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 A DAUGHTER OF THE PHILISTINES. 
 
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NO NAME SERIES. 
 • It thb Gentleman Anonymous? Ishba great Unknown?" 
 
 Daniel Dkronda, 
 
 Daughter of the- Philistines. 
 
 p$Ktff< W^Ujl W^V Bo^M* 
 
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 fljpp V 
 
 1 
 
 BOSTON: 
 ROBERTS BROTHERS. 
 
Copyright, 188S, 
 By Roberts Brothers. 
 
 DUOPAGE 
 
 Reproduced by XEROGRAPHY 
 by Micro Photo Inc. 
 Cleveland 12, Ohio 
 
Vi 
 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 . 
 
 <t(^> 
 
 dt^t 
 
 Lova 
 
 Chapthi 
 
 I. A Vital Problem «.,»««, 
 
 II. Fragments of Western Experience 
 
 III, Metamorphoses , , * . » 
 
 IV, " Simon is tour Man, Mees m 
 V, The Wellingfords , , , , 
 
 VI. Alma takes a Risr; 8 .. , 
 
 VII, HOW TO PROVE TI1AT ONB IS NOT 
 
 VIII. Wbllinoford's Totem , , , 
 
 IX. Simon snows his Teeth , , 
 
 X, Small Feet rsnsua Heroism 
 
 XI. A Pleasant Crisis , • , , 
 
 XII. Matrimonial Preliminaries 
 
 XIII. A Marhiaom A la Mops , « 
 
 XIV, Love and Business • • . ♦ 
 XV, ** Darwin" in the Honeymoon 
 
 XVI The Eve of the Passover , 
 
 XVIL "Old Man LbogbttV , , , 
 
 XVIII. Walter flats the Sultan , 
 
 XIX. Jeunesse doreb , , , « , 
 
 XX. The Trail of thb Serpent , . 
 
 XXI. A Critical Decision 
 
vi CONTENTS. 
 
 CiuKn J PAtn 
 
 XXII. A Tropical Incident .......... 227 
 
 XXI1L Serious Results of Walter's Eloquence . 237 
 
 XXIV. Wolves and Lambs .242 
 
 XXV. Bluebeard's Closet .......... 251 
 
 XXVL Whither away 1 ........... 207 
 
 XXVIL A Haven of Rest . ...» ...... 275 
 
 XXVIII. " There is mo Friendship in Poker H ... 281 
 
 XXIX "What is the Row?" ......... 289 
 
 XXX. "A Sea of Troubles" 297 
 
 XXXI. Tub Citizen of the Twentieth Century • . 802 
 
 XXXII. "Descensus Averni". 800 
 
 XXXIII. Exeunt Hampton and Son ....... 315 
 
 XXXIV. "Marguerite" .....»*..».» 318 
 
A DAUGHTER OP THE PHILISTINES. 
 
 CHAPTER I, 
 
 A TITAL PROBLEM, 
 
 THE question of marrying or not marrying is an 
 exceedingly momentous one in a woman's life ; 
 and in a man's too, for that matter, Preliminarily, I 
 believe, every young lady, unless she has been to Vas* 
 sar, settles it in the affirmative, but leaves the choice of 
 date and victim to Providence and Mamma. If either 
 of these authorities (who in a well-regulated family are 
 nearly synonymous) fails to give satisfaction, the time 
 comes for asserting individual preferences, Papa is 
 called in for consultation (which in well-regulated fami- 
 lies is a very rare occurrence), and rebels mildly against 
 Providence, or rather its synonym ; there is weeping and 
 wailing, and perhaps even gnashing of teeth, offensive 
 and defensive alliances are formed, and perhaps in the 
 end — but I am anticipating; Miss Alma Hampton, 
 whose agitation I am presently to account for, was as 
 yet far from the end. She was seated on a velvet 
 cushion in the stern of a great cat-boat, — a sort of 
 cross between a clipper and a Chinese junk, — thinking, 
 thinking, thinking, until her cranium seemed in danger 
 of exploding. She knew no reason in the world why 
 
8 A DAUGHTER 
 
 she should not accept Mr. 1 Cunningham. She liked 
 him in a mild and general way ; she admired the severe 
 elegance of his coupe, in which he took his daily airing 
 in the Park with both the windows closed ; and she posi- 
 tively adored his bay trotter Islam, who made more of 
 a sensation on the Avenue than the reigning belle of the 
 season. If Mr. Cunningham's conversational powers 
 were not remarkable, why, it is a well-known fact that 
 in the best Murray Hill societ}* intellect in men is at 
 a discount, and conversational brilliancy is not 4< good 
 form." Moreover, Wall Street men have other things 
 to do than to polish up epigrams and borrow profundity 
 from the British reviews. Mr. Cunningham's personal 
 appearance, too, was irreproachable ; he had a majestic 
 mustache, set off to excellent advantage by rather a 
 neutral face. His eyes, which were his weak point, 
 reminded one remotely of boiled fish-eyes ; but they had 
 a decidedly shrewd and yet good-natured expression, 
 and indicated a flexible and easy-going disposition. 
 Finally, Mrs. Hampton, Miss Alma's mother, had virtu- 
 ally accepted Mr. Cunningham as a desirable son-in-law, 
 and had already begun to treat him maternally. In 
 view of all these weighty considerations Miss Alma was 
 ■trongly inclined to bestow her hand, and as much of 
 her heart as could be reasonably demanded, upon the 
 above-named suitor ; and she would in all probability 
 have whispered a tremulous "yes" in his ear fifteen 
 minutes ago, when such a response would have been in 
 order, if — well, if she had not been so mortally afraid 
 that he would kiss her or in some other disagreeable 
 way demonstrate his affection. She had therefore de- 
 manded time for consideration, and had requested to 
 be left alone. 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 9 
 
 The night was calm and starlit, A dense sea-fog 
 had rolled in toward the Newport harbor early in the 
 evening, and had now settled upon the water, while the air 
 only ten or fifteen feet from the water-line was trans- 
 parent. Here and there under the vast vault of heaven 
 a tiny star seemed to be kindled, to twinkle for an in- 
 stant, and from sheer modesty to go out, having perhaps 
 been stared out of eountenanco by the bold mascu- 
 line gazers who lay on their backs on the decks of 
 the becalmed yachts that dotted the outer bay and the 
 entrance to the harbor. It was pretty to see the mast- 
 tops and the idly Happing sails looming out of the fog, 
 and the red, blue, and green lights of the New York 
 steamer which just then was ploughing its way through 
 the motionless waters and making a grand commotion 
 in the nebular universe. Miss Alma, who, as I have 
 hinted, had been absorbed in matrimonial meditations, 
 was suddenly aroused from her reverie by some one 
 crying, "Ship ahoy!" and in the next moment she 
 found her face very near that of a man who had sprung 
 forward in his boat, and with his hands was endeavor- 
 ing tc break the shock of the inevitable collision. u Par- 
 don me if I am intruding," he said, laughing; "but 
 unless it is the Flying Dutchman I am bumping into, 
 do toll mo who you are." 
 
 Three gentlemen, who, after having exhausted their 
 powers of entertainment, had taken refuge in smoking and 
 silence, jumped up at the sound of the shock, and ran aft 
 to learn the cause of the disturbance. Three or four 
 ladies gave dramatic little shrieks and struck becoming 
 attitudes of consternation, but consented to be soothed 
 by the masculine assurances that* there was really no 
 danger. 
 
10 A DAUGHTER 
 
 44 Hallo, Harry," some one shouted, holding a lighted 
 match up to the face of the stranger in the colliding 
 boat, M is it you who are groping about in the fog here, 
 bumping into innocent crafts and frightening our dam- 
 sels out of their wits? As a penance for your reckless- 
 ness, you shall come on board and help us entertain 
 these ladies, some of whom I suspect were asleep when 
 you knocked into us. Ladies and gentlemen, this 
 mysterious individual, whose countenance you cannot 
 sec because my match has gone out, is a very Intimate 
 friend and former classmate of mine, and I think ho 
 needs no further credentials. In order to redeem my 
 sailing party from being a complete failure, 1 resort to 
 the cheap device of presenting my friend anonymously 
 nnd leaving to ouch one to find out who ho is ; for I warn 
 you he is a celebrity. He is not Tweed ; but whether 
 he is Darwin or John Morrlsscy or Matthew Arnold 
 or George Francis Train will be left to your ingenuity 
 to discover." 
 
 This speech of Mr. Daniel Timpson failed to arouse 
 any perceptible interest among the gentlemen, each of 
 whom, however, yielded languidly to the attractions of 
 some particular lady in the company, whose charm was 
 suddenly heightened by the possibility that the stranger 
 might find her charming. Only Cunningham remained 
 seated among the debris of the despoiled luncheon 
 baskets, like a second Marios brooding over the wreck 
 of his hopes. lie was leaning against the mast, with his 
 long legs outstretched before him, and gazing with melan- 
 choly intentness at the vaguely outliued form of Miss 
 Hampton, who seemed to be looming up in the fog and 
 growing to gigantic proportions. A very unpleasant 
 sensation took possession of him, as he saw the anouy- 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 11 
 
 mous individual lingering at her side and evidently 
 endeavoring to make himself agreeable, lie could hear 
 the murmur of their voices, and occasionally a single 
 tantalizing word would fly toward him and pierce like 
 an arrow through his suspicious heart, He was wild 
 with jealousy and impatience, When finally, at the end 
 of an hour, — it was then past ten o'clock, — a light 
 breeze began to rufllo the surface of the water and to 
 stiffen the slack sail, Mr. Cunningham saw the un- 
 known man slip over the gunwale into his own boat ; he 
 heard him shout a cheery •' good-night " to the company, 
 and the rhythmic plash of his oars and the click of 
 the rowlocks grew fainter and fainter, and were lost in 
 the vapory distance. The fog broke into largo fleecy 
 islands, which moved visibly before the wind and then, 
 scattering into misty fragments, whirled skyward and 
 vanished. Out toward the ocean it still stood like a 
 thick gray curtain. As it slowly receded, it caught 
 a palo illumination from the inverted crescent of the 
 moon, which, under the cover of the twilight, had stolen 
 unobserved into the sky. 
 
 To Alma it was an intense relief to see once more 
 the grave nocturnal blue, which spread softly from the 
 zenith downward and afforded unfathomable azure 
 depths for the stars to peep out from. During her 
 conversation with the strange gentleman, who had 
 laughingly insisted upon preserving his incognito, her 
 mind had undergone a change similar to that which 
 ha(T taken place in the sky. She seemed to have 
 been lifted above the foggj r stratum into the clear 
 space of the upper air. It appeared inconceivable to 
 her that she could ever have hesitated ; the resolution 
 which had now come to her like an inspiration seemed 
 
-.,-..„„— - - - - n . tmt lt ULI L 
 
 12 A DAUGHTER 
 
 to have deep roots in her being, seemed organic and 
 inevitable* How the stranger could have affected 
 her in that potent way she did not pretend to under- 
 stand, lie had not uttered a word bearing even re* 
 inotely upon the subject of marriage. She had not 
 seen his face except very indistinctly and for one brief 
 instant ; she had only heard his voice, and this voice 
 was still vibrating in her memory and filling her with 
 subdued agitation. 1 That it bespoke refinement, was 
 the first conscious conclusion at which she arrived ; 
 that it had a ring of manly resolution and courage, was 
 her next inference ; that it vas the voice of a hand- 
 tome man who took admiration as a matter of course, 
 was perhaps a hazardous hypothesis, but nevertheless 
 one which she fondly cherished. Then there was some- 
 thing in the atmosphere of his thought which made her 
 eager to breathe it, and which awakened responses from 
 that part of her own nature of which she had been, by 
 turns, proud and ashamed, because it was by her sur- 
 roundings accounted queer or affected. This man had 
 in one short hour made her feel respect for this •* queer- 
 ness " of hers, which had often longed sorely for recogni- 
 tion and which she had timidly divined represented her 
 best and noblest aspirations. She was interrupted in 
 her meditations by Mr. Cunningham, whose approach 
 she had not observed, lie stood balancing on his toes, 
 with his hands in his pockets and his chin on his breast. 
 
 "Well?" he said, with an attempt at indifference 
 which was not wholly successful. 
 
 "I am very sorry, Mr. Cunningham,** she began, 
 "but — ** 
 
 "I know the rest,** he answered brusquely; "you 
 need n't trouble yourself further." He wheeled about 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 13 
 
 on his heel and joined a laughing group at the other 
 • end of the boat, 
 
 STho breeze now swelled the sail, and they shot 
 through the starlight in zigzag courses, now careening 
 heavily to the starboard, now to port, hearing the rush 
 and hiss of the waves as they lapped the gunwale and 
 sank rapidly to mingle in the swirling wake of the 
 boat. It was midnight when they reached the wharf at 
 Newport. 
 
14 A DAUGHTER 
 
 CHAPTER H. 
 
 FRAGMENTS OP WESTERN EXPERIENCE. 
 
 THE Hamptons hailed from the far West. They 
 had been great people in Saundersville, but had 
 gradually come to perceive that Saundersville did not 
 constitute so important a fraction of the universe as 
 at first they had supposed. Mr. Zedekiah — or, as he 
 ■was known in bis early days, Zeke — Hampton emerged 
 into public view in a tannery, but was said at a still 
 earlier period to have occupied a position of responsi- 
 bility in a candy store. At the ago of twenty-one he 
 bought out the tannery at a bankrupt sale, and with 
 that sublime trust in the future which is peculiar to the 
 West, married promptly the belle of the village, to whom 
 he had devoted his leisure moments for some months 
 previous. Miss Delia Pitcher was then a slender and 
 undeniably pretty girl, who gave, however, decided 
 promise of the estimable peculiarities which in later 3'ears 
 she developed. Her thoughts revolved chiefly about 
 the Methodist church, in which she had already reached 
 a conspicuous position, and the social equipment of her 
 three sisters, who she was determined should marry 
 well. She conquered vicariously the hearts of three or 
 four men of good business prospects and transferred 
 them promptly to these sisters, beginning with the one 
 who from a matrimonial point of view seemed least 
 desirable, and ascending in the scale, until fiuallv her 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 15 
 
 own turn came. It was astonishing what an authority 
 sho wielded in the small community of Saundersville, 
 and it was positively amusing to observe how meekly 
 men allowed themselves to be bartered, betrothed, and 
 married at her command. She was too diplomatic, 
 however, to assume the imperator style, which she knew 
 was prejudicial to a girl's prospects, while eminently 
 becoming to a matron. Nor did she coax, and far less 
 plead; she merely led her male victims by the nose, 
 making them all the time believe that they were being 
 guided by their own unassisted intellects, It is not 
 unlikely that she married Mr. Zeke Hampton because 
 at first sight of him she cast his mental horoscope, and 
 foresaw at onco that he was destined to become a pros- 
 perous man. And when they had established their 
 headquarters under a common roof, she set vigorously 
 to work to make out of him what she had determined 
 he should bo, She stimulated his ambition in a huu- 
 dred ways, now by flattery, now by protended contempt ; 
 she stung him into renewed activity the moment ho 
 showed tho faintest disposition to repose on his laurels ; 
 she gave him no rest night or day, It was, so to speak, 
 essential to her happiness that she should have some- 
 thing to be unhappy about ; and when the fate of tho 
 three sisters had been satisfactorily settled, there were 
 naturally a multitude of other things which demanded 
 her active interference, Tho mere enumeration of them 
 would fill a separate volume, 
 
 Mr, Z. K. Hampton was a blond, irritable, but at 
 heart good-natured man, and a little given to bluster- 
 ing when his wife was not by. His manners in middle 
 lifo were those of a retired steamboat captain, whose kid 
 gloves hide rod and horny hands, and who has boon 
 
16 A DAUGHTER 
 
 accustomed to converse with an accompaniment of 
 Boreas. Mrs. Hampton had a curiously subduing effect 
 upon him, and he never spoke of her except in a half- 
 whisper, as if he were afraid of being overheard. lie 
 professed the most unlimited respect for her, and se- 
 cretly believed that she was a woman whose genius 
 ^Svould have found its proper function in the manage- 
 ment of a railroad or a transatlantic steamship com- 
 pany, but was slightly inconvenient within the limited 
 sphere of a private family. He never breathed this 
 conviction, however, to any mortal man, but only con- 
 fided it to his pillow in rebellious moments, when a little 
 peace seemed more precious than the wealth of Cali- 
 fornia or the presidency of the United States. If Mr, 
 Hampton could have had his own way, he would in all 
 likelihood have remained a tanner, or at best a prince 
 of tanners ; but, as I have insinuated, he was rarely 
 permitted to have his own way, unless it happened to 
 coincide with that of his better half, whose restless 
 social ambition goaded him on to new and, it must be 
 admitted, invariably successful ventures. Wheu he 
 had amassed a considerable surplus capital as a tanner, 
 and had abandoned the habit of sitting in his stocking 
 feet and shirt sleeves on the front piazza of a summer 
 evening, he was induced by his wife to take an army 
 contract, the profits of which had the effect of making 
 him Mr., instead of Zeke, Hampton, and a director and, 
 later, president of the local bank. At that time people 
 began to speculate in the undeveloped lumber lands of 
 the West ; and Mr. Hampton, who made repeated jour- 
 neys to the border States, was led, this time by his own 
 shrewdness, to invest all his unemployed capital in the 
 lumber trade. A great square brick mansion suddenly 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 17 
 
 ■ ■■ i ■ ii i i i !■ i 1 1 1 ii ^— -^— i i 
 
 sprung up on the site of the old two-story frame house, 
 Mr. Hampton became Colonel Hampton, and was hence- 
 forth never seen without cuffs and collar, oven on week 
 days and in his own ofllce. When he entered the 
 Saundersvillo National Bank at half past ten o'clock in 
 the morning, prosperity seemed to beam from him like 
 a silvery halo, His glossy silk hat, the cut of his coat, 
 and his portly bearing, which had kept exact pace with 
 the growth of his bank account, were but the external 
 indicators of a self- respect which was a true reflection 
 of tho admiration with which Colonel Hampton was 
 regarded by his fellow-citizens. This consciousness of 
 being an object of universal regard was very gratifying, 
 to him ; and probably it was a sourco of gratification to 
 his wife too, although to a far less degree, Every 
 achievement was to her merely a step to another and 
 a more brilliant one. She had made, up her mind that 
 the time had come for their removal to a place nearer 
 the centre of the world's arena. It did not satisfy her 
 to shine among crows ; she was anxious to cut a figure 
 among the peacocks. Her own plumage, as well as that 
 of her daughter, seemed to justify daring aspirations. 
 Not that she desired for herself any additional con- 
 quests of masculine hearts ; the masculine heart being 
 in her opinion like the colored glass balls on Christmas 
 trees, which appear very precious as long as they hang 
 on the tree, but whose light weight you discover the 
 moment you touch them. It was one of her favorite 
 maxims that any woman could marry any man she 
 chose, if she only set about it in the right way ; but 
 those anxious sisters who were eager for a hint as to 
 the right way she only answered with a contemptuous 
 silence, Nevertheless it must not be supposed that 
 
18 . A DAUGHTER 
 
 Mrs. Hampton was indifferent to the pleasures of mascu- 
 line society. Men had to her the fascination that chess- 
 men have to the skilful player. They had what might 
 be termed a strategical interest ; they suggested matri- 
 monial campaigns, problems, and manipulations. Men 
 were born to be managed, and women to be their 
 managers. Id a large city there were naturally finer 
 opportunities for a strategical talent like Mrs. Hamp- 
 ton's than in a rural village like Saundersville. 
 
 Miss Alma was sixteen years old, and her brother 
 Walter eighteen, when the family removed their house- 
 hold gods to a fine brown-stone mansion on Fifth 
 Avenue. Mrs. Hampton had had in all nine children, 
 seven of whom had merely taken n brief survey of 
 Saundersville, and, mistaking it for a specimen bit of 
 our planet, had returned in disgust to the Nirvana. 
 Some had stayed a year, and one even eighteen months ; 
 but for the majority a much briefer period had sufficed 
 for the negative decision of the question to which Mr. 
 Mallock has devoted some four hundred pages of inge- 
 nious discussion without arriving at half so satisfactory 
 a result. The fact was, Mrs. Hampton was too much 
 occupied with investments, schemes for her social ag- 
 grandizement, and even active speculation, to have much 
 time to devote to her children. The Lord gave them, 
 she said, and the Lord took them away ; she left them 
 entirely to the Lord's care, and bore with resignation 
 every affliction which he was pleased to send her for the 
 purification of her heart. That Alma did not form as 
 rash a conclusion as her small predecessors had done, 
 regarding the undesirableness of our earth as a place of 
 habitation, was due chiefly to the accident that her nurse 
 was less ignorant and less vicious than the majority of 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 19 
 
 her kind, Sho went through tho whole catalogue of 
 children's diseases (taking them, as her mother asserted, 
 in alphabetical order) during the first four years of her 
 life, but seemed always to be left with a small margin of 
 vitality sufficient to carry her through her next attack. 
 Her earliest recollections were connected with the Epis- 
 copal church, toward which her mother (for social 
 reasons) had begun to gravitate, and which also in later 
 years remained to her thought a place of mysterious 
 sanctity, She remembered being severely reprimanded 
 for calling tho altar the church mantelpiece, and mis- 
 taking the sacerdotal vestments for a robe de nuit ; and 
 it was in the little cellar-like basement under tho Saun- 
 dersvillo Episcopal Church, where tho Sunday school 
 was held, that sho had her first experience of sorrow. 
 She had observed that on all the cards that were dis- 
 tributed on Christmas day the angels had a luxuriant 
 growth of yellow hair, It occurred to her that yellow 
 hair might bo an essential qualification for becoming an 
 angel ; and as her own was not yellow, she rationally 
 concluded that her place would bo with tho black sheep 
 in the outer darkness, She inquired anxiously of her 
 teacher why there were no black-haired angels ; and 
 when that young person, finding tho question a M poser," 
 failed to satisfy her, the poor child hurried home and 
 crept under her nurse's bed, where her imagination con- 
 jured up wild scenes of horror and made her endure all 
 the torments of damnation. Her mother she rarely saw 
 except in an official way, when a reprimand was to bo 
 administered or a new dress tried on. It was on such an 
 occasion that it was forcibly impressed upon her that 
 there were two things which she must under no circum- 
 stances neglect to do just before going to bed, namely, 
 
20 A DAUGHTER 
 
 Baying her prayers «ind brushing her teeth. She pondered 
 on it, and in her grave childish way reasoned about it ; 
 and, having a dim notion that both acts were devotional 
 and equally meritorious, she hit upon the plan of alter- 
 nating, saying her prayers one night and brushing her 
 teeth the next. Her brother Walter, who cherished a 
 lofty ambition to become a stage-driver, and showed 
 a great predilection for the persons engaged in that 
 honorable profession, was very little company to her ex- 
 cept at night, when he deigned to devote the hour before 
 bedtime to teasing her or exhibiting his manly accom- 
 plishments, such as walking on his hands, standing on 
 his head, turning hand-springs, etc.' Ho professed a 
 hearty contempt for her, as M nothing but a girl," but 
 was yet not above being flattered by her admiration, 
 which was freely bestowed, or "posing" in various 
 heroic characters, which never failed to fill her with 
 amazement. He was in the habit of remodelling his 
 aspirations and his behavior, at frequent intervals, in 
 accordance with the last blood-curdling dime novel 
 which had happened to fall into his hands. He affected 
 a rolling gait, procured a pea-jacket, wore a leather 
 strap about his waist instead of suspenders, and strove 
 to make his hands tough and horny, after having perused 
 "Bill Price; or, The Rover of the Deep," and "The 
 Phantom Cruiser ; or, The Oath of the Twelve." Stones 
 of Indian and mining adventures produced fresh meta- 
 morphoses, with top-boots and rowdyish-looking slouch 
 hats ; and there was even a time when a criminal career 
 excited the boy's imagination and made him go to great 
 trouble to procure a set of burglar's tools. Happily, 
 his own zeal and his sister's indiscretion betrayed him 
 before he had attempted to make any use of these 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 21 
 
 dangerous possessions ; and his father, who had been in 
 the habit of chuckling to himself and winking to his 
 friends across the table when the hoy was ill-mannered 
 and gave clever but impudent answers, now suddenly 
 had a rude awakening. The possibility that his son 
 might become anything but a solid and respectable 
 citizen had never entered his head, even though he had 
 never communicated a single idea to him as a guidance 
 for his conduct, nor ever tried to influenco him in the 
 direction in which he expected him to walk. He was 
 now thoroughly aroused, and, not knowing exactly 
 what else to do, sent Walter away to a school in New 
 England, which was exclusive, expensive, and of rigid 
 High Church proclivities. It pacified Mr. Hampton's 
 conscience to think that he was giving his son the bene- 
 fit of the most expensive thing in the market, Alma 
 remembered long, in the agony of her penitence, bow 
 Walter shook his fist and made a horrible face at her, 
 vowing that he would never speak to her in bis life, 
 when his friend Si Hawkins drove off with him to the 
 depot. When he returned, however, at the end of a 
 year, for a brief vacation, ho had forgotten all his san- 
 guinary threats, and was more gracious than ever in his 
 readiness to accept her homage. He even suffered dis- 
 dainfully her caresses, until she felt that she was the 
 most favored of creatures, and cudgelled her small brain 
 to devise somo act of devotion that might adequately 
 express her gratitude. Only she was so afraid of being 
 11 soft," and thereby forfeiting again the esteem which 
 for the moment made life glorious. 
 
 As for Alma's own bringing up, it was hardly better 
 than Walter's. Ail the child's physical needs, to be sure, 
 were amply supplied. She was abundantly fed, often 
 
- - -- — " r— " 
 
 22 A DAUGHTER 
 
 with sweets and pickles and whatever else she wanted. 
 She was clothed like a young princess, and at an early 
 age became conscious of the admiration she excited in 
 church with her costly laces and plumes and satins. 
 Although naturally a romp and fond of boyish sports, 
 she was possessed of a strange dramatic adaptability 
 which made her feel at once the character of a costume 
 and bear herself accordingly. By temperament she was 
 intense, headlong, and generous, easily wounded and 
 easily consoled, but still capable of that keen absorp- 
 tion in her own griefs and wrongs which is not an in- 
 frequent accompaniment of a sanguine disposition. She 
 could be one moment statel}', even in pinafores, and 
 in the next heedless, joyous, rollicking, or in a passion 
 of tears and wrath. Her mother did not pretend to 
 understand her, nor did she make any special effort 
 to fathom the mysteries of her daughter's nature. She 
 was simply to her M a queer child," and if she was bad, 
 the only thing to do was to leave her alone until she 
 came to her senses again. If, as some people maintain, 
 being left alone is an essential condition of happiness, 
 Alma ought to have been swimming in bliss ; for after 
 she had emancipated herself from the control of her 
 nurse, there were few who troubled themselves about 
 her thoughts or actions. She had a French governess, 
 Mademoiselle Beauclerc, who was afraid of her, and 
 compromised everything except her Parisian accent. 
 u Zc American Mees is so capricicusc," she asserted, 
 11 and nod at all ligue «o shenteel young ladies in 
 France." 
 
 She was probably right. Gentility was not included 
 among Alma's ideals at that time. She aimed rather 
 to be heroic, her ideas of heroism being chiefly derived 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 23 
 
 from Walter Scott. Everything that was written, in- 
 vented, or devised for the special use of young ladies 
 she detested and despised. The dainty gilt-edged 
 books in black Russia leather, with a gilt cross on the 
 cover, which in her church mark the various stages of 
 a young girl's development, had no attraction for her, 
 and were rarely opened except as a special act of pent* 
 tence. At the age of thirteen sho had discovered the 
 attractions of her father's library, a very elegant apart- 
 ment in oak and leather, which was rarely invaded "by 
 any one but herself. Mr. Hampton had ordered his 
 books in the bulk from his booksellers in New York, 
 leaving the selection to them, making no stipulations 
 except in regard to color and cost of binding. lie liked 
 to do things grandly, and imagined that he was cutting 
 a superb figure when he gave this indiscriminate order. 
 His daughter was the first who had taken pains to ex- 
 plore the miscellaneous collection of histories, poetry, 
 and novels, in tree calf and morocco, which chance had 
 thus thrown together ; and it is needless to add that sho 
 made some very astonishing discoveries. As long as 
 she rode in fancy on milk-white steeds and treated 
 adoring knights, with magnificent disdain, her vagaries 
 were quite harmless, and had only the effect of making 
 the pose of her head a little haughtier, and her general 
 demeanor more dignified. Perhaps her contemptuous 
 treatment of her governess was also due to the vehe- 
 mence with which she espoused Lady Rowena's and 
 Rebecca's hostility to the Norman representatives of the 
 Gallic nation. But when she made the acquaintance 
 of Dumas Fils, Feydeau, and Flaubert, she was on dan- 
 gerous ground, and it wajpnly the natural purity and 
 innocence of her mind which made her blind to all cor- 
 
rwinnuMwiiwinwnrinw m n nil nun liimlil nil r urn i uni ■«■■«*■«■» ,. .mn.m , , 
 
 24 i4 DAUGHTER 
 
 ■ i ii h C^— <<M— — I i i il iii , i n « . i i ii .1 m ■ >— — — ■<— » 
 
 rupting knowledge. Her mediaeval enthusiasm soon 
 reasserted itself, and her ever active fancy was so stimu- 
 lated by her reading that she found herself at all times 
 plotting adventures and daring escapades, one of which 
 she came within a hair of executing. I am ashamed to 
 confess that at the ago of fifteen she secretly made the 
 acquaintance of an unknown and strikingly handsome 
 man (of the type with banditti eyes and inustachios) , 
 and met him two or three times at the outskirts of the 
 village. There was a delicious excitement in the whole 
 affair which made it irresistibly fascinating. The beau- 
 tiful hero, who gloried in the exquisite name of Alfonso, 
 expressed such lofty sentiments and had such chivalrous 
 manners that she could have no hesitation in granting 
 him the favor of a moonlight ride on a certain evening 
 which he appointed. She started out after supper, and 
 would undoubtedly have carried out her design if the 
 moon iiad not had the unkindness to shine with un- 
 wonted brilliancy. At the edge of the woods she saw 
 a man with a horse and buggy waiting for her, and 
 cautiously and with shudders of rapture she approached 
 the spot. She was hardly fifty steps away when sud- 
 denly she heard a clatter of hoof-beats behind her. 
 Alfonso jumped into the buggy without awaiting her 
 arrival and whipped up his horse with furious lashes. 
 Three men on horseback dashed past her and plunged 
 along the road into the woods. It was all the work of 
 an instant. She had hardly time to collect her senses. 
 Reluctantly she turned alxnit and retraced her steps 
 homeward. The next day she learned by accident thut 
 Alfonso had been arrested for horse-stealing ; and if the 
 Saundersville Gazette could be relied on, he had had 
 an eventful Jiml bv no means nnromnntie pureei*. some- 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 25 
 
 times within the walls of a state prison and sometimes 
 without, 
 
 This incident effectually cooled her romantic ardor, 
 For six weeks she was distrustful, bitter, and cynical, 
 though no one except Mademoiselle took any notice of 
 her changing moods. The poor little governess reasoned 
 with her on the enormity of her sentiments, which were 
 so unbecoming to a young lady of good family, and 
 afforded her much satisfaction by the seriousness with 
 which she combated her misanthropical utterances, 
 The adventure with Alfonso remained, of course, a 
 profound secret, and Alma, although she was at heart 
 ashamed of it, yet felt at times slightly heroic for having 
 had the courage to step so close to the edge of danger. 
 Sho looked upon Mademoiselle with a sense of pitying 
 superiority, and took pleasure in imagining the sensation 
 she might produce by confessing how narrowly she had 
 escaped a perilous adventure, The real nature of the 
 danger to which she had been exposed she was fortu- 
 nately not yet aware of, and there was no one in the 
 great brick mansion who, if he had been acquainted 
 with the affair, would have cared to enlighten her. 
 
\imi\\\\\\\\u\fimmmmmimmmttmmummtmm^mmm 
 
 26 A DAUGHTER 
 
 CHAPTER m. 
 
 METAMORPHOSES. 
 
 IT was three weejcs after the arrival of the family In N 
 New York that Mrs. Hampton by accident made 
 a startling discovery. She discovered that her daugh- 
 ter was beautiful. It happened in this wise : they were 
 driving about in their carriage, visiting fashionable 
 milliners and dressmakers, when they happened to read 
 on a sign the name, Madame Lalouette, Modiste, and 
 remembered that some such person had been warmly 
 recommended by Mademoiselle Beauclerc. They had 
 hardly entered the store when Madame, who was stand- 
 ing behind the counter, struck a charming attitude of 
 apologetic admiration, and exclaimed, k ' Dieu, Mademoi- 
 selle, que vous ties belle ! Mais, zit corsage, c'est 
 horrible ca / Eef you vill pardon me, Madame, oo zat 
 is zat mague your daughter ce corsage ? Id is, id is — 
 immoral* Ze beautiful taille, id is parfaitement mine." 
 
 The result was that, after much parleying) Madame 
 Lalouette contracted to furnish Alma with a complete 
 toilet constructed on the principle of gently assisting 
 and emphasizing nature where it showed an intention to 
 be beautiful, and suppressing it where it failed to conform 
 to the fashion plates. From having been that product of 
 Nature called a " pretty girl " (of which Nature on this 
 continent is so fatally lavish), she became a product of 
 art. and as such, one which immediately commanded 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 27 
 
 attention, There was something rich and rare about 
 her when she had undergone her transformation at the 
 hands of Madame Lalouette, and something which 
 apparently had not been there before. I might call it 
 remoteness for want of a better term, It made men 
 swear ecstatically about her, while yet viewing her with 
 respectful admiration. It was something much finer 
 than hauteur, although on a superficial observer it made 
 perhaps the same impression ; but, coupled as it was 
 with a sweet and natural cordiality, it made her seem 
 tenfold precious, Her air and her every motion seemed 
 to say, Noli me tangere; and perhaps for that very 
 reason a mere touch appeared to many an inestimable 
 privilege, Madame, who had been instrumental in 
 bringing out all these delicate effects, went into par- 
 oxysms of rapture at every new costume which sho fitted 
 on, and at last convinced the young girl that she was, 
 after all, an exceptionally fine piece of work as sho 
 came from Nature's hand, and that her physique was full 
 of hitherto unappreciated beauties. Alma had always 
 longed to be thought exceptional, and she was grateful 
 to the modiste for having helped her to a subtler kind of 
 self-respect than one can feel for one's self as a mere 
 common member of the human family. Mrs. Hampton, 
 too, began to discover, more by the sensation Alma 
 made in the Park and on the Avenue than by personal 
 observation, that she had been hatching a swan instead 
 of a duckling, and she was not slow in computing the 
 advantages which the possession of a beautiful daughter 
 would bring to her in the social campaign which she 
 was about to open. 
 
 It is astonishing what a woman will do and endure 
 for the sake of having the card of Mrs. Van P., the 
 
mi i nn inn ii in i ii in nnii ■ ill 
 
 A DAUGHTER 
 
 acknowledged leader of society, upon her card-receiver, 
 and having her name printed in the papers among the 
 guests who were present at the reception given to Lord 
 M. It was touching to behold the spirit of Christian 
 humility with which Mrs. Hampton accepted the snubs 
 with which the high and mighty ladies of the Knick- 
 erbocker circle from time to time honored her. She 
 fumed in the privacy of her boudoir, and vowed that she 
 would pay them back when she had reached the goal 
 of her desires, but In the meanwhile she would play the 
 obtuse and amiable, and pocket her snubs smilingly. 
 Her parties and receptions presented at first, from a 
 fashionable point of view, a motley appearance ; but 
 young people enjoyed themselves there, and the hope 
 of dancing with Alma lured many a young snob from 
 his aristocratic reserve and made him court the favor 
 of her mother. Mrs. Hampton, who like a skilful 
 general had studied the weak points in the enemy's de- 
 fences, speedily took advantage of the willingness of 
 this youthful advance guard to surrender, as soon as 
 Alma appeared with the flag of truce ; and with rare 
 diplomatic tact she made them her partisans, and knew 
 henceforth that they would consciously or unintentionally 
 further her plans. Her grand stroke, however, she 
 made when a certain foreign prince visited the city, and 
 actually accepted a breakfast, given in his honor by 
 Mrs. Hampton, and at a ball given by himself on board 
 his flagship danced three times with Alma, The prince 
 had also been heard to express his admiration of her 
 beauty aud her esprit in some very emphatic superlatives, 
 which flew from one end of Murray Hill to the other, 
 exciting a variety of comment and criticism. From 
 that time forth it was absurd to ignore either Miss 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 29 
 
 Hampton or her mother, and they took their places, 
 without dispute, among people whom it was correct to 
 know. 
 
 Strange to say, Mr. Hampton did not find himself as 
 happy in New York as he had expected. He even con- 
 fessed to himself, though to no one else, that he would 
 have been better off if he had never left Saundersville, 
 In the club of which he had become a member he found, 
 to his astonishment, that his brilliant commercial repu- 
 tation was utterly unknown. His inconspicuousness 
 made him fidgety and discontented, and the polite 
 indifference with which his sententious utterances were 
 received exasperated him. In Saundersville these very 
 maxims of practical wisdom had never failed to make 
 a sensation, and their author had been looked upon as 
 an intellectual prodigy. The professional loungers of 
 the corner grocery (which was the Saundersville sub- 
 stitute for a club) had had a high opinion of him, and 
 he had felt that their tributes to his '• smartness" had 
 been nothing but his due, He had not known, however, 
 how essential it was to his happiness to be the centre of 
 public discussion. In his house every chair was so 
 artistic that ho feared to sit down on it, and the rugs 
 and carpets were of such delicate tints that it seemed 
 a pity to step on them. As ho frequently remarked in 
 tho seclusion of his bedroom, where he sometimes had 
 a mild " swear " all to himself, he felt as if ho were a 
 visitor under his own roof, and not a welcome one 
 either. If he happened to be in the room when fashion- 
 able ladies called upon his wife and daughter, he felt 
 himself de trop, lounged about uneasily, and uttered 
 solecisms which made his ears burn for weeks after, 
 whenever he thought of them. Alma, who, in the popu- 
 
30 A DAUGHTER 
 
 ■ ' ■ ' " ■ ,l " ■'■■' " ■ ■ ■! ' ...... i , i , 
 
 lous solitude in which she lived, had often longed to 
 establish a relation of confidence and affection between 
 herself and her father, approached him again and again 
 with timid tenderness, but was always repelled by some 
 unintentional coarseness which grated upon her finer 
 sense. And he, having always been accustomed to 
 exercise his criticism upon others, but never upon him- 
 self, thought her heartless and capricious, and expressed 
 to the first acquaintance he happened to meet on the 
 Avenue his inability to comprehend the workings of 
 the feminine mind. Of course the fault was with the 
 feminine mind, which was illogically constructed, and 
 not with his own, which was as open and rational as 
 the daylights 
 
 Nevertheless Mr. Hampton was not entirely without 
 appreciation of his daughter's fine qualities. To be 
 sure, neither he nor his wife had detected that sho was 
 in any wise remarkable until New York had taken it 
 into its head to go mad about her ; but since then her 
 value had risen proportionately to the increase of the 
 world's admiration. As she was his daughter, he logi- 
 cally concluded that she must owe her fineness chiefly 
 to him ; and although ho did not pretend to be a 
 connoisseur in such things, he accepted her beauty as 
 an established fact, and referred boastingly to it when 
 in the company of his social inferiors, who were the 
 only ones with whom lie felt perfectly at home. 
 
 Such friends Mr. Hampton found chiefly among the 
 curbstone brokers in Wall Street, who, having taken 
 the measure of both his purse and his vanity, showed 
 themselves eager for his company and treated him with 
 the consideration due to a great financier. In obscure 
 down-town restaurants, where the sun struggled through 
 
\ 
 
 OF THE PHILISTINES, 31 
 
 dusty window-panes, he might be 6een any morning, 
 surrounded by Jewish-looking individuals in more or 
 less advanced stages of shabbiness, expounding the 
 financial gospel and discussing the fluctuations of tho 
 market. Conspicuous in this company was a fat and 
 round-shouldered Hebrew, named Simon Loewenthal, 
 who seemed especially to appreciate tho humorous in- 
 tentions in Mr. Hampton's exposition, Ho slapped his 
 leg, doubled himself up, and nearly choked with a kind 
 of wheezy, asthmatic laughter. Tho others, who evi- 
 dently regarded Simon as a man of sense and genius, 
 immediately followed his example, and seemed all on tho 
 point of exploding with mirth; while Mr. Hampton 
 looked around benignly, and was agreeably impressed 
 with his own importance, While this mood lasted, the 
 company usually dispersed, leaving Simon behind ; and 
 the end was always that Mr. Hampton took a 4t flyer" 
 in Lake Shore or Old Southern or Erie, "Simon is 
 your man, Meestcr Hampton," the Jew would remark, 
 "chuckling, as he folded up the check and stuck it into 
 his greasy pocket-book. * 4 Simon neffer sold out a 
 friend yet, Simon vould radder sell his own skin } 
 shust a leedlo radder, Meester Hampton, Ha' ha!" 
 ** Ho is an honest old soul, even though ho is a Jew," 
 Mr. Hampton would remark to himself, as he stood 
 watching the broker, who, with a bustling, eager gait 
 and his tall hat hanging on the back of his head, 
 elbowed his way through the clamorous throngs that aro 
 ever pouring into Wall Street. 
 
 It may have been due to his own foresight, or possi- 
 bly to Simon's advice, that Mr. Hampton's first flyers 
 brought handsome profits. Some trifling losses only 
 stimulated his eagerness to rehabilitate himself in his 
 
32 A DAUGHTER 
 
 own eyes, as he expressed it, — to redeem his self- 
 respect. Thus it sometimes happened that he had four, 
 five, or six ventures afloat at once, one intended to off- 
 set the other in the case of possible loss. It gave a 
 new zest to "existence to watch the rise and fall of the 
 different stocks in which he was interested; and as his 
 risks were as yet trifling and could in no way affect the 
 bulk of his fortune, his innocent speculations gave him 
 the amusement he needed without in the least disturb- 
 ing his tranquillity of mind. There was, however, an 
 agitation in the atmosphere of the Street which soon 
 communicated itself to him. It wounded his vanity to 
 bo looked upon as a mere outsider^ who had no power 
 to affect the fluctuation of values one way or another, 
 when he knew so well that if ho were to launch his 
 whole fortune upon the market, ho might be a fair match 
 for the Commodore himself. It may have been this 
 temptation to make his power felt, or it may have been 
 the mere tedium of fashionable life, which finally induced 
 him to hire an office in Wall Street and, to use his own 
 words, " take a hand in the game instead of merely 
 betting on the cards of others." Mr. Hampton accord- 
 ingly disposed of some of his safest Western mortgages 
 and railroad securities, and with a gambler's zest in the 
 mere hazards of play, prepared himself for daring plots, 
 antieipating with an intense enjoyment the sensation 
 he would create when he should suddenly make himself 
 felt as a force in the market. 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 33 
 
 CHAPTER IV, 
 
 ** SIMON IS YOUR MAN, MEES," 
 
 MR. HAMPTON was, according to his own notions, 
 a methodical man, of strict business habits, and 
 hated nothing so much as irregularity. He had made 
 his wife and daughter each an annual allowance (and, 
 it must be admitted, a very liberal one), had placed it 
 to their credit in his bank, and had given them to un- 
 derstand that he did not wish to bo bothered again until 
 next New Year, Alma, to whom this sense of pecuni- 
 ary independence was a novel and delightful experience, 
 felt as if her resources were boundless, when she saw 
 the largo sum placed on the credit side against her 
 name, Sho found tho drawing of checks a most fas- 
 cinating occupation ; it gave one such a business-liko 
 air, and a vague but agreeable senso of superiority to 
 the person to whom the check was made payable. Ac- 
 cordingly she was very lavish with that funny little 
 back-handed autograph of hers, and entangled herself 
 in various scrapes by her failure to adhere to any fixed 
 form of signature. Originally she had no middle name ; 
 but as she held this to be duo to a culpable neglect on 
 tho part of her parents, sho added, of her own accord, 
 her mother's maiden name, Pitcher. After her arrival 
 In New York, however, sho caught a suspicion that this 
 name had a plebeian sound, and Alma P. Hampton was 
 promptly transformed into Alma 0* Hampton, the 0. 
 
 8 
 
34 A DAUGHTER 
 
 being a reminiscence of Ottilia in Goethe's Elective 
 Affinities, which, in the opinion of many wise people, 
 little girls ought not to read. But when, one fine day, 
 Alma O. Hampton became further disguised as Alma 
 A. Hampton, a new romance having inspired her with 
 an enthusiasm for the name Adelaide* the teller of 
 the bank lost his patience, and requested that Miss 
 Hampton would have the kindness to make a final se- 
 lection of a middle name and cease to experiment with 
 the alphabet in such reckless fashion. This mild rep- 
 rimand was extremely humiliating to Alma, who in 
 handling her check-book (wherein the stubs, by the 
 W-ay, gave no evidence of the amounts drawn) had de- 
 rived the proud impression that fur a woman she pos- 
 sessed remarkable business capacit}*. A still ruder 
 awakening she had when, on her return from Newport, 
 she received a printed slip from the bank informing her 
 that her account was overdrawn. I am loath to con- 
 fess that this slip had a very unfavorable effect upon 
 her temper, and made her vow with many tears that she 
 would never henceforth have any dealings with such a 
 hateful bank, that she would Alt the cashier dead when 
 he bowed to her, nnd be cold and haughty to the pres- 
 ident at the next reception where she should meet him. 
 She had a dim notion that all the officers of the bank 
 had entered into a conspiracy for the purpose of annoy- 
 ing her. 
 
 What made the situation especially embarrassing was 
 the fact that there were yet three months left of the 
 year, and these the gayest and most expensive of all 
 the twelve. How to keep the world at her feet with 
 empty pockets for so long a time, was a problem which 
 would have puzzled the seven sages, provided these 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 
 
 worthies had depended upon Parisian toilets for their 
 successes, Madame Lalouette, with all her rapturous 
 exclamations and attitudes, was strictly a business wo* 
 man, and had an aversion for long credits. It might 
 have been a simple thing for Alma to appeal to her 
 father ; but in the peculiar relation which existed be- 
 tween them sho found the very thought of it so repug- 
 nant to her, that she concluded rather to spend the three 
 months until New Year's in a convent than to endure 
 a homily from him on the error of her ways. He had 
 always liked to show his power over her by tormenting 
 her, She knew that in the end she would probably ob- 
 tain what she wished, but she made up her mind that 
 she would not buy her pleasure at so high a price. 
 
 Amid all these perplexities a conversation sho had 
 once had with Mr. Cunningham occurred to her ; he had 
 offered to make a couple of thousands for her in tho 
 Street, and even to advance her the margin if she did 
 not happen to have it. She had then indignantly re- 
 fused, not because she found tho proposed transaction 
 in the least reprehensible, but because she resented the 
 impertinence of tho broker, whoso relation to her did 
 not warrant him in conferring pecuniary favors. She 
 was now, for one moment, weak enough to regret the 
 peremptorincss with which sho had dismissed him, be- 
 cause it precluded all possibility of her availing herself 
 of his services. There were, however, other brokers in 
 Wall Street, and if Mr, Cunningham could make a 
 couple of thousands for her so easily, there was no 
 reason why any other broker should not be able to do 
 tho same. She was well aware that ladies sometimes 
 took flyers in stocks and no one seemed .to think the 
 less of them for it. For all that, she trembled lest 
 
-- - - - -■- -■- - I 
 
 36 , A DAUGHTER 
 
 - ■ - - , 
 
 Mrs. Hampton should divine her intention of imitating 
 their example. It was therefore necessary to take 
 extraordinarj' precautions. To drive down to Wall 
 Street in her carriage, to enter the office of a broker, 
 transact her business, and then depart, would perhaps 
 be the simplest way ; but in that case she would be 
 sure to be recognized, and the next day all New York — 
 that is, that part of New York which makes and blasts 
 social reputations — would be discussing her escapade, 
 and she would be set down as a person with a defective 
 sense of propriety. Clearly she must devise some 
 more ingenious method or abandon her plan. The 
 name of Simon Loewenthal came to her like an inspire* 
 tion. She had frequently heard her father comment on 
 the eccentricities of this worthy Hebrew, and had de- 
 rived the impression that he would be just the man to 
 employ as a confidential agent where secrecy was to be 
 part of the bargain. With this in view she carefully 
 arranged all the details of her plot and fixed on the 
 3d of October for its execution. 
 
 It was about eight o'clock when, with a wild sense of 
 adventure, Alma stood under the little Corinthian por- 
 tico which projected slightly over the front steps. Her 
 father was at his club, and her mother at some fashion- 
 able entertainment. She had feigned to retire for the 
 night, locking her door and giving her maid a ticket to 
 the theatre. She had, during the morning, ascertained 
 Simon Loeweiithal's private address from the Directory, 
 and had resolved to pay him a visit, offering him as 
 margin a pair of diamond ear-rings for which her 
 father had paid three thousand dollars, and as further 
 security, in case of need, a rare pearl pendant, valued 
 at two thousand. She hoped, however, that Simon 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 37 
 
 would bo merciful and content himself with the ear-rings. 
 With rapid steps and with a sense of being borne along 
 by her excitement, without any physical effort, she has- 
 tened down tho Avenue toward Madison Square, where 
 she hailed a cab and gave Loe wen thai' s address to the 
 astonished driver. 
 
 The night was warm and soft and delicious. The 
 glaring green of early summer had been subdued into a 
 darker and mellower tone, and here and there a gilt or 
 flaming edgo set otf the neutral tints of tho leaves with 
 a startling effect, The moonlight, however, which 
 takes the life out of most colors, steeping them all in 
 its vague, incorporeal haze, broke in a silent shower 
 over tho vast city, and made those little fragments of 
 Naturo — which tho city fathers maintain for tho benefit 
 of nursemaids, policemen, and other loungers — look 
 to tho girl's eyes ethereally remote, like enchanted 
 groves. Her intense agitation made her see everything 
 as through a veil, and even the ceaseless rattling of 
 wheels and tho clatter of hoofs upon the pavement fell 
 witli an undulating rhythm upon her ears and a rush as 
 of distant cataracts, $be took no note of time, but was 
 suddenly startled at having tho driver stop somewhere 
 in tho upper region of Second Avenue, where she never 
 remembered having been before. She peered cautiously 
 about her before stepping from the cab, but soon bo- 
 cama convinced that there was no danger of her being 
 confronted witli an acquaintance in this plebeian locality. 
 With a singular disposition to shiver, she mounted a 
 flight of dimly lighted stairs, having first requested tho 
 driver to await her return. Tho dingy oil-cloth in the 
 hall and the stale smells of departed luncheons and 
 dinners sickened her, and. made hor seize in despair tho 
 
33 A DAUGHTER 
 
 little gold viuaigrette which depended in a chain from her 
 waist. The walls had a ragged and sooty look, and the 
 banisters were covered with half an inch of dirt. Alma 
 gathered her precious garments about her, for fear of 
 setting in motion the little heaps of dust and rubbish 
 which had been swept up into the corners on each land- 
 ing. On the fourth floor she read with "difficulty on a 
 printed card the name Simon Loewenthal $ Co., Dealers 
 in Government, State^ Municipal) <$r Railway Bonds* 
 Stocks Bought &r Sold at all Ezcfuinges* She heard a con- 
 fused murmur within as of two men talking earnestly 
 together. One voice, which she concluded must be 
 that of the Jew, seemed to be pleading in the most 
 insinuating and persuasive tones, while another only 
 interrupted now and then with an emphatic monosylla- 
 ble. The young girl, with her heart in her throat, 
 knocked cautiously at the door. No one answered. 
 But Simon's voice rose in tones even more pleading, 
 imploring, caressing, until at last she concluded that he 
 must be weeping. She knocked again, and supposed 
 she must have been heard ; for the pleading voice, a9 
 by an abrupt summersault, dropped into a harsh busi- 
 ness tone which, however, became gradually more ear- 
 nest and confidential. 
 
 44 1 dell you vat, Meester Vellingfort, you vant to be 
 a ridge man, eh? Veil now, you dink Simon is a sheat 
 unt a fraut, eh ? I dell you vat I vill do. I vill gif you 
 dirty dousand dollars' vort of stock in de 4 Maid of 
 A tens,' if you vill bublish your assay off de ore vich 
 I gaf you." 
 
 44 How can I know," replied the other voice (and 
 Alma gave a start at the sound of it), 44 that the ore 
 you gave me to assay was taken from the 4 Maid of 
 
 A *1 I5>» 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 39 
 
 "You must dake my vort for it, me friend, — unt — 
 unt — dirty dousand dollars." 
 
 "Ah! now I understand. You want to buy my 
 scientific indorsement of a piece of villany for thirty 
 thousand dollars* worth of stock which in the end may, 
 and probably will, prove to have no value whatever." 
 
 14 Veil, dat is your own pizness. You can make it 
 vort vat you like." 
 
 An irresistible shiver shook Alma's frame, and she 
 drew her wrap tightly about her, wondering whether 
 she should still summon courage to enter. The voice 
 which had so startled her, could it be that of the strange, 
 anonymous boatman who came, like the 44 Flying Dutch- 
 roan,** out of the fog, to warn her without a word of 
 warning and to vanish into the fog again ? Alma, in 
 her headlong eagerness to seo the face that went with 
 such a voice, hardly considered the consequences to 
 herself of a meeting in so strange a place. She had, 
 during the last weeks, constructed a hundred faces, and 
 all beautiful, which might be possible appendages to a 
 soft and sonorous voice. But she longed for certainty, 
 if merely to check the futile energy of her imagination. 
 Without reflecting further, she gave a sharp rap at the 
 door and, without awaiting an invitation to outer, turned 
 tho knob. The door did not yield, however, being 
 evidently bolted within. A quick whisper ensued, a 
 few words of remonstrance from tho visitor, then the 
 creaking of hinges and the click of a lock. In tho nest 
 moment Simon Loewenthal stood respectfully bowing on 
 the threshold, and with all the oily affability of his race 
 apologized for having kept the lady waiting, and de- 
 clared that his happiness would be greatly increased if he 
 could bo of any service to her. Alma entered hesitat- 
 
— ..,., . ... ^r. . ■ M . ■ i i i „ ..,. , rmr i nn . ■ i . ir .■■ ■■■»■■■ r n.ri i ^.T, n 
 
 40 A DAUGHTER 
 
 — — p— — l — W i— ■ — i i < iii ^mmmmmmmummmmmmm* 
 
 ingly ami to her astonishment found herself alone with 
 the Jew. The room was stiflingly warm, and furnished 
 with odds and ends of second-hand furniture. On the 
 wooden mantelpiece stood two rudely painted vases 
 (also of wood) filled with artificial flowers ; and on the 
 centre-table, which was covered with oil-cloth, was a 
 dish filled with waxen imitations of fruit, hard-boiled 
 eggs cut in halves, and sections of sausages. Before 
 one of the windows stood an open writing-desk, which 
 was covered with letters, printed prospectuses, and 
 specimens of mineral ore ; and under it two sides of a 
 small, green-painted safe were visible. Simon himself 
 was a stout man, rather under middle height, with light 
 brown eyes in which the white was yellow, stiff whiskers 
 which enclosed his fat features in a black semicircular 
 frame, and a thick, hooked nose which, when he was 
 Berving a profitable customer, gave to his face the 
 expression of an amiable owl. This conspicuous nose, 
 as well as his broad, receding forehead, was preternat- 
 urally shiny ; above the latter there was an extensive 
 territory of bald scalp, which was, however, surrounded 
 by a wreath of curly black hair. 
 
 " Seed down, Mees," he was saying, bowing himself 
 nearly to the ground ; " if you are in drouble, Mees, 
 den Simon is your man ; Simon has helped many grade 
 ladies oud of deir droubles." 
 
 14 1 am not in trouble, thank you,'* replied Alma 
 haughtily, putting her hand lightly on the desk, at the 
 corner of which she was standing. M I am merely 
 momentarily embarrassed — and — and — H 
 
 11 You vant some gash, eh?" Simon continued, 
 breaking into his soundless, asthmatic laugh. u Veil, 
 vhen you vant gash, den Simon is your man.'* 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 41 
 
 The repetition of this odious phrase irritated Alma 
 beyond endurance. She had never imagined that any 
 human being could be so repulsive as this Jew, and the 
 idea of making a confidant of him seemed so revolting 
 that* she wondered that she could for a moment have 
 harbored it. The look and the whole atmosphere of the 
 room had a most depressing effect upon her ; the bare, 
 smoke-begrimed walls, which had no other decoration 
 than a gaudy chromo of Jephthah killing his daughter, 
 and the brown oil-cloth on the floor, gave her an impres- 
 sion of dreariness and desolation which came like a 
 positive shock to her finely attuned nature, Simon, in 
 the meanwhile, seeing that his facetiousness was not 
 well received, devoted himself to making a more ap- 
 proximate estimate of her wealth and social position 
 than at first glance he had been able to do, although, to 
 do him justice, not a single visible article of her costly 
 toilet had even then escaped his notice. lie put her 
 down mentally as a customer who must bo propitiated, 
 as her indirect resources were undoubtedly inexhaustible. 
 If she got into a scrape, it was safe to conclude that 
 she had connections who would rather loosen their purse- 
 strings than leave her to suffer the consequences of her 
 follyg 
 
 44 Simon is nod so pad as you dink, Mees," he said 
 with his most insinuating smile. 44 Dere is koot Shews 
 unt pad Shews, Mees, unt Simon is von off de koot 
 Shews, If you haf any pizness — " 
 
 Here a lovely soprano voice, with a subdued piano 
 accompaniment, broke out in a sudden ttaccato from 
 the next room ; — 
 
 Sul mare luccica 
 
 V <ut*o cf argentt, etc. 
 
-•-'-'"-"■'■ ■ ■ — - I ■-, - - I -I 
 
 42 A DAUGHTER 
 
 Simon gave a cry of surprise, and with a frightened 
 countenance tore the door open. 
 
 44 Rachel/' he said sternly, in German, 44 have you 
 taken leave of your senses ? M 
 
 The song stopped abruptly, and a young girl of tall 
 and slender growth rose from the piano, and, coming for- 
 ward, placed her hand coaxingly on his arm. 
 
 44 No, Simon," she answered in the same language ; 
 44 but I was frightened at hearing some one in my sit- 
 ting-room, and as I was not undressed I went in to see 
 who it was. Are you very angry with me, Simon? 
 The gentleman tolls me that you had begged him to wait 
 here until you were at liberty to talk with him again." 
 
 44 1 supposed you were asleep, Rachel," he replied 
 mournfully. 
 
 44 No, I was not asleep," she said simply. 4i I was 
 combing out my hair. The gentleman, who says his 
 name is Mr. Wellingford, told me he was very fond of 
 music, and so I offered to sing to him while he was 
 waiting." 
 
 44 You did wrong, Rachel, to make acquaintances 
 without my permission." 
 
 44 But how could I help it, Simon dear, when you 
 sent the gentleman into my sitting-room ? " 
 
 14 I was wrong, too ; now bo a good child and go to 
 bed." 
 
 44 But I want to finish the song first, because Mr. 
 Wellingford says he likes my voice." 
 
 44 Well, well, since the mischief is done, then do as 
 3'ou like ; but be quick and then go to bed.^J 
 
 With a triumphant little nod to Mr. Wellingford she 
 seated herself once more at the piano, and her glorious 
 voice burst forth, now gay, light, and rollicking, now 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 43 
 
 tender and caressing, according to the changing moods 
 of the song. Alma, forgetting her sordid errand, stood 
 listening in rapt wonder. At a small, exquisitely carved 
 upright piano, which was placed crosswiso in a corner, 
 the girl was sitting, while her dense black hair, which 
 was hastily looped in the neck, spread in a wavy 
 stream half-way down her back. She was dressed in a 
 cream-colored muslin wrapper, which fell from the shoul- 
 ders in a long train, while the front, which was made of 
 pink flowered satin, fitted closely and revealed the deli- 
 cate undulations of her form. Iler features, which hnd 
 an alabaster clearness, did not deny their origin, but 
 they were, yet in their first splendor of youth, when 
 nationality only asserts itself as a hardly perceptible 
 undertone in the purely human beauty. There was a 
 faint gleam of the Orient in her eyes, which, with their 
 heavy lashes, suggested imaginary pictures of odalisques 
 and the lotus flower, and the rich physical charm of 
 Oriental womanhood. The room, too, presented a 
 striking contrast to the one in which Simon was in the 
 habit of receiving his customers. Two rose-colored 
 globes, within which lamps were burning, depended in 
 brass chains from the ceiling, and radiated a soft, agree- 
 able light upon all the objects in the room ; and to each 
 of the lamps was attached a small brass censor which 
 exhaled a faint perfume. Dainty tables with twisted 
 gilt legs, chairs covered with costly gray and pink tap- 
 estry, bevelled mirrors with scrolled gilt frames, and a 
 multitude of frivolous knick-knacks were scattered in 
 artistic disorder over the walls and the richly carpeted 
 floor. The tout-ensemble was quite a la Pompadour, and 
 remotely reminded one of Versailles. 
 
 Simon, who was betraying the impatience which he 
 
44 A DAUGHTER 
 
 felt by alternately scratching hia head and rattling the 
 loose chango in his pockets, was about to close the 
 door In Alma's face when suddenly Mr. Wellingford 
 stepped forward and laid hold of the knob from the 
 ether side. 
 
 44 1 have not time to wait any longer, Sir. Loewen- 
 thal," he said, " especially as I am pretty Bure that 
 nothing will come of our negotiations. I need not 
 tell you," he added, turning to Rachel, " that when I 
 entered this room I was innocent of all intention of in- 
 truding into a young lady's boudoir. I hope you will par- 
 don my unintentional rudeness, and accept my thanks for 
 your fine singing. It is a beautiful voice you have, and 
 I hope to have an opportunity to hear it again. M 
 
 Rachel, who had risen from the piano, moved toward 
 the middle of the room, and now for the first time 
 noticed Alma, whom Welllngford's voice had filled with 
 an inward tremor which she was vainly endeavoring to 
 subdue. She thought for a moment of making a dash for 
 the door, but the certainty of being discovered and the 
 dread of appearing undignified checked her. After all, 
 as he had never seen her face distinctly, the probability 
 was that he would pass her with indifference. This 
 hope enabled her partly to conceal her agitation and to 
 adjust her features into a neutral expression. Just then 
 Wellingford passed into the room and gave a percep- 
 tible start as he caught sight of her. She felt the hand 
 with which she was leaning against the desk tremble, 
 and she became aware that neither was her countenance 
 any longer under her control. Wellingford, however, in 
 the next moment recovered himself and apparently 
 gave his whole attention to Simon's mysterious harangue, 
 which Alma understood was not intended for her ear*. 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 45 
 
 ■r • ■ HI 
 
 She watched his face closely while his eyes were averted, 
 and made up4ier mind that it was, on the whole, no less 
 attractive than she had anticipated. 
 
 Without departing far from a common type, Harold 
 Wellingford had yet a rather striking appearance. In 
 the cast of his head, in the lithe erectness of his 
 frame, and in his whole bearing there was an air of dis- 
 tinction which seemed to contradict the youthfulness of 
 his features. The first thing, however, that Alma per- 
 versely noticed was his hair, which was cut very short* 
 showing some minute curls in the neck and a sort of 
 ripple about the ears and temples. It was a trivial 
 observation, but with her the trivial observations were 
 apt to precede the weightier ones. His neck, somehow, 
 was singularly expressive ; it was so charmingly mas- 
 culine, with a sort of sunburnt blond attractiveness 
 which hinted at yachting cruises and loose-fitting flannel 
 garments, A short blond beard, but slightly beyond 
 the downy stage, did not succeed in spoiling the fine 
 outline of the chin, and a mustache, with a vague in- 
 tention of color, curled softly about a pair of shapely 
 youthful lips, but did not run into the beard, leaving a 
 strip of baro territory about the corners of the mouth. 
 The dark-blue eyes, which were meant to be gravely 
 good-natured, had for the moment a spark of indigna- 
 tion which was by no means unbecoming. There was 
 nothing very remarkable about the rest of the face, 
 except a general air of refinement and of youthful 
 buoyancy held in check. There was something in the 
 proportions of the upper half of his frame which sug- 
 gested the idea that he must have developed an originally 
 slender form by athletic exercise. Alma concluded, 
 however, that he could never have been a " sport" in 
 
«-■*■! ' !■!■. .n,.., ,■,..,,„■. , , ,M« !■!. ,, ... mnn ,11, „— 
 
 46 4 DAUGHTER 
 
 his college days, biit had! rather cultivated athletics with 
 some conscientious purpose. Her reflections were here 
 cut short by a sort of grunt of humorous despair which 
 was not quite in keeping with the character she had 
 constructed for her hero* " My dear Mr. Loewenthal," 
 she heard him exclaim, " there is something posi- 
 tively pathetic in your moral obtuseness. Allow me, 
 as a mark of my respect, to mail you a copy of the ten 
 commandments, which you remember were given to your 
 fathers for the recti (lcation of their natural crookedness. 
 And don't try to engage my services as an assayer or 
 in any other capacity. I shall not respond to" any fur- 
 ther communication from you." 
 
