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diff --git a/old/52833-0.txt b/old/52833-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 7295958..0000000 --- a/old/52833-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2200 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, -Science, and Art, No. 733, January 12, 18, by Various - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 733, January 12, 1878 - -Author: Various - -Editor: William Chambers - Robert Chambers - -Release Date: August 18, 2016 [EBook #52833] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL, JAN 12, 1878 *** - - - - -Produced by Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL - -OF - -POPULAR - -LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART. - -Fourth Series - -CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM AND ROBERT CHAMBERS. - -NO. 733. SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 1878. PRICE 1½_d._] - - - - -THE JUBILEE SINGERS. - - -One of the most interesting and vivid of our recollections is that -of witnessing some scenes in negro slavery in the United States, now -upwards of twenty years ago--very nearly the close of the iniquity; -but of that nobody was aware. There was a novelty in seeing fairly -dressed men and women brought out for sale by public auction, and -in observing how the persons who came to buy carefully examined the -men's hands and the flexibility of their fingers, looked into their -mouths to make sure of their teeth, and having effected a removal of -the coats and shirts, scanned the bare backs to discover whether they -had suffered by the lash. Just as in buying horses in a market, it -was quite a business affair; and what was a little surprising, the -unfortunate objects of this degrading exhibition took all in good part. -But what else could they do? In the grasp of power, they knew that -resistance was worse than useless. Close by were cow-hide whips handled -by heartless ruffians voraciously chewing tobacco, as if to keep up -the proper inspiration of brutality. Across the way was seen an ugly -brick building inscribed with the word JAIL, in tall black letters on -a white ground, to which establishment, in case of remonstrance, the -poor wretches would have been instantly marched for punishment. Doom -hopeless! - -The equanimity, and indeed the good-humour, with which these blacks -seemed to endure their fate, indicated, we thought, good points -of character. Nowhere in travelling about did we observe anything -positively disagreeable, to remind us that the labourers in the fields -or the loiterers at doorways were slaves. Often, we heard singing -and jollity, as if light-heartedness was on the whole predominant. -Obviously, slave-owners were not all Legrees. On the contrary, in -many instances they shewed a kind indulgence to their ‘servants,’ as -they called them, and were pleased to see them singing, laughing, and -making merry in the intervals of rest from labour. Perhaps this is not -saying much, for the singing of slaves may be compared to the notes -of a bird in captivity, to be admired, but pitied. Anyway, there was -a disposition to seek solacement in the outpouring of song. If not -intellectually brilliant, the negro is naturally vivacious. Even when -he grows old, he is still something of a boy, with an inherent love of -frolic. He is clever in picking up tunes, and one of the complaints -which we heard against him in a free state was that if not looked -after by his master, he would continually go out to entertainments and -dance all night. A curious result of the taste for music has been the -creation of what are known as negro melodies; partly suggested by old -English airs, and by the psalm and hymn tunes that had been heard at -church or in the devotional exercises of missionaries. With a blended -simplicity and oddity, the negro airs which have gained currency are -wonderfully harmonious and touching. The time is well marked, shewing -correctness of ear, and accordingly the pieces, however eccentric -in language, are well adapted for singing in harmony by a number of -voices. From the performances of the ‘Christy Minstrels,’ as they -are usually designated--white men with blackened faces imitative of -negroes--people will have a pretty good idea of the melodies we speak -of; but we should say that the real thing is to be obtained only from a -band of genuine negroes, who for some years have been travelling about, -and who style themselves the Jubilee Singers. Of these we want to say -something. - -As is well known, the abolition of slavery in the United States was -no deliberate act of national justice and humanity, but took place -in consequence of a proclamation issued by President Lincoln in the -exigency of the civil war in 1862. Without preparation for freedom, -over four millions of slaves were thrown on their own resources. They -could work, but comparatively few of them could read; for it had been -hitherto penal to teach them. Considering their state of ignorance, and -the good grounds they generally had for resenting past treatment, they -behaved with a singular degree of moderation. What, however, was to be -done with such a mass of illiterates, unaccustomed to self-reliance, -and who, even if desirous of being taught, had no means of being so? -Here comes in a bright feature of the Anglo-Saxon and Christian-minded -North. Within six months of the close of the war, societies of -benevolent individuals sprang up to extend the blessings of elementary -education to hordes of negroes; and in which movement ladies -appropriately took part. In the confusion and rankling animosities -that prevailed in the South, the efforts to uplift the negro by -means of schools were heroic, often dangerous, and always attended -with difficulty. There was likewise much good done by the American -Missionary Association. Schools, academies, and preaching stations -were at length established in quarters where they were most needed. To -complete the organisation of humanising influences, some thoughtful -individuals struck out the idea of establishing a University for the -higher education of the freed people, and training them to go forth as -ministers and teachers, as well as leaders in various departments of -civil life. - -It was easier to conceive this brilliant idea than to bring it to -a practical issue. Where was the money to come from to build a -University, to equip it properly, and to pay for professors? There -would even be a difficulty in finding a site, for few land-owners in -a central situation would be willing to promote the elevation of the -coloured races. The history of the way in which these preliminary -difficulties were overcome is about as interesting a narrative as we -ever read. Immense spirit and ingenuity were developed in bringing the -scheme into shape. Without saying what it was for, a suitable site was -procured at the price of sixteen thousand dollars, near Nashville, the -capital of Tennessee. There were already a few frame-buildings on the -spot, which were employed to accommodate a school, as a beginning of -the proposed educational operations. The institution was called the -Fisk University, in honour of General Clinton B. Fisk, who had taken -a warm interest in the undertaking. The establishment was opened in -January 1866. - -By-and-by the school, or we might say schools, throve. Thousands of -negroes were taught by a band of eager teachers, some of whom only a -short time before did not know one letter from another. There was an -honest enthusiasm in the whole affair that brought with it the blessing -of success. Again we are called on to note what good is often done by -the quiet unprompted and unselfish energy of a single individual. About -the time when the Fisk University was organised, there cast up a young -man named White, who, looking about for a means of livelihood, took up -the profession of teacher. He was the son of a village blacksmith in -the state of New York, had fought in several battles during the war, -and made himself useful in connection with the Freedman's Bureau at -Nashville. He had a special taste for vocal music, with which he amused -his leisure hours, and this accomplishment along with good business -habits, made him very acceptable as a coadjutor in the University. -White started a singing class among the negroes, male and female, who -came to get lessons in reading; and, pleased with their aptitude, he -fell upon the bold plan of drilling them as a choir of singers, who -should travel through the Northern cities in the hope of gathering -money to help the University funds. Getting his band into trim, he set -out with them on a musical excursion in October 1871, carrying with -them the good wishes of all, from the Principal of the institution -downwards. - -In our own country, the getting up of a university, or even the -enlargement of one, is ordinarily a serious affair. Unless some wealthy -person has bequeathed money for the purpose, government is worried -for grants, and the public are worried for subscriptions. Keeping -proceedings of this kind in view, one can hardly fail to be amused -with the novel and heroic notion entertained by a dozen simple-minded -negroes in trying to collect fifty to a hundred thousand pounds -for a University by mere dint of singing a few simple hymns, which -illustrious dons of the musical profession would only laugh at. Yet, -this is what was attempted. Led by White as general manager, and by -Miss Wells, who took the oversight of the girls of the party, the -negroes went on their way, poorly clothed, and with barely means to -pay for a night's lodging. We observe by the history given of them, -that they trusted a good deal to kind treatment from Congregational -and other churches. They got the gratuitous use of chapels for their -concerts, or what were termed ‘praise services,’ and when they became -known, engagements freely poured in upon them. The sweetness of the -voices, the accuracy of the execution, the precision of the time, -and the wild simplicity of the words, astonished the audiences who -listened to them; the wonder being of course augmented by the fact of -their colour and the knowledge that only a few years ago these singers -had been slaves. Although generally well received, they had at first -numerous difficulties to encounter. The expense of travelling from town -to town was considerable. To give a distinctive character to their -enterprise, they assumed the name of Jubilee Singers, significant of -their emancipation in 1862, as the year of negro jubilee! - -Their first eminent successes were at New York, Boston, and in -Connecticut. The good-will of the people took the shape not only -of money contributions, but of articles to furnish their proposed -University. A firm at Boston made them a present of a thousand dollar -organ. The singing campaign of three months over the principal parts -of the Northern states yielded, after paying all expenses, the sum of -twenty thousand dollars. The company were received at the University -with joy and thanksgiving--a prodigious triumph for White, the planner -and conductor of the expedition. - -Encouraged by this success, a second campaign followed, and the result -was another sum of twenty thousand dollars, making forty thousand -that had now been secured. In this expedition, the party encountered -various caste prejudices. Halls were refused to them; at some -railway stations they were treated with indignity, and hotel-keepers -declined to give them accommodation. At one hotel where the keeper -received them, all the waiters deserted their posts, and the Jubilee -Singers waited on themselves and blackened their own boots. These -misadventures were taken with good-humour. Having so far done well -within American territory, the party resolved to try their fortune -in Great Britain, for which purpose they were favoured with letters -of introduction likely to advance their enterprise. Curiously enough, -cabin accommodation was refused to the party by one after another of -the leading ocean steamship lines. At last they were received on board -one of the Cunard steamers, and safely and agreeably landed in England. - -The letters of introduction worked marvels. We are to contemplate the -Jubilee Singers one May afternoon in 1873, at Willis's Rooms, giving -a private concert to a select body of individuals, by invitation of -the Earl of Shaftesbury and a Committee of the Freedman's Aid Society. -There was a distinguished assemblage; the singers did their best, and -all were delighted. The Duke and Duchess of Argyll were foremost in -expressing a desire to promote the object of the party, and arranged -for a visit of the singers to Argyll Lodge the next day. This visit to -Argyll Lodge was a notable event. The Queen, who is always foremost -in works of intelligent benevolence, graciously attended for a short -time, and listened with manifest pleasure to the hymns which the -singers had learned in bondage. Her Majesty in departing, communicated -through the Duke her thanks for the gratification she had received. -These preliminary efforts insured to the Jubilee Singers a wide round -of popularity. Hospitable invitations poured in upon them from persons -of literary and political distinction. Among the most pleasurable -of these invitations was one to breakfast from Mr Gladstone, then -prime-minister, by whom they were cordially received. After breakfast, -the singers entertained the company with their wonderful music. The -intense feeling with which they sang _John Brown_, with the refrain-- - - John Brown died that the slave might be free, - -electrified the audience; and ‘never,’ said a spectator, ‘shall I -forget Mr Gladstone's rapt enthusiastic attention. His form was bent -forward, his eyes were riveted; all the intellect and soul of his great -nature seemed expressed in his countenance; and when they had finished, -he kept saying: “Isn't it wonderful? I never heard anything like it!”’ - -After spending three months in London, the Jubilee Singers proceeded -to give a round of concerts in the principal towns of England and -Scotland; being everywhere well received by large and appreciative -audiences. Financially, the excursion was eminently successful. -Nearly ten thousand pounds had been raised for the Fisk University, -besides special gifts for the purchase of philosophical apparatus, and -donations of books for the library. The money collected first and last -by the singers now amounted to about twenty thousand pounds, which -went a considerable way towards the building of the University, which -assumed shape and was opened in 1875. To reinforce the funds, another -visit to Great Britain was determined on. We cannot go into an account -of this second visit; it is enough to say that the singers again made -their appearance in all the principal towns of England and Scotland, -and were able to take back the sum of ten thousand pounds; making in -all as a result of their labours the sum of thirty thousand. Since -this time, the party have made various excursions, always increasing -the funds for the erection of college buildings; but of the exact -particulars we have no account. One of the objects in view is to erect -a building called the Livingstone Missionary Hall, designed, as we -understand, for the special preparation of missionaries for Africa. The -latest statement we see on the subject is that the Jubilee Singers have -gone on a visit to Germany, to secure funds to complete this building -and further equip the University for missionary work. - -The vicissitudes of travelling at home and abroad during several years -led to changes in the company of singers. When members were obliged to -retire, others equally qualified took their place. At different times -twenty-four persons in all have belonged to the company. All of them -have been slaves or of slave parentage. Excepting a few mulattoes, -all have been of a pure negro type; and their respective histories -offer some interesting facts concerning the condition of people of -colour in the slave states up till the period of general emancipation. -It is gratifying to know that the extraordinary change of life from -privation and contumely to comfort and public respect has not uplifted -the feelings, or materially altered the habits of the members of -the corps. In their moral and religious obligations they have ever -been irreproachable. We are told that none of them uses tobacco; and -their English friends, whose hospitalities have been so abundant, are -equally surprised, if not gratified, to find that they are inveterate -abstainers from alcoholic liquors. Considering the temptations and -buffetings of their early life, there is not a little to admire in the -conduct as well as in the accomplishments of the several individuals -composing the party. The energetic yet modest way they have acquitted -themselves in the routine of the very peculiar duties imposed on them, -is probably not often met with in parties of higher pretensions. - -We have now in brief told the story of the Jubilee Singers, and -it is more than ordinarily remarkable. A handful of freed negro -slaves undertaking by voluntary efforts to collect funds wherewith -to establish and support a University, having for its object the -higher education of the coloured population in the United States. -The enterprise has had no parallel. These negroes do not beg, nor do -they trouble people for subscriptions. They only try to raise funds -by the exercise of their talents in an honest line of industry, by -communicating pleasure to countless audiences. Amidst the frauds -and commercial rascalities of pompous pretenders that are becoming -a scandal to the age, the unselfish and noble endeavours of these -humble melodists stand out in marked contrast, as something to applaud -and to redeem human nature. The marvel of the enterprise has been -its universal success. High and low are equally pleased. Professing -no particular knowledge in music, but yielding to none in an ardent -admiration of the simpler class of national ballads and songs, we have -listened to the melodies of the Jubilee Singers with heartfelt delight. -Whether with or without instrumental accompaniment, the melodies might -be described as supplying a new relish. It has been remarked that the -greater number of the pieces are in the same scale as that in which -Scottish music is written, with the fourth and seventh tones omitted. -This would only indicate the untutored nature of their origin, and -the wonder is greater at the effects produced. Nothing is left for -us to add but an advice to our readers. It is, to take the earliest -opportunity to go and hear the JUBILEE SINGERS. - - W. C. - - - - -HELENA, LADY HARROGATE. - - -CHAPTER II.--AT CARBERY CHASE. - -The horseman, at whose approach the interesting inmate of _The -Traveller's Rest_ had so abruptly withdrawn from the place of -observation whence he was contemplating the Elizabethan front of -Carbery Court, had scarcely recognised in the lounger smoking his pipe -beneath the elm, the bronzed seafaring fellow whom he had frequently -of late encountered. But as the man moved off with hasty step and an -evident dislike to observation, the rider's eyes for a moment followed -him. - -‘A queer customer that,’ he said carelessly to himself. ‘What is he, I -wonder? If I saw that ugly face of his near Ashdown Park or Newmarket -Heath, I'd lay a trifle that he was a racing tout; in London I would -class him as a dog-dealer or dog-stealer, or possibly a sham smuggler, -one of those gruff longshore-men who waylay you with their contraband -cabbage-leaf _Trabucos_; but being here, I think he has more the look -of a real one.’ - -Having said which, he rode on, in the quiet enjoyment of a cigar, -towards the material of which it is unlikely that the leaf of any -British vegetable had contributed; while no sound but the jingling of -the bridle-rein and the tramp of the horse's feet broke the silence. -Overhead there soared aloft a living canopy of verdure, formed by -the mighty trees, that seemed to throw, as it were, a succession of -triumphal arches over the smooth carriage-road, flecked with broad bars -of light and shadow. There were vistas here and there, opening out -from between the massive trees, on which an artist's eye might have -feasted, dells clothed with beech and birch trees, fairy glens through -which trickled some brooklet fresh from its cradle among the ridges of -Dartmoor, pools on which the water-lily floated, and around which the -deer bent down their antlered heads to drink. But Jasper Denzil had -little or no appreciation of the charms of a landscape, and as he rode -on, the only comment which escaped him was evoked by the sight of the -superb old house, its many windows glistening golden in the sloping -sun, as though to challenge admiration. - -‘Tiresome old jail!’ he said, tossing away the stump of his cigar. ‘A -nice place to be mewed up in, with the London season at high-pressure, -is this! If it were mine to do as I liked with’---- But the only son -and heir of Sir Sykes Denzil did not definitely state the course that -he should pursue were he undisputed proprietor of Carbery Chase. - -Jasper, whose actual age may have been six or at the most seven and -twenty, was one of those men of whom it is puzzling to say whether -they look, for their years, very youthful or surprisingly old. He was -below the middle height, and his smooth pale face seemed at first -sight almost boyish; but the cold glance of the small blue eyes, the -firmness of the compressed lips, and the tell-tale lines that were -faintly visible at the angles of both eyes and mouth, were not such as -we associate with ingenuous youth. - -Captain Denzil (Jasper had at an early age attained, thanks to the -golden ladder by which the offspring of wealthy men were wont to climb, -his captaincy in the light cavalry regiment to which he had till -recently belonged) had proved himself an expensive son to Sir Sykes. -His fair moustache, pallid face, and drawling accent were well known on -race-courses, and quite familiar in those darkened rooms at fashionable -clubs where the fickle goddess Chance is worshipped by card-players -around their lamp-lit green tables, while it is honest daylight in the -workaday world beyond. - -He rode into the yard and dismounted; but instead of immediately -entering the house, lingered to exchange a thoughtful word or two as -to the signs of an incipient spavin in the off fore-leg of the fiery -chestnut which he had been riding. - -‘Knew he wasn't sound of course, when I bought him,’ remarked the -captain, with calm philosophy. ‘A friend's horse never is, especially -when the friend is such an impulsive open-hearted fellow as Charley -Granger. But he was cheap, and he has a turn of speed, and I've entered -him for the Pebworth Steeplechase, and don't want to pay forfeit. So -see to the bandages, Phillips, will you; and don't have him out, except -for gentle exercise on the soft, this fortnight. We mustn't neglect -that leg.’ - -Jasper was not one of those who care for a horse, as some of us do, for -the horse's own sake, and out of genuine love for the noblest of the -dumb servants that do the bidding of mankind. But he did regard the -genus _equus_ as a very valuable instrument for gambling purposes, and -as such to be tended with jealous care and helped, when convenient, to -victory on the turf. - -With a slow step and a careless indolent manner, Jasper Denzil crossed -the paved yard, and entered by a side-door the mansion that must -one day in the course of nature be his, but of which as a place of -residence we have already heard him express an opinion the reverse -of flattering. There was very little at Carbery Chase to amuse the -captain, cut off from his usual sources of excitement and a temporary -exile from London and its pleasures. It was sorry work this pottering -business of picking up a few ten-pound bets on country courses, or -winning paltry stakes by the aid of wretched platers. It was better -than nothing no doubt; precisely as at Monaco we see the ruined -millionaire, Spanish or Russian, eagerly playing for silver when his -last rouleaux of louis-d'or have taken wing; but he felt that it was -a sore degradation for one whose dash and coolness had won dubious -compliments from very great personages. - -Traversing a passage, Jasper presently crossed the great hall--full -of costly marbles brought from Italy, in days when there were no -manufacturers of the spurious antique--and opened the door of what was -known as the morning-room, cheerful and bright as a morning-room should -be, and overlooking the rose-garden, then glorious in its glow and -blush of tender colour. - -Two ladies were the occupants of the room, both young and both pretty, -though each of them had that likeness to Jasper (her only brother) -which we so constantly trace in members of the same family. Lucy it -is true was dark-haired and dark-eyed; while Blanche, the younger and -taller of the two, was delicately--perhaps too delicately--fair of -complexion, and had hair of the palest gold. Sir Sykes had been for -several years a widower; and all the Denzil family, with the exception -of the baronet himself, were now present in that room, through the -French windows of which came stealing in the fresh scent of roses. - -‘I saw you, Jasper, from the pheasantry, as you came up the park; but -you did not see me,’ said Miss Denzil, smiling. ‘You did not stay, -then, to see the finish of the Pebworth cricket-match?’ - -‘I--no!’ answered Jasper with a yawn. ‘Cricket is amusing, I daresay, -to those who knock the ball about, or to those who run to pick it up -again, as the French countess said of our noble national game; but it -is slow--fearfully slow.’ And the captain yawned again. - -‘Most things are, I am afraid, at Carbery,’ said Blanche gently.--‘We -have tried to amuse him--have we not, Lucy?--by dragging him with -us to such primitive merry-makings as lay within driving distance, -archery-meetings, flower-shows’---- - -‘Yes, and all manner of Arcadian entertainments of the same species,’ -interrupted Jasper, drumming with his ringed fingers on the glass of -the open window near which he was standing. ‘I believe I had a narrow -escape from what they called a sillabub party at that old woman's (Lady -Di Horner's) house at Ottery St Luke's, with a cow on the lawn and the -rest of it. The natives, I suppose, like that kind of thing; I don't.’ -There was a half-peevish lassitude in his tone, in his attitude, as he -spoke, which added emphasis to words that were, if ungracious, perhaps -not unkindly meant. But his sisters were not in the least offended that -their brother should shew so unaffectedly how little pleasure he took -in their society, and how complete was his distaste for their simple -pleasures and homely occupations. A grown-up brother is, in the eyes -of good girls, a hero by right of birth, and with Lucy and Blanche the -captain was a privileged person, not to be judged by the standards of -ordinary ethics. - -‘If the governor,’ said Jasper, after a pause, ‘would ask people down -here--I mean of course after town is empty--a houseful of people of -the right sort, why then, one might get through the autumn and winter -without being moped to death.’ - -Lucy shook her head. ‘There is no chance, brother,’ she said, ‘that -papa should fill his house with what you would consider people of the -right sort. The Vanes will come of course, and the Henshaws, and’---- - -‘Never mind the rest of the names,’ broke in the captain with a lazy -brusqueness; ‘heavy county members, who know more of the points of -a bullock than they do of those of a horse; and their fat wives and -starched daughters. What have I done, to be buried alive in this way!’ - -Women have this merit, that they seldom retort, as they might sometimes -do with crushing effect, upon a man who bewails his hard lot, be -his self-pity ever so unreasonable. Lucy and Blanche Denzil knew, -or guessed, with tolerable accuracy that it was due to Jasper's own -extravagance that he no longer wore the gay trappings of a captain -of Lancers, and that the soles of his varnished boots were no longer -familiar with the Pall-Mall pavement. - -‘I'll go in and see my father; he's in the library, I suppose?’ said -Jasper, and without waiting for an answer, he sauntered off. - -Sir Sykes Denzil was a man of methodical habits, and his son's -conjecture that he would be found at that hour in the library was -quite warranted, not only by fact, but by his daily practice. On -his way thither the young man passed by the suite of drawing-rooms, -only the smallest of which was ever used, save on the occasions, not -too frequent, when some great dinner-party or possibly a dance at -Carbery Chase set all the neighbouring lanes and roads aglow with -carriage-lamps. With all its splendour, the Court was what might be -described as a dull house; the master of which had never made the most, -even for selfish purposes, of his large share in the good things of -this world. - -The library, Sir Sykes's favourite room, was a stately apartment, with -gilt cornices and a richly painted ceiling. It overlooked the stone -terrace whereon, amidst statues and marble vases overbrimming with -scarlet geraniums, the peacocks strutted. The great central window was -of ancient stained glass, and from its quaint panes in their leaden -setting flashed forth the lost colours of the blue and crimson, deemed -inimitable for centuries past, but which probably owed their peculiar -beauty to the corroding touch of time. This window, of which honourable -mention was made in the county guide-book aforesaid, glimmered with -heraldic blazonry, wherein the couchant greyhounds of the present -owners of Carbery found no place. - -The baronet, who was seated at his writing-table, strewn with papers, -looked up as he heard the opening of the door, and greeted his son -with rather a conventional smile of recognition. ‘So you are back with -us earlier than usual, Jasper,’ he said, in a tone that was polite, -but scarcely cordial. The young man's voice, as usual with him when -he addressed his father, had lost much of the languid insolence which -habit had rendered natural to him. - -‘Yes, sir; I don't care much for cricket, so I did not stay to see the -end of it. So far as I could hear, the Zingari were beating the County -hollow. But as I said before, that style of thing is not much in my -line.’ - -‘Better for you, my boy, if it had been,’ returned the baronet dryly. -‘A young fellow cannot break his health or ruin his fortunes at -cricket, as more fashionable pastimes may help him to do.’ - -The captain winced and reddened. ‘I didn't expect a lecture, father,’ -he said peevishly. ‘Indeed I'm not likely to forget the crasher I came -down with, that my misfortunes should be thrown in my teeth every day I -live.’ - -‘We will let the subject drop,’ said the baronet after a momentary -pause. ‘Who were at Pebworth to-day? No lack of company, I suppose? Our -friends hereabouts are not all as complete cosmopolitans as you are, -Jasper; and some of the ladies at anyrate may have gone there in hopes -of seeing Devon win the game.’ - -Jasper half sullenly made answer that he could scarcely say who were -there. ‘Fulfords and Courtenays and the Carews, and the people from -Prideaux Park, yes; and the De Vere girls, and Harrogate their brother. -The old Earl wasn't there, and the ladies went on horseback.’ - -‘Lady Gladys looks well on horseback,’ observed Sir Sykes with a -sidelong glance at his son. - -‘Yes; and rides nicely,’ answered Jasper with an air of the most utter -indifference; and then the eyes of the father and the son met, not -frankly, but as the eyes of two wary fencing-masters might do at the -instant of crossing swords. Sir Sykes and Jasper were not, so far as -outward seeming went, in the least alike. The common attribute of -worldliness they did indeed share, but neither in looks nor in manner -did they resemble each other. The baronet was a tall and handsome -man, whose dark hair was now dashed with gray, and his high forehead -deeply lined, but who still presented to the eyes of the world a showy -exterior and a bearing that was at once dignified and urbane. That he -was not in perfect health could only be conjectured from the slowness -of his step, and those faintly marked furrows near the corners of the -shapely mouth, in which a shrewd physician might have read of mischief -silently at work; but to unprofessional scrutiny he appeared simply as -a gentleman of a goodly presence. - -A melancholy man, albeit a proud and a courteous one, Sir Sykes was -known to be. And singularly enough, the baronet's sadness was supposed -to date from the day when he had lost, long years ago, the eldest of -his three daughters, a little girl to whom he was rumoured to have -been unusually attached. This was the odder, because Sir Sykes was -not the sort of man who is generally credited with very deep feelings -or a peculiar strength of family affection. He had borne his wife's -decease with polished equanimity; but those who had known him in his -early poverty and in his subsequent prosperity averred that the lord of -Carbery had never been the same man since the death of this child. - -‘I wish,’ said Sir Sykes, speaking slowly, and poising a gold-hafted -paper-knife between his soft white fingers--‘I wish I could see you -married and settled.’ - -‘The settling, if, as I suppose, it means the making of a suitable -settlement, makes the main impediment to marrying, with some of us at -least,’ rejoined Jasper with mock gravity; but before his father could -reply, a servant entered bringing a letter. Sir Sykes mechanically took -up the letter from the silver tray and as mechanically opened it. But -his eyes had hardly glanced at the first half-page before a great and -sudden change came over his calm face; he grew white, almost livid, to -his very lips, and let his hand which held the open letter drop heavily -upon the table. - -‘Are you ill, sir?’ said Jasper quickly and with a sort of anxiety -unusual with him. It was impossible to avoid taking notice of the -baronet's very evident emotion; impossible too not to connect the cause -of it with the letter which Sir Sykes held in his hand. But the master -of Carbery Chase rallied himself, and though his face was even ghastly -in its pallor and his breath came painfully, he managed to smile as he -rejoined: ‘Not ill. It is a mere pain, a spasm at most, which comes at -times, but goes as quickly, or nearly so, as it comes. It is a trifle, -not worth the talking about. It is getting late, and I have a note or -two to write and some papers to look over before the dressing-bell -rings. We shall meet at dinner presently.’ - -Jasper rose to go. ‘I hardly like’---- he began. - -‘I am better; I am well; it is nothing,’ interrupted Sir Sykes -irritably; and then blandly added: ‘I thank you, my dear boy, for your -solicitude, but I am best alone.’ - -Jasper had not proceeded two paces along the carpeted corridor before -he heard the key of the library door turned from within. - -‘I'd give a cool hundred,’ said this exemplary youth, ‘to look over -my father's shoulder as he reads that letter. To have a hold on the -governor would’---- He left the rest of the sentence unspoken, and -passed on, leaving Sir Sykes in the locked-up library to the company of -his own solitary thoughts. - - - - -TIGER-SHOOTING. - - -Tiger-shooting in India differs a trifle from the tame pursuit of -game in England--a very different thing indeed from the miserable -amusement of the _battue_, in which hundreds of defenceless creatures -are shot down without any chance of danger to the shooter. To go out -tiger-shooting is to run the risk of encountering a deadly enemy, which -on grounds of public policy it is of importance to destroy. So much as -a preliminary observation. - -The danger connected with tiger-shooting varies very much in proportion -to the conditions under which it is prosecuted. Thus a man on foot -following the fresh tracks of a tiger up to his lair, and shooting -him as he lies, or following him up on foot when wounded, incurs the -maximum risk. In all cases, after being wounded, ungovernable fury and -a fierce longing for revenge take the place of that instinctive fear -or shyness of man which tigers share with all other wild animals. This -instinctive dread of man is so well known to the tribes who inhabit the -forests of India, that even solitary individuals will hail the prospect -of suddenly encountering a tiger, provided, of course, that he is not a -man-eater. They know their safety at such a moment lies in preserving a -composed attitude and demeanour. The tiger will often yield the right -of way; but if the human subject finds it necessary to set that example -in the way of politeness, he knows it to be absolutely essential to the -preservation of his life that he should do so with every appearance -of self-possession, and without any signs of fear or precipitancy. -A passage in _King Richard III._ accurately reflects the line of -conduct which should be observed, holding good as it does equally with -reference to the tiger: - - To fly the boar, before the boar pursues, - Were to incense the boar to follow us, - And make pursuit where he did mean no chase. - -In proportion to the successful days, the number of blank days in -tiger-shooting is extraordinarily large, as the experience of most -shikarees will confirm. This is owing to ‘hanks’ or beats being so -often badly planned or mismanaged; through which tigers escape which -might otherwise have easily been brought to book. The dry and denuded -state of an Indian jungle during the hot weather makes that the most -fitting season for tiger-shooting. Indeed it is the only season in -which the sport can be undertaken with a reasonable prospect of -success. The available covers for a tiger are then much reduced in -number and extent; and in the inverse ratio are the chances increased -of the animal's not betaking himself to some distant locality before -the plan of action which is intended to effect his destruction has -had time to develop itself. In other words, any faint and accidental -signs of a disturbance in a tiger's vicinity will rouse him from his -lair, and drive him to green patch or snug retreat miles away, if the -weather be cool and cover abundant; whereas with very hot weather and -extensive denudation of shade, he will prefer remaining where he is -until the