UV-NRLF DflT GIFT OF ;FORD BACON ^t? ARY jgh excellence of their contents makes them desirable Lays and everywhere. The series will include the joicest productions of such authors as LMERSON, LOWELL, LONGFELLOW, HOLMES, WHITTIER, HOWELLS, HAWTHORNE, HARTE, ALDRICH, THOREAU, Id others of like fame. iThey are beautifully printed, and bound in flexible |>th covers, at a uniform price of FIFTY CENTS EACH. The first issues include : low-Bound. By JOHN GREKNLEAF WHITTIER. Illustrated. rangeline. By HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW. Illustrated. |>wer, Wealth, Illusions. Essays by RALPH WALDO EMERSON. lilture, Behavior, Beauty. Essays by RALPH WALDO EMERSON. lie Courtship of Miles Standish. By HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW. Illustrated. Iioch Arden. By ALFRED TENNYSON. Illustrated. athaniel Hawthorne. By JAMES T. FIELDS. Illustrated. I Day s Pleasure. By W. D. HOWELLS. Illus trated. JAMES R. OSGOOD & CO., PUBLISHERS, BOSTON. g THe, JPcurlor Ccur. FARCE. BY WILLIAM D. HOWELLS BOSTON: JAMES R. OSGOOD AND COMPANY, Late Ticknor & Fields, and Fields, Osgood, & Co, 1876. Copyright, W. D. HOWELLS. 58K9 University Press: Welch, Bigelow, & Co., Cambridge. THE PARLOR CAR. FARCE. SCENE : A Parlor Car on the New York Cen tral Railroad. It is late afternoon in the early autumn, with a cloudy sunset threaten ing rain. The car is unoccupied save by a gentleman, who sits fronting one of the win dows, ivith his feet in another chair ; a news paper lies across his lap ; his hat is drawn down over his eyes, and he is apparently asleep. The rear door of the car opens, and the conductor enters with a younq lady, */ -/ tx * heavily veiled, the porter coming after with her wraps and travelling -bam. The lady s 2821.36 4 CAR, air is of mingled anxiety and desperation^ with a certain fierceness of movement. She casts a careless glance over the empty chairs. ;ONDUCTOE. " Here s your J ticket, madam. You can have any of the places you like here, or/ glancing at the unconscious gentleman, and then at the young lady, " if you prefer, you can go and take that seat in the forward car." Miss LUCY GALBEAITH. " 0, I can t ride backwards. I ll stay here, please. Thank you/ The porter places her things in a chair by a win dow, across the car from the sleeping gentleman, and she throws herself wea- THE PARLOR CAR. 5 rily into the next seat, wheels round in it, and lifting her veil gazes absently out at the landscape. Her face, which is very pretty, with a low forehead shad owed by thick blond hair, shows the traces of tears. She makes search in her pocket for her handkerchief, which she presses to her eyes. The conductor, lingering a moment, goes out. PORTER. "I ll be right here, at de end of de cah, if you should happen to want anything, miss/ making a feint of arranging the shawls and satchels. " Should you like some dese things hung up ? "Well, dey 11 be jus as well in de chair. We s pretty late dis after- THE PARLOR CAR. noon ; more n four hours behin time. Ought to been into Albany fore dis. Freight train off de track jus dis side o Rochester, an had to wait. Was you goin to stop at Schenectady, miss ? " Miss G., absently. "At Schenec tady ? " After a pause, " Yes." PORTER. " Well, that s de next sta tion, and den de cahs don t stop ag in till dey git to Albany. Anything else I can do for you now, miss ? " Miss G. " No, no, thank you, noth ing." The porter hesitates, takes off his cap, and scratches his head with a murmur of embarrassment. Miss Gal- THE PARLOR CAR. 7 braith looks up at him inquiringly, and then suddenly takes out her porte-mon- naie and fees him. PORTER. "Thank you, miss, thank you. If you want anything at all, miss, I m right dere at de end of de cah." He goes out by the narrow passage-way beside the smaller enclosed parlor. Miss Galbraith looks askance at the sleeping gentleman, and then, rising, goes to the large mirror, to pin her veil, which has become loosened from her hat. She gives a little start at sight of the gentleman in the mirror, but arranges her head-gear, and returning to her place looks out of the window 8 THE PARLOft CAR. again. After a little while she moves about uneasily in her chair, then leans forward and tries to raise her window ; she lifts it partly up, when the catch slips from her fingers and the window falls shut again with a crash. Miss G. " dear, how provoking ! I suppose I must call the porter." She rises from her seat, but on attempting to move away she finds that the skirt of her polonaise has been caught in the falling window. She pulls at it, and then tries to lift the window again, but the cloth has wedged it in, and she can not stir it. " Well, I certainly think this is beyond endurance ! Porter ! THE PARLOR CAR. 9 Ah, porter ! 