 Without heeding Simon's reply he turned about and 
 walked unhesitatingly up to where Alma was standing. 
 
 44 lean hardly be mistaken, " he said with a grave 
 bow ; 44 have we not met before? " 
 
 44 1 think I have never had the pleasure of an intro- 
 duction," answered Alma in her loftiest manner. 
 
 44 Ah-h," ejaculated he with a long breath, as if he 
 were inhaling her voice like a delicious odor. 44 It was 
 but that proof I wanted. It is indiscreet in me, of 
 course, to recognize you here, and I should not have 
 done it if — if — I had known it would be disagreeable to 
 you." 
 
 44 But, sir," demanded the girl with chilling hauteur, 
 14 you must be laboring under a delusion. I assure you 
 I have never seen your face before." 
 
 She resented his implication that that encounter in 
 the fog must needs have been as memorable to her as 
 it had been to him ; and yet she was at that very 
 moment exulting in the knowledge that even in the 
 misty twilight she had impressed him deepty. He did 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 47 
 
 not appear in the least ruffled by her severity, which, 
 perhaps, he suspected to be more than half assumed, 
 but answered calmly,— 
 
 44 You are right ; but if you will permit me to quicken 
 your memory — the fog was too dense," 
 
 44 Ah ! " she said with a slight change of manner, 44 1 
 beg your pardon. You are the anonymous gentleman 
 who entertained me so pleasantly that night at Newport 
 when we were becalmed in the fog, I ought to have 
 remembered you, but really I have a poor memory for 
 faces — which I have not seen. And, you know, a 
 voice, unless it happens to be very remarkable, is hardly 
 enough to establish a person's identity." 
 
 It was a dexterous little stab, the effect of which 
 sho had premeditated. Sho desired to discourage him 
 from further conversation, so that she might make her 
 escape without being obliged to confess her errand. 
 She felt sufficiently humiliated at having been seen by 
 one, whose good opinion sho valued supremely, at such 
 a disreputable place, and she was irritated at herself for 
 having yielded to the temptation to enter. The posses- 
 sion of the four or five thousand dollars which sho had 
 expected Simon to make for her seemed now a matter 
 of small importance, while it was of great moment to 
 her to be able to extricate herself from a difficult situa- 
 tion, without being compromised in the eyes of one whom* 
 sho suspected of being a relentless moral critic. WeU 
 liugford, divining her intention, as well as its motive, 
 mado his parting bow, and with a leisurely saunter ap- 
 proached the door ; but as he was laying his hand on the 
 knob he caught a glimpse of Simon, who stood rubbing 
 his fat hands and smiling greedily, with the look of an 
 ogre who wants to put his captive princess in good humor 
 
43 A DAUGHTER 
 
 before devouring her. The sight roused all the chivalry 
 within him, and ho resolved to rescue the princess from 
 the ogre's teeth, even at the risk of displeasing her. 
 
 44 You would not grant me the privilege of conducting 
 you to your carriage, Miss Hampton?" he asked, quite 
 en patsant, as If it were an idle suggestion of no particu- 
 lar significance. 
 
 44 No, I thank you, Mr. — *' 
 
 44 Wellingford," he said, smiling Inwardly at her neat 
 little snubs. 
 
 44 No, Mr. Wellingford," she repeated. 44 1 regret to 
 say I am not at liberty to accept your escort." 
 
 44 1 '11 take pleasure in waiting until you will be at 
 liberty/* he rejoined coolly, seating himself on a chair 
 at the door, and striking his leg absently with his 
 slender cane. 
 
 44 But suppose I should never- be at liberty, Mr. "Wel- 
 lingford?" she remarked angrily, sending him a flash 
 from her splendid eyes. 
 
 44 Then I would wait forever." 
 
 44 Iteally, sir," she began, battling with all her might 
 to master her excitement, 44 do you presume to interfere 
 with my actions?" 
 
 14 Mademoiselle," he replied, rising and walking close 
 up to her, 4< if I presume to interfere with your actions, 
 it is only because I take it for granted that you, in your 
 innocence, can hardly know the formidable character of 
 the man with whom you are about to open negotiations. 
 I have just found out some very odd things about him, 
 by the way. lie has a strictly commercial conscience, 
 ruled with a red line down the middle, and with debit 
 and credit neatly balanced. I won't bore you with his 
 history, of which I know but little ; but I have an idea 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 49 
 
 that for every time he cheats a Gentile he performs a 
 good action to a Jew, leaving himself, however, always 
 a fair margin of profit. It may be a mere whim of 
 mine, but I cannot dismiss the thought that that beauti- 
 ful room of his sister's has been furnished by Simon's 
 transgressions, the mirror, the carved tables, and the 
 sofa representing great and profitable sins, and the 
 books and knick-knacks less remunerative ones." 
 
 There was an undertone of seriousness in this light 
 talk which Alma did not fail to perceive ; she did not 
 wish, however, to gratify her mentor by showing him 
 that he had made an impression. The little inward 
 tremble of which she was conscious had only the effect 
 of stimulating her perversity, and it was with quite a 
 successful simulation of gayety that she answered, — 
 
 11 Why, I had no idea that Mr. Loewenthal was such 
 an interesting character. On the whole, I think I like 
 his systematic way of transgressing and deliberately 
 paying for it. It is manlier than the hap-hazard, slip- 
 shod way we other mortals have adopted. I should 
 almost like to make a little experiment of my own, now. 
 To be frank, I intend to engage in a little innocent stock- 
 gambling, and it is my purpose to employ this formi- 
 dable Hebrew as my broker. How much do you suppose 
 the Recording Angel will put down to my debit for that 
 transaction ? I shall be perfectly honest, and pay him 
 a fair percentage on my profits," 
 
 There was a little bravado, perhaps, in this speech, 
 and she herself enjoyed its daring. She suspected that 
 Wellingford was something of a prig, and it gave her 
 satisfaction to shock him. Her whole costume, too, was 
 in keeping with her spirited attitude, and it struck the 
 young man forcibly that from an artistic point of view 
 
50 A DAUGHTER 
 
 she could not have been finer. The large Leghorn hat, 
 with a profusion of dark curly hair under its upturned 
 brim, the delicately chiselled countenance, the fearless 
 brown eyes, the clearly drawn, faintly arched eyebrows, 
 and a stubborn little mouth, whose ineffectual pout was 
 meant for severity, — how was it possible to pass a 
 severe judgment upon such a ravishing (out-ensemble t 
 Even her bravado, he concluded, was eminently becom- 
 ing ; for the poise of her head, which was flung defiantly 
 backward, showed her beautiful throat to superb ad- 
 vantage. Her nostrils, too, were dilated, and gave to 
 her features an indescribably spirited expression, re- 
 minding one of a fiery horse. 
 
 Wellingford found himself rapidly lapsing from a 
 critical to an adoring point of view, but he resolved, 
 as far as possible, to conceal his weakness. Therefore, 
 without relaxing the severity of his features, he an- 
 swered gravely,— 
 
 44 It takes a Hebrew head to keep such a compli- 
 cated account in order. Suppose it were not properly 
 balanced for the month when the final summons came ! 
 I am speaking, of course, from Simon's point of view, 
 which you have assumed, for the sake of argument, to 
 be j*our own." 
 
 44 Mr. Wellingford," she responded somewhat per- 
 emptorily, 44 you must excuse mo if I decline to accept 
 your advice in this matter. You do not know the cir- 
 cumstances and cannot properly judge my action." 
 
 With a stately bow she turned half around and ad- 
 dressed Loewenthal, who was seated at his desk, rum- 
 maging in a drawer full of papers. She showed him 
 her diamonds, which he declined to accept for more 
 ♦.ban two thousand dollars, and the pearl pendant he 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 51 
 
 had the impudence to value at five hundred. For all 
 that, she was resolved to betray no nervousness, even 
 though she had frequently to resort to her vinaigrette 
 and her hands showed a provoking disposition to trem- 
 ble. At the end of fifteen minutes, however, it was 
 settled that Simon should buy her one thousand shares 
 of New York Central at one hundred and twelve, and 
 keep her jewelry as an equivalent for twenty-five hun- 
 dred dollars' margin, She had but the vaguest idea of 
 what this transaction really meant, but rather than 
 betray her ignorance by appealing to Wellingford, she 
 deposited the jewels with a quaking heart upon the desk, 
 received the papers which the broker handed her, with 
 a sense of bewildered helplessness, and again gather- 
 ing her dress about her moved toward the door. She 
 affected not to have been aware that Wellingford had 
 waited for her, and when he arose and came toward 
 her she gave a very well executed little exclamation of 
 surprise. 
 
 "Why, Mr. Wellingford, are you here yet?" she 
 queried sweetly, with raised eyebrows. "I supposed 
 you had gone, ages ago." 
 
 " I merely wished to redeem my word," he replied ; 
 " may I now have the honor of conducting you to your 
 carriage ? " 
 
 The ire rose within her at this cool persistency, which 
 she well understood implied a superiority to her own 
 passionate unsteadiness of purpose, and her first impulse 
 was to give vent to her wrath. But as that would 
 only give him an additional advantage, she forcibly 
 restrained herself, smilingly accepted his proffered arm, 
 and as they descended the dim and untidy stairway to- 
 gether, gave little frightened screams, was clinging, timid, 
 
52 A DAUGHTER 
 
 dependent, and all the other charming things that young 
 ladies ought to be in order to be perfectly adorable. 
 She knew she was acting, and prided herself on the per- 
 fection of her art. That was, after all, the way in which 
 didactic young gentlemen (and the other varieties of the 
 species too, for that matter) must be captivated. And 
 in spite of her resentment of Wellingford's patronizing 
 airs, she was not above a desire to captivate him. 
 Although she had 1 no longer any particular fancy for 
 milk-white steeds, she had by no means lost her taste 
 for having adoring knights at her feet; the appetite 
 seemed rather to have increased with the }'ears. As for 
 "Wellingford, she had arrived at the conclusion that he 
 was one of those irritating men who would have made 
 the Archangel Gabriel lose his temper. But as she 
 herself had but very little in common with Gabriel, she 
 would also in this instance depart from his hypothetical 
 line of conduct. As he opened the door of the carriage 
 and the gaslight fell full upon his face, it struck her 
 anew that he was a remarkably handsome and finely 
 developed man. But he nearly ruined her good opinion 
 of him in the next moment when with his hat in his hand 
 he leaned forward and said, — 
 
 11 1 am an importunate wretch, Miss Hampton, and 
 shall insist upon tormenting you a little more. You have 
 sowed your dragon's teeth to-night and it won't take 
 them long to sprout. Then, if- the crop should prove 
 too much for } f ou, have the kindness to remember me. 
 I promise I shall not say * I told you so,' but it will be 
 a pleasure to me if I can be of service to you." 
 
 "Then I shall certainly never afford you that pleas- 
 ure," answered Alma with ill-restrained impatience. 
 
 " That shows distinctly that you have faith in my 
 
I 
 
 
 OF THE PML1STINES, 53 
 
 prophecies ; otherwise what risk would there be in 
 promising?" 
 
 ** 1 have no faith in your predictions," she exclaimed 
 passionately ; 4k and I think it is very unkind in you to 
 plague rao so. And to show you how utterly I distrust 
 your owlish prophecies, I promise to look upon you as 
 a friend- if disaster overtakes me." 
 " Thank you ; hero is my card and address." 
 He raised his hat once more and walked away ; while 
 Alma in her anger tore his card into a dozen pieces and 
 scattered them on the floor of the carriage. But as she 
 approached home, and her reason again asserted itself, 
 she stooped down and picked up all the fragments and 
 put them into a secret compartment of her pocket* 
 book. 
 
54 A DAUGHTER 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE WELLIXGF0RD8* 
 
 npO be a Wellingford was in itself a distinction 
 JL which no Wellingford was apt to lose sight of. 
 There was Mayflower blood of the highest potency in the 
 family, and, what is a rare thing with us, there was an 
 uninterrupted family tradition. The Wellingfords had 
 always been scholars, mostly judges and divines ; and 
 a long procession of them, all august personages in 
 sombre attire, had been marching, usually in single file, 
 from the sixteenth century down to our own day. 
 There we'.'o maiden aunts in the family who knew ex- 
 actly what kind of features tradition prescribed for a 
 genuine Wellingford, who found promise of the pure 
 type in every new-born nephew, and resented any devia- 
 tion from it as he grew to manhood. There were cer- 
 tain kinds of food, too, which always disagreed with 
 the Wellingfords, and others for which they had always 
 had a particular fondness ; thus they never liked swoets, 
 and they had a constitutional aversion for pork. They 
 were, as a rule, blondes ; they had clear, and in middle 
 life florid, complexions ; they got their teeth late, etc. ; 
 — a whole volume might be written concerning the men- 
 tal and physical peculiarities of the Wellingfords. The 
 first conscious breach of the Puritanic family tradition 
 occurred, I believe, at the beginning of the present cen- 
 tury, when Judge Jeremiah Wellingford, who, it was 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 55 
 
 whispered read infidel books and had doubts concerning 
 the Trinity, named his eldest son Hugh Wellington! in- 
 stead of Gideon, which had been the name of his own 
 father and half a dozen of his ancestors. The maiden 
 aunts, who shot at frequent intervals, like barren 
 branches, from the family tree, came near swooning at 
 the thought of such sacrilege, and they would undoubt- 
 edly have disowned Judge Jeremiah if he had not been 
 the head of the house and as such a proper object of loy- 
 alty ; and they ended by finding an ancestral precedent 
 for his waywardness, which fact deprived it of much of 
 its enormity, 
 
 It is not improbable that the fact that Hugh Wel- 
 lingford was, as it were, a personified breach of tradi- 
 tion, in some subtle way influenced his development. 
 At all events, as he grew up, he gave his aunts plenty 
 of occupation in finding ancestral justification for 
 his erratic course. If he had not been so handsome 
 and gentle and lovable, and with a genius for being 
 petted, the}* would have abandoned the attempt and 
 consigned him to perdition. As it was, they merely 
 played the part of the chorus in the Greek tragedies, 
 crying their " woe, woe," and expressing the family 
 comment, in the abstract, upon the hero's actions. 
 From a non-Puritanic point of view, perhaps, Mr. Hugh's 
 transgressions were not so terrible as they appeared to 
 his elderly female relatives. Ho was, by nature, an 
 epicurean, and had no taste for asceticism. He was a 
 connoisseur in wines and cigars and unevaugelical lit* 
 erature. He was not fond of pumpkin pie, nor Boston 
 brown bread, nor anything which it was proper for a 
 New Englander to like, while he was fond of malodor- 
 ous foreign cheeses, caviar, pate de foie grot, and other 
 
56 A DAUGHTER 
 
 outlandish dishes. He had, to the surprise of all his 
 .relatives, who regarded him as a reprobate, been grad- 
 uated with high honors from the great University from 
 which it was proper for all Wellingfords to be grad- 
 uated, lie then spent two years in Europe, and even 
 visited the Orient, travelling all tbe while, as many sup- 
 posed, merely for the purpose of finding out, in a disin- 
 terested sort of way, where on the Continent the choicest 
 wines, the finest cigars, and the most excellent cooking 
 were to be procured. He knew the names of a hundred 
 obscure osterias and out-of-the-way restaurants where 
 macaroni or olla podrida or Johannisberger of exceptional 
 virtue could be procured, and he imparted his knowledge 
 freely to his friends when they .went abroad, saying, 
 " Tell the landlord at the Rathskeller that you want the 
 Lacryraa Christi of 184G, the red seal one (not the 
 yellow, for that is inferior), and then drink a glass to 
 my health." 
 
 The time came, of course, in Hugh 'NVellingford's 
 life, as it will in most lives, when marriage from having 
 been a remote abstraction becomes a menacing reality. 
 When he had passed his thirtieth year, and had ob- 
 tained an excellent position as professor of geology and 
 mineralogy at his Alma Mater^ he began to feel the 
 question of marrying as a sort of moral obligation ; and 
 his friends, who regarded his celibacy — as long as there 
 were so many thousands of charming girls unmated — as 
 nothing short of criminal, exerted themselves with all 
 their might to encourage this view of the matter. His 
 lady friends, who were themselves all married and 
 therefore could say what they liked, insisted that he 
 would make the loveliest of husbands; but whether 
 the many l^pothetical helpmeets whom they led in 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 57 
 
 procession beforo him would make him the loveliest of 
 wives seemed to them quite a secondary consideration. 
 It was, on the whole, the matrimonial dignity, rather 
 than the wife, which he lacked. Every one was of opin- 
 ion that a man with his expensive- tastes must make a 
 rich match ; and tho rich girls of tho town were there* 
 fore first passed in review, Wellingford sitting by and 
 smiling at tho interest which on all sides was displayed 
 in his welfare. 
 
 *' Now, Hugh," Mrs, Moore would say, — for being an 
 old schoolmate and an early flame, she had much lib- 
 erty of speech, — M it has been unanimously decided that 
 you are to marry Netty Gunnison, who is a good, sweet 
 girl, and has two hundred thousand in her own name. 
 She would make you slippers and things, and would 
 never mistake j*our fossils for dirt," 
 
 "You know I am always at your service, Adelaide," 
 he would answer laughingly ; •* dispose of me as it may 
 please your wisdom. Only givo me as little trouble as 
 possible about it. I am just now engaged in writing a 
 very important series of articles on the Extinct Volca- 
 noes of the United States, and I cannot consent to bo 
 interrupted by merely personal considerations!" 
 
 14 Oh, you are perfectly incorrigible ! " tho lady would 
 exclaim. " You aro yourself ono of tho extinct volca- 
 noes of the United States, and there can bo no more 
 pitiful object under the sun," 
 
 "But instances have been known," ho would reply, 
 44 of extinct volcanoes resuming their destructive ac- 
 tivity. Possibly there may also be hope for me. Now, 
 if you will conduct this courtship for me, I give you 
 carte blanche. You may say and do, in my behalf, 
 whatever you choose, When you have got everything 
 
58 A DAUGHTER 
 
 r ; — — 
 
 arranged, I will meet you and the bride at the church 
 door ; and I will give you ten per cent. You must allow 
 that that is a liberal commission." 
 
 This amiable cynicism was very irritating to the 
 benevolent schemers, for on it stranded all their mat- 
 rimonial projects. Mr. Wellingford was always exas- 
 peratingly easy and good-natured ; he surrendered his 
 fate completely into the hands of his friends, and, as 
 they perhaps suspected, laughed at them for their pains. 
 But his laugh was so hearty and genial that even those 
 at whose expense he was amused could not have helped 
 joining in his mirth. There was a clanger in his posi- 
 tion, however, which he was far from realizing. It 
 had never occurred to him that a man who is willing N to 
 marry, but too lazy to court, is apt to fall a prey to the 
 first woman who is ready to dispense with preliminary 
 formalities or perhaps even herself assume the aggres- 
 sive. There are said to be a few ladies of this kind in 
 the United States, although well-informed naturalists 
 have asserted that the species is now extinct. In the 
 year 1845, however, it was not entirely so. At all 
 events, there was a multitude of malicious rumors 
 when Professor Wellingford returned from a vacation 
 journey in Europe with a stout blonde of twenty-eight, 
 who, it appeared, had a legal and an ecclesiastical right 
 to bear the name of Mrs. Wellingford. The local wag set 
 afloat the story that somewhere in Holland or Germany 
 the Professor had been chased by a mad bull, that Miss 
 Brennan had saved him, and that he had married her 
 out of gratitude. Another version was that they had 
 climbed in the Alps together, that she had played the 
 helpless, naive % and confiding, and had betrayed an in- 
 satiable interest in fossils. However that may be, 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 59 
 
 whether Mr. Wellingford realty chose his spouse or was 
 chosen by her, — and there has to be a certain recipro- 
 city even in the most unequal affair of this sort, — there 
 was no reason to "suppose that he regretted the fate 
 which had overtaken him, Mrs. Wellingford, it was 
 popularly believed, was not an easy woman to live with ; 
 but then the Professor was so incorrigibly amiable that, 
 even if he had been married to Lucifer's grandmother, 
 she would not have succeeded in quarrelling with him. 
 lie always showed the most laudable deference for his 
 wife's opinions, and, having had his guileless eyes 
 opened by her, apparently viewed his surroundings 
 through tho medium of her acuto intelligence, Ho 
 looked back with wondering pity upon his former in- 
 nocence, and felt indebted to her for having revealed to 
 him tho complicated, selfish motives which prompt the 
 actions of one's prcmatrimonial friends. 
 
 Mrs. Wellingford's ybrte was her honesty. She dealt 
 ruthlessly with her own faults and thoso of others, and 
 she gave no quarter. Nevertheless, the faults of which 
 she was apt to make confession were not those which 
 were attributed to her by her neighbors ; she had a 
 mania 'for telling people disagreeable things, because, 
 as she alleged, her conscience forbade her to be silent. 
 This same stern conscience also imposed upon her the 
 task of routing all her husband's old friends, and es- 
 pecially the triumvirate of married ladies who had once 
 been in such haste to terminate the days of his celibacy. 
 It was weak in him, of course, that he consented to re- 
 vise his opinion of these trusted friends, after his wife 
 had examined them under her critical microscope ; but 
 then a good-natured, middle-aged scholar is never a 
 mutch for a determined and Indefatigable woman, es- 
 
60 A DAUGHTER 
 
 pecially if he happens yet to have a furtive affection for 
 her. And Professor Wellingford, injspitc of his wife's 
 unlovely attributes, really was very fond of her ; and 
 when she had borne him three children, of which the 
 eldest was a boy, he began to feel a loyal devotion to 
 her, which in a middle-aged man is the nearest substi- 
 tute for love. Their ideas of discipline, however, were 
 so radically different that disagreements and collisions 
 of authority were inevitable. The father, who had a 
 constitutional hatred of all kinds of violence, wished to 
 govern his children by vigilant kindness, while the 
 mother had a strong faith in the Old Testament pre- 
 cept which declares the rod to be the proper exponent 
 of parental affection. The result was that the children 
 sought refuge with their father from their mother's 
 severity ; and he, being fatally tender-hearted, found 
 himself petting and consoling them before he had had 
 time to reflect on the consequences of his rashness. 
 And these consequences sometimes were terrible; for 
 Mrs. Wellingford's temper, as she grew older, began to 
 grow more and more perceptible to the naked eye, and 
 in cases where it might be an open question whether 
 she had not the right on her side she was absolutely 
 relentless. If nothing else availed to enforce her au- 
 thority, she went to bed, put mustard plasters on her 
 breast, and made the house redolent with Hoffman's 
 anodyne. Every four or five minutes she heaved a 
 heart-rending sigh which, if it reached the Professor in 
 his study, immediately brought him to - her bedside, 
 anxious and repentant, and ready to promise anything 
 she might be minded to exact of him. Mrs. Weiling- 
 ford would then, in due time, take a bath and dress 
 herself in some crisp, fresh attire, as if to remove all 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 61 
 
 recollection of the unpleasant affair. After disagree- 
 ments of slight importance she usually took the bath 
 without the preliminary ceremony of going to bed. 
 When she then seated herself, plump and rosy and with 
 her mouth tightly closed, at the head of the table, and 
 her fine round arms showed under the loose sleeves up 
 to the dimple in the elbow, while she poured the tea, the 
 Professor would gazo at her with guilty admiration and 
 feel almost like a schoolboy who had been reprimanded. 
 Even the children had a vague feeling that they and 
 papa were in the same dilemma, being all objects ot' 
 mamma's displeasure. 
 
 One fertile source of disagreement in the Wcllingford 
 family was religion. Mrs, Wellingford was a rigidly 
 orthodox Presbyterian, while the Professor was very 
 easy- going in religious as in other matters, and like 
 many other scientific men assumed a critical attitude 
 toward all creeds. As his children grew up, however, 
 he foflnd it dilllcult to maintain his neutrality ; nor 
 could ho conscientiously, as a geologist, profess a literal 
 belief in certain portions of the Old Testament which 
 appeared to clash with his science. Ho almost came 
 to dread tho regular good-night visit to the nursery, 
 because that opportunity was invariably seized by tho 
 three yellow-haired grand inquisitors for a religious 
 cross-examination. He exerted all his ingenuity not to 
 appear at variance with their mother's teachings, but in 
 certain moods^when ho was off his guard, he was some- 
 times entrapped into contradictions from which ho 
 found it hard to extricate himself. The merciless logio 
 of those three little tots penetrated all shams and sub- 
 terfuges, and revealed their hollowness. One evening, 
 when papa came on his usual errand, he heard the foi- 
 
62 A DAUGHTER 
 
 lowing conversation between Harold, who had just filled 
 his fifth year, and Adelaide, who was scarcely four. 
 
 "You don't know who was the first man,'* said the 
 boy, conscious of the dignity conferred by recently ac- 
 quired knowledge. 
 
 44 Yes, I do too," replied the little girl, with indignant 
 emphasis. 44 It was Adam." 
 
 44 But you don't know who was the first woman." 
 
 44 Yes I do. It was Mrs. Adam." 
 
 An exultant shout was the reply of the ungenerous 
 brother. But Adelaide was too sure of the correctness 
 of her information to be easily baffled. Standing up in 
 bed iu her long nightgown, she dauntlessly appealed to 
 her papa, who had never yet failed her iu the hour of 
 need. 
 
 44 Papa, was n't Mrs. Adam the first woman?" 
 
 44 1 don't know, my darling," he answered, kissing 
 the pouting lips. 44 1 wasn't acquainted with the first 
 woman, and I doubt if she would have been a desirable 
 acquaintance." 
 
 44 But Adam was the first man, papa, was n't he?" 
 
 44 Possibly his name was Adam, but I have my doubts 
 about it." 
 
 44 But Goliah did live, papa," exclaimed the child, 
 bursting into tears. 44 Don't say, papa, that Goliah 
 did n't live." 
 
 If Goliah too became mythical, life would be alto* 
 gether too perplexing ; there would be no foothold for 
 the imagination anywhere. The Professor, though he 
 had had his doubts about Goliah, conceived a sudden 
 affection for him, and he answered gently, — 
 
 44 Yes, my darling, Goliah did live. Have n't you 
 seen the picture I have of him and David in the li* 
 brary?" 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, G3 
 
 Hero was irrefutable evidence of Goliah's existence, 
 and he was henceforth left unmolested, 
 
 Mi»s. Wellingford, as I have intimated, was not in 
 favor with the public in the University town, or more 
 especially that part of it which had been disposed to 
 find the Professor charming. They held her responsible 
 for the change in her husband's manner, which had of 
 late become even more hushed and as it were apolo- 
 getic than it had been in the days of his celibacy. His 
 genial smile, his friends asserted, had become a trifle 
 pathetic, and there was a kind of resigned sadness in 
 his voice. It was evident, however, that in spite of 
 occasional disturbances there was yet happiness enough 
 left in his lifo to make it well worth living. He took 
 supreme satisfaction in his children, and his eyes often 
 grew moist and his face radiant when he spoke of them. 
 It was, in fact, preposterous for a man to be so tender- 
 hearted, but of course it could not bo helped. But 
 then, it was not to be disputed, his children were really, 
 even from a non-parental point of view, very remark- 
 able. The boy Harold, as he grew up and entered 
 college, made the finest record in mathematics and in 
 the natural sciences that had ever been made in that 
 * venerable institution ; and Adelaide and Mabel both 
 developed a bewildering amount of individuality, ■ — in 
 fact, so much that it would never have been forgiven 
 them if they had not happened to combine with it a pro- 
 portionate amount of beauty. Their mother, who grew 
 more domineering as she grew older, expended much 
 force of voice and lungs in " toning them down," as 
 she called it ; but their bubbling and sparkling vitality 
 refused to bo permanently confined within the strait- 
 jacket of discipline. They had their good days, to bo 
 
64 A DAUGHTER 
 
 sure, when they were delightfully demure and studious ; 
 but they were apt to make up for them, when opportu- 
 nity offered, by some unheard-of prank or the exercise 
 of M unwomanly" accomplishments. 
 
 Between Harold and his father there was a relation 
 of comradeship which both thoroughly enjoyed. It was 
 a friendship very nearly on equal terms, in which each 
 felt that he both gave and received. The Professor 
 had a hearty respect for his son's intellect and char- 
 acter, and discussed freely with him all the social and 
 religious problems which perplexed him. He initiated 
 him, as soon as Harold was sufficiently mature to under- 
 stand, Into his own intellectual life and into the whole 
 world of hope and doubt which was pressing in upon 
 him. Mr. Wellingford had no ambition to appear as a 
 superior creature in the eyes of his son, preferring the 
 frank confidence and companionship which can only 
 result from a silent admission of equality. As soon as 
 Harold had taken his degree his father accompanied 
 him to Europe, and they spent the summer roaming 
 together through Germany and studying geology in the 
 Tyroleso Alps. It had been decided that Harold, 
 whose enthusiasm for the natural sciences seemed to 
 indicate a native fitness for scientific pursuits, should 
 follow in his father's footsteps and educate himself 
 for either a mining engineer or a professor of miner- 
 alogy and geology. For this purpose he was to go to 
 Freyberg, which was then at the height of its reputa- 
 tion ; but while waiting for the term to open, the young 
 man had a little adventure which may perhaps be worth 
 relating. 
 
 One evening in the middle of July he was at a 
 theatre in Leipzig, and was there greatly smitten 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 65 
 
 with a little blond actress who played the part of a 
 coy and virtuous sou'orctto. She looked as fresh and 
 plump and innocent as a new-hatched chicken, and her 
 cheeks, her neck, and her lips were simply ravishing. 
 Harold felt very uneasy when he returned to his lodg- 
 ings that night, and was tempted to confess his infatua- 
 tion to his father. But the old gentleman was sleeping 
 so peacefully that it seemed a pity to disturb him. Ho 
 had just discovered a new and surprising kind of cheese 
 that day, and had determined to import some of it to 
 America, although his son had recommended him to 
 charter a special vessel. It was a kind of cheese 
 that could be eaten only by connoisseurs, and would 
 have put an army of non-connoisseurs to flight. The 
 next day a shabby-looking student, named Nagol, who 
 gave Harold lessons in German, asked him, in order 
 to furnish material for conversation, how he had spent 
 the past day 8, and soon discovered, by the ardor of the 
 American's language as soon as Fraulein Schradcr was 
 mentioned, that the little soubrctte had made an im- 
 pression, The next day Nagel, who professed to be 
 Sehradcr's cousin on his mother's side, brought an in- 
 vitation from some one who professed to be the actress's 
 mother for Mr. Harold Wellingford, requesting him in 
 the most terrifically respectful language to honor her 
 humble abode by his distinguished presence at eight 
 o'clock r. m., when tea would be served, etc. To 
 Nagel's great astonishment, Harold refused to go unless 
 an invitation were also extended to his father. How- 
 ever, America was a queer countrj*, he reasoned, and 
 it might possibly be a. national custom for fathers and 
 sons to accompany each other on their gallant adven- 
 tures. He accordingly procured an invitation for the 
 
 6 
 
66 A DAUGHTER 
 
 \ 
 
 Professor, whom he surprised exceedingly by giving 
 htm ft confidential nudge and ft grin as they climbed 
 together the steep stairs which led to the little actress's 
 dwelling. The supper was very queer, consisting ot 
 Bausage, melons, pickles, and hard-boiled eggs ; but it 
 might have passed oft" without endangering anybody's 
 life, if only the conversation had been more fluent. 
 The Professor, to be sure, talked a good deal and with 
 much brilliancy ; but the little Schrader, who did not 
 know what to make of him, was too excited to listen, 
 and the pretended mother, who looked as if she had been 
 gotten up for the rOle, was so anxious about the pickles 
 and the melon and the sausage, that she had no attention 
 to spare for intellectual discourse. The alleged nephew, 
 Nagel, regretted excessively that he was obliged to 
 absent himself, as he had a pupil at nine o'clock, — a 
 Russian prince, by the way, of wealth untold and most 
 distinguished connections. After his departure the con- 
 versation stagnated completely. Father and son ex- 
 changed puzzled glances ; the situation began to dawn 
 upon them. The actress, who comprehended that they 
 were displeased at something, began suddenly to tell 
 rather an irrelevant story about her triumphs in South 
 Germany, and the persecutions of a certain prince who 
 for some inexplicable reason had taken it into his royal 
 head to pursue her with his professions of undying de- 
 votion. She had of course proved superior to his blan- 
 dishments, and had hurled some very magnificent scorn 
 and defiance at him. Here she made a tragic gesture 
 expressive of the scorn and defiance, and her voice as- 
 sumed the artificial stage pitch and accent. The poor 
 child imagined that she had rehabilitated herself in 
 their. eyes by this meretricious anecdote, and they had 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 07 
 
 »— — —— — m ii i » ,■ ii i 
 
 no desire to undeceive her. They bowed with the ut- 
 most courtesy to the dramatic mother and daughter, 
 alleging various excuses for their impoliteness in taking 
 their leave so soon after supper, Harold, however, 
 paid very dearly for his folly, He had inherited some 
 of his mother's hot-headedness, and he had never learned 
 to take an insult without resenting it. For several 
 days he went about boiling with anger at the indig- 
 nity which that insolent rogue Nagel had ventured to 
 offer to his father, On his own account he did not care 
 so much ; but the picture of his kind, noble, innocent 
 father sitting at that table, entertaining in his frank 
 and courteous manner two abandoned women, burned 
 itself into his memory and mado him flush with anger 
 and remorse, IIo resolved to punish Nagel, but had 
 not yet determined what shape his vengeance was to 
 take, when one afternoon ho happened into a restaurant 
 where he was in tho habit of reading the- American 
 papers. Ho picked up the New York Times, ordered 
 a cup of chocolate, and seated himself with his back 
 against a great column ; but hardly had he becomo in- 
 terested in the last congressional blunder when he was 
 startled by a chorus of derisive laughter from the next 
 room. Some one was telling a story to a company of 
 students, and his voice was so loud that it required no 
 exertion to hear what ho was saying. 
 
 ** It was delicious," were tho words which reached 
 Harold's ears, •« to see the old chap entertaining Lies- 
 chen and Minna, who had been gotten up for tho occa- 
 sion as Lieschen's mother, with a chivalrous courtesy 
 as if he were in the presence of an empress. Lieschen 
 and I planned the whole joko between us, because the 
 young gosling, as I happened to find out, was seriously 
 
68 A DAUqHTER 
 
 smitten with her ; and I had no objection to abdicating 
 temporarily in favor of such a profitable rival. Lies- 
 chen would have fleeced him, I can assure you. She 
 understands that art, the dear child. Naked he came 
 from his mother's womb, etc. You know what old Job 
 says. But, as I told you, the real point to the joke 
 was when the innocent old gentleman came stalking 
 in, — for he is inconveniently stout, being too fond of 
 pate defois gras — " 
 
 The narrator had here risen to illustrate the manner 
 in which the Professor entered and greeted the ladies ; 
 but as, amid applause and laughter, he backed toward 
 the door, some one sprang forward, planted himself in 
 front of the discomfited actor, and struck him a blow in 
 the Itead which sent him reeling over toward the group 
 around the table. The students jumped up with a sort 
 of warlike shout, and with angry talk and gestures sur- 
 rounded Nagel and goaded him on to resent the insult. 
 Harold in the meanwhile stood leaning against the 
 doorpost, and with apparent coolness awaited the re- 
 sult of their consultation. The fact was, he was itch- 
 ing for another attack upon the coward who had dared' 
 to ridicule his father ; and the opportunity soon pre- 
 sented itself. Nagel with a profoundly injured air 
 came forward, accompanied by two fellow-students, who 
 in his name demanded satisfaction. 
 
 11 lie shall have it," replied the American. 
 
 44 What weapons do you choose, sir? " inquired one 
 of the students. 
 
 44 Fists," said Harold gravely ; and without further 
 preliminaries ho rolled up his sleeves and advancing 
 quickly gave Nagel three terrific hits about his head 
 and chest. Nagel, who had nearly had the breath 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 69 
 
 knocked out of him, fell back rapidly, while Harold, 
 now in a frenzy of indignation, belabored him with 
 blows until ho tumbled in pitiful bewilderment against 
 the wall, Tho students, who had been too surprised to 
 interfere, now rushed forward with cries of" barbarian," 
 44 savage," 44 uncouth fiend," and assailing tho Amer- 
 lean from all sides forced him up against the wall, where 
 ho stood at bay, striking out furiously but receiving 
 fully as much as ho gave. It is hard to tell what tho 
 end would have been if tho polico had not at that mo- 
 ment entered and arrested tho principal combatants. 
 Harold cheerfully paid his fine of fifteen thalcrs for 
 44 disorderly conduct," and in spite of his swollen and 
 disfigured face felt much satisfaction at having, accord- 
 ing to tho barbaric code of honor which is still in 
 vogue among men, vindicated his father's good name. 
 
 Three or four days later ho separated from the Pro- 
 fessor, and went to Freyberg, where he studied for ono 
 year, and thence betook himself to tho University of 
 Berlin, where another agreeable and profitable terra was 
 passed. Ho was twenty-four years old when he finally 
 returned with a degree of Ph.D. to the United States 
 and established himself as a mining engineer in New 
 York. 
 
70 A DAUGHTER 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 
 ALMA TAKES A RISK. 
 
 THE visit to Loewenthal with all its attendant ex- 
 citement kept vibrating for. several days in Alma's 
 memory, as strong bell-strokes will tremble long in the 
 air. She had succeeded after many vain efforts in 
 piecing together Wellingford's card, and had found 
 some satisfaction in knowing that his name was Harold, 
 and that he was by profession a raining engineer. She 
 made up her mind that if she ever married him she 
 would call him Harrj*, which was such a nice name for 
 a husband, and she would make him put Mr, before the 
 Harold on his card, and induce him to emplo}* a more 
 fashionable engraver. For, curious as it may seem, 
 "Wellingford had from the very first presented himself 
 to her imagination in the light of a possible husband. 
 Even though in her indignation she had mentally called 
 him an irritating and detestable prig, her fancy still 
 kept busying itself with him. If she was in love with 
 him, her Jove was yet sufficiently critical to save her from 
 the sentimental follies whioh are supposed to be insep* 
 arable from the tender passion. It may have been a 
 mere whim of hers that she looked upon Wellingford as 
 less objectionable than any of the candidates who had 
 so far aspired for her hand. Since the world persisted 
 in regarding it as proper for young girls to marry, and 
 as not marrying was looked upon as an abnormal 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 71 
 
 deviation from the universal law, and moreover in time 
 gave rise to much unpleasant talk, it was obviously 
 incumbent upon every girl to make up her mind who 
 among her male acquaintance would be least objection- 
 able as a life companion. This duty, of course, neces- 
 sitated a revision of her last judgment whenever a new 
 desirable acquaintance was added to her list ; and this 
 revision, which in the life of a fashionable young lady is 
 at all times a more or less conscious occupation, give3 
 zest to existence by furnishing the mind with one topio 
 which is always of absorbing interest. 
 
 Alma had, however, another topio which for the 
 moment was even more absorbing. Should she or 
 should she not make her fortune by her speculation in 
 New York Central? She had frequently heard her 
 father refer to this stock, as good and sound, and sho 
 had chosen it on this account, because, if it did not 
 rise, it would, at all events, not bring her into trouble 
 by any sudden downward tumble. Picture, then, her 
 amazement when, one morning about a week after the 
 visit, she received a telegram from Loewenthal, saying 
 tjiat her stock had gone down to one hundred and eight, 
 and asking for fifteen hundred dollars more margin. If 
 she did not furnish this amount before two o'clock r. m., 
 he would be obliged to sell her out. She made a rapid 
 calculation in her head ; and suddenly the meaning of 
 the term "margin" flashed upon her. She compre- 
 hended that she had made a mistake in buying so large 
 an amount even of the safest stock with so small an 
 allowance for the fluctuations of the market. While 
 hastily dressing for the street she congratulated herself 
 on the absence of all the members of the family except 
 her brother Walter, who had been graduated during the 
 
72 A DAUGHTER 
 
 summer, and since bis return seldom rose until noon, 
 as he needed rest from his arduous intellectual labors. 
 He also maintained that a man who was to decide on 
 bis future profession and did not wish to be biassed in 
 his choice should stay in bed as much as possible, 
 because be could think much more clearly and decide 
 more impartially in a horizontal position. Alma, as 
 she stood on the front steps buttoning the last button 
 of her glove, threw an uneasy glance up to his windows, 
 but, seeing that the shades were down, knew that her 
 amiable brother was still enjoying his well-earned re- 
 pose. She started down the Avenue at a rapid pace, 
 feeling nervous and unsettled, and unable to concen- 
 trate her thought upon the one subject which urgently 
 demanded her attention. She was rather inclined to 
 push it away among the sordid and annoying things 
 which seem to have been invented merely to make a 
 young girl — who thought she had a right to exemption 
 from all annoyance — as miserable as possible. If she 
 had only had a friend to whom she could confide her 
 L trouble, how much easier it would be to bear ! But sbo 
 ^\ had never had a friend, although she had had hosts of 
 1 V. male and female adorers. She felt herself so much 
 cleverer than the people she was in the habit of meeting, 
 that a friendship between her and them seemed out of 
 the question. And yet even a stupKl friend would have 
 been a comfort at this moment. The thought of Wei- 
 lingford flashed through Alma's mind. He was the 
 only man under the sun whom she had ever thoroughly 
 respected. In fact, she admitted to herself that she 
 i even stood slightly in awe of him. If he were only a 
 little less unbending, and a trifle more sympathetic 
 toward folly, he would be the ideal of a friend. She 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 73 
 
 recalled her promise to him, and wondered whether it 
 were really binding. It would be very humiliating, of 
 course, to go to him as a penitent and confess that the 
 result which he predicted had come to pa9s. She might 
 try Loewenthal again, and appeal to his generosity ; 
 but the thought of meeting his small shrewd eyes 
 and his vulture's beak made her shudder. In his 
 presence sho felt so hopelessly at a disadvantage ; all 
 her easy superiority and self-assertion would again de- 
 sert her. She considered for a moment the possibility 
 of an appeal to her father; but he too was unpleas' 
 ant in his wrath, and said things which it was hard for 
 every one but himself to forget, Wellingford, even 
 though he might be a little priggish, was a gentleman 
 to the core and would not attempt to assert his power 
 over her. He would rather make it as easy as possible 
 and extricate her from her difficulty, as he had prom- 
 ised. How ho would do it, sho did not for a moment 
 consider. Sho had unlimited confidence in his ability ; 
 and what primarily concerned her was to have the bur- 
 den removed from her own delicate shoulders. And 
 yet how could she thus recklessly throw herself upon 
 the mercy of a man to whom she would like to appear 
 majestic, exalted, unattainable? Could sho not better 
 afford to loso her jewels than his admiration? More- 
 over, the role of a supplicant was constitutionally dis- 
 tasteful to her. What could be more contemptible than 
 a gambler who wept for his losses ? Bravado was more 
 becoming to her type of countenance than humility. 
 
 She engaged a cab in front of the Brunswick and 
 gave . the driver Simon LoewenthaTs address. She 
 could, at all events, make the effort to recover her 
 jewels, and she had two diamond rings and some other 
 
74 A DAUGHTER 
 
 trifles which, though with a very faint heart, she would 
 offer as additional margin. She had no idea that the 
 broker would accept them for the required sum, but 
 there would be no harm* in making him the offer. She 
 was out of patience with herself and with the whole 
 world. Everybody, she reasoned, insisted upon beinjj 
 disagreeable to her. Everythiug she touched showed 
 a fatal facility for going wrong. She was in the midst 
 of this disconsolate meditation when she became aware 
 that some one was running along the sidewalk, keeping 
 pace with her carriage, and a glance convinced her that 
 it was Wellingford. The recollection that she owed him 
 a grudge came too late to check the cordiality of her 
 greeting ; she called to the driver to stop, and it was 
 with a charming eagerness that she held out her hand 
 to the engineer, as he stepped up to the side of the 
 cab. 
 
 14 Lounging in offlco hours, Mr. Wellingford!" she 
 exclaimed with vivacity; "the world is apparently in 
 no haste to be engineered." 
 
 11 It is a lamentable fact, Miss Hampton," he replied 
 with a melancholy smile ; '* there is a glut of engineers 
 in the market, and their services are accordingly at a 
 discount. I was just now on my way down to Simon 
 Loewenthal to induce him to enter into a combination 
 with me and work up a corner in engineers, in the hope 
 that you would possibly invest in them so as to retrieve 
 your losses in New York Central." 
 
 " And how do you know of ray losses, if I may ask?" 
 inquired Alma, with an imperceptible chill in her man- 
 ner. u I did n't know that they had been advertised in 
 the morning papers." 
 
 14 No | but the stock quotations have," replied the 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, t 75 
 
 Imperturbable Wellington!, M and I have taken the liberty 
 to follow the fate of your venture from day to day, To 
 be frank, I hoped you would lose." 
 
 44 That was very kind of you;" she retorted a little 
 sharply; ** your generosity fills me with gratitude." 
 
 44 Oh, never mention it," he continued in his grave, 
 impassive tone. 44 1 don't wish to preach to you, but 
 really, for so valuable an experience, you bought it 
 pretty cheaply," 
 
 44 1 am sure I don't understand what you mean." 
 
 44 Well, I mean that if you had won you would prob- 
 ably have continued to speculate, Now X take it for 
 granted that you will not." 
 
 44 If you take anything for granted with me, Mr. 
 Wellington!, you are destined to have many surprises. 
 You know, I like to do odd things. My movements are 
 as unexpected as those of a grasshopper." 
 
 She had lapsed a little from her distant tone, and was 
 in danger of becoming confidential. She had a strong 
 suspicion that her interlocutor had, of his own accord, 
 started on some benevolent errand in connection with 
 her speculations, and she felt a strong impulse of kind- 
 ness to him, in spite of his somewhat patronizing talk. 
 There was something in his face and manner — some- 
 thing manly and trustworth}* -r- which reconciled her to 
 his superior attitude. It was even her whim for the 
 moment to like him for asserting his superiority. There 
 seemed no longer to be anything humiliating in tho 
 idea of subordinating her judgment to his, and of 
 accepting his estimate of her, even though it involved 
 some disrespect to her own intellect. 
 
 44 Do 3'ou know, Mr. Wellingford," she went on, as he 
 hesitated in commenting upon her self-characterization, 
 
76 A DAUGHTER 
 
 14 that you are a very uncomfortable sort of person? 
 You always make me feel as if you disapproved of me. 
 But even if you do, I am going to forgive you before- 
 hand and offer you a seat at my side ; for it is absurd 
 to be standing in that attitude, conversing across the 
 gutter." 
 
 44 Much obliged. But then let us drive somewhere ; 
 for it is no less* absurd to be sitting conversing in the 
 street in a stationary cab." 
 
 M Very well, let us drive down to the Battery and get 
 a glimpse of the harbor. I am dying for a sniff of salt 
 breeze." 
 
 He had taken the vacant seat at her side, and they 
 sat for a while in silence, while the cab rattled away 
 over the uneven cobble-stones. 
 
 44 Miss Hampton," began the young man at last, 44 1 
 am itching to say something, but I can't make up my 
 mind how to say it." 
 
 44 You want to say *I told you so.' Well, say it; 
 I told you I was in a forgiving mood." 
 
 She cocked her head with such a comical, challenging 
 air, that in spite of his seriousness ho could not help 
 smiling. 
 
 44 No," he said, blushing a little and seeking a con- 
 venient point whereupon to fix his ej'es; 44 that would 
 be a very simple thing to say." 
 
 His superior manner had suddenlj' deserted him, and 
 Alma, with her capriciously shilling moods, was dis- 
 posed to find his awkwardness no less attractive than 
 his superciliousness. She began to be conscious of her 
 own power. She knew that she had made an impres- 
 sion, and there was an approach toward mutual depen- 
 dence — a kind of vague reciprocity* — in this discovery* 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 
 
 which lifted her out of the depths of her humility. He 
 recovered himself rapidly, however; and though ho 
 avoided looking at her, there was- no lack of self-con- 
 fidence in his voice as he said, — 
 
 44 What I have to sa}', Miss Hampton, involves a 
 sort of breach of courtesy, and that is what makes it so 
 difficult. I don't wish to have the appearance of per- 
 secuting you with my officious interest in your affairs,, 
 and if the topic is not agreeable to you, I will promise 
 not to refer to it again." 
 
 He paused .and turned his frank gaze suddenly on 
 Alma, The blood sprung to her checks, and it was 
 with a charming confusion that she answered : " You are 
 very kind, Mr, Wellingford. I appreciate your kindness, 
 and have never thought of being offended at your — 
 your — " She groped for a moment for the right word, 
 then, abandoning the effort, burst out with subdued ve- 
 hemence : u You don't know how I detest myself, but 
 I know I have deserved all the misery which has come 
 from this horrid business, I am in an awful scrape, and 
 I don't see how I am to get out of it. Now if I had 
 only taken Lake Shore instead of Central, I should 
 have made eight thousand dollars instead of losing 
 four. Isn't it too horribly provoking? It seems as if 
 everything was going against, me, It does not help 
 matters a bit if I hate myself for having disregarded 
 your warning, and you for having given it, and Simon 
 Loewcnthal for having cheated mo, and tho whole world 
 for persisting in annoying me." 
 
 She had wrought herself up to that pitch of nervous- 
 ness when the tears seem to tremble under the eyelids 
 and threaten to burst forth on the slightest provocation. 
 There was a certain reserve in this young man, even 
 
78 A DAUGHTER 
 
 when he was joking, which made her feel uneasy about 
 his opinion of her. It was more than half true that 
 she was angry with him ; and yet she was ridiculously 
 anxious to have him think as well of her as possible. 
 And it was this anxiety which trembled vaguely through 
 her passionate words, and would have softened Wel- 
 lingford's heart toward her if it had at all needed to be 
 softened. 
 
 44 If you have sufficient confidence in me to give me a 
 power of attorney," he said, 44 I think I can manage 
 the affair for you, and probably extricate you without 
 loss." 
 
 44 1 have every confidence in you, Mr. Wellingford," 
 she responded eagerly ; 44 it seems almost impudent to 
 assert it; and if I were not ashamed of my depen- 
 dence upon you, I should willingly accept your offer.'* 
 
 14 There need be no dependence and no obligation," he 
 replied in a colorless business tone. 44 Regard mc merely 
 as your commercial agent; and if it will spare your 
 sensibilities, I will even charge you a commission." 
 
 4,4 Yes, do ; I shall regard it as a great favor. And 
 now," she continued with characteristic irrelevancy, 44 1 
 do not mind telling you that I penetrated }*our incognito 
 the very first time we met — in the fog at Newport. If 
 I did n't know who you were, I knew at once what you 
 were." 
 
 lie was on the point of replying that he did not 
 remember having 44 talked shop," when suddenly the 
 subtler import of the remark dawned upon him ; but 
 he concealed the pleasure this discovery gave him by 
 turning to the driver and directing him to the office of a 
 Wall Street lawyer. Within half an hour the necessary 
 papers were drawn up, sealed, and signed ; and Alma, 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 79 
 
 with a profound sense of relief, surrendered her stock 
 certificates to Wellingford, and drove away toward the 
 upper regions of the city. If once or twice her conscience 
 awoke and began to prick her, she soothed it by the 
 reflection that it was, after all, Wellingford who was at 
 the bottom of all her trouble, and there could be no 
 impropriety in having him save her from a difficulty in 
 which he had himself involved her ; for, she reasoned, 
 if he had not aroused all her perversity by his irritating 
 behavior, she would very likely have left Simon with- 
 out risking her jewels and her peace of mind in a foolish 
 speculation. 
 
80 A DAUGHTER 
 
 CHAPTER VIL 
 
 HOW TO PROVE TnAT ONE IS NOT IN LOVE» 
 
 THE monotonous routine of pleasure which consti- 
 tutes what, a lady of fashion is pleased to call her 
 life has its disadvantages. It dulls one's sensibility to 
 small joys, just as a man. who habitually drinks absinthe 
 loses the power to enjoy the bouquet of less fiery 
 liquors. Any one walking up Fifth Avenue on a fine 
 afternoon will have observed the tired and listless 
 expression of the grand ladies, with artificial complex- 
 ions, who loll in the corners of their splendid carriages-. 
 A glance at these faces always consoled Wellingford 
 when he began to feel communistic, socialistic, and 
 anarchistic, as he sometimes did while beholding all 
 the magnificence which was so utterly beyond his reach. 
 When he gazed at those stately plate-glass windows 
 and imagined himself seated with an air of proprietor- 
 ship behind them, surrounded by expensive luxuries 
 which agreed so admirably with his taste and disposi- 
 tion, at such times, I say, the conviction crept upon him 
 that the world somehow was out of gear, lie was con- 
 scious of being a much worthier object of the bounty of 
 Providence than the majority of those who sit on the 
 top of the tally-ho's, blowing unmelodious horns, as if 
 to flaunt their impudent prosperity in the face of the 
 universe. 
 
 Mr, Wellingford had, after the interview described 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 81 
 
 in the last chapter, discovered that his health was suf- 
 fering in consequence of his sedentary habits, and he 
 had accordingly determined to sacrifice an hour or two 
 every afternoon to a constitutional on Fifth Avenue, 
 # Miss Alma Hampton, too, could invariably be seen be- 
 tween four and six, sometimes seated leisurely in her car- 
 riage, sweetly unconscious — as Wellingford innocently 
 believed — of all the admiring glances which were lev- 
 elled at her, sometimes dashing recklessly up toward the 
 Park in an English dog-cart and whipping up her horse 
 smartly, while at the same time conversing with a jaded 
 young gentleman, in a loose English overcoat, who was 
 seated at her side. It is not pleasant to have the 
 mud from the vehicle in which your beloved is seated 
 flung into your face ; and it does not mend matters if 
 she is attired in the jauntiest of costumes and shares her 
 attention equally between a high-stepping bay trotter 
 and a sleepy-looking young gentleman with a drooping 
 blond mustache. And although this was Wellingford's 
 almost daily experience, his precious health still did 
 not permit him to abandon his walks on the Avenue. 
 He made himself believe that it was his nesthctic nature 
 which craved the daily satisfaction of at least one beau- 
 tiful sight, even though, like the breath of a poisoned 
 flower, it kept rankling within him with a continual 
 irritation. It was especially the drowsy individual with 
 a mustache who was a thorn in Wellingford's side. 
 Among his few acquaintances in the city he made some 
 cautious inquiries, but there was no one who could 
 identify this dangerous rival, 
 * It was possible that he might be an Englishman, 
 either a real or a counterfeit one ; and there is some- 
 thing about an Englishman which appeals powerfully 
 
 6 
 
82 A DAUGHTER 
 
 to the imagination of a New York belle. If he is 
 not himself a lord or a baronet, he has a cousin on his 
 mother's side who is ; and this more or less remote con- 
 nection with the aristocracy gives, in the estimation of 
 ladies, a distinction even to a stupid individual which 
 no intellectual merit could give. Harold spent three 
 sleepless nights in speculating about this stranger's 
 relations with Alma, working himself up into a per- 
 fect rage at the thought of the lazy and familiar way 
 in which he had seen him answer her remarks without 
 even turning to look at her. It was therefore an over- 
 whelming surprise to him when, one evening, he met 
 the object of his wrath at his club, and on obtaining 
 an introduction, learned that his name was Walter 
 Hampton, and that he was Alma's brother. He could 
 have embraced him, and had to restrain himself to 
 keep his joy within bounds. Somehow he had always 
 thought of Alma as an only child, and it required an 
 entire readjustment of her imaginary surroundings, to 
 find a place for this inconvenient brother. Walter, who 
 was immensely flattered by Harold's confession that he 
 had taken him for an Englishman, made an effort to half 
 open his eyes, threw his head a little back, and gazed 
 at his interlocutor with an air of supercilious approval. 
 "Ah, ah — come and see me some evening," he said 
 in his heavy drawl ; u like to have fellows at my rooms 
 and that sort of thing, you know, — Fifth Avenue, 5 — . 
 Lay you a guinea, you won't find better cigars and better 
 liquor anywhere in New York." 
 
 Harold, although Walter impressed him anything but 
 pleasantly, promised to come. lie was so grateful to 
 him for being Alma's brother. As for Walter, he was 
 never in the habit of receiving vivid impressions, and 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 83 
 
 rather prided himself on his insensibility. He referred 
 to Harold in the course of the evening as a u queer 
 cad," but admitted that he was u quite awfully good- 
 looking." 
 
 After his drive with Alma, Wcllingford had made haste 
 to arrange her financial affairs, He had found Simon 
 before the afternoon sales, and had succeeded in borrow- 
 ing from a well-to-do friend the four thousand which he 
 needed to redeem her jewels and to pay the additional 
 margin. Simon was furious when he found that the 
 stock had been transferred to Harold, and made all 
 manner of difficulties before being forced to surrender 
 the jewels. lie hinted broadly that he was not as 
 harmless as he looked, and that, some da}', he would get 
 even with the engineer for depriving him of a profitable 
 customer. Five days later Harold ordered the stock to 
 be sold at one hundred and thirteen, realizing thereby 
 a little more than was needed to pay interest and broker- 
 ago, besides recovering the original investment. 
 
 It was on the evening of the day of the sale that he 
 was to be present at a ball given by a Mr, Palfrey, a 
 friend and former pupil of his father. The postman 
 handed him the letter containing his broker's check for 
 the full amount duo to him, just as he returned from 
 his dinner to take his siesta previous to preparing for 
 the ball. He had resolved on the morrow to avail him- 
 self of Walter's invitation to call ; and expected then, 
 by some fortunate accident, also to meet Alma and to 
 render an account of his stewardship. It did not occur 
 to him that a chance might be offered him that very 
 night. And yet the first sight which riveted his atten- 
 tion when, after the customary bows to host and 
 hostess, ho had stationed himself, as was his wont, in a 
 
84 A: DAUGHTER 
 
 corner, was a pair of brilliant brown eyes which flashed 
 out upon him from under their long dark lashes. She 
 was leaning on the arm of her brother, who, as usual, 
 was struggling to get his eyes half open, and with his 
 head thrown back was taking a supercilious survey of 
 the company. His blond handsome hair, which was. 
 parted in the middle, his discontented mustache, his 
 pale face and apathetic expression, furnished a very 
 good foil for the brilliant color and animation of his 
 dark-haired sister. She, too, was by nature somewhat 
 pale, but it was a warm paleness which immediately 
 flushed into rose whenever a slight agitation s*t the 
 blood in swifter motion. As Harold stood observing 
 her pure profile outlined against her brother's face 
 (like two heads on the same medallion), he came near 
 making an exclamation of surprise at her startling 
 beauty. It was not exactly the regal beauty he had 
 dreamed of in his boyhood, but something warmer and 
 more human, and therefore more lovable. Her fea- 
 tures had not the massive modelling of Greek goddesses, 
 but a tenderer and more delicate accentuation, and a 
 range of expression which, I believe, belongs only to 
 the women of the nineteenth century. When Harold, 
 a few days later, attempted to describe her in a letter 
 to his father, he said that her face reminded him of 
 those adorable English girls in the Christmas numbers 
 of the London Graphic and the Illustrated News, 
 which, if you are a bachelor, you nail on your door 
 only to convince yourself that life has something glori- 
 ous in store for you. Alma however, he maintained, 
 was this type slightly etherealized by her keen American 
 intelligence and her lovely American complexion. He 
 was far from being in love with her, he affirmed ; but as 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 85 
 
 he found her a most interesting study, be could not deny 
 himself the pleasure of being near her. The Professor, 
 when he read this long epistle, smiled dubiously, and 
 quoted with a pardonable corruption of Heine's text : — 
 
 " Ten closely written pages j 
 Not less, perhaps nbove. 
 One writes not at such length to say 
 That one is not in love." 
 
 The large, high-ceiled rooms were filling rapidly with 
 the usual New York throng, — men in black dress-coats 
 with worn, indifferent faces, and women in gorgeous 
 toilets with ail varieties of lovely and unlovely physiog- 
 nomies. It seemed diilleult to Harold to account for 
 the fact that in almost every American assembly the 
 women are so much more noticcablo than the men ; and 
 the typical New York girl especially is a transcendent 
 phenomenon which would set the heart of the hoariest 
 misogynist a-throbbing. As Wellingfbrd put it, she is 
 the last and noblest result of evolution. He, to be 
 sure, made the mistake of supposing that Miss Hamp- 
 ton was a genuine product of New York, having gained 
 no knowledge, as yet, of her mythical past in Saun- 
 dersville, He luxuriated in the splendid lines of her 
 figuro,— tho bare neck, the bust thrown a little for- 
 ward, the shoulders drawn back by tho weight of the 
 train, the round white arms, and the light and grace- 
 ful outline of her beautiful head. Her hair, which was 
 one mass of dark curls, did not conform to the prevail- 
 ing fashion, but was gathered in a sort of coronet on 
 the top of her head, — three or four curls, which appar- 
 ently had been forgotten, straying half-way down the 
 neck, Harold, who admired this arrangement as a 
 
8G A DAUGHTER 
 
 happy accident, was not aware that there can be noth- 
 ing unpremeditated in the toilet of a New York belle; 
 that, in fact, the most charming accidents are always 
 most charmingly premeditated. 
 
 Mr. Palfrey's house was one of those which must 
 create socialists by the hundreds. It was only a prctcr- 
 naturally generous man who could enter it and forgive 
 the owner for possessing it. The luxurious warmth 
 which struck against your face the moment you crossed 
 the threshold ; the long vistas through curtained folding- 
 doors (which were always open), giving glimpses of 
 waving ferns and tropical plants ; the great pictures by 
 modern masters covering the walls, and upon which the 
 light was thrown from a combination of reflecting mir- 
 rors ; the taste displayed in the varying decorations of 
 the stately rooms, some of which were gay with a dash 
 of frivolity and others richly sombre and serious, — all 
 these things and a hundred more beside gave evidence 
 of a height and complexity of civilization for which this 
 continent rarely receives credit, and marked the owner 
 of the house as a man whose wealth was more than 
 equalled by his culture. It was a peculiarity of Wei- 
 lingford that he always had, as he styled it, M an attack 
 of philosophy " whenever he contemplated anything 
 novel and striking ; and ho could not refrain from esti- 
 mating the debt which such a favored individual as his 
 father's friend owed to humanity at large, for all the 
 blessings which, b}- appropriating them, he had withheld 
 from general distribution. While the airy strains of a 
 Strauss waltz sounded with its rocking, alluring rhythm 
 in his ears, he stood gazing upon a picture in the library 
 without seeing it, wondering what he would do and how 
 he would comport himself if he were the possessor of 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 87 
 
 Mr. Palfrey's millions, Ho concluded promptly that 
 before undertaking to dischargo his debt to humanity 
 ho would marry Miss Hampton," who would then, in all 
 probability, find him worthy of her distinguished atten- 
 tion. In the meanwhile would it not bo well to refrain 
 from tempting Providence by exposing himself to the 
 danger of becoming more hopelessly entangled? Ho 
 was just sketching out for himself a path of heroio 
 self-denial, when Mr. Palfrey, who had evidently been 
 seeking him, stepped up and struck him affectionately 
 on the shoulder. 
 
 * 4 Why, my boy," he said with easy good-humor, 
 41 if I were you Ij would put my thinking-cap in my 
 pocket, and keep it there. I never supposed you had 
 the bad taste to prefer a painted woman to a real one. 
 There are a dozen nice girls, at the very least, in the 
 next room, who are disconsolate because you take no 
 notice of them. A man of your fine appearance has 
 positive duties toward the young ladies, and they have 
 a right to be indignant if you neglect them, Only look 
 and see what lovely faces, what figures and dimples and 
 arms! By Jove, my lad, you don't know what you 
 miss ! " 
 
 Mr. Palfrey was himself a handsome man, not far 
 advanced in the thirties, and, priding himself on his 
 varied experience in affaires de coBur^ liked to give his 
 juniors paternal advice. There was an elegance and a 
 refinement in his presence which in the Old World would 
 have stamped him as a man of *• long descent." Some 
 wag had said of him that it was a pity he had no chance 
 of becoming President, as his profile would have looked 
 admirable on a postage stamp, In fact, his whole head 
 was of the kind which seemed to have been made by 
 
88 A DAUGHTER 
 
 Nature when she was in a mood to show that she could 
 make some very fine things when she liked. The neat 
 balance of the lines of the slightly receding forehead, 
 the aquiline nose, and the strong chin made almost the 
 impression of beauty; and the scrupulously trimmed 
 reddish-brown side-whiskers, too, were, in their way, 
 highly ornamental. 
 