sounds assume too decided a character to be mistaken; when -the probabilities are that the sportsman will be perfectly ready on his -making a move. - -The great point to remember in arranging to hunt a tiger is that one -of his most prominent characteristics is cunning--and that this _must -be met by cunning_. This is not sufficiently studied, especially by -beginners. Eager and enthusiastic for the fray, and for the thrill -of satisfaction which the all-important moment of the actual kill -inspires, the inexperienced sportsman is too apt to overlook those -precautions and preparations which are essential aids to success; or -he relies upon others for doing in the above respects what he should -attend to himself. The first thing to be done on arriving at the ground -where a tiger has safely been marked down by the early despatched -scouts is to acquaint one's self thoroughly with its topography. The -nature of the ground varies very much; consisting sometimes of a pile -of rocks rising from a plain, of a confused mass of hills, or of a -large single hill, a river or small water-course stocked with green -bushes, and with level jungle or perhaps open ground bordering on both -sides; and so on. On being roused from his lair in say a water-course -by the beaters, a tiger is very likely to cross over into the jungle, -especially if another ravine is not far off to which he can retire. He -does so with the express object of getting rid of his disturbers as -soon as possible; or let us say that instinct tells him that an entire -change of locality is most conducive to his safety. On the other hand, -if there be no adjoining cover, a tiger will keep to the same channel -and steal along its course. The difference between the two cases -represents the comparative prospect of a tiger being bagged. When a -tiger is compelled to steal along the channel from which he has been -roused, the prospect becomes nearly a certainty, assuming the ‘hank’ to -be conducted in a correct manner. - -A very slight noise, such as slight coughing, will sometimes start -a tiger; while he will at other times refuse to move, although even -shots should be fired into the bush or among the rocks where he may -be lying concealed. As Colonel Rice, late of the Bombay army, very -justly remarks in his book entitled _Tiger-shooting in India_--and the -writer's own experience is entirely corroborative of that statement--no -two tigers can be depended on for behaving exactly alike under the -same circumstances. An old tiger, and especially one which has been -hunted before, is extremely wary, and very difficult to circumvent -with even good management; while a young one readily falls a victim, -like any other greenhorn. A tigress with young cubs is always very -savage, and will sometimes charge anybody approaching her den or other -resting-place before her own presence is at all suspected. Three men -in the service of the writer were once obliged to take refuge on a -rock only some six or seven feet high, where an angry tigress bayed -them, and repeatedly threatened to charge home for at least two hours. -One of the men was armed with a sword, and the other two had nothing -but sticks in their hands. The tigress crouched at the very foot of -the rock, which was small but flat-topped, over and over again. She -there alternately blinked and glared at the unfortunate men, who only -succeeded in keeping her off from actually springing on them by dint -of vigorous and incessant shouting, and constantly changing front, -according as the tigress herself kept moving from one side of the rock -to another, and occasionally retiring a few paces, and then stealing -forward and crouching again. The state of their throats and the -terribly husky whisper to which their voices were in the end reduced, -may easily be imagined. However, down to their humblest followers, -hunters as a rule are a merry set, and directly actual danger has -passed away the danger is forgotten. - -In large covers there are often outlets and lines of exit, in addition -to those guarded by a party of say four or five sportsmen, who post -themselves at the most important points. These all require to be -blocked up, so that a tiger, should he attempt to escape by any of -them, may be readily turned on to a path which will draw him under -fire. One of the covers in which the writer was fortunate enough to -bag several tigers in different years, consisted of a river of about a -hundred and fifty yards width, with ravines branching out at different -points, and low hills bordering the banks. It was impracticable -with fewer than a hundred men, and was best driven by elephants, in -consequence of the thick and tangled state of the bushes. It was a -piece of ground of the kind described above, offering numerous outlets, -as the cover extended right under one of the banks, and ran for some -distance along the length of the river; while the bank itself was -of no great height, and might be ascended in a moment at any point. -The method of blocking up the outlets which the sportsmen themselves -cannot watch, is to place over them, on trees, the sharpest and most -intelligent of the men that can be selected from among the beaters. -They should be instructed to strike the tree with a stone taken up in -the hand for that purpose, or to employ any other simple process of -producing a noise, so that the tiger may be headed back the moment he -is seen to be advancing, and his intention is unmistakable. A blank -shot will be necessary to turn a _rapidly_ advancing tiger; and a -matchlock or spare gun in the hands of a competent person should in -such cases be kept in reserve. Many of the rivers in India during the -hunting season are perfectly dry beds, except as to a mere rill or -narrow stream. The actual water's edge is, however, almost sure to be -the tiger's position, if fringed by bushes sufficiently large to afford -him shelter; for he delights in lapping the water frequently, and in -laving his limbs during the hottest hours of the day. - -With respect to the height a tiger will clear at a bound or series of -bounds, some uncertainty seems to prevail. In Captain Shakspeare's -_Wild Sports of India_, the author, when twelve feet up a tree, -scarcely thought himself beyond the reach of the man-eater he was -expecting, as he believed a tiger capable of springing over that -height. In the book of Colonel Gordon Gumming (a brother of the African -hunter), a sad case is recorded of his gun-bearer being pulled out of -a tree and killed by a wounded tiger through incautiously standing -only some eight feet above the ground. But points of this nature are -altogether of a secondary character, the slightest vantage-ground being -sufficient if the requisites are preserved of a cool head and steady -hand to guide the management of an efficient weapon. - -To the generality of tastes, the most satisfactory method of hunting -tigers is with and upon a well-trained elephant. But when the -arrangements are on a very extensive scale, they fail of anything like -due effect. On special occasions, elephants have been employed in the -hunting-field by the score, and also by the hundred, as in the case of -the Prince of Wales's excursions in Nepaul. A cordon of eight hundred -elephants was then employed to inclose a jungle and to drive the game -on to a central point; but the bag, though good, was disproportionately -small, looking to the means and labour employed. Better results might -have been obtained if the ground had been traversed in sections with -only a few elephants, though this would have required more time, which -probably could not be spared. The great object to be kept in view in -approaching a tiger for the purpose of obtaining a fair shot, is to do -as little as possible towards startling the beast until within a few -yards, even though obstructions such as bushes or rocks intervene; for -when once a ‘scare’ is excited, a tiger will break through an inclosing -line of elephants and probably escape altogether; whereas by being -quietly followed up with scouts previously sent forward to note and -telegraph his progress, the chances are all in favour of the sportsman. - -In hilly tracts where the hills run in long ridges and are flanked -or intersected by ravines, as in Rajpootana, tiger-shooting may at -all times be conducted on foot with comparative safety. This was -successfully done by Colonel (then Lieutenant) Rice from twenty to -twenty-five years back. He never once employed an elephant, and treats -the notion of doing so with a certain amount of disdain. Confessing -to a desire to employ his rifle on the tigers in the island of -Singapore, which is (or certainly was) very much infested by them, -he remarks: ‘There the old notion prevails that without elephants -tigers are best let alone.’ Evidently the Colonel does not consider -the elephant a necessary adjunct to the sport, nor did he really find -it so. There can, however, be no question that in large swamps and -grass tracts, and in fact under all circumstances, an elephant is a -most powerful auxiliary, whose importance cannot be over-rated. If -trees and such positions are taken to meet the tiger when he first -breaks, the advantage of afterwards following him up on an elephant if -only wounded, is too obvious to need any comment. But it is of course -absolutely necessary that the elephant should be one which can be -depended on for making a firm stand before a tiger. The more steady the -elephant, the better the aim that can be taken; but the uninitiated -should know that there is always some slight oscillatory movement in -an elephant, so that a small though perhaps an infinitesimal measure -of calculation has to be applied in shooting from its back. From a -neglect of this necessity, tigers are sometimes missed at absurdly -close quarters, though there may be no actual change in the elephant's -position to account for the circumstance, and to justify the miss. On -the other hand, as sometimes happens, an elephant may very seriously -incommode or perhaps precipitate his rider to the ground, by actually -charging a tiger and dropping down on his knees, in order the better -to crush the foe. At the same time, an elephant that bolts jeopardises -his rider's life in a worse degree, by the reckless manner in which he -pursues his flight. Should the jungle consist of trees, there is almost -a certainty of the howdah being dashed up against them, or of its being -swept off by some projecting bough, which affords a clear passage to -the body of the elephant, but not to the howdah and those seated in it. -The latter, therefore, run a serious risk of being badly injured or of -losing their lives. - -One important essential for the obtaining of sport is a liberal -expenditure of money. It both sweetens labour and smooths the path -to danger. To keep an elephant in prime hearty condition costs about -fifteen pounds a month, and good elephants may occasionally be borrowed -from native chiefs through the instrumentality of political officers; -but unless one has influence enough to insure his being thus favoured, -he should make up his mind to hunt on foot. Many men have done, and -still do so with the most satisfactory results; while with respect -to elephants, some special elements of risk exist, which prove fatal -entirely from a want of common forethought. Thus, an unfortunate -officer of one of Her Majesty's regiments serving in India ventured -into a jungle after a tiger, seated merely on the pad on which a howdah -is made to rest; he was thrown off, and fell into the jaws of the -enraged beast. A person seated in this manner is at any moment liable -to be thrown by a sudden swerve, and such an occurrence is extremely -likely when a tiger charges, or suddenly appears before an elephant. -The writer remembers an instance within his own experience of being -mounted on an elephant off whose back at least a hundred tigers had -at various times been killed, and which was therefore generally very -staunch, and of there being a second and third elephant on each side -of the first; yet on a panther very little bigger than a large cat -charging from a bush, the three elephants together turned in an instant -and ignominiously retreated for about a dozen yards. The shock of the -movement was so great that he was forced back on the seat from which he -had just risen the moment before, and must have infallibly been hurled -to the ground had he been seated on a pad only. It should therefore be -adopted as a rule never to be deviated from, that a tiger should not -be approached on an elephant otherwise than in a properly constructed -howdah. - -But as a contrast to the behaviour of the panther above referred to, a -large tiger will sometimes altogether refuse to face an elephant, and -will retreat from point to point of a cover until he at last becomes an -easy victim; which shews in what extremely opposite lights the subject -requires to be looked at. - -The duty of arranging a proper plan of attack upon a tiger in any -known position is sometimes delegated by the English sportsman to -his head native shikaree, who is qualified for that task both by a -certain aptitude and a considerable amount of experience; but the -best of such men are apt sometimes to fail, and close supervision of -them is consequently always necessary. Besides, they are generally -trained by those who have them in their service; and a long course of -association and reciprocal action between master and servant is needed -to produce an efficient henchman. It is therefore advisable for men -who are about to begin tiger-shooting to take their initiatory lessons -in jungle-craft under the guidance of some brother-sportsman, who can -be looked on as a sort of distinguished professor who has already -graduated with honours in his studies. - - - - -THE BELL-RINGER. - -IN FOUR CHAPTERS. - - -CHAPTER II.