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diff --git a/old/67014-h/67014-h.htm b/old/67014-h/67014-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index f758663..0000000 --- a/old/67014-h/67014-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3151 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> -<head> - <meta charset="UTF-8" /> - <title> - Chambers’s Journal, by Various—A Project Gutenberg eBook - </title> - <link rel="icon" href="images/cover.jpg" type="image/x-cover" /> - <style> /* <![CDATA[ */ - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -.ph3{ - text-align: center; - font-size: large; - font-weight: bold; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -@media print { hr.chap {display: none; visibility: hidden;} } -hr.full {width: 95%; margin-left: 2.5%; margin-right: 2.5%;} - - -.header {text-align: center; margin-top: 0;} -.header p {text-align: center; text-indent: 0;} -.header .floatl {float: left;} -.header .floatr {float: right;} -.header .floatc {padding-top: .5em;} - -@media handheld -{ -.header {text-align: center; margin-top: 0;} -.header p {text-align: center; text-indent: 0;} -.header .floatl {float: left;} -.header .floatr {float: right;} -.header .floatc {padding-top: .5em;} -} - -div.chapter {page-break-before: always;} -h2.nobreak {page-break-before: avoid;} - - -table { - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; -} -table.autotable { border-collapse: collapse; } -table.autotable td, -table.autotable th { padding: 4px; } - -.tdl {text-align: left;} - -.pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ - /* visibility: hidden; */ - position: absolute; - left: 92%; - font-size: smaller; - text-align: right; - font-style: normal; - font-weight: normal; - font-variant: normal; -} /* page numbers */ - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} - - -/* Images */ - -img { - max-width: 100%; - height: auto; -} -img.w100 {width: 100%;} - - -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; - page-break-inside: avoid; - max-width: 100%; -} - - -/* Footnotes */ -.footnotes {border: 1px dashed;} - -.footnote {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 0.9em;} - -.footnote .label {position: absolute; right: 84%; text-align: right;} - -.fnanchor { - vertical-align: super; - font-size: .8em; - text-decoration: - none; -} - -/* Poetry */ -.poetry-container {text-align: center;} -.poetry {text-align: left; margin-left: 5%; margin-right: 5%;} -/* uncomment the next line for centered poetry in browsers */ - .poetry {display: inline-block;} -.poetry .stanza {margin: 1em auto;} -.poetry .verse {text-indent: -3em; padding-left: 3em;} -/* large inline blocks don't split well on paged devices */ -@media print { .poetry {display: block;} } -.x-ebookmaker .poetry {display: block;} - - -/* Poetry indents */ -.poetry .indent0 {text-indent: -3em;} -.poetry .indent2 {text-indent: -2em;} - - - /* ]]> */ </style> -</head> -<body> -<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, Fifth Series, No. 110, Vol. III, February 6, 1886, by Various </p> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, Fifth Series, No. 110, Vol. III, February 6, 1886</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Various </p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: December 26, 2021 [eBook #67014]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Susan Skinner, Eric Hutton and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL OF POPULAR LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART, FIFTH SERIES, NO. 110, VOL. III, FEBRUARY 6, 1886 ***</div> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_81">{81}</span></p> - -<h1>CHAMBERS’S JOURNAL<br /> -OF<br /> -POPULAR<br /> -LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART</h1> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak">CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - -<p class='center'> - - - -<!-- Autogenerated TOC. Modify or delete as required. --> - -<a href="#THE_ETHICS_OF_HOUSEKEEPING">THE ETHICS OF HOUSEKEEPING.</a><br /> -<a href="#IN_ALL_SHADES">IN ALL SHADES.</a><br /> -<a href="#TWO_EVENINGS_WITH_BISMARCK">TWO EVENINGS WITH BISMARCK.</a><br /> -<a href="#A_GOLDEN_ARGOSY">A GOLDEN ARGOSY.</a><br /> -<a href="#THE_FLOATING_ISLAND_ON_DERWENTWATER">THE FLOATING ISLAND ON DERWENTWATER.</a><br /> -<a href="#POPULAR_LEGAL_FALLACIES1">POPULAR LEGAL FALLACIES.</a><br /> -<a href="#THE_MOTHERS_VIGIL">THE MOTHER’S VIGIL.</a><br /> - -<!-- End Autogenerated TOC. --> - -</p> - - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="figcenter" id="header" style="max-width: 37.5em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/header.jpg" alt="Chambers’s Journal of Popular Literature, Science, -and Art. Fifth Series. Established by William and Robert Chambers, 1832. Conducted by R. Chambers (Secundus)." /> -</div> - -<hr class="full" /> -<div class="center"> -<div class="header"> -<p class="floatl"><span class="smcap">No. 110.—Vol. III.</span></p> -<p class="floatr"><span class="smcap">Price</span> 1½<em>d.</em></p> -<p class="floatc">SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1886.</p> -</div></div></div> - -<hr class="full" /> - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_ETHICS_OF_HOUSEKEEPING">THE ETHICS OF HOUSEKEEPING.</h2> -</div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> cry is everywhere the same—the badness -of our modern servants. But who is really to -blame—the mistresses or the maids? the masters -or the employed? The one class are educated, the -other are comparatively ignorant; and influence -filters downwards—it does not permeate the -social mass from below. We cast longing looks -backward to the bygone times when servants -were the humble friends of the family, ready -to serve for love and bare maintenance if bad -times came, and identifying themselves with the -fortunes of their masters. But we forget that -we ourselves have changed even more than -they, since the days when mistresses overlooked -the maids in closer companionship than is warranted -now by the conditions of society—when -daily details were ordered by the lady, and the -execution of her orders was personally supervised—when -housekeeping was at once an art -and a pleasure, a science and a source of pride. -Then young servants were trained immediately -under the eye of the mistress and by her direct -influence; as now they are trained under the -head servant of their special department. And -in this change of teachers alone, if no other -cause were wanting, we could trace the source of -the deterioration complained of.</p> - -<p>The lady who, two generations ago, taught -the still-room maid the mysteries of sirups -and confections, of jams and jellies and dainty -sweetmeats—who knew the prime joints, and the -signs of good meat, tender poultry, and fresh -fish, as well as the cook herself—who could go -blindfold to her linen press and pick out the -best sheets from the ordinary, and knew by -place as well as by touch where the finer huckaback -towels were to be found and where the -coarser—who could check as well as instruct -the housemaid at every turn—such a mistress -as this, for her own part diligent, refined, truthful, -God-fearing, was likely to give a higher -tone, infuse a more faithful and dutiful spirit -into her servants, than is possible now, when -the thing is reduced to a profession like any -other, and the teacher is only technically, not -morally, in advance of the pupil. It is the -mistresses who have let the reins slip from their -hands, not the maids who have taken the bit -between their teeth; or, rather, the latter has -been in consequence of the former; and when -we blame our servants for the ‘heartlessness’ -of their service—for the ease with which they -throw up their situations, on the sole plea of -want of change, or of bettering themselves, to the -infinite disturbance of things and trouble to the -household—we must remember that we ourselves -first broke the golden links, and that to expect -devotion without giving affection is to expect -simply slavishness. The advantage of the present -system of mere professional and skilled -technicality is to be found in the greater comfort -and regularity of the household; in the -more finished precision and perfection of the -service; in the more complete systemisation of -the whole art and practice of attendance. But -these gains have been bought with a price—not -only in the increased cost of housekeeping, -but in the deterioration of the moral character -of servants, and in the annihilation of the friendly -and quasi-family feeling which once existed -between the mistress and her domestics.</p> - -<p>In large cities and in the houses of the rich, -the upper men-servants are practically their own -masters. They make their own stipulations as -to hours, food, allowances, liberties; and compound -for the nervous exhaustion of perpetual -worry which does not include hard work, by -a scale of feeding which is more savage than -civilised, in the quantity of flesh-meat included. -They can make the house pleasant or -intolerable to a guest; and in a thousand -sly mysterious ways they cause the mistress -annoyances which cannot be brought home to -them, and of which they enjoy the effect produced. -In the kitchen, the cook is absolute -mistress, and holds her lady as merely the -superscriber of her own <i>menu</i> for the day, as -well as the bank whence is drawn the money<span class="pagenum" id="Page_82">{82}</span> -for the bills—which she pays. And in the payment -of those bills, as well as in dealing with -remnants—of which woe betide the mistress who -should recommend the home consumption!—the -cook doubles and trebles her wages, and feathers -her own nest with the down plucked from her -employers. Can we wonder at this? We put -a half-educated person into a place of trust and -temptation; we neither check nor overlook her; -we trust all to her abstract honesty and sense -of justice; there is no danger of discovery, still -less of punishment; she has before her the additional -temptation of pleasing her fellow-servants -with whom she lives in hourly contact, rather -than of saving the pockets of her rich employers -whom she scarcely knows and rarely sees; and -then we lift up our hands at the depravity of -human nature, when we find that the tradesmen -give back a percentage on their bills, and that -whole pounds of wax candles swell the perquisite -of the grease-pot handsomely. But next door, -the rich merchant is a fraudulent bankrupt; the -respectable family lawyer over the way absconds -after having dealt with his clients’ securities; -master’s friend, the banker, puts up the shutters -to the ruin of thousands on thousands, while -his wife has a secured jointure which enables -them to live in princely style; and the stockjobber, -who dines with us on Sundays, makes -use of private information to sell to his best -friend shares which, up to their highest point -to-day, he knows will collapse like a burst -balloon to-morrow. Are we not a little hard -on the kitchen, seeing what is done in the -parlour?</p> - -<p>Go from the rich to the poor among our gentry—from -the gilded upper stratum to the lower -base and barren subsoil—and here again we find -that mistresses are as much to blame as the maids, -whose shortcomings they bewail and resent. In -a household of this kind, the <i>res angusta domi</i> -prevents the hiring, because rendering impossible -the payment, of good and well-trained servants; -and the mistress has to be content with young -girls whom she must teach, and whose untutored -services she buys at small cost. But here, again, -the modern spirit of the age spoils what else -might seem to be a return to old and wholesome -conditions. Nine times out of ten, the mistress -is as incapable of teaching as the maid is slow -of learning; for we must remember that untrained -girls of this sort are generally taken -from the most humble class, and that they come -into service with but little natural brightness of -wit and less educational sharpening. The mistress -expects too much from them. For the most part -aching under her own burden, disliking her -duties, and envying her richer sisters, she does -the least she can in the house, and gives the -heavy end of the stick to the hired help. And, -forgetful of the maxim of ‘line upon line and -precept upon precept,’ and of the necessity of -reiteration, patient and continual, if a dull brain -has to be impressed and a new method learned, -she is impatient and angry when orders are -forgotten—ways of doing things bungled—and -chaos, disorder, and confusion are the result. -Perhaps she herself is unpunctual and inexact; -but she expects from her seventeen-old little -Betty the punctuality of the sun and the regularity -of the clock. Perhaps she herself is -undutiful, and shirks all that she can transfer -on to another’s hands; but she looks for devotion, -self-sacrifice, the unfailing performance of -her duty, from this comparative child, and -feels entitled to sit in the seat of the judge, -when these virtues run dry and the shallow -stream of conscientiousness fails. From the -nurse-girl, herself a mere child, hired to wheel -the perambulator and look after the children, she -expects such patience, forbearance, and understanding -of child-nature, as she herself, mother -as she is, cannot command. If Jacky is rude and -Jenny is rebellious, if Tommy is unmanageable -and Katie is defiant, she, the mother, whose temper -would be in a blaze on the moment, demands -that the nursemaid shall bear all with a calm -and equable mind, and, without the power of punishing, -be able to reduce to obedience these little -rebels, whom she herself cannot always control -with the help of the rod and the dark-closet to -boot. Furthermore, she lays the blame of these -naughty tempers on the girl, to excuse the children. -They are always good with <i>her</i>, she says -angrily, and it must be Mary’s fault that they -are so often tiresome when <i>she</i> has them. And -when she says this, she does not remember the -old adage about the little pitchers and long ears, -and never realises the fact that by her own words -she gives the children their cue, and encourages -them to be rude to one who, they know beforehand, -will be made the scapegoat for their sins. -That overpowering maternal love—that <i>storgë</i>, of -which poets make so much account, and which -is the primal necessity for the preservation of the -race—is at times the cause of great injustice, -especially when dealing with those unprotected -young nursemaids to whom no authority can be -given, from whom all controlling influence is -expected, and who have neither moral force nor -mental enlightenment enough to control themselves, -still less others. If they stand in the -attitude of accusers, the mother rejects them as -traducers.