0, he 11 never hear me in the racket that these wheels are making ! I wish they d stop, I " The gentleman stirs in his cltair, lifts his head, listens, takes his feet down from the other seat, rises abruptly, and comes to Miss Galbraith s side. MR. ALLEN RICHARDS. " Will you allow me to open the window for you?" Starting back, "Miss Gal- braith ! " Miss G. "Al Mr. Richards!" There is a silence for some moments, in which they remain looking at each other ; then, MR. RICHARDS. " Lucy " 10 THE PARLOR CAR. Miss G. " I forbid you to address me in that way, Mr. Richards." MR. R. " Why, you were just going to call me Allen ! " Miss G. " That was an accident, you know very well, an impulse " MR. E. " Well, so is this/ Miss G. " Of which you ought to be ashamed to take advantage. I wonder at your presumption in speak ing to me at all. It s quite idle, I can assure you. Everything is at an end between us. It seems that I bore with you too long ; but I m thankful that I had the spirit to act at last, and to act in time. And now that chance has THE PAELOE CAE. H thrown us together, I trust that you will not force your conversation upon me. No gentleman would, and I have always given you credit for thinking yourself a gentleman. I request that you will not speak to me." ME. K. " You ve spoken ten words to me for every one of mine to you. But I won t annoy you. I can t be lieve it, Lucy ; I can not believe it. It seems like some rascally dream, and if I had had any sleep since it happened, I should think I had dreamed it." Miss G. " Oh ! You were sleeping soundly enough when I got into the car ! " 12 THE PARLOR CAR. MR. R. " I own it ; I was perfectly used up, and I had dropped off." Miss G., scornfully. " Then perhaps you have dreamed it." MR. E. " I 11 think so till you tell me again that our engagement is broken ; that the faithful love of years is to go for nothing ; that you dismiss me with cruel insult, without one word of explanation, without a word of in telligible accusation, even. It s too much ! I ve been thinking it all over and over, and I can t make head or tail of it. I meant to see you again as soon as we got to town, and implore you to hear me. Come, it s a mighty THE PARLOR CAR. 13 serious matter, Lucy. I m not a man to put on heroics and that ; but / be lieve it 11 play the very deuce with me, Lucy, that is to say, Miss Galbraith, I do indeed. It 11 give me a low opinion of woman/ Miss G., averting her face. "0, a very high opinion of woman you have had ! " MR. E., with sentiment. "Well, there was one woman whom I thought a perfect angel." Miss G. " Indeed ! May I ask her name ? " MR. E., with a forlorn smile. " I shall be obliged to describe her some what formally as Miss Galbraith/ 14 THE PARLOR, CAR. Miss G. " Mr. Richards ! " MR. E. " Why, you ve just forbid den me to say Lucy ! You must tell me, dearest, what I have done to offend you. The worst criminals are not con demned unheard, and I ve always thought you were merciful if not just. And now I only ask you to be just/ Miss G., looking out of the win dow. "You know very well what you ve done. You can t expect me to humiliate myself by putting your of fence into words." MR. R. "Upon my soul, I don t know what you mean ! I don t know what I ve done. When you came at THE PARLOR CAR,. 15 me, last night, with my ring and pres ents and other little traps, yon might have knocked me down with the light est of the lot. I was perfectly dazed; I could n t say anything before you were off, and all I could do was to hope that you d be more like yourself in the morning. And in the morning, when I came round to Mrs. Phillips s, I found you were gone, and I came after you by the next train/ Miss G. "Mr. Richards, your per sonal history for the last twenty-four hours is a matter of perfect indifference to me, as it shall be for the next twenty-four hundred years. I see that 16 THE PARLOR CAR. you are resolved to annoy me, and since you will not leave the car, / must do so." She rises haughtily from her seat, but the imprisoned skirt of her polonaise twitches her abruptly back into her chair. She bursts into tears. " 0, what shall I do ? " MR. B., dryly. " You shall do what ever you like, Miss Galbraith, when I Ve set you free ; for I see your dress is caught in the window. When it s once out, I ll shut the window, and you can call the porter to raise it." He leans forward over her chair, and while she shrinks back the length of her tether, he tugs at the window-fast- THE PARLOR CAR. 17 ening. "I can t get at it. Would you be so good as to stand up, all you can ? " Miss Galbraith stands up, droopingly, and Mr. Richards makes a movement towards her, and then falls back. "No, that won t do. Please sit down again." He goes round her chair and tries to get at the window from that side. " I can t get any pur chase on it. Why don t you cut out that piece ? " Miss Galbraith stares at him in dumb amazement. "Well, I don t see what we re to do. I ll go and get the porter." He goes to the end of the car, and returns. " I can t find the porter, he must be in one of 18 THE PARLOR CAR. the other cars. But" brightening with the fortunate conception "I \e just thought of something. Will it unbutton ? " Miss G. "Unbutton?" MR. E. "Yes; this garment of yours." Miss G. " My polonaise ?" Inquir ingly, "Yes." MR. E. "Well, then, it s a very simple matter. If you will just take it off I can easily " Miss G., faintly. " I can t. A polo naise is n t like an overcoat " MR. E., with dismay. " Oh ! Well, then " He remains thinking a mo ment in hopeless perplexity. THE PARLOR CAR. 19 Miss G., with polite ceremony. " The porter will be back soon. Don t trouble yourself any further about it, please. I shall do very well." MR. R, without heeding her. " If