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diff --git a/old/7183-h.htm.2021-01-26 b/old/7183-h.htm.2021-01-26 new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b067cb7 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/7183-h.htm.2021-01-26 @@ -0,0 +1,10995 @@ +<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> + +<!DOCTYPE html + PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd" > + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en"> + <head> + <title> + Doctor Grimshawe's Secret, by Nathaniel Hawthorne + </title> + <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve"> + + body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify} + P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; } + H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; } + hr { width: 50%; text-align: center;} + .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; } + blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + .mynote {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;} + .toc { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;} + .toc2 { margin-left: 20%;} + div.fig { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; } + div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; } + .figleft {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;} + .figright {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;} + .pagenum {display:inline; font-size: 70%; font-style:normal; + margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; right: 1%; + text-align: right;} + .side { float: right; font-size: 75%; width: 25%; padding-left: 0.8em; + border-left: dashed thin; margin-left: 0.8em; text-align: left; + text-indent: 0; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; + font-weight: bold; color: black; background: #eeeeee; border: solid 1px;} + pre { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;} + +</style> + </head> + <body> + + +<pre> + +Project Gutenberg's Doctor Grimshawe's Secret, by Nathaniel Hawthorne + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Doctor Grimshawe's Secret + A Romance + +Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne + +Editor: Julian Hawthorne + + +Release Date: December, 2004 [EBook #7183] +This file was first posted on March 24, 2003 +Last Updated: December 14, 2016 + + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: UTF-8 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOCTOR GRIMSHAWE'S SECRET *** + + + + +Text file produced by Michelle Shephard, Eric Eldred, Charles Franks +and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team + +HTML file produced by David Widger + + + + +</pre> + + <div style="height: 8em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h1> + DOCTOR GRIMSHAWE’S SECRET + </h1> + <h3> + A ROMANCE + </h3> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <h2> + By Nathaniel Hawthorne + </h2> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <h4> + Edited, With Preface And Notes By Julian Hawthorne + </h4> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <h3> + To<br /> Mr. And Mrs. George Parsons Lathrop,<br /> The Son-In-Law And + Daughter<br /> Of<br /> Nathaniel Hawthorne,<br /> This Romance Is Dedicated<br /><br /> + By<br /> The Editor. + </h3> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <p> + <b>CONTENTS</b> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_PREF"> PREFACE </a> + </p> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0002"> <b>DOCTOR GRIMSHAWE’S SECRET</b> </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0001"> CHAPTER I </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0002"> CHAPTER II. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0003"> CHAPTER III. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0004"> CHAPTER IV. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0005"> CHAPTER V. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0006"> CHAPTER VI. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0007"> CHAPTER VII. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0008"> CHAPTER VIII. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0009"> CHAPTER IX. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0010"> CHAPTER X. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0011"> CHAPTER XI. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0012"> CHAPTER XII. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0013"> CHAPTER XIII. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0014"> CHAPTER XIV. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0015"> CHAPTER XV. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0016"> CHAPTER XVI. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0017"> CHAPTER XVII. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0018"> CHAPTER XVIII. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0019"> CHAPTER XIX. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0020"> CHAPTER XX. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0021"> CHAPTER XXI. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0022"> CHAPTER XXII. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0023"> CHAPTER XXIII. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0024"> CHAPTER XXIV. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0025"> CHAPTER XXV. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_APPE"> APPENDIX </a> + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2H_PREF" id="link2H_PREF"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + PREFACE + </h2> + <p> + A preface generally begins with a truism; and I may set out with the + admission that it is not always expedient to bring to light the posthumous + work of great writers. A man generally contrives to publish, during his + lifetime, quite as much as the public has time or inclination to read; and + his surviving friends are apt to show more zeal than discretion in + dragging forth from his closed desk such undeveloped offspring of his mind + as he himself had left to silence. Literature has never been redundant + with authors who sincerely undervalue their own productions; and the + sagacious critics who maintain that what of his own an author condemns + must be doubly damnable, are, to say the least of it, as often likely to + be right as wrong. + </p> + <p> + Beyond these general remarks, however, it does not seem necessary to adopt + an apologetic attitude. There is nothing in the present volume which any + one possessed of brains and cultivation will not be thankful to read. The + appreciation of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writings is more intelligent and + wide-spread than it used to be; and the later development of our national + literature has not, perhaps, so entirely exhausted our resources of + admiration as to leave no welcome for even the less elaborate work of a + contemporary of Dickens and Thackeray. As regards “Doctor Grimshawe’s + Secret,”—the title which, for lack of a better, has been given to + this Romance,—it can scarcely be pronounced deficient in either + elaboration or profundity. Had Mr. Hawthorne written out the story in + every part to its full dimensions, it could not have failed to rank among + the greatest of his productions. He had looked forward to it as to the + crowning achievement of his literary career. In the Preface to “Our Old + Home” he alludes to it as a work into which he proposed to convey more of + various modes of truth than he could have grasped by a direct effort. But + circumstances prevented him from perfecting the design which had been + before his mind for seven years, and upon the shaping of which he bestowed + more thought and labor than upon anything else he had undertaken. The + successive and consecutive series of notes or studies [Footnote: These + studies, extracts from which will be published in one of our magazines, + are hereafter to be added, in their complete form, to the Appendix of this + volume.] which he wrote for this Romance would of themselves make a small + volume, and one of autobiographical as well as literary interest. There is + no other instance, that I happen to have met with, in which a writer’s + thought reflects itself upon paper so immediately and sensitively as in + these studies. To read them is to look into the man’s mind, and see its + quality and action. The penetration, the subtlety, the tenacity; the + stubborn gripe which he lays upon his subject, like that of Hercules upon + the slippery Old Man of the Sea; the clear and cool common-sense, + controlling the audacity of a rich and ardent imagination; the humorous + gibes and strange expletives wherewith he ridicules, to himself, his own + failure to reach his goal; the immense patience with which—again and + again, and yet again—he “tries back,” throwing the topic into fresh + attitudes, and searching it to the marrow with a gaze so piercing as to be + terrible;—all this gives an impression of power, of resource, of + energy, of mastery, that exhilarates the reader. So many inspired prophets + of Hawthorne have arisen of late, that the present writer, whose relation + to the great Romancer is a filial one merely, may be excused for feeling + some embarrassment in submitting his own uninstructed judgments to + competition with theirs. It has occurred to him, however, that these + undress rehearsals of the author of “The Scarlet Letter” might afford + entertaining and even profitable reading to the later generation of + writers whose pleasant fortune it is to charm one another and the public. + It would appear that this author, in his preparatory work at least, has + ventured in some manner to disregard the modern canons which debar writers + from betraying towards their creations any warmer feeling than a cultured + and critical indifference: nor was his interest in human nature such as to + confine him to the dissection of the moral epidermis of shop-girls and + hotel-boarders. On the contrary, we are presented with the spectacle of a + Titan, baring his arms and plunging heart and soul into the arena, there + to struggle for death or victory with the superb phantoms summoned to the + conflict by his own genius. The men of new times and new conditions will + achieve their triumphs in new ways; but it may still be worth while to + consider the methods and materials of one who also, in his own fashion, + won and wore the laurel of those who know and can portray the human heart. + </p> + <p> + But let us return to the Romance, in whose clear though shadowy atmosphere + the thunders and throes of the preparatory struggle are inaudible and + invisible, save as they are implied in the fineness of substance and + beauty of form of the artistic structure. The story is divided into two + parts, the scene of the first being laid in America; that of the second, + in England. Internal evidence of various kinds goes to show that the + second part was the first written; or, in other words, that the present + first part is a rewriting of an original first part, afterwards discarded, + and of which the existing second part is the continuation. The two parts + overlap, and it shall be left to the ingenuity of critics to detect the + precise point of junction. In rewriting the first part, the author made + sundry minor alterations in the plot and characters of the story, which + alterations were not carried into the second part. It results from this + that the manuscript presents various apparent inconsistencies. In + transcribing the work for the press, these inconsistent sentences and + passages have been withdrawn from the text and inserted in the Appendix; + or, in a few unimportant instances, omitted altogether. In other respects, + the text is printed as the author left it, with the exception of the names + of the characters. In the manuscript each personage figures in the course + of the narrative under from three to six different names. This difficulty + has been met by bestowing upon each of the <i>dramatis personæ</i> the + name which last identified him to the author’s mind, and keeping him to it + throughout the volume. + </p> + <p> + The story, as a story, is complete as it stands; it has a beginning, a + middle, and an end. There is no break in the narrative, and the legitimate + conclusion is reached. To say that the story is complete as a work of art, + would be quite another matter. It lacks balance and proportion. Some + characters and incidents are portrayed with minute elaboration; others, + perhaps not less important, are merely sketched in outline. Beyond a doubt + it was the author’s purpose to rewrite the entire work from the first page + to the last, enlarging it, deepening it, adorning it with every kind of + spiritual and physical beauty, and rounding out a moral worthy of the + noble materials. But these last transfiguring touches to Aladdin’s Tower + were never to be given; and he has departed, taking with him his Wonderful + Lamp. Nevertheless there is great splendor in the structure as we behold + it. The character of old Doctor Grimshawe, and the picture of his + surroundings, are hardly surpassed in vigor by anything their author has + produced; and the dusky vision of the secret chamber, which sends a + mysterious shiver through the tale, seems to be unique even in Hawthorne. + </p> + <p> + There have been included in this volume photographic reproductions of + certain pages of the original manuscript of Doctor Grimshawe, selected at + random, upon which those ingenious persons whose convictions are in + advance of their instruction are cordially invited to try their teeth; for + it has been maintained that Mr. Hawthorne’s handwriting was singularly + legible. The present writer possesses specimens of Mr. Hawthorne’s + chirography at various ages, from boyhood until a day or two before his + death. Like the handwriting of most men, it was at its best between the + twenty-fifth and the fortieth years of life; and in some instances it is a + remarkably beautiful type of penmanship. But as time went on it + deteriorated, and, while of course retaining its elementary + characteristics, it became less and less easy to read, especially in those + writings which were intended solely for his own perusal. As with other men + of sensitive organization, the mood of the hour, a good or a bad pen, a + ready or an obstructed flow of thought, would all be reflected in the + formation of the written letters and words. In the manuscript of the + fragmentary sketch which has just been published in a magazine, which is + written in an ordinary commonplace-book, with ruled pages, and in which + the author had not yet become possessed with the spirit of the story and + characters, the handwriting is deliberate and clear. In the manuscript of + “Doctor Grimshawe’s Secret,” on the other hand, which was written almost + immediately after the other, but on unruled paper, and when the writer’s + imagination was warm and eager, the chirography is for the most part a + compact mass of minute cramped hieroglyphics, hardly to be deciphered save + by flashes of inspiration. The matter is not, in itself, of importance, + and is alluded to here only as having been brought forward in connection + with other insinuations, with the notice of which it seems unnecessary to + soil these pages. Indeed, were I otherwise disposed, Doctor Grimshawe + himself would take the words out of my mouth; his speech is far more + poignant and eloquent than mine. In dismissing this episode, I will take + the liberty to observe that it appears to indicate a spirit in our age + less sceptical than is commonly supposed,—belief in miracles being + still possible, provided only the miracle be a scandalous one. + </p> + <p> + It remains to tell how this Romance came to be published. It came into my + possession (in the ordinary course of events) about eight years ago. I had + at that time no intention of publishing it; and when, soon after, I left + England to travel on the Continent, the manuscript, together with the bulk + of my library, was packed and stored at a London repository, and was not + again seen by me until last summer, when I unpacked it in this city. I + then finished the perusal of it, and, finding it to be practically + complete, I re-resolved to print it in connection with a biography of Mr. + Hawthorne which I had in preparation. But upon further consideration it + was decided to publish the Romance separately; and I herewith present it + to the public, with my best wishes for their edification. + </p> + <h3> + JULIAN HAWTHORNE. + </h3> + <p> + NEW YORK, November 21, 1882. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0002" id="link2H_4_0002"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + DOCTOR GRIMSHAWE’S SECRET + </h2> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER I + </h2> + <p> + A long time ago, [Endnote: 1] in a town with which I used to be familiarly + acquainted, there dwelt an elderly person of grim aspect, known by the + name and title of Doctor Grimshawe,[Endnote: 2] whose household consisted + of a remarkably pretty and vivacious boy, and a perfect rosebud of a girl, + two or three years younger than he, and an old maid-of-all-work, of + strangely mixed breed, crusty in temper and wonderfully sluttish in + attire. [Endnote: 3] It might be partly owing to this handmaiden’s + characteristic lack of neatness (though primarily, no doubt, to the grim + Doctor’s antipathy to broom, brush, and dusting-cloths) that the house—at + least in such portions of it as any casual visitor caught a glimpse of—was + so overlaid with dust, that, in lack of a visiting card, you might write + your name with your forefinger upon the tables; and so hung with cobwebs + that they assumed the appearance of dusky upholstery. + </p> + <p> + It grieves me to add an additional touch or two to the reader’s + disagreeable impression of Doctor Grimshawe’s residence, by confessing + that it stood in a shabby by-street, and cornered on a graveyard, with + which the house communicated by a back door; so that with a hop, skip, and + jump from the threshold, across a flat tombstone, the two children + [Endnote: 4] were in the daily habit of using the dismal cemetery as their + playground. In their graver moods they spelled out the names and learned + by heart doleful verses on the headstones; and in their merrier ones + (which were much the more frequent) they chased butterflies and gathered + dandelions, played hide-and-seek among the slate and marble, and tumbled + laughing over the grassy mounds which were too eminent for the short legs + to bestride. On the whole, they were the better for the graveyard, and its + legitimate inmates slept none the worse for the two children’s gambols and + shrill merriment overhead. Here were old brick tombs with curious + sculptures on them, and quaint gravestones, some of which bore puffy + little cherubs, and one or two others the effigies of eminent Puritans, + wrought out to a button, a fold of the ruff, and a wrinkle of the + skull-cap; and these frowned upon the two children as if death had not + made them a whit more genial than they were in life. But the children were + of a temper to be more encouraged by the good-natured smiles of the puffy + cherubs, than frightened or disturbed by the sour Puritans. + </p> + <p> + This graveyard (about which we shall say not a word more than may sooner + or later be needful) was the most ancient in the town. The clay of the + original settlers had been incorporated with the soil; those stalwart + Englishmen of the Puritan epoch, whose immediate ancestors had been + planted forth with succulent grass and daisies for the sustenance of the + parson’s cow, round the low-battlemented Norman church towers in the + villages of the fatherland, had here contributed their rich Saxon mould to + tame and Christianize the wild forest earth of the new world. In this + point of view—as holding the bones and dust of the primeval ancestor—the + cemetery was more English than anything else in the neighborhood, and + might probably have nourished English oaks and English elms, and whatever + else is of English growth, without that tendency to spindle upwards and + lose their sturdy breadth, which is said to be the ordinary characteristic + both of human and vegetable productions when transplanted hither. Here, at + all events, used to be some specimens of common English garden flowers, + which could not be accounted for,—unless, perhaps, they had sprung + from some English maiden’s heart, where the intense love of those homely + things, and regret of them in the foreign land, had conspired together to + keep their vivifying principle, and cause its growth after the poor girl + was buried. Be that as it might, in this grave had been hidden from sight + many a broad, bluff visage of husbandman, who had been taught to plough + among the hereditary furrows that had been ameliorated by the crumble of + ages: much had these sturdy laborers grumbled at the great roots that + obstructed their toil in these fresh acres. Here, too, the sods had + covered the faces of men known to history, and reverenced when not a piece + of distinguishable dust remained of them; personages whom tradition told + about; and here, mixed up with successive crops of native-born Americans, + had been ministers, captains, matrons, virgins good and evil, tough and + tender, turned up and battened down by the sexton’s spade, over and over + again; until every blade of grass had its relations with the human + brotherhood of the old town. A hundred and fifty years was sufficient to + do this; and so much time, at least, had elapsed since the first hole was + dug among the difficult roots of the forest trees, and the first little + hillock of all these green beds was piled up. + </p> + <p> + Thus rippled and surged, with its hundreds of little billows, the old + graveyard about the house which cornered upon it; it made the street + gloomy, so that people did not altogether like to pass along the high + wooden fence that shut it in; and the old house itself, covering ground + which else had been sown thickly with buried bodies, partook of its + dreariness, because it seemed hardly possible that the dead people should + not get up out of their graves and steal in to warm themselves at this + convenient fireside. But I never heard that any of them did so; nor were + the children ever startled by spectacles of dim horror in the night-time, + but were as cheerful and fearless as if no grave had ever been dug. They + were of that class of children whose material seems fresh, not taken at + second hand, full of disease, conceits, whims, and weaknesses, that have + already served many people’s turns, and been moulded up, with some little + change of combination, to serve the turn of some poor spirit that could + not get a better case. + </p> + <p> + So far as ever came to the present writer’s knowledge, there was no + whisper of Doctor Grimshawe’s house being haunted; a fact on which both + writer and reader may congratulate themselves, the ghostly chord having + been played upon in these days until it has become wearisome and nauseous + as the familiar tune of a barrel-organ. The house itself, moreover, except + for the convenience of its position close to the seldom-disturbed + cemetery, was hardly worthy to be haunted. As I remember it, (and for + aught I know it still exists in the same guise,) it did not appear to be + an ancient structure, nor one that would ever have been the abode of a + very wealthy or prominent family;—a three-story wooden house, + perhaps a century old, low-studded, with a square front, standing right + upon the street, and a small enclosed porch, containing the main entrance, + affording a glimpse up and down the street through an oval window on each + side, its characteristic was decent respectability, not sinking below the + boundary of the genteel. It has often perplexed my mind to conjecture what + sort of man he could have been who, having the means to build a pretty, + spacious, and comfortable residence, should have chosen to lay its + foundation on the brink of so many graves; each tenant of these narrow + houses crying out, as it were, against the absurdity of bestowing much + time or pains in preparing any earthly tabernacle save such as theirs. But + deceased people see matters from an erroneous—at least too exclusive—point + of view; a comfortable grave is an excellent possession for those who need + it, but a comfortable house has likewise its merits and temporary + advantages. [Endnote: 5.] + </p> + <p> + The founder of the house in question seemed sensible of this truth, and + had therefore been careful to lay out a sufficient number of rooms and + chambers, low, ill-lighted, ugly, but not unsusceptible of warmth and + comfort; the sunniest and cheerfulest of which were on the side that + looked into the graveyard. Of these, the one most spacious and convenient + had been selected by Doctor Grimshawe as a study, and fitted up with + bookshelves, and various machines and contrivances, electrical, chemical, + and distillatory, wherewith he might pursue such researches as were wont + to engage his attention. The great result of the grim Doctor’s labors, so + far as known to the public, was a certain preparation or extract of + cobwebs, which, out of a great abundance of material, he was able to + produce in any desirable quantity, and by the administration of which he + professed to cure diseases of the inflammatory class, and to work very + wonderful effects upon the human system. It is a great pity, for the good + of mankind and the advantage of his own fortunes, that he did not put + forth this medicine in pill-boxes or bottles, and then, as it were, by + some captivating title, inveigle the public into his spider’s web, and + suck out its gold substance, and himself wax fat as he sat in the central + intricacy. + </p> + <p> + But grim Doctor Grimshawe, though his aim in life might be no very exalted + one, seemed singularly destitute of the impulse to better his fortunes by + the exercise of his wits: it might even have been supposed, indeed, that + he had a conscientious principle or religious scruple—only, he was + by no means a religious man—against reaping profit from this + particular nostrum which he was said to have invented. He never sold it; + never prescribed it, unless in cases selected on some principle that + nobody could detect or explain. The grim Doctor, it must be observed, was + not generally acknowledged by the profession, with whom, in truth, he had + never claimed a fellowship; nor had he ever assumed, of his own accord the + medical title by which the public chose to know him. His professional + practice seemed, in a sort, forced upon him; it grew pretty extensive, + partly because it was understood to be a matter of favor and difficulty, + dependent on a capricious will, to obtain his services at all. There was + unquestionably an odor of quackery about him; but by no means of an + ordinary kind. A sort of mystery—yet which, perhaps, need not have + been a mystery, had any one thought it worth while to make systematic + inquiry in reference to his previous life, his education, even his native + land—assisted the impression which his peculiarities were calculated + to make. He was evidently not a New-Englander, nor a native of any part of + these Western shores. His speech was apt to be oddly and uncouthly + idiomatic, and even when classical in its form was emitted with a strange, + rough depth of utterance, that came from recesses of the lungs which we + Yankees seldom put to any use. In person, he did not look like one of us; + a broad, rather short personage, with a projecting forehead, a red, + irregular face, and a squab nose; eyes that looked dull enough in their + ordinary state, but had a faculty, in conjunction with the other features, + which those who had ever seen it described as especially ugly and awful. + As regarded dress, Doctor Grimshawe had a rough and careless exterior, and + altogether a shaggy kind of aspect, the effect of which was much increased + by a reddish beard, which, contrary to the usual custom of the day, he + allowed to grow profusely; and the wiry perversity of which seemed to know + as little of the comb as of the razor. + </p> + <p> + We began with calling the grim Doctor an elderly personage; but in so + doing we looked at him through the eyes of the two children, who were his + intimates, and who had not learnt to decipher the purport and value of his + wrinkles and furrows and corrugations, whether as indicating age, or a + different kind of wear and tear. Possibly—he seemed so aggressive + and had such latent heat and force to throw out when occasion called—he + might scarcely have seemed middle-aged; though here again we hesitate, + finding him so stiffened in his own way, so little fluid, so encrusted + with passions and humors, that he must have left his youth very far behind + him; if indeed he ever had any. + </p> + <p> + The patients, or whatever other visitors were ever admitted into the + Doctor’s study, carried abroad strange accounts of the squalor of dust and + cobwebs in which the learned and scientific person lived; and the dust, + they averred, was all the more disagreeable, because it could not well be + other than dead men’s almost intangible atoms, resurrected from the + adjoining graveyard. As for the cobwebs, they were no signs of housewifely + neglect on the part of crusty Hannah, the handmaiden; but the Doctor’s + scientific material, carefully encouraged and preserved, each filmy thread + more valuable to him than so much golden wire. Of all barbarous haunts in + Christendom or elsewhere, this study was the one most overrun with + spiders. They dangled from the ceiling, crept upon the tables, lurked in + the corners, and wove the intricacy of their webs wherever they could + hitch the end from point to point across the window-panes, and even across + the upper part of the doorway, and in the chimney-place. It seemed + impossible to move without breaking some of these mystic threads. Spiders + crept familiarly towards you and walked leisurely across your hands: these + were their precincts, and you only an intruder. If you had none about your + person, yet you had an odious sense of one crawling up your spine, or + spinning cobwebs in your brain,—so pervaded was the atmosphere of + the place with spider-life. What they fed upon (for all the flies for + miles about would not have sufficed them) was a secret known only to the + Doctor. Whence they came was another riddle; though, from certain + inquiries and transactions of Doctor Grimshawe’s with some of the + shipmasters of the port, who followed the East and West Indian, the + African and the South American trade, it was supposed that this odd + philosopher was in the habit of importing choice monstrosities in the + spider kind from all those tropic regions. [Endnote: 6.] + </p> + <p> + All the above description, exaggerated as it may seem, is merely + preliminary to the introduction of one single enormous spider, the biggest + and ugliest ever seen, the pride of the grim Doctor’s heart, his treasure, + his glory, the pearl of his soul, and, as many people said, the demon to + whom he had sold his salvation, on condition of possessing the web of the + foul creature for a certain number of years. The grim Doctor, according to + this theory, was but a great fly which this spider had subtly entangled in + his web. But, in truth, naturalists are acquainted with this spider, + though it is a rare one; the British Museum has a specimen, and, + doubtless, so have many other scientific institutions. It is found in + South America; its most hideous spread of legs covers a space nearly as + large as a dinner-plate, and radiates from a body as big as a door-knob, + which one conceives to be an agglomeration of sucked-up poison which the + creature treasures through life; probably to expend it all, and life + itself, on some worthy foe. Its colors, variegated in a sort of ugly and + inauspicious splendor, were distributed over its vast bulb in great spots, + some of which glistened like gems. It was a horror to think of this thing + living; still more horrible to think of the foul catastrophe, the + crushed-out and wasted poison, that would follow the casual setting foot + upon it. + </p> + <p> + No doubt, the lapse of time since the Doctor and his spider lived has + already been sufficient to cause a traditionary wonderment to gather over + them both; and, especially, this image of the spider dangles down to us + from the dusky ceiling of the Past, swollen into somewhat uglier and huger + monstrosity than he actually possessed. Nevertheless, the creature had a + real existence, and has left kindred like himself; but as for the Doctor, + nothing could exceed the value which he seemed to put upon him, the + sacrifices he made for the creature’s convenience, or the readiness with + which he adapted his whole mode of life, apparently, so that the spider + might enjoy the conditions best suited to his tastes, habits, and health. + And yet there were sometimes tokens that made people imagine that he hated + the infernal creature as much as everybody else who caught a glimpse of + him. [Endnote: 7.] + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER II. + </h2> + <p> + Considering that Doctor Grimshawe, when we first look upon him, had dwelt + only a few years in the house by the graveyard, it is wonderful what an + appearance he, and his furniture, and his cobwebs, and their unweariable + spinners, and crusty old Hannah, all had of having permanently attached + themselves to the locality. For a century, at least, it might be fancied + that the study in particular had existed just as it was now; with those + dusky festoons of spider-silk hanging along the walls, those book-cases + with volumes turning their parchment or black-leather backs upon you, + those machines and engines, that table, and at it the Doctor, in a very + faded and shabby dressing-gown, smoking a long clay pipe, the powerful + fumes of which dwelt continually in his reddish and grisly beard, and made + him fragrant wherever he went. This sense of fixedness—stony + intractability—seems to belong to people who, instead of hope, which + exalts everything into an airy, gaseous exhilaration, have a fixed and + dogged purpose, around which everything congeals and crystallizes. + [Endnote: 1] Even the sunshine, dim through the dustiness of the two + casements that looked upon the graveyard, and the smoke, as it came warm + out of Doctor Grimshawe’s mouth, seemed already stale. But if the two + children, or either of them, happened to be in the study,—if they + ran to open the door at the knock, if they came scampering and peeped down + over the banisters,—the sordid and rusty gloom was apt to vanish + quite away. The sunbeam itself looked like a golden rule, that had been + flung down long ago, and had lain there till it was dusty and tarnished. + They were cheery little imps, who sucked up fragrance and pleasantness out + of their surroundings, dreary as these looked; even as a flower can find + its proper perfume in any soil where its seed happens to fall. The great + spider, hanging by his cordage over the Doctor’s head, and waving slowly, + like a pendulum, in a blast from the crack of the door, must have made + millions and millions of precisely such vibrations as these; but the + children were new, and made over every day, with yesterday’s weariness + left out. + </p> + <p> + The little girl, however, was the merrier of the two. It was quite + unintelligible, in view of the little care that crusty Hannah took of her, + and, moreover, since she was none of your prim, fastidious children, how + daintily she kept herself amid all this dust; how the spider’s webs never + clung to her, and how, when—without being solicited—she + clambered into the Doctor’s arms and kissed him, she bore away no smoky + reminiscences of the pipe that he kissed continually. She had a free, + mellow, natural laughter, that seemed the ripened fruit of the smile that + was generally on her little face, to be shaken off and scattered abroad by + any breeze that came along. Little Elsie made playthings of everything, + even of the grim Doctor, though against his will, and though, moreover, + there were tokens now and then that the sight of this bright little + creature was not a pleasure to him, but, on the contrary, a positive pain; + a pain, nevertheless, indicating a profound interest, hardly less deep + than though Elsie had been his daughter. + </p> + <p> + Elsie did not play with the great spider, but she moved among the whole + brood of spiders as if she saw them not, and, being endowed with other + senses than those allied to these things, might coexist with them and not + be sensible of their presence. Yet the child, I suppose, had her crying + fits, and her pouting fits, and naughtiness enough to entitle her to live + on earth; at least crusty Hannah often said so, and often made grievous + complaint of disobedience, mischief, or breakage, attributable to little + Elsie; to which the grim Doctor seldom responded by anything more + intelligible than a puff of tobacco-smoke, and, sometimes, an imprecation; + which, however, hit crusty Hannah instead of the child. Where the child + got the tenderness that a child needs to live upon, is a mystery to me; + perhaps from some aged or dead mother, or in her dreams; perhaps from some + small modicum of it, such as boys have, from the little boy; or perhaps it + was from a Persian kitten, which had grown to be a cat in her arms, and + slept in her little bed, and now assumed grave and protective airs towards + her former playmate. [Endnote: 2.] + </p> + <p> + The boy, [Endnote: 3] as we have said, was two or three years Elsie’s + elder, and might now be about six years old. He was a healthy and cheerful + child, yet of a graver mood than the little girl, appearing to lay a more + forcible grasp on the circumstances about him, and to tread with a heavier + footstep on the solid earth; yet perhaps not more so than was the + necessary difference between a man-blossom, dimly conscious of coming + things, and a mere baby, with whom there was neither past nor future. Ned, + as he was named, was subject very early to fits of musing, the subject of + which—if they had any definite subject, or were more than vague + reveries—it was impossible to guess. They were of those states of + mind, probably, which are beyond the sphere of human language, and would + necessarily lose their essence in the attempt to communicate or record + them. The little girl, perhaps, had some mode of sympathy with these + unuttered thoughts or reveries, which grown people had ceased to have; at + all events, she early learned to respect them, and, at other times as free + and playful as her Persian kitten, she never in such circumstances + ventured on any greater freedom than to sit down quietly beside him, and + endeavor to look as thoughtful as the boy himself. + </p> + <p> + Once, slowly emerging from one of these waking reveries, little Ned gazed + about him, and saw Elsie sitting with this pretty pretence of + thoughtfulness and dreaminess in her little chair, close beside him; now + and then peeping under her eyelashes to note what changes might come over + his face. After looking at her a moment or two, he quietly took her + willing and warm little hand in his own, and led her up to the Doctor. + </p> + <p> + The group, methinks, must have been a picturesque one, made up as it was + of several apparently discordant elements, each of which happened to be so + combined as to make a more effective whole. The beautiful grave boy, with + a little sword by his side and a feather in his hat, of a brown + complexion, slender, with his white brow and dark, thoughtful eyes, so + earnest upon some mysterious theme; the prettier little girl, a blonde, + round, rosy, so truly sympathetic with her companion’s mood, yet + unconsciously turning all to sport by her attempt to assume one similar;—these + two standing at the grim Doctor’s footstool; he meanwhile, black, + wild-bearded, heavy-browed, red-eyed, wrapped in his faded dressing-gown, + puffing out volumes of vapor from his long pipe, and making, just at that + instant, application to a tumbler, which, we regret to say, was generally + at his elbow, with some dark-colored potation in it that required to be + frequently replenished from a neighboring black bottle. Half, at least, of + the fluids in the grim Doctor’s system must have been derived from that + same black bottle, so constant was his familiarity with its contents; and + yet his eyes were never redder at one time than another, nor his utterance + thicker, nor his mood perceptibly the brighter or the duller for all his + conviviality. It is true, when, once, the bottle happened to be empty for + a whole day together, Doctor Grimshawe was observed by crusty Hannah and + by the children to be considerably fiercer than usual: so that probably, + by some maladjustment of consequences, his intemperance was only to be + found in refraining from brandy. + </p> + <p> + Nor must we forget—in attempting to conceive the effect of these two + beautiful children in such a sombre room, looking on the graveyard, and + contrasted with the grim Doctor’s aspect of heavy and smouldering + fierceness—that over his head, at this very moment, dangled the + portentous spider, who seemed to have come down from his web aloft for the + purpose of hearing what the two young people could have to say to his + patron, and what reference it might have to certain mysterious documents + which the Doctor kept locked up in a secret cupboard behind the door. + </p> + <p> + “Grim Doctor,” said Ned, after looking up into the Doctor’s face, as a + sensitive child inevitably does, to see whether the occasion was + favorable, yet determined to proceed with his purpose whether so or not,—“Grim + Doctor, I want you to answer me a question.” + </p> + <p> + “Here’s to your good health, Ned!” quoth the Doctor, eying the pair + intently, as he often did, when they were unconscious. “So you want to ask + me a question? As many as you please, my fine fellow; and I shall answer + as many, and as much, and as truly, as may please myself!” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, grim Doctor!” said the little girl, now letting go of Ned’s hand, and + climbing upon the Doctor’s knee, “‘ou shall answer as many as Ned please + to ask, because to please him and me!” + </p> + <p> + “Well, child,” said Doctor Grimshawe, “little Ned will have his rights at + least, at my hands, if not other people’s rights likewise; and, if it be + right, I shall answer his question. Only, let him ask it at once; for I + want to be busy thinking about something else.” + </p> + <p> + “Then, Doctor Grim,” said little Ned, “tell me, in the first place, where + I came from, and how you came to have me?” + </p> + <p> + The Doctor looked at the little man, so seriously and earnestly putting + this demand, with a perplexed, and at first it might almost seem a + startled aspect. + </p> + <p> + “That is a question, indeed, my friend Ned!” ejaculated he, putting forth + a whiff of smoke and imbibing a nip from his tumbler before he spoke; and + perhaps framing his answer, as many thoughtful and secret people do, in + such a way as to let out his secret mood to the child, because knowing he + could not understand it: “Whence did you come? Whence did any of us come? + Out of the darkness and mystery; out of nothingness; out of a kingdom of + shadows; out of dust, clay, mud, I think, and to return to it again. Out + of a former state of being, whence we have brought a good many shadowy + revelations, purporting that it was no very pleasant one. Out of a former + life, of which the present one is the hell!—And why are you come? + Faith, Ned, he must be a wiser man than Doctor Grim who can tell why you + or any other mortal came hither; only one thing I am well aware of,—it + was not to be happy. To toil and moil and hope and fear; and to love in a + shadowy, doubtful sort of way, and to hate in bitter earnest,—that + is what you came for!” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, Doctor Grim! this is very naughty,” said little Elsie. “You are + making fun of little Ned, when he is in earnest.” + </p> + <p> + “Fun!” quoth Doctor Grim, bursting into a laugh peculiar to him, very loud + and obstreperous. “I am glad you find it so, my little woman. Well, and so + you bid me tell absolutely where he came from?” + </p> + <p> + Elsie nodded her bright little head. + </p> + <p> + “And you, friend Ned, insist upon knowing?” + </p> + <p> + “That I do, Doctor Grim!” answered Ned. His white, childish brow had + gathered into a frown, such was the earnestness of his determination; and + he stamped his foot on the floor, as if ready to follow up his demand by + an appeal to the little tin sword which hung by his side. The Doctor + looked at him with a kind of smile,—not a very pleasant one; for it + was an unamiable characteristic of his temper that a display of spirit, + even in a child, was apt to arouse his immense combativeness, and make him + aim a blow without much consideration how heavily it might fall, or on how + unequal an antagonist. + </p> + <p> + “If you insist upon an answer, Master Ned, you shall have it,” replied he. + “You were taken by me, boy, a foundling from an almshouse; and if ever + hereafter you desire to know your kindred, you must take your chance of + the first man you meet. He is as likely to be your father as another!” + </p> + <p> + The child’s eyes flashed, and his brow grew as red as fire. It was but a + momentary fierceness; the next instant he clasped his hands over his face, + and wept in a violent convulsion of grief and shame. Little Elsie clasped + her arms about him, kissing his brow and chin, which were all that her + lips could touch, under his clasped hands; but Ned turned away + uncomforted, and was blindly making his way towards the door. + </p> + <p> + “Ned, my little fellow, come back!” said Doctor Grim, who had very + attentively watched the cruel effect of his communication. + </p> + <p> + As the boy did not reply, and was still tending towards the door, the grim + Doctor vouchsafed to lay aside his pipe, get up from his arm-chair (a + thing he seldom did between supper and bedtime), and shuffle after the two + children in his slippers. He caught them on the threshold, brought little + Ned back by main force,—for he was a rough man even in his + tenderness,—and, sitting down again and taking him on his knee, + pulled away his hands from before his face. Never was a more pitiful sight + than that pale countenance, so infantile still, yet looking old and + experienced already, with a sense of disgrace, with a feeling of + loneliness; so beautiful, nevertheless, that it seemed to possess all the + characteristics which fine hereditary traits and culture, or many + forefathers, could do in refining a human stock. And this was a nameless + weed, sprouting from some chance seed by the dusty wayside! + </p> + <p> + “Ned, my dear old boy,” said Doctor Grim,—and he kissed that pale, + tearful face,—the first and last time, to the best of my belief, + that he was ever betrayed into that tenderness; “forget what I have said! + Yes, remember, if you like, that you came from an almshouse; but remember, + too,—what your friend Doctor Grim is ready to affirm and make oath + of,—that he can trace your kindred and race through that sordid + experience, and back, back, for a hundred and fifty years, into an old + English line. Come, little Ned, and look at this picture.” + </p> + <p> + He led the boy by the hand to a corner of the room, where hung upon the + wall a portrait which Ned had often looked at. It seemed an old picture; + but the Doctor had had it cleaned and varnished, so that it looked dim and + dark, and yet it seemed to be the representation of a man of no mark; not + at least of such mark as would naturally leave his features to be + transmitted for the interest of another generation. For he was clad in a + mean dress of old fashion,—a leather jerkin it appeared to be,—and + round his neck, moreover, was a noose of rope, as if he might have been on + the point of being hanged. But the face of the portrait, nevertheless, was + beautiful, noble, though sad; with a great development of sensibility, a + look of suffering and endurance amounting to triumph,—a peace + through all. + </p> + <p> + “Look at this,” continued the Doctor, “if you must go on dreaming about + your race. Dream that you are of the blood of this being; for, mean as his + station looks, he comes of an ancient and noble race, and was the noblest + of them all! Let me alone, Ned, and I shall spin out the web that shall + link you to that man. The grim Doctor can do it!” + </p> + <p> + The grim Doctor’s face looked fierce with the earnestness with which he + said these words. You would have said that he was taking an oath to + overthrow and annihilate a race, rather than to build one up by bringing + forward the infant heir out of obscurity, and making plain the links—the + filaments—which cemented this feeble childish life, in a far + country, with the great tide of a noble life, which had come down like a + chain from antiquity, in old England. + </p> + <p> + Having said the words, however, the grim Doctor appeared ashamed both of + the heat and of the tenderness into which he had been betrayed; for rude + and rough as his nature was, there was a kind of decorum in it, too, that + kept him within limits of his own. So he went back to his chair, his pipe, + and his tumbler, and was gruffer and more taciturn than ever for the rest + of the evening. And after the children went to bed, he leaned back in his + chair and looked up at the vast tropic spider, who was particularly busy + in adding to the intricacies of his web; until he fell asleep with his + eyes fixed in that direction, and the extinguished pipe in one hand and + the empty tumbler in the other. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER III. + </h2> + <p> + Doctor Grimshawe, after the foregone scene, began a practice of conversing + more with the children than formerly; directing his discourse chiefly to + Ned, although Elsie’s vivacity and more outspoken and demonstrative + character made her take quite as large a share in the conversation as he. + </p> + <p> + The Doctor’s communications referred chiefly to a village, or + neighborhood, or locality in England, which he chose to call Newnham; + although he told the children that this was not the real name, which, for + reasons best known to himself, he wished to conceal. Whatever the name + were, he seemed to know the place so intimately, that the children, as a + matter of course, adopted the conclusion that it was his birthplace, and + the spot where he had spent his schoolboy days, and had lived until some + inscrutable reason had impelled him to quit its ivy-grown antiquity, and + all the aged beauty and strength that he spoke of, and to cross the sea. + </p> + <p> + He used to tell of an old church, far unlike the brick and pine-built + meeting-houses with which the children were familiar; a church, the stones + of which were laid, every one of them, before the world knew of the + country in which he was then speaking: and how it had a spire, the lower + part of which was mantled with ivy, and up which, towards its very spire, + the ivy was still creeping; and how there was a tradition, that, if the + ivy ever reached the top, the spire would fall upon the roof of the old + gray church, and crush it all down among its surrounding tombstones. + [Endnote: 1] And so, as this misfortune would be so heavy a one, there + seemed to be a miracle wrought from year to year, by which the ivy, though + always flourishing, could never grow beyond a certain point; so that the + spire and church had stood unharmed for thirty years; though the wise old + people were constantly foretelling that the passing year must be the very + last one that it could stand. + </p> + <p> + He told, too, of a place that made little Ned blush and cast down his eyes + to hide the tears of anger and shame at he knew not what, which would + irresistibly spring into them; for it reminded him of the almshouse where, + as the cruel Doctor said, Ned himself had had his earliest home. And yet, + after all, it had scarcely a feature of resemblance; and there was this + great point of difference,—that whereas, in Ned’s wretched abode (a + large, unsightly brick house), there were many wretched infants like + himself, as well as helpless people of all ages, widows, decayed + drunkards, people of feeble wits, and all kinds of imbecility; it being a + haven for those who could not contend in the hard, eager, pitiless + struggle of life; in the place the Doctor spoke of, a noble, Gothic, mossy + structure, there were none but aged men, who had drifted into this quiet + harbor to end their days in a sort of humble yet stately ease and decorous + abundance. And this shelter, the grim Doctor said, was the gift of a man + who had died ages ago; and having been a great sinner in his lifetime, and + having drawn lands, manors, and a great mass of wealth into his clutches, + by violent and unfair means, had thought to get his pardon by founding + this Hospital, as it was called, in which thirteen old men should always + reside; and he hoped that they would spend their time in praying for the + welfare of his soul. [Endnote: 2.] + </p> + <p> + Said little Elsie, “I am glad he did it, and I hope the poor old men never + forgot to pray for him, and that it did good to the poor wicked man’s + soul.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, child,” said Doctor Grimshawe, with a scowl into vacancy, and a + sort of wicked leer of merriment at the same time, as if he saw before him + the face of the dead man of past centuries, “I happen to be no lover of + this man’s race, and I hate him for the sake of one of his descendants. I + don’t think he succeeded in bribing the Devil to let him go, or God to + save him!” + </p> + <p> + “Doctor Grim, you are very naughty!” said Elsie, looking shocked. + </p> + <p> + “It is fair enough,” said Ned, “to hate your enemies to the very brink of + the grave, but then to leave him to get what mercy he can.” + </p> + <p> + “After shoving him in!” quoth the Doctor; and made no further response to + either of these criticisms, which seemed indeed to affect him very little—if + he even listened to them. For he was a man of singularly imperfect moral + culture; insomuch that nothing else was so remarkable about him as that—possessing + a good deal of intellectual ability, made available by much reading and + experience—he was so very dark on the moral side; as if he needed + the natural perceptions that should have enabled him to acquire that + better wisdom. Such a phenomenon often meets us in life; oftener than we + recognize, because a certain tact and exterior decency generally hide the + moral deficiency. But often there is a mind well polished, married to a + conscience and natural impulses left as they were in childhood, except + that they have sprouted up into evil and poisonous weeds, richly + blossoming with strong-smelling flowers, or seeds which the plant scatters + by a sort of impulse; even as the Doctor was now half-consciously throwing + seeds of his evil passions into the minds of these children. He was + himself a grown-up child, without tact, simplicity, and innocence, and + with ripened evil, all the ranker for a native heat that was in him and + still active, which might have nourished good things as well as evil. + Indeed, it did cherish by chance a root or two of good, the fragrance of + which was sometimes perceptible among all this rank growth of poisonous + weeds. A grown-up child he was,—that was all. + </p> + <p> + The Doctor now went on to describe an old country-seat, which stood near + this village and the ancient Hospital that he had been telling about, and + which was formerly the residence of the wicked man (a knight and a brave + one, well known in the Lancastrian wars) who had founded the latter. It + was a venerable old mansion, which a Saxon Thane had begun to build more + than a thousand years ago, the old English oak that he built into the + frame being still visible in the ancient skeleton of its roof, sturdy and + strong as if put up yesterday. And the descendants of the man who built + it, through the French line (for a Norman baron wedded the daughter and + heiress of the Saxon), dwelt there yet; and in each century they had done + something for the old Hall,—building a tower, adding a suite of + rooms, strengthening what was already built, putting in a painted window, + making it more spacious and convenient,—till it seemed as if Time + employed himself in thinking what could be done for the old house. As fast + as any part decayed, it was renewed, with such simple art that the new + completed, as it were, and fitted itself to the old. So that it seemed as + if the house never had been finished, until just that thing was added. For + many an age, the possessors had gone on adding strength to strength, + digging out the moat to a greater depth, piercing the walls with holes for + archers to shoot through, or building a turret to keep watch upon. But at + last all necessity for these precautions passed away, and then they + thought of convenience and comfort, adding something in every generation + to these. And by and by they thought of beauty too; and in this time + helped them with its weather-stains, and the ivy that grew over the walls, + and the grassy depth of the dried-up moat, and the abundant shade that + grew up everywhere, where naked strength would have been ugly. + </p> + <p> + “One curious thing in the house,” said the Doctor, lowering his voice, but + with a mysterious look of triumph, and that old scowl, too, at the + children, “was that they built a secret chamber,—a very secret one!” + </p> + <p> + “A secret chamber!” cried little Ned; “who lived in it? A ghost?” + </p> + <p> + “There was often use for it,” said Doctor Grim; “hiding people who had + fought on the wrong side, or Catholic priests, or criminals, or perhaps—who + knows?—enemies that they wanted put out of the way,—troublesome + folks. Ah! it was often of use, that secret chamber: and is so still!” + </p> + <p> + Here the Doctor paused a long while, and leaned back in his chair, slowly + puffing long whiffs from his pipe, looking up at the great spider-demon + that hung over his head, and, as it seemed to the children by the + expression of his face, looking into the dim secret chamber which he had + spoken of, and which, by something in his mode of alluding to it, assumed + such a weird, spectral aspect to their imaginations that they never wished + to hear of it again. Coming back at length out of his reverie,—returning, + perhaps, out of some weird, ghostly, secret chamber of his memory, whereof + the one in the old house was but the less horrible emblem,—he + resumed his tale. He said that, a long time ago, a war broke out in the + old country between King and Parliament. At that period there were several + brothers of the old family (which had adhered to the Catholic religion), + and these chose the side of the King instead of that of the Puritan + Parliament: all but one, whom the family hated because he took the + Parliament side; and he became a soldier, and fought against his own + brothers; and it was said among them that, so inveterate was he, he went + on the scaffold, masked, and was the very man who struck off the King’s + head, and that his foot trod in the King’s blood, and that always + afterwards he made a bloody track wherever he went. And there was a legend + that his brethren once caught the renegade and imprisoned him in his own + birthplace— + </p> + <p> + “In the secret chamber?” interrupted Ned. + </p> + <p> + “No doubt!” said the Doctor, nodding, “though I never heard so.” + </p> + <p> + They imprisoned him, but he made his escape and fled, and in the morning + his prison-place, wherever it was, was empty. But on the threshold of the + door of the old manor-house there was the print of a bloody footstep; and + no trouble that the housemaids took, no rain of all the years that have + since passed, no sunshine, has made it fade: nor have all the wear and + tramp of feet passing over it since then availed to erase it. + </p> + <p> + “I have seen it myself,” quoth the Doctor, “and know this to be true.” + </p> + <p> + “Doctor Grim, now you are laughing at us,” said Ned, trying to look grave. + But Elsie hid her face on the Doctor’s knee; there being something that + affected the vivid little girl with peculiar horror in the idea of this + red footstep always glistening on the doorstep, and wetting, as she + fancied, every innocent foot of child or grown person that had since + passed over it. [Endnote: 3.] + </p> + <p> + “It is true!” reiterated the grim Doctor; “for, man and boy, I have seen + it a thousand times.” + </p> + <p> + He continued the family history, or tradition, or fantastic legend, + whichever it might be; telling his young auditors that the Puritan, the + renegade son of the family, was afterwards, by the contrivances of his + brethren, sent to Virginia and sold as a bond slave; and how he had + vanished from that quarter and come to New England, where he was supposed + to have left children. And by and by two elder brothers died, and this + missing brother became the heir to the old estate and to a title. Then the + family tried to track his bloody footstep, and sought it far and near, + through green country paths, and old streets of London; but in vain. Then + they sent messengers to see whether any traces of one stepping in blood + could be found on the forest leaves of America; but still in vain. The + idea nevertheless prevailed that he would come back, and it was said they + kept a bedchamber ready for him yet in the old house. But much as they + pretended to regret the loss of him and his children, it would make them + curse their stars were a descendant of his to return now. For the child of + a younger son was in possession of the old estate, and was doing as much + evil as his forefathers did; and if the true heir were to appear on the + threshold, he would (if he might but do it secretly) stain the whole + doorstep as red as the Bloody Footstep had stained one little portion of + it. + </p> + <p> + “Do you think he will ever come back?” asked little Ned. + </p> + <p> + “Stranger things have happened, my little man!” said Doctor Grimshawe, + “than that the posterity of this man should come back and turn these + usurpers out of his rightful inheritance. And sometimes, as I sit here + smoking my pipe and drinking my glass, and looking up at the cunning plot + that the spider is weaving yonder above my head, and thinking of this fine + old family and some little matters that have been between them and me, I + fancy that it may be so! We shall see! Stranger things have happened.” + </p> + <p> + And Doctor Grimshawe drank off his tumbler, winking at little Ned in a + strange way, that seemed to be a kind of playfulness, but which did not + affect the children pleasantly; insomuch that little Elsie put both her + hands on Doctor Grim’s knees, and begged him not to do so any more. + [Endnote: 4.] + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER IV. + </h2> + <p> + [Endnote: 1] + </p> + <p> + The children, after this conversation, often introduced the old English + mansion into their dreams and little romances, which all imaginative + children are continually mixing up with their lives, making the + commonplace day of grown people a rich, misty, glancing orb of fairy-land + to themselves. Ned, forgetting or not realizing the long lapse of time, + used to fancy the true heir wandering all this while in America, and + leaving a long track of bloody footsteps behind him; until the period + when, his sins being expiated (whatever they might be), he should turn + back upon his steps and return to his old native home. And sometimes the + child used to look along the streets of the town where he dwelt, bending + his thoughtful eyes on the ground, and think that perhaps some time he + should see the bloody footsteps there, betraying that the wanderer had + just gone that way. + </p> + <p> + As for little Elsie, it was her fancy that the hero of the legend still + remained imprisoned in that dreadful secret chamber, which had made a most + dread impression on her mind; and that there he was, forgotten all this + time, waiting, like a naughty child shut up in a closet, until some one + should come to unlock the door. In the pitifulness of her disposition, she + once proposed to little Ned that, as soon as they grew big enough, they + should set out in quest of the old house, and find their way into it, and + find the secret chamber, and let the poor prisoner out. So they lived a + good deal of the time in a half-waking dream, partly conscious of the + fantastic nature of their ideas, yet with these ideas almost as real to + them as the facts of the natural world, which, to children, are at first + transparent and unsubstantial. + </p> + <p> + The Doctor appeared to have a pleasure, or a purpose, in keeping his + legend forcibly in their memories; he often recurred to the subject of the + old English family, and was continually giving new details about its + history, the scenery in its neighborhood, the aspect of the mansion-house; + indicating a very intense interest in the subject on his own part, of + which this much talk seemed the involuntary overflowing. + </p> + <p> + There was, however, an affection mingled with this sentiment. It appeared + to be his unfortunate necessity to let his thoughts dwell very constantly + upon a subject that was hateful to him, with which this old English estate + and manor-house and family were somehow connected; and, moreover, had he + spoken thus to older and more experienced auditors, they might have + detected in the manner and matter of his talk, a certain hereditary + reverence and awe, the growth of ages, mixed up with a newer hatred, + impelling him to deface and destroy what, at the same time, it was his + deepest impulse to bow before. The love belonged to his race; the hatred, + to himself individually. It was the feeling of a man lowly born, when he + contracts a hostility to his hereditary superior. In one way, being of a + powerful, passionate nature, gifted with force and ability far superior to + that of the aristocrat, he might scorn him and feel able to trample on + him; in another, he had the same awe that a country boy feels of the + magistrate who flings him a sixpence and shakes his horsewhip at him. + </p> + <p> + Had the grim Doctor been an American, he might have had the vast antipathy + to rank, without the trace of awe that made it so much more malignant: it + required a low-born Englishman to feel the two together. What made the + hatred so fiendish was a something that, in the natural course of things, + would have been loyalty, inherited affection, devoted self-sacrifice to a + superior. Whatever it might be, it seemed at times (when his potations + took deeper effect than ordinary) almost to drive the grim Doctor mad; for + he would burst forth in wild diatribes and anathemas, having a strange, + rough force of expression and a depth of utterance, as if his words came + from a bottomless pit within himself, where burned an everlasting fire, + and where the furies had their home; and plans of dire revenge were welded + into shape as in the heat of a furnace. After the two poor children had + been affrighted by paroxysms of this kind, the strange being would break + out into one of his roars of laughter, that seemed to shake the house, + and, at all events, caused the cobwebs and spiders suspended from the + ceiling, to swing and vibrate with the motion of the volumes of + reverberating breath which he thus expelled from his capacious lungs. + Then, catching up little Elsie upon one knee and Ned upon the other, he + would become gentler than in his usual moods, and, by the powerful + magnetism of his character, cause them to think him as tender and sweet an + old fellow as a child could desire for a playmate. Upon the whole, strange + as it may appear, they loved the grim Doctor dearly; there was a loadstone + within him that drew them close to him and kept them there, in spite of + the horror of many things that he said and did. One thing that, slight as + it seemed, wrought mightily towards their mutually petting each other, was + that no amount of racket, hubbub, shouting, laughter, or noisy mischief + which the two children could perpetrate, ever disturbed the Doctor’s + studies, meditations, or employments of whatever kind. He had a hardy set + of nerves, not refined by careful treatment in himself or his ancestors, + but probably accustomed from of old to be drummed on by harsh voices, rude + sounds, and the clatter and clamor of household life among homely, + uncultivated, strongly animal people. + </p> + <p> + As the two children grew apace, it behooved their strange guardian to take + some thought for their instruction. So far as little Elsie was concerned, + however, he seemed utterly indifferent to her having any cultivation: + having imbibed no modern ideas respecting feminine capacities and + privileges, but regarding woman, whether in the bud or in the blossom, as + the plaything of man’s idler moments, and the helpmeet—but in a + humble capacity—of his daily life. He sometimes bade her go to the + kitchen and take lessons of crusty Hannah in bread-making, sweeping, + dusting, washing, the coarser needlework, and such other things as she + would require to know when she came to be a woman; but carelessly allowed + her to gather up the crumbs of such instruction as he bestowed on her + playmate Ned, and thus learn to read, write, and cipher; which, to say the + truth, was about as far in the way of scholarship as little Elsie cared to + go. + </p> + <p> + But towards little Ned the grim Doctor adopted a far different system. No + sooner had he reached the age when the soft and tender intellect of the + child became capable of retaining impressions, than he took him vigorously + in hand, assigning him such tasks as were fit for him, and curiously + investigating what were the force and character of the powers with which + the child grasped them. Not that the Doctor pressed him forward unduly; + indeed, there was no need of it; for the boy manifested a remarkable + docility for instruction, and a singular quickness in mastering the + preliminary steps which lead to science: a subtle instinct, indeed, which + it seemed wonderful a child should possess for anything as artificial as + systems of grammar and arithmetic. A remarkable boy, in truth, he was, to + have been found by chance in an almshouse; except that, such being his + origin, we are at liberty to suppose for him whatever long cultivation and + gentility we may think necessary, in his parentage of either side,—such + as was indicated also by his graceful and refined beauty of person. He + showed, indeed, even before he began to read at all, an instinctive + attraction towards books, and a love for and interest in even the material + form of knowledge,—the plates, the print, the binding of the + Doctor’s volumes, and even in a bookworm which he once found in an old + volume, where it had eaten a circular furrow. But the little boy had too + quick a spirit of life to be in danger of becoming a bookworm himself. He + had this side of the intellect, but his impulse would be to mix with men, + and catch something from their intercourse fresher than books could give + him; though these would give him what they might. + </p> + <p> + In the grim Doctor, rough and uncultivated as he seemed, this budding + intelligence found no inadequate instructor. Doctor Grimshawe proved + himself a far more thorough scholar, in the classics and mathematics, than + could easily have been found in our country. He himself must have had + rigid and faithful instruction at an early period of life, though probably + not in his boyhood. For, though the culture had been bestowed, his mind + had been left in so singularly rough a state that it seemed as if the + refinement of classical study could not have been begun very early. Or + possibly the mind and nature were incapable of polish; or he may have had + a coarse and sordid domestic life around him in his infancy and youth. He + was a gem of coarse texture, just hewn out. An American with a like + education would more likely have gained a certain fineness and grace, and + it would have been difficult to distinguish him from one who had been born + to culture and refinement. This sturdy Englishman, after all that had been + done for his mind, and though it had been well done, was still but another + ploughman, of a long race of such, with a few scratchings of refinement on + his hard exterior. His son, if he left one, might be a little less of the + ploughman; his grandson, provided the female element were well chosen, + might approach to refinement; three generations—a century at least—would + be required for the slow toil of hewing, chiselling, and polishing a + gentleman out of this ponderous block, now rough from the quarry of human + nature. But, in the mean time, he evidently possessed in an unusual degree + the sort of learning that refines other minds,—the critical + acquaintance with the great poets and historians of antiquity, and + apparently an appreciation of their merits, and power to teach their + beauty. So the boy had an able tutor, capable, it would seem, of showing + him the way to the graces he did not himself possess; besides helping the + growth of the strength without which refinement is but sickly and + disgusting. + </p> + <p> + Another sort of culture, which it seemed odd that this rude man should + undertake, was that of manners; but, in fact, rude as the grim Doctor’s + own manners were, he was one of the nicest and severest censors in that + department that was ever known. It is difficult to account for this; + although it is almost invariably found that persons in a low rank of life, + such as servants and laborers, will detect the false pretender to the + character of a gentleman, with at least as sure an instinct as the class + into which they seek to thrust themselves. Perhaps they recognize + something akin to their own vulgarity, rather than appreciate what is + unlike themselves. The Doctor possessed a peculiar power of rich rough + humor on this subject, and used to deliver lectures, as it were, to little + Ned, illustrated with sketches of living individuals in the town where + they dwelt; by an unscrupulous use of whom he sought to teach the boy what + to avoid in manners, if he sought to be a gentleman. But it must be + confessed he spared himself as little as other people, and often wound up + with this compendious injunction,—“Be everything in your behavior + that Doctor Grim is not!” + </p> + <p> + His pupil, very probably, profited somewhat by these instructions; for + there are specialties and arbitrary rules of behavior which do not come by + nature. But these are few; and beautiful, noble, and genial manners may + almost be called a natural gift; and these, however he inherited them, + soon proved to be an inherent possession of little Ned. He had a kind of + natural refinement, which nothing could ever soil or offend; it seemed, by + some magic or other, absolutely to keep him from the knowledge of much of + the grim Doctor’s rude and sordid exterior, and to render what was around + him beautiful by a sort of affiliation, or reflection from that quality in + himself, glancing its white light upon it. The Doctor himself was puzzled, + and apparently both startled and delighted at the perception of these + characteristics. Sometimes he would make a low, uncouth bow, after his + fashion, to the little fellow, saying, “Allow me to kiss your hand, my + lord!” and little Ned, not quite knowing what the grim Doctor meant, yet + allowed the favor he asked, with a grave and gracious condescension that + seemed much to delight the suitor. This refusal to recognize or to suspect + that the Doctor might be laughing at him was a sure token, at any rate, of + the lack of one vulgar characteristic in little Ned. + </p> + <p> + In order to afford little Ned every advantage to these natural gifts, + Doctor Grim nevertheless failed not to provide the best attainable + instructor for such positive points of a polite education as his own + fierce criticism, being destructive rather than generative, would not + suffice for. There was a Frenchman in the town—a M. Le Grand, + secretly calling himself a Count—who taught the little people, and, + indeed, some of their elders, the Parisian pronunciation of his own + language; and likewise dancing (in which he was more of an adept and more + successful than in the former branch) and fencing: in which, after looking + at a lesson or two, the grim Doctor was satisfied of his skill. Under his + instruction, with the stimulus of the Doctor’s praise and criticism, Ned + soon grew to be the pride of the Frenchman’s school, in both the active + departments; and the Doctor himself added a further gymnastic acquirement + (not absolutely necessary, he said, to a gentleman’s education, but very + desirable to a man perfect at all points) by teaching him cudgel-playing + and pugilism. In short, in everything that related to accomplishments, + whether of mind or body, no pains were spared with little Ned; but of the + utilitarian line of education, then almost exclusively adopted, and + especially desirable for a fortuneless boy like Ned, dependent on a man + not wealthy, there was little given. + </p> + <p> + At first, too, the Doctor paid little attention to the moral and religious + culture of his pupil; nor did he ever make a system of it. But by and by, + though with a singular reluctance and kind of bashfulness, he began to + extend his care to these matters; being drawn into them unawares, and + possibly perceiving and learning what he taught as he went along. One + evening, I know not how, he was betrayed into speaking on this point, and + a sort of inspiration seized him. A vista opened before him: handling an + immortal spirit, he began to know its requisitions, in a degree far beyond + what he had conceived them to be when his great task was undertaken. His + voice grew deep, and had a strange, impressive pathos in it; his talk + became eloquent with depth of meaning and feeling, as he told the boy of + the moral dangers of the world, for which he was seeking to educate him; + and which, he said, presented what looked like great triumphs, and yet + were the greatest and saddest of defeats. He told him that many things + that seemed nearest and dearest to the heart of man were destructive, + eating and gnawing away and corroding what was best in him; and what a + high, noble, re-creating triumph it was when these dark impulses were + resisted and overthrown; and how, from that epoch, the soul took a new + start. He denounced the selfish greed of gold, lawless passion, revenge,—and + here the grim Doctor broke out into a strange passion and zeal of anathema + against this deadly sin, making a dreadful picture of the ruin that it + creates in the heart where it establishes itself, and how it makes a + corrosive acid of those genial juices. Then he told the boy that the + condition of all good was, in the first place, truth; then, courage; then, + justice; then, mercy; out of which principles operating upon one another + would come all brave, noble, high, unselfish actions, and the scorn of all + mean ones; and how that from such a nature all hatred would fall away, and + all good affections would be ennobled. + </p> + <p> + I know not at what point it was, precisely, in these ethical instructions + that an insight seemed to strike the grim Doctor that something more—vastly + more—was needed than all he had said; and he began, doubtfully, to + speak of man’s spiritual nature and its demands, and the emptiness of + everything which a sense of these demands did not pervade, and condense, + and weighten into realities. And going on in this strain, he soared out of + himself and astonished the two children, who stood gazing at him, + wondering whether it were the Doctor who was speaking thus; until some + interrupting circumstance seemed to bring him back to himself, and he + burst into one of his great roars of laughter. The inspiration, the + strange light whereby he had been transfigured, passed out of his face; + and there was the uncouth, wild-bearded, rough, earthy, passionate man, + whom they called Doctor Grim, looking ashamed of himself, and trying to + turn the whole matter into a jest. [Endnote: 2.] + </p> + <p> + It was a sad pity that he should have been interrupted, and brought into + this mocking mood, just when he seemed to have broken away from the + sinfulness of his hot, evil nature, and to have soared into a region + where, with all his native characteristics transfigured, he seemed to have + become an angel in his own likeness. Crusty Hannah, who had been drawn to + the door of the study by the unusual tones of his voice,—a kind of + piercing sweetness in it,—always averred that she saw the gigantic + spider swooping round his head in great crafty circles, and clutching, as + it were, at his brain with its great claws. But it was the old woman’s + absurd idea that this hideous insect was the Devil, in that ugly guise,—a + superstition which deserves absolutely no countenance. Nevertheless, + though this paroxysm of devotional feeling and insight returned no more to + the grim Doctor, it was ever after a memorable occasion to the two + children. It touched that religious chord, in both their hearts, which + there was no mother to touch; but now it vibrated long, and never ceased + to vibrate so long as they remained together,—nor, perhaps, after + they were parted from each other and from the grim Doctor. And even then, + in those after years, the strange music that had been awakened was + continued, as it were the echo from harps on high. Now, at all events, + they made little prayers for themselves, and said them at bedtime, + generally in secret, sometimes in unison; and they read in an old dusty + Bible which lay among the grim Doctor’s books; and from little heathens, + they became Christian children. Doctor Grimshawe was perhaps conscious of + this result of his involuntary preachment, but he never directly noticed + it, and did nothing either to efface or deepen the impression. + </p> + <p> + It was singular, however, that, in both the children’s minds, this one + gush of irresistible religious sentiment, breaking out of the grim + Doctor’s inner depths, like a sort of holy lava from a volcano that + usually emitted quite other matter, (such as hot, melted wrath and hate,) + quite threw out of sight, then and always afterwards, his darker + characteristics. They remembered him, with faith and love, as a religious + man, and forgot—what perhaps had made no impression on their + innocent hearts—all the traits that other people might have called + devilish. To them the grim Doctor was a saint, even during his lifetime + and constant intercourse with them, and canonized forever afterwards. + There is almost always, to be sure, this profound faith, with regard to + those they love, in childhood; but perhaps, in this instance, the children + really had a depth of insight that grown people lacked; a profound + recognition of the bottom of this strange man’s nature, which was of such + stuff as martyrs and heroic saints might have been made of, though here it + had been wrought miserably amiss. At any rate, his face with the holy awe + upon it was what they saw and remembered, when they thought of their + friend Doctor Grim. + </p> + <p> + One effect of his zealous and analytic instruction of the boy was very + perceptible. Heretofore, though enduring him, and occasionally making a + plaything of him, it may be doubted whether the grim Doctor had really any + strong affection for the child: it rather seemed as if his strong will + were forcing him to undertake, and carry sedulously forward, a + self-imposed task. All that he had done—his redeeming the bright + child from poverty and nameless degradation, ignorance, and a sordid life + hopeless of better fortune, and opening to him the whole realm of mighty + possibilities in an American life—did not imply any love for the + little individual whom he thus benefited. It had some other motive. + </p> + <p> + But now, approaching the child in this close, intimate, and helpful way, + it was very evident that his interest took a tenderer character. There was + everything in the boy, that a boy could possess, to attract affection; he + would have been a father’s pride and joy. Doctor Grimshawe, indeed, was + not his father; but to a person of his character this was perhaps no cause + of lesser love than if there had been the whole of that holy claim of + kindred between them. We speak of the natural force of blood; we speak of + the paternal relation as if it were productive of more earnest affection + than can exist between two persons, one of whom is protective, but + unrelated. But there are wild, forcible, unrestricted characters, on whom + the necessity and even duty of loving their own child is a sort of barrier + to love. They perhaps do not love their own traits, which they recognize + in their children; they shrink from their own features in the reflection + presented by these little mirrors. A certain strangeness and unlikeness + (such as gives poignancy to the love between the sexes) would excite a + livelier affection. Be this as it may, it is not probable that Doctor + Grimshawe would have loved a child of his own blood, with the coarse + characteristics that he knew both in his race and himself, with nearly + such fervor as this beautiful, slender, yet strenuous, intelligent, + refined boy,—with such a high-bred air, handling common things with + so refined a touch, yet grasping them so firmly; throwing a natural grace + on all he did. Was he not his father,—he that took this fair blossom + out of the sordid mud in which he must soon have withered and perished? + Was not this beautiful strangeness, which he so wondered at, the result of + his care? + </p> + <p> + And little Elsie? did the grim Doctor love her as well? Perhaps not, for, + in the first place, there was a natural tie, though not the nearest, + between her and Doctor Grimshawe, which made him feel that she was cast + upon his love: a burden which he acknowledged himself bound to undertake. + Then, too, there were unutterably painful reminiscences and thoughts, that + made him gasp for breath, that turned his blood sour, that tormented his + dreams with nightmares and hellish phantoms; all of which were connected + with this innocent and happy child; so that, cheerful and pleasant as she + was, there was to the grim Doctor a little fiend playing about his floor + and throwing a lurid light on the wall, as the shadow of this + sun-flickering child. It is certain that there was always a pain and + horror mixed with his feelings towards Elsie; he had to forget himself, as + it were, and all that was connected with the causes why she came to be, + before he could love her. Amid his fondness, when he was caressing her + upon his knee, pressing her to his rough bosom, as he never took the + freedom to press Ned, came these hateful reminiscences, compelling him to + set her down, and corrugating his heavy brows as with a pang of fiercely + resented, strongly borne pain. Still, the child had no doubt contrived to + make her way into the great gloomy cavern of the grim Doctor’s heart, and + stole constantly further and further in, carrying a ray of sunshine in her + hand as a taper to light her way, and illuminate the rude dark pit into + which she so fearlessly went. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER V. + </h2> + <p> + Doctor Grim [Endnote: 1] had the English faith in open air and daily + acquaintance with the weather, whatever it might be; and it was his habit, + not only to send the two children to play, for lack of a better place, in + the graveyard, but to take them himself on long rambles, of which the + vicinity of the town afforded a rich variety. It may be that the Doctor’s + excursions had the wider scope, because both he and the children were + objects of curiosity in the town, and very much the subject of its gossip: + so that always, in its streets and lanes, the people turned to gaze, and + came to their windows and to the doors of shops to see this grim, bearded + figure, leading along the beautiful children each by a hand, with a surly + aspect like a bulldog. Their remarks were possibly not intended to reach + the ears of the party, but certainly were not so cautiously whispered but + they occasionally did do so. The male remarks, indeed, generally died away + in the throats that uttered them; a circumstance that doubtless saved the + utterer from some very rough rejoinder at the hands of the Doctor, who had + grown up in the habit of a very ready and free recourse to his fists, + which had a way of doubling themselves up seemingly of their own accord. + But the shrill feminine voices sometimes sent their observations from + window to window without dread of any such repartee on the part of the + subject of them. + </p> + <p> + “There he goes, the old Spider-witch!” quoth one shrill woman, “with those + two poor babes that he has caught in his cobweb, and is going to feed + upon, poor little tender things! The bloody Englishman makes free with the + dead bodies of our friends and the living ones of our children!” + </p> + <p> + “How red his nose is!” quoth another; “he has pulled at the brandy-bottle + pretty stoutly to-day, early as it is! Pretty habits those children will + learn, between the Devil in the shape of a great spider, and this devilish + fellow in his own shape! It were well that our townsmen tarred and + feathered the old British wizard!” + </p> + <p> + And, as he got further off, two or three little blackguard barefoot boys + shouted shrilly after him,— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “Doctor Grim, Doctor Grim, + The Devil wove a web for him!” + </pre> + <p> + being a nonsensical couplet that had been made for the grim Doctor’s + benefit, and was hooted in the streets, and under his own windows. Hearing + such remarks and insults, the Doctor would glare round at them with red + eyes, especially if the brandy-bottle had happened to be much in request + that day. + </p> + <p> + Indeed, poor Doctor Grim had met with a fortune which befalls many a man + with less cause than drew the public attention on this odd humorist; for, + dwelling in a town which was as yet but a larger village, where everybody + knew everybody, and claimed the privilege to know and discuss their + characters, and where there were few topics of public interest to take off + their attention, a very considerable portion of town talk and criticism + fell upon him. The old town had a certain provincialism, which is less the + characteristic of towns in these days, when society circulates so freely, + than then: besides, it was a very rude epoch, just when the country had + come through the war of the Revolution, and while the surges of that + commotion were still seething and swelling, and while the habits and + morals of every individual in the community still felt its influence; and + especially the contest was too recent for an Englishman to be in very good + odor, unless he should cease to be English, and become more American than + the Americans themselves in repudiating British prejudices or principles, + habits, mode of thought, and everything that distinguishes Britons at home + or abroad. As Doctor Grim did not see fit to do this, and as, moreover, he + was a very doubtful, questionable, morose, unamiable old fellow, not + seeking to make himself liked nor deserving to be so, he was a very + unpopular person in the town where he had chosen to reside. Nobody thought + very well of him; the respectable people had heard of his pipe and + brandy-bottle; the religious community knew that he never showed himself + at church or meeting; so that he had not that very desirable strength (in + a society split up into many sects) of being able to rely upon the party + sympathies of any one of them. The mob hated him with the blind sentiment + that makes one surly cur hostile to another surly cur. He was the most + isolated individual to be found anywhere; and, being so unsupported, + everybody was his enemy. + </p> + <p> + The town, as it happened, had been pleased to interest itself much in this + matter of Doctor Grim and the two children, insomuch as he never sent them + to school, nor came with them to meeting of any kind, but was bringing + them up ignorant heathen to all appearances, and, as many believed, was + devoting them in some way to the great spider, to which he had bartered + his own soul. It had been mooted among the selectmen, the fathers of the + town, whether their duty did not require them to put the children under + more suitable guardianship; a measure which, it may be, was chiefly + hindered by the consideration that, in that case, the cost of supporting + them would probably be transferred from the grim Doctor’s shoulders to + those of the community. Nevertheless, they did what they could. Maidenly + ladies, prim and starched, in one or two instances called upon the Doctor—the + two children meanwhile being in the graveyard at play—to give him + Christian advice as to the management of his charge. But, to confess the + truth, the Doctor’s reception of these fair missionaries was not extremely + courteous. They were, perhaps, partly instigated by a natural feminine + desire to see the interior of a place about which they had heard much, + with its spiders’ webs, its strange machines and confusing tools; so, much + contrary to crusty Hannah’s advice, they persisted in entering. Crusty + Hannah listened at the door; and it was curious to see the delighted smile + which came over her dry old visage as the Doctor’s growling, rough voice, + after an abrupt question or two, and a reply in a thin voice on the part + of the maiden ladies, grew louder and louder, till the door opened, and + forth came the benevolent pair in great discomposure. Crusty Hannah + averred that their caps were much rumpled; but this view of the thing was + questioned; though it were certain that the Doctor called after them + downstairs, that, had they been younger and prettier, they would have + fared worse. A male emissary, who was admitted on the supposition of his + being a patient, did fare worse; for (the grim Doctor having been + particularly intimate with the black bottle that afternoon) there was, + about ten minutes after the visitor’s entrance, a sudden fierce upraising + of the Doctor’s growl; then a struggle that shook the house; and, finally, + a terrible rumbling down the stairs, which proved to be caused by the + precipitate descent of the hapless visitor; who, if he needed no + assistance of the grim Doctor on his entrance, certainly would have been + the better for a plaster or two after his departure. + </p> + <p> + Such were the terms on which Doctor Grimshawe now stood with his adopted + townspeople; and if we consider the dull little town to be full of + exaggerated stories about the Doctor’s oddities, many of them forged, all + retailed in an unfriendly spirit; misconceptions of a character which, in + its best and most candidly interpreted aspects, was sufficiently amenable + to censure; surmises taken for certainties; superstitions—the + genuine hereditary offspring of the frame of public mind which produced + the witchcraft delusion—all fermenting together; and all this evil + and uncharitableness taking the delusive hue of benevolent interest in two + helpless children;—we may partly judge what was the odium in which + the grim Doctor dwelt, and amid which he walked. The horrid suspicion, + too, countenanced by his abode in the corner of the graveyard, affording + the terrible Doctor such facilities for making free, like a ghoul as he + was, with the relics of mortality from the earliest progenitor to the man + killed yesterday by the Doctor’s own drugs, was not likely to improve his + reputation. + </p> + <p> + He had heretofore contented himself with, at most, occasionally shaking + his stick at his assailants; but this day the black bottle had imparted, + it may be, a little more fire than ordinary to his blood; and besides, an + unlucky urchin happened to take particularly good aim with a mud ball, + which took effect right in the midst of the Doctor’s bushy beard, and, + being of a soft consistency, forthwith became incorporated with it. At + this intolerable provocation the grim Doctor pursued the little villain, + amid a shower of similar missiles from the boy’s playmates, caught him as + he was escaping into a back yard, dragged him into the middle of the + street, and, with his stick, proceeded to give him his merited + chastisement. + </p> + <p> + But, hereupon, it was astonishing how sudden commotion flashed up like + gunpowder along the street, which, except for the petty shrieks and + laughter of a few children, was just before so quiet. Forth out of every + window in those dusky, mean wooden houses were thrust heads of women old + and young; forth out of every door and other avenue, and as if they + started up from the middle of the street, or out of the unpaved sidewalks, + rushed fierce avenging forms, threatening at full yell to take vengeance + on the grim Doctor; who still, with that fierce dark face of his,—his + muddy beard all flying abroad, dirty and foul, his hat fallen off, his red + eyes flashing fire,—was belaboring the poor hinder end of the + unhappy urchin, paying off upon that one part of the boy’s frame the whole + score which he had to settle with the rude boys of the town; giving him at + once the whole whipping which he had deserved every day of his life, and + not a stroke of which he had yet received. Need enough there was, no + doubt, that somebody should interfere with such grim and immitigable + justice; and certainly the interference was prompt, and promised to be + effectual. + </p> + <p> + “Down with the old tyrant! Thrash him! Hang him! Tar and feather the + viper’s fry! the wizard! the body-snatcher!” bellowed the mob, one member + of which was raving with delirium tremens, and another was a madman just + escaped from bedlam. + </p> + <p> + It is unaccountable where all this mischievous, bloodthirsty multitude + came from,—how they were born into that quietness in such a moment + of time! What had they been about heretofore? Were they waiting in + readiness for this crisis, and keeping themselves free from other + employment till it should come to pass? Had they been created for the + moment, or were they fiends sent by Satan in the likeness of a blackguard + population? There you might see the offscourings of the recently finished + war,—old soldiers, rusty, wooden-legged: there, sailors, ripe for + any kind of mischief; there, the drunken population of a neighboring + grogshop, staggering helter-skelter to the scene, and tumbling over one + another at the Doctor’s feet. There came the father of the punished + urchin, who had never shown heretofore any care for his street-bred + progeny, but who now came pale with rage, armed with a pair of tongs; and + with him the mother, flying like a fury, with her cap awry, and clutching + a broomstick, as if she were a witch just alighted. Up they rushed from + cellar doors, and dropped down from chamber windows; all rushing upon the + Doctor, but overturning and thwarting themselves by their very multitude. + For, as good Doctor Grim levelled the first that came within reach of his + fist, two or three of the others tumbled over him and lay grovelling at + his feet; the Doctor meanwhile having retreated into the angle between two + houses. Little Ned, with a valor which did him the more credit inasmuch as + it was exercised in spite of a good deal of childish trepidation, as his + pale face indicated, brandished his fists by the Doctor’s side; and little + Elsie did what any woman may,—that is, screeched in Doctor Grim’s + behalf with full stretch of lungs. Meanwhile the street boys kept up a + shower of mud balls, many of which hit the Doctor, while the rest were + distributed upon his assailants, heightening their ferocity. + </p> + <p> + “Seize the old scoundrel! the villain! the Tory! the dastardly Englishman! + Hang him in the web of his own devilish spider,—‘t is long enough! + Tar and feather him! tar and feather him!” + </p> + <p> + It was certainly one of those crises that show a man how few real friends + he has, and the tendency of mankind to stand aside, at least, and let a + poor devil fight his own troubles, if not assist them in their attack. + Here you might have seen a brother physician of the grim Doctor’s greatly + tickled at his plight: or a decorous, powdered, ruffle-shirted dignitary, + one of the weighty men of the town, standing at a neighbor’s corner to see + what would come of it. + </p> + <p> + “He is not a respectable man, I understand, this Grimshawe,—a quack, + intemperate, always in these scuffles: let him get out as he may!” + </p> + <p> + And then comes a deacon of one of the churches, and several + church-members, who, hearing a noise, set out gravely and decorously to + see what was going forward in a Christian community. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! it is that irreligious and profane Grimshawe, who never goes to + meeting. We wash our hands of him!” + </p> + <p> + And one of the selectmen said,— + </p> + <p> + “Surely this common brawler ought not to have the care of these nice, + sweet children; something must be done about it; and when the man is + sober, he must be talked to!” + </p> + <p> + Alas! it is a hard case with a man who lives upon his own bottom and + responsibility, making himself no allies, sewing himself on to nobody’s + skirts, insulating himself,—hard, when his trouble comes; and so + poor Doctor Grimshawe was like to find it. + </p> + <p> + He had succeeded by dint of good skill, and some previous practice at + quarter-staff, in keeping his assailants at bay, though not without some + danger on his own part; but their number, their fierceness, and the more + skilled assault of some among them must almost immediately have been + successful, when the Doctor’s part was strengthened by an unexpected ally. + This was a person [Endnote: 2] of tall, slight figure, who, without + lifting his hands to take part in the conflict, thrust himself before the + Doctor, and turned towards the assailants, crying,— + </p> + <p> + “Christian men, what would you do? Peace,—peace!” + </p> + <p> + His so well intended exhortation took effect, indeed, in a certain way, + but not precisely as might have been wished: for a blow, aimed at Doctor + Grim, took effect on the head of this man, who seemed to have no sort of + skill or alacrity at defending himself, any more than at making an + assault; for he never lifted his hands, but took the blow as unresistingly + as if it had been kindly meant, and it levelled him senseless on the + ground. + </p> + <p> + Had the mob really been enraged for any strenuous cause, this incident + would have operated merely as a preliminary whet to stimulate them to + further bloodshed. But, as they were mostly actuated only by a natural + desire for mischief, they were about as well satisfied with what had been + done as if the Doctor himself were the victim. And besides, the fathers + and respectabilities of the town, who had seen this mishap from afar, now + began to put forward, crying out, “Keep the peace! keep the peace! A riot! + a riot!” and other such cries as suited the emergency; and the crowd + vanished more speedily than it had congregated, leaving the Doctor and the + two children alone beside the fallen victim of a quarrel not his own. Not + to dwell too long on this incident, the Doctor, laying hold of the last of + his enemies, after the rest had taken to their heels, ordered him sternly + to stay and help him bear the man, whom he had helped to murder, to his + house. + </p> + <p> + “It concerns you, friend; for, if he dies, you hang to a dead certainty!” + </p> + <p> + And this was done accordingly. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VI. + </h2> + <p> + About an hour thereafter there lay on a couch that had been hastily + prepared in the study a person of singularly impressive presence: a thin, + mild-looking man, with a peculiar look of delicacy and natural refinement + about him, although he scarcely appeared to be technically and as to + worldly position what we call a gentleman; plain in dress and simple in + manner, not giving the idea of remarkable intellectual gifts, but with a + kind of spiritual aspect, fair, clear complexion, gentle eyes, still + somewhat clouded and obscured by the syncope into which a blow on the head + had thrown him. He looked middle-aged, and yet there was a kind of + childlike, simple expression, which, unless you looked at him with the + very purpose of seeing the traces of time in his face, would make you + suppose him much younger. + </p> + <p> + “And how do you find yourself now, my good fellow?” asked Doctor + Grimshawe, putting forth his hand to grasp that of the stranger, and + giving it a good, warm shake. “None the worse, I should hope?” [Endnote: + 1.] + </p> + <p> + “Not much the worse,” answered the stranger: “not at all, it may be. There + is a pleasant dimness and uncertainty in my mode of being. I am taken off + my feet, as it were, and float in air, with a faint delight in my + sensations. The grossness, the roughness, the too great angularity of the + actual, is removed from me. It is a state that I like well. It may be, + this is the way that the dead feel when they awake in another state of + being, with a dim pleasure, after passing through the brief darkness of + death. It is very pleasant.” + </p> + <p> + He answered dreamily, and sluggishly, reluctantly, as if there were a + sense of repose in him which he disliked to break by putting any of his + sensations into words. His voice had a remarkable sweetness and + gentleness, though lacking in depth of melody. + </p> + <p> + “Here, take this,” said the Doctor, who had been preparing some kind of + potion in a teaspoon: it may have been a dose of his famous preparation of + spider’s web, for aught I know, the operation of which was said to be of a + soothing influence, causing a delightful silkiness of sensation; but I + know not whether it was considered good for concussions of the brain, such + as it is to be supposed the present patient had undergone. “Take this: it + will do you good; and here I drink your very good health in something that + will do me good.” + </p> + <p> + So saying, the grim Doctor quaffed off a tumbler of brandy and water. + </p> + <p> + “How sweet a contrast,” murmured the stranger, “between that scene of + violence and this great peace that has come over me! It is as when one can + say, I have fought the good fight.” + </p> + <p> + “You are right,” said the Doctor, with what would have been one of his + deep laughs, but which he modified in consideration of his patient’s + tenderness of brain. “We both of us fought a good fight; for though you + struck no actual stroke, you took them as unflinchingly as ever I saw a + man, and so turned the fortune of the battle better than if you smote with + a sledge-hammer. Two things puzzle me in the affair. First, whence came my + assailants, all in that moment of time, unless Satan let loose out of the + infernal regions a synod of fiends, hoping thus to get a triumph over me. + And secondly, whence came you, my preserver, unless you are an angel, and + dropped down from the sky.” + </p> + <p> + “No,” answered the stranger, with quiet simplicity. “I was passing through + the street to my little school, when I saw your peril, and felt it my duty + to expostulate with the people.” + </p> + <p> + “Well,” said the grim Doctor, “come whence you will, you did an angel’s + office for me, and I shall do what an earthly man may to requite it. + There, we will talk no more for the present.” + </p> + <p> + He hushed up the children, who were already, of their own accord, walking + on tiptoe and whispering, and he himself even went so far as to refrain + from the usual incense of his pipe, having observed that the stranger, who + seemed to be of a very delicate organization, had seemed sensible of the + disagreeable effect on the atmosphere of the room. The restraint lasted, + however, only till (in the course of the day) crusty Hannah had fitted up + a little bedroom on the opposite side of the entry, to which she and the + grim Doctor moved the stranger, who, though tall, they observed was of no + great weight and substance,—the lightest man, the Doctor averred, + for his size, that ever he had handled. + </p> + <p> + Every possible care was taken of him, and in a day or two he was able to + walk into the study again, where he sat gazing at the sordidness and + unneatness of the apartment, the strange festoons and drapery of spiders’ + webs, the gigantic spider himself, and at the grim Doctor, so shaggy, + grizzly, and uncouth, in the midst of these surroundings, with a + perceptible sense of something very strange in it all. His mild, gentle + regard dwelt too on the two beautiful children, evidently with a sense of + quiet wonder how they should be here, and altogether a sense of their + unfitness; they, meanwhile, stood a little apart, looking at him, somewhat + disturbed and awed, as children usually are, by a sense that the stranger + was not perfectly well, that he had been injured, and so set apart from + the rest of the world. + </p> + <p> + “Will you come to me, little one?” said he, holding out a delicate hand to + Elsie. + </p> + <p> + Elsie came to his side without any hesitation, though without any of the + rush that accompanied her advent to those whom she affected. “And you, my + little man,” added the stranger, quietly, and looking to Ned, who likewise + willingly approached, and, shaking him by the offered hand, let it go + again, but continued standing by his side. + </p> + <p> + “Do you know, my little friends,” said the stranger, “that it is my + business in life to instruct such little people as you?” + </p> + <p> + “Do they obey you well, sir?” asked Ned, perhaps conscious of a want of + force in the person whom he addressed. + </p> + <p> + The stranger smiled faintly. “Not too well,” said he. “That has been my + difficulty; for I have moral and religious objections, and also a great + horror, to the use of the rod, and I have not been gifted with a harsh + voice and a stern brow; so that, after a while, my little people sometimes + get the better of me. The present generation of men is too gross for + gentle treatment.” + </p> + <p> + “You are quite right,” quoth Doctor Grimshawe, who had been observing this + little scene, and trying to make out, from the mutual deportment of the + stranger and the two children, what sort of man this fair, quiet stranger + was, with his gentleness and weakness,—characteristics that were not + attractive to himself, yet in which he acknowledged, as he saw them here, + a certain charm; nor did he know, scarcely, whether to despise the one in + whom he saw them, or to yield to a strange sense of reverence. So he + watched the children, with an indistinct idea of being guided by them. + “You are quite right: the world now—and always before, as far as I + ever heard—requires a great deal of brute force, a great deal of + animal food and brandy in the man that is to make an impression on it.” + </p> + <p> + The convalescence of the stranger—he gave his name as Colcord—proceeded + favorably; for the Doctor remarked that, delicate as his system was, it + had a certain purity,—a simple healthfulness that did not run into + disease as stronger constitutions might. It did not apparently require + much to crush down such a being as this,—not much unkindly breath to + blow out the taper of his life,—and yet, if not absolutely killed, + there was a certain aptness to keep alive in him not readily to be + overcome. + </p> + <p> + No sooner was he in a condition so to do, than he went forth to look after + the little school that he had spoken of, but soon came back, announcing in + a very quiet and undisturbed way that, during his withdrawal from duty, + the scholars had been distributed to other instructors, and consequently + he was without place or occupation [Endnotes: 2, 3, 4.] + </p> + <p> + “A hard case,” said the Doctor, flinging a gruff curse at those who had so + readily deserted the poor schoolmaster. + </p> + <p> + “Not so hard,” replied Colcord. “These little fellows are an unruly set, + born of parents who have led rough lives,—here in battle time, too, + with the spirit of battle in them,—therefore rude and contentious + beyond my power to cope with them. I have been taught, long ago,” he + added, with a peaceful smile, “that my business in life does not lie with + grown-up and consolidated men and women; and so, not to be useless in my + day, and to gain the little that my sustenance requires, I have thought to + deal with children. But even for this I lack force.” + </p> + <p> + “I dare say,” said the Doctor, with a modified laugh. “Little devils they + are, harder to deal with than men. Well, I am glad of your failure for one + reason, and of your being thrown out of business; because we shall have + the benefit of you the longer. Here is this boy to be instructed. I have + made some attempts myself; but having no art of instructing, no skill, no + temper I suppose, I make but an indifferent hand at it: and besides I have + other business that occupies my thoughts. Take him in hand, if you like, + and the girl for company. No matter whether you teach her anything, unless + you happen to be acquainted with needlework.” + </p> + <p> + “I will talk with the children,” said Colcord, “and see if I am likely to + do good with them. The lad, I see, has a singular spirit of aspiration and + pride,—no ungentle pride,—but still hard to cope with. I will + see. The little girl is a most comfortable child.” + </p> + <p> + “You have read the boy as if you had his heart in your hand,” said the + Doctor, rather surprised. “I could not have done it better myself, though + I have known him all but from the egg.” + </p> + <p> + Accordingly, the stranger, who had been thrust so providentially into this + odd and insulated little community, abode with them, without more words + being spoken on the subject: for it seemed to all concerned a natural + arrangement, although, on both parts, they were mutually sensible of + something strange in the companionship thus brought about. To say the + truth, it was not easy to imagine two persons apparently less adapted to + each other’s society than the rough, uncouth, animal Doctor, whose faith + was in his own right arm, so full of the old Adam as he was, so sturdily a + hater, so hotly impulsive, so deep, subtle, and crooked, so obstructed by + his animal nature, so given to his pipe and black bottle, so wrathful and + pugnacious and wicked,—and this mild spiritual creature, so milky, + with so unforceful a grasp; and it was singular to see how they stood + apart and eyed each other, each tacitly acknowledging a certain merit and + kind of power, though not well able to appreciate its value. The grim + Doctor’s kindness, however, and gratitude, had been so thoroughly + awakened, that he did not feel the disgust that he probably otherwise + might at what seemed the mawkishness of Colcord’s character; his want, + morally speaking, of bone and muscle; his fastidiousness of character, the + essence of which it seemed to be to bear no stain upon it; otherwise it + must die. + </p> + <p> + On Colcord’s part there was a good deal of evidence to be detected, by a + nice observer, that he found it difficult to put up with the Doctor’s + coarse peculiarities, whether physical or moral. His animal indulgences of + appetite struck him with wonder and horror; his coarse expressions, his + free indulgence of wrath, his sordid and unclean habits; the dust, the + cobwebs, the monster that dangled from the ceiling; his pipe, diffusing + its fragrance through the house, and showing, by the plainest and simplest + proof, how we all breathe one another’s breath, nice and proud as we may + be, kings and daintiest ladies breathing the air that has already served + to inflate a beggar’s lungs. He shrank, too, from the rude manhood of the + Doctor’s character, with its human warmth,—an element which he + seemed not to possess in his own character. He was capable only of gentle + and mild regard,—that was his warmest affection; and the warmest, + too, that he was capable of exciting in others. So that he was doomed as + much apparently as the Doctor himself to be a lonely creature, without any + very deep companionship in the world, though not incapable, when he, by + some rare chance, met a soul distantly akin, of holding a certain high + spiritual communion. With the children, however, he succeeded in + establishing some good and available relations; his simple and passionless + character coincided with their simplicity, and their as yet unawakened + passions: they appeared to understand him better than the Doctor ever + succeeded in doing. He touched springs and elements in the nature of both + that had never been touched till now, and that sometimes made a sweet, + high music. But this was rarely; and as far as the general duties of an + instructor went, they did not seem to be very successfully performed. + Something was cultivated; the spiritual germ grew, it might be; but the + children, and especially Ned, were intuitively conscious of a certain want + of substance in the instructor,—a something of earthly bulk; a too + etherealness. But his connection with our story does not lie in any + excellence, or lack of excellence, that he showed as an instructor, and we + merely mention these things as illustrating more or less his + characteristics. + </p> + <p> + The grim Doctor’s curiosity was somewhat piqued by what he could see of + the schoolmaster’s character, and he was desirous of finding out what sort + of a life such a man could have led in a world which he himself had found + so rough a one; through what difficulties he had reached middle age + without absolutely vanishing away in his contact with more positive + substances than himself; how the world had given him a subsistence, if + indeed he recognized anything more dense than fragrance, like a certain + people whom Pliny mentioned in Africa,—a point, in fact, which the + grim Doctor denied, his performance at table being inappreciable, and + confined, at least almost entirely, to a dish of boiled rice, which crusty + Hannah set before him, preparing it, it might be, with a sympathy of her + East Indian part towards him. + </p> + <p> + Well, Doctor Grimshawe easily got at what seemed to be all of the facts of + Colcord’s life; how that he was a New-Englander, the descendant of an + ancient race of settlers, the last of them; for, once pretty numerous in + their quarter of the country, they seemed to have been dying out,—exhaling + from the earth, and passing to some other region. + </p> + <p> + “No wonder,” said the Doctor bluffly. “You have been letting slip the + vital principle, if you are a fair specimen of the race. You do not clothe + yourself in substance. Your souls are not coated sufficiently. Beef and + brandy would have saved you. You have exhaled for lack of them.” + </p> + <p> + The schoolmaster shook his head, and probably thought his earthly + salvation and sustenance not worth buying at such a cost. The remainder of + his history was not tangible enough to afford a narrative. There seemed, + from what he said, to have always been a certain kind of refinement in his + race, a nicety of conscience, a nicety of habit, which either was in + itself a want of force, or was necessarily connected with it, and which, + the Doctor silently thought, had culminated in the person before him. + </p> + <p> + “It was always in us,” continued Colcord, with a certain pride which + people generally feel in their ancestral characteristics, be they good or + evil. “We had a tradition among us of our first emigrant, and the causes + that brought him to the New World; and it was said that he had suffered so + much, before quitting his native shores, so painful had been his track, + that always afterwards on the forest leaves of this land his foot left a + print of blood wherever he trod.” [Endnote: 5.] + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VII. + </h2> + <p> + “A print of blood!” said the grim Doctor, breaking his pipe-stem by some + sudden spasm in his gripe of it. “Pooh! the devil take the pipe! A very + strange story that! Pray how was it?” [Endnote: 1.] + </p> + <p> + “Nay, it is but a very dim legend,” answered the schoolmaster: “although + there are old yellow papers and parchments, I remember, in my father’s + possession, that had some reference to this man, too, though there was + nothing in them about the bloody footprints. But our family legend is, + that this man was of a good race, in the time of Charles the First, + originally Papists, but one of them—the second you, our legend says—was + of a milder, sweeter cast than the rest, who were fierce and bloody men, + of a hard, strong nature; but he partook most of his mother’s character. + This son had been one of the earliest Quakers, converted by George Fox; + and moreover there had been love between him and a young lady of great + beauty and an heiress, whom likewise the eldest son of the house had + designed to make his wife. And these brothers, cruel men, caught their + innocent brother and kept him in confinement long in his own native home—” + </p> + <p> + “How?” asked the Doctor. “Why did not he appeal to the laws?” + </p> + <p> + “Our legend says,” replied the schoolmaster, “only that he was kept in a + chamber that was forgotten.” [Endnote: 2.] + </p> + <p> + “Very strange that!” quoth the Doctor. “He was sold by his brethren.” + </p> + <p> + The schoolmaster went on to tell, with much shuddering, how a Jesuit + priest had been mixed up with this wretched business, and there had been a + scheme at once religious and political to wrest the estate and the lovely + lady from the fortunate heir; and how this grim Italian priest had + instigated them to use a certain kind of torture with the poor heir, and + how he had suffered from this; but one night, when they left him + senseless, he contrived to make his escape from that cruel home, bleeding + as he went; and how, by some action of his imagination,—his sense of + the cruelty and hideousness of such treatment at his brethren’s hands, and + in the holy name of his religion,—his foot, which had been crushed + by their cruelty, bled as he went, and that blood had never been stanched. + And thus he had come to America, and after many wanderings, and much track + of blood along rough ways, to New England. [Endnote: 3.] + </p> + <p> + “And what became of his beloved?” asked the grim Doctor, who was puffing + away at a fresh pipe with a very queer aspect. + </p> + <p> + “She died in England,” replied the schoolmaster. “And before her death, by + some means or other, they say that she found means to send him a child, + the offspring of their marriage, and from that child our race descended. + And they say, too, that she sent him a key to a coffin, in which was + locked up a great treasure. But we have not the key. But he never went + back to his own country; and being heart-broken, and sick and weary of the + world and its pomps and vanities, he died here, after suffering much + persecution likewise from the Puritans. For his peaceful religion was + accepted nowhere.” + </p> + <p> + “Of all legends,—all foolish legends,” quoth the Doctor, wrathfully, + with a face of a dark blood-red color, so much was his anger and contempt + excited, “and of all absurd heroes of a legend, I never heard the like of + this! Have you the key?” + </p> + <p> + “No; nor have I ever heard of it,” answered the schoolmaster. + </p> + <p> + “But you have some papers?” + </p> + <p> + “They existed once: perhaps are still recoverable by search,” said the + schoolmaster. “My father knew of them.” + </p> + <p> + “A foolish legend,” reiterated the Doctor. “It is strange how human folly + strings itself on to human folly, as a story originally false and foolish + grows older.” + </p> + <p> + He got up and walked about the room, with hasty and irregular strides and + a prodigious swinging of his ragged dressing-gown, which swept away as + many cobwebs as it would take a week to reproduce. After a few turns, as + if to change the subject, the Doctor asked the schoolmaster if he had any + taste for pictures, and drew his attention to the portrait which has been + already mentioned,—the figure in antique sordid garb, with a halter + round his neck, and the expression in his face which the Doctor and the + two children had interpreted so differently. Colcord, who probably knew + nothing about pictures, looked at it at first merely from the gentle and + cool complaisance of his character; but becoming absorbed in the + contemplation, stood long without speaking; until the Doctor, looking in + his face, perceived his eyes were streaming with tears. + </p> + <p> + “What are you crying about?” said he, gruffly. + </p> + <p> + “I don’t know,” said the schoolmaster quietly. “But there is something in + this picture that affects me inexpressibly; so that, not being a man + passionate by nature, I have hardly ever been so moved as now!” + </p> + <p> + “Very foolish,” muttered the Doctor, resuming his strides about the room. + “I am ashamed of a grown man that can cry at a picture, and can’t tell the + reason why.” + </p> + <p> + After a few more turns he resumed his easy-chair and his tumbler, and, + looking upward, beckoned to his pet spider, which came dangling downward, + great parti-colored monster that he was, and swung about his master’s head + in hideous conference as it seemed; a sight that so distressed the + schoolmaster, or shocked his delicate taste, that he went out, and called + the two children to take a walk with him, with the purpose of breathing + air that was neither infected with spiders nor graves. + </p> + <p> + After his departure, Doctor Grimshawe seemed even more disturbed than + during his presence: again he strode about the study; then sat down with + his hands on his knees, looking straight into the fire, as if it imaged + the seething element of his inner man, where burned hot projects, smoke, + heat, blackness, ashes, a smouldering of old thoughts, a blazing up of + new; casting in the gold of his mind, as Aaron did that of the Israelites, + and waiting to see what sort of a thing would come out of the furnace. The + children coming in from their play, he spoke harshly to them, and eyed + little Ned with a sort of savageness, as if he meant to eat him up, or do + some other dreadful deed: and when little Elsie came with her usual + frankness to his knee, he repelled her in such a way that she shook her + little hand at him, saying, “Naughty Doctor Grim, what has come to you?” + </p> + <p> + Through all that day, by some subtle means or other, the whole household + knew that something was amiss; and nobody in it was comfortable. It was + like a spell of weather; like the east wind; like an epidemic in the air, + that would not let anything be comfortable or contented,—this + pervading temper of the Doctor. Crusty Hannah knew it in the kitchen: even + those who passed the house must have known it somehow or other, and have + felt a chill, an irritation, an influence on the nerves, as they passed. + The spiders knew it, and acted as they were wont to do in stormy weather. + The schoolmaster, when he returned from his walk, seemed likewise to know + it, and made himself secure and secret, keeping in his own room, except at + dinner, when he ate his rice in silence, without looking towards the + Doctor, and appeared before him no more till evening, when the grim Doctor + summoned him into the study, after sending the two children to bed. + </p> + <p> + “Sir,” began the Doctor, “you have spoken of some old documents in your + possession relating to the English descent of your ancestors. I have a + curiosity to see these documents. Where are they?” [Endnote: 4.] + </p> + <p> + “I have them about my person,” said the schoolmaster; and he produced from + his pocket a bundle of old yellow papers done up in a parchment cover, + tied with a piece of white cord, and presented them to Doctor Grimshawe, + who looked over them with interest. They seemed to consist of letters, + genealogical lists, certified copies of entries in registers, things which + must have been made out by somebody who knew more of business than this + ethereal person in whose possession they now were. The Doctor looked at + them with considerable attention, and at last did them hastily up in the + bundle again, and returned them to the owner. + </p> + <p> + “Have you any idea what is now the condition of the family to whom these + papers refer?” asked he. + </p> + <p> + “None whatever,—none for almost a hundred years,” said the + schoolmaster. “About that time ago, I have heard a vague story that one of + my ancestors went to the old country and saw the place. But, you see, the + change of name has effectually covered us from view; and I feel that our + true name is that which my ancestor assumed when he was driven forth from + the home of his fathers, and that I have nothing to do with any other. I + have no views on the estate,—none whatever. I am not so foolish and + dreamy.” + </p> + <p> + “Very right,” said the Doctor. “Nothing is more foolish than to follow up + such a pursuit as this, against all the vested interests of two hundred + years, which of themselves have built up an impenetrably strong allegation + against you. They harden into stone, in England, these years, and become + indestructible, instead of melting away as they do in this happy country.” + </p> + <p> + “It is not a matter of interest with me,” replied the schoolmaster. + </p> + <p> + “Very right,—very right!” repeated the grim Doctor. + </p> + <p> + But something was evidently amiss with him this evening. It was impossible + to feel easy and comfortable in contact with him: if you looked in his + face, there was the red, lurid glare of his eyes; meeting you fiercely and + craftily as ever: sometimes he bit his lip and frowned in an awful manner. + Once, he burst out into an awful fit of swearing, for no good reason, or + any reason whatever that he explained, or that anybody could tell. Again, + for no more suitable reason, he uplifted his stalwart arm, and smote a + heavy blow with his fist upon the oak table, making the tumbler and black + bottle leap up, and damaging, one would think, his own knuckles. Then he + rose up, and resumed his strides about the room. He paused before the + portrait before mentioned; then resumed his heavy, quick, irregular tread, + swearing under his breath; and you would imagine, from what you heard, + that all his thoughts and the movement of his mind were a blasphemy. Then + again—but this was only once—he heaved a deep, ponderous sigh, + that seemed to come up in spite of him, out of his depths, an exhalation + of deep suffering, as if some convulsion had given it a passage to upper + air, instead of its being hidden, as it generally was, by accumulated + rubbish of later time heaped above it. + </p> + <p> + This latter sound appealed to something within the simple schoolmaster, + who had been witnessing the demeanor of the Doctor, like a being looking + from another sphere into the trouble of the mortal one; a being incapable + of passion, observing the mute, hard struggle of one in its grasp. + </p> + <p> + “Friend,” said he at length, “thou hast something on thy mind.” + </p> + <p> + “Aye,” said the grim Doctor, coming to a stand before his chair. “You see + that? Can you see as well what it is?” + </p> + <p> + “Some stir and writhe of something in the past that troubles you, as if + you had kept a snake for many years in your bosom, and stupefied it with + brandy, and now it awakes again, and troubles you with bites and stings.” + </p> + <p> + “What sort of a man do you think me?” asked the Doctor. + </p> + <p> + “I cannot tell,” said the schoolmaster. “The sympathies of my nature are + not those that should give me knowledge of such men.” + </p> + <p> + “Am I, think you,” continued the grim Doctor, “a man capable of great + crime?” + </p> + <p> + “A great one, if any,” said Colcord; “a great good, likewise, it might + be.” + </p> + <p> + “What would I be likely to do,” asked Doctor Grim, “supposing I had a + darling purpose, to the accomplishment of which I had given my soul,—yes, + my soul,—my success in life, my days and nights of thought, my years + of time, dwelling upon it, pledging myself to it, until at last I had + grown to love the burden of it, and not to regret my own degradation? I, a + man of strongest will. What would I do, if this were to be resisted?” + </p> + <p> + “I do not conceive of the force of will shaping out my ways,” said the + schoolmaster. “I walk gently along and take the path that opens before + me.” + </p> + <p> + “Ha! ha! ha!” shouted the grim Doctor, with one of his portentous laughs. + “So do we all, in spite of ourselves; and sometimes the path comes to a + sudden ending!” And he resumed his drinking. + </p> + <p> + The schoolmaster looked at him with wonder, and a kind of shuddering, at + something so unlike himself; but probably he very imperfectly estimated + the forces that were at work within this strange being, and how dangerous + they made him. He imputed it, a great deal, to the brandy, which he had + kept drinking in such inordinate quantities; whereas it is probable that + this had a soothing, emollient effect, as far as it went, on the Doctor’s + emotions; a sort of like to like, that he instinctively felt to be a + remedy, But in truth it was difficult to see these two human creatures + together, without feeling their incompatibility; without having a sense + that one must be hostile to the other. The schoolmaster, through his fine + instincts, doubtless had a sense of this, and sat gazing at the lurid, + wrathful figure of the Doctor, in a sort of trance and fascination: not + able to stir; bewildered by the sight of the great spider and other + surroundings; and this strange, uncouth fiend, who had always been + abhorrent to him,—he had a kind of curiosity in it, waited to see + what would come of it, but felt it to be an unnatural state to him. And + again the grim Doctor came and stood before him, prepared to make another + of those strange utterances with which he had already so perplexed him. + </p> + <p> + That night—that midnight—it was rumored through the town that + one of the inhabitants, going home late along the street that led by the + graveyard, saw the grim Doctor standing by the open window of the study + behind the elm tree, in his old dressing-gown, chill as was the night, and + flinging his arms abroad wildly into the darkness, and muttering like the + growling of a tempest, with occasional vociferations that grew even shrill + with passion. The listener, though affrighted, could not resist an impulse + to pause, and attempt overhearing something that might let him into the + secret counsels of this strange wild man, whom the town held in such awe + and antipathy; to learn, perhaps, what was the great spider, and whether + he were summoning the dead out of their graves. However, he could make + nothing out of what he overheard, except it were fragmentary curses, of a + dreadful character, which the Doctor brought up with might and main out of + the depths of his soul, and flung them forth, burning hot, aimed at what, + and why, and to what practical end, it was impossible to say; but as + necessarily as a volcano, in a state of eruption, sends forth boiling + lava, sparkling and scintillating stones, and a sulphurous atmosphere, + indicative of its inward state. [Endnote: 5.] + </p> + <p> + Dreading lest some one of these ponderous anathemas should alight, reason + or none, on his own head, the man crept away, and whispered the thing to + his cronies, from whom it was communicated to the townspeople at large, + and so became one of many stories circulating with reference to our grim + hero, which, if not true to the fact, had undoubtedly a degree of + appositeness to his character, of which they were the legitimate flowers + and symbols. If the anathemas took no other effect, they seemed to have + produced a very remarkable one on the unfortunate elm tree, through the + naked branches of which the Doctor discharged this fiendish shot. For, the + next spring, when April came, no tender leaves budded forth, no life + awakened there; and never again, on that old elm, widely as its roots were + imbedded among the dead of many years, was there rustling bough in the + summer time, or the elm’s early golden boughs in September; and after + waiting till another spring to give it a fair chance of reviving, it was + cut down and made into coffins, and burnt on the sexton’s hearth. The + general opinion was that the grim Doctor’s awful profanity had blasted + that tree, fostered, as it had been, on grave-mould of Puritans. In + Lancashire they tell of a similar anathema. It had a very frightful + effect, it must be owned, this idea of a man cherishing emotions in his + breast of so horrible a nature that he could neither tell them to any + human being, nor keep them in their plenitude and intensity within the + breast where they had their germ, and so was forced to fling them forth + upon the night, to pollute and put fear into the atmosphere, and that + people should breathe-in somewhat of horror from an unknown source, and be + affected with nightmare, and dreams in which they were startled at their + own wickedness. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VIII. + </h2> + <p> + At the breakfast-table the next morning, however, appeared Doctor + Grimshawe, wearing very much the same aspect of an uncombed, unshorn, + unbrushed, odd sort of a pagan as at other times, and making no difference + in his breakfast, except that he poured a pretty large dose of brandy into + his cup of tea; a thing, however, by no means unexampled or very unusual + in his history. There were also the two children, fresher than the morning + itself, rosy creatures, with newly scrubbed cheeks, made over again for + the new day, though the old one had left no dust upon them;[Endnote: 1] + laughing with one another, flinging their little jokes about the table, + and expecting that the Doctor might, as was often his wont, set some + ponderous old English joke trundling round among the breakfast cups; + eating the corn-cakes which crusty Hannah, with the aboriginal part of + her, had a knack of making in a peculiar and exquisite fashion. But there + was an empty chair at table; one cup, one little jug of milk, and another + of pure water, with no guest to partake of them. + </p> + <p> + “Where is the schoolmaster?” said Ned, pausing as he was going to take his + seat. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, Doctor Grim?” said little Elsie. + </p> + <p> + “He has overslept himself for once,” quoth Doctor Grim gruffly; “a strange + thing, too, for a man whose victuals and drink are so light as the + schoolmaster’s. The fiend take me if I thought he had mortal mould enough + in him ever to go to sleep at all; though he is but a kind of dream-stuff + in his widest-awake state. Hannah, you bronze jade, call the schoolmaster + to come to breakfast.” + </p> + <p> + Hannah departed on her errand, and was heard knocking at the door of the + schoolmaster’s chamber several times, till the Doctor shouted to her + wrathfully to cease her clatter and open the door at once, which she + appeared to do, and speedily came back. + </p> + <p> + “He no there, massa. Schoolmaster melted away!” + </p> + <p> + “Vanished like a bubble!” quoth the Doctor. + </p> + <p> + “The great spider caught him like a fly,” quoth crusty Hannah, chuckling + with a sense of mischief that seemed very pleasant to her strange + combination. + </p> + <p> + “He has taken a morning walk,” said little Ned; “don’t you think so, + Doctor Grim?