THE ROBERT E. COWftN COLLECTION
PRKSKNTED TO THE
UNIVERSITY OF CHUFORNIfl W
C. P. HUNTINGTON
dUNE, 1897.
Recession No ^2/^y Class No.^T ' 7^
University of California Berkeley
REV. DR. HORATIO STEBBINS, of San Francisco, writes:
"Mr. Sumner's journey was through a land comparatively
me more than usual European journeys. The narrative has a r
longed to the company as a specially favored travelling companio
RIUHT REV. WM. INGRAHAM KIP, Bishop of California, TV
"An entertaining book on Northern Europe. It is a part
our millionaires would study Mr. Sumner's account of the public
"I hope we have not lost Mr. Sumner to California."
GOOD HEALTH, a monthly
published at Battle Creek,
Michigan, says:
"Books of travel are al-
most numberless, but we
have seldom perused a more
pleasing volume then Sum-
ner's 'Notes of Travel in
Northern Europe.' The
scenes of the sketches are
nearly all in Sweden; and
while the descriptions of
places are line, the accounts
of the manners and customs
of the people and their pub-
lic institutions are so vivid
and interesting that one
feels, while reading them,
as if he, too, \yere taking
a real bona Jtde journey
through Northern Europe.
The book is profusely illus-
trated with views, portraits,
maps and plans, engraved
expressly for the work."
HENRY GEORGE, the re-
nowned author of "Pro-
gress and Poverty," says
in a recent communication
DEPRECIATION
A PLAY IN FOUR ACTS.
PLACE, SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. : TIME, 1863 AND 1864,
BY DjE
r>. E. Ai>F>ju:EToisr <sc oo. T
: 7< v' and 5 10 Montgomery Street, San Francisco,
Publishers of "Appleton's Reciter,"
Containing-: Sharnus O'Brien The Vagabonds Flynn of Virginia
Beautiful Snow Bingt-n on the Rhine Sheridan's Ride Gray's
Elegy The Raven Barbara Frietchie- Bridge nf Sighs,
and numerous others of equal merit.
Stoxit oaa. rooeijDt of DPrico, 2S
FRANCIS, VALENTINE & Co., PRINTERS, 517 CLAY ST. AND 514 COMMERCIAL ST
December, 1864.
DEPEECIATION
A PLAY IN FOUR ACTS.
PLACE, SAN FRANCISCO, CAL, : TIME, 1863 AND 1864,
BY DE CHADO.
SAN FRANCISCO :
FRANCIS, VALENTINE & Co., PRINTERS, 517 CLAY ST. AND 514 COMMERCIAL ST.
December, 1861.
Entered, according to Act of Congress in the year of our Lord, eighteen hundred
and sixty-four,
BY CHARLES A. SttMNER,
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court, (U. S.,) First District of the State of Nevada.
DRAMATIS PERSONS.
ALFRED BRYAN, a stock broker.
HENRY BRYAN, elder (bachelor) brother of Alfred, very much inter-
ested in his brother's family.
ISAAC CURAL, an elderly gentleman, retired from business, with repu-
tation for wealth and respectability.
ARTHUR HASSARD, a young Lieut, of the California Volunteers.
MRS. ALFRED BRYAN.
MRS. COUCHING, an English woman, recently from Australia.
JANE MALLON, )
BRIDGET BURNS, x servants in the house of Bryan.
PATRICK DURKINS, )
MARGARET MAGARAGEL.
Brokers, Sharps and Flats, Policemen, etc.
THIS PLAT IS INSCRIBED
BY THE AUTHOR
TO HIS FRIEND, A TRUE ARTIST AS ACTOR AND DRAMATIST,
JOHN BEOUGHAM, ESQ.,
OF NEW-YORK CITY.
DEPRECIATION.
ACT I.
SCENE 1 San Francisco : a parlor, plainly furnished.
Enter LAURA. BRYAN, dressed for School, with satchel on her arm.
Laura "Why, where is Mama ? Dear me ! I believe she has gone off
to the store already ; and I meant to have asked her, before she went,
to buy green velvet braid for my new silk dress. It is so elegant on the
edge of the flounces ; it is perfectly splendid on Ellen Mason's new dress.
I'll warrant Charlotte has gone out with Mama, and they'll buy some-
thing that wo'nt suit me at all I know they will.
[Re-arranging books in Tier satchel.
Enter ELLEN MASON.
Laura Ah ! Ellen, you are just the girl I wanted to see this morning.
I wanted mother to notice how nice your new silk dress looked with the
green velvet braid. Mother has gone out to buy me a new dress, and I
know I could persuade her to have it trimmed with green velvet edging
if she only saw how nice your dress looked with the braid of that color !
Let us go 'round by Austin's store, on our way to school.
Ellen On our way to school ! Out of our way to school a mile or so,
and down and up a steep, long hill, in the bargain. Let us go to Aus-
tin's by way of the school. [Laughing.
Laura But we should certainly be in time to meet Mother and Char-
lotte at the store.
Ellen And then we should be very late at school. I can't be that,
Laura. Father says that if I do not have a tardy mark this term, he
will give me thirty feet in the " Early Dawn," all in my own name.
Laura 0, say! do you know that Father's "Gould & Curry" has
gone up to four thousand dollars a foot, and Mother read from the pa-
pers, this morning, that it had an " upward tendency." Just think of
it I And it only cost Father three hundred dollars a foot in the winter
of '62, Mama says.
Ellen How many feet has your father got ?
Laura Thirty feet. 0, we're rich I Mother is on the lookout for a
splendid house to rent, right off, or a fine site to build an elegant one on.
Father has ordered a new carriage, made expressly for us, with a stav-
ing team. We are going to commence living easy next week. Uncle
Henry says that we ought not to flare out big, all of a sudden, but that,
6 DEPRECIATION.
like Father's stocks, our style should have a gradual upward tendency;
but Mama says that we ought and shall go on our fortune at once. Will
you believe it: she didn't know that Father had any ''Gould & Curry"
until last week. Uncle Henry persuaded Father to keep the fact from
Mother ; but when it got to be thirty-eight hundred a foot bid, Father
couldn't stand the keeping of the secret any longer. 0, Ellen, won't we
have bu'sting fine times! I am to have six new first-class dresses at
once. High-toned, I tell you. 0, no, I guess not. Tain't us that '11 put
on airs. Uncle Henry says that we'll exhaust all the atmosphere in the
neighborhood. Mother is buying a best kind of silk to-day. This one
is to be made up, and if the cutting is well done, we shall continue to
employ the same woman as dress-maker. But, Ellen, Mother says that
your father has made a great fortune lately in the brokering business?
Ellen 0, yes. Father ain't a broker, you know; but then he hag
been dabbling in stocks a good deal for the last two years.
Laura What has he got? tell me.
Ellen 0, he has got lots of stock that is turning out well. He says,
or Mother says, he wouldn't sell out what he has for $100,000. He has
been offered $40,000 for his mining interests alone. And, then his store
profits have never been so great. You see he paid off all hin debts due
in 1861 and '62 in greenbacks. Mother says he nearly doubled his
actual pecuniary worth by that operation. You see, he buys for green-
backs, and- sells for coin. Mother says Father confesses he would have
"gone in" in 1863, but for the depreciation in greenbacks, and what he
made by paying old scores in them, which did not cost over seventy-five
or eighty cents on a dollar. And, do you know that there were a great
many in Father's predicament !
Laura No?
Ellen Yes, Mama says so. Papa has got fifty feet of "Del Monte,"
and the same amount of "Pond;" so, any way the case goes, between
them he is bound to have- a "good thing." Don't you see? ' Besides,
he has got any quantity of small stock, which is liable to turn up big any
day. Papa says everything was " wild-cat" once, and any of what is
"wild-cat" now may prove rich. But, come, it is time for us to be on
the way to school.
Laura Well, wait until I write a little note to Mama about the trim-
mings [taking a piece of paper out of her satchel, and sitting down to write.']
I will tell her that you will come over this evening in your new silk,
to let her see how you look in it. You'll come, won't you ?
Ellen 0, yes, I'll come, for I want a suit-pattern to my dress. (I over-
heard a young man say, yesterday, that he did like to see two pretty
girls walking Montgomery street dressed in the same style the same
cut and trimmings.) [Aside.
Laura Now I've got my letter written, I don't know where to leave
it.
Ellen Give it to the servant, and tell her to give it to your mother so
soon as she comes in.
Laura She'd forget it she always does until I come home in the
afternoon.
Ellen Leave it just sticking out of this big Bible.
DEPRECIATION. 7
Laura No, Mother would never notice it there. I'll go up stairs, and
stick it in the side of Mama's looking-glass ; she'll be sure to see it
there the first thing when she comes in. Come I [Exeunt.
[Enter MRS. BRYAN, in great haste.']
Mrs. Bryan Well, well, well I I do hope we shall have the carriage
to-morrow. I am glad Alfred had it started a month ago, as a surprise
to me. The two-blocks' walk from the railroad is enough to exhaust me.
[Calling] Jane! Jane! Jane! Jane! Why don't that girl answer?
she must be up stairs.
[Servant JANE enters, unperceived by MRS. BRYAN, moves up to the table
cautiously, and touches a call-bell that is standing on the Bible.']
Mrs. Bryan [starting'] Why, Jane, you there!
Jane I ought to be here, for you called me.
Mrs. Bryan Well, why didn't you answer, if you were about? And
what did you mean by springing that bell ?
Jane You told me, madam, yesterday, that you would touch the bell
hereafter when you wanted me. Tou called me, just now. (Not the
first mushroom I've helped set up in manners.) [Aside.
Mrs. Bryan How long has Laura been gone ?
Jane Just gone, madam just gone to school with Ellen Mason.
Mrs. Bryan Jane, Mr. Bryan thinks that we shall move, certainly,
this week ; probably day after to-morrow. I wish you to loosen the
carpets up-stairs to-day, so that we shall be ready, to take them up at a
moment's warning. We shall certainly move this week.
Jane I thought you were going to build a house of your own, madam ?
Mrs. Bryan We cannot sit here, in this shanty of a house, until such
time as we can find a place where we would like to build. We have
been cramped up here long enough.
Jane Mrs. Bryan, there is a girl below that has been waiting for you
to come home, for some time. She is after a place ; I know her very
well; I knew her at home ; she heard you were going to hire two more
girls. She's a good washer and ironer, and she knows everything about
taking care of children. She's got a letter from the Sisters.
Mrs. Bryan You may tell her to come up. [Exit JANE.] I met Mrs.
Hvssard this morning, and she declared that I would curse the day I had
the second girl in the house, to associate and gossip with the other. I
told her I intended to have two more, at least, which rather put her
"second girl 1 ' out of objection, and rather mortified her consequence.
She put on dreadful haughty airs to me, when we came out in the
steamer, ten years ago, because her husband was then a rich merchant.
I will show her now who is "up," and who is only middling.
[Re-enter JANE, followed by BRIDGET, who is elegantly dressed, her
hair braided, cheeks rouged, etc.']
Jane This is Miss Bridget Burns, Mra. Bryan. I recommends her.
[JANE proceeds to dust, and fitss about the room, while BRIDGET sweeps
magnificently around, takes the rocking-cnair, quizzingly looks at MRS.
BRYAN, who gives evidence of being slightly flustered at the grandeur, cool-
ness, and scrutinizing glances of the candidate for Servant's billet.}
8 DEPRECIATION.
Bridget 1 have got a recommend from the Sisters; and Jane knows
me, ma'am.
Mrs. Bryan I want a girl to do our own washing and ironing, in the
house ; I do not feel like trusting it out any more. We shall have very
nice clothes to wash, and I want the work done by a careful and expe-
rienced person.
Bridget That's me, ma'am. How many have you in the family,
ma'am ?
Mrs. Bryan There is only my husband, myself, and three children.
My husband's brother will continue to have his clothes washed by a
Chinaman.
Bridget How many shirts, in a week, does your husband wear ?
Mrs. Bryan He has been accustomed to wear one two days ; here-
after he will have a fresh one each morning.
Bridget Has he collars and ruffles on his bhirts ?
Mrs. Bryan Plain bosoms, and the collars separate and small.
Bridget How old are all the childers ?
Mrs. Bryan My oldest daughter is nineteen.
Bridget She stays at home all the time ?
Mrs. Bryan Yes. My next daughter is fifteen ; she is still going to
echool, but will leave off school this season. My youngest is a boy of
ten.
Bridget Are you going to set a grand dinner, with fresh napkins,
every day ?
Mrs. Bryan "We shall most likely have company three or four times
a week.
Bridget Dinner when ?
Mrs. Bryan "We have not decided as to that.
Bridget What wages, ma'am?
Mrs. Bryan Twenty-five dollars a month.
Bridget 0, dear! 0, ma'am, I couldn't think of the work for that
price.
Mrs. Bryan You will have nothing to do but take care of the wash-
ing and ironing.
Bridget I ought to have thirty-five for the work. I know what it is
this washing childers' clothes, and this washing and ironing fine frilled
and flounced underclothes.
Mrs. Bryan As I told the Intelligence Office Keeper, this morning, I
don't mind a difference of five dollars for a first-rate girl ; but she must
be first-rate.
Bridget 0, I've made my living at washing and ironing since I came
to the country, and done nothing else.
Mrs. Bryan Well, I will try you for a month at thirty dollars.
Bridget Madam, is there to be a man cook ?
Mrs. Bryan We have not decided on that.
Bridget It's not a Chinaman that yon are going to get, are you?
Mrs. Bryan I don't think we shall employ a Chinaman.
Bridget Your husband won't be a g'ood politician if he allows it,
ma'am. Are you going to have a coachman ? sure, of course ye are?
Mrs. Bryan Certainly.
DEPRECIATION. 9
Bridgd I have got a cousin that just come out from New York, on
the steamer. He's a No. 1 coachman. If you will take us both, we'll
come for sixty dollars a month.
Mrs. Bryan My husband will hire the coachman.
Bridget Then he ought not to, indeed ; for it's the lady of the house
that has more to do with the coachman than the mon much. She is
continually riding out, while the mon is in business.
Mrs. Bryan Well, if you wish to come for thirty dollars for one month,
to be kept on if you suit, you can come. {Rising.
Bridget Well, ma'am, there is one other tning I shall have to speak
to you about. I wants three nights in the week, besides Sunday nights,
which I will have, of course three nights in the week to go out, and
privilege to have company in the kitchen any night I wants, or to have
company in my room.
Mrs. Bryan You will have your work to do, and you can go out ac-
cording as you work. I expect the girls will take turns in going out
I do not want any great noise in the kitchen from visitors, nor do I want
the back or basement doors left open late at night.
Bridget Sure, I was always accustomed, at grand places where I have
lived, to ring at the front door when I came home nights, or have a night
key,
Mrs. Bryan That can't be permitted. When the family go out of an
evening, altogether, I shall want one of the girls in the back parlor,
waiting ; and I have no objection to her having her beau there on such
nights, provided he's a decent fellow.
Bridgd [leaning back in the rocking-chair, and addressing JANE] Be
gob, she's insulting us, she is. Ma'am, our company is always dacent,
and more so than some's that higher.
Mrs. Bryan I want it understood that on no evening shall all the
girls be absent, /must be at liberty to go out on any evening.
Bridget Do you agree to take me and my cousin ?
Mrs. Bryan Yo':r cousin will have to see my husband about the
coachman's place I will have nothing to do with the hiring. You have
my explanations as to what I want, and what I will give. You can
come, under the terms, for a month, or not. I must go up-stairs.
Bridget Well, ma'am, I will go and see your husband about the
places, if you will tell me where his office of business is?
Mrs. Bryan [retiring] I don't think you will suit me, anyway.
Jane, be preparing things for dinner. We shall have dinner early to-
dayhave the roast in by twelve o'clock. [Exit MRS. BRYAN.
Bridget [rockixg violently] What airs that woman has! Don't you
think, Jane, that if I went to see Mr. Bryan, I could get Pat a place ?
Jane Troth, you can't get anything of that kind out of the boss ex-
cept the mistress agrees. He does just exactly what she says, in moat
everything. You bothered her too much with your propositions.
Bridget Best to have all things understood in advance.
Jane Didn't I tell you I didn't have any understanding at all when I
came here, and I've all the liberty a girl could ask for. Sure you ought
to have accepted so good a place as I told you it was. Peoples that just
sprung up are always liberal.
10 DEPRECIATION.
Bridget Troth, I did accept. I'll have my trunk here to-night
Jane You'd better wait till we get into the new house.
Bridget Divil a day longer will I board, when I've a situation in my
fist. I've boarded out six weeks' wages now. I'll have Patrick bring
my baggage down this day, troth. [Exeunt.