you could kneel on that foot-cushion and face the window " Miss G., kneeling promptly. " So ? " MR. E. " Yes, and now " kneel ing beside her " if you 11 allow me to to get at the window catch/ he stretches both arms forward ; she shrinks from his right into his left, and then back again, "and pull, while I raise the window " Miss G. " Yes, yes ; but do hurry, 20 THE PARLOR CAR. please. If any one saw us, I don t know what they would think. It s perfectly ridiculous ! " pulling. " It s caught in the corner of the window, between the frame and the sash, and it won t come ! Is my hair troubling you ? Is it in your eyes ? " MR. E. "It s in my eyes, but it isn t troubling me. Am I inconven iencing you ? J Miss G. " 0, not at all." MR. E. "Well, now then, pull hard ! J He lifts the window with a great effort; the polonaise comes free with a start, and she strikes violently against him. In supporting the shock THE PARLOR CAR. 21 he cannot forbear catching her for an instant to his heart. She frees herself, and starts indignantly to her feet. Miss G. " 0, what a cowardly subterfuge ! " MR. E. " Cowardly? You ve no idea how much courage it took/ Miss Galbraith puts her handkerchief to her face,, and sobs. " 0, don t cry ! Bless my heart, I m sorry I did it ! But you know how dearly I love you, Lucy, though I do think you ve been cruelly unjust. I told you I never should love any one else, and I never shall. I could n t help it, upon my soul I could n t. Nobody could. Don t let it vex you, my " He approaches her. 22 THE PARLOR CAR. Miss G. " Please not touch me, sir ! You have no longer any right what ever to do so." MR. K. "You misinterpret a very inoffensive gesture. I have no idea of touching you, but I hope I may be allowed, as a special favor, to pick up my hat, which you are in the act of stepping on." Miss Galbraith has tily turns, and strikes the hat with her whirling skirts; it rolls to the other side of the parlor, and Mr. Richards, who goes after it, utters an ironical " Thanks ! " He brushes it and puts it on, looking at her where she has again seated herself at the window THE PARLOR CAR. 23 with her back to him, and continues, "As for any further molestation from me" Miss G. "If you will talk to me " MR. E. " Excuse me, I am not talking to you." Miss G. " What were you doing?" MR. E. " I was beginning to think aloud. I I was soliloquizing. I suppose I may be allowed to solilo quize?" Miss G., very coldly. "You can do what you like." MR. E. " Unfortunately that s just what I can t do. If I could do as I 24 THE PAULOK, CAR. liked, I should ask you a single ques tion/ Miss G., after a moment. "Well, sir, you may ask your question." She remains as before, with her chin in her hand, looking tearfully out of the win dow ; her face is turned from Mr. Rich ards, who hesitates a moment before he speaks. ME. E. "I wish to ask you just this, Miss Galbraith : if you could n t ride backwards in the other car, why do you ride backwards in this?" Miss G., burying her face in her handkerchief, and sobbing. " Oh, oh, oh! This is too bad!" THE PARLOR CAR. 25 MR. E. " 0, come now, Lucy. It breaks my heart to hear you going on so, and all for nothing. Be a little merciful to both of us, and listen to me. I ve no doubt I can explain everything if I once understand it, but it s pretty hard explaining a thing if you don t understand it yourself. Do turn round. I know it makes you sick to ride in that way, and if you don t want to face me there ! " wheeling in his chair so as to turn his back upon her " you need n t. Though it s rather trying to a fellow s politeness, not to mention his other feelings. Now, what in the name " 26 THE PARLOR CAR. PORTER, who at this moment enters with his step-ladder, and begins to light the lamps. " Going pretty slow ag in, sah." MR. E. "Yes; what s the trouble?" PORTER. " Well, I don t know ex actly, sah. Something de matter with de locomotive. We sha n t be into Albany much fore eight o clock." MR. E. " What s the next sta tion?" PORTER. " Schenectady." MR. E. "Is the whole train as empty as this car?" PORTER, laughing. " Well, no, sah. Fact is, dis cah don t belong on dis THE PARLOR CAR. 27 train. It s a Pullman that we hitched on when you got in, and we s taking it along for one of de Eastern roads. We let you in cause de Draw ing-rooms was all full. Same with de lady/ looking sympathetically at her, as he takes up his steps to go out. " Can I do anything for you now, miss ? " Miss G., plaintively. "No, thank you; nothing whatever/ She has turned while Mr. Richards and the porter have been speaking, and now faces the back of the former, but her veil is drawn closely. The porter goes out. MR. E., wheeling round so as to 28 THE PARLOR CAR. confront her. "I wish you would speak to me half as kindly as you do to that darky, Lucy/" Miss G. "He is a gentleman!" MR. R. " He is an urbane and well- informed nobleman. At any rate, he s a man and a brother. But so am I." Miss Galbraith does not reply, and after a pause Mr. Richards resumes. "Talking of gentlemen, I recollect, once, coming up on the day-boat to Poughkeepsie, there was a poor devil of a tipsy man kept following a young fellow about, and annoying him to death, trying to fight him, as a tipsy man will, and insisting