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said the grim Doctor. “Go on with your breakfast, little monkey; + the walk may be a long one, or he is so slight a weight that the wind may + blow him overboard.” + </p> + <p> + A very long walk it proved; or it might be that some wind, whether evil or + good, had blown him, as the Doctor suggested, into parts unknown; for, + from that time forth, the Yankee schoolmaster returned no more. It was a + singular disappearance. + </p> + <p> + The bed did not appear to have been slept in; there was a bundle, in a + clean handkerchief, containing two shirts, two pocket handkerchiefs, two + pairs of cotton socks, a Testament, and that was all. Had he intended to + go away, why did he not take this little luggage in his hand, being all he + had, and of a kind not easily dispensed with? The Doctor made small + question about it, however; he had seemed surprised, at first, yet gave + certainly no energetic token of it; and when Ned, who began to have + notions of things, proposed to advertise him in the newspapers, or send + the town crier round, the Doctor ridiculed the idea unmercifully. + </p> + <p> + “Lost, a lank Yankee schoolmaster,” quoth he, uplifting his voice after + the manner of the town crier; “supposed to have been blown out of Doctor + Grim’s window, or perhaps have ridden off astride of a humble-bee.” + </p> + <p> + “It is not pretty to laugh in that way, Doctor Grim,” said little Elsie, + looking into his face, with a grave shake of her head. + </p> + <p> + “And why not, you saucy little witch?” said the Doctor. + </p> + <p> + “It is not the way to laugh, Doctor Grim,” persisted the child, but either + could not or would not assign any reason for her disapprobation, although + what she said appeared to produce a noticeable effect on Doctor Grimshawe, + who lapsed into a rough, harsh manner, that seemed to satisfy Elsie + better. Crusty Hannah, meanwhile, seemed to dance about the house with a + certain singular alacrity, a wonderful friskiness, indeed, as if the + diabolical result of the mixture in her nature was particularly pleased + with something; so she went, with queer gesticulations, crossings, + contortions, friskings, evidently in a very mirthful state; until, being + asked by her master what was the matter, she replied, “Massa, me know what + became of the schoolmaster. Great spider catch in his web and eat him!” + </p> + <p> + Whether that was the mode of his disappearance, or some other, certainly + the schoolmaster was gone; and the children were left in great + bewilderment at the sudden vacancy in his place. They had not contracted a + very yearning affection for him, and yet his impression had been + individual and real, and they felt that something was gone out of their + lives, now that he was no longer there. Something strange in their + circumstances made itself felt by them; they were more sensible of the + grim Doctor’s uncouthness, his strange, reprehensible habits, his dark, + mysterious life,—in looking at these things, and the spiders, and + the graveyard, and their insulation from the world, through the crystal + medium of this stranger’s character. In remembering him in connection with + these things, a certain seemly beauty in him showed strikingly the + unfitness, the sombre and tarnished color, the outréness, of the rest of + their lot. Little Elsie perhaps felt the loss of him more than her + playmate, although both had been interested by him. But now things + returned pretty much to their old fashion; although, as is inevitably the + case, whenever persons or things have been taken suddenly or unaccountably + out of our sphere, without telling us whither and why they have + disappeared, the children could not, for a long while, bring themselves to + feel that he had really gone. Perhaps, in imitation of the custom in that + old English house, of which the Doctor had told them, little Elsie + insisted that his place should still be kept at the table; and so, + whenever crusty Hannah neglected to do so, she herself would fetch a + plate, and a little pitcher of water, and set it beside a vacant chair; + and sometimes, so like a shadow had he been, this pale, slender creature, + it almost might have been thought that he was sitting with them. But + crusty Hannah shook her head, and grinned. “The spider know where he is. + We never see him more!” + </p> + <p> + His abode in the house had been of only two or three weeks; and in the + natural course of things, had he come and gone in an ordinary way, his + recollection would have grown dim and faded out in two or three weeks + more; but the speculations, the expectations, the watchings for his + reappearance, served to cut and grave the recollection of him into the + children’s hearts, so that it remained a life-long thing with them,—a + sense that he was something that had been lost out of their life too soon, + and that was bound, sooner or later, to reappear, and finish what business + he had with them. Sometimes they prattled around the Doctor’s chair about + him, and they could perceive sometimes that he appeared to be listening, + and would chime in with some remark; but he never expressed either wonder + or regret; only telling Ned, once, that he had no reason to be sorry for + his disappearance. + </p> + <p> + “Why, Doctor Grim?” asked the boy. + </p> + <p> + The Doctor mused, and smoked his pipe, as if he himself were thinking why, + and at last he answered, “He was a dangerous fellow, my old boy.” + </p> + <p> + “Why?” said Ned again. + </p> + <p> + “He would have taken the beef out of you,” said the Doctor. + </p> + <p> + I know not how long it was before any other visitor (except such as + brought their shattered constitutions there in hopes that the Doctor would + make the worn-out machinery as good as new) came to the lonely little + household on the corner of the graveyard. The intercourse between + themselves and the rest of the town remained as scanty as ever. Still, the + grim, shaggy Doctor was seen setting doggedly forth, in all seasons and + all weathers, at a certain hour of the day, with the two children, going + for long walks on the sea-shore, or into the country, miles away, and + coming back, hours afterwards, with plants and herbs that had perhaps + virtue in them, or flowers that had certainly beauty; even, in their + season, the fragrant magnolias, leaving a trail of fragrance after them, + that grow only in spots, the seeds having been apparently dropped by some + happy accident when those proper to the climate were distributed. Shells + there were, also, in the baskets that they carried, minerals, rare things, + that a magic touch seemed to have created out of the rude and common + things that others find in a homely and ordinary region. The boy was + growing tall, and had got out of the merely infantile age; agile he was, + bright, but still with a remarkable thoughtfulness, or gravity, or I know + not what to call it; but it was a shadow, no doubt, falling upon him from + something sombre in his warp of life, which the impressibility of his age + and nature so far acknowledged as to be a little pale and grave, without + positive unhappiness; and when a playful moment came, as they often did to + these two healthy children, it seemed all a mistake that you had ever + thought either of them too grave for their age. But little Elsie was still + the merrier. They were still children, although they quarrelled seldomer + than of yore, and kissed seldomer, and had ceased altogether to complain + of one another to the Doctor; perhaps the time when Nature saw these + bickerings to be necessary to the growth of some of their faculties was + nearly gone. When they did have a quarrel, the boy stood upon his dignity, + and visited Elsie with a whole day, sometimes, of silent and stately + displeasure, which she was accustomed to bear, sometimes with an + assumption of cold indifference, sometimes with liveliness, mirth in + double quantity, laughter almost as good as real,—little arts which + showed themselves in her as naturally as the gift of tears and smiles. In + fact, having no advantage of female intercourse, she could not well have + learnt them unless from crusty Hannah, who was such an anomaly of a + creature, with all her mixtures of race, that she struck you as having + lost all sex as one result of it. Yet this little girl was truly feminine, + and had all the manners and pre-eminently uncriticisable tenets proper to + women at her early age. + </p> + <p> + She had made respectable advancement in study; that is, she had taught + herself to write, with even greater mechanical facility than Ned; and + other knowledge had fallen upon her, as it were, by a reflected light from + him; or, to use another simile, had been spattered upon her by the full + stream which the Doctor poured into the vessel of the boy’s intellect. So + that she had even some knowledge of the rudiments of Latin, and geometry, + and algebra; inaccurate enough, but yet with such a briskness that she was + sometimes able to assist Ned in studies in which he was far more deeply + grounded than herself. All this, however, was more by sympathy than by any + natural taste for such things; being kindly, and sympathetic, and + impressible, she took the color of what was nearest to her, and especially + when it came from a beloved object, so that it was difficult to discover + that it was not really one of her native tastes. The only thing, perhaps, + altogether suited to her idiosyncrasy (because it was truly feminine, + calculated for dainty fingers, and a nice little subtlety) was that kind + of embroidery, twisting, needle-work, on textile fabric, which, as we have + before said, she learnt from crusty Hannah, and which was emblematic + perhaps of that creature’s strange mixture of races. + </p> + <p> + Elsie seemed not only to have caught this art in its original spirit, but + to have improved upon it, creating strange, fanciful, and graceful + devices, which grew beneath her finger as naturally as the variegated hues + grow in a flower as it opens; so that the homeliest material assumed a + grace and strangeness as she wove it, whether it were grass, twigs, + shells, or what not. Never was anything seen, that so combined a wild, + barbarian freedom with cultivated grace; and the grim Doctor himself, + little open to the impressions of the beautiful, used to hold some of her + productions in his hand, gazing at them with deep intentness, and at last, + perhaps, breaking out into one of his deep roars of laughter; for it + seemed to suggest thoughts to him that the children could not penetrate. + This one feature of strangeness and wild faculty in the otherwise sweet + and natural and homely character of Elsie had a singular effect; it was + like a wreath of wild-flowers in her hair, like something that set her a + little way apart from the rest of the world, and had an even more striking + effect than if she were altogether strange. + </p> + <p> + Thus were the little family going on; the Doctor, I regret to say, growing + more morose, self-involved, and unattainable since the disappearance of + the schoolmaster than before; more given up to his one plaything, the + great spider; less frequently even than before coming out of the grim + seclusion of his moodiness, to play with the children, though they would + often be sensible of his fierce eyes fixed upon them, and start and feel + incommoded by the intensity of his regard;—thus things were going + on, when one day there was really again a visitor, and not a dilapidated + patient, to the grim Doctor’s study. Crusty Hannah brought up his name as + Mr. Hammond, and the Doctor—filling his everlasting pipe, meanwhile, + and ordering Hannah to give him a coal (perhaps this was the circumstance + that made people say he had imps to bring him coals from Tophet)—ordered + him to be shown up. [Endnote: 2.] + </p> + <p> + A fresh-colored, rather young man [Endnote: 3] entered the study, a person + of rather cold and ungraceful manners, yet genial-looking enough; at + least, not repulsive. He was dressed in rather a rough, serviceable + travelling-dress, and except for a nicely brushed hat, and unmistakably + white linen, was rather careless in attire. You would have thought twice, + perhaps, before deciding him to be a gentleman, but finally would have + decided that he was; one great token being, that the singular aspect of + the room into which he was ushered, the spider festoonery, and other + strange accompaniments, the grim aspect of the Doctor himself, and the + beauty and intelligence of his two companions, and even that horrific + weaver, the great dangling spider,—neither one nor all of these + called any expression of surprise to the stranger’s face. + </p> + <p> + “Your name is Hammond?” begins the Doctor, with his usual sparseness of + ornamental courtesy. [Endnote: 4.] + </p> + <p> + The stranger bowed. + </p> + <p> + “An Englishman, I perceive,” continued the Doctor, but nowise intimating + that the fact of being a countryman was any recommendation in his eyes. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, an Englishman,” replied Hammond; “a briefless barrister, [Endnote: + 5] in fact, of Lincoln’s Inn, who, having little or nothing to detain him + at home, has come to spend a few idle months in seeing the new republic + which has been made out of English substance.” + </p> + <p> + “And what,” continued Doctor Grim, not a whit relaxing the repulsiveness + of his manner, and scowling askance at the stranger,—“what may have + drawn on me the good fortune of being compelled to make my time idle, + because yours is so?” + </p> + <p> + The stranger’s cheek flushed a little; but he smiled to himself, as if + saying that here was a grim, rude kind of humorist, who had lost the sense + of his own peculiarity, and had no idea that he was rude at all. “I came + to America, as I told you,” said he, “chiefly because I was idle, and + wanted to turn my enforced idleness to what profit I could, in the way of + seeing men, manners, governments, and problems, which I hope to have no + time to study by and by. But I also had an errand intrusted to me, and of + a singular nature; and making inquiry in this little town (where my + mission must be performed, if at all), I have been directed to you, by + your townspeople, as to a person not unlikely to be able to assist me in + it.” + </p> + <p> + “My townspeople, since you choose to call them so,” answered the grim + Doctor, “ought to know, by this time, that I am not the sort of man likely + to assist any person, in any way.” + </p> + <p> + “Yet this is so singular an affair,” said the stranger, still with mild + courtesy, “that at least it may excite your curiosity. I have come here to + find a grave.” + </p> + <p> + “To find a grave!” said Doctor Grim, giving way to a grim sense of humor, + and relaxing just enough to let out a joke, the tameness of which was a + little redeemed, to his taste, by its grimness. “I might help you there, + to be sure, since it is all in the way of business. Like others of my + profession, I have helped many people to find their graves, no doubt, and + shall be happy to do the same for you. You have hit upon the one thing in + which my services are ready.” + </p> + <p> + “I thank you, my dear sir,” said the young stranger, having tact enough to + laugh at Dr. Grim’s joke, and thereby mollifying him a little; “but as far + as I am personally concerned, I prefer to wait a while before making the + discovery of that little spot in Mother Earth which I am destined to + occupy. It is a grave which has been occupied as such for at least a + century and a half which I am in quest of; and it is as an antiquarian, a + genealogist, a person who has had dealings with the dead of long ago, not + as a professional man engaged in adding to their number, that I ask your + aid.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, ahah!” said the Doctor, laying down his pipe, and looking earnestly + at the stranger; not kindly nor genially, but rather with a lurid glance + of suspicion out of those red eyes of his, but no longer with a desire to + escape an intruder; rather as one who meant to clutch him. “Explain your + meaning, sir, at once.” + </p> + <p> + “Then here it is,” said Mr. Hammond. “There is an old English family, one + of the members of which, very long ago, emigrated to this part of America, + then a wilderness, and long afterwards a British colony. He was on ill + terms with his family. There is reason to believe that documents, deeds, + titular proofs, or some other thing valuable to the family, were buried in + the grave of this emigrant; and there have been various attempts, within a + century, to find this grave, and if possible some living descendant of the + man, or both, under the idea that either of these cases might influence + the disputed descent of the property, and enable the family to prove its + claims to an ancient title. Now, rather as a matter of curiosity, than + with any real hope of success,—and being slightly connected with the + family,—I have taken what seems to myself a wild-goose chase; making + it merely incidental, you well understand, not by any means the main + purpose of my voyage to America.” + </p> + <p> + “What is the name of this family?” asked the Doctor, abruptly. + </p> + <p> + “The man whose grave I seek,” said the stranger, “lived and died, in this + country, under the assumed name of Colcord.” + </p> + <p> + “How do you expect to succeed in this ridiculous quest?” asked the Doctor, + “and what marks, signs, directions, have you to guide your search? And + moreover, how have you come to any knowledge whatever about the matter, + even that the emigrant ever assumed this name of Colcord, and that he was + buried anywhere, and that his place of burial, after more than a century, + is of the slightest importance?” + </p> + <p> + “All this was ascertained by a messenger on a similar errand with my own, + only undertaken nearly a century ago, and more in earnest than I can + pretend to be,” replied the Englishman. “At that period, however, there + was probably a desire to find nothing that might take the hereditary + possessions of the family out of the branch which still held them; and + there is strong reason to suspect that the information acquired was + purposely kept secret by the person in England into whose hands it came. + The thing is differently situated now; the possessor of the estate is + recently dead; and the discovery of an American heir would not be + unacceptable to many. At all events, any knowledge gained here would throw + light on a somewhat doubtful matter.” + </p> + <p> + “Where, as nearly as you can judge,” said the Doctor, after a turn or two + through the study, “was this man buried?” + </p> + <p> + “He spent the last years of his life, certainly, in this town,” said + Hammond, “and may be found, if at all, among the dead of that period.” + </p> + <p> + “And they—their miserable dust, at least, which is all that still + exists of them—were buried in the graveyard under these windows,” + said the Doctor. “What marks, I say,—for you might as well seek a + vanished wave of the sea, as a grave that surged upward so long ago.” + </p> + <p> + “On the gravestone,” said Hammond, “a slate one, there was rudely + sculptured the impress of a foot. What it signifies I cannot conjecture, + except it had some reference to a certain legend of a bloody footstep, + which is currently told, and some token of which yet remains on one of the + thresholds of the ancient mansion-house.” + </p> + <p> + Ned and Elsie had withdrawn themselves from the immediate vicinity of the + fireside, and were playing at fox and geese in a corner near the window. + But little Elsie, having very quick ears, and a faculty of attending to + more affairs than one, now called out, “Doctor Grim, Ned and I know where + that gravestone is.” + </p> + <p> + “Hush, Elsie,” whispered Ned, earnestly. + </p> + <p> + “Come forward here, both of you,” said Doctor Grimshawe. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER IX. + </h2> + <p> + The two children approached, and stood before the Doctor and his guest, + the latter of whom had not hitherto taken particular notice of them. He + now looked from one to the other, with the pleasant, genial expression of + a person gifted with a natural liking for children, and the freemasonry + requisite to bring him acquainted with them; and it lighted up his face + with a pleasant surprise to see two such beautiful specimens of boyhood + and girlhood in this dismal, spider-haunted house, and under the + guardianship of such a savage lout as the grim Doctor. He seemed + particularly struck by the intelligence and sensibility of Ned’s face, and + met his eyes with a glance that Ned long afterwards remembered; but yet he + seemed quite as much interested by Elsie, and gazed at her face with a + perplexed, inquiring glance. + </p> + <p> + “These are fine children,” said he. “May I ask if they are your own?—Pardon + me if I ask amiss,” added he, seeing a frown on the Doctor’s brow. + </p> + <p> + “Ask nothing about the brats,” replied he grimly. “Thank Heaven, they are + not my children; so your question is answered.” + </p> + <p> + “I again ask pardon,” said Mr. Hammond. “I am fond of children; and the + boy has a singularly fine countenance; not in the least English. The true + American face, no doubt. As to this sweet little girl, she impresses me + with a vague resemblance to some person I have seen. Hers I should deem an + English face.” + </p> + <p> + “These children are not our topic,” said the grim Doctor, with gruff + impatience. “If they are to be so, our conversation is ended. Ned, what do + you know of this gravestone with the bloody foot on it?” + </p> + <p> + “It is not a bloody foot, Doctor Grim,” said Ned, “and I am not sure that + it is a foot at all; only Elsie and I chose to fancy so, because of a + story that we used to play at. But we were children then. The gravestone + lies on the ground, within a little bit of a walk of our door; but this + snow has covered it all over; else we might go out and see it.” + </p> + <p> + “We will go out at any rate,” said the Doctor, “and if the Englishman + chooses to come to America, he must take our snows as he finds them. Take + your shovel, Ned, and if necessary we will uncover the gravestone.” + </p> + <p> + They accordingly muffled themselves in their warmest, and plunged forth + through a back door into Ned and Elsie’s playground, as the grim Doctor + was wont to call it. The snow, except in one spot close at hand, lay deep, + like cold oblivion, over the surging graves, and piled itself in drifted + heaps against every stone that raised itself above the level; it filled + enviously the letters of the inscriptions, enveloping all the dead in one + great winding-sheet, whiter and colder than those which they had + individually worn. The dreary space was pathless; not a footstep had + tracked through the heavy snow; for it must be warm affection indeed that + could so melt this wintry impression as to penetrate through the snow and + frozen earth, and establish any warm thrills with the dead beneath: + daisies, grass, genial earth, these allow of the magnetism of such + sentiments; but winter sends them shivering back to the baffled heart. + </p> + <p> + “Well, Ned,” said the Doctor, impatiently. + </p> + <p> + Ned looked about him somewhat bewildered, and then pointed to a spot + within not more than ten paces of the threshold which they had just + crossed; and there appeared, not a gravestone, but a new grave (if any + grave could be called new in that often-dug soil, made up of old + mortality), an open hole, with the freshly-dug earth piled up beside it. A + little snow (for there had been a gust or two since morning) appeared, as + they peeped over the edge, to have fallen into it; but not enough to + prevent a coffin from finding fit room and accommodation in it. But it was + evident that the grave had been dug that very day. + </p> + <p> + “The headstone, with the foot on it, was just here,” said Ned, in much + perplexity, “and, as far as I can judge, the old sunken grave exactly + marked out the space of this new one.” [Endnote: 1.] + </p> + <p> + “It is a shame,” said Elsie, much shocked at the indecorum, “that the new + person should be thrust in here; for the old one was a friend of ours.” + </p> + <p> + “But what has become of the headstone!” exclaimed the young English + stranger. + </p> + <p> + During their perplexity, a person had approached the group, wading through + the snow from the gateway giving entrance from the street; a gaunt figure, + with stooping shoulders, over one of which was a spade and some other tool + fit for delving in the earth; and in his face there was the sort of keen, + humorous twinkle that grave-diggers somehow seem to get, as if the + dolorous character of their business necessitated something unlike itself + by an inevitable reaction. + </p> + <p> + “Well, Doctor,” said he, with a shrewd wink in his face, “are you looking + for one of your patients? The man who is to be put to bed here was never + caught in your spider’s web.” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said Doctor Grimshawe; “when my patients have done with me, I leave + them to you and the old Nick, and never trouble myself about them more. + What I want to know is, why you have taken upon you to steal a man’s + grave, after he has had immemorial possession of it. By what right have + you dug up this bed, undoing the work of a predecessor of yours, who has + long since slept in one of his own furrows?” + </p> + <p> + “Why, Doctor,” said the grave-digger, looking quietly into the cavernous + pit which he had hollowed, “it is against common sense that a dead man + should think to keep a grave to himself longer than till you can take up + his substance in a shovel. It would be a strange thing enough, if, when + living families are turned out of their homes twice or thrice in a + generation, (as they are likely to be in our new government,) a dead man + should think he must sleep in one spot till the day of judgment. No; turn + about, I say, to these old fellows. As long as they can decently be called + dead men, I let them lie; when they are nothing but dust, I just take + leave to stir them on occasion. This is the way we do things under the + republic, whatever your customs be in the old country.” + </p> + <p> + “Matters are very much the same in any old English churchyard,” said the + English stranger. “But, my good friend, I have come three thousand miles, + partly to find this grave, and am a little disappointed to find my labor + lost.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! and you are the man my father was looking for,” said the + grave-digger, nodding his head at Mr. Hammond. “My father, who was a + grave-digger afore me, died four and thirty years ago, when we were under + the King; and says he, ‘Ebenezer, do not you turn up a sod in this spot, + till you have turned up every other in the ground.’ And I have always + obeyed him.” + </p> + <p> + “And what was the reason of such a singular prohibition?” asked Hammond. + </p> + <p> + “My father knew,” said the grave-digger, “and he told me the reason too; + but since we are under the republic, we have given up remembering those + old-world legends, as we used to. The newspapers keep us from talking in + the chimney-corner; and so things go out of our minds. An old man, with + his stories of what he has seen, and what his great-grandfather saw before + him, is of little account since newspapers came up. Stop—I remember—no, + I forget,—it was something about the grave holding a witness, who + had been sought before and might be again.” + </p> + <p> + “And that is all you know about it?” said Hammond. + </p> + <p> + “All,—every mite,” said the old grave-digger. “But my father knew, + and would have been glad to tell you the whole story. There was a great + deal of wisdom and knowledge, about graves especially, buried out yonder + where my old father was put away, before the Stamp Act was thought of. But + it is no great matter, I suppose. People don’t care about old graves in + these times. They just live, and put the dead out of sight and out of + mind.” + </p> + <p> + “Well; but what have you done with the headstone?” said the Doctor. “You + can’t have eaten it up.” + </p> + <p> + “No, no, Doctor,” said the grave-digger, laughing; “it would crack better + teeth than mine, old and crumbly as it is. And yet I meant to do something + with it that is akin to eating; for my oven needs a new floor, and I + thought to take this stone, which would stand the fire well. But here,” + continued he, scraping away the snow with his shovel, a task in which + little Ned gave his assistance,—“here is the headstone, just as I + have always seen it, and as my father saw it before me.” + </p> + <p> + The ancient memorial, being cleared of snow, proved to be a slab of + freestone, with some rude traces of carving in bas-relief around the + border, now much effaced, and an impression, which seemed to be as much + like a human foot as anything else, sunk into the slab; but this device + was wrought in a much more clumsy way than the ornamented border, and + evidently by an unskilful hand. Beneath was an inscription, over which the + hard, flat lichens had grown, and done their best to obliterate it, + although the following words might be written [Endnote: 2] or guessed:— + </p> + <p> + “Here lyeth the mortal part of Thomas Colcord, an upright man, of tender + and devout soul, who departed this troublous life September ye nineteenth, + 1667, aged 57 years and nine months. Happier in his death than in his + lifetime. Let his bones be.” + </p> + <p> + The name, Colcord, was somewhat defaced; it was impossible, in the general + disintegration of the stone, to tell whether wantonly, or with a purpose + of altering and correcting some error in the spelling, or, as occurred to + Hammond, to change the name entirely. + </p> + <p> + “This is very unsatisfactory,” said Hammond, “but very curious, too. But + this certainly is the impress of what was meant for a human foot, and + coincides strangely with the legend of the Bloody Footstep,—the mark + of the foot that trod in the blessed King Charles’s blood.” + </p> + <p> + “For that matter,” said the grave-digger, “it comes into my mind that my + father used to call it the stamp of Satan’s foot, because he claimed the + dead man for his own. It is plain to see that there was a deep deft + between two of the toes.” + </p> + <p> + “There are two ways of telling that legend,” remarked the Doctor. “But did + you find nothing in the grave, Hewen?” + </p> + <p> + “O, yes,—a bone or two,—as much as could be expected after + above a hundred years,” said the grave-digger. “I tossed them aside; and + if you are curious about them, you will find them when the snow melts. + That was all; and it would have been unreasonable in old Colcord—especially + in these republican times—to have wanted to keep his grave any + longer, when there was so little of him left.” + </p> + <p> + “I must drop the matter here, then,” said Hammond, with a sigh. “Here, my + friend, is a trifle for your trouble.” + </p> + <p> + “No trouble,” said the grave-digger, “and in these republican times we + can’t take anything for nothing, because it won’t do for a poor man to + take off his hat and say thank you.” + </p> + <p> + Nevertheless, he did take the silver, and winked a sort of acknowledgment. + </p> + <p> + The Doctor, with unwonted hospitality, invited the English stranger to + dine in his house; and though there was no pretence of cordiality in the + invitation, Mr. Hammond accepted it, being probably influenced by + curiosity to make out some definite idea of the strange household in which + he found himself. Doctor Grimshawe having taken it upon him to be host,—for, + up to this time, the stranger stood upon his own responsibility, and, + having voluntarily presented himself to the Doctor, had only himself to + thank for any scant courtesy he might meet,—but now the grim Doctor + became genial after his own fashion. At dinner he produced a bottle of + port, which made the young Englishman almost fancy himself on the other + side of the water; and he entered into a conversation, which I fancy was + the chief object which the grim Doctor had in view in showing himself in + so amiable a light, [Endnote: 3] for in the course of it the stranger was + insensibly led to disclose many things, as it were of his own accord, + relating to the part of England whence he came, and especially to the + estate and family which have been before mentioned,—the present + state of that family, together with other things that he seemed to himself + to pour out naturally,—for, at last, he drew himself up, and + attempted an excuse. + </p> + <p> + “Your good wine,” said he, “or the unexpected accident of meeting a + countryman, has made me unusually talkative, and on subjects, I fear, + which have not a particular interest for you.” + </p> + <p> + “I have not quite succeeded in shaking off my country, as you see,” said + Doctor Grimshawe, “though I neither expect nor wish ever to see it again.” + </p> + <p> + There was something rather ungracious in the grim Doctor’s response, and + as they now adjourned to his study, and the Doctor betook himself to his + pipe and tumbler, the young Englishman sought to increase his acquaintance + with the two children, both of whom showed themselves graciously inclined + towards him; more warmly so than they had been to the schoolmaster, as he + was the only other guest whom they had ever met. + </p> + <p> + “Would you like to see England, my little fellow?” he inquired of Ned. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, very much! more than anything else in the world,” replied the boy, + his eyes gleaming and his cheeks flushing with the earnestness of his + response; for, indeed, the question stirred up all the dreams and reveries + which the child had cherished, far back into the dim regions of his + memory. After what the Doctor had told him of his origin, he had never + felt any home feeling here; it seemed to him that he was wandering Ned, + whom the wind had blown from afar. Somehow or other, from many + circumstances which he put together and seethed in his own childish + imagination, it seemed to him that he was to go back to that far old + country, and there wander among the green, ivy-grown, venerable scenes; + the older he grew, the more his mind took depth, the stronger was this + fancy in him; though even to Elsie he had scarcely breathed it. + </p> + <p> + “So strong a desire,” said the stranger, smiling at his earnestness, “will + be sure to work out its own accomplishment. I shall meet you in England, + my young friend, one day or another. And you, my little girl, are you as + anxious to see England as your brother?” + </p> + <p> + “Ned is not my brother,” said little Elsie. + </p> + <p> + The Doctor here interposed some remark on a different subject; for it was + observable that he never liked to have the conversation turn on these + children, their parentage, or relations to each other or himself. + </p> + <p> + The children were sent to bed; and the young Englishman, finding the + conversation lag, and his host becoming gruffer and less communicative + than he thought quite courteous, retired. But before he went, however, he + could not refrain from making a remark on the gigantic spider, which was + swinging like a pendulum above the Doctor’s head. + </p> + <p> + “What a singular pet!” said he; for the nervous part of him had latterly + been getting uppermost, so that it disturbed him; in fact, the spider + above and the grim man below equally disturbed him. “Are you a naturalist? + Have you noted his habits?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said the Doctor, “I have learned from his web how to weave a plot, + and how to catch my victim and devour him!” + </p> + <p> + “Thank God,” said the Englishman, as he issued forth into the cold gray + night, “I have escaped the grim fellow’s web, at all events. How strange a + group,—those two sweet children, that grim old man!” + </p> + <p> + As regards this matter of the ancient grave, it remains to be recorded, + that, when the snow melted, little Ned and Elsie went to look at the spot, + where, by this time, there was a little hillock with the brown sods laid + duly upon it, which the coming spring would make green. By the side of it + they saw, with more curiosity than repugnance, a few fragments of crumbly + bones, which they plausibly conjectured to have appertained to some part + of the framework of the ancient Colcord, wherewith he had walked through + the troublous life of which his gravestone spoke. And little Elsie, whose + eyes were very sharp, and her observant qualities of the quickest, found + something which Ned at first pronounced to be only a bit of old iron, + incrusted with earth; but Elsie persisted to knock off some of the earth + that seemed to have incrusted it, and discovered a key. The children ran + with their prize to the grim Doctor, who took it between his thumb and + finger, turned it over and over, and then proceeded to rub it with a + chemical substance which soon made it bright. It proved to be a silver + key, of antique and curious workmanship. + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps this is what Mr. Hammond was in search of,” said Ned. “What a + pity he is gone! Perhaps we can send it after him.” + </p> + <p> + “Nonsense,” said the gruff Doctor. + </p> + <p> + And attaching the key to a chain, which he took from a drawer, and which + seemed to be gold, he hung it round Ned’s neck. + </p> + <p> + “When you find a lock for this key,” said he, “open it, and consider + yourself heir of whatever treasure is revealed there!” + </p> + <p> + Ned continued that sad, fatal habit of growing out of childhood, as boys + will, until he was now about ten years old, and little Elsie as much as + six or seven. He looked healthy, but pale; something there was in the + character and influences of his life that made him look as if he were + growing up in a shadow, with less sunshine than he needed for a robust and + exuberant development, though enough to make his intellectual growth tend + towards a little luxuriance, in some directions. He was likely to turn out + a fanciful, perhaps a poetic youth; young as he was, there had been + already discoveries, on the grim Doctor’s part, of certain blotted and + clumsily scrawled scraps of paper, the chirography on which was arrayed in + marshalled lines of unequal length, and each commanded by a capital letter + and marching on from six to ten lame feet. Doctor Grim inspected these + things curiously, and to say the truth most scornfully, before he took + them to light his pipe withal; but they told him little as regarded this + boy’s internal state, being mere echoes, and very lugubrious ones, of + poetic strains that were floating about in the atmosphere of that day, + long before any now remembered bard had begun to sing. But there were the + rudiments of a poetic and imaginative mind within the boy, if its + subsequent culture should be such as the growth of that delicate flower + requires; a brooding habit taking outward things into itself and imbuing + them with its own essence until, after they had lain there awhile, they + assumed a relation both to truth and to himself, and became mediums to + affect other minds with the magnetism of his own. He lived far too much an + inward life for healthfulness, at his age; the peculiarity of his + situation, a child of mystery, with certain reaches and vistas that seemed + to promise a bright solution of his mystery, keeping his imagination + always awake and strong. That castle in the air,—so much more vivid + than other castles, because it had perhaps a real substance of ancient, + ivy-grown, hewn stone somewhere,—that visionary hall in England, + with its surrounding woods and fine lawns, and the beckoning shadows at + the ancient windows, and that fearful threshold, with the blood still + glistening on it,—he dwelt and wandered so much there, that he had + no real life in the sombre house on the corner of the graveyard; except + that the loneliness of the latter, and the grim Doctor with his grotesque + surroundings, and then the great ugly spider, and that odd, inhuman + mixture of crusty Hannah, all served to remove him out of the influences + of common life. Little Elsie was all that he had to keep life real, and + substantial; and she, a child so much younger than he, was influenced by + the same circumstances, and still more by himself, so that, as far as he + could impart himself to her, he led her hand in hand through the same + dream-scenery amid which he strayed himself. They knew not another child + in town; the grim Doctor was their only friend. As for Ned, this seclusion + had its customary and normal effect upon him; it had made him think + ridiculously high of his own gifts, powers, attainments, and at the same + time doubt whether they would pass with those of others; it made him + despise all flesh, as if he were of a superior race, and yet have an idle + and weak fear of coming in contact with them, from a dread of his + incompetency to cope with them; so he at once depreciated and exalted, to + an absurd degree, both himself and others. + </p> + <p> + “Ned,” said the Doctor to him one day, in his gruffest tone, “you are not + turning out to be the boy I looked for and meant to make. I have given you + sturdy English instruction, and solidly grounded you in matters that the + poor superficial people and time merely skim over; I looked to see the + rudiments of a man in you, by this time; and you begin to mope and pule as + if your babyhood were coming back on you. You seem to think more than a + boy of your years should; and yet it is not manly thought, nor ever will + be so. What do you mean, boy, by making all my care of you come to + nothing, in this way?” + </p> + <p> + “I do my best, Doctor Grim,” said Ned, with sullen dignity. “What you + teach me, I learn. What more can I do?” + </p> + <p> + “I’ll tell you what, my fine fellow,” quoth Doctor Grim, getting rude, as + was his habit. “You disappoint me, and I’ll not bear it. I want you to be + a man; and I’ll have you a man or nothing. If I had foreboded such a + fellow as you turn out to be, I never would have taken you from the place + where, as I once told you, I found you,—the almshouse!” + </p> + <p> + “O, Doctor Grim, Doctor Grim!” cried little Elsie, in a tone of grief and + bitter reproach. + </p> + <p> + Ned had risen slowly, as the Doctor uttered those last words, turning as + white as a sheet, and stood gazing at him, with large eyes, in which there + was a calm upbraiding; a strange dignity was in his childish aspect, which + was no longer childish, but seemed to have grown older all in a moment. + </p> + <p> + “Sir,” added the Doctor, incensed at the boy’s aspect, “there is nonsense + that ought to be whipt out of you.” + </p> + <p> + “You have said enough, sir,” said the boy. “Would to God you had left me + where you found me![Endnote: 4] It was not my fault that you took me from + the alms-house. But it will be my fault if I ever eat another bit of your + bread, or stay under your roof an hour longer.” + </p> + <p> + He was moving towards the door, but little Elsie sprung upon him and + caught him round the neck, although he repelled her with severe dignity; + and Doctor Grimshawe, after a look at the group in which a bitter sort of + mirth and mischief struggled with a better and kindlier sentiment, at last + flung his pipe into the chimney, hastily quaffed the remnant of a tumbler, + and shuffled after Ned, kicking off his old slippers in his hurry. He + caught the boy just by the door. + </p> + <p> + “Ned, Ned, my boy, I’m sorry for what I said,” cried he. “I am a guzzling + old blockhead, and don’t know how to treat a gentleman when he honors me + with his company. It is not in my blood nor breeding to have such + knowledge. Ned, you will make a man, and I lied if I said otherwise. Come, + I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” + </p> + <p> + The boy was easily touched, at these years, as a boy ought to be; and + though he had not yet forgiven the grim Doctor, the tears, to his especial + shame, gushed out of his eyes in a torrent, and his whole frame shook with + sobs. The Doctor caught him in his arms, and hugged him to his old + tobacco-fragrant dressing-gown, hugged him like a bear, as he was; so that + poor Ned hardly knew whether he was embracing him with his love, or + squeezing him to death in his wrath. + </p> + <p> + “Ned,” said he, “I’m not going to live a great while longer; I seem an + eternal nuisance to you, I know; but it’s not so, I’m mortal and I feel + myself breaking up. Let us be friends while I live; for believe me, Ned, + I’ve done as well by you as I knew, and care for nothing, love nothing, so + much as you. Little Elsie here, yes. I love her too. But that’s different. + You are a boy, and will be a man; and a man whom I destine to do for me + what it has been the object of my life to achieve. Let us be friends. We + will—we must be friends; and when old Doctor Grim, worthless wretch + that he is, sleeps in his grave, you shall not have the pang of having + parted from him in unkindness. Forgive me, Ned; and not only that, but + love me better than ever; for though I am a hasty old wretch, I am not + altogether evil as regards you.” + </p> + <p> + I know not whether the Doctor would have said all this, if the day had not + been pretty well advanced, and if his potations had not been many; but, at + any rate, he spoke no more than he felt, and his emotions thrilled through + the sensitive system of the boy, and quite melted him down. He forgave + Doctor Grim, and, as he asked, loved him better than ever; and so did + Elsie. Then it was so sweet, so good, to have had this one outgush of + affection,—he, poor child, who had no memory of mother’s kisses, or + of being cared for out of tenderness, and whose heart had been hungry, all + his life, for some such thing; and probably Doctor Grim, in his way, had + the same kind of enjoyment of this passionate crisis; so that though, the + next day, they all three looked at one another a little ashamed, yet it + had some remote analogy to that delicious embarrassment of two lovers, at + their first meeting after they know all. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0010" id="link2HCH0010"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER X. + </h2> + <p> + It is very remarkable that Ned had so much good in him as we find there; + in the first place, born as he seemed to be of a wild, vagrant stock, a + seedling sown by the breezes, and falling among the rocks and sands; the + growing up without a mother to cultivate his tenderness with kisses and + the inestimable, inevitable love of love breaking out on all little + occasions, without reference to merit or demerit, unfailing whether or no; + mother’s faith in excellences, the buds which were yet invisible to all + other eyes, but to which her warm faith was the genial sunshine necessary + to their growth; mother’s generous interpretation of all that was doubtful + in him, and which might turn out good or bad, according as should be + believed of it; mother’s pride in whatever the boy accomplished, and + unfailing excuses, explanations, apologies, so satisfactory, for all his + failures; mother’s deep intuitive insight, which should see the permanent + good beneath all the appearance of temporary evil, being wiser through her + love than the wisest sage could be,—the dullest, homeliest mother + than the wisest sage. The Creator, apparently, has set a little of his own + infinite wisdom and love (which are one) in a mother’s heart, so that no + child, in the common course of things, should grow up without some + heavenly instruction. Instead of all this, and the vast deal more that + mothers do for children, there had been only the gruff, passionate Doctor, + without sense of religion, with only a fitful tenderness, with years’ + length between the fits, so fiercely critical, so wholly unradiant of + hope, misanthropic, savagely morbid. Yes; there was little Elsie too; it + must have been that she was the boy’s preserver, being childhood, + sisterhood, womanhood, all that there had been for him of human life, and + enough—he being naturally of such good stuff—to keep him good. + He had lost much, but not all: he was not nearly what he might have been + under better auspices; flaws and imperfections there were, in abundance, + great uncultivated wastes and wildernesses in his moral nature, tangled + wilds where there might have been stately, venerable religious groves; but + there was no rank growth of evil. That unknown mother, that had no + opportunity to nurse her boy, must have had gentle and noblest qualities + to endow him with; a noble father, too, a long, unstained descent, one + would have thought. Was this an almshouse child? + </p> + <p> + Doctor Grim knew, very probably, that there was all this on the womanly + side that was wanting to Ned’s occasion; and very probably, too, being a + man not without insight, he was aware that tender treatment, as a mother + bestows it, tends likewise to foster strength, and manliness of character, + as well as softer developments; but all this he could not have supplied, + and now as little as ever. But there was something else which Ned ought to + have, and might have; and this was intercourse with his kind, free + circulation, free air, instead of the stived-up house, with the breeze + from the graveyard blowing over it,—to be drawn out of himself, and + made to share the life of many, to be introduced, at one remove, to the + world with which he was to contend. To this end, shortly after the scene + of passion and reconciliation above described, the Doctor took the + resolution of sending Ned to an academy, famous in that day, and still + extant. Accordingly they all three—the grim Doctor, Ned, and Elsie—set + forth, one day of spring, leaving the house to crusty Hannah and the great + spider, in a carryall, being the only excursion involving a night’s + absence that either of the two children remembered from the house by the + graveyard, as at nightfall they saw the modest pine-built edifice, with + its cupola and bell, where Ned was to be initiated into the schoolboy. The + Doctor, remembering perhaps days spent in some gray, stately, legendary + great school of England, instinct with the boyhood of men afterwards + great, puffed forth a depreciating curse upon it; but nevertheless made + all arrangements for Ned’s behoof, and next morning prepared to leave him + there. + </p> + <p> + “Ned, my son, good by,” cried he, shaking the little fellow’s hand as he + stood tearful and wistful beside the chaise shivering at the loneliness + which he felt settling around him,—a new loneliness to him,—the + loneliness of a crowd. “Do not be cast down, my boy. Face the world; grasp + the thistle strongly, and it will sting you the less. Have faith in your + own fist! Fear no man! Have no secret plot! Never do what you think wrong! + If hereafter you learn to know that Doctor Grim was a bad man, forgive + him, and be a better one yourself. Good by, and if my blessing be good for + anything, in God’s name, I invoke it upon you heartily.” + </p> + <p> + Little Elsie was sobbing, and flung her arms about Ned’s neck, and he his + about hers; so that they parted without a word. As they drove away, a + singular sort of presentiment came over the boy, as he stood looking after + them. + </p> + <p> + “It is all over,—all over,” said he to himself: “Doctor Grim and + little Elsie are gone out of my life. They leave me and will never come + back,—not they to me, not I to them. O, how cold the world is! Would + we three—the Doctor, and Elsie, and I—could have lain down in + a row, in the old graveyard, close under the eaves of the house, and let + the grass grow over us. The world is cold; and I am an alms-house child.” + </p> + <p> + The house by the graveyard seemed dismal now, no doubt, to little Elsie, + who, being of a cheerful nature herself, (common natures often having this + delusion about a home,) had grown up with the idea that it was the most + delightful spot in the world; the place fullest of pleasant play, and of + household love (because her own love welled over out of her heart, like a + spring in a barrel); the place where everybody was kind and good, the + world beyond its threshold appearing perhaps strange and sombre; the spot + where it was pleasantest to be, for its own mere sake; the dim old, homely + place, so warm and cosey in winter, so cool in summer. Who else was + fortunate enough to have such a home,—with that nice, kind, + beautiful Ned, and that dear, kind, gentle, old Doctor Grim, with his + sweet ways, so wise, so upright, so good, beyond all other men? O, happy + girl that she was, to have grown up in such a home! Was there ever any + other house with such cosey nooks in it? Such probably were the feelings + of good little Elsie about this place, which has seemed to us so dismal; + for the home feeling in the child’s heart, her warm, cheerful, + affectionate nature, was a magic, so far as she herself was concerned, and + made all the house and its inmates over after her own fashion. But now + that little Ned was gone, there came a change. She moped about the house, + and, for the first time, suspected it was dismal. + </p> + <p> + As for the grim Doctor, there did not appear to be much alteration in that + hard old character; perhaps he drank a little more, though that was + doubtful, because it is difficult to see where he could find niches to + stick in more frequent drinks. Nor did he more frequently breathe through + the pipe. He fell into desuetude, however, of his daily walk, [Endnote: 1] + and sent Elsie to play by herself in the graveyard (a dreary business + enough for the poor child) instead of taking her to country or seaside + himself. He was more savage and blasphemous, sometimes, than he had been + heretofore known to be; but, on the other hand, he was sometimes softer, + with a kind of weary consenting to circumstances, intervals of helpless + resignation, when he no longer fought and struggled in his heart. He did + not seem to be alive all the time; but, on the other hand, he was + sometimes a good deal too much alive, and could not bear his potations as + well as he used to do, and was overheard blaspheming at himself for being + so weakly, and having a brain that could not bear a thimbleful, and + growing to be a milksop like Colcord, as he said. This person, of whom the + Doctor and his young people had had such a brief experience, appeared + nevertheless to hang upon his remembrance in a singular way,—the + more singular as there was little resemblance between them, or apparent + possibility of sympathy. Little Elsie was startled to hear Doctor Grim + sometimes call out, “Colcord! Colcord!” as if he were summoning a spirit + from some secret place. He muttered, sitting by himself, long, indistinct + masses of talk, in which this name was discernible, and other names. Going + on mumbling, by the hour together, great masses of vague trouble, in + which, if it only could have been unravelled and put in order, no doubt + all the secrets of his life,—secrets of wrath, guilt, vengeance, + love, hatred, all beaten up together, and the best quite spoiled by the + worst, might have been found. His mind evidently wandered. Sometimes, he + seemed to be holding conversation with unseen interlocutors, and almost + invariably, so far as could be gathered, he was bitter, and then sat, + immitigable, pouring out wrath and terror, denunciating, tyrannical, + speaking as to something that lay at his feet, but which he would not + spare. [Endnote: 2] Then suddenly, he would start, look round the dark old + study, upward to the dangling spider overhead, and then at the quiet + little girl, who, try as she might, could not keep her affrighted looks + from his face, and always met his eyes with a loyal frankness and + unyielded faith in him. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, you little jade, what have you been overhearing?” + </p> + <p> + “Nothing, Doctor Grim,—nothing that I could make out.” + </p> + <p> + “Make out as much as you can,” he said. “I am not afraid of you.” + </p> + <p> + “Afraid of little Elsie, dear Doctor Grim!” + </p> + <p> + “Neither of you, nor of the Devil,” murmured the Doctor,—“of nobody + but little Ned and that milksop Colcord. If I have wronged anybody it is + them. As for the rest, let the day of judgment come. Doctor Grim is ready + to fling down his burden at the judgment seat and have it sorted there.” + </p> + <p> + Then he would lie back in his chair and look up at the great spider, who + (or else it was Elsie’s fancy) seemed to be making great haste in those + days, filling out his web as if he had less time than was desirable for + such a piece of work. + </p> + <p> + One morning the Doctor arose as usual, and after breakfast (at which he + ate nothing, and even after filling his coffee-cup half with brandy, half + with coffee, left it untouched, save sipping a little out of a teaspoon) + he went to the study (with a rather unsteady gait, chiefly remarkable + because it was so early in the day), and there established himself with + his pipe, as usual, and his medical books and machines, and his + manuscript. But he seemed troubled, irresolute, weak, and at last he blew + out a volley of oaths, with no apparent appropriateness, and then seemed + to be communing with himself. + </p> + <p> + “It is of no use to carry this on any further,” said he, fiercely, in a + decided tone, as if he had taken a resolution. “Elsie, my girl, come and + kiss me.” + </p> + <p> + So Elsie kissed him, amid all the tobacco-smoke which was curling out of + his mouth, as if there were a half-extinguished furnace in his inside. + </p> + <p> + “Elsie, my little girl, I mean to die to-day,” said the old man. + </p> + <p> + “To die, dear Doctor Grim? O, no! O, no!” + </p> + <p> + “O, yes! Elsie,” said the Doctor, in a very positive tone. “I have kept + myself alive by main force these three weeks, and I find it hardly worth + the trouble. It requires so much exercise of will;—and I am weary, + weary. The pipe does not taste good, the brandy bewilders me. Ned is gone, + too;—I have nothing else to do. I have wrought this many a year for + an object, and now, taking all things into consideration, I don’t know + whether to execute it or no. Ned is gone; there is nobody but my little + Elsie,—a good child, but not quite enough to live for. I will let + myself die, therefore, before sunset.” + </p> + <p> + “O, no! Doctor Grim. Let us send for Ned, and you will think it worth the + trouble of living.” + </p> + <p> + “No, Elsie, I want no one near my death-bed; when I have finished a little + business, you must go out of the room, and I will turn my face to the + wall, and say good-night. But first send crusty Hannah for Mr. Pickering.” + </p> + <p> + He was a lawyer of the town, a man of classical and antiquarian tastes, as + well as legal acquirement, and some of whose pursuits had brought him and + Doctor Grim occasionally together. Besides calling this gentleman, crusty + Hannah (of her own motion, but whether out of good will to the poor Doctor + Grim, or from a tendency to mischief inherent in such unnatural mixtures + as hers) summoned, likewise, in all haste, a medical man,—and, as it + happened, the one who had taken a most decidedly hostile part to our + Doctor,—and a clergyman, who had often devoted our poor friend to + the infernal regions, almost by name, in his sermons; a kindness, to say + the truth, which the Doctor had fully reciprocated in many anathemas + against the clergyman. These two worthies, arriving simultaneously, and in + great haste, were forthwith ushered to where the Doctor lay half reclining + in his study; and upon showing their heads, the Doctor flew into an awful + rage, threatening, in his customary improper way, when angry, to make them + smell the infernal regions, and proceeding to put his threats into + execution by flinging his odorous tobacco-pipe in the face of the medical + man, and rebaptizing the clergyman with a half-emptied tumbler of brandy + and water, and sending a terrible vociferation of oaths after them both, + as they clattered hastily down the stairs. Really, that crusty Hannah must + have been the Devil, for she stood grinning and chuckling at the foot of + the stairs, curtseying grotesquely. + </p> + <p> + “He terrible man, our old Doctor Grim,” quoth crusty Hannah. “He drive us + all to the wicked place before him.” + </p> + <p> + This, however, was the final outbreak of poor Doctor Grim. Indeed, he + almost went off at once in the exhaustion that succeeded. The lawyer + arrived shortly after, and was shut up with him for a considerable space; + after which crusty Hannah was summoned, and desired to call two + indifferent persons from the street, as witnesses to a will; and this + document was duly executed, and given into the possession of the lawyer. + This done, and the lawyer having taken his leave, the grim Doctor desired, + and indeed commanded imperatively, that crusty Hannah should quit the + room, having first—we are sorry to say—placed the + brandy-bottle within reach of his hand, and leaving him propped up in his + arm-chair, in which he leaned back, gazing up at the great spider, who + was, dangling overhead. As the door closed behind crusty Hannah’s grinning + and yet strangely interested face, the Doctor caught a glimpse of little + Elsie in the passage, bathed in tears, and lingering and looking earnestly + into the chamber. [Endnote: 3.] + </p> + <p> + Seeing the poor little girl, the Doctor cried out to her, half wrathfully, + half tenderly, “Don’t cry, you little wretch! Come and kiss me once more.” + So Elsie, restraining her grief with a great effort, ran to him and gave + him a last kiss. + </p> + <p> + “Tell Ned,” said the Doctor solemnly, “to think no more of the old English + hall, or of the bloody footstep, or of the silver key, or any of all that + nonsense. Good by, my dear!” Then he said, with his thunderous and + imperative tone, “Let no one come near me till to-morrow morning.” + </p> + <p> + So that parting was over; but still the poor little desolate child hovered + by the study door all day long, afraid to enter, afraid to disobey, but + unable to go. Sometimes she heard the Doctor muttering, as was his wont; + once she fancied he was praying, and dropping on her knees, she also + prayed fervently, and perhaps acceptably; then, all at once, the Doctor + called out, in a loud voice, “No, Ned, no. Drop it, drop it!” + </p> + <p> + And then there was an utter silence, unbroken forevermore by the lips that + had uttered so many objectionable things. + </p> + <p> + And finally, after an interval which had been prescribed by the grim + Doctor, a messenger was sent by the lawyer to our friend Ned, to inform + him of this sad event, and to bring him back temporarily to town, for the + purpose of hearing what were his prospects, and what disposition was now + to be made of him. We shall not attempt to describe the grief, + astonishment, and almost incredulity of Ned, on discovering that a person + so mixed up with and built into his whole life as the stalwart Doctor + Grimshawe had vanished out of it thus unexpectedly, like something thin as + a vapor,—like a red flame, that one [instant] is very bright in its + lurid ray, and then is nothing at all, amid the darkness. To the poor + boy’s still further grief and astonishment, he found, on reaching the spot + that he called home, that little Elsie (as the lawyer gave him to + understand, by the express orders of the Doctor, and for reasons of great + weight) had been conveyed away by a person under whose guardianship she + was placed, and that Ned could not be informed of the place. Even crusty + Hannah had been provided for and disposed of, and was no longer to be + found. Mr. Pickering explained to Ned the dispositions in his favor which + had been made by his deceased friend, who, out of a moderate property, had + left him the means of obtaining as complete an education as the country + would afford, and of supporting himself until his own exertions would be + likely to give him the success which his abilities were calculated to win. + The remainder of his property (a less sum than that thus disposed of) was + given to little Elsie, with the exception of a small provision to crusty + Hannah, with the recommendation from the Doctor that she should retire and + spend the remainder of her life among her own people. There was likewise a + certain sum left for the purpose of editing and printing (with a + dedication to the Medical Society of the State) an account of the process + of distilling balm from cobwebs; the bequest being worded in so singular a + way that it was just as impossible as it had ever been to discover whether + the grim Doctor was in earnest or no. + </p> + <p> + What disappointed the boy, in a greater degree than we shall try to + express, was the lack of anything in reference to those dreams and castles + of the air,—any explanation of his birth; so that he was left with + no trace of it, except just so far as the alms-house whence the Doctor had + taken him. There all traces of his name and descent vanished, just as if + he had been made up of the air, as an aerolite seems to be before it + tumbles on the earth with its mysterious iron. + </p> + <p> + The poor boy, in his bewilderment, had not yet come to feel what his grief + was; it was not to be conceived, in a few days, that he was deprived of + every person, thing, or thought that had hitherto kept his heart warm. He + tried to make himself feel it, yearning for this grief as for his sole + friend. Being, for the present, domiciled with the lawyer, he obtained the + key of his former home, and went through the desolate house that he knew + so well, and which now had such a silent, cold, familiar strangeness, with + none in it, though the ghosts of the grim Doctor, of laughing little + Elsie, of crusty Hannah,—dead and alive alike,—were all there, + and his own ghost among them; for he himself was dead, that is, his former + self, which he recognized as himself, had passed away, as they were. In + the study everything looked as formerly, yet with a sort of unreality, as + if it would dissolve and vanish on being touched; and, indeed, it partly + proved so; for over the Doctor’s chair seemed still to hang the great + spider, but on looking closer at it, and finally touching it with the end + of the Doctor’s stick, Ned discovered that it was merely the skin, shell, + apparition, of the real spider,[Endnote: 4] the reality of whom, it is to + be supposed, had followed the grim Doctor, whithersoever he had gone. + </p> + <p> + A thought struck Ned while he was here; he remembered the secret niche in + the wall, where he had once seen the Doctor deposit some papers. He + looked, and there they were. Who was the heir of those papers, if not he? + If there were anything wrong in appropriating them, it was not perceptible + to him in the desolation, anxiety, bewilderment, and despair of that + moment. He grasped the papers, and hurried from the room and down the + stairs, afraid to look round, and half expecting to hear the gruff voice + of Doctor Grim thundering after him to bring them back. + </p> + <p> + Then Ned went out of the back door, and found his way to the Doctor’s new + grave, which, as it happened, was dug close beside that one which occupied + the place of the one which the stranger had come to seek; and, as if to + spite the Doctor’s professional antipathies, it lay beside a grave of an + old physician and surgeon, one Doctor Summerton, who used to help diseases + and kill patients above a hundred years ago. But Doctor Grim was + undisturbed by these neighbors, and apparently not more by the grief of + poor little Ned, who hid his face in the crumbly earth of the grave, and + the sods that had not begun to grow, and wept as if his heart would break. + </p> + <p> + But the heart never breaks on the first grave; and, after many graves, it + gets so obtuse that nothing can break it. + </p> + <p> + And now let the mists settle down over the trail of our story, hiding it + utterly on its onward course, for a long way to come, until, after many + years, they may disperse and discover something which, were it worth while + to follow it through all that obscurity, would prove to be the very same + track which that boy was treading when we last saw him,—though it + may have lain over land and sea since then; but the footsteps that trod + there are treading here. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0011" id="link2HCH0011"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XI. + </h2> + <p> + There is—or there was, now many years ago, and a few years also it + was still extant—a chamber, which when I think of, it seems to me + like entering a deep recess of my own consciousness, a deep cave of my + nature; so much have I thought of it and its inmate, through a + considerable period of my life. After I had seen it long in fancy, then I + saw it in reality, with my waking eyes; and questioned with myself whether + I was really awake. + </p> + <p> + Not that it was a picturesque or stately chamber; not in the least. It was + dim, dim as a melancholy mood; so dim, to come to particulars, that, till + you were accustomed to that twilight medium, the print of a book looked + all blurred; a pin was an indistinguishable object; the face of your + familiar friend, or your dearest beloved one, would be unrecognizable + across it, and the figures, so warm and radiant with life and heart, would + seem like the faint gray shadows of our thoughts, brooding in age over + youthful images of joy and love. Nevertheless, the chamber, though so + difficult to see across, was small. You detected that it was within very + narrow boundaries, though you could not precisely see them; only you felt + yourself shut in, compressed, impeded, in the deep centre of something; + and you longed for a breath of fresh air. Some articles of furniture there + seemed to be; but in this dim medium, to which we are unaccustomed, it is + not well to try to make out what they were, or anything else—now at + least—about the chamber. Only one thing; small as the light was, it + was rather wonderful how there came to be any; for no windows were + apparent; no communication with the outward day. [Endnote: 1.] + </p> + <p> + Looking into this chamber, in fancy it is some time before we who come out + of the broad sunny daylight of the world discover that it has an inmate. + Yes, there is some one within, but where? We know it; but do not precisely + see him, only a presence is impressed upon us. It is in that corner; no, + not there; only a heap of darkness and an old antique coffer, that, as we + look closely at it, seems to be made of carved wood. Ah! he is in that + other dim corner; and now that we steal close to him, we see him; a young + man, pale, flung upon a sort of mattress-couch. He seems in alarm at + something or other. He trembles, he listens, as if for voices. It must be + a great peril, indeed, that can haunt him thus and make him feel afraid in + such a seclusion as you feel this to be; but there he is, tremulous, and + so pale that really his face is almost visible in the gloomy twilight. How + came he here? Who is he? What does he tremble at? In this duskiness we + cannot tell. Only that he is a young man, in a state of nervous excitement + and alarm, looking about him, starting to his feet, sometimes standing and + staring about him. + </p> + <p> + Has he been living here? Apparently not; for see, he has a pair of long + riding-boots on, coming up to the knees; they are splashed with mud, as if + he had ridden hastily through foul ways; the spurs are on the heel. A + riding-dress upon him. Ha! is that blood upon the hand which he clasps to + his forehead. + </p> + <p> + What more do you perceive? Nothing, the light is so dim; but only we + wonder where is the door, and whence the light comes. There is a strange + abundance of spiders, too, we perceive; spinning their webs here, as if + they would entrammel something in them. A mouse has run across the floor, + apparently, but it is too dim to detect him, or to detect anything beyond + the limits of a very doubtful vagueness. We do not even know whether what + we seem to have seen is really so; whether the man is young, or old, or + what his surroundings are; and there is something so disagreeable in this + seclusion, this stifled atmosphere, that we should be loath to remain here + long enough to make ourselves certain of what was a mystery. Let us forth + into the broad, genial daylight, for there is magic, there is a devilish, + subtile influence, in this chamber; which, I have reason to believe, makes + it dangerous to remain here. There is a spell on the threshold. Heaven + keep us safe from it! + </p> + <p> + Hark! has a door unclosed? Is there another human being in the room? We + have now become so accustomed to the dim medium that we distinguish a man + of mean exterior, with a look of habitual subservience that seems like + that of an English serving-man, or a person in some menial situation; + decent, quiet, neat, softly-behaved, but yet with a certain hard and + questionable presence, which we would not well like to have near us in the + room. + </p> + <p> + “Am I safe?” asks the inmate of the prison-chamber. + </p> + <p> + “Sir, there has been a search.” + </p> + <p> + “Leave the pistols,” said the voice. + </p> + <p> + Again, [Endnote: 2] after this time, a long time extending to years, let + us look back into that dim chamber, wherever in the world it was, into + which we had a glimpse, and where we saw apparently a fugitive. How looks + it now? Still dim,—perhaps as dim as ever,—but our eyes, or + our imagination, have gained an acquaintance, a customariness, with the + medium; so that we can discern things now a little more distinctly than of + old. Possibly, there may have been something cleared away that obstructed + the light; at any rate, we see now the whereabouts—better than we + did. It is an oblong room, lofty but narrow, and some ten paces in length; + its floor is heavily carpeted, so that the tread makes no sound; it is + hung with old tapestry, or carpet, wrought with the hand long ago, and + still retaining much of the ancient colors, where there was no sunshine to + fade them; worked on them is some tapestried story, done by Catholic + hands, of saints or devils, looking each equally grave and solemnly. The + light, whence comes it? There is no window; but it seems to come through a + stone, or something like it,—a dull gray medium, that makes noonday + look like evening twilight. Though sometimes there is an effect as if + something were striving to melt itself through this dull medium, and—never + making a shadow—yet to produce the effect of a cloud gathering + thickly over the sun. There is a chimney; yes, a little grate in which + burns a coal fire, a dim smouldering fire, it might be an illumination, if + that were desirable. + </p> + <p> + What is the furniture? An antique chair,—one chair, no more. A + table, many-footed, of dark wood; it holds writing-materials, a book, too, + on its face, with the dust gathered on its back. There is, moreover, a + sort of antique box, or coffer, of some dark wood, that seems to have been + wrought or carved with skill, wondrous skill, of some period when the art + of carving wainscot with arms and devices was much practised; so that on + this coffer—some six feet long it is, and two or three broad—most + richly wrought, you see faces in relief of knight and dame, lords, + heraldic animals; some story, very likely, told, almost revelling in + Gothic sculpture of wood, like what we have seen on the marble sarcophagus + of the old Greeks. It has, too, a lock, elaborately ornamented and inlaid + with silver. + </p> + <p> + What else; only the spider’s webs spinning strangely over everything; over + that light which comes into the room through the stone; over everything. + And now we see, in a corner, a strange great spider curiously variegated. + The ugly, terrible, seemingly poisonous thing makes us shudder. [Endnote: + 3.] + </p> + <p> + What, else? There are pistols; they lie on the coffer! There is a + curiously shaped Italian dagger, of the kind which in a groove has poison + that makes its wound mortal. On the old mantel-piece, over the fireplace, + there is a vial in which are kept certain poisons. It would seem as if + some one had meditated suicide; or else that the foul fiend had put all + sorts of implements of self-destruction in his way; so that, in some + frenzied moment, he might kill himself. + </p> + <p> + But the inmate! There he is; but the frenzied alarm in which we last saw + him seems to have changed its character. No throb, now; no passion; no + frenzy of fear or despair. He sits dull and motionless. See; his cheek is + very pale; his hair long and dishevelled. His beard has grown, and curls + round his face. He has on a sleeping-gown, a long robe as of one who + abides within doors, and has nothing to do with outward elements; a pair + of slippers. A dull, dreamy reverie seems to have possessed him. Hark! + there is again a stealthy step on the floor, and the serving-man is here + again. There is a peering, anxious curiosity in his face, as he struts + towards him, a sort of enjoyment, one would say, in the way in which he + looks at the strange case. + </p> + <p> + “I am here, you know,” he says, at length, after feasting his eyes for + some time on the spectacle. + </p> + <p> + “I hear you!” says the young man, in a dull, indifferent tone. + </p> + <p> + “Will not your honor walk out to-day?” says the man. “It is long now since + your honor has taken the air.” + </p> + <p> + “Very long,” says the master, “but I will not go out to-day. What weather + is it?” + </p> + <p> + “Sunny, bright, a summer day,” says the man. “But you would never know it + in these damp walls. The last winter’s chill is here yet. Had not your + honor better go forth?” + </p> + <p> + It might seem that there was a sort of sneer, deeply hidden under respect + and obeisance, in the man’s words and craftily respectful tone; deeply + hidden, but conveying a more subtile power on that account. At all events, + the master seemed aroused from his state of dull indifference, and writhed + as with poignant anguish—an infused poison in his veins—as the + man spoke. + </p> + <p> + “Have you procured me that new drug I spoke of?” asked the master. + </p> + <p> + “Here it is,” said the man, putting a small package on the table. + </p> + <p> + “Is it effectual?” + </p> + <p> + “So said the apothecary,” answered the man; “and I tried it on a dog. He + sat quietly a quarter of an hour; then had a spasm or two, and was dead. + But, your honor, the dead carcass swelled horribly.” + </p> + <p> + “Hush, villain! Have there—have there been inquiries for me,—mention + of me?” + </p> + <p> + “O, none, sir,—none, sir. Affairs go on bravely,—the new live. + The world fills up. The gap is not vacant. There is no mention of you. + Marry, at the alehouse I heard some idle topers talking of a murder that + took place some few years since, and saying that Heaven’s vengeance would + come for it yet.” + </p> + <p> + “Silence, villain, there is no such thing,” said the young man; and, with + a laugh that seemed like scorn, he relapsed into his state of sullen + indifference; during which the servant stole away, after looking at him + some time, as if to take all possible note of his aspect. The man did not + seem so much to enjoy it himself, as he did to do these things in a kind + of formal and matter-of-course way, as if he were performing a set duty; + as if he were a subordinate fiend, and were doing the duty of a superior + one, without any individual malice of his own, though a general + satisfaction in doing what would accrue to the agglomeration of deadly + mischief. He stole away, and the master was left to himself. + </p> + <p> + By and by, by what impulse or cause it is impossible to say, he started + upon his feet in a sudden frenzy of rage and despair. It seemed as if a + consciousness of some strange, wild miserable fate that had befallen him + had come upon him all at once; how that he was a prisoner to a devilish + influence, to some wizard might, that bound him hand and foot with + spider’s web. So he stamped; so he half shrieked, yet stopped himself in + the midst, so that his cry was stifled and smothered. Then he snatched up + the poisoned dagger and looked at it; the noose, and put it about his + neck,—evil instrument of death,—but laid it down again. And + then was a voice at the door: “Quietly, quietly you know, or they will + hear you.” And at that voice he sank into sullen indifference again. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0012" id="link2HCH0012"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XII. + </h2> + <p> + A traveller with a knapsack on his shoulders comes out of the duskiness of + vague, unchronicled times, throwing his shadow before him in the morning + sunshine along a well-trodden, though solitary path. + </p> + <p> + It was early summer, or perhaps latter spring, and the most genial weather + that either spring or summer ever brought, possessing a character, indeed, + as if both seasons had done their utmost to create an atmosphere and + temperature most suitable for the enjoyment and exercise of life. To one + accustomed to a climate where there is seldom a medium between heat too + fierce and cold too deadly, it was a new development in the nature of + weather. So genial it was, so full of all comfortable influences, and yet, + somehow or other, void of the torrid characteristic that inevitably burns + in our full sun-bursts. The traveller thought, in fact, that the sun was + at less than his brightest glow; for though it was bright,—though + the day seemed cloudless,—though it appeared to be the clear, + transparent morning that precedes an unshadowed noon,—still there + was a mild and softened character, not so perceptible when he directly + sought to see it, but as if some veil were interposed between the earth + and sun, absorbing all the passionate qualities out of the latter, and + leaving only the kindly ones. Warmth was in abundance, and, yet, all + through it, and strangely akin to it, there was a half-suspected coolness + that gave the atmosphere its most thrilling and delicious charm. It was + good for human life, as the traveller, felt throughout all his being; + good, likewise, for vegetable life, as was seen in the depth and richness + of verdure over the gently undulating landscape, and the luxuriance of + foliage, wherever there was tree or shrub to put forth leaves. + </p> + <p> + The path along which the traveller was passing deserved at least a word or + two of description: it was a well-trodden footpath, running just here + along the edge of a field of grass, and bordered on one side by a hedge + which contained materials within itself for varied and minute researches + in natural history; so richly luxuriant was it with its diverse vegetable + life, such a green intricacy did it form, so impenetrable and so + beautiful, and such a Paradise it was for the birds that built their nests + there in a labyrinth of little boughs and twigs, unseen and inaccessible, + while close beside the human race to which they attach themselves, that + they must have felt themselves as safe as when they sung to Eve. Homely + flowers likewise grew in it, and many creeping and twining plants, that + were an original part of the hedge, had come of their own accord and dwelt + here, beautifying and enriching the verdant fence by way of repayment for + the shelter and support which it afforded them. At intervals, trees of + vast trunk and mighty spread of foliage, whether elms or oaks, grew in the + line of the hedge, and the bark of those gigantic, age-long patriarchs was + not gray and naked, like the trees which the traveller had been accustomed + to see, but verdant with moss, or in many cases richly enwreathed with a + network of creeping plants, and oftenest the ivy of old growth, clambering + upward, and making its own twisted stem almost of one substance with the + supporting tree. On one venerable oak there was a plant of mystic leaf, + which the traveller knew by instinct, and plucked a bough of it with a + certain reverence for the sake of the Druids and Christmas kisses and of + the pasty in which it was rooted from of old. + </p> + <p> + The path in which he walked, rustic as it was and made merely by the feet + that pressed it down, was one of the ancientest of ways; older than the + oak that bore the mistletoe, older than the villages between which it + passed, older perhaps than the common road which the traveller had crossed + that morning; old as the times when people first debarred themselves from + wandering freely and widely wherever a vagrant impulse led them. The + footpath, therefore, still retains some of the characteristics of a + woodland walk, taken at random, by a lover of nature not pressed for time + nor restrained by artificial barriers; it sweeps and lingers along, and + finds pretty little dells and nooks of delightful scenery, and picturesque + glimpses of halls or cottages, in the same neighborhood where a highroad + would disclose only a tiresome blank. They run into one another for miles + and miles together, and traverse rigidly guarded parks and domains, not as + a matter of favor, but as a right; so that the poorest man thus retains a + kind of property and privilege in the oldest inheritance of the richest. + The highroad sees only the outside; the footpath leads down into the heart + of the country. + </p> + <p> + A pleasant feature of the footpath was the stile, between two fields; no + frail and temporary structure, but betokening the permanence of this + rustic way; the ancient solidity of the stone steps, worn into cavities by + the hobnailed shoes that had pressed upon them: here not only the climbing + foot had passed for ages, but here had sat the maiden with her milk-pail, + the rustic on his way afield or homeward; here had been lover meetings, + cheerful chance chats, song as natural as bird note, a thousand pretty + scenes of rustic manners. + </p> + <p> + It was curious to see the traveller pause, to contemplate so simple a + thing as this old stile of a few stone steps; antique as an old castle; + simple and rustic as the gap in a rail fence; and while he sat on one of + the steps, making himself pleasantly sensible of his whereabout, like one + who should handle a dream and find it tangible and real, he heard a sound + that bewitched him with still another dreamy delight. A bird rose out of + the grassy field, and, still soaring aloft, made a cheery melody that was + like a spire of audible flame,—rapturous music, as if the whole soul + and substance of the winged creature had been distilled into this melody, + as it vanished skyward. + </p> + <p> + “The lark! the lark!” exclaimed the traveller, recognizing the note + (though never heard before) as if his childhood had known it. + </p> + <p> + A moment afterwards another bird was heard in the shadow of a neighboring + wood, or some other inscrutable hiding-place, singing softly in a + flute-like note, as if blown through an instrument of wood,—“Cuckoo! + Cuckoo!”—only twice, and then a stillness. + </p> + <p> + “How familiar these rustic sounds!” he exclaimed. “Surely I was born + here!” + </p> + <p> + The person who thus enjoyed these sounds, as if they were at once familiar + and strange, was a young man, tall and rather slenderly built, and though + we have called him young, there were the traces of thought, struggle, and + even of experience in his marked brow and somewhat pale face; but the + spirit within him was evidently still that of a youth, lithe and active, + gazing out of his dark eyes and taking note of things about him, with an + eager, centring interest, that seemed to be unusually awake at the present + moment. + </p> + <p> + It could be but a few years since he first called himself a man; but they + must have been thickly studded with events, turbulent with action, spent + amidst circumstances that called for resources of energy not often so + early developed; and thus his youth might have been kept in abeyance until + now, when in this simple rural scene he grew almost a boy again. As for + his station in life, his coarse gray suit and the knapsack on his + shoulders did not indicate a very high one; yet it was such as a gentleman + might wear of a morning, or on a pedestrian ramble, and was worn in a way + that made it seem of a better fashion than it really was, as it enabled + him to find a rare enjoyment, as we have seen, in by-path, hedge-row, + rustic stile, lark, and cuckoo, and even the familiar grass and clover + blossom. It was as if he had long been shut in a sick-chamber or a prison; + or, at least, within the iron cage of busy life, that had given him but + few glimpses of natural things through its bars; or else this was another + kind of nature than he had heretofore known. + </p> + <p> + As he walked along (through a kind of dream, though he seemed so sensibly + observant of trifling things around him,) he failed to notice that the + path grew somewhat less distinctly marked, more infringed upon by grass, + more shut in by shrubbery; he had deviated into a side track, and, in + fact, a certain printed board nailed against a tree had escaped his + notice, warning off intruders with inhospitable threats of prosecution. He + began to suspect that he must have gone astray when the path led over + plashy ground with a still fainter trail of preceding footsteps, and + plunged into shrubbery, and seemed on the point of deserting him + altogether, after having beguiled him thus far. The spot was an + entanglement of boughs, and yet did not give one the impression of + wildness; for it was the stranger’s idea that everything in this long + cultivated region had been touched and influenced by man’s care, every + oak, every bush, every sod,—that man knew them all, and that they + knew him, and by that mutual knowledge had become far other than they were + in the first freedom of growth, such as may be found in an American + forest. Nay, the wildest denizens of this sylvan neighborhood were removed + in the same degree from their primeval character; for hares sat on their + hind legs to gaze at the approaching traveller, and hardly thought it + worth their while to leap away among some ferns, as he drew near; two + pheasants looked at him from a bough, a little inward among the shrubbery; + and, to complete the wonder, he became aware of the antlers and brown + muzzle of a deer protruding among the boughs, and though immediately there + ensued a great rush and rustling of the herd, it seemed evidently to come + from a certain lingering shyness, an instinct that had lost its purpose + and object, and only mimicked a dread of man, whose neighborhood and + familiarity had tamed the wild deer almost into a domestic creature. + Remembering his experience of true woodland life, the traveller fancied + that it might be possible to want freer air, less often used for human + breath, than was to be found anywhere among these woods. + </p> + <p> + But then the sweet, calm sense of safety that was here: the certainty that + with the wild element that centuries ago had passed out of this scene had + gone all the perils of wild men and savage beasts, dwarfs, witches, + leaving nature, not effete, but only disarmed of those rougher, deadlier + characteristics, that cruel rawness, which make primeval Nature the deadly + enemy even of her own children. Here was consolation, doubtless; so we sit + down on the stone step of the last stile that he had crossed, and listen + to the footsteps of the traveller, and the distant rustle among the + shrubbery, as he goes deeper and deeper into the seclusion, having by this + time lost the deceitful track. No matter if he go astray; even were it + after nightfall instead of noontime, a will-o’-the-wisp, or Puck himself, + would not lead him into worse harm than to delude him into some mossy + pool, the depths of which the truant schoolboys had known for ages. + Nevertheless, some little time after his disappearance, there was the + report of a shot that echoed sharp and loud, startling the pheasants from + their boughs, and sending the hares and deer a-scampering in good earnest. + </p> + <p> + We next find our friend, from whom we parted on the footpath, in a + situation of which he then was but very imperfectly aware; for, indeed, he + had been in a state of unconsciousness, lasting until it was now late + towards the sunset of that same day. He was endeavoring to make out where + he was, and how he came thither, or what had happened; or whether, indeed, + anything had happened, unless to have fallen asleep, and to be still + enveloped in the fragments of some vivid and almost tangible dream, the + more confused because so vivid. His wits did not come so readily about him + as usual; there may have been a slight delusion, which mingled itself with + his sober perceptions, and by its leaven of extravagance made the whole + substance of the scene untrue. Thus it happened that, as it were at the + same instant, he fancied himself years back in life, thousands of miles + away, in a gloomy cobwebbed room, looking out upon a graveyard, while yet, + neither more nor less distinctly, he was conscious of being in a small + chamber, panelled with oak, and furnished in an antique style. He was + doubtful, too, whether or no there was a grim feudal figure, in a shabby + dressing-gown and an old velvet cap, sitting in the dusk of the room, + smoking a pipe that diffused a scent of tobacco,—quaffing a + deep-hued liquor out of a tumbler,—looking upwards at a spider that + hung above. “Was there, too, a child sitting in a little chair at his + footstool?” In his earnestness to see this apparition more distinctly, he + opened his eyes wider and stirred, and ceased to see it at all. + </p> + <p> + But though that other dusty, squalid, cobwebbed scene quite vanished, and + along with it the two figures, old and young, grim and childish, of whose + portraits it had been the framework, still there were features in the old, + oaken-panelled chamber that seemed to belong rather to his dream. The + panels were ornamented, here and there, with antique carving, representing + over and over again an identical device, being a bare arm, holding the + torn-off head of some savage beast, which the stranger could not know by + species, any more than Agassiz himself could have assigned its type or + kindred; because it was that kind of natural history of which heraldry + alone keeps the menagerie. But it was just as familiar to his recollection + as that of the cat which he had fondled in his childhood. + </p> + <p> + There was likewise a mantelpiece, heavily wrought of oak, quite black with + smoke and age, in the centre of which, more prominent than elsewhere, was + that same leopard’s head that seemed to thrust itself everywhere into + sight, as if typifying some great mystery which human nature would never + be at rest till it had solved; and below, in a cavernous hollow, there was + a smouldering fire of coals; for the genial day had suddenly grown chill, + and a shower of rain spattered against the small window-panes, almost at + the same time with the struggling sunshine. And over the mantelpiece, + where the light of the declining day came strongest from the window, there + was a larger and more highly relieved carving of this same device, and + underneath it a legend, in Old English letters, which, though his eyes + could not precisely trace it at that distance, he knew to be this:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “Hold hard the Head.” + </pre> + <p> + Otherwise the aspect of the room bewildered him by not being known, since + these details were so familiar; a narrow precinct it was, with one window + full of old-fashioned, diamond-shaped panes of glass, a small desk table, + standing on clawed feet; two or three high-backed chairs, on the top of + each of which was carved that same crest of the fabulous brute’s head, + which the carver’s fancy seemed to have clutched so strongly that he could + not let it go; in another part of the room a very old engraving, rude and + strong, representing some ruffled personage, which the stranger only tried + to make out with a sort of idle curiosity, because it was strange he + should dream so distinctly. + </p> + <p> + Very soon it became intolerably irritating that these two dreams, both + purposeless, should have mingled and entangled themselves in his mind. He + made a nervous and petulant motion, intending to rouse himself fully; and + immediately a sharp pang of physical pain took him by surprise, and made + him groan aloud. + </p> + <p> + Immediately there was an almost noiseless step on the floor; and a figure + emerged from a deep niche, that looked as if it might once have been an + oratory, in ancient times; and the figure, too, might have been supposed + to possess the devout and sanctified character of such as knelt in the + oratories of ancient times. It was an elderly man, tall, thin, and pale, + and wearing a long, dark tunic, and in a peculiar fashion, which—like + almost everything else about him—the stranger seemed to have a + confused remembrance of; this venerable person had a benign and pitiful + aspect, and approached the bedside with such good will and evident desire + to do the sufferer good, that the latter felt soothed, at least, by his + very presence. He lay, a moment, gazing up at the old man’s face, without + being able to exert himself to say a word, but sensible, as it were, of a + mild, soft influence from him, cooling the fever which seemed to burn in + his veins. + </p> + <p> + “Do you suffer much pain?” asked the old man, gently. + </p> + <p> + “None at all,” said the stranger; but again a slight motion caused him to + feel a burning twinge in his shoulder. “Yes; there was a throb of strange + anguish. Why should I feel pain? Where am I?” + </p> + <p> + “In safety, and with those who desire to be your friends,” said the old + man. “You have met with an accident; but do not inquire about it now. + Quiet is what you need.” + </p> + <p> + Still the traveller gazed at him; and the old man’s figure seemed to enter + into his dream, or delirium, whichever it might be, as if his peaceful + presence were but a shadow, so quaint was his address, so unlike real + life, in that dark robe, with a velvet skullcap on his head, beneath which + his hair made a silvery border; and looking more closely, the stranger saw + embroidered on the breast of the tunic that same device, the arm and the + leopard’s head, which was visible in the carving of the room. Yes; this + must still be a dream, which, under the unknown laws which govern such + psychical states, had brought out thus vividly figures, devices, words, + forgotten since his boyish days. Though of an imaginative tendency, the + stranger was nevertheless strongly tenacious of the actual, and had a + natural horror at the idea of being seriously at odds, in beliefs, + perceptions, conclusions, with the real world about him; so that a tremor + ran through him, as if he felt the substance of the world shimmering + before his eyes like a mere vaporous consistency. + </p> + <p> + “Are you real?” said he to the antique presence; “or a spirit? or a + fantasy?” + </p> + <p> + The old man laid his thin, cool palm on the stranger’s burning forehead, + and smiled benignantly, keeping it there an instant. + </p> + <p> + “If flesh and blood are real, I am so,” said he; “a spirit, too, I may + claim to be, made thin by fantasy. Again, do not perplex yourself with + such things. To-morrow you may find denser substance in me. Drink this + composing draught, and close your eyes to those things that disturb you.” + </p> + <p> + “Your features, too, and your voice,” said the stranger, in a resigned + tone, as if he were giving up a riddle, the solution of which he could not + find, “have an image and echo somewhere in my memory. It is all an + entanglement. I will drink, and shut my eyes.” + </p> + <p> + He drank from a little old-fashioned silver cup, which his venerable + guardian presented to his lips; but in so doing he was still perplexed and + tremulously disturbed with seeing that same weary old device, the + leopard’s head, engraved on the side; and shut his eyes to escape it, for + it irritated a certain portion of his brain with vague, fanciful, elusive + ideas. So he sighed and spoke no more. The medicine, whatever it might be, + had the merit, rare in doctor’s stuff, of being pleasant to take, + assuasive of thirst, and imbued with a hardly perceptible fragrance, that + was so ethereal that it also seemed to enter into his dream and modify it. + He kept his eyes closed, and fell into a misty state, in which he wondered + whether this could be the panacea or medicament which old Doctor Grimshawe + used to distil from cobwebs, and of which the fragrance seemed to breathe + through all the waste of years since then. He wondered, too, who was this + benign, saint-like old man, and where, in what former state of being, he + could have known him; to have him thus, as no strange thing, and yet so + strange, be attending at his bedside, with all this ancient garniture. But + it was best to dismiss all things, he being so weak; to resign himself; + all this had happened before, and had passed away, prosperously or + unprosperously; it would pass away in this case, likewise; and in the + morning whatever might be delusive would have disappeared. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0013" id="link2HCH0013"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIII. + </h2> + <p> + The patient [Endnote: 1] had a favorable night, and awoke with a much + clearer head, though still considerably feverish and in a state of great + exhaustion from loss of blood, which kept down the fever. The events of + the preceding day shimmered as it were and shifted illusively in his + recollection; nor could he yet account for the situation in which he found + himself, the antique chamber, the old man of mediæval garb, nor even for + the wound which seemed to have been the occasion of bringing him thither. + One moment, so far as he remembered, he had been straying along a solitary + footpath, through rich shrubbery, with the antlered deer peeping at him, + listening to the lark and the cuckoo; the next, he lay helpless in this + oak-panelled chamber, surrounded with objects that appealed to some + fantastic shadow of recollection, which could have had no reality. + [Endnote: 2.] + </p> + <p> + To say the truth, the traveller perhaps wilfully kept hold of this strange + illusiveness, and kept his thoughts from too harshly analyzing his + situation, and solving the riddle in which he found himself involved. In + his present weakness, his mind sympathizing with the sinking down of his + physical powers, it was delightful to let all go; to relinquish all + control, and let himself drift vaguely into whatever region of + improbabilities there exists apart from the dull, common plane of life. + Weak, stricken down, given over to influences which had taken possession + of him during an interval of insensibility, he was no longer responsible; + let these delusions, if they were such, linger as long as they would, and + depart of their own accord at last. He, meanwhile, would willingly accept + the idea that some spell had transported him out of an epoch in which he + had led a brief, troubled existence of battle, mental strife, success, + failure, all equally feverish and unsatisfactory, into some past century, + where the business was to rest,—to drag on dreamy days, looking at + things through half-shut eyes; into a limbo where things were put away, + shows of what had once been, now somehow fainted, and still maintaining a + sort of half-existence, a serious mockery; a state likely enough to exist + just a little apart from the actual world, if we only know how to find our + way into it. Scenes and events that had once stained themselves, in deep + colors, on the curtain that Time hangs around us, to shut us in from + eternity, cannot be quite effaced by the succeeding phantasmagoria, and + sometimes, by a palimpsest, show more strongly than they. [Endnote: 3.] + </p> + <p> + In the course of the morning, however, he was a little too feelingly made + sensible of realities by the visit of a surgeon, who proceeded to examine + the wound in his shoulder, removing the bandages which he himself seemed + to have put upon this mysterious hurt. The traveller closed his eyes, and + submitted to the manipulations of the professional person, painful as they + were, assisted by the gentle touch of the old palmer; and there was + something in the way in which he resigned himself that met the approbation + of the surgeon, in spite of a little fever, and slight delirium too, to + judge by his eye. + </p> + <p> + “A very quiet and well-behaved patient,” said he to the palmer. “Unless I + greatly mistake, he has been under the surgeon’s hand for a similar hurt + ere now. He has learned under good discipline how to take such a thing + easily. Yes, yes; just here is a mark where a bullet went in some time + ago,—three or four years since, when he could have been little more + than a boy. A wild fellow this, I doubt.” + </p> + <p> + “It was an Indian bullet,” said the patient, still fancying himself gone + astray into the past, “shot at me in battle; ‘twas three hundred years + hereafter.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! he has served in the East Indies,” said the surgeon. “I thought this + sun-burned cheek had taken its hue elsewhere than in England.” + </p> + <p> + The patient did not care to take the trouble which would have been + involved in correcting the surgeon’s surmise; so he let it pass, and + patiently awaited the end of the examination, with only a moan or two, + which seemed rather pleasing and desirable than otherwise to the surgeon’s + ear. + </p> + <p> + “He has vitality enough for his needs,” said he, nodding to the palmer. + “These groans betoken a good degree of pain; though the young fellow is + evidently a self-contained sort of nature, and does not let us know all he + feels. It promises well, however; keep him in bed and quiet, and within a + day or two we shall see.” + </p> + <p> + He wrote a recipe, or two or three, perhaps, (for in those days the + medical fraternity had faith in their own art,) and took his leave. + </p> + <p> + The white-bearded palmer withdrew into the half concealment of the oratory + which we have already mentioned, and then, putting on a pair of + spectacles, betook himself to the perusal of an old folio volume, the + leaves of which he turned over so gently that not the slightest sound + could possibly disturb the patient. All his manifestations were gentle and + soft, but of a simplicity most unlike the feline softness which we are apt + to associate with a noiseless tread and movement in the male sex. The + sunshine came through the ivy and glimmered upon his great book, however, + with an effect which a little disturbed the patient’s nerves; besides, he + desired to have a fuller view of his benign guardian. + </p> + <p> + “Will you sit nearer the bedside?” said he. “I wish to look at you.” + </p> + <p> + Weakness, the relaxation of nerves, and the state of dependence on + another’s care—very long unfelt—had made him betray what we + must call childishness; and it was perceptible in the low half-complaining + tone in which he spoke, indicating a consciousness of kindness in the + other, a little plaintiveness in himself; of which, the next instant, weak + and wandering as he was, he was ashamed, and essayed to express it. + [Endnote: 4.] + </p> + <p> + “You must deem me very poor-spirited,” said he, “not to bear this trifling + hurt with a firmer mind. But perhaps it is not entirely that I am so weak, + but I feel you to be so benign.” + </p> + <p> + “Be weak, and be the stronger for it,” said the old man, with a grave + smile. “It is not in the pride of our strength that we are best or wisest. + To be made anew, we even must be again a little child, and consent to be + enwrapt quietly in the arms of Providence, as a child in its mother’s + arms.” + </p> + <p> + “I never knew a mother’s care,” replied the traveller, in a low, regretful + tone, being weak to the incoming of all soft feelings, in his present + state. “Since my boyhood, I have lived among men,—a life of struggle + and hard rivalry. It is good to find myself here in the long past, and in + a sheltered harbor.” + </p> + <p> + And here he smiled, by way of showing to this old palmer that he saw + through the slight infirmity of mind that impelled him to say such things + as the above; that he was not its dupe, though he had not strength, just + now, to resist its impulse. After this he dozed off softly, and felt + through all his sleep some twinges of his wound, bringing him back, as it + were, to the conscious surface of the great deep of slumber, into which he + might otherwise have sunk. At all such brief intervals, half unclosing his + eyes, (like a child, when the mother sits by its bed and he fears that she + will steal away if he falls quite asleep, and leave him in the dark + solitude,) he still beheld the white-bearded, kindly old man, of saintly + aspect, sitting near him, and turning over the pages of his folio volume + so softly that not the faintest rustle did it make; the picture at length + got so fully into his idea, that he seemed to see it even through his + closed eyelids. After a while, however, the slumberous tendency left him + more entirely, and, without having been consciously awake, he found + himself contemplating the old man, with wide-open eyes. The venerable + personage seemed soon to feel his gaze, and, ceasing to look at the folio, + he turned his eyes with quiet inquiry to meet those of the stranger. + [Endnote: 5.] + </p> + <p> + “What great volume is that?” asked the latter. [Endnote: 6.] + </p> + <p> + “It is a book of English chronicles,” said the old man, “mostly relating + to the part of the island where you now are, and to times previous to the + Stuarts.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! it is to you, a contemporary, what reading the newspaper is to other + men,” said the stranger; then, with a smile of self-reproach, “I shall + conquer this idle mood. I’m not so imbecile as you must think me. But + there is something that strangely haunts me,—where, in what state of + being, can I have seen your face before. There is nothing in it I + distinctly remember; but some impression, some characteristic, some look, + with which I have been long ago familiar haunts me and brings back all old + scenes. Do you know me?” + </p> + <p> + The old man smiled. “I knew, long ago, a bright and impressible boy,” said + he. + </p> + <p> + “And his name?” said the stranger. + </p> + <p> + “It was Edward Redclyffe,” said the old man. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, I see who you are,” said the traveller, not too earnestly, but with a + soft, gratified feeling, as the riddle thus far solved itself. “You are my + old kindly instructor. You are Colcord! That is it. I remember you + disappeared. You shall tell me, when I am quite myself, what was that + mystery,—and whether it is your real self, or only a part of my + dream, and going to vanish when I quite awake. Now I shall sleep and dream + more of it.” + </p> + <p> + One more waking interval he had that day, and again essayed to enter into + conversation with the old man, who had thus strangely again become + connected with his life, after having so long vanished from his path. + </p> + <p> + “Where am I?” asked Edward Redclyffe. + </p> + <p> + “In the home of misfortune,” said Colcord. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! then I have a right to be here!” said he. “I was born in such a home. + Do you remember it?” + </p> + <p> + “I know your story,” said Colcord. + </p> + <p> + “Yes; from Doctor Grim,” said Edward. “People whispered he had made away + with you. I never believed it; but finding you here in this strange way, + and myself having been shot, perhaps to death, it seems not so strange. + Pooh! I wander again, and ought to sleep a little more. And this is the + home of misfortune, but not like the squalid place of rage, idiocy, + imbecility, drunkenness, where I was born. How many times I have blushed + to remember that native home! But not of late! I have struggled; I have + fought; I have triumphed. The unknown boy has come to be no + undistinguished man! His ancestry, should he ever reveal himself to them, + need not blush for the poor foundling.” + </p> + <p> + “Hush!” said the quiet watcher. “Your fever burns you. Take this draught, + and sleep a little longer.” [Endnote: 7.] + </p> + <p> + Another day or two found Edward Redclyffe almost a convalescent. The + singular lack of impatience that characterized his present mood—the + repose of spirit into which he had lapsed—had much to do with the + favorable progress of his cure. After strife, anxiety, great mental + exertion, and excitement of various kinds, which had harassed him ever + since he grew to be a man, had come this opportunity of perfect rest;—this + dream in the midst of which he lay, while its magic boundaries involved + him, and kept far off the contact of actual life, so that its sounds and + tumults seemed remote; its cares could not fret him; its ambitions, + objects good or evil, were shut out from him; the electric wires that had + connected him with the battery of life were broken for the time, and he + did not feel the unquiet influence that kept everybody else in galvanic + motion. So, under the benign influence of the old palmer, he lay in + slumberous luxury, undisturbed save by some twinges of no intolerable + pain; which, however, he almost was glad of, because it made him sensible + that this deep luxury of quiet was essential to his cure, however idle it + might seem. For the first time since he was a child, he resigned himself + not to put a finger to the evolution of his fortune; he determined to + accept all things that might happen, good or evil; he would not imagine an + event beyond to-day, but would let one spontaneous and half-defined + thought loiter after another, through his mind; listen to the spattering + shower,—the puffs of shut-out wind; and look with half-shut eyes at + the sunshine glimmering through the ivy-twigs, and illuminating those old + devices on the wall; at the gathering twilight; at the dim lamp; at the + creeping upward of another day, and with it the lark singing so far away + that the thrill of its delicious song could not disturb him with an + impulse to awake. Sweet as its carol was, he could almost have been + content to miss the lark; sweet and clear, it was too like a fairy + trumpet-call, summoning him to awake and struggle again with eager + combatants for new victories, the best of which were not worth this deep + repose. + </p> + <p> + The old palmer did his best to prolong a mood so beneficial to the wounded + young man. The surgeon also nodded approval, and attributed this happy + state of the patient’s mind, and all the physical advantages growing out + of it, to his own consummate skill; nor, indeed, was he undeserving of + credit, not often to be awarded to medical men, for having done nothing to + impede the good which kind Nature was willing to bring about. She was + doing the patient more good, indeed, than either the surgeon or the palmer + could fully estimate, in taking this opportunity to recreate a mind that + had too early known stirring impulse, and that had been worked to a degree + beyond what its organization (in some respects singularly delicate) ought + to have borne. Once in a long while the weary actors in the headlong drama + of life must have such repose or else go mad or die. When the machinery of + human life has once been stopped by sickness or other impediment, it often + needs an impulse to set it going again, even after it is nearly wound up. + </p> + <p> + But it could not last forever. The influx of new life into his being began + to have a poignancy that would not let him lie so quietly, lapped in the + past, in gone by centuries, and waited on by quiet Age, in the person of + the old palmer; he began to feel again that he was young, and must live in + the time when his lot was cast. He began to say to himself, that it was + not well to be any longer passive, but that he must again take the + troublesome burden of his own life on his own shoulders. He thought of + this necessity, this duty, throughout one whole day, and determined that + on the morrow he would make the first step towards terminating his + inaction, which he now began to be half impatient of, at the same time + that he clutched it still, for the sake of the deliciousness that it had + had. + </p> + <p> + “To-morrow, I hope to be clothed and in my right mind,” said he to the old + palmer, “and very soon I must thank you, with my whole heart, for your + kind care, and go. It is a shame that I burden the hospitality of this + house so long.” + </p> + <p> + “No shame whatever,” replied the old man, “but, on the contrary, the + fittest thing that could have chanced. You are dependent on no private + benevolence, nor on the good offices of any man now living, or who has + lived these last three hundred years. This ancient establishment is for + the support of poverty, misfortune, and age, and, according to the word of + the founder, it serves him:—he was indebted to the beneficiaries, + not they to him, for, in return for his temporal bequests, he asked their + prayers for his soul’s welfare. He needed them, could they avail him; for + this ponderous structure was built upon the founder’s mortal + transgressions, and even, I may say, out of the actual substance of them. + Sir Edward Redclyffe was a fierce fighter in the Wars of the Roses, and + amassed much wealth by spoil, rapine, confiscation, and all violent and + evil ways that those disturbed times opened to him; and on his death-bed + he founded this Hospital for twelve men, who should be able to prove + kindred with his race, to dwell here with a stipend, and pray for him; and + likewise provision for a sick stranger, until he should be able to go on + his way again.” + </p> + <p> + “I shall pray for him willingly,” said Edward, moved by the pity which + awaits any softened state of our natures to steal into our hearts. “Though + no Catholic, I will pray for his soul. And that is his crest which you + wear embroidered on his garment?” + </p> + <p> + “It is,” said the old man. “You will see it carved, painted, embroidered, + everywhere about the establishment; but let us give it the better and more + reasonable interpretation;—not that he sought to proclaim his own + pride of ancestry and race, but to acknowledge his sins the more + manifestly, by stamping the emblem of his race on this structure of his + penitence.” + </p> + <p> + “And are you,” said Redclyffe, impressed anew by the quiet dignity of the + venerable speaker, “in authority in the establishment?” + </p> + <p> + “A simple beneficiary of the charity,” said the palmer; “one of the twelve + poor brethren and kinsmen of the founder. Slighter proofs of kindred are + now of necessity received, since, in the natural course of things, the + race has long been growing scarce. But I had it in my power to make out a + sufficient claim.” + </p> + <p> + “Singular,” exclaimed Redclyffe, “you being an American!” [Endnote: 8.] + </p> + <p> + “You remember me, then,” said the old man, quietly. + </p> + <p> + “From the first,” said Edward, “although your image took the fantastic + aspect of the bewilderment in which I then was; and now that I am in + clearer state of mind, it seems yet stranger that you should be here. We + two children thought you translated, and people, I remember, whispered + dark hints about your fate.” + </p> + <p> + “There was nothing wonderful in my disappearance,” said the old man. + “There were causes, an impulse, an intuition, that made me feel, one + particular night, that I might meet harm, whether from myself or others, + by remaining in a place with which I had the most casual connection. But I + never, so long as I remained in America, quite lost sight of you; and + Doctor Grimshawe, before his death, had knowledge of where I was, and gave + me in charge a duty which I faithfully endeavored to perform. Singular man + that he was! much evil, much good in him. Both, it may be, will live after + him!” + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe, when the conversation had reached this point, felt a vast + desire to reveal to the old man all that the grim Doctor had instilled + into his childish mind, all that he himself, in subsequent years, had + wrought more definitely out of it, all his accompanying doubts respecting + the secret of his birth and some supposed claims which he might assert, + and which, only half acknowledging the purpose, had availed to bring him, + a republican, hither as to an ancestral centre. He even fancied that the + benign old man seemed to expect and await such a confidence; but that very + idea contributed to make it impossible for him to speak. + </p> + <p> + “Another time,” he said to himself. “Perhaps never. It is a fantastic + folly; and with what the workhouse foundling has since achieved, he would + give up too many hopes to take the representation of a mouldy old English + family.” + </p> + <p> + “I find my head still very weak,” said he, by way of cutting short the + conversation. “I must try to sleep again.” + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0014" id="link2HCH0014"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIV. + </h2> + <p> + The next day he called for his clothes, and, with the assistance of the + pensioner, managed to be dressed, and awaited the arrival of the surgeon, + sitting in a great easy-chair, with not much except his pale, thin cheeks, + dark, thoughtful eyes, and his arm in a sling, to show the pain and danger + through which he had passed. Soon after the departure of the professional + gentleman, a step somewhat louder than ordinary was heard on the + staircase, and in the corridor leading to the sick-chamber; the step (as + Redclyffe’s perceptions, nicely attempered by his weakness, assured him) + of a man in perfect and robust health, and of station and authority. A + moment afterwards, a gentleman of middle age, or a little beyond, appeared + in the doorway, in a dress that seemed clerical, yet not very decidedly + so; he had a frank, kindly, yet authoritative bearing, and a face that + might almost be said to beam with geniality, when, as now, the benevolence + of his nature was aroused and ready to express itself. + </p> + <p> + “My friend,” said he, “Doctor Portingale tells me you are much better; and + I am most happy to hear it.” + </p> + <p> + There was something brusque and unceremonious in his manner, that a little + jarred against Redclyffe’s sensitiveness, which had become morbid in + sympathy with his weakness. He felt that the new-comer had not probably + the right idea as to his own position in life; he was addressing him most + kindly, indeed, but as an inferior. + </p> + <p> + “I am much better, sir,” he replied, gravely, and with reserve; “so nearly + well, that I shall very soon be able to bid farewell to my kind nurse + here, and to this ancient establishment, to which I owe so much.” + </p> + <p> + The visitor seemed struck by Mr. Redclyffe’s tone, and finely modulated + voice, and glanced at his face, and then over his dress and figure, as if + to gather from them some reliable data as to his station. + </p> + <p> + “I am the Warden of this Hospital,” said he, with not less benignity than + heretofore, and greater courtesy; “and, in that capacity, must consider + you under my care,—as my guest, in fact,—although, owing to my + casual absence, one of the brethren of the house has been the active + instrument in attending you. I am most happy to find you so far recovered. + Do you feel yourself in a condition to give any account of the accident + which has befallen you?” + </p> + <p> + “It will be a very unsatisfactory one, at best,” said Redclyffe, trying to + discover some definite point in his misty reminiscences. “I am a stranger + to this country, and was on a pedestrian tour with the purpose of making + myself acquainted with the aspects of English scenery and life. I had + turned into a footpath, being told that it would lead me within view of an + old Hall, which, from certain early associations, I was very desirous of + seeing. I think I went astray; at all events, the path became indistinct; + and, so far as I can recollect, I had just turned to retrace my steps,—in + fact, that is the last thing in my memory.” + </p> + <p> + “You had almost fallen a sacrifice,” said the Warden, “to the old + preference which our English gentry have inherited from their Norman + ancestry, of game to man. You had come unintentionally as an intruder into + a rich preserve much haunted by poachers, and exposed yourself to the + deadly mark of a spring-gun, which had not the wit to distinguish between + a harmless traveller and a poacher. At least, such is our conclusion; for + our old friend here, (who luckily for you is a great rambler in the + woods,) when the report drew him to the spot, found you insensible, and + the gun discharged.” + </p> + <p> + “A gun has so little discretion,” said Redclyffe, smiling, “that it seems + a pity to trust entirely to its judgment, in a matter of life and death. + But, to confess the truth, I had come this morning to the suspicion that + there was a direct human agency in the matter; for I find missing a little + pocket-book which I carried.” + </p> + <p> + “Then,” said the Warden, “that certainly gives a new aspect to the affair. + Was it of value?” + </p> + <p> + “Of none whatever,” said Redclyffe, “merely containing pencil memoranda, + and notes of a traveller’s little expenses. I had papers about me of far + more value, and a moderate sum of money, a letter of credit, which have + escaped. I do not, however, feel inclined, on such grounds, to transfer + the guilt decidedly from the spring-gun to any more responsible criminal; + for it is very possible that the pocket-book, being carelessly carried, + might have been lost on the way. I had not used it since the preceding + day.” + </p> + <p> + “Much more probable, indeed,” said the Warden. “The discharged gun is + strong evidence against itself. Mr. Colcord,” continued he, raising his + voice, “how long was the interval between the discharge of the gun and + your arrival on the spot.” + </p> + <p> + “Five minutes, or less,” said the old man, “for I was not far off, and + made what haste I could, it being borne in on my spirit that mischief was + abroad.” + </p> + <p> + “Did you hear two reports?” asked the Warden. + </p> + <p> + “Only one,” replied Colcord. + </p> + <p> + “It is a plain case against the spring-gun,” said the Warden; “and, as you + tell me you are a stranger, I trust you will not suppose that our peaceful + English woods and parks are the haunt of banditti. We must try to give you + a better idea of us. May I ask, are you an American, and recently come + among us?” + </p> + <p> + “I believe a letter of credit is considered as decisive as most modes of + introduction,” said Redclyffe, feeling that the good Warden was desirous + of knowing with some precision who and what he was, and that, in the + circumstances, he had a right to such knowledge. “Here is mine, on a + respectable house in London.” + </p> + <p> + The Warden took it, and glanced it over with a slight apologetic bow; it + was a credit for a handsome amount in favor of the Honorable Edward + Redclyffe, a title that did not fail to impress the Englishman rather + favorably towards his new acquaintance, although he happened to know + something of their abundance, even so early in the republic, among the men + branded sons of equality. But, at all events, it showed no ordinary + ability and energy for so young a man to have held such position as this + title denoted in the fiercely contested political struggles of the new + democracy. + </p> + <p> + “Do you know, Mr. Redclyffe, that this name is familiar to us, + hereabouts?” asked he, with a kindly bow and recognition,—“that it + is in fact the principal name in this neighborhood,—that a family of + your name still possesses Braithwaite Hall, and that this very Hospital, + where you have happily found shelter, was founded by former + representatives of your name? Perhaps you count yourself among their + kindred.” + </p> + <p> + “My countrymen are apt to advance claims to kinship with distinguished + English families on such slight grounds as to make it ridiculous,” said + Redclyffe, coloring. “I should not choose to follow so absurd an example.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, well, perhaps not,” said the Warden, laughing frankly. “I have been + amongst your republicans myself, a long while ago, and saw that your + countrymen have no adequate idea of the sacredness of pedigrees, and + heraldic distinctions, and would change their own names at pleasure, and + vaunt kindred with an English duke on the strength of the assumed one. But + I am happy to meet an American gentleman who looks upon this matter as + Englishmen necessarily must. I met with great kindness in your country, + Mr. Redclyffe, and shall be truly happy if you will allow me an + opportunity of returning some small part of the obligation. You are now in + a condition for removal to my own quarters, across the quadrangle. I will + give orders to prepare an apartment, and you must transfer yourself there + by dinner-time.” + </p> + <p> + With this hospitable proposal, so decisively expressed, the Warden took + his leave; and Edward Redclyffe had hardly yet recovered sufficient + independent force to reject an invitation so put, even were he inclined; + but, in truth, the proposal suited well with his wishes, such as they + were, and was, moreover, backed, it is singular to say, by another of + those dreamlike recognitions which had so perplexed him ever since he + found himself in the Hospital. In some previous state of being, the Warden + and he had talked together before. + </p> + <p> + “What is the Warden’s name?” he inquired of the old pensioner. + </p> + <p> + “Hammond,” said the old man; “he is a kinsman of the Redclyffe family + himself, a man of fortune, and spends more than the income of his + wardenship in beautifying and keeping up the glory of the establishment. + He takes great pride in it.” + </p> + <p> + “And he has been in America,” said Redclyffe. “How strange! I knew him + there. Never was anything so singular as the discovery of old + acquaintances where I had reason to suppose myself unknowing and unknown. + Unless dear Doctor Grim, or dear little Elsie, were to start up and greet + me, I know not what may chance next.” + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe took up his quarters in the Warden’s house the next day, and was + installed in an apartment that made a picture, such as he had not before + seen, of English household comfort. He was thus established under the good + Warden’s roof, and, being very attractive of most people’s sympathies, + soon began to grow greatly in favor with that kindly personage. + </p> + <p> + When Edward Redclyffe removed from the old pensioner’s narrow quarters to + the far ampler accommodations of the Warden’s house, the latter gentleman + was taking his morning exercise on horseback. A servant, however, in a + grave livery, ushered him to an apartment, where the new guest was + surprised to see some luggage which two or three days before Edward had + ordered from London, on finding that his stay in this part of the country + was likely to be much longer than he had originally contemplated. The + sight of these things—the sense which they conveyed that he was an + expected and welcome guest—tended to raise the spirits of the + solitary wanderer, and made him.... [Endnote: 1.] + </p> + <p> + The Warden’s abode was an original part of the ancient establishment, + being an entire side of the quadrangle which the whole edifice surrounded; + and for the establishment of a bachelor (which was his new friend’s + condition), it seemed to Edward Redclyffe abundantly spacious and enviably + comfortable. His own chamber had a grave, rich depth, as it were, of + serene and time-long garniture, for purposes of repose, convenience, daily + and nightly comfort, that it was soothing even to look at. Long + accustomed, as Redclyffe had been, to the hardy and rude accommodations, + if so they were to be called, of log huts and hasty, mud-built houses in + the Western States of America, life, its daily habits, its passing + accommodations, seemed to assume an importance, under these aspects, which + it had not worn before; those deep downy beds, those antique chairs, the + heavy carpet, the tester and curtains, the stateliness of the old room,—they + had a charm as compared with the thin preparation of a forester’s + bedchamber, such as Redclyffe had chiefly known them, in the ruder parts + of the country, that really seemed to give a more substantial value to + life; so much pains had been taken with its modes and appliances, that it + looked more solid than before. Nevertheless, there was something ghostly + in that stately curtained bed, with the deep gloom within its drapery, so + ancient as it was; and suggestive of slumberers there who had long since + slumbered elsewhere. + </p> + <p> + The old servant, whose grave, circumspect courtesy was a matter quite + beyond Redclyffe’s experience, soon knocked at the chamber door, and + suggested that the guest might desire to await the Warden’s arrival in the + library, which was the customary sitting-room. Redclyffe assenting, he was + ushered into a spacious apartment, lighted by various Gothic windows, + surrounded with old oaken cases, in which were ranged volumes, most or + many of which seemed to be coeval with the foundation of the hospital; and + opening one of them, Redclyffe saw for the first time in his life + [Endnote: 2] a genuine book-worm, that ancient form of creature living + upon literature; it had gnawed a circular hole, penetrating through + perhaps a score of pages of the seldom opened volume, and was still at his + musty feast. There was a fragrance of old learning in this ancient + library; a soothing influence, as the American felt, of time-honored + ideas, where the strife, novelties, uneasy agitating conflict, attrition + of unsettled theories, fresh-springing thought, did not attain a foothold; + a good place to spend a life which should not be agitated with the + disturbing element; so quiet, so peaceful; how slowly, with how little + wear, would the years pass here! How unlike what he had hitherto known, + and was destined to know,—the quick, violent struggle of his mother + country, which had traced lines in his young brow already. How much would + be saved by taking his former existence, not as dealing with things yet + malleable, but with fossils, things that had had their life, and now were + unchangeable, and revered, here! + </p> + <p> + At one end of this large room there was a bowed window, the space near + which was curtained off from the rest of the library, and, the window + being filled with painted glass (most of which seemed old, though there + were insertions evidently of modern and much inferior handiwork), there + was a rich gloom of light, or you might call it a rich glow, according to + your mood of mind. Redclyffe soon perceived that this curtained recess was + the especial study of his friend, the Warden, and as such was provided + with all that modern times had contrived for making an enjoyment out of + the perusal of old books; a study table, with every convenience of + multifarious devices, a great inkstand, pens; a luxurious study chair, + where thought [Endnote: 3] upon. To say the truth, there was not, in this + retired and thoughtful nook, anything that indicated to Redclyffe that the + Warden had been recently engaged in consultation of learned authorities,—or + in abstract labor, whether moral, metaphysical or historic; there was a + volume of translations of Mother Goose’s Melodies into Greek and Latin, + printed for private circulation, and with the Warden’s name on the + title-page; a London newspaper of the preceding day; Lillebullero, Chevy + Chase, and the old political ballads; and, what a little amused Redclyffe, + the three volumes of a novel from a circulating library; so that Redclyffe + came to the conclusion that the good Warden, like many educated men, whose + early scholastic propensities are backed up by the best of opportunities, + and all desirable facilities and surroundings, still contented himself + with gathering a flower or two, instead of attempting the hard toil + requisite to raise a crop. + </p> + <p> + It must not be omitted, that there was a fragrance in the room, which, + unlike as the scene was, brought back, through so many years, to + Redclyffe’s mind a most vivid remembrance of poor old Doctor Grim’s + squalid chamber, with his wild, bearded presence in the midst of it, + puffing his everlasting cloud; for here was the same smell of tobacco, and + on the mantel-piece of a chimney lay a German pipe, and an old silver + tobacco-box into which was wrought the leopard’s head and the inscription + in black letter. The Warden had evidently availed himself of one of the + chief bachelor sources of comfort. Redclyffe, whose destiny had hitherto, + and up to a very recent period, been to pass a feverishly active life, was + greatly impressed by all these tokens of learned ease,—a degree of + self-indulgence combined with duties enough to quiet an otherwise uneasy + conscience,—by the consideration that this pensioner acted a good + part in a world where no one is entitled to be an unprofitable laborer. He + thought within himself, that his prospects in his own galvanized country, + that seemed to him, a few years since, to offer such a career for an + adventurous young man, conscious of motive power, had nothing so enticing + as such a nook as this,—a quiet recess of unchangeable old time, + around which the turbulent tide now eddied and rushed, but could not + disturb it. Here, to be sure, hope, love, ambition, came not, progress + came not; but here was what, just now, the early wearied American could + appreciate better than aught else,—here was rest. + </p> + <p> + The fantasy took Edward to imitate the useful labors of the learned + Warden, and to make trial whether his own classical condition—the + results of Doctor Grim’s tuition, and subsequently that of an American + College—had utterly deserted him, by attempting a translation of a + few verses of Yankee Doodle; and he was making hopeful progress when the + Warden came in fresh and rosy from a morning’s ride in a keen east wind. + He shook hands heartily with his guest, and, though by no means frigid at + their former interview, seemed to have developed at once into a kindlier + man, now that he had suffered the stranger to cross his threshold, and had + thus made himself responsible for his comfort. + </p> + <p> + “I shall take it greatly amiss,” said he, “if you do not pick up fast + under my roof, and gather a little English ruddiness, moreover, in the + walks and rides that I mean to take you. Your countrymen, as I saw them, + are a sallow set; but I think you must have English blood enough in your + veins to eke out a ruddy tint, with the help of good English beef and ale, + and daily draughts of wholesome light and air.” + </p> + <p> + “My cheeks would not have been so very pale,” said Edward, laughing, “if + an English shot had not deprived me of a good deal of my American blood.” + </p> + <p> + “Only follow my guidance,” said the Warden, “and I assure you you shall + have back whatever blood we have deprived you of, together with an + addition. It is now luncheon-time, and we will begin the process of + replenishing your veins.” + </p> + <p> + So they went into a refectory, where were spread upon the board what might + have seemed a goodly dinner to most Americans; though for this Englishman + it was but a by-incident, a slight refreshment, to enable him to pass the + midway stage of life. It is an excellent thing to see the faith of a + hearty Englishman in his own stomach, and how well that kindly organ + repays his trust; with what devout assimilation he takes to himself his + kindred beef, loving it, believing in it, making a good use of it, and + without any qualms of conscience or prescience as to the result. They + surely eat twice as much as we; and probably because of their undoubted + faith it never does them any harm. Dyspepsia is merely a superstition with + us. If we could cease to believe in its existence, it would exist no more. + Redclyffe, eating little himself, his wound compelling him to be cautious + as to his diet, was secretly delighted to see what sweets the Warden found + in a cold round of beef, in a pigeon pie, and a cut or two of Yorkshire + ham; not that he was ravenous, but that his stomach was so healthy. + </p> + <p> + “You eat little, my friend,” said the Warden, pouring out a glass of + sherry for Redclyffe, and another for himself. “But you are right, in such + a predicament as yours. Spare your stomach while you are weakly, and it + will help you when you are strong This, now, is the most enjoyable meal of + the day with me. You will not see me play such a knife and fork at dinner; + though there too, especially if I have ridden out in the afternoon, I do + pretty well. But, come now, if (like most of your countrymen, as I have + heard) you are a lover of the weed, I can offer you some as delicate + Latakia as you are likely to find in England.” + </p> + <p> + “I lack that claim upon your kindness, I am sorry to say,” replied + Redclyffe. “I am not a good smoker, though I have occasionally taken a + cigar at need.