of California
i Regional
Facility
/A fj
JOSEPH A XI) HIS FRIEND
K $tori) of pennsjjluama.
BY
BAYARD TAYLOR.
The better angel is a man right fair :
The worser spirit a woman coloured ill.
SHAKSPEABE: Sonnets.
NEW YORK :
G. P. PUTNAM & SONS,
FOURTH AVENUE AND TWENTY-THIRD STREET.
LONDON:
S. Low, SON & MARSTON.
1870.
CONTEXTS.
PAOK
I. Joseph 1
II. Miss Blessing , 11
III. The Place and People 22
IV. Miss Blessing- calls on Pwachel Miller 31
V. Ehvood's Evening, and Joseph's 43
VI. In the Garden 53
VII. The Blessing Family GG
VIII. A Consultation 81
IX. Joseph and his Friend 89
X. Approaching Fate 101
XI. A City Wedding 11B
XII. Clouds 123
XIII. Presentiments 133
XIV. The Amaranth 142
XV. A Dinner Party 155
VI COXTKXTS.
TAGK
XVI. Joseph's Trouble, and Philip's 1<>8
XVII. A Storm 1 70
XVlit. On the KiuLroad Track 190
XIX. Tlie ' Wharf-nit " 201
XX. A Crisis 208
XXI. Under the Water 218
XXII. Kanuck 2:51
XXIII. Julia's Experiment 243
XXIV. Fate , . . 253
XXV. The Mourners 268
XXVI. The Accusation 280
XXVII. The Labels 290
XXVIII. The Trial 303
XXIX. New Evidence 315
XXX. Mr. Blessing's Testimony 325
XXXI. Beginning another Life 837
XXXII. Letters I. Joseph to Philip 348
XXXIII. All are Happy , . 357
JOSEPH AXD HIS FEIEXD.
CHAPTER I.
RACHEL MILLER was not a little surprised when her nephew
Joseph came to the supper-table, not from the direction of
the barn and throiigh the kitchen, as usual, but from the
back room up stairs, where he slept. His work-day dress
had disappeared ; he wore his best Sunday suit, put on with
unusual care, and there were faint pomatum odors in the air
when he sat down to the table.
Her face said and she knew it as plain as any words,
" What in the world does this mean ? " Joseph, she saw,
endeavored to look as though coming down to supper in that
costume were his usual habit ; so she poured out the tea in
silence. Her silence, however, was eloquent ; a hundred
interrogation-marks would not have expressed its import ;
and Dennis, the hired man, who sat on the other side of the
table, experienced very much the same apprehension of some-
thing forthcoming, as when he had killed her favorite speckled
hen by mistake.
Before the meal was over, the tension between Joseph and
his aunt had so increased by reason of their mutual silence,
1
thai it was very awkward and oppressive to both ; yet
neither knew how to break it easily. There is always a great
deal of unnecessary reticence in the intercourse of country
people, and in the case of those two it had been specially
strengthened by the want of every relationship except that
of blood. They were quite ignorant of the fence, the easy
thrust and parry of society, where talk becomes an art ;
silence or the bhmtcst utterance were their alternatives, and
now the one had neutralized the other. Both felt this, and
Dennis, in his dull way, felt it too. Although not a party
concerned, he was uncomfortable, yet also internally con-
scious of a desire to laugh.
The resolution of the crisis, however, came by his aid.
When the meal was finished and Joseph betook himself to
the window, awkwardly drumming upon the pane, while his
aunt gathered the plates and cups together, delaying to re-
move them as was her wont, Dennis said, with his hand on
the door-knob: "Shall I saddle the horse right off?"
" I guess so," Joseph answered, after a moment's hesita-
tion.
Rachel paused, with the two silver spoons in her hand.
Joseph was still drumming upon the window, but with very
irregular taps. The door closed upon Dennis.
" Well," said she, with singular calmness, " a body is not
bound to dress particularly fine for watching, though 1
would as soon show him that much respect, if need be, as
anybody else. Don't forget to ask Maria if there 's any-
thing I can do for her."
Joseph turned around with a start, a most innocent sur-
prise on his face.
" Why, aunt, what are you talking about ? "
" You are not going to Warne's to watch ? They have
nearer neighbors, to be sure, but wh^n a man dies, pvery-
hodv is free to oiler their services, lie was ahvays strong in
the faith."
Joseph knew that he was oaucrht, without suspecting her
manoeuvre. A brighter color ran over his face, up to the
roots of his hair. " VThy, no ! " lie exclaimed ; ' ; I am going
to Warriners to spend the evening. There's to be a little
company there, a neighborly gathering. I believe it's
been talked of this long while, but I was only invited to-
day. I saw Bob, in the road-field."
Rachel endeavored to conceal from her nephew's eye the
immediate impression of his words. A constrained smile
passed over her face, and was instantly followed by a cheer-
ful relief in his.
" Isn't it rather a strange time of year for evening par-
ties ? " she then asked, with a touch of severity in her
voice.
" They meant to have it in cherry-time, Bob said, when
Anna's visitor had come from town."
" That, indeed ! I see ! " Rachel exclaimed. " It's to be
a sort of celebration for what's-her-name ? Blessing, I
know, but the other? Anna Wurriner was there last
Christmas, and I don't suppose the high notions are out of
her head yet. Well, I hope it'll be some time before they
take root here ! Peace and quiet, peace and quiet, that's
been the token of the neighborhood ; but town ways are the
reverse."
"All the young people are going," Joseph mildly sug-
gested, " and so "
" O, I don't say you shouldn't go, this time," Rachel in-
terrupted him ; " for you ought to be able to judge for your-
self what's fit and proper, and what is not. I should be sorry,
4: JOSKPH AND HIS FKIKXD.
to be sure, to see you doing anything and going nnywhei-o
that would make your mother uneasy if she were living now.
It's so hard to be conscientious, and to mind a body's
bouiiden duty, without seeming to interfere."
She heaved a deep sigh, and just touched the corner of
her apron to her eyes. The mention of his mother always
softened Joseph, and in. his earnest desire to live so that his
life might be such as to give her joy if she could share it, a
film of doubt spread itself over the smooth, pure surface of
his mind. A vague consciousness of his inability to express
himself clearly upon the question without seeming to slight
her memory aiFected his thoughts.
(t But, remember, Aunt Rachel," he said, at last, " I was
not old enough, then, to go into society. She surely meant
that I should have some independence, when the time came.
I am doing no more than all the young men of the neigh-
borhood."
" Ah, yes, I know," she replied, in a melancholy tone ;
" but they've got used to it by degrees, and mostly in their
own homes, and with sisters to caution them ; whereas you're
younger according to your years, and innocent of the ways
and wiles of men, and and girls."
Joseph painfully felt that this last assertion was true.
Suppressing the impulse to exclaim, " Why am I younger
' according to my years ? ' why am I so much more ' inno-
cent' which is, ignorant than others?" he blundered out,
with a little display of temper, " Well, how am I ever to
learn?"
" By patience, and taking care of yourself. There's al-
ways safety in waiting. I don't mean you shouldn't go this
evening, since you've promised it, and made yourself smart.
But, mark my words, this is only the beginning. The season
makes no difference ; townspeople, never scorn to know that
there's such things as hay-harvest and corn to be worked.
They come out fur merry-makings in the busy time, ;uid
\vant us country folks to give up everything for their pleasure.
The tired plough-horses must be geared up for 'em, and the
cows wait an hour or two longer to be milked while they're
driving around ; and the chickens killed half-grown, and the
washing and baking put oil' when it comes in their wav.
They're mighty nice and friendly while it lasts ; but go back
to 'em in town, six months afterwards, and see whether
they'll so much as ask you to take a meal's victuals ! "
Joseph began to laugh. " It is not likely," he said, " that
I shall ever go to the Blessings for a meal, or that this Miss
Julia as they call her will ever interfere with our har-
vesting or milking."
" The airs they put on ! " Rachel continued. " She'll
very likely think that she's doing you a favor by so much as
speaking to you. "When the Bishops had boarders, two years
ago, one of 'em said, Maria told me with her own mouth,
' Why don't all the farmers follow your example ? It
would be so refining for them ! ' They may be very well in
their place, but, for my part, I should like them to stay
there."
" There comes the horse," said Joseph. " I must be on
the way. I expect to meet Elwood Withers at the lane-end.
But about waiting, Aunt you hardly need "
" O, yes, I'll wait for you, of course. Ten o'clock is nob
so very late for me."
" It might be a little after," he suggested.
" Not much, I hope ; but if it should be daybreak, wait
I will ! Your mother couldn't expect less of me."
When Joseph whirled into the saddle, the thought of his
C JO^Kl'II AND HIS FUIKNn.
aunt, grimly waiting for his return, was already perched
like an imp on the crupper, and clung to his sides with claws
of steel. She, looking through the window, also felt that it
was so ; and, much relieved, went back to her household
duties.
He rode very slowly down the lane, with his eyes fixed on
the ground. There was a rich orange ilush of sunset on the
hills across the valley ; masses of burning cumuli hung, self-
suspended, above the farthest woods, and such depths of
purple-gray opened beyond them as are wont to rouse tho
slumbering fancies and hopes of a young man's heart ; but
the beauty and fascination and suggestiveness of the hour
could not lift his downcast, absorbed glance. At last his
horse, stopping suddenly at the gate, gave a whinny of re-
cognition, which was answered.
El wood "Withers laughed. " Can you tell me where
Joseph Asten lives? "lie cried, "an old man, very much
bowed and bent."
Joseph also laughed, with a blush, as he met the other's
strong, friendly face. " There is plenty of time," he said,
leaning over his horse's neck and lifting the latch of the gate.
" All right ; but you must noAv wake up. You're spruce
enough to make a figure to-night."
" O, no doubt ! " Joseph gravely answered ; " but what
kind of a figure ? "
" Some people, I've heard say," said Elwood, " may look
into their looking-glass every day, and never know how they
look. If you appeared to yourself as you appear to me, you
wouldn't ask such a question as that."
" If I could only not think of myself at all, Elwood, if
I could be as unconcerned as you are "
" But I'm not, Joseph, my boy ! " Elwood interrupted,
.TOSKl'JI AM) JI1- FL11KNJ). 7
riding nearer and laying a han-l on his friend's shoulder. "I
tell von, it weakens my very marrow to walk into a room
full o' girls, even, though I know every one of 'em. They
know it, too, and, shy and quiet as they seem, they're 1111-
mereiful. There tliey sit, all looking so different, somehow,
even a fellow's own sisters and cousins, lilling up all
sides of the room, rustling a little and whispering a little, but
you feel that every one of 'em has her eyes on you, and
would be so glad to see you ilustered. There's no help for
it, though; we've got to grow case-hardened to that much, or
how ever could a man get married ? "
" Elwood ! " Joseph asked, after a moment's silence, " were
you ever in love ? "
" Well," and Elwood pulled up his horse in surprise,
"well, you do come out plump. You take the breath out of
my body. Have I been in love ? Have I committed murder ?
One's about as deadly a secret as the other ! "
The two looked each other in the face. Elwood's eyes
answered the question, but Joseph's, large, shy, and utterly
innocent, could not read the answer.
"It's easy to see you've never been," said the former,
dropping his voice to a grave gentleness. " If I should say
Yes, what then ? "
" Then, how do you know it, I mean, how did you first
begin to find it out ? What is the difference between that
and the feeling you have towards any pleasant girl whom you
like to be with ? "
" All the difference in the world ! " Elwood exclaimed with
energy ; then paused, and knitted his brows with a perplex-
ed air ; " but I'll be shot if I know exactly what else to
say; I never thought of it before. How do I know that I
am Elwood Withers? It geems just as plain as that, and
8 josMj'ii .AND in* Fi:rr:_\ix
yet well, for one tiling, she's always in your mind, and you
think and dream of just nothing but her; and you'd rather
have the hem of her dress touch you than kiss anybody else ;
and you want to be near her, and to have her ail to yourself,
yet it's hard work to speak a sensible word to her when you
come together, but, what's the use ? A fellow must feel it
himself, as they say of experiencing religion; he must get
converted, or he'll never know. Now, 1 don't suppose
you've understood a word of what I've said ! "
"Yes!" Joseph answered; "indeed, I think so. It's
only an increase of what we all feel towards some persons.
I have been hoping, latterly, that it might come to me, but
but"
" But your time will come, like every man's," said El-
wood ; " and, maybe, sooner than you think. When it does,
you won't need to ask anybody ; though I think you're
bound to tell me of it, after pumping my own secret out of
me."
Joseph looked grave.
" Never mind ; I wasn't obliged to let you have it. I
know you're close-mouthed and honest-hearted, Joseph ; but
I'll never ask your confidence unless you can give it as freely
as I give mine to you."
" You shall have it, Elwood, if my time ever comes. And
I can't help wishing for the time, although it may not be
right. You know how lonely it is on the farm, and yet it's
not always easy for me to get away into company. Aunt
Rachel stands in mother's place to me, and maybe it's only
natural that she should be over-concerned ; any way, seeing
what she has done for my sake, I am hindered from oppos-
ing her wishes too stubbornly. Now, to-night, my goinw
didn't seem right to her, and I shall not get it out of my
9
mind that she is availing up, and perhaps fretting, ou my
account."
''A vounc: fellow of vour n^'e mustn't be so tender," El-
O
wood said. ''If you had your own father raid mother,
thevM allow you more of a rung. 1 . Look at me, with mine !
Why, I never us much as say 'by your leave.' Quite the
contrary; so long as the work isn't .slighted, they're rather
glad than not to have me go out ; and the house is twice as
lively since I bring so much fresh gus.-.ip into it. But then,
I've had a rougher bringing up."
" I wish I had had ! " cried Joseph. " Yet, no, when I
think of mother, it is wrong to say just that. "What I
mean is, I wish I could take things as easily as you, make
my way boldly in the world, without being held back by
trifles, or getting so confused with all sorts of doubts. The
more anxious I am to do right, the more embarrassed I am to
know what is the right thing. I don't believe yon have any
such troubles."
" Well, for my part, I do about as other fellows ; no
worse, I guess, and likely no better. You must consider,
also, that I'm a bit rougher made, besides the bringing \ip,
and that makes a deal of difference. I don't try to make
the scales balance to a grain ; if there's a handful under or
over, I think it's near enough. However, you'll be all right
in a while. When you find the right girl and marry her,
it'll put a new face on to you. There's nothing like a sharp,
wide-awake wife, so they say, to set a man straight. Don't
make a mountain of anxiety out of a little molehill of inex-
perience. I'd take all your doubts and more, I'm sure, if I
could get such a two-hundred-acre farm with them."
" Do you know," cried Joseph eagerly, his blue eyes
flashing thi-ougk the gathering dusk, " I have often thought
1*
10 .TOSKI'II AND JUS FIUKXD.
very nearly the .sumo thing ! ]f I wore to love, if I wore
to marry
"liu.sh!" interrupted Ehvood ; "I know you don't
mean, others to hear you. Here come two down the
branch road."
The horsemen, neighboring farmers' sons, joined them.
They rode together up the knoll towards the AVarriner
mansion, the lights of which glimmered at intervals through
the trees. The gate was open, and a dozen vehicles could
be seen in the enclosure between the house and barn. Bright,
gliding forms were visible on the portico.
" Just see," whispered Ehvood to Joseph ; " what a lot of
posy-colors ! You may be sure they're every one watching
us. ISTo flinching, mind ; straight to the charge ! We'll
walk up together, and it won't be half as hard for you."
11
CHAPTER IT
To consider the evening party at ~\V arriner's a scene of
"dissipation" as some of the good old people of the neigh-
borhood undoubtedly did \vas about as absurd as to call
butter-milk an intoxicating beverage. Anything more
simple and innocent could not well be imagined. The very
awkwardness which everybody felt, and which no one ex-
actly knew how to overcome, testified of virtuous ignorance.
The occasion was no more than sufficed, for the barest need
of human nature. Young men and women must come to-
gether for acquaintance and the possibilities of love, and,
fortunately, neither labor nor the severer discipline of their
elders can prevent them.
Where social recreation thus only exists under discourag-
ing conditions, ease and grace and self-possession cannot be
expected. Had there been more form, in fact, there would
have been more ease. A conventional disposition of the
guests would have reduced the loose elements of the com-
pany to some sort of order ; the shy country nature would
have taken refuge in fixed laws, and found a sense of free-
dom therein. But there were no generally understood rules ;
the young people were brought together, delighted yet im-
comfortable, craving yet shrinking from speech and jest and
song, and painfully working their several isolations into a
warmer common atmosphere.
On this occasion, the presence of a stranger, and that
12 jo>r.i'ii AXJJ ins nrn:.vi>.
stranger a lady, and thai lady a visitor {Vc,ia the ciiy, wns
fiu additional restraint. The dread of a critical eye is most
keenly felt by those who secretly acknowledge their o\vu
lack of social accomplishment. Anna "\Vurriner, to be sure,
had been, loud in her praises of " dear Julia," and the guests
were prepared to find all possible beauty and sweetness; but
they expected, none the less, to be scrutinized and judged.
Bob Warriner met bis friends at the gate and conducted
them to the parlor, whither the young ladies, who had been
watching the arrival, had retreated. They were disposed
along the walls, silent and cool, except Miss Blessing, who
occupied a rocking-chair in front of the mantel-piece, where
her figure was in half-shadow, the lamplight only touching
some roses in her hair. As the gentlemen were presented,
she lifted her face and smiled upon each, graciously offering
a slender hand. In manner and attitude, as in dress, she
seemed a different being from the plump, ruddy, self-con-
scious girls 011 the sofas. Her dark hair fell about her neck
in long, shining ringlets ; the fairness of her face heightened
the brilliancy of her eyes, the lids of which were slightly
drooped as if kindly veiling their beams ; and her lips, although
thin, were very sweetly and delicately curved. Her dress, of
some white, foamy texture, hung about her like a trailing
cloud, and the cluster of rosebuds on her bosom lay as if
tossed there.
The young men, spruce as they had imagined themselves
to be, suddenly felt that their clothes were coarse and ill-fit-
ting, and that the girls of the neighborhood, in their neat
gingham and muslin dresses, were not quite so airy and
charming as on former occasions. Miss Blessing, descending
to them out of an unknown higher sphere, made their defi-
ciencies xmwelcomely evident; she attracted and fascinated
jo.-iii'ii AXD IKS n;rKxn. 13
them, yec was none the lo.->s a disturbing ini'hience. They made
husi-e to iliid seats, after which a constrained Silence followed.
There could be no doubt of- .Miss Blessing's amiable
nature. >She looked about with a pleasant expression, half
smik-d but deprecatingly, us if to say, ' ; i'ray, don't be
oii'i'iuled!" at tin; awkward silence, and then said, in a
clear, carefully modulated voice: "It is beautiful to arrive
at twilight, but how charming it must be to ride home in
the moonlight; so different from our lamps ! '
The guests looked at each other, but as she had seemed to
address no one in. particular, so each hesitated, and there
was no immediate reply.
" But is it not awful, tell me, Elizabeth, when you get
into the shadows of the forests ? we are so apt to associate all
sorts of unknown dangers with, forests, you know," she con-
tinued.
The young lady thus singled out made haste to answer :
" O, no ! I rather like it, when I have company."
El wood Withers laughed. " To be sure ! " he exclaimed ;
" the shade is full of opportunities."
Then there were little shrieks, and some giggling and
blushing. Miss Blessing shook her fan warningly at the
speaker.
" How wicked in you ! I hope you will have to ride
home alone to-night, after that speech. But you are all
courageous, compared with us. We are really so restricted
in the city, that it's a wonder we have any independence at
all. In many ways, we are like children."
" O Julia, dear ! " protested Anna Warriner, " and such
advantages as you have ! I shall never forget the day Mrs.
Rockaway called her husband's cashier of the Commercial
Bank" (this was said in a parenthesis to the other guests)
1J: JOSEPH AND JIJ3 FUIKM).
" and brought you all the news direct from head-quarters,
as she said."
" Yes," Miss Blessing answered, slowly, casting down her
eyes, "there must be two sides to everything, of course ; but
how much we miss until we know the country ! lleally, I
quite envy you."
Joseph had found himself, almost before he knew it, in a
corner, beside Lucy Henderson. He felt soothed and happy,
for of all the girls present he liked Lucy best. In the few
meetings of the young people which he had attended, he had
been drawn towards her by an instinct founded, perhaps, on
his shyness and the consciousness of it; for she alone had
the power, by a few kindly, simple words, to set him at ease
with himself. The straightforward glance of her large brown
eyes seemed to reach the self below the troubled surface.
However much his ears might have tingled afterwards, as
he recalled how frankly and freely he had talked with her,
he could only remember the expression of an interest equally
frank, upon her face. She never dropped one of those
amused side-glances, or uttered one of those pert, satirical
remarks, the recollection of which in other girls stung him
to the quick.
Their conversation was interrupted, for when Miss Bless-
ing spoke, the others became silent. What Elwood Withers
had said of the phenomena of love, however, lingered in
Joseph's mind, and he began, involuntarily, to examine the
nature of his feeling for Lucy Henderson. Was she not
often in his thoughts ? He had never before asked himself
the question, but now he suddenly became conscious that
the hope of meeting her, rather than any curiosity concern-
ing Miss Blessing, had drawn him to Warriner's. Would
he rather touch the edge of her dress than kiss anybody else?
JOSI:IMI AND ins FI:U::\D. 15
That question drew his eyes to her lips, and with a soft
shook of the heart, he became aware of their freshness and
sweetness as never before. To touch the edge of her dress!
Elwood had said nothing of the lovelier and bolder desire
Avhich brought the bluod swiftly to his cheeks, lie could
not help it that their glances met, a moment only, but an
unmeasured time of delight and fear to him, and then Lucy
quickly turned away her head. He fancied there was a
heightened color on her face, but when, she spoke to him a
few minutes afterwards it was gone, and .she was as calm
and composed as before.
In the mean time there had been other arrivals ; and
Joseph was presently called upon, to give up his place to
some ladies from the neighboring town. Many invitations
had been issued, and the capacity of the parlor was soon ex-
hausted. Then the sounds of merry chat on the portico
invaded the stately constraint of the room ; and Miss Bless-
ing, rising gracefully and not too rapidly, laid her hands to-
gether and entreated Anna Warriner,
" O, do let us go outside ! I think we are well enough
acquainted now to sit on the steps together."
She made a gesture, slight but irresistibly inviting, and
all arose. While they were cheerfully pressing out through
the hall, she seized Anna's arm and drew her back into the
dusky nook under the staircase.
" Quick, Anna ! " she whispered ; " who is the roguish
one they call Elwood ? What is he ? "
" A farmer ; works his father's place on shares."
" Ah ! " exclaimed Miss Blessing, in a peculiar tone ;
" and the blue-eyed, handsome one, who came in with him ?
He looks almost like a boy."
" Joseph Asten ? Why, he's twenty-two or three. He
10 JOSEPH AND HIS FKIKXD.
has OHO of the finest properties in the neighborhood, find
money besides, they say; lives alone, with an old dragon of
an annt MS housekeeper. Now, Julia dear, there's a chance
for you ! "
" Pshaw, you silly Anna ! " whispered Miss Blessing,
playfully pinching her ear ; " you know I prefer intellect to
wealth."
" As for that" Anna began, but her friend was already
dancing down the hall towards the front door, her gossamer
skirts puffing and floating out until they brushed the walls
on either side. She hummed to herself, " O Night ! O lovely
Night ! " from the Desert, skimmed over the doorstep, and
sank, subsiding into an ethereal heap, against one of the pil-
lars of the portico. Her eyelids were now fully opened, and
the pupils, the color of which could not be distinguished in
the moonlight, seemed wonderfully clear and brilliant.
" Now, Mr. El wood O, excuse me, I mean Mr. Withers,"
she began, "you must repeat your joke for my benefit. I
missed it, and I feel so foolish when I can't laugh with the
rest."
Anna Warriner, standing in the door, opened her eyes
very wide at what seemed to her to be the commencement
of a flirtation ; but before Elwood Withers could repeat his
rather stupid fun, she was summoned to the kitchen by her
mother, to superintend the preparation of the refreshments.
Miss Blessing made her hay while the moon shone. She
so entered into the growing spirit of the scene and accom-
modated herself to the speech and ways of the guests, that
in half an hour it seemed as if they had always known her.
She laughed with their merriment, and flattered their senti-
ment with a tender ballad or two, given in a veiled but not
unpleasant voice, and constantly appealed to their good-
nature 1-v tlio phrase: '''Pray, don't mind me at all; I'm
like u child let out of school ! "' Shi.' tapped Eii/abeth Foi'g
Oil tht.' .-hould'T, stealthily tickled Jane iLcXiuiglitoii's neck
wiili a grass-blade, and took tho roses from her luiir to stick
into tin? buttonholes of tin 1 yon.ng men.
" Ju-,t see Julia !" whi.-peivd Anna Warrinor to her half-
dozen intim.uos ; " didn't 1 tell you ^he AVU.S the life of
society ? "
Jo.sopli had quite lost his uncomfortable sense of being
watched and criticized ; he enjoyed the unrestraint of the
hour as much as the rest. He was rather relieved to notice
that Elwood Withers seemed uneasy, and almost willing to
escape from the lively circle around Miss Blessing. By and
by the company broke into smaller groups, and Joseph again
found himself near the pale pink dress which he knew.
AYliat was it that separated him from her ? What had
slipped between them during the evening ? Nothing, ap-
parently ; for Lucy Henderson, perceiving him, quietly
moved nearer. He advanced a step, and they were side by
side.
" Do you enjoy these meetings, Joseph? " she asked.
" I think I should enjoy everything," he answered, "if I
were a little older, or or "
" Or more accustomed to society ? Is not that what you
meant ? It is only another kind of schooling, which we
must all have. You and I are in the lowest class, as we
once were, do you remember? "
" I don't know why," said he, " but I must be a poor
scholar. See Elwood, for instance ! "
" Elwood ! " Lucy slowly repeated ; " he is another kind
of nature, altogether."
There was a moment's silence. Joseph was about to speak,
18 JOSJ'l'II AXD UTS FKIKXD.
when something wonderfully .soft touched las cheek, and a
delicate, violet-like odor swept upon his senses. A low, mu-
sical laugh sounded at hi.s very cur.
"There;! Did I frighten you?" said Miss Blessing.
She had stolen behind him, and, standing on tiptoe, reached
a light arm over his shoulder, to fasten her last rosebud m
the upper buttonhole of his coat.
" I tpjite overlooked you, Mr. Asten," she continued.
" Please turn a little towards me. Xow ! has it not a
charming effect ? I do like to see some kind of ornament
about the gentlemen, Lucy. And since they can't wear
anything in their hair, but, tell me, wouldn't a wreath of
flowers look well on Mr. Asten's head ? "
" I can't very well imagine such a thing," said Lucy.
" No ? "Well, perhaps I am foolish : but when one has es
caped from the tiresome conventionalities of city life, and
conies back to nature, and delightful natural society, one
feels so free to talk and think ! Ah, you don't know what
a luxury it is, just to be one's true self ! "
Joseph's eyes lighted up, and he turned towards Miss
Blessing, as if eager that she should continue to speak.
" Lucy," said Elwood Withers, approaching ; " you came
with the MeNaughtons, didn't you ? "
" Yes : are they going ? "
" They are talking of it now ; but the hour is early, and
if you don't mind riding on a pillion, you know my horse
is gentle and strong
" That's right, Mr. Withers ! " interrupted Miss Blessing.
" I depend upon you to keep Lucy with us. The night is at
its loveliest, and we are all just fairly enjoying each other's so-
ciety. As I was saying, Mr. Asten, you cannot conceive what
anew world this is to me: oh, I begin to breathe at last!"
JOSF.PIl AXL) III3 I-M-JIEXI). 19
Therewith she drew a long, soft inspiration, and gently
exhaled it again, ending with a little flutter of the breath,
which made it seem like a sigh. A light laugh followed.
" I know, without looking at your face, that you are smil-
ing at me," said she. " But you have never experienced
what it is to be shy and uneasy in company ; to feel that
you are expected to talk, and not know what to say, and
when you do say something, to be startled at the sound of
your voice ; to stand, or walk, or sit, and imagine that every-
body is watching you ; to be introduced to strangers, and be
as awkward as if both spoke different languages, and were
unable to exchange a single thought. Here, in the coun-
try, you experience nothing of all this."
" Indeed, Miss Blessing," Joseph replied, " it is just the
same to us to me as city society is to you."
" How glad I am ! " she exclaimed, clasping her hands.
" It is very selfish in me to say it, but I can't help being sincere
towards the Sincere. I shall now feel ever so much more
freedom in talking with you, Mr. Asten, since we have one
experience in common. Don't you think, if we all knew
each other's natures truly, we should be a great deal more
at ease, and consequently happier ? "
She spoke the last sentence in a low, sweet, penetrating
tone, lifted her face to meet his gaze a moment, the eyes
large, clear, and appealing in their expression, the lips part-
ed like those of a child, and then, without waiting for his
answer, suddenly darted away, crying, " Yes, Anna dear ! "
" What is it, Julia ? " Anna Warriner asked.
" O, didn't you call me ? Somebody surely called some
Julia, and I'm the only one, am I not? I've just arranged
Mr. Asten's rosebud so prettily, and now all the gentlemen
are decorated. I'm afraid they think I take great liberties
20 .TOSKPII AXD IIIS I'KIi:XI).
for a stranger, but then, you till make me forget that I am
strange. "Why is it that everybody is so good to me V "
She turned her face upon the others "with a radiant ex-
pression. Then there were earnest protestations from the
young men, and a few impulsive hugs from the girls, which
latter Miss Blessing returned with kisses.
El wood Withers sat beside Lucy Henderson, on the steps of
the portico. " Why, we owe it to you that we're here to-night,
Miss Blessing ! " he exclaimed. " We don't come together
half often enough as it is ; and what better could we do than
meet again, somewhere else, while you are in the country?"
" O, how delightful ! how kind ! '" she cried. "And while
the lovely moonlight lasts ! Shall I really have another
evening like this ? "
The proposition was heartily seconded, and the only diffi-
culty was, how to choose between the three or four invita-
tions which were at once proffered. There was nothing bet-
ter to do than to accept all, in turn, and the young people
pledged themselves to attend. The new element which they
had dreaded in advance, as a restraint, had shown itself to
be the reverse : they had never been so free, so cheerfully
excited. Miss Blessing's unconscious ease of manner, her
grace and sweetness, her quick, bright sympathy with coun-
try ways, had so warmed and fused them, that they lost the
remembrance of their stubborn selves and yielded to the
magnetism of the hour. Their manners, moreover, were
greatly improved, simply by their forgetting that they were
expected to have any.
Joseph was one of the happiest sharers in this change.
He eagerly gave his word to be present at the entertainments
to come : his heartbeat with delight at the prospect of other
such evenings. The suspicion of a tenderer feeling towards
josr-.rn AND ins FRTKXXX 21
JLucv Henderson, tlie charm of Miss Blessings winning
* &
frankness, took equal possession of Ids thoughts; and not
until he had said good night did he think of his companion
on the homeward road. But Ehvood Withers had already
left, carrying Luey Henderson on a pillion behind him.
"Is it ten o'clock, do yon think? "' Joseph asked of one
of the young men, as they rode out of the gate.
The other answered with a chuckle : "Ten? It's nigher
morning than evening ! "
The imp on the crupper struck Ids claws deep into Joseph's
sides. He urged his horse into a gallop, crossed the long
rise in the road and dashed along the valley-level, with the
cool, dewy night air whistling in his locks. After entering
the lane leading upward to his home, he dropped the reins
and allowed the panting horse to choose his own gait. A
light, sparkling through the locust-trees, pierced him with the
sting of an unwelcome external conscience, in which he had
no part, yet which he could not escape.
Rachel Miller looked wearily up from her knitting as he
entered the room. She made a feeble attempt to smile, but
the expression of her face suggested imminent tears.
" Aunt, why did you wait ? " said he, speaking rapidly.
" I forgot to look at my watch, and I really thought it was
no more than ten "
He paused, seeing that her eyes were fixed. She was
looking afc the tall old-fashioned clock. The hand pointed
to half-past twelve, and every cluck of the ponderous pen-
dulum said, distinctly, " Late ! late ! late ! "
He lighted a candle in silence, said, " Good night, Aunt ! "
and went up to his room.
" Good night, Joseph ! " she solemnly responded, and a
deep, hollow sigh reached his ear before the door was closed.
22 JOSKPH AXD HI
CHAPTEK III.
THE PLACE AXD PEOPLE.
JOSKPH ASTEX'S nature was shy and sensitive, but not
merely from a habit of introversion. He saw no deeper into
himself, in fact, than, his moods and sensations, and thus
quite failed to recognize what it Avas that kept him apart
from the society in which he should have freely moved. He
felt the difference of others, and constantly probed the pain
and embarrassment it gave him, but the sources wherefrom
it grew were the last which he would have guessed.
A boy's life may be weakened for growth, in all its fibres,
by the watchfulness of a too anxious love, and the guidance
of a too exquisitely nurtured conscience. He may be so
trained in the habits of goodness, and purity, and duty, that
every contact with the world is like an abrasion upon the
delicate surface of his soul. Every wind visits him too
roughly, and he shrinks from the encounters which brace
true manliness, and strengthen it for the exercise of good.
The rigid piety of Joseph's mother was warmed and
softened by her tenderness towards him, and he never felt it
as a yoke. His nature instinctively took the imprint of
hers, and she was happy in seeing so clear a reflection of
herself in his innocent young heart. She prolonged his
childhood, perhaps without intending it, into the years when
the unrest of approaching manhood should have led him to
severer studies and lustier sports. Her death transferred
his guardianship to other hands, but did not change its
23
diameter. Her sister Rachel was equally pood and con-
scientious, possibly with an equal eiipn.eity for tenderness,
but her barren life had restrained th^ habit of its expression.
Joseph could not but confess that she was guided by tho
strictest sense of duty, but she seemed to him cold, severe,
unsympathetic. There were times when the alternative
presented itself to his mind, of either allowing her absolute
control of all his actions, or wounding her to the heart by as-
serting a moderate amount of independence.
He was called fortunate, but it wa.s impossible for him
consciously to feel his fortune. The two hundred acres of
the farm, stretching back over the softly swelling hills which
enclosed the valley on the east, were as excellent soil as the
neighborhood knew ; the stock was plentiful ; the house,
barn, and all the appointments of the place were in the best
order, and he was the sole owner of all. The work of his
own hands was nob needed, but it was a mechanical exhaus-
tion of time, an enforced occupation of body and mind,
which he followed in the vague hope that some richer de-
velopment of life might come afterwards. But there were
times when the fields looked very dreary, when the trees,
rooted in their places, and growing under conditions which
they were powerless to choose or change, were but tiresome
types of himself, when even the beckoning heights far down
the valley failed to touch his fancy with the hint of a
broader world. Duty said to him, " You must be perfectly
contented in your place ! " but there was the miserable, un-
grateful, inexplicable fact of discontent.
Furthermore, he had by this time discovered that certain
tastes which he possessed were so many weaknesses if not,
indeed, matters of reproach in the eye of his neighbors.
The delight and the torture of finer nerves an inability to
2-1 JOSKPH AND HIS nil K XIX
use coarse and strong phrases, and a, shrinking from all dis-
play of rude manners were peculiarities which he could not
overcome, and must endeavor to conceal. There were men.
of sturdy intelligence in the community ; but none of refined
culture, through whom he might have measured and under-
stood himself; and the very qualities, therefore, which
should have been his pride, gave him. only a sense of shame.
Two memories haunted him, after the evening at Warri-
ner's ; and, though so different, they were not to be discon-
nected. No two girls could be more unlike than Lucy
Henderson and Miss Julia Blessing ; he had known one for
years, and the other was the partial acquaintance of an even-
ing ; yet the image of either one was swiftly followed by
that of the other. When he thought of Lucy's eyes, Miss
Julia's hand stole over his shoulder ; when he recalled the
glossy ringlets of the latter, he saw, beside them, the faintly
flushed cheek and the pure, sweet mouth which had awa-
kened in him his first daring desire.
Phantoms as they were, they seemed to have taken equal
possession of the house, the garden, and the fields. While
Lucy sat quietly by the window, Miss Julia skipped lightly
along the adjoining hall. One lifted a fallen, rose-branch on
the lawn, the other snatched the reddest blossom from it.
One leaned against the trunk of the old hemlock-tree, the
other fluttered in and out among the clumps of shrubbery ;
but the lonely green was wonderfully brightened by these
visions of pink and white, and Joseph enjoyed the fancy
without troubling himself to think what it meant.
The house was seated upon a gentle knoll, near the head
of a side-valley sunk like a dimple among the hills which en-
closed the river-meadows, scarcely a quarter of a mile away.
It was nearly a hundred years old, and its massive walls
were faced with checkered bricks, alternately red and black,
to which the ivy clung- with tenacious feet wherever it was
allowed to run. The gables terminated in broad double
chimneys, between which a railed walk, intended fora look-
out, but rarely used for that or any other purpose, rested on
the peak of the roof. A low portico paved with stone ex-
tended along the front, which was further shaded by two
enormous sycamore-trees as old as the house itself. The
evergreens and ornamental shrubs which occupied the re-
mainder of the little lawn denoted the taste of a later gener-
ation. To the east, an open turfy space, in the centre of
which stood a superb weeping-willow, divided the house
from the great stone barn with its flanking cribs and "over-
shoots ; " on the opposite side lay the sunny garden, with
gnarled grape-vines clambering along its walls, and a double
row of tall old box-bushes, each grown into a single solid
mass, stretching down the centre.
The fields belonging to the property, softly rising and
following the undulations of the hills, limited the landscape
on three sides; but on the south there was a fair view of the
valley of the larger stream, with its herd-speckled meadows,
glimpses of water between the fringing trees, and farm-houses
sheltered among the knees of the farther hills. It was a re-
gion of peace and repose and quiet, drowsy beauty, and
there were few farms which were not the ancestral homes of.
the families who held them. The people were satisfied, for
they lived upon a bountiful soil ; and if but few were notably
rich, still fewer were absolutely poor. They had a sluggish
sense of content, a half-conscious feeling that their lines
were cast in pleasant places ; they were orderly, moral, and
generally honest, and their own types were so constantly re-
produced and fixed, both by intermarriage and intercourse,
'Jb JOSEPH AXD HIS FKIEXD.
that any variation therein was a thing to be suppressed if
possible. Any sign of an unusual taste, or a different view
of life, excited their suspicion, and the most of them were
incapable of discriminating between independent thought oa
moral and social questions, and " free-thinking " in the reli-
gious significance which they attached to the word. Politi-
cal excitements, it is true, sometimes swept over the neigh-
borhood, but in a mitigated form ; and the discussions which
then took place between neighbors of opposite faith were
generally repetitions of the arguments furnished by their re
spective county papers.
To one whose twofold nature conformed to the common
mould, into whom, before his birth, no mysterious ele-
ment had been infused, to be the basis of new sensations,
desires, and powers, the region was a paradise of peaceful
days. Even as a boy the probable map of his life was
drawn : he could behold himself as young man, as husband,
father, and comfortable old man, by simply looking upon
these various stages in others.
If, however, his senses were not sluggish, but keen ; if
his nature reached beyond the ordinary necessities, and
hungered for the taste of higher thfeigs; if he longed to
share in that life of the world, the least part of which was
known to his native community ; if, not content to accept
the mechanical faith of passive minds, he dared to repeat
the long struggle of the human race in his own spiritual and
mental growth ; then, why, then, the region was not a
paradise of peaceful days.
llachel Miller, now that the dangerous evening was over,
was shrewd enough to resume her habitual manner towards
her nephew. Her curiosity to know what had been done,
and how Joseph had been affected by the merry-making,
JOSEPH AND IIIS Fi:iT-:XD. 27
rendered her careful not to frighten him from the subject by
warnings or reproaches. He was frank and communicative,
and Ilachel found, to her surprise, that the evening at War-
riner's was much, and not wholly unpleasantly, in her
thoughts during her knitting-hours. The farm-work was
briskly forwarded ; Joseph was active in the field, and deci-
dedly brighter in the house ; and when he announced tho
new engagement, with an air which hinted that his attend-
ance was a matter of course, she was only able to say :
" I'm very much mistaken if that's the end. Get agoing
once, and there's no telling where you'll fetch up. I sup-
pose that town's girl won't stay much longer, the farm-
work of the neighborhood couldn't stand it, and so she
means to have all she can while her visit lasts."
" Indeed, Aunt," Joseph protested, " Elwood Withers
first proposed it, and the others all agreed."
" And ready enough they were, I'll be bound."
" Yes, they were," Joseph replied, with a little more firm-
ness than usual. " All of them. And there was no re-
spectable family in the neighborhood that wasn't repre-
sented."
Rachel made an effort and kept silence. The innovation,
might be temporary, and in that case it were prudent to
take no further notice ; or it might be the beginning of a
change in the ways of the young people, and if so, she
needed further knowledge in order to work successfully
against it in Joseph's case.
She little suspected how swiftly and closely the question
would be brought to her own door.
A week afterwards the second of the evening parties was
held, and was even more successful than the first. Every-
body was there, bringing a cheerfu) memory of the former
28 JOSEPH AND ins FRIKXD.
occasion, and Miss Julia Blessing, no longer dreaded as an
unknown scrutinizing element, was again the life and soul
of the company. It was astonishing how correctly she re-
tained the names and characteristics of all those whom she
had already met, and how intelligently she seemed to enjoy
the gossip of the neighborhood. It was remarked that her
dress was studiously simple, as if to conform to country
ways, yet the airy, graceful freedom of her manner gave it a
character of elegance which sufficiently distinguished her
from the other girls.
Joseph felt that she looked to him, as by an innocent
natural instinct, for a more delicate and intimate recogni-
tion than she expected to find elsewhere. Fragments of
sentences, parenthetical expressions, dropped in her lively
talk, were always followed by a quick glance which said to
him : " We have one feeling in common ; I know that you
understand me." He was fascinated, but the experience
was so new that it was rather bewildering. He was drawn
to catch her seemingly random looks, to wait for them,
and then shrink timidly when they came, feeling all the
while the desire to be in the quiet corner, outside the merry
circle of talkers, where sat Lucy Henderson.
When, at last, a change in the diversions of the evening
brought him to Lucy's side, she seemed to him grave and
preoccupied. Her words lacked the pleasant directness and
self-possession which had made her society so comfortable to
him. She no longer turned her full face towards him while
speaking, and he noticed that her eyes were wandering over
the company with a peculiar expression, as if she were try-
ing to listen with them. It seemed to him, also, that El-
wood Withers, who was restlessly moving about the room,
was watching some one, or waiting for something.
JOSEPH AND HIS F1JIEXD. 29
" I have it ! " suddenly cried Miss Blessing, floating to-
wards Joseph and Lucy ; "it shall be you, Mr. Asten ! "
" Yes," echoed Anna "SVarriner, following ; " if it could
be, how delightful ! "
" Hush, Anna dear ! Let us keep the matter secret ! "
whispered Miss Blessing, assuming a mysterious air ; " we
will slip away and consult ; and, of course, Lucy must come
with us."
" Now," she resumed, when the four found themselves
alone in the old-fashioned dining-room, " we must, first of
all, explain everything to Mr. Asten. The question is,
where we shall meet, next week. McXaughtons are build-
ing an addition (I believe you call it) to their barn, and a
child has the measles at another place, and something else is
wrong somewhere else. We cannot interfere with the
course of nature ; but neither should we give up these
charming evenings without making an effort to continue
them. Our sole hope and reliance is on you, Mr. Asten."
She pronounced the words with a niock solemnity, clasp-
ing her hands, and looking into his face with bright, eager,
laughing eyes.
" If it depended on myself " Joseph began.
" O, I know the difficulty, Mr. Asten ! " she exclaimed ;
"and really, it's unpardonable in me to propose such a thing.
But isn't it possible just possible that Miss Miller might
be persuaded by us ? "
" Julia dear ! " cried Anna Warriner, " I believe there's
nothing you'd be afraid to undertake."
Joseph scarcely knew what to say. He looked from one
to the other, coloring slightly, and ready to turn pale the
next moment, as he endeavored to imagine how his aunt
would receive such an astounding proposition.
30 JOSEPH AND HIS FJBIKXD.
" There is no i-eason why she should be asked," said
Lucy. " It would be a great annoyance to her."
"Indeed?" said Miss Blessing; "then I should be so
sorry ! But I caught a glimpse of your lovely place the
other day as we were driving up the valley. It was a per-
fect picture, and I have such a desire to see it nearer ! "
" "Why will you not come, then ? " Joseph eagerly asked.
Lucy's words seemed to him blunt and unfriendly, although
he knew they had been intended for his relief.
" It would be a great pleasure ; yet, if I thought your
aunt would be annoyed
" I am sure she will be glad to make your acquaintance,"
said Joseph, with a reproachful side-glance at Lucy.
Miss Blessing noticed the glance. " 2 am more sure," she
said, playfully, " that she will be very much amused at my
ignorance and inexperience. And I don't believe Lucy
meant to frighten me. As for the party, Ave won't think of
that now ; but you will go with us, Lucy, won't you, with
Anna and myself, to make a neighborly afternoon call ? "
Lucy felt obliged to accede to a request so amiably made,
after her apparent rudeness. Yet she could not force her-
self to affect a hearty acquiescence, and Joseph thought her
singularly cold.
He did not doubt but that Miss Blessing, whose warm,
impulsive nature seemed to him very much what his own
might be if he dared to show it, would fulfil her promise.
Neither did he doubt that so much innocence and sweetness
as she possessed would make a favorable impression upon
his aunt; but he judged it best not to inform the latter of
the possible visit.
31
CHAPTER IV.
MISS BLESSING CALLS OX RACHEL MILLER.
Ox the follov.ing Saturday afternoon, Rachel Miller sat
at the front window of the sitting-room, and arranged her
light task of sewing and darning, with a feeling of unusual
comfort. The household work of the week was over; the
weather was fine and warm, with a brisk drying breeze for
the hay on the hill-field, the last load of which Joseph ex-
pected to have in the barn before his five o'clock supper was
ready. As she looked down the valley, she noticed that the
mowers were still swinging their way through Hunter's
grass, and that Cunningham's corn sorely needed working.
There was a different state of things on the Asten place.
Everything was done, and well done, up to the front of the
season. The weather had been fortunate, it was true ; but
Joseph had urged on the work with a different spirit. It
seemed to her that he had taken a new interest in the farm ;
he was here and there, even inspecting with his own eyes
the minor duties which had been formerly intrusted to his
man Dennis. How could she know that this activity was
the only outlet for a restless heart ?
If any eA'il should come of his social recreation, she had
done her duty ; but no evil seemed likely. She had always
separated his legal from his moral independence ; there was
no enactment establishing the period when the latter com-
menced, and it could not be made manifest by documents,
like the former. She would have admitted, certainly, that
32 JOSEPH AND JUS F-itlKKD.
lier guardianship must cease at some time, but the thought
of making preparation for that time had never entered her
head. She only understood conditions, not the adaptation
of characters to them. Going back over her own life, she
could recall but little difference between the girl of eigh-
teen and the woman of thirty. There was the same place
in her home, the same duties, the same subjection to the
will of her parents no exercise of independence or self-
reliance anywhere, and no growth of those virtues beyond
what a passive maturity brought with it.
Even now she thought very little about any question of
life in connection with Joseph. Her parents had trained
her in the discipline of a rigid sect, and she could not dis-
sociate the idea of morality from that of solemn renun-
ciation. She could not say that social pleasures were posi-
tively wrong, but they always seemed to her to be enjoyed
on the outside of an open door labelled " Temptation ; "
and who could tell what lay beyond ? Some very good peo-
ple, she knew, were fond of company, and made merry in an
innocent fashion ; they were of mature years and settled
characters, and Joseph was only a boy. The danger, how-
ever, was not so imminent : no fault could be found with
his attention to duty, and a chance so easily escaped was a
comfortable guaranty for the future.
In the midst of this mood (we can hardly say train of
thought), she detected the top of a carriage through the
bushes fringing the lane. The vehicle presently came into
view: Anna Warriner was driving, and there were two
other ladies on the back seat. As they drew up at the
hitching-post on the green, she recognized Lucy Henderson
getting out ; but the airy creature who sprang after her,
the girl with dark, falling ringlets, could it be the stranger
JOSEPH AND HIS FKIEXD. 33
from town ? The plaiu, country-made gingham dress, the
sober linen collar, the work-bag on her arm could they be-
long to the stylish young lady whose acquaintance had
turned Anna's head?
A proper spirit of hospitality required her to meet the
visitors at the gate; so there was no time left for conjec-
ture. She was a little confused, but not dissatisfied at the
chance of seeing the stranger.
" We thought we could come for an hour this afternoon,
without disturbing you," said Anna Warriner. " Mother
lias lost your receipt for pickling cherries, arid Bob said you
were already through with the hay-harvest ; and so wo
brought Julia along this is Julia Blessing."
" How do you do ? " said Miss Blessing, timidly extend-
ing her hand, and slightly dropping her eyelids. She then
fell behind Anna and Lucy, and spoke no more until they
were all seated in the sitting-room.
" How do you like the country by this time ? " Rachel asked,
fe iling that a little attention was necessary to a new guest.
" So well that I think I shall never like the city again,'
Miss Blessing answered. " This quiet, peaceful life is such
a rest ; and I really never before knew what order was, and
industry, and economy."
She looked around the room as she spoke, and glanced at
the barn through the eastern window.
"Yes, your ways in town are very different," Rachel
remarked.
"It seems to me, now, that they are entirely artificial.
I find myself so ignorant of the proper way of living that
I should be embarrassed among you, if you were not all so
very kind. But I am trying to learn a little."
"O, we don't expect too much of town's-folks," said Ra-
2*
34 JOSEPH AKD HIS FKIEJX'D.
chel, in a much more friendly tone, " and we're always glad
to see them willing to put up with our ways. But not
many are."
"Please don't count me among those ! " Miss Blessing ex-
claimed.
" No, indeed, Miss Rachel ! " said Anna Warriner ;
" you'd be surprised to know how Julia gets along with
everything don't she, Lucy?"
" Yes, she's very quick," Lucy Henderson replied.
Miss Blessing cast down her eyes, smiled, and shook her
head.
Rachel Miller asked some questions which opened the
sluices of Miss Warriiier's gossip and she had a good store
of it. The ways and doings of various individuals were
discussed, and Miss Blessing's occasional remarks showed a
complete familiarity with them. Her manner was grave and
attentive, and Rachel was surprised to find so much unob-
trusive good sense in her views. The reality was so differ-
ent from her previously assumed impression, that she felt
bound to make some reparation. Almost before she was
aware of it, her manner became wholly friendly and pleasant.
" May I look at your trees and flowers ? " Miss Blessing
asked, when the gossip had been pretty well exhausted.
They all arose and went out on the lawn. Rose and wood-
bine, phlox and vei'bena, passed under review, and then the
long, rounded walls of box attracted Miss Blessing's eye.
This was a feature of the place in which Rachel Miller felt
considerable pride, and she led the way through the garden
gate. Anna Warriner, however, paused, and said :
" Lucy, let us go down to the spring-house. We can get
back again before Julia has half finished her raptures."
Lucy hesitated a moment. She looked at Miss Blessing,
JiJSEHl AND HIS rillLND. Jo
who laughed and said, " O, don't mind me ! " as she took her
place at Bache'i's side.
The avenue of box ran the whole length of the garden,
which sloped gentlv 10 the south. At the bottom the green
walls curved outward, forming three fourths of a circle, spa-
cious enough to contain several seats. There was a delightful
view of the valley through the opening.
" The loveliest place I ever saw ! " exclaimed Miss Bless-
ing, taking one of the rustic chairs. " How pleasant it must
Le, when you have all your neighbors here together ! "
Rachel Miller was a little startled; but before she could
reply, Miss Blessing continued :
" There is such a difference between a company of young
people here in the country, and what is called 'a party' iu
the city. There it is all dress and flirtation and vanity, but
here it is only neighborly visiting on a larger scale. I have
enjoyed the quiet company of all your folks so much the more,
because I felt that it was so very innocent. Indeed, I don't
see how anybody could be led into harmful ways here."
" I don't know," said Rachel : " we must learn to mistrust
out own hearts."
" You are right ! The best are weak of themselves ; but
there is more safety where all have been brought up unac-
quainted with temptation. Now, you will perhaps wonder
at me when I say that I could trust the young men for
instance, Mr. Asten, your nephew as if they were my
brothers. That is, I feel a positive certainty of their excellent
character. What they say they mean : it is otherwise in the
city. It is delightful to see them all together, like members
of one family. You must enjoy it, I should think, when they
meet here."
Rachel Miller's eyes opened wide, and there was both a
36 .TOSKl'II AND HIS FIUKXD.
puzzled and a searching expression in the look she gave Miss
Blessing. The latter, with an air of almost infantine simpli-
city, her lips slightly parted, accepted the scrutiny with a
quiet cheerfulness which .seemed the perfection of candor.
" The truth is," said Rachel, slowly, " this is a new thing.
I hope the merry-makings are as innocent as you think ; but
I'm afraid they unsettle the young people, after all."
"Do you, really?" exclaimed Miss Blessing. "What
have you seen in them which leads you to think so? But
no never mind my question ; you may have reasons which
I have no right to ask. Now, I remember Mr. Asten. telling
Anna and Lucy and myself, how much he should like to
invite his friends here, if it were not for a duty which pi*e-
vented it ; and a duty, he said, was more important to him
than a pleasure."
" Did Joseph say that ? " Rachel exclaimed.
" O, perhaps I oughtn't to have told it," said Miss Bless-
ing, casting down her eyes and blushing in confusion : " in
that case, please don't say anything about it ! Perhaps it was
a duty towards you, for he told me that he looked upon you
as a second mother."
Rachel's ey r es softened, and it was a little while before she
spoke. " I've tried to do my duty by him," she faltered at
last, " but it sometimes seems an unthankful business, and I
can't always tell how he takes it. And so he wanted to have
a company here ? "
" I am so sorry I said it ! " cried Miss Blessing. " I never
thought you were opposed to company, on principle. Miss
Chaffinch, the minister's daughter, you know, was there the
last time ; and, really, if you could see it But it is pre-
sumptuous in me to say anything. Indeed, I am not a fair
judge, because these little gatherings have enabled me to make
JO -K PI I AXD HIS FRIEND. 61
such pleasant acquaintances. And the young men tell me
that they work all the better after them.''
" It's only on Ills account, ' said .Rach'"d.
"' IViy, I'm sure that the last thing Mr. Asten would wish,
would be your giving up a principle fur his sake ! I know,
from his face, that hi,s o\vn character is founded on principle.
And, besides, here in the country, you don't keep count of
hospitality, as they do in the city, and feel obliged to return
as much as you receive. So, if you will try to forget what
I have said
Rachel interrupted her. " I meant something different.
Joseph knows why I objected to parties. He must not feel
under obligations which I stand in the way of his repaying.
If he tells me that he should like to invite his friends to this
place, I will help him to entertain them."
" You are his second mother, indeed," Miss Blessing mur-
mured, looking at her with a fond admiration. " And now
I can hope that you will forgive my thoughtlessness. I should
feel humiliated in his presence, if he knew that I had repeated
his words. But he will not ask you, and this is the end of
any harm I may have done."
" Xo," said Rachel, " he will not ask me ; but won't I be
an offence in his mind ? "
" I can understand how you feel only a woman can judge
a woman's heart. Would you think me too forward if I
tell you what might be done, this once ? "
She stole softly up to Rachel as she spoke, and laid her
hand gently upon her arm.
" Perhaps I am wrong but if you were first to suggest to
your nephew that if he wished to make some return for the
hospitality of his neighbors, or put it in whatever form you
think best, would not that remove the ' offence ' (though ho
38 JOSEPH AND HIS FJttKXD.
surely cannot look at it in that light) , and make him grate-
ful and happy ? "
"Well," said Rachel, after a little reflection, "if anything
is done, that would be as good a way as any."
" And, of course, you won't mention me ? "
" There is no call to do it as I can see."
" Julia, dear ! " cried Anna from the gate ; " come and see
the last load of hay hauled into the barn ! "
" I should like to see it, if you will excuse me," said Miss
Blessing to Rachel ; " I have taken quite an interest in
farming."
As they were passing the porch, Rachel paused on the step
and said to Anna: "You'll bide and get your suppers?"
" I don't know," Anna replied : " we didn't mean to ; but
we stayed longer than we intended
" Then you can easily stay longer still."
There was nothing unfriendly in Rachel's blunt manner.
Anna laughed, took Miss Blessing by the arm, and started
for the barn. Lucy Henderson quietly turned and entered
the house, where, without any offer of services, she began to
assist in arranging the table.
The two young ladies took their stand on the green, at a
safe distance, as the huge fragrant load approached. The
hay overhung and concealed the wheels, as well as the hind
quarters of the oxen, and on the summit stood Joseph, in his
shirt-sleeves and leaning on a pitch-fork. He bent forward
as he saw them, answering their greetings with an eager, sur-
prised face. ,
" O, take care, take care ! " cried Miss Blessing, as the load
entered the barn-door ; but Joseph had already dropped upon
his knees and bent his shoulders. Then the wagon stood
upon the barn-floor; he sprang lightly upon a beam, de-
39
scended the upright ladder, and the next moment was shaking
Lands wiili them.
''We have kept our promise, you see," said Miss Bless-
ing.
' ; Have you been in the house yet ? " Joseph asked, look-
ing at Anna.
" O, for an hour past, and we are going to take supper
with you."
" Dennis ! " cried Joseph, turning towards the barn, " we
will let the load stand to-night.''
" How much better a man looks in shirt-sleeves than in a
dress-coat ! " remarked Miss Blessing aside to Anna "\Varri-
ner, but not in so low a tone as to prevent Joseph from hear-
ing it.
" Why, Julia, you are perfectly countrified ! I never
saw anything like it ! " Anna replied.
Joseph turned to them again, with a blight flush on his
face. He caught Miss Blessing's eyes, full of admiration,
before the lids fell modestly over them.
" So you've seen my home, already ? " he said, as they
walked slowly towards the house.
" O, not the half yet ! " she answered, in a low, earnest
tone. " A place so lovely and quiet as this cannot be ap-
preciated at once. I almost wish I had not seen it : what
shall I do when I must go back to the hot pavements, and
the glaring bricks, and the dust, and the hollow, artificial
life ? " She tried to check a sigh, but only partially suc-
ceeded ; then, with a sudden effort, she laughed lightly, and
added : " I wonder if everybody doesn't long for something
else ? Now, Anna, here, would think it heavenly to change
places with me."
" Such privileges as you have ! " Anna protested.
40 JOSEPH AND HIS FKTKND.
" Privileges ? " Miss Blessing echoed. " The privilege of
hearing scandal, of being judged by your dress, of learning
the forms and manners, instead of the good qualities, of
men and women ? No ! give me an independent life."
" Alone ? " suggested Miss Warriner.
Joseph looked at Miss Blessing, who made no reply. Her
head was turned aside, and he could well understand that
she must feel hurt at Anna's indelicacy.
In the house Rachel Miller and Lucy had, in the mean
time, been occupied with domestic matters. The former,
however, was so shaken out of her usual calm by the con-
versation in the garden, that in spite of prudent resolves
to keep quiet, she could not restrain herself from asking a
question or two.
" Lucy," said she, " how do you find these evening parties
you've been attending ? "
" They are lively and pleasant, at least every one says
so."
" Are you going to have any more ? "
" It seems to be the wish," said Lucy, suddenly hesitating,
as she found Rachel's eyes intently fixed upon her face.
The latter was silent for a minute, arranging the tea-ser-
vice ; but she presently asked again : " Do you think
Joseph would like to invite the young people here ? "
" She has told you ! " Lucy exclaimed, in \mfeigned irri-
tation. " Miss Rachel, don't let it trouble you a moment :
nobody expects it of you ! "
Lucy felt, immediately, that her expression had been too
frankly positive ; but even the consciousness thereof did not
enable her to comprehend its effect.
Rachel straightened herself a little, and said " Indeed ? "
in anything but an amiable tone. She went to the cupboard
JO.SEril AND HIS FlilKXU. 41
and returned before speaking again. ' I didn't say any-
bodv told me," she continued ; >% ii's likely that Joseph
might think of it, and I don't see why people should expect
me to stand in the way of hi.s wishes."
Lucy was so astonished that she could not immediately
reply ; and the entrance of Joseph and the t\vo ladies cut
orF all further opportunity of clearing up what she felt to be
an awkward misunderstanding.
" I must help, too ! " cried Mi.ss Blessing, skipping into
the kitchen after Rachel. li That is one thing, at least,
which we can learn in the city. Indeed, if it wasn't for
housekeeping, I should feel terribly useless."
Rachel protested against her help, but in vain. Miss
Blessing had a laugh and a lively answer for every remon-
strance, and flitted about in a manner which conveyed the
impression that she was doing a great deal.
Joseph could scarcely believe his eyes, when he came down
from his room in fresh attire, and beheld his aunt not only
so assisted, but seeming to enjoy it. Lucy, who appeared
to be ill at ease, had withdrawn from the table, and was
sitting silently beside the window. Recalling their conver-
sation a few evenings before, he suspected that she might be
transiently annoyed on his aunt's account ; she had less con-
fidence, perhaps, in Miss Blessing's winning, natural man-
ners. So Lucy's silence threw no shadow upon his cheer-
fulness : he had never felt so happy, so free, so delighted to
assume the character of a host.
After the first solemnity which followed the taking of
seats at the table, the meal proceeded with less than the
usual decorum. Joseph, indeed, so far forgot his duties,
that his aunt was obliged to remind him of them from time
to time. Miss Blessing was enthusiastic over the cream.
42 JOSEPH A XL) HIS FKJKXD.
and butter and marmalade, and Rachel Miller found it ex-
ceedingly pleasant to have her handiwork appreciated. Al-
though she always did her best, for Joseph's sake, she
knew that men have very ignorant, indifferent tastes in such
matters.
When the meal was over, Anna Warriner said : " We
are going to take Lucy on her way as far as the cross-roads ;
so there will not be more than time to get home by sun-
set."
Before the carriage was ready, however, another vehicle
drove up the lane. El wood Withers jumped out, gave
Joseph a hearty grip of his powerful hand, greeted the
others rapidly, and then addressed himself specially to Lucy :
" I was going to a township-meeting at the Corner," said
he ; "but Bob Warriner told me you were here with Anna,
so I thought I could save her a roundabout drive by taking
you myself."
" Thank you ; but I'm sorry you should go so far out of
your road," said Lucy. Her face was pale, and there was
an evident constraint in the smile which accompanied the
words.
" O, he'd go twice as far for company," Anna Warriner
remarked. " You know I'd take you, and welcome, but El-
wood has a good claim on you, now."
" I have no claim, Lucy," said Elwood, rather dog-
gedly.
" Lst us go, then," were Lucy's words.
She rose, and the four were soon seated in the two vehi-
cles. They drove away in the low sunshine, one pair chat-
ting and laughing merrily as long as they were within hear-
ing, the other singularly grave and silent.
CHAPTER V.
ELWOOD'S EVENING, AND JOSEPH'S.
FOR half a mile Ehvood "Withers, followed the carriage
containing Anna AVarriner and her friend ; then, at the
curve of the valley, their roads parted, and Lucy and he
were alone. The soft light of the delicious summer evening
was around them ; the air, cooled by the stream which
broadened and bickered beside their way, was full of all
healthy meadow odors, and every farm in the branching
dells they passed was a picture of tranquil happiness. Yet
Lucy had sighed before she was aware of it, a very faint,
tremulous breath, but it reached Elwood's sensitive ear.
" You don't seem quite well, Lucy," he said.
" Because I have talked so little ? " she asked.
"!Jsot just that, but but I was almost afraid my coming
for you was not welcome. I don't mean " But here lie
grew confused, and did not finish the sentence.
" Indeed, it was very kind of you," said she. This was
not an answer to his remark, and both felt that it was
not.
Elwood struck the horse with his whip, then as suddenly
drew the reins on the startled animal. " Pshaw ! " he ex-
claimed, in a tone that was almost fierce, " what's the use o'
my beating about the bush in this way ? "
Lucy caught her breath, and clenched her hands under her
shawl for one instant. Then she became calm, and waited for
him to say more.
44: JOSEPH AND HIS FKIEXD.
"Lucy! " he continued, turning towards Lor, "you have a
right to think me a fool. I can talk to anybody else move
freely than to you, and the reason is, I want to say more to
you than to any other woman ! There's no use in my being
a coward any longer ; it's a desperate venture I'm making,
but it must be made. Have you never guessed how I feel
towards you ? "
" Yes," she answered, very quietly.
" Well, what do you say to it ? " He tried to speak
calmly, btit his breath came thick and hard, and the words
sounded hoarsely.
" I will say this, Elwood," said she, " that because I saw
your heart, I have watched your ways and studied your
character. I find you honest and manly in everything, and
so tender and faithful that I wish I could return your affec-
tion in the same measure."
A gleam, as of lightning, passed over his face.
" O, don't misunderstand me ! " she cried, her calmness for-
saking her, " 1 esteem, I honor you, and that makes it harder
for me to seem ungrateful, unfeeling, as I must. Elwood,
if I could, I would answer you as you wish, but I cannot."
" If I wait ? " he whispered.
