + +"No, it is not a _gnat_." + +"Is it a large receptacle used in the brewery and tannery?" + +"No, it is not a _vat_." + +"Is it an ornamental way of dressing the hair?" said Gertrude. + +"Yes, it is a _plait_. Now it's your turn, Gertrude." + +"I've thought of a word that rhymes with _rock_." + +"Is it an important part of woman's attire?" + +"No, it is not a _frock_." + +"Is it an article of infants' clothing?" + +"No, it is not a _sock_." + +"Is it the thing that brokers buy and sell?" + +"No, it is not _stock_." + +"Is it a common weed, and also the place where ships are built?" + +"No, it is not a _dock_." + +"Is it a collection of sheep?" + +"No, it's not a _flock_." + +"Is it a German wine, highly prized by connoisseurs?" + +"No, it is not _hock_." + +"Is it a rap at the door?" + +"No, it is not _knock_." + +"Is it a curious instrument that has hands, but no eyes or ears, and +that always weighs its actions, but never does any thing but reprove +other people's laziness?" + +"No, it is not a _clock_." + +"Is it that word, which followed by head, shows what we all are, for not +guessing it sooner?" + +"Yes, you are right, it is a _block_." + +In the evening, Mary was appointed by general consent to tell that +eagerly-desired Indian story. + +"And mind you give us scalping enough," said Charlie Bolton; "I'm a +little afraid you are too tender-hearted to give your story the proper +dramatic effect. It's worth nothing unless there is a great deal of +blood spilt, and a whole string of scalps." + +"Horrible, Charlie! how can you bear such things! However, I needn't be +afraid, if Cousin Mary is to tell the tale," said Amy. + +"How can I possibly please the taste of both?" replied Mary; "I plainly +see that only one way is left for me; to suit myself--so, if you'll +excuse me, that's the thing I'll do." + +"We'll be compelled to excuse you, I suppose," said Charlie with a +shrug: "well, go on then, and be as merciful as your weak woman's nature +compels you to be." + +Accordingly, with this encouraging permission, Mary began her story, +which she called + + +Orikama, or the White Water-Lily: + +AN INDIAN TALE. + +Nearly a hundred years ago, when the greater part of Pennsylvania was +still covered with forests, and was peopled chiefly by wild deer and yet +wilder Indians, there might have been seen, upon the banks of the +beautiful Susquehanna, a log cottage of very pretty appearance. It +consisted of two stories, and was surrounded by a piazza, whose pillars, +trunks of trees unstripped of their bark, were encircled by a luxuriant +growth of ivies and honeysuckles, which ran up to the roof, and hung +down in graceful festoons. The house was situated so as to command the +finest prospect of the river and the distant hills, and gave the +traveller the impression that it was erected by people of more +refinement than the common settlers of that region, rough backwoodsmen, +who thought of little else than the very necessary work of subduing the +wild, planting corn and potatoes, and shooting bears and deer. And so it +was: James Buckingham, who with his young wife had settled there, having +purchased land in that vicinity, was a man accustomed to a more polished +state of society, and had received a college education in New England. +But having become deeply attached to a young girl whose parents refused +consent to their union, the impetuosity of his character prevailed over +his sense of filial piety, and he persuaded the beautiful Ellen +Farmington to leave her home and duty, and to give him a husband's right +to protect her. In all probability, patience and submission might have +prevailed upon her parents to give up an opposition, which was in +reality unreasonable and groundless, as Buckingham was a young man in +every way calculated to make their daughter happy; but this rash act of +youthful folly had embittered their feelings, and the young couple were +forbidden ever to show their faces in the old homestead, lest a parent's +curse should light upon their heads. Too proud to show any repentance, +even if he felt it, James Buckingham determined to settle in another +State, where nothing should recall the past, and where his small amount +of capital, and large stock of energy and industry, might be employed to +advantage; accordingly, he fixed his lot among the pioneers of Penn's +colony, and chose a romantic situation upon the Susquehanna for his +dwelling. + +Very toilsome were the first years of their settlement, and great their +privations; but they were young and happy, and willing hands and loving +hearts made toil a pleasure. In a few years, woods were cleared, fields +inclosed, barns built, and then, agreeably to Solomon's advice, the +Buckinghams thought of building a commodious dwelling. "Prepare thy work +without, and make it fit for thyself in the field, and afterwards build +thy house." The aid of neighbors, ever ready for such an undertaking, +was called into requisition, and soon they removed from the small and +only too well ventilated hut, through the chinks of which the sun shone +in by day and the moon by night, and the rain penetrated whenever it +would, to the ample, pleasant home already described. Here it was that +little Emily Buckingham, their only child, first saw the light; and then +the cup of their happiness seemed only too full for mortals to quaff. As +the child daily grew in beauty, and her engaging ways filled their +hearts with delight, then first did they realize the absorbing nature of +a parent's love, and regret that _they_ were separated from those who +had so felt to Emily's mother, when she lay, a helpless infant, in their +arms. Yet pride prevailed, and no overtures were made to those whom they +still thought severe and unrelenting. + +Few, and scattered far, were the farmers in that region, for they were +on the very outskirts of civilization. At a short distance rose a +primeval forest, untouched by the axe of the settler, where the deer +roamed freely, unless shot by the Indian hunter; and many were the +friendly Indians who visited the cottage, and exchanged their game, +their baskets, and their ornamented moccasins, for the much-coveted +goods of civilized life. Frequent among these guests was Towandahoc, +Great Black Eagle,--so called from his first boyish feat, when, riding +at full gallop, he had shot down an eagle on the wing, so unerring was +his aim; and its feathers now adorned his head. Towandahoc was a great +hunter, and did not disdain to traffic with the "pale faces," not only +for rifles and gunpowder, but for many domestic comforts to which most +Indians are indifferent. But Great Black Eagle, although fearless as the +bird whose name he bore, was a humane man, more gentle in character than +most of his race, and a great friend of the whites, the brethren of the +good Onas, as the red men called the man who laid the foundations of our +commonwealth in peace, by a treaty which, in the language of Voltaire, +"is the only one never confirmed by an oath, and never broken." +Especially was Towandahoc attached to the Buckingham family, who ever +treated him kindly, and to the little girl who played with his bow and +arrows, and tried in her artless prattle to pronounce his name. Unbroken +peace had hitherto prevailed between the red men and the pale faces, +owing to the just and friendly treatment the natives had experienced; +but symptoms of another spirit began now to appear. The war waged +between England and France had extended to the colonies, and the French +were unremitting in their efforts to gain the Indians to their side. A +line of fortifications was erected by them, extending from Canada to the +Ohio and Mississippi, and they were strongly intrenched at Fort Du +Quesne, the site of the city of Pittsburg. Braddock's expedition and +memorable defeat had just taken place; and it was thought by many that +the Pennsylvania tribes, enraged by the honorable refusal of the +Assembly to accept their tomahawks and scalping-knives in the war, and +courted, on the other hand, by the French, were cherishing a secret, but +deep hostility. Many of Mr. Buckingham's neighbors erected blockhouses, +protected by palisades, to which they might retreat in case of an +attack, and stored them with arms, ammunition, and provisions; but his +confidence in the good disposition of the aborigines was too great to +allow him to appear suspicious of those who came backward and forward to +his dwelling in so much apparent friendship. + +Such was the posture of affairs when Emily had reached her fourth year: +dear as she was to her parents, the return of her birthday found her +unspoilt, and as sweet and well-trained a child as any in the colony. It +was worth a walk to see her: her golden curls fell upon a neck of +alabaster, and her delicate, regular features were illuminated by dark +vivacious eyes: she strongly resembled her mother, who had one of those +faces which once seen, are never forgotten, and that seem to ripen +merely, not to change, from youth to old age. But this extreme +loveliness of person formed but the setting of the gem; Emily herself +combined so much sweetness and liveliness of disposition, was so +affectionate, gentle, and docile, that it was no wonder her parents made +her the centre of all their plans and enjoyments. It was she who must +always outstrip her mother, in welcoming her father in from the field, + + + "And climbed his knee, the envied kiss to share," + + +and to listen to the delightful tale, that could never be repeated too +often: she must bring his slippers, and place his seat near the fire in +winter. And she must "help mamma" in all her concerns; and although such +help was only a delicious kind of hindrance, her bright face and winsome +ways made all tasks light and pleasant. Never had she looked so lovely +in her mother's eyes as she did on the evening of her birthday, when in +her little white night-slip, with bare feet and folded hands, she knelt +down to recite the simple prayer she had been taught that day, as a +reward for good conduct; the setting sun streamed in at the window, and +as its rays lingered among her curls, as if they belonged there, and +were reluctant to leave, the mother thought of a kneeling cherub, with a +glory encirling her head--but blessed God that her child was yet upon +the earth. Long did that picture dwell upon her memory. + +After singing her to sleep with a gentle lullaby, such as a mother only +can employ, she imprinted a tender kiss upon the sleeping child, and +having seen that all things were well and safely arranged in the house, +she and her husband left, intending to spend the evening with Mr. +Markley and his family, who lived at a distance of five or six miles. +They were on more intimate terms with them than with any other +neighbors, and took back with them Roland Markley, a boy of ten, who had +spent the day with little Emily, his especial friend and pet, whom he +was never weary of assisting and amusing. It was a pleasure to see the +children together: the little girl looked up to him as almost a man, and +he made her every whim a law. For her he would make the trip little +vessel, and launch it upon the water; for her he would construct the +bridge of stones across the brook, and guide her little feet safely to +the other side. + +The conversation at Mr. Markley's house was of an alarming character; it +was said that sure information had been received of a speedy rising of +the Indians, and the Buckinghams were urged instantly to remove to that +more thickly settled spot, where a large blockhouse was erected, and all +preparations were made to give the enemy a warm reception. The addition +of even one able-bodied man to their force was desirable, and they +strove to impress upon their neighbors the imminent peril of their +exposed situation. So earnest were they, and so probable did the news +appear, that Mr. Buckingham resolved to comply with their wishes, and to +remove on the morrow; and with hearts heavier than when they left home, +they started to return to it. + +"Do you perceive the smell of smoke? If it should be our cottage!" said +Ellen Buckingham, first breaking the silence in which they rode along. + +"The woods may be on fire again: do not be alarmed; the conversation +this evening has unnerved you," replied her husband; but he could not +conceal the tremor of his own voice, as a horrible fear entered into his +heart; a fear, soon to become a more horrible certainty! + +As they drew near, the air became thick with smoke, and when they +entered the cleared ground and looked for their home, no home was there! +Instead, burning rafters and smoking ruins: around, the ground was +trodden down by many feet of moccasined men. Partly consumed by the +fire, lay the bodies of two farm-servants who had been in Mr. +Buckingham's employ; a tomahawk, smeared with fresh blood, lay among the +smoking embers; and a golden curl singed by fire, was near it--all they +could discover of little Emily! + +The murderers had left, doubtless disappointed that, their prey was so +small; and in the first moments of agony, the bereaved parents wished +that they too had fallen victims to their fiendish rage. Emily was dead, +certainly dead! The fresh blood, the lock of hair, proved it only too +clearly; her body had been consumed by the flames. The light of their +lives had been put out, the glory had passed away from their sky, and +they must now go mourning all their days; they felt as did a parent in +the olden time, whose words are recorded in Scripture, "If I am bereaved +of my children, I am bereaved." One little hour had changed the aspect +of the whole earth to them. + +And yet, broken-hearted as they were, they must act: not now could they +fold their hands in despair. Soon was the news of the Indian rising +spread among the settlers; and while all flew to arms, and joined in the +necessary preparations, tears fell from eyes that were never known to +weep before, and rough men spoke soothing words to the mourners; for +little Emily was known and loved by all for miles around, and many said +"she need not change much to be made an angel." It was agreed that with +the earliest dawn, when the women and children were safely disposed of, +they should meet at the ruins of the Hopedale Cottage, so was it called, +and follow the trail of the savages through the woods; some sanguine +spirits, chief among whom was little Roland Markley, still asserted that +Emily might live, and have been carried away into captivity; but her +parents could not so deceive themselves--that lock of hair had convinced +them of her death; hope could not enter their hearts, it had died with +Emily. + +One entire day did the Indian-hunters follow in the trail and came upon +the spot where their enemies had encamped; and there, three trails in +different directions, looked as if the savages had scattered. What was +to be done? To follow all was impossible, as their own force was a small +one; and meantime night had come on, wrapping all things in her mantle +of secrecy, and fatigue required them to rest their weary frames. +Setting a watch, and lighting a fire, with loaded rifles within reach, +they slept; such a sleep as men can take, when they dream of a red hand +at their throats, and a tomahawk glancing before their eyes. Light +hearts make heavy sleep; but such a deed as had been committed in the +midst of them, makes men start from their slumbers if but a cricket +chirps, or a withered leaf falls to the ground. + +During the night, heavy rains began to fall, and when morning light +appeared, all traces of the pathway of their enemy had disappeared; the +leaves fell abundantly from the trees, and no mark was left upon the +earth to show where they had passed. The baffled party did not give up +the search for several days, but nothing transpired to throw any light +upon the subject; and they were obliged reluctantly to return, in order +to defend their own homes and families from a similar fate. Few doubted +little Emily's death; but some still clung to the hope that she was in +the land of the living, and might yet be recovered. + +But her father and mother hoped nothing: grief entirely filled up their +hearts. And with the grief arose a new feeling--bitter and poignant +remorse. "This is the just punishment," they thought, "that offended +Heaven has inflicted upon us, for having wrung _our_ parents' hearts +with anguish. Now we feel a parent's agony: now can we realize what we +made them suffer. This was the tender spot on which a wound would +penetrate to the heart; and here it is that a retributive Providence has +struck us. The arrows of the Almighty have pierced us--shall we any +longer strive against our Maker? We will humble ourselves in the dust, O +righteous Judge, and will return to duty: if it be not yet too late--if +our parents still live--incline their hearts to forgive!" + +And their pitying God heard their prayer, and brought them in safety to +their childhood's home, and prepared for them pardon and peace of +conscience. For Ellen Buckingham's father had been brought to the brink +of the grave by sudden illness, and the stern old man wept like a child, +when the village pastor, a faithful minister of the Gospel, told him +that the most faultless creed would not avail him if he cherished a +hardened, unforgiving spirit, and exhorted him to pardon and bless his +exiled son and daughter. His iron heart was subdued within him, and when +his wife, whose gentler nature had long since pined for a +reconciliation, joined her entreaties to the commands of religion, then, +like the sudden breaking up of the ice upon a noble river, his feelings +gushed forth beyond control; all coldness and hardness vanished. At this +moment it was that James and Ellen Buckingham arrived: they had come in +the spirit of the Prodigal Son, not thinking themselves worthy to be +called the children of those they had offended; and they were greeted +with the same tenderness and overflowing affection described in the +parable--their confessions of guilt were stopped by kisses and embraces, +and soon they were weeping and recounting their loss, with arms +encircling their long-estranged parents. + +When the doctor paid his next visit, he said that a greater physician +than he had interfered, and had administered a new medicine, not very +bitter to take, which threw all his drugs into the shade: it was called +_heart's ease_, and nothing more was wanting to his patient's recovery, +than very tender nursing, and daily applications of the same dose. And +tender nursing indeed did he receive from his daughter Ellen, and +proudly did he lean on the strong arm of his son, when sufficiently +convalescent to venture abroad: it seemed as if the affection, +restrained within their bosoms for so long a time, now gushed forth more +fully and freely than if there had never been a coldness. And thus did +sorrow on one side, and sickness on the other, guided by an overruling +Providence, join together long severed hearts, purify affections too +much fixed upon the earth, and lead all to look upward to Him who ruleth +in the affairs of mankind. Truly, "he doth not afflict _willingly_ nor +grieve the children of men." + +At the earnest request of Ellen's parents, her husband agreed to +continue with them, acting in all respects as their son, and taking off +from them the burdens of life: and their latter years were made happy by +religion and filial piety. After their death, the Buckinghams removed +once more to their farm upon the Susquehanna, and rebuilt their cottage, +in all respects as it was before its destruction. Soon again did the +vines clamber up the pillars, and hang in beautiful festoons from the +roof; but where was she, the beloved one, who had so wound herself round +their feelings, that death itself could not unclasp the tendrils? Joy +had vanished with her, and no portion remained for them in this life but +peace, which will ever follow the diligent discharge of duty: the hope +of happiness they transferred to that better world, where little Emily +awaited to welcome them. + +What, meantime, had been her fate? On that eventful evening she lay upon +her little crib, in a darkened corner of the room, buried in the sweet +slumber of childhood and innocence. The savage yells did not disturb +her, she peacefully slept on; angels must have guarded her bed when a +fierce Indian, with bloody tomahawk in hand, rushed into the room, but +saw her not in her little nest, and returned to his comrades, reporting +that all the rest of the inhabitants had fled. Determined to do all the +mischief in their power, they set fire to the house and barns, and then +pushed off into the woods, to seek new victims in the unoffending +Moravian settlement of Guadenhutten. Little Emily was first awakened by +a suffocating heat and smoke, and by the crackling of the flames: she +screamed aloud to her father for help, and tried to approach the stairs, +but the blinding smoke and the quickly spreading fire drove her back. +Just then, a tall and noble form, arrayed in Indian garb, forced a +passage through the raging flames and among the falling rafters, and +guided by her cries, sought her chamber, caught her in his arms, and +rushed down to the outer air. Not without peril to both: the arm which +encircled her was burnt so as to bear the scar ever after, but still it +sustained its precious burden, and the little girl was unharmed, save +that some of her long golden tresses, hanging loosely behind her, were +severed from her head by the fire: hence the lock of hair that remained +unconsumed, convincing her friends of her death. + +And who was her brave preserver? Towandahoc, Great Black Eagle, the +friend of the pale faces! The secret plans of his tribe had been kept +from his ears, from the fear that he might betray them to the +unsuspecting whites; and it was not until after the expedition had +departed for the banks of the Susquehanna, that he learned their hostile +intentions towards his friends. He lost no time, but followed rapidly in +their steps, hoping by his representations to induce his people to give +up their murderous purpose, or perhaps, by a short but difficult route +through the mountains, to reach the cottage of Hopedale before them. But +hate is as swift as love in its flight, and as he approached the spot, +and saw the flames mounting up to the sky, he thought himself too late, +and the work of murder and of destruction complete. Just then he heard +little Emily's cries, and rushed in at the peril of his life, to save +the child. + +Supposing her parents to be dead, he resolved to take the helpless +little one to his wigwam, and to adopt her as his own. His home was at +the distance of several days' journey from the Susquehanna, in a retired +valley of the Alleghany mountains, and thither, through a dense forest, +he bent his steps. The greater part of the way he carried the child, her +white arm wound round his dusky neck, her fair head lying upon his +shoulder; he dried her tears, he picked berries in the wood to refresh +her, and strove to comfort her little heart, which was very heavy with +sorrow. At last they arrived at his wigwam; his wife Ponawtan, or Wild +Rose, ran out to meet her husband, and great was her wonder at the sight +of his beautiful burden. He said to her:-- + +"Ponawtan, I have brought you home a child, as the Great Spirit has +taken away our own, and sent them to the good hunting grounds, where +forever they hunt the deer. Take good care of the child, for she is like +a white water-lily, encircled by troubled waters: in our wigwam may she +find rest and peace." + +Ponawtan, with a woman's tenderness, took into her arms the trembling, +weeping child, who, with the quick instinct of childhood, soon learned +that she was a friend. The Indian woman understood not even the few +words of English by which Towandahoc made his kind intentions +intelligible, but the language of the heart is a universal one, and in +that she was a proficient. Well was it for little Emily--or Orikama, +White Water-Lily, as she was henceforth called, that she had fallen into +such good hands. Ponawtan was a kind, affectionate being, who had deeply +mourned the loneliness of her cabin; and now that a child was given her, +that a little motherless, homeless outcast was thrown upon her love, she +was happy, and her sweet voice was again heard singing snatches of wild +Indian melodies at the door of her hut, and about her work. + +For some weeks Orikama drooped her head, and her pale cheek looked +indeed like the flower whose name had been given her; and Ponawtan +grieved when she beheld her languid step, and the sad expression in her +large speaking eyes, or when she found her weeping in a corner of the +hut. But childhood is happily elastic in its feelings, and again the +merry glance came back to her eye, and the little feet danced upon the +green grass, and the soft baby voice caught up the Indian words she +heard, and learned to call her kind protectors by the holy name of +father and mother. + +And was the memory of the past blotted out from her mind? Not +so--indelibly painted there, was the image of a whitewashed cottage, +overgrown with vines, near which a noble river rolled, seen through an +opening of the trees; and of a kind father, who wore no plumes in his +hair, who bore no bow and arrows, whom she had run to greet, and on +whose knee she daily sat, listening to beautiful tales. And of a sweet, +pretty mother, in whose face she loved to look, who taught her to say a +prayer, kneeling with clasped hands; especially did she think of her as +she appeared on that last evening, when she kissed her good-night, and +sang her to sleep with a gentle lullaby. And never did she forget to +kneel down, before she lay upon her bed of sweet grass, and with folded +hands and reverent look to recite her evening prayer. What though the +full meaning of the words did not enter into her mind--with childlike +piety she looked upward to her Maker, and impressions of purity and +goodness were made upon her heart. In the beautiful language of Keble, + + + "Oh, say not, dream not, heavenly notes + To childish ears are vain, + That the young mind at random floats, + And cannot reach the strain. + + Dim or unheard, the words may fell, + And yet the heaven-taught mind + May learn the sacred air, and all + The harmony unwind. + + And if some tones be false or low, + What are all prayers beneath, + But cries of babes, that cannot know + Half the deep thoughts they breathe. + + In his own words we Christ adore, + But angels, as we speak, + Higher above our meaning soar + Than we o'er children weak: + + And yet His words mean more than they, + And yet he owns their praise: + Why should we think, He turns away + From infants' simple lays?" + + +Towandahoc and Ponawtan wondered when they saw her kneeling in prayer, +but did not interfere with the lovely child; and doubtless this daily +habit not only kept up within her mind purer notions of God and duty +than she could otherwise have entertained, but enabled her to cherish a +more vivid remembrance of the parents she believed to be dead, and of +the beautiful home of her infancy. Never hearing aught spoken but the +Indian tongue, the little girl would soon have entirely forgotten her +native language, had it not been for this daily practice, which kept at +least some words of English fresh in her memory. + +Among the indistinct, but most pleasing recollections of the home of her +early childhood, was one of a boy with curly black hair and smiling +face, who brought her beautiful flowers, and made for her rabbits out of +his handkerchief, and pretty little boats out of nut-shells. She +remembered eagerly leaning over the water, watching the tiny bark till +it got out of sight, while he held her hand tightly, for fear she should +fall into the water. Another scene, of a different character, was +imprinted upon her mind, never to be erased--that fearful waking, when +the flames crackled and roared around her, and the thick smoke filled +the air, when she called upon her father for help, but no father was +there; and when her dark-skinned father Towandahoc rushed in to her +rescue. When she thought of this night of horror, she instinctively +clasped her hands before her eyes, to shut out the fearful sight. + +These remembrances, however, did not hinder the bright and lively child +from being very happy in her new life. And why not? True, here were none +of the conveniences or refinements of civilized life, but the little +girl grew up without the feeling of their loss, and + + + "Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise." + + +No mirrors reflected her erect and graceful figure, unspoiled by corset +or by long, wearisome hours of confinement at the school-bench; it was +lithe and well-proportioned as one of Diana's nymphs; but instead, she +arranged her golden tresses, and decked her head with a wreath of +wild-flowers, bending over a small mountain lake, which she had +appropriated to her own use, and which served her as bathing-house, +dressing-room, and looking-glass, all in one. No Turkey or Persian +carpets were spread upon the floor, no sofa with rich carving and velvet +seat invited her to indolence; but instead, she trod upon soft green +moss, sweet grass and flowers, and when weary, reposed upon such seat as +Dame Nature provides for her children in her beautiful mansion--the old +stump, the mossy bank, the well-washed rock, or the tree prostrated by a +storm. No sparkling fountain rose into the air, and fell into its +ornamented basin, to please her taste; but the mountain waterfall, of +which this is but a feeble imitation, rushed down the rocks in +snow-white foam, near her cabin; and she would gaze upon it for hours +with delight. To the imaginative mind, to the eye and the ear open to +the impressions of beauty, nature has many school-books, unopened in the +great city, and amid the busy haunts of men; and her ready scholars may +gain many a lesson from the great common mother, undreamt of amid the +cares of business, the dreams of ambition, and the bustle of fictitious +wants. To Orikama the world was one vast temple: instead of marble +pillars with Corinthian capitals, instead of Gothic aisles and dark +Cathedrals, her eye rested with admiration upon the nobler, loftier +columns of trees that had grown for centuries, crowned with graceful +spreading foliage; upon long avenues, whose overlapping branches formed +a natural arch, imitated long since by man, and called an invention; +upon the deep recesses of forests, with their "dim religious light," or +with their sudden, glorious illumination, when the last rays of the sun +stream in lengthwise, with coloring as rich as any painted window can +furnish. Her choristers were the birds; her incense the sweet perfume +which the grateful earth and her innocent children the flowers +continually offer up to their Maker: instead of the gaudy chandelier, +she gazed upon the full-orbed moon, hanging like a silver lamp from its +dome of blue, and forcibly recalling the Divine Hand which placed it +there. All nature had a voice and a meaning to her, and in the absence +of the ordinary means of education, and of the invaluable aids of the +Christian ministry, her pure and religious soul + + + "Found tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, + Sermons in stones, and good in every thing." + + +Living thus constantly in the open air, while her mind expanded in +tranquil beauty, she grew up a blooming, healthful maiden, whose kindly, +candid nature shone out through a countenance of rare loveliness. + + + "Thoughtless of beauty, she was beauty's self." + + +None were there to flatter the young girl, and to awaken that uneasy +vanity which fills the mind with the consciousness of observation, and +gives awkwardness to the timid, and affectation to the self-possessed. +Seeing herself so different from those she loved the best, the fair +Water-Lily often wished she could darken her skin and hair, that she +might more resemble others. Nor think that Orikama was totally +unaccomplished; her kind mother Ponawtan taught her all she herself +knew--to fear and love the Great Spirit; to be obedient, kind, and +patient; to speak the truth, and to bear pain without a murmur. She +learned that important part of the Indian woman's duty, to raise the +vegetables needed for their simple repasts, and to prepare savory dishes +of venison and other game; to fabricate their garments, ornamenting them +with uncommon skill and taste, and to manufacture baskets of exquisite +workmanship. These were her tasks: and when they were accomplished, how +joyfully did she bound off to the woods, or up the hills, to gather +herbs and barks, such as observation and tradition taught the children +of the forest to employ in the cure of diseases: she knew all the +trees, shrubs, and roots which grew in that region, and was skilled in +domestic surgery, such as woman has ever practised where medical +colleges are unknown. In her frequent and distant excursions for this +purpose, she had attained one accomplishment not to be taught in +schools; her voice was one of exquisite tone and great compass, +peculiarly rich and mellow; and she had learned to imitate the birds in +their varied warblings, so that frequently answers would be returned to +her from the deceived songsters of the wood. Then, louder still would +ring the notes, and the feathered tribe were excited to emulation by the +young girl, singing in the gayety of her heart. + +Thus passed the early youth of Orikama, in intercourse with sweet +nature, under the kind protection of two of the best specimens of the +Indian tribes, and almost debarred from any other society. Seldom did a +moccasined hunter enter their wigwam, yet seldomer did a squaw pass +through that lonely valley; and a white man, never. When she had +attained the age of thirteen, a change occurred, which threw a shadow +over her young life, and was greatly regretted by Towandahoc and +Ponawtan. A detachment of their tribe having determined to migrate, +fixed upon that beautiful and fertile vale for the place of their +settlement, and soon an Indian village arose, where before had rested +the holy, maiden calmness of a region almost untrod by man. Now, all was +dirt, confusion, discord: the vices of civilized life were added to +those of the savage, without the decency or refinement which seeks to +throw a veil over their deformity. Orikama woke up as from a beautiful +dream, to find that those whom she would love to think of as brethren, +were vile and degraded: she saw lazy, drunken men, lounging about at the +doors of smoky huts, or administering chastisement to yelping curs, or +to women as noisy, reduced by ill-treatment and domestic drudgery to be +the cunning, spiteful slaves they were. Every thing shocked the noble +and pure spirit of Orikama: there were none here that she could make +companions and friends, nor would Towandahoc and Ponawtan have been +pleased to have her associate with them. It could not be expected that +she should be a favorite with the young girls of the tribe, who were +jealous of her superior attractions, and hated her for her reserve; and +their conduct made her feel sensibly that she was of another race, and +of another nature. Their malice was perhaps quickened by the fact, that +some slight hostilities had again arisen between the red men and the +pale faces, in which their tribe had been very prominent. + +So unpleasantly changed did the whole family find their beautiful +valley, that it was resolved to remove to some distant spot, where they +should not be crowded out by uncongenial companionship. Accordingly, +Towandahoc departed for an absence of some weeks, to choose a situation +for settlement; the less reluctantly, as all the warriors of the tribe +had already left upon an expedition, which he had reason to suspect was +aimed against the whites. None remained behind but old men, squaws, and +pappooses, not to forget the Indian dogs, ever ready by their snarl to +recall their unwelcome existence to your mind. One day during her +husband's absence, Ponawtan departed early in the morning, with a view +to gather some herbs which grew upon one spot alone, a marsh at a +considerable distance: she left Orikama to take charge of the wigwam +till her return, which would not be before nightfall. Soon after she had +left, the crack of the rifle was heard, and the Indian village was +startled from its repose by the shout of the white man, and armed +backwoodsmen rushed in, expecting to meet their enemies: but the +warriors were absent, and the rough but generous foe disdained to wreak +vengeance upon old men, women, and children. All were taken prisoners, +and the cabins were fired: but how great was their amazement, upon +coming to the larger, handsomer wigwam of Towandahoc, which they +concluded from its appearance to belong to a sachem, to see there, +shrinking back with terror, a fair young girl of their own blood! Few +words could she speak in English, and but little could she understand of +that tongue which for ten years she had not heard spoken, except by +herself in prayer; she had even forgotten her own former name. Great was +the excitement when the news flew through the band, that a lost or +stolen child was recovered, and all rushed eagerly to see her. And she, +what mingled feelings filled her heart! Childish memories of just such +men crowded into her mind. She was lost in wonder and vague remembrance. +Just then, full of ardor, there rushed forward a youth of twenty, who +exclaimed the moment his eyes fell upon her, "It _is_ she! I knew she +was living! It is little Emily Buckingham!" As she gazed upon his open +brow, round which the crisp black curls were clustered, and heard the +long-forgotten name, she was troubled--she thought of the boy who held +her hand as she leaned over the edge of the stream to watch the mimic +boat, and with faltering tongue she repeated her name. + +"The voice and all! Do you not see, comrades, how she resembles her +mother, Ellen Buckingham? Oh, hasten homeward, to give joy to the hearts +of her father and mother!" + +"Father, mother, dead. Towandahoc, Ponawtan, Indian father, mother." + +After some difficulty, Roland Markley, for it was really he, succeeded +in explaining to her that her parents still lived: and against her tears +and prayers, determined at once to break all bonds with her Indian +home, they tore her away, without waiting for the return of Towandahoc +and Ponawtan; but left their wigwam standing, out of gratitude for the +care they had taken of the child. The Indians had made an incursion into +the territory of the whites, and committed many ravages, and it was with +the intention of breaking up their villages, and driving them away, that +this expedition had been undertaken. The prisoners they had captured +were ransomed on condition of their removal, and the whole tribe passed +to the other side of the Alleghanies. + +As the band travelled homeward, and first came across the beautiful +Susquehanna, Orikama--or Emily, as we should again call her--started, +and gazed eagerly around her: the broad stream called up memories of the +past. And when they arrived at the cottage of Hopedale, and she beheld +the house and grounds, the river and the woods, and the distant hills, +she recognized her home, and her earliest recollections were vividly +recalled. Soon was she folded in the arms of her mother, who so long had +mourned for her; and by her father she was welcomed back as one from the +grave. The news spread far and wide, and great was the gathering of +friends and neighbors to wish joy to the parents, and to welcome back +the pride of Hopedale: much to the confusion and distress of poor Emily. +All noticed the strong likeness she bore her mother, in person, voice, +and countenance; and if now she resembled her, how much more was this +the case when she had exchanged her Indian garb for one more suitable to +the American maiden! Soon were the bonds of love knit together most +closely between the parents and their recovered treasure; her tongue +relearned the lost language of her childhood, and happiness again +brightened the hearth at Hopedale; the birds sang more sweetly to her +mother's ears, and the sun shone more cheerfully than it had done for +years. Amidst all her new joys, Emily very often thought of her beloved +Indian parents, Towandahoc and Ponawtan, and longed to see them again; +but Indian life, as developed in the village, was abhorrent to her very +soul, and here she enjoyed all the freedom and communion with nature she +had once so highly prized, with society, and advantages for mental +cultivation she was now at an age to appreciate. All were delighted to +teach the docile and intelligent girl, so ready to take up ideas, so +judicious in the application of them; but Roland Markley, the playmate +of her childhood, installed himself as head tutor, and soon every +setting sun saw him on the way to the cottage, eager to apply himself to +the task. + +Ten other years have passed; and near the cottage of Hopedale stands +another, within whose porch, overgrown by the Prairie rose, at her +spinning wheel, sits a beautiful young matron; perfect contentment is +enthroned upon her brow, and happiness beams out from her radiant smile; +golden curls cluster gracefully around her well-shaped head, and dark, +lustrous eyes follow lovingly a little girl at play, although her +skilful fingers do not forget their task. + +"What is the matter, my little Ellen?" she said, as the child ran to +hide her face in her lap. + +"An Indian, mamma! An Indian, coming out of the wood!" + +At these words Emily springs up; she will ever love the red man for the +sake of those who nourished her childhood, and never will a son of the +forest be sent away uncheered from her door. But times have greatly +changed since her father built the neighboring cottage: seldom now does +the Indian visit that comparatively thickly settled spot; his course is +still westward, and ever onward, with the setting sun. When Emily +emerged from the thickly shaded porch, she saw indeed a red man approach +from the forest; he was old, but his majestic figure was still erect, +his eye bright and piercing; black eagle plumes adorned his stately +head--it was Towandahoc! + +He was soon clasped in the embrace of his long-lost Water-Lily, and +Indian though he was, the old man wept over his recovered darling. He +told her how Ponawtan had returned by nightfall, to find her daughter +gone, and the village in ashes: their own wigwam had caught fire from +the flying cinders, and was entirely consumed. She had lingered around +the spot of her former happiness till his return; after a little time, +as they could hear no news of Orikama, they had removed far away from +the scene of desolation, to the valley of the Mohawk. Grief for the loss +of her daughter had injured the health of Ponawtan, although time had +now somewhat reconciled her to it: but Towandahoc said that the Wild +Rose was drooping, that her leaves were withered, and her flowers +falling one by one; and much he feared that another winter would lay her +low in the dust. + +When little Ellen understood that this was the dear Indian grandpa of +whom she had so often heard, her shyness passed away, and soon she drew +near to the aged hunter, handling his bow and arrows, and even presuming +to climb up and scrutinize the feathers, that were at once her +admiration and her dread. The old man took her upon his knee, and was +showing her his bow, when Roland returned home; he eagerly seconded his +wife's persuasions, to induce Towandahoc to remain with them for some +time, and then to return for Ponawtan, that both might pass the remnant +of their days within their daughter's dwelling. But the aged hunter +shook his head: + +"It cannot be," he said; "the Great Spirit has made the pale faces to +dwell in houses, to plough the fields, and to listen to the voice which +comes from the printed book, held up before his eyes; but he has made +the red man to hunt the deer, and to live alone in the open air. When +the Great Spirit created man, he made his red child first, out of the +best clay: he then made the pale faces; and lastly, out of what was left +he made the black man. And he placed before them three boxes; and +because his red child was the favorite, he told him to choose which he +would have. So he chose the box containing a bow and arrows, a tomahawk, +and a pipe. Then the pale face chose; and he took the box which held a +plough, carpenters' tools, a gun, and a book. And the black man took +what was left: in his box was an overseer's whip, a spade, and a hoe. +And this has been the portion of each ever since. I am a red man, and I +cannot breathe where men are thicker than trees: to me belong the bow +and arrows, the wild deer, and the open sky. The old man has returned to +visit the graves of his ancestors; but soon, far away from them, he will +drop to the ground, like the ripe persimmon after a frost. Orikama has +returned to the ways of her fathers, and I do not blame her, for she is +a pale face. But the old man cannot change, like a leaf in October; soon +will his sun set in yonder western heaven, and he must now keep on his +course. I have said." + +When the moon arose, Towandahoc left the house, bending his steps to the +forest: but he did not go without passing his word that he would bring +Ponawtan to see her daughter. Before the winter set in, they arrived, +and Emily's tender heart was grieved as she gazed upon the wasting form +of her who had so often sheltered her in her arms: it was only too +evident that another summer would not see her upon the earth. Ponawtan +was greatly cheered by her visit; but could only be prevailed upon to +stay for a few days, when she departed, never more to return. In the +spring, Towandahoc came alone; his sorrowful face and drooping form told +the tale of sorrow before he opened his lips: his energy and vital +powers seemed to have died with Ponawtan. He never came again; and +doubtless he soon found a resting-place by the side of her who had been +his life-long companion. + + +"So, you didn't kill any of your people off, but the two farm-servants, +for whom we do not care a fig!" cried Charlie Bolton. + +"Not I," replied Mary; "I'm not very partial to blood and murder; I +would not have put them out of the way, except to please you; I lay the +manslaughter at your door, Cousin mine." + +"I'm very willing to bear the penalty: if it's a hanging matter, please +to imagine that my neck has paid the forfeit--just consider me hung--as +the man said at the crowded dinner table, when an irritable fool took +offence at something he had spoken, and being too far off to throw his +glass of wine in his face, told him '_to consider the wine as thrown at +him_.' 'Very well, I will,' replied the first; 'and do you consider this +sword as run through your body.'" + +"A very good retaliation! And what did they do then? Did they fight?" + +"Not they! They did much better--they laughed, shook hands, and were +good friends ever after." + +"And their honor was as well satisfied as if they had made targets of +their bodies, I dare say: it was much more sensible." + +"But, Cousin Mary," said Amy thoughtfully, "I've been trying to find out +the reason why Towandahoc did not take little Emily to the nearest white +settler, instead of carrying her off into the wild woods; I think it +would have been much better for the poor child." + +"What do you think was the reason?" replied Mary. + +"I know!" cried George. "The Indians are such dunces, that old +Thunder-Gust, or whatever his name is, hadn't the sense to do such a +straightforward thing as that, but must drag the child off through the +woods, scratching her finely with the blackberry and whortleberry +bushes, no doubt. I'll warrant she screamed and tried to get away, +although Cousin Mary does try to made her out so gentle--I know I +would." + +"I declare you do not know how to appreciate my fine sentiment! Are you +boys made of different stuff from us, I want to know?" + +"I rather suppose we are," said George, laughing. "Well, am I right in +my explanation?" + +"Not in the least; some one else must try." + +"I concluded," said Alice, "that it was the natural kindness of his +heart, and his fondness for the little girl, which made him wish to have +her for his own child. Of course, he did not realize that he was only a +savage, and not fit to bring her up rightly." + +"That's nearer the truth than the other guess," rejoined Mary. "But none +of you have mentioned the great reason why Towandahoc carried her off." + +"What can it be?" + +"Simply this--if he had not, what would have become of my story, I'd +like to know? I made him take her home with him, on the same principle +that novel writers place their heroines in a thousand distressing +situations--that they may extricate them from their difficulties, and +make a longer tale." + +"But what's the moral of your story?" said practical, matter-of-fact +John. "I don't see much use in a tale, unless there's a regular drawn +moral in it, that everybody can discover at once." + +"Oh nonsense! I do hate morals!" said Cornelia. "Just as if we were to +be instructed the whole livelong day, and never to have amusement +without a good reason being given! That's too tiresome! I always skip +the morals and the _good talk_, when I read stories--if they're +pleasant, that's enough: I hate to be cheated into a sermon when I want +a story. I feel something as the man did who was fishing for a pike: he +caught a cat-fish instead, and throwing it back into the river, +exclaimed, 'When I go a-catting, I go a-catting; but when I go a-piking, +I go a-piking.'" + +"I'm afraid a good many people think as you do, Cornelia," said Mrs. +Wyndham, laughing. "But perhaps we can find a moral for John, if we look +sharply enough. Let's see--there are good, kind people in every race, of +every complexion; and if we only make the most of our opportunities, +there are means of education open to all who have eyes and ears, and +willing minds. Do you see any other moral?" + +"Oh yes, indeed!" replied Ellen. "When the Buckinghams were deprived of +their child, it was a sort of punishment to them for disobedience to +their parents; and they understood it in that way." + +"True enough," said Mr. Wyndham. "And I have often noticed that +disobedient children are punished in after life, by means of their own +offspring: either by their suffering or death, or, still more +frequently, by their ingratitude and disrespectful conduct. And then +they feel themselves, as their parents did before them, + + + 'How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is, + To have a thankless child!'" + + +"I have often remarked this also," rejoined Mrs. Wyndham. "And it +appears to be consistent with all the dealings of the Disposer of +events: He himself says that He will treat us as we treat our +fellow-creatures: 'With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful, +and with the just thou wilt show thyself just, and with the froward thou +wilt show thyself froward.'" + +"And, when we notice these coincidences, is it not an argument for a +superintending Providence?" said Tom Green. + +"Undoubtedly it is," replied his uncle; "and although evil conduct here +is frequently unpunished, being left for the more perfect retributions +of eternity, yet it is so often followed by unhappiness, and by a reward +in kind, that no thinking mind can doubt the moral government of God. +And it appears to me that of all the commandments, that one which says +'Honor thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with thee,' is the +one taken under the especial protection of Providence. I have ever +noticed that dutiful children are honored by the world, and honored in +their own family circle, and that, on the other hand, it is ill with the +rebellious and unthankful." + +"Then there is another thing I was thinking of," said Amy; "the good +uses of sorrow: you know it brought the Buckinghams to repentance; and +Ellen's father being taken ill, he repented too--I think he had as much +need of it as they. I'm glad my father is not cross and severe." + +"So am I, heartily. Would you run off, Amy, if he were?" said Cornelia. + +"Oh! I hope not! I should think + + + 'How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is, + To have a thankless child.' + + +I shall not forget that passage, uncle, as long as I live: who wrote +it?" + +"Shakspeare: and as a general rule you may conclude, when you meet a +particularly striking passage, that it is either in Shakspeare or +Milton. But it is getting late: will Mary be kind enough to bring the +Bible, for it will then be time to say, Good-night to you all!" + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + +PROVERBS.--TWENTY QUESTIONS.--THE SPECTRE OF ALCANTRA, OR THE CONDE'S +DAUGHTERS, A TALE OF SPAIN. + + +Brightly and joyfully did the sun arise after the storm, like a prisoner +released from dungeon and chains, again to look upon the faces of those +he loved; and all nature put on a holiday garb to greet him. Every tree +and bush was sparkling, as if with rapture. If a magician of superhuman +power had waved his wand over the earth, it could not have been more +changed. Long icicles were suspended from the fences and the overhanging +roofs, and even the sheds looked brilliant and beautiful in their icy +covering; but the trees! what words can describe them? The pines +bristled themselves up like stiff warriors arrayed in steel, their armor +making a clanking sound when the cold winds whistled by; and the +sycamores, with their little dependent balls, looked like Christmas +trees hung with bon-bons and confectionery for good children. Every +stray leaf that had resisted the storms of winter, every seed-vessel +upon the shrubs, shone with beauty; the ground was one glittering sheet, +like a mirror; the sky was of a deep blue, washed from all impurities, +and the sun smiled down upon the beautiful earth, like a crowned king +upon his bride, decked with sparkling diamonds. It was one of nature's +gala-days, in which she appears to invite all her children to be happy; +one of those scenes which forbid us to call winter a dreary time, and +which outshine in brilliancy all the verdure of the tropics. + +At any time we enjoy the clear sky after a sullen rain, or a driving, +impetuous storm, and young people especially feel the truth and beauty +of Solomon's expression, "Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing +it is for the eyes to behold the sun;" but when, in addition, such a +spectacle as this is presented to those long pent up within city walls, +how does the heart swell with rapture! No introduction at court, no +coronation, no theatrical exhibition, can for a moment compare with it +in splendor; nature has shows more beautiful by far than any that man +can produce, and all she asks for in exchange is the seeing eye and the +feeling heart. Truly, the best gifts of heaven to man are free and +universal, bestowed without money and without price, and maybe enjoyed +by the penniless as well as by the millionaire, if the spirit be only +opened to the impressions of happiness they were intended to convey--the +Good God is daily blessing and feasting his creatures with impartial +liberality. What exclamations of delight were heard in The Grange when +the fairy scene was first beheld! Every room in the house was visited, +to see which presented the finest prospect, and soon, with feet well +provided with gum-elastics, and with old-fashioned socks, still better +preservatives from falling, all sallied forth to enjoy the spectacle +more fully. The clear sky and the keen air raised their spirits, and an +occasional slip and tumble was only an additional provocative to +laughter; youth and health, and merry hearts, that had never yet tasted +of sorrow, made life appear to them, not a desert, not a valley of +tears, as it is felt by many to be, but a paradise of sweets, a joyful +festival. + +To combine duty and pleasure, Mrs. Wyndham proposed that they should +bend their steps to the humble home of Mrs. Norton, the poor widow for +whom their fingers had been so busily plying the preceding day. +Accordingly, laden with bundles, and with a basket of comforts which +would prove very acceptable to a sick person, they walked towards her +little cottage. The boys, after a private consultation, declared that +they did not intend to allow the girls to do all the charitable, and +that they wished to invest some of their surplus Christmas cash in a +pair of large warm blankets, for the widow's benefit. Their aunt +heartily approved of the suggestion, and all agreed that a far better +interest would accrue from a capital so laid up, than from shares taken +in the confectioner's or the toymaker's stock; and the walk was +considerably prolonged by a visit to the country store, where the +desired purchases were made. Joy lighted up the sick woman's eyes when +she saw this unexpected provision for her wants, and witnessed the +kindly interest of the young people of The Grange: she thanked them with +few words, but with overflowing eyes and heart. She was an interesting +woman, kind and motherly, and looked as if she had seen better days: her +little black-eyed children also were well trained, with manners much +superior to their station. One little girl of about twelve attracted +Mrs. Wyndham's particular notice; she appeared to have installed herself +into the office of chief nurse, and the younger children seemed to look +to her for help and advice: when not engaged in waiting upon them or the +sick mother, she seated herself near the window, busily occupied with a +piece of needlework. She was a very pretty child, of fair complexion and +deep blue eyes, with the beseeching look that you sometimes see in the +young face, when trouble and hard treatment have too early visited the +little heart--like an untimely frost, nipping the tender blossoms of +spring. Sad indeed it is to see that look in childhood, when, under the +sheltering wings of parents and friends, the body and mind should expand +together in an atmosphere of love and gentleness--such is the great +Creator's will. Mrs. Wyndham observed to her mother, + +"That oldest child of yours does not resemble you and the other +children." + +The sick woman smiled: "No, ma'am, she is an adopted child, although I +love Margaret as much as any of my other children." + +"Indeed! with so many little ones, could you take another?" + +"Yes, ma'am, she was thrown into our keeping by Providence, at a time +when we wanted nothing; my husband was then living, and in excellent +business as a saddler, and we enjoyed every comfort. Times are now sadly +changed, but Margaret shall share our last crust; but indeed she is our +main stay--I should be obliged to give up entirely, and perhaps to go to +the Almshouse, if it were not for her help." + +"I am glad to see that she makes herself so useful; is she any relation +to you?" + +"None at all. I will tell you her story, if you will hear it, some time +when we are alone: it is rather a long one." + +The young people left Mrs. Wyndham still conversing with Mrs. Norton, +and returned homeward. After tea, various games amused the fleeting +hours, and among them "Proverbs" was played as follows: While one is +absent from the circle, all fix upon some well-known old saw or proverb; +the absentee then returns and asks a question of every individual, to +which an answer must be returned, embracing some one word of the +sentence, care being taken not to emphasize it. The first proverb was +this: "When the cat's away, the mice will play." Cornelia had been out +of the room. + +"Cousin Mary, didn't you enjoy the clear-up to-day?" + +"Yes, _when_ it clears after a storm, one always does." + +"Charlie, are you tired from your long walk this morning?" + +"O no, _the_ day was so fine, _the_ walk so pleasant, and _the_ company +so agreeable, that I did not feel _the_ fatigue." + +"Ellen, didn't you pity poor Mrs. Norton?" + +"Yes, and I pitied her _cats_, they looked so thin." + +"Cats! I thought she had only one. Cats? Hum! Tom, don't you hope we'll +have a story to-night?" + +"Yes, I enjoy it vastly, and will take care not to be _away_ when it's +told." + +"Gertrude, don't you think _the mice will play_ to-night?" + +"Yes--but from whom did you take the idea? Who let that cat out of the +bag?" + +"Ellen, to be sure, with her plural number for Mrs. Norton's cat, which +does not look starved at all--so go into the hall, Miss Ellen, while we +think of a proverb." + +"Let's have 'It is more blessed to give than to receive,'" said Amy, "I +thought of that to-day at Mrs. Norton's." + +"Very well, that will do. Come in, Ellen; Cornelia will bring in the +first two words, as they are small." + +"Cornelia, have you finished your crochet purse?" + +"_It is_ almost done." + +"Amy, are you not almost roasted in that hot corner of the chimney?" + +"It would be _more_ pleasant further from the fire." + +"George, you are so fond of skating, don't you hope to enjoy the sport +to-morrow?" + +"Yes indeed--I think we'll have a _blessed_ cold night, and then we'll +have skating." + +"John, how many miles did you walk to-day?" + +"_Two_," said John. + +"That's not fair! That's not fair!" cried some of the younger children. +However, it was agreed that playing upon words, where the sound was the +same, was quite allowable. + +"Tom, do you like to ask questions?" + +"Yes, I like to _give_ a question to be answered." + +"Aunt Lucy, what shall be our story to-night?" + +"That is more easy to ask _than_ to answer." + +"Charlie, are you fond of mince-pie?" + +"Yes, and of cherry pie _too_." + +"Alice, are you not almost tired of this game?" + +"Yes, I'd _receive_ pleasure from a change." + +"Let me see--George's _blessed_, and John's _two_--blessed too--Oh, I +know, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' Now let's play +'Twenty Questions.'" + +"How is that played? It is quite a new game to me." + +"It used to be a favorite game in distinguished circles in England; +Canning, the celebrated minister, was very fond of it; and it really +requires some knowledge and skill in the lawyer-like craft of +cross-examination, to play it well--so have your wits about you, young +people, for the more ready you are, the better you'll like it. One +person thinks of a thing, and by a skillful questioning on the part of +one, two, or the whole party, as you prefer it, your thought can always +be found out. Twenty questions and three guesses are allowed. If +Cornelia will think of something, I'll discover what it is, to show you +how it is played." + +"I have a thought," said Cornelia, "but you never can find it out." + +"We'll see: does it belong to the animal, vegetable, mineral, or +spiritual kingdoms?" + +"The animal." + +"Is it biped or quadruped, fish, flesh, fowl, or insect?" + +"Biped." + +"Man, monkey, or bird?" + +"Bird." + +"Wild or tame?" + +"Tame." + +"Is it the species you think of, or one individual of it?" + +"One particular individual." + +"Is it used for the table?" + +"The species is--but I doubt that this individual was ever used for +food." + +"Did this bird live in ancient or modern times--before or after the +Christian era?" + +"Very ancient; before the Christian era." + +"Does this ancient bird belong to the goose, duck, chicken, peacock, or +turkey tribe?" + +"Turkey." + +"Was it very thin?" + +"Very, indeed--to a proverb." + +"Job's turkey?" + +"You've guessed it, and with ten questions too. Now you can think, +Ellen, and the rest of us will question you, in turn." + +"I have a thought," said Ellen. + +"Treasure it then," said Charlie Bolton; "thoughts are very rare things +with me. Animal, vegetable, mineral, or spiritual?" + +"Vegetable." + +"In its natural or prepared state?" + +"Natural." + +"Is it the whole, or only a part of the plant?" + +"A part." + +"Is it a part of a tree, a shrub, a vine, or is it of the grass kind?" + +"A vine." + +"Is it the root, stem, leaf, flower, or fruit?" + +"Fruit." + +"Is it used for food?" + +"The species is--this one was not." + +"Is this fruit pulpy like the grape, or mealy like the bean?" + +"Mealy like the bean." + +"Is it a bean?" + +"Yes--that's one guess." + +"Was this bean an ancient or modern one?" + +"Very ancient." + +"I know!" cried Amy; "it was the bean Jack the Giant Killer planted, +which grew up to the moon in one night, and fastened itself round one of +the horns." + +"You are right--eight questions and two guesses; that's pretty well. +Now, Amy, 'tis your turn to think." + +"I have a thought." + +"Animal, vegetable, or mineral?" + +"Animal." + +"Quadruped or biped, fish, snake, or insect?" + +"None of these; it is the production of a biped." + +"In its natural or prepared state?" + +"Natural--but a slight alteration was made in its shape at the time to +which I refer." + +"What time is it--before or after the Christian era?" + +"After." + +"Before or after the year 1500?" + +"Very much about that time." + +"Had it any thing to do with Columbus?" + +"Yes; at least Columbus had something to do with it." + +"Was it Columbus' egg?" + +"The very thing. And now, shall we not vary the scene by having a +story?" + +"Agreed, we are all ready to listen; but who shall tell the tale?" + +"It is Alice's turn; and do give us a ghost story, for once, a nice +frightful one that will make our teeth chatter and our hair stand on +end--do, Alice!" + +"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed, but I'll tell you some sort of a +tale, and hope that you will make allowances for a young beginner. I'm +no Scheherezade." + +"No _what_?" said Amy. + +"Is it possible you have not read the Arabian Nights? Scheherezade was +the princess who saved her life by telling such interesting stories; the +tyrant of a Sultan intended to put her to death in the morning, but she +left off in such an important part of her tale, that his curiosity led +him to spare her head till she had finished the narrative. Of course she +took good care to tell what the sailors call 'long yarns,' and the +Sultan found out he could not live without her to divert him." + + +The Spectre of Alcantra, or the Conde's Daughters. + +A SPANISH TALE. + +The Conde de Alcantra was a Spanish nobleman, universally esteemed by +those who knew him, as a man of high honor and moral worth. In person he +was tall, dark, and commanding, in manner grave and dignified. The +grandee of Spain is never one with whom you feel inclined to take a +liberty, but the noble Conde was uncommonly reserved and serious, even +sad, in the expression of his countenance. He was a widower, with two +lovely children, daughters, of the ages of sixteen and eighteen. Clara, +the elder, a very handsome girl, strikingly resembled her father in +appearance, save that a bright, hopeful, energetic spirit was displayed +in her face and in almost every motion. Magdalena, the younger, and the +cherished darling of both father and sister, scarcely looked as if she +belonged to the same family: she inherited from her mother the +transparent, delicate complexion, azure eyes, and fair, clustering +curls, sometimes seen in Spain and Italy, and always so highly prized +from their rarity. Gentleness, and an up-looking for love and +protection, were the characteristics both of her face and mind; and +doubtless her timidity and dependence upon others was much fostered by +the loving cares and constant vigilance of her father. + +Their ordinary residence was in Madrid, where the Conde was much engaged +in affairs of state; his strict integrity, political wisdom, and +fidelity in the discharge of duty, caused business of the highest moment +to be committed to him by his sovereign. But, as is only too frequently +the case, public cares engrossed him to the detriment of his private +concerns, and some little entanglements in money matters made him +resolve to look more closely into his account books, and see where the +difficulty lay. It was certainly surprising, that the hereditary estates +which brought in so large an income till within fifteen years, had so +unaccountably decreased in value, and that the castellan, or mayordomo, +who managed them, was continually complaining of the difficulty he found +in raising from the peasantry the comparatively small sums he yearly +transmitted to his master. But so it was: and although the Conde carried +his confidence in his dependents, and his easiness of disposition, to +such an extent as almost to become a fault, yet as he examined the +accounts of some years' standing, a strong suspicion arose in his mind +that somehow he had been most egregiously cheated, and that while he +had so skilfully managed the finances of the country as almost to double +her revenues, he himself had been as completely managed by a cunning +knave. Being a kind and a just man, he was anxious not to run the risk +of wronging a faithful servant, who was always profuse in expressions of +attachment to the family, and he determined to keep his suspicions +within his own breast, until he had given the matter a personal +investigation. + +Great was the astonishment and delight of Clara and her sister when he +announced to them his intention of paying a visit to the castle of +Alcantra. It was there that Magdalena first saw the light, and it was +there that her mother closed her eyes upon the world, leaving her +husband almost distracted; he immediately removed with his little +children from the scene of this great affliction. It was soon after this +sad event that the old and faithful mayordomo died; he had long been +intrusted with the entire control of the estate, and was greatly beloved +by his fellow-servants and by the peasantry. The Conde gave orders that +the sub-steward, who had lately come into his service, and who was +acquainted with the duties of the office, should take his vacant place; +his feelings were at that time too much engrossed with his recent loss +to institute the proper inquiries into his character and capabilities, +and from that time it was that, from some cause, either from misfortune, +negligence, or corruption, the entanglement of his affairs was to be +dated. The Conde had never before been willing to revisit the castle; +and his daughters, with the ardent curiosity of youth, longed to behold +the place in which a long line of their ancestors had lived, and eagerly +availed themselves of his invitation to accompany him. Their +imaginations were fired by all they had heard of the old chateau; and +the ruinous condition into which it had fallen of late years, only added +fuel to the flame. Clara remembered, or fancied that she remembered, a +vast dark building, with huge towers and buttresses; she often tried to +picture to her mind the home of her infancy, and to describe it to +Magdalena, but these vague remembrances were all that she could recall. + +Don Alonzo informed his daughters that the journey was to be commenced +on the morrow, without much preparation, or any thing like an +ostentatious style of travelling; they themselves would set out in the +old family coach, accompanied by his secretary, Señor Roberto, and would +be followed by another carriage containing their maid, Fernando, his +valet, and Anselmo, a trusty servant. He intended to take with them a +supply of comforts indispensable to persons of their condition, as it +was probable that the castle might be destitute of them, having so long +been without the presence of its master; and this was the more needful, +as the castellan had received no intimation of the proposed visit. On +the following morning they set out: the castle of Alcantra was situated +in the north of Spain, among the wildest mountains, and as they +travelled onward, scenery of the most diversified kind passed before +their eyes. It was the time of the vintage; and the noble peasants of +Castile, in their picturesque costume, came homeward laden with the rich +purple grapes, singing the romantic lays of love and chivalry, which +have passed down from one generation to another. The ballads of the Cid, +and the laments of the Moors, formed the chief burden of their song. +Every now and then they could distinguish some well-known passage in +"Admiral Guarinos," "Baviaca," or "Don Roderick," or that sad-chorus, +which sounds like a Moorish sigh, + + + "Woe is me, Alhama!" + + +At sunset, they would see the peasants seated at the doors of their +cottages, cheerfully feasting upon bread and fruit, varied by the light +wine of the country, preserved in goat-skins, as it is in the East: one +leg of the skin forms the mouth of the bottle; and they noticed, what is +generally reported by travellers, that even in this time of rejoicing, +intoxication was nowhere to be witnessed. Many were the groups they met +dancing upon the grass by the light of the moon; and a pleasant thing it +was to see the white-haired grandsire looking on, and occasionally +joining the merry band of his descendants in innocent sport and +festivity, keeping a young heart under the weight of years. Clara and +Magdalena were particularly struck by the native grace displayed by the +youths and maidens in the bolero, a dance originally introduced by the +Moors: with castanets in their hands, accompanying their steps with +unpremeditated music, they would alternately advance and retreat, fly +and pursue, until, exhausted by the exercise, they would rest upon the +rustic bench or the green bank, and while away the hours with song and +guitar. What noble-looking men are the peasants of Spain! Every one of +them, from the dignity of his deportment, might well pass for a hidalgo +in disguise; and the feeling of self-respect is so common, that it has +passed into a proverb among the people that they are "as good gentlemen +as the king, only not so rich." Proud and independent, and jealous of +any encroachment upon their rights, they are yet scrupulously polite to +others, and pay marked attention to strangers. While in Italy the +foreigner will meet with imposition at every step, the Spaniard disdains +to take advantage of his ignorance, and the significant reply, "Señor, I +am a Spaniard," is sufficient answer to any suspicion of meanness or +duplicity. Their tall, manly forms, wrapped in the ample cloak which the +Spaniard wears with unequalled grace, their oval faces, dark +complexions, and flashing eyes, make them most interesting features in +the landscape. Probably in no country does man, in the humbler walks of +life, appear so universally clothed with the majesty suitable to his +rank as lord of the creation, as he does in Spain. As they travelled +through Castile, the scene was occasionally varied by meeting a band of +strolling Gitanas, or Gipsies, whose swarthy hue, slender forms, and +wild appearance, clearly pointed out their foreign origin; of course, +they were anxious to tell the fortunes of the beautiful Señoritas, and +on one occasion their father consented to gratify their curiosity. But +he repented of his compliance, when he heard the woman predict to the +timid and somewhat superstitious Magdalena, a speedy and imminent danger +as about to befall her, and he noticed with concern the changing color +with which she heard these hints of peril: but Clara, whose fearless and +joyful spirit could not be daunted by such prophecies, soon laughed the +roses back again into her sister's cheeks, and made the wrinkled hag +retreat, full of rage at her incredulity. They also met some of those +immense flocks of sheep, which form such an important item in the +national wealth of Spain, and which are led southward early in the +autumn, to enjoy the rich pasture grounds of Estremadura and Andalusia. + +As they proceeded towards the north, the country became more rugged and +mountainous, and changes in the costume of the peasantry showed that +they had passed into another province: the black velvet cap of the +Castilian, ever worn so as to display to advantage his noble, lofty +forehead, was replaced by one of woollen material, of a brilliant red, +long, and hanging down behind. The scenery every moment became more +grand and sublime, and the young girls, who had spent their lives +chiefly in Madrid, were full of delight and admiration. "How can people +live in the city," they exclaimed, "when such a free and happy life is +before them? How can they prefer brick and stone to the everlasting +hills, the soft green turf, and the majestic forests? Here, you can +really behold the sky, with its beautiful fleecy clouds, ever changing +in shape and hue, and you can see the starry universe spread out before +you; there, you can perhaps catch a glimpse of a few stars, and a small +piece of a cloud, but the rest is hidden by dead walls. In the city, our +time is taken up, and our hearts are frozen, by ceremonious visits, +stately dinners, and the rules of etiquette; here, in the country, a +real, true life could be spent, free from insincerity and busy idleness. +Dear father, will you not give up your offices at court, and live +henceforth at Alcantra?" Their father smiled at their enthusiasm, and +felt himself almost rejuvenated, as he listened to their raptures, +flowing fresh from young and ardent hearts; but told them that they had +not yet seen their ancestral castle, and that perhaps their expectations +might be grievously disappointed; he would wait until they had spent +some time there, before he gave them his answer. + +As they approached the termination of their journey, the country became +yet wilder, and the villages were more thinly scattered; while here and +there a wooden cross appeared upon the roadside, with some simple +inscription, calculated to inspire terror in proportion to its very +simplicity. "Here they killed Iago," or "Here the robbers killed Señor +Jose Blanco." They noticed, on their last day of travel, when they had +entered into the territory of the Conde, that the roadside crosses +became more frequent, and the cottages of the peasantry assumed a look +of poverty they certainly did not bear in former times, when the lords +of the manor resided upon their estate, and were able to see to the +welfare of the people. When they entered the little inn of the village +of Alcantra, about four miles from the castle, the garrulous old +landlord greeted the Conde most warmly. + +"And a good thing it is for the country that your Excellencia has +returned once more to his estates. Now we may hope to have a little +peace; now the peasants will not be ground down to the dust, as they +have been; now some villanous upstarts I know of, will not dare to ride +over them rough-shod, and to treat them as if they were beasts of the +field. Viva! viva! The illustrious Conde has returned!" + +The Count was much affected by the representations of this man, whom he +knew to be an honest and worthy fellow, and was full of regret for what +he now felt to be criminal negligence on his own part; and promised him +that full investigations should take place, and that perfect justice +should be done. The innkeeper asked him if his servants were well armed; +"For," said he, "the nearness of the castle is no protection to you from +robbery. Many travellers have left this inn, in high health and spirits, +and with trunks laden with merchandise, but have never arrived at their +destinations. The road is, as you well know, rough and precipitous, +over-hung by huge rocks and dark forests, and the banditti have taken up +their quarters somewhere in this neighborhood, though where it is none +can discover. Many murders have been committed here, and many a poor +fellow lies buried in unconsecrated ground, Heaven have mercy on their +souls! but the murderers have never yet been caught. It is not thought +that the band can be a large one, but they are very daring; it is now +more safe than usual, for an atrocious murder occurred a few miles from +this place within the last week, and a company of soldiers is expected +here every moment; they will stay a week, and will try to capture them, +but unless the Saints defend us, and all the Martyrs, Heaven only knows +what will become of us all." + +Don Alonzo assured him that he feared nothing, as including the coachmen +they were six well-armed men, upon every one of whom he could entirely +depend. "And," said he, smiling, "if matters come to a bad pass, I could +count upon my daughter here, my brave Clara, as my seventh soldier; I +have taught her to fire a pistol without shrieking, and to hit the mark, +too, and with her protection Magdalena and I need fear nothing." + +After this conversation, it is not wonderful that all were on the qui +vive as they ascended the mountain road leading to the castle of +Alcantra. Magdalena started at every sound, and even Clara, fearless as +she was, felt relieved when she saw the lofty turrets and extensive +battlements she had dimly remembered, spreading out before her, their +dark outline relieved against the blue sky. If the approach was romantic +and alarming, it was a good preparation to their minds for the castle +itself; it was built in the times of feudal power and intestine wars, +and its massive walls had well performed their part in the defence of +its inmates during many sieges. And yet, strong as it was, and built, as +it appeared, for eternity, a portion of this noble structure was going +to decay; one wing had been very much battered in the last siege it had +sustained, and the cannon-balls had done the work of centuries; but the +main building looked very imposing, as if able to resist the lapse of +ages, and appeared, from its elevation, to frown down upon intruders, +and to scorn the very idea of danger. It was exactly such a place as was +calculated to fire the imaginations and to win the hearts of young +girls, brought up in a gay metropolis, from the very contrast to all +they had ever seen before; there was a romance about its very gloom +that was attractive to them. Associated as it was with much historic +interest, and with many family traditions, they had ardently longed to +behold it, and now that they saw it rise, in its dark grandeur, before +them, they acknowledged that their expectations were more than realized. + +There were no signs of life to be seen about the castle, and it was long +before the loud, imperious knocking at the gate-way brought any one to +open it; and then a man appeared, whose hesitating manner and vacant +countenance plainly showed that he had never been gifted with a large +share of mother-wit. With some difficulty he was made to understand that +the party had a right to admittance, and the carriages entered within +the courtyard. The rest of the household was by this time aware of an +unusual arrival, and came forward to receive them; but it was very +evident that their visit was not only unexpected, but undesired, +although the castellan and his wife strove very hard to throw into their +hard, dark countenances, an expression of welcome. Señor Don Juan +Baptista--so was the castellan called--was a man of most repellant +countenance; his eye had a sinister, cunning look, and there was +something in his large, shaggy, overhanging brow, that was really +appalling; it was to be supposed that he had now put on his most amiable +expression, but unless his face greatly belied him, fierce, ungoverned +passions were accustomed to rule his being. His wife, Francisca, had one +of those countenances that appear to dare you to find them out: hard, +silent, and sullen, she looked as if the rack itself could not force her +to speak unless she willed it; and her face reminded you constantly of a +_wooden mask_, which not even the strongest emotions could make +transparent, and allow you to catch a glimpse of the soul behind. Both +were loud in their expressions of regret that their dear lord and the +sweet, beautiful señoritas had not let them know, beforehand, of their +visit, that they might have had things more fit for their reception; the +castle was rather disarranged, and not anticipating this honor, they had +allowed most of the servants to depart, to enjoy a holiday for a few +weeks--their household was at present very small. Don Alonzo cut short +their apologies by telling them that he had attendants with him +sufficient to supply the wants of himself and his daughters, although it +was certainly unfortunate that it should have occurred just at this +juncture; and entering the castle, he tenderly embraced Clara and +Magdalena, welcoming them to their ancestral home. The girls almost +shuddered, as they gazed upon the the huge hall, with its lofty carved +ceiling, and its dark oak panelling. In ancient times, when it was +crowded by armed retainers, or echoed to the joyful chorus of the feast +and the minstrel's song, it must have been admirably suited to its +purpose; but now it looked solitary and desolate, like a fit abode for +the owl and the raven. At one end, a wide, substantial stone staircase +led to the upper regions of the castle, branching off above in many +directions; a long oak-table, capable of accommodating more than a +hundred guests, extended for some distance along the hall, but it was +scarcely noticed in the vast apartment. A large chimney, surrounded by +stone settles, and richly ornamented with curious antique carving, +formed a prominent feature in it; the tapestry on the wall, from which +hunters and grim warriors appeared to look down upon our little party +with surprise and displeasure, hung loosely, in many places was +completely tattered, and waved in the wind as the keen air of the +mountains whistled through, making Clara and Magdalena shiver with cold. +Don Alonzo looked round with concern; "It is indeed many years since I +have been here," said he, "and things look considerably altered; but +now, my daughters, let me advise you, with the aid of your +waiting-woman, to make yourselves as comfortable as possible in your own +rooms, and meanwhile Señor Baptista will be kind enough to have a large +fire built in the hall, for it will really prove very acceptable." + +Francisca showed them to their rooms: large, magnificent chambers, +fitted up with massive furniture of the richest description; but the +tapestry was faded and worn, and every thing showed neglect and +desertion. Francisca, after escorting them to these apartments, told +them that she would send Maria, the housemaid, to make up fires, bring +water, and provide every thing else that they wished, but the girl was +always out of the way when she was wanted, and was really not worth the +salt she ate. Maria speedily appeared, however: a pale young girl of +dejected aspect, with black hair drawn off from a forehead of marble +whiteness, and large, sad eyes cast upon the ground. Her appearance +greatly interested the kind feelings of Clara and Magdalena; she looked +sorrowful and reserved, as if her heart had been chilled, and her spirit +broken by harsh treatment; and the girls, who were very much of her own +age, felt an instinctive pity, and resolved to win her confidence. They +learned by their questions that she was an orphan, and had been brought +up in the castle. She had never known any other home, and had no +relations in the world, so it was not wonderful that she appeared +unhappy. + +As their maid appeared to be quite unwell from the journey, they +dispensed with any further services from her for the day, and descended +to the hall. Its aspect was considerably changed by a large, sparkling +fire which blazed upon the hearth; and, after supper, Don Alonzo and his +daughters drew around it, with a feeling of comfort they had not +experienced since they had entered the castle. As the Conde wished to +discover the character of the castellan as much as possible from +personal observation, he ordered him to be sent for, and invited him to +a seat with them by the fire; and they were soon engaged in interesting +conversation. Señor Baptista was undoubtedly a person of quick +intelligence, and endowed with the gift of imparting a vivid, dramatic +interest to any narrative: he told several ancient legends connected +with the castle, in such a manner as to enchain the attention of his +hearers. One story excited the deepest interest in Magdalena: we will +call it + + +DOÑA INEZ; OR THE CASTELLAN'S TALE. + +Several centuries ago, as my lord the Conde and the noble Señoritas very +well know, this castle was in the possession of an older branch of the +Alcantra family, long since extinct; and at that time the lord of the +manor was a certain Don Pedro, a dark, stern man, whose portrait, clad +in armor, the señoritas may see on the morrow in the old +picture-gallery. Don Pedro was a man of unflinching bravery, and +indomitable will; his word was law. His vassals obeyed his very looks, +and flew to execute his behests. Accustomed from infancy to command, he +became absolute and tyrannical; his gentle wife was all submission, and +his fair daughter Inez was educated in the practice of the strictest +obedience, so as scarcely to know that she had a mind of her own, when +her father was nigh. Is it wonderful that when the unnatural constraint +was removed by his absence, her innate gayety of disposition broke out +with all the impulsiveness of youth, and her young affections clung to +the nearest object? Such an object was found in Bernardo, a handsome +and noble young man, an orphan, and distant relative, who had been +reared in the castle: he had been the playmate of Inez in childhood; her +comforter, companion, and teacher in girlhood; and now, as she advanced +to woman's estate, they made the discovery that their hearts were knit +together by a love which had grown with their growth and strengthened +with their strength, till it had become a part of their very souls. But +how dare to reveal their affection? Bernardo, although of noble lineage, +and in himself every thing that the fondest father could desire for his +daughter, had his fortune yet to win by his good sword; and Inez was +heiress to broad lands, and might well aspire to a princely alliance. +But love scorns all such distinctions: humble thoughts of herself, and +proud thoughts of her Bernardo, filled the heart of Inez, and as she +plighted her troth to him, she vowed she would wed none but him, and +would patiently wait until the time should come when her betrothed could +claim her as his own. Bernardo went to the wars, and greatly +distinguished himself against the Moors: Ferdinand conferred upon him +various marks of favor, and the noble and lovely Queen Isabel girded on +the sword presented by the king with her own jewelled fingers. + +And now, with a heart beating high with hope, and with the prospect of +great advancement before him, the young man returned to visit the home +of his childhood: it was his purpose, with the sweetness of a few weeks' +holiday, to repay himself for all the toils, dangers, and privations of +a year. But when he arrived, how changed was the whole aspect of the +castle! Inez was in disgrace, and was ordered by her tyrannical father +to be shut up in her room, and to be fed with the bread of affliction +and the water of humiliation. Bernardo was deeply distressed: he at +length succeeded, through the pity of the servants, in obtaining an +interview, and the poor girl, weeping upon his breast, where she had so +often been comforted before, told him the sad tale of her trials. + +Soon after he had left, a noble Marquis, of great wealth, had made +overtures for her hand, which Don Pedro, without consulting her, had at +once accepted, and promised that within a year the bridal feast should +be celebrated. When he informed his daughter of her fate, she besought +him with tears not to send her from her home; but his only reply was +that the matter was determined, and that all she had to do was to submit +and to prepare for the wedding. Dreading as she did her father's wrath, +she dreaded yet more this hateful, compulsory marriage, and kneeling +down at his feet, with streaming eyes, she prayed him in the humblest +manner to spare his only child; she could never survive the union--it +would break her heart--she was young, and wished still to remain for +some years under the paternal roof. But tears and entreaties were +unavailing. Don Pedro commanded her, in the most peremptory manner, to +obey. Rising, with a dignity and composure of manner he had never seen +in her before, for she had ever appeared in his presence only a timid +and frightened child, she professed her readiness to make his will her +law in every other point; she would serve him like a slave, die for him; +she would never marry against his wishes, but would ever strive to +approve herself a dutiful daughter. But in this point she must imitate +his own firmness, and prove herself his child; a vow was upon her soul +that she must not break, and she could not, she would not, marry the +Marquis de Oviedo. As she stood there, so young and so determined, with +all the pride of her race and all the dignity of womanhood rising up to +aid the true love which beat in her heart, even her father was struck +with admiration, and for a moment hesitated. But vindictive passion +triumphed over better feelings, and he ordered her to be placed in her +chamber, under strict confinement. Once a month, since then, had he +visited her apartment, to ask her if she were now ready to yield her +submission; and, upon her reply that she would rather die than wed the +Marquis de Oviedo, with an angry scowl he would leave her room. Poor +Inez looked thin and care-worn, but was greatly comforted by seeing her +betrothed; and they agreed that it was better, whatever the consequences +might be, to inform her father of their engagement, and to endeavor to +mollify his heart. As Bernardo had returned from the wars with such +distinction, he had some slight hope that the crime of loving Don +Pedro's daughter might possibly be forgiven. + +They were still engaged in these discussions, when the door opened, and +Don Pedro appeared; his face was wild with passion, black with rage. He +roughly snatched Doña Inez from the arms of her lover, to whom she clung +with all the energy of despair, as the shipwrecked mariner holds fast to +the mast or beam which is his only hope of safety, or even to the anchor +which will surely sink him to the lowest depths. Turning to his +followers, who were trained to obey his every command without a +question, he ordered them to convey Don Bernardo to the deepest dungeon +of the castle, and to chain him to the wall; and then to bring the key +to him. Doña Inez, in a phrensy of terror, knelt at his feet, and begged +that all his anger might be visited upon her; but spurning her from him, +he told her that she should feel enough of it yet, and need pray for no +more--he had a punishment still in store for her, and in due time she +should realize what it was to defy his power. He left her in a swoon, +and did not see her again until after ten days, when he entered her +apartment, and grimly smiling, commanded her to accompany him, as he +wished to conduct her to her lover; adding, with a peculiar look, that +if it were her wish, as he was all devotion to her slightest whim, he +would never henceforth separate them. Scarcely knowing what to think, +but dreading the worst from the ironical tone of mock gallantry with +which he spoke, she followed him with faltering steps, a vague terror +dimming her eyes and chilling her heart. He led her through many winding +passages, opening heavy iron gates, until they at length reached the +deep dungeons which are found beneath this castle. There, in a damp +cell, heavily chained to the wall, she beheld, by the light of the torch +Don Pedro carried, her own Bernardo! But, oh, how changed! how +emaciated! He seemed to be asleep. Her father told her to awake him; she +took his hand, but started back--that icy touch had told her all--he was +dead, starved to death by her own father! + +That moment reason forsook the agonized mind of Doña Inez; the vaults +were filled with her shrieks, and so awful was the spectacle of her +despair, that even her father was terrified. He tried to soothe her, but +it was too late; he carried her back again to her room, a raving maniac. +A brain fever ensued, of the most violent description; and happily for +the distracted girl, in a few days she was released by death from all +her sufferings. And now it was that, in the consequences of his own +actions, Don Pedro found his punishment; as he witnessed the agony of +his afflicted daughter, as he heard her ravings, as he saw her toss her +white arms and pitifully cry out for Bernardo, or tear her long, black, +dishevelled tresses, horror and despair filled his heart. His +conscience, so long torpid, at length awoke, and remorse preyed upon his +soul like a vulture. And when he beheld that form, lately so lovely and +blooming, stretched out, pale and motionless, upon the bed of death, +anguish seized upon him to such a degree that, rushing into his own +chamber, he put a period to his miserable existence. + +Queen Isabella, when she heard the particulars of these tragical events, +ordered the lovers to be interred within one tomb; the señoritas may see +it in the old chapel, in the north-east corner--their effigies are on +the top, carved in marble, with clasped hands, with this inscription: +Amor morte, or Love in death. The old branch being now extinct, having, +as it were, burnt itself out with its fiery passions, the estates passed +into the hands of your honorable ancestry; may it remain in the family +for a thousand years! + +But my tale is not yet done--would that it were! There would be more +peace in this castle if this were the case! For people do say that Don +Pedro cannot rest, even in purgatory. I am not one at all given to +credulity, and it takes something to startle me; but I must own that I +would never willingly be found in the old parts of the castle after +nightfall. I myself have seen strange lights and startling forms, and +have heard noises for which I could not account, groans, and shrieks, +and the clanking of chains. None of the peasants in the neighborhood +will venture here after night; and the servants can scarcely be induced +to stay in, what they call, the haunted castle. The story runs, that +about midnight Don Pedro begins his peregrinations, clad in armor, as he +is represented in his portrait; in one hand he bears a flaming torch; in +the other a large bunch of keys, and a chain which trails upon the +ground. He has been seen bearing in his arms a female form, clad in +white, with long black hair streaming to the wind, tossing her arms in +wild despair, and uttering piteous cries. It is thought that his +punishment consists in nightly visits to the cell in which Bernardo +died, and nightly endurance of the sight of his daughter's anguish; some +also say that the skeleton of his victim is presented to his eyes, +beaming with light, and that every ray eats into his soul like a canker. +I do not answer for all these tales, but this is the universal belief. I +merely relate to your favors the common talk of the peasantry, ever +given to superstition. + + +"I dimly remember hearing some such story in my childhood, from the old +castellan, from whom, I suppose, you have received the legend," said the +Conde; "but old Don Pedro never walked in my day, and if he does now, +his conscience must have become more tender with the lapse of years. +Cheer up, Magdalena, light of my eyes! You look quite pale from this +horrible tale. I'll answer for it that Don Pedro will not appear to you; +if he does, I'll settle his uneasy spirit for him. Surely, you do not +believe in ghosts? You are not so weak?" + +"No, dear father; I know that it cannot be; and yet I own to feeling +some nervousness on the subject. Much as I long to live here, if I +thought there were any truth in such a spectral appearance, I would beg +you to leave to-morrow." + +"That would be a sad loss to this castle, señorita," said Baptista, +furtively glancing at her pallid face from under his shaggy eyebrows. +"We must hope that Don Pedro may not walk to-night." + +"Another romantic tale is told about a daughter of our house," said Don +Alonzo, wishing to draw off Magdalena'a thoughts from the subject which +filled them. "If you feel inclined to hear it, I will relate it." + +"Nothing would be more pleasant," said the girls, who delighted in these +traditions. + + +DOÑA ISABEL, OR THE SECRET PASSAGE. + +About a hundred and fifty years ago, when our branch had been +long-established at Alcantra, there flourished here a certain Don +Alphonso, who also had a beautiful daughter, Isabel by name. Her +portrait hangs in the gallery, and is remarkable for a sweet bravery of +look, and for a merry, piquant glance of her black eye, which I greatly +admired when a young man, and of which I have been often reminded when I +looked at my Clara. I think, my daughters, that you will agree with me +in seeing a strong resemblance in person, as I also do in character; you +can judge of that as my story proceeds. And by the way, Clara mia, +tradition gives the room you occupy to the Lady Isabel; it has ever +since been called Doña Isabel's chamber; so, when lying upon her bed +to-night, you can dream of your fair predecessor. Her father, also, was +rather fond of having his own way, and in this the daughter fully +sympathized with him; it is said to be a characteristic of our race, so +we had better call this obstinacy a noble firmness, and thereby save our +self-love. Don Alphonso, however, was not quite such a bloody-minded +tyrant as Don Pedro: how could he be, as he was one of our ancestors? +The matter is clearly impossible. And I wish you to notice, my +daughters, how, with the lapse of years, the race of fathers improves: +beginning with a murderous Don Pedro, a self-willed Don Alphonso then +walks upon the stage; and lastly, as a perfect specimen of a dutiful, +obsequious papa, behold me, ladies--at your feet! + +I have told you that Isabel had a mind of her own; she showed it very +plainly by falling in love in a most unorthodox, unfilial, enthusiastic +sort of way--with whom? You will be so shocked, my daughters, that I +almost dread to tell you. If she had waited, like a dutiful child, till +her father had told her she _might_ love, it would have been another +thing! But this headstrong girl seemed to think she had as good a right +to be happy in her own way as a peasant! True, the man of her choice was +not a reprobate: he was not even a low-born, unmannerly churl: Don +Fernando de Velasquez stood foremost among the young cavaliers of Spain, +in gallantry and in that nobility of mind which, should ever accompany +gentle birth. But yet it was in that very gentle birth that all the +offence lay, for Fernando's ancestors had long been at enmity with the +house of Alcantra, and this ancient feud had been embittered by years. +But, sometimes, there appears to be a fate in the affairs of men, +especially when a woman, and a pretty woman, is in question: so it +happened that Don Fernando was, one day, riding at some distance from +his home, when his good fortune enabled him to rescue a lady, whose +horse, frightened by some object in the road, reared and plunged in a +most alarming manner. It was Doña Isabel, who had out-ridden her +attendants, and who now felt that she owed her life to this very +handsome, polite, and noble-looking cavalier. Could he do less than +soothe her fluttered nerves, guide her horse, and make himself as +agreeable as possible? Could she do less than feel ardently grateful, +and manifest it in every look and accent? Very improper it was, +certainly, as I said before, for a daughter to think of a young man +until her parents' permission is given; but I have heard of one or two +other instances in which this occurred; and before either made the +discovery who the agreeable companion was, when, of course, if they were +dutiful, antagonism and animosity would have filled their bosoms, they +were both unmistakably, undeniably, desperately in love! + +Is it wonderful that Don Fernando escorted her to the gate of the +castle? Or that proud Don Alphonso did not invite him in, +notwithstanding his daughter's imploring looks, even after he had heard +from her lips of her deliverance? Are my daughters very much astonished +that little perfumed notes, exquisitely written, doubtless with little +kissing doves stamped in the corners, and signed 'Yours till death,' +passed between the two castles? There was a prodigious waste of +sentiment on the occasion, quite enough to set up twenty pairs of +well-behaved, proper, respectable lovers. It came to such a pass that +Fernando declared, and I believe the fellow was in earnest, that +existence would be intolerable to him unless he could meet his Isabel; +and the lady, although feeling some qualms of conscience about the +matter, agreed to see him daily, when the evening star rose in the sky. +So, while her poor old father--good easy man! thought that his daughter +was in her chamber, or piously engaged in the oratory saying her _Ave +Marias_ and _Pater Nosters_, and singing a vesper hymn to the Virgin, +the naughty girl had gone by a secret passage underground to a wood at +some distance, where she met her betrothed. + +This passage is said to begin in one of the chambers of the castle, and +winding along in the wall, to proceed downward towards the dungeons +underground, and then to pass away to the wood already mentioned. It was +originally intended, no doubt, as a means of escape, or of communication +with the outer world, in case of a siege; but, at that time, it had +almost passed into oblivion. After the events I am relating, the outlet +into the wood was stopped up, and where the passage is to be found no +one knows: so that if Clara wishes to imitate the conduct of her +beautiful kinswoman, and to arrange clandestine meetings, she will have +to spoil the romance of the proceeding by quietly walking through the +open gate. + +But at length, some prying eyes found out these nocturnal interviews, +and great was the rage of Don Alphonso. The lovers were seized, brought +back in tribulation to the castle, and imprisoned, one in her chamber, +the other in a dungeon. But love finds many devices: whether it was a +golden key that opened her door, or whether it was her eloquent tongue +and pleading looks, I know not, but certain it is that in the dead of +night, when all but two in the castle were sunk in profound slumber, a +fair lady softly stepped into her father's apartment, drew a large bunch +of keys from under his pillow, and proceeding down to the dungeons by +the secret passage, set Don Fernando at liberty! Soon did they breathe +the sweet, fresh air of freedom: soon did they find their way to the +territory of the Count de Velasquez, and to the chapel where an obedient +priest spoke over their kneeling forms those words which can never be +unsaid, by which Holy Mother Church sanctions the union of loving +hearts. + +And the father? He stormed considerably--we fathers generally do in such +cases. But, upon mature consideration, he concluded that amiability was, +under the circumstances, the best policy: and being in reality a +kind-hearted man, he forgave the young couple, and invited them to +dinner! And thus ended the ancient feud between the houses of Alcantra +and Velasquez! + + +After the termination of the tale, Señor Baptista retired, and the Conde +and his daughters remained chatting by the fire for some time; at length +the wasting embers, and the increasing chilliness of the air, warned +them that it was time to seek repose. With a reverence unhappily too +much wanting in our land of youthful independence, Clara and Magdalena +knelt before their father, and as he imprinted the warm kiss upon their +brows, and uttered the heart-felt "God bless you, my daughters!" their +feelings, both of piety and of filial love, feelings, how closely +united! were certainly freshened. + +Taking their little night-lamps, they proceeded up the staircase, but +soon parted, as their rooms were situated in different galleries. From +the dim light, and the many branching corridors, Magdalena mistook her +way, and was just convinced of her mistake, when a sudden puff of wind +put out her lamp. Feeble glimmering as it gave, it yet would have +enabled her to find her way, and she was just on the point of calling +out for aid, when she perceived a light approach from an adjacent +gallery. She thought it must be a servant, but upon stepping where she +could command a better view of it, what was her horror to see a form +advance like that described in the story of the castellan! It appeared +to be a tall man, clad in complete armor, with visor down: in one hand +he bore a torch, which seemed to emit a supernatural light and in the +other, a bunch of keys, and a long chain, dragging upon the ground. She +distinctly heard the clanking sound of the chain, and the ringing noise +of his footstep upon the stone, ere she distinguished the figure, so +exactly similar to that of the spectre of Alcantra, the vengeful Don +Pedro which was so vividly impressed upon her imagination. She did not +shriek, she did not faint; but quickly bounding along the corridor, she +flew like lightning down the broad staircase, and found herself in the +hall. She had hoped to find her father still there, but it was dark and +deserted, and looked so vast and so gloomy, by the cold light of the +moon, which streamed in at the furthest windows, that she felt a cold +chill creep over her. At this moment the clock struck twelve: as she +counted the strokes, which seemed to her excited fancy as if they would +never cease tolling, she thought she heard the ringing footsteps +approach: in an agony of terror, she rushed through the darkness, which +was indeed to her a darkness which could be felt, a palpable thing, +towards the chimney place, hoping to find enough of flame to light her +lamp; but in vain. The air felt to her so thick and heavy, as if her +lungs could scarcely breathe it: she listened for the sound of a step, +but heard only the beating of her own heart. At length she summoned +courage to retrace her steps, to find either her own room or her +sister's, for the silence and solitude of that vast hall were too +oppressive to be endured. Softly and slowly she crept up the staircase, +when suddenly she felt her wrist clasped by a cold iron hand: she gave +one piercing shriek, and fell senseless to the ground. + +When she came to herself, she was lying upon her bed, in the same +clothes she wore the preceding day, and the bright sun was streaming in +at the windows. She arose, with a sense of pain and confusion, as if +some dreadful thing had happened, which she could not recall to her +mind; but suddenly the whole scene of the preceding night flashed upon +her. She thought, it is impossible: certainly it was a painful dream, +caused by the exciting conversation of last evening, and by my +impressions of the castle. But all the minute circumstances crowded so +vividly into her mind, that she thought it could not be that a mere +vision of the night should produce so powerful an effect. But what +convinced her of the reality of these occurrences, was the fact that she +had not undressed for the night: casting her eyes down upon her person, +as she thought this, they fell upon her hand; and there she distinctly +saw the marks left upon her delicate skin by that iron grip to which she +had been subjected! As she saw this, all the crawling horror and choking +fear of the preceding evening came back thick upon her, and a feeling of +faintness which she could scarcely resist: but just then her eye fell +upon the crucifix, and with a sensation of self-reproach that she had so +long forgotten the supports and comforts of religion, she knelt down, +and fervently besought aid from on high. And never, under any +circumstances, is such a prayer in vain: her mind, so fearfully tried, +resumed its self-command, and calmness and peace stole back again into +her heart. She opened her window: it was a lovely day, and the mountain +air, so bracing and reviving, so deadly to sickly fears and nervous +sentimentalities, had an inspiring effect upon her; she laved herself in +the cold spring water, arranged her dress, and sought her sister's room. + +When there, she felt her tremors return, as she related to her the +events of the night; but Clara's brave and joyous spirit was not of the +kind to yield, even for a moment, to supernatural terrors. With her arm +around her sister, as if to shield her from all harm, she told her that +the first thing to do was to remove all Magdalena's effects to her +chamber, as she did not think she could trust her out of her sight for +one moment, after such an adventure. + +"But, surely, it must have been your excited imagination!" + +"How then do you account for my finding myself on top of my bed, and +dressed? And how do you make out these purple marks?" + +"True; but it's very certain a ghost could not have carried you in his +arms to your room--it makes me laugh, the very idea! You are not very +heavy, but rather too substantial for a ghost, I should think! And he +must have been a very smart hobgoblin to know so well which was your +room--that seems to me as if he must be an acquaintance of our very +earthly-looking castellan. And just as if a ghost could make such a mark +upon your wrist! Bah! what a clumsy contrivance! I've read of these +amiable spirits _burning_ their marks into your flesh, but the blue +spots! they are made by good strong muscles. Was your _spook_ polite +enough to bring your lamp, as well as yourself, into your room?" + +"I never thought of that! I am sure not, for I always put it on the +dressing-table; come and see!" + +They looked, and no lamp was there; they examined the staircase, and +there was a large grease spot, but no lamp. + +"See, sister! here is a corroboration of my tale!" + +"Oh, I don't doubt a word of it; and I don't doubt the ghost put the +lamp into the pantry this morning, nicely trimmed. There is villany +here, Magdalena; I believe that rascal of a Baptista--I must call him +so, he has such a hang-dog look--wants to drive us away, for reasons of +his own: I can never forgive him for frightening my poor darling so. +We'll see if the ghost assail you, or pay you any polite attentions, +while you are with me! I've never been so lucky as to see any of the +creatures, and should like to try a few experiments upon them: I never +even meet snakes in the woods, or any of those things that frighten +others. So, Señor Hobgoblin, come and welcome!" + +By this time Clara had completely chased away her sister's lowness of +spirits, and they descended to the breakfast-room, pleasantly talking +together. The castellan was in the hall, and Clara did not fail to +notice that he fixed his eye searchingly upon Magdalena as they passed, +and did not take it off while he asked, with an obsequious air, if the +señoritas had passed a comfortable night in the cheerless old castle? + +"An uncommonly refreshing one, owing to the hospitable cares of yourself +and Francisca," said Clara, answering for both; "my sister had something +like the nightmare, but otherwise we were very comfortable." + +When they were alone, they told their father the events of the night, +and it was his first impulse at once to charge the castellan with +villany, and to dismiss him from his post; but Clara persuaded him to +wait yet some days, until the whole matter was well cleared up, before +he took any action. + +"But, Magdalena! I cannot have my little girl's cheek blanched, and her +mind filled with ghostly terrors!" "Don't be afraid for me, dear +father," said his daughter, smiling; "Clara's bravery has quite +reanimated mine, and she has laughed me out of the belief of its being a +spirit at all; I now wonder I could ever have thought so." "All very +well, my beloved; but there is a great difference between breakfast +time, when the sun is shining brightly into the room, and midnight, with +dark corridors and a feebly burning lamp--especially when it goes out." +"True, father," said Clara, laughing; "but I intend to provide for quite +an illumination to-night, and do not expect to let poor Magdalena stir +from my sight all day." + +That day passed off without any incidents, and was very agreeably spent +in an examination of the ancient castle, with its many relics of by-gone +times, its collection of portraits, its spacious rooms, winding +galleries, and magazine of armory and weapons. From the battlements they +enjoyed a view of the country beneath them, unsurpassed in extent and +grandeur: it spread out before their eyes a beautiful panorama, +comprising hill and dale, forest and cultivated land; the little +whitewashed cottage, with its ascending smoke, and the flocks of sheep +scattered about, gave a lively interest to the scene, and endeared it to +their hearts: man ever loves to see tokens of the nearness of brother +man. Magdalena clasped her father's hand: "O, may we not always live +here?" "But what about that ghost?" "O, I forgot; but if Clara lays the +uneasy spirit of Don Pedro, then will you not remove here?" "I think I +will, my daughters, if you both desire it. I dreaded to come here, but +find that time has so mellowed and softened my grief, that I can now +feel pleasure in revisiting the spots made sacred to me by your dear +mother's presence. And I also feel as if I had neglected my duty, +through too great an abandonment to grief; here, in my ancestral +possessions, it certainly lies. The peasants, I fear, have greatly +suffered from my absence, and now they scarcely know me; and I am almost +a stranger to the neighboring gentry. If we remove here, will you, my +daughters, aid me in making this castle the scene of hospitality and +kindness, and will you extend your care to the neglected poor and +ignorant, who are scattered through these valleys?" The girls answered +with joy in the affirmative, and already began laying plans for visiting +the sick, reading to the old, and teaching the young. + +That night Magdalena's fair head was encircled by Clara's arm, and their +hands clasped together; the younger sister soon fell asleep, after some +light confidential chat, such as sisters only can have, there being in +that connection the sensation of perfect safety, of the fellow-feeling +of youth, and of that entire understanding of every thought and +allusion, resulting from intimate intercourse from birth. But Clara was +wakeful; she thought over the strange events of the preceding night, and +the more she reflected, the more convinced she was of some plan on the +part of the castellan, for she connected together his looks, his tale, +and the sequel of Magdalena's ghost, as the merry girl would call the +spectral appearance. While engaged in these thoughts, the clock struck +twelve: "the witching hour!" she thought; "I wonder if the illustrious +Don Pedro is walking now!" Just then her sharp ear detected a little +clinking noise on the opposite side of her large, dark chamber; she was +all attention, but not a motion did she make to disturb her sleeping +sister; her arm still encircled her lovingly, her hand clasped +Magdalena's. Gazing into the darkness, there suddenly appeared in the +room a luminous skeleton, frightful enough, truly, to weak nerves; but +Clara was gifted with a calm and fearless spirit, _mens sana in corpore +sano_; and her unspoken thought was--"Ah, phosphorus! pretty well done +that, for the country! it is really worthy of one of our Madrid +conjurers!" Watching intently to see if any other show was forthcoming, +the skeleton as suddenly disappeared as it had come, and she heard +various sepulchral groans and sighs, with a running commentary of the +rattling of chains and jingling of keys. At last this pleasing +interlude, as she termed it, ceased altogether, and in a few moments she +again distinguished that clinking sound, and all was silence in her +chamber. "Well!" thought Clara, "the show is certainly over for the +night, I might as well go to sleep. Very kind, certainly, to provide for +our entertainment! But I am glad Magdalena did not wake." + +The following day Clara told her adventure in such a mirthful manner to +her father and sister, that it was impossible to avoid seeing it in a +ludicrous light. However, arrangements were made to stop any further +display of theatricals, if they should be attempted the ensuing night; +and Clara spent some time in her own room, examining the wall opposite +her bed. The result was, that upon raising the tapestry, and carefully +striking every panel, she observed that one gave a hollow sound: she +tried to slide it up, she tried to slide it down, she tried to slide it +sideways, but it was unavailing. Determined not to give it up, she felt +in every part, and at last, after spending several hours in the search, +her perseverance was rewarded; it suddenly flew open! she had at last +touched the hidden spring, and here, in her own room, as she had +suspected, was Doña Isabel's secret passage! Greatly was she tempted to +explore the dark and narrow way, and to descend the stairs she saw +through the gloom; but prudence prevailed, and she comforted herself +with the thought that she had made discoveries enough for one day. + +Another awaited her, however: she had scarcely closed the panel and +replaced the tapestry, when there was a knock at the door; it was Maria +bringing in wood and water. Poor Maria appeared to be the general drudge +of the house, and her slender, delicate frame was borne down with labor. +Clara's bright and cheerful kindness had quite gained the young girl's +heart, unused as she was to aught but harshness and reprimand. Her soul +expanded, and her silent lips were opened under the genial influence--it +was like the sun shining upon the little flower, shut up against the +chilling dews of night, but spontaneously opening under his joyful +beams. She told her her history: she was the only grandchild of the +former castellan, the faithful servant of the house, so beloved by Don +Alonzo: at his death she was a little child, and had ever spent her life +in the service of his successor. When very young, she had met with +kindness from the other servants; but they were soon dismissed, and for +years there had been none in the castle but those she now saw--the +castellan and his wife, the half-witted Sebastiano, and herself. But she +said that occasionally Señor Baptista had company--and she shuddered as +she said it--ferocious-looking men, armed to the teeth, and generally +wearing masks. She always kept out of the way when they were about; but +one thing she knew, that they did not enter nor depart by the gate of +the castle, and that Señor Baptista must have some other way of +admitting them. "Do you think they can be the banditti they talk of?" +"I do not doubt it, and I have so longed to get away from this wicked +place, that I often lie awake at night thinking about it. They would +kill me if they thought I had betrayed them;--will you protect me?" +"[**missing words**] my poor Maria: and so you are the old castellan's +grandchild! I remember hearing my father say that he yearly transmitted +to Baptista a handsome annuity for this poor orphan: of course you never +got any portion of it?" "Not a single quarto: but now I must go, I +should be missed; á Dios, señorita querida!" + +Clara lost not a moment in seeking her father, and in communicating to +him her important intelligence. Cool action was indispensably necessary: +for the first and the last time in their lives, there was a secret +between the sisters. After dinner, Don Alonzo expressed a wish to ride, +to see if any changes had taken place in the neighborhood, and his +daughters declining to accompany him, as had been agreed between them, +he invited his secretary, with the castellan and his wife, to accompany +him--an honor which they gladly accepted. Soon after their departure, +Clara sent a note Don Alonzo had written, by the hands of their trusty +Anselmo, to the village of Alcantra, requiring the immediate attendance +of the band of soldiers stationed there; and before the return of the +carriage, they were admitted by Maria, and conducted to a room adjoining +Clara's, the weak-minded Sebastiano being easily kept out of the way. + +At night, a change of apartments took place: Clara and Magdalena slept, +or rather waked, in their father's room, and he quietly awaited in +theirs the progress of events. At twelve o'clock, he heard the slight +sound described by his daughter, as proceeding from the opening of the +panel. He waited a few moments, to allow the intruders to enter, and +then, beholding forms arrayed in flames and white winding-sheets before +him, he raised the pistol he held in his hand, pulled the trigger, and +the foremost fell groaning to the ground. Instantly the soldiers and +servants stationed in the adjoining chamber rushed into the room with +lights, and before the rest of the villains could recover from their +surprise, they were all captured. Upon raising the wounded man, they +beheld, gnashing his teeth with fury, Señor Baptista himself, the leader +of the band! ten men were they in all, and as they subsequently +discovered, this comprised the whole of the banditti. Entirely under the +control of the artful Baptista, their object was not to injure, but to +alarm the Conde's family, hoping thus to drive them away from a place +filled with supernatural horror; whereas any harm done to them would +have infallibly brought down upon their heads the vengeance of +government. + +Francisca, also, was secured, and the whole band was sent off to the +nearest prison, to await their trial. The attempt was made to work upon +the woman's fears of Francisca, to induce her to make confession, and to +implicate her companions. Iron can be fashioned into any shape upon the +anvil, but a will like hers no fire is hot enough to melt, no hammer +hard enough to break or subdue. They promised her pardon, if she would +open her lips; but her scornful smile showed that she would remain true +to her own code of honor, be the consequences what they might. Abundant +evidence proved the guilt of all concerned: the men suffered the penalty +of offended justice, and Francisca was condemned to perpetual +imprisonment, but managed to escape, and was never heard of more. + +On the morning following the capture, the secret passage was thoroughly +explored, and a discovery made, involving many important results. A +number of the dungeons were found piled up with merchandise of various +descriptions, and whole chests of gold and silver were there deposited: +information was immediately transmitted to government, but the king +himself wrote a letter to Don Alonzo, thanking him for his many faithful +and unrequited services, and begging his acceptance of the treasure +found within his walls, much of which was no doubt his own. The Conde +gratefully accepted this evidence of his sovereign's favor, and took +great pains to discover the relatives of those who had been murdered by +the banditti, restoring to them fourfold. The treasure that remained was +more than sufficient to disencumber his estates, and to restore them to +the flourishing condition of olden times. He endowed hospitals, +churches, and schools with the residue; and the peasants of all that +region will long have cause to bless Doña Clara's bravery and Don +Alonzo's munificence. + +It is almost needless to add that Maria, in whom every day developed new +graces under the quickening influence of kindness, was well provided for +by the Conde; and upon her marriage with his secretary, Señor Roberto, +he presented her with a handsome dowry. The old castle of Alcantra, +delivered from its spectre, was soon converted by masons, carpenters, +and upholsterers, into a most comfortable abode; and the hospitality of +its noble master, and the charms of his fair daughters, attracted to it +all that was worthy, intelligent, and lovely in the adjacent country. + +"Is that all?" said Amy, who had been listening with glistening eyes. + +"All? I hope so indeed; for do you know, my dears," said Mrs. Wyndham, +"that it is past eleven o'clock? Hasten away now to your nests, and take +care not to dream of the spectre of Alcantra." + + + + +CHAPTER V. + +A SKATING ADVENTURE.--WHAT IS MY THOUGHT LIKE?--QUESTIONS.--THE ORPHAN'S +TALE, OR THE VICISSITUDES OF FORTUNE. + + +Saturday morning was so bright and cold--such a frosty, finger-pinching +winter day, that, at breakfast, George proposed the riddle, "What two +fishes would you tie together on a day like this?" As none were able to +guess it, he pronounced the assembled company intolerably stupid, and +gave as the solution, _skates_ and _soles_. He declared the weather was +made on purpose for skating; and although his uncle expressed some +doubts as to the thickness of the ice, George's eloquence and +earnestness carried the point, especially as, from his own account, his +experience was so great that you would have concluded he was at least +sixty years old. So the boys set off for a large pond, at the distance +of about a mile, accompanied by the girls, well wrapt up in cloaks, +furs, and mufflers, of every description, all in the highest spirits, +and quite ready for fun and frolic; and the quick walk through the +frosty air, broken by many a hop, skip, and jump, certainly did not tend +to repress the exuberance of their laughter and excitement. Is any one +too grave and too wise to approve of such conduct? allow me to ask, +reverend sir, or venerable madam, as the case may be, how many centuries +are pressing their weight upon your silver locks? Methuselah himself +might remember that he once was young, and sympathize with the innocent +light-heartedness of youth: and surely you cannot have arrived at quite +his length of years. 'Tis a great mistake to suppose that dullness and +moping gravity have any thing in common with either goodness or wisdom: +they are but the base imitations, the spurious counterfeits, which can +pass only with the undiscerning. Welcome, joyous laugh, and youthful +glee! the world has quite enough of care and sorrow, without repressing +the merry heart of childhood. Wiser would it be for you, oh sad and +weary spirit, sick of the buffetings of the cold and selfish crowd, for +a little time to come out of your unhappy self, and by sympathy with +others, again to become a little child. Your soul would be refreshed and +strengthened by bathing in the morning dews of youth; here would you +find a balm for the wounds inflicted by the careless world; many a +mourner has been drawn away from that sorrow which feeds upon the very +springs of life, by the innocent caresses and gay converse of a child. +Cleave then to your liveliness, young people! and throw away from you +all vapors, megrims, and melancholic feelings! Believe me, real sorrow +will come soon enough, and your groundless depression of spirits may +have more in common with ill-nature than with thoughtfulness or +earnestness of mind: true wisdom is both cheerful and loving. + +The girls staid for some time admiring the evolutions of the skaters as +they gracefully wound about in intricate figures, or cut their names +upon the ice; but they declared at last that they must retreat before +the attacks of Jack Frost, who pinched their noses, fingers, and toes in +an unmerciful manner. The boys, ardent in the pursuit of sport, still +persevered, and George especially, who was devoted to this amusement, +distinguished himself by his skill. "Take care, George!" said his +brother John, "you are going too far from the shore; it's hardly safe +out there. Please to recollect, that neither you nor I can swim, and +we'd be in a fine case if you fell in." "Who's afraid? I'm not for one!" +cried George, fearlessly dashing off to the centre of the pond: but at +the very moment when he was raising a triumphant shout, and calling upon +the rest to follow him, a sharp crack was heard, the ice gave way under +him, and he disappeared in the water! A cry of dismay broke from the +group of his companions: instinctively John rushed forward to save him, +but was held back by the others, who well knew that two would then be +lost, instead of one. But in an instant, before George rose again to the +surface, Tom Green, the oldest of the cousins, and a tall, manly fellow, +had stripped off his coat, and gaining the spot, had plunged into the +water. It was intensely cold, and he was obliged to break away the ice +for some distance round before he was able to seize hold of poor George, +who had risen up only to find a glassy wall, impenetrable to all his +efforts, between himself and the outer air, and who had given himself up +for lost. + +Tom at length succeeded in forcing his way to ice thick enough to +sustain his weight, and giving up his precious burden to the anxious +group above, he reached the shore in safety. Both were chilled through, +and almost numb, from the excessive cold of the water, and Tom's hands +were cut by the ice, which he had been obliged to break: but they were +not the lads tamely to give up, and moan over their condition, when they +were able to act. "Now, boys, for a race!" cried Tom: "it's the only +hope of putting a little life into us, and of keeping off the +rheumatism--let us see who will be the first at The Grange!" They +accordingly started, running as fast as the numbness of their feet would +allow, and soon arrived at the house; but what remarkable objects were +Tom and George, when they presented themselves before the eyes of their +astonished aunt and cousins! Their dress, soaked with water, was now +perfectly stiff, like a coat of armor, and the edges hung with icicles, +as did their hair; Cornelia, concerned as she was for her brother and +cousin, could not, when she thought of it, long afterwards, refrain from +merry peals of laughter at the ludicrous appearance they made--they +looked as if they had come from the North Pole, representatives from the +regions of eternal ice and snow. Mrs. Wyndham very soon had beds +prepared for them, where, wrapt up in blankets, and comforted by a warm +drink, which the advocates of the Maine Liquor Law would not have +altogether approved of, they speedily recovered their vital warmth, and +the elasticity of their spirits. Uncle John assured the young party, who +were full of fears for their health, that his anticipations of evil +consequences had been scattered by seeing those piled-up plates at +dinner-time return to him to be replenished: he thought that such fine +appetites were very good symptoms. They spent the day in bed, but were +so much recruited from their exhaustion by a sound sleep, that Aunt Lucy +mercifully took off her restriction, and allowed them to join the family +group at supper. Tom's hands were bound up, on account of "those +honorable scars," as Cornelia called them, and the two, the rescued and +the rescuer, were decidedly the heroes of the evening: the girls, ever +full of admiration of gallant conduct, looked upon good-natured and +pleasant Tom Green with a respect they had not felt before. + +One of the games this evening was "What is my thought like?" Mary went +round the circle asking the question, and when she announced that her +thought was _President Taylor_, there was some amusement at the +incongruity of the replies. She then asked each one for a reason of the +resemblance, and an answer was to be given immediately, or a forfeit to +be paid. + +"Cornelia, why was President Taylor like a _sunset_?" + +"Because his career was splendid like the sun, and his loss equally +regretted." + +"John, why was he like a _brick_?" + +"So substantial." + +"Amy, why was he like a _cat_?" + +"Why--because he was so 'cute." + +"Alice, why was he like a _sigh_?" + +"He always excited so much sympathy in the hearts of the people." + +"George, how did he resemble _cream_?" + +"Because he was the very best and tip-top of all that was good." + +"Tom, why was he like a _cow_?" + +"Because he did not know how to run." + +"Ellen, why was he like an _umbrella_?" + +"Because he sheltered many." + +"Gertrude, how did he resemble the _Alps_?" + +"He towered aloft majestically above his fellow-men." + +"Harry, how did you make him out like a _laugh_?" + +"Oh, he was such a merry old soul." + +"Then, how does Anna make him resemble a _tear_?" + +"He was so sympathetic with the woes of others." + +"Aunt Lucy, how was he like a _fire_?" + +"He was warm-hearted, and the centre of attraction to so many." + +"And, Louis, how do you make him like a _flower_?" + +"His presidential career was bright, and short-lived, like a flower." + +"Charlie, why was he like a _vine_?" + +"That's plain enough--his motto was _'A little more grape_.'" + +Amy went round collecting resemblances for her thought, and then said +that she had the watch-dog, Trusty, in her mind. + +"Why is Trusty like _paper_?" + +"Because he's white." + +"Then, why is he like _ink_?" + +"Because he's so useful." + +"Why is he like a _table_?" + +"Because he's a quadruped." + +"Why is he like _Aunt Lucy_?" + +"He is so good and faithful." + +"Why is he like a _bed_?" + +"His steadiness at his post enables us to enjoy undisturbed sleep." + +"How does he resemble a _carpet_?" + +"He generally lies on the floor, but is sometimes brushed off." + +"How is he like a _lion_?" + +"He is very fond of meat." + +"How does he resemble _Cousin Mary_?" + +"He has a collar round his neck." + +"How is he like a _tree_?" + +"He is so very full of bark." + +Gertrude then proposed trying another game she had seen played, which +was called "Questions." She said it was generally done by using +playing-cards, but as she knew Uncle and Aunt had an objection to having +them in the house, she had prepared a set of blank cards for the +purpose. There were duplicates of every one, and she had numbered them, +1, 2, 3, etc., in large characters: one set was placed in the centre of +the table, around which they drew up, and the duplicates were shuffled +and dealt to each in turn. When they were all supplied, one would draw a +card from the table, asking some personal question; and all looking at +their cards, the one who had the duplicate must throw it upon the table, +and say, "It is I." It was found that the sillier and more impertinent +the question, the more laughter it caused. + +"Who comes down last to breakfast?" said Tom, drawing from the pack one +marked 8. + +"I do," replied Aunt Lucy, throwing down her corresponding 8. + +"Who is the prettiest person present?" said Aunt Lucy, drawing out a 3. + +"I am," said George, with a grin--being quite reconciled to the fact +that he was decidedly the ugliest one of the party; at the same time +mating his 3 with its companion on the table. + +"Who loves mince-pie the best?" said Amy + +"I do," replied Ellen, with a laugh. + +"Which of us is the old maid of the company?" said Cornelia. + +"It is I," cried Tom, in a tone of triumph. + +"Which of us has a hole in her stocking?" said Alice. + +"Oh, it is I myself." + +And so it went on until the pack was exhausted, when all agreed that it +was time for the daily story, which they seemed to think as much a +matter of course as the supper. Aunt Lucy said that she would gladly +tell them a short one, which should be called + + +The Orphan's Tale, or the Vicissitudes of Fortune. + +The early days of Margaret Roscoe were spent in the beautiful manse of +Linlithgow, in the north of Scotland, where her venerable grandfather +had for half a century been engaged in breaking the bread of life to a +large congregation of humble parishioners. No wealth or grandeur was to +be seen within the walls of the kirk where Alan Roscoe officiated: there +were no waving plumes, no flashing jewels, no rustling silks; and when, +as a young man, he accepted his appointment to this remote parish, his +college friends grieved that his noble talents should be wasted, and his +refinement of mind thrown away upon rough country folks, unable to +appreciate him. But the young minister was convinced that his proper +field of labor was now before him, and resolutely putting aside the +temptings of ambition, he devoted himself in the most exemplary manner +to his parochial duties. Although he and his family were debarred from +the advantages of cultivated society, and from the mental excitement +which only such intercourse can afford, they cheerfully made the +sacrifice, for the sake of the cause to which they were wholly given up; +and they thought themselves more than repaid by the improvement and the +reverent love of the people. It is a great mistake to suppose that +plain, unlettered men cannot rightly estimate superior abilities, +erudition, and refinement; where there is any native shrewdness and +strength of mind, these higher gifts are quickly discerned, and add +greatly to the influence which sincerity and earnestness of character +will ever command. In Scotland this is especially true, for the +countrymen of Bruce and Wallace are distinguished for their sagacity; +and their acquaintance with Scripture is so extensive that their natural +intelligence is sharpened, and superficial knowledge and flowery +discourses are not tolerated from the pulpit. Certain it is, that as +years rolled on, and the white hairs became thicker on Mr. Roscoe's +head, love and veneration were the universal feelings entertained toward +him: and at the time when our story commences, when the infant Margaret +and her young widowed mother removed beneath the shelter of his roof, he +was the respected pastor, the beloved friend, and the revered father of +all within the circle of his influence. + +Malcom Roscoe, Margaret's father, was a young man of superior abilities, +but of great original delicacy of constitution; he was retiring, +studious, meditative, and in all respects a contrast to his older and +only brother, Alan, who early developed those qualities which are +necessary to the active man of business. A very warm attachment united +these two young men, and a sad blow it was to Malcom, when his brother, +with the energy and decision natural to his character, announced his +intention of emigrating to America, where bright prospects had opened +before him. An old friend had commenced a large commercial establishment +in one of the Atlantic cities, and had offered him a clerkship, with the +prospect of speedy admission into the firm: he regretted to leave his +aged father, and his only brother, but such an excellent opportunity of +advancing himself in life was not to be neglected, and he gratefully +accepted the proposition. With many tears, he bade adieu to the beloved +inmates of the manse, and set out for the New World: his industry and +integrity had been greatly prospered, and in a few years he was an +honored partner of the house into which he had entered as a penniless +clerk. + +What, meantime, had been Malcom's lot? He had applied himself with +assiduity to the study of divinity, for which both his character and his +abilities had admirably fitted him, but his health was unequal to the +demands made upon it. He passed his examination with great honor, was +immediately called to a parish, and went there to settle, accompanied by +his young wife, a delicate and interesting orphan girl, to whom he had +been long attached. His zealous spirit saw much to rectify, and many +labors to perform, in his new sphere: he entered with ardor into the +discharge of his duties, but soon he found that his frail body had been +overtasked by its imperious master the soul, and was no longer able to +do his bidding. He faded away from earth, as do so many of the best and +noblest of the race, when just ready to apply to the loftiest purposes +the faculties so carefully trained. To us, such occurrences appear to be +very mysterious dispensations of Providence: but the individual himself +has attained the true object of his being, the full development of all +his powers, and is prepared for a more elevated existence. And we may +believe, since not even a sparrow falls to the ground unheeded by our +Father, and since no waste is allowed in nature, so that even the dead +leaf ministers to new combinations of being, that the noble gifts of the +mind will not be unused after death. In other spheres, amid other +society, they will doubtless be employed for the benefit of immortal +beings. Mutual beneficence must form a large part of the business and +pleasure of heaven. + +After Malcom's death, his widow and infant child came to live with old +Mr. Roscoe at Linlithgow. Happily for the young mourner, the household +cares of the manse now devolved upon her, in addition to the charge of +Margaret; and these occupations, no doubt, aided greatly in restoring +the serenity of her spirit. She had little time to brood over her +sorrows--those small solicitudes and minute attentions to the feelings +and comfort of others, which fill up so large a portion of a true +woman's time, were with her a double blessing, cheering both the giver +and receiver. She realized that it is woman's honor and happiness to be, +in an especial manner, a ministering spirit; and thus she learned to +resemble the bright hosts above, whom she hoped one day to join, and +grow in the likeness of Him who declared, "The Son of man came not into +the world to be ministered unto, but to minister." No wonder is it that +the gentle young widow, whose face ever beamed with kindness, whose hand +was ever outstretched to aid the unfortunate, was looked up to with a +love and veneration only inferior to that with which Mr. Roscoe himself +was regarded. + +In such an atmosphere of affection, and under the best influences of +unaffected piety and refinement, little Margaret expanded in beauty and +goodness, like a sweet flower planted in a fertile soil, and refreshed +by soft-falling dews and healthful breezes. She was something like her +own Scottish heather--distinguished by no uncommon brilliancy of mind or +person, but yet one upon whom your eye delighted to fall, and on whom +your heart could dwell with pleasure. Her clear, rosy complexion showed +that she had inherited none of her parent's delicacy of constitution; +and large, deep, violet-colored eyes, shaded by long lashes, made her +face a very interesting one. She was a most lovable little girl, gentle +and thoughtful beyond her years; it seemed as if something of the shadow +of her mother's grief had fallen upon her young spirit, repressing the +volatility of childhood, and making her ever considerate of the +feelings and studious of the comfort of others. She was her +grandfather's constant companion; and it was very beautiful to see these +two, so widely separated by years, and so closely united by affection, +entwining their lives together--the old man imparting instruction and +guidance, and the child warming his heart with the bright hopes and +sweet ways of her innocent age. + +And so the three lived on, in perfect contentment and uninterrupted +peace, until Margaret was seven years old, when her grandfather was +taken ill, and the manse, once so happy, was filled with sorrow. He +lingered for some time, faithfully nursed by his daughter, who overtaxed +her own strength by her daily toils and nightly watchings. He at last +sank into the tomb, as a shock of corn, fully ripe, bends to the earth: +he was full of years, and of the honor merited by a life spent in the +arduous discharge of duty. His only regret was that he was unavoidably +separated from his son; and he advised his daughter, as soon as she had +settled his affairs, to accept Alan's pressing invitation to her to make +her home with him, and to depart with her child for America, where she +would be gladly welcomed. + +After the funeral, as the new incumbent of the parish wished to take +possession of the manse as soon as possible, Mrs. Roscoe made +arrangements to leave the spot she loved so well: and disposing of the +furniture, and settling the debts incurred by her father's illness, she +found that no very large sum would be left after the passages across the +Atlantic were paid for. In Alan Roscoe's last letter, he had entered +into many details about his circumstances, in order to take from her +mind the objections which delicacy might urge as to her dependent +position. He told her that he had been eminently successful as a +merchant in Charleston, and had amassed so considerable a fortune that +he intended very soon to retire from business; and that he had some +thoughts of settling in one of the northern cities, as his health, and +that of his family, had suffered from the climate. He said that a dear +and only sister, as she was, ought to have no reluctance in sharing the +superfluity of his wealth: she would thereby give far more than she +received. And his brother's orphan should be most heartily welcomed to +his heart and home: she should be taught with his children, and should +share in every respect the situation and prospects of his own little +ones, for he must receive Malcom's child, not as a niece, but as a +daughter. He advised her sailing direct for Charleston, as it would save +all trouble and difficulty: he should be on the wharf to meet her, and +if, as was frequently the case with business men, he was unavoidably +absent, his very attentive partner would be there to greet her, in +company with Mrs. Roscoe. + +She accordingly wrote, accepting his kind proposition, and stating that +they should sail in the first vessel bound for Charleston, as she was +anxious to have little Maggie again settled in a home; and the more so, +as her own health was very delicate, and she knew not how long her dear +child might have a mother to watch over her. Then taking leave of the +humble friends, who would gladly have kept them ever in Scotland, Mrs. +Roscoe and her daughter set off for the nearest seaport, where the +shrinking young widow, entirely friendless and unknown, was obliged +herself to make inquiries among the shipping offices and wharves. She +found that no vessel would start for some weeks for Charleston, and she +felt that every day was of consequence to her: but she was at last +relieved of her distress by a bluff, good-natured captain, who told her +that although he didn't hail from Charleston, it was exactly the same +thing; he sailed to Boston, and the two places were as close together as +twin cherries on one stalk, or kernels in a nut, and that he would see +to it she had no trouble in finding her friends. Being a Scotchman, and +partaking of that ignorance of American geography which is so common +both in Great Britain and on the continent, he naturally mistook +Charleston, South Carolina, for which she was inquiring, for +Charlestown, near Boston--an error which has frequently been made. Nor +is it as gross a one as some others which have been perpetrated; as, for +instance, that of the late Prince Schwartzenberg, minister of Austria, +who directed some dispatches for our government to "The United States of +New York." + +And now behold little Margaret actually launched upon the stormy ocean +of life! for her small bark was destined soon to be severed from its +guide and conductor, and to be left, without a pilot, to the wildly +tossing waves and bleak winds of a selfish world. Did I say without a +pilot? not so! a hand, unseen, directed her fate, and although she was +called to pass thus early through troubled waters, the end will +doubtless show that all was well. But the present trial was a very +bitter one. A few days only after the embarkation, Mrs. Roscoe's weak +frame gave way, under the combined influence of sorrow, fatigue, and +anxiety; she was only ill a week, then sank, and was consigned to a +watery grave. Little Margaret could not be separated from her for one +moment during her illness, but, clasping her mother's hand in hers, +remained by her, smoothing her pillow, bringing her the cooling draught, +and seeking, in a thousand loving ways, to cheer and relieve her. + +Before her death, Mrs. Roscoe called the Captain, and committed little +Maggie to his especial care. She told him of her expectation that her +brother, Mr. Alan Roscoe, a prominent importing merchant in Charleston, +would immediately come on board to claim his niece, when the vessel +arrived; but to guard against any possibility of a mistake, she gave him +the number of the street in which he resided. The bluff, but +kind-hearted man drew his red, hard hand repeatedly across his eyes, as +he listened to her anxious directions about the little girl she was so +soon to leave. He told her he didn't know much himself about either +Charleston or the people who lived in it, as he had been engaged until +very lately in the South Sea trade; but, of course, his consignees at +Boston would, and if there were any difficulty, he should put the matter +into their hands. He begged her to be under no uneasiness--her daughter +should be well attended to. + +On the last day of her illness, the little girl sat by her in the berth, +and for the first time appeared to realize that her mother, her only +earthly friend, was about to die. Her little cheek was now almost as +white as the dying woman's, and she moistened the bed with tears: she +could not restrain her sobs. Her mother passed her arm around her, and +strove to comfort her: she told her that, although she must now leave +her, and go where her dear father and grandfather awaited her, her +little girl had one friend who would never cast her off, and who could +never die, who had promised to be the father of the fatherless. Whatever +should befall her, she must put all her trust in Him who had said, "When +thy father and thy mother forsake thee, then the Lord shall take thee +up." With all the energy which the love of a dying woman could give, she +besought her child to cleave with perfect love to Him who was so kind +and pitiful. She then placed around her neck a medallion, inclosing a +portrait of herself and her husband, with their initials, the date of +their marriage, and locks of their hair, and told her never to part with +it, but to wear it next her heart. She directed her to be in all +respects obedient to her uncle, and ever to act toward him as if he were +her own father. At last, exhausted by the the long conversation she had +held, she sank back and fell asleep: it was so sweet and natural a rest, +that Margaret long waited by her side, afraid to stir lest she should +awake her mother. A happy smile seemed diffused over that face, lately +so earnest and so anxious; it appeared to say, my troubles are now over, +my work is done, I have entered into my reward. And so it was! the +sorrow-stricken woman had gently passed away from earth, and little +Margaret was watching beside the dead. + +Shall I attempt to describe the grief of the child, deprived of all she +loved? The rough, but kindly sailors were much moved by it, and strove, +in their uncouth way, to comfort her. After the first few days of +passionate lamentation, the motherless girl became more quiet in her +sorrow, and then the demonstrations of sympathy ceased: but any one who +gazed upon her wasted form, her white cheek, and languid steps, might +have guessed the tears she shed upon her pillow at night. At last the +vessel arrived in Boston, and Margaret's heart beat quick each time she +saw a good-looking gentleman step on board, for every instant she +thought her unknown uncle would arrive. She tried to fancy how he +looked, and although she had heard that he and her father were very +unlike, still her imagination brought up before her a face like that +within her highly-prized medallion. So passed the day, in anxious +waiting and nervous tremors, but her uncle came not; and as the night +drew near, a sense of perfect loneliness and desertion came over her, +and she leaned her head upon her hands, and tears, wrung from the +heart, trickled through them. All around her was bustle; every one had +an object, all had a home, and a place in the world, and some to love +them--all but she; she felt completely the orphan. Some think that +children do not suffer mentally as their elders do--what a mistake! +Their emotions are more transitory, but frequently more violent while +they last. Many an angry child, if he had the physical strength, would +commit deeds from which reason and conscience deter the man--and keen +and bitter, although fleeting, are the sorrows they experience. As the +little creature, so tenderly reared and now so utterly desolate, sat +upon the deck, with no earthly being to look up to for love and +sympathy, surely a pitying angel must have wafted into her heart her +mother's dying words, "When thy father and thy mother forsake thee, then +the Lord shall take thee up." It stole into her soul like oil upon the +troubled waters: it seemed as if a voice had said to the tempest within +her, "Peace, be still." She felt that there still was one who cared for +her--one who could neither die nor change; and the prayer of faith +ascended from those young lips to "_Our father_ who art in heaven." +Soothing, blessed influence of religion! felt by young as well as +old--how, in trouble, could we dispense with it? would not our hearts +sink under their load? would not our spirits be crushed within us? + +The next day the Captain set himself in earnest to fulfill his promise +to the dying woman. The head of the firm to which his goods were +consigned was absent from home, but a very kind-hearted young fellow, a +junior partner, attended to the business during his absence, and +accordingly he directed his inquiries to him. "Mr. Alan Roscoe, a +merchant of Charlestown!" said young Howard, "why, I never heard the +name--there is surely some mistake. I know all the business men of the +place, and there is no such person. Have you the direction?" "Yes, sir, +No. 200 Meeting-street." "Why, Captain, here is a complete blunder! +there is no street of that name in Charlestown. I should not wonder, now +I come to think of it, if Charleston, South Carolina, were meant; +Meeting-street is, I know, one of the most fashionable promenades. And I +remember hearing of a Mr. Roscoe, a great southern merchant--either in +Charleston, or Mobile, or New Orleans, I don't rightly know where--but +somewhere in the South. I'll tell you what, Captain, you're full of +business, and can't attend to her; I'll take her home with me, for she's +a dear little thing, and then I can inquire about her uncle, and send +her on by the first opportunity. Great pity such a blunder was made!" + +Accordingly, Mr. Howard engaged a hack, which was piled up with little +Maggie's trunks, and he was about jumping in, when he was nearly run +over by his friend Russell. "Hallo, Howard!" "Is that you, Russell?" "No +one else; but what on earth are you doing with such a heap of trunks? +has a friend arrived?" "Only a little orphan, who came in one of our +ships; her mother died on board, and to crown the misfortune, they got +into the wrong vessel. They wanted to go to Charleston, S.C., where this +child has an uncle, Mr. Alan Roscoe, a rich merchant; so they came to +Charlestown by mistake. I'm taking the little creature home with me, +until I find out about him." "The luckiest thing in the world! Why, I +know Mr. Roscoe myself; he lives in Meeting-street; I became acquainted +with him in Charleston last Winter. But he has either given up business, +or intends to do so; he is in New York at this moment; I saw him the +other day at the Astor House, and he told me he had some thought of +removing to New York or Philadelphia." "In New York, is he? what a +piece of good fortune! How I wish I knew some one going on there. If I +were not so uncommonly busy, now that Mr. Field is away, I would take +her myself." "If you'd like it, my dear fellow, I'll take charge of the +child--you know I always have acquaintances going on to New York--I know +every one in the two cities, pretty much. I'll give her over to some +safe person, and then she'll be with her uncle to-night." "Thank you, +you're a real good soul; you can attend to it as well as I, of course. +And I am anxious to get the poor little thing to her relations as soon +as possible, so I'll be much obliged to you." "Good-by, then;--driver, +go as fast as your horses can carry you to the New York depot, for we're +rather late." + +When they arrived, they were only a few minutes before the time. Mr. +Russell walked through the cars, looking on either side, but, to his +chagrin, he saw no one he knew. Any one who has ever sought for an +acquaintance, while the steam was puffing, and panting, and screeching, +as if in mortal pain until it was allowed to have its own way, and send +the train along at the rate of forty miles an hour, can understand the +flustered, bewildered feelings of young Russell, as, with the child in +one hand, he perambulated the cars. "Is any gentleman here willing to +take charge of this little girl?" said he. "What's to be done with her +when we get to New York?" answered a man near him. "Her uncle, Mr. Alan +Roscoe, is staying at the Astor House; all you have to do is to take the +child and her baggage to him, and as he is a southern gentleman, and +very rich, he'll see that you are well paid for your trouble." "I'll +take charge of her; have you got her ticket?" "No; and I declare I have +no more than half a dollar with me--can you advance the money? you will +be paid tenfold when you get to New York." "I'll do it as a +speculation: here, my pretty young lady, sit in my seat while I see to +your baggage." "Just got it in the baggage-car in time,--good-by, sir!" +"Good-by--good-by, Miss Roscoe!" "Good-by, sir--I wish it were _you_ +going on to New York!" + +Little Maggie did not like her travelling companion at all. Children are +great physiognomists, and their simple instincts are frequently surer +guides than the experience and wisdom of older persons, in detecting +character. She could not bear to talk to him--his conversation, +garnished with low cant phrases, was so different from any thing to +which she had ever been accustomed. But when she looked up into his +face, the repugnance she had at first felt became changed into +aversion--the low, narrow forehead, the furtive, but insolent glance of +his eye, and the expression of vulgar cunning about the mouth, formed a +countenance which might well justify her in shrinking back into her +seat, as far from him as possible. + +When they arrived in New York, Smith, for that was the man's name, +engaged a carriage, and drove with little Margaret to the Astor House; +but, in answer to his inquiries, he was told that no one of the name of +Roscoe was lodging, or had been boarding there for the past month. He +muttered a curse, and jumped again into the hack. "What do you make of +this? that uncle of yours is not there." "Oh dear, what _shall_ I do? +but, indeed, the gentleman said he saw him in the Astor House." "What is +the gentleman's name, can you tell me?" "I don't know his name." "Don't +know his name, don't you? I'm prettily bit! But perhaps he may be in +some other hotel, we'll go and see." They accordingly drove round to the +chief hotels, but no Mr. Roscoe was to be found at any of them. + +Smith flew into a terrible passion. "Cheated for once in my life! sold, +if ever a fellow was! it's a regular trick that was played! They wanted +to get rid of their beggar's brat, and palmed her off upon me, with that +humbug story of the nabob of an uncle. I'll nabob her! And there's her +ticket, which I was fool enough to pay for, and the carriage hire, and +my trouble with this saucy thing, who holds her head up so high; if ever +I am swindled again, my name's not Sam Smith!" + +"I'm sure I'm very sorry; what are you going to do with me, sir?" "Take +you home with me, until I can get rid of you, and pay myself out of your +trunks, unless they're filled with stones. It wouldn't be such a bad +idea to lose you in the streets, accidentally; but no, on second +thoughts, it's better not; there are always some troublesome +philanthropists about." "Oh, sir, if you can't find my uncle, won't you +send me on to Boston again? The Captain told my mother he'd find him for +me--or that good gentleman would." "The Captain's a rogue, and so is +your _good gentleman_. Are you such an eternal fool as to think I'll pay +your passage again? you're mightily mistaken, I can tell you. I don't +believe you ever had an uncle, you little cheat--and if you don't hush +up about him, I'll find a way to make you." + +Little Margaret was too much frightened to answer, and they kept on +their way, through narrow muddy streets lined with lofty warehouses, and +alleys filled with low German and Irish lodging-houses and beer-shops, +until they came to a wider highway, at the corners of which Margaret +read the name of Chatham street. On each side of the way were shops of +the strangest appearance--furniture, old and new, was piled up together, +coats and cloaks hung out at the doors, watches and jewelry of a tawdry +description made a show in the windows, and men with keen black eyes +and hooked noses, and stooping backs which looked as if they had never +been erect in their lives, stood at the entrances, trying to attract the +attention of the passer-by. As Margaret looked at them, she thought of +the stories her mother had read to her of the ant-lion, stealthily +watching at the bottom of its funnel-shaped den for its prey, which the +deceitful sand brings within its reach, if once the victim comes to the +edge of the pit; and of the spider, so politely inviting the fly within +its parlor. + + + "Will you walk into my parlor?" said the Spider to the Fly, + "'Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you did spy; + The way into my parlor is up a winding stair, + And I've many curious things to show you when you're there." + "Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "to ask me is in vain, + For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again." + + +At the door of some of the shops, she saw a man standing upon a box, +with a hammer in his hand, and a crowd around him, eager, and bidding +against one another. "Going, going, a splendid gold watch at five +dollars--the greatest bargain in the world--tremendous sacrifice--going, +going, _gone_!" + +At last they came to his den; a shop like the rest, piled up with old +brass andirons, sofas, bureaus, tables, lamps, coats and pants, ropes, +feather-beds, and hideous daubs of pictures. Old-fashioned +mantel-ornaments, looking-glasses, clocks pointing to all hours of the +day, waiters with the paint rubbed off, old silver candlesticks, and a +heap of other trash, completed the furniture of the room. Stumbling +through this lumber, Smith led her up to a little garret, where the bare +rafters were covered with dust, and one hole of a window let in some +light, enough to reveal the nakedness of the place. In one corner, upon +the dirty floor, was an old bed; a piece of a mirror was fastened +against the wall, which looked quite innocent of the whitewash brush; +and a stool, which had lost one of its legs, was lying in a very +dejected attitude near the door. "Here you are to lodge," said Smith, +with a sardonic grin, as he noticed the child's dismay at the +announcement. "You can stay up here till I want you, and when you are +hungry, you can go down stairs to the little back kitchen and get a +slice of bread; but don't dare to show your face in the shop." "When +will my trunks come?" said the little girl, whose wits were sharpened by +the necessity of looking out for her own interests. "Never you mind +about them trunks," replied Smith; "I advise you to keep quiet, and it +will be the better for you." So saying, he descended into his shop, and +left the poor child to her meditations, which were none of the +pleasantest. + +Two days passed without Smith making his appearance, and Margaret worked +up her courage to the point of going into the shop, even if it did +excite his anger, and insisting upon his taking her to her uncle, or +sending her back to the ship. She walked in, unnoticed, and the first +object that met her sight was one of her mother's large trunks, open and +empty, with the price marked upon the top. Around the room she saw the +others, and the contents, so precious to her from association with her +deceased parent, were hanging about upon pegs, looking ashamed of their +positions. Horrified, the little girl ran up to Smith: "these are my +things," she said; "how dare you put them into the shop?" "You had +better hush up, little vixen," replied the man, "or I'll take the very +clothes from off your back. You don't think I am going to keep you +without receiving board, do you?" "But I'm not going to stay here. I'll +go back to the ship--the Captain will _make_ you give me my things," +cried the child, bursting into passionate tears. "Go--I'd like nothing +better; go back to Boston as fast as you can, cry-baby, and give my +compliments to the gentleman who cheated me into taking you," replied +Smith, with his odious smile. "Then why will you not take me to my +uncle? I don't want to stay in this horrid place." "Take care, or you'll +get into a worse--as for your uncle, I saw in the paper yesterday an +account of his death, so you need have no hopes from him." "Dead! all +dead!" said Margaret, sinking down into the nearest seat, for her head +swam, and her knees trembled so that she could not stand. "Yes, he's +dead as a door nail--no mistake about that. So you had better not be +troublesome, or you won't fare as well as you do. Here, Jackson," he +said to a rough, bloated-looking, elderly countryman, who had been +purchasing some old furniture, and had now re-entered the shop, "didn't +you say that you wanted a little girl to do your work?" "Yes, I did," +replied the man, "my old woman is not worth any thing any more. But I +must have some one that will not be interfered with: I intend to get an +orphan from the alms-house, that will suit me best." "Here is an orphan, +who is the very thing: she has no relations or friends in the world, and +I'm rather tired of keeping her--I'll give her to you for nothing." +"That would do, but she does not look like a poor child: she is dressed +like a little lady, and her hands are small and white, as if she wasn't +used to rough work." "She _is_ dressed up more than she should be, but +you can soon mend that; and I'll answer for it, she'll learn to do the +rough work soon enough." "Well, I'll take her: have her bundle ready by +the afternoon, and I'll call for her in the wagon, and take the girl and +the other baggage at the same time." "Agreed--she shall be ready." + +It would be hard to describe little Margaret's feelings during the +preceding dialogue: she plainly saw that there was no escape for her, +unless she rushed into the street, and claimed the protection of any +chance passer-by, and that honest Smith took pains to prevent, by +locking her up in her room. When there alone, she threw herself down +upon the bed, and sobbed as if her heart would break: "If my mother, my +dear, dear mother, was living, _she_ would take care of me. She would +not let me stay in this filthy place--she would not let me eat dry bread +and water--she would not let that ugly old man take me away, to do +servants' work. Oh mother! mother! I wish I were dead too!" When her +passion of grief was exhausted, comfort and hope began to dawn upon her, +and she thought, "It cannot certainly be as bad in the country, where +the old man lives, as here, in this vile hole, with all these disgusting +smells and sights. And my mother said, that God is a friend who can +never die or change, who will never leave or forsake the poor orphan. I +will try to be a better child, and then God will love me: perhaps I +deserve this, for being naughty. I certainly will try to be good." + +In the afternoon, Jackson came for his baggage, as he called it, and +after the furniture was stowed away, Smith brought down the little girl, +and gave into her hand a very small bundle of clothes, bidding her tell +no tales, or she should find she was in his power yet. She was put into +the wagon, on top of the furniture, and the old man, whose face was red, +and whose breath smelt of liquor, set off at a smart pace. It was late +in the evening before they reached the solitary and desolate farm-house, +which Jackson called his home: Margaret scrambled out as best she could, +and entered the dwelling. Although it was now late in the autumn, there +was no fire upon the hearth, and the room looked to the last degree +dismal. It had something more of a habitable aspect when the furniture +was brought in, but it was evident that no "neat-handed Phillis" had +been accustomed to range through the house; and the spiders had provided +the only ornaments to be found anywhere about, by hanging the walls with +tapestry, which certainly could not be produced in the looms of France. +Margaret found that there were two other inhabitants of this neglected +house--Jackson's wife, a sad, heart-broken woman, only too evidently in +a dying condition, and a son of about fifteen, rude, stubborn, and +rebellious, whose only good-feeling seemed to be love to his poor +mother. Jackson brought out some food, of which Margaret stood greatly +in need, and she was then happy to be allowed to retire to the loft +allotted to her, as she was exhausted by the ride and the agitation of +mind she had gone through during the past week. Miserable as was her +attic, she slept soundly until waked by the sun shining into her eyes: +she quickly dressed, but did not escape a scolding from her sullen +master, who commanded her to make a fire, and get his breakfast for him. +Margaret was remarkably quick and handy for a child of her age, as her +affection to her mother and grandfather had prompted her to do many +little things for them which so young a girl seldom thinks of; but her +delicate white fingers were unused to menial tasks, and to make a fire +was quite beyond the circle of her accomplishments. Jackson then called +upon his son to do it, but told her that he should not make it a second +time, and grumbled and swore at her while he remained in the house. + +It is astonishing how human nature can adapt itself to circumstances, so +that the thing which we must do we can do: little Margaret, who had ever +been so tenderly nurtured, soon learned to make the fire, to sweep the +rooms, and cook the meals. Not in the most scientific manner, truly; her +cookery would scarcely have been approved by Kitchener, Glass, or +Soyer, but it was done to the best of her slender ability. While poor +Mrs. Jackson lived, Maggie had at least the satisfaction of feeling that +her efforts to please her were understood: the grateful look, the +languid smile, and the half-expressed pity for the little slave, who was +now to fill her place, reminded the child of her mother, and made her +more contented with her situation. But when, exhausted by the life of +hardship and cruelty which the drunkard's wife must ever experience, +Mrs. Jackson slept her last sleep, and went to the home appointed for +all the living, "where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary +are at rest," then the little girl had none to feel for her. In a few +days, the boy, Bill Jackson, told her that now his mother was dead, he +wasn't such a fool as to stay there to be kicked and starved by his +father; he intended to run off and go to sea, and he advised her too "to +make herself scarce" as soon as she could. When he had gone, all the +brutality which had been divided between the mother and son, was now +visited on the innocent head of little Maggie; and unassisted even by +counsel, she had to perform all the household tasks. If she had received +kind words in payment, she could have overlooked many of the hardships +of her condition; but these she never got. Let her be as diligent and +pains taking as she would, severity and reproaches were all she met: +Jackson was always sullen and morose in the morning, and at night, +frequent potations from a large stone jug worked him up to a passion. +Then he would knock the furniture about, throw chairs at Margaret's head +if she came in his way, and swear in such a dreadful manner that the +little girl was glad to seek shelter in her cold and cheerless loft, +where at least she could be alone, and could pray to the One Friend she +had left. + +As the winter advanced, the child's sufferings greatly increased. The +cold was intense, the situation a bleak one, and the old farm-house full +of cracks and crannies which admitted the winter winds. Her clothing was +of a thin description, and nearly worn out by hard usage: at night also, +in her airy loft, she was often kept awake by the cold, or cried herself +to sleep. But the more severe the weather was, the more did Jackson +think it needful to take something a little warming, and the stone jug +was frequently replenished: of course his temper became more violent, +and Margaret was the sufferer. She kept out of the way as much as +possible, but had no place to which she could retreat, except her loft. +Here she would frequently solace herself by bringing out her medallion, +which, according to her mother's directions, she wore next her heart, +and gazing upon the beloved countenances of her parents--this dying gift +was the only relic she had left of former times. One day a snow-storm +set in, which reminded her of those she had seen among her own Scottish +hills, where the drifts are so great that the shepherd frequently loses +his life in returning to his distant home. The wind was piercing, and +the snow was so driven about that you could scarcely see a few feet +before you; and by evening it lay in deep piles against the door, and +around the house. Jackson had of course resorted to the whiskey jug very +frequently during the day, for consolation; and little Margaret, seeing +him more than usually excited, had sought refuge in the cold and dismal +loft, wrapping herself up as well as she could. As she sat there, +shivering, and thinking how differently she was situated on the last +snow-storm she remembered, when she was seated on a little stool, +between her mother and grandfather, holding a hand of each, before a +large blazing fire, and listening to beautiful tales--she heard Jackson +call her name in savage tones. She hastened, but before she could get +down the ladder which led to the room below, he called her again and +again, each time more fiercely so that her heart trembled like a leaf +upon a tree, dreading to meet his rage. He received her with oaths and +abuse; called her a lazy little wretch, who did not earn the bread she +eat, and commanded her to bring in an armful of wood from the pile, as +the fire was going out. She ventured to tell him that she had already +tried to find some, but ineffectually; in some places the snow was above +her head, and the air was so thick with it, now that night had come on, +that she could not see before her. But the violent man would take no +excuse: he drove her out with threats, and long she groped about, vainly +trying to discover the wood, which was completely hidden by the snow. +Her hands and feet became numb, and she felt that she _must_ return to +the house, if he killed her--she would otherwise die of the cold. She +came, timidly crawling into the room--the moment her master saw her, he +started up; fury made him look like a demon. Seizing a stick of wood +which still remained, he assailed her violently: the child, so tender +hearted, and so delicately reared, who could be recalled to duty by one +glance of the eye, was now subjected to the chastisement of a brutal, +insensate drunkard! At last he stopped, but his rage was not exhausted. +Opening the door, he told her never to darken it again--never more +should she dare to show herself within his house. Falling upon her +knees, the little girl besought him with tears not to expel her--she had +no one to go to, no father, no mother to take care of her. If she was +driven out into the snow, she should die with cold--if he would only +allow her to stay that night, she would leave on the morrow, if he +wished it! But tears and prayers were unavailing; all of man he had +ever had in his nature was now brutified by strong drink; as well might +she have knelt to the tiger thirsting for blood, as to him. Driving her +out with a curse, he shut and bolted the door. + +The depths of distress call up energies, even in the childish heart +which have never been felt before. What was there upon earth to revive +the spirit of the little orphan, so utterly deserted, so ready to +perish? Nothing. But there was something in heaven--and within that +girlish bosom there lived a faith in the unseen realities, which might +well have shamed many an older person. With her uncovered head exposed +to the falling snow, she knelt down, and this time she bent the knee to +no hard, cruel master; but with the confidence of filial love, she +uttered her fervent prayer to Him who is a very present help in time of +trouble. She called upon her Father to save a little helpless orphan; +or, if it were His will, to take her up to heaven--"_Thy_ will be done." +And she rose with a tranquillity and calm determination which many would +have deemed impossible in one so young; but there is a promise, and many +weak ones can testify to its fulfilment, "As thy day, so shall thy +strength be." + +Margaret went onward towards the public road: there was no farm-house +nearer than about a mile, and the child greatly doubted her ability to +reach it; but she had resolved to persevere in her efforts, while any +power remained in her muscles, any vital warmth in her heart. Onward +went that little child, painfully, but still steadily onward; she +struggled against the drowsiness that attacked her, but at last she +began to feel that she could do no more. But yield not yet to despair, +thou gentle and brave orphan! One stronger than thou has come to thy +assistance. For hearest thou not the subdued sound of horses' hoofs +scattering the snow? thou art saved! + +A traveller approaches, made of other stuff than the crafty Smiths and +the brutal Jacksons of the earth,--he sees that slight childish figure, +that bare head, those failing steps,--he thinks of his own little ones +at home, seated by the sparkling fire, and awaiting his return. He is +not one of those who hold the creed of impious Cain, "Am I my brother's +keeper?" But, instead, he is a follower of the Good Samaritan, or +rather, I should say, of Him who taught that lesson and practised it, +seeking and saving those who were lost. He stopped his horse. "My little +girl, what are you doing out of doors on a night like this? you will be +frozen to death. Why are you not at home with your father and mother?" +"I wish I were!" she said. "They are both dead--I wish I were with +them!" "But, my child, you must have a home; why are you out on such a +stormy night?" "I have no home, sir," replied poor Margaret. "I lived at +the nearest farm-house, but my master was angry with me for not bringing +in the wood, and beat me, and turned me out of doors; and I shall die of +cold very soon, unless you take care of me, sir." "Poor little deserted +one!" said the gentleman, jumping off from his horse. "Such a tiny thing +as she, cannot have done any thing very bad--and to send her out to die! +poor child! God sent me to you, and I will surely take care of you." So +saying, he took off his cloak, lined with warm fur, and shaking the snow +from her hair and clothes, carefully wrapped it around her, and placed +her in front of him upon his horse. "My good, thoughtful wife!" said he; +"when I laughed at you this morning for insisting upon my wearing this +cloak outside my great-coat, little did I think it would save a precious +life--I always do find it to my advantage to mind your womanly, wifely +instincts. And now, little girl, we will go home as fast as we can--I +will try to keep Jack Frost away from you with this cloak." Urging his +horse onward, Mr. Norton, for that was the good man's name, every now +and then spoke cheerily to the child whom he sustained with one arm, +striving to keep her awake, and telling her of the bright warm fire she +should see when they got home. At last they arrived there: when Mr. +Norton jumped off his horse, Margaret saw that they had come to a small +town, which looked very pretty as the snow lay upon the roofs and +fences. Before he could ring, the door flew open, and the warm light, +which looked like an embodiment of the love and happiness of home and +fireside pleasures, streamed out upon the pure, cold snow, revealing, to +the group within doors, the father carefully holding his burden. "Dear +father! are you not almost perished?" cried his oldest son, Frederic, a +manly little fellow, muffled up in cap, and coat, and worsted scarf. +"You must let me take old Charlie to the stable, and come in yourself +and thaw--you see I am all ready." "Well, my son, I believe I will; +particularly as I have a bundle here that I must take care of." "What +has father got?" said the younger children, wonderingly. "Why, it as +large as a bag of potatoes!" "I have brought you home a little sister, +children," Mr. Norton replied, entering the sitting-room and unwrapping +poor Margaret. "My dear wife, I found this child upon the road, almost +perished with cold: she is an orphan, and was cruelly treated by the +wretch of a master who turned her out of doors to-night. Only look at +her thin, worn-out gingham dress--and at the holes in her shoes!" "Poor +little lamb!" said Mrs. Norton, gazing on her with a mother's +pity--blessed effect of paternal and maternal love, that it opens the +heart to all helpless little ones! "Don't cry, my dear, you will not be +turned out of this house!" "Indeed, I cannot help it, ma'am; you are so +very kind--like my mother." "But, wife and children, we must not stand +here talking; we must get a tub of cold water, and keep her hands and +feet in it for some time, or she will be all frost-bitten. Sally, my +child, you need not place that chair for her so near the fire, for she +cannot sit there: help your mother to bring the water." Sally, although +rather younger than little Margaret, was a large child for her age, and +while the latter was getting thawed, and the good mother was making a +warming drink, she hunted up her thickest clothes, and begged that the +poor stranger might wear them. "And may she not sleep with me to-night, +mother?" "Oh no, mother, let her sleep with us," said Kate and Lucy, the +two younger children. "I am glad to see you want to have her with you," +replied their mother, "but as Sally is the nearest her age, and spoke +the first, I think I must gratify her. But if Kate and Lucy wish it, she +may sit between them at table." "Thank you, thank you, dear mother, that +will be pleasant. Oh how glad we are we have a new sister!" + +Soon was the story of the orphan's trials confided to the sympathizing +ears of those who had now adopted her as one of themselves, and soon did +the little girl feel at home in that household of love. Every day, as it +developed her warm feelings, her lively gratitude, and the intrinsic +worth of a character which seemed to inherit the virtues of her pious +ancestors, attached her new friends to her more closely. Mrs. Norton +declared that Margaret was the best child she had ever seen, and +perfectly invaluable to her: if she did not keep her because it was her +duty, and because she loved her, she certainly would as a daily pattern +to her own children. And besides, she had such pretty manners, and knew +so much, that it was better than sending the children to school, to have +them with her. + +If I were making up a story for your entertainment, my dear nieces and +nephews, I should tell you that Margaret always lived with this +admirable family, in perfect happiness, and that when she became a woman +she married Frederic, the oldest son, thus keeping the place of a +daughter in the house. But I am telling you the truth, which, you know, +is often stranger than fiction, and often sadder also. In stories, good +people are generally rewarded with uninterrupted prosperity, just as +some very judicious parents give their children plum-cake and sweetmeats +when they say their lessons well and do not scratch each others' eyes +out. But it is not so in the real world: the all-wise Father above, acts +on other principles. He knows that his children require evil, as well as +good, and that the best soil will become dry, hard, and sterile, if the +sun always shines upon it;--therefore it is that He sends dark, heavy +clouds and gloomy days. Unwise and unthankful as we are, we grievously +complain; but the showers still descend, and when we least expect it, +behold the beautiful sun! All nature is again gay and joyous: the birds +sing cheerily, the flowers raise up their dripping heads, new blossoms +are put forth, and, to use the language of Scripture, the little hills +skip like rams, the valleys shout, they also sing, and all the trees of +the field do clap their hands. My heroine is still under the cloud of +adversity, sharing in the fate of her protectors, and lightening their +trials by her ready hand and most affectionate heart. Two years after +she entered Mr. Norton's home, her benefactor was taken ill, and +lingered for some months before he was transferred to that better +mansion which is provided for each one of the faithful. Sad was the +desolation caused by his death. I will not speak of the sorrow of the +widow and of the orphans--you can all imagine that--but, in addition, +they were deprived of their home, and cast out upon the world. After +the bills were paid--the physician's, the apothecary's, and the +undertaker's, in addition to those necessarily contracted for the +household while the father was earning nothing, Mrs. Norton found that +not a penny was left her. Selling what she could, she removed to +Philadelphia, where she had resided in her youth, thinking that she +could easily obtain employment for her needle, and so support her young +family, while they shared the advantages of our excellent system of +public schools. But she found herself friendless and unknown in the +great city, with many competitors for a very little sewing; and she came +to the conclusion that it is the very poorest way by which a woman can +support herself. She obtained a situation for Frederic in a store, where +he receives rather more than is necessary for his own wants; and, +removing to the country, she took a little cottage for the sum which one +room would have cost her in town. Frederic is able to pay her rent: and +when she is well, with the aid of our little Margaret, she can maintain +herself and her helpless children in tolerable comfort. Thus the orphan +has it in her power to repay the kindness shown to her, and by +exercising the noble virtue of gratitude, to rise daily higher in the +scale of being." + +"Dear Aunty!" cried Amy, with all eagerness, "have you not been telling +us the story of _our_ Mrs. Norton, and that pretty little adopted +daughter of hers, with the large, deep blue eyes?" + +"You have guessed my riddle, Amy," replied her aunt, smiling. "I called +there this morning while you were all out--while George was amusing +himself by falling into the pond--and heard the whole history from the +sick woman's lips. I felt so deeply interested in it, that I thought you +could spend an hour worse than in listening to the simple tale." + +"Are you sure that you have not embellished it?" asked Mr. Wyndham, with +a smile. + +"Quite sure: for, although I filled up a few gaps in the narrative by +using my very common-place imagination, I assure you that all the facts +are substantially the same. And I don't doubt that if I had witnessed +the scenes described, I should have been able to make my story far more +pathetic, and far more romantic, because it would then have been a +daguerreotype of the truth. I have talked with little Margaret herself, +and certainly I have never seen a more engaging and lovely child. At my +urgent request, she consented to lend me her precious medallion for a +few days--and here it is." + +"What a spiritual, poetical face!" exclaimed Mr. Wyndham. "I declare it +reminds me of a portrait of Schiller which I once saw." + +"And the mother, too--there is no doubt of that woman being a real +lady," said Ellen. "Did you ever see a sweeter, gentler countenance?" + +"Never," replied Alice. "But, uncle, do you not know that I have an +idea? I guessed all along that Margaret Roscoe was _our_ little +friend--but I feel sure that rascal of a Smith was lying, when he said +he had seen her uncle's death in the paper. It's not very likely such a +fellow as he was, would object to telling an untruth! He only wanted to +get her trunks, and to quiet her, you may be sure. And I believe that +Mr. Alan Roscoe is now living in Philadelphia--and I believe that I know +him, uncle!" + +Her uncle started, and exclamations of surprise and delight burst from +all the circle. "It might very well be," Mr. Wyndham said; "I remember +thinking our amiable friend Smith was speaking an untruth, at the time, +although I did not carry out the idea. But do you know any one of that +name, Alice? Surely, it cannot be Mr. Roscoe, the retired merchant, who +is so prominent for his benevolence and liberality?" + +"Yes, sir, it is--I am intimate with his oldest child, Carrie. And I +know that he is a Scotchman, and they used to live in Charleston, and +his name is Alan, and his little boy is called Malcom! that's after +Margaret's father, I am sure. Carrie told me he had been named after an +uncle in Scotland who was dead!" + +"Is it possible?" replied Mr. Wyndham. "It really does look like it--if +it be actually so, my dear wife, here is another reverse of fortune for +your heroine, which you did not expect. The contrast would be great +indeed, between the little whitewashed cottage, and the magnificent +mansion on Walnut-street!" + +"I hope it will not turn her head!" said Charlie Bolton. + +"There is little fear of that, I think," rejoined Mrs. Wyndham. +"Margaret has early been tried in the furnace of affliction, and she has +come out gold: I believe she really possesses that gospel charity, one +of the marks of which is, that it is not, and cannot be, puffed up. But +what shall we do? shall we tell her of our hopes?" + +"By no means," replied her husband. "It would only excite expectations +which, after all, may be disappointed--although I am strongly convinced +that our suppositions are correct. For the first time in my life, I +regret that to-morrow will be Sunday; but early on Monday morning I +shall set out for the city, and for Mr. Roscoe's house or counting-room. +With my good wife's permission, I will take this medallion with me, and +show it to Mr. Roscoe--then I shall know in a moment if he is really +Margaret's uncle." + +"Will you be so kind as to take me with you?" asked a dozen voices at +once. + +"No, I will not," replied Mr. Wyndham, laughing. "The carriage cannot +possibly hold you all. If Alice wishes it, I will take her, both as a +reward for her quickness in making this discovery, and as a means of +introduction to Mr. Roscoe, with whom I am not acquainted. And if our +surmises prove correct, I expect to bring Mr. Roscoe back with me, which +is another reason for not riding twenty or thirty in a carriage." + +"Oh, uncle! uncle! twenty or thirty!" + +"Well, you are a baker's dozen, at least, that you cannot deny. I quite +long to get to town! I believe I am as much of a boy as Harry, there, or +Lewis--I _really_ wish I could put off Sunday just for one day, I am so +impatient!" + +"It will be an admirable exercise of your noblest faculties, uncle," +said Cornelia, slyly. "I am rather impatient myself, even at my mature +age. But the _moral discipline_, uncle, that is so invaluable that we +ought not to wish it to be otherwise." + +"Ah, you witch! I believe in my heart this is your revenge for my +refusing to take you to town with me," rejoined her uncle. + +"Not a bit of it--I bear no malice--it is only my native and +unconquerable pertness, which I sometimes fear may get me into a +difficulty with some one yet. But I am not at all afraid of you, dear +uncle; I know you understand that it's only my way." + +"Certainly, certainly; I should be a cross old fellow if I wished to +repress your youthful spirits." + +"But, uncle," said Charlie Bolton, "couldn't you put off Sunday as Dean +Swift, or somebody or other, put off the eclipse? That would obviate all +the difficulty." + +"I never heard that story," cried George Wyndham, "But every one knows +about 'Hail Columbia' _putting on_ an eclipse." + +"I don't, I must own," replied Cornelia, laughing. "Do tell it straight, +if you can, you monkey." + +"I'll try, my own true sister. If it wasn't Hail Columbia, it was +Columbus, and that's all one, the whole world knows. When the Indians +began to discover that the Spaniards were not gods, as they at first +thought, they became a little obstreperous, and wanted to starve them +out--quite natural, under the circumstances. But Columbus, from his +knowledge of astronomy, was aware that a total eclipse of the moon would +take place the next night. So he called a meeting of the natives, and +informed them that they had brought upon themselves the vengeance of the +Great Spirit by their conduct--that at a certain hour, the light of the +moon would be nearly put out, and its orb would look like blood, as a +sign to them of the displeasure of Heaven. And when the poor creatures +really saw it happen as he had said, they were nearly frightened to +death, and came to him, laden with provisions, and begging him to pray +to the Great Spirit, that he might remove his wrath from them. Now I +call that putting on an eclipse." + +"The funniest circumstance in relation to an eclipse, happened to me," +said Mrs. Wyndham. "When I was a very small child, I thought that quite +as great a miracle was about to happen, as the Indians did. You must +know that there came to Philadelphia a certain famous race-horse named +Eclipse, of whose speed great marvels were told. Handbills about him +were thrown into the house, and I thought he must really be a wonderful +animal. Just at that epoch, I heard my father say something about an +eclipse that night, and the moon in connection with it. My imagination +was instantly fired. "Did you say, father, that Eclipse would go over +the _moon_? why, can that be true?" "Oh yes, my dear, the eclipse is +really going over the moon: if you wish it, you can stay up till nine +o'clock, to see it." "Thank you, thank you, I should like to very much. +But I don't see how it can be!" "More wonderful things than that happen, +my child: you'll understand it better when you are older; but you shall +see it to-night, if you are not too sleepy." "No danger of that--I +wouldn't miss it for the world!" "How much interest little Lucy seems to +feel in the eclipse, mother!" said my father. "We must certainly let her +stay up." + +Night came on, and the show began. The best seat at an upper window was +reserved for me, and I looked at the moon constantly, afraid that if I +turned away my eyes for one moment the wonderful event might take place +without my observing it. All were interested in my seeing it. "Lucy, do +you see it, dear I do you see the moon getting dark?" "Oh yes, I see +that, but I don't see Eclipse." "Why, that's the eclipse--when the dark +shadow goes over the moon, that is an eclipse of the moon." "But I don't +see the horse jumping over the moon, at all." "The _horse_? what do you +mean, child?" "You said that Eclipse was to go over the moon, but I +can't see him in the least!" + +"Oh, Auntie! were you, really, such a _green_ child as that?" + +"Yes, it is a literal fact. I thought it a most astonishing thing that +it could happen; but since my father so gravely said it would, my faith +was equal to the demand made upon it. When I found it was only something +about the shadow of the earth falling on the moon, I went to bed, +grievously disappointed and quite disgusted: I felt somewhat as the +amiable Smith did, that I had been _sold_." + +"Ah, Auntie, we children could not be taken in so now, I can tell you!" +said Lewis. + +"I know it," replied his aunt, smiling. "I am quite aware that the age +of faith has passed away, and that republican institutions have made the +young ones as wise and incredulous as their elders. I don't half like it +myself!" + + + + +CHAPTER VI. + +SUNDAY.