 44 You dou't suspect," replied Harold, smiling, "that 
 I am for the moment enduring a kind of martyrdom. 
 It is only because I am too susceptible that I refuse to 
 view these charming girts except at a safe distance. I 
 was just trying to imagine the felicity of being married 
 to a certain young lady in the next room, but concluded 
 I was n't rich enough to pay a fair amount of damages 
 to humanity for the loss it would sustain, if I were to 
 appropriate her all to myself." 
 
 44 Your case can hardly have been serious, then," re- 
 marked the host, k% if you had time to think of humanity. 
 But before you make any rash selection I should like 
 to introduce you to a young lady who is here to-night, 
 and who makes every married man feel as if he had 
 been defrauded by her not being in the market at the 
 time when he was investing in matrimonial bonds. It 
 was, after all, pleasant to imagine that if all the lovely 
 women in the world had been standing in a row trem- 
 blingly awaiting your decision, you would only have 
 repeated your iirst choice, which you had made long ago, 
 and with less liberty of selection. And I know many 
 a Benedict who felt thus until he saw Miss Hampton. 
 It would therefore be a great mercy to a number of 
 families in New York if a young Adonis like yourself 
 would secure her affections, take her abroad, and return 
 with her as the mother of a blooming family. I assure 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 89 
 
 you she is not a flirt in the vulgar sense, The dress 
 she wears to-night probably would absorb your income 
 for six months ; but then she is rich, and can afford to 
 allow you your own earnings as pocket money. Now, 
 if you are the bravo fellow I took you for, come along 
 and I'll introduce you. Take my arm, you may need 
 it ; and if you will wait a moment I'll borrow my wife's 
 vinaigrette for further security.". 
 
 "No, I thank you," cried Harold, laughing; *« I 
 rather like to bravo danger unarmed, It is so much 
 moro heroic." 
 
 lie was conscious of a somewhat abnormal palpitation 
 in the region of the heart, as they walked through the 
 hall into the brilliantly lighted parlor, where Alma was 
 standing surrounded by a crowd of worshippers. 
 , Seeing Mr. Palfrey approach, they opened their ranks, 
 and some of them exchanged jocose remarks with him 
 over their shoulders. They glowered in rather an un- 
 friendly manner at Wellingford, as he gravely bowed to 
 Miss Hampton and fixed his eyes questioningly on her 
 face. No one likes to have the lady of his choice extend 
 her acquaintance among good-looking gentlemen. 
 
90 A DAUGHTER 
 
 CHAPTER VIIL 
 
 wellingford's totem, 
 
 *'T DARE hardly hope that you have yet a dance to 
 A spare for me, Mias Hampton," he said, when the 
 superfluous ceremony of introduction was at an* end. 
 
 44 1 really don't know, Mr. Wellingford," she an- 
 swered with a careless toss of her head ; 4t but I am 
 afraid you are too late." 
 
 She found it inconsistent with her dignity to confess, 
 that she had, before descending from the dressing-room, 
 put down her brother's name for three dances which he 
 had not the remotest intention of claiming, nor was 
 Wellingford acute enough to divine that these three 
 dances had been especially reserved for him. He there- 
 fore stood looking hopelessly at the gilt-edged card, 
 which was scrawled all over with names and initials in 
 all manner of back-handed, perpendicular, and recum- 
 bent handwritings ; and Alma, who noted with satisfac- 
 tion his disappointed look, determined to punish him to 
 the full of his deserts for his tardiness in seeking her. 
 He had come very near spoiling the evening for her, 
 and that was an offence which could not readily be 
 forgiven. 
 
 44 As far as I can sec," he remarked ruefully, tc there 
 is no vacancy, where I could step in, on this card. I 
 don't suppose there is any likelihood that anybody will 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 91 
 
 be taken ill who has put down his name for any of the 
 waltzes?" 
 
 44 Not unless you assist them, and that might have 
 unpleasant consequences." 
 
 44 And I dare not hope that any one will .have the 
 generosity to withdraw in order to accommodate me? " . 
 
 44 You might try, My brother Walter is usually 
 fonder of billiards than of his sister's society, and as he 
 is now up-stairs in the billiard room, I'll take the risk 
 of incurring his displeasure. The chances are, how- 
 ever, that he will forget his engagements with me. 
 He generally does, whenever it suits his majesty's con- 
 venience;" 
 
 44 1 doubt if Castor and Pollux realized that their sis- 
 ter Helen was anything extraordinary, until the Greeks 
 and the Trojans took to fighting about her." 
 
 44 The inference of which is that Walter will never 
 discover how charming I am until his friends come to 
 blows about me." 
 
 44 Or some unworthy Paris carries you off to his own 
 kingdom." 
 
 44 Then I am afraid my dear brother will never come 
 to recognize my worth." 
 
 44 In the moanwhile you will perhaps allow me to 
 assist him toward a proper appreciation of your charms 
 by depriving him of this waltz, the right to which he 
 has already forfeited." 
 
 44 If he were but here to see it, then your self-sacrifice 
 would not bo entirely in vain." 
 
 44 Your gratitude will be sufficient reward. Mr. 
 Hampton, however, I am afraid would hardly do justice 
 to my disinterested motives. Anyway, is it not a fact 
 that a lovely woman is never without admiration ex- 
 cent amoncr her own brothers — " 
 
92 A DAUGHTER 
 
 11 And the rival belles of the season.** 
 
 The music, after a delicious confusion of vague sound, 
 now broke into a clear ecstatic rhythm ; and Alma, 
 whoso blood seemed already to be dancing to the same 
 melody, gave herself up, just so far as that year's 
 fashion prescribed, to Wellingford's embrace. She de- 
 cided at the end of two minutes that he was an excel- 
 lent dancer, and at the end of eight she wished that the 
 dance might last without weariness and without inter- 
 ruption through the rest of her life. She felt as if she 
 knew him much better when the last shrill note of the 
 clarinet died away ; and her voice sounded warmer and 
 more confidential as they walked together .through the 
 large, stately rooms, — through the picture galleries 
 and the conservatories, where the tropical ferns formed 
 •such a delightful privacy about them. Wellingfonl's 
 gravity was no more oppressive to Alma ; she had 
 found the clew to it, and called it no longer priggishness ; 
 she was rather inclined to value it as something rare 
 and manly, because she had detected that he was by no 
 means destitute of humor. An impertinent little twig 
 of some thorn)' vegetable monster got entangled in her 
 curls; and while Harold with much fluttering ecstasy 
 (which he was far from betraying) was striving to lib- 
 erate it, he noted the exquisite shape of her ears, and 
 detected, beside, a fascinating little nook behind one 
 of them which it would be delightful to kiss when he 
 should have gained the right to do so. The faint 
 breath of jasmine which her hair exhaled added to the 
 general preciousness of her whole self and all that per- 
 tained to her : and the loveliness of her bare neck, 
 which it would have been luxury to touch, was rather 
 increased by the absence of all ornaments. Alma, 
 
OF THE PI11LISTJNES, 93 
 
 without appearing to cross-examine her companion, 
 gained by inference a deal of valuable intelligence con- 
 cerning his personal affaire, and rewarded his frankness 
 by offering him little humorous incidents from her own 
 autobiography. She was in such an adventurous mood 
 that she even related to him in a witty and amusing 
 manner her romantic attachment to Alfonso, who had 
 proved to be an ex-convict. She felt greatly relieved 
 when she found that Wcllingford was capable of taking 
 a humorous view of this dangerous escapade. Though 
 she hardly would have liked to formulate her motive, 
 there was a kind of unconscious reasoning in her mind, 
 that it was better to have him know the worst now, so 
 that there might bo nothing hidden between them after 
 their marriage. For Alma had come to look upon this 
 marriage as quite a probablo event, and would possibly, 
 after some decorous hesitation, have ended by accept- 
 ing Wcllingford, had he proposed to her that very 
 night. Such an inference, however, is, never quite safe, 
 as there are on record numerous instances in which 
 young ladies, for reasons hardly known to themselves, 
 have refused a gentleman in the evening whom in 
 the morning they had resolved to accept, or accepted 
 one whom they had resolved to discourage, Alma, dur- 
 ing that brief promenade through the conservatories, 
 came to the" conclusion that Wcllingford was the only 
 man of her acquaintance whose appearance and charac- 
 ter entirely satisfied her, and whilo stooping to admire 
 a huge llame-tongucd cactus she made up her mind 
 gently to hasten the denouement. She felt that easy 
 superiority to circumstances which, I believe, is char- 
 acteristic of every beautiful woman ; life lay before her 
 as a march of conquest, and she could imagine nothing 
 
94 A DAUGHTER 
 
 i' 
 
 which would have the power permanently to thwart her 
 will. It was therefore the more difficult for her to hide 
 her exasperation when she discovered her adorer, Mr. 
 Timpson, — who had named his new yacht The Alma, — 
 advancing toward her ; she saw the look of boyish de- 
 light in his eyes the moment he caught sight of her, 
 and was almost inclined to deplore her fatal popularity. 
 14 How am I to understand this?" cried Timpson. 
 44 Did you purposely hide from me, or was it Harry 
 "VYellingford's charms which eclipsed mine?" 
 
 44 It is I who have been playing the Calypso, Dan/* 
 said "Wellingford* laughing. * 4 Miss Hampton drank 
 the magic potion of my voice, and it lulled her into olv- 
 livion and blotted out your euphonious name from her 
 memory." 
 
 44 That is what I have always maintained, Miss 
 Hampton/' responded Timpson with mock seriousness : 
 44 that Wellington! is a dangerous character. You 
 know, I am in a sort of way responsible for him, as I 
 was the one who introduced him to you when he 
 boarded our boat at Newport in that surreptitious, pi- 
 ratical fashion." 
 
 44 1 absolve you from all responsibility in the matter. 
 Mr. Timpson," said Alma, with a sidelong glance at 
 her train ; 44 you know, I like to associate with danger- 
 ous characters. The only thing I can't endure in a 
 man, though I pardon it in a woman, is inoffensive 
 mediocrity." 
 
 She took Timpson's arm, and was about to return 
 with him to the ballroom, when suddenly she turned 
 half about and said, — • 
 
 44 Mr. Wellingford, you did not give me back my 
 card." 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 95 
 
 •• Pardon me, one moment; I only wish to substitute 
 my own name for that of your brother, as I cannot 
 bear neglect as resignedly as Tiinpson." 
 
 He scribbled something on her card and handed it 
 back to her. 
 
 "Is this your name, Mr. Wellingford ? " she asked, 
 witli a sudden blush and an archly menacing flash of 
 her dark eyes. 
 
 44 It is my symbolio mark, — my totem." 
 
 Timpson glanced curiously at the card as it disap- 
 peared behind her fan, and saw — a heart pierced by an 
 arrow. 
 
 About two o'clock in the morning Wellingford had 
 the felicity to conduct Alma to her carriage. Walter,, 
 who lingered on the sidewalk to light a cigar, held out 
 two fingers to Harold as he passed him, and, wrapping 
 his long ulster about him, took his seat at his sister's 
 side. 
 
 44 Are yqu quite sure 3*ou will not catch cold, dear?" 
 she said, leaning anxiously toward him, 44 Would you 
 not like one of my shawls?" 
 
 44 No, thanks, child," replied Walter, heedless of her 
 irony ; 44 1 am very comfortable." , 
 
 44 And so am I, I am so particularly fond of cigar 
 smoke in a close carriage," 
 
 44 And I am so happy to know (pufT) that your taste 
 (puff) and mine agree." 
 
 Harold reached his lodgings in a state of ecstatic 
 bewilderment. The music and the rhythm of the dance 
 still kept humming with a remote cadence in his ears, 
 and he felt an indistinct desire to do something tremen- 
 dous, although the opportunity for tremendous achieve- 
 ments in a sky parlor at three in the morning is 
 
A DAUGHTER 
 
 undeniably limited. For want of anything better he 
 lighted his big German pipe and filled his room with 
 tobacco smoke. He sauntered up and down the floor, 
 picked up absently a carved paper-cutter, a bronze 
 candlestick, or anything else that might chance to 
 come within his grasp, gazed upon it as if he had 
 never seen it before, and put it away without knowing 
 exactly what design or purpose it served. He could 
 not go to bed and he could not sit still. Although ho 
 had nothing definite to confide, he still felt an urgent 
 need to confide it to somebody. If his father had been 
 within reach he would have sought him even at this un- 
 conventional hour ; but as the telephone was not then 
 invented, and the telegraph was not adapted for tendeV 
 confidences, Harold chose the only available method of 
 communication and sat down to write a letter. It was 
 this letter which when it reached the Professor the next 
 evening caused him to quote Heine, — a thing which he 
 had not been known to do for five-and-twenty 3-ears. 
 A few days later he was moved by a sense of duty to 
 read this extraordinary epistle to his wife, who re- 
 marked that there was no mention made of the lady's 
 name, and until she knew that, she could hardly ex- 
 press her opinion as to the genuineness of her son's 
 passion. " Curiously enough," the Professor remarked. 
 M 1 never noted the omission. For acuteness of ob- 
 servation, recommend me to women." 
 
 It is needless to add that Harold was reluctant to 
 mar the poetic completeness of his impression of Alma 
 by any allusion to the sordid business which he had 
 promised to arrange for her. It was some such feeling 
 which again asserted itself the next day, when instead 
 of calling in person, as he had intended, he sent a re- 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 97 
 
 liable messenger with the jewels and the small sum of 
 money which was duo to her. He also inclosed in the 
 same package a brief and business-like statement of the 
 transactions in which ho had engaged on her behalf, and 
 balanced the account according to tho approved rules of 
 arithmetic and without the slightest admixture of senti- 
 ment. It will hardly be credited that this mathematical 
 brevity proved highly displeasing to Alma, and, that 
 after a hasty glance at his note she crammed it into her 
 pocket and did not read it — until her displeasure had 
 abated. . , 
 
98 A DAUGHTER 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 i 
 
 SIMON 8HOWS HIS TEETH. 
 
 IT is astonishing what facilities our American society 
 offers for forming, developing, and breaking off at- 
 tachments. Of course it is an eminently proper thing to 
 be in love, and* being in love, to engage one's self, and, 
 having survived one's love, to terminate the engagement. 
 Mothers, who have, presumably, themselves once suffered 
 from the tender malady, are so conveniently blind when 
 Mr. Cupid knocks at the daughter's door, and would n't 
 for the world place anj' obstacles in the dear little 
 fellow's way. Gentlemen are so easily discouraged, you 
 know; and " attention," if it leads to nothing else, at 
 all events increases the daughter's marketable value and 
 makes her more respected among her female friends. 
 On general principles it is always more advisable to 
 encourage a worthless fellow than to discourage one who 
 on further inquiry might prove acceptable. The age at 
 which our young ladies are attracted by dreamy eyes 
 and adorable mustachios is fortunately of brief duration, 
 and a little parental supervision during this dangerous 
 period is never to be deprecated. But no sooner have 
 they " come out" than, With that sweet flexibility which 
 is so charming in a woman, they adapt their judgments 
 and sentiments to the world's standard, and soon learn 
 to take the intellectual and financial measure of a suitor 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 00 
 
 with a cool precision which tho president of a college or 
 a bank might envy them. It would be interesting to 
 know just how large a proportion of those lovely girls 
 upon whom Wei ling ford had wasted so much sentiment 
 during his afternoon walks on tho Avenue aro for salo 
 to the highest bidder, Give me a statement of your 
 bank account, my dear Harry, and I will tell you exactly 
 how high you may aspire. 
 
 I was on the point of forgetting that tho time for 
 being indiscriminately in love with beautiful girls in 
 general was past, as far as Wcllingford was concerned. 
 After tho ball at Palfrey's he seemed to have been 
 stricken with a sudden blindness, just as a man who 
 has been staring at the sun will retain the image of that 
 dazzling luminary upon his retina loug after ho has 
 turned his head in another direction. Wherever he 
 went Alma's face pursued him, and he saw other objects 
 only in a dim and uncertain way, Whenever ho called, 
 which ho did very frequej^ly, ho found everything most 
 charmingly arranged for his reception, Alma took him, 
 quite sans ceremonie, back into the library, which was a 
 largo and elegant apartment furnished in carved oak 
 and stamped leather, brought him a box of her father's 
 best cigars (Walter always kept his under lock and 
 key), and invited him to make himself at homo. If any 
 one chanced to enter during their tete-a-tete, the intruder 
 excused himself with embarrassment and withdrew has- 
 til v ; unless it might happen to be old Mr. Hampton, who 
 once or twice stayed and showed some impertinent curi- 
 osity as to what manner of man this assiduous visitor 
 might be. Mrs. Hampton made no pretence of con- 
 trolling her daughter's actions, and always received 
 Harold with effusive politeness, making her two stereo- 
 
100 A DAUGUTEll 
 
 typed remarks about Mr. Beecher's last sermon and 
 the exceptional state of the weather. She had seen 
 a score of men, both young and old, infatuated with 
 Alma, and looked upon the present applicant as only 
 another predestined victim. Since Alma had been fool- 
 ish enough to discard Mr. Cunningham, whose name 
 was a power on 'Change, and who was bound in time to 
 become a second Vanderbilt, her mother professed her- 
 self incapable of comprehending the operations of her 
 mind. But as, in spite of these professions, she had 
 not the slightest fear that Alma's heart would gain the 
 advantage of her head, she saw no valid reason for 
 interfering in her daughter's innocent and legitimate 
 amusements. Walter in his boyhood had had a tem- 
 porary craze for insects, which he impaled on pins and 
 arranged in long rows in glass boxes ; Alma, Mrs. 
 Hampton thought, might have made a similar collection 
 if she had taken pains to keep her impaled specimens. 
 
 Welllngford was quite unaware that the universe — 
 or, what is the same thing, the fashionable part of it — - 
 was having its eye upon him when he made his daily 
 entrances and exits through the statel}' front door of the 
 Hampton mansion. Nor was he aware that he was 
 acquiring a certain fame among that class of society 
 which gives receptions and makes afternoon calls for the 
 sake of displaying costumes and exchanging fashion- 
 able intelligence. Some were of opinion that Alma 
 must be out of her senses ; others declared that her 
 mother was out of her senses, since she permitted such 
 an undisguised flirtation to go on under her very nose ; 
 and again others (though these were very few) found it 
 probable that Harold was out of his senses, since he 
 could devote himself seriously to so notorious a flirt as 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 101 
 
 Miss Hampton. One of those who held this latter 
 opinion had the night.before embraced and kissed Alma, 
 and declared ecstatically that she was the dearest crea- 
 ture on earth ; and Harold, who had stood by, honestly 
 admiring the scene, had made tho reflection that this 
 world was a charming place to live in, after all, and 
 that it was only dyspeptic cynics who found themselves 
 ill at ease amid so much beauty, jsincerity, and affection. 
 He was thereupon introduced to the three virtues in 
 question in the person of little Miss Whipple, who thus 
 accomplished her innocent purpose. Alma, who was a 
 little too well versed in feminine ways to be deceived by 
 such manoeuvres, waa tempted to open Wellingford's 
 cyco, but checked herself with tho reflection that it was 
 not prudent to mako him too wise before ho was an- 
 chored in the matrimonial haven. This penetration 
 on her part, however, did not in the least interfere with 
 her cordiality to Miss Whipple, whose caresses she re- 
 turned with a beautiful, spontaneous ardor. 
 
 Harold and Alma had now completed the first stage 
 of their courtship, which is always on both sides tenta- 
 tive and probationary, and from which either party may 
 withdraw without serious consequences, in case he 
 should happen to make unpleasant discoveries. They 
 had both triumphantly endured this test, because each 
 had taken pains never to exhibit any of his less laud- 
 able characteristics in tho other's presence. They had 
 now entered upon the second stage, in which the 
 unconfessed love is more than half recognized, now 
 jocosely, now with some reckless hypothesis, uow again 
 with shy innuendoes of sentiment. They made bold 
 experiments in forgetting each other's last names ; they 
 sought each other no longer on some transparent pre- 
 
102 A DAUGHTER 
 
 tence, but with joyous* undisguised eagerness ; and they 
 relaxed dailj' more and more from the strained society 
 attitude into that of old and familiar companions. 
 Their friends asserted that they were * 4 as good as 
 engaged M ; and no one professed any surprise at seeing 
 them together, lunching in delicious privacy at Delmon- 
 ieo's, commenting flippantly upon the pictures in the 
 Academy of Design, calling in the capacity of connois- 
 seurs at the artists' studios, inspecting the bronzes at 
 Tiffany's, going to concerts, witnessing the latest com- 
 edy at Wallack's, and availing themselves of the hun- 
 dred other facilities which New York has invented for 
 the accommodation of lovers who find it inconvenient 
 to have their daily rendezvous under the paternal nose. 
 While pursuing all these agreeable avocations, Harold 
 Bometimes forgot that he also professed to be a mining 
 engineer, and that he had an ofllce on Broadway. His 
 assistant, a pale young man named Bobbins, who united 
 the functions of an apprentice in chemistry and a clerk, 
 sometimes spent the livelong day in solitude, and locked 
 the ollice, when he went out to eat his twenty-five-cent 
 luncheon in a neighboring cellar which prided itself on 
 its beef h la mode and its pretty barmaid. Welling- 
 ford's bank account, which, if it had been published in 
 the papers, would not have added to his social prestige, 
 made one fine morning a leap over to the debit side, and 
 he received before sundown an odious little note inform- 
 ing him that he was the debtor of the bank to the ex- 
 tent of forty-five dollars. lie did not think it necessary 
 to give Alma an insight into, these sordid matters, as it 
 would be indelicate to allow her to suspect how many 
 hundred dollars she had cost him a month in flowers, 
 carriage hire, opera tickets, and other necessities of a 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 103 
 
 fashionable courtship. Nor had Alma ever given a 
 single thought to the cost of their pleasures, but found 
 it, on the other hand, extremely exasperating that Wel- 
 lington! should leave her for the Christmas holidays and 
 go up to that horrid University town just when sho 
 needed him most. She gave very emphatic expression 
 to theso sentiments in his presence, and flattered him 
 immensely by allowing him to infer that her hnppiness 
 was in any way dependent upon him. But family tradi- 
 tion, filial duty, and that sort of thing imperatively de- 
 manded that he should spend the holidays at home ; and 
 after one perilous moment, during which he held both 
 her hands in his and gazed appealingly into her eyes, 
 he took his leave without having further committed him- 
 self. Alma concluded that he needed further encourage- 
 ment, and resolved that ho should have it. In the 
 meanwhile mischief was brewing for her in another 
 quarter, whence she was far from anticipating it. 
 
 The day after Wcllingford's departure Mr. Hampton 
 Bat down to dinner with a clouded brow. He fixed a 
 glance of unfeigned displeasure upon his daughter as 
 she entered the room, tall, lithe, magnificent, moving 
 her head with a certain languid dignity. She gave a 
 little sigh as she seated herself at her father's side at 
 the table, and bestowed a few airy touches upon tho 
 lace fichu which gracefully encircled her neck and van- 
 ished in her bosom. She was dressed in a silver gray 
 cashmere, cut square in the neck, and with vivid cardi- 
 nal trimmings. The butler placed tho soup before her, 
 and she tasted it daintily and said, — 
 44 Take it away, please ; I wish it hot." 
 Mr. Hampton, apparently forgetting his own soup, 
 sat still gazing askance at her with an indignant scowl. 
 
104 A DAUGHTER 
 
 "Time was, Miss, when we was not so d— d par* 
 ticular," he blurted out with vehemence. 
 
 44 Very likely, sir," she replied with 'irritating cool- 
 ness. " If you have an eccentric preference for cold 
 soup, there is no reason in the world why you should not 
 indulge it ; but you would hardly have the rest of the 
 family suffer for your eccentricities.'* 
 
 44 1 mean to be master in this house/' he rejoined in 
 a menacing voice ; 44 and I won't have anybody bully- 
 ing me at my own table. I tell you, I won't stand it." 
 
 44 No one has disputed your mastery as far as I 
 know," she answered with the same imperturbable indif- 
 ference, while crumbling a piece of bread between her 
 fingers* 
 
 44 Now, GoVnor, now," stammered Walter in con- 
 sternation, putting his hand pacifyingly on his father's 
 arm. 44 For God's sake, don't make a row before the 
 servants." 
 
 44 If there is anything you wish to discuss with me, 
 sir," remarked Alma, tasting critically of the soup 
 which had just been returned, 4 * then I shall bo happy 
 to sec you in the library after dinner." 
 
 44 Happy to see me in the library," growled the Ben- 
 ior Hampton with a grimly ironical laugh. 4k If she 
 don't beat the Dutch I " 
 
 His temper had grown somewhat acrid since he 
 entered Wall Street ; and the frequent cocktails which 
 Wail Street etiquette prescribes, and deems it churlish 
 to refuse, had had an unfavorable effect upon his diges- 
 tion. His vanity, which his fellow-brokers had not 
 been slow in detecting, had been skilfully used to decoy 
 him into various financial traps, from which he could 
 not extricate himself without serious loss. He had no 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 105 
 
 longer that air of defiant prosperity which had made 
 him the envy and admiration of Hawkins's Corner 
 G roccry in Saunders villc, The enterprising spirit which 
 is characteristic of the West, and which had there stood 
 Hampton in good stead, did not suffice to pilot his craft 
 through the shoals and quicksands of Wall Street ; it 
 was rather a disadvantage to him, as long as ho was 
 unfamiliar with the more intricate tricks and stratagems 
 which aro daily practised in the market, In fact, Mr, 
 Hampton, with all his undeniable push and energy, did 
 not sustain his reputation as " the devil of a fellow" 
 which he fancied himself to be ; and it would have 
 saved him hundreds of thousands of dollars if ho had 
 been able to recognize the fact that there were a good 
 many men in the Street whoso cerebral machinery was 
 more complex than his own. There were two or three, 
 to bo sure, for whom he had an almost unlimited 
 respect ; and chief among thcso was Cunningham, who 
 had that week made about two hundred thousaud by a 
 bold bull combination in gold, Hampton, who might 
 have been a member of the ring if he had understood 
 hints, was now provoked at himself for his obtuseness ; 
 and to increase his displeasure, Cunningham had con- 
 .fided to him, in the flush of his triumph, how near he 
 had come to being his son-in-law. They had lunched 
 together at Delmonico's (down town) in sumptuous 
 fashion, and the young broker had profoundly impressed 
 the old gentleman by the majestic recklessness with 
 which he spent his money, and the magnificent liberality 
 with which he treated everybody who came in his way. 
 That was just his idea of a perfect gentleman, and he 
 could not but grind his teeth at the thought that he 
 had missed the chance of having so brilliant r. person 
 
106 A DAUGHTER 
 
 as a member of his own family. He resolved, a3 lie 
 walked back to his office, with Cunningham's cham- 
 pagne buzzing in his brain, to give his daughter a piece 
 of his mind at the first opportunity which should pre- 
 sent itself. It did not tend to mollify him when, on 
 entering his private ofllco, he found Simon Loewenthal, 
 with whom, of late, he had had several transactions* 
 standing in the hall, wiping his forehead with a red and 
 yellow bandanna handkerchief. Simon, having con- 
 vinced himself that Alma was not likely to favor him 
 with her custom again, had resolved, if possible, to ex- 
 tort a neat sum of money from her father by means of the 
 knowledge hd had gained of the daughter's secret specu- 
 lations. But, he happened, that day, to find Hampton 
 in the wrong mood, and he narrowly escaped being 
 kicked downstairs. In the meanwhile he had managed, 
 in fragmentary sentences, to communicate his facts in 
 the most odious form, and to implicate both Alma and 
 Wellington! in what appeared to be a disgraceful in- 
 trigue. No wonder Mr. Hampton did not feel amiable 
 when he sat down to dinner. 
 
 The meal passed off without further Incident, except 
 that Walter related a story about a German saddler 
 named Schnapp, of whom he always bought his whips 
 and harnesses, and who was in perpetual warfare with 
 the small Irish urchins of the street. Walter had, that 
 afternoon, seen him pursuing a screaming multitude of 
 ragged boys, one of whom had thrown a snowball at 
 his head. This anecdote, which, like most of Walter's 
 jeux tT esprit, was rather pointless, failed to make much 
 of an impression at the table, although the butler, who 
 was standing behind Mrs. Hampton's chair, found it 
 highly entertaining. 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 107 
 
 Since their arrival in New York, dinner had become 
 a long and elaborate ceremony in the Hampton family. 
 Walter always appeared in evening dress (if he appeared 
 at all), and Alma and Mrs. Hampton, as soon as they 
 had learned that fashion demanded it, also submitted 
 to the same tyrannical custom. Only Mr, Hampton 
 rebelled spasmodically, and required frequent ad mo* 
 nitions from his wife, who yet remained the highest 
 authority in the houso. Tho conversation at the table 
 was invariably stocks, stocks, and always stocks. Now 
 Krie had mnde a sudden jump, and Jones, who had gone 
 *' short "of the market for an enormous amount, had 
 made a desperate fight to keep on his legs, but to-day 
 his paper had been protested. Now it was Union 
 Pacific which had played the deuce with the bulls, 
 and Smith and Fellows were in all probability done for ; 
 or the old Commodore had an enormous suit on hand 
 which he would be sure to win, in which case it would 
 be safe to be " long " of Haarlem, Mrs. Hampton, who 
 was always anxious to get " points," usually introduced 
 these topics of conversation ; and Walter, who during 
 the last month had gone into partnership with his father, 
 talked with all the pride and volubility of a novice 
 about the subterranean movements of tho market. His 
 mother, however, who was perhaps even more conver- 
 sant with tho mysteries of tho Street than either her 
 son or her husband, took their •* points " for what they 
 were worth, and tested them carefully in her next con- 
 versation with her own brokers, whom she thus suc- 
 ceeded in impressing as a close observer of the market 
 and a thorough business woman. . Mrs. Hampton's 
 private brokers were Cunningham and Rice, and she 
 had at their instance been an anonymous partner in 
 
108 A DAUGHTER 
 
 the recent gold combination in which her husband, after 
 the cautious innuendoes which had been made to him, 
 had refused to put any faith. She had no. scruple 
 whatever about driving down in high daylight and 
 alighting from her carriage at Mr. Cunningham's office ; 
 and as far as I have learned, her social position did not 
 suifer by the openness of her transactions in the Street. 
 Her visits, however, in this locality were not frequent, 
 as she always preferred to discuss stocks in her own 
 cosey library ; and Mr. Cunningham himself confessed 
 to a weakness for this beautiful apartment, where you 
 could sit and click off message alter message to Wall 
 Street, and have your orders executed as promptly as if 
 you were personally present on the Exchange. Every- 
 thing was on a sumptuous scale in this delightful house- 
 hold, and everything free-and-easy. In the dining-room 
 there was a wino closet, which was always opeu to every 
 habitui of the house ; and -the old Bourbon whiskey con- 
 tained in the cut-glass decanters had a rich brown color, 
 and was said by connoisseurs like Mr. Cunningham to 
 be of exceptional virtue. Cigars of prime quality were 
 always within easy reach ; and the ladies put on no airs, 
 but frankly avowed their liking for tobacco smoke. 
 Alma had several times smoked a cigarette unflinchingly 
 after dinner, just to keep Mr. Cunningham company, 
 in the good old days before she took it into her capri- 
 cious head to refuse him. In Wellingford's presence 
 she had never ventured to smoke, as she had a suspi- 
 cion that he would not, like her former adorer, pro- 
 nounce it M jolly." Mr. Cunningham's opinion of her, 
 even in the days when she contemplated the possibility 
 of marrying him, had never seemed of any great con- 
 sequence to her: she felt that he was too completely 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 109 
 
 i ' " ■ ' iii i i i ■ i 
 
 under her 8 way to have any other opinion than the one 
 she prescribed. "With Wellingford, on the contrary, she 
 was frequently tormented by a sense of uneasiness, and 
 a desire to know whether really in his heart ho approved 
 of her. That ho was fascinated with her, she know well 
 enough ; but she demanded something more, A bun* 
 dred men had been in lovo with her, and told her she 
 was adorable ; but it was not tho flippant adoration of 
 fops that her heart yearned for. It was a grand and 
 inspiring passion which should throw a good and noble 
 man at her feet and — keep him there. She knew she 
 was capable of inspiring such a passion, though perhaps 
 incapable of feeling it. But-then it was in the order of 
 Providence that tho man should bo the lover, and tho 
 woman the one who " consented to be loved/ 9 
 
110 A DAUGHTER 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 SMALL FEET versus HEROISM. 
 
 "HPHEN you don't deny, Miss, that you took a 
 
 •*• flyer in Central on your own hook," said Mr. 
 Hampton angrily, as he seated himself in his capacious 
 easy-chair l>efore the fire in the library. 
 
 "Why should I deny it?" answered Alma calmly. 
 44 Don't you take flyers, or whatever you call it, every 
 day, and no one thinks the worse of you for it ? " 
 
 " Don't come that dodge on me, I tell ye," burst forth 
 the father, giving the lire a vindictive poke with a pair 
 of brass tongs ; * 4 you know well enough the difference." 
 
 44 No, I confess I do not. I needed monej*, and I would 
 have asked you for it, if I had not dreaded a scene. 
 You know I hate scenes, father. It outrages me to W 
 spoken to as you have spoken to me to-night, and I 
 cannot but deplore my dependence upon you." " 
 
 44 If that is so, why, the deuce, did n't you marry Cun- 
 ningham ? Then you would have had stacks of money 
 and could have speculated all you liked." 
 
 44 1 must beg of you not to swear in my presence, " 
 she demanded, rising slowly to her full height and 
 taking a few rapid steps across the floor. Her slim, 
 stately figure looked superb, with the rustling drapery 
 "trailing after it ; and the corpulent form of the father had 
 an air of awkwardness which made their relationship 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. Ill 
 
 for the moment seem incongruous. Ho was evidently 
 himself impressed with the magnificence of her beaut}', 
 and stood gazing at her for an instant with a look of 
 perplexed irritation. 
 
 44 1 shall say what I choose in my own house," he 
 said, with a determination not to be cowed. " And I 
 might just as well tell you now," he added, visibly nerving 
 himself, " that if you chooso to frisk about town with 
 unknown young men — " 
 
 44 Beware of what you say, sir," she cried in a voice 
 half of entreaty, half of command, 44 You might re- 
 pent of it when it is too late,'* 
 
 44 If you chooso to frisk about town with unknown 
 young men," he repeated with increasing emphasis, 44 it 
 is my honor which you compromise no less than your 
 own." 
 
 She arose, gazed at him for an instant, and then with 
 much rustle of drapery hurried toward the door. Her 
 father, dropping the tongs with which he had spasmodi- 
 cally been giving vent to his indignation, grew very red 
 in the face, and rising with difficulty ran out into the 
 hall. 
 
 44 Alma ! " ho called, 44 Alma 1 " 
 
 But there came no answer. 
 
 Alma had mounted the stairs to her room, where she 
 stood in the middle of the floor, with her hands clasped 
 outward, and gazing straight before her in agitated 
 silence. Her bosom was heaving ; her features were 
 contracted with anger and pain. Then suddenly her 
 eyes fell upon her own image in the long pier-glass 
 mirror, and she felt half abashed in the presence of 
 her reflected self, half ashamed of her excitement, and 
 distrustful of the genuineness of her emotion. She 
 
■ I l w " " '■■ "" i i i mmtmmttmmmmmmmmmmmmtm^. 
 112 A DAUGHTER 
 
 turned abruptly away, and as she recalled the scene in 
 the library, her father's insulting words rang once 
 more defiantly in her ears, With a resolute effort she 
 banished all cowardly reflections, and, gathering rapidly 
 some of her plainest dresses together, she attotit|iti*il 
 to put them into a valise, but found, to her dismay, 
 that the valise would not hold them. She then seized 
 her jewel ease, rolled up one of the dresses in a hasty 
 bundle, threw her fur cloak over her shoulders, and 
 descended the brood mahogany stalrease, at each land- 
 ing of which large bronze odalisques supported globes 
 radiating a dim, agreeable light. She peered cautiously 
 down into the hall, and ascertained that she could es- 
 cape unobserved. The agitation was still tingling in 
 her nerves, and she hardly felt the touch of the floor 
 as she drew the chain bolt from the door in the outer 
 vestibule. Hardly had she turned the knob when the 
 door flew open, and a chilling gust of sleet and rain 
 dashed into her face. She shivered and drew back. 
 She had frequently read in novels of young ladles who 
 had fled from home, and she had always thought it was 
 a very romantic thing to do ; the rain and the sleet 
 made one shudder so deliciously in spirit and luxuriate 
 in the warm glow of the fire on one's own hearth. She 
 adjusted her bonnet, to which the sudden force of the 
 wind had given an unbecoming twist, and, nerving herself 
 once more, she launched forth bravelj' into the darkness, 
 exerting herself with all her strength to cut off her 
 retreat by closing the door behind her. But (shall I 
 confess it?) even at that moment she vemembered that, 
 in case of extreme need, she possessed a latch-key. 
 The wind swept with a grand rush up the Avenue, 
 scattering gusts of sleet and hail, like handfuls of small 
 
— *— 
 
 OF THE PHILISTINES. 113 
 
 shot, against the broad plate-glass windows. Alma was 
 once more tempted to seek shelter, but she conquered 
 the cowardly impulse. Standing on the front steps, 
 she gazed up and down the dark street, and a horrible 
 sense of loneliness stole over her. She seemed to see 
 this vast black city, with its myriad wretched lives, 
 extending on all sides about her, with its rushing tides 
 of humanity pouring through its noisy thoroughfares 
 during the day, and dribbling darkly and silently in the 
 night. She stared at the two long processions of gas- 
 lamps stretching aw ay into the darkness on both sides ; 
 and as she remembered the length and number of the 
 streets crossing the Avenue, and the infinite rows of 
 gas-posts extending toward both rivers, she began to 
 shudder, and a helpless, unreflecting terror crept through 
 her veins and took possession of her. The mere vast- 
 ness of the city, and the thought of her friendlessness 
 in the midst of this ocean of human life, impressed 
 her with frightful vividness. The only one upon whom 
 she could have relied was far away ; and among the 
 rest, though she knew hundreds of them^ there was not 
 one whom she could call her friend. Shaken with fear 
 and trembling in every limb, she drew the latch-key 
 from her pocket, and softly, cautiously, like a thief, 
 she opened the door, and half walked, half crept, up 
 the stairs. When she reached her own room a gush of 
 deliciously warm air struck into her face, and, dropping 
 her wet cloak from her shoulders, she flung herself 
 upon the lounge and cried like a child. She felt utterly 
 degraded, humiliated, crushed. She could be insulted, 
 and had not the force to resent the insult in a womanly 
 and heroic way. In the meanwhile she was warm, and 
 that was, after all, preferable to being heroic. Were 
 
114 A DAUGHTER 
 
 they really worth suffering for, those grand abstrac- 
 tions for the sake of which martyrs had squandered 
 their lives, and poets their eloquence? The tire 
 crackled, flared up for an instant, and flung its flicker- 
 ing illumination upon the rich hangings and luxurious 
 furniture of the room. A genial glow rippled through 
 Alma's limbs; she gave a long, lazy stretch, clasped 
 her hands at the back of her head, and listened with a 
 sense of safety and comfort to the periodic charges of 
 the wind upon the window-panes. She rang for her 
 French maid, and bade her light the lamp upon the 
 table. Having resumed her reclining attitude, she 
 stretched out; her dainty foot, encased in an absurd 
 little satin slipper adorned with a big rosette ; and the 
 maid, who understood all her mistress's signals, knelt 
 down on the rug, and, after warming her hands at the 
 fire, with a few light, caressing touches drew off her 
 stockings. They were of silk, cardinal in color, of 
 the exact shade of the trimmings of the dress, ami 
 of so delicate a texture that the pair hardly made « 
 handful. 
 
 44 Mon dieu s Mademoiselle" exclaimed Delphine, 44 'ow 
 your foots iss vet! You 'ave promenaded yourself in 
 de terrible rain. C'est affreux! Mademoiselle can nod 
 use dose stocking anodder time." 
 
 44 Keep them, Delphine ; you may have them," an- 
 swered Alma, absently gazing at her daintily shaped 
 foot, the outline of which showed in rosy translucemv 
 against the flame of the fire. 44 Only put on another 
 pair." 
 
 44 After all, that is hardly a martyr's foot," she mur- 
 mured, viewing the high arch of her instep approvingly. 
 44 That foot was made to lie kissed and petted and en- 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 115 
 
 cased in silken stockings, not to trudge wearily through 
 sleet and snow, God makes big, strong, flat feet for 
 that purpose, He could not fairly expect much heroism 
 of a woman whom he fashioued after a model found on 
 a Wattcau fan or a teacup. I was not meant for a 
 boast of burden, or for any kind of hard usage ; in that 
 case I should have been differently equipped. A higher 
 civilization, Mr. Wellingford says, develops higher and 
 finer types, and ho is right In calling mo ono of tho last 
 results of time. Tho Normans in William tho Con- 
 queror's time, in all probability, did not sco tho use of 
 lap-dogs and canary birds } but wo do, and wo should 
 find life quite dreary without thorn." 
 
 44 Kiss my foot, Delphlno," sho continued aloud in a 
 tone of feigned imperiousness, as Delphlno again knelt 
 on the rug with a pair of dry stockings in her hand. 
 Tho girl looked up with quick surprise ; but, detecting 
 tho good-humored twinkle in her mistress's eyes, she 
 gave a merry laugh, and, seizing the fine pudgy little toes 
 in her hand, she covered them with kisses. 
 
 4i DieU) Mademoiselle" she exclaimed ecstatically, 
 44 que vous avez de beaux pieds ! H 
 
 44 1 know it, Delphine ; I was just admiring them. 
 They convinced me that I was not made for. a heroine, 
 but for — well, for a cynic." 
 
116 A DAUGHTER 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 \ 
 
 A PLEASANT CRISIS. "'^ 
 
 WELLINGFORD returned to town during the first 
 week iu January. He had spent ten nays at 
 home and, however much he tried to disguise the fact, 
 he had been miserable. After three days of melancholy 
 meditation, he had resolved to make a clean breast of" 
 the affair to his father ; and his father had for the first 
 time in his life disappointed him. Harold had hoped 
 that he would at least take it seriously, even if he 
 could not be enthusiastic. It was almost irritating to 
 have him say, at the end of a long pause, after his son 
 had finished his confession, — 
 
 11 My dear boy, I '11 be honest with you. From what 
 you have said, I should be afraid of her. She is a 
 daughter of the Philistines. However," he added, see- 
 ing the grieved expression in Harry's face, " j'ou know 
 I don't pretend to be a connoisseur of women. The}' 
 are the only organism, I believe, which science has so 
 far failed to account for. Even the simplest of them 
 are extremely complex, psychologically speaking. It 
 therefore requires a vast amount of experience to make 
 a felicitous choice among them.. You know, when your 
 mother has been angry, she always subjects herself to a 
 thorough ablution, as' if to wash off all traces of her 
 wrath ; and she comes out after her bath, fresh, sweet, 
 
OF THE PI1ILISTJNES, 117 
 
 and smelling of violet powder, like a ne\r-born babe. 
 Now if you would try the effects of such a radical ablu- 
 tion, I think you might succeed in curing yourself of 
 this inconvenient malady." 
 
 It was very hard for Harold to listen patiently to 
 such serio-comic advice, and with an acute sense of 
 disappointment he dismissed the subject and resolved 
 never to mention it again. Cut his devoti6n for his 
 father and his trust in his goodness were so great that 
 he found himself unable to harbor any resentment 
 against him.. Therefore, the day before his departure, 
 he put his hand on the old gentleman's shoulder in that 
 friendly, fraternal manner which was so characteristic 
 of the relation between them, and, looking him plead- 
 ingly in the eye, said, — 
 
 44 Please. don't joke this time, father. This is a se» 
 rious affair with me. You have never yet refused me 
 anything for which I have asked you, and what I now 
 want you to do is to go into the city with me to-morrow 
 and to call with me upon Miss Hampton." 
 
 44 God forbid that I should ever prove unworthy of 
 your confidence, Harry my boy," answered the Pro- 
 fessor warmly. *' If I had known that your heart was 
 really involved in this affair, I should not have bantered 
 you. You must forgive my obtuscness, Harry. And 
 to-morrow wo will start together, and call upon the 
 young lady and see what she is made of." 
 
 44 Sugar and spice and all that is nice," cried a laugh- 
 ing voice from the next room. It was Harold's sister 
 Adelaide, wno had involuntarily played the eaves- 
 dropper. 
 
 It was .the day after Alma had resigned herself to 
 cynicism that a servant in gray and blue livery handed 
 
118 A DAUGHTER 
 
 her the cards of two gentlemen. She was sitting in 
 her boudoir, curled up cosity in an easy-chair, reading 
 "Vanity Fair" for the third time. She looked with 
 some surprise at the second card, and the color sprang 
 to her cheeks as, after a moment's hesitation, she said, 
 "Tell them I shall be down presently.'* I shall not 
 attempt to describe the toilet she made ; but as she 
 rustled into the parlor and advanced to greet the Pro- 
 fessor, the sweet graciousness of her manner did not 
 fail of its effect upon the old gentleman's heart. She 
 was the grand lady of the world, and yet there was 
 a maidenly freshness in her laugh, an exquisite frank- 
 ness in her eyes, and an apparent unconsciousness 
 of the admiration she excited, which would have been 
 the perfection of nature if it had not been the perfection 
 of art. The Professor, however, was not sufficiently 
 discriminating, and at the end of five minutes he had 
 entirely forgotten his attitude of critic, and had sur- 
 rendered himself unresistingly to the delight of gazing 
 upon so much grace and beauty and loveliness. Even 
 Harold, who with all his love for her had not lost his 
 faculty of reasoning, confessed that she surpassed her- 
 self; and although he suspected her of having planned 
 an assault upon his father's heart, a little innocent act- 
 ing, he reflected, was certainly justifiable in so good a 
 cause. Then she had the good taste not to overdo the 
 matter, — not to play at shrinking innocence nor the art- 
 less ingenue, but only to personate, as it were, her own 
 ideal conception of herself, and appear for the moment 
 as she would like always to be, and as she would like to 
 be in the estimation of her friends. 
 
 11 Harry, my lad," said the Professor earnestly, when, 
 after nearly an hour's conversation, father and son 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, . 119 
 
 descended the front steps and sauntered down the 
 Avenue, M if that girl is not an angel, the Almighty is 
 a bungling artist. That brow ~-corpo di Baccho / — ■ 
 that brow was made to harbor puro thoughts, that 
 mouth to utter pure things, those eyes to kindle puro 
 emotion. If she is willing to marry you, by all means 
 secure her beforo it is too late, You will never have 
 such a chance again." 
 
 Harold accordingly lost no timo in repeating the call 
 In the evening. Ho sent up his card with some trepida- 
 tion, and had an uncomfortable sensation that the. bluo 
 and gray servant was perfectly cognizant of his inten- 
 tion! Uut when Alma greeted him with her confidential 
 smile, which implied that they were too old friends to 
 stand on ceremony, and reached him her left hand, he 
 took heart again, and followed her through the long 
 suite of stately rooms in which the various members of . 
 the family were entertaining their visitors. In the par- 
 lor sat Mr, Hampton, discussing some financial scheme 
 with two fellow-brokers ; in the music-room Mrs. Hamp- 
 ton was closeted with a lady visitor \ and Walter, with 
 two gay comrades, was lingering at the dinner-table, 
 over his cotfee and cognac, smoking cigars and relating 
 stories of doubtful propriety. Harold reflected, as he 
 glanced at the different groups, that there was a curious 
 lack of cohesivoness in this family, and that their parental 
 and filial relations seemed purely an accident, Alma 
 steered the way to the library, which was vacant, and 
 they established themselves with a luxurious sense of 
 comfort in their usual corner. 
 
 M Now, Mr. Wellingford," Alma began with anima- 
 tion, " I am going to make you a confession. I have 
 actually missed you while you were gone. Pray don't 
 
120 A DAUGHTER 
 
 have the stupidity to say now that you have missed me 
 too. If you had, you would have come back earlier. 
 A man is a much more easily movable article than a 
 woman. Say something amusing to me. I am dying 
 to be amused, and if you don't succeed in entertaining 
 me you will be dismissed from your post and another 
 promptly substituted." 
 
 44 You had better name my successor at once," he 
 replied with that kind of seriousness in which a spark 
 of gayety is always lurking. 44 You know, I make no 
 pretence to brilliancy except when I am alone. I 
 always have my inspirations in solitude, and my bril- 
 liant repartees are always afterthoughts. But 6ince I 
 made your acquaintance, I have so rarely the desire to 
 be alone, that I have no chance for storing up conversa- 
 tional brilliancy." 
 
 44 Do you mean to say, sir, that I pursue you?" she 
 exclaimed with feigned indignation, and lifting her fin- 
 ger menacingly. 
 
 44 No, I mean to sa)* that /pursue you." 
 
 44 But why do you do that, if you find that j*ou are 
 only wasting your precious intellect without gaining 
 anything in return?" 
 
 44 It is for you to decide whether I am to gain some- 
 thing which is far more precious than anything I have 
 to lose." 
 
 44 Really, } r ou puzzle me," she exclaimed with an 
 assumed lightness of manner, through which her agita-* 
 tion was still visibly quivering. 44 Who would have sus- 
 pected that a young man like you, with an innocent 
 blond face, could be walking about for months harbor- 
 ing mysterious designs? What is it that I can give 
 that has such an extraordinary value?" 
 
OF THE PfyfaSTTtfpS' 121 
 
 She had anticipated this moment since the first time 
 she heard his voice in the fog, and had calmly contem- 
 plated it as a daily probability for the last two months, 
 and still sho found herself acting absurdly under the 
 stress of an excitement which she had entirely left out 
 of her calculations. lie aroso and began very delib- 
 erately to button his coat. His features expressed 
 disappointment which gradually deepened into melan- 
 choly. She gazed at him with a startled look, then 
 arose hurriedly and seized his hand. 
 
 44 You are not going, Mr, Wellingford? " sho said in 
 a voice of undisguised anxiety. 
 
 44 Yes, I think it is best that we should part," he 
 answered doggedly. " You have given me fair warn- 
 ing, because, as you say, you hate scenes, and you un- 
 derstood that I was on the point of making one." 
 
 44 Oh, 3*ou do me great injustice, I assure you," she 
 said with a simple earnestness which went straight to 
 his heart. She looked so adorably childlike, as she 
 stood holding both his hands and gazing into his face 
 with those large frank eyes of hers, that he could not 
 resist the impulse to stoop down and kiss her. 
 
 44 Alma," ho whispered, 44 dare I believe — that 1 — 
 that — what I would give my life to believe? " he fin- 
 ished hurriedly. 
 
 44 You may," she murmured with* a smile which was 
 radiant with tenderness. There was something soft 
 and half veiled in the look of her eyes, which he had 
 never observed there before, and he reflected that in 
 the way of loveliness it represented the limit of God's 
 creative genius. The transformation from the haughty, 
 or languidly indifferent, or coldly impressive lady of the 
 world to the sweet, tenderly beaming maiden whom he 
 
122 A DAUGHTER 
 
 held in his arms, seemed so miraculous that he had to 
 gaze at her again and again to convince himself of her 
 identity. But just then there was a brisk rustle of 
 skirts, which approached with an audible crescendo from 
 the next room, and Alma had just time to slip out of 
 her lover's embrace when the august and voluminous 
 figure of her mother presented itself at the door. Alma, 
 thus suddenly surprised, faced her parent, deeply blush- 
 ing and with an air of mingled guilt and defiance ; and 
 Mrs. Hampton, who was evidently in her combative 
 mood, advanced with alertness to the middle of the 
 room, where she paused and viewed Wellingford with 
 ill-concealed irritation. She had, possibly from the re- 
 port of the old i Professor's cull during the forenoon, 
 caught a suspicion that Wellingford was not to share 
 the fate of Alma's previous adorers, and that it was 
 high time to put a damper on his insolent aspirations. 
 She looked quite formidable with her black glossy 
 hair, which was made to look wavy by the aid of 
 crimping-irons, her rustling purple silk, and her strong, 
 determined profile. Her full bust, which was thrust 
 forward by the martial erectness of her figure, had a 
 challenging air ; her stern but prudent black eyes, her 
 somewhat pronounced complexion (which was red and 
 white, and a little shiny and veined on the cheeks), 
 and even her big glittering diamonds combined to 
 make her a highly impressive, if not an awe-inspiring 
 personage. 
 
 11 You will pardon me, Mr. — ah — Wellingthorp," she 
 said, with a slight inclination of her head, and feeling 
 some satisfaction at her successful distortion of his 
 name. " There is a gentleman here who wishes to see 
 my daughter ; and as you have the privilege of seeing 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 123 
 
 her all da)' long, you will probably have the generosity 
 to 'spare her for an hour or so to her other friends, who 
 hardly see her at all now-a-da} T s." 
 
 Mrs, Hampton prided herself on the finesse of this 
 blunt attaek, and hoped that the young gentleman would 
 take the hiut. She knew perfectly well that a battle 
 with her daughter would be inevitable as soon as Mr. 
 AVellingford had taken his leave, but sho was quito 
 unprepared to have her frankly avow her partiality 
 for him. in his presenee. Sho was therefore utterly 
 dumfoundod when Alma, after having signalled to 
 Harold to leavo the field to her, stepped forward and 
 said, — « 
 
 * k I am sorry not to bo able to take your view of this 
 matter, mother. But Mr. Wellingford and I are eugaged 
 to bo married, and there is no ono who has a better right 
 to my time, and with whom I would rather spend it than 
 with him." 
 
 Mrs. Hampton gasped for breath, and turned as 
 nearly pale as her llorid complexion would allow. 
 Quite involuntarily she lifted her bejewelled hand to 
 her forehead, and her heavy bracelets struck with little 
 clicks against each other, . 
 
 11 Alma," she said sternly, " I wish to see you in 
 my room." 
 
 44 Certainly, mother," answered the daughter sweetly, 
 44 Good night, Harry." 
 
 She pressed his hand, turned half away from him, 
 and gazed fondly at him over her shoulder. Then 
 with an impulsive motion, seeing the blank hopeless- 
 ness in his glance, she flew into his embrace, and put 
 up her lips to be kissed. He did not ignore the invita- 
 tion. 
 
124 A DAUGHTER 
 
 44 This is your assurance/' she whispered. "I am 
 much stranger than you think." 
 
 Mrs. Hampton with an angry exclamation sprang 
 forward, but suddenly changed her mind, and with an 
 air of injured majesty swept out of the room. 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 125 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 MATRIMONIAL PRELIMINARIES. 
 
 IT is needless to say that Alma triumphed ; but when 
 her triumph was complete she found it impossible 
 to remain any longer in her father's house. She had 
 always been an alien there, she declared ; but if so, she 
 had been an alien ruler whose will was law and whoso 
 slightest wish was respected. She was perfectly well 
 aware that she was the superior of her parents in cul- 
 ture, and that her mother had used her skilfully as a 
 ladder to social distinction. She felt too remote from 
 her parents to have any really strong affection for them, 
 and they had troubled themselves too little about her to 
 have any claim upon her love. It was now time for 
 her to assert her liberty. She was twenty-two years 
 old, and had a legal right to mnrry whomsoever she 
 chose. She had shared her mother's social ambition, 
 and had herself benefited by the position which her 
 beauty and accomplishments had gradually gained for 
 her family. But that was hardly any reason why she 
 should continue to be the tool with which they were 
 to accomplish their purposes, and by her marriage 
 strengthen them in their commercial position, as by her 
 beauty she had opened to them the charmed circles of 
 Murray Hill. This time it was her intention to please 
 herself. 
 
126 A DAUGHTER* 
 
 I shall not attempt to describe the many interviews 
 in which the above sentiments were frankly uttered by 
 the daughter, and as frankly recognized by the mother* 
 They both behaved with perfect propriety, as Murray Hill 
 people always do ; the}' expended no tears nor vitupera- 
 tions, did not go into hysterics or indulge in violent ges- 
 tures. But they told each other very severe things in the 
 most rigidly polite language, and courteously threatened 
 each other like two ambassadors who are about to de- 
 clare war. The end was, that for the sake of avoiding 
 scandal the parents, having exhausted all their resources 
 of menace and persuasion, consented to make the wed- 
 ding ; and as it was contrary to their principles to neglect 
 any opportunity for display, the paragraphists of the 
 society journals were kept busy for weeks recording the 
 preparations for the " great event." "Wcllingford (to be 
 perfectly frank) had not anticipated such a speedy con- 
 summation of his hopes, and was, in fact, in his present 
 financial condition ill prepared to furnish such a costly 
 jewel as Mijs Hampton with a proper setting* He had 
 looked forward to an engagement of one or two years, 
 and, with the general hopefulness and the cheerful sense 
 of ability which are characteristic of American }'outh, 
 had felt certain that within that time Fortune would 
 give him a proof of her favor. Some articles of his 
 which had appeared in a scientific journal, giving an 
 account of the geological explorations which he had 
 undertaken during the previous summer, had been trans- 
 lated into French and German, and had been favorably 
 commented upon by an Knglish geologist of great re* 
 pute. It was therefore obvious that his star was in the 
 ascendant. For all that, he was not a little dismayed 
 when Alma, taking his consent for granted, referred to 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 127 
 
 their marriage as an event near at band, and even con- 
 sulted him with much vivacity regarding some details 
 of her wedding costume. With that supreme disregard 
 of the financial phase of the question which we all 
 find so charming in young ladies, she sketched their 
 united future — their heaventy solitude a deux, as she 
 called it — in golden tints ; she gave in spirit select 
 little dinner-parties, at which very brilliant things were 
 said; and she would bavc the crest of the Welling- 
 fords (a golden griffin in a field of blue) eugraved on 
 all her china and her Venetian glass. For she must 
 have Venetian glass; there was nothing like it for 
 genuino gentility. Her ordinary chiua sho would have 
 from the Ilavilands in Limoges, because their decora- 
 tion was always in good taste and not too superabun- 
 dant and florid. For cups and saucers she preferred 
 Sevres, which, if you really succeeded in getting fine 
 specimens, was not to be surpassed in delicacy of tex- 
 ture and loveliness of form. On the whole, the hardest 
 thing in furnishing a house was to get the bric-d-brac to 
 your taste ; bric-a-brac ought to express some charming 
 eccentricity, some fantastic arabesque, in the owner's 
 character ; or, at all events, ought, with all its hap-hafcard 
 diversity, to have a subtle unity of its own, from which 
 you might guess at the refinement and curious culture 
 of the master or mistress of the house. But if it has 
 to be bought all at once, it is impossible to obtain this 
 effect ; the objets de vertu then express nothing except 
 the need of the mantelpiece or the cabinet to have its 
 nudity in some way covered. 
 
 Harold sat perfectly aghast at the vista which suddenly 
 opened itself into his future. Was this the way she 
 meant to live as the wife of a poor mining-engineer, — 
 
128 A DAUGHTER 
 
 with Sevres china, Venetian glass, and rare and fantastic 
 bric-a-brac t And her father, she had just told him 
 with smiling equanimity, had declared that he would 
 not give her a dollar, and that he would disinherit her. 
 'What mattered it, she had asked, as long as they were 
 sure that they loved each other ; and Harold had ab- 
 jectly observed that it did not matter a whit, that it was 
 not worthy of a moment's consideration. Whatever he 
 was, ho would not be a sordid lover, who speculated in 
 the prospects of his /emcee. But she certainly did give 
 him queer glimpses of her way of looking at life. He 
 ventured mildly to propound the query if Venetian 
 glass* Sevres china, etc., were not very expensive ; to 
 which she replied gayly, — • 
 
 44 Well, to be sure ; but then, you know, j-ou will 
 soon be famous, Harry dear, and then we shall discover 
 mines and things, and we will leave your office here 
 in town in charge of your pale young man with the 
 towy hair, while we travel across the continent in a 
 special palace car, and have banquets given to us in 
 San Francisco and Chicago, and form mining companies 
 and that sort of thing. Now, won't that be charming? " 
 
 44 1 am afraid, dearest," he answered seriously, 44 that 
 you have a very false idea of the future that is awaiting 
 you as my wife. I am a poor man, Alma dear, and 
 you don't know what that means." 
 
 44 Yes, I do," she ejaculated eagerly ; 44 it means that 
 you have to go to parties in hired coupes, that 3'ou can't 
 afford to dine at Delmonico's, and can't keep a yacht of 
 your own." 
 
 44 It means more than that," he said sadly ; 44 it means 
 that we shall have to deny ourselves many things more es- 
 sential than yachts and coupes and Delmonico's dinners. 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 129 
 
 It means that we shall have to live in an unfashion- 
 able side-street far away from the Avenue ; that our 
 Snobbish friends will cut us, when they observe how we 
 have degenerated ; and that Mrs. Wellingford, when 
 her trousseau is worn out, may have to wear domestio 
 dresses made by unfashionable milliners." 
 
 44 Now, Harry, why do you insist upon being so dis- 
 agreeable?" she exclaimed, with a petulance which in a 
 woman of her stately form seemed quite incongruous, 
 44 If you knew how unhappy I have been since the 
 evening of our engagement,, how both father and mother 
 have threatened and tormented me, and said all sorts of 
 provoking things to me, then I am sure you would not be 
 unkind to me too. And it is only because I love you 
 instead of Mr, Cunningham that they have made up 
 their minds to make me as miserable as possible," 
 
 How could he resist such an appeal, made with quiver- 
 ing lips and in a voice which broke pathetically, in spite 
 of its efforts to remain steady. This adorable girl was 
 actually suffering maltreatment because of her love for 
 him \ how could he then be brute enough even to hint to 
 her his unwillingness to take her to his heart for better 
 or worse, the sooner tho better? IIo must devise some 
 scheme for meeting tho emergency rather than subject 
 her to further annoyance. At any rate, he could not 
 alter tho decree of fate ; the wedding was already an- 
 nounced and elaborate preparations were in progress. 
 It was with a sickening sense of his own helplessness, 
 and with a constant fear of betraying it, that he watched 
 the eagerness with which she counted the days that yet 
 separated her from happiness and from him. She 
 brought him handfuls of samples of the most precious 
 stuffs, and arranged them on the sofa-cushion, consulting 
 
 9 
 
130 A DAUGHTER 
 
 him with a light-hearted vivacity that was extremely 
 becoming to her, regarding his preferences in colors, 
 styles of cut, etc. Could he imagine how ravishing she 
 would look presiding at her own breakfast-table, pour- 
 ing the coffee in exquisitely shaped Dresden cups, 
 arrayed in a loose peignoir made of the finest cream- 
 colored cashmere, with cascades of lace and pink satin 
 bows? 
 
 " And a coquettish little lace cap, Harry," she went 
 on with a gay little laugh, — " for, as Mrs. Wellington^ I 
 must have a touch of matronlincss, 5*011 know, — and 
 dear little pink satin slippers, of which I shall inadver- 
 tently display the tips as we walk down together to 
 breakfast. Now, Harry, tell me truly, won't that be 
 paradise ? " 
 
 "It would be, darling,*' he answered ruefully, "if 
 we could get along on a purely vegetable diet, as Adam 
 and Eve did, and with as small an expenditure to tailors 
 and dressmakers." 
 
 44 Expenditure and expenditure ! Why, Harry, you 
 have expenditure on the brain ! As the world is made, 
 you know, you can't get things without paying for 
 them, although I confess that it is a very inconvenient 
 arrangement." 
 
 He suspected that he made a very unsatisfactory 
 fiance. lie had even to be reminded that tradition as- 
 signed to him the duty of ordering the wedding cards ; 
 and as fashion then required a very elaborate combina- 
 tion of cream-laid, ivory-tinted cardboard and note- 
 paper, with engraved crest or monogram, the unhappy 
 groom saw no other way of solving the difficulty than 
 by appealing to his friend Palfrey for a loan. Palfrey, 
 who was the most obliging of mortals to everybody 
 
OF THE V III LI STINKS, 131 
 
 whom ho liked, and gratuitously disagreeable to those 
 whom ho disliked, was delighted to be able to do Harry 
 a favor; and before he allowed him to go, had, by 
 delicate innuendoes and half-questions, wormed out of 
 him a disjointed but pretty complete account of his 
 situation, Wellingford could hardly help connecting 
 with this incident a telegram which he received two 
 days later, and which read as follows : — 
 
 44 The proprietors of the mine 4 The Maid of Athens,' in 
 Silvertown, Col., desire to engage your services as chief 
 engineer. , Salary, $6,000. Reply without delay." 
 