" And lose your best years in a vain hope ! No, Elwood,
my friend, let me always call you so, I have been cow-
ardly also. I knew an explanation must come, and I shrank
from the pain I should feel in giving you pain. It is hard ;
and better for both of us that it should not be repeated ! "
" There's something wrong in this world ! " he exclaimed,
after a long pause. "I suppose you could no more force
yourself to love me than I could force myself to love Anna
Warriner or that Miss Blessing. Then what put it into my
heart to love you ? Was it God or the Devil ! "
JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND. 45
" Elwoocl ! "
' Hn\v can I help myself? Can I help drawing my
breath? Did I wet about it of my own will? Here 1 see
a life that belongs to my own life, as much a part of it as
my head or heart ; but I can't reach it, it draws away from
me, and maybe joins itself to some one else forever ! O my
God!"
Lucy burst into such a violent passion of weeping, that
El wood forgot himself in his trouble for her. He had never
witnessed such grief, as it seemed to him, and his honest
heart was filled with self-reproach at having caused it.
" Forgive me, Lucy ! " he said, very tenderly encircling
her with his arm, and drawing her head upon his shoulder ;
" I spoke rashly and wickedly, in my disappointment. I
thought only of myself, and forgot that I might hurt you
by my words. I'm not the only man who has this kind of
trouble to bear ; and perhaps if I could see clearer but I
don't know ; I can only see one thing."
She grew calmer as he spoke. Lifting her head from his
shoulder, she took his hand, and said : " You are a true and
a noble man, Elwood. It is only a grief to me that I can-
not love you as a wife should love her husband. But my
will is as powerless as yours."
" I believe you, Lucy," he answered, sadly. " It's not
your fault, but, then, it isn't mine, either. You make me
feel that the same rule fits both of us, leastways so far as
helping the matter is concerned. You needn't tell me I
may find another woman to love ; the very thought of it
makes me sick at heart. I'm rougher than you are, and
awkward in my ways "
" It is not that ! O, believe me, it is not that ! " ci-ied
Lucy, interrupting him. " Have you ever sought for reasons
46 JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND.
to account for your feeling toward me ? Is it not something
that does not seem to depend upon what I am, upon any
qualities that distinguish me from other women ? "
" How do you know so much ? " Elwood asked. " Have
you ' He commenced, but did not finish the question.
He leaned silently forward, urged on the horse, and Lucy
could see that his face was very stern.
" They say," she began, on finding that he was not inclined
to speak, " they say that women have a natural instinct
which helps them to understand many things ; and I think
it must be true. "Why can you not spare me the demand
for reasons which I have not ? If I were to take time, o.nd
consider it, and try to explain, it would be of no help to you : it
would not change the fact. I suppose a man feels humiliated
when this trouble comes upon him. He shows his heart, and
there seems to be a claim upon the woman of his choice to
show hers in return. The sense of injustice is worse than
humiliation, Elwood. Though I cannot, cannot do otherwise,
I shall always have the feeling that I have wronged you."
" O Lucy," he murmured, in a very sad, but not reproach-
ful voice, "every word you say, in showing me that I must
give you up, only makes it more impossible to rne. And it
is just impossible, that's the end of the matter! I know
how people talk about trials being sent us for our good, and
its being the will of God, and all that. It's a trial, that's
true : whether it's for my good or not, I shall learn after a
while ; but I can find out God's will only by trying the
strength of my own. Don't be afeared, Lucy ! I've no
notion of saying or doing anything from this time on to dis-
turb you, but here you are " (striking his breast with his
clenched hand), "and here you will be when the day conies,
as I feel that it must and shall come, to bring us together ! "
47
She could see the glow of his face in the gathering dusk,
as he turned towards her and offered his hand. How could
she help taking it? If some pulse in her own betrayed the
thrill of admiring recognition of the man's powerful and
tender nature, whieh suddenly warmed her oppressed blood,
she did not fear that IK.' would draw courage from the token.
She wished to speak, but found no words which, coming
after his, would not have seemed either cold and unsympa-
thetic, or too near the verge of the hope which she would
gladly have crushed.
Ehvood was silent for a while, and hardly appeared to be
awaiting an answer. Meanwhile the road left the valley,
climbing the shoulders of its enclosing hills, where the moist
meadow fragrance was left behind, and dry, warm breezes,
filled with the peculiar smell of the wheat-fields, blew over
them. It was but a mile farther to the Corner, near which
Lucy's parents resided.
" How came you three to go to Joseph's place this after-
noon ? " he asked. " Wasn't it a dodge of Miss Blessing's ? "
" She proposed it, partly in play, I think ; and when she
afterwards insisted on our going, there seemed to be no good
reason for refusing."
" O, of course not,", said Elwood ; " but tell me now,
honestly, Lucy, what do you make out of her ? "
Lucy hesitated a moment. " She is a little wilful in her
ways, perhaps, but we mustn't judge too hastily. "We have
known her such a short time. Her manner is very amiable."
" I don't know about that," Elwood remarked. " It re-
minds me of one of her dresses, so ruffled, and puckered,
and stuck over with ribbons and things, that you can't
rightly tell what the stuff is. I'd like to be sure whether
she has an eyo to Joseph."
48 JOSEPH AND HIS FKIEXD.
" To him ! " Lucy exclaimed.
" Him first and foremost ! He's as innocent as a year-old
baby. There isn't a better fellow living than Joseph Asten,
but his bringing up has been fitter for a girl than a boy. He
hasn't had his eye-teeth cut yet, and it's my opinion that she
has."
" What do you mean by that ? "
" No harm. Used to the world, as much as anything else.
He don't know how to take people ; he thinks th' outside
color runs down to the core. So it does with him; but I
can't see what that girl is, under her pleasant ways, and he
won't guess that there's anything else of her. Between
ourselves, Lucy, you don't like her. I saw that when you
came away, though you were kissing each other at the time."
" What a hypocrite I must be ! " cried Lucy, rather
fiercely.
" Not a bit of it. Women kiss as men shake hands. You
don't go around, saying, ' Julia dear ! ' like Anna Warriner."
Lucy could not help laughing. " There," she said, " that's
enough, Elwood ! I'd rather you would think yourself in
the right than to say anything more about her this evening."
She sighed wearily, not attempting to conceal her fatigue
and depression.
" Well, well ! " he replied ; " I'll pester you no more with
disagreeable subjects. There's the house, now, and you'll
soon be rid of me. I won't tell you, Lucy, that if you ever
want for friendly service, you must look to me, because I'm
afeared you won't feel free to do it ; but you'll take all I
can find to do without your asking."
Without waiting for an answer he drew up his horse at
the gate of her home, handed her out, said " Good night ! "
and drove away.
S'.ich a singular restlessness took possession of Joseph,
after the departure of his giiests, th it the evening quiet of
the farm became intolerable. Hi 1 s
out for the village, readily invent
plained the ride to himself as veil ;
The regular movements of the animal did not banish the
unquiet motions of his mind, but ic relieved him by giving
them a wider sweep and a more definite form. The man
who walks is subject to the power of his Antreus of a body,
moving forwards only bv means of the weight which holds it
O * <u O
to the earth. There is a clog upon all his thoughts, an ever-
present sense of restriction and impotence. But when he is
lifted above the soil, with the air under his foot-soles, swiftly
moving without effort, his mind, a poising Mercury, mounts
on winged heels. He feels the liberation of new and nimble
powers ; wider horizons stretch around his inward vision ;
obstacles are measured or overlooked; the brute strength
under him charges his whole nature with a more vigorous
electricity.
The fresh, warm, healthy vital force which filled Joseph's
body to the last embranchment of every nerve and vein
the hum of those multitudinous spirits of life, which, while
building their glorioxis abode, march as if in triumphant pro-
cession through its secret passages, and summon all the fair-
est phantoms of sense to their completed chambers consti
tuted, far more than he suspected, an element of his disturb-
ance. This was the strong pinion on which his mind and
soul hung balanced, above the close atmosphere which he
seemed to ride away from, as he rode. The great joy of hu-
man life filled and thrilled him ; all possibilities of action and
pleasure and emotion swam before his sight ; all he had read
or heard of individual careers in all ages, climates, and con-
50 JOSEPH AND HIS FKIKXD.
difcions of the race dazxling pictures of the myriad-sided
earth, to be won by whosoever dared arbitrarily to seize the
freedom waiting for his grasp floated through his brain.
Hitherto a conscience not born of his own nature, a very
fair and saintly- visage d jailer of thought, but a jailer nono
the less, had kept strict guard over every outward move-
ment of his mind, gently touching hope and desire and con-
jecture when they reached a certain line, and saying, " No ;
no farther : it is prohibited." But now, with one strong,
involuntary throb, he found himself beyond the line, with
all the ranges ever trodden by man stretching forward to
a limitless horizon. He rose in his stirrups, threw out his
arms, lifted his face towards the sky, and cried, " God ! I see
what I am ! "
It was only a glimpse, like that of a landscape struck in
golden fire by lightning, from the darkness. " What is it,"
he mused, " that stands between me and this vision of life ?
Who built a wall of imaginary law around these needs, which
are in themselves inexorable laws ? The World, the Flesh,
and the Devil, they say in warning. Bright, boundless
world, my home, my play-ground, my battle-field, my king-
dom to be conquered ! And this body they tell me to de-
spise, this perishing house of clay, which is so intimately
myself that its comfort and delight cheer me to the inmost
soul : it is a dwelling fit for an angel to inhabit ! Shall not
its hungering senses all be fed? Who shall decide for me
if not myself on their claims? who can judge for me
what strength requires to be exercised, what pleasure to be
enjoyed, what growth to be forwarded ? All around me,
everywhere, are the means of gratification, I have but to
reach forth my hand and grasp; but a narrow cell, built
ages ago, encloses me wherever I go ! "
51
Such was the vague substance of his thoughts. Tt was the
old struggle between life primitive, untamed life, as the
first man may have felt it and its many masters : assertion
nd resistance, all the more fierce because so many influences
laid their hands upon its forces. As he came back to his
usual self, refreshed by this temporary escape, Joseph won-
dered whether other men shared the same longing and impa-
tience ; and this turned his musings into another channel.
" Why do men so carefully conceal what is deepest and
strongest in their natures ? Why is so little of spiritual
struggle and experience ever imparted ? The convert publicly
admits his sinful experience, and tries to explain the entrance
of grace into his regenerated nature ; the reformed drunkard
seems to take a positive delight in making his former condi-
tion degraded and loathsome ; but the opening of the indi-
vidual life to the knowledge of power and passion and all the
possibilities of the world is kept more secret than sin. Love
is hidden as if it were a reproach ; friendship watched, lest
it express its warmth too frankly; joy and grief and doubt
and anxiety repressed as much as possible. A great lid is
shut down upon the human race. They must painfully stoop
and creep, instead of standing erect with only God's heaven
over their heads. I am lonely, but I know not how to cry
for companionship ; my words would not be understood, or,
if they were, would not be answered. Only one gate is free
to me, that leading to the love of woman. There, at least,
must be such an intense, intimate sympathy as shall make
the reciprocal revelation of the lives possible ! "
Full of this single certainty, which, the more he pondered
upon it, seemed to be his nearest chance of help, Joseph rode
slowly homewards. Rachel Miller, who had impatiently
awaited his corring, remarked the abstraction of his face, and
52 JOBKI'lI AND HIS FKIKJvD.
attributed it to a very different ca\ise. She was thereby
wonderfully strengthened to make her communication in
regard to the evening company ; nevertheless, the subject
was so slowly approached and so ambiguously alluded to,
that Joseph could not immediately understand it.
" That is something ! That is a step ! " he said to him-
self; then turning towards her with a genuine satisfaction in
his face, added: "Aunt, do yoii know that 1 have never
really felt until now that I am the owner of this property ?
It will be more of a home to me after I have received the
neighborhood as my guests. It has always controlled me,
but now it must serve me."
He laughed in great good-humor, and Rachel Miller, in
her heart, thanked Miss Julia Blessing.
JOSEPH AND HIS KKIEM). 53
CHAPTER VI.
IX THE GARDEN".
RACHEL MILLER was not a woman to do a tiling by halves.
As soon as the question was settled, she gave her heart and
mind to the necessary preparations. There might have been
a little surprise in some quarters, when the fact became
known in the neighborhood through Joseph's invitation, but
no expression of it reached the Asten place. Mrs. "Warriner,
Anna's mother, called to inquire if she could be of service,
and also to suggest, indirectly, her plan of entertaining com-
pany. Rachel detected the latter purpose, and was a little
more acquiescent than could have been justified to her own
conscience, seeing that at the very moment when she was
listening with much apparent meekness, she was mentally
occupied with plans for outdoing Mrs. Warriner. Moreover,
the Rev. Mr. Chaffinch had graciously signified his willing-
ness to be present, and the stamp of strictest orthodoxy was
thus set upon the entertainment. She was both assured and
stimulated, as the time drew near, and even surprised Joseph
by saying : " If I was better acquainted with Miss Blessing,
she might help me a good deal in fixing everything just as it
should be. There are times, it seems, when it 's an advan-
tage to know something of the world."
" I'll ask her ! " Joseph exclaimed.
" You ! And a mess you'd make of it, very likely ; men
think they've only to agree to invite a company, and that's
all ! There's a hundred things to be thought of that women
54: JOSEPH AND HIS FKIKXD.
must look to; yon couldn't even understand 'em. As for
speaking to her, she's one of the im'ites, and it would never
do in the world."
Joseph said no more, but he silently determined to ask
Miss Blessing on her arrival ; there would still be time.
She, with her wonderful instinct, her power of accommo-
dating people to each other, and the influence which she had
already acquired with his aunt, would certainly see at a
glance how the current was setting, and guide it in the
proper direction.
But, as the day drew near, he grew so restless and
uneasy that there seemed nothing better to do than to ride
over to Warriner'a in the hope of catching a moment's con-
ference with her, in advance of the occasion.
He was entirely fortunate. Anna was apparently very
busy with household duties, and after the first greetings left
him alone with Miss Blessing. He had anticipated a little
difficulty in making his message known, and was therefore
much relieved when she said : " Now, Mr. Asten, I see by
your face that you have something particular to say. It's
about to-morrow night, isn't it ? You must let me help you,
if I can, because I am afraid I have been, without exactly
intending it, the cause of so much trouble to you and your
aunt."
Joseph opened his heart at once. All that he had meant
to say came easily and naturally to his lips, because Miss
Blessing seemed to feel and understand the situation, and
met him half- way in her bright, cheerful acquiescence.
Almost before he knew it, he had made her acquainted with
what had been said and done at home. How easily she
solved the absurd doubts and difficulties which had so un-
necessarily tormented him ! How clearly, through her fine
55
female instinct, she grasped little peculiarities of his aunt's
nature, which he, after ye;irs of close companionship, had
failed to define! Miss llachel, she said, was both shy and
inexperienced, and it was only the struggle to conceal theso
conscious defects which made her seem not unamiable,
exactly, but irregular in her manner. Her age, and her
character in the neighborhood, did not permit her to appear
incompetent to any emergency ; it was a very natural pride,
and must be treated very delicately and tenderly.
Would Joseph trust the matter entirely to her, Miss
Blessing ? It was a great deal to ask, she knew, com-
parative stranger as she was ; but she believed that a
woman, when her nature had not been distorted by the con-
ventionalities of life, had a natural talent for smoothing dif-
ficulties, and removing obstacles for others. Her friends had
told her that she possessed this power ; and it was a great
happiness to think so. In the present case, she was sure she
should make no mistake. She would endeavor not to seem
to suggest anything, but merely to assist in such a way that
Miss llachel would of herself see what else was necessary to
be done.
" Now," she remarked, in conclusion, " this sounds like
vanity in me ; but I really hope it is not. You must re-
member that in the city we are obliged to know all the little
social arts, and artifices, I am afraid. It is not always to
our credit, but then, the heart may be kept fresh and uncor-
rupted."
She sighed, and cast down her eyes. Joseph felt the in-
creasing charm of a nature so frank and so trustful, con-
stantly luring to the surface the maiden secrets of his own.
The confidence already established between them was wholly
delightful, because their sense of reciprocity increased as it
56 JOSEPH AM) Jllrt FKIKM).
deepened. He felt so free to speak that he could not
measure the fitness of his words, hut exclaimed, without a
pause for thought :
" Tell me, Miss Julia, did you not suggest this party to
Aunt Each el ? "
" Don't give me too much credit ! " she answered ; " it
was talked ahout, and I couldn't help saying Ay. I longed
so much to see you all again before I go away."
" And Lucy Henderson objected to it V "
" Lucy, I think, wanted to save your aunt trouble. Per-
haps she did not guess that the real objection was inex-
perience, and not want of will to entertain company. And
very likely she helped to bring it about, by seeming to
oppose it ; so you must not be angry with Lucy, promise
me ! "
She looked at him with an irresistibly entreating expres-
sion, and extended her hand, which he seized so warmly as to
give her pain. But she returned the pressure, and there was
a moment's silence, which Anna Warriuer interrupted at the
right time.
The next day, 011 the Asten farm, all the preparations
were quietly and successfully made long in advance of the
first arrivals. The Rev. Mr. Chaffinch and a few other
specially chosen guests made their appearance in the after-
noon. To Joseph's surprise, the Warriiiers and Miss Bless-
ing speedily joined them. It was, in reality, a private ar-
rangement which his aunt had made, in order to secure at
the start the very assistance which he had been plotting to
render. One half the secret of the ease and harmony
which he felt was established was thus unknown to him. He
looked for hints or indications of management on Miss
Blessing's part, but saw none. The two women, meeting
> t
each other half-way, needed no words in order to understand
eacli other, and [Miss .Rachel, gradually made secure in her
part of hostess, experienced a most unaccustomed sense of
triumph.
At the supper-table Mr. Chaffinch asked a blessing with
fervor; a great, balmy dish of chickens stewed in cream was
smoking before his nostrils, and his fourth cup of tea made
Rachel Miller supremely happy. The meal was honored in
silence, as is the case where there is much to cat and a
proper desire and capacity to do it ; only towards its close
were the tongues of the guests loosened, and content made
them cheerful.
" You have entertained us almost too sumptuously, Miss
Miller," said the clergyman. " And now let us go out
on the portico, and welcome the young people as they ar-
rive."
" I need hardly ask you, then, Mr. Chaffinch," said she,
" whether you think it right for them to come together in
this way."
" Decidedly ! " he answered ; " that is, so long as their
conversation is modest and becoming. It is easy for the
vanities of the world to slip in, but we must watch, we
must watch."
Rachel Miller took a seat near him, beholding the gates
of perfect enjoyment opened to her mind. Dress, the
opera, the race-course, literature, stocks, politics, have their
fascination for so many several classes of the human race ;
but to her there was nothing on this earth so delightful
as to be told of temptation and backsliding and sin, and to
feel that she was still secure. The fact that there was
always danger added a zest to the feeling ; she gave herself
credit for a vigilance which had really not been exercised.
3*
58 JOSEPH AM) HIS FKTKND.
The older guests moved their chairs nearer, and listened,
forgetting the sweetness of sunset which lay upon the hills
down the valley. Anna "Wavriiier laid her arm around Miss
Chaffinch's waist, and drew her towards the mown field be-
yond the barn ; and presently, by a natural chance, as it
seemed, Joseph found himself beside Miss Blessing, at the
bottom of the lawn.
All the western hills were covered with one cool, broad
shadow. A rich orange flush touched the tops of the woods
to the eastward, and brightened as the sky above them
deepened into the violet-gray of coming dusk. The moist }
delicious freshness which filled the bed of the valley slowly
crept up the branching glen, and already tempered the air
about them. Now and then a bird chirped happily from a
neighboring bush, or the low of cattle was heard from the
pasture-fields.
" Ah ! " sighed Miss Blessing, " this is too sweet to last :
I must learn to do without it."
She looked at him swiftly, and then glanced away. It
seemed that there were tears in her eyes.
Joseph was about to speak, but she laid her hand on his
arm. " Hush ! " she said ; " let us wait until the light has
faded."
The glow had withdrawn to the summits of the distant
hills, fringing them with a thin, wonderful radiance. But it
was only momentary. The next moment it broke on the ir-
regular topmost boughs, and then disappeared, as if blown
out by a breeze which came with the sudden lifting of the sky.
She turned away in silence, and they walked slowly together
towards the house. At the garden gate she paused.
" That superb aveniie of box ! " she exclaimed ; " I must
see it again, if only to say farewell."
Th'-y entvr>-d the garden, raid In a moment the dense creen
\vall, breathing an odor seductive to In-art and senses, had
hidden them from the sight and almost from the hear-
ing of the guests on the portk-o. Looking down ihrough
the southern opening of the avenue, they seemed alone in
the evening valley.
Joseph's heart was beating fast and strong; lie was con-
scious of a wild fear, so interfused with pleasure, that it
was impossible to separate the sensations. Miss Bless-
ing's hand was on his arm, and he fancied that it trembled.
' % If life were as beautiful and peaceful as this," she
whispered, at last, " we should not need to .seek for truth
and and sympathy : we should find them everywhere."
" Do you not think they are to be found ? " he asked.
" O, in how few hearts ! I can say it to you, and you
will not misunderstand me. Until lately I was satisfied with
life as I found it : I thought it meant diversion, and dress,
and gossip, and common daily duties, but now now I see.
that it is the union of kindred souls ! "
She clasped both her hands over his arm as she spoke, and
leaned slightly towards him, as if drawing away from, the
dreary, homeless world. Joseph felt all that the action ex-
pressed, and answered in an unsteady voice :
" And yet with a nature like yours you must surely
find them."
She shook her head sadly, and answered : " Ah, a woman
cannot seek. I never thought I should be able to say to
any human being that I have sought, or waited for recogni-
tion. I do not know why I should say it now. I try to be my-*
self my true self with all persons ; but it seems impossible :
my nature shrinks from some and is drawn towards others.
Why is this? What is the mystery that surrounds us?"
GO JOSKI'II A.ND His FJUKNJ).
" Do you believe," Joseph asked, " that l\vo souls may be
so united that they shall dare to surrender all knowledge of
themselves to each other, as we do, helplessly, before God?"
" O," she murniured, " it is my dream ! 1 thought I was
alone in cherishing it ! Can it ever be realized ? "
Joseph's brain grew hot : the release he had invoked
sprang to life and urged him forward. AVords came to his
lips, he knew not how.
" If it is my dream and yours, if we both have come to
the faith and the hope we lind in no others, and which alone
will satisfy our lives, is it not a sign that the dream is over
and the reality has begun ? "
She hid her face in her hands. "Do not tempt me with
what I had given up, unless you can teach me to believe
again ? " she cried.
" I do not tempt you," he answered breathlessly. " I
tempt myself. I believe."
She turned suddenly, laid a hand upon his shoulder, lifted
her face and looked into his eyes with an expression of
passionate eagerness and joy. All her attitude breathed of
the pause of the wave that only seems to hesitate an instant
before throwing itself upon the waiting strand. Joseph had
no defence, knew of none, dreamed of none. The pale-
brown eyes, now dark, deep, and almost tearful, drew him
with irresistible force : the sense of his own shy reticent
self was lost, dissolved in the strength of an instinct which
possessed him body and soul, which bent him nearer to the
slight form, which stretched his arms to answer its appeal,
and left him, after one dizzy moment, with Miss Blessing's
head upon his breast.
" I should like to die now," she murmured : " I never can
be so happy again."
01
" Xo, no," said lie, bending over her; "live for me!"
She raised herself, and kissed him again and again, and
this frank, almost ehihllikc betrayal of her heart scorned to
claim from Joseph the full surrender of his own. lie re-
turned her caresses \vith e.'jual warmth, and the tvrilight
deepened around them as tlie.y stood, still half-embracing.
" Can I make you happy, Joseph? "
"Julia, I am already happier than I ever thought it pos-
sible to be."
"With a sudden impulse she drew away from him.
" Joseph ! " she whispered, " will you always bear in mind
what a cold, selfish, worldly life mine has been ? You do
not know me ; you cannot understand the school in which I.
have been taught. I tell you, now, that I have had to learn,
cunning and artifice and equivocation. I am dark beside a
nature so pure and good as yours ! If you must ever learn
to hate me, begin now ! Take back your love : I have lived
so long without the love of a noble human heart, that I can
live so to the end ! "
She again covered her face with her hands, and her frame
shrank, as if dreading a mortal blosv. But Joseph caught
her back to his breast, touched and even humiliated by such
sharp self-accusation. Presently she looked up : her eyes
were wet, and she said, with a pitiful smile :
" I believe you do love me."
" And I will not give you up," said Joseph, " though you
should be full of evil as I am, myself."
She laughed, and patted his cheek : all her frank, bright,
winning manner returned at once. Then commenced those
reciprocal expressions of bliss, which are so inexhaustibly
fresh to lovers, so endlessly monotonous to everybody else ;
and Joseph, lost to time, place, and circumstance, would
63 JOPKPH AND HIS FRIKXD.
have prolonged tliem far into the night, but for Miss Julia's
returning self-possession.
" 1 hear wheels," she warned ; " the evening guests are
coming, and they will expect you to receive them, Joseph.
And your dear, good old aunt will bo looking for me.. O,
the world, the world ! We must give ourselves up to it, and
be as if we had never found each other. I shall be wild un-
less you set me an example of self-control. Let me look at
you once, one full, precious, perfect look, to carry in my
heart through the evening ! "
Then they looked in each other's faces ; and looking was
not enough ; and their lips, without the use of words, said
the temporary farewell. While Joseph hurried across the
bottom of the lawn, to meet the stream of approaching
guests which filled the lane, Miss Julia, at the top of the
garden, plucked amaranth leaves for a wreath which would
look well upon her dark hair, and sang, in a voice loud
enough to be heard from the portico :
"Ever be happy, light as thou art,
Pride of the pirate's heart ! "
Eveiybody who had been invited and quite a number
who had not been, availing themselves of the easy habits
of country society came to the Asten farm that evening.
Joseph, as host, seemed at times a little confused and
flurried, but his face bloomed, his blue eyes sparkled,
and even his nearest acquaintances were astonished at
the courage and cordiality with which he performed his
duties. The presence of Mr. Chaffinch kept the gayety of
the company within decorous bounds ; perhaps the number
of detached groups appeared to form too many separate
circles, or atmospheres of talk, but they easily dissolved, or
gave to and took from each other. Rachel Miller was not
63
iiu-lin'xl to act tlif part of a moral detective in the house
which she managed ; she saw nothing which the .strictest
sense of propriety could cond ".an.
Early in the evening. Joseph met Lucy Henderson in the
hall. He could not see the grayer change in her face ;
he only noticed that her manner was not so quietly attractive
as usual. Yet on meeting her eyes he felt the absurd blood
rushing to his cheeks and brow, and his tongue hesitated and
stammered. This want of self-possession vexed him ; he could
not account for it ; and he cut short the interview by moving
abruptly away.
Lucy half turned, and looked after him, with an expres-
sion rather of surprise than of pain. As she did so she felt
that there was an eye upon her, and by a strong effort
entered the room without encountering the face of Elwood
Withers.
When the company broke up, Miss Blessing, who was
obliged to leave with the Warriners, found an opportunity to
whisper to Joseph : " Come soon ! " There was a long, fer-
vent clasp of hands under her shawl, and then the carriage
drove away. He could not see how the hand was transferred
to that of Anna Warriner, which received from it a
squeeze conveying an entire narrative to that young lady's
mind.
Joseph's duties to his many guests prevented him from
seeing much of Elwood during the evening ; but, when the
last were preparing to leave, he turned to the latter, con-
scious of a tenderer feeling of friendship than he had ever
before felt, and begged him to stay for the night. Elwood
held up the lantern, with which lie had been examining the
harness of a carriage that had just rolled away, and let its
light fall upon Joseph's face.
C4 JOSEPH AND HIS FitlEXD.
" Do you really moan it ? " he then asked,
"I don't understand you, Elvvood."
" Perhaps I don't understand myself." But the next mo-
ment he laughed, and then added, in his usual tone : " Never
mind ; I'll stay."
They occupied the same room ; and neither seemed in-
clined to sleep. After the company had been discussed, in a
way which both felt to be awkward and mechanical, Elwood
said : " Do you know anything more about love, by this
time ? "
Joseph was silent, debating with himself whether he should
confide the wonderful secret. Elwood suddenly rose xip in
his bed, leaned forward, and whispered : " I see, you need
not answer. But tell me this one thing : is it Lucy Hender-
son?"
"No; O, no!"
" Does she know of it ? Your face told some sort of a
tale when you met her to-night."
" Not to her, surely not to her ! " Joseph exclaimed.
" I hope not," Elwood quietly said : " I love her."
"With a bound Joseph crossed the room and sat down on
the edge of his friend's bed. " Elwood ! " he cried ; " and
you are happy, too ! O, now I can tell you all, it is Julia
Blessing ! "
" Ha ! ha ! " Elwood laughed, a short, bitter laugh,
which seemed to signify anything but happiness. " Forgive
me, Joseph ! " he presently added, " but there's a deal of dif-
ference between a mitten and a ring. You will have one
and I have the other. I did think for a little while that you
stood between Lucy and me ; but I suppose disappointment
makes men fools."
Something in Joseph's breast seemed to stop the warm
G5
' So I see, and perhaps nobody is, except myself. "We
won't talk of this any more ; th'-re's many a roundabout
road that conies out into the straight one at last. But you,
1 can't understand the thing at ail. How did she did
you come to love her ' J . "
" I dou't know ; I hardly guessed it until this evening."
" Then, Joseph, go slowly, and feel your way. I'm not
the one to advise, after what has happened to me ; but maybe
I know a little more of womankind than you. It's best to
have a longer acquaintance than yours has been ; a fellow
can't always tell a sudden fancy from a love that has the grip
of death."
" Xow I might turn your own words against you, Elwood,
for you tried to tell me what love is."
" I did ; and before I knew the half. But come, Joseph :
promise me that you won' t let Miss Blessing know how much
you feel until "
" Elwood," Joseph breathlessly interrupted, " she knows
it now ! "We were together this evening."
Elwood fell back on the pillow with a groan. " I'm a
poor friend to you," he said : " I want to -wish you joy, but
I can't, not to-night. The way things are fixed in this
world stumps me, out and out. Nothing fits as it ought, and
if I didn't take my head in my own hands and hold it towards
the light by main force, I'd only see blackness, and death,
and hell."
Joseph stole back to his bed, and lay there silently. There
was a subtle chill in the heart of his happiness, which all the
remembered glow of that tender scene in the garden could
not thaw.
66 JOSEPH AND HIS FEIEND.
CHAPTER VII.
THE BLESSING FAMILY.
JOSEPH'S secret was not suspected by any of the company.
Elwood's manner towards him next morning was warmer
and kinder than ever ; the chill of the past night had been
forgotten, and the betrothal, which then almost seemed like
a fetter upon his future, now gave him a sense of freedom
and strength. He would have gone to Warriner's at once,
but for the fear lest he should betray himself. Miss Bless-
ing was to return to the city in three days more, and a single
farewell call might be made with propriety ; so he controlled
his impatience and allowed another day to intervene.
When, at last, the hour of meeting came, Anna Warriner
proved herself an efficient ally. Circumstances were against
her, yet she secured the lovers a few minutes in which they
could hold each other's hands, and repeat their mutual de-
light, with an exquisite sense of liberty in doing so. Miss
Blessing suggested that nothing should be said until she had
acquainted her parents with the engagement ; there might
be some natural difficulties to overcome ; it was so unex-
pected, and the idea of losing her would possibly be unwel-
come, at first. She would write in a few days, and then
Joseph must come and make the acquaintance of her family.
" Then," she added, " I shall have no fear. When they
have once seen you all difficulties will vanish. There will
be no trouble with ma and sister Clementina ; but pa is
sometimes a little peculiar, on account of his connections.
There ! don't look so serious, all at once ; it is my duty, you
know, to secure you a loving reception. You must try to
feel already that you have two homes, as I do."
Joseph waited very anxiously for the promised letter, and
in ten days it came ; it was brief, but satisfactory. " Would
you believe it, dear Joseph," she commenced, " pa makes no
difficulty ! he only requires some assurances which you can
very easily furnish. Ma, on the other hand, don't like the
idea of giving me up. I can hardly say it without seeming
to praise myself; but Clementina never took very kindly to
housekeeping and managing, and even if I were only indif-
ferent in those branches, I should be missed. It really went
to my heart when ma met me at the door, and cried out,
' Now I shall have a little rest ! ' You may imagine how
hard it was to tell her. But she is a dear, good mother, and
I know she will be so happy to find a son in you as she
certainly will. Come, soon,- soon ! They are all anxious
to know you."
The city was not so distant as to make a trip thither an
unusual event for the young farmers of the neighborhood.
Joseph had frequently gone there for a day in the interest of
his sales of stock and grain, and he found no difficulty in in-
venting a plausible reason for the journey. The train at
the nearest railway station transported him in two or three
hours to the commencement of the miles of hot, dusty, rat-
tling pavements, and left him free to seek for the brick nest
within which his love was sheltered.
Yet now, so near the point whence his new life was to
commence, a singular unrest took possession of him. He
distinctly felt the presence of two forces, acting against each
other with nearly equal power, but without neutralizing their
disturbing influence. He was developing faster than he
68 JOSEPH AXl) HIS l-KIEM).
guessed, yet, to a nature like liis, the last knowledge that
comes is the knowledge of self. Some occult instinct already
whispered that his life thenceforth would be stronger, more
independent, but also more disturbed ; and this was what he
had believed was wanting. If the consciousness of loving
and being loved were not quite the same in experience as it
had seemed to his ignorant fancy, it was yet a positive hap-
piness, and wedlock would therefore be its unbroken con-
tinuance. Julia had prepared for his introduction into her
family ; he must learn to accept her parents and sister as his
own ; and now the hour and the opportunity were at hand.
What was it, then, that struck upon his breast almost
like a physical pressure, and mysteriously resisted his er-
rand? When he reached the cross- street, in which, many
squares to the northward, the house was to be found, he
halted for some minutes, and then, instead of turning, kept
directly onward toward the river. The sight of the water,
the gliding sails, the lusty life and labor along the piers,
suddenly refreshed him. Men were tramping up and down
the gangways of the clipper-ships ; derricks were slowly
swinging over the sides the bales and boxes which had been
brought up from the holds ; drays were clattering to and fro :
wherever he turned he saw a picture of strength, courage,
reality, solid work. The men that went and came took life
simply as a succession of facts, and if these did not fit smooth-
ly into each other, they either gave themselves no trouble
about the rough edges, or drove them out of sight with a
few sturdy blows. What Lucy Henderson had said about
going to school was recalled to Joseph's mind. Here was a
class where he would be apt to stand at the foot for many
days. Would any of those strapping forms comprehend the
disturbance of his mind ? they would probably advise him
G9
to go to the nearest apothecary-whop and purchase a few
blue-pills. The longer he watclr'd thorn, the more he felt tho
contagion of their unimaginative, faee-to-face grapple with
life : the manly element in him. checked so long, began to
push a vigorous shoot towards the light.
' ; It is only the old cowardice, after all," he thought. " I
am still shrinking from the encounter with new faces! A
lover, soon to be a husband, and still so much of a green
youth ! It will never do. I must learn to handle my duty
as that stevedore handles a barrel, take hold with both
hands, push and trundle and guide, till the weight becomes
a mere plaything. There ! he starts a fresh one, now
for mine ! "
Therewith he turned about, walked sternly back to the
cross-street, and entered it without pausing at the corner.
It was still a long walk ; and the street, with its uniform
brick houses, with white shutters, green interior blinds, and
white marble steps, grew more silent and monotonous.
There was a mixed odor of salt-fish, molasses, and decaying
oranges at every corner ; dark wenches lowered the nozzles
of their jetting hose as he passed, and girls in draggled cali-
co frocks turned to look at him from the entrances of gloomy
tunnels leading into the back yards. A man with some-
thing in a cart uttered from time to time a piercing unintelli-
gible cry ; barefooted youngsters swore over their marbles
on the sidewalk ; and, at rare intervals, a marvellous mov-
ing fabric of silks and colors and glosses floated past him.
But he paused for none of these. His heart beat faster, and
the strange resistance seemed to increase with the increas-
ing numbers of houses, now rapidly approaching The One
then it came !
There was an entire block of narrow three-storied dwell-
70 JOKEPJl AXD JUS FUIEXD.
ings, with crowded windows and flat roofs. If Joseph had
been familiar with the city, lie would have recognized the
air of cheap gentility which exhaled from them, and which
said, as plainly as if the words had been painted on their
fronts, " Here we keep up appearances on a very small capi-
tal." He noticed nothing, however, except the marble steps
and the front doors, all of which were alike to him until he
came upon a brass plate inscribed " B. Blessing." As he
looked up a mass of dark curls vanished with a start from
the window. The door suddenly opened before he could
touch the bell-pull, and two hands upon his own drew him
into the diminutive hall.
The door instantly closed again, but softly : then two arms
were flung around his neck, and his willing lips received a sub-
dued kiss. " Hush ! " she said ; " it is delightful that you have
arrived, though we didn't expect you so immediately. Come
into the drawing-room, and let us have a minute together
before I call ma. "
She tripped lightly before him, and they were presently
seated side by side, on the sofa.
" What could have brought me to the window just at that mo-
ment ? " she whispered ; " it must have been presentiment."
Joseph's face brightened with pleasure. " And I was long
on the way," he answered. " What will you think of me,
Julia ? I was a little afraid."
" I know you were, Joseph," she said. " It is only the
cold, insensible hearts that are never agitated."
Their eyes met, and he remarked, for the first time, their
peculiar pale-brown, almost tawny clearness. The next in-
stant her long lashes slowly fell and half concealed them; she
drew away slightly from him, and said : " I should like to be
beautiful, for your sake ; I never cared about it before."
"\Vitlicmt giving him time to reply, she rose and moved
towards the door, then looked back, smiled, and disap-
peared.
Joseph, left alone, also rose and walked softly up and
down the room. To his eyes it seemed an elegant, if rather
chilly apartment. It was long and narrow with a small,
delusive fireplace of white marble (intended only for hot air)
in the middle, a carpet of many glaring colors on the floor,
and a paper brilliant with lilac-bunches on the walls. There
was a centre-table, with some lukewarm literature cooling
itself 011 the marble top ; an ettigcre, with a few nondescript
cups and flagons, and a cottage piano, on which lay several
sheets of music by Verdi and Balfe. The furniture, not very
abundant, was swathed in a nankeen summer dress. There
were two pictures on the walls, portraits of a gentleman and
lady, and when once Joseph had caught the fixed stare of
their lustreless eyes, he found it difficult to turn away. The
imperfect light which came through the bowed window-
shutters revealed a florid, puffy-faced young man, whose
head was held up by a high black satin stock. He was
leaning against a fluted pillar, apparently constructed of
putty, behind which fell a superb crimson curtain, lifted up
at one corner to disclose a patch of stormy sky. The long
locks, tucked in at the temples, the carefully-delineated
whiskers, and the huge signet-i-ing on the second finger of
the one exposed hand, indicated that a certain " position " in
society was either possessed or claimed of right by the
painted person. Joseph could hardly doubt that this was a
representation of " B. Blessing," as he appeared twenty or
thirty years before.
He turned to the other picture. The lady was slender,
and meant to be graceful, her head being inclined so that the
72 .TO?::PH AXD nis FRTKXP.
curls on the left side rolled in studied disorder upon lier
shoulder. Her face was thin and long, wilh well-marked and
not unpleasant features. There was rather too positive a
bloom upon her cheeks, and the fixed smile on the narrow
mouth scarcely harmonized Avith the hard, serious stare of
the eyes. She was royally attired in purple, and her bare
white arm much more plumply rounded than her face
would have given reason to suspect hung with a listless
grace over the end of a sofa.
Joseph looked from one face to the other with a curious
interest, which the painted eyes seemed also to reflect, as
they followed him. They were strangers, out of a different
sphere of life, yet they must become, nay, were already, a
part of his own ! The lady scrutinized him closely, in spite
of her smile ; but the indifference of the gentleman, blandly
satisfied with himself, seemed less assuring to his prospects.
Footsteps in the hall interrupted his revery, and he had
barely time to slip into his seat when the door opened and
Julia entered, followed by the original of one of the por-
traits. He recognized her, although the curls had dis-
appeared, the dark hair was sprinkled with gray, and deep
lines about the mouth and eyes gave them an expression of
care and discontent. In one respect she differed from her
daughter : her eyes were gray.
She bent her head with a stately air as Joseph rose,
walked past Julia, and extended her hand, with the words,
" Mr. Asten, I am glad to see you. Pray be seated."
When all had taken seats, she resumed : " Excuse me if I
begin by asking a question. You must consider that I have only
known you through Julia, and her description could not, un
der the circumstances, be very clear. What is your age ? "
" I shall be twenty-three next birthday," Joseph replied.
" Indeed ! 1 am happy to hear it. You do not look
more than nineteen. I have reason to dread v <!">/ youthful
attachments, and am therefore reassured to know that you
are fullv a man and compi'tent to test your feelings. I trust
that you have so tested them. Again I say, excuse me if the
question seems to imply a want of confidence. A mother's
anxiety, you know "
Julia clasped her hands and Lent down her head.
" I am quite sure of myself," Joseph said, " and would
try to make you as sure, if I knew how to do it."
" If you were one of us, of the city, I mean, I should
be able to judge more promptly. It is many yeai'S since I
have been outside of our own select circle, and I am there-
fore not so competent as once to judge of men in general.
While I will never, without the most sufficient reason, in-
fluence my daughters in their choice, it is my duty to tell
you that Julia is exceedingly susceptible on the side of her
affections. A wound there would be incurable to her. "VVe
are alike in that ; I know her nature through my own."
Julia hid her face upon her mother's shoulder : Joseph
was moved, and vainly racked his brain for some form of as-
surance which might remove the maternal anxiety.
" There," said Mrs. Blessing ; " we will say no more
about it now. Go and bring your sister ! "
" There are some other points, Mr. Asten," she continued,
" which have no doubt already occurred to your mind. Mr.
Blessing will consult with you in relation to them. I make
it a rule never to trespass upon his field of duty. As you
were not positively expected to-day, he went to the Custom-
House as usual ; but it will soon be time for him to return.
Official labors, you understand, cannot be postponed. If you
have ever served in a government capacity, you will appre-
i-i JOSEI'ir AXD III3 FRIKXD.
cuitc his j)osition. I have sometimes wished that we had not
become identified with political life; but, on the other 1 hand,
there are compensations."
Joseph, impressed more by Mrs. Blessing's important man-
ner than the words she uttered, could only say, "I beg that
my visit may not interfere in any way with Mr. Blessing's
duties."
" Unfortunately," she replied, " they cannot be postponed^
His advice is more required by the Collector than his spe-
cial official services. But, as I said, he will confer with you
in regard to the future of our little girl. I call her so, Mr.
Asten, because she is the youngest, and I can hardly yet
realize that she is old enough to leave me. Yes : the young-
est, and the first to go. Had it been Clementina, I should
have been better prepared for the change. But a mother
should always be ready to sacrifice herself, where the happi-
ness of a child is at stake."
Mrs. Blessing gently pressed a small handkerchief to the
corner of each eye, then heaved a sigh, and resumed her
tisual calm dignity of manner. The door opened, and Julia
re-entered, followed by her sister.
" This is Miss Blessing," said the mother.
The young lady bowed very formally, and therewith
would have finished her greeting, but Joseph had already
risen and extended his hand. She thereupon gave him the
tips of four limp fingers, which he attempted to grasp and
then let go.
Clementina was nearly a head taller than her sister, and
amply proportioned. She had a small, petulant mouth,
small gray eyes, a low, narrow forehead, and light brown
hair. Her eyelids and cheeks had the same puffy character
a? her father's, in his portrait on the wall ; yet there was a
75
bloom and brilliancy about her complexion which suggested
beauty. A faint expression of curiosity passed over her
face, on meeting Joseph, but she uttered no word of wel-
come. ITe looked at Julia, whose manner was suddenly
subdued, and was quick enough to perceive a rivalry between
the sisters. The stolidity of Clementina's countenance in-
dicated that indifference which is more offensive than enmity.
He disliked her from the first moment.
Julia kept modestly silent, and the conversation, in spite
of her mother's capacity to carry it on, did not flourish.
Clementina spoke only in monosyllables, which she let fall
from time to time with a silver sweetness which startled
Joseph, it seemed so at variance with her face and manner.
He felt very much relieved when, after more than one
significant glance had been exchanged with her mother, the
two arose and left the room. At the door Mrs. Blessing
said : " Of course you will stay and take a family tea with
us, Mr. Asten. I will order it to be earlier served, as you
are probably not accustomed to our city hours."
Julia looked up brightly after the door had closed, and ex-
claimed : " Now ! when ma says that, you may be satisfied.
Her housekeeping is like the laws of the Medes and Persians.
She probably seemed rather formal to you, and it is true that
a certain amount of form has become natural to her ; but it
always gives way when she is strongly moved. Pa is to come
yet, but I am sure you will get on very well with him ;
men always grow acquainted in a little while. I'm afraid
that Clementina did not impress you very very genially ;
she is, I may confess it to you, a little peculiar."
" She is very quiet," said Joseph, " and very unlike you."
" Every one notices that. And we seem to be unlike in
character, as much so as if there were no relationship be-
<O JOSEPH AXD HIS FKIEND.
tween us. But I must say for Clementina, that she is above
personal likings and dislikings ; she looks at people abstractly.
You are only a future brother-in-law to her, and I don't be-
lieve she can tell whether your hair is black or the beautiful
golden brown that it is."
Joseph smiled, not ill-pleased with Jxilia's delicate flattery.
" I am all the more delighted," he said, " that you are different.
1 should not like you, Julia, to consider me an abstraction."
"You are very real, Joseph, and very individual," she
answered, with one of her loveliest smiles.
N"ot ten minutes afterwards, Julia, whose eyes and ears
were keenly on the alert, notwithstanding her gay, unre-
strained talk, heard the click of a latch-key. She sprang
up, laid her forefinger on her lips, gave Joseph a swift,
significant glance, and darted into the hall. A sound of
whispering followed, and there was no mistaking the deep,
hoarse murmur of one of the voices.
Mr. Blessing, without the fluted pillar and the crimson
curtain, was less formidable than Joseph had anticipated.
The years had added to his body and taken away from, his
hair ; yet his face, since high stocks were no longer in fashion,
had lost its rigid lift, and expressed the chronic cordiality of
a popular politician. There was a redness about the rims of
his eyes, and a fulness of the under lid, which also denoted
political habits. However, despite wrinkles, redness, and a
general roughening and coarsening of the features, the re-
semblance to the portrait was still strong ; and Joseph, feel-
ing as if the presentation had already been made, offered his
hand as soon as Mr. Blessing entered the room.
" Very happy to see you, Mr. Asten," said the latter.
" An unexpected pleasure, sir."
He removed the glove from his left hand, pulled down his
JOSEPH .VXD Ills FKIKXI). 77
coat and vest, felt tlie tie of his cravat, twitched at his pan-
taloons, ran his lingers through liis straggling gray locks, and
then threw himself into a chair, exclaiming: "After busi-
ness, pleasure, sir ! My duties are over for the day. Mrs.
Blessing probably infonned you of n;y official capacity; but
you can have no conception of the vigilance required to
prevent evasion of the revenue laws. AVe are the country's
watch-dogs, sir."
" I can understand," Joseph said, " that an official position
carries with it much responsibility."
" Quite right, sir, and without adequate remuneration.
Figuratively speaking, we handle millions, and we are paid
by dimes. Were it not for the consciousness of serving
and saving for the nation but I will not pursue the subject.
When we have become better acquainted, you can judge for
yourself whether preferment always follows capacity. Our
present business is to establish a mutual understanding,
as we say in politics, to prepare a platform, and I think
you will agree with me that the circumstances of the case
require frank dealing, as between man and man."
" Certainly ! " Joseph answered ; " I only ask that, al-
though I am a stranger to you, you will accept my word un-
til you have the means of verifying it."
" I may safely do that with you, sir. My associations
duties, I may say compel me to know many persons with
whom it would not be safe. We will forget the disparity
of age and experience between us. T can hardly ask you to
imagine yourself placed in my situation, but perhaps we can
make the case quite as clear if I state to you, without re-
serve, what I should be ready to do, if our present positions
were reversed : Julia, will you look after the tea ? "
" Yes, pa," said she, and slipped out of the drawing-room.
78 JOSEPH AXD HIS FKIKXP.
"If I wore a young man from the country, and had we.,.
the affections of a young lady of well, I may say it to you
of ail old family, whose parents were ignorant of my de-
scent, means, and future prospects in life, I should consider
it my first duty to enlighten those parents upon all these
points. I should reflect that the lady must be removed from
their sphere to mine ; that, while the attachment was, in
itself, vitally important to her and to me, those parents
would naturally desire to compare the two spheres, and as-
sure themselves that their daughter would lose no material
advantages by the transfer. You catch my meaning ? "
" I carne here," said Joseph, " with the single intention of
satisfying you at least, I came hoping that I shall be able
to do so in regard to myself. It will be easy for you to
test my statements."
" Very well. We will begin, then, witli the subject of
Family. Understand me, I mention this solely because, in
our old communities, Family is the stamp of Character. An
established name represents personal qualities, virtues. It
is indifferent to me whether my original ancestor was a De
Belsain (though beauty and health have always been family
characteristics) ; but it is important that he transmitted cer-
tain traits which. which others, perhaps, can better describe.
The name of Asteii is not usual ; it has, in fact, rather a distin-
guished sound ; but I am not acquainted with, its derivation."
Joseph, restrained a temptation to smile, and replied :
" My great-grandfather came from England more than a
hundred years ago : that is all I positively know. I have
heard it said that the family was originally Danish."
" You must look into the matter, sir : a good pedigree is
a bond for good behavior. The Danes, I have been told,
were of the same blood as the Normans. But we will let
79
that puss. Julia informs me you are the owner of a hand-
some farm, yet .1 am so ignorant of values in the country,
niid mv official duties oblige me to measure property bv such
a different standard, that, reallv, unless YOU could make
the farm evident to me in figures, I
He paused, but Joseph was quite ready with the desired
intelligence. " I have two hundred acres," he said, " and a
moderate valuation of the place would be a hundred and
thirty dollars an acre. There is a mortgage of live thousand
dollars on the place, the term of which has not yet expired;
but I have nearly an equal amount invested, so that the farm
fairly represents what I own."
" H'm," mused Mr. Blessing, thrusting his tlmmbs into
the arm-holes of his waistcoat, " that is not a great deal here
in the city, but I dare say it is a handsome competence in
the country. It doubtless represents a certain annual in-
come ! "
" It is a very comfortable home, in the first place," said
Joseph ; " the farm ought to yield, after supplying nearly all
the wants of a family, an annual return of a thousand to fif-
teen hundred dollars, according to the season."
" Twenty-six thousand dollars ! and five per cent ! " Mr.
Blessing exclaimed. " If you had the farm in money, and
knew how to operate with it, you might pocket ten fifteen
twenty per cent. Many a man, with less than that to set
him afloat, has become a millionnaire in five years' time.
But it takes pluck and experience, sir ! "
" More of both than I can lay claim to," Joseph remarked ;
" but what there is of my income is certain. If Julia were
not so fond of the country, and already so familiar with our
ways, I might hesitate to offer her such a plain, quiet home,
but"
SO JOSEPH A^D II IS
"O, I know!" Mr. Blessing interrupted. " W have
heard of nothing but cows and spring-houses and willow-
trees since she came back. I hope, for your sake, it may last ;
for I see that you arc determined to suit each other. I have
no inclination to act the obdurate parent. You have met
me like a man, sir : here's my hand ; I feel sure that, as my
son-in-law, you will keep up the reputation of the family ! "
JOSKl'H AM) HIS 1'KIKXD. 81
CHAPTER VIII.
A COXSULTATIOX.
THE family tea was served in a small dining-room hi the
rear. Mr. Blessing, who had become more and more cordial
with Joseph after formally accepting him, led the way thither,
and managed to convey a rapid signal to his wife before the
family took their seats at the table. Joseph was the only
one who did not perceive the silent communication of in-
telligence ; but its consequences were such as to make him
speedily feel at ease in the Blessing mansion. Even Clemen-
tina relented sufficiently to say, in her most silvery tones,
" May I offer you the butter, Mr. Asten ? "
The table, it is true, was very unlike the substantial sup-
pers of the country. There was a variety of diminutive
dishes, containing slices so delicate that they mocked rather
than excited the appetite; yet Julia (of course it was she !)
had managed to give the repast an air of elegance which was
at least agreeable to a kindred sense. Joseph took the little
cup, the thin tea, the five drops of milk, and the fragment
of sugar, without asking himself whether the beverage were
palatable : he divided a leaf-like piece of flesh and consumed
several wafers of bread, blissfully unconscious whether his
stomach were satisfied. He felt that he had been received
into The Family. Mr. Blessing was magnificently bland,
Mrs. Blessing was maternally interested, Clementina recog-
nized his existence, and Julia, he needed but one look at
her sparkling eyes, her softly flushed cheeks, her bewitching
excitement of manner, to guess the relief of her heart. He
4*
82 JOSEPH AND lite 1-TJKXD.
forgot the vague distress which Lad preceded Lis coming, and
the embarrassment of his first reception, in the knowledge
that Julia was so happy, and through the acquiescence of
her parents, in his love.
It was settled that he should pass the night there. Mrs.
Blessing would take no denial ; he must now consider their
house as his home. She would also call him " Joseph," but
not now, not until she was entitled to name him " son."
It had come suddenly upon her, but it Avas her duty to be
glad, and in a little while she would become accustomed to
the change.
All this was so simply and cordially said, that Joseph cpaite
warmed to the stately woman, and unconsciously decided to
accept his fortune, whatever features it might wear. Until
the one important event, at least ; after that it would be in
his own hands and Julia's.
After tea, two or three hours passed away rather slowly.
Mr. Blessing sat in the pit of a back yard and smoked until
dusk ; then the family collected in the " drawing-room," and
there was a little music, and a variety of gossip, with occa-
sional pauses of silence, until Mi's. Blessing said : " Perhaps
you had better show Mr. Asten to his room, Mr. Blessing.
We may have already passed over his accustomed hour for
retiring. If so, I know he will excuse us ; we shall soon
become familiar with each other's habits."
When Mr. Blessing returned, he first opened the rear
window, drew an arm-chair near it, took off his coat, seated
himself, and lit another cigar. His wife closed the front
shutters, slipped the night-bolts of the door, and then seated
herself beside him. Julia whirled around on her music-stool
to face the coming consultation, and Clementina gracefully
posed herself in the nearest corner of the sofa.
S3
" How do you like lain, Eliza V "' M i x . Blessing asked, after
several silent, lux.uiious v.luli's.
"lie is handsome, and seems amiable, but younger tlian I
expected. Are you sure of his- hi-, feelings, Julia?"
'' O nui ! *' Julia exclaimed; "what a question! I can
only judge them by my own."
Clementina curled her lip in a singular fashion, but said
nothing.
" It seems like losing Julia entirely," Mrs. Blessing re-
sumed. " I don't know how she will be able to retain her
place in our circle, unless they spend a part of the winter in
the city, and whether he has means enough "
She paused, and looked inquisitively at her husband.
" You always look at the establishment," said he, " and
never consider the chances. Marriage is a deal, a throw, a
sort of kite-flying, in fact (except in our case, my clear), and,
after all I've learned of our future son-in-law, I must say
that Julia hasn't a bad hand."
" I knew you'd like him, pa ! " cried the delighted Julia.
Mr. Blessing looked at her steadily a moment, and then
winked ; but she took no notice of it.
" There is another thing," said his wife. " If the wedding
conies off this fall, we have but two months to prepare ; and
how will you manage about the the money ? "We can save
afterwards, to be sure, but there will be an immediate and
fearful expense. I've thought, perhaps, that a simple and
private ceremony, married in travelling-dress, you. know,
just before the train leaves, and no cards, it is sometimes
done in the highest circles."
" It won't do ! " exclaimed Mr. Blessing, waving his right
hand. " Julia's husband must have an opportunity of learn-
ing our standing in society. I will invite the Collector, and
8-4 JOSEPH AND HIS FIIIKNI).
the Surveyor, and the Appraiser. The money must be raised.
I should be willing to pawn
He looked around the room, inspecting the well-worn
carpet, the nankeen-covered chairs, the old piano, and finally
the two pictures.
" Your portrait, my dear ; but, unless it were a Stuart,
I couldn't get ten dollars on it. We must take your set of
diamonds, and Julia's rubies, and Clementina's pearls."
He leaned back, and laughed with great glee. The ladies
became rigid and grave.
" It is wicked, Benjamin," Mrs. Blessing severely remark-
ed, " to jest over our troubles at such a time as this. I see
nothing else to do, but to inform Mr. Asten, frankly, of our
condition. He is yet too young, I think, to be repelled by
poverty."
" Ma, it would break my heart," said Julia. " I could
not bear to be humiliated in his eyes."
" Decidedly the best thing to do," warbled Clementina,
speaking for the first time.
" That's the way with women, flying from one extreme
to the other. If you can't have white, you turn around and
say there's no other color than black. When all devices are
exhausted, a man of pluck and character goes to work and
constructs a new one. Upon my soul, I don't know where
the money is to come from ; but give me ten days, and Julia
shall have her white satin. Now, girls, you had better go
to bed."
Mr. Blessing smoked silently until the sound of his
daughters' footsteps had ceased on the stairs ; then, bringing
down his hand emphatically upon his thigh, he exclaimed,
" By Jove, Eliza, if I were as sharp as that girl, I'd have
had the Collectorship before this ! "
85
" What do you mean? She seems to be strongly attached
to him."
' < ), no doubt ! But she has a wonderful talent for read-
ing character. The young fellow is pretty green wood still;
what he'll season into depends on her. Honest as the dav,
- there's nothing like a country life for that. But it's a
pity that such a fund for operations should lie idle; he has
a nest-egg that might hutch out millions ! "
" I hope, Benjamin, that after all your unfortunate experi-
ence
"Pray don't lament in advance, and especially now, when
a bit of luck comes to us. Julia has done well, and I'll
trust her to improve her opportunities. Besides, this will
help Clementina's chances ; where there is one marriage in a
family, there is generally another. Poor girl ! she has
waited a long while. At thirty-three, the market gets v-e-r-y
flat."
"And yet Julia is thirty," said Mrs. Blessing; "and
Clementina's complexion and manners have been considered
superior."
" There's just her mistake. A better copy of Mrs. Hali-
but's airs and attitudes was never produced, and it was all
very well so long as Mrs. Halibut gave the tone to society ;
but since she went to Europe, and Mrs. Bass has somehow
crept into her place, Clementina is qtu'te I may say obso-
lete. I don't object to her complexion, because that is a
standing fashion, but she is expected to be chatty, and witty,
and instead of that she stands about like a Venus of Milo.
She looks like me, and she can't lack intelligence and tact.
Why couldn't she unbend a little more to Asten, whether
she likes him or not ? "
" You know I never seemed to manage Clementina," his
8C> JOSKl'II AND HIS FKIEXD.
wife replied ; " if she were to dispute my opinion sometimes,
I might, perhaps, gain a little influence over her : but she
won't enter into a discussion."
" Mrs. Halibut's way. It was new, then, and, with her
husband's money to back it, her ' grace ' and ' composure ' and
' serenity ' carried all before her. Give me fifty thousand a
year, and I'll put Clementina in the same place ! But,
come, to the main question. 1 suppose we shall need five
hundred dollars ! "
" Three hundred, I think, will be ample," said Mrs.
Blessing.
"Three or five, it's as hard to raise one sum as the other.
I'll try for five, raid if I have luck with the two hundred
over small, careful operations, you know, which always
succeed I may have the whole amount on hand, long before
it's due."
Mrs. Blessing smiled in a melancholy, hopeless way, and
the consultation came to an end.
When Joseph was left alone in his chamber, he felt no
inclination to sleep. He sat at the open window, and looked
down into the dim, melancholy street, the solitude of which
was broken about once every quarter of an hour by a forlorn
pedestrian, who approached through gloom and lamplight, was
foreshortened to his hat, and then lengthened away on the
other side. The new acquaintances he had just made
remained all the more vividly in his thoughts from their
nearness ; he was still within their atmosphere. They were
unlike any persons he knew, and therefore he felt that he
might do them injustice by a hasty estimate of their charac-
ter. Clementina, however, was excluded from this charitable
resolution. Concentrating his dislike on her, he found that
her parents had received him with as much consideration as
a total stranger could expect. More-over, whatever they
might lie, Julia was the same here, in her own home, as
when slie was a guest in the country. As playful, as win-
ning, and as natural ; and he began to suspect that her
present life was not congenial to such a nature. If so, her
happiness was all the more assured by their union.
This thought led him into a pictured labyrinth of antici-
pation, in which his mind wandered with delight. He was
so absorbed in planning the new household, that he did not
hear the sisters entering the rear room 011 the same floor,
which was only separated by a thin partition from his
own.
" White satin ! " he suddenly heard Clementina say : " of
course I shall have the same. It will become me better
than you."
" I should think you might be satisfied with a light silk,"
Julia said ; " the expenses will be very heavy."
" We'll see," Clementina answered shortly, pacing up and
down the room.
After a long pause, he heard Julia's voice again. " Never
mind," she said, " I shall soon be out of your way."
" I wonder how much he knows about you ! " Clemen-
tina exclaimed. " Your arts were new there, and you
played an easy game." Here she lowered her voice, and
Joseph only distingtiished a detached word now and then.
He rose, indignant at this unsisterly assault, and wishing to
hear no more ; but it seemed that the movement was not
noticed, for Julia replied, in smothered, excited tones, with
some remark about " complexion."
" Well, there is one thing," Clementina continued, " one
thing you will keep very secret, and that is your birthday.
Are yo\i going to tell him that vou are "
88 JO^KPH AMD II fS FIIIKXD.
Joseph had sei/ed tlio back of a chair., and with a sudden
impulse tilted it and let it fall on the, floor. Then he
walked to the window, closed it, and prepared to go to rest,
all with more noi.se than was habitual with him. There
were whispers and hushed movements in the next room, but
not another audible word was spoken. Before sleeping he
came to the conclusion that he was more than Julia's lover:
he was her deliverer. The idea was not unwelcome : it gave
a new value and significance to his life.
However curious Julia might have been to discover how
much he had overheard, she made no effort to ascertain the
fact. She met him next morning with a sweet unconscious-
ness of what she had endured, which convinced him that
such painful scenes must have been frequent, or she could
not have forgotten so easily. His greeting to Clementina
was brief and cold, but she did not seem to notice it in the
least.
It was decided, before he left, that the wedding should
take place in October.
JOSEPH AND HIS FiJIE^D. 89
CIIAriER IX.
JOSEPH AND II1S FKIEND.
THE train moved slowly along through the straggling and
shabby suburbs, increasing its speed as the city melted grad-
ually into the country ; and Joseph, after a vain attempt
to fix his mind upon one of the volumes he had procured for
his slender library at home, leaned back in his seat and took
note of his fellow-travellers. Since he began to approach
the usual destiny of men, they had a new interest for him.
Hitherto he had looked upon strange faces very much as on
a strange language, without a thought of interpreting them
but now their hieroglyphics seemed to suggest a meaning
The figures around him were so many sitting, silent histories,
so many locked-up records of struggle, loss, gain, and all thg
other forces which give shape and color to human life. Most
of them were strangers to each other, and as reticent (in
their railway conventionality) as himself ; yet, he reflected,
the whole range of passion, pleasure, and suffering was prob-
ably illustrated in that collection of existences. His own
troublesome individuality grew fainter, so much of it seemed
to be merged in the common experience of men.
There was the portly gentleman of fifty, still ruddy and
full of unwasted force. The keenness and coolness of his
eyes, the few firmly marked lines on his face, and the color
and hardness of his lips, proclaimed to everybody : " I am
bold, shrewd, successful in business, scrupulous in the per-
formance of my religious duties (on the Sabbath), voting
00 .TOFK1MI AND JUS FKIIJXT).
with my party, and not likely to Le fooled by any kind of
sentimental nonsense." The thin, not very well-dressed man
beside him, "with the irregular features and uncertain ex-
pression, announced as clearly, to any who could read : " I
am weak, like others, but I never consciously did any harm.
1 just manage to get along in the world, but if I only had a
chance, I might make something better of myself." The
fresh, healthy fellow, in whose lap a child was sleeping,
while his wife nursed a younger one, the man with ample
mouth, large nostrils, and the hands of a mechanic, also
told his story : " On the whole, I find life a comfortable
thing. I don't know much about it, but I take it as it comes,
and never worry over what I can't understand."
The faces of the younger men, however, were not so easy
to decipher. On them life was only beginning its plastic
task, and it required an older eye to detect the delicate
touches of awakening passions and hopes. But Joseph con-
soled himself with the thought that his own secret w*as as
little to be discovered as any they might have. If they were
still ignorant of the sweet experience of love, he was already
their superior ; if they were sharers in it, though strangers,
they were near to him. Had he not left the foot, of the
class, after all ?
All at once his eye was attracted by a new face, three or
four seats from his own. The stranger had shifted his po-
sition, so that he was no longer seen in profile. He was
apparently a few years older than Joseph, but still bright
with all the charm of early manhood. His fair complexion
was bronzed from exposure, and his hands, graceful without
being effeminate, were not those of the idle gentleman. His
hair, golden in tint, thrust its short locks as it pleased about
a smooth, frank forehead ; the eyes were dark gray, and the
91
mourli. partly hidden by a mustache, at once firm and full.
I IV was moderately handsome, yet it was not of that which
Joseph thought ; he felt that there was more of developed
character and a richer past history expressed in those fea-
tures than in any other face there. lie felt sure and
smiled at himself, notwithstanding, for the impression
that at least some of his own doubts and difficulties had
found their solution in the stranger's nature. The more he
studied the face, the more he was conscious of its attraction,
and his instinct of reliance, though utterly without grounds,
justified itself to his mind in some mysterious way.