that the young THE PARLOR CAR. 29 fellow had insulted him. By and by he lost his balance and went overboard, and the other jumped after him and fished him out." Sensation on the part of Miss Galbraith, who stirs un easily in her chair, looks out of the window, then looks at Mr. Richards, and drops her head. "There was a young lady on board, who had seen the whole thing, a very charming young lady indeed, with pale blond hair growing very thick over her fore head, and dark eyelashes to the sweet est blue eyes in the world. Well, this young lady s papa was amongst those who came up to say civil things to 30 THE PARLOR CAR. the young fellow when he got aboard again, and to ask the honor he said the honor of his acquaintance. And when he came out of his state-room in dry clothes, this infatuated old gentle man was waiting for him, and took him and introduced him to his wife and daughter. And the daughter said, with tears in her eyes, and a perfectly intoxicating impulsiveness, that it was the grandest and the most heroic and the noblest thing that she had ever seen, and she should always be a better girl for having seen it. Excuse me, Miss Galbraith, for troubling you with these facts of a personal history which, THE PARLOR CAB. 31 as you say, is a matter of perfect indif ference to you. The young fellow did n t think at the time he had done anything extraordinary; but I don t suppose he did expect to live to have the same girl tell him he was no gentleman/ Miss G., wildly. "0 Allen, Al len ! You know I think you are a gentleman, and I always did ! J MR. E., languidly. " 0, I merely had your word for it, just now, that you didn t/ Tenderly, "Will you hear me, Lucy ? " Miss G., faintly. "Yes." MR. E. "Well, what is it I ve 32 THE PARLOR CAR. done? Will you tell me if I guess right?" Miss G., with dignity. "I am in no humor for jesting, Allen. And I can assure you that though I consent to hear what you have to say, or ask, nothing will change my determination. All is over between us." MR. E. "Yes, I understand that perfectly. I am now asking merely for general information. I do not ex pect you to relent, and in fact I should consider it rather frivolous if you did. No. What I have always admired in your character, Lucy, is a firm, logical consistency ; a clearness of mental THE PARLOB, CAR. 33 vision that leaves no side of a subject unsearched ; and an unwavering con stancy of purpose. You may say that these traits are characteristic of all women ; but they are pre-eminently characteristic of you, Lucy." Miss Gal- braith looks askance at him, to make out whether he is in earnest or not ; he continues, with a perfectly serious air. " And I know now that if you re offended with me, it s for no trivial cause." She stirs uncomfortably in her chair. " What I have done I can t imagine, but it must be something monstrous, since it has made life with me appear so impossible that you are 34 THE PARLOR CAR. ready to fling away your own happi ness for I know you did love me, Lucy and destroy mine. I wall be gin with the worst thing I can think of. Was it because I danced so much with Fanny Watervliet?" Miss G., indignantly. " How can you insult me by supposing that I could be jealous of such a perfect little goose as that? No, Allen! What ever I think of you, I still respect you too much for that" MR. E. "I m glad to hear that there are yet depths to which you think me incapable of descending, and that Miss Watervliet is one of them. I THE PARLOR CAR. 35 will now take a little higher ground. Perhaps you think I flirted with Mrs. Dawes. I thought, myself, that the thing might begin to have that ap pearance, but I give you my word of honor that as soon as the idea occurred to me, I dropped her, rather rudely, too. The trouble was, don t you know, that I felt so perfectly safe with a mar ried friend of yours. I couldn t be hanging about you all the time, and I was afraid I might vex you if I went with the other girls ; and I did n t know what to do." Miss G. "I think you behaved rather silly, giggling so much with Vpr "Rnf 36 THE PA11LOH CAR. ME. E. " I own it, I know it was silly. But " Miss G. "It wasn t that; it was n t that ! " Mr. E. "Was it my forgetting to bring you those things from your mother ? " Miss G. "No!" ME. E. " Was it because I had n t given up smoking yet?" Miss G. "You know I never asked you to give up smoking. It was en tirely your own proposition." ME. E. "That s true. That s what made me so easy about it. I knew I could leave it off any time. THE PARLOR CAR. 37 Well, I will not disturb you any longer, Miss Galbraith." He throws his over coat across his arm, and takes up his travelling-bag. "I have failed to guess your fatal conundrum; and I have no longer any excuse for remaining. I am going into the smoking-car. Shall I send the porter to you for anything ? " Miss G. " No, thanks." She puts up her handkerchief to her face. MR. B. "Lucy, do you send me away ? " Miss G., behind her handkerchief. "You were going, yourself." MR. E., over his shoulder. "Shall I come back ? " THE PARLOll CAIl. Miss G. "I have no right to drive you from the car." MR. B., coming back, and sitting down in the chair nearest her. " Lucy, dearest, tell me what s the mat ter/ Miss G. "0, Allen, your not knowing makes it all the more hopeless and killing. It shows me that we must part; that you would go on, breaking my heart, and grinding me into the dust as long as we lived." She sobs. "It shows me that you never understood me, and you never will. I know you re good and kind and all that, but that only makes THE PARLOR CAR,. 