 He made a pretence of coolness as he entered tho 
 library of the Hampton residence and handed this fate- 
 ful telegram to Alma. His heart was in his throat. 
 It was a chance which he had long desired, and an ac- 
 tivity admirably suited to both his inclination and his 
 powers. And yet it all depended upon her decision. 
 Would she have the courage to camp in tho Sierras and 
 endure privations and hardships for his sake? And 
 her Worth dresses, which weVe now on their way from 
 Paris, and the peignoir with {he lace cascade, — what 
 was to become of them? His glance fell accidentally 
 upon her delicate hand, which she was resting on the 
 back of a chair ; and the four soft little dimples over the 
 finger joints seemed suddenly to give him the measure 
 of the heroism which was required for a creature like 
 her to take such a resolution. She was silent for a 
 few moments, while she moved her lips and gazed in- 
 tently upon the paper. 
 
 44 Harry," she said, looking up with a puzzled frown, 
 44 why don't you go into Wall Street?" 
 
 The question seemed irrelevant, but he understood 
 its bearing. 
 
132 A DAUGHTER 
 
 44 Because," he answered emphatically, 44 1 wish to 
 live by my own labor, and not by gambling with the 
 results of other people's work." 
 
 44 Then you disapprove of stock speculation." 
 
 44 1 do, and some day I shall tell you why." 
 
 44 And 3*ou disapproved of me for speculating, in an 
 emergency?" 
 
 44 1 did, Alma. , But why revive the memory of that 
 affair at tills moment? " 
 
 44 Because, sir," she answered, with increasing resent- 
 ment, "I ara hot satisfied with that mixture of love 
 and criticism which you offer me. I am accustomed to 
 being loved without critical reservations. You may 
 hate me, if you choose ; but if you mean to educate me, 
 it is only fair that I should give you warning." 
 
 She dropped the telegram on the table, as if it were 
 something loathsome to the touch, and with a splendid 
 imperiousnoss of manner left the room. If Harold had 
 been less concerned in her wrath, he would have oh- 
 served how superbly picturesque a beautiful woman may 
 be, even when in a passion. But instead of that, he 
 arose with an utterly disheartened look, and sauntered 
 out into the hall, half hoping that she would come back ; 
 but after having absently fitted three hats on his head 
 and finally found his own, ho had no excuse for linger- 
 ing. He only wished he had had the presence of mind 
 to inquire whether he should countermand his orders at 
 the engraver's. 
 
 Two miserable days elapsed, and the world In gen- 
 eral was out of gear. He wrote three notes to the 
 engraver, begging him not to do anything about the 
 wedding cards until he heard from him ; but he could 
 not make up his mind to send them. It seemed like burn- 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 133 
 
 ing his bridges behind him. It took him nearly three 
 hours to compose a business letter in response to the 
 telegram, requesting that the position might be kept 
 open for him for a couple of days, as ho could not im- 
 mediately arrive at a decision. On the evening of the 
 second day he sat in his study, which was a handsomely 
 enough furnished room for a bachelor, smoking despair- 
 ingly and trying to rouse his energies for a definite res- ' 
 olution. There was a light tap at the door, but he did 
 not hear it, Then the door was cautiously opened, and 
 looking up he saw — Alma. She flung back her veil 
 and showed a pale, pathetic face, Her eyelids were 
 swollen, and it was evident that she had been weeping. 
 She looked pleadingly at him, but, feeling the awkward- 
 ness of her situation, hesitated to speak. The fog, 
 which was dense without, had gathered in tiny silvery 
 drops in the loose hair at her ears ; and as she touched 
 it with her glove, a light shiver ran through her frame, 
 " Harry," she said, with a huskincss in her voice 
 which somehow went straight to his heart, "I have 
 come to beg your pardon." 
 
 She gave a little sob as she finished ; it was evident 
 that she found it very hard to ask forgiveness. 
 
 14 Alma, my sweet girl," he murmured fondly, seiz- 
 ing her hand, " I was a brute to be angry with you." 
 
 It mattered little that she had really been the one 
 who had been angry. She vaguely felt that after her 
 generous conduct in acknowledging that she had been 
 wrong, it was only fair that Harry should make a simi- 
 lar concession. She looked so irresistibly lovely with 
 her penitent air, in which there was yet a virtuous con- 
 sciousness of having done her duty, that Wellingford 
 felt all his tenderness for her revive, and he drew her 
 
134 A DAUGHTER 
 
 quickly toward bim and clasped her in his Arms. A 
 blush stole into her pale cheeks, as she raised her head 
 and gazed at him with eyes full of soft radiance. 
 
 14 Harry" she said with subdued roguishness, " I can't 
 do without you now, I have given you so much that I 
 never could get back again, and that I never could give 
 to any one else. I have always longed to love madly 
 and wildly ; and as, this is as near as I ever shall come 
 to it, I cannot afford to squander such a precious 
 emotion." 
 
 44 Alma, you make me feel ashamed of myself,** he 
 answered ruefully ; 44 only give me a chance to make a 
 sacrifice for you, just to re-establish my self-respect. 
 I am in a tremendously magnanimous mood,'' he added 
 in a lighter tone ; " if I do not find an immediate outlet 
 for my magnanimity, I shall have to give myself up to 
 the sheriff, under a bond to keep the peace.** 
 
 She sent him an arch, questioning glance, then drew 
 his head down until his ear touched her lips, and whis- 
 pered, — 
 
 44 Give up Colorado. Let us stay here in the city 
 and be happy. I promise you I shall be awfully eco- 
 nomical." 
 
 44 Well, well, my dear,*' he replied sadly, 44 if I have 
 to choose between giving up you and giving up Silver- 
 town, you know what my choice is." 
 
 . 44 But you have not to choose, Harry ; I would go 
 with you to Siberia, or to the Cannibal Islands." 
 
 &he was busy with her left hand tucking a stray curl 
 in under her hat, as she uttered these sentiments, and 
 there was a roguish twinkle in her ejes, which was out 
 of keeping with the solemnity of her declaration. But 
 Wellington] was too absorbed to notice her expression. 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 135 
 
 "With a half-averted face he grappled earnestly with the 
 problem ; and after a minute's reflection he turned again 
 toward his Jiancee with a kind of mournful reckless* 
 ncss, and said, — 
 
 11 Well, Alma dear, it shall be as you wish. If you, 
 after an hour's serious conversation with me, decide 
 that you prefer to remain in the city, then we will 
 remain." 
 
 "Ah," she exclaimed joyously, "that was all I 
 wished to know. I knew you loved me too much to 
 take me out into that horrid Western wilderness. We 
 may go on our wedding journey to the Sierras, if you 
 choose. If we are to be poor, then let us cultivate love 
 in a cottage at Haarlem or Jersey City. But it must 
 be a well-upholstered cottage, And yet, after all, I 
 suspect it is easier to wear a last year's bonnet in the 
 Sierras than on Fifth Avenue, and it requires less forti- 
 tude to live in a log-cabin at Silvcrtown than in a cheap 
 flat on Sixth Avenue. An oilcloth in our hall, Harry, 
 would shatter my nerves irreparably, while I am pretty 
 sure I should behave heroically in the presence of au 
 Indian in war-paint. Now let us sco what we have got, 
 to start housekeeping with," she resumed, after a pause, 
 during which her eyes had been wandering rapidly 
 around the room, •• A bronze ink-stand — that is good 
 — will do, at a pinch, for a mantel ornament. About 
 a thousand volumes of books in shabby cloth binding — * 
 those we will sell at auction and convert into pots and 
 kettles, and other useful etceteras. A box of cigars — 
 a gas stove — that will be useful if there is no steam- 
 heating in our cottage — two bronze candlesticks — " 
 
 She was moving briskly about the room, picking up aud 
 inspecting critically each object that came in her way ; 
 
136 A DAUGHTER 
 
 while Wellington! stood abjectly adoring her loveliness, 
 and reflecting that, after all, such a startling piece of 
 humanity could not with safety be exported to the 
 Western wilds without causing much disastrous com- 
 motion. 
 
 When she had taken a preliminary invoice of his pos- 
 sessions, and even peeped through the curtains into his 
 bedroom, which for some reason she found very ridicu- 
 lous, she gathered her wraps about her, and requested 
 him to accompany her home. Her carriage was still 
 waiting at the door ; and as ho seated himself at her 
 side, and saw the gas-light suddenly fall upon her pure, 
 wondrous face, and felt the touch of her soft rich gar- 
 ments and the vague delicious odor of jasmine which 
 hovered about her, an intoxication of happiness took 
 possession of him, and it was only the physical impossi- 
 bility of the thing which restrained him from throwing 
 himself at her feet. Her hand, her hair, her face, her 
 very garments, seemed so indescribably dear and pre- 
 cious. When he reentered his room, about midnight, 
 the odor of jasmine was still lingering. 
 
 The next morning, while he was marching distract- 
 edly up and down in his room, plotting daring enter- 
 prises, he received an unexpected visit from Palfrey, 
 who was trim and a little aggressively stylish, perhaps, in 
 his attire, but in radiant humor. lie acknowledged hav- 
 ing suggested his friend's name to the directors of ** The 
 Maid of Athens," of which he was one ; but, on second 
 thought, he saw well enough the impossibility of Ins re- 
 moving into the wilderness with a wife like Miss Hamp- 
 ton. He had, however, another enterprise in mind, 
 which he thought promised more than better returns on 
 the capital invested. Ho had long had an idea of estab- 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 137 
 
 lishing an organ for the vast mining interests of the coun- 
 try, to be called " Tho United States Mining Gazette ;" 
 and he knew no one who was better qualified for tho 
 editorship* of such a paper than Harry Wellingford, Ho 
 would pay four thousand dollars salary to the editor, 
 and if Harry refused ho would havo to find another man. 
 The paper was bound to be remunerative, if properly con- 
 ducted ; and with his wide scientific connections at homo 
 and abroad, and his literary fluency, Harry was just tho 
 man to make a success of it It was not a question of 
 sentiment, but one of business, Palfrey persistently de- 
 clared. And although Harry suspected him of more 
 sentiment in the matter than ho was willing to acknowl- 
 edge, he could not help agreeing with his friend that from 
 a business point of view tho enterprise had a promising 
 look. He therefore gratefully accepted the proffered 
 position, and for the first time in many months began to 
 feel at ease about his future. It was further agreed 
 that he should take his wedding journey to Silvertown, 
 and look into the affairs of " Tho Maid of Athens." 
 Palfrey had a strong suspicion that the present superin- 
 tendent was the tool of the interest represented by Simon 
 Loewenthal & Co. , and that he grossly cheated the other 
 owners for their benefit. Loewenthal & Co., or the 
 party which shielded itself behind that name, owned 
 merely one fourth of tho mine ; two fourths were scat- 
 tered among small investors, and tho remaining fourth 
 belonged to Palfrey. The small proprietors, on account 
 of their inexperience and absorption in other pursuits, 
 could never be made to assert themselves in the board, 
 or even played directly into the hands of the unscrupu- 
 lous Loewenthal. An enormous amount of ore had 
 already been taken out of the mine, but only one trifling 
 
138 A DAUGHTER 
 
 dividend had so far been declared ; and constant assess- 
 ments for ail sorts of unheard-of M improvements " were 
 gradually wearing out the patience of the small inves- 
 tors, until it required all Palfrey's eloquence and perse- 
 verance to prevent them from selling out at any price 
 to the enemy. Of course, Palfrey perceived perfectly 
 well that this was the very object for which the Loe- 
 wenthals were working; and if he could not convict 
 them of fraudulent management before many weeks, he 
 would have to give up the fight and acknowledge himself 
 beaten. Apart, however, from the pecuniary loss which 
 such an ignominious surrender would involve, he felt as 
 if his honor too was at stake ; as he hud frankly declared 
 his hostility, and by a narrow majority had succeeded, 
 in the last meeting of directors, in removing the present 
 superintendent and having Harry appointed in his place. 
 Harry would thus be clothed with official powers of 
 which he could divest himself as soon as he had finished 
 his investigation and submitted his report. He might 
 save many families in moderate circumstances from 
 ruin by accepting this charge. 
 
 Harry now suddenly recalled the Incident of six 
 months ago, when Loewenthal had sent him some 
 samples of ore which he declared to have been taken 
 from " The Maid of Athens," and which had assayed as 
 high as two hundred and fifty ounces to the ton. He 
 had offered Harry a pecuniary inducement for publishing 
 over his name a statement to this effect when he (Loe- 
 wenthal) should demand it; but as Harry thought it 
 Unlikely that any mine could average as high as these 
 samples indicated, and as, moreover, he had an instinc- 
 tive distrust of Locwenthai's intentions, he had refused. 
 Palfrey concluded from this that Simon, or the parties 
 
,0F THE PHILISTINES. 139 
 
 whom he represented, had, in anticipation of their vic» 
 tory, drawn up a plan for a mining company, the stock 
 of which they meant to throw on the market when the 
 mine was more than half exhausted, and thus make the 
 public pay them five or ten times the worth of what re- 
 mained. It would therefore be an act of humanity to 
 restrain them from further depredations. 
 
140 A DAUGHTER 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 i 
 
 A MARRIAGE X LA MODE. 
 
 THERE was something festive in the air. The 
 Avenue looked glorious, the sidewalks were dry, 
 the air was steeped in sunshine, and everj'body was 
 well dressed and in good humor. Here and there a 
 clock in a church tower rang out the hour melodiously, 
 meditatively, as if it had not quite made up its mind 
 when it would be proper to stop. The sky overhead 
 looked vast and serene ; and the airy cloud-banks which 
 were slowly drifting seaward evidently found drifting a 
 delightful occupation. Everybody who possessed any 
 kind of a vehicle, from a tally-bo to a dog-cart, was out 
 for an airing ; and for the plebeian pedestrian who pos- 
 sessed none it was perilous to cross the street without 
 the escort of a policeman. Lovely girls, on slender 
 bob-tailed horses, and followed by' liveried grooms at a 
 respectful distance, rode at a leisurely canter up toward 
 the Park ; and people stopped to gaze alter them, and 
 seemed grateful to them for consenting to be young and 
 beautiful. Portly dowagers, on the other hand, who 
 would not consent to grow old and ugly, lolled majesti- 
 cally in their carriages, bestowing their carefully graded 
 smiles and bows upon acquaintances whom Fortune had 
 more or less conspicuously favored. Gentlemen in 
 glaringly English costumes, and with their hair parted 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 141 
 
 in the back, who depended upon their horses rather than 
 their wits for social success, exhibited beneath their 
 apathetic countenances their contempt for humanity in 
 general, and for that part of it, in particular, which can- 
 not afford to keep jaunty turn-outs. For, oh ! they aro 
 tremendous fellows, these pseudo-Englishmen of ours, 
 who profess to bo ashamed of their nationality, and 
 think that Washington made a great mistake in heading 
 a rebellion against England, and that tho Bostonians 
 committed a piece of puerile folly in throwing the tea 
 overboard; who affect dulncss and horse-talk because- 
 dulness and horse-talk are supposed to be aristocratio 
 and English ; who reduce things to ** pounds, shillings, 
 and pence " instead of dollars and cents ; and who spend 
 their time yawning at club windows in imitation of tho 
 elegant leisure of the British nobility. It is these gen- 
 tlemen who constitute the refining leaven in our hope- 
 lessly crude democratio society, If it were not for 
 them, and their tandems and talty-ho's, and their elevat- 
 ing horse-talk, there is little doubt but that the country 
 would go to the dogs. 
 
 Outside of the fashionable church of Nazareth there 
 was a double row of carriages, extending for several 
 blocks up and down tho Avenue*. A crowd of servant* 
 girls, waiters, newsboys, and boQt-blacks were pressing 
 about tho striped canvas canopy which lod from tho 
 street to tho church door, and refused to bo restrained 
 in their civic rights by the policemen who commanded 
 them to stand back. Some dirainutivo citizens from 
 the Bowery persisted in cheering the ladies as they 
 stepped from their carriages, and in making audible 
 comments upon their appearance. But then, to bo 
 sure, are we not living in a free country ? The excite- 
 
142 A DAUGHTER 
 
 merit of the crowd rose to its highest pitch as six closed 
 carriages drove up rapidly before the church, and depos- 
 ited six gorgeously arrayed bridesmaids with attend- 
 ants upon the carpeted sidewalk. Then followed three 
 more carriages, from the last of which the bride 
 emerged, radiant with diamonds and pearls and satin 
 and lace. Mr. Hampton looked exceedingly red and 
 explosive as he assisted his daughter to alight, and he 
 glanced wrathfully about at the crowd as a long-drawn 
 " Ah-h-h" of admiration greeted her. He would have 
 liked to strangle somebody, but found no one conven- 
 iently at hand ; the groom, who was the nearest ob- 
 ject of his displeasure, looked quite unconscious of 
 his hostility, but seemed a little anxious lest he should 
 step on the trains of the many skirts which sur- 
 rounded him. Mrs. Hampton, resplendent in black vol* 
 vet and diamonds, leaned on "Wellingford's arm, and 
 looked apprehensive lest there should be some hitch in 
 the scenic machinery. Finally, after a subdued prelude 
 of starched skirts and rustling satins, the organ burst 
 into a triumphant peal, and the long procession, headed 
 by six ushers, followed by the bridesmaids in pairs, 
 moved up the aisle through triumphal arches and amid 
 a profusion of floral decorations. Rev. Dr. Stylish, 
 clad in flowing robes, and looking no less distingue than 
 venerable, addressed a sonorous supplication to the 
 Almight}', and left out all the indelicate portions of the 
 service in order to spare the sensibilities of the bride. 
 Old Professor Wellingford, who looked as happy as if 
 he himself were being married, had nevertheless fre- 
 quent recourse to his handkerchief; and Adelaide and 
 Mabel Wellingford, who were among the bridesmaids, 
 feeling vaguely that something was expected of them, 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 143 
 
 sobbed profusely, — which they could do with perfect 
 safety, as their complexions were genuine. Mrs. Wei- 
 lingford was cool and plump and diplomatic, as usual ; 
 and though for tho sake of decorum she wiped the 
 corners of her eyes occasionally, her uppermost thought 
 was whether Harry with his good looks might not have 
 done better still, if ho had waited a little longer. 
 Those Hamptons were, after all, of mythical ante- 
 cedents, and it was not unlikely that they had been 
 making a factitious display of wealth for the sake of 
 connecting themselves with an old and honored family 
 like the Wellingfords. Dr. Stylish's rich voice, in 
 which the only vowel seemed to be tho broad a, rang 
 out magnificently under the lofty stone vaults. Tho 
 sunshine broke in a many-colored stream through tho 
 great rose-window, and round about from the walls and 
 the arched ceiling apostles and saints, with aureoles 
 about their heads, were gazing down upon the marvel- 
 lous toilets and wondering what the world was coming 
 to. For the Scripture passage about tho lilies of tho 
 field applies equally well to the New York girls : They 
 toil not, neither do they spin, and yet Solomon in all 
 his glory was not arrayed like one of them. When all 
 the preliminary questions had been put and answered, 
 bride and groom knelt down on velvet footstools, and 
 Dr. Stylish placed his soft hands upon their heads, and 
 called down the benediction of Heaven upon them. 
 Alma, as she afterward confessed, quite missed the 
 elfect of this solemn moment, first, because she was 
 afraid that Dr. Stylish in his sacred zeal might dis* 
 arrange her coiffure, and, secondly, because kneeling 
 gracefully in a stiff satin dress and getting up again 
 without disaster (when you discover that your husband 
 
144 A DAUGHTER 
 
 has the edge of your veil under hi9 knees)* are difficult 
 feats, and require all your presence of mind. In fact, 
 being married in the stylishly elaborate fashion of to- 
 day .is, in spite of repeated rehearsals, never as easy a 
 matter as to outsiders it ma}' appear ; and when the time 
 came for discussing the events of the day, Alma pro- 
 fessed to have been trembling from head to foot at the 
 thought that Harry might have left the ring at home, or 
 put it in his purse or some other improper place ; and 
 when she saw him examining his three waistcoat pock- 
 ets, one after the other, with a distracted air, she came 
 near fainting* i Nevertheless, the ceremony passed off 
 without the slightest jarring incident. Everything was 
 comme il fauU There was just the proper amount of 
 weeping to show that the bride left an irreparable void 
 behind her, although, to be sure, an odious inference 
 might be drawn from the fact that the greater quantity 
 of tears was contributed by the groom's family. Dr. 
 Stylish was becomingly moved at the thought of losing 
 such a beloved member of his flock as Alma ; he pressed 
 her hand cordially, said all manner of nice and paternal 
 things to her, and gave her a profound sense of her own 
 worth by impressing upon Harry the responsibility he 
 assumed in depriving such a rare and delicate nature of 
 the tender and pious guardianship of her parents. The 
 organ, in the meanwhile, was making such a frantically 
 triumphant noise that it was impossible to hear what 
 Harry answered ; but it was evident, judging by his ex- 
 pression, that he was duly conscious of his responsibil- 
 ity. After some whispered remarks and congratulations 
 the procession, now slightly demoralized, moved down 
 the aisle, and Mr. and Mrs. Harold Wcllingford seated 
 themselves in their carriage and drove awaj\ They 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 145 
 
 found the, Hampton mansion ablaze with light from all 
 its superb windows ; flowers in vases and wreaths and 
 ingenious monograms, rare exotic trees in tubs, the 
 sheen of satin, and the glitter of precious stones trans* 
 formed the largo rooms into fairy bowers, devised by 
 some luxuriant Oriental imagination. As Harold and 
 Alma walked through the throngs of smiling and bow- 
 ing guests, all of whom seemed eager to press their 
 hands and utter happy prophecies for their united future, 
 they felt as if they were treading on air, their blood 
 beat tumultuoasly in their veins, and life opened in long, 
 shining vistas before thera. And yet they longed to 
 escape from all this festive tumult and to bo alone, if 
 only to acquire a realizing sense of the fact that they 
 were now husband and wife. It was a radiant fact, and 
 one which could only be profoundly realized in dual 
 solitude.^ 
 
 It was fortunate for their peace of mind that they 
 did not divine how the majority of their guests viewed 
 their union. It was perhaps not to be wondered at that 
 Alma's ex-adorers took a cynical view of the situation ; 
 and if Wellingford could have overheard their remarks, 
 I fear he would have been compelled to form a very low 
 estimate of his own merits. As for the ladies, — who in 
 New York outlive their romantic age (if they ever have 
 any) before they aro out of their teens, — they were in- 
 clined to be more lenient toward tho bridegroom on 
 account of his handsome face; but in tho absence of 
 any other standard of eligibility, they had to judge him 
 sternly by his presumptive bank account, and find him 
 wanting* There was no doubt that Alma could have 
 married an establishment on the Avenue, with picture- 
 galleries and stables attached, or even a foreign noble* 
 
 10 
 
Ma 
 
 146 A DAUGHTER 
 
 inan in search of an American fortune, if her mother 
 had only understood how to manage, and she herself 
 had been inspired with a loftier ambition ; for, of course, 
 there must be a streak of vulgarity in a woman who can 
 be satisfied to marry a poor man when she " might have 
 done so much better.'* , Many of these dear friends 
 made up their minds to drop her gradually, when she 
 should return to the city and take up her residence in a 
 locality beyond the precincts of fashion. 
 
 Festivities in New York, whether they be of a hy- 
 meneal or of a purely Bocial nature, are apt to suffer 
 from the over-population of the city. Everybody's 
 circle of acquaintance is so large that Madison Square 
 Garden would have to be hired to hold them all ; and 
 even then there would probably be a crush, and people 
 would return home weary and dispirited, but with a 
 proud consciousness of having been seen at Mrs. Van 
 Tast's entertainment. Judging by the number of grand 
 people who were willing to put themselves to serious 
 discomfort for the sake of being seen at Alma's wed- 
 ding, it would be safe to conclude that Mrs. Hampton 
 had reached the goal of her ambition and was actually 
 a leader of society. At all events, she had succeeded % in 
 gathering a typical New York assembly, which always 
 contains a fair proportion of agreeable and entertaining 
 people, besides the usual number of heavy, ornamental 
 44 swells," whose padding and stiff shirt-fronts are incom- 
 patible with vivacity of intellect. It was delightful to 
 see how little it took to entertain this great, ill-assorted 
 crowd, and with what perfect good-nature it behaved, 
 being always read}' to take a humorous view of its own 
 ' sufferings. Miss Van Twiller, who had a charming face 
 with the loveliest dimples, felt perfectly happy to be 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 147 
 
 dragged through the crowd on the arm of young Mr. 
 Armstrong, who was said to be " so delightfully bad," 
 and who made a vapid remark to her every five minutes ; 
 and Mr, Armstrong, who was always well contented 
 with himself, was doubly so at the present moment, be- 
 cause he was conscious of having made an impression 
 on Miss Van Twiller. Mr. Duncan, who was an old 
 beau, and was. always chuckling to himself at the 
 thought of the number of women who had been cheated 
 in their expectation to marry him, was radiant because 
 the beautiful Mrs. Gregory had complimented him on 
 his youthful appearance ; and the beautiful Mrs. Greg- 
 ory, who had always maintained that men were ten 
 times as vain as women, and had made a wager with 
 Mr, Hamilton that she would prove it to him by the 
 first man they met, was charmed to think that she had 
 so easily won her wager. Mr. Hamilton, who had in 
 a mythical past been connected with some theatrical 
 business, and had later invested in philanthropy and 
 theological seminaries, was delighted at being bored in 
 so distinguished an assembly, and looked respectfully 
 upon himself in consequence. Mr. Tuller, who gave 
 Miss Green an involuntary nudge in the ribs while 
 elbowing his way to the dining-room, laughingly apolo- 
 gized, and Miss Green laughingly accepted his apology, 
 In fact, everybody was disposed to be good-humored, 
 although there was no definite effort made for his en- 
 tertainment, and his only privilege consisted in standing 
 in a handsome room, being jostled about by a well- 
 dressed crowd, and exchanging winged platitudes with 
 chance neighbors who had the enterprise occasionally to 
 test their powers of locomotion. As for conversation, 
 in the sense of a leisurely exchange of thoughts and 
 
148 A DAUGHTER 
 
 opinions, it was of course out of the question ; and if 
 any one made an attempt to capture a congenial com- 
 panion and retire into a convenient corner, the lynx eyes 
 of the hostess were immediately upon him, and he would 
 hear the dread summons, " Mr. Q., may I have the 
 pleasure to introduce you to Miss X. ? H 
 
 Alma, who now, for the first time in her life, had one 
 to whom she could freely utter her thought, regarded 
 it as a positive luxury to be able to criticise without 
 reserve the society of which she had long been a part, 
 and to feel assured of a sympathetic response. She had 
 all of a sudden lost her sense of kinship with it, and it 
 was a relief to net to think that she should have worthier 
 things to live for in future than to lay siege to hearts 
 which she had never cared to possess. It was well 
 enough, Wcllingford maintained, to have seen society, 
 as a part of one's education ; and if one escaped 
 unscathed, or with just enough of the wiliness of the ser- 
 pent to recognize its tongue when one saw it, and with- 
 out a total loss of the innocence of the dove, then there 
 was perhaps no cause for regret. Doves, he hinted, 
 would be inconvenient birds, and difficult to keep 
 among the hawks of the Sierras. Alma had, however, 
 as she laughingly observed, since the Alfonso episode 
 taught her scepticism, small ailinity with the pigeon 
 species ; and four seasons in fashionable society had 
 developed her claws to goodly proportions, and given 
 her experience in using them, while still keeping them 
 properly concealed. 
 
 During this disjointed colloquy, which had been every 
 moment interrupted by congratulating friends, Alma 
 and Harold had slowly wedged their way toward the 
 dining-room, where they intended to refresh themselves 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 149 
 
 » ■ ^ 
 
 before starting for the train which left at nine o'clock. 
 It was just as the bride had seated herself, and her hus- 
 band was assisting in filling her plate, that Professor 
 Wellingford stepped to the head of the table and rapped 
 on his glass as a signal for silence. Mabel and Ade- 
 laide, who were apprehensive lest papa should do or say 
 something unfashionable, grew as red as poppies in 
 their faces, and Mrs. Wellingford distractedly held out 
 her coffee-cup to the waiter who came to fill her glass 
 with champagne, 
 
 •• What a dear old gentleman your father is ! " whis« 
 • pored' Alma, as her eyes rested fondly upon tho portly 
 figure and the frank, kindly face, 
 
 11 My father is the noblest man I have ever known," 
 answered Harold, with a warmth which made the tears 
 suddenly rise to Alma's eyes, She had always sus- 
 pected that a very beautiful relation must exist between 
 her husband and his father, and she felt a sudden long- 
 ing to be admitted to their union, so that she might 
 know for once what such affection meant. 
 
 Before the Professor had spoken for two minutes 
 there was a respectful silence in tho room ; the crowds 
 at the doors became uncomfortably dense, but every 
 one was eager to listen and therefore bore his discom- 
 fort unmurmuringly. It was so novel to hear a really 
 fine speech at a wedding, and especially ono in which 
 there was no concession to tho prevailing taste for 
 cheap jests and extravagant humor, Tho Professor 
 had oven tho courage to bo honestly pathetic, and to 
 touch those true human chords which are suro to vibrato 
 to a tender touch in every uncorrupted heart. He spoke 
 with simple eloquenoe of the relation between parent 
 and child ; and the young girls found themselves fur* 
 
150 A DAUGHTER 
 
 tively brushing away a tear at the thought of what fate 
 had withheld from them, and many a hardened old 
 Croesus, who had applied all his energies to the accu- 
 mulation of millions, and neglected the son who was to 
 inherit them, felt a momentary twinge of remorse at the 
 thought of what he might have been to his children if 
 he had only had the time. When the Professor spoke 
 of the bride, to whom the toast was addressed, and with 
 a few glowing touches described her beaut}' and loveli- 
 ness, Alma stood for the moment before the mind of 
 the guests glorified, adorable, exalted above criticism. 
 Those of the men who had proposed to her wished they 
 had persevered longer, — for her final choice proved that 
 she was really not hard to please, — and those who had 
 not proposed cursed their indolence because they had 
 not. Mabel and Adelaide, who had at first felt so hor- 
 ribly conspicuous, and wished that papa had consulted 
 them before putting them in such an uncomfortable 
 position, forgot their embarrassment, and, perceiving 
 that papa was making a sensation, looked about them 
 with burning checks, and were proud and happy. Mrs. 
 » Wellingford also looked conscious, and nodded from 
 time to time approvingly whenever her husband gave 
 utterance to sentiments regarding matrimony which he 
 could hardly have verified in his own experience. In 
 his allusions to the bride's parents, too, the speaker 
 was compelled to trust to his imagination ; but it 
 guided him safely, and even if Alma and Harold might 
 detect an unintentional satire in the beautiful perora- 
 tion, there was no one else to whom the domestic his- 
 tory of the Hamptons was sufficiently known to make 
 the satire apparent. The bride's health was drunk 
 with an enthusiasm wluch in New York one seldom 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 151 
 
 witnesses. Bride and groom thereupon retired to change 
 their toilets for the journey ; and the conversation sud- 
 denly grew louder and more animated, and sounded to 
 Alma, as she stood before her minor, like a rhythmic 
 murmur which rose and fell with slow undulations. Del- 
 phine, who with her eyes full of tears and her mouth 
 full of pins was performing some delicate ofllco for her 
 mistress, looked up from time to time and viewed her 
 with an intense, almost dramatic interest. The strains 
 of half a dozen violins, cclloes, aud clarinets mingled 
 with the conversational hum below ; and Delphine, after 
 a vain effort to restrain herself, was. irresistibly drawn 
 into the rhythm, and moved her head, her hands, and 
 her feet half reluctantly to the time of the waltz, while 
 softly humming the tunc through a battery of pins. The 
 sight was so comical that Alma forgot the sadness which 
 was stealing over her, and presented quite a happy face 
 at the door when Harold knocked to inquire if she was 
 ready, He, on the contrary, was in some trepidation j 
 it seemed to mark so acutely their changed relations, — . 
 this slight privilego of knocking at her door. Thero 
 were a bright color in her cheeks and a strange liquid 
 softness in her eyes as she came to meet him in her 
 travelling dress of fine olive cashmere, which fitted her 
 slim figure ravishingly. They were just about to descend 
 the stairs together when they almost bumped against 
 Mr, Hampton, who was rushing up as hastily as his cor- 
 pulence would allow, ♦ 
 
 11 Oh, I was afraid you was already gone," he said 
 breathlessly. ** I want to see you for a moment in my 
 room." 
 
 He stood for a minute breathing laboriously, then 
 opened the door to his bedroom and adjoining parlor, 
 and bade them enter. 
 
152 A DAUGHTER 
 
 44 Your mother tells me, Alma,** he began excitedly, 
 turning the key in the lock, 44 that you are going to 
 Silvertown, Colorado, on your wedding trip. Am I 
 to understand that this is really your purpose? " 
 
 44 We are going there chiefly because we wish to com- 
 bine business with pleasure," she answered, with an 
 evident effort to be as dutiful and affectionate as cir- 
 cumstances would permit. 
 
 44 And it is not true, then, that you have accepted 
 a position there as superintendent of 4 The Maid of 
 Athens'?" asked Hampton, turning brusquely to 
 Harold. 
 
 44 Yes, it is perfectly true," responded Harold with 
 visible astonishment. " I was not aware, sir, that it 
 was a position to bo ashamed of." 
 
 44 Who said it was?" 
 
 14 1 thought your tone implied it." 
 
 44 Never you mind my tone. What I came to tell you 
 was, that I shall never allow my daughter to go out to 
 that dangerous community, where there is little or no 
 security for life and property. You must remember 
 there are hardly three hundred women in the town, and 
 there are nearly six thousand men. My responsibility 
 for my child compels me to interfere, and this time I 
 mean to have her obey me." 
 
 44 1 am sorry, sir," replied the son-in-law with com- 
 posure, 44 that you object to my taking my wife with me 
 on so harmless a trip, and, having already caused you 
 so much annoyance, I am particularly sorry to be obliged 
 to take issue with you once more. I think I have later 
 news from Silvertown than you can have received ; and 
 I am informed by trustworthy men, that with common 
 precautions life is as safe there as in New York. There 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 153 
 
 are about one thousand women in town, among whom 
 there arc some twenty or thirty cultivated ladies from 
 the East, who have followed their husbands thither. 
 Nevertheless, I am willing to leave the decision entirely 
 to Alma. It is a question, however, which has already 
 been abundantly discussed between us." 
 • " I am so grieved, father," began Alma, going up 
 and placing her hand upon his shoulder, u to think that 
 we must always be at variance." 
 
 44 Then you .mean to follow him," Her father sent her 
 a savage glare over his shoulder. 
 
 ■*• Yes," she said (irmly ; " and nothing has the power 
 to prevent me." 
 
 A painful silence reigned for some moments in the 
 room while Mr. Hampton seated himself at a small 
 ivory-inlaid writing-table, pulled a check-book from his 
 pocket, filled out a blank, and added his ponderous sig- 
 nature. 
 
 "Here," he said, tearing out the check and offering 
 it to Harold. " Twelve thousand dollars will last you 
 for a year at least, and when you have used it up you 
 may call on me for more. But don't talk to mo any 
 more of Silvertown." 
 
 44 1 appreciate your generosity r 6ir," answered Wel- 
 lingford, without making any motion to take the check. 
 44 But I am in honor pledged to accept this position, at 
 least temporarily ; in fact, I have already done so. I 
 had a long talk with Mr. Palfrey only a few days ago, 
 and he explained the whole situation to me, Vast sums 
 are at stake, and — " 
 
 44 But there is a very good superintendent on the 
 ground already," remonstrated Hampton, — " at all 
 events, I have heard so,-— a Pennsylvania man, I 
 
154 4 DAUGHTER 
 
 think. Ca-Ca-Cartwright, if I am not mistaken, is his 
 name." 
 
 44 And a precious rascal he is! M ejaculated Harry. 
 44 1 tell you, sir, I am fully informed of the situation. 
 I have been legally elected to fill this Cartwright's place, 
 and I mean within two weeks to do so." 
 
 Hampton gave a long, significant whistle. A sinister 
 smile played about his lips as ho kissed his daughter 
 44 good-by M and stiffly shook his son-in-law's hand. 
 
 44 Aha," he said, thrusting his under lip forward and 
 raising his eyebrows, " now I begin to understand your 
 little game." 
 
 This remark was addressed to Wellingford's back, 
 after the door had closed upon him. 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 155 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 LOVE AND BUSINESS. 
 
 THE long overland journey in a palace car was 
 almost without incident; that is, if an incident 
 means an occurrence of sufficient magnitude to collect 
 a crowd and to be telegraphed to the Associated Press. 
 It is, however, a very delightful thing to be permitted 
 to sit next to a lovely woman, who from time to time 
 looks up into your eyes with a kind of irrational tender- 
 ness, and occasionally finds fault with the cut of your 
 hair or your whiskers, and with her own fair hands 
 makes shy little experiments with your capillary adorn- 
 ments, while you smile sheepishly and feebly remon- 
 strate with her on her foolishness, This, I say, is not 
 generally regarded as an unpleasant situation, although, 
 to bo sure, it would figuro oddly among "telegraphic 
 news," and the nation might be excused for showing no 
 excitement about it. Nor is it disagreeable to feel for 
 the first time a vague sense of proprietorship in the ex- 
 quisite creature whom only a month ago you looked 
 upon as something remote, transcendent, unattainable. 
 Two such people, who are taking an unreasonable de- 
 light in each other's companionship, are really not to 
 be pitied, even though their fellow-passengers do smilo 
 commiscratingly at the sight of their happiness ; for 
 when two people are very much absorbed in each other, 
 
156 A DAUGHTER 
 
 it is not unusual for a third party to take a contemptuous 
 view of them. Alma and Harold, however, were by no 
 means oblivious of their fellow-travellers, and only re- 
 vealed their bridal character by their eager politeness 
 to each other, by the avidity with which they listened to 
 each other's remarks, and the furtive tenderness which 
 they bestowed upon each other in long, lingering glances 
 and in surreptitious pressure of each other's hands. 
 
 The weather, as it is always apt to be in April, was 
 raw and damp, with slate-colored skies from which 
 burst at frequent intervals an impetuous shower of rain 
 or a flood of tearful sunshine. The sap was mounting 
 in the trees, the buds were swelling, and here and there, 
 where the sun was warm, spring had put forth its 
 first antenna) in the shape of tiny light-green leaves. 
 For all that, the general aspect of the landscape, as 
 they sped on over the vast prairies and the rugged 
 hills of the still remoter West, was bleak and forlorn ; 
 and even after they had left the railroad and intrusted 
 themselves to Providence and stage-drivers, the gran- 
 deur of the mountain scenery reminded them constantly 
 of the neck-breaking roads which were still before them, 
 and they were unable to view it in a sufficiently dispas- 
 sionate spirit to rejoice in its picturcsqucness* 
 
 Some six or eight hundred bare cabins, tents, and 
 cottages, huddled together at hap-hazard on a steep 
 slope, ten thousand feet above the level of the sea, — 
 that is Silvertown. Pine forests of a ragged and irregu- 
 lar appearance climb the rugged hillsides, patches of 
 6oiled snow lie melting in the shaded crevices until mid- 
 summer, and the huge chimneys of the sraelting-works 
 belch forth volumes of black smoke, which, on a clear 
 day, rise in dense, perpendicular columns and spread 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 157 
 
 and mingle with the clouds of the Sierras, At all times 
 of night and day the air trembles with the sounds of 
 human activity, — the rhythmic hum of the circular 
 steam-saws, the heavy drone of the furnaces, the sleepy 
 calls of the mule-drivers, and the hundred confused 
 noises of hissing and sputtering slags, the clicking of 
 metallic tools, and the crackling of flying sparks that 
 issue from the volcanic workshops where the baser con- 
 stituents of the ore are being separated from the precious 
 metal. To Harold it was a beautiful, an exhilarating 
 sight; and ho could easily imagine himself living in 
 happy activity for many years among these bleak and 
 barren hills. But a glance at his wife reminded him 
 that such thoughts were disloyal, She was the flower 
 of a more complex civilization, and she was ill adapted 
 for primitive life, It was, perhaps, a hard thing to 
 think ; but nevertheless the thought was forcibly driven 
 home to him : usefulness had no part in her happiness ; 
 she demanded of the world that it should amuse her, 
 and she was willing to do her part toward amusing the 
 world in return. But he doubted if it had ever entered 
 her beautiful head, or been suggested to her, that a 
 mora enduring happiness could be derived from labor, 
 — from the conscientious fulfilment of a duty. 
 
 Alma was utterly unconscious that her husband was 
 making philosophical reflections concerning her on their 
 wedding journey. She congratulated herself on her 
 wisdom in having opposed Harry's crazy scheme of 
 settling down in the wilderness, and reflected with 
 innocent exultation that women were, after all, a good 
 deal cleverer and more far-sighted than men. To live 
 in a cottage with a wooden mantelpiece and cheap in- 
 grained carpets, — surely they might just as well return 
 
158 A DAUGHTER 
 
 to first principles, wear feathers in their hair and hunt 
 for a liying. Harry had fortunately found an old friend 
 from Freyberg, named James Holden, who was making 
 a fine living as an assay er, and was storing up potential 
 felicity for the future in the shape of large weekly de- 
 posits in a Denver bank. He insisted upon placing his 
 ecgttago, which was papered all over with pictures from 
 the London Graphic and the Illustrated News at Mr. 
 and Mrs. Wellingford's disposal ; and he was such a 
 charming and jolly host that Alma determined to forgive 
 him his crude taste in wall-papers. Another thing was 
 perhaps a little harder to forgive, and that was that he 
 wore top-boots and a blue flannel shirt, and rarely had a 
 coat on except when he sat down to dinner. 
 
 It had been Hand's intention to keep his mission in 
 Silvertown a secret in order the better to accomplish 
 his purpose. But to his astonishment the very first 
 person who called upon him was Mr. Cartwrlght, the 
 manager of u The Maid of Athens," who expressed him- 
 self delighted to make his acquaintance, and ofTered to 
 give him every facility for inspecting the mine and au- 
 diting the books. Harry noticed, however, that ho 
 seemed very anxious to get a private talk with Holden, 
 and determined that he should not have it. He sus- 
 pected at once that Holden had been employed to con- 
 trol the assay of the purchasers of the ore, and that 
 accordingly he must have an idea of the average run of 
 the mine. The morning after his arrival he descended the 
 main shaft in the company of Cartwright and two Irish 
 foremen, and spent the day in collecting specimens of 
 ore from the various parts of the drift and from the 
 newly opened galleries. He observed to his astonish- 
 ment that instead of endeavoring to make the mine 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 159 
 
 44 look well," as is the common practice, Mr. Cartwright 
 had worked each body of ore to its uttermost limit, 
 leaving the bare porphyry and dolomite walls to stare 
 in the eyes of the spectator. It was therefore only with 
 great difficulty that he could find reliable specimens by 
 which ho might approximately Judge of the avorago 
 assay of the ore already taken out, Ho oven in one 
 instance detected that the wall of the drift had been 
 artificially covered up with heaps of limestono waste ; 
 and when he ordered tho men to clear it away, he saw 
 by their looks that they had received instructions, and 
 that the task was a more complicated one than he had 
 anticipated. Tho covered wall, as he had supposed, 
 concealed a broad vein of rich red-brown ore, which he 
 determined on the spot must assay two hundred and fifty 
 to three hundred ounces to the ton. 
 
 It would be wearisome to follow in detail tho un- 
 ravelling of the complicated frauds by which tho man- 
 ager and the parties in whose interest he worked had 
 succeeded in giving tho impression that the mine was 
 poor property, from which no great returns could ever bo 
 expected. It was obvious enough that Loewenthal had 
 hoped by this means to depress its value, and induce tho 
 other investors to throw their shares on the market at 
 an absurdly low figure, when, of course, it would be his 
 chance to buy, and obtain solo control. Wellingford 
 ascertained, by careful assays and by conferences with 
 Ilolden, who had no wish to deceive him, that from 
 8100,000 to $150,000 worth of oro had been taken 
 every month from the mine ; and that the assays which 
 had been registered in the books were all false. There 
 was at least six, or possibly eight, millions' worth of oro 
 now " in sight." Armed with these figures, which were 
 
100 A DAUGHTER 
 
 nil based upon careful scientific calculations, Wellingford 
 returned with his wife to New York, and submitted his 
 report to the directors of "The Maid of Athens/* 
 The result was, that Mr. Cartwright, although he of- 
 fered to turn state evidence, was discharged, and Mr. 
 1 1 olden was, at Harold's suggestion, appointed manager 
 of the mine. Thus, with the income of his wedding 
 journey, Wellingford was enabled to furnish his modest 
 house handsomely, not even omitting the Venetian 
 glass and the Limoges china; and. within a week after 
 his return the first number of " The United States Min- 
 ing Gazette" was issued. 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 161 
 
 CHAPTER XV, 
 
 AFLAT in tho upper region of Broadway is never 
 quite so satisfactory as a brown-stone front on 
 Fifth Avenue. Alma made this discovery the very 
 first month after her return to the city ; but she had re* 
 solved to bo heroic and show no signs of discontent, 
 To be frank, she did not find *• poverty" on about fivo 
 thousand a year such " good Am "as she had antici- 
 pated ; although as long as her trousseau was fresh and 
 in fashion there was no causo for absolute despair. 
 She had never been trained to grapple with any prob- 
 lem, and tho servant problem gave her a taste of 
 genuine misery. When her cook told her, ten minutes 
 before dinner, that she was " going to leave," that she 
 " did n't loike flats," or that she had never before lived 
 in any but •* gentale' families," Alma regretted, in her 
 first resentment, that the whipping-post had been abol- 
 ished, and yearned for fivo minutes of absolute power. 
 The situation, however, seemed so utterly hopeless that 
 she knew of nothing better to do than to lie down on 
 her bed and cry until Harry came home, when of course 
 she was consoled, and they started out together *' on a 
 lark," dining at Dclmonico's and finishing the evening 
 at the Union Square or Wallack's. This seemed the 
 only practicable way of escaping annoyance ; and Harry, 
 though he wasted much time in wondering how other 
 
 11 
 
162 A DAUGHTER 
 
 people managed, was readily persuaded that it presented 
 the easiest solution of the problem. 
 
 Alma was not slow to discover that her husband was 
 afraid of being thought u mean" by her in money mat- 
 ters, although she did not suspect that he frequently 
 spent more than he could afford, for the sake of preserv- 
 ing her good opinion. To be seen in any but the best 
 places at the theatres, to dine at a restaurant of less 
 repute than Delmonico's, would hardly have occurred to 
 her, if she had been on the verge of starvation ; and 
 Ilarrj*, who had at times a vague sense of guilt for 
 having removed her from her former splendor, could 
 not persuade himself to put her heroism to so severe a 
 test. It was very curious, but she was no longer to 
 his fancy the stately phenomenon she had been pre- 
 vious to their marriage. She had revealed to him so 
 many odd little peculiarities which he had never pre- 
 viously suspected, that a kind of amused perplexity was 
 apt to mingle with his tenderness for her, and make 
 him only the more powerless to resist her whims. 
 Thus, she had an insatiable but very discriminating 
 appetite for candies, and was apt to slip into his waist- 
 coat pocket, as he started for the oftlee, a list with mi- 
 nute directions for the purchase of chocolates ("some 
 with nuts in them, and some with cream"), nuga, burnt 
 almonds, etc. Sometimes she would behave in a per- 
 fectly irrational manner, burst Into tears at the slight- 
 est contradiction, and develop a variety of whims and 
 moods which the phlegm of a Socrates would have 
 found it hard to put up with. The next day she would 
 laughingly refer to her u tantrum" and discuss her 
 enigmatical behavior in a wholly impersonal manner,- 
 and offer impartial advice as to her own treatment in 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 1G3 
 
 future. If she had not been so tWoughly fine in all 
 e her tastes and ways, had she been a shade less perfect 
 in her physical build and finish, he would perhaps have 
 lost his patience with her and declared that her moods 
 were unbearable. When she came in fresh and radiant 
 from one of her shopping excursions, followed by a 
 shower of bills which lasted throughout the afternoon, 
 ho did sometimes show symptoms of uneasiness and 
 perhaps essay a feeble remonstrance ; but she never 
 failed to convince him that without such and such 
 an article it was impossible to maintain even a feint 
 ' of respectability, and he invariably ended by feeling 
 ashamed of himself for having questioned her judg- 
 • ment. At other times, when he was not under the di- 
 rect influence of her beauty, he would reason concerning 
 her as the helpless result of her ancestry and educa- 
 tion, and blame only himself for not having perceived 
 that she was not a fit wife for a poor man ; and yet in 
 the next instant he would repent of the disloyal thought, 
 and as ho imagined her in her drear}' solitude longing 
 for his return, a great wave of tenderness would sweep 
 through his soul, and ho would hasten homo to her and 
 overwhelm her with remorseful caresses. 
 
 Thus their life, though externally uneventful, was not 
 devoid of a kind of noiseless intensity. Even Alma, 
 who had lived for years in a perpetual whirl of excite- 
 ment, had not missed her former associates, and had had 
 so much to think of that she had not found time to be 
 bored. In the first place, her mind was full of fine reso- 
 lutions, which, if they accomplished nothing else, at all 
 events entertained her. They were childish resolutions, 
 perhaps, and did not betray a profound knowledge of 
 lier own psychology. She would never indulge in the 
 
164 A DAUGHTER 
 
 luxury of a •* tantrum" any more, however great might 
 bo her provocation ; she would do her own marketing 
 and keep strict accounts, — in which imaginary role sho 
 felt herself to be truly heroic ; she would sell her pearl 
 pendant, and invest the money in a stylish liveried negro 
 to keep the door. Furthermore, she would in future be 
 more u intellectual." She had noticed on several occa- 
 sions that the sphere of her husband's thought was 
 different from her own, — that he dealt far less in per- 
 sonalities, but was deeply interested in certain social 
 questions and ideas. She would make haste to gather in- 
 formation regarding these subjects, and then in a week or 
 so she would surprise Harry by disputing some opinion 
 of his regarding evolution, its effect upon morals, and 
 the gradual reconstruction of society. She anticipated 
 her triumph with keen enjoyment, and laughed to her- 
 self at the face Harry would make when she should pour 
 forth treasures of profound reflection before his aston- 
 ished vision." She put down her embroidery (it was a 
 velvet smoking-eap which she had rashly commenced 
 the day after her engagement) with an impulsive move- 
 ment when this delicious thought struck her, and walked 
 on tiptoe, although there was no chance that anybody 
 might hear her, into the library, selecting from the 
 shelves a dozen books with formidable titles, which she 
 piled up on the desk before her* 
 
 14 Now, Mr. Harry," she said to herself, as with 
 supreme contentment she nestled down in the depth of 
 a luxurious chair, "now we shall sec if I am such a 
 ninny as you think ; now we shall find out whether 
 there can be no * intellectual companionship ' between 
 you and me." 
 
 She had had a 6tulden suspicion, stimulated by the 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 1G5 
 
 reading of a chapter in Hamerton's '* Intellectual Life," 
 that Harry had resigned himself to solitude in the upper 
 regions of his thought, and that in all likelihood he had 
 looked down upon her as feminine in her logic and 
 shallow in her acquirements. She therefore felt her 
 anticipated demonstration of intellectual equality as a 
 triumph over him. But she resolved to be generous, 
 and not to make an unfair use of her advantage. And 
 yet she felt just a little bit inimical to Harry for having 
 patronized her in his thought. That was a thing not 
 to be readily forgiven. The first book she opened 
 was Greg's " Literary and Social Judgments," The 
 44 Social Judgments" especially attracted her. Now 
 hero was something interesting. "Why are Women 
 Redundant? ' What, are women redundant? Her 
 eyes fell upon a passage which Harry had underscored i 
 11 Hundreds of women remain single in our distorted 
 civilization because they have never been asked at all." 
 Why, how perfectly horrid ! She knew to her certain 
 knowledge that she had had at least a dozen offers, 
 and there was not one among her friends who had not 
 had three or four, 
 
 Alma read on, noting especially Harry's marginal 
 comments and underscorings, and discovered that the 
 author proposed as the remedy for this evil of female 
 celibacy the annual exportation of the superfluous wo- 
 men, at government expense, to countries where women 
 were in the minority. Her whole soul rebelled against 
 this view of her sex as little better than an article of 
 commerce, of which there could be an over-supply in 
 certain countries and at certain seasons, and at other 
 times a scarcity which enhanced its value and made im- 
 portation profitable. And such disgusting things Harry 
 
166 A DAUGHTER 
 
 could sit and underscore, as if he actually approved of 
 them, — he who had been so head over ears in love with 
 her, and had made such passionate protestations of his 
 devotion! She would give him a piece of her mind, 
 when he returned home, if this was what he meant by 
 his " social problems," — affecting an ardent personal 
 affection for a woman, and winning under such pre- 
 tences her love, and then, in all likelihood, be looking 
 upon her from a statistical and scientific point of view, as 
 11 a problem to be solved and an evil and anomaly to be 
 cured" It was a miserable sham — this whole professed 
 enthusiasm for science. She kuew from experience 
 that a man in love did not stop to examine the census 
 report before proposing. Alma flung " Greg " upon the 
 floor, and, to express her contempt for social philoso- 
 phers in general, gave him an extra little kick with the 
 tip of her dainty slipper. Her next scientific acquaint- 
 ance was Darwin. She had heard that he believed that 
 men (women inclusive) were descended from monkeys. 
 That certainly was not in his favor ; and Dr. Stylish 
 had frequently from his pulpit proved what an utterly 
 absurd, irrational, and sacrilegious charlatan this same 
 Darwin was. Nevertheless it might be worth while to 
 take a peep at him, as it was evident that Harry, judg- 
 ing by the fact that the books were interleaved and 
 crowded with notes and references, set considerable 
 store by him. She picked up " The Origin of Species," 
 and stumbled upon a very discouraging passage about 
 mules and pigeons and sheep culture, interspersed with 
 so many dreadful, unintelligible words that she had to 
 take a long breath when she had finished it. The \$ry 
 sight of such formidable polysyllables as anthropomor- 
 phism and embryological exhausted her. They conveyed 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 167 
 
 no sort of meaning to her, and, what was worse, some, 
 of them were not to bo found in the dictionary. The 
 only thing she comprehended was that mules were 
 children of horses and donkeys, and that this was a 
 very improper book, which she never would have sus- 
 pected such a pure-minded man as Harry of reading, 
 and still less of annotating. His mind was evidently 
 stored with a number of things of which ho ought prop- 
 erly to have been in ignorance ; and sho felt a strong 
 irritation, as if he had purposely deceived her, because 
 on further acquaintance ho refused to conform to her 
 girlish idea of him, The longer sho pursued this train 
 of thought, the more abused sho felt and tho more un- 
 happy. She had been betrayed in her trust, that was 
 evident, and Harry pitied her innocence, and never 
 thought for a moment of consulting her concerning 
 anything of really vital importance, But (the idea 
 flashed through her brain) if she was incapable of com- 
 prehending Darwin, — which plainly she was, — it was 
 possible that she was really not Harry's equal intel- 
 lectually. He, it appeared, had been deeply absorbed 
 in these pages. With a cheerful confidence in her 
 own intelligence, she picked up the book onco more, 
 and commenced this time from the beginning, Sho 
 stumbled upon another perplexiug passage, again about 
 mules. She read until her head swam, and yet hardly: 
 one definable idea did sho remember when sho closed 
 tho book. She felt heart-sick 'and discouraged; the 
 tears rose to her eyes; she knew they were foolish, 
 but she could not keep them back. She had lost all 
 her animosity to Darwin, and even her resentment 
 against Harry gave way to a sense of humility which 
 she had never before experienced. She had always 
 
168 A DAUGHTER 
 
 i 
 
 been thought so clever in society, and in her own family 
 she had been keenly conscious of her own superiority. 
 She had never yet known the thing she had not under- 
 stood, and never a person whoso intelligence had im- 
 pressed her as being superior to her own. She folded 
 her hands over the book and rested her cheek upon 
 them. A host of queer reflections thronged her head ; 
 she resolved, among other things, to live a life of humility 
 and devotion, and dress in penitential gray woollens, 
 like Dorothea in " Middlcmarch." The touching char- 
 acter of her Belf-sacrince in this role made her weep 
 afresh and drench the chapter on M Natural Selection.'* 
 She thought and thought and thought, she did not 
 know how long; her fancies gradually grew blurred 
 and confused, and she gently glided away into dream- 
 land. 
 
 It was al>out six o'clock when Wellingford returned 
 from the office ; he had been walking up the avenue in 
 the glorious spring afternoon, and had met a number of 
 his old friends and acquaintances, some of whom had 
 nodded coolly to him, while others had looked away or 
 failed to recognize him. He, too, was taking a lesson 
 in humility j and he reflected, with amusement, how 
 much less important a man becomes, socially, after he 
 has married and moved out of the fashionable quarters. 
 In the best society in Europe it was different; there 
 a man gained, rather than lost, in social prestige by 
 establishing his own household ; and as for his dwelling, 
 if it were only within the precincts, of respectability, it 
 mattered otherwise little where it was. New York was 
 the paradise of the imitative snob, London being the 
 birthplace of the original. For all that, a man who 
 had exiled himself from that feverish routine of fash- 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 1G9 
 
 ionable tedium and discomfort called society, might in 
 New York, as indeed anywhere else, arrange his ex- 
 istence so as to enjoy a moderate amount of happiness. 
 Harry had found his sphere ; and since he had gained 
 confidence in his enterprise and felt assured of its suc- 
 cess, ho had a buoyant sense of energy and content- 
 ment which was equal to far severer tests than the 
 snubs of people for whose opinion he had small regard. 
 He entered the great hive, in the upper region of which 
 he had the honor to occupy half a dozen neatly furnished 
 cells, and applied his latch-key to his door. He was a 
 little disappointed at missing the beautiful face and the 
 sweet voice which always greeted him as soon as he 
 opened the door ; and it was with a little tremor of ap- 
 prehension that he entered the library and found his 
 wife, curled up in his big chair, sleeping on Darwin's 
 14 Origin of Species." Her features, relaxed in sleep, 
 had a childlike unconsciousness in them which touched 
 him ; he stooped down and kissed her cheek, and she 
 woke up with a start. She looked at him for a moment 
 in embarrassment, as if she had been caught doing 
 something wrong. Her hair was disordered, and there 
 were marks of tears on her cheeks. 
 
 " My dear girl," he said, with a puzzled smile, 
 44 what is it you have been doing?" 
 
 44 1 have — I have — been reading." 
 
 44 Reading? Reading what? Darwin? And do you 
 find 4 The Origin of Species \ so affecting that you shed 
 tears over it?" 
 
 He had picked up the book, and stood gazing at the 
 drenched pages with a half-amused, half-mystified air. 
 She could hardly have told why the moment seemed to 
 her so solemn, why her heart palpitated so strangely, 
 
170 A DAUGHTER 
 
 why her eyes hung upon his face with such an anxious 
 look. 
 
 44 Why, my darling/' he asked a little impatiently, 
 44 why don't you speak?" 
 
 44 Harry," she answered tremulously, 44 do you think 
 I am such a bad wife to you ? " 
 
 44 Bad wife to me? Did you find anything about that 
 in Darwin ? What an absurdity ! " 
 
 44 Yes; I am not intellectual, you know — I know 
 nothing — about the origin of — of — "(she paused, 
 groping for the word) — 44 of mules," she finished des- 
 perately, and burst into a flood of tears. 
 
 44 My dear, sweet, absurd little girl," he broke forth, 
 clasping her gently in his arms, 44 can't you be just as 
 good a wife even if you don't know the origin of 
 mules?" 
 
 " But you do conceal so many things from me, 
 Harry," she sobbed, hiding her face on his bosom. 
 44 You have never told me half the things you know, 
 and you have so many thoughts so far awaj' from me. 
 I hud wished to share everything with you, and I did n't 
 know until to-day that I was too stupid, and that there 
 are so many things that are beyond me. But I know 
 now that you were right in keeping away from me that 
 which is best in you, — that which you yourself value 
 most highly." 
 
 44 My sweet, foolish child," he said soothingly, strok- 
 ing her hair back from her ears and her forehead with 
 tender playfulness, l4 1 think it argues great profundity 
 to be able to extract such extraordinary thoughts from 
 a book on natural history. But since you are troubled 
 about these things, I will tell you frankly why I have 
 not attempted to interest you in my scientific work and 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 171 
 
 speculations. First, it would require a preliminary 
 training, which young ladies rarely gel ; and, secondly, 
 I did not suppose you would caro about anything that 
 lay so remote from your own sphere of thought." 
 
 11 In other words, you thought I was a ninny. But I 
 will forgive you," she went on, lifting her face to him 
 with a look of dewy radiance, — " I will forgive you on 
 one condition." 
 
 " And that is?" 
 
 ** You mu9t teach mo." 
 
 There was something exquisitely luxurious to Alma 
 in being thus able to unburden herself, and to listen 
 to soothing and affectionate assurances, defending her 
 against her own accusations. And even the tender in- 
 dulgence with which he treated her, as if she were a 
 spoiled child, was not, even in the moment when she was 
 protesting against it, entirely displeasing to her. She 
 revelled in humility, and yet her contrition, though un- 
 consciously dramatized, was not insincere. After din- 
 ner, when her new role as a devoted and obedient pupil 
 had been arranged in ail its details, they nestled down 
 together in the 6ofa corner, and contemplated their newly 
 discovered future with the same feeling that Joshua and 
 Caleb must have had when they caught the first glimpse 
 of the promised land in which they and their peoplo 
 were to dwell. When the girl came in to light the gas, 
 they resented it as an impertinence. Emotion, how- 
 ever, is fatiguing, and Alma, having rearranged the rest 
 of her life to her entire satisfaction, was glad when the 
 hour came for retiring. Harry, who had some writing 
 to do, remained in the library until midnight. When 
 he entered his bedroom, where a shaded lamp was 
 burning, he paused, with his hands listlessly clasped, 
 
172 A DAUGHTER 
 
 before the large canopied bed. There lay Alma, peace- 
 fully sleeping, her lovely face shining with cold cream, 
 and her hands, encased in loose gloves, folded upon the 
 coverlid. A small battery of cut-glass perfumery bot- 
 tles, encased in pink silk, adorned the duchetse toilet- 
 table ; and a powder puff, exhaling a faint odor of violet, 
 lay on the top of a little silver box, which again rested 
 upon a pink silk cushibn. It was all very dainty and 
 exquisite, and the mirror was evidently taking pleasure 
 in reflecting it. Harry heaved a sigh, of idle melan- 
 choly, or perhaps of resignation ; but in the next mo- 
 ment he stooped down and pressed a light kiss upon 
 her lips. lie hardly knew what there was in the sight 
 which so profoundly moved him. 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 173 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE EVE OF THE PASSOVER. 
 
 IT was the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan, the 
 eve of the Passover. The seven-armed candle- 
 sticks burned upon the table, and their soft light fell 
 upon the snowy-white table-cloth and imparted a festal 
 air to everything it touched. It was still and solemn in 
 the room, Rachel was standing at the head of the 
 table, giving it a last survey to see that nothing was 
 wanting; she had the forefinger of one hand on the 
 thumb of the other, and was counting slowly and 
 thoughtfully. There was a severe simplicity in her 
 whito attire, which was further heightened by the pallor 
 of her face and the blackness of her hair. Close to the 
 door sat two little boys, about seven or eight years old, 
 on tho same chair, and whispered to each other about 
 the deliverance of the Children of Israel, and the aveng- 
 ing angel who slew the first-born of the Egyptians. 
 Ephraim, the elder, had fasted since the early dawn 
 in honor of that remote event, and he was now well- 
 nigh starved. If he had been less profoundly impressed 
 with the partiality of the Lord for the Children of Israel, 
 he would perhaps have wished that the angel had been 
 less prejudiced and allowed him to get his dinner. . 
 
 The door was opened, and Simon entered, followed 
 by six male guests, all unmistakable descendants of 
 
174 A DAUGHTER 
 
 •i > ■ i 
 
 Shem. . The twcr small black-eyed boys jumped up, and 
 Rachel retired toward the wall, where she remained 
 standing with bowed head. The men were all serious, 
 and the usual insinuating smirk with which they en- 
 deavor to beguile customers had vanished from their 
 faces. Even Simon bore himself with a kind of dignity, 
 and there was no trace of his accustomed unctuous 
 blandness in his features. To-day he was the son of 
 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the chosen of the Lord, for 
 whose sake the Almighty had created Christians and 
 Pagans alike, and given them as fair game into the 
 hands of His people. In his patriarchal capacity as a 
 Hebrew father of a family, he felt as if God took a per- 
 sonal interest in his affairs and directed them with sole 
 reference to his profit and welfare. In return for these 
 favors Simon was scrupulous in his observance of all 
 the mandates of the law ; ho bought his meat of a 
 Jewish butcher (Sliochet) who had been authorized by 
 the Rabbi and instructed in the proper modes of killing 
 beasts ; he had the name of the Lord (Shadai) upon 
 his door-posts, as it is commanded in Leviticus; ho 
 paid Maser, or tithes, to the poor of the synagogue and 
 the benevolent institutions of his people ; he wore at all 
 times under his waistcoat across his shoulders the Ar* 
 bong~Konfou& s the garment of four corners to which 
 were attached the teiVs, or fringes ; he observed the 
 ten penitential days at the beginning of the year, and 
 fasted on the first of them and attended the synagogue 
 at daybreak. He did these and a hundred other things 
 that are commanded in the law ; but, being of a strictly 
 commercial turn of mind, he viewed his acts of devo- 
 tion as obligations of a contract, the other party to 
 which was the God of Israel. If he, Simon, lived up 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 175 
 
 to the stipulations of his side of the contract, the Lord 
 (though Simon would have thought it sacrilegious to 
 express it in that way) was in honor bound to bless 
 him and all his enterprises. 
 