It was not long before the unknown felt his gaze, and,
turning slowly in his seat, answered it. Joseph dropped his
eyes in some confusion, but not until he had caught the full,
warm, intense expression of those that met them. He fan-
cied that lie read in them, in that momentary flash, what he
had never before found in the eyes of strangers, a simple,
human interest, above curiosity and above mistrust. The
usual reply to such a gaze is an unconscious defiance : the
unknown nature is on its guard : but the look which seems
to answer, " We are men, let us know each other ! " is, alas !
too rare in this world.
While Joseph was fighting the irresistible temptation to
look again, there was a sudden thud of the car- wheels. Many
of the passengers started from their seats, only to be thrown
into them again by a quick succession of violent jolts. Jo-
seph saw the stranger springing towards the bell-rope ; then
he and all others seemed to be whirling over each other ;
there was a crash, a horrible grinding and splintering sound,
and the end of all was a shock, in which his consciousness
left him before he could guess its violence.
After a while, out of some blank, haunted by a single
03 JOSEPH AND HIS F.KIEND.
lost, wandering sense of existence, he began to awaken
slowly to life. Flames were still dancing in his eyeballs,
and waters and whirlwinds roaring in his ears; but it was
only a passive sensation, without the will to know more.
Then lie felt himself partly lifted and his head supported,
and presently a soft warmth fell upon the region of his
heart. There were noises all about him, but he did not
listen to them ; his effort to regain his consciousness fixed
itself on that point alone, and grew stronger as the warmth
calmed the confusion of his nerves.
" Dip this in water ! " said a voice, and the hand (as he
now knew it to be) was removed from his heart.
Something cold came over his forehead, and at the same
time warm drops fell upon his cheek.
" Look out for yourself : your head is cut ! " exclaimed,
another voice.
" Only a scratch. Take the handkerchief out of my pocket
and tie it up ; but first ask yon gentleman for his flask ! "
Joseph opened his eyes, knew the face that bent over his,
and then closed them again. Gentle and strong hands raised
him, a flask was set to his lips, and he drank mechanically,
but a full sense of life followed the draught. He looked
wistfully in the stranger's face.
" Wait a moment," said the latter ; " I must feel your
bones before you try to move. Arms and legs all right,
impossible to tell about the ribs. There ! now put your
arm around my neck, and lean on me as much as you like,
while I lift you."
Joseph did as he was bidden, but he was still weak and
giddy, and after a few steps, they both sat down together
upon a bank. The splintered car lay near them upside
down ; the passengers had been extricated from it, and were
jcMCm A.ND III* FKTKXD. 93
now busy in aiding the few who were injured. The train
had stopped and was waiting on the track above. Some
were very pale and grave, feeling that Death had touched
without taking them; but the greater part were concerned
onlv about the delay to the train.
" How did it happen ? " asked Joseph : u where was I ?
how did you find me ? "
' The usual story, a broken rail," said the stranger. " I
had just caught the rope when the car went over, and was
swung off my feet so luckily that I somehow escaped the
hardest shock. I don't think I lost my senses for a moment.
When, we came to the bottom you were lying just before me ;
I thought you dead until I felt your heart. It is a severe
shock, but I hope nothing more."
" But you, are you not badly hurt ?"
The stranger pushed up the handkerchief which, was tied
around his head, felt his temple, and said : " It must have
been one of the splinters; I know nothing about it. But
there is no harm in a little blood-letting except " he added,
smiling " except the spots on your face."
By this time the other injured passengers had been con-
veyed to the train ; the whistle sounded a warning of de-
parture.
" I think we can get up the embankment now," said the
stranger. " You must let me take care of you still : I am
travelling alone."
"When they were seated side by side, and Joseph leaned
his head back on the supporting arm, while the train moved
away with them, he felt that a new power, a new support,
had come to his life. The face upon which he looked was
no longer strange ; the hand which had rested on his heart
was warm with kindred blood. Involuntarily he extended
01 JOSEPH AND HIS FRTEXT).
liis own; it was taken and held, and the dark-gray, courage
ous eyes turned to him with a silent assurance which he felt
needed no words.
" It is a rough introduction," he then said : " my name is
Philip Held. I was on my way to Oakland Station ; but if
yon are going farther
" Why, that is my station also ! " Joseph exclaimed, giv-
ing his name in return.
" Then we should have probably met, sooner or later, in any
case. I am bound for "the forge and furnace at Coventry,
which is for sale. If the company who employ me decide to
buy it, according to the report I shall make, the works
will be placed in my charge."
" It is but six miles from my farm," said Joseph, " and
the road up the valley is the most beautiful in our neighbor-
hood. I hope you can make a favorable report."
" It is only too much to my own interest to do so. I have
been mining and geologizing in Nevada and the Rocky
Mountains for three or four years, and long for a quiet, or-
dered life. It is a good omen that I have found a neighbor
in advance of my settlement. I have often ridden fifty
miles to meet a friend who cared for something else than
horse-racing or monte; and your six miles, it is but a step ! "
" How much you have seen ! " said Joseph. " I know
very little of the world. It must be easy for you to take
your own place in life.
A shade passed over Philip Held's face. " It is only easy
to a certain class of men," he replied, " a class to which I
should not care to belong. I begin to think that nothing is
very valuable, the right to which a man don't earn, ex-
cept human love, and that seems to come by the grace of
God."
JOPKPII AXD ITIS FKIKXR 95
" I am younger llin.ii yon are, not yet twenty-throe,"
Jose])li remarked. "You will find that 1 am very ignorant."
" And I am twenty-eight, and just beginning to get my
eyes open, like a nine-days' kitten. .If I had been frank
enough to confess my ignorance, five years ar:;o, as you do
now. it would have been better for me. But don't let us
measure ourselves or our experience against each other.
That is one good thing we learn in Rocky Mountain
life ; there is no high or low, knowledge or ignorance, except
what applies to the needs of men who come together. So
there are needs which most men have, and go all their lives
hungering for, because they expect them to be supplied in a
particular form. There is something," Philip concluded,
" deeper than that in human nature."
Joseph longed to open his heart to this man, every one of
whose words struck home to something in himself. But the
lassitude which the shock left behind gradually overcame
him. He suffered his head to be drawn upon Philip Held's
shoulder, and slept until the train reached Oakland Station.
When the two got upon the platform, they found Dennis
waiting for Joseph, with, a light country vehicle. The news
of the accident had reached the station, and his dismay was
great when he saw the two bloody faces. A physician had
already been summoned from the neighboring village, but
they had little need of his services. A prescription of quiet
and sedatives for Joseph, and a strip of plaster for his com-
panion, were speedily furnished, and they set out together
for the Asten place.
It is unnecessary to describe Rachel Miller's agitation
when the party arrived ; or the parting of the two men who
had been so swiftly brought near to each other ; or Philip
Held's farther journey to the forge that evening. He re-
90 jor-F.rir AND HIS FPJEXD.
sistod all entreaty to remain at, the farm until morning, on
the ground of an appointment made with the present pro-
prietor of the forge. After his departure Joseph was sent
to bed, where he remained for a day or two, very sore and
a little feverish. Tie had plenty of time for thought, not
precisely of the kind which his aunt suspected, for out of
pure, honest interest in his welfare, she took a step which
proved to be of doubtful benefit. If he had not been so in-
nocent, if he had not been quite as unconscious of his in-
ner nature as he was over-conscious of his external self,
lie would have perceived that his thoughts dwelt much more
on Philip Held than on Julia Blessing. His mind seemed
to run through a swift, involuntary chain of reasoning, to
account to himself for his feeling towards her, and her in-
evitable share in his future ; but towards Philip his heart
sprang with an instinct beyond his control. It was impos-
sible to imagine that the latter also would not be shot, like
a bright thread, through the web of his coming days.
On the third morning, when he had exchanged the bed for
an arm-chair, a letter from the city was brought to him.
" Dearest Joseph," it ran, " what a fright and anxiety we
have had ! When pa brought the paper home, last night,
and I read the report of the accident, where it said, ' J~.
Asten, severe contusions,' my heart stopped beating for a
minute, and I can only write now (as you see) with a
trembling hand. My first thought was to go directly to
you ; but ma said we had better wait for intelligence. Un-
less our engagement were generally known, it would give
rise to remarks, in short, I need not repeat to you all the
worldly reasons with which she opposed rue ; but, oh, how I
longed for the right to be at your side, and assure myself
that the dreadful, dreadful danger has passed ! Pa was
JOSKIMI AM) HI? FUIK.M). \)(
quite shaken with the news: ho felt hardly able to goto the
Custom-House this morning, But he sides \vith ma about
my goijig, and now, \vhni my time, as a daughter with them
is growing so short, L dare not disobey. I know you will
understand my position, yet, dear and true as you are, you
cannot guess the anxiety \\ilh which I await a line from
your hand, the hand that was so nearly taken, from me
forever ! "
Joseph read the letter twice and was about to commence
it for the third time, when a visitor was announced. He
had barely time to thrust the scented sheet into his pocket ;
and the bright eyes and flushed face with which he met the
.Rev. Mr. Chaffinch convinced both that gentleman and his
aunt, as she ushered the latter into the room, that the visit
was accepted as an honor and a joy.
On Mr. Chaffinch's face the air of authority which he had
been led to believe belonged to his calling had not quite suc-
ceeded in impressing itself; but melancholy, the next best
thing, was strongly marked. His dark complexion and his
white cravat intensified each other ; and his eyes, so long
uplifted above the concerns of this world, had ceased to vary
their expression materially for the sake of any human inter-
est. All this had been expected of him, and he had simply
done Ids best to meet the requirements of the flock over
which he was placed. Any of the latter might have easily
been shrewd enough to guess, in advance, very nearly what
the pastor would say, upon a given occasion ; but each and
all of them would have been both disappointed and dis-
turbed if lie had not said it.
After appropriate and sympathetic inquiries concerning
Joseph's bodily condition, lie proceeded to probe him spiri-
tually.
98 JOSEPH AND HIS FUIKND.
" It was a merciful preservation. I Imp;) you feel that it
is a solemn tiling to look Death in ih<; face."
" I am not afraid of death," Joseph replied.
" Yon mean the physical pang, jiiit death includes what
conies after it, judgment. That is a very awful thought."
" It may he to evil men ; but I have done nothing to
make me fear it."
" You have never made an open profession of faith ; yet
it may he that grace hart reached you," said Mr. Chaffinch.
" Have yon found your Saviour ? "
" I believe in him with all my soul ! " Joseph exclaimed ;
" but you mean something else by ' finding ' him. I will be
candid with you, Mr. Chaffinch. The last sermon I heard
you preach, a month ago, was upon the nullity of all good
works, all Christian deeds ; you called them ' rags, dust, and
ashes,' and declared that man is saved by faith alone. I
have faith, but I can't accept a doctrine which denies merit
to works ; and you, unless I accept it, will you admit that I
have found ' Christ ? "
" There is but One Truth ! " exclaimed Mr. Chaffinch,
very severely.
" Yes," Joseph answered, reverently, " and that is only
perfectly known to God."
The clergyman was more deeply annoyed than he cared to
exhibit. His experience had been confined chiefly to the
encouragement of ignorant souls, willing to accept his mes-
sage, if they could only be made to comprehend it, or to the
conflict with downright doubt and denial. A nature so
seemingly open to the influences of the Spirit, yet inflexibly
closed to certain points of doctrine, was something of a
problem to him. He belonged to a class now happily be-
coming scarce, who, having been taught to pace a reasoned
tlroL.-gieal round, ca
who voluntarily com;
His habit of con
moderately fru ndly manner, us ho took L*ave : ' \Vo will
talk agiiin "\vhen you are stroiig-.-r. It is my uutv to give
spiritual help to those who seek it.''
To Kachel Miller he said : " 1 cannot say tliat he is dark.
His mind is cloudy, but we find that the vanities of youth
often obscure the true light for a time."
Joseph leaned back in his arm-chair, closed his eyes, and
meditated earnestly for half an hour. E;ichel Miller, uncer-
tain whether to be hopeful or discouraged by Mr. Chaffinch's
words, stole into the room, but went about on tiptoe, sup-
posing him to be asleep. Joseph was fully conscious of all
her movements, and at hist startled her by the sudden
question :
" Aunt, why do you suppose I went to the city ? "
" Goodness, Joseph ! I thought you were sound asleep.
I suppose to see about the fall prices for grain and cattle."
" ISTo, aunt," said he, * speaking with determination,
though, the foolish blood ran rosily over his face, " I went
to get a wife ! "
She stood pale and speechless, staring at him. But for
the rosy sign on his cheeks and temples she could not have
believed his words.
" Miss Blessing ? " she finally uttered, almost in a whisper.
Joseph nodded his head. She dropped into the nearest
chair, drew two or three long breaths, and in an indescriba-
ble tone ejaculated, "Well ! "
" I knew you would be surprised," said he ; " because it
is almost a surprise to myself. But you and she seemed to
fall so easily into each other's ways, that I hope "
100 .TOPKPH AND HIS FRIKXD.
" Why, you're hardly ;;eouair,led with her!" Rachel ex-
claimed. '' It is so luisiy ! And you are so young ! "
" No younger than father was when he marrir-d mother;
and I havo learned to know lier well in a short lime. Isn't
it so with you, too, aunt ? you certainly liked her? ''
" I'll not deny that, nor say the reverse now : but a farm-
er's wife should be a farmer's daughter."
" But suppose, aunt, that the farmer doesn't happen to
love any farmer's daughter, and does love a blight, amiable,
very intelligent girl, who is delighted with country life,
eager and willing to learn, and very fond of the farmer's
aunt (who can teach her everything) ? "
" Still, it seems to me a risk," said Rachel ; but she was
evidently relenting.
'' There is none to you," he ansAvered, " and I am not
afraid of mine. You will be with us, for Julia couldn't do
without you, if she wished. If she were a farmer's daugh-
ter, with different ideas of housekeeping, it might bring
trouble to both of us. But now you will have the manage-
ment in your own hands until you have taught Jxilia, and
afterwards she will carry it on in your way."
She did not reply ; but Joseph could see that she was be-
coming reconciled to the prospect. After awhile she came
across the room, leaned over him, kissed him upon the fore-
head, and then silently went away.
FKIK.XD. 101
CHAPTER X,
ONLY two months intervened until the time appointed for
the marriage, and the days rolled swiftly away. A few lines
carne to Joseph from Philip Held, announcing that he was
satisfied with the forge and furnace, and the sale would
doubtless be consummated in a short time. He did not,
however, expect to take charge of the works before March,
and therefore gave Joseph his address in the city, with the
hope that the latter would either visit or write to him.
On the Sunday after the accident Elwood Withers came
to the farm. He seemed to have grown older in the short
time which had elapsed since they had last met ; after his first
hearty rejoicing over Joseph's escape and recovery, he re-
lapsed into a silent but not unfriendly mood. The two young
men climbed the long hill behind the house and seated them-
selves under a noble pin-oak on the height, whence there was
a lovely view of the valley for many miles to the southward.
They talked mechanically, for a while, of the season, and
the crops, and the other usual subjects which farmers never
get to the end of discussing ; but'both felt the impendence
of more important themes, and, nevertheless, were slow to
approach them. At last Elwood said : " Your fate is settled
by this time, I suppose ? "
" It is arranged, at least," Joseph replied. " But I can't
yet make clear to myself that I shall be a married man in
two months from now."
102 JOSKHI A.\J) I! IS FRIKXD.
" Does (he time seem long to you ? "
" ZSo," Joseph innocently answered ; "it is very short."
Elwood tuni;H.l away his head to conceal a melancholy
smile ; it was; a few minutes before lie spoke again.
" Joseph," he then said, " arc you sure, quite sure, you
love her s i "
" I am to many her."
" I meant nothing unfriendly," Elwood remarked, in a
gentle tone. " My thought was this,' if you should ever
find a still stronger love growing upon you, something that
would make the warmth you feel now seem like ice compared
to it, how would you be able to fight it ? I asked the ques-
tion of myself for you. 1 don't think I'm much different
from most soft-hearted men, except that I keep the softness
so well stowed aAvay that few persons know of it, but if I
were in your place, within two months of marriage to the
girl I love, I should be miserable ! "
Joseph turned towards him with wide, astonished eyes.
" Miserable from hope and fear," Elwood went on ; " I
should be afraid of fever, fire, murder, thunderbolts ! Every
hour of the day I should dread lest something might come
between us ; I shoxild prowl around her house day after day,
to be sure that she was alive ! I should lengthen out the
time into years ; and all because I'm a great, disappointed,
soft-hearted fool ! "
The sad, yearning expression of his eyes touched Joseph
to the heart. " Elwood," he said, " I see that it is not in
my power to comfort you ; if I give you pain unknowingly,
tell me how to avoid it ! I meant to ask you to stand be-
side me when I am married ; but now you must consider
your own feelings in answering, not mine. Lucy is not
likely to be there."
103
a chance to measure myself with her, and to gu-.'ss sometiin-s
tlds and sometimes that what it is that sin: needs to find in
me. Force ufwill is of no use; as to faithfulness. why, what
it's worth can't bo shown unless something turns up to trv
it. But you had better not ask me to be your groomsman.
Neither Miss Blessing nor her sister would be overly
pleased."
"Why so?" Joseph asked; "Julia and you are quite
veil acquainted, and she was always friendly towards you."
Elsvood was silent and embarrassed. Then, reflecting that
silence, at that moment, might express even more than
speech, he said : " I've got the notion in my head ; maybe
it's foolish, but there it is. I talked a good deal with
Miss Blessing, it's true, and yet I don't feel the least bit
acquainted. Her manner to me was very friendly, and yet
I don't think she likes me."
" Well ! " exclaimed Joseph, forcing a laugh, though he
was much annoyed, " I never gave you credit for such a
lively imagination. Why not be candid, and admit that the
dislike is on your side ? I am sorry for it, since Julia will
so soon be in the house there as my wife. There is no one
else whom I can ask, unless it were Philip Held "
" Held ! To be sure, he took care of you. I was at Cov-
entry the day after, and saw something of him." With
these words, El wood turned towards Joseph and looked him
squarely in the face. " He'll have charge there in a few
months, I hear," he then said, " and I reckon it as a piece
of good luck for you. I've found that there are men, all,
maybe, as honest and outspoken as they need be ; yet two of
"104 JOSEPH A^'I) HIS FRTKNT).
'em will talk at different marks and never fully understand
each other, and other two will naturally lalk right straight
at the same mark and never miss. Xow, Held is the sort that
can hit the thing in the mind of the man they're talking to ;
it's a gift that comes o' being knocked about the world
among all classes of people. What we learn here, always
among the same folks, isn't a circumstance."
" Then you think I might ask him ? " said Joseph, not
fully comprehending all that Elwood meant to express.
" He's one of those men that you're safe in asking to do
anything. Make him spokesman of a committee to wait on
the President, arbitrator in a crooked lawsuit, overseer of a
railroad gang, leader in a prayer-meeting (if he'd consent),
or whatever else you choose, and he'll do the business as if
he was used to it ! It's enough for you that I don't know
the town ways, and he does ; it's considered worse, I've
heard, to make a blunder in society than to commit a real sin."
He rose, and they loitered down the hill together. The
subject was quietly dropped, but the minds of both were
none the less busy. They felt the stir and pressure of new
experiences, which had come to one through disappointment
and to the other through success. Not three months had
passed since they rode together through the twilight to War-
riner's, and already life was opening to them, but how dif-
ferently ! Joseph endeavored to make the most kindly allow-
ance for his friend's mood, and to persuade himself that his
feelings were unchanged. Elwood, however, knew that a
shadow had fallen between them. It was nothing beside the
cloud of his greater trouble : he also knew the cost of his own
justification to Joseph, and prayed that it might never come.
That evening, on taking leave, he said : " I don't know
whether you meant to have the news of your engagement
105
whole neighborhood, doesn't it ? ; '
en the liii.-i/hiel is alrea<lv d'>ne, if it
.. therefore, tliat l.liu day is set: tho
neighborhood will have link- time for gossip."
He smiled so frankly and cheerfully, that Elwood seixed
his hand, and with tears in his eyes, said : " iJuii't remember
anything against me, Joseph. I've always been honestly
your friend, and mean to stay so."
lie went that evening to a homestead where he knew he
should find Lucy Henderson. She looked pale and fatigued,
lie thought ; possibly his presence had become a restraint. If
so, she must bear his unkindness : it was the only sacrifice
he could not make, for he felt sure that his intercourse with
her must either terminate in hate or love. The one thing of
which he was certain was, that there could be no calm, com-
placent friendship between them.
It was not long before one of the family asked him whether
he had heard the news ; it seemed that they had already dis-
cussed it, and his arrival revived the flow of expression. In
spite of his determination, he found it impossible to watch
Lucy while he said, as simply as possible, that Joseph Asten
seemed very happy over the prospect of the marriage ; that
he was old enough to take a wife ; and if Miss Blessing could
adapt herself to country habits, they might get on very well
together. But later in the evening he took a chance of say-
ing to her: "In spite of what I said, Lucy, I don't feel
quite easy about Joseph's marriage. What do you think of
it?"
She smiled faintly, as she replied : " Some say that people
are attracted by mutual unlikeness. This seems to me to be
5*
100 JO>K1'II AND HIS FKIK.Vn.
a case of the land ; but they are free choosers of their own
fates."
" Is there no possible way of persuading him them to
delay ? "
"No!" .site exclaimed, with unusuid energy; '''110110
whatever ! "
El wood sighed, and yet felt relieved.
Joseph lost 110 time in writing to Philip Held, announc-
ing his approaching marriage, and begging him with many
apologies for asking such a mark of confidence on so short
an acquaintance to act the part of nearest friend, if there
were no other private reasons to prevent him.
Four or five days later the following answer arrived :
MY DEAII ASTEX : Do yon remember that curious whirl-
ing, falling sensation, when the car pitched over the edge of
the embankment ? I felt a return of it on reading your letter ;
for you have surprised me beyond measure. ISTot by your
request, for that is just what I should have expected of you ;
and as well now, as if we had known each other for twenty
years ; so the apology is the only thing objectionable But
I am tangling my sentences ; I want to say how 'heartily I re-
turn the feeling which prompted you to ask me, and yet how
embarrassed 1 am that I cannot unconditionally say, " Yes,
with all my heart ! " My great, astounding surprise is, to
find you about to be married to Miss Julia Blessing, a
young lady whom I once knew. And the embarrassment is
this : I knew her under circumstances (in which she was not
personally concerned, however) which might possibly render
my presence now, as your groomsman, unwelcome to the
family : at least, it is my duty and yours, if .you still
desire me to stand beside you to let Miss Blessing and her
JO>KJ.'li AXD Tils FKJKM). 107
familv decide ihc question. The circumstances to which I
refer concern tin 'm ruther than my,-,Hf. 1 think yonr be.st
plan will be simply to inform them of your ivouest and niy
reply, and r.dd that 1 a;n entirely ready to accept whatever
course tlit'v niav prefer.
Pray don't consider that 1 have treated your first letter to
me ungraciously. I am more grieved than you can imagine
that it happens so. You will probably come to the city a
day before the wedding, and I insist that you shall share my
bachelor quarters, in any case.
Always your friend,
PHILIP HELD.
This letter threw Joseph into a new perplexity. Philip a
former acquaintance of the Blessings ! Formerly, but not
now ; and what could those mysterious " circumstances "
have been, which had so seriously interrupted their inter-
course? It was quite useless to conjecture; but lie could
not resist the feeling that another shadow hung over the as-
pects of his future. Perhaps he had exaggerated Elwood's
unaccountable dislike to Julia, which had only been im-
plied, not spoken ; but here was a positive estrangement on
the part of the man who was so suddenly near and dear to
him. He never thought of suspecting Philip of blame ; the
candor and cheery warmth of the letter rejoiced his heart.
There was evidently nothing better to do than to follow the
advice contained in it, and leave the question to the decision
of Julia and her parents.
Her reply did not come by the return mail, nor until
nearly a week afterwards ; during which time lie tormented
himself by imagining the wildest reasons for her silence.
JOSKI'II AXl) III* F.II1ENT).
When tlic letter at last arrived, lie had some difficulty in
comprehending its import.
" Dearest Joseph," she said, "you must m.dly forgive me
this long trial of your patience. Your letter was so unex-
pected, I mean its contents, and it seems as if ma and pa
and Clementina would never agree what was Lest to Le done.
For that matter, I cannot say that they agree now ; we had
no idea that you were an. intimate friend of Mr. Held, (I
can't think how ever you should have become acquainted !)
and it seems to break open old wounds, none of mine, for-
tunately, for I have none. As Mr. Held leaves the question
in our hands, there is, you will understand, all the more ne-
cessity that we should be careful. Ma thinks he has said
nothing to you about the unfortunate occurrence, or you
would have expressed an opinion. You never can know how
happy your fidelity makes me ; but I felt that, the first mo-
ment we met.
" Ma says that at very private (what pa calls informal)
weddings there need not be bridesmaids or groomsmen.
Miss Morrisey was married that way, not long ago ; it is true
that she is not of our circle, nor strictly a first family (this
is ma's view, not mine, for I understand the hollowness of
society) ; but we could veiy well do the same. Pa would be
satisfied with a reception afterwards ; he wants to ask the
Collector, and the Surveyor, and the Appraiser. Clementina
won't say anything now, but I know what she thinks, and
so does ma ; however, Mr. Held has so dropped out of city
life that it is not important. I suppose everything must be
dim in his memory now ; you do not write to me much that
he related. How strange that he should be your friend !
They say my dress is lovely, but I am sure I should like a
plain muslin just as well. I shall only breathe freely when
109
I get brick to tlic quiet of the country, (and your our
charming home, and clear, good Aunt Kachel !) and away
from all these conventional forms. Ala says if there is one
groomsman, there ought to l>e tvvT> ; cither very simple, or
according to custom. In a matter so delicate, perhaps, Mr.
Held would be as competent to decide as we are ; at least 1
am quite willing to leave it to Ids judgment. But how tri-
fling is all this discussion, compared with the importance of
the day to us ! It is now drawing very near, but I have no
misgivings, for I confide in you wholly and forever ! "
After reading the letter with as much coolness as was
then possible to him, Joseph inferred three things : that his
acquaintance with Philip Held was not entirely agreeable to
the Blessing family ; that they would prefer the simplest
style of a wedding, and this was in consonance with his own
tastes ; and that Julia clung to him as a deliverer from con-
ditions with which her natxire had little sympathy. Her
incoherence, he fancied, arose from an agitation which he
could very well understand, and his answer was intended to
soothe and encourage her. It was difficult to let Philip
know that his services would not be required, withoxit im-
plying the existence of an unfriendly feeling towards
him ; and Joseph, therefore, all the more readily accepted
his invitation. He was assured that the mysterious difficulty
did not concern Julia ; even if it were so, he was not called
upon to do violence, without cause, to so welcome a friendship.
The September days sped by, not with the lingering, pas-
sionate uncertainty of which Elwood Withers spoke, but
almost too swiftly. In the hurry of preparation, Joseph had
scarcely time to look beyond the coming event and estimate
its consequences. He was too ignorant of himself to doubt:
his conscience was too pure and perfect to admit the possi-
110 jo-'Ki'i
lulily of changing the course; of his destiny. "\Vhatever the
gossip of the neighborhood might have been, ho heard
nothing of it that was not agreeable. His auni; was entire-
ly reconciled to a wife who would not immediately, and
probably not for a long time, interfere with her authority;
and the shadows raised by the two men whom he loved best
seemed, at hist, to bo accidentally thrown from clouds beyond
the horizon of his life. This was the thought to which he
clung, in spite of a vague, utterly formless apprehension,
which he felt lurking somewhere in the very bottom of his
heart.
Philip met him 011 his arrival in the city, and after tak-
ing him to his pleasant quarters, in a house looking on one
of the leafy squares, good-naturedly sent him to the Blessing
mansion, with a warning to return before the evening was
quite spent. The family was in a nutter of preparation?
and though he was cordially welcomed, he felt that, to all
except Julia, he was subordinate in interest to the men who
came every quarter of an hour, bringing bouquets, and silver
spoons with cards attached, and pasteboard boxes containing
frosted cakes. Even Julia's society he was only allowed to
enjoy by scanty instalments ; she was perpetually summoned
by her mother or Clementina, to consult about some inde-
scribable figment of dress. Mr. Blessing was occupied in
the basement, with the inspection of various hampers. He
came to the drawing-room to greet Joseph, whom he shook
by both hands, with such incoherent phrases that Julia
presently interposed. " You must not forget, pa," she said,
" that the man is waiting : Joseph will excuse you, 1 know."
She followed him to the basement, and he returned no
more.
Joseph left early in the evening, cheered by Julia's words :
Ill
''"We c.Mi i c-ei;i;ilain (it i\M tins comu>ioii, when it s tor our
sakes ; bur v.v'll be happier wh< n it's over, won't we '.' ''
lie rjavr her ,ni aiiirmative kj<s and returned to Philip's
room. That ^eutloinan was comfortably deposed in an arm-
chair, with a book and a ci^ar. '' Ah ! " lie exclaimed, " you
find tLat a Louse is more agreeable any evening than tliat
before the wedding ? ; '
'' Tlicre is raie comjtensation," said Joseph ; ' ; it gi\'es mo
two or three hours with you."
" Then take that other arm-chair, and tell me how this came,
to i>ass. You see I have the curiositv of a neighbor, already."
1 -L. (_- 7 f
lie listened earnestly while Joseph related the story of his
love, occasionally asking a question or making a suggestive
remark, but so gently that it seemed to come as an assistance.
When all had been told, he rose and commenced walking
slowly up and clown the room. Joseph longed to ask, in
turn, for an explanation of the circumstances mentioned in
Philip's letter ; but a doubt checked his tongue.
As if in response to his thought, Philip stopped before
him and said : " I owe you niy story, and you shall have it
after a while, when I can tell you more. I was a young fel-
low of twenty when I knew the Blessings, and I don't at-
tach the slightest importance, now, to anything that happened.
Even if I did, Miss Julia had no share in it. I remember her
distinctly ; she was then about my age, or a year or two older ;
but hers is a face that would not change in a long while."
Joseph stared at his friend in silence. He recalled the lat-
ter's age, and was startled by the involuntary arithmetic
which revealed Julia's to him. It was unexpected, unwel-
come, yet inevitable.
" Her father had been lucky in some of his ' operations,' "
Philip continued, "but I don't think he kept it long. I
112 JOSKPII AND IHS KKIKXD.
hardly wonder that sin; .should como to prefer a quirt eouu-
Irvlifo to such ups and downs as the family has known.
(Jeuerally, a woman don't adapt herself so readily to a ch;i nge
of surroundings as a man: where then; is love, however,
everything is possible."
"There is! there is !" Joseph exclaimed, certifying the
fact to himself as much as to his friend, lie rose and stood
beside him.
Philip looked at him with grave, tender eyes.
" What can I do ? " he said.
" What should you do ? " Joseph asked.
"This! " Philip exclaimed, laying his hands on Joseph's
shoulders, " this, Joseph ! I can be nearer than a brother.
I know that I am in your heart as you are in mine. There
is no faith between us that need be limited, there is no truth
too secret to be veiled. A man's perfect friendship is rarer
than a woman's love, and most hearts are content with one
or the other : not so with yours and mine ! 1 read it in
your eyes, when you opened them on my knee: I see it in
your face now. Don't speak : let us clasp hands."
But Joseph could not speak.
JOSEPH A.XP UTS FRIEND. 113
CHAPTER XI.
A C I T V Vr E I) D I X G .
TIIEHE was not mucli of the happy bridegoom to be seen
in Joseph's face when he arose the next morning. To Phil-
ip's eyes he appeared to have suddenly grown several years
older; his features had lost their boyish softness and sweet-
ness, which would thenceforth never wholly come back
again. He spoke but little, and went about his preparation
with an abstracted, mechanical air, which told how much
his mind was preoccupied. Philip quietly assisted, and
when all was complete, led him before the mirror.
"There!" he said; "now study the general effect; I
think nothing more is wanting."
" It hardly looks like myself," Joseph remarked, after a
careless inspection.
"In all the Aveddings I have seen," said Philip, "the
bridegrooms were pale and grave, the brides flushed and
trembling. You will not make an exception to the rule ;
but it is a solemn thing, and I don't misunderstand me,
Joseph I almost wish you were not to be married to-day."
' " Philip ! " Joseph exclaimed, " let me think, now, at
least, now, at the last moment, that it is best for me !
If you knew how cramped, restricted, fe'ttered, my life has-
been, and how much emancipation has already come with
this this love ! Perhaps my marriage is a venture, but it
is one which must be made ; and no consequence of it shall
ever come between us ! "
114 JOSKP11 AM) m> FKIKXD.
"No; .".iid 1 ought not to ]i;ivo spoken a word that might
imply a doubt. It may bo tliat your emancipation, as you
rightly term it, can only come in this way. .My life lias
been HO diJlurent, that I am unconsciously putting myself in
your place 1 , instead of trying to look with your eyes. Y> lien
I next go to Coventry Forge, I shall drive over and dine with
you, and I hope your Julia will be as ready to receive me as a
friend as I am to find one in her. There is the carriage at
the door, and you had better arrive a little before the appoint-
ed hour. Take only niy good wishes, my prayers for your
happiness, along with you, and now, God bless you, Joseph !"
The carriage rolled away. Joseph, in full wedding cos-
tume, was painfully conscious of the curious glances which
fell upon him, and presently pulled down the curtains.
Then, with an impatient self-reprimand, he pulled them \ip
again, lowered the window, and let the air blow upon his
hot cheeks. The house was speedily reached, and he was
admitted by a festive waiter (hired for the occasion) before
he had been exposed for more than five seconds to the gaze
of curious eyes in all the windows around.
Mrs. Blessing, resplendent in put'ple, and so bediglit that
she seemed almost as young as her portrait, swept into the
drawing-room. She inspected him rapidly, and approved,
while advancing ; otherwise he would scarcely have received
the thin, dry kiss with which she favored him.
" It lacks half an hour," she said ; " but you have the
usual impatience of a bridegroom. I am accustomed to it.
Mr. Blessing is still in his room ; he has only just commenc-
ed arranging his cambric cravat, which is a work of time.
He cannot forget that he was distinguished for an elegau.t
tie in his youth. Clementina," as that young lady entered
the room," is the bride completely attired ? "
115
"All but her gloves," replied Clementina, offering three-
fourihs of her hand to Jos.'ph. "'And she don't know what
ear-rings to wear."
" 1 think we might venture,"' Mrs. Blessing remarked,
''as thei'e seems to be ]io rule applicable to the case, to allow
Mr. Asten a sight of his bride. Perhaps his taste might assist
her in the choice."
Thereupon she conducted Joseph upstairs, and, after some
preliminary whispering, he was admitted to the room. He
and Julia were equally surprised at the change in each
other's appearance : he older, paler, with a grave and serious
bearing; she younger, brighter, rounder, fresher, and with
the loveliest pink flush on her cheeks. The gloss of her
hair rivalled' that of the white satin which draped her form
and gave grace to its outlines ; her neck and shoulders were
slight, but no one could have justly called them lean; and
even the thinness of her lips was forgotten in the vivid coral
of their color, and the nervous life which hovered about
their edges. At that moment she was certainly beautiful,
and a stranger would have supposed her to be young.
She looked into Joseph's face with a smile in which some
appearance of maiden shyness yet lingered. A shrewder
bridegroom would have understood its meaning, and would
have said, " How lovely you are ! " Joseph, it is true, ex-
perienced a sense of relief, bu t he knew not why, and could
not for his life have put it into words. His eyes dwelt
upon and followed her, and she seemed to be satisfied with
that form of recognition. Mrs. Blessing inspected the dress
with a severe critical eye, pulling out a fold here and
smoothing a bit of lace there, until nothing further could be
detected. Then, the adornment of the victim being com-
pleted, she sat down and wept moderately.
110 .TOSKl'H AM) HIS FIMK.VI).
" (') ma, try to boar up ! " Julia exclaimed, with the very
slightest touch of impatience in her voice; "it is all to comw
yet,"
There was a ring at the door.
"It must be your aunt," said Mrs. Blessing, drying her
eyes. "My sister," she added, turning to Joseph, Mrs.
Woollish, with Mr. "VVoollish and their two sons and one
daughter. He's in the the leather trade, so to speak,
which has thrown her into a very different circle ; but, as
we have no nearer relations in. the city, they will be present
at the ceremony. He is said to be wealthy. I have no
means of knowing; but one would scarcely think so, to judge
from his wedding-gift to Julia,"
" Ma, why should you mention it ? "
" I wish to enlighten Mr. Asten. Six pairs of shoes !
of course all of the same pattern ; and the fashion may
change in another year ! "
" In the country we have no fashions in shoes," Joseph
suggested.
" Certainly ! " said Julia. I find Uncle Woollish's
present very practical indeed."
Mrs. Blessing looked at her daughter, and said nothing.
Mr. Blessing, very red in the face, but with triumphant
cambric about his throat, entered the room, endeavoring to
get his fat hands into a pair of No. 9 gloves. A strong
smell of turpentine or benzine entered with him.
" Eliza," said he, " you must find me some eau de cologne.
The odor left from my my rheumatic remedy is still
perceptible. Indeed, patchouly would be better, if it were
not the scent peculiar to parvenus"
Clementina came to say that the clergyman's carriage had
just reached the door, and Mr. Blessing was hurried down
"Julia," .said Joseph when they were quite alone, "have
you thought that this i* for lii'e ' J . "'
!*fhe looked up with a u-ndcr smile, but something in his
face arrested it on her lip*.
'"I have lived ignorantly until now,"' he continued, -
" innocently and ignorantly. From this time on. I shall
change more than vou, and there may be, rears hence, a
o , ; K > *. }
very dilierent J o.seph Asten from the one whose name you
will take to-day. If you love me with the love I claim from
you, the love that grows with and through all new know-
ledge and experience, there will be no discord in our lives.
We must both be liberal anil considerate towards each
other ; it has been but a short time since we met, and we
have still much to learn."
" O, Joseph ! " she murmured, in a tone of gentle
reproach, " I knew your nature at first sight."
" I hope you did," he answered gravely, " for then you
will be able to see its needs, and help me to supply them.
But, Julia, there must nob the shadow of concealment come
between us : nothing must be reserved. I understand no
love that does not include perfect trust. I must draw
nearer, and be drawn nearer to you, constantly, or '
He paused ; it was no time to utter the further sentence
in his mind. Jiilia glided to him, clasped her arms about
his waist, and laid her head against his shotilder. Although
she said nothing, the act was eloquent. It expressed
acquiescence, trust, fidelity, the surrender of her life to his,
and no man in his situation coitld have understood it
otherwise. A tenderness, which seemed to be the some-
113 JOSEPH AXD IMS FJIIEXD.
li.iii^ hitherto lacking to his love, crept softly oven- hi;*
heart, and the lurking unrest be.gan to fade from his face.
There was a ru:;l le on the stairs; Clementina and Miss
AVoollish made their appearance. "Mr. J'ogue has ar-
rived," whispered the former, " and ma thinks you should
come down soon. Are you entirely ready;' 1 don't think
you need the salts, Julia; but you might carry the; bottle in
your left hand: brides are expected to be nervous."
She gave a light laugh, like the purl and bubble of a
brook ; but Joseph shrank, with an inward chill, from the
sound.
"So! shall we go? Fanny and I (I beg pardon ; Mr.
Asten Miss Woollish) will lead the way. We Avill stand
a little in the rear, not beside you, as there are no grooms-
men. Remember, the farther end of the room ! "
They rustled slowly downward, in advance, and the bridal
pair followed. The clergyman, Mr. Bogue, sxiddenly broke
off in the midst of an oracular remark about the weather,
and, standing in the centre of the room, awaited them. The
other members of the two families were seated, and very
silent.
Joseph heard the introductory remarks, the ceremony,
and the final benediction, as in a dream. His lips opened
mechanically, and a voice which did not exactly seem to be
his own uttered the " I will ! " at the proper time ; yet, in
recalling the experience afterwards, he was unable to decide
whether any definite thought or memory or hope had passed
through his mind. From his entrance into the room until
his hand was violently shaken by Mr. Blessing, there was a
blank.
Of course there were tears, but the beams of congratula-
tion shone through them, and they saddened nobody. Miss
119
Fannv Vv'o; illish assured the bridal pair, in an au-'i'.ie
whisper, that she liad never seen a sii'f.eter wedding; and her
mother, a stout, homely Kllli! body, coni'inned the opinion
will), ' ; Yes, you both did beautifully ! " Then the marriage
certificate was produced and signed, and the company par-
took of wine- and refreshments to strengthen them for the,
reception.
Until there had been half a dozen arrivals, Mrs. Blessing
moved about restlessly, and her eyes wandered to the front
window. Suddenly three or four carriages came, rattling
together up the street, and Joseph heard her whisper to her
husband : " There they are ! it will be a success ! " It was
not long before the little room was uncomfortably crowded,
and the presentations followed so rapidly that Joseph soon
became bewildered. Julia, however, knew and welcomed
every one with the most bewitching grace, being rewarded
with kisses by the gorgeous young ladies and compliments
by the young men with weak mouths and retreating chilis.
In the midst of the confusion Mr. Blessing, with a wave
of his hand, presented " Mr. Collector Twining' 1 and "Mr.
Surveyor Knob " and " Mr. Appraiser Gerrish," all of
whom greeted Joseph with a bland, almost affectionate, cor-
diality. The door of the dining-room was then thrown
open, and the three dignitaries accompanied the bridal pair
to the table. Two servants rapidly whisked the champagne-
bottles from a cooling-tub in the adjoining closet, and Mr.
Blessing commenced stirring and testing a luige bowl of
punch. Collector Twining made a neat little speech, pro-
posing the health of bride and bridegroom, with a pun upon
the former's name, which was received with as much delight
as if it had never been heard before. Therefore Mr. Sur-
veyor Knob repeated it in giving the health of the bride's
1:20 josKi-rr AKD ins FRIEND.
parents. The enthusiasm of the company not: having dimin-
ished, Mr. Appraiser (lerrish improved Hie pun in a third
form, in proposing " the Ladies." Thou 31 r. Blessing,
although Lis feelings overcame him, and lie was obliged to
use a handkerchief smelling equally of i>en/ine and can de
cologne, responded, introducing the collector's and survey-
or's names with an ingenuity which was accepted as the
inspiration of genius. His peroration Avas especially admired.
" On this happy occasion," lie said, " the elements of
national poAver and prosperity are represented. My son-in-
laAv, Mr. Asten, is a noble specimen of the agricultural
population, the free American yeomanry; my daughter, if
I may be allowed to say it in the presence of so many
bright eyes and blooming cheeks, is a representative child
of the city, which, is the embodiment of the nation's action
and enterprise. The union of the two is the movement of
our life. The city gives to the country as the ocean gives
the cloud to the mountain-springs : the country gives to the
city as the streams flow back to the ocean. ["Admirable ! "
Mr. Collector Twining exclaimed.] Then we have, as our
highest honor, the representatives of the political system
under which city and country flourish alike. The wings of
our eagle must be extended over this fortunate house to-
day, for here are the strong Claws which seize and guard its
treasures ! "
The health of the Claws was drunk enthusiastically. Mr.
Blessing was congratulated on his eloquence ; the yoxing
gentlemen begged the privilege of touching their glasses to
his, and every touch required that the contents be replen-
ished; so that the bottom of the punch-bowl was nearly
reached before the guests departed.
When Joseph came down in his travelling-dress, he found
121
the diMv.-ing-room empty of the crowd; but leaves, withered
flowers, crumbs of cake, and crumpled curds scattered over
the carpet, indicated what had taken place. In tlie dhdn-
j. i >
room 3Ir. Blessing, v.-ith his cravr.t loosened, was smoking a
cigar at the open window.
''Come, son-in-lav,- ! " he cried, "take another glass of
punch before you start."
Joseph declined, on the plea that he was not accustomed
to the beverage.
'"' Xothincr could have oue off better ! " said !JIr. Blessin".
OO O
" Tlie collector was delighted: by the by, you're to go to
the St. Jerome, when you get to Xew York this evening.
He telegraphed to have the bridal-chamber reserved for
you. Tell Julia : she won't forget it. That girl has a
deuced sharp intellect : if you'll be guided by her in your
operations "
"Pa, what are you saying about me?" Julia asked,
hastily entering the room.
" Only that you have a deuced sharp intellect, and
to-day proves it. Asten is one of us now, and I may tell
him of his luck."
He winked and laughed stupidly, and Joseph under-
stood and obeyed his wife's appealing glance. He went
to his mother-in-law in the drawing-room.
Julia lightly and swiftly shut the door. " Pa," she
said, in a strong, angry whisper ; " if you are not able
to talk coherently, you must keep your tongue still. What
will Joseph think of me, to hear you ? "
" What he'll think anyhow, in a little while," he dog-
gedly replied. " Julia, you have played a keen game, and
played it well; but you don't know much of men yet.
He'll not always be the innocent, white-nosed lamb he
122 josKpir A xi> in? FKTKXD.
is now, nibbling the posies you hold out to him. Wait till
he asks for stronger feed, and see whether he'll fi.-llow you ! "
She was looking on the floor, pale mid stern. Suddenly
one of her gloves hurst, across the back of the hand.
"Pa," she then said, "it's very cruel to say such things
to me, now when I'm leaving you."
" So it is ! " he exclaimed, tearfully contrite ; " I am
a wretch ! They flattered my speech so nmcli. the col-
lector was so impressed by me, and said so many pleasant
things, that I don't feel quite steady. Don't forget
the St. Jerome ; the bridal-chamber is ordered, and I'll
see that Mumm writes a good account for the ' Evening
Mercury.' I wish you could be here to remember my
speech for me. O, I shall miss yon ! I shall miss you ! "
With these words, and his arm lovingly about his
daughter, they joined the family. The carriage was al-
ready at the door, and the coachman was busy with
the travelling-trunks. There were satchels, and little
packages, an astonishing number it seemed to Joseph,
to be gathered together, and then the farewells were said.
As they rolled through the streets towards the station,
Julia laid her head upon her husband's shoulder, drew
a long, deep breath, and said, " Now all our obligations
to society are fulfilled, and we can rest awhile. For
the first time in my life I am a free woman, and you
have liberated me ! "
He answered her in glad and tender words ; he was
equally grateful that the exciting day was over. But,
as they sped away from the city through the mellow
October landscapes, Philip's earnest, dark gray eyes, warm,
with more than brotherly love, haunted his memory,
and he knew that Philip's faithful thoughts followed him.
JOsEPJI AXD HIS FIIJLXD. 123
CHAPTER XII.
CLOUDS.
THERE are some days when the sun comes slowly up,
filling the vapory air with difl'used light, in advance of
his coming; when the earth grows luminous in the broad,
breezeless morning; when nearer objects shine and sparkle,
and the distances melt into dim violet and gold ; when
the vane points to the southwest, and the blood of man
feels neither heat nor cold, but only the freshness of that
perfect temperature wherein the limits of the body are
lost, and the pulses of its life beat in all the life of the
world. But ere long the haze, instead of thinning into
blue, gradually thickens into gray ; the vane creeps
southward, swinging to southeast in brief, rising flaws
of the ail 1 ; the horizon darkens ; the enfranchised life
of the spirit creeps back to its old isolation, shorn of
all its rash delight, and already foreboding the despond-
ency which comes with the east wind and the chilly
rains.
Some such variation of the atmospheric influences at-
tended Joseph Asten's wedding-travel. The mellow, ma-,
gical glory of his new life diminished day by day ; the
blue of his sky became colder and grayer. Yet he could
not say that his wife had changed : she was always ready
with her smiles, her tender phrases, her longings for
quiet and rest, and simple, natural life, away from the
conventionalities and claims of Society. But, even as,
1.2-1 .TOPKPIT AND HIS FlilKXD.
looking into the pale, tawny-brown of her oyos, he saw
no changing depth below the hard, clear surface, so it
also seemed with her nature; he painfully endeavored
to penetrate beyond expressions, the repetition of which
it was hard not to find tiresome, and to reach some spring
of character or feeling ; yet ho found nothing. It was
useless to remember that he had been content Avith those
expressions before marriage had given them his own eager
interpretation, independent of her will and knowledge ;
that his duty to her remained the same, for sho had not
deceived him.
On the other hand, she was as tender and affectionate
as he could desire. Indeed, he would often have preferred
a less artless manifestation of her fondness ; but she
playfully insisted on his claiming the best quarters at
every stopping-place, on the ground of their bridal char-
acter, and was sometimes a little petiilant when she
fancied that they had not been sufficiently honored.
Joseph would have willingly escaped the distinction,
allowing himself to be confounded with the prosaic mul-
titude, but she would not permit him to try the experi-
ment.
" The newly married are always detected," she would
say, "and they are only laughed at when they try to
seem like old couples. Why not be frank and honest,
and meet half-way the sympathy which I am sure every-
body has for us ? "
To this he could make no reply, except that it was not
agreeable to exact a special attention.
" But it is our right ! " was her answer.
In every railway-car they entered she contrived, in a
short time, to impress the nature of their trip upon tho
JOSEPH A:\D ui< FI;II;:<D. 125
other travellers; yet it was done wiili such apparent
unconsciousness, such innocent, impulsive manifestations
of her happiness in him, that he could not, in his heart,
charge her with having intentionally brought upon him
the discomfort of being curiouslv observed. He could
have accustomed himself to endure the latter, had it been
inevitable ; the suspicion that he owed it to her made
it an increasing annoyance. Yet, when the day's journey
was over, and they were resting together in their own
private apartment, she would bring a stool to his feet,
lay her head on his knee, and say : " Xow we can talk
as we please, there are none watching and listening."
At such times he was puzzled to guess whether some
relic of his former nervous shyness were not remaining,
and had made him over-sensitive to her ways. The doubt
gave him an additional power of self-control ; he resolved
to be more slow and cautious of judgment, and observe
men and women more carefully than he had been wont to
do. Julia had no suspicion of what was passing in his
mind: she took it for granted that his nature was still
as shallow and transparent as when she first came in
contact with it.
After nearly a fortnight this flying life came to an end.
They returned to the city for a day, before going home
to the farm. The Blessing mansion received them with
a hearty welcome ; yet, in spite of it, a depressing at-
mosphere seemed to fill the house. Mrs. Blessing looked
pinched and care-worn, Clementina discontented, and
Mr. Blessing as melancholy as was possible to so bouy-
ant a politician.
"What's the matter ? I hope pa hasn't lost his place,"
Julia remarked in an undertone to her mother.
126 JOSEPH AXD HIS FKIKXD.
" Lost my place ! " Mr. Blessing exclaimed aloud ; " I'd
like to see how the collection of customs would go on with-
out me. But a man may keep his place, and yet lose his
house and home."
Clementina vanished, Mrs. Blessing followed, with her
handkerchief to her eyes, and Julia hastened after them,
crying : " Ma ! dear ma ! "
" It's only on their account," said Mr. Blessing, pointing
after them and speaking to Joseph. " A plucky man never
desponds, sir; but women, you'll find, are upset by every
reverse."
" May I ask what has happened ? "
" A delicate regard for you," Mr. Blessing replied, " would
counsel me to conceal it, but my duty as your father-in-law
leaves me no alternative. Our human feelings prompt us to
show only the bright side of life to those whom we love ;
principle, however, conscience, commands us not to sup-
press the shadows. I am but one out of the many millions
of victims of mistaken judgment. The case is simply this ;
I will omit certain legal technicalities touching the disposi-
tion of property, which may not be familiar to you, and state
the facts in the most intelligible form ; securities which I
placed as collaterals for the loan of a sum, not a very large
amount, have been very unexpectedly depreciated, but only
temporarily so, as all the market knows. If I am forced to
sell them at such an untoward crisis, I lose the largest part
of my limited means ; if I retain them, they will ultimately
recover their full value."
" Then why not retain them ? " Joseph asked.
" The sum advanced upon them must be repaid, and it so
happens the market being very tight that every one of
my friends is short. Of coune, where their own paper is
on '.lie $t iv- ;.-!', I can t ask them to float mi.no for three months
loni^M', which is all tli.it is necessary. A good indorsement
is the extent of my necessity; for any one who is familiar
with the aspects of the market can see that there must be a
great rebound before three months. 1 '
" If it were not a very large amount," Joseph began.
" Only a thousand ! I know what you were croinf to say
*/ i/ O O */
it is perfectly natural : I appreciate it, because, if our posi-
tions were reversed, I should have done the same thing.
But, although it is a mere form, a temporary fiction, which
has the force of reality, and, therefore, so for as you are con-
cerned, I should feel entirely easy, yet it might subject me
to very dishonoring suspicions ! It might be said that I
had availed myself of your entrance into my family to be-
guile you into pecuniary entanglements ; the amount might
be exaggerated, the circumstance misrepresented, no, 110 !
rather than that, let me make the sacrifice like a man ! I'm
no longer young, it is true ; but the feeling that I stand on
principle will give me strength to work."
" On the other hand, Mr. Blessing," said Joseph, " very un-
pleasant things might be said of me, if I should permit you to
suffer so serious a loss, when my assistance would prevent it."
" I don't deny it. You have made a two-horned dilemma
out of a one- sided embarrassment. Would that I had kept
the secret in my own breast ! The temptation is strong, I
confess, for the mere use of your name for a few months is
all I should reqxiire. Either the securities will rise to their
legitimate value, or some of the capitalists with whom I
have dealings will be in a position to accommodate me. I
have frequently tided over similar snags and sand-bars in
the financial current ; they are familiar even to the most
skilful operators, navigators, I might say, to carry out the
128
figure, and this is an instance where an additional inch of
water will lift me from wreck to Hood-tide. The question
is, should I allow what I feel to be a just principle, a natural
suggestion of delicacy, to intervene between my necessity and
your generous proffer of assistance ? "
" Your family " Joseph began.
" I know ! I know ! " Mr. Blessing cried, leaning his
head upon his hand. " There is my vulnerable point, my
heel of Achilles ! There would be no alternative, better
sell this house than have my paper dishonored ! Then, too,
I feel that this is a turning-point in my fortunes : if I can
squeeze through this narrow pass, I shall find a smooth road
beyond. It is not merely the sum which is at stake, but
the future possibilities into which it expands. Should I
crush the seed while it is germinating ? Should I tear up
the young tree, with an opening fruit-bud on every twig ?
You see the considerations that sway me : unless you with-
draw your most generous proffer, what can I do but yield
and accept it ? "
" I have no intention of withdrawing it," Joseph answered,
taking his words literally ; " I made the offer freely and
willingly. If my indorsement is all that is necessary now, I
can give it at once."
Mr. Blessing grasped him by the hand, winked hard three
or four times, and turned away his head without speaking.
Then he drew a large leather pocket-book from his breast,
opened it, and produced a printed promissory note.
" We will make it payable at your county bank," said he,
" because your name is known there, and upon acceptance
which can be procured in two days the money will be
drawn here. Perhaps we had better sav four months, in
order to cover all contingencies."
129
lie went to a small writing-dusk, at the farther end of
the room, and tilled the blanks in the note, which Joseph
then endorsed. When it was safely lodged in his breast-
pocket, he said : " We will keep this entirely to ourselves.
My wife, let mo whisper to you, is very proud and sensitive,
although the De 1'Hotels (Doolittles now) were never <piiie
the equals of the De Belsains ; but women see matters in a
different light. They can't understand the accommodation
of a name, but fancy that it implies a kind of humiliation, as
if one were soliciting charity."
He laughed and rubbed his hands. " I shall soon be in a
position," he said, " to render you a favor in returm. My
long experience, and, I may add, my intimate knowledge of
the financial field, enables me to foresee many splendid op-
portunities. There are, just now, some movements which
are not yet perceptible on the surface. Mark my words ! we
shall shortly have a new excitement, and a cool, well-sea-
soned head is a fortune at such times."
" In the country," Joseph replied, " we only learn
enough to pay off our debts and invest cur earnings. We
are in the habit of moving slowly and cautiously. Perhaps
we miss opportunities ; but if we don't see them, we are
just as contented as if they had not been. ^1 have enough
for comfort, and try to be satisfied."
" Inherited ideas ! They belong to the community in
which you live. Are you satisfied with your neighbors' ways
of living and thinking ? I do not mean to disparage them,
but have you no desire to rise above their level ? Money,
as I once said at a dinner given to a distinguished railroad
man, money is the engine which draws individuals up the.
steepest grades of society; it is the lubricating oil which
makes the truck of life run easy; it is the safety -break
130 JOSKI'H AND HIS FRIKXD.
which renders collision and wreck impossible ! I have long
been accustomed to consider it in the light of power, not of
property, and I classify men according as they take one or
the other view. The latter are misers ; but the former, sir,
are philosophers ! "
Joseph scarcely knew how to answer this burst of eloquence.
But there was no necessity for it ; the ladies entered the
room at that moment, each one, in her own way, swiftly
scrutinizing the two gentlemen. Mrs. Blessing's face lost its
woe-worn expression, while a gleam of malicious satisfaction
passed over Clementina's.
The next day, on their journey to the country, Julia sud-
denly said, " I am sure, Joseph, that pa made use of your
generosity ; pray don't deny it ! "
There was the faintest trace of hardness in her voice,
which he interpreted as indicating dissatisfaction with his
failure to confide the matter to her.
" I have no intention of denying anything, Julia," he
answered. " I was not called upon to exercise generosity ;
it was simply what your father would term an ' accommoda-
tion.' "
" I understand. How much ? "
" An endorsement of his note for a thousand dollars, which
is little, when it will prevent him from losing valuable
securities."
Julia was silent for at least ten minutes ; then, turning
towards him with a sternness which she vainly endeavored to
conceal under a " wreathed smile," she said : " In future,
Joseph, I hope you will always consult me in any pecuniar/
venture. I may not know much about such matters, but it
is my duty to learn. I have been obliged to hear a great
deal of financial talk from pa and his friends, and could not
131
you know.
His own words! Al'i.T all, what she said was just
and right, and lie could not explain to himself why he
should fuel annoyed. Perhaps he mi.-;sed a frank expres-
sion of delight iu the assistance he had so promptly
given ; but why should he suspect that it was unwelcome
to her? lie tried to banish the feeling, to hide it under
self-reproach and shame, but it clung to him most uncom-
fortably.
Nevertheless, he forgot everything in the pleasure of the
homeward drive from the station. The sadness of late
autumn lay upon the fields, but spring already said, " I am
coming ! " in the yoxing wheat ; the houses looked warm and
cosey behind their sheltering fir-trees ; cattle still grazed on
the meadows, and the corn was not yet deserted by the
buskers. The sun gave a bright edge to the sombre colors
of the landscape, and to Joseph's eyes it was beautiful as
never before. Julia leaned back in the carriage, and com-
plained of the cold wind.
" There ! " cried Joseph, as a view of the valley opened
below them, with the stream flashing like steel between the
leafless sycamores, " there is home-land ! Do you know
where to look for our house ? "
Julia made an effort, leaned forward, smiled, and pointed
silently across the shoulder of a hill to the eastward. " You
surely didn't suppose I could forget," she murmured.
Rachel Miller awaited them at the gate, and Julia had no
sooner alighted than she flung herself into her arms. " Dear
Aunt Rachel ! " she cried : " you must now take my mother's
place ; I have so much to learn from you ! It is doubly a
132 JOSEJ'Ii A.N1> JUS I'Uii:M>.
Lome since you arc here. 1 feel tluit \vo shall all be happy
together!"
Then there were kisses, of which Joseph received his
share, and the first evening lapsed away in perfect har-
mony. Everything was delightful : the room, the furniture,
the meal, even the roar of the wind in the dusky trees.
While Julia lay in the cushioned rocking-chair, Kachel
gave her nephew an account of all that had been done on the
farm ; but Joseph only answered her from the surface of his
mind. Under the current of his talk ran a graver thought,
which said : " You wanted independence and a chance of
growth for your life ; you fancied they would come in this
form. Lo, now ! here are the conditions which you desired
to establish ; from this hour begins the new life of which
you dreamed. Whether you have been wise or rash, you
can change nothing. You are limited, as before, though
within a different circle. You may pace it to its fullest ex-
tent, but all the lessons you have yet learned require you to
be satisfied within it."
JOSEPH AXD HIS FlilEXD. 133
CHAPTER XIII.
THE autumn lapsed into winter, and the household on the
Asteii farm began to share the isolation of the season. There
had been friendly visits from all the nearest neighbors and
friends, followed by return visits, arid invitations which Julia
willingly accepted. She was very amiable, and took pains to
confirm the favorable impression which she knew she had made
in the summer. Everybody remarked how she had improved
in appearance, how round and soft her neck and shoulders,
how bright and fresh her complexion. She thanked them,
with many grateful expressions to which they were not
accustomed, for their friendly reception, which she looked
upon as an adoption into their society ; but at home, after-
wards, she indulged in criticisms of their manners and habits
which were not always friendly. Although these were given
in a light, playful tone, and it was sometimes impossible not
to be amused, Rachel Miller always felt uncomfortable when
she heard them.
Then came quiet, lonely days, and Julia, weary of her idle
life, undertook to master the details of the housekeeping.
She went from garret to cellar v inspecting every article in
closet and pantry, wondering much, censuring occasionally,
and only praising a little when she found that Rachel was
growing tired and irritable. Although she made no material
changes, it was soon evident that she had very stubborn
views of her own upon many points, and possessed a marked
134 JOSI;I>H AN]) ii is run-;:,*!).
tendency for wliat the country people call "nearness."
Little by little she diniinislie'l the bountiful, free-handed
manner of provision which had been the habit of the house.
One could not say that anything needful was lacking, and
Rachel would hardly have been dissatisfied, had she not felt
that the innovation was an indirect blame.
In some directions Julia seemed the reverse of " near,"
persuading Joseph into expenditures which the people con-
sidered very extravagant. When the snow came, his new
and elegant sleigh, with the wolf-skin robe, the silver-
mounted harness, and the silver-sounding bells, was the envy
of all the young men, and an abomination to the old. It
was a splendor which he could easily afford, and he did not
grudge her the pleasure ; yet it seemed to change his
relation to the neighbors, and some of them were very
free in hinting that they felt it so. It would be difficult
to explain why they should resent this or any other slight
departure from their fashions, but such had always been
their custom.
In a few days the snow vanished and a tiresome season of
rain and thaw succeeded. , The south-eastern winds, blowing
from the Atlantic across the intervening lowlands, rolled
interminable gray masses of fog over the hills and blurred
the scenery of the valley ; dripping trees, soaked meadows,
and sodden leaves were the only objects, that detached them-
selves from the general void, and became in turn visible to
those who travelled the deep, quaking roads. The social
intercourse of the neighborhood ceased perforce, though the
need of it were never so great : what little of the main high-
way down the valley was visible from the windows appeared
to be deserted.
Julia, having exhausted the resources of the house,
JOSEPH AXD II ir, FIUKXD. 1 ,'15
insisted on acquainting herself with tho barn and everything'
thereto belonging. She laughingly asserted that her educa-
tion as a farmer's wife was still very incomplete ; she must
know the amount of the crops, the price of grain, the value
of the stock, the manner of work, and whatever else was
necessary to her position. Although she made many pretty
blunders, it was evident that her apprehension was unu-
sually quick, and that whatever she acquired was fixed in
her mind as if for some possible future use. She never
wearied of the most trivial details, while Joseph, on the
other hand, would often have willingly shortened his les-
sons. His mind was singularly disturbed between the
desire to be gratified by her curiosity, and the fact that its
eager and persistent character made him uncomfortable.
When an innocent, confiding nature begins to suspect
that its confidence has been misplaced, the first result is a
preternatural stubbornness to admit the truth. The clearest
impressions are resisted, or half-consciously misinterpreted,
with the last force of an illusion which already foresees its
own overthrow. Joseph eagerly clung to every look and
word and action which confirmed his sliding faith in his
wife's sweet and simple character, and repelled though a
deeper instinct told him that a day would come when it
must be admitted the evidence of her coldness and selfish-
ness. Yet, even while almost fiercely asserting to his own
heart that he had every reason to be happy, he was con-
sumed with a secret fever of unrest, doubt, and dread.
The horns of the growing moon were still turned down-
wards, and cold, dreary rains were poured upon the land.
Julia's patience, in such straits, was wonderful, if the truth
had been known, but she saw that some change was necessary
for both of them. She therefore proposed, not what she
].'5G JOSK1MI AND HIS FJUKM).
most dr:-iml, but what lior circumstances prescribed, a
visit from lier sister Clementina. Joseph fuuml tlie request
natural enough : it was an infliction, but one which ho had
anticipated; and after the time had been arranged by letter,
he drove to the station to meet the westward train from
the city.
Clementina stepped upon the platform, so cloaked and
hooded that he only recognized her by the deliberate grace
of her movements. She extended her hand, giving his a
cordial pressure, which was explained by the brass baggage-
checks thus transferred to his charge.
" I will wait in the ladies' room," was all she said.
At the same moment Joseph's arm was grasped.
" What a lucky chance ! " exclaimed Philip : then, sud-
denly pausing in his greeting, he lifted his hat and bowod to
Clementina, who nodded slightly as she passed into the
room.
" Let me look at you ! " Philip resumed, laying his h-inds
on Joseph's shoulders. Their eyes met and lingered, and
Joseph felt the blood rise to his face as Philip's gaze sank
more deeply into his heart and seemed to fathom its hidden
trouble ; but presently Philip smiled and said : "I scarcely
knew, until this moment, that I had missed you so much,
Joseph ! "
" Have you come to stay ? " Joseph asked.