39 your not understanding me so much the worse. I do it quite as much for your sake as my own, Allen." MR. R. " I d. much rather you would n t put yourself out on my ac count." Miss G., without regarding him. "If you could mortify me before a whole roomful of people as you did last night, what could I expect after marriage but continual insult ? " MR. E._, in amazement. "How did I mortify you? I thought that I treated you with all the tenderness and affection that a decent regard for the feelings of others would allow. I 40 THE PARLOR CAR. was ashamed to find I could n t keep away from you." Miss G. " 0, you were attentive enough, Allen; nobody denies that. Attentive enough in non - essentials. yes ! " MR. E. " Well, what vital matters did I fail in ? I m sure I can t re member." Miss G. " I dare say ! I dare say they won t appear vital to you, Allen. Nothing does. And if I had told you, 1 should have been met with ridicule, I suppose. But I knew better than to tell ; I respected myself too much." MR. E. " But now you must n t THE PARLOR CAR. 41 respect yourself quite so much, dearest. And I promise you I won t laugh at the most serious thing. I m in no humor for it. If it were a matter of life and death, even, I can assure you that it wouldn t bring a smile to my countenance. No, indeed ! If you ex pect me to laugh, now, you must say something particularly funny." Miss G. " I was not going to say anything funny y as you call it, and I will say nothing at all, if you talk in that way." MR. R. "Well, I won t, then. But do you know what I suspect, Lucy ? I would n t mention it to 42 THE PARLOR CAR. everybody, but I will to you in strict confidence : I suspect that you re rather ashamed of your grievance, if you have any. I suspect it s nothing at all/ Miss G., very sternly at first, with a rising hysterical inflection. " Noth ing, Allen ! Do you call it nothing, to have Mrs. Dawes come out with all that about your accident on your way up the river, and ask me if it did n t frighten me terribly to hear of it, even after it was all over; and I had to say you had n t told me a word of it ? Why, Lucy ! " an grily mimicking Mrs. Dawes, - " you THE PARLOR CAR. 43 must teach him better than that. I make Mr. Dawes tell me everything/ Little simpleton ! And then to have them all laugh, dear, it s too much ! " MR. R. "Why, my dear Luey- Miss G., interrupting him. " I saw just how it was going to be, and I m thankful, thankful that it happened. I saw that you did n t care enough for me to take me into your whole life; that you despised and distrusted me, and that it would get worse and worse to the end of our days ; that we should grow further and further apart, and I should be left moping at 44 THE PARLOR CAR. home, while you ran about making confidantes of other women whom you considered worthy of your confidence. It all flashed upon me in an instant; and I resolved to break with you, then and there ; and I did, just as soon as ever I could go to my room for your things, and I m glad, yes, hu, hu, hu, hu, hu ! so glad I did it ! " MR. E., grimly. " Your joy is ob vious. May I ask " Miss G. " 0, it was n t the first proof you had given me how little you really cared for me, but I was deter mined it should be the last. I dare say you Ve forgotten them ! I dare THE PARLOR CAR. 45 say you don t remember telling Mamie Morris that you did n t like crocheted cigar-cases, when you d just told me that you did, and let me be such a fool as to commence one for you ; but I m thankful to say that went into the fire, O yes, instantly ! And I dare say you ve forgotten that you did n t tell me your brother s engage ment was to be kept, and let me come out with it that night at the Budges and then looked perfectly aghast, so that everybody thought I had been blabbing ! Time and again, Allen, you have made me suffer agonies, yes, ago nies ; but your power to do so is at 46 THE PARLOR CAR. an end. I am free and happy at last." She weeps bitterly. MR. K., quietly. " Yes, I ha d for gotten those crimes, and I suppose many similar atrocities. I own it, I am forgetful and careless. I was wrong about those things. I ought to hare told you why I said that to Miss Morris; I was afraid she was going to work me one. As to that accident I told Mrs. Dawes of, it wasn t worth mentioning. Our boat simply walked over a sloop in the night, and nobody was hurt. I should n t have thought twice about it, if she had n t happened to brag of their THE PARLOE CAR. 47 passing close to an iceberg on their way home from Europe ; then I trotted out my pretty-near disaster as a match for hers, confound her ! I wish the iceberg had sunk them ! Only it would n t have sunk her, she s so light ; she d have gone bobbing about all over the Atlantic Ocean, like a cork ; she s got a perfect life-preserver in that mind of hers/ Miss Galbraith gives a little laugh, and then a little moan. "But since you are happy, I will not