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, when you find yourself growing old, and especially if you chance to + be a bachelor, I advise you to cultivate the habit,” said the Warden. “A + wife is the only real obstacle or objection to a pipe; they can seldom be + thoroughly reconciled, and therefore it is well for a man to consider, + beforehand, which of the two he can best dispense with. I know not how it + might have been once, had the conflicting claim of these two rivals ever + been fairly presented to me; but I now should be at no loss to choose the + pipe.” + </p> + <p> + They returned to the study; and while the Warden took his pipe, Redclyffe, + considering that, as the guest of this hospitable Englishman, he had no + right to continue a stranger, thought it fit to make known to him who he + was, and his condition, plans, and purposes. He represented himself as + having been liberally educated, bred to the law, but (to his misfortune) + having turned aside from that profession to engage in politics. In this + pursuit, indeed, his success wore a flattering outside; for he had become + distinguished, and, though so young, a leader, locally at least, in the + party which he had adopted. He had been, for a biennial term, a member of + Congress, after winning some distinction in the legislature of his native + State; but some one of those fitful changes to which American politics are + peculiarly liable had thrown him out, in his candidacy for his second + term; and the virulence of party animosity, the abusiveness of the press, + had acted so much upon a disposition naturally somewhat too sensitive for + the career which he had undertaken, that he had resolved, being now freed + from legislative cares, to seize the opportunity for a visit to England, + whither he was drawn by feelings which every educated and impressible + American feels, in a degree scarcely conceivable by the English + themselves. And being here (but he had already too much experience of + English self-sufficiency to confess so much) he began to feel the deep + yearning which a sensitive American—his mind full of English + thoughts, his imagination of English poetry, his heart of English + character and sentiment—cannot fail to be influenced by,—the + yearning of the blood within his veins for that from which it has been + estranged; the half-fanciful regret that he should ever have been + separated from these woods, these fields, these natural features of + scenery, to which his nature was moulded, from the men who are still so + like himself, from these habits of life and thought which (though he may + not have known them for two centuries) he still perceives to have remained + in some mysterious way latent in the depths of his character, and soon to + be reassumed, not as a foreigner would do it, but like habits native to + him, and only suspended for a season. + </p> + <p> + This had been Redclyffe’s state of feeling ever since he landed in + England, and every day seemed to make him more at home; so that it seemed + as if he were gradually awakening to a former reality. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0015" id="link2HCH0015"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XV. + </h2> + <p> + After lunch, the Warden showed a good degree of kind anxiety about his + guest, and ensconced him in a most comfortable chair in his study, where + he gave him his choice of books old and new, and was somewhat surprised, + as well as amused, to see that Redclyffe seemed most attracted towards a + department of the library filled with books of English antiquities, and + genealogies, and heraldry; the two latter, indeed, having the preference + over the others. + </p> + <p> + “This is very remarkable,” said he, smiling. “By what right or reason, by + what logic of character, can you, a democrat, renouncing all advantages of + birth,—neither priding yourself on family, nor seeking to found one,—how + therefore can you care for genealogies, or for this fantastic science of + heraldry? Having no antiquities, being a people just made, how can you + care for them?” + </p> + <p> + “My dear sir,” said Redclyffe, “I doubt whether the most devoted + antiquarian in England ever cares to search for an old thing merely + because it is old, as any American just landed on your shores would do. + Age is our novelty; therefore it attracts and absorbs us. And as for + genealogies, I know not what necessary repulsion there may be between it + and democracy. A line of respectable connections, being the harder to + preserve where there is nothing in the laws to defend it, is therefore the + more precious when we have it really to boast of.” + </p> + <p> + “True,” said the Warden, “when a race keeps itself distinguished among the + grimy order of your commonalty, all with equal legal rights to place and + eminence as itself, it must needs be because there is a force and efficacy + in the blood. I doubt not,” he said, looking with the free approval of an + elder man at the young man’s finely developed face and graceful form,—“I + doubt not that you can look back upon a line of ancestry, always shining + out from the surrounding obscurity of the mob.” + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe, though ashamed of himself, could not but feel a paltry + confusion and embarrassment, as he thought of his unknown origin, and his + advent from the almshouse; coming out of that squalid darkness as if he + were a thing that had had a spontaneous birth out of poverty, meanness, + petty crime; and here in ancestral England, he felt more keenly than ever + before what was his misfortune. + </p> + <p> + “I must not let you lie under this impression,” said he manfully to the + Warden. “I have no ancestry; at the very first step my origin is lost in + impenetrable obscurity. I only know that but for the aid of a kind friend—on + whose benevolence I seem to have had no claim whatever—my life would + probably have been poor, mean, unenlightened.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, well,” said the kind Warden,—hardly quite feeling, however, + the noble sentiment which he expressed,—“it is better to be the + first noble illustrator of a name than even the worthy heir of a name that + has been noble and famous for a thousand years. The highest pride of some + of our peers, who have won their rank by their own force, has been to + point to the cottage whence they sprung. Your posterity, at all events, + will have the advantage of you,—they will know their ancestor.” + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe sighed, for there was truly a great deal of the foolish yearning + for a connection with the past about him; his imagination had taken this + turn, and the very circumstances of his obscure birth gave it a field to + exercise itself. + </p> + <p> + “I advise you,” said the Warden, by way of changing the conversation, “to + look over the excellent history of the county which you are now in. There + is no reading better, to my mind, than these country histories; though + doubtless a stranger would hardly feel so much interest in them as one + whose progenitors, male or female, have strewn their dust over the whole + field of which the history treats. This history is a fine specimen of the + kind.” + </p> + <p> + The work to which Redclyffe’s attention was thus drawn was in two large + folio volumes, published about thirty years before, bound in calf by some + famous artist in that line, illustrated with portraits and views of ruined + castles, churches, cathedrals, the seats of nobility and gentry; Roman, + British, and Saxon remains, painted windows, oak carvings, and so forth. + </p> + <p> + And as for its contents the author ascended for the history of the county + as far as into the pre-Roman ages, before Caesar had ever heard of + Britain; and brought it down, an ever swelling and increasing tale, to his + own days; inclusive of the separate histories, and pedigrees, and + hereditary legends, and incidents, of all the principal families. In this + latter branch of information, indeed, the work seemed particularly full, + and contained every incident that would have worked well into historical + romance. + </p> + <p> + “Aye, aye,” said the Warden, laughing at some strange incident of this + sort which Redclyffe read out to him. “My old friend Gibber, the learned + author of this work, (he has been dead this score of years, so he will not + mind my saying it,) had a little too much the habit of seeking his + authorities in the cottage chimney-corners. I mean that an old woman’s + tale was just about as acceptable to him as a recorded fact; and to say + the truth, they are really apt to have ten times the life in them.” + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe saw in the volume a full account of the founding of the + Hospital, its regulations and purposes, its edifices; all of which he + reserved for future reading, being for the present more attracted by the + mouldy gossip of family anecdotes which we have alluded to. Some of these, + and not the least singular, referred to the ancient family which had + founded the Hospital; and he was attracted by seeing a mention of a Bloody + Footstep, which reminded him of the strange old story which good Doctor + Grimshawe had related by his New England fireside, in those childish days + when Edward dwelt with him by the graveyard, On reading it, however, he + found that the English legend, if such it could be called, was far less + full and explicit than that of New England. Indeed, it assigned various + origins to the Bloody Footstep;—one being, that it was the stamp of + the foot of the Saxon thane, who fought at his own threshold against the + assault of the Norman baron, who seized his mansion at the Conquest; + another, that it was the imprint of a fugitive who had sought shelter from + the lady of the house during the Wars of the Roses, and was dragged out by + her husband, and slain on the door-step; still another, that it was the + footstep of a Protestant in Bloody Mary’s days, who, being sent to prison + by the squire of that epoch, had lifted his hands to Heaven, and stamped + his foot, in appeal as against the unjust violence with which he was + treated, and stamping his foot, it had left the bloody mark. It was hinted + too, however, that another version, which out of delicacy to the family + the author was reluctant to state, assigned the origin of the Bloody + Footstep to so late a period as the wars of the Parliament. And, finally, + there was an odious rumor that what was called the Bloody Footstep was + nothing miraculous, after all, but most probably a natural reddish stain + in the stone door-step; but against this heresy the excellent Dr. Gibber + set his face most sturdily. + </p> + <p> + The original legend had made such an impression on Redclyffe’s childish + fancy, that he became strangely interested in thus discovering it, or + something remotely like it, in England, and being brought by such unsought + means to reside so near it. Curious about the family to which it had + occurred, he proceeded to examine its records, as given in the County + History. The name was Redclyffe. Like most English pedigrees, there was an + obscurity about a good many of the earlier links; but the line was traced + out with reasonable definiteness from the days of Coeur de Lion, and there + was said to be a cross-legged ancestor in the village church, who (but the + inscription was obliterated) was probably a Redclyffe, and had fought + either under the Lion Heart or in the Crusades. It was, in subsequent + ages, one of the most distinguished families, though there had been + turbulent men in all those turbulent times, hard fighters. In one age, a + barony of early creation seemed to have come into the family, and had + been, as it were, playing bo-peep with the race for several centuries. + Some of them had actually assumed the title; others had given it up for + lack of sufficient proof; but still there was such a claim, and up to the + time at which this County History was written, it had neither been made + out, nor had the hope of doing so been relinquished. + </p> + <p> + “Have the family,” asked Redclyffe of his host, “ever yet made out their + claim to this title, which has so long been playing the will-of-the-wisp + with them?” + </p> + <p> + “No, not yet,” said the Warden, puffing out a volume of smoke from his + meerschaum, and making it curl up to the ceiling. “Their claim has as + little substance, in my belief, as yonder vanishing vapor from my pipe. + But they still keep up their delusion. I had supposed that the claim would + perish with the last squire, who was a childless man,—at least, + without legitimate heirs; but this estate passed to one whom we can + scarcely call an Englishman, he being a Catholic, the descendant of + forefathers who have lived in Italy since the time of George II., and who + is, moreover, a Catholic. We English would not willingly see an ancestral + honor in the possession of such a man!” + </p> + <p> + “Is there, do you think, a prospect of his success?” + </p> + <p> + “I have heard so, but hardly believe it,” replied the Warden. “I remember, + some dozen or fifteen years ago, it was given out that some clue had been + found to the only piece of evidence that was wanting. It had been said + that there was an emigration to your own country, above a hundred years + ago, and on account of some family feud; the true heir had gone thither + and never returned. Now, the point was to prove the extinction of this + branch of the family. But, excuse me, I must pay an official visit to my + charge here. Will you accompany me, or continue to pore over the County + History?” + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe felt enough of the elasticity of convalescence to be desirous of + accompanying the Warden; and they accordingly crossed the enclosed + quadrangle to the entrance of the Hospital portion of the large and + intricate structure. It was a building of the early Elizabethan age, a + plaster and timber structure, like many houses of that period and much + earlier. [Endnote: 1] Around this court stood the building, with the date + 1437 cut on the front. On each side, a row of gables looked upon the + enclosed space, most venerable old gables, with heavy mullioned windows + filled with little diamond panes of glass, and opening on lattices. On two + sides there was a cloistered walk, under echoing arches, and in the midst + a spacious lawn of the greenest and loveliest grass, such as England only + can show, and which, there, is of perennial verdure and beauty. In the + midst stood a stone statue of a venerable man, wrought in the best of + mediæval sculpture, with robe and ruff, and tunic and venerable beard, + resting on a staff, and holding what looked like a clasped book in his + hand. The English atmosphere, together with the coal smoke, settling down + in the space of centuries from the chimneys of the Hospital, had roughened + and blackened this venerable piece of sculpture, enclosing it as it were + in a superficies of decay; but still (and perhaps the more from these + tokens of having stood so long among men) the statue had an aspect of + venerable life, and of connection with human life, that made it strongly + impressive. + </p> + <p> + “This is the effigy of Sir Edward Redclyffe, the founder of the Hospital,” + said the Warden. “He is a most peaceful and venerable old gentleman in his + attire and aspect, as you see; but he was a fierce old fellow in his day, + and is said to have founded the Hospital as a means of appeasing Heaven + for some particular deed of blood, which he had imposed upon his + conscience in the War of the Roses.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Redclyffe, “I have just read in the County History that the + Bloody Footstep was said to have been imprinted in his time. But what is + that thing which he holds in his hand?” + </p> + <p> + “It is a famous heirloom of the Redclyffes,” said the Warden, “on the + possession of which (as long as they did possess it) they prided + themselves, it is said, more than on their ancient manor-house. It was a + Saxon ornament, which a certain ancestor was said to have had from Harold, + the old Saxon king; but if there ever was any such article, it has been + missing from the family mansion for two or three hundred years. There is + not known to be an antique relic of that description now in existence.” + </p> + <p> + “I remember having seen such an article,—yes, precisely of that + shape,” observed Redclyffe, “in the possession of a very dear old friend + of mine, when I was a boy.” + </p> + <p> + “What, in America?” exclaimed the Warden. “That is very remarkable. The + time of its being missed coincides well enough with that of the early + settlement of New England. Some Puritan, before his departure, may have + thought himself doing God service by filching the old golden gewgaw from + the Cavalier; for it was said to be fine, ductile gold.” + </p> + <p> + The circumstances struck Redclyffe with a pleasant wonder; for, indeed, + the old statue held the closest possible imitation, in marble, of that + strange old glitter of gold which he himself had so often played with in + the Doctor’s study; [Endnote: 2] so identical, that he could have fancied + that he saw the very thing, changed from metal into stone, even with its + bruises and other casual marks in it. As he looked at the old statue, his + imagination played with it, and his naturally great impressibility half + made him imagine that the old face looked at him with a keen, subtile, + wary glance, as if acknowledging that it held some secret, but at the same + time defying him to find it out. And then again came that visionary + feeling that had so often swept over him since he had been an inmate of + the Hospital. + </p> + <p> + All over the interior part of the building was carved in stone the + leopard’s head, with wearisome iteration; as if the founder were anxious + to imprint his device so numerously, lest—when he produced this + edifice as his remuneration to Eternal Justice for many sins—the + Omniscient Eye should fail to be reminded that Sir Edward Redclyffe had + done it. But, at all events, it seemed to Redclyffe that the ancient + knight had purposed a good thing, and in a measurable degree had effected + it; for here stood the venerable edifice securely founded, bearing the + moss of four hundred years upon it; and though wars, and change of + dynasties, and religious change, had swept around it, with seemingly + destructive potency, yet here had the lodging, the food, the monastic + privileges of the brethren been held secure, and were unchanged by all the + altering mariners of the age. The old fellow, somehow or other, seemed to + have struck upon an everlasting rock, and founded his pompous charity + there. + </p> + <p> + They entered an arched door on the left of the quadrangle, and found + themselves hi a dark old hall with oaken beams; to say the truth, it was a + barn-like sort of enclosure, and was now used as a sort of rubbish-place + for the Hospital, where they stored away old furniture, and where + carpenter’s work might be done. And yet, as the Warden assured Redclyffe, + it was once a hall of state, hung with tapestry, carpeted, for aught he + knew, with cloth of gold, and set with rich furniture, and a groaning + board in the midst. Here, the hereditary patron of the Hospital had once + entertained King James the First, who made a Latin speech on the occasion, + a copy of which was still preserved in the archives. On the rafters of + this old hall there were cobwebs in such abundance that Redclyffe could + not but reflect on the joy which old Doctor Grimshawe would have had in + seeing them, and the health to the human race which he would have hoped to + collect and distil from them. + </p> + <p> + From this great, antique room they crossed the quadrangle and entered the + kitchen of the establishment. A hospitable fire was burning there, and + there seemed to be a great variety of messes cooking; and the Warden + explained to Redclyffe that there was no general table in the Hospital; + but the brethren, at their own will and pleasure, either formed themselves + into companies or messes, of any convenient size, or enjoyed a solitary + meal by themselves, each in their own apartments. There was a goodly + choice of simple, but good and enjoyable food, and a sufficient supply of + potent ale, brewed in the vats of the Hospital, which, among its other + praiseworthy characteristics, was famous for this; having at some epoch + presumed to vie with the famous ale of Trinity, in Cambridge, and the + Archdeacon of Oxford,—these having come down to the hospital from a + private receipt of Sir Edward’s butler, which was now lost in the + Redclyffe family; nor would the ungrateful Hospital give up its secret + even out of loyalty to its founder. + </p> + <p> + “I would use my influence with the brewer,” said the Warden, on + communicating this little fact to Redclyffe; “but the present man—now + owner of the estate—is not worthy to have good ale brewed in his + house; having himself no taste for anything but Italian wines, wretched + fellow that he is! He might make himself an Englishman if he would take + heartily to our ale; and with that end in view, I should be glad to give + it him.” + </p> + <p> + The kitchen fire blazed warmly, as we have said, and roast and stewed and + boiled were in process of cooking, producing a pleasant fume, while great + heaps of wheaten loaves were smoking hot from the ovens, and the master + cook and his subordinates were in fume and hiss, like beings that were of + a fiery element, and, though irritable and scorching, yet were happier + here than they could have been in any other situation. The Warden seemed + to have an especial interest and delight in this department of the + Hospital, and spoke apart to the head cook on the subject (as Redclyffe + surmised from what he overheard) of some especial delicacy for his own + table that day. + </p> + <p> + “This kitchen is a genial place,” said he to Redclyffe, as they retired. + “In the evening, after the cooks have done their work, the brethren have + liberty to use it as a sort of common room, and to sit here over their ale + till a reasonable bedtime. It would interest you much to make one at such + a party; for they have had a varied experience in life, each one for + himself, and it would be strange to hear the varied roads by which they + have come hither.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” replied Redclyffe, “and, I presume, not one of them ever dreamed of + coming hither when he started in life. The only one with whom I am + acquainted could hardly have expected it, at all events.” + </p> + <p> + “He is a remarkable man, more so than you may have had an opportunity of + knowing,” said the Warden. “I know not his history, for he is not + communicative on that subject, and it was only necessary for him to make + out his proofs of claim to the charity to the satisfaction of the + Curators. But it has often struck me that there must have been strange and + striking events in his life,—though how it could have been without + his attracting attention and being known, I cannot say. I have myself + often received good counsel from him in the conduct of the Hospital, and + the present owner of the Hall seems to have taken him for his counsellor + and confidant, being himself strange to English affairs and life.” + </p> + <p> + “I should like to call on him, as a matter of course rather than + courtesy,” observed Redclyffe, “and thank him for his great kindness.” + </p> + <p> + They accordingly ascended the dark oaken staircase with its black + balustrade, and approached the old man’s chamber, the door of which they + found open, and in the blurred looking-glass which hung deep within the + room Redclyffe was surprised to perceive the young face of a woman, who + seemed to be arranging her head-gear, as women are always doing. It was + but a moment, and then it vanished like a vision. + </p> + <p> + “I was not aware,” he said, turning to the Warden, “that there was a + feminine side to this establishment.” + </p> + <p> + “Nor is there,” said the old bachelor, “else it would not have held + together so many ages as it has. The establishment has its own wise, + monkish regulations; but we cannot prevent the fact, that some of the + brethren may have had foolish relations with the other sex at some + previous period of their lives. This seems to be the case with our wise + old friend of whom we have been speaking,—whereby he doubtless + became both wiser and sadder. If you have seen a female face here, it is + that of a relative who resides out of the hospital,—an excellent + young lady, I believe, who has charge of a school.” + </p> + <p> + While he was speaking, the young lady in question passed out, greeting the + Warden in a cheerful, respectful way, in which deference to him was well + combined with a sense of what was due to herself. + </p> + <p> + “That,” observed the Warden, who had returned her courtesy, with a kindly + air betwixt that of gentlemanly courtesy and a superior’s acknowledgment,—“that + is the relative of our old friend; a young person—a gentlewoman, I + may almost call her—who teaches a little school in the village here, + and keeps her guardian’s heart warm, no doubt, with her presence. An + excellent young woman, I do believe, and very useful and faithful in her + station.” + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0016" id="link2HCH0016"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVI. + </h2> + <p> + On entering the old palmer’s apartment, they found him looking over some + ancient papers, yellow and crabbedly written, and on one of them a large + old seal, all of which he did up in a bundle and enclosed in a parchment + cover, so that, before they were well in the room, the documents were + removed from view. + </p> + <p> + “Those papers and parchments have a fine old yellow tint, Colcord,” said + the Warden, “very satisfactory to an antiquary.” + </p> + <p> + “There is nothing in them,” said the old man, “of general interest. Some + old papers they are, which came into my possession by inheritance, and + some of them relating to the affairs of a friend of my youth;—a long + past time, and a long past friend,” added he, sighing. + </p> + <p> + “Here is a new friend, at all events,” said the kindly Warden, wishing to + cheer the old man, “who feels himself greatly indebted to you for your + care.” [Endnote: 1.] + </p> + <p> + There now ensued a conversation between the three, in the course of which + reference was made to America, and the Warden’s visit there. + </p> + <p> + “You are so mobile,” he said, “you change so speedily, that I suppose + there are few external things now that I should recognize. The face of + your country changes like one of your own sheets of water, under the + influence of sun, cloud, and wind; but I suppose there is a depth below + that is seldom effectually stirred. It is a great fault of the country + that its sons find it impossible to feel any patriotism for it.” + </p> + <p> + “I do not by any means acknowledge that impossibility,” responded + Redclyffe, with a smile. “I certainly feel that sentiment very strongly in + my own breast, more especially since I have left America three thousand + miles behind me.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, it is only the feeling of self-assertion that rises against the + self-complacency of the English,” said the Warden. “Nothing else; for what + else have you become the subject of this noble weakness of patriotism? You + cannot love anything beyond the soil of your own estate; or in your case, + if your heart is very large, you may possibly take in, in a quiet sort of + way, the whole of New England. What more is possible? How can you feel a + heart’s love for a mere political arrangement, like your Union? How can + you be loyal, where personal attachment—the lofty and noble and + unselfish attachment of a subject to his prince—is out of the + question? where your sovereign is felt to be a mere man like yourselves, + whose petty struggles, whose ambition—mean before it grew to be + audacious—you have watched, and know him to be just the same now as + yesterday, and that to-morrow he will be walking unhonored amongst you + again? Your system is too bare and meagre for human nature to love, or to + endure it long. These stately degrees of society, that have so strong a + hold upon us in England, are not to be done away with so lightly as you + think. Your experiment is not yet a success by any means; and you will + live to see it result otherwise than you think!” + </p> + <p> + “It is natural for you Englishmen to feel thus,” said Redclyffe; + “although, ever since I set my foot on your shores,—forgive me, but + you set me the example of free speech,—I have had a feeling of + coming change among all that you look upon as so permanent, so + everlasting; and though your thoughts dwell fondly on things as they are + and have been, there is a deep destruction somewhere in this country, that + is inevitably impelling it in the path of my own. But I care not for this. + I do aver that I love my country, that I am proud of its institutions, + that I have a feeling unknown, probably, to any but a republican, but + which is the proudest thing in me, that there is no man above me,—for + my ruler is only myself, in the person of another, whose office I impose + upon him,—nor any below me. If you would understand me, I would tell + you of the shame I felt when first, on setting foot in this country, I + heard a man speaking of his birth as giving him privileges; saw him + looking down on laboring men, as of an inferior race. And what I can never + understand, is the pride which you positively seem to feel in having men + and classes of men above you, born to privileges which you can never hope + to share. It may be a thing to be endured, but surely not one to be + absolutely proud of. And yet an Englishman is so.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! I see we lack a ground to meet upon,” said the Warden. “We can never + truly understand each other. What you have last mentioned is one of our + inner mysteries. It is not a thing to be reasoned about, but to be felt,—to + be born within one; and I uphold it to be a generous sentiment, and good + for the human heart.” + </p> + <p> + “Forgive me, sir,” said Redclyffe, “but I would rather be the poorest and + lowest man in America than have that sentiment.” + </p> + <p> + “But it might change your feeling, perhaps,” suggested the Warden, “if you + were one of the privileged class.” + </p> + <p> + “I dare not say that it would not,” said Redclyffe, “for I know I have a + thousand weaknesses, and have doubtless as many more that I never + suspected myself of. But it seems to me at this moment impossible that I + should ever have such an ambition, because I have a sense of meanness in + not starting fair, in beginning the world with advantages that my fellows + have not.” + </p> + <p> + “Really this is not wise,” said the Warden, bluntly, “How can the start in + life be fair for all? Providence arranges it otherwise. Did you yourself,—a + gentleman evidently by birth and education,—did you start fair in + the race of life?” + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe remembered what his birth, or rather what his first recollected + place had been, and reddened. + </p> + <p> + “In birth, certainly, I had no advantages,” said he, and would have + explained further but was kept back by invincible reluctance; feeling that + the bare fact of his origin in an almshouse would be accepted, while all + the inward assurances and imaginations that had reconciled himself to the + ugly fact would go for nothing. “But there were advantages, very early in + life,” added he, smiling, “which perhaps I ought to have been ashamed to + avail myself of.” + </p> + <p> + “An old cobwebby library,—an old dwelling by a graveyard,—an + old Doctor, busied with his own fantasies, and entangled in his own + cobwebs,—and a little girl for a playmate: these were things that + you might lawfully avail yourself of,” said Colcord, unheard by the + Warden, who, thinking the conversation had lasted long enough, had paid a + slight passing courtesy to the old man, and was now leaving the room. “Do + you remain here long?” he added. + </p> + <p> + “If the Warden’s hospitality holds out,” said the American, “I shall be + glad; for the place interests me greatly.” + </p> + <p> + “No wonder,” replied Colcord. + </p> + <p> + “And wherefore no wonder?” said Redclyffe, impressed with the idea that + there was something peculiar in the tone of the old man’s remark. + </p> + <p> + “Because,” returned the other quietly, “it must be to you especially + interesting to see an institution of this kind, whereby one man’s + benevolence or penitence is made to take the substance and durability of + stone, and last for centuries; whereas, in America, the solemn decrees and + resolutions of millions melt away like vapor, and everything shifts like + the pomp of sunset clouds; though it may be as pompous as they. Heaven + intended the past as a foundation for the present, to keep it from + vibrating and being blown away with every breeze.” + </p> + <p> + “But,” said Redclyffe, “I would not see in my country what I see + elsewhere,—the Past hanging like a mill-stone round a country’s + neck, or encrusted in stony layers over the living form; so that, to all + intents and purposes, it is dead.” + </p> + <p> + “Well,” said Colcord, “we are only talking of the Hospital. You will find + no more interesting place anywhere. Stay amongst us; this is the very + heart of England, and if you wish to know the fatherland,—the place + whence you sprung,—this is the very spot!” + </p> + <p> + Again Redclyffe was struck with the impression that there was something + marked, something individually addressed to himself, in the old man’s + words; at any rate, it appealed to that primal imaginative vein in him + which had so often, in his own country, allowed itself to dream over the + possibilities of his birth. He knew that the feeling was a vague and idle + one; but yet, just at this time, a convalescent, with a little play moment + in what had heretofore been a turbulent life, he felt an inclination to + follow out this dream, and let it sport with him, and by and by to awake + to realities, refreshed by a season of unreality. At a firmer and stronger + period of his life, though Redclyffe might have indulged his imagination + with these dreams, yet he would not have let them interfere with his + course of action; but having come hither in utter weariness of active + life, it seemed just the thing for him to do,—just the fool’s + paradise for him to be in. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” repeated the old man, looking keenly in his face, “you will not + leave us yet.” + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe returned through the quadrangle to the Warden’s house; and there + were the brethren, sitting on benches, loitering in the sun, which, though + warm for England, seemed scarcely enough to keep these old people warm, + even with their cloth robes. They did not seem unhappy; nor yet happy; if + they were so, it must be with the mere bliss of existence, a sleepy sense + of comfort, and quiet dreaminess about things past, leaving out the things + to come,—of which there was nothing, indeed, in their future, save + one day after another, just like this, with loaf and ale, and such + substantial comforts, and prayers, and idle days again, gathering by the + great kitchen fire, and at last a day when they should not be there, but + some other old men in their stead. And Redclyffe wondered whether, in the + extremity of age, he himself would like to be one of the brethren of the + Leopard’s Head. The old men, he was sorry to see, did not seem very genial + towards one another; in fact, there appeared to be a secret enjoyment of + one another’s infirmities, wherefore it was hard to tell, unless that each + individual might fancy himself to possess an advantage over his fellow, + which he mistook for a positive strength; and so there was sometimes a + sardonic smile, when, on rising from his seat, the rheumatism was a little + evident in an old fellow’s joints; or when the palsy shook another’s + fingers so that he could barely fill his pipe; or when a cough, the + gathered spasmodic trouble of thirty years, fairly convulsed another. + Then, any two that happened to be sitting near one another looked into + each other’s cold eyes, and whispered, or suggested merely by a look (for + they were bright to such perceptions), “The old fellow will not outlast + another winter.” + </p> + <p> + Methinks it is not good for old men to be much together. An old man is a + beautiful object in his own place, in the midst of a circle of young + people, going down in various gradations to infancy, and all looking up to + the patriarch with filial reverence, keeping him warm by their own burning + youth; giving him the freshness of their thought and feeling, with such + natural influx that it seems as if it grew within his heart; while on them + he reacts with an influence that sobers, tempers, keeps them down. His + wisdom, very probably, is of no great account,—he cannot fit to any + new state of things; but, nevertheless, it works its effect. In such a + situation, the old man is kind and genial, mellow, more gentle and + generous, and wider-minded than ever before. But if left to himself, or + wholly to the society of his contemporaries, the ice gathers about his + heart, his hope grows torpid, his love—having nothing of his own + blood to develop it—grows cold; he becomes selfish, when he has + nothing in the present or the future worth caring about in himself; so + that, instead of a beautiful object, he is an ugly one, little, mean, and + torpid. I suppose one chief reason to be, that unless he has his own race + about him he doubts of anybody’s love, he feels himself a stranger in the + world, and so becomes unamiable. + </p> + <p> + A very few days in the Warden’s hospitable mansion produced an excellent + effect on Redclyffe’s frame; his constitution being naturally excellent, + and a flow of cheerful spirits contributing much to restore him to health, + especially as the abode in this old place, which would probably have been + intolerably dull to most young Englishmen, had for this young American a + charm like the freshness of Paradise. In truth it had that charm, and + besides it another intangible, evanescent, perplexing charm, full of an + airy enjoyment, as if he had been here before. What could it be? It could + be only the old, very deepest, inherent nature, which the Englishman, his + progenitor, carried over the sea with him, nearly two hundred years + before, and which had lain buried all that time under heaps of new things, + new customs, new institutions, new snows of winter, new layers of forest + leaves, until it seemed dead, and was altogether forgotten as if it had + never been; but, now, his return had seemed to dissolve or dig away all + this incrustation, and the old English nature awoke all fresh, so that he + saw the green grass, the hedgerows, the old structures and old manners, + the old clouds, the old raindrops, with a recognition, and yet a newness. + Redclyffe had never been so quietly happy as now. He had, as it were, the + quietude of the old man about him, and the freshness of his own still + youthful years. + </p> + <p> + The Warden was evidently very favorably impressed with his Transatlantic + guest, and he seemed to be in a constant state of surprise to find an + American so agreeable a kind of person. + </p> + <p> + “You are just like an Englishman,” he sometimes said. “Are you quite sure + that you were not born on this side of the water?” + </p> + <p> + This is said to be the highest compliment that an Englishman can pay to an + American; and doubtless he intends it as such. All the praise and good + will that an Englishman ever awards to an American is so far gratifying to + the recipient, that it is meant for him individually, and is not to be put + down in the slightest degree to the score of any regard to his countrymen + generally. So far from this, if an Englishman were to meet the whole + thirty millions of Americans, and find each individual of them a pleasant, + amiable, well-meaning, and well-mannered sort of fellow, he would + acknowledge this honestly in each individual case, but still would speak + of the whole nation as a disagreeable people. + </p> + <p> + As regards Redclyffe being precisely like an Englishman, we cannot but + think that the good Warden was mistaken. No doubt, there was a common + ground; the old progenitor (whose blood, moreover, was mixed with a + hundred other streams equally English) was still there, under this young + man’s shape, but with a vast difference. Climate, sun, cold, heat, soil, + institutions, had made a change in him before he was born, and all the + life that he had lived since (so unlike any that he could have lived in + England) had developed it more strikingly. In manners, I cannot but think + that he was better than the generality of Englishmen, and different from + the highest-mannered men, though most resembling them. His natural + sensitiveness, a tincture of reserve, had been counteracted by the frank + mixture with men which his political course had made necessary; he was + quicker to feel what was right at the moment, than the Englishman; more + alive; he had a finer grain; his look was more aristocratic than that of a + thousand Englishmen of good birth and breeding; he had a faculty of + assimilating himself to new manners, which, being his most un-English + trait, was what perhaps chiefly made the Warden think him so like an + Englishman. When an Englishman is a gentleman, to be sure, it is as deep + in him as the marrow of his bones, and the deeper you know him, the more + you are aware of it, and that generation after generation has contributed + to develop and perfect these unpretending manners, which, at first, may + have failed to impress you, under his plain, almost homely exterior. An + American often gets as good a surface of manners, in his own progress from + youth, through the wear and attrition of a successful life, to some high + station in middle age; whereas a plebeian Englishman, who rises to eminent + station, never does credit to it by his manners. Often you would not know + the American ambassador from a duke. This is often merely external; but in + Redclyffe, having delicate original traits in his character, it was + something more; and, we are bold to say, when our countrymen are + developed, or any one class of them, as they ought to be, they will show + finer traits than have yet been seen. We have more delicate and quicker + sensibilities; nerves more easily impressed; and these are surely + requisites for perfect manners; and, moreover, the courtesy that proceeds + on the ground of perfect equality is better than that which is a gracious + and benignant condescension,—as is the case with the manners of the + aristocracy of England. + </p> + <p> + An American, be it said, seldom turns his best side outermost abroad; and + an observer, who has had much opportunity of seeing the figure which they + make, in a foreign country, does not so much wonder that there should be + severe criticism on their manners as a people. I know not exactly why, but + all our imputed peculiarities—our nasal pronunciation, our + ungraceful idioms, our forthputtingness, our uncouth lack of courtesy—do + really seem to exist on a foreign shore; and even, perhaps, to be + heightened of malice prepense. The cold, unbelieving eye of Englishmen, + expectant of solecisms in manners, contributes to produce the result which + it looks for. Then the feeling of hostility and defiance in the American + must be allowed for; and partly, too, the real existence of a different + code of manners, founded on, and arising from, different institutions; and + also certain national peculiarities, which may be intrinsically as good as + English peculiarities; but being different, and yet the whole result being + just too nearly alike, and, moreover, the English manners having the + prestige of long establishment, and furthermore our own manners being in a + transition state between those of old monarchies and what is proper to a + new republic,—it necessarily followed that the American, though + really a man of refinement and delicacy, is not just the kind of gentleman + that the English can fully appreciate. In cases where they do so, their + standard being different from ours, they do not always select for their + approbation the kind of man or manners whom we should judge the best; we + are perhaps apt to be a little too fine, a little too sedulously polished, + and of course too conscious of it,—a deadly social crime, certainly. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0017" id="link2HCH0017"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVII. + </h2> + <p> + To return from this long discussion, the Warden took kindly, as we have + said, to Redclyffe, and thought him a miraculously good fellow, to have + come from the rude American republic. Hitherto, in the little time that he + had been in England, Redclyffe had received civil and even kind treatment + from the English with whom he had come casually in contact; but still—perhaps + partly from our Yankee narrowness and reserve—he had felt, in the + closest coming together, as if there were a naked sword between the + Englishman and him, as between the Arabian prince in the tale and the + princess whom he wedded; he felt as if that would be the case even if he + should love an Englishwoman; to such a distance, into such an attitude of + self-defence, does English self-complacency and belief in England’s + superiority throw the stranger. In fact, in a good-natured way, John Bull + is always doubling his fist in a stranger’s face, and though it be + good-natured, it does not always produce the most amiable feeling. + </p> + <p> + The worthy Warden, being an Englishman, had doubtless the same kind of + feeling; doubtless, too, he thought ours a poor, distracted country, + perhaps prosperous for the moment, but as likely as not to be the scene of + anarchy five minutes hence; but being of so genial a nature, when he came + to see the amiableness of his young guest, and how deeply he was impressed + with England, all prejudice died away, and he loved him like a treasure + that he had found for himself, and valued him as if there were something + of his own in him. And so the old Warden’s residence had never before been + so cheery as it was now; his bachelor life passed the more pleasantly with + this quiet, vivacious, yet not troublesomely restless spirit beside him,—this + eager, almost childish interest in everything English, and yet this + capacity to take independent views of things, and sometimes, it might be, + to throw a gleam of light even on things appertaining to England. And so, + the better they came to know one another, the greater was their mutual + liking. + </p> + <p> + “I fear I am getting too strong to burden you much longer,” said + Redclyffe, this morning. “I have no pretence to be a patient now.” + </p> + <p> + “Pooh! nonsense!” ejaculated the Warden. “It will not be safe to leave you + to yourself for at least a month to come. And I have half a dozen + excursions in a neighborhood of twenty miles, in which I mean to show you + what old England is, in a way that you would never find out for yourself. + Do not speak of going. This day, if you find yourself strong enough, you + shall go and look at an old village church.” + </p> + <p> + “With all my heart,” said Redclyffe. + </p> + <p> + They went, accordingly, walking slowly, in consequence of Redclyffe’s yet + imperfect strength, along the highroad, which was overshadowed with elms, + that grew in beautiful shape and luxuriance in that part of England, not + with the slender, drooping, picturesque grace of a New England elm, but + more luxuriant, fuller of leaves, sturdier in limb. It was a day which the + Warden called fine, and which Redclyffe, at home, would have thought to + bode rain; though here he had learned that such weather might continue for + weeks together, with only a few raindrops all the time. The road was in + the finest condition, hard and dry. + </p> + <p> + They had not long emerged from the gateway of the Hospital,—at the + venerable front and gables of which Redclyffe turned to look with a + feeling as if it were his home,—when they heard the clatter of hoofs + behind them, and a gentleman on horseback rode by, paying a courteous + salute to the Warden as he passed. A groom in livery followed at a little + distance, and both rode roundly towards the village, whither the Warden + and his friend were going. + </p> + <p> + “Did you observe that man?” asked the Warden. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Redclyffe. “Is he an Englishman?” + </p> + <p> + “That is a pertinent question,” replied the Warden, “but I scarcely know + how to answer it.” + </p> + <p> + In truth, Redclyffe’s question had been suggested by the appearance of the + mounted gentleman, who was a dark, thin man, with black hair, and a black + moustache and pointed beard setting off his sallow face, in which the eyes + had a certain pointed steeliness, which did not look English,—whose + eyes, methinks, are usually not so hard as those of Americans or + foreigners. Redclyffe, somehow or other, had fancied that these not very + pleasant eyes had been fixed in a marked way on himself, a stranger, while + at the same time his salute was evidently directed towards the Warden. + </p> + <p> + “An Englishman,—why, no,” continued the latter. “If you observe, he + does not even sit his horse like an Englishman, but in that absurd, stiff + continental way, as if a poker should get on horseback. Neither has he an + English face, English manners, nor English religion, nor an English heart; + nor, to sum up the whole, had he English birth. Nevertheless, as fate + would have it, he is the inheritor of a good old English name, a fine + patrimonial estate, and a very probable claim to an old English title. + This is Lord Braithwaite of Braithwaite Hall, who if he can make his case + good (and they say there is good prospect of it) will soon be Lord + Hinchbrooke.” + </p> + <p> + “I hardly know why, but I should be sorry for it,” said Redclyffe. “He + certainly is not English; and I have an odd sort of sympathy, which makes + me unwilling that English honors should be enjoyed by foreigners. This, + then, is the gentleman of Italian birth whom you have mentioned to me, and + of whom there is a slight mention in the County History.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said the Warden. “There have been three descents of this man’s + branch in Italy, and only one English mother in all that time. Positively, + I do not see an English trait in his face, and as little in his manner. + His civility is Italian, such as oftentimes, among his countrymen, has + offered a cup of poison to a guest, or insinuated the stab of a stiletto + into his heart.” + </p> + <p> + “You are particularly bitter against this poor man,” said Redclyffe, + laughing at the Warden’s vehemence. “His appearance—and yet he is a + handsome man—is certainly not prepossessing; but unless it be + countersigned by something in his actual life, I should hardly think it + worth while to condemn him utterly.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, well; you can forgive a little English prejudice,” said the Warden, + a little ashamed. “But, in good earnest, the man has few or no good + traits, takes no interest in the country, dislikes our sky, our earth, our + people, is close and inhospitable, a hard landlord, and whatever may be + his good qualities, they are not such as flourish in this soil and + climate, or can be appreciated here.” [Endnote: 1.] + </p> + <p> + “Has he children?” asked Redclyffe. + </p> + <p> + “They say so,—a family by an Italian wife, whom some, on the other + hand, pronounce to be no wife at all. His son is at a Catholic college in + France; his daughter in a convent there.” + </p> + <p> + In talk like this they were drawing near the little rustic village of + Braithwaite, and saw, above a cloud of foliage, the small, low, + battlemented tower, the gray stones of which had probably been laid a + little after the Norman conquest. Approaching nearer, they passed a + thatched cottage or two, very plain and simple edifices, though + interesting to Redclyffe from their antique aspect, which denoted that + they were probably older than the settlement of his own country, and might + very likely have nursed children who had gone, more than two centuries + ago, to found the commonwealth of which he was a citizen. If you + considered them in one way, prosaically, they were ugly enough; but then + there were the old latticed windows, and there the thatch, which was + verdant with leek, and strange weeds, possessing a whole botanical growth. + And birds flew in and out, as if they had their homes there. Then came a + row of similar cottages, all joined on together, and each with a little + garden before it divided from its neighbors by a hedge, now in full + verdure. Redclyffe was glad to see some symptoms of natural love of beauty + here, for there were plants of box, cut into queer shapes of birds, + peacocks, etc., as if year after year had been spent in bringing these + vegetable sculptures to perfection. In one of the gardens, moreover, the + ingenious inhabitant had spent his leisure in building grotto-work, of + which the English are rather ludicrously fond, on their little bits of + lawn, and in building a miniature castle of oyster-shells, where were seen + turrets, ramparts, a frowning arched gateway, and miniature cannon looking + from the embrasures. A pleasanter and better adornment were the homely + household flowers, and a pleasant sound, too, was the hum of bees, who had + their home in several beehives, and were making their honey among the + flowers of the garden, or come from afar, buzzing dreamily through the + air, laden with honey that they had found elsewhere. Fruit trees stood + erect, or, in some instances, were flattened out against the walls of + cottages, looking somewhat like hawks nailed <i>in terrorem</i> against a + barn door. The male members of this little community were probably afield, + with the exception of one or two half-torpid great-grandsires, who [were] + moving rheumatically about the gardens, and some children not yet in + breeches, who stared with stolid eyes at the passers-by; but the good + dames were busy within doors, where Redclyffe had glimpses of their + interior with its pavement of stone flags. Altogether it seemed a + comfortable settlement enough. + </p> + <p> + “Do you see that child yonder,” observed the Warden, “creeping away from + the door, and displaying a vista of his petticoats as he does so? That + sturdy boy is the lineal heir of one of the oldest families in this part + of England,—though now decayed and fallen, as you may judge. So, you + see, with all our contrivances to keep up an aristocracy, there still is + change forever going on.” + </p> + <p> + “There is something not agreeable, and something otherwise, in the + thought,” replied Redclyffe. “What is the name of the old family, whose + representative is in such a case?” + </p> + <p> + “Moseby,” said the Warden. “Their family residence stood within three + miles of Braithwaite Hall, but was taken down in the last century, and its + place supplied by a grand show-place, built by a Birmingham manufacturer, + who also originated here.” + </p> + <p> + They kept onward from this outskirt of the village, and soon, passing over + a little rising ground, and descending now into a hollow came to the new + portion of it, clustered around its gray Norman church, one side of the + tower of which was covered with ivy, that was carefully kept, the Warden + said, from climbing to the battlements, on account of some old prophecy + that foretold that the tower would fall, if ever the ivy mantled over its + top. Certainly, however, there seemed little likelihood that the square, + low mass would fall, unless by external violence, in less than as many + ages as it had already stood. + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe looked at the old tower and little adjoining edifice with an + interest that attached itself to every separate, moss-grown stone; but the + Warden, like most Englishmen, was at once amazed and wearied with the + American’s enthusiasm for this spot, which to him was uninteresting for + the very reason that made it most interesting to Redclyffe, because it had + stood there such a weary while. It was too common an object to excite in + his mind, as it did in Redclyffe’s, visions of the long ago time when it + was founded, when mass was first said there, and the glimmer of torches at + the altar was seen through the vista of that broad-browed porch; and of + all the procession of villagers that had since gone in and come out during + nine hundred years, in their varying costume and fashion, but yet—and + this was the strongest and most thrilling part of the idea—all, the + very oldest of them, bearing a resemblance of feature, the kindred, the + family likeness, to those who died yesterday,—to those who still + went thither to worship; and that all the grassy and half-obliterated + graves around had held those who bore the same traits. + </p> + <p> + In front of the church was a little green, on which stood a very ancient + yew tree, [Endnote: 2] all the heart of which seemed to have been eaten + away by time, so that a man could now creep into the trunk, through a wide + opening, and, looking upward, see another opening to the sky. + </p> + <p> + “That tree,” observed the Warden, “is well worth the notice of such an + enthusiastic lover of old things; though I suppose aged trees may be the + one antiquity that you do not value, having them by myriads in your + primeval forests. But then the interest of this tree consists greatly in + what your trees have not,—in its long connection with men and the + goings of men. Some of its companions were made into bows for Harold’s + archers. This tree is of unreckonable antiquity; so old, that in a record + of the time of Edward IV. it is styled the yew tree of Braithwaite Green. + That carries it back to Norman times, truly. It was in comparatively + modern times when it served as a gallows for one of James II.‘s + bloodthirsty judges to hang his victims on after Monmouth’s rebellion.” + </p> + <p> + On one side of this yew was a certain structure which Redclyffe did not + recognize as anything that he had before seen, but soon guessed its + purpose; though, from appearances, it seemed to have been very long since + it had served that purpose. It was a ponderous old oaken framework, six or + seven feet high, so contrived that a heavy cross-piece shut down over + another, leaving two round holes; in short, it was a pair of stocks, in + which, I suppose, hundreds of vagrants and petty criminals had sat of old, + but which now appeared to be merely a matter of curiosity. + </p> + <p> + “This excellent old machine,” said the Warden, “had been lying in a + rubbish chamber of the church tower for at least a century; when the + clerk, who is a little of an antiquarian, unearthed it, and I advised him + to set it here, where it used to stand;—not with any idea of its + being used (though there is as much need of it now as ever), but that the + present age may see what comforts it has lost.” + </p> + <p> + They sat down a few moments on the circular seat, and looked at the pretty + scene of this quiet little village, clustered round the old church as a + centre; a collection of houses, mostly thatched, though there were one or + two, with rather more pretension, that had roofs of red tiles. Some of + them were stone cottages, whitewashed, but the larger edifices had timber + frames, filled in with brick and plaster, which seemed to have been + renewed in patches, and to be a frailer and less durable material than the + old oak of their skeletons. They were gabled, with lattice windows, and + picturesquely set off with projecting stones, and many little patchwork + additions, such as, in the course of generations, the inhabitants had + found themselves to need. There was not much commerce, apparently, in this + little village, there seeming to be only one shop, with some gingerbread, + penny whistles, ballads, and such matters, displayed in the window; and + there, too, across the little green, opposite the church, was the village + alehouse, with its bench under the low projecting eaves, with a Teniers + scene of two wayfaring yeomen drinking a pot of beer and smoking their + pipes. + </p> + <p> + With Redclyffe’s Yankee feelings, there was something sad to think how the + generations had succeeded one another, over and over, in innumerable + succession, in this little spot, being born here, living, dying, lying + down among their fathers’ dust, and forthwith getting up again, as it + were, and recommencing the same meaningless round, and really bringing + nothing to pass; for probably the generation of to-day, in so secluded and + motionless a place as this, had few or no ideas in advance of their + ancestors of five centuries ago. It seems not worth while that more than + one generation of them should have existed. Even in dress, with their + smock frocks and breeches, they were just like their fathers. The stirring + blood of the new land,—where no man dwells in his father’s house,—where + no man thinks of dying in his birthplace,—awoke within him, and + revolted at the thought; and, as connected with it, revolted at all the + hereditary pretensions which, since his stay here, had exercised such an + influence over the fanciful part of his nature. In another mood, the + village might have seemed a picture of rural peace, which it would have + been worth while to give up ambition to enjoy; now, as his warmer impulse + stirred, it was a weariness to think of. The new American was stronger in + him than the hereditary Englishman. + </p> + <p> + “I should go mad of it!” exclaimed he aloud. + </p> + <p> + He started up impulsively, to the amazement of his companion, who of + course could not comprehend what seemed so to have stung his American + friend. As they passed the tree, on the other side of its huge trunk, they + saw a young woman, sitting on that side of it, and sketching, apparently, + the church tower, with the old Elizabethan vicarage that stood near it, + with a gate opening into the churchyard, and much embowered and ivy-hung. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, Miss Cheltenham,” said the Warden. “I am glad to see that you have + taken the old church in hand, for it is one of the prettiest rustic + churches in England, and as well worthy as any to be engraved on a sheet + of note-paper or put into a portfolio. Will you let my friend and me see + your sketch?” + </p> + <p> + The Warden had made his request with rather more freedom than perhaps he + would to a lady whom he considered on a level with himself, though with + perfect respect, that being considered; and Redclyffe, looking at the + person, saw that it was the same of whose face he had had a glimpse in the + looking-glass, in the old palmer’s chamber. + </p> + <p> + “No, Doctor Hammond,” said the young lady, with a respectful sort of + frankness, “you must excuse me. I am no good artist, and am but jotting + down the old church because I like it.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, well, as you please,” said the Warden; and whispered aside to + Redclyffe, “A girl’s sketchbook is seldom worth looking at. But now, Miss + Cheltenham, I am about to give my American friend here a lecture on + gargoyles, and other peculiarities of sacred Gothic architecture; and if + you will honor me with your attention, I should be glad to find my + audience increased by one.” + </p> + <p> + So the young lady arose, and Redclyffe, considering the Warden’s allusion + to him as a sort of partial introduction, bowed to her, and she responded + with a cold, reserved, yet not unpleasant sort of courtesy. They went + towards the church porch, and, looking in at the old stone bench on each + side of the interior, the Warden showed them the hacks of the swords of + the Roundheads, when they took it by storm. Redclyffe, mindful of the old + graveyard on the edge of which he had spent his childhood, began to look + at this far more antique receptacle, expecting to find there many ancient + tombstones, perhaps of contemporaries or predecessors of the founders of + his country. In this, however, he was disappointed, at least in a great + measure; for the persons buried in the churchyard were probably, for the + most part, of a humble rank in life, such as were not so ambitious as to + desire a monument of any kind, but were content to let their low + earth-mounds subside into the level, where their memory had waxed so faint + that none among the survivors could point out the spot, or cared any + longer about knowing it; while in other cases, where a monument of red + freestone, or even of hewn granite, had been erected, the English climate + had forthwith set to work to gnaw away the inscriptions; so that in fifty + years—in a time that would have left an American tombstone as fresh + as if just cut—it was quite impossible to make out the record. Their + superiors, meanwhile, were sleeping less enviably in dismal mouldy and + dusty vaults, instead of under the daisies. Thus Redclyffe really found + less antiquity here, than in the graveyard which might almost be called + his natal spot. + </p> + <p> + When he said something to this effect, the Warden nodded. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said he, “and, in truth, we have not much need of inscriptions for + these poor people. All good families—every one almost, with any + pretensions to respectable station, has his family or individual + recognition within the church, or upon its walls; or some of them you see + on tombs on the outside. As for our poorer friends here, they are content, + as they may well be, to swell and subside, like little billows of + mortality, here on the outside.” + </p> + <p> + “And for my part,” said Redclyffe, “if there were anything particularly + desirable on either side, I should like best to sleep under this lovely + green turf, with the daisies strewn over me by Nature herself, and + whatever other homely flowers any friend might choose to add.” + </p> + <p> + “And, Doctor Hammond,” said the young woman, “we see by this gravestone + that sometimes a person of humble rank may happen to be commemorated, and + that Nature—in this instance at least—seems to take especial + pains and pleasure to preserve the record.” + </p> + <p> + She indicated a flat gravestone, near the porch, which time had indeed + beautified in a singular way, for there was cut deep into it a name and + date, in old English characters, very deep it must originally have been; + and as if in despair of obliterating it, Time had taken the kindlier + method of filling up the letters with moss; so that now, high embossed in + loveliest green, was seen the name “Richard Oglethorpe 1613”;—green, + and flourishing, and beautiful, like the memory of a good man. The + inscription originally seemed to have contained some twenty lines, which + might have been poetry, or perhaps a prose eulogy, or perhaps the simple + record of the buried person’s life; but all this, having been done in + fainter and smaller letters, was now so far worn away as to be illegible; + nor had they ever been deep enough to be made living in moss, like the + rest of the inscription. + </p> + <p> + “How tantalizing,” remarked Redclyffe, “to see the verdant shine of this + name, impressed upon us as something remarkable—and nothing else. I + cannot but think that there must be something worth remembering about a + man thus distinguished. When two hundred years have taken all these + natural pains to illustrate and emblazon ‘Richard Oglethorpe 1613.’ Ha! I + surely recollect that name. It haunts me somehow, as if it had been + familiar of old.” + </p> + <p> + “And me,” said the young lady. + </p> + <p> + “It was an old name, hereabouts,” observed the Warden, “but has been long + extinct,—a cottage name, not a gentleman’s. I doubt not that + Oglethorpes sleep in many of these undistinguished graves.” + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe did not much attend to what his friend said, his attention being + attracted to the tone—to something in the tone of the young lady, + and also to her coincidence in his remark that the name appealed to some + early recollection. He had been taxing his memory, to tell him when and + how the name had become familiar to him; and he now remembered that it had + occurred in the old Doctor’s story of the Bloody Footstep, told to him and + Elsie, so long ago. [Endnote: 3] To him and Elsie! It struck him—what + if it were possible?—but he knew it was not—that the young + lady had a remembrance also of the fact, and that she, after so many + years, were mingling her thoughts with his. As this fancy recurred to him, + he endeavored to get a glimpse of her face, and while he did so she turned + it upon him. It was a quick, sensitive face, that did not seem altogether + English; he would rather have imagined it American; but at all events he + could not recognize it as one that he had seen before, and a thousand + fantasies died within him as, in his momentary glance, he took in the + volume of its contour. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0018" id="link2HCH0018"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVIII. + </h2> + <p> + After the two friends had parted from the young lady, they passed through + the village, and entered the park gate of Braithwaite Hall, pursuing a + winding road through its beautiful scenery, which realized all that + Redclyffe had read or dreamed about the perfect beauty of these sylvan + creations, with the clumps of trees, or sylvan oaks, picturesquely + disposed. To heighten the charm, they saw a herd of deer reposing, who, on + their appearance, rose from their recumbent position, and began to gaze + warily at the strangers; then, tossing their horns, they set off on a + stampede, but only swept round, and settled down not far from where they + were. Redclyffe looked with great interest at these deer, who were at once + wild and civilized; retaining a kind of free forest citizenship, while yet + they were in some sense subject to man. It seemed as if they were a link + between wild nature and tame; as if they could look back, in their long + recollections, through a vista, into the times when England’s forests were + as wild as those of America, though now they were but a degree more + removed from domesticity than cattle, and took their food in winter from + the hand of man, and in summer reposed upon his lawns. This seemed the + last touch of that delightful conquered and regulated wildness, which + English art has laid upon the whole growth of English nature, animal or + vegetable. + </p> + <p> + “There is nothing really wild in your whole island,” he observed to the + Warden. “I have a sensation as if somebody knew, and had cultivated and + fostered, and set out in its proper place, every tree that grows; as if + somebody had patted the heads of your wildest animals and played with + them. It is very delightful to me, for the present; and yet, I think, in + the course of time, I should feel the need for something genuine, as it + were,—something that had not the touch and breath of man upon it. I + suppose even your skies are modified by the modes of human life that are + going on beneath it. London skies, of course, are so; but the breath of a + great people, to say nothing of its furnace vapors and hearth-smokes, make + the sky other than it was a thousand years ago.” + </p> + <p> + “I believe we English have a feeling like this occasionally,” replied the + Warden, “and it is from that, partly, that we must account for our + adventurousness into other regions, especially for our interest in what is + wild and new. In your own forests, now, and prairies, I fancy we find a + charm that Americans do not. In the sea, too, and therefore we are + yachters. For my part, however, I have grown to like Nature a little + smoothed down, and enriched; less gaunt and wolfish than she would be if + left to herself.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes; I feel that charm too,” said Redclyffe. “But yet life would be slow + and heavy, methinks, to see nothing but English parks.” + </p> + <p> + Continuing their course through the noble clumps of oaks, they by and by + had a vista of the distant hall itself. It was one of the old English + timber and plaster houses, many of which are of unknown antiquity; as was + the case with a portion of this house, although other portions had been + renewed, repaired, or added, within a century. It had, originally, the + Warden said, stood all round an enclosed courtyard, like the great houses + of the Continent; but now one side of the quadrangle had long been + removed, and there was only a front, with two wings; the beams of old oak + being picked out with black, and three or four gables in a line forming + the front, while the wings seemed to be stone. It was the timber portion + that was most ancient. A clock was on the midmost gable, and pointed now + towards one o’clock. The whole scene impressed Redclyffe, not as striking, + but as an abode of ancient peace, where generation after generation of the + same family had lived, each making the most of life, because the life of + each successive dweller there was eked out with the lives of all who had + hitherto lived there, and had in it equally those lives which were to come + afterwards; so that there was a rare and successful contrivance for giving + length, fulness, body, substance, to this thin and frail matter of human + life. And, as life was so rich in comprehensiveness, the dwellers there + made the most of it for the present and future, each generation contriving + what it could to add to the cosiness, the comfortableness, the grave, + solid respectability, the sylvan beauty, of the house with which they + seemed to be connected both before and after death. The family had its + home there; not merely the individual. Ancient shapes, that had apparently + gone to the family tomb, had yet a right by family hearth and in family + hall; nor did they come thither cold and shivering, and diffusing dim + ghostly terrors, and repulsive shrinkings, and death in life; but in warm, + genial attributes, making this life now passing more dense as it were, by + adding all the substance of their own to it. Redclyffe could not compare + this abode, and the feelings that it aroused, to the houses of his own + country; poor tents of a day, inns of a night, where nothing was certain, + save that the family of him who built it would not dwell here, even if he + himself should have the bliss to die under the roof, which, with absurdest + anticipations, he had built for his posterity. Posterity! An American can + have none. + </p> + <p> + “All this sort of thing is beautiful; the family institution was beautiful + in its day,” ejaculated he, aloud, to himself, not to his companion; “but + it is a thing of the past. It is dying out in England; and as for + ourselves, we never had it. Something better will come up; but as for + this, it is past.” + </p> + <p> + “That is a sad thing to say,” observed the Warden, by no means + comprehending what was passing in his friend’s mind. “But if you wish to + view the interior of the Hall, we will go thither; for, harshly as I have + spoken of the owner, I suppose he has English feeling enough to give us + lunch and show us the old house of his forefathers.” + </p> + <p> + “Not at present, if you please,” replied Redclyffe. “I am afraid of + destroying my delightful visionary idea of the house by coming too near + it. Before I leave this part of the country, I should be glad to ramble + over the whole of it, but not just now.” + </p> + <p> + While Redclyffe was still enjoying the frank hospitality of his new + friend, a rather marked event occurred in his life; yet not so important + in reality as it seemed to his English friend. + </p> + <p> + A large letter was delivered to him, bearing the official seal of the + United States, and the indorsement of the State Department; a very + important-looking document, which could not but add to the importance of + the recipient in the eyes of any Englishman, accustomed as they are to bow + down before any seal of government. Redclyffe opened it rather coolly, + being rather loath to renew any of his political remembrances, now that he + was in peace; or to think of the turmoil of modern and democratic + politics, here in this quietude of gone-by ages and customs. The contents, + however, took him by surprise; nor did he know whether to be pleased or + not. + </p> + <p> + The official package, in short, contained an announcement that he had been + appointed by the President, by and with the advice of the Senate, to one + of the Continental missions, usually esteemed an object of considerable + ambition to any young man in politics; so that, if consistent with his own + pleasure, he was now one of the Diplomatic Corps, a Minister, and + representative of his country. On first considering the matter, Redclyffe + was inclined to doubt whether this honor had been obtained for him + altogether by friendly aid, though it did happen to have much in it that + might suit his half-formed purpose of remaining long abroad; but with an + eye already rendered somewhat oblique by political practice, he suspected + that a political rival—a rival, though of his own party—had + been exerting himself to provide an inducement for Redclyffe to leave the + local field to him; while he himself should take advantage of the vacant + field, and his rival be thus insidiously, though honorably, laid on the + shelf, whence if he should try to remove himself a few years hence the + shifting influences of American politics would be likely enough to thwart + him; so that, for the sake of being a few years nominally somebody, he + might in fine come back to his own country and find himself permanently + nobody. But Redclyffe had already sufficiently begun to suspect that he + lacked some qualities that a politician ought to have, and without which a + political life, whether successful or otherwise, is sure to be a most + irksome one: some qualities he lacked, others he had, both almost equally + an obstacle. When he communicated the offer, therefore, to his friend, the + Warden, it was with the remark that he believed he should accept it. + </p> + <p> + “Accept it?” cried the Warden, opening his eyes. “I should think so, + indeed! Why, it puts you above the level of the highest nobility of the + Court to which you are accredited; simple republican as you are, it gives + you rank with the old blood and birth of Europe. Accept it? By all means; + and I will come and see you at your court.” + </p> + <p> + “Nothing is more different between England and America,” said Redclyffe, + “than the different way in which the citizen of either country looks at + official station. To an Englishman, a commission, of whatever kind, + emanating from his sovereign, brings apparently a gratifying sense of + honor; to an American, on the contrary, it offers really nothing of the + kind. He ceases to be a sovereign,—an atom of sovereignty, at all + events,—and stoops to be a servant. If I accept this mission, + honorable as you think it, I assure you I shall not feel myself quite the + man I have hitherto been; although there is no obstacle in the way of + party obligations or connections to my taking it, if I please.” + </p> + <p> + “I do not well understand this,” quoth the good Warden. “It is one of the + promises of Scripture to the wise man, that he shall stand before kings, + and that this embassy will enable you to do. No man—no man of your + country surely—is more worthy to do so; so pray accept.” + </p> + <p> + “I think I shall,” said Redclyffe. + </p> + <p> + Much as the Warden had seemed to affectionize Redclyffe hitherto, the + latter could not but be sensible, thereafter, of a certain deference in + his friend towards him, which he would fain have got rid of, had it been + in his power. However, there was still the same heartiness under it all; + and after a little he seemed, in some degree, to take Redclyffe’s own view + of the matter;—namely, that, being so temporary as these republican + distinctions are, they really do not go skin deep, have no reality in + them, and that the sterling quality of the man, be it higher or lower, is + nowise altered by it;—an apothegm that is true even of an hereditary + nobility, and still more so of our own Honorables and Excellencies. + However, the good Warden was glad of his friend’s dignity, and perhaps, + too, a little glad that this high fortune had befallen one whom he chanced + to be entertaining under his roof. As it happened, there was an + opportunity which might be taken advantage of to celebrate the occasion; + at least, to make it known to the English world so far as the extent of + the county. [Endnote: 1.] + </p> + <p> + It was an hereditary custom for the warden of Braithwaite Hospital, once a + year, to give a grand dinner to the nobility and gentry of the + neighborhood; and to this end a bequest had been made by one of the former + squires or lords of Braithwaite which would of itself suffice to feed + forty or fifty Englishmen with reasonable sumptuousness. The present + Warden, being a gentleman of private fortune, was accustomed to eke the + limited income, devoted for this purpose, with such additions from his own + resources as brought the rude and hearty hospitality contemplated by the + first founder on a par with modern refinements of gourmandism. The banquet + was annually given in the fine old hall where James II. had feasted; and + on some of these occasions the Warden’s table had been honored with + illustrious guests; especially when any of them happened to be wanting an + opportunity to come before the public in an after-dinner speech. Just at + present there was no occasion of that sort; and the good Warden fancied + that he might give considerable <i>éclat</i> to his hereditary feast by + bringing forward the young American envoy, a distinguished and eloquent + man, to speak on the well-worn topic of the necessity of friendly + relations between England and America. + </p> + <p> + “You are eloquent, I doubt not, my young friend?” inquired he. + </p> + <p> + “Why, no,” answered Redclyffe, modestly. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, yes, I know it,” returned the Warden. “If one have all the natural + prerequisites of eloquence; a quick sensibility, ready thought, apt + expression, a good voice—and not making its way into the world + through your nose either, as they say most of your countrymen’s voices do. + You shall make the crack speech at my dinner; and so strengthen the bonds + of good fellowship between our two countries, that there shall be no + question of war for at least six months to come.” + </p> + <p> + Accordingly, the preparations for this stately banquet went on with great + spirit; and the Warden exhorted Redclyffe to be thinking of some good + topics for his international speech; but the young man laughed it off, and + told his friend that he thought the inspiration of the moment, aided by + the good old wine which the Warden had told him of, as among the treasures + of the Hospital, would perhaps serve him better than any elaborate + preparation. + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe, being not even yet strong, used to spend much time, when the + day chanced to be pleasant, (which was oftener than his preconceptions of + English weather led him to expect,) in the garden behind the Warden’s + house. It was an extensive one, and apparently as antique as the + foundation of the establishment; and during all these years it had + probably been growing richer and richer. Here were flowers of ancient + race, and some that had been merely field or wayside flowers when first + they came into the garden; but by long cultivation and hereditary care, + instead of dying out, they had acquired a new richness and beauty, so that + you would scarcely recognize the daisy or the violet. Roses too, there + were, which Doctor Hammond said had been taken from those white and red + rose-trees in the Temple Gardens, whence the partisans of York and + Lancaster had plucked their fatal badges. With these, there were all the + modern and far-fetched flowers from America, the East, and elsewhere; even + the prairie flowers and the California blossoms were represented here; for + one of the brethren had horticultural tastes, and was permitted freely to + exercise them there. The antique character of the garden was preserved, + likewise, by the alleys of box, a part of which had been suffered to + remain, and was now grown to a great height and density, so as to make + impervious green walls. There were also yew trees clipped into strange + shapes of bird and beast, and uncouth heraldic figures, among which of + course the leopard’s head grinned triumphant; and as for fruit, the high + garden wall was lined with pear trees, spread out flat against it, where + they managed to produce a cold, flavorless fruit, a good deal akin to + cucumbers. + </p> + <p> + Here, in these genial old arbors, Redclyffe used to recline in the sweet, + mild summer weather, basking in the sun, which was seldom too warm to make + its full embrace uncomfortable; and it seemed to him, with its fertility, + with its marks everywhere of the quiet long-bestowed care of man, the + sweetest and cosiest seclusion he had ever known; and two or three times a + day, when he heard the screech of the railway train, rushing on towards + distant London, it impressed him still more with a sense of safe repose + here. + </p> + <p> + Not unfrequently he here met the white-bearded palmer in whose chamber he + had found himself, as if conveyed thither by enchantment, when he first + came to the Hospital. The old man was not by any means of the garrulous + order; and yet he seemed full of thoughts, full of reminiscences, and not + disinclined to the company of Redclyffe. In fact, the latter sometimes + flattered himself that a tendency for his society was one of the motives + that brought him to the garden; though the amount of their intercourse, + after all, was not so great as to warrant the idea of any settled purpose + in so doing. Nevertheless, they talked considerably; and Redclyffe could + easily see that the old man had been an extensive traveller, and had + perhaps occupied situations far different from his present one, and had + perhaps been a struggler in troubled waters before he was drifted into the + retirement where Redclyffe found him. He was fond of talking about the + unsuspected relationship that must now be existing between many families + in England and unknown consanguinity in the new world, where, perhaps, + really the main stock of the family tree was now existing, and with a new + spirit and life, which the representative growth here in England had lost + by too long continuance in one air and one mode of life. For history and + observation proved that all people—and the English people by no + means less than others—needed to be transplanted, or somehow + renewed, every few generations; so that, according to this ancient + philosopher’s theory, it would be good for the whole people of England + now, if it could at once be transported to America, where its fatness, its + sleepiness, its too great beefiness, its preponderant animal character, + would be rectified by a different air and soil; and equally good, on the + other hand, for the whole American people to be transplanted back to the + original island, where their nervousness might be weighted with heavier + influences, where their little women might grow bigger, where their thin, + dry men might get a burden of flesh and good stomachs, where their + children might, with the air, draw in a reverence for age, forms, and + usage. + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe listened with complacency to these speculations, smiling at the + thought of such an exodus as would take place, and the reciprocal + dissatisfaction which would probably be the result. But he had greater + pleasure in drawing out some of the old gentleman’s legendary lore, some + of which, whether true or not, was very curious. [Endnote: 2.] + </p> + <p> + As Redclyffe sat one day watching the old man in the garden, he could not + help being struck by the scrupulous care with which he attended to the + plants; it seemed to him that there was a sense of justice,—of + desiring to do exactly what was right in the matter, not favoring one + plant more than another, and doing all he could for each. His progress, in + consequence, was so slow, that in an hour, while Redclyffe was off and on + looking at him, he had scarcely done anything perceptible. Then he was so + minute; and often, when he was on the point of leaving one thing to take + up another, some small neglect that he saw or fancied called him back + again, to spend other minutes on the same task. He was so full of + scruples. It struck Redclyffe that this was conscience, morbid, sick, a + despot in trifles, looking so closely into life that it permitted nothing + to be done. The man might once have been strong and able, but by some + unhealthy process of his life he had ceased to be so now. Nor did any + happy or satisfactory result appear to come from these painfully wrought + efforts; he still seemed to know that he had left something undone in + doing too much in another direction. Here was a lily that had been + neglected, while he paid too much attention to a rose; he had set his foot + on a violet; he had grubbed up, in his haste, a little plant that he + mistook for a weed, but that he now suspected was an herb of grace. + Grieved by such reflections as these, he heaved a deep sigh, almost + amounting to a groan, and sat down on the little stool that he carried + with him in his weeding, resting his face in his hands. + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe deemed that he might be doing the old man a good service by + interrupting his melancholy labors; so he emerged from the opposite door + of the summer-house, and came along the adjoining walk with somewhat heavy + footsteps, in order that the palmer might have warning of his approach + without any grounds to suppose that he had been watched hitherto. + Accordingly, when he turned into the other alley, he found the old man + sitting erect on his stool, looking composed, but still sad, as was his + general custom. + </p> + <p> + “After all your wanderings and experience,” said he, “I observe that you + come back to the original occupation of cultivating a garden,—the + innocentest of all.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, so it would seem,” said the old man; “but somehow or other I do not + find peace in this.” + </p> + <p> + “These plants and shrubs,” returned Redclyffe, “seem at all events to + recognize the goodness of your rule, so far as it has extended over them. + See how joyfully they take the sun; how clear [they are] from all these + vices that lie scattered round, in the shape of weeds. It is a lovely + sight, and I could almost fancy a quiet enjoyment in the plants + themselves, which they have no way of making us aware of, except by giving + out a fragrance.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! how infinitely would that idea increase man’s responsibility,” said + the old palmer, “if, besides man and beast, we should find it necessary to + believe that there is also another set of beings dependent for their + happiness on our doing, or leaving undone, what might have effect on + them!” + </p> + <p> + “I question,” said Redclyffe, smiling, “whether their pleasurable or + painful experiences can be so keen, that we need trouble our consciences + much with regard to what we do, merely as it affects them. So highly + cultivated a conscience as that would be a nuisance to one’s self and + one’s fellows.” + </p> + <p> + “You say a terrible thing,” rejoined the old man. “Can conscience be too + much alive in us? is not everything however trifling it seems, an item in + the great account, which it is of infinite importance therefore to have + right? A terrible thing is that you have said.” + </p> + <p> + “That may be,” said Redclyffe; “but it is none the less certain to me, + that the efficient actors—those who mould the world—are the + persons in whom something else is developed more strongly than conscience. + There must be an invincible determination to effect something; it may be + set to work in the right direction, but after that it must go onward, + trampling down small obstacles—small considerations of right and + wrong—as a great rock, thundering down a hillside, crushes a + thousand sweet flowers, and ploughs deep furrows in the innocent + hillside.” + </p> + <p> + As Redclyffe gave vent to this doctrine, which was not naturally his, but + which had been the inculcation of a life, hitherto devoted to politics, he + was surprised to find how strongly sensible he became of the ugliness and + indefensibleness of what he said. He felt as if he were speaking under the + eye of Omniscience, and as if every word he said were weighed, and its + emptiness detected, by an unfailing intelligence. He had thought that he + had volumes to say about the necessity of consenting not to do right in + all matters minutely, for the sake of getting out an available and + valuable right as the whole; but there was something that seemed to tie + his tongue. Could it be the quiet gaze of this old man, so unpretending, + so humble, so simple in aspect? He could not tell, only that he faltered, + and finally left his speech in the midst. + </p> + <p> + But he was surprised to find how he had to struggle against a certain + repulsion within himself to the old man. He seemed so nonsensical, + interfering with everybody’s right in the world; so mischievous, standing + there and shutting out the possibility of action. It seemed well to + trample him down; to put him out of the way—no matter how—somehow. + It gave him, he thought, an inkling of the way in which this poor old man + had made himself odious to his kind, by opposing himself, inevitably, to + what was bad in man, chiding it by his very presence, accepting nothing + false. You must either love him utterly, or hate him utterly; for he could + not let you alone. Redclyffe, being a susceptible man, felt this influence + in the strongest way; for it was as if there was a battle within him, one + party pulling, wrenching him towards the old man, another wrenching him + away, so that, by the agony of the contest, he felt disposed to end it by + taking flight, and never seeing the strange individual again. He could + well enough conceive how a brutal nature, if capable of receiving his + influence at all, might find it so intolerable that it must needs get rid + of him by violence,—by taking his blood if necessary. + </p> + <p> + All these feelings were but transitory, however; they swept across him + like a wind, and then he looked again at the old man and saw only his + simplicity, his unworldliness,—saw little more than the worn and + feeble individual in the Hospital garb, leaning on his staff; and then + turning again with a gentle sigh to weed in the garden. And then Redclyffe + went away, in a state of disturbance for which he could not account to + himself. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0019" id="link2HCH0019"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIX. + </h2> + <p> + High up in the old carved roof, meanwhile, the spiders of centuries still + hung their flaunting webs with a profusion that old Doctor Grimshawe would + have been ravished to see; but even this was to be remedied, for one day, + on looking in, Redclyffe found the great hall dim with floating dust, and + down through it came great floating masses of cobweb, out of which the old + Doctor would have undertaken to regenerate the world; and he saw, dimly + aloft, men on ladders sweeping away these accumulations of years, and + breaking up the haunts and residences of hereditary spiders. + </p> + <p> + The stately old hall had been in process of cleaning and adapting to the + banquet purposes of the nineteenth century, which it was accustomed to + subserve, in so proud a way, in the sixteenth. It was, in the first place, + well swept and cleansed; the painted glass windows were cleansed from + dust, and several panes, which had been unfortunately broken and filled + with common glass, were filled in with colored panes, which the Warden had + picked up somewhere in his antiquarian researches. They were not, to be + sure, just what was wanted; a piece of a saint, from some cathedral + window, supplying what was lacking of the gorgeous purple of a mediæval + king; but the general effect was rich and good, whenever the misty English + atmosphere supplied sunshine bright enough to pervade it. Tapestry, too, + from antique looms, faded, but still gorgeous, was hung upon the walls. + Some suits of armor, that hung beneath the festal gallery, were polished + till the old battered helmets and pierced breastplates sent a gleam like + that with which they had flashed across the battle-fields of old. + [Endnote: 1.] + </p> + <p> + So now the great day of the Warden’s dinner had arrived; and, as may be + supposed, there were fiery times in the venerable old kitchen. The cook, + according to ancient custom, concocted many antique dishes, such as used + to be set before kings and nobles; dainties that might have called the + dead out of their graves; combinations of ingredients that had ceased to + be put together for centuries; historic dishes, which had long, long + ceased to be in the list of revels. Then there was the stalwart English + cheer of the sirloin, and the round; there were the vast plum-puddings, + the juicy mutton, the venison; there was the game, now just in season,—the + half-tame wild fowl of English covers, the half-domesticated wild deer of + English parks, the heathcock from the far-off hills of Scotland, and one + little prairie hen, and some canvas-back ducks—obtained, Heaven + knows how, in compliment to Redclyffe—from his native shores. O, the + old jolly kitchen! how rich the flavored smoke that went up its vast + chimney! how inestimable the atmosphere of steam that was diffused through + it! How did the old men peep into it, even venture across the threshold, + braving the hot wrath of the cook and his assistants, for the sake of + imbuing themselves with these rich and delicate flavors, receiving them in + as it were spiritually; for, received through the breath and in the + atmosphere, it was really a spiritual enjoyment. The ghosts of ancient + epicures seemed, on that day and the few preceding ones, to haunt the dim + passages, snuffing in with shadowy nostrils the rich vapors, assuming + visibility in the congenial medium, almost becoming earthly again in the + strength of their earthly longings for one other feast such as they used + to enjoy. + </p> + <p> + Nor is it to be supposed that it was only these antique dainties that the + Warden provided for his feast. No; if the cook, the cultured and recondite + old cook, who had accumulated within himself all that his predecessors + knew for centuries,—if he lacked anything of modern fashion and + improvement, he had supplied his defect by temporary assistance from a + London club; and the bill of fare was provided with dishes that Soyer + would not have harshly criticised. The ethereal delicacy of modern taste, + the nice adjustment of flowers, the French style of cookery, was richly + attended to; and the list was long of dishes with fantastic names, fish, + fowl, and flesh; and <i>entremets</i>, and “sweets,” as the English call + them, and sugared cates, too numerous to think of. + </p> + <p> + The wines we will not take upon ourselves to enumerate; but the juice, + then destined to be quaffed, was in part the precious vintages that had + been broached half a century ago, and had been ripening ever since; the + rich and dry old port, so unlovely to the natural palate that it requires + long English seasoning to get it down; the sherry, imported before these + modern days of adulteration; some claret, the Warden said of rarest + vintage; some Burgundy, of which it was the quality to warm the blood and + genialize existence for three days after it was drunk. Then there was a + rich liquid contributed to this department by Redclyffe himself; for, some + weeks since, when the banquet first loomed in the distance, he had + (anxious to evince his sense of the Warden’s kindness) sent across the + ocean for some famous Madeira which he had inherited from the Doctor, and + never tasted yet. This, together with some of the Western wines of + America, had arrived, and was ready to be broached. + </p> + <p> + The Warden tested these modern wines, and recognized a new flavor, but + gave it only a moderate approbation; for, in truth, an elderly Englishman + has not a wide appreciation of wines, nor loves new things in this kind + more than in literature or life. But he tasted the Madeira, too, and + underwent an ecstasy, which was only alleviated by the dread of gout, + which he had an idea that this wine must bring on,—and truly, if it + were so splendid a wine as he pronounced it, some pain ought to follow as + the shadow of such a pleasure. + </p> + <p> + As it was a festival of antique date, the dinner hour had been fixed + earlier than is usual at such stately banquets; namely, at six o’clock, + which was long before the dusky hour at which Englishmen love best to + dine. About that period, the carriages drove into the old courtyard of the + Hospital in great abundance; blocking up, too, the ancient portal, and + remaining in a line outside. Carriages they were with armorial bearings, + family coaches in which came Englishmen in their black coats and white + neckcloths, elderly, white-headed, fresh-colored, squat; not beautiful, + certainly, nor particularly dignified, nor very well dressed, nor with + much of an imposing air, but yet, somehow or other, producing an effect of + force, respectability, reliableness, trust, which is probably deserved, + since it is invariably experienced. Cold they were in deportment, and + looked coldly on the stranger, who, on his part, drew himself up with an + extra haughtiness and reserve, and felt himself in the midst of his + enemies, and more as if he were going to do battle than to sit down to a + friendly banquet. The Warden introduced him, as an American diplomatist, + to one or two of the gentlemen, who regarded him forbiddingly, as + Englishmen do before dinner. + </p> + <p> + Not long after Redclyffe had entered the reception-room, which was but + shortly before the hour appointed for the dinner, there was another + arrival betokened by the clatter of hoofs and grinding wheels in the + courtyard; and then entered a gentleman of different mien from the bluff, + ruddy, simple-minded, yet worldly Englishmen around him. He was a tall, + dark man, with a black moustache and almost olive skin, a slender, lithe + figure, a flexible face, quick, flashing, mobile. His deportment was + graceful; his dress, though it seemed to differ in little or nothing from + that of the gentlemen in the room, had yet a grace and picturesqueness in + his mode of wearing it. He advanced to the Warden, who received him with + distinction, and yet, Redclyffe fancied, not exactly with cordiality. It + seemed to Redclyffe that the Warden looked round, as if with the purpose + of presenting Redclyffe to this gentleman, but he himself, from some + latent reluctance, had turned away and entered, into conversation with one + of the other gentlemen, who said now, looking at the new-comer, “Are you + acquainted with this last arrival?” + </p> + <p> + “Not at all,” said Redclyffe. “I know Lord Braithwaite by sight, indeed, + but have had no introduction. He is a man, certainly, of distinguished + appearance.” + </p> + <p> + “Why, pretty well,” said the gentleman, “but un-English, as also are his + manners. It is a pity to see an old English family represented by such a + person. Neither he, his father, nor grandfather was born among us; he has + far more Italian blood than enough to drown the slender stream of + Anglo-Saxon and Norman. His modes of life, his prejudices, his estates, + his religion, are unlike our own; and yet here he is in the position of an + old English gentleman, possibly to be a peer. You, whose nationality + embraces that of all the world, cannot, I suppose, understand this English + feeling.” [Endnote: 2.] + </p> + <p> + “Pardon me,” said Redclyffe, “I can perfectly understand it. An American, + in his feelings towards England, has all the jealousy and exclusiveness of + Englishmen themselves,—perhaps, indeed, a little exaggerated.” + </p> + <p> + “I beg your pardon,” said the Englishman, incredulously, “I think you + cannot possibly understand it!” [Endnote: 3.] + </p> + <p> + The guests were by this time all assembled, and at the Warden’s bidding + they moved from the reception-room to the dining-hall, in some order and + precedence, of which Redclyffe could not exactly discover the principle, + though he found that to himself—in his quality, doubtless, of + Ambassador—there was assigned a pretty high place. A venerable + dignitary of the Church—a dean, he seemed to be—having asked a + blessing, the fair scene of the banquet now lay before the guests, + presenting a splendid spectacle, in the high-walled, antique, tapestried + hall, overhung with the dark, intricate oaken beams, with the high Gothic + windows, through one of which the setting sunbeams streamed, and showed + the figures of kings and warriors, and the old Braithwaites among them. + Beneath and adown the hall extended the long line of the tables, covered + with the snow of the damask tablecloth, on which glittered, gleamed, and + shone a good quality of ancient ancestral plate, and an <i>épergne</i> of + silver, extending down the middle; also the gleam of golden wine in the + decanters; and truly Redclyffe thought that it was a noble spectacle, made + so by old and stately associations, which made a noble banquet of what + otherwise would be only a vulgar dinner. The English have this advantage + and know how to make use of it. They bring—in these old, + time-honored feasts—all the past to sit down and take the stately + refreshment along with them, and they pledge the historic characters in + their wine. + </p> + <p> + A printed bill of fare, in gold letters, lay by each plate, on which + Redclyffe saw the company glancing with great interest. The first dish, of + course, was turtle soup, of which—as the gentleman next him, the + Mayor of a neighboring town, told Redclyffe—it was allowable to take + twice. This was accompanied, according to one of those rules which one + knows not whether they are arbitrary or founded on some deep reason, by a + glass of punch. Then came the noble turbot, the salmon, the sole, and + divers of fishes, and the dinner fairly set in. The genial Warden seemed + to have given liberal orders to the attendants, for they spared not to + offer hock, champagne, sherry, to the guests, and good bitter ale, foaming + in the goblet; and so the stately banquet went on, with somewhat tedious + magnificence; and yet with a fulness of effect and thoroughness of sombre + life that made Redclyffe feel that, so much importance being assigned to + it,—it being so much believed in,—it was indeed a feast. The + cumbrous courses swept by, one after another; and Redclyffe, finding it + heavy work, sat idle most of the time, regarding the hall, the old + decaying beams, the armor hanging beneath the galleries, and these + Englishmen feasting where their fathers had feasted for so many ages, the + same occasion, the same men, probably, in appearance, though the black + coat and the white neckcloth had taken the place of ruff, embroidered + doublet, and the magnificence of other ages. After all, the English have + not such good things to eat as we in America, and certainly do not know + better how to make them palatable. [Endnote: 4.] + </p> + <p> + Well; but by and by the dinner came to a conclusion, as regarded the + eating part; the cloth was withdrawn; a dessert of fruits, fresh and + dried, pines, hothouse grapes, and all candied conserves of the Indies, + was put on the long extent of polished mahogany. There was a tuning up of + musicians, an interrogative drawing of fiddle-bows, and other musical + twangs and puffs; the decanters opposite the Warden and his + vice-president,—sherry, port, Redclyffe’s Madeira, and claret, were + put in motion along the table, and the guests filled their glasses for the + toast which, at English dinner-tables, is of course the first to be + honored,—the Queen. Then the band struck up the good old anthem, + “God save the Queen,” which the whole company rose to their feet to sing. + It was a spectacle both interesting and a little ludicrous to Redclyffe,—being + so apart from an American’s sympathies, so unlike anything that he has in + his life or possibilities,—this active and warm sentiment of + loyalty, in which love of country centres, and assimilates, and transforms + itself into a passionate affection for a person, in whom they love all + their institutions. To say the truth, it seemed a happy notion; nor could + the American—while he comforted himself in the pride of his + democracy, and that he himself was a sovereign—could he help envying + it a little, this childlike love and reverence for a person embodying all + their country, their past, their earthly future. He felt that it might be + delightful to have a sovereign, provided that sovereign were always a + woman,—and perhaps a young and fine one. But, indeed, this is not + the difficulty, methinks, in English institutions which the American finds + it hardest to deal with. We could endure a born sovereign, especially if + made such a mere pageant as the English make of theirs. What we find it + hardest to conceive of is, the satisfaction with which Englishmen think of + a race above them, with privileges that they cannot share, entitled to + condescend to them, and to have gracious and beautiful manners at their + expense; to be kind, simple, unpretending, because these qualities are + more available than haughtiness; to be specimens of perfect manhood;—all + these advantages in consequence of their position. If the peerage were a + mere name, it would be nothing to envy; but it is so much more than a + name; it enables men to be really so superior. The poor, the lower + classes, might bear this well enough; but the classes that come next to + the nobility,—the upper middle classes,—how they bear it so + lovingly is what must puzzle the American. But probably the advantage of + the peerage is the less perceptible the nearer it is looked at. + </p> + <p> + It must be confessed that Redclyffe, as he looked at this assembly of + peers and gentlemen, thought with some self-gratulation of the probability + that he had within his power as old a rank, as desirable a station, as the + best of them; and that if he were restrained from taking it, it would + probably only be by the democratic pride that made him feel that he could + not, retaining all his manly sensibility, accept this gewgaw on which the + ages—his own country especially—had passed judgment, while it + had been suspended over his head. He felt himself, at any rate, in a + higher position, having the option of taking this rank, and forbearing to + do so, than if he took it. [Endnote: 5.] + </p> + <p> + After this ensued a ceremony which is of antique date in old English + corporations and institutions, at their high festivals. It is called the + Loving Cup. A sort of herald or toast-master behind the Warden’s chair + made proclamation, reciting the names of the principal guests, and + announcing to them, “The Warden of the Braithwaite Hospital drinks to you + in a Loving Cup”; of which cup, having sipped, or seemed to sip (for + Redclyffe observed that the old drinkers were rather shy of it) a small + quantity, he sent it down the table. Its progress was accompanied with a + peculiar entanglement of ceremony, one guest standing up while another + drinks, being pretty much as follows. First, each guest receiving it + covered from the next above him, the same took from the silver cup its + silver cover; the guest drank with a bow to the Warden and company, took + the cover from the preceding guest, covered the cup, handed it to the next + below him, then again removed the cover, replaced it after the guest had + drunk, who, on his part, went through the same ceremony. And thus the cup + went slowly on its way down the stately hall; these ceremonies being, it + is said, originally precautions against the risk, in wild times, of being + stabbed by the man who was drinking with you, or poisoned by one who + should fail to be your taster. The cup was a fine, ancient piece of plate, + massive, heavy, curiously wrought with armorial bearings, in which the + leopard’s head appeared. Its contents, so far as Redclyffe could analyze + them by a moderate sip, appeared to be claret, sweetened, with spices, + and, however suited to the peculiarity of antique palates, was not greatly + to Redclyffe’s taste. [Endnote: 6.] + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe’s companion just below him, while the Loving Cup was beginning + its march, had been explaining the origin of the custom as a defence of + the drinker in times of deadly feud; when it had reached Lord Braithwaite, + who drank and passed it to Redclyffe covered, and with the usual bow, + Redclyffe looked into his Lordship’s Italian eyes and dark face as he did + so, and the thought struck him, that, if there could possibly be any use + in keeping up this old custom, it might be so now; for, how intimated he + could hardly tell, he was sensible in his deepest self of a deadly + hostility in this dark, courteous, handsome face. He kept his eyes fixed + on his Lordship as he received the cup, and felt that in his own glance + there was an acknowledgment of the enmity that he perceived, and a + defiance, expressed without visible sign, and felt in the bow with which + they greeted one another. When they had both resumed their seats, + Redclyffe chose to make this ceremonial intercourse the occasion of again + addressing him. + </p> + <p> + “I know not whether your Lordship is more accustomed than myself to these + stately ceremonials,” said he. + </p> + <p> + “No,” said Lord Braithwaite, whose English was very good. “But this is a + good old ceremony, and an ingenious one; for does it not twine us into + knotted links of love—this Loving Cup—like a wreath of + Bacchanals whom I have seen surrounding an antique vase. Doubtless it has + great efficacy in entwining a company of friendly guests into one + affectionate society.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes; it should seem so,” replied Redclyffe, with a smile, and again + meeting those black eyes, which smiled back on him. “It should seem so, + but it appears that the origin of the custom was quite different, and that + it was as a safeguard to a man when he drank with his enemy. What a + peculiar flavor it must have given to the liquor, when the eyes of two + deadly foes met over the brim of the Loving Cup, and the drinker knew + that, if he withdrew it, a dagger would be in his heart, and the other + watched him drink, to see if it was poison!” + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” responded his Lordship, “they had strange fashions in those rough + old times. Nowadays, we neither stab, shoot, nor poison. I scarcely think + we hate except as interest guides us, without malevolence.” + </p> + <p> + This singular conversation was interrupted by a toast, and the rising of + one of the guests to answer it. Several other toasts of routine succeeded; + one of which, being to the honor of the old founder of the Hospital, Lord + Braithwaite, as his representative, rose to reply,—which he did in + good phrases, in a sort of eloquence unlike that of the Englishmen around + him, and, sooth to say, comparatively unaccustomed as he must have been to + the use of the language, much more handsomely than they. In truth, + Redclyffe was struck and amused with the rudeness, the slovenliness, the + inartistic quality of the English speakers, who rather seemed to avoid + grace and neatness of set purpose, as if they would be ashamed of it. + Nothing could be more ragged than these utterances which they called + speeches; so patched, and darned; and yet, somehow or other—though + dull and heavy as all which seemed to inspire them—they had a kind + of force. Each man seemed to have the faculty of getting, after some rude + fashion, at the sense and feeling that was in him; and without glibness, + without smoothness, without form or comeliness, still the object with + which each one rose to speak was accomplished,—and what was more + remarkable, it seemed to be accomplished without the speaker’s having any + particular plan for doing it. He was surprised, too, to observe how + loyally every man seemed to think himself bound to speak, and rose to do + his best, however unfit his usual habits made him for the task. Observing + this, and thinking how many an American would be taken aback and + dumbfounded by being called on for a dinner speech, he could not but doubt + the correctness of the general opinion, that Englishmen are naturally less + facile of public speech than our countrymen. + </p> + <p> + “You surpass your countrymen,” said Redclyffe, when his Lordship resumed + his seat, amid rapping and loud applause. + </p> + <p> + “My countrymen? I scarcely know whether you mean the English or Italians,” + said Lord Braithwaite. “Like yourself, I am a hybrid, with really no + country, and ready to take up with any.” + </p> + <p> + “I have a country,—one which I am little inclined to deny,” replied + Redclyffe, gravely, while a flush (perhaps of conscientious shame) rose to + his brow. + </p> + <p> + His Lordship bowed, with a dark Italian smile, but Redclyffe’s attention + was drawn away from the conversation by a toast which the Warden now rose + to give, and in which he found himself mainly concerned. With a little + preface of kind words (not particularly aptly applied) to the great and + kindred country beyond the Atlantic, the worthy Warden proceeded to remark + that his board was honored, on this high festival, with a guest from that + new world; a gentleman yet young, but already distinguished in the + councils of his country; the bearer, he remarked, of an honored English + name, which might well claim to be remembered here, and on this occasion, + although he had understood from his friend that the American bearers of + this name did not count kindred with the English ones. This gentleman, he + further observed, with considerable flourish and emphasis, had recently + been called from his retirement and wanderings into the diplomatic service + of his country, which he would say, from his knowledge, the gentleman was + well calculated to honor. He drank the health of the Honorable Edward + Redclyffe, Ambassador of the United States to the Court of Hohen-Linden. + </p> + <p> + Our English cousins received this toast with the kindest enthusiasm, as + they always do any such allusion to our country; it being a festal + feeling, not to be used except on holidays. They rose, with glass in hand, + in honor of the Ambassador; the band struck up “Hail, Columbia”; and our + hero marshalled his thoughts as well as he might for the necessary + response; and when the tumult subsided he arose. + </p> + <p> + His quick apprehending had taught him something of the difference of taste + between an English and an American audience at a dinner-table; he felt + that there must be a certain looseness, and carelessness, and roughness, + and yet a certain restraint; that he must not seem to aim at speaking + well, although, for his own ambition, he was not content to speak ill; + that, somehow or other, he must get a heartiness into his speech; that he + must not polish, nor be too neat, and must come with a certain rudeness to + his good points, as if he blundered on them, and were surprised into them. + Above all, he must let the good wine and cheer, and all that he knew and + really felt of English hospitality, as represented by the kind Warden, do + its work upon his heart, and speak up to the extent of what he felt—and + if a little more, then no great harm—about his own love for the + father-land, and the broader grounds of the relations between the two + countries. On this system, Redclyffe began to speak; and being naturally + and habitually eloquent, and of mobile and ready sensibilities, he + succeeded, between art and nature, in making a speech that absolutely + delighted the company, who made the old hall echo, and the banners wave + and tremble, and the board shake, and the glasses jingle, with their + rapturous applause. What he said—or some shadow of it, and more than + he quite liked to own—was reported in the county paper that gave a + report of the dinner; but on glancing over it, it seems not worth while to + produce this eloquent effort in our pages, the occasion and topics being + of merely temporary interest. + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe sat down, and sipped his claret, feeling a little ashamed of + himself, as people are apt to do after a display of this kind. + </p> + <p> + “You know the way to the English heart better than I do,” remarked his + Lordship, after a polite compliment to the speech. “Methinks these dull + English are being improved in your atmosphere. The English need a change + every few centuries,—either by immigration of new stock, or + transportation of the old,—or else they grow too gross and earthly, + with their beef, mutton, and ale. I think, now, it might benefit both + countries, if your New England population were to be reciprocally + exchanged with an equal number of Englishmen. Indeed, Italians might do as + well.” + </p> + <p> + “I should regret,” said Redclyffe, “to change the English, heavy as they + are.” + </p> + <p> + “You are an admirable Englishman,” said his Lordship. “For my part, I + cannot say that the people are very much to my taste, any more than their + skies and climate, in which I have shivered during the two years that I + have spent here.” + </p> + <p> + Here their conversation ceased; and Redclyffe listened to a long train of + speechifying, in the course of which everybody, almost, was toasted; + everybody present, at all events, and many absent. The Warden’s old wine + was not spared; the music rang and resounded from the gallery; and + everybody seemed to consider it a model feast, although there were no very + vivid signs of satisfaction, but a decorous, heavy enjoyment, a dull red + heat of pleasure, without flame. Soda and seltzer-water, and coffee, by + and by were circulated; and at a late hour the company began to retire. + </p> + <p> + Before taking his departure, Lord Braithwaite resumed his conversation + with Redclyffe, and, as it appeared, with the purpose of making a + hospitable proposition. + </p> + <p> + “I live very much alone,” said he, “being insulated from my neighbors by + many circumstances,—habits, religion, and everything else peculiarly + English. If you are curious about old English modes of life, I can show + you, at least, an English residence, little altered within a century past. + Pray come and spend a week with me before you leave this part of the + country. Besides, I know the court to which you are accredited, and can + give you, perhaps, useful information about it.” + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe looked at him in some surprise, and with a nameless hesitation; + for he did not like his Lordship, and had fancied, in truth, that there + was a reciprocal antipathy. Nor did he yet feel that he was mistaken in + this respect; although his Lordship’s invitation was given in a tone of + frankness, and seemed to have no reserve, except that his eyes did not + meet his like Anglo-Saxon eyes, and there seemed an Italian looking out + from within the man. But Redclyffe had a sort of repulsion within himself; + and he questioned whether it would be fair to his proposed host to accept + his hospitality, while he had this secret feeling of hostility and + repugnance,—which might be well enough accounted for by the + knowledge that he secretly entertained hostile interests to their race, + and half a purpose of putting them in force. And, besides this,—although + Redclyffe was ashamed of the feeling,—he had a secret dread, a + feeling that it was not just a safe thing to trust himself in this man’s + power; for he had a sense, sure as death, that he did not wish him well, + and had a secret dread of the American. But he laughed within himself at + this feeling, and drove it down. Yet it made him feel that there could be + no disloyalty in accepting his Lordship’s invitation, because it was given + in as little friendship as it would be accepted. + </p> + <p> + “I had almost made my arrangements for quitting the neighborhood,” said + he, after a pause; “nor can I shorten the week longer which I had promised + to spend with my very kind friend, the Warden. Yet your Lordship’s + kindness offers we a great temptation, and I would gladly spend the next + ensuing week at Braithwaite Hall.” + </p> + <p> + “I shall expect you, then,” said Lord Braithwaite. “You will find me quite + alone, except my chaplain,—a scholar, and a man of the world, whom + you will not be sorry to know.” + </p> + <p> + He bowed and took his leave, without shaking hands, as an American would + have thought it natural to do, after such a hospitable agreement; nor did + Redclyffe make any motion towards it, and was glad that his Lordship had + omitted it. On the whole, there was a secret dissatisfaction with himself; + a sense that he was not doing quite a frank and true thing in accepting + this invitation, and he only made peace with himself on the consideration + that Lord Braithwaite was as little cordial in asking the visit as he in + acceding to it. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0020" id="link2HCH0020"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XX. + </h2> + <p> + The guests were now rapidly taking their departure, and the Warden and + Redclyffe were soon left alone in the antique hall, which now, in its + solitude, presented an aspect far different from the gay festivity of an + hour before; the duskiness up in the carved oaken beams seemed to descend + and fill the hall; and the remembrance of the feast was like one of those + that had taken place centuries ago, with which this was now numbered, and + growing ghostly, and faded, and sad, even as they had long been. + </p> + <p> + “Well, my dear friend,” said the Warden, stretching himself and yawning, + “it is over. Come into my study with me, and we will have a devilled + turkey-bone and a pint of sherry in peace and comfort.” + </p> + <p> + “I fear I can make no figure at such a supper,” said Redclyffe. “But I + admire your inexhaustibleness in being ready for midnight refreshment + after such a feast.” + </p> + <p> + “Not a glass of good liquor has moistened my lips to-night,” said the + Warden, “save and except such as was supplied by a decanter of water made + brown with toast; and such a sip as I took to the health of the Queen, and + another to that of the Ambassador to Hohen-Linden. It is the only way, + when a man has this vast labor of speechifying to do; and indeed there is + no possibility of keeping up a jolly countenance for such a length of time + except on toast-water.” + </p> + <p> + They accordingly adjourned to the Warden’s sanctum, where that worthy + dignitary seemed to enjoy himself over his sherry and cracked bones, in a + degree that he probably had not heretofore; while Redclyffe, whose + potations had been more liberal, and who was feverish and disturbed, tried + the effect of a little brandy and soda-water. As often happens at such + midnight symposiums, the two friends found themselves in a more kindly and + confidential vein than had happened before, great as had been the kindness + and confidence already grown up between them. Redclyffe told his friend of + Lord Braithwaite’s invitation, and of his own resolution to accept it. + </p> + <p> + “Why not? You will do well,” said the Warden; “and you will find his + Lordship an accustomed host, and the old house most interesting. If he + knows the secrets of it himself, and will show them, they will be well + worth the seeing.” + </p> + <p> + “I have had a scruple in accepting this invitation,” said Redclyffe. + </p> + <p> + “I cannot see why,” said the Warden. “I advise it by all means, since I + shall lose nothing by it myself, as it will not lop off any part of your + visit to me.” + </p> + <p> + “My dear friend,” said Redclyffe, irresistibly impelled to a confidence + which he had not meditated a moment before, “there is a foolish secret + which I must tell you, if you will listen to it; and which I have only not + revealed to you because it seemed to me foolish and dream-like; because, + too, I am an American, and a democrat; because I am ashamed of myself and + laugh at myself.” + </p> + <p> + “Is it a long story?” asked the Warden. + </p> + <p> + “I can make it of any length, and almost any brevity,” said Redclyffe. + </p> + <p> + “I will fill my pipe then,” answered the Warden, “and listen at my ease; + and if, as you intimate, there prove to be any folly in it, I will impute + it all to the kindly freedom with which you have partaken of our English + hospitality, and forget it before to-morrow morning.” + </p> + <p> + He settled himself in his easy-chair, in a most luxurious posture; and + Redclyffe, who felt a strange reluctance to reveal—for the first + time in his life—the shadowy hopes, if hopes they were, and + purposes, if such they could be called, with which he had amused himself + so many years, begun the story from almost the earliest period that he + could remember. He told even of his earliest recollection, with an old + woman, in the almshouse, and how he had been found there by the Doctor, + and educated by him, with all the hints and half-revelations that had been + made to him. He described the singular character of the Doctor, his + scientific pursuits, his evident accomplishments, his great abilities, his + morbidness and melancholy, his moodiness, and finally his death, and the + singular circumstances that accompanied it. The story took a considerable + time to tell; and after its close, the Warden, who had only interrupted it + by now and then a question to make it plainer, continued to smoke his pipe + slowly and thoughtfully for a long while. + </p> + <p> + “This Doctor of yours was a singular character,” said he. “Evidently, from + what you tell me as to the accuracy of his local reminiscences, he must + have been of this part of the country,—of this immediate + neighborhood,—and such a man could not have grown up here without + being known. I myself—for I am an old fellow now—might have + known him if he lived to manhood hereabouts.” + </p> + <p> + “He seemed old to me when I first knew him,” said Redclyffe. “But children + make no distinctions of age. He might have been forty-five then, as well + as I can judge.” + </p> + <p> + “You are now twenty-seven or eight,” said the Warden, “and were four years + old when you first knew him. He might now be sixty-five. Do you know, my + friend, that I have something like a certainty that I know who your Doctor + was?” + </p> + <p> + “How strange this seems!” exclaimed Redclyffe. “It has never struck me + that I should be able to identify this singular personage with any + surroundings or any friends.” + </p> + <p> + The Warden, to requite his friend’s story,—and without as yet saying + a word, good or bad, on his ancestral claims,—proceeded to tell him + some of the gossip of the neighborhood,—what had been gossip thirty + or forty years ago, but was now forgotten, or, at all events, seldom + spoken of, and only known to the old, at the present day. He himself + remembered it only as a boy, and imperfectly. There had been a personage + of that day, a man of poor estate, who had fallen deeply in love and been + betrothed to a young lady of family; he was a young man of more than + ordinary abilities, and of great promise, though small fortune. It was not + well known how, but the match between him and the young lady was broken + off, and his place was supplied by the then proprietor of Braithwaite + Hall; as it was supposed, by the artifices of her mother. There had been + circumstances of peculiar treachery in the matter, and Mr. Oglethorpe had + taken it severely to heart; so severely, indeed, that he had left the + country, after selling his ancestral property, and had only been + occasionally heard of again. Now, from certain circumstances, it had + struck the Warden that this might be the mysterious Doctor of whom + Redclyffe spoke. [Endnote: 1.] + </p> + <p> + “But why,” suggested Redclyffe, “should a man with these wrongs to avenge + take such an interest in a descendant of his enemy’s family?” + </p> + <p> + “That is a strong point in favor of my supposition,” replied the Warden. + “There is certainly, and has long been, a degree of probability that the + true heir of this family exists in America. If Oglethorpe could discover + him, he ousts his enemy from the estate and honors, and substitutes the + person whom he has discovered and educated. Most certainly there is + revenge in the thing. Should it happen now, however, the triumph would + have lost its sweetness, even were Oglethorpe alive to partake of it; for + his enemy is dead, leaving no heir, and this foreign branch has come in + without Oglethorpe’s aid.” + </p> + <p> + The friends remained musing a considerable time, each in his own train of + thought, till the Warden suddenly spoke. + </p> + <p> + “Do you mean to prosecute this apparent claim of yours?” + </p> + <p> + “I have not intended to do so,” said Redclyffe. + </p> + <p> + “Of course,” said the Warden, “that should depend upon the strength of + your ground; and I understand you that there is some link wanting to + establish it. Otherwise, I see not how you can hesitate. Is it a little + thing to hold a claim to an old English estate and honors?” + </p> + <p> + “No; it is a very great thing, to an Englishman born, and who need give up + no higher birthright to avail himself of it,” answered Redclyffe. “You + will laugh at me, my friend; but I cannot help feeling that I, a simple + citizen of a republic, yet with none above me except those whom I help to + place there,—and who are my servants, not my superiors,—must + stoop to take these honors. I leave a set of institutions which are the + noblest that the wit and civilization of man have yet conceived, to enlist + myself in one that is based on a far lower conception of man, and which + therefore lowers every one who shares in it. Besides,” said the young man, + his eyes kindling with the ambition which had been so active a principle + in his life, “what prospects—what rewards for spirited exertion—what + a career, only open to an American, would I give up, to become merely a + rich and idle Englishman, belonging (as I should) nowhere, without a + possibility of struggle, such as a strong man loves, with only a mockery + of a title, which in these days really means nothing,—hardly more + than one of our own Honorables. What has any success in English life to + offer (even were it within my reach, which, as a stranger, it would not + be) to balance the proud career of an American statesman?” + </p> + <p> + “True, you might be a President, I suppose,” said the Warden, rather + contemptuously,—“a four years’ potentate. It seems to me an office + about on a par with that of the Lord Mayor of London. For my part, I would + rather be a baron of three or four hundred years’ antiquity.” + </p> + <p> + “We talk in vain,” said Redclyffe, laughing. “We do not approach one + another’s ideas on this subject. But, waiving all speculations as to my + attempting to avail myself of this claim, do you think I can fairly accept + this invitation to visit Lord Braithwaite? There is certainly a + possibility that I may arraign myself against his dearest interests. + Conscious of this, can I accept his hospitality?” + </p> + <p> + The Warden paused. “You have not sought access to his house,” he observed. + “You have no designs, it seems, no settled designs at all events, against + his Lordship,—nor is there a probability that they would be + forwarded by your accepting this invitation, even if you had any. I do not + see but you may go. The only danger is, that his Lordship’s engaging + qualities may seduce you into dropping your claims out of a chivalrous + feeling, which I see is among your possibilities. To be sure, it would be + more satisfactory if he knew your actual position, and should then renew + his invitation.” + </p> + <p> + “I am convinced,” said Redclyffe, looking up from his musing posture, + “that he does know them. You are surprised; but in all Lord Braithwaite’s + manner towards me there has been an undefinable something that makes me + aware that he knows on what terms we stand towards each other. There is + nothing inconceivable in this. The family have for generations been + suspicious of an American line, and have more than once sent messengers to + try to search out and put a stop to the apprehension. Why should it not + have come to their knowledge that there was a person with such claims, and + that he is now in England?” + </p> + <p> + “It certainly is possible,” replied the Warden, “and if you are satisfied + that his Lordship knows it, or even suspects it, you meet him on fair + ground. But I fairly tell you, my good friend, that—his Lordship + being a man of unknown principles of honor, outlandish, and an Italian in + habit and moral sense—I scarcely like to trust you in his house, he + being aware that your existence may be inimical to him. My humble board is + the safer of the two.” + </p> + <p> + “Pshaw!” said Redclyffe. “You Englishmen are so suspicious of anybody not + regularly belonging to yourselves. Poison and the dagger haunt your + conceptions of all others. In America you think we kill every third man + with the bowie-knife. But, supposing there were any grounds for your + suspicion, I would still encounter it. An American is no braver than an + Englishman; but still he is not quite so chary of his life as the latter, + who never risks it except on the most imminent necessity. We take such + matters easy. In regard to this invitation, I feel that I can honorably + accept it, and there are many idle and curious motives that impel me to + it. I will go.” + </p> + <p> + “Be it so; but you must come back to me for another week, after finishing + your visit,” said the Warden. “After all, it was an idle fancy in me that + there could be any danger. His Lordship has good English blood in his + veins, and it would take oceans and rivers of Italian treachery to wash + out the sterling quality of it. And, my good friend, as to these claims of + yours, I would not have you trust too much to what is probably a romantic + dream; yet, were the dream to come true, I should think the British + peerage honored by such an accession to its ranks. And now to bed; for we + have heard the chimes of midnight, two hours agone.” + </p> + <p> + They accordingly retired; and Redclyffe was surprised to find what a + distinctness his ideas respecting his claim to the Braithwaite honors had + assumed, now that he, after so many years, had imparted them to another. + Heretofore, though his imagination had played with them so much, they + seemed the veriest dreams; now, they had suddenly taken form and hardened + into substance; and he became aware, in spite of all the lofty and + patriotic sentiments which he had expressed to the Warden, that these + prospects had really much importance in his mind. + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe, during the few days that he was to spend at the Hospital, + previous to his visit to Braithwaite Hall, was conscious of a restlessness + such as we have all felt on the eve of some interesting event. He wondered + at himself at being so much wrought up by so simple a thing as he was + about to do; but it seemed to him like a coming home after an absence of + centuries. It was like an actual prospect of entrance into a castle in the + air,—the shadowy threshold of which should assume substance enough + to bear his foot, its thin, fantastic walls actually protect him from sun + and rain, its hall echo with his footsteps, its hearth warm him. That + delicious, thrilling uncertainty between reality and fancy, in which he + had often been enwrapt since his arrival in this region, enveloped him + more strongly than ever; and with it, too, there came a sort of + apprehension, which sometimes shuddered through him like an icy draught, + or the touch of cold steel to his heart. He was ashamed, too, to be + conscious of anything like fear; yet he would not acknowledge it for fear; + and indeed there was such an airy, exhilarating, thrilling pleasure bound + up with it, that it could not really be so. + </p> + <p> + It was in this state of mind that, a day or two after the feast, he saw + Colcord sitting on the bench, before the portal of the Hospital, in the + sun, which—September though it was—still came warm and bright + (for English sunshine) into that sheltered spot; a spot where many + generations of old men had warmed their limbs, while they looked down into + the life, the torpid life, of the old village that trailed its homely yet + picturesque street along by the venerable buildings of the Hospital. + </p> + <p> + “My good friend,” said Redclyffe, “I am about leaving you, for a time,—indeed, + with the limited time at my disposal, it is possible that I may not be + able to come back hither, except for a brief visit. Before I leave you, I + would fain know something more about one whom I must ever consider my + benefactor.