{{ I think so. The branch railway down the valley, which
you know was projected, is to be built immediately ; but
there are other reasons why the furnaces should be in blast.
If it is possible, the work and my settlement with it will
begin without any further delay. Is she your first family
visit ? "
He pointed towards the station.
137
" She will bo with us a fortnight; but you will come,
Philip?"
" To be sure ! " Philip exclaimed. "I duly saw her face
indistinctly through the veil, but her nod said to me, ' A
nearer approach is not objectionable.' Certainlv, Miss
Blessing; but with all the conventional forms, if you please ! "
There was something of scorn and bitterness in the laugh
which accompanied these words, and Joseph looked at him
with a puzzled air.
" You may as well know now," Philip whispered, " that
when I was a spoony youth of twenty, I very nearly imagined
myself in love with Miss Clementina Blessing, and she en-
couraged my greenness until it spread as fast as a bamboo or
a gourd-vine. Of course, I've long since congratulated my-
self that she cut me up, root and branch, when our family
fortune was lost. The awkwardness of our intercourse is all
on her side. Can she still have faith in her charms and my
youth, I wonder ? Ye gods ! that would be a lovely con-
clusion of the comedy ! "
Joseph could only join in the. laugh as they parted.
There was no time to reflect tipon what had been said.
Clementina, nevertheless, assumed a new interest in his
eyes ; and as he drove her towards the farm, he could not
avoid connecting her with Philip in his thoughts. She,
too, was evidently preoccupied with the meeting, for Philip's
name soon floated to the surface of their conversation.
" I expect a visit from him soon," said Joseph. As she
was silent, he ventured to add : " You have no objections to
meeting with him, I suppose ? "
" Mr. Held is still a gentleman, I believe," Clementina
replied, and then changed the subject of conversation.
Julia flew at her sister with open arms, and showered on
138 JOSKI'II AXD HIS TJilEXD.
her a profusion of kisses, all of which wore received with
perfect serenity, Clementina merely saying, as soon as she
could get breath : " Dear me, Julia, I scarcely recognize
you ! You are already so countrified ! "
liachel Miller, although a woman, and notwithstanding
her recent experience, found herself greatly bewildered by
this new apparition. Clementina's slow, deliberate move-
ments and her even-toned, musical utterance impressed her
with a certain respect ; yet the qualities of character they
suggested never manifested themselves. On the contrary,
the same words, in any other mouth, would have often ex-
pressed malice or heartlessness. Sometimes she heard her
own homely phrases repeated, as if by the most unconscious
purposeless imitation, and had Julia either smiled or appeared
annoyed her suspicions might have been excited ; as it was,
she was constantly and sorely puzzled.
Once only, and for a moment, the two masks were slightly
lifted. At dinner, Clementina, who had turned the conver-
sation upon the subject of birthdays, suddenly said to Jo-
seph : " By the way, Mr. Asten, has Julia told you her
age?"
Julia gave a little start, but presently looked up, with an
expression meant to be artless.
" I knew it before we were married," Joseph quietly
answered.
Clementina bit her lip. Julia, concealing her surprise,
flashed a triumphant glance at her sister, then a tender one
at Joseph, and said: "We will both let the old birthdays
go; we will only have one and the same anniversary from
this time on ! "
Joseph felt, through some natural magnetism of his nature
rather than from anv perceptible evidence, that Clementina
was sharply and curiously watching the relation betwi-i-u
himself and his wife. He had no fear of her detecting mis-
givings which were not yet acknowledged to himself, but
was instinctively on his guard in her presence.
It was not many days before Philip called. Julia received
him cordially, as the friend of her husband, while Clemen-
tina bowed with an impassive face, without rising from her
seat. Philip, however, crossed the room and gave her his
hand, saying cheerily : '' AVe used to be old friends, Miss
Blessing. You have not forgotten me ? "
O O
" AVe cannot forget when we have been asked to do so,"
she warbled.
Philip took a chair. " Eight years ! " he said : " I am the
only one who has changed in that time."
Julia looked at her sister, but the latter was apparently
absorbed in comparing some zephyr tints.
" The whirligig of time ! " he exclaimed : " who can fore-
see anything ? Then I was an ignorant, petted young
aristocrat, an expectant heir; now behold me, working
among miners and puddlers and forgemen ! It's a rough
but wholesome change. Would you believe it, Mrs. Asten,
I've forgotten the mazurka ! "
" I wish to forget it," Julia replied : " the spring-house is
as important to me as the furnace to you."
" Have you seen the Hopetons lately ? " Clementina asked.
Joseph saw a shade pass over Philip's face, and he seemed
to hesitate a moment before answering : " I hear they will
be neighbors of mine next summer. Mr. Hopeton is inter-
ested in the new branch down the valley, and has purchased
the old Calvert property for a country residence."
" Indeed ? Then you will often see them."
" I hope so : they are very agreeable people. But I shall
JOSEPH A2S'D HIS FKIEXD.
also have my own little household : my sister will probably
join me."
" Xot Madeline I " exclaimed Julia.
" Madeline," Philip answered. " It has long been
her wish, as well as mine. You know the little cot-
tage on the knoll, at Coventry, Joseph ! I have taken it
for a year."
" There will be quite a city society," murmured Clemen-
tina, in her sweetest tones. " You will need 110 commisera-
tion, Julia. Unless, indeed, the country people succeed in
changing you all into their own likeness. Mrs. Hopeton
will certainly create a sensation. I am told that she is very
extravagant, Mr. Held ? "
" I have never seen her husband's bank account," said
Philip, dryly.
He rose presently, and Joseph accompanied him to the
lane. Philip, with the bridle-rein over his arm, delayed to
mount his horse, while the mechanical commonplaces of
speech, which, somehow, always absurdly come to the lips
when graver interests have possession of the heart, were
exchanged by the two. Joseph felt, rather than saw, that
Philip was troubled. Presently the latter said : " Some-
thing is coming over both of us, not between us. I thought
I should- tell you a little more, but perhaps it is too soon.
If I guess rightly, neither of us is ready. Only this, Joseph,
let us each think of the other as a help and a snpport ! "
" I do, Philip ! " Joseph answered. " I see there is some
influence at work which I do not understand, but I am
not impatient to know what it is. As for myself, I seem
to know nothing at all ; but you can judge, you see all
there is."
Even as he pronounced these words Joseph felt that they
JOSKni AND TTIS FIUKNT). 141
were not strictly sincere, and almost expected to find an ex-
pression of reproof in Philip's eyes. But no: they softened
nntil he only saw a pitying tenderness. Then he knew that
the doubts which he had resisted with all the force of his
nature were clearly revealed to Philip's mind.
They shook hands, and parted in silence ; and Joseph, as
he looked up to the gray blank of heaven, asked himself:
" Is this all ? Has my life already taken the permanent
imprint of its future ? "
14:2 JOSEPH AND HIS FKIEND
CHAPTER XIV.
THE AMARANTH.
CLEMENTINA returned to the city without having made
any very satisfactory discovery. Her parting was there-
fore conventionally tender: she even thanked Joseph for
his hospitality, and endeavored to throw a little natural
emphasis into her words as she expressed the hope of
being allowed to renew her visit in the summer.
During her stay it seemed to Joseph that the early hai - -
mony of his household had been restored. Julia's manner
had been so gentle and amiable, that, on looking back, he
was inclined to believe that the loneliness of her new life was
alone responsible for any change. But after Clementina's
departure his doubts were reawakened in a more threatening
form. He could not guess, as yet, the terrible chafing of a
smiling mask ; of a restraint which must not only conceal
itself, but counterfeit its opposite ; of the assumption by a
narrow, cold, and selfish nature of virtues which it secretly
despises. He could not have foreseen that the gentleness,
which had nearly revived his faith in her, would so sud-
denly disappear. But it was gone, like a glimpse of the
sun through the winter fog. The hard, watchful expression
came back to Julia's face ; the lowered eyelids no longer
gave a fictitious depth to her shallow, tawny pupils ; the
soft roundness of her voice took on a frequent harshness,
and the desire of asserting her own will in all things
betrayed itself through her affected habits of yielding and
seeking counsel.
113
She continued her plan of making herself acquainted with
all the details of the farm business. "\\ hen the roads began
to improve, in the early spring, she insisted in driving to the
village alone, and Joseph soon found that she made good use
of these journeys in extending her knowledge of the social
and pecuniary standing of all the neighboring families. She
talked with farmers, mechanics, and drovers ; became famil-
iar with the fluctuations in the prices of grain and cattle;
learned to a penny the wages paid for every form of service ;
and thus felt, from week to week, the ground growing more
secure under her feet.
Joseph was not surprised to see that his aunt's participa-
tion in the direction of the household gradually diminished.
Indeed, he scarcely noticed the circumstance at all, but he
was at last forced to remark her increasing silence and the
trouble of her face. To all appearance the domestic har-
mony was perfect, and if Rachel Miller felt some natural
regret at being obliged to divide her sway, it was a matter,
he thought, wherein he had best not interfere. One day,
however, she surprised him by the request :
"Joseph, can you take or send me to Magnolia to-mor-
row?"
" Certainly, Aunt ! " he replied. " I suppose you want
to visit Cousin Phebe; you have not seen her since last
summer."
"It was that, and something more." She paused a mo-
ment, and then added, more firmly : " She has always wished
that I should make my home with her, but I couldn't think
of any change so long as I was needed here. It seems to me
that I am not really needed now."
" Why, Aunt Rachel ! " Joseph exclaimed, " I meant this
to be your home always, as much as mine ! Of course you
14-4 J05KPII AXD HIS FRIEND.
are needed, not to do all that you have done heretofore,
but as a part of the family. It is your right."
"I understand all that, Joseph. But I've heard it said
that a young wife should learn to see to every tiling herself,
and Julia, I'm sure, doesn't need either my help or my advice."
Joseph's face became very grave. " Has she has she ? "
he stammered.
"ISTo," said Rachel, "she has not said it in words. Dif-
ferent persons have different ways. She is quick, O very
quick! and capable. You know I could never sit idly by,
and look on ; and it's hard to be directed. I seem to belong
to the place and everything connected with it ; yet there's
times when what a body ought to do is plain."
In endeavoring to steer a middle course between her con-
science and her tender regard for her nephew's feelings Rachel
only confused and troubled him. Her words conveyed some-
thing of the truth which she sought to hide under them.
She was both angered and humiliated ; the resistance with
which she had attempted to meet Julia's domestic innova-
tions was no match for the latter's tactics ; it had gone down
like a barrier of reeds and been contemptuously trampled
under foot. She saw herself limited, opposed, and finally
set aside by a cheerful dexterity of management which
evaded her grasp whenever she tried to resent it. Definite
acts, whereon to base her indignatioli, seemed to slip from
her memory, but the atmosphere of the house became fatal
to her. She felt this while she spoke, and felt also that
Joseph must be spared.
"Aunt Rachel," said he, "I know that Julia is very anx-
ious to learn everything which she thinks belongs to her
place, perhaps a little more than is really necessary. She's
an enthusiastic nature, you know. Maybe you are not fully
115
acquainted yet ; maybe you have misunderstood her in some,
tilings : 1 would like to think so.''
"It i^ true that we are dill' 'rent, Joseph, very different.
I don't say, therefor?, that I'm always right. It's likely,
indeed, that any voting wife and any old housekeeper like
myself would have their various notions. But where, there
can be onlv one head, it's the wife's place to be that head.
Julia has not asked it of me, but she has the right. I can't
say, also, that I don't need a little rest and change, and there
seems to be some call on me to oblige Ph<?be. Look at the
matter in the true light,'' she continued, seeing that Joseph
remained silent, "and you must feel that it's only natural."
"I hope so,'' ha said at last, repressing a sigh ; " all things
are changing."
" What can we do ? " Julia asked, that evening, when he
had communicated to her his aunt's resolution ; " it would
be so delightful if she would stay, and yet I have had a pre-
sentiment that she would leave us for a little while only, I
hope. Dear, good Annt Rachel ! I couldn't help seeing how
hard it was for her to allow the least change in the order of
housekeeping. She would be perfectly happy if I would sit
still all day and let her tire herself to death ; but how can I
do that, Joseph ? And no two women have exactly the same
ways and habits. I've tried to make everything pleasant
for her : if she would only leave many little matters entirely
to me, or at least not think of them, but I fear she cannot.
She manages to see the least that I do, and secretly worries
about it, in the very kindness of her heart. Why can't wo-
men carry on partnerships in housekeeping as men do in
business ? I suppose we are too particular ; perhaps I am
just as much so as Aunt Rachel. I have no doubt she
thinks a little hardly of me, and so it would do her good
146 JOSEPH AND HIS FKIKXD.
we should really come nearer again if slio had a change.
If she ivill go, Joseph, she must at least leave us with the
feeling that our home is always hers, whenever she chooses
to accept it."
Julia bent over Joseph's chair, gave him a rapid kiss, and
then went off to make her peace with Aunt Rachel. When
the two women came to the tea-table the latter had an un-
certain, bewildered air, while the eyelids of the former were
red, either from tears or much rubbing.
A fortnight afterwards Rachel Miller left the farm and
went to reside with her widowed niece, in Magnolia.
The day after her departure another surprise came to Jo-
seph in the person of his father-in-law. Mr. Blessing arrived
in a hired vehicle from the station. His face was so red and
radiant from the March winds, and perhaps some private
source of satisfaction, that his sudden arrival could not pos-
sibly be interpreted as an omen of ill-fortune. He shook
hands with the Irish groom who had driven him over, gave
him a handsome gratuity in addition to the hire of the team,
extracted an elegant travelling-satchel from under the seat,
and met Joseph at the gate, with a breezy burst of feeling :
" God bless you, son-in-law ! It does my heart good to
see you again ! And then, at last, the pleasure of behold-
ing your ancestral seat; really, this is quite quite mano-
rial!"
Julia, with a loud cry of " O pa ! " came rushing from
the house.
" Bless me, how wild and fresh the child looks ! " cried
Mr. Blessing, after the embrace. " Only see the country-
roses on her cheeks ! Almost too young and sparkling for
Lady Asten, of Asten Hall, eh? As Dry den says, ' Happy,
happy, happy pair ! ' It takes me back to the days when I
14:7
was a gay youiig lark; 1-uf I must have a care, and not
make an old fool of myself. LI t us r;o in and subside into
soberness : I am readv both ID lau:/h ai:d cr\v'
"When tlu-y were seun d in the comfortable front room,
Mr. Blessing opened his satchel and produced u largo lea-
ther-covered flask. Julia was probablv accustomed to hiss
habits, for she at once brought a gln;;s from the sideboard.
" I am still plague:! -with my old cramps/' her father said
to Joseph, as he poured out a stout dose. " Physiologists,
you know, have discovered that stimulants diminish the wear
and tear of life, and I find their theories correct. You, in
your pastoral isolation and pecuniary security, can form no
conception of the tension under which we men of office and
of the world live. Bentus ille, and so forth, strange that
the only fragment of Latin which I remember should be so
appropriate ! A little water, if yon please, Jnlia."
In the evening, when Mr. Blessing, slippered, sat before
the open fireplace, with a cigar in his mouth, the object of
his sudden visit crept by slow degrees to the light. " Have
you been dipping into oil ? " he asked Joseph.
Julia made haste to reply. " Not yet, but almost every-
body in the neighborhood is ready to do so now, since Clem-
son has realized his fifty thousand dollars in a single year.
They are talking of nothing else in the village. I heard
yesterday, Joseph, that Old Bishop has taken three thou-
sand dollars' worth of stock in a new company."
" Take my advice, and don't touch 'em ! " exclaimed Mr.
Blessing.
" I had not intended to," said Joseph.
" There is this thing about these excitements," Mr. Bless-
ing continued : " they never reach the rural districts until
the first sure harvest is over. The sharp, intelligent opera-
14S JOSEril AND TITS FRIEND.
tors in the largo cities the: men who are ready to take up
soap, thimbles, hand-organs, electricity, or hymn-books, at a
moment's notice always cut into a new tiling before its
value is guessed by the multitude. Then the smaller fry
follow and secure their second crop, while your quiet men
in the country are shaking their heads and crying 'hum-
bug!' Finally, when it really gets to be a humbug, in a
speculative sense, they just begin to believe in it, and are
fair game for the bummers and camp-followers of the finan-
cial army. I respect Clemson, though I never heard of him
before ; as for Old Bishop, he may be a very worthy man,
but he'll never see the color of his three thousand dollars
again."
" Pa ! " cried Julia, " how clear you do make everything.
And to think that I was wishing O, wishing so much !
that Joseph would go into oil."
She hung her head a little, looking at Joseph with an
affectionate, penitent glance. A quick gleam of satisfaction
passed over Mr. Blessing's face ; he smiled to himself, puffed
rapidly at his cigar for a minute, and then resumed : " In
such a field of speculation everything depends on being ini-
tiated. There are men in the city friends of mine who
know every foot of ground in the Alleghany Valley. They
can smell oil, if it's a thousand feet deep. They never touch
a thing that isn't safe, but, then, they know what's safe.
In spite of the swindling that's going on, it takes years to
exhaust the good points ; just so sure as your honest neigh-
bors here will lose, just so sure will these friends of mine
gain. There are millions in what they have under way, at
this moment."
" "What is it ? " Julia breathlessly asked, while Joseph's
face betrayed that his interest was somewhat aroused.
he said,
tre of the oil region, which is represented by the velL;w
col<>r. Tlic.se lime dots above the bend arc the ccL'brated
riuke Wells; the oth-r dots b<-lo\v are the equally cele-
brated Chowder Wells. Tin- di.-tanco between the two is
nearly three miles. IE' .TO is an untouched portion of the
treasure, a pocket of 1'actolu.s waiting to be rilled. A few
of us have- acquired the laud, and shall commence boring
immediately."
" But," said Joseph, "it seems to me that either the at-
tempt must have been made already, or that the land must
command such an enormous price as to lessen the profits."
" Wisely spoken ! It is the first question which would
occur to any prudent mind. But what if I say that neither
is the case ? And you, who are familiar with the frequent
eccentricities of old farmers, can understand the explanation.
The owner of the land was one of your ignorant, stubborn
men, who took such a dislike -to the prospectors and specu-
lators, that he refused to let them come near him. Both the
Fluke and Chowder Companies tried their best to buy him
out, but he had a malicious pleasure in leading them on to
make immense offers, and then refusing. "Well, a few
months ago he died, and his heirs were willing enough to let
the land go ; but before it could be regularly offered for sale,
the Fluke and Chowder Wells began to flow less and less.
Their shares fell from 270 to 95 ; the supposed value of the
land fell with them, and finally the moment arrived when
we could purchase for a very moderate sum. I see the ques-
tion in your mind ; why should we wish to buy when the
other wells were giving out ? There comes in the secret,
150 JOSKPII AXD HIS FRIKNI).
which is oui' veritable success. Consider it whispered in
your ears, and locked in your bosoms, torpedoes ! It was
not then generally exploded (to carry out the image), so we
bought at the low figure, in the very nick of time. Within
a week the Fhike and Chowder Wells were torpedoed, and
came back to more than their former capacity ; the shares
rose as rapidly as they had fallen, and the central body we
hold to which they are, as it were, the two arms could
now be sold for ten times what it cost us ! "
Here Mr. Blessing paused, with his finger 011 the map,
and a light of merited triumph in his eyes. Julia clapped
her hands, sprang to her feet, and cried : " Trumps at
last ! "
" Ay," said he, " wealth, repose for my old days,
wealth for us all, if your husband will but take the hand
I hold out to him. You now know, son-in-law, why the
endorsement you gave me was of such vital importance ;
the note, as you are aware, will mature in another week.
Why should you not charge yourself with the payment,
in consideration of the transfer to you of shares of the
original stock, already so immensely appreciated in value ?
J have delayed making any provision, for the sake of
offering you the chance."
Julia was about to speak, but restrained herself with
an apparent effort.
" I should like to know," Joseph said, " who are asso-
ciated with you in the undertaking ? "
" Well done, again ! Where did you get your practical
shrewdness ? The best men in the city ! not only the
Collector and the Surveyor, but Congressman Whaley,
E. D. Stokes, of Stokes, Pirricutt and Company, and even
the Reverend Doctor Lellifant. If I had not been an
JO.-KPJI AND HIS FPJEXD. 151
old friend of K;u;uck, tin; agent who negotiated the
purchase, my chance would have been impalpably small.
1 have all the documents with me. There has been no
more splendid opportunity since oil became a power !
1 hesitate to advise even one so near to me in snch
matters; but if you knew tlie certainties as I know them,
you would go in with all your available capital. The
excitement, as you say, lias reached the country com-
munities, which are slow to rise and equally slow to
subside; all oil stock will be in demand, but the Ama-
ranth, ' The Blessing,' they wished to call it, but I was
obliged to decline, for otFicial reasons, the Amaranth
shares will be the golden apex of the market ! "
Julia looked at Joseph with eager, hungry eyes. He,
too, was warmed and tempted by the prospect of easy
profit which the scheme held out to him ; only the habit
of his nature resisted, but with still diminishing force.
" I might venture the thousand," lie said.
" It is no venture ! " Julia cried. " In all the specu-
lations I have heard discussed by pa and his friends,
there was nothing so admirably managed as this. Such
a certainty of profit may never come again. If you
will be advised by me, Joseph, you will take shares to
the amount of five or ten thousand."
" Ten thousand is exactly the amount I hold open,"
Mr. Blessing gravely remarked. " That, however, does
not represent the necessary payment, which can hardly
amount to more than twenty-five per cent, before we
begin to realize. Only ten per cent, has yet been called,
so that your thousand at present will secure you an in-
vestment of ten thousand. Really, it seems like a for-
tunate coincidence."
152 JOr'KI'll AXD HIS FRIEND.
He went on, heating himself with his own words, until
the possibilities of the case grow so splendid that Joseph
felt himself da/zled and bewildered. Mr. Blessing was
a master in the avt of seductive statement. Even where
he was only the mouthpiece of another, a few repetitious
led him to the profoundest belief. Here there could be
no doubt of his sincerity, and, moreover, every movement
from the very inception of the scheme, every statistical
item, all collateral influences, were clear in his mind and
instantly accessible. Although he began by saying, " I
will make no estimate of the profits, because it is not pru-
dent to fix our hopes on a positive sum," he was soon
carried far away from this resolution, and most luxuri-'
ously engaged, pencil in hand, in figuring out results which
drove Julia wild with desire, and almost took away Joseph's
breath. The latter finally said, as they rose from the
session, late at night :
" It is settled that I take as much as the thousand will
cover; but I would rather think over the matter quietly
for a day or two before venturing further."
" You must," replied Mr. Blessing, patting him on
the shoulder. " These things are so new to your experi-
ence, that they disturb and I might almost say alarm
you. It is like bringing an increase of oxygen into your
mental atmosphere. (Ha ! a good figure : for the result
will be, a richer, fuller life. I must remember it.) But
you are a healthy organization, and therefore you are
certain to see clearly : I can wait?with confidence."
The nex,t morning Joseph, tnthout declaring his pur-
pose, drove to Coventry Foge to consult Philip. Mr.
Blessing and Julia, remaining at home, went over the
shining ground again, and yet again, confirming each
153
other
lie pa;
not.. 1 t
and maple-trees, could not prevent his thoughts from
dwelling on the delights of wealth. society, books, travel,
and all the mellow, furtmuite expansion of life. Involun-
tarily., ho hoped that Philip's counsel might coincide with
his father-in-law's offer.
But Philip was not at home. The forge was in full acti-
vity, the cottage on the knoll was repainted ancl made
attractive in various ways, and Philip would soon return
with his sister to establish a permanent home. Joseph
found the sign-spiritual of his friend in numberless little
touches and changes ; it seemed to him that a new soul
had entered into the scenery of the place.
A mile or two farther up the valley, a company of
mechanics and laborers were apparently tearing the old
Calvert mansion inside out. Plouse, bam, garden, and
lawn were undergoing a complete transformation. While
he paused at the entrance of the private lane, to take a
survey of the operations, Mr. Clcmson rode down to him.
from the house. The Hopetons, he said, would migrate
from the city early in May : work had already commenced
on the new railway, and in another year a different life
would come upon the whole neighborhood.
In the course of the conversation Joseph ventured to
sound Mr. Clemson in regard to the newly formed oil
companies. The latter frankly confessed that he had
withdrawn from further speculation, satisfied with his
fortune; he preferred to give no opinion, further than
that money was still to be made, if prudently placed.
The Fluke and Chowder Wells, he said, were old, well
7*
154: JOSKI'JI AND HIS FIITEXD.
known, and profitable. The new application of torpedoes
had restored their failing flow, and the stock had recovered
from its temporary depreciation. His own venture had
been made iu another part of the region.
The atmosphere into which Joseph entered, on return-
ing home, took away all further power of resistance.
Tempted already, and impressed by what he had learned,
he did what his wife and father-in-law desired.
JOSEPH AXD HIS FRIEND. 155
CHAPTER XV.
HAVING assumed the payment of Mr. Blessing's note,
as the first instalment upon his stock, Joseph was com-
pelled to prepare himself for future emergencies. A year
must still elapse before the terra of the mortgage upon
his farm would expire, but the sums he had invested for
the purpose of meeting it when due must be held ready
for use. The assurance of great and certain profit in the
mean time rendered this step easy ; and, even at the worst,
he reflected, there would be no difficulty in procuring a
new mortgage whereby to liquidate the old. A notice
which he received at this time, that a second assessment
of ten per cent, on the Amaranth stock had been made,
was both unexpected and disquieting. Mr. Blessing,
however, accompanied it with a letter, making clear not
only the necessity, but the admirable wisdom of a greater
present outlay than had been anticipated. So the first
of April the usual business anniversary of the neighbor-
hood went smoothly by. Money was plenty, the Asten
credit had always been sound, and Joseph tasted for the
first time a pleasant sense of power in so easily receivin"
and transferring considerable sums.
One result of the venture was the development of a new-
phase in Jxilia's nature. She not only accepted the future
profit as certain, but she had apparently calculated its exact
amount and framed her plans accordingly. If she had been
humiliated by the character of Joseph's first business trans-
action with her father, she now made amends fur it. " Pa"
was their good genius. " Pa" was tha agency whereby they
should achieve wealth and social importance. Joseph now
had the clearest evidence of the difference between a man
who knew the world and was of value in it, and their slow,
dull-headed country neighbors. Indeed, Julia seemed to
consider the Asten property as rather contemptible beside
the splendor of the Blessing scheme. Her gratitude for a
quiet home, her love of country life, her disparagement of
the shams and exactions of " society," were given up as sud-
denly and coolly as if she had never affected them. She
gave herself no pains to make the transition gradual, and
thus lessen its shock. Perhaps she supposed that Joseph's
fresh, unsuspicious nature was so plastic that it had already
sufficiently taken her impress, and that he would easily for-
get the mask she had worn. If so, she was seriously mis-
taken.
He saw, with a deadly chill of the heart, the change in
her manner, a change so complete that another face con-
fronted him at the table, even as another heart beat beside
his on the dishallowed marriage-bed. He saw the gentle
droop vanish from the eyelids, leaving the cold, flinty pupils
unshaded ; the soft appeal of the half-opened lips was lost
in the rigid, almost cruel compression which now seemed
habitual to them ; all the slight dependent gestures, the ten-
der airs of reference to his will or pleasure, had rapidly
transformed themselves into expressions of command or ob-
stinate resistance. But the patience of a loving man is
equal to that of a loving woman: he was silent, although
his silence covered an ever-increasing sense of outrage.
Once it happened, that after Julia had been unusually
15
eloquent concerning
UNO they should make of " p;i'
quietlv remarked :
" iVm seem, to forget, Julia, dint v.-ithout my money not
much could have been done.''
An angry color came into her face ; but, on second thought,
she bent her head, and murmured in an offended voice : "It
is very mean and ungenerous in you to refer to our tempo-
rary poverty. You might forget, by this time, the help pa
was compelled to ask of you/'
" I did not think of that ! " he exclaimed. " Besides,
you did not seem entirely satisfied with my help, at the
time."
" O, how you misunderstand me ! " she groaned. " I
only wished to know the extent of his need. He is so
generous, so considerate towards us, that we only guess his
misfortune at the last moment."
The possibility of being unjust silenced Joseph. There
were tears in Julia's voice, and he imagined they would soon
rise to her eyes. After a long, uncomfortable pause, he
said, for the sake of changing the subject : " What can have
become of El wood Withers? I have not seen him for
months."
" I don't think you need care to know," she remarked.
" He's a rough, vulgar fellow : it's just as well if he keeps
away from us."
" Julia ! he is my friend, and must always be welcome to
me. You were friendly enough towards him, and towards
all the neighborhood, last summer : how is it that you have
not a good word to say now ? "
He spoke warmly and indignantly. Julia, however, look-
ed at him with a calm, smiling face. " It is very simple,"
158 JOSEPH AXD HIS FEIEXD.
she said. " You will agree with me, in another year. A
guest, as I was, must try to see only the pleasant side of
people: that's our duty; and sol enjoyed as much as I
could the rusticity, the awkwardness, the ignorance, the
(now, don't be vexed, dear !) the vulgarity of your friend.
As one of the society of the neighborhood, as a resident, I
am not bound by any such delicacy. I take the same right
to judge and select as I should take anywhere. Unless I
am to be hypocritical, I cannot towards you, at least-
conceal my real feelings. How shall I ever get you to see
the difference between yourself and these people, unless I
continually point it out ? You are modest, and don't like
to acknowledge your own superiority."
She rose from the table, laughing, and went out of the
room humming a lively air, leaving Joseph to make the best
of her words.
A few days after this the work on the branch railway,
extending down the valley, reached a point where it could
be seen from the Asten farm. Joseph, on riding over to in-
spect the operations, was surprised to find Elwood, who had
left his father's place and become a sub-contractor. The
latter showed his hearty delight at their meeting.
" I've been meaning to come up," he said, " but this is a
busy time for me. It's a chance I couldn't let slip, and now
that I've taken hold I must hold on. I begin to think this
is the thing I was made for, Joseph."
" I never thought of it before," Joseph answered, " and yet
I'm sure you are right. How did you hit upon it ? "
"I didn't; it was Mr. Held."
Philip ? "
" Him. You know I've been hauling for the Forge, and
so it turned up by degrees, as I may say. He's at home }
FIJIEXD. 159
and, I expect, looking for yon. But Low are you new,
really?"'
Elwood's question meant a great deal niore than lie knew
h'iw to say. Suddenly, in a llash of memory, tlieir talk of
the previous year returned to Joseph's mind; lie saw his
friend's true instincts and his own blindness as never be-
fore. But he must dissemble, if possible, with that strong,
rough, kindly face before him.
" O," he said, attempting a cheerful air, " I am one of the
old folks now. You must come up "
The recollection of Julia's words cut short the invitation
upon his lips. A sharp pang went through his heart, and
the treacherous blood crowded to his face all the more that
lie tried to hold it back.
" Come, and I'll show you where we're going to make
the cutting," Ehvood quietly said, taking him by the arm.
Joseph fancied, thenceforth, that there was a special kind-
ness in his manner, and the suspicion seemed to rankle in
his mind as if he had been slighted by his friend.
As before, to vary the tedium of his empty life, so now, to
escape from the knowledge which he found himself more and
more powerless to resist, he busied himself beyond all need
with the work of the farm. Philip had returned with his
sister, he knew, but after the meeting with Elwood he shrank
with a painful dread from Philip's heart-deep, intimate eye.
Julia, however, all the more made use of the soft spring
weather to survey the social ground, and choose where to
take her stand. Joseph scarcely knew, indeed, how exten-
sive her operations had been, until she announced an invita-
tion to dine with the Hopetons, who were now in possession
of the renovated Calvert place. She enlarged, more than
was necessary, on the distinguished city position of the
ICO JOSEPH AX1) III5 FR1KXD.
family, and the importance of "cultivating" its country
members. Joseph's single brief meeting wiih .Mr. Hope-
ton who was a short, solid man, in ripe middle age, of a
thoroughly cosmopolitan, though not a remarkably intellec-
tual stamp had been agreeable, and he recognized the obli-
gation to be neighborly. Therefore lie readily accepted the
invitation on his own grounds.
"When the day arrived, Julia, after spending the morning
over her toilet, came forth resplendent in rosy silk, bright
and dazzling in complexion, and with all her former grace of
languid eyelids and parted lips. The void in Joseph's heart
grew wider at the sight of her ; for he perceived, as never
before, her consummate skill in assuming a false character.
It seemed incredible that he should have been so deluded.
For the first time a feeling of repulsion, which was almost
disgust, came upon him as he listened to her prattle of de-
light in the soft weather, and the fragrant woods, and the
blossoming orchards. Was not, also, this delight assumed?
he asked himself: false in one thing, false in all, was the
fatal logic which then and there began its torment.
The most that was possible in such a short time had been
achieved on the Calvert place. The house had been bright-
ened, surrounded by light, airy verandas, and the lawn and
garden, thrown into one and given into the hands of a skil-
ful gardener, were scarcely to be recognized. A broad, solid
gravel-walk replaced the old tan-covered path ; a pretty
fountain tinkled before the door ; thick beds of geranium
in flower studded the turf, and veritable thickets of rose-
trees were waiting for June. "Within the house, some rooms
had been thrown together, the walls richly yet harmoniously
colored, and the sumptuous furniture thus received a proper
setting. In contrast to the houses of even the wealthiest
1G1
farmers, winch expressed a nicely reckoned sufficiency of
comfort, tlie place had tin air of joyous profusion., of a
wealth which deliglited in itself.
Z\Ir. Hopeton met tlieui with the frank, offhand manner
of a man of business. I [is wife loll owed, and the two
guests made a rapid inspection of her as she came down the
hail. Julia noticed that her crocus-colored dress was high
in the neck, and plainly trimmed ; that she wore no orna-
ments, and that the natural pallor of her complexion had
not been corrected by art. Joseph remarked the simple
grace of her movement, the large, dark, inscrutable eyes, the
smooth bands of her black hair, and the pure though some-
what lengthened oval of her face. The gentle dignity of her
manner more than refreshed, it soothed him. She was so
much younger than her husband that Joseph involuntarily
wondered how they should have come together.
The greetings were scarcely over before Philip and Made-
line Held arrived. Julia, with the least little gush of ten-
derness, kissed the latter, whom Philip then presented to
Joseph for the first time. She had the same wavy hair as
her brother, but the golden hue was deepened nearly into
brown, and her eyes were a clear hazel. It was also the
same frank, firm face, but her woman's smile was so much
the sweeter as her lips were lovelier than the man's. Joseph
seemed to clasp an instant friendship in her offered hand.
There was but one other guest, who, somewhat to his sur-
prise, was Lucy Henderson. Julia concealed whatever she
might have felt, and made so much reference to their former
meetings as might satisfy Lucy without conveying to Mrs.
Hopeton the impression of any special intimacy. Lucy
looked thin and worn, and her black silk dress was not of
the latest fashion : she seemed to be the poor relation of the
102 JOSKl'II AND HIS FIUKXD.
company. Joseph learned that she had taken one of the
schools in the valley, for the summer. Her manner to him
was as simple and friendly as ever, but ho felt the presence
of some new element of strength and self-reliance in her na-
ture.
His place at dinner was beside Mrs. Hopeton, while
Lucy apparently by accident sat upon the other side of
the hostess. Philip and the host led the conversation, con-
fining it too exclusively to the railroad and iron interests ;
but these finally languished, and gave way to other topics in
which all could take part. Joseph felt that while the others,
except Lucy and himself, were fashioned under different as-
pects of life, some of which they shared in. common, yet that
their seeming ease and freedom of communication touched,
here and there, some invisible limit, which they were care-
ful not to pass. Even Philip appeared to be beyond his
reach, for the time.
The country and the people, being comparatively new to
them, naturally came to be discussed.
" Mr. Held, or Mr. Asten, either of you know both,"
Mr. Hopeton asked, " what are the principal points of differ-
ence between society in the city and in the country ? "
" Indeed, I know too little of the city," said Joseph.
" And I know too little of the country, here, at least,"
Philip added. " Of course the same passions and prejudices
come into play everywhere. There are circles, there are
jealousies, ups and downs, scandals, suppressions, and reha-
bilitations : it can't be otherwise."
"Are they not a little worse in the country," said Julia,
" because I may ask the question here, among us there is
less refinement of manner ? "
" If the external forms are ruder," Philip resumed, " it
163
may be an advantage, in one sense. Hypocrisy cannot be
developed into an art."
Julia bit her lip, and was silent.
" But are the country people, hereabouts, so rough '? " Mrs.
Hopeton asked. " I confess that they don't seem so to me.
What do yon say, Miss Henderson '? "
" Perhaps I am not an impartial witness," Lucy answered.
" We care less about what is called ' manners ' than the city
people. We have no fixed rules for dress and behavior, only
we don't like any one to differ too much from the rest of us."
" That's it! " Mr. Hopeton cried; " the tyrannical level-
ling sentiment of an imperfectly developed community !
.Fortunately, I am beyond its reach."
Julia's eyes sparkled : she looked across the table at Jo-
seph, with a triumphant air.
Philip suddenly raised his head. " How would you cor-
rect it ? Simply by resistance ? " he asked.
Mr. Hopeton laughed. "I should no doubt get myself
into a hornet's-nest. No ; by indifference ! "
Then Madeline Held spoke. " Excuse me," she said ; " but
is indifference possible, even if it were right? You seem to
take the levelling spirit for granted, without looking into its
character and causes ; there must be some natural sense of
justice, no matter how imperfectly society is developed. We
are members of this community, at least, Philip and I cer-
tainly consider ourselves so, and I am determined not to
judge it without knowledge, or to offend what may be only
mechanical habits of thought, unless I can see a sure advan-
tage in doing so."
Lucy Henderson looked at the speaker with a bright,
grateful face. Joseph's eyes wandered from her to Julia,
who was silent and watchful.
IG-i JOSKl'II ASl) HIS FUL' : :XD.
" But I havo no time for such conscientious studies," ^Fr.
Hopeton resumed. " One can be. sati.siied with L;df a dozen.
neighbors, and let the mass go. Indifference, after all, is the
best philosophy. What do you say, 3.1 r. Held * "
" JudiiFerence ! " Philip echoed. A dark flush caino into
his face, and he was silent a moment. " Yes: oui 1 hearts are
inconvenient appendages. We sutler a deal from unneces-
sary sympathies, and from imagining, I suppose, that others
feel them as we do. These uneasy features of society are
simply the effort of nature to find some occupation for brains
otherwise idle or empty. Teach the people to think, and
they will disappear."
Joseph stared at Philip, feel ing that a secret bitterness was
hidden under his careless, mocking air. Mrs. Hopeton rose,
and the company left the table. Madeline Held had a
troubled expression, but there was an eager, singular bright-
ness in Julia's eyes.
" Emily, let us have coffee on the veranda," said Mr.
Hopeton, leading the way. He had already half forgotten
the subject of conversation : his own expressions, in fact,
had been made very much at random, for the sole pur-
pose of keeping up the flow of talk. He had no very
fixed views of any kind, beyond the sphere of his business
activity.
Philip, noticing the impression he had made on Joseph,
drew him to one side. " Don't seriously remember my
words against me," he said ; " you were sorry to hear them,
1 know. All I meant was, that an over-sensitive tenderness
towards everybody is a fault. Besides, I was provoked to
answer him in his own vein,"
" But, Philip ! " Joseph whispered, " such words tempt
me ! What if they were true ? "
16;
Philip g:r.*ped his arm wiih a painful force. "They
never can be true to you, Joseph," lie said.
Gay and pleasant as the company senaed to b--\ each one
felt a secret sense of relief when it came to an end. As Jo-
seph drove homewards, silently recalling what had been
said, .Julia interrupted his reilections with : '*' \\~ell, what do
you think of the Hopetotis ? "
"She is an interesting woman,'" he answered.
" But reserved ; and si >e shows very little taste in dress.
However, I suppose you hardly noticed anything of the
kind. Hhe kept Lucy Henderson beside her as a foil : Ma-
deline Held would have been damaging."
Joseph only partly guessed her meaning ; it was repug-
nant, and he determined to avoid its further- discussion.
" Hopeton is a shrewd business man," Julia continued,
" but he cannot compare with her for shrewdness either
with her or Philip Held ! "
" What do you mean ? "
" I made a discovery before the dinner was over, which
you innocent, unsuspecting man that you are might have
before your eyes for years, without seeing it. Tell me now,
honestly, did you notice nothing ? "
" What should I notice, beyond what was said ? " he asked.
" That was the least ! " she cried ; " but, of course, I
knew you couldn't. And perhaps you Avon't believe me,
when I tell you that Philip Held, your particular friend,
your hero, for aught I know, your pattern of virtue and
character, and all that is manly and noble, that Philip
Held, I say,- is furiously in love with Mrs. Hopeton ! "
Joseph started as if he had been shot, and turned around
with an angry red on his brow. " Julia ! " he said, " how
dare you speak so of Philip ! "
106 JOSEPH AND Illrf FRIEND.
She laughed. " Because I dare to speak the truth, whon
I sec it. I thought I should surprise you. I remembered
a certain rumor I had heard before she was married, while
she was Emily Marrable, and I watched them closer than
they guessed. I'm certain of Philip : as for her, she's a
deep creature, and she was 011 her guard ; but they are
near neighbors."
Joseph was thoroughly aroused and indignant. "It is
your own fancy ! " lie exclaimed. " You hate Philip on
account of that affair with Clementina ; but you ought to
have some respect for the woman whose hospitality you
have accepted ! "
" Bless me ! I have any quantity of respect both for her
and her furniture. By the by, Joseph, our parlor would
furnish better than hers ; I have been thinking of a few
changes we might make, which would wonderfully improve
the house. As for Philip, Clementina was a fool. She'd
be glad enough to have him now, but in these matters, once
gone is gone for good. Somehow, people who marry for
love very often get rich afterwards, ourselves, for in-
stance."
It was some time before Joseph's excitement subsided.
He had resented Julia's suspicion as dishonorable to Philip,
yet he could not banish the conjecture of its possible truth.
If Philip's affected cynicism had tempted him, Julia's un-
blushing assumption of the existence of a passion which was
forbidden, and therefore positively guilty, seemed to stain
the pure texture of his natxire. The lightness with which
she spoke of the matter was even more abhorrent to him
than the assertion itself ; the malicious satisfaction in the
tones of her voice had not escaped his ear.
" Julia," he said, just before they reached Lome, " do not
JOSKI'U AXI) HIS iTJEXI). 107
mention your fancy to another soul than mo. It Avould
reflect discredit on you."
" You are innocent," she answered. ' ; And yon arc not
complimentary. If I have any remarkable qnaliiy, it is
tact. Whenever I speak, I shall know the effect before-
hand ; even pa, with all his official experience, is no match
for me in this line. I see what the Hopetons are after, and
I mean to show them that we Avere first in the field. Don't
be concerned, yon good, excitable creature, yon are no match
for such well-drilled people. Let me alone, and before the
summer is over we will "ive the law to the neighborhood ! "
168 jo.sKrji AND ins FJRIEND.
CHAPTER XVI.
JOSEPH'S TROUBLE, AND PHILIP'S.
THE bare, repulsive, inexorable truth was revealed at last.
There was no longer any foothold for doubt, any possibility
of continuing his desperate self-deceit. From that day all
the joy, the trust, the hope, seemed to fade out of Joseph's
life. What had been lost was irretrievable : the delusion
of a few months had fixed his fate forever.
His sense of outrage was so strong and keen so burned
upon his consciousness as to affect him like a dull physical
pain that a just and temperate review of his situation was
impossible. False in one thing, false in all : that was the
single, inevitable conclusion. Of course she had never even
loved him. Her coy maiden airs, her warm abandonment
to feeling, her very tears and blushes, were artfully simu-
lated : perhaps, indeed, she had laughed in her heart, yea,
sneered, at his credulous tenderness ! Her assumption of
rule, therefore, became an arrogance not to be borne. What
right had she, guilty of a crime for which there is no name
and no punishment, to reverse the secret justice of the soul,
and claim to be rewarded ?
So reasoned Joseph to himself, in his solitary broodings ;
but the spell was not so entirely broken as he imagined.
Sternly as he might have resolved in advance, there was a
glamour in her mask of cheerfulness and gentleness, which
made his resolution seem hard and cruel. In her presence
he could not clearly remember his wrongs : the past delusion
1G9
had been a reality, nevertheless : and ho could make no
assertion which did not involve his own miserable humilia-
tion. Thus the depth and vital force of his struggle could
not be guessed by Julia. She saw only irritable moods, the
natural male resistance which she had often remarked in her
father, perhaps, also, the annoyance of giving up certain
'' romantic" fancies, which .sin 1 believed to be common to all
young men, and never permanent. Even an open rupture
could not have pushed them apart so rapidly as this hollow
external routine of life.
Joseph took the earliest opportunity of visiting Philip,
whom he found busy in forge and foundry. " This would be
the life for you ! " he said : " we deal only with physical
forces, human and elemental : we direct and create power,
yet still obey the command to put money in our prirses."
" Is that one secret of your strength ? " Joseph asked.
" Who told you that I had any ? "
" I feel it," said Joseph ; and even as he said it he re-
membered Julia's unworthy suspicion.
" Come up and see Madeline a moment, and the home
she has made for me. We get on veiy well, for brother and
sister especially since her will is about as stubborn as mine."
Madeline was very bright and cheerful, and Joseph, cer-
tainly, saw no signs of a stubborn will in her fair face. She
was very simply dressed, and busy with some task of
needle- work, which she did not lay aside.
" You might pass already for a member of our commu-
nity," he could not help saying.
" I think your most democratic farmers will accept me,"
she answered, " when they learn that I am Philip's house-
keeper. The only dispute we have had, or are likely to
have, is in relation to the salary."
8
170 JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND.
" She is an inconsistent creature, Joseph," said Philip.
" I was obliged to offer her as much as she earned by her
music-lessons before she would come at all, and now slie
can't find work enough to balance it."
" How can I, Philip, when you tempt me every day
with walks and rides, botany, geology, and sketching from
nature ? "
So much frank, affectionate confidence showed itself
through the playful gossip of the two, that Joseph was at
once comforted and pained. " If I had only had a sister ! "
he sighed to Philip, as they walked down the knoll.
The friends took the valley road, Joseph leading his
horse by the bridle. The stream was full to its banks, and
crystal clear : shoals of young fishes passed like drifted
leaves over the pebbly ground, and the fragrant water-
beetles skimmed the s\n face of the eddies. Overhead the
vaults of the great elms and sycamores were filled with the
green, delicious illumination of the tender foliage. It was
a scene and a season for idle happiness.
Yet the first words Philip spoke, after a long silence,
were : " May I speak now ? " There was infinite love and
pity in his voice. He took Joseph by the hand.
" Yes," the latter whispered.
" It has come," Philip continued ; " you cannot hide it
from yourself any longer. My pain is that I did not dare
to warn you, though at the risk of losing your friendship.
There was so little time "
" You did try to warn me, Philip ! I have recalled your
words, and the trouble in your face as you spoke, a thou-
sand times. I was a fool, a blind, miserable fool, and my
folly has ruined my life ! "
" Strange," said Philip, musingly, " that only a perfectly
Fini'XD. 171
good and puve nature can fall into surh a wretched snare.
And yet 'Virtue is its own reward,' is dinned into our
ears ! It is Hell for a single fault : nay, not even a fault,
an innocent mistake ! Put let us S"0 what can be done :
is there no common ground whereon your natures can
stand together ? If there should be a child
Joseph shuddered. " Once it seamed too great, too won-
derful a hope," he said, " but now, I don't dare to wish for
it. Philip, I am too sorely hurt to think clearly : there is
nothing to do but to wait. It is a miserable kind of com-
fort to me to have your sympathy, but I fear you cannot
help me."
Philip saw that he could bear no more : his face was pale
to the lips and his hands trembled. He led him to the bank,
sat down beside him, and laid his arm about his neck. The
silence and the caress were more soothing to Joseph than
any words ; he soon became calm, and remembered an im-
portant part of his errand, which was to acquaint Philip
with the oil speculation, and to ask his advice.
They discussed the matter long and gravely. "With all his
questions, and the somewhat imperfect information which
Joseph was able to give, Philip could not satisfy himself
whether the scheme was a simple swindle or a well-con-
sidered business venture. Two or three of the names were
respectable, but the chief agent, Kanuck, was unknown to
him ; moreover, Mr. Blessing's apparent prominence in
the undertaking did not inspire him with much confidence.
" How much have you already paid on the stock ? " he asked.
" Three instalments, which, Mr. Blessing thinks, is all
that will be called for. However, I have the money for a
fourth, should it be necessary. He writes to me that the
stock has already risen a hundred per cent, in value."
17:2 .lOSK: 1 !! AND I: IS FKDOXD.
" If that is so," said Philip, " let me advise you to sell
half of it, at once. The sum received will cover your liabil-
ities, and the half you retain, as a venture, -\vill give you
no further anxiety."
" I had thought of that ; yet I am sure that my father-
in-law will oppose such a step with all his might. You
must know him, Philip; tell me, frankly, your opinion of
his character."
" Blessing belongs to a class familiar enough to me,"
Philip answered ; " yet I doubt whether you will com-
prehend it. He is a swaggering, amiable, magnificent
adventurer ; never purposely dishonest, I am sure, yet
sometimes engaged in transactions that would not bear
much scrutiny. His life has been one of ups and downs.
After a successful speculation, he is luxurious, open-handed,
and absurdly self-confident ; his success is soon flung away :
he then good-humoredly descends to poverty, because he
never believes it can last long. He is unreliable, from his
over-sanguine temperament ; and yet this very temper-
ament gives him a certain power and influence. Some of
our best men are on familiar terms with him. They are on
their guard against his pecuniary approaches, they laugh
at his extravagant schemes, but they now and then find
him useful. I heard Gray, the editor, once speak of him as
a man ' filled with available enthusiasms,' and I guess that
phrase hits both his strength and his weakness."
On the whole, Joseph felt rather relieved than disquieted.
The heart was lighter in his breast as he moxinted his horse
and rode homewards.
Philip slowly walked forwards, yielding his mind to
thoughts wherein Joseph was an important but not the prin-
cipal figure. Was thei-e a positive strength, he asked him-
self, in a wider practical experience of life? Did such ex-
perience really strengthen the basis of character vhich must
support a man, when some unexpected moral crisis comes
upon him? He knew that he seemed strung, to Joseph ; but
the latter, so far, was bearing his terrible test with a patience
drawn from some source of elemental power. Joseph had
simply been ignorant : hv had been proud, impatient, and
he now confessed to himself weakly jealous. In both
cases, a mistake had passed beyond the plastic stage where
life may still be remoulded : it had hardened into an inexo-
rable fate. "What was to be the end of it all ?
A light footstep interrupted his reflections, lie looked
up, and almost started, on finding himself face to face with
Mrs. Hopeton.
Her face was flushed from her walk and the mellow
warmth of the afternoon. She held a bunch of wild- flowers,
- pink azaleas, delicate sigillarias, valerian, and scarlet
painted-cup. She first broke the silence by asking after
Madeline.
" Busy with some important sewing, curtains, I fancy.
She is becoming an inveterate housekeeper," Philip said.
" I am glad, for hex sake, that she is here. And it must
be very pleasant for you, after all your wanderings."
"I must look on it, I suppose," Philip answered, " as the
only kind of a home I shall ever have, while it lasts. But
Madeline's life must not be mutilated because mine happens
to be."
The warm color left Mrs. Ilopeton's face. She strove to
make her voice cold and steady, as she said : " I am sorry
to see you growing so bitter, Mr. Held."
"I don't think it is my proper nature, Mrs. Hopeton.
But you startled me out of a retrospect which had exhaust-
174: JOSEPH AND HIS FKIEND.
ed my capacity for self-reproach, and was about to become
self-cursing. There is no bitterness quite equal to that of
seeing how weakly one has thrown away an irrecoverable
fortune."
She stood before him, silent and disturbed. It was im-
possible not to understand, yet it seemed equally impossible
to answer him. She gave one glance at his earnest, dark
gray eyes, his handsome manly face, and the sprinkled
glosses of sunshine on his golden hair, and felt a chill strike
to her heart. She moved a step, as if to end the inter-
view.
" Only one moment, Mrs. Hopeton Emily ! " Philip
cried. " We may not meet again thus for years. I will
not needlessly recall the past. I only mean to speak of my
offence, to acknowledge it, and exonerate you from any
share in the misunderstanding which made us what we
are. You cannot feel the burden of an unpardoned fault ;
but will you not allow me to lighten mine ? "
A softer change came over her stately form. Her arm re-
laxed, and the wild-flowers fell upon the ground.
" I was wrong, first," Philip went on, " in not frankly con-
fiding to you the knowledge of a boyish illusion and dis-
appointment. I had been heartlessly treated : it was a silly
affair, not worth the telling now ; but the leaven of mistrust
it left behind was not fully worked out of my nature. Then,
too, I had private troubles, which my pride sore, just then,
from many a trifling prick, at which I should now laiigh
led me to conceal. I need not go over the appearances
which provoked me into a display of temper as unjust as it
was unmanly, it is enough to say that all circumstances
combined to make me impatient, suspicious, fiercely jealous.
I never paused to reflect that you could not know the series
of aggravations v.-hicli preceded our misunderstanding. I
did not guess ho\v far I was giving expression to them, and
unconsciously transferring to you the ofl'ences of others.
ZSTav, I exacted a completer surrender of your woman's
pride, because a woman had already chosen to make a play-
thing of my green hoy-love. There is no use in speaking of
any of the particulars of our quarrel ; for J confess to you
that I was recklessly, miserably wrong. But the time has
come when you can afford to be generous, when you can
allow yourself to speak my forgiveness. Xot for the
sake of anything I might have been to you, but as a
true woman, dealing with her brother-man, I ask your par-
don ! "
Mrs. Hopeton could not banish the memory of the old
tenderness which pleaded for Philip in her heart. He had
spoken no word which could offend or alarm her : they were
safely divided by a gulf which might never be bridged, and
perhaps it was well that a purely human, reconciliation
should now clarify what was turbid in the past, and reunite
them by a bond pure, though eternally sad. She came slow-
ly towards him, and gave him her hand.
" All is not only pardoned, Philip," she said, " but it is
now doubly my duty to forget it. Do not suppose, however,
that I have had no other than reproachful memories. My
pride was as unyielding as yours, for it led me to the defiance
which you could not then endure. I, too, was haughty
and imperious. I recall every word I uttered, and I know
that you have not forgotten them. But let there be equal
and final jxistice between us : forget my words, if you can,
and forgive me ! "
Philip took her hand, and held it softly in his own. No
power on earth could have prevented their eyes from meet-
176 JOSEPH AXD HIS FIJIKXn.
ing. Out of the far-off distance of all dead joys, over all
abysses of fate, the sole power which time and will are pow-
erless to tame, took swift possession of their natures.
Philip's eyes were darkened and softened by a film of gath-
ering tears : he cried in a broken voice :
" Yes, pardon ! but I thought pardon might be peace.
Forget? Yes, it would be easy to forget the past, if, O
Emily, we have never been parted until now ! "
She had withdrawn her hand, and covered her face. He
saw, by the convulsive tremor of her frame, that she was
fiercely suppressing her emotion. In another moment she
looked up, pale, cold, and almost defiant.
" Why should you say more ? " she asked. " Mutual
forgiveness is our duty, and there the duty ends. Leave mo
now ! "
Philip knew that he had betrayed himself. Not daring
to speak another word he bowed and walked rapidly awav.
Mrs. Hopeton stood, with her hand pressed upon her
bosom, until he had disappeared among the farther trees :
then she sat down, and let her withheld tears flow
freely.
Presently the merry whoops and calls of children met her
ear. She gathered together the fallen flowers, rose and took
her way across the meadows towards a little stone school-
house, at the foot of the nearest hill. Lucy Hender-
son already advanced to meet her. There was still an
hour or two of sunshine, but the mellow, languid heat
of the day was over, and the breeze winnowing down
the valley brought with it the smell of the blossoming
vernal grass.
The two women felt themselves drawn towards each other,
though neither had as yet divined the source of their afiec-
JOSEPH AM) ]!!.- FFJEXIX 177
tionate instinct. Xow, looking ujn-n Lucy's pure, gently
firm, and reliant face, Mrs. Iloneton, for the second or third
time in her life, yielded to a sudden, powerful impulse, and
said : >; .Lucy, I foresee that [ shall need the love and the
trust of a true woman : where shall I find it if not in you? ''
' ; If mine will content you,'' said Luev.
" O my dear ! " Mrs. llopeton cried ; " none of us can
stand alone. God has singular trials for us, sometimes, and
the use and the conquest of a trouble may both become clear
in the telling of it. The heart can wear itself out with its
own bitterness. You see, 1 force my confidence upon you,
but I know you are strong to receive it."
" At least," Lucy answered, gravely, " I have no claim
to strength unless I am willing to have it tested."
" Then let me make the severest test at once : I shall
have less courage if I delay. Can you comprehend the
nature of a woman's trial, when her heart resists her duty ? "
A deep blush overspread Lucy's face, but she forced her-
self to meet Mrs. Hopeton's gaze. The two women were
silent a moment ; then the latter threw her arms around
Lucy's neck and kissed her.
" Let us walk ! " she said. " "We shall both find the words
we need."
They moved away over the fragrant, shining meadows.
Down the valley, at the foot of the blue cape which wooed
their eyes, and perhaps suggested to their hearts that mys-
terious sense of hope which lies in landscape distances,
Elwood Withers was directing his gang of workmen. Over
the eastern hill, Joseph Asten stood among his fields, hardly
recognizing their joyous growth. The smoke of Philip's
forge rose above the trees to the northward. So many dis-
appointed hearts, so manv thwarted lives ! What strand
8*
178 JOSEPH AND HIS FRIE.VD.
shall be twisted out of the broken threads of these desti-
nies, thus drawn so near to each other ? What new
forces - fatal or beneficent shall be developed from these
elements ?
Mr. Hopeton, riding homewards along the highway, said to
himself : " It's a pleasant country, but what slow, humdrum
lives the people lead ! "
JOSEPH AM) HIS FRIEND. 179
CHAPTEE XVII.
" I HAVE a plan," said Julia, a week or two later. " Can
you guess it ? No, I think not ; yet you might ! O, how
lovely the light falls on your hair : it is perfect satin ! "
She had one hand on his shoulder, and ran the fingers of
the other lightly through his brown locks. Her face, spark-
ling all over with a witching fondness, was lifted towards his.
It was the climax of an amiable mood which had lasted
three days.
What young man can resist a playful, appealing face, a
soft, caressing touch ? Joseph smiled as he asked,
" Is it that I shall wear my hair iipon my shoulders, or
that we shall sow plaster on the clover-field, as old Bishop
advised you the other day ? "
" Now you are making fun of my interest in farming ; but
wait another year ! I am trying earnestly to understand it, but
only so that ornament beauty what was the word in those
lines you read last night? may grow out of use. That's
it Beauty out of Use ! I know I've bored you a little
sometimes just a little, now, confess it ! with all my ques-
tions ; but this is something different. Can't you think of
anything that would make our home, O so much more beau-
tiful ? "
" A grove of palm-trees at the top of the garden ? Or a
lake in front, with marble steps leading down to the water?"
" You perverse Joseph ! No : something possible, some-
ISO .TOSHI'II AND HIS FRIK.YT).
thing practicable, somctliing handsome, something profitable!
Or, are you so old-fashioned that you think we must drudge
for thirty years, and only take our pleasure after we grow
rheumatic ? "
Joseph looked at her with a puzzled, yet cheerful face.
" You don't understand me yet ! " she exclaimed. "And
indeed, indeed, I dread to tell you, for one reason : you have
such a tender regard for old associations, not that I'd have
it otherwise, if I could. I like it : I trust I have the same
feeling; yet a little sentiment sometimes interferes practi-
cally with the improvement of our lives."
Joseph's curiosity was aroused. " What do you mean,
Julia? " he asked.
" No ! " she cried ; " I will not tell you until I have read
part of pa's letter, which came this afternoon. Take the
arm-chair, and don't interrupt me."
She seated herself on the window-sill and opened the let-
ter. " I saw," she said, " how uneasy you felt when the call
came for the fourth instalment of ten per cent, on the Ama-
ranth shares, especially after I had so much difficulty in per-
suading you not to sell the half. It surprised me, although
I knew that, where pa is concerned, there's a good reason for
everything. So I wrote to him the other day, and this is
what he says, you remember, Kanuck is the company's
agent on the spot:
" ' Tell Joseph that in matters of finance there's often a
wheel within a wheel. Blenkinsop, of the Chowder Com-
pany, managed to get a good grab of our shares through a
third party, of whom we had not the slightest suspicion. I
name no name at present, from motives of prudence. We
only discovered the circumstance after the third party left
for Europe. Looking upon the Chowder as a rival, it is our
1S1
desire, of course, to extract this entering wedge before it has
been thrust into our vitals, and we can only accomplish the
end by still keeping secret the discovery of the torpedoes (an.
additional expense, I might remark), and calling for fresh
instalments from all the stockholders. Blenkinsop, not be-
ing within the inside ring, and no possibility of It is getting
in ! will naturally see only the blue of disappointment
where we see the rose of realized expectations. Alreadv, so
Ivaiiuck writes to me, negotiations are on foot which will re-
lieve onr Amaranth of this parasitic growth, and a few weeks
days hours, in fact, may enable its to explode and triumph !
I was offered, yesterday, by one of our shrewdest operators,
who has been silently watching us, ten shares of the Sinne-
mahoning Hematite for eight of ours. Think of that, the
Sinuemahoning Hematite ! Xo better stock in the market, if
you remember the quotations ! Explain the significance of
the figures to your husband, and let him see that he has
but no, I will restrain myself and make no estimate. I will
only mention, under the seal of the profoundest secrecy, that
the number of shafts now sinking (or being sunk) will give
an enormous flowing capacity when the electric spark fires
the mine, and I should not wonder if our shares then soared
high over the pinnacles of all previous speculation ! '
" No, nor I ! " Julia exclaimed, as she refolded the letter ;
" it is certain, positively certain ! I have never known
the Sinnemahoning Hematite to be less than 147. What do
you say, Joseph ? "
" I hope it may be time," he answered. " I can't feel so
certain, while an accident the discovery of the torpedo-plan,
for instance might change the prospects of the Amaranth.
It will be a great relief when the time comes to ' realize,' as
your father says."
182 JOSEPH AND HIS FJliKXD.
" \ r ou only feel so because it is your first, experience ; but
for your sake I will consent that it shall be the last. We
shall scarcely need any more than this will bring us ; for, as
pa says, a mere competence in the city is a splendid fortune
in the country. You need leisure for books and travel and
society, and you shall have it. Now, let iis make a place for
both ! "
Thereupon she showed him how the parlor and rear bed-
room might be thrown into one ; where there were alcoves
for bookcases and space for a piano ; how a new veranda
might be added to the western end of the house ; how the
plastering might be renewed, a showy cornice supplied, and
an air of elegant luxury given to the new apartment. Jo-
seph saw and listened, conscious at once of a pang at chang-
ing the ancient order of things, and a temptation to behold
a more refined comfort in its place. He only asked to post-
pone the work ; but Julia pressed him so closely, with such
a multitude of unanswerable reasons, that he finally con-
sented to let a mechanic look at the house, and make an esti-
mate of the expense.
In such cases, the man who deliberates is lost.
His consent once reluctantly exacted, Julia insisting that
she would take the whole charge of directing the work, a
beginning was made without delay, and in a few days the
ruin was so complete that the restoration became a matter
of necessity.
Julia kept her word only too faithfully. With a lively,
playful manner in the presence of the workmen, but with a
cold, inflexible obstinacy when they were alone, she departed
from the original plan, adding showy and expensive features,
every one of which, Joseph presently saw, was devised to
surpass the changes made by the Hopetons in their new res-
153
idenco. iris remonstrances produced no effect, and lie was
precluded from a practical interference by the fear of the,
workmen, guessing his domestic trouble. Thus the days
dragged on. and the breach widened without an eilort on
either side to heal it.
The secret of her temporary fondness gave him a sense of
positive disgust when it arose in his memory. lie HOW sus-
pected a selfish purpose in her caresses, and sought to give
her no chance of repeating them, but in the company of oth-
ers he was forced to eiidiu-e a tenderness which, he was sur-
prised to find, still half deceived him, as it wholly deceived
his neighbors. He saw, too, and felt himself powerless to
change the impression, that Julia's popularity increased
with her knowledge of the people, while their manner to-
wards him was a shade less frank and cordial than formerly.
He knew that the changes in his home were so much need-
less extravagance, to them ; and that Julia's oft-repeated
phrase (always accompanied with a loving look), " Joseph is
making the old place so beautiful for me ! " increased their
mistrust, while seeming to exalt him as a devoted husband.
It is not likely that she specially intended this result ;
while, on the other hand, he somewhat exaggerated its char-
acter. Her object was simply to retain her growing ascend-
ency : within the limits where her peculiar faculties had
been exercised she was nearly perfect ; but she was indiffer-
ent to tracing tlie consequences of her actions beyond those
limits. When she ascertained Mr. Chaffinch's want of faith
in Joseph's entire piety, she became more regular in her at-
tendance at his church, not so much to prejudice her hus-
band by the contrast, as to avoid the suspicion which he had
incurred. To Joseph, however, in the bitterness of his de
ception, these actions seemed either hostile or heartless ; he
184: JOSKl'II A XI) ]!IS FJMF.XD.
was repelled from the clearer knowledge of a nature so for-
eign to his own. So utterly foreign : yet how near beyond
all others it had once seemed !