</p> - -<p>Sometimes, in small households, the master -interferes like a woman, and adds to the confusion -by putting his masculine fingers into the -already over-stocked domestic pie. There are -men who are simply maddening in a house. -They watch behind the window-blind and count -the number of seconds Betty gives to the baker’s -boy, and how she smirks and smiles at the -handsome young greengrocer or the smart Mr -Butcher. That Betty should have any pleasure -in the gallant words or flattering looks of one or -all of these, seems to them a sin, a dereliction of -duty, and, in some queer way, a wrong and a -robbery done to them. For were they to be -completely candid, most masters and mistresses -would say that they expected the whole of a -servant’s nature to be given to them—all her -thoughts as well as her abilities—all her interests -as well as all her time; and that to fall in love -is a kind of petty treason and a quasi-dishonest -transfer of energy. Put in this crude way, this -theorem would be denied; and a dozen other -reasons would be given for the confessed dislike -felt by employers for a love-sick maid. Reduced -to its elements, it would come to what we have -said—impatience of the inevitable troubler of the -conditions being one of the proofs on our side. -In matters of this kind, the ‘molly-man,’ who<span class="pagenum" id="Page_83">{83}</span> -stays at home, peeps from behind the blind and -puts his fingers into all the pies aboard, is a -harsher and less sympathetic person to deal with -than is the average mistress, to whom a girl’s -love affairs carry an echo that awakens old -dreams in her own soul and gain a little compassion -for the sufferer. For, after all, Betty’s -love for the baker’s young man is very much -the same kind of thing as Ada’s for the captain -and Mabel’s for the curate; and neither the cut -nor the material of the gown influences the -beating of the heart which throbs beneath!</p> - -<p>In all this, as we had occasion in a recent paper -to observe, we do not excuse the faulty side of -modern servants, but we should like to see inaugurated -a better method of dealing with it. We -should like to see the mistresses go back to the -old friendly feeling and friendly intercourse with -those who live under their roof, and make their -happiness, by the conscientious discharge of duty—that -old friendly feeling which made of the -household one family, and brought the servants -in line with the masters by the golden cord of -human sympathy. People say that this is impossible; -that the spirit of the age prevents it; that -servants themselves refuse to recognise anything -like personal interest from their employers; that -the whole tone and character of service are -changed, and that it is now only a profession, -where the employed live under the roof of their -employers, instead of out of the house, as with -mill-hands and the like. It may be so; but -if even so, we contend that the higher natures -could influence the lower if they would; that -knowledge could direct ignorance; and that it -depends on the masters and mistresses to get -good out of these changed conditions—human -nature, on the whole, seeking the light, and -society, like a broken crystal, mending its fractures -with fresh material, to the maintenance of -form and beauty.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="IN_ALL_SHADES">IN ALL SHADES.</h2> -</div> -<p class="ph3">BY GRANT ALLEN,</p> - -<p class="ph3"><span class="smcap">Author of ‘Babylon,’ ‘Strange Stories,’ etc. etc.</span></p> - - -<h3>CHAPTER VII.</h3> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> morning when Edward and Marian were -to start on their voyage to Trinidad, with Nora -in their charge, was a beautifully clear, calm, and -sunny one. The tiny steam-tender that took -them down Southampton Water, from the landing-stage -to the moorings where the big ocean-going -Severn lay at anchor, ploughed her way merrily -through the blue ripplets that hardly broke the -level surface. Though it was a day of parting, -nobody was over-sad. General Ord had come -down with Marian, his face bronzed with twenty -years of India, but straight and erect still like -a hop-pole, as he stood with his tall thin figure -lithe and steadfast on the little quarter-deck. Mrs -Ord was there too, crying a little, of course, -as is only decorous on such occasions, yet not -more so than a parting always demands from the -facile eyes of female humanity. Marian didn’t -cry much, either; she felt so safe in going with -Edward, and hoped to be back so soon again on -a summer visit to her father and mother. As for -Nora, Nora was always bright as the sunshine, -and could never see anything except the bright -side of things. ‘We shall take such care of dear -Marian in Trinidad, Mrs Ord!’ she said gaily. -‘You’ll see her home again on a visit in another -twelvemonth, with more roses on her cheek than -she’s got now, when she’s had a taste of our -delicious West Indian mountain air.’</p> - -<p>‘And if Trinidad suits Miss Ord—Mrs Hawthorn, -I mean—dear me, how stupid of me!’ -Harry Noel put in quietly, ‘half as well as it -seems to have suited you, Miss Dupuy, we shall -have no cause to complain of Hawthorn for -having taken her out there.’</p> - -<p>‘Oh, no fear of that,’ Nora answered, smiling -one of her delicious childish smiles. ‘You don’t -know how delightful Trinidad is, Mr Noel; it’s -really one of the most charming places in all -Christendom.’</p> - -<p>‘On your recommendation, then,’ Harry answered, -bowing slightly and looking at her with -eyes full of meaning, ‘I shall almost be tempted -to go out some day and see for myself how really -delightful are these poetical tropics of yours.’</p> - -<p>Nora blushed, and her eyes fell slightly. ‘You -would find them very lovely, no doubt, Mr Noel,’ -she answered, more demurely and in a half-timid -fashion; ‘but I can’t recommend them, you -know, with any confidence, because I was such -a very little girl when I first came home to -England. You had better not come out to -Trinidad merely on the strength of my recommendation.’</p> - -<p>Harry bowed his head again gravely. ‘As you -will,’ he said. ‘Your word is law. And yet, -perhaps some day, I shouldn’t be surprised if -Hawthorn and Mrs Hawthorn were to find me -dropping in upon them unexpectedly for a scratch -dinner. After all, it’s a mere nothing nowadays -to run across the millpond, as the Yankees call -it.’</p> - -<p>They reached the <i>Severn</i> about an hour before -the time fixed for starting, and sat on deck -talking together with that curious sense of finding -nothing to say which always oppresses one on -the eve of a long parting. It seems as though -no subject of conversation sufficiently important -for the magnitude of the occasion ever occurred -to one: the mere everyday trivialities of ordinary -talk sound out of place at such a serious moment. -So, by way of something to do, the party soon -began to institute a series of observations upon -Edward and Marian’s fellow-passengers, as they -came on board, one after another, in successive -batches on the little tender.</p> - -<p>‘Just look at that brown young man!’ Nora -cried, in a suppressed whisper, as a tall and -gentlemanly looking mulatto walked up the gangway -from the puffing tug. ‘We shall be positively -overwhelmed with coloured people, I -declare! There are three Hottentot Venuses down -in the saloon already, bound for Haiti; and a -San Domingo general, as black as your hat; and -a couple of walnut-coloured old gentlemen going -to Dominica. And now, here’s another regular -brown man coming on board to us. What’s his -name, I wonder? Oh, there it is, painted as large -as life upon his portmanteau! “Dr Whitaker, -Trinidad.” Why, my dear, he’s actually going -the whole way with us. And a doctor too! goodness -gracious. Just fancy being attended through -fever by a man of that complexion!’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_84">{84}</span></p> - -<p>‘Oh, hush, Nora!’ Marian cried, in genuine -alarm. ‘He’ll overhear you, and you’ll hurt -his feelings. Besides, you oughtn’t to talk so -about other people, whether they hear you or -whether they don’t.’</p> - -<p>‘Hurt his feelings, my dear! O dear, no, not -a bit of it. I know them better than you do. -My dear Marian, these people haven’t got any -feelings; they’ve been too much accustomed to -be laughed at from the time they were babies, -ever to have had the chance of acquiring any.’</p> - -<p>‘Then the more shame,’ Edward interrupted -gravely, ‘to those who have laughed them out -of all self-respect and natural feeling. But I -don’t believe, for my part, there’s anybody on -earth who doesn’t feel hurt at being ridiculed.’</p> - -<p>‘Ah, that’s so nice of you to think and talk -like that, Mr Hawthorn,’ Nora answered frankly; -‘but you won’t think so, you know, I’m quite -certain, after you’ve been a month or two on -shore over in Trinidad.’</p> - -<p>‘Good-morning, ladies and gentlemen,’ the -captain of the <i>Severn</i> put in briskly, walking -up to them as they lounged in a group on -the clean-scrubbed quarter-deck—‘good-morning, -ladies and gentlemen. Fine weather to start on -a voyage. Are you all going with us?—Why, -bless my heart, if this isn’t General Ord! I -sailed with you, sir, fifteen years ago now or -more, must be, when I was a second officer -in the P. and O. service.—You don’t remember -me; no, I daresay not; I was only a second -officer then, and you sat at the captain’s table. -But I remember you, sir—I remember you. -There’s more folks know Tom Fool, the proverb -says, than Tom Fool knows; and no offence -meant, general, nor none be taken. And so -you’re going out with us now, are you?—going -out with us now? Well, you’ll sit at -the captain’s table still, sir, no doubt, you and -your party; and as I’m the captain now, -you see, why, I shall have a better chance -than I used to have of making your acquaintance.’</p> - -<p>The captain laughed heartily as he spoke at -his own small wit; but General Ord drew himself -up rather stiffly, and answered in a somewhat -severe tone: ‘No, I’m not going out with -you this journey myself; but my daughter, -who has lately married, and her husband here, -are just setting out to their new home over -in Trinidad.’</p> - -<p>‘In Trinidad,’ the jolly captain echoed heartily—‘in -Trinidad! Well, well, beautiful island, -beautiful, beautiful! Must mind they don’t take -too much mainsheet, or catch yellow Jack, or -live in the marshes, that’s all; otherwise, they’ll -find it a delightful residence. I took out a -young sub-lieutenant, just gazetted, last voyage -but two, when they had the yellow Jack awfully -bad up at cantonments. He was in a deadly -funk of the fever all the way, and always asking -everybody questions about it. The moment he -landed, who does he go and meet but an old -Irish friend of the family, who was going home -by the return steamer. The Irishman rushes -up to him and shakes his hand violently and -says he—“Me dear fellow,” says he, “ye’ve come -in the very nick of time. Promotion’s certain; -they’re dying by thousands. Every day, wan -of ’em drops off the list; and all ye’ve got to -do is to hould yer head up, keep from drinking -any brandy, and don’t be frightened; and, be -George, ye’ll rise in no time as fast as I have; -and I’m going home this morning a colonel.”’</p> - -<p>The general shuddered slightly. ‘Not a pleasant -introduction to the country, certainly,’ he -answered in his driest manner. ‘But I suppose -Trinidad’s fairly healthy at present?’</p> - -<p>‘Healthy! Well, yes, well enough as the -tropics go, general.—But don’t you be afraid of -your young people. With health and strength, -they’ll pull through decently, not a doubt of -it.—Let me see—let me see; I must secure ’em -a place at my own table. We’ve got rather an -odd lot of passengers this time, mostly; a good -many of ’em have got a very decided touch o’ -the tar-brush about ’em—a touch o’ the tar-brush. -There’s that woolly-headed nigger fellow -over there who’s just come aboard; he’s going -to Trinidad too; he’s a doctor, he is. We -mustn’t let your people get mixed up with all -that lot, of course; I’ll keep ’em a place nice -and snug at my own table.’</p> - -<p>‘Thank you,’ the general said, rather more -graciously than before.—‘This is my daughter, -captain, Mrs Hawthorn. And this is my son-in-law, -Mr Edward Hawthorn, who’s going out -to accept a district judgeship over yonder in -Trinidad.’