--BIBLE STORIES.--CAPPING BIBLE VERSES.--BIBLE CLASS. + + +Sunday morning arose upon the earth, so clear, and calm, and beautiful, +that it almost seemed as if it were conscious of the blessings bestowed +by it upon millions of the human family. Happy day! when the man bent +under the heavy load of oppressive labor and corroding care, may take +the rest which the Maker of his frame intended for him, from the very +beginning. Now, throwing off the weight, he can realize that he is a +man--made in the image of his Creator, and made for happiness and +immortality. Now, he can afford to think: he is no longer the mechanical +drudge; he is no longer one little wheel in the great social machine; he +is to-day a reflecting being, and the desire for mental and spiritual +elevation throbs strongly within his heart. He sits at his hearth, +whether in the proud palace or in the humble cottage, for the +working-man is equally to be found in both, and feels himself to be the +centre of the home. He enjoys sweet converse with the wife of his youth, +and his children cluster round him, delighted to have his society. He +walks to the House of Prayer, surrounded by those he loves, and joins +with his fellow-men in adoration of the Great Supreme. He is happy, and +is prepared by the sweet Sabbaths below for the bliss above. + +Nor should we forget, on this day, the numerous attractive circles to +be found throughout our highly-favored land, gathered together for +Sunday-School instruction. Here, the voluntary system works to a charm: +both teachers and scholars, drawn together by love, assemble, with +sparkling eyes and kindly words, in their respective classes. Here, all +ages can find something to interest them: the rosy-cheeked, chubby child +runs along to its Infant School, fearing to be one moment behind the +time, and singing, + + + "Oh, let us be joyful, joyful, joyful," + + +with a full understanding of at least that part of the duty to be +performed. And the adult walks quietly to the Bible Class, where mutual +study and conversation about some passages of the Sacred Word elicit its +meaning, and throw new light upon the holy page. And, in the ages +intermediate between these two extremes, how bright and joyous are the +groups clustered around each loving teacher! If the toil be great, how +much greater the reward! how delightful is it to see the young mind +expand, and the warm affections glow, beneath the hallowing influence of +religion! And how pleasant and how good is it to find the hearts of +adults and of children, of rich and poor, knit together by a common +feeling of interest in the common cause! + +Some such thoughts arose in the minds of our party at The Grange, and +were fostered by the lovely calm of nature, which is so observable on +Sunday in the country, where the very animals seem to know that they are +included within the merciful commandment of rest. Mr. Wyndham was +religiously observant of the day, but exceedingly disliked the gloom by +which many worthy people think it a duty to lessen their own happiness, +and to throw a chill and constraint upon that of others on this joyful +festival. He thought that the weekly commemoration of the Saviour's +resurrection should fill us with bright hopes and an enlivening piety; +and that an air of cheerfulness should be thrown around it, which might +say to all who had not yet entered within the gates of Zion, "Come ye, +and taste that the Lord is gracious." People are doubtless much +affected, in these minor shades of difference, by their natural +temperaments. Mr. Wyndham's frame of mind was so kindly and hopeful, and +so open to all that is pleasant and animating, that his religion partook +of the genial influence. On Sunday, his face beamed with a more radiant +smile than on other days, and he appeared to realize that it was indeed +the foretaste of eternal joy. + +In the morning, both old and young repaired with one consent to the +little country church, in which they filled up quite a number of pews. +Being the last Sunday in the year, the venerable clergyman, whose +earnest manner and silver hairs made his message doubly impressive to +the hearts of his hearers, exhorted all, of every age, to bring back to +their minds the fleeting days of that division of time which was so soon +to pass away, and to be numbered with those laid up against the +Judgment. When that year had begun, what resolutions of improvement had +been formed, what vows of greater fidelity had been made? And how had +they been kept? All had, during the seasons past, received new proofs of +the kindness and long-suffering of the Father above; but had the +goodness of the Lord led them to repentance? or had it fallen upon hard, +unfeeling hearts, which it could not penetrate? How stood they in their +accounts? Not their ledgers, not their cash-books did he now call upon +them to examine; but records of a far higher character, which affected +their heavenly interests, as well as their temporal prosperity--the +deeds, the words, the cherished feelings of that year, which had left an +impress upon their souls forever, and made them richer or poorer for +eternity. They owed debts to their Maker and Redeemer, and to their +fellow-men: how had they paid them? They continually received--did they +also dispense the goodness of God? If unwilling now to think of these +unsettled accounts, they should remember that one debt, notwithstanding +all their reluctance, they would be obliged to pay--the debt of nature: +and then would follow the final adjustment of all things--then would +each one reap as he had sowed below. + +All listened with deep attention to the discourse, which was well +calculated to arrest the most careless trifler; and thoughts were +suggested, and resolves were formed that day, which acted, long +afterward, as a stimulus to the discharge of duty. The hand which +scattered that precious seed has since been laid low in the dust; but +the "winged words" did not fall to the ground: they still live, and +produce results, in immortal spirits. + +There was no service in the afternoon. "Oh dear!" said George, "I +suppose it's not right to say so, but it's rather stupid, I think. How +we do miss Sunday School! We can't play to-day, and a fellow like me +doesn't want to read the whole time: what on earth can we do? Cousin +Mary, are you too much engaged with your book to help us poor souls?" + +With a smile, Mary shut it up. "How would you like Bible stories?" said +she. "If you please, I'll tell you one, keeping to Scriptural facts, but +clothing them in my own language, and omitting the name, or giving a +false one. And then you are to find out whom it is I have been telling +you about, and to answer the questions I may ask you. How would you like +that?" + +It was agreed that it would be delightful: so Mary began by telling the +story of + + +The Good Grandmother. + +In ancient times, in a country of the East, there lived a Queen Dowager, +whose heart was eaten up by ambition. She was a king's daughter, and had +ever been accustomed to rule. While her husband lived she had exerted +great influence at court, and had turned away his heart from the true +and established religion of the state to the cruel worship of the idols +of her native land; and this she accomplished, although he had been +religiously educated, and was the son of an eminently good man. Little +did it affect her, that a highly-distinguished prophet of God wrote a +letter to the king her husband, foretelling the evils that should befall +himself, his family, and his kingdom, and that this prophecy had been +literally fulfilled. Little did it humble her proud spirit, that by the +common consent, her degenerate husband, who, through _her_ persuasions +and example, had been led away from the path of duty, was judged +unworthy to be interred within the sepulchres of his ancestors, and was +buried apart. She had too much of her mother within her to be daunted by +such trifles as these; for both of her parents had acquired an eminence +in wickedness which have made their names by-words: but her mother's +especially is considered almost a synonym for every thing that is +unlovely in woman. + +After her husband's death, her son succeeded to the throne, and he also +did wickedly, for he had been educated under his mother's eyes, trod in +her footsteps, and courted the society of her connections. And this was +the cause of his death; for while paying a visit at the court of his +uncle, her brother, they both were killed together in a successful +insurrection. And now, if ever, if any thing of the woman was left in +her nature, the queen's heart would be softened and humbled: at one fell +swoop, death had carried off her only son, her brother, and every member +of her father's house; she only was left, of all that proud and numerous +family. Her aged mother, aged, but not venerable, although now a +great-grandmother, had met her fate in a characteristic manner. +Determined, if she must die, to do so like a queen, she had put on her +royal robes, and adorned herself with jewels, and caused her withered +face, upon which every evil passion had left its mark, to be painted +into some semblance of youth and beauty. Her eyelids were stained with +the dark antimony still used in the East, to restore, if possible, the +former brilliant softness to eyes of hard, blazing, wicked blackness. +Gazing from an upper window of the palace upon the usurper, as he drove +into the courtyard, the fearless woman, resolved to show her spirit to +the last, railed upon him, and quoted a notable instance from history of +one who, like him, had been a successful rebel, but had reigned for only +seven days. Enraged at her insolence, her enemy, looking up, asked, "Who +in the palace is on my side?" At these words, some officers of the +household cast her down from the window: thus ingloriously she died, and +the prancing horses of the chariot trampled over her. He who now was +universally acknowledged to be the king, soon gave orders that she +should be buried, observing that, wretch as she was, she was of royal +blood. But the vulture and the jackal had been before him: naught +remained of that haughty, revengeful, and heaven-defying woman, save the +skull, the feet, and the palms of her hands. Thus, to the very letter, +was fulfilled the prediction of a prophet, one of her contemporaries: it +was the same individual who had sent an epistle to her son-in-law, the +late husband of our heroine, announcing his fate. This fearless reprover +of kings did not live to see the accomplishment of the divine messages +he was commissioned to deliver, and yet he had not died: read me that +riddle, if you can. + +When the queen, who, from one distinguishing act of her life, I have +called _the good grandmother_, heard the sad tidings of the death of her +only son, of her mother, and of all her kin, what did she? mourn, and +weep, and give herself up to melancholy? she was quite incapable of such +weakness. If she had no children left, she at least had +grandchildren--she must take care of them--the tender little playful +babes, her own flesh and blood, and all that was left upon the earth of +her late son. And she did take care of them--the care that Pharaoh took +of the Israelitish infants--the care that Herod took of the nurslings at +Bethlehem--the care that the tiger takes of the lamb. She was worse than +the tigress; for the latter will at least defend her young ones from all +attacks, even at the peril of her own life. But she--shame of her +sex!--commanded the immediate execution of all the children of her son, +that she might reign alone, and never be called upon to resign the +sceptre to a lawful heir. + +They are slain! The shouts and laughter of that band of little ones is +stopped forever--the galleries will never more re-echo to their youthful +voices; vainly did they rush into the arms of their nurses for +protection. They are slain; all save one! For if they have a grandmother +they also have an aunt, and one who is ruled by different principles. +She is the sister of their father, but probably had not the same mother +as he: she early chose the paths of piety and goodness, and was wedded +to a man of uncommon firmness and of the noblest character--the high +priest of the nation. Soon as she had an intimation of the intentions of +the queen, she hastened to the palace. But one only could she save--a +little crowing babe, whom, with his nurse, she secreted in a safe place, +until, under cover of the night, she was able to convey them to her own +abode. + +There, in the house of the Lord, the young child was reared. For six +years he was hidden, and tenderly and carefully trained in the fear of +God, while his grandmother reigned supreme in the land, to the +subversion of all law and order. But when the prince was seven years +old, the high priest, his uncle, took measures to secure to him the +possession of his rights. He consulted with the wisest of the nation, +and brought together the Levites from all parts of the land, and divided +them into bands, giving each a particular post, to guard against +surprise. He then brought forth from the treasuries of the temple the +spears, shields, and bucklers which had belonged to King David, and +distributed them among the captains of the several divisions. When all +arrangements were made, and the people who were gathered together in the +spacious courts for worship, waited to see what was about to happen, he +retired; and came back, in his priestly garments, with the mitre upon +his head, on which was written, on a golden plate, HOLINESS TO THE +LORD--this sentence showing the intention of the priestly office. His +robe, or under-garment, which hung in rich folds down to his feet, was +of deep blue, and around the hem were alternate pomegranates of +brilliant colors, and little golden bells, which made a tinkling sound +as he moved along. Above this was worn the ephod, splendidly embroidered +in gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, with a long and broad girdle +at the waist, manufactured of the same gorgeous materials. Upon his +bosom flashed the breastplate, composed of twelve large precious stones, +all different, upon each one of which was engraved the name of a tribe +of Israel; so that the High Priest bore them all upon his heart, when he +ministered before the Lord. Well was this magnificent dress, which was +made "for glory and for beauty," calculated to set off the dignity of +the holy office, and to make the people gaze in admiring awe. But it was +not the splendor of the pontifical robes, it was not the inspiring +person of the high priest, at which the assembled multitudes eagerly +gazed, when the Head of the Church again appeared before them. It was a +little boy, of seven years old, who now attracted their attention--a +pretty child, arrayed in royal garments, who was led forward by the +venerable man. His stand was taken beside a pillar, and the guards, with +drawn swords, gathered round him: his uncle placed upon his clustering +curls the golden circlet, the symbol of how much power, what heavy +cares, and what fearful responsibility! And when the people, long +crushed to the earth by tyrannical rule, beheld it, hope again awaked in +their hearts, and, with one accord, they clapped their hands, and +shouted out, "God save the King!" And the trumpeters sounded aloud, and +the harpers struck up the notes of praise and joy, and the full choir of +trained singers joined in the jubilee. And thus was the young king +proclaimed--while, in the innocence of childhood, he wonderingly looked +on. + +But the queen heard the shouts in her palace. For the first time in her +life, it is most probable, she came to the house of God--but she came +not to worship. "What means this riotous assembly?" she thought. "Can it +be, that the vile rabble dare to think of revolt--against _me_? I will +go, even alone, and awe them by my presence: it shall never be said that +my mother's daughter feared aught in heaven above or the earth beneath." +She went, that audacious woman, with all her crimes upon her head, and +entered alone into the temple of the Holy One. She went to her death. +The people made way for her, although they gazed upon her with loathing; +and within the sanctuary she beheld the grandson, whom she had long +thought to be numbered with the dead, in royal array, with the crown +upon his head. When she saw this, she rent her clothes, and cried +loudly, "Treason! treason!" But none joined in the cry: an ominous +silence pervaded that vast assembly, and looks of hatred were cast upon +her from the crowd. Seeing plainly that all were against her, her +insolent pride gave way, and she turned to flee from that mass of stern, +relentless eyes, all gazing, as it were, into her black and +blood-stained heart. As she passed along, the people shrank back, as if +an accursed thing were near them; and when she had passed from the +consecrated limits, she was slain. None shed a tear over her grave, but +the people enjoyed rest and peace, now that her tyranny was terminated. + +"And that was the end of her!" said George. "And well she deserved her +fate. A good grandmother, indeed! But who was she?" + +"That's the very thing I want to know," replied Mary. "But perhaps some +of you can tell me who her very lovely mother was?" + +"There is no mistaking her," said Amy. "There is only one Jezebel in the +world, I hope. Think of the horrid old thing, painting herself off, and +trying to look like a beauty! I wonder if she thought she could possibly +captivate the murderer of her son!" + +"Hardly that, I should think. Perhaps it was on the same principle that +Julius Cæsar drew his robe around him, before his death--an idea of the +proprieties becoming the station they occupied. It reminds me of a +passage in Pope, describing 'the ruling passion strong in death:' + + + "'Odious--in woollen! 'twould a saint provoke,' + (Were the last words that poor Narcissa spoke;) + No, let a charming chintz and Brussels' lace + Wrap my cold limbs, and shade my lifeless face; + One would not, sure, be frightful when one's dead: + And--Betty--give this cheek a little red.' + + +And now, can you tell me who was that prophet that sent a letter to the +husband of 'the good grandmother,' and who predicted the fate of her +parents, Ahab and Jezebel?" + +"He who did not _live to see_ their accomplishment, and yet was not +dead," said Cornelia. "Oh, I remember well about that: it was Elijah, +the Tishbite, who had ascended to heaven without dying. By the way, how +do you understand that saying of Elisha's, Mary--'My father, my father! +the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof?' I never knew rightly +whether the latter part of his exclamation referred to the ascending +prophet, or to the chariot and horses of fire." + +"I once asked our clergyman that very question; and he told me that it +alluded to Elijah himself, and meant to say, that he was the defence of +the country, and a whole host in himself: comprising cavalry, and those +heavy chariots filled with warriors, and armed with scythes on either +side, which did such deadly execution in ancient warfare. I suppose +Elisha thought, How can _I_, how can our country exist without you!" + +"I remember now the name of 'the good grandmother,'" said Ellen, +smiling. "It was Athaliah--and a worthy daughter she was for Ahab and +Jezebel to leave as a legacy to the world. And her son was Ahaziah, who +was killed in Samaria, while on a visit to his uncle, King Jehoram. And +now I think some one else should tell who the usurper was, under whose +chariot-wheels the wicked Jezebel was slain." + +"It was Jehu, the furious driver," answered her brother Tom; "the same +eminently pious individual who invited a friend to 'go with him and see +his zeal for the Lord,' when he intended to murder the rest of Ahab's +relations. A fine way of showing goodness, that!" + +"And who was the good aunt?" + +"You must really let me look for that," said Amy, getting a Bible. "It +was Jehosheba, and her husband, the high priest, was named Jehoiada, and +the little king was Joash, or Jehoash. I'm sorry to see that he was only +kept straight by his uncle: as soon as he died, the young monarch, +appears to have become as bad as any of them." + +"And now, Cousin Mary, tell us another story!" said Harry. + +"Very well, if you wish it. I'll call this tale + + +The Prophet and the Fortune-Tellers. + +In former times there was a king of Judah, an excellent man, who, +through some unaccountable ideas of policy, had entered into an alliance +with a very wicked king of Israel, and had even encouraged his son to +marry the daughter of his idolatrous neighbor. On one occasion, he was +paying a visit to his ally, when the latter proposed to him that they +should join together in recovering a city which had formerly belonged to +the Jewish nation, from their enemy, the King of Syria. He replied, that +they were of one blood, and had but one interest, and that he should +most gladly aid him; but cautiously added, that it was his particular +wish that God's oracle should be consulted, as he did not like to +undertake any thing without His direction. To gratify this superstitious +whim, as he considered it, the Israelitish monarch collected together +about four hundred false prophets, who were ready to say any thing that +would give him pleasure, and asked whether he should or should not go up +against the city. Of course, they obsequiously replied, "Go up; for the +Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king." + +But the King of Judah wag not satisfied. He had seen real, true prophets +of God, and they had neither looked nor acted like these very smooth, +courtier-like men. He mistrusted these pretenders, and said to his +brother-monarch, "Is there not another, a prophet of Jehovah, of whom we +could inquire the Lord's will?" + +The latter answered, "Yes, there _is_ another man; but I did not send +for him, for I hate the very sight of his face. Instead of predicting +good, he makes a point of foretelling evil; I detest that man." But his +more amiable and pious friend said, "Pray, do not speak so, your +Highness: it is not right." Seeing that he was unwilling to go until he +had consulted the prophet, the King of Israel ordered the latter to be +sent for. The two sovereigns awaited him in state, in their royal robes +upon their thrones, at the large open space always left in Oriental +cities at the entrance of the gates, for public meetings, business, and +courts of justice. + +Before the messenger returned, the false prophets had renewed their +predictions of a safe and successful career to the two kings; and one of +them had distinguished himself by making horns of iron, which he placed +upon his head, agreeably to the allegorical style of the East, and said: +"Thus shalt thou push against thy enemies, and shalt overcome them, +until they be utterly consumed." + +Meanwhile, the royal messenger approached with the prophet; and being a +good-natured man and a courtier, he begged the latter not to affront his +master, by speaking differently from the other seers, who all, with one +accord, joined in predicting peace and success. But the undaunted man of +God replied, that what Jehovah revealed to him he would speak, neither +more nor less. + +At last, they arrived in the presence of royalty; and the King of Israel +said to him, "Speak, and declare the counsel of God: shall we go up +against the city, or shall we abandon our undertaking?" With a manner of +cutting irony--for he well knew that the monarch neither cared to know +the will of the Lord, nor would obey it, when known--the prophet +answered, quoting the language of the fortune-tellers around him: "Go +up, and prosper; for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the +king." But it was so evident that there was something behind this +satire, that the idolatrous prince replied to him, "How often must I be +compelled to tell you to speak the truth, and to declare the will of +Heaven?" + +Then the prophet spoke, and this time the mockery had vanished from his +tone and manner, and his voice was serious and sad: "I see a vision that +distresses me: all Israel is scattered upon the hills, like sheep which +have no shepherd. And Jehovah says, 'These have no master: let each one +return to his house in peace.'" + +When he heard this, the King of Israel turned to his friend: "Now you +see a proof of my words," said he. "Did I not tell you that he would +never predict aught but evil of me?" + +But the prophet still spoke on: "I have a parable to tell thee, O mighty +King. I saw, sitting upon his lofty throne, one mightier than thou--the +King of kings; and upon his right hand and upon his left were ranged all +the host of heaven. And he said, 'Who shall persuade the Lord of Israel +to go up against Ramoth-Gilead to his destruction?' And various counsel +was given from different sources. At last, a Power spoke, and offered to +go forth as a lying spirit in the mouth of all the king's prophets. The +Lord answered him, 'Go, and thou shalt likewise succeed.' This, O +monarch, is my parable: a lying spirit has gone forth into thy prophets; +for truly, Jehovah hath spoken evil concerning thee." + +At these words, the man who had made himself so especially prominent in +predicting good fortune to the expedition came up to the prophet, and +struck him upon the cheek, with an insulting speech; and the king +commanded that he should be carried to the governor of the city, and +kept closely confined, upon bread and water, until he returned in peace +and triumph, having conquered all his enemies. But the prophet answered, +"If thou return at all in peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me." + +But, unrestrained by any thing he said, the two princes went forth to +the battle. More completely to insure his safety, the Israelitish +monarch disguised himself, and requested the King of Judah to wear his +royal robes, which he accordingly did. But the Syrians had received +orders to aim only at the enemy's head and leader, and not to attack the +common people. This nearly caused the death of the King of Judah, who +wore his friend's conspicuous garments, and who was pursued, and almost +slain, before the mistake was discovered. But notwithstanding his +precaution in wearing a counterfeit dress, the fated king did not +escape. An arrow, shot by chance, struck him in a vital part, and he +died. When the death of their lord was known, all Israel fled in dismay, +and every man sought the shelter of his own home. We may presume that +the true prophet was liberated from his confinement, and that the base +and impudent impostor was punished as he deserved. + +"Are not these kings near relatives of 'the good grandmother?'" said +Charlie Bolton. + +"You are right," replied Mary. "They are her father, Ahab, and her +father-in-law, Jehoshaphat. Who was the true prophet, and who the +false?" + +"The true prophet was Micaiah, the son of Imlah; and the other--I think +his horns should have been made of _brass_, impudent fellow that he +was--was called Zedekiah." + +Other Bible stories were called for, which were found so interesting, +and, as the younger children confessed, so _new_ to many of them, that +all agreed to begin a more systematic mode of reading the +Scriptures--that treasury of historic truth, of varied biography, and of +poetic beauty. John Wyndham remarked that the best thing about the +romantic incidents in the Bible was, that you could be sure they had all +really happened: and the events were told with so much simplicity, and +the characters were so natural and life-like, that even a dull fellow +like him, who had no more imagination than a door-post, could see it as +if it were passing before his eyes. And another thing that struck him +was, that all was related without the exclamations, and the comments +upon the incidents and the people, which you find in common books: you +were treated as if you had both sense and conscience enough to find out +the moral intention of the narrative, and that made you think a great +deal more than if it was explained out in full. The young people all got +their Bibles, and counting the chapters, formed a plan for reading +through the whole book once a year. They found that if they read three +chapters a day, and occasionally an extra one, they could accomplish it: +and resolved to begin in Genesis, the Psalms, and St. Matthew's Gospel, +in order to give more variety. When this point was settled, Amy proposed +capping Bible verses: she said they could have their books before them +to help them a little, if their memories failed. One was to recite a +verse, and the next another, beginning with the letter which ended the +preceding passage; and if the person, whose turn it was, hesitated, any +one else who first thought of a suitable sentence should recite it. But +it ought to be something which made good sense, when disconnected from +the adjoining verses: and it was a rule of the game, that if any one +present did not understand the meaning of a quotation, they should talk +it over until they got some light upon the subject. + +Amy began: "'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.'" + +"Stop!" cried Lewis. "For if that means that gentle, patient, forgiving +people, shall become rich and great, I don't understand it at all." + +"Certainly it cannot mean that," replied his sister Ellen. "I have heard +it explained in this way:--they shall possess the best blessings of +earth, by living in love and peace, and having easy consciences." + +"That makes a very good sense, I think," said Tom; "but I have heard +another explanation given, which I like better. The earth, in that +place and in many others, can be translated _land_, with equal +propriety; and as the land of Canaan was promised to the Jews as a +reward, the heavenly Canaan is held out as a recompense to Christians." + +"I'm satisfied," said Lewis. "Let me see--h--'Hear, O heavens, and give +ear, O earth, for the Lord hath spoken.'" + +"'Never man spake like this man,'" added George. + +"I think there are some words in the verse before that N," said +Gertrude. + +"But that is of no consequence," replied Amy. "When a clause makes a +complete sense in itself, that answers, even if it is not at the +beginning of a verse. You know that the division of the Bible into +chapters and verses is quite a modern thing." + +"Indeed, I did not know it," said Gertrude. "Are you quite sure?" + +"Oh, yes, certain. I don't know when, or by whom it was divided into +chapters--but my Sunday-school teacher has told me that the books of the +Old Testament were not parcelled out in that way among the Jews. They +had other, and longer divisions, one of which was read every Sabbath day +in the synagogues, so that the whole was heard by the people, in the +course of the year. She told me that the New Testament was first +distributed into chapters--it was not originally written so--and then +the Old; and that in some places it would make better sense if the end +of one chapter was joined to the beginning of the next." + +"And how is it about the verses, Amy?" + +"It was first separated into verses by Robert Stephens, a publisher, +when riding on horseback between Paris and Lyons: he marked it thus as +he rode along. He was about to publish an edition of the Bible, and a +concordance, and divided it for facility of reference. This was in the +middle of the sixteenth century." + +"There is one thing I've always wanted to know," said John. "Along the +margin, among the references, every now and then there are a few +words--generally, _or_ so and so. What is the meaning of that?" + +"That occurs when the translators were doubtful which of two words gives +the right meaning," said Mrs. Wyndham, coming forward. "And I have +frequently noticed, that the one in the margin is preferable to the +other." + +"Another point I wish to have explained," said Cornelia. "Why is it that +in all Bibles some words are put in Italics? There must be a reason." + +"Yes, my dear, there certainly is. The translators did not find these in +the original text, but thought them necessary to make up the sense. You +know that you are obliged to take such liberties in rendering any +foreign language into English. But they very properly distinguished +_their_ words from those found in the original; and occasionally, when +the former are omitted, the passage is more forcible, and gives a +slightly different sense. It is well to remember this." + +"But we have wandered very far from our game," said Charlie Bolton. +"'Never man spake like this man,' was the last--another N--'Not unto us, +O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory.'" + +"'Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be +hid.'" + +"'Divers weights and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination +unto the Lord.'" + +"'Drink waters out of thy own cistern, and running waters out of thy own +well.'" + +"'Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty.'" + +And so the game went on, until, to the surprise of all, Cæsar announced +that tea was ready, and they found that the afternoon had quite passed +away, in pleasant and profitable talk. + +In the evening, Ellen Green asked her aunt if she would not consent to +convert them into a Bible-class, as an hour could be spent very +agreeably in that way. Of course, Mrs. Wyndham agreed to the +proposition, and requested the young party to bring Bibles in as many +different languages as they could understand. They had Latin, Greek, and +German versions in the library, which the boys would find useful, as all +the older ones were pretty well versed in the classics, and Tom Green +was studying German; and as she had seen Amy reading her French +Testament, and Ellen the Italian, she knew they were provided for. +Accordingly, they ran to get their books; and by comparing the various +translations, they found that the sense was frequently made clearer. +Each one read a verse; and then, before the next person proceeded, Mrs. +Wyndham explained it, and asked questions, which frequently led to the +most animated conversation. By requiring a definition of all words which +were not perfectly familiar, she arrested their attention. When she, or +any other member of the class, thought of a passage in Scripture which +threw light upon the subject, all searched for it, with the aid of the +Concordance. Any peculiarity of rites, manners, customs, etc., was made +more intelligible by the Bible Dictionary; and when the whole lesson was +finished, the young people gave a summary of the religious truth, and +practical inferences to be deduced from it. + +A quotation from the Book of Daniel led to some pleasant talk about that +prophet, his greatly diversified life, and the important changes in the +world's history which he witnessed. Mrs. Wyndham remarked that the Jews +have a tradition which in itself is very probable, that the venerable +man pointed out to Cyrus, after his conquest of Babylon, the verses in +Isaiah, wherein he is spoken of by name, as conquering by the power of +the Lord, and giving orders to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple: and +also that other passage, in which the destruction of the Babylonish +empire by the Medes is foretold, both prophecies being recorded more +than a hundred years before the birth of the mighty king by whom they +were accomplished. + +"I never heard of that," said Cornelia. "But, of course, it would be the +most likely thing for Daniel to do. You can imagine the interest with +which Cyrus would listen to these predictions about himself--and from +the lips of such a noble, lovely, white-haired man as Daniel must have +been. I don't wonder at all that he gave the decree to rebuild +Jerusalem." + +"This reminds me of another Jewish tradition, recorded in Josephus," +rejoined Mrs. Wyndham. "This one, I think, is not at all probable; but +as it would interest you, I will narrate it. Alexander the Great, while +engaged in the siege of Tyre, sent orders to the high priest at +Jerusalem, to furnish his army with provisions, as they had been in the +habit of doing to Darius. But Jaddus, the high priest, gave answer that +they were still bound by their oath to the King of Persia, and that, +while he lived, they could not transfer their allegiance to another. +This noble response awakened the rage of Alexander, who, as soon as Tyre +was reduced, marched towards Jerusalem, determined to inflict signal +vengeance upon that city. The inhabitants, totally unable to withstand +the conqueror, were filled with consternation. Their town was, indeed, +admirably fortified; but since Tyre, the Queen of the Sea, had been +subdued, how could they hope to escape? Weeping and loud lamentations +were heard throughout the streets. The high priest knew that his only +hope was in help from on high: he ordered prayers and sacrifices to be +offered up, and awaited the result, confident that he had at least +discharged his duty. + +"But on the night before the mighty Greek arrived, Jaddus received +directions, in a dream, to array the streets with flowers, and to go +forth, in his pontifical robes, to meet the victor, followed by the +people, dressed in white. He awoke, with fresh hope and energy, told his +dream to the assembled populace, and gave orders that the city should be +decked with garlands, triumphal arches, and gay streamers, and that the +gates should be left open. When all preparations were made, he marched +out, agreeably to the commandment, at the head of the priests and +people, and awaited the approach of the invaders, at a point commanding +a beautiful view of the city, with its open gates, unarmed walls, and +smiling environs. At last, the clank of weapons was heard; and, with +military music, the victorious army moved along, anxious for fresh +conquests. But how different was their reception from that they had +anticipated! Many, it is true, had come out to meet them, but all in the +garb of peace; dressed in white, and crowned with flowers, as if for a +festival. Hostility died away in the bosoms of the warriors, as they +gazed on these defenceless men,--few are so brutal as to attack the +unresisting and the friendly. But what was the astonishment of the whole +army, when they beheld the fiery Alexander himself go forward towards +the Jewish high priest, who headed the brilliant procession, and humbly +kneel down at his feet! Then rising, he embraced him. The Israelites +themselves were amazed, and acknowledged the merciful interposition of +God. At length, Parmenio addressed the king, and asked why he, before +whom monarchs and nations trembled, and at whose feet all were ready to +fall, should condescend thus to do homage to a man? Alexander replied, +'that he did not bow down to the man, but to the mighty name which was +written upon his forehead--to the great God to whom he was consecrated. +For that, while he was yet in Macedon, meditating the expedition to +Asia, he had been favored with a remarkable dream, in which he had +beheld this very man, in his pontifical robes, who had addressed him, +encouraging him to persevere in his undertaking. He told him that he, +Alexander, was acting under the immediate guidance of God, and that he +should prosper. And now,' continued the king, 'I do not pay obeisance to +the man, but to the God whose high priest he is, and who has given +success to my arms.' + +"The Jews escorted him into their capital with shouts of applause and +loud rejoicings. The Grecian monarch then entered the temple, and +offered sacrifices, complying with all the requirements of the law: and +Jaddus showed him, in the Book of Daniel, the prophecy concerning +himself and his kingdom overcoming the Medo-Persian realm. Mary, will +you be kind enough to read it?" + +Mary opened the book at the 8th chapter, 3d verse: "Then I lifted up +mine eyes, and behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two +horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, +and the higher came up last. + +"I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that +no beast might stand before him, neither was there any that could +deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became +great. + +"And as I was considering, behold, an he-goat came from the west on the +face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a +notable horn between his eyes. + +"And he came to the ram which had two horns, which I had seen standing +before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. + +"And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler +against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was +no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the +ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the +ram out of his hand. + +"Therefore the he-goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the +great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones towards the +four winds of heaven." + +And at the twentieth verse it says: "The ram which thou sawest having +two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. + +"And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn which is +between his eyes is the first king. + +"Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms +shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power." + +"This is very plain, Aunt Lucy," said Mary; "and I suppose that the +larger horn of the ram, which came up last, refers to the power of +Persia, which overshadowed Media, originally so much its superior. If +you notice, the ram comes from the east, and pushes westward, northward, +and southward: while the he-goat comes from the west to attack the ram, +and so rapidly, that he is represented as not touching the ground." + +"I suppose that is a poetical expression," said John; "but if it were +anywhere else but in the Bible, I'd say it was far-fetched." + +"It is exactly in unison with the figurative language of the East," +replied Mrs. Wyndham. "The Arab praises the swiftness of his steed, at +this day, by saying, that before his hoof touches the ground, he is out +of sight. That's a bold figure for you." + +"I love poetical expressions," said Amy. + +"And I prefer plain English, not Arabian," answered John. + +"I think I can answer for one thing," said Charlie. "When Jaddus showed +Alexander that prediction, he did not lay much stress upon the verse +about the great horn being broken while it was yet strong, and four +others coming up in its place. It all came true enough, but Alexander +would not have liked that part as well as the rest, about his +conquests." + +"Do you, who are fresh from school, remember the names of the four +generals and kingdoms who succeeded him?" rejoined Mrs. Wyndham. + +"Ptolemy seized Egypt; Seleucus, Syria and Babylon; Lysimachus, Asia +Minor; and Cassander took Greece for his share of the plunder. But +though these were notable horns, they were none of them in _his_ +power--none could compare with Alexander." + +"Auntie," said Amy, "don't you think Alexander must have seen these +predictions--you know how much he favored the Jews, and what especial +privileges he gave them in his city, Alexandria?" + +"Well, perhaps so," said Mrs. Wyndham, smiling. "I see you want to +believe it, at any rate. There is no proof to the contrary, so you might +as well indulge your organ of wonder." + + + + +CHAPTER VII. + +SEQUEL TO THE ORPHAN'S TALE.--WHO CAN HE BE?--ELEMENTS.--THE +ASTROLOGERS. + + +On Monday morning, our merry party at the Grange breakfasted rather +earlier than usual, and Mr. Wyndham and Alice Bolton set off for +Philadelphia, full of eagerness to hunt up an uncle for little Margaret +Roscoe. Charlie told him, laughingly, that he was sure he would persuade +some one to be her uncle, if rich Mr. Roscoe did not prove to be the +right man: he could pick one up somewhere along the streets. But Mr. +Wyndham replied, with an offended air, that he was sorry he had not yet +learned his worth: good uncles, like him, were not to be met with every +day--they should be valued accordingly. + +"Do you remember the anecdote about Frederic the Great, of Prussia?" +asked his wife. + +"There are many funny stories told of him," answered Mr. Wyndham; "which +is the one you refer to?" + +"One Sunday, a young minister preached an admirable sermon before him, +showing uncommon talent and erudition. Frederic afterwards sent for him, +and asked where he was settled. 'Unfortunately, Sire, I have had no +opportunity of being installed anywhere: I have never had a living +presented to me.' 'But what is the reason?--you preach an excellent +discourse, and appear to be an active young man.' 'Alas! Sire, I have no +uncle.' 'Then I'll be your uncle, said Frederic. And he kept his word: +the next vacancy in the ecclesiastical appointments was filled up with +the name of his adopted nephew." + +"But, Aunt," said Harry, "I can't see what his having no uncle had to do +with it." + +"You know that in most other parts of Christendom, where the stars and +the stripes do not float in the breeze, what we call the voluntary +principle in church maintenance and government is not the rule at all. +Here, people choose their own clergymen, and of course it is their +business to support them. But in nearly the whole of Europe, rulers are +so very paternal as to take that trouble and responsibility off the +shoulders of the people: they are kind enough to do all their thinking +for them. The subjects pay very heavy taxes; and from these, and from +old endowments, all the expenses of the national establishments are +discharged. They look at it in the same light as your parents do, when +they pay your school-bills--it's a duty they owe you to see that you are +properly taught; but it would be very weak in them to consult you as to +which teacher you preferred, and what school you chose to go to--they're +the best judges, of course." + +"But, Aunt Lucy! you surely don't mean to say that the governments are +the best judges as to what church the people shall attend, and what +ministers they shall have?" + +"I do not mean to say that is my opinion, of course--that would be +rather anti-American, and not at all Aunty-Lucyish. No, no; I stand up +for the rights of conscience, and approve of treating grown men, and +children too, as if they had reason and common sense; and then they will +be far more likely to possess it, than if they are always kept under an +iron rule. But, on the other side of the water, they have not so exalted +an opinion of the mass of the people as we have; and the government, in +some form--either through ecclesiastical boards, or inspectors of +churches, or members of the aristocracy--exercises the power of filling +vacant churches. This is the reason why it is important to have an +uncle; in other words, some influential person to aid you in rising." + +"Even the _memory_ of an illustrious uncle is sometimes a +stepping-stone," remarked Charlie Bolton. "The late Emperor Louis +Napoleon is an example--lucky fellow; his uncle's name and fame got him +a throne--with the help of considerable cheating." + +"Not so lucky, if you look at his end," said John. "But from other and +quite disinterested motives, I intend to keep as close to _my_ uncle as +he. I shall very soon begin to subscribe myself John Wyndham, Junior, +and I am determined to be like you, uncle--as like as your own shadow." + +"Then you will be an illustrious example of failure, my boy--for my +shadow, although always near me, is generally cast down, which I never +am--and it always looks away from the sunny side, you know, which I +don't do. Besides, a shadow has no particular character: any one's +shadow would suit me as well as my own." + +"I intend to be an original, for my part!" cried Cornelia, laughing. "I +won't be cast in anybody's mould, as if I were a bullet--not I!" + +"That's right, my dear original!" said her uncle, pinching her rosy, +dimpled, laughter-loving cheek. "The grave world always wants a pert +little Cornelia to tease it out of its peculiarities: people in old +times kept their jesters, and you're nearly as good!" + +"Why, uncle! you insult me! you've quite mistaken my character; I intend +to be the dignified Miss Wyndham!" + +"Oh, pray, spare us that infliction!" replied her uncle, laughingly, +jumping into the carriage. + +Mr. Wyndham met with good success. He arrived at Mr. Roscoe's door at +the moment that gentleman was about to leave home. Alice Bolton, who was +an especial favorite of his, introduced her uncle; and when he +understood that they had private business with him, he led them up to +his library, where, hanging over the mantle-piece, Mr. Wyndham +immediately saw a portrait, the counterpart of the one in his +possession, although evidently taken some years before the miniature. +Involuntarily, he stopped before it, and gazed earnestly. Mr. Roscoe +sighed. "Here is all that remains," said he, "of a dear and only +brother. I value this picture more than any thing else in my house, +except its living furniture." "Had your brother no family, sir? no wife +or child?" rejoined Mr. Wyndham. "That is rather a tender subject, my +dear sir," answered Mr. Roscoe: "one that has caused me much sorrow, and +some self-reproach. He left a wife and child, indeed, who were to join +me in America. I have reason to think they sailed; but from that day to +this, I have heard no tidings from them. Would to God I knew their fate! +whether the unknown ship in which they took passage went down at sea, or +what else may have happened, I know not. All my efforts to unravel the +mystery have been in vain." "Perhaps I can help you," said Mr. Wyndham, +with that peculiarly benevolent smile, which opened all hearts to him, +as if by magic. "You recognize this countenance?" continued he, holding +up to him little Maggie's medallion. "My brother Malcom! tell me, sir, +tell me where you got this; it was his wife's!" "His sweet little +daughter--your niece, Margaret Roscoe--handed it to my wife a few days +ago. She knows not she has an uncle living: her mother is dead, and she +is dwelling in comparative poverty near my house." "I cannot doubt it, +from this picture--although it is all a mystery still. But I must see +her--my dear brother's child. I will order up my carriage immediately, +and beg you to take seats in it. I must see her as soon as possible." + +"On that very account I have made arrangements for you to come out to +The Grange in mine," replied Mr. Wyndham. "We can explain all things by +the way; and you can return whenever you say the word. You will find Old +Cæsar quite at your disposal." + +"I gratefully accept your offer, my dear sir, and can never be +sufficiently thankful to you, if you indeed restore to me my brother's +child. I will order my carriage to follow us to The Grange." + +Accordingly, he acquainted his family, in few words and great haste, +with the discovery that had been made, and left Carrie, Alan, and Malcom +in an intense state of excitement, at the idea of regaining the +long-lost cousin. The three then drove immediately to Mrs. Norton's +little cottage, where the gentle and womanly child was busily engaged at +her work-- + + + "Stitch, stitch, stitch, + Band, gusset, and seam--" + + +striving, by her small, but active fingers, to aid in the support of +that family which had sheltered her in adversity. As the door opened, +she raised her deep blue eyes--the very reflection of her father's. The +work fell from her hands; that face reminded her of home, of her +grandfather, of her unknown uncle. They have recognized each other; the +ties of blood speak out in their hearts; the long-severed are now +united. + +I will not attempt to raise the veil which hides from the world the +strongest and purest affections of our nature: they were never intended +for the common eye. But now, after the first rapture of meeting had +subsided, there arose a tumult within the soul of our affectionate and +grateful little Maggie: her heart urged her in two opposite directions. +She felt, in an ardent and uncommon degree, that instinctive love of +kindred which is implanted in our nature, and manifested so strongly by +the natives of Scotland; but, on the other hand, gratitude and duty +appeared to bid her stay with her benefactors. Mr. Roscoe perceived the +struggle, and it raised his little niece highly in his estimation. He +told her that it was not his wish to separate her entirely from the +family to which she was so warmly attached; that she should come very +frequently to see them, and that, as his niece, she would find it was in +her power to aid them more effectually than she could do as their +adopted daughter. Mrs. Norton, although with tears in her eyes, told her +that she could not now dare to detain her; her duty was clear, to follow +her uncle, who filled her father's place. Having made the arrangement to +call for her in the afternoon, Mr. Roscoe accompanied Mr. Wyndham and +Alice to the Grange, where he dined, and spent the intermediate time; +greatly to the pleasure of our young party, who could not have felt sure +of Maggie's future happiness, had they not themselves experienced the +attractive influence of his kind, gentlemanly, and paternal manner. + +After dinner, the two gentlemen had a little private conversation about +Mrs. Norton. They wished to place her above poverty, and yet to do so in +a way which should not mortify her feelings of independence. Mr. Roscoe +remarked that "he had it in his power to bring Frederic forward in +business; and that, if he were an industrious and intelligent lad, he +should enjoy as good an opportunity of rising in the world as the son +of the richest merchant in the land. He would see to it that the girls +had the best advantages of education; and if they showed sufficient +talent, they should be trained for teachers. But, meantime, what was to +be done for Mrs. Norton? Would she accept from him an annuity, which, +after all, was only a small return for her kindness to his brother's +child?" + +Mr. Wyndham thought that it would be a better plan to establish her in a +neat dwelling and well-furnished shop, either in the country or in the +city, where Frederic could board with her. He knew, from his wife's +account, that she had an acquaintance with business, and had thought of +setting her up, himself, in a small way: he should be happy to aid in +the good work. But Mr. Roscoe insisted that the debt was all his own, +and that no one should share with him the privilege of helping her; and, +accordingly, this plan was determined upon as combining the most +efficient assistance to the widow, with a regard to her self-respect. + +In the evening, after the excitement produced by the unexpected turn in +the fortunes of little Maggie and of her generous protectors had +somewhat subsided, our happy party drew up to the fire, which crackled +and blazed as if conscious of the animation it imparted to the group +around it. + +"What game shall we play to-night?" said Cornelia, who possessed such an +active mind as to think it stupid and "poking," unless some visible fun +was in progress. She never could think the fire was burning, unless the +sparks flew right and left. + +"What do you say to 'Who can he be?" asked Mary. "'Tis a game, partly of +my own invention, that I think may prove entertaining. I've seen a set +of historical cards, in which a description is read of a general, king, +or other illustrious character; and any one having the card on which +the corresponding name is printed, calls it out, and gains the other +one. But if a beautiful Queen of Egypt, who lived a short time before +the Christian era, is portrayed, it's quite as well for boys who own a +Moses or a Mary of Scotland, not to be in too great a hurry to speak." + +"We wouldn't be such dunces, I hope," cried Harry. "But, Cousin Mary, +what's your improvement? I don't see any cards here at all." + +"Oh no: I think when people have brains, they can play much better +without them. My plan is, for a person to describe the individual, +naming the country and age in which he lived, what gained him +distinction, and every thing else that is interesting; and then any one +of the circle can guess who the hero is, having the privilege of asking +one question previously. If the conjecture be correct, the guesser +describes another character, and so the game proceeds. Or, if you prefer +it, you can narrate one well-known anecdote of your hero, and then three +questions are allowed previous to a guess. I call it 'Who can he be?'" + +"I think I shall like it," said Ellen. "If you please, I'll begin. Once +there lived a Roman Emperor--he was a nephew, like Louis Napoleon and +Cousin John. We often say people lived in the year one: he certainly +did. He was a great patron of literature and the fine arts, and was a +munificent friend to Virgil. Who can he be?" + +"I can tell you, without asking my question," cried Tom. "Augustus was +eminently the nephew, and succeeded his uncle, Julius Cæsar, in the +Empire. He was reigning at the time of our Saviour's birth, and of +course lived in the year one: every thing fits--he's the man." + +"You are right. Now 'tis your turn, brother Tom." + +"The first of the English poets--who wrote splendid poetry, if only one +could read it. 'Tis such hard, tough, jaw-breaking English, that it is +little wonder his very name shows we must use the muscles of our mouths +when we attempt it. He lived soon after the time of Wickliffe, and +imbibed some of his ideas. Who can he be?" + +"Who but Chaucer?" said Cornelia. "Now who is the hero who was almost +elected King of Poland, but who lost that honor through the interference +of a queen of England, unwilling to lose the brightest jewel of her +crown by parting with him? He is mortally wounded on the battle-field, +and thirsting for water. His soldiers procure some, with great +difficulty, and he is about to raise it to his lips, when he sees the +longing eye of a dying man, at his side, fixed upon it. 'He wants it +more than I,' said he, and gave it to the poor fellow. Who can he be?" + +"We are allowed three questions to an anecdote," said Alice, "but none +are required here. There is only one Sir Philip Sydney. But who was the +selfish queen, unwilling to have her noblest subject exalted beyond her +control?" + +"None other than good Queen Bess," answered Cornelia. + +"And who is the poet that has immortalized Sydney's sister, in the +following lines? + + + "'Underneath this marble hearse + Lies the subject of all verse: + Sydney's sister, Pembroke's mother-- + Death, ere thou hast slain another + Good, and fair, and wise as she, + Time shall throw his dart at thee!'" + + +"Was it 'rare Ben Jonson?'" cried Charlie Bolton. + +"Even so, Charlie: now, what have you got to say for yourself?" + +"I intend to disprove the assertion of Alice, that there is only one +Sir Philip Sydney. Who was that other equally valiant knight, and much +sweeter poet, who used to sing his own verses, accompanying himself upon +the harp; and could thereby soothe the most troubled spirit? On one +occasion, this brilliant genius, whose romantic adventures might fill a +volume, and who subsequently became a king, was in exile, and was +hidden, with some devoted followers, in a large cave. The enemies of his +country were encamped around, and lay, in strong force, between his +hiding-place and the small town where he had spent his childish years, +which they also garrisoned. While in this situation, cut off from all +intercourse with his home and friends, his heart turned to them with an +intense longing; and in a moment of thoughtlessness, he said before +three of his captains, 'Oh, what would I not give, could I once more +drink water from the well, outside the gate of my native town!' At the +peril of their lives, the gallant men fought their way through the hosts +of the enemy, and returned with the water. But the poet-warrior would +not drink: he poured it out as a libation to God, saying, 'Can I indeed +drink the blood of these noble friends, who have risked their lives to +gratify my idle whim? I cannot do it.' Now, who can be this poet, +warrior, and king?" + +"Did he live about a thousand years before the Christian era?" said Amy. + +"He did." + +"It was the sweet Psalmist of Israel, David, son of Jesse, the +Bethlehemite. Now, who is the man that long ago published a book of +jests, said to be greatly studied now-a-days by diners-out and professed +wits, and endlessly copied into other works of a similar character. His +reputation is so high, that many anecdotes are called by his name. Who +can he be?" + +"Is it Punch?" said Lewis. + +"How silly!" cried Harry, with the knowing look of a boy two years +older: "Punch is a newspaper. Was it Hood?" + +"No: do you all give it up?" + +"Yes: we can't imagine who he can be." + +"Joe Miller, of jesting memory." + +"Now let us try another game," said Gertrude. "Of course, Cousin Mary +has an endless store at her disposal." + +"Let us try 'Elements,'" Mary answered. "I will throw my handkerchief at +some one, calling out water, air, or earth; and the person who catches +it must immediately name an animal living in or upon the element. But if +I say _fire_, you must be silent. The answer should be given before I +count ten; and then the one in possession of the handkerchief must throw +it to another, carrying on the game. Any one who repeats an animal that +has been already mentioned, pays a forfeit--except that I think forfeits +are stupid things." + +"Instead of that," said Charlie, "let the unlucky wight who makes the +greatest number of blunders, have the privilege of proposing the first +game to-morrow." + +"Very well," said Mary, throwing her handkerchief at Tom. "Water." + +"Codfish," answered he, tossing it to Cornelia. "Earth." + +"Elephant," replied Cornelia, sending the missive to Charlie. "Fire." + +"Water," rejoined Charlie, flinging it to Amy. + +"Eel," responded Amy, casting it into Anna's lap. "Air." + +"Eagle," cried the latter, hurling the embroidered cambric at George's +face. "Earth." + +"Have pity upon my poor little handkerchief!" said Mary. And so the +game proceeded; and simple though it was, it caused diversion. + +"Who shall be appointed to tell the story to-night?" asked Ellen. "It +seems to me that Tom or Charlie, George or John should be selected; as +it generally happens, 'the softer sex' has done the chief talking. Isn't +it right and proper for the boys to take their equal share?" + +"Oh, by no means!" answered Charlie. "It is the ladies' privilege--it +would be very ungallant to deprive them of it. Besides, my trade is that +of a critic, not an author: you must be aware that it is a higher +branch, giving larger scope to my superior judgment and exquisite powers +of fault-finding. Yes, criticism is my forte: do you tell stories, +Ellen, and I'm the chap to slash them up." + +"You are only too kind," replied his cousin, laughing. "After such a +generous offer, who wouldn't be tempted?" + +"I know you are right, sister Ellen," said Tom, "and that it is our duty +to help in the entertainment of the company; but, for my part, I throw +myself upon your mercy. I wouldn't, for the world, hint that we are more +solid than the girls, but 'tis very certain that we are more lumbering. +If I were to begin a tale, I'd flounder through it, like a whale with a +harpoon in its body; while any of the girls, even down to little Anna, +would glide along, like a graceful, snow-white swan upon a silver +lake--happy in her element, and giving pleasure to all who witnessed her +undulating motions." + +"Very pretty that, Tom!" cried Cornelia. "After such a well-turned +compliment, our hearts would be flinty indeed, if we didn't excuse you. +But what do George and John say?" + +"As for me," responded George, "it appears to be my vocation, at +present, to eat hearty dinners, grumble over my lessons, skate, and +now-and-then, by way of a frolic, fall into a pond. You may be thankful +if I don't get into all sorts of mischief. You need not expect me to +make myself agreeable till I arrive at the 'digging-up' age, that +Cornelia spoke of." + +"For my part," added John, "you know that I couldn't invent a story, to +save my life. I've no fancy at all; and have made up my mind, as I can't +be agreeable, that I'll at least be useful. Everybody ought to be one or +the other." + +"We should aim to be both," said Mr. Wyndham. + +"But, indeed, uncle, 'tis hard work for a fellow, when he's plain-spoken +and rather dull, like me. I'd prefer sawing wood, any day, to +entertaining a parcel of girls!" + +"That being the case," answered Mrs. Wyndham, smiling, "we couldn't be +hard-hearted enough to impose such an arduous duty upon you. I appoint +Cornelia to the honorable office of story-teller this evening." + +"Then I bargain that I make my tale as short as I like, and that I am +not compelled to lug in a moral by the hair of its head, as the Germans +express it," said Cornelia. "I approve of every one following the bent +of his genius, and mine is not of the didactic order." + +"We certainly should not expect a moral essay or an instructive treatise +from our wild little girl," replied Mr. Wyndham. "I suppose there is no +danger of its being immoral." + +"I don't know, indeed," answered she, tossing her black curls, and +looking archly at her uncle, whom she dearly loved to tease. "I'll leave +you to judge of that: I don't answer for the injurious effect it may +have upon these unformed minds around me. I call my story + + +The Astrologers. + +William Forsythe and Edward Barrington were lively young fellows of +twenty, who had left their homes in the South to complete their +education at one of our northern colleges. I don't think my strict uncle +would call them "immoral" young men, but they certainly did not carry +gray heads upon their green shoulders: they loved fun and mischief about +as well as I do. They did not neglect study, and were up to the mark in +their recitations; and they never perpetrated any thing really bad. They +would not have intentionally hurt any one's feelings for the world; but +yet, were any frolic to be carried into execution, these two were "the +head and front of the offending." The grave professors, while they +entertained their families at home with some of their exploits, were +obliged to put on a very sober face in public, and even to hint at +expulsion from the "Alma Mater," if the merry and thoughtless youngsters +persevered in their course. + +I must relate one or two instances which caused considerable laughter at +the time, and have added to the stock of traditionary stories that may +be found in every boarding college throughout our land. Contraband +turkeys or geese, roasted in their room for supper, and intended for a +jolly party of friends who would collect together, were, of course, +quite common affairs. On one occasion, just as the odor had become very +exciting to their gastric organs, and the skin had assumed that tempting +brown hue betokening a near approach to perfection in their culinary +operations, the watchful tutor scented out either the supper or some +mischief, and rap-rap-rap was heard at the door. Every sound was +instantly hushed, and the offending bird was quickly transferred to a +hiding-place in the room. After some little delay, the door was opened, +with many apologies; and the tutor, looking suspiciously through his +spectacles, entered the apartment. "Very studious, gentlemen! very +studious, I see!" he said, glancing at the array of learned volumes open +before them. "Let me beg you not to injure your health by too close +application to books. But what a very curious smell! one would think you +had been carrying out the classical lessons contained in Apicius. Allow +me to examine: ah, Mr. Forsythe, I see that you grease your boots to +keep out the wet--a good precaution." So saying, he pulled out the nice +little goose from a new boot in the corner, to the mingled mortification +and amusement of the young men. "Suppers are doubtless agreeable things +at night," added the tutor; "but the worst is, that they often leave +unpleasant consequences the next morning: of course, you are aware that +you meet the faculty, to-morrow, gentlemen." + +On another occasion, our two heroes were out all night, exerting +themselves strenuously for the public good. I suppose they thought that +if some of the impediments to familiar intercourse in the neighborhood +were removed, the state of society would be greatly benefited. Some such +grave purpose they must have had in view; for, in the morning, when the +inhabitants of the town awoke, they found to their surprise that all the +gates, small and great, had been removed from their hinges, and +collected in one large pile, in the middle of the Campus! To complain to +the faculty would do no good: it would only raise the laugh against +them. So, when any of the townspeople, or the farmers in the +neighborhood, came to select their gates from the pile, the cry was +given, "Heads out!" and from all the windows surrounding the Campus, +roguish eyes peeped forth, to watch the proceedings; and frequently the +property-owner returned, feeling very much as if he had been the +culprit. + +One day, a countryman drove up with a load of wood. As he disappeared +around an angle of the building in search of the purveyor, our heroes +approached, with a select party of classmates, weary of recitations, and +longing for a change. Forsythe, whose genius for military tactics was so +striking that he was dubbed, by universal consent, "the general," +instantly formed his plan of attack; and, being nobly seconded by his +quick-witted aids, he carried it into execution with the rapidity and +decision characteristic of a great commander. In five minutes, the +farmer returned, having concluded his bargain; but where was his cart, +and horse, and load of wood? Nothing of the kind was to be seen; and it +was very evident that patient Dobbin had, for once in his life, resolved +to take a frolic, and see a little of life; or else that some rogue had +gotten possession of him and his appurtenances without the formality of +a purchase. The town was searched, and all the adjacent roads. The +neighbors, ever ready, from a principle of pure benevolence, to take a +lively interest in all that was going on, gave advice in rich profusion, +and sent the poor man flying hither and thither, in vain. But, at last, +the contradictory reports appeared to settle down into the following +facts: that many persons had seen the cart enter the town, but that none +had witnessed its departure--wherein might be traced a strange likeness +to the old fable of the sick lion and his visitors. The suspicion at +last became general, that the students were somehow at the bottom of it; +so just an appreciation did the townspeople possess of their +capabilities for mischief, that no tricks of diablerie seemed too much +to ascribe to them. As the weary countryman and his sympathizing +companions approached those academic shades, where earnest study and +severe meditation filled up all the hours, a stir was apparent within +the building; and the tramping of feet upon the stone staircase, and the +laughter of many voices, told that something unusual had occurred. + +With ill-disguised merriment, the worthy rustic was escorted up three +flights of stairs, until, uneasily stamping upon the brick pavement of +the hall, his wondering eyes fell upon his horse, looking decidedly out +of his element. How came he there? Behind him was the cart, loaded with +wood--not a buckle of his tackling was amiss--it looked as if old Dobbin +had marched up the stairway, load and all. No one knew any thing of the +prodigy--no one ever does, in such cases. The horse looked indignant, as +if he had a tale to tell; but the words wouldn't come. No other witness +could be produced in court; and the end of it was, that all, except the +unfortunate animal himself, indulged in a hearty horse-laugh. + +In what way they drove the cart down stairs, history does not mention. +That was the concern of the owner and of the college authorities, and +not mine nor my heroes--it may be in the hall to this day, for aught I +know. But how they got up so high in the world is another matter, and I +will let you into my secret, merely to convince my incredulous hearers +that the thing was possible. Each of the fellows shouldered as many logs +as he could carry, conveyed them to the appointed place, and returned +swiftly to the charge. The wheels were now off, and ready for four of +them, and the body of the cart for eight more. Forsythe and Barrington +reserved for themselves the honor and glory of managing the live-stock. +Slipping woollen socks over his feet, they somehow got him up-stairs +with marvellous celerity; and whilst his owner was gazing up and down +for his vanished property, the astonished horse was again tackled to the +loaded cart, his hose were taken off, and he was left to his +meditations, in solitary possession of the hall. So quietly was all this +done, that, although students and tutors were in the rooms adjoining, +nothing was suspected, until the horse, who felt himself to be placed, +without any fault of his own, in a false position, made known his +sentiments by his impatient movements. + +The worst trick our heroes ever played, and one of a somewhat kindred +character, consisted in ornamenting Professor X's horse. At midnight, +when the authorities were sound asleep, they took the poor animal out of +his comfortable stable, and shoeing him with an extra quantity of felt, +to prevent any noise, they conveyed him, with great difficulty, up the +staircase, to the hall in the third floor. That might have satisfied +them; but no, they were not pleased with his color. He was of pure +white, and the scapegraces wished a variegated hue. So, after a +preliminary shaving, they painted him in green stripes, and when they +had arranged it to their satisfaction, they went to their own rooms. The +unfortunate victim was not well contented, either with his quarters or +his condition, and stamped about at a great rate, being quite unable to +get down stairs. In the morning, when the Professor was ready for his +usual ride, where was his horse? It had vanished, and the stable-door +was open: thieves must have been prowling about in the night. At last, +the trick was discovered; and then, as Will Forsythe said, "I could +paint that horse, which was rather restive, but I would not undertake to +paint the wrath of the Professor." Of course, no one did it--it was +impossible to discover the guilty individuals. But the poor animal did +not enjoy the frolic as much as the wild youngsters, for he died in +consequence; and this unfortunate termination of the exploit put a stop +to any practical jokes for the enormous period of several months. To +make up the unexpected loss to the Professor, the two friends sent him, +anonymously, a sum of money equal to the value of the horse. + +But the moral discipline inflicted by the luckless death of the green +and white horse, did not endure forever. They say, that when a +subterranean fire exists, and old craters are abandoned, new ones are +thrown up: the inward, irresistible power must have a vent. Perhaps it's +somewhat so with us, lovers of fun. I see uncle shake his head at me, +and know that he thinks I'm inculcating bad morality: but indeed, nature +will out, as well as murder. You must know that the excellent President, +who had a great deal of dry humor in his composition, had procured a +nice new vehicle. Every one liked the old gentleman, and yet, so great +is the love of frolic inherent in some reprobate minds, that when the +idea of carrying off his carriage was first broached at one of their +little private suppers, by that wicked imp Will Forsythe, it was met +with shouts of applause. It was resolved to convey it away, in the dead +of the night, to a little piece of woods belonging to the Doctor, at a +distance of about three miles from the college, and there to leave it. +The plan was to be carried into execution that very night. + +Accordingly, at midnight, eight forms might have been seen carefully +descending from eight windows, and skulking along in the shade, for the +moon was shining brilliantly, until they got beyond the college limits. +They drew out the carriage, and proceeded slowly along the road: no one +was astir except themselves. When they had passed all the houses, they +no longer felt the need of keeping the strict silence they had at first +thought necessary, and the merry laugh and the gay repartee went round. +"Hallo, Forsythe!" exclaimed Barrington, "how do you stand it? I think +this concern is as ponderous as if the old fat Doctor were inside it +himself!" "I conceive this joke to be rather a heavy one," replied his +friend, laughing. "I begin to wonder if we are not fools for our pains: +Dr. Franklin would say that we paid too dear for our whistle." "Never +give up the ship, my boy!" cried the other. "Only think how the old +Doctor will stare about him to-morrow, when he misses it! It will be a +second edition of the Professor's horse." "Now, 'an thou lovest me, +Hal,' don't say a word about the Professor's horse, or I'll turn back +with the carriage. That cost me to the tune of a hundred dollars, and +more, not to speak of the remorse I felt when the poor creature died. +But didn't he look comical when I had put on the green!" Thus, with +jocund peals of laughter, they shortened the way, until they reached the +little piece of woods in which they intended to deposit the coach. Had +they been obliged to toil as much to gain their daily bread, they would +probably have thought it hard work. + +They took down the bars, drew in the carriage, and placed it in a snug +position, out of sight. "And now for home!" said Forsythe. "Won't we get +there a little sooner than we came?" At that moment the carriage window +was thrown up, a large white head was put forth into the moonlight, and, +to the horror of all concerned, they beheld the Doctor! Whether to run, +or what to do, they did not know. The old President enjoyed their +confusion for a few moments, and then said, "Much obliged to you for a +pleasant ride, young gentlemen: now, suppose we go home again." Putting +in his head, and shutting the window and blind, he left them to their +dismay. Completely taken in! they had been betrayed, somehow. They might +look for an expulsion, after that; and, what was worse, would be +heartily laughed at besides. + +Between their mortification and the unwonted hard work, the perspiration +rolled off their faces in large drops by the time they got home--that is +to say, to the coach-house. Forsythe humbly opened the coach-door and +let down the steps. "Many thanks," said the Doctor, with a grave face: +"I have seldom enjoyed a more agreeable ride. I don't know when I have +had horses I liked so well." Every day for a fortnight "the horses" were +trembling, in expectation of a notice to canter off from the college, in +disgrace; but no such intimation came. The worthy old Doctor was +contented with the punishment he had already inflicted, but reminded +them occasionally of their midnight frolic, and brought blushes up to +their cheeks, by some sly allusion. + +College days are now over: our heroes have graduated with some +distinction, notwithstanding their many peccadilloes, and have bid +farewell forever to the "academic shades," figuratively speaking, of +their Alma Mater. They have amazed, delighted, and edified the ladies +present at the Commencement by the eloquence of their Greek and Latin +orations: the pretty creatures listened with rapt attention, and most +intelligent countenances, to the whole. Had it been Cherokee, it would +have proved the same thing. They did not enlighten the audience, as a +learned old Scotchman, who, some fifty years ago, was President of one +of our northern colleges, actually did at a commencement speech. He had +a board of trustees, whom he looked upon with great contempt, as +illiterate men; and not being on the best terms with them, he +determined upon a characteristic revenge. Turning round to one side of +the stage, where some of them were seated, whenever he quoted Latin, he +gave the explanation, "That's _Latin_, gentlemen;" and again, when he +introduced any Greek, bowing to the other side, "That's _Greek_, +gentlemen." But one incident occurred, showing equal respect to the +classical acquirements of those around him: Will Forsythe, whose memory +was none of the best, feeling a sudden lapse of it in the very middle of +his speech, with imperturbable impudence, recommenced from his +starting-point, and made an admirable impression. Thunders of applause +rewarded him when he made his parting bow. + +The two friends still kept together. They visited the Falls of Niagara, +Canada, Saratoga, and Newport; and yet, strange to say, their purses +were not exhausted. What shall they do next? they are ready for any +frolic that presents itself. They have money in their pockets, young +blood in their veins, unlimited time at their disposal, and, of course, +they must be in some mischief, as neither of them has lost his heart, +and become sentimental. While in New York, Forsythe accidentally took up +a newspaper, and that determined the especial kind of wickedness in +which they should engage. He noticed a number of pompous advertisements +of fortune-tellers under the head of astrology, which gave him an idea. +He showed them to Barrington, who observed that "it was astonishing how +many fools and ignoramuses there were still in the nineteenth century, +when the schoolmaster was abroad." "A very sage remark," answered his +friend. "If the schoolmaster would stay at home, and mind his own +business, instead of being abroad so much, perhaps the world would be +better taught. I notice that he is always going to an education +convention. But I didn't show you that for the purpose of eliciting +wisdom: quite the contrary--folly is what I'm after, just now. What do +you think of our turning astrologers?" "Grand! you're a genius, Will! +that's the very thing to wake us up! Here are you and I, dashing blades, +who have been doing penance by trying to be fine gentlemen at +watering-places, when it wasn't at all in our line. I began to think we +looked as much like fops as the rest of the scented and bearded +dress-coats, who strut about, and imagine the world is looking at them. +This would throw us into quite another rank of life, and give us new +ideas. How shall we manage it though, my fine fellow?" "Nothing easier +in the world. Let us rent a small house, somewhere near the +Bowery--that's the right neighborhood; and when we have fitted it up +suitably to our trade, I'll engage to put an advertisement in the papers +that shall draw us customers. How do you think I could pass for a Jew?" +"Pretty well, with your coal-black eyes and hooked nose: but what is +that notion?" "I think it would cause a great sensation if the Wandering +Jew were to appear again in real life. What between Croly and Eugene +Sue, he has been kept very extensively before the public in books: but I +believe no one has had the audacity as yet to represent him in an +every-day, money-getting capacity, at least in America. How do you like +my plan?" "Superb! the only objection is that you are rather youthful in +appearance for one who has wandered over the earth for more than +eighteen hundred years. Could you alter that, Will?" "Somewhat, with the +aid of a snow-white wig and yellow dye; and you know I always possessed +the accomplishment of furrowing up my face with wrinkles when I chose. I +don't doubt I could look the character pretty well, in a rich, flowing +Oriental dress. And the little Hebrew we picked up at college from our +good friend the learned young Rabbi, will also stand us in hand. Have +you any objection to being my servant, Ned?" "None at all; I shall feel +quite honored by the position. I don't consider myself competent to play +the first fiddle in this amusing duet, but can follow your lead very +well." "Remember, then, that our English is rather broken, and that we +communicate our meaning to one another in French, Spanish, scraps of +Hebrew, or Latin and Greek. I have not quite yet forgotten all I learned +at college, though I suppose I shall do so in another month." "You +remember your speech, at least--eh, Will?" "The first half; if it is +necessary to make a great sensation, I can come out with that." + +Full of the new plan of diversion, the boys, for they were boys at +heart, although men in stature, set out to hunt a house; and were +successful in finding one that suited their notions. Very soon it was +furnished in Oriental style, and an inner room was fitted up with +various occult instruments, calculated to inspire the minds of the +vulgar with a wholesome dread. It was agreed that Barrington should make +very little change in his wardrobe, and merely dye his hair and +whiskers, and add a richer brown to his complexion, to give a more +travelled look, and, as he said, to hinder any of the Saratoga belles +from finding him out, if they came to have their fortunes told. But +Forsythe took infinite pains to alter his appearance, and was so +successful, that his friend assured him his own mother could not detect +his identity, and that Garrick himself, who could look any character and +any age he pleased, would have been jealous had he seen how successfully +he had hidden his youth and beauty. When all preparations were made, the +advertisement was written. It stated that "The Wandering Jew, having +reached New York in his peregrinations, would stay for the space of one +fortnight only, it being then indispensably necessary that his travels +should recommence, and highly probable that he might not revisit the +city for a century. Being now the sole depository of the mysterious +knowledge acquired in Egypt in ancient times, some scraps of which had +been picked up by the astrologers of the middle ages, and especially by +Merlin, Michael Scott, Cornelius Agrippa, and Friar Bacon, he was ready, +during the short period of his stay, to lift the veil which separates +the present from the future. Not being actuated in the slightest degree +by a lust for gain, the illustrious exile would not consent to gratify +mere idle curiosity, and to afford amusement to the gay and frivolous; +but where an earnest, inquiring mind was intent upon discovering the +hidden things of life, upon investigating the secrets of the past, or +searching into futurity, the Wanderer would give his mighty assistance. +By books and science, by spells and conjurations, the POWERS were +compelled to reveal their arcana, and FATE itself whispered its dark +mysteries into his ear. The SPIRITS being subjects of the Great +Magician, their aid would be called in when desired. Where this mode was +preferred to the ordinary methods of consulting the stars, the Cabala, +and black-letter volumes, these intelligences answered all questions by +significant RAPS, or in writing, guiding the hand of the Wanderer, who +acted as their medium." + +The first day that the advertisement appeared, no visitors of any +distinction came to see the Wanderer, who yawned, and smoked cigars, and +read through the last novel, declaring that it was intolerable to be +dressed up for a show, and to have nobody come to see them. But in the +evening, they were rewarded for their trouble. There was a quick, +nervous ring, and Barrington opened the door: a timid little man walked +in, looking back over his shoulder to see if he were observed. When he +found himself alone with Barrington, he asked, with some surprise, if he +were the Great Magician. "I! oh, no, my lord: far be it from me. I am +the humblest of his slaves. I will see if my venerable master can now +receive you." Opening the door leading into a back apartment, he made a +low salam to the Wanderer, who was seated in state upon a divan, +immersed in his studies. Addressing him in Hebrew, with a few words of +Greek to make out the sense, he received a response which he interpreted +to the newcomer as a permission to approach the august presence. The +little man went in, feeling at every step an increase of reverential +awe. The Oriental, costumed with all magnificence, his hoary head bent +with age, his brow, from beneath which black eyes flashed brightly, +furrowed with years and care, filled him with admiration. Every thing +around heightened the impression. A curious-carved cabinet, whose doors +looked as if they concealed a mystery, was surmounted by folio volumes +filled, of course, with potent spells: and above these again, a skull +and cross-bones made him shudder. In one corner was a globe, covered +with strange figures, dragons, scorpions, distressed damsels fastened to +a rock, etc. Scattered about the room were singular instruments of +various kinds, jars with hideous snakes preserved in spirits, books in +unknown tongues, and parchments upon which cabalistic diagrams were +portrayed, which no doubt had power to command the spirits and to reveal +futurity. + +The Wanderer waved his hand, to invite his visitor to a seat: the humble +slave stood, with head meekly bowed down, near the door. With some +difficulty the little man, who was frightened nearly out of his small +stock of wits, explained his errand. It seems that he had fallen heir to +a property, the deed of which had been lost. He had tried every method +he could think of to discover it: he had rummaged over all the drawers +and chests in his relative's house; he had said his prayers backwards, +so that a dream might be sent him in the night; and he had been to three +fortune-tellers, but strange to say, had returned no wiser than he was +when he went. And now, this was his last hope: if the Wandering Jew, of +whom he had heard so much, could not help him, he knew that no one +could. He was asked in which way he wished to receive the desired +information: should the answer appear in flames before him, should it be +discovered by the magic books, or should the spirit of his deceased +friend signify his presence to him by a rap, and then respond to the +question? The stranger evidently preferred the last mode of operating, +and let out the fact, in the course of conversation, that his relative +had been lost at sea. The Wanderer then performed various evolutions, +burning incense, bowing to unseen visitors, who were admitted into the +room by the slave upon a rap being heard at the door, and muttering, +meanwhile, mysterious words in an unknown tongue, to which his attendant +occasionally responded. The poor little man began to quake all over: he +felt as if surrounded by charms, and spells, and wicked spirits. He +wished himself heartily out of the house: but there was no retreat +now--some ghosts it is easier to raise than to lay. When the room was +filled with fragrant smoke, and the subject of the conjuration was +completely mystified and frightened, Selim, for so the Wanderer called +his assistant, brought in a circular table, around which the three +seated themselves in profound silence; but the venerable Oriental, who +acted as the medium of communication, alone placed his hand upon it. A +rap, which caused the little man nearly to jump off his chair, announced +that the spirit was ready to be consulted. The medium asked, "Whether +the inquirer should recover his rights, and obtain a copy of the deed?" +Three impressive, decided raps gave an affirmative reply. "Will he be +satisfied upon this point to-morrow?" Again three raps. "Will the spirit +condescend to signify, in writing, in what way he shall act to obtain +this end?" Three raps again testified that the amiable spirit was +willing to oblige. Accordingly, Selim having produced an antique +ink-stand and an eagle's quill--a goose quill and steel pens would have +been quite too common--the hand of the medium was guided in tracing +strange characters, which looked like a jumble of the Greek, Arabic, and +cuneiform alphabets. This "spirit dialect" was translated to the +inquirer: it contained a direction to call early the next morning, +between the hours of eight and nine--for during that hour the fates were +propitious to him--at the office of a lawyer named Warren, No. 354 +Broadway. Upon seeing him, he was to lay down a $20 gold piece, and to +say that he wanted him to procure a copy of the missing will. He must +answer all questions Mr. Warren might ask, and, above all, must feel +implicit faith in him, as the agent appointed by the spirits to restore +to him his property. + +Full of awe as he was, the little man still wished to gratify his +curiosity as to the manner of his kinsman's death: could that be done? +"Oh, yes," answered the mysterious one, "nothing is easier." As he was +speaking, the table began to creak, as a ship would do in a storm. It +was excessively agitated; the noise of the rudder was heard, and at +last, after a series of agonizing movements, the whole concern fell +over, with a sudden crash. And yet no one appeared to touch it--the +passive hand of the venerable exile could scarcely have affected it so +strangely. "You see the fate of the ship," said the Wanderer; "it has +gone to the bottom in a storm." "How very odd!" replied the +simple-hearted little man; "when it came home, the Captain said he had +fallen overboard." "He did," answered the magician, in a solemn manner, +avoiding, however, to look in the direction of Selim. "Did you not hear +the plunge into the sea? this describes the ultimate fate of the +vessel." The good, easy man was perfectly satisfied. + +He was directed to come on the morrow, when the deed had been found, and +the correctness of the spirit's directions was fully proved: and payment +was indignantly' refused. The next day, various sentimental chambermaids +visited them, desiring to be shown the likeness of their future +husbands. This was done, greatly to their satisfaction, by exhibiting to +them one and the same hyalotype, magnified by the magic lantern, so that +the life-like countenance appeared to approach them from the opposite +wall in the darkened room. It was observed, that the more ignorant they +were, the more were they affected with horror by the sight of the +cross-bones, skull, and chemical apparatus. Still, this was rather tame +work; and both the Aged One and Selim were relieved when they saw their +dupe of the preceding night reappear, with happiness beaming in every +feature of his countenance. "The lawyer," he said, "had not appeared at +all surprised at being told to get him a copy of the will: he said +something about the Recorder's office. He was a young-looking man to be +chosen by the spirits: and he wanted to know who had sent him to +himself. Of course I told him, and then he laughed, and said it was a +great humbug. I was very much afraid that the spirits would be offended, +and refuse to discover to him the will: but he told me to return towards +evening, and lo! here it is." + +The poor little man was full of the warmest gratitude, and wanted to +force a purse upon the unwilling astrologers: but they finally overcame +his importunities by representing that the spirits would not obey their +summons, if made a subject of bargain and sale, and that he should best +please them by distributing it among the sick and poor. + +This circumstance, which found its way into one of the daily papers, +with many embellishments, brought crowds of believers in "the night side +of nature" to our mischievous youngsters, who were ready to humor the +credulous public to the top of its bent. Very many people looked sage, +and quoted the passage-- + + + "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, + Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." + + +Select circles of intelligent people insisted upon it, that although +they could not give in their adhesion to such mysteries, yet they +greatly disapproved of the spirit of skepticism which had been so +prevalent for the last fifty years. The new discoveries in science +plainly showed that nature had many secrets yet unrevealed to man: and +no one should audaciously set a limit to his powers. Did not animal +magnetism, containing so many things which could not be explained away, +plainly prove it? Could they have seen our merry graduates, when the +door was locked for the night, and the venerable wig was thrown aside, +jollifying over their supper! could they have heard the peals of +laughter caused by the unlooked-for success of the frolic, how would +their cheeks have been covered with blushes! + +The astrologers became decidedly the rage: had it been their object to +gain wealth, they could have charged any price they pleased for their +conjurations, and would have obtained it. But their popularity was of +course increased by the fact that the mysterious Wanderer uniformly +refused to accept any compensation, and majestically commanded those who +sought his aid, to apply the sum of money offered him to the relief of +the first poor widow, orphan, or aged person they met. This peculiarity +induced many young persons, of a rank in life and a style of education +who do not commonly patronize fortune-telling, to visit the great +unknown, partly in fun, partly in earnest; for there is a vast deal of +superstition hidden in the recesses of most characters, and ready to +start forth at the first call. Bright eyes, obscured by thick veils, +excited the curiosity even of the venerable Wanderer; and white, +jewelled hands were extended, that his searching glance might decipher +the lines of life. Several interesting love-tales were poured into the +sympathizing ear of benign old age, and the recollections of centuries +were called up, to furnish suitable counsel and to encourage the +despairing heart to hope. Forsythe assured his friend that he would not +exchange the knowledge of human nature, and especially of woman nature, +which he had acquired in this fortnight, for the experience of ten years +of ordinary life. + +The joke was very consistently carried out. Our youngsters were both +possessed of ready mother wit, and the world was charmingly mystified. +The answers furnished to inquirers partook much of the dimness and +ambiguity of the ancient oracular responses, when Delphi was yet in its +glory, and the oaks of Dodona reflected some of their own rich green +tint upon those who consulted its priestesses. On one occasion, "Selim" +found it very difficult to retain the gravity of his sad, Oriental +countenance. A sharp, quick-witted young fellow, Frank Warren, their +former college chum, to whom they had sent his first fee, had +accompanied the grateful little man who had made their reputation, +ostensibly for the purpose of consulting the spirit of Milton, but +really, as they plainly perceived, to detect their tricks. They were on +their guard: they had not seen Warren for some time, but their former +habits of intimacy made the danger of discovery imminent. It was +Warren's wish that the spirit should guide the pen of his medium, and +accordingly our Ancient sat down, and tried to indite Miltonic lines. +"Very blank verse, indeed, it was," as he subsequently confessed to his +familiar, at their midnight conference. The face of the visitor twitched +convulsively as he read the so-called poetry, and the young fellows, +ever ready to enjoy a joke, would have dearly loved to join him in a +loud and merry peal of laughter. By a great effort, all three restrained +themselves; but the inquirer remarked, with a grave countenance, that +"it appeared as if the genius of Milton had not expanded in the upper +world--he certainly never wrote such trash when he was upon the earth. +It reminded him of the saying of the wits of Athens: that although +Apollo was the god and patron of poetry, any common rhymster would be +ashamed of the lines which emanated from the deity at Delphos." When +Selim escorted the gentleman into the outer apartment, the skeptic +slipped some gold into his palm, which the former at first pretended to +receive; and by cunning cross-examination, strove to make him confess +that his master was not so old as he assumed to be. "How long have you +been in his service?" "Not very long, myself." "But do you think him as +ancient as he pretends to be?" "That is a delicate question: I hardly +like to answer it. To be frank, I have sometimes had doubts about the +great length of his life, although I cannot feel any hesitation on the +subject of his wonderful powers." "But how long have you known him?" +"Let me see. It was Friar Bacon who first introduced me to His +Eminence, and advised me to enlist in his service. He did not look so +very old at that time, and it was only six centuries ago. This occurred +at Oxford, on the magic eve of St. John's day, in 1250 A.D.--I remember +the date distinctly. No, between ourselves, I have some suspicions that +he is not quite so old as he says he is." Very soon after that, the +investigator left. One thing was certain, that he had not recognized +them. + +On the last day of their intended stay, an incident occurred which +furnished a proper termination to their frolic. A rough, boorish fellow +came to visit them, who evidently "hailed" from remote country +districts, into which the civilizing influences of education had not +penetrated. All his utterances, for his words should scarcely be +dignified with the name of conversation, showed him to be ignorant in +the extreme, and to be credulous in proportion. He had come to New York, +hoping, in that centre of light and science, medical and theological, to +find relief from a certain demon which possessed him. This wicked spirit +made him often do things he didn't wish to do--caused him to foam at the +mouth, tear his clothes, etc., and he wanted to know whether the +Wanderer was not possessed of a spell to quiet the tormentor. +"Certainly; follow our directions, and you never shall be troubled with +him again." + +Accordingly, the patient was brought into the back room, which had been +darkened up purposely. A circle was described, within which incense was +burnt, and in the centre stood the Awful One in his flowing robe, with +his magical wand in his hand, uttering terrible conjurations. "Do you +feel any thing?" he would occasionally ask the countryman, who was +gaping with wonder and admiration. "N--no, I dunna that I do," the man +would reply. "Then it has not left you yet: you'll be sure to know when +it does. You'll feel a sort of shock go all through you, and will see +sparks: then open your mouth wide, and the spirit will jump out." As it +was some time before the sufferer obtained relief, Selim was called to +his aid; and the way in which their Latin and Greek orations were tossed +about at one another, would have astonished the Professors. At last the +Wanderer placed the patient upon a stool, and proceeded with his +incantations. Suddenly the countryman uttered a shriek, and jumping into +the air, cut a pigeon-wing. "He's gone! I felt him go!" He had touched +the electrical machine, which had been fully charged, and was put there, +as it were, in ambush. "Do you feel much better?" "Yes; I'm another +man." + +The poor fellow went away, declaring himself a perfect cure. And +Forsythe and Barrington agreed, that after such a brilliant finale it +was as well to beat a retreat: just as some gentlemen, at the close of +an evening visit, relate a witty anecdote, or sparkle out a brilliant +repartee, snatch up their hats, make their bows, and leave you in the +middle of a laugh. But another adventure was in store for them, which +had not entered into their calculations at all. The play-bills show us +that after a tragedy there generally comes a farce: the case was +reversed with them, for they had enjoyed their farce, and had laughed +over it heartily--and now there was danger of its ending in a tragedy. +When their preparations were nearly complete for a sudden and +inexplicable disappearance, our astrologers were horrified by the +apparition, in the day time, of stars they had never consulted--stars of +this gross, lower world--stars which, in case of resistance, become +shooting stars, and which revolve, in very eccentric orbits, around the +central police station. What these portended, it needed no wisdom of +Chaldean sage to decipher--exposure, ridicule, disgrace, and the +prison. They had enjoyed their laugh at the world--now the tables would +be turned, and the world's dread laugh be raised against them. + +Resistance was utterly in vain. Attired as they were, in flowing +Oriental garb, the distressed Wanderer and his faithful Selim were +hurried into a cab, which no conjuration, not even that of "the golden +eagle," could prevent from driving to the Mayor's office. Here they +beheld their former friend, Warren, evidently the "very head and front +of the offending:" he was talking to the little man of the famous will +case, who appeared to be on the verge of a violent nervous fever. The +latter wished to escape, but the lawyer was too resolute and +pertinacious to be conquered by his weak irritability, and he was +obliged to resign himself into his hands. + +The exile had time allowed him to reflect upon his course of action. A +multitude of petty cases were up for examination, and the patience of +his Honor, the Mayor, was heavily taxed, especially as he knew that a +very capital dinner and excellent company were waiting for him at home. +At last this case of deception, imposture, and swindling came up in +turn; but not before the aged, wrinkled, care-worn man had whispered a +few words into the ears of the young lawyer, which made him start, and +give the other an admiring glance of surprise, as if he recognized in +him a genius of the highest order. + +His Honor was angry and tired, and gave rather a savage look at the +culprits. "A case like this needs very little proof--they are arrant +swindlers, evidently--with all that foolery of dress about them! Remove +that wig and beard." The red blood rushed up to the cheeks and forehead +of poor Will Forsythe, and showed itself through the yellow dye of his +skin, as he was obliged to submit to this indignity; and he mentally +exclaimed: "If ever I pretend again to be any thing I am not, may my +head come off too!" "You appear in this case, Mr. Warren," said the +Mayor. "Let me hear what can be urged against these men, and produce +your witnesses." "I find that I have very little to say on the subject, +your Honor. It is true, I can prove that this gentleman went to consult +the prisoner as to a missing will, and that he is under the impression +that spirits were consulted on the occasion. But I can also prove that +very sensible advice was given to my client--to consult a lawyer of +great respectability and high promise; and accordingly he came to me. +And further, I can prove that the astrologers did not receive one +farthing in payment for their counsel, and, indeed, positively refused +the offer of a handsome gratuity from my grateful client. And I can +challenge any one in the city of New York to prove that, in any one +case, the prisoners received money in return for advice or assistance +given to any visitor. This fact takes from the case the appearance of a +swindling transaction, according to the well-known law of George III., +which doubtless your Honor thoroughly remembers." "There appears, then, +to be no prosecution in this case? I find that, like a true lawyer, you +can argue on one side as well as the other." "There is none, your Honor: +my client withdraws the prosecution. May I be allowed a word in +private?" After a whispered consultation of some minutes, during which +our unmasked jesters observed his Honor cast very highly-amused glances +in their direction, and heard occasional snatches of the +conversation,--"Ha, indeed? sons of *** and ****, do you say? the first +families in the South! I knew their fathers well! tell them to come to +dinner just as they are--the ladies will make allowances." + +But that degree of impudence was too much for the brass of even +Forsythe and Barrington. They respectfully declined, and hastened +homeward, accompanied by Frank Warren. One more merry supper did they +eat in that house which had been the theatre for the display of so many +strange adventures, and then they vanished. When morning came, no trace +of the astrologers was to be found. The furniture had gone, the house +was shut up, the birds had flown. Had there been a storm in the night, +the believers in Gotham would have thought they had been claimed by +their Dread Master, and had been snatched away in a blaze of lightning. +As it was, there was nothing to reveal the mystery. The good little man, +who never quite understood the scene in the Mayor's office, is +gratefully enjoying his property, and thinks that the Wandering Jew may +now be in the centre of Africa, or climbing the heights of the Himalaya +Mountains. But as I happen to be better informed, I know that both he +and his faithful Selim slipped out of New York as quietly as possible, +and returned to their homes in the sunny South. They have since then +married, have settled down into quiet orderly citizens, and have given +up all practical jokes; but they frequently amuse their wives with some +of their varied experience, obtained when playing the rôle of +astrologers in New York. + +"But you do not really think people could be so cheated now-a-days, +uncle!" cried George. + +"I certainly do not consider the world too wise to be fooled in almost +any way," answered his uncle. "Look at the various _isms_ which have +sprung up, even in our own day. Think of the imposture of Mormonism,--it +has fairly peopled a territory. Think of the pretensions of +clairvoyance, claiming almost omniscience and omnipresence for the human +spirit. Think of Matthias and his followers. But remarkable as that +delusion was, it is almost forgotten now, so many extravagancies tread +upon one another's heels, and hustle each its predecessor off the stage. +Spirit-rapping is the last, and is spreading like wildfire throughout +the land: some characters have so much tinder in their composition, that +they catch in a moment. But it will soon go out--'tis like the crackling +of thorns under the pot--a quick blaze for a moment, and then it +expires." + +"The alarm about witchcraft, both in England and America, was, I think, +one of the most noticeable delusions of modern times," said Mrs. +Wyndham. "How many eminent and excellent men were deceived by it! The +learned, judicious, and pious Sir Matthew Hale condemned at least one +witch to be burnt alive--although, I believe, it cost him some remorse +afterwards. And in New England, Cotton Mather was prominent in hunting +out those who were supposed by their neighbors to be on too familiar +terms with a certain nameless individual. I am glad I did not live in +those days! If a poor old woman was ugly, and cross, and mumbled to +herself, as we old women will do sometimes, and above all, if she kept a +large black cat, woe betide her! her fate was well-nigh sealed." + +"I don't think you would have been in any danger, Aunt Lucy," said Amy, +laughing. + +"I don't know, indeed--probably not, while I had such an array of young +people around me. But if I were left desolate and alone in the world, +and became peevish and odd from the mere fact of having no one to love +me, I would not have answered for the consequences at all." + +"I had to laugh," added Ellen, "at the marvellous cure effected by the +electrical machine. It reminded me of a well-attested anecdote I have +read of the beneficial effects wrought by a thermometer, through the +medium of the imagination. The physician intended to try whether the +galvanic battery could not be usefully employed in a case of paralysis, +but before commencing operations, he applied a small thermometer to the +tongue of the patient. Upon removing it, he was told by the latter that +it gave him very curious feelings, and that he thought himself a little +better. Seeing the mistake he had made, the doctor resolved not to +undeceive him, but to persevere in the application of the thermometer. +He did so, and the man was soon a complete cure." + +"I have heard of instances of sudden joy or fright restoring the vital +energies to poor bed-ridden mortals," said Cornelia, "but to be cured by +a thermometer is too comical!" + +"It was that powerful principle, faith," answered Mrs. Wyndham. "I +remember very well the time when certain metallic tractors were all the +fashion, to draw away pain from the parts affected, by magnetic +influence. Well-authenticated cures were wrought; but at last a +physician applied a test, which proved the beneficial results to be +entirely the work of the imagination. He had wooden tractors made, +painted so as to resemble the metal ones, and they exerted equal powers. +When this fact was published, of course the cures ceased, and metallic +tractors became things that were." + +"Another fact is told to show how the imagination can kill or cure," +said Mr. Wyndham. "A criminal was condemned to death for some atrocious +deed, and it was resolved to try an experiment upon him, as he would +have to die at any rate. He was informed that he would be bled to death; +and when the appointed time had arrived, his eyes were effectually +bandaged, his arm bared, and the surgeon pretended to cut the artery. +Luke-warm water was poured, in a steady current, upon his arm, and +trickled down into a basin below: and the physician held his hand, +feeling the pulse. The wretched criminal became paler and paler, his +pulse beat more faintly, and at last he died, a victim to his own +imagination." + +"Poor creature!" added Mary. "And I have repeatedly heard of cases, +uncle, in which persons fancied themselves about to die at a certain +hour, from having had a dream to that effect, or some other supernatural +indication of the will of Heaven. And sometimes they actually expired, +from sheer fright. But when the clock was put back an hour or two, the +time passed without any fatal result ensuing." + +"Those chaps were wilder than we are, Charlie!" cried George, with an +air of triumph. + +"Yes," answered his cousin. "But I very much fear that does not prove +our innocence, but only their depravity. It reminds me of that line in +Milton-- + + + 'And in the lowest deep, a lower deep.'" + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. + +CONFIDANTE.--LEAD-MERCHANT.--TRADES.--THE ROSE OF HESPERUS; A FAIRY +TALE. + + +As the time drew nigh when our young party would be called upon to +separate, and to return to the every-day duties of the boarding or day +school, and the home, the centralizing influences of affection appeared +to be felt in an increasing degree. Aunt Lucy remarked that they greatly +resembled a flock of birds or of sheep: where one came, the rest were +sure very soon to follow. Cousin Mary asked George, with a look of great +concern, if he felt very unwell indeed. "I? oh no, I never was better in +my life. What could have put the notion into your head that I was ill?" +"My dear Coz, you are so uncommonly good. You have not teased Anna or +Gertrude at all to-day, and I begin to feel seriously alarmed for your +health. I have so often noticed a sudden attack of meekness to precede a +sudden attack of fever, that I really think it would be wiser to send +for the doctor in time." "Don't concern yourself," replied he. "If that +be all, I can soon prove that my pulse is in good order." So saying, he +gave Mary's work-basket a sudden twitch, which sent her spools of +cotton, winders, thimble, and emery-bag flying in every direction; when, +of course, with the malice peculiar to things of such small natures, +they carefully hid themselves in the darkest corners, and ran behind the +legs of tables and sofas for protection, "Preserve me from boys!" said +Mary with a laugh, as George ran out of the room. "If it were not +unladylike, I really should box those ears of yours!" + +"They are quite large enough to bear it--no danger of their being +crushed," he replied, giving a pinch to the protruding members. + +In the evening, as Gertrude claimed the honor of having been the most +stupid person in playing "Elements" the night before, it was agreed that +it appertained to her to introduce to the company another game. She said +she had seen one played that resembled "Consequences," in so far that +you wrote what you were ordered, and read it aloud when it was finished: +but you were not obliged to turn down the papers after writing, as you +did not change them with the rest of the company. She would call this +game "Confidante," as she had never heard a name for it. Accordingly, +every one got a pencil and sheet of paper, and wrote agreeably to her +directions. + +"Let each boy write a lady's name, and each girl a gentleman's name." + +"Now, any past time--some date, if you please; yesterday, or a thousand +years ago--it makes no difference." + +"The name of a place." + +"Either yes or no." + +"Yes or no, again." + +"Every boy write a lady's name, every girl a gentleman's." + +"Some time to come." + +"Write yes or no." + +"Yes or no, again." + +"Mention a place." + +"Tell us your favorite color." + +"Set down any number not exceeding 10." + +"Another color." + +"Yes or no." + +"Let all write a lady's name." + +"Let all write a gentleman's name." + +"All, another lady's name." + +"Every boy write a gentleman's name, every girl a lady's." + +"Set down the name of a clergyman." + +"Now, any sum of money." + +"The name of a place." + +"And lastly, any number." + +"Now that we have finished, every one must read aloud his or her paper, +without cheating, whatever it contains--each portion as an answer to a +question. Charlie, to whom did you make your first offer?" + +"Happily, to no one present: it was to Queen Victoria." + +"When was it?" + +"In the year 1492: the day Columbus discovered America." + +"Where did this interesting event take place?" + +"In the Tower of Babel." + +"Does she love you?" + +"Yes: how could she help it?" + +"Do you love her?" + +"Yes: to distraction." + +"Whom will you marry?" + +"Queen Jezebel." + +"How soon does this auspicious match come off? for I want to have my +wedding-dress ready." + +"To-morrow--New-Year's day." + +"Do you love her?" + +"No, not at all." + +"Does she love you?" + +"No, alas!" + +"Where does she live?" + +"In Calcutta." + +"What is the color of her hair?" + +"Brilliant scarlet." + +"What is her height?" + +"Nine and a half feet." + +"Please to mention the color of her eyes." + +"A charming green." + +"Is she pretty?" + +"Yes, very." + +"Who is to be bridesmaid at this happy wedding?" + +"Miss Alice Bolton." + +"Who will wait upon her?" + +"King Nebuchadnezzar." + +"Who is your sympathizing confidante?" + +"Cousin Cornelia." + +"Pray, tell us the name of your rival?" + +"His Majesty, William the Conqueror of Normandy and England. I should +not be sorry if he carried off my gentle dame." + +"What clergyman will marry you?" + +"The Archbishop of Canterbury." + +"How much is the lady worth?" + +"Three cents." + +"Where will you live?" + +"In the black-hole of Calcutta." + +"How many servants will you keep?" + +"Two millions, five hundred thousand." + +"I must say, you are moderate, considering the lady's fortune. In asking +the girls, I merely reverse the questions: 'From whom did you receive +your first offer?' etc. As the game wants a name, I think it should be +called 'Confidante:' the reader not only has a confidante in the play, +but is called upon to intrust his secrets to the whole assembled +company." + +"But isn't this rather silly--all this about love and marriage?" asked +Mr. Wyndham, with the hesitating manner of one who knows that he shall +instantly be put down. + +"Certainly it is, my dear uncle," answered Cornelia. "If it were not, we +should not like it half so well, I can tell you. You know we must be +foolish some time in our life--so, for my share, I'm taking it out now." + +"Well, well--there's no harm in it, any how. Though you wouldn't believe +it, I was young once myself, and don't like to be too hard upon the +rising generation. There's a game I remember playing when I was a +youngster, that is not too wise for you, but ought to have more solidity +in it than the last, as it is all about lead. It is called the +'Lead-Merchant.' One tries in every mode to dispose of his lead to the +company, asking question after question, to which you must answer +without introducing the words _lead_, _I_, _yes_, or _no_. He tries to +trip you in every way, and as soon as you say one of the forbidden +words, you are out of the game. Would you like to try it?" + +"Very much, uncle. Will you be the lead-merchant?" + +"If you wish it. Amy, will you buy any lead?" + +"Not any at present." + +"But pray, why not?" + +"Because none is desired at my house." + +"Shall I call next week?" + +"It is scarcely worth while: we do not wish any." + +"I will stop to-morrow: your little boys want lead to make some +bullets." + +"They would only burn their sweet little fingers in melting it: they +must not have any." + +"Then you will not buy my lead?" + +"Positively not." + +"I noticed that the lead upon your roof wanted repairing: the rain will +beat in, and you'll all be taken ill, unless you buy my lead. 'Tis only +one cent a pound." + +"If you gave it to me as a present, I wouldn't take your lead." + +"Amy, you're caught! You said both _I_ and _lead_." + +Notwithstanding all their care, the persevering lead-merchant entrapped +every one in some moment of weakness; and the company agreed that he +would make his fortune as a Yankee pedlar, or as an agent for some book +that nobody wanted,--many would buy to get rid of him, on the same +principle that the lady married her tiresome lover. + +"And now," said Charlie, "let us play 'Trades.' We apprentice our son or +daughter to some business, and mention that the first thing sold begins +with a specified letter: but we must never repeat an article. The person +who guesses, apprentices his son the next. I apprenticed my son to a +carpenter, and the first thing he sold was a T." + +"A table?" asked Mary. "I apprenticed my daughter to a milliner, and the +first thing she sold was a yard of R. R." + +"Red ribbon?" added Gertrude. "I apprenticed my son to a grocer, and the +first thing he sold was a B. of R." + +"Box of raisins?" inquired Cornelia. "I apprenticed my son to a +cabinet-maker, and the first thing he sold was a S." + +"Sofa?" said Tom. "I apprenticed my daughter to a dry-goods store, and +the first thing she sold was ten yards of L." + +"Lace?" asked Ellen. + +"No--guess again." + +"Linen? I see that's right. I apprenticed my son to a tinman, and the +first thing he sold was a N. G." + +"Nutmeg-grater?" inquired George. "Now, I apprenticed my son to a +hardware man, and the first thing he sold was a P. of S." + +"Pair of skates?" said Amy. "I apprenticed my son to a book-store, and +the first thing he sold was a P. B." + +"Prayer-book? I apprenticed my daughter to a dressmaker, and the first +thing she made was a V. M." + +"Velvet mantilla?" And so the game proceeded, the questions and answers +being tossed from one to another, like ball or shuttlecock, so that the +general interest was kept up. + +"I think it high time we had our daily story," said Amy. + +"So do I," replied her uncle; "and I commission you to tell it." + +"I? oh no, uncle, I'm too young. I think the older ones should have the +monopoly of that trade--I wasn't apprenticed to it." + +"Not at all--you are of suitable age to be apprenticed now, so you may +consider the bargain struck. Begin, my little Amy, and if you break down +in the middle of your tale, I'll promise to finish it myself." + +"Very well, uncle; I feel quite tempted to fail, to inveigle you into a +sensible termination to a foolish story. We often invent tales in the +interval at school, and I'll give you one that my schoolmates like. It +is called + + +The Rose of Hesperus; + +A FAIRY TALE. + +Every one has heard of the Garden of Hesperus, famous in all ancient +times for its exquisite beauty. Its golden fruit, more precious by far +than the fleece of Jason, in search of which heroes perilled their lives +on board the good ship Argo, was watched by a terrible dragon, whose +eyes were never sealed by slumber. A hundred heads belonged to the +monster, a hundred flames of fire issued from his numerous throats, and +a hundred voices resounded threats against the audacious being who +should invade his province. Hercules alone, of all the children of men, +was able to overcome him: but although he then expired, the next rising +sun again beheld him full of life and vigor. The dragons of earth are +never annihilated. Each generation has the same work to perform, has its +monsters to conquer; and this it is that makes the noble heroes whom we +all delight to praise. + +So small was the number of mortals ever favored with a sight of this +earthly paradise, that it is not surprising its site is now unknown. +Even among the ancients, it was a matter of speculation and mystery. The +majority placed it in the north of Africa; and it is not improbable that +travellers who for the first time beheld them, mistook for the Gardens +of Hesperus the oases of the desert, those gems of nature which are all +the more brilliant for being set in sand and clay. Others again asserted +that this region of delight was to be sought beyond the western main, +in a lone isle if the ocean. But all agreed that it was at the west, +towards the sunset, that this treasure of earth was to be found: and +thence it was that the name of Hesperus was bestowed upon it. Strange it +is, that mankind has ever followed the sun in its path; and that while +human life, religious truth, and science all point to the East as their +source, they hasten westward for the fulfillment of their destiny. The +East belongs to the Past--it is the land of memory: the West to the +Future--it is the land of hope: and there it is that man seeks his +happiness. It is in the yet unrevealed--in the mysterious West that the +golden fruits and the perennial flowers bloom for him: not in Oriental +climes, where, in his infancy, the Garden of Eden sheltered him. + +So great is the lust for gold, and so small the love of moral beauty +among the fallen race of man, that of all the varied productions of +Hesperus, the golden apples alone have been mentioned in tradition and +poetry. But in truth, these were far inferior to the precious roses +which grew in the very centre of this paradise, and which were endowed, +not only with exquisite form, hue, and fragrance, but with certain magic +properties, invaluable to their possessors. If the bosom on which the +flower rested were candid, pure, and kind, the rose bloomed with still +richer loveliness, and emitted a delicious sweetness: and a grace was +shed over the person of its owner, which grief and sickness could not +dim, and old age itself was powerless to destroy. This indescribable +something shone out in the eye, spoke in the voice, made the plainest +features pleasing, and imparted an irresistible charm to the manner. It +was as far superior to mere external beauty as the latter is to +revolting ugliness. Nothing could destroy it: once gained, it was a +lasting heritage. But on the other hand, if this rose were possessed by +the false-hearted, the sensual, and the selfish, it sickened and paled +day by day, giving forth a fainter fragrance continually, until it was +completely withered. And in proportion as it lost its bloom, did the +hideous heart of the wearer imprint itself upon the countenance, until +the eye would turn away in disgust from the most brilliant complexion +and chiselled regularity of features. It acted as a moral test, making +evident to the dull eye of man, ever prone to think only of outside +show, the beauty or the deformity within. Until the time of our story no +roses had been dipt from the magic tree; and men, always ready to look +to the bright side of the wonderful unknown, thought merely of the charm +it could impart, and not of the danger incurred by the unlovely in heart +and life. + +I will not attempt to fix the date of my tale with historic accuracy. It +is sufficient to say that the events occurred in that period of +unreasoning faith, when the myths of Greece and Rome were mingled in the +popular mind with the fairy legends of the north; and both were baptized +in the waters of Christianity. It was a charming period for all lovers +of romance: it was the childhood of modern Europe. But I must warn you +that it is in vain to search for the names of my emperors in +chronological tables. They lived at a time when the historian was +somewhat at a discount, and the minstrel wrote the only records, with +his harp and voice, upon the memory of his hearers; save that here and +there a solitary monk wore out his days in copying the treasures of +antiquity, and used his imagination in embellishing the lives of saints +and martyrs. When the manuscript is found which settles the exact date +of King Lear's reign, I cannot doubt that it will give all particulars +about my kings also. + +In those happy, misty days, there lived an Emperor of Germany, +Hildebrand by name, a potent monarch. His court was splendid, and his +retinue large and magnificent. But the chief glory of his palace, and +the pride of his heart, was his daughter Clotilda, whose amazing beauty +formed the theme of poets' praise, and whose fame was spread far beyond +the limits of the Empire. Her form was of queenly majesty, her movements +swan-like. Her glossy raven tresses set off a complexion of the greatest +brilliancy: her faultless features would have served as a model to the +sculptor. Large, sparkling eyes gave animation to her countenance, and +took all hearts by storm. Add to these rare endowments a lively though +malicious wit, great skill in all showy accomplishments, and especially +in the arts of coquetry, and is it wonderful that she was almost +worshipped in her father's court as a divinity? + +To win her hand, embassies were sent from distant lands, and kings even +came in person to plead their cause; but, hitherto, none had been +successful. The fair Clotilda knew that she could choose among very many +suitors, and her heart was none of the softest. Besides, she was well +aware that she should be no portionless bride, as she and her younger +sister Edith were her father's only heirs. She loved to keep many +admirers in her train, but possessed too high a spirit to throw herself +away upon any one inferior to herself in rank, power, or wealth. In +addition to this, she had too keen a wit not to perceive and to enjoy +the ridiculous, even in a suitor anxiously striving to gain her love. +Truth to say, the adorable Clotilda had one small fault, unperceived by +her worshippers, and hidden by the splendor of her beauty. She was +heartless. If born with that important organ, she had early offered it +up upon the altar of her own pride and vanity. Deprived of her mother at +a very early age, and deferred to by all around, including her +imperious father, she had soon learned to issue her commands with +authority, and to rule the household and the court as a mistress. Love +of power had now become her ruling passion, and fierce and headstrong +was the will hidden under that brilliant and winning exterior. It was +like a wild beast, slumbering behind a bank of roses. + +Far different, both in person and character, was the neglected Edith, +who grew up in the imperial court like a sweet wild-flower, overlooked +when the gorgeous exotic is nigh. Her slender girlish figure, with its +undeveloped grace; her airy step; her color, coming and going with the +varying feelings of her quick sensibility, like the delicate pink clouds +at sunset; her soft brown hair, waving around a face of child-like +purity and womanly tenderness: and her large gray eye, from whose +transparent depths an earnest and loving spirit looked out upon the +world--these were not the traits to win admiration in a sensual, +splendor-loving court, where all acknowledged the sway of Clotilda. Her +father lavished the whole of his affection upon his elder daughter: the +latter seldom noticed her, and thought her more fit for a nunnery or for +a peasant's cottage, than for the station of a princess. And so Edith +grew to womanhood, unspoiled by flattery--that incense was reserved for +Clotilda's shrine. Not in that crowd of selfish courtiers and of worldly +women, wholly given up to dress and gayety, could the refinement and +simplicity of the gentle Edith be appreciated. She was with them, but +not of them: hers was the loneliness most felt when in a crowd, the want +of congenial companionship. Her unassuming modesty and poor opinion of +her own worth, saved her heart from the sharp pangs of envy at the +thought of her sister's superiority: and thus, even in the impure +atmosphere of the palace, did this artless maiden live on, humbly +looking up to one infinitely her inferior, and dwelling in love and +peace. Her greatest enjoyments were of a kind despised by Clotilda. It +was her delight to steal away from the gay assembly, where she was never +missed, and to pore over the romantic lays of troubadours and monkish +legends, and to make to herself a world, different from the one in which +her lot was cast. Then she would be the lowly peasant-girl, singing +while she worked, beloved by those for whom she toiled, and rising +before the sun to deck the shrine of the Virgin with flowers. Or, if she +were a princess, she lived but to bless and to relieve her people, and +possessed the power of scattering happiness, as the beneficent night +sprinkles dew-drops from her lap. From these day-dreams, the play of an +active mind which had not yet found its true place in the universe, she +would rouse herself to some deed of kindness, which others were too much +immersed in pleasure to fulfil. If one of her maidens was ill, it was +she who watched untiringly by her pillow, administering the medicines +and the cooling draught. And it was she who rose by daybreak, while most +of the menials of the palace were yet sleeping, and gave the daily +portion of alms to the poor who waited at the gate--making the brown +bread sweet by the gentle tones and kind words of sympathy. It is not +strange, therefore, that Edith was beloved by all the children of +affliction, and that she became universally known to the common people +as "the good princess." + +In honor of Clotilda's birthday, a tournament was proclaimed, to which +princes and knights from all the neighboring countries were invited. The +anxiously-expected day at length arrived: the sky was cloudless, and all +nature appeared to smile upon the festival. Every thing was there +united that could please and dazzle the eye. There were satins and +damasks, cloth of gold and velvet; flowers, and cheeks more rosy; gems, +and eyes more brilliant. At one end of the lists, upon his throne of +gold and ivory, sat the Emperor, blazing with jewels. Near him stood his +ministers of state, in their official robes, bearing aloft the insignia +of royalty; and around him were his faithful guards, in complete armor, +with drawn swords. Opposite sat his queenly daughter, the beautiful +Clotilda, the cynosure of all admiring eyes. She was magnificently +arrayed, and surrounded by a bevy of fair damsels, who shone like stars, +eclipsed by the superior brightness of the moon. Seated a little apart, +attired in simple white with a sash of blue, and wearing no ornament +save her favorite flowers, the wood-violet and the lily of the valley, +was Edith, gazing with unusual interest on that lively, gorgeous scene. +And truly, the amphitheatre crowded with spectators, themselves a show, +and the lists filled with gallant knights, whose pawing steeds seemed +impatient for the combat to begin, might excite the imagination of the +dullest, and was well calculated to fire her ardent spirit. + +Unusual splendor marked this tournament, in honor of certain +distinguished guests who had arrived, candidates for the hand of the +Princess Clotilda. The most eminent among them for knightly bearing was +the young Duke of Milan. He was handsome, proud, and imperious, but +withal brave and courteous as became his gentle birth; and he was a +magnificent patron of minstrels and men of letters, aiming to make his +court the centre of literature and the fine arts. His personal qualities +and accomplishments were such as to win for him the admiration of the +fair Princess, who had never before been wooed by a suitor so much to +her taste. His rank and possessions were so great that all would have +acknowledged the match a suitable one even for Clotilda's pretensions. +But a wider career of ambition was now opening before the vision of the +aspiring lady. Who would stoop to be a duchess, when the diadem of an +empress was placed at her disposal? Certainly not the Princess Clotilda, +be her preferences what they might: she would have considered it +childish folly to hesitate in her choice. And three emperors now graced +the court, each provided with a numerous and splendid retinue. These +daily vied with each other in gorgeous fêtes and costly presents to the +proud beauty whom they hoped to win. In flowing robe of richest fabric, +stiff with sparkling gems, behold the Emperor of China, the Sacred Son +of Heaven, the Supreme Ruler of the earth! His shaven head is surmounted +by a conical cap, at the crown of which one pearl of uncommon size +points out his rank: beneath it hangs down a jet-black queue below his +waist. His small, oblique eyes, his yellow complexion, and thin beard +show him unmistakably to belong to the Central Flowery Land. He is a +heathen: but perhaps for her sake he might be baptized. At any rate, +there would be little difficulty in procuring a dispensation from Holy +Mother Church, which is ever hopeful that such alliances may bring +converts into her bosom. Will she, can she accept him? She will at least +accept his gifts and his attentions, and will decide hereafter. +Millions, unnumbered millions of slaves call him their lord; vast is his +power and wealth; provinces would be her dowry. But would she not, +herself, merely add another to his list of slaves? Secluded within his +palace, with many rivals to counteract her, would she not gather thorns, +as well as blossoms, in the Flowery Land? It is a matter to be +considered. + +But who are these two other Asiatics, as they appear by their dress, +fashioned in Oriental magnificence? One is from the frozen North, the +other from the sunny South, and they divide the east of Europe between +them. That pompous, formal old man, whose small heart and head are +stuffed full of etiquette, and who lives and breathes only in a sense of +his own importance, is the ruler of the Byzantine Empire. He was born in +the purple chamber, and wears the purple; he eats purple, drinks purple, +sleeps purple--only as the Emperor does he exist--he could live as well +without his head, as without his crown. He is so imbued with notions of +his own dignity that he would prove a tough subject to manage. But his +rival from the North is still undescribed. Tremble at the sight of this +ugly Cossack, with small dull eye, flat nose, and bushy red beard; for +in him behold the Autocrat of all the Russias! Not yet had the genius +and perseverance of Peter the Great introduced the arts and sciences +into that vast region of snow and mental darkness. Ivan, the Squinter, +ruled over his serfs with Oriental despotism: he was ignorant, coarse, +and profligate. At his feasts, the dishes were of gold from the Ural +Mountains, and the attendants who waited upon the monarch were arrayed +in all the grandeur of Eastern princes; but the slightest blunder on +their part subjected them to death, to the more dreaded knout, or to +banishment in Siberia. Nominally a Christian, the Emperor of China is +quite a saint when compared with him, and infinitely more respectable. +But the Czar is a fool, chiefly immersed in the pleasures of the table; +and Clotilda, if Empress of Russia, could easily seize all real power, +and sway the sceptre over millions of obsequious subjects. + +These potentates are seated on thrones near Hildebrand, to witness the +spectacle. But Udolpho, Duke of Milan, is among the combatants, mounted +on a powerful charger, in armor blazing with gold: he looks like the +flower of chivalry. He wears the colors of the Princess Clotilda, +scarlet and green; and having ridden to the end of the lists, and made a +lowly obeisance to his fair lady, he has returned to his place among the +competitors for honor. Others there are who wear the same colors, but +none to compare with him in rank and knightly bearing; and as the +Princess gazed upon him, she wished him success. But what cavalier is +this, with closed vizor, whose head towers above the rest like the cedar +of Lebanon above all the trees of the forest? A kingly majesty marks +every motion, and notwithstanding the unusual plainness of his +accoutrements, all eyes are turned upon him with interest and curiosity. +He is clad in brightly-shining steel, and no heraldic emblems show his +rank. His Moorish page bears before him his shield, upon the black +ground of which one blooming rose, and the motto _Quero_, "I seek," form +the only device. He is an utter stranger to all: yet both Emperor and +Princess command the herald to discover who he is. That he is +illustrious, none can doubt. A blue ribbon, worn upon his arm, shows +that he has not enlisted himself among the admirers of the Lady +Clotilda: in whose honor can he wear it? + +When the heralds have taken the oath of the combatants that they will in +all respects obey the laws of chivalry in the approaching conflict, the +names and titles of those who were about to engage in it were called +aloud, with the sound of the trumpet. When the unknown knight was +courteously requested to announce his name, he gave that of "The Knight +of the Blooming Rose." The mystery as to who he could be increased the +interest felt in him; and as one after another of the cavaliers was +unhorsed by his firm and skilful arm and rolled in the dust, the +excitement became intense. The Grand Duke Udolpho had also greatly +distinguished himself, and it was soon very evident that the victory +would lie between these two. Clotilda's sympathies were enlisted on the +side of Udolpho: Edith's, for the Knight of the Blooming Rose, whose +success she watched with breathless interest. The contest was not long +undetermined: the shouts of the populace, and the waving of scarfs and +handkerchiefs by fair hands, soon proclaimed the unknown cavalier to be +the victor. + +Escorted by the heralds he approached the Emperor, who, after +pronouncing a eulogy upon his bravery and skill, threw round his neck a +costly chain, and placed in his hand the wreath to be worn by the Queen +of Love and Beauty, whose duty it should be to preside over the games +during the remainder of the week, and to distribute prizes to the +winners. It was his envied privilege to confer this dignity upon the +lady who was fairest in his eyes. As he rode round the barriers, gazing +at the numberless lovely faces assembled there, many a heart thrilled +with emotion; and as he passed the Princess Clotilda, surprise, +mortification, and resentment could only too plainly be traced upon her +countenance. Never before had she been so slighted. But when the knight +stopped before the Lady Edith, and kneeling down, besought her to confer +dignity upon the office of Queen of Love and Beauty by filling it, the +young girl's astonishment was great, as she had not for a moment thought +of herself as a candidate for the honor. Quickly recovering herself, +however, with the native courtesy of the high-born lady, agreeably to +the manners of the day, she raised the cavalier, and taking off her blue +sash, fastened it round his waist with her own hands, begging him to +wear it as her knight, and ever to prove himself faithful and brave. + +Thus ended the first day's tournament. Meanwhile, the burghers and +yeomanry joined in the general festivity, having wrestling-matches, +quoits and bowls, and various other rural games. A purse of gold was +conferred upon the victors, and barrels of beer were continually running +for the benefit of the public. The noble guests were invited to a +banquet at the palace, which was to be repeated daily during the +continuance of the games. The Knight of the Blooming Rose was, of +course, a prominent person in these gay assemblies, and his noble person +and courtly bearing greatly excited the admiration of the ladies of +Clotilda's circle. But while courteous to all, his marked deference to +the gentle Edith plainly showed that he was faithful to his allegiance. +It was a new experience to the timid girl to be thus singled out in +preference to the more brilliant beauties around her; and while it +raised her in the estimation of others, it gave a decision and +self-possession to her character in which it was previously deficient. +And the intimate intercourse which she thus enjoyed with a kindred mind +of high cultivation, earnest thought, and large acquaintance with +mankind, gave a stimulus to her mental powers which only human sympathy +can impart. The Emperor himself was greatly pleased with the gallant +knight, and frequently honored him with confidential conversation. And +yet no one could discover who he was. Free and unreserved in his +communications with those around him, when this subject was approached, +his lips were sealed in silence, and a certain dignity of manner warned +off all intrusion. Efforts were made to arrive at the truth through the +medium of his page; but the noble-looking Moor was a mute, and would +only hold intercourse with those around him by gestures and expressive +looks. + +In the succeeding days of the tournament, various games of knightly +skill and prowess engaged the attention of the competitors for honors, +and in all of them did our cavalier come off victorious. In the use of +the bow he was unrivalled, ever piercing the centre of the target, and +bringing down the bird upon the wing. Udolpho of Milan was the second in +distinction, and the two were united by a generous friendship. The last +day was a trial of minstrelsy. In this, also, the Knight of the Blooming +Rose bore the palm away from all his rivals, both professional and +amateur. Accompanying himself upon the harp, he sang spirit-stirring +lays which awakened the enthusiasm of all his auditors. + +In the evening, the Emperor requested him to give the meaning of his +motto, and of the emblem on his shield. Taking the harp, and striking up +a bold and brilliant prelude which gradually arranged itself into a +simple air of great beauty, he sang as follows: + + + "Not wealth nor trappings proud, + Nor shouts of envying crowd, + That swell both long and loud, + 'I seek.' + + "No jewels from the mine, + Nor gold, so pure and fine, + Nor generous, sparkling wine, + 'I seek.' + + "Soft pleasure's bonds are vain-- + I feel for them disdain; + And still, through toil and pain, + 'I seek.' + + "It is not kingly crown-- + That subjects may kneel down, + And tremble at my frown-- + 'I seek.' + + "To keep my knightly oath, + Be faithful to my troth, + To God and Jesu both, + 'I seek.' + + "To help the poor that cry-- + To wipe the widow's eye-- + To humble tyrants high, + 'I seek.' + + "The maiden weak to save, + To free the Christian slave, + And punish impious knave, + 'I seek.' + + "At noblest deeds I aim. + To win a lofty name + Upon the roll of fame, + 'I seek.' + + "To pluck the magic Rose + In Hesperus which grows, + And fadeless beauty knows, + 'I seek.' + + "To wear it on my breast-- + There may it ever rest!-- + Honor and truth to test, + 'I seek.' + + "To lay it at the feet + Of noble lady sweet: + For her an off'ring meet! + 'I seek.' + + "To win fair Edith's praise-- + Merit the poet's lays-- + Grow nobler all my days-- + 'I seek.'" + + +"And is it really the wonderful Rose of Hesperus which you seek?" asked +the monarch: "that magic flower hitherto unplucked by mortals? Bring +one to each of my daughters, and I here pledge you my word that you +shall wed one of them, if you can gain her consent!" The knight, full of +gratitude, knelt down to express his thanks. He then told the Emperor +and the listening Edith in what manner he had been led to take the vow +to acquire these precious roses, and to place this emblem upon his +shield. He had been engaged in defence of his native land against the +invader and the oppressor, but his efforts, and those of a small, brave +band of friends, had been wholly in vain: his country was crushed by the +ruthless heel of despotism. On that night when it had been agreed in +assembled council that all resistance was fruitless, and that nothing +now remained for patriots but to seek freedom in exile, after tossing in +troubled slumbers, he had been visited with a calming and inspiring +dream. He saw bending over him a lovely female form, which he knew +instinctively to be that of his Guardian Angel. She was clothed in +white, and a soft light streamed out from her soul. The morning before +the tournament, as he rode along at break of day, he had seen the +Princess Edith bending down to speak encouragement to a poor cripple, +and he had at once recognized the earthly form of which he had then seen +the glorified image. The Angel spoke, and commanded him not to yield to +despair: she had work for him still to do. She said that, with her help, +he should pluck roses from the Gardens of Hesperus, which mortal man had +never yet done. She gave him exact directions how to reach the spot +where the invisible gate was placed, through which alone he could enter +the charmed Paradise. Only at sunrise, upon the repetition of a form of +words, which she gave him, could a brave knight, of unsullied honor and +purity, obtain admittance. And only at sunset could he leave, upon +reciting the same formula. And then telling him that the accomplishment +of this feat would lead to the fulfilment of his destiny, and that a +crown yet awaited him, she had suddenly vanished, leaving a smile upon +the air. + +The next day, having bid adieu to his friends at court, the cavalier +departed with his Moorish page. They travelled in a southwesterly +direction, towards the Mediterranean Sea. It is worthy of remark, that +when they had passed away from towns and populous districts, the page +rode alongside of his master, instead of following at his former humble +distance. And, miraculous as it may appear, it is very certain that they +no longer conversed together by signs, but with audible sounds. + +At length they reached the borders of the sea. Following it for a few +days, they came to a lofty rock: here they alighted, and searching +carefully along the water's edge, the knight perceived a small entrance, +so covered up by overhanging grass and ferns that one unacquainted with +its existence could never have detected it. Entering, they found +themselves in a lofty and spacious cave, where nature had amused herself +by uniting in strange confusion the odd and the beautiful. The roof was +hung with sparkling stalactites, and wonderful forms were ranged around. +There was an organ, with its numerous pipes--but the wind was the only +musician. There was a lofty throne--but the king was not yet born who +would fill it with dignity. There was a pulpit--but solitude was the +only preacher. Strange shapes, like those in a Hindoo rock-temple, were +ranged along into the darkness. Stars and flowers of crystal were +strewed around, and the grotto looked like a fit abode for sylphids or +fairies. The deep blue water formed a lake in the centre, upon the bosom +of which a small boat lay sleeping like a swan. When the knight and his +page had sufficiently admired the beauties of the place, the cavalier +advanced to the edge of the lagoon and called the boat. It instantly +waked up, and came like a living thing to crouch at his feet. The two +friends stepped into it, and it shot out of the cave into the broad open +sea, darting across the water with the speed of the wind. No visible +means of motion could be detected; no sail or oars were there in the +fairy boat--there was nothing mechanical about it; but it sped on its +way like a water-bird or a graceful nautilus. Once, indeed, gazing into +deep blue water, the knight fancied that he saw a soft white hand, with +rings of pearl and bracelet of coral, guiding it in its course; but if +this were not the effect of his heated fancy, the hand was at least +speedily withdrawn, and he saw it no more. + +When the moon had risen upon the expanse of waters, which reflected her +image, breaking it into a thousand fragments--while the waves danced up +to greet her bright face, like children clamoring for a mother's +kiss--the little boat ran into a quiet inlet, and stopped to let its +passengers alight. They rested that night in an orange-grove, and awoke +refreshed, to begin their search while the bright morning-star was still +shining. At the break of day they arrived at lofty perpendicular rocks, +which, after pursuing a straight line, suddenly formed a right-angle. +Here the knight and his companion stopped, and turning to the east, +awaited the sunrise. At the moment when the glorious orb of day started +up from his couch, impatient to commence his course, the cavalier spoke: +"Open, thou gate of stone, for the hour has come, and the man." At these +words, with a noise like that of thunder, the rock was rent asunder, and +a wide passage was opened, through which the friends proceeded. It had +appeared to be a lofty chain of mountains, but they were soon at the +end of it, and came out into the open air. But an obstacle opposed +itself. A huge dragon, Ladon the terrible, reared up his hundred heads, +his eyes flashing fire and fury, his mouths emitting baleful flames and +pestilential breath, his tail, covered with metallic scales of green, +scarlet, and blue, coiling away to a great distance. The page drew his +sword; but the knight took a little black book and aimed it at the +volcanic heads. It was a Holy Book, and the names therein quenched the +threatening fire and quelled the rage of the monster, who sank back +exhausted upon the green sod, and slept the sleep of death. "That little +book can do more than the sword," remarked the cavalier. + +They proceeded onward: the earthly Paradise was unfolded to their view; +the air was balmy, and laden with rich fragrance from the numberless +flowers around; but instead of filling the spirit with soft languor, and +indisposing the body to exertion, the gentle breezes imparted new vigor +to the frame, and the buoyant, hilarious feelings of early youth shot +through the veins, making the thoughtful eye sparkle, and giving to the +grave foot of saddened maturity the elasticity of childhood. A new, +unsuspected power of enjoyment was awakened in the bosom of the friends, +combining somewhat of the gladness of the child, and the ardor of the +youth--qualities, alas, how transitory!--with the appreciating taste and +refined feelings of riper years. Many faculties lie dormant in our +nature: the capacity for much higher happiness is one of them; and it +will be awakened in the breast of all the good in the Resurrection Morn. +They may have lain down to die, weary and heart sore, but they shall +find that "light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright +in heart." + +With joyful spirits, their eyes drinking in beauty, and their ears +harmony, the knight and his comrade moved along, guided by wayward +fancy. Here a sparkling, dancing rivulet would entice them to follow its +course, amid mossy rocks, flowery banks, and drooping trees, which +whispered their secrets to its babbling waves; and then suddenly it +would vanish into the earth, like a child playing at hide-and-seek, +gurgling a merry laugh at its bewildered followers. At every step a new +beauty was unfolded. Now the brilliancy of hue and splendor of coloring +in the sky, the flowers, the birds, filled their minds with admiration: +but when they wandered into the deep, cool woods, with their sober +tints, and their mysterious whispers, they gave the latter the +preference. And when they left these green recesses, and viewed the +extensive landscape opened before them--gently swelling hills, distant +mountains, and the boundless ocean--then they wondered that more limited +scenery could have given such entire satisfaction. Climbing among the +rocks, wild and sublime views, of a rugged grandeur, prepared their +souls for nature's masterpiece, the foaming waterfall. Down the +stupendous precipice rolled the torrent, masses upon masses of water, +almost lost to the eye in the dark distance below; while, above, the +gorgeous rainbow closed it in, as if a crown of glory were bestowed upon +it in recompense for its agony. And day and night a voice might be heard +from its mighty heart, "I can endure forever and forever." Then the +friends felt how deep is that bliss which takes away all words--they +felt how great a joy there is in awe. + +Descending from these heights, soft scenes of beauty attracted their +gaze. The setting sun threw its mellow light over a landscape of Italian +character; it seemed as if nature and art were here combined to make +perfection. Statues of rare loveliness took them by surprise when +strolling over the grassy walks, or sauntering under the deep umbrage +of the trees; mossy grottoes, adorned with shells, invited them to +repose; unexpected openings in the woods revealed vistas beyond, +exciting to the imagination. Lakes of crystal clearness reflected the +fleecy clouds, and the snowy forms of the swans upon their azure +surface; and gold and silver fishes chased each other through their +pellucid waves. Birds of brilliant plumage came there to lave in the +pure water, and then shaking off the diamonds from their wings, rose +into the air with a gush of melody, pouring out their souls to their +Maker. And all gentle and exquisite creatures were met together in that +spot, to glad the eye with life--the soft-eyed gazelle, the swift +antelope, the graceful stag, the Java deer, smallest of its kind: +nothing was absent which could add beauty and variety to the scene. + +Amid such innocent joys, drinking in poetry at its very fount, several +days were passed, each shorter than the one preceding. Their hunger was +satisfied with delicious fruits; and when weary, a natural couch of moss +received them, and the trees locked their arms together, and bent over +them, as if to keep off all harm, if harm could have existed in that +place. It seemed that life could glide away in perfect bliss in those +gardens of beauty, where naught repulsive or annoying could enter, and +delight succeeded delight. Could glide away, did I say?--not there; for +in the centre of that Paradise flowed the fountain of eternal youth, and +over its brink hung the bush whose magic roses were famed abroad. + +The sight of them awoke the sleeping energies of the noble and resolute +knight. "And shall I falsify my motto?" said he. "Shall the bliss of the +present satisfy me, while so much remains unaccomplished--while might is +triumphant over right, innocence is oppressed, and brute force bears +rule upon the earth? Shall I lap my soul in indolent ease while the +work of life is before me? Not so: still must I seek what is higher, +purer, nobler; still must my heart pant for excellence; still must I +learn bravely to endure." + +Speaking thus, he plucked three roses from the magic tree, and placed +them upon his breast, and as the sun approached the western horizon, the +comrades drew near to the gate which separated them from the world of +common life. The stony barrier opened before the charmed words, and when +they had emerged from its gloom, closed again with a clap of thunder. +Never since has mortal man profaned those regions of unclouded +happiness. + +Their little fairy skiff speedily conveyed them to the cave, and with +the early morning they resumed their journey. Their route lay, as +before, through an attractive country, and the peasants, in picturesque +costumes, were engaged in the various labors of rural life: but how +changed did all at first appear! It seemed as if scales had fallen off +their eyes, showing coarseness and deformity, where previously none had +appeared. They had tasted the rapture of a more beautiful life; and now +the ordinary toils of humanity appeared "stale, flat, and unprofitable," +and common men and women tedious, rude, and mean. But the brave knight +struggled against this feeling. "Shall we be so ungrateful, because a +glimpse of the earthly paradise has been vouchsafed us, as to sink into +idle, repining dreamers? Shall we allow the visions of fancy, or the +charms of nature, to steal away our hearts from human sympathy? Rather +let these remembered joys excite us to fresh effort; let the useful and +the good be ever clad with beauty, in our eyes; let us act as men, +strive and be strong in our rightful purposes, sure that in the end the +true will ever prove to be the beautiful." He might have said, in the +language of a modern poet, + + + "I slept, and dream'd that Life was Beauty; + I woke, and found that Life was Duty: + Was then thy dream a shadowy lie? + Toil on, sad heart, courageously, + And thou shall find thy dream to be + A noonday light and truth to thee." + + +In due time, they arrived at the imperial court. Some important events +had taken place during their absence. The splendors of royalty had not +been able to preserve the Emperor from a loathsome disease, from which +his attendants fled away in horror. The Princess Clotilda could not +endanger her beauty by approaching his side; neither did the cares and +toils of a sick-bed comport with her views of life. But Edith now took +her rightful position, and by her fearless example recalled those around +her to a sense of duty. She was her father's gentle, untiring nurse: his +wishes were forestalled, his fretfulness soothed, and his thoughts +directed to higher things. She rose in her father's love day by day, as +he felt her worth; and bitterly did he now think of the undeserved +slight with which she had been treated, while the ungrateful Clotilda +had been his pride. He was at present recovering from his illness; but +he felt himself unequal to the labors of his position, and had seriously +resolved to lay down the crown and sceptre, that he might end his days +in peace. He had announced the day when his daughters should fix upon +one of the suitors for their hands, and when the assembly of barons and +knights should decide upon the successor to his throne. + +The Knight of the Blooming Rose was gladly welcomed back to court. In +the Emperor's presence, he presented the magic flower to each of his +fair daughters,--his own bloomed sweetly upon his breast, proving the +purity and fidelity of his heart. Edith's cheek was pale, from her late +watchings; but never had she looked more lovely than when she placed the +rose upon her bosom; her face was glorified by its expression. And +Clotilda's ill-concealed scorn and jealousy not only detracted from her +queenly beauty, but the flower paled as it touched her breast--pride and +worldliness, and every selfish passion, had swayed her being too long, +to be repressed at a moment's notice--like the fumes of poison, they +were taking away the life of the precious rose. It was impossible that +the contrast should not be noticed: comparisons were made which filled +the mind of the despotic Clotilda with rage against her unoffending +sister; and the more violent her evil passions became, the fainter grew +the perfume of her flower, and the more fading its hue. Not all the +flattery of her adorers could restore her equanimity; and her face +showed, only too plainly, the workings of the evil spirit within. + +At last the day approached when the fate of the empire and of so many +individuals was to be decided. Clotilda, meantime, consistent in her +desire for universal sway, received the homage of all her admirers, but +refused to declare her preference until the day of public betrothal--the +day when she proudly expected to be hailed as Empress. Her numerous +suitors indulged in flattering hopes, each for himself; while all agreed +in pitying the delusion of the rest. The electors met in the +audience-chamber, which was splendidly decorated for the occasion: all +the dignitaries of the State, and the great nobility were assembled, +presenting a very imposing spectacle. The Emperor was seated upon a +throne, but the crown and sceptre, whose weight he felt himself unequal +longer to endure, lay upon a cushion at his side. The people, in a dense +mass, thronged the courtyard of the palace, anxious to know the result +of the election, and to hail the new lord of the land. + +At the appointed hour, the doors were flung open, and the two royal +brides entered, followed by their maids of honor. Clotilda, +self-possessed in her proud beauty, looked like a queen indeed. She was +magnificently dressed, and the pale, scentless rose upon her breast was +almost hidden by diamonds. But many there turned their eyes from her +handsome, haughty face, to gaze upon young Edith, who leaned upon the +arm of her betrothed, the unknown knight. They wondered that they had +never before remarked the exquisite delicacy and sensibility of her +countenance, the very exponent of the beautiful soul within, which +flashed out brightly as if through a transparent covering. When in +repose, the calm and happy expression reminded the beholder of the deep +purity and peace of the sunny sky--when moved by passing thoughts and +feelings, of the same heavens, ever heavenly, over which the fleecy +clouds are driven by the wind, in varying shapes and hues. Edith's +dress, though elegant, was as simple as consisted with her rank. The +pearls and white jasmine in her hair well became her, and the magic rose +upon her breast adorned her as no jewels could, and filled the chamber +with its rich, refreshing fragrance. As the sisters stood, one on each +side of their father, they might well have passed for types of spiritual +and sensual beauty--of heaven and earth. + +The Emperor arose, and addressed the assembly. He said that the cares of +state weighed too heavily upon his feeble old age, and that his most +earnest wishes were now directed to a tranquil retirement, in which he +should enjoy the leisure he required for preparations to meet the King +of kings. That his daughters were before them--he wished to see the +diadem encircling the youthful brow of one, whichever they should +choose. But well he knew that a firm and valiant arm was needed to sway +the sceptre, and that an experienced mind must govern the nation; and +therefore it was his will that the Princesses should this day make known +their choice of a consort from among the many candidates for their +hands. His younger daughter, Edith, had already plighted her faith, with +his entire approval, to the stranger knight. No kingdom awaited her, for +her betrothed was a landless exile; but the fame of his valor and wisdom +had gone throughout the earth--and in the future husband of his daughter +he now presented to them one whom he was proud to claim as a +son--Arthur, Prince of Britain, the renowned Champion of Christendom! + +At these words, shouts of enthusiastic joy rent the hall. When the +tumult was hushed, the Emperor called upon the suitors of the Princess +Clotilda to come forward. The rival sovereigns approached, among whom +the Duke of Milan was conspicuous for dignity and knightly courtesy. All +wished him success; but Clotilda passed him by, and placed her hand +within that of the Czar. At that moment, a sound was heard throughout +the hushed room, resembling somewhat a deep sigh and an expiring +groan--it proceeded from the rose, which fell from her bosom, shrivelled +and lifeless. An expression of disdainful rage rendered her face almost +repulsive, as she noticed the sensation excited by the circumstance, and +the cold, gloomy silence with which her choice was received. + +After a short conference, the electors reported that they had chosen +Arthur of Britain and the Princess Edith to be their lawful sovereigns. +Hildebrand then led them to a balcony, and presented them to the people; +and loud and enthusiastic were the shouts of the populace: "Long live +our Emperor, Arthur the Brave! Long live the good Princess!" The +plaudits were echoed far and wide. The achievements of the noble Arthur, +and the kind deeds of "The Good Princess," formed the theme of the +fireside-tale in the humble cottage, and of the troubadour's lay in +castle and banquetting-hall. Arthur, who in Britain was mourned as dead, +or as lying in enchanted sleep with his good sword Excalibar at his +side, ready to start up to his country's rescue in some hour of future +peril--enjoyed, instead, a happier fate. Long and glorious was his +reign: the wicked fled away from his presence, like mists before the +sun; the upright rejoiced under his protection, and peace reigned +throughout all the borders of the Empire. Excalibar was sheathed: no +foes dared to invade the land. Brightly and sweetly bloomed the magic +roses, which once grew on the same tree in the earthly Paradise, and +which were now seldom far asunder; flourishing, in their transplanted +state, upon hearts which diffused a moral Paradise of love and purity +around them. + +And what became of the imperious Clotilda? Enraged at the decision of +the electors, and at her father's acquiescence, she soon left the +Imperial court to accompany her lord to his distant empire. There her +life passed unhappily enough amid the rude magnificence and brutal +amusements of the palace. She did not find that Ivan was easily managed, +as she had hoped: fools seldom are--it requires a portion of good sense +to perceive our deficiencies, and to allow the superiority of others. +They became more and more estranged, both giving way to the evil +passions most natural to them. Ivan, indulging in sensual pleasures, +became more and more brutified; and Clotilda, yielding up her soul to +the dominion of pride, hatred, and violence, became so embittered +against her unfortunate husband that she compassed his death by +violence, and seized the crown, reigning in the name of her infant son, +Constantine. And never, under the most despotic sovereigns, had the iron +rule been exercised with more unrelenting vigor than during the reign of +Clotilda the Terrible. But a day of vengeance was at hand. A secret +conspiracy was formed, at the head of which her young son was placed: +the palace was seized in the night, and the murderess was hurried away +to a distant fortress, where she spent the remainder of her unhappy +life--the victim of her own ungoverned passions. + + +"How I wish that I possessed such a magic rose!" said Alice Bolton. "It +might cure my unfortunate pug nose--I should so love to be beautiful!" + +"You own such a rose, my dear girl," said her uncle. "It is invisible, +but I often perceive its fragrance. Each one of you carries such an +indicator of character and feeling about with you, wherever you go. We +may as well call it a rose as any thing else." + +"But what can you mean, Uncle? do you mean our tell-tale faces?" + +"Nothing else. It is one of the many proofs of beneficent design in the +formation of our frame, than we can scarcely help giving a timely +warning to others of the evil passions which may fill our breasts. The +angry man becomes inflamed or livid with rage before his arm is raised +to strike--just as the rattle-snake is heard before he darts upon his +victim. And so with the gentle and kind emotions. Friendly feeling +softens the eye and soothes the heart before the tongue utters a sound. +Then take my advice, my dear nephews and nieces, if you wish to be +attractive now, seek moral beauty, and the external will follow, in some +degree here below, and completely in a better world. You can afford to +wait." + + + + +CHAPTER IX. + +NEW-YEAR'S DAY.--CHARACTERS, OR WHO AM I?--QUOTATIONS.--ACTING +CHARADES.--RIDDLES. + + +"A very happy New-Year to you, Aunt and Uncle!" "The same to you, dear +children! and may each one in your lives be happier than the last!" "As +the Spaniards say, 'May you live a thousand years!'" cried Charlie +Bolton. "I feel glad that wish is an impossible one," answered Mr. +Wyndham, with a smile. "How tired the world would be of seeing me, and +how weary I should be of life! No, no, my boy--I hope when my season of +active labor shall be closed, and I can no more be useful to my +fellow-men, that my kind Father in Heaven will grant me a mansion above, +where time is swallowed up in eternity." + +There was service in the morning in the pretty little country church. +Strange that this beautiful and appropriate mode of commencing the +New-Year, which is so general in continental Europe, should be +frequently neglected here! It appears so very natural, upon entering +upon a new division of time, to consecrate its commencement by +acknowledgments of our dependence upon the Great Creator. At least, so +thought the family party assembled at The Grange; and they were amply +rewarded for the effort it cost them by the joyful, hopeful nature of +the services, which were intended to lead the soul to repose upon God +with unshaken trust for all future time. + +In the evening, it was agreed that there should be no story, but that +games and conversation should fill up the time. Mary proposed a new game +she had heard of, "_Characters, or Who am I?_" While one left the room, +the rest agreed upon some historical personage who was to be represented +by the absentee upon his return. When he re-entered, unconscious whether +he was a Nero or a Howard, they addressed him in a manner suitable to +his rank and character, and he replied in such a way as to elicit +further information in regard to the important question, "Who am I?" As +he grew more sure of his own identity with the illustrious person whose +deeds they alluded to, his answers would become more unequivocal, until +at last he could announce that he had solved that difficult problem, +"know thyself." An amusing state of puzzle--a dreamy feeling that you +might be anybody in the world, was found to pervade the first replies. +Cornelia, who led the way in assuming a character, declared that she +felt like the little woman in Mother Goose's Melodies, + + + "If I be's I, as I suppose I be, + I have a little dog at home, and he knows me!" + + +and that when she found out who she really was, it was as grateful to +her as was the little dog's joyous bark to the unfortunate woman, +doubtful of her own identity. + +When Cornelia entered, Mary said to her: "Does your majesty feel very +sore from your fall?" + +"Very little bruised, indeed." + +"Physically, I presume that you feel nothing; but you must suffer +mentally," remarked Ellen. "For a queen to be so disgraced, and for a +moment's pride to be brought down to the rank of a subject, and of a +divorced wife, is indeed a dreadful fate." + +"A lofty mind," replied Cornelia, "can bear reverses." + +"True," rejoined Charlie. "I rejoice to see your majesty bear up so +nobly: it is well that pride can sustain you in adversity, since it +occasioned your descent. And yet, do you know, most sovereign lady, I +have always entertained the idea that the reason you refused, in +obedience to your royal husband's command, to unveil your beauty to the +court, was not so much modesty and pride, as the fact of an unfortunate +pimple upon your nose, and a sty upon your eye, which had the effect of +making you look uncommonly ugly." + +"Shame, ungallant sir! never, unless my silver mirror deceived me, did I +look more lovely. But if the laws of the Medes and Persians cannot be +changed, neither can the modest customs of their women be altered, even +at the command of the King, of Ahasuerus himself. I stand here, a martyr +to the rights of my sex: I, Vashti, queen of Persia, and of all the ends +of the earth, have proved myself to be strong in will, and the champion +of womanhood. I shall appear before all eyes as the first asserter of +woman's rights. But oh! that Jewish girl! that modest, shrinking, +beauteous, hateful Esther! that _she_ should wear my crown!" + +"Well done, Cornelia! you have entered into the spirit of the game. And +now Charlie should go out, as you caught the idea from him." + +Upon Charlie's re-entrance, Alice spoke: "Did Dante's genius inspire +you, gifted mortal, or did you sit so long at the feet of Isaiah, that +your harp caught up some of the tones of his?" + +"Don't know, ma'am, indeed. Couldn't possibly give you any information +on that subject. Scarcely knew I was much of a poet until you told me." + +"A man like you," said Ellen, "did not write for the unthinking +multitude, but for the select number who could appreciate. 'Fit +audience, though few,' is what you ask for. How shameful is it that such +worth and genius should languish in obscurity, in a pleasure-seeking +age! And that, while court minions rolled in luxury, you should sell +your glorious poem for the paltry sum of ten pounds!" + +"It was really too bad," replied Charlie. "And the money went very fast, +too." + +"And yet," answered Amy, "you were never of prodigal habits. You lived +simply, in the country: your supper was of bread and milk; your greatest +pleasure, to play upon the organ, or to listen to the music of others. +You retired early to rest: to be sure, you often awoke in the night, +your brain so filled with visions of beauty that you felt obliged to +arouse your daughter, that she might write them down, and so they were +saved for the benefit of future ages." + +"What do people think," said Charlie, "about my waking up my daughter, +instead of taking the trouble to write down my poetry myself?" + +"How could you, when you are stone-blind? And of what great consequence +was it that one common-place girl should sleep an hour or two later in +the morning, when such strains as yours were in question? A dutiful +daughter would feel honored by acting as your amanuensis, even in the +night season. True, the girl did grumble occasionally, being afflicted +with some portion of human weakness; and those who do not love inspiring +strains have called you cross, in consequence. But you should no more +regard these things than Samson--your own Samson Agonistes--caved for +the mockings of the Philistines." + +"Of man's first disobedience"--began Charlie. "Hurrah! I feel quite +elevated since I have become Miltonic. And yet, do you know, I would +rather wear a strait-waistcoat than try long to sustain such a character +as that. I couldn't do it, indeed." + +"I think you could not," replied Tom. "Now tell us whose speech gave you +the first impression of being Milton?" + +"Oh, Amy's, to be sure. So go out, little Amy, and we'll try to find +some very angelic character for you to fill." + +When Amy returned, Anna spoke: "What remarkable worldly prosperity! And +yet, though a strikingly handsome woman, with polished manners, and +Italian craftiness, you do not look happy." + +"I am not--my heart is not at ease." + +"Nor your conscience either," rejoined Charlie. "Unless you have found +some way to polish that, to make it match your face and manners, I +should think your majesty might find your conscience rather a +disagreeable companion." + +"My majesty is not accustomed to rebuke." + +"I know it--and if I were in France, I should fear that some of your +Italian powders might be sprinkled in my food or wine, in consequence. +But I wonder when I think of you--a simple duke's daughter--being raised +to the throne; and not only that, but of your ruling so absolutely over +the three kings, your sons. Mother-in-law to one of the greatest kings +of France, and to the most renowned of beautiful, suffering queens, what +more do you want to make you celebrated?" + +"One thing only," answered Amy. "The Massacre of St. Bartholomew will +carry my name down to posterity. My daughter-in-law, Mary, Queen of +Scotts, was interesting, but I am great. She could kill one husband: I, +Catharine de Medici, will not say how many men groaned out my name that +night." + +"And now," said Ellen, "let us play _Quotations_. One quotes a +well-known passage from some book, and if another mentions the author, +she is entitled to propose the next passage. It all depends for interest +upon our cleverness; so brighten up your wits, cousins mine." + +"As I'm a poet," said Charlie, "I'll give you this: + + + 'The poet's eye in a fine frenzy rolling, + Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven.'" + + +"Shakspeare!" cried Tom. "Now where does this come from: 'the better +part of valor is--discretion.'" + +"Shakspeare again," replied Alice. "And in what book do you find this +passage, which corroborates that noble sentiment: + + + 'He that fights and runs away, + May live to fight another day.'" + + +"In Butler's Hudibras, I believe," rejoined Ellen. "And where may that +truth be found, which evidently is intended only for boys and men--'Use +every man after his desert, and who shall escape whipping?'" + +"Of course it was said by no one else than Will Shakspeare, the +deer-stealer--he knew it held good of himself, and was indulgent to +others. And who was it that wrote this epitaph: + + + 'Underneath this stone doth lie + As much beauty as can die: + Which in life did harbor give + To more virtue than can live.'" + + +"That was 'rare Ben Jonson,' I am sure," replied Alice. "If her pale +ghost could have blushed, I think it would, at such lofty and exquisite +praise. For my part, I could say, 'Speak of me as I am; nothing +extenuate, nor set down aught in malice.'" + +"That's Shakspeare again," cried Charlie. "It is surprising how many +passages come into one's head from that wonderful man's works. Where is +this to be found: 'God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb.'" + +"In the Bible, of course--though I do not remember in what part," said +Mary. + +"Think again," replied Charlie, "for you are quite wrong: it can never +be found in the Bible." + +"Oh, but I'm sure it is there: I'll get a concordance and find the +passage in a minute." Accordingly she did so, but was obliged to +acknowledge herself defeated: it was nowhere to be discovered. + +"Since you are at a loss, I can set you right, for once," said Mrs. +Wyndham. "The passage is to be found in Sterne's works: I have myself +heard it quoted in the pulpit as from the Bible, and many people really +think that it is. Here's another: + + + 'When Greek meets Greek, then comes the tug of war.'" + + +"That's from Shakspeare, I know," answered Tom. + +"'Tis from Troilus and Cressida, I imagine--that is a Greek play." + +"Then find it, my boy," said Mrs. Wyndham, handing him Mrs. Cowden +Clarke's elaborate volume. + +"It is not in the whole book," replied Tom, after a diligent search, +laying down the volume, with a face as blank as the leaves at the end. +"If it is not in Shakspeare, I give up." + +"'How poor are they, that have not patience!'" cried Cornelia. "Can you +tell us where that piece of wisdom may be found?" + +"Yes--in Shakspeare--the same author who writes 'This was the most +unkindest cut of all!'" + +"I thought of that passage concerning the Greek, which seems to have +baffled you all," rejoined Mrs. Wyndham, "because I was once a whole +year on the watch to discover it. It happened to be quoted at a little +literary gathering, and none of us could tell the author, although it +was 'familiar in our mouths as household words.' We agreed to search for +it, but it was full a year before I found it, in looking over the +play--quite a celebrated one--entitled 'The Rival Queens,' by poor Nat. +Lee, commonly called the 'crazy poet.' Alexander the Great is the hero." + +"We know so many quotations at second-hand," said Mrs. Wyndham, "that I +like this game: it will set us to hunting up the original passages, and +seeing their connections. If people would act upon this principle, of +going to head-quarters, with regard to history--and in private life +too--how many mistakes might be saved." + +"And now, just to keep us from becoming too wise," Cornelia chimed in, +"I propose that we act charades. A group of us will arrange the plot in +the library, and when we open the door, the rest of you must guess from +our actions what word we intend to depict. We'll choose one of several +syllables, so that there will be repeated opportunities given you to +sharpen your wits. And if you should conjecture the whole word before we +are through, please not to spoil sport by telling it." + +"We are all obedience," was the reply: and Cornelia, Charlie, and +George, after a whispered consultation, and a foraging expedition into +the housekeeper's room, shut themselves up in the library. Soon the door +was thrown open, and the three were seen gravely seated at a small +table, sipping imaginary tea, while Cornelia, as hostess, was anxious to +fill her part by replenishing their cups. "Tea," "tea," sounded from +every part of the room, and the door was closed. When again opened, the +three cousins were disclosed in the very height of enjoyment: Charlie's +mirth-provoking face, Cornelia's gay laugh, and George's loud and long +haw-haw, quite upset the gravity of the spectators, and peal after peal +of laughter rewarded the trio. "How merry we are!" said Aunt Lucy. As +she spoke the word, the door was shut, showing that the right expression +had been used. When re-opened, Cornelia was discovered carefully +arranging Charlie's cravat. "Shall I make a sailor's knot, or how shall +I fix it?" "Give it a plain tie, if you please." There was little +difficulty in discovering that the word was _temerity_; and to make +"assurance doubly sure," the whole of it was acted out. George and +Cornelia stood up, holding hands, while Charlie, who had in a +marvellously short time metamorphosed himself into a minister, with +gown, bands, and book, put to the former the question, "Will you take +this woman to be your lawful wife?" "I will," responded George. "Will +you take this man to be your lawful husband?" "No, I will not," answered +Cornelia, hysterically. "You will not? What, madam, is the reason of +this change of purpose? Have you not well considered the matter?" "No, I +have not--I have been very rash--I never saw him till yesterday!" "What +_temerity_!" exclaimed the clergyman reprovingly, and the door was +closed, amid great laughter. + +When it was re-opened, George was found seated in the centre of the +room, under the hands of the Doctor, who was examining his eye; while +Cornelia, with an appearance of great anxiety, held the light. "Is it +out yet?" "No, Doctor: I feel it still--how it hurts!" Thereupon the +Doctor produced a formidable instrument from his pocket, and appeared +about to gouge out the eye by way of curing it; and the door was closed +amid cries of "eye!" "eye!" "eye!"