 When he was about thirty years old, Simon had gone 
 back to Germany, and had there married a daughter of his 
 people ; and had also brought back with him his half- 
 sister, Rachel, who was twenty years younger than him- 
 self. After having borne him two sons, his wife had 
 died, leaving her children to Rachel's care ; and Rachel, 
 who in spite of her youth had strong maternal instincts, 
 had never yet neglected to kiss them good-night, and 
 to comb their hair in a very German fashion, and to 
 scrub their little faces, and to teach them Hebrew 
 prayers for all the occasions on which a Hebrew is 
 taught to pray. Several gentlemen with Oriental noses 
 had proposed for the hand of Rachel, not so much on 
 account of her beaut} r , as on account of her housewifely 
 skill ; but Simon had found some objection to every one 
 of them, and Rachel herself knew perfectly well that it 
 was for Simon and not for her to decide whether or 
 when she should marry. With that simple acceptance 
 of her lot which is characteristic of the orthodox Jewish 
 maiden, Rachel lived on cheerfully from day to day, 
 and looked forward to wifehood and motherhood, not 
 with flutterings of joy and fear, but with a placid con- 
 sciousness that fate held these things in store for her 
 because they were natural and orderly, and because it 
 was so ordained in the law from ancient times. Simon, 
 who had a vivid sense of her worth and as much admi- 
 ration for. her as was consistent with the Hebrew estU 
 mate of her sex, had resolved that she should make a 
 great match with some financial magnate of Israel, and 
 
176 A DAUGHTER 
 
 that she should not throw, herself away on the first 
 Moses or Levi or Lazarus that took it into his head to 
 propose to her. He was never weary, when he had 
 friends to dinner, of discussing the great deeds of great 
 Israelites ; and Rachel, having listened devoutly to these 
 conversations, had derived the impression that the 
 whole world was governed by Jews. It was a charac- 
 teristic trait, that, although Simon abominated nothing 
 so much as a converted Jew, and poured out all the vials 
 of his wrath upon Jewish liberalism, his national pride 
 was stronger than his religious prejudice, and he would 
 glory in the achievements of a Lord Beaconsfleld, a 
 Mendelssohn, or any celebrity who could claim a drop of 
 the blood of Israel. These men flattered his self-esteem, 
 by proving to him that he was right in regarding his own 
 people as superior to all the other nations of the earth } 
 and he could not help thinking that those of his race who 
 for the sake of worldly advantage had renounced the 
 faith of Israel still in the depth of their hearts felt 
 themselves to be of the chosen people, and secretly 
 worshipped the God of their fathers. 
 
 In his business relations, which of late had grown 
 more extended and profitable, Simon applied the Mosaic 
 law rigorously ; but he had two interpretations for it, 
 which he was never in danger of confounding. He had 
 not yet reached beyond that stage of civilization where 
 the law is applicable only within the tribe : and Simon 
 would no more have thought of cheating a Hebrew than 
 he would have thought of neglecting an opportunity for 
 cheating a Christian. He had cheated Wellingford very 
 neatly when the latter, after his return from German}*, 
 had had the folly to borrow a small sum of money of 
 him ; but it was from a Jewish friend of his, Mr. Mosen- 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES* 177 
 
 felt, that Harry finally gained an insight Into the con- 
 tradictions in Simon's character. Mosenfelt, who was 
 a man of culture and ambition, had been one of Rachel's 
 adorers, but had been persistently discouraged by her 
 brother, who disapproved of him for his poverty and 
 hated him for his liberalism* 
 
 Among Simon's guests on the eve of the Passover 
 thero was a decrepit and poorly clad man of about 
 eighty, who was conducted to a seat at the tablo by two 
 younger men, who were assiduous in their attentions to 
 him, opened the Hebrew Bible at the proper place, 
 took his spectacles from their case and handed them to 
 him, and adjusted the cushions at his back. Rachel, 
 too, approached him deferentially, and inquired after 
 his health and what she could do for him ; and Simon 
 treated him with every mark of respect. You would 
 have thought that he must be a great dignitary in the 
 synagogue, or at least a man of wealth or influence. 
 He was, however, nothing but a dealer in old books, 
 who in years past had had a musty little shop in 
 Nassau Street, and had gained repute in the synagogue 
 as an excellent Talmudio scholar and one well versed 
 in Hebrew tradition; and both old ago and scholar- 
 ship are strong titles to respect among the Children of 
 Israel. 
 
 When the men had arranged themselves around the 
 table, Rachel went to call the two servants, who were 
 also descendants of Jacob ; and they stationed them- 
 selves at Rachel's side at the lower end of the table. 
 For as the Lord made no distinction between master and 
 servant when he saved the first-born in every house of 
 Israel, but slew Pharaoh's first-born and the first-born 
 of the Egyptian slave, therefore it was proper that on 
 
 to 
 
178 A DAUGHTER 
 
 the eve commemorating this event master and servant 
 should feast and worship him together. Simon, stand- 
 ing at the head of the table, opened the Scriptures and 
 began to read in Hebrew the Hargodoh, which describes 
 the sojourn of the Israelites in Egypt and their miracu- 
 lous deliverance ; and all the men joined in the reading 
 with devout airs and solemn voices* They seemed to be 
 conscious of their importance as the remnant of the 
 Lord's chosen people, and the grand and simple narrative 
 of what the Lord had done for their fathers quickened 
 the sense of their historic dignity. When the first part of 
 the Hargodoh was at an end, they sat down to the feast, 
 at which there was no leavened bread or fermented wine. 
 Nevertheless the feast was bountiful ; and the Mat tot h s 
 a thin cake of flour and water, did service instead of 
 bread ; while the home-made raisin wine had the advan- 
 tage of being equally harmless to old and young. Tho 
 seven-armed candlesticks of silver, with the long whito 
 candles in them, the spotless table-cloth, and the sym- 
 bolic and memorial significance of the dishes gave a 
 peculiarly patriarchal and Old Testament character to 
 the feast ; and the strong Semitic type of the counte- 
 nances further assisted the imagination, until it seemed 
 easy to see in spirit the Children of Israel as they 
 ate the lamb of the Passover, before starting out with 
 Moses for the promised land which their children were 
 to inherit. The conversation turned on the favorite 
 topic of Hebrews wherever two or three of them are 
 •gathered together. They rejoiced in Rothschild's wealth, 
 which plainly was the governing power of Europe ; and 
 one simple soul, who sold renovated clothes on Eighth 
 Avenue, found the idea that tho great Jewish million- 
 naire might at any moment forbid two sovereigns to 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 179 
 
 " II I I ■ I III . I llll . . ii I 
 
 fight by refusing funds, so delicious that he swallowed a 
 piece of meat the wrong way, and had to be conducted 
 into a corner, and slapped on the back until his breath 
 was restored to him. Simon, however, could never 
 willingly abandon this delightful topic ; and he drew a 
 vivid picture of Rothschild taking two emperors by the 
 ears, like two schoolboys, and commanding them to be 
 good boys or he would cut off their allowance of pocket- 
 money ; or setting them by the ears whenever it suited 
 his purpose, and he wished to " bear" the market. It 
 was Simon's conviction that Rothschild's money was at 
 tho bottom of all diplomatic intrigues and negotiations, 
 They were all his puppets, both the kings and their rain* 
 inters. The aged bookseller, Baruch Nathan,* was now 
 appealed to, and gave an account of tho great Jews who 
 had lived in past centuries, and who, even during the 
 most dreadful persecutions, had virtually ruled their 
 persecutors ._] 
 
 When the meal was at an end, Simon and his guests 
 rose once more, and began to chant the second part of 
 the Ilargodoh, which consists of hymns of joy and praise 
 for the deliverance from the land of Egypt and the 
 house of bondage, Tho voices, most of which were 
 harsh and nasal, did not blend very harmoniously ; but 
 the combined effect was earnest and solemn, if not me- 
 lodious. It was just as the Ilargodoh was about to 
 enumerate all the particular favors for which the Chil- 
 dren of Israel were to be thankful, that there came a 
 rap at the door, and the bell in the outer room rang. 
 Rachel, without awaiting instructions, went quietly to 
 open the door, and was somewhat startled at finding 
 herself confronted with an unknown young gentleman 
 of dazzling appearance. 
 
180 A DAUGHTER 
 
 44 Miss Loewenthal, I presume," said this gentle- 
 man, smiling with an air of mingled familiarity and 
 condescension. " My name is Mr. Hampton, — Walter 
 Hampton. Tell your governor I want to see him, 
 please. Got Sunday school here, eh? Or, beg par- 
 don, Saturday school, I s'pose you call it. No? — well, 
 never mind, — meant no harm. Sorry to break up the 
 meeting and that sort of thing ; but, fact Is, I Ve got to 
 see j T our old man." , 
 
 44 If it is my brother you mean," responded Rachel ^ 
 without succeeding by any means in being as lofty as 
 she had intended, 44 1 will go and speak to him." 
 
 44 Much obliged ; but hold on, — got a card here, if I 
 could only find it." 
 
 Walter here examined his pockets with much delib- 
 eration, while viewing at the same time the face of the 
 young girl with a lurking attention. Nevertheless, she 
 had no suspicion that the card was merely a pretext for 
 detaining her ; being accustomed to patience and sub- 
 mission, she stood before him with dignified humility, 
 like her namesake in the Bible, awaitiug his pleasure. 
 At the sound of their colloquy, however, the chanting 
 had suddenly stopped in the inner room, although one 
 cracked voice straggled on alone for a couple of bars, 
 until it became aware of its loneliness. Simon's patri- 
 archal dignity dropped off him like a garment ; and as he 
 hastened toward his distinguished visitor, the stoop in 
 his shoulder became heavier and the insinuating smirk 
 again invaded his features. 
 
 44 Fery bleased to zee you, Bister llabpton," he began, 
 observing Walter's proximity to Rachel with an uneasy 
 glance. 44 Bein Gott, *ow veil you look ! The proker 
 pizness is a sholly pizness, Bister Habpton, don't you 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 181 
 
 tink, eh? It makes young shentlemens fat, ha, ha, ha! 
 You fall iu love mit de * Bait off Atoms, 1 eh, Bister 
 Habpton? You gourt de * Bait off Ateus,' Dat is vat 
 wake you fat, eh ? " 
 
 There was something hysterical in this cordiality, 
 which his visitor was at first far from relishing. That 
 Simon was anxious about something, and talked with 
 forced gayety to conceal his uneasiness, was Walter's 
 first observation ; and his second, which was no less 
 shrewd, convinced him that the object of Simon's 
 anxiety was his sister Rachel. That rather gave zest 
 to his pleasure in gazing at her ; and while replying to 
 Loewenthal's greeting, he made his admiration as un- 
 disguised as possible. Simon's discomfiture now caused 
 him no less enjoyment than his sister's beauty. 
 
 44 1 came to 6peak to you on a matter of business, 
 Mr. Locwenthal," he said loftily, taking no notice of the 
 Jew's pleasantries ; and as, at a nod from her brother, 
 Rachel had retired, he continued, more at his ease: 
 44 Fact is, Locwenthal, I will make it worth your while 
 to give me some points. Governor has a sort of under- 
 hand way of doing things which I don't half like. He 
 fights shy of Harry Wellingford, — deuced clever chap 
 that Wellingford, spito of Yiis airs, — and ray opinion is, 
 ho is afraid of him. He is mixed up, some way or other, 
 in that 4 Maid of Athens ■ business, is Harry, but I '11 
 be blanked if I can make head or tail of it. Now, you 
 are a sharp old coon, you are, Loewenthal, and gov- 
 ernor and you are sort o' bad lot both o' you, and you 
 are hand and glove, he and you, in this * Maid of 
 Athens ' business. If you want to make a neat little 
 pile, just for needle-money for Miss — what 'sher name, 
 the young lady who was here— then you just tell me 
 
182 A DAUGHTER 
 
 what Harry Wellington! has got to do with the mine, 
 and why the governor sort o' shakes in his boots when 
 Harry is around. I am a member of the firm, you know, 
 • so 't is no betrayal of confidence." 
 
 Loewenthal, whose countenance had undergone vari- 
 ous changes during this disjointed harangue, put his 
 hand confidentially on Walter's arm, and drawing him 
 into a corner said, with an air of great secrecy, — 
 
 " You shust cob to by office, to-borrow, about eleven, 
 Bister Habpton, unt I vill tell you a ting or two." 
 
 " Why, the deuce, can't you tell me to-night?" asked 
 Walter, in a tone of disgust. 
 
 11 Veil now, Bister Habpton, I vill shust tell you, as 
 a friend, you know. Ve Shews bust not dalk pizness ad 
 de feast of do Bassover." 
 
 14 Hang his confounded -impudence ! " grumbled the 
 young man, as he slammed the door behind him and 
 groped his way down the dimly lighted stairs; "yet 
 that girl was a regular high-stepper. Think I'll call 
 upon her again." 
 
 And call he did; but the young lady was never 
 visible. Whether the information which he obtained 
 from Simon on the following day proved very valuable, 
 we have never been able to ascertain. 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 183 
 
 CHAPTER XVII, 
 
 ** OLD MAN LEGGETT'S,' 1 
 
 SUMMER came with a grand rush, as it always does 
 in New York, and before the middle of June sent 
 the thermometer up into tho nineties. The spring had 
 been soft, and genial, though with as many moods of 
 chilliness and reserve as a fashionable belle ; but it had 
 given no premonition that it was capable of such mag- 
 nificent bursts of passion. Alma, who was struggling 
 with the problem of being picturesquely poor, and in 
 her ascetio moods was capable of sublime deeds, had 
 resolved to retire to a farm, where wrappers and sun- 
 bonnets would bo in order all day long, and where rich 
 milk and cream would compensate for the inferior 
 quality of tho beefsteak. What she feared above all 
 things was to meet her former friends, who would bo 
 sure to pity her, however brazen a front she might dis- 
 play. There was something which appealed strongly to 
 her imagination in her fancied picture of herself reclin- 
 ing in a hammock under the trees, with half a dozen 
 primers of science scattered about her in the grass. She 
 had resolved to inspire Harry with respect for her intel- 
 lect, and she was confident that she had now found tho 
 way. 
 
 Curiously enough, Simon Loewenthal, though he had 
 small regard for picturesqueness and still less for pov- 
 erty, and had no fashionable friends whom he wished 
 
184 A DAUGHTER 
 
 to avoid, happened to select, as a summer retreat for his 
 family, the very farm where Alma had established her 
 scientific hermitage. As for himself, he had no inten- 
 tion of abandoning Wall Street, even during the dog- 
 days, and it would have made him prematurely gray 
 to be for a day beyond the reach of the telegraph ; but 
 Rachel and the children, he bad persuaded himself, 
 needed country air, and would be benefited by contact 
 with a civilization less complex than that of Second 
 Avenue. It was perhaps not a wholly agreeable sur- 
 prise to Alma when, the morning after her arrival, she 
 saw a Jewish girl enter the house, followed by two 
 puny black-eyed boys with yellow complexions. She 
 had just made herself comfortable in the hammock, with 
 Geikie's Primer of Qeology, and a fresh French novel, 
 which latter had proved so interesting that she had been 
 forced to postpone her scientific investigations until the 
 next day ; and as Bhe shared to the full the fashionable 
 prejudices, she was inclined to resent this Semitic inva* 
 Bion as a personal affront. She resolved to snub Rachel, 
 and to put her in her place, in ca,se she should attempt 
 to be familiar. It did not in the least mollify her when 
 she found, judging by her observations at supper, that 
 Rachel was not likely to err in that direction ; and dur- 
 ing the two or three days that followed she was posi- 
 tively provoked at the young girl for not giving her an 
 opportunity to assert her dignity. This feeling, how- 
 ever, soon wore away, and Alma's curiosity began to 
 overmaster her prejudice. She noticed that Rachel had 
 that kind of shyness which afreets ono as pride ; that 
 her bearing was a trifle stiff and conscious ; that she 
 possessed none of that supple grace which the modern 
 toilet requires in order to be effective ; that she was not 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 185 
 
 apparently a coquette, unless she might happen to be a 
 very deep one ; and that she was the very opposite of 
 kittenish. These were the terms in which Alma charac- 
 terized her fellow-boarder in her first letter to Harry, 
 and she added that she was queerly and yet expensively 
 dressed. She had, from the first moment, been haunted 
 with the impression that she had seen her somewhere 
 before, and had just discovered that she was the girl 
 who sang Sul mare luccica on a certain memorahlo 
 night, ages and ages ago. After having despatched 
 this letter, Alma solemnly resolved to honor Miss Loe- 
 wenthal with her acquaintance, and managed the aifair 
 so gracefully that Rachel fell in love with her on the 
 spot, and thought her the most beautiful woman she had 
 ever seen. Rachel was not much of a philosopher, and 
 she did not suspect that this sweet and cordial lady had 
 been three days debating the propriety of knowing her. 
 She sat at Alma's feet, and burnt incense to her in a 
 frank and unaffected way which afforded an agreeable 
 diversion to Mrs. Wellingford in her arduous scientific 
 pursuits. Before a week was past Alma had arrayed 
 her experimentally in some of her fine dresses, and pro- 
 posed certain revisions of Rachel's own, in accordance 
 with a more enlightened taste and a more recent fashion, 
 to all of which Rachel had submitted, not with girlish 
 vehemence, but with a grave astonishment and grati- 
 tude which were reaily touching. It was on a Saturday 
 afternoon, as the effect of one of these toilets was being 
 tested, that a bicycling club, which was making its 
 grand annual tour through New England, happened to 
 stop for their dinner at " Old Man Leggett's." Among 
 its members was Walter Hampton, who really looked 
 impressive in knee-breeches and white flannel shirt, with 
 
180 A DAUGHTER 
 
 Bcarlet collar. Whether he knew that his sister was 
 staying in the neighborhood, he did not condescend to 
 relate ; but, having once found her, he seemed reluctant 
 to forego the pleasure of her company. He pleaded a 
 swollen ankle, or a weakness in the hip, or some other 
 bicycling ailment, and refused to follow the club in its 
 northward peregrinations. He confided in private to 
 Alma that bicycliug was u a beastly bore," and that he 
 had joined the club as a favor, in order to give it the 
 benefit of his social prestige* It became evident in the 
 course of the afternoon that he had made up his mind 
 to give " Old Man Leggett," too, the benefit of his 
 social prestige, — a favor which the " Old Man" was 
 hardly capable of estimating at its true worth. Never- 
 theless, the family were seen, toward evening, emigrat- 
 ing to the barn, while Walter established himself in 
 their vacated bedroom. He then telegraphed home for 
 a trunkful of u civilized clothes," two riding-horses, 
 one carriage horse, a landau, a phaeton, and Napoleon 
 Bonaparte, his colored servant, all of which articles ar- 
 rived on the evening of the following day. For Walter's 
 orders were always promptly attended to ; with all his 
 apparent harmlessness, his subordinates stood in awe 
 of him. He had the stuff in him for an Oriental auto- 
 crat, and would have made a capital sultan of Tunis or 
 Morocco. 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 187 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII, 
 
 WALTER PLAYS THE SULTAN, 
 
 SINCE Alma's marriage the relations between her and 
 her family had not been cordial. Calls of ceremony 
 had been exchanged, and Mr. Hampton had placed his 
 horses and carriages at Alma's disposal whenever she 
 might desire them ; but Alma had only once or twice 
 availed herself of this offer. Walter, it was evident, 
 never felt at ease in the presence of his brothor-in-law, 
 because the latter could not bo patronized and was 
 never duly impressed by tho magnificenco of Ids ex- 
 terior. It was therefore a little puzzling, both to Alma 
 and Wellingford, that Walter, who had a yacht and a 
 cottage of his own at Newport, should find this cheap, 
 out-of-the-way corner of New England sufficiently at* 
 tractive to warrant him in making preparations for a 
 prolonged sta}\ They would have liked to credit his 
 caprice to a sudden revival of his affection for his sister ; 
 and Harry, who insisted that his wife had grown ten 
 times more beautiful since she was married, would have 
 settled down to this flattering belief if Alma had al- 
 lowed him to do so. It does not argue well for their 
 sagacity, perhaps, that they did not think of Rachel, 
 whom, indeed, Walter seemed only to have noticed in a 
 lofty and general way, and to whom he had bowed with 
 careless condescension when he was introduced. Some* 
 times he stared at her through his eyeglass as if she 
 
188 ' A DAUGHTER 
 
 were an object of curious scientific interest, and some- 
 times he gave the small Loewenthals a kind of humorous 
 kick and told them to " trot," when, fascinated by his 
 splendor, they had timidly sidled up to him. Neither 
 Alma nor Wellington! was deep enough to suspect that 
 this was the way to conquer a young lady's affection,* 
 and the}* were much inclined to remonstrate with Walter 
 on his treatment of the young girl and her nephews. 
 They abandoned this iutention, however, when "Walter, 
 at Alma's suggestion, consented to invite Miss Loe wen- 
 thai to join them on their daily drive ; and although he 
 still persisted in treating the small boys as if they were 
 animals of a curious species, and always brushed his 
 coat-sleeve or his trousers when they had happened to 
 touch him, it was yet evident that, for his sister's sake, 
 he was making an effort to be polite, and it was too much 
 to expect of him that he should entirely revolutionize 
 his fastidious nature. Nevertheless, before a week 
 was at an end, it became obvious that, in the present 
 case, the self-conquest implied less heroism than per- 
 haps Walter's relatives were ready to give him credit 
 for. 
 
 It was impossible to close one's eyes to the fact that 
 he and Rachel were making progress in each other's 
 favor. Whenever he expressed a wish, — or half ex- 
 pressed it, as he was more likely to do, — she rose with 
 the obedience of some biblical handmaiden, and did as 
 he desired. Usually he required nothing more ardu- 
 ous than that she should sing to him, accompanying 
 herself lightly on a hoarse and feeble melodeon which 
 adorned the parlor. He would then lie in his hammock 
 outside the windows, smoking lazily, swinging one leg, 
 and, for applause at the end of each song, strike his 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 189 
 
 heels together. It happened also, occasionally, when ho 
 issued a command at random, possibly addressed to his 
 sister, possibly to Ephraim or Mordecai, that Rachel 
 would with a quiet alacrity anticipate the others, in her 
 eagerness to do his bidding. 
 
 It was hardly to his credit, perhaps, that he permitted 
 a lady to order his horses for him, to fetch his cigar 
 box, to call his servant ; but for all that, Walter's lazi- 
 ness was quite becoming to him, and it had a kind of 
 humorous side to it which prevented one from getting 
 exasperated. When he said in a mock imperious tone 
 to one of the small Locwenthals, M Slave, fetch me my 
 slippers," or " Base minion, return this riding-whip to 
 my room, or thou shalt have a taste of it," Rachel did 
 not find it necessary to be angry in behalf of her neph- 
 ews, who, indeed, seemed to regard it as a favor to be 
 noticed, even if ever so contemptuously, by the mag- 
 nificent Walter. More trying was it, perhaps, to Alma, 
 who since her marriage had come to look less indul- 
 gently upon such sultanic behavior in men. It was, in 
 her opinion, to reverse the natural order of creation. 
 And when Walter, one day, under some idly humorous 
 impulse, wrote on the fly-leaf of ** The Descent of Man," 
 Geikie's Geology, and half a dozen other books, Mrs, 
 Alma 0, WeUingfordy from her paternal friend and 
 ^veil-wisher^ Walter Hampton^ she came very near los- 
 ing her patience and giving him a piece of her mind. 
 It was wonderful, however, how much easier she, as 
 every one else, found it to submit to his dictatorship 
 than to rebel against it. She even laughingly accepted 
 his invitation to contribute something to his already 
 extensive collection of Turkish slippers and smoking- 
 caps, embroidered cigar-cases, gorgeous dressing- 
 
190 A DAUGHTER 
 
 gowns, etc. She had never understood before why every 
 lady whom Walter honored with his acquaintance was 
 prompted to embroider something or other for his con- 
 venience or his personal adornment. No one but her- 
 self had ever bestowed such favors upon her husband ; 
 and even though she loved him, she had found it an 
 arduous task to make him a smoking-cap. He certainly 
 was not a connoisseur in needlework, while Walter was 
 a severe and competent critic. Poor Harry, although 
 he was indiscriminately enthusiastic about everything 
 she put on, did not know the difference between silk 
 and satin or muslin and calico ; while Walter could tell 
 genuine from imitation lace across a ballroom, and 
 Venetian from Duchesse or Brussels. 
 
 It was during the second week after Walter's arrival 
 that he proposed to Rachel to give her some lessons in 
 riding horseback. Alma, who had ridden almost daily 
 and was an accomplished horsewoman, spent an excit- 
 ing hour with the young girl in fitting her riding-habit, 
 in reconstructing the fashion of her hair, and exclaim- 
 ing over her loveliness. Even Walter opened his eyes 
 as he lifted her into the saddle ; and as he handed her 
 the reins, and, leaning over from his own saddle, ex- 
 plained to her the principle of the bit, a little smile 
 stole into his face at the intense seriousness with which 
 she listened. It pleased him to be taken thus au grand 
 serieux, and he had never seen anything lovelier, he 
 thought, than that grave, docile look in Rachel's eyes 
 when, without a shade of coquetry, she fixed her glance 
 placidly upon him, so unconscious of herself and so in- 
 tent upon every word that fell from his lips. Now the 
 slim, beautiful beasts broke into a gently rocking can- 
 ter, which offered no obstacle to conversation. They 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 191 
 
 danced along lightly over the undulating road ; and Alma, 
 who sat on the piazza watching the retreating figures of 
 the two equestrians, saw them now enveloped in a cloud 
 of dust, now vanishing behind a copse or in a hollow, 
 and now traced softly en silhouette against the dim horU 
 zon. It seemed, however, even at the distance from 
 which she was observing, as if Rachel's attitude in the 
 last glimpse Alma caught of her expressed an unwonted 
 animation, 
 
 Walter and his fair companion in the meanwhile had 
 left the beaten highway, and, for the mere delight of 
 exploration, had struck in upon a half-overgrown turn- 
 pike which had long ago been abandoned and was grad- 
 ually being reclaimed by Nature, Tall, scattered oaks 
 and pines, which were the remnants of an older forest, 
 grew here and there along the roadside, and a dense 
 underbrush, consisting chiefly of pine interspersed with 
 blooming laurel bushes, covered the Jagged slope of the 
 hill for several miles northward and southward. In the 
 midst of this luxuriant jungle was what appeared to be a 
 disused cemetery, whose gray decaying head-boards and 
 lichen-covered stones gleamed forth faintly from among 
 the young trees, but would scarcely have revealed their 
 meaning if the gentle and regular undulations of the 
 ground had not furnished the clew, It was a sad sight, 
 and suggested many reflections concerning the noble 
 past of New England and its problematic future. It 
 was a sad sight, I say, and yet how infinitely more 
 cheerful than those horribly bare and dreary cemeteries, 
 lying in the midst of naked fields, surrounded by a 
 whitewashed fence, which one sees from the railroads 
 in New York and the Western States* Such burial- 
 places add a needless horror to death. 
 
192 A DAUGHTER 
 
 If Walter made an}* of these reflections, he was wise 
 enough to keep them to himself; but on Rachel the 
 sombre associations of the place had a very perceptible 
 effect. She unconsciously relaxed her attention to the 
 horse, which walked along at a slow pace, shaking its 
 head and snorting. The branches were brushing against 
 its flanks, and occasionally the riders had to stoop down 
 to avoid being knocked from the saddle by a long pro- 
 jecting bough, i 
 
 44 Keep your eye on your horse," said Walter lan- 
 guidly ; 44 don't you see he is misbehaving?" 
 
 44 No ; I confess I don't know exactly what equine 
 etiquette demands," answered Rachel, with a smile. . 
 
 44 Equine etiquette! Ha, ha, ha! That is rather 
 good, don't you know," remarked Walter, patting his 
 beautiful mare on the neck. 44 If ever I write a book 
 — which I don't suppose I shall — it would be a 4 Man- 
 ual of Good Manners for Horses.' And I can assure 
 you that Potiphar would n't dare to behave like that if I 
 was on his back. lie is like me in one respect : he don't 
 care much for the girls, — not enough to show off, at 
 any rate." 
 
 Rachel blushed scarlet and fixed her eyes on the 
 ground. It did not occur to her to answer, that, be- 
 fore he troubled himself about the manners of horses, 
 he might with advantage cultivate his own. Instead 
 of that she gave him the satisfaction of seeing her 
 discomfiture ; and when after a moment's silence she 
 looked up, she said with a naivete which wes touching, — 
 
 44 And why dou't you like young girls, Mr. Hamp- 
 ton?" 
 
 44 Well," he replied loftily, taking off his hat and wip- 
 ing its inside with a silk handkerchief, 44 you can't talk 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 193 
 
 to them, you know, as you can to a fellow. The fact 
 is, girls are — are — so deucedly hard to talk to," 
 
 14 And do you find me so hard to talk to? " 
 
 44 No, I can't say I do. You are more liko a man 
 than any woman I ever knew, I don't mean — ah — 
 that you are masculine ; but that you are like — ah — a 
 nice, pleasant young boy, don't you know." 
 
 44 No, I don't know at all," sho said, with a shy little 
 attempt at gaycty. ,4 You must remember I have never 
 been out in tho world before, and I don't know how 
 women are expected to talk and act. I only know that 
 a woman should be quiet and obedient." 
 
 44 No I by Jove, do you know all that?" he ejacu- 
 lated, laughing; 44 well then, you are a wiser person 
 than I gave } r ou credit for being. There are few women 
 who know that nowadays. They have even gone so 
 far — aw — as to leave out the 4 obey ' from the marriage 
 service ; and before many years, if they keep on at the 
 present rate, they will have the man swear — aw — to 
 obey them." 
 
 Rachel listened devoutly to these sage opinions, and 
 arrived at tho conclusion that Waiter was a very intel- 
 lectual man. Compared to the men she had hitherto 
 known, ho was positively dazzling ; and she found it 
 difficult to keep her eyes away from his handsome apa- 
 thetic face, and to suppress the admiration which was 
 beaming out of them whenever ho deigned to address 
 her. To be riding a superb horse, with an elegantly at- 
 tired and distinguished-looking young man as her cav* 
 alier, surrounded by trees and fields and rivers, and the 
 great sun-steeped sky above her, — some such wild 
 fancy had at times invaded her imagination in her 
 idle hours, and the very thought had seemed like a 
 
 13 
 
194 A DAUGHTER 
 
 glimpse of paradise* It was part of her orthodox 
 Jewish education to look upon men with exaggerated 
 respect, as august personages exalted above criticism ; 
 and the superciliousness in Walter's manner and his 
 lofty condescension, which would have irritated an Amer- 
 ican girl or made him ludicrous in her eyes, appeared 
 to Rachel quite natural in such a superior creature. If 
 he, on the other hand, were to have accounted for his 
 interest in her, he would have been at a loss to detect 
 any satisfactory reason ; but then he was not a man 
 who was given to analyzing his impulses but to obeying 
 them. That she was a " deucid fine girl" was an obvi- 
 ous fact ; but as he had met many charming varieties of 
 the same species before, it was safe to conclude that the 
 cause of his liking must lie deeper. If he had been 
 fond of fantastic comparisons, he might have said that 
 she reminded him of his boyish impression of Rebecca 
 when Eliezer came to woo her for his master Isaac, and 
 he drew water for her from the well, and she put the 
 pitcher to his lips and gave him to drink. There was 
 a kind of grand biblical simplicity in Rachel, and in 
 the presence of men a self-respecting humility which 
 irresistibly recalled the women of ancient patriarchal 
 times. It is doubtful, however, if Walter, even if he 
 had been better versed in his Bible than ho was, would 
 have considered this Old Testament flavor as a suffi- 
 cient ground for falling in love with her. He only knew, 
 though he never reasoned about it, that he was always 
 mightily pleased with himself, and found, the world a 
 charming place to live in when Rachel was near. He 
 had often an uneasy feeling, when he called upon young 
 ladies, that they held in reserve a private and uncompli- 
 mentary opinion of him, and would pounce upon him 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 195 
 
 with destructive enthusiasm the moment he was gone. 
 With Rachel he wus troubled by no such fear. Her ap- 
 proval was sincere, complete, and without reservations ; 
 and her modest, unobtrusive admiration formed an at- 
 mosphere which was pleasant to breathe. 
 
 After an hour's ride they had reached the ridge of a 
 wooded elevation, from which a clear and rapid stream 
 was seen hurrying with many silent contortions on its 
 way to the sea. The remnants of what had once been 
 a covered wooden bridge were yet visible ; but it had 
 sagged in the middle until it nearly touched the water's 
 edge, and a conspicuously posted placard gave the gra- 
 tuitous information that it was no longer safe except for 
 foot-passengers, A large flat ferry-boat was moored to 
 a rude pier at the river's bank, and an old man, stern 
 and hoary as Charon, was swinging a long fishing-rod 
 and making the fly dance on the current. 
 
 " Hullo ! you old water-rat," bawled Walter, conclud- 
 ing instinctively that all old persons must be deaf. ** I 
 want you to pull us across in a jiffy, and to wait for us 
 until we get back," 
 
 The ferryman reeled in a trout with exasperating 
 deliberation, and, summoning a girl who was fishing far- 
 ther down the river, put his oar into the rowlock, 
 
 " She is purty bad to-day," he remarked phlegmati- 
 cally. " The rain allers makes her sorter cantankerous." 
 
 44 Whom do you refer to?" asked Walter, who had 
 seized Potiphars bridle and was endeavoring to per- 
 suade him to board the ferry. "Is it your grand- 
 daughter who is afflicted in that way by the rain? " 
 
 11 No, the river," said the boatman stolidly. 
 
 Having, after much coaxing, got both horses on 
 board, Walter talked soothiugly to his mare, and the 
 
196 A DAUGHTER 
 
 The old man pulled a steady oar ; but the young girl, 
 who was quite dazzled by Walter's magnificence, caught 
 several crabs, and, to make up for her inattention, 
 44 spurted," and nearly swung the boat round. Rachel's 
 horse Potiphar gave a frightened snort and rose on 
 his hind legs. Walter promptly caught hold of his 
 bridle, and spoke soothingly to him *, but In the same 
 instant the current seized the boat, which began to toss 
 and dip in an uncomfortable manner. The horse grew 
 frantic, and before he could be mastered, reared once 
 more and plunged with his rider into the middle of the 
 stream. 
 
 44 Get your foot out of the stirrup, and don't let go 
 the horse," shouted Walter, with a composure which, if 
 the danger had been his own, would have been admi- 
 rable. 44 Let the boat drift down to her," he added, 
 addressing the boatman, 44 and we'll soon haul her in." 
 
 But the feat proved less easy than he had anticipated. 
 Those smooth, dumbly swirling eddies were so uncer- 
 tain in their motion that it was impossible to calculate 
 their course ; and as they seized the horse and tossed 
 him hither and thither, he was again and again flung 
 over on his side, and it was only by dint of the wildest 
 efforts that he kept his head above the water. Rachel, 
 who in the first plunge lost her hat and was nearly torn 
 from the saddle, had yet the presence of mind to cling 
 to the swimming horse. She did not hear Walter's 
 instructions ; the water gurgled and hissed in her ears. 
 She had succeeded in releasing her foot, but the current 
 dragged so heavily at the long skirts of her riding-dress 
 that she had to exert all her strength not to relax her 
 hold of the pommel. She felt no longer the chill of the 
 cold waters, which at the first shock had almost para* 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 197 
 
 lyzcd her ; in the desperate battle for life ail her energy 
 was roused, and she was conscious of nothing except a 
 fierce determination to live. She saw the ferry-boat 
 drifting down the river toward her ; but her own speed 
 seemed to be much greater, and the distance between 
 them seemed to be increasing. She tried to raise her 
 voice and shout, but an oppressive sensation in her, 
 chest prevented her from uttering a sound. She heard 
 "Walter's voice indistinctly through a confusion of gur- 
 gling waters, snorting horses, and rushing air ; and it 
 seemed to be coming nearer, and again retreating, yet 
 ever calling to her through the long wastes of space, 
 Her hands were growing numb, and their convulsive 
 grip of the saddle was growing feebler. Strong arms 
 seemed to be clutching at her from below, pulling her 
 down into the seething eddies ; and in shuddering an- 
 ticipation she felt the cold, tumultuous deep opening to 
 receive her. It was at that moment, just as the icy 
 shiver was stealing from her limbs upward,' that she 
 heard the words shouted in her ear, — 
 
 44 For God's sake, hold on now! It is your only 
 chance, I have quite enough to do with the horses." 
 
 She made an effort to rouse herself from the torpor 
 which was steadily gaining upon her; and she clung 
 and clung with all her energy, until she felt a pair of 
 arras around her waist, and was more than half con* 
 scions of tho touch of the warm sand against her cheek, 
 and the snorting of the horses as they shook the water 
 off them, and the voice of some one who was talking to 
 her while lifting her head and pouring some fiery liquid 
 down her throat, 
 
 44 This is the stuff to warm a fellow up," he was say- 
 ing ; 4 * no well-regulated family should bo without it." 
 
198 A DAUGHTER 
 
 She opened her eyes, andi saw Walter leaning over 
 her, holding a brandy flask encased in Russia leather in 
 his hand. His hair and shirt-bosom were dripping wet, 
 and his mustache somewhat demoralized, but his com- 
 posure was not otherwise ruffled. His voice was cool 
 and business-like, without a shade of anxiety or senti- 
 ment. Seeing a flush of color in Rachel's cheeks, he 
 laid her head gently down upon the sand, took a drink 
 from his bottle, and screwed on the stopper with much 
 deliberation. 
 
 • U I imported this myself," he said, as he stuck the 
 flask into his breast-pocket. u Always import nry own 
 liquors. Beastly stuff, the kind you get from the 
 dealers." ♦ 
 
 Rachel, who had small experience in this line, hardly 
 knew what to answer. She could not persuade herself 
 that her rescuer, whom she was ready to invest with 
 all heroic attributes, could be serious in talking to 
 her about the virtue of his liquor on an occasion like 
 this. It seemed more probable that he was feeling con- 
 strained, perhaps because he feared her gratitude, and 
 that ho was striving to hide his emotion under this 
 trivial talk. The rays of the afternoon sun were beat- 
 ing down upon her, and their warmth crept deliciously 
 through her chilled body. She raised her head, and lay 
 for awhile with her cheek resting in her hand, gazing 
 idly upon the steam which was rising from her wet 
 clothes. She felt it incumbent upon her to say some- 
 thing in recognition of "Walter's heroism, but his own 
 attitude made it extremely difficult to think of anything 
 which would not sound silly or sentimental. She was 
 quite grateful to Potiphar, who afforded her a little 
 respite for meditation 03* diverting his master's at- 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 199 
 
 tcntion ; ho bad lain down upon tbo Hand, heedless 
 of the saddle upon his back, and was just preparing 
 for a comfortable roll when Walter ran up, and seiz- 
 ing him by the bridle compelled him to postpone his 
 gymnastics, 
 
 " You may not think," began Rachel, blushing with 
 embarrassment (for somehow the thing seemed even 
 harder than she had anticipated), — "you may not 
 think that it is a very valuable life you have saved — " 
 
 Further she could not get, at least not until he gave 
 her some word of encouragement, Walter, who was 
 standing close to her, stroking Potiphar's neck and 
 looking with an air of connoisseurship at the horse's 
 legs, seemed suddenly to perceive what was expected 
 of him. 
 
 "Valuable," he repeated with some slight anima- 
 tion; "well, you may not think it, but he cost me, as 
 he stands there, forty-eight hundred dollars, — to say 
 nothing about the saddle." He picked some horse-hairs 
 from his glove and knocked them away with the tips 
 of his fingers. " In the matter of jumping overboard," 
 he went on, as he opened the case of his hunting- 
 watch to see if the water had penetrated, "the mare 
 did n't leave me much choice. It was a bad sell, the 
 whole business, and I am afraid you won't trust your- 
 self to my pilotage very soon again," 
 
 " I have no fault to find with your pilotage," mur- 
 mured Rachel, looking across the river as if she saw 
 something that interested her on the other bank. His 
 demeanor puzzled her exceedingly. That his thought 
 should have been all of the horse, and not of her, she 
 was, with all her humility, unable to make herself be- 
 lieve ; and the longer she pondered the more she inclined 
 
200 A DAUGHTER 
 
 to the conviction that Walter^ sangfroid was merely a 
 ruse ; he was ashamed of his generous self-sacrifice, she 
 concluded ; he dreaded a scene, and was determined to 
 put a damper on her feelings. She could well under- 
 stand such an impulse ; and Walter became no less 
 interesting on account of this stoicism. 
 
 44 1 am afraid you are badly knocked up," he said, as 
 after a brief rest he hefped her into the saddle ; " but 
 we shall have to hurry, for if we don't get back before 
 sundown you will have a chill." 
 
 She was quite grateful for the consideration of her 
 which this remark implied, but checked the response 
 which rose to her lips. She was resolved not to justify 
 the fear which, as she conceived, had actuated him in 
 his odd behavior. 
 
 During the homeward rldo very little was said. As 
 soon as they were out of the woods, Walter spurred 
 on his horse, and Potiphar, who had no intention of 
 being left behind, galloped away at a furious speed, 
 keeping his nose always in line with that of his com- 
 petitor. The wind whistled and sang in Rachel's ears ; 
 she breathed the air greedily; a glorious exhilaration 
 took possession of her. A wild spirit, of which she 
 had never before been conscious, awoke within her. 
 When the horses stopped in "Old Man Leggett's" 
 barnyard, she was yet half bewildered. It took her 
 fully a minute to recall her wandering thoughts ; they 
 had been on a long and happy journey. 
 
 The next day, Walter left " Old Man Leggett's," de- 
 parting for fresh fields of conquest. 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 201 
 
 CHAPTER XIX, 
 
 JEUNESSE DOREE. 
 
 WALTER HAMPTON had attained tho goal of 
 his ambition ; he was tho acknowledged leader 
 of tho jeunesse cforee of tho city, He spent money with 
 a recklessness which excited universal admiration, and 
 thero seemed positively to bo no limit to his resources, 
 He gave balis at Delmonico's, at which each lady re- 
 ceived in the German a present of jewelry 5 be enter- 
 tained native and foreign celebrities at dinners which 
 were minutely described in tho newspapers tho next 
 morning; and, like a Roman magnate of tho olden 
 time, ho had a train of clients and henchmen who felt 
 honored to be seen in his company and were eager to 
 run his errands. He was, in his way, as conspicuous 
 a man as the President of tho United States, and his 
 movements were as faithfully reported, Scandalous ru- 
 mors regarding tho doings on board of his yacht during 
 his lato autumn cruise had been circulated ; and even 
 though they wcro said to be well authenticated, they did 
 not appear to injure his position in society. Walter 
 only smiled lazily when his brother-in-law undertook to 
 remonstrate with him, and answered, — 
 
 " I shall need a ship chaplain next year. I am told 
 a clergyman belongs to a complete naval outfit. If you 
 will apply for the position, I '11 pay you more than you 
 can get out of your beggarly paper in three years." 
 
202 A DAUGHTER 
 
 When Wellington! reported thi9 reply to his wife, at 
 whose instance he had spoken to Walter, she found it 
 hard to suppress a smile ; and Harry went away with a 
 sense of injury, being well aware that the smile was at 
 his expense. It seemed singular that men whose lives 
 were utterly useless and vicious should always be so 
 indulgently judged, and even appear admirable in the 
 eyes of those who in the abstract condemn their im- 
 morality. |- 
 
 There was, however, one quarter of New York to 
 which no rumor of Walter's misdemeanors had ever 
 penetrated. But that was a distance beyond the Park, 
 in one of those long, deserted, resonant streets where a 
 rumor, if it had ever reached there, would have made 
 a good deal of noise. The fact was, Loewenthal, feel- 
 ing that his financial condition justified him in assuming 
 the disguise of respectability, had rented a modest, bare- 
 looking house with an air of severe, brown-stone pro- 
 priety about it. If he had been an American, with the 
 same income and prospects, he would have established 
 himself on Madison or Fifth Avenue ; but Simon wa9 
 not over-sanguine by temperament, and, moreover, in 
 his account with Heaven there had recently been some 
 heavy items set down to his debit. lie had, to be sure, 
 been fully up to his obligations in the matter of chari- 
 ties, and even advanced considerable sums to the Lord 
 through the medium of the synagogue, — of course at 
 the regular discount. But, for all that, he was uneasy, 
 and could only pacify his soul by granting Rachel's re- 
 quest to remove into a more desirable locality. This 
 was, however, as he presently reflected, an inadequate 
 penance, as it accorded perfectly with his own wishes 
 and gratified his worldly pride. Really, the situation 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 203 
 
 wa9 so complicated that it required a very mathematical 
 head to see one's way out of it. One thing was never- 
 theless clear, namely, that in view of the large sums he 
 had made in his recent mining transactions, he could 
 not hope by petty ten-dollar kindnesses to get his account 
 with the Almighty square for some years to come. 
 
 Amid all these perplexities, Simon was too preoccu- 
 pied to notice the subtle changes in Rachel's appearance 
 and demeanor, He did observe dimly that her cos- 
 tumes and her bonnets had a more ambitious air than 
 formerly, and once or twice he imagined there was a 
 strange, wild energy in her song ; and though he said 
 nothing, ho formed the sage conclusion that something 
 must have excited her. What did it matter? Girls 
 were so easily excited, Simon was not a man of deli- 
 cate perceptions, and he held it to be beneath his dig- 
 nity to interest himself in the troubles that might agitate 
 the feminine mind, 
 
 It seemed as if Rachel's beauty had unfolded itself 
 and expanded into more perfect bloom during the months 
 that had elapsed since the summer. She held her head 
 more erect, and carried herself with more aplomb than 
 formerly ; the unpretentious rigidity of her costumes 
 had given way to a kind of worldly sweep and lithe 
 and willowy elegance ; a feverish animation, alternating 
 with fits of despondency, had taken the place of her for- 
 mer uniform placidity of manner. She seemed always 
 to be expecting somebody ; whenever a vehicle rattled 
 up the street or hoof-beats struck tho pavoment, Bhe ran 
 to the window aud looked eagerly out If, as some- 
 times happened, she saw a gentleman on horseback, fol- 
 lowed at a respectful distance by a liveried groom with 
 conspicuous calves, and green morocco tops to his boots, 
 
204 A DAUGHTER 
 
 her heart immediately ran riot and the color sprang to 
 her cheeks. The truth is, this wonderful gentleman, 
 who had the felicity to be more talked about than any 
 other man in New York, paid frequent visits to the 
 silent and sepulchral street beyond the Park. He 
 always made his calls during the forenoon, when the 
 children were at school and Simon at his office. What 
 he said would hardly have impressed an unprejudiced 
 listener as being in an}* wise remarkable ; and by what 
 process Rachel managed to discover both wit and pro- 
 fundity in his languid and fragmentary remarks, I am at 
 a loss to comprehend. At an}' rate, the acquaintance 
 progressed favorably, and before many months had 
 reached that stage when mere politeness seems an in- 
 sincere mocker}-, and each feels the absurdity of pre- 
 tending ignorance of the sentiment which is uppermost 
 in the other's mind. Then formality gradually disap- 
 peared } familiar forms of address were employed tenta- 
 tively and perhaps as a mere lapsus linguce^ followed by 
 an apology ; and tender innuendoes came of themselves 
 and found only too ready a hearing. All the safeguards 
 with which society has hedged in the young girl were 
 broken down imperceptibly, one by one, until she stood 
 face to face with a passion so. tremendous that it was 
 vain to hope by reasoning to conquer it. Rachel, though 
 Bhe was unsophisticated and ignorant of the world, had 
 by no means a weak nature that could be led astray by 
 persistent attentions and flatteries. In her eyes Walter 
 was a hero, a radiant messenger from a higher sphere ; 
 and she loved him with a sincerity and strength which 
 he would have been incapable of comprehending and 
 was indeed far from suspecting. He was aware that 
 Rachel was " sweet on him," as he was pleased to express 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 205 
 
 it ; and he conceded, with a kind of humorous compassion 
 for himself, that he was " pretty far gone on her," too. 
 But then it was an old story with him to have women 
 lose their hearts to him, and he did not see in what 
 respect Rachel's devotion differed from that of a score 
 of others who had been in a similar dilemma, But he 
 was soon to have his eyes opened. When he supposed 
 that he was merely playing with a well-regulated nine- 
 teenth-century parlor passion, he found to his conster- 
 nation that he had invoked the whirlwind. Like tho 
 fisherman in tho " Arabian Nights," who, from mere 
 idlo curiosity, liberated the Afrite from tho scaled jar, 
 ho began to tremble before tho spirit ho had conjured. 
 Hachcl was too txaltie^ ho reasoned to himself, and with 
 all her loveliness sometimes inconvenient. 
 
 It was, therefore, less vexatious to Walter than other- 
 wise it might have been, when, one day, his brother-in- 
 law showed some knowledge of his secret movements, 
 and threatened to inform Locwenthal in case he did not 
 show himself amenable to reason. Harry, he found, 
 had formed his conclusions from a pure accident, but 
 was, nevertheless, not to be shaken in his conviction. 
 He had happened to have some business during the 
 morning hours in the neighborhood where the Loewen- 
 thals lived, and had, on this occasion, caught sight of 
 his brother-in-law's striking groom, leading Potiphar 
 and his beautiful mate by the bridlo. Of course, he 
 knew both the horses and the liver}' ; and as there was 
 no use in denying, Walter chose to make light of tho 
 affair, and even promised Harry that if it could gratify 
 him, he would not call upon Miss Loewenthal again* 
 This incident, however, was presented in a very differ- 
 ent light to Rachel, whom he cajoled into believing that 
 
206 A DAUGHTER 
 
 nothing but the certainty of destroying both his own 
 happiness and hers could induce him to discontinue his 
 visits; and as she was incapable of ascribing to him 
 the motives which really actuated him, she acquiesced 
 rebelliously in a temporary separation. 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 207 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THE TRAIL OF THE SERPENT, 
 
 AS long as poverty appears picturesque, which it 
 frequently does at a distance, it is comparatively 
 easy to bear, At all events, Mrs, Wellingford, who, as 
 everybody knew, had seen better days, supported her 
 role as a woman who had made a romantic match out- 
 side of the charmed circle of fashion, with cheerfulness 
 and fortitude, As long as her removal from a Fifth 
 Avenue mansion to a Broadway flat had a tinge of hero- 
 ism in it, the man overhead who played " Pinafore" 
 with one finger did not seriously ruffle her temper, and 
 the gentleman who performed gymnastic exercises be- 
 fore going to bed, and played the flute into the small 
 hours of the night, occasioned more merriment than 
 annoyance. The mental composition of an individual 
 with such abnormal habits became an interesting prob- 
 lem ; and Mr. Orpheus, as Alma christened him, was 
 humorously discussed at meals and familiarly referred 
 to as if he had been an intimate friend. But as the 
 winter progressed, and it became evident that Mrs, 
 Wellingford's former associates had resolved to take no 
 notice of her, Mr. Orpheus, in some mysterious waj', 
 lost all his ludicrous characteristics and became daily 
 more exasperating and'odious. At last Harry was per- 
 suaded to make his acquaintance in the middle of the 
 
208 A DAUGHTER 
 
 night, and to remonstrate with him on the impropriety 
 of his nocturnal activity. The young lady who mur- 
 dered the "Moonlight Sonata" ten times a day, and 
 made you tear your hair at the sound of Schumann's 
 beautiful " Trtiumerei," had also to be interviewed ; but 
 as, unlike Mr. Orpheus, she was a pugnacious character 
 and determined to vindicate her rights, Wellingford, it 
 must be confessed, went away somewhat discomfited. 
 
 It is very hard for a person who has been in a posi- 
 tion to command, to assume the role of a petitioner ; and 
 Alma, who might readily, by a sweet acceptance of 
 trifling snubs and by judicious diplomacy, have re- 
 gained a conspicuous position in socict}', was altogether 
 too proud to climb by slow degrees the ladder of which 
 she had but a short while ago occupied the topmost 
 round. Some few ladies, chiefly of those who hover on 
 the outskirts of fashion, had called upon her, but hud 
 been treated with such amiable coolness that they were 
 not likely to return. » Alma, who at first sight could fix 
 a lady's social status with the precision of a barometer, 
 resented the inference which she could not help drawing, 
 that she was now on an equality with those whom for- 
 merly she could patronize with impunity. She was 
 beginning to hunger for the things which a year ago she 
 had despised, and she busied her brain early and late 
 with plans for reconquering the world's admiration. 
 Her scientific enthusiasm had been of short duration, 
 and, although it was intense while it lasted, had failed 
 to yield the important results she had anticipated. She 
 had learned some few interesting facts of geology, which 
 she brought in very dexterously in her conversation 
 when an)' of Harry's friends called, and thereby demon- 
 strated to her own satisfaction and their wonder that 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 209 
 
 she was really an intellectual woman and a worthy help- 
 meet to a man of science. Nevertheless, her little 
 pleasure excursion into the realm of science had greatly 
 increased her respect for her husband, and perhaps even 
 taught her a little lesson of humility ; and it was the 
 hopelessness of really comprehending and participating 
 in his labors, which had made her yearn once more 
 toward the field of her former triumphs. For she had 
 a restless and active temperament, and somewhere her 
 interests must be concentrated and her energies vitally 
 expend themselves. 
 
 As for Harry's friends, although they sincerely ad- 
 mired the beau ti Ail Mrs, "Wellingford, their homage did 
 not afford her the 'pleasurable excitement which, to her 
 mind, was essential to happiness, In private she voted 
 them all ** poky," and laughed at their eccentricities of 
 dress and speech ; while, judging by the sweetness and 
 cordiality of her manner toward them, they would have 
 been warranted in believing that she thought them the 
 most delightful of men. They were mostly inventors 
 and quiet, scholarly men, who had a definite object in 
 life, and possessed stores of information in some special 
 branch of knowledge. They always '« talked shop," 
 dressed without much reference to fashion, and had 
 none of the easy superiority and dash which character- 
 ize the man of the world. In all likelihood Walter 
 could have stared them out of countenance, and they 
 would have made awkward remarks and felt ill at 
 ease in a ballroom ; and yet these men and their like 
 are the ones who have helped the world out of bar- 
 barism, who are inventing the machines, and fighting 
 the battles of thought, which give its onward impulse to 
 the century. 
 
 14 
 
210 A DAUGHTER 
 
 In the monotony of her existence, Alma was apt to 
 hail any unexpected occurrence as a relief; and a visit 
 from her former adorer, Mr. Cunningham, therefore 
 afforded her considerable pleasure. She looked envi- 
 ously at his superb horses, and listened to his slangy 
 talk with flattering attention and a pleased laugh which 
 made him feel as if everything he said was brilliant. 
 And really it was pleasant, after all the learned eonver* 
 sation she had listened to of late, to escape into the 
 informal atmosphere of Mr. Cunningham's slang* In a 
 transport of perversity she sat down at the piano and 
 began to play with a reckless dash the accompaniments 
 of songs of the turf, which once he had been in the 
 habit of singing to her ; and he, accepting her invitation, 
 began to sing, — 
 
 " Down to the races, 
 Doo-da, doo-da; 
 Down to the races, 
 Doo-da, doo-da, dee. 
 
 " They are bound to run all night, 
 They are bound to run all day. 
 I bet my money on a bob-tail nag ; 
 The other fellow bet on the bay," etc. 
 
 Mr. Cunningham was entranced ; he had never seen 
 Mrs. Wellingford in such a delightful spirited mood 
 before ; and encouraged by her kindness he ventured to 
 invite her to take a drive with him through the Park. 
 44 1 have got two rather lively animals down there," he 
 said, making a gesture toward the window. " They'll 
 make the dust fly, I tell you. We will seud Hank the 
 coachman home, and then you and I will take turns 
 at driving. You know Islam from old times. You 
 would n't believe it, but he is worth a clear ten thousand 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 211 
 
 a year to me, I never make him race except when he 
 is in prime condition. But then, I'd back him against 
 Satan himself." 
 
 Alma, instead of answering, went to the window and 
 stood for awhile gazing down upon the sleek, shining 
 beasts, which were pawing the ground and tossing their 
 beautiful heads impatiently about. With a thrill of 
 pleasure she imagined herself seated behind them, hold- 
 ing the tense reins, guiding their speed, and bending 
 their course in obedience to her will, She saw herself 
 dashing up the long drive in the Park, while the fresh 
 air blew into her face and whistled in her ears. All her 
 old fiery self was intensely awake, and she felt as if she 
 must shout, or shock somebody's sensibilities, merely in 
 order to veut her pent-up energy. To shock Mr, Cun- 
 ningham was, however, no easy task, Even while she 
 was debating the question whether she should accept 
 or refuse his invitation, she could not help remarking 
 how radically different he was in every respect from her 
 husband ; and yet he had, in this moment, a positive 
 fascination to her. 
 
 M Mr. Cunningham," she ejaculated, turning abruptly 
 around, M I cannot resist Islam. He has entirely re- 
 conquered my heart. If you will wait one moment I 
 shall be at your service." 
 
 From that day Cunningham's visits became more 
 frequent. He dropped in, as if by accident, told of the 
 lucky hits he had made, how he had helped the old lady, 
 Mrs. Hampton, to a couple of hundred thousands by a 
 shrewd move in Northern Pacific, how he had once even 
 put the Commodore off the scent and dug a pit for the 
 bears, which they had plumped right into. Alma, who 
 in former times had found this kind of talk extremely 
 
212 A DAUGHTEIl 
 
 wearisome, was now dazzled by the imposing figures 
 which kept buzzing in her brain after each of Mr, Cun- 
 ningham's calls. Money had now acquired a definite 
 significance to her ; and if a hundred thousand was men- 
 tioned, she immediately divided it by five and made the 
 reflection that it would take Harry twenty years to earn 
 that amount. When her visitor mentioned, quite en 
 passant, that he had made two hundred thousand in a 
 week, it was impossible not to rebel against an order of 
 the universe which allowed one individual, by a mere 
 stroke of luck, to gain what it would take another and 
 much worthier one forty years of valuable labor to 
 acquire. She could not refrain from giving utterance to 
 this reflection ; and, judging by the vehemence with which 
 she spoke, the broker concluded that she must have the 
 matter much at heart. What could be more natural, 
 then, than that he should ofFer to make a few thousands 
 for her, if she would give him the permission? It was 
 no matter about margin. He would advance it for her, 
 but would buy in her name, and send her a check for 
 the amount which he should gain by the transaction. 
 She need have no scruples ; he always liked to do his 
 friends a good turn, especially where it cost him so 
 little trouble. He could name a dozen ladies of her 
 acquaintance who would never have gone to Newport 
 and made grand matches, if he had not by a fortunate 
 speculation replenished their pocket-books. The thing 
 was very common, and no one would think any worse 
 of her if it were known. 
 
 Alma listened to this gentle cajolery with an eager- 
 ness which she found it hard to conceal. She knew her 
 husband's aversion for speculation ; but probably that 
 was part of his general priggishness, and was due to 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 213 
 
 the puritanic simplicity of his bringing up. It was 
 well enough for him, who could go into rapture over a 
 fossil and find an hour's entertainment in a common 
 stone, to preach contentment in little things and depre- 
 cate her desire for money and social distinction. But 
 she was born with different tastes ; and, moreover, 
 Nature had equipped her for a more brilliant part than 
 she had Harry, If she had been plain and unattractive, 
 she would have been satisfied with her present obscurity 
 and would have ceased to aspire. The result of all this 
 reasoning was, that she began to listen to Mr. Cunning- 
 ham's offers, and to discuss in the abstract what stock 
 he should choose in case she permitted him to specu- 
 late in her behalf, lie would charge her the regular 
 commission, he added, laughing, as he backed out 
 through the door ; but in the meanwhile ho had a good 
 ** point" which could not fail to yield ten or twenty 
 thousand. 
 
 There was a sense of risk and danger in this kind of 
 talk which after this long dearth of excitement had a 
 strong charm for her. And yet, after Mr, Cunningham 
 had gone, she was filled with a vague alarm at the 
 words which he had uttered. There was something 
 ominous too in his manner; his excessive amiability 
 had something in it which made her anxious. He cer- 
 taiuly did not suppose that she had given him permis- 
 sion to make any investment out of his own funds in 
 her name. It was certainly pure imagination, on her 
 Hart, when she thought that his familiarity implied a 
 lessened respect. She gathered her dress about her 
 feet and drew them up into the chair. An uncomfort- 
 able feeling crept over her, and she hod an inclination 
 to shiver. 
 
214 A DAUGHTER 
 
 It became an absorbing question, during the next two 
 or three hours, whether this conversation was to be 
 reported to Wellingford. Alma had made no secret of 
 Cunningham's visits hitherto ; and Harry, though he had 
 expressed a faint disapproval of her rides with him, had 
 otherwise given no evidence of feeling in the matter. 
 . In fact, Alma had often been vexed at the composure 
 with which he received her accounts of actions which 
 she had expected wquld arouse him to anger ; and that 
 well-bred repose which she had found so distingue pre- 
 vious to their marriage, now often tried her patience 
 extremely. Then, again, she could not help viewing with 
 superior pity his calm contentment at the results of his 
 labor, which, in her opinion, were too pitiful to satisfy 
 an ambitious man. By his scientific knowledge he 
 saved many men from investing in ruinous enterprises, 
 and helped others toward the making of large for- 
 tunes, while he himself was satisfied with making a 
 living. There must be some radical defect in a man 
 who could be so destitute of worldly ambition. Would 
 she not be justified, then, in attempting to better his 
 fortunes, and in giving him the prestige w r hich, in the 
 eyes of the world, only the possession of money can 
 
 I It will be seen that Alma had insensibly and by slow 
 
 I degrees assumed the attitude of a critic toward her 
 
 husband. She held him responsible for her present 
 
 undesirable condition, and in the long and solitary hours 
 
 which she daily spent, preying upon her own heart, her 
 
 I mind was morbidly active, and fleeting fancies often 
 grew into definite fears and convictions. Thus the idea 
 of Harry's inability to make the most of his chances, 
 and his need of her secret assistance in finaucial affairs, 
 
OF THE PJSILISTJNES. 215 
 
 became an idee fixe with her, and had much to do in 
 shaping her actions. 
 
 The result, of course, of this train of reasoning was 
 that Wellington! remained in ignorance of his wife's 
 opinion of him, as well as of her day-dreams of Wall 
 Street. 
 
216 A DAUGHTER 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 A CRITICAL DECISION. 
 
 MR. CUNNINGHAM did not fail to justify Mrs. 
 "Wellingford's apprehensions. Some eight or ten 
 days after their last interview, he sent her a telegram, 
 informing her that the sum of twelve thousand five 
 • hundred dollars was placed to her credit and was at her 
 disposal whenever she might choose to draw. A miser- 
 able restlessness j took possession of Alma when this 
 intelligence arrived. She first endeavored to persuade 
 herself that she had a perfect right to accept the money, 
 and that it was a ridiculous squeamishness which made 
 her hesitate ; but somehow her conscience, which had 
 failed to assert itself of late, was now making amends 
 by spoiling her pleasure completely. She spent three 
 intolerable hours, until Harry returned from the office. 
 He seemed in radiant humor, and rubbed his hands con* 
 tentedly as he advanced to give her the " regulation 
 kiss,'* as she called it in her hours of bitterness. When 
 dinner was at an end, she followed him, as was her 
 wont, into the library, where he smoked with a delicious 
 sense of leisure and repose his post-prandial cigar. She 
 had b}* that time arrived at the conclusion that her 
 secret was too heavy to bear alone, and she had devised 
 a little innocent stratagem by which she was sure of 
 warding off Harry's displeasure, if not of capturing hU 
 approval. 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 217 
 
 44 Harry," she said, with a face full of infantine dis- 
 tress, "you have been away all day, and I have been 
 so terribly lonely," 
 
 Ikirry put away his cigar and looked up at her with 
 an ecstatic smile, which, in the matrimonial language, 
 is equivalent to invitation to the wife to perch on her 
 husband's knee. Alma, at all events, interpreted it as 
 such, and putting her arms around Harry's neck nestled 
 down with a sense of comfort and possession which 
 never failed to amuse the victim thus unceremoniously 
 appropriated. She understood to perfection the art 
 of nestling ; and Harry, like all young Benedicts in a 
 similar position, looked blissful though he made a faint 
 pretence of discomfort, 
 
 44 Harry," began Alma, who, seeing the guileless 
 readiness with which Harry went into her trap, felt a 
 twinge of remorse, "you don't suspect what a deceit- 
 ful, double-faced creature I am. Do you know, I have 
 been doing something very bad ; and when I sat down 
 on your lap, it was because I wanted, by personal con- 
 tact, to coax you into forgiving me." 
 