</p> - -<p>‘Ha!’ the jovial captain answered in his bluff -voice, doffing his hat sailor-fashion to Marian -and Edward. ‘Going to hang up the niggers -out in Trinidad, are you, sir? Going to hang -up the niggers! Well, well, they deserve it all, -every man-Jack of ’em, the lazy beggars; they -all deserve hanging. A pestering set of idle, -thieving, hulking vagabonds, as ever came around -to coal a ship in harbour! I’d judge ’em, I -would—I’d judge ’em.’ And the captain pantomimically -expressed the exact nature of his -judicial sentiments by pressing his own stout -bull-neck, just across the windpipe, with his -sturdy right hand, till his red and sunburnt face -grew even redder and redder with the suggested -suspension.</p> - -<p>Edward smiled quietly, but answered nothing.</p> - -<p>‘Well, sir,’ the captain went on as soon as he -had recovered fully from the temporary effects -of his self-inflicted strangulation, ‘and have you -ever been in the West Indies before, or is this -your first visit?’</p> - -<p>‘I was born there,’ Edward answered. ‘I’m -a Trinidad man by birth; but I’ve lived so long -in England, and went there so young, that I -don’t really recollect very much about my native -country.’</p> - -<p>‘Mr Hawthorn’s father you may know by -name,’ the general said, a little assertively. ‘He -is a son of the Honourable James Hawthorn, of -Agualta Estate, Trinidad.’</p> - -<p>The captain drew back for a moment with a -curious look, and scanned Edward closely from -head to foot with a remarkably frank and maritime -scrutiny; then he whistled low to himself -for a few seconds, and seemed to be ruminating -inwardly upon some very amusing and unusual -circumstance. At last he answered slowly, in -a more reserved and somewhat embarrassed tone: -‘O yes, I know Mr Hawthorn of Agualta—know -him personally; well-known man, Mr Hawthorn -of Agualta. Member of the Legislative Council<span class="pagenum" id="Page_85">{85}</span> -of the island. Fine estate, Agualta—very fine -estate indeed, and has one of the largest outputs -of rum and sugar anywhere in the whole -West Indies.’</p> - -<p>‘I told you so,’ Harry Noel murmured parenthetically. -‘The governor is coiny. They’re all -alike, the whole breed of them. Secretiveness -large, acquisitiveness enormous, benevolence and -generosity absolutely undeveloped. When you -get to Trinidad, my dear Teddy, bleed him, bleed -him!’</p> - -<p>‘Well, well, Mrs Hawthorn,’ the captain said -gallantly to Marian, who stood by rather wondering -what his sudden change of demeanour could -possibly portend, ‘you shall have a seat at my -table—certainly, certainly; you shall have a seat -at my table. The general’s an old passenger of -mine on the P. and O.; and I’ve known Mr -Hawthorn of Agualta Estate ever since I first -came upon the West India liners.—And the -young lady, is she going too?’ For Captain -Burford, like most others of his craft, had a -quick eye for pretty faces, and he had not been -long in picking out and noticing Nora’s.</p> - -<p>‘This is Miss Dupuy of Orange Grove,’ Marian -said, drawing her young companion a little -forward. ‘Perhaps you know her father too, as -you’ve been going so long to the island.’</p> - -<p>‘What! a daughter of Mr Theodore Dupuy of -Orange Grove and Pimento Valley,’ the captain -replied briskly. ‘Mr Theodore Dupuy’s daughter! -Lord bless my soul, Mr Theodore Dupuy! O -yes, don’t I just know him! Why, Mr Dupuy’s -one of the most respected and well-known -gentlemen in the whole island. Been settled at -Orange Grove, the Dupuys have, ever since the -old Spanish occupation.—And so you’re taking -out Mr Theodore Dupuy’s daughter, are you, -Mrs Hawthorn? Well, well! Taking out Mr—Theodore -Dupuy’s daughter. That’s a capital -joke, that is.—O yes, you must all sit at the -head of my table, ladies; and I’ll do everything -that lies in my power to make you comfortable.’</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, Edward and Harry Noel had -strolled off for a minute towards the opposite -end of the deck, where the mulatto gentleman -was standing quite alone, looking down steadily -into the deep-blue motionless water. As the -captain moved away, Nora Dupuy gave a little -start, and caught Marian Hawthorn’s arm excitedly -and suddenly. ‘Look there!’ she cried—‘oh, -look there, Marian! Do you see Mr Hawthorn? -Do you see what he’s doing? That brown man -over there, with the name on the portmanteau, -has turned round and spoken to him, and Mr -Hawthorn’s actually held out his hand and is -shaking hands with him!’</p> - -<p>‘Well,’ Marian answered in some surprise, ‘I -see he is. Why not?’</p> - -<p>‘Why not? My dear, how can you ask me -such a question! Why, of course, because the -man’s a regular mulatto—a coloured person.’</p> - -<p>Marian laughed. ‘Really, dear,’ she answered, -more amused than angry, ‘you mustn’t be -so entirely filled up with your foolish little -West Indian prejudices. The young man’s a -doctor, and no doubt a gentleman in education -and breeding, and, for my part, I can’t for the -life of me see why one shouldn’t shake hands -with him as well as with any other respectable -person.’</p> - -<p>‘Oh, but Marian, you know—a brown man!—his -father and mother!—the associations—no, -really!’</p> - -<p>Marian smiled again. ‘They’re coming this -way,’ she said; ‘we shall soon hear what they’re -talking about. Perhaps he knows something -about your people, or Edward’s.’</p> - -<p>Nora looked up quite defiant. ‘About <i>my</i> -people, Marian!’ she said almost angrily. ‘Why, -what can you be thinking of! You don’t suppose, -do you, that <i>my</i> people are in the habit of -mixing casually with woolly-headed mulattoes?’</p> - -<p>She had hardly uttered the harsh words, when -the mulatto gentleman walked over towards them -side by side with Edward Hawthorn, and lifted -his hat courteously to Marian.</p> - -<p>‘My wife,’ Edward said, as Marian bowed -slightly in return: ‘Dr Whitaker.’</p> - -<p>‘I saw your husband’s name upon his boxes, -Mrs Hawthorn,’ the mulatto gentleman said with -a pleasant smile, and in a soft, clear, cultivated -voice; ‘and as my father has the privilege of -knowing Mr Hawthorn of Agualta, over in Trinidad, -I took the liberty of introducing myself at -once to him. I’m glad to hear that we’re to -be fellow-passengers together, and that your husband -has really decided to return at last to his -native island.’</p> - -<p>‘Thank you,’ Marian answered simply. ‘We -are all looking forward much to our life in -Trinidad.’ Then, with a little mischievous -twinkle in her eye, she turned to Nora. ‘This -is another of our fellow-passengers, Dr Whitaker,’ -she said demurely—‘my friend, Miss Dupuy, -whom I’m taking out under my charge—another -Trinidadian: you ought to know one another. -Miss Dupuy’s father lives at an estate called -Orange Grove—isn’t it, Nora?’</p> - -<p>The mulatto doctor lifted his hat again, and -bowed with marked politeness to the blushing -white girl. For a second, their eyes met. Dr -Whitaker’s looked at the beautiful half-childish -face with unmistakable instantaneous admiration. -Nora’s flashed a little angrily, and her nostrils -dilated with a proud quiver; but she said never -a word; she merely gave a chilly bow, and didn’t -attempt even to offer her pretty little gloved -hand to the brown stranger.</p> - -<p>‘I have heard of Miss Dupuy’s family by name,’ -the mulatto answered, speaking to Marian, but -looking askance at the same time toward the -petulant Nora. ‘Mr Dupuy of Orange Grove is -well known throughout the island. I am glad -that we are going to have so much delightful -Trinidad society on our outward passage.’</p> - -<p>‘Thank him for nothing,’ Nora murmured aside -to Harry Noel, moving away as she spoke towards -Mrs Ord at the other end of the vessel. ‘What -impertinence! Marian ought to have known -better than to introduce me to him.’</p> - -<p>‘It’s a pity you don’t like the coloured gentleman,’ -Harry Noel put in provokingly. ‘The -appreciation is unfortunately not mutual, it -seems. He appeared to me to be very much -struck with you at first sight, Miss Dupuy, to -judge by his manner.’</p> - -<p>Nora turned towards him with a sudden fierceness -and haughtiness that fairly surprised the -easy-going young barrister. ‘Mr Noel,’ she said -in a tone of angry but suppressed indignation, -‘how dare you speak to me so about that negro<span class="pagenum" id="Page_86">{86}</span> -fellow, sir—how dare you? How dare you -mention him and me in the same breath together? -How dare you presume to joke with me on such -a subject? Don’t speak to me again, pray. You -don’t know what we West Indians are, or you’d -never have ventured to utter such a speech as -that to any woman with a single drop of West -Indian blood in her whole body.’</p> - -<p>Harry bowed silently and bit his lip; then, -without another word, he moved back slowly -toward the other group, and allowed Nora to -join Mrs Ord by the door of the companion-ladder.</p> - -<p>In twenty minutes more, the first warning bell -rang for those who were going ashore, to get -ready for their departure. There was the usual -hurried leave-taking on every side; there was -the usual amount of shedding of tears; there was -the usual shouting and bawling, and snorting and -puffing; and there was the usual calm indifference -of the ship’s officers, moving up and down -through all the tearful valedictory groups, as -through an ordinary incident of humanity, experienced -regularly every six weeks of a whole -lifetime. As Marian and her mother were taking -their last farewells, Harry Noel ventured once -more timidly to approach Nora Dupuy and -address a few parting words to her in a low -undertone.</p> - -<p>‘I’m sorry I offended you unintentionally just -now, Miss Dupuy,’ he said quietly. ‘I thought -the best apology I could offer at the moment -was to say nothing just then in exculpation. -But I really didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, -and I hope we still part friends.’</p> - -<p>Nora held out her small hand to him a trifle -reluctantly. ‘As you have the grace to apologise,’ -she said, ‘I shall overlook it. Yes, we part -friends, Mr Noel; I have no reason to part -otherwise.’</p> - -<p>‘Then there’s no chance for me?’ Harry asked -in a low tone, looking straight into her eyes, with -a searching glance.</p> - -<p>‘No chance,’ Nora echoed, dropping her eyes -suddenly, but speaking very decidedly. ‘You -must go now, Mr Noel; the second bell’s ringing.’</p> - -<p>Harry took her hand once more, and pressed -it faintly. ‘Good-bye, Miss Dupuy,’ he said—‘good-bye—for -the present. I daresay we shall -meet again before long, some day—in Trinidad.’</p> - -<p>‘O no!’ Nora cried in a low voice, as he turned -to leave her. ‘Don’t do that, Mr Noel; don’t -come out to Trinidad. I told you it’d be quite -useless.’</p> - -<p>Harry laughed one of his most teasing laughs. -‘My father has property in the West Indies, Miss -Dupuy,’ he answered in his usual voice of light -badinage, paying her out in her own coin; ‘and -I shall probably come over some day to see how -the niggers are getting on upon it—that was all -I meant. Good-bye—good-bye to you.’</p> - -<p>But his eyes belied what he said, and Nora -knew they did as she saw him look back a last -farewell from the deck of the retreating little -tender.</p> - -<p>‘Any more for the shore—any more for the -shore?’ cried the big sailor who rang the bell. -‘No more.—Then shove off, cap’n’—to the skipper -of the tug-boat.</p> - -<p>In another minute, the great anchor was heaved, -and the big screw began to revolve slowly through -the sluggish water. Next moment, the ship -moved from her moorings and was fairly under -weigh. Just as she moved, a boat with a telegraph-boy -on board rowed up rapidly to her side, -and a voice from the boat shouted aloud in a -sailor’s bass: ‘<i>Severn</i>, ahoy!’</p> - -<p>‘Ahoy!’ answered the ship’s officer.</p> - -<p>‘Passenger aboard by the name of Hawthorn? -We’ve got a telegram for him.’</p> - -<p>Edward rushed quickly to the ship’s side, and -answered in his loudest voice: ‘Yes. Here I am.’</p> - -<p>‘Passenger aboard by the name of Miss Dupuy? -We’ve got a telegram for her.’</p> - -<p>‘This is she,’ Edward answered. ‘How can we -get them?’</p> - -<p>‘Lower a bucket,’ the ship’s officer shouted to a -sailor.—‘You can put ’em in that, boy, can’t you?’</p> - -<p>The men in the boat caught the bucket, and -fastened in the letters rudely with a stone taken -from the ballast at the bottom. The screw still -continued to revolve as the sailors drew up the -bucket hastily. A little water got over the side -and wet the telegrams; but they were both still -perfectly legible. Edward unfolded his in wondering -silence, while Marian looked tremulously -over his right shoulder. It contained just these -few short words:</p> - -<p>‘<i>From</i> <span class="smcap">Hawthorn</span>, <i>Trinidad</i>, to <span class="smcap">Hawthorn</span>, -R.M.S. <i>Severn</i>, <i>Southampton</i>.—For God’s sake, don’t -come out. Reasons by letter.’</p> - -<p>Marian gazed at it for a moment in speechless -surprise; then she turned, pale and white, to -her husband beside her. ‘O Edward,’ she cried, -looking up at him with a face of terror, ‘what on -earth can it mean? What on earth can they wish -us not to come out for?’</p> - -<p>Edward held the telegram open before his eyes, -gazing at it blankly in inexpressible astonishment. -‘My darling,’ he said, ‘my own darling, I haven’t -the very remotest notion. I can’t imagine why -on earth they should ever wish to keep us away -from them.’</p> - -<p>At the same moment, Nora held her own telegram -out to Marian with a little laugh of surprise -and amusement. Marian glanced at it and -read it hastily. It ran as follows:</p> - -<p>‘<i>From</i> <span class="smcap">Dupuy</span>, <i>Trinidad</i>, to <span class="smcap">Miss Dupuy</span>, R.M.S. -<i>Severn</i>, <i>Southampton</i>.