--quite parliamentary, as Charlie +said. The second scene disclosed Cornelia apparently engaged in +household avocations, which were interrupted by a rap at the door. She +gave admittance to a man and boy who were peddling tin wares, and there +ensued such a sounding of tin-pans, and such a chaffering about tins, +that no doubt could exist in the minds of the spectators as to the word. +To act out the third syllable, Cornelia and George were seated at a +table, with lamp and books, when a knock was heard, and a traveller, +with carpet-bag and umbrella, entered the room. He had lost his way--he +was going to the town of Certainty, in the land of Theoretical +Speculation, and wanted some plain directions. "Oh, I can tell you +exactly how to get there," cried Cornelia. "Keep along this road, the +highway of Inquiry, until you find it bends off to the left into the +path of Metaphysics. The path becomes narrower and more difficult +continually, and many side-walks lead off to other spots: one, to the +wilderness of Atheism; another, to the populous city of +Thinkasyouplease; still another, to the dangerous bog of Alldoubt. But +if you follow the right road, you cannot possibly err." "Much obliged: +I'll try to keep the path." Presently, the traveller returned, in a +battered condition: he had wandered from the right track; his cloak of +philosophical reason had been torn by the briers of difficulty; his feet +pierced, through the shoes of intellectual pride, by the sharp stones of +suffering: he could not hear of any town of Certainty in the whole +country of Theoretical Speculation. "I believe we have all made a +mistake," replied George. "We erred in giving you a wrong direction: you +erred in following it. Certainty is situated in the land of Truth: +follow this highway of Inquiry in the opposite direction, until it leads +you to a well-trodden road formed by the juncture of Faith and Facts; +and then you cannot fail to reach Certainty. My sister Fancy misled you +into error." And when the company in the sitting-room cried out "err," +"err," the shutting of the door showed they were not mistaken. For the +last scene, Aunt Lucy was called into requisition, and formed the +central object of the exhibition. But little wit was required to make, +of the whole, the word _Itinerant_. + +"Now for a few puzzles and conundrums," cried Charlie, "I have one which +I think none of you can guess. Who are the most immoral of +manufacturers? Do you give it up?" + +"I have heard the answer--we could not guess it, as it consists of +puns," replied Mary. "Those who make you _steel_ pens, and then say they +do _write_." + +"Here's another. Why is the clock the most humble of all things?" + +"Because it covers its face with its hands, and is continually running +itself down." + +"When is it in a passion?" + +"When it is ready to strike one." + +"Pray, what can be the difference between Joan of Arc and Noah's ark?" + +"One was made of gopher-wood--the other was Maid of Orleans." + +"Two persons met in the street, and one of them said, 'I am _your_ son, +but you are not _my_ father.' How could that be?" + +"It could not be, Charlie!--how could it?" said Lewis. + +"It might be, if the person happened to be his mother," answered Mary, +with a laugh. + +"It is that, of course--how silly we all are!" + +"My first is on the table, and under the table; my second is a kind of +grain; my third and fourth combined, form what the most romantic people +cannot well dispense with; and my whole is one of the United States." + +"Let us see--California? no. Massachusetts will not do, nor Connecticut. +Oh, I have it: it is _Matrimony_--not always a united state, however!" + +"You think not, Ellen? Then here is a piece of advice for you, and to +make it more emphatic and intelligible, I will write it upon a card." + +Be [A] meddling man family wife. + +[Illustration: Word puzzle] + +"I have it! _eureka_!" cried Tom Bolton. "Be above meddling in a family +between man and wife." + +"Why are pens, ink, and paper like the fixed stars?" + +"They are stationary." + +"A gentleman visited a prisoner; and, pointing to him, said to the +bystanders, + + + "'Brothers and sisters have I none; + But this man's father was my father's son.' + + +What relationship was there between them?" + +"A slight one--only that of father and son," answered Cornelia. + +"What glorious fun we have had this week!" cried George. "It will be +hard work to go back again to _hic, hæc, hoc_--I wish Christmas holidays +could come once a week!" + +"So do not I, much as I love them," replied Mr. Wyndham, smiling. "It is +the alternation of grave and gay, of diligent study and active duty with +lively social intercourse, which will make you complete men and women. I +would not have you to be mere drudges, in the most useful work; nor +book-worms at home, only in the library, and unfit for mingling with +your fellow-men. But much less would I like to see you +triflers--butterflies--living only for amusement. I hope you will become +earnest men and women: choosing great and good aims in life, and working +your way upward continually to greater usefulness, and to a higher moral +elevation. But amusement is not wasted time: it may be so indulged as to +be improving to the wits, and never to transgress the line of innocency. +I have often felt the benefit of a hearty laugh, when my brain has been +overtasked: it is recreation, in the strict meaning of the term--it +gives new life to the exhausted spirits. Yes, I approve of +entertainment, in its place." + +"So do I, heartily, my dear sir!" chimed in Cornelia. "And its place is +everywhere, I think. I never heard uncle make so long a speech before!" + +"Beware, or I will punish you by making another!" replied Mr. Wyndham, +drawing the mischievous girl towards him. "But I have news for you all, +which I think will scarcely disturb your slumbers. I received a note +this afternoon, informing me that the united wisdom of your parents had +concluded to prolong your holiday by one day; and so your 'Week's +Delight,' as Amy calls it, must be counted by Long Measure--a week and a +day." + +"Glorious!" cried George. "Let's pack the day as full of fun as ever it +will hold. I never shall forget the jolly time we have had this year at +The Grange!" + +"Not even the ice-bath at the pond, George?" said Cornelia. + +"No, indeed; nor my kind deliverance; nor my brave rescuer," answered +George. + +"That might, indeed, have turned our laughter into weeping," replied Mr. +Wyndham, lighting his lamp. "And now, Good-night, and happy dreams!" + + + + +CHAPTER X. + +WHISPERING GALLERY.--POTENTATES.--THREE YOUNG MEN. + + +The last day at The Grange had come, and well was it filled up with +active exercise and sport, song, laughter, and sweet converse. In the +evening all met as usual in the library, eager for whatever amusement +might turn up; for everything was _impromptu_ among our young people, +and, whether story, games, or conversation, had at least the merit of +spontaneity. + +"I have a thought," said Alice. "There is a game I would call 'Gossip, +or Whispering Gallery,' which can take in the whole of us, and possibly +take us all in, in a double sense. Let Aunt Lucy sit in one corner of +the room, and Uncle John in another; and we young folks can range +ourselves between. Aunty can say anything she pleases in a low whisper +to her next neighbor, only she must be careful to name some one; and he +must repeat it to a third, and so through the line. The last person must +announce distinctly what the whisper was, and settle any differences +with Aunt Lucy, who originates the whisper." + +"Very good," replied Mrs. Wyndham. "Only it is evident to me that I am +going to be victimized!" + +"O, you can stand it; you can stand it!" cried out several young voices. +"Your character for truth and prudence is established; and with Uncle +John at the other end of the line, you need not fear!" + +And so the company was arranged, and care taken that no ear heard the +"gossip," save the one for which it was designed. The mysterious message +was at last announced, amid laughter and shouts from the youngest. + +"Aunt Lucy says that Cornelia told her that Charlie reported that John +had eaten ten slices of mince-pie to-day. He is very sick, and I'll send +him home to his mother." + +"But I only said, 'Cornelia and Charlie both told me John hadn't eaten +one slice of mince-pie to-day. I'm afraid he is sick, and it is well he +is going home to his mother!' + +"Rather a difference! But who altered it? It seems to me Cornelia looks +mischievous!" + +"O, that's a way I have! Poor little me, all the mischief is put on my +shoulders! But--honest now--Tom whispered so low, that I thought it +might as well be ten slices as one!" + +"And now change places," said Alice, "and put Cornelia head as a reward +of merit--we'll fix her; and then we can try 'Whispering Gallery' +again." + +No sooner said than done, and Cornelia started the game by saying to her +nearest neighbor, "How sorry I am to leave The Grange! I never was so +happy in all my life; and Charlie says so too!" + +But the outcome of this very innocent remark was as follows: "How sorry +I am I came to The Grange! I never will be happy again in all my life, +and Charlie says so, too!" + +"Are you sure there was no cheating?" asked Mr. Wyndham. + +"No, dear uncle, impossible," replied Cornelia. "I couldn't, and they +wouldn't; they are all quite too good for that; every one of them, +except, perhaps, Charlie, who is in a peculiar sense my own first +cousin. But it seems to be a property of a whisper to be a _twister_; it +is sure to get in a tangle, and comes out quite different from the way +you started it." + +"Just so," answered up Charlie. "It is like what they say happens in +Cincinnati. You put in a grunter at one end of the machine, and in a few +minutes it comes out in the form of bacon, hams, lard, sausages, and +hair-brushes!" + +"My dear Charlie," chimed in his uncle, "that is the loudest 'whisper' +I've heard yet! But, seriously, boys and girls, don't you see in the +game how evil reports originate, and how easy it is, by the slightest +variation from the straight line, to falsify the truth?" + +"That's so," said Mary. "And I have often noticed how whispers glide +into gossip, and gossip into scandal, before people are aware. I've +resolved many a time not to talk about _people_, but things, and then +I'll escape doing harm with my unruly member." + +"I, too," said Charlie, demurely, "have frequently written in my +copy-book, 'Speak not of the absent, or speak as a friend.'" + +"Now for another game," cried Gertrude. "Here is one of mine. I call it +'Potentates.' It's very simple, and you can vary it according to your +taste. You visit a foreign country, and see the rulers and grandees; you +can mention their names or not, as you wish. I'll begin, to show one way +of playing it. + +"I went to England and was presented at court. I had a superb dress made +for the occasion, which I will not describe, as I see the boys are all +ready to laugh. But my father had to wear a special drawing-room suit +for the presentation, also, and he looked as funny and quaint as if he +had stepped out of an old picture. His sword hung at his side, and he +had to practice walking with it, and bowing over it, or it would have +played him a trick. It was worse than my long train. + +"When my turn came to be presented and the Lord Chamberlain announced my +name, I felt like sinking into the ground; but I didn't. I think the +dignity of my grand dress supported me. Somehow I reached the throne, +where sat in state Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress +of India, Defender of the Faith, etc. On either side were princesses of +the blood, ladies of honor, and others according to rank. I had seen my +predecessors kneel before Her Majesty, so I had to put my democratic +feelings into my pocket and do the same. I made believe to myself that I +knelt because she is a pattern woman, is the best queen England ever +had, and is old enough to be my grandmother, having reigned fifty years. +She graciously extended her hand. I did not shake it, as report says one +fair American savage did, but humbly kissed it, and then retreated +backward with eyes still fixed upon the Queen in all her glory, and +scarcely knowing which gave me the most trouble, my long train or my +wounded self-respect. + +"I afterwards saw the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Archbishop of +Canterbury, dukes and duchesses, lords and ladies--a brilliant +constellation. But I very much doubt if they saw me. And these are the +potentates of Old England." + +"As for me," said Charlie Bolton, "I saw the Dey of Algiers, and a very +brilliant dey he was! By way of contrast, I determined to visit the +Knights of Malta, but on inquiry found that they had not been in +existence for nearly ninety years, and therefore gave it up. Instead I +concluded to see the Knights of Labor, who abound in this favored land, +and appear to be potentates, as they can stop railroad travel, mines, +manufactories, etc., at their own sweet will." + +"As Charlie was in North Africa," remarked John, "I went to Egypt to be +in his neighborhood, and had the privilege of seeing the Khedive. I +found the country quite demoralized, the finances in a very bad +condition, and few appeared to know who was the real potentate of the +land, the Khedive, the Sultan of Turkey, or the money kings of England. +General Gordon had been murdered, and El Mahdi, the false prophet, was +dead also. Those two men were the greatest potentates Africa has had for +centuries!" + +"And I crossed over into Turkey," continued Tom Green, "and had an +audience with the Sultan. I saw numerous pashas in attendance of one, +two, and three tails." + +"O, Tom!" cried Gertrude, "that can't be! Even Darwin doesn't claim that +for man in the nineteenth century!" + +"My dear young friend," answered Tom, "these tails were not carried +monkey-fashion, but were insignia of office, the man having three tails +holding the highest rank. They are of horse-hair, placed on a long staff +with a gilt ball on top, and are always carried before the Pasha on his +military expeditions. Always ask for information," said he, bowing to +the circle, "and I shall be happy to impart such as is suitable to +juvenile minds!" + +"Very condescending!" "Deeply interesting!" "Just from college, isn't +he?" were some of the remarks of the girls. + +"The Grand Vizier presented me," continued Tom. "We had a good deal of +pleasant conversation together, the Sultan and I; and I tried to +convince him that the republican form of government was the best. +Strange to say, my eloquence failed in effect. But he was very friendly, +and asked me to stay to tea, and he'd introduce me to his little +family--" + +"Tom! Tom!" cried several voices, "Do keep probability in view." + +"I declined, of course, even at the risk of hurting his feelings. _I_ +don't want to see women with thick veils on; some may think it +romantic--I know Alice does, for it is so mysterious--but _I_ think it +looks as if they were marked with small-pox! Just then, the muezzin +sounded for prayers from the nearest minaret, and the Sultan instantly +fell prostrate on his rich Turkish rug, and began his devotions. He was +just saying, 'Do come, Tom, for'--but he stopped in the midst, and I'll +never know what strong inducement he was going to offer; perhaps he +wanted me to be Grand Vizier. I slipped out while he was at his +prayers." + +"O Tom, Tom!" cried John. "I didn't think you could draw so long a bow!" + +"It is quite understood that we are indulging in fiction," replied he. +"You know that falsehood consists in the _intent to deceive_. No one +will be taken in by my yarns, dear Coz!" + +"Nor mine, either," said Cornelia. "For I was in Paris before the French +Revolution, at the same time as our philosopher, Benjamin Franklin. I +was present at court on a grand occasion. The king, Louis Sixteenth, a +handsome and amiable monarch, and the beautiful and graceful queen, +Marie Antoinette, were there of course; the young Dauphin was, I hope, +sound asleep. The ladies of the court were brilliant, and everything as +gay as gay could be. But to my surprise, our plain, simple republican +Dr. Franklin was the central object, the 'cynosure of all beholders.' +The king was quite secondary. Philosophy was then quite the rage, and +republican simplicity--in the abstract--was adored by these potentates. +One of the grand, gay ladies crowned Franklin with a wreath of flowers! +And he was wonderfully pleased with all the attention he received, I +assure you. It was a different scene from any in the Philadelphia of +those days--with our staid citizens, and sweet, gentle, modest Quaker +ladies in their plain dress!" + +"And now," said Amy, "aren't you all tired of potentates? I am. This is +our last evening, and I want dear Uncle to tell us a story--something +from his own life, if he will--to finish up our pleasures." + +"It would finish up your pleasures by putting you to sleep," Mr. Wyndham +answered, laughing gayly. "Mine has been an unusually happy life, but +not an adventurous one. I was never even in a railroad collision. Do you +remember the story of Dr. Samuel Johnson, when writing his 'Lives of the +Poets'?" + +"Do tell us, Uncle," chimed in the young voices. + +"He was trying to get information in a certain case, but could not +elicit anything of interest. At last, out of patience, he burst forth: +'Tell me, didn't he break his leg?' I never broke mine; I can't get up +an incident." + +"And I'm very glad you didn't, Uncle mine," said little Amy. "And now I +speak by permission in the name of the assembled company: You are +unanimously requested to tell us your life, or something that happened +to yourself." + +"'Story! Why, bless you, I have none to tell, Sir,' as Canning's needy +knife-grinder says. But if you all insist, as a good uncle, I must e'en +obey; so prepare for those comfortable slumbers I have predicted. I will +call my story + + +THREE YOUNG MEN. + +"Now you must not expect from me," said Mr. Wyndham, "exciting tales of +adventure, and hairbreadth escapes by sea and land. I have never read a +dime novel in my life, and therefore couldn't undertake to rival them in +highway robbery, scalping Indians, and bowie-knives and revolvers. My +heroes were never left on a desert island, nor escaped with difficulty +from the hands of cannibals, nor were pursued by hungry wolves; and +never even saw a lion or tiger except behind the bars of a menagerie. +They were not strikingly handsome nor charmingly hideous, nor had they +rich uncles to die opportunely and leave them heirs to a few millions; +indeed, they were very much such young men as you see every day walking +the streets of your own city. + +"I would gladly leave my name entirely out of the story if I could; but +as it is an 'o'er true tale,' and I happened to be mixed up with the +other two, whom I have known from childhood, I am very sure my dear +nephews and nieces will not accuse me of egotism. It is the other two +who are my heroes--not myself. + +"John Howard and Mortimer Willing were my schoolmates, in the same class +for years, neighbors and playfellows, so that I know them well. And I +speak of them the more freely because they are now both living at a +great distance from here, one being the honored Governor of a Western +State, and the other residing in a remote town in the interior of Texas. +Such are the changes in our land of freedom. + +"But to begin with our school-days. We had not a genius in the class, +neither had we a dunce; we were average boys, digging our way through +the classics and mathematics, and not too familiar with science, history +and geography. The world we live in was not much studied then. Such +minor knowledge we were somehow expected to pick up at home, and we did +after a fashion. I liked both these boys; but while Willing was the more +self-possessed, showy and brilliant, I always felt Howard to be the most +true; he was the very soul of honor, as transparent as glass without a +flaw in it. Willing did things with a dash, and by his superior tact and +ready language often appeared to know more than he really did. If he got +into a scrape he was pretty sure to get out of it smoothly. + +"I have sometimes known him, for example, to go unprepared to a +recitation, depending upon his luck not to be called upon to recite, +when, with his ready wit and retentive memory, he would gather up what +it required hard study for the rest of us to put into our craniums. But +it sometimes happened that Dame Fortune, wicked jade! forsook him, and +Willing had to march up, as we thought, to certain disgrace. But +whatever forsook him, one thing never did--invincible assurance. He +would bear himself in so composed a manner, talk round the subject so +ably, and bring what little he knew so prominently forward, that the +professor himself was often deceived, and was sometimes entrapped into +telling the very thing Willing most wanted to know. + +"If any side-helps were given by sympathizing friends--for Willing was a +general favorite--he availed himself of them without scruple. I remember +the question was once put to him, 'What is the Latin name of the earth?' +Any boy surely should know that; but for once his memory failed him. He +nudged the boy next him, saying in a stage whisper, 'Tell us.' The +teacher's ears were quick, and his wit also; he answered, with a +quizzical look--before the boy could speak--'That's right, Tellus is one +of the names; but you should direct your answer to the desk, and not to +your neighbor.' + +"In composition he was sometimes brilliant, but not always sustained or +original, for I have more than once detected a striking likeness to +Addison and other well-known worthies of our English tongue. Evidently +the same Muse inspired both, for in style and sentiment they were +identical; but unfortunately for Willing, they had the advantage in +point of time, and made their mark in the world before he came along. +The wonder to me was that the teacher did not see it; but his was not a +wide range of scholarship, though thorough in what he taught. His groove +was narrow but deep and well worn, I felt indignant when I heard Willing +praised for what should have brought him disgrace; but he was so +pleasant and ready to oblige, such a good companion and playfellow, +that I soon forgot my righteous anger--until next time. + +"Another trick of his I could not like. Possibly my young friends may +have seen the same; for schoolboy failings are very similar throughout +the ages. I don't doubt school-children cheated before the flood! They +certainly have done so since. He sat at the same desk with honest Jack +Howard, the most unsuspicious of mortals because himself so free from +guile. Many a time have I seen him slyly glance at Howard's slate when +we were solving hard problems in arithmetic or algebra. They were sure +to come out even, neck and neck, as they say. But _I_ knew that if +Willing had been called upon to explain the process he couldn't have +done it; and he was sure to get the praise. + +"As for Howard, he plodded on, never getting all the appreciation he +deserved. Always prepared, but not always ready--for he was easily +abashed, and then his tongue did not do justice to his thoughts. No +fellow in the class--or, as we then said, no _man_ in the class--was so +thorough as he, but the teachers did not always find it out. We boys +did, however; and we knew, too, that what Jack Howard once got he kept, +in the way of mental acquisition. But the best of it was, he was such a +solid fellow as to worth. His word was never doubted; we could trust him +in everything. '_Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus_,' holds true, and the +converse is also true, Faithful in one, faithful in all. Howard was true +and faithful from the time I first knew him, a little shaver, 'knee-high +to a grasshopper,' as children say. + +"I'm the more particular in giving you an insight into the character of +these boys as a key to their after-life. I know that the child is not +always 'father to the man,' and that the insertion of a new and +transforming principle into the soul will elevate and ennoble the +meanest man. But as a general rule the mainsprings of character develop +early, and the man is very much as the child has made him. The sowing +then, brings forth a harvest afterwards. They tell us, that two natives +of Scotland settled in the far West, and that each took with him a +memorial of his fatherland--one the thistle, the national emblem, the +other the honey-bee. Rather different sowing that! For while the +dwellers on the Pacific coast have to keep up a continual fight with the +thistle, the honey of that region is now largely exported, and is worth +its millions. A little time has done it--and thistles are especially +prolific, you need take no pains in the sowing. + +"But we didn't think much of sowing and reaping in those days, though we +were sowing all the time. The years flew fast till we had seen seventeen +birthdays, and our fathers thought we should learn something of business +if we were ever to be business men. Willing had influential connections, +excellent abilities, and popular manners; he was a general favorite. He +was placed without difficulty in a large importing house, where he gave +entire satisfaction, and was rapidly advanced to a position of great +trust, collecting moneys and keeping the accounts. His salary was large, +and he was considered a rising and prosperous young man; he moved in +fashionable society, married a dashing girl, lived in a handsome house, +gave elegant entertainments, and kept a horse. + +"Howard and I got on more slowly. Somehow, we always kept together, so +that 'the two Johns' became a by-word. We were clerks in the same +commercial house, and, although self-praise is no recommendation, I may +say that both of us did our whole duty. We worked hard, as was then +expected; were at the store soon after sunrise, and had everything in +order before our employers arrived. Young gentlemen in those days did +many things that are now the porter's work, making fires, sweeping the +store, etc., quite new duties to us, who were fresh from Academic +shades, and from communion with Homer, Virgil, and Horace. I can't say +we enjoyed it much. Neither did we like the lifting of heavy packages +and being ordered about as if we were inferiors. But we did not shirk +our duty, and kept our tempers. John, good fellow, came out of the +ordeal sweet-tempered, kind, and obliging; and I don't doubt that we +both feel the benefit of this practical training to this day. Certain it +is, that we mastered all the details of the business, and knew what to +expect from others, when our time came to employ them. + +"'The two Johns' went into business together, and for a time everything +was prosperous. We married happily, and lived in comfort and moderation, +as becomes young people who have to make their way in the world. +Meantime we saw less and less of Willing, for in the daytime we were +busy, and our evenings were very differently employed. He and his young +wife--a pretty and attractive creature she was--cultivated the society +of the gay and rich, gave entertainments, or were seen in full dress at +balls, concerts, the opera, and the theatre. I sometimes wondered how a +clerk on a three-thousand-dollar salary could live at the rate of eight +or ten thousand. And so, with all kind feeling, we drifted apart; your +dear Aunt and John's wife found their style of living so different, +ideas on all subjects so opposite, and friends so dissimilar, that +visits were only exchanged once or twice a year. + +"When we were about thirty, commercial disasters befel us. A financial +crisis swept over the land, by which some houses closely connected with +our own were engulfed, and could not meet their engagements. We lost +heavily. We struggled through it for a time, but were compelled at last +to call a meeting of our creditors, lay our statements and books before +them, and offer to give up all we had to satisfy their claims. That was +the best we could do, and we then could not pay more than fifty cents on +the dollar. + +"Our creditors behaved most nobly and generously. They expressed the +utmost confidence in our integrity and business skill, uttered no word +of blame but much of encouragement, and begged us to go on and retrieve +our fortunes. They settled upon fifty cents in the dollar as full +satisfaction for our debts, and told us to take our own time for the +payment; nothing could have been kinder and more considerate. For my +part, knowing we were not to blame, I bore up bravely till that point; +but there I broke down. I am not ashamed to say, that I wept like a +child. + +"Howard was the bookkeeper of our house, and a beautiful set of books he +kept. The accounts were exact, the writing clear, the figures +unmistakable--not a blot or erasure in the whole. They excited great +admiration, and from none more than from Stewart & Gamble, who were +prominent creditors. After the meeting, they invited Howard to look +over their books in the evening, remarking that although they had all +confidence in their head clerk, their receipts had fallen off +considerably of late, and as they wished to understand the reason, they +had concluded to get the services of an expert, which Howard certainly +was. John accepted the offer, although he looked grave when he +remembered that Willing had been head clerk for years. + +"As our business perplexity was now comparatively settled, we went on as +usual, only taking in sail and trimming the boat for the storm. But in +our private affairs both families resolved to retrench. Our wives came +nobly to our support, proving themselves true women; they themselves +proposed to _double-up_--the two families to occupy one house, and in +several ways to reduce our expenses one-half. Such an arrangement would +never have answered if we had not all thoroughly understood one +another--but we did. My wife is, as you all very well know, a model of +amiability and of every household virtue, and the other John thinks as +well of his Rib, and I suppose is right. The old saying is, 'If a man +wishes to be rich let him ask his wife;' I can add, if a man wishes to +be honest and pay his debts, let him ask her counsel, aid and +coöperation also. We were determined to be honest; and our good wives +helped us in this effort with all their might. + +"How they managed it you can't expect a man to explain--it is a problem +too deep for our limited intelligence--but certain it is, that while we +always sat down to a plentiful table and maintained a respectable +appearance, what had supported one family now answered for two. I don't +think our wives were reduced to the straits of the Irish family, whose +little boy reported to his schoolmates: 'There's a great twisting and +turning going on at our house. I'm having a new shirt made out of +daddy's old one, and daddy's having a new shirt made out of the old +sheet, and mammy's making a new sheet out of the old table-cloth.' But +'twistings and turnings' of a marvellous kind there must have been, +which the male understanding could not fathom; for while the house was +always in order, and the two ladies looked as neat as if they had just +stepped out of a bandbox, no bills came in, and a little money went a +great way. + +"One word more about this very practical thing of expense in living. We +could have lived on as we had done, and no blame from any one, for we +were in no respect extravagant; but we could not reconcile it to our +consciences to spend a penny without necessity when we owed money. All +four thought alike about that; we were thankful for health, and that we +could provide the comforts of life for our young families. As you know, +our dear children were then living. And I may here add, that both John +and I lived to see the solid benefits accruing from the ten years of +strict economy and active work in which all shared. Our boys and girls +learned betimes to help themselves and one another, and were invaluable +aids to their mothers. The lessons of self-denial were not lost upon +them. They attended the public schools and received a solid education +there; but the languages were picked up at home, and thoroughly, too. It +is astonishing how much can be learned by devoting a short time every +day to any study when the heart is in it; and I found that the boys were +prepared for college, when our ten years were up, and we were able to +spend more freely. + +"But meanwhile, what about Willing, and the very mixed accounts of +Stewart & Gamble? Alas, alas! how happy was our lot compared with his! +We had cheerful content, hope for the future, peace in our consciences. +We were respected by those around us, and by the business world, never +more so than then. But poor Willing! + +"Howard found it as we had feared. There were inconsistencies between +the debtor and creditor columns, increasing with each successive year; +and the effort had been made to cover them up by the alteration of +figures so as to appear square and correct. Howard knew too much of +prices to be deceived by these, being in the same business. The +aggregate stealings--for it was nothing else--amounted to $20,000! And +this was the payment the firm received for their liberal kindness and +their blind confidence! + +"When all was discovered, and Willing's guilt clearly proved, he was +summoned to meet his injured employers. He must have gone with quakings +of heart: but not even then did his cool assurance fail him, or the +blush rise to his cheek, until he was made conscious that all his +trickery was understood, and that public exposure and the penitentiary +were before him. Then he gave way, and confessed all. He had not, in the +beginning, planned deliberate villany--very few ever do who have been +brought up to know the right. But the temptations to extravagance had +proved too much for him, and his principles, never strong, had given +way. He had taken two hundred dollars, intending to return it from his +salary, and none should be the wiser. But fast living is a deceitful +thing--almost as deceitful as the human heart. Bills came in fast--store +bills, butchers' bills, carriage bills, confectionery bills, milliners' +bills--swallowing up his quarter's salary; and one must have ready +money, you know; so instead of returning what he had taken, as hope had +whispered, he took more--still to be repaid in the future. + +"I need hardly say, that each time he yielded to temptation the +resistance of his conscience became less and less, until finally it +appeared to be paralyzed. He had woven the toils about himself until he +seemed powerless to escape; no chrysalis, apparently lifeless in its +silky shroud, was feebler than he. He was strong to do evil but weak to +do good. Everything conspired to push him down hill--circumstances were +against him, he thought--but one thing was certain, he must have money, +and then all would be right. + +"But how to break the meshes? How to retrieve himself? One way only was +clear to him--speculation in stocks, and on a margin; he could borrow +money for that, for he would be sure to repay. _Borrowing_ was now the +convenient name he applied to his stealing. He tried it, and at first +succeeded; the deluded victims of all gambling, whether in the Exchange +or in gambling hells, are pretty sure of success at first; and so they +are enticed to higher ventures. Now he might have returned the +ill-gotten money, and at least have saved his reputation. But no! the +gambling passion was now aroused, and he felt sure he could soon realize +enough to make him easy. He tried again and for a larger sum and _lost_. + +"And so he went on until he was tangled inextricably in the net, and +felt that he was a rascal, and a lost, not a successful one. Remorse +seized him, but not repentance; for still he went on in his guilt. +Indeed, he was more reckless than ever, struggling to get out of the +meshes. Gay to excess at times, then gloomy; his temper became unequal, +and to drown reflection he sometimes drank to excess. He was a ruined +man--ruined _before_ exposure, for that only opened the eyes of +others--his own down-fall had already taken place. + +"I am told that when the proofs of his guilt were laid before him, and +his confession was made, his pleadings for mercy were most pitiful. +Stewart & Gamble had a stern sense of justice, and their indignation was +in proportion to their former confidence. They were determined that he +should not escape, and that, not so much from personal vengeance as +because they thought it wrong to interfere with laws due and wholesome +in themselves, and necessary to deter others from evil doing. He was +committed to prison, a trial took place, and poor Willing was sentenced +to five years in the penitentiary. + +"When he first stood up for trial, he Was alone; all the friends of his +prosperity had forsaken him. He was thoroughly stricken down, abashed, +shame-faced, not lifting his eyes to the crowd in court; and no one of +his intimates care to claim acquaintance with a felon. I could not hold +back; much as I hated the crime, I could not hate the criminal. My +schoolmate, my playfellow, stood there, alone, forsaken, despised; +crushed to the ground, ready to despair. I went to him, gave my hand and +stayed, while his case was up. Never shall I forget the look of mingled +gratitude and hopelessness in his haggard eyes which had scarcely known +sleep since his disgrace. + +"O, it is well to be just! No doubt of that. The law should be +sustained, and no sentimental pity should interfere. We must not condone +crime, or the very object of law and penalty will be annulled. +Philanthropy should be tender, but not weak; and if tears are shed and +bouquets of flowers sent, it should rather be to the victims of crime, +than to the criminal. But when a man is crushed with a sense of guilt, +and down on the ground, that is not the time to spurn him; when disgrace +is added to trouble, friends must not stand aloof. Many a poor fellow is +driven to suicide by this course who might have been saved by kindness +and brought to repentance. + +"Willing's dashing friends, by whose example he had been helped in the +downward career, who had eaten his dainty little suppers and enjoyed his +society, now forsook him and held up their hands in horror at his +conduct--it was so disreputable! I may be wrong, but I can't help +despising men and women who share a poor fellow's prosperity and fall +off in his adversity; giving an additional kick, if need be, to send him +down the hill. Of all his gay companions not one stood by him on his +trial, or said one word of pity, hope, or cheer, when he was condemned. +The friendship of the world is a hollow thing, more unsubstantial than a +bubble. It seems to me that nothing is so hardening to the heart as +self-indulgence, luxurious living, idleness, the absence of any high aim +in life, or any earnest effort for the life beyond. Certain it is the +summer friends all vanished; their friendship wilted like flowers before +a frost. + +"That was the time for Howard and me to act like men. We were busy, very +busy, but we took turns to stand by him, and show that we had not +forgotten 'auld lang syne' and boyish days. Poor fellow! he wept then. +Well did he know that we would be the last to extenuate his crime, but +he saw that we pitied him while we condemned his sin. He spoke the first +words of genuine repentance, or what looked like it, then and there. + +"After his condemnation, when immured in prison walls, dressed in +convict garb, and fed on prison fare, we visited him whenever the rules +allowed it. We found him quite broken up--thoroughly humiliated, ready +to despair of God's mercy as well as man's forgiveness. He was in the +depths of trial, all the waves and the billows had gone over him, the +deeps had swallowed him up, as the Psalmist poetically and truly says. +We could not in conscience say one word that might lessen the weight of +his guilt, but we could point him to the Lamb of God that taketh away +the sin not of one only, but of the whole world. We could tell him that +Christ came, not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance, to +which he promptly added, and from the heart, 'Of whom I am chief.' + +"Calamity, sorrow, reverses and all the punishments due to iniquity, can +never be relied upon to bring men to repentance; but in this case they +worked well, and Willing became a new man. It was a great pleasure to us +to see the change in his very countenance, wrought out by the inward +principle, and that his sorrow, as time went on, was not so much for his +punishment and disgrace as for his guilt. He made no effort to get a +commutation of his sentence, saying, It was all right; he had deserved +that and much more. + +"Of course our pity was much excited for his poor little wife, who +seemed almost heart-broken. My dear Lucy and John's wife, who had never +cultivated intimacy with her in their prosperous days, now came forward +in true womanly style, and made her feel that she had sisters in heart, +whom she had not known. She had no near kindred, and the few relatives +she had held aloof. Truly she might say, 'My lovers and my friends stand +aloof from my sore; and my kinsmen stand afar off.' No one offered her +help or shelter, of all those who had enjoyed her elegant hospitality. + +"Immediately upon the conviction of her husband she wrote to Stewart & +Gamble, offering to give up all her handsome furniture and pictures, and +even her jewels, as a small indemnity for their losses; but they very +nobly refused to accept it, advising her to sell and invest the +proceeds. John and I, acting under the direction of our wives, who were +enthusiastic in their admiration and pity for Olive Willing in her +trouble, told her to pack her trunks at once and come to our house, +where we had room enough and to spare, and that we would attend to the +sale. She could scarcely believe she heard aright, and was full of +surprise and gratitude, and, of course, accepted the offer. + +"I don't wonder you think our house was made of gum-elastic; it really +seemed so. 'Room in the heart, room in the house," was our motto; and +the children most amiably agreed to give up one room and be sociable +together; and I fancy they were, from the peals of laughter that often +came from that room, so full of young life and spirits. And so poor +Olive was settled down as one of the family. It was a new experience to +her in every way. The industry of the house surprised her, and from +gratitude and a proper ambition she soon sought to help, which really +was the best thing she could do to relieve her trouble, and regain a +measure of cheerfulness. But she had to learn first, and found two +willing teachers in the noble women who had given her a home. She was an +apt scholar and soon became mistress of domestic arts, which were +indispensable to her in after life. Indeed, what woman should be +ignorant of them, if she wishes to be helpful to herself and useful to +others? Who would wish to be considered a mere ornamental piece of bric +à brac, good to be set upon the mantel or against the wall, but not good +for everyday use and comfort? Better be an eight-day clock, for that at +least will regulate the goings of the household! + +"In these new employments and in our happy home circle Olive in a few +months recovered something of her wonted tone. She then formed the plan +of putting her hitherto useless accomplishments to work, by taking +pupils in music, drawing, and embroidery. We all approved her plan, and +Lucy found pupils for her among our friends--not among those who had +cast her off. This supplied her with ready money, and with a little +increase to the sum John and I had safely invested for her. + +"When his five years were accomplished, and Willing was notified that he +was once more a free man, we were there to receive him, and conduct him +to our house. He entered it, a wiser and a sadder man. We had formed a +plan for him into which he and his wife heartily entered, and had +already written to correspondents in Texas, to obtain information as to +localities for settlement. After a week's rest Willing and Olive left us +for their distant home, where they were soon at home on a small ranche +stocked with sheep--the whole paid for by the modest sum held in Olive's +name. They did well and are much respected. He has been able to enlarge +his operations, and is now a thriving man; and what is far better, he is +upright, honest; always on the right side; fearing God, and having favor +with those who know him. + +"But to return to ourselves. We persevered in a strict course of +industry and economy, declining help proffered from outside sources. My +dear grandfather, who had brought me up after my father's death, was +very kind in offering financial aid; but I did not wish to involve any +one in my misfortunes, or to cause embarrassment to one I so greatly +loved. Besides, I felt confident that we should retrieve our affairs by +our own efforts. So it proved. Eight years to a day from the time we +attempted to make our assignment to our generous creditors we paid them, +not fifty cents on the dollar, but one hundred, with compound interest. +It was a glad surprise to them, but a much greater joy to us. O, boys! +better it is to step forth clear of debt; to be able to look every man +in the eye; to feel that you owe no man anything, than to own the mines +of California, Arizona, or the whole of a Pacific Railroad! I cannot +describe to you the exquisite pleasure it gave us to pay out that money. +Those who have never experienced losses and embarrassments can scarcely +understand it. + +"We now had a fresh start in business, with a good stock on hand, +boundless credit, and no debts. We soon came to the front rank among +merchants. Indeed, so successful were we, that on my fiftieth birthday I +resolved to retire, feeling that I was rich enough. My dear grandfather, +who had entered into rest some years before, had left me The Grange, in +which my earliest years had been passed, and here, amid the beautiful +scenes of nature, and with still a large scope for my activities, I have +enjoyed years of happiness. My dear friend, Howard, had landed property +in one of the Western States and fancied there was more elbow-room there +for his children who were settling in life; so at last we were obliged +to separate. He has risen, as you know, to prominence, being the most +popular governor of the State they have had for years, and even +political opponents are loud in praise of his integrity and fidelity to +trusts. + +"I need scarcely say a word to show the meaning of my simple tale. A +life of unspotted integrity and honor is the only life worth living; and +to love God and keep his commandments is the only safeguard. You may +have a good disposition, but that is not enough. You may have been well +trained and instructed, but that is not enough. Your father may be the +very soul of honor and to be trusted with uncounted gold, but virtue is +not an inheritance, and you must be honest for yourself, self-denying +for yourself, diligent for yourself, if you wish to build up a character +respected by men and pleasing to God. 'Tis true, this is only one part +of your duty, but it is a very important part. Truth and rectitude are +pillars in family life, and the very bulwarks of society. If these fail, +all else fails. + +"And now, a pleasant and a dreamless sleep to you all. To-morrow you +return to the studies and duties of the new year, which has begun so +happily for us all. I dislike to say that word, Farewell, and so I will +only wish you now, Good-night!" + + + +***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HOLIDAYS AT THE GRANGE OR A WEEK'S +DELIGHT*** + + +******* This file should be named 18907-8.txt or 18907-8.zip ******* + + +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: +https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/8/9/0/18907 + + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. 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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at <a href = "http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></pre> +<p>Title: Holidays at the Grange or A Week's Delight</p> +<p> Games and Stories for Parlor and Fireside</p> +<p>Author: Emily Mayer Higgins</p> +<p>Release Date: July 25, 2006 [eBook #18907]</p> +<p>Language: English</p> +<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p> +<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HOLIDAYS AT THE GRANGE OR A WEEK'S DELIGHT***</p> +<p> </p> +<h3>E-text prepared by Martin Pettit<br /> + and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br /> + (http://www.pgdp.net/)</h3> +<p> </p> +<table border="0" cellpadding="10" style="background-color: #ccccff;"> + <tr> + <td> + Transcriber's note:<br /> + <br /> + On page 137 a printing error left a word or two not printed. + The place is marked in the text: [**missing words**] + </td> + </tr> +</table> +<p> </p> +<hr class="full" /> +<p> </p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span></p> +<h1>HOLIDAYS AT THE GRANGE,</h1> + +<h3>OR</h3> + +<h2>A WEEK'S DELIGHT.</h2> + +<h3>Games and Stories for Parlor and Fireside.</h3> + +<h3>BY</h3> + +<h2>EMILY MAYER HIGGINS.</h2> + +<p class="center"><img src="images/title.jpg" width='121' height='150' alt="Publishers logo" /></p> + +<h4>PHILADELPHIA:<br />PORTER & COATES.</h4> + +<hr class='smler' /> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span></p> +<h4><span class="smcap">Copyright</span>, 1886,<br />BY<br />PORTER & COATES.</h4> + +<hr class='smler' /> + +<p class="center"><img src="images/cover.jpg" width='592' height='700' alt="Cover" /></p> + +<hr class='smler' /> + +<p class="center"><img src="images/frontis.jpg" width='592' height='700' alt="Wyndham Grange" /><br /><span class="smcap">Wyndham Grange.</span></p> + +<hr class='smler' /> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span></p> + +<h2>CONTENTS.</h2> + +<div class="index"> +<ul> +<li><a href="#CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I.</a> +<ul> + <li class="subitem"> </li> + <li class="subitem">The Gathering.—Christmas Eve.—"Consequences."—"How do you like it?"</li> +</ul></li> +<li><a href="#CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II.</a> +<ul> + <li class="subitem"> </li> + <li class="subitem">Christmas Day.—"Rhymes."—"Cento."—"Genteel Lady."—The Fairy Wood.</li> +</ul></li> +<li><a href="#CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III.</a> +<ul> + <li class="subitem"> </li> + <li class="subitem">"The Rhyming Game."—Orikama, or the White Water-Lily; an Indian Tale.</li> +</ul></li> +<li><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV.</a> +<ul> + <li class="subitem"> </li> + <li class="subitem">"Proverbs."—"Twenty Questions."—The Spectre of Alcantra, or the Conde's Daughters; a Tale of Spain.</li> +</ul></li> +<li><a href="#CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V.</a> +<ul> + <li class="subitem"> </li> + <li class="subitem">A Skating Adventure.—"What is my Thought like?"—"Questions."—The +Orphan's Tale, or the Vicissitudes of Fortune.</li> +</ul></li> +<li><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI.</a> +<ul> + <li class="subitem"> </li> + <li class="subitem">Sunday.—Bible Stories.—"Capping Bible Verses."—Bible-Class.</li> +</ul></li> +<li><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII.</a> +<ul> + <li class="subitem"> </li> + <li class="subitem">Sequel to the Orphan's Tale.—"Who can he be?"—"Elements."—The Astrologers.</li> +</ul></li> +<li><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII.</a> +<ul> + <li class="subitem"> </li> + <li class="subitem">"Confidante."—"Lead-Merchant."—"Trades."—The Rose of Hesperus; a Fairy Tale.</li> +</ul></li> +<li><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX.</a> +<ul> + <li class="subitem"> </li> + <li class="subitem">New-Year's Day.—"Characters, or Who am I?"—"Quotations."—"Acting Charades."—"Riddles."</li> +</ul></li> +<li><a href="#CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X.</a> +<ul> + <li class="subitem"> </li> + <li class="subitem">Whispering Gallery.—Potentates.—Three Young Men.</li> +</ul></li> +</ul> +</div> + +<hr /> +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span></p> +<h1>GAMES AND STORIES.</h1> + +<hr class='smler' /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I.</h2> + +<h3>THE GATHERING.—CHRISTMAS EVE.—CONSEQUENCES.—HOW DO YOU LIKE IT?</h3> + +<p>Not many miles from Philadelphia, in a beautifully wooded and hilly +country, may be seen a large rambling mansion, whose substantial walls +show that it was built at a time when more attention was paid to the +durability of dwellings than at present. It is, indeed, quite an ancient +house for this part of the world, having been erected by a certain John +Wyndham, a hundred years ago; and it has remained in the family ever +since, the owner of it generally inheriting the name of John, a taste +for rural life, and the old homestead together. It was constructed in +good taste, and with great regard for comfort; the broad hall, the +favorite resort in summer, was ornamented with family portraits of many +ages back, and a complete suit of armor, visor and all, struck awe into +the hearts of young visitors, who almost expected its former occupant to +resume possession, with his gauntleted hand to draw the sword from its +scabbard, and, seizing the flag over his head, to drive the modern +usurpers from the house. Large antlers, bows and arrows, and rusty +fowling-pieces against the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> wall, intimated that the descendants of the +grim warrior had exercised their valor in the chase; while a guitar with +blue ribbon, in the corner, told that gentler days had come, and spoke +of peace, domestic joys, and woman's influence.</p> + +<p>Many were the bright sunshiny chambers in that cheerful home; but I will +describe one apartment only, the sitting-room, with which we are chiefly +concerned. The furniture is quaint and massive; but it is the rich +mellow light streaming through the room that principally attracts the +eye. Is it the western sun, tinted by the colored glass of the +bay-window, or is it the ruddy hickory fire? What a remarkable +chimney-place! few such can be seen now-a-days; they had gone out of +date a hundred years ago; but it was ancient John Wyndham's fancy, as +far as possible, to possess a fac-simile of the family mansion in +England, in which his childish days had been spent. What elaborate +carving upon the huge mantel-piece!—hunters with their guns and dogs; +shepherds and shepherdesses, with crooks and sheep; scriptural scenes +and rural incidents, afford endless amusement to the groups gathered +before the fire. Before, did I say? around, is the right expression; for +so large is the chimney, that while crackling up-piled logs blaze upon +the hearth, a number might be accommodated on the benches at the side, +as well as in front. It is the most sociable gathering-place in the +world, and the stiffest and most formal person would soon relax there; +while fingers are thawed, hearts are melted by that fire—warm and kind +affections are drawn out—sparkles of wit fly about the room, as if in +emulation of the good hickory: it is a chimney corner most provocative +of ancient legends, of frightful ghost-stories, of tales of +knight-errantry and romantic love, of dangers and of hair-breadth +escapes; in short, of all that can draw both old and young away from +their<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> every-day cares, into the brighter world of fiction and poesy. In +the recess on one side is a small library, comfortable enough to entice +the student from the merry group so near him; on the other, is a room +looked upon with great affection by the juvenile members of the family, +for here does Aunt Lucy manufacture and keep for distribution those +delicious cakes, never to be refused at lunch time; and those pies, +jellies, whips, and creams, which promise to carry down her name to +posterity as the very nonpareil of housekeepers.</p> + +<p>Three persons are sitting in the room, whom in common politeness I +should introduce to the reader: very pleasant people are they to know +and to visit. Uncle John and Aunt Lucy Wyndham, the master and mistress +of the house, are remarkable for kindness, and make their nephews and +nieces, and whole troops of friends, feel perfectly at home at once; +they are Uncle John and Aunt Lucy to all their young acquaintances, and +delight in the title. Perhaps they would not have been generally called +so, had they any children of their own; but they have none, and the only +young person in the house at present is Mary Dalton—Cousin Mary—an +orphan niece of Mrs. Wyndham, whom they have brought up from a child. +She looks like her aunt, plump, rosy, good natured and sensible; she is +just seventeen, and very popular with the whole cousinhood. She has many +accomplishments: she does not talk French, Spanish, or Italian, but she +knows how to play every game that ever was invented, can tell stories to +suit every age, can soothe a screaming child sooner than any one else, +can rattle off cotillions on the piano-forte of a winter's evening +without thinking it hard that she cannot join in the dance; and lastly, +can lay down an interesting book or piece of crochet work to run on an +errand for Aunt, or untangle the bob-tails of a kite, without showing +any signs<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> of crossness. Self is a very subordinate person with her, and +indeed she seems hardly to realize her separate individuality; she is +everybody's Cousin Mary, and frowns vanish, and smiles brighten up the +countenance, wherever she appears. A very happy looking group they are, +but restless, this afternoon of the 24th of December; Uncle John +frequently goes to the hall door; Aunt Lucy lays down her knitting to +listen; and Cousin Mary does not pretend to read the book she holds, but +gazes out of the window, down the long avenue of elms, as if she +expected an arrival. Old Cæsar, "the last of the servants," as Mr. +Wyndham styles him, a white-haired negro who was born in the house, and +is devoted to the family, always speaking of <i>our</i> house, <i>our</i> +carriage, and <i>our</i> children, as if he were chief owner, vibrates +constantly between the kitchen and the porter's lodge, feeling it to be +his especial duty and prerogative to give the first welcome to the +guests.</p> + +<p>And soon the sound of wheels is heard, and merry voices resound through +the hall, and cheeks rosy with the cold are made yet rosier by hearty +kisses; it is the young Wyndhams, come to spend their Christmas holidays +at the Grange with Uncle John. There is Cornelia, a bright, intelligent +girl of sixteen, full of fun, with sparkling black eyes. John, a boy of +fourteen, matter-of fact and practical, a comical miniature of Uncle +John, whom he regards with veneration, as the greatest, wisest, and best +of living men, and only slightly inferior to General Washington himself; +and George, his twin brother and very devoted friend, a good boy in the +main, but so very full of mischief! he would get into a thousand +scrapes, if his more sober companion did not restrain him. We must not +overlook little Amy, the sweet child of twelve, with flowing golden hair +and languishing eyes, the gentle, unspoiled<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> pet and playmate of all. +Her cheek is pale, for she has ever been the delicate flower of the +family, and the winter winds must not visit her too roughly: she is one +to be carefully nurtured. And the more so, as her mind is highly +imaginative and much in advance of her age; already does the light of +genius shine forth in her eye. Scarcely are these visitors well +ensconced in the chimney corner, after their fur wrappings are removed, +before the sound of wheels is again heard, and shouts of joy announce +the arrival of the Greens. That tall, slender, intellectual girl, with +pale oval face and expressive eyes, is Ellen. Her cousins are very proud +of her, for she has just returned from boarding-school with a high +character for scholarship, and has carried away the prize medal for +poetry from all competitors; the children think that she can speak every +language, and she is really a refined and accomplished girl. She has not +seen Mary or Cornelia for a couple of years, and great are the +rejoicings at their meeting; they are warm friends already. Her manly +brother Tom, although younger, looks older than she does: a fine, +handsome fellow he is. The younger Greens are almost too numerous to +particularize; Harry and Louis, Anna and Gertrude—merry children all, +noisy and frolicsome, but well-inclined and tolerably submissive to +authority; they ranged from nine years old, upward. Just as the sun was +setting, and Aunt Lucy had almost given them up, the third family of +cousins arrived, the Boltons. Charlie Bolton is the elder of the two—he +will be called Charlie to the end of his days, if he live to be a +white-haired grandfather, he is so pleasant and full of fun, so ready +with his joke and merry laugh; he is Cornelia's great friend and ally, +and the two together would keep any house wide awake. His sister Alice +is rather sentimental, for which she is heartily laughed at by her +harum-skarum brother;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> but she is at an age when girls are apt to take +this turn—fourteen; she will leave it all behind her when she is older. +Sentimentality may be considered the last disease of childhood; measles, +hooping-cough, and scarlatina having been successfully overcome, if the +girl passes through this peril unscathed, and no weakness is left in her +mental constitution, she will probably be a woman of sane body and mind. +Alice is much given to day-dreams, and to reading novels by stealth; she +is very romantic, and would dearly love to be a heroine, if she could. +The only objection to the scheme, in her mind, is that her eyes have a +very slight cast, and that her nose is <i>un petit nez retroussé</i>—in +other words, something of a pug; and Alice has always been under the +impression that a heroine must have straight vision, and a Grecian nose. +Hers is a face that will look very arch and <i>piquante</i>, when she +acquires more sense, and lays aside her lack-a-daisical airs; but, at +present, the expression and the features are very incongruous. It is +excessively mortifying! but it cannot be helped; many times a day does +she cast her eyes on the glass, but the obstinate pug remains a pug, and +Alice is forced to conclude that she is not intended for a heroine. Yet +she always holds herself ready for any marvellous adventure that may +turn up, and she is perfectly convinced that there must be concealed +doors, long winding passages in the walls, and perhaps a charmingly +horrible dungeon, at The Grange. Why not? Such things are of constant +occurrence in story books, and that house is the oldest one she knows. +She is determined on this visit to explore it thoroughly, and perhaps +she may become the happy discoverer of a casket of jewels, or a +skeleton, or some other treasure.</p> + +<p>Thirteen young people there are in all, with pleasant faces and joyful +hearts; and none of them, I am happy to say<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> were of the perfect sort +you read of in books. Had they been, their Aunt Lucy, who was used to +real children, would have entertained serious fears for their longevity. +They all required a caution or a reprimand now and then, and none were +so wise as not to make an occasional silly speech, or to do a heedless +action. But they were good-tempered and obliging, as healthy children +should always be, and were seldom cross unless they felt a twinge of +toothache. How fast did their tongues run, that first hour! How much had +all to tell, and how much to hear! And how happy did Uncle John appear, +as he sat in the centre of the group, with little Amy on his lap, +leaning her languid head against his broad and manly chest, while a +cluster of the younger ones contended together for possession of the +unoccupied knee.</p> + +<p>After the hearty, cheerful country supper, the whole party of visitors +was escorted into a dark room adjoining the hall, while Aunt Lucy and +Cousin Mary were engaged in certain preparations, well understood by the +older guests, who were too discreet to allay the curiosity of the +younger ones, who for the first time were allowed to share the +hospitality of the Grange at Christmas. At last the folding-doors were +thrown open, and the hall appeared to be in a blaze of light; colored +lamps were suspended in festoons from the ceiling, showing how prettily +the old portraits were adorned with evergreens. Even the man in armor +looked less grim, as if his temper was mollified by the ivy wreath wound +around his helmet. But the chief object of interest was a stately tree +at the end of the hall, from whose trunk proceeded thirteen branches, +brilliantly illuminated with wax lights and pendant lamps of various +hues; while gilded fruit, and baskets of flowers and confectionary, +looked to the uninitiated as if the fairies themselves had been at work. +Many were the exclamations of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> delight, and intense the excitement; the +old hall echoed with the shouts of the boys. Uncle John, ever happy in +the enjoyment of others, declared that he believed himself to be the +youngest child there, and that he enjoyed the revels of Christmas Eve +more than any of them.</p> + +<p>When the noise and rapture had somewhat subsided, Cousin Mary proposed +that they should try some games, by way of variety. Chess, checkers, +backgammon, Chinese puzzles, dominoes, jack-straws, etc., were +mentioned, and each one of them was declared by different members of the +group to be exceedingly entertaining; but Charlie Bolton said that +"although he was neither Grand Turk nor perpetual Dictator, he must put +his veto upon all such games as being of an unsocial nature. It was all +very well, when only two persons were together, to amuse themselves with +such things; but for his part, he did hate to see people ride in +sulkies, and play <i>solitaire</i>, when they could have such agreeable +society as was there gathered together;" making, as he spoke, a dashing +bow to the girls. "Has not any one wit enough to think of a game at +which we can all assist?"</p> + +<p>"Do you know how to play 'Consequences?'" said Mary.</p> + +<p>"I never heard of it," replied Cornelia; "how do you play it?"</p> + +<p>"With paper and pencils. Here is my writing-desk full of paper, and my +drawing-box with pencils ready sharpened, and you have nothing to do but +all to write according to my directions, and doubling down the paper, to +hand it to a neighbor, so that each time you have a different slip. When +it is finished, I will read them aloud, supplying some words which will +make sense—or, what is much better, arrant nonsense—of the whole. So +begin by writing a term descriptive of a gentleman."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Now write a gentleman's name—some one you know, or some distinguished +person."</p> + +<p>"Next, an adjective descriptive of a lady."</p> + +<p>"And now, a lady's name."</p> + +<p>"Mention a place, and describe it."</p> + +<p>"Now write down some date, or period of time when a thing might happen."</p> + +<p>"Put a speech into the gentleman's mouth."</p> + +<p>"Make the lady reply."</p> + +<p>"Tell what the consequences were."</p> + +<p>"And what the world said of it."</p> + +<p>"And now allow me to enlighten the company. Here is one specimen:</p> + +<p>"The gallant and accomplished Nero met the beautiful, but rather +coquettish Mrs. Wyndham at Gretna Green, that place once so famous for +runaway couples and matrimonial blacksmiths, upon the 4th of July, 1900 +A.D. He said, 'Dearest madam, my tender heart will break if you refuse +my hand;' but she replied, 'La, sir, don't talk such nonsense!' The +consequences were, that their names were embalmed together in history; +and the world said, 'It is exactly what I expected.'"</p> + +<p>"Are you sure, Mary," said Mrs. Wyndham, laughing, "that you are not +taking any liberties with my name?"</p> + +<p>"Here it is ma'am, you can see it yourself; but I think you escaped very +well. Here's another: "The refined and dandified Jack the Giant-Killer +met the modest, retiring Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, at the Pyramids, +(ah! some one peeped!) those wonderful monuments of ages long since +passed away, on Christmas Day, in the year One. He said, 'I never +entertained a very lofty opinion of your ladyship;' she replied, 'I +perfectly agree with the noble sentiments you<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span> have just uttered: our +hearts shall henceforward be united in the strictest friendship.' The +consequences were that they parted, to meet no more; and the partial +world remarked, 'What a pair of fools!'"</p> + +<p>"Here is another: "The brave, daring, thoughtless King Solomon met the +elegant, fashionable Queen Semiramis upon the top of Mont Blanc, that +lofty mountain, crowned with perpetual snow, on the 30th of February. He +remarked, 'Do you like the last style of bonnets, Madam?' She answered, +'Sir, do not press the matter. I am but young; you can speak to my +papa.' The consequences were, that they took an ice-cream, and went up +to the clouds in an air-balloon; and the amiable world said, 'Who would +have believed it?'"</p> + +<p>After reading all the papers, which caused much diversion, one of the +party proposed playing "How do you like it." While Tom Green was waiting +in another room, the remainder of the company fixed upon a word of +double or treble meaning, which it was his duty to discover by the +answers given to three questions he was to ask of all in succession. If +unable to guess the word at the end of the third round, he would be +crowned with the dunce-cap, and must recommence his questions: if, on +the contrary, he hit upon the right word, the person whose answer led +him to conjecture it must take his place.</p> + +<p>"Anna," said Tom, "how do you like it? Now, don't tell me you like it +very well, or not at all; give me something descriptive."</p> + +<p>"I like it with a large capital."</p> + +<p>"You do? Then it may either be a word, a state, a pillar, or a man of +business. Cousin Alice, how do you like it?"</p> + +<p>"I like it shady and covered with moss."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span></p> + +<p>"And you, Sister Ellen?"</p> + +<p>"With vaults secure and well filled."</p> + +<p>"What do you say, Gertrude?"</p> + +<p>"I like it covered with violets."</p> + +<p>"How do you prefer it, Charlie?"</p> + +<p>"With a good board of directors."</p> + +<p>"And you, Amy?"</p> + +<p>"Covered with strong and skilful rowers."</p> + +<p>"What is your preference, George?"</p> + +<p>"I like it high and picturesque."</p> + +<p>"How do you like it, John?"</p> + +<p>"With numerous branches."</p> + +<p>"It can't be a tree—how do you like it, Mary?"</p> + +<p>"Very green."</p> + +<p>"And you, Harry?"</p> + +<p>"Of red brick or white marble."</p> + +<p>"How contradictory! What have you to answer, Cornelia?"</p> + +<p>"I like it steep and rocky."</p> + +<p>"And you, Louis?"</p> + +<p>"I like it warranted not to break."</p> + +<p>"When do you like it, Anna?"</p> + +<p>"When I have an account in it."</p> + +<p>"When do you like it, Alice?"</p> + +<p>"When I am in the country, and feel weary."</p> + +<p>"And you, Ellen?"</p> + +<p>"When I hold a check in my hand."</p> + +<p>"And you, Gertrude?"</p> + +<p>"In the spring of the year, when I feel languid and sentimental."</p> + +<p>"When do you prefer it, Charlie?"</p> + +<p>"When I want a loan, and can give good security."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span></p> + +<p>"And you, Amy?"</p> + +<p>"When I am in a boat, and becalmed."</p> + +<p>"And you, George?"</p> + +<p>"When I am at sea, anxiously looking out for land."</p> + +<p>"What say you, John?"</p> + +<p>"When I am a merchant, engaged in large transactions."</p> + +<p>"When do you like it, Mary?"</p> + +<p>"When my eye is weary of a flat, dull country."</p> + +<p>"And you, Harry?"</p> + +<p>"When I am a stockholder."</p> + +<p>"So I should think, if it paid a good dividend. And if I were to ask you +my third question, 'Where will you put it!' one would place it under an +umbrageous tree, another by the sea, a third by a river, and a fourth on +a good business street, near the Exchange. My good friends, I would be +dull indeed if I did not guess it to be a <span class="smcap">bank</span>; and you, Sister Ellen, +may take my place; your well-filled vaults first gave me the clue."</p> + +<p>After amusing themselves a little longer, they adjourned to the +sitting-room, as the tall, old-fashioned clock in the hall gave warning +of the rapid flight of time; and Mary, as was her custom, brought to her +uncle the large family Bible. When he opened the holy book, the very +youngest and wildest of the children listened with reverence to the +solemn words, and tried to join in the thanks which the good man offered +up to Heaven for bringing them together in health and peace, and +granting them so much happiness.</p> + +<p>And then kisses and good-nights were exchanged, and the young group was +scattered; but not without a parting charge to each from Aunt Lucy, "not +to forget to hang up the stocking for Kriss-Kinkle, near the chimney +place; and not on any account to lock their doors—for they might easily +be taken sick in the night."</p> + +<hr /> +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II.</h2> + +<h3>CHRISTMAS DAY.—RHYMES.—CENTO.—GENTEEL LADY.—THE FAIRY WOOD.</h3> + +<p>Sound were the slumbers that night at the Grange, notwithstanding the +determination of little Amy to lie awake and catch Kriss-Kinkle for +once; although as she said, "I know it <i>must</i> be Cousin Mary." Those +happy days of innocence and unsuspecting faith have passed away, when +children believed in a literal Kriss-Kinkle, clad in furs, and laden +with presents for the good, and sticks of wood for the naughty little +urchins who refuse to learn their A, B, C's, and to stand still while +mamma combs out their hair. The "infantry" of America have quite given +up their old-fashioned credulity, and as, according to the obsolete +saying of the older philosophers, "nature abhors a vacuum," and there +must be some children in the world, to keep the balance, the +spirit-rappers have kindly stepped into their vacant places, and may be +regarded as the true and only children on this side the Atlantic. The +frightful skepticism of the young ones with regard to Kriss-Kinkle has +come to such a pass, that a little girl of three years old, who had been +kept, as her relations thought, in all the verdure becoming to her +tender years, upon her aunt telling her that she ought not to expect +many gifts that season, as it was such stormy weather that poor +Kriss-Kinkle could scarcely venture out, replied: "But, Aunty! could he +not take grandma's carriage—he would not get wet then!"</p> + +<p>If the merry old soul really came down the chimney at the Grange, he +shewed great discernment in the gifts he bestow<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span>ed, for each found in +the stocking some article that had been ardently desired. Ellen, who was +deeply interested in the study of Italian, found a beautiful copy of +Dante's "Divina Commedia;" Mary, who possessed a fine talent for +drawing, and frequently sketched from nature, discovered that a complete +set of artist's colors and brushes had fallen to her lot; George, who +was devoted to skating, found a pair of skates, "real beauties," as he +said, appended to his stocking; all plainly saw that their individual +tastes and peculiarities had been consulted in a very gratifying manner. +Of course they did not neglect to express their pleasure and gratitude +to their kind friends, requesting them to inform that very worthy old +gentleman, Mr. Kriss-Kinkle, of their delight at his selection. Nor were +Uncle John and Aunt Lucy forgotten: their nephews and nieces had all +provided some little gifts, as expressions of love. Mrs. Wyndham +declared that she was quite set up in crochet bags and purses, for a +year to come; and tastefully worked book-markers, with appropriate +sentiments, were very plentiful. Tom Green made himself exceedingly +agreeable to the whole party, by presenting to each some pretty little +box, thimble-case, or other ingenious trifle, which he had made at his +leisure with the aid of his turning-lathe; whereupon Charlie Bolton +assumed an irresistibly ludicrous air of dejection, and asserted that he +felt quite crushed by Tom's superior gallantry. "Really, a fellow is not +much thought of now-a-days, unless he can do something in the pretty +line. I must get a turning-lathe at once, or else learn to carve +brooches out of marbles, and rings out of peach-stones, and baskets out +of cherry and apricot stones. If I can't get up that much artistic +talent, I might as well resign myself to complete insignificance all my +life." Cornelia Wyndham highly approved of his intentions, and told him<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> +that when he had come to perfection in the fancy business, she hoped he +would remember her devoted and perfectly disinterested friendship; her +cousinly affection was of the warmest and truest quality, especially +when there were any hopes of cherry-stone baskets.</p> + +<p>Full of enjoyment as they were, none were too intent upon fun and frolic +to neglect accompanying their kind relatives to the pretty little +country church, for it was their uncle's habit to begin the day with +religious exercises: he said it seemed to him ungrateful to spend it in +unbroken jollity, and to forget entirely the original motive of its +institution. It was a very pleasant custom, and very conducive to mutual +attachment, for friends and relations to give and to receive presents: +but this should be subordinate to the remembrance of God's Great Gift to +the children of men, which was celebrated on that happy day. So the +young people passed a unanimous vote that church-going was as regular a +part of keeping Christmas as presents or mince-pie, and gladly set off +to walk through the frosty air to the ivy-covered church, shaded by +ancient trees. It was situated on a hill, and was approached by numerous +paths running across the fields; and as Ellen gazed upon its spire, +standing in relief against the deep blue sky, she thought of that +beautiful line of Wordsworth,</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>"Pointing its taper finger up to heaven!"</div> +</div></div> + +<p>The chime of bells, too, joyfully pealing out, appeared to be the voice +of the church calling upon all who heard it, to return thanks to Him who +blesses the families of men; it seemed to say, "Both young men and +maidens, old men and children, let them praise the name of the Lord." +What a mistake it is, to think of religion only as a refuge from sorrow, +and a solace for the disappointments of the world! It is that,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> truly, +but it is also the sanctifier of joy: the happy young heart should be +laid upon God's altar, as well as the stricken spirit, and the eye +moistened with tears. That the services of the church had not a +depressing effect upon the minds of any, was very evident from the +heart-felt greetings and warm shakes of the hand which were exchanged by +all, as they left the house of prayer. It was a very pleasant sight to +behold young and old, rich and poor, joined together in one common +feeling of brotherhood, under the genial influences of the season. "A +merry Christmas" seemed not only to spring from every tongue, but to +sparkle in every eye.</p> + +<p>If I were to attempt to describe the varied pleasures of that day, which +was declared by Charlie Bolton to be the most glorious one he had ever +spent, I should be obliged to dip my pen, not in ink, but in a solution +of rainbow, or dancing sun-beams, or in any thing else that is proved to +be the most joyful thing in nature. At dinner-table, after being helped +the second time to a slice of "splendid" turkey with oyster sauce, +little Louis Green, the youngest of the party, occasioned a general +burst of laughter by laying down his knife and fork, which certainly +deserved a little rest if activity ever can earn it, and leaning back in +his chair, saying with the greatest earnestness: "Uncle, if I were asked +to point out the very happiest time of the whole year, I would fix upon +Christmas day, at exactly this hour—the dinner hour—as the thing for +me!"</p> + +<p>"O you gormandizer!" said his sister Ellen, "you don't really think the +dinner the best part of the day?"</p> + +<p>"Indeed I do, though," replied Louis; "and I rather guess a good many +people are of the same opinion. And, sister Ellen, if you were a boy, +and just come home from boarding-school, where they always want you to +eat potatoes, I think<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span> you'd value turkey and mince-pie as much as I do! +Hurra for Christmas, I say!"</p> + +<p>There was some conversation at the dinner-table about the origin of the +different modes of keeping Christmas day in our country. Mr. Wyndham +remarked, that probably the reason why it was so universally kept in +Philadelphia, was from the large mixture of the German element in the +population of Pennsylvania: perhaps the little Swedish colony which Penn +found already settled on the ground when he came over, may have had some +influence, as the nations in the middle and north of Europe have always +celebrated the day, making it a sort of festival of home, and fireside +pleasures. He said that when he was a young man he had passed a winter +in Germany, and was spending some time in the house of a friend, in the +month of December: being very intimate with all the family, he had been +admitted into numerous little secrets, both by young and old. He had +seen beforehand the drawings and the ornamental needle-work which were +intended as a surprise to the parents, and were executed after they had +retired to rest; and he had been allowed to hear the new songs and +pieces of instrumental music, learnt by stealth during their absence +from home; and had even been privileged to hear the little boy of eight, +the pet of the family, recite the verses composed in honor of the joyful +occasion, by his oldest sister. And the parents, also, had their own +mysteries: for a fortnight before the eventful day, the blooming, +comfortable mamma rode out regularly, and returned laden with bundles, +which were immediately transferred to a certain large parlor, the +windows of which were carefully bolted, the door locked, and the very +key-hole stopped up, so that nothing was visible. The children were sent +out of the way, and then there were raps at the door, and the carry<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span>ing +of heavy articles along the hall, into the mysterious chamber—Blue +Beard's room of horrors was not more eagerly gazed at, than was this +parlor, but its blank walls told no secrets.</p> + +<p>At length the long-expected day arrived; on Christmas Eve all were +assembled in a dark room adjacent—you see I have taken a few hints from +my German friends—and at last the doors being thrown open, the mystery +was revealed. The room was ornamented with evergreens and colored lamps, +very much in the style of our hall, and a large tree blazed with light +and sparkled with candied fruits and gilded cornucopias; I made up my +mind then, that if ever I had a house of my own, I would keep Christmas +Eve in the same way. The little children stood a while, awe-struck by +the grandeur of the spectacle: for I can tell you, young people, that +the German children are kept in a state of innocence—what you would +call <i>greenness</i>—that would amaze you. The good mother then came +forward, and took them by the hand: "Come in, Carl; come in, Hermann; +fear nothing, little Ida; come in and see if there is any thing here for +you." Encouraged by this invitation, all entered, and the room was found +to be lined with tables, piled with articles both for use and pleasure; +there was a separate table for every one in the house, including the +servants, who in Germany live many years in one family, and even for the +baby. Their guest also was not forgotten; I found upon my table a pair +of slippers, and sundry other gifts, some of which I still keep with +care, as a memorial of that very happy evening.</p> + +<p>"That must have been really charming! I think the mystery adds very much +to the pleasure," said Alice. "And, uncle, is not the custom of hanging +up the stocking derived from Germany?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span></p> + +<p>"I think it is. In Holland there is a little variation, for there the +<i>shoe</i> is placed at the door of the chamber, for adults as well as +children enter into the sport. I heard an amusing story connected with +this practice, when I was in Holland; if you like, I will relate it; the +event is said really to have happened."</p> + +<p>"Do tell it, uncle!" said John Wyndham. "I like true stories."</p> + +<p>"There was a poor, but very handsome and excellent young minister, a +licentiate, I think they call it, when a young man is not yet settled in +a church; to support himself until he was appointed to a congregation, +he took the place of tutor in a rich burgomaster's family, where he fell +in love with the pretty, amiable, and mischievous daughter. She fully +reciprocated his feelings, and as her parents approved of the match, she +gave the bashful young man all the encouragement she could: she felt +very sure as to the nature of his sentiments towards her, but +notwithstanding all she could do, the young man <i>would not propose</i>—as +she rightly concluded, the thought of her superior wealth deterred him; +and meantime the foolish fellow became pale and melancholy, as if he +seriously meditated going into a decline. So the merry maiden thought, +'This will never do; I must take strong measures, or the poor soul will +mope himself to death.' Christmas Eve came round, and the assembled +family were joking about the presents they expected. 'Put your slippers +outside your door to-night, Dominie,' said the father, calling him by +the title commonly applied to clergymen in Holland, and among the +descendants of the Dutch in the State of New York, 'I have no doubt your +friend Caterina has something to put in them.' 'Oh, it is not worth +while—no one cares for me, sir.' 'But, indeed, we do,' replied little +Caterina; 'I have something for you,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> but I am not at all sure you will +condescend to accept it. 'Have you indeed, Miss Caterina? I shall feel +highly honored; I give you my word that whatever it is, I will accept it +joyfully.' 'Very well: only please to remember this, when you see what +is in your slippers.'</p> + +<p>"The next morning, when the young Dominie opened his door, full of +eagerness to see what was in store for him, lo and behold! his slippers +had vanished. 'I might have known that the light-hearted, mischievous +maiden was only laughing at me—and well I deserve it—fool that I am to +dream about one so much above me!' Thus trying to scold himself into +stoicism, the young man went over to the breakfast-table, where all were +gathered together except Caterina. 'A very merry Christmas! but my dear +Dominie, how sober you look!' 'Do I, indeed? that is very improper; but +I've been thinking of going away—I had better do so—that makes me look +rather sad, perhaps; I've spent so many happy hours among you all.' +'Going away! oh, no, you are not to think of that; I cannot allow such a +word. By the way, what have you found in your slippers?' 'To reprove my +presumption, no doubt, my slippers have been spirited away in the night: +it is not for a poor fellow like me to receive gifts from lovely young +ladies.' As he spoke these words, the door opened, and Caterina entered, +bright as the morning, her face covered with smiles and blushes; she +shuffled along in a strange way, and all eyes naturally fell upon her +little feet, which were sailing about in the Dominie's slippers! Amid +the general laughter, she walked up to the diffident youth, who could +scarcely believe his eyes, and said with an air of irresistible +drollery, by which she tried to cover her confusion: 'Here is your +Christmas present, sir; do you hold to your promise of accepting it?' Of +course, the lady having<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> broken the ice, the Dominie could do no less +than speak out, and, all being willing, the two were soon converted into +one; a good church was procured for him by the influence of the +burgomaster, and they lived as happily as possible all their days."</p> + +<p>"She was a determined damsel!" cried Cornelia; "I think she had brass +enough to set up a foundry."</p> + +<p>"Probably it was leap-year, Cornelia," replied Ellen; "you know it is +then the ladies' <i>privilege</i>—great privilege, forsooth!—to pay +attention to the lords of the creation."</p> + +<p>"I hope, when women take advantage of their prescriptive rights, they +will wear the Bloomer costume, and make themselves look as little like +the rest of their sex as possible!" said Mary.</p> + +<p>"Come, girls," cried Charlie Bolton, "you are too hard on that frank +little Caterina; I approve of such conduct entirely, and some ten years +hence, when I am ready to be appropriated, I shall certainly leave my +slippers outside my door as a hint to whomsoever it may concern. It +would save us men a great deal of trouble, if all girls were as sensible +as Caterina."</p> + +<p>"Us men, indeed! How long since?" said Cornelia.</p> + +<p>"Ever since I got out of frocks and into trowsers," replied Charlie, +laughing good-naturedly. He and Cornelia were always sparring, but never +quarrelled.</p> + +<p>In the evening they played at various games; among others, at writing +rhymes. Each had a slip of paper, and would write a line, then double it +down, and hand it to the next, telling the last word; the second person +then added a line rhyming with the first, the third started a fresh +rhyme, and so it went on. When read, it of course made the greatest +farrago of nonsense imaginable. Ellen then proposed "Cento,"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span> a Spanish +or Italian game, which requires great readiness of memory, and a large +acquaintance with poetry. One person quotes a well-known line, the next +another that rhymes with it, and so on, making some sort of connection +whenever it can be done; but after trying it, and finding that only +three or four of the eldest could think of appropriate passages, they +voted Cento <i>a bore</i>, Cornelia remarking that there was great stupidity +somewhere; of course they could not think it was in themselves, and +therefore it must be in the game.</p> + +<p>Mary said that there was another game requiring a good memory, but the +advantage of it was, that the more you forgot the more merriment you +made; if you were not witty yourself, you were the cause of wit in +others. It was called <i>Genteel Lady</i>, and was played by one person +politely bowing to his neighbor, and reciting a certain formula, which +must be repeated, with an addition, by the next, and so round the +circle; whenever the least mistake or omission was made, the person had +to drop the title of Genteel Lady, or Genteel Gentleman, and putting a +horn of twisted paper in the hair or button-hole, could now glory in the +dignity of being a One-horned Lady or Gentleman. Very soon horns become +so plenty that few can claim any gentility; as the description proceeds, +and becomes more complicated, it is perfectly laughable, and the whole +party look ludicrous enough.</p> + +<p>"Here is a whole bundle of lamp-lighters," said Cornelia; "let us begin +the game, I think it must be comical."</p> + +<p>Mary bowed to Tom Green, and commenced. "Good evening, genteel +gentleman, ever genteel, I, a genteel lady, ever genteel, come from that +genteel lady, ever genteel, to tell you that she owns a little dog with +hair on its back."</p> + +<p>Tom bowed to Ellen: "Good evening, genteel lady, ever<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> genteel, I, a +genteel gentleman, ever genteel, come from that genteel lady, ever +genteel (bowing to Mary), to tell you that she owns a little dog with +hair on its back, and a red tongue in its mouth."</p> + +<p>Ellen took up the play: "Good evening, genteel gentleman, ever genteel, +I, a genteel lady, ever genteel, come from that genteel gentleman, ever +genteel, to tell you that he owns a little dog with hair on its back, a +red tongue in its mouth, and two ears on its head."</p> + +<p>It was now Charlie Bolton's turn: "Good evening, genteel lady, ever +genteel, I, a genteel gentleman, <i>ever</i> genteel, come from that genteel +lady, ever genteel, to say that she owns a little dog with ears on its +back, a tongue in its head, hair in its mouth, and a bone between its +teeth."</p> + +<p>"Charlie! Charlie! three horns!"</p> + +<p>"All honorable horns! hurra! I'm the only one with horns!"</p> + +<p>"You'll soon have companions in misfortune," said Mary, laughing.</p> + +<p>"Good morning, genteel lady, ever genteel," said Gertrude, bowing to +Alice, "I, a genteel lady, ever genteel, come from that three-horned +gentleman, ever three-horned, to say that he owns a little dog with hair +on its back, a red tongue in its mouth, two ears on its head, a bone +between its teeth, and a tail a yard long."</p> + +<p>"Good morning, she said! that's one horn!" cried the other children.</p> + +<p>"Good evening, genteel gentleman, ever genteel," said Alice, reverently +bowing to John Wyndham, "I, a genteel lady, ever genteel, come from that +one-horned lady, ever one-horned, to say that she owns a little dog with +hair on its back, a red tongue in its mouth, a bone between its teeth, a +fell a yard long, and three legs and a half."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span></p> + +<p>"You left out two ears on its head! a horn!"</p> + +<p>"I'm resigned," said Alice, "gentility seems to be at a discount."</p> + +<p>So the game went on, becoming every moment more difficult and more +ludicrous—as Charlie called it, more <i>trippy</i>—and by the time it went +round the second time, none escaped the horns. Any thing will do for the +genteel lady to own, and it makes it more agreeable to vary it each time +it is played: for instance, an eagle with a golden beak, silver claws, +diamond eyes, ostrich feathers, bird-of-paradise tail, a crown on its +head, a diamond ring on its thumb, a gold chain round its neck, a +pocket-handkerchief in its hand, and any other nonsense you can string +together. A lady's étagère or what-not would be a good medium for +collecting together absurdities—Mont Blanc at the top, a gridiron +below, a gold thimble at the side, the poets in a corner, a breakfast +set on one shelf, a card-case above, a smelling-bottle at the side, a +work-box, a writing-desk, a piece of coral, etc. A <i>genteel</i> lady's +description of her mansion—certainly an extraordinary one—would be +suitable; a modern-built house, with a <i>porto-ricco</i> in front, and a +<i>pizarro</i> in the rear, a summer-house <i>contagious</i>, and <i>turpentine</i> +walks, etc.</p> + +<p>Being now weary of games, Amy proposed that they should vary their +pleasures by a tale, which gained the general approval; and Ellen Green +was commissioned to relate it. Ever ready to oblige, she told them she +would, if they chose a subject. "What sort of a story will you have?"</p> + +<p>"An Indian story!" exclaimed the younger boys.</p> + +<p>"Do tell us about some great historical character—Washington, or King +Alfred, or Napoleon Bonaparte, or some other hero!" cried John Wyndham.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span></p> + +<p>"I go in for a very frightful ghost-story, that will make our hair stand +on end, and make the girls afraid to go to bed!" said his brother +George.</p> + +<p>"Tell us a romantic narrative about a knight going to the Crusades, and +his fair lady following him in the disguise of a page!" said Alice +Bolton.</p> + +<p>"That's exactly like you!" cried her brother Charlie; "now, I say give +us some exciting adventures by sea or by land; a real fish-story, or +escape from a lion or tiger, or a tale of a bear, or something of that +sort."</p> + +<p>"Poor Cousin Ellen! How can she please you all?" said Mary. "As Amy +first proposed it, let us leave it to her to choose the kind of story +she prefers, and so settle the difficulty."</p> + +<p>"Agreed! agreed! choose, Amy!"</p> + +<p>"As for me, I always like a real fairy-tale," said Amy, her eyes +sparkling with pleasure as she saw with what good nature all had left +the choice to her.</p> + +<p>"Then you shall have it; and I don't doubt that Aunt Lucy or Cousin Mary +will contrive to please all in turn, another day."</p> + +<p>"Most especially, I hope they will not forget to give Charlie that brush +with the <i>bear's tail</i> that he wants so much!" said Cornelia, with a +saucy glance of her eye.</p> + +<p>"Attention, Miss Cornelia! or you will prove that you deserve it +yourself. Don't you see that Ellen is ready to begin?"</p> + +<p class='tbrk'><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span></p> + +<h3>The Fairy Wood.</h3> + +<p>Upon the banks of the Rhine there stand the ruins of an ancient castle, +which still attracts the attention of the passer-by, from its gigantic +remains, and the exceeding beauty of its situation. And if now, when its +glory has departed, the traveller is irresistibly impelled to ask its +name, how imposing must it have been when its dark shadow was thrown +unbroken upon the smooth waters below, and troops of cavaliers and armed +retainers rode over its drawbridge, and mounted its battlements. Here, +in the olden time, dwelt the noble Baron Sigismund; and here, nothing +daunted by the gloomy grandeur of the fortress, his little son Rudolph +romped and frolicked the live-long day. A charming fellow he was, with +eyes of heavenly blue, and a complexion of pure milk and roses; a true +boy, full of activity and vivacity, and with not a slight touch of +mischief in his composition. And yet he was such an affectionate and +good-hearted little soul, that his arms would be about your neck in a +moment, if he thought you were offended by his conduct; and so generous, +that he would take the cake from his own lips to give it to the +beggar—no trifling stretch of charity in a boy.</p> + +<p>Is it wonderful, that Rudolph was the idol of his parents, the favorite +of his playmates, and the cherished darling of the whole castle? His +merry spirit and winning ways completely gained the hearts of the +servants and retainers, and many voices in the adjacent cottages were +loud in the praise of the beautiful, golden-haired boy. What a proud man +was Fritz, the old seneschal, when he taught him to manage the horse, to +couch the lance, and draw the bow! and when, for the first time, the +young heir followed him to the chase, who<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span> so happy as he? And Rudolph +reciprocated his affection; next to papa and dear mamma, sweet little +black-eyed Cousin Bertha, and the ugly, shaggy mastiff to which he was +devoted, old Fritz came in for his warmest love. And some people were +malicious enough to say that there was a strong resemblance between +these last two favorites, both in countenance and character; certain it +is, that both Bruno and Fritz were faithful, every ready to contribute +to his amusement, and although rough with other people, gentle enough +with their young master.</p> + +<p>One day, in the absence of his father, he set out to ride, with Fritz +for his only attendant. It was a splendid afternoon; the sky was of that +pure exquisite blue you sometimes see, rendered deeper by a pile of +snowy clouds in the west; the birds were silent, as if unwilling to +disturb the holy calm of nature; not a leaf stirred, save here and there +a quivering aspen, emblem of a restless, discontented mind. Rudolph was +in excellent spirits, and Saladin, his good Arab steed, flew like the +wind; old Fritz tried to restrain his ardor, but in vain; the impetuous +boy kept far ahead. They were soon some miles from home, and Rudolph saw +before him a point where the road branched off in several directions, +one of them leading back again to the castle, another taking a circuit +of some distance, and a third, a narrow, unfrequented path, entering +into a dark forest. Into this wood the boy had never been allowed to +enter, from the evil name it had acquired in the traditions of the +peasantry. Some said that robbers haunted its deep recesses, for +travellers had entered it, notwithstanding all the entreaties of those +who would have detained them, but had never been seen again; in fact, +none had ever been known to return, who had been fool-hardy enough to +enter into that snare. Others argued that they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> had been devoured by the +wild beasts, whose savage roar might sometimes be heard at night; or +that, losing their way, they had perished with hunger. But the older and +wiser shook their heads at these suggestions, insinuating that +skepticism on such awful subjects might bring down vengeance upon the +unbelieving; and intimated, more by look and by gesture than by word, +that the whole forest was enchanted ground, and that powers more than +mortal claimed it as their own. All agreed that the Fairy Wood—so it +was called—was a dangerous place, and few, indeed, would venture into +its shady depths. Rudolph's curiosity had been excited in the most vivid +manner by what he had heard concerning the mysteries of the forest, and +he had long determined to seize the first opportunity of gratifying it. +Old Fritz would not have consented to his entering it, if he had given +him his weight in gold, but the worthy seneschal was now out of sight, +and here was a glorious opportunity for the boy—he dashed into the +wood, and urging Saladin onward, was soon involved in the intricacies of +the forest.</p> + +<p>On went the fearless boy, determined to explore, and doubting nothing, +although the dark, gloomy shades might well have appalled an older +person, and the numerous, faintly defined paths would certainly have +made an experienced one hesitate. On he went, deeper and deeper into the +wood, until he was suddenly startled by low, prolonged, growling +thunder. He tried to retrace his steps, but was only more entangled in +the maze: the sky had become black as midnight, the rain fell in +torrents, the lightnings flashed fearfully, and all nature appeared +convulsed. Rudolph had never before witnessed such a storm, and brave +boy as he was, his heart quaked with terror—he felt how powerless a +human being is, when, unsheltered, he is brought face to face with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> the +elements, lashed up to fury. He now realized, in addition, that he had +lost his way, and feared that in his efforts to extricate himself, he +might penetrate still deeper into the wood; so he determined to throw +the reins upon his horse's head, and trust to his instinct, as he had +often heard that travellers had done successfully, when they had +wandered out of their road. He accordingly did so, and speaking cheerily +to Saladin, allowed him to choose his own path: to his surprise his +beautiful Arab left the track, and set off on what he concluded to be a +short cut out of the forest. After about an hour, however, poor little +Rudolph began to doubt the instinct of horses, for the aspect of every +thing around him became wilder every moment; but, happily, the rain had +ceased falling, and as far as he could judge from the occasional glimpse +he got of the sky, it had cleared up. On went Saladin, and did not stop +until they entered an open glade; when, as if his task were quite +accomplished, he came to a dead halt. Rudolph alighted, and looked about +him: all was so still and beautiful, that it had the effect of calming +the agitation of his spirits, and filling his mind with an indescribable +awe,—it looked pure and holy, as if the foot of man had never trod +there, from the foundation of the world. The setting sun, at this +moment, pierced through the clouds, tinting them with purple, crimson, +and gold, and revealing the full beauty of the scene. Rudolph found +himself in a circular opening, around which lofty trees, overgrown with +moss and lichen, seemed planted as a wall of defence. As he approached, +seeking to leave the spot, they tossed their long arms as if warning him +away, and the thick darkness behind appeared to become denser, and to +frown him back. A superstitious fear crept into his heart, and he turned +his eyes to the sweet glade rejoicing in the sunlight, where all looked<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> +smiling and inviting. In the centre, upon a gentle mound covered with a +carpet of the softest, richest green, there towered a majestic oak, +which had looked upward to the sky for centuries, while generation after +generation of men had entered the world, had laughed and wept, grown old +and died. It showed no signs of the decrepitude of age, and raised up +its head proudly like the monarch of the forest; but a deep rent in its +heart showed that decay was at work, and that the lofty tree would, one +day, he laid low in the dust. Led by an irresistible impulse, Rudolph +ascended the mound, and entered the little chamber in the oak. The boy +was exhausted by fatigue and excitement, and, insensibly, his eyes +closed, and his weary frame was wrapt in slumber.</p> + +<p>And now a strange thing occurred. Whether he dreamed, or whether he +waked, he scarcely knew; but delicious music stole through his soul, and +he opened his eyes. The little woodland glen was steeped in soft +moonlight; and, if it looked wonderful and beautiful when the sun shone +upon it, how much more so now, when the very light was mysterious, and +suggestive of something beyond! Around the mound there doated—for that +word only can express their motion—like bright and fleecy clouds, a +band of lovely beings, resembling none he had ever seen before. As he +gazed upon them, he thought not of creatures of earthly mould, but of +the most rapturous and fleeting sights and sounds of nature;—of the +rainbow, spanning the sky after a storm; of the dashing cataract, +descending in mist from stupendous heights; of the nightingale, singing +in her hidden nest; of harmless sheet-lightning, suddenly revealing +hills, domes, and castles in the clouds, then as suddenly dispelling the +illusion. As he looked more closely, he found that, as with linked hands +they glided round, their gossamer wings moving through the air<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> waked up +a melody like that of the Eolian harp; while a few, standing apart, made +silvery music by shaking instruments, which looked like spikes of +bell-shaped flowers, and deeper tones were evolved from larger, single +bells, struck with rays of light. As the bells swung to the breeze, and +the cadence swelled and rose, a delicious fragrance of wild-flowers +filled the air, and from the depths of the forest all animated creatures +came forth to gaze upon the spectacle. The glow-worm crept there, but +his tiny lamp was dimmed by brighter fairy eyes; the noisy cricket and +the songsters of the grove hushed their notes, to listen to the harmony. +The wolf and the bear drew near together, but laid aside their +fierceness; the deer and the hare came forward fearlessly, under the +influence of the potent spell. Suddenly, from a hollow in the oak, an +owl with glaring eyes flew down: the music and the dance were hushed, +and all listened to his voice. To his surprise, Rudolph found that he +could understand the language of all animals, which had formerly seemed +to him mere unmeaning sounds.</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>"Bright Fairy Queen, shall mortal dare</div> +<div class='i1'>On beauty gaze beyond compare;</div> +<div class='i1'>Shall one of earth unpunish'd see</div> +<div class='i1'>The mazes of your revelry?</div> +<div>That ancient oak, by your donation,</div> +<div>For years has been my habitation;</div> +<div class='i1'>And now a child usurps my right,</div> +<div class='i1'>Sleeping within its heart to-night;</div> +<div class='i1'>Nor that alone, but dares to view</div> +<div class='i1'>The mysteries of nature too.</div> +<div>And shall he go, unscath'd, away?</div> +<div>As Privy Counsellor, I say nay!</div> +<div class='i1'>Else man will learn our secrets dread.</div> +<div class='i1'>And higher raise his haughty head:</div> +<div class='i1'>All nature soon would subject be,</div> +<div class='i1'>Nor place be left us, on land or sea.</div> +<div class='i1'>E'en now, prophetic, I see the day</div> +<div class='i1'>When steam exerts resistless sway—</div> +<div class='i1'>And iron monsters, with breath of flame,</div> +<div class='i1'>Shall blot from earth the fairy name.</div> +<div class='i1'>Then to the beasts that throng the wild,</div> +<div class='i1'>Dread Queen, give up the intruding child!"</div> +</div></div> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span>At this address, to which the wolves howled a dismal chorus of assent, +all eyes were turned upon the chamber in the ancient oak, in which +Rudolph sat, his heart quaking with terror at the thought of the fate +before him. But a sweet voice, clear and piercing, spoke his name, and +commanded him to descend, fearing nothing if his conscience was pure, +and if he had not obtruded through vain curiosity upon the revels of the +Queen of Fairy Land. Rudolph obeyed. The Queen was standing, with the +ladies of her court ranged on either side. They all were beautiful, but +she was like the brightness of the morning and the freshness of flowers. +Dazzling loveliness distinguished her, and a dignity to which all paid +obeisance. Upon her brow sparkled the evening star, her only diadem. She +gazed mildly, yet searchingly, upon the boy, as if she read his very +thoughts; and then she spoke:</p> + +<p>"'Tis true, wise Counsellor, that according to our laws of Fairy Realm, +the child should die; and yet my heart yearns to the innocent, blue-eyed +boy. Does no one have compassion upon him? Have none a plea to offer for +his pardon? I solemnly declare that he shall be saved, were my very +crown and life endangered, if but one act of kindness and mercy shown by +him to weaker creatures, can be proved. For to the kind and merciful, +mercy should ever be shown; this law stands higher than any judicial +enactment."</p> + +<p>As she spoke these words, a dove with gentle eyes and downy breast flew +to her feet, and thus timidly offered her prayer:<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span></p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>"I plead for mercy, gracious Queen,</div> +<div class='i1'>I pray you to forgive!</div> +<div>And if my voice were silent now,</div> +<div class='i1'>I were not fit to live.</div> +<div>One day, when absent from my nest,</div> +<div class='i1'>A falcon, fierce and strong,</div> +<div>Seized me, all helpless to resist—</div> +<div class='i1'>Soon would have ceased my song.</div> +<div>Just then, young Rudolph, brave and fair,</div> +<div class='i1'>Perceived my urgent need;</div> +<div>He risk'd his life in saving mine—</div> +<div class='i1'>And shall that kind heart bleed?"</div> +</div></div> + +<p>"It shall not: he is saved; and you, gentle dove, ever wear this collar +round your neck as a token of my approbation; it shall descend in your +family to the latest generations." The Queen then touched Rudolph with +her golden wand; an electric thrill passed through his frame, and he +fell down senseless to the ground. When he awoke, he found himself lying +upon a couch of purple and gold, in a superb crystal hall, whose +pillars, sparkling with gems, rose upward to a lofty transparent dome of +blue, through which the sun was shining brilliantly. Over him bent the +Fairy Queen, radiant in beauty, and eying him with indescribable +tenderness. At last she spoke, kindly caressing him: "My son, you are +now in my dwelling, where no harm shall befall you; fear nothing. Here +you shall live forever, in splendor and happiness; your every wish shall +be gratified; no more scorching suns, no more dark and gloomy days for +you—all shall be joy, unvaried pleasure, eternal youth and health. One +solitary restriction I must lay upon you, but that is positive; on no +account shed a tear, for on that day when you weep, you must return to +earth—even my power could not keep you here. Tears must never sully the +palace of the Fairy Queen. But why should you weep? I myself will take +care of you,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> teach you, be a mother to you: when you feel a desire, +mention it to me, and it is already accomplished."</p> + +<p>With ardent gratitude and passionate love and admiration, Rudolph +embraced the beautiful Queen, and said, "Is this really true? and is +this splendid place to be my own home?" "It really is; I have adopted +you for my son. It is my intention to educate you myself." "How very +good of you! how I love you! And my papa and mamma, and dear little +Bertha, can they live here too? And may Bruno, and Saladin, and old +Fritz come too?" "Oh no, little Rudolph, you must not talk about those +other people; they belong to the earth—let them stay there. You must +forget about that old home of yours, for all that has passed away; your +home is with me, in Fairy Land. It is much more beautiful here; there is +nothing on earth that can compare with it. I will show you such splendid +things! I will teach you how to paint the flowers, and to make diamonds, +and emeralds, and pearls. You shall see me mix the rainbow, and scatter +the dew upon the flowers at night. I have a thousand pretty things I +want to teach you: do you not wish to learn them?" "Oh, very much +indeed! I should like to do such things; I love dearly to work: mamma +often lets me water her flowers with a little watering-pot; is that the +way you scatter the dew?" "Child, child! How ignorant he is! But under +my tuition he will soon learn to understand the mysteries of nature. On +earth, children are so mismanaged—no wonder they become the sort of men +they do. My Rudolph shall be different; he shall hear no silly nursery +tales, shall waste no time in learning exploded nonsense, but shall +early become acquainted with <i>things</i>, and shall learn to value science. +I quite long to begin! It is a grand experiment; the work of education +is a noble one. And when he is a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> man, and has become under my teaching +a perfect specimen of what a man should be, what then? Shall I let him +return to earth? It is time enough yet to think of that." "May I go now, +and play, pretty lady? You are not talking to me." "True, I forgot +myself; come with me, Rudolph, and I will show you through my palace and +pleasure-grounds: recollect that you are now my son."</p> + +<p>What words can describe the sights of beauty that awaited him? All +spectacles that could enchant the eye, all melodies that could ravish +the ear, were collected together, in infinite variety. Nothing that was +exquisite upon earth was unrepresented; but the grossness and the +imperfection which will cleave to every thing earthly, was left out. It +was the very palace of delights. And nothing faded here—the flowers +were ever-blooming, and if picked, were instantly replaced by fairer +blossoms. Delicious fruit, ever ripe, but never decaying, hung from the +boughs; streams of milk, wine, sherbet, and other delicious drinks, +trickled from the rocks into marble basins, and gold cups were suspended +near, to invite the thirsty to partake; while pure, sparkling water rose +high into the air, as if ambitious to greet the kindred clouds, and then +fell into large receptacles, fashioned out of one pearl, emerald, or +ruby. The pleasure-grounds were separated from the gross outer world by +a thick and lofty wall of evergreens, impervious to mortals, which +forbade both ingress and egress: at least, Rudolph's eyes could see no +mode of exit. But what could be wished for beyond? It was a paradise!</p> + +<p>Rudolph was allowed to roam undisturbed through the splendid saloons, +vast halls, and pillared galleries of the palace, where at every step he +saw some new subject of wonder. No treasure-house of princes could for +one moment compare with the wealth and grandeur here exhibited, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> the +Fairy Queen informed him that all should be his, when by knowledge he +had earned a title to it—it should be the reward of his application to +the noble studies to which she wished to introduce him. "I would do a +good deal to get all these beautiful things: I hope the lessons are not +very hard, for I never did like to study. I love play a great deal +better." "But play is only meant for babies and kittens, Rudolph: it is +unworthy of a being who can think. I know you have great talents, and I +am the one to develop them. I mean to teach you mineralogy and +chemistry, natural philosophy and history, astronomy and geology, botany +and geometry. You shall be wise, and shall learn to look beyond the +surface of things into their natures and constituent parts. You shall +know <i>why</i> every thing was made just as it is, and shall understand the +exact proportions of all things to each other, and to the universe, so +that the whole system goes on in perfect and beautiful harmony. You +shall learn the balancings of the clouds, and the potent spell which +keeps the sun in its place, and makes the moon circle round the world. +You shall go with me into the dark caverns of the earth, and see how +rocks and metals are made in nature's forging shop. You shall witness +the operation of the subterranean forces which have altered the whole +aspect of this planet, and thrown up the lofty mountains, and tossed out +from the treasury below the varied wealth it held, making the world both +beautiful and rich. And I will show you ancient creatures, more huge +than whales, which once frolicked on the earth, before man was made: oh, +I have a thousand wonders to point out to you, and a great deal to +teach." "Thank you; you are very good. But indeed it sounds very hard, +and I don't like such things at all. I'd much rather play ball."</p> + +<p>"Silly child!" thought the Fairy Queen, "he has been too<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span> long perverted +by the trifling ways of man: I should have taken him younger. I see that +I cannot at once indoctrinate him into the arcana of nature; I must +gradually lead him on, as if in play. Good! a bright idea! that must be +the right way to educate frivolous, frolicksome childhood. Science in +sport! excellent. Yes, I'll teach him the vocabularies in rhyme, and set +them to lively music—that will do; he'll like it nearly as well as if +it were nonsense. I'll lead him on to the knowledge of principles, by +means of beautiful experiments: he'll think I am amusing him, when I am +gravely in earnest in the work of instruction. I will set rewards before +him, to impel him onward: I will excite his curiosity, and make it a +favor to gratify it; and then the boy will swallow knowledge as if it +were cake."</p> + +<p>"Come with me, Rudolph, I have something pretty to show you." "That I +will: I love to see pretty things, dear lady." "Call me mamma, Rudolph: +you are now my son." "Indeed I cannot: nobody is mamma but my own dear +mamma who loves me so—oh, I do <i>so</i> wish I could see her!" "Hush, +child, that's silly. Now keep very quiet in this dark room, and you'll +see something. What is this I hold in my hand?" "A great glass jar, like +one of mamma's preserve jars, only much larger." "Do you see any thing +in it?" "Yes, ma'am, ever so much iron wire twisted round and round." +"Is there any thing else in the jar?" "Nothing at all." "Nothing you can +see, but there is a kind of gas we call oxygen, which will burn when I +put in a lighted piece of stick, very carefully. Look!" "Oh, beautiful, +beautiful! how the wire burns! only look at the sparks! that is very +pretty indeed, ma'am. Now it has all burnt out—what a pity!" "Now, +Rudolph, I want to tell you about it. You must know that the air we +breathe is made up of this oxygen, of nitrogen, a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> very little carbonic +acid gas, and a small quantity of water. If the oxygen was taken out of +the air, you could not live for one moment: I'll show you. You see this +jar? It is full of nitrogen—of air with the oxygen taken out." "But +what are you putting into it? A little mouse, I declare!" "Yes: but you +see it dies instantly; it cannot live because there is no oxygen in the +air." "Poor little mouse, how I wish you had not killed it! It is a +shame! If <i>I</i> did such a cruel thing, my mamma would punish me." "Don't +talk so, child! it's silly. The mouse died without any pain, and if one +principle of science is fixed in your head, it is well worth the +sacrifice of its insignificant life. There will be less cheese eaten in +the world—that's all. Now, do you understand about oxygen and nitrogen, +which chiefly make up the atmospheric air?" "I know that oxygen made the +wire burn beautifully, and I know that horrid nitrogen killed the poor +little mouse; but I don't half believe that they are in the air I +breathe. I like to see pretty experiments, but I do hate explanations. +Now will you let me fly a kite?" "Yes; come out into the open +air—remember it is composed of oxygen and nitrogen—and I'll make you a +kite."</p> + +<p>So saying, she led him into the gardens, and waving her wand over a +piece of birch bark, behold three splendid kites! The larger one +resembled an eagle, and as it mounted into the air, and its light wings +flapped in the wind, it seemed about to pounce upon the two smaller +kites, which were in shape like pigeons. Rudolph was enchanted, and +clapped his hands with glee. After allowing him to enjoy the novelty for +some time, the Fairy said to him, "To-morrow I will show you another +kite, more wonderful than these. I will make it so, that it will draw +down the electricity from the sky. Have you ever rubbed a cat's fur the +wrong way, in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> the dark?" "Oh, that I have! it's great fun. There's our +black cat, at home, I have often done it to her, and I can see the +sparks in cold weather." "Well, that is electricity, and there is +electricity in every thing, only some objects have more than others. +When you see the sparks, it is the electricity leaving a thing which is +overcharged with it, for another which has less, to keep up a balance. +The lightning is nothing but electricity, and to-morrow I'll make a +storm, to show you how to draw down this subtle element from the +clouds." "Oh, don't trouble yourself! I like this kind of kite well +enough: if I have to learn about that old electricity, I'd rather give +up playing kite."</p> + +<p>"Rudolph, would you like to play at soap-bubbles?" "That I would! How I +wish Bertha was here—wouldn't she clap her hands and jump, as the large +bubbles fly up into the air!" "I do not wish you to think about little +Bertha. Here are your basin of soapsuds and your golden pipe; now blow +away, my boy!" "Oh, how very pretty! Do you see that big fellow, how he +shines in the sun, and shows all the colors of the rainbow? Isn't it +fine?" "That is the very thing I want to tell you about. The sun, +shining upon vapor and falling water, makes all these beautiful colors. +That is the way I mix the rainbow. The science which teaches about the +rays of light, their reflection and refraction, and the coloring they +give to different objects, is called Optics: it is an interesting study, +and I wish you to be a proficient in it." "Optics, is it? That seems to +me very different from blowing soap-bubbles. I do hate to be cheated +into learning big words, and understanding things, when I am playing."</p> + +<p>"The child has no brains for science, I fear!" thought the fairy. "I +almost repent my bargain! However, I will not be discouraged quite yet, +perhaps the proper chord has not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> been struck." Accordingly, she +invented for him various pretty toys, since then copied by men: the +kaleidoscope, with its infinite variety of shifting figures; the orrery; +the prism; the burning-glass; the microscope and the telescope; and the +magic lantern, with its vast variety of entertainment. Another magic +spell she put into operation, by which, with the aid of an instrument in +a little square box, the sun was compelled to paint landscapes and +portraits, so true to life that they seemed only to lack motion. Rudolph +was very happy, playing with these beautiful and ingenious toys: he +thought them more entertaining than marbles, or battledore and +shuttle-cock. But when the <i>rationale</i> came to be explained, his +preceptress found her labor was all lost—there was no mistaking the +fact that the child had an invincible dislike to science.</p> + +<p>"I believe I see my mistake," thought the unconquerable Fairy. "I began +at the wrong end. Children <i>feel</i> before they <i>think</i>. I must elevate +his fancy, and train his imagination by communion with forms of beauty. +I see that he cannot yet penetrate into the reason of things around him; +but he can feel the power of the external, and when his nature is +sufficiently exalted and matured, then he will of his own accord seek +knowledge. Yes, sentiment comes first, and reflection will follow in its +train."</p> + +<p>Accordingly, the Fairy Queen commenced his poetical training, and for +some time she flattered herself that it advanced charmingly. As the +attraction of novelty had worn off from her extensive pleasure-grounds, +she caused the landscape daily to change, so that all the beauties, +scattered over the wide earth, were in succession placed before him. At +one time, the lofty Alps rose to the sky, filling his soul with the +sense of the sublime; and the chamois, with fleet foot,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span> climbed their +snowy pinnacles; while the deep, frowning precipices and the dark +valleys gave him a sensation of terror, not unmingled with pleasure. +Suddenly the scene would change, and he stood upon an island of the +Pacific, a little emerald gem of the ocean. Around the coral reefs the +waves lashed themselves into fury, and the white surf flew upward; but +one little opening admitted the water gently into a quiet bay, where the +deep blue rivalled that of the sky, and the water-birds swam in peace. +The cocoa-nut, the plantain, and the banana spread their broad leaves to +the sun, and flowers of brilliant hues and exquisite fragrance enlivened +the landscape. Behind, there uprose tall cliffs covered with the richest +foliage, and cascades, like silver threads, dashed downward to the sea. +Again the spectacle changed, and Vesuvius appeared in flames, reddening +the sky, and paling the moon; floods of lava rolled down, and rocks and +ashes were tossed aloft. It seemed as if evil spirits were sporting +beneath, and the mountain shook in agony. In the distance, peacefully +slept the city of Naples, and that broad and beautiful bay, the +admiration of the world. These objects, however, did not last. Rudolph +soon lingered among sweet-scented orange groves, and plucked the golden +fruit by the light of the moon, and rejoiced in perfect beauty; or +wandered off into a magnolia forest, where the huge white flowers shone +forth among the dark glistening leaves, and the air was heavy with +fragrance. Or he paddled his small canoe among the waters of the Amazon, +and saw those magnificent water-lilies, on one of whose round green +leaves, with up-turned edges, he could float with perfect safety; while +the brilliant tropical birds flew around, and monkeys climbed the tall +trees, which were festooned with vines of luxuriant growth. Again did +the scene vary—and Niagara thundered down its cliffs, filling his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> +heart with delighted awe; resistless and changeless, rolled it then, +when the deer wandered undisturbed upon its shores, as now, when +thousands of visitors marvel at its grandeur, and feel the infinitude of +nature and the insignificance of man.</p> + +<p>One day the Rhine was presented to his view—its vine-clad hills, its +frowning castles, its romantic scenery, and the happy peasants coming +from the vintage, with songs of rejoicing. But this struck a chord +untouched before. It brought up home and homely pleasures with a force +and vividness that made the boy, in the midst of all sensual delights, +feel a sudden sickness of the heart, a longing for the fireside, and for +the every-day occupations from which he had been snatched. He thought of +his father and mother, so kind and good; of merry little Bertha, ever so +pleased to frolic with him—and he almost felt her chubby arm around his +neck; he remembered old Fritz, and his rides upon Saladin, with his +arched neck and flowing mane. He thought of the ancient hall, in which +he had played such mad pranks with Bruno—even the black cat came in for +a portion of his regret. And never, never more was he to behold these +objects of his love! So feels the Swiss, when in a foreign land, when +breathing the balmy air of Italy, or wandering amid the gayeties of +Paris, he hears the Ranz des Vaches; the simple notes recall the Alpine +home, the mother and the friends: he sickens and dies.</p> + +<p>Rudolph's sad countenance soon attracted the notice of his kind +protectress, who eagerly asked what she could do to promote his +happiness. He told his trouble, and especially dwelt upon his +loneliness; he longed to see his papa and mamma, and little Bertha; and +he wanted companions of his own age—human children, with whom he could +laugh and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> play, whom he could toss in the snow in winter, and with whom +he could rove the fields in summer, picking the flowers and chasing the +butterflies. The Fairy Queen shook her head: "You ask an impossibility, +Rudolph; my very existence was endangered by bringing you here, and how +can I convey other mortals to the crystal palace, the inner temple of +nature? It cannot be—however, now I think of a plan; yes, to-morrow you +shall have your wish, only you must smile and be happy once more, +Rudolph."</p> + +<p>On the morrow, with the early dawn, a troop of merry, rosy children +awaited his waking: how soon they were friends! children, and child-like +hearts, are not long in knowing each other. They were all pretty, but +different, both in appearance and disposition; they were crowned with +flowers and green leaves, of various sorts. "What funny names you have!" +said Rudolph, as they introduced themselves. "Yes; but we did not name +ourselves," they replied; "it is not our fault if we have hard +names—you'll soon learn them." And so he did: there was Cochlearia, a +sharp-witted girl, who made rather biting speeches occasionally; there +was Daucus, a red-headed youngster, and Raphanus, a pretty child of +brilliant complexion, crowned with violet-colored flowers; there was +Brassica, and Zea, and Maranta, and Capsicum, a fiery fellow, and +Nasturtium, crowned with bright orange-flowers, and a great many others. +Rudolph liked most of them very much, but his especial favorites were +little Solanum and Farinacea, brother and sister, both crowned with blue +flowers. He thought they were so good, he could never get tired of them; +perhaps Brassica and Zea were sweeter, and Raphanus was more piquant, +but these two friends of his could never cloy his taste; he should +always love them. As for Cochlearia, he could not abide her: she was so +pert. Several<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> times she came near disturbing the harmony of the little +band by her speeches: she reproached Daucus with his carroty head, and +told Capsicum that his temper was too hot, and called Nasturtium only a +weedy fellow, after all. Hereupon, Solanum, who was a very amiable soul, +told her she was enough to bring tears into anybody's eyes; and at that, +she turned round, and informed him that he was such a mealy-mouthed +fellow, he was no judge at all. At last Rudolph was obliged to tell her +that he had never known a child whose society he relished so little, and +that he would be compelled to complain of her, unless she went away; +accordingly she did so, and then they enjoyed uninterrupted peace. How +happy was that day! how varied the amusements! what joyful shouts! what +heart-felt laughter! Rudolph, long debarred from the company of other +children, was almost out of his wits with excitement.</p> + +<p>But the sun now approached the west, and with one accord they hastened +away, notwithstanding all his entreaties. "Why must they go? They could +sleep with him; there was plenty of room in the palace; they should not +leave." "They would return to-morrow, but now they must go; before the +sun set—good-by, good-by." "You shall <i>not</i> go," cried Rudolph, seizing +hold of Solanum and Farinacea, who struggled hard to evade him, while +their companions swiftly passed them, and vanished through a little +postern gate he had never seen before, into the forest beyond. "Why +should you want to go? Do you not love me?" said Rudolph, as the two +struggled yet more earnestly to escape his grasp. "I assure you we +<i>have</i> hearts, but we cannot now stay," was all they could utter, for at +that moment the sun sank below the horizon, and the beautiful children +vanished from his sight: in their place, there fell to the ground—two +potatoes!<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> Scarcely believing his eyes, he quickly opened the little +gate, calling to his friends to return; but no voice replied, and no +children were to be seen. Instead, scattered about upon the ground, were +radishes, carrots, turnips, parsneps, cabbages—all that remained of his +playmates. The disappointed child burst into a fit of passionate +weeping. Was all deception, illusion? Was there nothing real, naught to +satisfy the heart? Was he ever to be alone, consumed by vain longings +for affection he was destined never to receive? What did <i>he</i> care for +all that beauty and grandeur—one heart-given human kiss was worth it +all.</p> + +<p>The child was still sobbing bitterly when the Fairy Queen drew near. Her +starry crown was dim, like the evening star seen through a mist; the +sparkle had gone out of her eye and her face. She was sad, for she knew +that she must lose her little protégé; she was vexed, for she had been +completely baffled. "And cannot I make you happy?" she said. "Is all the +power, and the grandeur, and the wisdom, and the beauty you see in Fairy +Land, insufficient to satisfy that foolish heart of yours? Silly boy! he +longs for human love. Go then—even if I <i>could</i> keep you, I think I +scarcely would; I can teach you nothing." "And may I really go? Go to my +own dear, sweet mamma? Oh, how happy I am!" "You little ungrateful +wretch! is that all the thanks I get for the pains I have taken to make +a man of you?" "Of course you are very good: but indeed I always told +you I wanted to remain a little boy." "Out of my sight!" said she, +stamping her tiny foot upon the rock on which she was +standing—sympathizing with her passion, it threw out sparks, which +hardened into diamonds when they cooled. "My experiment has proved a +signal failure; I see a child will be a child, in spite of all the +charms of science: if ever I take<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> another—if ever I try again to bring +up a philosopher, may I lose my crown!"</p> + +<p>Rudolph, affrighted, had run through the little gate, which immediately +closed behind him. He looked around; the scene was strangely familiar. +He found himself at the border of a wood, in a place where three roads +crossed. "It was there," thought he, "that, a year or two ago, I dashed +into the forest on Saladin, and got lost: and since then I have been in +Fairy Land." At that moment he lifted up his eyes, and saw old Fritz +approach, leading Saladin; he ran forward to meet him, and Fritz, on his +part, seemed overjoyed at seeing his young master. "You dear old soul! +how glad I am to see you! Why, you don't look a day older than when we +parted!" "It would be queer if I did, as we only parted company an hour +ago, when you rode off and left your poor old Fritz. How you have +frightened me! I thought you had gone home the nearest way, and rode +there to see: but no, you were not at the castle. So I came back again, +very much worried about you on account of the shower that came up so +suddenly, and met your horse, quite near the wood. I'm glad to find you +at last!" "Is it possible it was only an hour ago? I can hardly believe +it." "Oh yes, no more, though it has seemed longer to me, I have been so +anxious." Rudolph laughed. "I do believe I have been asleep! and I have +had the funniest dream! Do you know, I thought I was in Fairy Land? It +was all so sweet, and so grand, and learned, and tiresome—Oh, I am glad +it was only a dream. I did want so much to get home again, and have some +fun."</p> + +<p class='tbrk'><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span></p> + +<p>"How could he wish to leave such a charming place, where there was every +thing that was lovely on earth?" cried Gertrude. "I think he had very +little taste."</p> + +<p>"There was all there," said Aunt Lucy, "but the very things he +wanted—his father and mother, his playmates, kind old Fritz, and his +horse and dog—not to speak of a very important thing in a boy's eyes, +liberty to play without being pestered with continual lectures."</p> + +<p>"I think your Fairy Queen has a tart temper of her own, sister Ellen," +said Tom. "When she was rating the poor little fellow for ingratitude, I +thought of that passage in Virgil, where the rage of the gods is spoken +of—'Tantæne animis cœlestibus iræ!'"</p> + +<p>"Do translate, for the benefit of the unlearned. It is so <i>mannish</i> to +quote Latin," said Cornelia.</p> + +<p>"'Can such anger dwell in celestial souls?' You see I am all obedience," +answered Tom.</p> + +<p>"You should remember, my dear critic, that fairies never yet claimed to +be perfect beings. They are very far from being angels, and are +decidedly of the earth, earthy. You know that the inferior specimens of +the race—the vulgar fairies—delight in playing tricks upon careless +housekeepers, spilling their cream and spoiling their butter: that is +not very angelic, I'm sure. Of course, the Queen would be too dignified +and too spiritual for such frolics; but she could not understand much +about human nature, or child-nature, and especially she would think the +affections to be great nonsense. But she has bought her experience now, +with Rudolph."</p> + +<p>"One comfort is, that she does not intend to take another child to +educate—she has had enough!" said Amy.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span></p> + +<p>"She could not, if she would," replied Mary. "I think the day has now +come, foreseen by the prophetic owl,</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>'When iron monsters, with breath of flame,</div> +<div>Shall blot from earth the fairy name.'"</div> +</div></div> + +<p>"Steam engines and locomotives?" said Louis.</p> + +<p>"Nothing else," replied Ellen. "I do not doubt in the least that the +whole of that Fairy Wood has been carefully surveyed and graded, and +iron tracks run directly through the palace itself."</p> + +<p>"Oh what a shame!" cried Harry.</p> + +<p>"'Tis very sad, indeed, to have all romance spoiled in this way," said +Mrs. Wyndham. "But we have a modern substitute for the magic of +Elfdom—this very steam-engine, which works such wonders; the electric +telegraph, which beats time itself, making news depart from Philadelphia +for St. Louis, and reach its destination an hour before it started, if +you may believe the clock. And some of those toys, originally invented +by the Fairy Queen, if we may credit Ellen—the telescope, bringing down +the moon so near to you, that you feel inclined to take a long step, and +place yourself in another planet—and photography, which enables you in +one moment to possess upon metal or paper an exact fac-simile of your +friend. If these things do not surpass all we read of in Fairy Land, I +know nothing about it."</p> + +<p>"I have one very serious objection to your Fairy Queen, Cousin Ellen," +said Charlie Bolton, trying to keep a long, sober face.</p> + +<p>"What is that? Poor Queen, how she is criticised! If she were here, she +would show her temper now, I think!"</p> + +<p>"She is such a horrid <i>blue</i>. It's all very well for her to dance, and +mix the rainbow, and sprinkle the dew upon her<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> flowers, and wear the +evening star on her forehead, if she does not find its weight +oppressive—that's all feminine enough. But when she tries to come over +us as an <i>esprit fort</i>—a strong-minded woman—it's rather too much. +Oxygen and hydrogen, and all the <i>ologies</i>—I never can stand that sort +of thing in a woman."</p> + +<p>"Just as if we had not a right to knowledge as well as the lords of the +creation! And besides, I want to know, Master Charlie, which is the most +disgusting—for a woman to lisp learning, or for a man to talk politics, +as the creatures will do!"</p> + +<p>"Oh, I beg your pardon—I very humbly retract, my dear Coz. I must use +the words of that sensible 'Coon, who has earned immortality by meeting +his death like a philosopher—'Is that you, Captain Scott?' 'Yes.' 'Then +you need not fire—don't take the trouble to raise your rifle—if it's +you, Captain Scott, I might as well come down.' So, if it's you, Miss +Cornelia Wyndham, you can spare your shot, for I'll come down at +once;—I would rather face the Woman's Rights' Convention, in full +conclave assembled, than my Cousin Cornelia, when she stands up for the +rights of her sex to be pedantic and disagreeable!"</p> + +<p>"I was quite amused at the Queen's experiments in education," said Mr. +Wyndham. "She is not the only one who has tried to force knowledge upon +unwilling minds, and to develop children as we would spring peas and +asparagus, by subjecting them to hot-house stimulants. These fancy +methods of training the young idea do not appear to succeed very well; +to see some of the cards used in infant schools, and to read occasional +school advertisements, you would deem it quite impossible that any +dunces could escape the elevating processes now applied to the +unfortunate little<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> ones—yet, happily, the constitutions of most +children are very elastic, and there are not as many instances of dropsy +on the brain as we might expect."</p> + +<p>"I wonder the Fairy did not take a hint from the bees," remarked Mary.</p> + +<p>"How is that? Have they any particular mode of training?"</p> + +<p>"Very much so: when they want to rear up a sovereign who shall be fitted +to govern the hive with wisdom, they take any one of their hundred +little grubs at random, and put it under tutors and governors. These +cram it, not with lectures on political economy, books on international +law, or any thing of that sort, but with food much more to its +taste—the very best honey, and a kind of <i>royal food</i>, which I suppose +it is considered high treason for a subject to touch. Day by day, the +grub becomes more and more the princess, and finally expands into +queenly magnificence, when, of course, she must have a hive of her own, +or do as Dido of Tyre—colonize, and found a Carthage."</p> + +<p>"Quite amusing! But is it true?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, actually; and if only some such process could be applied to +children, would it not save trouble?"</p> + +<p>"And wouldn't we like it!" cried George Wyndham, "Ah, but I'd make a +bonfire of my Euclid and Virgil, and all the other worthies, or bury +them, as the fellows do yearly at Yale College—I had much rather be fed +with some essence of knowledge, like the bees."</p> + +<p>"This talk about fancy modes of mental culture," remarked Mr. Wyndham, +"reminds me of a Life I lately read of Mr. Day, the author of that +delightful book, Sandford and Merton. He was a remarkably benevolent and +excellent man, but visionary, and had some peculiar crotchets about +educa<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span>tion. When quite a young man, he took charge of two poor, pretty +orphan girls, and had them trained up in accordance with his own ideas, +intending to make one of them his wife. Both grew to be fine women, but +to spoil the romance, fell in love with other men! so that he enjoyed +the pleasure of sedulously educating good wives for two worthy +tradesmen, and being left in the lurch himself. A second experiment +turned out yet worse, for it cost him his life: he had doubtless had +enough of girls, so he took another animal, which he thought might be +tamer and more tractable—a horse. He would not allow it to be broken in +the usual method, which he considered very cruel: he would talk to it, +caress it, make it his friend, win it by kindness. But unfortunately for +his experiment, the horse killed him, by a kick, I believe, before it +had succeeded."</p> + +<p>"Poor Day! Uncle, you remind me of the cow that the man wanted to train +so as to consider eating a superfluity—she was coming on admirably, but +unfortunately for the full success of the experiment, she perversely +died, the very day her owner had reduced her to one straw."</p> + +<p>"How very unlucky!"</p> + +<p>"Aunt Lucy," said Alice, "when Ellen gave us the Queen's theorizing in +education, I could not help thinking of the old saw, 'Bachelors' wives +and old maids' bairns are always the best guided.' It's very easy to +manage <i>dream</i> children; but when you come to real flesh and blood, it's +quite another matter. It does not appear to me that all this +systematizing and speculation does much good."</p> + +<p>"Not a bit of it," cried George Wyndham. "We boys must be boys to the +end of the chapter; and I tell you, some of us are pretty tough +subjects! The only hope is that we may turn out not quite so horrid, +when we grow up."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span></p> + +<p>"I once heard a plan proposed for getting rid of boys of your age, +brother George," said Cornelia.</p> + +<p>"Much obliged; what was that?"</p> + +<p>"To bury them at seven, and dig them out at seventeen; how do you like +it?"</p> + +<p>"'Tis a bad plan. There would be nobody left in the world to run errands +for older sisters—it would never do."</p> + +<p>"When little Rudolph was so fond of his vegetable friends," said Mary, +"and found them so good, so sweet, so much to his taste, I thought of an +account I had somewhere read, written, I think, by the witty Sydney +Smith, of a conversation a new missionary in the South Sea islands held +about his predecessor, who had been eaten by the cannibals. He asked the +natives if they had known him—we will call him Mr. Brown, as it's +rather fabulous. 'Mr. Brown? Oh yes! very good man—Mr. Brown! very +good.' 'And did you know his family?' 'Oh yes! such sweet little +children! so nice and tender! But Mrs. Brown was a bad woman—she was +<i>so very tough</i>.' She was not to their taste."</p> + +<p>"But, Cousin Ellen," said Amy, "I want to know about those vegetable +friends of Rudolph. I know that Capsicum is a kind of pepper, and I have +often met Nasturtium, crowned with his orange-flowers; I suppose, of +course, that Solanum and Farinacea are potatoes—but who is that sharp +Cochlearia, who told Solanum he was a mealy-mouthed fellow?"</p> + +<p>"Horse-radish—which Solanum thought enough to bring tears into +anybody's eyes."</p> + +<p>"And Daucus—was he a carrot?"</p> + +<p>"Yes; and Raphanus, with his brilliant complexion, was a radish. Maranta +was arrow-root, Zea was Indian corn, and Brassica, a turnip—we often +enjoy their society at table."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span></p> + +<p>"I shall always think of Cochlearia when I eat horse-radish on my beef," +said Charlie Bolton. "Especially when I take too much, by mistake."</p> + +<p>"And when I find, to my sorrow, that potatoes have hearts I shall think +of Solanum."</p> + +<hr /> +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III.</h2> + +<h3>THE RHYMING GAME.—ORIKAMA, OR THE WHITE WATER LILY, AN INDIAN TALE.</h3> + +<p>Great was the chagrin of our young party on the following morning, to +find that a storm had set in, giving no prospect of amusements out of +doors for the day: the rain came down in a determined manner, as if it +had no intention of clearing up for a week, and the winds whistled and +scolded in every variety of note; even the boys, who prided themselves +upon a manly contempt for wind and weather, agreed that the chimney +corner was the best place under the circumstances, and that they must +try to make themselves as agreeable as possible at home. Cornelia +quoted, for the benefit of the rest, a receipt she had somewhere met +with for the "manufacture of sunshine," which she thought would be +especially valuable on such a darksome day: "Take a good handful of +industry, mix it thoroughly with family love, and season well with +good-nature and mutual forbearance. Gradually stir in smiles, and jokes, +and laughter, to make it light, but take care these ingredients do not +run over, or it will make a cloud instead of what you wish. Follow this +receipt carefully, and you have an excellent supply of sunshine, +warranted to keep in all weathers."</p> + +<p>Accordingly, it was resolved to make sunshine, and Aunt Lucy offered to +provide the industry, if they would furnish the other materials. Soon +were heaps of flannel and other stout fabrics produced from her "Dorcas +closet," as she<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> called it, in which her provisions for the poor were +laid up, in nice order; for even in our happy land does it hold true +that "the poor ye have always with you, and whensoever ye <i>will</i> ye may +do them good," and kind Aunt Lucy was not one to neglect this duty. On +the day preceding Christmas, according to her principle of making as +many happy as possible, she had ordered a barrel of flour to be baked +into cakes and pies, and had distributed them, along with a turkey and a +bushel of potatoes to each, among all the poor families of the +neighborhood; and this was only one specimen of the numerous kindly acts +by which she drew together the hearts of all around her, and made them +realize the Christian brotherhood of man. Where there were children, she +made them happy by the present of a few penny toys; a very cheap +investment, yielding a large return of rapture! She could never deny +herself the pleasure of giving these little offerings of love with her +own hands, and wishing her poor neighbors a "Happy Christmas;" and on +this occasion she had learnt the destitution of a poor widow, who +struggled hard to support her young family and to maintain a decent +appearance, but who was now laid up with sickness, and unable to provide +clothing and fuel for herself and her little ones. Mr. Wyndham had +immediately sent her a load of wood, and his wife was now anxious to +furnish the necessary garments. The young girls were rejoiced to aid in +the good work, and soon all fingers were busy, and needles were in swift +operation; while the boys took turns in the entertainment of the sewers, +by alternately reading aloud from a pleasant book. Tom Green was an +excellent reader; his agreeable tones of voice made it a pleasure to +listen to him, and his clear articulation and varied expression added +greatly to the interest of the narrative. Why is it that this desirable +accomplishment,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> which promotes so much the happiness of the home +circle, is not more cultivated?</p> + +<p>After dinner, Charlie Bolton proposed some games, as he said that quite +enough of industry and gravity had been put into the preparation, and he +feared the sunshine would not be properly made without the smiles, +jokes, and laughter spoken of in the receipt. "How do those lines of +Milton run, Ellen, in L'Allegro? my favorite piece—before the old +fellow got to be so very sublime, as he is in the Paradise Lost."</p> + +<p>"You irreverent jackanapes! to speak so of the immortal bard! I suppose +you mean,</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>'But come, thou goddess fair and free,</div> +<div>In Heaven yclept Euphrosyne,</div> +<div>And by men, heart-easing mirth;</div> +<div>Haste thee, Nymph, and bring with thee</div> +<div>Jest, and youthful jollity,</div> +<div>Quips, and cranks, and wanton wiles,</div> +<div>Nods and becks, and wreathed smiles,</div> +<div>Such as hang on Hebe's cheek,</div> +<div>And love to live in dimple sleek:</div> +<div>Sport, that wrinkled Care derides,</div> +<div>And Laughter, holding both his sides.'"</div> +</div></div> + +<p>"That is the passage I mean, and that is the very company I should like +to invite, if the rest have no objection."</p> + +<p>All approved of the suggestion, and soon the whole party was busily +engaged in various lively games, "Graces," "Battledore and Shuttlecock," +"Hunt the Slipper," etc., which combined bodily exercise with healthful +excitement of the mirthful organs, which some philosophers assert to be, +after all, the distinguishing trait of mankind. Some call man a +"thinking animal," but this is so self-evident a slander upon the great +majority of the species, that no words are needed to refute it: one +attempted to define him as "a biped with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span>out feathers," but when a +plucked fowl was brought forward as a specimen of his man, he was +obliged to give up that definition. Others again describe him as "a +cooking animal," but while dogs can act as turnspits, and monkeys can +roast chestnuts, he cannot claim this lofty epithet as peculiarly his +own; besides, some savages have been found so degraded as to be +unacquainted with the use of fire. But wherever man is found, whether +under the heats of an African sun, or shivering in the cold of a Lapland +winter, upon the steppes of Tartary, or the pampas of South America, his +joyful laughter shows that he is a man, intended for social life and for +happiness. 'Tis true, we read of the <i>hyena laugh</i>, but we protest +against such a misapplication of terms: the fierce, mocking yell of that +ferocious creature has nothing in common with hearty, genial, human +laughter: other animals can weep, but man alone can laugh. And how great +a refreshment is it! It relieves the overtasked brain, and the heart +laden with cares; it makes the blood dance in the veins of youth, and +gives a new impetus to the spirits; work goes on more briskly, when a +gay heart sets the active powers in motion. Well did the Wise King say, +"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine:" it keeps off gray hairs and +wrinkles, better than any cosmetic that ever was invented. The ancient +Greeks realized its value, when they placed a jester in the society of +their gods upon Olympus: as their deities were clothed with human +attributes, they did not omit to provide for their amusement.</p> + +<p>The young ladies were not too dignified and fastidious, nor Aunt Lucy +too wise to join in the sports, and the old lady's spectacles and cap +did not feel at all insulted when the handkerchief was tied round them +in "Blind Man's Buff," and the hall rang with the jocund shouts of the +children, whose<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> greater activity eluded her grasp. When even the +youngest acknowledged that they had enjoyed enough romping for one day, +Mary proposed a new amusement of a quieter character, which she had just +heard of, entitled "the Rhyming Game." As it was found very pleasant, I +will give a specimen, that the reader may try it of a winter's evening. +One person thinks of a word, but instead of naming it, mentions another +with which it rhymes; the next thinks of another rhyme, which is to be +<i>described</i>, not spoken, and then the leader of the game, guessing from +the description what word is meant, says it is, or it is not, such a +thing. And so all round the circle.</p> + +<p>"I've thought of a word that rhymes with <i>sat</i>," said Mary.</p> + +<p>"Is it that sly animal of the tiger species which is domesticated by +man, and delights to steal the cream and to torture poor little mice?" +said Amy.</p> + +<p>"No, it is not a <i>cat</i>."</p> + +<p>"Is it that useful article which covers the floor in summer, that is on +the dinner-table every day in the year, and may be seen behind or before +almost every front door?" said Cornelia.</p> + +<p>"No, it is not a <i>mat</i>."</p> + +<p>"Is it that nondescript winged quadruped, something like a bird, +something like a mouse, something like a kangaroo, which troubles us +sometimes of a summer's evening, by flying about the room and entangling +itself in our hair?" said Ellen.</p> + +<p>"No, it is not a <i>bat</i>."</p> + +<p>"Is it that other agreeable creature, which infests old houses, but is +prudent enough to leave them when they begin to fall down: that is very +voracious, and sometimes eats babies' noses off?" said Tom.</p> + +<p>"No, it is not a <i>rat</i>."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Is it a very gentle slap, indicative of love?"</p> + +<p>"No, it is not a <i>pat</i>."</p> + +<p>"Is it one of the wooden pieces of which blinds are composed?"</p> + +<p>"No, it is not a <i>slat</i>."</p> + +<p>"Is it a manly covering for the head?"</p> + +<p>"No, it is not a <i>hat</i>."</p> + +<p>"Is it that word sometimes applied to a disagreeable child?"</p> + +<p>"No, it is not a <i>brat</i>."</p> + +<p>"Is it the opposite of leanness?"</p> + +<p>"No, it is not <i>fat</i>."</p> + +<p>"Is it that covering for the head occasionally worn by young misses, and +also a frequent quality of their conversation?" said Charlie Bolton.</p> + +<p>"No, insulting sir, it is <i>not</i> a <i>flat</i>."</p> + +<p>"Is it that amiable insect, so anxious to discover whether all are made +of the same blood, which pays such particular attention to visitors +among pine forests?"</p> + +<p>"No, it is not a <i>gnat</i>."</p> + +<p>"Is it a large receptacle used in the brewery and tannery?"</p> + +<p>"No, it is not a <i>vat</i>."</p> + +<p>"Is it an ornamental way of dressing the hair?" said Gertrude.</p> + +<p>"Yes, it is a <i>plait</i>. Now it's your turn, Gertrude."</p> + +<p>"I've thought of a word that rhymes with <i>rock</i>."</p> + +<p>"Is it an important part of woman's attire?"</p> + +<p>"No, it is not a <i>frock</i>."</p> + +<p>"Is it an article of infants' clothing?"</p> + +<p>"No, it is not a <i>sock</i>."</p> + +<p>"Is it the thing that brokers buy and sell?"</p> + +<p>"No, it is not <i>stock</i>."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Is it a common weed, and also the place where ships are built?"</p> + +<p>"No, it is not a <i>dock</i>."</p> + +<p>"Is it a collection of sheep?"</p> + +<p>"No, it's not a <i>flock</i>."</p> + +<p>"Is it a German wine, highly prized by connoisseurs?"</p> + +<p>"No, it is not <i>hock</i>."</p> + +<p>"Is it a rap at the door?"</p> + +<p>"No, it is not <i>knock</i>."</p> + +<p>"Is it a curious instrument that has hands, but no eyes or ears, and +that always weighs its actions, but never does any thing but reprove +other people's laziness?"</p> + +<p>"No, it is not a <i>clock</i>."</p> + +<p>"Is it that word, which followed by head, shows what we all are, for not +guessing it sooner?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, you are right, it is a <i>block</i>."</p> + +<p>In the evening, Mary was appointed by general consent to tell that +eagerly-desired Indian story.</p> + +<p>"And mind you give us scalping enough," said Charlie Bolton; "I'm a +little afraid you are too tender-hearted to give your story the proper +dramatic effect. It's worth nothing unless there is a great deal of +blood spilt, and a whole string of scalps."</p> + +<p>"Horrible, Charlie! how can you bear such things! However, I needn't be +afraid, if Cousin Mary is to tell the tale," said Amy.</p> + +<p>"How can I possibly please the taste of both?" replied Mary; "I plainly +see that only one way is left for me; to suit myself—so, if you'll +excuse me, that's the thing I'll do."</p> + +<p>"We'll be compelled to excuse you, I suppose," said Charlie with a +shrug: "well, go on then, and be as merciful as your weak woman's nature +compels you to be."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span></p> + +<p>Accordingly, with this encouraging permission, Mary began her story, +which she called</p> + +<p class='tbrk'> </p> + +<h3>Orikama, or the White Water-Lily:</h3> + +<h4>AN INDIAN TALE.</h4> + +<p>Nearly a hundred years ago, when the greater part of Pennsylvania was +still covered with forests, and was peopled chiefly by wild deer and yet +wilder Indians, there might have been seen, upon the banks of the +beautiful Susquehanna, a log cottage of very pretty appearance. It +consisted of two stories, and was surrounded by a piazza, whose pillars, +trunks of trees unstripped of their bark, were encircled by a luxuriant +growth of ivies and honeysuckles, which ran up to the roof, and hung +down in graceful festoons. The house was situated so as to command the +finest prospect of the river and the distant hills, and gave the +traveller the impression that it was erected by people of more +refinement than the common settlers of that region, rough backwoodsmen, +who thought of little else than the very necessary work of subduing the +wild, planting corn and potatoes, and shooting bears and deer. And so it +was: James Buckingham, who with his young wife had settled there, having +purchased land in that vicinity, was a man accustomed to a more polished +state of society, and had received a college education in New England. +But having become deeply attached to a young girl whose parents refused +consent to their union, the impetuosity of his character prevailed over +his sense of filial piety, and he persuaded the beautiful Ellen +Farmington to leave her home and duty, and to give him a husband's right +to protect her. In all probability, patience and submission might have +prevailed upon<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> her parents to give up an opposition, which was in +reality unreasonable and groundless, as Buckingham was a young man in +every way calculated to make their daughter happy; but this rash act of +youthful folly had embittered their feelings, and the young couple were +forbidden ever to show their faces in the old homestead, lest a parent's +curse should light upon their heads. Too proud to show any repentance, +even if he felt it, James Buckingham determined to settle in another +State, where nothing should recall the past, and where his small amount +of capital, and large stock of energy and industry, might be employed to +advantage; accordingly, he fixed his lot among the pioneers of Penn's +colony, and chose a romantic situation upon the Susquehanna for his +dwelling.</p> + +<p>Very toilsome were the first years of their settlement, and great their +privations; but they were young and happy, and willing hands and loving +hearts made toil a pleasure. In a few years, woods were cleared, fields +inclosed, barns built, and then, agreeably to Solomon's advice, the +Buckinghams thought of building a commodious dwelling. "Prepare thy work +without, and make it fit for thyself in the field, and afterwards build +thy house." The aid of neighbors, ever ready for such an undertaking, +was called into requisition, and soon they removed from the small and +only too well ventilated hut, through the chinks of which the sun shone +in by day and the moon by night, and the rain penetrated whenever it +would, to the ample, pleasant home already described. Here it was that +little Emily Buckingham, their only child, first saw the light; and then +the cup of their happiness seemed only too full for mortals to quaff. As +the child daily grew in beauty, and her engaging ways filled their +hearts with delight, then first did they realize the absorbing nature of +a parent's love, and regret that <i>they</i> were separated from those<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> who +had so felt to Emily's mother, when she lay, a helpless infant, in their +arms. Yet pride prevailed, and no overtures were made to those whom they +still thought severe and unrelenting.</p> + +<p>Few, and scattered far, were the farmers in that region, for they were +on the very outskirts of civilization. At a short distance rose a +primeval forest, untouched by the axe of the settler, where the deer +roamed freely, unless shot by the Indian hunter; and many were the +friendly Indians who visited the cottage, and exchanged their game, +their baskets, and their ornamented moccasins, for the much-coveted +goods of civilized life. Frequent among these guests was Towandahoc, +Great Black Eagle,—so called from his first boyish feat, when, riding +at full gallop, he had shot down an eagle on the wing, so unerring was +his aim; and its feathers now adorned his head. Towandahoc was a great +hunter, and did not disdain to traffic with the "pale faces," not only +for rifles and gunpowder, but for many domestic comforts to which most +Indians are indifferent. But Great Black Eagle, although fearless as the +bird whose name he bore, was a humane man, more gentle in character than +most of his race, and a great friend of the whites, the brethren of the +good Onas, as the red men called the man who laid the foundations of our +commonwealth in peace, by a treaty which, in the language of Voltaire, +"is the only one never confirmed by an oath, and never broken." +Especially was Towandahoc attached to the Buckingham family, who ever +treated him kindly, and to the little girl who played with his bow and +arrows, and tried in her artless prattle to pronounce his name. Unbroken +peace had hitherto prevailed between the red men and the pale faces, +owing to the just and friendly treatment the natives had experienced; +but symptoms of another spirit began now to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> appear. The war waged +between England and France had extended to the colonies, and the French +were unremitting in their efforts to gain the Indians to their side. A +line of fortifications was erected by them, extending from Canada to the +Ohio and Mississippi, and they were strongly intrenched at Fort Du +Quesne, the site of the city of Pittsburg. Braddock's expedition and +memorable defeat had just taken place; and it was thought by many that +the Pennsylvania tribes, enraged by the honorable refusal of the +Assembly to accept their tomahawks and scalping-knives in the war, and +courted, on the other hand, by the French, were cherishing a secret, but +deep hostility. Many of Mr. Buckingham's neighbors erected blockhouses, +protected by palisades, to which they might retreat in case of an +attack, and stored them with arms, ammunition, and provisions; but his +confidence in the good disposition of the aborigines was too great to +allow him to appear suspicious of those who came backward and forward to +his dwelling in so much apparent friendship.</p> + +<p>Such was the posture of affairs when Emily had reached her fourth year: +dear as she was to her parents, the return of her birthday found her +unspoilt, and as sweet and well-trained a child as any in the colony. It +was worth a walk to see her: her golden curls fell upon a neck of +alabaster, and her delicate, regular features were illuminated by dark +vivacious eyes: she strongly resembled her mother, who had one of those +faces which once seen, are never forgotten, and that seem to ripen +merely, not to change, from youth to old age. But this extreme +loveliness of person formed but the setting of the gem; Emily herself +combined so much sweetness and liveliness of disposition, was so +affectionate, gentle, and docile, that it was no wonder her parents made +her the centre of all their plans and enjoyments. It was she who must +always<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> outstrip her mother, in welcoming her father in from the field,</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>"And climbed his knee, the envied kiss to share,"</div> +</div></div> + +<p>and to listen to the delightful tale, that could never be repeated too +often: she must bring his slippers, and place his seat near the fire in +winter. And she must "help mamma" in all her concerns; and although such +help was only a delicious kind of hindrance, her bright face and winsome +ways made all tasks light and pleasant. Never had she looked so lovely +in her mother's eyes as she did on the evening of her birthday, when in +her little white night-slip, with bare feet and folded hands, she knelt +down to recite the simple prayer she had been taught that day, as a +reward for good conduct; the setting sun streamed in at the window, and +as its rays lingered among her curls, as if they belonged there, and +were reluctant to leave, the mother thought of a kneeling cherub, with a +glory encirling her head—but blessed God that her child was yet upon +the earth. Long did that picture dwell upon her memory.</p> + +<p>After singing her to sleep with a gentle lullaby, such as a mother only +can employ, she imprinted a tender kiss upon the sleeping child, and +having seen that all things were well and safely arranged in the house, +she and her husband left, intending to spend the evening with Mr. +Markley and his family, who lived at a distance of five or six miles. +They were on more intimate terms with them than with any other +neighbors, and took back with them Roland Markley, a boy of ten, who had +spent the day with little Emily, his especial friend and pet, whom he +was never weary of assisting and amusing. It was a pleasure to see the +children together: the little girl looked up to him as almost a man, and +he made her every whim a law. For her he would make the trip<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> little +vessel, and launch it upon the water; for her he would construct the +bridge of stones across the brook, and guide her little feet safely to +the other side.</p> + +<p>The conversation at Mr. Markley's house was of an alarming character; it +was said that sure information had been received of a speedy rising of +the Indians, and the Buckinghams were urged instantly to remove to that +more thickly settled spot, where a large blockhouse was erected, and all +preparations were made to give the enemy a warm reception. The addition +of even one able-bodied man to their force was desirable, and they +strove to impress upon their neighbors the imminent peril of their +exposed situation. So earnest were they, and so probable did the news +appear, that Mr. Buckingham resolved to comply with their wishes, and to +remove on the morrow; and with hearts heavier than when they left home, +they started to return to it.</p> + +<p>"Do you perceive the smell of smoke? If it should be our cottage!" said +Ellen Buckingham, first breaking the silence in which they rode along.</p> + +<p>"The woods may be on fire again: do not be alarmed; the conversation +this evening has unnerved you," replied her husband; but he could not +conceal the tremor of his own voice, as a horrible fear entered into his +heart; a fear, soon to become a more horrible certainty!</p> + +<p>As they drew near, the air became thick with smoke, and when they +entered the cleared ground and looked for their home, no home was there! +Instead, burning rafters and smoking ruins: around, the ground was +trodden down by many feet of moccasined men. Partly consumed by the +fire, lay the bodies of two farm-servants who had been in Mr. +Buckingham's employ; a tomahawk, smeared with fresh blood, lay among the +smoking embers; and a golden curl<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> singed by fire, was near it—all they +could discover of little Emily!</p> + +<p>The murderers had left, doubtless disappointed that, their prey was so +small; and in the first moments of agony, the bereaved parents wished +that they too had fallen victims to their fiendish rage. Emily was dead, +certainly dead! The fresh blood, the lock of hair, proved it only too +clearly; her body had been consumed by the flames. The light of their +lives had been put out, the glory had passed away from their sky, and +they must now go mourning all their days; they felt as did a parent in +the olden time, whose words are recorded in Scripture, "If I am bereaved +of my children, I am bereaved." One little hour had changed the aspect +of the whole earth to them.</p> + +<p>And yet, broken-hearted as they were, they must act: not now could they +fold their hands in despair. Soon was the news of the Indian rising +spread among the settlers; and while all flew to arms, and joined in the +necessary preparations, tears fell from eyes that were never known to +weep before, and rough men spoke soothing words to the mourners; for +little Emily was known and loved by all for miles around, and many said +"she need not change much to be made an angel." It was agreed that with +the earliest dawn, when the women and children were safely disposed of, +they should meet at the ruins of the Hopedale Cottage, so was it called, +and follow the trail of the savages through the woods; some sanguine +spirits, chief among whom was little Roland Markley, still asserted that +Emily might live, and have been carried away into captivity; but her +parents could not so deceive themselves—that lock of hair had convinced +them of her death; hope could not enter their hearts, it had died with +Emily.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span></p> + +<p>One entire day did the Indian-hunters follow in the trail and came upon +the spot where their enemies had encamped; and there, three trails in +different directions, looked as if the savages had scattered. What was +to be done? To follow all was impossible, as their own force was a small +one; and meantime night had come on, wrapping all things in her mantle +of secrecy, and fatigue required them to rest their weary frames. +Setting a watch, and lighting a fire, with loaded rifles within reach, +they slept; such a sleep as men can take, when they dream of a red hand +at their throats, and a tomahawk glancing before their eyes. Light +hearts make heavy sleep; but such a deed as had been committed in the +midst of them, makes men start from their slumbers if but a cricket +chirps, or a withered leaf falls to the ground.</p> + +<p>During the night, heavy rains began to fall, and when morning light +appeared, all traces of the pathway of their enemy had disappeared; the +leaves fell abundantly from the trees, and no mark was left upon the +earth to show where they had passed. The baffled party did not give up +the search for several days, but nothing transpired to throw any light +upon the subject; and they were obliged reluctantly to return, in order +to defend their own homes and families from a similar fate. Few doubted +little Emily's death; but some still clung to the hope that she was in +the land of the living, and might yet be recovered.</p> + +<p>But her father and mother hoped nothing: grief entirely filled up their +hearts. And with the grief arose a new feeling—bitter and poignant +remorse. "This is the just punishment," they thought, "that offended +Heaven has inflicted upon us, for having wrung <i>our</i> parents' hearts +with anguish. Now we feel a parent's agony: now can we realize what we +made them suffer. This was the tender spot on<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> which a wound would +penetrate to the heart; and here it is that a retributive Providence has +struck us. The arrows of the Almighty have pierced us—shall we any +longer strive against our Maker? We will humble ourselves in the dust, O +righteous Judge, and will return to duty: if it be not yet too late—if +our parents still live—incline their hearts to forgive!"</p> + +<p>And their pitying God heard their prayer, and brought them in safety to +their childhood's home, and prepared for them pardon and peace of +conscience. For Ellen Buckingham's father had been brought to the brink +of the grave by sudden illness, and the stern old man wept like a child, +when the village pastor, a faithful minister of the Gospel, told him +that the most faultless creed would not avail him if he cherished a +hardened, unforgiving spirit, and exhorted him to pardon and bless his +exiled son and daughter. His iron heart was subdued within him, and when +his wife, whose gentler nature had long since pined for a +reconciliation, joined her entreaties to the commands of religion, then, +like the sudden breaking up of the ice upon a noble river, his feelings +gushed forth beyond control; all coldness and hardness vanished. At this +moment it was that James and Ellen Buckingham arrived: they had come in +the spirit of the Prodigal Son, not thinking themselves worthy to be +called the children of those they had offended; and they were greeted +with the same tenderness and overflowing affection described in the +parable—their confessions of guilt were stopped by kisses and embraces, +and soon they were weeping and recounting their loss, with arms +encircling their long-estranged parents.</p> + +<p>When the doctor paid his next visit, he said that a greater physician +than he had interfered, and had administered a new medicine, not very +bitter to take, which threw all his drugs<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> into the shade: it was called +<i>heart's ease</i>, and nothing more was wanting to his patient's recovery, +than very tender nursing, and daily applications of the same dose. And +tender nursing indeed did he receive from his daughter Ellen, and +proudly did he lean on the strong arm of his son, when sufficiently +convalescent to venture abroad: it seemed as if the affection, +restrained within their bosoms for so long a time, now gushed forth more +fully and freely than if there had never been a coldness. And thus did +sorrow on one side, and sickness on the other, guided by an overruling +Providence, join together long severed hearts, purify affections too +much fixed upon the earth, and lead all to look upward to Him who ruleth +in the affairs of mankind. Truly, "he doth not afflict <i>willingly</i> nor +grieve the children of men."</p> + +<p>At the earnest request of Ellen's parents, her husband agreed to +continue with them, acting in all respects as their son, and taking off +from them the burdens of life: and their latter years were made happy by +religion and filial piety. After their death, the Buckinghams removed +once more to their farm upon the Susquehanna, and rebuilt their cottage, +in all respects as it was before its destruction. Soon again did the +vines clamber up the pillars, and hang in beautiful festoons from the +roof; but where was she, the beloved one, who had so wound herself round +their feelings, that death itself could not unclasp the tendrils? Joy +had vanished with her, and no portion remained for them in this life but +peace, which will ever follow the diligent discharge of duty: the hope +of happiness they transferred to that better world, where little Emily +awaited to welcome them.</p> + +<p>What, meantime, had been her fate? On that eventful evening she lay upon +her little crib, in a darkened corner of the room, buried in the sweet +slumber of childhood and in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span>nocence. The savage yells did not disturb +her, she peacefully slept on; angels must have guarded her bed when a +fierce Indian, with bloody tomahawk in hand, rushed into the room, but +saw her not in her little nest, and returned to his comrades, reporting +that all the rest of the inhabitants had fled. Determined to do all the +mischief in their power, they set fire to the house and barns, and then +pushed off into the woods, to seek new victims in the unoffending +Moravian settlement of Guadenhutten. Little Emily was first awakened by +a suffocating heat and smoke, and by the crackling of the flames: she +screamed aloud to her father for help, and tried to approach the stairs, +but the blinding smoke and the quickly spreading fire drove her back. +Just then, a tall and noble form, arrayed in Indian garb, forced a +passage through the raging flames and among the falling rafters, and +guided by her cries, sought her chamber, caught her in his arms, and +rushed down to the outer air. Not without peril to both: the arm which +encircled her was burnt so as to bear the scar ever after, but still it +sustained its precious burden, and the little girl was unharmed, save +that some of her long golden tresses, hanging loosely behind her, were +severed from her head by the fire: hence the lock of hair that remained +unconsumed, convincing her friends of her death.</p> + +<p>And who was her brave preserver? Towandahoc, Great Black Eagle, the +friend of the pale faces! The secret plans of his tribe had been kept +from his ears, from the fear that he might betray them to the +unsuspecting whites; and it was not until after the expedition had +departed for the banks of the Susquehanna, that he learned their hostile +intentions towards his friends. He lost no time, but followed rapidly in +their steps, hoping by his representations to induce his people to give +up their murderous purpose, or perhaps, by a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> short but difficult route +through the mountains, to reach the cottage of Hopedale before them. But +hate is as swift as love in its flight, and as he approached the spot, +and saw the flames mounting up to the sky, he thought himself too late, +and the work of murder and of destruction complete. Just then he heard +little Emily's cries, and rushed in at the peril of his life, to save +the child.</p> + +<p>Supposing her parents to be dead, he resolved to take the helpless +little one to his wigwam, and to adopt her as his own. His home was at +the distance of several days' journey from the Susquehanna, in a retired +valley of the Alleghany mountains, and thither, through a dense forest, +he bent his steps. The greater part of the way he carried the child, her +white arm wound round his dusky neck, her fair head lying upon his +shoulder; he dried her tears, he picked berries in the wood to refresh +her, and strove to comfort her little heart, which was very heavy with +sorrow. At last they arrived at his wigwam; his wife Ponawtan, or Wild +Rose, ran out to meet her husband, and great was her wonder at the sight +of his beautiful burden. He said to her:—</p> + +<p>"Ponawtan, I have brought you home a child, as the Great Spirit has +taken away our own, and sent them to the good hunting grounds, where +forever they hunt the deer. Take good care of the child, for she is like +a white water-lily, encircled by troubled waters: in our wigwam may she +find rest and peace."</p> + +<p>Ponawtan, with a woman's tenderness, took into her arms the trembling, +weeping child, who, with the quick instinct of childhood, soon learned +that she was a friend. The Indian woman understood not even the few +words of English by which Towandahoc made his kind intentions +intelligible, but the language of the heart is a universal one, and in +that she was a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> proficient. Well was it for little Emily—or Orikama, +White Water-Lily, as she was henceforth called, that she had fallen into +such good hands. Ponawtan was a kind, affectionate being, who had deeply +mourned the loneliness of her cabin; and now that a child was given her, +that a little motherless, homeless outcast was thrown upon her love, she +was happy, and her sweet voice was again heard singing snatches of wild +Indian melodies at the door of her hut, and about her work.</p> + +<p>For some weeks Orikama drooped her head, and her pale cheek looked +indeed like the flower whose name had been given her; and Ponawtan +grieved when she beheld her languid step, and the sad expression in her +large speaking eyes, or when she found her weeping in a corner of the +hut. But childhood is happily elastic in its feelings, and again the +merry glance came back to her eye, and the little feet danced upon the +green grass, and the soft baby voice caught up the Indian words she +heard, and learned to call her kind protectors by the holy name of +father and mother.</p> + +<p>And was the memory of the past blotted out from her mind? Not +so—indelibly painted there, was the image of a whitewashed cottage, +overgrown with vines, near which a noble river rolled, seen through an +opening of the trees; and of a kind father, who wore no plumes in his +hair, who bore no bow and arrows, whom she had run to greet, and on +whose knee she daily sat, listening to beautiful tales. And of a sweet, +pretty mother, in whose face she loved to look, who taught her to say a +prayer, kneeling with clasped hands; especially did she think of her as +she appeared on that last evening, when she kissed her good-night, and +sang her to sleep with a gentle lullaby. And never did she forget to +kneel down, before she lay upon her bed of sweet grass, and with folded +hands and reverent look to recite her evening<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> prayer. What though the +full meaning of the words did not enter into her mind—with childlike +piety she looked upward to her Maker, and impressions of purity and +goodness were made upon her heart. In the beautiful language of Keble,</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>"Oh, say not, dream not, heavenly notes</div> +<div class='i1'>To childish ears are vain,</div> +<div>That the young mind at random floats,</div> +<div class='i1'>And cannot reach the strain.</div> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<div>Dim or unheard, the words may fell,</div> +<div class='i1'>And yet the heaven-taught mind</div> +<div>May learn the sacred air, and all</div> +<div class='i1'>The harmony unwind.</div> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<div>And if some tones be false or low,</div> +<div class='i1'>What are all prayers beneath,</div> +<div>But cries of babes, that cannot know</div> +<div class='i1'>Half the deep thoughts they breathe.</div> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<div>In his own words we Christ adore,</div> +<div class='i1'>But angels, as we speak,</div> +<div>Higher above our meaning soar</div> +<div class='i1'>Than we o'er children weak:</div> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<div>And yet His words mean more than they,</div> +<div class='i1'>And yet he owns their praise:</div> +<div>Why should we think, He turns away</div> +<div class='i1'>From infants' simple lays?"</div> +</div></div> + +<p>Towandahoc and Ponawtan wondered when they saw her kneeling in prayer, +but did not interfere with the lovely child; and doubtless this daily +habit not only kept up within her mind purer notions of God and duty +than she could otherwise have entertained, but enabled her to cherish a +more vivid remembrance of the parents she believed to be dead, and of +the beautiful home of her infancy. Never hearing aught spoken but the +Indian tongue, the little girl would soon have entirely forgotten her +native language, had it not been<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> for this daily practice, which kept at +least some words of English fresh in her memory.</p> + +<p>Among the indistinct, but most pleasing recollections of the home of her +early childhood, was one of a boy with curly black hair and smiling +face, who brought her beautiful flowers, and made for her rabbits out of +his handkerchief, and pretty little boats out of nut-shells. She +remembered eagerly leaning over the water, watching the tiny bark till +it got out of sight, while he held her hand tightly, for fear she should +fall into the water. Another scene, of a different character, was +imprinted upon her mind, never to be erased—that fearful waking, when +the flames crackled and roared around her, and the thick smoke filled +the air, when she called upon her father for help, but no father was +there; and when her dark-skinned father Towandahoc rushed in to her +rescue. When she thought of this night of horror, she instinctively +clasped her hands before her eyes, to shut out the fearful sight.</p> + +<p>These remembrances, however, did not hinder the bright and lively child +from being very happy in her new life. And why not? True, here were none +of the conveniences or refinements of civilized life, but the little +girl grew up without the feeling of their loss, and</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>"Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise."</div> +</div></div> + +<p>No mirrors reflected her erect and graceful figure, unspoiled by corset +or by long, wearisome hours of confinement at the school-bench; it was +lithe and well-proportioned as one of Diana's nymphs; but instead, she +arranged her golden tresses, and decked her head with a wreath of +wild-flowers, bending over a small mountain lake, which she had +appropriated to her own use, and which served her as bathing-house, +dressing-room, and looking-glass, all in one. No Turkey or Persian<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span> +carpets were spread upon the floor, no sofa with rich carving and velvet +seat invited her to indolence; but instead, she trod upon soft green +moss, sweet grass and flowers, and when weary, reposed upon such seat as +Dame Nature provides for her children in her beautiful mansion—the old +stump, the mossy bank, the well-washed rock, or the tree prostrated by a +storm. No sparkling fountain rose into the air, and fell into its +ornamented basin, to please her taste; but the mountain waterfall, of +which this is but a feeble imitation, rushed down the rocks in +snow-white foam, near her cabin; and she would gaze upon it for hours +with delight. To the imaginative mind, to the eye and the ear open to +the impressions of beauty, nature has many school-books, unopened in the +great city, and amid the busy haunts of men; and her ready scholars may +gain many a lesson from the great common mother, undreamt of amid the +cares of business, the dreams of ambition, and the bustle of fictitious +wants. To Orikama the world was one vast temple: instead of marble +pillars with Corinthian capitals, instead of Gothic aisles and dark +Cathedrals, her eye rested with admiration upon the nobler, loftier +columns of trees that had grown for centuries, crowned with graceful +spreading foliage; upon long avenues, whose overlapping branches formed +a natural arch, imitated long since by man, and called an invention; +upon the deep recesses of forests, with their "dim religious light," or +with their sudden, glorious illumination, when the last rays of the sun +stream in lengthwise, with coloring as rich as any painted window can +furnish. Her choristers were the birds; her incense the sweet perfume +which the grateful earth and her innocent children the flowers +continually offer up to their Maker: instead of the gaudy chandelier, +she gazed upon the full-orbed moon, hanging like a silver lamp from its +dome of blue, and forcibly re<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span>calling the Divine Hand which placed it +there. All nature had a voice and a meaning to her, and in the absence +of the ordinary means of education, and of the invaluable aids of the +Christian ministry, her pure and religious soul</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>"Found tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,</div> +<div>Sermons in stones, and good in every thing."