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EVANS WILSON, 1 Vol. Croum Svo.^ Linen and Chth Binding. ** Who has not read with rare delight the Novels of Auovsta EvAifs T Her strange, wonderful, and fasoiuating Htyle ; the profound deptliit to which she sinlta the probe into hnman nature, touching its most sacrec^ chords and springs ; the intense interest thrown around her characters, and the very marked peculiarities of her principal llgurM, conspire to give an unusual interest to the Works of this eminent Southern Authoress." Sent, postage firee, by Mail, on receipt of price, by ROSE-BELFORD PUBLISHING COMPANY, TORONTO. rRINTBIt AHD BOUND BT HUXTIR, ROflB it Co., TORONTO. U If il. \ « I A INFELICE. % |[0f)fll« BT AUGUSTA J. EVANS WILSON, ▲OTHOEOV Ml IT. ■uco," " mnuM,*' ** mmoabia,** wk. BOSE-BELFOBD PXTBUSHmG OOMPAKT. MDCNMLZZTin. PS 3335 It ■fvusyr V, i f- m ■ «W» i»t^ INFELICE. CHAPTER I. |ID you tell her that Dr. Hargrove is absent t ** " I did, ma'am, but she says she will wait/' " But, Hannah, it is very uncertain when he will return, and the night is so stormy he may remain in town until to-morrow. Advise her to call again in the morning." " I said as much at the door, but she gave me to understand she came a long way, and should not leave here without seeing the doctor. She told the driver of the carriage to call for hei in about two hours, as she did not wish to miss the railroad train." " Where did you leave her ? Not in that cold dark parlor, I hope 1" " She sat down on one of the hall chairs, and I left her there." " A hospitable parsonage reception ! Do you wish her to freeze 1 (So and ask her into the library, to the fire." As Hannah left the room, Mrs. Lindsay rose and added two sticks of oak wood to the mass of coals that glowed between the shining brass andirons ; then carefully removed farther from the flame on the hearth, a silver teapot, and covered dish, which contained the pastor's supper. " Walk in, madam. I promise you nobody shall interferer with you. Miss Elise, she says she wishes to see no one but the doctor." Hannah ushered the visitor in, and stood at the door, beck oning to her mistress, who paused irresolute, gazing curiously at the muffled form and veiled face of the stranger. I 10 INFBLIOE. W 1 • " Do not allow me to cause you any inconvenience, My business is solely with Dr. Hargrove, and I do not cold." The voice of the visitor was very sweet though trt and she would have retreated, but Mrs. Lindsay put ) on the bolt of the door, partly closing it. ** Vtvf be seated. This room is at your disposal bring the tea things into the dining-room, and then j not wait longer ; I will lock the doors after my broth in. I With an ugly furrow of discontent between her heai Hannah obeyed, and as she renewed the fire smoulj the dining-room stove, [she slowly shook her erizzlf " Many a time I have heard my father say : ' Myster misery,' and take my word for it, there is always sj wrong when a woman shuns women-folks, and hunts i and advice from men." ^\^ " Hush, Hannah ! Charity— charity ; don't forget live in a parsonage, where * sounding brass or tink bals ' are not tolerated. All kinds of sorrow come h cured, and I fear that lady is in distress. Did you n her voice trembled 1 " " Well, I only hope no silver will be missing to-m< must make up my buckwheat, and set it to rise. Go Miss Elise." It was a tempestuous night in the latter part of Jai]( although the rain, which had Tallen steadily all day,j dark, the keen blast from the north shook thebranc) ancient trees encircling the " Parsonage," and dashed \ in showers against the windows. Not a star was vii as the nieht wore on, the wind increased in violence through kafless elm limbs, and whistling drearily arj comers of the old brick house, whose ivy-mantled i had battled with the storms of seventy years. | The hands of the china clock on the dining-rooij piece pointed to nine, and Mrs. Lindsay expected to! clear sweet strokes of the pendulum, when other soun8 of the Stosch or AI- ibinets. On Camei and marble dwell the dainty mould- )he oval cheek, the airy arched 'vacery of the brows, the j» slender nose, and clearly defined cleft of the rounded |d nature only now and then models them, as a whole, ; It was the lovely face of a youne girl, fair as one f*rate's heavenly visions, but blanched by some flood of Ithat had robbed the full tender lips of bloom, and be* i large soft brown eyes of the gilding glory of hope. i ever knew, I certainly have forgotten you." L do not say so 1 You must recoUect me ; — ^you are the (rson who can identify me. Four years ago I stood |n this roouL Try to recall me." »me close to him, and he heard the quick and laboured 19 tlTFJllICB. i breathing, and saw the convulsive quivering of her oompressed lips. " What peculiar circumstances marked my former acquaint- ance with you 1 Your voice is quite familiar, but " He paused, passed his hand across his eyes, and before he could complete the sentence, she exclaimed : " Am I, then, so entirely changed ? Did you not one May morning marry, in this room, Minnie Merle to Guthbert Laurance 1 " '* I remember that occasion very vividly, for, in opposition to my judgment, I performed the ceremony ; but Minnie Merle was a low-statured, dark-haired child " Again he paused, and keenly scanned the tall, slender, elegant figure, and the crimped waves of shining hair that lay like a tangled mass of gold net on the low, full white brow. " I was Minnie Merle. Your words of benediction made m® Minnie Laurance. God and the angels know it t is my name, my lawful name, — ^but man denies it." Something like a sob impeded her utterance, and the minis- ter took her hand. ** Where is your husband t Are you widowed so early 1 " ** Husband — my husband 1 One to cherish and protect, to watch over, and love, and defend me ; — if such bo the duties and the tests of a husband, — oh ! then indeed I have never had o^iei Widowed, did you say) That means something holy, — sanctified by the shadow of death, and the yearning sympathy and pity of the world ; — ^a widow has the right to hug a coffin and a grave all the weary days of her lonely life, and peo- ple look tenderly on her sacred weeds. To me widowhood would be indeed a blessine. Sir, — ^I thought I had learned com- posure, self-control ; but me sight of this room,— of your coun- tenance,— even the strong breath of the violets and heliotrope there on the mantel, in the same blood-coloured Bohemian vase where they bloomed that day — that May day — all these bring back so over^oweringly the time that is for ever dead to me that I feel as if I should suffocate." She walked to the nearest window, threw up the sash, and while she stood with the damp chill wind blowing full upon her, the pastor heard a moan, such as comes from meek dumb creatures, wrung by the throes of dissolution. ' When she turned once more to the light, he saw an un- natural sparkle in the dry, lustrous brown eyes. INFMUOB. 18 *' Dr. HarnoTe, give me the licenie that wm handed to yoa by Cuthbert Laurance." " What value can it possess now9 " " Just now it is worth more to me than everything else in life, — more to me than my hopes of heaven." " Mrs. Laurance, you must remember that I refused to per* form the marriage ceremony, because I believed you were both entirely too young. Tour grandmother, who came with you, assurea me she was your sde guardian, and desired the mar- riage, and your husband, who seemed to me a mere boy, quieted my objections by producing the license, which he said exonerated me from censure, and relieved me of all responsi- bili^. With that morning's work I have never felt fully satis- fied, and though I know that any magistrate would probably have performed the ceremony, I have sometimes thought I acted rashly, and have carefully kept that license as my defence and apology." " Thank God, that it has been preserved. Give it to me." *' Pardon me if I say frankly, I prefer to retain it. All iioenses are recorded by the officer who issued them, and by appljring to him you can easily procure a copy." *' Treachery baffles me there. A most opportune fire broke out eighteen months ago, in the room where those records were kept, and although the court-house was saved, the book con- taining my marriage license was of course destroyed." " But the clerk should be able to furnish a certificate of the facts." " Not when he has been bribed to forget them. Please give me the paper in your possession." She wrung her slender fingers, and her whole frame trem- bled like a weed on some bleak hillside, where wintry winds sweep unimpeded. A troubled look crossed the grave, placid countenance of the pastor, and he clasped his hands firmly behind him, as if girding himself to deny the eloquent pleading of the lovely dark eyes. " Sit down, madam, and listen to—" " I cannot ! A restless fever is consuming me, and nothing but the possession of that license can quiet me. Tou have no right to withhold it, — ^you cannot be so cruel, so wicked, — un- less you also have been corrupted, bought off ! " " Be patient enough to hear me. I have always feared there was something wrong about that strange wedding, and your 14 ISWELIOE, manner oonfinns mj •nipieiomi. Now I mast be made so- quainted with all the facts — must know your reason for claim- in|( the paper in my possession, before I surrender it As a mmister of the gospel, it is incumbent upon me to act cau- tiously, lest I innocently become auxiliary to deception, — pos- sibly to crime." A vivid scarlet flamed up in the girl's marble cheeks. " Of what do you suspect, or accuse me ? " ** I accuse you of notning. I demand your reasons for the request you have made." *' I want that paper because it is the only proof of my mar- riage. There were two witnesses — my grandmother, who died three years ago on a steamship bound for Oalifomia, where her only son is living ; and Oerbert Audr^, a college student, who is supposed to have been lost last summer in a fishing smack, off the coast of Labrador or Greenland." " I am a witness accessible at any time, should my testin^^ny be required." ^ ^ " Will you live for ever 1 Nay, — just when I need your evi- dence, my ill-luck will seal your lips, and drive the screws down in your coffin-lid." *' What use do you intend to make of the license f Deal candidly with ma" ** I want to hold it, as the most preciouu thing left in life ; to keep it concealed securely, until the time comes when it will serve me, save me, avenge me." " Why is it necessary to prove your marriage f Who dis- putes it f" ** Outhbert Laurance and his father." <* Is it possible ) Upon what plea t " "That ne was a minor, was omy twenty, irresponsible, and that the license was fraudulent." " Where is yotr husband % " ** I tell you I have no husband ! It were sacrilege to couple that sacred title with the name of the man who bias wronged, deserted, repudiated me ; and who intends, il possible, to add to the robbery, of my peace and happiness, that of my loir stainless name. Less than one month after the day^ when right here, where I now stand, you pronounced me his wife in the sight of God and man, he was summoned home by a telegram from his father. I have never seen him since. Gen. Laurance took his son immediately to Europe, and, sir, you will find it tKFEUOM. If diffionlt to believe me when I tell you tbit infamons father hte ftotually forced the ion, by threats of duinheritanoe, to marry ■gain,— to— " The words seemed to strangle her, and she hastily broke away the ribbons which held her bonnet and were tied beneath her chin. Mr. Ha^ove ponred some water into a goblet, and as he held it to her lips, murmured compassionately : "Poor child I God help you." Perhaps the genuine pity in the tone brought back sweet memories of the by-gone, and for a moment softened the girl's heart, for tears gathered in the large eyes, giving them a strange quivering radiance. As if ashamed of the weakness, she threw her head back defiantly, and continued : " I was the poor little orphan, whose grandmother did wash- ing and mendin^i for the college boys — only little unknown Minnie Merle, with none to aid in asserting her rights ; — and she — the new wife — was a banker's daughter, an heiress, a fashionable belle, — and so Minnie Merle must be trampled out, — and the new Mrs. Cuthbert Laurance dashes in her splendid equipage through the Bois de Boulogna Sir, give me my Ucense ! " Mr. Hargrove opened a secret drawer in the tall writing-desk that stood in one corner of the room, and unlocking a sauare tin box, took from it a folded slip of paper. After some aelib . eration he seated himself, and began to write. Impatiently his visitor paced the floor, followed by Bidm, who now and then growled auspiciously. At length when the pastor laid down his pen, his guest came to his side, and held out her hand. " Madam, the statements you have made are so extraordi- nary, that you must pardon me if I am unusually cautious in my course. While 1 have no right to doubt your assertions they seem almost incredible, and the use you might make of the license " " What ! you find it so difficult to credit the villiany of a man — and yet so easy to suspect, to believe all possible deceit and wickedness in a poor helpless woman ) Oh, man of God ! is your mantle of charity cut to cover only your own sezi Can the wail of down-trodden orphanage wake no pity in your heart, — or is it locked against me by the cowardly dread of incurring the hate of the house of Laurance ] " i^ tNFELlCJe. For an instant a dark flush bathed the tranquil brow of the minister, but his kind tone was unchanged when he answered slowly : " Four years ago I was in doubt concerning my duty, but just now there is clearly but one course for me to pursue. Unless you wish to make an improper use of it, this paper, which I very willingly hand to you, will serve your purpose. It is an exact copy of the license, and to it I have appended my certificate, as the ofiSciating clergyman who performed the marriage ceremony. Examine it carefully, and you will find the date, and indeed every syllable, rigidly accurate. From the original I shall never part, unless to see it replaced in the court- house records." Bending down close to the lamp, she eagerly read and re-read the paper, which shook like an aspen in her nervous grasp ; then she looked long and searchingly into the grave face beside her, and a sudden light broke over her own. - ( i " Oh, thank you ! After all, the original is safer in your hands than in mine. I might be murdered, but they would never dare to molest you, — and if I should die, you would not allow them to rob my baby of her name 1 " "Yourbabv!" He looked at the young girlish figure and face, and it seemed impoesible that the creature before him could be a mother. A> melancholy smile curved her lips. " Oh ! that is the sting that sometimes goads me almost to desperation. My own wrongs are sufficiently hard to bear, but when I think of my innocent baby denied the sight of her father's face, and robbed of the protection of her father's name, then I forget that T am only a woman ; I forget that God reigns in heaven to right the wrongs on earth, and " There was a moment's silence. "How old is your child?" " Three years." " And you 1 A. mere child now." " I am only nineteen." *^ Poor thing ! I pity you from the depths of my soul." The clock struck ten, and the woman started frpm the table against which she leaned. " I must not miss the train ; I promised to return promptly." She put on the gray cloak she h d thro'Wn aside, buttoned it about her throat, and tied her bonnet strings. m i f INFBLIOE. 17 ii " Before you go, explain one thing. Was rot your hair very dark when you were married % " " Yes, a dark chestnut brown, but when my child was born, I was ill a long time, and my head was shaved and blistered. When the hair grew out, it was just as you see it now. Ah ! if we had only died th^n, baby and i, — we might have had a quiet sleep under the violets and daisies. I see, sir^you doubt whether I am really little Minnie Merle. Do you not recollect that when you asked for the wedding ring, bone had been pro- vided, and Guthbert took one from his own hand, which was placed on my finger 1 Ah ! there was a grim fitness in the se- lection ! A death's head peeping out of a cinerary urn. You will readily recognise the dainty bridal token." She drew from her bosom a slender gold chain on which was suspended a quaint antique cameo ring of black agate, with a grinning white skull in the centre, and around the oval border of heavuy chased gold, glittered a row of large and very bril- liant diamonds. " I distinctly remember the circumstance." As the minister restored the ring to its owner, she returned it and the chain to its hiding place. " I do not wear it, I am bi(Ung my time. When Gen. Lau- rance sent his agent first to attempt to buy me off, and, find- ing that impossible, to browbeat me and terrify me into silence, one of his insolent demands was the restoration of this ring, which he said was an heirloom of untold value in his family, and must belong to none but a Laurance. He offered five hun- dred dollars for the delivery of it into his possession. I would sooner part with my right arm ! Were it u-on or lead, its value to me would be the same, for it is only the sjonbol of my law- ful marriage, — is my child's title deed to a legitimate name." She turned towards the door, and Dr. Hargrove asked : " Where is your home ? " " I have none. I am a waif drifting from city to city, on the uncertain waves of chance.", " Have you ho relatives 1 " " Only an uncle, somewhere in the gold mines of California." " Doe6 Gen. L'aurance provide for your maintenance 1 " ''Three years ago his agent offered me a passage to Sai^ Francisco, and five thousand dollars, on condition that I with- drew all claim to my husband, and to his name, and pledged myself to ' give the Laurances no further trouble.' Had I beep 18 INFBLIOK \ a man, I would haye strangled him. Since then no communi- cation of any kind has passed between us, except that all my letters to Guthbert, pleading for his child, have been returned without comment." *' How, then, are you and the babe supported t " ** That, sir, is my secret." She drew herself haughtily to her full height> and would have passed him, but he placed himself between her and the door. " Mrs. Lauranco, do not be offended by my friendly frank- ness. You are so young and so beautiful, and the circum- stances of your life render you so peculiarly liable to dangerous associations and influences, that I fear y>>u may " "Fear nothing for me. Can I forget my helpless baby, whose sole dower just now promises to be her mother's spot- less name f Blushing for h\^r father's perfidy, she shall never need a purer, whiter shield tiian her mother^s stainless r^rd — so help me God ! " ' ^ " Will you do me the favour to put aside for future contin- gencies this small tribute to your child ) The amount is not so large that you should hesitate to receive it ; and feeling a deep interest in your poor little babe, it will give me sincere pleasure to know that you accept it for her sake, as a memento of one who will always be glad to hear from you, and to aid ;you if possiUe." With evident embarrassment he tendered an old-fashioned purse of knitted silk, through whose meshes gleamed the sheen of gold pieces. To his astonishment, she covered her face with her hands, and burst into a fit of passionate weeping. For some seconds she sobbed aloud, leaving him in painful uncertainty concerning the nature of her emotion. 