repine, Miss Galbraith. I don t pretend to be very happy myself, but then, I don t deserve it. Since you are ready to let an absolutely unconscious offence on 48 THE PARLOR CAR. my part cancel all the past ; since you let my devoted love weigh as nothing against the momentary pique that a malicious little rattle-pate she was vexed at my leaving her could make you feel, and choose to gratify a wicked resentment at the cost of any suffering to me, why, / can be glad and happy, too." With rising anger, " Yes, Miss Galbraith. All is over between us. You can go ! I renounce you ! " Miss G., springing fiercely to her feet. " Go, indeed ! Renounce me ! Be so good as to remember that you have n t got me to renounce ! >J MR. E. "Well, it s all the same THE PARLOR CAR. 49 thing. I d renounce you if I had. Good evening, Miss Galbraith. I will send back your presents as soon as I get to town ; it won t be necessary to acknowledge them. I hope we may never meet again/ He goes out of the door towards the front of the car, but returns directly, and glances un easily at Miss Galbraith, who remains with her handkerchief pressed to her eyes. "Ah a that is I shall be obliged to intrude upon you again. The fact is " Miss G., anxiously. "Why, the cars have stopped ! Are we at Schenec- tady ? " 50 THE PAELOft CAR. MR. R. " Well, no ; not exactly ; not exactly at Sekeneciady " Miss G. "Then what station is this ? Have they carried me by ? n Observing his embarrassment, " Allen, what is the matter? What has hap pened ? Tell me instantly ! Are we off the track ? Have we run into another train ? Have we broken through a bridge ? Shall we be burnt alive ? Tell me, Allen, tell me, I can bear it ! are we telescoped ? " She wrings her hands in terror. MR. E., unsympathetically. " Noth ing of the kind has happened. This car has simply come uncoupled, and THE PARLOR CAR. 51 the rest of the train has gone on ahead, and left us standing on the track, no where in particular." He leans back in his chair, and wheels it round from her. Miss G., mortified, yet anxious. "Well?" MR. R. " Well, until they miss us, and run back to pick us up, I shall be obliged to ask your indulgence. I will try not to disturb you ; I would go out and stand on the platform, but it s raining." Miss G., listening to the rain-fall on the roof. " Why, so it is!" Tim idly, " Did you notice when the car stopped ? r 52 THE PARLOll CAR. MR. E. " No." He rises and goes out at the rear door, comes back, and sits down again. Miss G. rises and goes to the large mirror to wipe away her tears. She glances at Mr. Richards, who does not move. She sits down in a seat nearer him than the chair she has left. After some faint murmurs and hesitations, she asks, " Will you please tell me why you went out just now ? " MR. E., with indifference. " Yes. I went to see if the rear signal was out." Miss G., after another hesitation. " Why ? " MR. E. " Because, if it was n t out, THE PARLOR CAR. 53 some train might run into us from that direction." Miss G., tremulously. " Oh ! And was it ? " MR. E., dryly. "Yes." Miss G. returns to her former place, with a wounded air, and for a moment neither speaks. Finally she asks very meekly, " And there $ no danger from the front ? " MR. E., coldly. "No." Miss G., after some little noises and movements meant to catch Mr. E/s at tention. " Of course, I never meant to imply that you were intentionally care less or forgetful." 54 THE PARLOR CAR. MR. B., still very coldly. "Thank Miss G. " I always did justice to your good-heartedness, Allen; you re perfectly lovely that way ; and I know that you would be sorry if you knew you had wounded my feelings, however accidentally." She droops her head so as to catch a sidelong glimpse of his face, and sighs, while she nervously pinches the top of her parasol, resting the point on the floor. Mr. B. makes no answer. " That about the cigar-case might have been a mistake ; I saw that myself, and, as you explain it, why, it was certainly very kind and very credit- THE PARLOR CAR. 55 able to to your thoughtfulness. It was thoughtful ! j MR. R. "I am grateful for your good opinion/ Miss G. " But do you think it was exactly it was quite nice, not to tell me that your brother s engagement was to be kept, when you know, Allen, I can t bear to blunder in such things ? " Tenderly, " Do you ? You can t say it was ? J MR. E. " I never said it was/ Miss G., plaintively. "No, Allen. That s what I always admired in your character. You always owned up. Don t you think it s easier for men to own up than it is for women ? J 56 THE PARLOR CAR. MR. E. "I don t know. I never knew any woman to do it." Miss G. "0 yes, Allen! You know I often own up." MR. E. "No, I don t." Miss G. " 0, how can you bear to say so ? When I m rash, or anything of that kind, you know I acknowledge it." MR. E. "Do you acknowledge it now ? " Miss G. " Why, how can I, when I have n t been rash ? What have I been rash about ? " MR. E. "About the cigar-case, for example." THE PARLOE CAR. 57 Miss G. " Oh ! That ! That was a great while ago ! I thought you meant something quite recent." A sound as of the approaching train is heard in the distance. She gives a start, and then leaves her chair again for one a little nearer his. "I thought perhaps