</div> +</div></div> + +<p>Living thus constantly in the open air, while her mind expanded in +tranquil beauty, she grew up a blooming, healthful maiden, whose kindly, +candid nature shone out through a countenance of rare loveliness.</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>"Thoughtless of beauty, she was beauty's self."</div> +</div></div> + +<p>None were there to flatter the young girl, and to awaken that uneasy +vanity which fills the mind with the consciousness of observation, and +gives awkwardness to the timid, and affectation to the self-possessed. +Seeing herself so different from those she loved the best, the fair +Water-Lily often wished she could darken her skin and hair, that she +might more resemble others. Nor think that Orikama was totally +unaccomplished; her kind mother Ponawtan taught her all she herself +knew—to fear and love the Great Spirit; to be obedient, kind, and +patient; to speak the truth, and to bear pain without a murmur. She +learned that important part of the Indian woman's duty, to raise the +vegetables needed for their simple repasts, and to prepare savory dishes +of venison and other game; to fabricate their garments, ornamenting them +with uncommon skill and taste, and to manufacture baskets of exquisite +workmanship. These were her tasks: and when they were accomplished, how +joyfully did she bound off to the woods, or up the hills, to gather +herbs and barks, such as observation and tradition taught the children +of the forest to employ in the cure of diseases: she knew all the +trees,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span> shrubs, and roots which grew in that region, and was skilled in +domestic surgery, such as woman has ever practised where medical +colleges are unknown. In her frequent and distant excursions for this +purpose, she had attained one accomplishment not to be taught in +schools; her voice was one of exquisite tone and great compass, +peculiarly rich and mellow; and she had learned to imitate the birds in +their varied warblings, so that frequently answers would be returned to +her from the deceived songsters of the wood. Then, louder still would +ring the notes, and the feathered tribe were excited to emulation by the +young girl, singing in the gayety of her heart.</p> + +<p>Thus passed the early youth of Orikama, in intercourse with sweet +nature, under the kind protection of two of the best specimens of the +Indian tribes, and almost debarred from any other society. Seldom did a +moccasined hunter enter their wigwam, yet seldomer did a squaw pass +through that lonely valley; and a white man, never. When she had +attained the age of thirteen, a change occurred, which threw a shadow +over her young life, and was greatly regretted by Towandahoc and +Ponawtan. A detachment of their tribe having determined to migrate, +fixed upon that beautiful and fertile vale for the place of their +settlement, and soon an Indian village arose, where before had rested +the holy, maiden calmness of a region almost untrod by man. Now, all was +dirt, confusion, discord: the vices of civilized life were added to +those of the savage, without the decency or refinement which seeks to +throw a veil over their deformity. Orikama woke up as from a beautiful +dream, to find that those whom she would love to think of as brethren, +were vile and degraded: she saw lazy, drunken men, lounging about at the +doors of smoky huts, or administering chastisement to yelping<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> curs, or +to women as noisy, reduced by ill-treatment and domestic drudgery to be +the cunning, spiteful slaves they were. Every thing shocked the noble +and pure spirit of Orikama: there were none here that she could make +companions and friends, nor would Towandahoc and Ponawtan have been +pleased to have her associate with them. It could not be expected that +she should be a favorite with the young girls of the tribe, who were +jealous of her superior attractions, and hated her for her reserve; and +their conduct made her feel sensibly that she was of another race, and +of another nature. Their malice was perhaps quickened by the fact, that +some slight hostilities had again arisen between the red men and the +pale faces, in which their tribe had been very prominent.</p> + +<p>So unpleasantly changed did the whole family find their beautiful +valley, that it was resolved to remove to some distant spot, where they +should not be crowded out by uncongenial companionship. Accordingly, +Towandahoc departed for an absence of some weeks, to choose a situation +for settlement; the less reluctantly, as all the warriors of the tribe +had already left upon an expedition, which he had reason to suspect was +aimed against the whites. None remained behind but old men, squaws, and +pappooses, not to forget the Indian dogs, ever ready by their snarl to +recall their unwelcome existence to your mind. One day during her +husband's absence, Ponawtan departed early in the morning, with a view +to gather some herbs which grew upon one spot alone, a marsh at a +considerable distance: she left Orikama to take charge of the wigwam +till her return, which would not be before nightfall. Soon after she had +left, the crack of the rifle was heard, and the Indian village was +startled from its repose by the shout of the white man, and armed +backwoodsmen rushed in, expecting to meet their enemies: but the +warriors were absent, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> the rough but generous foe disdained to wreak +vengeance upon old men, women, and children. All were taken prisoners, +and the cabins were fired: but how great was their amazement, upon +coming to the larger, handsomer wigwam of Towandahoc, which they +concluded from its appearance to belong to a sachem, to see there, +shrinking back with terror, a fair young girl of their own blood! Few +words could she speak in English, and but little could she understand of +that tongue which for ten years she had not heard spoken, except by +herself in prayer; she had even forgotten her own former name. Great was +the excitement when the news flew through the band, that a lost or +stolen child was recovered, and all rushed eagerly to see her. And she, +what mingled feelings filled her heart! Childish memories of just such +men crowded into her mind. She was lost in wonder and vague remembrance. +Just then, full of ardor, there rushed forward a youth of twenty, who +exclaimed the moment his eyes fell upon her, "It <i>is</i> she! I knew she +was living! It is little Emily Buckingham!" As she gazed upon his open +brow, round which the crisp black curls were clustered, and heard the +long-forgotten name, she was troubled—she thought of the boy who held +her hand as she leaned over the edge of the stream to watch the mimic +boat, and with faltering tongue she repeated her name.</p> + +<p>"The voice and all! Do you not see, comrades, how she resembles her +mother, Ellen Buckingham? Oh, hasten homeward, to give joy to the hearts +of her father and mother!"</p> + +<p>"Father, mother, dead. Towandahoc, Ponawtan, Indian father, mother."</p> + +<p>After some difficulty, Roland Markley, for it was really he, succeeded +in explaining to her that her parents still lived: and against her tears +and prayers, determined at once to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> break all bonds with her Indian +home, they tore her away, without waiting for the return of Towandahoc +and Ponawtan; but left their wigwam standing, out of gratitude for the +care they had taken of the child. The Indians had made an incursion into +the territory of the whites, and committed many ravages, and it was with +the intention of breaking up their villages, and driving them away, that +this expedition had been undertaken. The prisoners they had captured +were ransomed on condition of their removal, and the whole tribe passed +to the other side of the Alleghanies.</p> + +<p>As the band travelled homeward, and first came across the beautiful +Susquehanna, Orikama—or Emily, as we should again call her—started, +and gazed eagerly around her: the broad stream called up memories of the +past. And when they arrived at the cottage of Hopedale, and she beheld +the house and grounds, the river and the woods, and the distant hills, +she recognized her home, and her earliest recollections were vividly +recalled. Soon was she folded in the arms of her mother, who so long had +mourned for her; and by her father she was welcomed back as one from the +grave. The news spread far and wide, and great was the gathering of +friends and neighbors to wish joy to the parents, and to welcome back +the pride of Hopedale: much to the confusion and distress of poor Emily. +All noticed the strong likeness she bore her mother, in person, voice, +and countenance; and if now she resembled her, how much more was this +the case when she had exchanged her Indian garb for one more suitable to +the American maiden! Soon were the bonds of love knit together most +closely between the parents and their recovered treasure; her tongue +relearned the lost language of her childhood, and happiness again +brightened the hearth at Hopedale; the birds sang more sweetly to her +mother's ears,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span> and the sun shone more cheerfully than it had done for +years. Amidst all her new joys, Emily very often thought of her beloved +Indian parents, Towandahoc and Ponawtan, and longed to see them again; +but Indian life, as developed in the village, was abhorrent to her very +soul, and here she enjoyed all the freedom and communion with nature she +had once so highly prized, with society, and advantages for mental +cultivation she was now at an age to appreciate. All were delighted to +teach the docile and intelligent girl, so ready to take up ideas, so +judicious in the application of them; but Roland Markley, the playmate +of her childhood, installed himself as head tutor, and soon every +setting sun saw him on the way to the cottage, eager to apply himself to +the task.</p> + +<p>Ten other years have passed; and near the cottage of Hopedale stands +another, within whose porch, overgrown by the Prairie rose, at her +spinning wheel, sits a beautiful young matron; perfect contentment is +enthroned upon her brow, and happiness beams out from her radiant smile; +golden curls cluster gracefully around her well-shaped head, and dark, +lustrous eyes follow lovingly a little girl at play, although her +skilful fingers do not forget their task.</p> + +<p>"What is the matter, my little Ellen?" she said, as the child ran to +hide her face in her lap.</p> + +<p>"An Indian, mamma! An Indian, coming out of the wood!"</p> + +<p>At these words Emily springs up; she will ever love the red man for the +sake of those who nourished her childhood, and never will a son of the +forest be sent away uncheered from her door. But times have greatly +changed since her father built the neighboring cottage: seldom now does +the Indian visit that comparatively thickly settled spot; his course is +still westward, and ever onward, with the setting sun.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span> When Emily +emerged from the thickly shaded porch, she saw indeed a red man approach +from the forest; he was old, but his majestic figure was still erect, +his eye bright and piercing; black eagle plumes adorned his stately +head—it was Towandahoc!</p> + +<p>He was soon clasped in the embrace of his long-lost Water-Lily, and +Indian though he was, the old man wept over his recovered darling. He +told her how Ponawtan had returned by nightfall, to find her daughter +gone, and the village in ashes: their own wigwam had caught fire from +the flying cinders, and was entirely consumed. She had lingered around +the spot of her former happiness till his return; after a little time, +as they could hear no news of Orikama, they had removed far away from +the scene of desolation, to the valley of the Mohawk. Grief for the loss +of her daughter had injured the health of Ponawtan, although time had +now somewhat reconciled her to it: but Towandahoc said that the Wild +Rose was drooping, that her leaves were withered, and her flowers +falling one by one; and much he feared that another winter would lay her +low in the dust.</p> + +<p>When little Ellen understood that this was the dear Indian grandpa of +whom she had so often heard, her shyness passed away, and soon she drew +near to the aged hunter, handling his bow and arrows, and even presuming +to climb up and scrutinize the feathers, that were at once her +admiration and her dread. The old man took her upon his knee, and was +showing her his bow, when Roland returned home; he eagerly seconded his +wife's persuasions, to induce Towandahoc to remain with them for some +time, and then to return for Ponawtan, that both might pass the remnant +of their days within their daughter's dwelling. But the aged hunter +shook his head:<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span></p> + +<p>"It cannot be," he said; "the Great Spirit has made the pale faces to +dwell in houses, to plough the fields, and to listen to the voice which +comes from the printed book, held up before his eyes; but he has made +the red man to hunt the deer, and to live alone in the open air. When +the Great Spirit created man, he made his red child first, out of the +best clay: he then made the pale faces; and lastly, out of what was left +he made the black man. And he placed before them three boxes; and +because his red child was the favorite, he told him to choose which he +would have. So he chose the box containing a bow and arrows, a tomahawk, +and a pipe. Then the pale face chose; and he took the box which held a +plough, carpenters' tools, a gun, and a book. And the black man took +what was left: in his box was an overseer's whip, a spade, and a hoe. +And this has been the portion of each ever since. I am a red man, and I +cannot breathe where men are thicker than trees: to me belong the bow +and arrows, the wild deer, and the open sky. The old man has returned to +visit the graves of his ancestors; but soon, far away from them, he will +drop to the ground, like the ripe persimmon after a frost. Orikama has +returned to the ways of her fathers, and I do not blame her, for she is +a pale face. But the old man cannot change, like a leaf in October; soon +will his sun set in yonder western heaven, and he must now keep on his +course. I have said."</p> + +<p>When the moon arose, Towandahoc left the house, bending his steps to the +forest: but he did not go without passing his word that he would bring +Ponawtan to see her daughter. Before the winter set in, they arrived, +and Emily's tender heart was grieved as she gazed upon the wasting form +of her who had so often sheltered her in her arms: it was only too +evident that another summer would not see her upon the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span> earth. Ponawtan +was greatly cheered by her visit; but could only be prevailed upon to +stay for a few days, when she departed, never more to return. In the +spring, Towandahoc came alone; his sorrowful face and drooping form told +the tale of sorrow before he opened his lips: his energy and vital +powers seemed to have died with Ponawtan. He never came again; and +doubtless he soon found a resting-place by the side of her who had been +his life-long companion.</p> + +<p class='tbrk'> </p> + +<p>"So, you didn't kill any of your people off, but the two farm-servants, +for whom we do not care a fig!" cried Charlie Bolton.</p> + +<p>"Not I," replied Mary; "I'm not very partial to blood and murder; I +would not have put them out of the way, except to please you; I lay the +manslaughter at your door, Cousin mine."</p> + +<p>"I'm very willing to bear the penalty: if it's a hanging matter, please +to imagine that my neck has paid the forfeit—just consider me hung—as +the man said at the crowded dinner table, when an irritable fool took +offence at something he had spoken, and being too far off to throw his +glass of wine in his face, told him '<i>to consider the wine as thrown at +him</i>.' 'Very well, I will,' replied the first; 'and do you consider this +sword as run through your body.'"</p> + +<p>"A very good retaliation! And what did they do then? Did they fight?"</p> + +<p>"Not they! They did much better—they laughed, shook hands, and were +good friends ever after."</p> + +<p>"And their honor was as well satisfied as if they had made targets of +their bodies, I dare say: it was much more sensible."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span></p> + +<p>"But, Cousin Mary," said Amy thoughtfully, "I've been trying to find out +the reason why Towandahoc did not take little Emily to the nearest white +settler, instead of carrying her off into the wild woods; I think it +would have been much better for the poor child."</p> + +<p>"What do you think was the reason?" replied Mary.</p> + +<p>"I know!" cried George. "The Indians are such dunces, that old +Thunder-Gust, or whatever his name is, hadn't the sense to do such a +straightforward thing as that, but must drag the child off through the +woods, scratching her finely with the blackberry and whortleberry +bushes, no doubt. I'll warrant she screamed and tried to get away, +although Cousin Mary does try to made her out so gentle—I know I +would."</p> + +<p>"I declare you do not know how to appreciate my fine sentiment! Are you +boys made of different stuff from us, I want to know?"</p> + +<p>"I rather suppose we are," said George, laughing. "Well, am I right in +my explanation?"</p> + +<p>"Not in the least; some one else must try."</p> + +<p>"I concluded," said Alice, "that it was the natural kindness of his +heart, and his fondness for the little girl, which made him wish to have +her for his own child. Of course, he did not realize that he was only a +savage, and not fit to bring her up rightly."</p> + +<p>"That's nearer the truth than the other guess," rejoined Mary. "But none +of you have mentioned the great reason why Towandahoc carried her off."</p> + +<p>"What can it be?"</p> + +<p>"Simply this—if he had not, what would have become of my story, I'd +like to know? I made him take her home with him, on the same principle +that novel writers place their<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span> heroines in a thousand distressing +situations—that they may extricate them from their difficulties, and +make a longer tale."</p> + +<p>"But what's the moral of your story?" said practical, matter-of-fact +John. "I don't see much use in a tale, unless there's a regular drawn +moral in it, that everybody can discover at once."</p> + +<p>"Oh nonsense! I do hate morals!" said Cornelia. "Just as if we were to +be instructed the whole livelong day, and never to have amusement +without a good reason being given! That's too tiresome! I always skip +the morals and the <i>good talk</i>, when I read stories—if they're +pleasant, that's enough: I hate to be cheated into a sermon when I want +a story. I feel something as the man did who was fishing for a pike: he +caught a cat-fish instead, and throwing it back into the river, +exclaimed, 'When I go a-catting, I go a-catting; but when I go a-piking, +I go a-piking.'"</p> + +<p>"I'm afraid a good many people think as you do, Cornelia," said Mrs. +Wyndham, laughing. "But perhaps we can find a moral for John, if we look +sharply enough. Let's see—there are good, kind people in every race, of +every complexion; and if we only make the most of our opportunities, +there are means of education open to all who have eyes and ears, and +willing minds. Do you see any other moral?"</p> + +<p>"Oh yes, indeed!" replied Ellen. "When the Buckinghams were deprived of +their child, it was a sort of punishment to them for disobedience to +their parents; and they understood it in that way."</p> + +<p>"True enough," said Mr. Wyndham. "And I have often noticed that +disobedient children are punished in after life, by means of their own +offspring: either by their suffering or death, or, still more +frequently, by their ingratitude and dis<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span>respectful conduct. And then +they feel themselves, as their parents did before them,</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>'How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is,</div> +<div class='i1'>To have a thankless child!'"</div> +</div></div> + +<p>"I have often remarked this also," rejoined Mrs. Wyndham. "And it +appears to be consistent with all the dealings of the Disposer of +events: He himself says that He will treat us as we treat our +fellow-creatures: 'With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful, +and with the just thou wilt show thyself just, and with the froward thou +wilt show thyself froward.'"</p> + +<p>"And, when we notice these coincidences, is it not an argument for a +superintending Providence?" said Tom Green.</p> + +<p>"Undoubtedly it is," replied his uncle; "and although evil conduct here +is frequently unpunished, being left for the more perfect retributions +of eternity, yet it is so often followed by unhappiness, and by a reward +in kind, that no thinking mind can doubt the moral government of God. +And it appears to me that of all the commandments, that one which says +'Honor thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with thee,' is the +one taken under the especial protection of Providence. I have ever +noticed that dutiful children are honored by the world, and honored in +their own family circle, and that, on the other hand, it is ill with the +rebellious and unthankful."</p> + +<p>"Then there is another thing I was thinking of," said Amy; "the good +uses of sorrow: you know it brought the Buckinghams to repentance; and +Ellen's father being taken ill, he repented too—I think he had as much +need of it as they. I'm glad my father is not cross and severe."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span></p> + +<p>"So am I, heartily. Would you run off, Amy, if he were?" said Cornelia.</p> + +<p>"Oh! I hope not! I should think</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>'How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is,</div> +<div class='i1'>To have a thankless child.'</div> +</div></div> + +<p>I shall not forget that passage, uncle, as long as I live: who wrote +it?"</p> + +<p>"Shakspeare: and as a general rule you may conclude, when you meet a +particularly striking passage, that it is either in Shakspeare or +Milton. But it is getting late: will Mary be kind enough to bring the +Bible, for it will then be time to say, Good-night to you all!"</p> + +<hr /> +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV.</h2> + +<h3>PROVERBS.—TWENTY QUESTIONS.—THE SPECTRE OF ALCANTRA, OR THE CONDE'S +DAUGHTERS, A TALE OF SPAIN.</h3> + +<p>Brightly and joyfully did the sun arise after the storm, like a prisoner +released from dungeon and chains, again to look upon the faces of those +he loved; and all nature put on a holiday garb to greet him. Every tree +and bush was sparkling, as if with rapture. If a magician of superhuman +power had waved his wand over the earth, it could not have been more +changed. Long icicles were suspended from the fences and the overhanging +roofs, and even the sheds looked brilliant and beautiful in their icy +covering; but the trees! what words can describe them? The pines +bristled themselves up like stiff warriors arrayed in steel, their armor +making a clanking sound when the cold winds whistled by; and the +sycamores, with their little dependent balls, looked like Christmas +trees hung with bon-bons and confectionery for good children. Every +stray leaf that had resisted the storms of winter, every seed-vessel +upon the shrubs, shone with beauty; the ground was one glittering sheet, +like a mirror; the sky was of a deep blue, washed from all impurities, +and the sun smiled down upon the beautiful earth, like a crowned king +upon his bride, decked with sparkling diamonds. It was one of nature's +gala-days, in which she appears to invite all her children to be happy; +one of those scenes which forbid us to call winter a dreary time, and +which outshine in brilliancy all the verdure of the tropics.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span></p> + +<p>At any time we enjoy the clear sky after a sullen rain, or a driving, +impetuous storm, and young people especially feel the truth and beauty +of Solomon's expression, "Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing +it is for the eyes to behold the sun;" but when, in addition, such a +spectacle as this is presented to those long pent up within city walls, +how does the heart swell with rapture! No introduction at court, no +coronation, no theatrical exhibition, can for a moment compare with it +in splendor; nature has shows more beautiful by far than any that man +can produce, and all she asks for in exchange is the seeing eye and the +feeling heart. Truly, the best gifts of heaven to man are free and +universal, bestowed without money and without price, and maybe enjoyed +by the penniless as well as by the millionaire, if the spirit be only +opened to the impressions of happiness they were intended to convey—the +Good God is daily blessing and feasting his creatures with impartial +liberality. What exclamations of delight were heard in The Grange when +the fairy scene was first beheld! Every room in the house was visited, +to see which presented the finest prospect, and soon, with feet well +provided with gum-elastics, and with old-fashioned socks, still better +preservatives from falling, all sallied forth to enjoy the spectacle +more fully. The clear sky and the keen air raised their spirits, and an +occasional slip and tumble was only an additional provocative to +laughter; youth and health, and merry hearts, that had never yet tasted +of sorrow, made life appear to them, not a desert, not a valley of +tears, as it is felt by many to be, but a paradise of sweets, a joyful +festival.</p> + +<p>To combine duty and pleasure, Mrs. Wyndham proposed that they should +bend their steps to the humble home of Mrs. Norton, the poor widow for +whom their fingers had been so busily plying the preceding day. +Accordingly, laden with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span> bundles, and with a basket of comforts which +would prove very acceptable to a sick person, they walked towards her +little cottage. The boys, after a private consultation, declared that +they did not intend to allow the girls to do all the charitable, and +that they wished to invest some of their surplus Christmas cash in a +pair of large warm blankets, for the widow's benefit. Their aunt +heartily approved of the suggestion, and all agreed that a far better +interest would accrue from a capital so laid up, than from shares taken +in the confectioner's or the toymaker's stock; and the walk was +considerably prolonged by a visit to the country store, where the +desired purchases were made. Joy lighted up the sick woman's eyes when +she saw this unexpected provision for her wants, and witnessed the +kindly interest of the young people of The Grange: she thanked them with +few words, but with overflowing eyes and heart. She was an interesting +woman, kind and motherly, and looked as if she had seen better days: her +little black-eyed children also were well trained, with manners much +superior to their station. One little girl of about twelve attracted +Mrs. Wyndham's particular notice; she appeared to have installed herself +into the office of chief nurse, and the younger children seemed to look +to her for help and advice: when not engaged in waiting upon them or the +sick mother, she seated herself near the window, busily occupied with a +piece of needlework. She was a very pretty child, of fair complexion and +deep blue eyes, with the beseeching look that you sometimes see in the +young face, when trouble and hard treatment have too early visited the +little heart—like an untimely frost, nipping the tender blossoms of +spring. Sad indeed it is to see that look in childhood, when, under the +sheltering wings of parents and friends, the body and mind should expand +together in an atmosphere of love and gentle<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span>ness—such is the great +Creator's will. Mrs. Wyndham observed to her mother,</p> + +<p>"That oldest child of yours does not resemble you and the other +children."</p> + +<p>The sick woman smiled: "No, ma'am, she is an adopted child, although I +love Margaret as much as any of my other children."</p> + +<p>"Indeed! with so many little ones, could you take another?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, ma'am, she was thrown into our keeping by Providence, at a time +when we wanted nothing; my husband was then living, and in excellent +business as a saddler, and we enjoyed every comfort. Times are now sadly +changed, but Margaret shall share our last crust; but indeed she is our +main stay—I should be obliged to give up entirely, and perhaps to go to +the Almshouse, if it were not for her help."</p> + +<p>"I am glad to see that she makes herself so useful; is she any relation +to you?"</p> + +<p>"None at all. I will tell you her story, if you will hear it, some time +when we are alone: it is rather a long one."</p> + +<p>The young people left Mrs. Wyndham still conversing with Mrs. Norton, +and returned homeward. After tea, various games amused the fleeting +hours, and among them "Proverbs" was played as follows: While one is +absent from the circle, all fix upon some well-known old saw or proverb; +the absentee then returns and asks a question of every individual, to +which an answer must be returned, embracing some one word of the +sentence, care being taken not to emphasize it. The first proverb was +this: "When the cat's away, the mice will play." Cornelia had been out +of the room.</p> + +<p>"Cousin Mary, didn't you enjoy the clear-up to-day?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, <i>when</i> it clears after a storm, one always does."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Charlie, are you tired from your long walk this morning?"</p> + +<p>"O no, <i>the</i> day was so fine, <i>the</i> walk so pleasant, and <i>the</i> company +so agreeable, that I did not feel <i>the</i> fatigue."</p> + +<p>"Ellen, didn't you pity poor Mrs. Norton?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, and I pitied her <i>cats</i>, they looked so thin."</p> + +<p>"Cats! I thought she had only one. Cats? Hum! Tom, don't you hope we'll +have a story to-night?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, I enjoy it vastly, and will take care not to be <i>away</i> when it's +told."</p> + +<p>"Gertrude, don't you think <i>the mice will play</i> to-night?"</p> + +<p>"Yes—but from whom did you take the idea? Who let that cat out of the +bag?"</p> + +<p>"Ellen, to be sure, with her plural number for Mrs. Norton's cat, which +does not look starved at all—so go into the hall, Miss Ellen, while we +think of a proverb."</p> + +<p>"Let's have 'It is more blessed to give than to receive,'" said Amy, "I +thought of that to-day at Mrs. Norton's."</p> + +<p>"Very well, that will do. Come in, Ellen; Cornelia will bring in the +first two words, as they are small."</p> + +<p>"Cornelia, have you finished your crochet purse?"</p> + +<p>"<i>It is</i> almost done."</p> + +<p>"Amy, are you not almost roasted in that hot corner of the chimney?"</p> + +<p>"It would be <i>more</i> pleasant further from the fire."</p> + +<p>"George, you are so fond of skating, don't you hope to enjoy the sport +to-morrow?"</p> + +<p>"Yes indeed—I think we'll have a <i>blessed</i> cold night, and then we'll +have skating."</p> + +<p>"John, how many miles did you walk to-day?"</p> + +<p>"<i>Two</i>," said John.</p> + +<p>"That's not fair! That's not fair!" cried some of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> younger children. +However, it was agreed that playing upon words, where the sound was the +same, was quite allowable.</p> + +<p>"Tom, do you like to ask questions?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, I like to <i>give</i> a question to be answered."</p> + +<p>"Aunt Lucy, what shall be our story to-night?"</p> + +<p>"That is more easy to ask <i>than</i> to answer."</p> + +<p>"Charlie, are you fond of mince-pie?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, and of cherry pie <i>too</i>."</p> + +<p>"Alice, are you not almost tired of this game?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, I'd <i>receive</i> pleasure from a change."</p> + +<p>"Let me see—George's <i>blessed</i>, and John's <i>two</i>—blessed too—Oh, I +know, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' Now let's play +'Twenty Questions.'"</p> + +<p>"How is that played? It is quite a new game to me."</p> + +<p>"It used to be a favorite game in distinguished circles in England; +Canning, the celebrated minister, was very fond of it; and it really +requires some knowledge and skill in the lawyer-like craft of +cross-examination, to play it well—so have your wits about you, young +people, for the more ready you are, the better you'll like it. One +person thinks of a thing, and by a skillful questioning on the part of +one, two, or the whole party, as you prefer it, your thought can always +be found out. Twenty questions and three guesses are allowed. If +Cornelia will think of something, I'll discover what it is, to show you +how it is played."</p> + +<p>"I have a thought," said Cornelia, "but you never can find it out."</p> + +<p>"We'll see: does it belong to the animal, vegetable, mineral, or +spiritual kingdoms?"</p> + +<p>"The animal."</p> + +<p>"Is it biped or quadruped, fish, flesh, fowl, or insect?"</p> + +<p>"Biped."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Man, monkey, or bird?"</p> + +<p>"Bird."</p> + +<p>"Wild or tame?"</p> + +<p>"Tame."</p> + +<p>"Is it the species you think of, or one individual of it?"</p> + +<p>"One particular individual."</p> + +<p>"Is it used for the table?"</p> + +<p>"The species is—but I doubt that this individual was ever used for +food."</p> + +<p>"Did this bird live in ancient or modern times—before or after the +Christian era?"</p> + +<p>"Very ancient; before the Christian era."</p> + +<p>"Does this ancient bird belong to the goose, duck, chicken, peacock, or +turkey tribe?"</p> + +<p>"Turkey."</p> + +<p>"Was it very thin?"</p> + +<p>"Very, indeed—to a proverb."</p> + +<p>"Job's turkey?"</p> + +<p>"You've guessed it, and with ten questions too. Now you can think, +Ellen, and the rest of us will question you, in turn."</p> + +<p>"I have a thought," said Ellen.</p> + +<p>"Treasure it then," said Charlie Bolton; "thoughts are very rare things +with me. Animal, vegetable, mineral, or spiritual?"</p> + +<p>"Vegetable."</p> + +<p>"In its natural or prepared state?"</p> + +<p>"Natural."</p> + +<p>"Is it the whole, or only a part of the plant?"</p> + +<p>"A part."</p> + +<p>"Is it a part of a tree, a shrub, a vine, or is it of the grass kind?"</p> + +<p>"A vine."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Is it the root, stem, leaf, flower, or fruit?"</p> + +<p>"Fruit."</p> + +<p>"Is it used for food?"</p> + +<p>"The species is—this one was not."</p> + +<p>"Is this fruit pulpy like the grape, or mealy like the bean?"</p> + +<p>"Mealy like the bean."</p> + +<p>"Is it a bean?"</p> + +<p>"Yes—that's one guess."</p> + +<p>"Was this bean an ancient or modern one?"</p> + +<p>"Very ancient."</p> + +<p>"I know!" cried Amy; "it was the bean Jack the Giant Killer planted, +which grew up to the moon in one night, and fastened itself round one of +the horns."</p> + +<p>"You are right—eight questions and two guesses; that's pretty well. +Now, Amy, 'tis your turn to think."</p> + +<p>"I have a thought."</p> + +<p>"Animal, vegetable, or mineral?"</p> + +<p>"Animal."</p> + +<p>"Quadruped or biped, fish, snake, or insect?"</p> + +<p>"None of these; it is the production of a biped."</p> + +<p>"In its natural or prepared state?"</p> + +<p>"Natural—but a slight alteration was made in its shape at the time to +which I refer."</p> + +<p>"What time is it—before or after the Christian era?"</p> + +<p>"After."</p> + +<p>"Before or after the year 1500?"</p> + +<p>"Very much about that time."</p> + +<p>"Had it any thing to do with Columbus?"</p> + +<p>"Yes; at least Columbus had something to do with it."</p> + +<p>"Was it Columbus' egg?"</p> + +<p>"The very thing. And now, shall we not vary the scene by having a +story?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Agreed, we are all ready to listen; but who shall tell the tale?"</p> + +<p>"It is Alice's turn; and do give us a ghost story, for once, a nice +frightful one that will make our teeth chatter and our hair stand on +end—do, Alice!"</p> + +<p>"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed, but I'll tell you some sort of a +tale, and hope that you will make allowances for a young beginner. I'm +no Scheherezade."</p> + +<p>"No <i>what</i>?" said Amy.</p> + +<p>"Is it possible you have not read the Arabian Nights? Scheherezade was +the princess who saved her life by telling such interesting stories; the +tyrant of a Sultan intended to put her to death in the morning, but she +left off in such an important part of her tale, that his curiosity led +him to spare her head till she had finished the narrative. Of course she +took good care to tell what the sailors call 'long yarns,' and the +Sultan found out he could not live without her to divert him."</p> + +<p class='tbrk'> </p> + +<h3>The Spectre of Alcantra, or the Conde's Daughters.</h3> + +<h4>A SPANISH TALE.</h4> + +<p>The Conde de Alcantra was a Spanish nobleman, universally esteemed by +those who knew him, as a man of high honor and moral worth. In person he +was tall, dark, and commanding, in manner grave and dignified. The +grandee of Spain is never one with whom you feel inclined to take a +liberty, but the noble Conde was uncommonly reserved and serious, even +sad, in the expression of his countenance. He was a widower, with two +lovely children, daughters, of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span> ages of sixteen and eighteen. Clara, +the elder, a very handsome girl, strikingly resembled her father in +appearance, save that a bright, hopeful, energetic spirit was displayed +in her face and in almost every motion. Magdalena, the younger, and the +cherished darling of both father and sister, scarcely looked as if she +belonged to the same family: she inherited from her mother the +transparent, delicate complexion, azure eyes, and fair, clustering +curls, sometimes seen in Spain and Italy, and always so highly prized +from their rarity. Gentleness, and an up-looking for love and +protection, were the characteristics both of her face and mind; and +doubtless her timidity and dependence upon others was much fostered by +the loving cares and constant vigilance of her father.</p> + +<p>Their ordinary residence was in Madrid, where the Conde was much engaged +in affairs of state; his strict integrity, political wisdom, and +fidelity in the discharge of duty, caused business of the highest moment +to be committed to him by his sovereign. But, as is only too frequently +the case, public cares engrossed him to the detriment of his private +concerns, and some little entanglements in money matters made him +resolve to look more closely into his account books, and see where the +difficulty lay. It was certainly surprising, that the hereditary estates +which brought in so large an income till within fifteen years, had so +unaccountably decreased in value, and that the castellan, or mayordomo, +who managed them, was continually complaining of the difficulty he found +in raising from the peasantry the comparatively small sums he yearly +transmitted to his master. But so it was: and although the Conde carried +his confidence in his dependents, and his easiness of disposition, to +such an extent as almost to become a fault, yet as he examined the +accounts of some years' standing, a strong suspicion arose in his mind +that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span> somehow he had been most egregiously cheated, and that while he +had so skilfully managed the finances of the country as almost to double +her revenues, he himself had been as completely managed by a cunning +knave. Being a kind and a just man, he was anxious not to run the risk +of wronging a faithful servant, who was always profuse in expressions of +attachment to the family, and he determined to keep his suspicions +within his own breast, until he had given the matter a personal +investigation.</p> + +<p>Great was the astonishment and delight of Clara and her sister when he +announced to them his intention of paying a visit to the castle of +Alcantra. It was there that Magdalena first saw the light, and it was +there that her mother closed her eyes upon the world, leaving her +husband almost distracted; he immediately removed with his little +children from the scene of this great affliction. It was soon after this +sad event that the old and faithful mayordomo died; he had long been +intrusted with the entire control of the estate, and was greatly beloved +by his fellow-servants and by the peasantry. The Conde gave orders that +the sub-steward, who had lately come into his service, and who was +acquainted with the duties of the office, should take his vacant place; +his feelings were at that time too much engrossed with his recent loss +to institute the proper inquiries into his character and capabilities, +and from that time it was that, from some cause, either from misfortune, +negligence, or corruption, the entanglement of his affairs was to be +dated. The Conde had never before been willing to revisit the castle; +and his daughters, with the ardent curiosity of youth, longed to behold +the place in which a long line of their ancestors had lived, and eagerly +availed themselves of his invitation to accompany him. Their +imaginations were fired by all they had heard of the old chateau;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span> and +the ruinous condition into which it had fallen of late years, only added +fuel to the flame. Clara remembered, or fancied that she remembered, a +vast dark building, with huge towers and buttresses; she often tried to +picture to her mind the home of her infancy, and to describe it to +Magdalena, but these vague remembrances were all that she could recall.</p> + +<p>Don Alonzo informed his daughters that the journey was to be commenced +on the morrow, without much preparation, or any thing like an +ostentatious style of travelling; they themselves would set out in the +old family coach, accompanied by his secretary, Señor Roberto, and would +be followed by another carriage containing their maid, Fernando, his +valet, and Anselmo, a trusty servant. He intended to take with them a +supply of comforts indispensable to persons of their condition, as it +was probable that the castle might be destitute of them, having so long +been without the presence of its master; and this was the more needful, +as the castellan had received no intimation of the proposed visit. On +the following morning they set out: the castle of Alcantra was situated +in the north of Spain, among the wildest mountains, and as they +travelled onward, scenery of the most diversified kind passed before +their eyes. It was the time of the vintage; and the noble peasants of +Castile, in their picturesque costume, came homeward laden with the rich +purple grapes, singing the romantic lays of love and chivalry, which +have passed down from one generation to another. The ballads of the Cid, +and the laments of the Moors, formed the chief burden of their song. +Every now and then they could distinguish some well-known passage in +"Admiral Guarinos," "Baviaca," or "Don Roderick," or that sad-chorus, +which sounds like a Moorish sigh,</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>"Woe is me, Alhama!"</div> +<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span></div></div> + +<p>At sunset, they would see the peasants seated at the doors of their +cottages, cheerfully feasting upon bread and fruit, varied by the light +wine of the country, preserved in goat-skins, as it is in the East: one +leg of the skin forms the mouth of the bottle; and they noticed, what is +generally reported by travellers, that even in this time of rejoicing, +intoxication was nowhere to be witnessed. Many were the groups they met +dancing upon the grass by the light of the moon; and a pleasant thing it +was to see the white-haired grandsire looking on, and occasionally +joining the merry band of his descendants in innocent sport and +festivity, keeping a young heart under the weight of years. Clara and +Magdalena were particularly struck by the native grace displayed by the +youths and maidens in the bolero, a dance originally introduced by the +Moors: with castanets in their hands, accompanying their steps with +unpremeditated music, they would alternately advance and retreat, fly +and pursue, until, exhausted by the exercise, they would rest upon the +rustic bench or the green bank, and while away the hours with song and +guitar. What noble-looking men are the peasants of Spain! Every one of +them, from the dignity of his deportment, might well pass for a hidalgo +in disguise; and the feeling of self-respect is so common, that it has +passed into a proverb among the people that they are "as good gentlemen +as the king, only not so rich." Proud and independent, and jealous of +any encroachment upon their rights, they are yet scrupulously polite to +others, and pay marked attention to strangers. While in Italy the +foreigner will meet with imposition at every step, the Spaniard disdains +to take advantage of his ignorance, and the significant reply, "Señor, I +am a Spaniard," is sufficient answer to any suspicion of meanness or +duplicity. Their tall, manly forms, wrapped in the ample cloak which the +Spaniard<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> wears with unequalled grace, their oval faces, dark +complexions, and flashing eyes, make them most interesting features in +the landscape. Probably in no country does man, in the humbler walks of +life, appear so universally clothed with the majesty suitable to his +rank as lord of the creation, as he does in Spain. As they travelled +through Castile, the scene was occasionally varied by meeting a band of +strolling Gitanas, or Gipsies, whose swarthy hue, slender forms, and +wild appearance, clearly pointed out their foreign origin; of course, +they were anxious to tell the fortunes of the beautiful Señoritas, and +on one occasion their father consented to gratify their curiosity. But +he repented of his compliance, when he heard the woman predict to the +timid and somewhat superstitious Magdalena, a speedy and imminent danger +as about to befall her, and he noticed with concern the changing color +with which she heard these hints of peril: but Clara, whose fearless and +joyful spirit could not be daunted by such prophecies, soon laughed the +roses back again into her sister's cheeks, and made the wrinkled hag +retreat, full of rage at her incredulity. They also met some of those +immense flocks of sheep, which form such an important item in the +national wealth of Spain, and which are led southward early in the +autumn, to enjoy the rich pasture grounds of Estremadura and Andalusia.</p> + +<p>As they proceeded towards the north, the country became more rugged and +mountainous, and changes in the costume of the peasantry showed that +they had passed into another province: the black velvet cap of the +Castilian, ever worn so as to display to advantage his noble, lofty +forehead, was replaced by one of woollen material, of a brilliant red, +long, and hanging down behind. The scenery every moment became more +grand and sublime, and the young girls, who had spent<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> their lives +chiefly in Madrid, were full of delight and admiration. "How can people +live in the city," they exclaimed, "when such a free and happy life is +before them? How can they prefer brick and stone to the everlasting +hills, the soft green turf, and the majestic forests? Here, you can +really behold the sky, with its beautiful fleecy clouds, ever changing +in shape and hue, and you can see the starry universe spread out before +you; there, you can perhaps catch a glimpse of a few stars, and a small +piece of a cloud, but the rest is hidden by dead walls. In the city, our +time is taken up, and our hearts are frozen, by ceremonious visits, +stately dinners, and the rules of etiquette; here, in the country, a +real, true life could be spent, free from insincerity and busy idleness. +Dear father, will you not give up your offices at court, and live +henceforth at Alcantra?" Their father smiled at their enthusiasm, and +felt himself almost rejuvenated, as he listened to their raptures, +flowing fresh from young and ardent hearts; but told them that they had +not yet seen their ancestral castle, and that perhaps their expectations +might be grievously disappointed; he would wait until they had spent +some time there, before he gave them his answer.</p> + +<p>As they approached the termination of their journey, the country became +yet wilder, and the villages were more thinly scattered; while here and +there a wooden cross appeared upon the roadside, with some simple +inscription, calculated to inspire terror in proportion to its very +simplicity. "Here they killed Iago," or "Here the robbers killed Señor +Jose Blanco." They noticed, on their last day of travel, when they had +entered into the territory of the Conde, that the roadside crosses +became more frequent, and the cottages of the peasantry assumed a look +of poverty they certainly did not bear in former times, when the lords +of the manor resided upon<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span> their estate, and were able to see to the +welfare of the people. When they entered the little inn of the village +of Alcantra, about four miles from the castle, the garrulous old +landlord greeted the Conde most warmly.</p> + +<p>"And a good thing it is for the country that your Excellencia has +returned once more to his estates. Now we may hope to have a little +peace; now the peasants will not be ground down to the dust, as they +have been; now some villanous upstarts I know of, will not dare to ride +over them rough-shod, and to treat them as if they were beasts of the +field. Viva! viva! The illustrious Conde has returned!"</p> + +<p>The Count was much affected by the representations of this man, whom he +knew to be an honest and worthy fellow, and was full of regret for what +he now felt to be criminal negligence on his own part; and promised him +that full investigations should take place, and that perfect justice +should be done. The innkeeper asked him if his servants were well armed; +"For," said he, "the nearness of the castle is no protection to you from +robbery. Many travellers have left this inn, in high health and spirits, +and with trunks laden with merchandise, but have never arrived at their +destinations. The road is, as you well know, rough and precipitous, +over-hung by huge rocks and dark forests, and the banditti have taken up +their quarters somewhere in this neighborhood, though where it is none +can discover. Many murders have been committed here, and many a poor +fellow lies buried in unconsecrated ground, Heaven have mercy on their +souls! but the murderers have never yet been caught. It is not thought +that the band can be a large one, but they are very daring; it is now +more safe than usual, for an atrocious murder occurred a few miles from +this place within the last week, and a company of soldiers is expected +here every moment; they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span> will stay a week, and will try to capture them, +but unless the Saints defend us, and all the Martyrs, Heaven only knows +what will become of us all."</p> + +<p>Don Alonzo assured him that he feared nothing, as including the coachmen +they were six well-armed men, upon every one of whom he could entirely +depend. "And," said he, smiling, "if matters come to a bad pass, I could +count upon my daughter here, my brave Clara, as my seventh soldier; I +have taught her to fire a pistol without shrieking, and to hit the mark, +too, and with her protection Magdalena and I need fear nothing."</p> + +<p>After this conversation, it is not wonderful that all were on the qui +vive as they ascended the mountain road leading to the castle of +Alcantra. Magdalena started at every sound, and even Clara, fearless as +she was, felt relieved when she saw the lofty turrets and extensive +battlements she had dimly remembered, spreading out before her, their +dark outline relieved against the blue sky. If the approach was romantic +and alarming, it was a good preparation to their minds for the castle +itself; it was built in the times of feudal power and intestine wars, +and its massive walls had well performed their part in the defence of +its inmates during many sieges. And yet, strong as it was, and built, as +it appeared, for eternity, a portion of this noble structure was going +to decay; one wing had been very much battered in the last siege it had +sustained, and the cannon-balls had done the work of centuries; but the +main building looked very imposing, as if able to resist the lapse of +ages, and appeared, from its elevation, to frown down upon intruders, +and to scorn the very idea of danger. It was exactly such a place as was +calculated to fire the imaginations and to win the hearts of young +girls, brought up in a gay metropolis, from the very contrast to all +they had ever<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> seen before; there was a romance about its very gloom +that was attractive to them. Associated as it was with much historic +interest, and with many family traditions, they had ardently longed to +behold it, and now that they saw it rise, in its dark grandeur, before +them, they acknowledged that their expectations were more than realized.</p> + +<p>There were no signs of life to be seen about the castle, and it was long +before the loud, imperious knocking at the gate-way brought any one to +open it; and then a man appeared, whose hesitating manner and vacant +countenance plainly showed that he had never been gifted with a large +share of mother-wit. With some difficulty he was made to understand that +the party had a right to admittance, and the carriages entered within +the courtyard. The rest of the household was by this time aware of an +unusual arrival, and came forward to receive them; but it was very +evident that their visit was not only unexpected, but undesired, +although the castellan and his wife strove very hard to throw into their +hard, dark countenances, an expression of welcome. Señor Don Juan +Baptista—so was the castellan called—was a man of most repellant +countenance; his eye had a sinister, cunning look, and there was +something in his large, shaggy, overhanging brow, that was really +appalling; it was to be supposed that he had now put on his most amiable +expression, but unless his face greatly belied him, fierce, ungoverned +passions were accustomed to rule his being. His wife, Francisca, had one +of those countenances that appear to dare you to find them out: hard, +silent, and sullen, she looked as if the rack itself could not force her +to speak unless she willed it; and her face reminded you constantly of a +<i>wooden mask</i>, which not even the strongest emotions could make +transparent, and allow you to catch a glimpse of the soul behind. Both +were loud in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span> their expressions of regret that their dear lord and the +sweet, beautiful señoritas had not let them know, beforehand, of their +visit, that they might have had things more fit for their reception; the +castle was rather disarranged, and not anticipating this honor, they had +allowed most of the servants to depart, to enjoy a holiday for a few +weeks—their household was at present very small. Don Alonzo cut short +their apologies by telling them that he had attendants with him +sufficient to supply the wants of himself and his daughters, although it +was certainly unfortunate that it should have occurred just at this +juncture; and entering the castle, he tenderly embraced Clara and +Magdalena, welcoming them to their ancestral home. The girls almost +shuddered, as they gazed upon the the huge hall, with its lofty carved +ceiling, and its dark oak panelling. In ancient times, when it was +crowded by armed retainers, or echoed to the joyful chorus of the feast +and the minstrel's song, it must have been admirably suited to its +purpose; but now it looked solitary and desolate, like a fit abode for +the owl and the raven. At one end, a wide, substantial stone staircase +led to the upper regions of the castle, branching off above in many +directions; a long oak-table, capable of accommodating more than a +hundred guests, extended for some distance along the hall, but it was +scarcely noticed in the vast apartment. A large chimney, surrounded by +stone settles, and richly ornamented with curious antique carving, +formed a prominent feature in it; the tapestry on the wall, from which +hunters and grim warriors appeared to look down upon our little party +with surprise and displeasure, hung loosely, in many places was +completely tattered, and waved in the wind as the keen air of the +mountains whistled through, making Clara and Magdalena shiver with cold. +Don Alonzo looked round with concern; "It is indeed many years since<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span> I +have been here," said he, "and things look considerably altered; but +now, my daughters, let me advise you, with the aid of your +waiting-woman, to make yourselves as comfortable as possible in your own +rooms, and meanwhile Señor Baptista will be kind enough to have a large +fire built in the hall, for it will really prove very acceptable."</p> + +<p>Francisca showed them to their rooms: large, magnificent chambers, +fitted up with massive furniture of the richest description; but the +tapestry was faded and worn, and every thing showed neglect and +desertion. Francisca, after escorting them to these apartments, told +them that she would send Maria, the housemaid, to make up fires, bring +water, and provide every thing else that they wished, but the girl was +always out of the way when she was wanted, and was really not worth the +salt she ate. Maria speedily appeared, however: a pale young girl of +dejected aspect, with black hair drawn off from a forehead of marble +whiteness, and large, sad eyes cast upon the ground. Her appearance +greatly interested the kind feelings of Clara and Magdalena; she looked +sorrowful and reserved, as if her heart had been chilled, and her spirit +broken by harsh treatment; and the girls, who were very much of her own +age, felt an instinctive pity, and resolved to win her confidence. They +learned by their questions that she was an orphan, and had been brought +up in the castle. She had never known any other home, and had no +relations in the world, so it was not wonderful that she appeared +unhappy.</p> + +<p>As their maid appeared to be quite unwell from the journey, they +dispensed with any further services from her for the day, and descended +to the hall. Its aspect was considerably changed by a large, sparkling +fire which blazed upon the hearth; and, after supper, Don Alonzo and his +daughters<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span> drew around it, with a feeling of comfort they had not +experienced since they had entered the castle. As the Conde wished to +discover the character of the castellan as much as possible from +personal observation, he ordered him to be sent for, and invited him to +a seat with them by the fire; and they were soon engaged in interesting +conversation. Señor Baptista was undoubtedly a person of quick +intelligence, and endowed with the gift of imparting a vivid, dramatic +interest to any narrative: he told several ancient legends connected +with the castle, in such a manner as to enchain the attention of his +hearers. One story excited the deepest interest in Magdalena: we will +call it</p> + +<p class='tbrk'> </p> + +<h3>DOÑA INEZ; OR THE CASTELLAN'S TALE.</h3> + +<p>Several centuries ago, as my lord the Conde and the noble Señoritas very +well know, this castle was in the possession of an older branch of the +Alcantra family, long since extinct; and at that time the lord of the +manor was a certain Don Pedro, a dark, stern man, whose portrait, clad +in armor, the señoritas may see on the morrow in the old +picture-gallery. Don Pedro was a man of unflinching bravery, and +indomitable will; his word was law. His vassals obeyed his very looks, +and flew to execute his behests. Accustomed from infancy to command, he +became absolute and tyrannical; his gentle wife was all submission, and +his fair daughter Inez was educated in the practice of the strictest +obedience, so as scarcely to know that she had a mind of her own, when +her father was nigh. Is it wonderful that when the unnatural constraint +was removed by his absence, her innate gayety of disposition broke out +with all the impulsiveness of youth, and her young affections clung to +the nearest object? Such an<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span> object was found in Bernardo, a handsome +and noble young man, an orphan, and distant relative, who had been +reared in the castle: he had been the playmate of Inez in childhood; her +comforter, companion, and teacher in girlhood; and now, as she advanced +to woman's estate, they made the discovery that their hearts were knit +together by a love which had grown with their growth and strengthened +with their strength, till it had become a part of their very souls. But +how dare to reveal their affection? Bernardo, although of noble lineage, +and in himself every thing that the fondest father could desire for his +daughter, had his fortune yet to win by his good sword; and Inez was +heiress to broad lands, and might well aspire to a princely alliance. +But love scorns all such distinctions: humble thoughts of herself, and +proud thoughts of her Bernardo, filled the heart of Inez, and as she +plighted her troth to him, she vowed she would wed none but him, and +would patiently wait until the time should come when her betrothed could +claim her as his own. Bernardo went to the wars, and greatly +distinguished himself against the Moors: Ferdinand conferred upon him +various marks of favor, and the noble and lovely Queen Isabel girded on +the sword presented by the king with her own jewelled fingers.</p> + +<p>And now, with a heart beating high with hope, and with the prospect of +great advancement before him, the young man returned to visit the home +of his childhood: it was his purpose, with the sweetness of a few weeks' +holiday, to repay himself for all the toils, dangers, and privations of +a year. But when he arrived, how changed was the whole aspect of the +castle! Inez was in disgrace, and was ordered by her tyrannical father +to be shut up in her room, and to be fed with the bread of affliction +and the water of humiliation. Bernardo was deeply distressed: he at +length succeeded,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span> through the pity of the servants, in obtaining an +interview, and the poor girl, weeping upon his breast, where she had so +often been comforted before, told him the sad tale of her trials.</p> + +<p>Soon after he had left, a noble Marquis, of great wealth, had made +overtures for her hand, which Don Pedro, without consulting her, had at +once accepted, and promised that within a year the bridal feast should +be celebrated. When he informed his daughter of her fate, she besought +him with tears not to send her from her home; but his only reply was +that the matter was determined, and that all she had to do was to submit +and to prepare for the wedding. Dreading as she did her father's wrath, +she dreaded yet more this hateful, compulsory marriage, and kneeling +down at his feet, with streaming eyes, she prayed him in the humblest +manner to spare his only child; she could never survive the union—it +would break her heart—she was young, and wished still to remain for +some years under the paternal roof. But tears and entreaties were +unavailing. Don Pedro commanded her, in the most peremptory manner, to +obey. Rising, with a dignity and composure of manner he had never seen +in her before, for she had ever appeared in his presence only a timid +and frightened child, she professed her readiness to make his will her +law in every other point; she would serve him like a slave, die for him; +she would never marry against his wishes, but would ever strive to +approve herself a dutiful daughter. But in this point she must imitate +his own firmness, and prove herself his child; a vow was upon her soul +that she must not break, and she could not, she would not, marry the +Marquis de Oviedo. As she stood there, so young and so determined, with +all the pride of her race and all the dignity of womanhood rising up to +aid the true love which<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span> beat in her heart, even her father was struck +with admiration, and for a moment hesitated. But vindictive passion +triumphed over better feelings, and he ordered her to be placed in her +chamber, under strict confinement. Once a month, since then, had he +visited her apartment, to ask her if she were now ready to yield her +submission; and, upon her reply that she would rather die than wed the +Marquis de Oviedo, with an angry scowl he would leave her room. Poor +Inez looked thin and care-worn, but was greatly comforted by seeing her +betrothed; and they agreed that it was better, whatever the consequences +might be, to inform her father of their engagement, and to endeavor to +mollify his heart. As Bernardo had returned from the wars with such +distinction, he had some slight hope that the crime of loving Don +Pedro's daughter might possibly be forgiven.</p> + +<p>They were still engaged in these discussions, when the door opened, and +Don Pedro appeared; his face was wild with passion, black with rage. He +roughly snatched Doña Inez from the arms of her lover, to whom she clung +with all the energy of despair, as the shipwrecked mariner holds fast to +the mast or beam which is his only hope of safety, or even to the anchor +which will surely sink him to the lowest depths. Turning to his +followers, who were trained to obey his every command without a +question, he ordered them to convey Don Bernardo to the deepest dungeon +of the castle, and to chain him to the wall; and then to bring the key +to him. Doña Inez, in a phrensy of terror, knelt at his feet, and begged +that all his anger might be visited upon her; but spurning her from him, +he told her that she should feel enough of it yet, and need pray for no +more—he had a punishment still in store for her, and in due time she +should realize what it was to defy his power. He left her in a swoon, +and did not see<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span> her again until after ten days, when he entered her +apartment, and grimly smiling, commanded her to accompany him, as he +wished to conduct her to her lover; adding, with a peculiar look, that +if it were her wish, as he was all devotion to her slightest whim, he +would never henceforth separate them. Scarcely knowing what to think, +but dreading the worst from the ironical tone of mock gallantry with +which he spoke, she followed him with faltering steps, a vague terror +dimming her eyes and chilling her heart. He led her through many winding +passages, opening heavy iron gates, until they at length reached the +deep dungeons which are found beneath this castle. There, in a damp +cell, heavily chained to the wall, she beheld, by the light of the torch +Don Pedro carried, her own Bernardo! But, oh, how changed! how +emaciated! He seemed to be asleep. Her father told her to awake him; she +took his hand, but started back—that icy touch had told her all—he was +dead, starved to death by her own father!</p> + +<p>That moment reason forsook the agonized mind of Doña Inez; the vaults +were filled with her shrieks, and so awful was the spectacle of her +despair, that even her father was terrified. He tried to soothe her, but +it was too late; he carried her back again to her room, a raving maniac. +A brain fever ensued, of the most violent description; and happily for +the distracted girl, in a few days she was released by death from all +her sufferings. And now it was that, in the consequences of his own +actions, Don Pedro found his punishment; as he witnessed the agony of +his afflicted daughter, as he heard her ravings, as he saw her toss her +white arms and pitifully cry out for Bernardo, or tear her long, black, +dishevelled tresses, horror and despair filled his heart. His +conscience, so long torpid, at length awoke, and remorse preyed upon his +soul<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> like a vulture. And when he beheld that form, lately so lovely and +blooming, stretched out, pale and motionless, upon the bed of death, +anguish seized upon him to such a degree that, rushing into his own +chamber, he put a period to his miserable existence.</p> + +<p>Queen Isabella, when she heard the particulars of these tragical events, +ordered the lovers to be interred within one tomb; the señoritas may see +it in the old chapel, in the north-east corner—their effigies are on +the top, carved in marble, with clasped hands, with this inscription: +Amor morte, or Love in death. The old branch being now extinct, having, +as it were, burnt itself out with its fiery passions, the estates passed +into the hands of your honorable ancestry; may it remain in the family +for a thousand years!</p> + +<p>But my tale is not yet done—would that it were! There would be more +peace in this castle if this were the case! For people do say that Don +Pedro cannot rest, even in purgatory. I am not one at all given to +credulity, and it takes something to startle me; but I must own that I +would never willingly be found in the old parts of the castle after +nightfall. I myself have seen strange lights and startling forms, and +have heard noises for which I could not account, groans, and shrieks, +and the clanking of chains. None of the peasants in the neighborhood +will venture here after night; and the servants can scarcely be induced +to stay in, what they call, the haunted castle. The story runs, that +about midnight Don Pedro begins his peregrinations, clad in armor, as he +is represented in his portrait; in one hand he bears a flaming torch; in +the other a large bunch of keys, and a chain which trails upon the +ground. He has been seen bearing in his arms a female form, clad in +white, with long black hair streaming to the wind, tossing her arms in +wild despair, and uttering pite<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span>ous cries. It is thought that his +punishment consists in nightly visits to the cell in which Bernardo +died, and nightly endurance of the sight of his daughter's anguish; some +also say that the skeleton of his victim is presented to his eyes, +beaming with light, and that every ray eats into his soul like a canker. +I do not answer for all these tales, but this is the universal belief. I +merely relate to your favors the common talk of the peasantry, ever +given to superstition.</p> + +<p class='tbrk'> </p> + +<p>"I dimly remember hearing some such story in my childhood, from the old +castellan, from whom, I suppose, you have received the legend," said the +Conde; "but old Don Pedro never walked in my day, and if he does now, +his conscience must have become more tender with the lapse of years. +Cheer up, Magdalena, light of my eyes! You look quite pale from this +horrible tale. I'll answer for it that Don Pedro will not appear to you; +if he does, I'll settle his uneasy spirit for him. Surely, you do not +believe in ghosts? You are not so weak?"</p> + +<p>"No, dear father; I know that it cannot be; and yet I own to feeling +some nervousness on the subject. Much as I long to live here, if I +thought there were any truth in such a spectral appearance, I would beg +you to leave to-morrow."</p> + +<p>"That would be a sad loss to this castle, señorita," said Baptista, +furtively glancing at her pallid face from under his shaggy eyebrows. +"We must hope that Don Pedro may not walk to-night."</p> + +<p>"Another romantic tale is told about a daughter of our house," said Don +Alonzo, wishing to draw off Magdalena'a thoughts from the subject which +filled them. "If you feel inclined to hear it, I will relate it."</p> + +<p>"Nothing would be more pleasant," said the girls, who delighted in these +traditions.</p> + +<p class='tbrk'><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span></p> + +<h3>DOÑA ISABEL, OR THE SECRET PASSAGE.</h3> + +<p>About a hundred and fifty years ago, when our branch had been +long-established at Alcantra, there flourished here a certain Don +Alphonso, who also had a beautiful daughter, Isabel by name. Her +portrait hangs in the gallery, and is remarkable for a sweet bravery of +look, and for a merry, piquant glance of her black eye, which I greatly +admired when a young man, and of which I have been often reminded when I +looked at my Clara. I think, my daughters, that you will agree with me +in seeing a strong resemblance in person, as I also do in character; you +can judge of that as my story proceeds. And by the way, Clara mia, +tradition gives the room you occupy to the Lady Isabel; it has ever +since been called Doña Isabel's chamber; so, when lying upon her bed +to-night, you can dream of your fair predecessor. Her father, also, was +rather fond of having his own way, and in this the daughter fully +sympathized with him; it is said to be a characteristic of our race, so +we had better call this obstinacy a noble firmness, and thereby save our +self-love. Don Alphonso, however, was not quite such a bloody-minded +tyrant as Don Pedro: how could he be, as he was one of our ancestors? +The matter is clearly impossible. And I wish you to notice, my +daughters, how, with the lapse of years, the race of fathers improves: +beginning with a murderous Don Pedro, a self-willed Don Alphonso then +walks upon the stage; and lastly, as a perfect specimen of a dutiful, +obsequious papa, behold me, ladies—at your feet!</p> + +<p>I have told you that Isabel had a mind of her own; she showed it very +plainly by falling in love in a most unorthodox, unfilial, enthusiastic +sort of way—with whom? You will be so shocked, my daughters, that I +almost dread to tell you. If she<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> had waited, like a dutiful child, till +her father had told her she <i>might</i> love, it would have been another +thing! But this headstrong girl seemed to think she had as good a right +to be happy in her own way as a peasant! True, the man of her choice was +not a reprobate: he was not even a low-born, unmannerly churl: Don +Fernando de Velasquez stood foremost among the young cavaliers of Spain, +in gallantry and in that nobility of mind which, should ever accompany +gentle birth. But yet it was in that very gentle birth that all the +offence lay, for Fernando's ancestors had long been at enmity with the +house of Alcantra, and this ancient feud had been embittered by years. +But, sometimes, there appears to be a fate in the affairs of men, +especially when a woman, and a pretty woman, is in question: so it +happened that Don Fernando was, one day, riding at some distance from +his home, when his good fortune enabled him to rescue a lady, whose +horse, frightened by some object in the road, reared and plunged in a +most alarming manner. It was Doña Isabel, who had out-ridden her +attendants, and who now felt that she owed her life to this very +handsome, polite, and noble-looking cavalier. Could he do less than +soothe her fluttered nerves, guide her horse, and make himself as +agreeable as possible? Could she do less than feel ardently grateful, +and manifest it in every look and accent? Very improper it was, +certainly, as I said before, for a daughter to think of a young man +until her parents' permission is given; but I have heard of one or two +other instances in which this occurred; and before either made the +discovery who the agreeable companion was, when, of course, if they were +dutiful, antagonism and animosity would have filled their bosoms, they +were both unmistakably, undeniably, desperately in love!</p> + +<p>Is it wonderful that Don Fernando escorted her to the gate<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span> of the +castle? Or that proud Don Alphonso did not invite him in, +notwithstanding his daughter's imploring looks, even after he had heard +from her lips of her deliverance? Are my daughters very much astonished +that little perfumed notes, exquisitely written, doubtless with little +kissing doves stamped in the corners, and signed 'Yours till death,' +passed between the two castles? There was a prodigious waste of +sentiment on the occasion, quite enough to set up twenty pairs of +well-behaved, proper, respectable lovers. It came to such a pass that +Fernando declared, and I believe the fellow was in earnest, that +existence would be intolerable to him unless he could meet his Isabel; +and the lady, although feeling some qualms of conscience about the +matter, agreed to see him daily, when the evening star rose in the sky. +So, while her poor old father—good easy man! thought that his daughter +was in her chamber, or piously engaged in the oratory saying her <i>Ave +Marias</i> and <i>Pater Nosters</i>, and singing a vesper hymn to the Virgin, +the naughty girl had gone by a secret passage underground to a wood at +some distance, where she met her betrothed.</p> + +<p>This passage is said to begin in one of the chambers of the castle, and +winding along in the wall, to proceed downward towards the dungeons +underground, and then to pass away to the wood already mentioned. It was +originally intended, no doubt, as a means of escape, or of communication +with the outer world, in case of a siege; but, at that time, it had +almost passed into oblivion. After the events I am relating, the outlet +into the wood was stopped up, and where the passage is to be found no +one knows: so that if Clara wishes to imitate the conduct of her +beautiful kinswoman, and to arrange clandestine meetings, she will have +to spoil the romance of the proceeding by quietly walking through the +open gate.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span></p> + +<p>But at length, some prying eyes found out these nocturnal interviews, +and great was the rage of Don Alphonso. The lovers were seized, brought +back in tribulation to the castle, and imprisoned, one in her chamber, +the other in a dungeon. But love finds many devices: whether it was a +golden key that opened her door, or whether it was her eloquent tongue +and pleading looks, I know not, but certain it is that in the dead of +night, when all but two in the castle were sunk in profound slumber, a +fair lady softly stepped into her father's apartment, drew a large bunch +of keys from under his pillow, and proceeding down to the dungeons by +the secret passage, set Don Fernando at liberty! Soon did they breathe +the sweet, fresh air of freedom: soon did they find their way to the +territory of the Count de Velasquez, and to the chapel where an obedient +priest spoke over their kneeling forms those words which can never be +unsaid, by which Holy Mother Church sanctions the union of loving +hearts.</p> + +<p>And the father? He stormed considerably—we fathers generally do in such +cases. But, upon mature consideration, he concluded that amiability was, +under the circumstances, the best policy: and being in reality a +kind-hearted man, he forgave the young couple, and invited them to +dinner! And thus ended the ancient feud between the houses of Alcantra +and Velasquez!</p> + +<p class='tbrk'> </p> + +<p>After the termination of the tale, Señor Baptista retired, and the Conde +and his daughters remained chatting by the fire for some time; at length +the wasting embers, and the increasing chilliness of the air, warned +them that it was time to seek repose. With a reverence unhappily too +much wanting in our land of youthful independence, Clara and Magdalena +knelt before their father, and as he imprinted the warm<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span> kiss upon their +brows, and uttered the heart-felt "God bless you, my daughters!" their +feelings, both of piety and of filial love, feelings, how closely +united! were certainly freshened.</p> + +<p>Taking their little night-lamps, they proceeded up the staircase, but +soon parted, as their rooms were situated in different galleries. From +the dim light, and the many branching corridors, Magdalena mistook her +way, and was just convinced of her mistake, when a sudden puff of wind +put out her lamp. Feeble glimmering as it gave, it yet would have +enabled her to find her way, and she was just on the point of calling +out for aid, when she perceived a light approach from an adjacent +gallery. She thought it must be a servant, but upon stepping where she +could command a better view of it, what was her horror to see a form +advance like that described in the story of the castellan! It appeared +to be a tall man, clad in complete armor, with visor down: in one hand +he bore a torch, which seemed to emit a supernatural light and in the +other, a bunch of keys, and a long chain, dragging upon the ground. She +distinctly heard the clanking sound of the chain, and the ringing noise +of his footstep upon the stone, ere she distinguished the figure, so +exactly similar to that of the spectre of Alcantra, the vengeful Don +Pedro which was so vividly impressed upon her imagination. She did not +shriek, she did not faint; but quickly bounding along the corridor, she +flew like lightning down the broad staircase, and found herself in the +hall. She had hoped to find her father still there, but it was dark and +deserted, and looked so vast and so gloomy, by the cold light of the +moon, which streamed in at the furthest windows, that she felt a cold +chill creep over her. At this moment the clock struck twelve: as she +counted the strokes, which seemed to her excited fancy as if they would +never cease tolling, she thought she heard the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span> ringing footsteps +approach: in an agony of terror, she rushed through the darkness, which +was indeed to her a darkness which could be felt, a palpable thing, +towards the chimney place, hoping to find enough of flame to light her +lamp; but in vain. The air felt to her so thick and heavy, as if her +lungs could scarcely breathe it: she listened for the sound of a step, +but heard only the beating of her own heart. At length she summoned +courage to retrace her steps, to find either her own room or her +sister's, for the silence and solitude of that vast hall were too +oppressive to be endured. Softly and slowly she crept up the staircase, +when suddenly she felt her wrist clasped by a cold iron hand: she gave +one piercing shriek, and fell senseless to the ground.</p> + +<p>When she came to herself, she was lying upon her bed, in the same +clothes she wore the preceding day, and the bright sun was streaming in +at the windows. She arose, with a sense of pain and confusion, as if +some dreadful thing had happened, which she could not recall to her +mind; but suddenly the whole scene of the preceding night flashed upon +her. She thought, it is impossible: certainly it was a painful dream, +caused by the exciting conversation of last evening, and by my +impressions of the castle. But all the minute circumstances crowded so +vividly into her mind, that she thought it could not be that a mere +vision of the night should produce so powerful an effect. But what +convinced her of the reality of these occurrences, was the fact that she +had not undressed for the night: casting her eyes down upon her person, +as she thought this, they fell upon her hand; and there she distinctly +saw the marks left upon her delicate skin by that iron grip to which she +had been subjected! As she saw this, all the crawling horror and choking +fear of the preceding evening came back thick upon her, and a feeling of +faintness<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span> which she could scarcely resist: but just then her eye fell +upon the crucifix, and with a sensation of self-reproach that she had so +long forgotten the supports and comforts of religion, she knelt down, +and fervently besought aid from on high. And never, under any +circumstances, is such a prayer in vain: her mind, so fearfully tried, +resumed its self-command, and calmness and peace stole back again into +her heart. She opened her window: it was a lovely day, and the mountain +air, so bracing and reviving, so deadly to sickly fears and nervous +sentimentalities, had an inspiring effect upon her; she laved herself in +the cold spring water, arranged her dress, and sought her sister's room.</p> + +<p>When there, she felt her tremors return, as she related to her the +events of the night; but Clara's brave and joyous spirit was not of the +kind to yield, even for a moment, to supernatural terrors. With her arm +around her sister, as if to shield her from all harm, she told her that +the first thing to do was to remove all Magdalena's effects to her +chamber, as she did not think she could trust her out of her sight for +one moment, after such an adventure.</p> + +<p>"But, surely, it must have been your excited imagination!"</p> + +<p>"How then do you account for my finding myself on top of my bed, and +dressed? And how do you make out these purple marks?"</p> + +<p>"True; but it's very certain a ghost could not have carried you in his +arms to your room—it makes me laugh, the very idea! You are not very +heavy, but rather too substantial for a ghost, I should think! And he +must have been a very smart hobgoblin to know so well which was your +room—that seems to me as if he must be an acquaintance of our very +earthly-looking castellan. And just as if a ghost could make such a mark +upon your wrist! Bah! what a clumsy con<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span>trivance! I've read of these +amiable spirits <i>burning</i> their marks into your flesh, but the blue +spots! they are made by good strong muscles. Was your <i>spook</i> polite +enough to bring your lamp, as well as yourself, into your room?"</p> + +<p>"I never thought of that! I am sure not, for I always put it on the +dressing-table; come and see!"</p> + +<p>They looked, and no lamp was there; they examined the staircase, and +there was a large grease spot, but no lamp.</p> + +<p>"See, sister! here is a corroboration of my tale!"</p> + +<p>"Oh, I don't doubt a word of it; and I don't doubt the ghost put the +lamp into the pantry this morning, nicely trimmed. There is villany +here, Magdalena; I believe that rascal of a Baptista—I must call him +so, he has such a hang-dog look—wants to drive us away, for reasons of +his own: I can never forgive him for frightening my poor darling so. +We'll see if the ghost assail you, or pay you any polite attentions, +while you are with me! I've never been so lucky as to see any of the +creatures, and should like to try a few experiments upon them: I never +even meet snakes in the woods, or any of those things that frighten +others. So, Señor Hobgoblin, come and welcome!"</p> + +<p>By this time Clara had completely chased away her sister's lowness of +spirits, and they descended to the breakfast-room, pleasantly talking +together. The castellan was in the hall, and Clara did not fail to +notice that he fixed his eye searchingly upon Magdalena as they passed, +and did not take it off while he asked, with an obsequious air, if the +señoritas had passed a comfortable night in the cheerless old castle?</p> + +<p>"An uncommonly refreshing one, owing to the hospitable cares of yourself +and Francisca," said Clara, answering for both; "my sister had something +like the nightmare, but otherwise we were very comfortable."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span></p> + +<p>When they were alone, they told their father the events of the night, +and it was his first impulse at once to charge the castellan with +villany, and to dismiss him from his post; but Clara persuaded him to +wait yet some days, until the whole matter was well cleared up, before +he took any action.</p> + +<p>"But, Magdalena! I cannot have my little girl's cheek blanched, and her +mind filled with ghostly terrors!" "Don't be afraid for me, dear +father," said his daughter, smiling; "Clara's bravery has quite +reanimated mine, and she has laughed me out of the belief of its being a +spirit at all; I now wonder I could ever have thought so." "All very +well, my beloved; but there is a great difference between breakfast +time, when the sun is shining brightly into the room, and midnight, with +dark corridors and a feebly burning lamp—especially when it goes out." +"True, father," said Clara, laughing; "but I intend to provide for quite +an illumination to-night, and do not expect to let poor Magdalena stir +from my sight all day."</p> + +<p>That day passed off without any incidents, and was very agreeably spent +in an examination of the ancient castle, with its many relics of by-gone +times, its collection of portraits, its spacious rooms, winding +galleries, and magazine of armory and weapons. From the battlements they +enjoyed a view of the country beneath them, unsurpassed in extent and +grandeur: it spread out before their eyes a beautiful panorama, +comprising hill and dale, forest and cultivated land; the little +whitewashed cottage, with its ascending smoke, and the flocks of sheep +scattered about, gave a lively interest to the scene, and endeared it to +their hearts: man ever loves to see tokens of the nearness of brother +man. Magdalena clasped her father's hand: "O, may we not always live +here?" "But what about that ghost?" "O, I forgot; but if Clara lays<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> the +uneasy spirit of Don Pedro, then will you not remove here?" "I think I +will, my daughters, if you both desire it. I dreaded to come here, but +find that time has so mellowed and softened my grief, that I can now +feel pleasure in revisiting the spots made sacred to me by your dear +mother's presence. And I also feel as if I had neglected my duty, +through too great an abandonment to grief; here, in my ancestral +possessions, it certainly lies. The peasants, I fear, have greatly +suffered from my absence, and now they scarcely know me; and I am almost +a stranger to the neighboring gentry. If we remove here, will you, my +daughters, aid me in making this castle the scene of hospitality and +kindness, and will you extend your care to the neglected poor and +ignorant, who are scattered through these valleys?" The girls answered +with joy in the affirmative, and already began laying plans for visiting +the sick, reading to the old, and teaching the young.</p> + +<p>That night Magdalena's fair head was encircled by Clara's arm, and their +hands clasped together; the younger sister soon fell asleep, after some +light confidential chat, such as sisters only can have, there being in +that connection the sensation of perfect safety, of the fellow-feeling +of youth, and of that entire understanding of every thought and +allusion, resulting from intimate intercourse from birth. But Clara was +wakeful; she thought over the strange events of the preceding night, and +the more she reflected, the more convinced she was of some plan on the +part of the castellan, for she connected together his looks, his tale, +and the sequel of Magdalena's ghost, as the merry girl would call the +spectral appearance. While engaged in these thoughts, the clock struck +twelve: "the witching hour!" she thought; "I wonder if the illustrious +Don Pedro is walking now!" Just then her sharp ear detected a little +clinking noise on the opposite side<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span> of her large, dark chamber; she was +all attention, but not a motion did she make to disturb her sleeping +sister; her arm still encircled her lovingly, her hand clasped +Magdalena's. Gazing into the darkness, there suddenly appeared in the +room a luminous skeleton, frightful enough, truly, to weak nerves; but +Clara was gifted with a calm and fearless spirit, <i>mens sana in corpore +sano</i>; and her unspoken thought was—"Ah, phosphorus! pretty well done +that, for the country! it is really worthy of one of our Madrid +conjurers!" Watching intently to see if any other show was forthcoming, +the skeleton as suddenly disappeared as it had come, and she heard +various sepulchral groans and sighs, with a running commentary of the +rattling of chains and jingling of keys. At last this pleasing +interlude, as she termed it, ceased altogether, and in a few moments she +again distinguished that clinking sound, and all was silence in her +chamber. "Well!" thought Clara, "the show is certainly over for the +night, I might as well go to sleep. Very kind, certainly, to provide for +our entertainment! But I am glad Magdalena did not wake."</p> + +<p>The following day Clara told her adventure in such a mirthful manner to +her father and sister, that it was impossible to avoid seeing it in a +ludicrous light. However, arrangements were made to stop any further +display of theatricals, if they should be attempted the ensuing night; +and Clara spent some time in her own room, examining the wall opposite +her bed. The result was, that upon raising the tapestry, and carefully +striking every panel, she observed that one gave a hollow sound: she +tried to slide it up, she tried to slide it down, she tried to slide it +sideways, but it was unavailing. Determined not to give it up, she felt +in every part, and at last, after spending several hours in the search, +her perseverance was rewarded; it suddenly flew open! she had at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span> last +touched the hidden spring, and here, in her own room, as she had +suspected, was Doña Isabel's secret passage! Greatly was she tempted to +explore the dark and narrow way, and to descend the stairs she saw +through the gloom; but prudence prevailed, and she comforted herself +with the thought that she had made discoveries enough for one day.</p> + +<p>Another awaited her, however: she had scarcely closed the panel and +replaced the tapestry, when there was a knock at the door; it was Maria +bringing in wood and water. Poor Maria appeared to be the general drudge +of the house, and her slender, delicate frame was borne down with labor. +Clara's bright and cheerful kindness had quite gained the young girl's +heart, unused as she was to aught but harshness and reprimand. Her soul +expanded, and her silent lips were opened under the genial influence—it +was like the sun shining upon the little flower, shut up against the +chilling dews of night, but spontaneously opening under his joyful +beams. She told her her history: she was the only grandchild of the +former castellan, the faithful servant of the house, so beloved by Don +Alonzo: at his death she was a little child, and had ever spent her life +in the service of his successor. When very young, she had met with +kindness from the other servants; but they were soon dismissed, and for +years there had been none in the castle but those she now saw—the +castellan and his wife, the half-witted Sebastiano, and herself. But she +said that occasionally Señor Baptista had company—and she shuddered as +she said it—ferocious-looking men, armed to the teeth, and generally +wearing masks. She always kept out of the way when they were about; but +one thing she knew, that they did not enter nor depart by the gate of +the castle, and that Señor Baptista must have some other way of +admitting them. "Do you think they can be the banditti<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span> they talk of?" +"I do not doubt it, and I have so longed to get away from this wicked +place, that I often lie awake at night thinking about it. They would +kill me if they thought I had betrayed them;—will you protect me?" +"[**missing words**] my poor Maria: and so you are the old castellan's +grandchild! I remember hearing my father say that he yearly transmitted +to Baptista a handsome annuity for this poor orphan: of course you never +got any portion of it?" "Not a single quarto: but now I must go, I +should be missed; á Dios, señorita querida!"</p> + +<p>Clara lost not a moment in seeking her father, and in communicating to +him her important intelligence. Cool action was indispensably necessary: +for the first and the last time in their lives, there was a secret +between the sisters. After dinner, Don Alonzo expressed a wish to ride, +to see if any changes had taken place in the neighborhood, and his +daughters declining to accompany him, as had been agreed between them, +he invited his secretary, with the castellan and his wife, to accompany +him—an honor which they gladly accepted. Soon after their departure, +Clara sent a note Don Alonzo had written, by the hands of their trusty +Anselmo, to the village of Alcantra, requiring the immediate attendance +of the band of soldiers stationed there; and before the return of the +carriage, they were admitted by Maria, and conducted to a room adjoining +Clara's, the weak-minded Sebastiano being easily kept out of the way.</p> + +<p>At night, a change of apartments took place: Clara and Magdalena slept, +or rather waked, in their father's room, and he quietly awaited in +theirs the progress of events. At twelve o'clock, he heard the slight +sound described by his daughter, as proceeding from the opening of the +panel. He waited a few moments, to allow the intruders to enter, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span> +then, beholding forms arrayed in flames and white winding-sheets before +him, he raised the pistol he held in his hand, pulled the trigger, and +the foremost fell groaning to the ground. Instantly the soldiers and +servants stationed in the adjoining chamber rushed into the room with +lights, and before the rest of the villains could recover from their +surprise, they were all captured. Upon raising the wounded man, they +beheld, gnashing his teeth with fury, Señor Baptista himself, the leader +of the band! ten men were they in all, and as they subsequently +discovered, this comprised the whole of the banditti. Entirely under the +control of the artful Baptista, their object was not to injure, but to +alarm the Conde's family, hoping thus to drive them away from a place +filled with supernatural horror; whereas any harm done to them would +have infallibly brought down upon their heads the vengeance of +government.</p> + +<p>Francisca, also, was secured, and the whole band was sent off to the +nearest prison, to await their trial. The attempt was made to work upon +the woman's fears of Francisca, to induce her to make confession, and to +implicate her companions. Iron can be fashioned into any shape upon the +anvil, but a will like hers no fire is hot enough to melt, no hammer +hard enough to break or subdue. They promised her pardon, if she would +open her lips; but her scornful smile showed that she would remain true +to her own code of honor, be the consequences what they might. Abundant +evidence proved the guilt of all concerned: the men suffered the penalty +of offended justice, and Francisca was condemned to perpetual +imprisonment, but managed to escape, and was never heard of more.</p> + +<p>On the morning following the capture, the secret passage was thoroughly +explored, and a discovery made, involving<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span> many important results. A +number of the dungeons were found piled up with merchandise of various +descriptions, and whole chests of gold and silver were there deposited: +information was immediately transmitted to government, but the king +himself wrote a letter to Don Alonzo, thanking him for his many faithful +and unrequited services, and begging his acceptance of the treasure +found within his walls, much of which was no doubt his own. The Conde +gratefully accepted this evidence of his sovereign's favor, and took +great pains to discover the relatives of those who had been murdered by +the banditti, restoring to them fourfold. The treasure that remained was +more than sufficient to disencumber his estates, and to restore them to +the flourishing condition of olden times. He endowed hospitals, +churches, and schools with the residue; and the peasants of all that +region will long have cause to bless Doña Clara's bravery and Don +Alonzo's munificence.</p> + +<p>It is almost needless to add that Maria, in whom every day developed new +graces under the quickening influence of kindness, was well provided for +by the Conde; and upon her marriage with his secretary, Señor Roberto, +he presented her with a handsome dowry. The old castle of Alcantra, +delivered from its spectre, was soon converted by masons, carpenters, +and upholsterers, into a most comfortable abode; and the hospitality of +its noble master, and the charms of his fair daughters, attracted to it +all that was worthy, intelligent, and lovely in the adjacent country.</p> + +<p>"Is that all?" said Amy, who had been listening with glistening eyes.</p> + +<p>"All? I hope so indeed; for do you know, my dears," said Mrs. Wyndham, +"that it is past eleven o'clock? Hasten away now to your nests, and take +care not to dream of the spectre of Alcantra."</p> + +<hr /> +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V.</h2> + +<h3>A SKATING ADVENTURE.—WHAT IS MY THOUGHT LIKE?—QUESTIONS.—THE ORPHAN'S +TALE, OR THE VICISSITUDES OF FORTUNE.</h3> + +<p>Saturday morning was so bright and cold—such a frosty, finger-pinching +winter day, that, at breakfast, George proposed the riddle, "What two +fishes would you tie together on a day like this?" As none were able to +guess it, he pronounced the assembled company intolerably stupid, and +gave as the solution, <i>skates</i> and <i>soles</i>. He declared the weather was +made on purpose for skating; and although his uncle expressed some +doubts as to the thickness of the ice, George's eloquence and +earnestness carried the point, especially as, from his own account, his +experience was so great that you would have concluded he was at least +sixty years old. So the boys set off for a large pond, at the distance +of about a mile, accompanied by the girls, well wrapt up in cloaks, +furs, and mufflers, of every description, all in the highest spirits, +and quite ready for fun and frolic; and the quick walk through the +frosty air, broken by many a hop, skip, and jump, certainly did not tend +to repress the exuberance of their laughter and excitement. Is any one +too grave and too wise to approve of such conduct? allow me to ask, +reverend sir, or venerable madam, as the case may be, how many centuries +are pressing their weight upon your silver locks? Methuselah himself +might remember that he once was young, and sympathize with the innocent +light-hearted<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span>ness of youth: and surely you cannot have arrived at quite +his length of years. 'Tis a great mistake to suppose that dullness and +moping gravity have any thing in common with either goodness or wisdom: +they are but the base imitations, the spurious counterfeits, which can +pass only with the undiscerning. Welcome, joyous laugh, and youthful +glee! the world has quite enough of care and sorrow, without repressing +the merry heart of childhood. Wiser would it be for you, oh sad and +weary spirit, sick of the buffetings of the cold and selfish crowd, for +a little time to come out of your unhappy self, and by sympathy with +others, again to become a little child. Your soul would be refreshed and +strengthened by bathing in the morning dews of youth; here would you +find a balm for the wounds inflicted by the careless world; many a +mourner has been drawn away from that sorrow which feeds upon the very +springs of life, by the innocent caresses and gay converse of a child. +Cleave then to your liveliness, young people! and throw away from you +all vapors, megrims, and melancholic feelings! Believe me, real sorrow +will come soon enough, and your groundless depression of spirits may +have more in common with ill-nature than with thoughtfulness or +earnestness of mind: true wisdom is both cheerful and loving.</p> + +<p>The girls staid for some time admiring the evolutions of the skaters as +they gracefully wound about in intricate figures, or cut their names +upon the ice; but they declared at last that they must retreat before +the attacks of Jack Frost, who pinched their noses, fingers, and toes in +an unmerciful manner. The boys, ardent in the pursuit of sport, still +persevered, and George especially, who was devoted to this amusement, +distinguished himself by his skill. "Take care, George!" said his +brother John, "you are going too far from<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span> the shore; it's hardly safe +out there. Please to recollect, that neither you nor I can swim, and +we'd be in a fine case if you fell in." "Who's afraid? I'm not for one!" +cried George, fearlessly dashing off to the centre of the pond: but at +the very moment when he was raising a triumphant shout, and calling upon +the rest to follow him, a sharp crack was heard, the ice gave way under +him, and he disappeared in the water! A cry of dismay broke from the +group of his companions: instinctively John rushed forward to save him, +but was held back by the others, who well knew that two would then be +lost, instead of one. But in an instant, before George rose again to the +surface, Tom Green, the oldest of the cousins, and a tall, manly fellow, +had stripped off his coat, and gaining the spot, had plunged into the +water. It was intensely cold, and he was obliged to break away the ice +for some distance round before he was able to seize hold of poor George, +who had risen up only to find a glassy wall, impenetrable to all his +efforts, between himself and the outer air, and who had given himself up +for lost.</p> + +<p>Tom at length succeeded in forcing his way to ice thick enough to +sustain his weight, and giving up his precious burden to the anxious +group above, he reached the shore in safety. Both were chilled through, +and almost numb, from the excessive cold of the water, and Tom's hands +were cut by the ice, which he had been obliged to break: but they were +not the lads tamely to give up, and moan over their condition, when they +were able to act. "Now, boys, for a race!" cried Tom: "it's the only +hope of putting a little life into us, and of keeping off the +rheumatism—let us see who will be the first at The Grange!" They +accordingly started, running as fast as the numbness of their feet would +allow, and soon arrived at the house; but what remarkable objects<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span> were +Tom and George, when they presented themselves before the eyes of their +astonished aunt and cousins! Their dress, soaked with water, was now +perfectly stiff, like a coat of armor, and the edges hung with icicles, +as did their hair; Cornelia, concerned as she was for her brother and +cousin, could not, when she thought of it, long afterwards, refrain from +merry peals of laughter at the ludicrous appearance they made—they +looked as if they had come from the North Pole, representatives from the +regions of eternal ice and snow. Mrs. Wyndham very soon had beds +prepared for them, where, wrapt up in blankets, and comforted by a warm +drink, which the advocates of the Maine Liquor Law would not have +altogether approved of, they speedily recovered their vital warmth, and +the elasticity of their spirits. Uncle John assured the young party, who +were full of fears for their health, that his anticipations of evil +consequences had been scattered by seeing those piled-up plates at +dinner-time return to him to be replenished: he thought that such fine +appetites were very good symptoms. They spent the day in bed, but were +so much recruited from their exhaustion by a sound sleep, that Aunt Lucy +mercifully took off her restriction, and allowed them to join the family +group at supper. Tom's hands were bound up, on account of "those +honorable scars," as Cornelia called them, and the two, the rescued and +the rescuer, were decidedly the heroes of the evening: the girls, ever +full of admiration of gallant conduct, looked upon good-natured and +pleasant Tom Green with a respect they had not felt before.</p> + +<p>One of the games this evening was "What is my thought like?" Mary went +round the circle asking the question, and when she announced that her +thought was <i>President Taylor</i>, there was some amusement at the +incongruity of the replies.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> She then asked each one for a reason of the +resemblance, and an answer was to be given immediately, or a forfeit to +be paid.</p> + +<p>"Cornelia, why was President Taylor like a <i>sunset</i>?"</p> + +<p>"Because his career was splendid like the sun, and his loss equally +regretted."</p> + +<p>"John, why was he like a <i>brick</i>?"</p> + +<p>"So substantial."</p> + +<p>"Amy, why was he like a <i>cat</i>?"</p> + +<p>"Why—because he was so 'cute."</p> + +<p>"Alice, why was he like a <i>sigh</i>?"</p> + +<p>"He always excited so much sympathy in the hearts of the people."</p> + +<p>"George, how did he resemble <i>cream</i>?"</p> + +<p>"Because he was the very best and tip-top of all that was good."</p> + +<p>"Tom, why was he like a <i>cow</i>?"</p> + +<p>"Because he did not know how to run."</p> + +<p>"Ellen, why was he like an <i>umbrella</i>?"</p> + +<p>"Because he sheltered many."</p> + +<p>"Gertrude, how did he resemble the <i>Alps</i>?"</p> + +<p>"He towered aloft majestically above his fellow-men."</p> + +<p>"Harry, how did you make him out like a <i>laugh</i>?"</p> + +<p>"Oh, he was such a merry old soul."</p> + +<p>"Then, how does Anna make him resemble a <i>tear</i>?"</p> + +<p>"He was so sympathetic with the woes of others."</p> + +<p>"Aunt Lucy, how was he like a <i>fire</i>?"</p> + +<p>"He was warm-hearted, and the centre of attraction to so many."</p> + +<p>"And, Louis, how do you make him like a <i>flower</i>?"</p> + +<p>"His presidential career was bright, and short-lived, like a flower."</p> + +<p>"Charlie, why was he like a <i>vine</i>?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span></p> + +<p>"That's plain enough—his motto was <i>'A little more grape</i>.'"</p> + +<p>Amy went round collecting resemblances for her thought, and then said +that she had the watch-dog, Trusty, in her mind.</p> + +<p>"Why is Trusty like <i>paper</i>?"</p> + +<p>"Because he's white."</p> + +<p>"Then, why is he like <i>ink</i>?"</p> + +<p>"Because he's so useful."</p> + +<p>"Why is he like a <i>table</i>?"</p> + +<p>"Because he's a quadruped."</p> + +<p>"Why is he like <i>Aunt Lucy</i>?"</p> + +<p>"He is so good and faithful."</p> + +<p>"Why is he like a <i>bed</i>?"</p> + +<p>"His steadiness at his post enables us to enjoy undisturbed sleep."</p> + +<p>"How does he resemble a <i>carpet</i>?"</p> + +<p>"He generally lies on the floor, but is sometimes brushed off."</p> + +<p>"How is he like a <i>lion</i>?"</p> + +<p>"He is very fond of meat."</p> + +<p>"How does he resemble <i>Cousin Mary</i>?"</p> + +<p>"He has a collar round his neck."</p> + +<p>"How is he like a <i>tree</i>?"</p> + +<p>"He is so very full of bark."</p> + +<p>Gertrude then proposed trying another game she had seen played, which +was called "Questions." She said it was generally done by using +playing-cards, but as she knew Uncle and Aunt had an objection to having +them in the house, she had prepared a set of blank cards for the +purpose. There were duplicates of every one, and she had numbered them, +1, 2, 3, etc., in large characters: one set was placed in the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span> centre of +the table, around which they drew up, and the duplicates were shuffled +and dealt to each in turn. When they were all supplied, one would draw a +card from the table, asking some personal question; and all looking at +their cards, the one who had the duplicate must throw it upon the table, +and say, "It is I." It was found that the sillier and more impertinent +the question, the more laughter it caused.</p> + +<p>"Who comes down last to breakfast?" said Tom, drawing from the pack one +marked 8.</p> + +<p>"I do," replied Aunt Lucy, throwing down her corresponding 8.</p> + +<p>"Who is the prettiest person present?" said Aunt Lucy, drawing out a 3.</p> + +<p>"I am," said George, with a grin—being quite reconciled to the fact +that he was decidedly the ugliest one of the party; at the same time +mating his 3 with its companion on the table.</p> + +<p>"Who loves mince-pie the best?" said Amy</p> + +<p>"I do," replied Ellen, with a laugh.</p> + +<p>"Which of us is the old maid of the company?" said Cornelia.</p> + +<p>"It is I," cried Tom, in a tone of triumph.</p> + +<p>"Which of us has a hole in her stocking?" said Alice.</p> + +<p>"Oh, it is I myself."</p> + +<p>And so it went on until the pack was exhausted, when all agreed that it +was time for the daily story, which they seemed to think as much a +matter of course as the supper. Aunt Lucy said that she would gladly +tell them a short one, which should be called</p> + +<p class='tbrk'><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span></p> + +<h3>The Orphan's Tale, or the Vicissitudes of Fortune.</h3> + +<p>The early days of Margaret Roscoe were spent in the beautiful manse of +Linlithgow, in the north of Scotland, where her venerable grandfather +had for half a century been engaged in breaking the bread of life to a +large congregation of humble parishioners. No wealth or grandeur was to +be seen within the walls of the kirk where Alan Roscoe officiated: there +were no waving plumes, no flashing jewels, no rustling silks; and when, +as a young man, he accepted his appointment to this remote parish, his +college friends grieved that his noble talents should be wasted, and his +refinement of mind thrown away upon rough country folks, unable to +appreciate him. But the young minister was convinced that his proper +field of labor was now before him, and resolutely putting aside the +temptings of ambition, he devoted himself in the most exemplary manner +to his parochial duties. Although he and his family were debarred from +the advantages of cultivated society, and from the mental excitement +which only such intercourse can afford, they cheerfully made the +sacrifice, for the sake of the cause to which they were wholly given up; +and they thought themselves more than repaid by the improvement and the +reverent love of the people. It is a great mistake to suppose that +plain, unlettered men cannot rightly estimate superior abilities, +erudition, and refinement; where there is any native shrewdness and +strength of mind, these higher gifts are quickly discerned, and add +greatly to the influence which sincerity and earnestness of char<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span>acter +will ever command. In Scotland this is especially true, for the +countrymen of Bruce and Wallace are distinguished for their sagacity; +and their acquaintance with Scripture is so extensive that their natural +intelligence is sharpened, and superficial knowledge and flowery +discourses are not tolerated from the pulpit. Certain it is, that as +years rolled on, and the white hairs became thicker on Mr. Roscoe's +head, love and veneration were the universal feelings entertained toward +him: and at the time when our story commences, when the infant Margaret +and her young widowed mother removed beneath the shelter of his roof, he +was the respected pastor, the beloved friend, and the revered father of +all within the circle of his influence.</p> + +<p>Malcom Roscoe, Margaret's father, was a young man of superior abilities, +but of great original delicacy of constitution; he was retiring, +studious, meditative, and in all respects a contrast to his older and +only brother, Alan, who early developed those qualities which are +necessary to the active man of business. A very warm attachment united +these two young men, and a sad blow it was to Malcom, when his brother, +with the energy and decision natural to his character, announced his +intention of emigrating to America, where bright prospects had opened +before him. An old friend had commenced a large commercial establishment +in one of the Atlantic cities, and had offered him a clerkship, with the +prospect of speedy admission into the firm: he regretted to leave his +aged father, and his only brother, but such an excellent opportunity of +advancing himself in life was not to be neglected, and he gratefully +accepted the proposition. With many tears, he bade adieu to the beloved +inmates of the manse, and set out for the New World: his industry and +integrity had been greatly prospered, and in a few years he was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> an +honored partner of the house into which he had entered as a penniless +clerk.</p> + +<p>What, meantime, had been Malcom's lot? He had applied himself with +assiduity to the study of divinity, for which both his character and his +abilities had admirably fitted him, but his health was unequal to the +demands made upon it. He passed his examination with great honor, was +immediately called to a parish, and went there to settle, accompanied by +his young wife, a delicate and interesting orphan girl, to whom he had +been long attached. His zealous spirit saw much to rectify, and many +labors to perform, in his new sphere: he entered with ardor into the +discharge of his duties, but soon he found that his frail body had been +overtasked by its imperious master the soul, and was no longer able to +do his bidding. He faded away from earth, as do so many of the best and +noblest of the race, when just ready to apply to the loftiest purposes +the faculties so carefully trained. To us, such occurrences appear to be +very mysterious dispensations of Providence: but the individual himself +has attained the true object of his being, the full development of all +his powers, and is prepared for a more elevated existence. And we may +believe, since not even a sparrow falls to the ground unheeded by our +Father, and since no waste is allowed in nature, so that even the dead +leaf ministers to new combinations of being, that the noble gifts of the +mind will not be unused after death. In other spheres, amid other +society, they will doubtless be employed for the benefit of immortal +beings. Mutual beneficence must form a large part of the business and +pleasure of heaven.</p> + +<p>After Malcom's death, his widow and infant child came to live with old +Mr. Roscoe at Linlithgow. Happily for the young mourner, the household +cares of the manse now<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span> devolved upon her, in addition to the charge of +Margaret; and these occupations, no doubt, aided greatly in restoring +the serenity of her spirit. She had little time to brood over her +sorrows—those small solicitudes and minute attentions to the feelings +and comfort of others, which fill up so large a portion of a true +woman's time, were with her a double blessing, cheering both the giver +and receiver. She realized that it is woman's honor and happiness to be, +in an especial manner, a ministering spirit; and thus she learned to +resemble the bright hosts above, whom she hoped one day to join, and +grow in the likeness of Him who declared, "The Son of man came not into +the world to be ministered unto, but to minister." No wonder is it that +the gentle young widow, whose face ever beamed with kindness, whose hand +was ever outstretched to aid the unfortunate, was looked up to with a +love and veneration only inferior to that with which Mr. Roscoe himself +was regarded.</p> + +<p>In such an atmosphere of affection, and under the best influences of +unaffected piety and refinement, little Margaret expanded in beauty and +goodness, like a sweet flower planted in a fertile soil, and refreshed +by soft-falling dews and healthful breezes. She was something like her +own Scottish heather—distinguished by no uncommon brilliancy of mind or +person, but yet one upon whom your eye delighted to fall, and on whom +your heart could dwell with pleasure. Her clear, rosy complexion showed +that she had inherited none of her parent's delicacy of constitution; +and large, deep, violet-colored eyes, shaded by long lashes, made her +face a very interesting one. She was a most lovable little girl, gentle +and thoughtful beyond her years; it seemed as if something of the shadow +of her mother's grief had fallen upon her young spirit, repressing the +volatility of childhood, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span> making her ever considerate of the +feelings and studious of the comfort of others. She was her +grandfather's constant companion; and it was very beautiful to see these +two, so widely separated by years, and so closely united by affection, +entwining their lives together—the old man imparting instruction and +guidance, and the child warming his heart with the bright hopes and +sweet ways of her innocent age.</p> + +<p>And so the three lived on, in perfect contentment and uninterrupted +peace, until Margaret was seven years old, when her grandfather was +taken ill, and the manse, once so happy, was filled with sorrow. He +lingered for some time, faithfully nursed by his daughter, who overtaxed +her own strength by her daily toils and nightly watchings. He at last +sank into the tomb, as a shock of corn, fully ripe, bends to the earth: +he was full of years, and of the honor merited by a life spent in the +arduous discharge of duty. His only regret was that he was unavoidably +separated from his son; and he advised his daughter, as soon as she had +settled his affairs, to accept Alan's pressing invitation to her to make +her home with him, and to depart with her child for America, where she +would be gladly welcomed.</p> + +<p>After the funeral, as the new incumbent of the parish wished to take +possession of the manse as soon as possible, Mrs. Roscoe made +arrangements to leave the spot she loved so well: and disposing of the +furniture, and settling the debts incurred by her father's illness, she +found that no very large sum would be left after the passages across the +Atlantic were paid for. In Alan Roscoe's last letter, he had entered +into many details about his circumstances, in order to take from her +mind the objections which delicacy might urge as to her dependent +position. He told her that he had been eminently successful as a +merchant in Charleston, and had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span> amassed so considerable a fortune that +he intended very soon to retire from business; and that he had some +thoughts of settling in one of the northern cities, as his health, and +that of his family, had suffered from the climate. He said that a dear +and only sister, as she was, ought to have no reluctance in sharing the +superfluity of his wealth: she would thereby give far more than she +received. And his brother's orphan should be most heartily welcomed to +his heart and home: she should be taught with his children, and should +share in every respect the situation and prospects of his own little +ones, for he must receive Malcom's child, not as a niece, but as a +daughter. He advised her sailing direct for Charleston, as it would save +all trouble and difficulty: he should be on the wharf to meet her, and +if, as was frequently the case with business men, he was unavoidably +absent, his very attentive partner would be there to greet her, in +company with Mrs. Roscoe.</p> + +<p>She accordingly wrote, accepting his kind proposition, and stating that +they should sail in the first vessel bound for Charleston, as she was +anxious to have little Maggie again settled in a home; and the more so, +as her own health was very delicate, and she knew not how long her dear +child might have a mother to watch over her. Then taking leave of the +humble friends, who would gladly have kept them ever in Scotland, Mrs. +Roscoe and her daughter set off for the nearest seaport, where the +shrinking young widow, entirely friendless and unknown, was obliged +herself to make inquiries among the shipping offices and wharves. She +found that no vessel would start for some weeks for Charleston, and she +felt that every day was of consequence to her: but she was at last +relieved of her distress by a bluff, good-natured captain, who told her +that although he didn't hail from<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span> Charleston, it was exactly the same +thing; he sailed to Boston, and the two places were as close together as +twin cherries on one stalk, or kernels in a nut, and that he would see +to it she had no trouble in finding her friends. Being a Scotchman, and +partaking of that ignorance of American geography which is so common +both in Great Britain and on the continent, he naturally mistook +Charleston, South Carolina, for which she was inquiring, for +Charlestown, near Boston—an error which has frequently been made. Nor +is it as gross a one as some others which have been perpetrated; as, for +instance, that of the late Prince Schwartzenberg, minister of Austria, +who directed some dispatches for our government to "The United States of +New York."</p> + +<p>And now behold little Margaret actually launched upon the stormy ocean +of life! for her small bark was destined soon to be severed from its +guide and conductor, and to be left, without a pilot, to the wildly +tossing waves and bleak winds of a selfish world. Did I say without a +pilot? not so! a hand, unseen, directed her fate, and although she was +called to pass thus early through troubled waters, the end will +doubtless show that all was well. But the present trial was a very +bitter one. A few days only after the embarkation, Mrs. Roscoe's weak +frame gave way, under the combined influence of sorrow, fatigue, and +anxiety; she was only ill a week, then sank, and was consigned to a +watery grave. Little Margaret could not be separated from her for one +moment during her illness, but, clasping her mother's hand in hers, +remained by her, smoothing her pillow, bringing her the cooling draught, +and seeking, in a thousand loving ways, to cheer and relieve her.</p> + +<p>Before her death, Mrs. Roscoe called the Captain, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span> committed little +Maggie to his especial care. She told him of her expectation that her +brother, Mr. Alan Roscoe, a prominent importing merchant in Charleston, +would immediately come on board to claim his niece, when the vessel +arrived; but to guard against any possibility of a mistake, she gave him +the number of the street in which he resided. The bluff, but +kind-hearted man drew his red, hard hand repeatedly across his eyes, as +he listened to her anxious directions about the little girl she was so +soon to leave. He told her he didn't know much himself about either +Charleston or the people who lived in it, as he had been engaged until +very lately in the South Sea trade; but, of course, his consignees at +Boston would, and if there were any difficulty, he should put the matter +into their hands. He begged her to be under no uneasiness—her daughter +should be well attended to.</p> + +<p>On the last day of her illness, the little girl sat by her in the berth, +and for the first time appeared to realize that her mother, her only +earthly friend, was about to die. Her little cheek was now almost as +white as the dying woman's, and she moistened the bed with tears: she +could not restrain her sobs. Her mother passed her arm around her, and +strove to comfort her: she told her that, although she must now leave +her, and go where her dear father and grandfather awaited her, her +little girl had one friend who would never cast her off, and who could +never die, who had promised to be the father of the fatherless. Whatever +should befall her, she must put all her trust in Him who had said, "When +thy father and thy mother forsake thee, then the Lord shall take thee +up." With all the energy which the love of a dying woman could give, she +besought her child to cleave with perfect love to Him who was so kind +and pitiful. She then placed around her neck a medallion, inclosing a +portrait of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span> herself and her husband, with their initials, the date of +their marriage, and locks of their hair, and told her never to part with +it, but to wear it next her heart. She directed her to be in all +respects obedient to her uncle, and ever to act toward him as if he were +her own father. At last, exhausted by the the long conversation she had +held, she sank back and fell asleep: it was so sweet and natural a rest, +that Margaret long waited by her side, afraid to stir lest she should +awake her mother. A happy smile seemed diffused over that face, lately +so earnest and so anxious; it appeared to say, my troubles are now over, +my work is done, I have entered into my reward. And so it was! the +sorrow-stricken woman had gently passed away from earth, and little +Margaret was watching beside the dead.</p> + +<p>Shall I attempt to describe the grief of the child, deprived of all she +loved? The rough, but kindly sailors were much moved by it, and strove, +in their uncouth way, to comfort her. After the first few days of +passionate lamentation, the motherless girl became more quiet in her +sorrow, and then the demonstrations of sympathy ceased: but any one who +gazed upon her wasted form, her white cheek, and languid steps, might +have guessed the tears she shed upon her pillow at night. At last the +vessel arrived in Boston, and Margaret's heart beat quick each time she +saw a good-looking gentleman step on board, for every instant she +thought her unknown uncle would arrive. She tried to fancy how he +looked, and although she had heard that he and her father were very +unlike, still her imagination brought up before her a face like that +within her highly-prized medallion. So passed the day, in anxious +waiting and nervous tremors, but her uncle came not; and as the night +drew near, a sense of perfect loneliness and desertion came over her, +and she leaned her head upon<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span> her hands, and tears, wrung from the +heart, trickled through them. All around her was bustle; every one had +an object, all had a home, and a place in the world, and some to love +them—all but she; she felt completely the orphan. Some think that +children do not suffer mentally as their elders do—what a mistake! +Their emotions are more transitory, but frequently more violent while +they last. Many an angry child, if he had the physical strength, would +commit deeds from which reason and conscience deter the man—and keen +and bitter, although fleeting, are the sorrows they experience. As the +little creature, so tenderly reared and now so utterly desolate, sat +upon the deck, with no earthly being to look up to for love and +sympathy, surely a pitying angel must have wafted into her heart her +mother's dying words, "When thy father and thy mother forsake thee, then +the Lord shall take thee up." It stole into her soul like oil upon the +troubled waters: it seemed as if a voice had said to the tempest within +her, "Peace, be still." She felt that there still was one who cared for +her—one who could neither die nor change; and the prayer of faith +ascended from those young lips to "<i>Our father</i> who art in heaven." +Soothing, blessed influence of religion! felt by young as well as +old—how, in trouble, could we dispense with it? would not our hearts +sink under their load? would not our spirits be crushed within us?</p> + +<p>The next day the Captain set himself in earnest to fulfill his promise +to the dying woman. The head of the firm to which his goods were +consigned was absent from home, but a very kind-hearted young fellow, a +junior partner, attended to the business during his absence, and +accordingly he directed his inquiries to him. "Mr. Alan Roscoe, a +merchant of Charlestown!" said young Howard, "why, I never heard the +name—there is surely some mistake. I know all the business<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span> men of the +place, and there is no such person. Have you the direction?" "Yes, sir, +No. 200 Meeting-street." "Why, Captain, here is a complete blunder! +there is no street of that name in Charlestown. I should not wonder, now +I come to think of it, if Charleston, South Carolina, were meant; +Meeting-street is, I know, one of the most fashionable promenades. And I +remember hearing of a Mr. Roscoe, a great southern merchant—either in +Charleston, or Mobile, or New Orleans, I don't rightly know where—but +somewhere in the South. I'll tell you what, Captain, you're full of +business, and can't attend to her; I'll take her home with me, for she's +a dear little thing, and then I can inquire about her uncle, and send +her on by the first opportunity. Great pity such a blunder was made!"</p> + +<p>Accordingly, Mr. Howard engaged a hack, which was piled up with little +Maggie's trunks, and he was about jumping in, when he was nearly run +over by his friend Russell. "Hallo, Howard!" "Is that you, Russell?" "No +one else; but what on earth are you doing with such a heap of trunks? +has a friend arrived?" "Only a little orphan, who came in one of our +ships; her mother died on board, and to crown the misfortune, they got +into the wrong vessel. They wanted to go to Charleston, S.C., where this +child has an uncle, Mr. Alan Roscoe, a rich merchant; so they came to +Charlestown by mistake. I'm taking the little creature home with me, +until I find out about him." "The luckiest thing in the world! Why, I +know Mr. Roscoe myself; he lives in Meeting-street; I became acquainted +with him in Charleston last Winter. But he has either given up business, +or intends to do so; he is in New York at this moment; I saw him the +other day at the Astor House, and he told me he had some thought of +removing to New York or Philadelphia." "In<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> New York, is he? what a +piece of good fortune! How I wish I knew some one going on there. If I +were not so uncommonly busy, now that Mr. Field is away, I would take +her myself." "If you'd like it, my dear fellow, I'll take charge of the +child—you know I always have acquaintances going on to New York—I know +every one in the two cities, pretty much. I'll give her over to some +safe person, and then she'll be with her uncle to-night." "Thank you, +you're a real good soul; you can attend to it as well as I, of course. +And I am anxious to get the poor little thing to her relations as soon +as possible, so I'll be much obliged to you." "Good-by, then;—driver, +go as fast as your horses can carry you to the New York depot, for we're +rather late."</p> + +<p>When they arrived, they were only a few minutes before the time. Mr. +Russell walked through the cars, looking on either side, but, to his +chagrin, he saw no one he knew. Any one who has ever sought for an +acquaintance, while the steam was puffing, and panting, and screeching, +as if in mortal pain until it was allowed to have its own way, and send +the train along at the rate of forty miles an hour, can understand the +flustered, bewildered feelings of young Russell, as, with the child in +one hand, he perambulated the cars. "Is any gentleman here willing to +take charge of this little girl?" said he. "What's to be done with her +when we get to New York?" answered a man near him. "Her uncle, Mr. Alan +Roscoe, is staying at the Astor House; all you have to do is to take the +child and her baggage to him, and as he is a southern gentleman, and +very rich, he'll see that you are well paid for your trouble." "I'll +take charge of her; have you got her ticket?" "No; and I declare I have +no more than half a dollar with me—can you advance the money? you will +be paid tenfold when you get to New York." "I'll<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span> do it as a +speculation: here, my pretty young lady, sit in my seat while I see to +your baggage." "Just got it in the baggage-car in time,—good-by, sir!" +"Good-by—good-by, Miss Roscoe!" "Good-by, sir—I wish it were <i>you</i> +going on to New York!"</p> + +<p>Little Maggie did not like her travelling companion at all. Children are +great physiognomists, and their simple instincts are frequently surer +guides than the experience and wisdom of older persons, in detecting +character. She could not bear to talk to him—his conversation, +garnished with low cant phrases, was so different from any thing to +which she had ever been accustomed. But when she looked up into his +face, the repugnance she had at first felt became changed into +aversion—the low, narrow forehead, the furtive, but insolent glance of +his eye, and the expression of vulgar cunning about the mouth, formed a +countenance which might well justify her in shrinking back into her +seat, as far from him as possible.</p> + +<p>When they arrived in New York, Smith, for that was the man's name, +engaged a carriage, and drove with little Margaret to the Astor House; +but, in answer to his inquiries, he was told that no one of the name of +Roscoe was lodging, or had been boarding there for the past month. He +muttered a curse, and jumped again into the hack. "What do you make of +this? that uncle of yours is not there." "Oh dear, what <i>shall</i> I do? +but, indeed, the gentleman said he saw him in the Astor House." "What is +the gentleman's name, can you tell me?" "I don't know his name." "Don't +know his name, don't you? I'm prettily bit! But perhaps he may be in +some other hotel, we'll go and see." They accordingly drove round to the +chief hotels, but no Mr. Roscoe was to be found at any of them.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span></p> + +<p>Smith flew into a terrible passion. "Cheated for once in my life! sold, +if ever a fellow was! it's a regular trick that was played! They wanted +to get rid of their beggar's brat, and palmed her off upon me, with that +humbug story of the nabob of an uncle. I'll nabob her! And there's her +ticket, which I was fool enough to pay for, and the carriage hire, and +my trouble with this saucy thing, who holds her head up so high; if ever +I am swindled again, my name's not Sam Smith!"</p> + +<p>"I'm sure I'm very sorry; what are you going to do with me, sir?" "Take +you home with me, until I can get rid of you, and pay myself out of your +trunks, unless they're filled with stones. It wouldn't be such a bad +idea to lose you in the streets, accidentally; but no, on second +thoughts, it's better not; there are always some troublesome +philanthropists about." "Oh, sir, if you can't find my uncle, won't you +send me on to Boston again? The Captain told my mother he'd find him for +me—or that good gentleman would." "The Captain's a rogue, and so is +your <i>good gentleman</i>. Are you such an eternal fool as to think I'll pay +your passage again? you're mightily mistaken, I can tell you. I don't +believe you ever had an uncle, you little cheat—and if you don't hush +up about him, I'll find a way to make you."</p> + +<p>Little Margaret was too much frightened to answer, and they kept on +their way, through narrow muddy streets lined with lofty warehouses, and +alleys filled with low German and Irish lodging-houses and beer-shops, +until they came to a wider highway, at the corners of which Margaret +read the name of Chatham street. On each side of the way were shops of +the strangest appearance—furniture, old and new, was piled up together, +coats and cloaks hung out at the doors, watches and jewelry of a tawdry +description made a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span> show in the windows, and men with keen black eyes +and hooked noses, and stooping backs which looked as if they had never +been erect in their lives, stood at the entrances, trying to attract the +attention of the passer-by. As Margaret looked at them, she thought of +the stories her mother had read to her of the ant-lion, stealthily +watching at the bottom of its funnel-shaped den for its prey, which the +deceitful sand brings within its reach, if once the victim comes to the +edge of the pit; and of the spider, so politely inviting the fly within +its parlor.</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>"Will you walk into my parlor?" said the Spider to the Fly,</div> +<div>"'Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you did spy;</div> +<div>The way into my parlor is up a winding stair,</div> +<div>And I've many curious things to show you when you're there."</div> +<div>"Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "to ask me is in vain,</div> +<div>For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again."</div> +</div></div> + +<p>At the door of some of the shops, she saw a man standing upon a box, +with a hammer in his hand, and a crowd around him, eager, and bidding +against one another. "Going, going, a splendid gold watch at five +dollars—the greatest bargain in the world—tremendous sacrifice—going, +going, <i>gone</i>!"</p> + +<p>At last they came to his den; a shop like the rest, piled up with old +brass andirons, sofas, bureaus, tables, lamps, coats and pants, ropes, +feather-beds, and hideous daubs of pictures. Old-fashioned +mantel-ornaments, looking-glasses, clocks pointing to all hours of the +day, waiters with the paint rubbed off, old silver candlesticks, and a +heap of other trash, completed the furniture of the room. Stumbling +through this lumber, Smith led her up to a little garret, where the bare +rafters were covered with dust, and one hole of a window let in some +light, enough to reveal the nakedness of the place. In one corner, upon +the dirty floor, was an old bed; a piece of a mirror was fastened +against the wall, which looked quite in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span>nocent of the whitewash brush; +and a stool, which had lost one of its legs, was lying in a very +dejected attitude near the door. "Here you are to lodge," said Smith, +with a sardonic grin, as he noticed the child's dismay at the +announcement. "You can stay up here till I want you, and when you are +hungry, you can go down stairs to the little back kitchen and get a +slice of bread; but don't dare to show your face in the shop." "When +will my trunks come?" said the little girl, whose wits were sharpened by +the necessity of looking out for her own interests. "Never you mind +about them trunks," replied Smith; "I advise you to keep quiet, and it +will be the better for you." So saying, he descended into his shop, and +left the poor child to her meditations, which were none of the +pleasantest.</p> + +<p>Two days passed without Smith making his appearance, and Margaret worked +up her courage to the point of going into the shop, even if it did +excite his anger, and insisting upon his taking her to her uncle, or +sending her back to the ship. She walked in, unnoticed, and the first +object that met her sight was one of her mother's large trunks, open and +empty, with the price marked upon the top. Around the room she saw the +others, and the contents, so precious to her from association with her +deceased parent, were hanging about upon pegs, looking ashamed of their +positions. Horrified, the little girl ran up to Smith: "these are my +things," she said; "how dare you put them into the shop?" "You had +better hush up, little vixen," replied the man, "or I'll take the very +clothes from off your back. You don't think I am going to keep you +without receiving board, do you?" "But I'm not going to stay here. I'll +go back to the ship—the Captain will <i>make</i> you give me my things," +cried the child, bursting into passionate tears. "Go—I'd like nothing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span> +better; go back to Boston as fast as you can, cry-baby, and give my +compliments to the gentleman who cheated me into taking you," replied +Smith, with his odious smile. "Then why will you not take me to my +uncle? I don't want to stay in this horrid place." "Take care, or you'll +get into a worse—as for your uncle, I saw in the paper yesterday an +account of his death, so you need have no hopes from him." "Dead! all +dead!" said Margaret, sinking down into the nearest seat, for her head +swam, and her knees trembled so that she could not stand. "Yes, he's +dead as a door nail—no mistake about that. So you had better not be +troublesome, or you won't fare as well as you do. Here, Jackson," he +said to a rough, bloated-looking, elderly countryman, who had been +purchasing some old furniture, and had now re-entered the shop, "didn't +you say that you wanted a little girl to do your work?" "Yes, I did," +replied the man, "my old woman is not worth any thing any more. But I +must have some one that will not be interfered with: I intend to get an +orphan from the alms-house, that will suit me best." "Here is an orphan, +who is the very thing: she has no relations or friends in the world, and +I'm rather tired of keeping her—I'll give her to you for nothing." +"That would do, but she does not look like a poor child: she is dressed +like a little lady, and her hands are small and white, as if she wasn't +used to rough work." "She <i>is</i> dressed up more than she should be, but +you can soon mend that; and I'll answer for it, she'll learn to do the +rough work soon enough." "Well, I'll take her: have her bundle ready by +the afternoon, and I'll call for her in the wagon, and take the girl and +the other baggage at the same time." "Agreed—she shall be ready."</p> + +<p>It would be hard to describe little Margaret's feelings during the +preceding dialogue: she plainly saw that there<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span> was no escape for her, +unless she rushed into the street, and claimed the protection of any +chance passer-by, and that honest Smith took pains to prevent, by +locking her up in her room. When there alone, she threw herself down +upon the bed, and sobbed as if her heart would break: "If my mother, my +dear, dear mother, was living, <i>she</i> would take care of me. She would +not let me stay in this filthy place—she would not let me eat dry bread +and water—she would not let that ugly old man take me away, to do +servants' work. Oh mother! mother! I wish I were dead too!" When her +passion of grief was exhausted, comfort and hope began to dawn upon her, +and she thought, "It cannot certainly be as bad in the country, where +the old man lives, as here, in this vile hole, with all these disgusting +smells and sights. And my mother said, that God is a friend who can +never die or change, who will never leave or forsake the poor orphan. I +will try to be a better child, and then God will love me: perhaps I +deserve this, for being naughty. I certainly will try to be good."</p> + +<p>In the afternoon, Jackson came for his baggage, as he called it, and +after the furniture was stowed away, Smith brought down the little girl, +and gave into her hand a very small bundle of clothes, bidding her tell +no tales, or she should find she was in his power yet. She was put into +the wagon, on top of the furniture, and the old man, whose face was red, +and whose breath smelt of liquor, set off at a smart pace. It was late +in the evening before they reached the solitary and desolate farm-house, +which Jackson called his home: Margaret scrambled out as best she could, +and entered the dwelling. Although it was now late in the autumn, there +was no fire upon the hearth, and the room looked to the last degree +dismal. It had something more of a habitable aspect<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span> when the furniture +was brought in, but it was evident that no "neat-handed Phillis" had +been accustomed to range through the house; and the spiders had provided +the only ornaments to be found anywhere about, by hanging the walls with +tapestry, which certainly could not be produced in the looms of France. +Margaret found that there were two other inhabitants of this neglected +house—Jackson's wife, a sad, heart-broken woman, only too evidently in +a dying condition, and a son of about fifteen, rude, stubborn, and +rebellious, whose only good-feeling seemed to be love to his poor +mother. Jackson brought out some food, of which Margaret stood greatly +in need, and she was then happy to be allowed to retire to the loft +allotted to her, as she was exhausted by the ride and the agitation of +mind she had gone through during the past week. Miserable as was her +attic, she slept soundly until waked by the sun shining into her eyes: +she quickly dressed, but did not escape a scolding from her sullen +master, who commanded her to make a fire, and get his breakfast for him. +Margaret was remarkably quick and handy for a child of her age, as her +affection to her mother and grandfather had prompted her to do many +little things for them which so young a girl seldom thinks of; but her +delicate white fingers were unused to menial tasks, and to make a fire +was quite beyond the circle of her accomplishments. Jackson then called +upon his son to do it, but told her that he should not make it a second +time, and grumbled and swore at her while he remained in the house.</p> + +<p>It is astonishing how human nature can adapt itself to circumstances, so +that the thing which we must do we can do: little Margaret, who had ever +been so tenderly nurtured, soon learned to make the fire, to sweep the +rooms, and cook the meals. Not in the most scientific manner, truly; her +cookery would<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span> scarcely have been approved by Kitchener, Glass, or +Soyer, but it was done to the best of her slender ability. While poor +Mrs. Jackson lived, Maggie had at least the satisfaction of feeling that +her efforts to please her were understood: the grateful look, the +languid smile, and the half-expressed pity for the little slave, who was +now to fill her place, reminded the child of her mother, and made her +more contented with her situation. But when, exhausted by the life of +hardship and cruelty which the drunkard's wife must ever experience, +Mrs. Jackson slept her last sleep, and went to the home appointed for +all the living, "where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary +are at rest," then the little girl had none to feel for her. In a few +days, the boy, Bill Jackson, told her that now his mother was dead, he +wasn't such a fool as to stay there to be kicked and starved by his +father; he intended to run off and go to sea, and he advised her too "to +make herself scarce" as soon as she could. When he had gone, all the +brutality which had been divided between the mother and son, was now +visited on the innocent head of little Maggie; and unassisted even by +counsel, she had to perform all the household tasks. If she had received +kind words in payment, she could have overlooked many of the hardships +of her condition; but these she never got. Let her be as diligent and +pains taking as she would, severity and reproaches were all she met: +Jackson was always sullen and morose in the morning, and at night, +frequent potations from a large stone jug worked him up to a passion. +Then he would knock the furniture about, throw chairs at Margaret's head +if she came in his way, and swear in such a dreadful manner that the +little girl was glad to seek shelter in her cold and cheerless loft, +where at least she could be alone, and could pray to the One Friend she +had left.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span></p> + +<p>As the winter advanced, the child's sufferings greatly increased. The +cold was intense, the situation a bleak one, and the old farm-house full +of cracks and crannies which admitted the winter winds. Her clothing was +of a thin description, and nearly worn out by hard usage: at night also, +in her airy loft, she was often kept awake by the cold, or cried herself +to sleep. But the more severe the weather was, the more did Jackson +think it needful to take something a little warming, and the stone jug +was frequently replenished: of course his temper became more violent, +and Margaret was the sufferer. She kept out of the way as much as +possible, but had no place to which she could retreat, except her loft. +Here she would frequently solace herself by bringing out her medallion, +which, according to her mother's directions, she wore next her heart, +and gazing upon the beloved countenances of her parents—this dying gift +was the only relic she had left of former times. One day a snow-storm +set in, which reminded her of those she had seen among her own Scottish +hills, where the drifts are so great that the shepherd frequently loses +his life in returning to his distant home. The wind was piercing, and +the snow was so driven about that you could scarcely see a few feet +before you; and by evening it lay in deep piles against the door, and +around the house. Jackson had of course resorted to the whiskey jug very +frequently during the day, for consolation; and little Margaret, seeing +him more than usually excited, had sought refuge in the cold and dismal +loft, wrapping herself up as well as she could. As she sat there, +shivering, and thinking how differently she was situated on the last +snow-storm she remembered, when she was seated on a little stool, +between her mother and grandfather, holding a hand of each, before a +large blazing fire, and listening to beautiful tales—she heard<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span> Jackson +call her name in savage tones. She hastened, but before she could get +down the ladder which led to the room below, he called her again and +again, each time more fiercely so that her heart trembled like a leaf +upon a tree, dreading to meet his rage. He received her with oaths and +abuse; called her a lazy little wretch, who did not earn the bread she +eat, and commanded her to bring in an armful of wood from the pile, as +the fire was going out. She ventured to tell him that she had already +tried to find some, but ineffectually; in some places the snow was above +her head, and the air was so thick with it, now that night had come on, +that she could not see before her. But the violent man would take no +excuse: he drove her out with threats, and long she groped about, vainly +trying to discover the wood, which was completely hidden by the snow. +Her hands and feet became numb, and she felt that she <i>must</i> return to +the house, if he killed her—she would otherwise die of the cold. She +came, timidly crawling into the room—the moment her master saw her, he +started up; fury made him look like a demon. Seizing a stick of wood +which still remained, he assailed her violently: the child, so tender +hearted, and so delicately reared, who could be recalled to duty by one +glance of the eye, was now subjected to the chastisement of a brutal, +insensate drunkard! At last he stopped, but his rage was not exhausted. +Opening the door, he told her never to darken it again—never more +should she dare to show herself within his house. Falling upon her +knees, the little girl besought him with tears not to expel her—she had +no one to go to, no father, no mother to take care of her. If she was +driven out into the snow, she should die with cold—if he would only +allow her to stay that night, she would leave on the morrow, if he +wished it! But tears and prayers were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span> unavailing; all of man he had +ever had in his nature was now brutified by strong drink; as well might +she have knelt to the tiger thirsting for blood, as to him. Driving her +out with a curse, he shut and bolted the door.</p> + +<p>The depths of distress call up energies, even in the childish heart +which have never been felt before. What was there upon earth to revive +the spirit of the little orphan, so utterly deserted, so ready to +perish? Nothing. But there was something in heaven—and within that +girlish bosom there lived a faith in the unseen realities, which might +well have shamed many an older person. With her uncovered head exposed +to the falling snow, she knelt down, and this time she bent the knee to +no hard, cruel master; but with the confidence of filial love, she +uttered her fervent prayer to Him who is a very present help in time of +trouble. She called upon her Father to save a little helpless orphan; +or, if it were His will, to take her up to heaven—"<i>Thy</i> will be done." +And she rose with a tranquillity and calm determination which many would +have deemed impossible in one so young; but there is a promise, and many +weak ones can testify to its fulfilment, "As thy day, so shall thy +strength be."</p> + +<p>Margaret went onward towards the public road: there was no farm-house +nearer than about a mile, and the child greatly doubted her ability to +reach it; but she had resolved to persevere in her efforts, while any +power remained in her muscles, any vital warmth in her heart. Onward +went that little child, painfully, but still steadily onward; she +struggled against the drowsiness that attacked her, but at last she +began to feel that she could do no more. But yield not yet to despair, +thou gentle and brave orphan! One stronger than thou has come to thy +assistance. For hearest thou not the subdued sound of horses' hoofs +scattering the snow? thou art saved!<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span></p> + +<p>A traveller approaches, made of other stuff than the crafty Smiths and +the brutal Jacksons of the earth,—he sees that slight childish figure, +that bare head, those failing steps,—he thinks of his own little ones +at home, seated by the sparkling fire, and awaiting his return. He is +not one of those who hold the creed of impious Cain, "Am I my brother's +keeper?" But, instead, he is a follower of the Good Samaritan, or +rather, I should say, of Him who taught that lesson and practised it, +seeking and saving those who were lost. He stopped his horse. "My little +girl, what are you doing out of doors on a night like this? you will be +frozen to death. Why are you not at home with your father and mother?" +"I wish I were!" she said. "They are both dead—I wish I were with +them!" "But, my child, you must have a home; why are you out on such a +stormy night?" "I have no home, sir," replied poor Margaret. "I lived at +the nearest farm-house, but my master was angry with me for not bringing +in the wood, and beat me, and turned me out of doors; and I shall die of +cold very soon, unless you take care of me, sir." "Poor little deserted +one!" said the gentleman, jumping off from his horse. "Such a tiny thing +as she, cannot have done any thing very bad—and to send her out to die! +poor child! God sent me to you, and I will surely take care of you." So +saying, he took off his cloak, lined with warm fur, and shaking the snow +from her hair and clothes, carefully wrapped it around her, and placed +her in front of him upon his horse. "My good, thoughtful wife!" said he; +"when I laughed at you this morning for insisting upon my wearing this +cloak outside my great-coat, little did I think it would save a precious +life—I always do find it to my advantage to mind your womanly, wifely +instincts. And now, little girl, we will go home as fast as we can—I +will try to keep<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span> Jack Frost away from you with this cloak." Urging his +horse onward, Mr. Norton, for that was the good man's name, every now +and then spoke cheerily to the child whom he sustained with one arm, +striving to keep her awake, and telling her of the bright warm fire she +should see when they got home. At last they arrived there: when Mr. +Norton jumped off his horse, Margaret saw that they had come to a small +town, which looked very pretty as the snow lay upon the roofs and +fences. Before he could ring, the door flew open, and the warm light, +which looked like an embodiment of the love and happiness of home and +fireside pleasures, streamed out upon the pure, cold snow, revealing, to +the group within doors, the father carefully holding his burden. "Dear +father! are you not almost perished?" cried his oldest son, Frederic, a +manly little fellow, muffled up in cap, and coat, and worsted scarf. +"You must let me take old Charlie to the stable, and come in yourself +and thaw—you see I am all ready." "Well, my son, I believe I will; +particularly as I have a bundle here that I must take care of." "What +has father got?" said the younger children, wonderingly. "Why, it as +large as a bag of potatoes!" "I have brought you home a little sister, +children," Mr. Norton replied, entering the sitting-room and unwrapping +poor Margaret. "My dear wife, I found this child upon the road, almost +perished with cold: she is an orphan, and was cruelly treated by the +wretch of a master who turned her out of doors to-night. Only look at +her thin, worn-out gingham dress—and at the holes in her shoes!" "Poor +little lamb!" said Mrs. Norton, gazing on her with a mother's +pity—blessed effect of paternal and maternal love, that it opens the +heart to all helpless little ones! "Don't cry, my dear, you will not be +turned out of this house!" "Indeed, I cannot help it, ma'am; you are so +very kind<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span>—like my mother." "But, wife and children, we must not stand +here talking; we must get a tub of cold water, and keep her hands and +feet in it for some time, or she will be all frost-bitten. Sally, my +child, you need not place that chair for her so near the fire, for she +cannot sit there: help your mother to bring the water." Sally, although +rather younger than little Margaret, was a large child for her age, and +while the latter was getting thawed, and the good mother was making a +warming drink, she hunted up her thickest clothes, and begged that the +poor stranger might wear them. "And may she not sleep with me to-night, +mother?" "Oh no, mother, let her sleep with us," said Kate and Lucy, the +two younger children. "I am glad to see you want to have her with you," +replied their mother, "but as Sally is the nearest her age, and spoke +the first, I think I must gratify her. But if Kate and Lucy wish it, she +may sit between them at table." "Thank you, thank you, dear mother, that +will be pleasant. Oh how glad we are we have a new sister!"</p> + +<p>Soon was the story of the orphan's trials confided to the sympathizing +ears of those who had now adopted her as one of themselves, and soon did +the little girl feel at home in that household of love. Every day, as it +developed her warm feelings, her lively gratitude, and the intrinsic +worth of a character which seemed to inherit the virtues of her pious +ancestors, attached her new friends to her more closely. Mrs. Norton +declared that Margaret was the best child she had ever seen, and +perfectly invaluable to her: if she did not keep her because it was her +duty, and because she loved her, she certainly would as a daily pattern +to her own children. And besides, she had such pretty manners, and knew +so much, that it was better than sending the children to school, to have +them with her.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span></p> + +<p>If I were making up a story for your entertainment, my dear nieces and +nephews, I should tell you that Margaret always lived with this +admirable family, in perfect happiness, and that when she became a woman +she married Frederic, the oldest son, thus keeping the place of a +daughter in the house. But I am telling you the truth, which, you know, +is often stranger than fiction, and often sadder also. In stories, good +people are generally rewarded with uninterrupted prosperity, just as +some very judicious parents give their children plum-cake and sweetmeats +when they say their lessons well and do not scratch each others' eyes +out. But it is not so in the real world: the all-wise Father above, acts +on other principles. He knows that his children require evil, as well as +good, and that the best soil will become dry, hard, and sterile, if the +sun always shines upon it;—therefore it is that He sends dark, heavy +clouds and gloomy days. Unwise and unthankful as we are, we grievously +complain; but the showers still descend, and when we least expect it, +behold the beautiful sun! All nature is again gay and joyous: the birds +sing cheerily, the flowers raise up their dripping heads, new blossoms +are put forth, and, to use the language of Scripture, the little hills +skip like rams, the valleys shout, they also sing, and all the trees of +the field do clap their hands. My heroine is still under the cloud of +adversity, sharing in the fate of her protectors, and lightening their +trials by her ready hand and most affectionate heart. Two years after +she entered Mr. Norton's home, her benefactor was taken ill, and +lingered for some months before he was transferred to that better +mansion which is provided for each one of the faithful. Sad was the +desolation caused by his death. I will not speak of the sorrow of the +widow and of the orphans—you can all imagine that—but, in addition, +they were deprived of their home, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span> cast out upon the world. After +the bills were paid—the physician's, the apothecary's, and the +undertaker's, in addition to those necessarily contracted for the +household while the father was earning nothing, Mrs. Norton found that +not a penny was left her. Selling what she could, she removed to +Philadelphia, where she had resided in her youth, thinking that she +could easily obtain employment for her needle, and so support her young +family, while they shared the advantages of our excellent system of +public schools. But she found herself friendless and unknown in the +great city, with many competitors for a very little sewing; and she came +to the conclusion that it is the very poorest way by which a woman can +support herself. She obtained a situation for Frederic in a store, where +he receives rather more than is necessary for his own wants; and, +removing to the country, she took a little cottage for the sum which one +room would have cost her in town. Frederic is able to pay her rent: and +when she is well, with the aid of our little Margaret, she can maintain +herself and her helpless children in tolerable comfort. Thus the orphan +has it in her power to repay the kindness shown to her, and by +exercising the noble virtue of gratitude, to rise daily higher in the +scale of being."</p> + +<p>"Dear Aunty!" cried Amy, with all eagerness, "have you not been telling +us the story of <i>our</i> Mrs. Norton, and that pretty little adopted +daughter of hers, with the large, deep blue eyes?"</p> + +<p>"You have guessed my riddle, Amy," replied her aunt, smiling. "I called +there this morning while you were all out—while George was amusing +himself by falling into the pond—and heard the whole history from the +sick woman's lips. I felt so deeply interested in it, that I thought you +could spend an hour worse than in listening to the simple tale."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Are you sure that you have not embellished it?" asked Mr. Wyndham, with +a smile.</p> + +<p>"Quite sure: for, although I filled up a few gaps in the narrative by +using my very common-place imagination, I assure you that all the facts +are substantially the same. And I don't doubt that if I had witnessed +the scenes described, I should have been able to make my story far more +pathetic, and far more romantic, because it would then have been a +daguerreotype of the truth. I have talked with little Margaret herself, +and certainly I have never seen a more engaging and lovely child. At my +urgent request, she consented to lend me her precious medallion for a +few days—and here it is."</p> + +<p>"What a spiritual, poetical face!" exclaimed Mr. Wyndham. "I declare it +reminds me of a portrait of Schiller which I once saw."</p> + +<p>"And the mother, too—there is no doubt of that woman being a real +lady," said Ellen. "Did you ever see a sweeter, gentler countenance?"</p> + +<p>"Never," replied Alice. "But, uncle, do you not know that I have an +idea? I guessed all along that Margaret Roscoe was <i>our</i> little +friend—but I feel sure that rascal of a Smith was lying, when he said +he had seen her uncle's death in the paper. It's not very likely such a +fellow as he was, would object to telling an untruth! He only wanted to +get her trunks, and to quiet her, you may be sure. And I believe that +Mr. Alan Roscoe is now living in Philadelphia—and I believe that I know +him, uncle!"</p> + +<p>Her uncle started, and exclamations of surprise and delight burst from +all the circle. "It might very well be," Mr. Wyndham said; "I remember +thinking our amiable friend Smith was speaking an untruth, at the time, +although I did<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span> not carry out the idea. But do you know any one of that +name, Alice? Surely, it cannot be Mr. Roscoe, the retired merchant, who +is so prominent for his benevolence and liberality?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, sir, it is—I am intimate with his oldest child, Carrie. And I +know that he is a Scotchman, and they used to live in Charleston, and +his name is Alan, and his little boy is called Malcom! that's after +Margaret's father, I am sure. Carrie told me he had been named after an +uncle in Scotland who was dead!"</p> + +<p>"Is it possible?" replied Mr. Wyndham. "It really does look like it—if +it be actually so, my dear wife, here is another reverse of fortune for +your heroine, which you did not expect. The contrast would be great +indeed, between the little whitewashed cottage, and the magnificent +mansion on Walnut-street!"</p> + +<p>"I hope it will not turn her head!" said Charlie Bolton.</p> + +<p>"There is little fear of that, I think," rejoined Mrs. Wyndham. +"Margaret has early been tried in the furnace of affliction, and she has +come out gold: I believe she really possesses that gospel charity, one +of the marks of which is, that it is not, and cannot be, puffed up. But +what shall we do? shall we tell her of our hopes?"</p> + +<p>"By no means," replied her husband. "It would only excite expectations +which, after all, may be disappointed—although I am strongly convinced +that our suppositions are correct. For the first time in my life, I +regret that to-morrow will be Sunday; but early on Monday morning I +shall set out for the city, and for Mr. Roscoe's house or counting-room. +With my good wife's permission, I will take this medallion with me, and +show it to Mr. Roscoe—then I shall know in a moment if he is really +Margaret's uncle."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Will you be so kind as to take me with you?" asked a dozen voices at +once.</p> + +<p>"No, I will not," replied Mr. Wyndham, laughing. "The carriage cannot +possibly hold you all. If Alice wishes it, I will take her, both as a +reward for her quickness in making this discovery, and as a means of +introduction to Mr. Roscoe, with whom I am not acquainted. And if our +surmises prove correct, I expect to bring Mr. Roscoe back with me, which +is another reason for not riding twenty or thirty in a carriage."</p> + +<p>"Oh, uncle! uncle! twenty or thirty!"</p> + +<p>"Well, you are a baker's dozen, at least, that you cannot deny. I quite +long to get to town! I believe I am as much of a boy as Harry, there, or +Lewis—I <i>really</i> wish I could put off Sunday just for one day, I am so +impatient!"</p> + +<p>"It will be an admirable exercise of your noblest faculties, uncle," +said Cornelia, slyly. "I am rather impatient myself, even at my mature +age. But the <i>moral discipline</i>, uncle, that is so invaluable that we +ought not to wish it to be otherwise."</p> + +<p>"Ah, you witch! I believe in my heart this is your revenge for my +refusing to take you to town with me," rejoined her uncle.</p> + +<p>"Not a bit of it—I bear no malice—it is only my native and +unconquerable pertness, which I sometimes fear may get me into a +difficulty with some one yet. But I am not at all afraid of you, dear +uncle; I know you understand that it's only my way."</p> + +<p>"Certainly, certainly; I should be a cross old fellow if I wished to +repress your youthful spirits."</p> + +<p>"But, uncle," said Charlie Bolton, "couldn't you put off Sunday as Dean +Swift, or somebody or other, put off the eclipse? That would obviate all +the difficulty."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span></p> + +<p>"I never heard that story," cried George Wyndham, "But every one knows +about 'Hail Columbia' <i>putting on</i> an eclipse."</p> + +<p>"I don't, I must own," replied Cornelia, laughing. "Do tell it straight, +if you can, you monkey."</p> + +<p>"I'll try, my own true sister. If it wasn't Hail Columbia, it was +Columbus, and that's all one, the whole world knows. When the Indians +began to discover that the Spaniards were not gods, as they at first +thought, they became a little obstreperous, and wanted to starve them +out—quite natural, under the circumstances. But Columbus, from his +knowledge of astronomy, was aware that a total eclipse of the moon would +take place the next night. So he called a meeting of the natives, and +informed them that they had brought upon themselves the vengeance of the +Great Spirit by their conduct—that at a certain hour, the light of the +moon would be nearly put out, and its orb would look like blood, as a +sign to them of the displeasure of Heaven. And when the poor creatures +really saw it happen as he had said, they were nearly frightened to +death, and came to him, laden with provisions, and begging him to pray +to the Great Spirit, that he might remove his wrath from them. Now I +call that putting on an eclipse."</p> + +<p>"The funniest circumstance in relation to an eclipse, happened to me," +said Mrs. Wyndham. "When I was a very small child, I thought that quite +as great a miracle was about to happen, as the Indians did. You must +know that there came to Philadelphia a certain famous race-horse named +Eclipse, of whose speed great marvels were told. Handbills about him +were thrown into the house, and I thought he must really be a wonderful +animal. Just at that epoch, I heard my father say something about an +eclipse that night,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span> and the moon in connection with it. My imagination +was instantly fired. "Did you say, father, that Eclipse would go over +the <i>moon</i>? why, can that be true?" "Oh yes, my dear, the eclipse is +really going over the moon: if you wish it, you can stay up till nine +o'clock, to see it." "Thank you, thank you, I should like to very much. +But I don't see how it can be!" "More wonderful things than that happen, +my child: you'll understand it better when you are older; but you shall +see it to-night, if you are not too sleepy." "No danger of that—I +wouldn't miss it for the world!" "How much interest little Lucy seems to +feel in the eclipse, mother!" said my father. "We must certainly let her +stay up."</p> + +<p>Night came on, and the show began. The best seat at an upper window was +reserved for me, and I looked at the moon constantly, afraid that if I +turned away my eyes for one moment the wonderful event might take place +without my observing it. All were interested in my seeing it. "Lucy, do +you see it, dear I do you see the moon getting dark?" "Oh yes, I see +that, but I don't see Eclipse." "Why, that's the eclipse—when the dark +shadow goes over the moon, that is an eclipse of the moon." "But I don't +see the horse jumping over the moon, at all." "The <i>horse</i>? what do you +mean, child?" "You said that Eclipse was to go over the moon, but I +can't see him in the least!"</p> + +<p>"Oh, Auntie! were you, really, such a <i>green</i> child as that?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, it is a literal fact. I thought it a most astonishing thing that +it could happen; but since my father so gravely said it would, my faith +was equal to the demand made upon it. When I found it was only something +about the shadow of the earth falling on the moon, I went to bed, +grievously<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span> disappointed and quite disgusted: I felt somewhat as the +amiable Smith did, that I had been <i>sold</i>."</p> + +<p>"Ah, Auntie, we children could not be taken in so now, I can tell you!" +said Lewis.</p> + +<p>"I know it," replied his aunt, smiling. "I am quite aware that the age +of faith has passed away, and that republican institutions have made the +young ones as wise and incredulous as their elders. I don't half like it myself!"</p> + +<hr /> +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI.</h2> + +<h3>SUNDAY.—BIBLE STORIES.—CAPPING BIBLE VERSES.—BIBLE CLASS.</h3> + +<p>Sunday morning arose upon the earth, so clear, and calm, and beautiful, +that it almost seemed as if it were conscious of the blessings bestowed +by it upon millions of the human family. Happy day! when the man bent +under the heavy load of oppressive labor and corroding care, may take +the rest which the Maker of his frame intended for him, from the very +beginning. Now, throwing off the weight, he can realize that he is a +man—made in the image of his Creator, and made for happiness and +immortality. Now, he can afford to think: he is no longer the mechanical +drudge; he is no longer one little wheel in the great social machine; he +is to-day a reflecting being, and the desire for mental and spiritual +elevation throbs strongly within his heart. He sits at his hearth, +whether in the proud palace or in the humble cottage, for the +working-man is equally to be found in both, and feels himself to be the +centre of the home. He enjoys sweet converse with the wife of his youth, +and his children cluster round him, delighted to have his society. He +walks to the House of Prayer, surrounded by those he loves, and joins +with his fellow-men in adoration of the Great Supreme. He is happy, and +is prepared by the sweet Sabbaths below for the bliss above.</p> + +<p>Nor should we forget, on this day, the numerous attractive<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span> circles to +be found throughout our highly-favored land, gathered together for +Sunday-School instruction. Here, the voluntary system works to a charm: +both teachers and scholars, drawn together by love, assemble, with +sparkling eyes and kindly words, in their respective classes. Here, all +ages can find something to interest them: the rosy-cheeked, chubby child +runs along to its Infant School, fearing to be one moment behind the +time, and singing,</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>"Oh, let us be joyful, joyful, joyful,"</div> +</div></div> + +<p>with a full understanding of at least that part of the duty to be +performed. And the adult walks quietly to the Bible Class, where mutual +study and conversation about some passages of the Sacred Word elicit its +meaning, and throw new light upon the holy page. And, in the ages +intermediate between these two extremes, how bright and joyous are the +groups clustered around each loving teacher! If the toil be great, how +much greater the reward! how delightful is it to see the young mind +expand, and the warm affections glow, beneath the hallowing influence of +religion! And how pleasant and how good is it to find the hearts of +adults and of children, of rich and poor, knit together by a common +feeling of interest in the common cause!</p> + +<p>Some such thoughts arose in the minds of our party at The Grange, and +were fostered by the lovely calm of nature, which is so observable on +Sunday in the country, where the very animals seem to know that they are +included within the merciful commandment of rest. Mr. Wyndham was +religiously observant of the day, but exceedingly disliked the gloom by +which many worthy people think it a duty to lessen their own happiness, +and to throw a chill and constraint upon that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span> of others on this joyful +festival. He thought that the weekly commemoration of the Saviour's +resurrection should fill us with bright hopes and an enlivening piety; +and that an air of cheerfulness should be thrown around it, which might +say to all who had not yet entered within the gates of Zion, "Come ye, +and taste that the Lord is gracious." People are doubtless much +affected, in these minor shades of difference, by their natural +temperaments. Mr. Wyndham's frame of mind was so kindly and hopeful, and +so open to all that is pleasant and animating, that his religion partook +of the genial influence. On Sunday, his face beamed with a more radiant +smile than on other days, and he appeared to realize that it was indeed +the foretaste of eternal joy.</p> + +<p>In the morning, both old and young repaired with one consent to the +little country church, in which they filled up quite a number of pews. +Being the last Sunday in the year, the venerable clergyman, whose +earnest manner and silver hairs made his message doubly impressive to +the hearts of his hearers, exhorted all, of every age, to bring back to +their minds the fleeting days of that division of time which was so soon +to pass away, and to be numbered with those laid up against the +Judgment. When that year had begun, what resolutions of improvement had +been formed, what vows of greater fidelity had been made? And how had +they been kept? All had, during the seasons past, received new proofs of +the kindness and long-suffering of the Father above; but had the +goodness of the Lord led them to repentance? or had it fallen upon hard, +unfeeling hearts, which it could not penetrate? How stood they in their +accounts? Not their ledgers, not their cash-books did he now call upon +them to examine; but records of a far higher character, which affected +their heavenly interests, as well as their temporal prosperity<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span>—the +deeds, the words, the cherished feelings of that year, which had left an +impress upon their souls forever, and made them richer or poorer for +eternity. They owed debts to their Maker and Redeemer, and to their +fellow-men: how had they paid them? They continually received—did they +also dispense the goodness of God? If unwilling now to think of these +unsettled accounts, they should remember that one debt, notwithstanding +all their reluctance, they would be obliged to pay—the debt of nature: +and then would follow the final adjustment of all things—then would +each one reap as he had sowed below.</p> + +<p>All listened with deep attention to the discourse, which was well +calculated to arrest the most careless trifler; and thoughts were +suggested, and resolves were formed that day, which acted, long +afterward, as a stimulus to the discharge of duty. The hand which +scattered that precious seed has since been laid low in the dust; but +the "winged words" did not fall to the ground: they still live, and +produce results, in immortal spirits.</p> + +<p>There was no service in the afternoon. "Oh dear!" said George, "I +suppose it's not right to say so, but it's rather stupid, I think. How +we do miss Sunday School! We can't play to-day, and a fellow like me +doesn't want to read the whole time: what on earth can we do? Cousin +Mary, are you too much engaged with your book to help us poor souls?"</p> + +<p>With a smile, Mary shut it up. "How would you like Bible stories?" said +she. "If you please, I'll tell you one, keeping to Scriptural facts, but +clothing them in my own language, and omitting the name, or giving a +false one. And then you are to find out whom it is I have been telling<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span> +you about, and to answer the questions I may ask you. How would you like +that?"</p> + +<p>It was agreed that it would be delightful: so Mary began by telling the +story of</p> + +<p class='tbrk'> </p> + +<h3>The Good Grandmother.</h3> + +<p>In ancient times, in a country of the East, there lived a Queen Dowager, +whose heart was eaten up by ambition. She was a king's daughter, and had +ever been accustomed to rule. While her husband lived she had exerted +great influence at court, and had turned away his heart from the true +and established religion of the state to the cruel worship of the idols +of her native land; and this she accomplished, although he had been +religiously educated, and was the son of an eminently good man. Little +did it affect her, that a highly-distinguished prophet of God wrote a +letter to the king her husband, foretelling the evils that should befall +himself, his family, and his kingdom, and that this prophecy had been +literally fulfilled. Little did it humble her proud spirit, that by the +common consent, her degenerate husband, who, through <i>her</i> persuasions +and example, had been led away from the path of duty, was judged +unworthy to be interred within the sepulchres of his ancestors, and was +buried apart. She had too much of her mother within her to be daunted by +such trifles as these; for both of her parents had acquired an eminence +in wickedness which have made their names by-words: but her mother's +especially is considered almost a synonym for every thing that is +unlovely in woman.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span></p> + +<p>After her husband's death, her son succeeded to the throne, and he also +did wickedly, for he had been educated under his mother's eyes, trod in +her footsteps, and courted the society of her connections. And this was +the cause of his death; for while paying a visit at the court of his +uncle, her brother, they both were killed together in a successful +insurrection. And now, if ever, if any thing of the woman was left in +her nature, the queen's heart would be softened and humbled: at one fell +swoop, death had carried off her only son, her brother, and every member +of her father's house; she only was left, of all that proud and numerous +family. Her aged mother, aged, but not venerable, although now a +great-grandmother, had met her fate in a characteristic manner. +Determined, if she must die, to do so like a queen, she had put on her +royal robes, and adorned herself with jewels, and caused her withered +face, upon which every evil passion had left its mark, to be painted +into some semblance of youth and beauty. Her eyelids were stained with +the dark antimony still used in the East, to restore, if possible, the +former brilliant softness to eyes of hard, blazing, wicked blackness. +Gazing from an upper window of the palace upon the usurper, as he drove +into the courtyard, the fearless woman, resolved to show her spirit to +the last, railed upon him, and quoted a notable instance from history of +one who, like him, had been a successful rebel, but had reigned for only +seven days. Enraged at her insolence, her enemy, looking up, asked, "Who +in the palace is on my side?" At these words, some officers of the +household cast her down from the window: thus ingloriously she died, and +the prancing horses of the chariot trampled over her. He who now was +universally acknowledged to be the king, soon gave orders that she +should be buried, observing that, wretch as she was, she was of royal +blood. But<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span> the vulture and the jackal had been before him: naught +remained of that haughty, revengeful, and heaven-defying woman, save the +skull, the feet, and the palms of her hands. Thus, to the very letter, +was fulfilled the prediction of a prophet, one of her contemporaries: it +was the same individual who had sent an epistle to her son-in-law, the +late husband of our heroine, announcing his fate. This fearless reprover +of kings did not live to see the accomplishment of the divine messages +he was commissioned to deliver, and yet he had not died: read me that +riddle, if you can.</p> + +<p>When the queen, who, from one distinguishing act of her life, I have +called <i>the good grandmother</i>, heard the sad tidings of the death of her +only son, of her mother, and of all her kin, what did she? mourn, and +weep, and give herself up to melancholy? she was quite incapable of such +weakness. If she had no children left, she at least had +grandchildren—she must take care of them—the tender little playful +babes, her own flesh and blood, and all that was left upon the earth of +her late son. And she did take care of them—the care that Pharaoh took +of the Israelitish infants—the care that Herod took of the nurslings at +Bethlehem—the care that the tiger takes of the lamb. She was worse than +the tigress; for the latter will at least defend her young ones from all +attacks, even at the peril of her own life. But she—shame of her +sex!—commanded the immediate execution of all the children of her son, +that she might reign alone, and never be called upon to resign the +sceptre to a lawful heir.</p> + +<p>They are slain! The shouts and laughter of that band of little ones is +stopped forever—the galleries will never more re-echo to their youthful +voices; vainly did they rush into the arms of their nurses for +protection. They are slain; all save one! For if they have a grandmother +they also have<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span> an aunt, and one who is ruled by different principles. +She is the sister of their father, but probably had not the same mother +as he: she early chose the paths of piety and goodness, and was wedded +to a man of uncommon firmness and of the noblest character—the high +priest of the nation. Soon as she had an intimation of the intentions of +the queen, she hastened to the palace. But one only could she save—a +little crowing babe, whom, with his nurse, she secreted in a safe place, +until, under cover of the night, she was able to convey them to her own +abode.</p> + +<p>There, in the house of the Lord, the young child was reared. For six +years he was hidden, and tenderly and carefully trained in the fear of +God, while his grandmother reigned supreme in the land, to the +subversion of all law and order. But when the prince was seven years +old, the high priest, his uncle, took measures to secure to him the +possession of his rights. He consulted with the wisest of the nation, +and brought together the Levites from all parts of the land, and divided +them into bands, giving each a particular post, to guard against +surprise. He then brought forth from the treasuries of the temple the +spears, shields, and bucklers which had belonged to King David, and +distributed them among the captains of the several divisions. When all +arrangements were made, and the people who were gathered together in the +spacious courts for worship, waited to see what was about to happen, he +retired; and came back, in his priestly garments, with the mitre upon +his head, on which was written, on a golden plate, <span class="smcap">Holiness to the +Lord</span>—this sentence showing the intention of the priestly office. His +robe, or under-garment, which hung in rich folds down to his feet, was +of deep blue, and around the hem were alternate pomegranates of +brilliant colors, and little golden bells,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span> which made a tinkling sound +as he moved along. Above this was worn the ephod, splendidly embroidered +in gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, with a long and broad girdle +at the waist, manufactured of the same gorgeous materials. Upon his +bosom flashed the breastplate, composed of twelve large precious stones, +all different, upon each one of which was engraved the name of a tribe +of Israel; so that the High Priest bore them all upon his heart, when he +ministered before the Lord. Well was this magnificent dress, which was +made "for glory and for beauty," calculated to set off the dignity of +the holy office, and to make the people gaze in admiring awe. But it was +not the splendor of the pontifical robes, it was not the inspiring +person of the high priest, at which the assembled multitudes eagerly +gazed, when the Head of the Church again appeared before them. It was a +little boy, of seven years old, who now attracted their attention—a +pretty child, arrayed in royal garments, who was led forward by the +venerable man. His stand was taken beside a pillar, and the guards, with +drawn swords, gathered round him: his uncle placed upon his clustering +curls the golden circlet, the symbol of how much power, what heavy +cares, and what fearful responsibility! And when the people, long +crushed to the earth by tyrannical rule, beheld it, hope again awaked in +their hearts, and, with one accord, they clapped their hands, and +shouted out, "God save the King!" And the trumpeters sounded aloud, and +the harpers struck up the notes of praise and joy, and the full choir of +trained singers joined in the jubilee. And thus was the young king +proclaimed—while, in the innocence of childhood, he wonderingly looked +on.