—Don’t come out till next -steamer. On no account go on board the <i>Severn</i>.’</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="TWO_EVENINGS_WITH_BISMARCK">TWO EVENINGS WITH BISMARCK.</h2> -</div> - - -<h3 title="PART II.">IN TWO PARTS.—PART II.</h3> - -<p><span class="smcap">Another</span> week has elapsed. The month of May -has arrived in all its glory and beauty. The -magnificent trees in the park of the Diet House -form a leafy arched avenue, and amid the branches -of the venerable six hundred year old yew-tree, -beneath which Mendelssohn composed the overture -to his <i>Midsummer Night’s Dream</i>, feathered -songsters of every kind hold their gay revels. -The spring, that wonderful season of longing -and restless desire, is, as usual, warring successfully -against the stern duties of the members of -parliament. Even the hardest workers among -them, Prince Albrecht of Prussia, Moltke, and -Steinmetz, ay, even those most persevering of -deputies, Wachler and Count Rennard, can no -longer remain indoors. The outcry about the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_87">{87}</span> -bad ventilation of the House is only a pretext -to cover their retreat with honour, and all -gradually assemble beneath the giant yew, there -to listen to the gay tales and rare bits of scandal -with which Hennig and Unruh regale the -assembly. Last year, when, during the intense -heat, we sat out here in the cool <i>pavillon</i>, discussing -the wine duties with the help of some -bottles of rare old Rhenish, President Simson had -a large telegraphic bell placed on the top of the -kiosk, which by its sudden peal so startled our -unconscious souls, like the voice of the last -trumpet, that it completely scared away the god -Bacchus from these precincts for ever.</p> - -<p>It was therefore with intense relief that all -looked forward to the legitimate parliamentary -recreation of the week, Prince Bismarck’s Saturday -evening. This time, no constables were -visible. Immediately on entering the first reception -room up-stairs, we saluted his lady, and -were welcomed by Bismarck himself, who at once -entered into conversation with us, only stopping -occasionally to shake hands with some fresh -arrival. The crush gradually began to lessen as -the visitors dispersed into the various rooms. We -were still standing in the anteroom, near the great -sideboard; the moment seemed favourable for -ascertaining the meaning of the stuffed hare; I -therefore asked Bismarck why it was placed there.</p> - -<p>‘Oh, have you not noticed that this hare is -brunette?’</p> - -<p>‘Brunette?’</p> - -<p>‘Yes. Look here—he has a dark-brown head -and back, whereas he ought by rights to be yellow. -I ought to place an ordinary hare beside him to -show off this natural curiosity. He was the only -“brunette” hare among the fifteen hundred we -killed that day.’</p> - -<p>Most of the guests had gone to the billiard-room. -There were not so many present on this -Saturday evening; a festival in commemoration of -the foundation of the Law Union had drawn -nearly all the legal celebrities of the House to -Charlottenburg.</p> - -<p>But what interested me most was Bismarck’s -own room, the door of which stood open.</p> - -<p>‘May one enter?’ I ask of one of the house-servants.</p> - -<p>‘Certainly, sir,’ is the reply.</p> - -<p>And crossing the threshold, I glance round -the room. In the centre, though somewhat -nearer the two windows that lead on to the -terrace, stands Bismarck’s writing-table, a sort -of long desk, provided on each side with open -pigeon-holes. The chair, without any lean, is a -large round seat of massive oak, which turns either -way. On the right-hand side are the shelves -that hold the public documents. There were none -there now, but on the floor below lay several -locked portfolios. The light falls from the left, -gently softened by white and crimson silk curtains. -Innumerable white gloves, and swords -enough to arm a whole division of generals, are -piled up on a table facing the door through which -we entered. On the escritoire beside it, the Chancellor’s -various civil, military, and official head-coverings -form quite a small exhibition. The -other half of the wall is completely filled up by -a couch of colossal dimensions, covered with blue -brocade. It is almost as broad as it is long, without -back or side cushions, only at the head a -round bolster is placed, on which reposes an embroidered -cushion with this inscription: ‘In -Memory of the Year 1866.’</p> - -<p>The pictures on the walls consist of life-size -engravings, portraits of the great <i>Kurfürst</i> Frederick -the Great, Frederick-William III., and -King William. Beside this latter hangs an engraving -of Murillo’s Madonna, looking somewhat -surprised at her worldly companions. Finally, -on the wall behind the writing-table hangs a -charming Swiss cuckoo-clock; while just below -the portrait of Frederick the Great, and so placed -that Bismarck can see it when he reposes on -the couch, hangs a small picture of his mother, -whose memory, as is well known, he treasures -above everything else. Even taken from the -simple stand-point of man to man, it is satisfactory -to find, by the various letters from among his -private papers that have of late years been made -public, such a fund of kindly feeling, such a -bright and hearty nature, as one would hardly -have looked for in this daring and indomitable -combatant.</p> - -<p>‘In spite of all the hunting and raking-up -of anecdotes of Bismarck’s past life,’ said a Saxon -deputy, ‘that has been going on now for some -years both by Sunday and week-day sportsmen, -from the big journals down to the tiny pamphlets, -not one half of what he has really done, said, -and written, will ever be collected together; -while those who are at all honest will frankly -admit that it would be impossible to reproduce -faithfully the peculiar form and fresh originality -of his sayings. Thus, I heard rather a characteristic -anecdote of his meeting with Councillor -P——, from the Saxon town of M——, at the -Berlin Railway Station in Leipzig. Bismarck—it -was in 1863—had been with the king in -Carlsbad, and was travelling back to Berlin, viâ -Leipzig, in strict incognito. It was noon, and -there was more than an hour to wait before the -next train started. Our friend Councillor P——, -who had been told by the station-master who -his travelling companion was, went into the -reserved dining saloon—Bismarck did the same—and -soon the two merged into amicable converse, -while discussing their respective luncheons. -Bismarck praised the beauty of Saxony and the -bravery and industry of its people. Councillor -P——, who did not belong to the blind worshippers -of Herr von Beust, asked his <i>vis-à-vis</i> -what he thought of the Saxon government and -policy. His <i>vis-à-vis</i> continued his panegyric. -P——, determined not to be outdone, launched -forth into raptures about Prussia—not, however, -including the Berliners.</p> - -<p>“Well, you are quite right,” said Bismarck. -“I daresay you have heard the story of the -Alpine host, who, after pointing out the glories -of his native land, asked a Berlin youth whether -they had such mountains as that in Berlin. ‘No,’ -he replied; ‘we have not got such mountains; -but if we <i>had</i>, they would be far finer than these!’ -Much the same thing happened to me. I was -living in Hanover for some time, and one day -I went, with a friend from Berlin, along the -beautiful Herrenhauser Allee. ‘Look at those -magnificent trees!’ I said. ‘Where?’ was the -answer, as he looked round with contempt. ‘You -mean <i>these</i>? Why, they are not to be compared -to the Linden of Berlin!’ The following year,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_88">{88}</span> -I walked with my friend Unter den Linden. -They had their usual summer aspect, which, as -I daresay you all know, is sufficiently dreary -and melancholy. ‘Well, what say you now?’ -I asked my companion. ‘Do you still maintain -that this is superior to the Herrenhauser Allee?’ -‘Oh, leave me in peace with your Herrenhausers -and Allees,’ he cried testily; ‘it always makes -me savage when I am shown anything better -than we have in Berlin.’ There you have a true -picture of the Berliner.”</p> - -<p>‘Bismarck then went on discussing the lower -classes in Berlin, especially the porters, and -lamented that it was found almost impossible -to make them trustworthy. “You should do -the same as we do,” replied the councillor—“swear -the men in before they take service.”</p> - -<p>“Oh,” replied Bismarck, laughing, “that would -not hold water with us.”</p> - -<p>‘Meanwhile, the doors of the reserved dining-room -were thrown open to the great travelling -public, who began to assemble preparatory to the -starting of the train. Among others, the well-known -Leipzig <i>colporteur</i>, Hartwig, utilised the -moments to find a fresh market for his wares. -He had evidently also another motive—which -he kept out of sight—and that was to give the -Prussian minister some unvarnished truths and -a piece of his mind about his political views, -for of course he knew Bismarck by sight.’</p> - -<p>Now first I noticed the gigantic size of the -bearskin that lay beneath the billiard-table—it -is almost as long as the table itself. Bismarck -shot the animal in Russia, after having watched -and waited for it five nights running.</p> - -<p>The mighty Nimrod now joined our party, -and leant up against the billiard-table while -talking. He then sat down <i>on</i> the table, and -while keeping up a lively conversation with -Hennig and the rest of us about various points -on the interior economy of the Diet, he every -now and then threw a billiard ball behind him, -so that each time it hit the two others that -were on the table. After the discussion had -lasted some time, Bismarck said: ‘But come, -gentlemen; I think it is time we had some -refreshment.’ So saying, he led the way, and -we again passed through the chamber with the -yellow Gobelins, full of Chinese figures, animals, -and pagodas, on to the dining saloon. On our -way, we passed Deputy Kratz in deep confab -with General von Steinmetz. They were still -continuing the discussion on the theory of light, -with which the worthy judge and the victor -of Trautenau had entertained the House for over -an hour a few days ago.</p> - -<p>Close beside them stood the Hessian deputy -Braun, talking to Admiral Jachmann. It is -incredible what an inordinate desire this inland -resident, who has never even heard the sound -of the sea, has for occupying himself with -naval matters. Perhaps these constant discussions -with landsmen, who cannot know much -of nautical affairs, are the cause of the somewhat -stereotyped smile that curves the worthy -admiral’s otherwise handsome lips. This time, -however, he did <i>not</i> smile. Braun had asked -him the following simple but weighty question: -‘The papers and telegraphs have just -informed us of the arrival at Kiel, from England, -of the <i>König Wilhelm</i>, the largest armour-plated -ship of the North German navy. They -write in such a cool, indifferent sort of manner, -as if it were quite an everyday affair for -us to pay out over three million dollars for -such a vessel. Has Your Excellency already -inspected the vessel?’ ‘No; I will do so to-morrow.’ -And with this answer the deputy had -to be satisfied.</p> - -<p>As I passed on, I again came across Bismarck, -this time in conversation with Albrecht, the -town recorder of Hanover, who in the previous -year had had a sharp tussle about his right to -the ox with which the guild of butchers have, -from time immemorial, every year presented the -recorder. The much-vexed question, <i>re</i> the ox, -was happily not now in dispute, Albrecht having -manfully fought for and gained his cause. But -the point under discussion was evidently nearly -as delicate and intricate, for I heard Bismarck -say: ‘Well, both you and I have lost some hair—we -have therefore <i>one</i> very important point -in common—and ought to understand one another -all the better.’</p> - -<p>The table in the dining saloon was again -covered with all the cold delicacies of a true -North German kitchen; and again, like last -Saturday, a small side-table had been taken -possession of by some of the deputies, among -whom I noticed the gentlemanly police superintendent -Devens of Cologne; the two noble sons -of the soil, Evelt and Hosius; and the honest -but somewhat moody Günther of Saxony.</p> - -<p>Ere long, Bismarck came up and seated himself -between Devens and Evelt, chatting pleasantly -with them, while enjoying the cool and fragrant -<i>Maitrank</i>.</p> - -<p>‘How do you like my <i>Maitrank</i>?’ he asked.</p> - -<p>‘It is perfect, Your Excellency!’</p> - -<p>‘Yes; I rather pride myself on it. Curiously -enough, during all my student days I never -found any <i>Waldmeister</i> further south than -Heidelberg. Our South German brethren were -first initiated into the delights of the <i>Maitrank</i> -by us northerners. You from Hohenzollern, for -instance, have no <i>Waldmeister</i>, I suppose?’</p> - -<p>‘O yes, Your Excellency,’ replied Evelt. ‘It -grows splendidly with us. But I also may lay -claim to the honour of having introduced the -Swabians to its magic powers.’</p> - -<p>‘You have to thank your sterile Alps for -that,’ returned Bismarck. ‘Were they more -sheltered, no <i>Waldmeister</i> would grow there.’