you meant about last night." MR.E. "Well?" Miss G., very judicially. "I don t think it was rash, exactly. No, not rash. It might not have been very kind not to to trust you more, when I knew that you didn t mean anything ; but No, I took the only course I could. JVobody could have 58 THE PARLOR CAR. done differently under the circum stances. But if I caused you any pain, I m very sorry ; yes, very sorry indeed. But I was not precipitate, and I know I did right. At least I tried *to act for the best. Don t you believe I did?" MR. R. "Why, if you have no doubt upon the subject, my opinion is of no consequence." Miss G. "Yes. But what do you think ? If you think differently, and can make me see it differently, ought n t you to do so ? " MR. R. " I don t see why. As you say, all is over between us." THE PARLOR CAR. 59 Miss G. " Yes." After a pause, "I should suppose you would care enough for yourself to wish me to look at the matter from the right point of view." MR. K. "I don t." Miss G., becoming more and more uneasy as the noise of the approaching train grows louder. " I think you have been very quick with me at times, quite as quick as I could have been with you last night." The noise is more distinctly heard. "Pm sure that if I could once see it as you do, no one would be more willing to do any thing in their power to atone for their 60 THE PARLOR CAR. rashness. Of course I know that every thing is over." MR. R. "As to that, I have your word ; and, in view of the fact, perhaps this analysis of motive, of character, however interesting on general grounds, is a little " Miss G., with sudden violence. "Say it, and take your revenge! I have put myself at your feet, and you do right to trample on me ! 0, this is what women may expect when they trust to men s generosity ! Well, it is over now, and I m thankful, thankful ! Cruel, suspicious, vindictive, you re all alike, and I m glad that I m no THE PAELOR CAR. 61 longer subject to your heartless ca prices. And I don t care what hap pens after this, I shall always Oh ! You re sure it s from the front, Allen? Are you sure the rear signal is out?" MR. R., relenting. " Yes, but if it will ease your mind, I 11 go and look again." He rises and starts towards the rear door. Miss G., quickly. " no ! Don t go! I can t bear to be left alone!" The sound of the approaching train continually increases in volume. "O, is n t it coming very, very, very fast?" 62 THE PARLOR CAR. MR. E. "No, no! Don t be frightened." Miss G., running towards the rear door. " 0, I must get out ! It will kill me, I know it will. Come with me ! Do, do ! " He runs after her, and her voice is heard at the rear of the car. "0, the outside, door is locked, and we are trapped, trapped, trapped ! O, quick! Let s try the door at the other end." They re-enter the parlor, and the roar of the train announces that it is upon them. " No, no ! It s too late, it s too late! I m a wicked, wicked girl, and this is all to punish me! 0, it s coming, it s coming at THE PARLOR CAR. 63 full speed ! " He remains bewildered, confronting her. She utters a wild cry, and, as the train strikes the car with a violent concussion, she flings herself into his arms. " There, there ! For give me, Allen ! Let us die together, my own, own love ! " She hangs fainting on his breast. Voices are heard without, and after a little de lay the porter comes in with a lantern. PORTER. "Rather more of a jah than we meant to give you, sah ! We had to run down pretty quick after we missed you, and the rain made the track a little slippery. Lady much fright ened?" 64 THE PARLOR CAR. Miss G., disengaging herself. " 0, not at all! Not in the least. We thought it was a train coming from behind, and going to run into us, and so we I " PORTER. " Not quite so bad as that. "We 11 be into Schenectady in a few minutes, miss. I 11 come for your things/ He goes out at the other door. Miss G., in a fearful whisper. " Al len ! What will he ever think of us ? I m sure he saw us ! " MR. E. " I don t know what he 11 think now. He did think you were frightened ; but you told him you were THE PARLOR CAR. 65 not. However, it is n t important what he thinks. Probably he thinks I m your long-lost brother. It had a kind of familiar look."" MissG. " Ridiculous!" MR. R. "Why, he d never sup pose that I was a jilted lover of yours ! " Miss G., ruefully. " No." MR. R. "Come, Lucy/ taking her hand, " you wished to die with me, a moment ago. Don t you think you can make one more effort to live with me? I won t take advantage of words spoken in mortal peril, but I suppose you were in earnest when you 66 THE PARLOR CAR. called me your own own " Her head droops ; lie folds her in his arms, a moment, then she starts away from him, as if something had suddenly oc curred to her. Miss G. " Allen, where are you going? MR. E. " Going ? Upon my soul, I haven t the least idea/ Miss G. " Where were you going ? " MR. E. "0, I was going to Albany/ 3 Miss G. " "Well, don t! Aunt Mary is expecting me here at Schenectady, I telegraphed her, and I want you to stop here, too, and we 11 refer the THE PARLOR CAR. 67 whole matter to her. She s such a wise old head. I m not sure " MR. E. "What?" Miss G., demurely. "That I m good enough for you." MR. E., starting, in