4 ^ j " Oh, sir, it has been so long since words of sympathy and real kindness were spoken to me, that now they unnerve me. T ^m gtro ng again st calumny and injustice, — but kindness brei^s me down. 1 thank you in my baby'i^ name, but we can- not take your money. Ministers are never oppressed with) richte, and baby and I can live without charity. But since you are so good, I should like to say something i^ strict confi- dence to you. I am suspicious now of everybody, but it seems to me I might surely trust you. I do not 'yet see my way clearly, and if anything should happen to me, the child would bjB thrown helpless upon the world. You have neither wife, V JSL^ INFBUOB, 19 u fo. nor children, and if the time ever comes when I shall be obliged to leave my little girl for any long period, may I send her here for safety, until I can claim her 1 She shall cost you nothing but care and watchfulness. I could work so much better, if my mind were only easy about her; if I knew she was safely housed in this sanctuary of peace." Ah 1 how irresistible was the pathetic pleading of the tearful eyes ; — ^but Mr. Hargrove did not immediately respond to the appeal " I understand your silence,^-you think me presumptuous in my request, and I dare say I am, but " *< No, madam, not at all presumptuous. I hesitate habitually before assuming grave responsibility, and I only regret that I did not h'esitate longer, — ^four years ago. A man s first in- stincts of propriety, of right and wrong, should never be smothered by persuasion, nor wrestled down and overcome by subUe and selfish reasoning. I blame myself for much that has occurred, and I am wming to do all that I can toward re- pairing my error. If your child should ever really need a guardian, bring or send her to me, 'and I will shield her to Ihe lull extent of my ability." Ere he was aware of her intention, she caught his hand, and as she carried it to her lips, he felt her tears falling fast " GU)d bless you for your goodness ! I have one thing more to ask ; — ^promise me that you will divulge to no one what I have told you. Let it rest between Gk>d, and you, and me." " I promise." " In the great city where I labour, I bear an assumed name, and none must know, at least tor the present, whom I auL Realizing fully the unscrupulous character of the men with whom I have to deal, my only hope of redress is in preserving the secret for some year?, and not even my baby can know her real pare itage untu I see fit to tell her. You will not betray me, even to my child ? " " You may trust me." "Thank you, more than mere words could ever express." " May God help you, Mrs. Laurance, to walk circumspectly — ^to lead a blameless lite." He took his hat from the stand in the hall, and silently they walked down to the parsonage gate. The driver dismounted and opened the carriage door, but the draped figure lingered, with her band upon the latch. •20 INFELICE. ** If i shoiAd die before we meet again, you will not allow them to trample upon my child It" " I will do my duty faithfully." " Remember that none must know I am Minnie Laurance, until I give you permission ; for snares have been set all along my path, and calumny is ambushed at every turn. Oood-bye, sir. The God of orphans will one day requite you." The light from the carriage lamp shone down on her as she turned toward it, and in subsequent years the pastor was haunted by the marvellous beauty of the spirituelle features, the mournful splendour of the large misty eyes, and the golden glint of the rippling hair that had fallen low upon her temples. " If it were not so late, I would accompany you to the rail- way station. You will have a lonely ride. Good-bye, li^ Laurance." » " Lonely, sir ? Aye — lonely for ever." She laughed bitterly, and entered the carriage. [\ «( Laughed, and the echoes huddling in affright, like Odin's hounds fled baying down the night.** % CHAPTER IL |ITH the night, passed the storm which had rendered it so gloomy, and the fair cold day shone upon a world shrouded in icy cerements ; a hushed wind- less world, as full of glittering rime-runes as the frozen fields of Jotunheim. Each tree and shrub seemed a springing fountain, suddenly crystallized in mid-air, and not all the mediaeval marvels of Murano equalled the fairy fragile tracery of fine-spun glassy web, and film and fringe that stretched along fences, hung from eaves, and belaced the ivy leaves that lay helpless on the walls. A blanched waning moon, a mere silver crescent shivered upon the ' edge of the western horizon, fleeing before the scarlet and orange lances that already bristled along the Eastern sky-line, the advance guard of the conqueror, who would, ere many moments, smite fdl that weird icy realm with consuming flames. The very air % INFBLIOE. l\ / id b y ;» g He 8 Ke Seemed frozen, and refused to vibrate in trills and roulades through the throaty organs of matutinal birds, that hopped and blinked, plumed tLeir diamonded breasts, and scattered brilliants enough to set a tiara ; and profound silence brooded over the scene, until rudely broken by a cry of dismay which rang out startlingly from the parsonage. The alarm might very rea&y have been ascribed to diligent Hannah, who, contempt- uous of barometric or thermal vicissitudes, invariably adhered to the aphorism of Solomon, and arising " while it is yet night — looketh well to the ways of her household." With a broom in one hand, and feather dusting brush in the other, she ran down the front steps, her white cap strings flying like distress signals, — bent down to the ground as a blood- hound might in scenting a trail, — then dashed back into the quiet old house, and uttered a wolfish cry : " Eobbers I Burglars ! Thieves ! " Oppressed with compassionate reflections concerning the fate of his visitor, the minister had found himself unable to sleep as soundly as usual, and from the troubled slumber into which he sank after daylight, he was aroused by the unwonted excitement that reigned in the hall, upon which his apartment opened. While hastily dressing, his toilette labours were expe- dited by an impatient rap which only Hannah's heavy hand could have delivered. Wrapped in his dressing gown he opehed the door, saying benignly : " Is there an earthquake or a cyclone 1 You thunder as if my room were Mount Celion. Is any one dead 1 " « Some one ought to be ! The house was broken open last night, and the silver urn is missing. Shameless wretch ! This comes of mysteries and veiled women, who are too modest to look an honest female in the face, but " " Oh, Hannah t that tongue of thine is more murderous than Cyrus' scythed chariots ! Here is your urn ! I put it away last night, because I saw from the newspapers that a quantity of plate had recently been stolen. Poor Hannah ! don t scowl so ferociously because I have spoiled your little tragedy. I uelieve you are really sorry to see the dear old thing safe in defiance of your prophecy." Mrs. Lindsay came down stairs laughing heartily, and menac- ing irate Hannah with the old-fashioned urn, which had sup- plied three generations with tea. "Is that the sole cause of the disturbance!" asked the 22 JNFELIOS, master, stooping to pat Bidrn, who was dancing a tarantella on the good man's velvet slippers. Somewhat crestfallen, the woman seized the urn, began to polish it with her apron, and finally said sulkily : ^' I beg parddn for raising a false alarm, but indeed it looked suspicious and smelled of io\x\ play, when I found the library window wide open, two chairs upside down on the carpet, — mud on the window-sill, the inkstand upset, — and no urn on the sideboard. BuH^s usual I am only an old fool, and you, sir, and Miss Elise know best. ^ I am very sorry I roused you 80 early with my racket." "Did you say the library window wide open ? Impossible ; — I distinctly recollect closing the blinds, aAfl putting down the sash before I went to bed. Elise, were you not with me at the time ? " *' Yes, I am sure you secured it, just before bidding me good night." "Well — ^no matter, facts are ugly stubborn things. Now you two just see for yourselves what I found this morning." Hannah hurried them into the library, where a fire had al- ready been kindled, and her statement 'was confirmed by the disarranged furniture, and traces of mud on the window sill and carpet. The inkstand had rolled almost to the hearth, scattering its contents en route, and as he glanced at his desk, the minister turned pale. The secret drawer which opened with a spring, had been Eulled out to its utmost extent, and he saw that the tin box he ad so carefully locked the previous night, was missing. Some MSS. were scattered loosely in the drawer, and the purse filled with gold coins, — ^a handsomely set miniature, — and heavy watch chain with seal attached, — all lay untouched, though conspicuously alluring to the cupidity of burglars. Bending over his rifled sanctuary, Mr. Hargrove sighed, and a grieved look settled on his countenance. " Peyton, do you miss anything 1 " " Only a box of papers." " Were they valuable 1 " "Pecuniarily, no; — at least not convertible jnto money. In other respects, very important." " Not your beautiful sermons, I hope," cried his sister, throw- ing one arm around his neck, and leaning down to examine the remaining contents of the drawer. t 1 e IJHrEUOE. ^^ " They were more valuable Elise, than many sermons, and some cannot be replaced." " But how could the burglars have overlooked the money and jewellery 1 " Again the minister sighed heavily, and closing the drawer, said : " Perhaps we may discover some trace in the garden." " Aye, sir ; I searched before I raised an uproar, and here is a handkerchief that I found under the window, on the violet bed. It was frozen fast to the leaves." Hannah held it up between the tips of her fingers, as if fear- ful of contamination, and eyed it with an expression of loath- ing. Mr. Hargrove took it to the light and examined it, while an unwonted frown wrinkled his usually placid brow. It was a dainty square of finest cambric, bordered with a wreath of embroidered lilies, and in one comer exceedingly embellished *' O O" stared, like wide wondering eyes, at the strange hands that profaned it. " Do you notice what a curious outlandish smell it has 1 It stnick my nostrils sharper than hartshorn when I picked it up. No rum- - INFELIOE. 2fi " Peyton, vere the stolen papers of a character to henefit that person— or indeed any one but yourself or your family 1 ' He knew the soft blue eyes of his sister were watching him keenly — saw, too, that the old servant stood still, and turned her head to listen, and he answered without hesitation : " The box contained the deed of a disputed piece of property, those iron and lead mines in Missouri — and I relied upon it to establish my claim." " Was the lady who visited you last night in any manner interested in that suit or its result 1 " " Not in the remotest degree. She cannot even be aware o\ its existence. In addition to the deed, I have lost the policy of insurance on this house, which has always been entrusted to me, and I must immediately notify the company of the fact, and obtain a duplicate policy. Elise, will you and Hannah please give me my breakfast as soon as possible, that I may go into town at once 1 " Walking to the window, he stood for some moments with his hands folded behind him, and as he noted the splendour of the spectacle presented by the risen sun shining upon temples and palaces of ice, prism-tinting domes and minarets, and bur- nishing after the similitude of silver stalactites and arcades which had built themselves into crystal campaniles, more glo- rious than Giotto's, the pastor said: — ''The physical world, just as Gk>d left it— how pure, how lovely, how entirely good ; —how sacred from His hallowing touch ! Oh ! du s the world of men and women were half as unchangingly tn^e, stainless, and holy." An hour later he bent his steps, not to the lawyer's, nor yet to the insurance office, but to the depot of the only railroad which passed through the quiet, old-fashioned, and compara- tively unimportant town of V . The station agent was asleep upon a sofa in the reception room, but when aroused informed Dr. Hargrove that the down train bound south had been accidentally detained four hours, and instead of being " on time " — due at eleven p.m.— did not pass through V until after three a.m. A lady, correspond- ing in all respects with the minister's description, had arrived about seven, on the up train ; left a small valise, or rather tra- veller's satchel, for safe keeping in the baggage room ; had inquired at what time she oould catch the down train, signify- ing her intention to return upon it ; and had hired one of the B 26 INFELIOE. carriages always waiting for passengers, and disappeared. About eleven o'clock she came back, paid the coachman and dismissed the carriage ; seemed very cold, and the agent built a ffood fire, telling her she could take a nap as the train was behind time, and ne would call her when he heard the whistle. He then went home, several squares distant, to see one of hia children, who was quite ill, and when he returned to the sta- tion and peeped into the reception room to see if it kept warm and comfortable, not a soul was visible. He wondered where the lady could have eone at that hour, and upon such a freezing nighty but sat down by the grate in the freight-room, and when the train blew for V he took his lantern and went out, and the first person he saw was the missing lady. She asked for her satchel, which he ^ave her, and he handed her up to the platform, and saw her go mto the ladies' car. " Had she a package or box when she returned and asked for her satchel)" ** I did not see any, but she wore a waterproof of gray doth which came down to her feet. There was so much confuiaiion when the train came in, that I scarcely noticed her, but remem- ber she shivered a good deal, as if almost frozen." " Did she buy a return ticket 1 " " No ; I asked if I should go to the ticket office for her, but she thanked me very politely, and said she would not require anything." ** Can you tell me to what place she was going ) " '< I do not know where she came from, nor where she went. She was most uncommonly beautiful." "Are the telegraph wires working South )" " Why, bless you, sir, they are down in several places, from the weight of the ice j so I heard the station operator say, just before you came in." As Dr. Hargrove walked away, an expression of stem indig- nation replaced the benign look that usually reisned over his noble features, and he now resolutely closed all uie avenues of compassion, along which divers fallacious excuses and charita- ble conjectures had marched into his heart, and stifled for a time the rigorous verdict of reason. He had known, from the moment he learned the tin box was missing, that only the frail, fair fingers of Minnie Merle could have al»tracted it, but justice demanded that he should have indisputable proof of her presence in Y — r- after twelve o'clock, t INFELICE. 27 for he had not left the library until that hour, and knew that the train passed through at eleven. Conviction is the pitiless work of unbiassed reason, but faith is the acceptance thereof, by will, and he would not wholly believe until there was no alternative. Faims in uno, faUuB %% omnibus ; and quite naturally Dr. Harsrove began to discredit the entire narrative of wron^, which had attained colossal pro- portions from her delineation, and to censure himself most harshly for having suffered this dazzling Delilah to extort from him a solemn promise of secrecy ; for, unworthy of sympathv as £ he now deemed her, his rigid rectitude would not permit him I to regard that un worthiness as sufficient justification for abro- gating his plighted word. Suspicious facts which twelve hours before had been hushed by the soft spell of her rich plaintive voice, now started up clamorous and accusing, and the pastor could not avoid beholding the discrepancy between her pleas of poverty and friendlessness, and the costly appearance of her apparel — coupled with her refusal to acquaint him with her means of maintenance. If, as she Itad averred, the stolen license was — with the ex- ception of his verbal testimony — ^the sole proof of her marriage, why was she not satisfied with the copy given to her, unless for some unrighteous motive she desired to possess in order to destroy all evidence 1 Surmise, with crooked and uncertain finger, had pointed to New York — whose broad deep bosom shelters so many help- less human waifs — as her probable place of destination, and had the telegraph wires been in successful operation he would have hazarded the experiment of requesting her arrest at the terminus of the railway; but this was impracticable, and each succeeding hour aided in obliterating the only clue in his possession. The universal observation of man, ages ago — simmered down and crystallized into the adage, "Misfortunes never come singly;" and it is here respectfully submitted that startling episodes, unexpected incidents, quite as rarely travel alone. Do surprises gravitate into groups, or are certain facts binary) Sometimes for a quarter of a century the sluggish stream of life oozes by, bearing no hint of deeds, or faces, that perchance shed glory, or perhaps lent gloom to the far past — a past well- nigh forgotten and inumed in the gathering gray of time— and au INFELWM. •uddenly, without premonition, the slow monotonous current ripples and swells into waves that bear to our feet fateftil oonntenanoes, unwelcome as erave-ghouls — and the world nows garrulous of incidents that once more galvanise the snronded By-gone. For four vears the minister had received no tidines of those whom he had so reluctantly joined in the bonds of wedlock, and not even a reminiscence of that singular bridal party had floated into his quiet parsonage study ; but within twenty-four hours he seemed destined to gamer a plentiful harvest ot disagreeable data for future speculation. He had not yet reached his lawyer's office, when hearing his name pronounced vociferously. Dr. Hargrove looked around and saw the postmaster standing in his door, and calling on him to enter. ** Pardon me, my dear sir, for shouting after you, so uncere- moniously, but I saw you were not coming in, and knew it would promote your interest to pay me a visit. Fine dav at last, after all the rain and murky weather. This crisp frosty air sharpens one's wits, — a sort of atmospheric pumice, don't you see, and tempts me to drive a good bargain. How much will you give for a letter that has travelled half around the world, and had as many adventures as Robinson Crusoe or Madame Keiffert" He took from a drawer a dingy and much-defaced envelope, whose address was rather indistinct from having encountered a bath on its journey." ** Are you sure that it is for me t " asked the minister, trying to decipher the uncertain characters. "Are there two of your name? This is intended for Reve- rend Peyton Hargrove, of St. Church, V , United States of America. It was enclosed to me by the Postmaster Oen- eral, who says that it arrived last week in the lone-lost mail of the steamship ' Algol,' which you doubtless recollect was lost some time ago, plying between New York and Havre. It now appears that a Dutch sailing vessel bound for Tasmania — wherever that may be, — somewhere among the cannibals, I presume, — boarded her after she had been deserted by the crew, and secured the mail bags, intending to put in along the •Spanish coast and land them, but stress of weather drove them so far out to sea, tiiat they sailed on to some point in Africa, and as the postmasters in that progressive and enlightened region did not serve their apprenticeship in the United States' f I9FMUCM. a» Pottal Bureau, you perceive that your document hat not had ' dispatch. ' If salt water if ever a pretervative, your newi ought not to be atale." " Thank you. I hope the contents will prove worthy of the care and labour of its transmission. I see it is dated Pari»— one year ago, nearly. I am much obliged by your kind courtesy. Good-dav." Dr. Uargrove walked on, and somewhat disappointed in not receiving a moiety of information by way of recompense, the postmaster added : " If you find it is not your letter, bring it back, and I will start it on another voyage of discovery, for it certainly deserves to get home." « There is no doubt whatever about it. It was intended for »/ me. Unfolding the letter, he had glanced at the signature, and now hurrying homeward, read as follows : " Paris, Fthnmy 1»<, 18—. " Rev. Peyton Harorovb : — Hoping that, while entirely ignorant of the facts and circumstances, you unintentionally in- flicted upon me an incalculable injury, I reluctantly address you with reference to a subject fraught with inexpressible pain and humiliation. Through your agency, the happiness and welfare of my only child, and the proud and unblemished name of a noble family, have been well-nigh wrecked ; but my profound reverence for your holy office persuades s«e to believe tlgwt you were unconsciously the dupe of unprincipled and designing parties. When my son Cuthbert entered — — University, he was all that my fond heart desired, all that his sainted mother could have hoped, and no young gentleman on the wide conti- nent gave fairer promise of future usefulness and distinction ; but one year of demoralizing association with dissipated and reckless youths undermined the fair moral and intellectual structure I had so laboriously raised, and in an unlucky hour he fell a victim to alluring vices. Intemperance gradually gained such supremacy that be was threatened with expulsion, and to crown all other errors, he was, while intoxicated, in- veigled into a so-called marriage with a young but notorious girl, whose only claim was her pretty face, while her situation was hopelessly degraded. This creature, Minnie Merle, had an infirm grandmother, who, in order to save the reputation of y 80 INFELIOB, M i the unfortunate girl, appealed so adroitly to Outhbert'g hieh sense of honour that her arguments, emphasized by the girl's beauty and helplessness, prevailed over reason, and — may I add —decency, — and one day nvhen almost mad with brandy and morphine, he consented to call her his wife. Neither was of age, and my son was not only a minor (lacking two months of being twenty), but on that occasion was utterly irrational and irresponsible, as I am prepared to prove. They intended to conceal the whole shameful affair from me, but the old grand- mother—fearing that some untoward circumstances might mar the scheme of possessing the ample fortune she well knew my boy expected to control — wrote me all the disgraceful facts, imploring my clemency, and urging me to remove Guthbert from associates outside of his classmates, who were dragging him to ruin. If you, my dear sir, are a father (and I hope you are), paternal sympathy will enable you to realize approximately the grief, indignation, almost