--THE STORY OF RUTH. - -‘I can't think whatever's come over Nathan; he's that queer there's no -such thing as making of him out.’ This remark was addressed by Mark -Day, the tenor bell-ringer, to Obadiah Lang, who rang the third bell, a -few days after the events narrated in the previous chapter. - -‘Ay,’ responded Obadiah. ‘There's the practisin' for Christmas-eve, the -practisin' for the carols and for the hymns a' Christmas-day; he don't -seem to care about them at all, and when I says to him: “How about the -evergreens for the church?” he stared hard, and said: “I'll see;” and -walked off.’ - -‘That ain't all neither,’ said Mark Day. ‘He's wonderful curious about -his house. He don't ask nobody in, but stands agen the door, with it -in his hand, and seems afraid all the time you are talking to him. My -opinion is, trouble's turned his brain. If he don't alter, I shall -speak to the parson.’ - -‘Don't do nothing you're sorry for afterwards,’ replied Obadiah. -‘Y' see Nathan ain't like one of us; he mostly have his reasons for -everythink, which ain't the case with everybody nowadays: it's all talk -and no do with the many.’ - -At this moment some one made his way to the churchyard, and to that -some one, the men touched their hats respectfully. It was Oliver -Peregrine. He brushed past quickly; but had the men been keen -observers, they might have noticed that his face was pale and his air -abstracted. He was going for a long and solitary walk, his custom -when any matter disturbed him, or as Gertrude Peregrine said, ‘when -he had a fit of the blues.’ He was not favoured by that young lady, -who secretly wondered how Patricia could fancy him. To her sister, -Gertrude said nothing of her choice, for Patricia was reserved and -distant even to her nearest of kin. Few could imagine how deeply she -loved this silent studious man. He himself was far from guessing the -depth of her affection, his own being centred not on Patricia but on -her inheritance, which would be his by marriage. All his life he had -coveted a position with wealth to support it; had determined to make it -his; had planned and worked for it; when, just as he was on the point -of attaining his ends, Death stepped in, and for the time frustrated -his hopes. Again the time drew near, and again Death intervened; while -impatient of the delay, the arrival of Colonel Lindsay, whom he well -remembered, proved a further source of annoyance. - -Oliver and the Colonel had been secret antagonists in days gone by; -for the latter, a brave, honest, God-fearing soldier, disliked the -character of the younger man, whom he mistrusted; and from his long -and close intimacy with Squire Peregrine, felt at liberty to search -into matters of which he had heard, but seen nothing. After some years -spent in India, he had returned, to find changes at Linden Hall which -grieved and even displeased him. He felt more than ever disposed to -mistrust Oliver, but like a skilful tactician, knew that his plans must -be laid with the utmost secrecy; his enemies being the obstinate and -unforgiving disposition of his old friend, the craftiness of Oliver, -and his ignorance of the whereabouts of the outlawed son, to whom he -had acted as god-father, and for whom he entertained a true affection. -He had heard the story as related by Dobson, whose fidelity was -unimpeachable; but found that even that faithful dependent was obliged -to acknowledge that the case was as clear as the day, and that Mr -Bertram would never be forgiven by his father. - -‘Never, sir,’ concluded Dobson; ‘not if he was dying.’ - -‘And how about the girl's brother, Dobson? You mentioned her -brother. Is he still alive? And does he manifest a vindictive spirit -towards--towards my god-son?’ - -‘Not he, sir. Nathan Boltz has forgiven him years ago. Poor Ruth -forgave him long before she died; but my master will never forgive him. -My mistress died with his name upon her lips; I believe waiting for his -return had killed her. It is a sad history, sir.’ - -Colonel Lindsay had made up his mind he would hear the story from -the lips of Nathan himself, and at once. Therefore, on the evening -of the day when Mark Day and Obadiah Lang had conversed respecting -Nathan, there came a gentle tap on the cottage door, which the owner -cautiously opened. In a few words the Colonel made it known that he -desired to speak to him; and with some hesitation Nathan bid him -enter. The Colonel had excused himself after dinner from returning -to the drawing-room, and had wrapped a large cloak over him by way -of disguise; this and his fur cap and muffler prevented Nathan from -discovering the rank of his visitor until they were seated in the neat -and pleasant room in which he usually lived. The cottage staircase led -from the kitchen to the floor above; but the door which opened upon the -kitchen was shut. - -Nathan waited for Colonel Lindsay to speak; he knew that he was a -visitor at the Hall, and yet he shewed little anxiety concerning what -he might have to say to him. But when the Colonel, with soldierly -authority, made known who he was, and that he came for the purpose of -hearing the sad story of his sister's life, in order to forward the -ends of justice; then Nathan's hands trembled, his lip quivered, and in -a low voice he begged to be excused. - -‘No,’ replied Colonel Lindsay with decision and yet kindness in his -tone; ‘you must tell me the whole of the particulars, either here or in -a court of justice; for I am determined to search them out, for reasons -which I shall hereafter explain.’ - -Nathan gazed at his visitor inquiringly, then gathering his resolution -together, he said: ‘If your object, Colonel Lindsay, be to bring the -offender to justice, I must utterly decline either in this place or any -other to open my lips upon the subject. I will never betray him. I mean -that I will give no evidence, not even if I am punished for withholding -it.’ He spoke under considerable excitement, but still with caution in -his manner. - -This was not lost upon the Colonel, who answered: ‘Would you shield -your sister's betrayer, the man who beguiled her, and then left her to -sustain herself as best she might?’ - -‘He did not do that,’ replied Nathan; ‘she received an allowance as -long as she lived. But I promised her on her dying bed never to reveal -anything concerning her; and can I, ought I to break that promise?’ - -‘Yes!’ answered the Colonel decidedly. ‘Nathan Boltz, you may trust me -not to make use of my knowledge against the author of all this sorrow, -for the sake of my old friend, for the sake of his son. Can you not -trust me?’ - -‘Yes, sir, I will trust you; but you will not’---- He paused. - -‘I will do nothing without your consent,’ said Colonel Lindsay. ‘And -now, let me hear it, for time passes. Please, begin at the beginning.’ - -‘My father,’ began Nathan, ‘was a Dutch sailor. My mother died when -Ruth was thirteen, and I two years older. After her death--which -happened at a time when my father had returned from a voyage--he did -not go to sea any more, but became a labourer under Squire Peregrine, -and kept a house for me and Ruth. The Squire was very kind to my father -and his orphans; and after a time Ruth learned the dressmaking, and -I was apprenticed to the head gardener at the Hall. My sister was a -beautiful girl, the belle of the village, and as modest as she was -pretty. We were very happy, until the Squire's son came home from -college, and began to notice Ruth in a manner which led my father to -warn her to beware. She smiled in her innocence, and told him he was -mistaken; and as we saw little or nothing of Mr Bertram, the feeling -died out. Thus matters remained for more than a year. But when I was -twenty and Ruth eighteen, the blow fell with crushing effect upon us -all. We rose one morning to find her gone, and to hear that Mr Bertram -had also disappeared, after forging his father's name for five hundred -pounds. It was useless to pursue the fugitives, even if we had had any -clue to their flight; and our desire was frustrated by orders from -Squire Peregrine to abandon all search. Day after day we waited and -hoped. But it was some months before poor Ruth made her way to us, -footsore and weary, and begging forgiveness for her sin. Then we knew -that he had not married her; and my father went nigh mad with anger. We -had been poor, but free from shame. He thanked God that my mother was -dead; and followed her soon after the death of Ruth's baby, which lived -only a few weeks. From time to time Mr Bertram sent her money, and when -I mentioned him, she always answered: “Have patience, Nathan. He will -marry me soon. Do not question me; only trust me.” I was very bitter -against him then, and would have killed him if we had met. I told Ruth -so; and she shuddered and prayed we might never meet until he had done -her justice. So the weary time went on; poor Ruth hopeful and patient; -so patient, that I used to wonder how she could live alone year after -year and not try to find him, not go mad with grief and disappointment. -But so it was. I could never understand her. We cannot all bear trouble -alike, sir’---- - -Nathan stopped suddenly, and turned his face away. - -‘Go on,’ said Colonel Lindsay, rather anxiously, consulting his watch; -and Nathan obeyed. - -‘My sister and I lived together in this manner for more than ten years. -She supported herself by dressmaking, and was fully employed, for her -history was known, and she was deeply pitied. As she received a regular -allowance from Mr Bertram, she must have known at such times where he -was; but never allowed me to see or hear anything of her proceedings. -Sometimes my violence frightened her. I know now how blind and wrong -I was. The Squire, who is a true gentleman, gave me the office of -bell-ringer and sexton, and made us many valuable presents; and it was -understood that no mention should ever be made by either of us of the -blight and sorrow of our life. But one day when my sister heard from -Mr Dobson that his young master's name was struck out of the will, and -that the young ladies were to be brought up in ignorance that they had -a brother, she came home in great distress; and one evening soon after, -when she had been with some work to a distant farm, she fainted on this -spot where I now sit, causing me great alarm. She would not reveal the -cause of her illness; and from that time, which was two years from the -date of Mr Bertram's flight, I said nothing to her of her sorrow and -its cause. Ten years after that her health gave way, and I saw that her -sickness was unto death. Inwardly, I vowed vengeance on the man who had -wrought this foul wrong; outwardly, I remained calmly waiting for the -end. Every luxury was sent her from the Hall; but Mrs Peregrine did not -visit her; no doubt she was forbidden, as her nature was both gentle -and forgiving. However, when the end was near at hand, Ruth implored me -to fetch her, and I did so. The urgency of my manner prevailed, and she -came immediately, alone and on foot. It was too late; Death had arrived -before her; and after a few kind words to me, she left. I found all -the money Ruth had received from Mr Bertram put by, and used a portion -of it for funeral expenses. From the day of her death I was a changed -man. She had besought me, charged me, as I would meet her hereafter, -to conquer even a desire for vengeance, and had commended Mr Bertram -to my care and protection, should he ever return; and so vehement -was her manner and so solemn her tone, that I made a vow to obey her -dying injunction; and have kept it. I have forgiven, as I hope to be -forgiven.’ - -Again Nathan paused, while a strange peacefulness gathered over his -face. - -‘Have you finished?’ inquired his visitor, much moved. - -‘Not quite. Soon after the date of Ruth's death, all remittances -ceased; and I concluded that he who had sent them was dead. This was -one circumstance worth notice. The other, that shortly before her death -Mrs Peregrine sent for me, and charged me that should her son return, I -would neither do nor say anything to widen the breach between him and -his father. For “Nathan,” she said, “I feel convinced that some day he -_will_ return. Therefore, for the sake of poor Ruth, who is gone, and -for my sake, who will soon follow her, promise me that you will do what -you can to bring them together; promise me, Nathan! I have always been -so grieved that I was too late to hear what your sister had to say. -Poor girl, she had a claim on us, although the world would have smiled -at the idea. It is just possible that she might have been married to my -son. What do you think?” - -‘I told her I thought not; but added that my sister had been very -secret in all that she had said and done. - -‘“'Tis a great relief to speak of my poor boy,” said Mrs Peregrine, who -seemed to forget all difference in rank; “and this will be the last -time, Nathan, that we may meet on earth. Bear my words in mind. My end -is peace, but one cannot have peace without forgiveness.” - -‘I left her almost awe-stricken; it was so wonderful to have had this -lesson twice repeated. Neither had said a word of the wrong done to -them; it seemed to have faded out before the joy and peace which filled -their hearts, and which now fills mine.’ - -Nathan paused, and again the bright look stole into his face. - -‘Well?’ said Colonel Lindsay. - -‘That is all, sir,’ answered Nathan, evidently relieved that his -visitor rose to go. - -‘Nothing more?’ pursued the Colonel, as he buttoned his cloak. He -looked straight at Nathan, whose eyes fell before the soldier's -searching glance. - -‘No,’ he hesitated--‘nothing.’ - -There was silence. Suddenly a voice from a room above called ‘Nathan!’ -twice. - -‘Whose voice is that?’ exclaimed Colonel Lindsay. ‘I thought you lived -alone?’ - -‘I do; but this is a friend who is ill, and is staying with me for a -time. Excuse me, sir, but I am wanted.’ - -Again the call for Nathan. - -‘Go to your friend,’ said the Colonel; ‘I will not detain you. After -you have attended to his wants, come back to me.’ - -Very unwillingly Nathan opened the staircase door; but no sooner had he -turned to go upstairs than he found his visitor behind him. - -‘Go on,’ he said, as he paused. ‘I can read you like a book.’ Another -moment, and Colonel Lindsay had clasped the hands of Bertram Peregrine, -and Nathan had left the two alone. - -Alone with Bertram, the Colonel heard his story, sympathised in his -trials, related all that had been told him by the Squire, and promised -to act as mediator between father and son; for he entertained no doubts -as to the truth of the statement, having always believed his god-son -sinned against rather than sinning. At the same time he congratulated -himself on his true perception of character. - -When Colonel Lindsay returned to the Hall he was in a fever of -anxiety, distress, and hope; what steps to take he could not tell, but -determined to have but one confidant, Nathan Boltz. - - -CHAPTER III.--TOLLING THE CURFEW. - -Oliver Peregrine hated Nathan Boltz; but nobody suspected it, least of -all Nathan himself. Oliver longed for the time to come when as Squire -of Linden he could shew his hatred, for which he considered he had -satisfactory reasons: one being, that Nathan was a favourite in the -village and Oliver was disliked; another, that he was a protégé of the -Squire's; a third, that he had been a great hinderance to Oliver's -schemes. And now this Colonel Lindsay seemed to be smitten with the -bell-ringer, for he frequently engaged him in conversation and met him -in the belfry to inspect the bells. Evidently the Colonel was mad on -the subject of bell-ringing. - -But at the end of a fortnight it occurred to Oliver, who was always -prying and suspecting, that their visitor must have some deeper motive -than this love of bells and their ringers. He set himself to watch. -Just now the Hall was very quiet. Christmas would be kept entirely by -themselves, therefore Oliver had plenty of leisure. He said nothing to -Patricia of his suspicions; he was not communicative, and she forbore -to question him. - -To Gertrude, Oliver had never appeared more distasteful than at this -time; and she missed the presence of the sweet sister in whom she -had confided; for Gertrude had her romance. A very degrading affair -Patricia would have called it. However, no one knew of it. Indeed -Gertrude had dared scarcely confess it to herself. She loved with the -depth and purity of a Christian maiden. Whom? None other than Nathan -the bell-ringer! Fearful was Gertrude of whispering his name even in -the solitude of her chamber. Yet it afforded her a melancholy pleasure -that he should have prepared the last resting-places of her mother and -sister, and that in some manner, she did not quite know how, his life -should be connected with her family. - -‘But what recompense can we make him,’ she would argue, ‘in return for -Bertram's wrong? Even my father acknowledges that he did this wrong, -and has made him pay in full the penalty of his sin.’ And then she -would sigh, as she felt how hopeless, how almost criminal was her love. -In vain, however, she struggled against it. In her eyes Nathan was the -true type of a gentleman; and ‘Oh!’ she would cry, ‘if Bertram felt -thus for Ruth, how could he--how could he forsake her in her time of -need?’ - -Sometimes Gertrude had feared that Oliver Peregrine would discover -her secret, or suspect her, from her having already refused certain -eligible connections approved by her father; but she had no cause to -fear: her family had not the most remote suspicion of the truth. - -Christmas drew near, while Colonel Lindsay continued his visits to the -belfry, where, as we know, certain weighty considerations detained -him in converse with Nathan; and several times Oliver had watched the -Colonel emerge from the cottage of the man he so detested. At last, -with some difficulty, Oliver managed to play the eavesdropper, and -gathered from their conversation that the subject of it was closely -connected with his uncle. - -‘What--if?’ he muttered to himself, but dared not complete his -question; and as he walked home, after the Colonel had left Nathan, -he grew more and more uneasy, and determined to find out for himself -the secret of Nathan's attic window, where for the last fortnight a -light had been observed. Conceive his annoyance when, on commencing a -cross-examination of the Colonel in a friendly tone, he found the old -soldier on his guard, and ready to parry every attack. Foiled on every -side by the experienced veteran, Oliver altered his tactics, and made -up his mind to use force, as stratagem availed nothing, and to wring -the secret from Nathan Boltz. - -It was on a dark starless evening that Nathan set out to toll the -curfew, accompanied by Bertram Peregrine, who having recovered in a -great measure from the effects of his fatigue and exposure, desired -to revisit the well-remembered church, in which many of his ancestors -were buried. Colonel Lindsay had arranged to meet him there to decide -upon an immediate course of action; and the belfry was to be the scene -of their consultation. Nathan and his patient soon reached the belfry, -whence the tolling of the curfew was to be the signal for the Colonel -to join them. But Oliver had invented a mysterious communication which -should detain the Colonel in waiting for an imaginary visitor, and -give him the opportunity of going instead; therefore while the soldier -waited impatiently at the Hall for his unknown correspondent, Oliver -borrowed his cloak, and opening the door in the wall before mentioned, -entered the churchyard and repaired to the church. - -‘I hear the Colonel; he has just come in,’ said Nathan. ‘Will you shew -a light, Mr Bertram?’ As he spoke he continued the tolling of the -curfew; and his companion descended the stairs with the lantern in his -hand; but he saw no one, for Oliver was concealed in the deep shadow of -the porch. - -Just as Bertram stepped forward saying: ‘This way, Colonel Lindsay,’ -the lantern was dashed from his hand, and a violent blow felled him to -the ground. He rose and grappled with his antagonist, who maintained -a dead silence, until slipping over the steps into the interior of -the church, they fell with violence on the stone floor; at the same -moment Bertram felt a sharp wound in his side, and uttered a loud cry -as Nathan rushed from the belfry bearing a candle in his hand. He saw -before him Oliver Peregrine about to escape from the scene, while his -cousin lay on the floor of the church bleeding and unconscious. - -In a moment Nathan had grasped Oliver in a powerful grip, the signal -for a terrible struggle, during which, however, the latter overpowered -his antagonist; and the would-be murderer escaped in the darkness, just -as Colonel Lindsay, who had begun to suspect treachery, came hastily -upon the scene followed by Dobson and two or three of the villagers. -The reason of the sudden stoppage of the bell was apparent to all. With -faces of horror and affright they gazed upon Nathan, who, breathless -and trembling, supported the wounded man upon his arm. - -‘What is it? Who is it?’ demanded Colonel Lindsay, as he picked up -his cloak, which lay in the porch; but Nathan made no reply; and -his interrogator saw that for some unknown reason he purposely kept -silence; also that he took no notice of the cloak or the broken -lantern, but signed to Dobson to help him to bear Bertram from the -church. - -Colonel Lindsay at once comprehended the manœuvre; and spreading out -the cloak, they laid Bertram gently down upon it; then Nathan, assisted -by two labourers and the Colonel, raised him, and preceded by Dobson, -whose legs trembled beneath him, bore their senseless burden through -the churchyard. ‘To the Hall!’ was the word of command, given and -obeyed, as they marched slowly but steadily through the grounds, until -they reached the principal entrance. There a crowd of bewildered faces -including those of Squire Peregrine, his daughters and servants, met -their gaze. - -‘Charles,’ said Colonel Lindsay, ‘I bring you your son. You dare not -refuse him a home if he is living, or a grave if he be dead.’ - -The Squire made no reply, but sank upon the nearest chair and covered -his face with his hands. - -‘Shew me to a room,’ continued Colonel Lindsay. - -Now Nathan and the gloomy procession moved up the broad staircase, -leaving those below watching their progress in dumb amazement. Patricia -was the first to recover, and sign to her father to follow her to the -room they had just left. Her movement dispersed the crowd of servants -to wonder and talk among themselves; while Gertrude found herself -surrounded by her younger sisters, who began eagerly plying her with -questions. To all their importunities, Gertrude only answered: ‘Do not -ask me--do not ask me;’ and with the tears streaming down her face, -which she in vain attempted to control, she mounted the staircase, and -with a trembling hand knocked at the door of the room into which her -brother had been carried. Colonel Lindsay answered her. - -‘May I come in?’ she whispered; and receiving permission, she stepped -up to the bed, around which the men were still busy. One glance at her -apparently dying brother determined her. - -‘Colonel Lindsay,’ she said with forced composure, ‘pray telegraph at -once for a physician. Papa cannot collect himself sufficiently; but -I am sure he would wish it.’ Then turning to two young men who stood -waiting near the door, she despatched them in all speed for the local -practitioner, Dr Downes. - -Then she addressed herself to Nathan: ‘You will watch my brother, will -you not, until I come back? If he should return to consciousness, he -will be glad to find you near him.’ Without waiting for a reply, she -left the room quietly, but soon returned, prepared to act nurse to the -wounded man. - -As Nathan raised his eyes, he thought he had never seen anything so -charming before; nothing of which he had read could exceed the womanly -gentleness and loveliness of that fair face; and his own flushed with -shame as he allowed his eyes to dwell upon it longer than in his -opinion was consistent with good breeding. ‘And at such a time,’ said -Nathan to himself, as he again bent over the prostrate form. - -Gertrude had brought with her an aged servant who had nursed them, and -still remained an inmate of the Hall. In spite of the changes produced -by time and the circumstances under which she now saw him, Nurse -Goodall recognised Bertram at once, and her agitation was extreme; -for being fully acquainted with every circumstance connected with his -flight, she argued that there could be but one termination to this rash -proceeding on the part of Colonel Lindsay--the expulsion of the son now -lying at the point of death from his father's roof; for she knew full -well the obstinate character of the Squire of Linden, and blamed the -Colonel for thus precipitating the end. - -As yet, no one in the Hall knew anything further than that the son of -the house had returned desperately wounded, and that Colonel Lindsay -and Nathan had brought him home: all the rest was mystery unfathomable. -At this juncture, the surgeon, Dr Downes, entered the room in a little -trepidation, his visits to the Hall being rare, and this message having -been sudden and brief. The surgeon perceived a complicated case, and -made an examination of his patient. This done, he inquired if any -person was present to whom the injured man was thoroughly accustomed. -Colonel Lindsay mentioned Nathan and himself. The surgeon then -requested Gertrude and the servants to retire, and proposed to wait -with Nathan the advent of the physician, who had been telegraphed for. -Colonel Lindsay, promising to introduce Dr Ferris directly he arrived, -left the room also, and taking Gertrude on his arm, sought the Squire, -who was still in conversation with his eldest daughter. Patricia and -her father received him coldly, and positively declined to see Bertram. - -‘Charles,’ said the Colonel, ‘I have much to tell you, which had better -be said privately. Will you give me a few minutes in your library?’ -The tone was so full of meaning, that the Squire rose and led the way. -The result of their conference will be shewn in the conclusion of our -narrative. - - - - -THE SALT MARSHES OF BRITTANY. - - -Not the least interesting part of France is the wide range of country -watered by the Loire. It is here that feudal and historic remains may -best be studied; fine old castles, palaces, and abbeys rise before the -traveller on all sides. The gloomy Blois, where those arch enemies of -French liberty the Guises, were assassinated; the castellated den of -Plessis-les-Tours, where Louis XI. carried out his deep-laid schemes, -so well described in _Quentin Durward_; and the high towers and deep -vaults of Amboise, which tell of many a tragic conspiracy and massacre. -Here too is the picturesque Chénonceaux, with its rich ceilings and -tapestry, where Mary Queen of Scots passed some happy days in her -sad life, and Francis I. drew around him his joyous court. Joan of -Arc unfurled her banner in this interesting province; and the heroic -Vendeans lie buried by thousands, martyrs to their religion and their -king. It is a bright sunny land; the acacia hedges divide the fields -with their elegant white blossoms; the vineyards are loaded with purple -grapes, the apple orchards give abundance of cider; a lazy kind of -land where the idler may kill time to his heart's content. Yet the -Loire cannot boast of equal beauty with the Seine; its raging waters -inundate the country in winter, leaving dry shoals in summer; and near -its mouth, the district called the Marais is an uninteresting tract of -sand, salt marshes, and ponds. It is of this unpromising scene that we -would write, where ten thousand persons find occupation in the making -of salt. - -The interest attaching to the people arises from their extreme -simplicity. Thanks to the salubrity of the country, they are a fine -hardy race, the men tall and well-proportioned, the women celebrated -for their fresh complexions. Watch them as they work in the salt-fields -carrying heavy loads on their heads, barefoot, in short petticoats, -and running rather than walking on the edge of the ponds. But all this -is changed on grand fête days, when the costume of their forefathers -in past centuries is worn. It is called the marriage dress, as it -is first donned by the women on that day. Since it must last for a -lifetime, it is carefully laid aside for special occasions. There is -the embroidered cap and white handkerchief for the shoulders, edged -with lace; the belt and bodice stitched with gold thread. A gay violet -petticoat is partially covered by a white dress, the sleeves of which -are either red or white; and an apron of yellow or red silk adds to -the smart attire. The red stockings are embroidered, and the violet -sandals cover well-shaped feet. As for the bridegroom to this pretty -bride, he adorns himself with a brown cloth shirt, a muslin collarette, -full knickerbockers, and no less than two waistcoats, one white, the -other blue, with a large black cloth mantle over all. To complete -his toilet there is a three-cornered hat with velvet cords, white -embroidered stockings, and white buckskin shoes. Such is the costume of -Bourg-de-Batz; but each village has its own distinctive coiffure. The -burning summer sun, whose rays are reflected from the salt marshes as -if from a lens, forces all to wear wide-brimmed hats for daily work; -the high winds and great changes of temperature necessitating double or -triple woollen waistcoats; yet even this time-honoured style of dress -has something picturesque about it. - -Let us cross to the left bank of the Loire, and ascend the hill -into the little town of Pellerin, justly proud of its position and -commanding views. From this vantage-ground the eye passes over the -indented coast-line where the points of Mesquer, Croisic, and many -others advance into the sea. The green pastures and pretty villas -of Saint Etienne form the foreground to the barren reaches of the -salt district, which extends towards Morbihan, occupying about six -thousand acres. The commercial centre of the country is the town of -Guérande, perched on a hill, and belonging to a long past age. Its -high ramparts, built for defence in troublous times, can only be -entered by four gates, which bear the marks of portcullises. Enormous -trees entirely conceal it from the traveller, who would fancy he was -approaching a green forest, instead of an old fortified place belonging -to feudal times. Vines and cereals grow admirably on the higher -ground surrounding it, to the very verge of the salt marshes, which -are utterly bare. Looking towards the sea, the marks of its fury are -apparent, as if Nature wished to collect all her weapons of defence for -the inhabitants. Gigantic rocks of capricious forms, sometimes rising -like a bundle of lances; sometimes lying on the shore, as if they were -Egyptian sphinxes, or lions turned into stone, and polished by the -waves; or even resembling these very waves petrified in a moment on -some tempestuous day. - -Nothing is more easy to describe than a salt marsh. Imagine a -market-garden divided into squares; but instead of the green -vegetables, each square filled with water, and the walks not level -with, but raised above the spaces about ten inches in height. The -parallelograms are termed in the vernacular _œillets_. These are filled -with sea-water, which pours in through conduits at high-tide, the water -having been stored during a period of from fifteen to thirty days, in -reservoirs attached to each marsh. The system of canals through which -it passes is of a complicated nature; and the production of the salt -constitutes, so to speak, a special branch of agriculture, where the -visible help of man assists the hidden work of Nature. The ground must -be dug and arranged in a particular manner, that the saline particles -may crystallise, just as a field where wheat grows and ripens. Thus, it -is not surprising that the salt-workers adopt the professional terms of -the farmers. At certain times they say ‘The marsh is in flower;’ they -speak of the ‘harvest’ and of ‘reaping the salt.’ - -It is in the _œillet_, where the water is only about an inch in depth, -that the salt forms, thanks to the evaporation of the sun, and to the -current which, slowly circulating through the different compartments, -assists the evaporation. The salt which then falls to the bottom of the -basin is raked out by the _paludier_ into round hollows made at the -edge at certain distances. This is done every one or two days. The art -consists in raking up all the salt without drawing the mud with it. In -the salt marsh of Guérande they collect separately a white salt, which -forms on the surface under the appearance of foam, and is used for the -salting of sardines. - -It will easily be understood that everything depends on the sky; above -all things, the heat of the solar rays is necessary. In cloudy weather -there is no crystallisation. Rainy seasons are most disastrous for the -_paludiers_. The harvest varies from year to year; but calculating the -produce for ten years, it amounts to three or four thousand pounds of -salt in each _œillet_. Work begins in the month of June, and is carried -on till October. The number of _œillets_ varies with the size of the -marsh; that of Guérande contains about twenty-four thousand; others -are much less. The gathered salt is carried daily to some slope near -and packed in a conical form, very much resembling the tents of a camp -when seen from a distance. At Guérande the women are seen running in -this direction, carrying the salt on their heads in large wooden bowls, -holding about fifty pounds; whilst at Bourgneuf the men are employed, -who make use of willow-baskets borne on the shoulder. If the salt is -sold immediately, the cone is only covered with a little earth. But it -more frequently happens that when the harvest is good, speculators buy -large quantities to keep until the price rises, and then large masses a -thousand pounds in weight are formed, and protected by a thick layer of -earth. - -Like all kinds of property in France, the salt marshes are much -divided. More than three thousand proprietors share that of Guérande; -and there is a kind of co-operative partnership between the owner and -the worker, the latter generally receiving a quarter of the profits, -out of which he pays the porters. The gain is, however, miserably -small; and the wonder is how the various families manage to exist upon -it. Even if the wife and daughter help, the whole family only earn -about two hundred and fifty-five francs a year--ten pounds of our -money; and in consequence of the season when the salt is collected, -the _paludier_ has no chance of increasing his income by assisting -the farmers, and can only employ himself in the trifling labours of -winter. So low, indeed, have the profits sunk, that in some marshes the -expenses have exceeded them; in short there is no kind of property in -France that has for the last century undergone more terrible reverses -than this. These changes are partly due to the railways, which have -provided a much more efficient and rapid means of transport for the -east of France than for the west. - -There are three large zones in the country where salt is found. In -the eastern district it is derived from springs and mines; but in the -present day the salt mines are treated like the springs. Instead of -dividing the lumps with the pickaxe, galleries are cut through and -flooded with water; when this is sufficiently saturated, it is brought -to the surface and evaporated in heated caldrons. The aid of the sun -is not required; fine or rainy days do not count, and the making of -salt becomes a trade for all the year round. In the south the plan is -varied, because there is no tide in the Mediterranean Sea. Here, by the -help of a mechanical apparatus, the sea-water is pumped into enormous -squares, where it crystallises, and the evaporation is accelerated by a -continual circulation. With a warm temperature and a cloudless sky, the -water requires to be renewed only at intervals, whilst the salt itself -is not collected until the end of summer. Thus the poor workmen of -Brittany have a more laborious and less remunerative task, though the -salt is acknowledged to be of a finer quality. - -The family life is necessarily of a very hard and parsimonious -character. It is impossible to buy animal food; a thin soup supplies -the morning and evening repast, with poorly cooked potatoes at mid-day. -Those who are near the sea can add the sardine and common shell-fish, -which are not worth the trouble of taking into the towns to sell. The -cruel proverb, ‘Who sleeps, dines,’ finds here its literal application; -during the winter the people lie in bed all the day to save a meal. -There is a strong family affection apparent among them, the father -exercising a patriarchal authority in the much-loved home. If they go -away, it is never for more than twenty leagues, to sell the salt from -door to door. Driving before them their indefatigable mules, borne down -at starting with too heavy a load, they penetrate through the devious -narrow lanes, knowing the path to every hamlet or farmhouse where they -hope to meet with a customer. - -The population of Bourg-de-Batz is said to be a