</p> - -<p>A group of deputies and several waiters with -plates and glasses now separated me from the -speakers. When I again rejoined the party, -Bismarck was telling them the following story -of General von Strotha: ‘He was at that time -living quietly at Frankfort, in command of the -allied garrison there, when one day he received -a telegram from the then Minister President, -Count von Brandenburg, to come at once to -Berlin and report himself to the minister. -Strotha starts for Berlin in hot haste, and thence -immediately goes to Brandenburg.</p> - -<p>“I have sent for Your Excellency to ask you -to become War Minister,” said Brandenburg.</p> - -<p>“Me!” exclaimed Strotha. “For heaven’s -sake, Your Excellency, what made you think of -such a thing? I am not in any way fitted for the -post.”</p> - -<p>“I am afraid that can’t be helped. See; here<span class="pagenum" id="Page_89">{89}</span> -is the order from His Majesty the king, requiring -that you shall be War Minister.”</p> - -<p>‘Strotha reads the order, looking greatly -troubled, and then says: “Of course, if His -Majesty commands, I must obey.”</p> - -<p>“Well, then, my dear colleague,” continues -Brandenburg, “you will attend the cabinet -council at ten to-day.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I could not possibly do that.”</p> - -<p>“I am afraid you will have to. See; here is -another order from His Majesty, expressly desiring -you to undertake the War Department in the -cabinet.”</p> - -<p>“Then I must of course obey,” said the new -War Minister, with a deep sigh of dejection.</p> - -<p>‘He is just about to leave, in order to prepare -himself for his presumable maiden speech, when -Brandenburg stops him: “I suppose you know, -general, that you must appear in <i>mufti</i> [plain -clothes] at the council?”</p> - -<p>‘Strotha stood speechless with amazement. -This was the finishing stroke. “I have none!” -he at last managed to stammer forth.</p> - -<p>“Well, you will have to get yourself some by -ten o’clock—such are the king’s commands.”</p> - -<p>“Then of course I must obey,” replied Strotha, -leaving the room in a very crestfallen manner.</p> - -<p>‘But he faced his difficulty valiantly. Jumping -into a cab, he drove off to the Mühlendamm, -where all the old Jews congregate; and at ten -o’clock precisely, a strange figure, with an enormously -nigh collar and coat sleeves hanging right -over his hands, was seated at the ministerial table—this -was the new War Minister!’</p> - -<p>Günther, who never could hide what he felt, -and who generally looked at the dark side of -most things, had followed the Chancellor’s story -with undisguised amusement. The circle became -every moment more gay and lively.</p> - -<p>‘Take care, Günther,’ cried Mosig von Ahrenberg, -holding up his finger in mock-threat; ‘I -see plainly that Bismarck has completely bewitched -you. I shall feel bound to make your -apostasy known to a certain paper in Leipzig.’</p> - -<p>Whilst this merry chaff was going on, Bismarck’s -wife and her daughters had come in and -had seated themselves at the table. The conversation -now became more general; and soon after, -as it was getting late, the party broke up. With -a profound bow to the ladies, and a kindly shake -of the hand from our genial host, we took our -departure, well pleased with our second social -evening at the hospitable dwelling of ‘Our -Chancellor.’</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="A_GOLDEN_ARGOSY">A GOLDEN ARGOSY.</h2> -</div> -<p class="ph3"><i>A NOVELETTE.</i></p> - -<p class="ph3">BY FRED. M. WHITE.</p> - - -<h3>CHAPTER X.</h3> - -<p><span class="smcap">A cynical</span> writer somewhere observes, that no -man is too rich not to be glad to get a thousand -pounds; and we may therefore assume the joy -of an individual who possesses about as many -pence, in prospect of obtaining possession of that -sum. It was with this kind of joy—not, however, -quite free from incredulity—that Edgar, -when he met Mr Slimm by appointment at his -hotel next day, listened to that gentleman’s renewed -asseverations that there were thousands -of pounds somewhere in that bit of paper which -had been such a mystery to Edgar and his friends. -Mr Slimm was this morning more enthusiastic -than ever on the subject; but Edgar only smiled -in reply, and eyed his cigar with the air of a -connoisseur in the weed. The notion of his possessing -such a sum was decidedly puzzling. His -coolness attracted Mr Slimm’s admiration.</p> - -<p>‘I’ve seen a man hanged in the middle of a -comic song,’ that gentleman observed, with an air -of studious reflection; ‘and I guess he was somewhat -frigid. I once saw a man meet a long-lost -brother whom he had given up for dead, and -ask him for a borrowed sovereign, by way of -salutation, and I calculate that was cool; but -for pure solid stoical calmness, you are right there -and blooming.’</p> - -<p>‘Had I expressed any perturbation, it would -have been on account of my doubting your sanity,’ -Edgar replied. ‘Does it not strike you as a little -strange that a casual acquaintance should discover -a puzzle worth ten thousand pounds to me?’</p> - -<p>‘The onexpected always happens; and blessed -things happen swiftly, as great and good things -always do,’ said Slimm sententiously. ‘I haven’t -quite got the touch of them quotations, but the -essence is about consolidated, I calculate.’</p> - -<p>‘What a fund of philosophy you have!’</p> - -<p>‘You may say that,’ said the American with -some little pride. ‘You see, some years ago I -was down to New Orleans, and I had considerable -fever—fact, I wasn’t out of the house for -months. Reading ain’t much in my line; but -I had to put up with it then. There was a good -library in the house, and at first I used to pick -out the plums; but that wouldn’t do, so I took -’em in alphabetical order. It was a large assortment -of experience to me. First, I’d get Blair -on the <i>Grave</i>, and read that till I was oncertain -whether I was an or’nary man or a desperate bad -one. Then I would hitch on to <i>British Battles</i>, -and get the taste out of my mouth. I reckon -I stored up enough knowledge to ruin an or’nary -digestion. I read a cookery-book once, followed -by a chemistry work. I got mixed there.—But -to return to our muttons, as the Mo’sieus say. I -ain’t joking about that letter, and that’s a fact.’</p> - -<p>‘But what can you know about it?’ Edgar -queried, becoming interested, in spite of himself -and his better judgment.</p> - -<p>‘Well, you listen, and I’ll tell you.’</p> - -<p>Edgar composed himself to listen, excited more -than he cared to show by the impressive air of -his companion, and the absence of that quaint -smile which usually distinguished him; nor could -the younger man fail to notice not only the -change of manner but the change of voice. Mr -Slimm was no longer a rough miner; and his -accent, if not of refinement, was that of cultivation. -Carefully choosing another cigar, and -lighting it with deliberate slowness, each moment -served to raise his companion’s impatience, a consummation -which the astute American doubtless -desired.</p> - -<p>‘When I first knew your uncle,’ he said at -length, ‘we were both much younger men, and, -as I have before told you, I saved his life. That -was in the mines. Well, after a time I lost sight -of him, as is generally the case with such -wanderers. After he left the mines, I did not -stay long; for a kind of home-sickness came over<span class="pagenum" id="Page_90">{90}</span> -me, and I concluded to get away. I determined -to get back and settle down; and for the first -time in my life, the notion of marriage came into -my head. I had not returned long when I met -my fate. Mr Seaton, I will not weary you with -a description of my wife. If ever there was an -angel upon earth—— But no matter; still, it -is always a mystery to my mind what she could -see in a rough uncouth fellow like me. Well, -in course of time we married. I had some money -then; but we decided before the year was out -that it would be best to get some business for -occupation for me. So, after little Amy was -born, we moved West.</p> - -<p>‘For five years we lived there in our little paradise, -and two more children came to brighten our -Western home. I was rapidly growing a rich -man, for the country was good, and the fear of -Indians kept more timorous people away. As for -us, we were the best of friends; and the old chief -used to come to my framehouse and nurse little -Amy for hours. I shall never forget that sight. -The dear little one, with her blue eyes and fair -curls, sitting on that stern old man’s knee, playing -with his beads, and not the least afraid; while -the old fellow used to grunt and laugh and get -as near a smile as it is possible for an Indian -to do. But this was not to last. The old chief -died, and a half-breed was appointed in his place. -I never liked that man. There was something -so truculent and vicious in his face, that it was -impossible to like the ruffian. Well, one day he -insulted my wife; she screamed, and I ran to her -assistance. I took in the situation at a glance, -and gave him there and then about the soundest -thrashing a man ever had in his life. He went -away threatening dire vengeance and looking the -deadliest hate; but next morning he came and -apologised in such humble terms—for the scoundrel -spoke English as well as his own tongue—that -I was fain to forget it. Another peaceful -year passed away, and then I was summoned to -New York on business. Without a single care -or anxiety, I left my precious ones behind. I had -done it before, and they were not the least -afraid.</p> - -<p>‘One night, when I had completed my business, -and had prepared everything for my start -in the morning, I was strolling aimlessly along -Broadway, when I was hailed by a shout, -accompanied by a hearty slap on the back. I -turned round, and there I saw Charlie Morton. -Mind, I am talking of over twenty years ago, -and I think of him as the dashing, good-natured, -weak Charlie Morton I used to know.—Well, to -resume. Over a quiet smoke, he arranged to -accompany me.</p> - -<p>‘It was a glorious morning when we set out, -and our hearts were light and gladsome, and -our spirits as bright as the weather. Was not -I returning to my darlings! We rode on mile -after mile and day after day, till we were within -twelve hours of my house. Then we found, -by unmistakable signs, that the Indians were on -the war-path. This was uncomfortable news for -us; but still I never had an uneasy thought for -the people at home.</p> - -<p>‘When the following morning dawned, I rose -with a strange presentiment of coming evil; but -I shook it off, thinking it was the excitement of -returning, for I had never been away from my -wife so long before. It was just about noon -when I thought I saw a solitary figure in the -distance. It was a strange thing to meet a stray -Indian there, and judge of my surprise when I -saw him making towards us! It turned out to -be a deaf and dumb Sioux I employed about the -clearing, and one of the same tribe we were so -friendly with. By his excited state and jaded -appearance, he had travelled far and hurriedly. -When we came up to him, a horrible fear came -over me, for then I saw he was in his war-paint. -Hurriedly, I made signs to him to know if all -was well at home. He shook his head sadly; -and with that composure which always characterises -his race, proceeded to search for something -in his deerskin vest. You can imagine the eagerness -with which I watched him; and when he -produced a note, with what eagerness did I -snatch it out of his hand! Hastily, I read it, -and sank back in my saddle with a sense of -almost painful relief. Apparently, all was well. -The missive was half a sheet of note-paper, or, -more properly, half of half a sheet of paper, containing -some twelve lines, written right across -the paper, with no signature or heading, saying -how anxious she was for my return. I handed -it to Morton with a feeling of delight and thankfulness; -but, to my surprise, as he read it, he -became graver and graver. At last he burst -forth: “Slimm, have you any secret cipher -between yourselves?”</p> - -<p>“No,” I replied, somewhat startled at the -question. “Why?”</p> - -<p>“Because there is something more here than -meets the eye. You will not mind my saying -so; but the body of this note is almost cold, not -to say frivolous, while words, burning words, -catch my eye here and there. Can you explain -it?”</p> - -<p>“Go on!”</p> - -<p>‘I hardly knew my own voice, it sounded so -hard and strained.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” he mused, twisting the paper in his -supple fingers, “there is more here than meets -the eye. This old messenger is a Sioux; that -tribe is on the war-path, and the chief thoroughly -understands English. An ordinary appeal for -help would be worse than useless, if it fell into -his hands. I perceive this paper is creased, and -creased with method, and the most touching -words are always confined within certain creases. -Now, I will fold this longways, and turn the -paper so; and then fold it thus, and thus. We -are coming to the enigma. Now thus.—No; this -way, and—— Merciful powers!”</p> - -<p>‘He almost reeled from his saddle, and I leant -over him with straining eyes and read: “For -God’s sake, hasten. On the war-path. White -Cloud [the chief] has declared.... Hasten to -us.” I stopped to see no more. Mechanically -thrusting the paper into his saddle-bag, Morton -urged me forward; and for some hours we rode -like madmen, spurring our horses till the poor -creatures almost dropped. At last, in the distance -I saw what was my home—a smoking mass -of ruins. In the garden lay my three children—dead; -and not a quarter of a mile away my wife—also -dead!’</p> - -<p>The American here stopped, and threw himself -on his face upon the couch where he had been -reclining, his huge frame shaking with the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_91">{91}</span> -violence of his emotion. Edgar watched him -with an infinite pity in his eyes for some moments, -not daring to intrude upon his grief. -Presently, Slimm calmed himself, and raising his -face, said: ‘Wall, my friend, I guess them -statistics are sorter calculated to blight what -the poet calls “love’s young dream.”—Pass the -brandy,’ he continued, with an air of ghastly -cheerfulness.</p> - -<p>‘Why did you tell me this?’ Edgar said, -pained and shocked at the recital and its horrible -climax.</p> - -<p>‘Well, you see I wanted to convince you of -the truth of my words. I shall never allude to -my story again, and I hope you never will either; -though I dream of it at times.—Your wife’s uncle -kept that paper, and I have not the slightest -doubt that the same plan has been taken as -regards his wealth. I can’t explain it to you -at this moment; but from the description you -have given of his last letter, I have not the -smallest hesitation in saying that it is formed -on the same lines as the fatal note I have told -you of. Charlie Morton was a good fellow, -but he had not the slightest imagination or -originality.’</p> - -<p>‘And you really think that paper contains a -secret of importance?’</p> - -<p>‘Never doubted it for a moment. Look at -the whole circumstances. Fancy your meeting -me; fancy my knowing your uncle; fancy—— Bah! -It’s clear as mud.’</p> - -<p>‘The coincidences are certainly wonderful.’</p> - -<p>‘Well, they are a few.—And now,’ said Mr -Slimm, dropping into his most pronounced -Yankee style, ‘let this Adonis truss his points, -freeze onto a clean biled rag, and don his plug-hat, -and we’ll go and interview that inter<i>es</i>tin’ -epistle—yes, sir.’</p> - - -<h3>CHAPTER XI.</h3> - -<p>Edgar and his transatlantic companion walked -along Holborn in silence. The former was deeply -immersed in thought; and the American, in spite -of his forced gaiety, had not yet lost all trace -of his late emotion. Presently, they quitted the -busy street and turned into one of the narrow -lanes leading to Queen Square. Arrived at the -house, they were admitted by the grimy diminutive -maid-of-all-work, and slowly ascended the -maze of stairs leading to Edgar’s sitting-room. -There were two persons who looked up as they -entered—Eleanor and Jasper Felix. Edgar performed -the ceremony of introduction, asking his -companion if he had ever heard of the great -novelist. He had.</p> - -<p>‘Yes,’ said Mr Slimm impressively, ‘I believe -that name has been mentioned in my hearing -once, if not more.—Allow me to shake hands -with you, sir. I ain’t given to worshipping -everybody who writes a ream of nonsense and -calls it a novel; but when I come across men -like you, I want to remember it. We don’t have -many of your stamp across the Atlantic, though -Nathaniel Hawthorne runs you very close.’</p> - -<p>‘Indeed, you are very complimentary,’ Felix -replied; ‘and I take your word as flattering. I -don’t like flattery as a rule, especially American -flattery. It is rare, in a general way. I feel -as if they always want something, you know.’</p> - -<p>‘Well, I do calculate my countrymen don’t -give much away for nothing. They like a <i>quid -pro quo</i>; and if they can get the <i>quid</i> without -the <i>quo</i>, so much the better are they pleased. -But I didn’t come here to discuss the idiosyncrasies -of my countrymen.’</p> - -<p>Mr Slimm seemed to possess the happy knack -of making his conversation suit his company. -Edgar could not help contrasting him now with -the typical Yankee of the gambling-house; they -hardly seemed like the same men.</p> - -<p>‘Have you got your uncle’s letter?’ Edgar -asked his wife.</p> - -<p>‘Why?’ she asked, without the slightest curiosity.</p> - -<p>‘Why? I have almost come to your way of -thinking,’ replied Edgar. ‘Do you know, a -wonderful thing has happened this morning. -To make a long story short, my good friend -here was an old friend of your uncle’s. The -story is a very sad one; but the gist of it is -that the paper your uncle left so nearly resembles -a tragic document which he and Mr Slimm -once perused together—what is termed a cipher—that -he is almost sure it is taken from the -same. The coincidence is so strange, the two -letters are so remarkably alike’——</p> - -<p>‘Is this really so, Mr Slimm?’ Eleanor asked -eagerly.</p> - -<p>‘Yes, madam,’ he said quietly. ‘Some day -I will tell you the tale, but not now, of how -I came to be in receipt of that terrible document. -Your uncle was with me; and from what I -know of the circumstances, they must be the -same. If you don’t mind me seeing it’——</p> - -<p>Before he could finish his sentence, Eleanor -was out of the room, and a silence, an uneasy -silence of expectancy, fell on the group. No one -spoke, and the few minutes she was away seemed -like hours. Then she reappeared, and put the -paper in his hands.</p> - -<p>He merely glanced at it for a moment; indeed, -he had not time to read it through before a -smile began to ripple over his quaint-looking, -weather-beaten face. The smile gradually grew -into a laugh, and then he turned to view the -anxious group with a face full of congratulation -and triumph.</p> - -<p>‘Have you found it? Is it so?’ burst from -three people simultaneously.</p> - -<p>He was provokingly slow in his reply, and his -Yankee drawl was more painfully apparent than -ever. ‘Young man,’ said he to Edgar, ‘what -might have been the nominal value of your -uncle’s estate—if he had any?’</p> - -<p>‘About thirty or forty thousand pounds.’</p> - -<p>‘And I promised, if you would let me see this -paper, I would show you something worth ten -thousand pounds. Well, you must pardon me -for my little mistake. One can’t always guard -against mistakes, and this paper is worth four -times that amount.’</p> - -<p>For a few moments every one was aghast at -the value of the discovery.</p> - -<p>Edgar was the first to recover himself. ‘You -are not joking, Slimm?’ he exclaimed hoarsely.</p> - -<p>‘Never a bit,’ he replied with a gaiety delicately -intended to cover and arouse the emotion -of the others. ‘There it is on the face of the -paper, as plainly as possible—the fateful words -staring me in the face. You could see them -yourselves, if you only knew how.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_92">{92}</span></p> - -<p>‘Wonderful!’ exclaimed Felix. ‘And that -simple paper contains a secret worth all that -money?’</p> - -<p>‘Why, certainly. Not only that, but where -it is, and the exact spot in which it is concealed. -Only to think—a starving, desperate woman -dragging such a secret as that about London; -and only to think of a single moment preventing -it being buried in the Thames. Wonderful, -wonderful!’</p> - -<p>‘Perhaps you will disclose it to us,’ said Edgar, -impatient at this philosophical tirade.</p> - -<p>‘No!’ Eleanor put in resolutely—‘no, Edgar! -I do not think it would be fair. Considering -the time and trouble Mr Carver has given to -the matter, it would only be right for him to -know at the same time. The dear old gentleman -has been so enthusiastic throughout, and so -kind, that I should feel disappointed if he did -not hear the secret disclosed when we are all -together.’</p> - -<p>‘How thoughtful you are, Mrs Seaton!’ -remarked Felix with great admiration. ‘Of -course you are right. The old fellow will be -delighted beyond measure, and will fancy he -has a hand in the matter himself.’</p> - -<p>‘I do not see why we should wait for that,’ -Edgar grumbled.</p> - -<p>‘Impatient boy!’ said Eleanor with a charming -smile. ‘Talk about curiosity in woman, -indeed!’</p> - -<p>‘All right,’ he replied laughingly, his brow -clearing at one glance from his wife. ‘I suppose -we must wait. I do not see, however, what is -to prevent us starting to see him at once. Probably, -you won’t be more than an hour putting -on your bonnet, Nelly?’</p> - -<p>‘I shall be with you in five minutes;’ and, -singular to relate, she was.</p> - -<p>‘Curiosity,’ remarked Edgar, ‘is a great stimulus, -even to women.’</p> - -<p>Arrived at Bedford Row, they found Mr -Carver at his office, and fortunately disengaged. -It did not take that astute gentleman long to -perceive, from the faces of his visitors, that something -very great and very fortunate had happened.</p> - -<p>‘Well, good people,’ he said, cheerfully rubbing -his head with considerable vigour, ‘what news? -Not particularly bad, by the look of you.’</p> - -<p>Edgar stated the case briefly, and at the -beginning of his narrative it was plain to see -that the worthy solicitor was somewhat disappointed; -but when he learned they were -nearly as much in the dark as he, he resumed -his usual rubicund aspect.</p> - -<p>‘Dear, dear! how fortunate. Wonderful, wonderful!’ -he exclaimed, hopping about excitedly. -‘Never heard such a thing in my life—never, -and thirty years in practice too. Quite a hero, -Edgar.’</p> - -<p>‘No, sir,’ Edgar put in modestly. ‘Mr Slimm -is the hero. Had it not been for him, we could -never have discovered the hidden mine. Talk -about Aladdin’s lamp!’</p> - -<p>‘And so you knew my poor client?’ broke in -Mr Carver, addressing Slimm. ‘What a fine -fellow he was in those days! I suppose you -showed him the secret of the cipher?’</p> - -<p>‘Wall, no, stranger,’ replied the American, the -old Adam cropping out again strongly. ‘He -guessed it by instinct, if it wasn’t something -higher’n that. I did not know it myself, though -it was sent to me by one very dear to me, to warn -me of danger. You see, it might have come -into the hands of an enemy who understood -English, and it was just a desperate chance. It -came a trifle late to save my peace of mind,’ he -continued naturally and bitterly, ‘and I shall -never forget it. The sight of that piece of paper -in that lady’s hands,’ pointing to the important -document, ‘gave me a touch of the old feeling -when I first saw it.’</p> - -<p>‘Poor fellow, poor fellow! Pray, don’t distress -yourself upon our account. A mere explanation’——</p> - -<p>‘I’d almost forgotten,’ replied Mr Slimm, -taking the paper from Eleanor’s hands. ‘If you -will be good enough to listen, I will explain -it.’</p> - -<p>They drew close round the table, and he proceeded -to explain.</p> - -<p>‘The paper I hold in my hand,’ said the American, -‘is filled with writing, commencing at the -top of the paper, without anything of a margin, -and ending in the same manner. The paper, you -perceive, is ruled with dotted lines, which makes -the task of deciphering the secret all the easier. -It has five dotted perpendicular lines at equal -distances; and four horizontal, not so equal in -distance. These are guide-lines. Now, I will -take the letter and fold it along the centre dotted -line from top to bottom, with the writing inside—so. -Then from the second dotted line, counting -from the right-hand side, I fold it backwards, -showing the writing—thus. Then I fold the -fourth dotted line from the right hand over the -writing. The first part is accomplished by turning -the narrow slip of writing between the fifth -line and the left-hand side back thus; and then -you see this. The rest is simple. Fold the slip -in two, keeping the writing inside; then turn -the bottom portion back and fold it across -the lower dotted line, and the puzzle is complete. -Or there is yet a simpler way. In each -corner of the paper there are a few words -inclosed by the dotted lines. Begin at the top -at the word “Darling,” then across the line to -the words “Nelly, in.” Then the next line, -which is all inclosed at the top in the corner -squares. Read the same way at the bottom corner -squares; and see the result. You are puzzled by -the folding, I see; but try the other way. Here,’ -he said, handing the paper to Nelly; ‘please read -aloud what you can make of it.’</p> - -<p>Following his instructions, Nelly made out the -words thus:</p> - -<table class="autotable"> -<tr> -<td class="tdl"><i>Darling</i></td> -<td class="tdl"><i>Nelly, in</i></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl"><i>the garden</i></td> -<td class="tdl"><i>under the</i></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl"><i>Niobe</i></td> -<td class="tdl"><i>you will</i></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl"><i>find my</i></td> -<td class="tdl"><i>money.</i></td> -</tr> -</table> - -<p>The murder was out! The mystery which had -puzzled every one was explained; and after all, it -was so simple! The simplicity of the affair was -its greatest safeguard. It was so simple, so particularly -devoid of intricacy, that it had baffled -them all. Something bewildering and elaborate -they had expected, but nothing like this. Mr -Carver, notwithstanding his joy, looked inexpressibly -foolish. Edgar gave way to his emotion -in mirth. ‘O shade of Edgar Allan Poe,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_93">{93}</span> -what a climax!’ he exclaimed. ‘Was it for -this our worthy friend waded through the abstruse -philosophy of <i>The Purloined Letter</i> and -the intricacies of <i>The Gold Bug</i>? Was it for -this that <i>The Murders in the Rue Morgue</i> and -<i>The Mystery of Marie Roget</i> were committed to -memory?’</p> - -<p>‘Be quiet, you young jackanapes!’ exclaimed -Mr Carver testily; and then, seeing the ludicrous -side of the matter, he joined in the younger -man’s mirth with equal heartiness.</p> - -<p>‘But why,’ said Eleanor, still serious, and -dwelling upon the mystery—‘why did not uncle -fold the letter in the way he wished it to be -read?’</p> - -<p>‘Well, madam,’ Mr Slimm explained, ‘you see -in that case the letter would have adapted itself -to the folds so readily, that, had it fallen into -a stranger’s hand, he would have discovered the -secret at once. Your uncle must have remembered -the letter he founded his upon, and how -easily he discovered that. By folding this paper -in the ordinary way, improper curiosity was -baffled.’