despairing rage into which I was plunged. Having informed myself, through a special agent sent to the University, of the utter unworthiness and disreputable character of the connection forced upon me, I telegraphed for Guthbert, alleging some extraneous cause for requiring his pre- sence. Three days after his arrival at home, I extorted a full confession from him — and we were soon upon the Atlantic. For a time I feared that inebriation had seriously impaired his intellect, but, thank God ! temperate habits and a good consti- tution finally prevailed, and when, a year after we left America, Guthbert realized all that he had hazarded during his tempo- rary insanity, he was so overwhelmed with mortification and horror, that he threatened to destroy himself. Satisfied that he was more * sinned against than sinning/ 1 yet endeavoured to deal justly with the unprincipled authors of the stain upon my family, and employed a discreet agent to negotiate with them, and to try to effect some compromise. The old woman went out to Galifornia, the young one refused all overtures, and for a time disappeared, but as I am reliably informed, is now living in New York, supported no one knows — exactly — by whom. Recently she made an imperious demand for the recognition of a child, who, she declares, shall one day inherit the Laurance estate, but I have certain facts in my possession which invalidate this claim, and if necessary can produce a cer- tificate to prove that the birth of the child occurred only seven months after the date of the ceremony which she contends i tNFELlCt, SI * made her Cuthbert's wife. She rejeots the abundant pecuniary provision which has been repeatedly offered, and, in her last impertinent and insanely abusive communication, threatens a suit to force the acknowledgment of the marriage, and of the child ; — stating that you, sir, hold the certificate or rather the license warranting the marriage, and that you will espouse and aid in prosecuting her iniquitous claims. My son is now a re- formed and comparatively happy man, but should this degrad- ing and bitterly repented episode of his college life be thrust before the pubUc, and allowed to blacken the fair escutcheon We are so jealously anxious to protect, I dread the conse- quences. Only horror of a notorious scandal prevented me long ago from applying for a div^ ?, which could Tery easily have been obtained, but we shriuio. .. om the publiciijr^ ana moreover the case does not seem to demard compliance with even the ordinary forms of law. Believing that you, my deat sii, would not avow yourself par/tc^ps criminis in so unjust and vile a cru- sade against the peace and honour of my family, were you acquainted with the facts, I have taken the liberty of writing you this brief and incomplete r^mi of the outrages perpetrated upon me and mine, and must refer you for disgraceful details to my agent, Mr. Peleg Peterson, of Whitefield, — — Co., . Hoping that you will not add to the injury you have already inflicted by further complicity in this audacious scheme of fraud and bladouail, " I am, dear Sir, respectfully, '' An afflicted father, ** Bene Iausance. " P.S. — Should you desire to communicate with me, my ad- dress for several months will be, care of American Legation, Paris." How many men or women, with lives of average length and incident, have failed to recognise, nay, to cower before the fact, that all along the highways and byways of the earthly pilgrim- age they have been hounded by a dismal cortege of retarded messages, — lost opportunities, — miscarried warnings, — procras- tinated prayers,— diiatory deeds, — and laggard faces, — that howl for ever in their shuddering ears — " Too Late." Had Dr. Hargrove received this letter only twenty-four hours earlier, the result of the interview on the previous night would pro- ""«l'»IM»WHHIIIIh»i».j«|. . 32 tNFELICE. bably have been very different ; but, unfortunately, while the army of belated facts — the fatal Grouchy corps — never accom- plish their intended mission, they avenge their failure by a pertinacious presence ever after, that is sometimes almost maddening. An uncomfortable consciousness of having been completely overreached, did not soften the minister's feelings toward the new custodian of his tin box, and an utter revulsion of senti- ment ensued, wherein sympathy for Gen. Ben6 Laurance reigned supreme. Oh, instability of human compassion ! To- day at the tumultuous flood, — we weep for Caesar slain ; to- morrow in the ebb, — we vote a monument to Brutus. Ere the sun had gone down behind the sombre frozen firs that fringed the hills of V , Dr. Hargrove had written to Mr. Peleg Peterson, desiring to be furnished with some clue by which he could trace Minnie Merle, and Hannah had been despatched to the Post Office, to expedite the departure of the letter. Weeks and months passed, tearful April wept itself away in the flowery lap of blue-eyed May, and golden June roses died in the fiery embrace of July, but no answer came — no addi- tional information drifted upon the waves of chance, and the slow stream of life at the Parsonage once more crept silently and monotonously on. '* Some ffrlefs gnaw deep. Some woe* are hard to bear. Who £Dowa the Fast? and who can judge us riglit?" CHAPTER III. ^HE sweot-tongued convent bell had rung the Angelus, and aL within the cloistered courts was hushed, save the low monolo^e of the fountain whose miuor mur- muring made solemn accord with the sacred harmonious repose of its surroundings. The sun shone hot and blindine upon the towering mass of brick and slate which, originally designed in the form of a parallelogram, had from numerous modem additions projected here, and curved into a INFEUCE 33 new chapel yonder, until the acquisitive building had become eminently composite in its present style of archiWeture. Tlie belfry, once in the centre, had been left behind in the onward march of the walls, but it lifted unconquerably in mid-air its tall gUt cross, untarnished by time, though ambitious ivy had steady mounted the buttresses, and partially draped the Gothic arches, where blue air once shone freely through. The court upon which the ancient monastery opened was laid out in the stiff geometric style which universally prevailed when its trim hedges of box were first planted, and giant rose- bushes, stately lilacs and snowballs attested the careful training and attention which many years had bestowed. In the centre of this court, and surrounded by a wide border of luxuriant lilies, was a triangular pedestal of granite, now green with moss, and spotted with silver gray lichen groups, upon which stood a statue of St. Francis, bearing the stigmata, and wearing the hood drawn over his head, while the tunic was opened to dis play the wound in his side, and the skull and the crucifix lay at his feet. Close to the base of the pedestal crouched a marble .lamb, around whose neck crept a slender chain of bind-weed, and above whom the rank green lances of leaves shot up to guard the numerous silver-dusted lilies that swung like snowy bells in the soft breeze, dispensing perfume instead of chimes. Quite distinct from the spacious new chapel, — with its gilded shrine, picture-tapestried walls, and gorgeous stained windows, where the outside-world believers were allowed to worship, — stood a low cruciform oratory, situated within the stricter con- fines of the monastery, and sacred to the exclusive use of the nuns. This chapel was immediately opposite the St. Francis, and to-day, as the old-iashioned doors of elaborately carved oak were thrown wide, the lovely mass of nodding lilies seemed bowing in aderation before the image of the Virgin and Child, who crowned the altar within, while the dazzling sheen of noon flashing athwart the tessellated floor, kindled an almost un earthly halo around. ''Virgin, and Babe and Saint, who With the same cold, cidm, beautiful regard, had watched for many weary years the kneeling devotees, be- neath their marble feet. On the steps of the altar were a number of china pots cor taining rose and apple geraniums in iiill bloom, and one luxu- 34 INFELICE. riant Grand Duke jasmine all starred with creamy flowers, so flooded the place with fragrance, that it seemed as if the vast laboratory of floral aromas had been suddenly unsealed. Upon the stone pavement inmiediately in front of the altar, sat a little figure so motionless, that a casual glance would pro- bably have included it among the consecrated and permanent images of the silent sanctuary ; — the figure of a child, whose age could not have been accurately computed from the inspec- tion of the countenance, which indexed a degree of grave ma- ture wisdom wholly incompatible with the height of the body and the size of the limbs. If devotional promptings had brought her to the Nun's Chapel, her orisons had been concluded, for she had turned her back upon the altar, and sat gazing sorrowfully down at her lap, where lay in pathetic pose a white rabbit and a snowy pi- geon — ^both dead — quite stark and cold — ^laid out in state upon the spotless linen apron, around which a fluted ruflle ran crisp and smooth. One tiny waxen hand held a broken lily, and the other was vainly pressed upon the lids of the rabbit's eyes, try- ing to close lovingly the pink orbs, that now stared so distress^ ingly through glazing film. The first passionate burst of grieL had spent its force in the tears that left the velvety cheeks and chin as dewy as rain-washed rose leaves, while not a trace of moisture dimmed the large eyes that wore a proud, defiant, and much injured look, as though resentment were strangling sorrow. Unto whom or what shall I liken this fair, tender, childish face, which had in the narrow space of ten years gathered such perfection of outline, such unearthly purity of colour, such winsome grace, such complex expre£ carnations. When Biom had chased the marauders to the con- fines of the poultry yard, and watched the last awkward fledgeling scramble through the palines, his master began to repair the damage, and soon became M>sorbed in the favourite task of tying up the spicy tufts of bloom, that deluged the air with perfume as he lifted and bent the slender stems. His straw hat shut out the sight of surrounding objects, and he only turned his head when Mrs. Lindsay put her hand on his shoulder, and exclaimed : " Peyton, * the Philistines he upon thee ! ' " « Du you mean that she has come ? " " I think so ; there is a carriage at the gate, and I noticed a trunk beside the driver." He rose hastily, and stood irresolute, visibly embarrassed. " Why, Pejrton ! Eecollect your text last Sunday : * No man having put his hand to the plough,' etc., etc., etc. It certainly is rather hard to be pelted with one's own sermons, but it would never do to turn your back upon this benevolent farrow. Come, pluck up courage, and front the inevitable." "Elise, how can you jest 1 I am sorely burdened with gloomy forebodings of coming ilL You cannot imagine how I shrink from this responsibility." "It is rather too late, dear, to climb upon the stool of repent- ance. Take this beast of Bashan by the horns, and have done with it. There is the bell ! Shall I accompany you 9 " " Oh, certainly." Hannah met them, and held up a card. " Erle Palma, "New York City." As the minister entered his parlour, Mr. Palma advanced to meet him, holding out his hand. " I hope Dr. Hargrove has been prepared for my visit, and understands its object 1 " " I am glad to know you, sir, and had reason to expect you. Allow me to present Mr. Palma to my' sister, Mrs. Lindsay. I am exceedingly " The sentence was never completed, and he stood with his eyes fastened on the child, who leaned against the window, watching him with an eager, breathless interest, as some caged creature eyes a new keeper, wondering, mutely questioning 52 INFELICB. whether cruelty or kindness will predominate in the strange custodian. , For a moment, oblivious of all else, each gazed into the eyes of the other, and a subtle magnetic current flashed from soul to soul, revealing certain arcana, which years of ordinary acquaint- ance sometimes fail to unveil. From the pastor's countenance melted every trace of doubt and apprehension ; from that of the girl all shadow of distrust. Studying the tableau, Mr. Palma saw the clergyman smile, and as if involuntarily open hisfarms ; and he was astonished when the shy reticent child who had repulsed all his efforts to become acquainted, suddenly glided forward, and into the out- stretched arms of her new guardian. Weary from the long journey, and rigid restraint imposed upon her feelings, the closely pent emotion broke all barriers, and clinging to the minister, Regina found relief in a flood of tears. Mr. Hargrove sat down, and keeping his arm around her, said tenderly : " Are you so unwilling to come and live under my care ? Would you prefer to remain with Mr. Palma 1 " She put her hands up, and clasping them at the back of his head, answered brokenly : " No, no i it is not that. ^ our face shows me you are good ; so good ! But I can't help crying ; I have tried «o hard to keep from it, ever since I kissed the Sisters good-bye ; and everything is so strange— and my throat aches, and aches — oh, don't scold me ! Please let me cry ! " '' As much as you please. We know your poor little heart 13 almost breaking, and a good cry will help you." He gathered her close to his bosom, and the lawyer was amazed at the confiding manner in which she nestled her head against the stranger's shoulder. Mrs. Lindsay untied and re- moved the hat and veU, and placing a glass of water to the parched trembling lips, softly kissed her tearful cheek, and whispered : " Now, dear, try to compose yourself. Come with me and bathe your face, and then you will feel better." "Don't take me away. I have stopped crying. It rests me 80,— to feel somebody's arms around me." " Well — suppose you try my arms awhile 1 1' assure you they are quite ready to take you in, and hug you close. Just let me show you how I put my arms around my own child, — though he is a man. Come, dear." INFELICE. 53 Mrs. Lindsay gently disengaged the clasped hands resting on her brother's neck, and drew Kegina into her arms, while, won by her sweet voice and soft touch, the latter allowed herself to be led into another room. They had sc^ Ay disappeared when Mr. Palma said : " I find I was mistaken in supposing that you and your ward were strangers." " We are strangers ; at least I never saw her until to-day. " Did you mesmerize her % " " Not that I am aware of. What suggests such an idea ? ' " She receives your friendly overtures so graciously, and re- jected mine with such chill politeness. I presume you are aware of the fact that we have a joint guardianship over this child 1" " If you will walk into the library, where we can escape in- trusion, I should like to have some confidential conversation with you." When he had placed his visitor in his own easy-chair, and locked the door of the library, Mr. Hargrove sat down beside the oval table, and folding his hands before him, leaned forward scrutinizing the handsome non-committal face of the stranger, and conjecturing how far he would be warranted in unburden- ing his own oppressed heart. Coolly impassive, and without a vestige of curious interest, the lawyer quietly met his incisive gaze. '' Mr. Palma, may I ask whether Itegina's mother has unre- servedly communicated her history to you ) " ** She has acquainted me with only a few facts, concerning which she desired legal advice." " Has she given you her real name % " " I know her only as Madame Odille Orphia Orme, an actress of very remarkable beauty and great talent." "Do you understand the peculiar circumstances that at- tended her marriage ? " " I merely possess her assurance that she was married by you." ** Have you been informed who is Regina's father % " " The name has always been carefully suppressed, but she told me that Orme was merely an alias.*' " Have you ever suspected the truth 1 " "Really that is a question I cannot answer. I have at times conjectured, but only in a random unauthorized way. I 54 INFELIiiJl, should Tery muoh like to know, but my client declined giving me all the facts, at least at present ; and while her extreme reticence certainly hampers me, it prevents me from asking you for the information, which she promises ere long to give me." Mr. Hargrove bowed and leaned back more easily in his chair, fully satisfied concerning the nature of the man with whom he had to deal. " You doubtless think it singular that Mrs. Orme should commit her daughter to my care, while keeping me in ignorance of her parentage. A few days since, she signed, in the presence of witnesses a cautiously worded instrument, in which she des- ignated you and me as joint guardians of Begina Orme, and specified that should death or other causes prevent you from fulfilling the trust, I should assume exclusive control of her daughter, until she attained her majority, or was otherwise dis- posed of. To this arrangement I at leneth very reluctantly assented, because it is a charge for which I have no leisure, and even less inclination ; but as she seems to anticipate the time when a lawsuit may be inevitable, and wishes my services, she finally overruled my repugnance to the office foned upon me." " I must ask you one question, which subsequent statements will explain. Do you regard her in all respects as a worthy, true, good woman ) " " The mystery of an assumed name always casts a shadow, implying the existence of facts, or of reports inimical to the party thus ambushed; and concealment presupposes either indiscretion, shame or crime. This circumstance excited un- favourable suspicions in my mind, but she assured me she had a certificate of her marriage, and that you would verify this statement. Can you do so 1 Was she legally married when very young 1 " *' She was legally married in this room, eleven years ago." ^' I am glad it is susceptible of proof. This point established, I can easily answer your question in the affirmative. As fai> as I am acquainted with her record, Mrs. Orme is a worthy woman, and, I may add, a remarkably cautious, circumspect person, for one so comparatively unaccustomed to the admiration which is now lavished upon her. I believe it is conceded she is the most beautiful woman in New York, but she shelters herself so securely in the constant presence of a plain but most respect- able old couple, with whom she resides, and who accompany INFXlIOB. 65 her when travelling, that it is difficult to see her except upon the stage. Even in her business visits to my office, she has always been attended by old Mrs. Waul." " Can you explain to me how one so uneducated and inex- perienced as she certainly was has so suddenly attained, not only celebrity (which is often cheaply earned), but eminence in a profession involving the amount of culture requisite for dramatic success 1 " A slight smile showed the glittering line of the lawyer's teeth. " When did you see her last 1 " " Seven years ago." ** Then I venture the assertion that you would not recognise her, should you see her in one of her favourite and famous rdles. When, where, or by whom she was trained I know not, but some acquaintance with the most popular ornaments of her profession justifies my opinion that no more cultivated or artistic actress now walks the stage than Madame Odille Orme. She is no mere amateur or novice, but told me she had labo- riously and studiously struggled up, from the comparatively menial position of seamstress. Even in Paris, I have never heard a purer, finer rendition of a passage in PhMre than one day burst from her lips, in a moment of deep feeling ; yet I cannot tell how or where she learned French. She made her dibut in tragedy, somewhere in the West, and when she re- appeared in New York her success was brilliant. I have never known a woman whoso will was so patiently rigid, so colossal, — whose energy was so tireless in the pursuit of one special aim. She has the vigilance and tenacity of a Spanish bloodhound." " In the advancement of her scheme, do you believe ner capar* ble of committing a theft 1 " " What do you denominate a theft % " The piercing black eyes of the lawyer were fixed with in- creased interest upon the clergyman. " Precisely what every honest man means by the term. If Mrs. Orme resolved Jbo possess a certain paper, to which she had been denied access, do you think she would hesits.te to break into a house, open a secret drawer, and steal the contents 1 " " Not unless she had a legal right to the document which was unjustly withheld from her ; and even then, my know- 56 INFELIVE. ' ledge of the lady's character inclines me to believe that she would hesitate, and resort to other means." " You consider her strictly honest and truthful 1 " " I am possessed of no facts that lead me to indulge a con- trary opinion. Suppose you state the case 1 " Brien^ Mr. Hargrove narrated the circumstances attending his last interview with Regiiia's mother, and the loss of the tin box, dwelling in conclusion upon the perplexing fact that in uhe recent letter received from her, relative to her daughter's removal to the Parsonage, Mrs. Orme had implored him to carefully preserve the license he had retained, as the marriage certificate in her possession might not be considered convinc- ing proof, should litigation ensue. He could not understand the policy of this appeal, nor reconcile its necesiL-ity with his conviction that she had stolen the license. Joining his scholarly white hands, with the tips of his fingers forming a cone, Mr. Palma leaned back in his chair and lis- tened, while no hint of surprise or incredulity found expression in his cold imperturbable face. When the recital was ended, he merely inclined his head. " Do you not regard this as strong evidence against her t Be frank, Mr. Palma." '* It is merely circumstantial. "Write to Mrs. Orme, inform her of the loss of the lice ise, and I think you will find that she is as innocent of the theft as you or I. I know she went to £urope believing that the final proof of her marriage was in your keeping ; for in the event of her death while abroad, she has empowered me to demand that paper from you, and to pre- sent it, with certain others, in a court of justice." " I wish I could see it as you do. I hope it will some day be satisfactorily cleared up, but meanwhile I must indulge a doubt. On one point at least my mind is at rest ; this little girl is unquestionably the child of the man who married her mother, for I have never seen so remarkable a likeness as she bears to him." He sighed heavily, and patted the shaggy head which Bioro had sdme time before laid unheeded on his knee. During the brief silence that ensued, the lawyer gazed out of the window, through which floated the spicy messages of oar- nations, and the fainter whispers of pale cream-hearted Noi- sette roses ; then he rose and put both hands in his pockets. •* Dn Hargrove, you and I have been — with I believe equal i INFELICE. 