It was not a jealousy of the authority she assumed which
turned his heart from her: it was the revelation of a shal-
lowness and selfishness not at all rare in the class from
which she came, but which his pure, guarded youth had
never permitted him to suspect in any human being. A
man familiar with men and women, if he had been caught
in such toils, would have soon discovered some manner
of controlling her nature, for the very shrewdest and fals-
est have their vulnerable side. It gave Joseph, however,
so much keen spiritual pain to encounter her in her
true character, that such a course was simply impos-
sible.
Meanwhile the days went by ; the expense of labor and
material had already doubled the estimates made by the
mechanics ; bills were presented for payment, and nothing
was heard from the Amaranth. Money was a necessity,
and there was no alternative but to obtain a temporary loan.
at a county town, the centre of transactions for all the debt-
ors and creditors of the neighboring country. It was a new
and disagreeable experience for Joseph to appear in the
character of a borrower, and he adopted it most reluctantly ;
yet the reality was a greater trial than he had suspected.
He found that the most preposterous stories of his extrava-
gance were afloat. He was transforming his house into a
castle : he had made, lost, and made again a large fortune
in petroleum ; he had married a wealthy wife and squander-
ed her money ; he drove out in a carriage with six white
horses ; he was becoming irregular in his habits and hereti-
cal in his religious views ; in short, such marvellous powers
ND ins FKH::;D. 185
of invention had been exercised tliat tlie Arab story-tellers
were surpassed by the- members of that quiet, sluggish com
munity.
It required all his self-control to meet the suspicions of
the money-agents, and convince them of the true state of
his circumstances. The loan was obtained, but after such a
wear and tear of flesh and spirit as made it seem a double
burden.
When he reached home, in the afternoon, Julia instantly
saw, by his face, that all had not gone right. A slight ef-
fort, however, enabled her to say carelessly and cheerfully, -
" Have you broiight me my supplies, dear ? "
" Yes," he answered curtly.
" Here is a letter from pa," she then said. " I opened it,
because I knew what the subject must be. But if you're
tired, pray don't read it now, for then you may be impatient.
There's a little more delay."
" Then I'll not delay to know it," he said, taking the let-
ter from her hand. A printed slip, calling upon the stock-
holders of the Amaranth to pay a fifth instalment, fell out
of the envelope. Accompanying it there was a hasty note
from B. Blessing : " Don't be alarmed, my dear son-in-law !
Probably a mere form. Blenkinsop still holds on, but we
think this will bring him at once. If it don't, we shall very
likely have to go on with him, even if it obliges us to unite
the Amaranth and the Chowder. In any case, we shall ford
or bridge this little Rubicon within a fortnight. Have the
money ready, if convenient, but do not forward unless I
give the word. We hear, through third parties, that Clem-
entina (who is now at Long Branch) receives much atten-
tion from Mr. Spelter, a man of immense wealth, but, I re-
gret to say, no refinement."
18G JOSEPH AND JITS FKIKXD.
Joseph smiled grimly when he finished the note. " Is
there never to be an end of humbug ? " he exclaimed.
" There, now ! " cried Julia; "I knew you'd be impa-
tient. You are so unaccustomed to great operations.
Why, the Muchacho Land Grant I remember it, because
pa sold out just at the wrong time hung on for seven
years ! "
e: D curse the Muchacho Land Grant, and the Ama-
ranth too ! "
" Are n't you ashamed ! " exclaimed Julia, taking on a
playful air of offence ; " but you're tired and hungry, poor
fellow ! " Therewith she put her hands on his shoulders,
and raised herself on tiptoe to kiss him.
Joseph, unable to control his sudden instinct, swiftly
turned away his head.
" O you wicked husband, you deserve to be punished ! "
she cried, giving him what was meant to be a light tap oa
the cheek.
It was a light tap, certainly ; but perhaps a little of the
annoyance which she banished from her face had lodged,
unconsciously, in her fingers. They left just sting enough
to rouse Joseph's heated blood. He started back a step,
and looked at her with naming eyes.
" No more of that, Julia ! I know, now, how much your
arts are worth. I am getting a vile name in the neighbor-
hood, losing my property, losing my own self-respect,
because I have allowed yoxi to lead me ! Will you be con-
tent with what you have done, or must you go on until my
ruin is complete ? "
Before he had finished speaking she had taken rapid
counsel with herself, and decided. " Oh, oh ! such words
to me ! " she groaned, hiding her face between her hands.
1ST
" I never thought yon could be so cruel ! I had such pleas-
ure in seeing you rich and free, in trying to make your
home beautiful ; and now this Hide delay, which no busi-
ness man would think anvthiie' of. seems to change your
^ CJ / o .
very nature ! But I will not think it's your true self :
something has worried you to-day, you have heard some
foolish story
" It is not the worry of to-day," he interrupted, in haste
to state his whole grievance, before his weak heart had
time to soften again, " it is the worry of months past ! It
is because I thought you true and kind-hearted, and I find
you selfish and hypocritical ! It is very well to lead me
into serious expenses, while so much is at stake, and now
likely to be lost, it is very well to make my home beauti-
ful, especially when you can outshine Mrs. Hopetoii ! It is
easy to adapt yourself to the neighbors, and keep on the
right side of them, no matter how much your husband's
character may suffer in the process ! "
" That will do ! " said Julia, suddenly becoming rigid.
She lifted her head, and apparently wiped the tears from
her eyes. " A little more and it would be too much for
even me ! What do I care for ' the neighbors ' ? persons
whose ideas and tastes and habits of life are so different
from mine ? I have endeavored to be friendly with them
for your sake : I have taken special pains to accommodate
myself to their notions, just because I intended they should
justify you in choosing me ! I believed for you told me
so that there was no calculation in love, that money was
dross in comparison ; and how could I imagine that you
would so soon put up a balance and begin to weigh the
two ? Am I your wife or your slave ? Have I an equal
share in what is yours, or am I here merely to increase it ?
188 JOSEPH AM) HIS FKIKXD.
If there is to be a question of dollars and cents between us,
pray have my allowance fixed, so that I may not overstep
it, and may save myself from such reproaches ! I knew
you would be disappointed in. pa's letter : I have been anx-
ious and uneasy since it came, through my sympathy with
you, and was ready to make any sacrifice that might relieve
your mind ; and now you seem to be full of unkindness and
injustice ! What shall I do, O what shall I do ? "
She threw herself upon a sofa, weeping hysterically.
" Julia ! " he cried, both shocked and startled by her
words, " you purposely misunderstand me. Think how con-
stantly I have yielded to you, against my own better judg-
ment ! When have you considered my wishes ? "
" When ? " she repeated : then, addressing the cushion
with a hopeless, melancholy air, " he asks, when ! How
could I misunderstand you ? your words were as plain as
daggers. If you were not aware how sharp they were, call
them back to your mind when these mad, unjust suspicions
have left you ! I trusted you so perfectly, I was looking
forward to such a happy future, and now now, all seems so
dark ! It is like a flash of lightning : I am weak and giddy :
leave me, I can bear no more ! "
She covered her face, and sobbed wretchedly.
"I am satisfied tha.t you are not as ignorant as you pro-
fess to be," was all Joseph could say, as he obeyed her com-
mand, and left the room. He was vanquished, he knew,
and a little confused by his wife's unexpected way of taking
his charges in flank instead of meeting them in front, as a
man would have done. Could she be sincere ? he asked
himself. Was she really so ignorant of herself, as to believe
all that she had uttered ? There seemed to be not the
shadow of hypocrisy in her grief and indignation. Her
tears were real : then why not h >r .smiles and caresses ? Ei-
ther she was horribly, incredibly false, worse than he
dared dream her TO be, or so fatally unconscious of her na-
ture that nothing short of a miracle could ever enlighten
her. One thing only was certain : there was now 110 con-
fidence between them, and there might never be again.
He walked slowly forth from the house, seeing nothing,
and unconscious whither his feet were leading him.
190 JOSEni AND I1IS FKIEND.
CHAPTER XVIII.
OX THE RAILROAD TRACK.
STILL walking, with bent head, and a brain which vainly
strove to work its way to clearness through the perplexities
of his heart, Joseph went on. When, wearied at last,
though not consciously calmer, he paused and looked about
him, it was like waking from a dream. Some instinct had
guided him on the way to Philip's forge : the old road had
been moved to accommodate the new branch railway, and a
rapid ring of hammers came up from the embankment below.
It was near the point of the hill where Lucy's schoolhouse
stood, and even as he looked she came, accompanied by her
scholars, to watch the operation of laying the track. El-
wood Withers, hale, sunburnt, full of lusty life, walked along
the sleepers directing the workmen.
" He was right, only too right ! " muttered Joseph to
himself. " Why could I not see with his eyes ? ' It's the
bringing up,' he would say; but that is not all. I have
been an innocent, confiding boy, and thought that years and
acres had made me a man. O, she understood me she un-
derstands me now ; but in spite of her, God helping me, I
shall yet be a man."
Elwood ran down the steep side of the embankment,
greeted Lucy, and helped her to the top, the children follow-
ing with whoops and cries.
" Would it have been different," Joseph further solilo-
quized, " if Lucy and I had loved and married ? It is
hardly treating Ehvood fairly to suppose such a tiling, vrt
a year ago I might have loved her. [t is bettor as it is :
1 should have stepped upon a true man's heart. Have they
dra\vn nearer? and if so, docs he, with his sturdier nature,
his sxiver knowledge, find no ilaw in her perfections ? "
A morbid curiosity to watch the two suddenly came upon
him. He clambered over the fence, crossed the narrow strip
of meadow, and mounted the embankment. Elwood's back
was towards him. and he was just saying: "It all conies of
taking an interest in what your're doing. The practical
part is easy enough, when you once have the principles. [
can manage the theodolite already, but I need a little show-
ing when I come to the calculations. Somehow, I never
cared much about study before, but here it's all applied as
soon as you've learned it, and that fixes it, like, in your head."
Lucy was listening with an earnest, friendly interest on
her face. She scarcely saw Joseph until he stood before her.
After the first slight surprise, her manner towards him was
quiet and composed : Elwood's eyes were bright, and there
was a fresh intelligence in his appearance. The habit of
command had already given him a certain dignity.
" How can _Tget knowledge which may be applied as soon
as learned ? " Joseph asked, endeavoring to assume the man-
ner furthest from his feelings. " I'm still at the foot of the
class, Lucy," he added, turning to her.
" How? " Elwood replied. " I should say by going around
the world alone. That would be about the same for you as
what these ten miles I'm overseeing are to me. A little
goes a great way with me, for I can only pick up one thing
at a time."
" What kind of knowledge are you looking for, Joseph ? "
Lucy gravely asked.
102 JOSEPH AND ins FRTKND.
" Of myself," said he, and his face grew dark.
" That's a true word ! " Ehvood involuntarily exclaimed.
He then caught Lucy's eye, and awkwardly added : " It's
about what we all want, I take it."
Joseph recovered himself in a, moment, and proposed look-
ing over the work. They walked slowly along the embank-
ment, listening to Elwood's account of what had been done
and what was yet to do, when the Hopeton carriage came
up the highway, near at hand. Mrs. Hopeton sat in it
alone.
" I was looking for you, Lucy," she called. " If you are
going towards the cutting, I will join you there."
She sent the coachman home with the carriage, and walked
with them on the track. Joseph felt her presence as a re-
lief, but Elwood confessed to himself that he was a little dis-
turbed by the steady glance of her dark eyes. He had
already overcome his regret at the interruption of his rare
and welcome chance of talking with Lucy, but then Joseph
knew his heart, while this stately lady looked as if she were
capable of detecting what she had no right to know. Never-
theless, she was Lucy's friend, and that fact had great weight
with Elwood.
" It's rather a pity to cut into the hills and bank up the
meadows in this way, isn't it ? " he asked.
" And to disturb my school with so much hammering,"
Lucy rejoined; " when the trains come I must retreat."
" None too soon," said Mrs. Hopeton. " You are not
strong, Lucy, and the care of a school is too much for you."
Elwood thanked her with a look, before he knew what he
was about.
" After all," said Joseph, " why shouldn't nature be cut
up ? I suppose everything was given up to us to use, and
JOSEPH AXD HIS FRIEND. 103
the mniv profic the better the use, seems to be the rule of
the world. ' Beauty grows out of Use,' you know.''
His tone was sharp and cynical, and grated unpleasantly
on Lucy's sensitive ear.
" I believe it is a i ulf in art," said Mrs. Hopeton, " that
mere ornament, for ornament's sake, is not allowed. It
must always seem to answer some purpose, to have a neces-
sity for its existence. But, 011 the other hand, what is ne-
cessary should be beautiful, if possible."
" A loaf of bread, for instance," suggested Elwood.
They all laughed at this illustration, and the conversation
took a lighter turn. By this time they had entered the nar-
rower part of the valley, and on passing around a sharp
curve of the track found themselves face to face with Philip^
and Madeline Held.
If Mrs. Hopeton's heart beat more rapidly at the unex-
pected meeting, she preserved her cold, composed bearing.
Madeline, bright and joyous, was the unconscious agent of
unconstraint, in whose presence each of the others felt im-
mediately free.
" Two inspecting committees at once ! " cried Philip. " It
is well for you, Withers, that you didn't locate the line. My
sister and I have already found several unnecessary curves
and culverts."
" And we have found a great deal of use and no beauty,"
Lucy answered.
" Beauty ! " exclaimed Madeline. " What is more beau-
tiful than to see one's groceries delivered at one's very door?
Or to have the opera and the picture-gallery brought within two
hours' distance ? How far are we from a lemon, Philip ? "
" You were a lemon, Mad, in your vegetable, pre-human
state ; and you are still acid and agreeable."
9
194 JOSEPH AKD HIS FKIKND.
" Sweets to the sweet ! " ,she gayly cried. " And what,
pray, was Miss Henderson ? "
" Don't spare me, Mr. Held," said Lucy, as he looked at
her with a little hesitation.
" An apple."
" And Mrs. Hopeton ? "
" A date-palm," said Philip, fixing his eyes iipon her face.
She did not look up, but an expression which he could
not interpret just touched her lips and faded.
" Now, it's your turn, Miss Held," Elwood remarked :
" what were we men ? "
" O, Philip a prickly pear, of course ; and you, well, some
kind of a nut ; and Mr. Asten "
" A cabbage," said Joseph.
" What vanity ! Do you imagine that you are all head,
or that your heart is in your head ? Or that you keep the
morning dew longer than the rest of us ? "
" It might well be," Joseph answered ; and Madeline felt
her arm gently pinched by Philip, from behind. She had
tact enough not to lower her pitch of gayety too suddenly,
but her manner towards Joseph became grave and gentle.
Mrs. Hopeton said but little : she looked upon the circling
hills, as if studying their summer beauty, while the one de-
sire in her heart was to be away from the spot,: away from
Philip's haunting eyes.
After a little while, Philip seemed to be conscious of her
feeling. He left his place on the opposite side of the track,
took Joseph's arm and led him a little aside from the group.
" Philip, I want you ! " Joseph whispered ; " but no, not
quite yet. There is no need of coming to you in a state of
confusion. In a day or two more I shall have settled a lit-
tle."
" You are right," said Philip : " there is no opiate like
time, be there never so little of it. I felt the fever of your
head in your hand. Don't come to me, until you feel that
it is the one thing which must be done ! I think you know
why I say so."
" I do ! " Joseph exclaimed. ' I am just now more of an
ostrich than anything else ; I should like to stick my head
in the sand, and imagine myself invisible. Bufc Philip -
here are six of us together. One other, I know, has a se-
cret wound, perhaps* two others : is it always so in life ? I
think I am selfish enough to be glad to know that I am not
specially picked out for punishment."
Philip could not help smiling. " Upon my soul," he said,
" I believe Madeline is the only one of the six who is not
busy with other thoughts than those we all seem to utter.
Specially picked out ? There is no such thing as special pick-
ing out, in this world ! Joseph, it may seem hard and school-
master-like in me again to say ' wait ! ' yet that is the only
word I can say."
" Good evening, all ! " cried Elwood. " I must go down
to my men ; but I'd be glad of such an inspection as this, a
good deal oftener."
" I'll go that far with you," said Joseph.
Mrs. Hopeton took Lucy's arm with a sudden, nervous
movement. " If you are not too tired, let us walk over the
hill," she said ; " I want to find the right point of view for
sketching our house."
The company dissolved. Philip, as he walked up the
track with his sister, said to himself: " Surely she was
afraid of me. And what does her fear indicate ? What, if
not that the love she once bore for me still lives in her
heart, in spite of time and separated fates ? I should not,
1'Jb JOSEPH AND HIS FPJKXD.
dare not think of her; I shall never again speak a word tc
her which her husband might not hear; but I cannot tear
from me the dream of what she might be, the knowledge of
what she is, false, hopeless, fatal, as it all may be ! "
" Elwood," said Joseph, when they had walked a little
distance in silence, " do you remember the night you spent
with me, a year ago ? "
" I'm not likely to forget it."
" Let me ask you one question, then. Have you come
nearer to Lucy Henderson ? "
" If no further oft' means nearer, and it almost seems so
in my case, yes ! "
" And you see no difference in her,- no new features of
character, which you did not guess, at first ? "
" Indeed, I do ! " Ehvood emphatically answered. " To
me she grows less and less like any other woman, so right,
so straightforward, so honest in all her ways and thoughts !
If I am ever tempted to do anything well, not exactly
mean, you know, but such as a man might as well leave un-
done, I have only to say to myself : ' If you're not thoroiighly
good, my boy, you'll lose her ! ' and that does the business,
right away. Why, Joseph, I'm proud of myself, that I mean
to deserve her ! "
" Ah ! " A sigh, almost a groan, came from Joseph's lips.
" What will you think of me ? " he said. " I was about to
repeat your own words, to warn you to be cautious, and
take time, and test your feelings, and not to be too sure of
her perfection ! What can a young man know about wo-
men ? He can only discover the truth after marriage, and
then they are indifferent how it affects him their fortunes
are made ! "
"I know," answered Elwood, turning his head away
197
slightly; "but there's a dilll-renco between the women you
seek, and work to get, and the wonien who seek, and work
to get you."
''I understand you.''
"Forgive nit- for saying it!"' Elwood cried, instantly re-
penting his words. "I couldn't help seeing and feeling
what you know now. But what man leastways, what
friend could ha' said it to you with any chance of being
believed? You were like a man alone in a boat above a
waterfall; only you could bring yourself to shore. If I
stood on the bank and called, and you didn't believe me,
what then ? The Lord knows, I'd give this right arm,
strong as it is, to put you back where you were a year ago."
" I've been longing for frankness, and I ought to bear it
better," said Joseph. " Put the whole subject out of your
thoughts, and come and see me as of old. It is quite time I
should learn to manage my own life."
He grasped Elwood's hand convulsively, sprang down the
embankment, and took to the highway. Elwood looked
after him a minute, then slowly shook his head and walked
onward towards the men.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Hopeton and Lucy had climbed the hill,
and found themselves on the brow of a rolling upland, which
fell on the other side towards the old Calvert place. The
day was hot. Mrs. Hopeton's knees trembled under her,
and she sank on the soft grass at the foot of a tree. Lucy
took a seat beside her. .
(t You know so much of my trouble," said the former,
when the coolness and rest had soothed her, " and I
trust you so perfectly, that I can tell you all, Lucy. Can
you guess the man whom I loved, but must never love
again?"
198 JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND.
" I have sometimes thought ' but here Lucy hesi-
tated.
" Speak the name in your mind, or, let me say ' Philip
Held ' for you ! Lucy, what am I to do ? he lovers me still :
he told me so, just now, where we were all together below
there ! "
Lucy turned with a start, and gazed wonderingly upon
her friend's face.
" Why does he continue telling me what 1 must not
hear ? with his eyes, Lucy ! in the tones of his voice, in
common words which I am forced to interpret by his mean-
ing ! I had learned to bear my inevitable fate, for it is not an
unhappy one ; I can bear even his presence, if he were
generous enough to close his heart as I do, either that, or
to avoid me ; for I now dread to meet him again."
" Is it not," Lucy asked, " because the trial is new, and
takes you by surprise and unprepared ? May you not be
fearing more than Mr. Held has expressed, or, at least, in-
tended ? "
" The speech that kills, or makes alive, needs no words.
What I mean is, there is no resistance in his face. I blush
for myself, I am indignant at my own pitiful weakness, but
something in his look to-day made me forget everything
that has passed since \ve were parted. While it lasted, I
was under a spell, a spell which it humiliates me to re-
member. Your voices sounded faint and far off; all that I
have, and hold, seemed to be slipping from me. It was only
for a moment, but, Lucy, it frightened me. My will is
strong, and I think I can depend upon it ; yet what if some
influence beyond my control were to paralyze it ? "
" Then you must try to win the help of a higher will ; our
souls always win something of that which they wrestle and
JOSEPH AXD i us FKIE:N~D. 199
struggle to roach. Pear Mrs. Hopeton, liave you never
thought that wo are still as children who cannot have all
they cry for? Now that you know what you fear, do not
dread to hold it before your mind and examine what it is:
at least, I think that would be mv instinct. to face a danger
J t- J O
at once when I found I could not escape it."
" I have no doubt yoxi are right, Lucy," said Mrs. Hope-
ton ; but her tone was sad, as if she acquiesced without
clearly believing.
" It seems very hard," Lucy continued, " when we can-
not have the one love of all others that we need, harder
still when we must put it forcibly from our hearts. But I
have always felt that, when we can bring ourselves to re-
nounce cheerfully, a blessing will follow. I do not know
how, but I must believe it. Might it not come at last
through the love that we have, though it now seems im-
perfect ? "
Mrs. Hopeton lifted her head from her knees, and sat
erect. " Lucy," she said, " I do not believe you are a
woman who would ask another to bear what is beyond your
own strength. Shall I put you to the test ? "
Lucy, though her face became visibly paler, replied : " I
did not mean to compare my burden with yours ; but weigh
me, if you wish. If I am found wanting, you will show me
wherein."
" Your one love above all others is lost to you. Have
you conquered the desire for it ? "
" I think I have. If some soreness remains, I try to be-
lieve that it is the want of the love which I know to be
possible, not that of the the person."
" Then could you be happy with what you call an imper-
fect love?"
200 JOSEPH" AND HIS FPJEND.
Lucy blushed a little, in spite of herself. " I am still
free," she answered, " and not obliged to accept it. If I
were bound, I hope I should not neglect my duty."
" What if another's happiness depended on your accept-
ing it ? Lucy, my eyes have been made keen by what I
have felt. I saw to-day that a man's heart follows you,
and I guess that you know it. Here is no imperfect love on
his part : were you his wife, could you learn to give him so
much that your life might become peaceful and satisfied ? "
" You do, indeed, test me ! " Lucy murmured. " How
can I know ? What answer can I make ? I have shrunk
from thinking of that, and I cannot feel that my duty lies
there. Yet, if it were so, if I were already bound, irrevoca-
bly, surely all my present faith must be false if happiness in
some form did not come at last ! "
" I believe it would, to you ! " cried Mrs. Hopeton. " Why
not to me ? Do you think I have ever looked for love in
my husband ? It seems, now, that I have been content to
know that he was proud of me. If I seek, perhaps I may
find more than I have dreamed of ; and if I find, if indeed
and truly I find, I shall never more lack self-possession
and will 1 "
She rose to her full height, and a flush came over the
pallor of her cheeks. " Yes," she continued, " rather than
feel again the humiliation of to-day, I will trample all my
nature down to the level of an imperfect love ! "
" Better," said Lucy, rising also, " better to bend only
for a while to the imperfect, that you may warm and purify
and elevate it, until it shall take the place of the perfect in
your heart."
The two women kissed each other, and there were tears on
the cheeks of both.
JOSEl'II AND HIS FUiKXD. 201
CHAPTER XIX.
THE " WHAKF-UAT."
Ox his way home Joseph reviewed the quarrel with a little
more calmness, and, while admitting his own rashness and
want of tact, felt relieved that it had occurred. Julia now
knew, at least, how sorely he had been grieved by her selfish-
ness, and she had thus an opportunity, if she really loved
him, of showing whether her nature were capable of change.
He determined to make no further reference to the dissen-
sion, and to avoid what might lead to a new one. He did
not guess, as he approached the house, that his wife had long
been watching at the front window, in an anxious, excited
state, and that she only slipped back to the sofa and covei'ed
her head just before he reached the door.
For a day or two she was silent, and perhaps a little
sullen; but the payment of the most pressing bills, the
progress of the new embellishments, and the necessity of
retaining her affectionate playfulness in the presence of the
workmen, brought back her customary manner. ISTow and
then a sharp, indirect allusion showed that she had not
forgotten, and had not Joseph closed his teeth firmly upon
his tongue, the household atmosphere might have been
again disturbed.
Not many days elapsed before a very brief note from Mr.
Blessing announced that the fifth instalment would be need-
ed. He wrote in great haste, he said, and would explain
everything by a later mail.
Joseph was hardly surprised now. He showed the note
9*
202 JOSEPH AND ins FRIEND.
to Julia, merely saying : " I have not the money, and if I
had, lie could scarcely expect me to pay it without knowing
the necessity. My best plan will be to go to the city at
once."
" I think so, too," she answered. " You will be far better
satisfied when you have seen pa, and he can also help you
to raise the money temporarily, if it is really inevitable.
He knows all the capitalists."
" I shall do another thing, Julia. I shall sell enough of
the stock to pay the instalment ; nay, I shall sell it all, if I
can do so without loss."
" Are you " she began fiercely, but, checking herself,
merely added, " see pa first, that's all I stipulate."
Mr. Blessing had not returned from the Custom-House
when Joseph reached the city. He had no mind to sit in
the dark parlor and wait ; so he plunged boldly into the
labyrinth of clerks, porters, inspectors, and tide-waiters.
"Everybody knew Blessing, but nobody could tell where he
was to be found. Finally some one, more obliging than the
rest, said : " Try the Wharf-Rat ! "
The Wharf-Rat proved to be a " saloon " in a narrow
alley behind the Custom-House. On opening the door, a
Venetian screen prevented the persons at the bar from being
immediately seen, but Joseph recognized his father-in-law's
voice, saying, " Straight, if you please ! " Mr. Blessing was
leaning against one end of the bar, with a glass in his hand,
engaged with an individual of not very prepossessing ap-
pearance. He remarked to the latter, almost in a whisper
(though the words reached Joseph's ears), " You under-
stand, the collector can't be seen every day ; it takes time,
and more or less capital. The doorkeeper and others
expect to be feed."
As .Joseph approached, he turned towards him with an
angry, suspicious Link, which was not changed into one of
welcome .so soon that a lla^h of uncomfortable surprise did
not intervene. But the welcome once there, it deepened
and mellowed, and became so warm and rich that onlv a
cold, contracted nature could have refused to Lathe in its
effulgence.
' v ' Why ! " he cried, with extended hands, " I should as
soon have expected to see daisies growing in this sawdust, or
to find these spittoons smelling like hyacinths ! Mr. Tweed,
one of our rising politicians, Mr. Asten, my son-in-law !
Asten, of Asten Hall, I might almost say, for I hear that
your mansion is assuming quite a palatial aspect. Another
glass, if you please : your throat must be full of dust,
Joseph, puLvis faucibus liresit, if I might be allowed to
change the classic phrase."
Joseph tried to decline, but was forced to compromise on
a moderate glass of ale ; while Mr. Blessing, whose glass
was empty, poured something into it from a black bottle,
nodded to Mr. Tweed, and saying, " Always straight ! "
drank it off.
"You would not suppose," he then said to Joseph, "that
this little room, dark as it is, and not agreeably fragrant, has
often witnessed the arrangement of political manoeuvres
which have decided the City, and through the City the
State. I have seen together at that table, at midnight,
Senator Slocum, and the Honorables Whitstone, Hacks, and
Larruper. Why, the First Auditor of the Treasury was
here no later than last week ! I frequently transact some
of the confidential business of the Custom-House within
these precincts, as at present."
" Shall I wait for you outside ? " Joseph asked.
204: JOSEPH AND HIS F11IEND.
" I think it will not bo necessary. I have stated the
facts, Mr. Tweed, and if you accept them, the figures
can be arranged between us at any time. It is a simple
case of algebra : by taking x } you work out the unknown
quantity."
With a hearty laugh at his own smartness, he shook the
" rising politician's " hand, and left the Wharf-Rat with
Joseph.
" We can talk here as well as in the woods," he said.
" Nobody ever hears anything in this crowd. But perhaps
we had better not mention the Amaranth by name, as the
operation has been kept so very close. Shall we say { Par-
aguay ' instead, or still better ' Reading,' which is a
very common stock? Well, then, I guess you have come
to see me in relation to the Reading ? "
Joseph, as briefly as possible, stated the embarrassment
lie suffered, on account of the continued calls for payment,
the difficulty of raising money for the fifth instalment, and
bluntly expressed his doubts of the success of the specula-
tion. Mr. Blessing heard him patiently to the end, and then,
having collected himself, answered :
" I understand, most perfectly, your feeling in the matter.
Further, I do not deny that in respect to the time of realiz-
ing from the Am Reading, I should say I have also been
disappointed. It has cost me no little trouble to keep my
own shares intact, and my stake is so much greater than
yours, for it is my all ! I am ready to unite with the
Chowder, at once: indeed, as one of the directors, I men-
tioned it at our last meeting, but the proposition, I regret to
say, was not favorably entertained. We are dependent, in a
great measure, on Karmck, who is on the spot superintend-
ing the Reading ; he has been telegraphed to come on, and
promises to do so as soon as the funds now called for are
forthcoming. My faith, I hardly need intimate, is firm."
" My only resource, then,'' said Joseph, '' will be to sell
a portion of my stock, I suppose ? "
" There is one drawback to that course, and I am afraid
you may not quite understand my explanation. The
Heading has not been introduced in the market, and its
real value could not be demonstrated without betraying
the secret lever by which we intend hoisting it to a fancy
height. We could only dispose of a portion of it to capi-
talists whom we choose to take into our confidence. The
same reason would be valid against hypothecation."
" Have you paid this last instalment ? " Joseph suddenly
asked.
" N no ; not wholly ; but I anticipate a temporary ac-
commodation. If Mr. Spelter deprives me of Clementina,
as I hear (through third parties) is daily becoming more
probable, my family expenses will be so diminished that I
shall have an ample margin ; indeed, I shall feel like a large
paper copy, with my leaves uncut ! "
He rubbed his hands gleefully ; but Joseph was too much
disheartened to reply.
" This might be done," Mr. Blessing continued. " It is
not certain that all the stockholders have yet paid. I will
look over the books, and if such be the case, your delay
would not be a sporadic delinquency. If otherwise, I will
endeavor to gain the consent of my fellow-directors to the
introduction of a new capitalist, to whom a small portion
of your interest may be transferred. I trust you perceive
the relevancy of this caution. We do not mean that our
flower shall always blush unseen, and waste its sweetness on
the oleaginous air ; we only wish to guard against its being
206 JOSEMI AXD ins FRIESTD.
' untimely ripped ' (as Shakespeare says) from its parent
stalk. I can well imagine how incomprehensible all this
may appear to yon. In all probability much of your con-
versation at home, relative to crops and the like, would be
to me an unknown dialect. But I should not, therefore,
doubt your intelligence and judgment in such matters."
Joseph began to grow impatient. " Do 1 understand
you to say, Mr. Blessing," he asked, " that the call for the
fifth instalment can be met by the sale of a part of my
stock ? "
" In an ordinary case it might not under the peculiar
circumstances of our operation be possible. But I trust I
do not exaggerate my own influence when I say that it is
within my power to arrange it. If you will confide it to
my hands, you understand, of course, that a slight formality
is necessary, a power of attorney ? "
Joseph, in his haste and excitement, had not considered
this, or any other legal point : Mr. Blessing was right.
" Then, supposing the shares to be worth only their par
value," he said, " the power need not apply to more than
one-tenth of my stock ? "
Mr. Blessing came into collision with a gentleman passing
him. Mutual wrath was aroused, followed by mutual apo-
logies. " Let us turn into the other street," he said to
Joseph ; " really, our lives are hardly safe in this crowd ; it
is nearly three o'clock, and the banks will soon be closed."
" It would be prudent to allow a margin," he resumed,
after their course had been changed : " the money market is
very tight, and if a necessity were suspected, most capital-
ists are unprincipled enough to exact accorJing to the
urgency of the need. I do not say nor do I at all antici-
pate that it would be so in your case ; still, the future is
207
a sort of dissolving vie\v, and my suggestion i.s that of the
merest prudence. I have no doubt that double the amount
say one-iifih of your stock would guard us against all
contingencies. If you prefer not to intrust the matter to
iny hands, I will introduce you to Honeyspoon Brothers,
the hankers, the elder Honeyspoon being a director, who
will be very ready to execute your commission."
"\Vhat could Joseph do ' J . It was impossible to say to Mr.
Blessing's face that he mistrusted him : yet he certainly did
not trust ! He was weary of plausible phrases, the import
of which he was powerless to dispute, yet which were so at
variance with what seemed to be the facts of the case. He
felt that he was lifted aloft into a dazzling, secure atmos-
phere, but as often as he turned to look at the wings which
upheld him, their plumage shrivelled into dust, and he fell
an immense distance before his feet touched a bit of reality.
The power of attorney was given. Joseph declined Mr.
Blessing's invitation to dine with him at the Universal
Hotel, the Blessing table being t( possibly a little lean to
one accustomed to the bountiful profusion of the country,"
on the plea that he must return by the evening train ; but
such a weariness and disgust came over him that he halted
at the Farmers' Tavern, and took a room for the night. He
slept until long into the morning, and then, cheered in spi-
rit through the fresh, vigor of all his physical functions,
started homewards.
208 JOSEPH AND HIS FJilEND.
CHAPTER XX.
A CRISIS.
JOSEPH bad made half the distance between Oakland Sta-
tion and bis farm, walking leisurely, when a buggy, drawn,
by an aged and irreproachable gray horse, came towards
him. The driver was the Reverend Mr. Chaffinch. He
stopped as they met.
" Will you turn back, as far as that tree ? " said the cler-
gyman, after greetings had been exchanged. " I have a
message to deliver."
" Now," he continued, reining up his horse in the shade,
" we can talk without interruption. I will ask you to listen
to me with the spiritual, not the carnal ear. I must not be
false to my high calling, and the voice of my own conscience
calls me to awaken yours."
Joseph said nothing, but the flush upon his face was that
of anger, not of confusion, as Mr. Chaffinch innocently sup-
posed.
" It is hard for a young man, especially one wise in his
own conceit, to see how the snares of the Adversary are
closing around him. We cannot plead ignorance, however,
when the Light is there, and we wilfully turn our eyes from
it. You are walking on a road, Joseph Asten, it may seem
smooth and fair to you, but do you know where it leads ?
I will tell you : to Death and Hell ! "
Still Joseph was silent.
" It is not too late ! Your fault, I fear, is that you attach
JOSEPH AND HIS FKIEXD. 209
merit to works, as if works could save you ! You look to a
cold, barren morality for support, and imagine that to do
wliat is called 'right' is enough for God! You shut your
eyes to the blackness of your own sinful heart, and are too
proud to acknowledge the vileness and depravity of man's
nature ; but without this acknowledgment your morality (as
you call it) is corrupt, your good works (as you suppose
them to be) will avail you naught. You are outside the
pale of Grace, and while you continue there, knowing the
door to be open, there is no Mercy for you ! "
The flush on Joseph's face faded, and he became very pale,
but he still waited. " I hope," Mr. Chaffinch continued,
after a pause, " that your silence is the beginning of convic-
tion. It only needs an awakening, an opening of the eyes in
them that sleep. Do you not recognize your guilt, your
miserable condition of sin ? "
" No I "
Mr. Chaffinch started, and an ugly, menacing expression
came into his face.
" Before you speak again," said Joseph, " tell me one
thing ! Am I indebted for this Catechism to the order
perhaps I should say the request of my wife ? "
" I do not deny that she has expressed a Christian con-
cern for your state ; but I do not wait for a request when
I see a soul in peril. If I care for the sheep that willingly
obey the shepherd, how much more am I commanded to
look after them which stray, and which the wolves and
bears are greedy to devour ! "
" Have you ever considered, Mr. Chaffinch," Joseph re-
joined, lifting his head and speaking with measured clear-
ness, " that an intelligent man may possibly be aware that
he has an immortal soul, that the health and purity and
213 JOSEPH AND IITS FPJEND.
growth of that soul may possibly be his first concern in life,
that no other man can know, as lie does, its imperfections,
its needs, its aspirations which rise direcily towards God ;
and that the attempt of a stranger to examine and criticise,
and perhaps blacken, this most sacred part of his nature,
may possibly be a pious impertinence ? "
" Ah, the natural depravity of the heart ! " Mr. Chaffinch
groaned.
" It is not the depravity, it is the only pure quality which
the hucksters of doctrine, the money-changers in God's tem-
ple of Man, cannot touch ! Shall I render a reckoning to
you on the day when souls are judged ? Are you the infal-
lible agent of the Divine Mercy ? What blasphemy ! "
Mr. Chaffinch shuddered. " I wash my hands of you ! "
he cried. " I have had to deal with many sinners in my
day, but I have found no sin which came so directly from
the Devil as the pride of the mind. If you were rotten
in all your members from the sins of the flesh, I might
have a little hope. Verily, it shall go easier with the
murderer and the adulterer on that day than with such
as ye ! "
He gave the horse a more than saintly stroke, and the
vehicle rattled away. Joseph could not see the predomi-
nance of routine in all that Mr. Chaffinch had said. He
was too excited to remember that certain phrases are trans-
mitted, and used without a thought of their tremendous cha-
racter ; he applied every word personally, and felt it as an
outrage in all the sensitive fibres of his soul. And who
had invoked the outrage ? His wife : Mr. Chaffinch had
confessed it. What representations had she made ? he
could only measure them by the character of the clergyman's
charges. He sat down on the bank, sick at heart ; it was ini-
JOSEPH AXD Ills ITJEXD. 211
possible to go home and meet her in his present frame ot
mind.
Presently lie started up, crying aloud : " I will go to
Philip ! He cannot help me, I know, but I must have a
word of love from a friend, or 1 shall go mad ! ; '
He retraced his steps, took the road up the valley, and
walked rapidly towards the Forge. The tumult in his blood
gradually expended its force, but it had carried him along
more swiftly than he was aware. When he reached the
point where, looking across the valley, now narrowed to a
glen, he could see the smoke of the Forge near at hand, and
even catch a glimpse of the cottage on. the knoll, he stopped.
Up to this moment he had felt, not reflected : and a secret
instinct told him that he should not submit his trouble to
Philip's riper manhood until it was made clear and coherent
in his own mind. He must keep Philip's love, at all hazards ;
and to keep it he must not seem simply a creature of moods
and sentiments, whom his friend might pity, but could
not respect.
He left the road, crossed a sloping field on the left, and
presently found himself on a bank overhanging the stream.
Under the wood of oaks and hemlocks the laurel grew in
rich, shining clumps ; the current, at this point deep, full,
and silent, glimmered through the leaves, twenty feet below;
the opposite shore was level, and green with an herbage
which no summer could wither. He leaned against a hem-
lock bole, and tried to think, but it was not easy to review
the past while his future life overhung him like a descending
burden which he had not the strength to lift. Love be-
trayed, trust violated, aspiration misinterpreted, were the
spiritual aspects ; a divided household, entangling obliga-
tions, a probability of serious loss, were the material evils
212 JOSEPH AND 1113 FJilKNI).
which accompanied them. He was .so unprepared for the
change that he could only rebel, not measure, analyze, and
cast about for ways of relief.
It was a miserable strait in which he found himself; and
the more he thought or, rather, seemed to think the less
was he able to foresee any other than an unfortunate solu-
tion. What were his better impulses, if men persisted in
finding them evil? What was life, yoked to such treachery
and selfishness ? Life had been to him a hope, an inspira-
tion, a sound, enduring joy ; now it might never be so again !
Then what a release were death !
He walked forward to the edge of the rock. A few peb-
bles, dislodged by his feet, slid from the brink, and plunged
with a bubble and a musical tinkle into the dark, sliding
waters. One more step, and the release which seemed so fair
might be attained. He felt a morbid sense of delight in
playing with the thought. Gathering a handful of broken
stones, he let them fall one by one, thinking, " So I hold my
fate in my hand." He leaned over and saw a shifting,
quivering image of himself projected against the reflected
sky, and a fancy, almost as clear as a voice, said : " This is
your present self : what will you do with it beyond the gulf,
where only the soul superior to circumstances here receives
a nobler destiny? "
He was still gazing down at the flickering figure, when a
step came upon the dead leaves. He turned and saw Philip,
moving stealthily towards him, pale, with outstretched hand.
They looked at each other for a moment without speak-
ing.
" I guess your thought, Philip," Joseph then said. " But
the things easiest to do are sometimes the most impossible."
" The bravest man may allow a fancy to pass through his
213
mind, Joseph, which only the coward will carry into
effect."
"I am not a coward ! ; ' Joseph exclaimed.
Philip took his hand, drew him ir.-arer, and flinging his
arms around him, held him to his heart.
Then they sat down, side by side.
''I was up the stream, on the other side, trolling for
trout," said Philip, ' ; when I saw you in the road. I was
welcoming your coming, in my heart : then you stopped,
stood still, and at last turned away. Something in your
movements gave me a sudden, terrible feeling of anxiety : I
threw down my rod, came around by the bridge at the
Forge, and followed you here. Do not blame me for my
foolish dread."
" Dear, dear friend," Joseph cried, " I did not mean to
come to you until I seemed stronger and more rational in my
own eyes. If that were a vanity, it is gone now : I confess
iny weakness and ignorance. Tell me, if you can, why this
has come upon me ? Tell me why nothing that I have been
taught, why no atom of the faith which I still must cling to,
explains, consoles, or remedies any wrong of my life ! "
" Faiths, I suspect," Philip answered, " are, like laws,
adapted to the average character of the human race. You,
in the confiding purity of your nature, are not an average
man : you are very much above the class, and if virtue were
its own reward, you would be most exceptionally happy.
Then the puzzle is, what's the particular use of virtue ? "
" I don't know, Philip, but I don't like to hear you ask
the question. I find myself so often on the point of doubt-
ing all that was my Truth a little while ago ; and yet, why
should my misfortunes, as an individual, make the truth a
lie ? I am only one man among millions who must have
214 JOSEPH AXD IIIS FRIEND.
faith, ill the efficacy of virtue. Philip, if I believed the faith
to be false, I think I should still say, ' Let it be preached ! ' '
Joseph related to Philip the whole of his miserable story,
not sparing himself, nor concealing the weakness which
allowed him to be entangled to such an extent. Philip's
brow grew dark as he listened, but at the close of the recital
his face was calm, though stern.
" Now," said he, " now put this aside for a little while,
and give your ear (and your heart too, Joseph) to my story.
Do not compare my fortune with yours, but let us apply to
both the laws which seem to govern life, and see whether
justice is possible."
Joseph had dismissed his wife's suspicion, after the dinner
at Hopeton's, so immediately from his memory, that he had
really forgotten it ; and he was not only startled, but also a
little shocked, by Philip's confession. Still, he saw that it
was only the reverse form of his own experience, not more
strange, perhaps not more to be condemned, yet equally in-
evitable.
" Is there no way out of this labyrinth of wrong ? " Philip
exclaimed. " Two natures, as far apart as Truth and False-
hood, monstrously held together in the most intimate, the
holiest of bonds, two natures destined for each other mon-
strously kept apart by the same bonds ! Is life to be so
sacrificed to habit and prejudice? I said that Faith, like
Law, was fashioned for the average man : then there must be
a loftier faith, a juster law, for the men and the women
who cannot shape themselves according to the common-place
pattern of society, who were born with instincts, needs,
knowledge, and rights ay, rights ! of their own ! "
"But, Philip," said Joseph, "we were both to blame: you
through too little trust, I through too much. "We have both
JOSEPH AND HIS FKIEX1). 215
been rasli and impatient : I cannot forget that ; and how are
we to know that the punishment, terrible as it seems, is dis-
proportioned to the offence?"
" AVe know this, Joseph, and who can know it and be
patient? that the power which controls onr lives is pitiless,
unrelenting ! There is the same punishment for an innocent
mistake as for a conscious crime. A certain Xemesis follows
ignorance, regardless how good and pure may be the individ-
ual nature. Had you even guessed your wife's true charac-
ter just before marriage, your very integrity, your conscience,
and the conscience of the world, would have compelled the
union, and jSTature would not have mitigated her selfishness
to reward you with a tolerable life. O no ! You would
still have suffered as now. Shall a man with a heart feel
this horrible injustice, and not rebel? Grant that I am
rightly punished for my impatience, my pride, my jealousy,
how have you been rewarded for your stainless youth, your
innocent trust, your almost miraculous goodness ? Had you
known the world better, even though a part of your know-
ledge might have been evil, you would have escaped this
fatal marriage. Nothing can be more certain ; and will you
simply groan and bear ? What compensating fortune have
you, or can you ever expect to find ? "
Joseph was silent at first ; but Philip could see, from the
trembling of his hands, and Ms quick breathing, that he was
profoundly agitated. " There is something within me," he
said, at last, " which accepts everything you say ; and yet, it
alarms me. I feel a mighty temptation in your words : they
could lead me to snap my chains, break violently away from
my past and present life, and surrender myself to will and
appetite. O Philip, if we could make our lives wholly our
own ! If we could fiud a spot "
216 JOSEPH AND HIS FEIEXD.
" I know such a spot ! " Philip cried, interrupting him,
" a groat valley, bounded by a hundred miles of snowy
peaks; lakes in its bed ; enormous hillsides, dotted with
groves of ilex and pine ; orchards of orange and olive ; a per-
fect climate, where it is bliss enough just to breathe, and free-
dom from the distorted laws of men, for none are near enough
to enforce them ! If there is no legal way of escape for you,
here, at least, there is no force which can drag you back,
once you are there : I will go with you, and perhaps per-
haps "
Philip's face glowed, and the vague alarm in Joseph's
heart took a definite form. He guessed what words had
been left unspoken.
" If we could be sure ! " he said.
" Sure of what ? Have I exaggerated the wrong in your
case ? Say we should be outlaws there, in our freedom !
here we are fettered outlaws."
" I have been trying, Philip, to discover a law superior
to that under which we suffer, and I think I have found it.
If it be true that ignorance is equally punished with guilt ;
if causes and consequences, in which there is neither pity
nor justice, govern our lives, then what keeps our souls
from despair but the infinite pity and perfect justice of
God ? Yes, here is the difference between human and di-
vine law! This makes obedience safer than rebellion. If
you and I, Philip, stand above the level of common natures,
feeling higher needs and claiming other rights, let us shape
them according to the law which is above, not that which is
below us ! "
Philip grew pale. " Then you mean to endure in patience,
and expect me to do the same ? " he asked.
" If I can. The old foundations upon which my life rested
JOSKl'l! AND IITS FKIKND. 217
are broken up, and I am too bewildered to venture OH a
random path, Give mr ti7:ie ; nay, let us Loth strive to
wait a little. I see nothing clearly but this: there is a
l)i vine L'overnment, on which I lean now as never before.
Yes, I say again, the veiy wrong that has come upon us
makes God necessary ! ''
It was Philip's turn to be agitated. There was a simple,
solemn conviction in Joseph's voice which struck to his heart.
He had spoken from the heat of his passion, it is true, but
he had the courage to disregard the judgment of men, find
make his protest a reality. Both natures shared the desire,
and were enticed by the daring of his dream ; but out of
Joseph's deeper conscience came a whisper, against which
the cry of passion was powerless.
" Yes, we will wait," said Philip, after a long pause.
" You came to me, Joseph, as you said, in weakness and
confusion : I have been talking of your innocence and igno-
rance. Let us not measure ourselves in this way. It is not
experience alone which creates manhood. What will be-
come of us I cannot tell, but I will not, I dare not, say you
are wrong ! "
They took each other's hands. The day was fading, the
landscape was silent, and only the twitter of nesting birds
was heard in the boughs above them. Each gave way to
the impulse of his manly love, rarer, alas ! but as tender and
true as the love of woman, and they drew nearer and kissed
each other. As they walked back and parted on the high-
way, each felt that life was not wholly unkind, and that
happiness was not yet impossible.
10
218 JOSEPH AND ins FRIEND.
CHAPTEK XXI.
UNDER THE WATER.
JOSEPH said nothing that evening concerning the result
of his trip to the city, and Julia, who instantly detected the
signs which a powerful excitement had left upon his face,
thought it prudent to ask no immediate questions. She was
purposely demonstrative in little arrangements for his com-
fort, but spared him her caresses ; she did not intend to be
again mistaken in choosing the time and occasion of bestow-
ing them.
The next morning, when he felt that he could speak
calmly, Joseph told her what he had done, carefully avoid
ing any word that might seem to express disappointment, or
even doubt.
" I hope you are satisfied that pa will make it easy for
you ? " she ventured to say.
" He thinks so." Then Joseph could not help adding :
" He depends, I imagine, upon your sister Clementina mar-
rying a Mr. Spelter, ' a man of immense wealth, but, I
regret to say, no refinement.' "
Julia bit her lip, and her eyes assumed that hard, flinty
look which her husband knew so well. " If Clementina
marries immense wealth," she exclaimed, with a half-con-
cealed sneer, " she will become simply insufferable ! But
what difference can that make in pa's business affairs? "
The answer tingled on Joseph's tongue : " Probably he
expects Mr. Spelter to indorse a promissory note " j but he
JOSEl'II AND HIS FRIEXD. 219
held it htxck. " What T have resolved to do is tliis," he
said. " I a a day or two a.s soon ;is I can arrange to leave
I shall make a journey to the oil region, and satisfy myself
where and what the Amaranth is. Your own practical
instincts will tell yon, Julia, that this intention of mine must
be kept secret, even from your father. "
She leaned her head upon her hand, and appeared to
reflect. When she looked up her face had a cheerful, con-
fiding expression.
" I think you are right," she then said. " If if things
should not happen to be quite as they are represented,
you can secure yourself against any risk and pa, too
before the others know of it. Y"ou will have the inside
track ; that is, if there is one. On the other hand, if all is
right, pa can easily manage, if some of the others are shaky
in their faith, to get their stock at a bargain. I am sure he
would have gone out there himself, if his official services
were not so important to the government."
It was a hard task for Joseph to keep his feelings to him-
self.
" And now," she continued, " now I know you will agree
to a plan of mine, which I was going to propose. Lucy
Henderson's school closes this week, and Mrs. Hopeton tells
me she is a little overworked and ailing. It would hardly
help her much to go home, where she could not properly
rest, as her father is a hard, avaricious man, who can't en-
dure idleness, except, I suppose, in a corpse (so these people
seem to me). I want to ask Lucy to come here. I think
you always liked her " (here Julia shot a swift, stealthy
glance at Joseph), " and so she will be an agreeable guest
for both of us. She shall just rest and grow strong. While
you are absent, I shall not seem qxiite so lonely. You may
220 JOSEPH AXD HIS FREKND.
be gone a week or more, and I shall find the separation vevv
hard to bear, even with her company."
" Why has Mrs. Hopeton not invited her ? " Joseph asked.
" The Hopetons are going to the sea-shore in a few days.
She would take Lucy as a guesty but there is one difficulty
in the way. She thinks Lucy would accept the trip and the
stay there as an act of hospitality, but that she cannot (or
thinks she cannot) afford the dresses that would enable her
to appear in Mrs. liopeton's circle. But it is just as well :
I am sure Lucy would feel more at home here."
" Then by all means ask her ! " said Joseph. " Lucy
Henderson is a noble girl, for she has forced a true-hearted
man to love her, without return."
" Ind-e-e-cl ! "
Julia's drawl denoted surprise and curiosity, but Joseph
felt that once more he had spoken too quickly. He en-
deavored to cover his mistake by a hearty acquiescence in
the plan, which was speedily arranged between them, in all
its details, Lucy's consent being taken for granted.
It required, however, the extreme of Julia's powers of
disguise, aided by Joseph's frank and hearty words and Mrs.
Hopeton's influence, to induce Lucy to accept the invitation.
Unable to explain wholly to herself, much less mention to
any other, the instinct which held her back, she found herself,
finally, placed in a false position, and then resolved to blindly
trust that she was doing right, inasmuch as she could not make
it clear that she was doing wrong. Her decision once taken,
she forcibly banished all misgivings, and determined to find
nothing but a cheerful and restful holiday before her.
And, indeed, the first day or two of her residence at the
farm, before Joseph's departure, brought her a more agreea-
ble experience than she had imagined. Both host and host-
ess were busy, tlie latter in the household find the former in
the fields, and when they met at meals or in the evening. her
presence was an element which compelled an appearance of
harmony. She was surprised to lind so ouiet and ordered a
life in two persons whom she had imagined to be miserably
unfitted for each other, and began to suspect that she had
been seriously mistaken.
After Joseph left, the two women were much together.
Julia insisted that she should do nothing, and amiably pro-
tested at first against Lucy giving her so much, of her society ;
but, little by little, the companionship was extended and be-
came more frank and intimate. Lucy was in a charitable
mood, and found it very easy to fancy that Julia's character
had been favorably affected by the graver duties which had
come with her marriage. Indeed, Julia found many indi-
rect ways of hinting as much : she feared she had seemed
flighty (perhaps a little shallow) ; looking back upon her past
life she could see that such a charge would not be unjust.
Her education had been so superficial ; all city education of
young women was false ; they were taught to consider ex-
ternal appearances, and if they felt a void in their nature
which these would not fill, whither could they turn for coun-
sel or knowledge ?
Her face was sad and thoughtful while she so spoke ; but
when, shaking her dark curls with a pretty impatience, she
would lift her head and ask, with a smile : " But it is not
too late, in my case, is it ? I'm really an older child, you
know," Lucy could only answer : " Since you know what
you need, it can never be too late. The very fact that you
do know, proves that it will be easy for you."
Then Julia would shake her head again, and say, " O, you
are too kind, Lucy ; you judge my nature by your own."
222 JOSEPH A^D HIS FKIEND.
When the friendly relation between them had developed a
little further, Julia became though still with a modest reti-
cence more confiding in relation to Joseph.
" He is so good, so very, very true and good," she said, one
day, " that it grieves me, more than I can tell, to be the cause
of a little present anxiety of his. As it is only a business
matter, some exaggerated report of which you have probably
heard (for I know there have been foolish stories afloat in
the neighborhood), I have no hesitation about confiding it
to you. Perhaps you can advise me how to atone for my
error ; for, if it was an error, I fear it cannot be remedied
now ; if not, it will be a relief to me to confess it."
Thereupon she gave a minute history of the Amaranth
speculation, omitting the energy of her persuasion with
Joseph, and presenting very strongly her father's views of a
sure and splendid success soon to follow. " It was for
Joseph's sake," she concluded, " rather than my own, that
I advised the investment ; though, knowing his perfect un-
selfishness, I fear he complied only for mine. He had
guessed already, it seems to me now, that we women like
beauty as well as comfort about our lives ; otherwise, he
would hardly have undertaken these expensive improve-
ments of our home. But, Lucy, it terrifies me to think that
pa and Joseph and I may have been deceived ! The more I
shut my mind against the idea the more it returns to torment
me. I, who brought so little to him, to be the instrument
of such a loss ! O, if you were not here, how could I en-
dure the anxiety and the absence ? "
She buried her face in her handkerchief, and sobbed.
" I know Joseph to be good and true," said Lucy, " and I
believe that he will bear the loss cheerfully, if it should
come. But it is never good to ' borrow trouble,' as we say
JOSEPH AND HIS FlilKXD. 223
in the country. Neither the worst nor the best things
which we imagine ever come upon us."
" You are wrong ! " cried Julia, starting up and laughing
gleefully ; " I Jiavfi the best thing, in my husband ! And yet,
you are right, too : no worst thing can come to me } while 1
keep him ! "
Lucy wished to visit the Hopetons before their departure
for the sea-shore, and Julia was quite ready to accompany
her. Only, with the wilfulness common to all selfish na-
tures, she determined to arrange the matter in her own way.
She drove away alone the next morning to the post-office,
with a letter for Joseph, but never drew rein until she had
reached Coventry Forge. Philip being absent, she confided
to Madeline Held her wish (and Lucy's) that they should all
spend an afternoon together, on the banks of the stream,
a free society in the open air instead of a formal one within
doors. Madeline entered into the plan with joyous readi-
ness, accepting both for herself and for Philip. They all met
together too rarely, she said : a lunch or a tea under the trees
would be delightful : there was a little skiff which might be
borrowed, and they might even catch and cook their own
fish, as the most respectable people did in the Adirondacks.
Julia then drove to the Hopetons in high spirits. Mr.
Hopeton found the proposed party very pleasant, and said
at once to his wife : " We have still three days, my dear :
we can easily spare to-morrow ? "
" Mrs. Asten is very kind," she replied j " and her propo-
sition is tempting: but I should not like to go without you,
and I thought your business might "
" O, there is nothing pressing," he interrupted. " I shall
enjoy it exceedingly, especially the boat, and the chance of
landing a few trout."
224 JOSEPH AND ins FRIEND.
So it was settled. Lucy, it is true, felt a dissatisfaction
which she could scarcely conceal, and possibly did not, to
Julia's eyes ; but it was not for her own sake. She must
seem grateful for a courtesy meant to favor both herself and
her friend, and a little reflection reconciled her to the plan.
Mrs. Hopeton dared not avoid Philip Held, and it might be
well if she carried away with her to the sea-shore a later and
less alarming memory of him. Lucy's own desire for a quiet
talk with the woman in whom she felt such a loving interest
was of no consequence, if this was the result.
They met in the afternoon, on the eastern side of the
stream, just below the Forge, where a little bay of level
shore, shaded by superb trees, was left between the rocky
bluffs. Stumps and a long-fallen trunk furnished them with
rough tables and seats ; there was a natural fireplace among
some huge tumbled stones ; a spring of icy crystal gushed
out from the foot of the bluff; and the shimmering, mur-
muring water in front, with the meadows beyond" burning
like emerald flame in the sunshine, offered a constant delight
to the senses.
All were enchanted with the spot, which Philip and Ma-
deline claimed as their discovery. The gypsy spirit awoke in.
them, and while they scattered here and there, possessed with
the influences of the place, and constantly stumbling upon
some new charm or convenience, Lucy felt her heart grow-
light for her friend, and the trouble of her own life subside.
For a time no one seemed to think of anything but the
material arrangements. Mr. Hopeton's wine-flasks were
laid in the spring to cool ; Philip improvised a rustic table
xipon two neighboring stumps ; rough seats were made com-
fortable, dry sticks collected for fire-wood, stores iinpacked
and placed in readiness, and every little preliminary of
FRIEND. 22:
labor, insufferable in a kitchen, took on ics
in that svlvnn nook.
Then they resred from th>-ir work. Mr. Hopeton and
Philip lighted cigars and sat to leeward, while the four
ladies kept their lingers busy with bunches of maiden-hair
and faint wildwood blossoms, as tliey talked. It really
seemed as if a peace and joy from beyond their lives had
fallen upon them. Madeline believed so, and Lucy hoped
so : let us hope so, too, and not lift at once the veil which
was folded so closely over two restless hearts !
Mr. Hopetoii threw away the stump of his cigar, adjusted
his fishing-tackle, and said : " If we are to have a trout
supper, I must begin to troll at once."
" May I go with you ? " his wife asked.
" Yes," lie answered, smiling, " if you will not be nervous.
But I hardly need to make that stipulation with you, Emily."
Philip assisted her into the unsteady little craft, which
was fastened to a tree. Mr. Hopetoii seated himself care-
fully, took the two light, short oars, and held himself from
the shore, while Philip loosened the rope.
"I shall row up stream," he said, "and then float back to
you, trolling as I come. When I see you again, I hope I
can ask you to have the coals ready."
Slowly, and not very skilfully, he worked his way against
the current, and passed out of sight around a bend in the
stream. Philip watched Mrs. Hopeton's slender figure as
she sat in the stern, listlessly trailing one hand in the water.
" Does she feel that my eyes, my thoughts, are following
her ? " he asked; but she did not once turn her head.
" Philip ! " cried Madeline, " here are three forlorn maid-
ens, and you the only Sir Isurnbras, or whoever is the
proper knight ! Are you looking into the stream, expecting
10*
226 JOSEPH AND HIS FKIEXD.
the 'damp woman' to arise? She only rises for fishermen:
she will come up and drag Mr. Hopeton down. Let me
invoke the real nymph of this stream ! " She sang :
"Sabrina fair,
Listen whore them art sitting
Under the glassy, cool, translucent wave,
In twisted braids of lilies knitting
The loose train of thy amber-dropping hair ;
Listen for dear honor's sake,
Goddess of the silver lake,
Listen and save ! "
Madeline did not know what she was doing. She could
not remark Philip's paleness in the dim green light where
they sat, but she was struck by the startled expression of
his eyes.
" One would think you really expected Sabrina to come,"
she laughed. "Miss Henderson, too, looks as if I had
frightened her. You and I, Mrs. Asten, are the only cool,
unimaginative brains in the party. But perhaps it was all
owing to my poor voice ? Come now, confess it ! I don't
expect you to say,
' Can any mortal mixture of earth's mould
Breathe such divine, enchanting ravishment ? ' "
" I was trying to place the song," said Lucy ; " I read it
once."
" If any one could evoke a spirit, Madeline," Philip re-
plied, " it would be you. But the spirit would be no
nymph ; it would have little horns and hoofs, and you
would be glad to get rid of it again."
They all laughed at this, and presently, at Julia's sugges-
tion, arranged the wood they had collected, and kindled a
fire. It required a little time and patience to secure a
strong blaze, and in the great interest which the task called
forth the Hopetons were forgotten.
227
At last Philip stopped back, heated and half stifled, for a
breath of fresher air, and, turning, saw the boat between
the trees gliding down the stream. " There they are ! " he
cried ; " now, to know our luck ! "
The boat was in midstream, not far from a stony strip
which rose above the water. Mrs. Hopeton sat musing with
her hands in her lap, while her husband, resting on his
knees and one hand, leaned over the bow, watching the fly
which trailed at the end of his line. He seemed to bo
quite unconscious that an oar, which had slowly loosened
itself from the lock, was floating away behind the boat.
" You are losing your oars ! " Philip cried.
Mr. Hopeton. started, as from a dream of trout, dropped
his line and stretched forward suddenly to grasp the oar.
The skiff was too light and unbalanced to support the mo-
tion. It rocked threateningly ; Mrs. Hopeton, quite forget-
ting herself, started to her feet, and, instantly losing her
equilibrium, was thrown headlong into the deeper water.
The skiff whirled back, turned over, and before Mr. Hope-
ton was aware of what had happened, he plunged full length,
face downwards, into the shallower current.
It was all over before Madeline and Lucy reached the
bank, and Philip was already in the stream. A few strokes
brought him to Mrs. Hopeton, who struggled with the cur-
rent as she rose to the surface, but made no outcry. No
sooner had she touched Philip than she seized and locked
him in her arms, and he was dragged down again with her.
It was only the physical clinging to life : if some feeble re-
cognition at that moment told her whose was the form she
held and made powerless, it could not have abated an atom
of her frantic, instinctive force.
Philip felt that they had drifted into water beyond his
228 JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND.
depth. With groat exertion he freed his right arm and
sustained himself and her a moment at the surface. Mrs.
Hopeton's head was on his shoulder ; her hair drifted
against his face, and even the desperation of the struggle
could not make him insensible to the warmth of her breast
upon his own. A wild thought flashed upon and stung his
brain : she was his at last his in. death, if not in life !
His arm slackened, and they sank slowly together. Heart
and brain were illuminated with blinding light, and the
swift succession of his thoughts compressed an age into the
fragment of a second. Yes, she was his now : clasping him
as he clasped, their hearts beating against each other, with
ever slower pulsations, until they should freeze into one.
The world, with its wrongs and prejudices, lay behind them;
the past was past, and only a short and painless atonement
intervened between the immortal possession of souls ! Bet-
ter that it should end thus : he had not sought this solution,
but he would not thrust it from him.
But, even as his mind accepted it, and with a sense of
perfect peace, Le heard Joseph's voice, saying, " We must
shape our lives according to the law which is above, not
that which is below us." Through the air and the water, on
the very rock which now overhung his head, he again saw-
Joseph bending, and himself creeping towards him with out-
stretched hand. Ha! who was the coward now? And
again Joseph spake, and his words were : " The very wrong
that has come upon us makes God necessary." God? Then
how would God in his wisdom fashion their future life ?
Must they sweep eternally, locked in an unsevering embrace,
like Paolo and Francesca, around some dreary circle of
hell ? Or must the manner of entering that life together
be the act to separate them eternally ? Only the inevitable
act dare ask for pardon; but h-'.-re, if not will or purpose,
was at least submission without ivsiotiiiice ! Then ic seemed
to him that Madeline's voice came aL'ain to him, ringing like
a trumpet through tho waters, as she sang:
He pressed his lips to Mrs. Hopeton's unconscious brow,
his heart saying, " Xever, never again ! '' released himself by
a sudden, powerful eit'ort, seized her safely, as a practised
swimmer, shot into light and air, and made for the shallower
side of the stream. The upturned skiiF was now within
reach, and all danger was over.
"Who could guess that the crisis of a soul had been reached
and passed in that breath of time under the surface ? Julia's
long, shrill scream had scarcely come to an end ; Mr. Hope-
ton, bewildered by his fall, was trying to run towards them
through water up to his waist, and Lucy and Madeline
looked on, holding their breath in an agony of suspense.
In another moment Philip touched bottom, and raising Mrs.
Hopeton in his arms, carried her to the opposite bank.
She was faint and stunned, but not unconscious. She
passively allowed Philip to support her until Mr. Hopeton,
struggling through the shallows, drew near with an expres-
sion of intense terror and concern on his broad face. Then,
breaking from Philip, she half fell, half flung herself into
his arms, laid her head upon his shoulder, and burst into a
fit of hysterical weeping.
Tears began to run down the honest man's cheeks, and
Philip, turning away, busied himself with righting the boat
and recovering the oars.
" O, my darling ! " said Mr. Hopeton, " what should I do
if I had lost you ? "
230 JOSEPH AND HIS FKIEXD.
" Hold me, keep me, love me ! " she cried. " I must not
leave you ! "
He lield her in his arms, he kissed her, he soothed her
with endearing words. She grew calm, lifted her head, and
looked in his eyes with a light which he had never yet seen
in them. The man's nature was moved and stirred : his
lips trembled, and the tears still slowly trickled from his
eyes.
" Let me set you over ! " Philip called from the stream.
" The boat is wet, but then neither of us is dry. We have,
fortunately, a good fire until the carriage can be brought for
Mrs. Hopeton, and your wine will be needed at once."
They had no trout, nor indeed any refreshment, except
the wine. Philip tried to rally the spirits of the party, but
Julia was the only one who at all seconded his efforts ; the
others had been too profoundly agitated. Mr. and Mrs.
Hopeton were grave ; it seemed scarcely possible for them
to speak, and yet, as Lucy remarked with amazement, the
faces of both were bright and serene.
" I shall never invoke another water-nymph," said Made-
line, as they were leaving the spot.
" Yes ! " Philip cried, " always invoke Sabrina, and the
daughter of Locriiie will arise for you, as she arose to-day."
"That is, not at all?"
" No," said Philip, she arose."
JOSEPH AND III> FRIEND.
CHAPTER XXII.
KANUCK.
WHEN lie set forth upon his journey, Joseph had enough
of natural shrewdness to perceive that his own personal
interest in the speculation were better kept secret. The
position of the Amaranth property, inserted like a wedge
between the Fluke and Chowder Companies, was all the geog-
raphy he needed ; and he determined to assume the character
of a curious traveller, at least for a day or two, to keep
his eyes and ears open, and learn as much as might be possi-
ble to one outside the concentric " rings " of oil operations.
He reached Corry without adventure, and took passage in
the train to Oil City, intending to make the latter place the
starting-point of his investigations. The car was crowded,
and his companion on the seat was a keen, witty, red-faced
man, with an astonishing diamond pin and a gold watch-
chain heavy enough to lift an anchor. He was too restless,
too full of " operative " energy, to travel in silence, as is the
universal and most dismal American habit; and before they
passed three stations he had extracted from Joseph the
facts that he was a stranger, that he intended visiting the
principal wells, and that he might possibly (Joseph allowing
the latter point to be inferred) be tempted to invest some-
thing, if the aspects were propitious.
" You must be sure to take a look at my wells," said the
stranger ; " not that any of our stock is in the market, it is
never offered to the public, unless accidentally, but they
will give you an illustration of the magnitude of the business.
232 JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND.
everidge run'), aud so it was reported of onru. But since
we've begun to torpedo them, it's almost equal to the first
tapping, though I don't suppose it'll hold out so long."
"Are the torpedoes generally used?" Joseph asked, in
some surprise.
" They're generally tried, anyhow. The cute fellow who
first hit upon the idea meant to keep it dark, but the oilers,
you'll find, have got their teeth skinned, and what they can't
find out isn't worth finding out ! Lord ! I torpedoed my
wells at midnight, and it wasn't a week before the Fluke
was at it, bustiii' and bustin' all their dry auger-holes ! "
" The what ! " Joseph exclaimed.
" Fluke. Queer name, isu't it ? Exit that's nothing :
we have the Crinoline, the Pipsissaway, the Mud-Lark, and
the Sunburst, between vis and Tideoute."
" What is the name of your company, if I may ask ? "
" About as queer as any of 'em, the Chowder."
Joseph started, in spite of himself. " It seems to me I
have heard of that company," he managed to say.
" O no doubt," replied the stranger. " 'T isn't often,
quoted in the papers, but it's known. I 'm rather proud of
it, for I got it up. I was boring boss, though at three
dollars a day, two years ago, and now I have my forty thou-
sand a year, l free of income tax,' as the Insurance Compa-
nies say. But then, where one is lucky like the Chowder, a
hundred busts."
Joseph rapidly collected himself while the mau was speak-
ing. " I should very much like to see your wells," he said.
" Will yoxi be there a day or two from now ? My name is
Asten, not that you have ever heard of it before."
JOSEm AND HIS FRIEND. 233
" Shall be glad to hear it again, though, and to see you,"
said the man. " My name is IJIcnkinsop."
Again it was all that Joseph could do to restrain his
astonishment.
" 1 suppose you are the President of the Chowder? " he
ventured to say.
" Yes,'' Mr. Blenkinsop answered, '' since it's a company.
It was all mine at the start, but I wanted capital, and 1 had
to work 'em."
" What other important companies are there near you ? "
" IN one of any account, except the Fluke and the Depravity.
They now tolerable now, after torpedoing. To be sure, there
are kites and catches with all sorts o' names,- the Penny-
royal, the Ruby, the Wallholler (whatever that is), and the
Amaranth, ha, ha ! "
" I think 1 have heard of the Amaranth," Joseph mildly
remarked.
"Lord! axe you bit already?" Mr. Blenkinsop exclaim-
ed, fixing his small, sharp eyes on Joseph's face.
" I I really don't know what you mean."
" No offence : I thought it likely, that's all. The Ama-
ranth is Kanuck's last dodge. He keeps mighty close, but
if he don't feather his nest in a hurry, at somebody's ex-
pense, I ain't no judge o' men ! "
Joseph did not dare to mention the Amaranth again. He
parted with Mr. Blenkinsop at Tarr Farm, and went on to
Oil City, where he spent a day in unprofitable wanderings,
and then set out up the river, first to seek the Chowder
wells, and afterwards to ascertain whether there was any
perennial beauty in the Amaranth.
The first thing which he remarked was the peculiar topog-
raphy of the region. The Chowder property was a sloping
JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND.
bottom, gradually rising from the river to a range of high
hills a quarter of a mile in the rear. Just above this point
the river made a sharp horseshoe bend, washing the foot of
the hills for a considerable distance, and then curving back
again, with a second tract of bottom-land beyond. On the
latter, he was informed, the Fluke wells were located. The
inference was therefore irresistible that the Amaranth Com-
pany must be the happy possessor of the lofty section of hills
dividing the two.
" Do they get oil up there ? " he asked of Blenkinsop's
foreman, pointing to the ragged, barren heights.
" They may get skunk oil, or rattle-snake oil," the man
answered. " Them'll do to peddle, but you can't fill tanks
with 'em. I hear they've got a company for that place,
tli' Amaranth, they call it, but any place'll do for derned
fools. Why, look 'ee here ! TFe've got seven hundred feet
to bore : now, jest put twelve hundred more atop o' that, and
guess whether they can even pump oil, with the Chowder
and Fluke both sides of 'em ! But it does for green 'uns, as
well as any other place."
Joseph laughed, a most feeble, unnatural, ridiculous
laugh.
"I'll walk over that way to the Fluke," he said. "I
should like to see how such things are managed."
" Then be a little on your guard with Kanuck, if you
meet him," the man good-naturedly advised. " Don't ask
him too many questions."
It was a hot, wearisome climb to the timber-skeletons on
the summit (more like gibbets than anything else), which
denoted shafts to the initiated as well as the ignorant eye.
There were a dozen or more, but all were deserted.
Joseph wandered from one to the other, asking himself,
JOSEPH AXD ins FRIKXD. 235
as lie inspected each, '"' Is this the splendid speculation?"
What was there iu that miserable, shabby, stony region, a
hundred acres of which would hardly pasture a cow, whence
wealth should come ? Verily, as stony and as barren were
the natures of the men, who on this wretched basis built
their cheating schemes !
A little farther on he came to a deep ravine, cleaving the
hills in twain. There was another skeleton in its bed, but
several shabby individuals were gathered about it, the
first sign of life or business he had yet discovered.
He hastened down the steep declivity, the warning of the
Chowder foreman recurring to his mind, yet it seemed so
difficult to fix his policy in advance that he decided to leave
everything to chance. As he approached he saw that the
men were laborers, with the exception of a tall, lean indivi-
dual, who looked like an unfortunate clergyman. He had a
sallow face, lighted by small, restless, fiery eyes, which re-
minded Joseph, when they turned upon him, of those of a
black snake. His greeting was cold and constrained, and
his manner said plainly, "The sooner you leave the better I
shall be satisfied."
" This is a rough country for walking," said Joseph ;
" how much farther is it to the Fluke wells ? "
" Just a bit," said one of the workmen.
Joseph took a seat on a stone, with the air of one who
needed rest. " This well, I suppose," he remarked, " be-
longs to the Amaranth ? "
" Who told you so ? " asked the lean, dark man.
" They said below, at the Chowder, that the Amaranth
was up here."
" Did Blenkinsop send you this way ? " the man asked
again.
JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND.
" Xobody sent me," Joseph replied. " I am a stranger,
taking a look at the oil country. I liave never before been
in this part of the State."
" May I ask your name? "
" Asten," said Joseph, unthinkingly.
" Asten ! I think I know where that name belongs. Let
me see."
The man pulled out a large dirty envelope from his
breast-pocket, ran over several papers, unfolded one, and
presently asked,
" Joseph Asten ? "
" Yes." (Joseph set his teeth, and silently cursed his
want of forethought.)
" Proprietor of ten thousand dollars' worth of stock in
the Amaranth ! Who sent you here ? "
His tone, though meant to be calm, was fierce and mena-
cing. Joseph rose, scanned the faces of the workmen, who
listened with a malicious curiosity, and finally answered,
with a candor which seemed to impress, while it evidently
disappointed the questioner :
" No one sent me, and no one, beyond my own family,
knows that I am here. I am a farmer, not a speculator. I
was induced to take the stock from representations which
have not been fulfilled, and which, I am now convinced,
never will be fulfilled. My habit is, when I cannot get the
truth from others, to ascertain it for myself. I presume
you are Mr. Kanuck ? "
The man did not answer immediately, but the quick,
intelligent glance of one of the workmen showed Joseph
that liis surmise was correct. Mr. Kanuck conversed apart
with the men, apparently giving private orders, and then
said, with a constrained civility:
JOKI'H AND III.- FKIKXIX 237
"If you arc bound fur the Fluke, Mr. Asten, I will join
you. I am also going in that direction, and \ve can talk on
the way."
They toiled up the opposite side of the ravine in silence.
When they had reached the top and taken breath, Mr.
Kanuck commenced :
" I must infer that you have little faith in anything being
realized from the Amaranth. Any man, ignorant of the
technicalities of boring, might be discouraged by the external
appearance of things; and I shall therefore not endeavor to
explain to you my grounds of hope, unless you will agree to
join me for a month or two and become practically ac-
quainted with the locality and the modes of labor."
"That is unnecessary," Joseph replied.
"You being a farmer, of course 1 could not expect it.
On the other hand, I think I can appreciate your, disap-
pointment, if we must call it so, and I should be willing,
under certain conditions, to save you, not from positive loss,
because I do not admit the possibility of that, but from
what, at present, may seem loss to you. Do I make my
meaning clear?"
" Entirely," Joseph replied, " except as to the conditions."
" We are dealing on the square, I take it ? "
" Of course."
" Then," said Mr. Kanuck, " I need only intimate to you
how important it is that I should develop our prospects.
To do this, the faith of the principal stockholders must not
be disturbed, otherwise the funds without which the pros-
pects cannot be developed . may fail me at the critical
moment. Your hasty and unintelligent impressions, if ex-
pressed in a reckless manner, might do much to bring about
such a catastrophe. I must therefore stipulate that you
238 JOSEPH AND HIS FEIEXD.
keep sucli impressions to yourself. Let me speak to you
as man to man, and ask you if your expressions, not being
founded on knowledge, would be honest ? So far from it,
you will be bound in all fairness, in consideration of my
releasing you and restoring you what you have ventured, to
adopt and disseminate the views of an expert, namely,
mine."
"Let me put it into fewer words," said Joseph. "You
will buy my stock, repaying me what I have disbursed, if,
on my return, I say nothing of what 1 have seen, and ex-
press my perfect faith (adopting your views) in the success
of the Amaranth ? "
" You have stated the conditions a little barely, perhaps,
but not incorrectly. I only ask for perfect fairness, as be-
tween man and man."
" One question first, Mr. Kanuck. Does Mr. Blessing
know the real prospects of the Amaranth ? "
" No man more thoroughly, I assure you, Mr. Asten.
Indeed, without Mr. Blessing's enthusiastic concurrence in
the enterprise, I doubt whether we could have carried the
work so far towards success. His own stock, I may say to
you, since we understand each other, was earned by his
efforts. If you know him intimately, you know also that
he has no visible means of support. But he has what is
much more important to us, a thorough knowledge of
men and their means."
He rubbed his hands, and laughed softly. They had beeii
walking rapidly during the conversation, and now came sud-
denly upon the farthest crest of the hills, where the ridge
fell away to the bottom occupied by the Fluke wells. Both
paused at this point.
"On the square, then!" said Mr. Kanuck, offering his
239
hand. " TV11 me where you will be to-morrow morni:i_',
and our business can be settled in five minutes. You will
carry out your part of the bargain, as man to man, when you
find that I carry out mine."
'' Do you take me for an infernal scoundrel ? " cried
Joseph, boiling over with disgust and rage.
Mr. Kanuck stepped back a pace or two. His sallow face
became livid, and there was murder in his eyes. He put
his hand into his breast, and Joseph, facing him, involunta-
rily did the same. Xot until long afterwards, when other
experiences had taught him the significance of the move-
ment, did he remember what it then meant.
" So ! that's your game, is it ? " his antagonist said, hiss-
ing the words through his teeth. " A spy, after all ! Or a
detective, perhaps ? I was a fool to trust a milk-and-water
face : but one thing I tell you, you may get away, but
come back again if you dare ! "
Joseph said nothing, but gazed steadily in the man's eyes,
and did not move from his position so long as he was within
sight. Then, breathing deeply, as if relieved from the dread
of an unknown danger, lie swiftly descended the hill.
That evening, as he sat in the bar-room of a horrible
shanty (called a hotel), farther up the river, he noticed a
pair of eyes fixed intently upon him : they belonged to one
of the workmen in the Amaranth ravine. The man made
an almost imperceptible signal, and left the room. Joseph
followed him.
" Hush ! " whispered the former. " Don't come back to
the hill ; and get away from here to-morrow morning, if you
can ! " With these words he darted off and disappeared in
the darkness.
The counsel was unnecessary. Joseph, with all his inex-
240 JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND.
peiience of the world, saw plainly that his only alternatives
were loss or connivance. Nothing was to be gained by
following the vile business any further. He took the earli-
est possible train, and by the afternoon of the following day
found himself again in the city.
He was conscious of no desire to meet Mr. Blessing, yet
the pressure of his recent experience seemed to drive him
irresistibly in that direction. When he rang the bell, it was
with the hope that he should find nobody at home. Mr.
Blessing, however, answered the summons, and after the first
expression of surprise, ushered him into the parlor.
" I am quite alone," he said ; " Mrs. Blessing is passing
the evening with her sister, Mrs. Woollish, and Clementina
is still at Long Branch. I believe it is as good as settled
that we are to lose her ; at least she has written to inquire
the extent of my available funds, which, in her case, is tanta-
mount to very much more."
Joseph determined to avoid all digressions, and insist on
the Amaranth speculation, once for all, being clearly dis-
cussed. He saw that his father-in-law became more uneasy
and excited as he advanced in the story of his journey, and,
when it was concluded, did not seem immediately prepared
to reply. His suspicions, already aroused by Mr. Kanuck's
expressions, were confirmed, and a hard, relentless feeling of
hostility took possession of his heart.
"I I really must look into this," Mr. Blessing stam-
mered, at last. " It seems incredible : pardon me, but I woxild
doubt the statements, did they come from other lips than
yours. It is as if I had nursed a dove in my bosom, and
unexpectedly found it to be a a basilisk ! "
" It can be no serious loss to you," said Joseph, " since
you received your stock in return for services."
JOSEPH AND JUS FRIEND. 24:1
"That is true: I was not thinking of myself. The real
sting of the cockatrice is, that I have innocently misled you.""
"Yet I understood you to say you had ventured vo'u-
all ? "
" My all of hope my all of expectation ! " Mr. Blessim;
cried. "I dreamed I had overtaken the rainbow at last;
but this this is senna quassia aloes ! My nature is
so confiding that I accept the possibilities of the future as
present realities, and build upon them as if they were Quin-
cy granite. And yet, with all my experience, my acknow-
ledged sagacity, my acquaintance with the hidden labyrinths
of finance, it seems impossible that I can be so deceived !
There must be some hideous misunderstanding: I have cal-
culated all the elements, prognosticated all the planetary as-
pects, so to speak, and have not found a whisper of failure ! "
"You omitted one very important element," Joseph said.
"What is that? I might have employed a detective, it
is true "
" No ! " Joseph replied. " Honesty ! "
Mr. Blessing fell back in his chair, weeping bitterly.
" I deserve this ! " he exclaimed. " I will not resent it.
I forgive you in advance of the time when you shall recog-
nize my sincere, my heartfelt wish to serve you ! Go, go :
let me not recriminate ! I meant to be, and still mean to
be, your friend : but spare my too confiding child ! "
Without a word of good-by, Joseph took his hat and has-
tened from the house. At every step the abyss of dishonesty
seemed to open deeper before his feet. Spare the too con-
fiding child ! Father and daughter were alike : both mean,
both treacherous, both unpardonably false. to him.
With such feelings he left the city next morning, and
made his way homewards.
11
242 JOSEPH AND HIS FKIEND.
CHAPTER XXIIL
JULIA'S EXPERIMENT.
IN the mean time the Hopetons had left for the sea-shore,
and the two women, after a drive to Magnolia, remained
quietly on the farm. Julia employed the days in studying
Lucy with a soft, stealthy, unremitting watchfulness which
the latter could not suspect, since, in the first place, it was a
faculty quite unknown to her, and, secondly, it would have
seemed absurd because inexplicable. Neither could she
guess with what care Julia's manner and conversation were
adapted to her own. She was only surprised to find so
much earnest desire to correct faults, such artless transpa-
rency of nature. Thus an interest quite friendly took the
place of her former repulsion of feeling, of which she began,
to be sincerely ashamed.
Moreover, Julia's continual demonstration of her love for
Joseph, from which Lucy at first shrank with a delicate
tremor of the heart, soon ceased to affect her. Nay, it
rather seemed to interpose a protecting barrier between her
present and the painful memory of her past self. She be-
gan to suspect that all regret was now conquered, and rejoiced
in the sense of strength which could only thus be made
clear to her mind. Her feeling towards Joseph became that
of a sister or a dear woman friend ; there could be no harm
in cherishing it ; she found a comfort in speaking to Julia
of his upright, unselfish character, his guilelessness and
kindness of heart.
21-3
The work upon the house was nearly finished, but new
and more alarming bills began to come in ; and worse was
In store. There was a chimney -piece, "the loveli.-st ivory
veins through the green marble,"' Julia said, which she had
ordered from the city ; there were boxes and packages of
furniture already on hand, purchased without -Joseph's
knowledge and with entire faith in the virtues of the Ama-
ranth. Although she still clung to that faith with a des-
perate grip, the sight of the boxes did not give her the same
ieliglit as she had felt in ordering them. She saw the ne-
cessity of being prepared, in advance, for either alternative.
It was not in her nature to dread any scene or circum-
stance of life (although she had found the appearance
of timidity very available, and could assume it admirably) ;
the question which perplexed her was, how to retain and
strengthen her ascendency over Joseph ?
It is needless to say that the presence of Lucy Henderson
was a part of her plan, although she held a more important
service in reserve. Lucy's warm, frank expressions of
friendship for Joseph gave her great satisfaction, and she
was exhaustless in inventing ways to call them forth.
" You look quite like another person, Lucy," she would
say ; " I really think the rest has done you good."
" I am siire of it," Lucy answered.
" Then you must be in no hurry to leave. We must build
you up, as the doctors say ; and, besides, if if this specula-
tion should be unfortunate O, I don't dare to think of
it ! there will be such a comfort to me, and I am sure to
Joseph also, in having you here until we have learned to
bear it. We should not allow our minds to dwell on it so
much, you know ; we should make an exertion to hide our
disappointment in your presence, and that would be such
244 JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEXD.
a help ! Now you will say I am borrowing trouble, but do,
pray, make allowances for me, Lucy ! Think how every-
thing has been kept from me that I ought to have known ! "
" Of course, I will stay a little while for your sake," Lucy
answered ; " but Joseph is a man, and most men bear bad
luck easily. He would hardly thank me for condoling with
him."
" O, no, no ! " Julia cried ; " he thinks everything of you !
He was so anxious for you to come here ! he said to me,
' Lucy Henderson is a noble, true-hearted girl, and you will
love her at once,' as I did, Lucy, when I first saw you, but
without knowing why, as I now do."
A warm color came into Lucy's face, but she only shook
her head and said nothing.
The two women had just risen from the breakfast-table the
next morning, when a shadow fell into the room through the
front window, and a heavy step was heard on the stone
pavement of the veranda. Julia gave a little start and
shriek, and seized Lucy's arm. The door opened and Joseph
was there. He had risen before daybreak and taken the
earliest train from the city. He had scarcely slept for two
nights ; his face was stern and haggard, and the fatigue, in-
stead of exhausting, had only added to his excitement.
Julia sprang forward, threw her arm saround, him, and
kissed him repeatedly. He stood still and passively endured
the caress, without returning it ; then, stepping forward, he
gave his hand to Lucy. She felt that it was cold and moist^
and she did not attempt to repress the quick sympathy
which came into her face and voice.
Julia guejssed something of the truth instantly, and nothing
but the powerful necessity of continuing to play her part en-
abled her to conceal the bitter anger which the contrast
between Joseph's greeting to lier and to Lucy aroused in her
lieart. .She stood for a moment as if paralyzed, Imt in reality
to collect herself; then, approaching her hushand, she stam-
mered forth: " (), Joseph I'm afraid I don't dare to ask
yon what what news you bring. You didn't write I've
been so uneasy and now I see from your face that some-
thing is wrong."
o O
He did not answer.
"Don't tell me all at once, if it's very bad!" she then
cried : " but, no ! it's my duty to hear it, my duty to bear
it,- Lucy has taught me that, tell ine all, tell me all, this
moment ! "
" You and your father have ruined me : that is all."
" Joseph ! " The word sounded like the essence of tender
protest, of heart-breaking reproach. Lucy rose quietly and
moved towards the door.
"Don't leave me, Lucy ! " was Julia's appeal.
" It is better that I should go," Lucy answered, in a faint
voice, and left the room.
" But, Joseph," Julia resumed, with a wild, distracted air,
" why do you say such terrible things ? I really do not
know what yoxi mean. What have you learned ? what have
you seen ? "
" I have seen the Amaranth ! "
"Well! Is there no oil?"
" O yes, plenty of oil ! " he laughed ; " skunk oil and
rattlesnake oil ! It is one of the vilest cheats that the
Devil ever put into the minds of bad men."
"O, poor pa!" Julia cried; "what a terrible blow to
him!"
" ' Poor pa ! ' Yes, my discovery of the cheat is a terrible
blow to ' poor pa,' he did not calculate on its being found
24G JOSEPH AND HIS FKIEKD.
out so soon. When I learned from Kanuck that all the
stock he holds was given to him for services, that is, for
getting the money out of the pockets of innocents like myself,
- you may judge how much pity 1 feel for poor pa ! I told
him the fact to his face, last night, and he admitted it."
" Then," said Julia, " if the others know nothing, he may
be able to sell his stock to-day, his and yours ; and we may
not lose much after all."
" I should have sent you to the oil region, instead of going
myself," Joseph answered, with a sneer. " You and Kanuck
would soon have come to terms. He offered to take my
stock off my hands, provided Iwould go back to the city
and make such a report of the speculation as he would dic-
tate."
" A.nd you didn't do it f " Julia's voice rose almost to a
scream, as the words burst involuntarily from her lips.
The expression on Joseph's face showed her that she had
been rash ; but the words were said, and she could only
advance, not recede.
" It is perfectly legitimate in business," she continued.
" Every investment in the Amaranth was a venture, every
stockholder knew that he risked losing his money ! There
is not one that would not save himself in that way, if he
had the chance. But you pride yourself on being so much
better than other men ! Mr. Chaffinch is right ; you have
what he calls a ' moral pride ' ! You "
" Stop ! " Joseph interrupted. " Who was it that pro-
fessed such concern about my faith ? Who sent Mr. Chaf-
finch to insult me ? "
" Faith and business are two different things : all the
churches know that. There was Mr. Sanctus, in the city :
lie subscribed ten thousand dollars to the Church of the
JOSEPH AX1J HIS FKIEXD. 247
Acceptance : he couldn't pay it, and they levied on his pro-
perty, and sold him out of house and home ! Really, you
are as ignorant of the world as a baby ! "
'' God keep me so, then ! " he exclaimed.
" However," she resumed, after a pause, " since you insist
on our bearing the loss, I shall expect of your moral pride,
that you bear it patiently, if not cheerfully. It is far from
being ruin to us. The rise in property will very likely
balance it, and you will still be worth what you were."
" That is not all," he said. " I will not mention my
greatest loss, for you are incapable of understanding it ; but
how inucli else have you saddled me with ? Let me have a
look at it ! "
He crossed the hall and entered the new apartment, Julia
following. Joseph inspected the ceiling, the elaborate and
overladen cornices, the marble chimney-piece, and finally
peered into the boxes and packages, not trusting himself to
speak while the extent of the absurd splendor to which she
had committed him grew upon his mind. Finally he said,
striving to make his voice calm, although it trembled in his
throat : " Since you were so free to make all these pur-
chases, perhaps you will tell me how they are to be paid
for ? "
" Let me manage it, then," she answered. " There is no
hurry. These country mechanics are always impatient, 1
should call them impertinent, and I should like to teach
them a lesson. Sellers are under obligations to the buyers,
and they are bound to be accommodating. They have so
many bills which are never paid, that an extension of time
is the least they can do. Why, they will always wait a
year, two years, three years, rather than lose."
" I suppose so."
248 JOSEPH AKD HIS FRIEND.
"Then," said Julia, deceived by Joseph's quiet tone,
" their profits are so enormous, that it would only be fair to
reduce the bills. I am sure, that if I were to mention that
you were embarrassed by heavy losses, and press them hard,
they would compromise with me on a moderate amount.
You know they allow what is called a margin for losses,
pa told me, but I forget how much, they always expect to
lose a certain percentage ; and, of course, it can make no
difference by whom they lose it. You understand, don't
you ? "
" Yes : it is very plain."
" Pa could help me to get both a reduction and an exten-
sion of time. The bills have not all been sent, and it will
be better to wait two or three months after they have come
in. If the dealers are a little uneasy in advance, they
will be all the readier to compromise afterwards."
Joseph walked up and down the hollow room, with his
Lands clasped behind his back and his eyes fixed upon the
floor. Suddenly he stopped before her and said : " There is
another way."
" Not a better one, I am certain."
" The furniture has not yet been unpacked, and can be
returned to them uninjured. Then the bills need not be
paid at all."
" And we should be the laughing-stock of the neighbor-
hood ! " she cried, her eyes flashing. " I never heard of any-
thing so ridiculous ! If the worst comes to the worst, you
can sell Bishop those fifty acres over the hill, which he stands
ready to take, any day. But you'd rather have a dilapidated
house, no parlor, guests received in the dining-room and
the kitchen, the Hopetons and your friends, the Helds,
sneering at us behind our backs ! And what would your
249
credit be worth ? We shall nor even get trusted for gro-
ceries at the village store, if you leave things as they
are ! "
Joseph groaned, speaking to himself rather than answering
her : " Is there no way out of this ? What is done is done ;
shall I submit to it, and try to begin anew? or
lie did not finish the sentence. Julia turned her head,
so that only the chimney-piece and the furniture could see
the sparkle of triumph in her eyes. She felt that she had
maintained her position ; and, what was far more, she now
clearly saw the course by which she could secure it.
She left the room, drawing a full breath of relief as the
door closed behind her. The first shock of the evil news was
over, and it had not fallen quite so heavily as she had feared.
There were plenty of devices in store whereby all that was
lost might be recovered. Had not her life at home been an
unbroken sticcession of devices ? Was she not seasoned to
all manner of ups and downs, and wherefore should this first
failure disconcert her ? The loss of the money was, in re-
ality, much less important to her than the loss of her power
over Joseph. Weak as she had supposed him to be, he had
shown a fierce and unexpected resistance, which must be sup-
pressed now, or it might crush her whole plan of life. It
seemed to her that he was beginning to waver: should she
hasten a scheme by which she meant to entrap him into
submission, a subtle and dangerous scheme, which must
either wholly succeed, or, wholly failing, involve her in its
iailure ?
Rapidly turning over the question in her mind, she en-
tered her bed-room. Locking the door, she walked directly
to the looking-glass ; the curtain was drawn from the win-
dow, and a strong light fell upon her face.
11*
250 JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND.
"This will never do ! " she said to herself. " The anxiety
and excitement have made me thin again, and I seem to
have no color." She unfastened her dress, bared her neck,
and pushed the ringlets behind her ears. " I look pinched ;
a little more, and I shall look old. If I were a perfect bru-
nette or a perfect blonde, there would be less difficulty ; but
I have the most provoking, unmanageable complexion ! I
must bring on the crisis at once, and then see if I can't fill
out these hollows."
She heard the front door opening, and presently saw
Joseph on the lawn. He looked about for a moment, with
a heavy, bewildered air, and then slowly turned towards the
garden. She withdrew from the window, hesitated a mo-
ment, murmured to herself, " I will try, there cannot be a
better time ! " and then, burying her face in her hands and
sobbing, rushed to Lucy's room.
" O Lucy ! " she cried, " help me, or I am lost ! How
can I tell you ? it is harder than I ever dreamed ! "
" Is the loss so very serious, so much more than you
feared ? " Lucy asked.
"Not that O, if that were all ! But Joseph" Here
Julia's sobs became almost hysterical. " He is so cruel ; I
did advise him, as I told you, for his sake, and now he says
that pa and I have combined to cheat him ! I don't think he
knows how dreadful his words are. I would sooner die than
hear any more of them ! Go to him, Lucy ; he is in the
garden ; perhaps he will listen to you. I am afraid, and I
never thought I should be afraid of him ! "
"It is very, very sad," said Lucy. "But if he is in such
an excited condition he will surely resent my coming.
What can I say?"
" Say only what you heard me speak ! Tell him of my
251
anxiety, my self-reproach ! Tell him that even if he will
believe that pa meant to deceive him, he must not believe
it of me ! You know, Lucy, how he wrongs me in his
thoughts ; if you knew how hard it is to be wronged by a
husband, you \vould pity me ! "
" I do pity you, Julia, from my very heart ; and the proof
of it is, that I will try to do what you ask, against my own
sense of its prudence. If Joseph repels my interference, I
shall not blame him."
" Heaven bless you, Lucy ! He will not repel you, he
cannot ! " Julia sobbed. " I will lie down and try to grow
calm." She rose from the bed, upon which she had flung
herself, and tottered through the door. When she had
reached her own room, she again looked at her image in the
glass, nodded and smiled.
Lucy walked slowly along the garden paths, plucking a
flower or two, and irresolute how to approach Joseph. At
last, descending the avenue of box, she found him seated in
the semicircular enclosure, gazing steadfastly down the val-
ley, but (she was sure) not seeing the landscape. As he
turned his head at her approach, she noticed that his eye-
lids were reddened and his lips compressed with an expres-
sion of intense pain.
" Sit down, Lucy ; I am a grim host, to-day," he said,
with a melancholy attempt at a smile.
Lucy had come to him with a little womanly indignation,
for Julia's sake, in her heart ; but it vanished utterly, and
the tears started into her eyes. For a moment she found it
impossible to speak.
" I shall not talk of my ignorance any more, as I once
did," Joseph continued. " If there is a class in the school
of the world, graded according to experience of human
252 JOSEPH AND HIS FKIil^D.
meanness and treachery and falsehood, I ought to stand at
the head."
Lucy stretched out her hand in protest. " Do not speak
so bitterly, Joseph ; it pains me to hear you."
" How would you have me speak ? "
" As a man who will not see ruin befoi'e him because a
part of his property happens to slip from him, nay, if all
were lost ! I always took you to be liberal, Joseph, never
careful of money for money's sake, and I cannot xmderstand
how your nature should be changed now, even though you
have been the victim of some dishonesty."
" ' Some dishonesty ' ! You are thinking only of money :
what term would you give to the betrayal of a heart, the
ruin of a life ? "
" Surely, Joseph, you do not, you cannot mean "
" My wife, of course. It needed no guessing."
" Joseph ! " Lucy cried, seizing the opportunity, " indeed
you do her wrong ! I know what anxiety she has suffered
during your absence. She blamed herself for having ad-
vised you to risk so much in an uncertain speculation,
dreaded your disappointment, resolved to atone for it, if
she could ! She may have been rash and thoughtless, but
she never meant to deceive you. If you are disappointed
in some qualities, you should not shut your eyes and refuse
to see others. I know, now, that I have myself not been
fair in my judgment of Julia. A nearer acquaintance has
led me to conceive what disadvantages of education, for
which she is not responsible, she is obliged to overcome : she
sees, she admits them, and she will overcome them. You,
as her husband, are bound to show her a patient kind-
ness "
" Enough 1 " Joseph interrupted ; " I see that you have
253
touched pitch, also. Lucy, your first instinct was right. The
woman whom I ;un bound to look upon as my wife is false
and selfish in everv fibre of her nature; how false and self-
ish I only can know, for to me she takes oil' her mask ! "
; 'Do you believe me, then V "' Lucy's words were slightly
defiant. She had not quite understood the allusion to
touching pitch, and Joseph's indifference to her advocacy
seemed to her unfeeling.
" I begin to fear that Philip was right,"' said Joseph, not
heeding her question. (l Life is relentless : ignorance or
crime, it is all the same. And if God cares less about our
individual wrongs than we flatter ourselves He does, what
do we gain by further endurance ? Here is Lucy Hender-
son, satisfied that my wife is a suffering angel ; thinks my
nature is changed, that I am cold-hearted and cruel, while
I know Liicy to be true and noble, and deceived by the very
goodness of her own heart ! "
He lifted his head, looked in her face a moment, and then
went on :
" I am sick of masks ; we all wear them. Do you want
to know the truth, Lucy ? When I look back I can see it
very clearly, now. A little more than a year ago the one
girl who began to live in my thoxights was you ! Don't
interrupt me : I am only speaking of what was. When I
went to Warriner's, it was in the hope of meeting you, not
Julia Blessing. It was not yet love that I felt, but I think
it would have grown to that, if I had not been led away by
the cunningest arts ever a woman devised. I will not spec-
ulate on what might have been : if I had loved you, per-
haps there would have been no return : had there been, I
should have darkened the life of a friend. But this I say ;
I honor and esteem you, Lucy, and the loss of your friend-
254 JOSEPH AND ins
ship, if I now lose it, is another evil service which my wife
lias done me."
Joseph little suspected how he was torturing Lucy. She
must have been more than woman, had not a pang of wild
regret for the lost fortune, and a sting of bitter resentment
against the woman who had stolen it, wrung her heart.
She became deadly pale, and felt that her whole body was
trembling.
ie Joseph," she said, " you should not, must not, speak so
to me."
" I suppose not," he answered, letting his head sink wea-
rily ; " it is certainly not conventional ; but it is true, for
all that ! I could tell you the whole story, for I can read
it backwards, from now to the beginning, without misunder-
standing a word. It would make no difference ; she is
simple, natural, artless, amiable, for all the rest of the
world, while to me
There was such despondency in his voice and posture,
that Lucy, now longing more than ever to cheer him, and
yet discouraged by the failure of her first attempt, felt
sorely troubled.
"You mistake me, Joseph," she said, at last, "if you
think you have lost my friendship, my sincerest sympathy.
I can see that your disappointment is a bitter one, and my
prayer is that you will not make it bitterer by thrusting
from you the hopeful and cheerful spirit you once showed.
We all have our sore trials."
Lucy found her own words very mechanical, but they
were the only ones that came to her lips. Joseph did not
answer ; he still sat, stooping, with his elbows on his knees,
and his forehead resting on his palms.
" If I am deceived in Julia," she began again, " it is bet-
tor to judge too kindly than too harshly. I know you can-
not change your .sentence against her now, nor, perhaps,
very soon. But you arc bound to her for life, and you must
labor it is your sacred duty to make that lite smoother
and brighter for both. I do not know how, and I have no
right to condemn you if you fail. But, Joseph, make; the
attempt now, when the most unfortunate experience that is
likely to come to you is over ; make it, and it may chance
that, little by little, the old confidence will return, and you
will love her again."
Joseph started to his feet. " Love her ! " he exclaimed,
with suppressed passion, " love her ! I hate her ! "
There was a hissing, rattling sound, like that of some
fierce animal at bay. The thick foliage of two of the tall
box-trees was violently parted. The branches snapped and
gave way : J ulia burst through, and stood before them.
<56 JOSEPH AXD ins FRIEND.
CHAPTER XXIY.
THE face that so suddenly glared upon them was that
of a Gorgon. The ringlets were still pushed behind her
ears and the narrowness of the brow was entirely revealed;
her eyes were full of cold, steely light ; the nostrils were
violently drawn in, and the lips contracted, as if in a spasm,
so that the teeth were laid bare. Her hands were clenched,
and there was a movement in her throat as of imprisoned
words or cries ; but for a moment no words came.
Lucy, who had started to her feet at the first sound, felt
the blood turn chill in her veins, and fell, rather than sank,
upon the seat again.
Joseph was hardly surprised, and wholly reckless. This
eavesdropping was nothing worse than he already knew ;
indeed, there was rather a comfort in perceiving that he had
not overestimated her capacity for treachery. There waa
now no limit ; anything was possible.
"There is owe just law, after all," he said, "the law that
punishes listeners. You have heard the truth, for once.
You have snared and trapped me, but I don't take
to my captor more kindly than any other animal.
From this moment I choose my own path, and if you
still wish to appear as my wife, you must adapt your life
to mine ! "
" You mean to brazen it out, do you ! " Julia cried, in a
strange, hoarse, unnatural voice. " That's not so easy !
I have not listened to no purpose : I have a hold upon your
precious ' moral pride ' at lust ! ''
Joseph laughed scornfully.
"Yes, laugh, but it is in my hands to make or break you !
There is enough decent sentiment in this neighborhood to
crush a married man who dares to make love to an unmar-
ried girl ! As to the girl who sits still and listens to it,
I say nothing ; her reputation is no concern of mine ! "
Lucy littered a faint cry of horror.
" If you choose to be so despicable," said Joseph, '' you
will force rue to set my truth against your falsehood.
Wherever you tell your story, I shall follow with mine. It
will be a wretched, a degrading business ; but for the sake of
Lucy's good name, I have no alternative. I have borne
suspicion, misrepresentation, loss of credit, brought upon
me by you, patiently, because they affected only myself;
but since I am partly responsible in bringing to this house a
guest for your arts to play upon and entrap, I am doubly
bound to protect her against you. But I tell you, Julia,
beware ! I am desperate ; and it is ill meddling with a des-
perate man ! You may sneer at my moral piide, but you
dare not forget that I have another quality, manly self-
respect, which it will be dangerous to offend."
If Julia did not recognize, in that moment, that her
subject had become her master, it was because the real,
unassumed rage which convulsed her did not allow her to
perceive anything clearly. Her first impulse was to scream
and shriek, that servant and farm-hand might hear her, and
then to repeat her accusation before them ; but Joseph's last
words, and the threatening sternness of his voice withheld
her.
" So ? " she said, at last ; " this is the man who was all
258 JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND.
truth, and trust, and honor ! With you the proverb seeing
to be reversed ; it's off with the new love and on with the
old. You can insult and threaten me in her presence!
Well go on: play out your little love-scene: I shall
not interrupt you. I have heard enough to darken my
life from this day ! "
She walked away from them, up the avenue. Her dress
was torn, her arms scratched and bleeding. She had play-
ed her stake and failed, miserably, hopelessly failed. Her
knees threatened to give way under her at every step, but
she forced herself to walk erect, and thus reached the house
without once looking back.
Joseph and Lucy mechanically followed her with their
eyes. Then they turned and gazed at each other a moment
without speaking. Lucy was very pale, and the expression
of horror had not yet left her face.
" She told me to come to you," she stammered. She
begged me, with tears, to try and soften your anger against
her ; and then oh, it is monstrous ! "
" Now I see the plan ! " Joseph exclaimed ; " and I, in.
my selfish recklessness, saying what there was no need to
utter, have almost done as she calculated, have exposed
you to this outrage ! Why should I have recalled the past
at all ? I was not taking off a mask, I was only showing a
scar no, not even a scar, but a bruise ! which I ought to
have forgotten. Forget it, too, Lucy, and, if you can, for-
give me ! "
" It is easy to forgive everything but my own blind-
ness," Lucy answered. " Biit there is one thing which I
must do immediately : I must leave this house ! "
" I see that," said Joseph, sadly. Then, as if speaking to
himself, he murmured : " Who knows what friends will
259
come to it in the future ? "\\~ell, 1 \vill hear what can be
borne; and afterwards, there is Philip's valley. A free
outlaw is better than a fettered outlaw ! "
Lucy feared that his mind was wandering. He straight-
ened himself to his full height, drew a deep breath, and
exclaimed : " Action is a sedative in such cases, isn't it ?
Dennis has gone to the mill ; I will get the other horse
from the field and drive you home. Or, stay ! will you not
go to Philip Hold's cottage for a day or two ? I think his
sister asked you to come."
" Xo, no ! " cried Lucy ; "you must not go ! I will wait
for Dennis."
"Xo one must suspect what has happened here this morn-
ing, unless Julia compels me to make it known, and I don't
think she will. It is, therefore, better that I should take
you. It will put me, I hope, in a more rational frame of
mind. Go quietly to your room and make your prepara-
tions. I will see Julia, and if there is no further scene
now, there will be none of the kind henceforth. She is
cunning when she is calm."
On reaching the house Joseph went directly to his wife's
bed-room. The necessity of an immediate interview could
not be avoided, since Lucy was to leave. When he opened
the door, Julia, who was bending over an open drawer of
her bureau, started up with a little cry of alarm. She closed
the drawer hastily, and began to arrange her hair at the
mirror. Her face in the glass was flushed, but its expres-
sion was sullen and defiant.
" Julia," he said, as coolly as possible, " I am going to
take Lucy home. Of course you understand that she can-
not stay here an hour longer. You overheard my words tc
her, and you know just how much they were worth. I
260 JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND.
expect now, that for your sake as much as hers or mine
you will behave towards her at parting in such a way that
the servants may find no suggestions of gossip or slander."
" And if I don't choose to obey you ? "
" I am not" commanding. I propose a course which your
own mind must find sensible. You have ' a deuced sharp
intellect,' as your father said, on our wedding-day."
Joseph bit his tongue : he felt that he might have omitted
this sting. But he was so little accustomed to victory, that
he did not guess how thoroughly he had already conquered.
" Pa loved me, nevertheless," she said, and burst into
tears.
Her emotion seemed real, but he mistrusted it.
" What can I do?" she sobbed: " I will try. I thought
I was your wife, but I am not much more than your slave."
The foolish pifcy again stole into Joseph's heart, although
he set his teeth and clenched his hands against it. " I am
going for the horse," he said, in a kinder tone. " When I
come back from this drive, this afternoon, I hope I shall
find you willing to discuss our situation dispassionately, as
I mean to do. We have not known each other fairly before
to-day, and our plan of life must be rearranged."
It was a relief to walk forth, across the silent, sunny
fields ; and Joseph had learned to accept a slight relief as
a substitute for happiness. The feeling that the inevitable
crisis was over, gave him, for the first time in months, a
sense of liberation. There was still a dreary and painful
task before him, and he hardly knew why he should be so
cheerful ; but the bright, sweet currents of his blood were
again in motion, and the weight upon his heart was lifted
by some impatient, joyous energy.
The tempting vision of Philip's valley, which had haunted
261
him from time to time, faded away. The angry tumult
through which ho had passed appeared to him like a fever,
and he rejoiced consciously in the beginning of his spiritual
convalescence. If he could simply suspend Julia's active
interference in his life, he might learn to endure his
remaining duties. He was yet young ; and how much
strength and knowledge had come to him through sharp-
est pain, it was true in a single year ! AVould lie willingly
return to his boyish innocence of the world, if that year
could be erased from his life ? He was not quite sure.
Yet his nature had not lost the basis of that innocent
time, and he felt that he must still build his future years
upon it.
Thus meditating, he caught the obedient horse, led him
to the barn, and harnessed him to the light carriage which
Julia was accustomed to use. His anxiety concerning her
probable demeanor returned as he entered the house. The
two servant-women were both engaged, in the hall, in some
sweeping or scouring operation, and might prove to be very
inconvenient witnesses. The workmen in the new parlor
fortunately, he thought were absent that day.
Lucy Henderson, dressed for the journey, sat in the
dining-room. " I think I will go to Madeline Held for a
day or two," she said ; " I made a half-promise to visit her
after your return."
"Where is Julia?"
" In her bed-room. I have not seen her. I knocked at
the door, but there was no answer."
Joseph's trouble returned. " I will see her myself," he
said, sternly ; " she forgets what is due to a guest."
" No, I will go again," Lucy urged, rising hastily ; " per
haps she did not hear me."
262 JOSEPH AND ins FKIEXD.
She followed him into the hall. Scarcely had he set his
foot upon the first step of the staircase, when the bed-room
door above suddenly burst open, and Julia, with a shriek ot
mortal terror, tottered down to the landing. Her face was
ashy, and the dark-blue rings around her sunken eyes made
them seem almost like the lai'ge sockets of a skull. She
leaned against the railing, breathing short and hard.
Joseph sprang up the steps, but as he approached her she
put out her right hand, and pushed against his breast with
all her force, crying out : " Go away ! You have killed
me!"
The next moment she fell senseless upon the landing.
Joseph knelt and tried to lift her. " Good God ! she is
dead ! " he exclaimed.
" No," said Lucy, after taking Julia's wrist, " it is only a
fainting fit. Bring some water, Susan."
The frightened woman, who had followed them, rushed
down the stairs.
" But she must be ill, very ill," Lucy continued. " This
is not an ordinary swoon. Perhaps the violent excitement
has brought about some internal injury. You must send
for a physician as soon as possible."
" And Dennis not here ! I ought not to leave her ; what
shall I do ? "
" Go yourself, and instantly ! The carriage is ready. I
will stay and do all that can be done during your absence."
Joseph delayed until, under the influence of air and
water, Julia began to recover consciousness. Then he un-
derstood Lucy's glance, the women were present and she
dared not speak, that he should withdraw before Julia
could recognize him.
He did not spare the horse, but the hilly road tried his
JOSEPH AND HI? FRIEND. 263
patience. It was between two and three miles to the house
of the nearest physician, and he only arrived, anxious and
breathless, to find that the gentleman had Ix-on called away
to attend another patient. Joseph was obliged to retrace
part of his road, and drive some distance in the opposite
direction, in order to summon a second. 3 fere, however, he
was more fortunate. The physician was just sitting down to
an early dinner, which he persisted in finishing, assuring
Joseph, after ascertaining such symptoms of the case as the
latter was able to describe, that it was probably a nervous
attack, "a modified form of hysteria." Notwithstanding ho
violated his own theory of digestion by eating rapidly, the
minutes seemed intolerably long. Then Iris own horse must
be harnessed to his own sulky, during which time he pre-
pared a few doses of valerian, belladonna, and other pallia-
tives, which he supposed might be needed.
Meanwhile, Lucy and the woman had placed Julia in her
own bed, and applied such domestic restoratives as they
could procure, but without any encouraging effect. Julia ap-
peared to be conscious, but she shook her head when they
spoke to her, and even, so Lucy imagined, attempted to turn
it away. She refused the tea, the lavender and ginger they
brought, and only drank water in long, greedy draughts. In
a little while she started up, with clutchings and incoherent
cries, and then slowly sank back again, insensible.
The second period of unconsciousness was longer and
more difficult to overcome. Lucy began to be seriously
alarmed as an hour, two hours, passed by, and Joseph did
not return. Dennis was despatched in search of him, carry-
ing also a hastily pencilled note to Madeline Held, and then
Lucy, finding that she could do nothing more, took her seat
by the window and watched the lane, counting the seconds,
264 JOSEPH AND ins FRIEND.
one by one, as they were ticked off by the clock in
the hall.
Finally a horse's head appeared above the hedge, \vheve it
curved around the shoulder of the hill : then the top of a
carriage, Joseph at last ! The physician's sulky was only
a short distance in the rear. Lucy hurried down and met
Joseph at the gate.
" No better, worse, I fear," she said, answering his
look.
" Dr. Hartman," he replied," Worrall was away from
home, thinks it is probably a nervous attack. In that case
it can soon be relieved."
" I hope so, but I fancy there is danger."
The doctor now arrived, and after hearing Lucy's report,
shook his head. " It is not an ordinary case of hysteria,"
he remarked ; " let me see her at once."
When they entered the room Julia opened her eyes lan-
guidly, fixed them on Joseph, and slowly lifted her hand to
her head. " What has happened to me ? " she murmured, in
a hardly audible whisper.
" You had a fainting fit," he answered, " and I have
brought the doctor. This is Dr. Hartman ; you do not
know him, but he will help you ; tell him how you feel,
Julia ! "
" Cold ! " she said, " cold ! Sinking down somewhere !
Witt he lift me up ? "
The physician made a close examination, but seemed to
become more perplexed as he advanced. He administered
only a slight stimulant, and then withdrew from the bedside.
Lucy and the servant left the room, at his request, to pre-
pare some applications.
" There is something unusual here," he whispered, draw-
JOSEPH AND HIS FEIEXD. 205
ing Joseph aside. " .Slie has been sinking vapidly since the
first attack. The vital force is very low : it is in conflict
with sonic secret enemy, and it cannot resist much longer,
unless we discover that enemy at once. I will do my best to
save her, but I do not yet see how."
He was interrupted by a noise from the bed. Julia was
vainly trying to ri.se : her eyes were wide and glaring.
" No, no ! " came from her lips, " I will not die ! I heard
you. Joseph, I will try to be different but I must
live for that ! "
Then her utterance became faint and indistinct, and she
relapsed into unconsciousness. The physician re-examined
her with a grave, troubled face. " She need not be con-
scious," he said, " for the next thing I shall do. I will not
interrupt this syncope at once ; it may, at least, prolong the
struggle. What have they been giving her ? "
He picked up, one by one, the few bottles of the household
pharmacy which stood upon the bureau. Last of all, he
found an empty glass shoved behind one of the supports of
the mirror. He looked into it, held it against the light, and
was about to set it down again, when he fancied that there
was a misty appearance on the bottom, as if from some deli-
cate sediment. Stepping to the window, he saw that he had
not been mistaken. He collected a few of the minute gra-
nulations on the tip of his forefinger, touched them to his
tongue, and, turning quickly to Joseph, whispered :
" She is poisoned ! "
" Impossible ! " Joseph exclaimed ; " she could not have
been so mad ! "
"It is as I tell you! This form of the operation of
arsenic is very unusual, and I did not suspect it ; but now
I remember that it is noted in the books. Repeated 'syn-
12
266 JOSEPH AND HIS FKIEND.
copes, utter nervous prostration, absence of the ordinary
burning and vomiting, and signs of rapid dissolution; it fits
the case exactly ! If I had some oxy-hyclrate of iron, there
might still be a possibility, but I greatly fear -
"Do all you can ! " Joseph interrupted. " She must have
been insane ! Do not tell me that you have no antidote ! "
" We must try an emetic, though it will now be very
dangerous. Then oil, white of egg," and the doctor has-
tened down to the kitchen.
Joseph walked up and down the room, wringing his
hands. Here was a horror beyond anything he had im-
agined. His only thought was to save the life which she, in
the madness of passion, must have resolved to take ; she
must not, must not, die now ; and yet she seemed to be
already in some region on the very verge of darkness, some
region where it was scarcely possible to reach and pull her
back. What could be done ? Human science was baffled ;
and would God, who had allowed him to be afflicted through
her, now answer his prayer to continue that affliction?
But, indeed, the word "affliction" was not formed in his
mind ; the only word which he consciously grasped was
"Life! life!"
He paused by the bedside and gazed upon her livid skin,
her sunken features : she seemed already dead. Then, sink-
ing on his knees, he tried to pray, if that was prayer which
was the single intense appeal of all his confused feelings.
Presently he heard a faint sigh; she slightly moved ; con-
sciousness was evidently returning.
She looked at him with half-opened eyes, striving to fix
upon something which evaded her mind. Then she said, in
the faintest broken whisper : " I did love you I did and
do love you ! But you you hate me ! "
JOSEPH A:\D ins Fiar.xn. 267
A pang sharper than a knife went through Joseph's
heart, lie cried, through his tears : " I did not know what
I said ! Give me your forgiveness, Julia ! Pardon rue, not
because I ask it, but fredy, from your heart, and I will
bless you ! "
She did not speak, but her eyes softened, and a phantom
smile hovered upon her lips. It was no mask this time :
she was sacredly frank and true. Joseph bent over her
and kissed her.
" O Julia ! " he said, " why did you do it ? Why did
you not wait until I could speak with you ? Did you think
you would take a burden off yourself or me ? "
Her lips moved, but no voice came. He lifted her head,
supported her, and bent his ear to her mouth. It was like
the dream of a voice :
" I did not mean "
There it stopped. The doctor entered the room, followed
by Lucy.
" First the emetic," said the former.
" For God's sake, be silent ! " Joseph cried, with his ear
still at Julia's lips. The doctor stepped up softly and
looked at her. Then, seating himself on the bed beside
Joseph, he laid his hand upon her heart. For several min-
utes there was silence in the room.
Then the doctor removed his hand, took Julia's head out
of Joseph's arms, and laid it softly upon the pillow.
She was dead.
268 JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND.
CHAPTER XX Y.
THE MOURNERS.
" IT cannot be ! " cried Joseph, looking at the doctor with
an agonized face ; " it is too dreadful ! "
" There is no room for doubt in relation to the cause. I
suspect that her nervous system has been subjected to a
steady and severe tension, probably for years past. This
may have induced a condition, or at least a temporary
paroxysm, during which she was you understand me
not wholly responsible for her actions. You must have
noticed whether such a condition preceded this catastro-
phe."
Lucy looked from one to the other, and back to the livid
face on the pillow, unable to ask a question, and not yet
comprehending that the end had come. Joseph arose at
the doctor's words.
" That is my guilt," he said. " I was excited and angry,
for I had been bitterly deceived. I warned her that her
life must henceforth conform to mine : my words were
harsh and violent. I told her that we had at last ascer-
tained each other's true natures, and proposed a serious dis-
cussion for the purpose of arranging our common future,
this afternoon. Can she have misunderstood my meaning?
It was not separation, not divorce : I only meant to avoid
the miserable strife of the last few weeks. Who could im-
agine that this would follow ? "
Even as he spoke the words Joseph remembered the
JOSEPH AND HIS FIITEXD. 209
tempting fancy which had passed through his own mind,
and the fear of Philip. as he stood on the brink of the
rock, above the dark, sliding water, lie covered his face
with his hands and sat down. What right had he to
condemn her, to pronounce her mad? Grunt that she had
been blinded by her o\vn unbalanced, excitable nature rather
than consciously false ; grant that she had really loved him,
that the love survived under all her vain and masterful
ambition, and how could he doubt it after the dying
words and looks?" it was then easy to guess how sorely
she had been wounded, how despair should follow her fierce
excitement ! Her words, " Go away ! you have killed
me ! " were now explained. He groaned in the bitterness of
his self-accusation. What were all the trials he had endured
to this ? How light seemed the burden from which he was
now free ! how gladly would he bear it, if the day's words
and deeds could be unsaid and undone !
The doctor, meanwhile, had explained the manner of
Julia's death to Lucy Henderson. She, almost overcome
with this last horror, could only agree with his conjecture,
for her own evidence confirmed it. Joseph had forborne to
mention her presence in the garden, and she saw no need of
repeating his words to her ; but she described Julia's con-
vulsive excitement, and her refusal to admit her to her
room, half an hour before the first attack of the poison.
The case seemed entirely clear to both.
" For the present," said the doctor, " let us say nothing
about the suicide. There is no necessity for a post-mortem
examination : the symptoms, and the presence of arsenic in
the glass, are quite sufficient to establish the cause of death.
You know what a foolish idea of disgrace is attached to
families here in the country when such a thing happens,
270 JOSEPH A3TD ins FRIEND.
and Mr. Asten is not now in a state to bear much more.
At least, wo must save him from painful questions until
after the funeral is over. Say as little as possible to him :
he is not in a condition to listen to reason : ho believes him-
self guilty of her death."
" What shall I do ? " cried Lucy : " will you not stay
until the man Dennis returns ? Mr. Asten's aunt must be
fetched immediately."
It was not a quarter of an hour before Dennis arrived,
followed by Philip and Madeline Hold.
Lucy, who had already despatched Dennis, with a fresh
horse, to Magnolia, took Philip and Madeline into the
dining-room, and hurriedly communicated to them the in-
telligence of Julia's death. Philip's heart gave a single
leap of joy ; then he compelled himself to think of Joseph
and the exigencies of the situation.
" You cannot stay here alone," he said. " Madeline
must keep you company. I will go up and take care
of Joseph : we must think of both the living and the
dead."
No face could have been half so comforting in the cham-
ber of death as Philip's. The physician had, in the mean
time, repeated to Joseph the words he had spoken to Lucy,
and now Joseph said, pointing to Philip, " Tell him every-
thing ! "
Philip, startled as he was, at once comprehended the
situation. He begged Dr. Hartman to leave all further
arrangements to him, and to summon Mrs. Bishop, the wife
of one of Joseph's near neighbors, on his way home. Then,
taking Joseph by the arm, he said :
" Now come with me. We will leave this room awhile
to Lucy and Madeline ; but neither must you be alone.
JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND. 271
If I am anything to you, Joseph, now is the time when
my presence should be some slight comfort. We need not
speak, but we will keep together.''
Joseph clung the closer to his friend's arm, without
sp'.-aking, and they passed out of the house. Philip h-d
him, mechanically, towards the garden, but as thev drew
near the avenue of box-trees Joseph started back, crvin"
/ O
out : -
" Xot there ! O, not there ! "
Philip turned in silence, conducted him past the barn
into the grass-field, and mounted the hill towards the pin-
oak on its summit. From this point the house was scarcely
visible behind the fir-trees and the huge weeping-willow,
but the fair hills around seemed happy under the tender
sky, and the melting, vapory distance, seen through the
southern opening of the valley, hinted of still happier land-
scapes beyond. As Joseph contemplated the scene, the long
strain upon his nerves relaxed : he leaned upon Philip's
shoulder, as they sat side by side, and wept passionately.
" If she had not died ! " he murmured, at last.
Philip was hardly prepared for this exclamation, and he
did not immediately answer.
" Perhaps it is better for me to talk," Joseph continued.
" Yo\i do not know the whole truth, Philip. You have
heard of her madness, but not of my guilt. What was it I
said when we last met ? I cannot recall it now ; but I
know that I feared to call my punishment unjust. Since
then I have deserved it all, and more. If I am a child,
why should I dare to handle fire ? If I do not understand
life, why should I dare to set death in motion ? "
He began, and related everything that had passed since
they parted on the banks of the stream. He repeated the
272 JOSEPH AND HIS FKIKND.
words that Lad been spoken in the house and in the garden,
and the last broken sentences that came from Julia's lips.
Philip listened with breathless surprise and attention. The
greater part of the narrative made itself clear to his mind ;
his instinctive knowledge of Julia's nature enabled him to
read much further than was then possible to Joseph ; but
there was a mystery connected with the suicide which he
could not fathom. Her rage he could easily understand ;
her apparent submission to Joseph's request, however, her
manifest desire to live, on overhearing the physician's fears,
her last incomplete sentence, " I did not mean
indicated no such fatal intention, but the reverse. More-
over, she was too inherently selfish, even in the fiercest
paroxysm of disappointment, to take her own life, he be-
lieved. All the evidence justified him in this view of her
nature, yet at the same time rendered her death more inex-
plicable.
It was no time to mention these doubts to Joseph. His
only duty was to console and encourage.
" There is no guilt in accident," he said. " It was a crisis
which must have come, and you took the only course possi-
ble to a man. If she felt that she was defeated, and her
mad act was the consequence, think of your fate had she felt
herself victorious ! "
" It could have been no worse than it was," Joseph
answered. " And she might have changed : I did not give
her time. I have accused my own mistaken education, but
I had no charity, no pity for hers ! "
"When they descended the hill Mrs. Bishop had arrived,
and the startled household was reduced to a kind of dreary
order. Dennis, who had driven with speed, brought Rachel
Miller at dusk, and Philip and Madeline then departed,
.TOSCTII AM) HIS FRIEND. 273
taking Lucy Henderson with them. Rachel was tearful,
but composed ; she said little to her nephew, but there was
a quiet, considerate tenderness in her manner -which soothed
him more than any words.
The retiction from so much fatigue and excitement almost
prostrated him. When he went to Led in his own guest-
room, feeling like a stranger in a strange house, he lay for a
long time between sleep and waking, haunted by all the
scenes and personages of his past life. His mother's face,
so faded in memory, came clear and fresh from the shadows ;
a boy whom he had loved in his school-days lloated with
fair, pale features just before his closed eyes ; and around
and between them there was woven a web of twilights and
moonlights, and sweet sunny days, each linked to some grief
or pleasure of the buried years. It was a keen, bitter joy, a
fascinating torment, from which he cotild not escape. He
was caught and helplessly ensnared by the phantoms, until,
late in the night, the strong claim of nature drove them
away and left him in a dead, motionless, dreamless slumber.
Philip returned in the morning, and devoted the day not
less to the arrangements which must necessarily be made for
the funeral than to standing between Joseph and the awkward
and inquisitive sympathy of the neighbors. Joseph's con-
tinued weariness favored Philip's exertions, while at the
same time it blunted the edge of his own feelings, and
helped him over that cold, bewildering, dismal period, dur-
ing which a corpse is lord of the mansion and controls the
life of its inmates.
Towards evening Mr. and Mrs. Blessing, who had been
summoned by telegraph, made their appearance. Clemen-
tina did not accompany them. They were both dressed in
mourning : Mrs. Blessing was grave and rigid, Mr. Blessing
274 JOSEPH AND HIS FKIEXD.
flushed and lachrymose. Philip conducted them first to
the chamber of the dead and then, to Joseph.
" It is so sudden, so shocking ! " Mrs. Blessing sobbed ;
" and Julia always seemed so healthy ! What have you
done to her, Mr. Asten, that she should be cut off in the
bloom of her youth ? "
" Eliza ! " exclaimed her husband, with his handkerchief to
his eyes ; " do not say anything which might sound like a
reproach to our heart-broken son ! There are many foes in
the citadel of life : they may be undermining our our foun-
dations at this very moment ! "
" No," said Joseph ; " you, her father and mother, must
hear the truth. I would give all I have in the world if I
were not obliged to tell it."
It was, at the best, a painful task ; but it was made
doubly so by exclamations, questions, intimations, which he
was forced to hear. Finally, Mrs. Blessing asked, in a tone
of alarm :
" How many persons know of this ? "
" Only the physician and three of my friends," Joseph
answered."
" They must be silent ! It might ruin Clementina's pros-
pects if it were generally known. To lose one daughter and
to have the life of another blasted would be too much."
" Eliza," said her husband, " we must try to accept what-
ever is inevitable. It seems to me that I no more recognize
Julia's usually admirable intellect in her yes, I must steel
myself to say the word ! her suicide, than I recognized her
features just now ! unless Decay's effacing fingers have already
swept the lines where beauty lingers. I warned her of the
experiment, for such I felt it to be ; yet in this last trying
experience I do not complain of Joseph's disappointment,
and his temporary I trust it is only temporary suspicion.
"\Ve must not for ire t that lie Las lost mre than we have."'
' Where is '' Joseph began, endeavoring to turn the
conversation from this point.
"Clementina? I knew you would find her absence un-
accountable. TVe inshuitlv forwarded a telegram to Lon"
^ O O
Brunch ; the answer said, ' My grief is great, but it is quite
impossible to come.' Why impossible she did not particu-
larize, and we can only conjecture. When I consider her
age and lost opportunities, and the importance which a
single day, even a fortunate situation, may possess for her
at present, it seems to remove some of the sharpness of the
serpent's tooth. Neither she nor we are responsible for
Julia's rash taking off; yet it is always felt as a cloud which
lowers upon the family. There was a similar case among
the De Belsains, during the Huguenot times, but we never
mention it. For your sake silence is rigidly imposed upon
us ; since the preliminary what shall I call it ? dis-har-
mony of views ? would probably become a part of the nar-
rative."
" Pray do not speak of that now ! " Joseph groaned.
" Pardon me ; I will not do so again. Our minds natu-
rally become discursive under the pressure of grief. It is
easier for me to talk at such times than to be silent and
think. My power of recuperation seems to be spiritual as
well as physical ; it is congenital, and therefore exposes me to
misconceptions. But we can close over the great abyss of
our sorrow, and hide it from view in the depth of our na-
tures, without dancing on the platform which covers it."
Philip turned away to hide a smile, and even Mrs. Bless-
ing exclaimed : " Pteally, Benjamin, you are talking heart-
lessly ! "
276 JOSEPH AND TITS FRIEND.
" I do not mean it so," he said, molting into tears, " but
so much has come upon me all at once ! If I lose my buoy-
ancy, I shall go to the bottom like a foundered ship ! I was
never cut out for the tragic parts of life ; but there are char-
acters who smile on the stage and weep behind the scenes.
And, you know, the Lord lovcth a cheerful giver."
He was so touched by the last words he spoke, that he
leaned his head \ipon his arms and wept bitterly.
Then Mrs. Blessing, weeping also, exclaimed : " O, don't
take on so, Benjamin ! "
Philip put an end to the scene, which was fast becoming
a torment to Joseph. But, later in the evening, Mr. Bless-
ing again sought the latter, softly apologizing for the intru-
sion, but declaring that he was compelled, then and there,
to make a slight explanation.
" When you called the other evening," he said, " I was
worn out, and not competent to grapple with such an unex-
pected revelation of villany. I had been as ignorant of
.Kanuck's real character as you were. All our experience
of the world is sometimes at fault ; but where the Reverend
Dr. Lellifant was first deceived, my own case does not seem
so flagrant. Your early information, however, enabled me
(through third parties) to secure a partial sale of the stock
held by yourself and me, at something of a sacrifice, it is
true ; but I prefer not-to dissociate myself entirely from the
enterprise. I do not pretend to be more than the merest
tyro in geology ; nevertheless, as I lay awake last night,
being, of course, unable to sleep after the shock of the tele-
gram, I sought relief in random scientific fancies. It oc-
curred to me that since the main Chowder wells are ' spout-
ing,' their source or reservoir must be considerably higher
than the surface. Why might not that soiirce be found un- 1 )
JOSEPH AXU 1113 FKIKXP. 277
der the hills of the Amaranth ? If so, the Chowder would
be tapped at the fountain-head and the flow of Pactolean
grease would be ours ! "\Ylieu i return to the citv I shall
need instantly after the fearful revelations of to-day sumo
violently absorbing occupation ; and what could be more ap-
propriate ? If anything could give repose to Julia's unhappy
shade, it would be the knowledge that her faith in the Ama-
ranth was at last justified ! I do not presume to awaken
your confidence : it has been too deeply shaken ; all I ask is,
that I may have the charge of your shares, in order without
calling upon you for the expenditure of another cent, you
understand to rig a jury-mast on the wreck, and, D. V.,
float safely into port ! "
" Why should I refuse to trust you with what is already
worthless ? " said Joseph.
" I will admit even that, if you desire. ' Exitus actaprobat?
was Washington's motto ; but I don't consider that we have
yet reached the exitus ! Thank you, Joseph ! Your question
has hardly the air of returning confidence, but I will force
myself to consider it as such, and my labor will be to deserve
it."
He wrung Joseph's hand, shed a few more tears, and be-
took himself to his wife's chamber. " Eliza, let us be calm :
we never know our strength until it has been tried," he
said to her, as lie opened his portmanteau and took from it
the wicker-covered flask.
Then came the weariest and dreariest day of all, when the
house must be thrown open to the world ; when in one room
the corpse must be displayed for solemn stares and whispered
comments, while in another the preparation of the funeral
meats absorbs all the interest of half a dozen busy women ;
when the nearest relatives of the dead sit together in a room
'278 JOSEPH AND HIS FKIEND.
!
lip-stairs, hungering only for the consolations of loneliness and
silence ; when all talk under their voices, and uncomfortably
fulfil what they believe to be their solemn duty 5 and when
even Nature is changed to all eyes, and the mysterious gloom
of an eclipse seems to fall from the most unclouded sun.
There was a general gathering of the neighbors from far
and near. The impression seemed to be and Philip was
ready to substantiate it that Julia had died in consequence
of a violent convulsive spasm, which some attributed to one
cause and some to another.
The Rev. Mr. Chaffinch made his way, as by right, to the
chamber of the mourners. Rachel Miller was comforted in
seeing him, Mr. and Mrs. Blessing sadly courteous, and
Joseph strengthened himself to endure with patience what
might follow. After a few introductory words, and a long
prayer, the clergyman addressed himself to each, in turn,
with questions or remarks which indicated a fierce necessity
of resignation.
" I feel for you, brother," he said, as he reached Joseph
and bent over his chair. " It is an inscrutable visitation,
but I trust you submit, in all obedience ? "
Joseph, bowed silently.
^fcHe has many ways of searching the heart," Mr. Chaf-
finch continued. " Your one precious comfort must be that
she believed, and that she is now in glory. O, if you would
but resolve to follow in her footsteps ! He shows His love,
in that He chastens you : it is a stretching out of His hand,
a visible oft'er of acceptance, this on one side, and the lesson
of our perishing mortality on the other ! Do you not feel
your heart a\\ fully and tenderly moved to approach Him ? "
Joseph sat, with bowed head, listening to the smooth,
unctuous, dismal voice at his ear, until the tension of his
270
nerves became a positive phy;.i- ; J pain. Ho longed to cry
aloud, to spring up and rush away ; his heart was moved,
but not awfully and tenderly. [t had been yearning towards
the pure Divine Light in which all confusions of the soul arc
disentangled ; but now some opaque foreign substance inter-
vened, and drove him back upon himself. How loii^ the
torture lasted he did not know. He spake no word, and
made no further sign.
Then Philip took him and Rachel Miller down, for the
last conventional look at the stony, sunken face. He was
seated here and led there ; he was dimly conscious of a
crowd, of murmurs and steadfast faces ; he heard some
one whisper, " How dreadfully pale he looks ! " and won-
dered whether the words could possibly refer to him. Then
there was the welcome air and the sunshine, and Dennis
driving them slowly down the lane, following a gloomy
vehicle, in which something not surely the Julia whom he
knew was carried.
He recalled but one other such stupor of the senses :
it was during the performance of the marriage ceremony.
But the longest day wears out at last ; and when night
came only Philip was beside him. The Blessings had been
sent to Oakland Station for the evening train to the city,
and Joseph's shares in the Amaranth Company were in their
portmanteau.
280 JOSEPH AND HIS FIUEND.
CHAPTER XXVI.
THE ACCUSATION.
FOR a few days it almost seemed to Joseph that the
old order of his existence had been suddenly restored, and
the year of his betrothal and marriage had somehow been in-
tercalated into his life simply as a test and trial. Rachel
Miller was back again, in her old capacity, and he did not
yet see what would have been plain to any other eyes
that her manner towards him was far more respectful and
considerate than formerly. But, in fact, she made a wide
distinction between the "boy" that he had been and the
man and widower which he had come to be. At first, she
had refused to see the dividing line : having crossed it, her
new course soon became as natural and fixed as the old.
She was the very type of a mechanically developed old
maid, inflexibly stern towards male youth, devotedly obe-
dient to male maturity.
Joseph had been too profoundly moved to lose at once the
sense of horror which the manner of Julia's death had left
in his heart. He could not forgive himself for having,
though never so ignorantly, driven her to madness. He
was troubled, restless, unhappy ; and the mention of his loss
was so painful that he made every effort to avoid hearing it.
Some of his neighbors, he imagined, were improperly cxiri-
ous in their inquiries. He felt bound, since the doctor had
suggested it, since Philip and Lucy had acquiesced, and Mrs.
Blessing had expressed so much alarm lest it might becoime
JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND. 2S1
known, to keep the suicide a secret ; but lie was driven so
closely by questions and remarks tliut his task became more
and more difficult.
Had the people taken offence at his reticence? It seemed
so; for their manner towards him was certainly changed.
Something in the Look and voice; an indefinable uneasiness
at meeting him ; an awkward haste and lame excuses for it.
all these things forced themselves npon his mind. Elwood
Withers, alone, met him as of old, with even a tenderer
though a more delicately veiled affection ; yet in Elwood's
face he detected the signs of a grave trouble. It could not
be possible, he thought, that Elwood had heard some sur-
mise, or distorted echo, of his words to Lucy in the gar-
den, that there had been another listener besides Julia !
There were times, again, when he doubted all these signs,
when he ascribed them to his own disturbed mind, and de-
cided to banish them from his memory. He would stay
quietly at home, he resolved, and grow into a healthier
mood: he would avoid the society of men, until he should
cease to wrong them by his suspicions.
First, however, he would see Philip; but on reaching
the Forge he found Philip absent. Madeline received him
with a subdued kindness in which lie felt her sympathy ;
but it was also deeper, he acknowledged to himself, than he
had any right to claim.
" You do not see much of your neighbors, I think, Mr.
Asten?" she asked. The tone of her voice indicated a
slight embarrassment.
" No," he answered ; " I have no wish to see any but my
friends."
" Lucy Henderson has just left us. Philip took her to
her father's, and was intending to call at your place on his
282 JOSEPH AXD HIS FRIEND.
way home. I hope you will not miss him. That is," she
added, while a sudden flush of color spread over her face,
" I want you to see him to-day. I beg you won't take my
words as intended for a dismissal."
" Not now, certainly," said Joseph. But he rose from
his seat as he spoke.
Madeline looked both confused and pained. " I know
that I spoke awkwardly," she said, " but indeed I was very
anxious. It was also Lucy's wish. We have been talking
about you this morning."
" You are very kind. And yet I ought to wish you a
more cheerful subject."
What was it in Madeline's face that haunted Joseph on
his way home? The lightsome spirit was gone from her
eyes, and they were troubled as if by the pressure of tears,
held back by a strong effort. Her assumed calmness at
parting seemed to cover a secret anxiety; he had never
before seen her bright, free nature so clouded.
Philip, meanwhile, had reached the farm, where he was
received by Rachel Miller.
" I am glad to find that Joseph is not at home," he said ;
" there are some things which I need to discuss with you,
before I see him. Can you guess what they are ? Have
you heard nothing, no stories ? "
Rachel's face grew pale, yet there was a strong fire of
indignation in her eyes. "Dennis told me an outrageous
report he had heard in the village," she said : " if you mean
the same thing, you did well to see me first. You can help
me to keep this insult from Joseph's knowledge."
" If I could I would, Miss Rachel. I share your feeling
about it ; but suppose the report were now so extended
and of course in a more exaggerated form the farther it
JOSEPH AXD HIS FKIEXD. 2S3
goes that we cannot avoid its probable consequences ?
This is not like a men- slander, whi..-h can be suffered to die
of itself. It is equivalent to a criminal charge, and must
be faced."
She clasped her hands, and stared at him in terror.
" But why," she faltered " why does any one dare to
make such a charge V And against the best, the most inno-
cent "
" The fact of th--> poisoning cannot be concealed," said
Philip. " It appears, moreover, that one of the women who
was in the house on the day of Julia's death heard her cry
out to Joseph : ' Go away, you have killed me ! ' I need
not take up the reports any further ; there is enough in
these two circumstances to excite the suspicions of those
who do not know Joseph as we do. It is better, therefore,
to meet those suspicions before they come to us in a legal
form."
" What can we do ? " cried Rachel ; " it is terrible ! "
" One course is clear, if it is possible. We must try to
discover not only the cause of Julia's suicide, 'but the place
where she procured the poison, and her design in procuring
it. She must have had it already in the house."
" I never thought of that. And her ways were so quiet
and sly ! How shall we ever find it out? O, to think that,
dead and gone as she is, she can yet bring all this upon
Joseph ! "
" Try to be calm, Miss Rachel," said Philip. " I want
your help, and you must have all your wits about you.
First, you must make a very careful examination of her
clothing and effects, even to the merest scrap of paper. A
man's good name a man's life, sometimes hangs upon a
thread, in the most literal sense. There is no doubt that
284 JOSEPH AXD ins FKIKND.
Julia meant to keep a secret, and she must have had a
strong reason ; but we have a stronger one,, now, to discover
it. First, as to the poison ; was there any arsenic in the
house when Julia came ? "
" Not a speck ! I never kept it, even for rats."
" Then we shall begin with ascertaining where she bought
it. Let us make our investigations secretly, and as speedily
as possible. Joseph need not know, at present, what we
have undertaken, but he must know the charge that hangs
over him. Unless I tell him, he may learn it in a more
violent way. I sent Ehvood Withers to Magnolia yester-
day, and his report leaves me no choice of action."
Rachel Miller felt, from the stern gravity of Philip's
manner, that he had not exaggerated Joseph's danger. She
consented to be guided by him in all things ; and this point
being settled, they arranged a plan of action and communi-
cation, which was tolerably complete by the time Joseph
returned.
As gently as possible Philip broke the unwelcome news ;
but, lightly as he pretended to consider it, Joseph's instinct
saw at once what might be the consequences. The circum-
stances were all burned upon, his consciousness, and it
needed no reflection to show him how completely he was
entangled in them.
" There is ho alternative," he said, at last. " It was a
mistake to conceal the cause of her death from the public :
it is easy to misunderstand her exclamation, and make my
crime out of her madness. I see the whole connection !
This suspicion will not stop where it is. It will go further ;
and therefore I must anticipate it. I must demand a legal
inquiry before the law forces one upon me. If it is not my
only method of defence, it is certainly my best ! "
JO>KPH A Nil ins FRIEND. 2S5
" You are riglit ! " Philip exclaimed. " I knr-w this
would be your decision ; I said so to Macl/line tliis morn-
ing."
Xow Madeline's confused manner became intelligible to
Joseph. Yet ;i doubt still lingered in his mind. '' L>id she,
did Madeline question it ? " he asked.
" Neither she nor Lucy Henderson. If you do this, I
cannot see how it will terminate without a trial. Lucv may
then happen to be an important witness."
Joseph started. " Jfust that be!" he cried. ''Has not
Lucy been already forced to endure enough for my sake ?
Advise me. Philip ! Is there any other way than that I
have proposed ? "
" I see no other. But your necessity is far greater than
that for Lucy's endurance. She is a friend, and there can
be no sacrifice in so serving you. What are we all good for,
if not to serve you in such a strait ? "
" I would like to spare her, nevertheless," said Joseph,
gloomily. " I meant so well towards all my friends, and my
friendship seems to bring only disgrace and sorrow."
" Joseph ! " Philip exclaimed, " you have saved one
friend from more than disgrace and sorrow ! I do not know
what might have come, but you called me back from the
brink of an awful, doubtful eternity ! You have given me
an infinite loss and an infinite gain ! I only ask you, in
return, to obey your first true, proud instinct of innocence,
and let me, and Lucy, and Elwood be glad to take its con-
sequences, for your sake ! "
" I cannot help myself," Joseph answered. " My rash im-
patience and injustice will come to light, and that may be the
atonement I owe. If Lucy will spare herself, and report mo
truly, as I must have appeared to her, she will serve me best."
286 JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND.
" Leave that, now ! The first step is what most concerns
us. When will you be ready to demand a legal investiga-
tion ? "
" At once ! to-morrow ! "
" Then we will go together to Magnolia. I fear we can-
not change the ordinary forms of procedure, and there must
be bail for your appearance at the proper time."
" Already on the footing of a criminal ?" Joseph mur-
mured, with a sinking of the heart. He had hardly compre-
hended, xip to this moment, what his position would be.
The next day they drove to the county town. The step
had not been taken a moment too soon, for such representa-
tions had been made that a warrant for Joseph's arrest was
in the hands of the constable, and would have been served
in a few hours. Philip and Mr. Hopeton, who also hap-
pened to be in the town by a fortunate chance (though
Philip knew how the chance came), offered to accept what-
ever amount of bail might be demanded. The matter was
arranged as privately as possible, but it leaked out in some
way, and Philip was seriously concerned lest the curiosity
perhaps, even, the ill-will of a few persons might be mani-
fested towards Jo'seph. He visited the offices of the county
papers, and took care that the voluntary act should be
stated in such a manner as to set its character properly
before the people. Everything, he felt, depended on se-
curing a fair and unprejudiced judgment of the case.
This, indeed, was far more important than even he sus-
pected. In a country where the press is so entirely free,
and where, owing to the lazy, indifferent habit of thought
or, rather, habit of no thought of the people, the editorial
views are accepted without scrutiny, a man's good name
or life may depend on the coloring given to his acts by a few
JOSEPH AXD HIS FEIKXTX 2S7
individual minds, it is especially neressarv to keep the
balance even, to offset one .statement by another, and pre-
vent a partial pivs-.'ntatiuu of the case from turning the
scales in advance. The same phenomena were as likelv to
present themselves here, before a small public, as in the
large cities, where the whole population of the countrv
beconie a more or less interested public. The result might
hiiige, not upon Joseph's personal character as his friends
knew it, but upon the political party with which ho was afli-
liated, the church to which he belonged, nav, even upon
the accordance of his personal sentiments with the public
sentiment of the community in which he lived. If lie had
dared to defy the latter, asserting the sacred right of his own
mind to the largest liberty, he was already a marked man.
Philip did not understand the extent and power of the ex-
ternal influences which control what we complacently call
"justice," but he knew something of the world, and acted in
reality more prudently than he supposed.
He was calm and cheerful for Joseph's sake ; yet, now
that the matter was irrevocably committed to the decision
of a new, uninterested tribunal, he began to feel the gravity
of his friend's position.
" I almost wish," Joseph said, as they drove homewards,
" that no bail had been granted. Since the court meets in
October, a few weeks of seclusion would do me no harm ;
whereas now I am a suspected person to nearly all whom I
may meet."
" It is not agreeable," Philip answered, " but the disci-
pline may be useful. The bail terminates when the trial
commences, you understand, and you will have a few nights
alone, as it is, quite enough, I imagine, to make you satis-
fied with liberty under suspicion. However I have one
288 JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND.
demand to make, Joseph ! I have thought over all possible
lines of defence ; I have secured legal assistance for you,
and we are agreed as to the course to be adopted. I do
not think you can help us at all. If we find that you
can, we will call upon you ; in the mean time, wait and
hope ! "
" Why should I not ?" Joseph asked. "I have nothing
to fear, Philip."
" No ! " But Philip's emphatic answer was intended to
deceive. He was purposely false, knew himself to be so,
and yet his conscience never troubled him less !
When they reached the farm, Philip saw by Rachel Mil-
ler's face that she had a communication to make. It re-
quired a little management to secure an interview with her
without Joseph's knowledge ; but some necessity for his
presence at the barn favored his friend. No sooner were
they alone than Rachel approached Philip hastily and said,
in a hurried whisper :
" Here ! I have found something, at last ! It took a
mighty search : I thought I never should come upon the
least bit that we could make anything of: but this was in
the upper part of a box where she kept her rings and
chains, and such likes ! Take it, it makes me uncomfort-
able to hold it in my fingers ! "
She thrust a small paper 1 into his hand.
It was folded very neatly, and there was an apothecary's
label on the back. Philip read : " Ziba Linthicum's Drug
store, No. 77 Main St., Magnolia." Under this printed
address was written in large lettiers the word " Arsenic."
On unfolding the paper he saw that a little white dust
remained in the creases : quite enough to identify the char-
acter of the diw.
JOSEPH AM) ms FliTEND. 230
"I shall go back to-morrow!" ho said. "Thank Hea-
ven, \ve liave got one dew to the mystery! Joseph must
know nothing of this until all is explained; but while I inn.
gone make another and more thorough search ! Leave no
cornei unexplored : I am sure we shall find something
more."
" I'd rip up her dresses ! " was EachiTs emphatic reply.
" That is, if it would do any good. But perhaps feeling
of the lining and the hems might bo enough. I'll toko
O o o
every drawer out, and move the furniture ! But I must
wait for daylight : I'm not generally afeared, but there is
some things, you know, which a body would as lief not do
by night, with cracks and creaks all around you, which you
don't seem to hear at other times."
13
290 JOSEPH AND HIS FKIEND.
CHAPTER XXVII.
THE LABELS.
THE work at Coventry Forge was now so well organized
that Philip could easily give the most of his time to Joseph's
vindication. He had secured the services of an excellent
country lawyer, but he also relied much upon the assistance
of two persons, his sister Madeline and Elwood Withers :
Madeline, from her rapid, clear insight, her shrewd interpre-
tation of circumstances ; and Elwood as an active, untiring
practical agent.
The latter, according to agreement, had ridden up from
his section of the railway, and was awaiting Philip when he
returned home.
Philip gave them the history of the day, this time
frankly, with all the signs and indications which he had so
carefully kept from Joseph's knowledge. Both looked
aghast ; and Elwood bent an ivory paper-cutter so suddenly
in his hands that it snapped in twain. He colored like a
girl.
" It serves me right," ho said. " Whenever my hands are
idle, Satan finds mischief for 'em, as the spelling-book says.
But just so the people bend and twist Joseph Asten's cha-
racter, and just so unexpectedly his life may snap in their
hands ! "
" May the omen be averted ! " Madeline cried. " Put
down the pieces, Mr. Withers ! You frighten me."
" No, it is reversed ! " said Philip. " Just so Joseph's
291
friends will snap this chain of circumstances. If yon begin
to be superstitions, I nmst look out for other aids. The
tracing of the poison is a more fortunate step than I hoped,
at the start. 1 cannot at all guess to v> hat it may lead, but
there is a point beyond which even the most malignant fate
has no further power over an innocent man. Tims far we
have met nothing but hostile circumstances : there seems to
be more than Chance in the game, and I have an idea that
the finding of this paper will break the evil spell. Come
now, Madeline, and yon, Withers, give me your guesses as
to what my discovery shall be to-morrow ! "
After a pause, Madeline answered : " It must have
been purchased perhaps even by Mr. Asten for rats
or mice ; and she may have swallowed the drug in a fit of
passion."
" I think," said Elwood, " that she bought it for the pur-
pose of poisoning Joseph ! Then, may be, the glasses were
changed, as I've heard tell of a man whose wife changed his
coffee-cup because there was a fly in it, giving him hers, and
thereby innocently killed him when lie meant to ha' killed
her."
" Ha ! " Philip cried ; " the most incredible things, appa-
rently, are sometimes the most natural ! I had not thought
of this explanation."
" O Philip ! " said Madeline, " that would be a new hor-
ror ! Pray, let us not think of it : indeed, indeed, we must
not guess any more."
Philip strove to put the idea from his mind : he feared
lest it might warp his judgment and mislead him in investi-
gations which it required a cool, sharp intellect to prose-
cute. But the idea would not stay away : ifc haunted him
precisely on account of its enormity, and he rode again to
292 joeKPii AXD ins FRIEXD.
Magnolia the next day with a foreboding sense of some tra-
gic secret about to be revealed.
But he never could have anticipated the actual revela-
tion.
There was no difficulty in finding Ziba Linthicum's drug-
store. The proprietor was a lank, thin-faced man, with pro-
jecting, near-sighted eyes, and an exceedingly prim, pursed
mouth. His words, uttered in the close, wiry twang pecu-
liar to Southern Pennsylvania, seemed to give him a posi-
tive relish : one could fancy that his mouth watered slightly
as he spoke. His long, lean lips had a settled smirk at the
corner, and the skin was drawn so tightly over his broad,
concave chin-bone that it shone, as if polished around the
edges.
He was waiting upon a little girl when Philip entered ;
but he looked up from his scales, bowed, smiled, and said :
" In a moment, if you please."
Philip leaned upon the glass case, apparently absorbed in
the contemplation of the various soaps and perfumes under
his eyes, but thinking only of the paper in his pocket-book.
" Something in this line, perhaps ? "
Mr. Linthicum, with a still broader smile, began to enu-
merate : " These are from the Society Hygiennick '
" No," said Philip, " my business is especially private.
I take it for granted that you have many little confidential
matters intrusted to you."
" Oh, undoxibtedly, sir ! Quite as much so as a physician."
" You are aware also that mistakes sometimes occur in
making up prescriptions, or in using them afterwards ? "
" Not by me, I should hope. I keep a record of every
dangerous ingredient which goes out of my hands."
"Ah!" Philip exclaimed. Then he paused, uncertain
JoSKl'IT AND 1113 FKIKND. 203
how nnicli to confide to Mr. Linthirnm's discretion. But
on mentioning his name and residence, lie found that both
himself and Mr. Jfopeton were known. and favorably, it
seemed to the apothecary. Ife knew the class of men to
which the latter belonged, prim, fussy, harmlessly vain
persons, yet who take as good care of their consciences as of
their cravats and shirt-bosoms. lie produced the paper
without further delay.
" That was bought here, certainly," said Mr. Linthicum.
"The word 'Arsenic' is written in my hand. The date
when, and the person by whom it was purchased, must be
in my register. Will you go over it with me ? "
He took a volume from a drawer, and beginning at the
last entry, they went slowly backward over the names, the
apothecary saying : " This is confidential : I rely upon your
seeing without remembering."
They had not gone back more than two or three weeks
before Philip came upon a name that made his heart stand
still. There was a record in a single line :
" Jfiss Henderson. Arsenic."
He waited a few seconds, until he felt sure of his voice.
Then he asked : " Do you happen to know Miss Henderson ? "
" Not at all ! A perfect stranger."
" Can you, perhaps, remember her appearance? "
" Let me see," said Mr. Linthicum, biting the end of his
forefinger ; " that must have been the veiled lady. The
date corresponds. Yes, I feel sure of it, as all the other
poison customers are known to me."
" Pray describe her then ! " Philip exclaimed.
" Really, I fear that I cannot. Dressed in black, I think;
but I will not be positive. A soft, agreeable voice, I am
sure."
294 JOSEPH AND 1 1 IS FlilENI).
" Was she alone ? Or was any one else present ? "
" Now I do recall one thing," the apothecary answered.
"There was an agent of a wholesale city firm a travelling
agent, you understand trying to persuade me into an order
on his house. He stepped on one side as she came to the
counter, and he perhaps saw her face more distinctly, for he
laughed as she left, and said something about a handsome
girl putting her lovers out of their misery."
But Mr. Linfchicum could remember neither the name of
the agent nor that of the firm which he represented. All
Philip's questioning elicited no further particulars, and he
was obliged to be satisfied with the record of the day and
probable hour of the purchase, and with the apothecary's
promise of the strictest secrecy.
He rode immediately home, and after a hasty consulta-
tion with Madeline, remounted his horse and set out to find
Lucy Henderson. He was fortunate enough to meet her on
the highway, on her way to call xipon a neighbor. Spring-
ing from his horse he walked beside her, and announced his
discovery at once.
Lucy remembered the day when she had accompanied Julia
to Magnolia, during Joseph's absence from home. The time
of the day, also, corresponded to that given by the apothecary.
" Did you visit the drug-store ? " Philip asked.
" No," she answered, " and I did not know that Julia
had. I paid two or three visits to acquaintances, while
she did her shopping, as she told me."
" Then try and remember, not only the order of those
visits, but the time occupied by each," said Philip. " Write
to your friends, and ask them to refresh their memories. It
has become an important point, for the poison was purchas-
ed in your name ! "
"Impossible!" Lucy cried. She gazed at Philip with
such amazement that her innocence \vas then iixed in his
mind, if it had not been so before.
' Yes, 1 say ' impossible ! ' too," he answered. '"There is
only one explanation. Julia Asu-n gave your name instead
of her own when she purchased it.''
' - Oh ! '' Lucy's voice sounded like a hopeless personal
protest against the collective falsehood and wickedness of the
world.
" I have another chance to reach the truth," said Philip.
" I shall tind the stranger, the travelling agent, if it
obliges me to summon every such agent of every wholesale
drug-hottse in the city ! It is at least a positive fortune
that we have made this discovery now."
He looked at his watch. " I have just time to catch the
evening train," he said, hurriedly, " but I should like to send
a message to Elwood Withers. If you pass through that
wood on the right, you will see the track just below you. It
is not more than half a mile from here ; and you are almost
sure to find him at or near the unfinished tunnel. Tell him
to see Rachel Miller, and if anything further has been found,
to inform my sister Madeline at once. That is all. I make
no apology for imposing the service on you : good-by, and
keep up your faith, Lucy ! "
He pressed her hand, sprang into the saddle, and cantered
briskly away.
Lucy, infected by his haste, crossed the field, struggled
through the under-growth of the wild belt of wood, and de-
scended to the railway track, without giving herself time to
think. She met a workman near the mouth of the tunnel,
and not daring to venture in, sent by him a summons to
Elwood. It was not many minutes before he appeared.
296 JOSEPH AND JITS FRIEND.
" Something Las happened, Lucy ? " he exclaimed.
" Philip thinks he has made a discovery," she answered,
" and 1 conic to you as his messenger." She then repeated
Philip's words.
" Is that all? " El wood asked, scanning her face anxiously.
" You do not seem quite like your real self, Lucy."
She sat down upon the bank. " I am out of breath," she
said ; " I nuist have walked faster than I thought."
" Wait a minute ! " said he. He ran up the track, to
where a little side-glen crossed it, sprang down among the
bushes, and presently reappeared with a tin cup full of cold,
pure spring water.
The draught seemed to revive her at once. " It is not all,
Elwood," she said. " Joseph is not the only one, now, who
is implicated by the same circumstances."
" Who else ? not Philip Held ! "
" No," she answered, very quietly, " it is a woman. Her
name is Lucy Henderson."
Before Elwood could speak, she told him all that she had
heard from Philip. He could scarcely bring his mind to
accept its truth.
" Oh, the " he began ; " but, no ! I will keep the words to
myself. There is something deeper in this than any of us has
yet looked for ! Depend upon it, Lucy, she had a plan in
getting you there ! "
Lucy was silent. She fancied she knew Julia's plan al-
ready.
" Did she mean to poison Joseph herself, and throw the
suspicion on you ? And now by her own death, after all,
she accomplishes her chief end ! It is a hellish tangle, which-
ever way I look ; but they say that the truth will sooner or
later put down any amount of lies, and so it must be, here.
297
We must got at the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but
the truth ! Do you not say so, Lucv ? "
"Yes ! " she answered tiriuly, looking him in the face.
' ; Ay, though u 1 ! should come to li ; j;ht ! VTc> can't toll
what it may be necessary to say. They may go to work
and unravel Joseph's life, and yours, and mine, and hold up
the stuff for everybody to look at. AVell, let 'em ! say I.
If there are dark streak's in mine, I guess they'll look toler-
ably fair beside that one black heart. YvVre here alone,
Lucy ; there may not be a chance to say it soon again, so
I'll say now, that if need comes to publish what I said to
you one night a year ago, to publish it for Joseph's sake,
or your sake, don't keep back a single word ! The worst
would be, some men or women might think me conceited."
" No, El wood ! " she exclaimed : " that reproach would
fall on me ! You once offered me your help, and I I fear
I spiirned it ; but I will take it now. Nay, I beg you to
offer it to me again, and I will accept it with gratitude ! "
She rose, and stretched out her hand.
Elwood clasped it tenderly, held it a moment, and seemed
about to speak. But although his lips parted, and there
was a movement of the muscles of his throat, lie did not
utter a word. In another moment he turned, walked a few
yards xip the track, and then came back to her.
" No one could mistake you for Julia Asten," he said.
" You are at least half a head taller than she was. Your
voice is not at all the same : the apothecary will surely
notice the difference ! Then an alibi, as they call it, can be
proved."
" So Philip Held thought. But if my friends should not
remember the exact time, what should I then do "i "
" Lucy, don't ask yourself the question now ! It seems
13*
298 JOSEPJI AM) ins FKIKXD.
to me that the case stands this way : one evil woman has
made a trap, fallen into it herself, and taken the secret of its
make away with her. There is nothing more to be invented,
and so we hold all that we gain. While we are mining,
where's the counter-mining to come from ? Who is to lie
us out of our truth? There isn't much to stand on yet, I
grant ; but another step the least little thing may give us
all the ground we w r ant ! "
He spoke so firmly and cheerily that Lucy's despondent
feeling was charmed away. Besides, nothing could have
touched her more than Elwood's heroic self-control. After
the miserable revelation which Philip had made, it was
unspeakably refreshing to be brought into contact with a
nature so sound and sweet and strong. When he had led
her by an easier path up the hill, and they had parted at the
end of the lane leading to her father's house, she felt, as
never before/ the comfort of relying so wholly on a faithful
man friend.
Elwood took his horse and rode to the Asten farm.
Joseph's face brightened at his appearance, and they talked
as of old, avoiding the dark year that lay between their past
intimacy and its revival. As in Philip's case, it was diffi-
cult to communicate secretly with Rachel Miller; but
Elwood, with great patience, succeeded in looking his wish
to speak with her, and uniting her efforts with his own. She
adroitly turned the conversation upon a geological work
which Joseph had been reading.
" I've been looking into the subject myself," Elwood said.
" Would you let me see the book : it may be the thing I
want."
" It is on the book-shelf in your bedroom, Joseph," Ra-
chel remarked.
299
There was time enough for Fiwoccl to declai'C his biisiness
and for llaehel to answer: ' Mr. Held said every scrap, and
it is but a scrap, with half a name on it. i found it behind
and mostly under the IOW-.T drawer in the same box. I'll
get it before you leave, and give it to you v.-hen we shake
hands. Be careful, for he may make something out of it,
after all. Tell him there isn't a stitch in a dress but I've
examined, and a mortal work it was ! "
It was late before El wood could leave ; nevertheless, he
rode to Coventry Forge. The scrap of paper had been suc-
cessfully transferred, and his pressing duty was to deliver it
into the hands of Madeline Held. He found her anxiously
waiting, in accordance with Philip's instructions.
When they looked at the paper, it seemed, truly, to be a
worthless fragment. It had the character, also, of au apothe-
cary's label, but the only letters remaining were those form-
ing the end of the name, apparently ers, and a short distance
under them Sis.
" ' Behind and mostly under the lower drawer of her
jewel-case," said Madeline, musingly. " I think I might
guess how it came there. She had seen the label, which had
probably been forgotten, and then, as she supposed, had
snatched it away and destroyed it, without noticing that this
piece, caught behind the drawer, had been torn off. But
there is no evidence and perhaps none can be had that
the paper contained poison."
" Can you make anything out of the letters ? " Elwood
asked.
" The ' Sts ' certainly means ' Streets ' now, I see ! It is a
corner house ! Tliis makes the place a little more easy to be
identified. If Philip cannot find it, I am sure a detective can.
I will write to him at once."
300 JOSEPH AXD HIS FRIEND.
" Then I'll wait and ride to the oilice with the letter,"
said Ehvood.
Madeline rose, and commenced walking up and down the
room : she appeared to be suddenly and unusually excited.
" I have a new suspicion," she said, at last. " Perhaps I
am in too much of a hurry to make conjectures, because
Philip thinks I have a talent for it, and yet, this grows up-
011 me every minute ! I hope oh, I hope 1 am right ! "
She spoke with so much energy that Elwood began to share
her excitement without knowing its cause. She noticed the
eager, waiting expression of his face.
" You must really pardon me, Mr. Withers. I believe I
was talking to myself rather than to you ; I will not mention
my fancy until Philip decides whether it is worth acting upon.
There will be no harm if each of us finds a different clew, and
follows it. Philip will hardly leave the city to-morrow. I
shall not write, but go down with the first train in the morn-
ing!"
Elwood took his leave, feeling hopeful and yet very restless.
It was a long while before Madeline encountered Philip.
He was busily employed in carrying out his plan of tracing
the travelling agent, not yet successful, but sanguine of
success. He examined the scrap of paper which Madeline
brought, listened to her reasons for the new suspicion which
had crossed her mind, and compared them with the little
evidence already collected.
" Do not let us depend too seriously on this," he then said ;
" there is about an even chance that you are right. We will
keep it as an additional and independent test, but we dare
not lose sight of the fact that the law will assume Joseph's
guilt, and we must establish his innocence, first of all. Nay,
if we can simply prove that Julia, and not Lucy, purchased
the poison, we shall save Loth ! Hut, at the same time. I will
try to lind this - ,v, v,-],,, lives in a conier-hua.se, and I will
have a talk with old Bie.-.^ini: this very eveuin"."
o*
' ; \Vhy not go now?"
''Patience, you impetuous girl! 1 mean to take no step
without working out every possible result in advance. If
I were not here in the city, I would consult with Mr.
Piiikertoii before proceeding further. Xow I shall take YOU
to the train: you must return to Coventry, and watch and
wait there."
"When. Philip called at the Blessing mansion, in the even-
ing, he found only Mrs. Blessing at home. She was rigid
and dreary in her mourning, and her reception of him was
almost repellant in its stiff formality.
"Mr. Blessing is absent," she explained, inviting Philip
to a seat by a wave of her hand. " His own interests ren-
dered a trip to the Oil Regions imperative; it is a mental
distraction which I do not grudge him. This is a cheerless
household, sir, one daughter gone forever, and another
about to leave us. How does Mr. Asten bear his loss ? "
Philip thereupon, as briefly and forcibly as possible,
related all that had occurred. " I wish to consult Mr.
Blessing," he concluded, " in relation to the possibility of
his being able to furnish any testimony on his son-in-law's
side. Perhaps you, also "
" No ! " she interrupted. " I know nothing whatever !
If the trial (which I think most xtnnecessary and shocking)
gets into the city papers, it will be a terrible scandal for us.
When will it come on, did you say ? "
" In two or three weeks."
" Theie will be barely time ! " she cried.
" For that reason," said he, " I wish to secure the evi-
502 JOSKPII AND IITS FRIEND.
dence at once. All the preparations for the defence must
be completed within that time."
" Clementina," Mrs. Blessing continued, without heeding
his words, " will be married about the first of October. Mr.
Spelter has been desirous of making a bridal tour in Europe.
She did not favor the plan ; but it seems to me like an inter-
position of Heaven ! "
Philip rose, too disgusted to speak. He bowed in silence,
and left the house.
JOSEPH AM) HIS FJIIEND. 303
CHATTER XXA r III.
THE TRIAL.
As the day of triul drew nigh, the anxiety and activity- of
Joseph's friends increased, so that even the quiet atmosphere
wherein lie lived was disturbed by it. He could not help
knowing that they were engaged in collecting evidence, but
inasmuch as Philip always said, "You can do nothing!"
he forced himself to wait with such patience as was possible.
Rachel Miller, who had partly taken the hired man, Den-
nis, into her confidence, hermetically sealed the hoxise to
the gossip of the neighborhood ; but her greatest triumph
was in concealing her alarm, as the days rolled by and the
mystery was not yet unravelled.
There was not much division of opinion in the neighbor-
hood, however. The growing discord between husband and
wife had not been generally remarked : they were looked upon
as a loving and satisfied couple. Joseph's integrity of charac-
ter was acknowledged, and, even had it been doubted, the
people saw no motive for crime. His action in demanding
a legal investigation also operated favorably upon public
opinion.
The quiet and seclusion were beneficial to him. His mind
became calmer and clearer ; he was able to survey the past
without passion, and to contemplate his own faults with
a sense of wholesome bitterness rather than pain. The
approaching trial was not a pleasant thing to anticipate, but
the worst which he foresaw was the probability of so much
304 JOSKPJl AND HIS KK1KXD.
of his private life being laid bare to the world. Here,
again, his own words returned to condemn him. Had he
not said to Lucy, on the morning of that fatal day, " I am
sick of masks ! " Had he not threatened to follow Julia
with his own miserable story ? The system of checks
which restrain impulse, and the whirl of currents and coun-
ter-currents which govern a man's movement through life,
began to arrange themselves in his mind. True wisdom, he
now felt, lay in understanding these, and so employing them
as to reach individual liberty of action through law, and not
outside of it. He had been shallow and reckless, even in
his good impulses ; it was now time to endure quietly for a
season what their eft'ect had been.
The day previous to the trial Philip had a long consulta-
tion with Mr. Pinkerton. He had been so far successful
that the name and whereabouts of the travelling agent had
been discovered : the latter had been summoned, but he
could not possibly arrive before the next day. Philip had
also seen Mr. Blessing, who entered with great readiness
into his plans, promised his assistance in ascertaining the
truth of Madeline's suspicion, and would give his testimony
as soon as he could return from New York, whither he had
gone to say farewell to Mrs. Clementina Spelter, before her
departure for Paris on a bridal journey. These were the
two principal witnesses for the defence, and it was yet un-
certain what kind of testimony they would be able to give.
" We must finish the other witnesses," Mr. Pinkerton
said, " (who, in spite of all we can do, will strengthen the
prosecution), by the time you reach here. If Spenham
gives us trouble, as I am inclined to suspect, we cannot
well spare you the first day, but I suppose it cannot be
helped."
" I will send a telegram to Blessing, in Xew York, to
for their agent, and I can try liiiu with the photograph, cm
the way out. If that succeeds, Blessing's failure will be of
less consequence."
" If only they do not reach Linthicum in the mean time !
I will prolong the impanelling of the jury, and use every
other liberty of delay allowed me ; yet I have to be cautious.
This is Spenkam's first important case, and he is ambitious
to make capital."
Mr. Spenham was the prosecuting attorney, who had just
been elected to his first term of service in that capacity.
He had some shrewdness as a criminal lawyer, and a great
deal of experience of the subterranean channels of party
politics. This latter acqiiirement, in fact, was the secret of
his election, for he was known to be coarse, unscrupulous,
and offensive. Mr. Pinkcrton was able to foresee his prob-
able line of attack, and was especially anxious, for that
reason, to introduce testimony which would shorten the trial.
When the hour came, and Joseph found that Philip was
inevitably absent, the strength he had summoned to his
heart seemed to waver for an instant. All his other friends
were present, however : Lucy Henderson and Madeline came
with the Hopetons, and Elwood "Withers stood by his side so
boldly and proudly that he soon recovered his composure.
The court-room was crowded, not only by the idlers of
the town, but also many neighbors from the country. They
were grave and silent, and Joseph's appearance in the place
allotted to the accused seemed to impress them painfully.
The preliminaries occupied some time, and it was nearly
noon before the first witness was called.
This was the physician. He stated, in a clear, business-
306 JOSEPH AND ins FKIKMX
like manner, the condition in which he found Julia, his
discovery of the poison, and the unusual character of its
operation, adding his opinion that the latter was owing to a
long-continued nervous tension, culminating in hysterical
excitement. Mr. Spenham questioned him very closely as
to Joseph's demeanor, and his expressions before and after
the death. The point of attack which he selected was
Julia's exclamation : " Joseph, I \vill try to be different, but
I must live for that ! "
" These words," he said, " indicate a previous threat on
the part of the accused. His helpless victim
Mr. Pinkerton protested against the epithet. But his
antagonist found numberless ways of seeming to take Jo-
seph's guilt for granted, and thus gradually to mould the
pliant minds of a not very intelligent jury. The physician
was subjected to a rigid cross-examination, in the course of
which he was led to state that he, himself, had first advised
that the fact of the poisoning should not be mentioned until
after the funeral. The onus of the secrecy was thus re-
moved from Joseph, and this was a point gained.
The next witness was the servant- woman, who had been
present in the hall when. Julia fell upon the landing of the
staircase. She had heard the words, " Go away ! you have
killed me ! " spoken in a shrill, excited voice. She had al-
ready guessed that something was wrong between the two.
Mr. Asten came home looking quite wild and strange ; he
didn't seem to speak in his usual voice ; he walked about in
a restless way, and then went into the garden. Miss Lucy
followed him, and then Mrs. Asten ; but in a little while she
came back, with her dress torn and her arms scratched ; she,
the witness, noticed this as Mrs. Asten passed throiigh the
hall, tottering as she went and with, her fists shut tight.
JOSEPH ASD HIS FFvIEXD. 307
Then Mr. Asten went up stairs to her bedroom ; heard them
speaking, but not the words ; said to Sally, who was in the
kitchen, "It's a real till' raid no mistake," and Sally re-
marked, " They're not used to each other yet, as they will
be in a year or two."
The witness was with difficulty kept to a direct narrative.
She had told the tale so often that every particular had its
fixed phrases of description, and all the questioning on both
sides called forth only repetitions. Joseph listened with a
calm, patient air ; nothing had yet occurred for which he
was not prepared. The spectators, however, began to be
deeply interested, and a sharp observer might have noticed
that they were already taking sides.
Mr. Pinkerton soon detected that, although the woman's
statements told against Joseph, she possessed no friendly
feeling for Julia. He endeavored to make the most of this :
O '
but it was not much.
When Lucy Henderson's name was called, there was a
stir of curiosity in the audience. They knew that the con-
ference in the garden, from which Julia had returned in
such an excited condition, must now be described. Mr.
Spenham pricked up his red ears, ran his hand through his
stubby hair, and prepared himself for battle; while Mr.
Pinkerton, already in possession of all the facts, felt con-
cerned only regarding the manner in which Lucy might give
them. This was a case where so much depended on the im-
pression produced by the individual !
By the time Lucy was sworn she appeared to be entirely com-
posed ; her face was slightly pale, but calm, and her voice
steady. Mrs. Hopeton and Madeline Held sat near her, and
Elwood Withers, leaning against a high railing, was nearly
opposite.
SOS JOSEPH AND ITI3 FKIEND.
There was profound silence as she began, and the interest
increased as she approached the time of Joseph's return.
She described his appearance, repeated the words she had
heard, reproduced the scene in her own chamber, and so
came, step by step, to the interview in the garden. The
trying nature of her task now became evident. She spoke
slowly, and with longer pauses ; but whichever way she
turned in her thought, the inexorable necessity of the whole
truth stared her in the face.
" Must I repeat everything ? " she asked. " I am not
sure of recollecting the words precisely as they were
spoken."
" You can certainly give the substance," said Mr. Spen-
ham. " And be careful that you omit nothing : you are on
your oath, and you ought to know what that means."
His words were loud and harsh. Lucy looked at the im-
passive face of the judge, at Elwood's earnest features, at
the attentive jurymen, and went on.
When she came to Joseph's expression of the love that
might have been possible, she gave also his words : " Had
there been, I should have darkened the life of a friend."
" Ha ! " exclaimed Mr. Spenham, " we are coming upon
the motive of the murder."
Again Mr. Pinkerton protested, and was sustained by the
court.
" Tell the jury," said Mr. Spenham, " whether there had
been any interchange of such expressions between you and
the accused previous to his marriage ! "
This question was objected to, but the objection was
overruled.
" None whatever ! " was the answer.
Julia's sudden appearance, the accusation she made, and
309
the manner in which Joseph met it, seemed to 1 urn iho
current of sympathy the other way. Lucy's recollection of
this scene was very clo;ir and complete : had she wished it,
she could not have forgotten a \vord or a look, in spile of
Mr. Spenham's angry objections, she was allowed to go on
and relate the conversation between Joseph and herself
after Julia's return to the house. Mr. rinkerton. made the
bent use of this portion of the evidence, and it seemed that
his side was strengthened, in spite of all unfavorable appear-
ances.
" Tliis is not all ! " exclaimed the prosecuting attorney.
" A married man does not make a declaration of love "
" Of a past possible love," Mr. rinkcrton interrupted.
" A yery fine hair-splitting indeed ! A 'possible ' love
and a ' possible ' return, followed by a ' possible ' murder
and a ' possible ' remarriage ! Our duty is to remove possi-
bilities and establish facts. The question, is, Was there no
previous affection between the witness and the accused ?
This is necessary to prove a motive. I ask, then, the
woman I beg pardon, the lady what were her sentiments
towards the husband of the poisoned before his marriage, at
the time of the conversation in the garden, and now ? "
Lucy started, and could not answer. Mr. Pinkerton
came to her aid. He protested strongly against such a
question, though he felt that there was eqiial danger in
answering it or leaving it unanswered. A portion of the
spectators, sympathizing with Lucy, felt indignant at Mr.
Spenham's demand ; another portion, hungry for the most
private and intimate knowledge of all the parties concerned,
eagerly hoped that it would be acceded to.
Lucy half turned, so that she caught a glimpse of Joseph.
He was calm, but his eyes expressed a sympathetic trouble.
310 JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND.
Then she felt her gaze drawn to Elwood, who had become a
shade paler, and who met her eyes with a deep, inscrutable
expression. Was he thinking of his recent words to her,
" If need comes to publish what I said to you, don't keep
back a single word ! " She felt stire of it, for all that he
said was in her mind. Her decision was made : for truth's
sake, and under the eye of God, she would speak. Having
so resolved, she shut her mind to all else, for she needed
the greatest strength of either woman or man.
The judge had decided that she was not obliged to answer
the question. There was a murmur, here and there, among
the spectators.
" Then I will use my freedom of choice," said Lucy, in a
firm voice, " and answer it."
She kept her eyes on Elwood as she spoke, and com-
pelled him to face her. She seemed to forget judge, jury,
and the curious public, and to speak only to his ear.
" I am here to tell the whole truth, God helping me,"
she said. " I do not know how what I am required to say
can touch the question of Joseph Asten's guilt or innocence ;
but I cannot pause to consider that. It is not easy for a
woman to lay bare her secret heart to the world ; I would
like to think that every man who hears me has a wife, a
sister, or a beloved girl of his choice, and that he will try to
understand my heart through his knowledge of hers. I did
cherish a tenderness which might have been love I cannot
tell for Joseph Asten before his betrothal. I admit that
iiis marriage was a grief to me at the time, for, while I had
not suffered myself to feel any hope, I could not keep the
feeling of disappointment out of my heart. It was both my
blame and shame : I wrestled with it, and with God's help I
overcame it."
311
There was a simple pathos in Lucy's voice, winch pierced
directly to the hearts of her hearers. She stood before them
as pure as Godiva in her helpful nakedness. She saw on
Elwood's clieek the blu>h which did not visit hers, and tin
sparkle of an unconscious tear. Joseph had hidden his face
in his hands for a moment, but now lo"k<-d up with a sad-
ness which no man there could misinterpret.
Lucy had paused, as if waiting to be <jU(.-stioned, but the
effect of her words had been so powerful and unexpected
that Mr. Spenhain was not ipiite ready. She went on:
" When I say that I overcame it, I think I have answered
everything. I went to him in the garden against my own
wish, because his wife begged me with tears and sobs to in-
tercede for her : I could not guess that he had ever thought
of me otherwise than as a friend. I attributed his expres-
sions to his disappointment in marriage, and pardoned him
when he asked me to forget them
" O, no doubt ! " Mr. Spenhain interrupted, looking at the
jury ; " after all we have heard, they could not have been
very disagreeable ! "
Elwood made a rapid step forward ; then, recollecting
himself, resumed his position against the railing. Very few
persons noticed the movement.
" They were very unwelcome," Lucy replied : " under any
other circumstances, it would not have been easy to forgive
them."
" And this former ' tenderness,' I think you called it,"
Mr. Spenliam persisted, " do you mean to say that you
feel nothing of it at present ? "
There was a murmur of indignation all over the room.
If there is anything utterly incomprehensible to a vulgar
nature, it is the natural delicacy of feeling towards women,
312 JOSEPH AXD ms FKIEXD.
which is rarely wanting even to the roughest and most igno-
rant men. The prosecution had damaged itself, and now
the popular sympathy was wholly and strongly with Liicy.
" I have already answered that qiicstion," she said. " For
the holy sake of truth, and of my own free-will, I have
opened my heart. I did it, believing that a woman's first
affection is pure, and would be respected ; I did it, hoping
that it might serve the cause of an innocent man ; but now,
since it has brought upon me doubt and insult, I shall avail
myself of the liberty granted to me by the judge, and speak
no word more ! "
The spectators broke into applause, which the judge did
not immediately check. Lucy's strength suddenly left her ;
she dropped into her seat and burst into tears.
" I have no further question to ask the witness," said
Mr. Pinkerton.
Mr. Speiiham inwardly cursed himself for his blunder,
not for his vulgarity, for of that he was sublimely uncon-
scious, and was only too ready to be relieved from Lucy's
presence.
She rose to leave the court, Mrs. Hopeton accompanying
her ; but Elwood Withers was already at her side, and she
leaned upon his arm as they passed through the crowd. The
people fell back to make a way, and not a few whispered
some honest word of encouragement. Elwood breathed
heavily, and the veins on his forehead were swollen.
Not a word was spoken until they reached the hotel.
Then Lucy, taking Elwood's hand, said : " Thank you, true,
dear friend ! I can say no more now. Go back, for Joseph's
sake, and when the clay is over come here and tell me, if
you can, that I have not injured him in trying to help him."
When Elwood returned to the court-room, Rachel Miller
JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND. 313
was on the witness stand. Her testimony confirmed the
interpretation of Julia's character which had been suggested
ky Lucy Henderson's. The sweet, amiable, suffering wife
began to recede into the background, and the cold, false,
selfish wife to take her place.
All Mr. Spenham's cross-examination failed to give the
prosecution any support until he asked the question :
" Have you discovered nothing whatever, since your re-
turn to the house, which will throw any light upon Mrs.
Asten's death ? "
Mr. Pinkerton, Elwood, and Madeline all felt that the
critical moment had come. Philip's absence threatened to
be a serious misfortune.
" Yes," Rachel Miller answered.
" Ah ! " exclaimed the prosecuting attorney, rubbing his
hair ; " what was it ? "
" The paper in which the arsenic was put up."
" Will you produce that paper ? " he eagerly asked.
" T cannot now," said Rachel ; " I gave it to Mr. Philip
Held, so that he might find out something more."
Joseph listened with a keen, undisguised interest. After
the first feeling of surprise that such an important event
had been kept from his knowledge, his confidence in Philip's
judgment reassured him.
" Has Mr. Philip Held destroyed that paper ? " Mr. Spen-
ham asked.
" He retains it, and will produce it before this court to-
morrow," Mr. Pinkerton replied.
" Was there any mark, or label, upon it, which indicated
the place where the poison had been procured ? "
" Yes," said Rachel Miller.
" State what it was."
14
314 JOSEPH AND ms FRIKND.
" Ziba Linthicum's drug-store, Xo. 77 Main Street, Mag-
nolia," she replied, as if the label were before her eyes.
" Let Ziba Liiithicum be summoned at once ! " Mr. Spen-
ham cried.
Mr. Pinkerton, however, arose and stated that the apo-
thecary's testimony required that of another person who was
present when the poison was purchased. This other person
had been absent in a distant part of the country, but had
been summoned, and would arrive, in company with Mr.
Philip Held, on the following morning. He begged that
Mr. Linthicum's evidence might be postponed until then,
when he believed that the mystery attending the poisoning
would be wholly explained.
Mr. Spenham violently objected, but he again made the
mistake of speaking for nearly half an hour on the subject,
an indiscretion into which he was led by his confirmed
political habits. By the time the question was decided, and
in favor of the defence, the afternoon was well advanced,
and the court adjourned until the next day.
JOSEPH AND IIIS FKIEND. 315
CHAPTER XXIX.
ELWOOD accompanied Joseph TO the prison where lie was
obliged to spend the night, and was allowed to remain with
him until Mr. Pinkerton (who was endeavoring to reach
Philip by telegraph) should arrive.
Owing to Rachel Miller's forethought, the bare room was
sufficiently furnished. There was a clean bed, a chair or
two, and a table, upon which stood a basket of provisions.
" I suppose I must eat," said Joseph, " as a matter of
duty. If you will sit down and join me, Elwood, I will
try."
" If I could have that fellow Spenham by the throat for
a minute," Elwood growled, " it would give me a good appe-
tite. But I will take my share, as it is : I never can think
rightly when I'm hungry. Why, there is enough for a pic-
nic ! sandwiches, cold chicken, pickles, cakes, cheese, and
two bottles of coffee, as I live ! Just think that we're in a
hotel, Joseph ! It's all in one's notion, leastways for a sin-
gle night ; for you can go where you like to-morrow ! "
" I hope so," said Joseph, as he took his seat. Elwood
set the provisions before him, but he did not touch them.
After a moment of hesitation he stretched out his hand and
laid it on Elwood 's shoulder.
" Now, old boy ! " Elwood cried : " I know it. What
yon mean is unnecessary, and I won't have it 1 "
" Let me speak ! "
316 JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND.
" I don't sec why I should, Joseph. It's no more than I
guessed. She didn't love me : yon were tolerably near to-
gether once, and if yon should now come nearer
But he could not finish the sentence ; the words stuck in
his throat.
" Great Heaven ! " Joseph exclaimed, starting to his feet ;
" what are you thinking of? Don't you see that Lucy Hen-
derson and I are parted forever by what has happened to-day ?
Didn't you hear her say that she overcame the tenderness
which might have become love, as I overcame mine for her ?
Neither of us can recall that first feeling, any more than we
can set our lives again in the past. I shall worship her as
one of the purest and noblest souls that breathe; but love
her ? make her my wife ? It could never, never be ! No,
Elwood ! I was wondering whether you could pardon me
the rashness which has exposed her to to-day's trial."
Elwood began to laugh strangely. " You are foolish, Jo-
seph," he said. " Pshaw ! I can't hold my knife. These
sudden downs and then ups are too much for a fellow !
Pardon you ? Yes, on one condition that you empty
your plate before you speak another word to me ! "
They were both cheerful after this, and the narrow little
room seemed freer and brighter to their eyes. It was late
before Mr. Pinkerton arrived : he had waited in vain for an
answer from Philip. Elwood's presence was a relief to him,
for he did not wish to excite Joseph by a statement of what
he expected to prove unless the two witnesses had been really
secured. He adroitly managed, however, to say very little
while seeming to say a great deal, and Joseph was then left
to such rest as his busy memory might allow him.
Next morning there was an even greater crowd in the
court-room. All Joseph's friends were there, with the ex-
ception of Lucy Henderson, who, bv .Mr. I'inkerum's ad\ u-e
remained at the hotel. 1'liiliji had not arrived, but had scut
a message saying that all \vus well, and he would come in the
morning train.
IVIr. Spenham, the- evening before, had ascertained the
nature of Mr. Linthicum's evidence. The apothecary, how-
ever, was only able to inform him of Philip's desire to dis-
cover the travelling agent, without knowing his purpose. In
the name recorded as that of the purchaser of the poison Mr.
Speiiham saw a weapon which would enable him to repay Lucy
for his discomfiture, and to indicate, if not prove, a com-
plicity of crime, in which Philip Held also, he suspected,
might be concerned.
The court opened at nine o'clock, and Philip could not be
on hand before ten. Mr. Pinkerton endeavored to procure
the examination of Dennis, and another subordinate witness,
before the apothecary; but he only succeeded in gaining
fifteen minutes' time by the discussion. Mr. Ziba Linthicum
was then called and sworn. He carried a volume under his
arm.
As Philip possessed the label, Mr. Linthicum could only
testify to the fact that a veiled lady had purchased so many
grains of arsenic of him on a certain day ; that he kept a re-
cord of all sales of dangerous drugs ; and that the lady's name
was recorded in the book which he had brought with him.
He then read the entry :
" Miss Henderson, Arsenic."
Although Mr. Pinkerton had whispered to Joseph, " Do
not be startled when he reads the name!" it was all the
latter could do to suppress an exclamation. There was a
murmur and movement through the whole court.
" We have now both the motive and the co-agent of tho
318 JOSEPH AND HIS FKIKXD.
crime," said Mr. Spenham, rising triumphantly. "After the
evidence which was elicited yesterday, it will not be difficult
to connect the two. If the ca.se deepens in enormity as it
advances, we may be shocked, but we have no reason to
be surprised. The growth of free-love sentiments, among
those who tear themselves loose from the guidance of religious
influences, naturally leads to crime ; and the extent to which
this evil has been secretly developed is not suspected by the
public. Testimony can. be adduced to show that the ac-
cused, Joseph Asten, has openly expressed his infidelity ; that
he repelled with threats and defiance a worthy minister of
the Gospel, whom his own pious murdered wife had commis-
sioned to lead him into the true path. The very expression
which the woman Lxicy Henderson testified to his having
used in the garden, ' I am sick of masks,' what does it
mean ? What but unrestrained freedom of the passions, the
very foundation upon which the free-lovers build up their
pernicious theories ? The accused cannot complain if the
law lifts the mask from his countenance, and shows his nature
in all its hideous deformity. But another mask, also, must
be raised : I demand the arrest of the woman Lucy Hender-
son ! "
Mr. Pinkerton sprang to his feet. In a measured, solemn
voice, which contrasted strongly with the loud, sharp tones
of the prosecuting attorney, he stated that Mr. Linthicum's
evidence was already known to him ; that it required an
explanation which would now be given in a few minutes,
and which would completely exonerate Miss Henderson from
the suspicion of having purchased the poison, or even hav-
ing any knowledge of its purchase. He demanded that no
conclusion should be drawn from evidence which would mis-
lead the minds of the jury : he charged the prosecuting
JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND. 319
attorney with most unjustly assailing the characters of both
Joseph Asteii and Lucy Henderson, and invoked, in the
name of impartial justice, the protection of the court.
He spoke both eloijuently and earnestly ; but the specta-
tors noticed that he looked at his watch from minute to
minute. Mr. Spenham interrupted him, but he continued
to repeat his statements, until there came a sudden move-
ment in the crowd, near the outer door of the hall. Then
he sat down.
Philip led the way, pressing the crowd to right and left in
his eagerness. He was followed by a tall young man, witli
a dark moustache and an abundance of jewelry, while Mr.
Benjamin Blessing, flushed and perspiring, brought up the
rear. The spectators were almost breathless in. their hushed,
excited interest.
Philip seized Joseph's hand, and, bending nearer, whis-
pered, " You are free ! " His eyes sparkled and his face
glowed.
Room was made for the three witnesses, and after a brief
whispered consultation between Philip and Mr. Pinkerton,
Elwood was despatched to bring Lucy Henderson to the
court.
" May it please the Court," said Mr. Pinkerton, " I am
now able to fulfil that promise which I this moment made.
The evidence which was necessary to set forth the manner of
Mrs. Asten's death, and which will release the court fronr
any further consideration of the present case, is in my hands.
I therefore ask leave to introduce this evidence without any
further delay."
After a little discussion the permission was granted, and
Philip Held was placed upon the stand.
He first described Joseph's genuine sorrow at his wife's
320 JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND.
death, and his self-accusation of having hastened it by his
harsh words to her in the morning. He related the inter-
view at which Joseph, on learning of the reports concerning
him, had immediately decided to ask for a legal investiga-
tion, and in a simple, straightforward way, narrated all that
had been done up to the time of consulting Ziba Linthicum's
poison record.
"As I knew it to be quite impossible that Miss Lucy
Henderson could have been the purchaser," he began
Mr. Spenham instantly objected, and the expression was
ruled out by the Court.
" Then," Philip resumed, " I determined to ascertain who
had purchased the arsenic. Mr. Linthicum's description
of the lady was too vague to be recognized. It was neces-
sary to identify the travelling agent who was present ; for
this purpose I went to the city, ascertained the names and
addresses of all the travelling agents of all the wholesale drug
firms, and after much time and correspondence discovered
the man, Mr. Case, who is here present. He was in Per-
sepolis, Iowa, when the summons reached him, and would
have been here yesterday but for an accident on the Erie
Railway.
" In the mean time I had received the small fragment of
another label, and by the clew which the few letters gave me
I finally identified the place as the drug-store of Wallis and
Erkers, at the corner of Fifth and Persimmon Streets.
There was nothing left by which the nature of the drug
could be ascertained, and therefore this movement led to
nothing which could be offered as evidence in this court,
that is, by the druggists themselves, and they have not been
summoned. It happened, however, by a coincidence which
only came to light this morning, that "
321
Here Philip was again interrupted. His further testi-
mony was of less consequence. Ho was sharply cross-ex-
amined by Mr. Spenham as to his relaiious with Joseph, and
his object in devoting so much time to procuring evidence
for the defence; but he took occasion, in replying, to express
his appreciation of Joseph's character so emphatically, tlmt
the prosecution lost rather than gained. Then the plan of
attack was changed. He was asked whether he believed in
the Bible, in future rewards and punishments, in the views
of the so-called free-lovers, in facile divorce and polygamy.
He was too shrewd, however, to lay himself open to the
least misrepresentation, arid the moral and mental torture
which our jurisprudence has substituted for the rack,
thumb-screws, and Spanish boots of the Middle Ages finally
came to an end.
Then the tall young man, conscious of his own elegance,
took his place. He gave his name and occupation as
Augustus Fitzwilliam Case, commercial traveller for the
house of Byle and Glanders, wholesale druggists.
" State whether you were in the drug-store of Ziba Lin-
thicum, No. 77 Main Street, in this town, on the day of the
entry in Mr. Linthicum's book."
" I was."
" Did you notice the person who called for arsenic ? "
" I did."
" What led you specially to notice her ? "
" It is my habit," said the witness. " I am impressible to
beauty, and I saw at once that the lady had what I call-
style. I recollect thinking, 'More style than could be
expected in these little places.' "
"Keep your thoughts to yourself!" cried Mr. Spen-
hain.
H*
322 JOSEPH AXD II IS FRIEND.
" Describe the lady as correctly as you can," said Mr.
Pinkerton.
"Something under the medium size ; a little thin, but not
bad lines, what I should call jimp, natty, or ' lissome,' in
the Scotch dialect. A well-trained voice ; no uncertainty
about it, altogether about as keen and wide-awake a
woman as you'll find in a day's travel."
" You guessed all this from her figure ? " Mr. Spenham
asked, with a sneer.
" ISTot entirely. I saw her face. I suppose something in
my appearance or attitude attracted her attention. While
Mr. Linthicum was weighing the arsenic she leaned over the
counter, let her veil fall forward slightly, and gave me a
quick side-look. I bent a little at the same time, as if to
examine the soaps, and saw her face in a three-quarter posi-
tion, as the photographers say."
" Can you remember her features distinctly ? "
" Quite so. In fact, it is difficult for me to forget a
female face. Hers was just verging on the sharp, but still
tolerably handsome. Hair quite dark, and worn in ringlets;
eyebrows clean and straight ; mouth a little too thin for my
fancy ; and eyes well, I couldn't undertake to say exactly
what color they were, for she seemed to have the trick
very common in the city of letting the lids droop over
them."