[Enter MR. BRYAN slings his hat down on the table.']
Mr. Bryan Well, it is more confounded bother trying to get a house to
rent that is, a suitable one for us, such as my wife would like than it
would be to go to work and make arrangements for building a new one.
Here, I've missed a meeting of the Board to-day, on acoount of my hav-
ing to hunt up a house. Mrs. Bryan must pursue this business for her-
self; I cannot afford to follow it. I would be satisfied here. If she is
not suited with the place I have now offered me, she must wait until the
carriage comes home, and then she can scour the town, until she finds a
domicil that does suit.
[Enter MRS. BRYAN.]
Mrs. Bryan Why, my dear, are you home at this time of the day ?
I expected you home rather early, but not so early as this.
Mr. Bryan Yes, my dear. I have been out and around looking at a
number of houses, and I found myself, at Board time, too far from Mont-
gomery Block to allow of my getting there in any available season ; so,
I am here for a lunch, and to report progress. I think I have found a
house that will suit you. There are twelve good rooms, and all the con-
veniences of gas and water well arranged. The owner will rent or sell
he is going to the East to settle down.
Mrs. Bryan Has it got bay windows in front?
Mr. Bryan I believe not.
Mrs. Bryan Then I don't want it. I must have bay windows in
front.
Mr. Bryan Maybe the landlord will put them in for us ; that's not a
difficult matter to remedy to your taste.
Mrs. Bryan Well, he must do it right off, if we hire the house ; and
I want large panes of glass, filling a sash entire.
Mr. Bryan There is a large coach-house in the rear; and the building
is by itself, being separated from the neighbors at least six feet on each
side.
Mrs. Bryan That is good: I will go and look at the place this after-
noon. But now, dear Alfred, there is something which I wanted to see
you about this morning, very much. I called at your office to see you, when
I was down town. I overheard your brother Henry, last night, advise
you to sell out your Gould & Curry and Del Monte stock. Don't you do
it. Henry is always croaking to you first not to do something, and
then to do something or other. Don't you sell ; now mind what I tell
you.
Mr. Bryan If I should sell out now all the stock I have, I should
realize at least one hundred and ten thousand dollars, in gold coin. We
could live mighty comfortable on that amount, well invested here in San
Francisco, on real estate security.
Mrs. Bryan You mind what I tell you, now; don't you sell your
stock any of it. It is going up much higher, I can see.
DEPRECIATION. 11
Mr. Bryan Henry prevented me from selling it when I was disposed
to let it go at half the present figure ; aad I took his advice in buying it
at first. He has good judgment.
Mrs. Bryan Mind what I tell you ; don't you sell. And I heard
Henry say to you, you ought not to " spread out," as he termed it.
What is your business to him ? Because he has a mind to hug up his
little twenty thousand dollars, like a crusty bachelor as he is, is that any
reason why you should think him a very wise man in all respects, whose
advice you must always follow, though your family suffer ?
Mr. Bryan My dear, brother Henry's advice has brought me this
wealth, by my following it, and that is good ground for following it in
making a sale now. Stocks go down oftener now-a-days, and more
readily than they go up. I was inclined to sell out, as he urged ; but if
you say No, why why I won't.
Mrs. Bryan Don't! When you can sell out for two hundred thous-
and dollars clean cash, you may sell not before. Eecollect that. I
wanted to speak to you about another matter: did you know that Mr.
Cural is seriously paying attention to our daughter"?
Mr. Bryan Yes; and I made up my mind to kick him if he comes
into the house again, and can't take a plain hint to leave.
Mrs. Bryan That's just what Henry advised you to do this morning.
Mr. Bryan There you're mistaken. Henry advised me to kick him
before he got into the house.
Mrs. Bryan Now, don't be a fool. Kick him, indeed I Kick an old
man 1 Or, I mean
Mr. Bryan [interrupting] Yes, that's just it. An old man like him,
making offers to a young girl of eighteen I
Mrs. Bryan You have no sense. You are not a mai^of sense. Don't
you know that he is worth a half a million at least?
Mr. Bryan I know he is an old man fifty years of age or over a
worn out debauchee. He is an old miser, besides, of the meanest type.
Do you suppose, Clara, that I'd permit him for a minute to talk to me
for himself of such a thing as a marriage with our pretty little daughter
of eighteen God bless her ! Never. I couldn't endure that, not if he
were worth his millions on millions.
Mrs. Bryan Don't you know that our neighbor Burden's daughter is
going to marry Mr. Furlong, who is certainly fifty, and who don't claim
to have over a hundred thousand.
Mr. Bryan A hundred, a thousand disgraceful affairs of that charac-
ter might happen in San Francisco, without changing my ideas about
them in general, and, I am more sure, without leading me to entertain
such a match for my own child. The affair is degrading to the human
race, disgusting, outrageous. It might do in Turkey, but not where civ-
ilization has taken effect.
Mrs. Bryan Alfred, you can blow away on your " general principles"
as much as you choose, if you think it does you any good. But Mr. Cural
is coming here to-night, to take Charlotte out to ride. Don't you oppose
it. If you can't contain your bad temper, and have good manners for
him, you can dine out. I promised him that she should ride out with
him to-night. Of course, you wouldn't attempt to prevent his doing so
to-night, after my promise ! [Looking very threateningly.
12 DEPRECIATION.
Mr. Bryan You ought not to have promised anything involving so
much without my knowledge and consent.
Mrs. Bryan Alfred, you'd really teach impudence to an applicant for
a servant's place and wages! Charlotte goes out with Mr. Cural to rido
to-night. That's fixed.
Mr. Bryan It is disgraceful.
Mrs. Bryan It is not. You are no man. You don't see what is for
your own interest and the interests of your children. You happen to
have a little luck, and you don't know how to improve it.
Mr. Bryan There are some so called u advantages" of pecuniary luck
which I don't want to improve.
Mrs. Bryan No ; because you are a fool; you always were.
[Enter HENRY.]
Henry Here ! here 1 here ! Ask a fellow " home" to lunch, particu-
larly, PARTICULARLY ; and here, most unaccountable thing of all things,
I find Alf. at home, and domestic matters on the very verge of liveliness.
Mr. Bryan It is not five minutes since she was warning me against
you, too, and here you are, the invited guest of the best part of the day.
Mrs. Bryan Henry is a croaker with you ; but he has good judgment
in making some store trades and purchases. I asked him to come here
and lunch, and go out with me this afternoon and make some bargains.
Henry Although I'm opposed to your putting on "airs " (too soon)
as Clara has just remarked
Mrs. Bryan I didn't say that.
Henry Well, something to that effect. still, I'm a valuable man to
have occasionally about the house. Clara don't like some of my outside
economical views.; but when I am given to understand that things are
to be and must be purchased, I'm a creature of good qualifications and
a first class higgler. Aint that so, brother's wife ?
Mrs. Bryan Henry, I hate you and I like you.
Henry If an eligible, fascinating young lady had made that same re-
mark to me, I should have replied instanter : You hate me for somebody
else's sake, and you like me for my own. Therefore, you very naturally
both like and hate me.
Mrs. Bryan You've got a kind of underhand goodness about you,
but you are a croaker.
Henry Two matters of character not at all inconsistent. As a truly
brave man is one who knows his danger when met, grows white in the
gills, and faces the enemy, so, in some such sort of way, a truly exem-
plary member of our modern pioneer society is a man who knows its
faults and foibles and speaks of them, and censures people guilty of
them (himself included), and keeps his temper so perversely that on one
can find a chance to kick or curse him that is, not curse him in his
presence. But here, I expect something tremendous in the.affairs of the
house are on the tapis. Come, now, what is it ? Have you a new house
rented ? And where is it sitivated ?
Mrs. Bryan [Touches Ml Enter JANE.] Jane, bring the lunch up
here. [Exit JANE.
Mr. Bryan I looked at the house you spoke of this morning. My
DEPRECIATION. 13
wife objects to it, before seeing it. on account of there not being any
front bay window to it, or in it.
Henry Good objection ! Bay windows are essentially California in-
stitutions. Pre-eminent characteristic glories of the Pacific style of
house and cottage architecture.
\Enter BRIDGET with lunch, which being duly spread, the parties sit about
the table. Bridget stands at side.]
Henry Now, I venture to say that there are more pretty girls and hand-
some houses in this little city of San Francisco, in comparison with its
size, to say nothing of its age, than in any other city on the continent.
Pretty girls ! why the city is full of them. You take a good bay-window
view on Montgomery street on a good breezy afternoon, why, it's
enough to set an old bachelor, not used to the sight, into an Atlantic
Cable fit. That makes me think ; I've heard some bach'es object to the
regular Montgomery street walkers. I like them. ^Regularity heightens
variety and novelty. I like to see the regular trampers, with their shop-
ping bundles; I have got so that I can time them.
Mrs. Bryan Time them ?
Henry Certainly. Given the time of passing Shew's gallery, figured
the minute when they come in on the first return trip, by route down
Kearny and Sansome ; brown bundle carried up, slightly exposed, small
parcel ; newspaper bundle, size for dress-pattern, much exposed on first
return trip. Second return trip, if made same day, will exhibit end of
pair of shoes, very scantily tied up in tea paper. Calculate them? of
course, as regular as an eclipse. By the way, I saw old Cural a few
hours ago ; he was soft on me ; I know what he's after. You must
choke that old fry, if he comes about the new house. Let old things
pass away, then and there, and all things become new.
Mr. Bryan The bay-window can easily be put in, for both windows
of that house.
Henry 0, yes coming back to the bay-window. The bay-window
can and must be put in ; and you can have a cistern put on top of the
house, with heating apparatus attached to the kitchen stove and all
that sort of convenience, But we must hurry out, if we are going. I
know you want to make a thorough review of rentable houses, and so
far as I'm involved as a legal tender in the business, I want to have the
job off my hands. By the way, passing Newhall's this morning great
crowd lots of carriages, buggies and coaches in front, for sale. All of
them went off like hot cakes. 0, there's lots of people in your path to
day. There's lots of people here who have got rich within the past year
Lord only knows how, in many cases ; in many cases they hardly
know themselves. Why, here's a tract of country lying right off
here to the southwest of San Francisco proper as it lately was of
which people hardly dreamed there was an existence until a few months
ago. Now the steam Irishman digs into it, and up, up, up it goes.
That's the way to have an easy and permanent fortune, Alph I Buy
real estate in the suburbs of a growing western city. That is the way
Douglas made his money in Chicago; Filley and Crittenden made theirs
in that way in St. Louis; Cass made a^good share of his fortune in
2
14 DEPRECIATION.
that way. But what the idea just now is mushrooms, lots of mush-
rooms ! mushrooms by the thousands with thousands I Ladies of thirty
all of that, you bet learning to read, write and speak French, when
they can't write legibly in English. Gentleman of forty, who have a
brogue more rough than rich not yet off their lips, learning to dance
private pupils. By the way, Mrs. B., I have got a special item for you.
So soon as you set up in fine style, you will be overrun with callers at
lunch time. Lots of women acquaintances will "just happen in," quite
accidentally so far as lunch is concerned, at lunch hour. It is the female
free lunch game. I have been meditating over the little affairs that will
contribute to your happiness and peace of mind in your approaching
highness of position. I'll tell you how you can dodge the whole nuis-
ance at the outset. Take your lunch out; lunch down town. Ha! hal
Capital idea, ain't it, Alph? Strategy! I'll bet a half dollar to a
bachelor's pincushion, Mrs. B., that you won't be established in your
big quarters three days, before you'll hear of a lunch-time call on you
from Mrs. Hemp ; who, I'll be bound, has not been to see you for an
age. She's a regular old feminine bummer ; and there's lots of her kind.
They manage by their volume of gossip to keep up social relations with
the idle women of wealthy leisure in town ; and so they live, actually
feed from door to door. The least troublesome are those most expert in
gaining and establishing relationships of this character. I have been
many times confidentially told of one woman, who does not call at the
same house more than once a month. They say she has over one
hundred sure resorts for square meals, and there's nothing on earth to
recommend her but her volubility of gossip, and her disposition to learn
and tattle matters that could not'bear print at all.
Bridget Madam, Jane said she forgot to tell you that Mrs. Hemp
called to see you, just before you came in. Her card is on the mantle-
piece in your chamber.
Henry There! "I told you so!" I knew she'd be about, so soon as
your good luck was known. And by the by, another thing : You will
be sure to be bored by the Samaritan Dorcas Society women of the city.
Take my advice hero, Mrs. B. Set apart a fixed quarterly sum for the
principal charity institutions of the city ; give that regularly at a day
named to the officers of the institutions; you and Alph agree upon so
much for the church you attend and so much for its special charities and
enterprises ; and. having done your duty, you will be armed against
a host of terrible importuning, having a substantial reason for your faith
and your negative. Don't imagine for one moment that you can reli-
giously divide your money, giving something to every solicitor. That
can't be done, except you fritter away a great deal of time unnecessarily ;
and you want to fritter away your time as necessarily as possible. For
people in ordinary circumstances, it will do to wait for the call of agents,
and hold purse strings until you're dove after ; but a hundred thousand
capital for income ought to have a systematized outlet in this direction.
0, money really will bring vexation of spirit to women, as well as to
men. I know it don't seem hardly possible ; but it's so. But we must
be off. [Rising, all, from table.
Mrs. Bryan Yes, Henry, I want to save some of your breath for our
DEPRECIATION. 15
business, to-day. And, I'll tell you, if we hire the house you have
recommended, the first evening after the bay-windows are finished, we
will have the blinds dowu and a pulpit erected inside one of the par-
lor set, and you shall deliver a prepared lecture to a select circle of ac-
quaintances, on the " needs and nuisances of high life in San Francisco."
Henry All right ! all right ! I will do it. And you may give out in-
vitations to that effect. But not a guest would you have on such a
"card" ; no audience except our family, who might all be there on com-
pulsion. But you announce a private lecture on the " Wretchedness of
Bachelor high life in San Francisco," and your floors would groan with
the invited parties and those who would consider themselves invited.
And that is a topic which I could most consistently treat, on the same
basis as all other popular lecturers ; for, of course, I have no experimen-
tal knowledge of real high life in family, except that I have seen through
bay-windows, and that I have been forced to overhear, coming up to my
quarters from the kitchen.
Mrs. Bryan But bachelor high life !
Henry That's what I remarked : if it would do to lecture on such a
subject before a promiscuous audience. Now you've got on your things,
let us start. Come ! altogether for the same down train !
[Exeunt MR. AND MRS. B. and HENRY. JANE enters, and she and BRIDGET
clear away the lunch.
\Enter CHARLOTTE followed by ARTHUR.]
Charlotte Has mother gone out again ?
Jane Just gone, with your father and uncle.
Charlotte Just gone out ? How could we have missed them ?
Bi idget Easy enough, troth. Sit down now, and I'll bring you up a
fine lunch. The old folks are away, now you can have it all comfortable
[oggling the young man] (0, but that's a healthy young chap. And does
that cussed Cural think to cut him out, with his shiners in the grasp of
his wrinkles ! Divrt a bit of fear of it.) [Aside.
Charlotte Why don't you bring us up the lunch if you are going to.
Bridget At once. Troth, we'll be a long time bringing it up, to give
them a chance. Holy mother of Moses 1 but he's a broth of boy. And
old Cural would cut him out! Ah 1 bad luck to his old bones that ever
marrowed such on idea at all, at all. [Aside.
[Exit JANE and BRIDGET.]
Arthur Tou must play and sing once for me, to-day.
Charlotte Now you stay here, and I'll go into the parlor and play a
tune that will just suit your case.
Arthur And yours, too ?
Charlotte Yes.
Arthur What will it be ?
Charlotte Why, you'll hear it.
Arthur No ; but you must tell me.
Charlotte [Laughing and humming as she dodges around Arthur and
escapes from the room :]
" "When Johnny comes marching home 1"
16 DEPRECIATION.
Arthur I'll go and whistle an accompaniment. [Exit CHARLOTTE and
ARTHUR.
[Enter JANE with lunch, followed by BRIDGET.]
Jane "Why, what's becpme of the pair. Hark! They've gone into
the parlor; singing soldier songs. I believe they'll forget'all about their
lunch.
Bridget Ler'era. It'll do 'em no harm. Set down the things. Of
course they'll forget about the lunch. But we must not let it be wasted.
Come! Let's take a bite. Let the dear creatures enjoy themselves.
They'll never think of their lunch. [Eating voraciously.
Jane 0, they're jewels !
Bridget When are they going to the church?
Jane I don't know.
Bridget Don't know! Been here as long as you have and don't know I
You take away my appetite. [Continuing to eat heartily.'] I'll know to
an hour, before we move to the new house.
ACT II.
SCENE I. Scene on Montgomery Street in front of Montgomery Block.
Crowd of excited brokers. Jobbing and hawking going on. On the scene
rushes frantically a broker with a handful of stock certificates. Catches
a party violently by the arm, and pulls him to one side.
1st Broker Look here! Biggest thing ever struck. Branch mint!
Gold Hill District [twitching a piece of rock out of his pocket] Look at
that rock once, and weep ! The drift is only run thirty feet from the
bottom of the shaft.
Major .Dove [Examining rock] That looks like Empire rock!
1st Broker Don't it! No rock been found in G-old Hill to anywhere
compare with it, except out of the Empire.
Major Dove [Finger on his nose~\ Salt! Salt!
1st Broker 0, no, Major !
Major Dove 0, yes, Jim! [Retires.
1st Broker [Pulling off another party] Look here! Biggest thing ever
struck! Only thirty dollars a foot just now, and I am the only man in
the city who has got any of the rock. [Exhibiting rock.
Capt. Ilamon What is it!
1st Broker Jewett & Shepperd 1 Gold HUH Biggest thing out ! I
can show you extracts from the Virginia newspapers, substantiating the
the whole mine ! Dead open and shut chance for making. Will go up
to five hundred dollars, sure 1
Capt. Ramon Salt ! Salt !
1st Broker 0, no, Capt. !
Capt. Ramon 0, yes, Jim 1 [Retires.
[1st Broker shakes hands with a number of his fellows, and forms the ac-
quaintance of an " outside party r ," whom he pulls to one side.'}
DEPRECIATION. 17
1st Broker Here is the biggest thing you ever heard of. American
Basin Rock, Humboldt County. You can buy it now for ten dollars a
foot. Has Sheba and Ben Franklin Ledges, both. Just look at this
rock [exhibiting same specimen as before,] thro' this microscope!
Simon Simmonds Where do you say this comes from?
1st Broker Humboldt County, Nevada Territory. Biggest thing out.
Can show you extracts from the papers about it ; but the editors don't
know half its worth.
Simon Simmonds How much can it be bought for, now ?
1st Broker Ten or twelve dollars a foot.
Simon Simmonds It is splendid rock ; can you buy me fifty feet of it
to-day ?
1st Broker Just come down to my friend's office, on the corner of the
street there. I'll bring up a party that I think will sell for ten dollars.
He don't suspect the result of these late developments. At any event we
can get part of it for ten; perhaps half of it, and the rest we can get for
from $12 to $15. [Exit 1st BROKER and SIMON SIMMONS.
[2o and 3D BROKERS have been conversing and watching, together, IST BRO-
KER and SIMON SIMMONDS. Both commence laughing, as the 1st and his
dupe disappear.']
Id Broker Jim has got a new leak. Such fellows ought to be cow-
hided off the pavement. They are making the business disreputable,
and very soon they'll take away all the profits of it, for people will not
invest, not on the street. But as you were remarking: if we can
manage to get hold of and lock up that amount of stock, it will be a sure
thing. That is, unless there is a general wholesale depreciation. But
are you sure you can get such an amount of that stock on that short
notice ? Won't that party begin to smell a mice, and cover his own ?
3d Broker Not a bit of it. I've got him scared out of his boots now.
"We can induce the directors to levy another dollar assessment, and not
a red cent of it will he pay against the next assessment sale. We can
buy in all we want at the sale. I can get what stock Alph. Bryan has
got for almost nothing ; he's so much up on his pins. The only thing
needed, so far as he is concerned, is to prevent bis selling to anybody
else, until such time as we want it or are sure of enough without it. I
think it is a clear game to run it up to three hundred dollars a foot in one
month from the date of the "starter." [Enter BOB RiCKETj Here comes
Bob ; let us get him. down to the office and sound him, the first thing.
[Exeunt two Brokers with their friend "Bos."
[ Well dressed Rough slides on the scene. Broker No. 4 starts from a group
and greets him.']
4th Broker Halloa, Bill 1 how are you ? Where the devil have you
been for a long time past ?
Bill Halloa, Fred ! how are you.
&th Broker Well, how are you ! and where have you been for a long
time past?
Bill I've been up in Nevada Territory.
4th What have you been doing up there ? dealing from the bottom
as usual ?
2*
18 DEPRECIATION.
Sill Not a bit of it. Better thing ! [winking] Better thing !
4th Broker How's that.
Sill Something new. Better thing.
4th Broker Brokering.
Bill Damn your brokering.
4th Broker Come, now, let on. Let's know what it is. "Why, here
let me introduce you to
Bill [Detaining him] Here, here, Fred, don't introduce any of those
blackguards to me. I've quit keeping a game. I knew them all three
years ago.
4th Broker What on earth have you beeS doing to spruce yourself up
so much. Tell a fellow.
Bill Fred, there's great benefit in being a "pioneer" in a new mining
country.
4th Broker Why so?
Bill Litigation is flourishing and big. Witnesses must be had. Men
are wanted, at high prices, to testify; men who have actually been there
in early days; you conceive? Let us go and take our choice of poisons.
4th Broker That has been your lay out, has it ? Good thing?
Bill You bet.
4th Broker Have you become a lawyer ?
Bill Lawyer be dam'd. A lawyer is not half the account of a good
witness. A judge first, then a witness, then a lawyer. Available wit-
ness is No. 2, Fred. Lawyers (best of 'em) No. 3. Judges, No. 1. Wit-
ness, goodwituess, available witness, pioneer witness, is No. 2. No. 2,
you bet. Come let's go and suicide.
[Enter "NED" on the Scene.]
4th Broker Why, halloa, Ned! how are you? And you are another
mightj well got up Territorial cuss. Nif! My, what style I I heard
you were over in Nevada. Another witness, Bill? eh?
Bill 0, no, 0, no. He ain't on that. Better thing yet. He found
an immigrant road lying around loose, and considerably traveled over,
and so he just strung a toll gate frame across the highway and collected
Ms regular little income.
4th Broker The devil he did.
Bill That's the name of it. Devilish good idea ! Ha! Ha!
Ned Look at that fellow picking that man's pocket. Scampi He'll
get away without detection, and he's taken a handkerchief worth four
bits.
Bill Your ordinary toll charge, eh! Ned! Come, let's all go and
alkali. [The three ex.
[Enter BROKER No. 5.]
5th Broker Zip! Zip! [flourishing report sheet] Gould and Curry is
five thousand two hundred! No use in talking; the goose hangs high.
Pretty well for a little hole in the ground, six thousand feet above the
evel of the sea.
[Street Brokers gather 'round the comer, who has the day's bulletin of
stock prices.]
6th Broker How's Ophir to-day?
DEPRECIATION. 19
1th Broker How's Chollar?
8th Broker 'Row's Lady Bryan?
9th Broker How's Potosi ?
IMh Broker How's Savage?
llth Broker How's Norton?
[Enter EMPEROR NORTON.]
Emp. Norton I will issue a proclamation clearing the streets of such
crowds. This kind of excitement must be stopped. I think they mean
menace to my empire. I'll have some of these men transported beyond
the high seas.
[Enter COOMBS.]
Coombs Gentlemen, can't I sell you, one and all, a ticket in my lot-
tery for a stereoscope ? Mr. Nabl is now the treasurer of the little oper-
ation, and therefore everybody has the most perfect confidence in it.
Mr. Roman has subscribed, and a number of other eminent citizens. It
will surely come off when I shall have sold ninety tickets. Beautiful
views I You see a view of the Gould & Curry mill at one turn of the
nob an institution in which all you brokers wish you had an interest ;
one view you have of Virginia City, and another single turn of the nob
brings you to Ragtown. Never was such a beautiful article offered be-
fore in such a manner ; such an instructive, convenient article for an old
man to give as a. present to his young sweetheart. Ha! ha! Cornel
come 1 Now, you, sir, subscribe. Only one dollar ! Stocks are up, and
you must subscribe, all of you. Only one dollar I
6th Broker You promised to sell it to me at that price.
1th Broker You are a liar!
5th Broker I'll publish you in the papers.
1th Broker You are a liar I
[Row, policemen enter, make arrests, and dear the scene.
II Dining room in BRYAN'S new house. JANE discovered en-
gaged in arranging the table for dinner. BRIDGET enters, in working
dress, seats herself, arms akimbo, sighing with fatigue.
Bridget Dear me 1 But I've had a terrible day's work. Madam's and
childers' cloths grow more dre'dful every week. This week they've
loads.
Jane Sure, you're always complaining. You got through work early
to-day, whatever it was. It's not five o'clock yet. You are always
through and can have your own time before me.
Bridget Oh ! I work when I work. And my work is work.
Jane It's well for those that's able to stand it, and gets good pay
for it.
Bridget What's only fiVe dollars a month more than your's ?
Jane Out every night.
Bridget Not half the opportunities of the house you have. Why, I
don't understand a quarter of what's going on in this family; and, sure,
I'd know it ail if I was fussing about all the mornings, as you are.
Jane Well, now, I'd just like to change of mornings, every other day
with you, if you likes.
20 DEPRECIATION.
Bridget I'll do that for a week with you. That'll be long enough for
you. I tho't, sure, the mistress was going to have another girl.
Jane Faith, they're going to have a governess, for the boy, soon;
and Charlotte is to have a waiting maid come next week to be called
Charlotte's waiting maid, tho' it's the madam will kill time for her. I'm
sure it's been nothing but a boarding-house for seamstresses since they
came into this.
Bridget And, I expect you'll have to wait on the waiting maid ?
[Laughing.']
Jane You let her wait there until I do, troth. [Laughing derisively.]
Bridget "Well, Margaret Magaragle promised to_be here very early to-
night, to go out with me.
Jane You are always going out. You told the mistress you only
wanted three nights in the week and Sundays. Sure, you're out every
night these two weeks.
Bridget And whose business is it but my own ?
Jane Nobody's business but your own, troth ; for divil of a fellow
have you raised yet, since Patrick as good as threw off on ye. You've
got to get Margaret Magaragle to go out with you and rise company
for ye.
r Bridget "Well, if it's the likes of such company as you bring around
here to keep you in o' nights, may I walk the streets for the next twenty
years before I catch that same. Such trash ! I wouldn't be looking at
the likes of such.
Jane Ah I "We hear enough. Divil a fear of your catching a fellow
at all, at all.
Bridget Faith, it's aisy to make a raise of a crowd of " pick-ups.", 1
Jane Not " aisy "; or you'd had plenty by this time.
Bridget 0, go on with your errands. I wouldn't be bothering my
head with talking to you. There's not one of your chaps I couldn't
pitch out of the second story window.
Jane There's none o' them would go up so high with you.
[Enter PATRICK.]
Bridget Come here, Patrick. I've got some copies for you to read.
[producing package of letters from her bosom.] I want you should see
if you can make them out. I know there's a dale of humor in them.
I heard Miss Charlotte and her Uncle making great glee over them, last
night, as late as when I came in.
[Patrick seats himself on a side table, takes the package, pulls out one of
the letters and opens it.]
Bridget Is the letters bad ? [leaning against Pals shoulder.
Patrick Not very bad; [pushing Bridget from him, whilst looking in-
tently at the letter] but it's a honey letter, and it's a great strain on my
breast to read it [studying}. Here, Jane, you come and look at this.
[JANE comes over to PAT, who puts his hand on her head, and presses it to
his breast] Now it begins clear: [reading, with Irish accent.
"My dearest dear: The long day has tediously worn away, and the
curtains of night are drawn around me. The fierce shining of the sun
has given place to the beautiful beamings of the moon."
0, it's a honey letter \kissing JANE.
DEPRECIATION. 2l
Bridget Troth, and I don't see what they found to laugh about in it.
p a t jfoj it's sarious. [continuing to read:
" the moon. the moon. the moon !
What the blazes the raison I can't go beyond that moon? [again kissing
JANE] Oh!
" the moon. Now, in this ' witching hour,' for it has just struck
twelve" [Sell rings.
Bridget That's the mistress' ring for you, Jane.
Jane Let's change works this evening. You run up and answer it.
Bridget Ha ! you stay there until I do.
Jane [releasing herself from PAT'S embrace, and sighing] Well, I
know it's dinner time ; Mr. Bryan has come home, I guess. [Exit JANE.
Pat Bother me, but I think he has; and there's the off horse outside
for me. He's getting him out of manners, riding him the way he does.
[Closing letter, and replacing it in package.
Bridget Ain't you going to finish the reading ?
Pat I came across a word that was too much for me ; and the horse
must be waiting outside. I expect them's little Laura's honey-notes ;
and it's a mighty shame for you to be staling them.
[Returning package to Bridget Exit.
Bridget [Replacing package in her bosom.] The divil's own cure to
the pair of them. This comes of getting him a fine coachman's place in
a genteel establishment a thing he wasn't used to the desaving vaga-
bond. Never mind, I'll be even with the twain.
[Enter JANE.]
Jane Mr. Bryan will not be home until late, Mrs. Bryan is going out
again, and dinner's not to be served for an hour.
Bridget Troth, I'll be hungry enough when I get mine.
[Enter MARGARET MAGARAGLE, elegantly dressed."]
Bridget Ah ! Margaret, you're off your washing earlier than any girl
in the country. You ought to be off the hooks soon.
Margaret Why shouldn't I be ? I've been up since three this same
blessed Saint's day.
Jane Who'd know it? you're blooming as a beet.
Margaret Why, what's the matter with you, Jane ? you look as yel-
low as a carrot.
Bridget She's got the dockin' janders, from eating her fingers with
idleness.
Jane [Leaning over the dining .table."] I have my work and my com-
pany to my hands. I don't beat the streets for the bleach of my com-
plexion.
Bridget How are you getting along, Margaret?
Margaret 0, so so,
Bridget What queer people those are you have next door ?
Margaret 0, do you know that old bachelor, I was telling you about,
has married married last night. You see, he really owns that corner
property, as well as two or three lots to the west of us. Well, his
brother's family were so, afraid that he'd marry some young creature, and
22 DEPRECIATION.
have children of his own, and so throw them out of the place, that they
brought in a middle-aged widow woman, who had no children, to act as
a kind of nurse for their family. Then they all set to work courting this
bachelor brother for this woman ; and, sure enough, last night they got
him married to her. And he's going off to live by himself, in the little
house to the right of us. And they've finally got that large, beautiful
new house he built and elegantly furnished, all to themselves. They
feel certain that their children will come in for all his property now.
And I really believe that the children of the house understand the dodge
their folks have been playing; I'm sure the oldest girl does. Misses said
she fairly wanted to give the old fellow a hint of what they were doing.
She says, and her husband says, that he's a smart business man, and
he's made lots of money in this country ; but they say that, like all old
bachelors, of his time of life, he's easy wheedled into a marriage by his
blood relations.
Bridget Oh ! then, I'd like to see those that'd sing Mr. Henry into a
match that want of his own notion. The Uncle here. Oh ! but he's the
strange man. Talk about the women having secrets ! But he's the most
prying old chap you ever could lay your eyes on. There's no news to
him. Sure, he edits the town. And, do you know, I think he doesn't
let a night skip he's not up in those gins' room, pumping every little
thirg of the day from them. And, then, he tells them hapes of goings-
ons among his acquaintances; and then he brings up the books every
month that comes, and they reads them up there together till all hours.
Jane Troth, the children would run wild but for him.
Bridget I believe they would. I believe they'd die if he was to go
away. Oh! but they've got as good a father if he was let. But he's
not let ! God pity him. A very quiet man. You'll scarce hear a word
out of his head after he comes home of a night. And, when dinner is
over, he'll take that big boy of his up in his arms, with a mortal sigh,
and press him to his heart, and pat the top of his head, and look into
the parlor fire so mournful, that it's dreadful to see I
Jane How he'll start when the Madam speaks I
Bridget Start I 0, but it's a murdering jump. That woman keeps him in
purgatory all the whole blessed time. I wonder he doesn't take to drink-
ing, or gambling, or something of that kind. If he'd the Bank of Eng-
land it would be just so. She don't give him any comfort, but dragging
him from morn to night. Ah! but Henry Bryan, the master's brother,
he's the chap that'd soon put her to her place if she was married to him.
And, as it is, the only rest the man of the" house has, is when he's around
and throwing cuts at her. Oh! if I. only had Jane's place, I'd know
something about what's going on in this house. As it is, I'm lost for in-
formation. You see they want, that is, the madam wants Charlotte, the
oldest girl of the two, to marry an old gentleman of their acquaintance.
Of course, the girl don't want to do it ; and I think the father is not for
it, and I know this uncle the same I've been telling you about is
dreadfully down on it. But the mother she's the one I She's bent on
this match. I can gather that from what trifle has come to my ears
unawares. Jane, can you get the cook to let us have a little soup ; I'll
perish from hunger soon.
DEPRECIATION. 23
Jane I'll see. [Exit.
Margaret Soup's a thing we don't have in our house.
Bridget No 1
Margaret Not a drop since I've been in it, going on six weeks it's
all one dish.
Bridget, What's that?
Margaret Pork aud beans. "We had pork and beans for dinner yes-
terday ; we had 'em again this morning, and I heard Madam tell the
cook, just before I came away from the house this afternoon, that he
might warm up again what was left this morning for to-day's dinner.
0, it's a regular Yankee house; everything is sweetened with molasses,
and that's watery.
Bridget Sure, those Yankees don't know how to live.
Margaret They're too mean. Why, that man is worth a good for-
tune, but he minds a cent, now. They don't speak of bits there at all;
they are talking of cents; they are always talking of ten cents
and twenty cents. I don't believe I ever heard that woman say
"two bits." She's always patching and mending; why, it's a sight
to see those children's underclothes and ihe man's shirts. Why,
they're kind'o quilted, they're so patched. And she's talking every
blessed moment of "economy." You know, for lunch, she won't
have a bit of fire 1 but they drink their coffee, that is left from break-
fast, cold. And three pints of milk does the whole house men, wo-
men ; three men boarders and five children, one of the children not two
years old does that whole house a day. One of the boarders gave her
a sharp hint the other day. She was talking, at the table, of the great
expense of raising a family in this country ; and, amongst other things,
she mentioned the high price of milk. The man spoke up, and said he'd
left off using milk on account of its expense, when he was keeping house
by himself, and so now he never missed it. But, law ! what's hints to
them sort of creatures ? Sure, there wouldn't any of the men board
with them, only they all work for the man, or his brother, and they're
afraid they'd loose their places altogether if they left there. Sure, the
girls are crazy to raise fellows to take them out nights, and treat them
in a restaurant.
Bridget Did you raise that fellow we were introduced to after church
last Sunday ?
Margaret He's been down to the house twice this week, already ;
he's a nice looking fellow, ain't he ?
Bridget Ah ! but you can't tell anything about the likes of those.
Ten to one, he has a wife and childers in the States. Is he an American
mon ?
Margaret Indeed he is, full-blooded.
Bridget I didn't think so from his spache. Perhaps he'd been drink-
ing a little last Sunday, and he'd made his mouth thick.
Margaret Divil a drop, then ; for he told me he belonged to the Dash-
aways.
Bridget -Do you think you'll strike him ?
Margaret Ah 1 what do I care, whether or no? He's coming to Ves-
pers with me next Sunday. You come into the same pew, and I'll in-
24 DEPRECIATION.
troduce you to him. and maybe you can strike him. 0, do you remem-
ber, I was telling you of the girl at the house I was at last having such
a fine beau ?
Bridget 0, yes.
Margaret Well, he's just left her entirely. You know I told you she
was too sweet upon him to hold him. I wan't a bit surprised when I
heard of it; I was certain she could not hold her cetch. She used to
hang on to him, coming up that long hilL I knew he'd get worn with
her ; and I know she never asked him to take a meal of food, her
people are so stingy.
[Enter JANE, followed by Cook, with soup, slices of freshly-roasted meat,
and all the substantial and side and desert dishes of a fashionable dinner.
Jane [ While arranging articles upon the table.'] Mrs. Bryan went out
just now. I met her in the hall as I was going down to the kitchen.
She'd been down, giving directions to Patrick about having the carriage
ready early to-morrow. They're all going out to a grand spree. Come!
we'll sit down and have our square meal. Lay off your things, Mar-
garet. I've had the meat cut so that they can't tell it, after the roast
has been put back in the oven, and browned where it was sliced.
[They draw up to the table. Exit cook.
Bridget I expect the soup is'nt done quite 9nough.
Jane [Sloping in th'e act of serving soup.'} Hark 1 I tho't I heard some
one come in the front door, with a latch key.
Bridget You must be mistaken.
Jane No 1 [dropping soup ladle and re-covering tureen.'] There's some
one coming down the stairs, now. Two or three persons. Bridget, take
Margaret up to your room by the other flight. It's the folks !
[Bridget and Margaret retreat hastily. Margaret snatching up her bon-
net and shawl, and saying to Bridget :
Margaret You can dress yourself and come down and get a hearty
supper with me, after our dinner is over.
Bridget Troth, I will that. For I'd just got my appetite dre'dfully
excited. The cook swears when he's bothered in the kitchen out of his
own meal hours. [Eexunt.
[Enter HENRY BRYAN, ELLEN MASON and LAURA, dressed for the street.]
Jane I saw you coming, and I set the table for you three at once.
Your Mother just went out for an hour, and she said Mr. Bryan wouldn't be
home for an hour later. I tho't you'd want your dinner the moment you
came in.
Laura [removing her outer garments.] Why, we thought we were
very late ; and that Ma and Pa must be eating their dinner by this time.
So we hurried right down stairs so soon as we came in.
Ellen [doffing bonnet] I'm glad the dinner is ready, anyway.
Jane I knew you'd be hungry, so I bro't it right on, as soon as I seen
you coming. It's all nice and hot. The cook carved the meat, so that
he could put the roast back, against the madam came. 0, 1 took the
castor down this morning to scour it. I forgot to bring it up. [Exit.
DEPRECIATION. 25
[The party seat themselves at the table, and HENRY proceeds to serve
Laura What a good, faithful, thoughtful girl Jane is, to have every-
thing ready for our dinner, and it all on the table, just as we got home
from that long ride. I declare, I must buy her another dress.
Ellen You ought, indeed.
Henry I suppose she did'nt have this dinner served up in this queer
way for herself and Bridget, and the coachman.
Ellen and Laura Pshaw!
Laura What a mean suspicion, Uncle ?
ACT III.
SCENE 1 Parlor in the NEW house of the BRYANS, elegantly furnished.
CHARLOTTE BRYAN discovered, engaged in arranging flowers in a vase.
Charlotte I do hope that old pest will not call this evening; I want
to have a good long walk with Arthur. I would rather have a walk any
clear night, than a ride on a dusty day. The idea that Mother has
have me throw off on Arthur, and take up wifli this old man 1 How
absurd it is. It can't be did. Young folks can't be commanded in these
things as they could be in very old times the times we read about in
old novels. I don't want his money, and as for having affection for him
by and by, as Mother says, I can't see it. I don't even have a feeling of
reverence for the old chap. My bump of reverence never was large, I
am afraid, and I think it has diminished much since Cural came a-court-
ing. Ha ! ha ! [Singing
"When this cruel war is over."
[Singing through line :]
" In your suit of blue."
Didn't he look handsome last night, in his suit of blue ? 0, how I love
that boy! and how I hate that old fellow! Ah! there's no telling.
I wish Laura would come home ; I'm dreadful tired staying here all this
afternoon, alone. I have a good mind to take a ride in the cars, as far
as " The Willows." I wonder what made them dismiss all the hand-
some conductors they had when the roads were first opened I I'd take
a promenade down Montgomery street, but Laura says it's getting to be
very vulgar to do that. [Looking out of window.'] 0, here comes Mama
across the street, and a man behind her with two bundles. Mama don't
like to go shopping. 0, no. She'd buy goods until there was not a
clerk in the store who was able to stand up and measure, if she just had
her full privilege for one twenty-four hours. I'll warrant she's almost
ready to swear, because the carriage broke down yesterday with our
party. And there come the two dress-makers. dear ! I was in hopes
that we were not going to have any more new dresses this week. I
wanted to go to San Jose next Saturday ; instead of that, we're fated to
26 DEPRECIATION.
be in church next Sunday, with the first fashions. I don't feel half as
happy as I did when we were down at the old place, and on the old al-
lowance. Here they come up the steps; how the man with the bundles
pants I
[Enter MRS. BRYAN.]
Mrs. Bryan "Why, Charlotte, you here alone ! I met Mr. Cural, as I
was going down this noon, and told him you were keeping house by
yourself to-day. I expected he would have taken the hint, and im-
proved the time to call upon you.
Charlotte Mother, you are cruel ; there is no other name for it. You
are downright cruel.
Mrs. Bryan I hope you will learn sense, one of these days.
Charlotte I hope you will learn sense and humanity.
Mrs. Bryan [laying off her bonnet and shawl, with air of surprise"]
Why, Charlotte, you are impertinent to your mother I
Charlotte Mother, I wish to talk with you very plainly about this old
man Cural, whom you seem to suppose you can induce or force me to
marry.
Mrs. Bryan And I wish to talk with you, Charlotte, very plainly,
respecting this young man Arthur, this half-fledged lieutenant, whom
you seem to think you can encourage without my consent, or that of
your father.
Charlotte I am engaged to him, already ; and he first visited me with
your sanction.
Mrs. Bryan Engaged ! He never visited you, in the character of a
lover, with my sanction. Our families have long been intimate, and I
had no thought of his courting you, until within a few weeks past.
Charlotte Ma, do you think, for a moment, that you can force me to
marry against my will ? Those things are in the days of the past, or
they happen in other countries, or in families very differently composed
from ours.
Mrs. Bryan As a general rule, daughters are much more susceptible
now, than they used to be, to those principles of propriety, and those
social advantages which should govern all men and women in the higher
walks of life, in choosing for marriage. Charlotte, I don't expect you to
consider yourself as under any despotic authority, controlling your
wishes as to a good marriage. I expect you will hear to reason, and act
upon reason and policy, notwithstanding any fancy you may have as a
school-girl for a school-mate, or a young man acquaintance, who has
been privileged with a somewhat intimate association with the family.
I don't want you to think, for one moment, that I would attempt to force
you to do anything against your best judgment. You must let your
judgment take into consideration the reasons given you by me and by
your father; then you will judge right, I expect.
Charlotte I don't think Father has any desire that I should favor the
suit of Mr. CuraL
Mrs. Bryan Your father, my dear, is not a man likely to express to
you, hastily, his real desire or feeling on such a subject; and, besides,
you ought to know and fully understand, by this time, men are not good
judges in regard to the best marriages for their daughters. You know
DEPRECIATION. 27
they don't see as plainly as mothers must about such matters ; and they
very rarely interfere, to any extent, because they feel, themselves, that
they don't know much about the business.
Charlotte I don't understand, yet, why you should wish me to favor
Mr. Cural.
Mrs. Bryan I have tried to explain to you, several times.
Charlotte "We have now an abundance of means. He is an elderly
man ; he must be fifty, for a day.
Mrs. Bryan Forty-four years of age, I think he says he is.
Charlotte Then, there is bad evidence as to character, against him ;
because he looks so much older than he really is.
Mrs. Bryan I don't think that he looks over forty-four.
Charlotte I can't look with your eyes, mother ; not on that subject
But, Mother, really and truly, would you advise me, in all seriousness
to cast out all the hopes I confess I have in a marriage with Arthur, and
unite myself, a girl of nineteen, with this man Mr. Cural ?
Mrs. Bryan I advise it; I urge it; I do it for your good. He is im-
mensely wealthy ; will "set up" in magnificent style. You will have
all that heart can desire.
Charlotte No, Mother, not all that the heart can desire ; not all that
my heart can desire. If you had said all that vanity could desire, you
might have been right. My heart is with another; and even with a
splendid establishment at my command, I should not be vain, with such
a husband connected with it.
Mrs. Bryan Charlotte, if the svstem of domestic tyranny which is
exercised in compelling a daughter to wed whom the parents will, is a
thing of the past, or of less civilized nations, this romance of attachment
which you profess is more surely a thing of the long gone and supersti-
tious past; it is still talked of .in books, I know thin covered books
and probably some young girls do imagine that the sentiment, as books
describe it, does still exist. They must fancy they experience it when
they have slight emotions of pleasure at meeting such or such a person ;
but I think even that is not often the case, now-a-days. It is one of the
best evidences of our enlightenment and high state of civilization and
common sense that there is no pretense, in the rational portion of com-
munity, of any such thing as is described as love in knight-errantry
books. The novels that describe any such passion as existing to-day, or
believed in to-day, have to join it with all those advantages to which I
have alluded. There is esteem and affection ; but, among sensible folks
to-day in our land, there is no such silly thing as love.
Charlotte Mother, were you ever in love ? or do you think you ever
were?
Mrs. Bryan Never, I thank God; no one can really accuse me of
that ; it's an absurdity I never believed in, or gave expression of be-
lief in.
Charlotte Perhaps not ; but Father was in love !
Mrs. Bryan I think not ; I never considered him such a fool.
Charlotte 0, Mother! you ought not to say that; for it was you he
was in love with.
Mrs. Bryan My dear, ours was a very sensible courtship one of es-
teem and mutual regard we had no nonsense about it.
28 DEPRECIATION.
Charlotte Ijncked up a bundle of letters on the top of the bookcase
bureau you moved into my room from yours, two or three months ago,
in the old house. They were letters from Father to you [laughing] ; I
read them every one of them.
Mrs. Bryan You ought to be ashamed of yourself.
Charlotte I was ashamed of Father, Mother. I think he was so
silly! [laughing.'] "Why, I never could have dreamed that he was such
a poor, simple man.
Mrs. Bryan Where is the package ?
Charlotte I burned the package.
Mrs. Bryan You did very wrong to read those letters. Your father
was a foolish man to write them. But it is not at all proper for a mother
to talk with her daughter about matters before the parents' marriage ; it
is unpleasant, and productive of no good; children ought not to know
anything about those matters.
Charlotte I see: you'd like to change the subject, on the plea of bad
taste.
Mrs. B/yan Your father never got any encouragement from me to
make such a fool of himself, as I remember he did in some letters, which
I was very stupid in preserving.
Charlotte Ah ! but, Mother, you did encourage him [approaching her
mother]. There were one or two letters in the package that were from
you to-him !
Mrs. Bryan You are mistaken.
Charlotte No.
Mrs. Bryan You must be mistaken. If you had preserved the pack-
"age you would have found that you had misread the direction. Your
father sometimes wrote a very feminine hand. They were all his letters.
I presume you looked them over hastily,- knowing you were doing very
wrong all the while. I must go up stairs.
Charlotte Ah ! Mother, you cannot get off in that way. Although I
burned the package that is, although I burned the letters of Father's
which were in the package I preserved those of yours which I found
there. I knew you would not care to keep Father's trash, but I could
not tell but Father would like to keep your notes; and I have read them
over and over again, with the greatest delight.
Mrs. Bryan Charlotte, where are those letters ?
Charlotte Do you confess, Mother ?
Mrs. Bryan Where are those letters?
Charlotte 0, Mother, you know you never wrote anything of the
kind that I describe; you are certain you never did to Father. You
know I was only joking ! ^
Mrs. Bryan Charlotte, go and bring me those letters, at once.
Charlotte Why, did you really write them, Mother? Ha! ha! ha!
Mrs. Bryan [approaching her daughter threateningly, as CHARLOTTE
retreats toward the doorJ] Bring those letters down at once, or I'll have
you shut up in your room for a fortnight.
Charlotte How can you say so, when you want and expect me to en-
tertain Mr. Cural, to-night, at the party?
Mrs. Bryan Til have you confined to your room for a fortnight.
DEPRECIATION. 29
Charlotte Why, Mother, if I was only sure you wrote those letters, I
could take a fortnight's worth of fun out of them, solitary and alone.
Did you really write them ?
Mrs. Bryan You hussy, you ! bring me those letters, at once.
Charlotte Mother, I obey ! [Exit.
Mrs. Bryan The little fool 1 What shall I do with the girl ? She
always was a torment. To think that she should have deliberately read
those foolish letters of mine, which I now recollect were tied in the
bundle with her father's. How unfortunate that I didn't burn them long
ago, as I often proposed doing I
[Re-enter CHARLOTTE.]
Charlotte "Why, Mother, I cannot find the letters where I am confi-
dent I left them. I would have searched longer, but I thought you
would be anxious for me to come back. Come up stairs, Mother, and
help me look for them ; I am afraid I have mislaid them, where I shall
not be able to find them for a long time [glancing mischievously at her
mother]. I dare say I have put them away so very carefully that I shall
not be able to find them until some accident discovers them, or turns
them up for me.
Mrs. Bryan You sit down here until your father comes, /will go up
and search your room ; I think /can find them.
Charlotte That's right, Mother. I will sit here. You had better go
up stairs, anyway, for I see Uncle Henry coming across the street.
Mrs. Bryan What of that !
Charlotte Nothing ; except he might observe that you had been ex-
cited, and then he'd be apt to want to know the cause, and so forth, and
so forth. He might suspect, you know !
Mrs. Bryan Suspect what! [approaching Charlotte, from the door,
through which she was about departing.'] Suspect what. You have not
told him of this, have you ?
Charlotte 0, Mother, we have had the jolliest times over the whole
correspondence! 0, such fun!
Mrs. Bryan You minx ! You hussey ! You thief! What do you
mean ? [Pursuing her daughter round the room and attempting to box her.~\
[ Enter HENRY.]
Henry Here ! Here ! What's the row ?
Mrs. Bryan [turning sharply upon Henry. ,] Henry Bryan, I want you
to pick up your duds and clear out of this house ; and never, never, en-
ter it again. Never presume to cross my threshold again, sir.
Henry Yery good. It will take me about a day to pack.
Mrs. Bryan Don't leave a thing belonging to you in the house.
Henry Not a letter, madam. [Exit MRS. BRYAN, in towering passion.]
Henry [seating himself.] Discovered about those letters?
Charlotte Yes.
Henry You ought not to have let that out.
Charlotte I could not help it, Uncle Henry. It was utterly impos-
sible to hold it back. It came in so pat and irresistible, right in the
midst of one of Mother's tirades against sentimentality and romance, and
all that sort of thing.
3*
30 DEPRECIATION.
Henry 0, it came in as a matter of argument ?
Charlotte Just DO.
Henry ! Did you tell your Mother that you did not let me know
who the authors of the letters were, until you had finished the reading
of all of them to me?
Charlotte She did not give me a chance to explain anything, after the
secret was out.
Henry You must tell your Mother about that. For I would not be
guilty of prying, as she now supposes. The real fact is, I had heard
every one of them before. Alfred read them to me while he
was courting. But, I had forgotten them. Couldn't have identified
their writers. All love letters, like little babies, look alike at least
to the inexperienced ; dumpy and delicate, and very red in the face.
[Enter BRIDGET.]
Bridget Master Henry, the Lord pardon me ! But I've the small
bundle of copies. The Lord pardon me. I took them out of Miss Char-
lotte's bureau, myself; so there's no mortal sin done, except to myself.
I heard ye ; s laughing over them, and I tho't there was something mon-
strous queer in the copies, and, so, faith the Lord pardon me I tho't
I'd borrow them, yesterday, for Patrick to read to us. Sure, I didn't
see any harm of that. And I didn't intend any mortal sin in taking
them.
Charlotte Where are they now ?
Bridget I have them snug in my vest pocket. [Taking them out of
Tier bosom.'] Here they are, sure, and nothing the worst for our bit of a
trial to read them. God bless the mistress and master, we could not
make more than half out ; and that same we could not understand.
Sure, we tho't it was Miss Laura's writing, until we excidentaly over-
heard ye's and Miss Charlotte scraming over your own Mother's flesh
and blood, in her younger days.
Henry That will do for you, Bridget. Leave the letters upon the
table. [Bridget lays letter bundle on the card waiter.']
Bridget I expect Mr. Henry, now there's two of us have warning?
Charlotte [laughing.] Yes, I can promise you warning. How dare
you take anything out of my bureau, without permission or direction?
Bridget Oh! Troth, you'll have your Mother's way of spache, on
that same point, when your turn comes. [Exit BRIDGET.]
Charlotte What impudence I How can I get those letters up stairs,
now?
Henry I'll take charge of their delivery to your Mother. You go
down into the dining-room for a few minutes, and I will send for your
Mother and explain matters for us all, myself in particular.
[Exit CHARLOTTE. HENRY rings bell and dispatches servant, who an-
swers, for MRS. BRYAN.]
[Enter MRS. BRYAN.]
Henry Your letters are on the table. It seems that Bridget had
them. She noticed some sport made over them, and took them
out of Charlotte's bureau, thinking her cousin,the coachman Pat-
trickcould read them. No harm done; they could not make
DEPRECIATION. 31
them out. I ought to say, for myself what Charlotte must con-
firm I did not know that they were your letters until they had been
read to me, the night the laugh was had over them. Though I ought to
have recognized them Alfred read them to me years and years ago.
Mrs. Bryan He always was a fool for making a confident of you,
though you are his brother.
Henry Good afternoon, [going.] '
Mrs. Bryan Dinner must be most ready.
Henry Do I dine with you, to day ?
Mrs. Bryan Why, certainly. I would not have Alfred know any-
thing about this. Don't tell him I told you to leave the house.
Henry Not for the world. I have too much consideration for his
feelings.
Mrs. Bryan And And don't go.
Henry No, indeed. I have too much consideration for your feelings.
[Exit HENRY.]
[Enter ALFRED.]
Mr. Bryan Ah! My dear, what is new in the thread and needle line,
to-day?
Mrs. Bryan The dress makers are in the girls' room at work, late as
it is. You can go and see for yourself. I think I have bought some
elegant patterns. But, Alfred, my dear, I want you to speak to Char-
lotte, this evening, without fail, in relation to her conduct toward Mr.
Cural, and her encouragement of that young fellow, Arthur.
Mr. Bryan I don't like the business. Do you seriously think Cural
would be a suitable match ?
Mrs. Bryan Of course I do.
Mr. Bryan I have my doubts about it ; even if his age be not
Counted an objection. As for Charlotte's encouragement to Arthur, why
that r s amounts to nothing. He is going away soon, in the army, ; and
if that match should not be a proper one, there will be abundance of time
and opportunity and occasion to break it. Let them part natu:ally,
without our saying anything to get up a morbid sympathy between
them ; and absence and new companions, such as we may choose, will
have all the desired effect in the way of removing her attachment or ro-
m mtic reg ets for that boy.
Mrs. Bryan But you see Mr. Cural expects a distinct answer from us
and from Charlotte at once. He will "setup" in superb style. You
know what we suffered from poverty in the early part of our married
life. Don't let us allow the possibility of such trials to our children
our daughters if we can prevent it. And now we can insure against
it for Charlotte. "Wealth and luxury are pressed in the suit for her.
Alfred, I want you to be sure to speak to Charlotte about this matter to-
night ; and I want you to strenuously urge her to accept Mr. Cural' s
proposition at once. You have a great deal more influence over her
than I have, I regret to say. She treats my arguments as if they were
contemptible. She is full of the nonsense of sentiment.
Mr. Bryan A good, true-hearted girl 1 I don't think you are right
about the suitableness of this match with Cural. But I will talk with
Charlotte about it.
32 DEPRECIATION.
Mrs. Bryan Yon must urge it !
Mr. Bryan So far as I can.
[Enter JANE.]
Jane Dinner is ready, madam. {Exit JANE.
Mrs. Bryan Come, let us go down to dinner. I will arrange for you
to see Charlotte here this evening without interruption. Now, urge Mr.
Cural's favor upon her strongly, my dear. {Kissing Mr. B.
Mr. Bryan I will be down in a minute. You have the dinner served.
[Exit Mrs. BRYAN.
Mr. Bryan [throwing himself upon a lounge] heavens! my wife
is a heartless woman, I almost believe. That parents should decently
seek eligible marriages for their children, see to it that they are not
wedded to downright poverty, is right, right, right. But to marry my
dear, good daughter Charlotte to that old foreign debauche" 1 Why, if
Charlotte sought such a match instead of her mother, I would have her
kidnapped and taken to Japan for a three years' residence. I am glad
to believe she will be stubborn and unyielding against the proposition,
the very thought. So, I can talk and talk to suit her mother, and give
her oceans of good (bah ! bad) unheeded parental advice. God help
my child to see my insincerity, if her mother superintends our interview,
as I know she intends to. Let old Cural look elsewhere. There are
plenty of young misses who will jump for a runaway match with him.
Not my daughter ; not my dear, good Lotty. No. [Exit Mr. B.
[Enter CHARLOTTE.]
Charlotte I wonder what mother really hurried me through dinner for
so anxiously I Wanted me to come upjhere and stay, so as to entertain
any visitors that might call while the family were at dinner. She never
suggested anything of the kind before. I don't think that was the true
reason. I was not half through dinner. How troubled papa looks !
He fairly seemed to shun my eyes. I am going to get him up in my
room to-night, and comb his hair and make him comfortable. I wonder
what mother could have been so anxious to have me come up here for I
To wait for visitors, if any called 1 Wait for visitors 1 Pshaw ! Well,
if a visitor call before they get through dinner, I will answer the door
bell. I didn't hesitate to do that every time in the old place. [Door
Ml rings.] I will answer it. Hold on, though ; I will look out and see
who it is first. [Looking out] Whoever it is, he or she is so close up
to the door, on the sill, that I can't see who it is or what it is, or anything
about it. It must be a man or a boy. A woman's dress would certainly
show, unless she has left off her hoops. It must be a man. If it is
that old Cural, I'll run and hide. [Door bell again rings.] There goes
the bell again. There's a hand on the bannister. It is-no -yes it's
a blue sleeve with brass buttons on the cuffs. It's Arthur it is Arthur I
It can't be possible mother knew he was coming. [Running to the door,
and calling out as she goes.] Jane I Jane I you need not answer the door
bell ; mother told me to stay up and see to visitors. Don't come up.
I'll see who is at the door. [Exit ; then re-enter CHARLOTTE, hand-in-
hand with ARTHUR.] Dear, dear Arthur, what has kept you away so
long?
DEPRECIATION. 33
Arthur Ob, I've been on a long journey since I saw you last been
away three weeks.
Charlotte "Where have you been !
Arthur Up the country would want a map of the country to tell
you where. But I was at Sacramento a week.
Charlotte You got my letters then, didn't you. I directed them all
to Sacramento.
Arthur No ; and I called every day at the express and post office
every day I was there ; and I was there all of last week. And I wrote
you every day.
Charlotte Not a letter ! I sent my letters by mail.
Arthur That's strange. I am afraid I shall have to write a little note
to the newspapers cursing Postmaster Perkins.
Charlotte I wouldn't. I never got a letter from you.
Arthur That's very strange.
Charlotte Ah, no ! I think I can at least account for my failure to
receive your letters, without attributing any blame to the San Francisco
Postmaster or any of his clerks. [.*4sec?e.] (Aha! mother, I am a letter
thief, am I ? New letters against old, then. I am afraid I shall get a
hate for my mother.) 0, Arthur, sit down. 0, how happy I am to see
you ! [Putting her arms around Arthur, and sobbing, her head on his
shoulder.'} You must not think I am silly because I cry.
Arthur I guess not. I 'guess not ! Don't you know but you don't
know but it's a fact Michelet and the woman I forget her name
the woman who wrote a book against Michelet's theory of love, and Mrs.
Farnham, and Swedenborg, and all the other ancient and modern writers
on love, recommend distinctly that a man do not believe a woman loves
him except she cries very much, once in a while every few days in
his presence, or when she accidentally meets her lovyer cries without
any sort of occasion, or reason for crying. When there is what would
naturally be supposed to be an occasion for crying, she must not cry,
that is, if she loves you. Then she mu=t be tearless, and very hard and
flinty-looking ; stone countenance. That's a scientific statement, Lotty,
dear. So, cry away. [Kissing her.
Charlotte Ah ! Arthur, there is an occasion for me to cry, I am afraid.
Arthur What is it, pray?
Charlotte Never mind. Tell me how you are getting along. When
will you be mustered in ?
Arthur I expect to be mustered in sometime this week. I am only
waiting for the captain of my company to come down from the country,
with some recruits that I know he has already obtained. By the way,
did you know I had been promoted ?
Charlotte " Promoted !" before you are mustered in ?
Arthur Yes; I have got a commission as first lieutenant. I have
got the commission in my pocket, I think. [Searching for it. Meanwhile
MR. BRYAN enters seeing the " company,' 1 ' 1 hesitates near the door a mo-
ment, and then retires unperceived.] No, I have left it at the house. I'll
bring it up the next time. I came particularly to ask you to take a ride
this evening. If you will go, I will come up with the buggy in twenty
minutes.
34 DEPRECIATION.
Charlotte 0, I shall be delighted ! [MRS. BRYAN passes the parlor
door, noticing, with evident amazement and indignation, the " company"
passing by unperceived']. I'll go to the door with you, and let you out
quietly, so that the folks who are at dinner will not have any notice that
it is you. I'll tell them I let in one of the seamstresses; I don't want
them to know you came here just now. Then you can drive up, and
come in and ask me to ride, as if you hadn't seen me before for an age.
Arthur Why so?
Charlotte No matter now ; I will explain it all to you when, we are
out. [Ex. ARTHUK and CHARLOTTE.
[Enter MR. BRYAN, closely followed by MRS. BRYAN.]
Mrs. Bryan And you allowed them to sit here talking together ; and
of course you were not man enough to improve the opportunity to give
that young brass-buttons a substantial hint that his presence here wasn't
desirable, or to be permitted here any more !
Mr. Bryan How did you know he was here ?
Mrs. Bryan I looked into the room as I came up ; I expected, as a
matter of course, to see you here with Charlotte.
Mr. Bryan Why didn't you improve the opportunity to give the
young man the hint that his presence here was no longer desirable ?
Mrs. Bryan Mr. Bryan, you have sometimes the most provoking way
of answering me back that could be conceived of.
Mr. Bryan My dear, a man of very ordinary wit can aptly answer a
scold, if he feels disposed to do so. But silence, no doubt, is silver. I could
have very readily entered the room when I saw Arthur here, if the pur-
pose on which I was coming had not made me choke with embarrass-
ment and shame. Here were two young spring-birds, billing and cooing ;
I could not drive one away, and ask the other to mate with an old turkey
buzzard. I couldn't do it right at that moment, and under the circum-
stances of surprise, my dear.
Mrs. Bryan Why, you are getting quite dramatic and poetical, ain't
you, now ? What a pity you were not a son of Lord Byron's, your
name and genius are so much like his. Mr. Bryan, do you intend to
fulfill your promise to me, and advise Charlotte as I told you to?
Mr. Bryan As far as you have any promises from me, I intend to
fulfill.
Mrs. Bryan Then here is your opportunity without excuse. I hear
Charlotte coming. I am going into the back parlor. [Exit Mrs. B.
[Enter CHARLOTTE.]
Mr. Bryan [Drawing his daughter to his side on the sofa] My dear
child, who was that that was here a few minutes ago ?
Charlotte [Looking intently into her father's face] Father, I cannot
deceive you ; it was Arthur.
Mr. Bryan I thought so, my dear.
Charlotte Did you not know it was?
Mr. Bryan My child, I cannot deceive you about that at least; I did.
Charlotte, are you engaged to Arthur ?
Charlotte I am, father. Is he not a good, worthy young man?
DRPRECIATION. 35
Mr. Bryan He is a bright boy. But he is without means ; no capi-
tal ; no profession. He has no prospects adequate for the support of a
house.
Charlotte Why, [laughing,'] of course we never dreamed of being
married right away ; not until his term of service is out. Then he has
the promise and guarantee of a situation in a banking house, where his
salary will be sufficient to maintain us, and more, in very good style.
0, father, I often thought I never suggested it to Arthur, and I know
he never thought of it, for he loved me and asked me to marry him when
we were poor, when most people thought we were very poor but I
have often thought that you could and would set him up in business
when he came home from the army. You know he understands mer-
chandizing very well. 0, father, father, don't you tell me I mast give
up Arthur I I am afraid of that. [Sobbing on her father's breast.
Mr. Bryan My child, you know your father loves you; I only seek
your good.
Charlotte I know you do really seek my good.
Mr. Bryan I think it very imprudent in you to be engaged to Arthur
tinder the present circumstances. It is not right that a boy like him
should bind you to such an engagement. You are quite young yet;
Arthur is going away, to be gone for a couple of years, at least ; and he
should leave you free, and you should feel perfectly free to make your
choice elsewhere. You must tell him so, Lotty dear. [Kissing her.]
"Will you ? For you: father's sake, who loves you, Lotty, and who ad-
vises you in affection. 0, you know not how much I love you. There
is something like a sharp instrument that goes deeper and deeper into
my heart every day, and it leaves a seam that is filled with larger love
for my children. 0, my God 1 is it so ? But for love of them, I should
be wounded to death.
Charlotte Father, father, I understand you. Let me tell Arthur all
you say, and then I will tell him firmly and positively that our engage-
ment is broken for the present. But I want him to understand that you
are not the one who breaks it.
Mr. Bryan But, my child, I am the one that asks you to do this. I
really wish you to break this engagement.
Charlotte Really, Father? Truly, Father?
Mr. Bryan Really truly I
Charlotte Well, dear father, it is broken !
Mr. Bryan To-night?
Charlotte To-night. Arthur will be here in a few minutes; and I
will dismiss him. I was going out to ride with him ; but I will call him
in here, and break with him at once, give him back this ringl I feel
it must be done at once.
Mr. Bryan Go out and ride with him, my dear. Tell him while you
are riding ; it may be easier for you to do it then.
Charlotte [After meditation] I believe it will [Her father kisses her
upon the forehead.] Father, I know you are suffering! I love you.
There is nothing, nothing, father, you can ask of me that I will not do.
Nothing that it is possible for me to do.
36 DEPRECIATION".
Mr. Bryan I am not deserving of so good a child [Embraces his
daughter, who rises then and retires.']
[After a short interval MRS. BRYAN enters.]
Mrs. Bryan Have you done as you agreed ?
Mr. Bryan Charlotte has promised to dismiss Arthur, and to-night.
Mrs. Bryan Has she promised to accept Mr. Cural ?
Mr. Bryan I did not ask her ; and, [rising and turning sharply upon
his wife] so help me God, I would not have asked her such a thing, and
if she had asked, me the question for advice for herself, I would have an-
swered her "No! " And, 0, it tore my heart to ask of her what I did;
and I lied 1 curses on me, I lied !
Mrs. Bryan Mr. Bryan, you're a fool !
Mr. Bryan Thank you, Mrs. Bryan. Thank you. Clara, Clara, dar-
ling. My poor Child! Heaven help you I [Exit MR. BRYAN.]
Mrs. Bryan The fool I He'd better take a dose of medicine.
[Exit MRS. BRYAN at one door. Enter BRIDGET BURNS at another door.]
Bridget No 1 Divil a bit of a fool is the master. And, if its medicine
he wants, sure, and, he shouldn't have a dose of those old letters you
palavered him with, years ago, and before you were as wise as you are
BOW. Ah 1 And it's then he was a fool and, as Patrick says, " a domned
fool." 0, but he's the fond father I And she's the horrible one bad
luck to the heritic praste that banned her to so good a man. And the
childers are as good childers as ever drew breath in a free country, where
the wages are rasonable good, sweet, beautiful bairns. And it's the
father that loves them. And it's the mother would send them to the
divil on two sticks, hobbling about the pavement. The likes of them old
rats, spying round for young girls, when they ought to be engaging ser-
vice for repose of their dirty souls. Ha 1 Here's the old woman coming
back again. She's up stairs and down stairs, like the witch's broom
handle. [Exit BRIDGET.]
[Enter MRS. BRYAN, soon followed by CHARLOTTE, dressed for a ride.]
Mrs. Bryan Why, Charlotte, what is the meaning of this ? "Why are
you dressed for going out ? Don't you intend to keep your promise to
your father ?
Charlotte I promised father to break with Arthur to-night. Arthur
was coming to take me out to ride. Father said I had better ride out
with Arthur, and tell him while we were riding.
Mrs. Bryan Pshaw! Nonsense 1 Stay in. Tell him here. I would
not have you seen riding out with him. Stay here, and tell him here,
when he comes.
Charlotte I will, Mother. I expect it is as well.
Mrs. Bryan It is better for you to tell him here. Break off this
school-girl folly, in your own doors I [Exit]
[CHARLOTTE sits on sofa. Door bell rings.]
Charlotte [starting up.] Ah 1 How very quick he is. I have a
good mind to go out with him, and marry him to-night. No, I will keep
my word to my father, though every farewell word to Arthur came to
DEPRECIATION. 3*7
lips like coals of fire. ! Sordid world of San Francisco, are there no
love-tragedies within your walls ? !N one ! None !
[Enter ARTHUR.]
Arthur Come ! I have a splendid turn-out ; and there's a full moon
to-night; and we can ride until 9 or 10. Cornel
Charlotte Arthur, sit down a moment! [Arthur takes a seat, with
manner indicative of surprise.] Arthur, I am not going out to ride with
you to-night. I dressed myself to go out, as you see. I was going to
ride out with you and tell you something, something very important.
But, Mother thought I had best tell you here; and there is no starting to
ride after it is told. Arthur! [Arthur rises with evident apprehension,']
Arthur ! we went to school together. We have known each other from,
childhood. We are only big children now, though I have left school and
you wear the uniform of an army officer. Well well Arthur
[choking for utterance.']
ArthurWell I What ? What is it, Lotty ?
Charlotte Arthur, you are about going away with your Company ?
Arthur I am.
Charlotte Arthur, when you go away you must leave me free ; leave
me without any engagement, as I now I now, release all vows to you.
I have promised to give this to you, and require this of you. I know
you will grant what I ask. Arthur, dear, I give you back your promise.
I will send you all your presents to-morrow, and you may send me the
pictures you have of me.
t Arthur [whirling around.] Tou are not joking?
Charlotte No.
Arthur I thought not. I had a kind of prescience of this. And,
how pleasant you were only a few minutes ago.
Charlotte It is only withiu a few minute?, and since you left here,
that I have been told to say this to you. But I have had a fear 0, so
long that at last I should have to tell you this.
Arthur I know how it is. I understand it all. [walking excitedly.]
That old Cural, that lovely old imp of Front street, has been prowling
about the premises ever since your father came to riches. And he knew
about that as soon as your father did. I know exactly how it is, and
how it will be. Charlotte, your parents want you to marry old Cural.
And you'll do it!
Charlotte Never, Arthur.
Arthur Yes, you will. You will do as Ellen Cranmerton aud Ellen
Dillaner and twenty others I could name old schoolmates of yours
have done within the past year. You will marry a withered old man,
who has gold, gold, and who you think will give you a heavy purse
every day. But you're mistaken there. I had fear I should lose you ;
but I drove it away, because it came up in this form, and I could not be-
lieve you would follow that suit.
Charlotte Nor will I. Listen to me, Arthur. We have vows given
to each other. Those who have some right to direct me at my age, in
this matter of fixed choice for life, whom I ought not now directly to
disobey, so long as they do not try to force me to wed the man I would
not, they tell me to give you back your promise, and ask you to disen-
4
38 DEPRECIATION.
gage me. So far I yield to their judgment and command. But here I
make no vow, but an oath, before you and high heaven, that I will not
marry Cural, nor such a man as he no, though he have a ton of gold
for his suit, and death were the penalty of refusal. I make you my wit-
ness here to that resolution, and in your hands will leave the right of
absolving me from it. Be assured and certain that you were wrong in
allowing yourself to suspect for a moment that my cause for breaking
with you had any thought of such a marriage.
Arthur Not your intention now, probably. But it is for the reason
that Cural wants you that your father and mother urge you to break off
with me. Bye and by, (not now), they expect you to become entirely
reconciled to their will and pleasure, and marry this old fellow.
Charlotte I have given my oath. And my father does not encourage
snch a proposition. No, he neither expects nor wishes it. I believe he
would not permit it, if he could prevent it, even if I voluntarily sought it.
Arthur Then it is your mother.
Charlotte Arthur, I have no right to speak ill or harshly of my
mother. Then you have no right to do such a thing in my presence.
Arthur 0, Cuarlotte Bryan, do you know what you are saying?
[Bursting into tears, seating himself, and sobbing.
Charlotte Arthur, do you recollect that Michelet, or " that woman
who answered him" for I have read them both since you first told rne
you had read them says that when a man cries heartily on being disap-
pointed in love, his sorrow will be very easily cured by absence?
Arthur 0, curses on Michelet, or the woman that was fool enough to
answer him ! "Why, Charlotte, [rising and turning upon her,] Charlotte,
I thought you really loved me. I thought you a warm hearted, but
string-willed girl.
Charlotte God knows I am strong willed.
Arthur I thought you loved me deeply. I really had, as I find now,
no idea that with the freedom of such a community as this, you would
throw off your accepted lover without a good moral reason. Now, I
begin to see exactly how it is. You never loved me. You may not in-
tend to marry Cural, but you at least want to be free of choice during
my absence, so it some one better suited to your fancy (for your are
heartless) should ask your hand, you can accept. You think it quite
probable you may meet with some one you could love better, so you im-
prove this very good opportunity to cast me off.
Charlotte You do not reason very well, in your bitterness. If I were
capable of this which you put down to me, in this or any other commu-
nity the bond of promise between you and me would have been of light
account in any event. But I did not so esteem them. I not love you,
Arthur 1 0, that is a great wrong to say so. But I must be free, for I
have promised it to one who asked me in suffering who'll have quiet
and peace by it, for a little season at least. I not love you 1 Arthnr
Hassard, now that we part as friends merely, I feel that I can and should
tell you what I never expected you to hear from me. I have loved you
from the first consciousness of womanhood; the first realizing sense of
love in my heart distinctly pictured you as the object, or as a very part
of the controlling emotion ; and I have nurtured that love on a sure
DEPRECIATION. 39
knowledge of noble deeds and manly endurance and true ambition.
While your mother and sister were living at the East you labored here,
almost alone in this new country, to support them and to give that sister
means for a liberal education. You bent your energies to a pursuit and
to daily tasks that did not require for their following the talent you pos-
sessed; in which you could not have intervals for study to fit you for
the higher walks which you were worthy to tread, and toward which
you must have been consciously ambitious. I saw you when the intelli-
gence came of the death of that mother and sister, by a dreadful acci-
dent. I knew that your anguish was terrible ; but you made no great
demonstration of it that could indicate the depth of your grief to other
eyes than mine. You did not sit down sulkily and grieve. 0, Ar-
thur, more than all, how I loved you for the sacrifice you then made
and the affections and aspirations you tht-n exhibited. I knew it was a
sacrifice that difference in money did not tell. You relinquished a posi-
tion where you were earning and receiving $200 a month from a partial
employer, to enter the service of your government, in the army on
this coast, which was then sadly in need of men ; and you first took and
were content to remain with a soldier's pay. I knew that when you
were commissioned a lieutenant, you took all the savings you had accu-
mulated for the bringing out of your mother and sister and the purchas-
ng of a little homestead for them, and expended it in the recruiting -serv-
ice of your government and country. And you have expended all that
sum and nearly a year of labor in this service. If an American girl would
not love (0, no less a word than love!) the handsome young man who would
do this for his country, under such circumstances, on this distant coast, she
would not only be disloyal, she would be utterly without sense of appre-
ciation of what is most noble and glorious in man. Arthur, T am not
worthy of you. Bel ; eving in your heart that, after all, I suffered most,
you could bear and determine to leave me with light words upon your
lips, with affected apprehension that I would wed one destitute of any
claim to the hand of youth in marriage. 0, don't reproach me, and
don't think too well of me. I cannot say, forget me ! You will not
forget me. I shall never forget you, Arthur ; never cease to love you
never 1
Arthur Dear, noble girl! [embracing her] and yet I ought not to
accept such a eulogy, though it be made of parting words. You must
be right in believing that it is best for you to obey your parents' wish,
best for our engagement to be broken. I absolve you from your vow
absolutely, cheerfully, cheerfully if not willingly; for you require it will
not even say that I shall hold in my heart any hope of a new promise
and its fulfi Iment, in time to come. Farewell, Lotty dear. When I am
away I shall have a secret talisman in my heart, though your promise
be gone. No one will dream of it, but you and I God bless you !
Fare -.veil! Farewell! [Kisses he%.] Speak my name once more, Lotty I
Charlotte Arthur!
Arthur Farewell ! farewell, Lotty !
[Embracing her. Exit ARTHUR.
[CHARLOTTE stands for a moment, sobbing looks up mournfully and
despairingly ; then moves toioard the door. Approaching step is heard.
CHARLOTTE turns from the door.]
40 DEPRECIATION.
Charlotte Hark ! I think that is the footstep of that hateful man. I
did not hear the bell. But it is his footstep. My God ! Spare me the
sight of him, now !
[Enter MR. BRYAN. Pauses a moment."]
Mr. Bryan Charlotte!
Charlotte [Turns and falls into Ms arms, exclaiming : ] Father !
Mr. Brgan My child! [Tenderly embraces her.]
ACT IV.
[Six months' interval of time between 3d and 4th Acts.]
SCENE I. PARLOR in the house of the BRYANS.
[Enter HENRY.]
Henry -"Well, here I am, delegated by circumstances and their crea-
ture, wbo is my unfortunate younger frater, to inform the female portion
of this wealthy and aristocratic house of six months' standing of cer-
tain unpleasant facts, which sum up as follows: Assets, nothing ; and
the good habit of ''pay as you go," (according to my advice) resulting
in, Debts, nothing. A square stand-off for a get-off. Now, although
this seems on the outside to be a disagreeable task, I rather like it, and
I have thought over it for a whole night. In the first place, it is reliev-
ing Alfred of the secret of his downfall, which he could not himself an-
nounce or confess until it was proved by common report, so miserably
sensitive is he to the conjugal upbraidings of Mrs. B. ; Secondly, it is
taking the ruffles and flounces and braid from Mrs. Bryan's dresses; and
I owe her several, which this will liquidate. I am very thankful that I
was born with a malevolent disposition. Thirdly, this furnishes an un-
get-roundable reason one which must be practically conclusive why
Charlotte should not be forced to marry old Cural, and for the whole
family's sake levy on his cursed old money bags, if he has any. Yes,
yes, altogether this is a very pleasant and congenial duty, which, under
the special administration of Providence, has been consigned to me.
And then, too, after waiting a few hours for the force of natural lamen-
tations to expend itself, then to open up a way to escape from what
Mrs. B. will consider horrible shame, on conditions tyrannically my
own; conditions, which will secure my brother's and my niece's peace,
and enable me to hold my own. For I can't lecture where I have com-
mand; and that is precisely where Mrs. B. and myself differ. Halloo!
Now for it ! Here comes the Madam.
[Enter MRS. BRYAN.]
Mrs. Bryan Why, Henry, I am glad to see you this morning. Alfred
said you wanted to speak to me, and I was going down to the office
this noon so that I might catch you there and get your word. Alfred
seemed so nervous when he told me that you wanted to speak to me,
DEPRECIATIO
that I have had considerable uneasiness in anticipation of it. And what
ha kept you away from the city so long?
Henry That's right. He ought to have set you on pins by his man-
ner. I venture to say that he is slightly afraid of you. That, I think,
is fchown in the fact that you and he are not, strictly, confidants. It
would do very well for him to tell you that he had grown rich, all of a
sudden though I contended that that communication was a great mis-
take: but he daresn't tell you he had failed!
Mrs. Bryan What! Henry!
Henry NoJ He was afraid to tell you that he was a poor man
again almost as poor as when you married him twenty years ago in our
pleasant little village in New York State. _ He hired me to tell you this,
and all about it as much as you were curious to know. He paid me
in advance. I wouldn't undertake it without payment in advance, and
an additional insurance of a thousand dollars on my life-premium.
Mrs. Bryan Do you mean to say that Alfred is broke ?
Henry Verily. Alfred, your lawful husband, Alfred Bryan, the
broker he, he has broke. He is not worth a red riffle.
Mrs. Bryan. How do you know this?
Henry Among other evidences, I have his word for it the word of
an honest man, 'though he has been a broker: the word of a sad, up-
right man, 'though he is your husband.
Mrs. Bryan [After a pame.] Well, Charlotte had a dream. She
dreamed it would be so, night before last. Ah I when she told me of it
I laughed and said dreams went by contraries.
Henry That's superstition. The natural interpretation, the rational
interpretation is straight forward. No wonder poor Charlotte dreamed
of it; she has sense she saw the extravagance and foolish display of
the house; and she wanted to be poor, no doubt she prayed to be poor,
in order to get rid of that cursed Cural.
Mrs. Bryan [^sicfe.] (Oh ! that, now, is our only reliance.) Is it
generally known that Alfred has failed?
Henry No, Madam Bryan, it is not.
Mrs. Bryan I have fixed the wedding day for next Monday. We
must keep this concealed until then. Mr. Cural has promised to settle
on Charlotte regular money enough to keep up this house three times
over, and once married to Charlotte, outside of the legal settlement, I
can take care that he expresses due gratitude to me by his expenses.
Henry What! In Heaven's name, you would not live on him?
[Aside.'] (This puts my plan out of joint.)
Mrs. Bryan -Well, he can take and keep up this house, and our family
can go back to nearly the old style without any one's noticing it.
Henry Mrs. Bryan, I have this news to tell you, and I have some
things to say specially to you of my own judgment, necessary for you
to hear and act consistently with. You must realize that your hus-
band's loss of fortune is entire and absolute, and this fact must be matter
of street notoriety in less than three days from this date in Christendom.
Nothing can prevent that. Make up your mind and make your bets
accordingly. This house must be given up. You can't keep it under
any contrivance. Old Cural, even if he should be disposed (as he won't
4*
42 DEPRECIATION.
be) to abide by the matrimonial arrangement made for your daughter in
the hour of your great prosperity, will not keep it; for he has already
engaged, in writing, another house, less costly than this, contingent on
his marrying within a month. The probabilities of course are,. however,
that he will throw up the agreement on learning of Alfred's financial
crash. And if I were in your place, I would take a smart advantage of
him by being first to suggest the break. Worldly pride, even, which
should stand you in some service now, and truth and decency, which
always argued against this unwholesome match, agree in recommending
this action. Mrs. Bryan, Clara, if you will only adopt this course in
regard to this matter, it will evince a returning or born good sense that
will insure your happiness and comfort hereafter. I know that.
Mrs. Bryan [Sobbing.] 0, dear ! I think Alfred should have told me
about this.
Henry So do I. But he disliked to do it. He asked me to do it.
He begged me to do it. I have done it thoroughly, and with a great
deal of satisfaction.
Mrs. Bryan You are a wretch 1 I don't expect anybody will gloat
over our misfortunes half as much as you will.
Henry Nor I, either. I tell you it has afforded me a great deal of
pleasure. The "bust" has come just at the right time, and it has been
perfect. Owing to my persistent advice and sometimes my actual in-
terference you have kept your bills paid up from month to month.
There is a moral satisfaction in that, which only Alfred and myself ap-
preciate I But you were giving strong symptoms of a desire and inten-
tion to spend far beyond even the great income that you had. Had
your fall been delayed a year, you would have had a magnificent ruin,
involving hundreds of innocent parties in distress and penury. As it is,
I congratulate you, the "bust" is in good time to let you out with every
debt paid, and, perhaps, enough honestly saved to purchase you a very
comfortable little homestead, and that's all. I don't think I ever knew
so opportune an occurrence, of its kiod.
Mrs. Bryan I am almost inclined to disbelieve what you say.
Henry You would disbelieve it if you could ; but you know even I
could not be guilty of a practical joke on such a matter. I promised
Alfred the information should be imparted in due, formal style, consist-
ent with the magnificence of the losses, and in a consoling manner, such
as I have adopted ; and having duly informed you, I can tell the rest of
the family, if you desire me to do it.
* Mrs. Bryan 0, by all means; make yourself generally useful in
posting the girls in the kitchen. I authorize you to give them all notice
to quit next week, which is at the end of their mouth.
Henry Then you will tell Charlotte and Laura ?
Mrs. Bryan No, I will not.
Henry I must be asked by you to tell them, or I shall Cleave their
"posting" to you, or the hearing of street gossip.
Mrs. Bryan I beg you to tell them, and at once. Here comes Laura
now. I will go. [Exit.
[Enter LAURA.]
Henry Laura, your school examinations close this month, don't they?
DEPRECIATION. 43
Laura Ye?, uncle.
Henry-xrThen you will be ready to go into the business of teaching
yourself, 1 1 am acquainted with three of the members of the Board of
Education, and I will open on your succession to the first vacancy. I
will bring you home to-night the Declaration of Dependence, which they
require to be signed by the female teachers. You can look over it, and
prepare your conscience accordingly.
Laura Why, uncle, what do you mean? I am not going to teach
school. I have no idea of it.
Henry That is just the idea you must get ; the best thing you can
think of. Your father has fallen from wealth. He's poor, Laura ; poor
as a church that don't get up a lottery or a fandango once a month.
Laura Papa broke ! [Dropping her pile of scftoolbooks.
Henry Stocks have gone down and your father has gone up. See-
saw! That's the way of this little world, Laura.
Laura I will sit right down, and have a good cry.
Henry Do, Laura ; that's sensible.
Laura I was going to ask mamma and papa to go out next Saturday
and look at " Kisling Place." I was in hopes pa might buy it. You
know it's for sale ; and it's such a beautiful place : gold fish ponds with
seats around them, fountains, canaries, monkeys, black swans, ostriches,
and peacocks, and flowers until you can't rest. 0, dear 1
[Sitting down and crying,
Henry A delightful place, I know. Magnificent prospect 1 It's
boarded high, like a harem or nunnery; but when you climb on the top
of the bird-roost or pump, you have gorgeous surroundings. Frog-lakes
to the front of you, frog-lakes to the left of you, with a fort for a jump-
ing off place from the cars in the near distance ; grand blanket factory,
exuberant of smoke, ditto ; and from the glorious old ocean rolls in an.
occasional eastern sea breeze, exquisitely perfumed by the beef-bazaars
on Brannan street. And so cheap! Only $150,000 for the whole con-
cern. The lone ostrich, that you see twice and call a pair, cost a thous-
and, and the golden-headed pheasant is worth its weight in gold. It is
dreadful to contemplate what a purchase your poor father is put out of.
Too bad !
Laura Uncle Henry, you're mocking me ; and I don't think it right.
Henry Not a bit of it, sweet Laura. I am only expatiating on the
mournfulness of the loss, taking your own particular ideas and plans of
happiness into consideration.
Laura 0, dear! dear! what will poor mamma say?
Henry She's had her say ; that is, her first say. I have told her.
Laura Did she cry ? [Looking up from her sobbing.
Henry Well, I didn't exactly see it. I couldn't say positively.
Laura She ought to cry. If she didn't cry hard, I won't cry at all.
I will go right up to her room. [Rising and exit.
Henry That's a sensible girl. Why should she snivel if her mother
don't? But the worst task of revelation is to come. Poor Charlotte!
Though I think and know it will all result for her peace and good, and
though I believe she will soon see it in that light, and has often hoped
vaguely for some such stroke, she naturally will have more reason than
44 DEPRECIATION.
any of the rest to feel chagrined. Every circumstance connected with
her life since this dreadful rise in the family has been of a character to
aggravate her suffering on learning of this downfall in her father's for-
tunes. She has been petted by her mother as a mode of coaxing her
into obedience to her will. Yes, "petted" is the only word; for the girl
has become peevish, and the mother's treatment has not been that of
wise and clear affection and sympathy Her true and noble lover has
been cast off at her father's forced request, and I expect, so far as the
young man knows, with her willing consent ; and she has been currently
announced, without challenge from her, as the future wife of a venerable
scrip-book and money-bag ; and after this is sure to follow his ostenta-
tious or contemptuous rejection of her. That's an immortal sweet in the
gall, at all events; sugar in the wormwood. What an outrage is almost
weekly perpetrated in this city ! For one conscience-flattering reason or
another, innocent spring-time is married to debauched winter. Devilish 1
Thank God! one brand is snatched from the buruiug by this clutch of
gold from this house.
[Enter JANE ]
Jane. Where's Mrs. Bryan, I wonder? Mr. Cural is in the other
parlor. But, I suppose he is waiting for Charlotte to come in. 1 told
him she was out when I went to the door; but he said he would come
in and wait for her.
Henry You need not apologise to me for letting the man in. Ask him
to come in here and wait. [Exit Jane.] Lucky; as Mantalini would
say, " Demned Lucky." The very man of men for me to see, right now,
and right here. It will be an act of humanity in the gross, to push him
out with this intelligence before he sees Charlotte again. It may be she
has heard of the matter while she is out, to-day. If that should be so,
as is likely, her meeting with him here would be painful in the extreme,
whether he had really heard of it or not. But, I don't know. A girl
of nineteen, that can support the idea as I think she now does of mar-
ry ng ;md living with a man of his age and beauty, must have a cultivated
courage that will do for all sorts of sudden turns in human affairs. Ah !
here comes the old chap. Now for a dose of saltpetre before the parson's
benediction can possibly come in.
[Enter MR. CURAL ]
Cural Why, Mr. Bryan,*Mr. Henry Byran, you here? Ah! [draw-
ing up chair and seating himself.'] I am very glad to see you, and have
an opportunity of talking with you. The fact is, I have wanted to talk
with you for some time past ; but you seemed to be a little distant, and
I did not press your acquaintance. Now, that it is generally known that
I am to marry your neice, I am determined to cultivate you. I suspect,
really I have suspected, my dear sir, that you have entertained half a
prejudice against me? Ha?
Henry There you are mistaken by half, Mr. Cural. [Jswfe] (If my
antipathy has riot been a whole one, then there is no such thing as a
sound integer.) I am glad to meet you here, and just now, Mr. Cural.
I was saying that to myself as you came in. Before it becomes a matter
of general notoriety, I wish to apprise you particularly of certain facts,
DEPRECIATION. 45
or of a certain fact that will, I imagine, largely contribute to your stock
of information affecting your prospects or proposals for the future. Do
you know that my brother, Alfred Bryan, is a ruined man financially
played out?
Cured [rising.'] I did not. Do you ?
Henry I do. I know it positively. It is an entire, absolute failure.
Cural How did you know it first? Before it was generally suspected,
even?
Henry Naturally. As his brother ; and myself slightly and soonest
cramped by his downfall.
Cural I can't believe it.
Henry You may rely upon it.
Gural How much loss?
Henry A hundred thousand. But almost 'entirely, if not entirely a
personal loss. No involvements, I think, outside of a trifle of my own.
Cural And what is the cause, then ?
Henry Depreciation, sir! Depreciation I Depreciation I
. Cural The devil ! How long since you knew this ?
Henry May be a fortnight.
Cural I can't believe it.
Henry You ought, for it is the simple truth.
Cural Badl Bad! Bad! ain't it?
Henry Decidedly " bad," I should say.
Cural It is hard to believe that he should have lost all, and so much I
And no one involved ? That's almost incredible, on the face of it. He
has not been an extravagant man. It is hard to believe. And no one
involved ! Incredible I Impossible, almost !
Henry The same thing is occurring almost weekly, now-a-days ;
without the item of its being nearly all personal loss.
Cural Yes, sir ; that's a strange feature. [Reseating himself.
Henry There is nothing strange in the fact of its not being generally
known before this date. The loss being personal could not be reckoned
from the outside; and there were no special interests to call attention to
any attempted reckoning in that direction.
Cural That's so ; that's so, so far as that goes. If it be, as you
say, a personal loss.
Henry You have yourself, Mr. Cural, alluded to my relationship to
this family, and your proposed marriage with Charlotte Bryan. Hadn't
we two better come square down to a consideration of that matter matri-
monial, now ? My relationship indicates my right, of course, under the
circumstances, to speak of the subject; you have introduced it in terms.
I have been commissioned to tell the feminines of this family of their
loss ; and under that special authority, I am not impertinent in asking
you directly, how this break is apt to affect your contemplated marriage?
[After a pause.] Of course, my idea is that you will want to commit
into the hands of some judicious, proper person your withdrawal from
the agreement! [Drawing closer.'] Commit the message to me. lean
assure you, there will be no suit for breach of promise.
Cural Are you sure of that, Mr. Bryan ?
Henry Will guarantee it, under bonds. I will tell you how this
46 DEPRECIATION.
thing can be settled at once. You sit down here, and write your with-
drawal of the proposition Mrs. Bryan holds from you, for her daughter,
and I will make a copy and endorse it with my plain assurance of your
full and perfect release; my assurance, which you ought to know is as
good as my bond, so far as my means go. And I know I speak under
due warrant. Come 1 sit down here and write.
[Rising and preparing materials for writing.
Cural [Aside.] (Too fast! I don't believe the story. This can't be
true. I can't be "played" in this way. At any rate, its safe to adopt
the magnanimous just now; and try the case in the light of all the evi-
dence.) No, I must confess I don't wish to make a notary's shop out of
this parlor, for any such business. I merely a=ked from ordinary inter-
est and curiosity the questions I have put in connection with your vol-
unteered news and assurance. But to speak of this last matter. I have
been by these tidings only the more determined and anxious to abide by
my proposition and agreement. Do you think I would give up the girl,
because her father happened to lose a little mon c 'y ? Why, sir, you
ought to have known me better than that. I have plenty of money.
What I wanted was an elegant little lady for my wife, and respectable
connections, honorable connections. These I should have in this mar-
riage. It is evident I didn't look to her father's fortune; for I solicited
Charlotte's hand before he rose to wealth.
Henry Before it was generally known that he had become wealthy ;
but you knew of it before you ever called at the house.
Cural I assure you, sir, upon my honor, I did not. [Rising.
Henry Well, before ymi made proffers of marriage.
Cural You have mistaken me altogether, Mr. Bryan, Mr. Henry
Bryan, in supposing that I sought this young lady's hand for considera-
tions of money. I am an elderly man with abundant means, and her
father is in middle life with good health and with the prospect of long
life ; and he has two other children. Is it reasonable to suppose that I
looked to her property as an inducstnent for marrying her ? I don't
think you have exhibited your usual insight into character and motives
in thus construing mine. No, sir. There can be no impropriety in my
saying to you : youth and beauty and intelligence have been the attrac-
tions ; not money. You have mistaken me. I came here to see toe
lady' whom I am to wed ; not to be forced into an interview and conver-
sation with a distant relative who insu'ts me and his relations alike with
dishonorable imputations and propositions. Good morning, sir. [Exit
Cural.]
Henry It's well he hurried off, at the end of that speech. I'd follow
him with a kick, only he had a little right to appear mad. [After a
pause.] Well, well, well ; let me sit down and look at the new features
that have come out in this case. [After reflection.'] I c mnot have alto-
gether mistaken this old fellow. No doubt lie likes the girl for her
beauty. I never doubted that. But he don't ririke his offer for that
alone. I don't think he believes my account of Alfred's blow-up. Now
if I can ascertain that he has gone straight from this place on a tour of
inquiry respecting that, matter, it will be good evidence that his disbelief
in the ruin of Alfred's fortunes is the real bottom for his pompous declar-
DEPRECIATION. 47
ations of high-toned honor and injured innocence, and all that. He
won't circulate the news that's certain. No need to caution or petition
him on that point. But this deucedly mixes up my ideas as to what to
advise Charlotte. How can I counsel her to act toward this old cur-
mudgeon? And Mrs. Bryan will be delighted at his steadfastness if
he perseveres in it! She'll read me out of the calendar altogether. 0,
I'm a d d fool! But whatever be Cural's motives or intentions, I'll
save Lotty from him. I'll save her, I swear I will, or I'll I'll, I'll go
to Australia, like a dog on a bark.
[Enter JANE.]
Jane There is a lady in the other parlor who has inquired for you.
A poor woman. She came in at the basement door.
[Enter CHARLOTTE.]
Charlotte Henry, there's a Lady in the other room, who has been
inquiring for you. She inquired for mother first, and then for father,
and then for you. I didn't know that you were in the houee, when I
first heard her asking for you. I wonder if there would be a scene, if
she came in here? Say, Uncle, are you engaged to any woman that
you know of?
Henry Not that I know of.
Charlotte Now, I dare you to play out, and let mama see this woman
first.
Henry I will leave the house with you. Come ! Take a short walk
and ride with me, while your mother has a chance to hear all this wo-
man has to say. She is after washing or a "place," I reckon.
Charlotte Agreed. Jane, go and tell mother there is a lady here,
who has a "story" for her. So she told me. [Exit JANE.
Henry Come with me, and I will tell you a story I have for your
ears. One fully as interesting to you as anything this woman can relate
will be to your mother's ears. [Exeunt HENRY and CHARLOTTE.
[Enter MADAM COUCHING ; presently enters MRS. BRYAN.]
Mrs. Couching \Rlsing\ Mrs. Bryan?
Mrs. Bryan I am Mrs. Bryan.
Mrs. Couching I have something of importance to tell you. It is a
very unpleasant task or duty; but I think it is my imperative duty to
say what I shall to you with your consent?
Mrs. Bryan I am perfectly willing a-ad ready to hear anything you
have to say, if it concerns me or the interests of my family.
Mrs. Couching I believe it concerns your family, deeply. The very
intimacy of i's connection with the welfare of your child, has made me
hesitate the more to become the bearer of the information. I had de-
termined to write to you, or to your husband. But my husband advised
me to make the statement to you directly. My husband believed that
the statement would be regarded, perhaps, as a slander, if it was not
substantiated by a personal interview. And he thought that I should
make the communication to you, instead of his speaking to your husband
about it, as I alone personally knew of the truth of what I have to tell.
I agreed to speak to you first, if I could see you ; or else to your hus-
band or your brother-in-law, whom my husband knows very well.
48 DEPRECIATION.
Mrs. Bryan Madam, what is your name ?
Mrs. G I may as well begin the story there: My present name is
Mrs. Couching. My maiden name was Barton. I was born in Berk-
shire, England. In 1845 my father obtained a civil appointment from
the government, which required him to reside in Australia. In the Fall
of that year, our family, my father and mother, two brothers of mine and
myself, started on the journey. I was then about fifteen years of age.