57 I reluctance— forced into the same boat, and uincr Irnigri malgri we must voyage for a time together, in the interest of thii unfortunate child, candour becomes U8 both. Men of my pro- fession sometimes resort to agencies that the meirbers of yours usually ohrink from. T too was once very sceptical concerning the truth of Mrs. Orme's fragmentary storv, for it was the merest disjecta membra which she entrustea to me, and my credulity declined to honour her heavy drafts. To satisfy ray- self, I employed a shrewd female detective to ' shadow ' the pretty actress for nearly a year, and her reports convinced •■le that my client, while struggling with Napoleonic ambition akid pertinacity to attain the zenith of success in her pr- "^ssion, was as little addicted to coquetry as the statue of Washington in Union Square, or the steeple of Trinity Church ; and that in the midst of flattery and adulation she was the same proud, cold, suffering, almost broken-hearted wife she had always appeared in her conferences with me. Indulging this belief, I have ac- cepted the joint guardianship of her daughter, on condition that whenever it becomes necessary to receive her under my immediate protection, I shall be made acquainted with her real name." " Thank you, my dear sir, for your frankness, which I would most joyfully reciprocate, were I not bound by a promise to make no revelations until she gives me permission, or her death un- seals my lips. I hope you fully colnprehend my awkward position. There is a conspiracy to defraud her and her child of their social and legal rights, and I fear both will '^e victim- ized; but she insists that secrecy will deliver her from the snares of her enemies. I suppose you are aware that Gen- eral " He paused, and bit his lip, and again the lawyer's handsome mouth disclosed his perfect teeth. " There is no mischief in your dropped stitch ; I shall not pick it up. I know that Mrs. Orme's husband is in Europe, and I was assured that motives t>f a personal character induced her to make certain professional engagements in England, and upon the Continent. I am not enthusiastic, and rarely venture prophecies, but I shall be much disappointed if her Richelieu tactics do not finally triumph." " Can you tell me why she does not openly bring suit against her husband for bigamy 1 " " Simply because she has been informed that the policy of D 58 XNFELICis. the defence would be to at once attack ^ that of all things I wished most to have them, out you know, sir, that mothers seem inspired ; 'hey always un ierstand what is in their children's hearts and minds, and r^.^ed no telling. So 1 love these more than all my pets ; they are the latest message from my mother." She held out her hand, and interpreting the ' Apression in her superb eyes, he placed the other rabbit in he^ ^ j jns, and for a moment she pressed them close. " I must shut them up until to-morrov, or the owls ,v ight make a supper of them, as happened to ftomo the Sisters kept at the convent." She opened the door of a wired apai;* ,t beneath the pigeon- house, where in an adjoining division aie pheasants were set- tling upon their perch, and carefully deposited the bouncing furry creatures on a bed of wheat straw. " Mr. Lindsay, the fowls are all going to roost, and you must wail till morning to see the squabs, and broods of Brahmas and Leghorns. They look like snow-balls rolling about after their food." As she locked up the grain, and balanced the ke y on her fingers, her companion said : " I must persuade Uncle Peyton to get some black Spanish, and a few Poland chickens.'* " Oh, no ! We don't wyut any black things ; if they laid a dozen eggs a day, they could not come here. We never raise a fowl that has coloured feathers ; all our beauties must be like snow. " I see you have converted my uncle to your pet doctrine, and before long I suppose you will, persuade him to sell his pretty bay, and buy a white pony % " 72 INFELICE. ** No sir, I like ' Sultan' too well to care much about his eolour, and beside Mr. Hargrove is attached to him. There is one thing we both want very much indeed, and that is a white Ava cow. !irour uncle read me a description of those cattle last week, and said when you went to the East he would ask you to try and send him one." As he looked down at her perfect face, then at one of the doves that had perched on her shoulder, and thought of treach- erous swart Sepoys, of Bengal tigers, of all the tangled work that Jay before him in Hindoostan jungles, a shadow fell over the young man's brow, and a dull pain seemed to tighten the valves of his heart. Tust then, his appointed lot in the Master's vineyard did not smile as alluringly as the sunny slopes of Eshcol ; but he put aside the contrast. " Eegina, I saw Mr. Palma in New York." " I hope he is well." '' He certainly looked so. Among other things, he asked if the art of writing had been altogether omitted in your education. I told him I was unacquainted with your accomplishments in that line, as I had written you two letters which remained un- answered." " But your mother thanked you for them, in my name." " Which was very sweet and good in my dear mother, but questionably courteous in you. Mr ?*ilma sent you a pre- sent." " He is very kind indeed, but if I am expected to write and thank him, I would much rather not receive it." " Do you dislike him ? " " How could I dislike my mother's best friend ? I daresray he has a good heart ; of course he must have ; but whenever I think of him I feel a queer chill creep to my very finger-tips, as if the north wind blew hard upon me, or an iceberg sailed by." " Guess what he sent you." "A copybook, pen i.nd ink 1 " " He is too polishec' a gentleman to punish you so severely. Come and let me show you his gift." He hd the way to the gallery in the rear of the house, and here they found Mr. Hargrove and Mrs. Lindsay admiring a young Newfoundland dog, which was chained to the balusters. " Look, Eegina ! it is a Wf.ddling snow-bank ! So round, so •oft and white ! Did he come from Nova Zembla, or Hammer fest, or directly from * Greenland's icy mountains' ? " ^ ; a taat:: j ' AJt a i ' KjiXti^ iJStt-agst:: it •s. so I INFELIGS, 73 " Mr. Palma looked all over New York and Brooklyn before he found a pure white dog to suit him. It seems he knew Kegina's fondness for snowy pets, and this is the only New- foundland I have ever seen who had not even a dark hair. Mr. Palma put this handsome collar and chain upon him and asked me to bring him to Begina. He will be very large when grown ; now he is only a few months old." Regina softly patted the woolly head, and her eyes glistened with delight. " How did Mr. Palma guess that I wanted a dog 1 " " He requested me to suggest something that would please you, and I told him that all at the Parsonage were grieving over the death of poor old Biorn. He immediately decided to send you a dog, and this is a noble, sagacious creature." " What is his name % " " That is left entirely to your taste ; but I hope you will not go all the way to Greece to find a title, as you did for your classic gander." " Then I will call him whatever Mr. Hargrove likes best." As she spoke, Regina nestled her fingers into the pastor's hand, and he smiled down into her radiant face. " My dear child, exercise your own preference. Have you no choice % " "None." " Suppose you name him * Erl-King,' in compliment to Mr. Palmar' " I should never dare to call him that ; it would seem im- pertinent. He is such a splendid dog, I should like a fine, un- common, grand name out of some of Mr. Hargrove's learned books." "Oh, don't, Begina! It will be positively cruel to turn Peyton loose among his folios, and invite him to afflict that in- nocent orphaned brute with some dreadful seven-syllabled abomination, which he will convince you is Arabic, or Sanscrit, — classic or mediaeval, — Gaelic, Finnish or Norse, — but which I warn you will serve your jaws (more elegant form — * maxil- lary bones') very much as an attack of mumps would, and will torture the victim into hydrophobia. Be pitiful, and say Teazer, — Tiger, — Towser, — ^but don't throw the sublime nomenclature of the classics literally to the dogs ! " " Now, mother, I protest against your infringement of Uncle B r4 INFELIOE, Peyton's accorded rights. Be quiet, please, and let him give Regina a few historic names, from which she can select one." Douglass passed his arm over Mrs. Lindsay's shoulder, and both watched the eager-intent face which the girl lifted to the pastor. He took off his glasses, wiped them with the end of his coat, and, readjusting them on his nose, addressed himself to his ward : '' There is an East Indian tradition that a divinely appointed greyhound guards the golden herd of stars and sunbeams foi the Lord of Heaven, and collects the nourishing rain-clouds, as the celestial cows, to the milking place. That greyhound was called SaraTnd. Will that suit you 1 " She shook her head. " The Greeks tell us of a dog which was kept in the temple of uEsculapius at Athens, and on one occasion, when a robber entered and stole the gold and silver treasures from the altar, the dog followed him for days and nights, until the thief, who could neither beat him away nor pursuade him to eat meat, was captured and carried back to Athena. Now, dear, this was a very shrewd and courageous animal, and his name was Cap- parus." " Why did not his owner change it for something handsome, after he performed such service ? " Begina spoke dubiously, and looked down at the new pet, who wagged his plumy tail as if to deprecate the punishment of such a title. " When Pyrrhus died, his favourite and devoted dog refused to stir from the body, but when it was carried out of the house he leaped upon the bier, and finally sprang into the funeral pile, and was burned alive with his master's remains. This exceedingly faithful creature was Astus." " Mr. Hargrove, are all the classic names so ugly 'i " " I am afraid the little girl's ear is not suflGiciently cultivated to appreciate them. I will try once more. The Welsh Prince Llewellyn had a noble deerhound, whom he trusted to watch the cradle of his baby boy while he himself was absent. One day, returning home, he found the cradle upset and empty, the clothes and the dog's mouth dripping with blood. Concluding that the hound had devoureo the child, the father drew his sword and slew the dog, but a moment after the cry of the babe from behind the cradle showed him his boy was alive. ■m-zrrrirerTra INFELICB. 75 Looking around, the prince discovered the body of a huge wolf, which had entered the house to attack and devour the child, but which had been kept o£f and killed by this brave dog, who was named Gellert." Fearing, from the expression of the girl's eloquent face, that Wales would win the game, Mrs. Lindsay exclaimed with an emphasis that made the dog prick up his ears : ^^Gwrdch y Bhibyn — be merciful ! The poor wretch looks as if he were ready to howl at the bare mention of such a hea- then, fabulous name. Anything would be an improvement on the Welsh — Cambyses, Si»rdanapalus, are euphonic in com- parison." " Mr. Hargrove, I am much obliged to you for your goodness in telling me so much about celebrated dogs, and if the queer names sound any sweeter to me after I am well educated and grow learned, I will take one of them ; but just now, I believe, I would rather call my dog Hero." " Eegina Orrae ! you benighted innocent ! don't make Pey- ton's hair rise with horror at your slaughter of the 'unities.' Why, my dear. Hero was a young lady who lived in Sestos a few thousand years ago, and was not considered a model o< prudent behaviour even then." ** Are not brave, noble men called heroes % Did not Mr. Etar- grove say last week that Philo Smith was a hero, when he jumped into the mill-pond and saved Lemuel Martin from drowning? Does not my history call Leonidas a herol I don't know exactly who the ' unities * are, but until I learn more, I intend to call my dog Hero. To me it seems to mean everything I wish him to be — good, faithful, brave, grand — and I shall call him Hero. Come along, Hero, and get some supper." f'-vi',ip-^"s»>Sii;f'>Wj(^!»«s-^ 7€ INFBLICB, 'i UHAPTER VL [RS. OBME, now that you »re eowfortaMe im jovr wrapper and slippers, let me take down jour hur, and then I will bring you a cup of tea; not the vile lukewarm stuff they give us here, but good genuine tea made out of my own caddy, that has some strength, and will build you up. Rehearsals don't df en serve you so badly." " Thank you, Mrs. Waul, but the tea would only make me more nervous, and that is a risk I cannot afford to incur. Please raise both windows — fresh air, even Parisian air, is better for me than anything else." " You have not seemed quite yourself since we came here, and I don't understand at all why two nights in Paris serve you worse than a week's acting elsewhere." ** Have not I told you that I dread, above every other ordeal, the critical Parisian audience ? " " But you passed so successfully through it ! Last night the galleries absolutely thundered, and people 8eemeApol- lyon ! " She had lifted j^he ambrotype and held it close to her eyes ; then her hand sank until the picture dropped back into its place, and the lonely desolate woman buried her face in her palms. The pretty gilt clock on the mantel ticked monoto- nously, and the hum of life, and the busy roll of vehicles in the vast city, was borne in through the window, like the faint roar of yet distant Niagara; and after a while, when the sharp ?^\ ■I* i ^■»»iiiinent of the group, and in the blaze of the gaslight looked at least thirty- five j a woman of large proportions, compactly built, with broad shoulders that sustained a rather short thick neck, now exposed in extreme dicoUetS style, as if to aid the unsuccessful elongation of nature. Her sallow complexion was dark, almost bistre, and the strongly marked irre^ilar features were only redeemed from positive plainness by the large fiery black eyes, whose beauty was somewhat marred by the intrusive boldness of their ex- pression. Bowing to some one opposite, her very full lips parted smilingly over a set of sound strong teeth, rather un- even in outline, and of the yellowish cast often observed in per- sons of humble birth and arduous life. Her dusky hair, be- longing to the family of neutral-brown, was elaborately puffed and frizzed, and in her ears hung large solitaire diamonds that glowed like globes of fire, and scattered rays that were reflect ed in the circlet around hor throat. Beside her sat her husband, leaning back with negligent 84 INFELIOM, grace, and eareleisly itroking hii tiiky blaek ^:^stAohA with one gloved hand, while the other toyed with a.i. tvc'led opera glass. Although only two years her junior, she bore the ap- pearance of much greater seniority, and the proud patrician cast off his handsome fiace contrasted as rividly with the coarser lower type of hers, as though in ancient Roman era he had veritably worm the clmms and the hdla^ while she trudged in lowly guise among the hard-haaded heroines of the proleiarn. Over his dreamy violet eyes arched the peculiarly fine jet brows that Mr. Falma had found •• distinctive in Resina's face, and his glossy hair and beard possessed that purplish black tint so rarely combined with the transparent white complexion, which now gleamed conspicuously in his broad, full, untanned forehead. The indolent ins&uciance of his bearing was quite in accord with his social record, as a proud high-born man of cultivated, elegant tastes, and unmistakably dissipated tendencies, which doubtless would long ago have fructified in thoroughly demor- alized habits had not lus wife vigorously exerted her exigeant guardianship. " Have you heard tlie last joke at Count T 's expense 1" said Mrs. Laurance, tapping the arm of the Minister with her gilded fan. " Do you refer to the contretemps of the masks at the Graad Bain" " No, something connected with Mme. Orme. It seems the Count saw her in London, became infatuated — as men always are about pretty actresses — and the first night she played here he was almost frantic ; wrote a note between the acts, and sent it to her twisted in that costly antique scarf-ring he is so fond of telling people once belonged to the Duke of Orleans { Before the play ended, it was returned, with the note torn into several strips and bound around it. Fancy his chagrin ! Col. Thorpe was in the box with him, and told it next day when we met at dinner. When I asked T his opinion of Madame, he answered : " She is perfectly divine ! but, alas ! only an inspired icicle. She should be called * Sulitelma,' which I believe means — Cuth- bert, what did you tell me it meant 1 " '^ " Queen of Snows. Abbie, do lower your voice a trifle," he answered without even glancing at her, and she continued : " I wanted to see her last night in * Medea/ but Cuthbert I IKFMUflM. 80 engagMn«nt, And >>6«id« Ultle Maud had th« liad an eroup- A itorm of applause out short the nursery budget, and all turned to the stage where Amy Bobsart entered, followed by Janet and by Yamey. Advancing with queemly graoe and dignity to a pile of cush- ions in the centre of the drawing-room at uumnor Place, she stood a moment with downcast eyes, till the acclamation ceased, and Varney renewed his appeal. Her satin dress was of that exquisite tint which in felicitous French phraseology is termed de couleur defleur de pScher, and swept down from her slender figure in statuesque folds, that ended in a long oeurt train, particularly becoming in the pose she had selected. The Elizabethan rufi, with an edge of filmy lace, softened the eifeet of the bodice out square across the breast, and revealed the string of pearls, Leicester's last gift, that shone so fair upon his Countess' snowy neck. From the mass of hair heaped high upon her head, soft tendrils clustered to the edge of her brow, and here and there a long curl stray- ed over her shoulder, and glittered like burnished gold in the glare of the quivering footlights. The lovely arms and hands were unburdened by jewels, and save the pearh around her throat, and the aigrette of brilliants in the upper bandeau of her hair, she wore no ornaments. The perfect impersonation of a beautiful, innocent happy bride, impatiently expectant of her husband's entrance, she stood listening to his messenger, a tender smile parting her rosy lips. The chair of state chanced to be placed in the direction of the Minister's box, and only a tew feet distant, and when Var- ney attempted to place her upon it, she waved him back, and raising her right hand toward it, said in a calm, deep, pure voice which had such thrilling emphasis in its lowest cadences : " No, good Master Eichard Varney, I take not my place there, until my Lord himself conducts me. I am for the pre- sent a disguised Countess, and will not take dignity upon me, until authorized by hii from whom I derived it." In that brief sentence she knew her opportunity and seized it, for her glance followed her uplifted hand, mounted into the box, and sweeping across the Minister, dwelt for some seconds on the dark womanly countenance beside him, and then fastened upon the face of Mr. Laurance. Some whose seats were on that side of the house, and whc 86 INFELICE. chanced to have their lorgnettes levelled at her just then, saw a long shiver creep over her, as if a blast of cold air had blown down through the side scene, and a sudden spark blazed up in the dilating eyes, as a mirror flashes when a candle flame smites its cold dark surface ; but not a muscle quivered in the fair proud face, and only the Yarney at her side noticed that when the slight hand fell back, it sought its mate wi^h a quick grop- ing motion, and the delicate fingers clutched iach other till the ntuls grew purple. For fully a moment that burning gaze rested on the features that seemed to possess some subtle fascination for her, and wandering back to the wife, a shadowy smile hovered around the lips that were soon turned away to answer Yarney. As she moved in the direction of a window, to listen foi the clattex of horses' hoofs, Mrs. Laurance whispered : " Is not she the loveliest creature you ever beheld ? I nevei saw such superb eyes ; they absolutely seemed to lighten just now. Cuthbert, did you only notice how she looked right at me ? I daresay my solitaires attracted her attention, and n« wonder ; they are the largest in the house, and these actresses always have an eye to the very best jewellery. Of course it must have been my diamonds." From the moment when Amy Robsart entered, Cuthbert Laurance felt a strange magnetic thrill dart through every fibre of his frame; his sluggish pulse stirred, and as her mesmeric brown eyes, luminous, overmastering, met his, he drew hie breath in quick gasps, and his heart in its rapid throbbing seemed to pour liquid fire into the bounding arteries. Some vague bewildering reminiscence danced through the clouded chambers of his brain, pointing like a mocking fiend now this way, then in an opposite direction ; one instant assuring him that they had somewhere met before, the next torturing him with the triumphant taunt that he had hitherto never known any one half so lovely. Was it merely some lucky accident that had so unexpectedly brought them during that long flat- tering gaze, thoroughly en rapport ? He no more heard lus wife's hoarse whisper than if a cyclone had whirled between them, and leaning forward to catch the measured melody that floated from the Countess's lips, a crim- son glow fired his cheek as he caught the lofty words : "I know a cure for jealousy. It is to speak truth to my Lord at aH times ; to hold up my mind, my thoughts before t r-.A- 7 INFELICE. 87 him, as pure as that polished mirror, so that \/hen he looks into my heart, he shall see only his own features reflected there. '"^ Can he who took my little hands and made them wifely, laying therein the precious burden of his honour, afford to doubt the palms are clean f " No wonder Yarney stared, and the prompter anathematized the sadden flicker of the gas jet that caused him to lose his place ; there was no such written sentence as the last, and the rehearsal proved no sure index of all the Countess uttered that night, but the play rolled on, and when the folding doors flew open and Amy sprang to meet her noble husband, the house began to warm into an earnest sympathy. In the scene that followed, she sat with childlike simplicity and grace on the footstool at Leicester's feet, while he exhibited the jewelled decorations of his princely garb, and explained the significance of the various orders ; and in the face upturned to him who filled the chair of state, there was a wealth of loving tenderness that might have moved colder natures than that which now kindled in the deep violet eyes that watched her from the Minister's box. Gradually the curious, timid, admiring bride is merged in the wife, with ambition budding in her heart, an enacting pride pleading for recognition and wifely dignities, and in this trans- formation the power of the woman asserted itself. Bending toward Leicester, until from the low seat she sank unintentionally upon her knees, she prayed with passionate fervour : " But shall not your wife — my love, one day soon — be sur- rounded with the honour which arises neither from the toils of the mechanic who decks her apartment, nor from the silks and jewels with which your generosity adorns her, but which is at- tached to her place among the matronage, as the avowed wife of England's noblest Earl 1 'Tis not the dazzling splendour oj your title that I covet, but the richer, nobler, dearer coronet of your beloved name, the precious privilege of fronting the world as your acknowledged wife^ Again, in answer to his flattering evasive sophistries, she asked in a voice whose marvellous modulations, in the midst of intense feeling, seemed to penetrate every nook of that vast building : Mrs. Orme's interpolations are all italicized. /1 iU TSSC tS W ^ .TilWflft*^- , *ta^K 88 INFELIOE. f ** But why can it not be ? Why can it not immediately take place, this more perfect uninterrupted union, for which you say you wish, and which the laws of God and man alike command ? Think you my unshod feet would shrink from glowing ploughshares, if crossing them I found the sacred shelter of my husband's name ? Ah, husband/ dost blanch before the storm of condemnation, which has no terrors for a wife's brave heart ? It would seem but scant and tardy justice, to own thy wedded wife /" The Earl had led her behind the scenes, and the Minister had twice addressed him, ere Mr. Laurance recovered himself sufficiently to perceive that his companiona were smiling at his complete absorption. " Why, Cuthbert, wake up. You look like some one walk- ing open-eyed in sleep. Has Madame's beauty dazzled you as utterly as poor Count T ? " His wife pinched his arm, but without heeding her he looked quite past her, into the laughing eyes of the Minister, and asked : " Do you know her ? Is her husband living 1 " " I shall call by appointment, to-morrow, but this is the first time I have seen her. Of her history I know nothing, but ru- mour pronounces her a widow." "Which generally means that these pretty actresses have drunken, worthless husbands, paid comfortable salaries to shut their eyes and keep out of the way," added Mrs. Laurance, lengthening the range of her opera glass, and levelling it at a group, where the simmer of jewels attracted her attention. How the words grated on her husband's ear, grown strangely sensitive within an hour ! Carelessly glancing over the sea of faces beneath and around him, the Minister continued : " English critics contend that Mme. Orme's * Amy Robsart' is so far from being Scott's ideal creation, that he woifld fail to recognise it were he alive ; still, where she alters the text and intensifies the type, they admit that the dramatic eflfect is heightened. She appears to have concentrated all her talent upon the passionate impersonation of one peculiar phase of femi- nine suflFering and endurance — that of the outraged and neg- lected wife — and her favourite roles are 'Katherine' from Henry Vni., * Hermione,' and * Medea,' though she is said to excel in * Deborah.' My brother, who saw her last night as * Medea,' pronounced her fully equal to Rachel, and said that in that ^ £ SE SMMMM >W |[tw t i^ INFELICE. 89 scene where she attempted to remove her children from the side of the new wife, the despairing fury of her eyes literally raised the few thin hairs that still faithfully cling to the top of his head. Ah, the parting with Leicester — how marvellously beautiful she is ! " Leaning against a dressing-table loaded with toilet trifles and bijouterie, Amy stood, arrayed in the costume which dis- played to greater advantage the perfect symmetry of form and the dazzling purity of her complexion. The cymar of white silk bordered with swan's-down exposed the gleaming dimpled shoulders, and from beneath the pretty lace coif, the unbound glory of her long hair swept around her like a cataract of gold, touching the hem of her silken gown, where, to complete the witchery, one slippered foot was visi- ble. When her husband entered to bid her adieu, and the final petition for public acknowledgment was once more sternly denied, the long-pent agony in the wom!in*s heart burst all barriers, — overflowed every dictate of wounded pride, and, with an utter abandon of genuine, poignant grief, she gave way to a storm that shook her frame with convulsive sobs, and deluged her cheeks with tears. Despite her desperate efforts to main- bain her self-control, the sight of her husband's magnetic, handsome face — after thirteen weary years of waiting — un- nerved, overwhelmed her. There in the temple of Art, where critical eyes were bent searchingly upon her. Nature triumph- antly asserted itself, and she who wept passionately from the bitter realization of her own accumulated wrongs, was wildly applauded as the queen of act) esses, who so Siiccdssfully simu- lated imaginary woes. By what infallible criterion clial] oriticdom decide the boun- daries of the Actual and tlic Ideal ? Who shall compute the expenditure of literal hearcLche that builds up the popularly successful Desdemonas, Oamilles, aui Marie Stuarts; — the scalding tears that gradually ciysfcallize into the classic repose essential to the severe simplicity of the old Greek tragedies % The curtain fell upon a bowed and sobbing woman, and the tempest of applause that shook the building was prolonged until, after a time. Amy Robsart, with tears still glistening on her cheeks, came forward to acknowledge the tribute, and her silken garment^ were pelted with bouquets. Among the num- ber tha worth, and before the Queen and nobles, and in presence of my own wedded lord, that I should acknowledge him — him there — that very cloak-brushing, shoe-cleaning fellow — him there : — my lord's lacke;f , for my liege lord and husband 1 I would I were a man but for five minutes ! — but go 1 begone ! — " She paused, panting ; then threw back her haughty head, rose on tiptoe, and, shaking her hand in prophetic wrath and deathless defiance, almost hissed into the box beneath which Varney stood : " Go, tell thy master that when I, like him, can forget my plighted trothj turn craveUf bury honour^ and forswear my mar- riage vows, — tJien, oh then / I promise him I will give him a rivals something worthy of the name ! " Was the avenging lash of conscience uncoiled at last, in Cuthbert Laurance's hardened soul, iliat the blood so suddenly ebbed from his lips, and he drew his breath like one oversha- dowed by a V empire % Only once had he caught the full gleam of her indignant eyes, but that long look had awakened tortures that would never entirely slumber again, until the solemn hush of the shroud and the cemetery was his portion. No suspicion of the truth crossed his mind, even for an instant, for what resemblance could be traced between that regal woman, and the shy, awkward, dark-haired little rustic, who thirteen years before had frolicked like a spaniel about him, loving but lowly % In vain he sought to arrest her attention ; the actress had only once looked at the group, and it was not until near the close that he succeeded in catching hor glance. After her escape from Varney, Amy Robsart reached in dis- -4 ==»«6*«!W»aB" tNFELrCB. 01 dis- guise the confines of Kenilworth, and standing there, travel- worn, weary, dejected, in sight of the princely Castle, with its stately towers and battlements, she first saw the honie whose shelter was denied her, the palatial home where Leicester bowed in homage before Elizabeth. As a neglected repudiated wife, creeping stealthily to the hearth where it was her right to reign, Amy turned her wan, woful face to the audience, and fixing her gaze with strange mournful intentness upon the eyes that watched her from the box, she seemed to throw her whole soul into the finest passage of the play. " I have given him all that wor^.an has to givpi. Name and fame, heart and hand, have I given the Lord of all this mag- nificence — at the altar, and Eugland's Queen could give no more. He is my husband,— I am his wife, I will be bold in claiming my right ; even the bolder, that I come thus unex- pected and forlorn. Whom God hath joined, man cannot sunder.** The irrestible pathos of look and tone electrified that wide assemblage, and in the midst of such plaudits as only Paris be- stows, she allowed her eyes to wander almost dreamily over the surging sea of human heads, and as if she were in truth some hunted, hopeless, homeless waif appealing for sympa- thy, she shrouded her pallid face in the blue folds of her travel- ling cloak and disappeared. " She must certainly recognise her countrymen, for that splendid passage seem^ i almost thrown to us, as a tribute to our nationality. What a wonderful voice ! And yet — she is so slender, so fragile," said the Minister. " Did you observe how pale she grew towards the last, and so hollow-eyed, as i^ utterly worn out in the passionate strug- gle % " said Mrs. Iiaurance. " The passion of the remaining parts belongs rather to Lei- cester and the Queen., By the way this is quite a handsome Earl, and the whole cast is decidedly strong and successful. Look Laurance ! were you an artist would you desire a finer model for an Egeria 1 If Madame had been reared in Canova's studio she could not possibly have accomplished a more elegant felicitous pose. I should like her photograph at this moment." In the grotto scene, Amy was attired in pale sea-green silk, and her streammg hair braided it with yellow light, as she shrank back from the haughty visage of the Queen. Kapidly the end approached, courtiers and maids of honoui 98 INFELIOB. S's- '\ crowded upon the stage, and thither Elizabeth dragged the un- happy wife into the presence of the Earl, crying in thunder tones : " My Lord of Leicester ! knowest thou this woman 1 " The craven silence of the husband, the desperate rally of the suffering wife to shield him from the impending wrath, until at last she was borne away insensible in Hunsdon's stroug arms, all followed in quick succession, and Amy's ill-starred career approached its close, in the last interview with her husband. When Cuthbert Laurance was a gray-haired man, trembling upon the brink of eternity, there came a vision in the solemn hours of night, and the form of Amy — wan as some marble statue, breathed again in his ear, the last words she uttered that night. " Take your ill-fated wife by the hand, lead her to the foot- stool of Elizabeth's throne ; say that ' in a moment of infatua- tion moved by supposed beauty, of which none perhaps can now trace even the remains, I gave my hand to this poor Amy Eobsart.' You will then have done justice to me, and to your own honour ; should law or power require you to part from me, I will offer no opposition, since I may then with honour hide a grieved and broken heart in those shades, from which your love withdrew me. Then have but a little patience, and Amy's life will not loug darken your brighter prospects." .The fatal hour arrived ; the gorgeous pomp and ceremonial of the court-pageant had passed away, and in a dim light the treacherous balcony at Cumnor place was visible. In the hush that pervaded the theatre, the Minister heard the ticking of his watch, and Mrs. Laurance the laboured breathing of her husband. Upon the profound silence broke the tramp of a horse's hoofe in the neighbouring courtyard, — then Varney's whistle in imi- tation of the Earl's signal when visiting the Countess. Instantly the door of her chamber sw^mg open, and standing a moment upon the threshold, Amy in her fleecy white drapery wavered W:^^ a d fting cloud, then moved forward upon the bal- cony ; file t;.ap-door fell ; and the lovely marble face with its lustrous b.v<.^\/n eyes sank iiiCo the darkness of death. \ ' VK^Mim INFELIOB. 93 CHAPTER VII. \0 men and women of intensely emotional nature, it some- times happens that a day of keen and torturing sus- pense, or a night's vigil of great anguish, wars and darkens a countenance more indelibly than the lapse of several ordinary monotonous years ; and as Madame Orme sat in her reception room at one o'clock in the following afternoon, awaiting the visit of the Minister, the blanched face was far sterner and prouder than when yesterday's sun rippled across it, and bluish shadows beneath the large eyes that ha^ not closed for twenty-four hours, lent them a deeper and more fateful glow. The soft creamy folds of her Cashmere robe were relieved at the thjroat by a knot of lilac ribbon, and amid its loops were secured clusters of violets, that matched in hue the long spike of hyacinth which was fastened to one side of the coiled hair, twined just behin the ear, and drooped low on the snowy neck. Before her on a gilded stand, was the purple pyramid of flowers she had brought from the theatre, and beside them lay several perfumed envelopes with elaborate monograms. These notes contained tributes of praise from strangers who had been fascinated by her " Amy Robsart," and begged the honour of an interview, or the favour of a " photograph taken in the silken cymar which so advantageously displayed the symmetry of her figure." Among the latter, she had recognised the handwriting of Mr. Laurance, though the signature^vas " Jules Duval," and her fingers had shrunk from the folds of rose paper, as though scorched by flame. Lying there on the top of the billets-doiix, the elegant graceful chirography of the " Madame Odille Orme" drew her gaze, like the loathsome fascination of a basilisk, and taking a package of notes from her pocket, she held them for a inoment close to the satin envelope. Upon one, the name of the popular Actress, — on the others — in the same peculiar beautiful characters, — ** Minnie Merle." She put away the latter, and a flash of scorn momentarily lighted her rigid face. " Craven as of old ! Too cowardly to boldly ask the thing his fickle fancy favours, — he begs under borrfwed names. ((^*!&«A; r^aismtm^t^ 94 INFELICE, Doubtless his courage wilts before his swarthy, bold-eyed Xantippe, who allows him scant latitude for flirtations with pretty actresses. To be istiuie. The question slightly disconcerted him. " T had the honour of accompanying our Minister, and sharing his box." " Indeed 1 I have never had the plea i re of meeting him, and hoped to have seen him today, as he fixed this hour foi the arrangement of some business details, concerning which, 1 was advised to consult him. One really cannot duly appreciate American liberty, until one has been trammelled by foreign for- malities and Continental police quibbles." An incredulous smile, ambushed in his silky moustache, wae reflected in his fine eyes, as he recalled the flattering emphasis with which she had certainly singled out his face, in that vast auditory, — and thoroughly appreciating his munificent inherit- ance of good looks, he now imagined he fully interpreted hex motive in desiring to ignore the former meeting. " Doubtless hundreds who shared with me the delight you conferred by your performance last night, would be equally charmed to possess my precious privilege of expressing my unr bountled fidmiration of your genius ; but unfortunately the im- prtssioii prevails that mj charming countrywoman sternly interdicts all gentleman visitors, — denies access even to the most ardent of her worshippers, — and I deem myself the most supremely favoured of men in having triumphantly crossed into the enchanted realm of your presence. Of this flattering dis- tinction, I confess I am very proud." It was a bold challenge, and sincerely he rued his rashness, when raising herself haughtily, she answered in a tone that made his cheeks tingle : " Unfortunately your countrywoman has not studied human nature so superficially as to fail to comprehend the snares and pitfalls which men's egregious vanity sometimes spring prema- turely ; and rumour quotes me aright, in proclaiming me a re- cluse when the curtain falls, and the lights are extinguished. To-day I deviated from my usual custom, in ccmpliment to the representative of my counti^, who sends you, — so his card ? 393= ■jMfiSKii'V. ; .^ . ■ 7 INFELICE. VI reads — 'charged with an explanation of his unavoidable ab- sence.' As Minister-extraordinary, may I venture to remind Mr. Laurance of his errand 1 " Abashed by the scornful gleam in her keen wide eyes, he re- plied hastily : " A telegram from Pan summoned him this morning to the bedside of a member of his family, suddenly attacked with dangerous illness, and he desired me to assure you that so soon as he returned, he would seize the earliest opportunity of con- gratulating you upon your brilliant triumph. In the interim ho places at your disposal certain printed regulations, which wil> supply the information you desire, — ^and which you will find m this envelope. May ' hope Madame, that the value of thi con- tents will successfuL^ ' ^ad the paruon of the audacious — yet sufficiently rebuked r iger 1 " He rose, and with a princely bow, offered the packio. Suffering her eyes to follow the motion of his elegantly- formed aristocratic hand, now ungloved, — one swift glance showed her that instead of the unpretending slender gold cir- clet she had placed on the little finger of his left hand, the day of their marriage, — a ring endeared to her because it had been her Mother's bridal pledge, — he now wore a flashing diamond, in a broad and costly setting. Almost unconsciously, her own left hand glided to the violets on her breast, — beneath which, securely fastened by a strong gold chain, she wore the antique cameo ring, with its grinning death's head resting upon her heart. Slightly inclining her head, she signed to him to place the papers on the table, and when he bad resumed his seat, she asked : " How long Mr. Laurance, since you left America ? " " Thirteen or fourteen years ago ; yet the memories of my home are fresh and fragrant as though I quitted it only yester- day." "Then happy indeed must have been that hearthstone, whdi^ rose-coloured reminiscences linger so tenderly around your heart, and survive the attrition of a long residence in Paris. Your repertoire of charming memories, tempts me almost to the verge of covetousness. In what portion of the United States did you reside 1 " My boyhood was spent in one of the Middle States, where my estate is located, but my collegiate life removed me to the .^- i^ ^, ^^^^ '^> IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I I L^12.8 1!^ U6 |25 12.2 111 140 1.25 i 1.4 I 1^ 1.6 Ta 7 -^r**' KiotDgraphic Sciences Corporation 73 WIST MAIN STRIET WUSTIR.N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 . My dear, the Buddhist is at your own door. Now Peyton how do you relish the flavour of your philo- sophical salad 1 " I INFKUCE. 109 '• i| I *' I am afraid I have been culpably thongbtless in introdncing to her mind, various doctrines and theories, which I never imagined she could comprehend, or would even ponder for a moment. Since my sight has become so impaired and feeble, I have several times called on her to read some articles which certainly are not healthful pabulum for a child, and my con- versations with Douglass, relative to scientific theories have been carried on unreservedly in her presence. I am very glad you warned me." " And I am exceedingly sorry, if the effect of my mother's words should be to hamper and cramp the exercise of Besina's faculties. Free discussion should be dreaded only bv hypo- crites and fanatics, and after all it is the best crucible ror elim- inating the false from the true. Does the contemplation of physical monstrosities engender a predilection or affection for deformity f Does it not rather by contrast with symmetry and perfect proportion heighten the power and charm of the latter ) The beauty of truth is never so invincible as when confronted with sophistry or falsehood ; just as youth and health seem doubly fair and precious, in the presence of trembling decrepi- tude and revolting disease." " Keally Bishop ! I thought you had passed the sophomorio stage, and it is a shameful waste of dialectic ammunition to throw your antitheses at me. According to your doctrine, America ought to buy up and import all the deformed unfortu- nates whb are annually exposed in China, in order, that our peo- ple should properly appreciate the superiority of sound limbs, and the value of the five senses ; and healthy young people should throng the lazarettos and alms-houses, to learn the nature of their own advantages. Is it equally desirable that wise men like you and Peyton should accustom yourselves to the society of — well — I use polite diction, — of imbeciles, of ' innocents,' in order to let a true value on learning and your own astute locio ? " '* My dear little mother, you chop your logic so furiously with a broad axe, that you darken the air with a hurricane of chips and splinters. Like all ladies who attempt to argue, you rush into the reductio ad ahmrdtim^ and find it impossible to discriminate between" " Wisdom and conceit ) Bless you Bishop — observation has taught me all the shades and delicate gradations of that differ- ence. We women no more mistake the latter for the former. ;' iw iiii . ' i e v no tlTFSUOS. than the ^ods who declined to tarn cannibal when they went to dine with Tantalus, and were offered a fricasse of Pelops. Now I" " Ceres did eat of it I " exclaimed her son, adroitly avoiding a tweak of the ear, by throwing his head back, beyond the touch of her fingers. " A wretched pagan fable Sir, — with which orthodox Bishops should hold no communion. Tell me, you beardless Gamaliel, where you accumulated your knowledge relative to the educa- tion of girls % Present us a chart of your experience. You talk of hampering and cramping Begina's faculties, as if I had put her brains in a pair of stays, and daily tightened the lacers." " I am inclined to think the usual forms of female education have precisely that effect. The fact is mother, it appears that women in this country are expected to< become the reserve magazines of piety, of religious fervour— on the certain power- ful principle that 'ignorance is the mother of devotion.' True knowledge which springs from fearless investigation, is a far nobler, and more reliable conservator of pure vital Christi- anity." " Exempli gratia, — Miss Martineau and Madame Dudevant, who arQ crowned heads among the cognoscenti f Or perhaps you would prefer a second * La Pelouse,' governed by Miss Weber, who certainly agrees with you, ' that girls are trained too delicately to allow the mind tp expand.' Illuminated and expanded by * philosophy' and ' social progi'ess' she and Madame Dudevant long ago literally abjured stays, and glory in the usurpation of vests, pantaloons, coats, and short hair. Be pleased to fancy my Begina — my blue-eyed snow-bird, shorn of that * Gloriole of ebon locks on calmed brows ! I would rather see her in her cofSh ; — shrouded in a ruffled pinafore," " Much as I love her, so would I ; but Elise we will antici- pate no such dreadful destiny. She has a clear fine^mind, is dtudious and ambitious, but certainly ndt a genius, — unless it be in music ; and she can be trained into a cultivated refined woman suj£ciently conversant with the sciences' to comprehend the contemporaneous development, without threatening us with pedantry, or adopting a style suitable to the groves of Crotona, in the days of Damo, or the abstruse mystical diction nrFELios, 111 ' ;• that doomed Hypatia to the mercy of the monks. After all, why scare up a blue-stockinged ogre, which may have no in- tention of depredating upon our peace ; — ^for to be really learned is no holiday amusement in this cumulative age, and offers little temptation to a youn^ girl. Not long since, I found a sentence beanng upon this subject, which impressed itself upon my mind as both strong and healtl y : 'And by this you may recognise true education from false. " False education is a delightful thing, and warms you, and makes you every day think more of your- self; and true education is a deadly cold thing, with a Gorgon's head on her shield, and makes you every day think worse of yourself Worse in two ways also, more is the pity ; — it is per^ petually increasing the personal sense of ignorance, and the personal sense of fault.' " " In that event, may I venture to wonder where and how you and Douglass stand in your own estimation 1 If quotations are en rigle, I can match your Reverence, — though unfortunately my feminine memory is not like yours — a tireless beast of burden, — and I must be allowed to read. Here is the book close at hand, in my stocking basket Now, wise and gentle Sirs, this is my ideal of proper, healthful, feminine education, as contrasted with our new-fangled method of making girls either lay-figures for millinery, jewellery, and frizzled false hair, — or else, — ^far more horrible still, — social hermaphrodites, who storm the posts that have been assigned to men ever since that venerable and sacred time when * Adam delved and Eve span,' and who, forsaking holy home haunts, wage war against nature on account of'the mistake made in their sex, — and clamour for the * hallowed inalienable right ' to jostle and be jostled at the polls ; to brawl in the market place, and to rant on th'e ros- trum, like a bevy of bedlamites. Now, when I begin to read, listen, and tell me frankly — whether when you both make up your minds to present me, one a sister, — the other a daughter, — ^you will select your wives from amoug^^uaint Evelyn's al- most obsolete type, — or whether you will commit your name, affections, wardrobe, larder, pantry and poultry to a strong- minded female * scientist ' — who will neglect your socks and buttons, to ascertain exactly how many Vibg^nes and Baderia float in a drop of fluid, — and when you coraihome tired and very hungry, will comfort you, and nobly atone for the injury of as iU-cooked and worse-served dinner, — by regaling your weary ears with her own ingenious and brilliant interpretation 112 INFBLICE. and translation of JElia, Lcelia Cnspis / Here is my old-fash- ioned English damsel, meek as a violet, fresh as a deWy daisy, and sweet as a bed of thyme and marjoram. ' The style and method of life are quite changed, as well as the language, since the days of our ancestors, simple and plain as they were, courting their wives for their modesty, — frugality, keeping at homej good housewifery, and other economical virtues then in reputation. And when the young damsels were taught all these at home in the country at their parents' houses, the por- tion they brought being more in virttie than money, — she being a richer match than any one who could bring a million, and nothing else to commend her. The virgins and young ladies of miat golden age put their hands to die spindle, nor dis- dained the needle ; were obsequious and helpful to their pa- rents, instructed in the management of the family, and gave presage of making excellent wives. Their retirements were devout and reixgious books, their recreations in the distillery atod knowledge of plants, and their virtues for the co^ifort of their poor neighbours, and use of the family, which wholesome diet and kitchen physic preserved- in health. Then things were natural, plain and wholesome ; nothing was superfluous, — nothing necessary wanted. The poor were relieved bounti- fully, and charity was as warm as the kitchen, where the fire was perpetual.' Now, if Kegina were only my child, I shomld with some modifications, train her after this mellow old style." " Then I am truly thankful she is not my sister ! Fancy her pretty pearly fingers encrusted with gingerbread-dough ; or her entrance into the library heralded by the perfume of moly,'> — or of basil and sage, — tolerable only as the familiars of a dish of sausage meat ! Don't soil my dainty white dove with the dU0t and seot and rank odours that belong to the culinary realm." "Your white d#re? Do you propose to adopt her? A month hence, when you are on your way to kidia, what differ- ence oan ift possibly make to you whether she is as brown as a quail or black as a crow ? Before you come back she will have been conscripted into the staid army of matrons, and trans- mogrified into 4lnt Mrs. Ptolemy Thenison,r-or lean and care-worn Mrs. Simon Smith, — orwor^ethAn all— erudite Mrs. Professor Belshazzar Brown, — spelling Hercules aft^ the learned style, with the loss of the u, and the substitution of a If wmtmasa INFBLICE 113 k ; — or making the ghost of Ulysses tor.x Ms hair, by writing the name of his enchantress ' Kirk6 ! ' " As Mrs. Lindsay spoke, the smile vanished from her lips, and looking keenly at her son's countenance she detected the change that crossed it, the sudden glow that mounted to the edge of his hair. Avoiding her eyesr, he answered hastily . " Suppose those distinguished gentlemen you mention chance to be scholars, mvanSy and disposed to follow the advice of Jou- bert in making their matrimonial selection \ * We should choose for a wife only the woman we should choose for a friend, were she a man.' Think you mere habits of domesticity, or skill in herbalism, would arrest and fix their fancy? " " But Bishop, they might consider the Talmud more vener- able .authority than Joubert, and the Talmud says — so I am told : — * Descend a step in choosing a wife ; monn^ a step in choosing a friend.' ** " Thank heaven ! there is indeed no Salique Law in the realm of learning. Mother, I believe one of thie happiest augu- ries of the future, consists in the broadening views of educa- tion that are now held by some of our ablest thinkers. If in the morning of our religious system, St. Peter deemed it ob- ligatory on us to be able and ' ready always to give an an- swer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you,' — how doubly imperative is that duty in this controver- sial age, — ^when the popular formula has been adopted, ' to doubt, to inquire, to discover ;' — when the hammer of the geol- ogist pounds into dust the idols of tradition, — and the lenses of astronomy pierce the blue wastes of space, which in our childhood we fondly believed were the Jiabitat of cherubim and seraphim. Now mother, if you will only insure my ears against those pink tweezers, — of which they bear stinging recollections, — I should like to explain myself.** Mrs. Lindsay plunged ' *^r hands int* the depths of her stocking basket, and said . tentiously : " The temple of Janus is closed." *' What is the origin of the doctrine that erudition is the sole prerogative of men, and that it proves as dangerous in a woman's hands, as phosphorus or gunpowder in those of a baby " *• Why Eve's experience, of course. A ton of gunpowder would not have blown up the garden of Eden more efiectually, \ .Mim<«o i i m* lU INFELIOB, than did her light touch upon an outside branch of the tree of knowledge. I would say Genesis was acceptable authority to a young minister of the gospel." '< That is a violation of the truce, — Elise. You are skirmish- ing with his picket line. Go on Douglass." " It is evidently a remnant of despotic barbarism, a fungoid growth from Oriental bondage " <' Bishop, may I be allowed to ask if you are inferring to Genesis)" ** Dear little mother, I refer to the popular fallacy, that, in the same ratio that you thoroughly educate women, you unfit them ^ for the holy duties of daughter, wife, and mother. Is there *an inherent antagonism between learning and womanli- ness % " ''Indeed dear, how can I tell % I am not a ' Della-Cruscan. ' I only ' sti^ain' milk into my dairy pans." '' Elise do be quiet. You break the thread of his argument." '' Then it is entirely too brittle to hold the ponderous pro- positions he intends to string upon it. Proceed my son." '' Are we to accept the unjust and humiliating dogma that the more highly we cultivate feminine intellect, the more un- feminine, unlovely, unamiable, the individual certainly becomesi Is a woman sweeter, more gentle, morie useful to her family and friends, because she is unlearned 1 Does knowledge exert an acidulating influence upon female temper ; or — produce an ossifying effect on female hearts 1 Is ignorance an inevitable concomitant of refinement and delicacy T Does the knowledge of Greek and Latin cast a blight over the flower-garden, or a mildew in the pantry and linen closet ; or do the classics pos- sess the power of curdling all the milk of human-kindness, all the streams of tender sympathy in a woman's nature, as rennet coagulates a bowl of sweet milk % Can an acquaintance with literature, art, and science so paralyze a lady's energies, that she is rendered utterly averse to, and incapable of performing those domestic ofiices, those household duties so pre-eminently suited to her slender dexterous busy little fingers 1 . Why — my own wise precious little mother is a living refutation of so grossly absurd, and monstrous a dogma ! Have not you boxed my .ears, because when stumbling through the 'Anabasis,' my Greek pronunciation tortured your fastidious and correct taste 1 Did not you tell me that you read nearly the whole of Sallust, by spreading the book open on the dairy-shelt^ while you i< i ^SBbbiq INFELIOM, 115 T* churned — ^thus saving time Y And dia not mat same sweet golden butter made under the shadow of a Latin dictionary — win you the Sta*e Fair Premium — of that very silver cup from which I drank my milk, as long as I wore knee pants and round jackets f Was it not my father's fond baast that his wife's proficiency in music was equalled only by her wonderful skill in making muf- fins, pastry and omdette souffle ? " With genuine chivalrio tenderness in look and tone, he in- clined his head ; but though a tear certainly glistened in Mrs. Lindsay's bright eyes, she answered gayly : "Am I Cerberus — to be coaxed and cheated by a well- buttered sop of flattery ? Betum to your mutton, reverend Sir, and know that I am incorruptible, and disdain to betray my cause, for your thirty pieces of potent praise." " I think," said Mr. Hargrove, taking a bunch of cherries from the fruit-stand on the library-table, " I think the whole matter may be resolved into this ; the ambitious clamours and amazonian excesses oi this epoch, are the inevitable conse- quence of the rigid tyranny of former ages ; which stemly.ban- ished women to we numbing darkness of an intellectual night, denying them the legitimate and natural right of developing their faculties by untrammelled exercise. This belief in femi- nine inferiority is still expressed in Mohammedan lands, by the custom of placing a slate or tablet of marble on a woman's grave — while on that of men a pen or penholder is laid, to in- dicate that female hearts are mere tablets, on which man writes whatever pleases him best. In sociology, as well as physics and dynamics — the angle of reflection is always equal to the angle of incidence — the psychologic rebound is ever in propor- tion to the mental pressure, one extreme invariably impinges upon the opposite — and when the pendulum has reached one end of the arc, it must of necessity swing back to the other. In all social revolutions, the moderate and reasonable conces- sions which might have appeased the discontent in its incip- iency — are gladly tendered much too late in the contest, when the insurgents stung by injustice, and conscious of their griev- ances, refuse all temperate compromise, and run riot. This woman's-rights and woman's-suffrage abomination is no sud- denly concocted social bottle of yeast ; it has been fermenting for ages, and having finally blown out the cork, is rapidly Ida- vening the mass of female malcontents." ** But Uncle, Peyton, you surely discriminate between a few 116 INFJSUCB. noisy ambitious sciolists who mistake lyceiim notoriety for re- nown, and the noble band of delicate, refined womeii whose brilliant attainments in the republic of letters, are surpassed only by their beautiful devotion to God, family, and home 1 Fancy Mrs. Somerville demanding a seat in Parliament, or Miss Herschel elbowing her way to the hustings? Whose do- mestic record is more lovely in its pure womanliness than Hannah More's, or Miss Mitford's, or Mrs. Browning's ; — who wears deathless laurels more modestly thaa Bosa Bonheurl It seems to me. Sir, that it is not so much the amount, as the quality of the learning that just now ought to engage attention. I see that one of the ablest and strongest thinkers of the day has handled this matter in a masterly way, and with your per- mission I should like to read a passage : ' In these times the educational tree seems to me to have its roots in the air, its leaves and flowers in the ground ; and I confess I should very much like to turn it upside down, so that its roots might be solidly embedded among the facts of Nature, and draw thence a sound nutriment for the foliage and fruit of literature and of art. No educational system can have a claim to permanence, unless it recognises the truth that education has two great ends, to which everything else must be subordinated. One of these is to increase knowledge ; the other is to develop the love of right, and the hatred of wrong. At present, education is almost entirely devoted to the cultivation of the power of expression, and of the sense of literary beauty. The matter of having any- thing to say, beyond a hash of other people's opinions, or of possessing any criterion of beauty, so that we may distinguish between the God-like and the devilish, is left aside as of no moment. I think I do not err in saying that if science were made the foundation of education, instead of being at most stuck on as cornice to the edifice, this state of things could not exist.' Such is the system I should like to see established in our own country." "Provided you could rely upon the moderation of the teachers ; for unless wisely and temperately inculcated, this system would soon make utter shipwreck of the noblest in- terests of humanity. For many years I have watched atten- tively the doublings of this fox, — and while I yield to no man in solemn fidelity to truth, I want to be sure that what I accept as such, is not merely old er^r under new garbs, — only a change of disguising terms. Science has its fetich, as well as Mil SFJVW ^CXTTTTr. INFBLICE. 