" Were you able to judge of her age ?"
" Tolerably, I should say. There is a certain air of preser-
vation which enables a practised eye to distinguish an old
girl from a young one. She was certainly not to be called
young, somewhere between twenty-eight and thirty-five."
" You heard the name she gave Mr. Linthicum ? "
"Distinctly. Mr. Linthicum politely stated that it was
JOSEPH AXD 1II> FKTKXP. 323
his custom to register the names of all those to whom he
furnished either poisons or prescriptions requiring care in
being administered, She said, 'You are vcnj particular,
sir;' and, a moment afterward, ''Pardon me, perhaps it is
necessary.' 'What name, then? ' he asked. I thought she
hesitated a moment, but this I will not say positively;
whether or not, the answer was, ' Miss Henderson.' She
went out of the store witli a light, brisk step."
" You are sure you would be able to recognize the lady ? "
Mr. Pinkertoii asked.
" Quite sure." And Mr. Augustus Fitzwilliam Case
smiled patronizingly, as if the question were superfluous.
Mr. Pinkertoii made a sign to Lucy, and she arose.
"Look upon this lady ! " he said to the witness.
The latter made a slight, graceful inclination of his head,
AS much as to say, " Pardon me, I am compelled to stare."
Lucy quietly endured his gaze.
" Consider her well," said the lawyer, " and then tell the
jury whether she is the person."
" No considerment is necessary. This lady has not the
slightest resemblance to Miss Henderson. She is younger,
taller, and modelled upon a wholly different style."
" Will you now look at this photograph ? "
"Ah ! " the witness exclaimed; "you can yourself judge
of the correctness of my memory ! Here is Miss Hender-
son herself, and in three-quarter face, as I saw her ! "
"That," said Mr. Pinkerton, addressing the judge and
jury, " that is the photograph of Mrs. Julia Asten."
The spectators were astounded, and Mr. Spenham taken
completely aback by this revelation. Joseph and Elwood
both felt that a great weight had been lifted from their
hearts. The testimony established Julia's falsehood at the
324: JOSEPH Ayi) ins FKIEXD.
same time, and there was such an instant and complete
revulsion of opinion that many persons present at once sus-
pected her of a design to poison. Joseph.
" Before calling upon Mr. Benjamin Blessing, the father
of the late Mrs. Asten, for his testimony," said Mr. Pinker-
ton, " and I believe he will be the last witness necessary,
I wish to show that, although Miss Lucy Henderson accom-
panied Mrs. Asten to Magnolia, she could not have visited
Mr. Linthicum's drug-store at the time indicated ; nor,
indeed, at any time during that day. She made several calls
upon friends, each of whom is now in attendance, and their
joint evidence will account for every minute of her stay in
the place. The base attempt to blacken her fair name im-
peratively imposes this duty upon me."
No objection was made, and the witnesses were briefly
examined in succession. Their testimony was complete.
" One mystery still remains to be cleared up," the lawyer
continued ; " the purpose of Mrs. Asten in purchasing the
poison, and the probable explanation of her death. I say
' probable,' because absolute certainty is impossible. But I
will not anticipate the evidence. Mr. Benjamin Blessing,
step forward, if you please ! "
JOSEPH AND HIS FEIEXD. 325
CHAPTER XXX.
MR. BLESSING'S TESTIMONY.
Ox entering the court-room Mr. Blessing had gone to
Joseph, given his hand a long, significant grasp, and looked
in his face with an expression of triumph, almost of exulta-
tion. The action was not lost upon the spectators or the
jury, and even Joseph felt that it was intended to express
the strongest faith in his innocence.
When the name was called there was a movement in the
crowd, and a temporary crush in some quarters, as the peo-
ple thrust forward their heads to see and listen. Mr. Bless*
ing, bland, dignified, serene, feeling that he was the central
point of interest, waited until quiet had been restored,
slightly turning his head to either side, as if to summon
special attention to what he should say.
After being sworn, and stating his name, he thus described
his occupation :
" I hold a position under government ; nominally, it is a
Deputy Inspectorship in the Custom-House, yet it possesses
a confidential I might say, if modesty did not prevent, an
ad visory character."
" In other words, a Ward Politician ! " said Mr. Spen-
ham.
<{ I must ask the prosecuting attorney," Mr. Blessing
blandly suggested, " not to define my place according to his
own political experiences."
There was a general smile at these words; and a very
326 JOSEPH AXD ms FRIEND.
audible chuckle from spectators belonging to the opposite
party.
" You are the father of the late .Mrs. Julia Asten ? "
" I am her unhappy father, whom nothing but the im-
perious commands of justice, and the knowledge of her
husband's innocence of the crime with which lie stands
charged, could have compelled to appear here, and reveal
the painful secrets of a family, which
Here Mr. Speiiham interrupted him.
" I merely wish to observe," Mr. Blessing continued, with
a stately wave of his hand towards the judge and jury, " that
the De Belsains and their descendants may have been fre-
quently unfortunate, but were never dishonorable. I act iu
their spirit when. I hold duty to the innocent living higher
than consideration for the unfortunate dead."
Here he drew forth a handkerchief, and held it for a
moment to his eyes.
" Did you know of any domestic discords between your
daughter and her husband ? "
" I foresaw that such might be, and took occasion to warn
my daughter, on her wedding-day, not to be too sure of her
influence. There was too much disparity of age, character,
and experience. It could not be called crabbed age and
rosy youth, but there was difference enough to justify Shake-
speare's doubts. I am aware that the court requires ocular
or auricular evidence. The only such I have to offer is
my son-in-law's own account of the discord which preceded
my daughter's death."
" Did this discord sufficiently explain to you the cause
and manner of her death ? "
" My daughter's nature I do not mean to digress, but
am accustomed to state niy views clearly my daughter's
nature was impulsive. Slie inherited mv own intellect, but
modified by the peculiar character of tin- feminine ncrvuus
system. Hence >lie miu'ht succumb in a depression which /
should resist. She appeared (.< }>< .-,mv uf her control over
my son-in-law's nature, and of success in an enterprise iu
which E regret to say my son-in-law lost confidence. I
assumed, at the time, that her usually capable mind was
unbalanced by the double disappointment, and that she had
rushed, unaneled, to her last account. This, I say, was the
conclusion forced upon me ; yet 1 cannot admit that it was
satisfactory. It seemed to disparage my daughter's intellec-
tual power : it was not the act which I should have antici-
pated in any possible emergency."
" Had you no suspicion that her husband might have
been instrumental ? " Mr. Spenhani asked.
" He ? he is simply incapable of that, or any crime ! "
" We don't want assertions," said Mr. Spenham, sternly.
" I beg pardon of the court," remarked Mr. Blessing ; " it
was a spontaneous expression. The touch of nature cannot
always be avoided."
" Go on, sir ! "
" I need not describe the shock and sorrow following my
daughter's death," Mr. Blessing continued, again applying
his handkerchief. " In order to dissipate it, I obtained a
leave of absence from my post, the exigencies of the gov-
ernment fortunately admitting of it, and made a journey
to the Oil Regions, in the interest of myself and my son-in-
law. While there I received a letter from Mr. Philip Held,
the contents of which
"Will you produce the letter?" Mr. Spenham ex-
claimed.
" It can be produced, if necessary. I will state nothing
32S JOSEPH AND JII5 FRIEND.
further, since I perceive that this would not be admissible
evidence. It is enough to say that I returned to the city
without delay, in order to meet Mr. Philip Held. The re-
quirements of justice were more potent with me than the
suggestions of personal interest. Mr. Held had already, as
you will have noticed from his testimony, identified the
fragment of paper as having emanated from the drug-store
of "VVallis and Erkers, corner of Fifth and Persimmon
Streets. I accompanied him to that drug-store, heai-d the
statements of the proprietors, in answer to Mr. Hold's ques-
tions, statements which, I confess, surprised me immeas-
urably (but I could not reject the natural dedtictions to be
drawn from them), and was compelled, although it over-
whelmed me with a sense of unmerited shame, to acknow-
ledge that there was plausibility in Mr. Held's conjectures.
Since they pointed to my elder daughter, Clementina, now
Mrs. Spelter, and at this moment tossing upon the ocean-
wave, I saw that Mr. Held might possess a discernment su-
perior to my own. But for a lamentable cataclysm, he
might have been my son-in-law, and I need not say that I
prefer that refinement of character which comes of good blood
to the possession of millions
Here Mr. Blessing was again interrupted, and ordered to
confine himself to the simple statement of the necessary
facts.
" I acknowledge the justice of the rebuke," he said. " But
the sentiment of the mens conscia recti will sometimes ob-
trude through the rigid formula of Themis. In short, Mr.
Philip Held's representations "
" State those representations at once, and be done with
them ! " Mr. Spenham cried.
" I am coming to them presently. The Honorable Court
329
understands, I urn convinced, that a coin-rent narrative, ah
though moderately prolix, is preferable to a di-j^inted nar-
rative, even if the latter were terse as Tacitus. .Mr. j{,-ld"s
representations, I repeat, satisfied me that an interview with
mv daughter Clementina was imperative. There was no
time to be lost, for the passage of the nuptial pair had al-
eady been taken iiL the VIV^ '/<.> J'ari*. 1 started at once,
sending a telegram in advance, and in the same evening ar-
rived at their palatial residence in Fifth Avenue. Clemen-
tina's nature, I must explain to the Honorable Court, is very
different from that of her sister, the reappearance, I sus-
pect, of some lateral strain of blood. She is reticent, unde-
monstrative, in short, frequently inscrutable. I suspected
that a direct question might defeat my object; therefore,
when I was alone with her the next morning, my son-in-
law, Mr. Spelter, being called to a meeting of Erie of which
he is one of the directors, I said to her : ' My child, you
are perfectly blooming ! Your complexion was always ad-
mirable, but now it seems to me incomparable ! ' '
" This is irrelevant ! " cried Mr. Spenham.
" By no means ! It is the very corpus delicti, the foot
of Hercules, the milk (powder would be more appropriate)
in the cocoa-nut ! " Clementina smiled in her serene way, and
made no reply. ' How do you keep it up now ? ' I asked,
tapping her cheek ; ' you must be careful, here : all persons
are not so discreet as "Wallis and Erkers.' She was as-
tounded, stupefied, I might say, but I saw that I had reached
the core of truth. ' Did you suppose I was ignorant of it? '
I said, still very friendly and playfully. ' Then it was Julia
who told you ! ' she exclaimed. < And if she did,' I an-
swered, ' what was the harm ? I have no doubt that Julia
did the same thing.' ' She was always foolish,' Clementina
330 JOSEPH AND HIS FKIKXD.
then said ; ' she envied me my complexion, and she watched
me until she found out. I told her that it would not do for
any except blondes, like myself, and her complexion was
neither one thing nor the other. And I couldn't see that it
improved much, afterwards.' "
Mr. Pinkerton saw that the jurymen were puzzled, and
requested Mr. Blessing to explain the conversation to
them.
" It is my painful duty to obey ; yet a father's feelings
may be pardoned if he shrinks from presenting the facts at
once in their naked unpleasantness. However, since the
use of arsenic as a cosmetic is so general in our city, especi-
ally among blondes, as Wallis and Erkers assure me, my
own family is not an isolated case. Julia commenced using
the drug, so Clementina informed me, after her engagement
with Mr. Asten, and only a short time before her marriage.
To what extent she used it, after that event, I have no
means of knowing ; but, I suspect, less frequently, unless
she feared that the disparity of age between her and her
husband was becoming more apparent. I cannot excuse her
duplicity in giving Miss Henderson's name instead of her
own at Mr. Linthicum's drug store, since the result might
have been so fearfully fatal ; yet I entreat you to believe
that there may have been no inimical animus in the act.
I attribute her death entirely to an over-dose of the drug,
voluntarily taken, but taken in a moment of strong excite-
ment."
The feeling of relief from suspense, not only among
Joseph's friends, but throughout the crowded court-room,
was clearly manifested : all present seemed to breathe a
lighter and fresher atmosphere.
Mr. Blessing wiped his forehead and his fat cheeks, and
looked benignly around. ' There are a liundred little addi-
tional details," he said, "which will substantiate my evi-
dence ; but 1 have surely said sutlicient fur the ends of jus-
tice. The hoa\vns will not fall because I have been forced
to carve the emblems of criminal vanity upon the sepulchre
of an unfortunate child, but the judgment of an earthly
tribunal may well be satisfied. J luwever, I am readv," lie
added, turning towards Mr. Spenham ; < ; apply all the en-
gines of technical procedure, and I shall not wince."
The manner of the prosecuting attorney was completely
changed, lie answered respectfully and courteously, and his
brief cross-examination was calculated rather to confirm
the evidence for the defence than to invalidate it.
Mr. Pinkerton then rose and stated that he should call
no other witnesses. The fact had been established that
Mrs. Asten had been in the habit of taking arsenic to im-
prove her complexion ; also that she had purchased much
more than enough of the drug to cause death, at the store
of Mr. Ziba Linthicum, only a few days before her demise,
and under circumstances which indicated a desire to conceal
the purchase. There were two ways in which the manner
of her death might be explained ; either she had ignorantly
taken an over-dose, or, having mixed the usual quantity be-
fore descending to the garden to overhear the conversation
between Mr. Asten and Lucy Henderson, had forgotten the
fact in the great excitement which followed, and thought-
lessly added as much more of the poison. Her last words
to her husband, which could not be introduced as evidence,
but might now be repeated, showed that her death was the
result of accident, and not of design. She was thus ab-
solved of the guilt of suicide, even as her husband of the
charge of murder.
332 JOSEPH AND HIS FKIEXD.
Mr. Spenham, somewhat to the surprise of those who
were unacquainted with his true character, also stated that
he should call 110 further witness for the prosecution. The
testimonies of Mr. Augustus Fitzwilliam Case and Mr. Ben-
jamin. Blessing although the latter was unnecessarily os-
tentatious and discursive were sufficient to convince him
that the prosecution could not make out a case. He had
no doubt whatever of Mr. Joseph Asten's innocence. Lest
the expressions which he had been compelled to use, in the
performance of his duty, might be misunderstood, he wished
to say that he had the highest respect for the characters of
Mr. Asten and also of Miss Lucy Henderson. He believed
the latter to be a refined and virtuous lady, an ornament to
the community in which she resided. His language to-
wards her had been professional, by no means personal.
It was in accordance with the usage of the most eminent
lights of the bar; the ends of justice required the most
searching examination, and the more a character was cri-
minated the more brightly it would shine forth to the
world after the test had been successfully endured.
He was simply the agent of the law, and all respect of per-
sons was prohibited to him while in the exercise of his
functions.
The judge informed' the jurymen that he did not find it
necessary to give them any instructions. If they were
already agreed upon their verdict, even the formality of
retiring might be dispensed with.
There was a minute's whispering back and forth, among
the men, and the foreman then rose and stated that they
were agreed.
The words " Not Guilty ! " spoken loudly and emphati-
cally, were the signal for a stormy burst of applause from
JOSEPH AND JUS FKIEXD. 333
tlie audience. In vain the court-crier, aided by the consta-
bles, endeavored to preserve order. Joseph's friends gath-
ered around him with their congratulations ; while Mr.
Blessing, feeling that some recognition of the popular senti-
ment was required, rose and bowed repeatedly to the crowd.
Philip lad the way to the open air, and the others followed,
but few words were spoken until they found themselves in
the large parlor of the hotel.
Mr. Blessing had exchanged some mysterious whispers
with the clerk, on arriving ; and presently two negro waiters
entered the room, bearing wine, ice, and other refreshments.
When the glasses had been filled, Mr. Blessing lifted his
with an air which imposed silence on the company, and thus
spake : " ' Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth
speaketh.' There may be occasions when silence is golden,
but to-day we are content with the baser metal. A man in
whom we all confide, whom we all love, has been rescxied
from the labyrinth of circximstances ; he comes to us as a
new Theseus, saved from the Minotaur of the Law ! Al-
though Mr. Held, with the assistance of his fair sister, was
the Ariadne who found the clew, it has been my happy lot
to assist in unrolling it ; and now we all stand together, like
our classic models on the free soil of Crete, to chant a paean
of deliverance. While I propose the health and happiness
and good-fortune of Joseph Asten, I beg him to believe that
my words come ab imo pectore, from my inmost heart : if
any veil of mistrust, engendered by circumstances which I
will not now recall, still hangs between him and myself, I
entreat him to rend that veil, even as David rent his gar-
ments, and believe in my sincerity, if he cannot in my dis-
cretion ! "
Philip was the only one, besides Joseph, who understood
33i JOSEPH AND HIS FRIKXD.
the last allusion. He caught hold of Mr. Blessing's hand
and exclaimed : " Spoken, like a man ! "
Joseph stepped instantly forward. " I have again been
unjust," he said, " and I thank you for making me feel it.
You have done me an infinite service, sacrificing your own
feelings, bearing no malice against me for my hasty and
unpardonable words, and showing a confidence in my charac-
ter which after what has passed between us puts me to
shame. I am both penitent and grateful : henceforth I shall
know you and esteem you ! "
Mr. Blessing took the offered hand, held it a moment, and
then stammered, while the tears started from his eyes :
" Enough ! Bury the past a thousand fathoms deep ! I can
still say : foi de Belsain ! "
" One more toast ! " cried Philip. " Happiness and
worldly fortune to the man whom misfortunes have bent but
cannot break, who has been often deceived, but who
never purposely deceived in turn, whose sentiment of
honor has been to-day so nobly manifested, Benjamin
Blessing ! "
While the happy company were pouring out but not ex-
hausting their feelings, Lucy Henderson stole forth upon the
upper balcony of the hotel. There was a secret trouble in
her heart, which grew from minute to minute. She leaned
upon the railing, and looked down the dusty street, passing
in review the events of the two pregnant days, and striving
to guess in what manner they would affect her coming life.
She felt that she had done her simple duty : she had spoken
no word which she was not ready to repeat ; yet in her
words there seemed to be the seeds of change.
After a while the hostler brought a light carriage from the
stable, and Elwood Withers stepped into the street below
JOSEPH AXD HIS FRIEND. 335
her. He was about to take the reins, when lie looked up,
saw her, and remained standing. She noticed the intensely
wistful expression of his face.
'' Are you going, Elwood, and alone ? " she asked.
" Yes," he said eagerly ; and waited.
" Then T will go with you, that is, if you will take me."
She tried to speak lightly and playfully.
In a few minutes they were out of town, passing between
the tawny fields and under the russet woods. A sweet west
wind fanned them with nutty and spicy odors, and made a
crisp, cheerful music among the fallen leaves.
" What a delicious change ! " said Lucy, " after that
stifling, dreadful room."
" Ay, Lucy and think how Joseph will feel it ! And
how near, by the chance of a hair, we came of missing the
truth ! "
" Elwood ! " she exclaimed, " while I was giving my tes-
timony, and I found your eyes fixed on me, were you think-
ing of the counsel you gave me, three weeks ago, when we
met at the tunnel ? "
" I was ! "
" I knew it, and I obeyed. Do you now say that I did
right?"
" Not for that reason," he answered. " It was your own
heart that told you what to do. I did not mean to bend or
influence you in any way : I have no right."
" You have the right of a friend," she whispered.
" Yes," said he, " I sometimes take more upon myself
than I ought. But it's hard, in my case, to hit a very fine
line."
" O, you are now unjust to yourself, Elwood. You are
both strong and generous."
336 JOSEPH AND ins FKIEXD.
" T am not strong ! I am this minute spoiling my good
luck. It ivas a luck from Heaven to me, Lucy, when you
offered to ride home with me, and it is, now if I could only
swallow the words that are rising into my mouth ! "
She whispered again : " Why should you swallow them ? "
" You are cruel ! when you have forbidden me to speak,
and I have promised to obey ! "
" After all you have heard ? " she asked.
" All the more for what I have heard."
She took his hand, and cried, in a trembling voice : " T
have been cruel, in remaining blind to your nature. I re-
sisted what would have been what will be, if you do not
turn away my one happiness in this life ! Do not speak
let me break the prohibition ! Elwood, dear, true, noble
heart, Elwood, I love you!"
" Lucy ! "
And she lay upon his bosom.
JOSEPH AXD HIS FRIEXD. 337
CHAPTER XXXI.
BEGIXXIXG ANOTHER LIFE.
IT was hard for the company of rejoicing friends, at the
hotel in Magnolia, to part from each other. Mr. Blessing
had tact enough to decline Joseph's invitation, but he was
sorely tempted by Philip's, in which Madeline heartily
joined. Nevertheless, he only wavered for a moment; a
mysterious resolution strengthened him, and taking Philip
to one side, he whispered:
"Will you allow me to postpone, not relinquish, the
pleasure ? Thanks ! A grave duty beckons, a task, in
short, without which the triumph of to-day would be dra-
matically incomplete. I must speak in riddles, because this
is a case in which a whisper might start the overhanging
avalanche ; but I am sure you will trust me."
" Of course I will ! " Philip cried, offering his hand.
" Foi de Bdsain ! " was Mr. Blessing's proud answer, as
he hurried away to reach the train for the city.
Joseph looked at Pliilip, as the horses were brought from
the stable, and then at Rachel Miller, who, wrapped in her
great crape shawl, was quietly waiting for him.
" We must not separate all at once," said Philip, stepping
forward. " Miss Miller, will you invite my sister and my-
self to take tea with you this evening ? "
Philip had become one of PiachePs heroes ; she was sure
that Mr. Blessing's testimony and Joseph's triumphant ac-
quittal were owing to his exertions. The Asten farm could
15
338 JOSEPH AND ins FKIEND.
produce nothing good enough for his entertainment, that
was her only trouble.
" Do tell me the time o' day," she said to Joseph, as ho
drove out of town, closely followed by Philip's light car-
riage. "It's three days in one to me, and a deal more like
day after to-morrow morning than this afternoon. Now,
a telegraph would be a convenience ; I could send word and
have chickens killed and picked, against we got there."
Joseph answered her by driving as rapidly as the rough
country roads permitted, without endangering horse and
vehicle. It was impossible for him to think coherently,
impossible to thrust back the single overwhelming prospect
of relief and release which had burst upon his life. He
dared to admit the fortune which had come to him through
death, now that his own innocence of any indirect incitement
thereto had been established. The future was again clear
before him ; and even the miserable discord of the past year
began to recede and form only an indistinct background to
the infinite pity of the death-scene. Mr. Blessing's testi-
mony enabled him to look back and truly interpret the last
appealing looks, the last broken words ; his heart banished
the remembrance of its accusations, and retained only so
long as it should beat among living men a deep and tender
commiseration. As for the danger he had escaped, the
slander which had been heaped upon him, his thoughts
were above the level of life which they touched. Ho
was nearer than he suspected to that only true indepen-
dence of soul which releases a man from the yoke of cir-
cumstances.
Rachel Miller humored his silence as long as she thought
proper, and then suddenly and awkwardly interrupted it.
" Yes," she exclaimed ; " there's a little of the old currant
339
wine is the cellar-closet ! Town's-folks generally like it, and
we used to think it good to stay a body's stomach for a late
meal, as it'll be apt to be. lint I've not asked you how
you relished the supper, though Ehvoocl, to be sure, allowed
that all was tolerable nice. And I see the Lord's hand in
it, as I hope you do, Joseph ; fur the righteous is never for-
saken. We can't help rejoice, whore \ve ought to be humbly
returning thanks, and owning our unworthiness ; but Philip
Held is a friend, if there ever was one ; and the white hen's
brood, though they are new-fashioned fowls, are plump
enough by this time. I disremember whether I asked El-
wood to stop "
" There he is ! " Joseph interrupted ; " turning the corner
of the wood before us ! Lucy is with him, and they must
both come ! "
He drove on rapidly, and soon overtook El wood's lagging
team. The horse, indeed, had had his own way, and the
sound of approaching wheels awoke Elwood from a trance
of incredible happiness. Before answering Joseph, he -whis-
pered to Lucy :
"What shall we say? It'll be the heaviest favor I've
ever been called upon to do a friend."
"Do it, then! " she said : "the day is too blessed to be
kept for ourselves alone."
How fair the valley shone, as they came into it out of the
long glen between the hills! What cheer there was, even
in the fading leaves ; what happy promise in the mellow
autumn sky! The gate to the lane stood open; Dennis,
with a glowing face, waited for the horse. He wanted to
say something, but not knowing how, shook hands with Jo-
seph, and then pretended to be concerned with the harness.
Rachol, on entering the kitchen, found her neighbor, Mrs.
340 JOSEPH AND HIS FKIEXD.
Bishop, embarked 011 a full tide of preparation. Two plump
fowls, scalded and plucked, lay upon the table !
This was too much for luicliul Miller. She had borne
up bravely through the trying days, concealing her anxiety
lest it might be misinterpreted, hiding even her grateful
emotion, to make her faith in Joseph's innocence seem the
stronger ; and now Mrs. Bishop's thoughtfulness was the
slight touch under which she gave way. She sat down and
cried.
Mrs. Bishop, with a stew-pan in one hand, while she
wiped her sympathetic eyes with the other, explained that
her husband had come home an hour before, with the news ;
and that she just guessed help would be wanted, or leastways
company, and so she had made bold to begin ; for, though
the truth had been made manifest, and the right had been
proved, as anybody might know it would be, still it was a
trial, and people needed to eat more and better under trials
than at any other time. " You may not feel inclined for
victuals ; but there's the danger ! A body's body must be
supported, whether or no."
Meanwhile, Joseph and his guests sat on the veranda, in
the still, mild air. He drew his chair near to Philip's, their
hands closed upon each other, and they were entirely happy
in the tender and perfect manly love which united them.
Madeline sat in front, with a nimbus of sunshine around her
hair, feeling also the embarrassment of speech at such a
moment, yet bravely endeavoring to gossip with Lucy on
other matters. But Elwood's face, so bright that it became
almost beautiful, caught her eye : she glanced at Philip, who
answered with a smile ; then at Lucy, whose cheek bloomed
with the loveliest color ; and, rising without a Avord, she
went to the latter and embraced her.
Then, stretching lier hand to Elwood, she said: '-'Forgive
me, both of vou. for showing how glad I am !
' Philip ! '' Joseph cried, as the truth flashed upon him ;
'"life is not always unjust ! It is we who are impatient."
They both arose and gave hands of congratulation; and
Ehvood, though so deeply moved that he scarcely trusted
himself to speak, was so frankly proud and happy, so
purely and honestly man in such a sacred moment, that
Lucy's heart swelled with an equally proud recognition of
las feeling. Their eyes met, and no memory of a mistaken
Past could ever again come like a cloud across the light of
their mutual faith.
" The day was blessed already," said Philip ; " but this
makes it perfect."
No one knew how the time went by, or could afterwards
recall much that was said. Rachel Miller, with many
apologies, summoned them to a sumptuous meal; and when
the moon hung chill and clear above the creeping mists of
the valley, they parted.
The next evening, Joseph went to Philip at the Forge.
It was well that he should breathe another atmosphere, and
dwell, for a little while, within walls where no ghosts of
his former life wandered. Madeline, the most hospitably
observant of hostesses, seemed to have planned the arrange-
ments solely for his and Philip's intercourse. The short
evening of the country was not half over, before she
sent them to Philip's room, where a genial wood-fire prat-
tled and flickered on the hearth, with two easy-chairs be-
fore it.
Philip lighted a pipe and they sat down. " Now, Joseph,"
said he, " I'll answer ' Yes ! ' to the question in your mind."
"You have been talking with Bishop, Philip?"
342 JOSEPH AND HIS FRIKND.
" ]STo ; but I won't mystify you. As I rode up the valley,
I saw you two standing on the hill, and could easily guess
the rest. A largo estate in this country is only an imagi-
nary fortune. You are not so much of a farmer, Joseph
that it will cut you to the heart and make you dream of
ruin to part with a fe\v fields ; if you were, I should say
get that weakness out of you at once ! A man should pos-
sess his property, not be possessed by it."
" You are right," Joseph answered ; " I have been fight-
ing against an inherited feeling."
" The only question is, will the sale of those fifty acres
relieve you of all present embarrassments ? "
" So far, Philip, that a new mortgage of about half the
amount will cover what remains."
" Bravo ! " cried Philip. " This is better than I thought.
Mr. Hopeton. is looking for sure, steady investments, and
will furnish whatever you need. So there is no danger of
foreclosure."
" Things seem to shape themselves almost too easily now,"
Joseph answered. I see the old, mechanical routine of my
life coming back : it should be enough for me, but it is not ;
can you tell me why, Philip ? "
" Yes : it never was enough. The most of our neighbors
are cases of arrested development. Their intellectual nature
only takes so many marks, like a horse's teeth ; there is a
point early in their lives, where its form becomes fixed.
There is neither the external influence, nor the inward neces-
sity, to drive them a step further. They find the Sphinx
dangerous, and keep out of her way. Of course, as soon as
they passively begin to accept what is, all that was fluent or
plastic in them soon hardens into the old moulds. Now, I
am not very wise, but this appears to me to be truth ; that
JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND. 343
life is a grand centrifugal force, forever growing from a
wider circle towards one that is still wider. Your .stationary
men may be necessary, and even serviceable ; but to me
and to YOU, Joseph there is neither joy nor peace except
in some kind of growth."
" If we could be always sure of the direction ! " Joseph
sighed.
" That's the point ! " Philip eagerly continued. " Tf we
stop to consider danger in advance, we should never venture
a step. A movement is always clear after it has been made,
not often before. It is enough to test one's intention ; un-
less we are tolerably bad, something guides vis, and adjusts
the consequences of our acts. Why, we are like spiders, in
the midst of a million gossamer threads, which we are all
the time spinning without knowing it ! Who are to mea-
sure our lives for us ? Not other men with other necessi-
ties ! and so we come back to the same point again, where I
started. Looking back now, can you see no gain in your
mistake ? "
"Yes, a gain I can never lose. I begin to think that
haste and weakness also are vices, and deserve to be
punished. It was a dainty, effeminate soul you found, Phi-
lip, a moral and spiritual Sybarite, I should say now. I
must have expected to lie on rose-leaves, and it was right
that I should find thorns."
" I think," said Philip, " the world needs a new code of
ethics. We must cure the unfortunate tendencies of some
qualities that seem good, and extract the good from others
that seem evil. But it would need more than a Luther for
such a Reformation. I confess I am puzzled, when I at-
tempt to study moral ca,uses and consequences in men's
Jives. It is nothing but a tangle, when I take them collec-
344 JOSEPH AXD HIS FRIEND.
tively. What if each of us were, as I half suspect, as inde-
pendent as a planet, yet all held together in one immense
system ? Then the central force must be our close depend-
ence on God, as I have learned to feel it through you."
" Through me ! " Joseph exclaimed.
" Do you suppose we can be so near each other without
giving and taking ? Let us not try to get upon a common
ground of faith or action : it is a thousand times more de-
lightful to discover that we now and then reach the same
point by different paths. This reminds me, Joseph, that
our paths ought to separate now, for a while. Tt is you who
should leave, but only to come back again, ' in the fulness
of time.' Heaven knows, I am merciless to myself in recom-
mending it."
" You are right to try me. It is time that I should
know something of the world. But to leave, now so
immediately "
" It will make no difference," said Philip. " Whether
you go or stay, there will be stories afloat. The bolder plan
is the better."
The subject was renewed the next morning at breakfast.
Madeline heartily seconded Philip's counsel, and took a
lively part in the discussion.
"We were in Europe as children," she said to Joseph,
" and I have very clear and delightful memories of tho
travel."
" I was not thinking especially of Europe," he answered.
" I am hardly prepared for such a journey. What I should
wish is, not to look idly at sights and shows, but to have
some active interest or employment, which would bring me
into contact with men. Philip knows my piirpose."
" Then," said Madeline, " why not hunt on Philip's trail ?
345
I have no doubt you can track him from Texas to the Pacific
by the traditions of his wild pranks and adventures ! How
I should enjoy geitin^ hold of a fe\v chapters of his history ! ''
" Madeline, you are a genius ! " Philip cried. " How
could I have forgotten AVilder\s letter, a fortnight ago, you
remember ? One need not be a practical geologist to make
the business report he wants ; but Joseph has read enough
to take hold, with the aid of the books I can give him ! If
it is not too late ! "
" I was not thinking of that, Philip," Madeline answered.
" Did you not say that the place was "
She hesitated. " Dangerous ? " said Philip. " Yes. But
if Joseph goes there, he will come back to us again."
" O, don't invoke misfortune in that way ! "
" Neither do I," he gravely replied ; " but I can see the
shadow of Joseph's life thrown ahead, as I can see my own."
" I think I should like to be sent into danger," said
Joseph.
Philip smiled : " As if you had not just escaped the
greatest ! Well, it was Madeline's guess which most
helped to avert it, and now it is her chance word which will
probably send you into another one."
Joseph looked up in astonishment. " I don't understand
you, Philip," he said.
" O Philip ! " cried Madeline.
" I had really forgotten," he answered, " that you knew
nothing of the course by which we reached your defence.
Madeline first suggested to me that the poison was some-
times used as a cosmetic, and on this hint, with Mr. Bless-
ing's help, the truth was discovered."
And I did not know how much I owe to you!" Joseph
exclaimed, turning towards her.
15*
S-iG JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND.
" Do not thank me," she said, "for Philip thinks the for-
tunate guess may be balanced by an evil one."
" No, no " Joseph protested, noticing the slight tremble
in. her voice ; " I will take it as a good omen. Now I know
that danger will pass me by, if it comes ! "
" If your experience should be anything like mine," said
Philip, "you will only recognize the danger when you can
turn and look back at it. But, come ! Madeline has less
superstition in her nature than she would have us believe.
Wilcler's offer is just the thing ; I have his letter on file,
and will write to him at once. Let us go down to my
office at the Forge ! "
The letter was from a capitalist who had an interest in
several mines in Arizona and Nevada. Pie was not satisfied
with the returns, and wished to send a private, confidential
agent to those regions, to examine the prospects and opera-
tions of the companies and report thereupon. With the aid
of a map the probable course of travel was marked out, and
Joseph rejoiced at the broad field of activity and adventure
which it opened to him.
He stayed with Philip a day or two longer, and every
evening the fire made a cheery accompaniment to the deep-
est and sweetest confidences of their hearts, now pausing as
if to listen, now rapidly murmuring some happy, inarticulate
secret of its own. As each gradually acquired full possession
of the other's past, the circles of their lives, as Philip said,
were reciprocally widened; but as the horizon spread, it
seemed to meet a clearer sky. Their eyes were no longer
fixed on the single point of time wherein they breathed.
Whatever pain remained, melted before them and behind
them into atmospheres of resignation and wiser patience.
One gave his courage and experience, the other his pure
347
instinct, his faith find aspiration; and a now harmony came
from the closer interfusion of sweetness and strength.
When Joseph returned home, lie at once set about putting
his affairs in order, and making arrangements for an absence
of a year or more. It was necessary that he should come in
contact with most of his neighbors, and he was made; aware
of their good will without knowin" that it was, in many
O J
cases, a reaction from suspicion and slanderous gossip. Mr.
Chaffinch had even preached a sermon, in which no name
was mentioned, but everybody understood the allusion. This
was considered to be perfectly right, so long as the prejudices
of the people were with him, and Julia was supposed to be
the pious and innocent victim of a crime. When, however,
the truth had been established, many who had kept silent
now denounced the sermon, and another on the deceitfulness
of appearances, which Mr. Chaffinch gave on the following
Sabbath, was accepted as the nearest approach to an apology
consistent with his clerical dignity.
Joseph was really ignorant of these proceedings, and the
quiet, self-possessed, neighborly way in which he met the
people gave them a new impression of his character. More-
over, he spoke of his circumstances, when it was necessary,
with a frankness unusual among them ; and the natural re-
sult was that his credit was soon established on as sound a
basis as ever. When, through Philip's persistence, the mis-
sion to the Pacific coast was secured, but little further time
was needed to complete the arrangements. By the sacrifice
of one-fourth of his land, the rest was saved, and intrusted
to good hands during his absence. Philip, in the mean time,
had fortified him with as many hints and instructions as
possible, and he was ready, with a light heart and a full head,
to set out upon the long and uncertain journey.
348 JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND.
CHAPTER XXXII.
LETTERS.
I. JOSEPH TO PHILIP.
CAMP , ARIZONA, October 19, 1868.
SINCE I wrote to you from Prescott, dear Philip, three
months have passed, and I have had no certain means of
sending you another letter. There was, first, Mr. Wilder's
interest at , the place hard to reach, and the business
difficult to investigate. It was not so easy, even with the
help of your notes, to connect the geology of books with the
geology of nature ; these rough hills don't at all resemble
the clean drawings of strata. However, I have learned all
the more rapidly by not assuming to know much, and the re-
port I sent contained a great deal more than my own per-
sonal experience. The duty was irksome enough, at times;
I have been tempted by the evil spirits of ignorance, indo-
lence, and weariness, and I verily believe that the fear of
failing to make good your guaranty for my capacity was the
spur which kept me from giving way. Now, habit is begin-
ning to help me, and, moreover, my own ambition has some-
thing to stand on.
I had scarcely finished and forwarded my first superficial
account of the business as it appeared to me, when a chance
suddenly offered of joining a party of prospecters, some
of whom I had already met : as you know, we get acquainted
iu little time, and with no introductions in these parts.
They were bound, first, for some little-known regions in
JOJ-KPU AND 1118 FRIKND.
Eastern Nevada, and then, passing a point which Mr.
"Wilder wished me to visit (and which T could not have
reached so directly from any other (jnarter), they meant to
finish the journey at Austin. It was an opportunity I
could not let go, though I will admit to you, Philip, that I
also hoped to overtake the adventures, which had seemed to
recede from me, rainbow-fashion, as I went on.
Some of the party were old Eocky Mountain men, as Avary
as courageous ; yet we passed through one or two straits
which tested all their endurance and invention. I won't say
how I stood the test ; perhaps I ought to be satisfied that
I came through to the end, and am now alive and cheerful.
~ j
To be sure, there are many other ways of measuring our
strength. This experience wouldn't help me the least in a
discussion of principles, or in organizing any of the machi-
nery of society. It is rather like going back to the first
ages of mankind, and being tried in the struggle for exist-
ence. To me, that is a great deal. I feel as if I had been
taken out of civilization and set back towards the beginning,
in order to work my way up again.
But what is the practical result of this journey ? you will
ask. I can hardly tell, at present : if I were to state that I
have been acting on your system of life rather than my own,
that is, making ventures without any certainty of the con-
sequences, I think you would shake your head. Neverthe-
less, in these ten months of absence I have come out of my
old skin and am a livelier snake than you ever knew me to
be. No, I am wrong; it is hardly a venture after all, and
my self-glorification is out of place. I have the prospect of
winning a great deal where a very little has been staked, and
the most timid man in the world might readily go that far.
Again you will shake your head ; you remember " The
350 josEi'ir AXD ins FRIEND.
Amaranth." How I should like to Lear what lias become
of that fearful and wonderful .speculation !
Pray give me news of Mr. Blessing. All those matters
seem to lie so far behind me, that they look differently to
my eyes. Somehow, I can't keep the old impressions ; I
even begin to forget them. You said, Philip, that he was
not intentionally dishonest, and something tells me you are
right. We learn men's characters rapidly in this rough
school, because we cannot get away from the close, rough,
naked contact. What surprises me is that the knowledge is
not only good for present and future use, but that I can take
it with me into my past life. One weakness is left, and you
will understand it. I blush to myself, I am ashamed of
my early innocence and ignorance. This is wrong ; yet,
Philip, I seem to have been so unmanly, at least so unmas-
culine ! I looked for love, and fidelity, and all the virtues,
on the surface of life ; believed that a gentle tongue was the
sign of a tender heart ; felt a wound when some strong and
positive, yet differently moulded being approached me !
Now, here are fellows prickly as a cactus, with something at
the core as true and tender as you will find in a woman's
heart. They would stake their lives for me sooner than
some persons (whom we know) would lend me a hundred
dollars, without security ! Even your speculator, whom I
have rnet in every form, is by no means the purely merce-
nary and dangerous man I had supposed.
In short, Philip, I am on very good terms with human
nature ; the other nature does not suit me so well. It is a
grand thing to look down into the canon of the Colorado, or
to see a range of perfectly clear and shining snow-peaks
across the dry sage-plains ; but oh, for one acre of our green
meadows ! I dreamed of them, and the clover-fields, and
JOSEPH AND HIS FEIEXD. 351
the woods and running streams, through the terrific heat of
the Nevada deserts, until the tears came. It is nearly a
year since I L'i't home: 1 should think it fifty years!
V\ ith this mail goe.s another report to jir. AVilder. In
three or four months my task will be at an end, and I shall
then be free to return. A\ ill you welcome the brown-faced,
full bearded man, broad in cheek's and shoulders, as you
would the but how did I use to look, Philip ? It was a
younger brother you knew ; but lie has bequeathed all of his
love, and more, to the older.
II. PHILIP TO JOSEPH.
COVENTRY FORGE, Christmas Day.
When Madeline hung a wreath of holly around your
photograph this morning, I said to it as I say now : " A.
merry Christmas, Joseph, wherever you are!" It is a
calm sunny day, and my view, as you know, reaches much
further through the leafless trees ; but only the meadow on
the right is green. You, on the contrary, are enjoying
something as near to Paradise in color, and atmosphere,
and temperature (if you are, as I guess, in Southern Cali-
fornia), as you will ever be likely to see.
Yes, I will welcome the new man, althoxigh I shall see
more of the old one in him than you perhaps think, nor
would I have it otherwise. We don't change the bases of
our lives, after all : the forces are differently combined,
otherwise developed, but they hang, I fancy, to the same
roots. Nay, I'll leave preaching until I have you again at
the old fireside. Yoxi want news from home, and no miser-
able little particular is unimportant. I've been there, and
know what kind of letters are welcome.
002 JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND.
The neighborhood (I like to hover around a while, before
alighting) is still a land where all things always seem the
same. The trains run up and down our valley, carrying a
little of the world boxed up in shabby cars, but leaving no
mark behind. In another year the people will begin to
visit the city more frequently ; in still another, the city
people will find their way to iis ; in five years, population
will increase and property will rise in value. This is my
estimate, based on a plentiful experience.
Last week, Madeline and I attended the wedding of
Elwood Withers. It was at the Hopeton's, and had been
postponed a week or two, on account of the birth of a son
to our good old business-friend. There are two events for
you ! Elwood, who has developed, as I knew he would,
into an excellent director of men and material undertakings,
has an important contract on the new road to the coal
regions. He showed me the plans and figures the other
day, and I see the beginning of wealth in them. Lucy,
who is a born lady, will save him socially and intellectually.
I have never seen a more justifiable marriage. He was
pale and happy, she sweetly serene and confident ; and the
few words he said at the breakfast, in answer to the health
which Hopeton gave in his choice Yin d'A'i, made the un-
married ladies envy the bride. Really and sincerely, I
came away from the house more of a Christian than I went.
You know all, dearest friend : was it not a test of my
heart to see that she was intimately, fondly happy ? It was
hardly any more the face I once knew. I felt the change
in the touch of her hand. I heard it in the first word she
spoke. I did not dare to look into my heart to see if some-
thing there were really dead, for the look would have called
the dead to life. I made one heroic effort, heaved a stone
over the place, and sealed it down forever. Then I felt
your arm on mv shoulder, your hand on my breast. I was
strong and joyous; Lucy, I imagined, looked at me from
time to time, but with a bright face, as if she divined what
I had done. Can. she have ever suspected the truth?
Time is a specific administered to us for all spiritual
shocks ; but change of habit is better. AVhv may I not
change in quiet as you in action ? It seems to me, some-
times, as I sit alone before the fire, with the pipe-stem
between my teeth, that each of us is going backward
through the other's experience. You will thus prove my
results as I prove yours. Then, parted as we are, I see
our souls lie open to each other in equal light and warmth,
and feel that the way to God lies through the love of
man.
Two years ago, how all our lives were tangled ! Now,
with so little agency of our own, how they are flowing into
smoothness and grace ! Yours and mine are not yet com-
plete, but they are no longer distorted. One disturbing, yet
most pitiable, nature has been removed ; El wood, Lucy, the
Hopetons, are happy; you and I are healed of our impa-
tience. Yes, there is something outside of our own wills that
works for or against us, as we may decide. If I once forgot
this, it is all the clearer now.
I have foi-gotten one other, Mr. Blessing. The other day
I visited him in the city. I found him five blocks nearer
the fashionable quarter, in a larger house. He was elegantly
dressed, and wore a diamond on his bosom. He came to
meet me with an open letter in his hand.
"From Mrs. Spelter, my daughter," he said, waving it
with a grand air, " an account of her presentation to the
Emperor Napoleon. The dress was let me see blue moire
354 JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND.
and Oliantilly lace ; Eugenie was quite struck with her figure
and complexion."
" The world seems to treat yon well," I suggested.
" Another turn of the wheel. However, it showed me
what I am capable of achieving, when a strong spur is applied.
In this case the spur was, as you probably guess, Mr. Held,
honor. Sir, I prevented a cataclysm ! You of course know
the present quotations of the Amaranth stock, but you can
hardly be aware of my agency in the matter. When I went to
the Oil Region with the available remnant of funds, Kanuck
had fled. Although the merest tyro in geology, I selected a
spot back of the river-bluffs, in a hollow of the undulating
table-land, sunk a shaft, and succeeded ! It was what some-
body calls an inspired guess. I telegraphed instantly to a
friend, and succeeded in purchasing a moderate portion of
the stock not so much as I desired before its value was
known. As for the result, si monumentum quceris, circum-
spice ! "
I wish I could give you an idea of the air with which he
said this, standing before me with his feet in position, and
his arms thrown out in the attitude of Ajax defying the light-
ning.
I ventured to inquire after your interest. " The shares
are here, sir, and safe," he said, " worth not a cent less than
twenty-five thousand dollars."
I urged him to sell them and deposit the money to your
credit, but this he refused to do without your authority.
There was no possibility of depreciation, he said : very
well, if so, this is your time to sell. Now, as I write, it
occurs to me that the telegraph may reach you. I close this,
therefore, at once, and post over to the office at Oakland.
Madeline says : " A merry Christmas from me ! " It is
355
fixed in her Load tliat you are still exposed to some mys-
terious danger. Come back, shame her superstition, and
make happy your
PHILIP.
III. JOSEPH TO PHILIP.
SAX 1'iuxcisco, June 3, 1609.
Philip, Philip, I have found j our valley !
After my trip to Oregon, in March, I went southward,
along the v ostern base of the Sierra Xevada, intending at
first to cross the range ; but falling in with an old friend of
yours, a man of the mountains and the sea, of books and
men, I kept company with him, on and on, until the great
wedges of snow lay behind us, and only a long, low, winding
pass divided us from the sands of the Colorado Desert.
From the mouth of this pass I looked on a hundred miles of
mountains ; there were lakes glimmering below ; there were
groves of ilex on the hillsides, an orchard of oranges, olives,
and vines in the hollow, millions of flowers hiding the earth
pure winds, fresh waters, and remoteness from all conven-
tional society. I have never seen a landscape so broad,
so bright, so beautiful !
Yes, but we will only go there on one of these idle epicu-
rean journeys of which we dream, and then to enjoy the wit
and wisdom of our generous friend, not to seek a refuge from
the perversions of the world ! For I have learned another
thing, Philip : the freedom we craved is not a thing to be
found in this or that ulace. Unless we bring it with us, we
shall not find it.
The news of the decline of the Amaranth stock, in your
last, does not surprise me. How fortunate that my tele-
graphic order arrived in season ! It was in Mr. Blessing's
356 JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND.
nature to hold on ; but lie will surely Lave something left.
I mean to invest half of the sum in his wife's name, in any
case; for the "prospecting" of which I wrote you, last fall,
was a piece of more than ordinary luck. You must have
heard of White Pine, by this time. We were the discover-
ers, and reaped a portion of the first harvest, which is never
equal to the second ; but this way of getting wealth is so
incredible to me, even after I have it, that I almost fear the
gold will turn into leaves or pebbles, as in the fairy tales.
I shall not tell you what my share is: let me keep one
secret, nay, two, to carry home !
More incredible than anything else is now the circum-
stance that we are within a week of each other. This let-
ter, I hope, will only precede me by a fortnight. I have one
or two last arrangements to make, and then the locomotive
will cross the continent too slowly for my eager haste. Why
should I deny it ? I am homesick, body and soul. Yerily,
if I were to meet Mr. Chaffinch in Montgomery Street, I
should fling myself upon his neck, before coming to my
sober senses. Even he is no longer an antipathy : I was
absurd to make one of him. I have but one left ; and
Eugenie's admiration of her figure and complexion does not
soften it in the least.
How happy Madeline's letter made me ! After I wrote
to her, I would have recalled mine, at any price ; for I had
obeyed an impulse, and I feared foolishly. What you. said
of her " superstition " might have been just, I thought.
But I believe that a true-hearted woman always values
impulses, because she is never at a loss to understand them.
So now I obey another, in sending the enclosed. Do you
know that her face is as clear in my memory as yours ? and as
but why should I write^ when I shall so soon be with you ?
JOSEPH AND II IS FEIEXD. 357
CHAPTER XXXIII.
ALL ARE HAPPY.
THREE weeks after the date of Joseph's last letter Philip
met him at the railroad station in the city. Brown, bearded,
fresh, and full of joyous life after his seven days' journey
across the continent, he sprang down from the platform to be
caught in his friend's arms.
The next morning they went together to Mr. Blessing's
residence. That gentleman still wore a crimson velvet
dressing-gown, and the odor of the cigar, which he puffed in
a rear room, called the library (the books were mostly Pat-
ent Office and Agricultural Reports, with Faublas and the
Decamerone), breathed plainly of the Vuelte Abajo.
" My dear boy ! " he cried, jumping up and extending his
arms, " Asten of Asten Hall ! After all your moving acci-
dents by flood and field, back again ! This is is what
shall I say ? compensation for many a blow of fate ! And
my brave Knight with the Iron Hand, sit down, though it
be in Caithage, and let me refresh my eyes with your
faces J"
" Not Carthage yet, I hope," said Joseph.
" Not quite, if I adhere strictly to facts," Mr. Blessing
replied ; " although it threatens to be my Third Punic War.
There is even a slight upward tendency in the Amaranth
shares, and if the company were in my hands, we should soon
float upon the topmost wave. But what can I do ? The Hon-
orable Whaley and the Reverend Dr. Lellifant were retained
358 JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND.
on account of their names ; Whaley made president, and I
being absent at the time developing the enterprise, not
only pars magna but to tits tcres atque rotundvs, ha ! lia ! I
was put off with a director's place. Now I must stand by,
and see the work of my hands overthrown. But 'tis ever
thus ! "
He heaved a deep sigh. Philip, most heroically repress-
ing a tendency to shriek with laughter, drew him on to state
the particulars, and soon discovered, as he had already sus-
pected, that Mr. Blessing's sanguine temperament was the
real difficulty ; it was still possible for him to withdraw, and
secure a moderate success.
When this had been made clear, Joseph interposed.
. " Mr. Blessing," said he, " I cannot forget how recklessly,
in my disappointment, I charged you with dishonesty. I
know also that you have not forgotten it. Will you give
me an opportunity of atoning for my injustice? not that you
reqxiire it, but that I may, henceforth, have less cause for
self-reproach."
" Your words are enough ! " Mr. Blessing exclaimed. " I
excused you long ago. You, in your pastoral seclu-
sion "
" But I have not been secluded for eighteen months past,"
said Joseph, smiling. " It is the better knowledge of men
which has opened my eyes. Besides, you have no right to
refuse me ; it is Mrs. Blessing whom I shall have to con-
sult."
He laid the papers on the table, explaining that half the
amount realized from his shares of the Amaranth had been
invested, on trust, for the benefit of Mrs. Eliza Bless-
ing.
" You have conquered vincisti ! " cried Mr. Blessing,
359
shedding tears. "What can I do? Geuerositv is so rare
a virtue in the world, that it would be a crime to suppress
it ! "
Philip took advantage of the milder mood, and plied his
arguments so skilfully that .at last the exuberant pride of
the De Belsain blood gave wav.
" What shall I do, without an object, a hope, a faith in
possibilities ?" Mr. Blessing cried. "The amount you have
estimated, with Joseph's princely provision, is a competence
for my old days ; but how shall I till out those days ? The
sword that is never drawn from the scabbard rusts."
"But," said Philip, gravely, "you forget the field for
which you were destined by nature. These operations in
stocks require only a low order of intellect ; you were meant
to lead and control multitudes of men. With your fluency
of speech, your happy faculty of illustration, your power of
presenting facts and probabilities, you should confine your-
self exclusively to the higher arena of politics. Begin as an
Alderman ; then, a Member of the Assembly ; then, the
State Senate ; then
" Member of Congress ! " cried Mr. Blessing, rising, with
flushed face and flashing eyes. " You are right ! I have
allowed the necessity of the moment to pull me down from
iny proper destiny ! You are doubly right ! My creature
comforts once secured, I can give my time, my abilities, my
power of swaying the minds of men, come, let us withdraw,
realize, consolidate, invest, at once ! "
They took him at his word, and before night a future, froe
from want, was secured to him. While Philip and Joseph
were on their way to the country by a late train, Mr. Bless-
ing was making a speech of an hour and a half at one of the
primary political meetings.
300 JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND.
There was welcome through the valley when Joseph's ar-
rival was known. For two or three days the neighbors
flocked to the farm to see the man whose adventures, in a
very marvellous form, had been circulating among them for
a year past. Even Mr. Chaffinch called, and was so concili-
ated by his friendly reception, that he, thenceforth, placed
Joseph in the ranks of those " impracticable " men, who
might be nearer the truth than they seemed : it was not for
us to judge.
Every evening, however, Joseph took his saddle-horse and
rode up the valley to Philip's Forge. It was not only the
inexpressible charm of the verdure to which he had so long
been a stranger, not only the richness of the sunset on the
hills, the exquisite fragrance of the meadow-grasses in the
cool air, nay, not entirely the dear companionship of Philip
which drew him thither. A sentiment so deep and powerful
that it was yet unrecognized, a hope so faint that it had
not yet taken form, was already in his heart. Philip saw,
and was silent.
But, one night, when the moon hung over the landscape,
edging with sparkling silver the summits of the trees below
them, when the air was still and sweet and warm, and filled
with the diffused murmurs of the stream, and Joseph and
Madeline stood side by side, on the curving shoulder of the
knoll, Philip, watching them from the open window, said to
himself : " They are swiftly coming to the knowledge of
each other ; will it take Joseph further from my heart, or
bring him nearer? It ought to fill me with perfect joy, yet
there is a little sting of pain somewhere. My life had set-
tled down so peacefully into what seemed a permanent form ;
with Madeline to make a home and brighten it for me, and
Joseph to give me the precious intimacy of a man's love, so
361
different from woman's, vet so pure and perfect ! Thev have
destroyed my life, although they do not guess it. AVell, I
must be vicariously happy, warmed in my lonely sphere by
the far radiation of their nuptial bliss, seeing a faint re-
flection of some parts of myself in their children, nay,
claiming and making them mine as well, if it is meant that
my own blood should not beat in other hearts. But will
this be sufficient? Xo ! either sex is incomplete alone,
and a man's full life shall be mine ! Ah, you unconscious
lovers, you simple-souled children, that know not what you
are doing, I shall be even with you in the end ! The world
is a failure, God's wonderful system is imperfect, if there
is not now living a noble woman to bless me with her
love, strengthen me with her self-sacrifice, purify me with
her sweeter and clearer faith ! I will wait: but 1 shall find
her ! "
THE END.
16
Hist of tfjc
OF
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II. THE KNICKERBOCKER EDITION. Large
1 2 mo, on superfine laid paper, with Illustrations, elegantly
printed from new stereotype plates, and bound in extra cloth,
gilt top. Per volume, cloth, $2.50 ; half calf, $4. In sets,
including Life, 27 vols., cloth, $67.50 ; half calf, $108 ;
without Life, 24 vols., $60 ; half calf, $96.
III. THE RIVERSIDE EDITION. i6mo, on fine
white paper ; from new stereotype plates ; green crape cloth,
gilt top, bevelled edges, $1.75 per vol. ; half calf, $3.25 per vol.
In sets, 23 vols., cloth, $40 ; half calf, $69. With " Life of
Irving," 26 vols., $45 ; half calf, $84.50.
IV. THE PEOPLES EDITION. From the same
stereotype plates as above, but printed on cheaper paper,
neatly bound in cloth; price, $1.25 per vol. In sets, 23
vols., $29 ; with " Life," 26 vols., $32. 50.
IRVING'S LIGHTER WORKS. Riverside Edition.
Elegantly printed on toned paper, and illustrated with ap-
propriate vignettes. Eight volumes i6mo, vellum cloth,
gilt tops, $14; cloth, gilt edges, $16 ; half calf, $26. Sepa-
rate vols., $1.75, $2, and $3.25.
The " Riverside Edition " of Irving' s works comprises all the " Belles-Lettres
Works," complete in eight volumes.
Knickerbocker,
Tales of a Traveller,
Wolfert's Roost,
Crayon Miscellany,
Bracebridge Hall,
Alhambra,
Oliver Goldsmith,
Sketch- Book.
* # * The publishers desire to call special attention to this edition, as presenting
these classics in the most enjoyable form.
The volume is just the convenient size to hold in the hand, and neatly bound in
plain green muslin with gold top. Its typography is unexceptional a beautiful let-
ter, perfectly impressed, and the printing done with care and elegance. Hartferd
frets.
G. P. Putnam & Son. 1 1
SEPARATE VOLUMES.
IRVIXG'S ALHAMBRA. A Residence in the celebrated
Moorish Palace, the " Alhambra ; " with the historical and
romantic legends connected theiewith. By Washington
Irving. In one volume 121110. Sunnyside Edition, cloth,
52.25. Riverside Edition, cloth, $1.75. People's Edition,
$1.25.
The beautiful " Spanish Sketch-Book," the " Alhambrn."-
" On the whole, we consider the work 'before us as e-.ual in literary value to any
IRVIXG'S ASTORIA. Astoria; o~ Anecdotes of an Enter-
prise beyond the Rocky Mountains. By Washington Irving.
In one volume 121110. Sunnyside Edition, cloth, $2.50.
Riverside Edition, $2.00. People's Edition, $1.50.
" It is a book to put in your library, as an entertaining, very well written account
of savage life on a most extensive scale." AVf. Sydney Smith.
view."
IRVING'S BRACEBRIDGE. Bracebridge Hall; or, the
Humorists. By Washington Irving. In one volume 121110.
Sunnyside Edition, cloth, $2.25. Riverside Edition, cloth,
$1.75 ; half calf, $3.25. People's Edition, $1.25.
"The great charm and peculiarity of this work consists, now as on former occa-
sions, in the singular sweetness of the composition."-/.^ Jeffrey, in Edinburgh
Review.
IRVING'S COLUMBUS. The Life and Voyages of Chris-
topher Columbus ; to which are added those of his Com-
panions. By Washington Irving. In three volumes I2rao.
Sunnyside Edition, cloth, $6.75. Nat. Edit, half calf extra,
$13.50. Octavo Edition, three volumes, half calf, $20.00.
Riverside Edit., $5.25. People's Edit., 3 vols. cloth. $3.75.
"We venture to predict that the adventures of Columbus ^^^^J^.
only in the work of Mr. Irving."-/* lexander H. Everett, * North Am
^The' noblest monument to the memory of Columbus." W. H. ^" c "' . ,
" It will superseda all other works on die subject, and never be itself superseded.
Lord jtjtfrey.
12 Publications of
IRVING'S CRAYON. The Crayon Miscellany. Bj
Washington Irving. Author's revised Edition. In one
volume I2mo. Sunnyside Edition, cloth, $2.25. River-
side Edition, cloth, $1.75. People's Edition, $1.25.
IRVING'S GOLDSMITH. Oliver Goldsmith: a Biogra-
phy. By Washington Irving. In one volume. Hunnyside
Edition, i2mo, cloth, $2.25. Riverside Edition, i6mo,
vellum cloth, gilt top, $1.75 ; cloth, full gilt, $2.00 ; half calf,
$3.00. People's Edition, i6mo, $1.25.
" We have no hesitation in saying that in our judgment Washington Irving' s ' Life
of Oliver Goldsmith ' is one of the best, the most entertaining, the most natural bio-
graphies written during the last three centuries." Knickerbocker Magazine.
IRVING'S GRANADA. Chronicles of the Conquest of
Granada. By Washington Irving, tin one volume I2mo.
Sunnyside Edition, cloth, $2.50. Riverside Edition, $2.00.
People's Edition, $1.50.
"There is far too little known in this country of the history and character of the
Spaniards ; and this charming work of Irving is well calculated to interest our peo-
ple in the subject, and prompt to further investigations." Neiu York Tribune.
" It has superseded all further necessity for poetry, and, unfortunately for me, for
history." J^. H. Prescott.
IRVING'S KNICKERBOCKER. A History of New
York from the beginning of the World to the end of the
Dutch Dynasty, etc., etc. By Diedrich Knickerbocker. In
one volume. Sunnyside Edition, I2mo, cloth, $2.25. River-
side Edition, i6mo, $1.75 ; full gilt, $2.00. People's Edi-
tion, blue cloth, $1.25.
The Same. With Illustrations by Darley. 8vo, morocco
extra, $10.
"The most excellently jocose ' History of New York.' Our sides have
been absolutely sore with laughing." Sir Walter Scott.
" A book of unwearying pleasantry." Edward Everett.
G. P. Putnam & Son. 13
IRYJXG'S MAHOMET. Mahomet and his Successors.
By Washington Irving. In t'.vo volumes I2mo. Sunny-
side Edition, cloth. 54.50. Riverside Edition, f 3.50. Peo-
ple's Edition, $2.50.
" But for gencrati-.ns past the power of the Crescent has been vanmff, and its glory
IRVIXG'S SALMAGUNDI. Salmagundi ; or. the Whim-
Whams and Opinions of Launcelot Langstaff. Esq., and
Others. By William Irving, James Kirke Paulding, and
Washington Irving. In one volume i2mo. Sunnyside
Edition, cloth, $2.25. Riverside Edition, 1.75. People's
Edition, $1.25.
IRVING'S SKETCH-BOOK. The Sketch-Book of Geoffrey
Crayon, Gent. The Authors revised Edition. In one
volume. Sunnyside Edition, 1 2mo, cloth, $2.25. Riverside,
i6mo, $1.75 ; full gilt, $2.00. Blue and gold Edition, i8mo,
$1.50. People's Edition, i6mo, blue cloth, $1.25. [This
edition is used as a School Reader.]
" It is positively beautiful." Sir Walter Scott.
" This exquisite miscellany." J. G. Lockhart.
IRVING'S SPANISH PAPERS. Hitherto Unpublished
or Uncollected. 2 vols., with portrait from Wilkie. Sun-
nyside Edition, cloth, $4.50 ; half calf, $8. National Edition,
2 vols., $5 ; half calf, $9.
"These fascinating legends of Spanish history." St. Paul Press.
IRVING'S TRAVELLER. Tales of a Traveller. By
Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. Author's revised Edition. In one
volume. Sunnyside Edition, I2mo, $2.25. Riverside Edi-
tion, i6mo, $1.75 ; full gilt, $2.00. People's Edition, $1.25.
" Has always been one of the most popular of Irvine's productions, and is not
destined to lose the place it so soon acquired in the estimation of the world. ' Bos-
ton Traveller.
14 Publications of
IRVING'S WOLFERT'S ROOST. Wolfert's Roost and
other Papers, now first collected by Washington Irving.
In one volume i2mo. Sunnyside Edition, cloth, $2.25.
Riverside Edition, cloth, $1.75. People's Edition, $1.25.
"The papers in the present volume are among his latest and most charming pro-
ductions." Chicago Tribune.
IRVING'S WASHINGTON. A Life of George Washing-
ton, by Washington Irving. With numerous illustrations.
In five volumes. Sunnyside Edition, 121110, cloth, $11.25 ;
half calf, gilt or antique, $20. Library Edition, 8vo, cloth,
$15 ; half calf, gilt or antique, $25. Illustrated Edition,
royal 8vo, half calf, gilt, $35 ; full morocco extra, $45.
People's Edition, 2 vols., fifty-two plates, half morocco, $14 ;
full mor., $18.
" I cannot hesitate to predict for him a deathless renown He whose
works were the delight of our fathers and are still ours, will be read with the same
pleasure by those who come after us." William Cullen Bryant.
" Few, very few, can show a long succession of volumes so pure, so graceful, and
so varied as Mr. Irving." Miss Mitford's Recollections of a Literary Life.
IRVING'S LIFE AND LETTERS. By P. M. Irving.
4 vols., I2mo, cloth, $9; half calf extra, $15.
"The most delightful of biographies."
The Same. Condensed into 3 vols. Knickerbocker
Edition, $7.50. Sunnyside Edition, $5.25. People's Edi-
tion, $3.75.
IRVING'S (Theo.) FLORIDA. The History of De Soto's
Conquest of Florida. By Theodore Irving, LL.D. A New
Edition, i vol. I2mo. Uniform with the Sunnyside Edi-
tion of Irving's Works, $2.25.
"This book is a delightful one .... in style ; related to the pure and graceful
writing of the author of the ' Life of Columbus.' " London Athenaeum.
IRVING'S ILLUSTRATED WORKS
CHRISTMAS IN ENGLAND. With 21 very fine
illustrations from the Artist's Edition of the Sketch-Book.
Small folio, cloth extra, $3.50 ; morocco extra, $7.
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