</p> + +<p>But the queen heard the shouts in her palace. For the first time in her +life, it is most probable, she came to the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span> house of God—but she came +not to worship. "What means this riotous assembly?" she thought. "Can it +be, that the vile rabble dare to think of revolt—against <i>me</i>? I will +go, even alone, and awe them by my presence: it shall never be said that +my mother's daughter feared aught in heaven above or the earth beneath." +She went, that audacious woman, with all her crimes upon her head, and +entered alone into the temple of the Holy One. She went to her death. +The people made way for her, although they gazed upon her with loathing; +and within the sanctuary she beheld the grandson, whom she had long +thought to be numbered with the dead, in royal array, with the crown +upon his head. When she saw this, she rent her clothes, and cried +loudly, "Treason! treason!" But none joined in the cry: an ominous +silence pervaded that vast assembly, and looks of hatred were cast upon +her from the crowd. Seeing plainly that all were against her, her +insolent pride gave way, and she turned to flee from that mass of stern, +relentless eyes, all gazing, as it were, into her black and +blood-stained heart. As she passed along, the people shrank back, as if +an accursed thing were near them; and when she had passed from the +consecrated limits, she was slain. None shed a tear over her grave, but +the people enjoyed rest and peace, now that her tyranny was terminated.</p> + +<p>"And that was the end of her!" said George. "And well she deserved her +fate. A good grandmother, indeed! But who was she?"</p> + +<p>"That's the very thing I want to know," replied Mary. "But perhaps some +of you can tell me who her very lovely mother was?"</p> + +<p>"There is no mistaking her," said Amy. "There is only one Jezebel in the +world, I hope. Think of the horrid old<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span> thing, painting herself off, and +trying to look like a beauty! I wonder if she thought she could possibly +captivate the murderer of her son!"</p> + +<p>"Hardly that, I should think. Perhaps it was on the same principle that +Julius Cæsar drew his robe around him, before his death—an idea of the +proprieties becoming the station they occupied. It reminds me of a +passage in Pope, describing 'the ruling passion strong in death:'</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>"'Odious—in woollen! 'twould a saint provoke,'</div> +<div>(Were the last words that poor Narcissa spoke;)</div> +<div>No, let a charming chintz and Brussels' lace</div> +<div>Wrap my cold limbs, and shade my lifeless face;</div> +<div>One would not, sure, be frightful when one's dead:</div> +<div>And—Betty—give this cheek a little red.'</div> +</div></div> + +<p>And now, can you tell me who was that prophet that sent a letter to the +husband of 'the good grandmother,' and who predicted the fate of her +parents, Ahab and Jezebel?"</p> + +<p>"He who did not <i>live to see</i> their accomplishment, and yet was not +dead," said Cornelia. "Oh, I remember well about that: it was Elijah, +the Tishbite, who had ascended to heaven without dying. By the way, how +do you understand that saying of Elisha's, Mary—'My father, my father! +the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof?' I never knew rightly +whether the latter part of his exclamation referred to the ascending +prophet, or to the chariot and horses of fire."</p> + +<p>"I once asked our clergyman that very question; and he told me that it +alluded to Elijah himself, and meant to say, that he was the defence of +the country, and a whole host in himself: comprising cavalry, and those +heavy chariots filled with warriors, and armed with scythes on either +side, which did such deadly execution in ancient warfare. I suppose +Elisha thought, How can <i>I</i>, how can our country exist without you!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span></p> + +<p>"I remember now the name of 'the good grandmother,'" said Ellen, +smiling. "It was Athaliah—and a worthy daughter she was for Ahab and +Jezebel to leave as a legacy to the world. And her son was Ahaziah, who +was killed in Samaria, while on a visit to his uncle, King Jehoram. And +now I think some one else should tell who the usurper was, under whose +chariot-wheels the wicked Jezebel was slain."</p> + +<p>"It was Jehu, the furious driver," answered her brother Tom; "the same +eminently pious individual who invited a friend to 'go with him and see +his zeal for the Lord,' when he intended to murder the rest of Ahab's +relations. A fine way of showing goodness, that!"</p> + +<p>"And who was the good aunt?"</p> + +<p>"You must really let me look for that," said Amy, getting a Bible. "It +was Jehosheba, and her husband, the high priest, was named Jehoiada, and +the little king was Joash, or Jehoash. I'm sorry to see that he was only +kept straight by his uncle: as soon as he died, the young monarch, +appears to have become as bad as any of them."</p> + +<p>"And now, Cousin Mary, tell us another story!" said Harry.</p> + +<p>"Very well, if you wish it. I'll call this tale</p> + + +<p>The Prophet and the Fortune-Tellers.</p> + +<p>In former times there was a king of Judah, an excellent man, who, +through some unaccountable ideas of policy, had entered into an alliance +with a very wicked king of Israel, and had even encouraged his son to +marry the daughter of his idolatrous neighbor. On one occasion, he was +paying a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span> visit to his ally, when the latter proposed to him that they +should join together in recovering a city which had formerly belonged to +the Jewish nation, from their enemy, the King of Syria. He replied, that +they were of one blood, and had but one interest, and that he should +most gladly aid him; but cautiously added, that it was his particular +wish that God's oracle should be consulted, as he did not like to +undertake any thing without His direction. To gratify this superstitious +whim, as he considered it, the Israelitish monarch collected together +about four hundred false prophets, who were ready to say any thing that +would give him pleasure, and asked whether he should or should not go up +against the city. Of course, they obsequiously replied, "Go up; for the +Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king."</p> + +<p>But the King of Judah wag not satisfied. He had seen real, true prophets +of God, and they had neither looked nor acted like these very smooth, +courtier-like men. He mistrusted these pretenders, and said to his +brother-monarch, "Is there not another, a prophet of Jehovah, of whom we +could inquire the Lord's will?"</p> + +<p>The latter answered, "Yes, there <i>is</i> another man; but I did not send +for him, for I hate the very sight of his face. Instead of predicting +good, he makes a point of foretelling evil; I detest that man." But his +more amiable and pious friend said, "Pray, do not speak so, your +Highness: it is not right." Seeing that he was unwilling to go until he +had consulted the prophet, the King of Israel ordered the latter to be +sent for. The two sovereigns awaited him in state, in their royal robes +upon their thrones, at the large open space always left in Oriental +cities at the entrance of the gates, for public meetings, business, and +courts of justice.</p> + +<p>Before the messenger returned, the false prophets had re<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span>newed their +predictions of a safe and successful career to the two kings; and one of +them had distinguished himself by making horns of iron, which he placed +upon his head, agreeably to the allegorical style of the East, and said: +"Thus shalt thou push against thy enemies, and shalt overcome them, +until they be utterly consumed."</p> + +<p>Meanwhile, the royal messenger approached with the prophet; and being a +good-natured man and a courtier, he begged the latter not to affront his +master, by speaking differently from the other seers, who all, with one +accord, joined in predicting peace and success. But the undaunted man of +God replied, that what Jehovah revealed to him he would speak, neither +more nor less.</p> + +<p>At last, they arrived in the presence of royalty; and the King of Israel +said to him, "Speak, and declare the counsel of God: shall we go up +against the city, or shall we abandon our undertaking?" With a manner of +cutting irony—for he well knew that the monarch neither cared to know +the will of the Lord, nor would obey it, when known—the prophet +answered, quoting the language of the fortune-tellers around him: "Go +up, and prosper; for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the +king." But it was so evident that there was something behind this +satire, that the idolatrous prince replied to him, "How often must I be +compelled to tell you to speak the truth, and to declare the will of +Heaven?"</p> + +<p>Then the prophet spoke, and this time the mockery had vanished from his +tone and manner, and his voice was serious and sad: "I see a vision that +distresses me: all Israel is scattered upon the hills, like sheep which +have no shepherd. And Jehovah says, 'These have no master: let each one +return to his house in peace.'"</p> + +<p>When he heard this, the King of Israel turned to his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span> friend: "Now you +see a proof of my words," said he. "Did I not tell you that he would +never predict aught but evil of me?"</p> + +<p>But the prophet still spoke on: "I have a parable to tell thee, O mighty +King. I saw, sitting upon his lofty throne, one mightier than thou—the +King of kings; and upon his right hand and upon his left were ranged all +the host of heaven. And he said, 'Who shall persuade the Lord of Israel +to go up against Ramoth-Gilead to his destruction?' And various counsel +was given from different sources. At last, a Power spoke, and offered to +go forth as a lying spirit in the mouth of all the king's prophets. The +Lord answered him, 'Go, and thou shalt likewise succeed.' This, O +monarch, is my parable: a lying spirit has gone forth into thy prophets; +for truly, Jehovah hath spoken evil concerning thee."</p> + +<p>At these words, the man who had made himself so especially prominent in +predicting good fortune to the expedition came up to the prophet, and +struck him upon the cheek, with an insulting speech; and the king +commanded that he should be carried to the governor of the city, and +kept closely confined, upon bread and water, until he returned in peace +and triumph, having conquered all his enemies. But the prophet answered, +"If thou return at all in peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me."</p> + +<p>But, unrestrained by any thing he said, the two princes went forth to +the battle. More completely to insure his safety, the Israelitish +monarch disguised himself, and requested the King of Judah to wear his +royal robes, which he accordingly did. But the Syrians had received +orders to aim only at the enemy's head and leader, and not to attack the +common people. This nearly caused the death of the King of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span> Judah, who +wore his friend's conspicuous garments, and who was pursued, and almost +slain, before the mistake was discovered. But notwithstanding his +precaution in wearing a counterfeit dress, the fated king did not +escape. An arrow, shot by chance, struck him in a vital part, and he +died. When the death of their lord was known, all Israel fled in dismay, +and every man sought the shelter of his own home. We may presume that +the true prophet was liberated from his confinement, and that the base +and impudent impostor was punished as he deserved.</p> + +<p>"Are not these kings near relatives of 'the good grandmother?'" said +Charlie Bolton.</p> + +<p>"You are right," replied Mary. "They are her father, Ahab, and her +father-in-law, Jehoshaphat. Who was the true prophet, and who the +false?"</p> + +<p>"The true prophet was Micaiah, the son of Imlah; and the other—I think +his horns should have been made of <i>brass</i>, impudent fellow that he +was—was called Zedekiah."</p> + +<p>Other Bible stories were called for, which were found so interesting, +and, as the younger children confessed, so <i>new</i> to many of them, that +all agreed to begin a more systematic mode of reading the +Scriptures—that treasury of historic truth, of varied biography, and of +poetic beauty. John Wyndham remarked that the best thing about the +romantic incidents in the Bible was, that you could be sure they had all +really happened: and the events were told with so much simplicity, and +the characters were so natural and life-like, that even a dull fellow +like him, who had no more imagination than a door-post, could see it as +if it were passing before his eyes. And another thing that struck him +was, that all was related without the exclamations, and the comments +upon the incidents and the people, which you find in common<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span> books: you +were treated as if you had both sense and conscience enough to find out +the moral intention of the narrative, and that made you think a great +deal more than if it was explained out in full. The young people all got +their Bibles, and counting the chapters, formed a plan for reading +through the whole book once a year. They found that if they read three +chapters a day, and occasionally an extra one, they could accomplish it: +and resolved to begin in Genesis, the Psalms, and St. Matthew's Gospel, +in order to give more variety. When this point was settled, Amy proposed +capping Bible verses: she said they could have their books before them +to help them a little, if their memories failed. One was to recite a +verse, and the next another, beginning with the letter which ended the +preceding passage; and if the person, whose turn it was, hesitated, any +one else who first thought of a suitable sentence should recite it. But +it ought to be something which made good sense, when disconnected from +the adjoining verses: and it was a rule of the game, that if any one +present did not understand the meaning of a quotation, they should talk +it over until they got some light upon the subject.</p> + +<p>Amy began: "'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.'"</p> + +<p>"Stop!" cried Lewis. "For if that means that gentle, patient, forgiving +people, shall become rich and great, I don't understand it at all."</p> + +<p>"Certainly it cannot mean that," replied his sister Ellen. "I have heard +it explained in this way:—they shall possess the best blessings of +earth, by living in love and peace, and having easy consciences."</p> + +<p>"That makes a very good sense, I think," said Tom; "but I have heard +another explanation given, which I like better.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span> The earth, in that +place and in many others, can be translated <i>land</i>, with equal +propriety; and as the land of Canaan was promised to the Jews as a +reward, the heavenly Canaan is held out as a recompense to Christians."</p> + +<p>"I'm satisfied," said Lewis. "Let me see—h—'Hear, O heavens, and give +ear, O earth, for the Lord hath spoken.'"</p> + +<p>"'Never man spake like this man,'" added George.</p> + +<p>"I think there are some words in the verse before that N," said +Gertrude.</p> + +<p>"But that is of no consequence," replied Amy. "When a clause makes a +complete sense in itself, that answers, even if it is not at the +beginning of a verse. You know that the division of the Bible into +chapters and verses is quite a modern thing."</p> + +<p>"Indeed, I did not know it," said Gertrude. "Are you quite sure?"</p> + +<p>"Oh, yes, certain. I don't know when, or by whom it was divided into +chapters—but my Sunday-school teacher has told me that the books of the +Old Testament were not parcelled out in that way among the Jews. They +had other, and longer divisions, one of which was read every Sabbath day +in the synagogues, so that the whole was heard by the people, in the +course of the year. She told me that the New Testament was first +distributed into chapters—it was not originally written so—and then +the Old; and that in some places it would make better sense if the end +of one chapter was joined to the beginning of the next."</p> + +<p>"And how is it about the verses, Amy?"</p> + +<p>"It was first separated into verses by Robert Stephens, a publisher, +when riding on horseback between Paris and Lyons: he marked it thus as +he rode along. He was about to publish an edition of the Bible, and a +concordance, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span> divided it for facility of reference. This was in the +middle of the sixteenth century."</p> + +<p>"There is one thing I've always wanted to know," said John. "Along the +margin, among the references, every now and then there are a few +words—generally, <i>or</i> so and so. What is the meaning of that?"</p> + +<p>"That occurs when the translators were doubtful which of two words gives +the right meaning," said Mrs. Wyndham, coming forward. "And I have +frequently noticed, that the one in the margin is preferable to the +other."</p> + +<p>"Another point I wish to have explained," said Cornelia. "Why is it that +in all Bibles some words are put in Italics? There must be a reason."</p> + +<p>"Yes, my dear, there certainly is. The translators did not find these in +the original text, but thought them necessary to make up the sense. You +know that you are obliged to take such liberties in rendering any +foreign language into English. But they very properly distinguished +<i>their</i> words from those found in the original; and occasionally, when +the former are omitted, the passage is more forcible, and gives a +slightly different sense. It is well to remember this."</p> + +<p>"But we have wandered very far from our game," said Charlie Bolton. +"'Never man spake like this man,' was the last—another N—'Not unto us, +O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory.'"</p> + +<p>"'Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be +hid.'"</p> + +<p>"'Divers weights and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination +unto the Lord.'"</p> + +<p>"'Drink waters out of thy own cistern, and running waters out of thy own +well.'"</p> + +<p>"'Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty.'"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span></p> + +<p>And so the game went on, until, to the surprise of all, Cæsar announced +that tea was ready, and they found that the afternoon had quite passed +away, in pleasant and profitable talk.</p> + +<p>In the evening, Ellen Green asked her aunt if she would not consent to +convert them into a Bible-class, as an hour could be spent very +agreeably in that way. Of course, Mrs. Wyndham agreed to the +proposition, and requested the young party to bring Bibles in as many +different languages as they could understand. They had Latin, Greek, and +German versions in the library, which the boys would find useful, as all +the older ones were pretty well versed in the classics, and Tom Green +was studying German; and as she had seen Amy reading her French +Testament, and Ellen the Italian, she knew they were provided for. +Accordingly, they ran to get their books; and by comparing the various +translations, they found that the sense was frequently made clearer. +Each one read a verse; and then, before the next person proceeded, Mrs. +Wyndham explained it, and asked questions, which frequently led to the +most animated conversation. By requiring a definition of all words which +were not perfectly familiar, she arrested their attention. When she, or +any other member of the class, thought of a passage in Scripture which +threw light upon the subject, all searched for it, with the aid of the +Concordance. Any peculiarity of rites, manners, customs, etc., was made +more intelligible by the Bible Dictionary; and when the whole lesson was +finished, the young people gave a summary of the religious truth, and +practical inferences to be deduced from it.</p> + +<p>A quotation from the Book of Daniel led to some pleasant talk about that +prophet, his greatly diversified life, and the important changes in the +world's history which he witnessed.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span> Mrs. Wyndham remarked that the Jews +have a tradition which in itself is very probable, that the venerable +man pointed out to Cyrus, after his conquest of Babylon, the verses in +Isaiah, wherein he is spoken of by name, as conquering by the power of +the Lord, and giving orders to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple: and +also that other passage, in which the destruction of the Babylonish +empire by the Medes is foretold, both prophecies being recorded more +than a hundred years before the birth of the mighty king by whom they +were accomplished.</p> + +<p>"I never heard of that," said Cornelia. "But, of course, it would be the +most likely thing for Daniel to do. You can imagine the interest with +which Cyrus would listen to these predictions about himself—and from +the lips of such a noble, lovely, white-haired man as Daniel must have +been. I don't wonder at all that he gave the decree to rebuild +Jerusalem."</p> + +<p>"This reminds me of another Jewish tradition, recorded in Josephus," +rejoined Mrs. Wyndham. "This one, I think, is not at all probable; but +as it would interest you, I will narrate it. Alexander the Great, while +engaged in the siege of Tyre, sent orders to the high priest at +Jerusalem, to furnish his army with provisions, as they had been in the +habit of doing to Darius. But Jaddus, the high priest, gave answer that +they were still bound by their oath to the King of Persia, and that, +while he lived, they could not transfer their allegiance to another. +This noble response awakened the rage of Alexander, who, as soon as Tyre +was reduced, marched towards Jerusalem, determined to inflict signal +vengeance upon that city. The inhabitants, totally unable to withstand +the conqueror, were filled with consternation. Their town was, indeed, +admirably fortified; but since Tyre, the Queen of the Sea, had been +subdued, how could they hope to es<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span>cape? Weeping and loud lamentations +were heard throughout the streets. The high priest knew that his only +hope was in help from on high: he ordered prayers and sacrifices to be +offered up, and awaited the result, confident that he had at least +discharged his duty.</p> + +<p>"But on the night before the mighty Greek arrived, Jaddus received +directions, in a dream, to array the streets with flowers, and to go +forth, in his pontifical robes, to meet the victor, followed by the +people, dressed in white. He awoke, with fresh hope and energy, told his +dream to the assembled populace, and gave orders that the city should be +decked with garlands, triumphal arches, and gay streamers, and that the +gates should be left open. When all preparations were made, he marched +out, agreeably to the commandment, at the head of the priests and +people, and awaited the approach of the invaders, at a point commanding +a beautiful view of the city, with its open gates, unarmed walls, and +smiling environs. At last, the clank of weapons was heard; and, with +military music, the victorious army moved along, anxious for fresh +conquests. But how different was their reception from that they had +anticipated! Many, it is true, had come out to meet them, but all in the +garb of peace; dressed in white, and crowned with flowers, as if for a +festival. Hostility died away in the bosoms of the warriors, as they +gazed on these defenceless men,—few are so brutal as to attack the +unresisting and the friendly. But what was the astonishment of the whole +army, when they beheld the fiery Alexander himself go forward towards +the Jewish high priest, who headed the brilliant procession, and humbly +kneel down at his feet! Then rising, he embraced him. The Israelites +themselves were amazed, and acknowledged the merciful interposition of +God. At length, Parmenio addressed the king, and asked<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span> why he, before +whom monarchs and nations trembled, and at whose feet all were ready to +fall, should condescend thus to do homage to a man? Alexander replied, +'that he did not bow down to the man, but to the mighty name which was +written upon his forehead—to the great God to whom he was consecrated. +For that, while he was yet in Macedon, meditating the expedition to +Asia, he had been favored with a remarkable dream, in which he had +beheld this very man, in his pontifical robes, who had addressed him, +encouraging him to persevere in his undertaking. He told him that he, +Alexander, was acting under the immediate guidance of God, and that he +should prosper. And now,' continued the king, 'I do not pay obeisance to +the man, but to the God whose high priest he is, and who has given +success to my arms.'</p> + +<p>"The Jews escorted him into their capital with shouts of applause and +loud rejoicings. The Grecian monarch then entered the temple, and +offered sacrifices, complying with all the requirements of the law: and +Jaddus showed him, in the Book of Daniel, the prophecy concerning +himself and his kingdom overcoming the Medo-Persian realm. Mary, will +you be kind enough to read it?"</p> + +<p>Mary opened the book at the 8th chapter, 3d verse: "Then I lifted up +mine eyes, and behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two +horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, +and the higher came up last.</p> + +<p>"I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that +no beast might stand before him, neither was there any that could +deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became +great.</p> + +<p>"And as I was considering, behold, an he-goat came from the west on the +face of the whole earth, and touched not the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span> ground: and the goat had a +notable horn between his eyes.</p> + +<p>"And he came to the ram which had two horns, which I had seen standing +before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power.</p> + +<p>"And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler +against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was +no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the +ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the +ram out of his hand.</p> + +<p>"Therefore the he-goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the +great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones towards the +four winds of heaven."</p> + +<p>And at the twentieth verse it says: "The ram which thou sawest having +two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.</p> + +<p>"And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn which is +between his eyes is the first king.</p> + +<p>"Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms +shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power."</p> + +<p>"This is very plain, Aunt Lucy," said Mary; "and I suppose that the +larger horn of the ram, which came up last, refers to the power of +Persia, which overshadowed Media, originally so much its superior. If +you notice, the ram comes from the east, and pushes westward, northward, +and southward: while the he-goat comes from the west to attack the ram, +and so rapidly, that he is represented as not touching the ground."</p> + +<p>"I suppose that is a poetical expression," said John; "but if it were +anywhere else but in the Bible, I'd say it was far-fetched."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span></p> + +<p>"It is exactly in unison with the figurative language of the East," +replied Mrs. Wyndham. "The Arab praises the swiftness of his steed, at +this day, by saying, that before his hoof touches the ground, he is out +of sight. That's a bold figure for you."</p> + +<p>"I love poetical expressions," said Amy.</p> + +<p>"And I prefer plain English, not Arabian," answered John.</p> + +<p>"I think I can answer for one thing," said Charlie. "When Jaddus showed +Alexander that prediction, he did not lay much stress upon the verse +about the great horn being broken while it was yet strong, and four +others coming up in its place. It all came true enough, but Alexander +would not have liked that part as well as the rest, about his +conquests."</p> + +<p>"Do you, who are fresh from school, remember the names of the four +generals and kingdoms who succeeded him?" rejoined Mrs. Wyndham.</p> + +<p>"Ptolemy seized Egypt; Seleucus, Syria and Babylon; Lysimachus, Asia +Minor; and Cassander took Greece for his share of the plunder. But +though these were notable horns, they were none of them in <i>his</i> +power—none could compare with Alexander."</p> + +<p>"Auntie," said Amy, "don't you think Alexander must have seen these +predictions—you know how much he favored the Jews, and what especial +privileges he gave them in his city, Alexandria?"</p> + +<p>"Well, perhaps so," said Mrs. Wyndham, smiling. "I see you want to +believe it, at any rate. There is no proof to the contrary, so you might +as well indulge your organ of wonder."</p> + +<hr /> +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII.</h2> + +<h3>SEQUEL TO THE ORPHAN'S TALE.—WHO CAN HE BE?—ELEMENTS.—THE ASTROLOGERS.</h3> + +<p>On Monday morning, our merry party at the Grange breakfasted rather +earlier than usual, and Mr. Wyndham and Alice Bolton set off for +Philadelphia, full of eagerness to hunt up an uncle for little Margaret +Roscoe. Charlie told him, laughingly, that he was sure he would persuade +some one to be her uncle, if rich Mr. Roscoe did not prove to be the +right man: he could pick one up somewhere along the streets. But Mr. +Wyndham replied, with an offended air, that he was sorry he had not yet +learned his worth: good uncles, like him, were not to be met with every +day—they should be valued accordingly.</p> + +<p>"Do you remember the anecdote about Frederic the Great, of Prussia?" +asked his wife.</p> + +<p>"There are many funny stories told of him," answered Mr. Wyndham; "which +is the one you refer to?"</p> + +<p>"One Sunday, a young minister preached an admirable sermon before him, +showing uncommon talent and erudition. Frederic afterwards sent for him, +and asked where he was settled. 'Unfortunately, Sire, I have had no +opportunity of being installed anywhere: I have never had a living +presented to me.' 'But what is the reason?—you preach an excellent +discourse, and appear to be an active young man.' 'Alas! Sire, I have no +uncle.' 'Then I'll be your uncle,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span> said Frederic. And he kept his word: +the next vacancy in the ecclesiastical appointments was filled up with +the name of his adopted nephew."</p> + +<p>"But, Aunt," said Harry, "I can't see what his having no uncle had to do +with it."</p> + +<p>"You know that in most other parts of Christendom, where the stars and +the stripes do not float in the breeze, what we call the voluntary +principle in church maintenance and government is not the rule at all. +Here, people choose their own clergymen, and of course it is their +business to support them. But in nearly the whole of Europe, rulers are +so very paternal as to take that trouble and responsibility off the +shoulders of the people: they are kind enough to do all their thinking +for them. The subjects pay very heavy taxes; and from these, and from +old endowments, all the expenses of the national establishments are +discharged. They look at it in the same light as your parents do, when +they pay your school-bills—it's a duty they owe you to see that you are +properly taught; but it would be very weak in them to consult you as to +which teacher you preferred, and what school you chose to go to—they're +the best judges, of course."</p> + +<p>"But, Aunt Lucy! you surely don't mean to say that the governments are +the best judges as to what church the people shall attend, and what +ministers they shall have?"</p> + +<p>"I do not mean to say that is my opinion, of course—that would be +rather anti-American, and not at all Aunty-Lucyish. No, no; I stand up +for the rights of conscience, and approve of treating grown men, and +children too, as if they had reason and common sense; and then they will +be far more likely to possess it, than if they are always kept under an +iron rule. But, on the other side of the water, they have not so exalted +an opinion of the mass of the people as we<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span> have; and the government, in +some form—either through ecclesiastical boards, or inspectors of +churches, or members of the aristocracy—exercises the power of filling +vacant churches. This is the reason why it is important to have an +uncle; in other words, some influential person to aid you in rising."</p> + +<p>"Even the <i>memory</i> of an illustrious uncle is sometimes a +stepping-stone," remarked Charlie Bolton. "The late Emperor Louis +Napoleon is an example—lucky fellow; his uncle's name and fame got him +a throne—with the help of considerable cheating."</p> + +<p>"Not so lucky, if you look at his end," said John. "But from other and +quite disinterested motives, I intend to keep as close to <i>my</i> uncle as +he. I shall very soon begin to subscribe myself John Wyndham, Junior, +and I am determined to be like you, uncle—as like as your own shadow."</p> + +<p>"Then you will be an illustrious example of failure, my boy—for my +shadow, although always near me, is generally cast down, which I never +am—and it always looks away from the sunny side, you know, which I +don't do. Besides, a shadow has no particular character: any one's +shadow would suit me as well as my own."</p> + +<p>"I intend to be an original, for my part!" cried Cornelia, laughing. "I +won't be cast in anybody's mould, as if I were a bullet—not I!"</p> + +<p>"That's right, my dear original!" said her uncle, pinching her rosy, +dimpled, laughter-loving cheek. "The grave world always wants a pert +little Cornelia to tease it out of its peculiarities: people in old +times kept their jesters, and you're nearly as good!"</p> + +<p>"Why, uncle! you insult me! you've quite mistaken my character; I intend +to be the dignified Miss Wyndham!"</p> + +<p>"Oh, pray, spare us that infliction!" replied her uncle, laughingly, +jumping into the carriage.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span></p> + +<p>Mr. Wyndham met with good success. He arrived at Mr. Roscoe's door at +the moment that gentleman was about to leave home. Alice Bolton, who was +an especial favorite of his, introduced her uncle; and when he +understood that they had private business with him, he led them up to +his library, where, hanging over the mantle-piece, Mr. Wyndham +immediately saw a portrait, the counterpart of the one in his +possession, although evidently taken some years before the miniature. +Involuntarily, he stopped before it, and gazed earnestly. Mr. Roscoe +sighed. "Here is all that remains," said he, "of a dear and only +brother. I value this picture more than any thing else in my house, +except its living furniture." "Had your brother no family, sir? no wife +or child?" rejoined Mr. Wyndham. "That is rather a tender subject, my +dear sir," answered Mr. Roscoe: "one that has caused me much sorrow, and +some self-reproach. He left a wife and child, indeed, who were to join +me in America. I have reason to think they sailed; but from that day to +this, I have heard no tidings from them. Would to God I knew their fate! +whether the unknown ship in which they took passage went down at sea, or +what else may have happened, I know not. All my efforts to unravel the +mystery have been in vain." "Perhaps I can help you," said Mr. Wyndham, +with that peculiarly benevolent smile, which opened all hearts to him, +as if by magic. "You recognize this countenance?" continued he, holding +up to him little Maggie's medallion. "My brother Malcom! tell me, sir, +tell me where you got this; it was his wife's!" "His sweet little +daughter—your niece, Margaret Roscoe—handed it to my wife a few days +ago. She knows not she has an uncle living: her mother is dead, and she +is dwelling in comparative poverty near my house." "I cannot doubt it, +from this picture—al<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span>though it is all a mystery still. But I must see +her—my dear brother's child. I will order up my carriage immediately, +and beg you to take seats in it. I must see her as soon as possible."</p> + +<p>"On that very account I have made arrangements for you to come out to +The Grange in mine," replied Mr. Wyndham. "We can explain all things by +the way; and you can return whenever you say the word. You will find Old +Cæsar quite at your disposal."</p> + +<p>"I gratefully accept your offer, my dear sir, and can never be +sufficiently thankful to you, if you indeed restore to me my brother's +child. I will order my carriage to follow us to The Grange."</p> + +<p>Accordingly, he acquainted his family, in few words and great haste, +with the discovery that had been made, and left Carrie, Alan, and Malcom +in an intense state of excitement, at the idea of regaining the +long-lost cousin. The three then drove immediately to Mrs. Norton's +little cottage, where the gentle and womanly child was busily engaged at +her work—</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>"Stitch, stitch, stitch,</div> +<div>Band, gusset, and seam—"</div> +</div></div> + +<p>striving, by her small, but active fingers, to aid in the support of +that family which had sheltered her in adversity. As the door opened, +she raised her deep blue eyes—the very reflection of her father's. The +work fell from her hands; that face reminded her of home, of her +grandfather, of her unknown uncle. They have recognized each other; the +ties of blood speak out in their hearts; the long-severed are now +united.</p> + +<p>I will not attempt to raise the veil which hides from the world the +strongest and purest affections of our nature: they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span> were never intended +for the common eye. But now, after the first rapture of meeting had +subsided, there arose a tumult within the soul of our affectionate and +grateful little Maggie: her heart urged her in two opposite directions. +She felt, in an ardent and uncommon degree, that instinctive love of +kindred which is implanted in our nature, and manifested so strongly by +the natives of Scotland; but, on the other hand, gratitude and duty +appeared to bid her stay with her benefactors. Mr. Roscoe perceived the +struggle, and it raised his little niece highly in his estimation. He +told her that it was not his wish to separate her entirely from the +family to which she was so warmly attached; that she should come very +frequently to see them, and that, as his niece, she would find it was in +her power to aid them more effectually than she could do as their +adopted daughter. Mrs. Norton, although with tears in her eyes, told her +that she could not now dare to detain her; her duty was clear, to follow +her uncle, who filled her father's place. Having made the arrangement to +call for her in the afternoon, Mr. Roscoe accompanied Mr. Wyndham and +Alice to the Grange, where he dined, and spent the intermediate time; +greatly to the pleasure of our young party, who could not have felt sure +of Maggie's future happiness, had they not themselves experienced the +attractive influence of his kind, gentlemanly, and paternal manner.</p> + +<p>After dinner, the two gentlemen had a little private conversation about +Mrs. Norton. They wished to place her above poverty, and yet to do so in +a way which should not mortify her feelings of independence. Mr. Roscoe +remarked that "he had it in his power to bring Frederic forward in +business; and that, if he were an industrious and intelligent lad, he +should enjoy as good an opportunity of rising in the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span> world as the son +of the richest merchant in the land. He would see to it that the girls +had the best advantages of education; and if they showed sufficient +talent, they should be trained for teachers. But, meantime, what was to +be done for Mrs. Norton? Would she accept from him an annuity, which, +after all, was only a small return for her kindness to his brother's +child?"</p> + +<p>Mr. Wyndham thought that it would be a better plan to establish her in a +neat dwelling and well-furnished shop, either in the country or in the +city, where Frederic could board with her. He knew, from his wife's +account, that she had an acquaintance with business, and had thought of +setting her up, himself, in a small way: he should be happy to aid in +the good work. But Mr. Roscoe insisted that the debt was all his own, +and that no one should share with him the privilege of helping her; and, +accordingly, this plan was determined upon as combining the most +efficient assistance to the widow, with a regard to her self-respect.</p> + +<p>In the evening, after the excitement produced by the unexpected turn in +the fortunes of little Maggie and of her generous protectors had +somewhat subsided, our happy party drew up to the fire, which crackled +and blazed as if conscious of the animation it imparted to the group +around it.</p> + +<p>"What game shall we play to-night?" said Cornelia, who possessed such an +active mind as to think it stupid and "poking," unless some visible fun +was in progress. She never could think the fire was burning, unless the +sparks flew right and left.</p> + +<p>"What do you say to 'Who can he be?" asked Mary. "'Tis a game, partly of +my own invention, that I think may prove entertaining. I've seen a set +of historical cards, in which a description is read of a general, king, +or other illus<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span>trious character; and any one having the card on which +the corresponding name is printed, calls it out, and gains the other +one. But if a beautiful Queen of Egypt, who lived a short time before +the Christian era, is portrayed, it's quite as well for boys who own a +Moses or a Mary of Scotland, not to be in too great a hurry to speak."</p> + +<p>"We wouldn't be such dunces, I hope," cried Harry. "But, Cousin Mary, +what's your improvement? I don't see any cards here at all."</p> + +<p>"Oh no: I think when people have brains, they can play much better +without them. My plan is, for a person to describe the individual, +naming the country and age in which he lived, what gained him +distinction, and every thing else that is interesting; and then any one +of the circle can guess who the hero is, having the privilege of asking +one question previously. If the conjecture be correct, the guesser +describes another character, and so the game proceeds. Or, if you prefer +it, you can narrate one well-known anecdote of your hero, and then three +questions are allowed previous to a guess. I call it 'Who can he be?'"</p> + +<p>"I think I shall like it," said Ellen. "If you please, I'll begin. Once +there lived a Roman Emperor—he was a nephew, like Louis Napoleon and +Cousin John. We often say people lived in the year one: he certainly +did. He was a great patron of literature and the fine arts, and was a +munificent friend to Virgil. Who can he be?"</p> + +<p>"I can tell you, without asking my question," cried Tom. "Augustus was +eminently the nephew, and succeeded his uncle, Julius Cæsar, in the +Empire. He was reigning at the time of our Saviour's birth, and of +course lived in the year one: every thing fits—he's the man."</p> + +<p>"You are right. Now 'tis your turn, brother Tom."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span></p> + +<p>"The first of the English poets—who wrote splendid poetry, if only one +could read it. 'Tis such hard, tough, jaw-breaking English, that it is +little wonder his very name shows we must use the muscles of our mouths +when we attempt it. He lived soon after the time of Wickliffe, and +imbibed some of his ideas. Who can he be?"</p> + +<p>"Who but Chaucer?" said Cornelia. "Now who is the hero who was almost +elected King of Poland, but who lost that honor through the interference +of a queen of England, unwilling to lose the brightest jewel of her +crown by parting with him? He is mortally wounded on the battle-field, +and thirsting for water. His soldiers procure some, with great +difficulty, and he is about to raise it to his lips, when he sees the +longing eye of a dying man, at his side, fixed upon it. 'He wants it +more than I,' said he, and gave it to the poor fellow. Who can he be?"</p> + +<p>"We are allowed three questions to an anecdote," said Alice, "but none +are required here. There is only one Sir Philip Sydney. But who was the +selfish queen, unwilling to have her noblest subject exalted beyond her +control?"</p> + +<p>"None other than good Queen Bess," answered Cornelia.</p> + +<p>"And who is the poet that has immortalized Sydney's sister, in the +following lines?</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>"'Underneath this marble hearse</div> +<div>Lies the subject of all verse:</div> +<div>Sydney's sister, Pembroke's mother—</div> +<div>Death, ere thou hast slain another</div> +<div>Good, and fair, and wise as she,</div> +<div>Time shall throw his dart at thee!'"</div> +</div></div> + +<p>"Was it 'rare Ben Jonson?'" cried Charlie Bolton.</p> + +<p>"Even so, Charlie: now, what have you got to say for yourself?"</p> + +<p>"I intend to disprove the assertion of Alice, that there is<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span> only one +Sir Philip Sydney. Who was that other equally valiant knight, and much +sweeter poet, who used to sing his own verses, accompanying himself upon +the harp; and could thereby soothe the most troubled spirit? On one +occasion, this brilliant genius, whose romantic adventures might fill a +volume, and who subsequently became a king, was in exile, and was +hidden, with some devoted followers, in a large cave. The enemies of his +country were encamped around, and lay, in strong force, between his +hiding-place and the small town where he had spent his childish years, +which they also garrisoned. While in this situation, cut off from all +intercourse with his home and friends, his heart turned to them with an +intense longing; and in a moment of thoughtlessness, he said before +three of his captains, 'Oh, what would I not give, could I once more +drink water from the well, outside the gate of my native town!' At the +peril of their lives, the gallant men fought their way through the hosts +of the enemy, and returned with the water. But the poet-warrior would +not drink: he poured it out as a libation to God, saying, 'Can I indeed +drink the blood of these noble friends, who have risked their lives to +gratify my idle whim? I cannot do it.' Now, who can be this poet, +warrior, and king?"</p> + +<p>"Did he live about a thousand years before the Christian era?" said Amy.</p> + +<p>"He did."</p> + +<p>"It was the sweet Psalmist of Israel, David, son of Jesse, the +Bethlehemite. Now, who is the man that long ago published a book of +jests, said to be greatly studied now-a-days by diners-out and professed +wits, and endlessly copied into other works of a similar character. His +reputation is so high, that many anecdotes are called by his name. Who +can he be?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Is it Punch?" said Lewis.</p> + +<p>"How silly!" cried Harry, with the knowing look of a boy two years +older: "Punch is a newspaper. Was it Hood?"</p> + +<p>"No: do you all give it up?"</p> + +<p>"Yes: we can't imagine who he can be."</p> + +<p>"Joe Miller, of jesting memory."</p> + +<p>"Now let us try another game," said Gertrude. "Of course, Cousin Mary +has an endless store at her disposal."</p> + +<p>"Let us try 'Elements,'" Mary answered. "I will throw my handkerchief at +some one, calling out water, air, or earth; and the person who catches +it must immediately name an animal living in or upon the element. But if +I say <i>fire</i>, you must be silent. The answer should be given before I +count ten; and then the one in possession of the handkerchief must throw +it to another, carrying on the game. Any one who repeats an animal that +has been already mentioned, pays a forfeit—except that I think forfeits +are stupid things."</p> + +<p>"Instead of that," said Charlie, "let the unlucky wight who makes the +greatest number of blunders, have the privilege of proposing the first +game to-morrow."</p> + +<p>"Very well," said Mary, throwing her handkerchief at Tom. "Water."</p> + +<p>"Codfish," answered he, tossing it to Cornelia. "Earth."</p> + +<p>"Elephant," replied Cornelia, sending the missive to Charlie. "Fire."</p> + +<p>"Water," rejoined Charlie, flinging it to Amy.</p> + +<p>"Eel," responded Amy, casting it into Anna's lap. "Air."</p> + +<p>"Eagle," cried the latter, hurling the embroidered cambric at George's +face. "Earth."</p> + +<p>"Have pity upon my poor little handkerchief!" said Mary.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span> And so the +game proceeded; and simple though it was, it caused diversion.</p> + +<p>"Who shall be appointed to tell the story to-night?" asked Ellen. "It +seems to me that Tom or Charlie, George or John should be selected; as +it generally happens, 'the softer sex' has done the chief talking. Isn't +it right and proper for the boys to take their equal share?"</p> + +<p>"Oh, by no means!" answered Charlie. "It is the ladies' privilege—it +would be very ungallant to deprive them of it. Besides, my trade is that +of a critic, not an author: you must be aware that it is a higher +branch, giving larger scope to my superior judgment and exquisite powers +of fault-finding. Yes, criticism is my forte: do you tell stories, +Ellen, and I'm the chap to slash them up."</p> + +<p>"You are only too kind," replied his cousin, laughing. "After such a +generous offer, who wouldn't be tempted?"</p> + +<p>"I know you are right, sister Ellen," said Tom, "and that it is our duty +to help in the entertainment of the company; but, for my part, I throw +myself upon your mercy. I wouldn't, for the world, hint that we are more +solid than the girls, but 'tis very certain that we are more lumbering. +If I were to begin a tale, I'd flounder through it, like a whale with a +harpoon in its body; while any of the girls, even down to little Anna, +would glide along, like a graceful, snow-white swan upon a silver +lake—happy in her element, and giving pleasure to all who witnessed her +undulating motions."</p> + +<p>"Very pretty that, Tom!" cried Cornelia. "After such a well-turned +compliment, our hearts would be flinty indeed, if we didn't excuse you. +But what do George and John say?"</p> + +<p>"As for me," responded George, "it appears to be my vocation, at +present, to eat hearty dinners, grumble over my lessons, skate, and +now-and-then, by way of a frolic, fall into<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span> a pond. You may be thankful +if I don't get into all sorts of mischief. You need not expect me to +make myself agreeable till I arrive at the 'digging-up' age, that +Cornelia spoke of."</p> + +<p>"For my part," added John, "you know that I couldn't invent a story, to +save my life. I've no fancy at all; and have made up my mind, as I can't +be agreeable, that I'll at least be useful. Everybody ought to be one or +the other."</p> + +<p>"We should aim to be both," said Mr. Wyndham.</p> + +<p>"But, indeed, uncle, 'tis hard work for a fellow, when he's plain-spoken +and rather dull, like me. I'd prefer sawing wood, any day, to +entertaining a parcel of girls!"</p> + +<p>"That being the case," answered Mrs. Wyndham, smiling, "we couldn't be +hard-hearted enough to impose such an arduous duty upon you. I appoint +Cornelia to the honorable office of story-teller this evening."</p> + +<p>"Then I bargain that I make my tale as short as I like, and that I am +not compelled to lug in a moral by the hair of its head, as the Germans +express it," said Cornelia. "I approve of every one following the bent +of his genius, and mine is not of the didactic order."</p> + +<p>"We certainly should not expect a moral essay or an instructive treatise +from our wild little girl," replied Mr. Wyndham. "I suppose there is no +danger of its being immoral."</p> + +<p>"I don't know, indeed," answered she, tossing her black curls, and +looking archly at her uncle, whom she dearly loved to tease. "I'll leave +you to judge of that: I don't answer for the injurious effect it may +have upon these unformed minds around me. I call my story</p> + +<p class='tbrk'><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span>;</p> + +<h3>The Astrologers.</h3> + +<p>William Forsythe and Edward Barrington were lively young fellows of +twenty, who had left their homes in the South to complete their +education at one of our northern colleges. I don't think my strict uncle +would call them "immoral" young men, but they certainly did not carry +gray heads upon their green shoulders: they loved fun and mischief about +as well as I do. They did not neglect study, and were up to the mark in +their recitations; and they never perpetrated any thing really bad. They +would not have intentionally hurt any one's feelings for the world; but +yet, were any frolic to be carried into execution, these two were "the +head and front of the offending." The grave professors, while they +entertained their families at home with some of their exploits, were +obliged to put on a very sober face in public, and even to hint at +expulsion from the "Alma Mater," if the merry and thoughtless youngsters +persevered in their course.</p> + +<p>I must relate one or two instances which caused considerable laughter at +the time, and have added to the stock of traditionary stories that may +be found in every boarding college throughout our land. Contraband +turkeys or geese, roasted in their room for supper, and intended for a +jolly party of friends who would collect together, were, of course, +quite common affairs. On one occasion, just as the odor had become very +exciting to their gastric organs, and the skin had assumed that tempting +brown hue betokening a near approach to perfection in their culinary +operations, the watchful tutor scented out either the supper or some +mischief, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span> rap-rap-rap was heard at the door. Every sound was +instantly hushed, and the offending bird was quickly transferred to a +hiding-place in the room. After some little delay, the door was opened, +with many apologies; and the tutor, looking suspiciously through his +spectacles, entered the apartment. "Very studious, gentlemen! very +studious, I see!" he said, glancing at the array of learned volumes open +before them. "Let me beg you not to injure your health by too close +application to books. But what a very curious smell! one would think you +had been carrying out the classical lessons contained in Apicius. Allow +me to examine: ah, Mr. Forsythe, I see that you grease your boots to +keep out the wet—a good precaution." So saying, he pulled out the nice +little goose from a new boot in the corner, to the mingled mortification +and amusement of the young men. "Suppers are doubtless agreeable things +at night," added the tutor; "but the worst is, that they often leave +unpleasant consequences the next morning: of course, you are aware that +you meet the faculty, to-morrow, gentlemen."</p> + +<p>On another occasion, our two heroes were out all night, exerting +themselves strenuously for the public good. I suppose they thought that +if some of the impediments to familiar intercourse in the neighborhood +were removed, the state of society would be greatly benefited. Some such +grave purpose they must have had in view; for, in the morning, when the +inhabitants of the town awoke, they found to their surprise that all the +gates, small and great, had been removed from their hinges, and +collected in one large pile, in the middle of the Campus! To complain to +the faculty would do no good: it would only raise the laugh against +them. So, when any of the townspeople, or the farmers in the +neighborhood, came to select their gates from the pile, the cry<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span> was +given, "Heads out!" and from all the windows surrounding the Campus, +roguish eyes peeped forth, to watch the proceedings; and frequently the +property-owner returned, feeling very much as if he had been the +culprit.</p> + +<p>One day, a countryman drove up with a load of wood. As he disappeared +around an angle of the building in search of the purveyor, our heroes +approached, with a select party of classmates, weary of recitations, and +longing for a change. Forsythe, whose genius for military tactics was so +striking that he was dubbed, by universal consent, "the general," +instantly formed his plan of attack; and, being nobly seconded by his +quick-witted aids, he carried it into execution with the rapidity and +decision characteristic of a great commander. In five minutes, the +farmer returned, having concluded his bargain; but where was his cart, +and horse, and load of wood? Nothing of the kind was to be seen; and it +was very evident that patient Dobbin had, for once in his life, resolved +to take a frolic, and see a little of life; or else that some rogue had +gotten possession of him and his appurtenances without the formality of +a purchase. The town was searched, and all the adjacent roads. The +neighbors, ever ready, from a principle of pure benevolence, to take a +lively interest in all that was going on, gave advice in rich profusion, +and sent the poor man flying hither and thither, in vain. But, at last, +the contradictory reports appeared to settle down into the following +facts: that many persons had seen the cart enter the town, but that none +had witnessed its departure—wherein might be traced a strange likeness +to the old fable of the sick lion and his visitors. The suspicion at +last became general, that the students were somehow at the bottom of it; +so just an appreciation did the townspeople possess of their +capabilities for mischief, that no tricks of diab<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span>lerie seemed too much +to ascribe to them. As the weary countryman and his sympathizing +companions approached those academic shades, where earnest study and +severe meditation filled up all the hours, a stir was apparent within +the building; and the tramping of feet upon the stone staircase, and the +laughter of many voices, told that something unusual had occurred.</p> + +<p>With ill-disguised merriment, the worthy rustic was escorted up three +flights of stairs, until, uneasily stamping upon the brick pavement of +the hall, his wondering eyes fell upon his horse, looking decidedly out +of his element. How came he there? Behind him was the cart, loaded with +wood—not a buckle of his tackling was amiss—it looked as if old Dobbin +had marched up the stairway, load and all. No one knew any thing of the +prodigy—no one ever does, in such cases. The horse looked indignant, as +if he had a tale to tell; but the words wouldn't come. No other witness +could be produced in court; and the end of it was, that all, except the +unfortunate animal himself, indulged in a hearty horse-laugh.</p> + +<p>In what way they drove the cart down stairs, history does not mention. +That was the concern of the owner and of the college authorities, and +not mine nor my heroes—it may be in the hall to this day, for aught I +know. But how they got up so high in the world is another matter, and I +will let you into my secret, merely to convince my incredulous hearers +that the thing was possible. Each of the fellows shouldered as many logs +as he could carry, conveyed them to the appointed place, and returned +swiftly to the charge. The wheels were now off, and ready for four of +them, and the body of the cart for eight more. Forsythe and Barrington +reserved for themselves the honor and glory of managing the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span> live-stock. +Slipping woollen socks over his feet, they somehow got him up-stairs +with marvellous celerity; and whilst his owner was gazing up and down +for his vanished property, the astonished horse was again tackled to the +loaded cart, his hose were taken off, and he was left to his +meditations, in solitary possession of the hall. So quietly was all this +done, that, although students and tutors were in the rooms adjoining, +nothing was suspected, until the horse, who felt himself to be placed, +without any fault of his own, in a false position, made known his +sentiments by his impatient movements.</p> + +<p>The worst trick our heroes ever played, and one of a somewhat kindred +character, consisted in ornamenting Professor X's horse. At midnight, +when the authorities were sound asleep, they took the poor animal out of +his comfortable stable, and shoeing him with an extra quantity of felt, +to prevent any noise, they conveyed him, with great difficulty, up the +staircase, to the hall in the third floor. That might have satisfied +them; but no, they were not pleased with his color. He was of pure +white, and the scapegraces wished a variegated hue. So, after a +preliminary shaving, they painted him in green stripes, and when they +had arranged it to their satisfaction, they went to their own rooms. The +unfortunate victim was not well contented, either with his quarters or +his condition, and stamped about at a great rate, being quite unable to +get down stairs. In the morning, when the Professor was ready for his +usual ride, where was his horse? It had vanished, and the stable-door +was open: thieves must have been prowling about in the night. At last, +the trick was discovered; and then, as Will Forsythe said, "I could +paint that horse, which was rather restive, but I would not undertake to +paint the wrath of the Professor." Of course, no one did it—it was +impossible to discover the guilty individuals.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span> But the poor animal did +not enjoy the frolic as much as the wild youngsters, for he died in +consequence; and this unfortunate termination of the exploit put a stop +to any practical jokes for the enormous period of several months. To +make up the unexpected loss to the Professor, the two friends sent him, +anonymously, a sum of money equal to the value of the horse.</p> + +<p>But the moral discipline inflicted by the luckless death of the green +and white horse, did not endure forever. They say, that when a +subterranean fire exists, and old craters are abandoned, new ones are +thrown up: the inward, irresistible power must have a vent. Perhaps it's +somewhat so with us, lovers of fun. I see uncle shake his head at me, +and know that he thinks I'm inculcating bad morality: but indeed, nature +will out, as well as murder. You must know that the excellent President, +who had a great deal of dry humor in his composition, had procured a +nice new vehicle. Every one liked the old gentleman, and yet, so great +is the love of frolic inherent in some reprobate minds, that when the +idea of carrying off his carriage was first broached at one of their +little private suppers, by that wicked imp Will Forsythe, it was met +with shouts of applause. It was resolved to convey it away, in the dead +of the night, to a little piece of woods belonging to the Doctor, at a +distance of about three miles from the college, and there to leave it. +The plan was to be carried into execution that very night.</p> + +<p>Accordingly, at midnight, eight forms might have been seen carefully +descending from eight windows, and skulking along in the shade, for the +moon was shining brilliantly, until they got beyond the college limits. +They drew out the carriage, and proceeded slowly along the road: no one +was astir except themselves. When they had passed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span> all the houses, they +no longer felt the need of keeping the strict silence they had at first +thought necessary, and the merry laugh and the gay repartee went round. +"Hallo, Forsythe!" exclaimed Barrington, "how do you stand it? I think +this concern is as ponderous as if the old fat Doctor were inside it +himself!" "I conceive this joke to be rather a heavy one," replied his +friend, laughing. "I begin to wonder if we are not fools for our pains: +Dr. Franklin would say that we paid too dear for our whistle." "Never +give up the ship, my boy!" cried the other. "Only think how the old +Doctor will stare about him to-morrow, when he misses it! It will be a +second edition of the Professor's horse." "Now, 'an thou lovest me, +Hal,' don't say a word about the Professor's horse, or I'll turn back +with the carriage. That cost me to the tune of a hundred dollars, and +more, not to speak of the remorse I felt when the poor creature died. +But didn't he look comical when I had put on the green!" Thus, with +jocund peals of laughter, they shortened the way, until they reached the +little piece of woods in which they intended to deposit the coach. Had +they been obliged to toil as much to gain their daily bread, they would +probably have thought it hard work.</p> + +<p>They took down the bars, drew in the carriage, and placed it in a snug +position, out of sight. "And now for home!" said Forsythe. "Won't we get +there a little sooner than we came?" At that moment the carriage window +was thrown up, a large white head was put forth into the moonlight, and, +to the horror of all concerned, they beheld the Doctor! Whether to run, +or what to do, they did not know. The old President enjoyed their +confusion for a few moments, and then said, "Much obliged to you for a +pleasant ride, young gentlemen: now, suppose we go home again." Putting +in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span> his head, and shutting the window and blind, he left them to their +dismay. Completely taken in! they had been betrayed, somehow. They might +look for an expulsion, after that; and, what was worse, would be +heartily laughed at besides.</p> + +<p>Between their mortification and the unwonted hard work, the perspiration +rolled off their faces in large drops by the time they got home—that is +to say, to the coach-house. Forsythe humbly opened the coach-door and +let down the steps. "Many thanks," said the Doctor, with a grave face: +"I have seldom enjoyed a more agreeable ride. I don't know when I have +had horses I liked so well." Every day for a fortnight "the horses" were +trembling, in expectation of a notice to canter off from the college, in +disgrace; but no such intimation came. The worthy old Doctor was +contented with the punishment he had already inflicted, but reminded +them occasionally of their midnight frolic, and brought blushes up to +their cheeks, by some sly allusion.</p> + +<p>College days are now over: our heroes have graduated with some +distinction, notwithstanding their many peccadilloes, and have bid +farewell forever to the "academic shades," figuratively speaking, of +their Alma Mater. They have amazed, delighted, and edified the ladies +present at the Commencement by the eloquence of their Greek and Latin +orations: the pretty creatures listened with rapt attention, and most +intelligent countenances, to the whole. Had it been Cherokee, it would +have proved the same thing. They did not enlighten the audience, as a +learned old Scotchman, who, some fifty years ago, was President of one +of our northern colleges, actually did at a commencement speech. He had +a board of trustees, whom he looked upon with great contempt, as +illiterate men; and not being on the best terms with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span> them, he +determined upon a characteristic revenge. Turning round to one side of +the stage, where some of them were seated, whenever he quoted Latin, he +gave the explanation, "That's <i>Latin</i>, gentlemen;" and again, when he +introduced any Greek, bowing to the other side, "That's <i>Greek</i>, +gentlemen." But one incident occurred, showing equal respect to the +classical acquirements of those around him: Will Forsythe, whose memory +was none of the best, feeling a sudden lapse of it in the very middle of +his speech, with imperturbable impudence, recommenced from his +starting-point, and made an admirable impression. Thunders of applause +rewarded him when he made his parting bow.</p> + +<p>The two friends still kept together. They visited the Falls of Niagara, +Canada, Saratoga, and Newport; and yet, strange to say, their purses +were not exhausted. What shall they do next? they are ready for any +frolic that presents itself. They have money in their pockets, young +blood in their veins, unlimited time at their disposal, and, of course, +they must be in some mischief, as neither of them has lost his heart, +and become sentimental. While in New York, Forsythe accidentally took up +a newspaper, and that determined the especial kind of wickedness in +which they should engage. He noticed a number of pompous advertisements +of fortune-tellers under the head of astrology, which gave him an idea. +He showed them to Barrington, who observed that "it was astonishing how +many fools and ignoramuses there were still in the nineteenth century, +when the schoolmaster was abroad." "A very sage remark," answered his +friend. "If the schoolmaster would stay at home, and mind his own +business, instead of being abroad so much, perhaps the world would be +better taught. I notice that he is always going to an education +convention. But I didn't show you that for the purpose<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span> of eliciting +wisdom: quite the contrary—folly is what I'm after, just now. What do +you think of our turning astrologers?" "Grand! you're a genius, Will! +that's the very thing to wake us up! Here are you and I, dashing blades, +who have been doing penance by trying to be fine gentlemen at +watering-places, when it wasn't at all in our line. I began to think we +looked as much like fops as the rest of the scented and bearded +dress-coats, who strut about, and imagine the world is looking at them. +This would throw us into quite another rank of life, and give us new +ideas. How shall we manage it though, my fine fellow?" "Nothing easier +in the world. Let us rent a small house, somewhere near the +Bowery—that's the right neighborhood; and when we have fitted it up +suitably to our trade, I'll engage to put an advertisement in the papers +that shall draw us customers. How do you think I could pass for a Jew?" +"Pretty well, with your coal-black eyes and hooked nose: but what is +that notion?" "I think it would cause a great sensation if the Wandering +Jew were to appear again in real life. What between Croly and Eugene +Sue, he has been kept very extensively before the public in books: but I +believe no one has had the audacity as yet to represent him in an +every-day, money-getting capacity, at least in America. How do you like +my plan?" "Superb! the only objection is that you are rather youthful in +appearance for one who has wandered over the earth for more than +eighteen hundred years. Could you alter that, Will?" "Somewhat, with the +aid of a snow-white wig and yellow dye; and you know I always possessed +the accomplishment of furrowing up my face with wrinkles when I chose. I +don't doubt I could look the character pretty well, in a rich, flowing +Oriental dress. And the little Hebrew we picked up at college from our +good friend the learned<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span> young Rabbi, will also stand us in hand. Have +you any objection to being my servant, Ned?" "None at all; I shall feel +quite honored by the position. I don't consider myself competent to play +the first fiddle in this amusing duet, but can follow your lead very +well." "Remember, then, that our English is rather broken, and that we +communicate our meaning to one another in French, Spanish, scraps of +Hebrew, or Latin and Greek. I have not quite yet forgotten all I learned +at college, though I suppose I shall do so in another month." "You +remember your speech, at least—eh, Will?" "The first half; if it is +necessary to make a great sensation, I can come out with that."</p> + +<p>Full of the new plan of diversion, the boys, for they were boys at +heart, although men in stature, set out to hunt a house; and were +successful in finding one that suited their notions. Very soon it was +furnished in Oriental style, and an inner room was fitted up with +various occult instruments, calculated to inspire the minds of the +vulgar with a wholesome dread. It was agreed that Barrington should make +very little change in his wardrobe, and merely dye his hair and +whiskers, and add a richer brown to his complexion, to give a more +travelled look, and, as he said, to hinder any of the Saratoga belles +from finding him out, if they came to have their fortunes told. But +Forsythe took infinite pains to alter his appearance, and was so +successful, that his friend assured him his own mother could not detect +his identity, and that Garrick himself, who could look any character and +any age he pleased, would have been jealous had he seen how successfully +he had hidden his youth and beauty. When all preparations were made, the +advertisement was written. It stated that "The Wandering Jew, having +reached New York in his peregrinations, would stay for the space of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span> one +fortnight only, it being then indispensably necessary that his travels +should recommence, and highly probable that he might not revisit the +city for a century. Being now the sole depository of the mysterious +knowledge acquired in Egypt in ancient times, some scraps of which had +been picked up by the astrologers of the middle ages, and especially by +Merlin, Michael Scott, Cornelius Agrippa, and Friar Bacon, he was ready, +during the short period of his stay, to lift the veil which separates +the present from the future. Not being actuated in the slightest degree +by a lust for gain, the illustrious exile would not consent to gratify +mere idle curiosity, and to afford amusement to the gay and frivolous; +but where an earnest, inquiring mind was intent upon discovering the +hidden things of life, upon investigating the secrets of the past, or +searching into futurity, the Wanderer would give his mighty assistance. +By books and science, by spells and conjurations, the <span class="smcap">Powers</span> were +compelled to reveal their arcana, and <span class="smcap">Fate</span> itself whispered its dark +mysteries into his ear. The <span class="smcap">Spirits</span> being subjects of the Great +Magician, their aid would be called in when desired. Where this mode was +preferred to the ordinary methods of consulting the stars, the Cabala, +and black-letter volumes, these intelligences answered all questions by +significant <span class="smcap">raps</span>, or in writing, guiding the hand of the Wanderer, who +acted as their medium."</p> + +<p>The first day that the advertisement appeared, no visitors of any +distinction came to see the Wanderer, who yawned, and smoked cigars, and +read through the last novel, declaring that it was intolerable to be +dressed up for a show, and to have nobody come to see them. But in the +evening, they were rewarded for their trouble. There was a quick, +nervous ring, and Barrington opened the door: a timid little man walked +in, looking back over his shoulder to see if he were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span> observed. When he +found himself alone with Barrington, he asked, with some surprise, if he +were the Great Magician. "I! oh, no, my lord: far be it from me. I am +the humblest of his slaves. I will see if my venerable master can now +receive you." Opening the door leading into a back apartment, he made a +low salam to the Wanderer, who was seated in state upon a divan, +immersed in his studies. Addressing him in Hebrew, with a few words of +Greek to make out the sense, he received a response which he interpreted +to the newcomer as a permission to approach the august presence. The +little man went in, feeling at every step an increase of reverential +awe. The Oriental, costumed with all magnificence, his hoary head bent +with age, his brow, from beneath which black eyes flashed brightly, +furrowed with years and care, filled him with admiration. Every thing +around heightened the impression. A curious-carved cabinet, whose doors +looked as if they concealed a mystery, was surmounted by folio volumes +filled, of course, with potent spells: and above these again, a skull +and cross-bones made him shudder. In one corner was a globe, covered +with strange figures, dragons, scorpions, distressed damsels fastened to +a rock, etc. Scattered about the room were singular instruments of +various kinds, jars with hideous snakes preserved in spirits, books in +unknown tongues, and parchments upon which cabalistic diagrams were +portrayed, which no doubt had power to command the spirits and to reveal +futurity.</p> + +<p>The Wanderer waved his hand, to invite his visitor to a seat: the humble +slave stood, with head meekly bowed down, near the door. With some +difficulty the little man, who was frightened nearly out of his small +stock of wits, explained his errand. It seems that he had fallen heir to +a property, the deed of which had been lost. He had tried every method +he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span> could think of to discover it: he had rummaged over all the drawers +and chests in his relative's house; he had said his prayers backwards, +so that a dream might be sent him in the night; and he had been to three +fortune-tellers, but strange to say, had returned no wiser than he was +when he went. And now, this was his last hope: if the Wandering Jew, of +whom he had heard so much, could not help him, he knew that no one +could. He was asked in which way he wished to receive the desired +information: should the answer appear in flames before him, should it be +discovered by the magic books, or should the spirit of his deceased +friend signify his presence to him by a rap, and then respond to the +question? The stranger evidently preferred the last mode of operating, +and let out the fact, in the course of conversation, that his relative +had been lost at sea. The Wanderer then performed various evolutions, +burning incense, bowing to unseen visitors, who were admitted into the +room by the slave upon a rap being heard at the door, and muttering, +meanwhile, mysterious words in an unknown tongue, to which his attendant +occasionally responded. The poor little man began to quake all over: he +felt as if surrounded by charms, and spells, and wicked spirits. He +wished himself heartily out of the house: but there was no retreat +now—some ghosts it is easier to raise than to lay. When the room was +filled with fragrant smoke, and the subject of the conjuration was +completely mystified and frightened, Selim, for so the Wanderer called +his assistant, brought in a circular table, around which the three +seated themselves in profound silence; but the venerable Oriental, who +acted as the medium of communication, alone placed his hand upon it. A +rap, which caused the little man nearly to jump off his chair, announced +that the spirit was ready to be consulted. The medium asked, "Whether<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span> +the inquirer should recover his rights, and obtain a copy of the deed?" +Three impressive, decided raps gave an affirmative reply. "Will he be +satisfied upon this point to-morrow?" Again three raps. "Will the spirit +condescend to signify, in writing, in what way he shall act to obtain +this end?" Three raps again testified that the amiable spirit was +willing to oblige. Accordingly, Selim having produced an antique +ink-stand and an eagle's quill—a goose quill and steel pens would have +been quite too common—the hand of the medium was guided in tracing +strange characters, which looked like a jumble of the Greek, Arabic, and +cuneiform alphabets. This "spirit dialect" was translated to the +inquirer: it contained a direction to call early the next morning, +between the hours of eight and nine—for during that hour the fates were +propitious to him—at the office of a lawyer named Warren, No. 354 +Broadway. Upon seeing him, he was to lay down a $20 gold piece, and to +say that he wanted him to procure a copy of the missing will. He must +answer all questions Mr. Warren might ask, and, above all, must feel +implicit faith in him, as the agent appointed by the spirits to restore +to him his property.</p> + +<p>Full of awe as he was, the little man still wished to gratify his +curiosity as to the manner of his kinsman's death: could that be done? +"Oh, yes," answered the mysterious one, "nothing is easier." As he was +speaking, the table began to creak, as a ship would do in a storm. It +was excessively agitated; the noise of the rudder was heard, and at +last, after a series of agonizing movements, the whole concern fell +over, with a sudden crash. And yet no one appeared to touch it—the +passive hand of the venerable exile could scarcely have affected it so +strangely. "You see the fate of the ship," said the Wanderer; "it has +gone to the bottom in a storm." "How<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span> very odd!" replied the +simple-hearted little man; "when it came home, the Captain said he had +fallen overboard." "He did," answered the magician, in a solemn manner, +avoiding, however, to look in the direction of Selim. "Did you not hear +the plunge into the sea? this describes the ultimate fate of the +vessel." The good, easy man was perfectly satisfied.</p> + +<p>He was directed to come on the morrow, when the deed had been found, and +the correctness of the spirit's directions was fully proved: and payment +was indignantly' refused. The next day, various sentimental chambermaids +visited them, desiring to be shown the likeness of their future +husbands. This was done, greatly to their satisfaction, by exhibiting to +them one and the same hyalotype, magnified by the magic lantern, so that +the life-like countenance appeared to approach them from the opposite +wall in the darkened room. It was observed, that the more ignorant they +were, the more were they affected with horror by the sight of the +cross-bones, skull, and chemical apparatus. Still, this was rather tame +work; and both the Aged One and Selim were relieved when they saw their +dupe of the preceding night reappear, with happiness beaming in every +feature of his countenance. "The lawyer," he said, "had not appeared at +all surprised at being told to get him a copy of the will: he said +something about the Recorder's office. He was a young-looking man to be +chosen by the spirits: and he wanted to know who had sent him to +himself. Of course I told him, and then he laughed, and said it was a +great humbug. I was very much afraid that the spirits would be offended, +and refuse to discover to him the will: but he told me to return towards +evening, and lo! here it is."</p> + +<p>The poor little man was full of the warmest gratitude, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span> wanted to +force a purse upon the unwilling astrologers: but they finally overcame +his importunities by representing that the spirits would not obey their +summons, if made a subject of bargain and sale, and that he should best +please them by distributing it among the sick and poor.</p> + +<p>This circumstance, which found its way into one of the daily papers, +with many embellishments, brought crowds of believers in "the night side +of nature" to our mischievous youngsters, who were ready to humor the +credulous public to the top of its bent. Very many people looked sage, +and quoted the passage—</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,</div> +<div>Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."</div> +</div></div> + +<p>Select circles of intelligent people insisted upon it, that although +they could not give in their adhesion to such mysteries, yet they +greatly disapproved of the spirit of skepticism which had been so +prevalent for the last fifty years. The new discoveries in science +plainly showed that nature had many secrets yet unrevealed to man: and +no one should audaciously set a limit to his powers. Did not animal +magnetism, containing so many things which could not be explained away, +plainly prove it? Could they have seen our merry graduates, when the +door was locked for the night, and the venerable wig was thrown aside, +jollifying over their supper! could they have heard the peals of +laughter caused by the unlooked-for success of the frolic, how would +their cheeks have been covered with blushes!</p> + +<p>The astrologers became decidedly the rage: had it been their object to +gain wealth, they could have charged any price they pleased for their +conjurations, and would have obtained it. But their popularity was of +course increased by<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span> the fact that the mysterious Wanderer uniformly +refused to accept any compensation, and majestically commanded those who +sought his aid, to apply the sum of money offered him to the relief of +the first poor widow, orphan, or aged person they met. This peculiarity +induced many young persons, of a rank in life and a style of education +who do not commonly patronize fortune-telling, to visit the great +unknown, partly in fun, partly in earnest; for there is a vast deal of +superstition hidden in the recesses of most characters, and ready to +start forth at the first call. Bright eyes, obscured by thick veils, +excited the curiosity even of the venerable Wanderer; and white, +jewelled hands were extended, that his searching glance might decipher +the lines of life. Several interesting love-tales were poured into the +sympathizing ear of benign old age, and the recollections of centuries +were called up, to furnish suitable counsel and to encourage the +despairing heart to hope. Forsythe assured his friend that he would not +exchange the knowledge of human nature, and especially of woman nature, +which he had acquired in this fortnight, for the experience of ten years +of ordinary life.</p> + +<p>The joke was very consistently carried out. Our youngsters were both +possessed of ready mother wit, and the world was charmingly mystified. +The answers furnished to inquirers partook much of the dimness and +ambiguity of the ancient oracular responses, when Delphi was yet in its +glory, and the oaks of Dodona reflected some of their own rich green +tint upon those who consulted its priestesses. On one occasion, "Selim" +found it very difficult to retain the gravity of his sad, Oriental +countenance. A sharp, quick-witted young fellow, Frank Warren, their +former college chum, to whom they had sent his first fee, had +accompanied the grateful little man who had made their reputation, +ostensibly for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span> the purpose of consulting the spirit of Milton, but +really, as they plainly perceived, to detect their tricks. They were on +their guard: they had not seen Warren for some time, but their former +habits of intimacy made the danger of discovery imminent. It was +Warren's wish that the spirit should guide the pen of his medium, and +accordingly our Ancient sat down, and tried to indite Miltonic lines. +"Very blank verse, indeed, it was," as he subsequently confessed to his +familiar, at their midnight conference. The face of the visitor twitched +convulsively as he read the so-called poetry, and the young fellows, +ever ready to enjoy a joke, would have dearly loved to join him in a +loud and merry peal of laughter. By a great effort, all three restrained +themselves; but the inquirer remarked, with a grave countenance, that +"it appeared as if the genius of Milton had not expanded in the upper +world—he certainly never wrote such trash when he was upon the earth. +It reminded him of the saying of the wits of Athens: that although +Apollo was the god and patron of poetry, any common rhymster would be +ashamed of the lines which emanated from the deity at Delphos." When +Selim escorted the gentleman into the outer apartment, the skeptic +slipped some gold into his palm, which the former at first pretended to +receive; and by cunning cross-examination, strove to make him confess +that his master was not so old as he assumed to be. "How long have you +been in his service?" "Not very long, myself." "But do you think him as +ancient as he pretends to be?" "That is a delicate question: I hardly +like to answer it. To be frank, I have sometimes had doubts about the +great length of his life, although I cannot feel any hesitation on the +subject of his wonderful powers." "But how long have you known him?" +"Let me see. It was Friar Bacon who first introduced me to His<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span> +Eminence, and advised me to enlist in his service. He did not look so +very old at that time, and it was only six centuries ago. This occurred +at Oxford, on the magic eve of St. John's day, in 1250 A.D.—I remember +the date distinctly. No, between ourselves, I have some suspicions that +he is not quite so old as he says he is." Very soon after that, the +investigator left. One thing was certain, that he had not recognized +them.</p> + +<p>On the last day of their intended stay, an incident occurred which +furnished a proper termination to their frolic. A rough, boorish fellow +came to visit them, who evidently "hailed" from remote country +districts, into which the civilizing influences of education had not +penetrated. All his utterances, for his words should scarcely be +dignified with the name of conversation, showed him to be ignorant in +the extreme, and to be credulous in proportion. He had come to New York, +hoping, in that centre of light and science, medical and theological, to +find relief from a certain demon which possessed him. This wicked spirit +made him often do things he didn't wish to do—caused him to foam at the +mouth, tear his clothes, etc., and he wanted to know whether the +Wanderer was not possessed of a spell to quiet the tormentor. +"Certainly; follow our directions, and you never shall be troubled with +him again."</p> + +<p>Accordingly, the patient was brought into the back room, which had been +darkened up purposely. A circle was described, within which incense was +burnt, and in the centre stood the Awful One in his flowing robe, with +his magical wand in his hand, uttering terrible conjurations. "Do you +feel any thing?" he would occasionally ask the countryman, who was +gaping with wonder and admiration. "N—no, I dunna that I do," the man +would reply. "Then it has not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span> left you yet: you'll be sure to know when +it does. You'll feel a sort of shock go all through you, and will see +sparks: then open your mouth wide, and the spirit will jump out." As it +was some time before the sufferer obtained relief, Selim was called to +his aid; and the way in which their Latin and Greek orations were tossed +about at one another, would have astonished the Professors. At last the +Wanderer placed the patient upon a stool, and proceeded with his +incantations. Suddenly the countryman uttered a shriek, and jumping into +the air, cut a pigeon-wing. "He's gone! I felt him go!" He had touched +the electrical machine, which had been fully charged, and was put there, +as it were, in ambush. "Do you feel much better?" "Yes; I'm another +man."</p> + +<p>The poor fellow went away, declaring himself a perfect cure. And +Forsythe and Barrington agreed, that after such a brilliant finale it +was as well to beat a retreat: just as some gentlemen, at the close of +an evening visit, relate a witty anecdote, or sparkle out a brilliant +repartee, snatch up their hats, make their bows, and leave you in the +middle of a laugh. But another adventure was in store for them, which +had not entered into their calculations at all. The play-bills show us +that after a tragedy there generally comes a farce: the case was +reversed with them, for they had enjoyed their farce, and had laughed +over it heartily—and now there was danger of its ending in a tragedy. +When their preparations were nearly complete for a sudden and +inexplicable disappearance, our astrologers were horrified by the +apparition, in the day time, of stars they had never consulted—stars of +this gross, lower world—stars which, in case of resistance, become +shooting stars, and which revolve, in very eccentric orbits, around the +central police station. What these portended, it needed no wisdom of +Chaldean sage to decipher—exposure, ridicule,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span> disgrace, and the +prison. They had enjoyed their laugh at the world—now the tables would +be turned, and the world's dread laugh be raised against them.</p> + +<p>Resistance was utterly in vain. Attired as they were, in flowing +Oriental garb, the distressed Wanderer and his faithful Selim were +hurried into a cab, which no conjuration, not even that of "the golden +eagle," could prevent from driving to the Mayor's office. Here they +beheld their former friend, Warren, evidently the "very head and front +of the offending:" he was talking to the little man of the famous will +case, who appeared to be on the verge of a violent nervous fever. The +latter wished to escape, but the lawyer was too resolute and +pertinacious to be conquered by his weak irritability, and he was +obliged to resign himself into his hands.</p> + +<p>The exile had time allowed him to reflect upon his course of action. A +multitude of petty cases were up for examination, and the patience of +his Honor, the Mayor, was heavily taxed, especially as he knew that a +very capital dinner and excellent company were waiting for him at home. +At last this case of deception, imposture, and swindling came up in +turn; but not before the aged, wrinkled, care-worn man had whispered a +few words into the ears of the young lawyer, which made him start, and +give the other an admiring glance of surprise, as if he recognized in +him a genius of the highest order.</p> + +<p>His Honor was angry and tired, and gave rather a savage look at the +culprits. "A case like this needs very little proof—they are arrant +swindlers, evidently—with all that foolery of dress about them! Remove +that wig and beard." The red blood rushed up to the cheeks and forehead +of poor Will Forsythe, and showed itself through the yellow dye of his +skin, as he was obliged to submit to this indignity; and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span> he mentally +exclaimed: "If ever I pretend again to be any thing I am not, may my +head come off too!" "You appear in this case, Mr. Warren," said the +Mayor. "Let me hear what can be urged against these men, and produce +your witnesses." "I find that I have very little to say on the subject, +your Honor. It is true, I can prove that this gentleman went to consult +the prisoner as to a missing will, and that he is under the impression +that spirits were consulted on the occasion. But I can also prove that +very sensible advice was given to my client—to consult a lawyer of +great respectability and high promise; and accordingly he came to me. +And further, I can prove that the astrologers did not receive one +farthing in payment for their counsel, and, indeed, positively refused +the offer of a handsome gratuity from my grateful client. And I can +challenge any one in the city of New York to prove that, in any one +case, the prisoners received money in return for advice or assistance +given to any visitor. This fact takes from the case the appearance of a +swindling transaction, according to the well-known law of George III., +which doubtless your Honor thoroughly remembers." "There appears, then, +to be no prosecution in this case? I find that, like a true lawyer, you +can argue on one side as well as the other." "There is none, your Honor: +my client withdraws the prosecution. May I be allowed a word in +private?" After a whispered consultation of some minutes, during which +our unmasked jesters observed his Honor cast very highly-amused glances +in their direction, and heard occasional snatches of the +conversation,—"Ha, indeed? sons of *** and ****, do you say? the first +families in the South! I knew their fathers well! tell them to come to +dinner just as they are—the ladies will make allowances."</p> + +<p>But that degree of impudence was too much for the brass<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span> of even +Forsythe and Barrington. They respectfully declined, and hastened +homeward, accompanied by Frank Warren. One more merry supper did they +eat in that house which had been the theatre for the display of so many +strange adventures, and then they vanished. When morning came, no trace +of the astrologers was to be found. The furniture had gone, the house +was shut up, the birds had flown. Had there been a storm in the night, +the believers in Gotham would have thought they had been claimed by +their Dread Master, and had been snatched away in a blaze of lightning. +As it was, there was nothing to reveal the mystery. The good little man, +who never quite understood the scene in the Mayor's office, is +gratefully enjoying his property, and thinks that the Wandering Jew may +now be in the centre of Africa, or climbing the heights of the Himalaya +Mountains. But as I happen to be better informed, I know that both he +and his faithful Selim slipped out of New York as quietly as possible, +and returned to their homes in the sunny South. They have since then +married, have settled down into quiet orderly citizens, and have given +up all practical jokes; but they frequently amuse their wives with some +of their varied experience, obtained when playing the rôle of +astrologers in New York.</p> + +<p>"But you do not really think people could be so cheated now-a-days, +uncle!" cried George.</p> + +<p>"I certainly do not consider the world too wise to be fooled in almost +any way," answered his uncle. "Look at the various <i>isms</i> which have +sprung up, even in our own day. Think of the imposture of Mormonism,—it +has fairly peopled a territory. Think of the pretensions of +clairvoyance, claiming almost omniscience and omnipresence for the human +spirit. Think of Matthias and his followers.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span> But remarkable as that +delusion was, it is almost forgotten now, so many extravagancies tread +upon one another's heels, and hustle each its predecessor off the stage. +Spirit-rapping is the last, and is spreading like wildfire throughout +the land: some characters have so much tinder in their composition, that +they catch in a moment. But it will soon go out—'tis like the crackling +of thorns under the pot—a quick blaze for a moment, and then it +expires."</p> + +<p>"The alarm about witchcraft, both in England and America, was, I think, +one of the most noticeable delusions of modern times," said Mrs. +Wyndham. "How many eminent and excellent men were deceived by it! The +learned, judicious, and pious Sir Matthew Hale condemned at least one +witch to be burnt alive—although, I believe, it cost him some remorse +afterwards. And in New England, Cotton Mather was prominent in hunting +out those who were supposed by their neighbors to be on too familiar +terms with a certain nameless individual. I am glad I did not live in +those days! If a poor old woman was ugly, and cross, and mumbled to +herself, as we old women will do sometimes, and above all, if she kept a +large black cat, woe betide her! her fate was well-nigh sealed."</p> + +<p>"I don't think you would have been in any danger, Aunt Lucy," said Amy, +laughing.</p> + +<p>"I don't know, indeed—probably not, while I had such an array of young +people around me. But if I were left desolate and alone in the world, +and became peevish and odd from the mere fact of having no one to love +me, I would not have answered for the consequences at all."</p> + +<p>"I had to laugh," added Ellen, "at the marvellous cure effected by the +electrical machine. It reminded me of a well-attested anecdote I have +read of the beneficial effects wrought<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span> by a thermometer, through the +medium of the imagination. The physician intended to try whether the +galvanic battery could not be usefully employed in a case of paralysis, +but before commencing operations, he applied a small thermometer to the +tongue of the patient. Upon removing it, he was told by the latter that +it gave him very curious feelings, and that he thought himself a little +better. Seeing the mistake he had made, the doctor resolved not to +undeceive him, but to persevere in the application of the thermometer. +He did so, and the man was soon a complete cure."</p> + +<p>"I have heard of instances of sudden joy or fright restoring the vital +energies to poor bed-ridden mortals," said Cornelia, "but to be cured by +a thermometer is too comical!"</p> + +<p>"It was that powerful principle, faith," answered Mrs. Wyndham. "I +remember very well the time when certain metallic tractors were all the +fashion, to draw away pain from the parts affected, by magnetic +influence. Well-authenticated cures were wrought; but at last a +physician applied a test, which proved the beneficial results to be +entirely the work of the imagination. He had wooden tractors made, +painted so as to resemble the metal ones, and they exerted equal powers. +When this fact was published, of course the cures ceased, and metallic +tractors became things that were."</p> + +<p>"Another fact is told to show how the imagination can kill or cure," +said Mr. Wyndham. "A criminal was condemned to death for some atrocious +deed, and it was resolved to try an experiment upon him, as he would +have to die at any rate. He was informed that he would be bled to death; +and when the appointed time had arrived, his eyes were effectually +bandaged, his arm bared, and the surgeon pretended to cut the artery. +Luke-warm water was poured, in a steady current, upon his arm, and +trickled down into a basin below: and the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span> physician held his hand, +feeling the pulse. The wretched criminal became paler and paler, his +pulse beat more faintly, and at last he died, a victim to his own +imagination."</p> + +<p>"Poor creature!" added Mary. "And I have repeatedly heard of cases, +uncle, in which persons fancied themselves about to die at a certain +hour, from having had a dream to that effect, or some other supernatural +indication of the will of Heaven. And sometimes they actually expired, +from sheer fright. But when the clock was put back an hour or two, the +time passed without any fatal result ensuing."</p> + +<p>"Those chaps were wilder than we are, Charlie!" cried George, with an +air of triumph.</p> + +<p>"Yes," answered his cousin. "But I very much fear that does not prove +our innocence, but only their depravity. It reminds me of that line in +Milton—</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>'And in the lowest deep, a lower deep.'"</div> +</div></div> + +<hr /> +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII.</h2> + +<h3>CONFIDANTE.—LEAD-MERCHANT.—TRADES.—THE ROSE OF HESPERUS; A FAIRY TALE.</h3> + +<p>As the time drew nigh when our young party would be called upon to +separate, and to return to the every-day duties of the boarding or day +school, and the home, the centralizing influences of affection appeared +to be felt in an increasing degree. Aunt Lucy remarked that they greatly +resembled a flock of birds or of sheep: where one came, the rest were +sure very soon to follow. Cousin Mary asked George, with a look of great +concern, if he felt very unwell indeed. "I? oh no, I never was better in +my life. What could have put the notion into your head that I was ill?" +"My dear Coz, you are so uncommonly good. You have not teased Anna or +Gertrude at all to-day, and I begin to feel seriously alarmed for your +health. I have so often noticed a sudden attack of meekness to precede a +sudden attack of fever, that I really think it would be wiser to send +for the doctor in time." "Don't concern yourself," replied he. "If that +be all, I can soon prove that my pulse is in good order." So saying, he +gave Mary's work-basket a sudden twitch, which sent her spools of +cotton, winders, thimble, and emery-bag flying in every direction; when, +of course, with the malice peculiar to things of such small natures, +they carefully hid themselves in the darkest corners, and ran behind the +legs of tables and sofas for protection, "Preserve me from boys!" said +Mary<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span> with a laugh, as George ran out of the room. "If it were not +unladylike, I really should box those ears of yours!"</p> + +<p>"They are quite large enough to bear it—no danger of their being +crushed," he replied, giving a pinch to the protruding members.</p> + +<p>In the evening, as Gertrude claimed the honor of having been the most +stupid person in playing "Elements" the night before, it was agreed that +it appertained to her to introduce to the company another game. She said +she had seen one played that resembled "Consequences," in so far that +you wrote what you were ordered, and read it aloud when it was finished: +but you were not obliged to turn down the papers after writing, as you +did not change them with the rest of the company. She would call this +game "Confidante," as she had never heard a name for it. Accordingly, +every one got a pencil and sheet of paper, and wrote agreeably to her +directions.</p> + +<p>"Let each boy write a lady's name, and each girl a gentleman's name."</p> + +<p>"Now, any past time—some date, if you please; yesterday, or a thousand +years ago—it makes no difference."</p> + +<p>"The name of a place."</p> + +<p>"Either yes or no."</p> + +<p>"Yes or no, again."</p> + +<p>"Every boy write a lady's name, every girl a gentleman's."</p> + +<p>"Some time to come."</p> + +<p>"Write yes or no."</p> + +<p>"Yes or no, again."</p> + +<p>"Mention a place."</p> + +<p>"Tell us your favorite color."</p> + +<p>"Set down any number not exceeding 10."</p> + +<p>"Another color."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Yes or no."</p> + +<p>"Let all write a lady's name."</p> + +<p>"Let all write a gentleman's name."</p> + +<p>"All, another lady's name."</p> + +<p>"Every boy write a gentleman's name, every girl a lady's."</p> + +<p>"Set down the name of a clergyman."</p> + +<p>"Now, any sum of money."</p> + +<p>"The name of a place."</p> + +<p>"And lastly, any number."</p> + +<p>"Now that we have finished, every one must read aloud his or her paper, +without cheating, whatever it contains—each portion as an answer to a +question. Charlie, to whom did you make your first offer?"</p> + +<p>"Happily, to no one present: it was to Queen Victoria."</p> + +<p>"When was it?"</p> + +<p>"In the year 1492: the day Columbus discovered America."</p> + +<p>"Where did this interesting event take place?"</p> + +<p>"In the Tower of Babel."</p> + +<p>"Does she love you?"</p> + +<p>"Yes: how could she help it?"</p> + +<p>"Do you love her?"</p> + +<p>"Yes: to distraction."</p> + +<p>"Whom will you marry?"</p> + +<p>"Queen Jezebel."</p> + +<p>"How soon does this auspicious match come off? for I want to have my +wedding-dress ready."</p> + +<p>"To-morrow—New-Year's day."</p> + +<p>"Do you love her?"</p> + +<p>"No, not at all."</p> + +<p>"Does she love you?"</p> + +<p>"No, alas!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Where does she live?"</p> + +<p>"In Calcutta."</p> + +<p>"What is the color of her hair?"</p> + +<p>"Brilliant scarlet."</p> + +<p>"What is her height?"</p> + +<p>"Nine and a half feet."</p> + +<p>"Please to mention the color of her eyes."</p> + +<p>"A charming green."</p> + +<p>"Is she pretty?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, very."</p> + +<p>"Who is to be bridesmaid at this happy wedding?"</p> + +<p>"Miss Alice Bolton."</p> + +<p>"Who will wait upon her?"</p> + +<p>"King Nebuchadnezzar."</p> + +<p>"Who is your sympathizing confidante?"</p> + +<p>"Cousin Cornelia."</p> + +<p>"Pray, tell us the name of your rival?"</p> + +<p>"His Majesty, William the Conqueror of Normandy and England. I should +not be sorry if he carried off my gentle dame."</p> + +<p>"What clergyman will marry you?"</p> + +<p>"The Archbishop of Canterbury."</p> + +<p>"How much is the lady worth?"</p> + +<p>"Three cents."</p> + +<p>"Where will you live?"</p> + +<p>"In the black-hole of Calcutta."</p> + +<p>"How many servants will you keep?"</p> + +<p>"Two millions, five hundred thousand."</p> + +<p>"I must say, you are moderate, considering the lady's fortune. In asking +the girls, I merely reverse the questions: 'From whom did you receive +your first offer?' etc. As the game wants a name, I think it should be +called 'Confidante:'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span> the reader not only has a confidante in the play, +but is called upon to intrust his secrets to the whole assembled +company."</p> + +<p>"But isn't this rather silly—all this about love and marriage?" asked +Mr. Wyndham, with the hesitating manner of one who knows that he shall +instantly be put down.</p> + +<p>"Certainly it is, my dear uncle," answered Cornelia. "If it were not, we +should not like it half so well, I can tell you. You know we must be +foolish some time in our life—so, for my share, I'm taking it out now."</p> + +<p>"Well, well—there's no harm in it, any how. Though you wouldn't believe +it, I was young once myself, and don't like to be too hard upon the +rising generation. There's a game I remember playing when I was a +youngster, that is not too wise for you, but ought to have more solidity +in it than the last, as it is all about lead. It is called the +'Lead-Merchant.' One tries in every mode to dispose of his lead to the +company, asking question after question, to which you must answer +without introducing the words <i>lead</i>, <i>I</i>, <i>yes</i>, or <i>no</i>. He tries to +trip you in every way, and as soon as you say one of the forbidden +words, you are out of the game. Would you like to try it?"</p> + +<p>"Very much, uncle. Will you be the lead-merchant?"</p> + +<p>"If you wish it. Amy, will you buy any lead?"</p> + +<p>"Not any at present."</p> + +<p>"But pray, why not?"</p> + +<p>"Because none is desired at my house."</p> + +<p>"Shall I call next week?"</p> + +<p>"It is scarcely worth while: we do not wish any."</p> + +<p>"I will stop to-morrow: your little boys want lead to make some +bullets."</p> + +<p>"They would only burn their sweet little fingers in melting it: they +must not have any."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Then you will not buy my lead?"</p> + +<p>"Positively not."</p> + +<p>"I noticed that the lead upon your roof wanted repairing: the rain will +beat in, and you'll all be taken ill, unless you buy my lead. 'Tis only +one cent a pound."</p> + +<p>"If you gave it to me as a present, I wouldn't take your lead."</p> + +<p>"Amy, you're caught! You said both <i>I</i> and <i>lead</i>."</p> + +<p>Notwithstanding all their care, the persevering lead-merchant entrapped +every one in some moment of weakness; and the company agreed that he +would make his fortune as a Yankee pedlar, or as an agent for some book +that nobody wanted,—many would buy to get rid of him, on the same +principle that the lady married her tiresome lover.</p> + +<p>"And now," said Charlie, "let us play 'Trades.' We apprentice our son or +daughter to some business, and mention that the first thing sold begins +with a specified letter: but we must never repeat an article. The person +who guesses, apprentices his son the next. I apprenticed my son to a +carpenter, and the first thing he sold was a T."</p> + +<p>"A table?" asked Mary. "I apprenticed my daughter to a milliner, and the +first thing she sold was a yard of R. R."</p> + +<p>"Red ribbon?" added Gertrude. "I apprenticed my son to a grocer, and the +first thing he sold was a B. of R."</p> + +<p>"Box of raisins?" inquired Cornelia. "I apprenticed my son to a +cabinet-maker, and the first thing he sold was a S."</p> + +<p>"Sofa?" said Tom. "I apprenticed my daughter to a dry-goods store, and +the first thing she sold was ten yards of L."</p> + +<p>"Lace?" asked Ellen.</p> + +<p>"No—guess again."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Linen? I see that's right. I apprenticed my son to a tinman, and the +first thing he sold was a N. G."</p> + +<p>"Nutmeg-grater?" inquired George. "Now, I apprenticed my son to a +hardware man, and the first thing he sold was a P. of S."</p> + +<p>"Pair of skates?" said Amy. "I apprenticed my son to a book-store, and +the first thing he sold was a P. B."</p> + +<p>"Prayer-book? I apprenticed my daughter to a dressmaker, and the first +thing she made was a V. M."</p> + +<p>"Velvet mantilla?" And so the game proceeded, the questions and answers +being tossed from one to another, like ball or shuttlecock, so that the +general interest was kept up.</p> + +<p>"I think it high time we had our daily story," said Amy.</p> + +<p>"So do I," replied her uncle; "and I commission you to tell it."</p> + +<p>"I? oh no, uncle, I'm too young. I think the older ones should have the +monopoly of that trade—I wasn't apprenticed to it."</p> + +<p>"Not at all—you are of suitable age to be apprenticed now, so you may +consider the bargain struck. Begin, my little Amy, and if you break down +in the middle of your tale, I'll promise to finish it myself."</p> + +<p>"Very well, uncle; I feel quite tempted to fail, to inveigle you into a +sensible termination to a foolish story. We often invent tales in the +interval at school, and I'll give you one that my schoolmates like. It is called</p> + +<p class='tbrk'><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</a></span>;</p> + +<h3>The Rose of Hesperus;</h3> + +<h4>A FAIRY TALE.</h4> + +<p>Every one has heard of the Garden of Hesperus, famous in all ancient +times for its exquisite beauty. Its golden fruit, more precious by far +than the fleece of Jason, in search of which heroes perilled their lives +on board the good ship Argo, was watched by a terrible dragon, whose +eyes were never sealed by slumber. A hundred heads belonged to the +monster, a hundred flames of fire issued from his numerous throats, and +a hundred voices resounded threats against the audacious being who +should invade his province. Hercules alone, of all the children of men, +was able to overcome him: but although he then expired, the next rising +sun again beheld him full of life and vigor. The dragons of earth are +never annihilated. Each generation has the same work to perform, has its +monsters to conquer; and this it is that makes the noble heroes whom we +all delight to praise.</p> + +<p>So small was the number of mortals ever favored with a sight of this +earthly paradise, that it is not surprising its site is now unknown. +Even among the ancients, it was a matter of speculation and mystery. The +majority placed it in the north of Africa; and it is not improbable that +travellers who for the first time beheld them, mistook for the Gardens +of Hesperus the oases of the desert, those gems of nature which are all +the more brilliant for being set in sand and clay. Others again asserted +that this region of delight was to be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span> sought beyond the western main, +in a lone isle if the ocean. But all agreed that it was at the west, +towards the sunset, that this treasure of earth was to be found: and +thence it was that the name of Hesperus was bestowed upon it. Strange it +is, that mankind has ever followed the sun in its path; and that while +human life, religious truth, and science all point to the East as their +source, they hasten westward for the fulfillment of their destiny. The +East belongs to the Past—it is the land of memory: the West to the +Future—it is the land of hope: and there it is that man seeks his +happiness. It is in the yet unrevealed—in the mysterious West that the +golden fruits and the perennial flowers bloom for him: not in Oriental +climes, where, in his infancy, the Garden of Eden sheltered him.</p> + +<p>So great is the lust for gold, and so small the love of moral beauty +among the fallen race of man, that of all the varied productions of +Hesperus, the golden apples alone have been mentioned in tradition and +poetry. But in truth, these were far inferior to the precious roses +which grew in the very centre of this paradise, and which were endowed, +not only with exquisite form, hue, and fragrance, but with certain magic +properties, invaluable to their possessors. If the bosom on which the +flower rested were candid, pure, and kind, the rose bloomed with still +richer loveliness, and emitted a delicious sweetness: and a grace was +shed over the person of its owner, which grief and sickness could not +dim, and old age itself was powerless to destroy. This indescribable +something shone out in the eye, spoke in the voice, made the plainest +features pleasing, and imparted an irresistible charm to the manner. It +was as far superior to mere external beauty as the latter is to +revolting ugliness. Nothing could destroy it: once gained, it was a +lasting heritage. But on the other hand, if this<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></span> rose were possessed by +the false-hearted, the sensual, and the selfish, it sickened and paled +day by day, giving forth a fainter fragrance continually, until it was +completely withered. And in proportion as it lost its bloom, did the +hideous heart of the wearer imprint itself upon the countenance, until +the eye would turn away in disgust from the most brilliant complexion +and chiselled regularity of features. It acted as a moral test, making +evident to the dull eye of man, ever prone to think only of outside +show, the beauty or the deformity within. Until the time of our story no +roses had been dipt from the magic tree; and men, always ready to look +to the bright side of the wonderful unknown, thought merely of the charm +it could impart, and not of the danger incurred by the unlovely in heart +and life.</p> + +<p>I will not attempt to fix the date of my tale with historic accuracy. It +is sufficient to say that the events occurred in that period of +unreasoning faith, when the myths of Greece and Rome were mingled in the +popular mind with the fairy legends of the north; and both were baptized +in the waters of Christianity. It was a charming period for all lovers +of romance: it was the childhood of modern Europe. But I must warn you +that it is in vain to search for the names of my emperors in +chronological tables. They lived at a time when the historian was +somewhat at a discount, and the minstrel wrote the only records, with +his harp and voice, upon the memory of his hearers; save that here and +there a solitary monk wore out his days in copying the treasures of +antiquity, and used his imagination in embellishing the lives of saints +and martyrs. When the manuscript is found which settles the exact date +of King Lear's reign, I cannot doubt that it will give all particulars +about my kings also.</p> + +<p>In those happy, misty days, there lived an Emperor of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span> Germany, +Hildebrand by name, a potent monarch. His court was splendid, and his +retinue large and magnificent. But the chief glory of his palace, and +the pride of his heart, was his daughter Clotilda, whose amazing beauty +formed the theme of poets' praise, and whose fame was spread far beyond +the limits of the Empire. Her form was of queenly majesty, her movements +swan-like. Her glossy raven tresses set off a complexion of the greatest +brilliancy: her faultless features would have served as a model to the +sculptor. Large, sparkling eyes gave animation to her countenance, and +took all hearts by storm. Add to these rare endowments a lively though +malicious wit, great skill in all showy accomplishments, and especially +in the arts of coquetry, and is it wonderful that she was almost +worshipped in her father's court as a divinity?</p> + +<p>To win her hand, embassies were sent from distant lands, and kings even +came in person to plead their cause; but, hitherto, none had been +successful. The fair Clotilda knew that she could choose among very many +suitors, and her heart was none of the softest. Besides, she was well +aware that she should be no portionless bride, as she and her younger +sister Edith were her father's only heirs. She loved to keep many +admirers in her train, but possessed too high a spirit to throw herself +away upon any one inferior to herself in rank, power, or wealth. In +addition to this, she had too keen a wit not to perceive and to enjoy +the ridiculous, even in a suitor anxiously striving to gain her love. +Truth to say, the adorable Clotilda had one small fault, unperceived by +her worshippers, and hidden by the splendor of her beauty. She was +heartless. If born with that important organ, she had early offered it +up upon the altar of her own pride and vanity. Deprived of her mother at +a very early age, and deferred<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span> to by all around, including her +imperious father, she had soon learned to issue her commands with +authority, and to rule the household and the court as a mistress. Love +of power had now become her ruling passion, and fierce and headstrong +was the will hidden under that brilliant and winning exterior. It was +like a wild beast, slumbering behind a bank of roses.</p> + +<p>Far different, both in person and character, was the neglected Edith, +who grew up in the imperial court like a sweet wild-flower, overlooked +when the gorgeous exotic is nigh. Her slender girlish figure, with its +undeveloped grace; her airy step; her color, coming and going with the +varying feelings of her quick sensibility, like the delicate pink clouds +at sunset; her soft brown hair, waving around a face of child-like +purity and womanly tenderness: and her large gray eye, from whose +transparent depths an earnest and loving spirit looked out upon the +world—these were not the traits to win admiration in a sensual, +splendor-loving court, where all acknowledged the sway of Clotilda. Her +father lavished the whole of his affection upon his elder daughter: the +latter seldom noticed her, and thought her more fit for a nunnery or for +a peasant's cottage, than for the station of a princess. And so Edith +grew to womanhood, unspoiled by flattery—that incense was reserved for +Clotilda's shrine. Not in that crowd of selfish courtiers and of worldly +women, wholly given up to dress and gayety, could the refinement and +simplicity of the gentle Edith be appreciated. She was with them, but +not of them: hers was the loneliness most felt when in a crowd, the want +of congenial companionship. Her unassuming modesty and poor opinion of +her own worth, saved her heart from the sharp pangs of envy at the +thought of her sister's superiority: and thus, even in the impure +at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span>mosphere of the palace, did this artless maiden live on, humbly +looking up to one infinitely her inferior, and dwelling in love and +peace. Her greatest enjoyments were of a kind despised by Clotilda. It +was her delight to steal away from the gay assembly, where she was never +missed, and to pore over the romantic lays of troubadours and monkish +legends, and to make to herself a world, different from the one in which +her lot was cast. Then she would be the lowly peasant-girl, singing +while she worked, beloved by those for whom she toiled, and rising +before the sun to deck the shrine of the Virgin with flowers. Or, if she +were a princess, she lived but to bless and to relieve her people, and +possessed the power of scattering happiness, as the beneficent night +sprinkles dew-drops from her lap. From these day-dreams, the play of an +active mind which had not yet found its true place in the universe, she +would rouse herself to some deed of kindness, which others were too much +immersed in pleasure to fulfil. If one of her maidens was ill, it was +she who watched untiringly by her pillow, administering the medicines +and the cooling draught. And it was she who rose by daybreak, while most +of the menials of the palace were yet sleeping, and gave the daily +portion of alms to the poor who waited at the gate—making the brown +bread sweet by the gentle tones and kind words of sympathy. It is not +strange, therefore, that Edith was beloved by all the children of +affliction, and that she became universally known to the common people +as "the good princess."</p> + +<p>In honor of Clotilda's birthday, a tournament was proclaimed, to which +princes and knights from all the neighboring countries were invited. The +anxiously-expected day at length arrived: the sky was cloudless, and all +nature appeared to smile upon the festival. Every thing was there<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</a></span> +united that could please and dazzle the eye. There were satins and +damasks, cloth of gold and velvet; flowers, and cheeks more rosy; gems, +and eyes more brilliant. At one end of the lists, upon his throne of +gold and ivory, sat the Emperor, blazing with jewels. Near him stood his +ministers of state, in their official robes, bearing aloft the insignia +of royalty; and around him were his faithful guards, in complete armor, +with drawn swords. Opposite sat his queenly daughter, the beautiful +Clotilda, the cynosure of all admiring eyes. She was magnificently +arrayed, and surrounded by a bevy of fair damsels, who shone like stars, +eclipsed by the superior brightness of the moon. Seated a little apart, +attired in simple white with a sash of blue, and wearing no ornament +save her favorite flowers, the wood-violet and the lily of the valley, +was Edith, gazing with unusual interest on that lively, gorgeous scene. +And truly, the amphitheatre crowded with spectators, themselves a show, +and the lists filled with gallant knights, whose pawing steeds seemed +impatient for the combat to begin, might excite the imagination of the +dullest, and was well calculated to fire her ardent spirit.</p> + +<p>Unusual splendor marked this tournament, in honor of certain +distinguished guests who had arrived, candidates for the hand of the +Princess Clotilda. The most eminent among them for knightly bearing was +the young Duke of Milan. He was handsome, proud, and imperious, but +withal brave and courteous as became his gentle birth; and he was a +magnificent patron of minstrels and men of letters, aiming to make his +court the centre of literature and the fine arts. His personal qualities +and accomplishments were such as to win for him the admiration of the +fair Princess, who had never before been wooed by a suitor so much to +her taste. His rank and possessions were so great that all would have +acknowl<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</a></span>edged the match a suitable one even for Clotilda's pretensions. +But a wider career of ambition was now opening before the vision of the +aspiring lady. Who would stoop to be a duchess, when the diadem of an +empress was placed at her disposal? Certainly not the Princess Clotilda, +be her preferences what they might: she would have considered it +childish folly to hesitate in her choice. And three emperors now graced +the court, each provided with a numerous and splendid retinue. These +daily vied with each other in gorgeous fêtes and costly presents to the +proud beauty whom they hoped to win. In flowing robe of richest fabric, +stiff with sparkling gems, behold the Emperor of China, the Sacred Son +of Heaven, the Supreme Ruler of the earth! His shaven head is surmounted +by a conical cap, at the crown of which one pearl of uncommon size +points out his rank: beneath it hangs down a jet-black queue below his +waist. His small, oblique eyes, his yellow complexion, and thin beard +show him unmistakably to belong to the Central Flowery Land. He is a +heathen: but perhaps for her sake he might be baptized. At any rate, +there would be little difficulty in procuring a dispensation from Holy +Mother Church, which is ever hopeful that such alliances may bring +converts into her bosom. Will she, can she accept him? She will at least +accept his gifts and his attentions, and will decide hereafter. +Millions, unnumbered millions of slaves call him their lord; vast is his +power and wealth; provinces would be her dowry. But would she not, +herself, merely add another to his list of slaves? Secluded within his +palace, with many rivals to counteract her, would she not gather thorns, +as well as blossoms, in the Flowery Land? It is a matter to be +considered.</p> + +<p>But who are these two other Asiatics, as they appear by<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</a></span> their dress, +fashioned in Oriental magnificence? One is from the frozen North, the +other from the sunny South, and they divide the east of Europe between +them. That pompous, formal old man, whose small heart and head are +stuffed full of etiquette, and who lives and breathes only in a sense of +his own importance, is the ruler of the Byzantine Empire. He was born in +the purple chamber, and wears the purple; he eats purple, drinks purple, +sleeps purple—only as the Emperor does he exist—he could live as well +without his head, as without his crown. He is so imbued with notions of +his own dignity that he would prove a tough subject to manage. But his +rival from the North is still undescribed. Tremble at the sight of this +ugly Cossack, with small dull eye, flat nose, and bushy red beard; for +in him behold the Autocrat of all the Russias! Not yet had the genius +and perseverance of Peter the Great introduced the arts and sciences +into that vast region of snow and mental darkness. Ivan, the Squinter, +ruled over his serfs with Oriental despotism: he was ignorant, coarse, +and profligate. At his feasts, the dishes were of gold from the Ural +Mountains, and the attendants who waited upon the monarch were arrayed +in all the grandeur of Eastern princes; but the slightest blunder on +their part subjected them to death, to the more dreaded knout, or to +banishment in Siberia. Nominally a Christian, the Emperor of China is +quite a saint when compared with him, and infinitely more respectable. +But the Czar is a fool, chiefly immersed in the pleasures of the table; +and Clotilda, if Empress of Russia, could easily seize all real power, +and sway the sceptre over millions of obsequious subjects.</p> + +<p>These potentates are seated on thrones near Hildebrand, to witness the +spectacle. But Udolpho, Duke of Milan, is among the combatants, mounted +on a powerful charger, in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</a></span> armor blazing with gold: he looks like the +flower of chivalry. He wears the colors of the Princess Clotilda, +scarlet and green; and having ridden to the end of the lists, and made a +lowly obeisance to his fair lady, he has returned to his place among the +competitors for honor. Others there are who wear the same colors, but +none to compare with him in rank and knightly bearing; and as the +Princess gazed upon him, she wished him success. But what cavalier is +this, with closed vizor, whose head towers above the rest like the cedar +of Lebanon above all the trees of the forest? A kingly majesty marks +every motion, and notwithstanding the unusual plainness of his +accoutrements, all eyes are turned upon him with interest and curiosity. +He is clad in brightly-shining steel, and no heraldic emblems show his +rank. His Moorish page bears before him his shield, upon the black +ground of which one blooming rose, and the motto <i>Quero</i>, "I seek," form +the only device. He is an utter stranger to all: yet both Emperor and +Princess command the herald to discover who he is. That he is +illustrious, none can doubt. A blue ribbon, worn upon his arm, shows +that he has not enlisted himself among the admirers of the Lady +Clotilda: in whose honor can he wear it?</p> + +<p>When the heralds have taken the oath of the combatants that they will in +all respects obey the laws of chivalry in the approaching conflict, the +names and titles of those who were about to engage in it were called +aloud, with the sound of the trumpet. When the unknown knight was +courteously requested to announce his name, he gave that of "The Knight +of the Blooming Rose." The mystery as to who he could be increased the +interest felt in him; and as one after another of the cavaliers was +unhorsed by his firm and skilful arm and rolled in the dust, the +excitement became intense.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</a></span> The Grand Duke Udolpho had also greatly +distinguished himself, and it was soon very evident that the victory +would lie between these two. Clotilda's sympathies were enlisted on the +side of Udolpho: Edith's, for the Knight of the Blooming Rose, whose +success she watched with breathless interest. The contest was not long +undetermined: the shouts of the populace, and the waving of scarfs and +handkerchiefs by fair hands, soon proclaimed the unknown cavalier to be +the victor.</p> + +<p>Escorted by the heralds he approached the Emperor, who, after +pronouncing a eulogy upon his bravery and skill, threw round his neck a +costly chain, and placed in his hand the wreath to be worn by the Queen +of Love and Beauty, whose duty it should be to preside over the games +during the remainder of the week, and to distribute prizes to the +winners. It was his envied privilege to confer this dignity upon the +lady who was fairest in his eyes. As he rode round the barriers, gazing +at the numberless lovely faces assembled there, many a heart thrilled +with emotion; and as he passed the Princess Clotilda, surprise, +mortification, and resentment could only too plainly be traced upon her +countenance. Never before had she been so slighted. But when the knight +stopped before the Lady Edith, and kneeling down, besought her to confer +dignity upon the office of Queen of Love and Beauty by filling it, the +young girl's astonishment was great, as she had not for a moment thought +of herself as a candidate for the honor. Quickly recovering herself, +however, with the native courtesy of the high-born lady, agreeably to +the manners of the day, she raised the cavalier, and taking off her blue +sash, fastened it round his waist with her own hands, begging him to +wear it as her knight, and ever to prove himself faithful and brave.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</a></span></p> + +<p>Thus ended the first day's tournament. Meanwhile, the burghers and +yeomanry joined in the general festivity, having wrestling-matches, +quoits and bowls, and various other rural games. A purse of gold was +conferred upon the victors, and barrels of beer were continually running +for the benefit of the public. The noble guests were invited to a +banquet at the palace, which was to be repeated daily during the +continuance of the games. The Knight of the Blooming Rose was, of +course, a prominent person in these gay assemblies, and his noble person +and courtly bearing greatly excited the admiration of the ladies of +Clotilda's circle. But while courteous to all, his marked deference to +the gentle Edith plainly showed that he was faithful to his allegiance. +It was a new experience to the timid girl to be thus singled out in +preference to the more brilliant beauties around her; and while it +raised her in the estimation of others, it gave a decision and +self-possession to her character in which it was previously deficient. +And the intimate intercourse which she thus enjoyed with a kindred mind +of high cultivation, earnest thought, and large acquaintance with +mankind, gave a stimulus to her mental powers which only human sympathy +can impart. The Emperor himself was greatly pleased with the gallant +knight, and frequently honored him with confidential conversation. And +yet no one could discover who he was. Free and unreserved in his +communications with those around him, when this subject was approached, +his lips were sealed in silence, and a certain dignity of manner warned +off all intrusion. Efforts were made to arrive at the truth through the +medium of his page; but the noble-looking Moor was a mute, and would +only hold intercourse with those around him by gestures and expressive +looks.</p> + +<p>In the succeeding days of the tournament, various games<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</a></span> of knightly +skill and prowess engaged the attention of the competitors for honors, +and in all of them did our cavalier come off victorious. In the use of +the bow he was unrivalled, ever piercing the centre of the target, and +bringing down the bird upon the wing. Udolpho of Milan was the second in +distinction, and the two were united by a generous friendship. The last +day was a trial of minstrelsy. In this, also, the Knight of the Blooming +Rose bore the palm away from all his rivals, both professional and +amateur. Accompanying himself upon the harp, he sang spirit-stirring +lays which awakened the enthusiasm of all his auditors.</p> + +<p>In the evening, the Emperor requested him to give the meaning of his +motto, and of the emblem on his shield. Taking the harp, and striking up +a bold and brilliant prelude which gradually arranged itself into a +simple air of great beauty, he sang as follows:<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</a></span></p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>"Not wealth nor trappings proud,</div> +<div>Nor shouts of envying crowd,</div> +<div>That swell both long and loud,</div> +<div class="i11">'I seek.'</div> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<div>"No jewels from the mine,</div> +<div>Nor gold, so pure and fine,</div> +<div>Nor generous, sparkling wine,</div> +<div class="i11">'I seek.'</div> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<div>"Soft pleasure's bonds are vain—</div> +<div>I feel for them disdain;</div> +<div>And still, through toil and pain,</div> +<div class="i11">'I seek.'</div> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<div>"It is not kingly crown—</div> +<div>That subjects may kneel down,</div> +<div>And tremble at my frown—</div> +<div class="i11">'I seek.'</div> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<div>"To keep my knightly oath,</div> +<div>Be faithful to my troth,</div> +<div>To God and Jesu both,</div> +<div class="i11">'I seek.'</div> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<div>"To help the poor that cry—</div> +<div>To wipe the widow's eye—</div> +<div>To humble tyrants high,</div> +<div class="i11">'I seek.'</div> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<div>"The maiden weak to save,</div> +<div>To free the Christian slave,</div> +<div>And punish impious knave,</div> +<div class="i11">'I seek.'</div> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<div>"At noblest deeds I aim.</div> +<div>To win a lofty name</div> +<div>Upon the roll of fame,</div> +<div class="i11">'I seek.'</div> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<div>"To pluck the magic Rose</div> +<div>In Hesperus which grows,</div> +<div>And fadeless beauty knows,</div> +<div class="i11">'I seek.'</div> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<div>"To wear it on my breast—</div> +<div>There may it ever rest!—</div> +<div>Honor and truth to test,</div> +<div class="i11">'I seek.'</div> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<div>"To lay it at the feet</div> +<div>Of noble lady sweet:</div> +<div>For her an off'ring meet!</div> +<div class="i11">'I seek.'</div> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<div>"To win fair Edith's praise—</div> +<div>Merit the poet's lays—</div> +<div>Grow nobler all my days—</div> +<div class="i11">'I seek.'"</div> +</div></div> + +<p>"And is it really the wonderful Rose of Hesperus which you seek?" asked +the monarch: "that magic flower hitherto<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</a></span> unplucked by mortals? Bring +one to each of my daughters, and I here pledge you my word that you +shall wed one of them, if you can gain her consent!" The knight, full of +gratitude, knelt down to express his thanks. He then told the Emperor +and the listening Edith in what manner he had been led to take the vow +to acquire these precious roses, and to place this emblem upon his +shield. He had been engaged in defence of his native land against the +invader and the oppressor, but his efforts, and those of a small, brave +band of friends, had been wholly in vain: his country was crushed by the +ruthless heel of despotism. On that night when it had been agreed in +assembled council that all resistance was fruitless, and that nothing +now remained for patriots but to seek freedom in exile, after tossing in +troubled slumbers, he had been visited with a calming and inspiring +dream. He saw bending over him a lovely female form, which he knew +instinctively to be that of his Guardian Angel. She was clothed in +white, and a soft light streamed out from her soul. The morning before +the tournament, as he rode along at break of day, he had seen the +Princess Edith bending down to speak encouragement to a poor cripple, +and he had at once recognized the earthly form of which he had then seen +the glorified image. The Angel spoke, and commanded him not to yield to +despair: she had work for him still to do. She said that, with her help, +he should pluck roses from the Gardens of Hesperus, which mortal man had +never yet done. She gave him exact directions how to reach the spot +where the invisible gate was placed, through which alone he could enter +the charmed Paradise. Only at sunrise, upon the repetition of a form of +words, which she gave him, could a brave knight, of unsullied honor and +purity, obtain admittance. And only at sunset could he leave, upon +reciting the same<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</a></span> formula. And then telling him that the accomplishment +of this feat would lead to the fulfilment of his destiny, and that a +crown yet awaited him, she had suddenly vanished, leaving a smile upon +the air.</p> + +<p>The next day, having bid adieu to his friends at court, the cavalier +departed with his Moorish page. They travelled in a southwesterly +direction, towards the Mediterranean Sea. It is worthy of remark, that +when they had passed away from towns and populous districts, the page +rode alongside of his master, instead of following at his former humble +distance. And, miraculous as it may appear, it is very certain that they +no longer conversed together by signs, but with audible sounds.</p> + +<p>At length they reached the borders of the sea. Following it for a few +days, they came to a lofty rock: here they alighted, and searching +carefully along the water's edge, the knight perceived a small entrance, +so covered up by overhanging grass and ferns that one unacquainted with +its existence could never have detected it. Entering, they found +themselves in a lofty and spacious cave, where nature had amused herself +by uniting in strange confusion the odd and the beautiful. The roof was +hung with sparkling stalactites, and wonderful forms were ranged around. +There was an organ, with its numerous pipes—but the wind was the only +musician. There was a lofty throne—but the king was not yet born who +would fill it with dignity. There was a pulpit—but solitude was the +only preacher. Strange shapes, like those in a Hindoo rock-temple, were +ranged along into the darkness. Stars and flowers of crystal were +strewed around, and the grotto looked like a fit abode for sylphids or +fairies. The deep blue water formed a lake in the centre, upon the bosom +of which a small boat lay sleeping like a swan. When<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</a></span> the knight and his +page had sufficiently admired the beauties of the place, the cavalier +advanced to the edge of the lagoon and called the boat. It instantly +waked up, and came like a living thing to crouch at his feet. The two +friends stepped into it, and it shot out of the cave into the broad open +sea, darting across the water with the speed of the wind. No visible +means of motion could be detected; no sail or oars were there in the +fairy boat—there was nothing mechanical about it; but it sped on its +way like a water-bird or a graceful nautilus. Once, indeed, gazing into +deep blue water, the knight fancied that he saw a soft white hand, with +rings of pearl and bracelet of coral, guiding it in its course; but if +this were not the effect of his heated fancy, the hand was at least +speedily withdrawn, and he saw it no more.</p> + +<p>When the moon had risen upon the expanse of waters, which reflected her +image, breaking it into a thousand fragments—while the waves danced up +to greet her bright face, like children clamoring for a mother's +kiss—the little boat ran into a quiet inlet, and stopped to let its +passengers alight. They rested that night in an orange-grove, and awoke +refreshed, to begin their search while the bright morning-star was still +shining. At the break of day they arrived at lofty perpendicular rocks, +which, after pursuing a straight line, suddenly formed a right-angle. +Here the knight and his companion stopped, and turning to the east, +awaited the sunrise. At the moment when the glorious orb of day started +up from his couch, impatient to commence his course, the cavalier spoke: +"Open, thou gate of stone, for the hour has come, and the man." At these +words, with a noise like that of thunder, the rock was rent asunder, and +a wide passage was opened, through which the friends proceeded. It had +appeared to be a lofty chain of mountains, but they were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</a></span> soon at the +end of it, and came out into the open air. But an obstacle opposed +itself. A huge dragon, Ladon the terrible, reared up his hundred heads, +his eyes flashing fire and fury, his mouths emitting baleful flames and +pestilential breath, his tail, covered with metallic scales of green, +scarlet, and blue, coiling away to a great distance. The page drew his +sword; but the knight took a little black book and aimed it at the +volcanic heads. It was a Holy Book, and the names therein quenched the +threatening fire and quelled the rage of the monster, who sank back +exhausted upon the green sod, and slept the sleep of death. "That little +book can do more than the sword," remarked the cavalier.</p> + +<p>They proceeded onward: the earthly Paradise was unfolded to their view; +the air was balmy, and laden with rich fragrance from the numberless +flowers around; but instead of filling the spirit with soft languor, and +indisposing the body to exertion, the gentle breezes imparted new vigor +to the frame, and the buoyant, hilarious feelings of early youth shot +through the veins, making the thoughtful eye sparkle, and giving to the +grave foot of saddened maturity the elasticity of childhood. A new, +unsuspected power of enjoyment was awakened in the bosom of the friends, +combining somewhat of the gladness of the child, and the ardor of the +youth—qualities, alas, how transitory!—with the appreciating taste and +refined feelings of riper years. Many faculties lie dormant in our +nature: the capacity for much higher happiness is one of them; and it +will be awakened in the breast of all the good in the Resurrection Morn. +They may have lain down to die, weary and heart sore, but they shall +find that "light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright +in heart."</p> + +<p>With joyful spirits, their eyes drinking in beauty, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</a></span> their ears +harmony, the knight and his comrade moved along, guided by wayward +fancy. Here a sparkling, dancing rivulet would entice them to follow its +course, amid mossy rocks, flowery banks, and drooping trees, which +whispered their secrets to its babbling waves; and then suddenly it +would vanish into the earth, like a child playing at hide-and-seek, +gurgling a merry laugh at its bewildered followers. At every step a new +beauty was unfolded. Now the brilliancy of hue and splendor of coloring +in the sky, the flowers, the birds, filled their minds with admiration: +but when they wandered into the deep, cool woods, with their sober +tints, and their mysterious whispers, they gave the latter the +preference. And when they left these green recesses, and viewed the +extensive landscape opened before them—gently swelling hills, distant +mountains, and the boundless ocean—then they wondered that more limited +scenery could have given such entire satisfaction. Climbing among the +rocks, wild and sublime views, of a rugged grandeur, prepared their +souls for nature's masterpiece, the foaming waterfall. Down the +stupendous precipice rolled the torrent, masses upon masses of water, +almost lost to the eye in the dark distance below; while, above, the +gorgeous rainbow closed it in, as if a crown of glory were bestowed upon +it in recompense for its agony. And day and night a voice might be heard +from its mighty heart, "I can endure forever and forever." Then the +friends felt how deep is that bliss which takes away all words—they +felt how great a joy there is in awe.</p> + +<p>Descending from these heights, soft scenes of beauty attracted their +gaze. The setting sun threw its mellow light over a landscape of Italian +character; it seemed as if nature and art were here combined to make +perfection. Statues of rare loveliness took them by surprise when +strolling over the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</a></span> grassy walks, or sauntering under the deep umbrage +of the trees; mossy grottoes, adorned with shells, invited them to +repose; unexpected openings in the woods revealed vistas beyond, +exciting to the imagination. Lakes of crystal clearness reflected the +fleecy clouds, and the snowy forms of the swans upon their azure +surface; and gold and silver fishes chased each other through their +pellucid waves. Birds of brilliant plumage came there to lave in the +pure water, and then shaking off the diamonds from their wings, rose +into the air with a gush of melody, pouring out their souls to their +Maker. And all gentle and exquisite creatures were met together in that +spot, to glad the eye with life—the soft-eyed gazelle, the swift +antelope, the graceful stag, the Java deer, smallest of its kind: +nothing was absent which could add beauty and variety to the scene.</p> + +<p>Amid such innocent joys, drinking in poetry at its very fount, several +days were passed, each shorter than the one preceding. Their hunger was +satisfied with delicious fruits; and when weary, a natural couch of moss +received them, and the trees locked their arms together, and bent over +them, as if to keep off all harm, if harm could have existed in that +place. It seemed that life could glide away in perfect bliss in those +gardens of beauty, where naught repulsive or annoying could enter, and +delight succeeded delight. Could glide away, did I say?—not there; for +in the centre of that Paradise flowed the fountain of eternal youth, and +over its brink hung the bush whose magic roses were famed abroad.</p> + +<p>The sight of them awoke the sleeping energies of the noble and resolute +knight. "And shall I falsify my motto?" said he. "Shall the bliss of the +present satisfy me, while so much remains unaccomplished—while might is +triumphant over right, innocence is oppressed, and brute force bears +rule<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</a></span> upon the earth? Shall I lap my soul in indolent ease while the +work of life is before me? Not so: still must I seek what is higher, +purer, nobler; still must my heart pant for excellence; still must I +learn bravely to endure."</p> + +<p>Speaking thus, he plucked three roses from the magic tree, and placed +them upon his breast, and as the sun approached the western horizon, the +comrades drew near to the gate which separated them from the world of +common life. The stony barrier opened before the charmed words, and when +they had emerged from its gloom, closed again with a clap of thunder. +Never since has mortal man profaned those regions of unclouded +happiness.</p> + +<p>Their little fairy skiff speedily conveyed them to the cave, and with +the early morning they resumed their journey. Their route lay, as +before, through an attractive country, and the peasants, in picturesque +costumes, were engaged in the various labors of rural life: but how +changed did all at first appear! It seemed as if scales had fallen off +their eyes, showing coarseness and deformity, where previously none had +appeared. They had tasted the rapture of a more beautiful life; and now +the ordinary toils of humanity appeared "stale, flat, and unprofitable," +and common men and women tedious, rude, and mean. But the brave knight +struggled against this feeling. "Shall we be so ungrateful, because a +glimpse of the earthly paradise has been vouchsafed us, as to sink into +idle, repining dreamers? Shall we allow the visions of fancy, or the +charms of nature, to steal away our hearts from human sympathy? Rather +let these remembered joys excite us to fresh effort; let the useful and +the good be ever clad with beauty, in our eyes; let us act as men, +strive and be strong in our rightful purposes, sure that in the end the +true will ever prove to be the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</a></span> beautiful." He might have said, in the +language of a modern poet,</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>"I slept, and dream'd that Life was Beauty;</div> +<div>I woke, and found that Life was Duty:</div> +<div>Was then thy dream a shadowy lie?</div> +<div>Toil on, sad heart, courageously,</div> +<div>And thou shall find thy dream to be</div> +<div>A noonday light and truth to thee."</div> +</div></div> + +<p>In due time, they arrived at the imperial court. Some important events +had taken place during their absence. The splendors of royalty had not +been able to preserve the Emperor from a loathsome disease, from which +his attendants fled away in horror. The Princess Clotilda could not +endanger her beauty by approaching his side; neither did the cares and +toils of a sick-bed comport with her views of life. But Edith now took +her rightful position, and by her fearless example recalled those around +her to a sense of duty. She was her father's gentle, untiring nurse: his +wishes were forestalled, his fretfulness soothed, and his thoughts +directed to higher things. She rose in her father's love day by day, as +he felt her worth; and bitterly did he now think of the undeserved +slight with which she had been treated, while the ungrateful Clotilda +had been his pride. He was at present recovering from his illness; but +he felt himself unequal to the labors of his position, and had seriously +resolved to lay down the crown and sceptre, that he might end his days +in peace. He had announced the day when his daughters should fix upon +one of the suitors for their hands, and when the assembly of barons and +knights should decide upon the successor to his throne.</p> + +<p>The Knight of the Blooming Rose was gladly welcomed back to court. In +the Emperor's presence, he presented the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</a></span> magic flower to each of his +fair daughters,—his own bloomed sweetly upon his breast, proving the +purity and fidelity of his heart. Edith's cheek was pale, from her late +watchings; but never had she looked more lovely than when she placed the +rose upon her bosom; her face was glorified by its expression. And +Clotilda's ill-concealed scorn and jealousy not only detracted from her +queenly beauty, but the flower paled as it touched her breast—pride and +worldliness, and every selfish passion, had swayed her being too long, +to be repressed at a moment's notice—like the fumes of poison, they +were taking away the life of the precious rose. It was impossible that +the contrast should not be noticed: comparisons were made which filled +the mind of the despotic Clotilda with rage against her unoffending +sister; and the more violent her evil passions became, the fainter grew +the perfume of her flower, and the more fading its hue. Not all the +flattery of her adorers could restore her equanimity; and her face +showed, only too plainly, the workings of the evil spirit within.</p> + +<p>At last the day approached when the fate of the empire and of so many +individuals was to be decided. Clotilda, meantime, consistent in her +desire for universal sway, received the homage of all her admirers, but +refused to declare her preference until the day of public betrothal—the +day when she proudly expected to be hailed as Empress. Her numerous +suitors indulged in flattering hopes, each for himself; while all agreed +in pitying the delusion of the rest. The electors met in the +audience-chamber, which was splendidly decorated for the occasion: all +the dignitaries of the State, and the great nobility were assembled, +presenting a very imposing spectacle. The Emperor was seated upon a +throne, but the crown and sceptre, whose weight he felt himself un<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</a></span>equal +longer to endure, lay upon a cushion at his side. The people, in a dense +mass, thronged the courtyard of the palace, anxious to know the result +of the election, and to hail the new lord of the land.</p> + +<p>At the appointed hour, the doors were flung open, and the two royal +brides entered, followed by their maids of honor. Clotilda, +self-possessed in her proud beauty, looked like a queen indeed. She was +magnificently dressed, and the pale, scentless rose upon her breast was +almost hidden by diamonds. But many there turned their eyes from her +handsome, haughty face, to gaze upon young Edith, who leaned upon the +arm of her betrothed, the unknown knight. They wondered that they had +never before remarked the exquisite delicacy and sensibility of her +countenance, the very exponent of the beautiful soul within, which +flashed out brightly as if through a transparent covering. When in +repose, the calm and happy expression reminded the beholder of the deep +purity and peace of the sunny sky—when moved by passing thoughts and +feelings, of the same heavens, ever heavenly, over which the fleecy +clouds are driven by the wind, in varying shapes and hues. Edith's +dress, though elegant, was as simple as consisted with her rank. The +pearls and white jasmine in her hair well became her, and the magic rose +upon her breast adorned her as no jewels could, and filled the chamber +with its rich, refreshing fragrance. As the sisters stood, one on each +side of their father, they might well have passed for types of spiritual +and sensual beauty—of heaven and earth.</p> + +<p>The Emperor arose, and addressed the assembly. He said that the cares of +state weighed too heavily upon his feeble old age, and that his most +earnest wishes were now directed to a tranquil retirement, in which he +should enjoy the leisure<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</a></span> he required for preparations to meet the King +of kings. That his daughters were before them—he wished to see the +diadem encircling the youthful brow of one, whichever they should +choose. But well he knew that a firm and valiant arm was needed to sway +the sceptre, and that an experienced mind must govern the nation; and +therefore it was his will that the Princesses should this day make known +their choice of a consort from among the many candidates for their +hands. His younger daughter, Edith, had already plighted her faith, with +his entire approval, to the stranger knight. No kingdom awaited her, for +her betrothed was a landless exile; but the fame of his valor and wisdom +had gone throughout the earth—and in the future husband of his daughter +he now presented to them one whom he was proud to claim as a +son—Arthur, Prince of Britain, the renowned Champion of Christendom!</p> + +<p>At these words, shouts of enthusiastic joy rent the hall. When the +tumult was hushed, the Emperor called upon the suitors of the Princess +Clotilda to come forward. The rival sovereigns approached, among whom +the Duke of Milan was conspicuous for dignity and knightly courtesy. All +wished him success; but Clotilda passed him by, and placed her hand +within that of the Czar. At that moment, a sound was heard throughout +the hushed room, resembling somewhat a deep sigh and an expiring +groan—it proceeded from the rose, which fell from her bosom, shrivelled +and lifeless. An expression of disdainful rage rendered her face almost +repulsive, as she noticed the sensation excited by the circumstance, and +the cold, gloomy silence with which her choice was received.</p> + +<p>After a short conference, the electors reported that they had chosen +Arthur of Britain and the Princess Edith to be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</a></span> their lawful sovereigns. +Hildebrand then led them to a balcony, and presented them to the people; +and loud and enthusiastic were the shouts of the populace: "Long live +our Emperor, Arthur the Brave! Long live the good Princess!" The +plaudits were echoed far and wide. The achievements of the noble Arthur, +and the kind deeds of "The Good Princess," formed the theme of the +fireside-tale in the humble cottage, and of the troubadour's lay in +castle and banquetting-hall. Arthur, who in Britain was mourned as dead, +or as lying in enchanted sleep with his good sword Excalibar at his +side, ready to start up to his country's rescue in some hour of future +peril—enjoyed, instead, a happier fate. Long and glorious was his +reign: the wicked fled away from his presence, like mists before the +sun; the upright rejoiced under his protection, and peace reigned +throughout all the borders of the Empire. Excalibar was sheathed: no +foes dared to invade the land. Brightly and sweetly bloomed the magic +roses, which once grew on the same tree in the earthly Paradise, and +which were now seldom far asunder; flourishing, in their transplanted +state, upon hearts which diffused a moral Paradise of love and purity +around them.</p> + +<p>And what became of the imperious Clotilda? Enraged at the decision of +the electors, and at her father's acquiescence, she soon left the +Imperial court to accompany her lord to his distant empire. There her +life passed unhappily enough amid the rude magnificence and brutal +amusements of the palace. She did not find that Ivan was easily managed, +as she had hoped: fools seldom are—it requires a portion of good sense +to perceive our deficiencies, and to allow the superiority of others. +They became more and more estranged, both giving way to the evil +passions most natural to them.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</a></span> Ivan, indulging in sensual pleasures, +became more and more brutified; and Clotilda, yielding up her soul to +the dominion of pride, hatred, and violence, became so embittered +against her unfortunate husband that she compassed his death by +violence, and seized the crown, reigning in the name of her infant son, +Constantine. And never, under the most despotic sovereigns, had the iron +rule been exercised with more unrelenting vigor than during the reign of +Clotilda the Terrible. But a day of vengeance was at hand. A secret +conspiracy was formed, at the head of which her young son was placed: +the palace was seized in the night, and the murderess was hurried away +to a distant fortress, where she spent the remainder of her unhappy +life—the victim of her own ungoverned passions.</p> + +<p class='tbrk'> </p> + +<p>"How I wish that I possessed such a magic rose!" said Alice Bolton. "It +might cure my unfortunate pug nose—I should so love to be beautiful!"</p> + +<p>"You own such a rose, my dear girl," said her uncle. "It is invisible, +but I often perceive its fragrance. Each one of you carries such an +indicator of character and feeling about with you, wherever you go. We +may as well call it a rose as any thing else."</p> + +<p>"But what can you mean, Uncle? do you mean our tell-tale faces?"</p> + +<p>"Nothing else. It is one of the many proofs of beneficent design in the +formation of our frame, than we can scarcely help giving a timely +warning to others of the evil passions which may fill our breasts. The +angry man becomes inflamed or livid with rage before his arm is raised +to strike—just as the rattle-snake is heard before he darts upon his +victim. And so with the gentle and kind emotions. Friendly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</a></span> feeling +softens the eye and soothes the heart before the tongue utters a sound. +Then take my advice, my dear nephews and nieces, if you wish to be +attractive now, seek moral beauty, and the external will follow, in some +degree here below, and completely in a better world. You can afford to wait."</p> + +<hr /> +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX.</h2> + +<h3>NEW-YEAR'S DAY.—CHARACTERS, OR WHO AM I?—QUOTATIONS.—ACTING CHARADES.—RIDDLES.</h3> + +<p>"A very happy New-Year to you, Aunt and Uncle!" "The same to you, dear +children! and may each one in your lives be happier than the last!" "As +the Spaniards say, 'May you live a thousand years!'" cried Charlie +Bolton. "I feel glad that wish is an impossible one," answered Mr. +Wyndham, with a smile. "How tired the world would be of seeing me, and +how weary I should be of life! No, no, my boy—I hope when my season of +active labor shall be closed, and I can no more be useful to my +fellow-men, that my kind Father in Heaven will grant me a mansion above, +where time is swallowed up in eternity."</p> + +<p>There was service in the morning in the pretty little country church. +Strange that this beautiful and appropriate mode of commencing the +New-Year, which is so general in continental Europe, should be +frequently neglected here! It appears so very natural, upon entering +upon a new division of time, to consecrate its commencement by +acknowledgments of our dependence upon the Great Creator. At least, so +thought the family party assembled at The Grange; and they were amply +rewarded for the effort it cost them by the joyful, hopeful nature of +the services, which were intended to lead the soul to repose upon God +with unshaken trust for all future time.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</a></span></p> + +<p>In the evening, it was agreed that there should be no story, but that +games and conversation should fill up the time. Mary proposed a new game +she had heard of, "<i>Characters, or Who am I?</i>" While one left the room, +the rest agreed upon some historical personage who was to be represented +by the absentee upon his return. When he re-entered, unconscious whether +he was a Nero or a Howard, they addressed him in a manner suitable to +his rank and character, and he replied in such a way as to elicit +further information in regard to the important question, "Who am I?" As +he grew more sure of his own identity with the illustrious person whose +deeds they alluded to, his answers would become more unequivocal, until +at last he could announce that he had solved that difficult problem, +"know thyself." An amusing state of puzzle—a dreamy feeling that you +might be anybody in the world, was found to pervade the first replies. +Cornelia, who led the way in assuming a character, declared that she +felt like the little woman in Mother Goose's Melodies,</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>"If I be's I, as I suppose I be,</div> +<div>I have a little dog at home, and he knows me!"</div> +</div></div> + +<p>and that when she found out who she really was, it was as grateful to +her as was the little dog's joyous bark to the unfortunate woman, +doubtful of her own identity.</p> + +<p>When Cornelia entered, Mary said to her: "Does your majesty feel very +sore from your fall?"</p> + +<p>"Very little bruised, indeed."</p> + +<p>"Physically, I presume that you feel nothing; but you must suffer +mentally," remarked Ellen. "For a queen to be so disgraced, and for a +moment's pride to be brought down<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</a></span> to the rank of a subject, and of a +divorced wife, is indeed a dreadful fate."</p> + +<p>"A lofty mind," replied Cornelia, "can bear reverses."</p> + +<p>"True," rejoined Charlie. "I rejoice to see your majesty bear up so +nobly: it is well that pride can sustain you in adversity, since it +occasioned your descent. And yet, do you know, most sovereign lady, I +have always entertained the idea that the reason you refused, in +obedience to your royal husband's command, to unveil your beauty to the +court, was not so much modesty and pride, as the fact of an unfortunate +pimple upon your nose, and a sty upon your eye, which had the effect of +making you look uncommonly ugly."</p> + +<p>"Shame, ungallant sir! never, unless my silver mirror deceived me, did I +look more lovely. But if the laws of the Medes and Persians cannot be +changed, neither can the modest customs of their women be altered, even +at the command of the King, of Ahasuerus himself. I stand here, a martyr +to the rights of my sex: I, Vashti, queen of Persia, and of all the ends +of the earth, have proved myself to be strong in will, and the champion +of womanhood. I shall appear before all eyes as the first asserter of +woman's rights. But oh! that Jewish girl! that modest, shrinking, +beauteous, hateful Esther! that <i>she</i> should wear my crown!"</p> + +<p>"Well done, Cornelia! you have entered into the spirit of the game. And +now Charlie should go out, as you caught the idea from him."</p> + +<p>Upon Charlie's re-entrance, Alice spoke: "Did Dante's genius inspire +you, gifted mortal, or did you sit so long at the feet of Isaiah, that +your harp caught up some of the tones of his?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Don't know, ma'am, indeed. Couldn't possibly give you any information +on that subject. Scarcely knew I was much of a poet until you told me."</p> + +<p>"A man like you," said Ellen, "did not write for the unthinking +multitude, but for the select number who could appreciate. 'Fit +audience, though few,' is what you ask for. How shameful is it that such +worth and genius should languish in obscurity, in a pleasure-seeking +age! And that, while court minions rolled in luxury, you should sell +your glorious poem for the paltry sum of ten pounds!"</p> + +<p>"It was really too bad," replied Charlie. "And the money went very fast, +too."</p> + +<p>"And yet," answered Amy, "you were never of prodigal habits. You lived +simply, in the country: your supper was of bread and milk; your greatest +pleasure, to play upon the organ, or to listen to the music of others. +You retired early to rest: to be sure, you often awoke in the night, +your brain so filled with visions of beauty that you felt obliged to +arouse your daughter, that she might write them down, and so they were +saved for the benefit of future ages."</p> + +<p>"What do people think," said Charlie, "about my waking up my daughter, +instead of taking the trouble to write down my poetry myself?"</p> + +<p>"How could you, when you are stone-blind? And of what great consequence +was it that one common-place girl should sleep an hour or two later in +the morning, when such strains as yours were in question? A dutiful +daughter would feel honored by acting as your amanuensis, even in the +night season. True, the girl did grumble occasionally, being afflicted +with some portion of human weakness; and those who do not love inspiring +strains have called you cross, in consequence. But you should no more +regard these things<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</a></span> than Samson—your own Samson Agonistes—caved for +the mockings of the Philistines."</p> + +<p>"Of man's first disobedience"—began Charlie. "Hurrah! I feel quite +elevated since I have become Miltonic. And yet, do you know, I would +rather wear a strait-waistcoat than try long to sustain such a character +as that. I couldn't do it, indeed."</p> + +<p>"I think you could not," replied Tom. "Now tell us whose speech gave you +the first impression of being Milton?"</p> + +<p>"Oh, Amy's, to be sure. So go out, little Amy, and we'll try to find +some very angelic character for you to fill."</p> + +<p>When Amy returned, Anna spoke: "What remarkable worldly prosperity! And +yet, though a strikingly handsome woman, with polished manners, and +Italian craftiness, you do not look happy."</p> + +<p>"I am not—my heart is not at ease."</p> + +<p>"Nor your conscience either," rejoined Charlie. "Unless you have found +some way to polish that, to make it match your face and manners, I +should think your majesty might find your conscience rather a +disagreeable companion."</p> + +<p>"My majesty is not accustomed to rebuke."</p> + +<p>"I know it—and if I were in France, I should fear that some of your +Italian powders might be sprinkled in my food or wine, in consequence. +But I wonder when I think of you—a simple duke's daughter—being raised +to the throne; and not only that, but of your ruling so absolutely over +the three kings, your sons. Mother-in-law to one of the greatest kings +of France, and to the most renowned of beautiful, suffering queens, what +more do you want to make you celebrated?"</p> + +<p>"One thing only," answered Amy. "The Massacre of St. Bartholomew will +carry my name down to posterity. My<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</a></span> daughter-in-law, Mary, Queen of +Scotts, was interesting, but I am great. She could kill one husband: I, +Catharine de Medici, will not say how many men groaned out my name that +night."</p> + +<p>"And now," said Ellen, "let us play <i>Quotations</i>. One quotes a +well-known passage from some book, and if another mentions the author, +she is entitled to propose the next passage. It all depends for interest +upon our cleverness; so brighten up your wits, cousins mine."</p> + +<p>"As I'm a poet," said Charlie, "I'll give you this:</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>'The poet's eye in a fine frenzy rolling,</div> +<div>Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven.'"</div> +</div></div> + +<p>"Shakspeare!" cried Tom. "Now where does this come from: 'the better +part of valor is—discretion.'"</p> + +<p>"Shakspeare again," replied Alice. "And in what book do you find this +passage, which corroborates that noble sentiment:</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>'He that fights and runs away,</div> +<div>May live to fight another day.'"</div> +</div></div> + +<p>"In Butler's Hudibras, I believe," rejoined Ellen. "And where may that +truth be found, which evidently is intended only for boys and men—'Use +every man after his desert, and who shall escape whipping?'"</p> + +<p>"Of course it was said by no one else than Will Shakspeare, the +deer-stealer—he knew it held good of himself, and was indulgent to +others. And who was it that wrote this epitaph:</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>'Underneath this stone doth lie</div> +<div>As much beauty as can die:</div> +<div>Which in life did harbor give</div> +<div>To more virtue than can live.'"</div> +</div></div> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[Pg 287]</a></span>"That was 'rare Ben Jonson,' I am sure," replied Alice. "If her pale +ghost could have blushed, I think it would, at such lofty and exquisite +praise. For my part, I could say, 'Speak of me as I am; nothing +extenuate, nor set down aught in malice.'"</p> + +<p>"That's Shakspeare again," cried Charlie. "It is surprising how many +passages come into one's head from that wonderful man's works. Where is +this to be found: 'God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb.'"</p> + +<p>"In the Bible, of course—though I do not remember in what part," said +Mary.</p> + +<p>"Think again," replied Charlie, "for you are quite wrong: it can never +be found in the Bible."</p> + +<p>"Oh, but I'm sure it is there: I'll get a concordance and find the +passage in a minute." Accordingly she did so, but was obliged to +acknowledge herself defeated: it was nowhere to be discovered.</p> + +<p>"Since you are at a loss, I can set you right, for once," said Mrs. +Wyndham. "The passage is to be found in Sterne's works: I have myself +heard it quoted in the pulpit as from the Bible, and many people really +think that it is. Here's another:</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>'When Greek meets Greek, then comes the tug of war.'"</div> +</div></div> + +<p>"That's from Shakspeare, I know," answered Tom.</p> + +<p>"'Tis from Troilus and Cressida, I imagine—that is a Greek play."</p> + +<p>"Then find it, my boy," said Mrs. Wyndham, handing him Mrs. Cowden +Clarke's elaborate volume.</p> + +<p>"It is not in the whole book," replied Tom, after a diligent search, +laying down the volume, with a face as blank as the leaves at the end. +"If it is not in Shakspeare, I give up."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[Pg 288]</a></span></p> + +<p>"'How poor are they, that have not patience!'" cried Cornelia. "Can you +tell us where that piece of wisdom may be found?"</p> + +<p>"Yes—in Shakspeare—the same author who writes 'This was the most +unkindest cut of all!'"</p> + +<p>"I thought of that passage concerning the Greek, which seems to have +baffled you all," rejoined Mrs. Wyndham, "because I was once a whole +year on the watch to discover it. It happened to be quoted at a little +literary gathering, and none of us could tell the author, although it +was 'familiar in our mouths as household words.' We agreed to search for +it, but it was full a year before I found it, in looking over the +play—quite a celebrated one—entitled 'The Rival Queens,' by poor Nat. +Lee, commonly called the 'crazy poet.' Alexander the Great is the hero."</p> + +<p>"We know so many quotations at second-hand," said Mrs. Wyndham, "that I +like this game: it will set us to hunting up the original passages, and +seeing their connections. If people would act upon this principle, of +going to head-quarters, with regard to history—and in private life +too—how many mistakes might be saved."</p> + +<p>"And now, just to keep us from becoming too wise," Cornelia chimed in, +"I propose that we act charades. A group of us will arrange the plot in +the library, and when we open the door, the rest of you must guess from +our actions what word we intend to depict. We'll choose one of several +syllables, so that there will be repeated opportunities given you to +sharpen your wits. And if you should conjecture the whole word before we +are through, please not to spoil sport by telling it."</p> + +<p>"We are all obedience," was the reply: and Cornelia, Charlie, and +George, after a whispered consultation, and a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</a></span> foraging expedition into +the housekeeper's room, shut themselves up in the library. Soon the door +was thrown open, and the three were seen gravely seated at a small +table, sipping imaginary tea, while Cornelia, as hostess, was anxious to +fill her part by replenishing their cups. "Tea," "tea," sounded from +every part of the room, and the door was closed. When again opened, the +three cousins were disclosed in the very height of enjoyment: Charlie's +mirth-provoking face, Cornelia's gay laugh, and George's loud and long +haw-haw, quite upset the gravity of the spectators, and peal after peal +of laughter rewarded the trio. "How merry we are!" said Aunt Lucy. As +she spoke the word, the door was shut, showing that the right expression +had been used. When re-opened, Cornelia was discovered carefully +arranging Charlie's cravat. "Shall I make a sailor's knot, or how shall +I fix it?" "Give it a plain tie, if you please." There was little +difficulty in discovering that the word was <i>temerity</i>; and to make +"assurance doubly sure," the whole of it was acted out. George and +Cornelia stood up, holding hands, while Charlie, who had in a +marvellously short time metamorphosed himself into a minister, with +gown, bands, and book, put to the former the question, "Will you take +this woman to be your lawful wife?" "I will," responded George. "Will +you take this man to be your lawful husband?" "No, I will not," answered +Cornelia, hysterically. "You will not? What, madam, is the reason of +this change of purpose? Have you not well considered the matter?" "No, I +have not—I have been very rash—I never saw him till yesterday!" "What +<i>temerity</i>!" exclaimed the clergyman reprovingly, and the door was +closed, amid great laughter.</p> + +<p>When it was re-opened, George was found seated in the centre of the +room, under the hands of the Doctor, who was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</a></span> examining his eye; while +Cornelia, with an appearance of great anxiety, held the light. "Is it +out yet?" "No, Doctor: I feel it still—how it hurts!" Thereupon the +Doctor produced a formidable instrument from his pocket, and appeared +about to gouge out the eye by way of curing it; and the door was closed +amid cries of "eye!" "eye!" "eye!"—quite parliamentary, as Charlie +said. The second scene disclosed Cornelia apparently engaged in +household avocations, which were interrupted by a rap at the door. She +gave admittance to a man and boy who were peddling tin wares, and there +ensued such a sounding of tin-pans, and such a chaffering about tins, +that no doubt could exist in the minds of the spectators as to the word. +To act out the third syllable, Cornelia and George were seated at a +table, with lamp and books, when a knock was heard, and a traveller, +with carpet-bag and umbrella, entered the room. He had lost his way—he +was going to the town of Certainty, in the land of Theoretical +Speculation, and wanted some plain directions. "Oh, I can tell you +exactly how to get there," cried Cornelia. "Keep along this road, the +highway of Inquiry, until you find it bends off to the left into the +path of Metaphysics. The path becomes narrower and more difficult +continually, and many side-walks lead off to other spots: one, to the +wilderness of Atheism; another, to the populous city of +Thinkasyouplease; still another, to the dangerous bog of Alldoubt. But +if you follow the right road, you cannot possibly err." "Much obliged: +I'll try to keep the path." Presently, the traveller returned, in a +battered condition: he had wandered from the right track; his cloak of +philosophical reason had been torn by the briers of difficulty; his feet +pierced, through the shoes of intellectual pride, by the sharp stones of +suffering: he could not hear of any town of Cer<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</a></span>tainty in the whole +country of Theoretical Speculation. "I believe we have all made a +mistake," replied George. "We erred in giving you a wrong direction: you +erred in following it. Certainty is situated in the land of Truth: +follow this highway of Inquiry in the opposite direction, until it leads +you to a well-trodden road formed by the juncture of Faith and Facts; +and then you cannot fail to reach Certainty. My sister Fancy misled you +into error." And when the company in the sitting-room cried out "err," +"err," the shutting of the door showed they were not mistaken. For the +last scene, Aunt Lucy was called into requisition, and formed the +central object of the exhibition. But little wit was required to make, +of the whole, the word <i>Itinerant</i>.</p> + +<p>"Now for a few puzzles and conundrums," cried Charlie, "I have one which +I think none of you can guess. Who are the most immoral of +manufacturers? Do you give it up?"</p> + +<p>"I have heard the answer—we could not guess it, as it consists of +puns," replied Mary. "Those who make you <i>steel</i> pens, and then say they +do <i>write</i>."</p> + +<p>"Here's another. Why is the clock the most humble of all things?"</p> + +<p>"Because it covers its face with its hands, and is continually running +itself down."</p> + +<p>"When is it in a passion?"</p> + +<p>"When it is ready to strike one."</p> + +<p>"Pray, what can be the difference between Joan of Arc and Noah's ark?"</p> + +<p>"One was made of gopher-wood—the other was Maid of Orleans."</p> + +<p>"Two persons met in the street, and one of them said, 'I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</a></span> am <i>your</i> son, +but you are not <i>my</i> father.' How could that be?"</p> + +<p>"It could not be, Charlie!—how could it?" said Lewis.</p> + +<p>"It might be, if the person happened to be his mother," answered Mary, +with a laugh.</p> + +<p>"It is that, of course—how silly we all are!"</p> + +<p>"My first is on the table, and under the table; my second is a kind of +grain; my third and fourth combined, form what the most romantic people +cannot well dispense with; and my whole is one of the United States."</p> + +<p>"Let us see—California? no. Massachusetts will not do, nor Connecticut. +Oh, I have it: it is <i>Matrimony</i>—not always a united state, however!"</p> + +<p>"You think not, Ellen? Then here is a piece of advice for you, and to +make it more emphatic and intelligible, I will write it upon a card."</p> + +<p class='center'><img src="images/289.png" width='150' height='142' alt="Puzzle" /> man family wife.</p> + +<p>"I have it! <i>eureka</i>!" cried Tom Bolton. "Be above meddling in a family +between man and wife."</p> + +<p>"Why are pens, ink, and paper like the fixed stars?"</p> + +<p>"They are stationary."</p> + +<p>"A gentleman visited a prisoner; and, pointing to him, said to the +bystanders,</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<div>"'Brothers and sisters have I none;</div> +<div>But this man's father was my father's son.'</div> +</div></div> + +<p>What relationship was there between them?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[Pg 293]</a></span></p> + +<p>"A slight one—only that of father and son," answered Cornelia.</p> + +<p>"What glorious fun we have had this week!" cried George. "It will be +hard work to go back again to <i>hic, hæc, hoc</i>—I wish Christmas holidays +could come once a week!"</p> + +<p>"So do not I, much as I love them," replied Mr. Wyndham, smiling. "It is +the alternation of grave and gay, of diligent study and active duty with +lively social intercourse, which will make you complete men and women. I +would not have you to be mere drudges, in the most useful work; nor +book-worms at home, only in the library, and unfit for mingling with +your fellow-men. But much less would I like to see you +triflers—butterflies—living only for amusement. I hope you will become +earnest men and women: choosing great and good aims in life, and working +your way upward continually to greater usefulness, and to a higher moral +elevation. But amusement is not wasted time: it may be so indulged as to +be improving to the wits, and never to transgress the line of innocency. +I have often felt the benefit of a hearty laugh, when my brain has been +overtasked: it is recreation, in the strict meaning of the term—it +gives new life to the exhausted spirits. Yes, I approve of +entertainment, in its place."</p> + +<p>"So do I, heartily, my dear sir!" chimed in Cornelia. "And its place is +everywhere, I think. I never heard uncle make so long a speech before!"</p> + +<p>"Beware, or I will punish you by making another!" replied Mr. Wyndham, +drawing the mischievous girl towards him. "But I have news for you all, +which I think will scarcely disturb your slumbers. I received a note +this afternoon, informing me that the united wisdom<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[Pg 294]</a></span> of your parents had +concluded to prolong your holiday by one day; and so your 'Week's +Delight,' as Amy calls it, must be counted by Long Measure—a week and a +day."</p> + +<p>"Glorious!" cried George. "Let's pack the day as full of fun as ever it +will hold. I never shall forget the jolly time we have had this year at +The Grange!"</p> + +<p>"Not even the ice-bath at the pond, George?" said Cornelia.</p> + +<p>"No, indeed; nor my kind deliverance; nor my brave rescuer," answered +George.</p> + +<p>"That might, indeed, have turned our laughter into weeping," replied Mr. +Wyndham, lighting his lamp. "And now, Good-night, and happy dreams!"</p> + +<hr /> +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[Pg 295]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X.</h2> + +<h3>WHISPERING GALLERY.—POTENTATES.—THREE YOUNG MEN.</h3> + +<p>The last day at The Grange had come, and well was it filled up with +active exercise and sport, song, laughter, and sweet converse. In the +evening all met as usual in the library, eager for whatever amusement +might turn up; for everything was <i>impromptu</i> among our young people, +and, whether story, games, or conversation, had at least the merit of +spontaneity.</p> + +<p>"I have a thought," said Alice. "There is a game I would call 'Gossip, +or Whispering Gallery,' which can take in the whole of us, and possibly +take us all in, in a double sense. Let Aunt Lucy sit in one corner of +the room, and Uncle John in another; and we young folks can range +ourselves between. Aunty can say anything she pleases in a low whisper +to her next neighbor, only she must be careful to name some one; and he +must repeat it to a third, and so through the line. The last person must +announce distinctly what the whisper was, and settle any differences +with Aunt Lucy, who originates the whisper."</p> + +<p>"Very good," replied Mrs. Wyndham. "Only it is evident to me that I am +going to be victimized!"</p> + +<p>"O, you can stand it; you can stand it!" cried out several young voices. +"Your character for truth and prudence is established; and with Uncle +John at the other end of the line, you need not fear!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[Pg 296]</a></span></p> + +<p>And so the company was arranged, and care taken that no ear heard the +"gossip," save the one for which it was designed. The mysterious message +was at last announced, amid laughter and shouts from the youngest.</p> + +<p>"Aunt Lucy says that Cornelia told her that Charlie reported that John +had eaten ten slices of mince-pie to-day. He is very sick, and I'll send +him home to his mother."</p> + +<p>"But I only said, 'Cornelia and Charlie both told me John hadn't eaten +one slice of mince-pie to-day. I'm afraid he is sick, and it is well he +is going home to his mother!'</p> + +<p>"Rather a difference! But who altered it? It seems to me Cornelia looks +mischievous!"</p> + +<p>"O, that's a way I have! Poor little me, all the mischief is put on my +shoulders! But—honest now—Tom whispered so low, that I thought it +might as well be ten slices as one!"</p> + +<p>"And now change places," said Alice, "and put Cornelia head as a reward +of merit—we'll fix her; and then we can try 'Whispering Gallery' +again."</p> + +<p>No sooner said than done, and Cornelia started the game by saying to her +nearest neighbor, "How sorry I am to leave The Grange! I never was so +happy in all my life; and Charlie says so too!"</p> + +<p>But the outcome of this very innocent remark was as follows: "How sorry +I am I came to The Grange! I never will be happy again in all my life, +and Charlie says so, too!"</p> + +<p>"Are you sure there was no cheating?" asked Mr. Wyndham.