117 superstition, and abstruse terminology does not always conceal its stolid gross proportions. The complete overthrow and an- nihilation of the belief in a Personal, (Governing, Prayer-answer- ing God, is the end and aim of the gathering cohorts of science — and the sooner masking technicuities are thrown aside, the better for all parties. Scientific research and analysis nobly brave, patient, tireless, and worthy of all honour and gratitude, — have manipulated, decomposed, and then integrated the uni- versal clay, — but despite microscope and telescope, chemical analysis and vivisection, — they can go no further than the whir- ring of the Potter's wheel, — and the Potter is nowhere revealed. The moulding Creative hand and the plastic clay are still as distinct, as when the gauntlet was first flung down by proud ambitious constructive science. Animal and vegetable organ^* isms have been analyzed, and — ' the idea of adaptation devel- oped into the conception that life itself, " is the definite combi- nation of heterogeneous changes, both simultaneous and succes- sive in correspondence with eternal coexistence and sequences." ' Now to the masses who are pardonably curious concerning tliis problem of existence, is this result perfectly satisfactory t The ' Physical basis of life ' has been driven into a corner, hunted down, seized at last, and over the heads of an eager, panting, chasing generation, — is triumphantly dangled this ' Scientific Fox' brush, — 'Nucleated Protoplasm, the structural unit ! ' But how or whence sprang the laws of ' Protein t ' Hatred of certain phrases is more bitter than of the principles they express, and because theologians cling to the words God, Creative Acts, Divine Wisdom, Providential Adaptation, — scientists declare them the dicta of ignorance, superstition and tradition, and demand that we shall bow before their superior wisdom, and substitute such terms as 'Biogenesis,' 'Abio- genesis,' and ' Xenogenesis.' But where is the economy of credulity t Th^ ^oblems are only clouded by a subtle veil of learned or scientific verbiage, and their solution does not reduce the expenditure of faith. The change of names is not worth the strife, for the Clay and the Potter are still distinct, — and He who created cosmic laws cannot reasonably or satisfac- torily be confounded with or merged in His own statutes. Creeds, theories, systems are not valuable because they are religious and traditional, — or because they are scientific and I >liilosophical, — but solely on account of their truth. So^ Doug- hxa^if I am not suro^that your essentially scientific method wul I 118 INFMUOM. teach Begins any more real wisdom in ethics or ^tiolo^ than her great-grandmother possessed." " You forget, Uncle re^ton, that in this rapidly advancing age, only improved educational systems will enable men and women to appreciate the importance of its discoveries ? " " My dear boy, are sudden and violent changes always syn- onymous with advancement ? Is transition inevitably improve- ment f Was the social status of Paris after the revolution of 1790, an appreciable progress from the morals, religious or political that existed in the days of Fenelon ) In mechanical, agricultural, and chemical departments the march is indeed nobly on and upward, the discoveries and improvements are vast and wonderful, and for these physical material blessin&;s we are entirely indebted to Science, — toiling, heroic and truly beneficent Science. In morals public or private — religion national or individual — or in civil polity have we advanced ? Has liberty of action kept pace with liberty of opinion ) Are Americans as truly free to-day, as they certainly were , fifty years ago ? In sBsthetics do we surpass Phidias and Praxiteles, Raphael and Michael Angelo ) Is our music more perfect than Pergolesi's or Mozart's 1 Can we exhibit any marvels of archi- tecture that excel the glory of Philss, Athens, Psestum and Agra I Are wars less bloody, or is crime less rampant 1 Our arrogant assumption of superiority is sometimes mournfully rebuked. For instance, one of the most eminent and popular Scientists of England, emphasized his views on the necessity of 'improving natural knowledge,' by ascribing the great plague of 1664 — and the great fire of 1666 — which, in point of population and of houses, nearly swept London from the face of the globe, — ^to ignorance and neglect of sanitary laws, and to the failure to provide suitable organizations for the sup- pression of couflagrr>itions. He proudly asserted that the recur- rence of sucii cpcastrophes is now prohibited by scientific arrangements ' that never allow even a street to burn down,' and that ' it is the improvement of our natural knowledge which keeps back the plague.' I think I am warranted in the assumption that our American Fire Departments, Insurance Companies, and Boards of Health are quite as advanced, pro- gressive and scientific as similar associations in Great Britain ; — yet the week after I read his argument an immense City lay almost in ruins ; and ere many months passed, several towns and districts of our land were scourged, desolated by pestilence i JNFBUOE. 119 BO fatal, so unconquerable, that the horrors of the plague were revived, and the living were scarcely able to sepulchre the dead. Now and then we have solemn admonitions of the Sisyphian tendency of the attempt so oft defeated, so persis- tentfy renewed to banish a Personal and Ruling Gkd, and sub- stitute the scientific Fetich, — ' Force and Matter,' ' Natural Law,' 'Evolution' or 'Development.' While I desire that the basis of Regina's education shall be sufficiently broad, liberal and comprehensive, I intend to be careful what doc- trines are propounded ; for unfortunately all who sympathize with the atheism of Comte, have not his noble frankness, and fail <» print as he did on his title page ; ' Biorganittr aana Dieu ni rot, Par le culte syttimcUxque de VHumaniti.* ** " Oh Peyton ! what fearfully, selfishly long sentencesfyon and Douglass inflict upon each other and upon me ! The colons and semi-colons gather along the lines of conversation like an army of martyrs, and to my stupidly weary ears, that last, that final period, was a most ' sweet boon ' — a crowning blessing. If Regina's nightingale soul is to be vexed by such disquisitions as those from which you have been quoting, — I must say, it made a sorry bargain in exchanging brown feathers for pink flesh, and would have had a better time trilling madri- gals in same hawthorn thicket or myrtle grove. I see plainly I might as well carry my dcjt old Evelyn — fragrant with mint and marjoram — back up-stairs, and wrap it up in ancient camphor-scented linen — and put it away tenderly to sleep its last sleep in the venerable cedar chest, where rest my Grandfather's huge knee-buckles — and my great grandmother's yellow brocaded silk-dress — with its waist the length of my little finger, and the sleeves as wide as a balloon. Gentlemen permit me one parting paragraph, before I write ' finis ' on this matter of education, and ' hereafter forever hold my peace.' Be it distinctly understood, ' by these presents ' that if that child Regina grows up ablue-stocking, or a metempsychosist, a scientist or a freedom-shrieker, — a professor of physics, or a practitioner of physic, — ^judge of a court or mayor of a city, biologist, sociolo- gist, heathen or heretic, — -it will be no work or wish of mine ; — for to each and all oi these threatened, and progressive abomina- tions — I — Elise Lindsay, — do hold up clean hands, and cry avaunt ! " ■ Mum'-'Sv ISO INFSLICE, '* I thought my sitter had long since learned, that borrowing trouble, neoossitated the payment of usurious interest ) Just now, our little girl carries no gorgon's head ; let her alone. The most imperatively demanded change in our system of fe- male training, is the addition of a few years in which to work. Amevican girls are turned out upon society, when they should be beginning their apprenticeship under their mothers' eyes, — in all household arts and sciences ; — and they are wives aud mothers before they are able physically, mentally or morally .to appreciate the sacred solemn responsibilities that inhere in such positions. If our girls pursued methodically all the branches uf a liberal and classical education, including domestic economy, until they were at least twenty, how much misery would be averted ; how many more really elegant interesting women would be added to the charm of society, — usefulness to country, happiness and sanctity of home 1 Had I means to bestow in such enterprises, I should like to endow some institution, and stipulate for a chair of household arts-and-sciences-and-home- duties ; and Regina should not go into general society until she had graduated therein." " Not another word of conspiracy against my little maid's peace 1 Lean forward a little, Peyton, and look at her yonder, coming along the rose-walk. See how the pigeons follow her. She has been gathering raspberries, aud I promised she should make all she could pick, into jelly for poor old Tobitha Meggs. How pure and fair she looks in her white dress 1 Dear little thing ! Sometimes I am wicked enough t« wish she had no mother, for then she would be wholly ours, and we could keep her always. Listen — she is singing Schubert's ' Ave MariaJ " After a moment's silence Mrs. Lindsay rose, and passing her arm, around her son's neck, leaned her cheek against his head, as he sat near his uncle, and looking through the open door at the slowly approaching figure. '* Bishop, if I were an artist, I would pamt her as a Priestess at Ephesus,^-chanting a hymn to Diana ; and instead of Hero and the pigeons, place brown deer and spotted fawns on mossy banks in tiie background." '* Pooh ! What a hopeless pagan you are, Elise % If I were a sculptor I would chisel a statue of Purity, and give it her counteuaiice." And Mr. Lindsay smiled in his mother's face, and said only for her ear : " Do not her eves entitle iiur to be called Glanlfopis ? " INFEUOE, 121 CHAPTER IX ' |HE long sultry August day was drawing to a dose, and those who had found the intense heat almost unendur- able, watched with delight the slow hands of the clock, whose lagging fingers finally pointed to five. The sky seemed brass, the atmosphere a blast from Tophet, and the sun still standing at some distance above the horizon, glared mercilessly down over the panting parched earth, as if a recent and unusually copious shower of " meteoric cosmical matter " had fallen into the solar furnace, and prompted it by increased incandescence to hotly deny the truth of Helmholtz's assertion : " The inexorable laws of mechanics show that the store of heat in the sun must be finally exhausted." Certainly to those who had fanned themselves through the tedious torture long remembered as the " hot Sunday," the science-predicted period of returning glaciers and polar snows where palms and lemons now hold sway, seemed even more distant, than the epoch suggested by the speculative. In proportion to the ele- vation of we mercurial vein, which mounted to and poised it- self at 100, — the religious, the devotional pulse sank lower, al- most to zero ; consequently although circumstances of unusual interest attracted the congregation to the church, where Mr. Lindsay intended to preach his farewell sermon, — only a limited number had braved the heat to shake hands with the young minister, who ere another sunrise would have started on his long journey to the pagan East. At the parsonage it had been a sad day, sad despite the grave serenity of Mr. Hargrove, the quiet fortitude of Mr. Lindsay, and the desperate attempts of the mother to drive back tears, compose fluttering lips, and steady the tones of her usually cheerful voice. For several days previous, Mr. Hargrove had been quite indisposed, and as his nephew would leave home at eleven P. M., the customary Sunday night service had been omitted. As the afternoon wore away, the family trio assembled on the shaded end of the north verandah, and with intuitive delicacy, Regina shrank from intruding on the final interview which appeared so sacred. . 122 INFSLICE. Followed bv Hero, she went through the shrubbery, and down a walk boixlered with ancient cedars, which led to a small gate, that onened into the adjoining churchyard. In accordance with a custom long since fallen hopelessly into desuetude, but prevailing when the venerable church was erected, it had been placed in the centre of a spacious square, every yard of which had subsequently become hallowed as the last resting-place of families who had passed away, since the lofby sp*^e rose like a huge golden finger pointing heavenward. An avenue of noble elms led from the iron gate to the broad stone steps, — and on either side and behind the church swelled the lines of mounds, some white with marble, some green with turf, now and then a heap of mossy shells, — not a few gay with flowers; — all scrupulously free from weeds, and those most melancholy symptoms of neglect, which even in public cemeteries too often impress the beholder with gloomy premonitions of hifl own inevitable future, and recall the solemn admonition of tiie Talmud : " Life is a passing shadow. Is it the shadow of a tower, or of a tree 1 A shadow that prevails for a while ! No, it is the shadow of a bird in his flight, — away flies the bird, and there remains neither bird nor shadow." Has the profoundly religious sentiment of reverence for the domains of death, lost or gained by the modern practice of municipal monopoly of the right of sepulture 9 Who amid the pomp and splendour of Greenwood, or Mount Auburn, where human vanity builds its own proud monument in the mausoleums of the Dead, — who in hurrying along the broad and beautiful avenues thronged with noisy groups of chattering pedestrians, and with gay equipages that render the name "City ofsOence" a misnomer, — converting it into a quasi Festa ground, — a scene for subdued Sunday FUe Champhre, — who, passing from these magnificent City Cemeteries — into some primitive old-fashioned churchyard, such as that of V , has not suddenly been almost overpowered by the contrast pre- sented ; — the deep brooding solemnity, the holy hush, the per- vading indwelling atmosphere of true sanctity that distinguishes tiie latter 1 Could any other than the simple ancient churchyard of by- gone days, have suggested thai sweetest, purest, noblest, Elegy m our mother tongue 1 Do not our hearts yearn with an in- tense and tender longing toward that church, at whose font we were baptised, at whose communion table we reverently iNFEUOB. 123 |. I <> bowed, — ^before whose altar we breathed the marriage-vowi,— fiom whose silent ohanoel we shall one day be softly and slowly borne away to our last long sleep 1 Why not lay us down to rest, where the organ that pealed at our wedding, and sobbed its Tt^quiem over our senseless olay, — may still breathe its loving dirges acroRs our graves, in winter's leaden storms, or in fra- grant amber-aired summer daysl Would worldly vampires — such as political or financial schemes, track a man's footsteps down the aisle, and flap thtir fatal numbing' pinions over his soul so securely even in the Sanctuary of the Lord, — if from his family pew his eyes wandered now and then to the marble slab that lay like a benediction over the silver head of an honoured father or mother, or the silent form of a beloved wife, sister or brother 1 Is there a woman so callous, so steeped in folly, that thie tinsel of Vanity Fair, — the paraphernalia of fashion, or all the thousand small fiends that beleaguer the female soul, could successfully lure her imagination from holy themes,— when — sitting in front of the pulpit, she yet sees through the open windows where butterflies like happy souls, flutter in and out, — the motionless chiselled cenotaph that rests like a sentinel above the pulseless heart that once enshrined her image, called her wife, — and beat in changeless devotion against her own ; — or the little grassy billow sown thick with violets that speak to her of the blue eyes beneath them, — where in dreamless slumber that needs no mother's cradling arms, no maternal lullabv, — reposes the waxen form, the darling golden head of her long lost baby % What spot so peculiarly suited for " God's Acre" — as that surrounding God'p Temple ) A residence of nearly four years' duration at the Parsonage, had rendered this quiet churchyard a favourite retreat with Kegina, and divesting the graves of all superstitious terrors, had awakened in her nature only a most profound and loving rev- erence for the precincts of the Dead. To-day longing for some secluded spot in which to indulge the melr.ncholy feelings that oppressed her, she instinctively sought the church, yielding unconscious homage to its hallowed and soothing influence. Passing slowly and carefully among the head-stones, she went into the church to which she had ac- cess at all times by a key, which enabled her to enter at will and practise on the small organ that was generally used in Sabbath-school music. ■;r5*^ 124 INFELICE. Fancying that it might be cooler in the gallery, she ascended to the organ loft, and while Hero stretched himself at her feet, she sat down on one of the benches close to the open window that looked toward the mass of trees which so completely em- bowered the parsonage, that only one ivy-crowned chimney was visible. Low in the sky, and just opposite the tall arched win- dow behind the pulpit, the sun burned like a baneful Cyclopean eye, striking through a mass of ruby tinted glass that had been designed to represent a lion, and other symbols of the Eedeemer, who soared away above them. Arcr .there certain subtle electrical currents sheathed in human flesh, l^at link us sometimes with the agitated reservoirs of electricity trembling in the bosom of yet distant clouds % Do not our own highly charged nervous batteries occasionally give the first premonition of coming thunder-storms % Long before the low angry growl that came suddenly from some lightning lair in thid far south, below the sky-line, Begina anticipated the approaching war of elements, and settled herself to wait for it. Not until to-day had she realized how much of the pleasure of her life, at the parsonage, was derived trom the sunny presence aud sympathizing companionship, which she was now about to lose, certainly for many years, probably forever. Although Mr. Lindsay's age doubled her own, he had entered so fully into her fancies, humoured so patiently her girlish ca- prices, and with such tireless interest aided her in her studies, that she seemed to forget his seniority ; and treated him with the quiet affectionate freedom which she would have indulged toward a young brother. Next to the memory of her mother, she probably gave him the warmest place in her heart, but she was a remarkably reserved, composed and undemonstrative child, by no means addicted to caresses, — and only in moments of deep feeling betrayed iuto an impulsive passionate gesture, or a burst of emotion. Sincerely attached to the entire household, who had won not merely her earnest gratitude, but profound respect and admira- tion, she was conscious of a peculiar clinging tenderness for Mr. Lindsay, which rendered the prospect of his departure! the keenest trial that had hitherto overtaken her ; and when she thought of the immense distance that must soon divide them, the laborious nature of the engagement that would detain him perhaps a life-time in the far East, her own dim uncertain future looked dark and dieary. The blazing sun went down at 7i 7 INFELICE. 125 last, — the fiery radiance of the' pulpit window faded, and the birds that frequented the quiet sheltered enclosure sought their perches in the thickest foliage where they were wont to sleep. But there was no abatement of the heat. The air was sulphur^ ous, and its inspiration was about as refreshing as a draught from Phlegethon ; while the distant occasional growl had grown into a frequent thunderous muttering, that deepened with eyery re- petition and already began to shake the windows in its rever- berations. Two ladies in deep mourning, who had been hover-* ing like black spectres around a granite sarcophagus, where they deposited and arranged the customary Sabbath arkja of white flowers, — concluded their loving tribute to the sleeper, and left the churchyard ; and save the continual challenge of the thunder drawinier *^earer, the perfect stillness ominous and dread, which alv precedes a violent storm, seemed brooding in fearful augury above the home of the Dead. With one foot resting on Hero's neck, Begina sat leaning against the window facing, very pale, but bravely fighting this her first great battle with sorrow. Her face was eloquent with mute suffering, and her eyes were full of shadows that left no room for tears. " Going away to India, perhaps forever ! " was the burden of this woe that blanched even her lovely coral lips until their curves were lost in the pallor of her rounded cheek and dimpled chin. " Going away to India ; " like some fateful rune presaging dire disaster, it seemed traced in characters of flame across the glowing s]!