 Harry gave a contented chuckle, and his eyes were 
 fairly brimming over with merriment. He seemed to 
 find the situation extremely amusing. 
 
 44 Well, what is there so very ludicrous in what I have 
 said?" Alma resumed with a touch of impatience. 44 1 
 am sure," she continued penitently, 44 that I am very 
 much in earnest." 
 
 44 Excuse me, dear," he replied, with a rippling un- 
 dercurrent of laughter ; 44 but you certainly must admit 
 that there is something amusing in the idea of first 
 planning an ingenious surprise movement, then, after 
 having partly executed it, revealing it to the enemy, and 
 
213 A DAUGHTER 
 
 expecting by a mixture of ingenuity and candor to per- 
 suade him to surrender." 
 
 44 If you only knew how exasperating you can be, 
 Harry," she retorted in an injured tone, " you would 
 — you would have more charity for the mistakes of 
 others." 
 
 44 Yes, dear, I know I often try your patience," he 
 said with sudden seriousness ; " but I can assure you, 
 I never do so willingly." 
 
 44 And then you, will forgive me for what I have 
 done?" she queried, with a woman's instinctive readi- 
 ness to take advantage of the favorable moment. 
 
 44 1 confess I am a little curious to know what I am 
 to forgive." 
 
 44 Now, Harry, don't be provoking," she pleaded with 
 tears in her voice. 
 
 44 Well, well, then I forgive." 
 
 There was a silence of several minutes, during which 
 the clock on the mantel seemed to become very boister- 
 ous and the crackle of the hickory on the hearth sounded 
 like small pistol-shots. 
 
 44 1 don't think I will tell you, after all, Harry," mur- 
 mured Alma, nestling more closely to his bosom ; 
 44 moments of such supreme content are rare. It would 
 be a sin to spoil them. I should like to spend an im- 
 mortality like this. I hope the hickory grows in heaven, 
 and that they are sufficiently behind the time there to 
 use large genial lamps, instead of the fitful, ill-tempered 
 gas which, next to the dirty streets, is the chief curse 
 of New York." 
 
 He was unable to respond readily to her sudden 
 change of theme, and she felt it and grew restive. Like 
 the majority of women, she regarded her own volatility 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 219 
 
 of temperament as a virtue, and the comparative absence 
 of it in the masculine mind as a proof of insensibility 
 and inertness, 
 
 •• What a hippopotamus you are, Harry J " she said 
 petulantly, 
 
 44 If you mean thereby that my thoughts move accord- 
 ing to certain ponderous laws of logical sequence^ from 
 which women are reputed to have emancipated them- 
 selves, then I don't object to being a hippopotamus." 
 
 "Pray, don't drlvo mo to distraction," she pleaded 
 hysterically, " I never knew you could be so terriblo, 
 Harry." 
 
 44 Well, dearest, then tell me what is on j-our mind. 
 You see yourself that your conscience will-give you no 
 peace until you have done it." 
 
 44 No, I cannot tell it; but — but — I will whisper it 
 to you." 
 
 Encouraged by his smile, she put her mouth close to 
 his ear and breathlessly whispered, — 
 
 44 Mr, Cunningham has been speculating for me In 
 Wall Street, though without my permission, and he has 
 made twelve thousaud five hundred dollars for me, I 
 wish to know if you will allow me to accept it." 
 
 She had expected him to answer, 44 Well, dear, and 
 is that so very dreadful?" but instead of that, his arms 
 suddenly relaxed about her waist and a cloud gathered 
 upon his forehead. It was the first time in their wedded 
 life that he had repelled her tenderness, and the humilia- 
 tion stung her to the quick. With keen resentment she 
 sprang up and stood before him, flushing with shame 
 and defiance. 
 
 44 May I ask you," he began in a calm but constrained 
 voice, M where you obtained the money with which Mr. 
 
220 . A DAUGHTER 
 
 Cunningham speculated? For, of course, you must 
 have put up a margin." 
 
 "Mr, Cunningham lent it to me,*' she responded 
 promptly and with spirit For certainly, if Harry took 
 it in that way, it was not the time to apologize. 
 
 Wellingford's face grew two shades darker, and he sat 
 for a minute silent, resting his chin upon his breast. 
 
 11 Then you would allow Mr. Cunningham to make 
 you a present of twelve thousand five hundred dollars," 
 he said doggedly. ," What opinion do you think he 
 will have of a lady who grants him such liberties ? n 
 
 " He does not look at things in the silly, squeamish 
 manner you do," ejaculated Alma, walking agitatedly 
 up and down the floor. 44 He told me he liked to do 
 his friends favors, and that it cost him very littlo 
 trouble." 
 
 She kept pacing the floor with clasped hands, and 
 with one of those sudden transitions of feeling which 
 were peculiar to her, burst forth vehemently, — 
 
 41 Harry, why do you have such a horror of specula- 
 tion ? It is what supports the greater part of the people 
 in this country." 
 
 44 If you have the patience to listen to me," he an- 
 swered gravely, 44 1 should like to tell you. Fortunately 
 you are wrong in saying that speculation supports the 
 majority of the American people. If that were the case, 
 the days of the republic would be numbered. A state 
 can only grow securely upon a foundation of quiet, or- 
 derly labor. The mere negative activity of artificially 
 inflating and contracting values is in no sense produc- 
 tive,, and is a constant check and discouragement to 
 legitimate commerce. It is inevitable, I suppose, that 
 in a country of such vast productive power the gambling 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 221 
 
 passion should bo stimulated in many, but let it be well 
 understood that these many do a positive injury to the 
 rest of the community. They make the normal labo- 
 rious career of a citizen seem mean and insignificant, by 
 pointing out a shorter and an easier road to wealth and 
 glory, They unsettlo values, and by iniquitous combi- 
 nations raise the price of the necessaries of life, and ruin 
 thousands of merchants who are unable to battle against 
 them ; and, worst of all, they introduce the gambling 
 passion into all walks of life, make the public morals 
 constantly more lax, and by needlessly increasing the 
 clement of chanco corrupt our politics, retard civiliza- 
 tion, and insult the logic of creation. When we shall 
 understand the laws of reality better, chance will play a 
 mere vanishing role in our lives ; every well-developed 
 man will foresee the legitimate result of his every action, 
 and this clear-sightedness will be a mighty restraint upon 
 evil-doing. Now, perceiving this course of the world's 
 logical development, you will understand why I detest 
 so heartily every agency which retards this progress and 
 tends to postpone the reign of reason and order^'J, 
 
 Alma had listened attentively to this harangue, 
 delivered with all the intensity of ardent conviction. 
 There was something so entirely novel in this train of 
 thought that she could not instantly fathom it. She 
 only felt as if her husband's words had removed him 
 still farther away from her ; and as he sat there before 
 her, calm, laborious, and orderly, the very incarnation 
 of inexorable logic, she felt a dislike for him which it s 
 was impossible to suppress. What did she know about 
 the laws of reality and the logic of creation ; and how 
 should she set about ordering her little life in accordance 
 with such lofty abstractions? Mr, Cunningham, with 
 
222 A DAUGHTER 
 
 his easy familiarity and slang, seemed at that moment 
 much nearer to her ; and with the wish to see him came 
 a wild desire to escape from this rarefied, intellectual 
 atmosphere, into the old, comfortable life which took 
 every-day views of every-day things, which held up no 
 impossible ideals, and whose highest standard of char- 
 acter was the conventional mixture of small virtues and 
 vices. 
 
 Harry, who had no suspicion of the thoughts which 
 were occupying her mind, and who, moreover, was con- 
 siderably mollified by his own eloquence, rose slowly 
 and walked toward the mantel against the corner of 
 which she was leaning. 
 
 "Alma," he said, gently clasping her hand, ** you 
 will, please, do me the favor to write to Mr. Cunni^. 
 ham to-night, saying that you cannot accept \\\* 
 money." 
 
 Alma drew her hand away, and stood for awhile gaz- 
 ing into the fire. 
 
 "You mean to Bay," she began, with a constrained 
 laugh, " that for the sake of conforming to the logic of 
 creation, and advancing the interests of the universe at 
 large, / — poor insignificant me — am to give up twelve 
 thousand five hundred dollars, and continue to live 
 in a hovel of a flat, when I might, at least for a couple 
 of years, have a house in a fashionable neighborhood. 
 I am to deprive myself of the pleasures of society and 
 pretty costumes, because, if I don't, civilization may be 
 retarded one millionth part of a second. That, as I 
 understand it, is your argument." 
 
 "You have rather a paradoxical, way of putting 
 things," he answered coolly ; " but even in that form I 
 can see nothing so very absurd in my demand. There 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 223 
 
 is, however, a much more direct argument which I have 
 kept in reserve. By committing an unworthy act, the 
 finest quality "of your self-esteepi becomes impaired ; 
 you lose something of your respect for yourself, and by 
 that very fact lose in the eyes of others. Mark only, 
 if there is not a shade of difference in Mr. Cunningham's 
 conduct toward you the next time you meet him. You 
 have delicate senses and will readily detect if I am 
 right." 
 
 44 1 have not sufficiently delicate senses to detect that 
 which docs n't exist. You must remember, Mr. Cun- 
 ningham is not such a subtle, high-strung individual as 
 you are. As he says, he likes to t)o his friends a good 
 turn, and has rarely a second thought about it." 
 
 4 * Just because he is not subtle and high-strung, as 
 you say, he will attribute a coarse motive to your 
 action, and will treat you accordingly. But enough 
 has been said. Whether you agree with me or not, I 
 must in this instance insist upon your obeying me. 
 Have the goodness to take this pen and write, in any 
 words you please, that you will not accept his liberal 
 offer, or something to that effect." 
 
 He reached her a pen with one hand, while with the 
 other he opened a drawer and flung several sheets of 
 note-paper on the desk. Alma stood immovable at the 
 mantel and looked half wonderingly at him. She had 
 had no definite intention, when she began this discussion, 
 to accept Mr. Cunningham's money. She had only had 
 a dim yearning for the luxuries which the money repre- 
 sented to her, aud a desire to have Harry soothe her 
 conscience; and yet her repugnance to being under 
 obligation to the speculator had in no wise diminished. 
 Now, however, Harry's peremptoriness had roused in 
 
224 A DAUGHTER 
 
 her a spirit of defiance, and she was prepared to go any 
 length rather than yield to such tyrannical dictation. 
 
 44 Do you mean to say that you command? " she asked 
 slowly and with difficulty. 
 
 »t Yes, — if you choose, — I command," he answered 
 with ringing emphasis. 
 
 44 And if I refuse?" 
 
 She was conscious of a strange contraction in her 
 throat, which made her voice sound unnatural to herself. 
 
 44 If you refuse," he replied with calm decision, 44 I 
 shall myself write to Mr. Cunningham, informing him 
 that you cannot consent to be under obligation to 
 him." 
 
 Alma had been struggling to master her wrath, but 
 now it welled lip mightily and she was powerless to with- 
 stand it. Her will had never before been thwarted, and 
 had never come into collision with any power stronger 
 than itself. But even now the fear of humiliation, and 
 the intolerable sense of her helplessness to avert it, 
 gave a pleading tone to her voice and tempered the heat 
 of her passion. 
 
 44 You would not do that, Harry," she cried; "you 
 surely would not." 
 
 44 You give me no choice, Alma," he replied earnestly. 
 44 1 would not willingly humiliate you, but I cannot 
 allow you to compromise my good name." 
 
 44 That is too much, Mr. Wellingford," she said in a 
 voice that shook with anger. 44 If I compromise your 
 good name, it is better that we should part, so that 
 your good name may escape further contamination." 
 
 "Wellingford sank wearily down into his easy-chair 
 and rested his forehead in his hand. He felt that a 
 crisis had arrived in their married life. If he yielded 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 225 
 
 now, or even softened the words he had used, his influ- 
 ence for good over his wife would be irretrievably lost. 
 He felt keenly the antagonism of the principles em- 
 bodied in his education and training and in hers ; but 
 he had an absolute trust in her goodness of heart and 
 in the essential nobility of her nature, Viewing cer- 
 tain traits of her character as the inevitable results of 
 the reliance upon luck, the vulgar respect for wealth, 
 and the lax and confused habits of thought which pre- 
 vailed in her home, he could not find it in his heart to 
 be angry with her. He would make the attempt to 
 appeal once more to her reason, and explain the vital 
 principle which was at stake in this seemingly innocent 
 speculation, He was young yet, you see, and foolish 
 enough to suppose that by appeals to her reason he v^v 
 could move a woman to abandon a cherished plan. If No %> 
 he had appealed to her heart, instead, and stirred the k \jJ 
 fibres of tenderness within her, she would have been ^<t/ 
 pliable as wax in his hands. Ho too, in his calm reli- °i 
 
 ance upon logic and order, had his limitations which he 
 was as far from suspecting as Alma was from compre- 
 hending the philosophy of creation. 
 
 Ten minutes, perhaps, had elapsed when Harry lifted 
 his head and looked about the room. He was alone. 
 With a nameless apprehension he sprang up and has- 
 tened to the door of their bedroom. Darkness and 
 silence within. He groped his way to the bed. It 
 was unoccupied. A moment's search of the closet in 
 which Alma kept her hats and cloak convinced him that 
 she was gone. 
 
 He returned to the library and sat for an hour or two 
 brooding. He could not persuade himself that Alma , 
 had really left him. He rose half mechanically again, 
 
 15 
 
226 A DAUGHTER 
 
 and went once more into the ball and the bedroom to 
 convince himself that she was actually gone. A fit of 
 shivering seized him, and his limbs felt numb to the 
 touch. lie began to walk up and down the floor in an 
 aimless fashion, stopping every moment to wring his 
 hands. There seemed to be a mist — a kind of lunar 
 ring — about the lamp ; and all the familiar objects as- 
 sumed a sudden strangeness. His thoughts tortured 
 him by their irrelevancy, and yet amid all incoherent 
 reflections he was desperatel}* fondling the hope that 
 she might yet return to him. 
 
 The clock on the mantel struck ten. He could endure 
 the doubt no longer. Seizing his hat and overcoat, he 
 rushed down the long flight of stairs and ran over 
 toward the Avenue. The night was raw, with gusts of 
 warm dampness straying fitfully through the air. Black 
 dragons and grifllns and other fantastic beasts were 
 chasing each other wildly across the sky, losing heads, 
 tails, and claws in the fierceness of pursuit. Outside of 
 the Hampton mansion a carriage was standing, and he 
 inspected it closely, hoping that it might prove to be 
 from a livery-stable ; but to his dismay he recognized it 
 as Mr. Cunningham's. With a heavy heart he made 
 his way round the house into the back yard, and leaned 
 against a chestnut tree, from which he had a partial 
 view of the brilliantly lighted conservatory. The glass 
 walls were draped with trailing vines, and great palms 
 spread their fan-like crowns up toward the ceiling. At 
 the end of a few minutes he saw through the foliage 
 two persons walking down the middle aisle toward the 
 * fountain ; the gas-light fell full upon their features. 
 Harry covered his face with his hands and groaned, 
 lie heard a dim sound of laughter and animated con- 
 versation. The hone died within him. 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 227 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 A TROriCAL INCIDENT, 
 
 WHEN Alma left her husband, it was with that 
 hardening of the heart which seems to exclude 
 the possibility of any future reconciliation. She felt 
 outraged and insulted, and was resolved to maintain her 
 dignity, in case he should make overtures for peace, as 
 she felt sure he would do, before many days, To have 
 him insinuate that Mr. Cunningham, or any one else, 
 had ceased to respect her, — that was more than 6he 
 could endure from an}* one. So grave an ofTcnco 
 required a heavy penance, if indeed it was not too 
 serious to be ever forgiven, Iler mother had been 
 right, she reflected, in warning her against men of 
 Wellingford's calibre ; and she would now willingly 
 admit this, and by a series - of penitential acts obliterate 
 the memory of her former disobedience, She would 
 regain her mother's friendship by endeavoring to be a 
 daughter to her in a sense that she had never been 
 before. Experience had made her so much wiser and 
 so much moro valuable in her own eyos, that she could 
 hardly conceive of the possibility that others, and espe- 
 cially her mother, should not at once discover her supe- 
 riority to her former girlish self. It hardly occurred to 
 her, while her resentment was fresh, that away from 
 her husband her name could never be as spotless as it 
 
228 A DAUGHTER 
 
 had been before, and she could not begin life over again 
 with all the hopes and brilliant possibilities of her girl- 
 hood. The fatal knowledge she had gained could never 
 be unlearned ; the wisdom which made her more valu- 
 able in her own eyes became, the moment she endeav- 
 ored to escape from her duty, a badge of dishonor in 
 the eyes of the world. But that her mother should 
 be able to reason thus, how could that ever occur to 
 her? 
 
 It was a disappointment to her when, on ringing the 
 door-bell of her father's house, she heard merry voices 
 and laughter within. She might have known that they 
 had company ; they were always having company. A 
 faint chill crept through her at the thought of the 
 entirely formal relation between her father and mother, 
 between \V alter and his parents, — in fact, between 
 all who breathed the atmosphere of the house. They 
 stayed together because custom prescribed that they 
 should live under one roof, and because, with the mutual 
 understanding that they were not to interfere with each 
 other, it was, on the whole, a convenient arrangement. 
 She remembered having heard Walter call his father 
 14 a gay old boy " to his face, and she had been ashamed, 
 on his account, of the embarrassment and the meekness 
 with which he bore his son's insolence. That they had 
 compromising secrets in common had not then occurred 
 to her; but with her. present knowledge of the world, 
 she had difficulty in suppressing the suspicion. 
 
 AVhen she entered the library, she found her mother, 
 as usual, in consultation with her broker, Mr. Cun- 
 ningham ; " United States Five-and-Twentics," ." Hud- 
 sou River," " Atlantic and Great Western" were the 
 words that reached her ears as she approached unob- 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 229 
 
 served ; the air seemed dense with cigar smoke and 
 stock quotations, 
 
 14 Excuse me if I iuterrupt you, mother," Alma said 
 with much heartiness, "but I wanted so much to see 
 you to-night." 
 
 Mrs. Hampton, bristling with diamonds and rustling 
 with silk, rose with more surprise than cordiality in her 
 manner, and shook hands with her daughter ; and Mr, 
 Cunningham, heavy, bull-necked, and prosperous, pos- 
 sibly to make up for the coolness of the hostess, ex- 
 pressed himself delighted to sco Mrs. Wcllingford and 
 pressed her hand with effusive bland ncss. Alma's heart 
 sank, and the tears rose to her eyes ; both the unwonted 
 emprettement of Mr, Cunningham's greeting and the 
 apathetic formality of her mother filled her with sad- 
 ness and dread. How was happiness ever to bo found 
 in this house and among these people? Ilcart-sick 
 and miserable, she wandered away through the magnifi- 
 cent spacious halls, the walls of which had during the 
 last year been inlaid with complex figures of green, red, 
 and yellow marble, Flinging her cloak and hat on a 
 table, she mounted the stairs and entered her old room, 
 hoping there, at least, to find a safe and familiar retreat. 
 She half expected that Dclphine would step out of a 
 corner, and with her caressing fingers take down her 
 hair, gently coax otfhcr stockings, and draw her lounge 
 up to the fire. She paused in the middle of the floor ; 
 the room had a cold and deserted look. Alma turned 
 away sadly, and with a restless desire to move, roamed 
 from room to room, until finally she found herself in the 
 conservatory. On one side there was a sloping terrace 
 of blooming cacti, amid the flaming splendors of which 
 the white chalices of the calla lilies looked cool and pure 
 
230 A DAUGHTER 
 
 and virginal. The light of the gas-jets was thrown by 
 reflecting mirrors upon every conspicuous shrub or flower, 
 whbh looked waxen and unreal in the glaring light, 
 while the green leaves shimmered in ghostly and blood- 
 less tints. All along the glass walls grew luxuriant 
 vines, from which depended thick clusters of opal grapes. 
 They looked so ripe and luscious that Alma could not 
 resist the temptation to taste them. Half automatically 
 she stretched out her hand and picked one grape, which 
 Bhe ate with a kind of guilty haste. It was impossible 
 to be permanently despairing in a world which contained 
 anything so delicious. She reached out her hand again, 
 and began to eat lugubriously and with a keen but yet 
 steadily waning sense of her sorrow. Perhaps half an 
 hour had elapsed when she was startled at hearing foot- 
 steps on the gravel behind her. She turned around 
 with her mouth full of grapes, and saw Mr. Cunningham 
 lazily sauntering toward her with his hands in his 
 pockets. 
 
 11 Well, Mrs. Alma," ho said, taking his cigar from 
 his mouth and blowing a cloud of smoke up among the 
 palm-leaves, "how is the world using you?" 
 
 14 About as usual, thank 3*011, Mr. Cunningham," she 
 answered a little stiflly. It struck her that his manner 
 was disagreeably nonchalant ; and, moreover, she never 
 remembered having been addressed as Mrs. Alma before. 
 
 ** Mrs. Hampton wanted me to smoke as much as I 
 could in her conservatory," he began, after a moment's 
 pause, during which he had been looking over some 
 papers in his pocket-book. u She says cigar smoke 
 destroys the insects. Here, by the way," he went on 
 carelessly, "is the check I owe you. Put it in your 
 pocket ; it may come in handy some day." 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 231 
 
 Alma hesitated for an instant; she was by no means 
 superior to the temptation, and her exasperation against 
 her husband inclined her doubly toward the course, 
 which he opposed. She held out her fingers tremblingly, 
 and, putting all her apprehensions to flight, was about 
 to accept the check ; but suddenly, with an impulsivo 
 movement, like that of a wilful child, she withdrew her 
 hand and put it behind her back, "I am much obliged, 
 Mr, Cunningham," she said with sudden resolution, 
 " but it occurs to me now that I gave you no permission 
 to speculate in my behalf; and, to be frank, I really 
 don't want your money." 
 
 Mr. Cunningham exhibited a cynical smile, which 
 slowly irradiated from under his mustache; he was a 
 connoisseur of the sex, and could well interpret its 
 capers, ** The dear child," he reasoned, "is offended 
 because I have n't made enough for her. I talked about 
 hundreds of thousands and made only twelve. I have n't 
 reached her figure, that's all." "If I did omit any for- 
 mality in the matter, Mrs. AVellingford," he said aloud, 
 14 1 humbly apologize, Next time we will do better," 
 
 " There will be no next time." 
 
 "Ah, don't you be too sure of that. It is easier to 
 get into Wall Street than to get out, I know how fas- 
 cinating those stamps are to young ladies when once 
 they have commenced to finger them. And, I am sure, 
 I don't blamo them. It's money governs the world, 
 and everything else without it is at a discount. In 
 spite of all the preachers say, I think a mansion on 
 Fifth Avenue is preferable auy day to a similar edifice 
 in the sky." 
 
 Alma, at the same time that she was shocked at the 
 cynical familiarity with which Mr, Cunningham spoke 
 
232 A DAUGHTER 
 
 of her Bex, could not help 1 laughing at the idea which 
 flashed through her head of the promised aerial man- 
 sion as a brown-stone front in the accented Fifth 
 Avenue style ; and although she had no particular ad- 
 miration for the majority of her female friends, she yet 
 felt bound to defend them against what she believed to 
 be an unjust imputation. 
 
 14 1 am sure you have not such a poor opinion of the 
 JCew York ladies as you pretend to have," she said with 
 animation. u You should marry one of them as an ex- 
 periment, and then you would have a right to judge." 
 
 14 Poor opinion I No, very far from it. I have, on 
 the contrary, a very high opinion of them, and don't 
 you forget it. They are a very level-headed lot, I tell 
 you. I certainly should liave testified my regard by 
 marrying one Of them long ago, if the one I selected 
 had given me any encouragement." 
 
 Mr. Cunningham sent a long, significant glance at 
 Alma, who looked away and ate grapes desperately. 
 She had entirely forgotten for the moment that Mr. 
 Cunningham had proposed to her ; otherwise she would 
 certainly not have invited such a discussion. Outside* 
 the rain was rustling down in torrents, and a distant 
 spring thunder was muttering somewhere along the 
 dark horizon. The gas-jets flickered fitfully up among 
 the tropical trees, as if invisible hands were fanning 
 them ; and the sonorous drumming of the rain upon the 
 glass roof made Alma suddenly feel alone and helpless, 
 as if she were standing in the midst of the conflict of 
 mighty elements. She thought with a pang of her 
 husband, whom she had left in anger ; and her heart 
 went out toward him with infinite tenderness and yearn- 
 ing. She belonged to him ; and in that very thought, 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 233 
 
 against which she had rebelled an hour ago, she found 
 a deep consolation. She had never, even in her mo- 
 ments of wrath, doubted his nobleness, and there was 
 no other being on the earth in whom 6he could trust ; 
 and, feeling that the bond between them was not yet 
 broken, she nerved herself up with a resolute effort, and 
 determined to prove worth}' of 'the love that had beeu 
 bestowed upon her by so good and upright a man, 
 
 Mr. Cunningham, in the meanwhile, interpreting her 
 6ileuce and her agitation as favorable symptoms, drew 
 nearer to her, and, attempting to clasp her hand, whis- 
 pered : V'Alma, you know as well as I that you are 
 wretchedly unhappy. Why should you conceal it from 
 an old friend, who has always cared for you more than 
 ho dared to tell you ? " 
 
 The force of the rain seemed to be increasing with- 
 out; it beat with a steady, thundering sound on the 
 roof, and broke with a stormy rhythm through the air. 
 The tepid heat of the conservatory and the earthy 
 smell formed together a kind of oppressive nightmarish 
 sultriness which made it impossible to summon a spir- 
 ited emotion and to assert it strongly. A kind of hor- 
 rible fascination, which was utterly at variance with her 
 feeling, held her as in a vice, and she only trembled 
 and labored with an invincible feverish oppression. At 
 the same time she was ashamed of her cowardice ; for 
 her conduct differed vastly from the heroic course sho 
 would have imagined herself pursuing. At that moment 
 a flash of lightning brightly illuminated the tropical 
 alcove in which they were standing, and a magnificent 
 clap of thunder rolled across the heavens with a free 
 and deafening resonance. Alma drew a long breath, 
 and, facing around, gave Mr. Cunningham a glance 
 
234 A DAUGHTER 
 
 which made him fall back a step with a startled mur- 
 mur. " Mrs. Wellingford," he stammered, rapidly re- 
 covering himself, "lam afraid you have misunderstood 
 me." 
 
 14 There was no room for misunderstanding, Mr. 
 Cunningham, H she said proudly. * 4 And I desire no 
 explanation. Only do me the favor henceforth never to 
 approach me, never to address me or to claim my 
 acquaintance. J desire to be under no obligation to 
 you, and you will have the kindness not to insult me 
 again by offers of money." 
 
 She was again conscious of her dignity and had 
 recovered her queenly bearing. And yet, as she swept 
 past him down the gravelled walk toward the library, she 
 felt a dim shame at having failed to live up to her own 
 standard of heroism. She had repelled an insult, but 
 she had not repelled it with the scorn and indignation 
 which her dignity demanded. Moreover, she had her- 
 self invited it by her foolish rejection of advice and her 
 ignorant trust in a villain. With the excitement still 
 quivering in her limbs, she put on her hat and cloak, 
 and as she started for the outer door cast one last mel- 
 ancholy glance behind her. She congratulated herself 
 that she had token no irrevocable step ; for in this house 
 she would ever have remained an alien, and the bond of 
 blood seemed a mere accident which it was hard to ac- 
 count for. As she laid her hand on the door-knob she 
 saw Mr. Cunningham entering from the library, ami 
 with his usual nonchalant air joining a group of visitors 
 in the parlor. A sudden, irresistible paroxysm of fear 
 shook her frame, and made her for one moment unable 
 to stir from the spot. There was something absolutely 
 diabolical in his leisurely micu, his lazy movements, and 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 235 
 
 his cynical smile* Again her heart cried out despair- 
 ingly for Harry ; and that goodness of his which sho 
 had found slow and unexciting seemed now a rare and 
 beautiful thing, seemed so safe to repose upon for a 
 weary and overstrained soul. With a violent effort sho 
 tore the door open, and plunged out into the darkness. 
 The sluices of the skies were still opened, and tho 
 glorious rain poured down in steady torrents and with 
 a free and vehement impulse which made it rebound 
 from the sidewalks and rise in a misty drift from the 
 ground. The gas-lamps burned dimly within Saturnian 
 rings of vapor, and their flickering rays spread waning 
 spheres of twilight some twenty yards up and down tho 
 streets, but in the middle of each block left the solid bars 
 of darkness unbroken. Alma's tiny umbrella swayed 
 to and fro under the weight of the descending torrents, 
 and her clothes, which were in an instant drenched, 
 clung with a clammy touch to her limbs. And yet sho 
 hurried on, feeling nothing, thinking nothing, urged by 
 an unreasoning fear and an equally unreasoning yearn* 
 ing. The long dark streets were quite deserted. A 
 hospital ambulance drove down the Avenue at a furious 
 speed ; but its rattle and the lugubrious sound of the 
 bell were soon lost amid the sonorous hum of the rain 
 which allowed the sound to travel but a short distance. 
 Once she observed a dilapidated individual who was 
 apparently not on friendly terms with the police, inves- 
 tigating tho lock of a Sixth Avenue grocery store ; but 
 although sho dimly comprehended that tho man might 
 be dangerous, sho was too absorbed to bo afraid. It 
 was near midnight when she found herself at the door 
 of the large apartment house which for the past year 
 had sheltered both her misery and her happiness. It 
 
236 A DAUGHTER 
 
 \ 
 
 seemed a month since she had left it instead of a few 
 hours. With a loudly beating heart she entered the 
 elevator and was borne toward the upper regions. She 
 wished to ask the porter if Mr. Wellingford was at 
 home, but she feared, in case she uttered a word, to 
 betray her agitation. She entered the hall, and stood 
 for a moment listening in breathless anxiety at the door. 
 The lamp was burning within, but thcro came no sound. 
 Then she cautiously laid her hand on the knob and 
 opened the door. Harry was sitting at the table lean- 
 ing forward, and resting his head on his folded hands. 
 She had crossed the threshold before ho heard her. 
 His face was the picture of hopeless misery. Then, as 
 he looked up and saw her, the joy leaped into his eyes* 
 It was the sign for which she had waited. 
 
 44 O Harry!" she cried in a voice of penitence and 
 of joy * and lay sobbing upon his breast. 
 
 N 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 237 
 
 CIIAFrER XXIII. 
 
 SERIOUS RESULTS OF WALTER'S ELOQUENCE, 
 
 THE spring was well advanced and the Avenue was 
 in its glory, when an event happened which might 
 have gratified the fashionable world, which is always 
 hungering for a sensation, if the police had not been 
 too ingenious' to find out anything, or too discreet to 
 compromise anybody whose friendship was profitable. 
 In the Jewish synagogue, however, of which Rachel 
 Locwcnthal had been a devout member, the affair did 
 create much excitement, and there was talk of offering 
 a large prize to any one who could give a clew to her 
 wheroabouts. But for some reason this project was 
 abandoned, probably because the theory of forciblo ab- 
 duction in broad daylight, to which Simon obstinately 
 clung, seemed too absurd to gain general crcdenco. The 
 theory of murder, too, was soon abandoned, becauso 
 Rachel possessed neither money nor costly jewelry, and, 
 as far as was known, she had not an enemy in the 
 whole world. 8iraon, who experienced a sudden retro- 
 spective sharpening of vision, discovered a hundred 
 strange things which had called for no remark, on his 
 part, when they were going on under his very eyes. 
 He knew now that Rachel had acted strangely ; but 
 that she had willingly inflicted this blow upon him, who 
 had lavished kindness Upon her, he could not persuade 
 himself to believe. He ran about the house, slamming 
 doors, raising windows, opening drawers, and under tho 
 
238 A DAUGHTER 
 
 influence of hia keen distress acting^ aimlessly and irra- 
 tionally. When any one spoke to him, he wiped his 
 eyes and whimpered, or struck his hands together and 
 shook his head mournfully. When the servant-girl, on 
 being cross-examined by a police-officer, reluctantly 
 confessed that she had admitted a gentleman to the 
 house, and mentioned the name of Mr. Walter Hamp- 
 ton, both Simon and the officer were sure that they 
 had found the clew, until on further inquiry it was 
 alleged that Mr. Hampton had not been at the house for 
 three months, or more. The officer nevertheless prom- 
 ised to have Mr. Hampton's movements watched for a 
 week, and report if he discovered anything suspicious. 
 What he discovered was never known, however, as a 
 few months later he resigned from the force and talked 
 about going to Europe, but ended by buying out a fine 
 saloon with billiard rooms and all the modern improve- 
 ments. The girl, too, who had blundered into mention- 
 ing Mr. Hampton's name, but had recovered herself in 
 time to forget everything else, went to Saratoga and 
 married a stylish groom who had become impressed 
 with the amount of her deposit in the Bowery Savings 
 Bank. Some feeble efforts to renew the investigation 
 Mere repeatedly made by Simon and his friends in the 
 cynagogue ; but as they never led to anything but fresh 
 expense, Simon, though with a sore heart, concluded to 
 acquiesce in the inevitable. 
 
 Nevertheless, it is useless to conceal that Walter did 
 have something to do with Rachel's disappearance. He 
 had found, after a few weeks' doleful experience, that it 
 was more difficult, to give up Rachel than he had im- 
 agined. With all her inconvenient sentiment and her 
 exacting moods, Rachel was yet a very lovable creature, 
 aud one whom it required much discipline to forget Wai- 
 
OF THE f'lHLlSTIXES, 239 
 
 ter bad been sunning himself so long in her admiration 
 that he felt chilly and unappreciated when he was away 
 from her. Ho had listened to her rich, melodious voice, 
 both in song and speech, until all other voices sounded 
 hoarse or shrill, lie sat sometimes with his legs stretched 
 out before him, and his hands thrust deeply into his 
 pockets, and made contemptuous reflections concerning 
 women in general, whom ho found ridiculously artificial 
 and whimsical in comparison with the simple and stately 
 Rachel. He went about and swore indiscriminately at 
 everything that came in his wa}*, and grew so furious at 
 the sight of Wcllingford, whom ho met accidentally ono 
 day in the street, that ho resolved on the spot that ho 
 would no longer stand being " bulldozed by that con- 
 founded prig." It is hard to tell whether it was to as- 
 sert his independence or to gratify a deeper desiro that 
 he drove straight to Loewcuthal's house, and demanded 
 an interview with Rachel ; but it is certain that he was 
 moved at the sight of her pallor and her evident wretch* 
 edness, and that on the impulse of the moment ho said 
 some rash things which he would not have said, had lie 
 bceu entirely cool. That he offered to marry Rachel was 
 perhaps not so wonderful, as he had frequently made 
 allusions of that nature before ; but that ho actually 
 spent hours in trying to conquer her Jewish prejudices, 
 and with a lover's ingenuity made her feel tho insig- 
 nificance of everything else as compared to their lovo, 
 gives evidence of conversational resources in Walter 
 for which his friends had never given him credit. In 
 Rachel's eyes he appeared positively grand, and after 
 some weeping and conscientious hesitation sho finally 
 consented to meet him tho next day at an appointed 
 place, and go with him to the nearest clergyman. Her 
 life had been so miserable of late, so empty and devoid 
 
240 A DAUGHTER 
 
 of meaning, that she had not the courage to face the 
 long, monotonous future which lay before her if the light 
 of his countenance were taken from her. She could 
 think of nothing but insanity or premature death as the 
 outcome of such a life. Since her acquaintance with 
 Walter and their glorious rides together, and his splen- 
 did talk about the great, gay world, the horizon of her 
 mind had widened, and her little daily cares, which had 
 formerly been so absorbing, had become dreary and in- 
 significant. She had soon discovered with distress how 
 much that summer sojourn on the farm and her inter- 
 course while there with the Weill ngfords had changed 
 her ; strive as she might, she could no more listen to 
 8iinon's discourse with the same reverence as of old, 
 and his visitors of the House of Israel appeared ab- 
 surdly deficient both in speech and manners. It was 
 therefore not joyously, but with a desperate resignation 
 and self-reproach, that she yielded to Waiter's persua- 
 sions and consented to share his future. She was 
 perverse and wicked, she reasoned ; but since there was 
 one in the world who loved her with all her shortcom- 
 ings, and whom she loved, it would be cruel in God to 
 demand that she should seek misery away from him in- 
 stead of happiness at his side. 
 
 By some fatality the clergyman whom Walter had 
 selected was not at home at the critical moment. 
 Walter surmised he had been summoned to Canada by 
 a telegram from his dying grandmother. It would be 
 awkward to hunt for another, who very possibly might 
 betray them. He, for his part, preferred to wait. In 
 the meanwhile he installed Rachel in a gorgeously fur- 
 nished house, of which she was herself the sole mistress. 
 When one day she expressed a desire for books, he 
 bought her several hundred volumes of histories, biom-a- 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 241 
 
 pliies, and novels, in tree calf and morocco bindings, 
 lie made her almost daily presents of costly oil-paint- 
 ings, jewelry, flowers, and whatever happened to strike 
 his eye on his excursions among the shops and studios ; 
 but he was in no haste to celebrate their wedding, alleg- 
 ing that his "old man" was out of sorts at present, 
 and would be sure to make a row and cut him off with a 
 shilling. lie could not afford to take that risk just now, 
 as he had lost a heap of money backing his colt, Lola 
 Montcz, against Cunningham's Islam. The governor, 
 however, though he could be deuccdly unpleasant, had 
 his amiable streaks, too, and if he only could catch him 
 in the right mood he knew he could twist him round his 
 finger. Thus Rachel was readily cajoled ; and as she 
 was yet swimming in bliss, and had not discovered the 
 disadvantages of her situation, she never objected to 
 having her mouth closed with a kiss when she was on 
 the point of asking importunate questions. If she felt 
 a little oppressed at times, lunching alone, and walking 
 aimlessly through the superbly decorated rooms, sho 
 had at least the consolation of looking forward to the 
 evening, when Walter usually dined with her, and occa- 
 sionally took her to ride in the moonlight through tho 
 long deserted streets. lie was always so kind and 
 affectionate to her that sho feared it would be ungrate- 
 ful on her part to bother him too much with her own 
 concerns. Of course she had the livelong day to her- 
 self, and in her solitude her thoughts often took a 
 morbid turn. At any rate, old Mr. Hampton would n't 
 be likely to remain cross very much longer, and as soon 
 as he recovered from, his blues her fate would be defi- 
 nitely settled. Until then she would try to be patient 
 and happy. 
 
 10 
 
242 A DAUGHTER 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 WOLVES AND LAMBS* 
 
 IT seemed a legitimate subject of inquiry among busi- 
 ness men anil brokers, where Mr. Hampton got the 
 enormous sums which he and his son had expended 
 during the last year; and as nothing remains perma- 
 nently a secret in Wall Street, even though it may assume 
 as many strange disguises as Proteus ere Ulysses caught 
 him, it was readity conjectured that Hampton & Son 
 must be silent partners in some concern that was more 
 profi table than honorable. Connecting this with the 
 very large transactions of Simon Loewenthal & Co.. 
 who, though they were known to have next to no capi 
 tal, yet commanded a mysterious credit, some one hit 
 upon the idea that Hampton & Son, and not Loewen- 
 thal & Co., were the real owners of the mine called 
 " The Maid of Athens," which had been paying sueli 
 fabulous dividends of late. Mr. Palfrey, who took a 
 vindictive pleasure in discovering the fraudulent party 
 hidden behind the Jewish broker's back, pursued h\< 
 investigations with noiseless eagerness, and succeeded 
 in tracing several large checks of Loewenthal's, which 
 dodged about through all sorts of crooked channels be- 
 fore they reached their destination, which was always 
 Hampton & Son. By the aid of his brokers, whom he 
 took into his confidence, he soon established a chain of 
 evidence which seemed irrefragable. The question was 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 243 
 
 only what he should do with it now that ho had it com- 
 plete ; and after much reasoning hither and thither ho 
 came to the odd conclusion that he would keep it for his 
 private satisfaction. It might prove to be of value 
 some day ; and if it did not, it was at any rate inter- 
 esting to know who it was that had defrauded him. Mr, 
 Palfrey cared very little for the money he had lost, 
 especially as the mine had, since the change of manage- 
 ment, retrieved its reputation and filled the pockets of 
 the shareholders ; but he was so constituted that it an- 
 noyed him beyond measure to know that any 0110 had 
 been clever enough to outwit him. 
 
 The success of *• The Maid of Athens " and of the 
 neighboring mines in the same region had stimulated 
 mining speculation to an enormous extent in Wall 
 Street and among the public at huge. Even exhausted 
 mines of no value whatever were artificially revived, 
 and the stock tossed about on the Exchange with absurd 
 and capricious iluctuations. The public mind, which had 
 been excited by the rumors of large fortunes suddenly 
 made in Colorado mines, was just in the condition when 
 a bubble company, offering large profits in silver, would 
 be sure to reap an abundant harvest, Mr. Cunningham, 
 who instinctively felt the financial mood of the public, 
 could not forego the temptation to benefit by such an 
 opportunity; and although I dare not assert that ho 
 had a definite intention to cheat, I am very certain that 
 he had made up his mind to make "a big pile," and 
 did not care much out of whose pockets it came. It 
 appeared to him a perfectly legitimate thing to tako 
 advantage of the credulity of confiding greenhorns, and 
 he had no more scruple about it than the pike has in 
 swallowing the trout that swims unsuspiciously into its 
 
244 A DAUGHTER 
 
 mammmmmmmmH0m mmmmmt^m^JSimmma m it i l tt u 
 
 gap. Creation was once arranged in this way, that the 
 1 big fishes should swallow the little fishes ; and the big 
 I fishes have always found it a satisfactoir arrangement. 
 ^ Mr. Cunningham, after having carefully weighed 
 various schemes, had a sudden inspiration. He deter- 
 mined to buy "The Maid of Athens." He knew that 
 the mine had been worked with an immense force since 
 it was first opened, and he had a suspicion that it 
 might before very long be exhausted. That was, 
 however, a matter of small consequence to him, except 
 in so far as it would affect the purchase price. The 
 mine had a magnificent reputation, and it would be the 
 easiest thing in the world to organize a "Maid of 
 Athens Mining Company," and induce the public to 
 take some four or five millions' worth of stock. lie 
 broached this scheme to five or six capitalists in the 
 Street, with whom he was on friendly terms, and they 
 saw at once that there were '• millions in it." They 
 agreed, in case they should succeed in buying the mine, 
 to issue stock for three times the amount of the purchase 
 money ; and if ten dollars was made the par price (which 
 would make it accessible to widows and orphans and 
 rich and poor) , there could be no doubt that the whole 
 issue would be promptly absorbed, and in all probability 
 at a premium. The fact that the present owners were 
 not in the least anxious to sell did not discourage these 
 ustutc connoisseurs of human nature; and, having ma- 
 tured their plans and pledged one another to secrecy, 
 they resolved to approach each shareholder whose in- 
 fluence could be bought and was worth buying, and 
 ( thus, before the next meeting of the shareholders, to 
 secure a majority in favor of selling.* 
 
 Mr. Cunningham's first move was to secure the ser- 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 215 
 
 vices of a leading newspaper, which began by casually 
 referring, in its editorial column, to mining stock as 
 being very unsafe property. The next day there was a 
 joke or two on the insecurity of mining property ; then, 
 a few days later, a very sensible article on the impossi- 
 bility for small investors in such enterprises to control 
 the disposition of their own money, and the consequent 
 ease and impunity with which they could bo plundered 
 by any unscrupulous ring that might secure control. 
 Then, later on, little suspicious allusions were made to 
 "The Maid of Athens," yet too intangible to be seized 
 upon in a court of law; then came slurring remarks 
 about the financial standing of the house Loewenthal 
 & Co,, and about Hebrew sharks in general, all so in* 
 directly expressed that in a suit for libel the plaintiff 
 would have had no chance of redress, The paper was 
 so evidently actuated by the noblest motives, namely, 
 to protect the inexperienced masses against the wiles 
 of swindling speculators, that hardly a jury would have 
 been found in the United States which would not have 
 commended its course, The fact, for instance, so fre- 
 quently lost sight of, was here plainly demonstrated, 
 that the more you take out of a mine, the less there 
 would bo loft in it. Accordingly, the raoro and the 
 higher dividends a mine paid, the less was tho prospect 
 that it would long continue to be profitable. People who 
 expected an annuity for life from mining investments 
 would do better to return to the primitive system of 
 banking, — a stocking under the bed ; in that case they 
 might at all events keep their capital. 
 
 At the frequent dinners which Mr. Cunningham and 
 his colleagues gave at various fashionable hotels, the 
 talk also turned occasionally on mining stock ; and of 
 
MM 
 
 246 A DAUGHTER 
 
 r ' 
 
 course the chance remarks of the financial magnates on 
 such subjects were eagerly snatched up by the minor fry 
 who hang on the outskirts of Wall Street, never plunging 
 in heavily, but never averse to making a few thousands 
 on a good " point." It is these who are the victims 
 in every u big deal," who fill the pockets of the money 
 kings, and who by their invincible gullibility encourage 
 all the iniquity of corners, bubble companies, and other 
 swindling concerns. These credulous gentlemen, who 
 felt greatly honored by the confidence of a magnate like 
 Mr. Cunningham, took the pains to telegraph his 
 44 points" in cipher to particular friends in Chicago; 
 and before very long the impression spread among the 
 mine investors that 44 The Maid of Athens" was bad 
 property, as the mine was very nearly exhausted. Dur- 
 ing the last year and a half an enormous amount of ore 
 had been taken out of it, and it was safe to conclude 
 that there could not be a great deal left. It did not 
 occur to anybody in those days that a gentleman might 
 give a dinner for the express purpose of giving financial 
 misinformation to his guests. But as we progress in 
 enlightenment, we begin to comprehend a good many 
 things that to the benighted past were mysteries. 
 
 The result of these tacties was, that shares and frac- 
 tions of shares in 44 The Maid of Athens" were thrown 
 on the market, and when they had reached a suflleiently 
 low figure were quietly absorbed by the conspirators. 
 Nevertheless these preliminary skirmishes had but little 
 effect, as long as the Hampton and the Palfrey interest 
 showed no disposition to surrender. For the sake of 
 capturing the former, Mr. Cunningham, who enjoyed 
 the idea of playing a joke on 44 old man Hampton," 
 entered into cautious negotiations with Loewenthal, 
 
OF THE PUIUSTLXES. 247 
 
 whose conscience, as he well knew, was a marketable 
 commodity. After a long game of hide-and-seek, Simon 
 finally promised, in consideration of the sum of twenty- 
 five thousand dollars, to induce Hampton to sell his 
 fourth interest at a price representing a purchase sum of 
 two millions for the whole mine ; and as this was about 
 what the syndicate had expected to pay, the bargain 
 was concluded. Inviolable secrecy was, of course, part 
 of the agreement. Hampton, who, after some prelimi- 
 nary interviews with Simon, decided to throw away his 
 mask, and to negotiate with Cunningham directly, had 
 been greatly disgusted with the management of u The 
 Maid" since his own agent had been discharged, and 
 swore frankly at the d— d theorists and unpractical 
 doctrinaires who were always poking their meddlesome 
 noses into things that they did not understand. To a 
 friend like Cunningham he didn't mind saying that, 
 although the mine was yet very profitable, he was not 
 unwilling to part with his interest, in case it was really 
 made worth while to him. This was of course an equiv- 
 ocal phrase, and Cunningham put out little feelers to 
 ascertain what it really meant ; and alter two hours' talk, 
 during which the one seemed continually to be hiding the 
 head of his purpose while showing its body, and the other 
 endeavoring to drag it into full view, the two brokers 
 shook hands with extreme cordiality, and felt sure that 
 they understood each other. The agreement which, after 
 further playing at hide-and-seek, was finally arrived at 
 was, that the syndicate should pay Mr. Hampton a secret 
 bonus of $250,000, on condition that he should guar- 
 antee the sale of the mine before August. 1, not for two 
 millions but for one million and a half. As a pledge of 
 their good faith the syndicate should deposit, in a bank 
 
248 A DAUGHTER 
 
 which was named, the sura of $100,000, which was to be 
 forfeited if they failed to keep their part of the agree- 
 ment and the whole sum of purchase was not paid by 
 September 1. It is needless to say that by this ar- 
 rangement the syndicate saved 8250,000, and Mr. Hamp* 
 ton gained a snug sum, as the price of his treason. 
 
 It would be monotonous, though not entirely without 
 interest, to trace the effects of Hampton's, or his Man 
 Friday Loewenthal's, tactics on the many men and 
 women who had invested their slender earnings in 
 "The Maid of Athens." They allowed themselves 
 easily to be frightened, knocked down all their brilliant 
 air-castles, and declared themselves ready to sell. The 
 only director who caused Simon any uneasiness was 
 Mr. Palfrey, in whoso presence he never could summon 
 courage to assert himself. The only way he could 
 devise for reaching Palfrey was to instruct Walter to 
 alarm Welllngford, who would be sure to carry any 
 news regarding "The Maid" directly to his friend. 
 Accordingly, the next time Walter met his brother-in- 
 law at the club, he remarked quite casually, between 
 two yawns, that he hnd heard "The Maid of Athens" 
 was about to collapse. He did not pursue the subject 
 any further, and Welllngford had, by a laborious cross- 
 examination which seemed to bore Walter beyond meas- 
 ure, to extort from him that his informer was a former 
 classmate of his, Tuthill, who was a mining expert, 
 and had just returned from Colorado. Tuthill had 
 started for Europe yesterday on the " Scythia," to 
 work up interest in the Colorado mines in England. 
 Walter's lazy indifference, and his evident desire to be 
 left alone, deceived Welllngford completely. He put 
 on his hat, aud rushed directly to Palfrey's house and 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 249 
 
 reported what he had heard ; and as Palfrey regarded 
 Walter Hampton as a fop and a blockhead, who in all 
 probability had not tho remotest knowledge of his 
 father's subterranean transactions, ho was inclined to 
 give credence to the rumor, or, at any rate, to investi- 
 gate whether it had any foundation. Even though tho 
 present manager, Mr, Ilolden, was undoubtedly an 
 honest man, he should feel more at his ease if Harry 
 would take a flying trip to Silvertown and make a care- 
 ful report. Ho could not fail to gather a vast deal of 
 valuable information for the paper during a week's or a 
 fortnight's stay in the mining region. In the meanwhilo 
 Mrs, Wellingford (who must not be permitted to mope) 
 would perhaps accept Mrs, Palfrey's hospitality until 
 Harry's return, and ho vowed he would do his be6t to 
 keep her cheerful. Thus it was suddenly arranged 
 that Harry should start the next morning for Colorado, 
 What was the nature of the messages which at tho end 
 of a week he sent to New York no ono but the re* 
 cipient ever knew ; but it is sure that it was on tho 
 strength of this information that Palfrey, to Simon's 
 unutterable surprise, offered no opposition to the sale 
 of tho mine, Cunningham and his syndicate, who nat- 
 urally supposed tho result to bo duo to Simon's clever 
 manoeuvres, wore well content, and caught no suspicion 
 that "Tho Maid" was less valuablo than it was re- 
 puted to be. And even if they had, they would only 
 havo attempted to boat down tho price, but would 
 not have abandoned their scheme; for as it was 
 by the reputation of the mine that they proposed to 
 profit, not by its ore, they now set to work energeti- 
 cally, and through a hundred ingenious channels, to 
 spread rumors calculated to ** bull " the shares. It was 
 
250 A DAUGHTER 
 
 , i 
 
 Bald tlmt large bodies of ore had recently been din- 
 covered } and the former depreciation wan Recounted 
 for as the result of a " bear" movement, started by 
 the syndicate which had now gained control. The 
 report u[M>n which Cunningham had acted had been from 
 a practical miner, whoso estimate in such matters fre- 
 quently dlMW'M from that of u scientific expert. And 
 it Is a peculiarity of the American mind to have more 
 confidence in that wasteful empiricism which Is termed 
 practical, than in the trained insight which only science 
 can supply. 
 
 All obstacles having now been removed, the contract 
 was signed and the forfeit money deposited ; and the 
 secret agreement between Hampton and Cunningham 
 was also committed to paper and duly signed, Simon 
 Loewenthal being present as witness to the signatures. 
 Cunningham then went on a journey intimately con- 
 nected with the proposed stock company, and promised 
 within six weeks to return with the money. Where he 
 went was not known : and Mr. Hampton had therefore 
 no means of communicating with him, when, one day, on 
 looking over their agreement, he found that an error had 
 been committed in the number of shares which he pro- 
 fessed to hold. Thinking the matter of small conse- 
 quence, however, between friends, he quietly took his 
 penknife and erased the number 1,250, which was rep- 
 resented to be his total number of shares, and substi- 
 tuted 1,175, which, on further investigation, he found 
 to be the correct figure. He had forgotten, at the time 
 the agreement was drawn up, that he had given sev- 
 enty-five shares, in return for some service, to Simon 
 Loewenthal. He could easily settle the affair with 
 Cunningham as soon as the latter returned. 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 251 
 
 CHAPTER XXV, 
 Bluebeard's closet, 
 
 u 
 
 WHILE his father was yet lingering in Wall Street, 
 and chuckling over his clever ** management," 
 the junior partner of the firm Hampton & Son was sailing 
 blissfully along the New England coast in his new and 
 wonderful yacht, the '* Coquette." He was out for a six 
 weeks' cruise, and he had a good mind to go as far as 
 Quebec, and perhaps even sail up the St. Lawrence to 
 Montreal, Rachel had never seen anything so dainty, 
 rich, and perfect in all its appointments as this trim 
 little craft, which seemed to contain within its narrow 
 shell a convenient resume of civilization, She could 
 think of nothing, could hardly by a freak of fancy im- 
 agine anything, the presence of which would gratify the 
 sense and increase one's comfort, which had not already 
 been provided. In a merry mood she begged Walter to 
 tell her where he kept his »• Aladdin's Lamp," and even 
 began a mock search for it. The weather was glorious ; 
 cool breezes tilled the sails, and the vast blue sky exhib- 
 ited, from morning till noon and from noon till night, 
 superbly changing tints of light and cloud-shapes that 
 rose with the sun fresh and dewy from the bath of the 
 ocean, and hung hot and tired along the horizon's 
 rim when the exhausting metamorphoses of the day's 
 journey were at an end. The city, with its har«h 
 noises and its heat and cares, seemed so inconceivably 
 
252 A DAUGHTER 
 
 far away; in the pure atmosphere of the sea, and the 
 large primeval sights of land and sky and wave, it was 
 impossible to nurse what seemed now a morbid sorrow. 
 She knew that Walter, who was good and kind and 
 loved her dearly, would do well by her, and join his 
 life inseparably to hers as soon as the external obstacles 
 were cleared away. This confidence grew upon her 
 daily, and she was gayer and happier than she had ever 
 been in her life before. It was impossible to doubt 
 Walter, when at night they sat together on deck under 
 the dark dome of the heavens, and the waters plashed 
 with a vague, delicious sound against the Bides of the 
 ship, and the hazy lines of the shore lay softly de- 
 fined under the moon and stars. Walter's voice, as he 
 lay lazily smoking on the Turkish rugs and pillows that 
 were scattered over the deck, had such a reassuring 
 sound to her ears, and his whole treatment of her was 
 so considerate and dignified, that it would have been 
 the height of ingratitude to complain. There was an 
 excellent piano on board ; and as the yacht shot on be- 
 fore the breeze, her voice, with a magnificent volume 
 and youthful buoyancy, would mingle with the rush 
 of the wind and rise above it, expanding and van- 
 ishing under the clear, infinite sky. At such times 
 Walter, lounging at the stern, watching the sailing- 
 master or reclining among his luxurious pillows, would 
 feel a supreme contentment stealing over him ; although, 
 to do him justice, occasionally at the sound of Rachel's 
 song his conscience gave an unaccountable twinge, and 
 generous impulses began to stir within him. It all de- 
 pended upon the weather, he reasoned, and the diet; 
 pickles on an empty stomach always gave him a bad 
 conscience, and while Rhine wines made him surly, 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 
 
 champagne and sherry in hot weather always made him 
 irrationally generous. 
 
 It was during the last week in August, when the '* Co- 
 quette " was on her homeward way, that she happened 
 into a well-known harbor on the New England coast, 
 where a dozen other yachts had appointed a rendezvous. 
 The M Coquette," representing ** the latest results of 
 time " in the way of yacht-building, created a genuine 
 sensation, and made the owners and partisans of the 
 other crafts jealou9, Visits of state were paid by Wall 
 Street magnates, who inspected the " Coquette" so 
 curiously that she blushed to her mast-head, as Rachel 
 whispered to Walter when she saw the Stars and Stripes 
 running up in honor of such a visit. Admiration and 
 jealousy were equally gratifying to Walter, who during 
 the rendezvous was in as jolly a humor as his dignity 
 would permit; if it had been his wife or sweetheart 
 whose beauty had excited the praise and wonder of men, 
 he could not have been more pleased. It was evident 
 that the " Coquette " could not be lying there inertly 
 nodding at her own lovely image in the water ; it was 
 incumbent upon her to do something in recognition of 
 the compliments that were showered upon her. It was 
 accordingly decided that the »« Coquette" should give 
 u party. 
 
 Rachel remarked with some trepidation, when she 
 saw the elaborate preparations that were being made 
 for the repast, that it would bo very embarrassing to 
 ber to find herself alone among so many men ; to which 
 Walter replied that there also would be ladies present. 
 Rachel suddenly lifted her eyes toward the sky, and 
 with a radiant countenance whispered something in 
 Hebrew ; then she leaned over toward Walter, and with 
 eves brimminer over with affection said.— 
 
254 A DAUGHTER 
 
 "I thank you, Walter J I knew you would not de- 
 ceive me." 
 
 Walter, with an utterly mystified air, gazed at her for 
 a moment, and then, rising, knocked the ashe9 from his 
 cigar, and sauntered aft, where he paused to address 
 some trivial question to the sailing-master. Rachel's un- 
 accountable joy at the announcement that ladies would 
 be invited made (lini feel extremely uneasy ; for he com- 
 prehended well that she, in her innocence, took this as 
 a sign that he meant to acknowledge their relation be- 
 fore the world, and that in all likelihood before many 
 clays she would expect him to issue invitations for their 
 wedding. In the presence of such impenetrable ig- 
 norance a man was really powerless ; all his efTorts, by 
 slow degrees, to open Rachel's eyes to her position had 
 so far been unavailing, and had in some instances had 
 the very opposite effect of what he had intended. All 
 he could do then was to depend upon the sobering effect 
 of necessity when once she discovered that she had no 
 alternative but to remain with him in whatever capacity 
 he chose to assign to her. 
 
 He dreaded the moment when she should make this 
 discovery, but he could see no object in delaying it. 
 lie was a good-natured fellow, and had no taste for in- 
 flicting misery. But temporary misery was often a 
 mercy in disguise, and it would be so in Rachel's case : 
 for, knowing her position, she would soon accustom her- 
 self to it and learn to make the best of it. This occa- 
 sion, perhaps, would be as good as any for opening her 
 eyes ; of course, if she had had a gram of sense, she 
 would have known that he could not introduce her to 
 his lady guests in the equivocal position she was at 
 present occupying. The thing would be more embar- 
 
iii 
 
 OF THE PHILISTINES. 255 
 
 rassing to her than to him, and was not for a moment to 
 be considered. It was with the purpose of explaining 
 these tilings to her that ho approached her only a few 
 minutes before he expected the arrival of his guests. lie ' 
 had intentionally waited until he 6aw the boats put out 
 from the other yachts, because he did not wish to lcavo 
 Rachel time for a scene. The publicity of their inter- 
 view too, he reasoned, would act as a check upon her 
 emotions. 
 
 The sun was just setting gorgeously, kindling a blazo 
 of splendor over the western hills, when Rachel came 
 on deck, flushed with pleasurable anticipation, Iler 
 toilet had a regal simplicity, which was admirably 
 adapted to her clear and serious faco ; but there was a 
 vague insecurity in her eyes — an anxious appeal for 
 approval — which was pathetic, She was carrying her 
 train in her hand, guarding it carefully from contact 
 with tho deck ; and tho backward turn of her head 
 showed to advantage her splendid neck, with its tuftsof 
 fine shiny hair under tho regular coiffure. Walter, who 
 was not devoid of aesthetic susceptibility, took in all 
 this at a glance, and felt considerably mollified. Tho 
 crushing remarks with which he had intended to put an 
 end, once for all, to Rachel's pretensions stuck in his 
 throat ; he could not bring himself to utter them, The 
 sight of this young girl, with her sweet, appealing face 
 and noblo presence, put the situation in a new light ; 
 and Walter (be it said to his credit) began to feel 
 ashamed of himself. 
 
 "If she were only not so devilish high-strung," he 
 murmured in despair, as he sauntered to meet her, 
 44 then there might be a way of coming to terms. Any 
 way, I have got to get her out of the way for tho 
 
25G A DAUGHTER 
 
 present. Well, what the deuce has she been doing to 
 herself f 
 
 It was Rachel's coiffure which occasioned this uncom- 
 plimentary comment. She had formerly been in the 
 habit of arranging her hair in a very unworldly fashion, 
 pushing it straight back from the forehead, and winding 
 the heavy braids in a sort of coronet about the top of 
 her head. W alter had suggested various emendations 
 of this style, and it was with a view to gratifying his 
 taste that she had 1 experimented half the afternoon, and 
 with the present result. 
 
 " I seem so very funny to myself," she said, looking 
 up, as if she hoped he would contradict her; u but of 
 course I can't judge myself. Do you like it, Walter 
 dear? This fluffy style, with crimps and bangs, some- 
 how seems to make a different person of me. It seems 
 to require a different bearing and a different kind of 
 behavior." 
 
 <* Yes, I should think it did," replied Walter dryly ; 
 ** you would have to adopt a very ridiculous style of 
 behavior if it were to match such a hair fashion." 
 
 The girl looked up with quick surprise. There was 
 a new tone in his voice which she hud never heard 
 before. 
 
 11 Then you do not like it? " she queried anxiously. 
 
 44 No, I can't say I do." 
 
 " And you would rather not introduce me to your 
 friends, looking ridiculous?" 
 
 14 Exactly. I must credit you with extraordinary 
 penetration." 
 
 There were tears in her eyes, but she would not yield 
 to them. The hardness and deliberate cruelty of his 
 words aroused her resistance, and her pride came to her 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 257 
 
 rescue and saved her from further humiliation, She 
 turned away haughtily, descended the stairs, and in 
 another moment Walter heard her lock the door of her 
 cabin. The click of the lock, as she turned the key, 
 gave him infinite relief., 
 
 44 Now that was very cleverly done," he reflected with 
 a little twinge of remorse, " but I should n't like to do 
 it over again. It was dastardly." 
 
 To divert his thoughts he began to stroll uneasily 
 along the deck, until lie saw two trim boats filled with 
 gayly attired ladies and gentlemen emerging from be- 
 hind the hull of an English man-of-war and coming 
 alongside. ' Jt was a pretty sight to see the long wakes, 
 marked by glittering bubbles, and the little whirling 
 eddies on either side, where tho oars had struck the 
 water. The first party that boarded tho 44 Coquette" 
 consisted of Mr, Daniel Timpson, who had become 
 prosperous of late and a yacht owner, with his mother 
 and sister. Miss Timpson was petite, gay, and uncere- 
 monious. She tripped up the steps with much agility, 
 gave her left hand to Walter, who, in his capacity of 
 host, was bidding her welcome, and had made a dozen 
 remarks before he had time to open his mouth. 
 
 44 Oh, Mr. Hampton," she exclaimed, cocking her 
 pretty blond head and looking up into Walter's eyes 
 with charming guilelessness, 44 I am so glad you invited 
 me. I have been crazy, — simply crazy to see your 
 4 Coquette.' You know, I have heard no end of things 
 about her. Mr. Carson, over there, they say, is green 
 with envy, because his * Lady Fairfax ' has been the 
 belle of the season hitherto. But she does not rest on 
 the water half as gracefully as the 4 Coquette.' I do 
 think," she continued, looking admiringly about her, 
 
 17 
 
258 A DAUGHTER 
 
 14 that this is simply enchanting. It is too sweet 
 for anything. Now, Mr. llampton, you must promise 
 me that you will take me all over her, and show me 
 everything from bow to stern. I want to see the 
 pantries and the bedrooms and the sailors' bunks and 
 the captain's cabin, — I always used to think it was 
 such fun, when we crossed in the 4 Scythia,' to peep into 
 the captain's cabin, — in fact, I want you to show me 
 everything you can think of." 
 
 14 Now do give poor Walter a little breathing-space, 
 Cora," suggested her brother laughingly; 44 you know 
 he has not a robust constitution — " 
 
 44 Next to yachts, what I adore above all things is 
 uncomplimentary brothers," interrupted Miss Cora; 
 14 don't you, Mr. Hampton?" 
 
 44 Well, if Dan is a specimen, I can't say I dislike 
 them," answered the diplomatic Walter. 
 
 44 And you will promise to show me all over the yacht 
 before we go ? " 
 
 44 Certainly, with the greatest pleasure." 
 
 He could hardly say anything less, though he hoped 
 that the volatile young lady would forget her demand, 
 or, at all events, refrain from pressing it. 
 
 Four or five more boats arrived in rapid succession ; 
 and Walter, who still stood at the head of the gangway, 
 received his guests with more dignity than cordiality. 
 There was a slight uneasiness in his manner, which did 
 not escape the notice of those who knew him best. 
 
 Rachel in the meanwhile, who in her despair had 
 thrown herself upon the bed in her cabin, could well 
 hear through the open port-hole the buzz of conversa- 
 tion above, the creaking of the gentlemen's boots, the 
 rustling of the ladies' dresses, and even many of their 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 259 
 
 remarks. There wa9 a continual shuffle of feet, to 
 which, in spite of her effort to forget it, she could not 
 but listen : there were light little taps, suggesting 
 high-heeled kid and satin slippers ; the heavy tread of 
 weighty financial feet ; the exasperating creak of the 
 man in patent-leather boots, who stood balancing him- 
 self on his toes, and, no doubt, with his hands in his 
 pockets ; and the muffled sliding of the pig- tailed Celes- 
 tial waiters. Now some dainty creature glided away 
 over the prismatic piece of glass in the roof of the cabin 
 which served for a skylight ; now another richly robed, 
 slim-waisted damsel planted her little loot right upon it, 
 and with her voluminous attire obscured the daylight, 
 Rachel's imagination became terribly active in attaching 
 the proper bodies to all these different kinds of steps, 
 She saw in spirit the stout broker, whose neck is just 
 beginning to overlap his coat-collar ; she knew the species 
 well by sight, and had much respect for it, Sho saw, 
 too, the immaculate young gentleman in low shoes and 
 striking stockings, whom sho had always admired at a 
 distance, because ho looked so blond and proud and 
 beautiful. But oh, — the bitterness of it, — there were 
 the lovely, gracious ladies, 'in resplendent costumes, 
 whom sho was to have mot, and who, by their recogni- 
 tion of her as Walter's fiancee , would have given her a 
 position in society. They would surely have been kind 
 enough to overlook the irregularity of the introduction, 
 on account of her being a Jewess, and because she had 
 fled from her home for love of Walter. There was some- 
 thing romantic in this flight which could not but appeal 
 to them. And now, by her foolish sensitiveness, sho 
 had forfeited all these advantages. What had Walter 
 said to her which had wounded her so deeply? That he 
 
2C0 A DA UGHTER 
 
 did not like the fashion of her hair. And was, then, that 
 so very terrible? She had certainly been very silly to 
 fly into a passion at so slight a provocation. For a long 
 time she lay pondering feverishly, now and then raising 
 herself on her elbows, and glancing shyly at the reflec- 
 tion of her tear-stained face in the glass opposite. She 
 wondered whether ft would displease Walter much if 
 6hc were to appear on deck and only plead a headache 
 as the cause of the delay ; she struggled with this idea 
 for a long time, and thought one moment that she had 
 sufficient self-possession to carry out such a plan suc- 
 cessfully, and in the next concluded that she had not. 
 If Walter would but come and knock at her door, 
 how willingly would she accept his apologies 1 But his 
 showing no thought of her whatever, — that was really 
 terrible. 
 
 She heard the rattle of dishes overhead, the popping 
 of champagne corks, and the clinking of glasses ; they 
 were evidently to have supper on deck. A band which 
 had been hired for the occasion began to play, drowning 
 the conversation, which again burst forth with the greater 
 alacrity the moment the music ceased. Then she fell 
 into a feverish doze, during which strains of "The 
 Blue Danube M got curiously intertangled with her mis- 
 ery. She woke up at last with an intolerable hunger; 
 she propped herself up on her elbows once more, and 
 listened to the undulating rhythm of the waltz and the 
 sweep of the dancers' feet above her head. A swift 
 vision arose before her fancy of gay faces, gorgeous 
 costumes, Chinese lanterns, happy girls whirling around 
 in the clasp of their lovers' arms ; and a wild sense of 
 outrage took possession of her. She sprang up, began 
 to arrange her hair before the mirror, according to her 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 201 
 
 old fashion, and almost expended the energy of her 
 wrath in this innocent operation, Then she bathed 
 *hcr face and wiped away the tear-stains, She was bat- 
 tling with a great resolution. But just then — - ah, what 
 was that ? There was a loud and animated conversation 
 without, and apparently at her very door. 
 
 11 Now, Mr. Hampton," a lady's voice was saying, 
 14 I must insist upon your opening this door! The 
 sailors' bunks were very interesting ; but, on the whole, 
 it is this end of the * Coquette * which particularly ap- 
 peals to mo, Your pantry is very stylish, Jt has com- 
 pletely won my heart, Now, if you will also let mo 
 look in here, I shall be satisfied." 
 
 44 Why, Cora, you are very indiscreet," a gentleman's 
 voice interposed ; M don't you know, that is Walter's 
 Bluebeard's closet, where he keeps the bones of his 
 dead wives." 
 
 A merry laugh greeted this sally, although Walter 
 apparently did not join in it. 
 
 " The fact is," Rachel heard him saying, " the bed- 
 rooms are not in decent order to-day, and I don't want 
 to ruin the reputation of the 4 Coquette ' by exhibiting 
 her to disadvantage." 
 
 41 Ah, my dear Mr. Hampton, that will not do," cried 
 the arch young lady addressed as Cora; " I see there 
 is something you want to hide. Now, Mrs. Bluebeard," 
 she went on, raising her voice in mock entreat}', and 
 tapping on the panel, "do open the door; I am dying 
 to make your acquaintance." 
 
 Suddenly the mirth died out of her face. The door 
 was opened from within, and out stepped a tall, beauti- 
 ful woman, whose pallor lent but a greater nobility to 
 her serious face. Miss Timpsou fell back with a scream 
 
262 A DAUGHTER 
 
 into her brother's arms ; and Walter, flushed with em- 
 barrassment, stood irresolute), rattling the keys in his 
 pockets. He would have liked to assert his authority/ 
 but somehow the unusual pallor of Rachel's face moved 
 him. She looked so placid and pure and dignified by 
 the side of the shrill and nervous Miss Timpson. It 
 was a deucedly unpleasant fix he was in ; but before 
 lie had time to reflect on its consequences, or to shape 
 his action for the moment, he met Timpson's eyes glar- 
 ing at him in a very unfriendly fashion. 
 
 "By Jove, Hampton," cried Miss Cora's brother, still 
 supporting his sister's trembling figure, " this is too 
 bad. I'll make you pay for this, sir. Come, Cora, 
 find mother ; I don't wish you to remain here another 
 minute." 
 
 Miss Cora threw a glance of more curiosity than In- 
 dignation over her shoulder as she mounted the stairs, 
 leaning on her brother's arm. Rachel's eyes followed 
 her with a wondering look. Then she looked at Walter, 
 whose face now wore a defiant expression, as if he were 
 longing to throw respectability to the dogs; but had not 
 quite the courage to obey the impulse. 
 
 "Why did you not introduce me, Walter?" asked 
 Rachel simply. 
 
 " Oh, it is hopeless to explain that to you," he an- 
 swered. " Now do me the favor to go back into your 
 room," he added more gently, " and I will try to make 
 it clear to you when I have got rid of these people." 
 
 " No," she replied calmly, " I shall do you no more 
 favors. I am, at last, beginning to understand." 
 
 The sadness of her voice again touched him, and he 
 was on the poiut of surrendering. And yet, was it not 
 for this very purpose of disillusionizing her that he had 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 263 
 
 meant to give this party and exclude her from it? And 
 now he was standing like a coward trying to avert the 
 consequences of his own deliberate act. lie was a 
 devilish soft-hearted fellow, and very likely she knew it 
 and was now twisting him about her finger. Thus one 
 thought chased another more rapidly than they can be 
 recorded ; and he had yet reached no conclusion, when 
 two young ladies, breathless with waltzing, came run- 
 ning down the stairs, one holding up the other's skirt* 
 and crying, as she saw the host, — 
 14 A needle, a needle, my kingdom for a needle ! " 
 Rachel, fearing another humiliating encounter, moved 
 past them and mounted the stairs. The despairing 
 calm of her motions sent a pang to Walter's heart, and 
 he would have followed her if the ladies had not de» 
 taincd him. 
 
 44 Who was that? " asked one of them. M She looked 
 as if she had seen a ghost." 
 
 44 She was very pretty," observed the other? 4< what 
 did you say her name was ? " 
 
 44 Miss Carrie Smith," replied Walter gravely, " of 
 Cincinnati." 
 
 44 1 am to sorry," ejaculated the first, 44 that we In* 
 terrupted the tete-a-tete." 
 
 And with much rustle and bustle they hurried into 
 the saloon. 
 
 Walter had perfectly understood the meaning of 
 Timpson's threat, and it was therefore no surprise to 
 him when, on arriving on deck, he found half a dozen 
 ladies already in the boats and the same number of 
 gentlemen ready to follow them. Some made a con- 
 strained apology for their abrupt departure and shook 
 his hand frigidly, while some betook themselves off 
 
264 A DAUGHTER 
 
 without even bidding him good-by. The band was 
 pounding and blowing away for dear life, and a single 
 couple, unconscious of all the commotion about them, 
 were gliding, rocking, and whirling around in ecstatic 
 forgetfulness. Not a breeze was stirring, and the 
 variegated lanterns, suspended under the awning, hung 
 motionless, tingeing the twilight with their dull flame. 
 One boat after another put off amid excited whisper and 
 low conversation, and the few remaining guests with a 
 puzzled air gathered their wraps and followed the gen- 
 eral example. The plash of the oars, as they struck 
 the water, grew feebler with the distance; the bright 
 figures vanished in the twilight which hovered lightly 
 over 6ea and land. An unutterable disgust with the 
 Pharisaism — the hollow sham and pretence — of these 
 people took possession of Walter. So far from being 
 angry with Rachel, he felt for the moment strongly 
 drawn to her. And the thought of her suggested a 
 sudden dread, which he did not formulate, but which 
 lent eagerness to his steps. They had parted in excite- 
 ment. Rachel had gone on deck; who could know — 
 she was so high-strung and incalculable — what she 
 might take it into her head to do? lie glanced rapidly 
 about him, and seemed to see at the bow a woman's 
 figure vaguely outlined in the dusk. She stood with 
 her hands loosely clasped before her and her face turned 
 toward the sky. She did not appear to notice his ap- 
 proach, and when he gently put his arms about her 
 waist, she gave a faint cry of surprise. 
 
 11 Rachel," he whispered, "I am deucedly sorry I 
 have offended you. I am not such a bad fellow after 
 all, Rachel, if you only know how to take me. If you 
 only would n't take on in that style — H 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 265 
 
 11 Please leave me alone/' she interrupted, with a voice 
 which was meant to be commanding, but which broke 
 pitifully; "you have not "offended me, It is not in 
 your power to offend me." 
 
 " Now, do be a little rational, Rachel," he pleaded 
 weakly. "I'll marry you to-morrow, if you say .so. 
 Really, now, I will." 
 
 A minute or more elapsed before she answered, 
 
 u I do not wish to marry you, Walter," she whis- 
 pered, still with averted face, ** I only wish you to 
 leave me alone." 
 
 She struggled out of his embrace, removing his arms 
 with a forco which he was unable to cope with. 
 
 " It is no use talking with you to-night, Rachel," ho 
 said, turning on his heel and walking away in a spirit- 
 less fashion. He felt that she despised him, and it 
 made him despise himself, Sho was right in thinking 
 of him with contempt, The aims which he was pur- 
 suing were worthless ; the pleasures in search of which 
 he spent his time and his money were more than half 
 imaginary, and they left an intolerable emptiness be- 
 hind them. If he had ever in his life had a genuine 
 emotion, it was his affection for this girl; why then 
 could he not screw up his courage to the matrimonial 
 point and make a clean job of it? Wouldn't he make 
 the girls who had set their caps for him stare, if not 
 something else which the rhyme suggested? If it were 
 not for the old gentleman, who was, taking hira all in 
 all, a bothersomo customer, he would go and do it to* 
 morrow morning. Of Rachel's wrath he took no ac- 
 count ; ho could readily coax her into a forgiving mood, 
 if it so suited his purpose. Amid such reflections Wal- 
 ter sauntered along the deck for some twenty minutes, 
 
266 .4 DAUGHTER 
 
 and finally, as weariness grew upon him, went down- 
 stairs to compound his " nightcap/' This was a serious 
 operation, for which a steady hand and graded glasses 
 were required. And, to be frank, he felt quite shaky 
 to-night. The day had been too exciting. 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 267 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI, 
 
 ** WHITHER AWAY?" 
 
 AFTER a long and sleepless night Rachel arose 
 earl} T , made a hasty toilet, and went up on deck. 
 The morning was j*et chill)' ; the mist was hovering 
 like a^thin veil over the sea, and detached shreds of it 
 were drifting over the tops of the pine forest, The 
 crew, with their flannel shirt-sleeves roiled up over 
 their tattooed arms, were pouring water on the deck and 
 scrubbing it with long-handled brushes, Rachel put a 
 cushion on the top of a coil of rope, and, seating her- 
 self on it, watched the men at their work. She looked 
 pale and haggard, and the thoughts were laboring with* 
 a fierce intensity within her, The happy unconcern of 
 the sailors and their absorption in their occupation 
 recalled vividly the imago of her former self, when less 
 than a year ago she lived in her brother's house, and 
 each day had its round of allotted tasks. Her mind 
 and her senses were unawakened then, and the sphere 
 of her thought was narrow; 'the intenscr joys and sor- 
 rows Which come only to those who have eaten of the 
 tree of knowledge were beyond the reach even of her 
 fancy. She began to wonder mournfully what her lifo 
 would have been if she had never met Walter, — if her 
 nature had been allowed to remain dormant, hedged in 
 on all sides by the strict traditions of the religion of her 
 fathers. She would have married, in obedience to Si- 
 
jsa 
 
 268 A DAUGHTER 
 
 mon's will, some severely orthodox Jew ; and she would 
 have borne him children perhaps, and brought them up 
 in the fear of the God of Israel. She imagined herself 
 seated at the end of the table on the night of the Pass- 
 over, hearing her husband read the Hargodoh, and 
 friends joining in solemnly, and the tiny voices of her 
 children (the children that would now never bo born) 
 singing Hebrew songs of praise. She saw the seven- 
 armed silver candlesticks, and the unleavened bread, 
 and the shining white table-cloth. And she saw herself 
 honored by all as a Jewish matron is honored, against 
 whom there is no reproach. The religion of her fathers 
 seemed suddenty so solemn and precious ; the tears # 
 blinded her eyes and rolled down over her cheeks. The 
 patriarchal customs, which often before had appeared 
 tedious, seemed beautiful in their Old Testament siru- 
 plieity ; and the historic dignity of her race, which she 
 had heard commented upon, but had never felt before, 
 seemed the grander to her now because she had lost 
 her share in it. 
 
 It was nearly ten o'clock before Walter made his ap- 
 pearance. Her resolution was then taken. She would 
 Beizo the first opportunity to escape from her gilded 
 prison and trust to God for the rest. She made no 
 announcement of this plan to "Walter, who appeared to 
 be in a very ungracious mood. She was not aware 
 that it is a law of nature that gentlemen rarely are in 
 an amiable humor the morning after a carousal ; and 
 she accordingly interpreted his displeasure as being 
 especially directed against her. When the meal was at 
 on end he sent a man ashore to get the last New York 
 papers, and then spent the rest of the forenoon smoking 
 and reading iu silence. She was well content to be left 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 269 
 
 alone, for she was intensely occupied in imagining the 
 possibilities of the future ; and yet Walter's studied 
 n pa thy wounded her, and though sho vowed that she 
 would have remained unmoved, 6ho was yet disap- 
 pointed that he did not repeat his protestations of the 
 previous night. It frightened her at times to think 
 how empty and purposeless her life would be without 
 him; but it would not be ignoble, — no, she prayed, 
 frhc knew, that it should not, — as inevitably it would 
 bo with him, Sho was no feeble soul, bowed down 
 by tho sense of sin, writhing with tho consciousness 
 of an ineffaceable pollution, Her repentance was 
 an indignant regret, which stimulated instead of para- 
 lyzing her, It was an error she deplored, not a do- 
 grading loss of purity and honor. She did not know, 
 poor child, how tho world looks upon an error like 
 hers, and it was her good fortune that she should 
 never know. 
 
 At about six o'clock in the afternoon, while Rachel 
 was still pondering the problem of her life, and weigh- 
 ing the chances of her future, Walter was seen mounting 
 the stairs in full evening dress ; and presently he stepped 
 into a boat and was rowed over to the '* Lady Fair- 
 fax," Ho looked as placid as the Sphinx, only a little 
 morose, — an effect that was heightened by the habitual 
 dispirited droop of his mustache. His blond hair was 
 parted in the middle ; his toilet was conspicuous only 
 for its perfect taste. There was no denying that ho 
 looked very distingue, Rachel felt in that moment 
 that she both hated and loved him. But she had had 
 her eyes opened, and sho saw that she was on tho 
 road to destruction. If sho had not herself the strength 
 to retrieve her steps, she could look for no aid from 
 
— — 
 
 ■i. .i M...HH.H.M r,r— ■„ , Tr ~ — ~-- r > i 1 1 r i irnnrfri 
 
 270 A DAUGHTER 
 
 him. II© would hardly have nny tear* to wanto If 
 she continued to slldo down tho plane upon which he 
 had started her. 
 
 It was in a solemn and determined mood that she 
 arose, and, after having taken a hasty dinner, entered 
 her daintily furnished boudoir. Here she knelt down 
 beforo her bed, and prayed tho God of Israel to have 
 mercy upon her weakness and to give her strength to 
 be upright and noble. The hot intensity of her thought 
 was suddenly relieved ; the tears came, and it seemed 
 good to weep. She felt some faint confidence in 
 her future, and, at all events, a vigorous resolution to 
 battle with the world, as she mounted the stairs and 
 begged one of the sailors to row her ashore. She went 
 directly to the railroad station, but found to her dismay 
 that she had not quite money enough to reach New 
 York City. She studied with great care the time-tables 
 of the various roads, which were posted on the walls, 
 and ascertained that by walking some eight miles to the 
 nearest city she could get an excursion ticket to New 
 York at a large reduction. She had burdened herself 
 with but little baggage, as she did not wish to take 
 away anything which Walter had given her ; even the 
 dress in which she had attired herself was one of those 
 which she had brought with her from her old home. 
 
 The sun had already set, but the daylight lingered 
 in the upper regions of the sky, and seemed to radiate 
 downward. A sign-post showed her the way, and she 
 started out with a determination to reach the town be- 
 fore the night set in. A squirrel, who appeared to 
 have a similar purpose, ran along the stone fence which 
 separated the road from the meadows, and seated him- 
 self every now and then on his haunches, with his 
 
- !■-■■!, v ^ 
 
 OF THE PHILISTINES, 271 
 
 graceful tail curving up his back, and looked curiously 
 at Rachel. He even attempted once to open a conver- 
 sation, and burst into an angry chatter when Rachel 
 neglected to respond. She had watched his agile 
 movements with unconscious interest, and she felt 
 lonely and a little frightened when ho was gone. "When 
 she had walked about an hour the pale new moon 
 emerged from tho haze, and scattered a faint, misty light 
 under tho heavens. Her limbs were beginning to ache, 
 and she was obliged to slacken her speed. Sho sat down 
 at the roadside for a few minutes to rest, and listened 
 absently to tho eager, metallic whir of the locusts in tho 
 tree-tops. In a clump of maples and elms hard by, a 
 chorus of birds, with rich and melancholy voices, wero 
 warbling ** at full-throated ease." The daylight faded 
 from the sky, and the moon brightened as it 6ailed 
 among the hosts of shining globes that roll through space. 
 Seeing two men approaching with sticks and bundles 
 slung over their shoulders, Rachel climbed cautiously 
 across the stone fence, and crouched down in the grass 
 on the further side. Her heart pulsed in her throat as 
 she heard their footsteps getting nearer and nearer, and 
 she hardly dared to breathe when their rough voices and 
 laughter became distinctly audible. Almost fifteen min- 
 utes elapsed before sho dared to raise her head ; and then 
 tho road was clear as far as her eye could reach. She 
 picked up her valise and started once more bravely ; but 
 she had to shift it continually from hand to hand, and 
 after having walked another half-hour it became bo in- 
 tolerably heavy that she was tempted to leave it at the 
 roadside. For every ten or fifteen steps she was forced 
 to stop to draw breath ; her knees were tottering, and 
 even her head was so weary that she could scarcely 
 
272 A DAUGHTER 
 
 hold it erect. She sat down once more at the wayside 
 and pondered ; she was sure she must have walked some 
 five or six miles, and the town could not be far distant. 
 If she could get an hour's rest, she would }*et reach the 
 depot before midnight, and there would in all probability 
 be trains running at short intervals during the night. 
 In spite of her physical exhaustion, she was far from 
 despairing. The exaltation of the prayer had not yet 
 spent itself, and in a vague way her thoughts were 
 groping for somo supernatural support. 
 
 For half an Jiour, perhaps, she sat leaning her head 
 on her hand, and resting her elbow on the top of her 
 valise. She rubbed her eyes vigorously, and strove 
 with all her might to keep awake. But sleep finally 
 overpowered her. She was drifting away deliciously 
 into dreamland when a gentle touch upon her shoulder 
 wakened her with a start. She looked up and saw 
 a handsomely dressed lady and a gentleman standing 
 before her. Their faces seemed strangely familiar to 
 her even in the dim light, but it took her some seconds 
 to collect her thoughts sufficiently to recognize them. 
 
 44 My dear child," the lady was saying, stooping 
 down over her and laying her hand upon her shoulder, 
 14 you must not sleep there in the grass. You will got 
 chills and fever if you do." 
 
 14 Mrs. "Wellingford," whispered Rachel almost in- 
 voluntarily, and a deep blush sprang to her cheeks. 
 She wished she could have recalled the thoughtless 
 words. The lady, hearing her own name, bent down 
 once more, and with increasing astonishmeut scrutinized 
 the young girl's face. 
 
 44 Rachel Loewenthal ! H she cried, starting back and 
 seizing hold of her husband's arm. She had read with 
 
OF THE PJIJLIST/XES. 273 
 
 deep regret the story of Rachel's disappearance, and 
 had supposed her long dead. 
 
 *' Yes, it is I," said Rachel, with a voice of mourn- 
 ful resignation. u I am trying to reach the town, but I 
 am so tired. I have to take the midnight train for New 
 York." 
 
 There was a pause which would have been awkward 
 if the thousand summer sounds which hummed and 
 whirred and buzzed in the air had not filled the mo- 
 ments and compelled an unconscious attention. 
 
 "And where have you been, Miss Loewenthal," 
 Alma asked in the glow of her sjmpathy, " all this time 
 that your friends have mourned you as lost ? " 
 
 Rachel covered her face with her hands, but made no 
 answer. 
 
 44 Ah," cried Alma, " pardon me! I did not mean 
 to wound your feelings." 
 
 44 You do not wound my feelings," answered Rachel, 
 raising her head resolutely and fixing her large black 
 eyes upon Mrs. Wellingford's face ; 44 1 have been with 
 your brother Walter. He promised to make me his 
 wife, and — and — I loved him," sho finished in a 
 tremulous whisper. She again hid her face, but, nerv« 
 ing herself, made an effort to rise, and again sank down 
 in the grass. Perceiving her -weakness, Weilingford 
 sprang forward and raised her up, supporting her with 
 his arms, 
 
 44 Do you think you can walk a short distance, leaning 
 on ray arm?" he asked tn a kind and serious voice. 
 44 Mrs. Weilingford will support you on the other side, 
 and my father's house is hardly a mile from here. You 
 roust stay with us to-night ; and to-morrow, if you are 
 well enough, I will accompany you to the city." 
 
274 A DAUGHTER 
 
 ** You ore very kind and, good/* murmured Rachel, 
 clinging to him. With his other hand he picked up her 
 valise ; and Alma put her arm around Rachel's waist, 
 gazed with tender compassion into her face, and kissed 
 her cheek in a sweet and soothing way, which ex- 
 pressed an untold amount of friendliness. 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 275 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 A HAVEN OF REST, 
 
 RACHEL did not leave Professor Wellingford's 
 house the next day nor the next week. She 
 was treated not as an outcast, but as a guest. Instead 
 of the virtuous and unsympathetic aloofness which she 
 had expected to find, she found love and pity and 
 tenderness, To Mabel and Adelaido Wellingford 
 Rachel was a veritable heroine ; and they discussed ear- 
 nestly, after having gone to bed, in what novels they had 
 found her prototype, The traces of suffering in her 
 face and the faint Oriental tinge in her beauty aroused 
 all their romantic sensibilities, and made them look 
 upon her with shy veneration, They vied with each 
 other in their zeal to wait upon her, and sued for her 
 favor as if she had been a deposed princess, Adelaide, 
 whose irrepressible vitality had in her childhood made 
 her something of a tomboy, was even jealous of her 
 sistor, because Mabel displayed a greater ingenuity in 
 devising agreeable surprises for their guest. In their 
 trim little New England town, where the elms grew in 
 graceful arches on the common,, and everybody was so 
 distressingly clean and prosperous, well-bred young la- 
 dies never came in contact with misery of the acuter 
 kind ; and they accordingly acquired a vague disbelief in 
 its reality, as something which belonged chiefly in the 
 region of romance, Rachel was therefore a godsend 
 
276 A DAUGHTER 
 
 in the Wellingford household, because she furnished an 
 outlet for the fund of unexpended affection which Mabel 
 and Adelaide had be,en storing in their virginal bosoms, 
 and which otherwise they would in time have bestowed 
 upon some undeserving man._j 
 
 Mrs. Wellingford, Sr., was at first non-committal in 
 her attitude toward Rachel ; but, finding that it was 
 Harry, and not the Professor (for whose weak benevo- 
 lence she professed a hearty contempt), who had otTered 
 the young Jewess the hospitality of the house, she con- 
 cluded that it would be imprudent to make any ado, 
 for Harry was very easily offended, and had then an ex- 
 asperatingly independent way of acting, — a trait which 
 he certainly had not inherited from his father. More- 
 over, Mrs. Wellingford had a profound respect for her 
 son, and was willing to take any amount of trouble for 
 his sake. An opinion, if expressed by him, was always 
 right, no matter if it had been pronounced absurd yes- 
 terday when uttered by his father. But the old gen- 
 tleman was so well accustomed to this M temperamental 
 combativeness," as he called it, on his wife's part, that 
 he only smiled benevolently and was not in the least 
 ruffled. Mabel and Adelaide, who, with all their in- 
 nocence, were yet shrewd enough to speculate in their 
 mother's weakness for Harry, had found out that it 
 answered equally well to bribe Harry into favoring their 
 little scheme8, or their father into opposing them. 
 
 To Rachel the plump and severe Mrs. Wellingford 
 appeared as the personification of respectability and 
 domestic virtue. When she sat at the head of her table, 
 pouring the tea and asking each one in turn whether he 
 wanted one or two lumps of sugar, moving her round 
 handsome arms (which were always visible up to the 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 277 
 
 elbow) in the stateliest manner, a wild yearning was 
 kindled in Rachel's breast for that matronly dignity, 
 the hope of which slip had irretrievably lost. It was 
 with rapt fascination that she often lingered at the table 
 after the meal was at an end, and watched with what 
 serious care Mrs. Wellingford washed her precious china 
 in a large wooden dish which was brought to her, and 
 placed the cups in rows and circles on both sides. The 
 whole atmosphere of the house was as far as possible 
 removed from the moral laxity from which she had just 
 escaped. The daily routine was a little rigid, perhaps, 
 and unrelieved by u excitement" and important social 
 events. The mother had authority, and the father could 
 have enforced obedience to his will, if he had not pre- 
 ferred the gentler sway which made all harsh measure* 
 superfluous. When Rachel once caught a glimpse of 
 the two lovely fair-haired girls hanging about theii 
 father's neck, and fondling him before kissing him good- 
 night, and saw his affectionate smile and his caressing 
 pats on their cheeks and hair, she could not restrain her 
 emotion, but ran up-stairs, flung herself upon her bed, 
 and wept. 
 
 Alma, too, had been much impressed by the beauty 
 of the family relations in her father-in-law's household ; 
 and, being the Professor's special pe.t, she felt it as a 
 precious privilege to have a place in his heart. She* 
 could not help reflecting, with a sense of security and 
 comfort, that here no one knew any compromising se- 
 crets about the other, and no one member of the family 
 had a clique of friends of his own which was uncon- 
 genial to the rest. There was no perpetual flutter of 
 excitement concerning the rise and fall of stocks, but a 
 vivid interest in the erreat Questions of the daw in litcra- 
 
278 A DAUGHTER 
 
 ture, scientific discovery, and in fact everything which 
 vitally affected the country or humanity at largo. The 
 furniture was not conspicuously elegant, and there was 
 no trace of fashion in carpets and wall-papers. The 
 plain New England ta9te of half a century ago was 
 unobtrusively visible everywhere, although in Mabel's 
 and Adelaide's rooms, which had been ambitiously 
 decorated by the occupants themselves (both of whom 
 had artistic aspirations), there were some quaint remi- 
 niscences of William Morris and the Centennial. Never- 
 theless Alma had never enjoyed such homelike comfort 
 ns she did in this house ; and she even began to envy 
 her mother-in-law her housewifely accomplishments, and 
 completely won her heart by frankly acknowledging her 
 own worthlessness and begging to be instructed. Thus 
 it happened that during Rachel's stay with the Welling* 
 fords Alma went daily into the kitchen, although, it 
 must be confessed, at first with a sort of adventurous 
 feeling, as if she were exploring an unknown region and 
 might expect to have odd experiences. She had never 
 been in a kitchen since she was a child in pinafores and 
 went foraging for jam and sweetmeats. Mrs. Welling- 
 ford, however, found her a very apt pupil, and was as- 
 tonished at her cleverness. 
 
 It was about a week after Rachel's arrival that she 
 made an important discovery. She had been at a los9 
 to know why Alma's room remained locked all day long, 
 and why, whenever her father or husband knocked at 
 the door, there was a great commotion within, sup- 
 pressed laughter, slamming of drawers, and much un- 
 accountable excitement. Mabel and Adelaide, who 
 always spent the whole forenoon with their sister-in-law 
 in her room, went about looking delightfully mysterious, 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 279 
 
 as if some momentous secret had been confided to them, 
 the knowledge of which increased their dignity, Harry 
 and the Professor, who always took care to entertain 
 Rachel in the absence of the ladies, frequently acted as 
 if they too had some suspicion as to this joyous secret, 
 but were not sufficiently sure of it to venture an opinion. 
 Rachel, in spite of her sadness, could not help feeling a 
 certain curiosity regarding the mysterious occupation of 
 the three ladies, and perhaps she felt a littlo hurt, too, 
 at her own persistent exclusion. This, in connection 
 with the uncertainty of her future and her regret for the 
 past, often made it impossible for her to converse, and 
 she would then withdraw to her chamber and give her- 
 self up to her misery. It was at such a moment sho 
 was surprised by Alma, who leaned over her and stroked 
 her hair with her cool hand, and spoke soothingly to her ; 
 but whether it was from perversity or from despair, 
 Rachel buried her face in the pillow and refused to bo 
 comforted. Then Alma had an inspiration ; she put 
 her mouth closo to Rachel's car and whispered some- 
 thing. Rachel looked up quickly ; and as her eyes fell 
 upon Alma's face it fairly shone with happiness, Sho 
 had never seen anything lovelier than that expres- 
 sion ; and even though it sent a pang through her, she 
 could not help responding to its joyous appeal. Sho 
 arose, and, keeping hold of Alma's hand, was led by her 
 to the locked door. Alma knocked, and there was the 
 usual commotion within. 
 
 " It is only I, Mabel," said Alma, '* and Rachel. Sho 
 knows." 
 
 The door was cautiously opened by Mabel, and 
 Rachel was conducted with a good deal of solemnity to 
 the bed, upon which was scattered a multitude of enig- 
 
230 A DAUGHTER 
 
 matical garments, designed, apparently for some tiny 
 inhabitant of fairy-land. There was a profusion of 
 laces as' frail as cobwebs, and of embroideries of the 
 most intricate sort. Mabel and Adelaide, each of 
 whom was sewing on an absurd little flannel shirt, 
 dropped their work and gazed expectantly at Rachel^ 
 and seemed a little disappointed that she was not more 
 impressed. 
 
 "This," said Alma, with a superior, explanatory 
 manner, and blushing with pride, as she picked up a 
 dress of exquisite pattern, — " this is pour le premier aye* 
 Isn't it lovely? You — you may touch it, if you like, 
 Rachel. And — and — would n't you like to help us ? " 
 
 The last words were thrust forth with such breathless 
 impressiveness that Rachel suddenly caught the drift 
 of Alma's thought, and was able to measure the mag- 
 nitude of the favor that was conferred upon her. She 
 felt, however, that in this very effort at rehabilitation 
 there was an implied censure ; and as she had not yet 
 accustomed herself to the position which the world would 
 inevitably assign to her, she felt a sting in this indirect 
 reminder of her lost innocence. She took the tiny gar- 
 ment from Alma's hand and — there fell a tear upon 
 the tendrils of the morning-glories which adorned the 
 embroidered hem. She fell to work with a zeal as if 
 her life depended upon it, and the three ladies mar- 
 velled at the skill of her nimble fingers. The next day 
 she found courage to make a few suggestions, and soon 
 her judgment was appealed to, and her aid solicited in a 
 hundred things. In the evenings she sang to Harry and 
 the Professor, who were enraptured with her voice. It 
 had such a clear ring, and such power and pathos, that it 
 was impossible for the listener to remain unmoved. It 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 281 
 
 was the old Professor who mado tho remark that that 
 voice was fino enough for any prima donna ; and Harry, 
 who seized tho idea, eagerly wrote the same evening to 
 his friend Palfrey, telling him, under pledge of seercey, 
 Rachel's sad history, and asking him if ho would share 
 with him the expenso of sending her abroad for three 
 or four years for the purpose of cultivating her' voice, 
 Palfrey replied, by the next mail, that he was much im- 
 pressed by what Harry had told him, and that ho would 
 bo delighted to bear the whole expense of tho young 
 girl's musical education, if necessary, and that Harry 
 was at liberty to draw upon him for any sura that she 
 might for. the moment need. When this plan was pro- 
 posed to Rachel, she rushed forward to embrace Harry, 
 but, suddenly restraining herself, changed her course, 
 and fell into the arms of the Professor. And the old 
 gentleman held her fondly, and stroked her hair in his 
 kind paternal manner* 
 
282 A DAUGHTER 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 "THERE 13 NO FRIENDSHIP IN POKER." 
 
 THE first of September was past, but Cunningham 
 and bis associates had not )-et taken possession 
 of " The Maid of Athens," «or paid the purchase money. 
 There was a rumor in the Street that they had been 
 granted a two weeks' respite, and there was an impres- 
 sion among the shareholders that they would like to get 
 out of the bargain altogether. Wellingford's second 
 journey to Silvertown was commented upon as having 
 some connection with Palfrey's unexpected readiness to 
 sell ; and although the mine continued to pay handsome 
 dividends, reports were constantly being circulated 
 which tended to injure its reputation. Under such 
 circumstances it was hardly strange if Cunningham 
 and his syndicate were manoeuvring to get back their 
 hundred thousand dollars' forfeit money rather than to 
 raise the remaining amount for the purchase of "The 
 Maid." They swore at each other for their foil}' in 
 buying an actual mine which had a reputation to lose, 
 instead of a fictitious one for which, by a judicious ex- 
 penditure of money, a fictitious reputation might easily 
 be made. At this critical moment Simon came to their 
 aid in an unforeseen manner. 
 
 It appeared that Simon had invested some of his 
 spare cash in an apartment-house which was just being 
 built next to the one iu which the Wellinjrforda were 
 
' OF THE PHILISTINES, 283 
 
 i 
 
 living. Having small faith in contractors, he paid fre- 
 quent visits to this locality, and, as it happened, was 
 standing on the sidewalk when Wellingford, accom- 
 panied by Rachel, drove up before the door of the ad- 
 joining house. The scene which followed w T as not 
 edifying, for Simon had a violent temper, At the sight 
 of Rachel coolly stepping from the carriage, and lean- 
 ing on Wellingford's arm, he was fairly thunderstruck. 
 His amazement stunned him, so that he let them pass 
 unhindered, without thought of interference. As soon 
 as he had had time to reflect, however, his indignation 
 was kindled. . lie ran up the long flight of stairs, being 
 unable to Wait for the elevator, stormed breathless into 
 Wellingford's parlor, and, abusing the supposed be- 
 trayer, demanded to see his sister. He had then a long 
 interview with Rachel, upon whom he poured out the 
 vials of his wrath, weeping, quoting Scripture, and ges- 
 ticulating with vehemence. She was pained by his re- 
 proaches, and would have liked to comfort him, had she 
 but known a word of comfort ; but she felt keenly that 
 their relations were changed, and not in the wa}* either 
 he or she had anticipated. In spite of her self-abase- 
 ment, she could not feel entirely humble in his presence. 
 Her sorrow was mingled with criticism. His words, 
 though they wounded her, had not the power to crush 
 her. A little judicious praise during the last weeks had 
 helped to give her faith in herself. She believed that 
 she had a mission. She therefore refused to obey 
 Simon's command to return honfe with him. It was in 
 vain, too, that Simon despairingly appealed to Welling- 
 ford, forgetting, however, to apologize to the latter for 
 his gratuitous abuse. He was not in a humor to ex- 
 change amenities with any one, v 
 
284 A DAUGHTER 
 
 "You shall bay dearly for dis," he cried with a 
 menacing laugh; " bot you unt your Bcalavag off a 
 brodder-in-law. You tink I can do notting begau9e I 
 am a Shew. You shust vait, me friend, unt you vill 
 find oiul vhat Simon is coot for. Now I dell you vhat ! 
 I hold your fader-in-law, dat old shgoundrel, here in 
 me bockct" (Simon slapped his pocket to indicate 
 where he kept Mr. Hampton). "You don't beliefe. 
 Veil, veil, you shmile. You shall see. He who laughs 
 last, laughs pest. You shust vait, I say, unt I vill 
 knogg him higher dan a kide, or my name is nod Simon 
 Loewenthal." 
 
 "Wellingford here suggested that if Simon Loewenthal 
 would not voluntarily betake himself away, he would be 
 forced to accelerate his descent down the stairs in an . 
 unpleasant manner. He quietly opened the door ; and 
 the irate broker backed out, talking with greater ve- 
 hemence as the distance between them increased. 
 
 11 Dat * Bait off Attens,' M Harry heard him saying 
 when he was near the head of the stairs, " dat vas 
 a nead shob for a miilionnaire, mit biles unt biles off 
 money. He vanted me to sheat for him, unt bay me 
 fife ber cent off the shcatings. Ila, ha, ha ! Dat vas a 
 leedle brice for a name so coot as Simon Loewenthai's." 
 Then, as he heard Wellingford slamming the door, he 
 shouted at the top of his voice: "O Bister V r elling- 
 fort ! Bister Vellingfort ! vhen your breddy vife vants 
 to gall upon her fader to-morrow, you may drife her to 
 de Toombs. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha ! M 
 
 He was so overcome with the humor of this situation 
 that he sat down on the stairs, and laughed in a weak, 
 hysterical fashion. For a long time he remained sit- 
 ting, shaking his head, and muttering broken sentences 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 285 
 
 between his teeth. But suddenly an expression of seri- 
 ous dignity passed over his countenance ; and, having 
 satisfied himself that he was unobserved, he pulled a 
 Hebrew Bible from his pocket, and began to rend in the 
 book of the Prophet Jeremiah, chapter viii. verse 18 : — 
 .. "When I would comfort myself against my sorrow, 
 roy heart is faint in me. 
 
 44 • Behold the voice of the ciy of the daughter of my 
 people because of them that dwell in a far country : 
 Is not the Lord in Zion? is not her King in her? Why 
 have they provoked mo to anger with their graven 
 images, and with strange vanities? 
 
 44 The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we 
 are not saved. 
 
 44 For the hurt of the daughter of my people I am 
 hurt : I am black ; astonishment hath taken hold on 
 me. 
 
 44 Is there no balm in Gilcad?. is there no physician 
 there? why then is not the health of the daughter of 
 my people recovered ? M 
 
 He closed the book, and muttered sadly In his na- 
 tive tongue : 44 is there no balm in Gilead ? Is there no 
 balm in Gilcad?" Then, shaking his fist in the air: 
 44 Yes, there is a balm in Gilead, as sure as the Lord 
 has spoken truth." 
 
 With eager haste he opened once more the Bible, 
 and began to read : — 
 
 44 1 have heard the reproach of Moab, and the rcvil- 
 ings of the children of Ammon, whereby they have re- 
 proached my people, and magnified themselves against 
 their border. 
 
 t4 Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord of hosts, the 
 God of Israel, surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the 
 
286 A DAUGHTER 
 
 children of Amnion as Gomorrah, even the breeding of 
 nettles, and salt-pits, and a perpetual desolation : the 
 residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of 
 my people shall possess them. 
 
 "This shall they have for their pride, because they 
 have reproached and magnified themselves against the 
 people of the Lord of hosts. 
 
 " The Lord will be terrible unto them." 
 
 Simon arose with a fierce determination in his counte- 
 nance, and whispered as he went: "The Lord will be 
 terrible unto them." He had found sanction from on 
 high for that which he had resolved to do. 
 
 About four hours later, Mr. Palfrey, who was smoking 
 his after-dinner cigar in his luxurious library, received 
 the following letter : — 
 
 Dear Sir, — It was not Locwenthal & Co., but 
 
 Hampton & Son, which was part oners in " The Maid 
 
 of Athens," and which cheated you so badly. If I was 
 
 yon I would not stand it. I hav legal dokuments with 
 
 Bignaturs, and can pruv what I say, and I wil shoe them 
 
 to you if you want to see them. But that is not the 
 
 worst, Mr. Palfrey. The syndicat which wil by the mine 
 
 was first wiling to pal too millions for it, but Hampton 
 
 got $250,000 as a bonus for to promis to let them hav 
 
 it for $1,500,000. I can pruv this to, if you wil com 
 
 to my oflls, or let me com to your hous. 
 
 Respektfuly your humbel servant, 
 
 Simon Loewenthal. 
 New York, Sept. 5, 187-. 
 
 By the same mail Mr. Cunningham received a letter 
 
 calling his attention to the erasures in the contract 
 
 which the writer, as Hampton's agent, had sent him a 
 
 couple of weeks ago, and suggesting that if he wished 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 287 
 
 to get out of his bargain, it was an easy matter to have 
 Hampton arrested on the spot for forger}', lie, Simon, 
 having been a witness to the signatures, was ready to 
 swear that the number of shares standing against the 
 names of Hampton & Son, had, after the contract was 
 signed, been changed from 1,250 to 1,175. The writer 
 made no mention of the little bribe which he had him* 
 self accepted ; but, as he well remembered, there was 
 no evidence against him except his indorsement of 
 Cunningham's check. By doing tho latter a signal 
 service, he knew well enough that ho also shielded him- 
 self against any unpleasantnesses that might arise from 
 his implication in tho fraudulent management of ** Tho 
 Maid of Athens." lie thus gratified his desire for 
 vengeance, without too great a risk to his pecuniary 
 interests ; and ho vaguely felt, as one of the remnant of 
 the chosen people whom the Lord had commanded to 
 spoil the Gentiles, that he was an instrument of justice 
 in the hands of Jehovah. 
 
 Mr. Cunningham, who took a less exalted view of 
 Simon's mission, and was auxious to get at his motive 
 for this unaccountable treachery, telegraphed instantly 
 to his six partners in the purchase of " The Maid," and 
 called a meeting at midnight. It was there decided 
 that all considerations of friendship must be set aside, 
 and that, since they had secured an advantage over 
 Hampton, they would be justified, in case of need, to 
 make an extreme use of it. If ho would not disgorge, 
 they would have him arrested for forgery. They had, 
 however, no interest in ruining him ; and if there was 
 yet a way open to reconciliation, it ought to bo tried. 
 It was therefore decided to call a meeting of conference, 
 the next day, between the present directors of the mine 
 
288 A DAUGHTER 
 
 and the purchasers. Then Hampton's fate would be 
 settled. 
 
 14 But," remarked Mr. Craven, a sleek capitalist, who 
 had strenuously insisted upon extreme measures, " by 
 hook or by crook, the forfeit money must be kept out 
 of their claws { and allow me to observe in conclusion, 
 gentlemen, there is no friendship in poker." 
 
 The meeting applauded this sentiment heartily and 
 adjourned. | 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 289 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 * l WIIAT IS THE ROW?" 
 
 MR. CUNNINGHAM'S apartments were festively 
 illuminated ; large baskets of flowers were placed 
 on stands in the niches of the windows, and on the 
 superbly carved sideboard in the anteroom (which Mr, 
 Cunningham invariably invited his guests to admire) 
 wines of the choicest brands and excellent cigars were 
 to be found in profusion. It was within five minutes of 
 eight when Mr. Hampton was announced, and followed 
 directly in the heels of the waiter. He was stout, and 
 a little imposing as usual, bent backward by the ex- 
 treme majesty of his bearing, but nevertheless, when 
 he thawed out, jolly and good-natured enough among 
 equals, His clean-shaven checks and his neck were 
 covered with a fine network of red veins, and the little 
 bags of darkish color under his eyes showed that he had 
 not borne transplantation well, 
 
 •* Well, my boy," he exclaimed, shaking Cunning- 
 ham's hand with extreme affability, *' what is the row 
 this time ? Do you want to wriggle out of your bar- 
 gain, eh? Afraid we are too sharp for you, old boy," 
 
 4 » Well, you are a pretty sharp lot, there is no deny- 
 ing that," replied Cunningham, with a loud laugh that 
 was anything but mirthful ; ** but * here endeth the first 
 lesson,' don't let us talk business before we have at- 
 tended to the inner man. I have got some capital old 
 
290 A DAUGHTER 
 
 whiskey which I should like to have you try, and then 
 tell me what you think of it." 
 
 As he led the way back to the anteroom, half a dozen 
 other gentlemen were announced; and Cunningham, 
 having given Hampton the key to the sideboard, was kept 
 busy for some minutes shaking hands with every new 
 arrival. At a quarter past eight the meeting was called 
 to order, and Cunningham, by common consent, took 
 the chair. He remarked preliminarily that he regretted 
 the absence of Mr. Craven, especially as the latter, 
 being a very headstrong man, had expressed a disincli- 
 nation to be bound by the action of his colleagues. 
 He had half promised to be present, but had evidently 
 in the last moment changed his mind. The chair would 
 endeavor to persuade him to accept the results of the 
 present consultation as final, but he could not promise 
 to be successful. The question at issue was a serious 
 one. The syndicate which had agreed to purchase 
 44 The Maid of Athens " wished to be released from their 
 bargain, and, owing to certain irregularities on the part 
 of those who conducted the "sale, he felt confident in 
 asserting that the syndicate would have the power 
 legally to enforce its will. There was then a long dis- 
 cussion which led to no result, except that Mr. Palfrey, 
 in the name of his fellow-directors, declared himself 
 willing to have the question brought into court, but that 
 he would not otherwise return the forfeit money or 
 cancel the bargain. The chairman then dismissed the 
 meeting, but begged Messrs. Palfrey, Hampton, and 
 Loewenthal to grant him a brief private interview. 
 The wines and cigars were then brought into requisi- 
 tion as the four gentlemen seated themselves around the 
 table in capacious easy-chairs, and began an amicable 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 291 
 
 discussion. Simon showed no trace of yesterday's 
 agitation, but only leered now and then maliciously at 
 Hampton, while the latter smoked nervously and occa- 
 sionally cast anxious glances toward the door. The 
 fact was, he had caught a suspicion that Cunningham's 
 allusion to M irregularities " had some referenco to his 
 bonus, but he could hardly persuade himself that such 
 an old and trusted friend would take advantage of that 
 little transaction in order to escape from his own obliga- 
 tions. The erasure in the contract had entirely slipped 
 lus memory ; he had meant to call Cunningham's atten- 
 tion to it, but possibly, owing to the insignificance of 
 the sum involved, had forgotten to mention it. It was 
 therefore a tcrriblo surpriso to him when his friend 
 pulled the contract from his pocket, and with the utmost 
 composure stated that If ho and his colleagues were 
 not released from their bargain, they would have Mr, 
 Hampton arrested that very night for forgery. He 
 feared that Mr, Craven had already taken out a war- 
 rant and might call at any moment with an officer. Mr. 
 Hampton moved uneasily in his chair, and breathed 
 laboriously; his face grew purple, and the perspiration 
 burst out upon his brow. 
 
 44 1 — I — never knew you before, Cunningham," he 
 said in a strained, husky voice, 44 1 — I — thought you 
 was my friend." 
 
 44 There is no friendship in poker," answered Cun- 
 ningham promptly, echoiug tho sentiments of Mr. 
 Craven. 44 Every man for himself where money is at 
 stake. That is my motto." 
 
 44 Dat is vhat I say doo," chimed in Simon approv- 
 ingly. 44 Vhen my zentimends somediraes rises in my 
 trout unt almost shokes me, I says to myself, 4 Pizness 
 is pizness, Simon, unt zentimends is zentimends,'" 
 
: 292 A DAUGHTER 
 
 i 
 14 Mr. Palfrey," said Mr. Hampton, with a pathetic 
 
 effort to shake off his oppression, "you have studied 
 law, I believe. Perhaps you will tell ine whether the 
 changing of that number, supposing it to have been 
 changed, is — is — is — well, is forgery. I assure you, 
 on my honor, that I had no intention of cheating any- 
 body, especially for such a pitiful amount." 
 
 44 There is no doubt that the law is against you, sir," 
 answered Palfrey Coldly. 
 
 Hampton sprang up and began to pace the floor rest- 
 lessly. % 
 
 44 Well," he exclaimed, stopping squarely before Cun* 
 ningham, 44 what do you want me to do?'* 
 
 44 1 want you to guarantee the return of the forfeit 
 money, and to buy the mine in our place," responded 
 Cunningham ; 44 you know we have got you in a tight 
 place, and there is no use mincing matters." 
 
 44 That I cannot do," groaned the victim ; 44 that would 
 ■imply mean my ruin." 
 
 44 And your other choice, what does that mean?" 
 asked the broker unfeelingly. 44 1 should think that 
 would mean pretty much the same." 
 
 44 Excuse me, sir," interrupted Mr. Palfrey, 44 1 think 
 1 too am a party to this transaction. We made out- 
 bargain with you, as representing the syndicate, and 
 you may sell afterwards to whomsoever you choose. 
 liut preliminarily I must insist upon the literal fulfilment 
 of our contract. If the purchase sum is not paid by to- 
 morrow noon, your forfeit money will be lost. I warn 
 you that by attempting to load your own obligations on 
 Mr. Hampton's shoulders, you will in tho end yourselves 
 be the losers, and you will open tho way to endless liti- 
 gations. I know nothing, except in a very general 
 
■ ■I... 
 
 OF THE PHILISTINES, 293 
 
 way, about Mr. Hampton's financial condition, and we 
 are not willing to accept him as a substitute for your 
 syndicate." 
 
 Just a9 Cunningham was about to answer there was a 
 sharp knock at the door ; every ono started and looked 
 expectantly toward the anteroom. A waiter entered. 
 
 44 There is a gentleman out in the hall who wants to 
 sco Mr. Hampton," said lie. 
 
 44 Did he give his name?" asked Mr. Cunningham, 
 
 "He did not, sir," 
 
 41 Did n't I tell you to say, in case any one called, that 
 Mr, Hampton was not here?" 
 
 44 I did say so, sir, but the man says, he knows he is 
 here." 
 
 44 Very well, go and tell him he is mistaken.". 
 
 The misery on Mr. Hampton's face was intense ; to 
 have the fruits of a long and laborious life thus sud- 
 denty swept away in an hour, — it was more than he 
 could endure. His wealth, on which was based his 
 honor among men, how could ho bear the loss of it? 
 He felt the chill shadow of impending disgrace slowly 
 creeping over him ; as his eyes fell upon his elegantly 
 attired reflection in the pier-glass, he seemed to see 
 standing behind it a shadowy imago of that same self, 
 arrayed in a convict's striped garb. The illusion grew 
 so real that he half involuntarily approached the glass, 
 then started back shuddering. 
 
 44 Mr. Cunningham," he said in a pitiful, broken 
 voice, 44 tell me what is the least you will take," 
 
 44 1 have already told you." 
 
 The waiter entered once more, and said that the 
 gentleman in the hall declared that he must see Mr, 
 Hampton, if only for a moment, * 
 
294 A DAUGHTEll 
 
 " i 
 
 Mr. Palfrey here leaned over to Cunningham, and 
 apparently remonstrated earnestly with him for several 
 minutes. Hampton kept walking distractedly up and 
 down the floor, gazing intently at the carpet and some- 
 times pausing to wring his hands until they cracked in 
 every joint Simon was looking with a sort of feline 
 watchfulness from one face to the other, and rubbing his 
 fat hands under the table. 
 
 44 Well," began' Cunningham at last, "Mr. Palfrey 
 rather puts a new light upon this matter, and for the 
 sake of old friendship, and for your family's sake, we 
 will let you down easy. It is possible, after all, that the 
 sale will remain legal in spite of your underhand deal- 
 ings, and as the miue is not bad property, we will oifer 
 these terms, — you renounce your bonus, of course, and 
 you take your pay for your shares in the stock of the 
 new company at par, and agree not to sell one dollar's 
 worth of it before a year from last August. We think 
 the condition of the mine warrants an issue of three 
 millions of stock." 
 
 A contract embodying these terms was drawn up on 
 the spot and signed ; and the unfortunate agreement 
 concerning the bonus, containing the fatal erasure, was 
 torn up and thrown into the Are. 
 
 " Now," said Cunningham cheerfully, " let us go out 
 and have a look at Mr. Craven's officer. The fellow is 
 quite harmless now, and we will invite him in and give 
 him something to console him for his disappointment." 
 
 As no one was in a mood to appreciate humor, the 
 remark fell Hat. Only Simon made an attempt to grin, 
 displaying a demoralized company of blackened teeth. 
 Hampton picked up his hat with an air of deep dejec- 
 tion, guzed for a moment thoughtfully into the crown of 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 295 
 
 it, and walked through the anteroom toward the door. 
 The other three lighted fresh cigars and followed. As 
 they stepped out into the hall, a gentleman in evening 
 costume, and with traces of annoyance in his coun- 
 tenance, walked quickly up to Mr. Hampton and drew 
 him aside. 
 
 44 Why the deuce did you keep me waiting so long, 
 guv'nor? " he said impatiently, '* I wanted you to sign 
 a paper for me — " 
 
 44 And you — yon was the police-officer ! " cried Hamp- 
 ton, growing purple with wrath. 
 
 " Police-officer 1 No, I never was a police-officer, 
 although I have often enough had trouble with them," 
 replied Walter imperturbably, •* In my opinion they 
 arc a bad lot." 
 
 " Do you mean to make a fool of your father, you 
 unprincipled wretch?" cried the old man furiously. 
 
 44 Remember where you are, guv'nor," said the son, 
 with an air of well-meaning patronage ; " don't make a 
 row." 
 
 Walter had hardly had time to notice the three other 
 gentlemen. In his anxiety to keep his father quiet he 
 had grasped his arm, and was about to lead him away, 
 when he found himself suddenly confronted with — 
 Simon Loewenthal. He caught his breath, and for an 
 instant looked startled. 
 
 44 Unt dhat is you, is it?" hissed Simon, with a pale 
 and determined look which was very unpleasant. . 
 
 44 Undoubtedly," replied W r alter loftily ; 44 but who 
 the devil are you ? " 
 
 44 1 viil show you vhat I am," rejoined Simon in the 
 same hissing whisper ; and before the other could raise 
 his hand to defend himself, he received a blow in his 
 
29G A DAUGHTER 
 
 , -, 
 
 face which sang in his ears. With the utmost com- 
 posure he put his hand on his hip, and in the next in* 
 stant Simon saw the muzzle of a revolver pointed against 
 his face ; but in that very instant, too, Walter's hand 
 was quickly struck aside, and the shot whizzed past 
 Simon's ears and lodged in the wall. 
 
 " You may thank me that you are not a murderer, 
 yon foolish boy," said Mr. Palfrey sternly; "give me 
 your pistol." 
 
 Walter, gazing at him with some astonishment, re- 
 luctantly handed him a pistol with silver barrel and a 
 handle magnificently inlaid with mother-of-pearl and 
 gold. Simon, who in his fright had dropped on the 
 floor, was slowly rising and trying to steal away unob- 
 served ; and as no one had any interest in detaining 
 him. he easily accomplished his purpose. 
 
 Mr. Hampton, whose wrath in the meanwhile had 
 cooled, walked away, leaning heavily on his son's arm. 
 
 11 Walter," he said, as they reached the outer vesti- 
 bule of the hotel, "you are a most unlucky chap; if 
 it had n't been for your confounded messages, I might 
 have seen the trap they had set for me, and I should 
 have had courage to stick it out." 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 297 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 "A sea of troubles." 
 
 MR. CUNNINGHAM'S new enterprise was duly 
 incorporated under the name of the " Silver- 
 town Grand Consolidation Mining Company ; " but 
 although . this magnificent title had been substituted 
 for the original one, on account of the damaged reputa- 
 tion of "The Maid," the public seemed yet less eager 
 and more cautious than had been anticipated, About 
 $250,000 worth of stock was promptly taken at par by 
 small investors, mostly outside of New York ; but then 
 the prico suddenly and unaccountably dropped from ten 
 to seven, then to six, and remained stationary at four, 
 Mr. Hampton, who yet had considerable faith in "The 
 Maid," and regarded the sudden decline as the result of 
 manufactured rumors, determined to ascertain with his 
 own eyes the condition of tho mine. The unfavorable 
 reports constantly published by Silvertown correspond- 
 ents of New York dailies were in all probability paid 
 for by ** bears," who were watching their chances to 
 buy at a low figure. Mr, Hampton therefore informed 
 Walter that he must, for. once, attend strictly to busi- 
 ness and allow no feminine intrigue to distract him. 
 The same night Mr. Hampton started secretly for Silver- 
 town. But the next morning Cunningham, who had his 
 own plots to mature, and could not afford to ignore his 
 friend's movements, smiled under his mustache, as be 
 
298 A DAUGHTER 
 
 , , 1 
 
 dissected his mutton-chop for breakfast, and scrawled 
 leisurely a telegram in pencil to Cartwright, whom, at 
 Hampton's own suggestion, he had reinstated as man- 
 ager of the mine, vice Holden removed. At noon he 
 received a highly agreeable answer, and after the ex- 
 change of two or three messages the whole affair was 
 satisfactorily settled. It does not, however, concern out- 
 siders ; and Hampton, when about a week later ho shook 
 Cartwright's hand with eifuslve cordiality, smiled no less 
 shrewdly than Cunningham had done over his mutton- 
 chop, and thanked Providence with no less sincerity 
 that " he had got a level head on his shoulders." 
 
 44 1 tell you what, Cartwright," said Hampton, who 
 frit as sure of his game as if he had already bagged it, 
 4t there is no use mincing matters. You know per- 
 fectly well that 30U owe your reappointment to me." 
 
 Cartwright, with the strongest expressions of grati- 
 tude, assured his benefactor that he had never doubted 
 it, and that he would never forget it. 
 
 44 Well, my boy, there is no use in being squeamish,'* 
 Baid the benefactor cheerily. * 4 The fact is, I have got 
 more mixed up in this thing than I cared to bo ; and 
 what I want now is inside information. If you will 
 show me everything honestly now, and tell me all you 
 know, and promise in future to Bend mo private infor- 
 mation a couple of days before you send it to anybody 
 else, I will pay you ten thousand cash, in monthly in- 
 stalments. You are no chicken, so I need n't tell you 
 to keep mum." 
 
 Cartwright readily promised, and they started together 
 for the mine. They descended the main shaft by the 
 ladders, both arrayed in slouched hats, canvas jackets, 
 and trousers, of the Banie material, tucked into the 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 2D9 
 
 tops of their boots. When they reached the bottom of 
 the shaft, Hampton, who had never much breath to 
 spare, was completely exhausted, and sat down in the 
 mud with the utmost composure. When he had rested, 
 Mr, Cartwright, who within five minutes had discovered 
 his companion's inability to judge of a mine by its ap- 
 pearance, called two men with torches and led the way 
 through a drift which sloped gently downward. Every 
 now and then he stooped and apparently picked up a 
 specimen of ore from the walls of the drift, and handing 
 it to Hampton begged him to keep it and have it assayed. 
 After about an hour's wandering through a labyrinth of 
 gloomy tunnels, they paused at a largo hole, the sides 
 of which inclined steeply, 
 
 44 Here," said the manager, pointing with a vague 
 gesture around him, "is a large body of rich ore; at 
 least four millions' worth in sight already. This fissure 
 vein which wo aro now working is exceedingly rich. 
 You had better go down, Mr. Hampton, and look for 
 yourself. If you wish it, I will go with you." 
 
 Mr. Hampton gazed distrustfully into the black abyss, 
 but, as Cartwright had anticipated, declined the pleas- 
 ure of descending, 
 
 ** Could n't you send one of the men down," he 
 asked, "and he might bring mo up some specimens 
 of ore for assay ? " 
 
 44 Well, perhaps that would bo better," assented the 
 other carelessly. 44 Life is but a 4 shooting flea ' at best, 
 but there is no use risking it on a slippery ladder." " 
 
 44 True, very true," said Hampton absently. Ho was 
 following with his eyes the torches and the sharply illu- 
 minated profile of the men who were disappearing in 
 the black deep below. Then he glanced down the long 
 
300 A DAUGHTER 
 
 1 — — 
 
 colonnade of timbers, surmounted with trestle-work 
 of logs, which stretched away into the darkness ; and 
 the dull thud of a pump or an engine, which seemed to 
 be pulsating through the ground, called up to his mind 
 fairy tales he had read in fcis boyhood, of gnomes who 
 dwelt in subterranean palaces and guarded the hidden 
 treasures of the earth.* It was a mere fleeting fancy, 
 however, though real enough for the moment. But the 
 impression, which had often possessed him like a mad- 
 ness when he was a boy, that the earth beneath his 
 fret hid fabulous treasures, remained with him and 
 made him eager and restless. The white porphyry " 
 walls, which gleamed placidly in the torchlight, seemed 
 to him to stand as sentinels, keeping watch over the 
 mysterious wealth of the mountain. When one of the 
 men who had been sent down to explore reappeared at 
 the top of the* ladder, Hampton grasped with nervous 
 eagerness the three or four samples of ore which he 
 took from his pocket, never suspecting for a moment 
 that his friend, the manager, had brought those very 
 specimens with him when they left home together. 
 
 They lingered for another hour in the bowels of the 
 earth, and enjoyed a capital subterranean luncheon 
 which Cartwright's foresight had provided. In the 
 afternoon Hampton took his ore to three different as- 
 sayers, who reported, the following day, that his speci- 
 mens were worth from $200 to 6300 per ton. Mr. 
 Hampton, when he heard this, slapped his leg in de- 
 light, and chuckled to himself at the thought of his own 
 cleverness. About ten days later, when he was again 
 in New York, he had fully made up his mind to buy up 
 surreptitiously all the 6tock he could get at four, and if 
 possible to depress it to a still lower figure. The only 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 301 
 
 man to whom he communicated his valuable discovery 
 was Walter, who, in his eagerness to buy , came near 
 sending the stock up toward par again, But the re- 
 covery was merely momentary, and within many days 
 the price again declined. Mr. Cunningham in the 
 meanwhile, although he betrayed no haste in the 
 matter, was quietly unloading ; and as the despatches 
 from Cartwright continued to be highly encouraging, 
 Hampton and Walter had before many months tho 
 felicity of being almost the only parties interested in the 
 Silvcrtown Grand Consolidation Mining Company, 
 Two large dividends had recently been paid, and they 
 both felt extromely hopeful, But tho members of the 
 syndicate, when they held their last formal meeting and 
 Cunningham revealed to them tho tactics by which ho 
 had not only saved . them from loss, but put half a 
 million into their pockets, voted him a magnificent 
 dinner at Delmonico's as a public expression of respect. 
 The sleek and rotund bankers were especially uproar- 
 ious in their mirth when they heard how eagerly Hamp- 
 ton had leaped into the well-concealed trap, and how 
 contentedly ho sat there at the present moment, never 
 suspecting his danger. But in strict confidence Mr. 
 Cunningham did not mind saying that Cartwright had 
 all along worked tho mine in tho interest of tho syn- 
 dicate, and that it was now so completely exhausted 
 as hardly to be worth fifty thousand dollars. There 
 was renewed applause and laughter, until one elderly 
 gentleman who was apoplectic had so violent a coughing 
 fit that they were obliged to send for a doctor. 
 
302 A DAUGHTER 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI* 
 
 THE CITIZEN OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY* 
 
 ABOUT a we^k after Rachel's departure for Europe 
 the Wellingford household was eouvulsed with 
 Joy and fear, and a hundred other conflicting emotions. 
 Harry walked, by approximate measurements, about five 
 miles in his parlor, and wore a perceptible track upon the 
 carpet Strange, subdued personages, who talked in 
 whispers and walked on tiptoe, invaded the household 
 and assumed sole command. Harry felt himself com- 
 pletely superseded, useless, contemptible. If they had 
 told him that it would be the proper thing for him to 
 jump out of the window, he would undoubtedly have 
 considered the proposition. lie was perfectly con- 
 scious that he behaved idiotically, and was afraid of 
 opening his mouth lest he should deepen the contempt 
 with which he was probably regarded by the temporary 
 rulers of his household. Knowing of nothing else to 
 do, and feeling miserably helpless and anxious, he 
 telegraphed for his mother, who arrived by the evening 
 train, Just In time to greet her grandson, who was 
 heralding his arrival with a voice that was full of vigor 
 and promise. Mrs. Wellingford, Sr., who had a posi- 
 tive genius for taking charge of such " family events," 
 established herself promptly in the seat of authority, 
 and in fifteen minutes reduced doctor and nurses to 
 subjection. She referred mysteriously, and for the first 
 
iaht\ T . 
 
 y changed pasTl 
 )tion iu a quiet I 
 ounds, and had I 
 
 OF THE PHILISTINES, - S03 
 
 time in Harry's presence, to her own maternal experi- 
 ences ; and he felt, with a peculiar sensation of mingled 
 amusement and respect, that he had arrived at a new 
 dignity in his mother's eyes, and that somehow a new 
 relation would henceforth exist between them. lie 
 had never thought of it before, but until now they had 
 never been on a footing of complete equalit\ T 
 
 The individual who thus summarily 
 relations, and caused so much commotion 
 household, weighed eleven and a half pounds 
 large dark eyes with a grave and vaguely wondering ex- 
 pression. If Ilerbcrt Spencer is to be trusted, there were 
 some things about him which infallibly betrayed a savage 
 nature, namely, tho flattened noso, the compressed face, 
 the reddish-brown complexion, and tho elongated head, 
 whose shape was not even remotely Caucasian. When 
 Harry, who was greatly puzzled by these and other 
 peculiarities, broached the Spcncerian theory to Alma, 
 the latter displayed such an indignation that the doctor 
 had to interfere (because emotions at such times aro 
 dangerous), and the unfeeling husband was removed 
 from the sanctuary in disgrace. Nevertheless, he felt 
 absurdly light-hearted and happy, and, although it was 
 in the middle of the night, could not resist the desire 
 to take a stroll under the wide sky, and let his soul 
 expand in the silent space. The most truly scicntifio 
 spirit is the most deeply reverent ; and as Harry, pon- 
 dering on the mystery of life and birth, knocked vainly 
 at the door of the Great Unknown, he felt almost as 
 a palpable presence the wall of darkness which on all 
 sides surrounds us. Of course, ho knew that the 
 idea was foolish ; but for all that, he could not rid him- 
 self of a vague impression that if he could only ques- 
 
304 A DAUGHTER 
 
 tlon his son now while he 1 was fresh from the Infinities, 
 he might bo able to give him some curious Information. 
 What a pity that as yet they did not speak the same 
 language ! As he passed the Fifth Avenue Hotel, it 
 occurred to him that his father ought to be informed of 
 his patriarchal dignity *, proudly erect, he walked over « 
 the tessellated pavement, and wondered at the stolidity 
 of the telegraph operator, who did not appear to per- 
 ceive anything remarkable about him. But when the 
 man read off his message in the same unfeeling tone as 
 he would have read, " Pork, $12 ; Winter Wheat, $1.15 ; 
 Erie, 55 cts.," Harry concluded that he must be a low, 
 depraved nature. The telegram ran as follows : — 
 
 44 A Btranger calling himself Hugh Wellingford, late 
 of the Great Unknown, arrived at 11.45 o'clock, p.m. 
 Being apparently pleased with his reception, he con- 
 cluded to stay. I like him, and so does Alma. She is 
 well, considering, and I am tremendously so. 
 
 "Harry." 
 
 Harry was a little bit startled at the cost, even at 
 night rates, of this singular message, but, feeling rich 
 in the possession of a son, paid the bill cheerfully. 
 When he reached home about six o'clock, he was aware 
 that the rational thing to do would be to go to bed ; 
 but it was useless to try to rest before having had another 
 glimpse of his son. So he stole on tiptoe into the 
 bedroom, and saw Alma peacefully sleeping, and the 
 baby sleeping at her breast. It was the loveliest picture 
 his eyes had ever beheld. His mother, who was seated 
 in an arm-chair with wide-open eyes, put her finger on 
 her lips and motioned him away. 
 
 About noon he awoke from a semi-slumber, peopled 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 305 
 
 with fantastic fancies, and was summoned to his wife's 
 bedside. 
 
 " 1 want yon to get some wire screens to put before 
 the windows, Harry," she said with much earnestness. 
 
 "Most willingly, my dear," he answered; "but 
 would n't you have the kindness to tell me what we 
 are to do with them?" 
 
 " What to do with them, Harry? How can you be so 
 stupid? Don't you know they always have wire screens 
 before the windows in every house where there are 
 children ? " 
 
 " But I doubt if our baby will be likely to climb up 
 into the windows very soon." 
 
 44 Now don't provoke me, Harry dear," pleadingly, 
 "You know it is dangerous for me to be provoked. 
 I want the wire screens. They make it look from the 
 street so much as if we had a house full of children. 
 It is so homelike and so nice." 
 
 " Omen accipio" cried Harry, laughing { " you shall 
 have your wire screens." 
 
 90 
 
306 A DAUGHTER 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 11 DESCENSUS AVEBNL" 
 
 MR. HAMPTON was beginning to feel rebellious. 
 He contended that Providence had treated him un- 
 fairly. His son, on whom he had lavished money, and to 
 whom ho had given the very best educational advantages, 
 was nothing but a disgrace to him. The people whom 
 ho trusted betrayed him, and those upon whom ho 
 heaped benefits watched their chanco to stab him in tho 
 back the moment he took his eyes off them. There was 
 Cunningham, who had the impudence to como coolly 
 smiling into his house after ho had picked his pocket. 
 And what was worse, his wife, who without tho faint- 
 est pretence of loyalty accepted Cunningham's version 
 of the story, made tho thief welcome, and treated her 
 husband with contemptuous pity. "While ho was beset 
 with perplexities, and speculated with desperate au- 
 dacity to keep his head above water, sho received half 
 the town and gave expensive balls and parties, as if 
 they were calmly floating on tho topmost wave of pros- 
 perity. Whether ho was present or absent mado no 
 difference, as it never occurred to any ono to inquire 
 for him. When he mildly suggested to his son that in 
 case ho did not take a reef in his sails, ho would bo 
 obliged to put him on an allowance, the young sprig 
 had actually the insolence to attempt blackmail, hinting 
 that, if he chose, he could make it pretty hot for the 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 
 
 44 gov'nor." And, to jnake his misery complete, he was 
 beginning to suspect that Cartwright too (whom he had 
 always regarded as his own creature) might be in leaguo 
 with his enemies, and that the '• inside information" for 
 which he had paid so dearly might have been designed 
 to deceive him. He walked about in a state of feverish 
 uneasiness; sometimes it grew black before his eyes, 
 and a dark abyss seemed to be opening at his feet. 
 There was a strange unreality in the sunlight ; and tho 
 turmoil of sounds which in the crowded thoroughfares 
 beat upon his senses would at times suddenly recede 
 into a dim distance, and leave him for the moment in a 
 terrible, immeasurable void. Some dreadful calamity 
 seemed to bo darkening his life with its shadow ; and at 
 times, merely to cscapo from the inanity and oppression 
 with which all sights and sounds affected him, ho would 
 rush to tho Exchango and bid recklessly, with tho vaguo 
 hope that some beneficent power — call it Providence, 
 fate, or mcro luck — would direct his madness, and 
 enable him in some miraculous way to retrieve his for- 
 tunes. His whole life had fostered such superstitions ; 
 and even though his reason might rebel, his feelings 
 prompted him to obey them. 
 
 It was on an evening early in November that Mr, 
 Hampton, gloomy and heavy-hearted, stood on the door* 
 step of his magnificent houso. He was fumbling with a 
 bunch of keys, trying to find the one that unlocked tho 
 latch. Some one was singing within, and ho stopped 
 half mechanically to listen. It was an Italian aria, of 
 which ho understood neither tho words nor the music, 
 Tho windows were brilliantly lighted ; carriages drove 
 up before tho door, and ladies and gentlemen in evening 
 costumes mounted tho broad steps, Mrs, Hampton 
 
308 A DAUGHTER 
 
 was having a dinner-party, apparently, or some kind of 
 social diversion. The wretched man crammed his keys 
 into his pocket, and walked away into the dim Novem- 
 ber night. lie strolled aimlessly up one street and down 
 another. A fine drizzling rain began to descend, and 
 the sky overhead lost its threatening cerulean tint and 
 becamo impenetrably black. He had never felt so home- 
 less and solitary in the world before ; all the sweets of 
 life, which had appeared tempting at a distance, had 
 turned to bitterness. Even his relation to his children 
 had been nothing but disappointment and vexation. 
 His children? Yes, to be sure, he had two. How 
 rarely had he during these last years thought of the 
 " second ! She was a beautiful creature, and she might 
 have done better. Ah, now he remembered, he had 
 once wanted her to marry Cunningham, and had been 
 angry because she refused. She had been wiser, after 
 all, than he. Her lovely face rose vividly before his 
 imagination, and a feeling remotely resembling tender- 
 ness began to stir within him. Why should he not go 
 to see this daughter of his, whom, for no fault of hers, 
 he had deserted? It would be odd, indeed; he almost 
 smiled to himself at the thought of the sensation his 
 visit would make. He instinctively hastened his steps, 
 and soon reached the great brick hive in Broadway. 
 
 11 It is odd that she is willing to live in a place like 
 this," he muttered, glancing superciliously about him, 
 44 after what she had been accustomed to. She must 
 have been fonder of him than we thought. I, for my 
 part, supposed she did it merely to spite me." 
 
 He struck his cane against the pavement, as if to 
 express his inability to comprehend such freaks of un- 
 reason. The doorkeeper flung the door open before 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 309 
 
 him, and the elevator bore him up to the fourth or fifth 
 floor, A girl admitted him to the inner hall, and, 
 having taken his card, ushered him into the parlor. 
 Two lamps, with pink silk shades, cast a pleasantly sub- 
 dued light through the room, which had an air of peace, 
 and comfort, and unostentatious good taste, The door 
 to the library was standing open, and Mr. Hampton saw 
 his daughter sitting on a cricket before the fire, leaning 
 forward against her husband's knees and smiling affec- 
 tionately up into his face, lie was seated in a largo 
 leather-covered arm-chair, holding in one hand a half- 
 smoked cigar, while the other was resting lightly on her 
 hair. They were having a quiet fireside talk, appar- 
 ently, which was interrupted by the girl's entrance. An 
 exclamation of joyous surprise escaped Alma as she 
 saw her father's name. Harry arose and lifted her up 
 from her sitting posture, and they both came forward 
 and greeted Mr. Hampton with eager cordiality, The 
 unexpected warmth and naturalness of their manner 
 almost embarrassed him. He had expected the usual 
 interchange of civilities, and then a talk about the 
 weather, the theatres, or the corruption in municipal 
 politics. The strength which is in the family relation, 
 and the sentiments and manners which it naturally fos- 
 ters, had been so totally excluded from his own experi- 
 ence that he had como to disbelieve in their existence. 
 He knew that these things were ** gushed about" in 
 sermons and in sentimental poetry ; but he had never yet 
 known the man who, after he had arrived at years of dis- 
 cretion, had extracted much happiness from sentimental 
 relations. And yet this beautiful daughter of his, who 
 stood before him with her sweet pale face, and with hap- 
 piness 'shining out of her eyes, — what might she not 
 
310 A DAUGHTER 
 
 have been to him, if he had cherished her filial affection 
 and from the beginning drawn her gently toward him I 
 Some strange emotions began to stir in an out-of-the* 
 way corner* of the father's soul, and there was a momen* 
 tary huskiness in his voice as he grasped his daughter's 
 hand a ljttle hesitatingly, and said, — 
 
 14 1 thought I would drop in, just to see how you are 
 getting on." 
 
 11 It was very kind of you, father, she answered 
 heartily. " We are very glad to see you. You know, 
 we havo been quite offended at you, of late, because 
 you have taken no notice of the 4 great event ' which 
 has made us so happy." 
 
 Hampton looked from one beaming face to the other, 
 with a puzzled air. 
 
 14 And what is that great event that has made you so 
 happy, daughter?" he asked. 
 
 44 Oh, Harry, Harry," cried Alma, clapping her hands, 
 * 4 he does n't know. Only think of it, he does n't know. 
 What a surprise it will be to him ! " 
 
 Hampton began to suspect that they had taken the 
 big prize in the lottery, or perhaps 44 made a pile " by the 
 late sudden rise in Erie. It flashed through his brain 
 that in that case they might possibly be able to help 
 him out of his present difficulty. But this hope was dis- 
 appointed when Alma, with a face radiant with mischief 
 and tenderness, grasped his hand, while he followed her 
 half reluctantly through the library toward a closed 
 door. 
 
 44 Now shut your eyes, father," she said gayly, M and 
 don't open them until I tell you. If you '11 do that, and 
 walk on tiptoe, I '11 show you something lovely." 
 
 He obeyed her directions, a little awkwardly perhaps. 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 311 
 
 but yet with an amiablo willingness to indulgo her in 
 her childish whims, Tho door was opened, and he 
 walked half a dozen steps with his eyes tightly closed. 
 
 44 Now you may open your eyes," whispered Alma, 
 ♦* but don't you make any noiso." • 
 
 He found himself standing before a rattan cradle dec* 
 orated with pink satin ribbons, and exquisitely draped 
 with lace and muslin curtains, looped back with largo 
 pink rosettes. In this snug little nest lay a fine rosy 
 infant, apparently between two and three months old, 
 
 44 Well, I declare," exclaimed Hampton, " and I who 
 didn't know! But why in the world didn't you tell 
 me? I might have done something handsomo for my 
 grandchild then." 
 
 44 Harry telegraphed to mother when baby was born," 
 said Alma j "of course we supposed she would tell 
 you." 
 
 44 Well, she never did," responded her father dog- 
 gedly. ** We have been having a little difficulty of late, 
 and she never tells me much nowadays." 
 
 Alma knelt down at tho cradle, and gazed fondly at 
 her sleeping boy, 
 
 44 Is it a boy or a girl? " asked Mr. Hampton, 
 
 44 Why, of course it is a boy, Don't you know that 
 pink always means a boy ? " 
 
 44 No, I did n't know." 
 
 She was a little disappointed at her father's undo* 
 raonstrative manner, and leaned her cheek caressingly 
 against that of her son, as if to testify her own appre- 
 ciation of him, even though others might fail to discover 
 how remarkable he was. 
 
 44 Why don't you say that my baby is beautiful,, 
 father?" she said, looking up impulsively. 
 
312 A DAUGHTER 
 
 11 Why, certainly, certainly ! " stammered he with 
 visible embarrassment. u He — he — is a very hand- 
 some little chap." 
 
 She had expected him to kiss the child, or in some 
 way to show that he recognized it as his own flesh and 
 blood ; but she did not like to make further suggestions. 
 She was much sobered as she led Mr. Hampton back to 
 the library, and Harry at the first glance at her face 
 guessed that the old gentleman was not versed in the 
 ceremonial of baby-worship. Mr. Hampton, too, was 
 vaguely aware that he k * had not come up to the mark ; * 
 and as he felt very kindly toward his daughter just then, 
 he was anxious to make amends for his shortcomings. 
 
 " If you had only telegraphed to me direct," he said 
 to Hany, as he accepted a cigar and settled himself in 
 an easy-chair before the fire, " I should have drawn up 
 a handsome check in favor of my grandson. And even 
 now I guess my check must be good for a thousand 
 dollars, although I am sure there is no telling where I 
 shall stand before I get that accursed mine ofT my 
 hands." 
 
 While speaking thus, he had drawn his check-book 
 from his pocket, and turned toward the table to look for 
 a pen. 
 
 M Pray don't inconvenience yourself for the sake of 
 the baby," said Harry ; *« really I should prefer that you 
 would not make him any present now, when you are 
 yourself financially embarrassed." 
 
 44 1 should hope I am good for a thousand dollars any- 
 way," replied the old man stubbornly. 44 Whatever I 
 am, I am not a sneak or a skinflint. Z. K. Hampton's 
 first grandson shall have a thousand dollars, and not a 
 cent less. What did you say his name was? " 
 
OF THE PHILISTTXES, 313 
 
 *• Hugh Wellingford," said Ahna hesitatingly, 
 
 44 All right — Hugh Wellingford — here is the check, 
 and I would advise you to have it cashed to-morrow." 
 
 He tore it out of the book, and flung it across the 
 table. 
 
 "lam very sorry to hear that you bought up the 
 stock of * The Maid of Athens,' " remarked Harry after 
 a long pause. 
 
 44 So am I," responded Mr, Hampton emphatically, 
 44 d d sorry." 
 
 44 Why did n't you ask me before making such a haz- 
 ardous move?" inquired Harry cautiously, 
 
 44 1 did n't trust you, Harry, my boy," answered the 
 father-in-law with a kind of swaggering frankness, * 4 1 
 thought you was bought by the other party." 
 
 44 You thought Harry was bought, father ! " exclaimed 
 Alma in utter amazement. 44 Do you mean to say that 
 you thought Harry was dishonest?" 
 
 44 No more so than other folks, daughter. Every man 
 has his price, though it may be a mighty high one, 
 That is the principle I have acted on all my life." 
 
 44 And it is that principle which will ruin you, if it has 
 not already done so," said Wellingford, with a gentle- 
 ness which was out of proportion to the severity of his 
 words. 
 
 44 1 am afraid you are right, Harry my boy," answered 
 the old man, bowing his head over his breast. His 
 vehement, blustering manner, which had evidently been 
 more than half assumed, had suddenly deserted him. 
 
 44 1 have made a bad mess of it," he continued with a 
 groan. *' I tell you, I am pretty near played out." 
 
 Alma, though she had never loved him deeply, and 
 could not summon such a feeling at the moment's bid- 
 
314 A DAUGHTER 
 
 I 
 
 ding, yet pitied his helpless despair. She felt with a 
 strange, compelling force how near he was to her, — 
 that she owed her very life to him. It was therefore a 
 genuine impulse which prompted her to put her arms 
 around his neck, to touch his cheeks caressingly, and to 
 speak such words as her pity prompted. He leaned his 
 head against her bosom, and the tears rolled slowly 
 down over his checks. 
 
 11 1 clung to those who despised mo," ho said, groan- 
 ing, " and I cast olf the only one who might have loved 
 me." 
 
 The next day, at noon, Walter entered the office, and 
 found his father sitting in his revolving chair, leaning 
 forward with his head resting on the desk. 
 
 11 1 want some money, guv'nor," ho said, slapping 
 him smartly on the shoulder. ** I want — " 
 
 The force of the slap wheeled the chair about, and 
 Mr. Hampton slid off the desk and fell face forward 
 against the floor. Walter, pale with horror, stooped 
 down to lift him up— Great God, he was dead 1 In 
 his rigid right hand he clutched a telegram, signed with 
 the name Cart w right. It ran as follows j — 
 
 44 Your mine is not worth ten cents. I closed with 
 the highest bidder. It was not you." 
 
■ ■il— Ml 
 
 OF THE PHILISTINES. 315 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 EXEUNT HAMPTON AND SON. 
 
 NO sooner had the Rev. Dr. Stylish pronounced his 
 funeral oration over Mr. Hampton, whom he de- 
 clared to have been a faithful worker in the Lord's vine- 
 yard, than a whisper ran through the Street that the firm 
 of which the deceased had been the head was insolvent. 
 The stock of the Grand Consolidation Mining Company, 
 which Mr. Hampton had held to the value of some 
 two millions, was no longer quoted on the Exchange, 
 and was in all probability worthless. At all events, 
 tho surviving member of the firm was not equal to the 
 task of investing it with a fictitious value. There were, 
 indeed, people in the Street ^ho still pronounced tho 
 Grand Consolidation good property, that is to say, iu 
 the hands of " a smart man ; " but the impression some- 
 how prevailed that Walter did not como under that 
 category. In fact, Walter received more than his share 
 of uncomplimentary criticism during the months that 
 followed his father's death and tho failure of the firm. 
 In the absence of the old gentleman, whom it would do 
 no good to revile now, Walter was made the scapegoat, 
 and the whole burden of responsibility for the disaster 
 loaded upon his shoulders. His mother, who, as he now 
 for the first time discovered, had always grieved in 
 secret at his extravagance and immorality, set in this 
 respect the example, and invited condolences from all 
 
316 A DAUGHTER 
 
 her friends for his misbehavior. As it was he who had 
 ruined the firm, it was natural enough that the wrath of 
 the creditors should be especially directed against him ; 
 though, to do them justice, the creditors proved to be ex- 
 ceptionally tractable, and showed less vindictiveness 
 than might have been expected of them in a case 
 where the assets bore no sort of relation to the liabili- 
 ties. The house on the Avenue, with all the treasures 
 it contained, was sold to Mr. Cunningham; and every- 
 thing went under the hammer, including Walter's 
 yachts and horses and personal effects. 
 
 Walter accordingly, at the end of a few weeks, found 
 himself in very reduced circumstances. His friends be- 
 gan to be afflicted with near-sightedness, in the club as 
 on the Avenue ; and the young ladies who, if rumor be 
 true, had once set their caps for him, now classed his 
 name with Zola's novels and other unmentionable topics. 
 It was astonishing what a revulsion public feeling had 
 undergone in regard to him in a few short weeks. 
 Hardly an hour passed without some humiliating experi- 
 ence. Instead of being the general favorite which he had 
 imagined himself to be, it now turned out that he had 
 always been a thorn in the public side. It was hinted 
 that it was Walter's disreputable course which had 
 killed his poor father, and it was generally understood 
 that it was the same cause which now induced Mrs. 
 Hampton to contemplate a permanent residence abroad. 
 However that may be, it was quite sure that Mrs. 
 Hampton was making preparations for a prolonged so- 
 journ in Europe. She had, it was understood, saved 
 enough from the general wreck to support existence 
 very respectably wherever she might choose, and it was 
 thought probable that she would choose Paris. Before 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 317 
 
 sailing, she made a stately call upon her daughter, to 
 whom, after pitying the sordidness of her lot, she made 
 a present of jewelry. She could not yet conceive of 
 happiness without an " establishment." She took it for 
 granted that Alma had, by this- time, found out her 
 mistake, and thought it very reprehensible in her that 
 she should still persist in wearing the mask of content- 
 ment. Between mother and daughter, she said, such 
 comedies were of no avail. Her cynical bluntuess 
 grated on Alma's nerves, and their deep mourning 
 somehow made such hardened woridliness seem doubly 
 terrible. 
 
 Two weeks later Mrs. Hampton was settled in a 
 handsome house in the Boulevard Fried land, where 
 she gives weekly receptions during the winter on quite 
 a magnificent scale. 
 
318 A DAUGHTER 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 ; " MARGUERITE." 
 
 ■ I 
 
 THREE busy but eventless years passed ; just then 
 there was some agitation in musical circles con* 
 cerning a new prima donna who had made her dibut 
 with great icht in Paris and Vienna: The impressario 
 upon whom New York relies for its operatic diversions 
 was understood to have made great sacrifices in order 
 to secure her, as, after her Parisian debut, the competi- 
 tion for her had been animated. The reporters who 
 met her at Sandy Hook, anxious to obtain her biog- 
 raphy, caught but a glimpse of a ravishing face as she 
 boarded the tug, robed in rich furs, leaning on the im- 
 pressario's arm. She refused to be interviewed, and 
 quietly snubbed the importunate who did not respect 
 her reserve. The consequence was, that verj" conflicting 
 accounts appeared in regard to her : one journal aver- 
 ring that she kept her voice in cotton and declined to 
 waste a note of it, except for cash ; another going into 
 raptures over her beauty, and prophesying for her a 
 career that would eclipse that of Patti or Nilsson. The 
 luudatory comments of the Viennese and Parisian papers 
 were translated and scattered broadcast over the land ; 
 announcements were made and again withdrawn, bio- 
 graphical hints dropped and again contradicted ; and 
 all the while the curiosity of the public was kept pain- 
 fully on the stretch. But the climax was reached 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 319 
 
 when about a dozen musical connoisseurs and conspicu- 
 ous patrons of the opera were invited by the impressario 
 to a sort of private seance^ at which the prima donna 
 won all hearts by the exquisite quality of her voico and 
 the charm and simplicity of her manner. Her success 
 was from that moment secured ; all the city was talking . 
 about her. It was said that she was an excellent actress, 
 and that it was her preference to appear at once in 
 opera; also, that she had strenuously insisted upon 
 making her transatlantic debut as "Marguerite" in 
 "Faust." • 
 
 It was a distinguished audience which had gathered 
 to greet her ; at least, so the newspapers said the next 
 morning, though it is doubtful whether,, with their 
 standard of distinction, they included the names of Mr. 
 and Mrs. Wellingford and the Professor among those 
 whose presence added to the brilliancy of the occasion. 
 For Mr. Wellingford's distinction is of that quiet sort 
 which causes no agitation in tho newspapers. lie has 
 done some very excellent work in connection with the 
 United States Geological Survey, and has gained a high 
 reputation in his profession as a man of solid acquire- 
 ments and incorruptible character, His services are 
 therefore constantly employed and well paid for by 
 capitalists and corporations who arc engaged in devel- 
 oping the mineral resources of the country. He still 
 edits his paper, though no longer alone, and has at last 
 felt warranted in yielding to his wife's desire to have a 
 house of her own. They are now living in one of those 
 long brown-stone blocks between Fifth and Sixth Ave- 
 nue ; and Alma, flushed with a moderate prosperity (as 
 she had never been by her father's undefinable millions), 
 plays the hostess, with a charming ease and vivacity, 
 
320 A DAUGHTER 
 
 to the many who have by this time discovered how very 
 desirable she is in every friendly capacity* Master 
 Hugh, by the way, is now three years old ; and as he 
 has a younger brother, the wire screens outside of the 
 windows of the upper floors express no longer a mater* 
 nal aspiration, but a happy reality. 
 
 In a conspicuous proscenium-box, as if to advertise 
 his relationship to the singer (which, by the way, not a 
 soul suspects), sits Simon Loewenthal with his two sons, 
 Kphraim and Mordecai. Simon has grown glossier and 
 more corpulent since Rachel's departure ; prosperity en- 
 velops him like a mantle, and beams out of the creases 
 of his face. His diamond studs flash with every turn 
 of his portly figure. He is half sorry now, after his 
 sister's successes in the foreign capitals, that she has, 
 at his request, exchanged her own' name for a sono- 
 rously operatic one, which, however, in the present 
 connection it would be indiscreet to betray. 
 
 Far back in the house, leaning against the wall, stands 
 a threadbare individual, whom the doorkeeper surveyed 
 with a doubtful air before he concluded to admit him. 
 He is a tall, well-grown fellow, with a drooping auburn 
 mustache and an indescribably tarnished and weather- 
 worn appearance. His chin has two or three slight 
 cuts, as if it had been shaved with an unsteady hand ; 
 his linen is crumpled and a little soiled ; and yet there 
 is in his half-closed eyes ah expression of languid 
 hautour which is truly pathetic. It is well for Mrs. 
 "WelUngford that she is not aware of this man's pres- 
 ence ; for the thought of this unhappy brother is the 
 drop of gall in her cup of joy. Again and again Harry 
 has made attempts to reform him, has clothed him 
 and given him occupation ; but Walter invariably drifts 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 321 
 
 back into his old ways. Periodically, however, after 
 long seasons of shabbiness, he blooms out into some- 
 thing resembling his old-time lustre; and it is then 
 understood among his friends that he has been making 
 a lucky hit in the Street, which ho still haunts with 
 indomitable persistence. He manages somehow, in his 
 intervals of sobriety, to pick up a precarious living by 
 boasting of his intimacy with financial magnates, and 
 selling " points," stipulating for a share of the profits. 
 In case of loss, however, he usually forgets to put in an 
 appearance. The telegraphic stock-indicators at tho 
 up-town hotels have a singular fascination for him, and 
 he sits often, hour after hour, staring at the tape, and 
 deriving a vague exhilaration from imagining the for- 
 tunes which ho might have made by tho sudden rises 
 and falls, if he only had had tho money to put up. 
 "When he has worn out the patience of one hotel pro- 
 prietor he goes to another ; and as he is a well-known 
 character and really u not a bad fellow," he is treated 
 with humorous forbearance. It is not an unusual thing 
 for brokers — who are proverbially good-natured, and 
 after a "run of luck" recklessly generous — to lend 
 a couple of hundreds to Walter, just t4 to put him 
 on his pins again." But tho effect of this generosity is 
 apt to be anything but strengthening to Walter's "pins," 
 which, after the receipt of such a bonus, at times even 
 refuse to perform their ordinary service. Ho is then 
 likely to disappear for a week or more, and when ho 
 again emerges into view it requires more charity than 
 any of his relatives are endowed with to tolerate his 
 presence. 
 
 A ripple of excitement ran through the house as the 
 curtain rose. Hurried whispers and the rustle of rich 
 ^ 21 
 
322 A DAUGHTER 
 
 garments came in subdued confusion from the parquet 
 and the lower balconies, and seemed to express an 
 agitated expectancy. The orchestra, after a good deal of 
 aimless rumbling, broke into the delicious rhythm of the 
 "Faust Waltz," and then, greeted with a salvo of 
 deafening applause, came the prima donna. Her first 
 note — but why should I describe what all the world 
 knows, and what, moreover, the newspapers reported 
 with such an expenditure of brilliant adjectives the next 
 morning. The critics were quite enthusiastic, with the 
 exception of one who had failed to secure free tickets 
 for his wife's relatives ; and the new prima donna's heart 
 is filled with gratitude and jo}\ She has found her 
 salvation in her art ; and the future lies before her, not 
 in the radiant mist of a dream, but crowded with work, 
 — with clear and well-defined plans. 
 
 It was this thought which she uttered with significant 
 determination to Wellingford and Alma, who, after the 
 performance, thronged with many other friends into 
 the green-room to offer their congratulations. The last 
 terrible act had shaken her nerves somewhat, and she 
 was battling to restrain her emotion. Her happiness 
 seemed so great and overpowering, she would have 
 liked to hide her face in some friendly bosom and burst 
 into tears. It was because Alma perceived and under- 
 stood this mood that she whispered something to Harrj r , 
 who was not disposed to place an}* restraint upon her 
 generous impulses. And it thus happened that Rachel, 
 laden with flowers, blazing with jewels, hastened out, 
 leaning upon Wellingford's arm, leaving the impressario 
 to accept the remaining flowers and congratulations. 
 Alma, escorted by Mr. Timpson, who is a great patron 
 of the drama, followed in Rachel's train. For economi- 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES, 323 
 
 cal reasons, the greater number of the gas-jets had been 
 turned out in the halls, leaving only a solitary light at 
 the turns of the stairs, with long intervals of twilight, 
 They had just reached the bottom of the staircase where 
 the door opened upon the street, when some ono started 
 out of the dusk, as if to speak, then shrank back, hav- 
 ing said nothing, Rachel clung desperately to Welling- 
 ford's arm and trembled. Sho had recognized Walter. 
 
 He stood long, dazed and bewildered. A breath of 
 perfume which had been wafted toward him seemed 
 still to linger in the air. He tried to retain the vision - , 
 — the clear, serious face with the noble forehead- and 
 the pure lips, the splendid attire, the tall, dignified 
 form* He 6at down on the lowest step of the stairs, 
 and, resting his forehead on his knees, shut his eyes. 
 Once or twice he gave a groan. The guard who had 
 come to shut up the building shook him by the shoulder. 
 He started up, then collected himself, and sauntered 
 wearily down the street. 
 
 It was that same evening, after they had kissed the 
 sleeping children ♦* good-night," that Harry and Alma 
 had a little dispute, 
 
 "How would you like your son to be a singer?"* 
 asked Harry, feeling all aglow witji pleasure at the 
 thought of Rachel's success. 
 
 " A singer ! No, indeed," exclaimed Mrs. Alma. " I 
 should like above all things to have Hugh educated for 
 the diplomatic service. The Hon. Hugh Wellingford, 
 American Ambassador to the Court of St. James. 
 Now you must admit, Harry, that that would sound 
 lovely." 
 
 "It may sound lovely, my dear," answered her 
 husband, " but for all that I am not sure whether I 
 
324 A DAUGHTER 
 
 would not rather see Hugh dead than have him a 
 diplomat*" 
 
 "Now, Harry,". cried Alma a little hotly, "such 
 hyperbolical statements are neither Spencerian nor 
 Emersonian, nor any of the things that 3'ou like to be. 
 Why would it be so terrible if Hugh some time should 
 bo appointed minister to England? You know, by 
 the time Hugh wil^ be read}' to represent his country 
 abroad, we shall have civil-service reform and that sort 
 of thing, so that a man may enter public life without 
 drinking bad whiskey and leaving his honor at home. 
 Under such circumstances would n't it be nice to have 
 it reported in the papers that yesterday the Queen gave 
 an audience to the Hon. Hugh Wellingford ? " 
 
 "Oh, Alma, Alma, you are incorrigible," ejaculated 
 Harry ; " but, leaving the absurdity of the thing out of 
 the question, I have some very weighty reasons. As civ- 
 ilization progresses, the sphere of gambling, speculation, 
 diplomacy, and all the things that depend upon chance 
 and intrigue will be gradually narrowed, and the sphere 
 of all activities which depend upon orderly development, 
 upon honest mental and physical labor, will be pro- 
 portionately widened. I wish my sons to invest their 
 energies, not with the waning forces of the past, but 
 with the growing forces of the future, — with the forces 
 of light and order, not with those of darkness and 
 chaos,— with Ormnzd, not with Ahriman." 
 
 " Why, Harry, I never knew you were so visionary." 
 
 "I am not visionary, my dear, but I must own I 
 have great hopes of the twentieth century. Happiest 
 of all I should be, if my sons were endowed with a wide 
 vision like Goethe, Darwin, or Newton, and could stand 
 in the vanguard of knowledge, and discover some new. 
 
OF THE PHILISTINES. 
 
 325 
 
 great principle which they should extend like a clear, 
 calm lamp into the darkness which everywhere sur- 
 rounds us. But if this be too daring a hope, I shall be 
 satisfied to see them as honest and obscure workers 
 and humble questioners of nature, as their father has 
 .been. In either case I envy them." 
 
 44 And why do you envy them?" 
 
 44 1 envy them their citizenship in the twentieth cen- 
 tury." 
 
 In the meanwhile the golden-haired diplomats and 
 scientists of the twentieth century were peacefully 
 slumbering in their cradles. 
 
. 
 
 i • 
 
Messrs, Roberts Brothers 1 Publications, 
 
 No Name (Third) Series. 
 
 HER CRIME. 
 
 "The third series of ' No Name' novels begins with ' Her Crime,* a story which 
 in its opening chapters seems likely to be commonplace, but which grows more and 
 more powerful as it goes on, developing a very remarkable character in its heroine, 
 and a plot of extraordinary intricacy, considering the limited size of the book. The 
 story is told by the heroine's friend, a simple, bright little woman, whose life is well, 
 nigh ruined by the heroine's jealousy and unscrupulousness, but who loves her to the 
 last. . . . But it is Florence Homer alone who makes the story, and she will live in 
 the reader's memory for some time, a beautiful, unscrupulous woman, loving as well 
 as a woman without a conscience can love, and blighting every life that touches her 
 own." — Sunday Budget. 
 
 *' A wonderfully dramatic book is the new • No Name * story, ' Her Crime,' with 
 which the publishers begin the third series of that name. The plot is altogether out 
 of the common, and readers who thirst for a sensation have it here. We do not pro* 
 pose to destroy the charm of the story by telling its secret in advance, but can only 
 commend it as one of the best as well as one of the most original works in the long 
 list of ' No Names' which have yet seen the light." —Boston Transcript, 
 
 *' The latest issue in the ' No Name * series is a brightly written story of New 
 York life, with little glimpses of the South and West The heroine, Florence, a sin- 
 gularly beautiful and fascinating woman, jealous, passionate under her calmness, and 
 absorbing weaker natures, whether men or wom*n, is a moving and powerful figure. 
 The failure of • her crime,' which has shattered her husband, to impair in the least 
 her splendid charm, makes a striking ending, where an ordinary writer would havt 
 given a merely melodramatic ma. The ' local color ' seems to be faithful. An air of 
 propriety and high breeding without a particle of priggishness pervade* the whole 
 novel, which is full of brisk conversation and eminently readable." — Good Liter** 
 turo. 
 
 " If art in • story is that which carries the reader along a rather bright narrative, 
 interesting him in character and incident, without allowing him to be too conscious of 
 the thickening mystery that unfolds like a cloudburst at the climax of interest, then 
 there is a high order of art in this story." — InUr-Ocean. 
 
 One Volume, t6mo, Brown Cloth, Black and Gold Stamp. Price, $1.00. 
 
 Sold by all booksellers, or mailed, post-paid, to any address on receipt of 
 price, by the publishers, 
 
 ROBERTS BROTHERS, Boston. 
 
Roberts Brother^ Publications. 
 
 NO NAME (SECOND) SERIES, 
 
 MY WIFE AND MY WIFE'S SISTER. 
 
 " • The No Name Series' has had in it so many good novels that to say " This is 
 the best," may be called in question. And yet this in many respects is true. The 
 book is remarkable in its naturalness and easiness of belief, even when the incidents 
 are so wholly improbable. _ The reader stops to wonder at the audacity of the author 
 m taxing the credulity of his readers, but in a moment is swept along into a forgetful" 
 ness of all doubt by the ingenuity of the artist who paints the pictures. 
 
 Without pandering to any depravity, the story is more excitingly interesting than 
 any French novel of the most famous authors." — Inter-Ocean, Chicago. 
 
 " One of the best written and most attractive volumes of the piquant series to 
 which it belongs. " — Portland Frets. 
 
 " Well maintains the reputation of the remarkable series of which it is the latest 
 Volume." — • Washington Herald 
 
 " The last ' No Name ' has already been declared by a competent critic the best 
 •f the series, and though, remembering certain volumes in the list to which it belongs, 
 we may hesitate to award it that extreme praise, we cannot help acknowledging that 
 It shows a certain quality of excellence more conspicuous than any of its predeces- 
 sors" — Boston Transcript. 
 
 " One of the strongest stories of a sensational kind that we have had presented in 
 the famous series to which it belongs. It is related professedly by a member of a 
 French-American firm settled in Boston in the early part of the century. After a 
 brief episode of his youthful life he visits Paris in 1S1S, and the scenes are all laid in 
 that capital. The descriptions of the great personages and the life of Paris have an 
 air of vraisemblance which would be worthy of De Foe. The sensational plot of the 
 stc.-y is the detection of a convict who has risen to a high rank among the changes 
 subsequent to the French Revolution. In all that nukes an absorbingly interesting 
 story this book ranks with the very best of its kind." — Christian Intelligencer. 
 
 * If it is not the best of the excellent stories which have appeared in this series, 
 it stands very near to that position. We cannot see how novel readers can fail to 
 tnjoy it." — New Bedford Mercury. 
 
 " One of the best novels of the year. The plot might have been constructed by 
 Victor Hugo and the story written by Edward Everett Hale." — New London Tele- 
 fratn. 
 
 " If this does not prove the most popular of the series we shall miss our guess. 
 It is a charming book.'' — Peoria Call. 
 
 "•My Wife and My Wife's Sister,' the latest novel issued by Messrs. Roberts 
 Brothers in their ' No Name Series,' will rank with the best of its predecessors. It is 
 lull of incident, much of it of a dramatic and even startling character; is remarkably 
 well written; is intensely interesting, and can hardly fail to prove among the most 
 popular successes of recent publications. The author, who tells his story in the first 
 person, professes to be a gentleman of Boston birth and French descent. The scene 
 is principally laid in France in the early years of the present century. There is a 
 strong love story connected with it, but the most exciting features of the plot relate to 
 events in Pari* society as that society was left after the convulsions that attended the 
 French Revolution had partially subsided. We hear no conjecture as to the identity 
 of this author. His (') is a practised hand, apparently, in literature, If it has not 
 before appeared in fiction. His narrative power is something remarkable, and can 
 hardly fall to strongly impress the reader," says the Boston Saturday Gazette, 
 One Voluma. i6mo. Qreen Cloth. Price, $x oo. 
 
 Our publications are to be had of all booksellers. When not to 
 be found, send directly to the publishers, 
 
 ROBERTS BROTHERS, Boston. 
 
MESSRS. ROBERTS BROTHERS' PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 NO NAME (SECOND) SERIES, 
 
 ASCHENBROEDEL. 
 
 " ' Aschenbroedel,* the German word for Cinderella, is the title of a bright and 
 entertaining No Name novel- It is an American society story, a little improbable 
 in more than one respect, but of decided and well-sustained interest. There is a 
 flavor of out-of-door life about it, a fondness for and familiarity with the woods 
 and fields on the author's part, which is healthy and stimulating, and which gives 
 vigor to the narrative. Some of the leading characters are rather more unconven- 
 tional than is usual, even in the country, and the trained reader will notice minor 
 flaws here and there, but they do not prevent the story from being, nevertheless, a 
 very pleasant one." — Congregationalism 
 
 u A pleasant story and wall told. There is nothing sensational in the book| 
 there is no wickedness in action or in thought. The interest is wholly in Alice 
 herself, and her relations with her own family; her experiences as a servant, the 
 loss of her illusions, and her sore trouble of heart and conscience in deciding be- 
 tween the real lover and the ideal one. She is neither saint nor angel, but a sweet, 
 noble girl, impulsive and often blundering, but entirely lovable, and she holds the 
 reader's interest to the end. . . . The setting of the characters is good, the land- 
 scape attractive, the tone of the book pure and sweet ; and the crowd of ttradfords 
 who help to people New England will gladly claim Alice as a cousin. " — Boston 
 Daily Advertiser. 
 
 " The ' No Name Series ' has made a big hit in this Summer novel," says the 
 Pittsburg Telegraph. " There is a class of novels which the reader always de- 
 lights to think over after reading. To this class belongs ' Aschenbroedcl.* It ia 
 one of the most delightful novels of the season," says the Springfield Union. 
 "A thoroughly sweet, wholesome, and entertaining story," says the Boston 
 Courier. " Unless we aremistaken, ' Aschenbroedel/ the twelfth and last novel 
 of the second * No Name Series,' is the best story yet published in this well- 
 known library. It is freshly written, has a simple and yet interesting plot, and 
 brightly and faithfully describes several types of New York and New England 
 cbaracter, H says Good Literature. 
 
 One volume, i6mo, green cloth. Price, $1.00. 
 Our publications are to be had of all booksellers. When 
 not to.be found send directly to the publishers, 
 
 ROBERTS BROTHERS, 
 
 /?J»c//»f#. 
 
Messrs. Roberts Brothers* Publications. 
 
 NO NAME [SECOND] SERIES. 
 
 HER PICTURE. 
 
 " One of the brightest and freshest bits of fiction we have read this season !• 
 ' Her Picture,' the last issue in the ' No Name ' Series. The book is crannied 
 full of bright things, and the reader will find it a delightful contrast to most of the 
 so-called society novels of the day." — Boston Transcript. 
 
 "The latest volume of the second series of 'No Name* novels surpasses, In 
 many respects, any of its twenty-three predecessors, in what has proved to be one 
 of the most popular and successful series of novels ever issued from the American 
 
 Eress. Like most works of a similar character, love forms the principal factor in 
 oth its warp and woof, but it is a love story told with such piquancy and pathos 
 that it charms and delights the reader without creating an inordinate desire to un- 
 ravel the plot at the expense of more lasting pleasure^ The author, whoever he 
 or she may be, writes \sith a degree of power and brilliancy that alone pertain to 
 true genius and extended experience. The conversational parts, which, in many 
 books, one is often tempted to skip, are bright and witty. Rue, the heroine, is an 
 original | lovely creation. . « . We recommend 'Her Picture.*" — Courier- 
 
 " ' Her Picture,* the most recent of the ' No Name ' novels, is a graceful lovt 
 ■tory, pleasantly told. The hero and heroine are an artist and a pretty orphan 
 girl respectively. He meets her while on a sketching tramp, paints her picture, 
 and falls in love with her. She returns his passion. Presently he grows jealous 
 of a rival and quits the object of his affection. He sends the picture, however, 
 to the exhibition, where it mikes a hit and gives him fame. The girl falls into a 
 fortune, and eventually brings up before her portrait. She encounters her lover 
 there, all is explained, and everything ends happily. This is narrated spiritedly, 
 and the whole is characterized by good literary taste, excellent judgment, and 
 brightness of style." — Saturday Gazette, 
 
 " A few years since, Roberts Rrothers, of Boston, commenced the publication 
 of a series of novels called the ' No Name Series. 1 From the very first the pub*" 
 lie has been greatly impressed with the character of the novels issued by this 
 house. There was an originality, a clearness and purity of style that unfortunately 
 has not been remarked in works of fiction of these later days. The • No Name ' 
 Series give no very startling scenes or 3trained love passages, but abound in quiet 
 bits of humor, interesting information, and natural displavs of affection. The 
 last of the ' No Name ' Series published is called ' Her Picture.' It is a 'ta!e 
 most charmingly told.' The interest of the reader never flags, and regret is only 
 felt when the book is finished. The character of Rue is quaint and altogether 
 well depicted. One learns to love her, and thoroughly sympathise with all her 
 troubles, and rejoices with her when at last she is left happy and prosperous." — * 
 Denver Republican. 
 
 One volume* 16mo« Green Cloth* Price* 81.00* * 
 
 Our publications are to be had of all booksellers, WJien not to hi 
 found, send directly to the publishers^ 
 
 ROBERTS BROTHERS, Boston. 
 
Messrs, Roberts Brothers' Publications, 
 
 NO NAME (SECOND) SERIES, 
 
 BABY RUE. 
 
 " One peculiar charm of the M No Name " novels is that they are really light 
 reading, in the best sense of the term ; bright and clever stories, which are really 
 entertaining, because they are neither dull nor harrowing to the feelings of the 
 reader. This is the kind of reading the American people need ; especially in the 
 summer season, as means of relaxation to over-taxed brains, and as helps to the 
 rest of over-worked bodies. • Baby Kue ' is just a book of this sort. It is cleverly 
 written, and deals with characters and events always of interest to American peo- 
 ple, gathered from the military life on the Western frontier forty years ago; and 
 it deals also to some extent with the " Indian Question," — that very large ques- 
 tion to which, in those forty years, we have been able to give so very small an 
 answer," — Penh Monthly, 
 
 " In turning over its pages, the thoughtful reader cannot help feeling that the 
 author had something more than the simple story in view. He has given what 
 seems to be a thoroughly impartial view of the Indian question, and showed the 
 natural result of the faithless and treacherous policy followed bv the government 
 in dealing with the savage tribes. He shows that in warfare soldiers and savages 
 are alike cruel, and that nobility of character is not confined wholly to the white 
 race. All in all, ' Baby Rue ' is a notable book, and one that will have more than 
 a momentary popularity; full of vivid descriptive passages, strong in character 
 drawing, and touching with equal skill the springs of pathos and humor. It will 
 be read to be remembered." — Boston Transcript. 
 
 "The book is one of great earnestness and beauty, of exceeding interest and 
 undeniable power. In all fiction we recall no more touching incident than the 
 friendly Indian's bringing, in his folded blanket, about a square foot of damp, 
 sandy earth, bearing the imprint of the little lost child's foot, which proves her 
 to be still alive. He must be, indeed, a hardened reader of fiction who can read 
 without moist eyes, how the young officer stooped to kiss the footprint of his 
 Baby Rue, and offered a hundred dollars to the man who would carry it intact to 
 the child's mother at the fort." — Th* Critic. 
 
 *' The novel of incident is almost an unknown thing to the present generation 
 of fiction readers ; and, therefore, it is a positive relief to turn from books which 
 are in the main mere studies of character clothed in epigramatic dialogue, to a 
 work which recalls the days when a story had color and movement, and did not 
 remind us of the scientist who would "peep and botanize upon his mother's grave" 
 Not that the novel of the present day has not its merits, but because it wenriei 
 with minute dissections, when we are in the mood to read a story for Itself alone, 
 and not for any analytical power which an author may display. Having these 
 ideas in mind, we have found genuine pleasure in reading * Baby Rue," the latest 
 addition to the ' No Name Series.' . . . The descriptive passages are done with 
 a facile pen, and show that the author is thoroughly familiar with his ground, and 
 the reproduction of negro dialect and peculiarities is very happy?' — Boston 
 Courier, 
 
 One volume. ICmo, Green Cloth. Price, 81.00. 
 
 Our publications are to be had of all booksellers* When not to be 
 found, send directly to the publishers, 
 
 ROBERTS BROTHERS, Boston. 
 
Messrs. Roberts Brothers* Publications. 
 
 ii i i i i n 1 1. 1 1 
 
 THE "NO NAME" (SECOND) SERIES. 
 
 SALVAGE. 
 
 ** On the whole, the 4 No Name ' books are the most remarkable aeries ol 
 novels ever published in this country. All of them are up to the average standard 
 of good stories, while some are far above. It seems hardly fair to keep the public 
 in ignorance of the authors for ever. Some of them have been guessed ; but, really, 
 after one of the ' No Names ' has come out and had its success, why should not an 
 admiring public know who wrote it? 'Salvage' is one of the best of the series* 
 The character of Adela in its development from child to woman is a very pure and 
 beautiful one. The scene of the meeting of the little boy, Lance, with his un- 
 known papa, is drawn with a masterly touch" — Cincinnati Commercial, 
 
 "We confess to being very much interested in this new volume of 'The No 
 Name Series.' We like it. The plot is new and refreshingly so. The characters 
 are limned with a free pen ; the situations are decidedly original ; and, save that 
 unfortunate— -fortunate shipwreck, and its expected outcome, are not unnatural or 
 improbable. It is written with ease, grace, and snap. The ' No Name Series ' 
 improves ; give us more of it. When shall we know the name of the author? We 
 speak our thanks now." — Press •, Providence. 
 
 "This story fully keeps up the reputation of the series to which it belongs. 
 Its plot is very simple and its moral excellent. It is aimed against the false divorce 
 system which separates husband and wife so easily, and the misconceptions of 
 marriage which have affected so many minds." —Christian Intelligencer. 
 
 " It is wonderfully well written, and we predict for it a popularity even greater 
 than that which attended 'Mercy Philbrick' or 'Kismet.' The plot is alto- 
 gether original, the style brilliant, and the interest of the story intense. It reads 
 like a bit of real life.'* 
 
 "These chapters" ( describing the storm, shipwreck, and rescue ), " which com- 
 prise the major portion of the work, are written with rare power, and possess 
 an absorbing interest. It is a sufficient compliment to the author of ' Salvage' to 
 say that the book is enough to make one almost vow never to go to sea. For 
 spirited and vivid portrayal of the horrors of shipwreck, it is in prose what Byron's 
 description in ' Don Juan ' in in poetry," says the Dial 
 
 " There has been pretty nearly as much guessing over the authorship of the 
 different volumes of the ' No Name' series as there was over the identity of the 
 nuthor of ' Waverley.' To repeat the story of the success of these novels would 
 be supererogatory The latest addition to the series is entitled ' Salvage/ Who 
 is the author ? " — Express, New York. 
 
 In one volume. lGino. Green cloth. Price $1.00* 
 
 Our publications are to be had of all booksellers. When not to 
 be found, send directly to the publishers, 
 
 ROBERTS BROTHERS, Boston. 
 
Messrs. Roberts Brothers' Publications. 
 
 — — ■»■ ■■ " i — — — > 
 
 NO NAME (SECOND) SERIES. 
 
 THE' TSAR'S WINDOW. 
 
 "The basis of all novels is, more or less, love. Of course that is the principal 
 subject of this story, and an extremely pretty love tale it is with an excellent plot 
 and some interesting characters well drawn. Incidental to the story are introduced 
 some excellent descriptions, not only of Russia's two great cities, St. Petersburg 
 and Moscow, as they appear to any observer, but of Russian society and its pecul- 
 iar features. It is really a book of valuable instruction in this respect, and the 
 instruction is made highly interesting." — Post. 
 
 " The pretty story of ' The Tsar's Window ' is told by some happy and fortunate 
 person who has travelled in Russia under advantageous circumstances, and who 
 saw the rosy side of imperialism ; not without reflecting upon the other side, how. 
 ever, for with the true American spirit the author comments upon such things as 
 feasts at the palace, of which the splendor is almost indescribable, and of the 
 plague beyond the Volga, where whole villages had to be burned to the ground, 
 together with the clothing of the peasants. The descriptions of St, Petersburg 
 sights and people are bright and pleasing, and there is much that can be gleaned of 
 the domestic life of the nobility by reading this little volume." — Brooklyn Eagle. 
 M The Tsar's Window" is the city of St. Petersburg, whence Peter the Great 
 looked out into Europe over the icy waters of the Haltic. Into the frozen city 
 this little volume brings a group of Americans, whose visit to the Russian count, 
 their relative, is diversified by much coquetry, love-making, sight-seeing, and going 
 to Court. If there be something of the guide-book about the story, it is assuredly 
 glorified guide-book. The descriptions are neat, vivid, sharply drawn as a line 
 engraving. The charm of the hook is in its descriptions of the city ( St. Peters- 
 burg ) and of court ceremonial, says the New York Tribune. 
 
 " They are charmingly disinterested men, suffering just enough to be Interest- 
 ing, and to give the needed shadows to the bright and prosperous life in which 
 they lived so easily and pleasantly. The love affairs all end satisfactorily ; the 
 visit in St. Petersburg was rich in incident, novelty, color, and amusement ; the 
 reader looks in at the Tsar's window with the author, and sees just what she 
 wishes him to see ; and her story of Russian life and Russian love will probably 
 be very popular." — Boston Advertiser. 
 
 "The romance is more the framework for the descriptive portions than the 
 theme of absorbing interest, but it helps to make the picture of the Russian cap- 
 ital more enjoyable, and impresses the events in social and domestic circles 
 pleasantly on the memory. ' The Tsar's Window • is agreeable without being 
 exciting, and will be found an entertaining companion for leisure hours, the circle 
 it introduces being one of marked refinement and social culture." — Providence 
 Journal. 
 
 " It is a story of to-day ; that Is, of travel, foreign residence, exciting adven- 
 ture, personal experiences in Russia, an imperial wedding at the court of the late 
 czar, and, as a suitable wind-up, a love match at the end. Evidently life in Rus- 
 sia, as presented here, has been written by one who draws upon hie experience 
 and not upon his imagination or*the guide-books." — Exchange. 
 
 In one volume, i6mo, green cloth. Price, $1.00. 
 
 Our publications are to be found in all bookstores, or will 
 be mailed, post-paid, on receipt of price, by the publishers, 
 
 ROBERTS BROTHERS, 
 
 Boston, 
 
Messrs. Roberts Brothers* Publications* 
 
 i 
 
 NO NAME (SECOND) SERIES. 
 
 DON JOHN. 
 
 " Of the many pleasant volumes which this successful series has included, none 
 is more attractive than Don John. The plot is ingenious, something too much so ; 
 for the hurry of desire to disentangle its thread leads the reader to miss the charm 
 of the genuine modern idyl to which this harassing mystery seems alien.- . . .Asa 
 last word to the reader — read Don John as rapidly as you will for sake of finding 
 out the book's secret ; but be sure to read it again, for its sweetness must be drawn 
 out slowly as a bee takes honey from the little slim goblets of the piuk clover."—* 
 Portland Prist. 
 
 "Don John has the first and chiefest requisite of a novel, — it is extremely 
 inte esting from first to last. Nobody could mistake the plot, or no plot — the 
 remarkable children . . . clever beyond the actualities of real life, unique as never 
 were any American nursery plants, whatever English ones may be, lustrous with 
 the author's peculiar humor, abounding in scintillations ol aphoristic wit. with that 
 sad and only half-satisfying ending which Miss Ingelow is in the habit of giving 
 to her stories. H is largely a vivid picture of boy-and-girl life, and as such is 
 specially delightful." — Horn* Journal. 
 
 *• The delineation of character and the portrayal of the delightful relations ex- 
 isting between parents and children in the cultured circles of English middle-class 
 society, is most skilfully done, and it is safe to say that, though quite different 
 from the preceding novels of the ' No Name ' series, none exceed it in point of 
 interest and charm of style." — N. Y. Graphic. 
 
 " Don John, the latest of Messrs. Roberts Brothers' ' No Name* novels, is a 
 clever, entertaining, and in some repects an oiiginal book. . . . The story it 
 always interesting; sometimes it is fascinatingly so. ... It is a novel in all re- 
 spectn above the average. Not only will it fix and hold the reader in virtue of the 
 ingenuity of its plot and the spirit with which it is told, but there is very good 
 character work in it. . . . The scene is England, and the story presents a very 
 charming study of English home life. The style in which the story is written is 
 very pleasing. While there are fine, "delicate touches of pathos, the general tone 
 is bright and cheery, and at times the text becomes brilliant, especially in the 
 sayings of Charlotte. Above and beyond its power to amuse, the novel teaches a 
 lesson, well to learn. It is a valuable addition to the popular series." — Boston 
 Post. 
 
 " The persons are well conceived and sustained, and in their various ways are 
 highly interesting. The plot is odd and effective. The book has a noble moral 
 tone, and there is much capital fun in it." — Congregationalitt. 
 
 In one volume, lOmo. Green cloth. Price, $1.00. 
 
 Our publications are to be had of all booksellers. When not to 
 be found, send directly to the publishers, 
 
 ROBERTS BROTHERS, 
 
 Boston. 
 
Messrs. Roberts Brothers Publications. 
 
 THE NO NAME (SECOND) SEEIES. 
 
 SlGNOR MONALDINTS NlECL. 
 
 Extracts from some Opinions by -well-known Authors. 
 
 *' We have read ' Signor Monaldini's Niece ' with intensest 
 interest and delight. The style is finished and elegant, the at- 
 mosphere of the book is enchanting. We seem to have lived in 
 Jtaly while we were reading it. The author has delineated with a 
 hand as steady as it is powerful and skilful some phases of human 
 life and experience that authors rarely dare attempt, and with 
 marvellous success. We think this volume by far the finest of 
 the No Name Series." 
 * It is a delicious story. I feel as if I had been to Italy and 
 
 knew all the people Miss Conroy is a strong character, and 
 
 her tragedy is a fine background for the brightness of the other 
 and higher natures. It is all so dramatic and full of color it goes 
 on like a lovely play and leaves one out of breath when the cut. 
 tain falls." 
 
 " I have re-read it with great interest, and think as highly of it 
 as ever. , , , The characterization in it is capital, and the talk 
 wonderfully well done from first to last." 
 
 u The new No Name is enchanting. It transcends the ordinary 
 novel just as much as a true poem by a true poet transcends the 
 thousand and one imitations. ... It is the episode, however, of 
 Miss Conroy and Mrs. Brandon that is really of most importance 
 in this book. ... I hope every woman who reads this will be 
 tempted to read the book, and that she will in her turn bring it to 
 the reading of other women, especially if she can find any Mrs, 
 Brandon in her circle." 
 
 In one volume, i6mo, bound in green doth, black and gilt let 
 tered. Price $1.00. ^ 
 
 Our publications art to be had of all Booksellers. Who* 
 mot to be founds send directly tc 
 
 ROBERTS BROTHERS. Boffrua 
 
* Messrs. Roberts Brothers 9 Publications. 
 
 ■ • • i ■ - ■ . 
 
 Cj>e $j JJamt (Stfoni?) &mcs. • 
 
 THE COLONELS OPERA CLOAK. 
 
 "A Jollier, brighter, breezier, more entertaining book than 'The Colonel's 
 Opera Cloak ' has not been published for mar.y a day. We defy the coldest* 
 blooded reader to lay it down before it is finished, or to read it through without 
 feeling his time well spent. There it plenty of satire in its pages, but it is good* 
 natured satire. The characters are sharply drawn — some of them from nature, 
 we fancy — and there is spice enough in the way of incident to satisfy the most 
 exacting palate. Of course, everybody will read it, and, in that presumption, we 
 promise everybody two hours of thorough enjoyment." — Baton Transcript* 
 
 "The No Name Series abounds in contrasts, and that between • Signor Mo- 
 naldini's Niece' and the present story is among the most decided it has offered 
 This we do not mention by way of disparagement. On the contrary, we can see 
 • distinctive merit in a series which includes so much variety of aim and interest 
 as this does, without any regard for the conventional demand that a succession of 
 stories in the same binding should all be of one school and in something the same 
 tone. We can see why an admirer of the last novel may at first be taken aback 
 by the light tone of this, and in so far disappointed ; but we shall expend no 
 sympathy on that person. 'The Colonel's Opera Cloak' is a bright and 
 thoroughly alluring little book, with which it would be foolish to find fault on any 
 '-core. And, more than that, it is well written and brimming over with wit. 
 The notion of a story in which there is avowedly no hero or heroine excepting an 
 old opera cloak, 's clever, and, so far as we know, quite new. . . . We can 
 usure every one who wishes the double pleasure of laughter and literary enjoy- 
 ment, that this is one of the books to carry to the country." — Boston Courier. 
 
 "The author's touch is always that of tin artist ; it always has the magic power 
 of portraying individual men and women, never giving us shadowy outlines, how- 
 ever few or harried the strokes of the pencil may be, and saying this we say that 
 the author of 'The Colonel's Opera Cloak' has in large measure the best and 
 most necessary qualification for doing really fine work in fiction. If he is still 
 young, a.* certain things in his story indicate that he is, his future efforts may well 
 be looked ior uopefully." —A'. Y. Evening Post. 
 
 In one volume. i6mo. Green cloth. Price $1.00. 
 
 Our publications are to be had of all Booksellers. When 
 not to be found, send directly to 
 
 ROBERTS BROTHERS, Pubushers,- 
 
 BOSTON. 
 
 1 
 
^W 
 
 14 DAY USE 
 
 RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED 
 
 LOAN DEPT. 
 
 This book is due on the last date stamped below, 
 or on the date to which renewed. Renewals only: 
 
 Tel. No. 642-3405 
 Renewals may be made 4 days prior to date due. 
 Renewed books are subject to immediate recall. 
 
 0^ 
 
 hectic, oil c<i 
 
 MM 6 1975 35 
 
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 *. 
 
 *KC»CHU NOV 6 75 
 
 !N TFRL1BRARY LOAN 
 
 JAW2 2 1H76 
 
 UNIV. OF CALIF., WfcRK. 
 
 REC C1R. FEB IS *76 
 
 MAY 3 1977 
 
 W 7^ 
 
 FtBlfi 
 
 ___ 
 
 LD21A-10m-8,'73 ' 
 (R1902S10)476 — A-31 
 
 General Library 
 
 University of California 
 
 Berkeley 
 
/3V;U 02863" 
 
 
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