</p> + +<p>"No, dear uncle, impossible," replied Cornelia. "I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[Pg 297]</a></span> couldn't, and they +wouldn't; they are all quite too good for that; every one of them, +except, perhaps, Charlie, who is in a peculiar sense my own first +cousin. But it seems to be a property of a whisper to be a <i>twister</i>; it +is sure to get in a tangle, and comes out quite different from the way +you started it."</p> + +<p>"Just so," answered up Charlie. "It is like what they say happens in +Cincinnati. You put in a grunter at one end of the machine, and in a few +minutes it comes out in the form of bacon, hams, lard, sausages, and +hair-brushes!"</p> + +<p>"My dear Charlie," chimed in his uncle, "that is the loudest 'whisper' +I've heard yet! But, seriously, boys and girls, don't you see in the +game how evil reports originate, and how easy it is, by the slightest +variation from the straight line, to falsify the truth?"</p> + +<p>"That's so," said Mary. "And I have often noticed how whispers glide +into gossip, and gossip into scandal, before people are aware. I've +resolved many a time not to talk about <i>people</i>, but things, and then +I'll escape doing harm with my unruly member."</p> + +<p>"I, too," said Charlie, demurely, "have frequently written in my +copy-book, 'Speak not of the absent, or speak as a friend.'"</p> + +<p>"Now for another game," cried Gertrude. "Here is one of mine. I call it +'Potentates.' It's very simple, and you can vary it according to your +taste. You visit a foreign country, and see the rulers and grandees; you +can mention their names or not, as you wish. I'll begin, to show one way +of playing it.</p> + +<p>"I went to England and was presented at court. I had a superb dress made +for the occasion, which I will not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[Pg 298]</a></span> describe, as I see the boys are all +ready to laugh. But my father had to wear a special drawing-room suit +for the presentation, also, and he looked as funny and quaint as if he +had stepped out of an old picture. His sword hung at his side, and he +had to practice walking with it, and bowing over it, or it would have +played him a trick. It was worse than my long train.</p> + +<p>"When my turn came to be presented and the Lord Chamberlain announced my +name, I felt like sinking into the ground; but I didn't. I think the +dignity of my grand dress supported me. Somehow I reached the throne, +where sat in state Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress +of India, Defender of the Faith, etc. On either side were princesses of +the blood, ladies of honor, and others according to rank. I had seen my +predecessors kneel before Her Majesty, so I had to put my democratic +feelings into my pocket and do the same. I made believe to myself that I +knelt because she is a pattern woman, is the best queen England ever +had, and is old enough to be my grandmother, having reigned fifty years. +She graciously extended her hand. I did not shake it, as report says one +fair American savage did, but humbly kissed it, and then retreated +backward with eyes still fixed upon the Queen in all her glory, and +scarcely knowing which gave me the most trouble, my long train or my +wounded self-respect.</p> + +<p>"I afterwards saw the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Archbishop of +Canterbury, dukes and duchesses, lords and ladies—a brilliant +constellation. But I very much doubt if they saw me. And these are the +potentates of Old England."</p> + +<p>"As for me," said Charlie Bolton, "I saw the Dey of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</a></span> Algiers, and a very +brilliant dey he was! By way of contrast, I determined to visit the +Knights of Malta, but on inquiry found that they had not been in +existence for nearly ninety years, and therefore gave it up. Instead I +concluded to see the Knights of Labor, who abound in this favored land, +and appear to be potentates, as they can stop railroad travel, mines, +manufactories, etc., at their own sweet will."</p> + +<p>"As Charlie was in North Africa," remarked John, "I went to Egypt to be +in his neighborhood, and had the privilege of seeing the Khedive. I +found the country quite demoralized, the finances in a very bad +condition, and few appeared to know who was the real potentate of the +land, the Khedive, the Sultan of Turkey, or the money kings of England. +General Gordon had been murdered, and El Mahdi, the false prophet, was +dead also. Those two men were the greatest potentates Africa has had for +centuries!"</p> + +<p>"And I crossed over into Turkey," continued Tom Green, "and had an +audience with the Sultan. I saw numerous pashas in attendance of one, +two, and three tails."</p> + +<p>"O, Tom!" cried Gertrude, "that can't be! Even Darwin doesn't claim that +for man in the nineteenth century!"</p> + +<p>"My dear young friend," answered Tom, "these tails were not carried +monkey-fashion, but were insignia of office, the man having three tails +holding the highest rank. They are of horse-hair, placed on a long staff +with a gilt ball on top, and are always carried before the Pasha on his +military expeditions. Always ask for information," said he, bowing to +the circle, "and I shall<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[Pg 300]</a></span> be happy to impart such as is suitable to +juvenile minds!"</p> + +<p>"Very condescending!" "Deeply interesting!" "Just from college, isn't +he?" were some of the remarks of the girls.</p> + +<p>"The Grand Vizier presented me," continued Tom. "We had a good deal of +pleasant conversation together, the Sultan and I; and I tried to +convince him that the republican form of government was the best. +Strange to say, my eloquence failed in effect. But he was very friendly, +and asked me to stay to tea, and he'd introduce me to his little +family—"</p> + +<p>"Tom! Tom!" cried several voices, "Do keep probability in view."</p> + +<p>"I declined, of course, even at the risk of hurting his feelings. <i>I</i> +don't want to see women with thick veils on; some may think it +romantic—I know Alice does, for it is so mysterious—but <i>I</i> think it +looks as if they were marked with small-pox! Just then, the muezzin +sounded for prayers from the nearest minaret, and the Sultan instantly +fell prostrate on his rich Turkish rug, and began his devotions. He was +just saying, 'Do come, Tom, for'—but he stopped in the midst, and I'll +never know what strong inducement he was going to offer; perhaps he +wanted me to be Grand Vizier. I slipped out while he was at his +prayers."</p> + +<p>"O Tom, Tom!" cried John. "I didn't think you could draw so long a bow!"</p> + +<p>"It is quite understood that we are indulging in fiction," replied he. +"You know that falsehood consists in the <i>intent to deceive</i>. No one +will be taken in by my yarns, dear Coz!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[Pg 301]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Nor mine, either," said Cornelia. "For I was in Paris before the French +Revolution, at the same time as our philosopher, Benjamin Franklin. I +was present at court on a grand occasion. The king, Louis Sixteenth, a +handsome and amiable monarch, and the beautiful and graceful queen, +Marie Antoinette, were there of course; the young Dauphin was, I hope, +sound asleep. The ladies of the court were brilliant, and everything as +gay as gay could be. But to my surprise, our plain, simple republican +Dr. Franklin was the central object, the 'cynosure of all beholders.' +The king was quite secondary. Philosophy was then quite the rage, and +republican simplicity—in the abstract—was adored by these potentates. +One of the grand, gay ladies crowned Franklin with a wreath of flowers! +And he was wonderfully pleased with all the attention he received, I +assure you. It was a different scene from any in the Philadelphia of +those days—with our staid citizens, and sweet, gentle, modest Quaker +ladies in their plain dress!"</p> + +<p>"And now," said Amy, "aren't you all tired of potentates? I am. This is +our last evening, and I want dear Uncle to tell us a story—something +from his own life, if he will—to finish up our pleasures."</p> + +<p>"It would finish up your pleasures by putting you to sleep," Mr. Wyndham +answered, laughing gayly. "Mine has been an unusually happy life, but +not an adventurous one. I was never even in a railroad collision. Do you +remember the story of Dr. Samuel Johnson, when writing his 'Lives of the +Poets'?"</p> + +<p>"Do tell us, Uncle," chimed in the young voices.</p> + +<p>"He was trying to get information in a certain case, but could not +elicit anything of interest. At last, out of pa<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[Pg 302]</a></span>tience, he burst forth: +'Tell me, didn't he break his leg?' I never broke mine; I can't get up +an incident."</p> + +<p>"And I'm very glad you didn't, Uncle mine," said little Amy. "And now I +speak by permission in the name of the assembled company: You are +unanimously requested to tell us your life, or something that happened +to yourself."</p> + +<p>"'Story! Why, bless you, I have none to tell, Sir,' as Canning's needy +knife-grinder says. But if you all insist, as a good uncle, I must e'en +obey; so prepare for those comfortable slumbers I have predicted. I will +call my story</p> + + +<p><span class="smcap">Three Young Men</span>.</p> + +<p>"Now you must not expect from me," said Mr. Wyndham, "exciting tales of +adventure, and hairbreadth escapes by sea and land. I have never read a +dime novel in my life, and therefore couldn't undertake to rival them in +highway robbery, scalping Indians, and bowie-knives and revolvers. My +heroes were never left on a desert island, nor escaped with difficulty +from the hands of cannibals, nor were pursued by hungry wolves; and +never even saw a lion or tiger except behind the bars of a menagerie. +They were not strikingly handsome nor charmingly hideous, nor had they +rich uncles to die opportunely and leave them heirs to a few millions; +indeed, they were very much such young men as you see every day walking +the streets of your own city.</p> + +<p>"I would gladly leave my name entirely out of the story if I could; but +as it is an 'o'er true tale,' and I happened to be mixed up with the +other two, whom I have known from childhood, I am very sure my dear +nephews<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[Pg 303]</a></span> and nieces will not accuse me of egotism. It is the other two +who are my heroes—not myself.</p> + +<p>"John Howard and Mortimer Willing were my schoolmates, in the same class +for years, neighbors and playfellows, so that I know them well. And I +speak of them the more freely because they are now both living at a +great distance from here, one being the honored Governor of a Western +State, and the other residing in a remote town in the interior of Texas. +Such are the changes in our land of freedom.</p> + +<p>"But to begin with our school-days. We had not a genius in the class, +neither had we a dunce; we were average boys, digging our way through +the classics and mathematics, and not too familiar with science, history +and geography. The world we live in was not much studied then. Such +minor knowledge we were somehow expected to pick up at home, and we did +after a fashion. I liked both these boys; but while Willing was the more +self-possessed, showy and brilliant, I always felt Howard to be the most +true; he was the very soul of honor, as transparent as glass without a +flaw in it. Willing did things with a dash, and by his superior tact and +ready language often appeared to know more than he really did. If he got +into a scrape he was pretty sure to get out of it smoothly.</p> + +<p>"I have sometimes known him, for example, to go unprepared to a +recitation, depending upon his luck not to be called upon to recite, +when, with his ready wit and retentive memory, he would gather up what +it required hard study for the rest of us to put into our craniums. But +it sometimes happened that Dame Fortune, wicked jade! forsook him, and +Willing had to march up, as we<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[Pg 304]</a></span> thought, to certain disgrace. But +whatever forsook him, one thing never did—invincible assurance. He +would bear himself in so composed a manner, talk round the subject so +ably, and bring what little he knew so prominently forward, that the +professor himself was often deceived, and was sometimes entrapped into +telling the very thing Willing most wanted to know.</p> + +<p>"If any side-helps were given by sympathizing friends—for Willing was a +general favorite—he availed himself of them without scruple. I remember +the question was once put to him, 'What is the Latin name of the earth?' +Any boy surely should know that; but for once his memory failed him. He +nudged the boy next him, saying in a stage whisper, 'Tell us.' The +teacher's ears were quick, and his wit also; he answered, with a +quizzical look—before the boy could speak—'That's right, Tellus is one +of the names; but you should direct your answer to the desk, and not to +your neighbor.'</p> + +<p>"In composition he was sometimes brilliant, but not always sustained or +original, for I have more than once detected a striking likeness to +Addison and other well-known worthies of our English tongue. Evidently +the same Muse inspired both, for in style and sentiment they were +identical; but unfortunately for Willing, they had the advantage in +point of time, and made their mark in the world before he came along. +The wonder to me was that the teacher did not see it; but his was not a +wide range of scholarship, though thorough in what he taught. His groove +was narrow but deep and well worn, I felt indignant when I heard Willing +praised for what should have brought him disgrace; but he was so +pleasant and ready to oblige, such a good companion and play<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[Pg 305]</a></span>fellow, +that I soon forgot my righteous anger—until next time.</p> + +<p>"Another trick of his I could not like. Possibly my young friends may +have seen the same; for schoolboy failings are very similar throughout +the ages. I don't doubt school-children cheated before the flood! They +certainly have done so since. He sat at the same desk with honest Jack +Howard, the most unsuspicious of mortals because himself so free from +guile. Many a time have I seen him slyly glance at Howard's slate when +we were solving hard problems in arithmetic or algebra. They were sure +to come out even, neck and neck, as they say. But <i>I</i> knew that if +Willing had been called upon to explain the process he couldn't have +done it; and he was sure to get the praise.</p> + +<p>"As for Howard, he plodded on, never getting all the appreciation he +deserved. Always prepared, but not always ready—for he was easily +abashed, and then his tongue did not do justice to his thoughts. No +fellow in the class—or, as we then said, no <i>man</i> in the class—was so +thorough as he, but the teachers did not always find it out. We boys +did, however; and we knew, too, that what Jack Howard once got he kept, +in the way of mental acquisition. But the best of it was, he was such a +solid fellow as to worth. His word was never doubted; we could trust him +in everything. '<i>Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus</i>,' holds true, and the +converse is also true, Faithful in one, faithful in all. Howard was true +and faithful from the time I first knew him, a little shaver, 'knee-high +to a grasshopper,' as children say.</p> + +<p>"I'm the more particular in giving you an insight into the character of +these boys as a key to their after-life.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[Pg 306]</a></span> I know that the child is not +always 'father to the man,' and that the insertion of a new and +transforming principle into the soul will elevate and ennoble the +meanest man. But as a general rule the mainsprings of character develop +early, and the man is very much as the child has made him. The sowing +then, brings forth a harvest afterwards. They tell us, that two natives +of Scotland settled in the far West, and that each took with him a +memorial of his fatherland—one the thistle, the national emblem, the +other the honey-bee. Rather different sowing that! For while the +dwellers on the Pacific coast have to keep up a continual fight with the +thistle, the honey of that region is now largely exported, and is worth +its millions. A little time has done it—and thistles are especially +prolific, you need take no pains in the sowing.</p> + +<p>"But we didn't think much of sowing and reaping in those days, though we +were sowing all the time. The years flew fast till we had seen seventeen +birthdays, and our fathers thought we should learn something of business +if we were ever to be business men. Willing had influential connections, +excellent abilities, and popular manners; he was a general favorite. He +was placed without difficulty in a large importing house, where he gave +entire satisfaction, and was rapidly advanced to a position of great +trust, collecting moneys and keeping the accounts. His salary was large, +and he was considered a rising and prosperous young man; he moved in +fashionable society, married a dashing girl, lived in a handsome house, +gave elegant entertainments, and kept a horse.</p> + +<p>"Howard and I got on more slowly. Somehow, we<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[Pg 307]</a></span> always kept together, so +that 'the two Johns' became a by-word. We were clerks in the same +commercial house, and, although self-praise is no recommendation, I may +say that both of us did our whole duty. We worked hard, as was then +expected; were at the store soon after sunrise, and had everything in +order before our employers arrived. Young gentlemen in those days did +many things that are now the porter's work, making fires, sweeping the +store, etc., quite new duties to us, who were fresh from Academic +shades, and from communion with Homer, Virgil, and Horace. I can't say +we enjoyed it much. Neither did we like the lifting of heavy packages +and being ordered about as if we were inferiors. But we did not shirk +our duty, and kept our tempers. John, good fellow, came out of the +ordeal sweet-tempered, kind, and obliging; and I don't doubt that we +both feel the benefit of this practical training to this day. Certain it +is, that we mastered all the details of the business, and knew what to +expect from others, when our time came to employ them.</p> + +<p>"'The two Johns' went into business together, and for a time everything +was prosperous. We married happily, and lived in comfort and moderation, +as becomes young people who have to make their way in the world. +Meantime we saw less and less of Willing, for in the daytime we were +busy, and our evenings were very differently employed. He and his young +wife—a pretty and attractive creature she was—cultivated the society +of the gay and rich, gave entertainments, or were seen in full dress at +balls, concerts, the opera, and the theatre. I sometimes wondered how a +clerk on a three-thousand-dollar salary could live at the rate of eight +or ten thousand.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</a></span> And so, with all kind feeling, we drifted apart; your +dear Aunt and John's wife found their style of living so different, +ideas on all subjects so opposite, and friends so dissimilar, that +visits were only exchanged once or twice a year.</p> + +<p>"When we were about thirty, commercial disasters befel us. A financial +crisis swept over the land, by which some houses closely connected with +our own were engulfed, and could not meet their engagements. We lost +heavily. We struggled through it for a time, but were compelled at last +to call a meeting of our creditors, lay our statements and books before +them, and offer to give up all we had to satisfy their claims. That was +the best we could do, and we then could not pay more than fifty cents on +the dollar.</p> + +<p>"Our creditors behaved most nobly and generously. They expressed the +utmost confidence in our integrity and business skill, uttered no word +of blame but much of encouragement, and begged us to go on and retrieve +our fortunes. They settled upon fifty cents in the dollar as full +satisfaction for our debts, and told us to take our own time for the +payment; nothing could have been kinder and more considerate. For my +part, knowing we were not to blame, I bore up bravely till that point; +but there I broke down. I am not ashamed to say, that I wept like a +child.</p> + +<p>"Howard was the bookkeeper of our house, and a beautiful set of books he +kept. The accounts were exact, the writing clear, the figures +unmistakable—not a blot or erasure in the whole. They excited great +admiration, and from none more than from Stewart & Gamble, who were +prominent creditors. After the meeting, they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</a></span> invited Howard to look +over their books in the evening, remarking that although they had all +confidence in their head clerk, their receipts had fallen off +considerably of late, and as they wished to understand the reason, they +had concluded to get the services of an expert, which Howard certainly +was. John accepted the offer, although he looked grave when he +remembered that Willing had been head clerk for years.</p> + +<p>"As our business perplexity was now comparatively settled, we went on as +usual, only taking in sail and trimming the boat for the storm. But in +our private affairs both families resolved to retrench. Our wives came +nobly to our support, proving themselves true women; they themselves +proposed to <i>double-up</i>—the two families to occupy one house, and in +several ways to reduce our expenses one-half. Such an arrangement would +never have answered if we had not all thoroughly understood one +another—but we did. My wife is, as you all very well know, a model of +amiability and of every household virtue, and the other John thinks as +well of his Rib, and I suppose is right. The old saying is, 'If a man +wishes to be rich let him ask his wife;' I can add, if a man wishes to +be honest and pay his debts, let him ask her counsel, aid and +coöperation also. We were determined to be honest; and our good wives +helped us in this effort with all their might.</p> + +<p>"How they managed it you can't expect a man to explain—it is a problem +too deep for our limited intelligence—but certain it is, that while we +always sat down to a plentiful table and maintained a respectable +appearance, what had supported one family now answered for two. I don't +think our wives were reduced to the straits<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[Pg 310]</a></span> of the Irish family, whose +little boy reported to his schoolmates: 'There's a great twisting and +turning going on at our house. I'm having a new shirt made out of +daddy's old one, and daddy's having a new shirt made out of the old +sheet, and mammy's making a new sheet out of the old table-cloth.' But +'twistings and turnings' of a marvellous kind there must have been, +which the male understanding could not fathom; for while the house was +always in order, and the two ladies looked as neat as if they had just +stepped out of a bandbox, no bills came in, and a little money went a +great way.</p> + +<p>"One word more about this very practical thing of expense in living. We +could have lived on as we had done, and no blame from any one, for we +were in no respect extravagant; but we could not reconcile it to our +consciences to spend a penny without necessity when we owed money. All +four thought alike about that; we were thankful for health, and that we +could provide the comforts of life for our young families. As you know, +our dear children were then living. And I may here add, that both John +and I lived to see the solid benefits accruing from the ten years of +strict economy and active work in which all shared. Our boys and girls +learned betimes to help themselves and one another, and were invaluable +aids to their mothers. The lessons of self-denial were not lost upon +them. They attended the public schools and received a solid education +there; but the languages were picked up at home, and thoroughly, too. It +is astonishing how much can be learned by devoting a short time every +day to any study when the heart is in it; and I found that the boys were +prepared<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[Pg 311]</a></span> for college, when our ten years were up, and we were able to +spend more freely.</p> + +<p>"But meanwhile, what about Willing, and the very mixed accounts of +Stewart & Gamble? Alas, alas! how happy was our lot compared with his! +We had cheerful content, hope for the future, peace in our consciences. +We were respected by those around us, and by the business world, never +more so than then. But poor Willing!</p> + +<p>"Howard found it as we had feared. There were inconsistencies between +the debtor and creditor columns, increasing with each successive year; +and the effort had been made to cover them up by the alteration of +figures so as to appear square and correct. Howard knew too much of +prices to be deceived by these, being in the same business. The +aggregate stealings—for it was nothing else—amounted to $20,000! And +this was the payment the firm received for their liberal kindness and +their blind confidence!</p> + +<p>"When all was discovered, and Willing's guilt clearly proved, he was +summoned to meet his injured employers. He must have gone with quakings +of heart: but not even then did his cool assurance fail him, or the +blush rise to his cheek, until he was made conscious that all his +trickery was understood, and that public exposure and the penitentiary +were before him. Then he gave way, and confessed all. He had not, in the +beginning, planned deliberate villany—very few ever do who have been +brought up to know the right. But the temptations to extravagance had +proved too much for him, and his principles, never strong, had given +way. He had taken two hundred dollars, intending to return it from his +salary,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[Pg 312]</a></span> and none should be the wiser. But fast living is a deceitful +thing—almost as deceitful as the human heart. Bills came in fast—store +bills, butchers' bills, carriage bills, confectionery bills, milliners' +bills—swallowing up his quarter's salary; and one must have ready +money, you know; so instead of returning what he had taken, as hope had +whispered, he took more—still to be repaid in the future.</p> + +<p>"I need hardly say, that each time he yielded to temptation the +resistance of his conscience became less and less, until finally it +appeared to be paralyzed. He had woven the toils about himself until he +seemed powerless to escape; no chrysalis, apparently lifeless in its +silky shroud, was feebler than he. He was strong to do evil but weak to +do good. Everything conspired to push him down hill—circumstances were +against him, he thought—but one thing was certain, he must have money, +and then all would be right.</p> + +<p>"But how to break the meshes? How to retrieve himself? One way only was +clear to him—speculation in stocks, and on a margin; he could borrow +money for that, for he would be sure to repay. <i>Borrowing</i> was now the +convenient name he applied to his stealing. He tried it, and at first +succeeded; the deluded victims of all gambling, whether in the Exchange +or in gambling hells, are pretty sure of success at first; and so they +are enticed to higher ventures. Now he might have returned the +ill-gotten money, and at least have saved his reputation. But no! the +gambling passion was now aroused, and he felt sure he could soon realize +enough to make him easy. He tried again and for a larger sum and <i>lost</i>.</p> + +<p>"And so he went on until he was tangled inextricably<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[Pg 313]</a></span> in the net, and +felt that he was a rascal, and a lost, not a successful one. Remorse +seized him, but not repentance; for still he went on in his guilt. +Indeed, he was more reckless than ever, struggling to get out of the +meshes. Gay to excess at times, then gloomy; his temper became unequal, +and to drown reflection he sometimes drank to excess. He was a ruined +man—ruined <i>before</i> exposure, for that only opened the eyes of +others—his own down-fall had already taken place.</p> + +<p>"I am told that when the proofs of his guilt were laid before him, and +his confession was made, his pleadings for mercy were most pitiful. +Stewart & Gamble had a stern sense of justice, and their indignation was +in proportion to their former confidence. They were determined that he +should not escape, and that, not so much from personal vengeance as +because they thought it wrong to interfere with laws due and wholesome +in themselves, and necessary to deter others from evil doing. He was +committed to prison, a trial took place, and poor Willing was sentenced +to five years in the penitentiary.</p> + +<p>"When he first stood up for trial, he Was alone; all the friends of his +prosperity had forsaken him. He was thoroughly stricken down, abashed, +shame-faced, not lifting his eyes to the crowd in court; and no one of +his intimates care to claim acquaintance with a felon. I could not hold +back; much as I hated the crime, I could not hate the criminal. My +schoolmate, my playfellow, stood there, alone, forsaken, despised; +crushed to the ground, ready to despair. I went to him, gave my hand and +stayed, while his case was up. Never shall I forget the look of mingled +gratitude and hopelessness in his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[Pg 314]</a></span> haggard eyes which had scarcely known +sleep since his disgrace.</p> + +<p>"O, it is well to be just! No doubt of that. The law should be +sustained, and no sentimental pity should interfere. We must not condone +crime, or the very object of law and penalty will be annulled. +Philanthropy should be tender, but not weak; and if tears are shed and +bouquets of flowers sent, it should rather be to the victims of crime, +than to the criminal. But when a man is crushed with a sense of guilt, +and down on the ground, that is not the time to spurn him; when disgrace +is added to trouble, friends must not stand aloof. Many a poor fellow is +driven to suicide by this course who might have been saved by kindness +and brought to repentance.</p> + +<p>"Willing's dashing friends, by whose example he had been helped in the +downward career, who had eaten his dainty little suppers and enjoyed his +society, now forsook him and held up their hands in horror at his +conduct—it was so disreputable! I may be wrong, but I can't help +despising men and women who share a poor fellow's prosperity and fall +off in his adversity; giving an additional kick, if need be, to send him +down the hill. Of all his gay companions not one stood by him on his +trial, or said one word of pity, hope, or cheer, when he was condemned. +The friendship of the world is a hollow thing, more unsubstantial than a +bubble. It seems to me that nothing is so hardening to the heart as +self-indulgence, luxurious living, idleness, the absence of any high aim +in life, or any earnest effort for the life beyond. Certain it is the +summer friends all vanished; their friendship wilted like flowers before +a frost.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[Pg 315]</a></span></p> + +<p>"That was the time for Howard and me to act like men. We were busy, very +busy, but we took turns to stand by him, and show that we had not +forgotten 'auld lang syne' and boyish days. Poor fellow! he wept then. +Well did he know that we would be the last to extenuate his crime, but +he saw that we pitied him while we condemned his sin. He spoke the first +words of genuine repentance, or what looked like it, then and there.</p> + +<p>"After his condemnation, when immured in prison walls, dressed in +convict garb, and fed on prison fare, we visited him whenever the rules +allowed it. We found him quite broken up—thoroughly humiliated, ready +to despair of God's mercy as well as man's forgiveness. He was in the +depths of trial, all the waves and the billows had gone over him, the +deeps had swallowed him up, as the Psalmist poetically and truly says. +We could not in conscience say one word that might lessen the weight of +his guilt, but we could point him to the Lamb of God that taketh away +the sin not of one only, but of the whole world. We could tell him that +Christ came, not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance, to +which he promptly added, and from the heart, 'Of whom I am chief.'</p> + +<p>"Calamity, sorrow, reverses and all the punishments due to iniquity, can +never be relied upon to bring men to repentance; but in this case they +worked well, and Willing became a new man. It was a great pleasure to us +to see the change in his very countenance, wrought out by the inward +principle, and that his sorrow, as time went on, was not so much for his +punishment and disgrace as for his guilt. He made no effort to get a +com<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[Pg 316]</a></span>mutation of his sentence, saying, It was all right; he had deserved +that and much more.</p> + +<p>"Of course our pity was much excited for his poor little wife, who +seemed almost heart-broken. My dear Lucy and John's wife, who had never +cultivated intimacy with her in their prosperous days, now came forward +in true womanly style, and made her feel that she had sisters in heart, +whom she had not known. She had no near kindred, and the few relatives +she had held aloof. Truly she might say, 'My lovers and my friends stand +aloof from my sore; and my kinsmen stand afar off.' No one offered her +help or shelter, of all those who had enjoyed her elegant hospitality.</p> + +<p>"Immediately upon the conviction of her husband she wrote to Stewart & +Gamble, offering to give up all her handsome furniture and pictures, and +even her jewels, as a small indemnity for their losses; but they very +nobly refused to accept it, advising her to sell and invest the +proceeds. John and I, acting under the direction of our wives, who were +enthusiastic in their admiration and pity for Olive Willing in her +trouble, told her to pack her trunks at once and come to our house, +where we had room enough and to spare, and that we would attend to the +sale. She could scarcely believe she heard aright, and was full of +surprise and gratitude, and, of course, accepted the offer.</p> + +<p>"I don't wonder you think our house was made of gum-elastic; it really +seemed so. 'Room in the heart, room in the house," was our motto; and +the children most amiably agreed to give up one room and be sociable +together; and I fancy they were, from the peals of laughter that often +came from that room, so full of young<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[Pg 317]</a></span> life and spirits. And so poor +Olive was settled down as one of the family. It was a new experience to +her in every way. The industry of the house surprised her, and from +gratitude and a proper ambition she soon sought to help, which really +was the best thing she could do to relieve her trouble, and regain a +measure of cheerfulness. But she had to learn first, and found two +willing teachers in the noble women who had given her a home. She was an +apt scholar and soon became mistress of domestic arts, which were +indispensable to her in after life. Indeed, what woman should be +ignorant of them, if she wishes to be helpful to herself and useful to +others? Who would wish to be considered a mere ornamental piece of bric +à brac, good to be set upon the mantel or against the wall, but not good +for everyday use and comfort? Better be an eight-day clock, for that at +least will regulate the goings of the household!</p> + +<p>"In these new employments and in our happy home circle Olive in a few +months recovered something of her wonted tone. She then formed the plan +of putting her hitherto useless accomplishments to work, by taking +pupils in music, drawing, and embroidery. We all approved her plan, and +Lucy found pupils for her among our friends—not among those who had +cast her off. This supplied her with ready money, and with a little +increase to the sum John and I had safely invested for her.</p> + +<p>"When his five years were accomplished, and Willing was notified that he +was once more a free man, we were there to receive him, and conduct him +to our house. He entered it, a wiser and a sadder man. We had formed a +plan for him into which he and his wife heartily entered,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[Pg 318]</a></span> and had +already written to correspondents in Texas, to obtain information as to +localities for settlement. After a week's rest Willing and Olive left us +for their distant home, where they were soon at home on a small ranche +stocked with sheep—the whole paid for by the modest sum held in Olive's +name. They did well and are much respected. He has been able to enlarge +his operations, and is now a thriving man; and what is far better, he is +upright, honest; always on the right side; fearing God, and having favor +with those who know him.</p> + +<p>"But to return to ourselves. We persevered in a strict course of +industry and economy, declining help proffered from outside sources. My +dear grandfather, who had brought me up after my father's death, was +very kind in offering financial aid; but I did not wish to involve any +one in my misfortunes, or to cause embarrassment to one I so greatly +loved. Besides, I felt confident that we should retrieve our affairs by +our own efforts. So it proved. Eight years to a day from the time we +attempted to make our assignment to our generous creditors we paid them, +not fifty cents on the dollar, but one hundred, with compound interest. +It was a glad surprise to them, but a much greater joy to us. O, boys! +better it is to step forth clear of debt; to be able to look every man +in the eye; to feel that you owe no man anything, than to own the mines +of California, Arizona, or the whole of a Pacific Railroad! I cannot +describe to you the exquisite pleasure it gave us to pay out that money. +Those who have never experienced losses and embarrassments can scarcely +understand it.</p> + +<p>"We now had a fresh start in business, with a good stock on hand, +boundless credit, and no debts. We soon<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[Pg 319]</a></span> came to the front rank among +merchants. Indeed, so successful were we, that on my fiftieth birthday I +resolved to retire, feeling that I was rich enough. My dear grandfather, +who had entered into rest some years before, had left me The Grange, in +which my earliest years had been passed, and here, amid the beautiful +scenes of nature, and with still a large scope for my activities, I have +enjoyed years of happiness. My dear friend, Howard, had landed property +in one of the Western States and fancied there was more elbow-room there +for his children who were settling in life; so at last we were obliged +to separate. He has risen, as you know, to prominence, being the most +popular governor of the State they have had for years, and even +political opponents are loud in praise of his integrity and fidelity to +trusts.</p> + +<p>"I need scarcely say a word to show the meaning of my simple tale. A +life of unspotted integrity and honor is the only life worth living; and +to love God and keep his commandments is the only safeguard. You may +have a good disposition, but that is not enough. You may have been well +trained and instructed, but that is not enough. Your father may be the +very soul of honor and to be trusted with uncounted gold, but virtue is +not an inheritance, and you must be honest for yourself, self-denying +for yourself, diligent for yourself, if you wish to build up a character +respected by men and pleasing to God. 'Tis true, this is only one part +of your duty, but it is a very important part. Truth and rectitude are +pillars in family life, and the very bulwarks of society. If these fail, +all else fails.</p> + +<p>"And now, a pleasant and a dreamless sleep to you all.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[Pg 320]</a></span> To-morrow you +return to the studies and duties of the new year, which has begun so +happily for us all. I dislike to say that word, Farewell, and so I will +only wish you now, Good-night!"</p> + +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<hr class="full" /> +<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HOLIDAYS AT THE GRANGE OR A WEEK'S DELIGHT***</p> +<p>******* This file should be named 18907-h.txt or 18907-h.zip *******</p> +<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> +<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/8/9/0/18907">http://www.gutenberg.org/1/8/9/0/18907</a></p> +<p>Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed.</p> + +<p>Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + + + + +Title: Holidays at the Grange or A Week's Delight + Games and Stories for Parlor and Fireside + + +Author: Emily Mayer Higgins + + + +Release Date: July 25, 2006 [eBook #18907] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) + + +***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HOLIDAYS AT THE GRANGE OR A WEEK'S +DELIGHT*** + + +E-text prepared by Martin Pettit and the Project Gutenberg Online +Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net/) + + + +Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this + file which includes the original illustrations. + See 18907-h.htm or 18907-h.zip: + (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/8/9/0/18907/18907-h/18907-h.htm) + or + (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/8/9/0/18907/18907-h.zip) + + +Transcriber's note: + + On page 137 a printing error left a word or two not printed. + The place is marked in the text: [**missing words**] + + + + + +HOLIDAYS AT THE GRANGE, OR A WEEK'S DELIGHT. + +Games and Stories for Parlor and Fireside. + +by + +EMILY MAYER HIGGINS. + + + + + + + +[Illustration: Publisher's logo] + + +Philadelphia: +Porter & Coates. +Copyright, 1886, +by +Porter & Coates. + + +[Illustration: WYNDHAM GRANGE.] + + + + +CONTENTS. + + CHAPTER I. + PAGE +The Gathering.--Christmas Eve.--"Consequences."--"How do you +like it?" 9 + + CHAPTER II. + +Christmas Day.--"Rhymes."--"Cento."--"Genteel Lady."--The +Fairy Wood. 21 + + CHAPTER III. + +"The Rhyming Game."--Orikama, or the White Water-Lily; an +Indian Tale. 62 + + CHAPTER IV. + +"Proverbs."--"Twenty Questions."--The Spectre of Alcantra, +or the Conde's Daughters; a Tale of Spain. 98 + + CHAPTER V. + +A Skating Adventure.--"What is my Thought like?"--"Questions."--The +Orphan's Tale, or the Vicissitudes of Fortune. 140 + + CHAPTER VI. + +Sunday.--Bible Stories.--"Capping Bible Verses."--Bible-Class. 181 + + CHAPTER VII. + +Sequel to the Orphan's Tale.--"Who can he be?"--"Elements."--The +Astrologers. 206 + + CHAPTER VIII. + +"Confidante."--"Lead-Merchant."--"Trades."--The Rose of +Hesperus; a Fairy Tale. 246 + + CHAPTER IX. + +New-Year's Day.--"Characters, or Who am I?"--"Quotations."--"Acting +Charades."--"Riddles." 281 + + CHAPTER X. + +Whispering Gallery.--Potentates.--Three Young Men. 295 + + + + +GAMES AND STORIES. + + + + +CHAPTER I. + +THE GATHERING.--CHRISTMAS EVE.--CONSEQUENCES.--HOW DO YOU LIKE IT? + + +Not many miles from Philadelphia, in a beautifully wooded and hilly +country, may be seen a large rambling mansion, whose substantial walls +show that it was built at a time when more attention was paid to the +durability of dwellings than at present. It is, indeed, quite an ancient +house for this part of the world, having been erected by a certain John +Wyndham, a hundred years ago; and it has remained in the family ever +since, the owner of it generally inheriting the name of John, a taste +for rural life, and the old homestead together. It was constructed in +good taste, and with great regard for comfort; the broad hall, the +favorite resort in summer, was ornamented with family portraits of many +ages back, and a complete suit of armor, visor and all, struck awe into +the hearts of young visitors, who almost expected its former occupant to +resume possession, with his gauntleted hand to draw the sword from its +scabbard, and, seizing the flag over his head, to drive the modern +usurpers from the house. Large antlers, bows and arrows, and rusty +fowling-pieces against the wall, intimated that the descendants of the +grim warrior had exercised their valor in the chase; while a guitar with +blue ribbon, in the corner, told that gentler days had come, and spoke +of peace, domestic joys, and woman's influence. + +Many were the bright sunshiny chambers in that cheerful home; but I will +describe one apartment only, the sitting-room, with which we are chiefly +concerned. The furniture is quaint and massive; but it is the rich +mellow light streaming through the room that principally attracts the +eye. Is it the western sun, tinted by the colored glass of the +bay-window, or is it the ruddy hickory fire? What a remarkable +chimney-place! few such can be seen now-a-days; they had gone out of +date a hundred years ago; but it was ancient John Wyndham's fancy, as +far as possible, to possess a fac-simile of the family mansion in +England, in which his childish days had been spent. What elaborate +carving upon the huge mantel-piece!--hunters with their guns and dogs; +shepherds and shepherdesses, with crooks and sheep; scriptural scenes +and rural incidents, afford endless amusement to the groups gathered +before the fire. Before, did I say? around, is the right expression; for +so large is the chimney, that while crackling up-piled logs blaze upon +the hearth, a number might be accommodated on the benches at the side, +as well as in front. It is the most sociable gathering-place in the +world, and the stiffest and most formal person would soon relax there; +while fingers are thawed, hearts are melted by that fire--warm and kind +affections are drawn out--sparkles of wit fly about the room, as if in +emulation of the good hickory: it is a chimney corner most provocative +of ancient legends, of frightful ghost-stories, of tales of +knight-errantry and romantic love, of dangers and of hair-breadth +escapes; in short, of all that can draw both old and young away from +their every-day cares, into the brighter world of fiction and poesy. In +the recess on one side is a small library, comfortable enough to entice +the student from the merry group so near him; on the other, is a room +looked upon with great affection by the juvenile members of the family, +for here does Aunt Lucy manufacture and keep for distribution those +delicious cakes, never to be refused at lunch time; and those pies, +jellies, whips, and creams, which promise to carry down her name to +posterity as the very nonpareil of housekeepers. + +Three persons are sitting in the room, whom in common politeness I +should introduce to the reader: very pleasant people are they to know +and to visit. Uncle John and Aunt Lucy Wyndham, the master and mistress +of the house, are remarkable for kindness, and make their nephews and +nieces, and whole troops of friends, feel perfectly at home at once; +they are Uncle John and Aunt Lucy to all their young acquaintances, and +delight in the title. Perhaps they would not have been generally called +so, had they any children of their own; but they have none, and the only +young person in the house at present is Mary Dalton--Cousin Mary--an +orphan niece of Mrs. Wyndham, whom they have brought up from a child. +She looks like her aunt, plump, rosy, good natured and sensible; she is +just seventeen, and very popular with the whole cousinhood. She has many +accomplishments: she does not talk French, Spanish, or Italian, but she +knows how to play every game that ever was invented, can tell stories to +suit every age, can soothe a screaming child sooner than any one else, +can rattle off cotillions on the piano-forte of a winter's evening +without thinking it hard that she cannot join in the dance; and lastly, +can lay down an interesting book or piece of crochet work to run on an +errand for Aunt, or untangle the bob-tails of a kite, without showing +any signs of crossness. Self is a very subordinate person with her, and +indeed she seems hardly to realize her separate individuality; she is +everybody's Cousin Mary, and frowns vanish, and smiles brighten up the +countenance, wherever she appears. A very happy looking group they are, +but restless, this afternoon of the 24th of December; Uncle John +frequently goes to the hall door; Aunt Lucy lays down her knitting to +listen; and Cousin Mary does not pretend to read the book she holds, but +gazes out of the window, down the long avenue of elms, as if she +expected an arrival. Old Caesar, "the last of the servants," as Mr. +Wyndham styles him, a white-haired negro who was born in the house, and +is devoted to the family, always speaking of _our_ house, _our_ +carriage, and _our_ children, as if he were chief owner, vibrates +constantly between the kitchen and the porter's lodge, feeling it to be +his especial duty and prerogative to give the first welcome to the +guests. + +And soon the sound of wheels is heard, and merry voices resound through +the hall, and cheeks rosy with the cold are made yet rosier by hearty +kisses; it is the young Wyndhams, come to spend their Christmas holidays +at the Grange with Uncle John. There is Cornelia, a bright, intelligent +girl of sixteen, full of fun, with sparkling black eyes. John, a boy of +fourteen, matter-of fact and practical, a comical miniature of Uncle +John, whom he regards with veneration, as the greatest, wisest, and best +of living men, and only slightly inferior to General Washington himself; +and George, his twin brother and very devoted friend, a good boy in the +main, but so very full of mischief! he would get into a thousand +scrapes, if his more sober companion did not restrain him. We must not +overlook little Amy, the sweet child of twelve, with flowing golden hair +and languishing eyes, the gentle, unspoiled pet and playmate of all. +Her cheek is pale, for she has ever been the delicate flower of the +family, and the winter winds must not visit her too roughly: she is one +to be carefully nurtured. And the more so, as her mind is highly +imaginative and much in advance of her age; already does the light of +genius shine forth in her eye. Scarcely are these visitors well +ensconced in the chimney corner, after their fur wrappings are removed, +before the sound of wheels is again heard, and shouts of joy announce +the arrival of the Greens. That tall, slender, intellectual girl, with +pale oval face and expressive eyes, is Ellen. Her cousins are very proud +of her, for she has just returned from boarding-school with a high +character for scholarship, and has carried away the prize medal for +poetry from all competitors; the children think that she can speak every +language, and she is really a refined and accomplished girl. She has not +seen Mary or Cornelia for a couple of years, and great are the +rejoicings at their meeting; they are warm friends already. Her manly +brother Tom, although younger, looks older than she does: a fine, +handsome fellow he is. The younger Greens are almost too numerous to +particularize; Harry and Louis, Anna and Gertrude--merry children all, +noisy and frolicsome, but well-inclined and tolerably submissive to +authority; they ranged from nine years old, upward. Just as the sun was +setting, and Aunt Lucy had almost given them up, the third family of +cousins arrived, the Boltons. Charlie Bolton is the elder of the two--he +will be called Charlie to the end of his days, if he live to be a +white-haired grandfather, he is so pleasant and full of fun, so ready +with his joke and merry laugh; he is Cornelia's great friend and ally, +and the two together would keep any house wide awake. His sister Alice +is rather sentimental, for which she is heartily laughed at by her +harum-skarum brother; but she is at an age when girls are apt to take +this turn--fourteen; she will leave it all behind her when she is older. +Sentimentality may be considered the last disease of childhood; measles, +hooping-cough, and scarlatina having been successfully overcome, if the +girl passes through this peril unscathed, and no weakness is left in her +mental constitution, she will probably be a woman of sane body and mind. +Alice is much given to day-dreams, and to reading novels by stealth; she +is very romantic, and would dearly love to be a heroine, if she could. +The only objection to the scheme, in her mind, is that her eyes have a +very slight cast, and that her nose is _un petit nez retrousse_--in +other words, something of a pug; and Alice has always been under the +impression that a heroine must have straight vision, and a Grecian nose. +Hers is a face that will look very arch and _piquante_, when she +acquires more sense, and lays aside her lack-a-daisical airs; but, at +present, the expression and the features are very incongruous. It is +excessively mortifying! but it cannot be helped; many times a day does +she cast her eyes on the glass, but the obstinate pug remains a pug, and +Alice is forced to conclude that she is not intended for a heroine. Yet +she always holds herself ready for any marvellous adventure that may +turn up, and she is perfectly convinced that there must be concealed +doors, long winding passages in the walls, and perhaps a charmingly +horrible dungeon, at The Grange. Why not? Such things are of constant +occurrence in story books, and that house is the oldest one she knows. +She is determined on this visit to explore it thoroughly, and perhaps +she may become the happy discoverer of a casket of jewels, or a +skeleton, or some other treasure. + +Thirteen young people there are in all, with pleasant faces and joyful +hearts; and none of them, I am happy to say were of the perfect sort +you read of in books. Had they been, their Aunt Lucy, who was used to +real children, would have entertained serious fears for their longevity. +They all required a caution or a reprimand now and then, and none were +so wise as not to make an occasional silly speech, or to do a heedless +action. But they were good-tempered and obliging, as healthy children +should always be, and were seldom cross unless they felt a twinge of +toothache. How fast did their tongues run, that first hour! How much had +all to tell, and how much to hear! And how happy did Uncle John appear, +as he sat in the centre of the group, with little Amy on his lap, +leaning her languid head against his broad and manly chest, while a +cluster of the younger ones contended together for possession of the +unoccupied knee. + +After the hearty, cheerful country supper, the whole party of visitors +was escorted into a dark room adjoining the hall, while Aunt Lucy and +Cousin Mary were engaged in certain preparations, well understood by the +older guests, who were too discreet to allay the curiosity of the +younger ones, who for the first time were allowed to share the +hospitality of the Grange at Christmas. At last the folding-doors were +thrown open, and the hall appeared to be in a blaze of light; colored +lamps were suspended in festoons from the ceiling, showing how prettily +the old portraits were adorned with evergreens. Even the man in armor +looked less grim, as if his temper was mollified by the ivy wreath wound +around his helmet. But the chief object of interest was a stately tree +at the end of the hall, from whose trunk proceeded thirteen branches, +brilliantly illuminated with wax lights and pendant lamps of various +hues; while gilded fruit, and baskets of flowers and confectionary, +looked to the uninitiated as if the fairies themselves had been at work. +Many were the exclamations of delight, and intense the excitement; the +old hall echoed with the shouts of the boys. Uncle John, ever happy in +the enjoyment of others, declared that he believed himself to be the +youngest child there, and that he enjoyed the revels of Christmas Eve +more than any of them. + +When the noise and rapture had somewhat subsided, Cousin Mary proposed +that they should try some games, by way of variety. Chess, checkers, +backgammon, Chinese puzzles, dominoes, jack-straws, etc., were +mentioned, and each one of them was declared by different members of the +group to be exceedingly entertaining; but Charlie Bolton said that +"although he was neither Grand Turk nor perpetual Dictator, he must put +his veto upon all such games as being of an unsocial nature. It was all +very well, when only two persons were together, to amuse themselves with +such things; but for his part, he did hate to see people ride in +sulkies, and play _solitaire_, when they could have such agreeable +society as was there gathered together;" making, as he spoke, a dashing +bow to the girls. "Has not any one wit enough to think of a game at +which we can all assist?" + +"Do you know how to play 'Consequences?'" said Mary. + +"I never heard of it," replied Cornelia; "how do you play it?" + +"With paper and pencils. Here is my writing-desk full of paper, and my +drawing-box with pencils ready sharpened, and you have nothing to do but +all to write according to my directions, and doubling down the paper, to +hand it to a neighbor, so that each time you have a different slip. When +it is finished, I will read them aloud, supplying some words which will +make sense--or, what is much better, arrant nonsense--of the whole. So +begin by writing a term descriptive of a gentleman." + +"Now write a gentleman's name--some one you know, or some distinguished +person." + +"Next, an adjective descriptive of a lady." + +"And now, a lady's name." + +"Mention a place, and describe it." + +"Now write down some date, or period of time when a thing might happen." + +"Put a speech into the gentleman's mouth." + +"Make the lady reply." + +"Tell what the consequences were." + +"And what the world said of it." + +"And now allow me to enlighten the company. Here is one specimen: + +"The gallant and accomplished Nero met the beautiful, but rather +coquettish Mrs. Wyndham at Gretna Green, that place once so famous for +runaway couples and matrimonial blacksmiths, upon the 4th of July, 1900 +A.D. He said, 'Dearest madam, my tender heart will break if you refuse +my hand;' but she replied, 'La, sir, don't talk such nonsense!' The +consequences were, that their names were embalmed together in history; +and the world said, 'It is exactly what I expected.'" + +"Are you sure, Mary," said Mrs. Wyndham, laughing, "that you are not +taking any liberties with my name?" + +"Here it is ma'am, you can see it yourself; but I think you escaped very +well. Here's another: "The refined and dandified Jack the Giant-Killer +met the modest, retiring Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, at the Pyramids, +(ah! some one peeped!) those wonderful monuments of ages long since +passed away, on Christmas Day, in the year One. He said, 'I never +entertained a very lofty opinion of your ladyship;' she replied, 'I +perfectly agree with the noble sentiments you have just uttered: our +hearts shall henceforward be united in the strictest friendship.' The +consequences were that they parted, to meet no more; and the partial +world remarked, 'What a pair of fools!'" + +"Here is another: "The brave, daring, thoughtless King Solomon met the +elegant, fashionable Queen Semiramis upon the top of Mont Blanc, that +lofty mountain, crowned with perpetual snow, on the 30th of February. He +remarked, 'Do you like the last style of bonnets, Madam?' She answered, +'Sir, do not press the matter. I am but young; you can speak to my +papa.' The consequences were, that they took an ice-cream, and went up +to the clouds in an air-balloon; and the amiable world said, 'Who would +have believed it?'" + +After reading all the papers, which caused much diversion, one of the +party proposed playing "How do you like it." While Tom Green was waiting +in another room, the remainder of the company fixed upon a word of +double or treble meaning, which it was his duty to discover by the +answers given to three questions he was to ask of all in succession. If +unable to guess the word at the end of the third round, he would be +crowned with the dunce-cap, and must recommence his questions: if, on +the contrary, he hit upon the right word, the person whose answer led +him to conjecture it must take his place. + +"Anna," said Tom, "how do you like it? Now, don't tell me you like it +very well, or not at all; give me something descriptive." + +"I like it with a large capital." + +"You do? Then it may either be a word, a state, a pillar, or a man of +business. Cousin Alice, how do you like it?" + +"I like it shady and covered with moss." + +"And you, Sister Ellen?" + +"With vaults secure and well filled." + +"What do you say, Gertrude?" + +"I like it covered with violets." + +"How do you prefer it, Charlie?" + +"With a good board of directors." + +"And you, Amy?" + +"Covered with strong and skilful rowers." + +"What is your preference, George?" + +"I like it high and picturesque." + +"How do you like it, John?" + +"With numerous branches." + +"It can't be a tree--how do you like it, Mary?" + +"Very green." + +"And you, Harry?" + +"Of red brick or white marble." + +"How contradictory! What have you to answer, Cornelia?" + +"I like it steep and rocky." + +"And you, Louis?" + +"I like it warranted not to break." + +"When do you like it, Anna?" + +"When I have an account in it." + +"When do you like it, Alice?" + +"When I am in the country, and feel weary." + +"And you, Ellen?" + +"When I hold a check in my hand." + +"And you, Gertrude?" + +"In the spring of the year, when I feel languid and sentimental." + +"When do you prefer it, Charlie?" + +"When I want a loan, and can give good security." + +"And you, Amy?" + +"When I am in a boat, and becalmed." + +"And you, George?" + +"When I am at sea, anxiously looking out for land." + +"What say you, John?" + +"When I am a merchant, engaged in large transactions." + +"When do you like it, Mary?" + +"When my eye is weary of a flat, dull country." + +"And you, Harry?" + +"When I am a stockholder." + +"So I should think, if it paid a good dividend. And if I were to ask you +my third question, 'Where will you put it!' one would place it under an +umbrageous tree, another by the sea, a third by a river, and a fourth on +a good business street, near the Exchange. My good friends, I would be +dull indeed if I did not guess it to be a BANK; and you, Sister Ellen, +may take my place; your well-filled vaults first gave me the clue." + +After amusing themselves a little longer, they adjourned to the +sitting-room, as the tall, old-fashioned clock in the hall gave warning +of the rapid flight of time; and Mary, as was her custom, brought to her +uncle the large family Bible. When he opened the holy book, the very +youngest and wildest of the children listened with reverence to the +solemn words, and tried to join in the thanks which the good man offered +up to Heaven for bringing them together in health and peace, and +granting them so much happiness. + +And then kisses and good-nights were exchanged, and the young group was +scattered; but not without a parting charge to each from Aunt Lucy, "not +to forget to hang up the stocking for Kriss-Kinkle, near the chimney +place; and not on any account to lock their doors--for they might easily +be taken sick in the night." + + + + +CHAPTER II. + +CHRISTMAS DAY.--RHYMES.--CENTO.--GENTEEL LADY.--THE FAIRY WOOD. + + +Sound were the slumbers that night at the Grange, notwithstanding the +determination of little Amy to lie awake and catch Kriss-Kinkle for +once; although as she said, "I know it _must_ be Cousin Mary." Those +happy days of innocence and unsuspecting faith have passed away, when +children believed in a literal Kriss-Kinkle, clad in furs, and laden +with presents for the good, and sticks of wood for the naughty little +urchins who refuse to learn their A, B, C's, and to stand still while +mamma combs out their hair. The "infantry" of America have quite given +up their old-fashioned credulity, and as, according to the obsolete +saying of the older philosophers, "nature abhors a vacuum," and there +must be some children in the world, to keep the balance, the +spirit-rappers have kindly stepped into their vacant places, and may be +regarded as the true and only children on this side the Atlantic. The +frightful skepticism of the young ones with regard to Kriss-Kinkle has +come to such a pass, that a little girl of three years old, who had been +kept, as her relations thought, in all the verdure becoming to her +tender years, upon her aunt telling her that she ought not to expect +many gifts that season, as it was such stormy weather that poor +Kriss-Kinkle could scarcely venture out, replied: "But, Aunty! could he +not take grandma's carriage--he would not get wet then!" + +If the merry old soul really came down the chimney at the Grange, he +shewed great discernment in the gifts he bestowed, for each found in +the stocking some article that had been ardently desired. Ellen, who was +deeply interested in the study of Italian, found a beautiful copy of +Dante's "Divina Commedia;" Mary, who possessed a fine talent for +drawing, and frequently sketched from nature, discovered that a complete +set of artist's colors and brushes had fallen to her lot; George, who +was devoted to skating, found a pair of skates, "real beauties," as he +said, appended to his stocking; all plainly saw that their individual +tastes and peculiarities had been consulted in a very gratifying manner. +Of course they did not neglect to express their pleasure and gratitude +to their kind friends, requesting them to inform that very worthy old +gentleman, Mr. Kriss-Kinkle, of their delight at his selection. Nor were +Uncle John and Aunt Lucy forgotten: their nephews and nieces had all +provided some little gifts, as expressions of love. Mrs. Wyndham +declared that she was quite set up in crochet bags and purses, for a +year to come; and tastefully worked book-markers, with appropriate +sentiments, were very plentiful. Tom Green made himself exceedingly +agreeable to the whole party, by presenting to each some pretty little +box, thimble-case, or other ingenious trifle, which he had made at his +leisure with the aid of his turning-lathe; whereupon Charlie Bolton +assumed an irresistibly ludicrous air of dejection, and asserted that he +felt quite crushed by Tom's superior gallantry. "Really, a fellow is not +much thought of now-a-days, unless he can do something in the pretty +line. I must get a turning-lathe at once, or else learn to carve +brooches out of marbles, and rings out of peach-stones, and baskets out +of cherry and apricot stones. If I can't get up that much artistic +talent, I might as well resign myself to complete insignificance all my +life." Cornelia Wyndham highly approved of his intentions, and told him +that when he had come to perfection in the fancy business, she hoped he +would remember her devoted and perfectly disinterested friendship; her +cousinly affection was of the warmest and truest quality, especially +when there were any hopes of cherry-stone baskets. + +Full of enjoyment as they were, none were too intent upon fun and frolic +to neglect accompanying their kind relatives to the pretty little +country church, for it was their uncle's habit to begin the day with +religious exercises: he said it seemed to him ungrateful to spend it in +unbroken jollity, and to forget entirely the original motive of its +institution. It was a very pleasant custom, and very conducive to mutual +attachment, for friends and relations to give and to receive presents: +but this should be subordinate to the remembrance of God's Great Gift to +the children of men, which was celebrated on that happy day. So the +young people passed a unanimous vote that church-going was as regular a +part of keeping Christmas as presents or mince-pie, and gladly set off +to walk through the frosty air to the ivy-covered church, shaded by +ancient trees. It was situated on a hill, and was approached by numerous +paths running across the fields; and as Ellen gazed upon its spire, +standing in relief against the deep blue sky, she thought of that +beautiful line of Wordsworth, + + + "Pointing its taper finger up to heaven!" + + +The chime of bells, too, joyfully pealing out, appeared to be the voice +of the church calling upon all who heard it, to return thanks to Him who +blesses the families of men; it seemed to say, "Both young men and +maidens, old men and children, let them praise the name of the Lord." +What a mistake it is, to think of religion only as a refuge from sorrow, +and a solace for the disappointments of the world! It is that, truly, +but it is also the sanctifier of joy: the happy young heart should be +laid upon God's altar, as well as the stricken spirit, and the eye +moistened with tears. That the services of the church had not a +depressing effect upon the minds of any, was very evident from the +heart-felt greetings and warm shakes of the hand which were exchanged by +all, as they left the house of prayer. It was a very pleasant sight to +behold young and old, rich and poor, joined together in one common +feeling of brotherhood, under the genial influences of the season. "A +merry Christmas" seemed not only to spring from every tongue, but to +sparkle in every eye. + +If I were to attempt to describe the varied pleasures of that day, which +was declared by Charlie Bolton to be the most glorious one he had ever +spent, I should be obliged to dip my pen, not in ink, but in a solution +of rainbow, or dancing sun-beams, or in any thing else that is proved to +be the most joyful thing in nature. At dinner-table, after being helped +the second time to a slice of "splendid" turkey with oyster sauce, +little Louis Green, the youngest of the party, occasioned a general +burst of laughter by laying down his knife and fork, which certainly +deserved a little rest if activity ever can earn it, and leaning back in +his chair, saying with the greatest earnestness: "Uncle, if I were asked +to point out the very happiest time of the whole year, I would fix upon +Christmas day, at exactly this hour--the dinner hour--as the thing for +me!" + +"O you gormandizer!" said his sister Ellen, "you don't really think the +dinner the best part of the day?" + +"Indeed I do, though," replied Louis; "and I rather guess a good many +people are of the same opinion. And, sister Ellen, if you were a boy, +and just come home from boarding-school, where they always want you to +eat potatoes, I think you'd value turkey and mince-pie as much as I do! +Hurra for Christmas, I say!" + +There was some conversation at the dinner-table about the origin of the +different modes of keeping Christmas day in our country. Mr. Wyndham +remarked, that probably the reason why it was so universally kept in +Philadelphia, was from the large mixture of the German element in the +population of Pennsylvania: perhaps the little Swedish colony which Penn +found already settled on the ground when he came over, may have had some +influence, as the nations in the middle and north of Europe have always +celebrated the day, making it a sort of festival of home, and fireside +pleasures. He said that when he was a young man he had passed a winter +in Germany, and was spending some time in the house of a friend, in the +month of December: being very intimate with all the family, he had been +admitted into numerous little secrets, both by young and old. He had +seen beforehand the drawings and the ornamental needle-work which were +intended as a surprise to the parents, and were executed after they had +retired to rest; and he had been allowed to hear the new songs and +pieces of instrumental music, learnt by stealth during their absence +from home; and had even been privileged to hear the little boy of eight, +the pet of the family, recite the verses composed in honor of the joyful +occasion, by his oldest sister. And the parents, also, had their own +mysteries: for a fortnight before the eventful day, the blooming, +comfortable mamma rode out regularly, and returned laden with bundles, +which were immediately transferred to a certain large parlor, the +windows of which were carefully bolted, the door locked, and the very +key-hole stopped up, so that nothing was visible. The children were sent +out of the way, and then there were raps at the door, and the carrying +of heavy articles along the hall, into the mysterious chamber--Blue +Beard's room of horrors was not more eagerly gazed at, than was this +parlor, but its blank walls told no secrets. + +At length the long-expected day arrived; on Christmas Eve all were +assembled in a dark room adjacent--you see I have taken a few hints from +my German friends--and at last the doors being thrown open, the mystery +was revealed. The room was ornamented with evergreens and colored lamps, +very much in the style of our hall, and a large tree blazed with light +and sparkled with candied fruits and gilded cornucopias; I made up my +mind then, that if ever I had a house of my own, I would keep Christmas +Eve in the same way. The little children stood a while, awe-struck by +the grandeur of the spectacle: for I can tell you, young people, that +the German children are kept in a state of innocence--what you would +call _greenness_--that would amaze you. The good mother then came +forward, and took them by the hand: "Come in, Carl; come in, Hermann; +fear nothing, little Ida; come in and see if there is any thing here for +you." Encouraged by this invitation, all entered, and the room was found +to be lined with tables, piled with articles both for use and pleasure; +there was a separate table for every one in the house, including the +servants, who in Germany live many years in one family, and even for the +baby. Their guest also was not forgotten; I found upon my table a pair +of slippers, and sundry other gifts, some of which I still keep with +care, as a memorial of that very happy evening. + +"That must have been really charming! I think the mystery adds very much +to the pleasure," said Alice. "And, uncle, is not the custom of hanging +up the stocking derived from Germany?" + +"I think it is. In Holland there is a little variation, for there the +_shoe_ is placed at the door of the chamber, for adults as well as +children enter into the sport. I heard an amusing story connected with +this practice, when I was in Holland; if you like, I will relate it; the +event is said really to have happened." + +"Do tell it, uncle!" said John Wyndham. "I like true stories." + +"There was a poor, but very handsome and excellent young minister, a +licentiate, I think they call it, when a young man is not yet settled in +a church; to support himself until he was appointed to a congregation, +he took the place of tutor in a rich burgomaster's family, where he fell +in love with the pretty, amiable, and mischievous daughter. She fully +reciprocated his feelings, and as her parents approved of the match, she +gave the bashful young man all the encouragement she could: she felt +very sure as to the nature of his sentiments towards her, but +notwithstanding all she could do, the young man _would not propose_--as +she rightly concluded, the thought of her superior wealth deterred him; +and meantime the foolish fellow became pale and melancholy, as if he +seriously meditated going into a decline. So the merry maiden thought, +'This will never do; I must take strong measures, or the poor soul will +mope himself to death.' Christmas Eve came round, and the assembled +family were joking about the presents they expected. 'Put your slippers +outside your door to-night, Dominie,' said the father, calling him by +the title commonly applied to clergymen in Holland, and among the +descendants of the Dutch in the State of New York, 'I have no doubt your +friend Caterina has something to put in them.' 'Oh, it is not worth +while--no one cares for me, sir.' 'But, indeed, we do,' replied little +Caterina; 'I have something for you, but I am not at all sure you will +condescend to accept it. 'Have you indeed, Miss Caterina? I shall feel +highly honored; I give you my word that whatever it is, I will accept it +joyfully.' 'Very well: only please to remember this, when you see what +is in your slippers.' + +"The next morning, when the young Dominie opened his door, full of +eagerness to see what was in store for him, lo and behold! his slippers +had vanished. 'I might have known that the light-hearted, mischievous +maiden was only laughing at me--and well I deserve it--fool that I am to +dream about one so much above me!' Thus trying to scold himself into +stoicism, the young man went over to the breakfast-table, where all were +gathered together except Caterina. 'A very merry Christmas! but my dear +Dominie, how sober you look!' 'Do I, indeed? that is very improper; but +I've been thinking of going away--I had better do so--that makes me look +rather sad, perhaps; I've spent so many happy hours among you all.' +'Going away! oh, no, you are not to think of that; I cannot allow such a +word. By the way, what have you found in your slippers?' 'To reprove my +presumption, no doubt, my slippers have been spirited away in the night: +it is not for a poor fellow like me to receive gifts from lovely young +ladies.' As he spoke these words, the door opened, and Caterina entered, +bright as the morning, her face covered with smiles and blushes; she +shuffled along in a strange way, and all eyes naturally fell upon her +little feet, which were sailing about in the Dominie's slippers! Amid +the general laughter, she walked up to the diffident youth, who could +scarcely believe his eyes, and said with an air of irresistible +drollery, by which she tried to cover her confusion: 'Here is your +Christmas present, sir; do you hold to your promise of accepting it?' Of +course, the lady having broken the ice, the Dominie could do no less +than speak out, and, all being willing, the two were soon converted into +one; a good church was procured for him by the influence of the +burgomaster, and they lived as happily as possible all their days." + +"She was a determined damsel!" cried Cornelia; "I think she had brass +enough to set up a foundry." + +"Probably it was leap-year, Cornelia," replied Ellen; "you know it is +then the ladies' _privilege_--great privilege, forsooth!--to pay +attention to the lords of the creation." + +"I hope, when women take advantage of their prescriptive rights, they +will wear the Bloomer costume, and make themselves look as little like +the rest of their sex as possible!" said Mary. + +"Come, girls," cried Charlie Bolton, "you are too hard on that frank +little Caterina; I approve of such conduct entirely, and some ten years +hence, when I am ready to be appropriated, I shall certainly leave my +slippers outside my door as a hint to whomsoever it may concern. It +would save us men a great deal of trouble, if all girls were as sensible +as Caterina." + +"Us men, indeed! How long since?" said Cornelia. + +"Ever since I got out of frocks and into trowsers," replied Charlie, +laughing good-naturedly. He and Cornelia were always sparring, but never +quarrelled. + +In the evening they played at various games; among others, at writing +rhymes. Each had a slip of paper, and would write a line, then double it +down, and hand it to the next, telling the last word; the second person +then added a line rhyming with the first, the third started a fresh +rhyme, and so it went on. When read, it of course made the greatest +farrago of nonsense imaginable. Ellen then proposed "Cento," a Spanish +or Italian game, which requires great readiness of memory, and a large +acquaintance with poetry. One person quotes a well-known line, the next +another that rhymes with it, and so on, making some sort of connection +whenever it can be done; but after trying it, and finding that only +three or four of the eldest could think of appropriate passages, they +voted Cento _a bore_, Cornelia remarking that there was great stupidity +somewhere; of course they could not think it was in themselves, and +therefore it must be in the game. + +Mary said that there was another game requiring a good memory, but the +advantage of it was, that the more you forgot the more merriment you +made; if you were not witty yourself, you were the cause of wit in +others. It was called _Genteel Lady_, and was played by one person +politely bowing to his neighbor, and reciting a certain formula, which +must be repeated, with an addition, by the next, and so round the +circle; whenever the least mistake or omission was made, the person had +to drop the title of Genteel Lady, or Genteel Gentleman, and putting a +horn of twisted paper in the hair or button-hole, could now glory in the +dignity of being a One-horned Lady or Gentleman. Very soon horns become +so plenty that few can claim any gentility; as the description proceeds, +and becomes more complicated, it is perfectly laughable, and the whole +party look ludicrous enough. + +"Here is a whole bundle of lamp-lighters," said Cornelia; "let us begin +the game, I think it must be comical." + +Mary bowed to Tom Green, and commenced. "Good evening, genteel +gentleman, ever genteel, I, a genteel lady, ever genteel, come from that +genteel lady, ever genteel, to tell you that she owns a little dog with +hair on its back." + +Tom bowed to Ellen: "Good evening, genteel lady, ever genteel, I, a +genteel gentleman, ever genteel, come from that genteel lady, ever +genteel (bowing to Mary), to tell you that she owns a little dog with +hair on its back, and a red tongue in its mouth." + +Ellen took up the play: "Good evening, genteel gentleman, ever genteel, +I, a genteel lady, ever genteel, come from that genteel gentleman, ever +genteel, to tell you that he owns a little dog with hair on its back, a +red tongue in its mouth, and two ears on its head." + +It was now Charlie Bolton's turn: "Good evening, genteel lady, ever +genteel, I, a genteel gentleman, _ever_ genteel, come from that genteel +lady, ever genteel, to say that she owns a little dog with ears on its +back, a tongue in its head, hair in its mouth, and a bone between its +teeth." + +"Charlie! Charlie! three horns!" + +"All honorable horns! hurra! I'm the only one with horns!" + +"You'll soon have companions in misfortune," said Mary, laughing. + +"Good morning, genteel lady, ever genteel," said Gertrude, bowing to +Alice, "I, a genteel lady, ever genteel, come from that three-horned +gentleman, ever three-horned, to say that he owns a little dog with hair +on its back, a red tongue in its mouth, two ears on its head, a bone +between its teeth, and a tail a yard long." + +"Good morning, she said! that's one horn!" cried the other children. + +"Good evening, genteel gentleman, ever genteel," said Alice, reverently +bowing to John Wyndham, "I, a genteel lady, ever genteel, come from that +one-horned lady, ever one-horned, to say that she owns a little dog with +hair on its back, a red tongue in its mouth, a bone between its teeth, a +fell a yard long, and three legs and a half." + +"You left out two ears on its head! a horn!" + +"I'm resigned," said Alice, "gentility seems to be at a discount." + +So the game went on, becoming every moment more difficult and more +ludicrous--as Charlie called it, more _trippy_--and by the time it went +round the second time, none escaped the horns. Any thing will do for the +genteel lady to own, and it makes it more agreeable to vary it each time +it is played: for instance, an eagle with a golden beak, silver claws, +diamond eyes, ostrich feathers, bird-of-paradise tail, a crown on its +head, a diamond ring on its thumb, a gold chain round its neck, a +pocket-handkerchief in its hand, and any other nonsense you can string +together. A lady's etagere or what-not would be a good medium for +collecting together absurdities--Mont Blanc at the top, a gridiron +below, a gold thimble at the side, the poets in a corner, a breakfast +set on one shelf, a card-case above, a smelling-bottle at the side, a +work-box, a writing-desk, a piece of coral, etc. A _genteel_ lady's +description of her mansion--certainly an extraordinary one--would be +suitable; a modern-built house, with a _porto-ricco_ in front, and a +_pizarro_ in the rear, a summer-house _contagious_, and _turpentine_ +walks, etc. + +Being now weary of games, Amy proposed that they should vary their +pleasures by a tale, which gained the general approval; and Ellen Green +was commissioned to relate it. Ever ready to oblige, she told them she +would, if they chose a subject. "What sort of a story will you have?" + +"An Indian story!" exclaimed the younger boys. + +"Do tell us about some great historical character--Washington, or King +Alfred, or Napoleon Bonaparte, or some other hero!" cried John Wyndham. + +"I go in for a very frightful ghost-story, that will make our hair stand +on end, and make the girls afraid to go to bed!" said his brother +George. + +"Tell us a romantic narrative about a knight going to the Crusades, and +his fair lady following him in the disguise of a page!" said Alice +Bolton. + +"That's exactly like you!" cried her brother Charlie; "now, I say give +us some exciting adventures by sea or by land; a real fish-story, or +escape from a lion or tiger, or a tale of a bear, or something of that +sort." + +"Poor Cousin Ellen! How can she please you all?" said Mary. "As Amy +first proposed it, let us leave it to her to choose the kind of story +she prefers, and so settle the difficulty." + +"Agreed! agreed! choose, Amy!" + +"As for me, I always like a real fairy-tale," said Amy, her eyes +sparkling with pleasure as she saw with what good nature all had left +the choice to her. + +"Then you shall have it; and I don't doubt that Aunt Lucy or Cousin Mary +will contrive to please all in turn, another day." + +"Most especially, I hope they will not forget to give Charlie that brush +with the _bear's tail_ that he wants so much!" said Cornelia, with a +saucy glance of her eye. + +"Attention, Miss Cornelia! or you will prove that you deserve it +yourself. Don't you see that Ellen is ready to begin?" + + +The Fairy Wood. + +Upon the banks of the Rhine there stand the ruins of an ancient castle, +which still attracts the attention of the passer-by, from its gigantic +remains, and the exceeding beauty of its situation. And if now, when its +glory has departed, the traveller is irresistibly impelled to ask its +name, how imposing must it have been when its dark shadow was thrown +unbroken upon the smooth waters below, and troops of cavaliers and armed +retainers rode over its drawbridge, and mounted its battlements. Here, +in the olden time, dwelt the noble Baron Sigismund; and here, nothing +daunted by the gloomy grandeur of the fortress, his little son Rudolph +romped and frolicked the live-long day. A charming fellow he was, with +eyes of heavenly blue, and a complexion of pure milk and roses; a true +boy, full of activity and vivacity, and with not a slight touch of +mischief in his composition. And yet he was such an affectionate and +good-hearted little soul, that his arms would be about your neck in a +moment, if he thought you were offended by his conduct; and so generous, +that he would take the cake from his own lips to give it to the +beggar--no trifling stretch of charity in a boy. + +Is it wonderful, that Rudolph was the idol of his parents, the favorite +of his playmates, and the cherished darling of the whole castle? His +merry spirit and winning ways completely gained the hearts of the +servants and retainers, and many voices in the adjacent cottages were +loud in the praise of the beautiful, golden-haired boy. What a proud man +was Fritz, the old seneschal, when he taught him to manage the horse, to +couch the lance, and draw the bow! and when, for the first time, the +young heir followed him to the chase, who so happy as he? And Rudolph +reciprocated his affection; next to papa and dear mamma, sweet little +black-eyed Cousin Bertha, and the ugly, shaggy mastiff to which he was +devoted, old Fritz came in for his warmest love. And some people were +malicious enough to say that there was a strong resemblance between +these last two favorites, both in countenance and character; certain it +is, that both Bruno and Fritz were faithful, every ready to contribute +to his amusement, and although rough with other people, gentle enough +with their young master. + +One day, in the absence of his father, he set out to ride, with Fritz +for his only attendant. It was a splendid afternoon; the sky was of that +pure exquisite blue you sometimes see, rendered deeper by a pile of +snowy clouds in the west; the birds were silent, as if unwilling to +disturb the holy calm of nature; not a leaf stirred, save here and there +a quivering aspen, emblem of a restless, discontented mind. Rudolph was +in excellent spirits, and Saladin, his good Arab steed, flew like the +wind; old Fritz tried to restrain his ardor, but in vain; the impetuous +boy kept far ahead. They were soon some miles from home, and Rudolph saw +before him a point where the road branched off in several directions, +one of them leading back again to the castle, another taking a circuit +of some distance, and a third, a narrow, unfrequented path, entering +into a dark forest. Into this wood the boy had never been allowed to +enter, from the evil name it had acquired in the traditions of the +peasantry. Some said that robbers haunted its deep recesses, for +travellers had entered it, notwithstanding all the entreaties of those +who would have detained them, but had never been seen again; in fact, +none had ever been known to return, who had been fool-hardy enough to +enter into that snare. Others argued that they had been devoured by the +wild beasts, whose savage roar might sometimes be heard at night; or +that, losing their way, they had perished with hunger. But the older and +wiser shook their heads at these suggestions, insinuating that +skepticism on such awful subjects might bring down vengeance upon the +unbelieving; and intimated, more by look and by gesture than by word, +that the whole forest was enchanted ground, and that powers more than +mortal claimed it as their own. All agreed that the Fairy Wood--so it +was called--was a dangerous place, and few, indeed, would venture into +its shady depths. Rudolph's curiosity had been excited in the most vivid +manner by what he had heard concerning the mysteries of the forest, and +he had long determined to seize the first opportunity of gratifying it. +Old Fritz would not have consented to his entering it, if he had given +him his weight in gold, but the worthy seneschal was now out of sight, +and here was a glorious opportunity for the boy--he dashed into the +wood, and urging Saladin onward, was soon involved in the intricacies of +the forest. + +On went the fearless boy, determined to explore, and doubting nothing, +although the dark, gloomy shades might well have appalled an older +person, and the numerous, faintly defined paths would certainly have +made an experienced one hesitate. On he went, deeper and deeper into the +wood, until he was suddenly startled by low, prolonged, growling +thunder. He tried to retrace his steps, but was only more entangled in +the maze: the sky had become black as midnight, the rain fell in +torrents, the lightnings flashed fearfully, and all nature appeared +convulsed. Rudolph had never before witnessed such a storm, and brave +boy as he was, his heart quaked with terror--he felt how powerless a +human being is, when, unsheltered, he is brought face to face with the +elements, lashed up to fury. He now realized, in addition, that he had +lost his way, and feared that in his efforts to extricate himself, he +might penetrate still deeper into the wood; so he determined to throw +the reins upon his horse's head, and trust to his instinct, as he had +often heard that travellers had done successfully, when they had +wandered out of their road. He accordingly did so, and speaking cheerily +to Saladin, allowed him to choose his own path: to his surprise his +beautiful Arab left the track, and set off on what he concluded to be a +short cut out of the forest. After about an hour, however, poor little +Rudolph began to doubt the instinct of horses, for the aspect of every +thing around him became wilder every moment; but, happily, the rain had +ceased falling, and as far as he could judge from the occasional glimpse +he got of the sky, it had cleared up. On went Saladin, and did not stop +until they entered an open glade; when, as if his task were quite +accomplished, he came to a dead halt. Rudolph alighted, and looked about +him: all was so still and beautiful, that it had the effect of calming +the agitation of his spirits, and filling his mind with an indescribable +awe,--it looked pure and holy, as if the foot of man had never trod +there, from the foundation of the world. The setting sun, at this +moment, pierced through the clouds, tinting them with purple, crimson, +and gold, and revealing the full beauty of the scene. Rudolph found +himself in a circular opening, around which lofty trees, overgrown with +moss and lichen, seemed planted as a wall of defence. As he approached, +seeking to leave the spot, they tossed their long arms as if warning him +away, and the thick darkness behind appeared to become denser, and to +frown him back. A superstitious fear crept into his heart, and he turned +his eyes to the sweet glade rejoicing in the sunlight, where all looked +smiling and inviting. In the centre, upon a gentle mound covered with a +carpet of the softest, richest green, there towered a majestic oak, +which had looked upward to the sky for centuries, while generation after +generation of men had entered the world, had laughed and wept, grown old +and died. It showed no signs of the decrepitude of age, and raised up +its head proudly like the monarch of the forest; but a deep rent in its +heart showed that decay was at work, and that the lofty tree would, one +day, he laid low in the dust. Led by an irresistible impulse, Rudolph +ascended the mound, and entered the little chamber in the oak. The boy +was exhausted by fatigue and excitement, and, insensibly, his eyes +closed, and his weary frame was wrapt in slumber. + +And now a strange thing occurred. Whether he dreamed, or whether he +waked, he scarcely knew; but delicious music stole through his soul, and +he opened his eyes. The little woodland glen was steeped in soft +moonlight; and, if it looked wonderful and beautiful when the sun shone +upon it, how much more so now, when the very light was mysterious, and +suggestive of something beyond! Around the mound there doated--for that +word only can express their motion--like bright and fleecy clouds, a +band of lovely beings, resembling none he had ever seen before. As he +gazed upon them, he thought not of creatures of earthly mould, but of +the most rapturous and fleeting sights and sounds of nature;--of the +rainbow, spanning the sky after a storm; of the dashing cataract, +descending in mist from stupendous heights; of the nightingale, singing +in her hidden nest; of harmless sheet-lightning, suddenly revealing +hills, domes, and castles in the clouds, then as suddenly dispelling the +illusion. As he looked more closely, he found that, as with linked hands +they glided round, their gossamer wings moving through the air waked up +a melody like that of the Eolian harp; while a few, standing apart, made +silvery music by shaking instruments, which looked like spikes of +bell-shaped flowers, and deeper tones were evolved from larger, single +bells, struck with rays of light. As the bells swung to the breeze, and +the cadence swelled and rose, a delicious fragrance of wild-flowers +filled the air, and from the depths of the forest all animated creatures +came forth to gaze upon the spectacle. The glow-worm crept there, but +his tiny lamp was dimmed by brighter fairy eyes; the noisy cricket and +the songsters of the grove hushed their notes, to listen to the harmony. +The wolf and the bear drew near together, but laid aside their +fierceness; the deer and the hare came forward fearlessly, under the +influence of the potent spell. Suddenly, from a hollow in the oak, an +owl with glaring eyes flew down: the music and the dance were hushed, +and all listened to his voice. To his surprise, Rudolph found that he +could understand the language of all animals, which had formerly seemed +to him mere unmeaning sounds. + + + "Bright Fairy Queen, shall mortal dare + On beauty gaze beyond compare; + Shall one of earth unpunish'd see + The mazes of your revelry? + That ancient oak, by your donation, + For years has been my habitation; + And now a child usurps my right, + Sleeping within its heart to-night; + Nor that alone, but dares to view + The mysteries of nature too. + And shall he go, unscath'd, away? + As Privy Counsellor, I say nay! + Else man will learn our secrets dread. + And higher raise his haughty head: + All nature soon would subject be, + Nor place be left us, on land or sea. + E'en now, prophetic, I see the day + When steam exerts resistless sway-- + And iron monsters, with breath of flame, + Shall blot from earth the fairy name. + Then to the beasts that throng the wild, + Dread Queen, give up the intruding child!" + + +At this address, to which the wolves howled a dismal chorus of assent, +all eyes were turned upon the chamber in the ancient oak, in which +Rudolph sat, his heart quaking with terror at the thought of the fate +before him. But a sweet voice, clear and piercing, spoke his name, and +commanded him to descend, fearing nothing if his conscience was pure, +and if he had not obtruded through vain curiosity upon the revels of the +Queen of Fairy Land. Rudolph obeyed. The Queen was standing, with the +ladies of her court ranged on either side. They all were beautiful, but +she was like the brightness of the morning and the freshness of flowers. +Dazzling loveliness distinguished her, and a dignity to which all paid +obeisance. Upon her brow sparkled the evening star, her only diadem. She +gazed mildly, yet searchingly, upon the boy, as if she read his very +thoughts; and then she spoke: + +"'Tis true, wise Counsellor, that according to our laws of Fairy Realm, +the child should die; and yet my heart yearns to the innocent, blue-eyed +boy. Does no one have compassion upon him? Have none a plea to offer for +his pardon? I solemnly declare that he shall be saved, were my very +crown and life endangered, if but one act of kindness and mercy shown by +him to weaker creatures, can be proved. For to the kind and merciful, +mercy should ever be shown; this law stands higher than any judicial +enactment." + +As she spoke these words, a dove with gentle eyes and downy breast flew +to her feet, and thus timidly offered her prayer: + + + "I plead for mercy, gracious Queen, + I pray you to forgive! + And if my voice were silent now, + I were not fit to live. + One day, when absent from my nest, + A falcon, fierce and strong, + Seized me, all helpless to resist-- + Soon would have ceased my song. + Just then, young Rudolph, brave and fair, + Perceived my urgent need; + He risk'd his life in saving mine-- + And shall that kind heart bleed?" + + +"It shall not: he is saved; and you, gentle dove, ever wear this collar +round your neck as a token of my approbation; it shall descend in your +family to the latest generations." The Queen then touched Rudolph with +her golden wand; an electric thrill passed through his frame, and he +fell down senseless to the ground. When he awoke, he found himself lying +upon a couch of purple and gold, in a superb crystal hall, whose +pillars, sparkling with gems, rose upward to a lofty transparent dome of +blue, through which the sun was shining brilliantly. Over him bent the +Fairy Queen, radiant in beauty, and eying him with indescribable +tenderness. At last she spoke, kindly caressing him: "My son, you are +now in my dwelling, where no harm shall befall you; fear nothing. Here +you shall live forever, in splendor and happiness; your every wish shall +be gratified; no more scorching suns, no more dark and gloomy days for +you--all shall be joy, unvaried pleasure, eternal youth and health. One +solitary restriction I must lay upon you, but that is positive; on no +account shed a tear, for on that day when you weep, you must return to +earth--even my power could not keep you here. Tears must never sully the +palace of the Fairy Queen. But why should you weep? I myself will take +care of you, teach you, be a mother to you: when you feel a desire, +mention it to me, and it is already accomplished." + +With ardent gratitude and passionate love and admiration, Rudolph +embraced the beautiful Queen, and said, "Is this really true? and is +this splendid place to be my own home?" "It really is; I have adopted +you for my son. It is my intention to educate you myself." "How very +good of you! how I love you! And my papa and mamma, and dear little +Bertha, can they live here too? And may Bruno, and Saladin, and old +Fritz come too?" "Oh no, little Rudolph, you must not talk about those +other people; they belong to the earth--let them stay there. You must +forget about that old home of yours, for all that has passed away; your +home is with me, in Fairy Land. It is much more beautiful here; there is +nothing on earth that can compare with it. I will show you such splendid +things! I will teach you how to paint the flowers, and to make diamonds, +and emeralds, and pearls. You shall see me mix the rainbow, and scatter +the dew upon the flowers at night. I have a thousand pretty things I +want to teach you: do you not wish to learn them?" "Oh, very much +indeed! I should like to do such things; I love dearly to work: mamma +often lets me water her flowers with a little watering-pot; is that the +way you scatter the dew?" "Child, child! How ignorant he is! But under +my tuition he will soon learn to understand the mysteries of nature. On +earth, children are so mismanaged--no wonder they become the sort of men +they do. My Rudolph shall be different; he shall hear no silly nursery +tales, shall waste no time in learning exploded nonsense, but shall +early become acquainted with _things_, and shall learn to value science. +I quite long to begin! It is a grand experiment; the work of education +is a noble one. And when he is a man, and has become under my teaching +a perfect specimen of what a man should be, what then? Shall I let him +return to earth? It is time enough yet to think of that." "May I go now, +and play, pretty lady? You are not talking to me." "True, I forgot +myself; come with me, Rudolph, and I will show you through my palace and +pleasure-grounds: recollect that you are now my son." + +What words can describe the sights of beauty that awaited him? All +spectacles that could enchant the eye, all melodies that could ravish +the ear, were collected together, in infinite variety. Nothing that was +exquisite upon earth was unrepresented; but the grossness and the +imperfection which will cleave to every thing earthly, was left out. It +was the very palace of delights. And nothing faded here--the flowers +were ever-blooming, and if picked, were instantly replaced by fairer +blossoms. Delicious fruit, ever ripe, but never decaying, hung from the +boughs; streams of milk, wine, sherbet, and other delicious drinks, +trickled from the rocks into marble basins, and gold cups were suspended +near, to invite the thirsty to partake; while pure, sparkling water rose +high into the air, as if ambitious to greet the kindred clouds, and then +fell into large receptacles, fashioned out of one pearl, emerald, or +ruby. The pleasure-grounds were separated from the gross outer world by +a thick and lofty wall of evergreens, impervious to mortals, which +forbade both ingress and egress: at least, Rudolph's eyes could see no +mode of exit. But what could be wished for beyond? It was a paradise! + +Rudolph was allowed to roam undisturbed through the splendid saloons, +vast halls, and pillared galleries of the palace, where at every step he +saw some new subject of wonder. No treasure-house of princes could for +one moment compare with the wealth and grandeur here exhibited, and the +Fairy Queen informed him that all should be his, when by knowledge he +had earned a title to it--it should be the reward of his application to +the noble studies to which she wished to introduce him. "I would do a +good deal to get all these beautiful things: I hope the lessons are not +very hard, for I never did like to study. I love play a great deal +better." "But play is only meant for babies and kittens, Rudolph: it is +unworthy of a being who can think. I know you have great talents, and I +am the one to develop them. I mean to teach you mineralogy and +chemistry, natural philosophy and history, astronomy and geology, botany +and geometry. You shall be wise, and shall learn to look beyond the +surface of things into their natures and constituent parts. You shall +know _why_ every thing was made just as it is, and shall understand the +exact proportions of all things to each other, and to the universe, so +that the whole system goes on in perfect and beautiful harmony. You +shall learn the balancings of the clouds, and the potent spell which +keeps the sun in its place, and makes the moon circle round the world. +You shall go with me into the dark caverns of the earth, and see how +rocks and metals are made in nature's forging shop. You shall witness +the operation of the subterranean forces which have altered the whole +aspect of this planet, and thrown up the lofty mountains, and tossed out +from the treasury below the varied wealth it held, making the world both +beautiful and rich. And I will show you ancient creatures, more huge +than whales, which once frolicked on the earth, before man was made: oh, +I have a thousand wonders to point out to you, and a great deal to +teach." "Thank you; you are very good. But indeed it sounds very hard, +and I don't like such things at all. I'd much rather play ball." + +"Silly child!" thought the Fairy Queen, "he has been too long perverted +by the trifling ways of man: I should have taken him younger. I see that +I cannot at once indoctrinate him into the arcana of nature; I must +gradually lead him on, as if in play. Good! a bright idea! that must be +the right way to educate frivolous, frolicksome childhood. Science in +sport! excellent. Yes, I'll teach him the vocabularies in rhyme, and set +them to lively music--that will do; he'll like it nearly as well as if +it were nonsense. I'll lead him on to the knowledge of principles, by +means of beautiful experiments: he'll think I am amusing him, when I am +gravely in earnest in the work of instruction. I will set rewards before +him, to impel him onward: I will excite his curiosity, and make it a +favor to gratify it; and then the boy will swallow knowledge as if it +were cake." + +"Come with me, Rudolph, I have something pretty to show you." "That I +will: I love to see pretty things, dear lady." "Call me mamma, Rudolph: +you are now my son." "Indeed I cannot: nobody is mamma but my own dear +mamma who loves me so--oh, I do _so_ wish I could see her!" "Hush, +child, that's silly. Now keep very quiet in this dark room, and you'll +see something. What is this I hold in my hand?" "A great glass jar, like +one of mamma's preserve jars, only much larger." "Do you see any thing +in it?" "Yes, ma'am, ever so much iron wire twisted round and round." +"Is there any thing else in the jar?" "Nothing at all." "Nothing you can +see, but there is a kind of gas we call oxygen, which will burn when I +put in a lighted piece of stick, very carefully. Look!" "Oh, beautiful, +beautiful! how the wire burns! only look at the sparks! that is very +pretty indeed, ma'am. Now it has all burnt out--what a pity!" "Now, +Rudolph, I want to tell you about it. You must know that the air we +breathe is made up of this oxygen, of nitrogen, a very little carbonic +acid gas, and a small quantity of water. If the oxygen was taken out of +the air, you could not live for one moment: I'll show you. You see this +jar? It is full of nitrogen--of air with the oxygen taken out." "But +what are you putting into it? A little mouse, I declare!" "Yes: but you +see it dies instantly; it cannot live because there is no oxygen in the +air." "Poor little mouse, how I wish you had not killed it! It is a +shame! If _I_ did such a cruel thing, my mamma would punish me." "Don't +talk so, child! it's silly. The mouse died without any pain, and if one +principle of science is fixed in your head, it is well worth the +sacrifice of its insignificant life. There will be less cheese eaten in +the world--that's all. Now, do you understand about oxygen and nitrogen, +which chiefly make up the atmospheric air?" "I know that oxygen made the +wire burn beautifully, and I know that horrid nitrogen killed the poor +little mouse; but I don't half believe that they are in the air I +breathe. I like to see pretty experiments, but I do hate explanations. +Now will you let me fly a kite?" "Yes; come out into the open +air--remember it is composed of oxygen and nitrogen--and I'll make you a +kite." + +So saying, she led him into the gardens, and waving her wand over a +piece of birch bark, behold three splendid kites! The larger one +resembled an eagle, and as it mounted into the air, and its light wings +flapped in the wind, it seemed about to pounce upon the two smaller +kites, which were in shape like pigeons. Rudolph was enchanted, and +clapped his hands with glee. After allowing him to enjoy the novelty for +some time, the Fairy said to him, "To-morrow I will show you another +kite, more wonderful than these. I will make it so, that it will draw +down the electricity from the sky. Have you ever rubbed a cat's fur the +wrong way, in the dark?" "Oh, that I have! it's great fun. There's our +black cat, at home, I have often done it to her, and I can see the +sparks in cold weather." "Well, that is electricity, and there is +electricity in every thing, only some objects have more than others. +When you see the sparks, it is the electricity leaving a thing which is +overcharged with it, for another which has less, to keep up a balance. +The lightning is nothing but electricity, and to-morrow I'll make a +storm, to show you how to draw down this subtle element from the +clouds." "Oh, don't trouble yourself! I like this kind of kite well +enough: if I have to learn about that old electricity, I'd rather give +up playing kite." + +"Rudolph, would you like to play at soap-bubbles?" "That I would! How I +wish Bertha was here--wouldn't she clap her hands and jump, as the large +bubbles fly up into the air!" "I do not wish you to think about little +Bertha. Here are your basin of soapsuds and your golden pipe; now blow +away, my boy!" "Oh, how very pretty! Do you see that big fellow, how he +shines in the sun, and shows all the colors of the rainbow? Isn't it +fine?" "That is the very thing I want to tell you about. The sun, +shining upon vapor and falling water, makes all these beautiful colors. +That is the way I mix the rainbow. The science which teaches about the +rays of light, their reflection and refraction, and the coloring they +give to different objects, is called Optics: it is an interesting study, +and I wish you to be a proficient in it." "Optics, is it? That seems to +me very different from blowing soap-bubbles. I do hate to be cheated +into learning big words, and understanding things, when I am playing." + +"The child has no brains for science, I fear!" thought the fairy. "I +almost repent my bargain! However, I will not be discouraged quite yet, +perhaps the proper chord has not been struck." Accordingly, she +invented for him various pretty toys, since then copied by men: the +kaleidoscope, with its infinite variety of shifting figures; the orrery; +the prism; the burning-glass; the microscope and the telescope; and the +magic lantern, with its vast variety of entertainment. Another magic +spell she put into operation, by which, with the aid of an instrument in +a little square box, the sun was compelled to paint landscapes and +portraits, so true to life that they seemed only to lack motion. Rudolph +was very happy, playing with these beautiful and ingenious toys: he +thought them more entertaining than marbles, or battledore and +shuttle-cock. But when the _rationale_ came to be explained, his +preceptress found her labor was all lost--there was no mistaking the +fact that the child had an invincible dislike to science. + +"I believe I see my mistake," thought the unconquerable Fairy. "I began +at the wrong end. Children _feel_ before they _think_. I must elevate +his fancy, and train his imagination by communion with forms of beauty. +I see that he cannot yet penetrate into the reason of things around him; +but he can feel the power of the external, and when his nature is +sufficiently exalted and matured, then he will of his own accord seek +knowledge. Yes, sentiment comes first, and reflection will follow in its +train." + +Accordingly, the Fairy Queen commenced his poetical training, and for +some time she flattered herself that it advanced charmingly. As the +attraction of novelty had worn off from her extensive pleasure-grounds, +she caused the landscape daily to change, so that all the beauties, +scattered over the wide earth, were in succession placed before him. At +one time, the lofty Alps rose to the sky, filling his soul with the +sense of the sublime; and the chamois, with fleet foot, climbed their +snowy pinnacles; while the deep, frowning precipices and the dark +valleys gave him a sensation of terror, not unmingled with pleasure. +Suddenly the scene would change, and he stood upon an island of the +Pacific, a little emerald gem of the ocean. Around the coral reefs the +waves lashed themselves into fury, and the white surf flew upward; but +one little opening admitted the water gently into a quiet bay, where the +deep blue rivalled that of the sky, and the water-birds swam in peace. +The cocoa-nut, the plantain, and the banana spread their broad leaves to +the sun, and flowers of brilliant hues and exquisite fragrance enlivened +the landscape. Behind, there uprose tall cliffs covered with the richest +foliage, and cascades, like silver threads, dashed downward to the sea. +Again the spectacle changed, and Vesuvius appeared in flames, reddening +the sky, and paling the moon; floods of lava rolled down, and rocks and +ashes were tossed aloft. It seemed as if evil spirits were sporting +beneath, and the mountain shook in agony. In the distance, peacefully +slept the city of Naples, and that broad and beautiful bay, the +admiration of the world. These objects, however, did not last. Rudolph +soon lingered among sweet-scented orange groves, and plucked the golden +fruit by the light of the moon, and rejoiced in perfect beauty; or +wandered off into a magnolia forest, where the huge white flowers shone +forth among the dark glistening leaves, and the air was heavy with +fragrance. Or he paddled his small canoe among the waters of the Amazon, +and saw those magnificent water-lilies, on one of whose round green +leaves, with up-turned edges, he could float with perfect safety; while +the brilliant tropical birds flew around, and monkeys climbed the tall +trees, which were festooned with vines of luxuriant growth. Again did +the scene vary--and Niagara thundered down its cliffs, filling his +heart with delighted awe; resistless and changeless, rolled it then, +when the deer wandered undisturbed upon its shores, as now, when +thousands of visitors marvel at its grandeur, and feel the infinitude of +nature and the insignificance of man. + +One day the Rhine was presented to his view--its vine-clad hills, its +frowning castles, its romantic scenery, and the happy peasants coming +from the vintage, with songs of rejoicing. But this struck a chord +untouched before. It brought up home and homely pleasures with a force +and vividness that made the boy, in the midst of all sensual delights, +feel a sudden sickness of the heart, a longing for the fireside, and for +the every-day occupations from which he had been snatched. He thought of +his father and mother, so kind and good; of merry little Bertha, ever so +pleased to frolic with him--and he almost felt her chubby arm around his +neck; he remembered old Fritz, and his rides upon Saladin, with his +arched neck and flowing mane. He thought of the ancient hall, in which +he had played such mad pranks with Bruno--even the black cat came in for +a portion of his regret. And never, never more was he to behold these +objects of his love! So feels the Swiss, when in a foreign land, when +breathing the balmy air of Italy, or wandering amid the gayeties of +Paris, he hears the Ranz des Vaches; the simple notes recall the Alpine +home, the mother and the friends: he sickens and dies. + +Rudolph's sad countenance soon attracted the notice of his kind +protectress, who eagerly asked what she could do to promote his +happiness. He told his trouble, and especially dwelt upon his +loneliness; he longed to see his papa and mamma, and little Bertha; and +he wanted companions of his own age--human children, with whom he could +laugh and play, whom he could toss in the snow in winter, and with whom +he could rove the fields in summer, picking the flowers and chasing the +butterflies. The Fairy Queen shook her head: "You ask an impossibility, +Rudolph; my very existence was endangered by bringing you here, and how +can I convey other mortals to the crystal palace, the inner temple of +nature? It cannot be--however, now I think of a plan; yes, to-morrow you +shall have your wish, only you must smile and be happy once more, +Rudolph." + +On the morrow, with the early dawn, a troop of merry, rosy children +awaited his waking: how soon they were friends! children, and child-like +hearts, are not long in knowing each other. They were all pretty, but +different, both in appearance and disposition; they were crowned with +flowers and green leaves, of various sorts. "What funny names you have!" +said Rudolph, as they introduced themselves. "Yes; but we did not name +ourselves," they replied; "it is not our fault if we have hard +names--you'll soon learn them." And so he did: there was Cochlearia, a +sharp-witted girl, who made rather biting speeches occasionally; there +was Daucus, a red-headed youngster, and Raphanus, a pretty child of +brilliant complexion, crowned with violet-colored flowers; there was +Brassica, and Zea, and Maranta, and Capsicum, a fiery fellow, and +Nasturtium, crowned with bright orange-flowers, and a great many others. +Rudolph liked most of them very much, but his especial favorites were +little Solanum and Farinacea, brother and sister, both crowned with blue +flowers. He thought they were so good, he could never get tired of them; +perhaps Brassica and Zea were sweeter, and Raphanus was more piquant, +but these two friends of his could never cloy his taste; he should +always love them. As for Cochlearia, he could not abide her: she was so +pert. Several times she came near disturbing the harmony of the little +band by her speeches: she reproached Daucus with his carroty head, and +told Capsicum that his temper was too hot, and called Nasturtium only a +weedy fellow, after all. Hereupon, Solanum, who was a very amiable soul, +told her she was enough to bring tears into anybody's eyes; and at that, +she turned round, and informed him that he was such a mealy-mouthed +fellow, he was no judge at all. At last Rudolph was obliged to tell her +that he had never known a child whose society he relished so little, and +that he would be compelled to complain of her, unless she went away; +accordingly she did so, and then they enjoyed uninterrupted peace. How +happy was that day! how varied the amusements! what joyful shouts! what +heart-felt laughter! Rudolph, long debarred from the company of other +children, was almost out of his wits with excitement. + +But the sun now approached the west, and with one accord they hastened +away, notwithstanding all his entreaties. "Why must they go? They could +sleep with him; there was plenty of room in the palace; they should not +leave." "They would return to-morrow, but now they must go; before the +sun set--good-by, good-by." "You shall _not_ go," cried Rudolph, seizing +hold of Solanum and Farinacea, who struggled hard to evade him, while +their companions swiftly passed them, and vanished through a little +postern gate he had never seen before, into the forest beyond. "Why +should you want to go? Do you not love me?" said Rudolph, as the two +struggled yet more earnestly to escape his grasp. "I assure you we +_have_ hearts, but we cannot now stay," was all they could utter, for at +that moment the sun sank below the horizon, and the beautiful children +vanished from his sight: in their place, there fell to the ground--two +potatoes! Scarcely believing his eyes, he quickly opened the little +gate, calling to his friends to return; but no voice replied, and no +children were to be seen. Instead, scattered about upon the ground, were +radishes, carrots, turnips, parsneps, cabbages--all that remained of his +playmates. The disappointed child burst into a fit of passionate +weeping. Was all deception, illusion? Was there nothing real, naught to +satisfy the heart? Was he ever to be alone, consumed by vain longings +for affection he was destined never to receive? What did _he_ care for +all that beauty and grandeur--one heart-given human kiss was worth it +all. + +The child was still sobbing bitterly when the Fairy Queen drew near. Her +starry crown was dim, like the evening star seen through a mist; the +sparkle had gone out of her eye and her face. She was sad, for she knew +that she must lose her little protege; she was vexed, for she had been +completely baffled. "And cannot I make you happy?" she said. "Is all the +power, and the grandeur, and the wisdom, and the beauty you see in Fairy +Land, insufficient to satisfy that foolish heart of yours? Silly boy! he +longs for human love. Go then--even if I _could_ keep you, I think I +scarcely would; I can teach you nothing." "And may I really go? Go to my +own dear, sweet mamma? Oh, how happy I am!" "You little ungrateful +wretch! is that all the thanks I get for the pains I have taken to make +a man of you?" "Of course you are very good: but indeed I always told +you I wanted to remain a little boy." "Out of my sight!" said she, +stamping her tiny foot upon the rock on which she was +standing--sympathizing with her passion, it threw out sparks, which +hardened into diamonds when they cooled. "My experiment has proved a +signal failure; I see a child will be a child, in spite of all the +charms of science: if ever I take another--if ever I try again to bring +up a philosopher, may I lose my crown!" + +Rudolph, affrighted, had run through the little gate, which immediately +closed behind him. He looked around; the scene was strangely familiar. +He found himself at the border of a wood, in a place where three roads +crossed. "It was there," thought he, "that, a year or two ago, I dashed +into the forest on Saladin, and got lost: and since then I have been in +Fairy Land." At that moment he lifted up his eyes, and saw old Fritz +approach, leading Saladin; he ran forward to meet him, and Fritz, on his +part, seemed overjoyed at seeing his young master. "You dear old soul! +how glad I am to see you! Why, you don't look a day older than when we +parted!" "It would be queer if I did, as we only parted company an hour +ago, when you rode off and left your poor old Fritz. How you have +frightened me! I thought you had gone home the nearest way, and rode +there to see: but no, you were not at the castle. So I came back again, +very much worried about you on account of the shower that came up so +suddenly, and met your horse, quite near the wood. I'm glad to find you +at last!" "Is it possible it was only an hour ago? I can hardly believe +it." "Oh yes, no more, though it has seemed longer to me, I have been so +anxious." Rudolph laughed. "I do believe I have been asleep! and I have +had the funniest dream! Do you know, I thought I was in Fairy Land? It +was all so sweet, and so grand, and learned, and tiresome--Oh, I am glad +it was only a dream. I did want so much to get home again, and have some +fun." + + +"How could he wish to leave such a charming place, where there was every +thing that was lovely on earth?" cried Gertrude. "I think he had very +little taste." + +"There was all there," said Aunt Lucy, "but the very things he +wanted--his father and mother, his playmates, kind old Fritz, and his +horse and dog--not to speak of a very important thing in a boy's eyes, +liberty to play without being pestered with continual lectures." + +"I think your Fairy Queen has a tart temper of her own, sister Ellen," +said Tom. "When she was rating the poor little fellow for ingratitude, I +thought of that passage in Virgil, where the rage of the gods is spoken +of--'Tantaene animis coelestibus irae!'" + +"Do translate, for the benefit of the unlearned. It is so _mannish_ to +quote Latin," said Cornelia. + +"'Can such anger dwell in celestial souls?' You see I am all obedience," +answered Tom. + +"You should remember, my dear critic, that fairies never yet claimed to +be perfect beings. They are very far from being angels, and are +decidedly of the earth, earthy. You know that the inferior specimens of +the race--the vulgar fairies--delight in playing tricks upon careless +housekeepers, spilling their cream and spoiling their butter: that is +not very angelic, I'm sure. Of course, the Queen would be too dignified +and too spiritual for such frolics; but she could not understand much +about human nature, or child-nature, and especially she would think the +affections to be great nonsense. But she has bought her experience now, +with Rudolph." + +"One comfort is, that she does not intend to take another child to +educate--she has had enough!" said Amy. + +"She could not, if she would," replied Mary. "I think the day has now +come, foreseen by the prophetic owl, + + + 'When iron monsters, with breath of flame, + Shall blot from earth the fairy name.'" + + +"Steam engines and locomotives?" said Louis. + +"Nothing else," replied Ellen. "I do not doubt in the least that the +whole of that Fairy Wood has been carefully surveyed and graded, and +iron tracks run directly through the palace itself." + +"Oh what a shame!" cried Harry. + +"'Tis very sad, indeed, to have all romance spoiled in this way," said +Mrs. Wyndham. "But we have a modern substitute for the magic of +Elfdom--this very steam-engine, which works such wonders; the electric +telegraph, which beats time itself, making news depart from Philadelphia +for St. Louis, and reach its destination an hour before it started, if +you may believe the clock. And some of those toys, originally invented +by the Fairy Queen, if we may credit Ellen--the telescope, bringing down +the moon so near to you, that you feel inclined to take a long step, and +place yourself in another planet--and photography, which enables you in +one moment to possess upon metal or paper an exact fac-simile of your +friend. If these things do not surpass all we read of in Fairy Land, I +know nothing about it." + +"I have one very serious objection to your Fairy Queen, Cousin Ellen," +said Charlie Bolton, trying to keep a long, sober face. + +"What is that? Poor Queen, how she is criticised! If she were here, she +would show her temper now, I think!" + +"She is such a horrid _blue_. It's all very well for her to dance, and +mix the rainbow, and sprinkle the dew upon her flowers, and wear the +evening star on her forehead, if she does not find its weight +oppressive--that's all feminine enough. But when she tries to come over +us as an _esprit fort_--a strong-minded woman--it's rather too much. +Oxygen and hydrogen, and all the _ologies_--I never can stand that sort +of thing in a woman." + +"Just as if we had not a right to knowledge as well as the lords of the +creation! And besides, I want to know, Master Charlie, which is the most +disgusting--for a woman to lisp learning, or for a man to talk politics, +as the creatures will do!" + +"Oh, I beg your pardon--I very humbly retract, my dear Coz. I must use +the words of that sensible 'Coon, who has earned immortality by meeting +his death like a philosopher--'Is that you, Captain Scott?' 'Yes.' 'Then +you need not fire--don't take the trouble to raise your rifle--if it's +you, Captain Scott, I might as well come down.' So, if it's you, Miss +Cornelia Wyndham, you can spare your shot, for I'll come down at +once;--I would rather face the Woman's Rights' Convention, in full +conclave assembled, than my Cousin Cornelia, when she stands up for the +rights of her sex to be pedantic and disagreeable!" + +"I was quite amused at the Queen's experiments in education," said Mr. +Wyndham. "She is not the only one who has tried to force knowledge upon +unwilling minds, and to develop children as we would spring peas and +asparagus, by subjecting them to hot-house stimulants. These fancy +methods of training the young idea do not appear to succeed very well; +to see some of the cards used in infant schools, and to read occasional +school advertisements, you would deem it quite impossible that any +dunces could escape the elevating processes now applied to the +unfortunate little ones--yet, happily, the constitutions of most +children are very elastic, and there are not as many instances of dropsy +on the brain as we might expect." + +"I wonder the Fairy did not take a hint from the bees," remarked Mary. + +"How is that? Have they any particular mode of training?" + +"Very much so: when they want to rear up a sovereign who shall be fitted +to govern the hive with wisdom, they take any one of their hundred +little grubs at random, and put it under tutors and governors. These +cram it, not with lectures on political economy, books on international +law, or any thing of that sort, but with food much more to its +taste--the very best honey, and a kind of _royal food_, which I suppose +it is considered high treason for a subject to touch. Day by day, the +grub becomes more and more the princess, and finally expands into +queenly magnificence, when, of course, she must have a hive of her own, +or do as Dido of Tyre--colonize, and found a Carthage." + +"Quite amusing! But is it true?" + +"Yes, actually; and if only some such process could be applied to +children, would it not save trouble?" + +"And wouldn't we like it!" cried George Wyndham, "Ah, but I'd make a +bonfire of my Euclid and Virgil, and all the other worthies, or bury +them, as the fellows do yearly at Yale College--I had much rather be fed +with some essence of knowledge, like the bees." + +"This talk about fancy modes of mental culture," remarked Mr. Wyndham, +"reminds me of a Life I lately read of Mr. Day, the author of that +delightful book, Sandford and Merton. He was a remarkably benevolent and +excellent man, but visionary, and had some peculiar crotchets about +education. When quite a young man, he took charge of two poor, pretty +orphan girls, and had them trained up in accordance with his own ideas, +intending to make one of them his wife. Both grew to be fine women, but +to spoil the romance, fell in love with other men! so that he enjoyed +the pleasure of sedulously educating good wives for two worthy +tradesmen, and being left in the lurch himself. A second experiment +turned out yet worse, for it cost him his life: he had doubtless had +enough of girls, so he took another animal, which he thought might be +tamer and more tractable--a horse. He would not allow it to be broken in +the usual method, which he considered very cruel: he would talk to it, +caress it, make it his friend, win it by kindness. But unfortunately for +his experiment, the horse killed him, by a kick, I believe, before it +had succeeded." + +"Poor Day! Uncle, you remind me of the cow that the man wanted to train +so as to consider eating a superfluity--she was coming on admirably, but +unfortunately for the full success of the experiment, she perversely +died, the very day her owner had reduced her to one straw." + +"How very unlucky!" + +"Aunt Lucy," said Alice, "when Ellen gave us the Queen's theorizing in +education, I could not help thinking of the old saw, 'Bachelors' wives +and old maids' bairns are always the best guided.' It's very easy to +manage _dream_ children; but when you come to real flesh and blood, it's +quite another matter. It does not appear to me that all this +systematizing and speculation does much good." + +"Not a bit of it," cried George Wyndham. "We boys must be boys to the +end of the chapter; and I tell you, some of us are pretty tough +subjects! The only hope is that we may turn out not quite so horrid, +when we grow up." + +"I once heard a plan proposed for getting rid of boys of your age, +brother George," said Cornelia. + +"Much obliged; what was that?" + +"To bury them at seven, and dig them out at seventeen; how do you like +it?" + +"'Tis a bad plan. There would be nobody left in the world to run errands +for older sisters--it would never do." + +"When little Rudolph was so fond of his vegetable friends," said Mary, +"and found them so good, so sweet, so much to his taste, I thought of an +account I had somewhere read, written, I think, by the witty Sydney +Smith, of a conversation a new missionary in the South Sea islands held +about his predecessor, who had been eaten by the cannibals. He asked the +natives if they had known him--we will call him Mr. Brown, as it's +rather fabulous. 'Mr. Brown? Oh yes! very good man--Mr. Brown! very +good.' 'And did you know his family?' 'Oh yes! such sweet little +children! so nice and tender! But Mrs. Brown was a bad woman--she was +_so very tough_.' She was not to their taste." + +"But, Cousin Ellen," said Amy, "I want to know about those vegetable +friends of Rudolph. I know that Capsicum is a kind of pepper, and I have +often met Nasturtium, crowned with his orange-flowers; I suppose, of +course, that Solanum and Farinacea are potatoes--but who is that sharp +Cochlearia, who told Solanum he was a mealy-mouthed fellow?" + +"Horse-radish--which Solanum thought enough to bring tears into +anybody's eyes." + +"And Daucus--was he a carrot?" + +"Yes; and Raphanus, with his brilliant complexion, was a radish. Maranta +was arrow-root, Zea was Indian corn, and Brassica, a turnip--we often +enjoy their society at table." + +"I shall always think of Cochlearia when I eat horse-radish on my beef," +said Charlie Bolton. "Especially when I take too much, by mistake." + +"And when I find, to my sorrow, that potatoes have hearts I shall think +of Solanum." + + + + +CHAPTER III. + +THE RHYMING GAME.--ORIKAMA, OR THE WHITE WATER LILY, AN INDIAN TALE. + + +Great was the chagrin of our young party on the following morning, to +find that a storm had set in, giving no prospect of amusements out of +doors for the day: the rain came down in a determined manner, as if it +had no intention of clearing up for a week, and the winds whistled and +scolded in every variety of note; even the boys, who prided themselves +upon a manly contempt for wind and weather, agreed that the chimney +corner was the best place under the circumstances, and that they must +try to make themselves as agreeable as possible at home. Cornelia +quoted, for the benefit of the rest, a receipt she had somewhere met +with for the "manufacture of sunshine," which she thought would be +especially valuable on such a darksome day: "Take a good handful of +industry, mix it thoroughly with family love, and season well with +good-nature and mutual forbearance. Gradually stir in smiles, and jokes, +and laughter, to make it light, but take care these ingredients do not +run over, or it will make a cloud instead of what you wish. Follow this +receipt carefully, and you have an excellent supply of sunshine, +warranted to keep in all weathers." + +Accordingly, it was resolved to make sunshine, and Aunt Lucy offered to +provide the industry, if they would furnish the other materials. Soon +were heaps of flannel and other stout fabrics produced from her "Dorcas +closet," as she called it, in which her provisions for the poor were +laid up, in nice order; for even in our happy land does it hold true +that "the poor ye have always with you, and whensoever ye _will_ ye may +do them good," and kind Aunt Lucy was not one to neglect this duty. On +the day preceding Christmas, according to her principle of making as +many happy as possible, she had ordered a barrel of flour to be baked +into cakes and pies, and had distributed them, along with a turkey and a +bushel of potatoes to each, among all the poor families of the +neighborhood; and this was only one specimen of the numerous kindly acts +by which she drew together the hearts of all around her, and made them +realize the Christian brotherhood of man. Where there were children, she +made them happy by the present of a few penny toys; a very cheap +investment, yielding a large return of rapture! She could never deny +herself the pleasure of giving these little offerings of love with her +own hands, and wishing her poor neighbors a "Happy Christmas;" and on +this occasion she had learnt the destitution of a poor widow, who +struggled hard to support her young family and to maintain a decent +appearance, but who was now laid up with sickness, and unable to provide +clothing and fuel for herself and her little ones. Mr. Wyndham had +immediately sent her a load of wood, and his wife was now anxious to +furnish the necessary garments. The young girls were rejoiced to aid in +the good work, and soon all fingers were busy, and needles were in swift +operation; while the boys took turns in the entertainment of the sewers, +by alternately reading aloud from a pleasant book. Tom Green was an +excellent reader; his agreeable tones of voice made it a pleasure to +listen to him, and his clear articulation and varied expression added +greatly to the interest of the narrative. Why is it that this desirable +accomplishment, which promotes so much the happiness of the home +circle, is not more cultivated? + +After dinner, Charlie Bolton proposed some games, as he said that quite +enough of industry and gravity had been put into the preparation, and he +feared the sunshine would not be properly made without the smiles, +jokes, and laughter spoken of in the receipt. "How do those lines of +Milton run, Ellen, in L'Allegro? my favorite piece--before the old +fellow got to be so very sublime, as he is in the Paradise Lost." + +"You irreverent jackanapes! to speak so of the immortal bard! I suppose +you mean, + + + 'But come, thou goddess fair and free, + In Heaven yclept Euphrosyne, + And by men, heart-easing mirth; + Haste thee, Nymph, and bring with thee + Jest, and youthful jollity, + Quips, and cranks, and wanton wiles, + Nods and becks, and wreathed smiles, + Such as hang on Hebe's cheek, + And love to live in dimple sleek: + Sport, that wrinkled Care derides, + And Laughter, holding both his sides.'" + + +"That is the passage I mean, and that is the very company I should like +to invite, if the rest have no objection." + +All approved of the suggestion, and soon the whole party was busily +engaged in various lively games, "Graces," "Battledore and Shuttlecock," +"Hunt the Slipper," etc., which combined bodily exercise with healthful +excitement of the mirthful organs, which some philosophers assert to be, +after all, the distinguishing trait of mankind. Some call man a +"thinking animal," but this is so self-evident a slander upon the great +majority of the species, that no words are needed to refute it: one +attempted to define him as "a biped without feathers," but when a +plucked fowl was brought forward as a specimen of his man, he was +obliged to give up that definition. Others again describe him as "a +cooking animal," but while dogs can act as turnspits, and monkeys can +roast chestnuts, he cannot claim this lofty epithet as peculiarly his +own; besides, some savages have been found so degraded as to be +unacquainted with the use of fire. But wherever man is found, whether +under the heats of an African sun, or shivering in the cold of a Lapland +winter, upon the steppes of Tartary, or the pampas of South America, his +joyful laughter shows that he is a man, intended for social life and for +happiness. 'Tis true, we read of the _hyena laugh_, but we protest +against such a misapplication of terms: the fierce, mocking yell of that +ferocious creature has nothing in common with hearty, genial, human +laughter: other animals can weep, but man alone can laugh. And how great +a refreshment is it! It relieves the overtasked brain, and the heart +laden with cares; it makes the blood dance in the veins of youth, and +gives a new impetus to the spirits; work goes on more briskly, when a +gay heart sets the active powers in motion. Well did the Wise King say, +"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine:" it keeps off gray hairs and +wrinkles, better than any cosmetic that ever was invented. The ancient +Greeks realized its value, when they placed a jester in the society of +their gods upon Olympus: as their deities were clothed with human +attributes, they did not omit to provide for their amusement. + +The young ladies were not too dignified and fastidious, nor Aunt Lucy +too wise to join in the sports, and the old lady's spectacles and cap +did not feel at all insulted when the handkerchief was tied round them +in "Blind Man's Buff," and the hall rang with the jocund shouts of the +children, whose greater activity eluded her grasp. When even the +youngest acknowledged that they had enjoyed enough romping for one day, +Mary proposed a new amusement of a quieter character, which she had just +heard of, entitled "the Rhyming Game." As it was found very pleasant, I +will give a specimen, that the reader may try it of a winter's evening. +One person thinks of a word, but instead of naming it, mentions another +with which it rhymes; the next thinks of another rhyme, which is to be +_described_, not spoken, and then the leader of the game, guessing from +the description what word is meant, says it is, or it is not, such a +thing. And so all round the circle. + +"I've thought of a word that rhymes with _sat_," said Mary. + +"Is it that sly animal of the tiger species which is domesticated by +man, and delights to steal the cream and to torture poor little mice?" +said Amy. + +"No, it is not a _cat_." + +"Is it that useful article which covers the floor in summer, that is on +the dinner-table every day in the year, and may be seen behind or before +almost every front door?" said Cornelia. + +"No, it is not a _mat_." + +"Is it that nondescript winged quadruped, something like a bird, +something like a mouse, something like a kangaroo, which troubles us +sometimes of a summer's evening, by flying about the room and entangling +itself in our hair?" said Ellen. + +"No, it is not a _bat_." + +"Is it that other agreeable creature, which infests old houses, but is +prudent enough to leave them when they begin to fall down: that is very +voracious, and sometimes eats babies' noses off?" said Tom. + +"No, it is not a _rat_." + +"Is it a very gentle slap, indicative of love?" + +"No, it is not a _pat_." + +"Is it one of the wooden pieces of which blinds are composed?" + +"No, it is not a _slat_." + +"Is it a manly covering for the head?" + +"No, it is not a _hat_." + +"Is it that word sometimes applied to a disagreeable child?" + +"No, it is not a _brat_." + +"Is it the opposite of leanness?" + +"No, it is not _fat_." + +"Is it that covering for the head occasionally worn by young misses, and +also a frequent quality of their conversation?" said Charlie Bolton. + +"No, insulting sir, it is _not_ a _flat_." + +"Is it that amiable insect, so anxious to discover whether all are made +of the same blood, which pays such particular attention to visitors +among pine forests?" + +"No, it is not a _gnat_." + +"Is it a large receptacle used in the brewery and tannery?" + +"No, it is not a _vat_." + +"Is it an ornamental way of dressing the hair?" said Gertrude. + +"Yes, it is a _plait_. Now it's your turn, Gertrude." + +"I've thought of a word that rhymes with _rock_." + +"Is it an important part of woman's attire?" + +"No, it is not a _frock_." + +"Is it an article of infants' clothing?" + +"No, it is not a _sock_." + +"Is it the thing that brokers buy and sell?" + +"No, it is not _stock_." + +"Is it a common weed, and also the place where ships are built?" + +"No, it is not a _dock_." + +"Is it a collection of sheep?" + +"No, it's not a _flock_." + +"Is it a German wine, highly prized by connoisseurs?" + +"No, it is not _hock_." + +"Is it a rap at the door?" + +"No, it is not _knock_." + +"Is it a curious instrument that has hands, but no eyes or ears, and +that always weighs its actions, but never does any thing but reprove +other people's laziness?" + +"No, it is not a _clock_." + +"Is it that word, which followed by head, shows what we all are, for not +guessing it sooner?" + +"Yes, you are right, it is a _block_." + +In the evening, Mary was appointed by general consent to tell that +eagerly-desired Indian story. + +"And mind you give us scalping enough," said Charlie Bolton; "I'm a +little afraid you are too tender-hearted to give your story the proper +dramatic effect. It's worth nothing unless there is a great deal of +blood spilt, and a whole string of scalps." + +"Horrible, Charlie! how can you bear such things! However, I needn't be +afraid, if Cousin Mary is to tell the tale," said Amy. + +"How can I possibly please the taste of both?" replied Mary; "I plainly +see that only one way is left for me; to suit myself--so, if you'll +excuse me, that's the thing I'll do." + +"We'll be compelled to excuse you, I suppose," said Charlie with a +shrug: "well, go on then, and be as merciful as your weak woman's nature +compels you to be." + +Accordingly, with this encouraging permission, Mary began her story, +which she called + + +Orikama, or the White Water-Lily: + +AN INDIAN TALE. + +Nearly a hundred years ago, when the greater part of Pennsylvania was +still covered with forests, and was peopled chiefly by wild deer and yet +wilder Indians, there might have been seen, upon the banks of the +beautiful Susquehanna, a log cottage of very pretty appearance. It +consisted of two stories, and was surrounded by a piazza, whose pillars, +trunks of trees unstripped of their bark, were encircled by a luxuriant +growth of ivies and honeysuckles, which ran up to the roof, and hung +down in graceful festoons. The house was situated so as to command the +finest prospect of the river and the distant hills, and gave the +traveller the impression that it was erected by people of more +refinement than the common settlers of that region, rough backwoodsmen, +who thought of little else than the very necessary work of subduing the +wild, planting corn and potatoes, and shooting bears and deer. And so it +was: James Buckingham, who with his young wife had settled there, having +purchased land in that vicinity, was a man accustomed to a more polished +state of society, and had received a college education in New England. +But having become deeply attached to a young girl whose parents refused +consent to their union, the impetuosity of his character prevailed over +his sense of filial piety, and he persuaded the beautiful Ellen +Farmington to leave her home and duty, and to give him a husband's right +to protect her. In all probability, patience and submission might have +prevailed upon her parents to give up an opposition, which was in +reality unreasonable and groundless, as Buckingham was a young man in +every way calculated to make their daughter happy; but this rash act of +youthful folly had embittered their feelings, and the young couple were +forbidden ever to show their faces in the old homestead, lest a parent's +curse should light upon their heads. Too proud to show any repentance, +even if he felt it, James Buckingham determined to settle in another +State, where nothing should recall the past, and where his small amount +of capital, and large stock of energy and industry, might be employed to +advantage; accordingly, he fixed his lot among the pioneers of Penn's +colony, and chose a romantic situation upon the Susquehanna for his +dwelling. + +Very toilsome were the first years of their settlement, and great their +privations; but they were young and happy, and willing hands and loving +hearts made toil a pleasure. In a few years, woods were cleared, fields +inclosed, barns built, and then, agreeably to Solomon's advice, the +Buckinghams thought of building a commodious dwelling. "Prepare thy work +without, and make it fit for thyself in the field, and afterwards build +thy house." The aid of neighbors, ever ready for such an undertaking, +was called into requisition, and soon they removed from the small and +only too well ventilated hut, through the chinks of which the sun shone +in by day and the moon by night, and the rain penetrated whenever it +would, to the ample, pleasant home already described. Here it was that +little Emily Buckingham, their only child, first saw the light; and then +the cup of their happiness seemed only too full for mortals to quaff. As +the child daily grew in beauty, and her engaging ways filled their +hearts with delight, then first did they realize the absorbing nature of +a parent's love, and regret that _they_ were separated from those who +had so felt to Emily's mother, when she lay, a helpless infant, in their +arms. Yet pride prevailed, and no overtures were made to those whom they +still thought severe and unrelenting. + +Few, and scattered far, were the farmers in that region, for they were +on the very outskirts of civilization. At a short distance rose a +primeval forest, untouched by the axe of the settler, where the deer +roamed freely, unless shot by the Indian hunter; and many were the +friendly Indians who visited the cottage, and exchanged their game, +their baskets, and their ornamented moccasins, for the much-coveted +goods of civilized life. Frequent among these guests was Towandahoc, +Great Black Eagle,--so called from his first boyish feat, when, riding +at full gallop, he had shot down an eagle on the wing, so unerring was +his aim; and its feathers now adorned his head. Towandahoc was a great +hunter, and did not disdain to traffic with the "pale faces," not only +for rifles and gunpowder, but for many domestic comforts to which most +Indians are indifferent. But Great Black Eagle, although fearless as the +bird whose name he bore, was a humane man, more gentle in character than +most of his race, and a great friend of the whites, the brethren of the +good Onas, as the red men called the man who laid the foundations of our +commonwealth in peace, by a treaty which, in the language of Voltaire, +"is the only one never confirmed by an oath, and never broken." +Especially was Towandahoc attached to the Buckingham family, who ever +treated him kindly, and to the little girl who played with his bow and +arrows, and tried in her artless prattle to pronounce his name. Unbroken +peace had hitherto prevailed between the red men and the pale faces, +owing to the just and friendly treatment the natives had experienced; +but symptoms of another spirit began now to appear. The war waged +between England and France had extended to the colonies, and the French +were unremitting in their efforts to gain the Indians to their side. A +line of fortifications was erected by them, extending from Canada to the +Ohio and Mississippi, and they were strongly intrenched at Fort Du +Quesne, the site of the city of Pittsburg. Braddock's expedition and +memorable defeat had just taken place; and it was thought by many that +the Pennsylvania tribes, enraged by the honorable refusal of the +Assembly to accept their tomahawks and scalping-knives in the war, and +courted, on the other hand, by the French, were cherishing a secret, but +deep hostility. Many of Mr. Buckingham's neighbors erected blockhouses, +protected by palisades, to which they might retreat in case of an +attack, and stored them with arms, ammunition, and provisions; but his +confidence in the good disposition of the aborigines was too great to +allow him to appear suspicious of those who came backward and forward to +his dwelling in so much apparent friendship. + +Such was the posture of affairs when Emily had reached her fourth year: +dear as she was to her parents, the return of her birthday found her +unspoilt, and as sweet and well-trained a child as any in the colony. It +was worth a walk to see her: her golden curls fell upon a neck of +alabaster, and her delicate, regular features were illuminated by dark +vivacious eyes: she strongly resembled her mother, who had one of those +faces which once seen, are never forgotten, and that seem to ripen +merely, not to change, from youth to old age. But this extreme +loveliness of person formed but the setting of the gem; Emily herself +combined so much sweetness and liveliness of disposition, was so +affectionate, gentle, and docile, that it was no wonder her parents made +her the centre of all their plans and enjoyments. It was she who must +always outstrip her mother, in welcoming her father in from the field, + + + "And climbed his knee, the envied kiss to share," + + +and to listen to the delightful tale, that could never be repeated too +often: she must bring his slippers, and place his seat near the fire in +winter. And she must "help mamma" in all her concerns; and although such +help was only a delicious kind of hindrance, her bright face and winsome +ways made all tasks light and pleasant. Never had she looked so lovely +in her mother's eyes as she did on the evening of her birthday, when in +her little white night-slip, with bare feet and folded hands, she knelt +down to recite the simple prayer she had been taught that day, as a +reward for good conduct; the setting sun streamed in at the window, and +as its rays lingered among her curls, as if they belonged there, and +were reluctant to leave, the mother thought of a kneeling cherub, with a +glory encirling her head--but blessed God that her child was yet upon +the earth. Long did that picture dwell upon her memory. + +After singing her to sleep with a gentle lullaby, such as a mother only +can employ, she imprinted a tender kiss upon the sleeping child, and +having seen that all things were well and safely arranged in the house, +she and her husband left, intending to spend the evening with Mr. +Markley and his family, who lived at a distance of five or six miles. +They were on more intimate terms with them than with any other +neighbors, and took back with them Roland Markley, a boy of ten, who had +spent the day with little Emily, his especial friend and pet, whom he +was never weary of assisting and amusing. It was a pleasure to see the +children together: the little girl looked up to him as almost a man, and +he made her every whim a law. For her he would make the trip little +vessel, and launch it upon the water; for her he would construct the +bridge of stones across the brook, and guide her little feet safely to +the other side. + +The conversation at Mr. Markley's house was of an alarming character; it +was said that sure information had been received of a speedy rising of +the Indians, and the Buckinghams were urged instantly to remove to that +more thickly settled spot, where a large blockhouse was erected, and all +preparations were made to give the enemy a warm reception. The addition +of even one able-bodied man to their force was desirable, and they +strove to impress upon their neighbors the imminent peril of their +exposed situation. So earnest were they, and so probable did the news +appear, that Mr. Buckingham resolved to comply with their wishes, and to +remove on the morrow; and with hearts heavier than when they left home, +they started to return to it. + +"Do you perceive the smell of smoke? If it should be our cottage!" said +Ellen Buckingham, first breaking the silence in which they rode along. + +"The woods may be on fire again: do not be alarmed; the conversation +this evening has unnerved you," replied her husband; but he could not +conceal the tremor of his own voice, as a horrible fear entered into his +heart; a fear, soon to become a more horrible certainty! + +As they drew near, the air became thick with smoke, and when they +entered the cleared ground and looked for their home, no home was there! +Instead, burning rafters and smoking ruins: around, the ground was +trodden down by many feet of moccasined men. Partly consumed by the +fire, lay the bodies of two farm-servants who had been in Mr. +Buckingham's employ; a tomahawk, smeared with fresh blood, lay among the +smoking embers; and a golden curl singed by fire, was near it--all they +could discover of little Emily! + +The murderers had left, doubtless disappointed that, their prey was so +small; and in the first moments of agony, the bereaved parents wished +that they too had fallen victims to their fiendish rage. Emily was dead, +certainly dead! The fresh blood, the lock of hair, proved it only too +clearly; her body had been consumed by the flames. The light of their +lives had been put out, the glory had passed away from their sky, and +they must now go mourning all their days; they felt as did a parent in +the olden time, whose words are recorded in Scripture, "If I am bereaved +of my children, I am bereaved." One little hour had changed the aspect +of the whole earth to them. + +And yet, broken-hearted as they were, they must act: not now could they +fold their hands in despair. Soon was the news of the Indian rising +spread among the settlers; and while all flew to arms, and joined in the +necessary preparations, tears fell from eyes that were never known to +weep before, and rough men spoke soothing words to the mourners; for +little Emily was known and loved by all for miles around, and many said +"she need not change much to be made an angel." It was agreed that with +the earliest dawn, when the women and children were safely disposed of, +they should meet at the ruins of the Hopedale Cottage, so was it called, +and follow the trail of the savages through the woods; some sanguine +spirits, chief among whom was little Roland Markley, still asserted that +Emily might live, and have been carried away into captivity; but her +parents could not so deceive themselves--that lock of hair had convinced +them of her death; hope could not enter their hearts, it had died with +Emily. + +One entire day did the Indian-hunters follow in the trail and came upon +the spot where their enemies had encamped; and there, three trails in +different directions, looked as if the savages had scattered. What was +to be done? To follow all was impossible, as their own force was a small +one; and meantime night had come on, wrapping all things in her mantle +of secrecy, and fatigue required them to rest their weary frames. +Setting a watch, and lighting a fire, with loaded rifles within reach, +they slept; such a sleep as men can take, when they dream of a red hand +at their throats, and a tomahawk glancing before their eyes. Light +hearts make heavy sleep; but such a deed as had been committed in the +midst of them, makes men start from their slumbers if but a cricket +chirps, or a withered leaf falls to the ground. + +During the night, heavy rains began to fall, and when morning light +appeared, all traces of the pathway of their enemy had disappeared; the +leaves fell abundantly from the trees, and no mark was left upon the +earth to show where they had passed. The baffled party did not give up +the search for several days, but nothing transpired to throw any light +upon the subject; and they were obliged reluctantly to return, in order +to defend their own homes and families from a similar fate. Few doubted +little Emily's death; but some still clung to the hope that she was in +the land of the living, and might yet be recovered. + +But her father and mother hoped nothing: grief entirely filled up their +hearts. And with the grief arose a new feeling--bitter and poignant +remorse. "This is the just punishment," they thought, "that offended +Heaven has inflicted upon us, for having wrung _our_ parents' hearts +with anguish. Now we feel a parent's agony: now can we realize what we +made them suffer. This was the tender spot on which a wound would +penetrate to the heart; and here it is that a retributive Providence has +struck us. The arrows of the Almighty have pierced us--shall we any +longer strive against our Maker? We will humble ourselves in the dust, O +righteous Judge, and will return to duty: if it be not yet too late--if +our parents still live--incline their hearts to forgive!" + +And their pitying God heard their prayer, and brought them in safety to +their childhood's home, and prepared for them pardon and peace of +conscience. For Ellen Buckingham's father had been brought to the brink +of the grave by sudden illness, and the stern old man wept like a child, +when the village pastor, a faithful minister of the Gospel, told him +that the most faultless creed would not avail him if he cherished a +hardened, unforgiving spirit, and exhorted him to pardon and bless his +exiled son and daughter. His iron heart was subdued within him, and when +his wife, whose gentler nature had long since pined for a +reconciliation, joined her entreaties to the commands of religion, then, +like the sudden breaking up of the ice upon a noble river, his feelings +gushed forth beyond control; all coldness and hardness vanished. At this +moment it was that James and Ellen Buckingham arrived: they had come in +the spirit of the Prodigal Son, not thinking themselves worthy to be +called the children of those they had offended; and they were greeted +with the same tenderness and overflowing affection described in the +parable--their confessions of guilt were stopped by kisses and embraces, +and soon they were weeping and recounting their loss, with arms +encircling their long-estranged parents. + +When the doctor paid his next visit, he said that a greater physician +than he had interfered, and had administered a new medicine, not very +bitter to take, which threw all his drugs into the shade: it was called +_heart's ease_, and nothing more was wanting to his patient's recovery, +than very tender nursing, and daily applications of the same dose. And +tender nursing indeed did he receive from his daughter Ellen, and +proudly did he lean on the strong arm of his son, when sufficiently +convalescent to venture abroad: it seemed as if the affection, +restrained within their bosoms for so long a time, now gushed forth more +fully and freely than if there had never been a coldness. And thus did +sorrow on one side, and sickness on the other, guided by an overruling +Providence, join together long severed hearts, purify affections too +much fixed upon the earth, and lead all to look upward to Him who ruleth +in the affairs of mankind. Truly, "he doth not afflict _willingly_ nor +grieve the children of men." + +At the earnest request of Ellen's parents, her husband agreed to +continue with them, acting in all respects as their son, and taking off +from them the burdens of life: and their latter years were made happy by +religion and filial piety. After their death, the Buckinghams removed +once more to their farm upon the Susquehanna, and rebuilt their cottage, +in all respects as it was before its destruction. Soon again did the +vines clamber up the pillars, and hang in beautiful festoons from the +roof; but where was she, the beloved one, who had so wound herself round +their feelings, that death itself could not unclasp the tendrils? Joy +had vanished with her, and no portion remained for them in this life but +peace, which will ever follow the diligent discharge of duty: the hope +of happiness they transferred to that better world, where little Emily +awaited to welcome them. + +What, meantime, had been her fate? On that eventful evening she lay upon +her little crib, in a darkened corner of the room, buried in the sweet +slumber of childhood and innocence. The savage yells did not disturb +her, she peacefully slept on; angels must have guarded her bed when a +fierce Indian, with bloody tomahawk in hand, rushed into the room, but +saw her not in her little nest, and returned to his comrades, reporting +that all the rest of the inhabitants had fled. Determined to do all the +mischief in their power, they set fire to the house and barns, and then +pushed off into the woods, to seek new victims in the unoffending +Moravian settlement of Guadenhutten. Little Emily was first awakened by +a suffocating heat and smoke, and by the crackling of the flames: she +screamed aloud to her father for help, and tried to approach the stairs, +but the blinding smoke and the quickly spreading fire drove her back. +Just then, a tall and noble form, arrayed in Indian garb, forced a +passage through the raging flames and among the falling rafters, and +guided by her cries, sought her chamber, caught her in his arms, and +rushed down to the outer air. Not without peril to both: the arm which +encircled her was burnt so as to bear the scar ever after, but still it +sustained its precious burden, and the little girl was unharmed, save +that some of her long golden tresses, hanging loosely behind her, were +severed from her head by the fire: hence the lock of hair that remained +unconsumed, convincing her friends of her death. + +And who was her brave preserver? Towandahoc, Great Black Eagle, the +friend of the pale faces! The secret plans of his tribe had been kept +from his ears, from the fear that he might betray them to the +unsuspecting whites; and it was not until after the expedition had +departed for the banks of the Susquehanna, that he learned their hostile +intentions towards his friends. He lost no time, but followed rapidly in +their steps, hoping by his representations to induce his people to give +up their murderous purpose, or perhaps, by a short but difficult route +through the mountains, to reach the cottage of Hopedale before them. But +hate is as swift as love in its flight, and as he approached the spot, +and saw the flames mounting up to the sky, he thought himself too late, +and the work of murder and of destruction complete. Just then he heard +little Emily's cries, and rushed in at the peril of his life, to save +the child. + +Supposing her parents to be dead, he resolved to take the helpless +little one to his wigwam, and to adopt her as his own. His home was at +the distance of several days' journey from the Susquehanna, in a retired +valley of the Alleghany mountains, and thither, through a dense forest, +he bent his steps. The greater part of the way he carried the child, her +white arm wound round his dusky neck, her fair head lying upon his +shoulder; he dried her tears, he picked berries in the wood to refresh +her, and strove to comfort her little heart, which was very heavy with +sorrow. At last they arrived at his wigwam; his wife Ponawtan, or Wild +Rose, ran out to meet her husband, and great was her wonder at the sight +of his beautiful burden. He said to her:-- + +"Ponawtan, I have brought you home a child, as the Great Spirit has +taken away our own, and sent them to the good hunting grounds, where +forever they hunt the deer. Take good care of the child, for she is like +a white water-lily, encircled by troubled waters: in our wigwam may she +find rest and peace." + +Ponawtan, with a woman's tenderness, took into her arms the trembling, +weeping child, who, with the quick instinct of childhood, soon learned +that she was a friend. The Indian woman understood not even the few +words of English by which Towandahoc made his kind intentions +intelligible, but the language of the heart is a universal one, and in +that she was a proficient. Well was it for little Emily--or Orikama, +White Water-Lily, as she was henceforth called, that she had fallen into +such good hands. Ponawtan was a kind, affectionate being, who had deeply +mourned the loneliness of her cabin; and now that a child was given her, +that a little motherless, homeless outcast was thrown upon her love, she +was happy, and her sweet voice was again heard singing snatches of wild +Indian melodies at the door of her hut, and about her work. + +For some weeks Orikama drooped her head, and her pale cheek looked +indeed like the flower whose name had been given her; and Ponawtan +grieved when she beheld her languid step, and the sad expression in her +large speaking eyes, or when she found her weeping in a corner of the +hut. But childhood is happily elastic in its feelings, and again the +merry glance came back to her eye, and the little feet danced upon the +green grass, and the soft baby voice caught up the Indian words she +heard, and learned to call her kind protectors by the holy name of +father and mother. + +And was the memory of the past blotted out from her mind? Not +so--indelibly painted there, was the image of a whitewashed cottage, +overgrown with vines, near which a noble river rolled, seen through an +opening of the trees; and of a kind father, who wore no plumes in his +hair, who bore no bow and arrows, whom she had run to greet, and on +whose knee she daily sat, listening to beautiful tales. And of a sweet, +pretty mother, in whose face she loved to look, who taught her to say a +prayer, kneeling with clasped hands; especially did she think of her as +she appeared on that last evening, when she kissed her good-night, and +sang her to sleep with a gentle lullaby. And never did she forget to +kneel down, before she lay upon her bed of sweet grass, and with folded +hands and reverent look to recite her evening prayer. What though the +full meaning of the words did not enter into her mind--with childlike +piety she looked upward to her Maker, and impressions of purity and +goodness were made upon her heart. In the beautiful language of Keble, + + + "Oh, say not, dream not, heavenly notes + To childish ears are vain, + That the young mind at random floats, + And cannot reach the strain. + + Dim or unheard, the words may fell, + And yet the heaven-taught mind + May learn the sacred air, and all + The harmony unwind. + + And if some tones be false or low, + What are all prayers beneath, + But cries of babes, that cannot know + Half the deep thoughts they breathe. + + In his own words we Christ adore, + But angels, as we speak, + Higher above our meaning soar + Than we o'er children weak: + + And yet His words mean more than they, + And yet he owns their praise: + Why should we think, He turns away + From infants' simple lays?" + + +Towandahoc and Ponawtan wondered when they saw her kneeling in prayer, +but did not interfere with the lovely child; and doubtless this daily +habit not only kept up within her mind purer notions of God and duty +than she could otherwise have entertained, but enabled her to cherish a +more vivid remembrance of the parents she believed to be dead, and of +the beautiful home of her infancy. Never hearing aught spoken but the +Indian tongue, the little girl would soon have entirely forgotten her +native language, had it not been for this daily practice, which kept at +least some words of English fresh in her memory. + +Among the indistinct, but most pleasing recollections of the home of her +early childhood, was one of a boy with curly black hair and smiling +face, who brought her beautiful flowers, and made for her rabbits out of +his handkerchief, and pretty little boats out of nut-shells. She +remembered eagerly leaning over the water, watching the tiny bark till +it got out of sight, while he held her hand tightly, for fear she should +fall into the water. Another scene, of a different character, was +imprinted upon her mind, never to be erased--that fearful waking, when +the flames crackled and roared around her, and the thick smoke filled +the air, when she called upon her father for help, but no father was +there; and when her dark-skinned father Towandahoc rushed in to her +rescue. When she thought of this night of horror, she instinctively +clasped her hands before her eyes, to shut out the fearful sight. + +These remembrances, however, did not hinder the bright and lively child +from being very happy in her new life. And why not? True, here were none +of the conveniences or refinements of civilized life, but the little +girl grew up without the feeling of their loss, and + + + "Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise." + + +No mirrors reflected her erect and graceful figure, unspoiled by corset +or by long, wearisome hours of confinement at the school-bench; it was +lithe and well-proportioned as one of Diana's nymphs; but instead, she +arranged her golden tresses, and decked her head with a wreath of +wild-flowers, bending over a small mountain lake, which she had +appropriated to her own use, and which served her as bathing-house, +dressing-room, and looking-glass, all in one. No Turkey or Persian +carpets were spread upon the floor, no sofa with rich carving and velvet +seat invited her to indolence; but instead, she trod upon soft green +moss, sweet grass and flowers, and when weary, reposed upon such seat as +Dame Nature provides for her children in her beautiful mansion--the old +stump, the mossy bank, the well-washed rock, or the tree prostrated by a +storm. No sparkling fountain rose into the air, and fell into its +ornamented basin, to please her taste; but the mountain waterfall, of +which this is but a feeble imitation, rushed down the rocks in +snow-white foam, near her cabin; and she would gaze upon it for hours +with delight. To the imaginative mind, to the eye and the ear open to +the impressions of beauty, nature has many school-books, unopened in the +great city, and amid the busy haunts of men; and her ready scholars may +gain many a lesson from the great common mother, undreamt of amid the +cares of business, the dreams of ambition, and the bustle of fictitious +wants. To Orikama the world was one vast temple: instead of marble +pillars with Corinthian capitals, instead of Gothic aisles and dark +Cathedrals, her eye rested with admiration upon the nobler, loftier +columns of trees that had grown for centuries, crowned with graceful +spreading foliage; upon long avenues, whose overlapping branches formed +a natural arch, imitated long since by man, and called an invention; +upon the deep recesses of forests, with their "dim religious light," or +with their sudden, glorious illumination, when the last rays of the sun +stream in lengthwise, with coloring as rich as any painted window can +furnish. Her choristers were the birds; her incense the sweet perfume +which the grateful earth and her innocent children the flowers +continually offer up to their Maker: instead of the gaudy chandelier, +she gazed upon the full-orbed moon, hanging like a silver lamp from its +dome of blue, and forcibly recalling the Divine Hand which placed it +there. All nature had a voice and a meaning to her, and in the absence +of the ordinary means of education, and of the invaluable aids of the +Christian ministry, her pure and religious soul + + + "Found tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, + Sermons in stones, and good in every thing." + + +Living thus constantly in the open air, while her mind expanded in +tranquil beauty, she grew up a blooming, healthful maiden, whose kindly, +candid nature shone out through a countenance of rare loveliness. + + + "Thoughtless of beauty, she was beauty's self." + + +None were there to flatter the young girl, and to awaken that uneasy +vanity which fills the mind with the consciousness of observation, and +gives awkwardness to the timid, and affectation to the self-possessed. +Seeing herself so different from those she loved the best, the fair +Water-Lily often wished she could darken her skin and hair, that she +might more resemble others. Nor think that Orikama was totally +unaccomplished; her kind mother Ponawtan taught her all she herself +knew--to fear and love the Great Spirit; to be obedient, kind, and +patient; to speak the truth, and to bear pain without a murmur. She +learned that important part of the Indian woman's duty, to raise the +vegetables needed for their simple repasts, and to prepare savory dishes +of venison and other game; to fabricate their garments, ornamenting them +with uncommon skill and taste, and to manufacture baskets of exquisite +workmanship. These were her tasks: and when they were accomplished, how +joyfully did she bound off to the woods, or up the hills, to gather +herbs and barks, such as observation and tradition taught the children +of the forest to employ in the cure of diseases: she knew all the +trees, shrubs, and roots which grew in that region, and was skilled in +domestic surgery, such as woman has ever practised where medical +colleges are unknown. In her frequent and distant excursions for this +purpose, she had attained one accomplishment not to be taught in +schools; her voice was one of exquisite tone and great compass, +peculiarly rich and mellow; and she had learned to imitate the birds in +their varied warblings, so that frequently answers would be returned to +her from the deceived songsters of the wood. Then, louder still would +ring the notes, and the feathered tribe were excited to emulation by the +young girl, singing in the gayety of her heart. + +Thus passed the early youth of Orikama, in intercourse with sweet +nature, under the kind protection of two of the best specimens of the +Indian tribes, and almost debarred from any other society. Seldom did a +moccasined hunter enter their wigwam, yet seldomer did a squaw pass +through that lonely valley; and a white man, never. When she had +attained the age of thirteen, a change occurred, which threw a shadow +over her young life, and was greatly regretted by Towandahoc and +Ponawtan. A detachment of their tribe having determined to migrate, +fixed upon that beautiful and fertile vale for the place of their +settlement, and soon an Indian village arose, where before had rested +the holy, maiden calmness of a region almost untrod by man. Now, all was +dirt, confusion, discord: the vices of civilized life were added to +those of the savage, without the decency or refinement which seeks to +throw a veil over their deformity. Orikama woke up as from a beautiful +dream, to find that those whom she would love to think of as brethren, +were vile and degraded: she saw lazy, drunken men, lounging about at the +doors of smoky huts, or administering chastisement to yelping curs, or +to women as noisy, reduced by ill-treatment and domestic drudgery to be +the cunning, spiteful slaves they were. Every thing shocked the noble +and pure spirit of Orikama: there were none here that she could make +companions and friends, nor would Towandahoc and Ponawtan have been +pleased to have her associate with them. It could not be expected that +she should be a favorite with the young girls of the tribe, who were +jealous of her superior attractions, and hated her for her reserve; and +their conduct made her feel sensibly that she was of another race, and +of another nature. Their malice was perhaps quickened by the fact, that +some slight hostilities had again arisen between the red men and the +pale faces, in which their tribe had been very prominent. + +So unpleasantly changed did the whole family find their beautiful +valley, that it was resolved to remove to some distant spot, where they +should not be crowded out by uncongenial companionship. Accordingly, +Towandahoc departed for an absence of some weeks, to choose a situation +for settlement; the less reluctantly, as all the warriors of the tribe +had already left upon an expedition, which he had reason to suspect was +aimed against the whites. None remained behind but old men, squaws, and +pappooses, not to forget the Indian dogs, ever ready by their snarl to +recall their unwelcome existence to your mind. One day during her +husband's absence, Ponawtan departed early in the morning, with a view +to gather some herbs which grew upon one spot alone, a marsh at a +considerable distance: she left Orikama to take charge of the wigwam +till her return, which would not be before nightfall. Soon after she had +left, the crack of the rifle was heard, and the Indian village was +startled from its repose by the shout of the white man, and armed +backwoodsmen rushed in, expecting to meet their enemies: but the +warriors were absent, and the rough but generous foe disdained to wreak +vengeance upon old men, women, and children. All were taken prisoners, +and the cabins were fired: but how great was their amazement, upon +coming to the larger, handsomer wigwam of Towandahoc, which they +concluded from its appearance to belong to a sachem, to see there, +shrinking back with terror, a fair young girl of their own blood! Few +words could she speak in English, and but little could she understand of +that tongue which for ten years she had not heard spoken, except by +herself in prayer; she had even forgotten her own former name. Great was +the excitement when the news flew through the band, that a lost or +stolen child was recovered, and all rushed eagerly to see her. And she, +what mingled feelings filled her heart! Childish memories of just such +men crowded into her mind. She was lost in wonder and vague remembrance. +Just then, full of ardor, there rushed forward a youth of twenty, who +exclaimed the moment his eyes fell upon her, "It _is_ she! I knew she +was living! It is little Emily Buckingham!" As she gazed upon his open +brow, round which the crisp black curls were clustered, and heard the +long-forgotten name, she was troubled--she thought of the boy who held +her hand as she leaned over the edge of the stream to watch the mimic +boat, and with faltering tongue she repeated her name. + +"The voice and all! Do you not see, comrades, how she resembles her +mother, Ellen Buckingham? Oh, hasten homeward, to give joy to the hearts +of her father and mother!" + +"Father, mother, dead. Towandahoc, Ponawtan, Indian father, mother." + +After some difficulty, Roland Markley, for it was really he, succeeded +in explaining to her that her parents still lived: and against her tears +and prayers, determined at once to break all bonds with her Indian +home, they tore her away, without waiting for the return of Towandahoc +and Ponawtan; but left their wigwam standing, out of gratitude for the +care they had taken of the child. The Indians had made an incursion into +the territory of the whites, and committed many ravages, and it was with +the intention of breaking up their villages, and driving them away, that +this expedition had been undertaken. The prisoners they had captured +were ransomed on condition of their removal, and the whole tribe passed +to the other side of the Alleghanies. + +As the band travelled homeward, and first came across the beautiful +Susquehanna, Orikama--or Emily, as we should again call her--started, +and gazed eagerly around her: the broad stream called up memories of the +past. And when they arrived at the cottage of Hopedale, and she beheld +the house and grounds, the river and the woods, and the distant hills, +she recognized her home, and her earliest recollections were vividly +recalled. Soon was she folded in the arms of her mother, who so long had +mourned for her; and by her father she was welcomed back as one from the +grave. The news spread far and wide, and great was the gathering of +friends and neighbors to wish joy to the parents, and to welcome back +the pride of Hopedale: much to the confusion and distress of poor Emily. +All noticed the strong likeness she bore her mother, in person, voice, +and countenance; and if now she resembled her, how much more was this +the case when she had exchanged her Indian garb for one more suitable to +the American maiden! Soon were the bonds of love knit together most +closely between the parents and their recovered treasure; her tongue +relearned the lost language of her childhood, and happiness again +brightened the hearth at Hopedale; the birds sang more sweetly to her +mother's ears, and the sun shone more cheerfully than it had done for +years. Amidst all her new joys, Emily very often thought of her beloved +Indian parents, Towandahoc and Ponawtan, and longed to see them again; +but Indian life, as developed in the village, was abhorrent to her very +soul, and here she enjoyed all the freedom and communion with nature she +had once so highly prized, with society, and advantages for mental +cultivation she was now at an age to appreciate. All were delighted to +teach the docile and intelligent girl, so ready to take up ideas, so +judicious in the application of them; but Roland Markley, the playmate +of her childhood, installed himself as head tutor, and soon every +setting sun saw him on the way to the cottage, eager to apply himself to +the task. + +Ten other years have passed; and near the cottage of Hopedale stands +another, within whose porch, overgrown by the Prairie rose, at her +spinning wheel, sits a beautiful young matron; perfect contentment is +enthroned upon her brow, and happiness beams out from her radiant smile; +golden curls cluster gracefully around her well-shaped head, and dark, +lustrous eyes follow lovingly a little girl at play, although her +skilful fingers do not forget their task. + +"What is the matter, my little Ellen?" she said, as the child ran to +hide her face in her lap. + +"An Indian, mamma! An Indian, coming out of the wood!" + +At these words Emily springs up; she will ever love the red man for the +sake of those who nourished her childhood, and never will a son of the +forest be sent away uncheered from her door. But times have greatly +changed since her father built the neighboring cottage: seldom now does +the Indian visit that comparatively thickly settled spot; his course is +still westward, and ever onward, with the setting sun. When Emily +emerged from the thickly shaded porch, she saw indeed a red man approach +from the forest; he was old, but his majestic figure was still erect, +his eye bright and piercing; black eagle plumes adorned his stately +head--it was Towandahoc! + +He was soon clasped in the embrace of his long-lost Water-Lily, and +Indian though he was, the old man wept over his recovered darling. He +told her how Ponawtan had returned by nightfall, to find her daughter +gone, and the village in ashes: their own wigwam had caught fire from +the flying cinders, and was entirely consumed. She had lingered around +the spot of her former happiness till his return; after a little time, +as they could hear no news of Orikama, they had removed far away from +the scene of desolation, to the valley of the Mohawk. Grief for the loss +of her daughter had injured the health of Ponawtan, although time had +now somewhat reconciled her to it: but Towandahoc said that the Wild +Rose was drooping, that her leaves were withered, and her flowers +falling one by one; and much he feared that another winter would lay her +low in the dust. + +When little Ellen understood that this was the dear Indian grandpa of +whom she had so often heard, her shyness passed away, and soon she drew +near to the aged hunter, handling his bow and arrows, and even presuming +to climb up and scrutinize the feathers, that were at once her +admiration and her dread. The old man took her upon his knee, and was +showing her his bow, when Roland returned home; he eagerly seconded his +wife's persuasions, to induce Towandahoc to remain with them for some +time, and then to return for Ponawtan, that both might pass the remnant +of their days within their daughter's dwelling. But the aged hunter +shook his head: + +"It cannot be," he said; "the Great Spirit has made the pale faces to +dwell in houses, to plough the fields, and to listen to the voice which +comes from the printed book, held up before his eyes; but he has made +the red man to hunt the deer, and to live alone in the open air. When +the Great Spirit created man, he made his red child first, out of the +best clay: he then made the pale faces; and lastly, out of what was left +he made the black man. And he placed before them three boxes; and +because his red child was the favorite, he told him to choose which he +would have. So he chose the box containing a bow and arrows, a tomahawk, +and a pipe. Then the pale face chose; and he took the box which held a +plough, carpenters' tools, a gun, and a book. And the black man took +what was left: in his box was an overseer's whip, a spade, and a hoe. +And this has been the portion of each ever since. I am a red man, and I +cannot breathe where men are thicker than trees: to me belong the bow +and arrows, the wild deer, and the open sky. The old man has returned to +visit the graves of his ancestors; but soon, far away from them, he will +drop to the ground, like the ripe persimmon after a frost. Orikama has +returned to the ways of her fathers, and I do not blame her, for she is +a pale face. But the old man cannot change, like a leaf in October; soon +will his sun set in yonder western heaven, and he must now keep on his +course. I have said." + +When the moon arose, Towandahoc left the house, bending his steps to the +forest: but he did not go without passing his word that he would bring +Ponawtan to see her daughter. Before the winter set in, they arrived, +and Emily's tender heart was grieved as she gazed upon the wasting form +of her who had so often sheltered her in her arms: it was only too +evident that another summer would not see her upon the earth. Ponawtan +was greatly cheered by her visit; but could only be prevailed upon to +stay for a few days, when she departed, never more to return. In the +spring, Towandahoc came alone; his sorrowful face and drooping form told +the tale of sorrow before he opened his lips: his energy and vital +powers seemed to have died with Ponawtan. He never came again; and +doubtless he soon found a resting-place by the side of her who had been +his life-long companion. + + +"So, you didn't kill any of your people off, but the two farm-servants, +for whom we do not care a fig!" cried Charlie Bolton. + +"Not I," replied Mary; "I'm not very partial to blood and murder; I +would not have put them out of the way, except to please you; I lay the +manslaughter at your door, Cousin mine." + +"I'm very willing to bear the penalty: if it's a hanging matter, please +to imagine that my neck has paid the forfeit--just consider me hung--as +the man said at the crowded dinner table, when an irritable fool took +offence at something he had spoken, and being too far off to throw his +glass of wine in his face, told him '_to consider the wine as thrown at +him_.' 