£y, and over the stony monuments that studded the necropolis. Suddenly Hero lifted his head, sniffed the air, and rose, and almost simultaneously Begina heard the sound of footsteps on the gravel outside-^and the low utterances of a voice which she recognised as Hannah's. "I never told you before, because I was afraid that in the end, you would cheat me out of my share of the profit. But I have watched and waited, and bided my time as long as I In- tend to, and I am too old to work as I have done." ** It seems to me a queer thing you have hid it so long — so many years, when you might have turned it into gold. The old General ought to pay well for the paper. Let's see it." The response was in a man's voice, harsh and discordant, and leaning slightly forword, Begina saw the old servant irom tf }"" 126 tNFELICS. the Parsonage, standing immediately beneath the window, fan- ning herself with her white apron, and earnestly conversing in subdued tones with a middle-aged man, whose flushed and rather bloated face, still retained traces of having once been, though in a coarse style — handsome. In length of limb, and compact muscular development he appeared an athlete a veiy son of Anak : but habitual dissipation had set its brutalizing stamp upon his countenance, and the expression of the inflamed eyes and sensuous mouth was sinister and forbidding, as if a career of vice had left the stalu of irremediable ruin on his swarthy face. As he concluded his remark and stretched out his band, Hannah laughed scornfully. " Do you take me for a fool ? Who else would travel around with a match and a loaded fuse in the same pocket % I haven't it with me ; it is too valuable to be carried about. The care of that scrap of paper has tormented me all these years, worse than the tomb devils did the swine that ran down into the sea to cool off; and if I have changed its hiding place once I have twenty times. If the old Greneral doesn't pay well for it, I shall gnaw off my fingers on account of the sin it has cost me. I was an honest woman and could have faced the world, until that night — so many years ago ; — and since then, I have carried a load on my soul that makes me — even Hannah Hinton — who never flinched before man or woman or beast — ^a coward, a quaking coward ! Sin stabs courage — lets it ooze out, as a knife does blood. Don^ bully me— Peleg ! I won't bear it. Jeer me if you dare." i^ " ^ ever fear Aunt Hannah. I have no mind to do theatre on a fimall scale, and show you Satan reproving sin. After all, what is your bit oi petit larceny, your thin slice of theft, in com- parison with my black work ? But really I don't in the least begrudge my sins, if only I might have my revenge — if I could oriy get Minnie in my power." *' Bah ! 'don't sicken me with any more of the Minnie dose ! I hate the name as I do small-pox or cholera. A pretty life you have led dancing after her, as an outright fool might after the pewter-bells on a baby's rattle ! " " You women can't understand how a man feels when his love changes to h ate ; and yet you ought to know all about it, for when you do turn upon one another, you never let go. Aunt Hannah I loved her better than everything else upon the */ INFELICE. 127 fan- in EUld een, broad earth — I would have kissed the dust where she walked — I always loved her — and she was fond of me, until that college dandy came between us — and made a fool of her — a villain of me. When she forsook me, and followed him off— I swore I would be revenged. There is tiger blood in me, and when I am thoroughly stirred up, I never cool. It is a long, long time since I lost her trail — soon after the child was born, and eight years ago I almost ^ave up, and went to Cuba ; but if I can only find the track, I will follow it till I hunt her down. I never re- ceived your letters or I would have hurried back. Where is Minnie now 1 " ''That is more than I know, but I think somewhere in Europe. The letters are always sent to a lawyer in New York, who directs them to her. I have tried in every way to find out, but they are all too smart for me." " Why don't you pump the child % " " Haven't I f And gained about as much ad if I had put a handle on the side of a lump of cast iron and pumped. She is closer than sealing-wax, and shrewder than t» serpent. If you pumped her till the stars fell, you would not get an air bubble. She can neither be scared nor coaxed.'* " Where is the paper 1 " " Safely buried here among the dead." " What folly ! Don't you know the dampness will destroy it 1 Pshaw ! you have ruined everything." ** See here, Peleg, — all the brains of the family did not lodge in your skull ; and I guess I was wiser at your age than you ^wiU be at mine. The paper was safe and sound when I looked at it a month ago, and it is wrapped up in oil-silk, then in cotton, and kept in a thick tin box." " When can I see it ? Suppose you get it now 1 " " In daylight 1 You may depend on my steering clear of detection, — no matter what comes. I would take it up to- night, but there is going to be an awful storm. Do you hear how the thunder keeps bellowing down yonder, under that dark line crossing the South 1 There will be wild work pretty soon ; it has beien simmering all day, and when it begins, it won't be child's play. Even the marble slabs on the graves are hot, and the ground scorched my feet, as if Satan and his fires had burnt through all but a thin crust. I never was afraid of the Devil until my sin brought me close to him. I want to finish this business, and before day to-morrow I will come over 128 INFELICB. here and dig up my box. There will be dim moonlight by three o'clock, and if it should be cloudy I can shut my eyes and find the place. I tell you, Peleg, I am sick and tired of this dirty work ; and sometimes I think I am no better than a hyena prowling among dead men's bones. Come around to the cow-shed in the morning, about seven o'clock, when the .family will be in the library, holding prayers ; and when I go to milk I will bring you the paper. Only to look at, to read over, mind you ! It doesn't leave my hands until the General's gold jingles in my pocket. Then he is welcome to it, and Min- nie may suffer the consequences ; — and you and I will divide the profits. I want to go away and rest with my sister Pene- lope the remainder of my life, and though the family here beg me to stay, I have already given notice that I intend to stop work next month." " Very well, don't fail me ; I am as anxious to close up the job as you . possibly can be. I should like to see the child, Minnie's child — but I might spoil everything if she looks like heir mother. Good-bye till to-morrow." The two walked away, one passing down the avenue of elms, out into the street. The other sauntered in the direc- tion of the parsonage, but ere she reached the small gate, Han nah turned aside to a low iron railing that enclosed two monu- ments ; a marble angel with expanded wings standing above a child's grave, — and a broken column wreathed with sculptured ivy, placed on a mound covered with grass. Just behind the former, and close to the railing, rose a noble Lombardy poplar that towered even above the elms, and at its base a mass of periwinkle and ground ivy ran hither and thither in luxurianlf confusion, clasping a few ambitious tendrils even about the ancient trunk. Over the railing leaned Hannah, peering down for several moments, at the lush green creepers, — then she walked on to the Parsonage gate, and disappeared. Watching her movements, Regina readily surmised that some- where near that tree, the paper was secreted ; and she was pain- fully puzzled to unravel the thread that evidently linked her with the mystery. " I am the child she spoke of, — and she has tried again and again to ' pump ' me, as she called it. * Minnie ' must mean my mother, — but that is not her name. Odille Orphia Orme never could be twisted into * Minnie ' — and that coarse, com- II ■gr' sxes INFELICE. 129 d In le f mon, low, wicked man never could have dared to love my own dear, beautiful, proud mother ! There must be some dreadful mistake. Somebody is wrong, but not mother ; no, no — never my mother 1 Once she wrote that she was forced to keep some things secret, because she had bitter enemies ; and this man must bej one of then), for he said he would hunt her down. But he jfthall not ! Was it Providence that brought them h«re to tall^ over their wicked schemes, where I could hear them) Oh ! ii I only knew all ! Mother, mother ! you might trust youi^child ! I can't believe that I am ignorant even of my mother's name. Surely she never was that red-faced man's 'Minnie!'" Covering her face with her hands, she shuddered at the familiar mention by profane lips, of one, so hallowed in her estimation, and this vague threatening of danger to her mother, sufficed for a time to divert her thoughts from the sorrow, that for some days past had engrossed her n^ind. Knowing the affection and confidence with which Hannah had always been treated by the members of the family, and the great length of time she had so faithfully served in the Parson- age household, Eegina was shocked at the discovery of her complicity in a scheme, which she admitted had made her dis- honest. Only two days before, she had heard Mrs. Lindsay lamenting that misfortunes never came single, for as if Doug- lass' departure were not disaster enough for one year, Hannt^ must even imagine that she felt symptoms of dropsy and desired to go away somewhere in Iowa or Minnesota, where she could rest, and be nursed by her relatives. This announcement heightened the gloom that already im- pended, and various attempts had been made by Mr. Hargrove and his sister to induce Hannah to reconsider her resolution. But she obstinately maintained that she was '' a worn-out old horse, who ought to be turned out to pasture in peace, the rest of her days ; " yet notwithstanding her persistency, she evinced much distress at her approaching separation from the family, and never alluded to it without a flood of tears. What would the members of the household think, when they discovered how mistaken all had been in her real character 1 But had she a right to betray Hannah to her employer *) Perhaps the paper had no connection with the Parsonage, and no matter whom else she might have wronged, Hannah had faithfully jterved the pastor, and repaid his kindness by devotion to his 130 INFELICB. domestic interests. Berina's nature was generous as well as just, and she felt erateful to Hannah for many small favours bestowed on herseuf, for a uniform willingness to oblige or as- sist her, as only servants have it in their power to do. Sweetening reminiscences of caramels and crullers, of paren- thetic patty pancakes not ordered or expected on the Parscnage bill of fare, pleaded pathetically for Hannah, and were ably supported by recollections of torn dresses deftly darned — of unseasonably and unreasonably soiled white aprons, which the same skilful hands had surreptitiously washed and fluted before the regular day for commencmg the laundry work — all of which now made clamorous and desperate demands on the girl's grati- tude and leniency. So complete had been her trust in Hannah, that her reticence concerning her mother, sprang solely from Mr. Hargrove's earnest injunction that she would permit no one to question her upon the subject ; consequently she had very tenderly intimated to the old woman, that she was not at liberty to discuss that matter with any one. " She is going away very soon, bearing a good character. Would it be right for me to disgrace her in her old age, by tell- ing Mr. Hargrove what I accidentally overheard I if I only knew * Minnie ' meant mother, I could be sure this paper did not re- fer to Mr. Hargrove, and then I should see my way clearly ; for they both said ' old General,' and no one calls Mr. or Dr. Har- grove * General.' I only want to do what is right." As she lifted her face from her hands, she was surprised at the sudden gloom that, since she last looked out, had settled like a pall over the sky, darkening the church, rendering even the monuments indistinct. Hero began to whine and bark, and starting from her seat, Begina hurried toward the steps leading down from the organ- loft. Ere she reached them a fearful sound like the roaring of a vast flood broke the prophetic silence — then a blinding lurid flash seemed to wrap everything in flame ; there was simultane- ously an awful detonating crash, as if the pillars of the universe had given way — and the initial note ushered in the thunder- fugue of the tempest, that raged as if the Destroying Angel rode upon its blast. In the height of its fury, it bowed the ancient elms as if they were mere reeds, and shook the sto-ie cliurch to its foundations, as a giant shakes a child's toy. Frightened by the trembling of the building, Eegina began - -^. nfiBM ■•••■nnnOT INFBLICB. 131 , to descend the stairs, guided by the incessant flashes of light ning, but when about half-way down, a terrific peal of thunder so §tartled her, that she missed a step, grasped at the balus- trade but failed to find it, and rolled helplessly to the floor of the vestibule. Stunned and mute with terror, she attempted to rise, but her left foot crushed under her in the fall, refused to serve her, and with a desperate instinct of faith, she crawled through the inside door and down the aisle, seeking refuge at the altar of God. Dragging the useless member, she reached the chancel at last, and as the lightning showed her the railing, she laid herself down, and clasped the mahogany balusters in both hands. In the ghastly electric light, she saw the wild eyes of the lion in the pulpit window glaring at her — but over all, the holy smile of Christ, as looking down in benediction, He soared away heavenward ; and above the howling of the hurricane, rose her cry to Him — who stilleth tempests— and saith to wind and sea — " Peace ! be still : " " Oh, Jesus ! save me — that I may see my mother once more!" She imagined there was a lull, certainly the shrieking of the gale seemed to subside — but only for half a moment, and in the doubly fierce renewal of elemental strife — amid deafening peals of thunder, and the unearthly glare that preceded each rever- beration, there came other sounds more appalling, and as the church rocked and quivered, some portion of the ancient edi- fice fell, adding its crash to the diapason of the storm. Believing that the roof was falling upon her, Eegina shut her eyes, and in after years she recalled vividly two sensations that seemed her last on earth ; one, the warm touch of Hero's tongue on her clenched fingers — the other, a supernatural wail chat came down from the gallery, and that even then, she knew was born in the organ. Was it the weird fingering of the sacrilegious cyclone that concentrated its rage upon the venerable sanctuary 1 After a little while, the fury of the wind spent itself, but the rain began to fall heavily, and the electricity drama continued with unabated vigour and fierceness. Although unusually brave, for so young a person, B^na nad been completely terrified, and she lay dumb and mo< tionless, still clinging to the altar railing. At last, when the wind left the war to the thunder and the rain, Hero, i:?-. 132 INFELICB. who had been quiet until now, began to bark violently, left her side, and ran to and fro, now and then uttering a pecu- liar sound, which with him always indicated delight. His subtle instinct was stronger than her hope, and as she raised herself into a sitting posture, she saw that he had sprung upon the top of one of the side aisle pews, and thence into the win- dow, which had been left open by the sexton. Here he lingered as if irresolute, and in an agony of dread at the thought of being deserted, she cried out : " Here Hero ! Come back ! Hero don't leave me to die alone." He whined in answer, and barked furiously as if to reassure her j then the whole church was illuminated with a lurid glory that seemed to scorch the eyeballs with its intolerable radiance, and in it she saw the white figure of the dog plunge into the blackness beyond. She knew the worst was over, unless the lightning killed her, for the wind had ceased, and the Walls were still standing rj but the atmosphere was thick with dust, and redolent of lime, and she conjectured that the plastering in the gallery had fallen, though the tremendous crash portended something more serious. She tried to stand up, by steadying herself against the balustrade, but the foot refused to sustain her weight, and she sank back into her former crouching posture, "feeling very desolate, but tearless and quiet as one of the apostolic figures that looked pityingly upon her whenever the lightning smote through them. She turned her head, so that at every flash she could gaze upon the plScid face of the beautiful Christ floating abo^e the pulpit ; and in the intense intervening darkness tried to possess her soul in patience, — thinking of the mercy of God, — and the love of her mother. She knew not how long Hero had left her, for pain and terror are not accurate chronometers, — but after what appeared a weary season of waiting, she started when his loud bark sounded under the window, through which he had effected his exit. She tried to call him, but her throat was dry and ^parched, and her foot throbbed and ached so painfully, that she dreaded making any movement. Then a voice always pleasant to her ears ; but sweeter now than an archangel's, shouted above the steady roar of the rain : ** Regina I Regina ! " ■rvsssn it IHFEUCE, . 133 of Sh« rose to her knees, and with a desperate exertion lungs and throat, answered : " I am here ! Mr. Ldndsay — . .m htjre ! " Keinemhering that words ending in o — were more readily distinguished at a distance, she added : " Hero ! oh Hero 1 " His frantic barking told her that she had been heard, and then througj;^ the window came once more the music of the loved voice. "Be patient. I am coming." She could not understand why he did not come through the door, instead of standing beneath the window, and it seemed stranger still, that after a little while all grew silent again. But her confidence never wavered, and in the darkness she knelt there patiently, knowing that he would not forsake her. It seemed a very long time before Hero's bark greeted her once moie, and turning toward the window, a lingering zigzag flash of lightning showed her Douglass Lindsay's lace, as he climbed in, followed by the dog. " Eegina ! where are you % " "Oh here I am!" He stood on one of the seats, swinging a lantern in his hand, and as she spoke he sprang toward her. Still clutching the altar railing with one hand, she knelt, with her white suffering face upturned piteously to him, — and stooping he threw his arms around her and clasped her to his heart. " My darling — God has been merciful to you and me ! " She stole one arm up about his neck, and clung to him, while for the first time he kissed her cheek and brow. " Does my 4arling know what an awful risk she ran ? - The steeple has fallen, and the whole front of the church is blocked up, — a mass of ruins. I could not get in, and feared you were crushed, until I heard Hero bark from the inside, and followed the sound which brought me to the window, whence he jumped out to meet me. At last when you answered my call, I was obliged to go back for a ladder. Here darlinj^, at God's altar let us thank Him for your preservation.' He bowed his face upon her head, and she heard the whis- pered thanksgiving that ascended to the throne of grace, but no words were audible. Rising he attempted to lift her, but she winced and moaned, involuntarily sinking back. " What is the matter ? After all, were you hurt % " :MaM 134 INFEUOE, " When I eame down from the gallery, it turned do dark 1 was frightened, and I s'^umbled and fell down the steps. I must have broken something, for when I stand up my ankle gives way, and I can't walk at all." " Then how did you get here ) The steps are at the front of the church." '' I thought the altar was the safest place, and I crawled here on my hands and knees." ^ He pressed her head against his shoulder, and his deep manly voice trembled. " Thank God for the thought. It was your salvation, for the stairs and the spot where you must have fallen, are a heap of stone, brick and mortar. If you had remained there, you would certainly have been killed." " Yes, it was just after I got here and caught hold of the railing, that the crash came. Oh ! is it not awful ! " " It was an almost miraculous escape, for which you ought to thank and serve your God — all the days of the life He has mercifully spared to you. Stand up a minute, even if it pains you, and let me find out what ails your foot. I know something of surgery, for once it was my intention to study medicine, in stead of divinity." He unbuttoned and removed her shoe, and as he firmly pressed the foot and ankle, she flinched and sighed. " I think there are no bones broken, but probably you have wrenched and sprained tho ankle, for it is much swollen already. Now little girl, 1 must go back for some assistance. You will have to be taken out through the window, and I am afraid to attempt carrying you down the ladder unaided, and in the darkness. I might break your neck, instead of your ankle." " Oh please don't leave me here ! " She stretched out her arms pleadingly, and tears sprang to his eyes as he noted the pallcr of her beautiful face, and the nervous fluiitering of her white lips. " I shall leave Hero and the lantern with you, and you may be sure I shall be gone the shortest possible time. The dan- ger is over now, even the lightning is comparatively distant, and you Who have been so brave all the while, certainly will not prove a eoward at the last moment 1 " He took her up as easily as if she had been an infant, and laid her tenderly down on one of the pew cushions ; — then placed the lantern on the pulpit desk, and came back. Hi l^^I WM lU " Slip your hand under . lo's coli r, to y 7«at hit fnmi following me if he should try to do ho, ^> ||»ep i u yottr courage. Put yourself in God's hands, and ^ . {lere f »iiently for Douglass. Don't you know that I w