branch of the Saxon -race, and has hitherto been so jealous of preserving an unbroken -genealogy that marriages are always made among themselves. A union with -a stranger is felt to be a misalliance. There are some local customs -still remaining which point to an ancient origin, a visible legacy of -paganism perpetuated to the present day. Such is the festival which is -celebrated at Croisic in the month of August in honour of Hirmen, a -pagan divinity in the form of a stone with a wide base lying near the -sea. Here, with grotesque movements, the women execute round the stone -a sort of sacred dance, and every young girl who is unfortunate enough -to touch it is certain not to be married during the year. There is an -old chapel of St Goustan which shews the tenacity with which the people -hold to their traditions. Once a place for pilgrimages, it has not been -used for sacred purposes during seventy years, and serves as a magazine -for arms. Yet the inhabitants of Batz visit it yearly, and especially -pray beneath the sacred walls at Whitsuntide. - -Sunday is strictly kept as a day of rest from their toils; then the -poorest dress in clean clothes, men, women, and children going in -family groups to church. After that, relations and neighbours pay -visits. Man is no longer a beast of burden, but shews that he has a -heart and a conscience; a happy spirit of good temper and frankness -reigns everywhere. Indeed the high moral qualities of the natives, -their love of education, and strong attachment to their native soil, -make them a vigorous branch of the French nation, and one calculated to -gain the traveller's respect. - - - - -CRITICAL ODDITIES. - - -That short pithy criticisms are occasionally as pointed as those that -are more elaborated, may be gleaned from the following, which we cull -at random for the amusement of our readers. - -A little calculation would have saved a well-known novelist being taken -to task by a fair graduate of Elmira College, who thus relieved her -mind by writing as follows to the College magazine: ‘In a novel of -Miss Braddon's, a book of wonderful plot and incident, the hero, after -coming to grief in a civilised country, went to Australia to make his -fortune; and while yet an apprentice at the pick and shovel, found an -immense nugget of gold, which he hid, now in one place, now in another, -and finally, was obliged to carry in his under-shirt pocket for weeks. -When he reached home its sale made him immensely rich. I had a little -curiosity in the matter, and obtaining the current price of gold, -found, by a simple computation, that the nugget must have weighed _a -hundred and ninety-four pounds_. A sizeable pocket that must have been!’ - -Albert Smith had his pronouns criticised in the following neat way by -Thackeray. Turning over the leaves of a young lady's album, Thackeray -came upon the following lines: - - Mont Blanc is the Monarch of Mountains-- - They crowned him long ago; - But who they got to put it on, - Nobody seems to know.--ALBERT SMITH. - -And wrote underneath: - - I know that Albert wrote in a hurry: - To criticise I scarce presume; - But yet methinks that Lindley Murray, - Instead of ‘who,’ had written ‘whom.’ - - W. M. THACKERAY. - -Not quite so good-naturedly did Chorley treat Patmore's _Angel in the -House_, in his critical versicles: ‘The gentle reader we apprise, That -this new Angel in the House, Contains a tale, not very wise, About a -parson and a spouse. The author, gentle as a lamb, Has managèd his -rhymes to fit; He haply fancies he has writ Another _In Memoriam_. How -his intended gathered flowers, And took her tea, and after sung, Is -told in style somewhat like ours, For delectation of the young.’ Then -after giving ‘some little pictures’ in the poet's own language, the -cruel critic went on--‘From ball to bed, from field to farm, The tale -flows nicely purling on; With much conceit there is no harm, In the -love-legend here begun. The rest will come some other day, If public -sympathy allows; And this is all we have to say About the Angel in the -House.’ - -This hardly amounted to faint praise, a kind of encouragement Mr -Buckstone owned had a very depressing effect upon him when he ranked -among youthful aspirants to theatrical honours. ‘I was,’ said the -comedian, ‘given by my manager a very good part to act, which being -received by the public with roars of laughter, I considered that my -future was made. A worthy vendor of newspapers, a great critic and -patron of the drama, asked me for an order. On giving him one, I called -the next day expecting to hear a flattering account of my performance, -but was disappointed. Determined to learn what effect my acting had -produced on him, I nervously put the question: “Did you see me last -night?” to which he replied: “O yes.” “Well,” said I, “were you -pleased?” And he again replied with his “O yes.” I then came to the -point with: “Did you like my acting?” And he rejoined: “O yes; you made -me _smile_.”’ - -A more appreciative critic was the lady who after seeing Garrick -and Barry severally play Romeo, observed that in the garden scene, -Garrick's looks were so animated and his gestures so spirited, that had -she been Juliet she should have thought Romeo was going to jump up to -her; but that Barry was so tender, melting, and persuasive, that had -she been Juliet she should have jumped down to him. - -An old seaman after looking long at the picture of ‘Rochester from the -River,’ cried: ‘Yes, that's it--just opposite old Staunton's, where -I served my time--just as it used to look when I was a youngster no -higher than my stick. It's forty years since I saw the old place; but -_if the haze would only clear off_, I could point out every house!’ - -When M. Gondinet's _Free_ was produced at the Porte St Martin Theatre, -a Parisian critic commended the playwright for rendering a good deal of -the dialogue inaudible by a liberal employment of muskets and cannon; -and then conjugated _Free_ thus: ‘I am free to go to the play; thou art -free to be bored by the first act; he or she is free to be bored by act -second; we are free to be bored by the third; you are free to be bored -still more by the fourth and fifth acts; and they are free to stay away -for the future.’ - -M. Gondinet's drama was seemingly as fitting a subject for the -pruning-knife as the play of which Mark Twain, speaking for himself and -partner, deposed: ‘The more we cut out of it, the better it got along. -We cut out, and cut out, and cut out; and I do believe this would be -one of the best plays in the world to-day, if our strength had held -out, and we could have gone on and cut out the rest of it.’ - -An Ohio politician ‘on the stump,’ stayed the torrent of his eloquence -for a moment, and looking round with a self-satisfied air, put the -question: ‘Now, gentlemen, what do you think?’ A voice from the crowd -replied: ‘Well, Mr Speaker, if you ask me, I think, sir, I do indeed, -that if you and me were to stump the state together, we could tell more -lies than any other two men in the country, sir; and I'd not say a word -myself, sir, all the time.’ The orator must have felt as grateful as -the actor whose impersonation of the hero of _Escaped from Sing-Sing_ -impelled a weary pittite to proclaim aloud that the play would have -been better ‘if that chap hadn't escaped from Sing-Sing;’ or the Opera -tenor whose first solo elicited from Pat in the upper regions the -despairing ejaculation: ‘Och, my eighteen-pince!’ - -A young negro, carefully conducting an old blind woman through the -Philadelphia Exhibition, stopped in front of a statue of Cupid and -Psyche, and thus enlightened his sightless companion: ‘Dis is a white -mammy and her babby, and dey has just got no clo' onto 'em at all, and -he is a-kissin' of her like mischief, to be shuah. I's kind o' glad you -can't see 'em, 'cause you'd be flustered like, 'cause dey don't stay -in de house till dey dresses deyselves. All dese figures seem to be -scarce o' clo', but dey is mighty pooty, only dey be too white to be -any 'lation to you and me, mammy.’ Then turning to a statue in bronze: -‘Dere be one nigger among 'em which is crying over a handkerchief. Dey -call him Othello. Mebbe his mother is dead, and he can't fetch her to -de show, poor fellow!’ - -An American officer riding by the bronze statue of Henry Clay in Canal -Street, New Orleans, was asked by his Irish orderly if the New Orleans -‘fellers’ were so fond of niggers that they put a statue of one in -their ‘fashionablest’ street. ‘That's not a nigger, Tom; that's the -great Clay statue,’ said the amused officer. Tom rode round the statue, -dismounted, climbed upon the pedestal, examined the figure closely, and -then said: ‘Did they tell yez it was clay? It looks to me like iron!’ - -Tom's ignorance was more excusable than that of the Yankee who, -learning on inquiry that the colossal equestrian figure in Union -Square, New York, was ‘General Washington, the father of his country,’ -observed: ‘It is? I never heard of him before; but there is one thing -about him I do like--he does set a horse plaguy well.’ A compliment to -the artist, at all events. - -Perhaps Salvini took it as a compliment when his Othello was compared -to the awakening fury of the Hyrcanian tiger disturbed at his feast -of blood, and his Hamlet described as ‘a magnificent hoodlum on -his muscle, with a big mad on, smashing things generally;’ and the -Boston actress was delighted to know her ‘subtle grace, flexible as -the sinuosities of a morning mist, yet thoroughly proportioned to -the curves of the character, was most especially noticeable.’ But -the Hungarian prima donna must have felt a little dubious as to the -intentions of the critic who wrote of her: ‘Her voice is wonderful. -She runs up and down the scale with the agility of an experienced cat -running up and down a house-top, and two or three fences thrown in. She -turns figurative flip-flaps on every bar, tearing up the thermometer -to away above two hundred and twelve, and sliding down again so far -below zero that one feels chilled to the bone.’ The fair singer would -probably have preferred something in this style: ‘Miss ---- wore a rich -purple suit with a handsome shade of lavender, a white over-garment, -tight-fitting, with flowing sleeves, and a white bonnet trimmed with -the same shades of purple and lavender, and she sang finely.’ - -That has the merit of being intelligible. The writer was not in such a -desperate condition as the Memphis theatrical reporter who lauded an -actress as ‘intense yet expansive, comprehensive yet particular, fervid -without faultiness; glowing and still controlled, natural but refined, -daring anything, fearing nothing but to violate grace; pure as dew, -soft as the gush of distant music, gentle as a star beaming through the -riven clouds. With mystery of charms she comes near to us, and melts -down our admiration into love; but when we take her to us as something -familiar and delicious, she floats away to the far heights of fame, -and looks down on our despair with countenance of peaceful lustre and -smiles as sweet as spring.’ If the lady did not reciprocate, her heart -must have been of adamant. - - - - -THE WELL-KNOWN SPOT. - - - Again with joy I view the waking shore, - Where mem'ries live for ever in their green, - And from the solemn graveyard's checkered floor - Gaze fondly o'er the all-enchanting scene. - - The same sad rooks awake their mocking cries, - And drooping willows weep the early grave, - As o'er the dead the restless spirit flies, - Tries vainly yet yon broken heart to save. - - But, hush! sad soul, nor leave this hallowed spot, - Where peaceful slumber seals the closèd eye. - The lonely sleeper now awaken not - By the rude raving, or the deep-drawn sigh. - - Oh, let me mourn (the fainting heart replies), - These new-made graves, which take my wond'ring sight; - Say, who beneath this little tombstone lies, - Or who this Angel guards through the long night. - - When last I saw, no mounds lay heaving there, - No sexton rude had turned the resting sod. - Alas, how changed! The holy and the fair - Have sunk in death, and triumphed in their God. - - Then let me pause, if here my Maker stays, - And guards his saints from the inhuman foe. - His word is true; my trembling heart obeys; - Bless'd are the dead who to the Saviour go. - - Now new refulgence breathes o'er all the scene; - Yon lark's sweet warble now is sweeter still; - Yon blady grass stands out in purer green; - And softer music tinkles from the rill. - - For why? O mark! The cause is written here; - The pale-faced marble tells the softened tale, - That sweeteneth the sigh, arrests the starting tear, - And lulls to silence the untimely wail. - - ASTLEY H. BALDWIN. - - * * * * * - -Printed and Published by W. & R. 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