'Very well, I will,' replied the first; 'and do you consider this +sword as run through your body.'" + +"A very good retaliation! And what did they do then? Did they fight?" + +"Not they! They did much better--they laughed, shook hands, and were +good friends ever after." + +"And their honor was as well satisfied as if they had made targets of +their bodies, I dare say: it was much more sensible." + +"But, Cousin Mary," said Amy thoughtfully, "I've been trying to find out +the reason why Towandahoc did not take little Emily to the nearest white +settler, instead of carrying her off into the wild woods; I think it +would have been much better for the poor child." + +"What do you think was the reason?" replied Mary. + +"I know!" cried George. "The Indians are such dunces, that old +Thunder-Gust, or whatever his name is, hadn't the sense to do such a +straightforward thing as that, but must drag the child off through the +woods, scratching her finely with the blackberry and whortleberry +bushes, no doubt. I'll warrant she screamed and tried to get away, +although Cousin Mary does try to made her out so gentle--I know I +would." + +"I declare you do not know how to appreciate my fine sentiment! Are you +boys made of different stuff from us, I want to know?" + +"I rather suppose we are," said George, laughing. "Well, am I right in +my explanation?" + +"Not in the least; some one else must try." + +"I concluded," said Alice, "that it was the natural kindness of his +heart, and his fondness for the little girl, which made him wish to have +her for his own child. Of course, he did not realize that he was only a +savage, and not fit to bring her up rightly." + +"That's nearer the truth than the other guess," rejoined Mary. "But none +of you have mentioned the great reason why Towandahoc carried her off." + +"What can it be?" + +"Simply this--if he had not, what would have become of my story, I'd +like to know? I made him take her home with him, on the same principle +that novel writers place their heroines in a thousand distressing +situations--that they may extricate them from their difficulties, and +make a longer tale." + +"But what's the moral of your story?" said practical, matter-of-fact +John. "I don't see much use in a tale, unless there's a regular drawn +moral in it, that everybody can discover at once." + +"Oh nonsense! I do hate morals!" said Cornelia. "Just as if we were to +be instructed the whole livelong day, and never to have amusement +without a good reason being given! That's too tiresome! I always skip +the morals and the _good talk_, when I read stories--if they're +pleasant, that's enough: I hate to be cheated into a sermon when I want +a story. I feel something as the man did who was fishing for a pike: he +caught a cat-fish instead, and throwing it back into the river, +exclaimed, 'When I go a-catting, I go a-catting; but when I go a-piking, +I go a-piking.'" + +"I'm afraid a good many people think as you do, Cornelia," said Mrs. +Wyndham, laughing. "But perhaps we can find a moral for John, if we look +sharply enough. Let's see--there are good, kind people in every race, of +every complexion; and if we only make the most of our opportunities, +there are means of education open to all who have eyes and ears, and +willing minds. Do you see any other moral?" + +"Oh yes, indeed!" replied Ellen. "When the Buckinghams were deprived of +their child, it was a sort of punishment to them for disobedience to +their parents; and they understood it in that way." + +"True enough," said Mr. Wyndham. "And I have often noticed that +disobedient children are punished in after life, by means of their own +offspring: either by their suffering or death, or, still more +frequently, by their ingratitude and disrespectful conduct. And then +they feel themselves, as their parents did before them, + + + 'How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is, + To have a thankless child!'" + + +"I have often remarked this also," rejoined Mrs. Wyndham. "And it +appears to be consistent with all the dealings of the Disposer of +events: He himself says that He will treat us as we treat our +fellow-creatures: 'With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful, +and with the just thou wilt show thyself just, and with the froward thou +wilt show thyself froward.'" + +"And, when we notice these coincidences, is it not an argument for a +superintending Providence?" said Tom Green. + +"Undoubtedly it is," replied his uncle; "and although evil conduct here +is frequently unpunished, being left for the more perfect retributions +of eternity, yet it is so often followed by unhappiness, and by a reward +in kind, that no thinking mind can doubt the moral government of God. +And it appears to me that of all the commandments, that one which says +'Honor thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with thee,' is the +one taken under the especial protection of Providence. I have ever +noticed that dutiful children are honored by the world, and honored in +their own family circle, and that, on the other hand, it is ill with the +rebellious and unthankful." + +"Then there is another thing I was thinking of," said Amy; "the good +uses of sorrow: you know it brought the Buckinghams to repentance; and +Ellen's father being taken ill, he repented too--I think he had as much +need of it as they. I'm glad my father is not cross and severe." + +"So am I, heartily. Would you run off, Amy, if he were?" said Cornelia. + +"Oh! I hope not! I should think + + + 'How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is, + To have a thankless child.' + + +I shall not forget that passage, uncle, as long as I live: who wrote +it?" + +"Shakspeare: and as a general rule you may conclude, when you meet a +particularly striking passage, that it is either in Shakspeare or +Milton. But it is getting late: will Mary be kind enough to bring the +Bible, for it will then be time to say, Good-night to you all!" + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + +PROVERBS.--TWENTY QUESTIONS.--THE SPECTRE OF ALCANTRA, OR THE CONDE'S +DAUGHTERS, A TALE OF SPAIN. + + +Brightly and joyfully did the sun arise after the storm, like a prisoner +released from dungeon and chains, again to look upon the faces of those +he loved; and all nature put on a holiday garb to greet him. Every tree +and bush was sparkling, as if with rapture. If a magician of superhuman +power had waved his wand over the earth, it could not have been more +changed. Long icicles were suspended from the fences and the overhanging +roofs, and even the sheds looked brilliant and beautiful in their icy +covering; but the trees! what words can describe them? The pines +bristled themselves up like stiff warriors arrayed in steel, their armor +making a clanking sound when the cold winds whistled by; and the +sycamores, with their little dependent balls, looked like Christmas +trees hung with bon-bons and confectionery for good children. Every +stray leaf that had resisted the storms of winter, every seed-vessel +upon the shrubs, shone with beauty; the ground was one glittering sheet, +like a mirror; the sky was of a deep blue, washed from all impurities, +and the sun smiled down upon the beautiful earth, like a crowned king +upon his bride, decked with sparkling diamonds. It was one of nature's +gala-days, in which she appears to invite all her children to be happy; +one of those scenes which forbid us to call winter a dreary time, and +which outshine in brilliancy all the verdure of the tropics. + +At any time we enjoy the clear sky after a sullen rain, or a driving, +impetuous storm, and young people especially feel the truth and beauty +of Solomon's expression, "Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing +it is for the eyes to behold the sun;" but when, in addition, such a +spectacle as this is presented to those long pent up within city walls, +how does the heart swell with rapture! No introduction at court, no +coronation, no theatrical exhibition, can for a moment compare with it +in splendor; nature has shows more beautiful by far than any that man +can produce, and all she asks for in exchange is the seeing eye and the +feeling heart. Truly, the best gifts of heaven to man are free and +universal, bestowed without money and without price, and maybe enjoyed +by the penniless as well as by the millionaire, if the spirit be only +opened to the impressions of happiness they were intended to convey--the +Good God is daily blessing and feasting his creatures with impartial +liberality. What exclamations of delight were heard in The Grange when +the fairy scene was first beheld! Every room in the house was visited, +to see which presented the finest prospect, and soon, with feet well +provided with gum-elastics, and with old-fashioned socks, still better +preservatives from falling, all sallied forth to enjoy the spectacle +more fully. The clear sky and the keen air raised their spirits, and an +occasional slip and tumble was only an additional provocative to +laughter; youth and health, and merry hearts, that had never yet tasted +of sorrow, made life appear to them, not a desert, not a valley of +tears, as it is felt by many to be, but a paradise of sweets, a joyful +festival. + +To combine duty and pleasure, Mrs. Wyndham proposed that they should +bend their steps to the humble home of Mrs. Norton, the poor widow for +whom their fingers had been so busily plying the preceding day. +Accordingly, laden with bundles, and with a basket of comforts which +would prove very acceptable to a sick person, they walked towards her +little cottage. The boys, after a private consultation, declared that +they did not intend to allow the girls to do all the charitable, and +that they wished to invest some of their surplus Christmas cash in a +pair of large warm blankets, for the widow's benefit. Their aunt +heartily approved of the suggestion, and all agreed that a far better +interest would accrue from a capital so laid up, than from shares taken +in the confectioner's or the toymaker's stock; and the walk was +considerably prolonged by a visit to the country store, where the +desired purchases were made. Joy lighted up the sick woman's eyes when +she saw this unexpected provision for her wants, and witnessed the +kindly interest of the young people of The Grange: she thanked them with +few words, but with overflowing eyes and heart. She was an interesting +woman, kind and motherly, and looked as if she had seen better days: her +little black-eyed children also were well trained, with manners much +superior to their station. One little girl of about twelve attracted +Mrs. Wyndham's particular notice; she appeared to have installed herself +into the office of chief nurse, and the younger children seemed to look +to her for help and advice: when not engaged in waiting upon them or the +sick mother, she seated herself near the window, busily occupied with a +piece of needlework. She was a very pretty child, of fair complexion and +deep blue eyes, with the beseeching look that you sometimes see in the +young face, when trouble and hard treatment have too early visited the +little heart--like an untimely frost, nipping the tender blossoms of +spring. Sad indeed it is to see that look in childhood, when, under the +sheltering wings of parents and friends, the body and mind should expand +together in an atmosphere of love and gentleness--such is the great +Creator's will. Mrs. Wyndham observed to her mother, + +"That oldest child of yours does not resemble you and the other +children." + +The sick woman smiled: "No, ma'am, she is an adopted child, although I +love Margaret as much as any of my other children." + +"Indeed! with so many little ones, could you take another?" + +"Yes, ma'am, she was thrown into our keeping by Providence, at a time +when we wanted nothing; my husband was then living, and in excellent +business as a saddler, and we enjoyed every comfort. Times are now sadly +changed, but Margaret shall share our last crust; but indeed she is our +main stay--I should be obliged to give up entirely, and perhaps to go to +the Almshouse, if it were not for her help." + +"I am glad to see that she makes herself so useful; is she any relation +to you?" + +"None at all. I will tell you her story, if you will hear it, some time +when we are alone: it is rather a long one." + +The young people left Mrs. Wyndham still conversing with Mrs. Norton, +and returned homeward. After tea, various games amused the fleeting +hours, and among them "Proverbs" was played as follows: While one is +absent from the circle, all fix upon some well-known old saw or proverb; +the absentee then returns and asks a question of every individual, to +which an answer must be returned, embracing some one word of the +sentence, care being taken not to emphasize it. The first proverb was +this: "When the cat's away, the mice will play." Cornelia had been out +of the room. + +"Cousin Mary, didn't you enjoy the clear-up to-day?" + +"Yes, _when_ it clears after a storm, one always does." + +"Charlie, are you tired from your long walk this morning?" + +"O no, _the_ day was so fine, _the_ walk so pleasant, and _the_ company +so agreeable, that I did not feel _the_ fatigue." + +"Ellen, didn't you pity poor Mrs. Norton?" + +"Yes, and I pitied her _cats_, they looked so thin." + +"Cats! I thought she had only one. Cats? Hum! Tom, don't you hope we'll +have a story to-night?" + +"Yes, I enjoy it vastly, and will take care not to be _away_ when it's +told." + +"Gertrude, don't you think _the mice will play_ to-night?" + +"Yes--but from whom did you take the idea? Who let that cat out of the +bag?" + +"Ellen, to be sure, with her plural number for Mrs. Norton's cat, which +does not look starved at all--so go into the hall, Miss Ellen, while we +think of a proverb." + +"Let's have 'It is more blessed to give than to receive,'" said Amy, "I +thought of that to-day at Mrs. Norton's." + +"Very well, that will do. Come in, Ellen; Cornelia will bring in the +first two words, as they are small." + +"Cornelia, have you finished your crochet purse?" + +"_It is_ almost done." + +"Amy, are you not almost roasted in that hot corner of the chimney?" + +"It would be _more_ pleasant further from the fire." + +"George, you are so fond of skating, don't you hope to enjoy the sport +to-morrow?" + +"Yes indeed--I think we'll have a _blessed_ cold night, and then we'll +have skating." + +"John, how many miles did you walk to-day?" + +"_Two_," said John. + +"That's not fair! That's not fair!" cried some of the younger children. +However, it was agreed that playing upon words, where the sound was the +same, was quite allowable. + +"Tom, do you like to ask questions?" + +"Yes, I like to _give_ a question to be answered." + +"Aunt Lucy, what shall be our story to-night?" + +"That is more easy to ask _than_ to answer." + +"Charlie, are you fond of mince-pie?" + +"Yes, and of cherry pie _too_." + +"Alice, are you not almost tired of this game?" + +"Yes, I'd _receive_ pleasure from a change." + +"Let me see--George's _blessed_, and John's _two_--blessed too--Oh, I +know, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' Now let's play +'Twenty Questions.'" + +"How is that played? It is quite a new game to me." + +"It used to be a favorite game in distinguished circles in England; +Canning, the celebrated minister, was very fond of it; and it really +requires some knowledge and skill in the lawyer-like craft of +cross-examination, to play it well--so have your wits about you, young +people, for the more ready you are, the better you'll like it. One +person thinks of a thing, and by a skillful questioning on the part of +one, two, or the whole party, as you prefer it, your thought can always +be found out. Twenty questions and three guesses are allowed. If +Cornelia will think of something, I'll discover what it is, to show you +how it is played." + +"I have a thought," said Cornelia, "but you never can find it out." + +"We'll see: does it belong to the animal, vegetable, mineral, or +spiritual kingdoms?" + +"The animal." + +"Is it biped or quadruped, fish, flesh, fowl, or insect?" + +"Biped." + +"Man, monkey, or bird?" + +"Bird." + +"Wild or tame?" + +"Tame." + +"Is it the species you think of, or one individual of it?" + +"One particular individual." + +"Is it used for the table?" + +"The species is--but I doubt that this individual was ever used for +food." + +"Did this bird live in ancient or modern times--before or after the +Christian era?" + +"Very ancient; before the Christian era." + +"Does this ancient bird belong to the goose, duck, chicken, peacock, or +turkey tribe?" + +"Turkey." + +"Was it very thin?" + +"Very, indeed--to a proverb." + +"Job's turkey?" + +"You've guessed it, and with ten questions too. Now you can think, +Ellen, and the rest of us will question you, in turn." + +"I have a thought," said Ellen. + +"Treasure it then," said Charlie Bolton; "thoughts are very rare things +with me. Animal, vegetable, mineral, or spiritual?" + +"Vegetable." + +"In its natural or prepared state?" + +"Natural." + +"Is it the whole, or only a part of the plant?" + +"A part." + +"Is it a part of a tree, a shrub, a vine, or is it of the grass kind?" + +"A vine." + +"Is it the root, stem, leaf, flower, or fruit?" + +"Fruit." + +"Is it used for food?" + +"The species is--this one was not." + +"Is this fruit pulpy like the grape, or mealy like the bean?" + +"Mealy like the bean." + +"Is it a bean?" + +"Yes--that's one guess." + +"Was this bean an ancient or modern one?" + +"Very ancient." + +"I know!" cried Amy; "it was the bean Jack the Giant Killer planted, +which grew up to the moon in one night, and fastened itself round one of +the horns." + +"You are right--eight questions and two guesses; that's pretty well. +Now, Amy, 'tis your turn to think." + +"I have a thought." + +"Animal, vegetable, or mineral?" + +"Animal." + +"Quadruped or biped, fish, snake, or insect?" + +"None of these; it is the production of a biped." + +"In its natural or prepared state?" + +"Natural--but a slight alteration was made in its shape at the time to +which I refer." + +"What time is it--before or after the Christian era?" + +"After." + +"Before or after the year 1500?" + +"Very much about that time." + +"Had it any thing to do with Columbus?" + +"Yes; at least Columbus had something to do with it." + +"Was it Columbus' egg?" + +"The very thing. And now, shall we not vary the scene by having a +story?" + +"Agreed, we are all ready to listen; but who shall tell the tale?" + +"It is Alice's turn; and do give us a ghost story, for once, a nice +frightful one that will make our teeth chatter and our hair stand on +end--do, Alice!" + +"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed, but I'll tell you some sort of a +tale, and hope that you will make allowances for a young beginner. I'm +no Scheherezade." + +"No _what_?" said Amy. + +"Is it possible you have not read the Arabian Nights? Scheherezade was +the princess who saved her life by telling such interesting stories; the +tyrant of a Sultan intended to put her to death in the morning, but she +left off in such an important part of her tale, that his curiosity led +him to spare her head till she had finished the narrative. Of course she +took good care to tell what the sailors call 'long yarns,' and the +Sultan found out he could not live without her to divert him." + + +The Spectre of Alcantra, or the Conde's Daughters. + +A SPANISH TALE. + +The Conde de Alcantra was a Spanish nobleman, universally esteemed by +those who knew him, as a man of high honor and moral worth. In person he +was tall, dark, and commanding, in manner grave and dignified. The +grandee of Spain is never one with whom you feel inclined to take a +liberty, but the noble Conde was uncommonly reserved and serious, even +sad, in the expression of his countenance. He was a widower, with two +lovely children, daughters, of the ages of sixteen and eighteen. Clara, +the elder, a very handsome girl, strikingly resembled her father in +appearance, save that a bright, hopeful, energetic spirit was displayed +in her face and in almost every motion. Magdalena, the younger, and the +cherished darling of both father and sister, scarcely looked as if she +belonged to the same family: she inherited from her mother the +transparent, delicate complexion, azure eyes, and fair, clustering +curls, sometimes seen in Spain and Italy, and always so highly prized +from their rarity. Gentleness, and an up-looking for love and +protection, were the characteristics both of her face and mind; and +doubtless her timidity and dependence upon others was much fostered by +the loving cares and constant vigilance of her father. + +Their ordinary residence was in Madrid, where the Conde was much engaged +in affairs of state; his strict integrity, political wisdom, and +fidelity in the discharge of duty, caused business of the highest moment +to be committed to him by his sovereign. But, as is only too frequently +the case, public cares engrossed him to the detriment of his private +concerns, and some little entanglements in money matters made him +resolve to look more closely into his account books, and see where the +difficulty lay. It was certainly surprising, that the hereditary estates +which brought in so large an income till within fifteen years, had so +unaccountably decreased in value, and that the castellan, or mayordomo, +who managed them, was continually complaining of the difficulty he found +in raising from the peasantry the comparatively small sums he yearly +transmitted to his master. But so it was: and although the Conde carried +his confidence in his dependents, and his easiness of disposition, to +such an extent as almost to become a fault, yet as he examined the +accounts of some years' standing, a strong suspicion arose in his mind +that somehow he had been most egregiously cheated, and that while he +had so skilfully managed the finances of the country as almost to double +her revenues, he himself had been as completely managed by a cunning +knave. Being a kind and a just man, he was anxious not to run the risk +of wronging a faithful servant, who was always profuse in expressions of +attachment to the family, and he determined to keep his suspicions +within his own breast, until he had given the matter a personal +investigation. + +Great was the astonishment and delight of Clara and her sister when he +announced to them his intention of paying a visit to the castle of +Alcantra. It was there that Magdalena first saw the light, and it was +there that her mother closed her eyes upon the world, leaving her +husband almost distracted; he immediately removed with his little +children from the scene of this great affliction. It was soon after this +sad event that the old and faithful mayordomo died; he had long been +intrusted with the entire control of the estate, and was greatly beloved +by his fellow-servants and by the peasantry. The Conde gave orders that +the sub-steward, who had lately come into his service, and who was +acquainted with the duties of the office, should take his vacant place; +his feelings were at that time too much engrossed with his recent loss +to institute the proper inquiries into his character and capabilities, +and from that time it was that, from some cause, either from misfortune, +negligence, or corruption, the entanglement of his affairs was to be +dated. The Conde had never before been willing to revisit the castle; +and his daughters, with the ardent curiosity of youth, longed to behold +the place in which a long line of their ancestors had lived, and eagerly +availed themselves of his invitation to accompany him. Their +imaginations were fired by all they had heard of the old chateau; and +the ruinous condition into which it had fallen of late years, only added +fuel to the flame. Clara remembered, or fancied that she remembered, a +vast dark building, with huge towers and buttresses; she often tried to +picture to her mind the home of her infancy, and to describe it to +Magdalena, but these vague remembrances were all that she could recall. + +Don Alonzo informed his daughters that the journey was to be commenced +on the morrow, without much preparation, or any thing like an +ostentatious style of travelling; they themselves would set out in the +old family coach, accompanied by his secretary, Senor Roberto, and would +be followed by another carriage containing their maid, Fernando, his +valet, and Anselmo, a trusty servant. He intended to take with them a +supply of comforts indispensable to persons of their condition, as it +was probable that the castle might be destitute of them, having so long +been without the presence of its master; and this was the more needful, +as the castellan had received no intimation of the proposed visit. On +the following morning they set out: the castle of Alcantra was situated +in the north of Spain, among the wildest mountains, and as they +travelled onward, scenery of the most diversified kind passed before +their eyes. It was the time of the vintage; and the noble peasants of +Castile, in their picturesque costume, came homeward laden with the rich +purple grapes, singing the romantic lays of love and chivalry, which +have passed down from one generation to another. The ballads of the Cid, +and the laments of the Moors, formed the chief burden of their song. +Every now and then they could distinguish some well-known passage in +"Admiral Guarinos," "Baviaca," or "Don Roderick," or that sad-chorus, +which sounds like a Moorish sigh, + + + "Woe is me, Alhama!" + + +At sunset, they would see the peasants seated at the doors of their +cottages, cheerfully feasting upon bread and fruit, varied by the light +wine of the country, preserved in goat-skins, as it is in the East: one +leg of the skin forms the mouth of the bottle; and they noticed, what is +generally reported by travellers, that even in this time of rejoicing, +intoxication was nowhere to be witnessed. Many were the groups they met +dancing upon the grass by the light of the moon; and a pleasant thing it +was to see the white-haired grandsire looking on, and occasionally +joining the merry band of his descendants in innocent sport and +festivity, keeping a young heart under the weight of years. Clara and +Magdalena were particularly struck by the native grace displayed by the +youths and maidens in the bolero, a dance originally introduced by the +Moors: with castanets in their hands, accompanying their steps with +unpremeditated music, they would alternately advance and retreat, fly +and pursue, until, exhausted by the exercise, they would rest upon the +rustic bench or the green bank, and while away the hours with song and +guitar. What noble-looking men are the peasants of Spain! Every one of +them, from the dignity of his deportment, might well pass for a hidalgo +in disguise; and the feeling of self-respect is so common, that it has +passed into a proverb among the people that they are "as good gentlemen +as the king, only not so rich." Proud and independent, and jealous of +any encroachment upon their rights, they are yet scrupulously polite to +others, and pay marked attention to strangers. While in Italy the +foreigner will meet with imposition at every step, the Spaniard disdains +to take advantage of his ignorance, and the significant reply, "Senor, I +am a Spaniard," is sufficient answer to any suspicion of meanness or +duplicity. Their tall, manly forms, wrapped in the ample cloak which the +Spaniard wears with unequalled grace, their oval faces, dark +complexions, and flashing eyes, make them most interesting features in +the landscape. Probably in no country does man, in the humbler walks of +life, appear so universally clothed with the majesty suitable to his +rank as lord of the creation, as he does in Spain. As they travelled +through Castile, the scene was occasionally varied by meeting a band of +strolling Gitanas, or Gipsies, whose swarthy hue, slender forms, and +wild appearance, clearly pointed out their foreign origin; of course, +they were anxious to tell the fortunes of the beautiful Senoritas, and +on one occasion their father consented to gratify their curiosity. But +he repented of his compliance, when he heard the woman predict to the +timid and somewhat superstitious Magdalena, a speedy and imminent danger +as about to befall her, and he noticed with concern the changing color +with which she heard these hints of peril: but Clara, whose fearless and +joyful spirit could not be daunted by such prophecies, soon laughed the +roses back again into her sister's cheeks, and made the wrinkled hag +retreat, full of rage at her incredulity. They also met some of those +immense flocks of sheep, which form such an important item in the +national wealth of Spain, and which are led southward early in the +autumn, to enjoy the rich pasture grounds of Estremadura and Andalusia. + +As they proceeded towards the north, the country became more rugged and +mountainous, and changes in the costume of the peasantry showed that +they had passed into another province: the black velvet cap of the +Castilian, ever worn so as to display to advantage his noble, lofty +forehead, was replaced by one of woollen material, of a brilliant red, +long, and hanging down behind. The scenery every moment became more +grand and sublime, and the young girls, who had spent their lives +chiefly in Madrid, were full of delight and admiration. "How can people +live in the city," they exclaimed, "when such a free and happy life is +before them? How can they prefer brick and stone to the everlasting +hills, the soft green turf, and the majestic forests? Here, you can +really behold the sky, with its beautiful fleecy clouds, ever changing +in shape and hue, and you can see the starry universe spread out before +you; there, you can perhaps catch a glimpse of a few stars, and a small +piece of a cloud, but the rest is hidden by dead walls. In the city, our +time is taken up, and our hearts are frozen, by ceremonious visits, +stately dinners, and the rules of etiquette; here, in the country, a +real, true life could be spent, free from insincerity and busy idleness. +Dear father, will you not give up your offices at court, and live +henceforth at Alcantra?" Their father smiled at their enthusiasm, and +felt himself almost rejuvenated, as he listened to their raptures, +flowing fresh from young and ardent hearts; but told them that they had +not yet seen their ancestral castle, and that perhaps their expectations +might be grievously disappointed; he would wait until they had spent +some time there, before he gave them his answer. + +As they approached the termination of their journey, the country became +yet wilder, and the villages were more thinly scattered; while here and +there a wooden cross appeared upon the roadside, with some simple +inscription, calculated to inspire terror in proportion to its very +simplicity. "Here they killed Iago," or "Here the robbers killed Senor +Jose Blanco." They noticed, on their last day of travel, when they had +entered into the territory of the Conde, that the roadside crosses +became more frequent, and the cottages of the peasantry assumed a look +of poverty they certainly did not bear in former times, when the lords +of the manor resided upon their estate, and were able to see to the +welfare of the people. When they entered the little inn of the village +of Alcantra, about four miles from the castle, the garrulous old +landlord greeted the Conde most warmly. + +"And a good thing it is for the country that your Excellencia has +returned once more to his estates. Now we may hope to have a little +peace; now the peasants will not be ground down to the dust, as they +have been; now some villanous upstarts I know of, will not dare to ride +over them rough-shod, and to treat them as if they were beasts of the +field. Viva! viva! The illustrious Conde has returned!" + +The Count was much affected by the representations of this man, whom he +knew to be an honest and worthy fellow, and was full of regret for what +he now felt to be criminal negligence on his own part; and promised him +that full investigations should take place, and that perfect justice +should be done. The innkeeper asked him if his servants were well armed; +"For," said he, "the nearness of the castle is no protection to you from +robbery. Many travellers have left this inn, in high health and spirits, +and with trunks laden with merchandise, but have never arrived at their +destinations. The road is, as you well know, rough and precipitous, +over-hung by huge rocks and dark forests, and the banditti have taken up +their quarters somewhere in this neighborhood, though where it is none +can discover. Many murders have been committed here, and many a poor +fellow lies buried in unconsecrated ground, Heaven have mercy on their +souls! but the murderers have never yet been caught. It is not thought +that the band can be a large one, but they are very daring; it is now +more safe than usual, for an atrocious murder occurred a few miles from +this place within the last week, and a company of soldiers is expected +here every moment; they will stay a week, and will try to capture them, +but unless the Saints defend us, and all the Martyrs, Heaven only knows +what will become of us all." + +Don Alonzo assured him that he feared nothing, as including the coachmen +they were six well-armed men, upon every one of whom he could entirely +depend. "And," said he, smiling, "if matters come to a bad pass, I could +count upon my daughter here, my brave Clara, as my seventh soldier; I +have taught her to fire a pistol without shrieking, and to hit the mark, +too, and with her protection Magdalena and I need fear nothing." + +After this conversation, it is not wonderful that all were on the qui +vive as they ascended the mountain road leading to the castle of +Alcantra. Magdalena started at every sound, and even Clara, fearless as +she was, felt relieved when she saw the lofty turrets and extensive +battlements she had dimly remembered, spreading out before her, their +dark outline relieved against the blue sky. If the approach was romantic +and alarming, it was a good preparation to their minds for the castle +itself; it was built in the times of feudal power and intestine wars, +and its massive walls had well performed their part in the defence of +its inmates during many sieges. And yet, strong as it was, and built, as +it appeared, for eternity, a portion of this noble structure was going +to decay; one wing had been very much battered in the last siege it had +sustained, and the cannon-balls had done the work of centuries; but the +main building looked very imposing, as if able to resist the lapse of +ages, and appeared, from its elevation, to frown down upon intruders, +and to scorn the very idea of danger. It was exactly such a place as was +calculated to fire the imaginations and to win the hearts of young +girls, brought up in a gay metropolis, from the very contrast to all +they had ever seen before; there was a romance about its very gloom +that was attractive to them. Associated as it was with much historic +interest, and with many family traditions, they had ardently longed to +behold it, and now that they saw it rise, in its dark grandeur, before +them, they acknowledged that their expectations were more than realized. + +There were no signs of life to be seen about the castle, and it was long +before the loud, imperious knocking at the gate-way brought any one to +open it; and then a man appeared, whose hesitating manner and vacant +countenance plainly showed that he had never been gifted with a large +share of mother-wit. With some difficulty he was made to understand that +the party had a right to admittance, and the carriages entered within +the courtyard. The rest of the household was by this time aware of an +unusual arrival, and came forward to receive them; but it was very +evident that their visit was not only unexpected, but undesired, +although the castellan and his wife strove very hard to throw into their +hard, dark countenances, an expression of welcome. Senor Don Juan +Baptista--so was the castellan called--was a man of most repellant +countenance; his eye had a sinister, cunning look, and there was +something in his large, shaggy, overhanging brow, that was really +appalling; it was to be supposed that he had now put on his most amiable +expression, but unless his face greatly belied him, fierce, ungoverned +passions were accustomed to rule his being. His wife, Francisca, had one +of those countenances that appear to dare you to find them out: hard, +silent, and sullen, she looked as if the rack itself could not force her +to speak unless she willed it; and her face reminded you constantly of a +_wooden mask_, which not even the strongest emotions could make +transparent, and allow you to catch a glimpse of the soul behind. Both +were loud in their expressions of regret that their dear lord and the +sweet, beautiful senoritas had not let them know, beforehand, of their +visit, that they might have had things more fit for their reception; the +castle was rather disarranged, and not anticipating this honor, they had +allowed most of the servants to depart, to enjoy a holiday for a few +weeks--their household was at present very small. Don Alonzo cut short +their apologies by telling them that he had attendants with him +sufficient to supply the wants of himself and his daughters, although it +was certainly unfortunate that it should have occurred just at this +juncture; and entering the castle, he tenderly embraced Clara and +Magdalena, welcoming them to their ancestral home. The girls almost +shuddered, as they gazed upon the the huge hall, with its lofty carved +ceiling, and its dark oak panelling. In ancient times, when it was +crowded by armed retainers, or echoed to the joyful chorus of the feast +and the minstrel's song, it must have been admirably suited to its +purpose; but now it looked solitary and desolate, like a fit abode for +the owl and the raven. At one end, a wide, substantial stone staircase +led to the upper regions of the castle, branching off above in many +directions; a long oak-table, capable of accommodating more than a +hundred guests, extended for some distance along the hall, but it was +scarcely noticed in the vast apartment. A large chimney, surrounded by +stone settles, and richly ornamented with curious antique carving, +formed a prominent feature in it; the tapestry on the wall, from which +hunters and grim warriors appeared to look down upon our little party +with surprise and displeasure, hung loosely, in many places was +completely tattered, and waved in the wind as the keen air of the +mountains whistled through, making Clara and Magdalena shiver with cold. +Don Alonzo looked round with concern; "It is indeed many years since I +have been here," said he, "and things look considerably altered; but +now, my daughters, let me advise you, with the aid of your +waiting-woman, to make yourselves as comfortable as possible in your own +rooms, and meanwhile Senor Baptista will be kind enough to have a large +fire built in the hall, for it will really prove very acceptable." + +Francisca showed them to their rooms: large, magnificent chambers, +fitted up with massive furniture of the richest description; but the +tapestry was faded and worn, and every thing showed neglect and +desertion. Francisca, after escorting them to these apartments, told +them that she would send Maria, the housemaid, to make up fires, bring +water, and provide every thing else that they wished, but the girl was +always out of the way when she was wanted, and was really not worth the +salt she ate. Maria speedily appeared, however: a pale young girl of +dejected aspect, with black hair drawn off from a forehead of marble +whiteness, and large, sad eyes cast upon the ground. Her appearance +greatly interested the kind feelings of Clara and Magdalena; she looked +sorrowful and reserved, as if her heart had been chilled, and her spirit +broken by harsh treatment; and the girls, who were very much of her own +age, felt an instinctive pity, and resolved to win her confidence. They +learned by their questions that she was an orphan, and had been brought +up in the castle. She had never known any other home, and had no +relations in the world, so it was not wonderful that she appeared +unhappy. + +As their maid appeared to be quite unwell from the journey, they +dispensed with any further services from her for the day, and descended +to the hall. Its aspect was considerably changed by a large, sparkling +fire which blazed upon the hearth; and, after supper, Don Alonzo and his +daughters drew around it, with a feeling of comfort they had not +experienced since they had entered the castle. As the Conde wished to +discover the character of the castellan as much as possible from +personal observation, he ordered him to be sent for, and invited him to +a seat with them by the fire; and they were soon engaged in interesting +conversation. Senor Baptista was undoubtedly a person of quick +intelligence, and endowed with the gift of imparting a vivid, dramatic +interest to any narrative: he told several ancient legends connected +with the castle, in such a manner as to enchain the attention of his +hearers. One story excited the deepest interest in Magdalena: we will +call it + + +DONA INEZ; OR THE CASTELLAN'S TALE. + +Several centuries ago, as my lord the Conde and the noble Senoritas very +well know, this castle was in the possession of an older branch of the +Alcantra family, long since extinct; and at that time the lord of the +manor was a certain Don Pedro, a dark, stern man, whose portrait, clad +in armor, the senoritas may see on the morrow in the old +picture-gallery. Don Pedro was a man of unflinching bravery, and +indomitable will; his word was law. His vassals obeyed his very looks, +and flew to execute his behests. Accustomed from infancy to command, he +became absolute and tyrannical; his gentle wife was all submission, and +his fair daughter Inez was educated in the practice of the strictest +obedience, so as scarcely to know that she had a mind of her own, when +her father was nigh. Is it wonderful that when the unnatural constraint +was removed by his absence, her innate gayety of disposition broke out +with all the impulsiveness of youth, and her young affections clung to +the nearest object? Such an object was found in Bernardo, a handsome +and noble young man, an orphan, and distant relative, who had been +reared in the castle: he had been the playmate of Inez in childhood; her +comforter, companion, and teacher in girlhood; and now, as she advanced +to woman's estate, they made the discovery that their hearts were knit +together by a love which had grown with their growth and strengthened +with their strength, till it had become a part of their very souls. But +how dare to reveal their affection? Bernardo, although of noble lineage, +and in himself every thing that the fondest father could desire for his +daughter, had his fortune yet to win by his good sword; and Inez was +heiress to broad lands, and might well aspire to a princely alliance. +But love scorns all such distinctions: humble thoughts of herself, and +proud thoughts of her Bernardo, filled the heart of Inez, and as she +plighted her troth to him, she vowed she would wed none but him, and +would patiently wait until the time should come when her betrothed could +claim her as his own. Bernardo went to the wars, and greatly +distinguished himself against the Moors: Ferdinand conferred upon him +various marks of favor, and the noble and lovely Queen Isabel girded on +the sword presented by the king with her own jewelled fingers. + +And now, with a heart beating high with hope, and with the prospect of +great advancement before him, the young man returned to visit the home +of his childhood: it was his purpose, with the sweetness of a few weeks' +holiday, to repay himself for all the toils, dangers, and privations of +a year. But when he arrived, how changed was the whole aspect of the +castle! Inez was in disgrace, and was ordered by her tyrannical father +to be shut up in her room, and to be fed with the bread of affliction +and the water of humiliation. Bernardo was deeply distressed: he at +length succeeded, through the pity of the servants, in obtaining an +interview, and the poor girl, weeping upon his breast, where she had so +often been comforted before, told him the sad tale of her trials. + +Soon after he had left, a noble Marquis, of great wealth, had made +overtures for her hand, which Don Pedro, without consulting her, had at +once accepted, and promised that within a year the bridal feast should +be celebrated. When he informed his daughter of her fate, she besought +him with tears not to send her from her home; but his only reply was +that the matter was determined, and that all she had to do was to submit +and to prepare for the wedding. Dreading as she did her father's wrath, +she dreaded yet more this hateful, compulsory marriage, and kneeling +down at his feet, with streaming eyes, she prayed him in the humblest +manner to spare his only child; she could never survive the union--it +would break her heart--she was young, and wished still to remain for +some years under the paternal roof. But tears and entreaties were +unavailing. Don Pedro commanded her, in the most peremptory manner, to +obey. Rising, with a dignity and composure of manner he had never seen +in her before, for she had ever appeared in his presence only a timid +and frightened child, she professed her readiness to make his will her +law in every other point; she would serve him like a slave, die for him; +she would never marry against his wishes, but would ever strive to +approve herself a dutiful daughter. But in this point she must imitate +his own firmness, and prove herself his child; a vow was upon her soul +that she must not break, and she could not, she would not, marry the +Marquis de Oviedo. As she stood there, so young and so determined, with +all the pride of her race and all the dignity of womanhood rising up to +aid the true love which beat in her heart, even her father was struck +with admiration, and for a moment hesitated. But vindictive passion +triumphed over better feelings, and he ordered her to be placed in her +chamber, under strict confinement. Once a month, since then, had he +visited her apartment, to ask her if she were now ready to yield her +submission; and, upon her reply that she would rather die than wed the +Marquis de Oviedo, with an angry scowl he would leave her room. Poor +Inez looked thin and care-worn, but was greatly comforted by seeing her +betrothed; and they agreed that it was better, whatever the consequences +might be, to inform her father of their engagement, and to endeavor to +mollify his heart. As Bernardo had returned from the wars with such +distinction, he had some slight hope that the crime of loving Don +Pedro's daughter might possibly be forgiven. + +They were still engaged in these discussions, when the door opened, and +Don Pedro appeared; his face was wild with passion, black with rage. He +roughly snatched Dona Inez from the arms of her lover, to whom she clung +with all the energy of despair, as the shipwrecked mariner holds fast to +the mast or beam which is his only hope of safety, or even to the anchor +which will surely sink him to the lowest depths. Turning to his +followers, who were trained to obey his every command without a +question, he ordered them to convey Don Bernardo to the deepest dungeon +of the castle, and to chain him to the wall; and then to bring the key +to him. Dona Inez, in a phrensy of terror, knelt at his feet, and begged +that all his anger might be visited upon her; but spurning her from him, +he told her that she should feel enough of it yet, and need pray for no +more--he had a punishment still in store for her, and in due time she +should realize what it was to defy his power. He left her in a swoon, +and did not see her again until after ten days, when he entered her +apartment, and grimly smiling, commanded her to accompany him, as he +wished to conduct her to her lover; adding, with a peculiar look, that +if it were her wish, as he was all devotion to her slightest whim, he +would never henceforth separate them. Scarcely knowing what to think, +but dreading the worst from the ironical tone of mock gallantry with +which he spoke, she followed him with faltering steps, a vague terror +dimming her eyes and chilling her heart. He led her through many winding +passages, opening heavy iron gates, until they at length reached the +deep dungeons which are found beneath this castle. There, in a damp +cell, heavily chained to the wall, she beheld, by the light of the torch +Don Pedro carried, her own Bernardo! But, oh, how changed! how +emaciated! He seemed to be asleep. Her father told her to awake him; she +took his hand, but started back--that icy touch had told her all--he was +dead, starved to death by her own father! + +That moment reason forsook the agonized mind of Dona Inez; the vaults +were filled with her shrieks, and so awful was the spectacle of her +despair, that even her father was terrified. He tried to soothe her, but +it was too late; he carried her back again to her room, a raving maniac. +A brain fever ensued, of the most violent description; and happily for +the distracted girl, in a few days she was released by death from all +her sufferings. And now it was that, in the consequences of his own +actions, Don Pedro found his punishment; as he witnessed the agony of +his afflicted daughter, as he heard her ravings, as he saw her toss her +white arms and pitifully cry out for Bernardo, or tear her long, black, +dishevelled tresses, horror and despair filled his heart. His +conscience, so long torpid, at length awoke, and remorse preyed upon his +soul like a vulture. And when he beheld that form, lately so lovely and +blooming, stretched out, pale and motionless, upon the bed of death, +anguish seized upon him to such a degree that, rushing into his own +chamber, he put a period to his miserable existence. + +Queen Isabella, when she heard the particulars of these tragical events, +ordered the lovers to be interred within one tomb; the senoritas may see +it in the old chapel, in the north-east corner--their effigies are on +the top, carved in marble, with clasped hands, with this inscription: +Amor morte, or Love in death. The old branch being now extinct, having, +as it were, burnt itself out with its fiery passions, the estates passed +into the hands of your honorable ancestry; may it remain in the family +for a thousand years! + +But my tale is not yet done--would that it were! There would be more +peace in this castle if this were the case! For people do say that Don +Pedro cannot rest, even in purgatory. I am not one at all given to +credulity, and it takes something to startle me; but I must own that I +would never willingly be found in the old parts of the castle after +nightfall. I myself have seen strange lights and startling forms, and +have heard noises for which I could not account, groans, and shrieks, +and the clanking of chains. None of the peasants in the neighborhood +will venture here after night; and the servants can scarcely be induced +to stay in, what they call, the haunted castle. The story runs, that +about midnight Don Pedro begins his peregrinations, clad in armor, as he +is represented in his portrait; in one hand he bears a flaming torch; in +the other a large bunch of keys, and a chain which trails upon the +ground. He has been seen bearing in his arms a female form, clad in +white, with long black hair streaming to the wind, tossing her arms in +wild despair, and uttering piteous cries. It is thought that his +punishment consists in nightly visits to the cell in which Bernardo +died, and nightly endurance of the sight of his daughter's anguish; some +also say that the skeleton of his victim is presented to his eyes, +beaming with light, and that every ray eats into his soul like a canker. +I do not answer for all these tales, but this is the universal belief. I +merely relate to your favors the common talk of the peasantry, ever +given to superstition. + + +"I dimly remember hearing some such story in my childhood, from the old +castellan, from whom, I suppose, you have received the legend," said the +Conde; "but old Don Pedro never walked in my day, and if he does now, +his conscience must have become more tender with the lapse of years. +Cheer up, Magdalena, light of my eyes! You look quite pale from this +horrible tale. I'll answer for it that Don Pedro will not appear to you; +if he does, I'll settle his uneasy spirit for him. Surely, you do not +believe in ghosts? You are not so weak?" + +"No, dear father; I know that it cannot be; and yet I own to feeling +some nervousness on the subject. Much as I long to live here, if I +thought there were any truth in such a spectral appearance, I would beg +you to leave to-morrow." + +"That would be a sad loss to this castle, senorita," said Baptista, +furtively glancing at her pallid face from under his shaggy eyebrows. +"We must hope that Don Pedro may not walk to-night." + +"Another romantic tale is told about a daughter of our house," said Don +Alonzo, wishing to draw off Magdalena'a thoughts from the subject which +filled them. "If you feel inclined to hear it, I will relate it." + +"Nothing would be more pleasant," said the girls, who delighted in these +traditions. + + +DONA ISABEL, OR THE SECRET PASSAGE. + +About a hundred and fifty years ago, when our branch had been +long-established at Alcantra, there flourished here a certain Don +Alphonso, who also had a beautiful daughter, Isabel by name. Her +portrait hangs in the gallery, and is remarkable for a sweet bravery of +look, and for a merry, piquant glance of her black eye, which I greatly +admired when a young man, and of which I have been often reminded when I +looked at my Clara. I think, my daughters, that you will agree with me +in seeing a strong resemblance in person, as I also do in character; you +can judge of that as my story proceeds. And by the way, Clara mia, +tradition gives the room you occupy to the Lady Isabel; it has ever +since been called Dona Isabel's chamber; so, when lying upon her bed +to-night, you can dream of your fair predecessor. Her father, also, was +rather fond of having his own way, and in this the daughter fully +sympathized with him; it is said to be a characteristic of our race, so +we had better call this obstinacy a noble firmness, and thereby save our +self-love. Don Alphonso, however, was not quite such a bloody-minded +tyrant as Don Pedro: how could he be, as he was one of our ancestors? +The matter is clearly impossible. And I wish you to notice, my +daughters, how, with the lapse of years, the race of fathers improves: +beginning with a murderous Don Pedro, a self-willed Don Alphonso then +walks upon the stage; and lastly, as a perfect specimen of a dutiful, +obsequious papa, behold me, ladies--at your feet! + +I have told you that Isabel had a mind of her own; she showed it very +plainly by falling in love in a most unorthodox, unfilial, enthusiastic +sort of way--with whom? You will be so shocked, my daughters, that I +almost dread to tell you. If she had waited, like a dutiful child, till +her father had told her she _might_ love, it would have been another +thing! But this headstrong girl seemed to think she had as good a right +to be happy in her own way as a peasant! True, the man of her choice was +not a reprobate: he was not even a low-born, unmannerly churl: Don +Fernando de Velasquez stood foremost among the young cavaliers of Spain, +in gallantry and in that nobility of mind which, should ever accompany +gentle birth. But yet it was in that very gentle birth that all the +offence lay, for Fernando's ancestors had long been at enmity with the +house of Alcantra, and this ancient feud had been embittered by years. +But, sometimes, there appears to be a fate in the affairs of men, +especially when a woman, and a pretty woman, is in question: so it +happened that Don Fernando was, one day, riding at some distance from +his home, when his good fortune enabled him to rescue a lady, whose +horse, frightened by some object in the road, reared and plunged in a +most alarming manner. It was Dona Isabel, who had out-ridden her +attendants, and who now felt that she owed her life to this very +handsome, polite, and noble-looking cavalier. Could he do less than +soothe her fluttered nerves, guide her horse, and make himself as +agreeable as possible? Could she do less than feel ardently grateful, +and manifest it in every look and accent? Very improper it was, +certainly, as I said before, for a daughter to think of a young man +until her parents' permission is given; but I have heard of one or two +other instances in which this occurred; and before either made the +discovery who the agreeable companion was, when, of course, if they were +dutiful, antagonism and animosity would have filled their bosoms, they +were both unmistakably, undeniably, desperately in love! + +Is it wonderful that Don Fernando escorted her to the gate of the +castle? Or that proud Don Alphonso did not invite him in, +notwithstanding his daughter's imploring looks, even after he had heard +from her lips of her deliverance? Are my daughters very much astonished +that little perfumed notes, exquisitely written, doubtless with little +kissing doves stamped in the corners, and signed 'Yours till death,' +passed between the two castles? There was a prodigious waste of +sentiment on the occasion, quite enough to set up twenty pairs of +well-behaved, proper, respectable lovers. It came to such a pass that +Fernando declared, and I believe the fellow was in earnest, that +existence would be intolerable to him unless he could meet his Isabel; +and the lady, although feeling some qualms of conscience about the +matter, agreed to see him daily, when the evening star rose in the sky. +So, while her poor old father--good easy man! thought that his daughter +was in her chamber, or piously engaged in the oratory saying her _Ave +Marias_ and _Pater Nosters_, and singing a vesper hymn to the Virgin, +the naughty girl had gone by a secret passage underground to a wood at +some distance, where she met her betrothed. + +This passage is said to begin in one of the chambers of the castle, and +winding along in the wall, to proceed downward towards the dungeons +underground, and then to pass away to the wood already mentioned. It was +originally intended, no doubt, as a means of escape, or of communication +with the outer world, in case of a siege; but, at that time, it had +almost passed into oblivion. After the events I am relating, the outlet +into the wood was stopped up, and where the passage is to be found no +one knows: so that if Clara wishes to imitate the conduct of her +beautiful kinswoman, and to arrange clandestine meetings, she will have +to spoil the romance of the proceeding by quietly walking through the +open gate. + +But at length, some prying eyes found out these nocturnal interviews, +and great was the rage of Don Alphonso. The lovers were seized, brought +back in tribulation to the castle, and imprisoned, one in her chamber, +the other in a dungeon. But love finds many devices: whether it was a +golden key that opened her door, or whether it was her eloquent tongue +and pleading looks, I know not, but certain it is that in the dead of +night, when all but two in the castle were sunk in profound slumber, a +fair lady softly stepped into her father's apartment, drew a large bunch +of keys from under his pillow, and proceeding down to the dungeons by +the secret passage, set Don Fernando at liberty! Soon did they breathe +the sweet, fresh air of freedom: soon did they find their way to the +territory of the Count de Velasquez, and to the chapel where an obedient +priest spoke over their kneeling forms those words which can never be +unsaid, by which Holy Mother Church sanctions the union of loving +hearts. + +And the father? He stormed considerably--we fathers generally do in such +cases. But, upon mature consideration, he concluded that amiability was, +under the circumstances, the best policy: and being in reality a +kind-hearted man, he forgave the young couple, and invited them to +dinner! And thus ended the ancient feud between the houses of Alcantra +and Velasquez! + + +After the termination of the tale, Senor Baptista retired, and the Conde +and his daughters remained chatting by the fire for some time; at length +the wasting embers, and the increasing chilliness of the air, warned +them that it was time to seek repose. With a reverence unhappily too +much wanting in our land of youthful independence, Clara and Magdalena +knelt before their father, and as he imprinted the warm kiss upon their +brows, and uttered the heart-felt "God bless you, my daughters!" their +feelings, both of piety and of filial love, feelings, how closely +united! were certainly freshened. + +Taking their little night-lamps, they proceeded up the staircase, but +soon parted, as their rooms were situated in different galleries. From +the dim light, and the many branching corridors, Magdalena mistook her +way, and was just convinced of her mistake, when a sudden puff of wind +put out her lamp. Feeble glimmering as it gave, it yet would have +enabled her to find her way, and she was just on the point of calling +out for aid, when she perceived a light approach from an adjacent +gallery. She thought it must be a servant, but upon stepping where she +could command a better view of it, what was her horror to see a form +advance like that described in the story of the castellan! It appeared +to be a tall man, clad in complete armor, with visor down: in one hand +he bore a torch, which seemed to emit a supernatural light and in the +other, a bunch of keys, and a long chain, dragging upon the ground. She +distinctly heard the clanking sound of the chain, and the ringing noise +of his footstep upon the stone, ere she distinguished the figure, so +exactly similar to that of the spectre of Alcantra, the vengeful Don +Pedro which was so vividly impressed upon her imagination. She did not +shriek, she did not faint; but quickly bounding along the corridor, she +flew like lightning down the broad staircase, and found herself in the +hall. She had hoped to find her father still there, but it was dark and +deserted, and looked so vast and so gloomy, by the cold light of the +moon, which streamed in at the furthest windows, that she felt a cold +chill creep over her. At this moment the clock struck twelve: as she +counted the strokes, which seemed to her excited fancy as if they would +never cease tolling, she thought she heard the ringing footsteps +approach: in an agony of terror, she rushed through the darkness, which +was indeed to her a darkness which could be felt, a palpable thing, +towards the chimney place, hoping to find enough of flame to light her +lamp; but in vain. The air felt to her so thick and heavy, as if her +lungs could scarcely breathe it: she listened for the sound of a step, +but heard only the beating of her own heart. At length she summoned +courage to retrace her steps, to find either her own room or her +sister's, for the silence and solitude of that vast hall were too +oppressive to be endured. Softly and slowly she crept up the staircase, +when suddenly she felt her wrist clasped by a cold iron hand: she gave +one piercing shriek, and fell senseless to the ground. + +When she came to herself, she was lying upon her bed, in the same +clothes she wore the preceding day, and the bright sun was streaming in +at the windows. She arose, with a sense of pain and confusion, as if +some dreadful thing had happened, which she could not recall to her +mind; but suddenly the whole scene of the preceding night flashed upon +her. She thought, it is impossible: certainly it was a painful dream, +caused by the exciting conversation of last evening, and by my +impressions of the castle. But all the minute circumstances crowded so +vividly into her mind, that she thought it could not be that a mere +vision of the night should produce so powerful an effect. But what +convinced her of the reality of these occurrences, was the fact that she +had not undressed for the night: casting her eyes down upon her person, +as she thought this, they fell upon her hand; and there she distinctly +saw the marks left upon her delicate skin by that iron grip to which she +had been subjected! As she saw this, all the crawling horror and choking +fear of the preceding evening came back thick upon her, and a feeling of +faintness which she could scarcely resist: but just then her eye fell +upon the crucifix, and with a sensation of self-reproach that she had so +long forgotten the supports and comforts of religion, she knelt down, +and fervently besought aid from on high. And never, under any +circumstances, is such a prayer in vain: her mind, so fearfully tried, +resumed its self-command, and calmness and peace stole back again into +her heart. She opened her window: it was a lovely day, and the mountain +air, so bracing and reviving, so deadly to sickly fears and nervous +sentimentalities, had an inspiring effect upon her; she laved herself in +the cold spring water, arranged her dress, and sought her sister's room. + +When there, she felt her tremors return, as she related to her the +events of the night; but Clara's brave and joyous spirit was not of the +kind to yield, even for a moment, to supernatural terrors. With her arm +around her sister, as if to shield her from all harm, she told her that +the first thing to do was to remove all Magdalena's effects to her +chamber, as she did not think she could trust her out of her sight for +one moment, after such an adventure. + +"But, surely, it must have been your excited imagination!" + +"How then do you account for my finding myself on top of my bed, and +dressed? And how do you make out these purple marks?" + +"True; but it's very certain a ghost could not have carried you in his +arms to your room--it makes me laugh, the very idea! You are not very +heavy, but rather too substantial for a ghost, I should think! And he +must have been a very smart hobgoblin to know so well which was your +room--that seems to me as if he must be an acquaintance of our very +earthly-looking castellan. And just as if a ghost could make such a mark +upon your wrist! Bah! what a clumsy contrivance! I've read of these +amiable spirits _burning_ their marks into your flesh, but the blue +spots! they are made by good strong muscles. Was your _spook_ polite +enough to bring your lamp, as well as yourself, into your room?" + +"I never thought of that! I am sure not, for I always put it on the +dressing-table; come and see!" + +They looked, and no lamp was there; they examined the staircase, and +there was a large grease spot, but no lamp. + +"See, sister! here is a corroboration of my tale!" + +"Oh, I don't doubt a word of it; and I don't doubt the ghost put the +lamp into the pantry this morning, nicely trimmed. There is villany +here, Magdalena; I believe that rascal of a Baptista--I must call him +so, he has such a hang-dog look--wants to drive us away, for reasons of +his own: I can never forgive him for frightening my poor darling so. +We'll see if the ghost assail you, or pay you any polite attentions, +while you are with me! I've never been so lucky as to see any of the +creatures, and should like to try a few experiments upon them: I never +even meet snakes in the woods, or any of those things that frighten +others. So, Senor Hobgoblin, come and welcome!" + +By this time Clara had completely chased away her sister's lowness of +spirits, and they descended to the breakfast-room, pleasantly talking +together. The castellan was in the hall, and Clara did not fail to +notice that he fixed his eye searchingly upon Magdalena as they passed, +and did not take it off while he asked, with an obsequious air, if the +senoritas had passed a comfortable night in the cheerless old castle? + +"An uncommonly refreshing one, owing to the hospitable cares of yourself +and Francisca," said Clara, answering for both; "my sister had something +like the nightmare, but otherwise we were very comfortable." + +When they were alone, they told their father the events of the night, +and it was his first impulse at once to charge the castellan with +villany, and to dismiss him from his post; but Clara persuaded him to +wait yet some days, until the whole matter was well cleared up, before +he took any action. + +"But, Magdalena! I cannot have my little girl's cheek blanched, and her +mind filled with ghostly terrors!" "Don't be afraid for me, dear +father," said his daughter, smiling; "Clara's bravery has quite +reanimated mine, and she has laughed me out of the belief of its being a +spirit at all; I now wonder I could ever have thought so." "All very +well, my beloved; but there is a great difference between breakfast +time, when the sun is shining brightly into the room, and midnight, with +dark corridors and a feebly burning lamp--especially when it goes out." +"True, father," said Clara, laughing; "but I intend to provide for quite +an illumination to-night, and do not expect to let poor Magdalena stir +from my sight all day." + +That day passed off without any incidents, and was very agreeably spent +in an examination of the ancient castle, with its many relics of by-gone +times, its collection of portraits, its spacious rooms, winding +galleries, and magazine of armory and weapons. From the battlements they +enjoyed a view of the country beneath them, unsurpassed in extent and +grandeur: it spread out before their eyes a beautiful panorama, +comprising hill and dale, forest and cultivated land; the little +whitewashed cottage, with its ascending smoke, and the flocks of sheep +scattered about, gave a lively interest to the scene, and endeared it to +their hearts: man ever loves to see tokens of the nearness of brother +man. Magdalena clasped her father's hand: "O, may we not always live +here?" "But what about that ghost?" "O, I forgot; but if Clara lays the +uneasy spirit of Don Pedro, then will you not remove here?" "I think I +will, my daughters, if you both desire it. I dreaded to come here, but +find that time has so mellowed and softened my grief, that I can now +feel pleasure in revisiting the spots made sacred to me by your dear +mother's presence. And I also feel as if I had neglected my duty, +through too great an abandonment to grief; here, in my ancestral +possessions, it certainly lies. The peasants, I fear, have greatly +suffered from my absence, and now they scarcely know me; and I am almost +a stranger to the neighboring gentry. If we remove here, will you, my +daughters, aid me in making this castle the scene of hospitality and +kindness, and will you extend your care to the neglected poor and +ignorant, who are scattered through these valleys?" The girls answered +with joy in the affirmative, and already began laying plans for visiting +the sick, reading to the old, and teaching the young. + +That night Magdalena's fair head was encircled by Clara's arm, and their +hands clasped together; the younger sister soon fell asleep, after some +light confidential chat, such as sisters only can have, there being in +that connection the sensation of perfect safety, of the fellow-feeling +of youth, and of that entire understanding of every thought and +allusion, resulting from intimate intercourse from birth. But Clara was +wakeful; she thought over the strange events of the preceding night, and +the more she reflected, the more convinced she was of some plan on the +part of the castellan, for she connected together his looks, his tale, +and the sequel of Magdalena's ghost, as the merry girl would call the +spectral appearance. While engaged in these thoughts, the clock struck +twelve: "the witching hour!" she thought; "I wonder if the illustrious +Don Pedro is walking now!" Just then her sharp ear detected a little +clinking noise on the opposite side of her large, dark chamber; she was +all attention, but not a motion did she make to disturb her sleeping +sister; her arm still encircled her lovingly, her hand clasped +Magdalena's. Gazing into the darkness, there suddenly appeared in the +room a luminous skeleton, frightful enough, truly, to weak nerves; but +Clara was gifted with a calm and fearless spirit, _mens sana in corpore +sano_; and her unspoken thought was--"Ah, phosphorus! pretty well done +that, for the country! it is really worthy of one of our Madrid +conjurers!" Watching intently to see if any other show was forthcoming, +the skeleton as suddenly disappeared as it had come, and she heard +various sepulchral groans and sighs, with a running commentary of the +rattling of chains and jingling of keys. At last this pleasing +interlude, as she termed it, ceased altogether, and in a few moments she +again distinguished that clinking sound, and all was silence in her +chamber. "Well!" thought Clara, "the show is certainly over for the +night, I might as well go to sleep. Very kind, certainly, to provide for +our entertainment! But I am glad Magdalena did not wake." + +The following day Clara told her adventure in such a mirthful manner to +her father and sister, that it was impossible to avoid seeing it in a +ludicrous light. However, arrangements were made to stop any further +display of theatricals, if they should be attempted the ensuing night; +and Clara spent some time in her own room, examining the wall opposite +her bed. The result was, that upon raising the tapestry, and carefully +striking every panel, she observed that one gave a hollow sound: she +tried to slide it up, she tried to slide it down, she tried to slide it +sideways, but it was unavailing. Determined not to give it up, she felt +in every part, and at last, after spending several hours in the search, +her perseverance was rewarded; it suddenly flew open! she had at last +touched the hidden spring, and here, in her own room, as she had +suspected, was Dona Isabel's secret passage! Greatly was she tempted to +explore the dark and narrow way, and to descend the stairs she saw +through the gloom; but prudence prevailed, and she comforted herself +with the thought that she had made discoveries enough for one day. + +Another awaited her, however: she had scarcely closed the panel and +replaced the tapestry, when there was a knock at the door; it was Maria +bringing in wood and water. Poor Maria appeared to be the general drudge +of the house, and her slender, delicate frame was borne down with labor. +Clara's bright and cheerful kindness had quite gained the young girl's +heart, unused as she was to aught but harshness and reprimand. Her soul +expanded, and her silent lips were opened under the genial influence--it +was like the sun shining upon the little flower, shut up against the +chilling dews of night, but spontaneously opening under his joyful +beams. She told her her history: she was the only grandchild of the +former castellan, the faithful servant of the house, so beloved by Don +Alonzo: at his death she was a little child, and had ever spent her life +in the service of his successor. When very young, she had met with +kindness from the other servants; but they were soon dismissed, and for +years there had been none in the castle but those she now saw--the +castellan and his wife, the half-witted Sebastiano, and herself. But she +said that occasionally Senor Baptista had company--and she shuddered as +she said it--ferocious-looking men, armed to the teeth, and generally +wearing masks. She always kept out of the way when they were about; but +one thing she knew, that they did not enter nor depart by the gate of +the castle, and that Senor Baptista must have some other way of +admitting them. "Do you think they can be the banditti they talk of?" +"I do not doubt it, and I have so longed to get away from this wicked +place, that I often lie awake at night thinking about it. They would +kill me if they thought I had betrayed them;--will you protect me?" +"[**missing words**] my poor Maria: and so you are the old castellan's +grandchild! I remember hearing my father say that he yearly transmitted +to Baptista a handsome annuity for this poor orphan: of course you never +got any portion of it?" "Not a single quarto: but now I must go, I +should be missed; a Dios, senorita querida!" + +Clara lost not a moment in seeking her father, and in communicating to +him her important intelligence. Cool action was indispensably necessary: +for the first and the last time in their lives, there was a secret +between the sisters. After dinner, Don Alonzo expressed a wish to ride, +to see if any changes had taken place in the neighborhood, and his +daughters declining to accompany him, as had been agreed between them, +he invited his secretary, with the castellan and his wife, to accompany +him--an honor which they gladly accepted. Soon after their departure, +Clara sent a note Don Alonzo had written, by the hands of their trusty +Anselmo, to the village of Alcantra, requiring the immediate attendance +of the band of soldiers stationed there; and before the return of the +carriage, they were admitted by Maria, and conducted to a room adjoining +Clara's, the weak-minded Sebastiano being easily kept out of the way. + +At night, a change of apartments took place: Clara and Magdalena slept, +or rather waked, in their father's room, and he quietly awaited in +theirs the progress of events. At twelve o'clock, he heard the slight +sound described by his daughter, as proceeding from the opening of the +panel. He waited a few moments, to allow the intruders to enter, and +then, beholding forms arrayed in flames and white winding-sheets before +him, he raised the pistol he held in his hand, pulled the trigger, and +the foremost fell groaning to the ground. Instantly the soldiers and +servants stationed in the adjoining chamber rushed into the room with +lights, and before the rest of the villains could recover from their +surprise, they were all captured. Upon raising the wounded man, they +beheld, gnashing his teeth with fury, Senor Baptista himself, the leader +of the band! ten men were they in all, and as they subsequently +discovered, this comprised the whole of the banditti. Entirely under the +control of the artful Baptista, their object was not to injure, but to +alarm the Conde's family, hoping thus to drive them away from a place +filled with supernatural horror; whereas any harm done to them would +have infallibly brought down upon their heads the vengeance of +government. + +Francisca, also, was secured, and the whole band was sent off to the +nearest prison, to await their trial. The attempt was made to work upon +the woman's fears of Francisca, to induce her to make confession, and to +implicate her companions. Iron can be fashioned into any shape upon the +anvil, but a will like hers no fire is hot enough to melt, no hammer +hard enough to break or subdue. They promised her pardon, if she would +open her lips; but her scornful smile showed that she would remain true +to her own code of honor, be the consequences what they might. Abundant +evidence proved the guilt of all concerned: the men suffered the penalty +of offended justice, and Francisca was condemned to perpetual +imprisonment, but managed to escape, and was never heard of more. + +On the morning following the capture, the secret passage was thoroughly +explored, and a discovery made, involving many important results. A +number of the dungeons were found piled up with merchandise of various +descriptions, and whole chests of gold and silver were there deposited: +information was immediately transmitted to government, but the king +himself wrote a letter to Don Alonzo, thanking him for his many faithful +and unrequited services, and begging his acceptance of the treasure +found within his walls, much of which was no doubt his own. The Conde +gratefully accepted this evidence of his sovereign's favor, and took +great pains to discover the relatives of those who had been murdered by +the banditti, restoring to them fourfold. The treasure that remained was +more than sufficient to disencumber his estates, and to restore them to +the flourishing condition of olden times. He endowed hospitals, +churches, and schools with the residue; and the peasants of all that +region will long have cause to bless Dona Clara's bravery and Don +Alonzo's munificence. + +It is almost needless to add that Maria, in whom every day developed new +graces under the quickening influence of kindness, was well provided for +by the Conde; and upon her marriage with his secretary, Senor Roberto, +he presented her with a handsome dowry. The old castle of Alcantra, +delivered from its spectre, was soon converted by masons, carpenters, +and upholsterers, into a most comfortable abode; and the hospitality of +its noble master, and the charms of his fair daughters, attracted to it +all that was worthy, intelligent, and lovely in the adjacent country. + +"Is that all?" said Amy, who had been listening with glistening eyes. + +"All? I hope so indeed; for do you know, my dears," said Mrs. Wyndham, +"that it is past eleven o'clock? Hasten away now to your nests, and take +care not to dream of the spectre of Alcantra." + + + + +CHAPTER V. + +A SKATING ADVENTURE.--WHAT IS MY THOUGHT LIKE?--QUESTIONS.--THE ORPHAN'S +TALE, OR THE VICISSITUDES OF FORTUNE. + + +Saturday morning was so bright and cold--such a frosty, finger-pinching +winter day, that, at breakfast, George proposed the riddle, "What two +fishes would you tie together on a day like this?" As none were able to +guess it, he pronounced the assembled company intolerably stupid, and +gave as the solution, _skates_ and _soles_. He declared the weather was +made on purpose for skating; and although his uncle expressed some +doubts as to the thickness of the ice, George's eloquence and +earnestness carried the point, especially as, from his own account, his +experience was so great that you would have concluded he was at least +sixty years old. So the boys set off for a large pond, at the distance +of about a mile, accompanied by the girls, well wrapt up in cloaks, +furs, and mufflers, of every description, all in the highest spirits, +and quite ready for fun and frolic; and the quick walk through the +frosty air, broken by many a hop, skip, and jump, certainly did not tend +to repress the exuberance of their laughter and excitement. Is any one +too grave and too wise to approve of such conduct? allow me to ask, +reverend sir, or venerable madam, as the case may be, how many centuries +are pressing their weight upon your silver locks? Methuselah himself +might remember that he once was young, and sympathize with the innocent +light-heartedness of youth: and surely you cannot have arrived at quite +his length of years. 'Tis a great mistake to suppose that dullness and +moping gravity have any thing in common with either goodness or wisdom: +they are but the base imitations, the spurious counterfeits, which can +pass only with the undiscerning. Welcome, joyous laugh, and youthful +glee! the world has quite enough of care and sorrow, without repressing +the merry heart of childhood. Wiser would it be for you, oh sad and +weary spirit, sick of the buffetings of the cold and selfish crowd, for +a little time to come out of your unhappy self, and by sympathy with +others, again to become a little child. Your soul would be refreshed and +strengthened by bathing in the morning dews of youth; here would you +find a balm for the wounds inflicted by the careless world; many a +mourner has been drawn away from that sorrow which feeds upon the very +springs of life, by the innocent caresses and gay converse of a child. +Cleave then to your liveliness, young people! and throw away from you +all vapors, megrims, and melancholic feelings! Believe me, real sorrow +will come soon enough, and your groundless depression of spirits may +have more in common with ill-nature than with thoughtfulness or +earnestness of mind: true wisdom is both cheerful and loving. + +The girls staid for some time admiring the evolutions of the skaters as +they gracefully wound about in intricate figures, or cut their names +upon the ice; but they declared at last that they must retreat before +the attacks of Jack Frost, who pinched their noses, fingers, and toes in +an unmerciful manner. The boys, ardent in the pursuit of sport, still +persevered, and George especially, who was devoted to this amusement, +distinguished himself by his skill. "Take care, George!" said his +brother John, "you are going too far from the shore; it's hardly safe +out there. Please to recollect, that neither you nor I can swim, and +we'd be in a fine case if you fell in." "Who's afraid? I'm not for one!" +cried George, fearlessly dashing off to the centre of the pond: but at +the very moment when he was raising a triumphant shout, and calling upon +the rest to follow him, a sharp crack was heard, the ice gave way under +him, and he disappeared in the water! A cry of dismay broke from the +group of his companions: instinctively John rushed forward to save him, +but was held back by the others, who well knew that two would then be +lost, instead of one. But in an instant, before George rose again to the +surface, Tom Green, the oldest of the cousins, and a tall, manly fellow, +had stripped off his coat, and gaining the spot, had plunged into the +water. It was intensely cold, and he was obliged to break away the ice +for some distance round before he was able to seize hold of poor George, +who had risen up only to find a glassy wall, impenetrable to all his +efforts, between himself and the outer air, and who had given himself up +for lost. + +Tom at length succeeded in forcing his way to ice thick enough to +sustain his weight, and giving up his precious burden to the anxious +group above, he reached the shore in safety. Both were chilled through, +and almost numb, from the excessive cold of the water, and Tom's hands +were cut by the ice, which he had been obliged to break: but they were +not the lads tamely to give up, and moan over their condition, when they +were able to act. "Now, boys, for a race!" cried Tom: "it's the only +hope of putting a little life into us, and of keeping off the +rheumatism--let us see who will be the first at The Grange!" They +accordingly started, running as fast as the numbness of their feet would +allow, and soon arrived at the house; but what remarkable objects were +Tom and George, when they presented themselves before the eyes of their +astonished aunt and cousins! Their dress, soaked with water, was now +perfectly stiff, like a coat of armor, and the edges hung with icicles, +as did their hair; Cornelia, concerned as she was for her brother and +cousin, could not, when she thought of it, long afterwards, refrain from +merry peals of laughter at the ludicrous appearance they made--they +looked as if they had come from the North Pole, representatives from the +regions of eternal ice and snow. Mrs. Wyndham very soon had beds +prepared for them, where, wrapt up in blankets, and comforted by a warm +drink, which the advocates of the Maine Liquor Law would not have +altogether approved of, they speedily recovered their vital warmth, and +the elasticity of their spirits. Uncle John assured the young party, who +were full of fears for their health, that his anticipations of evil +consequences had been scattered by seeing those piled-up plates at +dinner-time return to him to be replenished: he thought that such fine +appetites were very good symptoms. They spent the day in bed, but were +so much recruited from their exhaustion by a sound sleep, that Aunt Lucy +mercifully took off her restriction, and allowed them to join the family +group at supper. Tom's hands were bound up, on account of "those +honorable scars," as Cornelia called them, and the two, the rescued and +the rescuer, were decidedly the heroes of the evening: the girls, ever +full of admiration of gallant conduct, looked upon good-natured and +pleasant Tom Green with a respect they had not felt before. + +One of the games this evening was "What is my thought like?" Mary went +round the circle asking the question, and when she announced that her +thought was _President Taylor_, there was some amusement at the +incongruity of the replies. She then asked each one for a reason of the +resemblance, and an answer was to be given immediately, or a forfeit to +be paid. + +"Cornelia, why was President Taylor like a _sunset_?" + +"Because his career was splendid like the sun, and his loss equally +regretted." + +"John, why was he like a _brick_?" + +"So substantial." + +"Amy, why was he like a _cat_?" + +"Why--because he was so 'cute." + +"Alice, why was he like a _sigh_?" + +"He always excited so much sympathy in the hearts of the people." + +"George, how did he resemble _cream_?" + +"Because he was the very best and tip-top of all that was good." + +"Tom, why was he like a _cow_?" + +"Because he did not know how to run." + +"Ellen, why was he like an _umbrella_?" + +"Because he sheltered many." + +"Gertrude, how did he resemble the _Alps_?" + +"He towered aloft majestically above his fellow-men." + +"Harry, how did you make him out like a _laugh_?" + +"Oh, he was such a merry old soul." + +"Then, how does Anna make him resemble a _tear_?" + +"He was so sympathetic with the woes of others." + +"Aunt Lucy, how was he like a _fire_?" + +"He was warm-hearted, and the centre of attraction to so many." + +"And, Louis, how do you make him like a _flower_?" + +"His presidential career was bright, and short-lived, like a flower." + +"Charlie, why was he like a _vine_?" + +"That's plain enough--his motto was _'A little more grape_.'" + +Amy went round collecting resemblances for her thought, and then said +that she had the watch-dog, Trusty, in her mind. + +"Why is Trusty like _paper_?" + +"Because he's white." + +"Then, why is he like _ink_?" + +"Because he's so useful." + +"Why is he like a _table_?" + +"Because he's a quadruped." + +"Why is he like _Aunt Lucy_?" + +"He is so good and faithful." + +"Why is he like a _bed_?" + +"His steadiness at his post enables us to enjoy undisturbed sleep." + +"How does he resemble a _carpet_?" + +"He generally lies on the floor, but is sometimes brushed off." + +"How is he like a _lion_?" + +"He is very fond of meat." + +"How does he resemble _Cousin Mary_?" + +"He has a collar round his neck." + +"How is he like a _tree_?" + +"He is so very full of bark." + +Gertrude then proposed trying another game she had seen played, which +was called "Questions." She said it was generally done by using +playing-cards, but as she knew Uncle and Aunt had an objection to having +them in the house, she had prepared a set of blank cards for the +purpose. There were duplicates of every one, and she had numbered them, +1, 2, 3, etc., in large characters: one set was placed in the centre of +the table, around which they drew up, and the duplicates were shuffled +and dealt to each in turn. When they were all supplied, one would draw a +card from the table, asking some personal question; and all looking at +their cards, the one who had the duplicate must throw it upon the table, +and say, "It is I." It was found that the sillier and more impertinent +the question, the more laughter it caused. + +"Who comes down last to breakfast?" said Tom, drawing from the pack one +marked 8. + +"I do," replied Aunt Lucy, throwing down her corresponding 8. + +"Who is the prettiest person present?" said Aunt Lucy, drawing out a 3. + +"I am," said George, with a grin--being quite reconciled to the fact +that he was decidedly the ugliest one of the party; at the same time +mating his 3 with its companion on the table. + +"Who loves mince-pie the best?" said Amy + +"I do," replied Ellen, with a laugh. + +"Which of us is the old maid of the company?" said Cornelia. + +"It is I," cried Tom, in a tone of triumph. + +"Which of us has a hole in her stocking?" said Alice. + +"Oh, it is I myself." + +And so it went on until the pack was exhausted, when all agreed that it +was time for the daily story, which they seemed to think as much a +matter of course as the supper. Aunt Lucy said that she would gladly +tell them a short one, which should be called + + +The Orphan's Tale, or the Vicissitudes of Fortune. + +The early days of Margaret Roscoe were spent in the beautiful manse of +Linlithgow, in the north of Scotland, where her venerable grandfather +had for half a century been engaged in breaking the bread of life to a +large congregation of humble parishioners. No wealth or grandeur was to +be seen within the walls of the kirk where Alan Roscoe officiated: there +were no waving plumes, no flashing jewels, no rustling silks; and when, +as a young man, he accepted his appointment to this remote parish, his +college friends grieved that his noble talents should be wasted, and his +refinement of mind thrown away upon rough country folks, unable to +appreciate him. But the young minister was convinced that his proper +field of labor was now before him, and resolutely putting aside the +temptings of ambition, he devoted himself in the most exemplary manner +to his parochial duties. Although he and his family were debarred from +the advantages of cultivated society, and from the mental excitement +which only such intercourse can afford, they cheerfully made the +sacrifice, for the sake of the cause to which they were wholly given up; +and they thought themselves more than repaid by the improvement and the +reverent love of the people. It is a great mistake to suppose that +plain, unlettered men cannot rightly estimate superior abilities, +erudition, and refinement; where there is any native shrewdness and +strength of mind, these higher gifts are quickly discerned, and add +greatly to the influence which sincerity and earnestness of character +will ever command. In Scotland this is especially true, for the +countrymen of Bruce and Wallace are distinguished for their sagacity; +and their acquaintance with Scripture is so extensive that their natural +intelligence is sharpened, and superficial knowledge and flowery +discourses are not tolerated from the pulpit. Certain it is, that as +years rolled on, and the white hairs became thicker on Mr. Roscoe's +head, love and veneration were the universal feelings entertained toward +him: and at the time when our story commences, when the infant Margaret +and her young widowed mother removed beneath the shelter of his roof, he +was the respected pastor, the beloved friend, and the revered father of +all within the circle of his influence. + +Malcom Roscoe, Margaret's father, was a young man of superior abilities, +but of great original delicacy of constitution; he was retiring, +studious, meditative, and in all respects a contrast to his older and +only brother, Alan, who early developed those qualities which are +necessary to the active man of business. A very warm attachment united +these two young men, and a sad blow it was to Malcom, when his brother, +with the energy and decision natural to his character, announced his +intention of emigrating to America, where bright prospects had opened +before him. An old friend had commenced a large commercial establishment +in one of the Atlantic cities, and had offered him a clerkship, with the +prospect of speedy admission into the firm: he regretted to leave his +aged father, and his only brother, but such an excellent opportunity of +advancing himself in life was not to be neglected, and he gratefully +accepted the proposition. With many tears, he bade adieu to the beloved +inmates of the manse, and set out for the New World: his industry and +integrity had been greatly prospered, and in a few years he was an +honored partner of the house into which he had entered as a penniless +clerk. + +What, meantime, had been Malcom's lot? He had applied himself with +assiduity to the study of divinity, for which both his character and his +abilities had admirably fitted him, but his health was unequal to the +demands made upon it. He passed his examination with great honor, was +immediately called to a parish, and went there to settle, accompanied by +his young wife, a delicate and interesting orphan girl, to whom he had +been long attached. His zealous spirit saw much to rectify, and many +labors to perform, in his new sphere: he entered with ardor into the +discharge of his duties, but soon he found that his frail body had been +overtasked by its imperious master the soul, and was no longer able to +do his bidding. He faded away from earth, as do so many of the best and +noblest of the race, when just ready to apply to the loftiest purposes +the faculties so carefully trained. To us, such occurrences appear to be +very mysterious dispensations of Providence: but the individual himself +has attained the true object of his being, the full development of all +his powers, and is prepared for a more elevated existence. And we may +believe, since not even a sparrow falls to the ground unheeded by our +Father, and since no waste is allowed in nature, so that even the dead +leaf ministers to new combinations of being, that the noble gifts of the +mind will not be unused after death. In other spheres, amid other +society, they will doubtless be employed for the benefit of immortal +beings. Mutual beneficence must form a large part of the business and +pleasure of heaven. + +After Malcom's death, his widow and infant child came to live with old +Mr. Roscoe at Linlithgow. Happily for the young mourner, the household +cares of the manse now devolved upon her, in addition to the charge of +Margaret; and these occupations, no doubt, aided greatly in restoring +the serenity of her spirit. She had little time to brood over her +sorrows--those small solicitudes and minute attentions to the feelings +and comfort of others, which fill up so large a portion of a true +woman's time, were with her a double blessing, cheering both the giver +and receiver. She realized that it is woman's honor and happiness to be, +in an especial manner, a ministering spirit; and thus she learned to +resemble the bright hosts above, whom she hoped one day to join, and +grow in the likeness of Him who declared, "The Son of man came not into +the world to be ministered unto, but to minister." No wonder is it that +the gentle young widow, whose face ever beamed with kindness, whose hand +was ever outstretched to aid the unfortunate, was looked up to with a +love and veneration only inferior to that with which Mr. Roscoe himself +was regarded. + +In such an atmosphere of affection, and under the best influences of +unaffected piety and refinement, little Margaret expanded in beauty and +goodness, like a sweet flower planted in a fertile soil, and refreshed +by soft-falling dews and healthful breezes. She was something like her +own Scottish heather--distinguished by no uncommon brilliancy of mind or +person, but yet one upon whom your eye delighted to fall, and on whom +your heart could dwell with pleasure. Her clear, rosy complexion showed +that she had inherited none of her parent's delicacy of constitution; +and large, deep, violet-colored eyes, shaded by long lashes, made her +face a very interesting one. She was a most lovable little girl, gentle +and thoughtful beyond her years; it seemed as if something of the shadow +of her mother's grief had fallen upon her young spirit, repressing the +volatility of childhood, and making her ever considerate of the +feelings and studious of the comfort of others. She was her +grandfather's constant companion; and it was very beautiful to see these +two, so widely separated by years, and so closely united by affection, +entwining their lives together--the old man imparting instruction and +guidance, and the child warming his heart with the bright hopes and +sweet ways of her innocent age. + +And so the three lived on, in perfect contentment and uninterrupted +peace, until Margaret was seven years old, when her grandfather was +taken ill, and the manse, once so happy, was filled with sorrow. He +lingered for some time, faithfully nursed by his daughter, who overtaxed +her own strength by her daily toils and nightly watchings. He at last +sank into the tomb, as a shock of corn, fully ripe, bends to the earth: +he was full of years, and of the honor merited by a life spent in the +arduous discharge of duty. His only regret was that he was unavoidably +separated from his son; and he advised his daughter, as soon as she had +settled his affairs, to accept Alan's pressing invitation to her to make +her home with him, and to depart with her child for America, where she +would be gladly welcomed. + +After the funeral, as the new incumbent of the parish wished to take +possession of the manse as soon as possible, Mrs. Roscoe made +arrangements to leave the spot she loved so well: and disposing of the +furniture, and settling the debts incurred by her father's illness, she +found that no very large sum would be left after the passages across the +Atlantic were paid for. In Alan Roscoe's last letter, he had entered +into many details about his circumstances, in order to take from her +mind the objections which delicacy might urge as to her dependent +position. He told her that he had been eminently successful as a +merchant in Charleston, and had amassed so considerable a fortune that +he intended very soon to retire from business; and that he had some +thoughts of settling in one of the northern cities, as his health, and +that of his family, had suffered from the climate. He said that a dear +and only sister, as she was, ought to have no reluctance in sharing the +superfluity of his wealth: she would thereby give far more than she +received. And his brother's orphan should be most heartily welcomed to +his heart and home: she should be taught with his children, and should +share in every respect the situation and prospects of his own little +ones, for he must receive Malcom's child, not as a niece, but as a +daughter. He advised her sailing direct for Charleston, as it would save +all trouble and difficulty: he should be on the wharf to meet her, and +if, as was frequently the case with business men, he was unavoidably +absent, his very attentive partner would be there to greet her, in +company with Mrs. Roscoe. + +She accordingly wrote, accepting his kind proposition, and stating that +they should sail in the first vessel bound for Charleston, as she was +anxious to have little Maggie again settled in a home; and the more so, +as her own health was very delicate, and she knew not how long her dear +child might have a mother to watch over her. Then taking leave of the +humble friends, who would gladly have kept them ever in Scotland, Mrs. +Roscoe and her daughter set off for the nearest seaport, where the +shrinking young widow, entirely friendless and unknown, was obliged +herself to make inquiries among the shipping offices and wharves. She +found that no vessel would start for some weeks for Charleston, and she +felt that every day was of consequence to her: but she was at last +relieved of her distress by a bluff, good-natured captain, who told her +that although he didn't hail from Charleston, it was exactly the same +thing; he sailed to Boston, and the two places were as close together as +twin cherries on one stalk, or kernels in a nut, and that he would see +to it she had no trouble in finding her friends. Being a Scotchman, and +partaking of that ignorance of American geography which is so common +both in Great Britain and on the continent, he naturally mistook +Charleston, South Carolina, for which she was inquiring, for +Charlestown, near Boston--an error which has frequently been made. Nor +is it as gross a one as some others which have been perpetrated; as, for +instance, that of the late Prince Schwartzenberg, minister of Austria, +who directed some dispatches for our government to "The United States of +New York." + +And now behold little Margaret actually launched upon the stormy ocean +of life! for her small bark was destined soon to be severed from its +guide and conductor, and to be left, without a pilot, to the wildly +tossing waves and bleak winds of a selfish world. Did I say without a +pilot? not so! a hand, unseen, directed her fate, and although she was +called to pass thus early through troubled waters, the end will +doubtless show that all was well. But the present trial was a very +bitter one. A few days only after the embarkation, Mrs. Roscoe's weak +frame gave way, under the combined influence of sorrow, fatigue, and +anxiety; she was only ill a week, then sank, and was consigned to a +watery grave. Little Margaret could not be separated from her for one +moment during her illness, but, clasping her mother's hand in hers, +remained by her, smoothing her pillow, bringing her the cooling draught, +and seeking, in a thousand loving ways, to cheer and relieve her. + +Before her death, Mrs. Roscoe called the Captain, and committed little +Maggie to his especial care. She told him of her expectation that her +brother, Mr. Alan Roscoe, a prominent importing merchant in Charleston, +would immediately come on board to claim his niece, when the vessel +arrived; but to guard against any possibility of a mistake, she gave him +the number of the street in which he resided. The bluff, but +kind-hearted man drew his red, hard hand repeatedly across his eyes, as +he listened to her anxious directions about the little girl she was so +soon to leave. He told her he didn't know much himself about either +Charleston or the people who lived in it, as he had been engaged until +very lately in the South Sea trade; but, of course, his consignees at +Boston would, and if there were any difficulty, he should put the matter +into their hands. He begged her to be under no uneasiness--her daughter +should be well attended to. + +On the last day of her illness, the little girl sat by her in the berth, +and for the first time appeared to realize that her mother, her only +earthly friend, was about to die. Her little cheek was now almost as +white as the dying woman's, and she moistened the bed with tears: she +could not restrain her sobs. Her mother passed her arm around her, and +strove to comfort her: she told her that, although she must now leave +her, and go where her dear father and grandfather awaited her, her +little girl had one friend who would never cast her off, and who could +never die, who had promised to be the father of the fatherless. Whatever +should befall her, she must put all her trust in Him who had said, "When +thy father and thy mother forsake thee, then the Lord shall take thee +up." With all the energy which the love of a dying woman could give, she +besought her child to cleave with perfect love to Him who was so kind +and pitiful. She then placed around her neck a medallion, inclosing a +portrait of herself and her husband, with their initials, the date of +their marriage, and locks of their hair, and told her never to part with +it, but to wear it next her heart. She directed her to be in all +respects obedient to her uncle, and ever to act toward him as if he were +her own father. At last, exhausted by the the long conversation she had +held, she sank back and fell asleep: it was so sweet and natural a rest, +that Margaret long waited by her side, afraid to stir lest she should +awake her mother. A happy smile seemed diffused over that face, lately +so earnest and so anxious; it appeared to say, my troubles are now over, +my work is done, I have entered into my reward. And so it was! the +sorrow-stricken woman had gently passed away from earth, and little +Margaret was watching beside the dead. + +Shall I attempt to describe the grief of the child, deprived of all she +loved? The rough, but kindly sailors were much moved by it, and strove, +in their uncouth way, to comfort her. After the first few days of +passionate lamentation, the motherless girl became more quiet in her +sorrow, and then the demonstrations of sympathy ceased: but any one who +gazed upon her wasted form, her white cheek, and languid steps, might +have guessed the tears she shed upon her pillow at night. At last the +vessel arrived in Boston, and Margaret's heart beat quick each time she +saw a good-looking gentleman step on board, for every instant she +thought her unknown uncle would arrive. She tried to fancy how he +looked, and although she had heard that he and her father were very +unlike, still her imagination brought up before her a face like that +within her highly-prized medallion. So passed the day, in anxious +waiting and nervous tremors, but her uncle came not; and as the night +drew near, a sense of perfect loneliness and desertion came over her, +and she leaned her head upon her hands, and tears, wrung from the +heart, trickled through them. All around her was bustle; every one had +an object, all had a home, and a place in the world, and some to love +them--all but she; she felt completely the orphan. Some think that +children do not suffer mentally as their elders do--what a mistake! +Their emotions are more transitory, but frequently more violent while +they last. Many an angry child, if he had the physical strength, would +commit deeds from which reason and conscience deter the man--and keen +and bitter, although fleeting, are the sorrows they experience. As the +little creature, so tenderly reared and now so utterly desolate, sat +upon the deck, with no earthly being to look up to for love and +sympathy, surely a pitying angel must have wafted into her heart her +mother's dying words, "When thy father and thy mother forsake thee, then +the Lord shall take thee up." It stole into her soul like oil upon the +troubled waters: it seemed as if a voice had said to the tempest within +her, "Peace, be still." She felt that there still was one who cared for +her--one who could neither die nor change; and the prayer of faith +ascended from those young lips to "_Our father_ who art in heaven." +Soothing, blessed influence of religion! felt by young as well as +old--how, in trouble, could we dispense with it? would not our hearts +sink under their load? would not our spirits be crushed within us? + +The next day the Captain set himself in earnest to fulfill his promise +to the dying woman. The head of the firm to which his goods were +consigned was absent from home, but a very kind-hearted young fellow, a +junior partner, attended to the business during his absence, and +accordingly he directed his inquiries to him. "Mr. Alan Roscoe, a +merchant of Charlestown!" said young Howard, "why, I never heard the +name--there is surely some mistake. I know all the business men of the +place, and there is no such person. Have you the direction?" "Yes, sir, +No. 200 Meeting-street." "Why, Captain, here is a complete blunder! +there is no street of that name in Charlestown. I should not wonder, now +I come to think of it, if Charleston, South Carolina, were meant; +Meeting-street is, I know, one of the most fashionable promenades. And I +remember hearing of a Mr. Roscoe, a great southern merchant--either in +Charleston, or Mobile, or New Orleans, I don't rightly know where--but +somewhere in the South. I'll tell you what, Captain, you're full of +business, and can't attend to her; I'll take her home with me, for she's +a dear little thing, and then I can inquire about her uncle, and send +her on by the first opportunity. Great pity such a blunder was made!" + +Accordingly, Mr. Howard engaged a hack, which was piled up with little +Maggie's trunks, and he was about jumping in, when he was nearly run +over by his friend Russell. "Hallo, Howard!" "Is that you, Russell?" "No +one else; but what on earth are you doing with such a heap of trunks? +has a friend arrived?" "Only a little orphan, who came in one of our +ships; her mother died on board, and to crown the misfortune, they got +into the wrong vessel. They wanted to go to Charleston, S.C., where this +child has an uncle, Mr. Alan Roscoe, a rich merchant; so they came to +Charlestown by mistake. I'm taking the little creature home with me, +until I find out about him." "The luckiest thing in the world! Why, I +know Mr. Roscoe myself; he lives in Meeting-street; I became acquainted +with him in Charleston last Winter. But he has either given up business, +or intends to do so; he is in New York at this moment; I saw him the +other day at the Astor House, and he told me he had some thought of +removing to New York or Philadelphia." "In New York, is he? what a +piece of good fortune! How I wish I knew some one going on there. If I +were not so uncommonly busy, now that Mr. Field is away, I would take +her myself." "If you'd like it, my dear fellow, I'll take charge of the +child--you know I always have acquaintances going on to New York--I know +every one in the two cities, pretty much. I'll give her over to some +safe person, and then she'll be with her uncle to-night." "Thank you, +you're a real good soul; you can attend to it as well as I, of course. +And I am anxious to get the poor little thing to her relations as soon +as possible, so I'll be much obliged to you." "Good-by, then;--driver, +go as fast as your horses can carry you to the New York depot, for we're +rather late." + +When they arrived, they were only a few minutes before the time. Mr. +Russell walked through the cars, looking on either side, but, to his +chagrin, he saw no one he knew. Any one who has ever sought for an +acquaintance, while the steam was puffing, and panting, and screeching, +as if in mortal pain until it was allowed to have its own way, and send +the train along at the rate of forty miles an hour, can understand the +flustered, bewildered feelings of young Russell, as, with the child in +one hand, he perambulated the cars. "Is any gentleman here willing to +take charge of this little girl?" said he. "What's to be done with her +when we get to New York?" answered a man near him. "Her uncle, Mr. Alan +Roscoe, is staying at the Astor House; all you have to do is to take the +child and her baggage to him, and as he is a southern gentleman, and +very rich, he'll see that you are well paid for your trouble." "I'll +take charge of her; have you got her ticket?" "No; and I declare I have +no more than half a dollar with me--can you advance the money? you will +be paid tenfold when you get to New York." "I'll do it as a +speculation: here, my pretty young lady, sit in my seat while I see to +your baggage." "Just got it in the baggage-car in time,--good-by, sir!" +"Good-by--good-by, Miss Roscoe!" "Good-by, sir--I wish it were _you_ +going on to New York!" + +Little Maggie did not like her travelling companion at all. Children are +great physiognomists, and their simple instincts are frequently surer +guides than the experience and wisdom of older persons, in detecting +character. She could not bear to talk to him--his conversation, +garnished with low cant phrases, was so different from any thing to +which she had ever been accustomed. But when she looked up into his +face, the repugnance she had at first felt became changed into +aversion--the low, narrow forehead, the furtive, but insolent glance of +his eye, and the expression of vulgar cunning about the mouth, formed a +countenance which might well justify her in shrinking back into her +seat, as far from him as possible. + +When they arrived in New York, Smith, for that was the man's name, +engaged a carriage, and drove with little Margaret to the Astor House; +but, in answer to his inquiries, he was told that no one of the name of +Roscoe was lodging, or had been boarding there for the past month. He +muttered a curse, and jumped again into the hack. "What do you make of +this? that uncle of yours is not there." "Oh dear, what _shall_ I do? +but, indeed, the gentleman said he saw him in the Astor House." "What is +the gentleman's name, can you tell me?" "I don't know his name." "Don't +know his name, don't you? I'm prettily bit! But perhaps he may be in +some other hotel, we'll go and see." They accordingly drove round to the +chief hotels, but no Mr. Roscoe was to be found at any of them. + +Smith flew into a terrible passion. "Cheated for once in my life! sold, +if ever a fellow was! it's a regular trick that was played! They wanted +to get rid of their beggar's brat, and palmed her off upon me, with that +humbug story of the nabob of an uncle. I'll nabob her! And there's her +ticket, which I was fool enough to pay for, and the carriage hire, and +my trouble with this saucy thing, who holds her head up so high; if ever +I am swindled again, my name's not Sam Smith!" + +"I'm sure I'm very sorry; what are you going to do with me, sir?" "Take +you home with me, until I can get rid of you, and pay myself out of your +trunks, unless they're filled with stones. It wouldn't be such a bad +idea to lose you in the streets, accidentally; but no, on second +thoughts, it's better not; there are always some troublesome +philanthropists about." "Oh, sir, if you can't find my uncle, won't you +send me on to Boston again? The Captain told my mother he'd find him for +me--or that good gentleman would." "The Captain's a rogue, and so is +your _good gentleman_. Are you such an eternal fool as to think I'll pay +your passage again? you're mightily mistaken, I can tell you. I don't +believe you ever had an uncle, you little cheat--and if you don't hush +up about him, I'll find a way to make you." + +Little Margaret was too much frightened to answer, and they kept on +their way, through narrow muddy streets lined with lofty warehouses, and +alleys filled with low German and Irish lodging-houses and beer-shops, +until they came to a wider highway, at the corners of which Margaret +read the name of Chatham street. On each side of the way were shops of +the strangest appearance--furniture, old and new, was piled up together, +coats and cloaks hung out at the doors, watches and jewelry of a tawdry +description made a show in the windows, and men with keen black eyes +and hooked noses, and stooping backs which looked as if they had never +been erect in their lives, stood at the entrances, trying to attract the +attention of the passer-by. As Margaret looked at them, she thought of +the stories her mother had read to her of the ant-lion, stealthily +watching at the bottom of its funnel-shaped den for its prey, which the +deceitful sand brings within its reach, if once the victim comes to the +edge of the pit; and of the spider, so politely inviting the fly within +its parlor. + + + "Will you walk into my parlor?" said the Spider to the Fly, + "'Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you did spy; + The way into my parlor is up a winding stair, + And I've many curious things to show you when you're there." + "Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "to ask me is in vain, + For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again." + + +At the door of some of the shops, she saw a man standing upon a box, +with a hammer in his hand, and a crowd around him, eager, and bidding +against one another. "Going, going, a splendid gold watch at five +dollars--the greatest bargain in the world--tremendous sacrifice--going, +going, _gone_!" + +At last they came to his den; a shop like the rest, piled up with old +brass andirons, sofas, bureaus, tables, lamps, coats and pants, ropes, +feather-beds, and hideous daubs of pictures. Old-fashioned +mantel-ornaments, looking-glasses, clocks pointing to all hours of the +day, waiters with the paint rubbed off, old silver candlesticks, and a +heap of other trash, completed the furniture of the room. Stumbling +through this lumber, Smith led her up to a little garret, where the bare +rafters were covered with dust, and one hole of a window let in some +light, enough to reveal the nakedness of the place. In one corner, upon +the dirty floor, was an old bed; a piece of a mirror was fastened +against the wall, which looked quite innocent of the whitewash brush; +and a stool, which had lost one of its legs, was lying in a very +dejected attitude near the door. "Here you are to lodge," said Smith, +with a sardonic grin, as he noticed the child's dismay at the +announcement. "You can stay up here till I want you, and when you are +hungry, you can go down stairs to the little back kitchen and get a +slice of bread; but don't dare to show your face in the shop." "When +will my trunks come?" said the little girl, whose wits were sharpened by +the necessity of looking out for her own interests. "Never you mind +about them trunks," replied Smith; "I advise you to keep quiet, and it +will be the better for you." So saying, he descended into his shop, and +left the poor child to her meditations, which were none of the +pleasantest. + +Two days passed without Smith making his appearance, and Margaret worked +up her courage to the point of going into the shop, even if it did +excite his anger, and insisting upon his taking her to her uncle, or +sending her back to the ship. She walked in, unnoticed, and the first +object that met her sight was one of her mother's large trunks, open and +empty, with the price marked upon the top. Around the room she saw the +others, and the contents, so precious to her from association with her +deceased parent, were hanging about upon pegs, looking ashamed of their +positions. Horrified, the little girl ran up to Smith: "these are my +things," she said; "how dare you put them into the shop?" "You had +better hush up, little vixen," replied the man, "or I'll take the very +clothes from off your back. You don't think I am going to keep you +without receiving board, do you?" "But I'm not going to stay here. I'll +go back to the ship--the Captain will _make_ you give me my things," +cried the child, bursting into passionate tears. "Go--I'd like nothing +better; go back to Boston as fast as you can, cry-baby, and give my +compliments to the gentleman who cheated me into taking you," replied +Smith, with his odious smile. "Then why will you not take me to my +uncle? I don't want to stay in this horrid place." "Take care, or you'll +get into a worse--as for your uncle, I saw in the paper yesterday an +account of his death, so you need have no hopes from him." "Dead! all +dead!" said Margaret, sinking down into the nearest seat, for her head +swam, and her knees trembled so that she could not stand. "Yes, he's +dead as a door nail--no mistake about that. So you had better not be +troublesome, or you won't fare as well as you do. Here, Jackson," he +said to a rough, bloated-looking, elderly countryman, who had been +purchasing some old furniture, and had now re-entered the shop, "didn't +you say that you wanted a little girl to do your work?" "Yes, I did," +replied the man, "my old woman is not worth any thing any more. But I +must have some one that will not be interfered with: I intend to get an +orphan from the alms-house, that will suit me best." "Here is an orphan, +who is the very thing: she has no relations or friends in the world, and +I'm rather tired of keeping her--I'll give her to you for nothing." +"That would do, but she does not look like a poor child: she is dressed +like a little lady, and her hands are small and white, as if she wasn't +used to rough work." "She _is_ dressed up more than she should be, but +you can soon mend that; and I'll answer for it, she'll learn to do the +rough work soon enough." "Well, I'll take her: have her bundle ready by +the afternoon, and I'll call for her in the wagon, and take the girl and +the other baggage at the same time." "Agreed--she shall be ready." + +It would be hard to describe little Margaret's feelings during the +preceding dialogue: she plainly saw that there was no escape for her, +unless she rushed into the street, and claimed the protection of any +chance passer-by, and that honest Smith took pains to prevent, by +locking her up in her room. When there alone, she threw herself down +upon the bed, and sobbed as if her heart would break: "If my mother, my +dear, dear mother, was living, _she_ would take care of me. She would +not let me stay in this filthy place--she would not let me eat dry bread +and water--she would not let that ugly old man take me away, to do +servants' work. Oh mother! mother! I wish I were dead too!" When her +passion of grief was exhausted, comfort and hope began to dawn upon her, +and she thought, "It cannot certainly be as bad in the country, where +the old man lives, as here, in this vile hole, with all these disgusting +smells and sights. And my mother said, that God is a friend who can +never die or change, who will never leave or forsake the poor orphan. I +will try to be a better child, and then God will love me: perhaps I +deserve this, for being naughty. I certainly will try to be good." + +In the afternoon, Jackson came for his baggage, as he called it, and +after the furniture was stowed away, Smith brought down the little girl, +and gave into her hand a very small bundle of clothes, bidding her tell +no tales, or she should find she was in his power yet. She was put into +the wagon, on top of the furniture, and the old man, whose face was red, +and whose breath smelt of liquor, set off at a smart pace. It was late +in the evening before they reached the solitary and desolate farm-house, +which Jackson called his home: Margaret scrambled out as best she could, +and entered the dwelling. Although it was now late in the autumn, there +was no fire upon the hearth, and the room looked to the last degree +dismal. It had something more of a habitable aspect when the furniture +was brought in, but it was evident that no "neat-handed Phillis" had +been accustomed to range through the house; and the spiders had provided +the only ornaments to be found anywhere about, by hanging the walls with +tapestry, which certainly could not be produced in the looms of France. +Margaret found that there were two other inhabitants of this neglected +house--Jackson's wife, a sad, heart-broken woman, only too evidently in +a dying condition, and a son of about fifteen, rude, stubborn, and +rebellious, whose only good-feeling seemed to be love to his poor +mother. Jackson brought out some food, of which Margaret stood greatly +in need, and she was then happy to be allowed to retire to the loft +allotted to her, as she was exhausted by the ride and the agitation of +mind she had gone through during the past week. Miserable as was her +attic, she slept soundly until waked by the sun shining into her eyes: +she quickly dressed, but did not escape a scolding from her sullen +master, who commanded her to make a fire, and get his breakfast for him. +Margaret was remarkably quick and handy for a child of her age, as her +affection to her mother and grandfather had prompted her to do many +little things for them which so young a girl seldom thinks of; but her +delicate white fingers were unused to menial tasks, and to make a fire +was quite beyond the circle of her accomplishments. Jackson then called +upon his son to do it, but told her that he should not make it a second +time, and grumbled and swore at her while he remained in the house. + +It is astonishing how human nature can adapt itself to circumstances, so +that the thing which we must do we can do: little Margaret, who had ever +been so tenderly nurtured, soon learned to make the fire, to sweep the +rooms, and cook the meals. Not in the most scientific manner, truly; her +cookery would scarcely have been approved by Kitchener, Glass, or +Soyer, but it was done to the best of her slender ability. While poor +Mrs. Jackson lived, Maggie had at least the satisfaction of feeling that +her efforts to please her were understood: the grateful look, the +languid smile, and the half-expressed pity for the little slave, who was +now to fill her place, reminded the child of her mother, and made her +more contented with her situation. But when, exhausted by the life of +hardship and cruelty which the drunkard's wife must ever experience, +Mrs. Jackson slept her last sleep, and went to the home appointed for +all the living, "where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary +are at rest," then the little girl had none to feel for her. In a few +days, the boy, Bill Jackson, told her that now his mother was dead, he +wasn't such a fool as to stay there to be kicked and starved by his +father; he intended to run off and go to sea, and he advised her too "to +make herself scarce" as soon as she could. When he had gone, all the +brutality which had been divided between the mother and son, was now +visited on the innocent head of little Maggie; and unassisted even by +counsel, she had to perform all the household tasks. If she had received +kind words in payment, she could have overlooked many of the hardships +of her condition; but these she never got. Let her be as diligent and +pains taking as she would, severity and reproaches were all she met: +Jackson was always sullen and morose in the morning, and at night, +frequent potations from a large stone jug worked him up to a passion. +Then he would knock the furniture about, throw chairs at Margaret's head +if she came in his way, and swear in such a dreadful manner that the +little girl was glad to seek shelter in her cold and cheerless loft, +where at least she could be alone, and could pray to the One Friend she +had left. + +As the winter advanced, the child's sufferings greatly increased. The +cold was intense, the situation a bleak one, and the old farm-house full +of cracks and crannies which admitted the winter winds. Her clothing was +of a thin description, and nearly worn out by hard usage: at night also, +in her airy loft, she was often kept awake by the cold, or cried herself +to sleep. But the more severe the weather was, the more did Jackson +think it needful to take something a little warming, and the stone jug +was frequently replenished: of course his temper became more violent, +and Margaret was the sufferer. She kept out of the way as much as +possible, but had no place to which she could retreat, except her loft. +Here she would frequently solace herself by bringing out her medallion, +which, according to her mother's directions, she wore next her heart, +and gazing upon the beloved countenances of her parents--this dying gift +was the only relic she had left of former times. One day a snow-storm +set in, which reminded her of those she had seen among her own Scottish +hills, where the drifts are so great that the shepherd frequently loses +his life in returning to his distant home. The wind was piercing, and +the snow was so driven about that you could scarcely see a few feet +before you; and by evening it lay in deep piles against the door, and +around the house. Jackson had of course resorted to the whiskey jug very +frequently during the day, for consolation; and little Margaret, seeing +him more than usually excited, had sought refuge in the cold and dismal +loft, wrapping herself up as well as she could. As she sat there, +shivering, and thinking how differently she was situated on the last +snow-storm she remembered, when she was seated on a little stool, +between her mother and grandfather, holding a hand of each, before a +large blazing fire, and listening to beautiful tales--she heard Jackson +call her name in savage tones. She hastened, but before she could get +down the ladder which led to the room below, he called her again and +again, each time more fiercely so that her heart trembled like a leaf +upon a tree, dreading to meet his rage. He received her with oaths and +abuse; called her a lazy little wretch, who did not earn the bread she +eat, and commanded her to bring in an armful of wood from the pile, as +the fire was going out. She ventured to tell him that she had already +tried to find some, but ineffectually; in some places the snow was above +her head, and the air was so thick with it, now that night had come on, +that she could not see before her. But the violent man would take no +excuse: he drove her out with threats, and long she groped about, vainly +trying to discover the wood, which was completely hidden by the snow. +Her hands and feet became numb, and she felt that she _must_ return to +the house, if he killed her--she would otherwise die of the cold. She +came, timidly crawling into the room--the moment her master saw her, he +started up; fury made him look like a demon. Seizing a stick of wood +which still remained, he assailed her violently: the child, so tender +hearted, and so delicately reared, who could be recalled to duty by one +glance of the eye, was now subjected to the chastisement of a brutal, +insensate drunkard! At last he stopped, but his rage was not exhausted. +Opening the door, he told her never to darken it again--never more +should she dare to show herself within his house. Falling upon her +knees, the little girl besought him with tears not to expel her--she had +no one to go to, no father, no mother to take care of her. If she was +driven out into the snow, she should die with cold--if he would only +allow her to stay that night, she would leave on the morrow, if he +wished it! But tears and prayers were unavailing; all of man he had +ever had in his nature was now brutified by strong drink; as well might +she have knelt to the tiger thirsting for blood, as to him. Driving her +out with a curse, he shut and bolted the door. + +The depths of distress call up energies, even in the childish heart +which have never been felt before. What was there upon earth to revive +the spirit of the little orphan, so utterly deserted, so ready to +perish? Nothing. But there was something in heaven--and within that +girlish bosom there lived a faith in the unseen realities, which might +well have shamed many an older person. With her uncovered head exposed +to the falling snow, she knelt down, and this time she bent the knee to +no hard, cruel master; but with the confidence of filial love, she +uttered her fervent prayer to Him who is a very present help in time of +trouble. She called upon her Father to save a little helpless orphan; +or, if it were His will, to take her up to heaven--"_Thy_ will be done." +And she rose with a tranquillity and calm determination which many would +have deemed impossible in one so young; but there is a promise, and many +weak ones can testify to its fulfilment, "As thy day, so shall thy +strength be." + +Margaret went onward towards the public road: there was no farm-house +nearer than about a mile, and the child greatly doubted her ability to +reach it; but she had resolved to persevere in her efforts, while any +power remained in her muscles, any vital warmth in her heart. Onward +went that little child, painfully, but still steadily onward; she +struggled against the drowsiness that attacked her, but at last she +began to feel that she could do no more. But yield not yet to despair, +thou gentle and brave orphan! One stronger than thou has come to thy +assistance. For hearest thou not the subdued sound of horses' hoofs +scattering the snow? thou art saved! + +A traveller approaches, made of other stuff than the crafty Smiths and +the brutal Jacksons of the earth,--he sees that slight childish figure, +that bare head, those failing steps,--he thinks of his own little ones +at home, seated by the sparkling fire, and awaiting his return. He is +not one of those who hold the creed of impious Cain, "Am I my brother's +keeper?" But, instead, he is a follower of the Good Samaritan, or +rather, I should say, of Him who taught that lesson and practised it, +seeking and saving those who were lost. He stopped his horse. "My little +girl, what are you doing out of doors on a night like this? you will be +frozen to death. Why are you not at home with your father and mother?" +"I wish I were!" she said. "They are both dead--I wish I were with +them!" "But, my child, you must have a home; why are you out on such a +stormy night?" "I have no home, sir," replied poor Margaret. "I lived at +the nearest farm-house, but my master was angry with me for not bringing +in the wood, and beat me, and turned me out of doors; and I shall die of +cold very soon, unless you take care of me, sir." "Poor little deserted +one!" said the gentleman, jumping off from his horse. "Such a tiny thing +as she, cannot have done any thing very bad--and to send her out to die! +poor child! God sent me to you, and I will surely take care of you." So +saying, he took off his cloak, lined with warm fur, and shaking the snow +from her hair and clothes, carefully wrapped it around her, and placed +her in front of him upon his horse. "My good, thoughtful wife!" said he; +"when I laughed at you this morning for insisting upon my wearing this +cloak outside my great-coat, little did I think it would save a precious +life--I always do find it to my advantage to mind your womanly, wifely +instincts. And now, little girl, we will go home as fast as we can--I +will try to keep Jack Frost away from you with this cloak." Urging his +horse onward, Mr. Norton, for that was the good man's name, every now +and then spoke cheerily to the child whom he sustained with one arm, +striving to keep her awake, and telling her of the bright warm fire she +should see when they got home. At last they arrived there: when Mr. +Norton jumped off his horse, Margaret saw that they had come to a small +town, which looked very pretty as the snow lay upon the roofs and +fences. Before he could ring, the door flew open, and the warm light, +which looked like an embodiment of the love and happiness of home and +fireside pleasures, streamed out upon the pure, cold snow, revealing, to +the group within doors, the father carefully holding his burden. "Dear +father! are you not almost perished?" cried his oldest son, Frederic, a +manly little fellow, muffled up in cap, and coat, and worsted scarf. +"You must let me take old Charlie to the stable, and come in yourself +and thaw--you see I am all ready." "Well, my son, I believe I will; +particularly as I have a bundle here that I must take care of." "What +has father got?" said the younger children, wonderingly. "Why, it as +large as a bag of potatoes!" "I have brought you home a little sister, +children," Mr. Norton replied, entering the sitting-room and unwrapping +poor Margaret. "My dear wife, I found this child upon the road, almost +perished with cold: she is an orphan, and was cruelly treated by the +wretch of a master who turned her out of doors to-night. Only look at +her thin, worn-out gingham dress--and at the holes in her shoes!" "Poor +little lamb!" said Mrs. Norton, gazing on her with a mother's +pity--blessed effect of paternal and maternal love, that it opens the +heart to all helpless little ones! "Don't cry, my dear, you will not be +turned out of this house!" "Indeed, I cannot help it, ma'am; you are so +very kind--like my mother." "But, wife and children, we must not stand +here talking; we must get a tub of cold water, and keep her hands and +feet in it for some time, or she will be all frost-bitten. Sally, my +child, you need not place that chair for her so near the fire, for she +cannot sit there: help your mother to bring the water." Sally, although +rather younger than little Margaret, was a large child for her age, and +while the latter was getting thawed, and the good mother was making a +warming drink, she hunted up her thickest clothes, and begged that the +poor stranger might wear them. "And may she not sleep with me to-night, +mother?" "Oh no, mother, let her sleep with us," said Kate and Lucy, the +two younger children. "I am glad to see you want to have her with you," +replied their mother, "but as Sally is the nearest her age, and spoke +the first, I think I must gratify her. But if Kate and Lucy wish it, she +may sit between them at table." "Thank you, thank you, dear mother, that +will be pleasant. Oh how glad we are we have a new sister!" + +Soon was the story of the orphan's trials confided to the sympathizing +ears of those who had now adopted her as one of themselves, and soon did +the little girl feel at home in that household of love. Every day, as it +developed her warm feelings, her lively gratitude, and the intrinsic +worth of a character which seemed to inherit the virtues of her pious +ancestors, attached her new friends to her more closely. Mrs. Norton +declared that Margaret was the best child she had ever seen, and +perfectly invaluable to her: if she did not keep her because it was her +duty, and because she loved her, she certainly would as a daily pattern +to her own children. And besides, she had such pretty manners, and knew +so much, that it was better than sending the children to school, to have +them with her. + +If I were making up a story for your entertainment, my dear nieces and +nephews, I should tell you that Margaret always lived with this +admirable family, in perfect happiness, and that when she became a woman +she married Frederic, the oldest son, thus keeping the place of a +daughter in the house. But I am telling you the truth, which, you know, +is often stranger than fiction, and often sadder also. In stories, good +people are generally rewarded with uninterrupted prosperity, just as +some very judicious parents give their children plum-cake and sweetmeats +when they say their lessons well and do not scratch each others' eyes +out. But it is not so in the real world: the all-wise Father above, acts +on other principles. He knows that his children require evil, as well as +good, and that the best soil will become dry, hard, and sterile, if the +sun always shines upon it;--therefore it is that He sends dark, heavy +clouds and gloomy days. Unwise and unthankful as we are, we grievously +complain; but the showers still descend, and when we least expect it, +behold the beautiful sun! All nature is again gay and joyous: the birds +sing cheerily, the flowers raise up their dripping heads, new blossoms +are put forth, and, to use the language of Scripture, the little hills +skip like rams, the valleys shout, they also sing, and all the trees of +the field do clap their hands. My heroine is still under the cloud of +adversity, sharing in the fate of her protectors, and lightening their +trials by her ready hand and most affectionate heart. Two years after +she entered Mr. Norton's home, her benefactor was taken ill, and +lingered for some months before he was transferred to that better +mansion which is provided for each one of the faithful. Sad was the +desolation caused by his death. I will not speak of the sorrow of the +widow and of the orphans--you can all imagine that--but, in addition, +they were deprived of their home, and cast out upon the world. After +the bills were paid--the physician's, the apothecary's, and the +undertaker's, in addition to those necessarily contracted for the +household while the father was earning nothing, Mrs. Norton found that +not a penny was left her. Selling what she could, she removed to +Philadelphia, where she had resided in her youth, thinking that she +could easily obtain employment for her needle, and so support her young +family, while they shared the advantages of our excellent system of +public schools. But she found herself friendless and unknown in the +great city, with many competitors for a very little sewing; and she came +to the conclusion that it is the very poorest way by which a woman can +support herself. She obtained a situation for Frederic in a store, where +he receives rather more than is necessary for his own wants; and, +removing to the country, she took a little cottage for the sum which one +room would have cost her in town. Frederic is able to pay her rent: and +when she is well, with the aid of our little Margaret, she can maintain +herself and her helpless children in tolerable comfort. Thus the orphan +has it in her power to repay the kindness shown to her, and by +exercising the noble virtue of gratitude, to rise daily higher in the +scale of being." + +"Dear Aunty!" cried Amy, with all eagerness, "have you not been telling +us the story of _our_ Mrs. Norton, and that pretty little adopted +daughter of hers, with the large, deep blue eyes?" + +"You have guessed my riddle, Amy," replied her aunt, smiling. "I called +there this morning while you were all out--while George was amusing +himself by falling into the pond--and heard the whole history from the +sick woman's lips. I felt so deeply interested in it, that I thought you +could spend an hour worse than in listening to the simple tale." + +"Are you sure that you have not embellished it?" asked Mr. Wyndham, with +a smile. + +"Quite sure: for, although I filled up a few gaps in the narrative by +using my very common-place imagination, I assure you that all the facts +are substantially the same. And I don't doubt that if I had witnessed +the scenes described, I should have been able to make my story far more +pathetic, and far more romantic, because it would then have been a +daguerreotype of the truth. I have talked with little Margaret herself, +and certainly I have never seen a more engaging and lovely child. At my +urgent request, she consented to lend me her precious medallion for a +few days--and here it is." + +"What a spiritual, poetical face!" exclaimed Mr. Wyndham. "I declare it +reminds me of a portrait of Schiller which I once saw." + +"And the mother, too--there is no doubt of that woman being a real +lady," said Ellen. "Did you ever see a sweeter, gentler countenance?" + +"Never," replied Alice. "But, uncle, do you not know that I have an +idea? I guessed all along that Margaret Roscoe was _our_ little +friend--but I feel sure that rascal of a Smith was lying, when he said +he had seen her uncle's death in the paper. It's not very likely such a +fellow as he was, would object to telling an untruth! He only wanted to +get her trunks, and to quiet her, you may be sure. And I believe that +Mr. Alan Roscoe is now living in Philadelphia--and I believe that I know +him, uncle!" + +Her uncle started, and exclamations of surprise and delight burst from +all the circle. "It might very well be," Mr. Wyndham said; "I remember +thinking our amiable friend Smith was speaking an untruth, at the time, +although I did not carry out the idea. But do you know any one of that +name, Alice? Surely, it cannot be Mr. Roscoe, the retired merchant, who +is so prominent for his benevolence and liberality?" + +"Yes, sir, it is--I am intimate with his oldest child, Carrie. And I +know that he is a Scotchman, and they used to live in Charleston, and +his name is Alan, and his little boy is called Malcom! that's after +Margaret's father, I am sure. Carrie told me he had been named after an +uncle in Scotland who was dead!" + +"Is it possible?" replied Mr. Wyndham. "It really does look like it--if +it be actually so, my dear wife, here is another reverse of fortune for +your heroine, which you did not expect. The contrast would be great +indeed, between the little whitewashed cottage, and the magnificent +mansion on Walnut-street!" + +"I hope it will not turn her head!" said Charlie Bolton. + +"There is little fear of that, I think," rejoined Mrs. Wyndham. +"Margaret has early been tried in the furnace of affliction, and she has +come out gold: I believe she really possesses that gospel charity, one +of the marks of which is, that it is not, and cannot be, puffed up. But +what shall we do? shall we tell her of our hopes?" + +"By no means," replied her husband. "It would only excite expectations +which, after all, may be disappointed--although I am strongly convinced +that our suppositions are correct. For the first time in my life, I +regret that to-morrow will be Sunday; but early on Monday morning I +shall set out for the city, and for Mr. Roscoe's house or counting-room. +With my good wife's permission, I will take this medallion with me, and +show it to Mr. Roscoe--then I shall know in a moment if he is really +Margaret's uncle." + +"Will you be so kind as to take me with you?" asked a dozen voices at +once. + +"No, I will not," replied Mr. Wyndham, laughing. "The carriage cannot +possibly hold you all. If Alice wishes it, I will take her, both as a +reward for her quickness in making this discovery, and as a means of +introduction to Mr. Roscoe, with whom I am not acquainted. And if our +surmises prove correct, I expect to bring Mr. Roscoe back with me, which +is another reason for not riding twenty or thirty in a carriage." + +"Oh, uncle! uncle! twenty or thirty!" + +"Well, you are a baker's dozen, at least, that you cannot deny. I quite +long to get to town! I believe I am as much of a boy as Harry, there, or +Lewis--I _really_ wish I could put off Sunday just for one day, I am so +impatient!" + +"It will be an admirable exercise of your noblest faculties, uncle," +said Cornelia, slyly. "I am rather impatient myself, even at my mature +age. But the _moral discipline_, uncle, that is so invaluable that we +ought not to wish it to be otherwise." + +"Ah, you witch! I believe in my heart this is your revenge for my +refusing to take you to town with me," rejoined her uncle. + +"Not a bit of it--I bear no malice--it is only my native and +unconquerable pertness, which I sometimes fear may get me into a +difficulty with some one yet. But I am not at all afraid of you, dear +uncle; I know you understand that it's only my way." + +"Certainly, certainly; I should be a cross old fellow if I wished to +repress your youthful spirits." + +"But, uncle," said Charlie Bolton, "couldn't you put off Sunday as Dean +Swift, or somebody or other, put off the eclipse? That would obviate all +the difficulty." + +"I never heard that story," cried George Wyndham, "But every one knows +about 'Hail Columbia' _putting on_ an eclipse." + +"I don't, I must own," replied Cornelia, laughing. "Do tell it straight, +if you can, you monkey." + +"I'll try, my own true sister. If it wasn't Hail Columbia, it was +Columbus, and that's all one, the whole world knows. When the Indians +began to discover that the Spaniards were not gods, as they at first +thought, they became a little obstreperous, and wanted to starve them +out--quite natural, under the circumstances. But Columbus, from his +knowledge of astronomy, was aware that a total eclipse of the moon would +take place the next night. So he called a meeting of the natives, and +informed them that they had brought upon themselves the vengeance of the +Great Spirit by their conduct--that at a certain hour, the light of the +moon would be nearly put out, and its orb would look like blood, as a +sign to them of the displeasure of Heaven. And when the poor creatures +really saw it happen as he had said, they were nearly frightened to +death, and came to him, laden with provisions, and begging him to pray +to the Great Spirit, that he might remove his wrath from them. Now I +call that putting on an eclipse." + +"The funniest circumstance in relation to an eclipse, happened to me," +said Mrs. Wyndham. "When I was a very small child, I thought that quite +as great a miracle was about to happen, as the Indians did. You must +know that there came to Philadelphia a certain famous race-horse named +Eclipse, of whose speed great marvels were told. Handbills about him +were thrown into the house, and I thought he must really be a wonderful +animal. Just at that epoch, I heard my father say something about an +eclipse that night, and the moon in connection with it. My imagination +was instantly fired. "Did you say, father, that Eclipse would go over +the _moon_? why, can that be true?" "Oh yes, my dear, the eclipse is +really going over the moon: if you wish it, you can stay up till nine +o'clock, to see it." "Thank you, thank you, I should like to very much. +But I don't see how it can be!" "More wonderful things than that happen, +my child: you'll understand it better when you are older; but you shall +see it to-night, if you are not too sleepy." "No danger of that--I +wouldn't miss it for the world!" "How much interest little Lucy seems to +feel in the eclipse, mother!" said my father. "We must certainly let her +stay up." + +Night came on, and the show began. The best seat at an upper window was +reserved for me, and I looked at the moon constantly, afraid that if I +turned away my eyes for one moment the wonderful event might take place +without my observing it. All were interested in my seeing it. "Lucy, do +you see it, dear I do you see the moon getting dark?" "Oh yes, I see +that, but I don't see Eclipse." "Why, that's the eclipse--when the dark +shadow goes over the moon, that is an eclipse of the moon." "But I don't +see the horse jumping over the moon, at all." "The _horse_? what do you +mean, child?" "You said that Eclipse was to go over the moon, but I +can't see him in the least!" + +"Oh, Auntie! were you, really, such a _green_ child as that?" + +"Yes, it is a literal fact. I thought it a most astonishing thing that +it could happen; but since my father so gravely said it would, my faith +was equal to the demand made upon it. When I found it was only something +about the shadow of the earth falling on the moon, I went to bed, +grievously disappointed and quite disgusted: I felt somewhat as the +amiable Smith did, that I had been _sold_." + +"Ah, Auntie, we children could not be taken in so now, I can tell you!" +said Lewis. + +"I know it," replied his aunt, smiling. "I am quite aware that the age +of faith has passed away, and that republican institutions have made the +young ones as wise and incredulous as their elders. I don't half like it +myself!" + + + + +CHAPTER VI. + +SUNDAY.--BIBLE STORIES.--CAPPING BIBLE VERSES.--BIBLE CLASS. + + +Sunday morning arose upon the earth, so clear, and calm, and beautiful, +that it almost seemed as if it were conscious of the blessings bestowed +by it upon millions of the human family. Happy day! when the man bent +under the heavy load of oppressive labor and corroding care, may take +the rest which the Maker of his frame intended for him, from the very +beginning. Now, throwing off the weight, he can realize that he is a +man--made in the image of his Creator, and made for happiness and +immortality. Now, he can afford to think: he is no longer the mechanical +drudge; he is no longer one little wheel in the great social machine; he +is to-day a reflecting being, and the desire for mental and spiritual +elevation throbs strongly within his heart. He sits at his hearth, +whether in the proud palace or in the humble cottage, for the +working-man is equally to be found in both, and feels himself to be the +centre of the home. He enjoys sweet converse with the wife of his youth, +and his children cluster round him, delighted to have his society. He +walks to the House of Prayer, surrounded by those he loves, and joins +with his fellow-men in adoration of the Great Supreme. He is happy, and +is prepared by the sweet Sabbaths below for the bliss above. + +Nor should we forget, on this day, the numerous attractive circles to +be found throughout our highly-favored land, gathered together for +Sunday-School instruction. Here, the voluntary system works to a charm: +both teachers and scholars, drawn together by love, assemble, with +sparkling eyes and kindly words, in their respective classes. Here, all +ages can find something to interest them: the rosy-cheeked, chubby child +runs along to its Infant School, fearing to be one moment behind the +time, and singing, + + + "Oh, let us be joyful, joyful, joyful," + + +with a full understanding of at least that part of the duty to be +performed. And the adult walks quietly to the Bible Class, where mutual +study and conversation about some passages of the Sacred Word elicit its +meaning, and throw new light upon the holy page. And, in the ages +intermediate between these two extremes, how bright and joyous are the +groups clustered around each loving teacher! If the toil be great, how +much greater the reward! how delightful is it to see the young mind +expand, and the warm affections glow, beneath the hallowing influence of +religion! And how pleasant and how good is it to find the hearts of +adults and of children, of rich and poor, knit together by a common +feeling of interest in the common cause! + +Some such thoughts arose in the minds of our party at The Grange, and +were fostered by the lovely calm of nature, which is so observable on +Sunday in the country, where the very animals seem to know that they are +included within the merciful commandment of rest. Mr. Wyndham was +religiously observant of the day, but exceedingly disliked the gloom by +which many worthy people think it a duty to lessen their own happiness, +and to throw a chill and constraint upon that of others on this joyful +festival. He thought that the weekly commemoration of the Saviour's +resurrection should fill us with bright hopes and an enlivening piety; +and that an air of cheerfulness should be thrown around it, which might +say to all who had not yet entered within the gates of Zion, "Come ye, +and taste that the Lord is gracious." People are doubtless much +affected, in these minor shades of difference, by their natural +temperaments. Mr. Wyndham's frame of mind was so kindly and hopeful, and +so open to all that is pleasant and animating, that his religion partook +of the genial influence. On Sunday, his face beamed with a more radiant +smile than on other days, and he appeared to realize that it was indeed +the foretaste of eternal joy. + +In the morning, both old and young repaired with one consent to the +little country church, in which they filled up quite a number of pews. +Being the last Sunday in the year, the venerable clergyman, whose +earnest manner and silver hairs made his message doubly impressive to +the hearts of his hearers, exhorted all, of every age, to bring back to +their minds the fleeting days of that division of time which was so soon +to pass away, and to be numbered with those laid up against the +Judgment. When that year had begun, what resolutions of improvement had +been formed, what vows of greater fidelity had been made? And how had +they been kept? All had, during the seasons past, received new proofs of +the kindness and long-suffering of the Father above; but had the +goodness of the Lord led them to repentance? or had it fallen upon hard, +unfeeling hearts, which it could not penetrate? How stood they in their +accounts? Not their ledgers, not their cash-books did he now call upon +them to examine; but records of a far higher character, which affected +their heavenly interests, as well as their temporal prosperity--the +deeds, the words, the cherished feelings of that year, which had left an +impress upon their souls forever, and made them richer or poorer for +eternity. They owed debts to their Maker and Redeemer, and to their +fellow-men: how had they paid them? They continually received--did they +also dispense the goodness of God? If unwilling now to think of these +unsettled accounts, they should remember that one debt, notwithstanding +all their reluctance, they would be obliged to pay--the debt of nature: +and then would follow the final adjustment of all things--then would +each one reap as he had sowed below. + +All listened with deep attention to the discourse, which was well +calculated to arrest the most careless trifler; and thoughts were +suggested, and resolves were formed that day, which acted, long +afterward, as a stimulus to the discharge of duty. The hand which +scattered that precious seed has since been laid low in the dust; but +the "winged words" did not fall to the ground: they still live, and +produce results, in immortal spirits. + +There was no service in the afternoon. "Oh dear!" said George, "I +suppose it's not right to say so, but it's rather stupid, I think. How +we do miss Sunday School! We can't play to-day, and a fellow like me +doesn't want to read the whole time: what on earth can we do? Cousin +Mary, are you too much engaged with your book to help us poor souls?" + +With a smile, Mary shut it up. "How would you like Bible stories?" said +she. "If you please, I'll tell you one, keeping to Scriptural facts, but +clothing them in my own language, and omitting the name, or giving a +false one. And then you are to find out whom it is I have been telling +you about, and to answer the questions I may ask you. How would you like +that?" + +It was agreed that it would be delightful: so Mary began by telling the +story of + + +The Good Grandmother. + +In ancient times, in a country of the East, there lived a Queen Dowager, +whose heart was eaten up by ambition. She was a king's daughter, and had +ever been accustomed to rule. While her husband lived she had exerted +great influence at court, and had turned away his heart from the true +and established religion of the state to the cruel worship of the idols +of her native land; and this she accomplished, although he had been +religiously educated, and was the son of an eminently good man. Little +did it affect her, that a highly-distinguished prophet of God wrote a +letter to the king her husband, foretelling the evils that should befall +himself, his family, and his kingdom, and that this prophecy had been +literally fulfilled. Little did it humble her proud spirit, that by the +common consent, her degenerate husband, who, through _her_ persuasions +and example, had been led away from the path of duty, was judged +unworthy to be interred within the sepulchres of his ancestors, and was +buried apart. She had too much of her mother within her to be daunted by +such trifles as these; for both of her parents had acquired an eminence +in wickedness which have made their names by-words: but her mother's +especially is considered almost a synonym for every thing that is +unlovely in woman. + +After her husband's death, her son succeeded to the throne, and he also +did wickedly, for he had been educated under his mother's eyes, trod in +her footsteps, and courted the society of her connections. And this was +the cause of his death; for while paying a visit at the court of his +uncle, her brother, they both were killed together in a successful +insurrection. And now, if ever, if any thing of the woman was left in +her nature, the queen's heart would be softened and humbled: at one fell +swoop, death had carried off her only son, her brother, and every member +of her father's house; she only was left, of all that proud and numerous +family. Her aged mother, aged, but not venerable, although now a +great-grandmother, had met her fate in a characteristic manner. +Determined, if she must die, to do so like a queen, she had put on her +royal robes, and adorned herself with jewels, and caused her withered +face, upon which every evil passion had left its mark, to be painted +into some semblance of youth and beauty. Her eyelids were stained with +the dark antimony still used in the East, to restore, if possible, the +former brilliant softness to eyes of hard, blazing, wicked blackness. +Gazing from an upper window of the palace upon the usurper, as he drove +into the courtyard, the fearless woman, resolved to show her spirit to +the last, railed upon him, and quoted a notable instance from history of +one who, like him, had been a successful rebel, but had reigned for only +seven days. Enraged at her insolence, her enemy, looking up, asked, "Who +in the palace is on my side?" At these words, some officers of the +household cast her down from the window: thus ingloriously she died, and +the prancing horses of the chariot trampled over her. He who now was +universally acknowledged to be the king, soon gave orders that she +should be buried, observing that, wretch as she was, she was of royal +blood. But the vulture and the jackal had been before him: naught +remained of that haughty, revengeful, and heaven-defying woman, save the +skull, the feet, and the palms of her hands. Thus, to the very letter, +was fulfilled the prediction of a prophet, one of her contemporaries: it +was the same individual who had sent an epistle to her son-in-law, the +late husband of our heroine, announcing his fate. This fearless reprover +of kings did not live to see the accomplishment of the divine messages +he was commissioned to deliver, and yet he had not died: read me that +riddle, if you can. + +When the queen, who, from one distinguishing act of her life, I have +called _the good grandmother_, heard the sad tidings of the death of her +only son, of her mother, and of all her kin, what did she? mourn, and +weep, and give herself up to melancholy? she was quite incapable of such +weakness. If she had no children left, she at least had +grandchildren--she must take care of them--the tender little playful +babes, her own flesh and blood, and all that was left upon the earth of +her late son. And she did take care of them--the care that Pharaoh took +of the Israelitish infants--the care that Herod took of the nurslings at +Bethlehem--the care that the tiger takes of the lamb. She was worse than +the tigress; for the latter will at least defend her young ones from all +attacks, even at the peril of her own life. But she--shame of her +sex!--commanded the immediate execution of all the children of her son, +that she might reign alone, and never be called upon to resign the +sceptre to a lawful heir. + +They are slain! The shouts and laughter of that band of little ones is +stopped forever--the galleries will never more re-echo to their youthful +voices; vainly did they rush into the arms of their nurses for +protection. They are slain; all save one! For if they have a grandmother +they also have an aunt, and one who is ruled by different principles. +She is the sister of their father, but probably had not the same mother +as he: she early chose the paths of piety and goodness, and was wedded +to a man of uncommon firmness and of the noblest character--the high +priest of the nation. Soon as she had an intimation of the intentions of +the queen, she hastened to the palace. But one only could she save--a +little crowing babe, whom, with his nurse, she secreted in a safe place, +until, under cover of the night, she was able to convey them to her own +abode. + +There, in the house of the Lord, the young child was reared. For six +years he was hidden, and tenderly and carefully trained in the fear of +God, while his grandmother reigned supreme in the land, to the +subversion of all law and order. But when the prince was seven years +old, the high priest, his uncle, took measures to secure to him the +possession of his rights. He consulted with the wisest of the nation, +and brought together the Levites from all parts of the land, and divided +them into bands, giving each a particular post, to guard against +surprise. He then brought forth from the treasuries of the temple the +spears, shields, and bucklers which had belonged to King David, and +distributed them among the captains of the several divisions. When all +arrangements were made, and the people who were gathered together in the +spacious courts for worship, waited to see what was about to happen, he +retired; and came back, in his priestly garments, with the mitre upon +his head, on which was written, on a golden plate, HOLINESS TO THE +LORD--this sentence showing the intention of the priestly office. His +robe, or under-garment, which hung in rich folds down to his feet, was +of deep blue, and around the hem were alternate pomegranates of +brilliant colors, and little golden bells, which made a tinkling sound +as he moved along. Above this was worn the ephod, splendidly embroidered +in gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, with a long and broad girdle +at the waist, manufactured of the same gorgeous materials. Upon his +bosom flashed the breastplate, composed of twelve large precious stones, +all different, upon each one of which was engraved the name of a tribe +of Israel; so that the High Priest bore them all upon his heart, when he +ministered before the Lord. Well was this magnificent dress, which was +made "for glory and for beauty," calculated to set off the dignity of +the holy office, and to make the people gaze in admiring awe. But it was +not the splendor of the pontifical robes, it was not the inspiring +person of the high priest, at which the assembled multitudes eagerly +gazed, when the Head of the Church again appeared before them. It was a +little boy, of seven years old, who now attracted their attention--a +pretty child, arrayed in royal garments, who was led forward by the +venerable man. His stand was taken beside a pillar, and the guards, with +drawn swords, gathered round him: his uncle placed upon his clustering +curls the golden circlet, the symbol of how much power, what heavy +cares, and what fearful responsibility! And when the people, long +crushed to the earth by tyrannical rule, beheld it, hope again awaked in +their hearts, and, with one accord, they clapped their hands, and +shouted out, "God save the King!" And the trumpeters sounded aloud, and +the harpers struck up the notes of praise and joy, and the full choir of +trained singers joined in the jubilee. And thus was the young king +proclaimed--while, in the innocence of childhood, he wonderingly looked +on. + +But the queen heard the shouts in her palace. For the first time in her +life, it is most probable, she came to the house of God--but she came +not to worship. "What means this riotous assembly?" she thought. "Can it +be, that the vile rabble dare to think of revolt--against _me_? I will +go, even alone, and awe them by my presence: it shall never be said that +my mother's daughter feared aught in heaven above or the earth beneath." +She went, that audacious woman, with all her crimes upon her head, and +entered alone into the temple of the Holy One. She went to her death. +The people made way for her, although they gazed upon her with loathing; +and within the sanctuary she beheld the grandson, whom she had long +thought to be numbered with the dead, in royal array, with the crown +upon his head. When she saw this, she rent her clothes, and cried +loudly, "Treason! treason!" But none joined in the cry: an ominous +silence pervaded that vast assembly, and looks of hatred were cast upon +her from the crowd. Seeing plainly that all were against her, her +insolent pride gave way, and she turned to flee from that mass of stern, +relentless eyes, all gazing, as it were, into her black and +blood-stained heart. As she passed along, the people shrank back, as if +an accursed thing were near them; and when she had passed from the +consecrated limits, she was slain. None shed a tear over her grave, but +the people enjoyed rest and peace, now that her tyranny was terminated. + +"And that was the end of her!" said George. "And well she deserved her +fate. A good grandmother, indeed! But who was she?" + +"That's the very thing I want to know," replied Mary. "But perhaps some +of you can tell me who her very lovely mother was?" + +"There is no mistaking her," said Amy. "There is only one Jezebel in the +world, I hope. Think of the horrid old thing, painting herself off, and +trying to look like a beauty! I wonder if she thought she could possibly +captivate the murderer of her son!" + +"Hardly that, I should think. Perhaps it was on the same principle that +Julius Caesar drew his robe around him, before his death--an idea of the +proprieties becoming the station they occupied. It reminds me of a +passage in Pope, describing 'the ruling passion strong in death:' + + + "'Odious--in woollen! 'twould a saint provoke,' + (Were the last words that poor Narcissa spoke;) + No, let a charming chintz and Brussels' lace + Wrap my cold limbs, and shade my lifeless face; + One would not, sure, be frightful when one's dead: + And--Betty--give this cheek a little red.' + + +And now, can you tell me who was that prophet that sent a letter to the +husband of 'the good grandmother,' and who predicted the fate of her +parents, Ahab and Jezebel?" + +"He who did not _live to see_ their accomplishment, and yet was not +dead," said Cornelia. "Oh, I remember well about that: it was Elijah, +the Tishbite, who had ascended to heaven without dying. By the way, how +do you understand that saying of Elisha's, Mary--'My father, my father! +the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof?' I never knew rightly +whether the latter part of his exclamation referred to the ascending +prophet, or to the chariot and horses of fire." + +"I once asked our clergyman that very question; and he told me that it +alluded to Elijah himself, and meant to say, that he was the defence of +the country, and a whole host in himself: comprising cavalry, and those +heavy chariots filled with warriors, and armed with scythes on either +side, which did such deadly execution in ancient warfare. I suppose +Elisha thought, How can _I_, how can our country exist without you!" + +"I remember now the name of 'the good grandmother,'" said Ellen, +smiling. "It was Athaliah--and a worthy daughter she was for Ahab and +Jezebel to leave as a legacy to the world. And her son was Ahaziah, who +was killed in Samaria, while on a visit to his uncle, King Jehoram. And +now I think some one else should tell who the usurper was, under whose +chariot-wheels the wicked Jezebel was slain." + +"It was Jehu, the furious driver," answered her brother Tom; "the same +eminently pious individual who invited a friend to 'go with him and see +his zeal for the Lord,' when he intended to murder the rest of Ahab's +relations. A fine way of showing goodness, that!" + +"And who was the good aunt?" + +"You must really let me look for that," said Amy, getting a Bible. "It +was Jehosheba, and her husband, the high priest, was named Jehoiada, and +the little king was Joash, or Jehoash. I'm sorry to see that he was only +kept straight by his uncle: as soon as he died, the young monarch, +appears to have become as bad as any of them." + +"And now, Cousin Mary, tell us another story!" said Harry. + +"Very well, if you wish it. I'll call this tale + + +The Prophet and the Fortune-Tellers. + +In former times there was a king of Judah, an excellent man, who, +through some unaccountable ideas of policy, had entered into an alliance +with a very wicked king of Israel, and had even encouraged his son to +marry the daughter of his idolatrous neighbor. On one occasion, he was +paying a visit to his ally, when the latter proposed to him that they +should join together in recovering a city which had formerly belonged to +the Jewish nation, from their enemy, the King of Syria. He replied, that +they were of one blood, and had but one interest, and that he should +most gladly aid him; but cautiously added, that it was his particular +wish that God's oracle should be consulted, as he did not like to +undertake any thing without His direction. To gratify this superstitious +whim, as he considered it, the Israelitish monarch collected together +about four hundred false prophets, who were ready to say any thing that +would give him pleasure, and asked whether he should or should not go up +against the city. Of course, they obsequiously replied, "Go up; for the +Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king." + +But the King of Judah wag not satisfied. He had seen real, true prophets +of God, and they had neither looked nor acted like these very smooth, +courtier-like men. He mistrusted these pretenders, and said to his +brother-monarch, "Is there not another, a prophet of Jehovah, of whom we +could inquire the Lord's will?" + +The latter answered, "Yes, there _is_ another man; but I did not send +for him, for I hate the very sight of his face. Instead of predicting +good, he makes a point of foretelling evil; I detest that man." But his +more amiable and pious friend said, "Pray, do not speak so, your +Highness: it is not right." Seeing that he was unwilling to go until he +had consulted the prophet, the King of Israel ordered the latter to be +sent for. The two sovereigns awaited him in state, in their royal robes +upon their thrones, at the large open space always left in Oriental +cities at the entrance of the gates, for public meetings, business, and +courts of justice. + +Before the messenger returned, the false prophets had renewed their +predictions of a safe and successful career to the two kings; and one of +them had distinguished himself by making horns of iron, which he placed +upon his head, agreeably to the allegorical style of the East, and said: +"Thus shalt thou push against thy enemies, and shalt overcome them, +until they be utterly consumed." + +Meanwhile, the royal messenger approached with the prophet; and being a +good-natured man and a courtier, he begged the latter not to affront his +master, by speaking differently from the other seers, who all, with one +accord, joined in predicting peace and success. But the undaunted man of +God replied, that what Jehovah revealed to him he would speak, neither +more nor less. + +At last, they arrived in the presence of royalty; and the King of Israel +said to him, "Speak, and declare the counsel of God: shall we go up +against the city, or shall we abandon our undertaking?" With a manner of +cutting irony--for he well knew that the monarch neither cared to know +the will of the Lord, nor would obey it, when known--the prophet +answered, quoting the language of the fortune-tellers around him: "Go +up, and prosper; for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the +king." But it was so evident that there was something behind this +satire, that the idolatrous prince replied to him, "How often must I be +compelled to tell you to speak the truth, and to declare the will of +Heaven?" + +Then the prophet spoke, and this time the mockery had vanished from his +tone and manner, and his voice was serious and sad: "I see a vision that +distresses me: all Israel is scattered upon the hills, like sheep which +have no shepherd. And Jehovah says, 'These have no master: let each one +return to his house in peace.'" + +When he heard this, the King of Israel turned to his friend: "Now you +see a proof of my words," said he. "Did I not tell you that he would +never predict aught but evil of me?" + +But the prophet still spoke on: "I have a parable to tell thee, O mighty +King. I saw, sitting upon his lofty throne, one mightier than thou--the +King of kings; and upon his right hand and upon his left were ranged all +the host of heaven. And he said, 'Who shall persuade the Lord of Israel +to go up against Ramoth-Gilead to his destruction?' And various counsel +was given from different sources. At last, a Power spoke, and offered to +go forth as a lying spirit in the mouth of all the king's prophets. The +Lord answered him, 'Go, and thou shalt likewise succeed.' This, O +monarch, is my parable: a lying spirit has gone forth into thy prophets; +for truly, Jehovah hath spoken evil concerning thee." + +At these words, the man who had made himself so especially prominent in +predicting good fortune to the expedition came up to the prophet, and +struck him upon the cheek, with an insulting speech; and the king +commanded that he should be carried to the governor of the city, and +kept closely confined, upon bread and water, until he returned in peace +and triumph, having conquered all his enemies. But the prophet answered, +"If thou return at all in peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me." + +But, unrestrained by any thing he said, the two princes went forth to +the battle. More completely to insure his safety, the Israelitish +monarch disguised himself, and requested the King of Judah to wear his +royal robes, which he accordingly did. But the Syrians had received +orders to aim only at the enemy's head and leader, and not to attack the +common people. This nearly caused the death of the King of Judah, who +wore his friend's conspicuous garments, and who was pursued, and almost +slain, before the mistake was discovered. But notwithstanding his +precaution in wearing a counterfeit dress, the fated king did not +escape. An arrow, shot by chance, struck him in a vital part, and he +died. When the death of their lord was known, all Israel fled in dismay, +and every man sought the shelter of his own home. We may presume that +the true prophet was liberated from his confinement, and that the base +and impudent impostor was punished as he deserved. + +"Are not these kings near relatives of 'the good grandmother?'" said +Charlie Bolton. + +"You are right," replied Mary. "They are her father, Ahab, and her +father-in-law, Jehoshaphat. Who was the true prophet, and who the +false?" + +"The true prophet was Micaiah, the son of Imlah; and the other--I think +his horns should have been made of _brass_, impudent fellow that he +was--was called Zedekiah." + +Other Bible stories were called for, which were found so interesting, +and, as the younger children confessed, so _new_ to many of them, that +all agreed to begin a more systematic mode of reading the +Scriptures--that treasury of historic truth, of varied biography, and of +poetic beauty. John Wyndham remarked that the best thing about the +romantic incidents in the Bible was, that you could be sure they had all +really happened: and the events were told with so much simplicity, and +the characters were so natural and life-like, that even a dull fellow +like him, who had no more imagination than a door-post, could see it as +if it were passing before his eyes. And another thing that struck him +was, that all was related without the exclamations, and the comments +upon the incidents and the people, which you find in common books: you +were treated as if you had both sense and conscience enough to find out +the moral intention of the narrative, and that made you think a great +deal more than if it was explained out in full. The young people all got +their Bibles, and counting the chapters, formed a plan for reading +through the whole book once a year. They found that if they read three +chapters a day, and occasionally an extra one, they could accomplish it: +and resolved to begin in Genesis, the Psalms, and St. Matthew's Gospel, +in order to give more variety. When this point was settled, Amy proposed +capping Bible verses: she said they could have their books before them +to help them a little, if their memories failed. One was to recite a +verse, and the next another, beginning with the letter which ended the +preceding passage; and if the person, whose turn it was, hesitated, any +one else who first thought of a suitable sentence should recite it. But +it ought to be something which made good sense, when disconnected from +the adjoining verses: and it was a rule of the game, that if any one +present did not understand the meaning of a quotation, they should talk +it over until they got some light upon the subject. + +Amy began: "'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.'" + +"Stop!" cried Lewis. "For if that means that gentle, patient, forgiving +people, shall become rich and great, I don't understand it at all." + +"Certainly it cannot mean that," replied his sister Ellen. "I have heard +it explained in this way:--they shall possess the best blessings of +earth, by living in love and peace, and having easy consciences." + +"That makes a very good sense, I think," said Tom; "but I have heard +another explanation given, which I like better. The earth, in that +place and in many others, can be translated _land_, with equal +propriety; and as the land of Canaan was promised to the Jews as a +reward, the heavenly Canaan is held out as a recompense to Christians." + +"I'm satisfied," said Lewis. "Let me see--h--'Hear, O heavens, and give +ear, O earth, for the Lord hath spoken.'" + +"'Never man spake like this man,'" added George. + +"I think there are some words in the verse before that N," said +Gertrude. + +"But that is of no consequence," replied Amy. "When a clause makes a +complete sense in itself, that answers, even if it is not at the +beginning of a verse. You know that the division of the Bible into +chapters and verses is quite a modern thing." + +"Indeed, I did not know it," said Gertrude. "Are you quite sure?" + +"Oh, yes, certain. I don't know when, or by whom it was divided into +chapters--but my Sunday-school teacher has told me that the books of the +Old Testament were not parcelled out in that way among the Jews. They +had other, and longer divisions, one of which was read every Sabbath day +in the synagogues, so that the whole was heard by the people, in the +course of the year. She told me that the New Testament was first +distributed into chapters--it was not originally written so--and then +the Old; and that in some places it would make better sense if the end +of one chapter was joined to the beginning of the next." + +"And how is it about the verses, Amy?" + +"It was first separated into verses by Robert Stephens, a publisher, +when riding on horseback between Paris and Lyons: he marked it thus as +he rode along. He was about to publish an edition of the Bible, and a +concordance, and divided it for facility of reference. This was in the +middle of the sixteenth century." + +"There is one thing I've always wanted to know," said John. "Along the +margin, among the references, every now and then there are a few +words--generally, _or_ so and so. What is the meaning of that?" + +"That occurs when the translators were doubtful which of two words gives +the right meaning," said Mrs. Wyndham, coming forward. "And I have +frequently noticed, that the one in the margin is preferable to the +other." + +"Another point I wish to have explained," said Cornelia. "Why is it that +in all Bibles some words are put in Italics? There must be a reason." + +"Yes, my dear, there certainly is. The translators did not find these in +the original text, but thought them necessary to make up the sense. You +know that you are obliged to take such liberties in rendering any +foreign language into English. But they very properly distinguished +_their_ words from those found in the original; and occasionally, when +the former are omitted, the passage is more forcible, and gives a +slightly different sense. It is well to remember this." + +"But we have wandered very far from our game," said Charlie Bolton. +"'Never man spake like this man,' was the last--another N--'Not unto us, +O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory.'" + +"'Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be +hid.'" + +"'Divers weights and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination +unto the Lord.'" + +"'Drink waters out of thy own cistern, and running waters out of thy own +well.'" + +"'Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty.'" + +And so the game went on, until, to the surprise of all, Caesar announced +that tea was ready, and they found that the afternoon had quite passed +away, in pleasant and profitable talk. + +In the evening, Ellen Green asked her aunt if she would not consent to +convert them into a Bible-class, as an hour could be spent very +agreeably in that way. Of course, Mrs. Wyndham agreed to the +proposition, and requested the young party to bring Bibles in as many +different languages as they could understand. They had Latin, Greek, and +German versions in the library, which the boys would find useful, as all +the older ones were pretty well versed in the classics, and Tom Green +was studying German; and as she had seen Amy reading her French +Testament, and Ellen the Italian, she knew they were provided for. +Accordingly, they ran to get their books; and by comparing the various +translations, they found that the sense was frequently made clearer. +Each one read a verse; and then, before the next person proceeded, Mrs. +Wyndham explained it, and asked questions, which frequently led to the +most animated conversation. By requiring a definition of all words which +were not perfectly familiar, she arrested their attention. When she, or +any other member of the class, thought of a passage in Scripture which +threw light upon the subject, all searched for it, with the aid of the +Concordance. Any peculiarity of rites, manners, customs, etc., was made +more intelligible by the Bible Dictionary; and when the whole lesson was +finished, the young people gave a summary of the religious truth, and +practical inferences to be deduced from it. + +A quotation from the Book of Daniel led to some pleasant talk about that +prophet, his greatly diversified life, and the important changes in the +world's history which he witnessed. Mrs. Wyndham remarked that the Jews +have a tradition which in itself is very probable, that the venerable +man pointed out to Cyrus, after his conquest of Babylon, the verses in +Isaiah, wherein he is spoken of by name, as conquering by the power of +the Lord, and giving orders to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple: and +also that other passage, in which the destruction of the Babylonish +empire by the Medes is foretold, both prophecies being recorded more +than a hundred years before the birth of the mighty king by whom they +were accomplished. + +"I never heard of that," said Cornelia. "But, of course, it would be the +most likely thing for Daniel to do. You can imagine the interest with +which Cyrus would listen to these predictions about himself--and from +the lips of such a noble, lovely, white-haired man as Daniel must have +been. I don't wonder at all that he gave the decree to rebuild +Jerusalem." + +"This reminds me of another Jewish tradition, recorded in Josephus," +rejoined Mrs. Wyndham. "This one, I think, is not at all probable; but +as it would interest you, I will narrate it. Alexander the Great, while +engaged in the siege of Tyre, sent orders to the high priest at +Jerusalem, to furnish his army with provisions, as they had been in the +habit of doing to Darius. But Jaddus, the high priest, gave answer that +they were still bound by their oath to the King of Persia, and that, +while he lived, they could not transfer their allegiance to another. +This noble response awakened the rage of Alexander, who, as soon as Tyre +was reduced, marched towards Jerusalem, determined to inflict signal +vengeance upon that city. The inhabitants, totally unable to withstand +the conqueror, were filled with consternation. Their town was, indeed, +admirably fortified; but since Tyre, the Queen of the Sea, had been +subdued, how could they hope to escape? Weeping and loud lamentations +were heard throughout the streets. The high priest knew that his only +hope was in help from on high: he ordered prayers and sacrifices to be +offered up, and awaited the result, confident that he had at least +discharged his duty. + +"But on the night before the mighty Greek arrived, Jaddus received +directions, in a dream, to array the streets with flowers, and to go +forth, in his pontifical robes, to meet the victor, followed by the +people, dressed in white. He awoke, with fresh hope and energy, told his +dream to the assembled populace, and gave orders that the city should be +decked with garlands, triumphal arches, and gay streamers, and that the +gates should be left open. When all preparations were made, he marched +out, agreeably to the commandment, at the head of the priests and +people, and awaited the approach of the invaders, at a point commanding +a beautiful view of the city, with its open gates, unarmed walls, and +smiling environs. At last, the clank of weapons was heard; and, with +military music, the victorious army moved along, anxious for fresh +conquests. But how different was their reception from that they had +anticipated! Many, it is true, had come out to meet them, but all in the +garb of peace; dressed in white, and crowned with flowers, as if for a +festival. Hostility died away in the bosoms of the warriors, as they +gazed on these defenceless men,--few are so brutal as to attack the +unresisting and the friendly. But what was the astonishment of the whole +army, when they beheld the fiery Alexander himself go forward towards +the Jewish high priest, who headed the brilliant procession, and humbly +kneel down at his feet! Then rising, he embraced him. The Israelites +themselves were amazed, and acknowledged the merciful interposition of +God. At length, Parmenio addressed the king, and asked why he, before +whom monarchs and nations trembled, and at whose feet all were ready to +fall, should condescend thus to do homage to a man? Alexander replied, +'that he did not bow down to the man, but to the mighty name which was +written upon his forehead--to the great God to whom he was consecrated. +For that, while he was yet in Macedon, meditating the expedition to +Asia, he had been favored with a remarkable dream, in which he had +beheld this very man, in his pontifical robes, who had addressed him, +encouraging him to persevere in his undertaking. He told him that he, +Alexander, was acting under the immediate guidance of God, and that he +should prosper. And now,' continued the king, 'I do not pay obeisance to +the man, but to the God whose high priest he is, and who has given +success to my arms.' + +"The Jews escorted him into their capital with shouts of applause and +loud rejoicings. The Grecian monarch then entered the temple, and +offered sacrifices, complying with all the requirements of the law: and +Jaddus showed him, in the Book of Daniel, the prophecy concerning +himself and his kingdom overcoming the Medo-Persian realm. Mary, will +you be kind enough to read it?" + +Mary opened the book at the 8th chapter, 3d verse: "Then I lifted up +mine eyes, and behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two +horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, +and the higher came up last. + +"I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that +no beast might stand before him, neither was there any that could +deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became +great. + +"And as I was considering, behold, an he-goat came from the west on the +face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a +notable horn between his eyes. + +"And he came to the ram which had two horns, which I had seen standing +before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. + +"And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler +against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was +no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the +ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the +ram out of his hand. + +"Therefore the he-goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the +great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones towards the +four winds of heaven." + +And at the twentieth verse it says: "The ram which thou sawest having +two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. + +"And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn which is +between his eyes is the first king. + +"Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms +shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power." + +"This is very plain, Aunt Lucy," said Mary; "and I suppose that the +larger horn of the ram, which came up last, refers to the power of +Persia, which overshadowed Media, originally so much its superior. If +you notice, the ram comes from the east, and pushes westward, northward, +and southward: while the he-goat comes from the west to attack the ram, +and so rapidly, that he is represented as not touching the ground." + +"I suppose that is a poetical expression," said John; "but if it were +anywhere else but in the Bible, I'd say it was far-fetched." + +"It is exactly in unison with the figurative language of the East," +replied Mrs. Wyndham. "The Arab praises the swiftness of his steed, at +this day, by saying, that before his hoof touches the ground, he is out +of sight. That's a bold figure for you." + +"I love poetical expressions," said Amy. + +"And I prefer plain English, not Arabian," answered John. + +"I think I can answer for one thing," said Charlie. "When Jaddus showed +Alexander that prediction, he did not lay much stress upon the verse +about the great horn being broken while it was yet strong, and four +others coming up in its place. It all came true enough, but Alexander +would not have liked that part as well as the rest, about his +conquests." + +"Do you, who are fresh from school, remember the names of the four +generals and kingdoms who succeeded him?" rejoined Mrs. Wyndham. + +"Ptolemy seized Egypt; Seleucus, Syria and Babylon; Lysimachus, Asia +Minor; and Cassander took Greece for his share of the plunder. But +though these were notable horns, they were none of them in _his_ +power--none could compare with Alexander." + +"Auntie," said Amy, "don't you think Alexander must have seen these +predictions--you know how much he favored the Jews, and what especial +privileges he gave them in his city, Alexandria?" + +"Well, perhaps so," said Mrs. Wyndham, smiling. "I see you want to +believe it, at any rate. There is no proof to the contrary, so you might +as well indulge your organ of wonder." + + + + +CHAPTER VII. + +SEQUEL TO THE ORPHAN'S TALE.