</p> - -<p>‘Yes, I suppose so,’ Eleanor mused. ‘Anyway, -thank heaven, we have solved the mystery, and -we are free at last!’</p> - -<p>‘Don’t look so serious, darling,’ Edgar said -brightly. ‘It is all ours now, to do what we -like with. How happy we shall be!’</p> - -<p>‘Ahem!’ coughed Mr Bates ominously, the only -remark which, by the way, he had made during -the scene.</p> - -<p>‘Bless me, Bates!’ ejaculated Mr Carver in -his abrupt way. ‘Really, I had quite forgotten -you.—Shake hands, Bates! Let me shake hands -with my future partner.’</p> - -<p>‘Begging your pardon, sir, I think not. You’—reproachfully—‘seem -to have forgotten the -will. Mr Morton’s last testament left this property -to Miss Wakefield—this money is part of -his estate.’</p> - -<p>Mr Carver groaned and sank back in his chair. -It was too true. Mr Morton’s last will devised -his estate to Miss Wakefield, and this treasure -was hers beyond the shadow of a doubt.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_FLOATING_ISLAND_ON_DERWENTWATER">THE FLOATING ISLAND ON DERWENTWATER.</h2> -</div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Mr Ward</span> in his book on the <i>Geology of the -English Lake District</i>, while describing some of -the effects that various rock formations have on -scenery, has stated that the mountains surrounding -Lake Derwentwater are not only geologically -interesting, but are very beautiful. To quote -his own words. He says: ‘If we take our stand -upon Friar’s Crag, jutting out into Derwentwater, -we have before us one of the fairest views that -England can give. The lake, studded with wooded -islets, and surrounded by mountains of varied -form and outline. Upon the west side, the -mountains, most exquisitely grouped together, -have soft outlines and smooth and grassy slopes, -sometimes meeting below to form, as in Newlands -Vale, an inverted arch of marvellous elegance -and grace. These are of Skiddaw slate, which -mostly weathers away in small flakes or pencil-like -pieces, giving rise to a clayey and shaly wash -at the base of the hills. Upon the east side of -the lake and at its head, the case is otherwise; -the mountains have generally rough and hummocky -outlines and steep and craggy sides; whilst -their waste lies below in the shape of rough -tumbled masses, like ruins of a giant castle. These -consist of rocks belonging to the volcanic series, -which are hard, massive, and well jointed. Thus -we have presented to us two independent types -of scenery, formed by very distinct classes of -rock.’</p> - -<p>Southey, in a letter to Coleridge, describing -the view from his house (Greta Hall), compared -the mountains of the first type above mentioned -to the ‘tents of a camp of giants;’ whilst it is -between a rift in the rocks of the latter, or -volcanic series, that the Watendlath burn rushes -down and forms the picturesque Falls of Lodore.</p> - -<p>But, apart from the varied charms of scenery -surrounding Derwentwater, and the many historical -reminiscences connected with the immediate -neighbourhood, the lake has a phenomenon -of its own in the so-called Floating Island. The -visitor to Keswick may see at any time, and if -such be his desire, may row round and thoroughly -inspect four islands on the lake; but this one, -through its somewhat eccentric movements, is -not so easily examined. In fact, it only exists -as an island for a few weeks’ duration, and then -generally at intervals of several years. The last -time it was visible was in 1884, when it was -noticed about the middle of August; and disappeared -during the first week in October. It -is doubtful whether all the causes of this occurrence -are yet known; for, on its last appearance, -considerable interest was taken in it by scientific -men, and several experiments were made with a -view of ascertaining its substance, both solid and -gaseous. Certain it is that, even in these days -of accurate information and universal reading, -considerable misconception must exist on the -subject. For instance, an article appeared in -this <i>Journal</i> for August 1874, in which it was -stated that ‘until it was driven ashore in a gale, -a few years ago, there used to be an island of -this kind’ [the writer had previously spoken of -a floating island on a Swedish lake, which -occasionally sank below the surface and reappeared] -‘on Derwentwater, Cumberland.... -When a stick or fishing-rod was driven through -it, a jet of water would spurt up from the hole; -thus indicating that some spring or current was -pressing against it from below; and this was -probably the force which kept it at the surface, -and being of an intermittent character, allowed -it at times to sink to the bottom.’ This writer’s -idea was, that a waterfall, which he mentions -as ‘throwing itself into the lake,’ but is in -reality at least a quarter of a mile off, caused a -current, which, according to its force, was able -to buoy the island up by its pressure. This -fallacious theory is mentioned in one or two -guide-books to Keswick, one stating that, ‘the -guides, the older and more intelligent ones, will -tell you of a little stream that gets lost in the -ground.’ This ‘little stream’ is the Catgill Beck, -which, in its passage from the hills, forms the -waterfall spoken of in the previous quotation. -The ‘driven ashore in a gale’ statement is easily -refuted by the fact that the island made its -appearance two years after in the same place -as on its previous emergences, namely, about a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_94">{94}</span> -hundred and fifty yards from the shore at the -south-eastern corner of the lake.</p> - -<p>The <i>Daily News</i> of August 20, 1884, contained -a short leading article on the subject, in which, -after describing the floating gardens of the ancient -Mexicans, the writer continues: ‘This at Derwentwater -seems to be merely an accidental accretion -of material round some tree-trunk or something -of the kind, which, as in the larger island -just alluded to [an American one], has become in -some way anchored to the bed of the lake, -probably at that point not very deep.’</p> - -<p>The writers of the two articles above quoted -could never have examined, and probably had -never even seen the island in question.</p> - -<p>A frequent source of error is the notion people -are liable to carry away who have only seen it -from the shore. Many see it, probably for the -first and only time, from the top of a stagecoach, -on their way to Buttermere or on some other -favourite excursion. Just previously, the driver -has perhaps directed their attention, by a jerk of -his whip over his left shoulder, to Raven’s Crag. -Now, there is a gap in the trees on the other side, -and a glimpse of the lake is caught. ‘Floating -Island,’ laconically remarks Jehu to the box-seat -occupants, and again points his whip, but this -time to the right towards the lake. ‘Where? -where?’ ask the others behind. ‘There, there—don’t -you see?’ and on rolls the coach, some -wondering if that little patch of green were it; -others, failing to see anything, refer to their -guide-books or companions as to what object of -interest must next be looked for. <i>Lodore Hotel</i> -comes into view, and the minds of the hurried -tourists are once more engaged in a hasty examination -of the Falls. So the day wears on, and -they have seen the Floating Island. But how, -and how much? Even the name itself may cause -misapprehension, although it would be difficult to -give the object a more definite appellation.</p> - -<p>The island is not mentioned either by Hutchinson -or Nicolson and Burns in their Histories of -Cumberland, published towards the end of last -century. In an interesting account, however, of -<i>A Fortnight’s Ramble to the Lakes</i>, by Jos. Budworth, -F.S.A., published 1795, a short reference -is made to it. After speaking of the ‘stormy -breakers’ on the lake, caused by ‘a bottom wind,’ -he goes on to say: ‘It is said Keswick Lake often -wears this appearance a day or two previous to a -storm; and when violently agitated at the bottom, -an island arises, and remains upon the surface -some time.... The grass and the moss are as -green as a meadow, which soon unite and become -consistent. There are very few people in the -neighbourhood who have not been upon it.’ It -is probably to Jonathan Ottley, a native of Keswick, -and a very careful observer, that we owe -the first really authentic account of the island. -In a paper read before the Manchester Literary -and Philosophical Society, and published in their -Transactions for the year 1819, he gives a graphic -description of it, and mentions a newspaper correspondence -having appeared in the <i>Carlisle -Journal</i> some years previous, in which two or -three different theories were propounded by -various writers as to the cause of its emergence. -At the end of this Memoir, a note from John -Dalton—the author of the Atomic Theory, and -a native of Cumberland, although at this time -he had resided in Manchester for some years—explains, -that ‘being at Keswick in 1815, Mr -Ottley and I procured a small quantity of the -gas [from the island], which I found to consist -of equal parts of carburetted hydrogen and -azotic gases, with about six per cent. of carbonic -acid.’ It will be seen from the above that the -island had not escaped the observation of men of -science very early in the present century.</p> - -<p>From a distance, it looks like a grass plot floating -on the lake. It is never more than six inches -above the water, but varies considerably in area -in different years. On its last emergence, the -exposed surface was about fifty yards by twelve; -but in 1842 it was upwards of ninety yards long -by twenty broad. It generally makes its appearance -in July, August, or September, and disappears -towards the end of the last month. In -1831, however, it came to the top on the tenth -of June, and remained exposed until the twenty-fourth -of September—the longest period ever -remembered. It has never been seen except in -the summer or autumn months, and then only -after periods of excessive drought and warm -weather; but whether its origin is owing to the -lowness of the water in the lake, or to the high -temperature, or to a combination of both causes, is -still an open question.</p> - -<p>The bed of the lake where the island appears -consists of what, were there no lake over it, would -be called a peat-moss, which extends over several -acres. When the water is calm, dark-brown -patches may be seen over the whole of this area, -indicating rents or fissures. The depth of water -is very uniform here, varying from six to eight -feet when the lake is at an average height. The -appearance of the island is caused by a portion of -this peat-moss rising, not bodily, as in a detached -mass, but like a huge blister. It is this peculiar -manner of rising that upsets the preconceived -notions of many visitors, leading some to suppose -that the surface of the lake having become -lowered, through drought or other causes, a portion -of its bed has been laid bare. Although this -peat-moss is capable of considerable distention, -owing to the elasticity of its component parts, it -not unfrequently occurs that a rupture takes place -whilst rising to the surface. In such cases, two -islands are sometimes formed, but more frequently -one part sinks, when a fairly accurate idea may be -formed of the thickness of the peat-moss or substance -of the island. If the second portion, or -part that has remained at the surface, on resuming -its position at the bottom, does not exactly fill the -same space as before, a gap is caused, which -accounts for the apparent dark patches before -mentioned.</p> - -<p>The aquatic plants growing on the bed of this -portion of the lake are, when living, all specifically -lighter than water, which may easily be proved by -detaching any of them from the bottom, when -they will be found to rise to the surface. They -grow, wither, and decay, their roots matting -together amidst the finely divided turf, itself the -remains of various mosses, producing what Ottley -aptly calls a ‘congeries of weeds.’ The thickness -of this mass is about six feet, and rests upon a bed -of clay. After a continuance of high temperature, -the air and gas—of which there is always a considerable -amount in such substances—expand. -This expansion is sufficient to reduce the weight<span class="pagenum" id="Page_95">{95}</span> -of the whole slightly below an equal volume of -water. The water insinuates itself between the -peat-moss and the bed of clay on which it rests, -but to which it is in no way attached, owing to -the roots not being able to penetrate it. The mass -slowly rises, the lighter portion gradually dragging -itself to the surface, although, as has been -previously stated, not absolutely detaching itself -from the rest. After appearing above the level of -the water, the weeds make vigorous growth, which -tends to reduce temporarily the specific gravity of -the whole still more, and to give that emerald -hue to the exposed part which made Budworth -describe it as being ‘as green as a meadow.’ If, -through heavy rainfall, the water-level of the lake -be raised, the island rises and falls with it. -Should low temperature, however, supervene, the -mass loses its buoyancy, and slowly disappears; -once more to sink into obscurity and become part -of the bed of the lake, after having, for a butterfly -existence, basked under the warm August sun as -the Floating Island.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="POPULAR_LEGAL_FALLACIES1" title="POPULAR LEGAL FALLACIES.">POPULAR LEGAL FALLACIES.