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said the old man, with his usual benignant quiet, “I saved your + life. It is yet to be seen, perhaps, whether thereby I made myself your + benefactor. I trust so.” + </p> + <p> + “I feel it so, at least,” answered Redclyffe, “and I assure you life has a + new value for me since I came to this place; for I have a deeper hold upon + it, as it were,—more hope from it, more trust in something good to + come of it.” + </p> + <p> + “This is a good change,—or should be so,” quoth the old man. + </p> + <p> + “Do you know,” continued Redclyffe, “how long you have been a figure in my + life?” + </p> + <p> + “I know it,” said Colcord, “though you might well have forgotten it.” + </p> + <p> + “Not so,” said Redclyffe. “I remember, as if it were this morning, that + time in New England when I first saw you.” + </p> + <p> + “The man with whom you then abode,” said Colcord, “knew who I was.” + </p> + <p> + “And he being dead, and finding you here now, by such a strange + coincidence,” said Redclyffe, “and being myself a man capable of taking + your counsel, I would have you impart it to me: for I assure you that the + current of my life runs darkly on, and I would be glad of any light on its + future, or even its present phase.” + </p> + <p> + “I am not one of those from whom the world waits for counsel,” said the + pensioner, “and I know not that mine would be advantageous to you, in the + light which men usually prize. Yet if I were to give any, it would be that + you should be gone hence.” + </p> + <p> + “Gone hence!” repeated Redclyffe, surprised. “I tell you—what I have + hardly hitherto told to myself—that all my dreams, all my wishes + hitherto, have looked forward to precisely the juncture that seems now to + be approaching. My dreaming childhood dreamt of this. If you know anything + of me, you know how I sprung out of mystery, akin to none, a thing + concocted out of the elements, without visible agency; how all through my + boyhood I was alone; how I grew up without a root, yet continually longing + for one,—longing to be connected with somebody, and never feeling + myself so. Yet there was ever a looking forward to this time at which I + now find myself. If my next step were death, yet while the path seemed to + lead toward a certainty of establishing me in connection with my race, I + would take it. I have tried to keep down this yearning, to stifle it, + annihilate it, by making a position for myself, by being my own fact; but + I cannot overcome the natural horror of being a creature floating in the + air, attached to nothing; ever this feeling that there is no reality in + the life and fortunes, good or bad, of a being so unconnected. There is + not even a grave, not a heap of dry bones, not a pinch of dust, with which + I can claim kindred, unless I find it here!” + </p> + <p> + “This is sad,” said the old man,—“this strong yearning, and nothing + to gratify it. Yet, I warn you, do not seek its gratification here. There + are delusions, snares, pitfalls, in this life. I warn you, quit the + search.” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said Redclyffe, “I will follow the mysterious clue that seems to + lead me on; and, even now, it pulls me one step further.” + </p> + <p> + “How is that?” asked the old man. + </p> + <p> + “It leads me onward even as far as the threshold—across the + threshold—of yonder mansion,” said Redclyffe. + </p> + <p> + “Step not across it; there is blood on that threshold!” exclaimed the + pensioner. “A bloody footstep emerging. Take heed that there be not as + bloody a one entering in!” + </p> + <p> + “Pshaw!” said Redclyffe, feeling the ridicule of the emotion into which he + had been betrayed, as the old man’s wildness of demeanor made him feel + that he was talking with a monomaniac. “We are talking idly. I do but go, + in the common intercourse of society, to see the old English residence + which (such is the unhappy obscurity of my position) I fancy, among a + thousand others, may have been that of my ancestors. Nothing is likely to + come of it. My foot is not bloody, nor polluted with anything except the + mud of the damp English soil.” + </p> + <p> + “Yet go not in!” persisted the old man. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I must go,” said Redclyffe, determinedly, “and I will.” + </p> + <p> + Ashamed to have been moved to such idle utterances by anything that the + old man could say Redclyffe turned away, though he still heard the sad, + half-uttered remonstrance of the old man, like a moan behind him, and + wondered what strange fancy had taken possession of him. + </p> + <p> + The effect which this opposition had upon him made him the more aware how + much his heart was set upon this visit to the Hall; how much he had + counted upon being domiciliated there; what a wrench it would be to him to + tear himself away without going into that mansion, and penetrating all the + mysteries wherewith his imagination, exercising itself upon the theme + since the days of the old Doctor’s fireside talk, had invested it. In his + agitation he wandered forth from the Hospital, and, passing through the + village street, found himself in the park of Braithwaite Hall, where he + wandered for a space, until his steps led him to a point whence the + venerable Hall appeared, with its limes and its oaks around it; its look + of peace, and aged repose, and loveliness; its stately domesticity, so + ancient, so beautiful; its mild, sweet simplicity; it seemed the ideal of + home. The thought thrilled his bosom, that this was his home,—the + home of the wild Western wanderer, who had gone away centuries ago, and + encountered strange chances, and almost forgotten his origin, but still + kept a clue to bring him back; and had now come back, and found all the + original emotions safe within him. It even seemed to him, that, by his + kindred with those who had gone before,—by the line of sensitive + blood linking him with that final emigrant,—he could remember all + these objects;—that tree, hardly more venerable now than then; that + clock-tower, still marking the elapsing time; that spire of the old + church, raising itself beyond. He spread out his arms in a kind of + rapture, and exclaimed:— + </p> + <p> + “O home, my home, my forefathers’ home! I have come back to thee! The + wanderer has come back!” + </p> + <p> + There was a slight stir near him; and on a mossy seat, that was arranged + to take advantage of a remarkably good point of view of the old Hall, he + saw Elsie sitting. She had her drawing-materials with her, and had + probably been taking a sketch. Redclyffe was ashamed of having been + overheard by any one giving way to such idle passion as he had been + betrayed into; and yet, in another sense, he was glad,—glad, at + least, that something of his feeling, as yet unspoken to human being, was + shared, and shared by her with whom, alone of living beings, he had any + sympathies of old date, and whom he often thought of with feelings that + drew him irresistibly towards her. + </p> + <p> + “Elsie,” said he, uttering for the first time the old name, “Providence + makes you my confidant. We have recognized each other, though no word has + passed between us. Let us speak now again with one another. How came you + hither? What has brought us together again?—Away with this + strangeness that lurks between us! Let us meet as those who began life + together, and whose life-strings, being so early twisted in unison, cannot + now be torn apart.” + </p> + <p> + “You are not wise,” said Elsie, in a faltering voice, “to break the + restraint we have tacitly imposed upon ourselves. Do not let us speak + further on this subject.” + </p> + <p> + “How strangely everything evades me!” exclaimed Redclyffe. “I seem to be + in a land of enchantment, where I can get hold of nothing that lends me a + firm support. There is no medium in my life between the most vulgar + realities and the most vaporous fiction, too thin to breathe. Tell me, + Elsie, how came you here? Why do you not meet me frankly? What is there to + keep you apart from the oldest friend, I am bold to say, you have on + earth? Are you an English girl? Are you one of our own New England + maidens, with her freedom, and her know-how, and her force, beyond + anything that these demure and decorous damsels can know?” + </p> + <p> + “This is wild,” said Elsie, straggling for composure, yet strongly moved + by the recollections that he brought up. “It is best that we should meet + as strangers, and so part.” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said Redclyffe; “the long past comes up, with its memories, and yet + it is not so powerful as the powerful present. We have met again; our + adventures have shown that Providence has designed a relation in my fate + to yours. Elsie, are you lonely as I am?” + </p> + <p> + “No,” she replied, “I have bonds, ties, a life, a duty. I must live that + life and do that duty. You have, likewise, both. Do yours, lead your own + life, like me.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you know, Elsie,” he said, “whither that life is now tending?” + </p> + <p> + “Whither?” said she, turning towards him. + </p> + <p> + “To yonder Hall,” said he. + </p> + <p> + She started up, and clasped her hands about his arm. + </p> + <p> + “No, no!” she exclaimed, “go not thither! There is blood upon the + threshold! Return: a dreadful fatality awaits you here.” + </p> + <p> + “Come with me, then,” said he, “and I yield my purpose.” + </p> + <p> + “It cannot be,” said Elsie. + </p> + <p> + “Then I, too, tell you it cannot be,” returned Redclyffe. [Endnote: 2.] + </p> + <p> + The dialogue had reached this point, when there came a step along the + wood-path; the branches rustled, and there was Lord Braithwaite, looking + upon the pair with the ordinary slightly sarcastic glance with which he + gazed upon the world. + </p> + <p> + “A fine morning, fair lady and fair sir,” said he. “We have few such, + except in Italy.” + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0021" id="link2HCH0021"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXI. + </h2> + <p> + So Redclyffe left the Hospital, where he had spent many weeks of strange + and not unhappy life, and went to accept the invitation of the lord of + Braithwaite Hall. It was with a thrill of strange delight, poignant almost + to pain, that he found himself driving up to the door of the Hall, and + actually passing the threshold of the house. He looked, as he stept over + it, for the Bloody Footstep, with which the house had so long been + associated in his imagination; but could nowhere see it. The footman + ushered him into a hall, which seemed to be in the centre of the building, + and where, little as the autumn was advanced, a fire was nevertheless + burning and glowing on the hearth; nor was its effect undesirable in the + somewhat gloomy room. The servants had evidently received orders + respecting the guest; for they ushered him at once to his chamber, which + seemed not to be one of those bachelor’s rooms, where, in an English + mansion, young and single men are forced to be entertained with very bare + and straitened accommodations; but a large, well, though antiquely and + solemnly furnished room, with a curtained bed, and all manner of elaborate + contrivances for repose; but the deep embrasures of the windows made it + gloomy, with the little light that they admitted through their small + panes. There must have been English attendance in this department of the + household arrangements, at least; for nothing could exceed the exquisite + nicety and finish of everything in the room, the cleanliness, the + attention to comfort, amid antique aspects of furniture; the rich, deep + preparations for repose. + </p> + <p> + The servant told Redclyffe that his master had ridden out, and, adding + that luncheon would be on the table at two o’clock, left him; and + Redclyffe sat some time trying to make out and distinguish the feelings + with which he found himself here, and realizing a lifelong dream. He ran + back over all the legends which the Doctor used to tell about this + mansion, and wondered whether this old, rich chamber were the one where + any of them had taken place; whether the shadows of the dead haunted here. + But, indeed, if this were the case, the apartment must have been very much + changed, antique though it looked, with the second, or third, or whatever + other numbered arrangement, since those old days of tapestry hangings and + rush-strewed floor. Otherwise this stately and gloomy chamber was as + likely as any other to have been the one where his ancestor appeared for + the last time in the paternal mansion; here he might have been the night + before that mysterious Bloody Footstep was left on the threshold, whence + had arisen so many wild legends, and since the impression of which nothing + certain had ever been known respecting that ill-fated man,—nothing + certain in England at least,—and whose story was left so ragged and + questionable even by all that he could add. + </p> + <p> + Do what he could, Redclyffe still was not conscious of that deep + home-feeling which he had imagined he should experience when, if ever, he + should come back to the old ancestral place; there was strangeness, a + struggle within himself to get hold of something that escaped him, an + effort to impress on his mind the fact that he was, at last, established + at his temporary home in the place that he had so long looked forward to, + and that this was the moment which he would have thought more interesting + than any other in his life. He was strangely cold and indifferent, frozen + up as it were, and fancied that he would have cared little had he been to + leave the mansion without so much as looking over the remaining part of + it. + </p> + <p> + At last, he became weary of sitting and indulging this fantastic humor of + indifference, and emerged from his chamber with the design of finding his + way about the lower part of the house. The mansion had that delightful + intricacy which can never be contrived; never be attained by design; but + is the happy result of where many builders, many designs,—many ages, + perhaps,—have concurred in a structure, each pursuing his own + design. Thus it was a house that you could go astray in, as in a city, and + come to unexpected places, but never, until after much accustomance, go + where you wished; so Redclyffe, although the great staircase and wide + corridor by which he had been led to his room seemed easy to find, yet + soon discovered that he was involved in an unknown labyrinth, where + strange little bits of staircases led up and down, and where passages + promised much in letting him out, but performed nothing. To be sure, the + old English mansion had not much of the stateliness of one of Mrs. + Radcliffe’s castles, with their suites of rooms opening one into another; + but yet its very domesticity—its look as if long ago it had been + lived in—made it only the more ghostly; and so Redclyffe felt the + more as if he were wandering through a homely dream; sensible of the + ludicrousness of his position, he once called aloud; but his voice echoed + along the passages, sounding unwontedly to his ears, but arousing nobody. + It did not seem to him as if he were going afar, but were bewildered round + and round, within a very small compass; a predicament in which a man feels + very foolish usually. + </p> + <p> + As he stood at an old window, stone-mullioned, at the end of a passage + into which he had come twice over, a door near him opened, and a personage + looked out whom he had not before seen. It was a face of great keenness + and intelligence, and not unpleasant to look at, though dark and sallow. + The dress had something which Redclyffe recognized as clerical, though not + exactly pertaining to the Church of England,—a sort of arrangement + of the vest and shirt-collar; and he had knee breeches of black. He did + not seem like an English clerical personage, however; for even in this + little glimpse of him Redclyffe saw a mildness, gentleness, softness, and + asking-of-leave, in his manner, which he had not observed in persons so + well assured of their position as the Church of England clergy. + </p> + <p> + He seemed at once to detect Redclyffe’s predicament, and came forward with + a pleasant smile, speaking in good English, though with a somewhat foreign + accent. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, sir, you have lost your way. It is a labyrinthian house for its size, + this old English Hall,—full of perplexity. Shall I show you to any + point?” + </p> + <p> + “Indeed, sir,” said Redclyffe, laughing, “I hardly know whither I want to + go; being a stranger, and yet knowing nothing of the public places of the + house. To the library, perhaps, if you will be good enough to direct me + thither.” + </p> + <p> + “Willingly, my dear sir,” said the clerical personage; “the more easily + too, as my own quarters are close adjacent; the library being my province. + Do me the favor to enter here.” + </p> + <p> + So saying, the priest ushered Redclyffe into an austere-looking yet + exceedingly neat study, as it seemed, on one side of which was an oratory, + with a crucifix and other accommodations for Catholic devotion. Behind a + white curtain there were glimpses of a bed, which seemed arranged on a + principle of conventual austerity in respect to limits and lack of + softness; but still there was in the whole austerity of the premises a + certain character of restraint, poise, principle, which Redclyffe liked. A + table was covered with books, many of them folios in an antique binding of + parchment, and others were small, thick-set volumes, into which antique + lore was rammed and compressed. Through an open door, opposite to the one + by which he had entered, there was a vista of a larger apartment, with + alcoves, a rather dreary-looking room, though a little sunshine came + through a window at the further end, distained with colored glass. + </p> + <p> + “Will you sit down in my little home?” said the courteous priest. “I hope + we may be better acquainted; so allow me to introduce myself. I am Father + Angelo, domestic chaplain to his Lordship. You, I know, are the American + diplomatic gentleman, from whom his Lordship has been expecting a visit.” + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe bowed. + </p> + <p> + “I am most happy to know you,” continued the priest. “Ah; you have a happy + country, most catholic, most recipient of all that is outcast on earth. + Men of my religion must ever bless it.” + </p> + <p> + “It certainly ought to be remembered to our credit,” replied Redclyffe, + “that we have shown no narrow spirit in this matter, and have not, like + other Protestant countries, rejected the good that is found in any man on + account of his religious faith. American statesmanship comprises Jew, + Catholic, all.” + </p> + <p> + After this pleasant little acknowledgment, there ensued a conversation + having some reference to books; for though Redclyffe, of late years, had + known little of what deserves to be called literature,—having found + political life as much estranged from it as it is apt to be with + politicians,—yet he had early snuffed the musty fragrance of the + Doctor’s books, and had learned to love its atmosphere. At the time he + left college, he was just at the point where he might have been a scholar; + but the active tendencies of American life had interfered with him, as + with thousands of others, and drawn him away from pursuits which might + have been better adapted to some of his characteristics than the one he + had adopted. The priest gently felt and touched around his pursuits, and + finding some remains of classic culture, he kept up a conversation on + these points; showing him the possessions of the library in that + department, where, indeed, were some treasures that he had discovered, and + which seemed to have been collected at least a century ago. + </p> + <p> + “Generally, however,” observed he, as they passed from one dark alcove to + another, “the library is of little worth, except to show how much of + living truth each generation contributes to the botheration of life, and + what a public benefactor a bookworm is, after all. There, now! did you + ever happen to see one? Here is one that I have watched at work, some time + past, and have not thought it worth while to stop him.” + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe looked at the learned little insect, who was eating a strange + sort of circular trench into an old book of scholastic Latin, which + probably only he had ever devoured,—at least ever found to his + taste. The insect seemed in excellent condition, fat with learning, having + doubtless got the essence of the book into himself. But Redclyffe was + still more interested in observing in the corner a great spider, which + really startled him,—not so much for its own terrible aspect, though + that was monstrous, as because he seemed to see in it the very great + spider which he had known in his boyhood; that same monster that had been + the Doctor’s familiar, and had been said to have had an influence in his + death. He looked so startled that Father Angelo observed it. + </p> + <p> + “Do not be frightened,” said he; “though I allow that a brave man may well + be afraid of a spider, and that the bravest of the brave need not blush to + shudder at this one. There is a great mystery about this spider. No one + knows whence he came; nor how long he has been here. The library was very + much shut up during the time of the last inheritor of the estate, and had + not been thoroughly examined for some years when I opened it, and swept + some of the dust away from its old alcoves. I myself was not aware of this + monster until the lapse of some weeks, when I was startled at seeing him, + one day, as I was reading an old book here. He dangled down from the + ceiling, by the cordage of his web, and positively seemed to look into my + face.” + </p> + <p> + “He is of the species Condetas,” said Redclyffe,—“a rare spider + seldom seen out of the tropic regions.” + </p> + <p> + “You are learned, then, in spiders,” observed the priest, surprised. + </p> + <p> + “I could almost make oath, at least, that I have known this ugly specimen + of his race,” observed Redclyffe. “A very dear friend, now deceased, to + whom I owed the highest obligations, was studious of spiders, and his + chief treasure was one the very image of this.” + </p> + <p> + “How strange!” said the priest. “There has always appeared to me to be + something uncanny in spiders. I should be glad to talk further with you on + this subject. Several times I have fancied a strange intelligence in this + monster; but I have natural horror of him, and therefore refrain from + interviews.” + </p> + <p> + “You do wisely, sir,” said Redclyffe. “His powers and purposes are + questionably beneficent, at best.” + </p> + <p> + In truth, the many-legged monster made the old library ghostly to him by + the associations which it summoned up, and by the idea that it was really + the identical one that had seemed so stuffed with poison, in the lifetime + of the Doctor, and at that so distant spot. Yet, on reflection, it + appeared not so strange; for the old Doctor’s spider, as he had heard him + say, was one of an ancestral race that he had brought from beyond the sea. + They might have been preserved, for ages possibly, in this old library, + whence the Doctor had perhaps taken his specimen, and possibly the one now + before him was the sole survivor. It hardly, however, made the monster any + the less hideous to suppose that this might be the case; and to fancy the + poison of old times condensed into this animal, who might have sucked the + diseases, moral and physical, of all this family into him, and to have + made himself their demon. He questioned with himself whether it might not + be well to crush him at once, and so perhaps do away with the evil of + which he was the emblem. + </p> + <p> + “I felt a strange disposition to crush this monster at first,” remarked + the priest, as if he knew what Redclyffe was thinking of,—“a feeling + that in so doing I should get rid of a mischief; but then he is such a + curious monster. You cannot long look at him without coming to the + conclusion that he is indestructible.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes; and to think of crushing such a deep-bowelled monster!” said + Redclyffe, shuddering. “It is too great a catastrophe.” + </p> + <p> + During this conversation in which he was so deeply concerned, the spider + withdrew himself, and hand over hand ascended to a remote and dusky + corner, where was his hereditary abode. + </p> + <p> + “Shall I be likely to meet Lord Braithwaite here in the library?” asked + Redclyffe, when the fiend had withdrawn himself. “I have not yet seen him + since my arrival.” + </p> + <p> + “I trust,” said the priest, with great courtesy, “that you are aware of + some peculiarities in his Lordship’s habits, which imply nothing in + detriment to the great respect which he pays all his few guests, and + which, I know, he is especially desirous to pay to you. I think that we + shall meet him at lunch, which, though an English institution, his + Lordship has adopted very readily.” + </p> + <p> + “I should hope,” said Redclyffe, willing to know how far he might be + expected to comply with the peculiarities—which might prove to be + eccentricities—of his host, “that my presence here will not be too + greatly at variance with his Lordship’s habits, whatever they may be. I + came hither, indeed, on the pledge that, as my host would not stand in my + way, so neither would I in his.” + </p> + <p> + “That is the true principle,” said the priest, “and here comes his + Lordship in person to begin the practice of it.” + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0022" id="link2HCH0022"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXII. + </h2> + <p> + Lord Braithwaite came into the principal door of the library as the priest + was speaking, and stood a moment just upon the threshold, looking keenly + out of the stronger light into this dull and darksome apartment, as if + unable to see perfectly what was within; or rather, as Redclyffe fancied, + trying to discover what was passing between those two. And, indeed, as + when a third person comes suddenly upon two who are talking of him, the + two generally evince in their manner some consciousness of the fact; so it + was in this case, with Redclyffe at least, although the priest seemed + perfectly undisturbed, either through practice of concealment, or because + he had nothing to conceal. + </p> + <p> + His Lordship, after a moment’s pause, came forward, presenting his hand to + Redclyffe, who shook it, and not without a certain cordiality; till he + perceived that it was the left hand, when he probably intimated some + surprise by a change of manner. + </p> + <p> + “I am an awkward person,” said his Lordship. “The left hand, however, is + nearest the heart; so be assured I mean no discourtesy.” + </p> + <p> + “The Signor Ambassador and myself,” observed the priest, “have had a most + interesting conversation (to me at least) about books and bookworms, + spiders, and other congruous matters; and I find his Excellency has + heretofore made acquaintance with a great spider bearing strong + resemblance to the hermit of our library.” + </p> + <p> + “Indeed,” said his Lordship. “I was not aware that America had yet enough + of age and old misfortune, crime, sordidness, that accumulate with it, to + have produced spiders like this. Had he sucked into himself all the + noisomeness of your heat?” + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe made some slight answer, that the spider was a sort of pet of an + old virtuoso to whom he owed many obligations in his boyhood; and the + conversation turned from this subject to others suggested by topics of the + day and place. His Lordship was affable, and Redclyffe could not, it must + be confessed, see anything to justify the prejudices of the neighbors + against him. Indeed, he was inclined to attribute them, in great measure, + to the narrowness of the English view,—to those insular prejudices + which have always prevented them from fully appreciating what differs from + their own habits. At lunch, which was soon announced, the party of three + became very pleasant and sociable, his Lordship drinking a light Italian + red wine, and recommending it to Redclyffe; who, however, was English + enough to prefer some bitter ale, while the priest contented himself with + pure water,—which is, in truth, a less agreeable drink in chill, + moist England than in any country we are acquainted with. + </p> + <p> + “You must make yourself quite at home here,” said his Lordship, as they + rose from table. “I am not a good host, nor a very genial man, I believe. + I can do little to entertain you; but here is the house and the grounds at + your disposal,—horses in the stable,—guns in the hall,—here + is Father Angelo, good at chess. There is the library. Pray make the most + of them all; and if I can contribute in any way to your pleasure, let me + know.” + </p> + <p> + All this certainly seemed cordial, and the manner in which it was said + seemed in accordance with the spirit of the words; and yet, whether the + fault was in anything of morbid suspicion in Redclyffe’s nature, or + whatever it was, it did not have the effect of making him feel welcome, + which almost every Englishman has the natural faculty of producing on a + guest, when once he has admitted him beneath his roof. It might be in + great measure his face, so thin and refined, and intellectual without + feeling; his voice which had melody, but not heartiness; his manners, + which were not simple by nature, but by art;—whatever it was, + Redclyffe found that Lord Braithwaite did not call for his own naturalness + and simplicity, but his art, and felt that he was inevitably acting a part + in his intercourse with him, that he was on his guard, playing a game; and + yet he did not wish to do this. But there was a mobility, a subtleness in + his nature, an unconscious tact,—which the mode of life and of + mixing with men in America fosters and perfects,—that made this sort + of finesse inevitable to him, with any but a natural character; with whom, + on the other hand, Redclyffe could be as fresh and natural as any + Englishman of them all. + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe spent the time between lunch and dinner in wandering about the + grounds, from which he had hitherto felt himself debarred by motives of + delicacy. It was a most interesting ramble to him, coming to trees which + his ancestor, who went to America, might have climbed in his boyhood, + might have sat beneath, with his lady-love, in his youth; deer there were, + the descendants of those which he had seen; old stone stiles, which his + foot had trodden. The sombre, clouded light of the day fell down upon this + scene, which in its verdure, its luxuriance of vegetable life, was purely + English, cultivated to the last extent without losing the nature out of a + single thing. In the course of his walk he came to the spot where he had + been so mysteriously wounded on his first arrival in this region; and, + examining the spot, he was startled to see that there was a path leading + to the other side of a hedge, and this path, which led to the house, had + brought him here. + </p> + <p> + Musing upon this mysterious circumstance, and how it should have happened + in so orderly a country as England, so tamed and subjected to + civilization,—an incident to happen in an English park which seemed + better suited to the Indian-haunted forests of the wilder parts of his own + land,—and how no researches which the Warden had instituted had + served in the smallest degree to develop the mystery,—he clambered + over the hedge, and followed the footpath. It plunged into dells, and + emerged from them, led through scenes which seemed those of old romances, + and at last, by these devious ways, began to approach the old house, + which, with its many gray gables, put on a new aspect from this point of + view. Redclyffe admired its venerableness anew; the ivy that overran parts + of it; the marks of age; and wondered at the firmness of the institutions + which, through all the changes that come to man, could have kept this + house the home of one lineal race for so many centuries; so many, that the + absence of his own branch from it seemed but a temporary visit to foreign + parts, from which he was now returned, to be again at home, by the old + hearthstone. + </p> + <p> + “But what do I mean to do?” said he to himself, stopping short, and still + looking at the old house. “Am I ready to give up all the actual life + before me for the sake of taking up with what I feel to be a less + developed state of human life? Would it not be better for me to depart + now, to turn my back on this flattering prospect? I am not fit to be here,—I, + so strongly susceptible of a newer, more stirring life than these men + lead; I, who feel that, whatever the thought and cultivation of England + may be, my own countrymen have gone forward a long, long march beyond + them, not intellectually, but in a way that gives them a further start. If + I come back hither, with the purpose to make myself an Englishman, + especially an Englishman of rank and hereditary estate,—then for me + America has been discovered in vain, and the great spirit that has been + breathed into us is in vain; and I am false to it all!” + </p> + <p> + But again came silently swelling over him like a flood all that ancient + peace, and quietude, and dignity, which looked so stately and beautiful as + brooding round the old house; all that blessed order of ranks, that sweet + superiority, and yet with no disclaimer of common brotherhood, that + existed between the English gentleman and his inferiors; all that + delightful intercourse, so sure of pleasure, so safe from rudeness, + lowness, unpleasant rubs, that exists between gentleman and gentleman, + where, in public affairs, all are essentially of one mind, or seem so to + an American politician, accustomed to the fierce conflicts of our + embittered parties; where life was made so enticing, so refined, and yet + with a sort of homeliness that seemed to show that all its strength was + left behind; that seeming taking in of all that was desirable in life, and + all its grace and beauty, yet never giving life a hard enamel of + over-refinement. What could there be in the wild, harsh, ill-conducted + American approach to civilization, which could compare with this? What to + compare with this juiciness and richness? What other men had ever got so + much out of life as the polished and wealthy Englishmen of to-day? What + higher part was to be acted, than seemed to lie before him, if he willed + to accept it? + </p> + <p> + He resumed his walk, and, drawing near the manor-house, found that he was + approaching another entrance than that which had at first admitted him; a + very pleasant entrance it was, beneath a porch, of antique form, and + ivy-clad, hospitable and inviting; and it being the approach from the + grounds, it seemed to be more appropriate to the residents of the house + than the other one. Drawing near, Redclyffe saw that a flight of steps + ascended within the porch, old-looking, much worn; and nothing is more + suggestive of long time than a flight of worn steps; it must have taken so + many soles, through so many years, to make an impression. Judging from the + make of the outside of the edifice, Redclyffe thought that he could make + out the way from the porch to the hall and library; so he determined to + enter this way. + </p> + <p> + There had been, as was not unusual, a little shower of rain during the + afternoon; and as Redclyffe came close to the steps, they were glistening + with the wet. The stones were whitish, like marble, and one of them bore + on it a token that made him pause, while a thrill like terror ran through + his system. For it was the mark of a footstep, very decidedly made out, + and red, like blood,—the Bloody Footstep,—the mark of a foot, + which seemed to have been slightly impressed into the rock, as if it had + been a soft substance, at the same time sliding a little, and gushing with + blood. The glistening moisture of which we have spoken made it appear as + if it were just freshly stamped there; and it suggested to Redclyffe’s + fancy the idea, that, impressed more than two centuries ago, there was + some charm connected with the mark which kept it still fresh, and would + continue to do so to the end of time. It was well that there was no + spectator there,—for the American would have blushed to have it + known how much this old traditionary wonder had affected his imagination. + But, indeed, it was as old as any bugbear of his mind—as any of + those bugbears and private terrors which grow up with people, and make the + dreams and nightmares of childhood, and the fever-images of mature years, + till they haunt the deliriums of the dying bed, and after that possibly, + are either realized or known no more. The Doctor’s strange story vividly + recurred to him, and all the horrors which he had since associated with + this trace; and it seemed to him as if he had now struck upon a bloody + track, and as if there were other tracks of this supernatural foot which + he was bound to search out; removing the dust of ages that had settled on + them, the moss and deep grass that had grown over them, the forest leaves + that might have fallen on them in America—marking out the pathway, + till the pedestrian lay down in his grave. + </p> + <p> + The foot was issuing from, not entering into, the house. Whoever had + impressed it, or on whatever occasion, he had gone forth, and doubtless to + return no more. Redclyffe was impelled to place his own foot on the track; + and the action, as it were, suggested in itself strange ideas of what had + been the state of mind of the man who planted it there; and he felt a + strange, vague, yet strong surmise of some agony, some terror and horror, + that had passed here, and would not fade out of the spot. While he was in + these musings, he saw Lord Braithwaite looking at him through the glass of + the porch, with fixed, curious eyes, and a smile on his face. On + perceiving that Redclyffe was aware of his presence, he came forth without + appearing in the least disturbed. + </p> + <p> + “What think you of the Bloody Footstep?” asked he. + </p> + <p> + “It seems to me, undoubtedly,” said Redclyffe, stooping to examine it more + closely, “a good thing to make a legend out of; and, like most legendary + lore, not capable of bearing close examination. I should decidedly say + that the Bloody Footstep is a natural reddish stain in the stone.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you think so, indeed?” rejoined his Lordship. “It may be; but in that + case, if not the record of an actual deed,—of a foot stamped down + there in guilt and agony, and oozing out with unwipeupable blood,—we + may consider it as prophetic;—as foreboding, from the time when the + stone was squared and smoothed, and laid at this threshold, that a fatal + footstep was really to be impressed here.” + </p> + <p> + “It is an ingenious supposition,” said Redclyffe. “But is there any sure + knowledge that the prophecy you suppose has yet been fulfilled?” + </p> + <p> + “If not, it might yet be in the future,” said Lord Braithwaite. “But I + think there are enough in the records of this family to prove that there + did one cross this threshold in a bloody agony, who has since returned no + more. Great seekings, I have understood, have been had throughout the + world for him, or for any sign of him, but nothing satisfactory has been + heard.” + </p> + <p> + “And it is now too late to expect it,” observed the American. + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps not,” replied the nobleman, with a glance that Redclyffe thought + had peculiar meaning in it. “Ah! it is very curious to see what turnings + up there are in this world of old circumstances that seem buried forever; + how things come back, like echoes that have rolled away among the hills + and been seemingly hushed forever. We cannot tell when a thing is really + dead; it comes to life, perhaps in its old shape, perhaps in a new and + unexpected one; so that nothing really vanishes out of the world. I wish + it did.” + </p> + <p> + The conversation now ceased, and Redclyffe entered the house, where he + amused himself for some time in looking at the ancient hall, with its + gallery, its armor, and its antique fireplace, on the hearth of which + burned a genial fire. He wondered whether in that fire was the continuance + of that custom which the Doctor’s legend spoke of, and that the flame had + been kept up there two hundred years, in expectation of the wanderer’s + return. It might be so, although the climate of England made it a natural + custom enough, in a large and damp old room, into which many doors opened, + both from the exterior and interior of the mansion; but it was pleasant to + think the custom a traditionary one, and to fancy that a booted figure, + enveloped in a cloak, might still arrive, and fling open the veiling + cloak, throw off the sombre and drooping-brimmed hat, and show features + that were similar to those seen in pictured faces on the walls. Was he + himself—in another guise, as Lord Braithwaite had been saying—that + long-expected one? Was his the echoing tread that had been heard so long + through the ages—so far through the wide world—approaching the + blood-stained threshold? + </p> + <p> + With such thoughts, or dreams (for they were hardly sincerely enough + entertained to be called thoughts), Redclyffe spent the day; a strange, + delicious day, in spite of the sombre shadows that enveloped it. He + fancied himself strangely wonted, already, to the house; as if his every + part and peculiarity had at once fitted into its nooks, and corners, and + crannies; but, indeed, his mobile nature and active fancy were not + entirely to be trusted in this matter; it was, perhaps, his American + faculty of making himself at home anywhere, that he mistook for the + feeling of being peculiarly at home here. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0023" id="link2HCH0023"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXIII. + </h2> + <p> + Redclyffe was now established in the great house which had been so long + and so singularly an object of interest with him. With his customary + impressibility by the influences around him, he begun to take in the + circumstances, and to understand them by more subtile tokens than he could + well explain to himself. There was the steward, [Endnote: 1] or whatever + was his precise office; so quiet, so subdued, so nervous, so strange! What + had been this man’s history? What was now the secret of his daily life? + There he was, creeping stealthily up and down the staircases, and about + the passages of the house; always as if he were afraid of meeting + somebody. On seeing Redclyffe in the house, the latter fancied that the + man expressed a kind of interest in his face; but whether pleasure or pain + he could not well tell; only he sometimes found that he was contemplating + him from a distance, or from the obscurity of the room in which he sat,—or + from a corridor, while he smoked his cigar on the lawn. A great part, if + not the whole of this, he imputed to his knowledge of Redclyffe’s + connections with the Doctor; but yet this hardly seemed sufficient to + account for the pertinacity with which the old man haunted his footsteps,—the + poor, nervous old thing,—always near him, or often unexpectedly so; + and yet apparently not very willing to hold conversation with him, having + nothing of importance to say. + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Omskirk,” said Redclyffe to him, a day or two after the commencement + of his visit, “how many years have you now been in this situation?” + </p> + <p> + “0, sir, ever since the Doctor’s departure for America,” said Omskirk, + “now thirty and five years, five months, and three days.” + </p> + <p> + “A long time,” said Redclyffe, smiling, “and you seem to keep the account + of it very accurately.” + </p> + <p> + “A very long time, your honor,” said Omskirk; “so long, that I seem to + have lived one life before it began, and I cannot think of any life than + just what I had. My life was broken off short in the midst; and what + belonged to the earlier part of it was another man’s life; this is mine.” + </p> + <p> + “It might be a pleasant life enough, I should think, in this fine old + Hall,” said Redclyffe; “rather monotonous, however. Would you not like a + relaxation of a few days, a pleasure trip, in all these thirty-five years? + You old Englishmen are so sturdily faithful to one thing. You do not + resemble my countrymen in that.” + </p> + <p> + “0, none of them ever lived in an old mansion-house like this,” replied + Omskirk, “they do not know the sort of habits that a man gets here. They + do not know my business either, nor any man’s here.” + </p> + <p> + “Is your master then, so difficult?” said Redclyffe. + </p> + <p> + “My master! Who was speaking of him?” said the old man, as if surprised. + “Ah, I was thinking of Dr. Grimshawe. He was my master, you know.” + </p> + <p> + And Redclyffe was again inconceivably struck with the strength of the + impression that was made on the poor old man’s mind by the character of + the old Doctor; so that, after thirty years of other service, he still + felt him to be the master, and could not in the least release himself from + those earlier bonds. He remembered a story that the Doctor used to tell of + his once recovering a hanged person, and more and more came to the + conclusion that this was the man, and that, as the Doctor had said, this + hold of a strong mind over a weak one, strengthened by the idea that he + had made him, had subjected the man to him in a kind of slavery that + embraced the soul. + </p> + <p> + And then, again, the lord of the estate interested him greatly, and not + unpleasantly. He compared what he seemed to be now with what, according to + all reports, he had been in the past, and could make nothing of it, nor + reconcile the two characters in the least. It seemed as if the estate were + possessed by a devil,—a foul and melancholy fiend,—who + resented the attempted possession of others by subjecting them to himself. + One had turned from quiet and sober habits to reckless dissipation; + another had turned from the usual gayety of life to recluse habits, and + both, apparently, by the same influence; at least, so it appeared to + Redclyffe, as he insulated their story from all other circumstances, and + looked at them by one light. He even thought that he felt a similar + influence coming over himself, even in this little time that he had spent + here; gradually, should this be his permanent residence,—and not so + very gradually either,—there would come its own individual mode of + change over him. That quick suggestive mind would gather the moss and + lichens of decay. Palsy of its powers would probably be the form it would + assume. He looked back through the vanished years to the time which he had + spent with the old Doctor, and he felt unaccountably as if the mysterious + old man were yet ruling him, as he did in his boyhood; as if his + inscrutable, inevitable eye were upon him in all his movements; nay, as if + he had guided every step that he took in coming hither, and were stalking + mistily before him, leading him about. He sometimes would gladly have + given up all these wild and enticing prospects, these dreams that had + occupied him so long, if he could only have gone away and looked back upon + the house, its inmates, and his own recollections no more; but there came + a fate, and took the shape of the old Doctor’s apparition, holding him + back. + </p> + <p> + And then, too, the thought of Elsie had much influence in keeping him + quietly here; her natural sunshine was the one thing that, just now, + seemed to have a good influence upon the world. She, too, was evidently + connected with this place, and with the fate, whatever it might be, that + awaited him here. The Doctor, the ruler of his destiny, had provided her + as well as all the rest; and from his grave, or wherever he was, he still + seemed to bring them together. + </p> + <p> + So here, in this darkened dream, he waited for what should come to pass; + and daily, when he sat down in the dark old library, it was with the + thought that this day might bring to a close the doubt amid which he + lived,—might give him the impetus to go forward. In such a state, no + doubt, the witchcraft of the place was really to be recognized, the old + witchcraft, too, of the Doctor, which he had escaped by the quick + ebullition of youthful spirit, long ago, while the Doctor lived; but which + had been stored up till now, till an influence that remained latent for + years had worked out in active disease. He held himself open for + intercourse with the lord of the mansion; and intercourse of a certain + nature they certainly had, but not of the kind which Redclyffe desired. + They talked together of politics, of the state of the relations between + England and America, of the court to which Redclyffe was accredited; + sometimes Redclyffe tried to lead the conversation to the family topics, + nor, in truth, did Lord Braithwaite seem to decline his lead; although it + was observable that very speedily the conversation would be found turned + upon some other subject, to which it had swerved aside by subtle underhand + movements. Yet Redclyffe was not the less determined, and at no distant + period, to bring up the subject on which his mind dwelt so much, and have + it fairly discussed between them. + </p> + <p> + He was sometimes a little frightened at the position and circumstances in + which he found himself; a great disturbance there was in his being, the + causes of which he could not trace. It had an influence on his dreams, + through which the Doctor seemed to pass continually, and when he awoke it + was often with the sensation that he had just the moment before been + holding conversation with the old man, and that the latter—with that + gesture of power that he remembered so well—had been impressing some + command upon him; but what that command was, he could not possibly call to + mind. He wandered among the dark passages of the house, and up its antique + staircases, as if expecting at every turn to meet some one who would have + the word of destiny to say to him. When he went forth into the park, it + was as if to hold an appointment with one who had promised to meet him + there; and he came slowly back, lingering and loitering, because this + expected one had not yet made himself visible, yet plucked up a little + alacrity as he drew near the house, because the communicant might have + arrived in his absence, and be waiting for him in the dim library. It + seemed as if he was under a spell; he could neither go away nor rest,—nothing + but dreams, troubled dreams. He had ghostly fears, as if some one were + near him whom he could not make out; stealing behind him, and starting + away when he was impelled to turn round. A nervousness that his healthy + temperament had never before permitted him to be the victim of, assailed + him now. He could not help imputing it partly to the influence of the + generations who had left a portion of their individual human nature in the + house, which had become magnetic by them and could not rid itself of their + presence in one sense, though, in another, they had borne it as far off as + to where the gray tower of the village church rose above their remains. + </p> + <p> + Again, he was frightened to perceive what a hold the place was getting + upon him; how the tendrils of the ivy seemed to hold him and would not let + him go; how natural and homelike (grim and sombre as they were) the old + doorways and apartments were becoming; how in no place that he had ever + known had he had such a home-like feeling. To be sure, poor fellow, he had + no earlier home except the almshouse, where his recollection of a fireside + crowded by grim old women and pale, sickly children, of course never + allowed him to have the reminiscences of a private, domestic home. But + then there was the Doctor’s home by the graveyard, and little Elsie, his + constant playmate? No, even those recollections did not hold him like this + heavy present circumstance. How should he ever draw himself away? No; the + proud and vivid and active prospects that had heretofore spread themselves + before him,—the striving to conquer, the struggle, the victory, the + defeat, if such it was to be,—the experiences for good or ill,—the + life, life, life,—all possibility of these was passing from him; all + that hearty earnest contest or communion of man with man; and leaving him + nothing but this great sombre shade, this brooding of the old family + mansion, with its dreary ancestral hall, its mouldy dignity, its life of + the past, its fettering honor, which to accept must bind him hand and + foot, as respects all effort, such as he had trained himself for,—such + as his own country offered. It was not any value for these,—as it + seemed to Redclyffe,—but a witchcraft, an indefinable spell, a + something that he could not define, that enthralled him, and was now doing + a work on him analogous to, though different from, that which was wrought + on Omskirk and all the other inhabitants, high and low, of this old + mansion. + </p> + <p> + He felt greatly interested in the master of the mansion; although perhaps + it was not from anything in his nature; but partly because he conceived + that he himself had a controlling power over his fortunes, and likewise + from the vague perception of this before-mentioned trouble in him. It + seemed, whatever it might be, to have converted an ordinary superficial + man of the world into a being that felt and suffered inwardly, had pangs, + fears, a conscience, a sense of unseen things. It seemed as if underneath + this manor-house were the entrance to the cave of Trophonius, one visit to + which made a man sad forever after; and that Lord Braithwaite had been + there once, or perhaps went nightly, or at any hour. Or the mansion itself + was like dark-colored experience, the reality; the point of view where + things were seen in their true lights; the true world, all outside of + which was delusion, and here—dreamlike as its structures seemed—the + absolute truth. All those that lived in it were getting to be a + brotherhood; and he among them; and perhaps before the blood-stained + threshold would grow up an impassable barrier, which would cause himself + to sit down in dreary quiet, like the rest of them. + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe, as has been intimated, had an unavowed—unavowed to + himself—suspicion that the master of the house cherished no kindly + purpose towards him; he had an indistinct feeling of danger from him; he + would not have been surprised to know that he was concocting a plot + against his life; and yet he did not think that Lord Braithwaite had the + slightest hostility towards him. It might make the thing more horrible, + perhaps; but it has been often seen in those who poison for the sake of + interest, without feelings of personal malevolence, that they do it as + kindly as the nature of the thing will permit; they, possibly, may even + have a certain degree of affection for their victims, enough to induce + them to make the last hours of life sweet and pleasant; to wind up the + fever of life with a double supply of enjoyable throbs; to sweeten and + delicately flavor the cup of death that they offer to the lips of him + whose life is inconsistent with some stated necessity of their own. “Dear + friend,” such a one might say to the friend whom he reluctantly condemned + to death, “think not that there is any base malice, any desire of pain to + thee, that actuates me in this thing. Heaven knows, I earnestly wish thy + good. But I have well considered the matter,—more deeply than thou + hast,—and have found that it is essential that one thing should be, + and essential to that thing that thou, my friend, shouldst die. Is that a + doom which even thou wouldst object to with such an end to be answered? + Thou art innocent; thou art not a man of evil life; the worst thing that + can come of it, so far as thou art concerned, would be a quiet, endless + repose in yonder churchyard, among dust of thy ancestry, with the English + violets growing over thee there, and the green, sweet grass, which thou + wilt not scorn to associate with thy dissolving elements, remembering that + thy forefather owed a debt, for his own birth and growth, to this English + soil, and paid it not,—consigned himself to that rough soil of + another clime, under the forest leaves. Pay it, dear friend, without + repining, and leave me to battle a little longer with this troublesome + world, and in a few years to rejoin thee, and talk quietly over this + matter which we are now arranging. How slight a favor, then, for one + friend to do another, will seem this that I seek of thee.” + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe smiled to himself, as he thus gave expression to what he really + half fancied were Lord Braithwaite’s feelings and purposes towards him, + and he felt them in the kindness and sweetness of his demeanor, and his + evident wish to make him happy, combined with his own subtile suspicion of + some design with which he had been invited here, or which had grown up + since he came. + </p> + <p> + Whoever has read Italian history must have seen such instances of this + poisoning without malice or personal ill-feeling. + </p> + <p> + His own pleasant, companionable, perhaps noble traits and qualities, may + have made a favorable impression on Lord Braithwaite, and perhaps he + regretted the necessity of acting as he was about to do, but could not + therefore weakly relinquish his deliberately formed design. And, on his + part, Redclyffe bore no malice towards Lord Braithwaite, but felt really a + kindly interest in him, and could he have made him happy at any less cost + than his own life, or dearest interests, would perhaps have been glad to + do so. He sometimes felt inclined to remonstrate with him in a friendly + way; to tell him that his intended course was not likely to lead to a good + result; that they had better try to arrange the matter on some other + basis, and perhaps he would not find the American so unreasonable as he + supposed. + </p> + <p> + All this, it will be understood, were the mere dreamy suppositions of + Redclyffe, in the idleness and languor of the old mansion, letting his + mind run at will, and following it into dim caves, whither it tended. He + did not actually believe anything of all this; unless it be a lawyer, or a + policeman, or some very vulgar natural order of mind, no man really + suspects another of crime. It is the hardest thing in the world for a + noble nature—the hardest and the most shocking—to be convinced + that a fellow-being is going to do a wrong thing, and the consciousness of + one’s own inviolability renders it still more difficult to believe that + one’s self is to be the object of the wrong. What he had been fancying + looked to him like a romance. The strange part of the matter was, what + suggested such a romance in regard to his kind and hospitable host, who + seemed to exercise the hospitality of England with a kind of refinement + and pleasant piquancy that came from his Italian mixture of blood? Was + there no spiritual whisper here? + </p> + <p> + So the time wore on; and Redclyffe began to be sensible that he must soon + decide upon the course that he was to take; for his diplomatic position + waited for him, and he could not loiter many days more away in this half + delicious, half painful reverie and quiet in the midst of his struggling + life. He was yet as undetermined what to do as ever; or, if we may come + down to the truth, he was perhaps loath to acknowledge to himself the + determination that he had actually formed. + </p> + <p> + One day, at dinner, which now came on after candle-light, he and Lord + Braithwaite sat together at table, as usual, while Omskirk waited at the + sideboard. It was a wild, gusty night, in which an autumnal breeze of + later autumn seemed to have gone astray, and come into September + intrusively. The two friends—for such we may call them—had + spent a pleasant day together, wandering in the grounds, looking at the + old house at all points, going to the church, and examining the + cross-legged stone statues; they had ridden, too, and taken a great deal + of healthful exercise, and had now that pleasant sense of just weariness + enough which it is the boon of the climate of England to incite and permit + men to take. Redclyffe was in one of his most genial moods, and Lord + Braithwaite seemed to be the same; so kindly they were both disposed to + one another, that the American felt that he might not longer refrain from + giving his friend some light upon the character in which he appeared, or + in which, at least, he had it at his option to appear. Lord Braithwaite + might or might not know it already; but at all events it was his duty to + tell him, or to take his leave, having thus far neither gained nor sought + anything from their connection which would tend to forward his pursuit—should + he decide to undertake it. + </p> + <p> + When the cheerful fire, the rare wine, and the good fare had put them both + into a good physical state, Redclyffe said to Lord Braithwaite,— + </p> + <p> + “There is a matter upon which I have been some time intending to speak to + you.” + </p> + <p> + Braithwaite nodded. + </p> + <p> + “A subject,” continued he, “of interest to both of us. Has it ever + occurred to you, from the identity of name, that I may be really, what we + have jokingly assumed me to be,—a relation?” + </p> + <p> + “It has,” said Lord Braithwaite, readily enough. “The family would be + proud to acknowledge such a kinsman, whose abilities and political rank + would add a public lustre that it has long wanted.” + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe bowed and smiled. + </p> + <p> + “You know, I suppose, the annals of your house,” he continued, “and have + heard how, two centuries ago, or somewhat less, there was an ancestor who + mysteriously disappeared. He was never seen again. There were tales of + private murder, out of which a hundred legends have come down to these + days, as I have myself found, though most of them in so strange a shape + that I should hardly know them, had I not myself a clue.” + </p> + <p> + “I have heard some of these legends,” said Lord Braithwaite. + </p> + <p> + “But did you ever hear, among them,” asked Redclyffe, “that the lost + ancestor did not really die,—was not murdered,—but lived long, + though in another hemisphere,—lived long, and left heirs behind + him?” + </p> + <p> + “There is such a legend,” said Lord Braithwaite. + </p> + <p> + “Left posterity,” continued Redclyffe,—“a representative of whom is + alive at this day.” + </p> + <p> + “That I have not known, though I might conjecture something like it,” said + Braithwaite. + </p> + <p> + The coolness with which he took this perplexed Redclyffe. He resolved to + make trial at once whether it were possible to move him. + </p> + <p> + “And I have reason to believe,” he added, “that that representative is + myself.” + </p> + <p> + “Should that prove to be the case, you are welcome back to your own,” said + Lord Braithwaite, quietly. “It will be a very remarkable case, if the + proofs for two hundred years, or thereabouts, can be so distinctly made + out as to nullify the claim of one whose descent is undoubted. Yet it is + certainly not impossible. I suppose it would hardly be fair in me to ask + what are your proofs, and whether I may see them.” + </p> + <p> + “The documents are in the hands of my agents in London,” replied + Redclyffe; “and seem to be ample, among them being a certified genealogy + from the first emigrant downward, without a break. A declaration of two + men of note among the first settlers, certifying that they knew the first + emigrant, under a change of name, to be the eldest son of the house of + Braithwaite; full proofs, at least on that head.” + </p> + <p> + “You are a lawyer, I believe,” said Braithwaite, “and know better than I + what may be necessary to prove your claim. I will frankly own to you, that + I have heard, long ago,—as long as when my connection with this + hereditary property first began,—that there was supposed to be an + heir extant for a long course of years, and that there, was no proof that + that main line of the descent had ever become extinct. If these things had + come fairly before me, and been represented to me with whatever force + belongs to them, before my accession to the estate,—these and other + facts which I have since become acquainted with,—I might have + deliberated on the expediency of coming to such a doubtful possession. The + property, I assure you, is not so desirable that, taking all things into + consideration, it has much increased my happiness. But, now, here I am, + having paid a price in a certain way,—which you will understand, if + you ever come into the property,—a price of a nature that cannot + possibly be refunded. It can hardly be presumed that I shall see your + right a moment sooner than you make it manifest by law.” + </p> + <p> + “I neither expect nor wish it,” replied Redclyffe, “nor, to speak frankly, + am I quite sure that you will ever have occasion to defend your title, or + to question mine. When I came hither, to be your guest, it was almost with + the settled purpose never to mention my proofs, nor to seek to make them + manifest. That purpose is not, I may say, yet relinquished.” + </p> + <p> + “Yet I am to infer from your words that it is shaken?” said Braithwaite. + “You find the estate, then, so delightful,—this life of the old + manor-house so exquisitely agreeable,—this air so cheering,—this + moral atmosphere so invigorating,—that your scruples are about + coming to an end. You think this life of an Englishman, this fair prospect + of a title, so irresistibly enticing as to be worth more than your claim, + in behalf of your American birthright, to a possible Presidency.” + </p> + <p> + There was a sort of sneer in this, which Redclyffe did not well know how + to understand; and there was a look on Braithwaite’s face, as he said it, + that made him think of a condemned soul, who should be dressed in + magnificent robes, and surrounded with the mockery of state, splendor, and + happiness, who, if he should be congratulated on his fortunate and + blissful situation, would probably wear just such a look, and speak in + just that tone. He looked a moment in Braithwaite’s face. + </p> + <p> + “No,” he replied. “I do not think that there is much happiness in it. A + brighter, healthier, more useful, far more satisfactory, though tumultuous + life would await me in my own country. But there is about this place a + strange, deep, sad, brooding interest, which possesses me, and draws me to + it, and will not let me go. I feel as if, in spite of myself and my most + earnest efforts, I were fascinated by something in the spot, and must + needs linger here, and make it my home if I can.” + </p> + <p> + “You shall be welcome; the old hereditary chair will be filled at last,” + said Braithwaite, pointing to the vacant chair. “Come, we will drink to + you in a cup of welcome. Take the old chair now.” + </p> + <p> + In half-frolic Redclyffe took the chair. + </p> + <p> + He called to Omskirk to bring a bottle of a particularly exquisite Italian + wine, known only to the most deeply skilled in the vintages of that + country, and which, he said, was oftener heard of than seen,—oftener + seen than tasted. Omskirk put it on the table in its original glass, and + Braithwaite filled Redclyffe’s glass and his own, and raised the latter to + his lips, with a frank expression of his mobile countenance. + </p> + <p> + “May you have a secure possession of your estate,” said he, “and live long + in the midst of your possessions. To me, on the whole, it seems better + than your American prospects.” + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe thanked him, and drank off the glass of wine, which was not very + much to his taste; as new varieties of wine are apt not to be. All the + conversation that had passed had been in a free, careless sort of way, + without apparently much earnestness in it; for they were both men who knew + how to keep their more serious parts within them. But Redclyffe was glad + that the explanation was over, and that he might now remain at + Braithwaite’s table, under his roof, without that uneasy feeling of + treachery which, whether rightly or not, had haunted him hitherto. He felt + joyous, and stretched his hand out for the bottle which Braithwaite kept + near himself, instead of passing it. + </p> + <p> + “You do not yourself do justice to your own favorite wine,” observed + Redclyffe, seeing his host’s full glass standing before him. + </p> + <p> + “I have filled again,” said Braithwaite, carelessly; “but I know not that + I shall venture to drink a second glass. It is a wine that does not bear + mixture with other vintages, though of most genial and admirable qualities + when taken by itself. Drink your own, however, for it will be a rare + occasion indeed that would induce me to offer you another bottle of this + rare stock.” + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe sipped his second glass, endeavoring to find out what was this + subtile and peculiar flavor that hid itself so, and yet seemed on the + point of revealing itself. It had, he thought, a singular effect upon his + faculties, quickening and making them active, and causing him to feel as + if he were on the point of penetrating rare mysteries, such as men’s + thoughts are always hovering round, and always returning from. Some + strange, vast, sombre, mysterious truth, which he seemed to have searched + for long, appeared to be on the point of being revealed to him; a sense of + something to come; something to happen that had been waiting long, long to + happen; an opening of doors, a drawing away of veils; a lifting of heavy, + magnificent curtains, whose dark folds hung before a spectacle of awe;—it + was like the verge of the grave. Whether it was the exquisite wine of + Braithwaite, or whatever it might be, the American felt a strange + influence upon him, as if he were passing through the gates of eternity, + and finding on the other side the revelation of some secret that had + greatly perplexed him on this side. He thought that Braithwaite’s face + assumed a strange, subtile smile,—not malicious, yet crafty, + triumphant, and at the same time terribly sad, and with that perception + his senses, his life, welled away; and left him in the deep ancestral + chair at the board of Braithwaite. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0024" id="link2HCH0024"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXIV. + </h2> + <p> + When awake [Endnote: 1], or beginning to awake, he lay for some time in a + maze; not a disagreeable one, but thoughts were running to and fro in his + mind, all mixed and jumbled together. Reminiscences of early days, even + those that were Preadamite; referring, we mean, to those times in the + almshouse, which he could not at ordinary times remember at all; but now + there seemed to be visions of old women and men, and pallid girls, and + little dirty boys, which could only be referred to that epoch. Also, and + most vividly, there was the old Doctor, with his sternness, his + fierceness, his mystery; and all that happened since, playing + phantasmagoria before his yet unclosed eyes; nor, so mysterious was his + state, did he know, when he should unclose those lids, where he should + find himself. He was content to let the world go on in this way, as long + as it would, and therefore did not hurry, but rather kept back the proofs + of awakening; willing to look at the scenes that were unrolling for his + amusement, as it seemed; and willing, too, to keep it uncertain whether he + were not back in America, and in his boyhood, and all other subsequent + impressions a dream or a prophetic vision. But at length something + stirring near him,—or whether it stirred, or whether he dreamed it, + he could not quite tell,—but the uncertainty impelled him, at last, + to open his eyes, and see whereabouts he was. + </p> + <p> + Even then he continued in as much uncertainty as he was before, and lay + with marvellous quietude in it, trying sluggishly to make the mystery out. + It was in a dim, twilight place, wherever it might be; a place of + half-awakeness, where the outlines of things were not well defined; but it + seemed to be a chamber, antique and vaulted, narrow and high, hung round + with old tapestry. Whether it were morning or midday he could not tell, + such was the character of the light, nor even where it came from; for + there appeared to be no windows, and yet it was not apparently artificial + light; nor light at all, indeed, but a gray dimness. It was so like his + own half-awake state that he lay in it a longer time, not incited to + finish his awaking, but in a languor, not disagreeable, yet hanging + heavily, heavily upon him, like a dark pall. It was, in fact, as if he had + been asleep for years, or centuries, or till the last day was dawning, and + then was collecting his thoughts in such slow fashion as would then be + likely. + </p> + <p> + Again that noise,—a little, low, quiet sound, as of one breathing + somewhere near him. The whole thing was very much like that incident which + introduced him to the Hospital, and his first coming to his senses there; + and he almost fancied that some such accident must again have happened to + him, and that when his sight cleared he should again behold the venerable + figure of the pensioner. With this idea he let his head steady itself; and + it seemed to him that its dizziness must needs be the result of very long + and deep sleep. What if it were the sleep of a century? What if all things + that were extant when he went to sleep had passed away, and he was waking + now in another epoch of time? Where was America, and the republic in which + he hoped for such great things? Where England? had she stood it better + than the republic? Was the old Hospital still in being,—although the + good Warden must long since have passed out of his warm and pleasant life? + And himself, how came he to be preserved? In what musty old nook had he + been put away, where Time neglected and Death forgot him, until now he was + to get up friendless, helpless,—when new heirs had come to the + estate he was on the point of laying claim to,—and go onward through + what remained of life? Would it not have been better to have lived with + his contemporaries, and to be now dead and dust with them? Poor, petty + interests of a day, how slight! + </p> + <p> + Again the noise, a little stir, a sort of quiet moan, or something that he + could not quite define; but it seemed, whenever he heard it, as if some + fact thrust itself through the dream-work with which he was circumfused; + something alien to his fantasies, yet not powerful enough to dispel them. + It began to be irksome to him, this little sound of something near him; + and he thought, in the space of another hundred years, if it continued, he + should have to arouse himself and see what it was. But, indeed, there was + something so cheering in this long repose,—this rest from all the + troubles of earth, which it sometimes seems as if only a churchyard bed + would give us,—that he wished the noise would let him alone. But his + thoughts were gradually getting too busy for this slumberous state. He + begun, perforce, to come nearer actuality. The strange question occurred + to him, Had any time at all passed? Was he not still sitting at Lord + Braithwaite’s table, having just now quaffed a second glass of that rare + and curious Italian wine? Was it not affecting his head very strangely,—so + that he was put out of time as it were? He would rally himself, and try to + set his head right with another glass. He must be still at table, for now + he remembered he had not gone to bed at all. [Endnote: 2.] + </p> + <p> + Ah, the noise! He could not bear it, he would awake now, now!—silence + it, and then to sleep again. In fact, he started up; started to his feet, + in puzzle and perplexity, and stood gazing around him, with swimming + brain. It was an antique room, which he did not at all recognize, and, + indeed, in that dim twilight—which how it came he could not tell—he + could scarcely discern what were its distinguishing marks. But he seemed + to be sensible, that, in a high-backed chair, at a little distance from + him, sat a figure in a long robe; a figure of a man with snow-white hair + and a long beard, who seemed to be gazing at him, quietly, as if he had + been gazing a hundred years. I know not what it was, but there was an + influence as if this old man belonged to some other age and category of + man than he was now amongst. He remembered the old family legend of the + existence of an ancestor two or three centuries in age. + </p> + <p> + “It is the old family personified,” thought he. + </p> + <p> + The old figure made no sign, but continued to sit gazing at him in so + strangely still a manner that it made Redclyffe shiver with something that + seemed like affright. There was an aspect of long, long time about him; as + if he had never been young, or so long ago as when the world was young + along with him. He might be the demon of this old house; the + representative of all that happened in it, the grief, the long languor and + weariness of life, the deaths, gathering them all into himself, and + figuring them in furrows, wrinkles, and white hairs,—a being that + might have been young, when those old Saxon timbers were put together, + with the oaks that were saplings when Caesar landed, and was in his + maturity when the Conqueror came, and was now lapsing into extreme age + when the nineteenth century was elderly. His garb might have been of any + time, that long, loose robe that enveloped him. Redclyffe remained in this + way, gazing at this aged figure; at first without the least wonder, but + calmly, as we feel in dreams, when, being in a land of enchantment, we + take everything as if it were a matter of course, and feel, by the right + of our own marvellous nature, on terms of equal kindred with all other + marvels. So it was with him when he first became aware of the old man, + sitting there with that age-long regard directed towards him. + </p> + <p> + But, by degrees, a sense of wonder had its will, and grew, slowly at + first, in Redclyffe’s mind; and almost twin-born with it, and growing + piece by piece, there was a sense of awful fear, as his waking senses came + slowly back to him. In the dreamy state, he had felt no fear; but, as a + waking man, it was fearful to discover that the shadowy forms did not fly + from his awaking eyes. He started at last to his feet from the low couch + on which he had all this time been lying. + </p> + <p> + “What are you?” he exclaimed. “Where am I?” + </p> + <p> + The old figure made no answer; nor could Redclyffe be quite sure that his + voice had any effect upon it, though he fancied that it was shaken a + little, as if his voice came to it from afar. But it continued to gaze at + him, or at least to have its aged face turned towards him in the dim + light; and this strange composure, and unapproachableness, were very + frightful. As his manhood gathered about his heart, however, the American + endeavored to shake off this besetting fear, or awe, or whatever it was; + and to bring himself to a sense of waking things,—to burst through + the mist and delusive shows that bewildered him, and catch hold of a + reality. He stamped upon the floor; it was solid stone, the pavement, or + oak so old and stanch that it resembled it. There was one firm thing, + therefore. But the contrast between this and the slipperiness, the + unaccountableness, of the rest of his position, made him the more sensible + of the latter. He made a step towards the old figure; another; another. He + was face to face with him, within a yard of distance. He saw the faint + movement of the old man’s breath; he sought, through the twilight of the + room, some glimmer of perception in his eyes. + </p> + <p> + “Are you a living man?” asked Redclyffe, faintly and doubtfully. + </p> + <p> + He mumbled, the old figure, some faint moaning sound, that, if it were + language at all, had all the edges and angles worn off it by decay,—unintelligible, + except that it seemed to signify a faint mournfulness and complainingness + of mood; and then held his peace, continuing to gaze as before. Redclyffe + could not bear the awe that filled him, while he kept at a distance, and, + coming desperately forward, he stood close to the old figure; he touched + his robe, to see if it were real; he laid his hand upon the withered hand + that held the staff, in which he now recognized the very staff of the + Doctor’s legend. His fingers touched a real hand, though, bony and dry, as + if it had been in the grave. + </p> + <p> + “Then you are real?” said Redclyffe doubtfully. + </p> + <p> + The old figure seemed to have exhausted itself—its energies, what + there were of them—in the effort of making the unintelligible + communication already vouchsafed. Then he seemed to lapse out of + consciousness, and not to know what was passing, or to be sensible that + any person was near him. But Redclyffe was now resuming his firmness and + daylight consciousness even in the dimness. He ran over all that he had + heard of the legend of the old house, rapidly considering whether there + might not be something of fact in the legend of the undying old man; + whether, as told or whispered in the chimney-corners, it might not be an + instance of the mysterious, the half-spiritual mode, in which actual + truths communicate themselves imperfectly through a medium that gives them + the aspect of falsehood. Something in the atmosphere of the house made its + inhabitants and neighbors dimly aware that there was a secret resident; it + was by a language not audible, but of impression; there could not be such + a secret in its recesses, without making itself sensible. This legend of + the undying one translated it to vulgar apprehension. He remembered those + early legends, told by the Doctor, in his childhood; he seemed imperfectly + and doubtfully to see what was their true meaning, and how, taken aright, + they had a reality, and were the craftily concealed history of his own + wrongs, sufferings, and revenge. And this old man! who was he? He joined + the Warden’s account of the family to the Doctor’s legends. He could not + believe, or take thoroughly in, the strange surmise to which they led him; + but, by an irresistible impulse, he acted on it. + </p> + <p> + “Sir Edward Redclyffe!” he exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “Ha! who speaks to me?” exclaimed the old man, in a startled voice, like + one who hears himself called at an unexpected moment. + </p> + <p> + “Sir Edward Redclyffe,” repeated Redclyffe, “I bring you news of Norman + Oglethorpe!” [Endnote: 3.] + </p> + <p> + “The villain! the tyrant! mercy! mercy! save me!” cried the old man, in + most violent emotion of terror and rage intermixed, that shook his old + frame as if it would be shaken asunder. He stood erect, the picture of + ghastly horror, as if he saw before him that stern face that had thrown a + blight over his life, and so fearfully avenged, from youth to age, the + crime that he had committed. The effect, the passion, was too much,—the + terror with which it smote, the rage that accompanied it, blazed up for a + moment with a fierce flame, then flickered and went out. He stood + tottering; Redclyffe put out his hand to support him; but he sank down in + a heap on the floor, as if a thing of dry bones had been suddenly loosened + at the joints, and fell in a rattling heap. [Endnote: 4.] + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0025" id="link2HCH0025"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXV. + </h2> + <p> + Redclyffe, apparently, had not communicated to his agent in London his + change of address, when he left the Warden’s residence to avail himself of + the hospitality of Braithwaite Hall; for letters arrived for him, from his + own country, both private and with the seal of state upon them; one among + the rest that bore on the envelope the name of the President of the United + States. The good Warden was impressed with great respect for so + distinguished a signature, and, not knowing but that the welfare of the + Republic (for which he had an Englishman’s contemptuous interest) might be + involved in its early delivery at its destination, he determined to ride + over to Braithwaite Hall, call on his friend, and deliver it with his own + hand. With this purpose, he mounted his horse, at the hour of his usual + morning ride, and set forth; and, before reaching the village, saw a + figure before him which he recognized as that of the pensioner. [Endnote: + 1.] + </p> + <p> + “Soho! whither go you, old friend?” said the Warden, drawing his bridle as + he came up with the old man. + </p> + <p> + “To Braithwaite Hall, sir,” said the pensioner, who continued to walk + diligently on; “and I am glad to see your honor (if it be so) on the same + errand.” + </p> + <p> + “Why so?” asked the Warden. “You seem much in earnest. Why should my visit + to Braithwaite Hall be a special cause of rejoicing?” + </p> + <p> + “Nay,” said the pensioner, “your honor is specially interested in this + young American, who has gone thither to abide; and when one is in a + strange country he needs some guidance. My mind is not easy about the + young man.” + </p> + <p> + “Well,” said the Warden, smiling to himself at the old gentleman’s idle + and senile fears, “I commend your diligence on behalf of your friend.” + </p> + <p> + He rode on as he spoke, and deep in one of the woodland paths he saw the + flutter of a woman’s garment, and, greatly to his surprise, overtook + Elsie, who seemed to be walking along with great rapidity, and, startled + by the approach of hoofs behind her, looked up at him, with a pale cheek. + </p> + <p> + “Good morning, Miss Elsie,” said the Warden. “You are taking a long walk + this morning. I regret to see that I have frightened you.” + </p> + <p> + “Pray, whither are you going?” said she. + </p> + <p> + “To the Hall,” said the Warden, wondering at the abrupt question. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, sir,” exclaimed Elsie, “for Heaven’s sake, pray insist on seeing Mr. + Redclyffe,—take no excuse. There are reasons for it.” + </p> + <p> + “Certainly, fair lady,” responded the Warden, wondering more and more at + this injunction from such a source. “And when I see this fascinating + gentleman, pray what message am I to give him from Miss Elsie,—who, + moreover, seems to be on the eve of visiting him in person?” + </p> + <p> + “See him! see him! Only see him!” said Elsie, with passionate earnestness, + “and in haste! See him now!” + </p> + <p> + She waved him onward as she spoke; and the Warden, greatly commoted for + the nonce, complied with the maiden’s fantasy so far as to ride on at a + quicker pace, uneasily marvelling at what could have aroused this usually + shy and reserved girl’s nervousness to such a pitch. The incident served + at all events to titillate his English sluggishness; so that he approached + the avenue of the old Hall with a vague expectation of something that had + happened there, though he knew not of what nature it could possibly be. + However, he rode round to the side entrance, by which horsemen generally + entered the house, and, a groom approaching to take his bridle, he + alighted and approached the door. I know not whether it were anything more + than the glistening moisture common in an English autumnal morning; but so + it was, that the trace of the Bloody Footstep seemed fresh, as if it had + been that very night imprinted anew, and the crime made all over again, + with fresh guilt upon somebody’s soul. + </p> + <p> + When the footman came to the door, responsive to his ring, the Warden + inquired for Mr. Redclyffe, the American gentleman. + </p> + <p> + “The American gentleman left for London, early this morning,” replied the + footman, in a matter-of-fact way. + </p> + <p> + “Gone!” exclaimed the Warden. “This is sudden; and strange that he should + go without saying good by. Gone,” and then he remembered the old + pensioner’s eagerness that the Warden should come here, and Elsie’s + strange injunction that he should insist on seeing Redclyffe. “Pray, is + Lord Braithwaite at home?” + </p> + <p> + “I think, sir, he is in the library,” said the servant, “but will see; + pray, sir, walk in.” + </p> + <p> + He returned in a moment, and ushered the Warden through passages with + which he was familiar of old, to the library, where he found Lord + Braithwaite sitting with the London newspaper in his hand. He rose and + welcomed his guest with great equanimity. + </p> + <p> + To the Warden’s inquiries after Redclyffe, Lord Braithwaite replied that + his guest had that morning left the house, being called to London by + letters from America; but of what nature Lord Braithwaite was unable to + say, except that they seemed to be of urgency and importance. The Warden’s + further inquiries, which he pushed as far as was decorous, elicited + nothing more than this; and he was preparing to take his leave,—not + seeing any reason for insisting (according to Elsie’s desire) on the + impossibility of seeing a man who was not there,—nor, indeed, any + reason for so doing. And yet it seemed very strange that Redclyffe should + have gone so unceremoniously; nor was he half satisfied, though he knew + not why he should be otherwise. + </p> + <p> + “Do you happen to know Mr. Redclyffe’s address in London,” asked the + Warden. + </p> + <p> + “Not at all,” said Braithwaite. “But I presume there is courtesy enough in + the American character to impel him to write to me, or both of us, within + a day or two, telling us of his whereabouts and whatabouts. Should you + know, I beg you will let me know; for I have really been pleased with this + gentleman, and should have been glad could he have favored me with a + somewhat longer visit.” + </p> + <p> + There was nothing more to be said; and the Warden took his leave, and was + about mounting his horse, when he beheld the pensioner approaching the + house, and he remained standing until he should come up. + </p> + <p> + “You are too late,” said he, as the old man drew near. “Our friend has + taken French leave.” + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Warden,” said the old man solemnly, “let me pray you not to give him + up so easily. Come with me into the presence of Lord Braithwaite.” + </p> + <p> + The Warden made some objections; but the pensioner’s manner was so + earnest, that he soon consented; knowing that the strangeness of his + sudden return might well enough be put upon the eccentricities of the + pensioner, especially as he was so well known to Lord Braithwaite. He + accordingly again rang at the door, which being opened by the same stolid + footman, the Warden desired him to announce to Lord Braithwaite that the + Warden and a pensioner desired to see him. He soon returned, with a + request that they would walk in, and ushered them again to the library, + where they found the master of the house in conversation with Omskirk at + one end of the apartment,—a whispered conversation, which detained + him a moment, after their arrival. The Warden fancied that he saw in old + Omskirk’s countenance a shade more of that mysterious horror which made + him such a bugbear to children; but when Braithwaite turned from him and + approached his visitor, there was no trace of any disturbance, beyond a + natural surprise to see his good friend the Warden so soon after his + taking leave. [Endnote: 2.] + </p> + <p> + “I see you are surprised,” said the latter. “But you must lay the blame, + if any, on our good old friend here, who, for some reason, best known to + himself, insisted on having my company here.” + </p> + <p> + Braithwaite looked to the old pensioner, with a questioning look, as if + good-humoredly (yet not as if he cared much about it) asking for an + explanation. As Omskirk was about leaving the room, having remained till + this time, with that nervous look which distinguished him gazing towards + the party, the pensioner made him a sign, which he obeyed as if compelled + to do so. + </p> + <p> + “Well, my friend,” said the Warden, somewhat impatient of the aspect in + which he himself appeared, “I beg of you, explain at once to Lord + Braithwaite why you have brought me back in this strange way.” + </p> + <p> + “It is,” said the pensioner quietly, “that in your presence I request him + to allow me to see Mr. Redclyffe.” + </p> + <p> + “Why, my friend,” said Braithwaite, “how can I show you a man who has left + my house, and whom in the chances of this life, I am not very likely to + see again, though hospitably desirous of so doing?” + </p> + <p> + Here ensued a laughing sort of colloquy between the Warden and + Braithwaite, in which the former jocosely excused himself for having + yielded to the whim of the pensioner, and returned with him on an errand + which he well knew to be futile. + </p> + <p> + “I have long been aware,” he said apart, in a confidential way, “of + something a little awry in our old friend’s mental system. You will excuse + him, and me for humoring him.” + </p> + <p> + “Of course, of course,” said Braithwaite, in the same tone. “I shall not + be moved by anything the old fellow can say.” + </p> + <p> + The old pensioner, meanwhile, had been as it were heating up, and + gathering himself into a mood of energy which those who saw him had never + before witnessed in his usually quiet person. He seemed somehow to grow + taller and larger, more impressive. At length, fixing his eyes on Lord + Braithwaite, he spoke again. + </p> + <p> + “Dark, murderous man,” exclaimed he. “Your course has not been unwatched; + the secrets of this mansion are not unknown. For two centuries back, they + have been better known to them who dwell afar off than to those resident + within the mansion. The foot that made the Bloody Footstep has returned + from its long wanderings, and it passes on, straight as destiny,—sure + as an avenging Providence,—to the punishment and destruction of + those who incur retribution.” + </p> + <p> + “Here is an odd kind of tragedy,” said Lord Braithwaite, with a scornful + smile. “Come, my old friend, lay aside this vein and talk sense.” + </p> + <p> + “Not thus do you escape your penalty, hardened and crafty one!” exclaimed + the pensioner. “I demand of you, before this worthy Warden, access to the + secret ways of this mansion, of which thou dost unjustly retain + possession. I shall disclose what for centuries has remained hidden,—the + ghastly secrets that this house hides.” + </p> + <p> + “Humor him,” whispered the Warden, “and hereafter I will take care that + the exuberance of our old friend shall be duly restrained. He shall not + trouble you again.” + </p> + <p> + Lord Braithwaite, to say the truth, appeared a little flabbergasted and + disturbed by these latter expressions of the old gentleman. He hesitated, + turned pale; but at last, recovering his momentary confusion and + irresolution, he replied, with apparent carelessness:— + </p> + <p> + “Go wherever you will, old gentleman. The house is open to you for this + time. If ever you have another opportunity to disturb it, the fault will + be mine.” + </p> + <p> + “Follow, sir,” said the pensioner, turning to the Warden; “follow, + maiden![Endnote: 3] Now shall a great mystery begin to be revealed.” + </p> + <p> + So saying, he led the way before them, passing out of the hall, not by the + doorway, but through one of the oaken panels of the wall, which admitted + the party into a passage which seemed to pass through the thickness of the + wall, and was lighted by interstices through which shone gleams of light. + This led them into what looked like a little vestibule, or circular room, + which the Warden, though deeming himself many years familiar with the old + house, had never seen before, any more than the passage which led to it. + To his surprise, this room was not vacant, for in it sat, in a large old + chair, Omskirk, like a toad in its hole, like some wild, fearful creature + in its den, and it was now partly understood how this man had the + possibility of suddenly disappearing, so inscrutably, and so in a moment; + and, when all quest for him was given up, of as suddenly appearing again. + </p> + <p> + “Ha!” said old Omskirk, slowly rising, as at the approach of some event + that he had long expected. “Is he coming at last?” + </p> + <p> + “Poor victim of another’s iniquity,” said the pensioner. “Thy release + approaches. Rejoice!” + </p> + <p> + The old man arose with a sort of trepidation and solemn joy intermixed in + his manner, and bowed reverently, as if there were in what he heard more + than other ears could understand in it. + </p> + <p> + “Yes; I have waited long,” replied he. “Welcome; if my release is come.” + </p> + <p> + “Well,” said Lord Braithwaite, scornfully. “This secret retreat of my + house is known to many. It was the priest’s secret chamber when it was + dangerous to be of the old and true religion, here in England. There is no + longer any use in concealing this place; and the Warden, or any man, might + have seen it, or any of the curiosities of the old hereditary house, if + desirous so to do.” + </p> + <p> + “Aha! son of Belial!” quoth the pensioner. “And this, too!” + </p> + <p> + He took three pieces from a certain point of the wall, which he seemed to + know, and stooped to press upon the floor. The Warden looked at Lord + Braithwaite, and saw that he had grown deadly pale. What his change of + cheer might bode, he could not guess; but, at the pressure of the old + pensioner’s finger, the floor, or a segment of it, rose like the lid of a + box, and discovered a small darksome pair of stairs, within which burned a + lamp, lighting it downward, like the steps that descend into a sepulchre. + </p> + <p> + “Follow,” said he, to those who looked on, wondering. + </p> + <p> + And he began to descend. Lord Braithwaite saw him disappear, then + frantically followed, the Warden next, and old Omskirk took his place in + the rear, like a man following his inevitable destiny. At the bottom of a + winding descent, that seemed deep and remote, and far within, they came to + a door, which the pensioner pressed with a spring; and, passing through + the space that disclosed itself, the whole party followed, and found + themselves in a small, gloomy room. On one side of it was a couch, on + which sat Redclyffe; face to face with him was a white-haired figure in a + chair. + </p> + <p> + “You are come!” said Redclyffe, solemnly. “But too late!” + </p> + <p> + “And yonder is the coffer,” said the pensioner. “Open but that; and our + quest is ended.” + </p> + <p> + “That, if I mistake not, I can do,” said Redclyffe. + </p> + <p> + He drew forth—what he had kept all this time, as something that + might yet reveal to him the mystery of his birth—the silver key that + had been found by the grave in far New England; and applying it to the + lock, he slowly turned it on the hinges, that had not been turned for two + hundred years. All—even Lord Braithwaite, guilty and shame-stricken + as he felt—pressed forward to look upon what was about to be + disclosed. What were the wondrous contents? The entire, mysterious coffer + was full of golden ringlets, abundant, clustering through the whole + coffer, and living with elasticity, so as immediately, as it were, to flow + over the sides of the coffer, and rise in large abundance from the long + compression. Into this—by a miracle of natural production which was + known likewise in other cases—into this had been resolved the whole + bodily substance of that fair and unfortunate being, known so long in the + legends of the family as the Beauty of the Golden Locks. As the pensioner + looked at this strange sight,—the lustre of the precious and + miraculous hair gleaming and glistening, and seeming to add light to the + gloomy room,—he took from his breast pocket another lock of hair, in + a locket, and compared it, before their faces, with that which brimmed + over from the coffer. + </p> + <p> + “It is the same!” said he. + </p> + <p> + “And who are you that know it?” asked Redclyffe, surprised. + </p> + <p> + “He whose ancestors taught him the secret,—who has had it handed + down to him these two centuries, and now only with regret yields to the + necessity of making it known.” + </p> + <p> + “You are the heir!” said Redclyffe. + </p> + <p> + In that gloomy room, beside the dead old man, they looked at him, and saw + a dignity beaming on him, covering his whole figure, that broke out like a + lustre at the close of day. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2H_APPE" id="link2H_APPE"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + APPENDIX + </h2> + <h3> + CHAP. I. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Note 1.</i> The MS. gives the following alternative openings: “Early in + the present century”; “Soon after the Revolution”; “Many years ago.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 2.</i> Throughout the first four pages of the MS. the Doctor is + called “Ormskirk,” and in an earlier draft of this portion of the romance, + “Etheredge.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 3. Author’s note</i>.—“Crusty Hannah is a mixture of Indian + and negro.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 4. Author’s note</i>.—“It is understood from the first that + the children are not brother and sister.—Describe the children with + really childish traits, quarrelling, being naughty, etc.—The Doctor + should occasionally beat Ned in course of instruction.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 5.</i> In order to show the manner in which Hawthorne would modify + a passage, which was nevertheless to be left substantially the same, I + subjoin here a description of this graveyard as it appears in the earlier + draft: “The graveyard (we are sorry to have to treat of such a + disagreeable piece of ground, but everybody’s business centres there at + one time or another) was the most ancient in the town. The dust of the + original Englishmen had become incorporated with the soil; of those + Englishmen whose immediate predecessors had been resolved into the earth + about the country churches,—the little Norman, square, battlemented + stone towers of the villages in the old land; so that in this point of + view, as holding bones and dust of the first ancestors, this graveyard was + more English than anything else in town. There had been hidden from sight + many a broad, bluff visage of husbandmen that had ploughed the real + English soil; there the faces of noted men, now known in history; there + many a personage whom tradition told about, making wondrous qualities of + strength and courage for him;—all these, mingled with succeeding + generations, turned up and battened down again with the sexton’s spade; + until every blade of grass was human more than vegetable,—for an + hundred and fifty years will do this, and so much time, at least, had + elapsed since the first little mound was piled up in the virgin soil. Old + tombs there were too, with numerous sculptures on them; and quaint, mossy + gravestones; although all kinds of monumental appendages were of a date + more recent than the time of the first settlers, who had been content with + wooden memorials, if any, the sculptor’s art not having then reached New + England. Thus rippled, surged, broke almost against the house, this dreary + graveyard, which made the street gloomy, so that people did not like to + pass the dark, high wooden fence, with its closed gate, that separated it + from the street. And this old house was one that crowded upon it, and took + up the ground that would otherwise have been sown as thickly with dead as + the rest of the lot; so that it seemed hardly possible but that the dead + people should get up out of their graves, and come in there to warm + themselves. But in truth, I have never heard a whisper of its being + haunted.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 6. Author’s note</i>.—“The spiders are affected by the + weather and serve as barometers.—It shall always be a moot point + whether the Doctor really believed in cobwebs, or was laughing at the + credulous.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 7. Author’s note</i>.—“The townspeople are at war with the + Doctor.—Introduce the Doctor early as a smoker, and describe.—The + result of Crusty Hannah’s strangely mixed breed should be shown in some + strange way.—Give vivid pictures of the society of the day, + symbolized in the street scenes.” + </p> + <h3> + CHAP. II. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Note 1. Author’s note</i>.—“Read the whole paragraph before + copying any of it.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 2. Author’s note</i>.—“Crusty Hannah teaches Elsie curious + needlework, etc.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 3.</i> These two children are described as follows in an early + note of the author’s: “The boy had all the qualities fitted to excite + tenderness in those who had the care of him; in the first and most evident + place, on account of his personal beauty, which was very remarkable,—the + most intelligent and expressive face that can be conceived, changing in + those early years like an April day, and beautiful in all its changes; + dark, but of a soft expression, kindling, melting, glowing, laughing; a + varied intelligence, which it was as good as a book to read. He was quick + in all modes of mental exercise; quick and strong, too, in sensibility; + proud, and gifted (probably by the circumstances in which he was placed) + with an energy which the softness and impressibility of his nature needed.—As + for the little girl, all the squalor of the abode served but to set off + her lightsomeness and brightsomeness. She was a pale, large-eyed little + thing, and it might have been supposed that the air of the house and the + contiguity of the burial-place had a bad effect upon her health. Yet I + hardly think this could have been the case, for she was of a very airy + nature, dancing and sporting through the house as if melancholy had never + been made. She took all kinds of childish liberties with the Doctor, and + with his pipe, and with everything appertaining to him except his spiders + and his cobwebs.”—All of which goes to show that Hawthorne first + conceived his characters in the mood of the “Twice-Told Tales,” and then + by meditation solidified them to the inimitable flesh-and-blood of “The + House of the Seven Gables” and “The Blithedale Romance.” + </p> + <h3> + CHAP. III. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Note 1.</i> An English church spire, evidently the prototype of this, + and concerning which the same legend is told, is mentioned in the author’s + “English Mote-Books.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 2.</i> Leicester Hospital, in Warwick, described in “Our Old + Home,” is the original of this charity. + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 3. Author’s note</i>.—“The children find a gravestone with + something like a footprint on it.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 4. Author’s note</i>.—“Put into the Doctor’s character a + continual enmity against somebody, breaking out in curses of which nobody + can understand the application.” + </p> + <h3> + CHAP. IV. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Note 1.</i> The Doctor’s propensity for cobwebs is amplified in the + following note for an earlier and somewhat milder version of the + character: “According to him, all science was to be renewed and + established on a sure ground by no other means than cobwebs. The cobweb + was the magic clue by which mankind was to be rescued from all its errors, + and guided safely back to the right. And so he cherished spiders above all + things, and kept them spinning, spinning away; the only textile factory + that existed at that epoch in New England. He distinguished the production + of each of his ugly friends, and assigned peculiar qualities to each; and + he had been for years engaged in writing a work on this new discovery, in + reference to which he had already compiled a great deal of folio + manuscript, and had unguessed at resources still to come. With this + suggestive subject he interwove all imaginable learning, collected from + his own library, rich in works that few others had read, and from that of + his beloved University, crabbed with Greek, rich with Latin, drawing into + itself, like a whirlpool, all that men had thought hitherto, and combining + them anew in such a way that it had all the charm of a racy originality. + Then he had projects for the cultivation of cobwebs, to which end, in the + good Doctor’s opinion, it seemed desirable to devote a certain part of the + national income; and not content with this, all public-spirited citizens + would probably be induced to devote as much of their time and means as + they could to the same end. According to him, there was no such beautiful + festoon and drapery for the halls of princes as the spinning of this + heretofore despised and hated insect; and by due encouragement it might be + hoped that they would flourish, and hang and dangle and wave triumphant in + the breeze, to an extent as yet generally undreamed of. And he lamented + much the destruction that has heretofore been wrought upon this precious + fabric by the housemaid’s broom, and insisted upon by foolish women who + claimed to be good housewives. Indeed, it was the general opinion that the + Doctor’s celibacy was in great measure due to the impossibility of finding + a woman who would pledge herself to co-operate with him in this great + ambition of his life,—that of reducing the world to a cobweb + factory; or who would bind herself to let her own drawing-room be + ornamented with this kind of tapestry. But there never was a wife + precisely fitted for our friend the Doctor, unless it had been Arachne + herself, to whom, if she could again have been restored to her female + shape, he would doubtless have lost no time in paying his addresses. It + was doubtless the having dwelt too long among the musty and dusty clutter + and litter of things gone by, that made the Doctor almost a monomaniac on + this subject. There were cobwebs in his own brain, and so he saw nothing + valuable but cobwebs in the world around him; and deemed that the march of + created things, up to this time, had been calculated by foreknowledge to + produce them.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 2. Author’s note</i>.—“Ned must learn something of the + characteristics of the Catechism, and simple cottage devotion.” + </p> + <h3> + CHAP. V. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Note 1. Author’s note</i>.—“Make the following scene emblematic + of the world’s treatment of a dissenter.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 2. Author’s note</i>.—“Yankee characteristics should be + shown in the schoolmaster’s manners.” + </p> + <h3> + CHAP. VI. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Note 1. Author’s note</i>.—“He had a sort of horror of violence, + and of the strangeness that it should be done to him; this affected him + more than the blow.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 2. Author’s note</i>.—“Jokes occasionally about the + schoolmaster’s thinness and lightness,—how he might suspend himself + from the spider’s web and swing, etc.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 3. Author’s note</i>.—“The Doctor and the Schoolmaster + should have much talk about England.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 4. Author’s note</i>.—“The children were at play in the + churchyard.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 5. Author’s note</i>.—“He mentions that he was probably + buried in the churchyard there.” + </p> + <h3> + CHAP. VII. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Note 1. Author’s note</i>.—“Perhaps put this narratively, not as + spoken.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 2. Author’s note</i>.—“He was privately married to the + heiress, if she were an heiress. They meant to kill him in the wood, but, + by contrivance, he was kidnapped.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 3. Author’s note</i>.—“They were privately married.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 4. Author’s note</i>.—“Old descriptive letters, referring to + localities as they existed.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 5. Author’s note</i>.—“There should be symbols and tokens, + hinting at the schoolmaster’s disappearance, from the first opening of the + scene.” + </p> + <h3> + CHAP. VIII. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Note 1. Author’s note</i>.—“They had got up in remarkably good + case that morning.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 2. Author’s note</i>.—“The stranger may be the future master + of the Hospital.—Describe the winter day.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 3. Author’s note</i>.—“Describe him as clerical.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 4. Author’s note</i>.—“Represent him as a refined, + agreeable, genial young man, of frank, kindly, gentlemanly manners.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 5.</i> Alternative reading: “A clergyman.” + </p> + <h3> + CHAP. IX. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Note 1. Author’s note</i>.—“Make the old grave-digger a <i>laudator + temporis acti</i>,—especially as to burial customs.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 2.</i> Instead of “written,” as in the text, the author probably + meant to write “read.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 3.</i> The MS. has “delight,” but “a light” is evidently intended. + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 4. Author’s note</i>.—“He aims a blow, perhaps with his + pipe, at the boy, which Ned wards off.” + </p> + <h3> + CHAP. X. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Note 1. Author’s note</i>.—“No longer could play at quarter-staff + with Ned.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 2. Author’s note</i>.—“Referring to places and people in + England: the Bloody Footstep sometimes.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 3.</i> In the original the following occurs, but marked to + indicate that it was to be omitted: “And kissed his hand to her, and + laughed feebly; and that was the last that she or anybody, the last + glimpse they had of Doctor Grimshawe alive.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 4. Author’s notes</i>.—“A great deal must be made out of the + spiders, and their gloomy, dusky, flaunting tapestry. A web across the + orifice of his inkstand every morning; everywhere, indeed, except across + the snout of his brandy-bottle.—Depict the Doctor in an old + dressing-gown, and a strange sort of a cap, like a wizard’s.—The two + children are witnesses of many strange experiments in the study; they see + his moods, too.—The Doctor is supposed to be writing a work on the + Natural History of Spiders. Perhaps he used them as a blind for his real + project, and used to bamboozle the learned with pretending to read them + passages in which great learning seemed to be elaborately worked up, + crabbed with Greek and Latin, as if the topic drew into itself, like a + whirlpool, all that men thought and knew; plans to cultivate cobwebs on a + large scale. Sometimes, after overwhelming them with astonishment in this + way, he would burst into one of his laughs. Schemes to make the world a + cobweb-factory, etc., etc. Cobwebs in his own brain. Crusty Hannah such a + mixture of persons and races as could be found only at a seaport. There + was a rumor that the Doctor had murdered a former maid, for having, with + housewifely instinct, swept away the cobwebs; some said that he had her + skeleton in a closet. Some said that he had strangled a wife with web of + the great spider.”—“Read the description of Bolton Hall, the garden, + lawn, etc., Aug. 8, ‘53.—Bebbington church and churchyard, Aug. 29, + ‘53.—The Doctor is able to love,—able to hate; two great and + rare abilities nowadays.—Introduce two pine trees, ivy-grown, as at + Lowwood Hotel, July 16, ‘58.—The family name might be Redclyffe.—Thatched + cottage, June 22, ‘55.—Early introduce the mention of the cognizance + of the family,—the Leopard’s Head, for instance, in the first part + of the romance; the Doctor may have possessed it engraved as coat of arms + in a book.—The Doctor shall show Ned, perhaps, a drawing or + engraving of the Hospital, with figures of the pensioners in the + quadrangle, fitly dressed; and this picture and the figures shall impress + themselves strongly on his memory.” + </p> + <p> + The above dates and places refer to passages in the published “English + Note-Books.” + </p> + <h3> + CHAP. XI. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Note 1. Author’s note</i>.—“Compare it with Spenser’s Cave of + Despair. Put instruments of suicide there.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 2. Author’s note</i>.—“Once, in looking at the mansion, + Redclyffe is struck by the appearance of a marble inserted into the wall, + and kept clear of lichens.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 3. Author’s note</i>.—“Describe, in rich poetry, all shapes + of deadly things.” + </p> + <h3> + CHAP. XII. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Note 1. Author’s note</i>.—“Conferred their best qualities”: an + alternative phrase for “done their utmost.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 2. Author’s note</i>.—“Let the old man have a beard as part + of the costume.” + </p> + <h3> + CHAP. XIII. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Note 1. Author’s note</i>.—“Describe him as delirious, and the + scene as adopted into his delirium.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 2. Author’s note</i>.—“Make the whole scene very dreamlike + and feverish.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 3. Author’s note</i>.—“There should be a slight wildness in + the patient’s remark to the surgeon, which he cannot prevent, though he is + conscious of it.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 4. Author’s note</i>.—“Notice the peculiar depth and + intelligence of his eyes, on account of his pain and sickness.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 5. Author’s note</i>.—“Perhaps the recognition of the + pensioner should not be so decided. Redclyffe thinks it is he, but thinks + it as in a dream, without wonder or inquiry; and the pensioner does not + quite acknowledge it.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 6.</i> The following dialogue is marked to be omitted or modified + in the original MS.; but it is retained here, in order that the thread of + the narrative may not be broken. + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 7. Author’s note</i>.—“The patient, as he gets better, + listens to the feet of old people moving in corridors; to the ringing of a + bell at stated periods; to old, tremulous voices talking in the + quadrangle; etc., etc.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 8.</i> At this point the modification indicated in Note 5 seems to + have been made operative: and the recognition takes place in another way. + </p> + <h3> + CHAP. XIV. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Note 1.</i> This paragraph is left incomplete in the original MS. + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 2.</i> The words “Rich old bindings” are interlined here, + indicating, perhaps, a purpose to give a more detailed description of the + library and its contents. + </p> + <h3> + CHAP. XV. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Note 1. Author’s note</i>.—“I think it shall be built of stone, + however.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 2.</i> This probably refers to some incident which the author + intended to incorporate in the former portion of the romance, on a final + revision. + </p> + <h3> + CHAP. XVI. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Note 1.</i> Several passages, which are essentially reproductions of + what had been previously treated, are omitted from this chapter. It + belongs to an earlier version of the romance. + </p> + <h3> + CHAP. XVII. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Note 1. Author’s note</i>.—“Redclyffe shows how to find, under + the surface of the village green, an old cross.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 2. Author’s note</i>.—“A circular seat around the tree.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 3.</i> The reader now hears for the first time what Redclyffe + recollected. + </p> + <h3> + CHAP. XVIII. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Note 1. Author’s note</i>.—“The dinner is given to the + pensioners, as well as to the gentry, I think.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 2. Author’s note</i>.—“For example, a story of three + brothers, who had a deadly quarrel among them more than two hundred years + ago for the affections of a young lady, their cousin, who gave her + reciprocal love to one of them, who immediately became the object of the + deadly hatred of the two others. There seemed to be madness in their love; + perhaps madness in the love of all three; for the result had been a plot + to kidnap this unfortunate young man and convey him to America, where he + was sold for a servant.” + </p> + <h3> + CHAP. XIX. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Note 1.</i> The following passage, though it seems to fit in here + chronologically, is concerned with a side issue which was not followed up. + The author was experimenting for a character to act as the accomplice of + Lord Braithwaite at the Hall; and he makes trial of the present personage, + Mountford; of an Italian priest, Father Angelo; and finally of the + steward, Omskirk, who is adopted. It will be noticed that Mountford is + here endowed (for the moment) with the birthright of good Doctor Hammond, + the Warden. He is represented as having made the journey to America in + search of the grave. This alteration being inconsistent with the true + thread of the story, and being, moreover, not continued, I have placed + this passage in the Appendix, instead of in the text. + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe often, in the dim weather, when the prophetic intimations of + rain were too strong to allow an American to walk abroad with peace of + mind, was in the habit of pacing this noble hall, and watching the process + of renewal and adornment; or, which suited him still better, of enjoying + its great, deep solitude when the workmen were away. Parties of visitors, + curious tourists, sometimes peeped in, took a cursory glimpse at the old + hall, and went away; these were the only ordinary disturbances. But, one + day, a person entered, looked carelessly round the hall, as if its + antiquity had no great charm to him; then he seemed to approach Redclyffe, + who stood far and dim in the remote distance of the great room. The + echoing of feet on the stone pavement of the hall had always an impressive + sound, and turning his head towards the visitant Edward stood as if there + were an expectance for him in this approach. It was a middle-aged man—rather, + a man towards fifty, with an alert, capable air; a man evidently with + something to do in life, and not in the habit of throwing away his moments + in looking at old halls; a gentlemanly man enough, too. He approached + Redclyffe without hesitation, and, lifting his hat, addressed him in a way + that made Edward wonder whether he could be an Englishman. If so, he must + have known that Edward was an American, and have been trying to adapt his + manners to those of a democratic freedom. + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Redclyffe, I believe,” said he. + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe bowed, with the stiff caution of an Englishman; for, with + American mobility, he had learned to be stiff. + </p> + <p> + “I think I have had the pleasure of knowing—at least of meeting—you + very long ago,” said the gentleman. “But I see you do not recollect me.” + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe confessed that the stranger had the advantage of him in his + recollection of a previous acquaintance. + </p> + <p> + “No wonder,” said the other, “for, as I have already hinted, it was many + years ago.” + </p> + <p> + “In my own country then, of course,” said Redclyffe. + </p> + <p> + “In your own country certainly,” said the stranger, “and when it would + have required a penetrating eye to see the distinguished Mr. Redclyffe. + the representative of American democracy abroad, in the little pale-faced, + intelligent boy, dwelling with an old humorist in the corner of a + graveyard.” + </p> + <p> + At these words Redclyffe sent back his recollections, and, though + doubtfully, began to be aware that this must needs be the young Englishman + who had come to his guardian on such a singular errand as to search an old + grave. It must be he, for it could be nobody else; and, in truth, he had a + sense of his identity,—which, however, did not express itself by + anything that he could confidently remember in his looks, manner, or + voice,—yet, if anything, it was most in the voice. But the image + which, on searching, he found in his mind of a fresh-colored young + Englishman, with light hair and a frank, pleasant face, was terribly + realized for the worse in this somewhat heavy figure, and coarser face, + and heavier eye. In fact, there is a terrible difference between the + mature Englishman and the young man who is not yet quite out of his + blossom. His hair, too, was getting streaked and sprinkled with gray; and, + in short, there were evident marks of his having worked, and succeeded, + and failed, and eaten and drunk, and being made largely of beef, ale, + port, and sherry, and all the solidities of English life. + </p> + <p> + “I remember you now,” said Redclyffe, extending his hand frankly; and yet + Mountford took it in so cold a way that he was immediately sorry that he + had done it, and called up an extra portion of reserve to freeze the rest + of the interview. He continued, coolly enough, “I remember you, and + something of your American errand,—which, indeed, has frequently + been in my mind since. I hope you found the results of your voyage, in the + way of discovery, sufficiently successful to justify so much trouble.” + </p> + <p> + “You will remember,” said Mountford, “that the grave proved quite + unproductive. Yes, you will not have forgotten it; for I well recollect + how eagerly you listened, with that queer little girl, to my talk with the + old governor, and how disappointed you seemed when you found that the + grave was not to be opened. And yet, it is very odd. I failed in that + mission; and yet there are circumstances that have led me to think that I + ought to have succeeded better,—that some other person has really + succeeded better.” + </p> + <p> + Redclyffe was silent; but he remembered the strange old silver key, and + how he had kept it secret, and the doubts that had troubled his mind then + and long afterwards, whether he ought not to have found means to convey it + to the stranger, and ask whether that was what he sought. And now here was + that same doubt and question coming up again, and he found himself quite + as little able to solve it as he had been twenty years ago. Indeed, with + the views that had come up since, it behooved him to be cautious, until he + knew both the man and the circumstances. + </p> + <p> + “You are probably aware,” continued Mountford,—“for I understand you + have been some time in this neighborhood,—that there is a pretended + claim, a contesting claim, to the present possession of the estate of + Braithwaite, and a long dormant title. Possibly—who knows?—you + yourself might have a claim to one or the other. Would not that be a + singular coincidence? Have you ever had the curiosity to investigate your + parentage with a view to this point?” + </p> + <p> + “The title,” replied Redclyffe, “ought not to be a very strong + consideration with an American. One of us would be ashamed, I verily + believe, to assume any distinction, except such as may be supposed to + indicate personal, not hereditary merit. We have in some measure, I think, + lost the feeling of the past, and even of the future, as regards our own + lines of descent; and even as to wealth, it seems to me that the idea of + heaping up a pile of gold, or accumulating a broad estate for our children + and remoter descendants, is dying out. We wish to enjoy the fulness of our + success in life ourselves, and leave to those who descend from us the task + of providing for themselves. This tendency is seen in our lavish + expenditure, and the whole arrangement of our lives; and it is slowly—yet + not very slowly, either—effecting a change in the whole economy of + American life.” + </p> + <p> + “Still,” rejoined Mr. Mountford, with a smile that Redclyffe fancied was + dark and subtle, “still, I should imagine that even an American might + recall so much of hereditary prejudice as to be sensible of some earthly + advantages in the possession of an ancient title and hereditary estate + like this. Personal distinction may suit you better,—to be an + Ambassador by your own talent; to have a future for yourself, involving + the possibility of ranking (though it were only for four years) among the + acknowledged sovereigns of the earth;—this is very good. But if the + silver key would open the shut up secret to-day, it might be possible that + you would relinquish these advantages.” + </p> + <p> + Before Redclyffe could reply, (and, indeed, there seemed to be an allusion + at the close of Mountford’s speech which, whether intended or not, he knew + not how to reply to,) a young lady entered the hall, whom he was at no + loss, by the colored light of a painted window that fell upon her, + translating her out of the common daylight, to recognize as the relative + of the pensioner. She seemed to have come to give her fanciful + superintendence to some of the decorations of the hall; such as required + woman’s taste, rather than the sturdy English judgment and antiquarian + knowledge of the Warden. Slowly following after her came the pensioner + himself, leaning on his staff and looking up at the old roof and around + him with a benign composure, and himself a fitting figure by his antique + and venerable appearance to walk in that old hall. + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” said Mountford, to Redclyffe’s surprise, “here is an acquaintance—two + acquaintances of mine.” + </p> + <p> + He moved along the hall to accost them; and as he appeared to expect that + Redclyffe would still keep him company, and as the latter had no reason + for not doing so, they both advanced to the pensioner, who was now leaning + on the young woman’s arm. The incident, too, was not unacceptable to the + American, as promising to bring him into a more available relation with + her—whom he half fancied to be his old American acquaintance—than + he had yet succeeded in obtaining. + </p> + <p> + “Well, my old friend,” said Mountford, after bowing with a certain + measured respect to the young woman, “how wears life with you? Rather, + perhaps, it does not wear at all; you being so well suited to the life + around you, you grow by it like a lichen on a wall. I could fancy now that + you have walked here for three hundred years, and remember when King James + of blessed memory was entertained in this hall, and could marshal out all + the ceremonies just as they were then.” + </p> + <p> + “An old man,” said the pensioner, quietly, “grows dreamy as he wanes away; + and I, too, am sometimes at a loss to know whether I am living in the past + or the present, or whereabouts in time I am,—or whether there is any + time at all. But I should think it hardly worth while to call up one of my + shifting dreams more than another.” + </p> + <p> + “I confess,” said Redclyffe, “I shall find it impossible to call up this + scene—any of these scenes—hereafter, without the venerable + figure of this, whom I may truly call my benefactor, among them. I fancy + him among them from the foundation,—young then, but keeping just the + equal step with their age and decay,—and still doing good and + hospitable deeds to those who need them.” + </p> + <p> + The old man seemed not to like to hear these remarks and expressions of + gratitude from Mountford and the American; at any rate, he moved away with + his slow and light motion of infirmity, but then came uneasily back, + displaying a certain quiet restlessness, which Redclyffe was sympathetic + enough to perceive. Not so the sturdier, more heavily moulded Englishman, + who continued to direct the conversation upon the pensioner, or at least + to make him a part of it, thereby bringing out more of his strange + characteristics. In truth, it is not quite easy for an Englishman to know + how to adapt himself to the line feelings of those below him in point of + station, whatever gentlemanly deference he may have for his equals or + superiors. + </p> + <p> + “I should like now, father pensioner,” said he, “to know how many steps + you may have taken in life before your path led into this hole, and whence + your course started.” + </p> + <p> + “Do not let him speak thus to the old man,” said the young woman, in a + low, earnest tone, to Redclyffe. He was surprised and startled; it seemed + like a voice that has spoken to his boyhood. + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 2. Author’s note</i>.—“Redclyffe’s place is next to that of + the proprietor at table.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 3. Author’s note</i>.—“Dwell upon the antique liveried + servants somewhat.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 4. Author’s note</i>.—“The rose-water must precede the + toasts.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 5. Author’s note</i>.—“The jollity of the Warden at the + feast to be noticed; and afterwards explain that he had drunk nothing.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 6. Author’s note</i>.—“Mention the old silver snuffbox which + I saw at the Liverpool Mayor’s dinner.” + </p> + <h3> + CHAP. XX. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Note 1.</i> This is not the version of the story as indicated in the + earlier portion of the romance. It is there implied that Elsie is the + Doctor’s granddaughter, her mother having been the Doctor’s daughter, who + was ruined by the then possessor of the Braithwaite estates, and who died + in consequence. That the Doctor’s scheme of revenge was far deeper and + more terrible than simply to oust the family from its possessions, will + appear further on. + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 2.</i> The foregoing passage was evidently experimental, and the + author expresses his estimate of its value in the following words,—“What + unimaginable nonsense!” He then goes on to make the following memoranda as + to the plot. It should be remembered, however, that all this part of the + romance was written before the American part. + </p> + <p> + “Half of a secret is preserved in England; that is to say, in the + particular part of the mansion in which an old coffer is hidden; the other + part is carried to America. One key of an elaborate lock is retained in + England, among some old curiosities of forgotten purpose; the other is the + silver key that Redclyffe found beside the grave. A treasure of gold is + what they expect; they find a treasure of golden locks. This lady, the + beloved of the Bloody Footstep, had been murdered and hidden in the coffer + on account of jealousy. Elsie must know the baselessness of Redclyffe’s + claims, and be loath to tell him, because she sees that he is so much + interested in them. She has a paper of the old Doctor’s revealing the + whole plot,—a death-bed confession; Redclyffe having been absent at + the time.” + </p> + <p> + The reader will recollect that this latter suggestion was not adopted: + there was no death-bed confession. As regards the coffer full of golden + locks, it was suggested by an incident recorded in the “English + Note-Books,” 1854. “The grandmother of Mrs. O’Sullivan died fifty years + ago, at the age of twenty-eight. She had great personal charms, and among + them a head of beautiful chestnut hair. After her burial in a family tomb, + the coffin of one of her children was laid on her own, so that the lid + seems to have decayed, or been broken from this cause; at any rate, this + was the case when the tomb was opened, about a year ago. The grandmother’s + coffin was then found to be filled with beautiful, glossy, living chestnut + ringlets, into which her whole substance seems to have been transformed, + for there was nothing else but these shining curls, the growth of half a + century, in the tomb. An old man, with a ringlet of his youthful mistress + treasured in his heart, might be supposed to witness this wonderful + thing.” + </p> + <h3> + CHAP. XXIII. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Note 1.</i> In a study of the plot, too long to insert here, this new + character of the steward is introduced and described. It must suffice to + say, in this place, that he was intimately connected with Dr. Grimshawe, + who had resuscitated him after he had been hanged, and had thus gained his + gratitude and secured his implicit obedience to his wishes, even twenty + years after his (Grimshawe’s) death. The use the Doctor made of him was to + establish him in Braithwaite Hall as the perpetual confidential servant of + the owners thereof. Of course, the latter are not aware that the steward + is acting in Grimshawe’s interest, and therefore in deadly opposition to + their own. Precisely what the steward’s mission in life was, will appear + here-after. + </p> + <p> + The study above alluded to, with others, amounting to about a hundred + pages, will be published as a supplement to a future edition of this work. + </p> + <h3> + CHAP. XXIV. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Note 1. Author’s note</i>.—“Redclyffe lies in a dreamy state, + thinking fantastically, as if he were one of the seven sleepers. He does + not yet open his eyes, but lies there in a maze.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 2. Author’s note</i>.—“Redclyffe must look at the old man + quietly and dreamily, and without surprise, for a long while.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 3.</i> Presumably the true name of Doctor Grimshawe. + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 4.</i> This mysterious prisoner, Sir Edward Redclyffe, is not, of + course, the Sir Edward who founded the Hospital, but a descendant of that + man, who ruined Doctor Grimshawe’s daughter, and is the father of Elsie. + He had been confined in this chamber, by the Doctor’s contrivance, ever + since, Omskirk being his jailer, as is foreshadowed in Chapter XL He has + been kept in the belief that he killed Grimshawe, in a struggle that took + place between them; and that his confinement in the secret chamber is + voluntary on his own part,—a measure of precaution to prevent arrest + and execution for murder. In this miserable delusion he has cowered there + for five and thirty years. This, and various other dusky points, are + partly elucidated in the notes hereafter to be appended to this volume. + </p> + <h3> + CHAP. XXV. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Note 1.</i> At this point, the author, for what reason I will not + venture to surmise, chooses to append this gloss: “Bubble-and-Squeak!” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 2. Author’s note</i>.—“They found him in the hall, about to + go out.” + </p> + <p> + <i>Note 3.</i> Elsie appears to have joined the party. + </p> + <div style="height: 6em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg’s Doctor Grimshawe’s Secret, by Nathaniel Hawthorne + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOCTOR GRIMSHAWE’S SECRET *** + +***** This file should be named 7183-h.htm or 7183-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/7/1/8/7183/ + + + +Text file produced by Michelle Shephard, Eric Eldred, Charles Franks +and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team + +HTML file produced by David Widger + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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