--WHO CAN HE BE?--ELEMENTS.--THE +ASTROLOGERS. + + +On Monday morning, our merry party at the Grange breakfasted rather +earlier than usual, and Mr. Wyndham and Alice Bolton set off for +Philadelphia, full of eagerness to hunt up an uncle for little Margaret +Roscoe. Charlie told him, laughingly, that he was sure he would persuade +some one to be her uncle, if rich Mr. Roscoe did not prove to be the +right man: he could pick one up somewhere along the streets. But Mr. +Wyndham replied, with an offended air, that he was sorry he had not yet +learned his worth: good uncles, like him, were not to be met with every +day--they should be valued accordingly. + +"Do you remember the anecdote about Frederic the Great, of Prussia?" +asked his wife. + +"There are many funny stories told of him," answered Mr. Wyndham; "which +is the one you refer to?" + +"One Sunday, a young minister preached an admirable sermon before him, +showing uncommon talent and erudition. Frederic afterwards sent for him, +and asked where he was settled. 'Unfortunately, Sire, I have had no +opportunity of being installed anywhere: I have never had a living +presented to me.' 'But what is the reason?--you preach an excellent +discourse, and appear to be an active young man.' 'Alas! Sire, I have no +uncle.' 'Then I'll be your uncle, said Frederic. And he kept his word: +the next vacancy in the ecclesiastical appointments was filled up with +the name of his adopted nephew." + +"But, Aunt," said Harry, "I can't see what his having no uncle had to do +with it." + +"You know that in most other parts of Christendom, where the stars and +the stripes do not float in the breeze, what we call the voluntary +principle in church maintenance and government is not the rule at all. +Here, people choose their own clergymen, and of course it is their +business to support them. But in nearly the whole of Europe, rulers are +so very paternal as to take that trouble and responsibility off the +shoulders of the people: they are kind enough to do all their thinking +for them. The subjects pay very heavy taxes; and from these, and from +old endowments, all the expenses of the national establishments are +discharged. They look at it in the same light as your parents do, when +they pay your school-bills--it's a duty they owe you to see that you are +properly taught; but it would be very weak in them to consult you as to +which teacher you preferred, and what school you chose to go to--they're +the best judges, of course." + +"But, Aunt Lucy! you surely don't mean to say that the governments are +the best judges as to what church the people shall attend, and what +ministers they shall have?" + +"I do not mean to say that is my opinion, of course--that would be +rather anti-American, and not at all Aunty-Lucyish. No, no; I stand up +for the rights of conscience, and approve of treating grown men, and +children too, as if they had reason and common sense; and then they will +be far more likely to possess it, than if they are always kept under an +iron rule. But, on the other side of the water, they have not so exalted +an opinion of the mass of the people as we have; and the government, in +some form--either through ecclesiastical boards, or inspectors of +churches, or members of the aristocracy--exercises the power of filling +vacant churches. This is the reason why it is important to have an +uncle; in other words, some influential person to aid you in rising." + +"Even the _memory_ of an illustrious uncle is sometimes a +stepping-stone," remarked Charlie Bolton. "The late Emperor Louis +Napoleon is an example--lucky fellow; his uncle's name and fame got him +a throne--with the help of considerable cheating." + +"Not so lucky, if you look at his end," said John. "But from other and +quite disinterested motives, I intend to keep as close to _my_ uncle as +he. I shall very soon begin to subscribe myself John Wyndham, Junior, +and I am determined to be like you, uncle--as like as your own shadow." + +"Then you will be an illustrious example of failure, my boy--for my +shadow, although always near me, is generally cast down, which I never +am--and it always looks away from the sunny side, you know, which I +don't do. Besides, a shadow has no particular character: any one's +shadow would suit me as well as my own." + +"I intend to be an original, for my part!" cried Cornelia, laughing. "I +won't be cast in anybody's mould, as if I were a bullet--not I!" + +"That's right, my dear original!" said her uncle, pinching her rosy, +dimpled, laughter-loving cheek. "The grave world always wants a pert +little Cornelia to tease it out of its peculiarities: people in old +times kept their jesters, and you're nearly as good!" + +"Why, uncle! you insult me! you've quite mistaken my character; I intend +to be the dignified Miss Wyndham!" + +"Oh, pray, spare us that infliction!" replied her uncle, laughingly, +jumping into the carriage. + +Mr. Wyndham met with good success. He arrived at Mr. Roscoe's door at +the moment that gentleman was about to leave home. Alice Bolton, who was +an especial favorite of his, introduced her uncle; and when he +understood that they had private business with him, he led them up to +his library, where, hanging over the mantle-piece, Mr. Wyndham +immediately saw a portrait, the counterpart of the one in his +possession, although evidently taken some years before the miniature. +Involuntarily, he stopped before it, and gazed earnestly. Mr. Roscoe +sighed. "Here is all that remains," said he, "of a dear and only +brother. I value this picture more than any thing else in my house, +except its living furniture." "Had your brother no family, sir? no wife +or child?" rejoined Mr. Wyndham. "That is rather a tender subject, my +dear sir," answered Mr. Roscoe: "one that has caused me much sorrow, and +some self-reproach. He left a wife and child, indeed, who were to join +me in America. I have reason to think they sailed; but from that day to +this, I have heard no tidings from them. Would to God I knew their fate! +whether the unknown ship in which they took passage went down at sea, or +what else may have happened, I know not. All my efforts to unravel the +mystery have been in vain." "Perhaps I can help you," said Mr. Wyndham, +with that peculiarly benevolent smile, which opened all hearts to him, +as if by magic. "You recognize this countenance?" continued he, holding +up to him little Maggie's medallion. "My brother Malcom! tell me, sir, +tell me where you got this; it was his wife's!" "His sweet little +daughter--your niece, Margaret Roscoe--handed it to my wife a few days +ago. She knows not she has an uncle living: her mother is dead, and she +is dwelling in comparative poverty near my house." "I cannot doubt it, +from this picture--although it is all a mystery still. But I must see +her--my dear brother's child. I will order up my carriage immediately, +and beg you to take seats in it. I must see her as soon as possible." + +"On that very account I have made arrangements for you to come out to +The Grange in mine," replied Mr. Wyndham. "We can explain all things by +the way; and you can return whenever you say the word. You will find Old +Caesar quite at your disposal." + +"I gratefully accept your offer, my dear sir, and can never be +sufficiently thankful to you, if you indeed restore to me my brother's +child. I will order my carriage to follow us to The Grange." + +Accordingly, he acquainted his family, in few words and great haste, +with the discovery that had been made, and left Carrie, Alan, and Malcom +in an intense state of excitement, at the idea of regaining the +long-lost cousin. The three then drove immediately to Mrs. Norton's +little cottage, where the gentle and womanly child was busily engaged at +her work-- + + + "Stitch, stitch, stitch, + Band, gusset, and seam--" + + +striving, by her small, but active fingers, to aid in the support of +that family which had sheltered her in adversity. As the door opened, +she raised her deep blue eyes--the very reflection of her father's. The +work fell from her hands; that face reminded her of home, of her +grandfather, of her unknown uncle. They have recognized each other; the +ties of blood speak out in their hearts; the long-severed are now +united. + +I will not attempt to raise the veil which hides from the world the +strongest and purest affections of our nature: they were never intended +for the common eye. But now, after the first rapture of meeting had +subsided, there arose a tumult within the soul of our affectionate and +grateful little Maggie: her heart urged her in two opposite directions. +She felt, in an ardent and uncommon degree, that instinctive love of +kindred which is implanted in our nature, and manifested so strongly by +the natives of Scotland; but, on the other hand, gratitude and duty +appeared to bid her stay with her benefactors. Mr. Roscoe perceived the +struggle, and it raised his little niece highly in his estimation. He +told her that it was not his wish to separate her entirely from the +family to which she was so warmly attached; that she should come very +frequently to see them, and that, as his niece, she would find it was in +her power to aid them more effectually than she could do as their +adopted daughter. Mrs. Norton, although with tears in her eyes, told her +that she could not now dare to detain her; her duty was clear, to follow +her uncle, who filled her father's place. Having made the arrangement to +call for her in the afternoon, Mr. Roscoe accompanied Mr. Wyndham and +Alice to the Grange, where he dined, and spent the intermediate time; +greatly to the pleasure of our young party, who could not have felt sure +of Maggie's future happiness, had they not themselves experienced the +attractive influence of his kind, gentlemanly, and paternal manner. + +After dinner, the two gentlemen had a little private conversation about +Mrs. Norton. They wished to place her above poverty, and yet to do so in +a way which should not mortify her feelings of independence. Mr. Roscoe +remarked that "he had it in his power to bring Frederic forward in +business; and that, if he were an industrious and intelligent lad, he +should enjoy as good an opportunity of rising in the world as the son +of the richest merchant in the land. He would see to it that the girls +had the best advantages of education; and if they showed sufficient +talent, they should be trained for teachers. But, meantime, what was to +be done for Mrs. Norton? Would she accept from him an annuity, which, +after all, was only a small return for her kindness to his brother's +child?" + +Mr. Wyndham thought that it would be a better plan to establish her in a +neat dwelling and well-furnished shop, either in the country or in the +city, where Frederic could board with her. He knew, from his wife's +account, that she had an acquaintance with business, and had thought of +setting her up, himself, in a small way: he should be happy to aid in +the good work. But Mr. Roscoe insisted that the debt was all his own, +and that no one should share with him the privilege of helping her; and, +accordingly, this plan was determined upon as combining the most +efficient assistance to the widow, with a regard to her self-respect. + +In the evening, after the excitement produced by the unexpected turn in +the fortunes of little Maggie and of her generous protectors had +somewhat subsided, our happy party drew up to the fire, which crackled +and blazed as if conscious of the animation it imparted to the group +around it. + +"What game shall we play to-night?" said Cornelia, who possessed such an +active mind as to think it stupid and "poking," unless some visible fun +was in progress. She never could think the fire was burning, unless the +sparks flew right and left. + +"What do you say to 'Who can he be?" asked Mary. "'Tis a game, partly of +my own invention, that I think may prove entertaining. I've seen a set +of historical cards, in which a description is read of a general, king, +or other illustrious character; and any one having the card on which +the corresponding name is printed, calls it out, and gains the other +one. But if a beautiful Queen of Egypt, who lived a short time before +the Christian era, is portrayed, it's quite as well for boys who own a +Moses or a Mary of Scotland, not to be in too great a hurry to speak." + +"We wouldn't be such dunces, I hope," cried Harry. "But, Cousin Mary, +what's your improvement? I don't see any cards here at all." + +"Oh no: I think when people have brains, they can play much better +without them. My plan is, for a person to describe the individual, +naming the country and age in which he lived, what gained him +distinction, and every thing else that is interesting; and then any one +of the circle can guess who the hero is, having the privilege of asking +one question previously. If the conjecture be correct, the guesser +describes another character, and so the game proceeds. Or, if you prefer +it, you can narrate one well-known anecdote of your hero, and then three +questions are allowed previous to a guess. I call it 'Who can he be?'" + +"I think I shall like it," said Ellen. "If you please, I'll begin. Once +there lived a Roman Emperor--he was a nephew, like Louis Napoleon and +Cousin John. We often say people lived in the year one: he certainly +did. He was a great patron of literature and the fine arts, and was a +munificent friend to Virgil. Who can he be?" + +"I can tell you, without asking my question," cried Tom. "Augustus was +eminently the nephew, and succeeded his uncle, Julius Caesar, in the +Empire. He was reigning at the time of our Saviour's birth, and of +course lived in the year one: every thing fits--he's the man." + +"You are right. Now 'tis your turn, brother Tom." + +"The first of the English poets--who wrote splendid poetry, if only one +could read it. 'Tis such hard, tough, jaw-breaking English, that it is +little wonder his very name shows we must use the muscles of our mouths +when we attempt it. He lived soon after the time of Wickliffe, and +imbibed some of his ideas. Who can he be?" + +"Who but Chaucer?" said Cornelia. "Now who is the hero who was almost +elected King of Poland, but who lost that honor through the interference +of a queen of England, unwilling to lose the brightest jewel of her +crown by parting with him? He is mortally wounded on the battle-field, +and thirsting for water. His soldiers procure some, with great +difficulty, and he is about to raise it to his lips, when he sees the +longing eye of a dying man, at his side, fixed upon it. 'He wants it +more than I,' said he, and gave it to the poor fellow. Who can he be?" + +"We are allowed three questions to an anecdote," said Alice, "but none +are required here. There is only one Sir Philip Sydney. But who was the +selfish queen, unwilling to have her noblest subject exalted beyond her +control?" + +"None other than good Queen Bess," answered Cornelia. + +"And who is the poet that has immortalized Sydney's sister, in the +following lines? + + + "'Underneath this marble hearse + Lies the subject of all verse: + Sydney's sister, Pembroke's mother-- + Death, ere thou hast slain another + Good, and fair, and wise as she, + Time shall throw his dart at thee!'" + + +"Was it 'rare Ben Jonson?'" cried Charlie Bolton. + +"Even so, Charlie: now, what have you got to say for yourself?" + +"I intend to disprove the assertion of Alice, that there is only one +Sir Philip Sydney. Who was that other equally valiant knight, and much +sweeter poet, who used to sing his own verses, accompanying himself upon +the harp; and could thereby soothe the most troubled spirit? On one +occasion, this brilliant genius, whose romantic adventures might fill a +volume, and who subsequently became a king, was in exile, and was +hidden, with some devoted followers, in a large cave. The enemies of his +country were encamped around, and lay, in strong force, between his +hiding-place and the small town where he had spent his childish years, +which they also garrisoned. While in this situation, cut off from all +intercourse with his home and friends, his heart turned to them with an +intense longing; and in a moment of thoughtlessness, he said before +three of his captains, 'Oh, what would I not give, could I once more +drink water from the well, outside the gate of my native town!' At the +peril of their lives, the gallant men fought their way through the hosts +of the enemy, and returned with the water. But the poet-warrior would +not drink: he poured it out as a libation to God, saying, 'Can I indeed +drink the blood of these noble friends, who have risked their lives to +gratify my idle whim? I cannot do it.' Now, who can be this poet, +warrior, and king?" + +"Did he live about a thousand years before the Christian era?" said Amy. + +"He did." + +"It was the sweet Psalmist of Israel, David, son of Jesse, the +Bethlehemite. Now, who is the man that long ago published a book of +jests, said to be greatly studied now-a-days by diners-out and professed +wits, and endlessly copied into other works of a similar character. His +reputation is so high, that many anecdotes are called by his name. Who +can he be?" + +"Is it Punch?" said Lewis. + +"How silly!" cried Harry, with the knowing look of a boy two years +older: "Punch is a newspaper. Was it Hood?" + +"No: do you all give it up?" + +"Yes: we can't imagine who he can be." + +"Joe Miller, of jesting memory." + +"Now let us try another game," said Gertrude. "Of course, Cousin Mary +has an endless store at her disposal." + +"Let us try 'Elements,'" Mary answered. "I will throw my handkerchief at +some one, calling out water, air, or earth; and the person who catches +it must immediately name an animal living in or upon the element. But if +I say _fire_, you must be silent. The answer should be given before I +count ten; and then the one in possession of the handkerchief must throw +it to another, carrying on the game. Any one who repeats an animal that +has been already mentioned, pays a forfeit--except that I think forfeits +are stupid things." + +"Instead of that," said Charlie, "let the unlucky wight who makes the +greatest number of blunders, have the privilege of proposing the first +game to-morrow." + +"Very well," said Mary, throwing her handkerchief at Tom. "Water." + +"Codfish," answered he, tossing it to Cornelia. "Earth." + +"Elephant," replied Cornelia, sending the missive to Charlie. "Fire." + +"Water," rejoined Charlie, flinging it to Amy. + +"Eel," responded Amy, casting it into Anna's lap. "Air." + +"Eagle," cried the latter, hurling the embroidered cambric at George's +face. "Earth." + +"Have pity upon my poor little handkerchief!" said Mary. And so the +game proceeded; and simple though it was, it caused diversion. + +"Who shall be appointed to tell the story to-night?" asked Ellen. "It +seems to me that Tom or Charlie, George or John should be selected; as +it generally happens, 'the softer sex' has done the chief talking. Isn't +it right and proper for the boys to take their equal share?" + +"Oh, by no means!" answered Charlie. "It is the ladies' privilege--it +would be very ungallant to deprive them of it. Besides, my trade is that +of a critic, not an author: you must be aware that it is a higher +branch, giving larger scope to my superior judgment and exquisite powers +of fault-finding. Yes, criticism is my forte: do you tell stories, +Ellen, and I'm the chap to slash them up." + +"You are only too kind," replied his cousin, laughing. "After such a +generous offer, who wouldn't be tempted?" + +"I know you are right, sister Ellen," said Tom, "and that it is our duty +to help in the entertainment of the company; but, for my part, I throw +myself upon your mercy. I wouldn't, for the world, hint that we are more +solid than the girls, but 'tis very certain that we are more lumbering. +If I were to begin a tale, I'd flounder through it, like a whale with a +harpoon in its body; while any of the girls, even down to little Anna, +would glide along, like a graceful, snow-white swan upon a silver +lake--happy in her element, and giving pleasure to all who witnessed her +undulating motions." + +"Very pretty that, Tom!" cried Cornelia. "After such a well-turned +compliment, our hearts would be flinty indeed, if we didn't excuse you. +But what do George and John say?" + +"As for me," responded George, "it appears to be my vocation, at +present, to eat hearty dinners, grumble over my lessons, skate, and +now-and-then, by way of a frolic, fall into a pond. You may be thankful +if I don't get into all sorts of mischief. You need not expect me to +make myself agreeable till I arrive at the 'digging-up' age, that +Cornelia spoke of." + +"For my part," added John, "you know that I couldn't invent a story, to +save my life. I've no fancy at all; and have made up my mind, as I can't +be agreeable, that I'll at least be useful. Everybody ought to be one or +the other." + +"We should aim to be both," said Mr. Wyndham. + +"But, indeed, uncle, 'tis hard work for a fellow, when he's plain-spoken +and rather dull, like me. I'd prefer sawing wood, any day, to +entertaining a parcel of girls!" + +"That being the case," answered Mrs. Wyndham, smiling, "we couldn't be +hard-hearted enough to impose such an arduous duty upon you. I appoint +Cornelia to the honorable office of story-teller this evening." + +"Then I bargain that I make my tale as short as I like, and that I am +not compelled to lug in a moral by the hair of its head, as the Germans +express it," said Cornelia. "I approve of every one following the bent +of his genius, and mine is not of the didactic order." + +"We certainly should not expect a moral essay or an instructive treatise +from our wild little girl," replied Mr. Wyndham. "I suppose there is no +danger of its being immoral." + +"I don't know, indeed," answered she, tossing her black curls, and +looking archly at her uncle, whom she dearly loved to tease. "I'll leave +you to judge of that: I don't answer for the injurious effect it may +have upon these unformed minds around me. I call my story + + +The Astrologers. + +William Forsythe and Edward Barrington were lively young fellows of +twenty, who had left their homes in the South to complete their +education at one of our northern colleges. I don't think my strict uncle +would call them "immoral" young men, but they certainly did not carry +gray heads upon their green shoulders: they loved fun and mischief about +as well as I do. They did not neglect study, and were up to the mark in +their recitations; and they never perpetrated any thing really bad. They +would not have intentionally hurt any one's feelings for the world; but +yet, were any frolic to be carried into execution, these two were "the +head and front of the offending." The grave professors, while they +entertained their families at home with some of their exploits, were +obliged to put on a very sober face in public, and even to hint at +expulsion from the "Alma Mater," if the merry and thoughtless youngsters +persevered in their course. + +I must relate one or two instances which caused considerable laughter at +the time, and have added to the stock of traditionary stories that may +be found in every boarding college throughout our land. Contraband +turkeys or geese, roasted in their room for supper, and intended for a +jolly party of friends who would collect together, were, of course, +quite common affairs. On one occasion, just as the odor had become very +exciting to their gastric organs, and the skin had assumed that tempting +brown hue betokening a near approach to perfection in their culinary +operations, the watchful tutor scented out either the supper or some +mischief, and rap-rap-rap was heard at the door. Every sound was +instantly hushed, and the offending bird was quickly transferred to a +hiding-place in the room. After some little delay, the door was opened, +with many apologies; and the tutor, looking suspiciously through his +spectacles, entered the apartment. "Very studious, gentlemen! very +studious, I see!" he said, glancing at the array of learned volumes open +before them. "Let me beg you not to injure your health by too close +application to books. But what a very curious smell! one would think you +had been carrying out the classical lessons contained in Apicius. Allow +me to examine: ah, Mr. Forsythe, I see that you grease your boots to +keep out the wet--a good precaution." So saying, he pulled out the nice +little goose from a new boot in the corner, to the mingled mortification +and amusement of the young men. "Suppers are doubtless agreeable things +at night," added the tutor; "but the worst is, that they often leave +unpleasant consequences the next morning: of course, you are aware that +you meet the faculty, to-morrow, gentlemen." + +On another occasion, our two heroes were out all night, exerting +themselves strenuously for the public good. I suppose they thought that +if some of the impediments to familiar intercourse in the neighborhood +were removed, the state of society would be greatly benefited. Some such +grave purpose they must have had in view; for, in the morning, when the +inhabitants of the town awoke, they found to their surprise that all the +gates, small and great, had been removed from their hinges, and +collected in one large pile, in the middle of the Campus! To complain to +the faculty would do no good: it would only raise the laugh against +them. So, when any of the townspeople, or the farmers in the +neighborhood, came to select their gates from the pile, the cry was +given, "Heads out!" and from all the windows surrounding the Campus, +roguish eyes peeped forth, to watch the proceedings; and frequently the +property-owner returned, feeling very much as if he had been the +culprit. + +One day, a countryman drove up with a load of wood. As he disappeared +around an angle of the building in search of the purveyor, our heroes +approached, with a select party of classmates, weary of recitations, and +longing for a change. Forsythe, whose genius for military tactics was so +striking that he was dubbed, by universal consent, "the general," +instantly formed his plan of attack; and, being nobly seconded by his +quick-witted aids, he carried it into execution with the rapidity and +decision characteristic of a great commander. In five minutes, the +farmer returned, having concluded his bargain; but where was his cart, +and horse, and load of wood? Nothing of the kind was to be seen; and it +was very evident that patient Dobbin had, for once in his life, resolved +to take a frolic, and see a little of life; or else that some rogue had +gotten possession of him and his appurtenances without the formality of +a purchase. The town was searched, and all the adjacent roads. The +neighbors, ever ready, from a principle of pure benevolence, to take a +lively interest in all that was going on, gave advice in rich profusion, +and sent the poor man flying hither and thither, in vain. But, at last, +the contradictory reports appeared to settle down into the following +facts: that many persons had seen the cart enter the town, but that none +had witnessed its departure--wherein might be traced a strange likeness +to the old fable of the sick lion and his visitors. The suspicion at +last became general, that the students were somehow at the bottom of it; +so just an appreciation did the townspeople possess of their +capabilities for mischief, that no tricks of diablerie seemed too much +to ascribe to them. As the weary countryman and his sympathizing +companions approached those academic shades, where earnest study and +severe meditation filled up all the hours, a stir was apparent within +the building; and the tramping of feet upon the stone staircase, and the +laughter of many voices, told that something unusual had occurred. + +With ill-disguised merriment, the worthy rustic was escorted up three +flights of stairs, until, uneasily stamping upon the brick pavement of +the hall, his wondering eyes fell upon his horse, looking decidedly out +of his element. How came he there? Behind him was the cart, loaded with +wood--not a buckle of his tackling was amiss--it looked as if old Dobbin +had marched up the stairway, load and all. No one knew any thing of the +prodigy--no one ever does, in such cases. The horse looked indignant, as +if he had a tale to tell; but the words wouldn't come. No other witness +could be produced in court; and the end of it was, that all, except the +unfortunate animal himself, indulged in a hearty horse-laugh. + +In what way they drove the cart down stairs, history does not mention. +That was the concern of the owner and of the college authorities, and +not mine nor my heroes--it may be in the hall to this day, for aught I +know. But how they got up so high in the world is another matter, and I +will let you into my secret, merely to convince my incredulous hearers +that the thing was possible. Each of the fellows shouldered as many logs +as he could carry, conveyed them to the appointed place, and returned +swiftly to the charge. The wheels were now off, and ready for four of +them, and the body of the cart for eight more. Forsythe and Barrington +reserved for themselves the honor and glory of managing the live-stock. +Slipping woollen socks over his feet, they somehow got him up-stairs +with marvellous celerity; and whilst his owner was gazing up and down +for his vanished property, the astonished horse was again tackled to the +loaded cart, his hose were taken off, and he was left to his +meditations, in solitary possession of the hall. So quietly was all this +done, that, although students and tutors were in the rooms adjoining, +nothing was suspected, until the horse, who felt himself to be placed, +without any fault of his own, in a false position, made known his +sentiments by his impatient movements. + +The worst trick our heroes ever played, and one of a somewhat kindred +character, consisted in ornamenting Professor X's horse. At midnight, +when the authorities were sound asleep, they took the poor animal out of +his comfortable stable, and shoeing him with an extra quantity of felt, +to prevent any noise, they conveyed him, with great difficulty, up the +staircase, to the hall in the third floor. That might have satisfied +them; but no, they were not pleased with his color. He was of pure +white, and the scapegraces wished a variegated hue. So, after a +preliminary shaving, they painted him in green stripes, and when they +had arranged it to their satisfaction, they went to their own rooms. The +unfortunate victim was not well contented, either with his quarters or +his condition, and stamped about at a great rate, being quite unable to +get down stairs. In the morning, when the Professor was ready for his +usual ride, where was his horse? It had vanished, and the stable-door +was open: thieves must have been prowling about in the night. At last, +the trick was discovered; and then, as Will Forsythe said, "I could +paint that horse, which was rather restive, but I would not undertake to +paint the wrath of the Professor." Of course, no one did it--it was +impossible to discover the guilty individuals. But the poor animal did +not enjoy the frolic as much as the wild youngsters, for he died in +consequence; and this unfortunate termination of the exploit put a stop +to any practical jokes for the enormous period of several months. To +make up the unexpected loss to the Professor, the two friends sent him, +anonymously, a sum of money equal to the value of the horse. + +But the moral discipline inflicted by the luckless death of the green +and white horse, did not endure forever. They say, that when a +subterranean fire exists, and old craters are abandoned, new ones are +thrown up: the inward, irresistible power must have a vent. Perhaps it's +somewhat so with us, lovers of fun. I see uncle shake his head at me, +and know that he thinks I'm inculcating bad morality: but indeed, nature +will out, as well as murder. You must know that the excellent President, +who had a great deal of dry humor in his composition, had procured a +nice new vehicle. Every one liked the old gentleman, and yet, so great +is the love of frolic inherent in some reprobate minds, that when the +idea of carrying off his carriage was first broached at one of their +little private suppers, by that wicked imp Will Forsythe, it was met +with shouts of applause. It was resolved to convey it away, in the dead +of the night, to a little piece of woods belonging to the Doctor, at a +distance of about three miles from the college, and there to leave it. +The plan was to be carried into execution that very night. + +Accordingly, at midnight, eight forms might have been seen carefully +descending from eight windows, and skulking along in the shade, for the +moon was shining brilliantly, until they got beyond the college limits. +They drew out the carriage, and proceeded slowly along the road: no one +was astir except themselves. When they had passed all the houses, they +no longer felt the need of keeping the strict silence they had at first +thought necessary, and the merry laugh and the gay repartee went round. +"Hallo, Forsythe!" exclaimed Barrington, "how do you stand it? I think +this concern is as ponderous as if the old fat Doctor were inside it +himself!" "I conceive this joke to be rather a heavy one," replied his +friend, laughing. "I begin to wonder if we are not fools for our pains: +Dr. Franklin would say that we paid too dear for our whistle." "Never +give up the ship, my boy!" cried the other. "Only think how the old +Doctor will stare about him to-morrow, when he misses it! It will be a +second edition of the Professor's horse." "Now, 'an thou lovest me, +Hal,' don't say a word about the Professor's horse, or I'll turn back +with the carriage. That cost me to the tune of a hundred dollars, and +more, not to speak of the remorse I felt when the poor creature died. +But didn't he look comical when I had put on the green!" Thus, with +jocund peals of laughter, they shortened the way, until they reached the +little piece of woods in which they intended to deposit the coach. Had +they been obliged to toil as much to gain their daily bread, they would +probably have thought it hard work. + +They took down the bars, drew in the carriage, and placed it in a snug +position, out of sight. "And now for home!" said Forsythe. "Won't we get +there a little sooner than we came?" At that moment the carriage window +was thrown up, a large white head was put forth into the moonlight, and, +to the horror of all concerned, they beheld the Doctor! Whether to run, +or what to do, they did not know. The old President enjoyed their +confusion for a few moments, and then said, "Much obliged to you for a +pleasant ride, young gentlemen: now, suppose we go home again." Putting +in his head, and shutting the window and blind, he left them to their +dismay. Completely taken in! they had been betrayed, somehow. They might +look for an expulsion, after that; and, what was worse, would be +heartily laughed at besides. + +Between their mortification and the unwonted hard work, the perspiration +rolled off their faces in large drops by the time they got home--that is +to say, to the coach-house. Forsythe humbly opened the coach-door and +let down the steps. "Many thanks," said the Doctor, with a grave face: +"I have seldom enjoyed a more agreeable ride. I don't know when I have +had horses I liked so well." Every day for a fortnight "the horses" were +trembling, in expectation of a notice to canter off from the college, in +disgrace; but no such intimation came. The worthy old Doctor was +contented with the punishment he had already inflicted, but reminded +them occasionally of their midnight frolic, and brought blushes up to +their cheeks, by some sly allusion. + +College days are now over: our heroes have graduated with some +distinction, notwithstanding their many peccadilloes, and have bid +farewell forever to the "academic shades," figuratively speaking, of +their Alma Mater. They have amazed, delighted, and edified the ladies +present at the Commencement by the eloquence of their Greek and Latin +orations: the pretty creatures listened with rapt attention, and most +intelligent countenances, to the whole. Had it been Cherokee, it would +have proved the same thing. They did not enlighten the audience, as a +learned old Scotchman, who, some fifty years ago, was President of one +of our northern colleges, actually did at a commencement speech. He had +a board of trustees, whom he looked upon with great contempt, as +illiterate men; and not being on the best terms with them, he +determined upon a characteristic revenge. Turning round to one side of +the stage, where some of them were seated, whenever he quoted Latin, he +gave the explanation, "That's _Latin_, gentlemen;" and again, when he +introduced any Greek, bowing to the other side, "That's _Greek_, +gentlemen." But one incident occurred, showing equal respect to the +classical acquirements of those around him: Will Forsythe, whose memory +was none of the best, feeling a sudden lapse of it in the very middle of +his speech, with imperturbable impudence, recommenced from his +starting-point, and made an admirable impression. Thunders of applause +rewarded him when he made his parting bow. + +The two friends still kept together. They visited the Falls of Niagara, +Canada, Saratoga, and Newport; and yet, strange to say, their purses +were not exhausted. What shall they do next? they are ready for any +frolic that presents itself. They have money in their pockets, young +blood in their veins, unlimited time at their disposal, and, of course, +they must be in some mischief, as neither of them has lost his heart, +and become sentimental. While in New York, Forsythe accidentally took up +a newspaper, and that determined the especial kind of wickedness in +which they should engage. He noticed a number of pompous advertisements +of fortune-tellers under the head of astrology, which gave him an idea. +He showed them to Barrington, who observed that "it was astonishing how +many fools and ignoramuses there were still in the nineteenth century, +when the schoolmaster was abroad." "A very sage remark," answered his +friend. "If the schoolmaster would stay at home, and mind his own +business, instead of being abroad so much, perhaps the world would be +better taught. I notice that he is always going to an education +convention. But I didn't show you that for the purpose of eliciting +wisdom: quite the contrary--folly is what I'm after, just now. What do +you think of our turning astrologers?" "Grand! you're a genius, Will! +that's the very thing to wake us up! Here are you and I, dashing blades, +who have been doing penance by trying to be fine gentlemen at +watering-places, when it wasn't at all in our line. I began to think we +looked as much like fops as the rest of the scented and bearded +dress-coats, who strut about, and imagine the world is looking at them. +This would throw us into quite another rank of life, and give us new +ideas. How shall we manage it though, my fine fellow?" "Nothing easier +in the world. Let us rent a small house, somewhere near the +Bowery--that's the right neighborhood; and when we have fitted it up +suitably to our trade, I'll engage to put an advertisement in the papers +that shall draw us customers. How do you think I could pass for a Jew?" +"Pretty well, with your coal-black eyes and hooked nose: but what is +that notion?" "I think it would cause a great sensation if the Wandering +Jew were to appear again in real life. What between Croly and Eugene +Sue, he has been kept very extensively before the public in books: but I +believe no one has had the audacity as yet to represent him in an +every-day, money-getting capacity, at least in America. How do you like +my plan?" "Superb! the only objection is that you are rather youthful in +appearance for one who has wandered over the earth for more than +eighteen hundred years. Could you alter that, Will?" "Somewhat, with the +aid of a snow-white wig and yellow dye; and you know I always possessed +the accomplishment of furrowing up my face with wrinkles when I chose. I +don't doubt I could look the character pretty well, in a rich, flowing +Oriental dress. And the little Hebrew we picked up at college from our +good friend the learned young Rabbi, will also stand us in hand. Have +you any objection to being my servant, Ned?" "None at all; I shall feel +quite honored by the position. I don't consider myself competent to play +the first fiddle in this amusing duet, but can follow your lead very +well." "Remember, then, that our English is rather broken, and that we +communicate our meaning to one another in French, Spanish, scraps of +Hebrew, or Latin and Greek. I have not quite yet forgotten all I learned +at college, though I suppose I shall do so in another month." "You +remember your speech, at least--eh, Will?" "The first half; if it is +necessary to make a great sensation, I can come out with that." + +Full of the new plan of diversion, the boys, for they were boys at +heart, although men in stature, set out to hunt a house; and were +successful in finding one that suited their notions. Very soon it was +furnished in Oriental style, and an inner room was fitted up with +various occult instruments, calculated to inspire the minds of the +vulgar with a wholesome dread. It was agreed that Barrington should make +very little change in his wardrobe, and merely dye his hair and +whiskers, and add a richer brown to his complexion, to give a more +travelled look, and, as he said, to hinder any of the Saratoga belles +from finding him out, if they came to have their fortunes told. But +Forsythe took infinite pains to alter his appearance, and was so +successful, that his friend assured him his own mother could not detect +his identity, and that Garrick himself, who could look any character and +any age he pleased, would have been jealous had he seen how successfully +he had hidden his youth and beauty. When all preparations were made, the +advertisement was written. It stated that "The Wandering Jew, having +reached New York in his peregrinations, would stay for the space of one +fortnight only, it being then indispensably necessary that his travels +should recommence, and highly probable that he might not revisit the +city for a century. Being now the sole depository of the mysterious +knowledge acquired in Egypt in ancient times, some scraps of which had +been picked up by the astrologers of the middle ages, and especially by +Merlin, Michael Scott, Cornelius Agrippa, and Friar Bacon, he was ready, +during the short period of his stay, to lift the veil which separates +the present from the future. Not being actuated in the slightest degree +by a lust for gain, the illustrious exile would not consent to gratify +mere idle curiosity, and to afford amusement to the gay and frivolous; +but where an earnest, inquiring mind was intent upon discovering the +hidden things of life, upon investigating the secrets of the past, or +searching into futurity, the Wanderer would give his mighty assistance. +By books and science, by spells and conjurations, the POWERS were +compelled to reveal their arcana, and FATE itself whispered its dark +mysteries into his ear. The SPIRITS being subjects of the Great +Magician, their aid would be called in when desired. Where this mode was +preferred to the ordinary methods of consulting the stars, the Cabala, +and black-letter volumes, these intelligences answered all questions by +significant RAPS, or in writing, guiding the hand of the Wanderer, who +acted as their medium." + +The first day that the advertisement appeared, no visitors of any +distinction came to see the Wanderer, who yawned, and smoked cigars, and +read through the last novel, declaring that it was intolerable to be +dressed up for a show, and to have nobody come to see them. But in the +evening, they were rewarded for their trouble. There was a quick, +nervous ring, and Barrington opened the door: a timid little man walked +in, looking back over his shoulder to see if he were observed. When he +found himself alone with Barrington, he asked, with some surprise, if he +were the Great Magician. "I! oh, no, my lord: far be it from me. I am +the humblest of his slaves. I will see if my venerable master can now +receive you." Opening the door leading into a back apartment, he made a +low salam to the Wanderer, who was seated in state upon a divan, +immersed in his studies. Addressing him in Hebrew, with a few words of +Greek to make out the sense, he received a response which he interpreted +to the newcomer as a permission to approach the august presence. The +little man went in, feeling at every step an increase of reverential +awe. The Oriental, costumed with all magnificence, his hoary head bent +with age, his brow, from beneath which black eyes flashed brightly, +furrowed with years and care, filled him with admiration. Every thing +around heightened the impression. A curious-carved cabinet, whose doors +looked as if they concealed a mystery, was surmounted by folio volumes +filled, of course, with potent spells: and above these again, a skull +and cross-bones made him shudder. In one corner was a globe, covered +with strange figures, dragons, scorpions, distressed damsels fastened to +a rock, etc. Scattered about the room were singular instruments of +various kinds, jars with hideous snakes preserved in spirits, books in +unknown tongues, and parchments upon which cabalistic diagrams were +portrayed, which no doubt had power to command the spirits and to reveal +futurity. + +The Wanderer waved his hand, to invite his visitor to a seat: the humble +slave stood, with head meekly bowed down, near the door. With some +difficulty the little man, who was frightened nearly out of his small +stock of wits, explained his errand. It seems that he had fallen heir to +a property, the deed of which had been lost. He had tried every method +he could think of to discover it: he had rummaged over all the drawers +and chests in his relative's house; he had said his prayers backwards, +so that a dream might be sent him in the night; and he had been to three +fortune-tellers, but strange to say, had returned no wiser than he was +when he went. And now, this was his last hope: if the Wandering Jew, of +whom he had heard so much, could not help him, he knew that no one +could. He was asked in which way he wished to receive the desired +information: should the answer appear in flames before him, should it be +discovered by the magic books, or should the spirit of his deceased +friend signify his presence to him by a rap, and then respond to the +question? The stranger evidently preferred the last mode of operating, +and let out the fact, in the course of conversation, that his relative +had been lost at sea. The Wanderer then performed various evolutions, +burning incense, bowing to unseen visitors, who were admitted into the +room by the slave upon a rap being heard at the door, and muttering, +meanwhile, mysterious words in an unknown tongue, to which his attendant +occasionally responded. The poor little man began to quake all over: he +felt as if surrounded by charms, and spells, and wicked spirits. He +wished himself heartily out of the house: but there was no retreat +now--some ghosts it is easier to raise than to lay. When the room was +filled with fragrant smoke, and the subject of the conjuration was +completely mystified and frightened, Selim, for so the Wanderer called +his assistant, brought in a circular table, around which the three +seated themselves in profound silence; but the venerable Oriental, who +acted as the medium of communication, alone placed his hand upon it. A +rap, which caused the little man nearly to jump off his chair, announced +that the spirit was ready to be consulted. The medium asked, "Whether +the inquirer should recover his rights, and obtain a copy of the deed?" +Three impressive, decided raps gave an affirmative reply. "Will he be +satisfied upon this point to-morrow?" Again three raps. "Will the spirit +condescend to signify, in writing, in what way he shall act to obtain +this end?" Three raps again testified that the amiable spirit was +willing to oblige. Accordingly, Selim having produced an antique +ink-stand and an eagle's quill--a goose quill and steel pens would have +been quite too common--the hand of the medium was guided in tracing +strange characters, which looked like a jumble of the Greek, Arabic, and +cuneiform alphabets. This "spirit dialect" was translated to the +inquirer: it contained a direction to call early the next morning, +between the hours of eight and nine--for during that hour the fates were +propitious to him--at the office of a lawyer named Warren, No. 354 +Broadway. Upon seeing him, he was to lay down a $20 gold piece, and to +say that he wanted him to procure a copy of the missing will. He must +answer all questions Mr. Warren might ask, and, above all, must feel +implicit faith in him, as the agent appointed by the spirits to restore +to him his property. + +Full of awe as he was, the little man still wished to gratify his +curiosity as to the manner of his kinsman's death: could that be done? +"Oh, yes," answered the mysterious one, "nothing is easier." As he was +speaking, the table began to creak, as a ship would do in a storm. It +was excessively agitated; the noise of the rudder was heard, and at +last, after a series of agonizing movements, the whole concern fell +over, with a sudden crash. And yet no one appeared to touch it--the +passive hand of the venerable exile could scarcely have affected it so +strangely. "You see the fate of the ship," said the Wanderer; "it has +gone to the bottom in a storm." "How very odd!" replied the +simple-hearted little man; "when it came home, the Captain said he had +fallen overboard." "He did," answered the magician, in a solemn manner, +avoiding, however, to look in the direction of Selim. "Did you not hear +the plunge into the sea? this describes the ultimate fate of the +vessel." The good, easy man was perfectly satisfied. + +He was directed to come on the morrow, when the deed had been found, and +the correctness of the spirit's directions was fully proved: and payment +was indignantly' refused. The next day, various sentimental chambermaids +visited them, desiring to be shown the likeness of their future +husbands. This was done, greatly to their satisfaction, by exhibiting to +them one and the same hyalotype, magnified by the magic lantern, so that +the life-like countenance appeared to approach them from the opposite +wall in the darkened room. It was observed, that the more ignorant they +were, the more were they affected with horror by the sight of the +cross-bones, skull, and chemical apparatus. Still, this was rather tame +work; and both the Aged One and Selim were relieved when they saw their +dupe of the preceding night reappear, with happiness beaming in every +feature of his countenance. "The lawyer," he said, "had not appeared at +all surprised at being told to get him a copy of the will: he said +something about the Recorder's office. He was a young-looking man to be +chosen by the spirits: and he wanted to know who had sent him to +himself. Of course I told him, and then he laughed, and said it was a +great humbug. I was very much afraid that the spirits would be offended, +and refuse to discover to him the will: but he told me to return towards +evening, and lo! here it is." + +The poor little man was full of the warmest gratitude, and wanted to +force a purse upon the unwilling astrologers: but they finally overcame +his importunities by representing that the spirits would not obey their +summons, if made a subject of bargain and sale, and that he should best +please them by distributing it among the sick and poor. + +This circumstance, which found its way into one of the daily papers, +with many embellishments, brought crowds of believers in "the night side +of nature" to our mischievous youngsters, who were ready to humor the +credulous public to the top of its bent. Very many people looked sage, +and quoted the passage-- + + + "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, + Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." + + +Select circles of intelligent people insisted upon it, that although +they could not give in their adhesion to such mysteries, yet they +greatly disapproved of the spirit of skepticism which had been so +prevalent for the last fifty years. The new discoveries in science +plainly showed that nature had many secrets yet unrevealed to man: and +no one should audaciously set a limit to his powers. Did not animal +magnetism, containing so many things which could not be explained away, +plainly prove it? Could they have seen our merry graduates, when the +door was locked for the night, and the venerable wig was thrown aside, +jollifying over their supper! could they have heard the peals of +laughter caused by the unlooked-for success of the frolic, how would +their cheeks have been covered with blushes! + +The astrologers became decidedly the rage: had it been their object to +gain wealth, they could have charged any price they pleased for their +conjurations, and would have obtained it. But their popularity was of +course increased by the fact that the mysterious Wanderer uniformly +refused to accept any compensation, and majestically commanded those who +sought his aid, to apply the sum of money offered him to the relief of +the first poor widow, orphan, or aged person they met. This peculiarity +induced many young persons, of a rank in life and a style of education +who do not commonly patronize fortune-telling, to visit the great +unknown, partly in fun, partly in earnest; for there is a vast deal of +superstition hidden in the recesses of most characters, and ready to +start forth at the first call. Bright eyes, obscured by thick veils, +excited the curiosity even of the venerable Wanderer; and white, +jewelled hands were extended, that his searching glance might decipher +the lines of life. Several interesting love-tales were poured into the +sympathizing ear of benign old age, and the recollections of centuries +were called up, to furnish suitable counsel and to encourage the +despairing heart to hope. Forsythe assured his friend that he would not +exchange the knowledge of human nature, and especially of woman nature, +which he had acquired in this fortnight, for the experience of ten years +of ordinary life. + +The joke was very consistently carried out. Our youngsters were both +possessed of ready mother wit, and the world was charmingly mystified. +The answers furnished to inquirers partook much of the dimness and +ambiguity of the ancient oracular responses, when Delphi was yet in its +glory, and the oaks of Dodona reflected some of their own rich green +tint upon those who consulted its priestesses. On one occasion, "Selim" +found it very difficult to retain the gravity of his sad, Oriental +countenance. A sharp, quick-witted young fellow, Frank Warren, their +former college chum, to whom they had sent his first fee, had +accompanied the grateful little man who had made their reputation, +ostensibly for the purpose of consulting the spirit of Milton, but +really, as they plainly perceived, to detect their tricks. They were on +their guard: they had not seen Warren for some time, but their former +habits of intimacy made the danger of discovery imminent. It was +Warren's wish that the spirit should guide the pen of his medium, and +accordingly our Ancient sat down, and tried to indite Miltonic lines. +"Very blank verse, indeed, it was," as he subsequently confessed to his +familiar, at their midnight conference. The face of the visitor twitched +convulsively as he read the so-called poetry, and the young fellows, +ever ready to enjoy a joke, would have dearly loved to join him in a +loud and merry peal of laughter. By a great effort, all three restrained +themselves; but the inquirer remarked, with a grave countenance, that +"it appeared as if the genius of Milton had not expanded in the upper +world--he certainly never wrote such trash when he was upon the earth. +It reminded him of the saying of the wits of Athens: that although +Apollo was the god and patron of poetry, any common rhymster would be +ashamed of the lines which emanated from the deity at Delphos." When +Selim escorted the gentleman into the outer apartment, the skeptic +slipped some gold into his palm, which the former at first pretended to +receive; and by cunning cross-examination, strove to make him confess +that his master was not so old as he assumed to be. "How long have you +been in his service?" "Not very long, myself." "But do you think him as +ancient as he pretends to be?" "That is a delicate question: I hardly +like to answer it. To be frank, I have sometimes had doubts about the +great length of his life, although I cannot feel any hesitation on the +subject of his wonderful powers." "But how long have you known him?" +"Let me see. It was Friar Bacon who first introduced me to His +Eminence, and advised me to enlist in his service. He did not look so +very old at that time, and it was only six centuries ago. This occurred +at Oxford, on the magic eve of St. John's day, in 1250 A.D.--I remember +the date distinctly. No, between ourselves, I have some suspicions that +he is not quite so old as he says he is." Very soon after that, the +investigator left. One thing was certain, that he had not recognized +them. + +On the last day of their intended stay, an incident occurred which +furnished a proper termination to their frolic. A rough, boorish fellow +came to visit them, who evidently "hailed" from remote country +districts, into which the civilizing influences of education had not +penetrated. All his utterances, for his words should scarcely be +dignified with the name of conversation, showed him to be ignorant in +the extreme, and to be credulous in proportion. He had come to New York, +hoping, in that centre of light and science, medical and theological, to +find relief from a certain demon which possessed him. This wicked spirit +made him often do things he didn't wish to do--caused him to foam at the +mouth, tear his clothes, etc., and he wanted to know whether the +Wanderer was not possessed of a spell to quiet the tormentor. +"Certainly; follow our directions, and you never shall be troubled with +him again." + +Accordingly, the patient was brought into the back room, which had been +darkened up purposely. A circle was described, within which incense was +burnt, and in the centre stood the Awful One in his flowing robe, with +his magical wand in his hand, uttering terrible conjurations. "Do you +feel any thing?" he would occasionally ask the countryman, who was +gaping with wonder and admiration. "N--no, I dunna that I do," the man +would reply. "Then it has not left you yet: you'll be sure to know when +it does. You'll feel a sort of shock go all through you, and will see +sparks: then open your mouth wide, and the spirit will jump out." As it +was some time before the sufferer obtained relief, Selim was called to +his aid; and the way in which their Latin and Greek orations were tossed +about at one another, would have astonished the Professors. At last the +Wanderer placed the patient upon a stool, and proceeded with his +incantations. Suddenly the countryman uttered a shriek, and jumping into +the air, cut a pigeon-wing. "He's gone! I felt him go!" He had touched +the electrical machine, which had been fully charged, and was put there, +as it were, in ambush. "Do you feel much better?" "Yes; I'm another +man." + +The poor fellow went away, declaring himself a perfect cure. And +Forsythe and Barrington agreed, that after such a brilliant finale it +was as well to beat a retreat: just as some gentlemen, at the close of +an evening visit, relate a witty anecdote, or sparkle out a brilliant +repartee, snatch up their hats, make their bows, and leave you in the +middle of a laugh. But another adventure was in store for them, which +had not entered into their calculations at all. The play-bills show us +that after a tragedy there generally comes a farce: the case was +reversed with them, for they had enjoyed their farce, and had laughed +over it heartily--and now there was danger of its ending in a tragedy. +When their preparations were nearly complete for a sudden and +inexplicable disappearance, our astrologers were horrified by the +apparition, in the day time, of stars they had never consulted--stars of +this gross, lower world--stars which, in case of resistance, become +shooting stars, and which revolve, in very eccentric orbits, around the +central police station. What these portended, it needed no wisdom of +Chaldean sage to decipher--exposure, ridicule, disgrace, and the +prison. They had enjoyed their laugh at the world--now the tables would +be turned, and the world's dread laugh be raised against them. + +Resistance was utterly in vain. Attired as they were, in flowing +Oriental garb, the distressed Wanderer and his faithful Selim were +hurried into a cab, which no conjuration, not even that of "the golden +eagle," could prevent from driving to the Mayor's office. Here they +beheld their former friend, Warren, evidently the "very head and front +of the offending:" he was talking to the little man of the famous will +case, who appeared to be on the verge of a violent nervous fever. The +latter wished to escape, but the lawyer was too resolute and +pertinacious to be conquered by his weak irritability, and he was +obliged to resign himself into his hands. + +The exile had time allowed him to reflect upon his course of action. A +multitude of petty cases were up for examination, and the patience of +his Honor, the Mayor, was heavily taxed, especially as he knew that a +very capital dinner and excellent company were waiting for him at home. +At last this case of deception, imposture, and swindling came up in +turn; but not before the aged, wrinkled, care-worn man had whispered a +few words into the ears of the young lawyer, which made him start, and +give the other an admiring glance of surprise, as if he recognized in +him a genius of the highest order. + +His Honor was angry and tired, and gave rather a savage look at the +culprits. "A case like this needs very little proof--they are arrant +swindlers, evidently--with all that foolery of dress about them! Remove +that wig and beard." The red blood rushed up to the cheeks and forehead +of poor Will Forsythe, and showed itself through the yellow dye of his +skin, as he was obliged to submit to this indignity; and he mentally +exclaimed: "If ever I pretend again to be any thing I am not, may my +head come off too!" "You appear in this case, Mr. Warren," said the +Mayor. "Let me hear what can be urged against these men, and produce +your witnesses." "I find that I have very little to say on the subject, +your Honor. It is true, I can prove that this gentleman went to consult +the prisoner as to a missing will, and that he is under the impression +that spirits were consulted on the occasion. But I can also prove that +very sensible advice was given to my client--to consult a lawyer of +great respectability and high promise; and accordingly he came to me. +And further, I can prove that the astrologers did not receive one +farthing in payment for their counsel, and, indeed, positively refused +the offer of a handsome gratuity from my grateful client. And I can +challenge any one in the city of New York to prove that, in any one +case, the prisoners received money in return for advice or assistance +given to any visitor. This fact takes from the case the appearance of a +swindling transaction, according to the well-known law of George III., +which doubtless your Honor thoroughly remembers." "There appears, then, +to be no prosecution in this case? I find that, like a true lawyer, you +can argue on one side as well as the other." "There is none, your Honor: +my client withdraws the prosecution. May I be allowed a word in +private?" After a whispered consultation of some minutes, during which +our unmasked jesters observed his Honor cast very highly-amused glances +in their direction, and heard occasional snatches of the +conversation,--"Ha, indeed? sons of *** and ****, do you say? the first +families in the South! I knew their fathers well! tell them to come to +dinner just as they are--the ladies will make allowances." + +But that degree of impudence was too much for the brass of even +Forsythe and Barrington. They respectfully declined, and hastened +homeward, accompanied by Frank Warren. One more merry supper did they +eat in that house which had been the theatre for the display of so many +strange adventures, and then they vanished. When morning came, no trace +of the astrologers was to be found. The furniture had gone, the house +was shut up, the birds had flown. Had there been a storm in the night, +the believers in Gotham would have thought they had been claimed by +their Dread Master, and had been snatched away in a blaze of lightning. +As it was, there was nothing to reveal the mystery. The good little man, +who never quite understood the scene in the Mayor's office, is +gratefully enjoying his property, and thinks that the Wandering Jew may +now be in the centre of Africa, or climbing the heights of the Himalaya +Mountains. But as I happen to be better informed, I know that both he +and his faithful Selim slipped out of New York as quietly as possible, +and returned to their homes in the sunny South. They have since then +married, have settled down into quiet orderly citizens, and have given +up all practical jokes; but they frequently amuse their wives with some +of their varied experience, obtained when playing the role of +astrologers in New York. + +"But you do not really think people could be so cheated now-a-days, +uncle!" cried George. + +"I certainly do not consider the world too wise to be fooled in almost +any way," answered his uncle. "Look at the various _isms_ which have +sprung up, even in our own day. Think of the imposture of Mormonism,--it +has fairly peopled a territory. Think of the pretensions of +clairvoyance, claiming almost omniscience and omnipresence for the human +spirit. Think of Matthias and his followers. But remarkable as that +delusion was, it is almost forgotten now, so many extravagancies tread +upon one another's heels, and hustle each its predecessor off the stage. +Spirit-rapping is the last, and is spreading like wildfire throughout +the land: some characters have so much tinder in their composition, that +they catch in a moment. But it will soon go out--'tis like the crackling +of thorns under the pot--a quick blaze for a moment, and then it +expires." + +"The alarm about witchcraft, both in England and America, was, I think, +one of the most noticeable delusions of modern times," said Mrs. +Wyndham. "How many eminent and excellent men were deceived by it! The +learned, judicious, and pious Sir Matthew Hale condemned at least one +witch to be burnt alive--although, I believe, it cost him some remorse +afterwards. And in New England, Cotton Mather was prominent in hunting +out those who were supposed by their neighbors to be on too familiar +terms with a certain nameless individual. I am glad I did not live in +those days! If a poor old woman was ugly, and cross, and mumbled to +herself, as we old women will do sometimes, and above all, if she kept a +large black cat, woe betide her! her fate was well-nigh sealed." + +"I don't think you would have been in any danger, Aunt Lucy," said Amy, +laughing. + +"I don't know, indeed--probably not, while I had such an array of young +people around me. But if I were left desolate and alone in the world, +and became peevish and odd from the mere fact of having no one to love +me, I would not have answered for the consequences at all." + +"I had to laugh," added Ellen, "at the marvellous cure effected by the +electrical machine. It reminded me of a well-attested anecdote I have +read of the beneficial effects wrought by a thermometer, through the +medium of the imagination. The physician intended to try whether the +galvanic battery could not be usefully employed in a case of paralysis, +but before commencing operations, he applied a small thermometer to the +tongue of the patient. Upon removing it, he was told by the latter that +it gave him very curious feelings, and that he thought himself a little +better. Seeing the mistake he had made, the doctor resolved not to +undeceive him, but to persevere in the application of the thermometer. +He did so, and the man was soon a complete cure." + +"I have heard of instances of sudden joy or fright restoring the vital +energies to poor bed-ridden mortals," said Cornelia, "but to be cured by +a thermometer is too comical!" + +"It was that powerful principle, faith," answered Mrs. Wyndham. "I +remember very well the time when certain metallic tractors were all the +fashion, to draw away pain from the parts affected, by magnetic +influence. Well-authenticated cures were wrought; but at last a +physician applied a test, which proved the beneficial results to be +entirely the work of the imagination. He had wooden tractors made, +painted so as to resemble the metal ones, and they exerted equal powers. +When this fact was published, of course the cures ceased, and metallic +tractors became things that were." + +"Another fact is told to show how the imagination can kill or cure," +said Mr. Wyndham. "A criminal was condemned to death for some atrocious +deed, and it was resolved to try an experiment upon him, as he would +have to die at any rate. He was informed that he would be bled to death; +and when the appointed time had arrived, his eyes were effectually +bandaged, his arm bared, and the surgeon pretended to cut the artery. +Luke-warm water was poured, in a steady current, upon his arm, and +trickled down into a basin below: and the physician held his hand, +feeling the pulse. The wretched criminal became paler and paler, his +pulse beat more faintly, and at last he died, a victim to his own +imagination." + +"Poor creature!" added Mary. "And I have repeatedly heard of cases, +uncle, in which persons fancied themselves about to die at a certain +hour, from having had a dream to that effect, or some other supernatural +indication of the will of Heaven. And sometimes they actually expired, +from sheer fright. But when the clock was put back an hour or two, the +time passed without any fatal result ensuing." + +"Those chaps were wilder than we are, Charlie!" cried George, with an +air of triumph. + +"Yes," answered his cousin. "But I very much fear that does not prove +our innocence, but only their depravity. It reminds me of that line in +Milton-- + + + 'And in the lowest deep, a lower deep.'" + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. + +CONFIDANTE.--LEAD-MERCHANT.--TRADES.--THE ROSE OF HESPERUS; A FAIRY +TALE. + + +As the time drew nigh when our young party would be called upon to +separate, and to return to the every-day duties of the boarding or day +school, and the home, the centralizing influences of affection appeared +to be felt in an increasing degree. Aunt Lucy remarked that they greatly +resembled a flock of birds or of sheep: where one came, the rest were +sure very soon to follow. Cousin Mary asked George, with a look of great +concern, if he felt very unwell indeed. "I? oh no, I never was better in +my life. What could have put the notion into your head that I was ill?" +"My dear Coz, you are so uncommonly good. You have not teased Anna or +Gertrude at all to-day, and I begin to feel seriously alarmed for your +health. I have so often noticed a sudden attack of meekness to precede a +sudden attack of fever, that I really think it would be wiser to send +for the doctor in time." "Don't concern yourself," replied he. "If that +be all, I can soon prove that my pulse is in good order." So saying, he +gave Mary's work-basket a sudden twitch, which sent her spools of +cotton, winders, thimble, and emery-bag flying in every direction; when, +of course, with the malice peculiar to things of such small natures, +they carefully hid themselves in the darkest corners, and ran behind the +legs of tables and sofas for protection, "Preserve me from boys!" said +Mary with a laugh, as George ran out of the room. "If it were not +unladylike, I really should box those ears of yours!" + +"They are quite large enough to bear it--no danger of their being +crushed," he replied, giving a pinch to the protruding members. + +In the evening, as Gertrude claimed the honor of having been the most +stupid person in playing "Elements" the night before, it was agreed that +it appertained to her to introduce to the company another game. She said +she had seen one played that resembled "Consequences," in so far that +you wrote what you were ordered, and read it aloud when it was finished: +but you were not obliged to turn down the papers after writing, as you +did not change them with the rest of the company. She would call this +game "Confidante," as she had never heard a name for it. Accordingly, +every one got a pencil and sheet of paper, and wrote agreeably to her +directions. + +"Let each boy write a lady's name, and each girl a gentleman's name." + +"Now, any past time--some date, if you please; yesterday, or a thousand +years ago--it makes no difference." + +"The name of a place." + +"Either yes or no." + +"Yes or no, again." + +"Every boy write a lady's name, every girl a gentleman's." + +"Some time to come." + +"Write yes or no." + +"Yes or no, again." + +"Mention a place." + +"Tell us your favorite color." + +"Set down any number not exceeding 10." + +"Another color." + +"Yes or no." + +"Let all write a lady's name." + +"Let all write a gentleman's name." + +"All, another lady's name." + +"Every boy write a gentleman's name, every girl a lady's." + +"Set down the name of a clergyman." + +"Now, any sum of money." + +"The name of a place." + +"And lastly, any number." + +"Now that we have finished, every one must read aloud his or her paper, +without cheating, whatever it contains--each portion as an answer to a +question. Charlie, to whom did you make your first offer?" + +"Happily, to no one present: it was to Queen Victoria." + +"When was it?" + +"In the year 1492: the day Columbus discovered America." + +"Where did this interesting event take place?" + +"In the Tower of Babel." + +"Does she love you?" + +"Yes: how could she help it?" + +"Do you love her?" + +"Yes: to distraction." + +"Whom will you marry?" + +"Queen Jezebel." + +"How soon does this auspicious match come off? for I want to have my +wedding-dress ready." + +"To-morrow--New-Year's day." + +"Do you love her?" + +"No, not at all." + +"Does she love you?" + +"No, alas!" + +"Where does she live?" + +"In Calcutta." + +"What is the color of her hair?" + +"Brilliant scarlet." + +"What is her height?" + +"Nine and a half feet." + +"Please to mention the color of her eyes." + +"A charming green." + +"Is she pretty?" + +"Yes, very." + +"Who is to be bridesmaid at this happy wedding?" + +"Miss Alice Bolton." + +"Who will wait upon her?" + +"King Nebuchadnezzar." + +"Who is your sympathizing confidante?" + +"Cousin Cornelia." + +"Pray, tell us the name of your rival?" + +"His Majesty, William the Conqueror of Normandy and England. I should +not be sorry if he carried off my gentle dame." + +"What clergyman will marry you?" + +"The Archbishop of Canterbury." + +"How much is the lady worth?" + +"Three cents." + +"Where will you live?" + +"In the black-hole of Calcutta." + +"How many servants will you keep?" + +"Two millions, five hundred thousand." + +"I must say, you are moderate, considering the lady's fortune. In asking +the girls, I merely reverse the questions: 'From whom did you receive +your first offer?' etc. As the game wants a name, I think it should be +called 'Confidante:' the reader not only has a confidante in the play, +but is called upon to intrust his secrets to the whole assembled +company." + +"But isn't this rather silly--all this about love and marriage?" asked +Mr. Wyndham, with the hesitating manner of one who knows that he shall +instantly be put down. + +"Certainly it is, my dear uncle," answered Cornelia. "If it were not, we +should not like it half so well, I can tell you. You know we must be +foolish some time in our life--so, for my share, I'm taking it out now." + +"Well, well--there's no harm in it, any how. Though you wouldn't believe +it, I was young once myself, and don't like to be too hard upon the +rising generation. There's a game I remember playing when I was a +youngster, that is not too wise for you, but ought to have more solidity +in it than the last, as it is all about lead. It is called the +'Lead-Merchant.' One tries in every mode to dispose of his lead to the +company, asking question after question, to which you must answer +without introducing the words _lead_, _I_, _yes_, or _no_. He tries to +trip you in every way, and as soon as you say one of the forbidden +words, you are out of the game. Would you like to try it?" + +"Very much, uncle. Will you be the lead-merchant?" + +"If you wish it. Amy, will you buy any lead?" + +"Not any at present." + +"But pray, why not?" + +"Because none is desired at my house." + +"Shall I call next week?" + +"It is scarcely worth while: we do not wish any." + +"I will stop to-morrow: your little boys want lead to make some +bullets." + +"They would only burn their sweet little fingers in melting it: they +must not have any." + +"Then you will not buy my lead?" + +"Positively not." + +"I noticed that the lead upon your roof wanted repairing: the rain will +beat in, and you'll all be taken ill, unless you buy my lead. 'Tis only +one cent a pound." + +"If you gave it to me as a present, I wouldn't take your lead." + +"Amy, you're caught! You said both _I_ and _lead_." + +Notwithstanding all their care, the persevering lead-merchant entrapped +every one in some moment of weakness; and the company agreed that he +would make his fortune as a Yankee pedlar, or as an agent for some book +that nobody wanted,--many would buy to get rid of him, on the same +principle that the lady married her tiresome lover. + +"And now," said Charlie, "let us play 'Trades.' We apprentice our son or +daughter to some business, and mention that the first thing sold begins +with a specified letter: but we must never repeat an article. The person +who guesses, apprentices his son the next. I apprenticed my son to a +carpenter, and the first thing he sold was a T." + +"A table?" asked Mary. "I apprenticed my daughter to a milliner, and the +first thing she sold was a yard of R. R." + +"Red ribbon?" added Gertrude. "I apprenticed my son to a grocer, and the +first thing he sold was a B. of R." + +"Box of raisins?" inquired Cornelia. "I apprenticed my son to a +cabinet-maker, and the first thing he sold was a S." + +"Sofa?" said Tom. "I apprenticed my daughter to a dry-goods store, and +the first thing she sold was ten yards of L." + +"Lace?" asked Ellen. + +"No--guess again." + +"Linen? I see that's right. I apprenticed my son to a tinman, and the +first thing he sold was a N. G." + +"Nutmeg-grater?" inquired George. "Now, I apprenticed my son to a +hardware man, and the first thing he sold was a P. of S." + +"Pair of skates?" said Amy. "I apprenticed my son to a book-store, and +the first thing he sold was a P. B." + +"Prayer-book? I apprenticed my daughter to a dressmaker, and the first +thing she made was a V. M." + +"Velvet mantilla?" And so the game proceeded, the questions and answers +being tossed from one to another, like ball or shuttlecock, so that the +general interest was kept up. + +"I think it high time we had our daily story," said Amy. + +"So do I," replied her uncle; "and I commission you to tell it." + +"I? oh no, uncle, I'm too young. I think the older ones should have the +monopoly of that trade--I wasn't apprenticed to it." + +"Not at all--you are of suitable age to be apprenticed now, so you may +consider the bargain struck. Begin, my little Amy, and if you break down +in the middle of your tale, I'll promise to finish it myself." + +"Very well, uncle; I feel quite tempted to fail, to inveigle you into a +sensible termination to a foolish story. We often invent tales in the +interval at school, and I'll give you one that my schoolmates like. It +is called + + +The Rose of Hesperus; + +A FAIRY TALE. + +Every one has heard of the Garden of Hesperus, famous in all ancient +times for its exquisite beauty. Its golden fruit, more precious by far +than the fleece of Jason, in search of which heroes perilled their lives +on board the good ship Argo, was watched by a terrible dragon, whose +eyes were never sealed by slumber. A hundred heads belonged to the +monster, a hundred flames of fire issued from his numerous throats, and +a hundred voices resounded threats against the audacious being who +should invade his province. Hercules alone, of all the children of men, +was able to overcome him: but although he then expired, the next rising +sun again beheld him full of life and vigor. The dragons of earth are +never annihilated. Each generation has the same work to perform, has its +monsters to conquer; and this it is that makes the noble heroes whom we +all delight to praise. + +So small was the number of mortals ever favored with a sight of this +earthly paradise, that it is not surprising its site is now unknown. +Even among the ancients, it was a matter of speculation and mystery. The +majority placed it in the north of Africa; and it is not improbable that +travellers who for the first time beheld them, mistook for the Gardens +of Hesperus the oases of the desert, those gems of nature which are all +the more brilliant for being set in sand and clay. Others again asserted +that this region of delight was to be sought beyond the western main, +in a lone isle if the ocean. But all agreed that it was at the west, +towards the sunset, that this treasure of earth was to be found: and +thence it was that the name of Hesperus was bestowed upon it. Strange it +is, that mankind has ever followed the sun in its path; and that while +human life, religious truth, and science all point to the East as their +source, they hasten westward for the fulfillment of their destiny. The +East belongs to the Past--it is the land of memory: the West to the +Future--it is the land of hope: and there it is that man seeks his +happiness. It is in the yet unrevealed--in the mysterious West that the +golden fruits and the perennial flowers bloom for him: not in Oriental +climes, where, in his infancy, the Garden of Eden sheltered him. + +So great is the lust for gold, and so small the love of moral beauty +among the fallen race of man, that of all the varied productions of +Hesperus, the golden apples alone have been mentioned in tradition and +poetry. But in truth, these were far inferior to the precious roses +which grew in the very centre of this paradise, and which were endowed, +not only with exquisite form, hue, and fragrance, but with certain magic +properties, invaluable to their possessors. If the bosom on which the +flower rested were candid, pure, and kind, the rose bloomed with still +richer loveliness, and emitted a delicious sweetness: and a grace was +shed over the person of its owner, which grief and sickness could not +dim, and old age itself was powerless to destroy. This indescribable +something shone out in the eye, spoke in the voice, made the plainest +features pleasing, and imparted an irresistible charm to the manner. It +was as far superior to mere external beauty as the latter is to +revolting ugliness. Nothing could destroy it: once gained, it was a +lasting heritage. But on the other hand, if this rose were possessed by +the false-hearted, the sensual, and the selfish, it sickened and paled +day by day, giving forth a fainter fragrance continually, until it was +completely withered. And in proportion as it lost its bloom, did the +hideous heart of the wearer imprint itself upon the countenance, until +the eye would turn away in disgust from the most brilliant complexion +and chiselled regularity of features. It acted as a moral test, making +evident to the dull eye of man, ever prone to think only of outside +show, the beauty or the deformity within. Until the time of our story no +roses had been dipt from the magic tree; and men, always ready to look +to the bright side of the wonderful unknown, thought merely of the charm +it could impart, and not of the danger incurred by the unlovely in heart +and life. + +I will not attempt to fix the date of my tale with historic accuracy. It +is sufficient to say that the events occurred in that period of +unreasoning faith, when the myths of Greece and Rome were mingled in the +popular mind with the fairy legends of the north; and both were baptized +in the waters of Christianity. It was a charming period for all lovers +of romance: it was the childhood of modern Europe. But I must warn you +that it is in vain to search for the names of my emperors in +chronological tables. They lived at a time when the historian was +somewhat at a discount, and the minstrel wrote the only records, with +his harp and voice, upon the memory of his hearers; save that here and +there a solitary monk wore out his days in copying the treasures of +antiquity, and used his imagination in embellishing the lives of saints +and martyrs. When the manuscript is found which settles the exact date +of King Lear's reign, I cannot doubt that it will give all particulars +about my kings also. + +In those happy, misty days, there lived an Emperor of Germany, +Hildebrand by name, a potent monarch. His court was splendid, and his +retinue large and magnificent. But the chief glory of his palace, and +the pride of his heart, was his daughter Clotilda, whose amazing beauty +formed the theme of poets' praise, and whose fame was spread far beyond +the limits of the Empire. Her form was of queenly majesty, her movements +swan-like. Her glossy raven tresses set off a complexion of the greatest +brilliancy: her faultless features would have served as a model to the +sculptor. Large, sparkling eyes gave animation to her countenance, and +took all hearts by storm. Add to these rare endowments a lively though +malicious wit, great skill in all showy accomplishments, and especially +in the arts of coquetry, and is it wonderful that she was almost +worshipped in her father's court as a divinity? + +To win her hand, embassies were sent from distant lands, and kings even +came in person to plead their cause; but, hitherto, none had been +successful. The fair Clotilda knew that she could choose among very many +suitors, and her heart was none of the softest. Besides, she was well +aware that she should be no portionless bride, as she and her younger +sister Edith were her father's only heirs. She loved to keep many +admirers in her train, but possessed too high a spirit to throw herself +away upon any one inferior to herself in rank, power, or wealth. In +addition to this, she had too keen a wit not to perceive and to enjoy +the ridiculous, even in a suitor anxiously striving to gain her love. +Truth to say, the adorable Clotilda had one small fault, unperceived by +her worshippers, and hidden by the splendor of her beauty. She was +heartless. If born with that important organ, she had early offered it +up upon the altar of her own pride and vanity. Deprived of her mother at +a very early age, and deferred to by all around, including her +imperious father, she had soon learned to issue her commands with +authority, and to rule the household and the court as a mistress. Love +of power had now become her ruling passion, and fierce and headstrong +was the will hidden under that brilliant and winning exterior. It was +like a wild beast, slumbering behind a bank of roses. + +Far different, both in person and character, was the neglected Edith, +who grew up in the imperial court like a sweet wild-flower, overlooked +when the gorgeous exotic is nigh. Her slender girlish figure, with its +undeveloped grace; her airy step; her color, coming and going with the +varying feelings of her quick sensibility, like the delicate pink clouds +at sunset; her soft brown hair, waving around a face of child-like +purity and womanly tenderness: and her large gray eye, from whose +transparent depths an earnest and loving spirit looked out upon the +world--these were not the traits to win admiration in a sensual, +splendor-loving court, where all acknowledged the sway of Clotilda. Her +father lavished the whole of his affection upon his elder daughter: the +latter seldom noticed her, and thought her more fit for a nunnery or for +a peasant's cottage, than for the station of a princess. And so Edith +grew to womanhood, unspoiled by flattery--that incense was reserved for +Clotilda's shrine. Not in that crowd of selfish courtiers and of worldly +women, wholly given up to dress and gayety, could the refinement and +simplicity of the gentle Edith be appreciated. She was with them, but +not of them: hers was the loneliness most felt when in a crowd, the want +of congenial companionship. Her unassuming modesty and poor opinion of +her own worth, saved her heart from the sharp pangs of envy at the +thought of her sister's superiority: and thus, even in the impure +atmosphere of the palace, did this artless maiden live on, humbly +looking up to one infinitely her inferior, and dwelling in love and +peace. Her greatest enjoyments were of a kind despised by Clotilda. It +was her delight to steal away from the gay assembly, where she was never +missed, and to pore over the romantic lays of troubadours and monkish +legends, and to make to herself a world, different from the one in which +her lot was cast. Then she would be the lowly peasant-girl, singing +while she worked, beloved by those for whom she toiled, and rising +before the sun to deck the shrine of the Virgin with flowers. Or, if she +were a princess, she lived but to bless and to relieve her people, and +possessed the power of scattering happiness, as the beneficent night +sprinkles dew-drops from her lap. From these day-dreams, the play of an +active mind which had not yet found its true place in the universe, she +would rouse herself to some deed of kindness, which others were too much +immersed in pleasure to fulfil. If one of her maidens was ill, it was +she who watched untiringly by her pillow, administering the medicines +and the cooling draught. And it was she who rose by daybreak, while most +of the menials of the palace were yet sleeping, and gave the daily +portion of alms to the poor who waited at the gate--making the brown +bread sweet by the gentle tones and kind words of sympathy. It is not +strange, therefore, that Edith was beloved by all the children of +affliction, and that she became universally known to the common people +as "the good princess." + +In honor of Clotilda's birthday, a tournament was proclaimed, to which +princes and knights from all the neighboring countries were invited. The +anxiously-expected day at length arrived: the sky was cloudless, and all +nature appeared to smile upon the festival. Every thing was there +united that could please and dazzle the eye. There were satins and +damasks, cloth of gold and velvet; flowers, and cheeks more rosy; gems, +and eyes more brilliant. At one end of the lists, upon his throne of +gold and ivory, sat the Emperor, blazing with jewels. Near him stood his +ministers of state, in their official robes, bearing aloft the insignia +of royalty; and around him were his faithful guards, in complete armor, +with drawn swords. Opposite sat his queenly daughter, the beautiful +Clotilda, the cynosure of all admiring eyes. She was magnificently +arrayed, and surrounded by a bevy of fair damsels, who shone like stars, +eclipsed by the superior brightness of the moon. Seated a little apart, +attired in simple white with a sash of blue, and wearing no ornament +save her favorite flowers, the wood-violet and the lily of the valley, +was Edith, gazing with unusual interest on that lively, gorgeous scene. +And truly, the amphitheatre crowded with spectators, themselves a show, +and the lists filled with gallant knights, whose pawing steeds seemed +impatient for the combat to begin, might excite the imagination of the +dullest, and was well calculated to fire her ardent spirit. + +Unusual splendor marked this tournament, in honor of certain +distinguished guests who had arrived, candidates for the hand of the +Princess Clotilda. The most eminent among them for knightly bearing was +the young Duke of Milan. He was handsome, proud, and imperious, but +withal brave and courteous as became his gentle birth; and he was a +magnificent patron of minstrels and men of letters, aiming to make his +court the centre of literature and the fine arts. His personal qualities +and accomplishments were such as to win for him the admiration of the +fair Princess, who had never before been wooed by a suitor so much to +her taste. His rank and possessions were so great that all would have +acknowledged the match a suitable one even for Clotilda's pretensions. +But a wider career of ambition was now opening before the vision of the +aspiring lady. Who would stoop to be a duchess, when the diadem of an +empress was placed at her disposal? Certainly not the Princess Clotilda, +be her preferences what they might: she would have considered it +childish folly to hesitate in her choice. And three emperors now graced +the court, each provided with a numerous and splendid retinue. These +daily vied with each other in gorgeous fetes and costly presents to the +proud beauty whom they hoped to win. In flowing robe of richest fabric, +stiff with sparkling gems, behold the Emperor of China, the Sacred Son +of Heaven, the Supreme Ruler of the earth! His shaven head is surmounted +by a conical cap, at the crown of which one pearl of uncommon size +points out his rank: beneath it hangs down a jet-black queue below his +waist. His small, oblique eyes, his yellow complexion, and thin beard +show him unmistakably to belong to the Central Flowery Land. He is a +heathen: but perhaps for her sake he might be baptized. At any rate, +there would be little difficulty in procuring a dispensation from Holy +Mother Church, which is ever hopeful that such alliances may bring +converts into her bosom. Will she, can she accept him? She will at least +accept his gifts and his attentions, and will decide hereafter. +Millions, unnumbered millions of slaves call him their lord; vast is his +power and wealth; provinces would be her dowry. But would she not, +herself, merely add another to his list of slaves? Secluded within his +palace, with many rivals to counteract her, would she not gather thorns, +as well as blossoms, in the Flowery Land? It is a matter to be +considered. + +But who are these two other Asiatics, as they appear by their dress, +fashioned in Oriental magnificence? One is from the frozen North, the +other from the sunny South, and they divide the east of Europe between +them. That pompous, formal old man, whose small heart and head are +stuffed full of etiquette, and who lives and breathes only in a sense of +his own importance, is the ruler of the Byzantine Empire. He was born in +the purple chamber, and wears the purple; he eats purple, drinks purple, +sleeps purple--only as the Emperor does he exist--he could live as well +without his head, as without his crown. He is so imbued with notions of +his own dignity that he would prove a tough subject to manage. But his +rival from the North is still undescribed. Tremble at the sight of this +ugly Cossack, with small dull eye, flat nose, and bushy red beard; for +in him behold the Autocrat of all the Russias! Not yet had the genius +and perseverance of Peter the Great introduced the arts and sciences +into that vast region of snow and mental darkness. Ivan, the Squinter, +ruled over his serfs with Oriental despotism: he was ignorant, coarse, +and profligate. At his feasts, the dishes were of gold from the Ural +Mountains, and the attendants who waited upon the monarch were arrayed +in all the grandeur of Eastern princes; but the slightest blunder on +their part subjected them to death, to the more dreaded knout, or to +banishment in Siberia. Nominally a Christian, the Emperor of China is +quite a saint when compared with him, and infinitely more respectable. +But the Czar is a fool, chiefly immersed in the pleasures of the table; +and Clotilda, if Empress of Russia, could easily seize all real power, +and sway the sceptre over millions of obsequious subjects. + +These potentates are seated on thrones near Hildebrand, to witness the +spectacle. But Udolpho, Duke of Milan, is among the combatants, mounted +on a powerful charger, in armor blazing with gold: he looks like the +flower of chivalry. He wears the colors of the Princess Clotilda, +scarlet and green; and having ridden to the end of the lists, and made a +lowly obeisance to his fair lady, he has returned to his place among the +competitors for honor. Others there are who wear the same colors, but +none to compare with him in rank and knightly bearing; and as the +Princess gazed upon him, she wished him success. But what cavalier is +this, with closed vizor, whose head towers above the rest like the cedar +of Lebanon above all the trees of the forest? A kingly majesty marks +every motion, and notwithstanding the unusual plainness of his +accoutrements, all eyes are turned upon him with interest and curiosity. +He is clad in brightly-shining steel, and no heraldic emblems show his +rank. His Moorish page bears before him his shield, upon the black +ground of which one blooming rose, and the motto _Quero_, "I seek," form +the only device. He is an utter stranger to all: yet both Emperor and +Princess command the herald to discover who he is. That he is +illustrious, none can doubt. A blue ribbon, worn upon his arm, shows +that he has not enlisted himself among the admirers of the Lady +Clotilda: in whose honor can he wear it? + +When the heralds have taken the oath of the combatants that they will in +all respects obey the laws of chivalry in the approaching conflict, the +names and titles of those who were about to engage in it were called +aloud, with the sound of the trumpet. When the unknown knight was +courteously requested to announce his name, he gave that of "The Knight +of the Blooming Rose." The mystery as to who he could be increased the +interest felt in him; and as one after another of the cavaliers was +unhorsed by his firm and skilful arm and rolled in the dust, the +excitement became intense. The Grand Duke Udolpho had also greatly +distinguished himself, and it was soon very evident that the victory +would lie between these two. Clotilda's sympathies were enlisted on the +side of Udolpho: Edith's, for the Knight of the Blooming Rose, whose +success she watched with breathless interest. The contest was not long +undetermined: the shouts of the populace, and the waving of scarfs and +handkerchiefs by fair hands, soon proclaimed the unknown cavalier to be +the victor. + +Escorted by the heralds he approached the Emperor, who, after +pronouncing a eulogy upon his bravery and skill, threw round his neck a +costly chain, and placed in his hand the wreath to be worn by the Queen +of Love and Beauty, whose duty it should be to preside over the games +during the remainder of the week, and to distribute prizes to the +winners. It was his envied privilege to confer this dignity upon the +lady who was fairest in his eyes. As he rode round the barriers, gazing +at the numberless lovely faces assembled there, many a heart thrilled +with emotion; and as he passed the Princess Clotilda, surprise, +mortification, and resentment could only too plainly be traced upon her +countenance. Never before had she been so slighted. But when the knight +stopped before the Lady Edith, and kneeling down, besought her to confer +dignity upon the office of Queen of Love and Beauty by filling it, the +young girl's astonishment was great, as she had not for a moment thought +of herself as a candidate for the honor. Quickly recovering herself, +however, with the native courtesy of the high-born lady, agreeably to +the manners of the day, she raised the cavalier, and taking off her blue +sash, fastened it round his waist with her own hands, begging him to +wear it as her knight, and ever to prove himself faithful and brave. + +Thus ended the first day's tournament. Meanwhile, the burghers and +yeomanry joined in the general festivity, having wrestling-matches, +quoits and bowls, and various other rural games. A purse of gold was +conferred upon the victors, and barrels of beer were continually running +for the benefit of the public. The noble guests were invited to a +banquet at the palace, which was to be repeated daily during the +continuance of the games. The Knight of the Blooming Rose was, of +course, a prominent person in these gay assemblies, and his noble person +and courtly bearing greatly excited the admiration of the ladies of +Clotilda's circle. But while courteous to all, his marked deference to +the gentle Edith plainly showed that he was faithful to his allegiance. +It was a new experience to the timid girl to be thus singled out in +preference to the more brilliant beauties around her; and while it +raised her in the estimation of others, it gave a decision and +self-possession to her character in which it was previously deficient. +And the intimate intercourse which she thus enjoyed with a kindred mind +of high cultivation, earnest thought, and large acquaintance with +mankind, gave a stimulus to her mental powers which only human sympathy +can impart. The Emperor himself was greatly pleased with the gallant +knight, and frequently honored him with confidential conversation. And +yet no one could discover who he was. Free and unreserved in his +communications with those around him, when this subject was approached, +his lips were sealed in silence, and a certain dignity of manner warned +off all intrusion. Efforts were made to arrive at the truth through the +medium of his page; but the noble-looking Moor was a mute, and would +only hold intercourse with those around him by gestures and expressive +looks. + +In the succeeding days of the tournament, various games of knightly +skill and prowess engaged the attention of the competitors for honors, +and in all of them did our cavalier come off victorious. In the use of +the bow he was unrivalled, ever piercing the centre of the target, and +bringing down the bird upon the wing. Udolpho of Milan was the second in +distinction, and the two were united by a generous friendship. The last +day was a trial of minstrelsy. In this, also, the Knight of the Blooming +Rose bore the palm away from all his rivals, both professional and +amateur. Accompanying himself upon the harp, he sang spirit-stirring +lays which awakened the enthusiasm of all his auditors. + +In the evening, the Emperor requested him to give the meaning of his +motto, and of the emblem on his shield. Taking the harp, and striking up +a bold and brilliant prelude which gradually arranged itself into a +simple air of great beauty, he sang as follows: + + + "Not wealth nor trappings proud, + Nor shouts of envying crowd, + That swell both long and loud, + 'I seek.' + + "No jewels from the mine, + Nor gold, so pure and fine, + Nor generous, sparkling wine, + 'I seek.' + + "Soft pleasure's bonds are vain-- + I feel for them disdain; + And still, through toil and pain, + 'I seek.' + + "It is not kingly crown-- + That subjects may kneel down, + And tremble at my frown-- + 'I seek.' + + "To keep my knightly oath, + Be faithful to my troth, + To God and Jesu both, + 'I seek.' + + "To help the poor that cry-- + To wipe the widow's eye-- + To humble tyrants high, + 'I seek.' + + "The maiden weak to save, + To free the Christian slave, + And punish impious knave, + 'I seek.' + + "At noblest deeds I aim. + To win a lofty name + Upon the roll of fame, + 'I seek.' + + "To pluck the magic Rose + In Hesperus which grows, + And fadeless beauty knows, + 'I seek.' + + "To wear it on my breast-- + There may it ever rest!-- + Honor and truth to test, + 'I seek.' + + "To lay it at the feet + Of noble lady sweet: + For her an off'ring meet! + 'I seek.' + + "To win fair Edith's praise-- + Merit the poet's lays-- + Grow nobler all my days-- + 'I seek.'" + + +"And is it really the wonderful Rose of Hesperus which you seek?" asked +the monarch: "that magic flower hitherto unplucked by mortals? Bring +one to each of my daughters, and I here pledge you my word that you +shall wed one of them, if you can gain her consent!" The knight, full of +gratitude, knelt down to express his thanks. He then told the Emperor +and the listening Edith in what manner he had been led to take the vow +to acquire these precious roses, and to place this emblem upon his +shield. He had been engaged in defence of his native land against the +invader and the oppressor, but his efforts, and those of a small, brave +band of friends, had been wholly in vain: his country was crushed by the +ruthless heel of despotism. On that night when it had been agreed in +assembled council that all resistance was fruitless, and that nothing +now remained for patriots but to seek freedom in exile, after tossing in +troubled slumbers, he had been visited with a calming and inspiring +dream. He saw bending over him a lovely female form, which he knew +instinctively to be that of his Guardian Angel. She was clothed in +white, and a soft light streamed out from her soul. The morning before +the tournament, as he rode along at break of day, he had seen the +Princess Edith bending down to speak encouragement to a poor cripple, +and he had at once recognized the earthly form of which he had then seen +the glorified image. The Angel spoke, and commanded him not to yield to +despair: she had work for him still to do. She said that, with her help, +he should pluck roses from the Gardens of Hesperus, which mortal man had +never yet done. She gave him exact directions how to reach the spot +where the invisible gate was placed, through which alone he could enter +the charmed Paradise. Only at sunrise, upon the repetition of a form of +words, which she gave him, could a brave knight, of unsullied honor and +purity, obtain admittance. And only at sunset could he leave, upon +reciting the same formula. And then telling him that the accomplishment +of this feat would lead to the fulfilment of his destiny, and that a +crown yet awaited him, she had suddenly vanished, leaving a smile upon +the air. + +The next day, having bid adieu to his friends at court, the cavalier +departed with his Moorish page. They travelled in a southwesterly +direction, towards the Mediterranean Sea. It is worthy of remark, that +when they had passed away from towns and populous districts, the page +rode alongside of his master, instead of following at his former humble +distance. And, miraculous as it may appear, it is very certain that they +no longer conversed together by signs, but with audible sounds. + +At length they reached the borders of the sea. Following it for a few +days, they came to a lofty rock: here they alighted, and searching +carefully along the water's edge, the knight perceived a small entrance, +so covered up by overhanging grass and ferns that one unacquainted with +its existence could never have detected it. Entering, they found +themselves in a lofty and spacious cave, where nature had amused herself +by uniting in strange confusion the odd and the beautiful. The roof was +hung with sparkling stalactites, and wonderful forms were ranged around. +There was an organ, with its numerous pipes--but the wind was the only +musician. There was a lofty throne--but the king was not yet born who +would fill it with dignity. There was a pulpit--but solitude was the +only preacher. Strange shapes, like those in a Hindoo rock-temple, were +ranged along into the darkness. Stars and flowers of crystal were +strewed around, and the grotto looked like a fit abode for sylphids or +fairies. The deep blue water formed a lake in the centre, upon the bosom +of which a small boat lay sleeping like a swan. When the knight and his +page had sufficiently admired the beauties of the place, the cavalier +advanced to the edge of the lagoon and called the boat. It instantly +waked up, and came like a living thing to crouch at his feet. The two +friends stepped into it, and it shot out of the cave into the broad open +sea, darting across the water with the speed of the wind. No visible +means of motion could be detected; no sail or oars were there in the +fairy boat--there was nothing mechanical about it; but it sped on its +way like a water-bird or a graceful nautilus. Once, indeed, gazing into +deep blue water, the knight fancied that he saw a soft white hand, with +rings of pearl and bracelet of coral, guiding it in its course; but if +this were not the effect of his heated fancy, the hand was at least +speedily withdrawn, and he saw it no more. + +When the moon had risen upon the expanse of waters, which reflected her +image, breaking it into a thousand fragments--while the waves danced up +to greet her bright face, like children clamoring for a mother's +kiss--the little boat ran into a quiet inlet, and stopped to let its +passengers alight. They rested that night in an orange-grove, and awoke +refreshed, to begin their search while the bright morning-star was still +shining. At the break of day they arrived at lofty perpendicular rocks, +which, after pursuing a straight line, suddenly formed a right-angle. +Here the knight and his companion stopped, and turning to the east, +awaited the sunrise. At the moment when the glorious orb of day started +up from his couch, impatient to commence his course, the cavalier spoke: +"Open, thou gate of stone, for the hour has come, and the man." At these +words, with a noise like that of thunder, the rock was rent asunder, and +a wide passage was opened, through which the friends proceeded. It had +appeared to be a lofty chain of mountains, but they were soon at the +end of it, and came out into the open air. But an obstacle opposed +itself. A huge dragon, Ladon the terrible, reared up his hundred heads, +his eyes flashing fire and fury, his mouths emitting baleful flames and +pestilential breath, his tail, covered with metallic scales of green, +scarlet, and blue, coiling away to a great distance. The page drew his +sword; but the knight took a little black book and aimed it at the +volcanic heads. It was a Holy Book, and the names therein quenched the +threatening fire and quelled the rage of the monster, who sank back +exhausted upon the green sod, and slept the sleep of death. "That little +book can do more than the sword," remarked the cavalier. + +They proceeded onward: the earthly Paradise was unfolded to their view; +the air was balmy, and laden with rich fragrance from the numberless +flowers around; but instead of filling the spirit with soft languor, and +indisposing the body to exertion, the gentle breezes imparted new vigor +to the frame, and the buoyant, hilarious feelings of early youth shot +through the veins, making the thoughtful eye sparkle, and giving to the +grave foot of saddened maturity the elasticity of childhood. A new, +unsuspected power of enjoyment was awakened in the bosom of the friends, +combining somewhat of the gladness of the child, and the ardor of the +youth--qualities, alas, how transitory!--with the appreciating taste and +refined feelings of riper years. Many faculties lie dormant in our +nature: the capacity for much higher happiness is one of them; and it +will be awakened in the breast of all the good in the Resurrection Morn. +They may have lain down to die, weary and heart sore, but they shall +find that "light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright +in heart." + +With joyful spirits, their eyes drinking in beauty, and their ears +harmony, the knight and his comrade moved along, guided by wayward +fancy. Here a sparkling, dancing rivulet would entice them to follow its +course, amid mossy rocks, flowery banks, and drooping trees, which +whispered their secrets to its babbling waves; and then suddenly it +would vanish into the earth, like a child playing at hide-and-seek, +gurgling a merry laugh at its bewildered followers. At every step a new +beauty was unfolded. Now the brilliancy of hue and splendor of coloring +in the sky, the flowers, the birds, filled their minds with admiration: +but when they wandered into the deep, cool woods, with their sober +tints, and their mysterious whispers, they gave the latter the +preference. And when they left these green recesses, and viewed the +extensive landscape opened before them--gently swelling hills, distant +mountains, and the boundless ocean--then they wondered that more limited +scenery could have given such entire satisfaction. Climbing among the +rocks, wild and sublime views, of a rugged grandeur, prepared their +souls for nature's masterpiece, the foaming waterfall. Down the +stupendous precipice rolled the torrent, masses upon masses of water, +almost lost to the eye in the dark distance below; while, above, the +gorgeous rainbow closed it in, as if a crown of glory were bestowed upon +it in recompense for its agony. And day and night a voice might be heard +from its mighty heart, "I can endure forever and forever." Then the +friends felt how deep is that bliss which takes away all words--they +felt how great a joy there is in awe. + +Descending from these heights, soft scenes of beauty attracted their +gaze. The setting sun threw its mellow light over a landscape of Italian +character; it seemed as if nature and art were here combined to make +perfection. Statues of rare loveliness took them by surprise when +strolling over the grassy walks, or sauntering under the deep umbrage +of the trees; mossy grottoes, adorned with shells, invited them to +repose; unexpected openings in the woods revealed vistas beyond, +exciting to the imagination. Lakes of crystal clearness reflected the +fleecy clouds, and the snowy forms of the swans upon their azure +surface; and gold and silver fishes chased each other through their +pellucid waves. Birds of brilliant plumage came there to lave in the +pure water, and then shaking off the diamonds from their wings, rose +into the air with a gush of melody, pouring out their souls to their +Maker. And all gentle and exquisite creatures were met together in that +spot, to glad the eye with life--the soft-eyed gazelle, the swift +antelope, the graceful stag, the Java deer, smallest of its kind: +nothing was absent which could add beauty and variety to the scene. + +Amid such innocent joys, drinking in poetry at its very fount, several +days were passed, each shorter than the one preceding. Their hunger was +satisfied with delicious fruits; and when weary, a natural couch of moss +received them, and the trees locked their arms together, and bent over +them, as if to keep off all harm, if harm could have existed in that +place. It seemed that life could glide away in perfect bliss in those +gardens of beauty, where naught repulsive or annoying could enter, and +delight succeeded delight. Could glide away, did I say?--not there; for +in the centre of that Paradise flowed the fountain of eternal youth, and +over its brink hung the bush whose magic roses were famed abroad. + +The sight of them awoke the sleeping energies of the noble and resolute +knight. "And shall I falsify my motto?" said he. "Shall the bliss of the +present satisfy me, while so much remains unaccomplished--while might is +triumphant over right, innocence is oppressed, and brute force bears +rule upon the earth? Shall I lap my soul in indolent ease while the +work of life is before me? Not so: still must I seek what is higher, +purer, nobler; still must my heart pant for excellence; still must I +learn bravely to endure." + +Speaking thus, he plucked three roses from the magic tree, and placed +them upon his breast, and as the sun approached the western horizon, the +comrades drew near to the gate which separated them from the world of +common life. The stony barrier opened before the charmed words, and when +they had emerged from its gloom, closed again with a clap of thunder. +Never since has mortal man profaned those regions of unclouded +happiness. + +Their little fairy skiff speedily conveyed them to the cave, and with +the early morning they resumed their journey. Their route lay, as +before, through an attractive country, and the peasants, in picturesque +costumes, were engaged in the various labors of rural life: but how +changed did all at first appear! It seemed as if scales had fallen off +their eyes, showing coarseness and deformity, where previously none had +appeared. They had tasted the rapture of a more beautiful life; and now +the ordinary toils of humanity appeared "stale, flat, and unprofitable," +and common men and women tedious, rude, and mean. But the brave knight +struggled against this feeling. "Shall we be so ungrateful, because a +glimpse of the earthly paradise has been vouchsafed us, as to sink into +idle, repining dreamers? Shall we allow the visions of fancy, or the +charms of nature, to steal away our hearts from human sympathy? Rather +let these remembered joys excite us to fresh effort; let the useful and +the good be ever clad with beauty, in our eyes; let us act as men, +strive and be strong in our rightful purposes, sure that in the end the +true will ever prove to be the beautiful." He might have said, in the +language of a modern poet, + + + "I slept, and dream'd that Life was Beauty; + I woke, and found that Life was Duty: + Was then thy dream a shadowy lie? + Toil on, sad heart, courageously, + And thou shall find thy dream to be + A noonday light and truth to thee." + + +In due time, they arrived at the imperial court. Some important events +had taken place during their absence. The splendors of royalty had not +been able to preserve the Emperor from a loathsome disease, from which +his attendants fled away in horror. The Princess Clotilda could not +endanger her beauty by approaching his side; neither did the cares and +toils of a sick-bed comport with her views of life. But Edith now took +her rightful position, and by her fearless example recalled those around +her to a sense of duty. She was her father's gentle, untiring nurse: his +wishes were forestalled, his fretfulness soothed, and his thoughts +directed to higher things. She rose in her father's love day by day, as +he felt her worth; and bitterly did he now think of the undeserved +slight with which she had been treated, while the ungrateful Clotilda +had been his pride. He was at present recovering from his illness; but +he felt himself unequal to the labors of his position, and had seriously +resolved to lay down the crown and sceptre, that he might end his days +in peace. He had announced the day when his daughters should fix upon +one of the suitors for their hands, and when the assembly of barons and +knights should decide upon the successor to his throne. + +The Knight of the Blooming Rose was gladly welcomed back to court. In +the Emperor's presence, he presented the magic flower to each of his +fair daughters,--his own bloomed sweetly upon his breast, proving the +purity and fidelity of his heart. Edith's cheek was pale, from her late +watchings; but never had she looked more lovely than when she placed the +rose upon her bosom; her face was glorified by its expression. And +Clotilda's ill-concealed scorn and jealousy not only detracted from her +queenly beauty, but the flower paled as it touched her breast--pride and +worldliness, and every selfish passion, had swayed her being too long, +to be repressed at a moment's notice--like the fumes of poison, they +were taking away the life of the precious rose. It was impossible that +the contrast should not be noticed: comparisons were made which filled +the mind of the despotic Clotilda with rage against her unoffending +sister; and the more violent her evil passions became, the fainter grew +the perfume of her flower, and the more fading its hue. Not all the +flattery of her adorers could restore her equanimity; and her face +showed, only too plainly, the workings of the evil spirit within. + +At last the day approached when the fate of the empire and of so many +individuals was to be decided. Clotilda, meantime, consistent in her +desire for universal sway, received the homage of all her admirers, but +refused to declare her preference until the day of public betrothal--the +day when she proudly expected to be hailed as Empress. Her numerous +suitors indulged in flattering hopes, each for himself; while all agreed +in pitying the delusion of the rest. The electors met in the +audience-chamber, which was splendidly decorated for the occasion: all +the dignitaries of the State, and the great nobility were assembled, +presenting a very imposing spectacle. The Emperor was seated upon a +throne, but the crown and sceptre, whose weight he felt himself unequal +longer to endure, lay upon a cushion at his side. The people, in a dense +mass, thronged the courtyard of the palace, anxious to know the result +of the election, and to hail the new lord of the land. + +At the appointed hour, the doors were flung open, and the two royal +brides entered, followed by their maids of honor. Clotilda, +self-possessed in her proud beauty, looked like a queen indeed. She was +magnificently dressed, and the pale, scentless rose upon her breast was +almost hidden by diamonds. But many there turned their eyes from her +handsome, haughty face, to gaze upon young Edith, who leaned upon the +arm of her betrothed, the unknown knight. They wondered that they had +never before remarked the exquisite delicacy and sensibility of her +countenance, the very exponent of the beautiful soul within, which +flashed out brightly as if through a transparent covering. When in +repose, the calm and happy expression reminded the beholder of the deep +purity and peace of the sunny sky--when moved by passing thoughts and +feelings, of the same heavens, ever heavenly, over which the fleecy +clouds are driven by the wind, in varying shapes and hues. Edith's +dress, though elegant, was as simple as consisted with her rank. The +pearls and white jasmine in her hair well became her, and the magic rose +upon her breast adorned her as no jewels could, and filled the chamber +with its rich, refreshing fragrance. As the sisters stood, one on each +side of their father, they might well have passed for types of spiritual +and sensual beauty--of heaven and earth. + +The Emperor arose, and addressed the assembly. He said that the cares of +state weighed too heavily upon his feeble old age, and that his most +earnest wishes were now directed to a tranquil retirement, in which he +should enjoy the leisure he required for preparations to meet the King +of kings. That his daughters were before them--he wished to see the +diadem encircling the youthful brow of one, whichever they should +choose. But well he knew that a firm and valiant arm was needed to sway +the sceptre, and that an experienced mind must govern the nation; and +therefore it was his will that the Princesses should this day make known +their choice of a consort from among the many candidates for their +hands. His younger daughter, Edith, had already plighted her faith, with +his entire approval, to the stranger knight. No kingdom awaited her, for +her betrothed was a landless exile; but the fame of his valor and wisdom +had gone throughout the earth--and in the future husband of his daughter +he now presented to them one whom he was proud to claim as a +son--Arthur, Prince of Britain, the renowned Champion of Christendom! + +At these words, shouts of enthusiastic joy rent the hall. When the +tumult was hushed, the Emperor called upon the suitors of the Princess +Clotilda to come forward. The rival sovereigns approached, among whom +the Duke of Milan was conspicuous for dignity and knightly courtesy. All +wished him success; but Clotilda passed him by, and placed her hand +within that of the Czar. At that moment, a sound was heard throughout +the hushed room, resembling somewhat a deep sigh and an expiring +groan--it proceeded from the rose, which fell from her bosom, shrivelled +and lifeless. An expression of disdainful rage rendered her face almost +repulsive, as she noticed the sensation excited by the circumstance, and +the cold, gloomy silence with which her choice was received. + +After a short conference, the electors reported that they had chosen +Arthur of Britain and the Princess Edith to be their lawful sovereigns. +Hildebrand then led them to a balcony, and presented them to the people; +and loud and enthusiastic were the shouts of the populace: "Long live +our Emperor, Arthur the Brave! Long live the good Princess!" The +plaudits were echoed far and wide. The achievements of the noble Arthur, +and the kind deeds of "The Good Princess," formed the theme of the +fireside-tale in the humble cottage, and of the troubadour's lay in +castle and banquetting-hall. Arthur, who in Britain was mourned as dead, +or as lying in enchanted sleep with his good sword Excalibar at his +side, ready to start up to his country's rescue in some hour of future +peril--enjoyed, instead, a happier fate. Long and glorious was his +reign: the wicked fled away from his presence, like mists before the +sun; the upright rejoiced under his protection, and peace reigned +throughout all the borders of the Empire. Excalibar was sheathed: no +foes dared to invade the land. Brightly and sweetly bloomed the magic +roses, which once grew on the same tree in the earthly Paradise, and +which were now seldom far asunder; flourishing, in their transplanted +state, upon hearts which diffused a moral Paradise of love and purity +around them. + +And what became of the imperious Clotilda? Enraged at the decision of +the electors, and at her father's acquiescence, she soon left the +Imperial court to accompany her lord to his distant empire. There her +life passed unhappily enough amid the rude magnificence and brutal +amusements of the palace. She did not find that Ivan was easily managed, +as she had hoped: fools seldom are--it requires a portion of good sense +to perceive our deficiencies, and to allow the superiority of others. +They became more and more estranged, both giving way to the evil +passions most natural to them. Ivan, indulging in sensual pleasures, +became more and more brutified; and Clotilda, yielding up her soul to +the dominion of pride, hatred, and violence, became so embittered +against her unfortunate husband that she compassed his death by +violence, and seized the crown, reigning in the name of her infant son, +Constantine. And never, under the most despotic sovereigns, had the iron +rule been exercised with more unrelenting vigor than during the reign of +Clotilda the Terrible. But a day of vengeance was at hand. A secret +conspiracy was formed, at the head of which her young son was placed: +the palace was seized in the night, and the murderess was hurried away +to a distant fortress, where she spent the remainder of her unhappy +life--the victim of her own ungoverned passions. + + +"How I wish that I possessed such a magic rose!" said Alice Bolton. "It +might cure my unfortunate pug nose--I should so love to be beautiful!" + +"You own such a rose, my dear girl," said her uncle. "It is invisible, +but I often perceive its fragrance. Each one of you carries such an +indicator of character and feeling about with you, wherever you go. We +may as well call it a rose as any thing else." + +"But what can you mean, Uncle? do you mean our tell-tale faces?" + +"Nothing else. It is one of the many proofs of beneficent design in the +formation of our frame, than we can scarcely help giving a timely +warning to others of the evil passions which may fill our breasts. The +angry man becomes inflamed or livid with rage before his arm is raised +to strike--just as the rattle-snake is heard before he darts upon his +victim. And so with the gentle and kind emotions. Friendly feeling +softens the eye and soothes the heart before the tongue utters a sound. +Then take my advice, my dear nephews and nieces, if you wish to be +attractive now, seek moral beauty, and the external will follow, in some +degree here below, and completely in a better world. You can afford to +wait." + + + + +CHAPTER IX. + +NEW-YEAR'S DAY.--CHARACTERS, OR WHO AM I?--QUOTATIONS.--ACTING +CHARADES.--RIDDLES. + + +"A very happy New-Year to you, Aunt and Uncle!" "The same to you, dear +children! and may each one in your lives be happier than the last!" "As +the Spaniards say, 'May you live a thousand years!'" cried Charlie +Bolton. "I feel glad that wish is an impossible one," answered Mr. +Wyndham, with a smile. "How tired the world would be of seeing me, and +how weary I should be of life! No, no, my boy--I hope when my season of +active labor shall be closed, and I can no more be useful to my +fellow-men, that my kind Father in Heaven will grant me a mansion above, +where time is swallowed up in eternity." + +There was service in the morning in the pretty little country church. +Strange that this beautiful and appropriate mode of commencing the +New-Year, which is so general in continental Europe, should be +frequently neglected here! It appears so very natural, upon entering +upon a new division of time, to consecrate its commencement by +acknowledgments of our dependence upon the Great Creator. At least, so +thought the family party assembled at The Grange; and they were amply +rewarded for the effort it cost them by the joyful, hopeful nature of +the services, which were intended to lead the soul to repose upon God +with unshaken trust for all future time. + +In the evening, it was agreed that there should be no story, but that +games and conversation should fill up the time. Mary proposed a new game +she had heard of, "_Characters, or Who am I?_" While one left the room, +the rest agreed upon some historical personage who was to be represented +by the absentee upon his return. When he re-entered, unconscious whether +he was a Nero or a Howard, they addressed him in a manner suitable to +his rank and character, and he replied in such a way as to elicit +further information in regard to the important question, "Who am I?" As +he grew more sure of his own identity with the illustrious person whose +deeds they alluded to, his answers would become more unequivocal, until +at last he could announce that he had solved that difficult problem, +"know thyself." An amusing state of puzzle--a dreamy feeling that you +might be anybody in the world, was found to pervade the first replies. +Cornelia, who led the way in assuming a character, declared that she +felt like the little woman in Mother Goose's Melodies, + + + "If I be's I, as I suppose I be, + I have a little dog at home, and he knows me!" + + +and that when she found out who she really was, it was as grateful to +her as was the little dog's joyous bark to the unfortunate woman, +doubtful of her own identity. + +When Cornelia entered, Mary said to her: "Does your majesty feel very +sore from your fall?" + +"Very little bruised, indeed." + +"Physically, I presume that you feel nothing; but you must suffer +mentally," remarked Ellen. "For a queen to be so disgraced, and for a +moment's pride to be brought down to the rank of a subject, and of a +divorced wife, is indeed a dreadful fate." + +"A lofty mind," replied Cornelia, "can bear reverses." + +"True," rejoined Charlie. "I rejoice to see your majesty bear up so +nobly: it is well that pride can sustain you in adversity, since it +occasioned your descent. And yet, do you know, most sovereign lady, I +have always entertained the idea that the reason you refused, in +obedience to your royal husband's command, to unveil your beauty to the +court, was not so much modesty and pride, as the fact of an unfortunate +pimple upon your nose, and a sty upon your eye, which had the effect of +making you look uncommonly ugly." + +"Shame, ungallant sir! never, unless my silver mirror deceived me, did I +look more lovely. But if the laws of the Medes and Persians cannot be +changed, neither can the modest customs of their women be altered, even +at the command of the King, of Ahasuerus himself. I stand here, a martyr +to the rights of my sex: I, Vashti, queen of Persia, and of all the ends +of the earth, have proved myself to be strong in will, and the champion +of womanhood. I shall appear before all eyes as the first asserter of +woman's rights. But oh! that Jewish girl! that modest, shrinking, +beauteous, hateful Esther! that _she_ should wear my crown!" + +"Well done, Cornelia! you have entered into the spirit of the game. And +now Charlie should go out, as you caught the idea from him." + +Upon Charlie's re-entrance, Alice spoke: "Did Dante's genius inspire +you, gifted mortal, or did you sit so long at the feet of Isaiah, that +your harp caught up some of the tones of his?" + +"Don't know, ma'am, indeed. Couldn't possibly give you any information +on that subject. Scarcely knew I was much of a poet until you told me." + +"A man like you," said Ellen, "did not write for the unthinking +multitude, but for the select number who could appreciate. 'Fit +audience, though few,' is what you ask for. How shameful is it that such +worth and genius should languish in obscurity, in a pleasure-seeking +age! And that, while court minions rolled in luxury, you should sell +your glorious poem for the paltry sum of ten pounds!" + +"It was really too bad," replied Charlie. "And the money went very fast, +too." + +"And yet," answered Amy, "you were never of prodigal habits. You lived +simply, in the country: your supper was of bread and milk; your greatest +pleasure, to play upon the organ, or to listen to the music of others. +You retired early to rest: to be sure, you often awoke in the night, +your brain so filled with visions of beauty that you felt obliged to +arouse your daughter, that she might write them down, and so they were +saved for the benefit of future ages." + +"What do people think," said Charlie, "about my waking up my daughter, +instead of taking the trouble to write down my poetry myself?" + +"How could you, when you are stone-blind? And of what great consequence +was it that one common-place girl should sleep an hour or two later in +the morning, when such strains as yours were in question? A dutiful +daughter would feel honored by acting as your amanuensis, even in the +night season. True, the girl did grumble occasionally, being afflicted +with some portion of human weakness; and those who do not love inspiring +strains have called you cross, in consequence. But you should no more +regard these things than Samson--your own Samson Agonistes--caved for +the mockings of the Philistines." + +"Of man's first disobedience"--began Charlie. "Hurrah! I feel quite +elevated since I have become Miltonic. And yet, do you know, I would +rather wear a strait-waistcoat than try long to sustain such a character +as that. I couldn't do it, indeed." + +"I think you could not," replied Tom. "Now tell us whose speech gave you +the first impression of being Milton?" + +"Oh, Amy's, to be sure. So go out, little Amy, and we'll try to find +some very angelic character for you to fill." + +When Amy returned, Anna spoke: "What remarkable worldly prosperity! And +yet, though a strikingly handsome woman, with polished manners, and +Italian craftiness, you do not look happy." + +"I am not--my heart is not at ease." + +"Nor your conscience either," rejoined Charlie. "Unless you have found +some way to polish that, to make it match your face and manners, I +should think your majesty might find your conscience rather a +disagreeable companion." + +"My majesty is not accustomed to rebuke." + +"I know it--and if I were in France, I should fear that some of your +Italian powders might be sprinkled in my food or wine, in consequence. +But I wonder when I think of you--a simple duke's daughter--being raised +to the throne; and not only that, but of your ruling so absolutely over +the three kings, your sons. Mother-in-law to one of the greatest kings +of France, and to the most renowned of beautiful, suffering queens, what +more do you want to make you celebrated?" + +"One thing only," answered Amy. "The Massacre of St. Bartholomew will +carry my name down to posterity. My daughter-in-law, Mary, Queen of +Scotts, was interesting, but I am great. She could kill one husband: I, +Catharine de Medici, will not say how many men groaned out my name that +night." + +"And now," said Ellen, "let us play _Quotations_. One quotes a +well-known passage from some book, and if another mentions the author, +she is entitled to propose the next passage. It all depends for interest +upon our cleverness; so brighten up your wits, cousins mine." + +"As I'm a poet," said Charlie, "I'll give you this: + + + 'The poet's eye in a fine frenzy rolling, + Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven.'" + + +"Shakspeare!" cried Tom. "Now where does this come from: 'the better +part of valor is--discretion.'" + +"Shakspeare again," replied Alice. "And in what book do you find this +passage, which corroborates that noble sentiment: + + + 'He that fights and runs away, + May live to fight another day.'" + + +"In Butler's Hudibras, I believe," rejoined Ellen. "And where may that +truth be found, which evidently is intended only for boys and men--'Use +every man after his desert, and who shall escape whipping?'" + +"Of course it was said by no one else than Will Shakspeare, the +deer-stealer--he knew it held good of himself, and was indulgent to +others. And who was it that wrote this epitaph: + + + 'Underneath this stone doth lie + As much beauty as can die: + Which in life did harbor give + To more virtue than can live.'" + + +"That was 'rare Ben Jonson,' I am sure," replied Alice. "If her pale +ghost could have blushed, I think it would, at such lofty and exquisite +praise. For my part, I could say, 'Speak of me as I am; nothing +extenuate, nor set down aught in malice.'" + +"That's Shakspeare again," cried Charlie. "It is surprising how many +passages come into one's head from that wonderful man's works. Where is +this to be found: 'God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb.'" + +"In the Bible, of course--though I do not remember in what part," said +Mary. + +"Think again," replied Charlie, "for you are quite wrong: it can never +be found in the Bible." + +"Oh, but I'm sure it is there: I'll get a concordance and find the +passage in a minute." Accordingly she did so, but was obliged to +acknowledge herself defeated: it was nowhere to be discovered. + +"Since you are at a loss, I can set you right, for once," said Mrs. +Wyndham. "The passage is to be found in Sterne's works: I have myself +heard it quoted in the pulpit as from the Bible, and many people really +think that it is. Here's another: + + + 'When Greek meets Greek, then comes the tug of war.'" + + +"That's from Shakspeare, I know," answered Tom. + +"'Tis from Troilus and Cressida, I imagine--that is a Greek play." + +"Then find it, my boy," said Mrs. Wyndham, handing him Mrs. Cowden +Clarke's elaborate volume. + +"It is not in the whole book," replied Tom, after a diligent search, +laying down the volume, with a face as blank as the leaves at the end. +"If it is not in Shakspeare, I give up." + +"'How poor are they, that have not patience!'" cried Cornelia. "Can you +tell us where that piece of wisdom may be found?" + +"Yes--in Shakspeare--the same author who writes 'This was the most +unkindest cut of all!'" + +"I thought of that passage concerning the Greek, which seems to have +baffled you all," rejoined Mrs. Wyndham, "because I was once a whole +year on the watch to discover it. It happened to be quoted at a little +literary gathering, and none of us could tell the author, although it +was 'familiar in our mouths as household words.' We agreed to search for +it, but it was full a year before I found it, in looking over the +play--quite a celebrated one--entitled 'The Rival Queens,' by poor Nat. +Lee, commonly called the 'crazy poet.' Alexander the Great is the hero." + +"We know so many quotations at second-hand," said Mrs. Wyndham, "that I +like this game: it will set us to hunting up the original passages, and +seeing their connections. If people would act upon this principle, of +going to head-quarters, with regard to history--and in private life +too--how many mistakes might be saved." + +"And now, just to keep us from becoming too wise," Cornelia chimed in, +"I propose that we act charades. A group of us will arrange the plot in +the library, and when we open the door, the rest of you must guess from +our actions what word we intend to depict. We'll choose one of several +syllables, so that there will be repeated opportunities given you to +sharpen your wits. And if you should conjecture the whole word before we +are through, please not to spoil sport by telling it." + +"We are all obedience," was the reply: and Cornelia, Charlie, and +George, after a whispered consultation, and a foraging expedition into +the housekeeper's room, shut themselves up in the library. Soon the door +was thrown open, and the three were seen gravely seated at a small +table, sipping imaginary tea, while Cornelia, as hostess, was anxious to +fill her part by replenishing their cups. "Tea," "tea," sounded from +every part of the room, and the door was closed. When again opened, the +three cousins were disclosed in the very height of enjoyment: Charlie's +mirth-provoking face, Cornelia's gay laugh, and George's loud and long +haw-haw, quite upset the gravity of the spectators, and peal after peal +of laughter rewarded the trio. "How merry we are!" said Aunt Lucy. As +she spoke the word, the door was shut, showing that the right expression +had been used. When re-opened, Cornelia was discovered carefully +arranging Charlie's cravat. "Shall I make a sailor's knot, or how shall +I fix it?" "Give it a plain tie, if you please." There was little +difficulty in discovering that the word was _temerity_; and to make +"assurance doubly sure," the whole of it was acted out. George and +Cornelia stood up, holding hands, while Charlie, who had in a +marvellously short time metamorphosed himself into a minister, with +gown, bands, and book, put to the former the question, "Will you take +this woman to be your lawful wife?" "I will," responded George. "Will +you take this man to be your lawful husband?" "No, I will not," answered +Cornelia, hysterically. "You will not? What, madam, is the reason of +this change of purpose? Have you not well considered the matter?" "No, I +have not--I have been very rash--I never saw him till yesterday!" "What +_temerity_!" exclaimed the clergyman reprovingly, and the door was +closed, amid great laughter. + +When it was re-opened, George was found seated in the centre of the +room, under the hands of the Doctor, who was examining his eye; while +Cornelia, with an appearance of great anxiety, held the light. "Is it +out yet?" "No, Doctor: I feel it still--how it hurts!" Thereupon the +Doctor produced a formidable instrument from his pocket, and appeared +about to gouge out the eye by way of curing it; and the door was closed +amid cries of "eye!" "eye!" "eye!"--quite parliamentary, as Charlie +said. The second scene disclosed Cornelia apparently engaged in +household avocations, which were interrupted by a rap at the door. She +gave admittance to a man and boy who were peddling tin wares, and there +ensued such a sounding of tin-pans, and such a chaffering about tins, +that no doubt could exist in the minds of the spectators as to the word. +To act out the third syllable, Cornelia and George were seated at a +table, with lamp and books, when a knock was heard, and a traveller, +with carpet-bag and umbrella, entered the room. He had lost his way--he +was going to the town of Certainty, in the land of Theoretical +Speculation, and wanted some plain directions. "Oh, I can tell you +exactly how to get there," cried Cornelia. "Keep along this road, the +highway of Inquiry, until you find it bends off to the left into the +path of Metaphysics. The path becomes narrower and more difficult +continually, and many side-walks lead off to other spots: one, to the +wilderness of Atheism; another, to the populous city of +Thinkasyouplease; still another, to the dangerous bog of Alldoubt. But +if you follow the right road, you cannot possibly err." "Much obliged: +I'll try to keep the path." Presently, the traveller returned, in a +battered condition: he had wandered from the right track; his cloak of +philosophical reason had been torn by the briers of difficulty; his feet +pierced, through the shoes of intellectual pride, by the sharp stones of +suffering: he could not hear of any town of Certainty in the whole +country of Theoretical Speculation. "I believe we have all made a +mistake," replied George. "We erred in giving you a wrong direction: you +erred in following it. Certainty is situated in the land of Truth: +follow this highway of Inquiry in the opposite direction, until it leads +you to a well-trodden road formed by the juncture of Faith and Facts; +and then you cannot fail to reach Certainty. My sister Fancy misled you +into error." And when the company in the sitting-room cried out "err," +"err," the shutting of the door showed they were not mistaken. For the +last scene, Aunt Lucy was called into requisition, and formed the +central object of the exhibition. But little wit was required to make, +of the whole, the word _Itinerant_. + +"Now for a few puzzles and conundrums," cried Charlie, "I have one which +I think none of you can guess. Who are the most immoral of +manufacturers? Do you give it up?" + +"I have heard the answer--we could not guess it, as it consists of +puns," replied Mary. "Those who make you _steel_ pens, and then say they +do _write_." + +"Here's another. Why is the clock the most humble of all things?" + +"Because it covers its face with its hands, and is continually running +itself down." + +"When is it in a passion?" + +"When it is ready to strike one." + +"Pray, what can be the difference between Joan of Arc and Noah's ark?" + +"One was made of gopher-wood--the other was Maid of Orleans." + +"Two persons met in the street, and one of them said, 'I am _your_ son, +but you are not _my_ father.' How could that be?" + +"It could not be, Charlie!--how could it?" said Lewis. + +"It might be, if the person happened to be his mother," answered Mary, +with a laugh. + +"It is that, of course--how silly we all are!" + +"My first is on the table, and under the table; my second is a kind of +grain; my third and fourth combined, form what the most romantic people +cannot well dispense with; and my whole is one of the United States." + +"Let us see--California? no. Massachusetts will not do, nor Connecticut. +Oh, I have it: it is _Matrimony_--not always a united state, however!" + +"You think not, Ellen? Then here is a piece of advice for you, and to +make it more emphatic and intelligible, I will write it upon a card." + +Be [A] meddling man family wife. + +[Illustration: Word puzzle] + +"I have it! _eureka_!" cried Tom Bolton. "Be above meddling in a family +between man and wife." + +"Why are pens, ink, and paper like the fixed stars?" + +"They are stationary." + +"A gentleman visited a prisoner; and, pointing to him, said to the +bystanders, + + + "'Brothers and sisters have I none; + But this man's father was my father's son.' + + +What relationship was there between them?" + +"A slight one--only that of father and son," answered Cornelia. + +"What glorious fun we have had this week!" cried George. "It will be +hard work to go back again to _hic, haec, hoc_--I wish Christmas holidays +could come once a week!" + +"So do not I, much as I love them," replied Mr. Wyndham, smiling. "It is +the alternation of grave and gay, of diligent study and active duty with +lively social intercourse, which will make you complete men and women. I +would not have you to be mere drudges, in the most useful work; nor +book-worms at home, only in the library, and unfit for mingling with +your fellow-men. But much less would I like to see you +triflers--butterflies--living only for amusement. I hope you will become +earnest men and women: choosing great and good aims in life, and working +your way upward continually to greater usefulness, and to a higher moral +elevation. But amusement is not wasted time: it may be so indulged as to +be improving to the wits, and never to transgress the line of innocency. +I have often felt the benefit of a hearty laugh, when my brain has been +overtasked: it is recreation, in the strict meaning of the term--it +gives new life to the exhausted spirits. Yes, I approve of +entertainment, in its place." + +"So do I, heartily, my dear sir!" chimed in Cornelia. "And its place is +everywhere, I think. I never heard uncle make so long a speech before!" + +"Beware, or I will punish you by making another!" replied Mr. Wyndham, +drawing the mischievous girl towards him. "But I have news for you all, +which I think will scarcely disturb your slumbers. I received a note +this afternoon, informing me that the united wisdom of your parents had +concluded to prolong your holiday by one day; and so your 'Week's +Delight,' as Amy calls it, must be counted by Long Measure--a week and a +day." + +"Glorious!" cried George. "Let's pack the day as full of fun as ever it +will hold. I never shall forget the jolly time we have had this year at +The Grange!" + +"Not even the ice-bath at the pond, George?" said Cornelia. + +"No, indeed; nor my kind deliverance; nor my brave rescuer," answered +George. + +"That might, indeed, have turned our laughter into weeping," replied Mr. +Wyndham, lighting his lamp. "And now, Good-night, and happy dreams!" + + + + +CHAPTER X. + +WHISPERING GALLERY.--POTENTATES.--THREE YOUNG MEN. + + +The last day at The Grange had come, and well was it filled up with +active exercise and sport, song, laughter, and sweet converse. In the +evening all met as usual in the library, eager for whatever amusement +might turn up; for everything was _impromptu_ among our young people, +and, whether story, games, or conversation, had at least the merit of +spontaneity. + +"I have a thought," said Alice. "There is a game I would call 'Gossip, +or Whispering Gallery,' which can take in the whole of us, and possibly +take us all in, in a double sense. Let Aunt Lucy sit in one corner of +the room, and Uncle John in another; and we young folks can range +ourselves between. Aunty can say anything she pleases in a low whisper +to her next neighbor, only she must be careful to name some one; and he +must repeat it to a third, and so through the line. The last person must +announce distinctly what the whisper was, and settle any differences +with Aunt Lucy, who originates the whisper." + +"Very good," replied Mrs. Wyndham. "Only it is evident to me that I am +going to be victimized!" + +"O, you can stand it; you can stand it!" cried out several young voices. +"Your character for truth and prudence is established; and with Uncle +John at the other end of the line, you need not fear!" + +And so the company was arranged, and care taken that no ear heard the +"gossip," save the one for which it was designed. The mysterious message +was at last announced, amid laughter and shouts from the youngest. + +"Aunt Lucy says that Cornelia told her that Charlie reported that John +had eaten ten slices of mince-pie to-day. He is very sick, and I'll send +him home to his mother." + +"But I only said, 'Cornelia and Charlie both told me John hadn't eaten +one slice of mince-pie to-day. I'm afraid he is sick, and it is well he +is going home to his mother!' + +"Rather a difference! But who altered it? It seems to me Cornelia looks +mischievous!" + +"O, that's a way I have! Poor little me, all the mischief is put on my +shoulders! But--honest now--Tom whispered so low, that I thought it +might as well be ten slices as one!" + +"And now change places," said Alice, "and put Cornelia head as a reward +of merit--we'll fix her; and then we can try 'Whispering Gallery' +again." + +No sooner said than done, and Cornelia started the game by saying to her +nearest neighbor, "How sorry I am to leave The Grange! I never was so +happy in all my life; and Charlie says so too!" + +But the outcome of this very innocent remark was as follows: "How sorry +I am I came to The Grange! I never will be happy again in all my life, +and Charlie says so, too!" + +"Are you sure there was no cheating?" asked Mr. Wyndham. + +"No, dear uncle, impossible," replied Cornelia. "I couldn't, and they +wouldn't; they are all quite too good for that; every one of them, +except, perhaps, Charlie, who is in a peculiar sense my own first +cousin. But it seems to be a property of a whisper to be a _twister_; it +is sure to get in a tangle, and comes out quite different from the way +you started it." + +"Just so," answered up Charlie. "It is like what they say happens in +Cincinnati. You put in a grunter at one end of the machine, and in a few +minutes it comes out in the form of bacon, hams, lard, sausages, and +hair-brushes!" + +"My dear Charlie," chimed in his uncle, "that is the loudest 'whisper' +I've heard yet! But, seriously, boys and girls, don't you see in the +game how evil reports originate, and how easy it is, by the slightest +variation from the straight line, to falsify the truth?" + +"That's so," said Mary. "And I have often noticed how whispers glide +into gossip, and gossip into scandal, before people are aware. I've +resolved many a time not to talk about _people_, but things, and then +I'll escape doing harm with my unruly member." + +"I, too," said Charlie, demurely, "have frequently written in my +copy-book, 'Speak not of the absent, or speak as a friend.'" + +"Now for another game," cried Gertrude. "Here is one of mine. I call it +'Potentates.' It's very simple, and you can vary it according to your +taste. You visit a foreign country, and see the rulers and grandees; you +can mention their names or not, as you wish. I'll begin, to show one way +of playing it. + +"I went to England and was presented at court. I had a superb dress made +for the occasion, which I will not describe, as I see the boys are all +ready to laugh. But my father had to wear a special drawing-room suit +for the presentation, also, and he looked as funny and quaint as if he +had stepped out of an old picture. His sword hung at his side, and he +had to practice walking with it, and bowing over it, or it would have +played him a trick. It was worse than my long train. + +"When my turn came to be presented and the Lord Chamberlain announced my +name, I felt like sinking into the ground; but I didn't. I think the +dignity of my grand dress supported me. Somehow I reached the throne, +where sat in state Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress +of India, Defender of the Faith, etc. On either side were princesses of +the blood, ladies of honor, and others according to rank. I had seen my +predecessors kneel before Her Majesty, so I had to put my democratic +feelings into my pocket and do the same. I made believe to myself that I +knelt because she is a pattern woman, is the best queen England ever +had, and is old enough to be my grandmother, having reigned fifty years. +She graciously extended her hand. I did not shake it, as report says one +fair American savage did, but humbly kissed it, and then retreated +backward with eyes still fixed upon the Queen in all her glory, and +scarcely knowing which gave me the most trouble, my long train or my +wounded self-respect. + +"I afterwards saw the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Archbishop of +Canterbury, dukes and duchesses, lords and ladies--a brilliant +constellation. But I very much doubt if they saw me. And these are the +potentates of Old England." + +"As for me," said Charlie Bolton, "I saw the Dey of Algiers, and a very +brilliant dey he was! By way of contrast, I determined to visit the +Knights of Malta, but on inquiry found that they had not been in +existence for nearly ninety years, and therefore gave it up. Instead I +concluded to see the Knights of Labor, who abound in this favored land, +and appear to be potentates, as they can stop railroad travel, mines, +manufactories, etc., at their own sweet will." + +"As Charlie was in North Africa," remarked John, "I went to Egypt to be +in his neighborhood, and had the privilege of seeing the Khedive. I +found the country quite demoralized, the finances in a very bad +condition, and few appeared to know who was the real potentate of the +land, the Khedive, the Sultan of Turkey, or the money kings of England. +General Gordon had been murdered, and El Mahdi, the false prophet, was +dead also. Those two men were the greatest potentates Africa has had for +centuries!" + +"And I crossed over into Turkey," continued Tom Green, "and had an +audience with the Sultan. I saw numerous pashas in attendance of one, +two, and three tails." + +"O, Tom!" cried Gertrude, "that can't be! Even Darwin doesn't claim that +for man in the nineteenth century!" + +"My dear young friend," answered Tom, "these tails were not carried +monkey-fashion, but were insignia of office, the man having three tails +holding the highest rank. They are of horse-hair, placed on a long staff +with a gilt ball on top, and are always carried before the Pasha on his +military expeditions. Always ask for information," said he, bowing to +the circle, "and I shall be happy to impart such as is suitable to +juvenile minds!" + +"Very condescending!" "Deeply interesting!" "Just from college, isn't +he?" were some of the remarks of the girls. + +"The Grand Vizier presented me," continued Tom. "We had a good deal of +pleasant conversation together, the Sultan and I; and I tried to +convince him that the republican form of government was the best. +Strange to say, my eloquence failed in effect. But he was very friendly, +and asked me to stay to tea, and he'd introduce me to his little +family--" + +"Tom! Tom!" cried several voices, "Do keep probability in view." + +"I declined, of course, even at the risk of hurting his feelings. _I_ +don't want to see women with thick veils on; some may think it +romantic--I know Alice does, for it is so mysterious--but _I_ think it +looks as if they were marked with small-pox! Just then, the muezzin +sounded for prayers from the nearest minaret, and the Sultan instantly +fell prostrate on his rich Turkish rug, and began his devotions. He was +just saying, 'Do come, Tom, for'--but he stopped in the midst, and I'll +never know what strong inducement he was going to offer; perhaps he +wanted me to be Grand Vizier. I slipped out while he was at his +prayers." + +"O Tom, Tom!" cried John. "I didn't think you could draw so long a bow!" + +"It is quite understood that we are indulging in fiction," replied he. +"You know that falsehood consists in the _intent to deceive_. No one +will be taken in by my yarns, dear Coz!" + +"Nor mine, either," said Cornelia. "For I was in Paris before the French +Revolution, at the same time as our philosopher, Benjamin Franklin. I +was present at court on a grand occasion. The king, Louis Sixteenth, a +handsome and amiable monarch, and the beautiful and graceful queen, +Marie Antoinette, were there of course; the young Dauphin was, I hope, +sound asleep. The ladies of the court were brilliant, and everything as +gay as gay could be. But to my surprise, our plain, simple republican +Dr. Franklin was the central object, the 'cynosure of all beholders.' +The king was quite secondary. Philosophy was then quite the rage, and +republican simplicity--in the abstract--was adored by these potentates. +One of the grand, gay ladies crowned Franklin with a wreath of flowers! +And he was wonderfully pleased with all the attention he received, I +assure you. It was a different scene from any in the Philadelphia of +those days--with our staid citizens, and sweet, gentle, modest Quaker +ladies in their plain dress!" + +"And now," said Amy, "aren't you all tired of potentates? I am. This is +our last evening, and I want dear Uncle to tell us a story--something +from his own life, if he will--to finish up our pleasures." + +"It would finish up your pleasures by putting you to sleep," Mr. Wyndham +answered, laughing gayly. "Mine has been an unusually happy life, but +not an adventurous one. I was never even in a railroad collision. Do you +remember the story of Dr. Samuel Johnson, when writing his 'Lives of the +Poets'?" + +"Do tell us, Uncle," chimed in the young voices. + +"He was trying to get information in a certain case, but could not +elicit anything of interest. At last, out of patience, he burst forth: +'Tell me, didn't he break his leg?' I never broke mine; I can't get up +an incident." + +"And I'm very glad you didn't, Uncle mine," said little Amy. "And now I +speak by permission in the name of the assembled company: You are +unanimously requested to tell us your life, or something that happened +to yourself." + +"'Story! Why, bless you, I have none to tell, Sir,' as Canning's needy +knife-grinder says. But if you all insist, as a good uncle, I must e'en +obey; so prepare for those comfortable slumbers I have predicted. I will +call my story + + +THREE YOUNG MEN. + +"Now you must not expect from me," said Mr. Wyndham, "exciting tales of +adventure, and hairbreadth escapes by sea and land. I have never read a +dime novel in my life, and therefore couldn't undertake to rival them in +highway robbery, scalping Indians, and bowie-knives and revolvers. My +heroes were never left on a desert island, nor escaped with difficulty +from the hands of cannibals, nor were pursued by hungry wolves; and +never even saw a lion or tiger except behind the bars of a menagerie. +They were not strikingly handsome nor charmingly hideous, nor had they +rich uncles to die opportunely and leave them heirs to a few millions; +indeed, they were very much such young men as you see every day walking +the streets of your own city. + +"I would gladly leave my name entirely out of the story if I could; but +as it is an 'o'er true tale,' and I happened to be mixed up with the +other two, whom I have known from childhood, I am very sure my dear +nephews and nieces will not accuse me of egotism. It is the other two +who are my heroes--not myself. + +"John Howard and Mortimer Willing were my schoolmates, in the same class +for years, neighbors and playfellows, so that I know them well. And I +speak of them the more freely because they are now both living at a +great distance from here, one being the honored Governor of a Western +State, and the other residing in a remote town in the interior of Texas. +Such are the changes in our land of freedom. + +"But to begin with our school-days. We had not a genius in the class, +neither had we a dunce; we were average boys, digging our way through +the classics and mathematics, and not too familiar with science, history +and geography. The world we live in was not much studied then. Such +minor knowledge we were somehow expected to pick up at home, and we did +after a fashion. I liked both these boys; but while Willing was the more +self-possessed, showy and brilliant, I always felt Howard to be the most +true; he was the very soul of honor, as transparent as glass without a +flaw in it. Willing did things with a dash, and by his superior tact and +ready language often appeared to know more than he really did. If he got +into a scrape he was pretty sure to get out of it smoothly. + +"I have sometimes known him, for example, to go unprepared to a +recitation, depending upon his luck not to be called upon to recite, +when, with his ready wit and retentive memory, he would gather up what +it required hard study for the rest of us to put into our craniums. But +it sometimes happened that Dame Fortune, wicked jade! forsook him, and +Willing had to march up, as we thought, to certain disgrace. But +whatever forsook him, one thing never did--invincible assurance. He +would bear himself in so composed a manner, talk round the subject so +ably, and bring what little he knew so prominently forward, that the +professor himself was often deceived, and was sometimes entrapped into +telling the very thing Willing most wanted to know. + +"If any side-helps were given by sympathizing friends--for Willing was a +general favorite--he availed himself of them without scruple. I remember +the question was once put to him, 'What is the Latin name of the earth?' +Any boy surely should know that; but for once his memory failed him. He +nudged the boy next him, saying in a stage whisper, 'Tell us.' The +teacher's ears were quick, and his wit also; he answered, with a +quizzical look--before the boy could speak--'That's right, Tellus is one +of the names; but you should direct your answer to the desk, and not to +your neighbor.' + +"In composition he was sometimes brilliant, but not always sustained or +original, for I have more than once detected a striking likeness to +Addison and other well-known worthies of our English tongue. Evidently +the same Muse inspired both, for in style and sentiment they were +identical; but unfortunately for Willing, they had the advantage in +point of time, and made their mark in the world before he came along. +The wonder to me was that the teacher did not see it; but his was not a +wide range of scholarship, though thorough in what he taught. His groove +was narrow but deep and well worn, I felt indignant when I heard Willing +praised for what should have brought him disgrace; but he was so +pleasant and ready to oblige, such a good companion and playfellow, +that I soon forgot my righteous anger--until next time. + +"Another trick of his I could not like. Possibly my young friends may +have seen the same; for schoolboy failings are very similar throughout +the ages. I don't doubt school-children cheated before the flood! They +certainly have done so since. He sat at the same desk with honest Jack +Howard, the most unsuspicious of mortals because himself so free from +guile. Many a time have I seen him slyly glance at Howard's slate when +we were solving hard problems in arithmetic or algebra. They were sure +to come out even, neck and neck, as they say. But _I_ knew that if +Willing had been called upon to explain the process he couldn't have +done it; and he was sure to get the praise. + +"As for Howard, he plodded on, never getting all the appreciation he +deserved. Always prepared, but not always ready--for he was easily +abashed, and then his tongue did not do justice to his thoughts. No +fellow in the class--or, as we then said, no _man_ in the class--was so +thorough as he, but the teachers did not always find it out. We boys +did, however; and we knew, too, that what Jack Howard once got he kept, +in the way of mental acquisition. But the best of it was, he was such a +solid fellow as to worth. His word was never doubted; we could trust him +in everything. '_Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus_,' holds true, and the +converse is also true, Faithful in one, faithful in all. Howard was true +and faithful from the time I first knew him, a little shaver, 'knee-high +to a grasshopper,' as children say. + +"I'm the more particular in giving you an insight into the character of +these boys as a key to their after-life. I know that the child is not +always 'father to the man,' and that the insertion of a new and +transforming principle into the soul will elevate and ennoble the +meanest man. But as a general rule the mainsprings of character develop +early, and the man is very much as the child has made him. The sowing +then, brings forth a harvest afterwards. They tell us, that two natives +of Scotland settled in the far West, and that each took with him a +memorial of his fatherland--one the thistle, the national emblem, the +other the honey-bee. Rather different sowing that! For while the +dwellers on the Pacific coast have to keep up a continual fight with the +thistle, the honey of that region is now largely exported, and is worth +its millions. A little time has done it--and thistles are especially +prolific, you need take no pains in the sowing. + +"But we didn't think much of sowing and reaping in those days, though we +were sowing all the time. The years flew fast till we had seen seventeen +birthdays, and our fathers thought we should learn something of business +if we were ever to be business men. Willing had influential connections, +excellent abilities, and popular manners; he was a general favorite. He +was placed without difficulty in a large importing house, where he gave +entire satisfaction, and was rapidly advanced to a position of great +trust, collecting moneys and keeping the accounts. His salary was large, +and he was considered a rising and prosperous young man; he moved in +fashionable society, married a dashing girl, lived in a handsome house, +gave elegant entertainments, and kept a horse. + +"Howard and I got on more slowly. Somehow, we always kept together, so +that 'the two Johns' became a by-word. We were clerks in the same +commercial house, and, although self-praise is no recommendation, I may +say that both of us did our whole duty. We worked hard, as was then +expected; were at the store soon after sunrise, and had everything in +order before our employers arrived. Young gentlemen in those days did +many things that are now the porter's work, making fires, sweeping the +store, etc., quite new duties to us, who were fresh from Academic +shades, and from communion with Homer, Virgil, and Horace. I can't say +we enjoyed it much. Neither did we like the lifting of heavy packages +and being ordered about as if we were inferiors. But we did not shirk +our duty, and kept our tempers. John, good fellow, came out of the +ordeal sweet-tempered, kind, and obliging; and I don't doubt that we +both feel the benefit of this practical training to this day. Certain it +is, that we mastered all the details of the business, and knew what to +expect from others, when our time came to employ them. + +"'The two Johns' went into business together, and for a time everything +was prosperous. We married happily, and lived in comfort and moderation, +as becomes young people who have to make their way in the world. +Meantime we saw less and less of Willing, for in the daytime we were +busy, and our evenings were very differently employed. He and his young +wife--a pretty and attractive creature she was--cultivated the society +of the gay and rich, gave entertainments, or were seen in full dress at +balls, concerts, the opera, and the theatre. I sometimes wondered how a +clerk on a three-thousand-dollar salary could live at the rate of eight +or ten thousand. And so, with all kind feeling, we drifted apart; your +dear Aunt and John's wife found their style of living so different, +ideas on all subjects so opposite, and friends so dissimilar, that +visits were only exchanged once or twice a year. + +"When we were about thirty, commercial disasters befel us. A financial +crisis swept over the land, by which some houses closely connected with +our own were engulfed, and could not meet their engagements. We lost +heavily. We struggled through it for a time, but were compelled at last +to call a meeting of our creditors, lay our statements and books before +them, and offer to give up all we had to satisfy their claims. That was +the best we could do, and we then could not pay more than fifty cents on +the dollar. + +"Our creditors behaved most nobly and generously. They expressed the +utmost confidence in our integrity and business skill, uttered no word +of blame but much of encouragement, and begged us to go on and retrieve +our fortunes. They settled upon fifty cents in the dollar as full +satisfaction for our debts, and told us to take our own time for the +payment; nothing could have been kinder and more considerate. For my +part, knowing we were not to blame, I bore up bravely till that point; +but there I broke down. I am not ashamed to say, that I wept like a +child. + +"Howard was the bookkeeper of our house, and a beautiful set of books he +kept. The accounts were exact, the writing clear, the figures +unmistakable--not a blot or erasure in the whole. They excited great +admiration, and from none more than from Stewart & Gamble, who were +prominent creditors. After the meeting, they invited Howard to look +over their books in the evening, remarking that although they had all +confidence in their head clerk, their receipts had fallen off +considerably of late, and as they wished to understand the reason, they +had concluded to get the services of an expert, which Howard certainly +was. John accepted the offer, although he looked grave when he +remembered that Willing had been head clerk for years. + +"As our business perplexity was now comparatively settled, we went on as +usual, only taking in sail and trimming the boat for the storm. But in +our private affairs both families resolved to retrench. Our wives came +nobly to our support, proving themselves true women; they themselves +proposed to _double-up_--the two families to occupy one house, and in +several ways to reduce our expenses one-half. Such an arrangement would +never have answered if we had not all thoroughly understood one +another--but we did. My wife is, as you all very well know, a model of +amiability and of every household virtue, and the other John thinks as +well of his Rib, and I suppose is right. The old saying is, 'If a man +wishes to be rich let him ask his wife;' I can add, if a man wishes to +be honest and pay his debts, let him ask her counsel, aid and +cooeperation also. We were determined to be honest; and our good wives +helped us in this effort with all their might. + +"How they managed it you can't expect a man to explain--it is a problem +too deep for our limited intelligence--but certain it is, that while we +always sat down to a plentiful table and maintained a respectable +appearance, what had supported one family now answered for two. I don't +think our wives were reduced to the straits of the Irish family, whose +little boy reported to his schoolmates: 'There's a great twisting and +turning going on at our house. I'm having a new shirt made out of +daddy's old one, and daddy's having a new shirt made out of the old +sheet, and mammy's making a new sheet out of the old table-cloth.' But +'twistings and turnings' of a marvellous kind there must have been, +which the male understanding could not fathom; for while the house was +always in order, and the two ladies looked as neat as if they had just +stepped out of a bandbox, no bills came in, and a little money went a +great way. + +"One word more about this very practical thing of expense in living. We +could have lived on as we had done, and no blame from any one, for we +were in no respect extravagant; but we could not reconcile it to our +consciences to spend a penny without necessity when we owed money. All +four thought alike about that; we were thankful for health, and that we +could provide the comforts of life for our young families. As you know, +our dear children were then living. And I may here add, that both John +and I lived to see the solid benefits accruing from the ten years of +strict economy and active work in which all shared. Our boys and girls +learned betimes to help themselves and one another, and were invaluable +aids to their mothers. The lessons of self-denial were not lost upon +them. They attended the public schools and received a solid education +there; but the languages were picked up at home, and thoroughly, too. It +is astonishing how much can be learned by devoting a short time every +day to any study when the heart is in it; and I found that the boys were +prepared for college, when our ten years were up, and we were able to +spend more freely. + +"But meanwhile, what about Willing, and the very mixed accounts of +Stewart & Gamble? Alas, alas! how happy was our lot compared with his! +We had cheerful content, hope for the future, peace in our consciences. +We were respected by those around us, and by the business world, never +more so than then. But poor Willing! + +"Howard found it as we had feared. There were inconsistencies between +the debtor and creditor columns, increasing with each successive year; +and the effort had been made to cover them up by the alteration of +figures so as to appear square and correct. Howard knew too much of +prices to be deceived by these, being in the same business. The +aggregate stealings--for it was nothing else--amounted to $20,000! And +this was the payment the firm received for their liberal kindness and +their blind confidence! + +"When all was discovered, and Willing's guilt clearly proved, he was +summoned to meet his injured employers. He must have gone with quakings +of heart: but not even then did his cool assurance fail him, or the +blush rise to his cheek, until he was made conscious that all his +trickery was understood, and that public exposure and the penitentiary +were before him. Then he gave way, and confessed all. He had not, in the +beginning, planned deliberate villany--very few ever do who have been +brought up to know the right. But the temptations to extravagance had +proved too much for him, and his principles, never strong, had given +way. He had taken two hundred dollars, intending to return it from his +salary, and none should be the wiser. But fast living is a deceitful +thing--almost as deceitful as the human heart. Bills came in fast--store +bills, butchers' bills, carriage bills, confectionery bills, milliners' +bills--swallowing up his quarter's salary; and one must have ready +money, you know; so instead of returning what he had taken, as hope had +whispered, he took more--still to be repaid in the future. + +"I need hardly say, that each time he yielded to temptation the +resistance of his conscience became less and less, until finally it +appeared to be paralyzed. He had woven the toils about himself until he +seemed powerless to escape; no chrysalis, apparently lifeless in its +silky shroud, was feebler than he. He was strong to do evil but weak to +do good. Everything conspired to push him down hill--circumstances were +against him, he thought--but one thing was certain, he must have money, +and then all would be right. + +"But how to break the meshes? How to retrieve himself? One way only was +clear to him--speculation in stocks, and on a margin; he could borrow +money for that, for he would be sure to repay. _Borrowing_ was now the +convenient name he applied to his stealing. He tried it, and at first +succeeded; the deluded victims of all gambling, whether in the Exchange +or in gambling hells, are pretty sure of success at first; and so they +are enticed to higher ventures. Now he might have returned the +ill-gotten money, and at least have saved his reputation. But no! the +gambling passion was now aroused, and he felt sure he could soon realize +enough to make him easy. He tried again and for a larger sum and _lost_. + +"And so he went on until he was tangled inextricably in the net, and +felt that he was a rascal, and a lost, not a successful one. Remorse +seized him, but not repentance; for still he went on in his guilt. +Indeed, he was more reckless than ever, struggling to get out of the +meshes. Gay to excess at times, then gloomy; his temper became unequal, +and to drown reflection he sometimes drank to excess. He was a ruined +man--ruined _before_ exposure, for that only opened the eyes of +others--his own down-fall had already taken place. + +"I am told that when the proofs of his guilt were laid before him, and +his confession was made, his pleadings for mercy were most pitiful. +Stewart & Gamble had a stern sense of justice, and their indignation was +in proportion to their former confidence. They were determined that he +should not escape, and that, not so much from personal vengeance as +because they thought it wrong to interfere with laws due and wholesome +in themselves, and necessary to deter others from evil doing. He was +committed to prison, a trial took place, and poor Willing was sentenced +to five years in the penitentiary. + +"When he first stood up for trial, he Was alone; all the friends of his +prosperity had forsaken him. He was thoroughly stricken down, abashed, +shame-faced, not lifting his eyes to the crowd in court; and no one of +his intimates care to claim acquaintance with a felon. I could not hold +back; much as I hated the crime, I could not hate the criminal. My +schoolmate, my playfellow, stood there, alone, forsaken, despised; +crushed to the ground, ready to despair. I went to him, gave my hand and +stayed, while his case was up. Never shall I forget the look of mingled +gratitude and hopelessness in his haggard eyes which had scarcely known +sleep since his disgrace. + +"O, it is well to be just! No doubt of that. The law should be +sustained, and no sentimental pity should interfere. We must not condone +crime, or the very object of law and penalty will be annulled. +Philanthropy should be tender, but not weak; and if tears are shed and +bouquets of flowers sent, it should rather be to the victims of crime, +than to the criminal. But when a man is crushed with a sense of guilt, +and down on the ground, that is not the time to spurn him; when disgrace +is added to trouble, friends must not stand aloof. Many a poor fellow is +driven to suicide by this course who might have been saved by kindness +and brought to repentance. + +"Willing's dashing friends, by whose example he had been helped in the +downward career, who had eaten his dainty little suppers and enjoyed his +society, now forsook him and held up their hands in horror at his +conduct--it was so disreputable! I may be wrong, but I can't help +despising men and women who share a poor fellow's prosperity and fall +off in his adversity; giving an additional kick, if need be, to send him +down the hill. Of all his gay companions not one stood by him on his +trial, or said one word of pity, hope, or cheer, when he was condemned. +The friendship of the world is a hollow thing, more unsubstantial than a +bubble. It seems to me that nothing is so hardening to the heart as +self-indulgence, luxurious living, idleness, the absence of any high aim +in life, or any earnest effort for the life beyond. Certain it is the +summer friends all vanished; their friendship wilted like flowers before +a frost. + +"That was the time for Howard and me to act like men. We were busy, very +busy, but we took turns to stand by him, and show that we had not +forgotten 'auld lang syne' and boyish days. Poor fellow! he wept then. +Well did he know that we would be the last to extenuate his crime, but +he saw that we pitied him while we condemned his sin. He spoke the first +words of genuine repentance, or what looked like it, then and there. + +"After his condemnation, when immured in prison walls, dressed in +convict garb, and fed on prison fare, we visited him whenever the rules +allowed it. We found him quite broken up--thoroughly humiliated, ready +to despair of God's mercy as well as man's forgiveness. He was in the +depths of trial, all the waves and the billows had gone over him, the +deeps had swallowed him up, as the Psalmist poetically and truly says. +We could not in conscience say one word that might lessen the weight of +his guilt, but we could point him to the Lamb of God that taketh away +the sin not of one only, but of the whole world. We could tell him that +Christ came, not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance, to +which he promptly added, and from the heart, 'Of whom I am chief.' + +"Calamity, sorrow, reverses and all the punishments due to iniquity, can +never be relied upon to bring men to repentance; but in this case they +worked well, and Willing became a new man. It was a great pleasure to us +to see the change in his very countenance, wrought out by the inward +principle, and that his sorrow, as time went on, was not so much for his +punishment and disgrace as for his guilt. He made no effort to get a +commutation of his sentence, saying, It was all right; he had deserved +that and much more. + +"Of course our pity was much excited for his poor little wife, who +seemed almost heart-broken. My dear Lucy and John's wife, who had never +cultivated intimacy with her in their prosperous days, now came forward +in true womanly style, and made her feel that she had sisters in heart, +whom she had not known. She had no near kindred, and the few relatives +she had held aloof. Truly she might say, 'My lovers and my friends stand +aloof from my sore; and my kinsmen stand afar off.' No one offered her +help or shelter, of all those who had enjoyed her elegant hospitality. + +"Immediately upon the conviction of her husband she wrote to Stewart & +Gamble, offering to give up all her handsome furniture and pictures, and +even her jewels, as a small indemnity for their losses; but they very +nobly refused to accept it, advising her to sell and invest the +proceeds. John and I, acting under the direction of our wives, who were +enthusiastic in their admiration and pity for Olive Willing in her +trouble, told her to pack her trunks at once and come to our house, +where we had room enough and to spare, and that we would attend to the +sale. She could scarcely believe she heard aright, and was full of +surprise and gratitude, and, of course, accepted the offer. + +"I don't wonder you think our house was made of gum-elastic; it really +seemed so. 'Room in the heart, room in the house," was our motto; and +the children most amiably agreed to give up one room and be sociable +together; and I fancy they were, from the peals of laughter that often +came from that room, so full of young life and spirits. And so poor +Olive was settled down as one of the family. It was a new experience to +her in every way. The industry of the house surprised her, and from +gratitude and a proper ambition she soon sought to help, which really +was the best thing she could do to relieve her trouble, and regain a +measure of cheerfulness. But she had to learn first, and found two +willing teachers in the noble women who had given her a home. She was an +apt scholar and soon became mistress of domestic arts, which were +indispensable to her in after life. Indeed, what woman should be +ignorant of them, if she wishes to be helpful to herself and useful to +others? Who would wish to be considered a mere ornamental piece of bric +a brac, good to be set upon the mantel or against the wall, but not good +for everyday use and comfort? Better be an eight-day clock, for that at +least will regulate the goings of the household! + +"In these new employments and in our happy home circle Olive in a few +months recovered something of her wonted tone. She then formed the plan +of putting her hitherto useless accomplishments to work, by taking +pupils in music, drawing, and embroidery. We all approved her plan, and +Lucy found pupils for her among our friends--not among those who had +cast her off. This supplied her with ready money, and with a little +increase to the sum John and I had safely invested for her. + +"When his five years were accomplished, and Willing was notified that he +was once more a free man, we were there to receive him, and conduct him +to our house. He entered it, a wiser and a sadder man. We had formed a +plan for him into which he and his wife heartily entered, and had +already written to correspondents in Texas, to obtain information as to +localities for settlement. After a week's rest Willing and Olive left us +for their distant home, where they were soon at home on a small ranche +stocked with sheep--the whole paid for by the modest sum held in Olive's +name. They did well and are much respected. He has been able to enlarge +his operations, and is now a thriving man; and what is far better, he is +upright, honest; always on the right side; fearing God, and having favor +with those who know him. + +"But to return to ourselves. We persevered in a strict course of +industry and economy, declining help proffered from outside sources. My +dear grandfather, who had brought me up after my father's death, was +very kind in offering financial aid; but I did not wish to involve any +one in my misfortunes, or to cause embarrassment to one I so greatly +loved. Besides, I felt confident that we should retrieve our affairs by +our own efforts. So it proved. Eight years to a day from the time we +attempted to make our assignment to our generous creditors we paid them, +not fifty cents on the dollar, but one hundred, with compound interest. +It was a glad surprise to them, but a much greater joy to us. O, boys! +better it is to step forth clear of debt; to be able to look every man +in the eye; to feel that you owe no man anything, than to own the mines +of California, Arizona, or the whole of a Pacific Railroad! I cannot +describe to you the exquisite pleasure it gave us to pay out that money. +Those who have never experienced losses and embarrassments can scarcely +understand it. + +"We now had a fresh start in business, with a good stock on hand, +boundless credit, and no debts. We soon came to the front rank among +merchants. Indeed, so successful were we, that on my fiftieth birthday I +resolved to retire, feeling that I was rich enough. My dear grandfather, +who had entered into rest some years before, had left me The Grange, in +which my earliest years had been passed, and here, amid the beautiful +scenes of nature, and with still a large scope for my activities, I have +enjoyed years of happiness. My dear friend, Howard, had landed property +in one of the Western States and fancied there was more elbow-room there +for his children who were settling in life; so at last we were obliged +to separate. He has risen, as you know, to prominence, being the most +popular governor of the State they have had for years, and even +political opponents are loud in praise of his integrity and fidelity to +trusts. + +"I need scarcely say a word to show the meaning of my simple tale. A +life of unspotted integrity and honor is the only life worth living; and +to love God and keep his commandments is the only safeguard. You may +have a good disposition, but that is not enough. You may have been well +trained and instructed, but that is not enough. Your father may be the +very soul of honor and to be trusted with uncounted gold, but virtue is +not an inheritance, and you must be honest for yourself, self-denying +for yourself, diligent for yourself, if you wish to build up a character +respected by men and pleasing to God. 'Tis true, this is only one part +of your duty, but it is a very important part. Truth and rectitude are +pillars in family life, and the very bulwarks of society. If these fail, +all else fails. + +"And now, a pleasant and a dreamless sleep to you all. To-morrow you +return to the studies and duties of the new year, which has begun so +happily for us all. I dislike to say that word, Farewell, and so I will +only wish you now, Good-night!" + + + +***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HOLIDAYS AT THE GRANGE OR A WEEK'S +DELIGHT*** + + +******* This file should be named 18907.txt or 18907.zip ******* + + +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: +https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/8/9/0/18907 + + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. 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