<a id="FNanchor_1" href="#Footnote_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></h2> -</div> -<p class="ph3">BY AN EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONER.</p> - -<h3><i>THE RIGHTS OF THE ELDEST SON AND OTHER CHILDREN -OF AN INTESTATE OWNER OF REAL AND -PERSONAL ESTATE.</i></h3> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Many</span> persons believe that the eldest son of a -man who has died without leaving a will, or -who in other words dies intestate, is entitled -to the whole of the property, both real and -personal, left by his deceased parent; but this -is an error so far as relates to the personal estate, -and in some cases also in respect of the real -estate. By the common law, which had its origin -in feudal times, the eldest son was entitled to -succeed to the property of his deceased father; -and might be called upon to perform the military -and other duties which were due and accustomed -to be paid in respect of such property -to the immediate feudal superior. Hence the -origin of what is often spoken of as an iniquitous -system of favouritism arbitrarily established by -law. When there were no standing armies, and -the king upon the throne for the time being -had to depend upon the military services of -the barons who had received lands upon condition -of performing such services, while the -barons in turn had to depend upon the persons -to whom they had granted parts of their lands -upon similar conditions, it was of great importance -that there should always be a male possessor -of those lands. If he were an ‘infant’ -and incapable of bearing arms, a relative was -appointed guardian of his person and estate -during his minority, and upon this guardian -devolved the duties appertaining to the estate. -But in those days, tenancies for years and other -smaller interests in lands were not held as of -much account, being of small value, and subject -to being forfeited or declared void on various -pretences; whence arises the apparent anomaly, -that leasehold property is personal estate, whatever -may be its value, and therefore distributable -among all the children of an intestate, as will be -explained more fully. A third class of property -is ‘copyhold,’ which is real estate, but in respect -of which the feudal services were of a different -description. Being useful only, and not military, -these services were considered as inferior in -dignity and less honourable than the duties -attached to the possession of freehold property. -The subject of tenures and services is full of -interest, but the exigences of space compel us to -turn away from the tempting theme. It was, -however, necessary to refer thus briefly to the -origin of the present rules of law, in order to -make intelligible the reasons for the distinctions -which still exist.</p> - - -<p>We have mentioned the common-law rule of -descent of land, and must note two exceptions to -the general rule. By the custom of ‘borough -English,’ which exists at Maldon in Essex, in the -city of Gloucester, and other places, the youngest -instead of the eldest son inherits his father’s -freeholds in case of intestacy. And by the -custom of ‘gavelkind,’ which still applies to most -of the land in Kent, although some has been disgavelled -by private Acts of Parliament, the freeholds -of an intestate are divisible among all the -sons of the deceased in equal shares.</p> - -<p>Leaving these customs aside, we propose to -consider the effect of the intestacy of an owner -of freehold and other property who leaves a -family of children surviving him.</p> - -<p>In such a case, the widow (if any) would be -entitled to receive one-third of the rents of the -freeholds for her life, that being a provision made -for her by the law under the name of dower. -Dower attaches to all the freehold lands and -hereditaments of which her deceased husband -was the actual owner at the time of his decease, -either in fee-simple or fee-tail; except, in the -latter case, if the entail were limited to the -children of the first wife, the second wife would -not be dowable out of the estate. But this provision, -mercifully made by the law for the widow -of a man who had so far neglected the duty of a -husband as to omit to provide for her by his will, -may be barred in a very peculiar manner. The -right of a widow to dower will be barred if in the -conveyance to her husband, or any deed subsequently -executed by him, there should be a -declaration that she is not to be entitled to dower -out of the property to which such conveyance or -other deed relates. In this way many widows -have been deprived of dower without the knowledge -of their husbands. If the declaration be -contained in the conveyance, the execution thereof -by the husband is not necessary, as he takes the -property subject to the contents of such conveyance. -If in any other deed, probably he signs, -seals, and delivers it without taking the trouble -to read its contents, trusting to his solicitor to see -that the documents are all right. There cannot -be any possible advantage in inserting the declaration -in question, and, in our opinion, any solicitor -who inserts it without express instructions to do -so—which are never given—is guilty of a grave -dereliction of duty towards his client.</p> - -<p>Subject to the right of dower, if not barred, and -to any existing mortgages or other charges, the -freehold property of an intestate becomes the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_96">{96}</span> -property of his eldest son immediately on the -death; and the rents are apportionable according -to the ownership. The proportion of the current -rent down to the actual date of the decease of the -former owner forms part of his personal estate, as -well as all arrears of rent then remaining unpaid. -When the heir first receives any rent, he pays to -his father’s executors so much as belongs to them, -and retains the remainder for his own use, -although he must satisfy prior charges thereout. -Thus, if the father died in the middle of a half-year, -the year’s rents being one thousand pounds, -there being a mortgage of ten thousand pounds -at four per centum per annum, and the widow -being dowable, then, upon receipt of the first -half-year’s rent, five hundred pounds, the mortgagees -would claim two hundred pounds, the -executors one hundred and fifty, the widow fifty, -and the heir would have one hundred for his own -benefit. The next half-year, the mortgagees -would again take two hundred pounds, the widow -one hundred, and the heir two hundred pounds. -This is how the practical working of such a case -is generally managed; but strictly, the widow -might have one-third of the lands set apart for -her own use during her life, in satisfaction of -her right to dower. This, however, is seldom -done, although it used to be the ordinary course.</p> - -<p>Copyhold property is more uncertain in its -incidents than freehold, being regulated entirely -by the custom of each manor of which the property -is holden. The three modes of descent -mentioned above may perhaps be considered to -divide the manors in the kingdom almost equally -amongst them. There is an equal diversity -in respect of free-bench, the copyhold equivalent -for dower. In a few manors, the widow is -entitled to the whole of the rents so long as she -remains a widow; in others, she has half; and -in others, two-thirds; while in the remainder, the -proportion is the same as the dower payable -out of freeholds, one-third; although the duration -of the allowance frequently differs, not being -usually for life, as dower, but during widowhood—in -some manors the additional obligation -of chastity being imposed. The heir, whether -the eldest or the youngest son, is subjected to the -same obligations as in respect of freehold; and -if the gavelkind custom applies, each share on a -further intestacy descends to the heirs of the -co-heir. In this way has been illustrated the -disadvantage of any rule of law which makes -real estate divisible. We knew a small copyhold -estate consisting of a cottage and garden, which -became by successive intestacies subdivided into -shares, some of which were worth no more than -two shillings per year each. Only those who -have had practical acquaintance with the management -of land can appreciate the inconvenience -arising from this minute subdivision.</p> - -<p>We have already said that leasehold property -is personal estate; and it only remains to explain -the process of distributing the personal estate of -an intestate. Assuming that the deceased was a -widower who left seven grown-up children, and -who was the owner of leasehold houses, money -on mortgage, shares in various railway and other -joint-stock companies, also household furniture -and other movable effects—any one or more -(not exceeding three) of the children might -apply for letters of administration of the personal -estate and effects of the deceased; two sureties -being required to enter into a bond for the due -administration of the personalty. The administrator, -when appointed, would have full power to -sell the houses, shares, furniture, &c., and to call -in the mortgage moneys. Out of the moneys to -be produced thereby, and any other money in -the bank, in the house, or elsewhere, and of any -debts collected and got in, either by means of -actions or otherwise, the administrator would first -pay the funeral expenses and costs of administration, -including sale expenses; next, all debts -which were owing by the intestate at the time -of his decease; and would then divide the clear -residue among all the children of the deceased in -equal shares. If any child had died leaving -lawful issue, the share which he would have -taken if living would be divided equally amongst -his issue. In either case, no distinction would be -made in respect of age or sex. The eldest son -would take the share which fell to him, within -the rule of distributions, whether he had inherited -any real estate from his father or not. -If the intestate left a widow, she would be -entitled to letters of administration, and to retain -one-third of the residue for her own benefit -before the division of the remainder amongst the -children, &c.</p> - -<p>Formerly, the shares of personal estate which -passed to children of the deceased were chargeable -with legacy-duty at the rate of one per cent.; -but this does not apply to intestacies in respect of -which letters of administration have been granted -on or since the 1st of June 1881, and on which an -increased rate of probate duty has been paid. -This, however, does not affect the succession duty -in respect of real estate, which is still payable.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_MOTHERS_VIGIL">THE MOTHER’S VIGIL.</h2> -</div> -<p class="ph3">BY HUGH CONWAY.</p> - - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0"><span class="smcap">A wakeful</span> night with stealthy tread</div> - <div class="verse indent2">O’er weary day had crept,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">As near her dying infant’s bed</div> - <div class="verse indent2">A mother watched and wept.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">She saw the dews of death o’erspread</div> - <div class="verse indent2">That brow so white and fair,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And bowing down her aching head,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">She breathed a fervent prayer:</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">‘O Thou,’ she cried, ‘a mother’s love</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Hast known—a mother’s grief—</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Bend down from starry heights above,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And send my heart relief.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Sweet lips that smiled are drawn in pain,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Yet rest his life may keep,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And give him to my arms again:</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Oh, let my baby sleep!’</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">When sickly dawn a gleam had cast</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Of light on night’s black pall,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Through gates of heaven in mercy past</div> - <div class="verse indent2">An answer to her call.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">On sombre wings, through gloomy skies,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Death’s angel darkly swept—</div> - <div class="verse indent0">He softly kissed those troubled eyes,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And lo! the infant slept.</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<p class="center">Printed and Published by <span class="smcap">W. & R. Chambers</span>, 47 Paternoster -Row, <span class="smcap">London</span>, and 339 High Street, <span class="smcap">Edinburgh</span>.</p> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<p class="center"><i>All rights reserved.</i></p> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="footnotes"> -<p class="ph3" >FOOTNOTES:</p> -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_1" href="#FNanchor_1" class="label">[1]</a> It should be understood that this series of articles -deals mainly with English as apart from Scotch law.</p> - -</div> -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL OF POPULAR LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART, FIFTH SERIES, NO. 110, VOL. 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