Among the passengers, on our crowded ship, were twelve convicts, under
sentence of transportation to Botany Bay. One among the number fell
quite sick, when the voyage was about half over. At the request of
many of the cabin passengers the consent of all, I believe he was re-
moved aft, to a second cabin bunk. I saw him often there; and when he
became convalescent, even after- he was taken back to his forecastle
quarters, he was allowed to come daily upon the quarter deck. This was
during several weeks ; and his face became very familiar to me. I have
a good recollection of faces. There was a strong attraction to a child,
especially, in looking at such a person. I knew of his sentence, and re-
garded him with the curiosity and intensity of a child. I could not for-
get or mistake his face, not even if it were changed or disfigured very
much. That man is now in this city. He was closely shaved when he
was on board our vessel, of course, and he is shaven close now. I can-
not be mistaken in his features. I came from Australia to California
about three years ago, and I saw and noticed him here within a few
weeks of my arrival, and I have often seen him here since that time.
Within the past two or three months, by accident and design both, I have
.seen him very often, and observed him while talking many times. I do
not remember about his voice. It was very rarely that he spoke on board
ship, and then only to the guard or the officers of the ship. But his
manner, while speaking, I recollect. He is here regarded as a wealthy
citizen, in good standing. I learned, a short time since, that he was
about to marry your daughter. My husband had this intelligence con-
firmed from Mr. Henry Bryan ; and it was not until he told me of it that
I thought of revealing this to any one outside of my family. Since that
time, whenever I have had an opportunity, I have watched the man still
more closely, that I might make no mistake ; until I am quite positive.
There are several other persons whom I have seen in town that, I think,
were members of that gang of convicts ; but I cannot be positive as to
any of them as I am of this one's identity. I have been thoroughly
satisfied of his history as a convict, and of my duty to you, for several
days past. I have passed by your house several times, without the cour-
age to come in and ask for you. But now you have the story. The old
man who proposes to marry your daughter, and who goes here by the
name of Cural, is an escaped convict, or he served his time out. I am
not certain as to what was the nature of his offence, though I thing it
was forgery. I know his term was for fourteen years ; and I have reason
to believe he appeared here before that time passed from the date of our
voyage together from England, in the packet.
Mrs. Bryan You say that you are the only one in the city, so far as
you know, who has a personal knowledge of this man's former character
or history, as you call it ?
DEPRECIATION. 49
<Mrs. I don't know of any other person knowing of these facts,
except as I have told my husband and written to a brother who is up
the country.
Mrs. Bryan You are the only one who professes to have a personal
knowledge of the facts on shipboard, so far as you are aware ?
Mrs. G Yes, madam.
Mrs. Bryan Did you expect I would believe this story?
Mrs. C I thought it probable you might at first be incredulous. I
spoke to my husband about that. He said it would be right for me to
give you the information, at all events. He said that if you were in-
clined to disbelieve it, you would be likely afterward to make such scru-
tiny of the man, his talk and actions, as would confirm what I told you.
Husband said you would be apt to ask him suddenly as to his previous
life, and quiz him until he gave evidence, the one way or the other, so
as to sat ; sfy you of his guilt or innocence. Husband says that a quiz-
zing woman is more cunning and expert in getting out the truth than a
cross-examining lawyer. And he thinks he ought to know.
Mrs. Bryan Doubtless. Mrs. Couching, what is your husband's
business?
Mrs. G He is a carpenter and shipwright by trade.
Mrs. Bryan Are you in want ?
Mrs. C Not at all. "We live very comfortably, and are saving money
Mrs. Bryan How much did you expect from me for this "informa-
tion" as you call it?
Mrs. Cl expect nothing.
Mrs. Bryan And I would give you nothing for the information. But
I will give you something if you will agree to mention this matter to no
other person. You profess to have come here and communicated these
facts to me out of a proper and simple regard for my interests or the
welfare of an innocent woman. Well : in furtherance of that very pur-
pose, I want you to agree not to reveal this to any one else. The en-
gagement between my daughter and Mr. Cural is so notorious, that his
general exposure would bring disgrace upon us, considerable unnecessary
suffering to my daughter. He can be dismissed without it being known
why. Will you make this agreement?
Mrs. C Certainly, I will agree to speak of the matter no farther.
Nor did I intend to. But I did not look for any compensation in the
way of money for what I have felt it my duty to tell you, and I will not
take money for concealing this elsewhere or remaining silent upon it.
Good morning, Mrs. Bryan.
Mrs. Bryan Good morning. [Exit Mrs. (7.] Well, this is a dreadful
state of affairs. But I fancy I preserved and acted upon more presence
of mind than I ever before thought myself capable of maintaining under
such circumstances. I don't care if he was sentenced to Botany Bay for
a thousand years. No one in this city but this poor woman actually
knows it ; and only her family know of it from her, beside myself. And
she will see to it that the secret is kept. I can be sure of that. Other-
wise she would have taken money for the information, in the first in-
stance ; and more for the promise of quiet. I am terribly glad I heard
this first myself, instead of Alfred or Henry. Then it would have destroyed
5
50 DEPRECIATION.
all our prospects. Cural must be very rich. My husband and Henry
have told of instances where he has invested thousands within the past
few months, on bond and mortgage. No wild-cat hazard on that. And
he intends to set up a splendid establishment of his own. If our mis-
fortune and his colony-life can be kept a sec r et a little while a little
while, that's the necessity the only thing necessary 1
[Enter HENRY, in haste, breathless.]
Henry "Would you believe it, Clara? No, I don't know as I'll put
the matter in that way. You cannot get anybody in these premises to
believe bad news. But I must be crazy, or I'd expect this was good
news for you. Mrs. Bryan, I snppose I shall have to congratulate you.
I told old Moneybags all about Alfred's lo*s, and he said, "No matter I"
He said that it was not money, but youth and beauty that attracted him.
The cussed sentimental old hypocrite. I'll tell it all in a lump. Here
I've taken a long walk and ride with your obedient daughter, for the
purpose of telling her the state of the case, and she goes right off to her
father and tells him that Arthur Hassard had written her probably on
account of having heard of her father's slide absolving her from some
sort of an oath, and she advised her father to say the word and she'd
marry Cural and and be happy, and make everybody else happy. 0,
I'm miserable. I'm played out. I wish that old fellow could be got
into a private mad-house. I believe he belongs in state prison by rights.
I don't think there's such a family in town as this.
Mrs. Bryan Nor I, either; where a brother-in-law, an uncle, a man
of no family experience, sets himself up to rule a household, without any
invitation, and in spite of continual notice that his advice is not wanted,
and his orders will be disregarded.
Henry Mrs. Bryan, you seriously propose delivering Charlotte into
the domestic keeping of this man, this old coon, because he has money.
At the same time you propose to cross her own choice, her excellent
choice, a choice worthy of her and her ber father. You propose, really
for your own advantage, and to bolster up your own pride, to bind your
child to this indecent marriage, until death shall have the kindness to in-
terrupt the relationship. 0, what is all our civilization worth I
Mrs. Bryan And you propose, Mr. Henry, that our eldest daughter,
in this time of our adversity, should refuse an eligible, wealthy match,
and unite herself with a poor soldier boy, who, to say nothing of his
necessary mode of life and his prospects hereafter, is now paid off in
greenbacks at forty cents on the dollar, a pittance sum of one hundred
dollars a month 1 You are a sensible man, as sensible as you are modest
and diffident about interfering in other people's business. Your own im-
pertinent officiousness has brought you a severe lesson this morning. I
think you not only were impertinent, but you did a mean trick when
you informed Mr. Cural of Alfred's failure. Like a generous man. he
accounts that nothing. That proves the sincerity of his attachment to
Charlotte, and, I am sure, makes all necessary and reasonable pledge of
his kindness and liberality to her when they shall be married.
\Exit MRS. BRYAN.
Henry [Pacing up and down excitedly] Well, this beats the very
DEPRECIATION. 51
devil I "Why, I really thought it was well worth Alfred's big break to
break off this cursed match. But it don't appear that it is going to ef-
fect anything of that kind. On the contrary
[Enter BRIDGET, and interrupting.]
Bridget Hush! hush! hush! Mr. Henry, I have got something
great to tell you, and quick.
Henry Have you ?
Bridget Faith, I have. And it's yourself that got my cousin a place
here as coachman, and I can't forget it. Listen, now, and don't you dis-
cover me to the lady. You must pretend to have heard this from some-
body else.
Henry What is it?
Bridget Troth, I'm going to tell you quick, before she comes down
again. There was a poor woman called here this morning. "While she
was here talking with the madam, I was dusting in the other parlor, and
sure, I couldn't help hearing what was said. The woman said her hus-
band was a carpenter, and she was born in Old England ; and when she
was about fifteen year she went on a voyage to Australia with her father
and mother arid two brothers. And there were twelve convicts for Bot-
any Bay on board ; one was taken sick on the voyage, about half ways
out. He was carried aft to the cabin. She saw him there, and after
that she noticed him on the deck. He was a fourteen-year convict; and
this is the very same chap that is going to marry Miss Charlotte.
Henry What's that woman's name ?
Bridget The woman said her name was Mrs. Couching, and her hus-
band's a carpenter. Hush ! I thought I heard the Madam's step. You
can charge it upon her as something you heard from some one else. She
can't deny it; and, sure, that'll break up the match. She offered to bribe
the woman not to tell. The woman would not take money, but she
agreed not to tell ; and I heard madam say to herself afterwards that
Charlotte should marry the old man any way.
Henry My God ! Is this so ? I will go and tell Alfred at once, and
we'll go and see this woman. Couching you say her name is, and her
husband's a carpenter?
Bridget Yes; I don't think she's more than left the basement. She's
got on a green dress. [Looking out the ivindow.'] There she goes up the
street, now. You can overtake her. And there comes Mr. Bryan, down
on the other 'side of the street. ]Exit HENRY."] Now, I guess I've
earned me discharge! Curse of Cromwell on that old chap! [Door bell
rings.} Who can that be? Troth, I'll be the first to know. [Exit.
[Enter MRS. BRYAN.]
Mrs. Bryan I don't know what to do.
[Enter ARTHUR.]
Arthur Good morning, Mrs. Bryan.
Mrs. Bryan Good morning, sir.
Arthur I suppose I might as well explain to you that Mr. Henry
Bryan, whom I happened to meet, up the street, a little way above, told
me that Miss Charlotte would like to speak with me a few minutes be-
52
DEPRECIATION.
fore'I went up the coast. I thought I might as well call now as at any
other time. I can assure you, if she requires my personal confirmation
of the letter I addressed to her yesterday, she shall have it.
Mrs. Bryan Take a seat, and I will send for Charlotte. Jane!
[Touching bell] Jane!
[Enter JANE.]
Go up to Charlotte's room, and tell her Mr. Arthur Hassard is in the
parlor and wishes to speak with her a few moments. [Exit JANE.] You
have been commissioned a long time. I should think you would be
anxious to get into active service; at least such "active service " as this
coast affords. 0, by the way, Arthur, a lady friend of mine, who called
the other day, brought her nurse and little baby with her, and the little
baby somehow got hold of your photograph, which Laura had brought
down and carelessly laid on the table. The baby tore your handsome
face and uniform all to pieces. I didn't know what the child was doing
until the destruction was complete. Charlotte seemed to feel quite
grieved about it. But never mind! When you get to be a General
you can send 113 a new one, life-size, in full uniform ; and I have no
doubt Mr. Cural will be perfectly willing that Charlotte shall have it
framed and hung up in the dining room.
Arthur [Aside.] Rough papers! But I must swallow it.
[Enter CHARLOTTE.]
Charlotte Arthur, I am glad you came to-day. I hear you are going
away Tuesday.
Arthur Yes, Charlotte, I am going next week. I shall probably be
absent during my term of service. I am glad I have the privilege of
shaking hands with you once more, in the presence of your mother.
Charlotte Mother, will you be kind enough to allow me to speak
a few words with Arthur, alone ? We will go into the other parlor.
Mrs. Bryan 13o, my dear, I don't think it well you should. You
should have no more private interviews with any gentleman, except your
intended husband. It would be highly improper.
[Enter ALFRED and HENRY BRYAN-]
Alfred [excitedly.] My dear, have you heard this account about
Cural?
Mrs. Bryan What is it?
Alfred That he was a Botany Bay convict!
Mrs. Bryan What of that ?
Alfred What of that! What of that! Good God ! Do you say " what
of that! " as if it was a matter of indifference to us.
Mrs. Bryan Henry, have you been eaves dropping?
Henry I have not, I believe. Yet I heard this from the same source
you did. Together with the interesting intelligence that you intended to
conceal and ignore the matter.
Mrs. Bryan So I did. Henry, you have always been a curse to our
family. It this matter could have been kept secret. Charlotte would have
had a wealthy marriage, notwithstanding our misfortunes. Men may
commit crimes in their younger days, and repent and become respectable.
The English Courts are very severe, and we know that sometimes they
DEPRECIATION. 53
condemn the innocent. Perhaps Mr. Cural was not guilty. Perhaps the
whole report was false. You may have hired this woman to carry this
story.
Henry You don't think that. This matter, being so far exposed, you
agree that this marriage can't be thought of any more ?
Mrs. Bryan I think of it still, if this report can be kept here. I even
hope and expect Mr. Cural can disprove this report, eveD if it does go
abroad. Any man may be slandered.
Alfred Do you imagine that I would permit such a marriage now?
Mrs. Bryan I imagine you would have to permit it if I said so, and
nothing stood in the way but your objection. "Would you have Charlotte
marry this boy ? Do either of the Mr. Bryan's propose that ?
Henry I do. The few thousands you have supposed me worth don't
amount to one quarter of the property I can boast of on proper occa-
sion, suoh as the present. On her marriage with Arthur, I will settle on
Charlotte property that steadily brings in two hundred dollars a month,
and a thousand dollars in coin for the first year's pocket money !
Mr--. Bryan On condition that he leaves the service, I suppose ?
Henry No. Since you have suggested it: on condition that he re-
main in the service, and that Charlotte marry him and go with him to
camp or garrison.
Mrs. Bryan [Sitting down, crying.'] 0, dear, what losses we have
sustained.
[Enter LAURA.]
Laura 0, Mama, Papa, Uncle Henry I I was just down to Ellen
Plant's. You know that her father has acted as one of Mr. Cural's
agents for several years past. "Well, he says Mr. Cural isn't worth a
picayune to-day not a bit. Those were his very words. He told me
he wondered Father did'nt know it. He says he's not worth a bit, but
is really head-over-heels in debt; and has only kept it from being
long since known all over the town among business men, by quieting
some of the most importunate creditors with promise of paying, or se-
curity, by Father's help, when he married Lotiy.
Mrs. Bryan 0, Henry, what a blessing you have always been to our
family. [Rising and shaking HENRY by the hand.
Charlotte Mother! Mother!
Mrs. Bryan What, dear ?
Charlotte Can I take a short walk with Arthur this afternoon?
Hemy I think I may answer undisputed for your mother, this time.
Yes, my dear, [kissing her]. Here, Arthur; take her by the hand, and
let us see how you look together. Take him by the hand, Lotty, for
that long walk up and down the road of life. Why, Arthur, you ought
to have won her as against such a rival. You gave up too soon. Rich
or poor, "respectable" or plebeian, young or old, American shoulder-straps
against expatriated English pounds and shillings, any day ! [advancing.
Good friends ! we have not brought you to foreign shore,
And pictured manners that are now no more ;
We have not asked your fancies far to roam t
But have preferred to deal with things at home I
If then the mirror we have sought to hold
54 DEPRECIATION.
Before an audience, in this land of gold,
Reflects in faithfulness the acts and aims
Of many high-toned wretches and ambitious dames,
Which should receive the honest masses frown
As much when stocks are " up " as when they're " down,
"Why then you'll pardon if some faults appear,
As : here too lenient, there somewhat severe.
For when its general study, scope, and view
Present a picture obviously true,
And fasten scorn upon successful Cheats,
And paint domestic discords and deceits,
The Moral need not have a set and closing clause,
To urge a better living and invite applause.
Charlotte
Though uncle shuns all personal allusion
And special pleading, at our Play's conclusion,
I'll even venture modestly to say,
There is, I think, a Hero in the Play.
Not the poor " suit " he's won, perhaps, declares
His right to favor; but the suit he wears,
And that he copies in his words and acts
A sober history of romantic facts,
Entitles him to your applauding cheers,
One of our own State's Patriot Yolunteers! '
Mrs. Bryan
You'll stay to dinner, Arthur, I presume ?
Arthur
I'll leave my "picture" for the dining room!
AW
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