burlesque of her movement, as if a thought had struck him. " Lucy ! how came you on this train when you left Syracuse on the morning express ? " Miss G., faintly. " I waited over a train at Utica." She sinks into a chair and averts her face. MR. E. " May I ask why ? " Miss G., more faintly still. " I don t like to tell. I " 68 THE PARLOR CAR. MR. E., coining and standing in front of her, with his hands in his pockets. "Look me in the eye, Lucy ! " She drops her veil over her face, and looks up at him. " Did you did you expect to find me on this train?" Miss G. " I was afraid it never would get along, it was so late ! " MR. E. " Don t tergiversate/ Miss G. "Don t what?" MR. E. "Fib." MissG. "Not for worlds!" MR. E. " How did you know I was in this car ? " Miss G. "Must I? I thought I THE PARLOR CAR. 69 saw you through the window ; and then I made sure it was you when I went to pin my veil on, I saw you in the mirror." MR. K., after a little silence. "Miss Galbraith, do you want to know what you are ? " Miss G., softly. " Yes, Allen/ MR. E. " You re a humbug ! " Miss G., springing from her seat, and confronting him. " So are you ! You pretended to be asleep ! " MR. R. "I I I was taken by surprise. I had to take time to think." MissG. "So did I." 70 THE PARLOR CAR. MR. E. " And you thought it would be a good plan to get your polonaise caught in the window ? " Miss G., hiding her face on his shoulder. "No, no, Allen! That I never will admit. No woman would ! " MR. E. " 0, I dare say ! " After a pause : " Well, I am a poor, weak, helpless man, with no one to advise me or counsel me, and I have been cruelly deceived. How could you, Lucy, how could you? I can never get over this." He drops his head upon her shoulder. V Miss G., starting away again and looking about the car. " Allen, I have THE PAULOE CAR. 71 an idea ! Do you suppose Mr. Pullman could be induced to sell this car ? " MR. R. "Why?" Miss G. "Why, because I think it s perfectly lovely, and I should like to live in it always. It could be fitted up for a sort of summer-house, don t you know, and we could have it in the garden, and you could smoke in it." MR. R. " Admirable ! It would look just like a travelling photographic saloon. No, Lucy, we won t buy it ; we will simply keep it as a precious souvenir, a sacred memory, a beautiful dream, and let it go on fulfilling its destiny all the same." 72 THE PARLOR CAR. PORTER, entering and gathering up Miss Galbraith s things. " Be at Sche- nectady in half a minute, miss. Won t have much time." Miss G., rising and adjusting her dress, and then looking about the car, while she passes her hand through her lover s arm. " O, I do hate to leave it. Farewell, you dear, kind, good, lovely car ! May you never have another acci dent ! " She kisses her hand to the car, upon which they both look back as they slowly leave it. MR. R., kissing his hand in like manner. "Good by, sweet chariot! May you never carry any but bridal couples ! " Hn Cf^R;.; to Miss G. " Or engaged ones ! " MR. E. " Or husbands going home to their wives ! y Miss G. "Or wives hastening to their husbands." MR. E. "Or young ladies who have waited one train over, so as to be with the young men they hate." Miss G. "Or young men who are so indifferent that they pretend to be asleep when the young ladies come in ! " They pause at the door and look back again. " And must I leave thee, Par adise ? " They both kiss their hands to the car again, and, their faces being very close together, they impulsively 74 kiss each other. Then Miss Galbraith throws back her head, and solemnly confronts him. " Only think, Allen ! If this car had n t broken its engage ment, we might never have mended ours/ Cambridge : Printed by Welch, Bigelow, & Co. WORKS OF W. D. HOWELLS " The perfect art and charm of Mr. Ho7uells, as a prose . ... In his poems -we find, -with one great exception, the. admirable traits which constitute the flavor and the witch his prose, the select and graceful thought, the atmosph high mental associations, the tone of urbanity and cosmop culture, the ^^ncrr^ng felicity of phrase, the delight in fresh, verbal hartnom es, everything, in short, but tha\ humor w/iich in his prose sentences is so constant, so unobtt and so delicious." Christian Union. VENETIAN LIFE. Including Commercial, S] Historical, and Artistic Notes of Venice. i2mo. $2.00. " Mr. Howells deserves a place in the first rank of AIT travellers. This volume thoroughly justifies its title ; it dc a true and vivid and almost a complete picture of Venetian" lij Pall Mall Gazette. "We know of no single word which will so fitly characteria Howells s new volume about Venice, as delightful. " American Review. ITALIAN JOURNEYS, i vol. i 2 mo. $2.00} " The reader who has gone over the ground which Mr. H i describes will be struck with the lifelike freshness and accj of his sketches, while he will admire the brilliant fancy whic cast a rich poetical coloring even around the prosaic highw^ ordinary travel. New York Tribitne, SUBURBAN SKETCHES, i vol. i2mo. Illusti $2.00. "A charming volume, full of fresh, vivacious, witty, ar every way, delightful pictures of life in the vicinity of a great Neiv York Observer. The parlor car 28^136 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY